A database of 2.2 million suspected terrorists and people linked to organized crime — a list used by intelligence agencies, banks and companies around the world — has been leaked onto the internet.
Category Archives: General Information
So … Now the Government Wants to Hack Cybercrime Victims
THREE NEW CHANGES in federal court rules have vastly expanded law enforcement’s ability to hack into computers around the world.
The changes, to a federal court procedure known as Rule 41, were announced last week by the Supreme Court. They would let magistrate judges routinely issue search warrants to hack into computers outside their jurisdiction. The changes would also let magistrates issue a single search warrant for numerous computers in multiple jurisdictions, saving law enforcement the burden of having to obtain a separate warrant for each computer. This means a judge in Virginia could issue a single warrant for computers in California, Florida, Illinois and even overseas.
I-TEAM: Hundreds of Errors Found in FDA Data on Essure Problems
Since it hit the market, doctors have reported hundreds of problems with a form of birth control called Essure. But a new analysis of those alleged problems, known as adverse event reports, shows many have been mislabeled.
Physicians and nurses have reported more than 300 problems with Essure since August of last year, according to Madris Tomes, a former Food and Drug Administration analyst. In most cases, the data field for the reporter’s occupation doesn’t say “physician.” It says “other.”
Ex-House Speaker Dennis Hastert Gets 15 Months in Prison
Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert was sentenced Wednesday to 15 months in prison for breaking federal banking rules in a hush-money scheme attempting to cover up decades of sexual abuse.
Report: HHS gave immigrant children to human traffickers
According to a report from the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations obtained first by The New York Times, the Department of Health and Human Services had custody of six children who were later found in a human trafficking ring in Marion, Ohio, as well as 13 in other locations. Officials reportedly failed to do due diligence when securing guardians for unaccompanied minors during their immigration proceedings.
How does your state rank for integrity?
How does each state rank for transparency and accountability? The State Integrity Investigation used extensive research to grade the states based on the laws and systems they have in place to deter corruption. Use the interactive to see how states scored overall and explore how they performed in each of the 13 categories. See related story 》
What Americans fears the most: Government corruption, data privacy and cyber terrorism top the terror list
The number one fear for US residents is the corruption of government officials.
It beats fear of war, reptiles, cyber terrorism, and gun control – all of which appeared in the top 20 fears held by Americans.
This is according to a survey of 1,541 adults who were asked to rate how much they were scared of 88 different topics.
US Sen. Menendez appealing judge’s ruling against his attempts to dismiss criminal case
NEWARK, N.J. — Attorneys for U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey filed notice Friday that they will appeal a judge’s rulings rejecting their arguments to dismiss his corruption indictment.
Last month a federal judge in Newark dismissed some bribery counts from the 22-count indictment against Menendez and co-defendant Salomon Melgen, but rejected most of Menendez’s arguments to dismiss the indictment. This week, the same judge rejected the Democrat’s remaining attempts to have the case thrown out.
6,000 inmates to be released under new federal sentencing guidelines
The US Department of Justice is preparing to release roughly 6,000 inmates from federal prisons later this month under new sentencing guidelines.
The inmates’ crimes were predominantly nonviolent drug offenses, but under mandatory minimum sentencing laws enacted during the crack and cocaine epidemic of the 1980s and ’90s they were sentenced to many years behind bars, according to federal law enforcement officials.
“The inmates from federal prison nationwide will be set free by the department’s Bureau of Prisons between October 30 and November 2,” according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to the Washington Post. “Most of them will go to halfway houses, and home confinement before being put on supervised release.”
These Are the Least-Effective Members of Congress
According to a July Gallup poll, public approval of Congress has fallen to near-record lows. On average, 34% of the population approves of a given Congress. The current 114th Congress has a 17% approval rating.
Americans have reason to be concerned. According to GovTrack.us, the last two Congresses have enacted fewer laws than any other Congress since 1947. And the 114th Congress may just surpass them all in terms of doing nothing.
House Speaker John Boehner has argued that “We ought to be judged on how many laws we repeal”—not by the laws they pass. Even by that metric, Boehner’s Congress is still underperforming as a law must be passed to repeal another one.