Yahoo secretly scanned customer emails for U.S. intelligence - sources

Snippet of Article: "...Yahoo Inc last year secretly built a custom software program to search all of its customers' incoming emails for specific information provided by U.S. intelligence officials, according to people familiar with the matter. The company complied with a classified U.S. government directive, scanning hundreds of millions of Yahoo Mail accounts at the behest of the National Security Agency or FBI, said two former employees and a third person apprised of the events ..."

Source: www.reuters.com

Alex Stamos, National Security Agency (NSA), FBI, Yahoo Mail,

Can I Take a Ballot Selfie and Post It on Social Media? Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Ballot Selfie Ban

Note: Be careful not to violate The Hatch Act.

Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Ballot Selfie Ban

Snippet of Article: "...holding that the prohibition on photographing and publicizing one’s ballot violates the First Amendment. Two federal judges have already ruled that ballot selfie bans, which at least 25 states have adopted, violate constitutionally protected freedom of expression. The 1st Circuit’s ruling marks the first time a federal appeals court had ruled on the matter, and the opinion is a resounding victory for both free speech and democracy..."

Source: www.slate.com

Can I Take a Ballot Selfie and Post It on Social Media?

What impact does a few hours of LWOP per week have on my Annual Leave accrual?

Accrual of annual and sick leave

Snippet of Article: "...When a full-time employee accumulates 80 hours of LWOP during a pay period, the employee does not earn annual leave or sick leave during that pay period. The employee earns leave in the next succeeding pay periods until he or she again accumulates 80 hours of LWOP during a pay period (5 CFR 630.208). When a part-time employee is in a non-pay status, he or she will accrue less annual leave and sick leave, since part-time employees earn leave on a pro-rata basi s-i.e., based on hours in a pay status (5 CFR 630.303 and 630.406). For purposes of computing accrual rates for annual leave..."

Source: www.blm.gov

Accrual of annual and sick leave, LWOP and Annual Leave accrual,

'If you see something, say something'

When it comes to 'suspicious activity' that you observe, report it to the appropriate law enforcement agency and/or the appropriate government agency. When doing so, please log the what, when and where of what you have witnessed. Additionally, document who you report it to as well as the time and date you did so, Taking photos of any supporting documentation is an added bonus but NEVER put yourself in danger.

In a society where local thugs try to convince people not to snitch, you must be the stronger personality and not be a puppet to the criminal element by living up to the wishes of criminals that want to keep their activities silent and undercover by using the word snitch. You are not a snitch if you are reporting criminal appearing activity, you are a hero. It takes more to do the right thing than it does to remain silent.

If you see something, say something applies to a myriad of activities like drugs, human trafficking, terrorism, theft and other suspicious activity. Remember that the more facts you can provide, the more effective you will be in eradicating the criminal element from our communities. Stay vigilant and we can make a better society.

Source: federal-newsgroup.blogspot.com

"If you see something, say something",

800+ illegal immigrants identified for deportation were 'accidentally' given citizenship

800-plus 'accidental' citizens? Expert doesn't believe it

'They are letting people into the country who are dangerous'

Snippet of Article: "...The main issue was the claim in the article, the assumption that this was accidental,” Gheen told WND on Monday. “Don’t believe this is accidental. There’s no reason we should believe any of this is accidental. They are intentionally letting people in this country who are dangerous..."

Source: www.wnd.com

OPM hack was avoidable, says congressional report

Snippet of Article: "...speculation that it had been done by the Chinese. Information from the hack was invaluable to other countries because it provided insights into which employees had security clearances, who is dealing with classified information, what vulnerabilities they have and what their fingerprints look like, Chaffetz said..."

Source: www.infoworld.com

OPM Cyber-Breach 2015

Recidivism rates of federal inmates

Snippet of Article: "...Within three years of release, about two-thirds (67.8 percent) of released prisoners were rearrested. Within five years of release, about three-quarters (76.6 percent) of released prisoners were rearrested. Of those prisoners who were rearrested, more than half (56.7 percent) were arrested by the end of the first year..."

Source: www.nij.gov

Recidivism rates of federal inmates, Obama clemency initiative,

Comey: FBI wants ‘adult conversation’ on device encryption

Snippet of Article: "...FBI Director James Comey warned again Tuesday about the bureau’s inability to access digital devices because of encryption and said investigators were collecting information about the challenge in preparation for an “adult conversation” next year..."

Source: www.washingtonpost.com

The Issue: How do we find a balance national security and a reasonable expectation of privacy? Furthermore, is it even possible to do so?

2 state voter systems breached; FBI is urging U.S. election officials to increase computer security

FBI detects breaches against two state voter systems

Snippet of Article: "...Yahoo News said the Illinois voter registration system was shut down for 10 days in late July after hackers downloaded personal data on up to 200,000 voters. The Arizona attack was more limited and involved introducing malicious software into the voter registration system..."

