Justin Elliot

Fact-Checking The Feds: Could The NSA’s Metadata Dragnet Have Prevented 9/11?

Those making the argument have ignored a key aspect of historical record.

Justin Elliot
بواسطة Justin Elliot

In defending the NSA’s sweeping collection of Americans’ phone call records, Obama administration officials have repeatedly pointed out how it could have helped thwart the 9/11 attacks: If only the surveillance program been in place before Sept. 11, 2001, U.S. authorities would have been able to identify one of the future hijackers who was living

اقرأ المقال كاملا

House Finance Chair Hensarling Goes On Ski Vacation With Wall Street

In January, Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, ascended to the powerful chairmanship of the House Financial Services Committee.

Justin Elliot
بواسطة Justin Elliot

In January, Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, ascended to the powerful chairmanship of the House Financial Services Committee. Six weeks later, campaign finance filings and interviews show, Hensarling was joined by representatives of the banking industry for a ski vacation fundraiser at a posh Park City, Utah, resort. The congressman’s political

اقرأ المقال كاملا

Another Layer To Former Pennsylvania Gov. Rendell’s Fracking Connections

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell arrives at Har Zion Temple for former U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter’s funeral, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012, in Penn Valley, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Recently, we wrote about former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell’s connections to the natural gas industry after he published a pro-fracking op-ed in The New York Daily News. […]

Justin Elliot
بواسطة Justin Elliot

Recently, we wrote about former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell's connections to the natural gas industry after he published a pro-fracking op-ed in The New York Daily News. Following our story, Rendell's column 2014 which called on New York officials to lift a ban on the drilling technique 2014 was updated to disclose that he is a paid consultant

اقرأ المقال كاملا

Have US Drones Become A ‘Counterinsurgency Air Force’ For Our Allies?

Under the Obama administration, officials have argued that the drone strikes are only hitting operational Al Qaeda leaders or people who posed significant and imminent threats to the U.S. homeland. If you actually look at the vast majority of people who have been targeted by the United States, that’s not who they are.

Justin Elliot
بواسطة Justin Elliot
An armed US military Reaper drone over Afghanistan. (US Air Force/ Lt Col Lesley Pratt/ Flickr)

An armed US military Reaper drone over Afghanistan. (US Air Force/ Lt Col Lesley Pratt/ Flickr) On Sunday the New York Times reported that the Obama administration, prompted by the possibility of losing the election, has been developing a "formal rule book" to govern the use of drone strikes, which have killed roughly 2,500 people under

اقرأ المقال كاملا

Dark Money And Citizens United: What Obama And Romney Would And Wouldn’t Do About It

Remarking on the vice presidential debate, President Barack Obama tells reporters, “I think Joe Biden did great. I couldn’t be prouder,” as he returns to the White House in Washington after a day of campaign events in Miami, Thursday night, Oct. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) With campaign finances limits renderednearly meaningless, election spending is […]

Justin Elliot
بواسطة Justin Elliot
Remarking on the vice presidential debate, President Barack Obama tells reporters, "I think Joe Biden did great. I couldn't be prouder," as he returns to the White House in Washington after a day of campaign events in Miami, Thursday night, Oct. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

With campaign finances limits renderednearly meaningless, election spending is on pace to set records. Where does each presidential candidate stand on how to regulate money in politics? President Obama talks about changes but hasn’t instituted many. He favors legislation that would require disclosure of donors to dark money nonprofits. The

اقرأ المقال كاملا

Democratic Congressman Takes Heat For Lobbyist-Organized Taiwan Trip

A screenshot from an ad by Republican congressional candidate Matt Doheny attacking Rep. Bill Owens, D-N.Y. Rep. Bill Owens, D-N.Y., running for reelection in a tight race in northern New York, is under attack over a trip to Taiwan that broke House ethics rules. In May, ProPublica first reported that the 2011 trip Owens took with his […]

Justin Elliot
بواسطة Justin Elliot
A screenshot from an ad by Republican congressional candidate Matt Doheny attacking Rep. Bill Owens, D-N.Y.

Rep. Bill Owens, D-N.Y., running for reelection in a tight race in northern New York, is under attack over a trip to Taiwan that broke House ethics rules. In May, ProPublica first reported that the 2011 trip Owens took with his wife was organized by Park Strategies, the lobbying firm of former senator Al D’Amato that works for the government of

اقرأ المقال كاملا

Dark Money Group Told IRS It Wouldn’t Be Political—Then Spent $1 Million On Campaign Ads

Josh Mandel stands with Mark Weyermuller on May 23, 2012. (Photo by PublicPolicyStudy via Flikr) A dark money nonprofit group that has run more than $1 million in ads in the Ohio race for U.S. Senate told the IRS last year it did not plan to spend any money to influence elections when it applied […]

Justin Elliot
بواسطة Justin Elliot
Josh Mandel stands with Mark Weyermuller on May 23, 2012. (Photo by PublicPolicyStudy via Flikr)

A dark money nonprofit group that has run more than $1 million in ads in the Ohio race for U.S. Senate told the IRS last year it did not plan to spend any money to influence elections when it applied for recognition of its tax-exempt status. ProPublica first reported on the group, the Government Integrity Fund, after information from television

اقرأ المقال كاملا