Lois Beckett

Now, You Can’t Ban Guns At The Public Swimming Pool

Charleston, W. Va’s gun laws are likely to be rolled back, the latest victory in a long-standing push to deny cities the power to regulate guns.

Lois Beckett
Por Lois Beckett

If you feel unsafe at a public pool in Charleston, W.Va., you may soon have the right to lie there on a towel with a handgun at your side. For 20 years, Charleston has been an island of modest gun restrictions in a very pro-gun rights state. But its gun laws — including a ban on guns in city parks, pools and recreation centers — are now likely

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‘Nullification’ In The Air As States Fight Against Federal Gun Laws

Mobilizing the pre-Civil War doctrine of “nullification,” states assert they have the ultimate authority to decide whether a law is constitutional.

Lois Beckett
Por Lois Beckett

In mid-April, Kansas passed a law asserting that federal gun regulations do not apply to guns made and owned in Kansas. Under the law, Kansans could manufacture and sell semi-automatic weapons in-state without a federal license or any federal oversight. Kansas’ “Second Amendment Protection Act” backs up its states’ rights claims with a penalty

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Yes, Companies Are Harvesting – and Selling – Your Facebook Profile

The logo of the social network «Facebook» is reflected in the pupil of an eye. (Photo: Joerg Koch / DAPD) Yesterday, we got a rare look at how information on your public social media profiles—including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn—is being harvested and resold by large consumer data companies. Responding to a congressional query, nine data […]

Lois Beckett
Por Lois Beckett
Facebook

Yesterday, we got a rare look at how information on your public social media profiles—including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn—is being harvested and resold by large consumer data companies. Responding to a congressional query, nine data companies provided answers to a detailed set of questions about what kinds of information they collect about

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Obama’s Microtargeting ‘Nuclear Codes’

People stand in line to vote during early voting for the presidential election, Monday, Oct. 29, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Time magazine’s Michael Scherer talked with a group of Obama campaign advisers this past weekend, and provided an inside look at some of the data and targeting tactics behind the president’s re-election. The article touches […]

Lois Beckett
Por Lois Beckett
People stand in line to vote during early voting for the presidential election, Monday, Oct. 29, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Time magazine's Michael Scherer talked with a group of Obama campaign advisers this past weekend, and provided an inside look at some of the data and targeting tactics behind the president's re-election. The article touches on many different aspects of the campaign's data operation, from television advertising to campaign insiders' wagersabout

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How Companies Have Assembled Political Profiles For Millions Of Internet Users

A man uses the Internet at his home. (Photo by Phil Gradwell) If you’re a registered voter and surf the web, one of the sites you visit has almost certainly placed a tiny piece of data on your computer flagging your political preferences. That piece of data, called a cookie, marks you as a Democrat […]

Lois Beckett
Por Lois Beckett
A man uses the Internet at his home. (Photo by Phil Gradwell)

If you're a registered voter and surf the web, one of the sites you visit has almost certainly placed a tiny piece of data on your computer flagging your political preferences. That piece of data, called a cookie, marks you as a Democrat or Republican, when you last voted, and what contributions you've made. It also can include factors like your

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Five Ways Courts Say Texas Discriminated Against Black And Latino Voters

A sign for a polling station is shown here. (Photo by Erik Hersman) By Lois Beckett and Suevon Lee How does Texas discriminate against minority voters? Federal judges counted the ways. Last Tuesday, a panel of federal court judges ruled that new district maps drawn by Texas’ Republican-controlled legislature weakened the influence of Latino voters and in some […]

Lois Beckett
Por Lois Beckett
A sign for a polling station is shown here. (Photo by Erik Hersman)

By Lois Beckett and Suevon Lee How does Texas discriminate against minority voters? Federal judges counted the ways. Last Tuesday, a panel of federal court judges ruled that new district maps drawn by Texas' Republican-controlled legislature weakened the influence of Latino voters and in some cases evinced "discriminatory intent" against both

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Dark Money Political Groups Target Voters Based On Their Internet Habits

A man uses the Internet at his home. (Photo by Phil Gradwell) Lauren Berns was browsing Talking Points Memo when he saw an ad with President Obama’s face. “Stop the Reckless Spending,” the ad read, and in smaller print, Paid for by Crossroads GPS. Berns was surprised. Why was Crossroads GPS, a group that powerful […]

Lois Beckett
Por Lois Beckett
A man uses the Internet at his home. (Photo by Phil Gradwell)

Lauren Berns was browsing Talking Points Memo when he saw an ad with President Obama’s face. “Stop the Reckless Spending,” the ad read, and in smaller print, Paid for by Crossroads GPS. Berns was surprised. Why was Crossroads GPS, a group that powerful Republican strategist Karl Rove helped found,advertising on a liberal-leaning political website?

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