Mr. President has had enough after continuous obstructionism by the Republicans in the last seven years. He has decided to lock heads with the selfish legislators in the Congress who have done all they could to hinder social development and progress in this country.

Bernard Pollack/flickr

Recently, the President made headlines by issuing an executive order to seal up the lacuna that enables people to avoid the firearm background check system cleverly. Right now he is focusing his attention on the vast sums of money which is eroding the place of integrity in our political system and gradually revealing the foundations of the democracy of the United States which is one of the oldest.

He is keen on making a proposal that will compel government contractors to disclose their contributions to lobbying firms and politically active groups such as Super PACs in a bid to ensure more transparency and accountability.

This move by Mr. President will have a significant and wide-reaching effect as it was estimated by the Public Citizen Congress Watch that 70 percent of Fortune 100 companies including General Electric, Apple, Exxon Mobil and General Motors had federal contracts to the tune of $100,000 in the previous year.

Democrats have welcomed the idea; President Obama has been sent a letter by 155 House Democrats encouraging him to issue the order. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the House Minority leader in a statement, said that “requiring corporations to disclose their unlimited spending in our elections was the only path the misguided Citizens United Supreme Court decision left us to protect the sanctity of our democracy.”

As everyone would expect, the politicians belonging to the Republican Party are shocked by the fact that it would no longer be possible for them to deny how their corporate donors are influencing their legislative activities instead of first putting into consideration the desires and needs of those who voted them in.

Donkey Hotey/flickr

Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the Majority Leader of the Senate, complained about the president’s bravery and lack of “respect for the process.”
“I believe that’s the word he used, right? Audacious? My goodness. I mean, does the president not have any respect for the process? Goodness, gracious. By that standard, President Obama is Wilsonian, as if there are just no boundaries beyond which he cannot push. Apparently, their strategy is to overreach everywhere for as long as they can.”

The post Republicans React As Obama Moves To Sign An Order Mandating Federal Contractors To Reveal Contributions To A Campaign. appeared first on NIR News / National Investigative Report.

Florida International University [FIU] / Miami, Florida

The post College Students Threatened When Protesting Hilary Clinton appeared first on NIR News / National Investigative Report.

President Barack Obama signs National Monument designations in the Oval Office, July 10, 2015. The three new monuments include Berryessa Snow Mountain in California, Waco Mammoth in Texas, and the Basin and Range in Nevada. Standing behing the President, from left, are: Victor Knox, National Park Service, April Slayton, National Park Service, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, Chief Tom Tidwell, Randy Moore, Forest Service, and Director Neil Kornze. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

More than a Million acres assigned by Obama for three new monuments.
In spite of the resistance by the Republicans, President Barack Obama has gone ahead to announce the creation of more national monuments. The president made this known on Friday, stating that the three national monuments will encompass over a million acres of protected sites in California, Texas and Nevada.

The protected site include Waco Mammoth which is a small, rare site located in central Texas, a place where archeologists have made an amazing discovery of the remains of a Columbian mammoth of about 65,000 years old which moved about freely during the ice age.
Another designated area is the Great Basin Region or Nevada’s Range and Basin, an area measuring over 700,000 acres. It is the home for petroglyphs, a rock art 4000 years old and also Michael Heizer’s sculptures of Meso-American life.

Whitehouse.gov

Over 300,000 acres at California’s Berryessa snow mountain have been set aside for a monument. According to the white house, this decision is based on the rich biodiversity of the area and the Native American cultural sites. The designation, officials say will scale up visits to the area which is already an attraction for hikers, carpenters, hunters and fishermen.

According to the Antiquities Act of 1906, the president has the right to allocate ecological or historically significant sites without seeking the approval of the congress. This, however, does not go down well with some lawmakers who consider it as a move by the federal government to designate land with no local input whatsoever.

