Stopping Trans-Pacific Partnership is crucial to save American jobs

The need to keep jobs at home is clear. Ed Schultz exclusively sits down with seven members of Congress to discuss stopping the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Meet The Republican Millionaire Who's Pushing For A Higher Minimum Wage

By Nathaniel Downes

Meet Ron Unz, Republican Millionaire and one-time candidate for US Senate. The former publisher of The American Conservative recently appeared on MSNBC in order to continue his call to raise the minimum wage.

The Never Ending Sorry: Late-Night Comedy Roundup

Chris Christie: Media Darling?

Christie’s “Bridgegate” scandal is only boosting his esteem in some pockets of the media. John Fugelsang and Mike Papantonio discuss why the media is taking a soft focus.

Unemployment Rate Falls to 6.7%

By Taegan Goddard

The U.S. economy added just 74,000 jobs last month — way below expectations by economists — but the unemployment rate sunk to just 6.7%.

Wall Street Journal:

“Put December 2013 as the month in which the country’s labor data officially became a mess. What are we to make of a number that came in so far below expectations after a very strong November, all at the same time that the unemployment rate dropped all the way down to 6.7%.

How on earth are we supposed to read a discernible, meaningful trend in his morass of contradictions?

One thing’s certain, it's a reminder that month-to-month data reactions are dangerous.”

Chris Christie's Top 5 Practically Believable Alibis For Bridgegate

Who was the real target of the Christie staff's political retaliation?

Chris Hayes plays out Rachel Maddow's stunning theory of who was the real target of the Christie staff's political retaliation.

Random Observations on Chris Christie's Epically Long Press Conference

1. Just for shits and giggles, let's take Christie at his word at his press conference answering questions about his staff's involvement in limiting access to the George Washington Bridge as political retribution against the mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey. Let's believe everything he said (even though he said he had just heard about the scandal at 8:50 the previous morning and insisted twice that he had lost sleep over two nights which, unless he's living some kind of Groundhog's Day, isn't possible unless he knew that something was going to break, in which case his whole press conference was a lie, but, still, let's pretend, shall we?).

Even looking at what he said in the most generous light possible, what we're left with is a governor who, by his own admission, has surrounded himself with people who are dishonest, who prefers to remain ignorant about problems, who is more concerned with personal betrayal and hurt feelings than public consequences, and who is out of touch with the day-to-day operations of his own government. In other words, he's all bluster and no substance, an incompetent boob. In otherer words, he reached under his gut, took out his tiny penis, and fucked himself in front of the press. In otherest words, the round man waved bye-bye to the Oval Office.

2. But what he said was actually a pretty disturbing portrait of rampant narcissism, as is Christie's way. There was Christie presenting himself as the poor fool, the victim of a lying woman (with its underlying implication of "C'mon, everyone. Bitches be crazy"). He said of Bridget Kelley, "I've terminated her employment because she lied to me." And for no other reason. That's fucked up right there. The sin wasn't mucking up the traffic of the busiest bridge in the United States for some phantom political game. It wasn't delaying ambulances, police, and school buses. No, it was that she lied to Sultan Christie.

Is that too far? Look at the transcript. No less than a half dozen times does Christie refer to Kelly's "lies." And Christie said he didn't ask Kelly why she conspired with David Wildstein to screw the entry lanes to the GWB from Fort Lee because she might be called to testify before a legislative committee? No, fuck that. Again, taking him at his word, you don't ask because you don't want to know.

3. Advice to Chris Christie: When there's ample video evidence, recorded proudly by your own staff, of you being a bully, don't say, "I am not a bully."

4. Advice to Chris Christie, Part 2: Stop giving civics lessons in your press conferences. Yeah, we fuckin' get it. "Politics ain't bean bag" or however the fuck you wanna put it. Really, fucko? We delicate pussies would have never figured that out without you informing us. Oh, and without watching TV news once during our lives.

5. Advice to Chris Christie, Part 3: Yeah, you may have 65,000 state employees. But you don't have that many in your own office. So just stop equating your deputy chief of staff with the poor schlub inputting mailed-in tax forms in some basement office in Newark. You know what Kelly's job was. Or see #1.

