US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) John Ratcliffe has released a Russian intelligence report dating to July 2016 that claimed then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton “approved” the spreading of a conspiracy theory linking then-Republican candidate Donald Trump to Moscow, which became the Russiagate scandal. On Tuesday, Ratcliffe passed to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) a report compiled by Russian intelligence in July 2016 and then obtained by US intelligence agencies “alleging that US Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had approved a campaign plan to stir up a scandal against US Presidential candidate Donald Trump by tying him to [Russian President […]
Lawmakers
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The Seattle City Council has voted to overturn Mayor Jenny Durkan’s veto on legislation that would slash millions of dollars from the local police budget, a move cheered by activist groups and reviled by some residents. The council overturned Durkan’s veto by a vote of 7-2, securing exactly the number of votes needed to put the legislation into effect. “In the wake of a racial reckoning, a $300 million budget shortfall, a pandemic, a climate crisis, a homelessness crisis… and a lack of federal leadership, our fundamental duty remains: to balance the City’s budget and meet the needs of Seattle’s most […]
Germany’s money-hemorrhaging effort to build a sleek new airport for Berlin might have convinced one political party that a blockchain for megaproject transparency was in order, but on Thursday the center-right Free Democrats (FDP) proved unable to persuade anyone else. Source link
The U.S. Capitol, seen here on April 13, remains closed to public tours and open only to members, staff, press and official business visitors. Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images The U.S. Capitol, seen here on April 13, remains closed to public tours and open only to members, staff, press and official business visitors. Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images Updated on September 14 at 12:45 p.m. ET The coronavirus pandemic has upended the daily work of Congress. Starting in March, House and Senate leaders delayed bringing back members for several weeks as public […]
Republican Senator Ben Sasse is at the center of a national online discussion after his ideas to reform the US Senate according to the Founding Fathers’ supposed wishes were critiqued as both undemocratic and simply “weird.” Sasse’s Wall Street Journal opinion piece, published on Tuesday and titled “Make the Senate Great Again,” most notably made the case for repealing the 17th amendment of the constitution. This change would put an end to US senators being elected by statewide popular vote. The Nebraska legislator would like the country to go back to the pre-1912 amendment rule, where state legislatures voted on the […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/09/1080405823_0:63:3072:1791_1200x675_80_0_0_47446959f43c7fb1800f3687141b4689.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/uk/202009091080405573-uk-pm-johnson-answers-lawmakers-questions-amid-reported-plans-to-rework-withdrawal-deal—video/ On Tuesday, the eighth round of post-Brexit talks between the United Kingdom and the European Union kicked off in London as Prime Minister Johnson set a 15 October deadline to reach a free trade agreement with Brussels. Sputnik is live from London where the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is answering questions from British MPs amid reports he intends to override some parts of the withdrawal agreement with the European Union. The Financial Times newspaper reported this week, citing officials, that Johnson is seeking to override key parts of the Withdrawal Agreement with the […]
Members of Congress are urging the federal government to use blockchain solutions to boost COVID relief efforts. In a Wednesday letter addressed to the U.S. President Donald Trump and federal officials, lawmakers said blockchain technology can help identify and authenticate individuals set to receive government benefits, streamline supply chains and create a registry of medical professionals. This is the latest development in a trend of U.S. lawmakers actively advocating for blockchain applications and virtual currencies, with representatives re-introducing bipartisan legislation in January that would reduce the tax burden on small crypto transactions, and Massachusetts Representative Stephen Lynch (D-MA) proposing a bill […]
After two months of protests across from the State Capitol building in Nashville, Tennessee lawmakers voted for a tidy way to disperse their new neighbors: making it illegal to camp there. The law, which also targets protests on public property, makes convictions punishable by up to six years in prison—and even loss of voting rights. The Tennessee bill, passed by the state legislature last week, was the latest legislation targeting dissent in a year marked by nationwide protests against racism and police brutality. It follows a Michigan bill that would classify rioting as terrorism, and a slew of recent legislation—begun before […]
