Hundreds turn out for anti-Trump protest in Manhattan

<p dir="ltr">Demonstrators carrying placards proclaiming such sentiments as "Love Trumps Hate" and "Will trade 1 Donald Trump for 25,000 refugees" gathered Saturday in New York City to protest Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump.<br>The protesters assembled in Manhattan's Columbus Circle, across from Central Park, amid a heavy police presence.</p><p dir="ltr">Chants of "Donald Trump, go away, racist, sexist, anti-gay'' could be heard throughout the day.<br>The crowd marched across south Central Park to Trump Tower, the Fifth Avenue skyscraper where Trump lives. Then they marched back to Columbus Circle for a rally.</p><p dir="ltr">The protest was largely peaceful though there was one tense moment when some protesters tried to break through a police barricade.</p><p dir="ltr">Two protesters who walked in the street were arrested.<br>Various groups including immigrants' rights activists and socialists organized the protest. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFURaN1GjUOavLIRlK9pNriOXSZ80aI32O1Wuy1G3O9me_STBZF639kcm0eKVmxsZR46nbu4pIvIeQijQUdnDZawR_X65aPB1cHbgGR-Jyose1_tZte4KZR_WnA8oluJnjNlzBqYxkNEU/s1600/Blocksw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFURaN1GjUOavLIRlK9pNriOXSZ80aI32O1Wuy1G3O9me_STBZF639kcm0eKVmxsZR46nbu4pIvIeQijQUdnDZawR_X65aPB1cHbgGR-Jyose1_tZte4KZR_WnA8oluJnjNlzBqYxkNEU/s640/Blocksw.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcU64Y6SbZmBaAT_FlAe9nn8xiroosXHu33kJTjwlBdmuBaV3tLTI28LlAGtybUEiDeOBSMLkV_WMwDxAxU4onrEZMUCS7en5gKjqUhzSWyvhBqolu9UPTDphFp7OEjYYa5B_u8NW6aG8/s1600/2016-03-18%25252000.38.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcU64Y6SbZmBaAT_FlAe9nn8xiroosXHu33kJTjwlBdmuBaV3tLTI28LlAGtybUEiDeOBSMLkV_WMwDxAxU4onrEZMUCS7en5gKjqUhzSWyvhBqolu9UPTDphFp7OEjYYa5B_u8NW6aG8/s640/2016-03-18%25252000.38.14.jpg"> </a> </div>

Hundreds turn out for anti-Trump protest in Manhattan

Demonstrators carrying placards proclaiming such sentiments as "Love Trumps Hate" and "Will trade 1 Donald Trump for 25,000 r...

Trump cancels Chicago event after dozens are arrested at violent St. Louis rally

<p dir="ltr">Donald Trump rallies are becoming dangerous places to be.</p><p dir="ltr">The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports at least 31 people were arrested by police at a Donald Trump campaign appearance in the city Friday while a planned appearance in Chicago for the evening was canceled in the face of a massive protest.</p><p dir="ltr">Hundreds of Trump supporters (“thousands,” St. Louis Fox affiliate KTVI reports) turned up for the St. Louis event at the Peabody Opera House, according to the Post-Dispatch, but so did a large group of anti-Trump demonstrators. Photos and videos from outside the event show tense clashes between the two groups, and at least one protester being led away covered in blood by the St. Louis police.<br>The Riverfront Times reports a group of protesters made it inside the building and disrupted Trump’s speech for about 10 minutes by linking arms and chanting together. Video purportedly taken inside the opera house shows St. Louis police officers dragging them out from the front of the building while Trump harangued both the protesters and the police removing them.</p><p dir="ltr">“Part of the problem and part of the reason it takes so long is nobody wants to hurt each other anymore, right?” Trump said while the protesters were removed, according to the Times. The police “are being politically correct the way they take them out. So it takes a little bit longer.”</p><p dir="ltr">The St. Louis appearance may have been a fiasco, but the Republican candidate’s Chicago stop never even got off the ground, with large crowds of protesters gathering outside the UIC Pavilion.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hEs6doWXr6kBoqwFRbnCSmBgIxZpgdgs5Qh2_V-SyGlRi9d7cjiD4rTLmc5B-JQEpW72QFjmL4eEq-_neaoiL6VOqUvqcWrRFAyX4J1reyN5Cmq8MNnxEnfAyVfre3A_yq8_N1W3hWg/s1600/2016-03-11%25252015.59.25.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hEs6doWXr6kBoqwFRbnCSmBgIxZpgdgs5Qh2_V-SyGlRi9d7cjiD4rTLmc5B-JQEpW72QFjmL4eEq-_neaoiL6VOqUvqcWrRFAyX4J1reyN5Cmq8MNnxEnfAyVfre3A_yq8_N1W3hWg/s640/2016-03-11%25252015.59.25.png"> </a> </div>

Trump cancels Chicago event after dozens are arrested at violent St. Louis rally

Donald Trump rallies are becoming dangerous places to be. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports at least 31 people were arrested by police at ...

Crucial Iowa Senate race tied; Romney, Clinton lead for 2016: Reuters/Ipsos poll

The high-profile U.S. Senate race in Iowa is a dead heat, with Democratic Representative Bruce Braley and Republican state Senator Joni Ernst each garnering the support of 45 percent of likely voters, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.<br /><br />Braley and Ernst have been locked in a tight race that has seen an influx of outside money and appearances from prominent national figures on both sides of the aisle.<br /><br />Republicans, who need to pick up six seats to take control of the Senate from Democrats, see the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Tom Harkin as one they could move to their column.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwnNDbuNRTYcebx1Ga9pJkleOHxJ8E97MdQj-eDDD368hQcASh-zPHkTsYJ3scy43LYQTEVhdDwNPmSWZaxxBQ8fpw8A3oh6gBlal59uFzjWwfIEZbKP0hRuA6BzuWwxEZWvd1008Dbs/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwnNDbuNRTYcebx1Ga9pJkleOHxJ8E97MdQj-eDDD368hQcASh-zPHkTsYJ3scy43LYQTEVhdDwNPmSWZaxxBQ8fpw8A3oh6gBlal59uFzjWwfIEZbKP0hRuA6BzuWwxEZWvd1008Dbs/s1600/8.jpg" width="320" /></a>Ernst, a Tea Party-backed Iraq war veteran who grew up on a farm, has a slight edge over Braley, an attorney and an eight-year veteran of the U.S. Congress in favorability ratings, the poll showed. Ernst has 50 percent favorability and unfavorability ratings, compared to Braley's 48 percent favorability and 52 percent unfavorability.<br /><br />"There's not a lot of elections where I say it's genuinely too close to call, but because of the lack of incumbency and because of the closeness of the polls, I genuinely find it too close to call," said Ipsos pollster Julia Clark.<br /><br />More than one-third of respondents said they had already voted, taking advantage of early voting provisions ahead of Election Day on Nov. 4. The Braley-Ernst race is one of about 10 Senate races around the country that polls are showing as closely matched.<br /><br />Overall, Iowa voters seem happy with the current state of affairs: Iowa governor Terry Branstad leads his challenger, Democrat Jack Hatch, by a 57 percent to 34 percent margin.<br /><br />And more than 60 percent of voters said Iowa is headed in the right direction, compared to just 28 percent who believe the country as a whole is moving in the right direction.<br /><br />Voters in the state have a dim view of President Barack Obama, broadly reflecting a wider national picture: just 41 percent of Iowans approve of his handling of his job, compared to 58 percent who disapprove.<br /><br /><b>ROMNEY, CLINTON LEAD 2016 FIELDS</b><br /><br />As happens at this stage in every presidential election cycle, likely 2016 White House aspirants have already descended in droves upon Iowa, which holds the first-in-the-nation caucus in presidential election years.<br /><br />Unsuccessful 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney is the most popular choice for 2016 among Iowa Republicans and independents, with 17 percent support, even though he says he does not plan to run again.<br /><br />He is closely followed by his former vice-presidential nominee, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, at 13 percent, and New Jersey governor Chris Christie, with 12 percent.<br /><br />Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and former Florida governor Jeb Bush each got 10 percent, and five other Republicans got at least 5 percent, reflecting the likely fractured nature of the Republican primary season.<br /><br />On the Democratic side, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton remains the prohibitive favorite, garnering 60 percent of support from Democrats and independents, compared to 17 percent for her closest potential challenger, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Clinton says she will decide whether or not to run in early 2015.<br /><br />Vice President Joe Biden was next, with just 4 percent of the vote.<br /><br />The online poll of 1,129 likely voters in Iowa, conducted between October 23 and 29, had a confidence interval - similar to a margin of error - of 3.3 points.

Crucial Iowa Senate race tied; Romney, Clinton lead for 2016: Reuters/Ipsos poll

The high-profile U.S. Senate race in Iowa is a dead heat, with Democratic Representative Bruce Braley and Republican state Senator Joni Erns...

