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Sam Knight - page 2

Sam Knight has 859 articles published.

Trump Calls Kerry Outreach “Possibly Illegal Shadow Diplomacy”

President Trump floated the idea that former Secretary of State John Kerry could face criminal charges for lobbying to salvage the Iranian Nuclear Deal. Trump made the statement on Monday morning through Twitter, in reference to a Boston Globe article published last week. The publication revealed on Friday that Kerry has been in touch with Iranian and European officials in a bid protect the deal—the most significant international accord signed by the US government under the Obama administration. “The United States does not need John… Keep Reading

Pompeo Welcomed to State by Apologist for Church Pedophilia Exposed by “Spotlight” Reporters

Former CIA Director Mike Pompeo was sworn in as Secretary of State on Wednesday, kicking off his rein with a prayer by a controversial fundamentalist. The start of the ceremony featured an invocation by Mary Ann Glendon, a far-right anti-abortion Harvard Law scholar who once attacked investigative reporting on the Catholic Church’s protection of pedophiles. “We ask these blessings, Lord, with thankful hearts, and with gratitude for the countless blessings you have already bestowed upon our land,” Glendon said. “And we ask for forgiveness for… Keep Reading

Former White House Adviser, Billionaire Carl Icahn Received Lucrative Waiver from EPA

EPA administrator Scott Pruitt has granted valuable exemptions from renewable fuel requirements to an oil refinery owned by Carl Icahn–the billionaire investor and former adviser to President Trump. Pruitt granted a waiver from the rules in recent months to CVR Energy Inc., according to a report on Monday in Reuters citing two unnamed industry sources. The Obama era program was created to force petroleum refineries to either use more biofuel or purchase biofuel credits in an effort to reduce energy emissions. Waivers to the program… Keep Reading

Scott Pruitt: The Buck Stops With Career Officials

Embattled EPA head Scott Pruitt was pressed repeatedly by lawmakers on Thursday about a number of ethics scandals plaguing his tenure: lavish travel, raises for top staffers over White House protests, and a questionable housing arrangement involving an energy lobbyist, to name a few. But Pruitt’s most eyebrow-raising response came when he was asked about the decision to build a $43,000 soundproof booth in his own office. President Trump’s top regulator claimed he “did not approve” of spending on the fixture, passing blame instead onto… Keep Reading

Dems: CIA Concealing Haspel Records, Showing “Nothing but Contempt for the Senate and the Public”

The first step of President Trump’s ongoing cabinet shuffle is nearly complete, but there remains doubt about what will follow. Current CIA Director Mike Pompeo looks set to be confirmed as Secretary of State, after dramatically being reported out of committee on Monday. There are, however, still impediments for Pompeo’s nominated replacement, current CIA Deputy Director Gina Haspel. Haspel’s selection by President Trump has attracted opposition from Democrats and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)–because of her involvement in the CIA post-9/11 torture program, and the subsequent… Keep Reading

Yahoo Successor Settles S.E.C. Data Breach Charges for $35 Million

The company that emerged with the remnants of Yahoo! Inc. was slapped with a $35 million fine because the former internet giant sat for two years on news of a major cybersecurity breach. Altaba agreed to pay the penalty in a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission announced on Tuesday by the agency. SEC officials said Yahoo’s senior management had been made aware of the data intrusion “within days,” but the company “failed to properly investigate the circumstances of the breach.” Disclosure of the… Keep Reading

Congress to Boost Discriminatory Lenders in Industry with Penchant for Subprime Loans

The Senate approved of a proposal on Wednesday that could make it easier for auto-lenders to engage in racial discrimination. The chamber passed a joint resolution repealing a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau guidance on fair lending, in a 51-47 vote. The measure was supported by every Republican present and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.). If passed by the House and signed into law by President Trump, the measure will scrap a directive released by the CFPB in 2013–one advising indirect auto-lenders how to comply with… Keep Reading

GAO: Scott Pruitt Illegally Built “Privacy Booth”

The head of the Environmental Protection Agency violated the law when installing a soundproof booth in his office, according to the top federal auditor. Scott Pruitt ran afoul of a 2017 appropriations law and the Antideficiencies Act when creating the fixture, the Government Accountability Office said on Monday in a legal opinion. According to the analysis, agency officials must notify Congress before “obligating or expending an amount in excess of $5,000” on office improvements.” Pruitt gave no such heads-up before spending more than $43,000 on… Keep Reading

Uber Agrees to Disclose Hacker Ransom Payments to the FTC

Regulators established additional data retention and reporting requirements on Uber, after the tech giant waited 12 months before disclosing a major information security breach. The company agreed to the new rules in an expanded settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, announced on Thursday by the agency. Uber had entered into an FTC consent agreement in August 2017, over deficient internal controls on employee access to information. In November, the data breach was revealed by CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who was then in his first few weeks… Keep Reading

Mulvaney Denies Killing CFPB Investigation for Payday Lenders, But Could Be Hiding Contacts

It certainly looks sketchy, but Mick Mulvaney claims he had nothing to do with it. The temporary head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said that he exerted zero influence over the move to drop an investigation into payday lending giant World Acceptance Corporation, a firm that has donated thousands to his congressional campaign funds. Mulvaney was asked about the dropped case at a congressional hearing on Wednesday by Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee. Waters noted how in… Keep Reading

Trump’s Scandal-Plagued Labor Board Soon Back to Full Strength

Republicans look set this week to fill the vacancy on President Trump’s embattled National Labor Relations Board. The Senate on Tuesday voted 50-47 to limit debate on John Ring, the nominee to fill the seat previously held by former NLRB chair Phil Miscimarra. Ring is currently a partner with Morgan Lewis & Bockius, a union-busting management side law firm, based in Philadelphia. Some of his recent major clients include Amazon, Marriott, Xerox, and Google, according to financial disclosures. Miscimarra stepped down in December, after quickly… Keep Reading

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