News Items

  • Media Advisory: Whistleblowers to Speak About Surveillance and Cyber Issues

    “President Barack Obama is set to sign an executive order on Friday aimed at encouraging companies to share more information about cybersecurity threats with the government and each other, a response to attacks like that on Sony Entertainment. … Obama will sign the order at a day-long conference on cybersecurity at Stanford University in the heart of Silicon Valley.”

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  • Delegation of U.S. and UK Whistleblowers in London: News Conference on “Special Surveillance Relationship” — News Advisory

    Whistleblowers from four American and British “national security” agencies will hold a news conference in London on November 21 in a direct challenge to surveillance policies of the U.S. and UK governments. The whistleblowers — from the NSA, FBI, State Department and GCHQ — will speak about the effects of their governments’ policies on freedom of the press and democracy. They are traveling as a delegation co-sponsored by the U.S.-based organizations RootsAction.org and ExposeFacts, a project of the Institute for Public Accuracy. The news conference is being hosted by the Foreign Press Association.

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  • In Response to the Government’s Lynching of James Risen

    It has been a sharp learning curve for Jim Risen, but by having numerous grand juries and two administrations relentlessly hounding him, he has learned how deeply the government’s malevolence descends. But there was always one steadfast assertion he wound not compromise, Jim Risen assured his sources, from the very start of their first encounter, that he would never divulge their identities nor what information they provided him with.

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  • Militarization of U.S. Police: Ferguson, Mo.

    Community policing reforms came about as a corrective to the 1950-60s professional police model which created a large gulf between police and citizens. Few noticed that underlying all the CP rhetoric was a little noticed yet foretelling trend of para-militarism as found in SWAT teams. What we’re witnessing today, though, with the influence of the Dept. of Homeland Security since 9/11 — along with growing emphasis on military hardware and tactics — is the expansion of police militarization throughout entire police departments — and indeed, the entire police institution.

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  • Unconstitutional acts of war in Iraq

    President Obama ignored the wise direction of President George Washington when he casually told the nation — and Congress — that U.S. military forces will engage in acts of war in Iraq for an extended period of weeks and maybe months. Bombing, he said in a brief statement last week, is needed here and there, but he promised there will be no U.S. boots on the ground. … The announcement seemed almost an afterthought as the president headed for vacation in Martha’s Vineyard. He neglected to seek approval of Congress before authorizing bombardment of the military forces of ISIS, the…

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  • News Conference: Edward Snowden’s Passport, Political Asylum and Related Issues

    Ray McGovern, Coleen Rowley and Norman Solomon spoke at this news conference, sponsored by RootsAction.org and hosted by the Institute for Public Accuracy.

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  • NSA Veterans and Whistleblowers Respond to Obama Speech

    Minutes after President Obama’s major address on NSA surveillance on Friday, Jan. 17, the Institute for Public Accuracy held a news conference with noted NSA veterans and whistleblowers.

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  • The War on Poverty at Fifty

    Fifty years after Lyndon B. Johnson made it the centerpiece of his first State of the Union address on January 8, 1964, the War on Poverty remains one of the most embattled—and least understood—of Great Society initiatives.

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  • Edward Snowden: Profile in Courage

    Edward Snowden may go down in history as one of this nation’s most important whistleblowers. He is certainly one of the bravest.

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  • Obama’s Economic Race Legacy

    From the start, President Barack Obama has shown little interest or loyalty in the issues that affect the poor, working class and people of color in the United States. For almost his entire first term he didn’t utter the words poor or poverty. Early on he reminded African Americans: ‘I’m not the president of black America. I’m the president of the United States of America…’

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  • Marked By COVID Calls for Pandemic Remembrance

    Advocacy group Marked By COVID is working on plans for a permanent memorial space for pandemic victims.

  • “Biden Says There’s No Blockade. Tell That to Yemenis Who Need Medical Care.”

    “With a presidential campaign ramping up, Biden has an incentive to emphasize relief and openness in Yemen; the U.S. role in the humanitarian crisis — including rolling out the red carpet for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last year, and ongoing weapons sales — goes against the president’s claims to embrace human rights as…

  • FTX: Best Way to Rob a Bank is to Own One

    What led to FTX’s collapse? Zhao’s announcement drove down the price of FTT and spooked investors. Traders rushed to withdraw from FTX, causing the company to have a $8 billion shortfall. Binance offered a loan to save the company but later pulled out, forcing FTX to file for bankruptcy on Nov. 11. SBF and his…

  • Step Aside Joe Campaign Warns that Biden is a “Risky Candidate” to Defeat GOP

    RootsAction’s Step Aside Joe campaign said in a statement recently, “We want a Democratic nominee who is progressive and dynamic – and can be a strong candidate against the Republican contender. Biden does not qualify.”

  • OSHA Heat Standards

    Legislation was introduced in the House and Senate that aims to protect the safety and health of workers exposed to extreme heat.

  • Thirst Strike Ends in Texas

    Representative Greg Casar held an eight-hour thirst strike on the steps of the Capitol to raise awareness about worker conditions during heat waves.

  • “Twin Crises of Israel”

    Following the Israeli government’s decision to overhaul the judicial system, Abba Solomon, author of two books on Zionism says, “The Israeli ‘pro-democracy’ movement’s sea of Israeli flags, exclusion of Palestinian flags, and the threat of Israeli Defense Forces reservists — key to continuing IDF raids and attacks on Gaza and West Bank communities —  to…

  • “Oppenheimer” Omits Information About H-Bomb Testing Just Before Scientist’s Career Was Destroyed

    Thomas Reifer, Sociology professor at University of San Diego and a fellow at the Transnational Institute says, “The film ‘Oppenheimer’ raises many important issues, none more urgent than the vast increase in destructive power that came with the making of atomic and then thermonuclear weapons…Unfortunately, the film doesn’t take the time to go into the…

  • Peace Groups to Protest Cluster Munitions at Weapons Factory 

    Multiple U.S. peace organizations are set to protest on Saturday, July 22 at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in light of the recent sale of cluster munitions to Ukraine. The groups say, “t reveals to the world just how little the U.S. cares for Ukrainian people and their futures and the futures of the Russian…

  • Congress Declares Support for Israel as It Recognizes Morocco’s Annexation of Western Sahara

    Salka Barca, a native Saharawi and coordinator of the feminist human rights group ‘Karama Sahara’ says “The Israeli official recognition of Moroccan ‘annexation’ is not a surprise… The Israelis provide Morocco with ongoing intelligence training, drones, and technology to repress and kill the Saharawis as the Israelis are doing to the Palestinians.” Mubarak Awad, founder…

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