Almost 7,000 migrants detained in Moscow for checks

It says police, migration and security services are conducting an operation between October 23 and November 2 to reveal illegal migrants.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZchynQyiSKxKr8x5P_ueXz1-pDJqcm564oXnC3tzPNGa1er5HsDLfNGRWaBvicPFgc0ML6VSc1_y4VH6j9eQIBZ7igEaXonrxhUaO7wO6p98CWpBcCzPrqKd_YBDlt6Qw_BH55Y8-fQ/s1600/r1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZchynQyiSKxKr8x5P_ueXz1-pDJqcm564oXnC3tzPNGa1er5HsDLfNGRWaBvicPFgc0ML6VSc1_y4VH6j9eQIBZ7igEaXonrxhUaO7wO6p98CWpBcCzPrqKd_YBDlt6Qw_BH55Y8-fQ/s1600/r1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />A total of 6,830 migrants have been taken to police departments over the past 24 hours for checks on whether their stay in Russia is legal, the press service of the Moscow police headquarters reports on Saturday.<br /><br />It says police, migration and security services are conducting an operation between October 23 and November 2 to reveal illegal migrants.<br /><br />A total of 535 administrative protocols have been drawn up over violation of rules of entry into Russia or stay in it for foreign nationals or persons without citizenship.<br /><br />Twenty-three criminal cases have been opened over unlawful stay in Moscow.

Almost 7,000 migrants detained in Moscow for checks

It says police, migration and security services are conducting an operation between October 23 and November 2 to reveal illegal migrants. A ...

Ukraine president’s son leading in his constituency with 68%

However, only 0.86% of protocols have been processed in his 12th constituency in west-central Ukraine’s Vinnitsa region.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXguJ82gqvzVBEi9UM_NxgmkDLy7o0KixlC2BTQp2ZysITYJ7jmKb9x7yrm-R4Koh_u8z16Rx4lib3Ud94ZGT5z5BwoSd_scqsLO3Oy0mafoslhxn_4F8Tth2s5aawljVaVnZV6ULL20/s1600/u39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXguJ82gqvzVBEi9UM_NxgmkDLy7o0KixlC2BTQp2ZysITYJ7jmKb9x7yrm-R4Koh_u8z16Rx4lib3Ud94ZGT5z5BwoSd_scqsLO3Oy0mafoslhxn_4F8Tth2s5aawljVaVnZV6ULL20/s1600/u39.jpg" width="320" /></a>Ukrainian president’s son Aleksey Poroshenko is leading in his constituency with 68%, the country’s Central Elections Commission said.<br /><br />However, only 0.86% of protocols have been processed in his 12th constituency in west-central Ukraine’s Vinnitsa region.<br /><br />Aleksey Poroshenko is the main VIP candidate in parliament. His father was earlier elected as a lawmaker in this 12th constituency. Elected president, Poroshenko Sr. has dropped his powers of lawmaker.<br /><br />The president said that his son decided to run for lawmaker himself. “I was bringing up my son so that he will take his decisions himself. He has decided to run for deputy. He did not consult with me,” Petro Poroshenko told a news conference.-TASS

Ukraine president’s son leading in his constituency with 68%

However, only 0.86% of protocols have been processed in his 12th constituency in west-central Ukraine’s Vinnitsa region. Ukrainian president...

Waiting on Jeb: Will another Bush run for the White House in 2016?

Republican Jeb Bush's flirtation with a possible run for the White House in 2016 has been so low key that some in his party aren't convinced he's prepared to take on the challenge.<br /><br />    The former Florida governor with the famous family name is among the leaders in polls charting potential Republican contenders in 2016 and says he will decide late this year or early next year.<br /><br />But unlike some would-be competitors like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who are making forward-leaning statements, Bush is publicly expressing his uncertainty.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPSKjStQmfG_KxcSsLvdTvsd__t3bFn75LPtx-moA40BdTrHgB0M3wkxU1MYMIiZ4LCMRVkClBKZhMHkYWGqvMRLAkR2mfsIuMBkxAlTPqd8vNnjAGdpn_o4useLguBp2LuTz99o3RRjw/s1600/bush_family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPSKjStQmfG_KxcSsLvdTvsd__t3bFn75LPtx-moA40BdTrHgB0M3wkxU1MYMIiZ4LCMRVkClBKZhMHkYWGqvMRLAkR2mfsIuMBkxAlTPqd8vNnjAGdpn_o4useLguBp2LuTz99o3RRjw/s1600/bush_family.jpg" width="320" /></a>Questions are weighing heavily on Bush, 61, about the impact on his wife and family and whether he can offer an agenda that would unite Americans.<br /><br />    Whether he will run is a question that comes up almost daily for Bush as he travels the country campaigning for Republican candidates ahead of Nov. 4 congressional elections. On Thursday, he was in Greenville, South Carolina, campaigning with Gov. Nikki Haley, who is seeking re-election.<br /><br />    "It's a big decision," he told reporters in Greenville. "It relates to family."<br /><br />    "I think the next presidential race has to be about the future and it has to be about fixing some big problems," he said.<br /><br />   Bush's decision-making seems far less advanced than the past Bush presidents were at similar points in their own career, leading some Republicans to raise questions. His father, former President George H.W. Bush, began preparing for a 1988 run in 1985. His brother, former President George W. Bush, was actively planning his 2000 run at this point in 1998.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrg1tORbCmF9_Wf0LEqQVqaxPwzS9HUeeZZArwgP-pSbdx8BUHty2qnEE-3mhSANCNH7Y_g9LCi4ChTwrQFaOJoWQpCoztT3jVCWjnlQ0ZcRKKR4CXVZhUo1Lklr-6hz0zy2Dxk5h64K4/s1600/jeb-bush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrg1tORbCmF9_Wf0LEqQVqaxPwzS9HUeeZZArwgP-pSbdx8BUHty2qnEE-3mhSANCNH7Y_g9LCi4ChTwrQFaOJoWQpCoztT3jVCWjnlQ0ZcRKKR4CXVZhUo1Lklr-6hz0zy2Dxk5h64K4/s1600/jeb-bush.jpg" width="281" /></a>"There's a scent of activity that goes on in preparation for a serious candidacy that involves a lot of contacts with donors and strategists," said Florida Republican strategist Rick Wilson. "People aren't seeing that from Jeb. I will say he's been more active, been talking to folks, but not to a degree that Chris Christie has been doing."<br /><br />    Friends say Jeb Bush's cautiousness is due to his deliberate manner and his experience watching his father and brother go through what can be a meat-grinding process. They also say he is not expecting to be drafted, recruited or convinced to run. That is not his style.<br /><br />    "This is not a guy who spends sleepless nights staring at the ceiling wondering if he should or should not run for president," said Ana Navarro, a Republican strategist and a friend of Bush.<br /><br />    "He's a disciplined guy and will make this decision like he does most other big decisions, through a serious deliberative process weighing the pros and cons and looking deep into himself. This is a decision that will be made by Jeb, his wife and kids," she said.<br /><br />    If he runs, Bush would be injecting himself into the presidential race in a Republican Party that has moved to the right since he left the governor's office in 2006.<br /><br />Bush, whose wife of 40 years, Columba, was born in Mexico, has a more welcoming view on immigration than many party conservatives, who criticize his support for comprehensive reform that would allow a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants.<br /><br />If Bush were to win the Republican primary and become the party's presidential nominee, he would have to convince a majority of Americans that it would be worthwhile to have a third president named Bush in the Oval Office.<br /><br />Should he run, donors say Bush could get up to speed quickly by tapping a ready network of financial supporters built from his own alliances and from those who supported previous Bush presidential bids.<br /><br />    His father and brother have publicly urged him to run. People who know them say they are unsure of Jeb Bush's plans.<br /><br />    "Jeb is keeping very close counsel on what his future plans are," said Jim McGrath, spokesman for the elder Bush. "I don't think he's ready to make a decision. I think he's being very sincere when he says he will wait until after the election to decide."

Waiting on Jeb: Will another Bush run for the White House in 2016?

Republican Jeb Bush's flirtation with a possible run for the White House in 2016 has been so low key that some in his party aren't c...

