Dec 21 Watch 8:34 Whistleblowers win with False Claims Act, but does it actually deter fraud? By PBS News Hour Last year alone, the federal government and its whistleblowers -- people incentivized by the False Claims Act to expose fraud in companies that work with the government -- recovered nearly $6 billion in lawsuits that exposed wrongdoing. But some question… Continue watching
Dec 21 Top payouts to federal false claims whistleblowers in fiscal year 2014 By Saskia de Melker In the last fiscal year, the federal government recovered a record $5.69 billion under the False Claims Act. And as recoveries have increased, so have the awards for those whistleblowers who play a crucial role in exposing cases of fraud. Continue reading
Dec 21 US mulls putting North Korea back on terrorism sponsors list By Josh Lederman, Associated Press HONOLULU -- The United States is reviewing whether to put North Korea back onto its list of state sponsors of terrorism, President Barack Obama said as the U.S. decides how to respond to the cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment that… Continue reading
Dec 21 Obama: Now is the time for US to seize opportunities in Cuba By Associated Press WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama said his plan to normalize relations with Cuba gives the U.S. a chance to influence events at an important moment of change for the communist nation, and he brushed off critics who accuse him of… Continue reading
Dec 21 US efforts toward Israeli-Palestinian peace remain at standstill By Lara Jakes, Associated Press Secretary of State John Kerry is ending 2014 much in the same way he started it, frustrated in efforts to push Israel and Palestinians toward peace. Continue reading
Dec 20 Watch Obama unleashed: President goes his own way in final years in office By PBS News Hour President Obama, in an apparently unprecedented step, only took questions from female reporters during a news conference Friday. It might be a very small example of how the president, often criticized for his caution, is now doing things his own… Continue watching
Dec 20 North Korea calls Sony hack claims 'slander,' threatens to retaliate By Andrew Mach Leaders in North Korea on Saturday called the Obama Administration's accusations that it was behind the cyber attack on Sony Pictures "groundless slander" and threatened to retaliate unless the United States agreed to conduct a joint investigation with them. Continue reading
Dec 20 Congress passes last-minute tax breaks. What should you know? By Stephen Ohlemacher, Associated Press WASHINGTON -- In an almost annual ritual, Congress has passed a last-minute package of temporary tax breaks, sparing millions of businesses and individuals from unwanted tax increases just weeks before start of filing season. Congress extends these tax breaks every… Continue reading
Dec 20 US sends four Afghans home from Guantanamo Bay By Nedra Pickler, Associated Press The Pentagon said Saturday that four Afghans from the Guantanamo Bay detention center have been returned to their home country in what U.S. officials are citing as a sign of their confidence in new Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Continue reading
Dec 20 Obama takes foreign policy risk, but on his own terms By Julie Pace, Associated Press President Barack Obama has been criticized as cautious on foreign policy, but the secret negotiations on Cuba suggest a willingness for bold and risky action, if he can keep tight control and rely on a few close aides. Continue reading