6. Advice to Chris Christie, Part 4: In general, stop pretending you don't know people. Port Authority official Wildstein? Mark Sokolich, the mayor of Fort Lee? Dude, Sokolich backed you on a couple of things. He's one of those Democrats you always tout as making you so glori-fucking-fied bipartisan. There's a photo of you with him. He was elected and reelected at the same time as you. You look like the liar you are when you say such things.

7. And what the fuck exactly is the atmosphere in the governor's office if your minions feel free to do such fuckery?

8. What the Rude Pundit didn't hear amid the apologies and the "Buck stops with me, but, you know, I was lied to, but, sure, the buck stops with me, even though, hey, I was lied to" was Christie saying that anyone should be investigated for possible criminal charges, like misuse of government funds, for starters. We already know what David Wildstein will do under oath: take the Fifth so he doesn't, well, shit, incriminate himself. Someone's gonna be offered immunity and a deal, which leads to...

9. Yesterday, the Rude Pundit said what he thought happened to make the bridge debacle possible. But he's calling "bullshit" on the whole press conference. He's calling "bullshit" on Christie's whole internal investigation, which looks like it'll have the same momentum as OJ Simpson looking for the "real" killers. It was an act of political preservation, delivered with braggadocio and pomposity ("Look how good I am at apologizing"). As such, it'll fool the idiots and the simpering reporters who laughed at Christie's exasperated jokes.

But, somewhere not so very far away, Hillary Clinton just started shifting strategy to how she'll defeat Rand Paul in the general.

// posted by Rude One @ 2:15 PM

Christie’s Waterloo

The George Washington Bridge fiasco is a deeply damning window on the governor's administration

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

The presumptive presidential candidate is facing criticism for his alleged role in the political scandal.

In the best possible light, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie built a top staff of lying thugs who threatened lives and safety to serve his political ends. If not, Christie is a lying thug himself.

Emails and text messages among his close aides made public Wednesday documented that in September they gleefully engineered George Washington Bridge lane closures to punish the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee for failing to endorse their boss’ reelection.

Local officials say the gridlock they caused delayed ambulances in responding to four calls, including one involving an unconscious 91-year-old woman who later died.

Christie’s presidential ambitions are all but kaput, as he will be lambasted and lampooned as a man of low character and horrible judgment — again viewing him in the most favorable way.

RELATED: CHRIS CHRISTIE 'EMBARRASSED, HUMILIATED' BY BRIDGE SCANDAL

The Port Authority’s sudden, unannounced closing of bridge entrance lanes produced hours-long backups for four days. They ended only after Executive Director Patrick Foye discovered the shutdowns, which were later traced to rogue orders issued by Christie PA appointee David Wildstein, a high school buddy, and to a cover-up by Bill Baroni, Christie’s top person at the bistate agency.

Bill Bramhall/New York Daily News

For months, responsibility remained clouded. During that time, Christie made light of the charges. He joked that the press was suggesting he had moved traffic cones personally. Last month, he described the affair as “not that big a deal.” He supported Baroni’s story that the lane closures were part of a traffic study.

His aides’ communications, made public Wednesday, put the lie to that.

“Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,” the governor’s deputy chief of staff, Bridget Kelly wrote to Wildstein on Aug. 13, starting the chain of irresponsible actions.

RELATED: 'WORST EXAMPLE OF PETTY POLITICAL VENDETTA': SOKOLICH ON CHRISTIE GW BRIDGE CLOSINGS

“Got it,” Wildstein replied.

He closed the lanes on Sept. 9, bringing traffic to a standstill. Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich then began pressing Baroni for help.

Mel Evans/AP

Christie will address the press on Thursday after emails and text messages revealed his administration may have closed highway lanes to exact political retribution.

“Presently we have four very busy traffic lanes merging into only one toll booth,” he texted. The bigger problem is getting kids to school. Help please. It’s maddening.”

That provoked a cold-hearted exchange among Christie’s people.

