Alt/Indie News

California’s Single-Payer Health Plan Costs More Than the State’s Whole Budget

"The list of states that have tried to go single-payer is still a small sample size, but a fairly wide ranging one. It includes states with large populations and small ones. States with a variety of economies and tax systems. States that are growing quickly and those that aren't. Despite that range of variables, one thing remains constant: state-level single-payer health plans would require massive increases in tax revenue, equal or larger than the amount of revenue consumed by every other state-level program in a single year." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCalifornia’s Single-Payer Health Plan Costs More Than the State’s Whole Budget

One of the world’s largest financial services firms is mining bitcoins

"Abigail Johnson, chief executive of Fidelity, announced that her customers would be able to see cryptocurrency balances on Fidelity’s website, if they held an account with Coinbase, one of the largest providers of storage and trading services in the cryptocurrency business. Johnson also revealed a number of other Fidelity projects underway to figure out how to harness the potential of bitcoin and other digital currencies. One of Fidelity’s projects is mining bitcoin and ethereum, which Johnson said was started for educational purposes, but now turns a tidy profit." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOne of the world’s largest financial services firms is mining bitcoins

1Password adds ‘travel mode’ to keep passwords safe at the (US) border

"Increasingly, people are being asked to turn over and unlock their phones at the border, and doing that can expose a huge amount of data. Add in an app like 1Password — a central repository for a ton of private data — and it’s easy to see why someone would be worried about having to hand over their phone." Continue reading →

Continue Reading1Password adds ‘travel mode’ to keep passwords safe at the (US) border

Manchester Bomber Was Product of West’s Libya/Syria Intervention

"A radicalized Libyan whose family fled Gaddafi's secular Libya, and later trained to be an armed 'rebel' in Syria, fighting for the US and UK 'regime change' policy toward the secular Assad government, Salman Abedi was the direct product of US and UK interventions in the greater Middle East." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingManchester Bomber Was Product of West’s Libya/Syria Intervention

Court ruling nullifies US requirement that hobbyists register drones

"A federal appeals court on Friday struck down a regulation requiring the public to register drones. The US Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia found that the Federal Aviation Administration did not have the authority to regulate so-called 'model aircraft.' If it stands, the decision (PDF) means that the public does not have to abide by the FAA requirement established in 2015. To legally fly a drone, hobbyists are currently required to pay a $5 fee and dole out their name, home address, and e-mail address. Registration was required to be updated every three years. Maximum penalties for failing to comply included three years in prison and a $250,000 fine." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCourt ruling nullifies US requirement that hobbyists register drones

Sessions’ ‘New’ Drug Policy: Even More Mandatory Minimums

"The directive instructs federal prosecutors to pursue the most serious, readily provable offense. It thus resurrects the emphasis on mandatory minimum sentencing requirements, which have required judges to impose draconian sentences for drug crimes, even when they don't believe these sentences are warranted. Sessions' memo rescinds and reverses the reforms implemented by former Attorney General Eric Holder, which urged prosecutors to charge people with low-level drug cases to avoid triggering mandatory minimum sentences. Nearly half (or 92,000) of the people in federal prison are serving sentences for drug convictions." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSessions’ ‘New’ Drug Policy: Even More Mandatory Minimums

US Arms Both Sides, Will Supply $100 Billion in Arms to Saudi Arabia, Israel

"Details are still emerging, but the plan is for this to set out a series of growing deals over the next decade that will involve more than $300 billion going to arms dealers, not just to arm the Saudis, but in extra aid to Israel to ensure their 'qualitative military edge' over the Saudis." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS Arms Both Sides, Will Supply $100 Billion in Arms to Saudi Arabia, Israel

Israel Bans Travel For Settlement Opponents, Sparks Expat Backlash

"The Israel travel ban, passed in the Knesset last month, has drawn widespread condemnation, including from mainstream Jewish organizations such as the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League and the Reform movement. Since its establishment in 1999, Birthright has brought more than 500,000 young Jewish adults to Israel. Most of the participants in the program are college-age students. The program’s largest benefactor is billionaire casino magnate and Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIsrael Bans Travel For Settlement Opponents, Sparks Expat Backlash