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

Maryland State Police Surveillance of Advocacy Groups Exposed

On July 17, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Maryland disclosed documents revealing that state police engaged in covert surveillance of local peace and anti-death penalty groups for over a year during the administration of former Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich (R). In response, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said he might support a Justice Department investigation into why this surveillance occurred. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, wrote to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff requesting a full account of the surveillance actions and further information regarding the funds used.

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Another One Sided Hearing

Jul 29, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

On Thursday, July 31, the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade will hold a hearing titled "Foreign Aid and the Fight Against Terrorism and Proliferation: Leveraging Foreign Aid to Achieve U.S. Policy Goals." The hearing's title seems to suggest that nongovernmental organizations will be addressed, yet there is no such representative. There should be a witness that can discuss the positive role played by civil society organizations.

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Hill Briefing Addresses Impacts of Counterterrorism Measures on Nonprofits

On July 14, Grantmakers Without Borders and OMB Watch released a paper, Collateral Damage: How the War on Terror Hurts Charities, Foundations, and the People They Serve, and hosted a panel discussing the topic. Six experts all agreed that shortsighted, undemocratic policies are stifling free speech, constraining the critical activities of the charitable and philanthropic sectors, and ultimately impeding the fight against terrorism. OMB Watch and Grantmakers Without Borders were lauded by many speakers and attendees for drawing attention to this issue.

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OMB Watch and Grantmakers Without Borders Releases "Collateral Damage: How the War on Terror Hurts Charities, Foundations, and the People They Serve"

Jul 18, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

As the result of collaborative research conducted by OMB Watch and Grantmakers Without Borders, Collateral Damage: How the War on Terror Hurts Charities, Foundations, and the People They Serve has just been released. The paper comprehensively documents the impacts that the war on terror is having on charities, foundations, and underserved populations around the globe.

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Maryland State Police Accused of Spying on Peace Activists

Jul 18, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

The Washington Post reports that during the administration of former Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., undercover Maryland State Police officers monitored the activities of activists against the Iraq war and the death penalty. The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland released records with details of the monitoring which they obtained after suing the state police in June to obtain the data.

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FISA Amendments Act of 2008 Signed Into Law

Jul 11, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

The Senate overwhelmingly approved a new federal wiretapping law, the FISA Amendments Act (HR 6304) by a vote of 69-28. President Bush signed the bill into law on July 10. Existing lawsuits against telecom companies that assisted with the administration's warrantless wiretap program would be waived if a federal district court ruled that there was "substantial evidence" that the companies received written assurances that the program was authorized by the president. Amendments that would have limited the companies' ability to gain immunity from lawsuits failed.

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Court Ruling Shows Surveillance Bill Flaws

Jul 6, 2008 by Kay Guinane

A blog posting on the Electronic Frontier Foundation site explains What The New NSA Spying Decision Means for the Immunity Debate. It was posted by Kevin Bankston, who says: With the Senate poised to vote on the FISA Amendments Act and immunity this Tuesday, this decision is particularly timely, as it demolishes key arguments made by proponents of telecom immunity: It goes on to list seven myths about the surveillance bill compromise, and gives the facts, based on the court decision. This is a must read for understanding the confusing debate around the FISA bill.

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Court Rules in Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation Case

Jul 3, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

The New York Times reports that in Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation v. Bush, a federal judge for the Northern District of California ruled that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) preempts the state secrets privilege. Al-Haramain sued the government after receiving a document proving they were subject to warrantless surveillance.

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Senate Holds Off on FISA

Jun 27, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

CQ ($$) reports that the Senate will take up a rewrite of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) after returning from the July 4th recess on July 8th. On June 25 the Senate voted 80-15, to limit debate on a motion to proceed to the bill (HR 6304).

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ACLU Challenges Two Organizations Labeled "Unindicted Co-Conspirators"

Jun 20, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the ACLU of Texas filed a legal challenge in Dallas federal court to clear the names of two organizations, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), named by the government as "unindicted co-conspirators" in its criminal case against the Holy Land Foundation (HLF). Government attorneys publicly identified them as co-conspirators before the HLF trial, even though neither organization was the subject of a criminal investigation or charged with any crimes.

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