Source: www.reuters.com

hacking of voter systems

American University of Afghanistan attacked, students and staff shelter in place

Snippet of Article: "...Explosions and gunfire rang out at American University of Afghanistan in Kabul Wednesday in what a police commander described as 'a complex attack.'..."

Source: www.foxnews.com

American University of Afghanistan

Obama Extends Transgender Bathroom Rules to Federal Buildings

Snippet of Article: "...the bulletin cites the Department of Justice, Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and their extension of the 1972 Title IX provision of the Civil Rights Act to include protections based on gender identity..."

Source: www.crossmap.com

Transgender, Obama Legacy, Federal Rules on Bathrooms, 1972 Title IX,

CSRS Offset Retirement

Snippet of Article: "...Typically, CSRS Offset retirement applies to employees who had a break in service that exceeded 1 year and ended after 1983, and had 5 years of credit able civil ian service as of January 1, 1987. For example, if you left Federal service on May 15, 1992, with 18 years of CSRS-covered service and were rein stated under a career appoint­ment on November 1, 1993, you would have CSRS Offset cover age. An other major category of CSRS Offset employ­ees includes people who were hired before January 1, 1984, acquired CSRS interim cover age between 1984 and 1987, and had at least 5 years of credit­able civilian service by January 1, 1987..."

Source: OPM

CSRS Offset Retirement (Pamphlet RI 83-19),

Proof of a rigged political system

As DNC Begins, Many Sanders Supporters Not Ready To Get On Board For Clinton

Snippet of Article: "...party Chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz will resign after the convention — not to mention that her reason for stepping down is that leaked emails showed DNC staffers favoring Clinton during the primaries, and even discussing ways to help her defeat Sanders...party leadership must also always remain impartial in the presidential nominating process, something which did not occur in the 2016 race..."

Source: www.opb.org

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, 2016 Presidential race, DNC Rigged Against Bernie Sanders, Rigged Political System,

Forced Medicare coverage will screw over Postal retirees and future retirees

Keep promises made to Postal retirees

Snippet of Article: "...Legislation recently approved by a House committee reforming the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) targets postal retirees to balance the Postal Service’s books, and it does so in the name of bipartisanship and expediency, usually good things. Not this time. Specifically, it breaks a promise made to now-retired postal workers and their survivors regarding their health benefits. It tells them they now must pay additional health insurance premiums for more, mostly duplicative, insurance coverage through Medicare or risk losing their health insurance benefits entirely. For postal retirees and survivors who are satisfied with their current coverage, that means another $122 per month or more to keep their current health insurance. This flies in the face of fairness and changes the rules for individuals who do not have the ability to increase their income..."

Source: thehill.com

Medicare

Attorney General Loretta Lynch secretly talks with Bill Clinton, but will not answer investigation questions

Lynch refuses to answer questions on Clinton email probe

Snippet of Article: "...Lynch’s unwillingness to provide her views on the facts or how the law applied to Clinton’s situation provoked considerable frustration from Republicans and, a couple hours into the session, a stern rebuke from the committee’s chairman. “Your refusal to answer questions about a person who seeks the most important office in this land is an abdication of your responsibility,” Goodlatte said as he prodded Lynch to be more responsive..."

Source: www.politico.com

Postal Contract Arbitration Award for APWU Represented Employees: Small wage increase for career employees (1.2% 2015 retro)

Postal Service, APWU Have New 40-Month Contract

Snippet of Article: "...A 1.2 percent increase is retroactive to Nov. 14, 2015, the APWU said. Employees will receive a 1.3 percent increase effective Nov. 26 and a second 1.3 percent increase on Nov. 25, 2017...employee portion of the cost of health premiums will increase by 1 percent per year for each of the next three years..."

Source: www.bna.com

APWU Contract Arbitration Award 2016, Health Premiums Skyrocket,

Protecting the Elite: No charges from FBI on gross email negligence of Hillary

Hmmm: FBI Director to meet press, take off-camera questions at 11; Update: Matter will go to DoJ for “prosecutive decision”; Update: Will not recommend criminal charges; Update: Comey speech added

Snippet of Article: "...that statute expressly doesn’t require malicious intent for prosecution. It expressly states that “gross negligence” meets the standard for criminal prosecution, and Comey spent most of the presser making the case for gross negligence. And once again, if Comey thinks that this multiple-server e-mail scheme doesn’t rise to the level of prosecution, why is the DoJ prosecuting Kristian Saucier, a sailor who took a few cell-phone photos of his submarine for his own personal mementos?...Update: 'Hostile actors gained access' to the communications of people communicating with Hillary, and it’s 'possible that hostile actors gained access” to her system..."

