Trump said, “We need people to be afraid. Right now many Americans are surprised when protestors are killed, but they’ll get used to it.” Trump did add one suggestion: “Try not to kill white people. That gets too much attention. Stick to protestors of other colors.”   read more

“Life as you know it on Earth ends. Seven degrees increase Fahrenheit and we can’t sustain crops, water, life under those circumstances,” Secretary of State John Kerry said after touring a Boston wind center with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond. “The solution is staring us in the face. It’s very simple: clean energy. We still have in our hands a window of opportunity to be able to make the difference. But the window is closing quickly. That’s not a threat, that’s a fact.”   read more

Judge Gladys Kessler ordered the government to coordinate the release of videos showing the force-feeding of a Guantánamo inmate. “I want Americans to see what is going on at the prison today, so they will understand why we are hunger-striking,” inmate Syrian Abu Wa’el Dhiab wrote in a petition. Kessler rejected the government’s claim that the video would harm national security. "Most of [their justifications] are unacceptably vague, speculative, ...just plain implausible,” she wrote.   read more

Some companies have inserted a clause into those service contracts you agree to that can cost you money if you give them a negative review. One online retailer, KlearGear, slapped a couple with a $3,500 suit after they’d complained online about poor customer service. The Union Street Guest House will fine event organizers at the inn if any of their guests post negative reviews online. But in California, Governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill prohibiting such clauses in the state.   read more

Mills went to Malta in 2010 as deputy chief of mission, and for a time as chargé d’affaires, at the embassy in Valetta. While there, he helped coordinate the evacuation of Americans and other foreign nationals from Libya during the unrest in that country in 2011. He also helped dedicate the new U.S. Embassy in Malta. In 2012, Mills went to Beirut as deputy chief of mission, where he served until his nomination.   read more

Since 2011, Cekuta has been deputy assistant secretary of state in the Energy Resources Bureau. As such, he has acted as a point man for the State Department’s views on the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would bring tar sands oil from Canada into the United States. That experience will come in handy in Azerbaijan, a major oil producer.   read more

New friction has emerged between the U.S. and China. China is starting a new bank and the U.S., the largest shareholder of the World Bank, doesn’t like the competition. China has pledged $50 billion to launch the enterprise, which would be run by Jin Liqun. The Chinese are luring South Korea and Australia to contribute funds, but the U.S. is urging them not to. If the U.S. succeeds, it would damage the prestige of China's bank by having its membership limited to smaller nations.   read more

After the 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, the State Department established a directorate to focus on the security of U.S. missions abroad. Now, a report has found that the High Threat Programs division doesn’t have the tools it needs to protect diplomats. Several units of the directorate were found to be understaffed. In addition, the directorate doesn’t have the authority to force other bureaus to do what it says.   read more

When Republicans and Democrats presented a rare united front on an issue, it wasn’t surprising that their goal was to put more money in their pockets. The FEC, in reponse to a joint letter from Democratic and Republican national committees, agreed that the parties may receive convention donations that don’t count against the annual limit. Campaign Legal Center’s Larry Noble called the decision “disgraceful” and that it could lead to allowing donations for different party tasks.   read more

She was sent to Sarajevo in 2006 as deputy chief of mission to the U.S. Embassy to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cefkin came back to Washington in 2009 to serve as an assessor on the State Department’s Board of Examiners. She returned to Manila in 2010 as the deputy chief of mission. Since 2013, Cefkin has been senior advisor for Burma (Myanmar).   read more

Salim's father, Abdulmajid Dostiyev, is a former member of the Tajikistan parliament and was more recently an ambassador to Russia. In 2009, Salim was named to lead the Department of European and American Countries. Salim came to Washington in 2011 as deputy chief of mission at the Tajik Embassy, serving as chargé d’affaires for a time in 2012, and has been there since.   read more

DASP is a federal program meant to take nonperforming mortgages off the banks’ books and improve loan terms for homeowners. Instead, the program is a money-maker for big investors. “By selling homes to private equity giants and vulture capitalists, DASP is fueling the rise of the Wall Street landlord,” said Kevin Whelan. Financial institutions have found it easier to collect insurance payouts, leaving homeowners with a lienholder who has no interest in modifying mortgage terms.   read more

The U.S. is currently spending upwards of a billion dollars attacking Islamic State forces that are using ammunition made in the USA. Conflict Armament Research picked up 1,730 empty cartridges—the part of the ammunition that stays behind when a bullet has left the gun—in northern Iraq and Syria. Of those, 323 were identified as coming from U.S. sources, likely captured from Iraqi forces. Much of it was manufactured at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, Missouri.   read more

Since Obama was sworn in, federal immigration authorities have removed more than 2 million undocumented immigrants. In fact, in just five years his administration managed to process as many deportations as officials under President George W. Bush did in eight. Most of the more recent deportations are happening before the immigrant even has a chance to go before a judge. In the 2013 fiscal year, 83% of those deported were kicked out without a court hearing.   read more

Millions of AT&T wireless customers should soon see refunds on their bills after the FTC found that the phone provider was illegally billing customers for unwanted horoscopes, ringtones and other third-party services. AT&T will pay $105 million for the practice of “cramming,” in which charges for third-party services are billed to unaware customers. The settlement is the largest ever reached by the government with a wireless carrier engaged in cramming.   read more

If a person accidentally calls someone from their cell phone, do they have a right to privacy protecting any conversation heard on the other end? The courts don’t think so. One man's pocketed phone made a call to a woman who listened in on his private conversation for 90 minutes. She passed what she heard to a third party. The man claimed violation of privacy and the case went to court, where justices so far haven't been sympathetic.   read more

Federal courthouses were busy this week with cases challenging the federal government’s ongoing attempts to pry into Americans’ communications and activities. In a San Francisco court, the Electronic Frontier Foundation is trying to restrict the FBI from obtaining records from U.S. businesses. And Twitter sued the government claiming the Justice Department has violated its First Amendment rights by stifling its ability to tell users about government surveillance.   read more