Whitehouse.gov

Representative Cresent Hardy who supported an amendment of the current Interior Department spending bill to prevent the president from building monuments in places where there is local opposition said that any decision which limits recreation, ranching or other kinds of land use activity should have a significant amount of local input.He said the amendment was intended to empower local stakeholders and local communities who would most likely be affected by the new monument designations.

The amendment did not affect the announcement made by the President on Friday. This is because the bill which was passed by the house on Wednesday needs to be approved by the House senate conference and senate action before the president will be entitled to obey it.

This latest designation by President Obama now makes 19 the number of monuments expanded or created by his administration. New monuments were designated by Obama earlier this year in Colorado, Illinois and Hawaii and he expanded the Marine National Monument of the Pacific Remote Islands to an area of 490,000 square miles, thus making it the world’s largest marine reserve.

The post More Than A Million Acres Assigned By Obama For Three New Monuments. appeared first on NIR News / National Investigative Report.

Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio recently talked in front of the public to ask for a financial assistance with regard to his increasing legal fees. While his legal fees are now going up and up and the trial has become more personal, he decided to face the public and asked people to support him financially and he also wishes that there will be another judge to be appointed for the legal system.

Gage Skidmore/flickr

He wrote a letter, telling his supporters that he is not financially capable as of now, that he does not have the cash that he will use to pay the attorneys who are handling his case as of now. He does not have enough cash to support the monetary needs of his case. He also added that he feels that the immigrant rights groups are targeting him by filing a case against him. Their purpose for that is to put an end to what they call “racist policies” that target Latinos.

In the email that he wrote last Thursday, he said that he has to personally the attorneys so they will represent him in such cases. He also said that he does not have anything to shoulder all the expenses associated with these cases, losing his power to defend himself.
Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio made a plea whilst he is awaiting a choice by the District Judge of the US, G. Murray Snow if he really broke and violated the law as he failed to carry out the 2011 court order that aims to abstain from bias against the minorities

Last Friday, the Arizona Sheriff requested the District Judge to take him off the case and he came up with a reason for that. He said that the judge is individually involved in the lawsuit for the reason that the former attorney of Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio authorized a confidential investigation against the wife of Snow.

Caravan4Peace

He also said that there is no any reasonable person who has the knowledge about the facts can refuse that the District Judge is currently investigating and presiding on the issues in which his loved one is involved. It is what Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio said in his filing. These two people actually met one-day last month of April and the Sheriff had hit a rarely conciliatory tone along with the District Judge. It happened when the 83 years old sheriff responded his first 2 questions in his actions after he was obliged to discontinue racial profiling through his department.

Snow ruled in the year 2013 that the office of Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio had methodically racially profiled the Latinos in the regular traffic & immigration patrols of it. Arpaio wants to apologize to the District Judge and it was his statement last month. Legally, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio faces the greatest challenge in his life against another national judge in the name of David Campbell, who ordered an urgent stop to the enforcement of the identity theft laws in the state which penalize those immigrants within the nation that are illegally seeking for a job opportunity.

Snow and Arpaio will meet once again in June and it is expected to be significantly affected by his filing.

The post Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio Asks for Financial Help from the Public appeared first on NIR News / National Investigative Report.

ARE THE SOUTH CAROLINA STATE TROOPERS OUT OF CONTROL? (Story from Oct. 7, 2014)

Is a $285K Settlement Enough After Being Shot for No Reason?
While this might not seem enough for some, South Carolina’s state Insurance Reserve Fund is paying Levar Jones $285,000 as a settlement for being shot by a state trooper during a traffic stop.
It can be remembered that last fall, September 4th, 2014, a report has been filed after Trooper Sean Groubert shot the unarmed Jones at Circle K gas station on Broad River Road. In the dash cam video that was released by the authorities following the incident, Jones is seen getting out of his vehicle when the trooper pulls up and demands to see his license. It was then that Jones reaches inside his car to get the said credential but while doing so, Tropper Groubert starts yelling at Jones to get out of the car, firing several shots at the same time.
According to the trooper, he pulled Jones over due to a seatbelt violation. One bullet hit Jones in the hip and after the shooting, he said that he was only getting his licensed as the trooper told him to. Apparently, Groubert might have thought that Jones was up to something when he reached inside the car and this made him freak out.

