Here's What Happens if Congress Decides to Defend DOMA Itself
Tue, 1 Mar 2011 02:31 pm PST
The Atlantic Wire - So here's the situation: the Obama administration announced last week that it now believes the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional and will no longer defend it in court. That said, it also will not provide health care benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees: DOMA defines marriage as between one man and one woman, and the administration will continue to to enforce the law even if it doesn't defend it in court. Bizarre. Full Story | Top |
Comment of the Day: On the Subject of America
Tue, 1 Mar 2011 02:16 pm PST
The Atlantic Wire - We love reading the comments section here at the Wire. It's the surest way to tell if we've screwed up, touched a nerve, or added too much snark to our favorite iced beverages. To show our appreciation, the Wire staff will be spotlighting one of your comments each day that we feel deserves special recognition. There are no criteria for this distinction, although humor and insight will usually win over online poker spam.Our winner today is PERFECTCIRCLES, who, in discussing Alex Eichler's post on the looming government shutdown, described our national character concisely and accurately.The American People can always find the strength and determination to be wrong about something. Full Story | Top |
Illinois Attorney General Instructs Police to Release Names of Gun Owners
Tue, 1 Mar 2011 12:57 pm PST
The Atlantic Wire - Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has issued a letter instructing state police to release the names of authorized gun owners in Illinois to the press, the Associated Press is reporting. State police had initially denied the AP's request for a list of Illinois residents with a Firearm Owners Identification card on the grounds that disclosing the names would violate the privacy of gun owners. The wire service explains that police officials have not indicated whether they will comply with Madigan's ruling, and that there are currently Republican-sponsored bills in the Illinois House and Senate that would prohibit disclosing this kind of information. Full Story | Top |
Blame Terrorists, Not Wall Street, for the Recession?
Tue, 1 Mar 2011 12:19 pm PST
The Atlantic Wire - Don't blame Wall Street for the financial meltdown in 2008--blame terrorists. That's the thrust of a report by a Pentagon contractor who warns that "outside forces" are midway through their plan to to destroy the global economy in three easy steps: 1. Drive up the price of oil to enrich pro-Sharia regimes. (Check.) 2. Destroy American financial services firms with "a series of bear raids." (Check.) 3. "Collapse the dollar by dumping Treasury bonds." (Any day now??) Full Story | Top |
Poll: A Majority of Americans Support Public Sector Unions
Tue, 1 Mar 2011 12:16 pm PST
The Atlantic Wire - Bad news for union-busters. According to a New York Times/CBS News poll, a majority of Americans oppose stripping public employee unions of collective bargaining rights. The poll also shows that most Americans oppose cutting state worker benefits or salaries in order to fix state budget deficits. The poll surveyed 984 adults and has a three percentage point margin of error. When asked whether they support "taking away" some collective bargaining rights, 60 percent of respondents said they opposed the idea while 33 percent were in favor. As for benefits and wages, 56 percent opposed reducing them while 37 percent were in favor. As the Times notes, the poll reflects an increase in support for unions from the support seen in previous polling:In a 1981 poll, by contrast — soon after President Ronald Reagan fired striking air traffic controllers — 60 percent of those surveyed said unions had “too much influence.†Of course, union membership has declined since then. Full Story | Top |
Darrell Issa Fires Spokesman for Sharing Reporters' Emails
Tue, 1 Mar 2011 12:12 pm PST
The Atlantic Wire - Rep. Darrell Issa has fired Kurt Bardella, his spokesman, because Bardella shared emails from reporters to another reporter. Bardella had angered some of the reporters he was trying to court for his boss by making impolitic comments about the way they do their jobs in The New Yorker earlier this year. Issa said he had no evidence that his spokesman had shared any government documents with the journalist Bardella was leaking to, Mark Leibovich, who is writing a book about Washington's "culture of self-love." Full Story | Top |
How Much Do Fees Matter When Picking a Bank?
Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:30 am PST
The Atlantic Wire - The debit-card rule, which will take effect in July, has prompted most industry players--both big banks like Bank of America and smaller banks and credit unions--to tack on fees to checking accounts as a means of shifting the costs of extending debit rewards to customers. Some, like J.P. Morgan, are cutting back on debit rewards as well. Full Story | Top |
Tea party House freshmen and the real revolution
Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:28 am PST
The Christian Science Monitor - Praise Congress! It looks as if Republicans and Democrats will work out a deal on spending cuts to avoid a government shutdown on Saturday. Shame on Congress! The expected deal will be good for only a few weeks, simply delaying the tough choices needed to solve the nation’s whopping debt crisis. Full Story | Top |
HBGary Federal CEO Resigns, Hounded by 'Anonymous'
Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:27 am PST
The Atlantic Wire - HBGary Federal CEO Aaron Bar has resigned, doubtless cheering members of the elusive "hacktivist" group Anonymous who have targeted him in the past month. The hacker group gained wide attention last year with its large-scale attack on e-commerce companies that severed ties with WikiLeaks. In February, the group turned its attention to Barr after he told the Financial Times his plans to reveal the identities of its leaders. In response, Anonymous members hacked HBGary Federal's website and unleashed 71,000 internal company e-mails, including one revealing that Barr's wife had threatened to divorce him. They also hijacked Barr's Twitter account, changing his profile photo and announcing that he was, in fact, a "sweaty ballsack of caterpillars."But that was just the beginning. As journalists picked through HBGary Federal e-mails it became apparent that the company was offering to sell services to Bank of America and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that were possibly illegal. Among other things, the firm proposed creating fake online identities to infiltrate and discredit progressive groups such as U.S. Chamber Watch.Now, as Barr steps down from his post, House Democrats are calling for an investigation of HBGary Federal's "use of subversive tactics" to target progressive groups. "The emails and documents that have come to light thus far provide a window into a deeply concerning set of circumstances," reads a letter Democrats sent to Republican House leaders. "The published correspondence appears to reveal a conspiracy to use subversive techniques to target Chamber critics... We believe it is therefore incumbent upon the Committee to investigate this matter thoroughly and with the utmost urgency."In order for an investigation to proceed, House Republicans would have to get on board (rather unlikely). Nevertheless, Anonymous's clout is becoming increasingly hard to deny as elected officials take up its cause. And as for its ability to intimidate, Barr's comment to Forbes earlier this month speaks volumes. "Do I regret [making those claims] now? Sure," he said. "I'm getting personal threats from people, and I have two kids. I have two four-year old kids. Nothing is worth that." Full Story | Top |
Darrell Issa Investigating His Own Spokesman
Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:11 am PST
The Atlantic Wire - Rep. Darrell Issa is investigating his own spokesman Kurt Bardella. Issa, chair of the House oversight committee, was expected to spend this year making the White House sweat with hundreds of investigations into the inner workings of the federal bureaucracy. But it's the inner workings of his own staff that Issa now has to figure out. Full Story | Top |
Hyperinflation led to Hitler and Mao. What will China's currency manipulation lead to?
Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:10 am PST
The Christian Science Monitor - The US Treasury Department’s recent report downgraded the Chinese yuan from simply “undervalued†to “substantially undervalued.†This was predictably met by renewed claims from Senators Charles Schumer (D) of New York and Max Baucus (D) of Montana that China is manipulating its currency, and there is surely much more of that kind of rhetoric on the way from them and others. Full Story | Top |
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