Tag Archives: feds

Trump Calls On Justice Department To Appoint Special Prosecutor To Investigate Clinton Foundation [VIDEO]

Via the USA Today: Seeking to make the Clinton Foundation a major election issue, Donald Trump said Monday that a special prosecutor should probe the financial dealings of the organization begun by ex-president Bill Clinton and current Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Trump told supporters at a rally in Akron, Ohio, that the Justice Department and FBI did a “whitewash” on …

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Feds To Crack Down On Prank Candidates

USA Today reports: Sorry, Deez Nuts, Left Shark and Toy Testicles. The folks over at the Federal Election Commission are not amused by your claims to be running for the presidency, and this week they announced plans to crack down on the wave of fake candidates filing paperwork with the agency. “The Commission has authorized staff to send verification letters …

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Feds To Phase Out Private For-Profit Prisons

The Washington Post reports: The Justice Department plans to end its use of private prisons after officials concluded the facilities are both less safe and less effective at providing correctional services than those run by the government. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates announced the decision on Thursday in a memo that instructs officials to either decline to renew the contracts …

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Trump Slams US Intelligence On Day He Gets First Formal US Intel Briefing: I Don’t Trust Those People

Politico reports: Donald Trump offered a blunt explanation for why he wants retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn at his side as he gets his first classified briefing at FBI headquarters on Wednesday — he doesn’t trust intelligence information coming from those currently in charge. “I think he’s a great guy. I’ve gotten to know him. He’s been a real fan …

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REPORT: Aetna Is Leaving Most Obamacare Exchanges To Punish Feds For Blocking Merger With Humana

The Huffington Post reports: The big health care news this week came from Aetna, which announced on Monday it was dramatically scaling back participation in the Affordable Care Act ― thereby reducing insurer competition and forcing customers scattered across 11 states to find different sources of coverage next year. Aetna officials said the pullout was necessary because of Obamacare’s problems …

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Anti-Trump Super PAC Files Immigration Complaint Calling On Feds To Investigate Melania Trump

This is the second anti-Melania action by the group in one week. Via press release: The Democratic Coalition Against Trump announced today that it is filing paperwork requesting an immediate and thorough investigation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to determine whether Melania Trump, wife of the Republican nominee for President of the United States, violated our nation’s immigration laws. …

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Trump & Clinton To Begin Getting Classified Briefings

The Washington Post reports: At some point, perhaps as early as next week, federal agents will sit down with Donald Trump and tell him classified information about the government and our foreign-policy efforts. For Democrats, this is a point of both anguish and political calculation. Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid has suggested that Trump’s murky ties to foreign interests …

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Federal Court: Sexual Orientation Discrimination Isn’t Covered By Existing Civil Rights Laws

Chris Geidner reports at Buzzfeed: A federal appeals court on Thursday rejected a woman’s claim that existing civil rights law protects against sexual orientation discrimination — ruling that only the Supreme Court or Congress can make that the law. “Kimberly Hively has failed to state a claim under Title VII [of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for sex discrimination,” …

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Feds Approve Budweiser-Miller Merger

But it’s a rather complicated deal. Bloomberg reports: Anheuser-Busch InBev NV won U.S. antitrust approval for its takeover of SABMiller Plc, after the maker of Budweiser agreed to give up ownership of the Miller brand and open the door to greater competition from craft beers. AB InBev will sell SABMiller’s stake in MillerCoors LLC, separating the two brands, and refrain …

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House Speaker Paul Ryan Asks Feds Not To Provide Hillary With Classified Data After Being Nominated

Reuters reports: Top Republicans in the U.S. Congress pressed for sanctions on Thursday against Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for mishandling classified information, with House Speaker Paul Ryan formally asking she be denied such information during the campaign. Ryan, the top Republican in the House of Representatives, sent a letter to Director of National Intelligence James Clapper saying denying Clinton …

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GEORGIA: Homeland Security Questions Atlanta Man For Threatening To Make Local Bars “The Next Orlando”

