NEW YORK TIMES Column: …The United States spent about $80 billion on its system of jails and prisons in 2010 — about $260 for every resident of the nation. By contrast, its budget for food stamps was $227 a person. In 2012, 2.2 million Americans were in jail or prison, a larger share of the […]
Month: April 2014
Nurse practitioners say they want to bypass physician oversight to provide greater healthcare access.
Senate Bill 1063, sponsored by Sen. Patricia Vance, R-Cumberland, eliminates a state mandate that prohibits nurse practitioners from operating independently by requiring a written collaborative agreement with at least one physician — two, if the nurse practitioner wants the authority to prescribe medications.
Two Giant Banks, Seen as Immune, Become Targets
NEW YORK TIMES: …In doing so, prosecutors are confronting the popular belief that Wall Street institutions have grown so important to the economy that they cannot be charged. A lack of criminal prosecutions of banks and their leaders fueled a public outcry over the perception that Wall Street giants are “too big to jail.” Addressing […]
Kerry warns Putin: We Will Defend Every Piece of NATO Territory
NEWSMAX: …”Today Russia seeks to change the security landscape of Eastern and Central Europe,” Kerry said in a speech in Washington referring to Russia’s occupation of Crimea and the threat it posed to eastern Ukraine. “Whatever path they (Russia) choose, I can guarantee this: the United States and our allies will stand together in support […]
Federal Judge Overturns Wisconsin’s Voter ID Law
ALJAZEERA: A federal judge struck down Wisconsin’s voter identification law Tuesday, saying the measure places an unnecessary burden on poor and minority voters, court documents showed. The ruling comes amid Supreme Court decisions that question the relevance of civil rights laws put in place during the 1960s to combat discriminatory state statutes on voting. U.S. […]
China poised to pass US as world’s leading economic power
FINANCIAL TIMES: …After extensive research on the prices of goods and services, the [ International Comparison Program] concluded that money goes further in poorer countries than it previously thought, prompting it to increase the relative size of emerging market economies… In 2005, the ICP thought China’s economy was less than half the size of the […]
EPA’s Cross-State Pollution Rule Upheld By Supreme Court
HUFFINGTON POST: In a major anti-pollution ruling, the Supreme Court on Tuesday backed federally imposed limits on smokestack emissions that cross state lines and burden downwind areas with bad air from power plants they can’t control. The 6-2 ruling was an important victory for the Obama administration in controlling emissions from power plants in 27 […]
Poll: Americans support sanctions, not arms for Ukraine
The poll finds majority support across party lines for increasing economic and diplomatic sanctions on Russia, by 53%-36%. There is also strong bipartisan opposition to sending weapons, 62%-30%…
Homeland Security: Don’t use Internet Explorer due to bug
USA TODAY: The U.S. Department of Homeland security is advising Americans not to use the Internet Explorer Web browser until a fix is found for a serious security flaw that came to light over the weekend.
Proposed state budget projected to have negative effect on credit
Standard & Poor’s analyst John Sugen said a combination of inaction on pension reform, a proposed reliance on one-time revenues and poor revenue collections leading up to the 2014-15 budget season could result in a credit downgrade of the state’s $545 million in general obligation bonds.
Kane says she will release sting file to Phila. prosecutors
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane said Monday that she would turn over to Philadelphia prosecutors all evidence from the controversial canceled sting investigation. Spokesman J.J. Abbott said the case file would be transferred to District Attorney Seth Williams this week. Last week, Kane, who closed the case without bringing charges, said she would […]
Study: 1 in 25 death cases likely innocent
YAHOO NEWS: …About one in 25 people imprisoned under a death sentence is likely innocent, according to a new statistical study appearing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. And that means it is all but certain that at least several of the 1,320 defendants executed since 1977 were innocent, the study says. […]
Obama Sanctions Underwhelm Russian Stock Traders as Market Jumps
NEWSMAX / BLOOMBERG: No major equity market in the world rallied more than Russia’s yesterday, underscoring how the latest round of international sanctions against the country proved weaker than many investors anticipated. The RTS Index advanced as much as 2.1 percent yesterday, its first gain in six sessions, as the limited scope of the measures […]
Cantor, Cruz slam Kerry for Israel apartheid comment
USA TODAY: Republicans in Congress and pro-Israel groups criticized Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday for reportedly saying Israel could become an apartheid state if it doesn’t reach a peace deal with the Palestinians. The Daily Beast said Kerry was speaking privately to European, Russian and Japanese officials when he made the comment and […]