A group of protestors holds a demonstration in front of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s home in Greensboro, N.C. on Sunday. DeJoy has recently come under fire for changes made at the U.S. Postal Service that have delayed mail in advance of the November elections. Logan Cyrus/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Logan Cyrus/AFP via Getty Images A group of protestors holds a demonstration in front of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s home in Greensboro, N.C. on Sunday. DeJoy has recently come under fire for changes made at the U.S. Postal Service that have delayed mail in advance of the November […]
Erica Koesler of Los Angeles demonstrates outside a USPS post office as a postal worker walks by in the background on Saturday. The USPS has warned states coast to coast that it cannot guarantee all ballots cast by mail for the November election will arrive in time to be counted, even if mailed by state deadlines. Chris Pizzello/AP hide caption toggle caption Chris Pizzello/AP Erica Koesler of Los Angeles demonstrates outside a USPS post office as a postal worker walks by in the background on Saturday. The USPS has warned states coast to coast that it cannot guarantee all ballots cast […]
Tennessee Lawmakers Pass Bill Making Some Acts Of Protest Felonies By Nick Visser, Huffington Post. August 14, 2020 Tennessee Lawmakers Pass Bill Making Some Acts Of Protest Felonies2020-08-142020-08-14https://popularresistance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2017/12/popres-shorter.pngPopularResistance.Orghttps://popularresistance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2020/08/protest-at-the-state-capitol-in-nashville-on-june-4-over-the-death-of-george-floyd-by-mark-humphrey-associated-press-e1597421303735.jpeg200px200px Above photo: Protest at the state Capitol in Nashville on June 4, 2020 over the death of George Floyd by Mark Humphrey, Associated Press. The Tennessee legislature passed a sweeping proposal on Wednesday that would increase penalties against some protesters who have camped outside the statehouse in Nashville for months demanding racial justice and an end to police brutality. State lawmakers in the majority-white Tennessee General Assembly passed the measure in a nearly party-line […]
Crypto holders earning new tokens by staking their coins might be at risk of being overtaxed, believe several members of Congress. Four lawmakers wrote a letter to the Internal Revenue Service Wednesday, asking the U.S. tax agency to ensure stakers don’t face tax liabilities for receiving block rewards before they sell their new tokens. The letter, dated July 29, was sent to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, Chief Counsel Michael Desmond and Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy David Kautter and was signed by the Congressional Blockchain Caucus’ co-chairs Reps. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and Darren Soto (D-Fla.). […]
As word spread on Wednesday that another lawmaker had contracted COVID-19, initial concern for his well-being was quickly overwhelmed with a tide of anger and frustration. Because it wasn’t just any lawmaker who contracted the disease. It was Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX). The conservative firebrand has steadfastly refused to wear a face mask while conducting his Capitol Hill business—including while greeting Attorney General William Barr before testimony in the Judiciary Committee just this Tuesday. Gohmert even took pains to force his COVID denialism on his aides, with one staffer suggesting to Politico that those in the office were berated for wearing […]
A security camera and flag adorn the entrance to the Russian Embassy in London. On Tuesday, lawmakers slammed the British government for failing to look into possible Russian interference in U.K. politics. Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images A security camera and flag adorn the entrance to the Russian Embassy in London. On Tuesday, lawmakers slammed the British government for failing to look into possible Russian interference in U.K. politics. Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images British lawmakers have reached a damning conclusion about the possibility of Russian electoral interference in the U.K.: The […]
A bridge over I 185 marks the entrance to the U.S. Army’s Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga. It is one of the 10 Army bases name after a Confederate official and Congress is considering a bill to change those names. John Bazemore/AP hide caption toggle caption John Bazemore/AP A bridge over I 185 marks the entrance to the U.S. Army’s Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga. It is one of the 10 Army bases name after a Confederate official and Congress is considering a bill to change those names. John Bazemore/AP Maryland Democratic Rep. Anthony Brown is African American, and as an […]
Wednesday’s Twitter hack would seem to spell regulatory doom for Bitcoin, which is widely distrusted in Washington. Some lawmakers – and U.S. President Donald Trump himself – associate it with crime. In 2019 Trump tweeted he is not a fan of bitcoin and that “unregulated crypto assets can facilitate unlawful behavior.” He also reportedly told Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to “go after Bitcoin.” But immediately following the hack, lawmakers seemed more focused on Twitter’s security problems rather than cryptocurrency’s role in the hack. On Wednesday, high-profile accounts belonging to Elon Musk, Kanye West, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, cryptocurrency exchanges and many others […]