Photo Credit: Facebook

National Investigative Report confirmed that the settlement has been reached in October, one month following the incident and part of it states that Jones agreed that no further lawsuits will be pursued against the state of South Carolina.
Right now, Groubert is facing charges in connection with the incident and is awaiting trial on a charge of battery and aggravated assault. Meanwhile, Jones is still on the process of recovering from the gunshot.

With the settlement made a month after the incident, it is safe to say that Jones was able to get the compensation that he deserves. But still, this case has brought light to some issues concerning the troopers and their real role in the society. The primary responsibility of these uniformed officers is to protect the public and guarantee the safety of the motorists but what happened is exactly the opposite, with Groubert being the one who brought harm to an unarmed motorist and causing physical damage, not to mention a possible case of emotional trauma.

Hopefully, this case will serve as a mind-opener not only to the officers but also to the whole public. Even though the case has been technically settled, still, Groubert will have to face the consequences of his actions and Jones, while currently in the recovery process, is left to lead an entirely different life after what happened.
National Investigative Report will continue to keep an eye out for similar stories and bring you more fresh updates about Groubert’s case.

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State by State Data Sheet

The president’s fiscal year 2016 budget out this week is projecting fantastic economic growth over the next decade, but one piece of the puzzle refuses to fit — student loan defaults.
The Department of Education‘s budget documents project that 25.3 percent of undergraduate Stafford loans (measured by dollars, not numbers of loans) issued next year will default at some point during the borrower’s repayment term. That is a full 2.5 percentage points from what the agency projected last year for the previous cohort of loans. And it is a large uptick given that those projections typically don’t move much from year to year

Every other student loan category also shows an increase in projected default rates. For Parent PLUS loans, it is 2 percentage points higher, now at 10.6 percent. On the graduate student side, while the Obama administration seems to be accounting for the fact that many more graduate students will take advantage and reap the benefits of the generous terms of Income-Based Repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness, default rates for graduate Stafford and PLUS loans are still projected to increase

The Obama administration has not explained what is behind these new numbers. Meanwhile, trends that might help explain the projected increase are actually pointing in the other direction. The maximum Pell Grant for low-income students will reach its highest level ever in 2016. Enrollment in affordable repayment plans such as Income-Based Repayment is increasing rapidly as the administration continues to aggressively promote them. Interest rates on loans issued in 2016 will likely be lower than those issued the year before. Even the favorite whipping boy for student loan issues, the for-profit college industry, will take the smallest share of federal student loans in years, according to the president’s budget.

Maybe analysts at the Department of Education see trends in the way older loans are performing that suggest defaults on new loans are likely to come in higher, despite a rosy economic outlook, generous federal grants, tax benefits, and loan repayment terms. It may be that we are entering a new era of high default rates on student loans regardless of the strength of the economy or the size of government benefits.

The post Obama Budget Sees Rising Student Loan Defaults appeared first on NIR News / National Investigative Report.

On Friday, Governor John Kitzhaber became the first Oregon state Governor to resign in disgrace amid the growing scandal involving him and his fiancée Cylvia Hayes.

Facing a state criminal investigation and strings of demand from top state officials for him to step down, Kitzhaber, a Democrat and Oregon’s 36th governor made his decision in a letter to Secretary of State Kate Brown detailing his resignation will take effect at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18 clearing the way for her to assume Oregon’s highest office and become the nation’s first openly bisexual governor.

He abandoned his office amid suspicions that his live-in fiancée, Cylvia Hayes used her relationship with him to land contracts for her green-energy consulting business and pushing the same policies in her public role as first lady.

Kitzhaber, who spent 14 years as an emergency-room doctor, served his first two terms as governor from 1995 to 2003, winning election to a third term in 2010 and a fourth in November of which he has only lasted one month and one day as the allegations began surfacing.

