Today, reports were published indicating that United States Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will be charged with desertion. Last year, Sgt. Bergdahl was returned to the United States after five years’ captivity at the hands of Taliban forces in Afghanistan in a prisoner swap for five top Taliban operatives. Formal charges may come down in as
Today, scientists at the NOAA and NASA announced that 2014 was the warmest year since (at least) 1880, the year we started keeping records. Will this get climate change deniers to warm up to the necessity of alternative energy sources? Not a chance! [Check out more detail on Huffington Post.] The New York Times wrote: “‘Obviously,
Recently, a Legal Reader reader wrote to us and asked, “Is it illegal to fake one’s death?” That’s a great question, and I’ve actually wondered about it myself. Here, I’ll explain what I learned about faking one’s death after a bit of research. Short Answer: No. Faking one’s death (pseudocide) is not illegal. Longer Answer:Pseudocide
According to The Hill and other political news outlet, the US Federal Communications Commission will vote in February whether it will “preempt two state laws restricting cities from building municipally owned high-speed Internet networks”. In Iowa today, President Obama will launch a campaign to make high speed internet access more widely available. “As part of
Today, the United States House of Representatives passed a spending bill that would block President Obama’s action on immigration by altering funding for the Department of Homeland Security, the body overseeing immigration. Reuters reported today that the House vote to block funding for DHS “sets up a potential showdown in coming weeks over funding for
Today, the Toronto Star reported the proposed Keystone XL pipeline has surmounted yet another obstacle blocking its construction. This proposed pipeline would connect Canadian oil infrastructure with American refineries in Texas, creating an oddly unknown number of jobs – Republicans say the project will create ten times more jobs than Democrats report; the two camps
So often in times of danger or fear, civil rights come into conflict with security interests. We forego some civil rights – usually our rights to privacy, expression, or due process – because we think such sacrifice will make us safer. Sometimes it can, sometimes it does. And sometimes, dissenters will ask, “If not these
Today, the New York Daily News reported two wrongfully convicted brothers will be released from prison and paid $17 million for their trouble. The settlement will be shared with a third brother, who died in captivity. Unfortunately, the brothers will be unable to purchase lost time with their settlement. Since the article is short, I’ve
Recently, the lawsuit “People of the State of California v. General Motors L.L.C., 14cv7787” was filed. There, citizens of California are suing the General Motors car company over its mishandling of the ignition switch recall. To be clear, the issue with the faulty ignition switches was that they would allow keys to slip and shut
In recent days, the online retail giant Amazon has pushed back against a potential new Vermont Internet sales tax, barring “Vermont residents and companies from earning money by referring customers to the Amazon website” (USA Today). USA Today also reported “Vermonters participating in the Amazon Associates program were notified by email Tuesday of their immediate