Seymour Hersh on bin Laden death: ‘One big lie, not one word of it is true’

"Seymour Hersh has got some extreme ideas on how to fix journalism – close down the news bureaus of NBC and ABC, sack 90% of editors in publishing and get back to the fundamental job of journalists which, he says, is to be an outsider. Holding court to a packed audience at City University in London’s summer school on investigative journalism, 76-year-old Hersh is on full throttle, a whirlwind of amazing stories of how journalism used to be; how he exposed the My Lai massacre in Vietnam, how he got the Abu Ghraib pictures of American soldiers brutalising Iraqi prisoners, and what he thinks of Edward Snowden." Continue reading

Continue ReadingSeymour Hersh on bin Laden death: ‘One big lie, not one word of it is true’

White House to Give Detroit $300 Million in Federal Aid

"Nearly $150 million of the proposed $300 million will go toward the demolition of Detroit’s many dilapidated and abandoned buildings. Another $140 million will go toward the city’s public transportation system, including renovations for buses (including more security cameras) and the city’s now-under construction light-rail system. Lastly, approximately $30 million will go toward hiring more firefighters to help the city deal with its arson problem and $3 million will go toward strengthening the city’s police force. But although the funds may come as a blessing, they won’t even come close to addressing the city’s $18 billion in liabilities." Continue reading

Continue ReadingWhite House to Give Detroit $300 Million in Federal Aid

White House to Give Detroit $300 Million in Federal Aid

"Nearly $150 million of the proposed $300 million will go toward the demolition of Detroit’s many dilapidated and abandoned buildings. Another $140 million will go toward the city’s public transportation system, including renovations for buses (including more security cameras) and the city’s now-under construction light-rail system. Lastly, approximately $30 million will go toward hiring more firefighters to help the city deal with its arson problem and $3 million will go toward strengthening the city’s police force. But although the funds may come as a blessing, they won’t even come close to addressing the city’s $18 billion in liabilities." Continue reading

Continue ReadingWhite House to Give Detroit $300 Million in Federal Aid

JPMorgan chief Jamie Dimon negotiates fine amount with U.S.

"JPMorgan Chase chief Jamie Dimon held talks with the Department of Justice Thursday on a possible $11 billion deal to settle alleged violations, a source close to the matter said. Dimon and US Attorney General Eric Holder met in Washington amid intense negotiations to wrap up a slew of misbehavior allegations against JPMorgan, the biggest US bank by assets. Earlier this week reports said JPMorgan had offered $3 billion to the Justice Department to settle some or all of the charges it faces, against reported demands for $20 billion from the department. The talks focused on a number in the range of $11 billion, but the Justice Department has also reportedly insisted on the company admitting guilt." Continue reading

Continue ReadingJPMorgan chief Jamie Dimon negotiates fine amount with U.S.

Gun gesture leads to suspension for Calvert sixth-grader

"A sixth-grader in Calvert County was suspended for forming his hand into a gun on his bus ride to school, an incident that adds to a string of recent high-profile cases involving punishments for children who gesture with imaginary weapons. Carin Read, mother of the 11-year-old student at Mill Creek Middle School in Lusby, filed an appeal of the suspension late last week, after a principal denied her request to remove the alleged infraction from her son’s school records. The boy had already served a day-long in-school suspension, and Read argued that he should not have a permanent record over the matter." Continue reading

Continue ReadingGun gesture leads to suspension for Calvert sixth-grader

Obamacare hides switch of subsidies from young to old, says study

"A new analysis of Obamacare prices says the much-touted taxpayer subsidies for young people are smaller than promised. The missing subsidies will jack up costs for young, healthy people who are single and childless, which may deter many from joining the government-run network. This, in turn, would likely boost Obamacare’s costs to all taxpayers. The new data also shows that officials are choosing to steer the promised subsidies to older people, despite their relatively fewer expenses for children, student loans, careers and housing." Continue reading

Continue ReadingObamacare hides switch of subsidies from young to old, says study

One man’s ObamaCare nightmare

"Andy and Amy Mangione of Louisville, Ky. and their two boys are just the kind of people who should be helped by ObamaCare. But they recently got a nasty surprise in the mail. Insurance for the Mangiones and their two boys,which they bought on the individual market, was going to almost triple in 2014 --- from $333 a month to $965. The insurance carrier made it clear the increase was in order to be compliant with the new health care law. The President's new law, the Affordable Care Act, for the Mangiones will be anything but affordable because the law adds a new tax on every insurance policy and requires a list of additional benefits the Mangiones didn’t want to pay for." Continue reading

Continue ReadingOne man’s ObamaCare nightmare

Gun registry ‘scheme’ among concerns over US signing of UN arms treaty

"The treaty would regulate the $70 billion global trade in conventional arms. The U.S. is the largest arms exporter in the world, and Kerry's signature was seen as a significant step in pushing it forward. Supporters say the treaty sends a bold global message advocating the first-ever moral standards on the cross-border trade linked to human rights violations around the world. But to some on U.S. soil, the treaty treads into dangerous territory and could step on the constitutional rights of Americans. They point in part to language, at the very beginning of the document, that includes 'small arms and light weapons' and worry this could cover firearms owned by Americans." Continue reading

Continue ReadingGun registry ‘scheme’ among concerns over US signing of UN arms treaty