Nonprofit Organizations and Counterterrorism Measures

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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more news

FISA "Compromise"

Jun 19, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

CQ ($$) reports that a bill to revise the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) will likely be announced today, with a possible House vote tomorrow (June 20). Under the new measure, "a federal district court to decide whether to provide retroactive legal immunity to telecommunications companies being sued for their role in the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance program.

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Groups Call For the Rejection of FISA Legislation Proposed by Senator Bond

Jun 10, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

The ranking member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator Christopher Bond (R-MO) has put out what he considers a compromise on surveillance legislation to revise the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). OMB Watch signed on to a coalition letter strongly opposing this "compromise."

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Free Speech Questions Linger After Judge Dismisses Most Charges against Charity Leaders

Concerns about the freedom of association and the right to express unpopular points of view in organizational newsletters remain after conspiracy charges against three officers of a defunct Muslim charity, Care International, Inc., were dismissed in Boston on June 3. Two other convictions were upheld, including one against the former treasurer of the organization because he failed to report newsletters supporting "jihad" to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

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Judge Throws Out Conviction of Muslim Charity Leaders in MA

Jun 4, 2008 by Kay Guinane

A federal judge has thrown out convictions of two formers leaders of a Boston-based Muslim charity that is now defunct. According to the Boston Globe Judge Dennis Saylor of the United States District Court in Boston ruled that they should not have been convicted for tax-related charges last January. The conviction against a third defendant was allowed to stand.

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Senate Report on Homegrown Terrorism and the Internet Generates Criticism

On May 8, staff for Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) Chair Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME) published a report on homegrown terrorism and the Internet that has raised free speech and guilt-by-association concerns. A coalition of nonprofits and a group of Muslim organizations have both sent letters objecting to the assumptions in the report. In addition, YouTube parent company Google rejected a request from Lieberman to remove all content posted by terrorist organizations, saying videos with legal, nonviolent, and non-hate speech content would remain online.

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FISA Proposal

May 23, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

As Congress prepares to leave for the Memorial Day recess, negotiations continue on working to reform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). CQ ($$) reports that, "Republicans unveiled their latest compromise offer Thursday to rewrite electronic surveillance rules, saying they can make no more concessions to Democrats."

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Lieberman Urges Google to Remove Content from YouTube

May 22, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), has asked Google to remove Internet video content distribution of material produced by terrorist groups through YouTube. According to Lieberman's press release, the videos "show assassinations, deaths of U.S.

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FISA Negotiations Continue

May 16, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

Reportedly, an effort to find a compromise on legislation that revises the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is somewhat moving forward. According to CQ ($$), "Lawmakers and aides doubt that Congress can complete any overhaul of the foreign intelligence surveillance law before the Memorial Day break, yet many say increasingly 'productive' and 'serious' negotiations are under way." Apparently a compromise is being considered in which a secret court would have the authority to decide whether to grant immunity in cases involving telecommunications companies.

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Librarians on the Hill to Discuss FISA and Other Issues

May 14, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

CongressDaily ($$) reports; "Librarians are not thought of as lobbying heavyweights, but when it comes to protecting patron privacy, lawmakers could get an earful today. Hundreds of literature lovers plan to canvass Capitol Hill armed with talking points about revisions to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, national security letters and a host of other topics important to the 110th Congress."

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Senate Homeland Security Committee Issues Report on Domestic Extremism

May 9, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

Leaders of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME), have introduced a report titled "Violent Islamist Extremism, the Internet, and the Homegrown Terrorism Threat," based on hearings held by the Committee that looked into violent homegrown terrorism. They warn, "that the threat of homegrown terrorism is on the rise, aided by the Internet's capacity to spread the core recruitment and training message of violent Islamist terrorist groups."

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