RELATED: PRESIDENT CHRISTIE? CROSSING THAT BRIDGE

“Is it wrong that I am smiling?” an unidentified aide texted Wildstein.

“No,” he wrote back.

And he added: “They are the children of Buono voters,” referring to Christie’s Democratic opponent, Barbara Buono.

John Moore/Getty Images

Lane closures along the George Washington Bridge in September were political retaliation against a Chris Christie opponent, personal emails suggest.

When Foye began to undo the closures, Wildstein wrote Kelly, “The New York side gave Fort Lee back all three lanes this morning. We are appropriately going nuts. Samson helping us to retaliate.”

Wildstein was referring to PA Chairman David Samson, Christie’s appointee.

Also looped in to lie about what had happened were Christie’s press secretary, Michael Drewniak, and campaign manager Bill Stepien. Late Wednesday, Christie said:

“I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge.

“This type of behavior is unacceptable and I will not tolerate it, because the people of New Jersey deserve better. This behavior is not representative of me or my administration in any way, and people will be held responsible for their actions.”

Give full credit to his statement, and Christie stands as a hardball-playing governor who horribly misjudged or distorted the character of those around him and compounded the felony by trying to skate by their wrongdoing without full investigation. Take his denials of knowledge with skepticism, and the man is a monster.

Emails Linking Chris Christie To Illegal Retaliation Scandal Threatens To Sink 2016 Hopes

By Justin "Filthy Liberal Scum" Rosario

Governor Chris Christie is in hot water over emails definitively linking his staff to the Fort Lee lane closures scandal. Buh-bye 2016! – Image: DonkeyHotey @ Flickr

Well crap! Looks like NJ Governor Chris Christie’s goon squad foolishly left an email trail implicating themselves in the Fort Lee lane closures scandal.

Quick summary if you haven’t been following the story:

Over the summer, the mayor of Fort Lee declined to endorse Chris Christie for re-election. Then, on the first day of school in September, “someone” closed three lanes leading from Fort Lee to the George Washington Bridge, turning the town into a parking lot. Governor Christie, of course, denied any involvement with the lane closures. But, unsurprisingly, his staff was so full of hubris they sent a number of emails pretty much announcing they were, indeed, retaliation:

A series of newly obtained emails and text messages shows that Gov. Chris Christie’s office was closely involved with lane closings on the New Jersey side of the George Washington Bridge in September, and that officials closed the lanes in what appeared to be retribution against the mayor whose town was gridlocked as a result.

Mr. Christie has insisted that his staff and his campaign office had nothing to do with the local lane closings, and said that they were done as part of a traffic study.

But the emails show that Bridget Anne Kelly, a deputy chief of staff in Mr. Christie’s office, gave a signal to the Port Authority to close the lanes about two weeks before the closings occurred.

“Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,” she emailed David Wildstein, Mr. Christie’s close friend from high school, and one of his appointees at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which controls the bridge.

Just how clear are we that the Fort Lee lane closures were retaliation by Chris Christie?

It’s very clear that Fort Lee was being punished. The reaction of Chris Christie’s cronies to the NY Port Authority undoing the lane closures is pretty much the final nail in the coffin:

After the lane closures were reversed by New York officials at the Port Authority, New Jersey officials expressed panic that their plan was not causing enough trouble.

“The New York side gave Fort Lee back all three lanes this morning. We are appropriately going nuts,” Mr. Wildstein wrote to Ms. Kelly. “Samson helping us to retaliate.”

“What??” she emailed back.

“Yes, unreal. Fixed now,” he emailed

You don’t go “nuts” and “retaliate” over a “traffic study” being disrupted. Seriously, to have this much of a concerted effort going on to maintain lane closures and claiming the Governor Christie DIDN’T know that Fort Lee was being screwed strains credulity. So yeah, Chris Christie’s in deep political hot water and that’s not good.

Chris Christie not running in 2016 is bad for America.

I’m actually really pissed off about this. Not because I liked Christie (I don’t) but because he would have been skinned alive in the primaries. I know that sounds strange but let me explain.

I don’t like the governor for his economic policies but his social policies are not in line with the GOP’s rabid bigotry. At all. Chris Christie refused to demonize Muslims, hasn’t dropped jokes about Obama being black and while he didn’t support marriage equality, he didn’t jump up and down about how gays are destroying the country.

The spectacle of Governor Christie being annihilated for not being a rabid bigot would have been epic because he would have gone down swinging. The “liberal” media likes to pretend the GOP is not overflowing with hate, but it would have been impossible for them to gloss over the rage that would have been thrown at Christie.

And Chris Christie is the not the kind to keep his mouth shut for party unity. He would have been on every talk show complaining, loudly, that the party has been taken over by fanatics and idiots. What a glorious sight that would have been.

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates rips Obama in memoir

 

Sony PlayStation 2 'Resident Evil Outbreak' Series Online Multiplayer Servers Revived 10 Years Later

By Cauterize

Although the Sony PlayStation 2 never really boasted that many online experiences, what was on offer was an early example of what we've all grown so accustomed to today. The Resident Evil: Outbreak games brought along some fantastic multiplayer survival carnage - something you can enjoy once more through all new unofficial servers.

The recently launched Outbreak Server is now allowing anyone who happens to have access to the Japanese versions of the games to get their PlayStation 2 back online. According to the server's frequently asked questions, all you need to do is simply change the DNS records within the game's network settings menu and log in with your Outbreak Server details.

If the thought of enjoying one of Capcom's early online titles again (or even for the first time) sounds tempting, then make sure you have either a PlayStation 2 capable of playing Japanese releases with a PS2 Network Adapter (if your console is the original fat model), or a suitable emulator. The Japanese versions of the games can be easily found on eBay too.

Crack smoking mayor wants 4 more years

Earning the title of Ed Schultz's Pretender tonight, shamed Toronto Mayor Rob Ford files for re-election, forgetting all of his terrible & entertaining actions.

Meet the Americans Who've Lost Their Unemployment Benefits: "I'm Thoroughly Petrified"

By Dana Liebelson

When Congress reconvenes next week, lawmakers will have to decide whether to extend federal unemployment benefits for about 1.3 million Americans. These emergency benefits—which Congress let expire shortly after Christmas—are part of a 2008 program that allows workers who have been out of the job for more than six months to receive an emergency extension on their payments up to 47 weeks.

If Congress fails to renew these benefits, only a quarter of jobless Americans will be receiving any benefits at all, according to the Huffington Post.

As these charts show, the United States is looking at the worst long-term unemployment crisis since soup kitchen lines peaked during the Great Depression. Americans who have been unemployed for more than six months are often hit with major financial and personal hardship. Around 10 percent must file for bankruptcy, more than half report putting off medical care, and many say they have, "lost self-respect while jobless."

But who are these Americans who have lost their benefits? Some reached out to Mother Jones. Here are their stories:

Name: Anonymous
State: New York

"My benefits run out this week. I'm thoroughly petrified…I am the nice girl you went to high school with who was in the advanced classes, graduated with an A average, and went on to college. I'm the girl who always worked through high school, college, law school, and grad school. I never thought I would end up a welfare mother, but here I am. I want you to know how I got here and why I can't get out. I want you to realize that your nasty comments on social media about the losers demanding entitlements and benefits and hand-outs as compared to your 'hard-earned money,' hurt more than you know. Those comments may also be hurting your friend or colleague or relative. I'm not alone in this situation. I do not want benefits, or hand-outs, or entitlements. I want a job. I want to be able to pay my own way. I want to be self-sufficient again and earn the money I receive through hard work. I don't want to lose my house or have to talk to another debt collector. But in the meantime, I am grateful that some of our lawmakers saw fit to protect the vulnerable in times of need."

Maureen "Momo" Kallins

Name: Maureen "Momo" Kallins
State: Washington

"I am 65 years old. For three years I worked as the General Manager and the Business Manager of a small public access television station in Washington State. I lost that job in January 2013, which supported half of our household. (I have two sons, 26 and 24, and I live with my husband.) I was awarded unemployment insurance of less than half of my salary that month, which was extended after six months. I have applied for numerous jobs but never even get an interview. A friend of mine in the film business said recently, 'When you apply for a job at 50 people laugh at you. When you apply for a job at 65 people just look at you like you are crazy.' Presently I am adding to my video resume and trying to build a business. I sincerely hope that the members of Congress can agree to extend these benefits and throw us a lifeline."

Name: Carol Watterston
State: Nevada

"After being laid off after seven years [at my job], I have now been unemployed since November 9, 2012. I job hunt for full-time employment everyday. I've been to multiple interviews and nothing has worked out. I've even attempted going back to school but I have bad credit and can't afford it…I'm already struggling to pay my rent, my bills, my car insurance and feed myself and my pets. I have never been one that expects or wants any kind of charity, and this situation I'm in is degrading and shameful, but I have to do whatever is necessary for survival. However, I have a lot more than other people on this planet. I have a roof over my head, I have food in my fridge, I have a car, and I have a very supportive family, which I'm thoroughly thankful for."

Tara Dublin

Name: Tara Dublin
State: Washington

"I was a very popular DJ on the radio in Portland. When I lost that job, I could not find another job in local media. The radio station that fired me has not replaced me. As a single mom of two sons (15 and 10 years old), it was imperative to me that I show my kids that we don't roll over and die when bad things happen; we fight. And I've been fighting for the last four and half years. In the time since I lost that dream job, I've had small opportunities, but nothing long term. I'll get a voice-over gig just when a bill is due…I worked holiday retail sales at Nordstrom but wasn't rehired for this season, and despite applying for every retail and waitress job I can find, I have yet to be hired. I'm on the verge of losing my house yet again, and I am terrified, I don't ask for a lot out of life—just to be in a job that makes me happy and pays my bills."

Name: Anonymous
"I lost my marketing communications specialist position in April and have not landed a job in nine months of looking, despite working at it diligently and investing in expensive job-hunt strategy and technique classes. I am 61. I believe my age and the reasonably good salary I was earning were factors in losing my job. I was replaced by a 20-something who could be paid a lower salary. I just do not get the assertion I see in so many news stories that eventually, long-term unemployed people just stop looking for work. Who can afford to do that? How can they live?"

Name: Jeff
State: Indiana

"I have an associate degree in hotel and restaurant administration. Right now I live in an old mobile home in pretty bad condition, but at least it is a sheltering place. I do not have a high standard of living, so really my only worry about not having a job and losing my unemployment benefits is becoming homeless. I only have rent, car payment and insurance, utilities, and food as expenses. I also worry about my three cats because I don't want to see them suffer because of what is happening to me. I have pretty much been taking care of myself since I was 13, and the thought of not having a roof over my head is terrifying…I do think Congress needs to extend benefits, because people are suffering and it would be a catastrophe to let all those who are hurting slip even lower."

Name: Anonymous
State: Washington

"I had a baby in July 2012. I was on unpaid maternity leave until November 2012. I was informed that I would be getting laid off in October 2012. I was in a unionized position but I got bumped by a more senior union member. We had insurance through my work. So we went on COBRA for $1800 a month. The unemployment benefits extension was covering the COBRA payment. Now we'll be paying for COBRA out of pocket. And we have another baby on the way. I know I'm one of the lucky ones out there. I have enough in savings and an overall family income that I can make a choice to stay with the expensive COBRA, so that I don't have to deal with this hassle [of changing to Medicaid] mid-pregnancy."

And here are some stories from other news outlets:

• David Davis, Virginia: "That’s one goal, to avoid living on the street or in my car." (The New York Times )
• Adaline Irizarry, New Jersey: "If I don’t get an extension, I’m screwed. I think a lot of people are in that situation." (The Star-Ledger)
• Celeste, New York: "I don’t buy books; I get everything from the library. We go to maybe one movie a year." (Buzzfeed)
• Kaitlyn Smith, California: "I have to keep the house at 55 degrees even though I have two little girls, ages 2 1/2 and 1 1/2." (Los Angeles Times)
• Mary Lowe, Ohio: "We didn't do anything for Christmas—50 bucks for our daughter, that was it." (CBS News)

Hey, Liz Cheney - SEE YA!

