Author: Joe from MassPrivateI

AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trust in the news media is being eroded by perceptions of inaccuracy and bias, fueled in part by Americans’ skepticism about what they read on social media.

Just 6 percent of people say they have a lot of confidence in the media, putting the news industry about equal to Congress and well below the public’s view of other institutions. In this presidential campaign year, Democrats were more likely to trust the news media than Republicans or independents.   Continue reading “Only 6 Percent of Americans Trust The Media”

Washington Post – by Spencer S. Hsu

District and U.S. authorities have quietly settled the final lawsuit spawned by the mass arrest of almost 400 protesters and bystanders at a September 2002 demonstration against the World Bank, agreeing to pay $2.8 million to four former George Washington University students without admitting wrongdoing.

The settlement brings to $13.25­ million the total paid to resolve litigation over protests at Pershing Park. The District paid $11 million of that amount.   Continue reading “U.S., District settle in last mass-arrest lawsuit in 2002 World Bank protests”

Fox News

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. –  A lawsuit can go forward against the maker of the rifle used in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, a judge ruled Thursday.

Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis said that a 2005 federal law protecting gun-makers from lawsuits does not prevent lawyers for the victims’ families from arguing that the semi-automatic rifle is a military weapon and should not have been sold to civilians.   Continue reading “Judge rules Newtown families’ lawsuit against gun maker can go forward”

The Guardian – by Jon Swaine and Ciara McCarthy

Dozens of killings by police in the US are being ruled justified without the public being notified, according to a Guardian study that sheds new light on the lack of official transparency surrounding the use of lethal force by law enforcement officers.

Officers involved in one in every six deaths recorded during the first quarter of 2015 have a year later been cleared of wrongdoing and returned to work despite no announcements being made by authorities or local media reports appearing.   Continue reading “Dozens of killings by US police ruled justified without public being notified”

Liberty Blitzkrieg – by Michael Krieger

The increased use of eminent domain to transfer property to powerful political interests, the ramifications of the wars on terrorism and drugs, and the violation of the property rights of bondholders in the auto-bailout case have weakened the tradition of strong adherence to the rule of law in United States. We believe these factors have contributed to the sharp decline in the rating for the legal-system area.

To a large degree, the United States has experienced a significant move away from rule of law and toward a highly regulated, politicized, and heavily policed state.   Continue reading “The Goldman Sachs Settlement Is an Abomination and Insult to All American Citizens”

Fox 2 Houston

MAGNOLIA, Texas (FOX 26) – Some parents in the Magnolia Independent School District say their elementary school is violating federal law by stopping them from walking their children home from school. Mothers who were recently threatened with trespassing charges told the school board on Monday night that they expect the district to make immediate changes.

“My parental rights are being violated,” Heather Burke told Magnolia ISD trustees on Monday night. “The district is saying that they have authority over my children.”   Continue reading “Parents furious: Texas Constable threatened parents with arrest for walking their children home from school”

Reuters

Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] on Tuesday released its first ever transparency report detailing the information requested by not only U.S. law enforcement agencies, but also by regulators.

The ride-sharing company said that between July and December 2015, it had provided information on more than 12 million riders and drivers to various U.S. regulators and on 469 users to state and federal law agencies. (ubr.to/1WpJwyX)   Continue reading “Uber says gave U.S. agencies data on more than 12 million users”

Courthouse News Service – by Emma Gannon

DENVER (CN) – The 10th Circuit upheld an injunction that lets protesters disseminate pamphlets about jury nullification outside a state courthouse in Colorado.

Jury nullification describes the practice by which a jury acquits a defendant, despite evidence of his guilt, because the jury members believe the law at issue is immoral.   Continue reading “Green Light for Jury-Nullification Crusaders”

KOB 4 News – by Blair Miller

ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Multiple surveillance aircraft equipped with high-tech thermal imaging cameras and “augmented reality” systems have been flying over Albuquerque since last fall, piloted by FBI and Department of Homeland Security agents.

KOB has confirmed at least two planes owned by the FBI through shell companies have flown multiple missions – sometimes for more than an hour at a time – over the city. A Buzzfeed News investigation shows even more planes have also flown over the city, though those could not be independently confirmed by KOB.   Continue reading “FBI, DHS flew secret surveillance missions over Albuquerque in recent months”

Campus Reform – by Joshua Eisen

Grinnell College recently introduced a bias reporting system that allows students to report “expressions[s] of hostility” to campus police.

The “ Hate Crime and Bias-Motivated Incidents Policy,” as the name suggests, covers both criminal instances as well as any “expression of hostility against a person, group, or property thereof because of such person’s (or group’s) identifying or perceived race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, and/or sexual orientation.”   Continue reading “Grinnell College introduces ‘hate crime and bias-motivated incidents’ reporting system”

The Daily Sheeple – by Piper McGowin

It’s hard to believe people still fly in this country… still consent to putting up with this crap.

The TSA just confiscated CNN journalist Campbell Brown’s pimento cheese.   Continue reading “Feel Safer Now, America? The TSA Just Confiscated A CNN Journalist’s Pimento Cheese”

DNA Info – by Murray Weiss

MANHATTAN — Former NYPD Chief of Department Philip Banks received between $250,000 and $500,000 from a politically connected businessman at the center of a federal probe into a pay-for-favors scandal engulfing the NYPD and City Hall, DNAinfo New York has learned.

Jona Rechnitz — owner of the Manhattan-based real estate firm JSR Capital who also has ties to Mayor Bill de Blasio — made the “investments” payout to Banks in 2014 while Banks was serving as the highest-ranking uniformed officer in charge of the NYPD’s daily operations.   Continue reading “NYPD Chief Received Up To $500K From Developer Eyed in Corruption Probe”

AP – by Collin Binkley

BOSTON (AP) — Once a rarity on campuses, semi-automatic rifles are becoming a standard part of the arsenal for college police forces — firepower they say could make a difference the next time a gunman goes on a rampage.

The weapons are rarely seen in public and often stashed away in cruisers or at department headquarters, and many schools won’t talk about them. But federal data and Associated Press interviews and requests for records reveal that over the past decade, at least 100 U.S. college police agencies, and probably many more, have introduced rifles or acquired more of them.   Continue reading “Rifles on campus: College police forces add firepower”