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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  • The Federal Government’s Response to Covid

    The congressional Covid-19 select committee held a hearing on the federal government’s response to the pandemic. Three witnesses selected by the Republican majority spoke: physicians Jay Bhattacharya, Martin Kulldorff, and Marty Makary. The hearing “perpetuated the narrative that they were ignored and silenced––though we know that they advised governors and President Trump.”

  • Groups Calling for End to Yemen War Which Has Killed Hundreds of Thousands

    The Norwegian Refugee Council states: “The international community today showed it has abandoned Yemen at this crucial crossroads, with a mere quarter of the amount needed to support the millions of Yemenis who require urgent assistance. This is woefully inadequate and gives the signal that some humans are less valuable than others.”

  • Carter Blocked Abourezk’s Resolution to Hostage Crisis

    In 2002, Abourezk went on a delegation to Baghdad organized by the Institute for Public Accuracy, meeting with the Iraqi leadership. Just after that delegation, the Iraqi government allowed the weapons inspectors, which Bill Clinton had withdrawn in 1998, back into the country. Some hoped the invasion, which took place almost exactly 20 years ago,…

  • Mask Mandates: Bret Stephens Gets It Wrong

    The New York Times ran a misleading opinion piece by Bret Stephens this week on the benefits of mask mandates. Public health experts quickly responded to clarify the issue.

  • Biden: * “Must Negotiate” on Ukraine * Caving to Israel on Iran War Threats

    “NATO’s relentless escalation of its proxy war in Ukraine has endangered world security, while escalating inflation and lowering living standards for working people in the United States. Though we all deplore the illegal Russian invasion, we must accept that there can be no final victory over a nuclear armed power. Continued NATO arms deliveries will…

  • “Dangerous and Unethical”: New York Removes Mask Mandate for Health Care Settings

    New York State lifted its blanket mask mandate for health facilities last week. Advocates say that lobbyists have pushed against Covid workplace protections, arguing workplaces should defer to CDC guidance. But CDC guidance has gotten weaker and weaker over time.

  • Train Disaster: Causes and Solutions

    “Rail workers — who have been blocked by the Biden White House in seeking basic workplace guarantees such as sick leave — can’t be the only force holding rail carriers accountable in critical matters of public safety. The Department of Transportation — which has long treated rail carriers as clients rather than regulatory subjects –…

  • NATO’s Sweden and Finland Campaign

    Neither the mainstream media nor politicians have the civil courage to address the conflict. It’s only about the war and only about Russia/Putin who must be punished, no matter the price to be paid by future generations. If we survive. …

  • Ohio Train Derailment: Braking Systems and Health Impacts

    Days after a train derailment prompted a “controlled release” of chemicals onboard, residents of East Palestine, Ohio are no longer under an evacuation order. But residents are now reporting sore throats, burning eyes, and respiratory issues; local wildlife––including thousands of fish, backyard chickens, and a skulk of foxes––have also been reported sick or dead.

  • Video: Israeli Military Assault Palestinian Human Rights Defender, Even with New Yorker Reporter on Hand

    The Israeli military assaulted UN-Recognized Human Rights Defender Amro on the closed Shuhada Street in occupied Hebron. The assault, which was caught on camera in a viral video, happened in front of New Yorker correspondent Lawrence Wright, who said the Israeli military misrepresented the incident.

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