Hundreds Give Up U.S. Passports After New Tax Rules Start

Tougher asset-disclosure rules that started July 1 under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or Fatca, prompted more of the estimated 6 million Americans living overseas to give up their passports.<br /><br /><b>The appeal of U.S. citizenship for expatriates faded further as more than 100 Swiss banks began to turn over data on American clients to avoid prosecution for helping tax evaders.</b><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic7Zm9KPkCvoBfsuN4xwJMPtMz6R3cNOdsG3x01C2Ot88dJfFrkeTdBiNXsKopgVfLI3m-TUAyQrJYSeAXxskDvLRzMMLpquAnQrTHrVfifKM9H4bkZETzC8ihzlFTR8NvmIfY5rCLzHM/s1600/fotolia_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic7Zm9KPkCvoBfsuN4xwJMPtMz6R3cNOdsG3x01C2Ot88dJfFrkeTdBiNXsKopgVfLI3m-TUAyQrJYSeAXxskDvLRzMMLpquAnQrTHrVfifKM9H4bkZETzC8ihzlFTR8NvmIfY5rCLzHM/s1600/fotolia_2.jpg" width="240" /></a>The U.S., the only Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development nation that taxes citizens wherever they reside, stepped up the search for tax dodgers after UBS AG (UBSN) paid a $780 million penalty in 2009 and handed over data on about 4,700 accounts. Shunned by Swiss and German banks and with Fatca starting, more than 9,000 Americans living overseas gave up their passports over the past five years.<br /><br />Fatca requires U.S. financial institutions to impose a 30 percent withholding tax on payments made to foreign banks that don't agree to identify and provide information on U.S. account holders. It allows the U.S. to scoop up data from more than 77,000 institutions and 80 governments about its citizens' overseas financial activities.<br /><br />In establishing the 2010 Fatca law, Congress and President Barack Obama in effect threatened to cut off banks and other companies from easy access to the U.S. market if they didn't pass along such information. It was projected to generate $8.7 billion over 10 years, according to the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation.<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><b>So far, 2,353 Americans have renounced their citizenship this year, close to the all-time high of 2,369 in the first nine months of 2013.</b></blockquote>

Hundreds Give Up U.S. Passports After New Tax Rules Start

Tougher asset-disclosure rules that started July 1 under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or Fatca, prompted more of the estimated 6 ...

Two ObamaPhone Contractors are Busted for Posting Sensitive Customer Info Online

Two phone companies' <b>—TerraCom Inc. and YourTel America Inc. —</b> 'unwittingly posted the Social Security numbers, driver's licenses and other sensitive data of up to 300,000 clients to the Internet, an investigation found, and federal regulators said Friday they plan to fine the companies.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDR5jYQfoE7rHMh6XcLdYedeRjipQhHtFzX9ea6r-sblJYen3HCnbVNPhsw4DhQP7eW5i-uwcpbgSa245GLVaPj11YfPSe1_LdzhQx_A9S_C92Fh7NTEJh71ysjX8ALvMd3P-cN3IBBpM/s1600/terracom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDR5jYQfoE7rHMh6XcLdYedeRjipQhHtFzX9ea6r-sblJYen3HCnbVNPhsw4DhQP7eW5i-uwcpbgSa245GLVaPj11YfPSe1_LdzhQx_A9S_C92Fh7NTEJh71ysjX8ALvMd3P-cN3IBBpM/s1600/terracom.jpg" width="320" /></a>As consumer data breaches go, the case — and its $10 million fine — is relatively small. But the incident is alarming because of how it unfolded: The companies participate in a government program called Lifeline, which subsidizes phone service for poor consumers. To crack down on fraudulent claims, federal regulators ordered carriers to collect identifiable information.<br /><br />TerraCom Inc. and YourTel America, which are jointly owned, complied, but were so careless with the files that a reporter stumbled upon them during a simple Google search, according to the Federal Communications Commission.<br /><br />In a written statement released Friday, Dale Schmick, chief operating officer of TerraCom Inc. and YourTel America Inc., said the companies have since increased its data security efforts and completed "multiple security audits to prevent future breaches from taking place."<br /><br />"When faced with this instance of unauthorized access, we fully complied with state laws regarding notification of affected consumers," Schmick wrote. "We look forward to working with the FCC to resolve this matter and welcome the opportunity to correct the record with regard to our security processes."<br /><br />But according to FCC investigators, even after company officials learned that the information could be accessed online, they failed to notify all potentially affected consumers. This deprived consumers "of any opportunity to take steps to protect their personal information from misuse by Internet thieves," the FCC wrote in its announcement.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXBLJd9vHCVI5jp6H2QAjhsRPrPg8kJ7K0pAvgWSOboYp39QuDx2Lskhf-4I7RczryZBnA1eLSxufqs-bk1lSFNaYkC1luW5or6VxU_gJkshjVfQP-i9dG11VaaTcotBtoLhUrMjtisw/s1600/1b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXBLJd9vHCVI5jp6H2QAjhsRPrPg8kJ7K0pAvgWSOboYp39QuDx2Lskhf-4I7RczryZBnA1eLSxufqs-bk1lSFNaYkC1luW5or6VxU_gJkshjVfQP-i9dG11VaaTcotBtoLhUrMjtisw/s1600/1b.jpg" width="320" /></a>FCC officials said the companies were required to collect sensitive data from consumers to check their eligibility. But, the FCC says the companies should have destroyed the data as soon they verified that an applicant qualified for financial assistance. Instead, the data was stored in a format accessible to the Internet from September 2012 through April 2013.<br /><br />"Consumers trust that when phone companies ask for their Social Security number, driver's license and other personal information, these companies will not put that information on the Internet or otherwise expose it to the world," said Travis LeBlanc, chief of the FCC's Enforcement Bureau. "When carriers break that trust, the commission will take action to ensure that they are held accountable for unjust and unreasonable data security practices."<br /><br />The FCC investigation was triggered by Isaac Wolf, a reporter with Scripps Howard News Service. According to a May 2013 story posted by the news organization, an online search into TerraCom resulted in a Lifeline application that had been filled out and was posted on a site operated by Call Centers India Inc., under contract with TerraCom and YourTel. Eventually, Wolf and his editors discovered more than 170,000 records that included Social Security numbers, home addresses and financial accounts.<br /><br />According to a letter posted by Scripps Howard, a lawyer for the phone companies accused the news organization of violating anti-hacking laws. The FCC confirmed Friday that its investigation was prompted by the Scripps Howard news report.<br /><br />Proponents of the Lifeline program say the federal subsidies are critical to ensuring that households that fall well-below the poverty line have access to at least one phone in case of emergency and to aid job prospects. The program began in 1985 and expanded in 2005 to include wireless phones. Because of the explosion in wireless technology since President Barack Obama took office in 2008, conservatives have dubbed Lifeline "Obama phone" or "Uncle Sam's Unlimited Plan."<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQ3GTkliCpgWUjHxa48wk8A-j44cDyIVVs-QD6IDWAKa0EkiRrCRvVwWlHd5cSLlxyUj8uI0bQUejj5YB2Vchemo2blu47Rp4RFOly-xjO5ESo5BAToJgpwB_L6SjbfjdU0ciWZJJ90U/s1600/1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQ3GTkliCpgWUjHxa48wk8A-j44cDyIVVs-QD6IDWAKa0EkiRrCRvVwWlHd5cSLlxyUj8uI0bQUejj5YB2Vchemo2blu47Rp4RFOly-xjO5ESo5BAToJgpwB_L6SjbfjdU0ciWZJJ90U/s1600/1a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />"It's a government-run, taxpayer-funded program that's running wild and costing more and more," said Rep. Tim Griffin, R-Ark., who proposed legislation to eliminate the program. On Friday, Griffin told The Associated Press in an email that "there is no excuse for violating people's privacy regardless of if it's the Lifeline program or some other program."<br /><br />The $10 million fine was the FCC's first data security case and its largest privacy action. In September, the FCC reached a $7.4 million settlement with Verizon regarding alleged unlawful marketing to customers without their consent or notification of privacy rights<br /><br />TerraCom Wireless:Address: 401 E Memorial Rd #500, Oklahoma City, OK 73114<br />Phone:(877) 351-4747<br /><br />YourTel America Inc. :Locations<br /><br />    Oklahoma City Metro:<br />            3009 SW 29th Street, OKC<br />            1317 SE 44th street , OKC<br />            2505 SW 59th ST, OKC<br />    Tulsa, Oklahoma:1515 N Harvard Tulsa, OK<br />    Lawton, Oklahoma:2323 W. Gore Blvd, Lawton, OK

Two ObamaPhone Contractors are Busted for Posting Sensitive Customer Info Online

Two phone companies' —TerraCom Inc. and YourTel America Inc. — 'unwittingly posted the Social Security numbers, driver's licens...

