Fraud CityA cheating scandal in Atlanta schools bears a striking resemblance to the 2008 financial crisis.
Police violence, executions, Gitmo: US grilled by UN human rights panelThe UN Human Rights Council called out the US over the disturbing trend of excessive force being used against minorities by law enforcement agencies, adding that the US has “largely failed” to follow up on recommendations made in 2010.
U.S. Government: We Can Classify Anything and Judges Can’t Stop UsAt a hearing today on a lawsuit seeking to make videotapes of force-feedings at Guantánamo public, Justice Department attorneys argued that the courts cannot order evidence used in trial to be unsealed if it has been classified by the government. “We don’t think there is a First Amendment right to classified documents,” stated Justice Department lawyer Catherine Dorsey.
Bank of America Corp (BAC) And JPMorgan Chase & Co. To Clear Debt From Credit ReportsIt has been reported that JP Morgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America Corp have agreed to update their clients’ credit reports in the next three months in order to remove the debts that were extinguished, the New York Times reported.
NSA’s telephone metadata collection not authorized by Patriot Act – appeals courtThe collection of telephone metadata by United States intelligence services “exceeds the scope of what Congress has authorized,” a federal appeals court has ruled in a major blow to the National Security Agency.
Bank of America Corp (BAC) Paid $315 Million To Settle With Deutsche Bank AG And BNP ParibasBank of America Corp. has paid a total of $315 million to settle lawsuits that were filed by BNP Paribas Mortgage Corp. and Deutsche Bank AG. The lawsuits were related to the multibillion fraud losses at the failed lender Taylor Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corp.
Tesla aims at household energy bills with wall-mounted batteriesElectric car producer Tesla Motors has adapted battery technology for household and business applications. The wall-mounted batteries will make solar power more accessible and throttle grid consumption to diminish loads and bills. Talked of earlier in April, the home battery products were officially presented this week by Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk.
Enter the Sand-man: Socialist Bernie Sanders blasts billionaires, corporations in presidential bid announcementNoted critic of economic inequality, corporations and the rich, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said he was running for president to buck the system in which billionaire families were able to buy elections and candidates. The Supreme Court’s ” disastrous” decision in Citizens United created the situation in which ” billionaires are literally able to buy elections and candidates,” Sanders argued.
Study accuses psychologists group of complicity in CIA torture programThe American Psychologists Association, the largest professional scientific organization of its kind, was secretly complicit in the adoption of torturous interrogation tactics used by the United States against detainees, a new report suggests.
US introduces $30 mn bill to target ‘Russian propaganda’, ISIS threatUS legislators have introduced a new bill which proposes adding $30 million to target ‘Russia’s propaganda,’ which they claim “pose[s] a challenge to the NATO system.” The House Armed Services Committee’s bill also targets the Islamic State activities.
Why the Future of Religion Is BleakReligion has been waning in influence for several centuries, especially in Europe and North America. There have been a few brief and local revivals, but in recent years the pace of decline has accelerated. Today one of the largest categories of religious affiliation in the world-with more than a billion people-is no religion at all, the “Nones.”
SEC investigating Bank of America for putting customers funds at risk – reportBank of America may have put retail brokerage funds at risk in order to increase profits thus breaking a 40-year-old rule, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the bank amid claims the financial giant broke rules designed to safeguard the accounts of clients, the paper reported on Tuesday this week.
‘Unparalleled’ public interest: US media unite to demand classified Petraeus case docsUS media outlets are demanding that a federal court unseals documents related to the sentencing of former CIA Director David Petraeus. Last week, he received two years of probation and $100,000 fine after pleading guilty to leaking classified documents.
Have Fossil Fuels Officially Lost to Renewables?Photo credit: Gencho Petkov/shutterstock.com We’ve passed the turning point! As a planet, we’re adding more capacity for renewable energy each year than for coal, natural gas, and oil combined, Bloomberg Business reports.
Prudential Reaches Settlement With Bank of America, Merrill Lynch in RMBS Lawsuits – DSNewsNew Jersey federal court documents filed earlier this week revealed that Prudential Insurance Co. has moved to settle its ongoing lawsuits with Bank of America NA, Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc., First Franklin Financial Group, and a number of lenders in the mortgage industry.
Lawmakers look to reform anti-hacking law by reintroducing bill for Aaron SwartzA , or CFAA, would introduce reform proposed updateto the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act “to better target serious criminals and curb overzealous prosecutions for non-malicious computer and Internet offenses,” according to its authors. So far, their offering has already garnered bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.
Fix the Flaws in Forensic ScienceTHE F.B.I. stunned the legal community on Monday with its acknowledgment that testimony by its forensic scientists about hair identification was scientifically indefensible in nearly every one of more than 250 cases reviewed. But the conclusion should come as no surprise to scientists.
Morgan Stanley in talks to pay $500 mn fine to settle mortgage-bond probe – mediaUS bank Morgan Stanley is reportedly in talks with the Attorney General of New York over the payment of about $500 million to settle claims for misleading investors with mortgage-backed securities issued before the financial crisis.