The Guardian: Activists Voice Dismay as Senate Renews Government Surveillance Measure
On Friday, the US Senate voted in favor of extending the FISA Amendments Act, which authorizes the government's warrantless surveillance program. Civil rights campaigners voiced dismay over the vote, as well as the defeat of amendments that would have provided basic program oversight. President Obama signed the bill into law on Monday. The article quotes GAP client and national security whistleblower Bill Binney.
Key Quote: The amended FISA Act was passed in 2008 to retroactively cover Bush-era domestic surveillance. The law permits the National Security Agency to track communication between foreign targets and people inside the United States without obtaining a warrant. Critics say it violates fourth amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. NSA whistleblower Bill Binney has estimated that the agency, under protection of the law, has "assembled" 20 trillion transactions between US citizens.
Related Articles: NPR, Washington Post, NEWS.GNOM.ES
Financial Times: Position in Derivatives Haunts Deutsche
More coverage by the Financial Times on the whistleblower allegations that Deutsche Bank failed to properly account for billions of dollars in paper losses on complex derivatives during 2007-2009. The story mentions GAP client Eric Ben-Artzi and two other whistleblowers who have each filed a complaint to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Food Safety News: Antitrust Review Sought for JBS Takeover of XL Beef Units
Groups, including GAP, sent the US Justice Department a letter requesting an in-depth antitrust review of the possible takeover of XL Four Star Beef by JBS, the nation's third largest beef producer. JBS has taken over management of XL's facilities in the US and Canada, including the Alberta facility at the center of the recent E. coli crisis (which sparked calls for better meat worker whistleblower protections). If JBS purchases the facilities, the company would become the largest beef producer in North America.
Sarah Damian is New Media Associate for the Government Accountability Project, the nation's leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization.
