Programming Note: This is the final edition of The Week in Science & Technology for 2017, and summaries will return in January 2018. We wish all of our readers a wonderful holiday season and a very happy New Year.What you can doJoin the fight to push back against the FCC's repeal of net neutrality rules.FCC repeals net neutrality rulesOn December 14, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to repeal the net neutrality rules that currently regulate high-speed Internet as a utility and forbid providers from charging extra for some content. The three Republican FCC members, including chair Ajit Pai, voted for repeal, but the commission's two Democratic members, Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel, issued strongly worded dissents. The repeal plan drew the ire of consumers and technology companies, spurred in-person and online protests, and flooded the FCC's website with millions of comments by individuals as well as by automated bots; half a million comments supporting...
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Congress will soon decide the fate of the law that governs America's main foreign intelligence spying program. Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) will expire this December 31st, requiring Congressional approval to reauthorize. This sunset and reauthorization is an opportunity to implement needed reforms. One of the most important is to end "back door" searches. This reform would require law enforcement agencies like the FBI to get a probable cause warrant approved by a judge before they search the vast troves of NSA communications data for evidence of crimes that can be used against U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. End Backdoor Searches Although Section 702 is seen by many as a necessary and useful tool in U.S. foreign intelligence and anti-terrorism operations, it has a glaring flaw when it comes to protecting the privacy of U.S. persons. When an intelligence agency like the NSA collects communications data under Section 702, it is suppo...
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What to Watch: 1. Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act heads to Senate 2. FCC vote on Net Neutrality on December 14 3. DREAM Act on hold because of budget problems 4. Tax Bill still in play, but a lot of newly identified holes have surfaced Here's how to get in touch with your Senators: Call with 5Calls or send a fax with Resistbot.See the full newsletter here: http://mailchi.mp/risestronger/us-resistance-12-1-101155
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Senate Tax Bill: The Senate reconvenes at 11am for voting. A reminder: this is not just a tax bill. It's also a bill to destroy healthcare.
Here's how to get in touch with your Senators: Call with 5Calls or send a fax with Resistbot.
Here's Where the Bill Stands No:
The Senate tax bill will be revised to include a larger tax break for partnerships, limited liability companies and other so-called pass-through businesses. It is unclear how the Senate would offset the cost of a larger deduction.
Thursday evening Senators voiced concern over the deficit. The Joint Committee on Taxation found yesterday that the bill would increase federal deficits by roughly $1 trillion over 10 years -- even after accounting for any economic growth it would produce.
More updates from Bloomberg.See the full newsletter here: http://mailchi.mp/risestronger/us-resistance-12-1-101127
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Programming Note: Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, this is a combined multi-week summary. The Week in Science & Technology will continue to be published at a reduced frequency through December and the winter holidays.What you can doIt's not too late! Indivisible has a list of actions you can take to oppose the GOP tax bill passed by the Senate on December 2.Speak up to save net neutrality! Join one of the public actions at Verizon stores across the country on December 7, and email and call the FCC and your Congressional representatives.
Senate passes tax bill in post-midnight party-line vote; Democrats decry rushed processThe Senate passed its version of the Republican tax reform bill in the early morning hours on December 2, with all Democrats voting against it, joined by only one Republican, Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN). A blistering New York Times editorial called the bill a "historic tax heist" that would raise the federal deficit by $1.4 million over the next decade, make health...
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The Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides that a person may not be tried again for the twice for the same crime once they are acquitted. This is known as "Double Jeopardy." Double jeopardy attaches to a charge after a jury is empaneled, a judge in a "bench trial" begins to hear evidence, a jury has made a decision, or if a person pleads guilty to the crime. The purpose of double jeopardy is to prevent the government from potentially abusing its power to repeatedly charge a person with the same crime, from the same set of facts, until they get the result they want. In practice, strict application of this principle in a criminal context may produce injustices. In England, several murderers went free because the needed evidence wasn't discovered until after their acquittal. The British Parliament responded by enumerating circumstances under which a retrial could be ordered (U.K. Criminal Justice Act 2003). Since the U.S. has a federal syste...
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by Patrick O'MahenRelevant Policy Background: The Sequester, Tax Cuts and Medicare CutsThe large tax-cut bills moving through both houses of Congress have all sorts of hidden little evil things in them, like for example jacking up taxes on PhD students by several thousand dollars.[1] But perhaps one of the biggest evil unforeseen consequences is that the bills would automatically trigger $25 billion in cuts to Medicare.Here's how: In 2011, to end a showdown over the national debt limit, Congress negotiated a law with then-President Obama that instituted automatic budget cuts (a sequester) in response to any new law a future Congress passed that raised the debt further.[2] The Republican tax cut bills do this, raising the projected deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years to cuts taxes on large business and rich heirs. If the bill pass, the Sequester would automatically take effect and cut $136 billion from non-defense mandatory programs. Medicaid, Social Security and many oth...
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Friends --Last week marked the one year anniversary of RISE Stronger. The last year has been nothing short of exhausting, terrifying, and at some moments, paralyzing. But it's also been full of hope and a new sense of empowerment. In many ways, we have prevailed. We have seen millions of people unite to resist an agenda that seeks to erode our democracy and the very values that are core to this nation and its people. And this new movement has achieved tangible victories.We marched — in pink hats for women; for science; to demand Trump's taxes.We rallied — at airports against the Muslim Ban; in front of the White House against cabinet nominees and the repeal of the Affordable Care ActWe made calls— for net neutrality; affordable healthcare; preservation of our National Parks and wildlife; no ban no wallWe showed up — at hundreds of town halls, all around the country, month after monthWe persevered, together, as Americans united by a common cause. Together, we have formed The Resistan...
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On November 16, 2017, Republicans in the House of Representatives
passed H.R. 1 (the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act") along a party-line vote. The bill includes massive tax cuts for the wealthy, while substantially increasing the deficit and, and increasing the tax burden for many middle-income earners. In an attempt to reduce the deficits created by these tax cuts, the tax bill also makes tuition payments by colleges and universities taxable as federal income. This would dramatically increase students' tax bills, by up to $10,000, potentially quadrupling tax bills for students at private universities. Scientific and higher education associations have opposed the measure, noting that it would discourage student enrollment, devastate the teaching and research missions of universities, massively increase the cost of college attendance, and weaken the STEM workforce in the U.S.
The analysis below details how the tax bill passed by House Republicans would affect graduate students, usi...
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What you can doWe recently held a webinar for our Op-Ed Project (Building a Better Society Through Science). See details and view the recording here.Senate Republicans are aiming to eliminate the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate as part of their tax bill. Learn more and take action here.GOP tax bill advances; would impose large tax burden on graduate studentsThe Republicans' Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has advanced from the House Ways and Means Committee, and it is scheduled to be considered by the full House of Representatives this Thursday, November 16. The bill includes massive tax cuts for the wealthy, while substantially increasing the deficit and, and increasing the tax burden for many middle-income earners. In an attempt to reduce the deficits created by the tax cuts proposed by House Republicans, the tax bill also makes tuition payments by colleges and universities taxable as federal income. As tuition at research institutions is generally higher than typical graduate stud...