RT: WikiLeaks Unveils Syria Files
Summary: WikiLeaks has just released more than two million emails from the Syrian regime, the rebels, and companies who correspond with the Syrian government. GAP National Security & Human Rights Director Jesselyn Radack appeared on RT to talk about the potential embarrassment both for Syria and other countries from information revealed in these emails.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is currently in legal limbo, staying in the Ecuadorian embassy in London while he awaits a decision on his bid for political asylum.
Related Article: The New York Times, CNN, Associated Press
Summary: NSA whistleblowers and GAP clients Thomas Drake, William Binney, and J. Kirk Wiebe have given evidence in the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s lawsuit against the government’s illegal mass surveillance program. Drake, Binney, and Wiebe have been warning of the nation’s expanding surveillance state in the past several months, with appearances on Democracy Now!, Viewpoint with Eliot Spitzer, 60 Minutes, and Glenn Beck TV.
CNN Money: Countrywide Issued Hundreds of VIP Loans to Buy Influence, Report Says
Summary: A House of Representatives report released yesterday found that Countrywide Financial – the nation’s largest mortgage lender, before it merged with Bank of America – bought influence in Congress by giving members and staff “sweetheart” loans.
This is just another example of wrongdoing by the major lender. Countrywide/BofA whistleblower and GAP client Eileen Foster alsorevealed pervasive home loan fraud while she worked there as a fraud investigator.
Summary: A UK police detective was told to rewrite his report on the investigation of a child’s death and omit the criticism of how the department handled the situation. The detective blew the whistle, and a tribunal heard the case on Wednesday.
Denver Post: Denver-Based DaVita Settles Case on Overuse of Kidney Care Drug
Summary: A kidney dialysis company will pay $55 million to settle a whistleblower suit that alleges it overused a dangerous and expensive drug. The federal government will receive the majority of the settlement, and the company faces legal action over the drug use in several other states.
Survey Shows Good & Bad Food Companies in Antibiotic Use Policy
Summary: Rep. Louise Slaughter announced the results of a survey she took of 60 top food companies regarding their policy on antibiotic use in meat and poultry production. GAP's Food Integrity Campaign has the highlights.
The Nation: The Big, Bad Business of Fighting Guest Worker Rights
Summary: According to this article, corporate interests have blocked proposed rule changes that would provide guest workers more rights, including whistleblower protections.
GAP's Food Integrity Campaign recently blogged about guest workers who risked their jobs by exposing forced labor in Walmart's supply chain.
Hannah Johnson is Communications Associate for the Government Accountability Project, the nation's leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization.
