Race

House Delays Renewal of Voting Rights Act

Staff / Truthdig Jun 22, 2006 House Republicans canceled a vote to extend the historic act because some said it unfairly singled out Southern states. The "rebellion" was "a significant embarrassment for the party leadership," according to the N.Y. Times. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Suskind: Western Union Gave Transfer Info to Feds

Staff / Truthdig Jun 22, 2006 In the wake of 9/11, the parent company of Western Union gave the FBI information on financial transactions and wire transfers, Ron Suskind charges in his new book, "The One Percent Doctrine." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Salon: Is the NSA Spying on U.S. Internet Traffic?

Staff / Truthdig Jun 21, 2006 Two former AT&T workers have told Salon that the telecom company has maintained a secret, highly secured room in a St. Louis network operations center where, the two workers were told, employees have been "monitoring network traffic." Salon's security experts say the operation has all the hallmarks of an NSA operation. Summary Full story (Reg. or ad-watching req'd.) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Book Blows Lid on America’s Torture and Interrogation

Staff / Truthdig Jun 21, 2006 In his new book, ?The One Percent Doctrine,? Ron Suskind details how America's torture of a mentally ill prisoner led the White House to pursue false leads in the war on terror. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Feds Getting Phone Data Without Warrants

Staff / Truthdig Jun 20, 2006 Officials from the Dept of Homeland Security and the FBI are paying private data brokers to gather personal phone record information--circumventing the need to obtain warrants for such data It's ironic that some federal agents are availing themselves of this potentially illegal service; other federal agents (from the FCC) are already investigating the practice See "Feds Probe Sale of Private Phone Records" And earlier: All Your Phone Call Records Are for Sale, Cheap. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Gitmo and Afghanistan Interrogation Tactics Exposed

Staff / Truthdig Jun 19, 2006 In a new book, a medical ethicist has compiled a list of interrogation techniques documented at US detention centers in Guantanamo and Afghanistan They include: external electric shocks; beating; punching with fists; use of truncheons; stretching or suspension (to tear ligaments or muscles to cause asphyxia) UPDATE: An L Times reporter writes that the barring of U reporters from Gitmo "make[s] us all the more determined to question, probe and illuminate the actions of our government being waged in the country's name" . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Google Wants to Listen to Your TV to Place Ads

Staff / Truthdig Jun 18, 2006 OK, now this is getting just downright creepy: Google has apparently tested a system that allows your computer to "listen" to your TV, recognize what program you're watching, and then serve up ads related to that show. Freaked out? Check out Truthdig contributor (and Google book author) Mark Malseed on Google and privacy. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Greenwald Nails Specter on Amnesty Law Lie

Staff / Truthdig Jun 17, 2006 Sen. Arlen Specter went on TV to vehemently deny a Washington Post report that he had proposed legislation which included blanket amnesty for everyone involved with Bush's warrantless spying. But lawyer Glenn Greenwald has apparently proved that the Post was right in its report--and the Specter had lied about it. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Supreme Court Upholds No-Knock Police Search

Staff / Truthdig Jun 16, 2006 Samuel Alito's conservatism has begun to make itself felt. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Judge Strikes Down Iowa Christian Prison Program

Staff / Truthdig Jun 14, 2006 In a ruling that could have major implications for Bush's faith-based initiatives, an Iowa judge ruled that an evangelical Christian prison rehabilitation program was "pervasively sectarian," and that the state of Iowa "is excessively entangled with religion" through the program. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

NSA Wants to Mine Data From Social Networking Sites

Staff / Truthdig Jun 9, 2006 The National Security Agency is funding research into ways to collect personal information from social networking websites like MySpace and Friendster, according to New Scientist magazine. The agency reportedly aims to combine the information with details from banking, retail and property records, allowing the NSA to build extensive, all-embracing personal profiles of individuals. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Supreme Court Limits Whistle-Blower Lawsuits

Staff / Truthdig May 30, 2006 The court today ruled that First Amendment guarantees do not always protect government employees when they speak out pursuant to their official capacities--as opposed to as citizens speaking out on matters of public concern. Here's how SCOTUSblog interprets the ruling: "This apparently means that employees may be disciplined for their official capacity speech, without any First Amendment scrutiny, and without regard to whether it touches on matters of 'public concern' -- a very significant doctrinal development." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )