Author: KJ McElrath

Assange Says His Source for PodestaLeaks Was Not Russia

Assange Says His Source for PodestaLeaks Was Not Russia

Posted by | Jan 7, 2017 | |

The hack of former Clinton campaign manager John Podesta’s Gmail account may have been a contributing factor in Hillary Clinton’s defeat in this past November’s election, but according to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, the source of the hack wasn’t a Russian government agency. In fact, Assange is saying that even a teenager could have pulled it off. According to the cybersecurity firm Dell Secureworks, Podesta’s emails had been hacked and stolen by a hacking organization known as “Fancy Bear,” which allegedly has ties to the Russian military’s intelligence arm, GRU. The method they used is known as “spear phishing,” which...

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“Fake News” and the American Propaganda Machine: How Obama and Others Opened the Door

“Fake News” and the American Propaganda Machine: How Obama and Others Opened the Door

Posted by | Jan 6, 2017 | , , |

Government propaganda isn’t anything new – it has been a tool for centuries. There nonetheless seems to be a lot more of it these days, thanks to the Internet, social media, and the spread and dissemination of what is now labeled as “fake news.” In light of the Washington Post’s recent admission that an article on Russian propaganda and fake news was based on “sham research,” it appears that even publications which were once considered reliable sources of information are increasingly becoming part of the federal government’s “Ministry of Truth” (as George Orwell described it in 1984). The word...

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Trump Picks Another (!) Fox To Guard The Henhouse: Wall Street Defender Jay Clayton to Head the SEC

Trump Picks Another (!) Fox To Guard The Henhouse: Wall Street Defender Jay Clayton to Head the SEC

Posted by | Jan 5, 2017 | |

Considering Trump’s other choices for key positions in his Administration, it should come as no surprise that his pick to oversee the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is yet another Wall Street insider. That person in none other than Mr. Jay Clayton, a corporate attorney who was right at the center of the Great Wall Street Bailout of 2008. Clayton, who also provided advice and assistance to Goldman-Sachs when it came to that company’s taxpayer-funded government bailout package, was quite busy during the crisis eight years ago defending the financial “services” industry from allegations of wrongdoing. Now, unless Democrats...

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New Orleans Agrees to Pay $13.3 Million In Police Brutality Cases During Hurricane Katrina

New Orleans Agrees to Pay $13.3 Million In Police Brutality Cases During Hurricane Katrina

Posted by | Jan 5, 2017 | , |

Last month, the city of New Orleans took one step further in putting a dark chapter in Crescent City history behind it, agreeing to pay $13.3 million to the families of those who were deliberately killed by police officers in the wake of Hurricane Katrina over 11 years ago. Among the victims were a developmentally disabled 40-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy, who were gunned down on Danziger Bridge, along with four others who were seriously wounded. What makes this settlement unusual is Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s acknowledgment of wrongdoing and his subsequent apology. Before the settlement was announced, Mayor...

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Plaintiffs 3, Dupont 0: Ohio Jury Orders Corporate Offender to Pay $2 Million to Cancer Victim

Plaintiffs 3, Dupont 0: Ohio Jury Orders Corporate Offender to Pay $2 Million to Cancer Victim

Posted by | Jan 3, 2017 | , , |

2016 has not been a good year for chemical giant Dupont – but it has been good to plaintiffs who have been holding the company liable for their illnesses. Just before the December holidays, a federal jury in Columbus, Ohio, awarded $2 million to Kenneth Vigneron, who contracted testicular cancer after years of exposure to C8, the chemical contained in teflon. However, when it comes to the Vigneron case, Dupont’s troubles may only be starting; the jury also found the defendant’s conduct to be malicious. This means that the jury may impose a stiff punitive fine on top of...

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