CNN: She's Outta Here!

By Susie Madrak January 5, 2014 9:06 pm

CNN reports that Liz Cheney is withdrawing from Wyoming's Republican primary.

Who knew that Liz and Caribou Barbie had so much in common?

New York (CNN) - Liz Cheney, whose upstart bid to unseat Wyoming Sen. Mike Enzi sparked a round of warfare in the Republican Party and even within her own family, is dropping out of the Senate primary, sources told CNN late Sunday.

Cheney, the eldest daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, began telling associates of her decision over the weekend and could make an official announcement about the race as early as Monday.

Cheney's surprising decision to jump into the race, an announcement made in a YouTube video last summer, roiled Republican politics in the Wyoming, a state Dick Cheney represented in Congress for five terms before moving up the Republican food chain in Washington.

Enzi was a low-key presence in Washington who was elected in 1996 and, with few blemishes, amassed a conservative voting record in the Senate. He expressed public annoyance at Cheney's decision to mount a primary challenge. A number of his Senate colleagues quickly rallied to his side and pledged support for his re-election bid.

There was little public polling of the race, but two partisan polls released last year showed Enzi with a wide lead, an assessment mostly shared by GOP insiders watching the race.

The California GOP's fake health care website

Posted by Jim Hightower

Listen to this Commentary

In this wicked world of woe, there are hucksters, flim flammers, plain ol' crooks… and Republican members of the California Assembly.

This last bunch of scoundrels went out of their way to monkey wrench the rollout of President Obama's new health care law. Obama's computer geniuses were making a hash of the initial rollout in October, but the sign-up was finally smoothing out – and with any Obama success, GOP lawmakers automatically start tossing monkeywrenches.

This time, the tool they tossed is a fake website created by California Republican legislators in August to look like the state's official health exchange site, where people can sign up to get coverage under the Affordable Care Act. When things finally got worked out on the national health care exchange in November, the Repubs mailed a pamphlet to their constituents, directing them to the decoy site, calling it a "resource guide" to "help" them navigate the ACA sign up process.

Far from help, however, the faux site is a trap. It's filled with boilerplate Republican propaganda against the law, gimmicks to discourage viewers from even applying for the health care they need, and a rash of distortions and outright lies. There's so much bunkum on the site that its fine print includes a disclaimer saying they don't vouch for "the quality, content, accuracy, or completeness of the information" it provides.

The silliest thing about the lawmakers' blatantly political ploy is that even if it convinces some people to forgo the ACA's benefits, who does that hurt? Not Obama – but their own constituents! I know there's no IQ requirement to be a state legislator, but what were they thinking?

We can laugh at their low comedy, but if you're a California taxpayer, congratulations: You paid for the GOP's bogus website and mailings.

"A bogus Health care website, courtesy of the GOP," www.msnbc, December 4, 2013.

"California Republicans Defend Fake Obamacare Site," www.abcnews.com, December 3, 2013.

"California GOP creates fake health care website to discourage constituents from obtaining insurance," www.dailykos.com, December 2, 2013.

"Email from Ed H." December 16, 2013.

Prego Italian Sauce Recalled for Possible Spoilage

By News Desk | January 1, 2014

The Campbell Soup Company is recalling around 300 cases of 24-ounce jars of Prego Traditional Italian sauce because of possible spoilage.

The products were delivered to retailer distribution centers in Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico and Oklahoma.

The recalled products were manufactured on Dec. 15, 2013, and have an expiration date of June 16, 2015. The time code on the top of the lid range from “CT BJ ZV 0330” to “CT BJ ZV 0449.”

Consumers who have purchased a recalled product are advised not to eat it and to return it to the place of purchase for a refund.

No other Campbell products are affected and no illnesses have been reported in connection with the product. However, due to the time involved in tracing an illness back to a specific food product, it is impossible to say if any illnesses have occurred.