Kitzhaber said in a statement announcing his resignation “I understand that I have become a liability to the very institutions and policies to which I have dedicated my career and, indeed, my entire adult life,” he said denying any wrongdoing.

Recently released emails show Governor John Kitzhaber gave First Lady Cylvia Hayes extraordinary influence over the highest levels of state government, allowing her to promote the agendas of her private consulting client.

Photo Credit: oregon.gov

The emails, released to WW and other media on Friday by the Oregon Department of Administrative Services, are of special importance for a number of reasons: 

First, Oregon state law prohibits public officials from using their public position for private benefit, or for the benefit of members of the public official’s household. The emails show that Kitzhaber advocated for policies and decisions that would aid Hayes’ private consulting work for Demos, a New York advocacy group.

Second, the emails show Kitzhaber handed Hayes sweeping power to direct senior state employees and influence state government policies. Without disclosing to those employees she was working for private clients, Hayes then promoted her clients’ agendas in written communication and at meetings. 

Third, the emails gave evidence of something that Kitzhaber and Hayes have sought to deny, which is that she herself is a public official and thus subject to Oregon government ethics laws.

Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said Feb. 9 she had begun a conflict-of-interest probe. “The governor’s decision to resign will not affect our ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of his and Ms. Hayes’ conduct,” Rosenblum said in a news release Friday.

Subpoenas delivered to the Department of Administrative Services Friday request a massive array of documents from Kitzhaber’s administration. Seeking records pertaining to 15 other people besides Kitzhaber and Hayes, including Kitzhaber’s chief of staff, policy advisers, Kitzhaber’s lawyer and secretaries the subpoena was the first acknowledgment of a federal investigation ordering the agency to produce documents for a federal grand jury before March 10. An agency spokesman, Matt Shelby, said it would tender whatever requested records are in its possession.

Different newspaper reports since October have chronicled Hayes’ work for organizations with an interest in Oregon public policy. At the same time, she was paid by advocacy groups and played an active role in Kitzhaber’s administration, a potential conflict of interest.

It was only in August that Kitzhaber, 67, proposed to Hayes, 47, with an eco-friendly ring on the banks of the Rogue River. An announcement through a spokeswoman said the couple “could not be happier or more excited.” In the months since, their engagement has been disrupted by the ethics commission review, two recall campaigns, a criminal investigation, a possible FBI inquiry and a series of personal embarrassments.

Putting Hayes in the spotlight led her to reveal that she accepted about $5,000 to illegally marry a man seeking immigration benefits in the 1997. Later, she admitted she bought a remote property with the intent to grow marijuana. Kitzhaber said Hayes would no longer have a policy role in his administration, adding that their engagement was still on.

“I’m in love,” Kitzhaber said. “I do not believe that I’ve been blinded. Eyes wide open.”

The greatest opportunity for transparency is a state-level investigation. Kitzhaber, however, has refused to appoint a special prosecutor. And Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum has so far ignored a mandate in state law that says she “shall” investigate public corruption, although her most recent comments suggest she may be moving in that direction.    

The post Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber Resigns Amid Criminal Investigation appeared first on NIR News / National Investigative Report.

Photo Credit: Tumblr

Recently, a federal judge ruled that the tactics used by police in order to control Ferguson protesters are unconstitutional. U.S District Judge asked the police not to use tear gas on protesters and ordered the law enforcement agencies to halt the “5 second rule.” This rule demands that protesters should keep moving instead of standing still. However, the order comes to stop enforcing such requirements because it violates constitutional rights of the protesters.

Photo Credit: US Courts

Catherine Perry, U.S District Judge issued an injunction stopping the practice of keep moving and standing still on sidewalks. No doubt, the injunction is a great win for law-abiding and peaceful protesters who believe in rule of law. According to Perry’s injunction, police violated the free speech rights as well as due process rights. Moreover, the injunction does not stop the police from controlling or protecting crowd against violence using lawful means. It no longer limits the abilities of officers in enforcing state’s laws.