…by PressTV, Tehran [ Editor’s Note: This comes as a surprise to see over a hundred French lawmakers do this as France is under Israeli Lobby pressure on the scale of the US. The “Lobby” which some claim works closely with Israeli intelligence, has pushed for anti-BDS laws to use foreign courts to punish their political opponents. I cannot image and anti-BDS law the the US Congress would not pass in a hear beat, and nor can I imagine a Congressional staff whistle blower coming forward to spotlight how American values of free speech get trampled when the Lobby turns the […]
Seven Russian senators have introduced a package of bills that would prohibit same-sex marriage, ban gay couples from adopting children, and prevent people from getting married after gender reassignment. Led by Senator Elena Mizulina, the head of the Senate’s committee on updating the country’s ‘Family Code’, the proposals follow in the footsteps of Russia’s constitutional amendments which officially defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman. In March, the country’s Constitutional Court deemed the changes to be lawful, but insisted that it does not remove the state’s obligation to respect differences, including in regards to sexual orientation. Also […]
TORONTO (Sputnik) – More than 60 Canadian lawmakers called for Magnitsky law sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for alleged human rights abuses in Hong Kong, Tibet, and Xinjiang in an open letter addressed to the government. “We, the signatories, call on the Government of Canada to invoke Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law) S.C. 2017, c. 21 against individuals who are directly responsible for the human rights atrocities happening in Tibet, occupied East Turkestan [Xinjiang], and Hong Kong,” the letter said on Tuesday. The letter addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland […]
On Sunday, Iran’s president accused the country’s foreign enemies of mounting a “complicated psychological operation” targeting Iran’s currency, the rial, saying that the action was aimed at undermining the Islamic Republic’s move toward an economy that’s free of dependence on oil exports. A group of 120 lawmakers from Iran’s 290-member Islamic Consultative Assembly parliament have signed a motion to question President Hassan Rouhani over economic difficulties facing the country, as well as Europe’s failure to implement the 2015 nuclear deal, Tasnim News Agency has reported. “The lawmakers have various questions for the president, including the reasons behind the foreign exchange market […]
In late 2019, Conservative MP David Davis and Labour’s Dan Jarvis joined Reprieve, a UK-based human rights non-profit, in seeking a public judicial inquiry into torture and rendition allegations involving Britain’s intelligence services after it was revealed that agents had taken part in such actions on at least 15 occasions since 9/11. UK Judges Dame Victoria Sharp and Justice Farbey have thrown out an appeal by a pair of lawmakers and a charity to hold a publish inquiry into British intelligence agents’ involvement in torture and rendition on Tuesday, ruling that the inquiry will instead be heard in secret, The Guardian […]
Mississippi lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to remove a Confederate emblem from their state flag on Sunday, marking one of the most dramatic repudiations yet of white-supremacist imagery during a wave of protests against racism and police brutality in America. The bill passed 128 to 37 and is now awaiting signature by Gov. Tate Reeves. It requires the current state flag to be removed within 15 days of passage. A commission selected by the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the House will design a flag including the phrase “In God We Trust” to be completed by September 14. Mississippi voters will decide […]
The flag of the state of Mississippi flies in front of the Mississippi State Capitol dome on Jan. 10, 2019. Lawmakers have cleared the way for legislation to remove and replace the flag. Brandon Dill/The Washington Post via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Brandon Dill/The Washington Post via Getty Images The flag of the state of Mississippi flies in front of the Mississippi State Capitol dome on Jan. 10, 2019. Lawmakers have cleared the way for legislation to remove and replace the flag. Brandon Dill/The Washington Post via Getty Images Lawmakers in Mississippi cleared the way to remove the Confederate […]
US Lawmakers, Top Official Clash On China’s Involvement In COVID-19 Vaccine By Jodi Xu Klein, South China Morning Post. June 20, 2020 US Lawmakers, Top Official Clash On China’s Involvement In COVID-19 Vaccine2020-06-202020-06-20https://popularresistance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2017/12/popres-shorter.pngPopularResistance.Orghttps://popularresistance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2020/06/hirono.png200px200px Above photo: Senator Mazie Hirono appears via video link to question during the hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington on Thursday. EPA-EFE. Note: The refusal of the United States to work with China on developing a COVID-19 vaccine is another example of the US acting against both its own self-interest and the necessity of the nations of the world working together to confront this global pandemic. […]