Source: hotair.com



More Reading: Statement by FBI Director James B. Comey on the Investigation of Secretary Hillary Clinton’s Use of a Personal E-Mail System., July 5, 2016, www.fbi.com

Shielding Hillary: Privileged class vs working class

Loretta Lynch on Clinton meeting: 'I certainly wouldn't do it again'

Snippet of Article: "...Lynch said at the event, adding, "It's important to make it clear that that meeting with President Clinton does not have a bearing on how this matter will be reviewed and resolved." The assurances from Lynch follow criticism stemming from the meeting with Bill Clinton. Clinton joined Lynch aboard her plane while both were on the tarmac. Lynch said the pair mostly talked about grandchildren and a little golf ..."

Source: www.cnn.com

privileged class vs working class, conflict of interest,

Pentagon offers ‘long overdue’ phased retirement to civilian workforce

Snippet of Article: "...Federal workers under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the newer Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) are both eligible for phased retirement after 30 years of service at age 55, or 20 years of service if they’re 60 or older. They must also have worked full-time for the last three years..."

Source: federalnewsradio.com

Federal employee phased retirement,

Half of Supreme Court Justices Vote to Protect America Overturning Obama Executive Order on Illegal Immigrant Protection

Supreme Court Blocks Obama Immigration Plan

Snippet of Article: "...The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday dealt President Barack Obama a harsh defeat, splitting 4-4 over his plan to spare millions of immigrants in the country illegally from deportation and give them work permits, leaving intact a lower-court ruling blocking the plan..."

Source: www.foxbusiness.com

executive order, executive amnesty (Obama), Illegal Immigration, Obama Legacy,

Bureau of Land Management Lacks Authority to Set Rules on Fracking

Judge: US Agency Lacks Authority to Set Rules on Fracking

Snippet of Article: "...U.S. District Judge Scott Skavdahl said the Bureau of Land Management can't set the rules because Congress has not authorized it to do so. The judge, who was nominated by Obama in 2011, wrote that the court's role is not to decide whether hydraulic fracturing is good or bad for the environment, but to interpret whether Congress has given the Department of Interior legal authority to regulate the practice..."

Source: abcnews.go.com

Manipulating the People: What happened when the Obama run DOJ tried to protect 'Radical Islam'?

Redaction Retraction: DOJ Reverses Course On ‘ISIS’ Censorship

Snippet of Article: "...Several hours after releasing transcripts of the Orlando terrorist’s 911 call that censored the word “ISIS,” President Obama’s Department of Justice reversed itself and re-released the transcript with the references to the Islamist terror group intact. While he was terrorizing Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Omar Mateen made several phone calls to 911 and claimed allegiance to the Islamic State and its leader..."

Source: thefederalist.com

Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Radical Islam, Islamic Terrorist, ISIS Definition, Islamist terror group, Obama Legacy, Loretta Lynch, DoJ,

Message to Workers Under Scrutiny: Cooperate or Get Fired

Snippet of Article: "...Most workers will tell the internal investigators what they know, perhaps in the naïve belief that the company will look out for their best interests. But if they do not cooperate, a recent decision by a federal appeals court makes it clear that the company can fire them with little fear that the termination will be considered improper..."

Source: www.nytimes.com

Percentage of Black Americans in Federal Workforce Now Surpasses National Percentage Composition

Note: African Americans are the largest racial minority, amounting to 13.2% of the population. The White, non-Hispanic or Latino population make up 62.6% of the nation's total

Salary and Race in the Federal Workforce

Snippet of Article: "...Black Americans have also increased their numbers in the federal workforce by 1.48% and now constitute 18.37% of the federal workforce. The number of white and Hispanic/Latino employees in government is steadily decreasing..."

Source: www.fedsmith.com

Feds’ personal information not any safer after cyber breach, but little interest in protecting it

Snippet of Article: "...Federal employees don’t think their personally identifiable information (PII) is safer than it was one year ago, but new numbers from the Office of Personnel Management show those employees are not taking advantage of the free protection offered in the wake of the massive cyber breach..."

Source: federalnewsradio.com

cyber breach, CSID, Identity Protection, personally identifiable information (PII),

Hillary Clinton Should Concede to Bernie Sanders Before The FBI Reveals Its Findings

Snippet of Article: "...the biggest reason Clinton should concede to Bernie Sanders involves the political repercussions of the FBI’s email investigation. The long-term future of the Democratic Party rests upon whether or not the FBI discloses its findings before, or after the contested Democratic convention. While I believe Bernie Sanders will win the Democratic nomination, there’s a major issue few people have addressed in progressive circles..."