Some of protesters filed the lawsuit requesting to restrict the police from using tear gas and excessive forces during demonstrations. Perry declared that the citizens have a constitutional right to gather in wake of tragic death of Michael Brown Jr. Nevertheless, they do not have any right to harm other citizens or police officers. The police should perform their duties and responsibilities efficiently as nothing in this injunction prevent them in doing so.

Police has been using varying tactics to control the crowd after the officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown Jr. Some police officers started to instruct protesters that they cannot stand still for more than 5 seconds and should keep moving all times. Legal observers quickly refused to accept this “5 second rule” and clearly state that it tends to enhance community tension. Police tried to undermine the protester’s rights to demonstrate. However, on constitutional grounds, the law enforcement officials failed the police’s attempt in carrying out such a practice.

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The U.S District Court Judge Murray came a step closer to carry out contempt charges against Joe Arpaio, a lawman in Arizona. The judge held the charges against the subject this Thursday because he failed to follow the court mandate in the case of racial-profiling back in 2007.

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore/flickr

Arpaio is an 82 year old Maricopa County sheriff who declares himself to be the toughest sheriff in America. He is accused of holding the Latino drivers for extended periods of time at traffic stops, last year. The case has transformed into a racial-profiling case.

The judge ordered to put a stop to such acts. To fulfill the purpose, the U.S District Court Judge Murray assigned a court monitor to supervise and manage the operations of the sheriff’s office.

Arpaio, Maricopa County and the Latino plaintiffs were ordered by Murray to file the court papers latest by the 8th of January. He declared that the issue be tried on the civil and criminal charges.

In the court hearing in downtown Phoenix, Snow cited some occurrences and said that he has some apprehensions regarding the deputies who were not told about the court’s mandate and order, where the material was not returned to the lawyers of the Latino drivers.

Photo Credit: mcso.org

He further added that there are some serious violations of law on many fronts and a number of issues are of great concern.

Snow issued his ruling in response to a lawsuit filed by the Latino plaintiffs in May 2013. The Latino drivers argued for their constitutional rights which they believed were violated because they were signaled out by the deputies for traffic stops.

The hearing was attended by Apraio along with his criminal defense attorney, Melvin McDonald on Thursday. He refused the racial profiling charges and made an appeal for the ruling of the last year made by Snow.

The post Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio May Face Civil and Criminal Charges appeared first on NIR News / National Investigative Report.

A video featuring sergeant of Saratoga County Sheriff’s Department went viral over the internet. He resigned from his job on Monday after video went viral over the weekend. He held a press conference and put forward his resignation. He is now facing many charges on one count of official misconduct and other of harassment following an investigation in connection to the confrontation.

In the video that has been shared many times on the internet, Sheriff’s Deputy is cursing the suspect while demanding to handover him the car keys. He seems hitting a man in video, taking his car keys forcibly, and then illegally searching his vehicle in the Town of Halfmoon.

The investigators contacted the authorities over the weekend concerning the video uploaded online.It went viral after someone uploaded it on the Facebook page of Halfmoon. It showed an unsuitable interaction between a civilian and a member of Sheriff’s department. The Sheriff’s office explained the media over the weekend that it had investigated properly by identifying and interviewing the different parties involved in the case. These investigations resulted in Deputy Shawn Glans’s suspension without any pay effective immediately. It put further outcomes on pending that also includes disciplinary action.

The Sheriff’s office issued a statement that it does not take the problems like this as much seriously and it require its members to behave and act professional. It pays gratitude to the community members who put some light on the issue and fully cooperated with the investigations. It was not the first time that he was disciplined. He was speeding in 1996 to a 911 call and then came around the corner where he lost all his control on his vehicle and slammed it to another car. The car’s driver was paralyzed and the county had to pay six million dollars in order to settle the case against the Deputy Shawn Glans.

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