FEMA Erroneous emergency warnings irk AT&T U-verse subscribers

AT&T U-verse subscribers were seething when bogus federal agency emergency warnings had them waiting in anticipation. False alerts asked AT&T U-verse fiber optic subscribers to standby for a message from the White House. The false alerts were erroneously injected into the U-verse network by FEMA broadcasts.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiU416ESEn4LyETfJjIjUEWe7Lf6rZVeoUNw0WNW30_XmQDTRpNLtUghhGO5JDD-TCAcom4os34I7IQDlDjTqBqh_yos82i5Dr9NjlXolxqEHw8yVPH3IfPpFp1ZSgYG-pP6BSNeD5HOM/s1600/1025-FEMA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiU416ESEn4LyETfJjIjUEWe7Lf6rZVeoUNw0WNW30_XmQDTRpNLtUghhGO5JDD-TCAcom4os34I7IQDlDjTqBqh_yos82i5Dr9NjlXolxqEHw8yVPH3IfPpFp1ZSgYG-pP6BSNeD5HOM/s1600/1025-FEMA.jpg" width="200" /></a>AT&T has confirmed that it has accidently transmitted an emergency alert message from FEMA to U-Verse consumers. The message was transmitted to U-Verse consumers in parts of Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Michigan and Mississippi.<br /><br />U-Verse is the fiber optic service of AT&T and consumer’s Television screens were adorned with red banners in the affected areas alerting them that there was an important message inbounds.<br /><br />AT&T spokeswoman stated, “A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) investigation indicates that a nationally syndicated radio show not affiliated with AT&T accidentally sent a message over the National Emergency Alert System. This false message was carried on our network, as well as some other providers. We apologize to our customers.”<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTLgYHjQljWkd4bRJYZX8E1eIKxTgCAA_G-GQuZT8kiV-sm7J3BPQGErtxzRyqRHRVzy7shmAxsOoWghlfpxOb72OyUwy-XgNqk2WEkZ0IFDicpcapB_KOd7uHMLuv253_po07P956jMY/s1600/emergency-alert_24259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTLgYHjQljWkd4bRJYZX8E1eIKxTgCAA_G-GQuZT8kiV-sm7J3BPQGErtxzRyqRHRVzy7shmAxsOoWghlfpxOb72OyUwy-XgNqk2WEkZ0IFDicpcapB_KOd7uHMLuv253_po07P956jMY/s1600/emergency-alert_24259.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The false message could be best described as a nuisance since it did not cause much damage or panic. The alert led to consumers rooted near their phone lines waiting for the nonexistent message from White House.<br /><br />The alert message read,  “We interrupt our programming at the request of the White House. This is the Emergency Alert System. All normal programming has been discontinued during this emergency.”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3kKemdbW9Fg0oQuodJu1WKG1VWoshNDExWamaxMvz3YTIZG0_LgIMtEKU5DHAnmenMAbfo9VVcFGUjhAb94MpqKYHmVhmGtgvP6VwoYV6E0TSIS9Yxx0Jm43AdR9hSL0iyA0nyfg7jI/s1600/U-Verse-EAS-message.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3kKemdbW9Fg0oQuodJu1WKG1VWoshNDExWamaxMvz3YTIZG0_LgIMtEKU5DHAnmenMAbfo9VVcFGUjhAb94MpqKYHmVhmGtgvP6VwoYV6E0TSIS9Yxx0Jm43AdR9hSL0iyA0nyfg7jI/s1600/U-Verse-EAS-message.jpg" width="320" /></a>The alert message started popping up on screens around 10 A.M on October 24th.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxdm-7aX5T0u-D62eHkXed0Xfu_uK5FYsxoIe1-SfwF7s-A5giqL9UmaQX8aJUepd40U1BOj1kCUQNnjwh7HbIFIQw1k_pySw9qpKRtGCS9WRMrrCyv-fycexK2qRhEnKXYx-Wy-0dQ4/s1600/fema.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxdm-7aX5T0u-D62eHkXed0Xfu_uK5FYsxoIe1-SfwF7s-A5giqL9UmaQX8aJUepd40U1BOj1kCUQNnjwh7HbIFIQw1k_pySw9qpKRtGCS9WRMrrCyv-fycexK2qRhEnKXYx-Wy-0dQ4/s1600/fema.jpg" width="150" /></a>FEMA spokesperson Rafael Lemaitre stated, “This morning, there was an inappropriate playing of the national emergency alert notification tones on a syndicated radio broadcast. There is not a national emergency. Today’s broadcast triggered alert notification in states where the alert has been played.”<br /><br />FEMA spokesperson stated that the organization was working in tandem with FCC to calculate the gravity of the situation.<br /><br />FEMA spokesperson further added, “Certain alerts, like the one broadcast today, are designed to be automatically picked up and rebroadcast by other radio and TV stations. FEMA and the FCC are currently working with broadcasters to determine the full scope of the situation.”

FEMA Erroneous emergency warnings irk AT&T U-verse subscribers

AT&T U-verse subscribers were seething when bogus federal agency emergency warnings had them waiting in anticipation. False alerts asked...

U.S. House panel to meet with safety regulators about Takata air bags next week

The U.S. House committee looking into the defective air bags made by Japanese supplier Takata Corp (7312.T) will hold an initial briefing with U.S. safety regulators next week to learn the details of the regional recalls affecting 10 automakers, a committee aide said on Friday.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJaQi-CGqc-9CuqEbkaZQQu7XE2tse1K_GomOOmtNseA0FqHZrUQ-Z3E0PLfu24JRNjoOWz0hXmX3hF4M4Q4KMCjuxBJKGdeaubm_FHikL-dcBh3Mq2mqXZrbyEptb8dHxdSOOd3sCYc/s1600/1524t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJaQi-CGqc-9CuqEbkaZQQu7XE2tse1K_GomOOmtNseA0FqHZrUQ-Z3E0PLfu24JRNjoOWz0hXmX3hF4M4Q4KMCjuxBJKGdeaubm_FHikL-dcBh3Mq2mqXZrbyEptb8dHxdSOOd3sCYc/s1600/1524t.jpg" /></a>The date of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's briefing was not disclosed. It is not a hearing and will not be open to the public, the aide said.<br /><br />The committee has not requested any documents on Takata at this point, the aide said.<br /><br />Officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration were not immediately available.<br /><br />The faulty air bags can explode with too much force and spray shrapnel at occupants, a problem that has been linked to four deaths and numerous injuries.<br /><br />NHTSA opened an investigation in June into the regional recalls and whether Takata air bag inflators made between 2000 and 2007 were improperly sealed. Takata has said it will cooperate with U.S. authorities and the 10 automakers affected.<br /><br />NHTSA has urged owners of certain Toyota (7203.T), Honda (7267.T), Mazda (7261.T), BMW (BMWG.DE), Nissan (7201.T), Mitsubishi (7211.T), Subaru (7270.T), Chrysler (FCHA.MI), Ford (F.N) and General Motors (GM.N) vehicles to replace installed air bags as soon as possible. The safety agency said the number of vehicles affected by the recalls is 7.8 million.<br /><br />Greater public attention has been focused on recalls in the United States this year following GM's recall of 2.6 million cars for defective ignition switches linked to at least 29 deaths.<br /><br />Related to Takata, the House committee, led by Chairman Fred Upton, a Republican from Michigan, wants to know who knew what when, what steps have been taken and how the problem can be corrected, the aide said. Discussions with the affected automakers are also being scheduled.<br /><br />"First and foremost, we need to ensure that regulators and automakers are doing everything they can to address this hazard and protect drivers," Upton said in a statement.<br /><br />"Drivers are being told they need to fix their cars immediately, yet they are directed to a website that isn’t working properly and are being told by dealers that they don’t have working parts," he added, referring to NHTSA's website for consumers. "Drivers are rightly confused and panicked."<br /><br />The House committee also is still scheduling discussions with the affected automakers, the aide said.<br /><br />Asked whether the committee's work on possible new legislation following the GM recall could be influenced by the Takata recalls, the aide said everything was on the table but there was no specific timeline for legislation.

U.S. House panel to meet with safety regulators about Takata air bags next week

The U.S. House committee looking into the defective air bags made by Japanese supplier Takata Corp (7312.T) will hold an initial briefing wi...

U.S. senators demand nationwide recall over Takata air bags

Two U.S. senators demanded Thursday that safety regulators issue a nationwide recall of automobiles with potentially defective air bags that can launch metal shards into occupants.<br /><br />Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Edward Markey of Massachusetts, both Democrats, said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said the recall should be immediate "regardless of where the car is registered."<br /><br />NHTSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ZFg2G6MrXW5qyGoJSuBBl0Vu3xIkbKW_StIU4xpGUTQneETcbBc5QfvW8z2dkueLtBZJ4IRasF9KFIKYmdkUIprCqcQP4Xb4DzhkTZDLEztxIh0Nm8-zC2-kAv3IlLfxTf022HhvdR8/s1600/NationalSecurityAgency.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ZFg2G6MrXW5qyGoJSuBBl0Vu3xIkbKW_StIU4xpGUTQneETcbBc5QfvW8z2dkueLtBZJ4IRasF9KFIKYmdkUIprCqcQP4Xb4DzhkTZDLEztxIh0Nm8-zC2-kAv3IlLfxTf022HhvdR8/s1600/NationalSecurityAgency.jpg" width="320" /></a>The air bags are manufactured by Takata Corp and installed in vehicles from 10 automakers. At least four deaths have been linked to the problem, leading to the recall so far of 7.8 million vehicles in the United States since last year and more than 16 million globally since 2008.<br /><br />The air bags are thought to inflate with too much force, causing parts to possibly spray into the faces and necks of occupants of the cars.<br /><br />The recalls have focused on cars in hot, humid places, such as Florida, as investigators believe improperly sealed air bags are prone to problems in warmer regions.<br /><br />"All states experience seasons of heat and humidity," Blumenthal and Markey wrote in a letter to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.<br /><br />The senators also wrote that they were "alarmed and astonished" NHTSA has embraced a policy by Toyota Motor Corp and General Motors Co that car dealers should disable passenger-side air bags. The senators said that specific steps must first be taken that weigh the overall safety of such a move.<br /><br />Furthermore, the senators said the government should encourage manufacturers to provide rental cars at no cost to consumers if their cars cannot be immediately fixed.<br /><br />Democratic Senator Bill Nelson of Florida made similar demands earlier this week.<br /><br />Markey and Blumenthal also criticized NHTSA for failing to provide clear guidance to consumers on how and when to get their vehicles repaired.<br /><br />The National Independent Automobile Dealers Association on Thursday urged its member dealers to immediately check their inventories to determine whether they have any of the recalled autos in stock "and take appropriate steps to have the defect remedied before offering it for sale."

U.S. senators demand nationwide recall over Takata air bags

Two U.S. senators demanded Thursday that safety regulators issue a nationwide recall of automobiles with potentially defective air bags that...

U.S. weighs passport, border changes in wake of Ottawa attack

U.S. officials are debating whether to tighten controls on the border with Canada and make it easier to revoke the passports of suspected militants, steps that could gain traction following two attacks in Canada this week.<br /><br />The officials cautioned on Thursday that the discussions are in preliminary stages and that no immediate action appeared likely by either U.S. President Barack Obama's administration or Congress.<br /><br />While there was no specific evidence of a new threat in the United States, federal and state authorities were on a heightened state of alert following a gunman's attack in Ottawa on Wednesday and another by an assailant in Quebec on Monday.<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">One official familiar with the matter said a main topic of discussion has been whether some northern border posts which are unmanned - but guarded by electronic sensors and alarms - should now be staffed with live personnel.</blockquote><br />The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that proposals circulating within government agencies could make it easier for the government to revoke U.S. passports.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BvrlhyWYJZNDoKOUzknBxRyApx6Wj93Jns7Ssy4OjDVWTqzpdvNL6KjmqAlhpJK2hHTexrImYyGoSRnEdau-n2nrYLer1Ph3u2WuHiQdCAb3lWo_YhpltaQoWPYpNSdIhTfT9X9WJJU/s1600/fotolia_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BvrlhyWYJZNDoKOUzknBxRyApx6Wj93Jns7Ssy4OjDVWTqzpdvNL6KjmqAlhpJK2hHTexrImYyGoSRnEdau-n2nrYLer1Ph3u2WuHiQdCAb3lWo_YhpltaQoWPYpNSdIhTfT9X9WJJU/s1600/fotolia_2.jpg" width="240" /></a>Authorities in the United States, Canada, Australia and western Europe say they are alarmed by thousands of citizens who have traveled to Syria to fight in the conflict there. They fear that some battle-hardened fighters could return to their home countries and attempt terror attacks.<br /><br />Secretary of State John Kerry, whose department issues passports, has authority to revoke them. The government regards passports as a privilege, not a right. But one official said there are provisions for challenging such decisions.<br /><br />The United States has used existing powers to cancel passports for counter-terrorism purposes, revoking that of Anwar al Awlaki, an American-born Islamic preacher who was a leading figure in Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.<br /><br />Awlaki, who U.S. officials said was in correspondence with Major Nidal Hassan, a U.S. Army psychiatrist, before Hassan embarked on a deadly shooting spree at a Texas military base, was killed in a CIA drone strike.<br /><br />U.S. officials said they had no evidence of threats to the United States following the attacks in Canada. The U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, on lockdown Wednesday, reopened on Thursday.<br /><br />"At this time, there is no specific reporting to indicate that ongoing events in Canada pose a threat to the United States," said Aaron Bowker, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Buffalo field office.<br /><br />Law enforcement officials said Wednesday's shooting of a soldier in the Canadian capital appeared to be the act of a single individual, the type of "lone wolf" attack U.S. authorities say it is difficult to defend against.<br /><br />"It's so simple and unpredictable, it’s hard to know exactly what to do," said Captain Rick Hopkins of the state police in Vermont, which shares a border with Canada.<br /><br />"You want to do all you can to keep people safe, but it’s very frustrating (that) you can’t point to one thing” that would stymie such an attack, Hopkins said.

U.S. weighs passport, border changes in wake of Ottawa attack

U.S. officials are debating whether to tighten controls on the border with Canada and make it easier to revoke the passports of suspected mi...

U.S. senator asks Internet providers to commit to no 'fast lanes'

U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy on Thursday pressed large Internet providers to pledge that they will not strike deals that may help some websites load faster than others or give similar "fast lanes" to affiliated services.<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">As regulators work on new so-called "net neutrality" rules, Leahy wrote to chiefs of AT&T Inc, Verizon Communications Inc, Time Warner Cable Inc and Charter Communications Inc.</blockquote><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib0wp_FHcTfFDnHmlalF9TLaJ0S9EEXDSnWPhAOYgrg1FyHH_YZi3YINwFYXQ1PPnjaT1YUER5cC_4IAGPKBELsJTV7Y1kouo4pJ_ewj_s5GETTIJ3lBgEDcB8IDGQCkbogEvTAduPH-Y/s1600/mrl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib0wp_FHcTfFDnHmlalF9TLaJ0S9EEXDSnWPhAOYgrg1FyHH_YZi3YINwFYXQ1PPnjaT1YUER5cC_4IAGPKBELsJTV7Y1kouo4pJ_ewj_s5GETTIJ3lBgEDcB8IDGQCkbogEvTAduPH-Y/s1600/mrl.jpg" width="320" /></a>In his letters, similar to one sent to Comcast Corp on Monday, Leahy asked the leading Internet service providers (ISPs) to formally commit to no so-called "paid prioritization" deals in which content companies could pay Internet providers to ensure smooth and fast delivery of their traffic.<br /><br />The Federal Communications Commission has received 3.9 million comments after it proposed new web traffic rules that would prohibit ISPs from blocking content, but suggested allowing some "commercially reasonable" paid prioritization deals.<br /><br />Large ISPs, including Verizon, Comcast and AT&T, have been asserting that they had no plans for such paid prioritization arrangements and FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has said he would not tolerate anti-competitive or anti-consumer prioritization deals.<br /><br />Nonetheless, consumer advocates and other critics are concerned that opening the door for paid prioritization, could create "fast lanes" for some content and so relegate other websites and applications to "slow lanes."<br /><br />"These types of arrangements pose a significant threat of dividing the Internet into those who can afford to compete and those who cannot," Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, wrote in his letters.<br /><br />Comcast has said it was reviewing Leahy's letter and a Verizon representative did not comment on Thursday. Spokespeople for AT&T, Time Warner Cable and Charter did not immediately have comment.<br /><br />Letters from Leahy, a key lawmaker on antitrust issues, come at a time when the Justice Department and the FCC are reviewing two major merger proposals: a $45 billion deal between Comcast and Time Warner Cable and a $48.5 billion deal between AT&T and satellite TV provider DirecTV.<br /><br />As part of its merger deal, Comcast planned to sell a portion of its subscribers to Charter.<br /><br />Comcast is the only large ISP bound by the 2010 version of net neutrality rules, which discouraged paid prioritization but were struck down in court in January over another issue. Comcast has to continue abiding by those rules until 2018 as a condition of a merger with NBC Universal.

U.S. senator asks Internet providers to commit to no 'fast lanes'

U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy on Thursday pressed large Internet providers to pledge that they will not strike deal...

I've decided,finally,to stick my head above the parapet,says Monica Lewinsky

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijnLNQEqBpsiwU26K79khFp9iX8S_T2M3K0cQbQf2Wzfvdnx7Tu0kScrr4m-r5EmEDIFNe1EFeyxO44EjdPofzgX7K2M47BikSuz1TcFTbBLnrGb5S0fxmehLM7tjm_Xe01p_dopNw-DE/s1600/097442-clinton-monica-lewinsky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijnLNQEqBpsiwU26K79khFp9iX8S_T2M3K0cQbQf2Wzfvdnx7Tu0kScrr4m-r5EmEDIFNe1EFeyxO44EjdPofzgX7K2M47BikSuz1TcFTbBLnrGb5S0fxmehLM7tjm_Xe01p_dopNw-DE/s1600/097442-clinton-monica-lewinsky.jpg" width="320" /></a>Earlier this year, Lewinsky broke her silence about her affair with Clinton, in a piece for Vanity Fair.<br /><br />"I am determined to have a different ending to my story. I've decided, finally, to stick my head above the parapet so that I can take back my narrative and give a purpose to my past," she wrote.<br /><br /><h4><br /></h4><h4><br /></h4><h4>'I was Patient Zero of cyber-bulling', says Monica Lewinsky.</h4>Monica Lewinsky said she was one of the first victims of cyber-bullying, becoming "Patient Zero" after her affair with Bill Clinton, as the former White House intern gave her first speech in 13 years.<br /><br />In an emotional address at Forbes' inaugural Under 30 summit in Philadelphia that recalled the 1998 sex scandal with Clinton, the 41-year-old announced a campaign to end online bullying.<br /><br />Lewinsky told a packed auditorium that she was "the first person to have their reputation completely destroyed worldwide via the Internet."<br /><br />"I was Patient Zero," she said.<br /><br />"There was no Facebook, Twitter or Instagram back then.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTSkyw7KczaQ8RHDgpfN6qFr1AaBSjCDW78hkr041hYZCMuoI9aBiJJM9uDI8fuZnK4H0mvyJSA2sb11x9Iyn4Qk0lCA0ZYVUsQaW7enXlwzTDD3CbWnjc3Wq6Gm-06bcnHNO9d2F51jQ/s1600/0ff3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTSkyw7KczaQ8RHDgpfN6qFr1AaBSjCDW78hkr041hYZCMuoI9aBiJJM9uDI8fuZnK4H0mvyJSA2sb11x9Iyn4Qk0lCA0ZYVUsQaW7enXlwzTDD3CbWnjc3Wq6Gm-06bcnHNO9d2F51jQ/s1600/0ff3.jpg" /></a>"But there were gossip, news and entertainment websites replete with comment sections and emails which could be forwarded.<br /><br />After news of the affair broke, Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives in December 1998 but was acquitted by the Senate.<br /><br />His wife Hillary, a former secretary of state widely tipped to run for president in 2016, says she has "moved on" from the scandal.<br /><br />Of course, it was all done on the excruciatingly slow dial up. Yet around the world this story went. A viral phenomenon that, you could argue, was the first moment of truly 'social media'."<br /><br />She spoke of her shame and depression and of harboring suicidal thoughts after news of the 1998 sex scandal broke.<br /><br />"Staring at the computer screen, I spent the day shouting: 'oh my god!' and 'I can't believe they put that in' or 'That's so out of context,'" she said.<br /><br />"And those were the only thoughts that interrupted a relentless mantra in my head: 'I want to die.'"<br /><br />She said she was motivated to campaign against cyber-bullying by the 2010 suicide of an 18-year-old New Jersey freshman who was haunted online after being secretly filmed kissing another man.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-6lvUGiAnTBIVjtiEe-j0fE_qy7JOTQhgvsAvghajDbZUOr55nEOLcGNEeiSuvAvCk4rXIetHaDYz6tVSY-86ADMDt-fh_pYc3hg38iPePaAm6_Fm1btRq5aGKilZg4MjcgDZ8H0-78/s1600/Monica-Lewinsky.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-6lvUGiAnTBIVjtiEe-j0fE_qy7JOTQhgvsAvghajDbZUOr55nEOLcGNEeiSuvAvCk4rXIetHaDYz6tVSY-86ADMDt-fh_pYc3hg38iPePaAm6_Fm1btRq5aGKilZg4MjcgDZ8H0-78/s1600/Monica-Lewinsky.png" width="320" /></a>"Having survived myself, what I want to do now is help other victims of the shame game survive, too," she said. "I want to put my suffering to good use and give purpose to my past."<br /><br />Lewinsky also joined Twitter, describing herself on her @MonicaLewinsky profile as a social activist, public speaker, contributor to Vanity Fair magazine and a "knitter of things without sleeves."<br /><br />Within hours she racked up more than 18,000 followers for an account verified by the microblogging service.<br /><br />Her first tweet was "#HereWeGo" and her second said she was "excited (and nervous) to speak" at the Forbes Under 30 Summit.<br /><br />Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai is scheduled to speak at the same event on Tuesday.

I've decided,finally,to stick my head above the parapet,says Monica Lewinsky

Earlier this year, Lewinsky broke her silence about her affair with Clinton, in a piece for Vanity Fair. "I am determined to have a dif...

Vice President Biden’s son discharged from Navy after failing cocaine test

Hunter Biden, the son of Vice President Biden, was discharged from the Navy Reserve this year after testing positive for cocaine, The Wall Street Journal reports.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgua88LtqG80PPKCE_J5I0adm0CZ1SXX05o-q-PbNJoZBDmm0A1qN-7ZeWkNZMO9EG8E_xsZ-WZbSC8n11-o1_0zAoJ-UVqhS_PZ2g-1WuvgbEoey17uCXGPMhXbweiebPZzxMVB1YuTAc/s1600/BB9vfZ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgua88LtqG80PPKCE_J5I0adm0CZ1SXX05o-q-PbNJoZBDmm0A1qN-7ZeWkNZMO9EG8E_xsZ-WZbSC8n11-o1_0zAoJ-UVqhS_PZ2g-1WuvgbEoey17uCXGPMhXbweiebPZzxMVB1YuTAc/s1600/BB9vfZ.jpg" width="320" /></a>The paper reports that after joining the Navy as an ensign in 2013, he reported for duty in Norfolk, Va. He was drug tested in June 2013 and the test was positive for cocaine, according to the paper’s sources.<br /><br />Hunter Biden was as discharged in February of this year.<br /><br />"It was the honor of my life to serve in the US Navy, and I deeply regret and am embarrassed that my actions led to my administrative discharge," said Biden in a statement. "I respect the Navy's decision.<br /><br />"With the love and support of my family, I'm moving forward," he added.<br /><br />Hunter Biden is now managing director at Rosemont Seneca Technology Partners.<br /><br />His brother, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden also has a military record, serving in his state’s National Guard. Beau Biden was also deployed to Iraq while in the guard.

Vice President Biden’s son discharged from Navy after failing cocaine test

Hunter Biden, the son of Vice President Biden, was discharged from the Navy Reserve this year after testing positive for cocaine, The Wall S...

Rand Paul to join McConnell on campaign trail on eve of U.S. election

Likely 2016 presidential contender Rand Paul will return to his home state of Kentucky the day before Election Day to campaign with Republican colleague Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.<br /><br />Locked in a tight race with Kentucky's Democratic Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, McConnell has not received much help from Paul, a libertarian-leaning freshman senator who has openly flirted with a White House bid.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhRS6T9d5T-ApA_6JRzL_V9iuis1C83QZXL4uCz-YDriDPCkFU259ENvziHZoiSxRNJaUVgtM_rmWl7aJuloMyaWM5Jee8D8Immnpy8zimBf4GNM19OtUxTj5c2hMrrhi5-24pZ_eZFkQ/s1600/mitch-mcconnell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhRS6T9d5T-ApA_6JRzL_V9iuis1C83QZXL4uCz-YDriDPCkFU259ENvziHZoiSxRNJaUVgtM_rmWl7aJuloMyaWM5Jee8D8Immnpy8zimBf4GNM19OtUxTj5c2hMrrhi5-24pZ_eZFkQ/s1600/mitch-mcconnell.jpg" width="320" /></a>Paul has barnstormed the country campaigning for candidates, but his involvement in the Kentucky race has been sparse even as McConnell regularly mentions his more popular younger colleague in campaign speeches.<br /><br />The two senators come from different wings of the Republican Party; McConnell is a long-time member of the establishment and Paul swept into office in 2010's Tea Party wave.<br /><br />But McConnell's victory has seemed more likely in recent weeks as poll numbers stay on his side and national Democrats have shrunk their own investment in the race.<br /><br />Paul said in an interview he would go to Kentucky on Nov. 3 to campaign with McConnell.<br /><br />"Alison Grimes is in a downward spiral right now. You know, the national party is pulling out of the race. They're no longer going to spend money in her race, and she can't remember who she voted for for president," Paul told Reuters after campaigning for local candidates in Virginia, referring to Grimes' repeated refusal to say whether she voted for President Barack Obama in 2012.<br /><br />"I think it's pretty difficult if you want to run for high office if you're not willing to admit who you voted for president. It also really shows the depths of the president's popularity that his own party won't even admit to voting for him," Paul added, not specifically mentioning McConnell while assessing the race.<br /><br />While Paul has been active in a series of races across the country, especially in states that play a big role in the presidential nominating process, others have parachuted into Kentucky.<br /><br />Grimes' campaign, for example, was given a boost by likely Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton on Wednesday night at a large rally in Louisville.<br /><br />"Let's put another crack in that glass ceiling," Clinton said of sending another woman to the Senate.<br /><br />But Paul, who was in the strategically important state of New Hampshire on Thursday and is due in Iowa, the other most influential state, next week, brushed off the notion that Clinton could significantly help Grimes.<br /><br />"People mistake thinking the Clintons are popular in Kentucky," Paul said.

Rand Paul to join McConnell on campaign trail on eve of U.S. election

Likely 2016 presidential contender Rand Paul will return to his home state of Kentucky the day before Election Day to campaign with Republic...

U.S. Senate Democrats blast Obama's migrant family detentions

High-ranking U.S. Senate Democrats have called on the Obama administration to reverse its new policy of detaining Central American immigrant families, warning it could be damaging to the young children being housed in the facilities.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsBADdOB5JLWSt0A8Z0lJ22zfJFswBl2Bs4tsTgRDEcN7NLXhLdttpLYmctPl1ovDiArSU-re-E8k3kit12Q3VCbHd_Y8HB_a7lAG42-zVOY7SwJlellvp2EQY3IJsUhlOtU8c1AeRn4/s1600/63911.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsBADdOB5JLWSt0A8Z0lJ22zfJFswBl2Bs4tsTgRDEcN7NLXhLdttpLYmctPl1ovDiArSU-re-E8k3kit12Q3VCbHd_Y8HB_a7lAG42-zVOY7SwJlellvp2EQY3IJsUhlOtU8c1AeRn4/s1600/63911.jpeg" width="200" /></a>Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont and eight other Democrats wrote Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson on Thursday to complain about the detentions.<br /><br />"Mothers and their children who have fled violence in their home countries should not be treated like criminals," wrote the senators, who also included Democratic leadership members Dick Durbin of Illinois, Charles Schumer of New York and Patty Murray of Washington state.<br /><br />The detention policy, which was initiated this past summer as tens of thousands of families and unaccompanied children rushed to the U.S. border, is part of a broader White House strategy of deterring another influx next year. [L2N0S51HW]<br /><br />Many of the migrants are fleeing El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, where gang violence, drugs and human trafficking are rampant.<br /><br />In 2009, the United States stopped housing newly arrived immigrant families in a troubled Texas detention facility. Instead, the Obama administration made less restrictive measures, such as ankle bracelets, telephone interviews and other monitoring programs the centerpiece of its policy for keeping tabs on migrants awaiting court determinations on their status.<br /><br />But that changed a few months ago, as President Barack Obama was under intense pressure from Republicans in Congress to stop the record numbers of children and families seeking refuge in the United States and arriving without visas.<br /><br />He responded by directing the opening of family detention centers, expediting immigration court cases, refusing bond for many of the migrants and working with Mexico to secure borders.<br /><br />By year's end, the federal government will have the capacity to detain about 4,000 mothers and children at any one time in centers located in New Mexico, Texas and Pennsylvania.<br /><br />Last month, the administration announced plans in coming months to open a second Texas facility, with 2,400 beds, to augment the three existing centers. Human rights and immigrant advocacy groups have criticized the move.<br /><br />"We are troubled by your apparent decision to make permanent and greatly expand the policy of family detention" amid reports of problems caring for the detainees, the senators wrote.<br /><br />In their letter, the senators also referred to problems detainees were having getting legal representation and the "rushed nature" of legal proceedings that could lead to the return of migrants to dangerous situations in their home countries.<br /><br />Following the Nov. 4 congressional elections, Congress is expected to debate a budget bill that would contain funds for agencies tasked with handling the immigrant families. It was unclear whether the high-ranking Democratic senators will try to withhold future funding for the detention facilities.<br /><br />Besides the controversial family detention centers, the government maintains more than 30,000 beds to detain adult immigrants awaiting decisions on whether they can stay in the United States.

U.S. Senate Democrats blast Obama's migrant family detentions

High-ranking U.S. Senate Democrats have called on the Obama administration to reverse its new policy of detaining Central American immigrant...

Obama to sign cybersecurity order, wants safer payments

U.S. President Barack Obama planned to sign an executive order on Friday to make federal payments safer, urging banks and retailers to follow suit after massive data breaches put millions of consumers at risk.<br /><br />In remarks to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Obama will announce steps such as microchips and PIN numbers for government credit cards, and enhancing the safety of payment card terminals at federal agencies.<br /><br />"(The president) is calling on all stakeholders ... to safeguard consumer finances and reduce their chances of becoming victims of identity theft - America's fastest-growing crime," the White House said in a statement.<br /><br />Home Depot Inc (HD.N), Target Corp (TGT.N), Walgreen Co (WAG.N) and Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) will be rolling out secure chip and PIN-compatible card terminals in all their stores, most by January, the White House said.<br /><br />Bank and retail industry groups have been at odds over how to improve the security of electronic payments for years, but massive data breaches at Target and Neiman Marcus Group [NMRCUS.UL] have made the dispute more prominent.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheWknMEHhrxU5QhYLHh6ojzBSicN2oEJlGVLbFDI2ifyOldJFZbrfY6ukc1aqXylpZVEFMzdWhvodrVE_o8zrTytEhistxzSjLJCGdC1-2HJ3WNFCpPu3w1O07AT1nQz6V8AL8IjM-lw/s1600/11nm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheWknMEHhrxU5QhYLHh6ojzBSicN2oEJlGVLbFDI2ifyOldJFZbrfY6ukc1aqXylpZVEFMzdWhvodrVE_o8zrTytEhistxzSjLJCGdC1-2HJ3WNFCpPu3w1O07AT1nQz6V8AL8IjM-lw/s1600/11nm.jpg" /></a>Banks have wanted retailers to bear more of the costs of replacing cards after breaches occur, while retailers said banks had been slow to adopt new technologies. But both sides welcomed the news of Obama's executive order.<br /><br />"We look forward to working with the White House, Treasury, Commerce and Homeland Security to share our best practices and new technologies that will aid in the fight against fraud," the American Bankers Association said in a statement.<br /><br />The National Retail Federation also said it supported the measures to stop cyber thieves.<br /><br />Obama has signed a series of other executive orders, such as on minimum wages and carbon emissions, which, while generally limited in scope, have been designed to either jumpstart more action or pressure Congress to act.

Obama to sign cybersecurity order, wants safer payments

U.S. President Barack Obama planned to sign an executive order on Friday to make federal payments safer, urging banks and retailers to follo...