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

FBI, Hillary Clinton, Destruction of America,

Missing a letter? Feds probe N.J. postal worker found hoarding mail

Snippet of Article: "...The investigation falls under Title 18 of the U.S. Code, which says a postal worker found to have destroyed, delayed or detained mail or package could face a fine or prison term of up to five years or both, according to the U.S. Code. Flood said employees are trained and take an oath...people who suspect their mail may have been compromised to reach out to the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General at 1–888-USPS-OIG or by email at hotline@uspsoig.gov. For more information on how to file a complaint, visit www.uspsoig.gov..."

Source: www.nj.com

Two FBI agents shot while serving warrant near Chicago

Snippet of Article: "...Two FBI agents were shot and injured while serving a warrant Tuesday morning outside Chicago, and the suspected shooter was later found dead inside the home, according to authorities..."

Source: www.washingtonpost.com

Obama Is Bringing Overtime Pay To Millions Of Workers

Snippet of Article: "...The Labor Department announced Tuesday that it completed one of the most ambitious economic reforms of the Obama era, finalizing a new rule that will extend overtime protections to millions of additional workers..."

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Forcing alternative lifestyles upon our children: Obama administration shoves transgender school guidelines down our throats

White House Sends Schools Guidance On Transgender Access To Bathrooms

"...The Obama administration issued guidance to schools Friday, saying they must allow transgender students to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity..."    

This Article is From: www.npr.org

The New Inclusion Quotient (IQ)

The New Inclusion Quotient

New Inclusion Quotient (IQ)

President Obama 'set a record again for censoring government files or outright denying access'

Obama Under Fire Over Transparency as Congress Advances FOIA Reform

Snippet of Article: "...Despite claiming to run the “most transparent” administration in history, President Barack Obama “set a record again for censoring government files or outright denying access to them last year under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act,” according to the Associated Press...."

Source: www.insidesources.com

Obama Legacy

Special Supplement for Federal Employees Under FERS

Snippet of Article: "...Now, one common misconception is that the Special Supplement is actually paid out by Social Security. In reality it’s actually paid out by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and receiving the Special Supplement does not reduce what you would draw from Social Security or force you to file for Social Security at age 62. How is the Special Supplement calculated?..."

Source: www.fedsmith.com

FERS annuity supplement, fers annuity supplement calculator,

FBI arrests brother of San Bernardino terrorist and 2 others after searches

Snippet of Article: "...Federal agents arrested three people, including the older brother of San Bernardino gunman Syed Rizwan Farook, while conducting searches in Corona and Ontario on Thursday morning, a law enforcement official told the Los Angeles Times..."

Source: www.latimes.com

FBI

Federal Reserve statement of April 27, 2016

Snippet of Article: "...growth in economic activity appears to have slowed. Growth in household spending has moderated...the Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 1/4 to 1/2 percent..."

Source: www.usatoday.com

U.S. charges woman for exporting underwater drone technology to China

Snippet of Article: "...Florida woman was charged for conspiring to illegally export technology used in underwater drones to a Chinese state-owned entity..."

Source: www.reuters.com

Amin Yu, underwater drone technology, Harbin Engineering University in China,

Saudis warn of economic reprisals if Congress passes 9/11 bill

Snippet of Article: "...The Obama administration has, in turn, applied heavy pressure on Congress to block the bill. Top officials from the State Department and Pentagon warned Senate Armed Services Committee staffers last month that the bill could bring economic risks to the U.S..."

Source: www.cnn.com

Federal Agencies 'Chomping at the Bit' to Use Panama Papers to Catch Criminals

Feds 'Chomping at the Bit' to Use Panama Papers to Catch Criminals

Snippet of Article: "...The official, who is familiar with ongoing discussions about the document trove, said agents from every three-letter agency are lining up to crunch the data to bolster existing cases and build new ones against organized crime syndicates, drug cartels, foreign corrupt and kleptocratic regimes and even suspected Hezbollah terror cells in Latin America and possibly the U.S. That includes the FBI, the IRS and other Treasury agents, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ..."

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Panama Papers

Retirement Planner: Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)

Snippet of Article: "...A pension based on earnings not covered by Social Security can affect the amount of your Social Security benefit. We do not know whether you are eligible for such a pension, so the benefit estimates you have received may not have been adjusted for such a possibility.

Our Windfall Elimination Provision factsheet explains whether you might be affected.
How WEP Can Affect Your Benefit

If you think your pension will affect your Social Security benefit, you can

Look at our WEP chart to see..."

Source: www.ssa.gov

This is not justice: Coal King Gets 1 Year and $250,000 Fine For Deaths of 29

Coal King Don Blankenship Gets 1 Year in Prison After Deadly Mine Disaster

Snippet of Article: "...Blankenship was sentenced today to one year in prison, plus one year’s supervised release and a $250,000 fine -– the maximum penalty for the conspiracy charge, according to ABC News’ local affiliate WCHS. Prosecutors had bemoaned such a short maximum sentence for what they called “monstrous” wrongdoing..."

Source: abcnews.go.com

Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies