Swedish emergency service operator SOS Alarm should be replaced by a state authority, according to a new proposal presented to Sweden’s defence minister on Monday. … Read More
Congress proposes adding $4.5 billion to historic highs spent on border security
By Christie Thompson, ProPublica Federal spending on border security is at an all-time high2014and it would get even higher under the Gang of Eight’s new plan. The Senate immigration proposal, released last week, would allocate $4.5 billion in the next five years to tighten control of U.S….
Colorado town considers requiring AK-47s and AR-15s in every home
A town in Colorado is looking into a proposal that would require that every home have at least one assault-style rifle, similar to the Bushmaster AR-15 used to slaughter 20 elementary school children in Connecticut last year. The Craig Daily Press reported this week that the Craig resident Craig…
Obama administration signals change from prison to treatment in drug war
White House Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske signaled that the Obama administration may be open to a long-overdue shift from law enforcement to addiction treatment in a release of a new policy proposal on the so-called “war on drugs.” “We’ve relied far too long on the criminal…
Verizon to draft $100 billion offer to buy its wireless unit from Vodafone
Verizon has reportedly hired banking and legal advisers to put together a $100 billion proposal to purchase the remaining 45 percent stake in the company from partner Vodafone. Verizon was considering a 50:50 cash and stock bid for the shares according to two people familiar with the matter as first… … Read More
New York could become first major city to raise smoking age
New York wants to become the first major US city to raise the age for buying cigarettes from 18 to 21. The city council is to vote on the proposal May 2. Backing it is its speaker, Christinne Quinn, who is running for mayor. All it needs for passage is a simple majority. A spokesman for Quinn said…
GOP filibuster kills background checks
The bipartisan compromise proposal to expand background checks to more gun sales died in the Senate this afternoon after the bipartisan majority fell far short of the 60 votes needed to break a Republican filibuster on the bill. The vote was 54-46. While advocates thought they might be only two votes away not long ago, the six vote deficit makes it highly unlikely that the majority will ever secure the votes it needs. If Republicans had not filibustered, the measure would have passed, as final passage requires only 50 votes (plus the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Joe Biden).The proposal, authored by Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, was the best shot at passing any kind of expansion on background checks, even though it was far weaker than what Democrats and gun safety advocates had hoped for. But opponents of the bill deliberately misrepresented the bill by claiming it could lead to a national gun registry, which many gun advocates fear could lead to confiscation or even tyranny, even though the Manchin-Toomey proposal actually made it a felony officials to create a registry.Continue Reading… … Read More
