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Cybersecurity or surveillance? What does the language attached at the last minute to the 2,009 page omnibus government funding bill actually authorize? In this episode, we take a close look at what just became law.
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It's law! The USA Freedom Act, which reauthorizes and privatizes portions of the Patriot Act, is being called a victory for privacy… but it's not. In this episode, find out all the details of the bill that was signed into law just hours after this episode was recorded, including how it continues bulk data collection and lets the most powerful men in the United States get away with breaking the law.
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In this episode, we look at the riders added to the must-sign 2015 budget, including favors for Wall Street, unions, agribusiness, the oil and gas industry, electric utilities, the vending machine industry, telecoms, the trucking industry, the insurance industry, and the politicians themselves.
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This episode is a mash-up of the State of the Union and the 2014 budget. We compare the impression President Obama gave us about what to expect for this upcoming year with the reality of what was funded in the last-minute and little-examined budget which he signed into law just two weeks before the speech. Continue reading
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Congress and President Obama worked together to fast-track a new & unexamined NDAA into law. The new law essentially makes NSA data collection legal, cuts military pensions, and spends an enormous amount of money making sure the United States is able to destroy the entire world at a moment’s notice. Continue reading
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Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan tried to attach an amendment to the Department of Defense funding bill for 2014 which would have limited the government’s authority to collect our telephone records. The amendment failed but not by much; the episode highlights the debate. Continue reading
This week, the House passed their first-draft version of the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act, which outlines how the Department of Defense is to spend its money. The bill still needs to be merged with the Senate’s version before it can be sent to the President. Continue reading
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Part 3 of the continuing resolution followed by a history of Trailblazer and ThinThread, the NSA’s spying programs.
*Forward to 28:20 to hear the Trailblazer vs. Thinthread (NSA spying) story* Continue reading
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Congress returns from vacation, Dennis Cardoza (CA-18) resigns, President Obama continues the 9/11 State of Emergency, FISA is reauthorized, veterans benefits are held hostage, mining companies get a gift from Congress, solar power is attacked, and more from this week in Congress… Continue reading