Mandy Nagy (aka "Liberty Chick") was an investigative writer and researcher. She primarily covered the institutional left, protest movements, hacking and cybercrime, and technology. After suffering a serious stroke in September 2014, Mandy no longer was able to work at Legal Insurrection, but she's always on our minds and in our hearts. For more information, see here.
Children make gesture of peace as Pope watches...
Just a brief update for LI readers who have been following the situation in Ukraine. From the Associated Press: Ukraine's embattled president is offering the country's premiership to one of the leaders of the opposition that has conducted two months of intensifying protests. A statement on President Viktor...
Claims painting of Angela Corey just a copy of AP photo...
(screen capture: h/t Mediaite)
SEA sent out a series of tweets from its own Twitter account, criticizing CNN’s coverage of the conflict in Syria and accusing the CIA of controlling and funding Al Qaeda.
Many have addressed the issue of uncertainty created by the implementation of Obamacare and noted the impact that may have on a variety of areas, including for the health insurance industry. On Thursday, Moody's Investors Service downgraded its outlook for health insurers, citing such uncertainty. From Moody’s: Moody's...
Edward Snowden will conduct an hour long live Q&A online at 3pm ET Thursday. He is also expected to respond to President Obama’s recent speech on proposed NSA reforms, according to FreeSnowden.is, an official support site for the former NSA contractor. This is the first Snowden...
At least four people have been shot dead and hundreds injured as demonstrators clash with police over new laws limiting the right to protest in Ukraine, the head of the protest movement's volunteer medical service, Oleg Musiy, told CNN on Wednesday. Ukraine's Interior Ministry earlier said it was investigating a death, the circumstances of which are not clear. Local media reports suggest the man may have fallen from a statue or monument. In a statement Wednesday, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf condemned the growing violence, particularly against journalists and peaceful protesters. "Increased tensions in Ukraine are a direct consequence of the Ukrainian government's failure to engage in real dialogue and the passage of anti-democratic legislation on January 16," Harf said. "We urge the Government of Ukraine to take steps that represent a better way forward for Ukraine, including repeal of the anti-democratic legislation and beginning a national dialogue with the political opposition."The scenes described on the streets of Kiev, Ukraine depict the continuing conflict as police tried to take back control of some of those streets. From the Wall Street Journal:
On the streets of Kiev, police fired rubber bullets and twice smashed through protesters' front lines, lashing out with batons as defenders scattered. Demonstrators fought back with fireworks and, after police retreated, set fire to piles of tires, sending plumes of black smoke into the air.
Protesters clashed with riot police in the Ukrainian capital on Sunday after tough anti-protest legislation, which the political opposition says paves the way for a police state, was rushed through parliament last week. A group of young masked demonstrators attacked a cordon of police with sticks and tried to overturn a bus blocking their way to the parliament building after opposition politicians called on people to disregard the new legislation. Despite appeals from opposition leaders not to resort to violence, and a personal intervention from boxer-turned-politician Vitaly Klitschko, protesters continued to throw smoke bombs and hurl fireworks and other objects at police. The police appeared to show restraint during that fracas. The interior ministry said 30 police were hurt, including more than 10 admitted to hospital and four in serious condition.Police reportedly later tried to disperse the protesters using water cannon and tear gas, according to AFP. Protests have continued in Ukraine over the last two months, though have not always stayed in the news headlines. As mentioned above, sparking the most recent tensions are a series of new laws that were recently passed there and place restrictions on certain protest activity.
A handful of stories from across the web on Obama's NSA reform speech, Hollywood hypocrisy, Obamacare and more. Something the President's NSA speech today didn't address. From the Wall Street Journal: After Obama's NSA Speech, Tech Companies Wait and See After saying he plans to make a movie...
Several cybersecurity experts warned that security issues still persist on healthcare.gov, according to statements made to news outlets and in testimony provided to a Congressional panel on Thursday. From NBC News: Cybersecurity researchers slammed HealthCare.gov's security during a House hearing on Thursday, saying the site is still...
A long-delayed Senate intelligence committee report released Wednesday spreads blame among the State Department and intelligence agencies for not preventing attacks on two outposts in Libya that killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. The bipartisan report lays out more than a dozen findings regarding the assaults on Sept. 11 and 12, 2012, on a diplomatic compound and a CIA annex in the Libyan city of Benghazi. It says the State Department failed to increase security at its diplomatic mission despite warnings and faults intelligence agencies for not sharing information about the existence of the CIA outpost with the U.S. military.
Turning the corner on scandal? Or still stuck in traffic?...
From Pew Research Center for the People and the Press:
The public paid far more attention to last week’s cold snap than to the controversy swirling around New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. There also has been little short-term change in opinions about Christie: 60% say their opinion of Christie has not changed in recent days, while 16% now view him less favorably and 6% more favorably. The national survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted Jan. 9-12 among 1,006 adults, finds that just 18% paid very close attention to Christie’s apology on Jan. 9 for the highway lane closures ordered by his aides. By contrast, 44% very closely followed news about the cold winter weather that gripped much of the U.S. and 28% tracked news about the economy.That might seem surprising (or not) to some, given all the endless media coverage of the Bridgegate story, including additional investigations now being reported. There was also this finding from the same Pew Research report:
More than half of those signing up for private health plans on new insurance exchanges are 45 or older, the Obama administration said Monday, a sign that the rough rollout of the exchanges may have skewed early enrollment. In all, nearly 2.2 million people across the country signed up for individual coverage through Dec. 28, with a significant uptick in December after anemic numbers in October and November as consumers battled through technical problems. With the worst of those problems largely resolved at the federal HealthCare.gov website, attention is now shifting to the demographics of the new enrollees, which is likely to determine the long-term impact of the law. At the heart of the health overhaul law is a change in the way insurance is priced. Consumers no longer pay premiums based on their health risks, and health plans are limited in how much they can vary prices based on age. To keep prices in check in the new market, carriers say they need strong enrollment from younger people who are likely to be healthier, to balance out the bills that could be racked up by sicker and older people. If that doesn't happen, prices will likely spike sharply in subsequent years, actuaries say.
A state memorial ceremony for Sharon is planned for Monday. World leaders, including U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, will attend the memorial, which will be followed by a funeral procession. The procession will include a stop in Latrun for a special meeting of the Israel Defense Forces and will end with a military funeral at Sharon's Shikmim Ranch.In addition to Biden, other members of the U.S. delegation as announced are U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro; Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y.; Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.; and Daniel Kurtzer, former ambassador to Israel, according to FOX News. A live Twitter feed is embedded at the bottom of this post. Live video coverage from Israeli television is below:
The New Jersey state Senate passed a bill on Thursday that would require schools to include instruction for students on how to use social media responsibly. From the Star-Ledger: Middle school students would get a mandatory course on how to use social media responsibly under a bill...
