News

NSA shares raw intelligence including Americans’ data with Israel

From The Guardian: The National Security Agency routinely shares raw intelligence data with Israel without first sifting it to remove information about US citizens, a top-secret document provided to the Guardian by whistleblower Edward Snowden r ...

Feds fight to prevent NSA disclosures in criminal cases

From TalkingPointsMemo: Solicitor General Donald Verrilli and Sen. Diane Feinstein have put federal prosecutors in quite a bind after they made public comments about the use of secret NSA surveillance in terrorism investigations. read more ...

Judge: LSU board could face jail if search records not released

From The Advocate: Saying daily $500 fines have not grabbed its attention, an unyielding state judge warned the LSU Board of Supervisors on Monday that it now faces additional sanctions, including possible jail time, if it does not immediately com ...

In court today: continuing to challenge FBI secrecy on racial and ethnic profiling

From ACLU: The ACLU and the ACLU of New Jersey are in federal appeals court today in a second challenge to FBI claims of secrecy concerning its troubling nationwide racial and ethnic mapping program. The argument comes in a lawsuit filed in 2011, ...

California pension payouts have doubled since 1999

From The Fresno Bee: SACRAMENTO — The average retirement payout for new retirees in California's biggest public pension system doubled between 1999 and 2012, according to CalPERS data, and initial monthly payments for one group nearly tripled in that period. [...] read more ...

Editorial: Taxpayers deserve expansive transparency

From Las Vegas Review-Journal: The Legislature took big steps forward this year in improving public access to government functions and records. But without fail, the government entities that are supposed to follow state laws mandating transparenc ...

Doubts raised about independence of White House panel on NSA privacy

From Miami Herald: WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama has announced the names of the five members of a task force to examine the National Security Agency’s controversial collection of Internet and cell phone records, but privacy and open government advocates say they don’t believe the panel is likely to be very critical of the NSA program. read more ...

Illinois policy group says 4 metro-east counties violate open government laws

From Belleville News-Democrat: Only two county governments in the metro-east passed an online review from an independent group seeking more openness in governance to prevent corruption. [...] The Illinois Policy Institute found 90 of the 102 count ...

Hastings city new laws take effect Friday

From KHASTV: Hastings, NE -- There are a few new laws on the books today. As a result, local governments can't overcharge for copies of public records. The law states that the fee can't exceed what it costs the public agency. As of Friday morning ...

SEC attorney lowers the boom on the agency

From Courthouse News Service: MANHATTAN (CN) - An SEC attorney sued the Securities and Exchange Commission, claiming it retaliated for her complaints that its New York Regional Office had a policy not to go after investment managers - including Be ...