How local police departments are spying on us now, too

It's not just the NSA anymore. Here's how local law enforcement collects your call data, even if unrelated to crime

By Michael Price

By now, it’s well known that the National Security Agency is collecting troves of data about law-abiding Americans. But the NSA is not alone: A series of new reports show that state and local police have been busy collecting data on our daily activities as well — under questionable or nonexistent legal pretenses. These revelations about the extent of police snooping in the U.S. — and the lack of oversight over it — paint a disturbing picture for anyone who cares about civil liberties and privacy protection.

The tactics used by law enforcement are aggressive, surreptitious and surprising to even longtime surveillance experts.  One report released last month made front page news: an investigation by more than 50 journalists that found that local law enforcement agencies are collecting cellphone data about thousands of innocent Americans each year by tapping into cellphone towers and even creating fake ones that act as data traps.

A new report by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law details how police departments around the country have created data “fusion centers” to collect and share reports about residents. But the information in these reports seldom bears any relation to crime or terrorism. In California, for example, officers are encouraged to document and immediately report on “suspicious” activities such as “individuals who stay at bus or train stops for extended periods while buses and trains come and go,” “individuals who carry on long conversations on pay or cellular phones,” and “joggers who stand and stretch for an inordinate amount of time.” In Houston, the criteria are so broad they include anything deemed “suspicious or worthy of reporting.” Many police departments and fusion centers have reported on constitutionally protected activities such as photography and political speech. They have also demonstrated a troubling tendency to focus on people who appear to be of Middle Eastern origin.

---

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Like the NSA – their heavy-handed Big Brother – these fusion centers cast a wide net and risk civil liberties for paltry returns. And all of it is happening without sufficient oversight or accountability. In other words, no one is watching Little Brother.

How did it come to this?  In the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, all levels of government – federal, state and local – embarked on a massive effort to improve information sharing. Federal taxpayer dollars fueled the transition into a new role for state and local police as the eyes and ears of the intelligence community.

The ad hoc system that has developed — of individual police departments feeding information to federal authorities — has been plagued by vague and inconsistent rules. For one thing, there’s a lack of agreement about what counts as “suspicious activity” and when that information should be shared.
The goal, in theory, is to reveal potential terrorist plots by “connecting the dots” of disparate or even innocuous pieces of information. But in practice, such programs often infringe on civil liberties and threaten safety, producing a din of data with little or no counter-terrorism value. In Boston, for example, the regional fusion center fixated on monitoring peace activists and Occupy Boston protesters but may have been unaware that the FBI conducted an assessment of bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev based on a tip from Russia, or that local authorities had implicated him in a gruesome triple homicide on the anniversary of 9/11.

In fact, a 2012 report by the Senate Homeland Security Committee found that much of the information produced by fusion centers was not only useless, but also possibly illegal. Indeed, more than 95 percent of so-called suspicious activity reports are never investigated by the FBI.

We can do better. First and foremost, there must be a consistent, transparent standard for state and local intelligence activities based on reasonable suspicion of criminal activity – the traditional bar for opening an investigation. The federal government should make this standard a prerequisite for sharing suspicious activity reports on its networks. State and local police should adopt it as well.

Second, stronger oversight and accountability is necessary across the board. At the federal level, Congress should tie continued funding for fusion centers to regular, independent and publicly available audits to assess compliance with privacy rules. State and local elected officials should also consider creating an independent police monitor, such as an inspector general, to safeguard privacy and civil rights.

To be sure, cooperation between levels of government is essential, and state and local law enforcement have an important role to play in keeping Americans safe. But the current system is ineffective, wasteful and harmful to constitutional values.

It is time to recalibrate the system and make the state and local role in national security efficient, rational and fair.

Michael Price is counsel in the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law.

  More Michael Price.

Speaking to the 70% doesn't work for Jake Tapper

Earning the title of Ed Schultz's Pretender, CNN's Jake Tapper began the new year by criticizing new NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio for not reaching out to righties.

 

Duck Dynasty or Dollar Dynasty?

A&E Network has ended Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson suspension after his hateful remarks. Michael Eric Dyson and Mike Papantonio discuss the networks decision to bow to dollars over morals.