Obama Also Pushed For CDC Cuts In Years Before Ebola Outbreak

Recent attacks by a Democratic outside group blame congressional Republicans for exacerbating the Ebola epidemic by continuously seeking to cut funds for government health agencies.<br /><br />But the charge leaves out a critical point. President Barack Obama hasn't been consistent on funding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the dominant U.S. public health agency combating the outbreak. In some years, he's been a budgetary champion for the CDC. In other years, he's bowed to austerity.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpiJbIOSiiH1jtDCiwElJjJ4q5X4BzWwKYOsGqxjZjUySRBTxjbKS1Rxoqxmvc2hvMJoFXpCut7pHmhyphenhyphenwGMoZr4oJ5z4xgIgqrA8OCzlfdyUQJLlAllFbN860CvY92dBc6N4WHk-aLmtc/s1600/report.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpiJbIOSiiH1jtDCiwElJjJ4q5X4BzWwKYOsGqxjZjUySRBTxjbKS1Rxoqxmvc2hvMJoFXpCut7pHmhyphenhyphenwGMoZr4oJ5z4xgIgqrA8OCzlfdyUQJLlAllFbN860CvY92dBc6N4WHk-aLmtc/s1600/report.jpg" width="320" /></a>During Obama's first three years in the White House, the CDC's total funding increased from $6.64 billion to $7.16 billion, according to figures provided by the administration. Those funding levels were all higher than what was in place at the end of the Bush years.<br /><br />After the GOP took control of the House in 2011, the administration protected CDC funding by relying on new funding streams from the Affordable Care Act. But the CDC's total budget fell by $430 million in fiscal year 2013, and the president can't blame Republicans for the drop. The president's funding requests for the CDC dropped too.<br /><br />In FY 2010, the budget authority requested by the president for the CDC was $6.38 billion, according to administration figures. That number went up to $6.68 billion in FY 2011. It then decreased sharply to $5.89 billion in FY 2012 (Page 85). The cuts were softened by the fact that the CDC received money from additional funding streams. In that fiscal year, additional funding streams actually resulted in a higher overall account for the CDC than the prior year. (Hence, how it ended up with $7.16 billion.)<br /><br />But these non-traditional funding sources couldn't reverse the general movement to austerity the following year. The president's budget authority that year was $5.06 billion (Page 113). The funding for the CDC that year ended up at $6.73 billion after the other accounts were taken into effect.<br /><br />An administration official acknowledged to The Huffington Post that “sequestration and tight budget caps have had an impact on a range of critical health care programs." But the official said the totality of the funding -- as opposed to just the budget requests for the CDC -- underscored that even "within a constrained environment, the Administration has prioritized CDC funding over the years with significant increases for control of infectious diseases." The official noted that other sources, such as the Prevention and Public Health Fund, helped keep funding levels stable even during the most austere times.<br /><br />Still, the fact that the president went along with those austere times complicates the attacks that Democrats are making against Republicans today. A new ad by the group Agenda Project Action Fund all but accused the GOP of letting people die by draining funds from the CDC and the National Institutes of Health. Certainly, it's fair to say that Republicans were more interested than Democrats in cutting the budgets of those agencies during the past few years. But the president's budget requests didn't provide the sternest of pushbacks, and indeed explicitly posed significant cuts at times.<br /><br />The White House has recently moved away from austerity. The president's recent budget includes a slight increase in both CDC and NIH funding -- though well short of what Democrats and medical research advocates say is necessary. According to administration figures, Obama requested $5.47 billion for the CDC for FY 2015, which is a $180 million increase from FY 2014.<br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">Budget figures are often in dispute. And so, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2014/10/15/the-absurd-claim-that-only-republicans-are-to-blame-for-cuts-to-ebola-research/" sl-processed="1" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0088c3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">other media outlets</a> that have looked at the president's requests have put forward different statistics. <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/fmo/topic/Budget%20Information/appropriations_budget_form_pdf/FY2015_CJ_CDC_FINAL.pdf" sl-processed="1" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0088c3; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">Separate documents</a> put together by the CDC do provide slightly different numbers, but they tell the same general story:</div><ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In FY 2010, the budget request for CDC funding was $6.31 billion.</li><li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In FY 2011, it was $6.26 billion. That year the Prevention and Public Health Fund helped soften the blow by adding $610 million.</li><li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In FY 2012, the budget request was $5.81 billion while the Prevention and Public Health Fund helped soften the blow by adding $752 million.</li><li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In FY 2013, the budget request was $4.99 billion, while the Prevention and Public Health Fund helped soften the blow by adding $903 million.</li><li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In FY 2014, the budget request was $5.22 billion, while the Prevention and Public Health Fund helped soften the blow by adding $755 million.</li><li class="last" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In FY 2015, the budget request is $5.39 billion, while the Prevention and Public Health Fund is expected to add an additional $809 million.</li><li class="last" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhewnK90Dx8ePV31_zkGkKFHYz4d9UDuWn5BRu0lo9-EVJ_KPIGkllPt3eF7nnOR9gA4DJ7Xh6hxHfoO8GobntBkiwH3PaRjB4w8WevzpK05xGEwXrUCGsV675fypmVCXT_fdknGgnZPWU/s1600/cdc1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhewnK90Dx8ePV31_zkGkKFHYz4d9UDuWn5BRu0lo9-EVJ_KPIGkllPt3eF7nnOR9gA4DJ7Xh6hxHfoO8GobntBkiwH3PaRjB4w8WevzpK05xGEwXrUCGsV675fypmVCXT_fdknGgnZPWU/s1600/cdc1.jpg" width="400" /></a></li></ul>

Obama Also Pushed For CDC Cuts In Years Before Ebola Outbreak

Recent attacks by a Democratic outside group blame congressional Republicans for exacerbating the Ebola epidemic by continuously seeking to ...

Obama hangs tough on migrant detention despite slowing influx

The surge in child migration from Central America is receding but the United States is aggressively pushing ahead with plans to expand detentions, a little-publicized part of a broader campaign to deter illegal migrants.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpiJbIOSiiH1jtDCiwElJjJ4q5X4BzWwKYOsGqxjZjUySRBTxjbKS1Rxoqxmvc2hvMJoFXpCut7pHmhyphenhyphenwGMoZr4oJ5z4xgIgqrA8OCzlfdyUQJLlAllFbN860CvY92dBc6N4WHk-aLmtc/s1600/report.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpiJbIOSiiH1jtDCiwElJjJ4q5X4BzWwKYOsGqxjZjUySRBTxjbKS1Rxoqxmvc2hvMJoFXpCut7pHmhyphenhyphenwGMoZr4oJ5z4xgIgqrA8OCzlfdyUQJLlAllFbN860CvY92dBc6N4WHk-aLmtc/s1600/report.jpg" width="320" /></a>Under pressure from opposition Republicans to stem the unprecedented flow of children earlier this year, the Obama administration beginning in June pledged to speedily return them to their home countries and help better secure borders in Mexico and Central America.<br /><br />    But a third leg of that strategy has quietly created a network of family detention centers to lock up some children and their parents rather than freeing them pending deportation hearings.<br /><br />The centers, which were opened this summer to receive families with children, are in Artesia, New Mexico and Karnes, Texas. Another one in Texas is scheduled to open in coming months. With little public debate, they have effectively become flagships of the Obama administration's "get tough" campaign to discourage future border crossings.<br /><br />These augment a Pennsylvania facility that has been in operation since 2001, but holds only small numbers of people.<br /><br />    It represents a U-turn for the Obama administration, which for five years favored less restrictive programs, such as ankle bracelets and telephone check-ins, for keeping tabs on families while they awaited court decisions on whether or not they would be deported.<br /><br />In 2012, the administration noted these programs saved "many millions of dollars." <br /><br />    "The Obama administration in 2009 decided that it was going to turn away from family detention ... the turn back is really alarming," said Carl Takei of the American Civil Liberties Union.<br /><br />The White House referred briefly to "increased detainment" in a fact sheet it issued on July 8 on an emergency funding request to Congress. But the policy change, which immigration groups characterize as a major shift for the administration, has not been laid out in detail.<br /><br /><b>SIGNIFICANT EXPANSION</b><br /><br />The big expansion of detention beds, from only 90 last year to about 3,700 by the end of this year, comes amid data showing that the seasonal migration wave has receded. The number of families coming over the border declined to 3,295 in August, from 16,329 in June.<br /><br />    "These (family detention) facilities will help ensure more timely and effective removals that comply with our legal and international obligations, while deterring others from taking the dangerous journey and illegally crossing into the United States," a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman said.<br /><br />Human rights groups counter that the new policy is badly misguided. Michelle Brane, director of a migrant rights program at the Women’s Refugee Commission, said children, some of them infants and toddlers, cannot be properly cared for in large detention centers.<br /><br />    The policy shift on detention centers, which has not been debated much in Congress, follows President Barack Obama's warning last summer to illegal migrants from Central America that they would be detained and promptly shipped back home if they attempted to make the dangerous journey.<br /><br />Immigration advocates argue that many of these children have valid claims for asylum and flee to the United States because their governments cannot protect them from both gang and domestic violence.<br /><br />    The detention centers are intended to discourage another migrant wave that some fear will start early next year, said Marshall Fitz, an immigration specialist at the Center for American Progress, which has close ties to the White House.<br /><br />    March to June, when it is neither dangerously cold nor hot, have been peak months for children, either traveling alone or with their parents, to brave the journey to the U.S. border by foot and atop trains.<br /><br />"We could see the same thing come back again and I want to build against that," Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said on Thursday.<br /><br /><b>POOR CONDITIONS</b><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVLNrCzwkRpFHt7kuNM0uBuVB7jm5URdqXiIrQpaNb7teVcaKqankfvVcZyRftqWM98kJfpc9vu3qXXfZX5wqnTyopLvNLrQE9WfJhV8vr4Hwj484Bzx2BWQTuSW5T4p-gGGbTtZ4U4lw/s1600/gNews.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVLNrCzwkRpFHt7kuNM0uBuVB7jm5URdqXiIrQpaNb7teVcaKqankfvVcZyRftqWM98kJfpc9vu3qXXfZX5wqnTyopLvNLrQE9WfJhV8vr4Hwj484Bzx2BWQTuSW5T4p-gGGbTtZ4U4lw/s1600/gNews.jpg" /></a>Advocacy groups and defense lawyers donating their services to detainees complain of unsafe conditions, poor medical care and inadequate access to lawyers at the government-run center in Artesia and the Karnes facility, which is operated by the GEO Group, a for-profit operator of prisons.<br /><br />   Responding to allegations of sexual assault at Karnes, ICE said the agency was "committed to ensuring all individuals in our custody are held and treated in a safe, secure and humane manner" and that it has a "zero-tolerance policy for all forms of sexual abuse or assault." GEO has denied the allegations.<br /><br />A Department of Homeland Security inspector general report this month said that while conditions in Artesia were improving, more progress was needed.<br /><br />    Congress could weigh in on the new detention policy later this year when it debates a bill to fund agencies administering the program.

Obama hangs tough on migrant detention despite slowing influx

The surge in child migration from Central America is receding but the United States is aggressively pushing ahead with plans to expand deten...