The Georgia Voice reports: The Atlanta Police Department confirmed they are investigating a gay Atlanta man who tweeted that he would make two local gay bars “the next Orlando.” The incident follows the early Sunday morning shooting at Orlando LGBT nightclub Pulse that left 50 dead and 53 injured. Brett Edgerton, going by the handle @BrettTEdgerton, tweeted the following: “TEN …

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BREAKING: Fourth Circuit Court Lifts Stay On Order Granting Transgender Student Restroom Rights

A three-judge panel from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals just denied the stay motion filed Wednesday by Virginia’s Gloucester County School Board, which seeks to thwart the federal mandate on transgender student rights. That filing two days ago had triggered an automatic stay on the pro-trans April order while the Court considered their demand. The vote today was 2-1. …

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White House Issues Track Record On LGBT Rights: DOMA, DADT, Hate Crimes Law, HIV/AIDS, And More

The White House today issued a lengthy recounting of the many, many advances in LGBT rights seen during the Obama administration. The “fact sheet” – which I’ve posted in its entirety below – serves both as a very well-earned bragging point and as a stark reminder of how tenuous many of these advances remain with the specter of a Republican …

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BREAKING: Fourth Circuit Court Stays Pro-Transgender Rights Ruling Pending Possible Review By SCOTUS

NOTE: An important clarification is below. Earlier: That was amazingly fast. Patch.com reports: A stay has been issued in the case of a Virginia school’s transgender bathroom policy, meaning the case will go before the Supreme Court of the United States, according to a report. The Gloucester County School Board passed a policy restricting students to restrooms reflecting their “biological …

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Feds Grant Green Card To Widower Who Was Told By Feds In 1975 That “Two Faggots” Cannot Be Married

Wow. The Pride LA reports: The United States federal government has recognized as legally valid the April 1975 same-sex marriage of Richard Adams and Anthony Sullivan, approving the “green card” petition that Adams filed in 1975 for his husband, an Australian citizen. After Adams died in December 2012, Sullivan sought to have the Immigration Service recognize their marriage and grant …

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Pat McCrory: I’m Not Budging On Anti-LGBT Hate Law

From the Winston-Salem Journal: Gov. Pat McCrory said he will continue to fight for a “respect for privacy” in the face of a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit over the state’s controversial “bathroom bill.” McCrory was speaking at North Carolinians for Home Education’s annual conference, being held this week at the Benton Convention Center. McCrory praised the several hundred families …

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US Navy Celebrates LGBT Pride Month

Via press release from the US Navy: The Navy joins the nation in recognizing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride month during the month of June. Established by Presidential Proclamation in 2000, LGBT Pride Month is held annually and recognizes the importance of diversity within our society as well as the many achievements of LGBT individuals. This year’s theme is …

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Obama Speaks Out On Transgender Students: We Should Treat Them With Dignity And Kindness [VIDEO]

Chris Johnson report at the Washington Blade: President Obama predicted on Wednesday courts will settle which public restroom transgender students should be able to use amid continuing controversy over the issue. Obama made the remarks in response to a question during a town hall on “PBS News Hour” with Gwen Ifill as part of a trip to Elkhart, Ind., in …

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TEXAS: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Orders Public Schools To Defy Feds On Transgender Student Guidelines

From the Associated Press: The fight over bathroom rights for transgender students escalated in Texas on Tuesday as the state’s lieutenant governor urged schools to defy the Obama administration while parents of transgender children accused Republican leaders of stoking intolerance and making their kids targets for bullying. Few states are as publicly and persistently pushing back on transgender rights as …

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NORTH CAROLINA: Human Rights Campaign Petitions FAA To Cut Airport Funding Over Anti-LGBT Law

The Charlotte Observer reports: The Human Rights Campaign is asking the Federal Aviation Administration to consider whether House Bill 2 is causing North Carolina airports to violate grant requirements. If the FAA joined the U.S. Department of Justice’s position that HB2 violates the Civil Rights Act, the move could jeopardize millions of dollars in federal funding that helps operate and …

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