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Liveblog of SJC Reauthorization of PATRIOT Act

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emptywheel
DiFi and Leahy revamped the bill last night, and in doing so took out some oversight of Section 215.

Feingold's Opening Statement on PATRIOT Reauthorization

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emptywheel
Feingold reminds the Senate Judiciary Committee that Harry Reid said we should not wait to fix FISA.
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DiFi: Zazi Investigation Biggest Since 9/11

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emptywheel
I'm watching the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the PATRIOT Reauthorization. DiFi and Pat Leahy apparently revamped the bill last night. She started by saying that the ongoing investigation into Najibullah Zazi is the biggest domestic terror investigation since 9/11. An interesting claim...

Jay Rock Demands 90%

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emptywheel
This is delectible politics. Fresh off a meeting with Ob-Rahma, Jay Rock has come back to the Senate and demanded 90% loss ratio for any coverage the subsidies pay for. That means the insurance companies can't steal 20% of our tax dollars to pay for executive salaries. They get 10%. They're peeing their pants right now. Thing is, this amendment will never ever pass.
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As Predicted, the Administration Folds on Horn State Secrets Claims

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emptywheel
As predicted, the Administration just settled the state secrets case that was really going to hurt their attempts to preserve the privilege.
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George Steph Wrings His Hands

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emptywheel
George Stephanopoulos, clutching his pearls, wants to know why it was necessary for Alan Grayson to call out Republicans on the floor of the House for their stubborn defense of the status quo.Why Is This Necessary? I'll tell him why.
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On PATRIOTs and JUSTICE: Feingold Aims for Justice

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emptywheel
One of the things Leahy's PATRIOT reauthorization does is incorporate and/or undercut Feingold's efforts supporting a more sweeping reform of domestic counterterrorism efforts.

The Senator Henceforth to Be Known as Jay Rock

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emptywheel
I've been threatening to do this for a while: ditching the moniker "Jello Jay." And while I was going to hold out until we actually got a public option through the Senate, I gotta say that nothing seems to have gotten under MaxTax Baucus' skin so much as Jay Rock picking apart, detail by detail, the many ways in which the MaxTax is a big giveaway to the health care industry.

The Lack of Discipline Is Spelled R-A-H-M

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emptywheel
Is Obama still trying to figure out why his Administration turned into a leaky sieve overnight after picking Rahm Emanuel as his Chief of Staff?
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On PATRIOTS and JUSTICE: What We Don't Know

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emptywheel
Russ Feingold says we need more information about how the PATRIOT Act actually works before we renew the PATRIOT Act.

Chris Christie's Death Panels for "Exceptions"

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emptywheel
Chris Christie thinks I'm an exception to whom insurance companies should not be required to offer mammogram coverage.
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Chuck Schumer to Bloggers: "Fuck You"

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emptywheel
Chuck Schumer is working to ensure that bloggers--or even free-lance journalists--will not count as journalists before the proposed medial shield law.

DOJ's DOD Advice for CIA

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emptywheel
Why are a number of OLC's opinions on torture for DOD included in CIA's torture Vaughn Index?
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The Fraud Of GOP Tax And School Choice Policy Shown In Arizona

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emptywheel
Here I want to draw attention to the August winner of Hillman Foundation's "The Sidney", an investigative series by Ryan Gabrielson and Michelle Reese in the East Valley Tribune Newspaper, from metropolitan Phoenix, about taxpayer subsidized school tuition credit abuse in Arizona. One of the constant refrains emanating from the conservative right is "school choice" and, of course, their standard claim on tax policy. Both areas are nothing but flimsy fronts for class warfare and further unjust enrichment of the already privileged.

The Lead Up to Bybee

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emptywheel
A timeline of the documentation leading up to the completion of the Bybee Memo.

Law & Order v. John Yoo

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emptywheel
As we've been discussing the threads, Law and Order last night took on torture and, specifically, the role of John Yoo and others in justifying torture. I'm particularly interested in the way they left the episode unresolved--just as we are now on torture.

Found: The OGC Review. Still Missing: Legal Plausibility.

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emptywheel
The CIA"s description of the OGC review it conducted in December 2002 to make sure the interrogation of Abu Zubdaydah didn't break the law dances carefully around whether or not this was a "review" or an investigation.

Rahm's Placeholder, Forrest Claypool?

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emptywheel
There are a few reasons why Blago's claim that Rahm tried to get Blago to appoint Forrest Claypool are interesting.
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