SWAT team raids investigative journalist’s home, confiscates confidential DHS filesReuters/Jessica Rinaldi An investigative journalist says federal agents raided her home earlier this year and confiscated the notes she used to report on a government cover-up. Now she fears her sources have been compromised.
‘They treat us like animals!’ Dozens of US cities unite in protests against police brutalityDozens of cities across the US have seen a national day of protest against police brutality. Organizers stated that thousands of people were killed in crackdowns over the last couple of decades, and police aren’t held accountable for the violence. All across the US people united to protest police violence in rallies.
Bank of America’s Countrywide loans were ‘in the ditch,’ says U.S.Bank of America Corp.’s Countrywide unit defrauded Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by selling them thousands of loans known to be defective, an attorney for the U.S. said in closing arguments in a lawsuit against the lender. The U.S. last year joined a whistle-blower action against Bank of America filed by former Countrywide executive Edward O’Donnell.
Who Buys the Spies? The Hidden Corporate Cash Behind America’s Out-of-Control National Surveillance StateEditor’s note: This is the first in a new series from AlterNet’s New Economic Dialogue Project, edited by Lynn Parramore. Long before President Obama kicked off his 2008 campaign, many Americans took it for granted that George W. Bush’s vast, sprawling national security apparatus needed to be reined in.
Rand Paul proposes constitutional amendment barring government officials from being above the lawSenator Rand Paul doesn’t want government officials to receive any sort of special treatment, and a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution courtesy of the Kentucky Republican could accomplish just that. Sen. Paul’s office announced on Monday that the lawmaker introduced a Constitutional amendment in Washington last week “that would hold government officials to the same standard as the American people.”
US citizen sues government after being detained by immigration officials for 7 monthsAFP Photo / Jose Cabezas A 33-year-old Filipino woman who came to the United States as a child and was quickly granted full American citizenship is suing the US government after being detained in prison for almost seven months and threatened with deportation.
BofA Said to Face Three More Probes of Mortgage-Bond SalesBank of America Corp., sued by U.S. attorneys in August over an $850 million mortgage bond, faces three more Justice Department civil probes over mortgage-backed securities, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation. U.S.
Drone strikes by US may violate international law, says UNA United Nations investigation has so far identified 33 drone strikes around the world that have resulted in civilian casualties and may have violated international humanitarian law. The report by the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, Ben Emmerson QC, calls on the US to declassify information about operations co-ordinated by the CIA and clarify its positon on the legality of unmanned aerial attacks.
Washington state sues lobbying group opposed to GMO food labeling effortReuters / Ints Kalnins A lobbying group for major US manufacturers has violated Washington state campaign finance law while opposing a ballot initiative that would require labeling genetically-modified foods, according to a lawsuit filed by the state attorney general Wednesday.
You Must Change Your Life: Capitalism and the Evolving DharmaThe following is excerpted from Evolving Dharma: Meditation, Buddhism, and the Next Generation of Enlightenment, published by Evolver Editions/North Atlantic Books. I’m sitting at the Wisdom 2.0 conference in San Francisco, awaiting a program of millionaires and celebrities, half-envying and half-loathing the fact that many of the people here are filthy rich.
Everything You Need to Know About Mindfulness But Were Too Afraid to Ask! | TrainingZone.co.ukHome ” Blogs ” The Conscious Professional ” Everything You Need to Know About Mindfulness But Were Too Afraid to Ask!
San Diego lawyer settles major robo-call lawsuitSAN DIEGO (CBS 8) – A San Diego lawyer has settled a milestone robo-calling class action lawsuit against Bank of America. The deal requires the mortgage servicer to pay more than $32 million to nearly 8 million people.
EFF Files Brief to Reveal the DEA’s Secret Use of Electronic Surveillance in Criminal CasesGiven the recent revelations about just how pervasive the government’s electronic surveillance has been, it’s no surprise these surveillance programs are popping up in criminal cases, as defense attorneys are finding gaps in how the government collected particular pieces of electronic evidence on their clients.
14 Caribbean nations sue Britain, Holland and France for slavery reparations that could cost hundreds of billions of poundsCountries demanding compensation for ‘awful’ legacy of Atlantic trade Have hired lawyers who won pay-out for Kenyans tortured in the 1950s Britain compensated slave owners £20m in 1834 – equal to £200bn today Idea of reparations in the U.S.
On the Prospect of Blackmail by the NSASometimes when I hear public officials speaking out in defense of NSA spying, I can’t help thinking, even if just for a moment, “what if the NSA has something on that person and that’s why he or she is saying this?” Of course it’s natural, when people disagree with you, to at l…
Stallman: How Much Surveillance Can Democracy Withstand?Editor’s Note: Given Richard Stallman’s longtime role in promoting software that respects user freedom (including GNU, which just turned 30), his suggested “remedies” for all the ways technology can be re-designed to provide benefits while avoiding surveillance – like the smart meters example he shares below – seem particularly relevant.
Silicon Valley giants take to meditation to get the best out of staff – Khaleej TimesIn his latest movie, Ashton Kutcher plays Apple billionaire Steve Jobs. Some time before Thanksgiving, thanks to Twitter, he’ll be a high tech multimillionaire in his own right.