BEIJING (Sputnik) – The Standing Committee of the Chinese parliament is expected to vote on the final version of the proposed Hong Kong security bill, which sparked criticism from a number of countries and triggered massive protests in the autonomous city, in the coming weeks, the South China Morning Post reported on Saturday, citing sources. Earlier on Saturday, a three-day meeting of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee ended without releasing a full draft of the national security law. According to the sources, the release was delayed, because further changes to the document are expected to be made in the coming […]
Cryptocurrencies should be regulated more stringently, a VMWare security executive told U.S. lawmakers, citing a rise in cybercrime during the pandemic. The focus of Tuesday’s hearing, hosted by a House Financial Services subcommittee, was criminal activity around financial services during the COVID-19 lockdowns, when bad actors online are targeting people who are unemployed or working from home. But crypto made an appearance, with lawmakers questioning witnesses about its potential uses in fraud or organized crime. Tom Kellermann, head of cybersecurity strategy at publicly traded software company VMWare, told lawmakers that virtual currencies need stronger oversight. There has been an increase in […]
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For the first time since the U.S. went on lockdown three months ago, lawmakers will convene Thursday to discuss digital currencies and other novel technologies. The House Financial Services Committee (FSC) Task Force on Financial Technology will be evaluating how FedAccounts and other digital tools might help the federal government distribute stimulus payments to help Americans suffering the economic fallout of COVID-19. The virtual hearing kicks off at noon Eastern (16:00 UTC). The concept of using FedAccounts to manage digital currencies has gained traction during the pandemic: bills introduced to the committee have suggested using bank accounts managed by the Federal […]
Both chambers of the New York state legislature have voted to repeal a measure that mandates police disciplinary records are kept from the public, sending the proposal onto the governor’s desk for approval. New York’s Senate and Assembly both passed a measure to repeal section 50-a of the state’s Civil Rights Law on Tuesday, which places a sweeping ban on the release of “all personnel records” used to evaluate police performance. Under the current law, such records can only be made public with a court order or express permission from the officer in question. Insisting she and her fellow lawmakers are […]
UK House of Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg has come under fire after insisting the now-defunct virtual Parliament was “no longer necessary.” Now the MPs may have to form endless ‘social distancing’ queues to cast their votes. “Westminster has been the seat of our democracy for centuries. It will take more than the coronavirus to change that,” said Rees-Mogg, writing for the PoliticsHome website on Monday. Insisting that “If Parliament is to deliver on the people’s priorities, it must sit physically,” he argued that the “virtual Parliament” that has seen the majority of MPs take part in House of Commons debates from […]
Congressman Devin Nunes (R-CA) said the Republicans are expanding their investigation into Mueller’s team of angry Democrats. Ranking member of the House Intel Committee, Devin Nunes revealed GOP lawmakers will be making criminal referrals of Mueller’s team as well as officials at the DOJ and FBI that were above Mueller. “We’ve also expanded our investigation into the Mueller team and everything that happened with Mueller and the people at DOJ and FBI that were above Mueller. And so, we will be making criminal referrals in the coming weeks against the Mueller team. We’re just now putting that together and, of course, […]
US 20:13 GMT 20.05.2020Get short URL Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/us/202005201079368960-us-top-court-puts-hold-on-russiagate-grand-jury-materials-sought-by-house-lawmakers/ Source link
A group of House Republicans has called on federal agencies to shed light on drones used by police across the country to surveil and enforce Covid-19 lockdowns, arguing that Chinese devices could compromise “sensitive US data.” The 14 GOP representatives, all on the House Judiciary Committee, penned two letters to the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday sounding alarms over the drones, produced by Chinese tech firm Da Jiang Innovations, or DJI. “Although federal law enforcement agencies have warned of potential information security concerns with DJI drones, it is not clear whether state and local law enforcement agencies […]
Democrats in the Ohio State House of Representatives have proposed launching a blockchain voting pilot for overseas military voters registered in the Buckeye State. Introduced Tuesday as part of the Democrats’ elections law overhaul, the bill calls on Ohio’s Secretary of State Frank LaRose to “establish a pilot program” of blockchain voting specifically for uniformed service members stationed outside the U.S. The bill was introduced by Reps. Beth Liston and Michele Lepore-Hagan, and cosponsored by a further 16 Democrats. The proposal is unusually detailed on blockchain’s role. If passed, it would see military members transmit their ballots to election officials via […]