U.S. NAVY VIDEO: NAVY'S ELECTROMAGNETIC RAILGUN GOES ON DISPLAY AT FUTURE FORCE EXPO IN WASHINGTON D.C.

The Navy’s electromagnetic railgun will be displayed for the first time in the Eastern U.S. early next month at the Future Force Expo in Washington D.C.

SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS WITH UN SPECIAL ENVOY FOR SYRIA STAFFAN DE MISTURA

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Remarks With UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura After Their Meeting
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Geneva, Switzerland
January 14, 2015

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you, all. It’s a great privilege for me to have a chance to meet with Staffan de Mistura, who is engaged in a very complicated but very, very important effort to try to move the process of Syria, and starting with an effort focused on Aleppo. The United States is particularly concerned about the continued catastrophe that is unfolding in Syria where nearly three-quarters of the entire country are displaced people today. It is time for President Assad, the Assad regime to put their people first and to think about the consequences of their actions, which are attracting more and more terrorists to Syria, basically because of their efforts to remove Assad.

So we hope that the Russian efforts could be helpful. We hope that the UN efforts led by Special Envoy de Mistura can have effect, and we wanted to meet today to talk about this, and I wish him well. He’s heading to Damascus next week, and this issue still remains very much on our front burner and we will continue to work with you.

MR. DE MISTURA: Thank you, thank you. Thank you, very much. I really appreciate it. The UN (inaudible) the opportunity of going through the issue of Syria, because sometimes there is a feeling that Syria is getting into backburner, and you are confirming to me it’s not. After all, this is the fourth year, and we need to find a solution and a political solution. I will continue, I can tell you, pushing for Aleppo because Aleppo has become an iconic example of where things could start sending the best signal. In other words, that bombing, shelling, barrel bombing, mortar shelling would stop, and bring some humanitarian aid, which means giving some hope to the Syrian people. You know very well – we have been hearing it (inaudible) – the Syrian people are just saying, enough. And we should not let them down, and we will continue pushing in that direction with the Secretary. Thank you for your support.

SECRETARY KERRY: Yeah, absolutely. And thank you for your efforts.

MR. DE MISTURA: Thank you, thank you.

NASA VIDEO | BUILDING THE NATION'S NEWEST WEATHER SATELLITE

CO. SETTLES WITH FTC REGARDING ALLEGED DECEPTIVE CLAIMS ABOUT CHILDREN'S DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS

FROM:  U.S. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 
Company That Touted Products’ Ability to Treat Children’s Speech Disorders Settles FTC Charges It Deceived Consumers

An Illinois company and its owner will stop making allegedly deceptive claims that their dietary supplements are proven effective at treating childhood speech disorders, including those associated with autism, in order to settle Federal Trade Commission charges. Under the FTC settlement, the defendants also will pay $200,000 and are required to disclose any material connections with their endorsers.

“Parents of children with speech disorders need accurate information about products that may be able to help,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection. “This company took advantage of parents’ trust.”

Since at least 2008, NourishLife, LLC and its owner, Mark Nottoli, have sold Speak softgels and capsules and Speak Smooth liquid children’s supplements online and through a network of distributors for more than $70 per bottle. The supplements -- which contain Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids and Vitamins E and K -- were advertised via the Internet, including search engine ads such as Google sponsored links and on websites, and at conferences on autism spectrum disorders.

For example, a Google sponsored link for Speak products, which could display if consumers searched on the term “toddler speech problems,” contained the statement, “Healthy Speech for Child – SpeechNutrients speak Supplement” and linked to a web page claiming the supplements were developed by a pediatrician to support “normal and healthy speech development and maintenance.”  That web page also included a statement from a parent endorsing the product, who said “[my daughter] is speaking in more complex sentences and she is less gittery [sic], more focused.”  Other statements from parent endorsers appeared in product brochures and on speechnutrients.com, such as:

“Speak vitamins have made my little boy talk. He is five years old and has not spoken until I began giving him the vitamins.”

“We were really amazed when Ben started singing along with a song on the radio . . . . and he was singing 3+ word phrases, not just one word here & there.”

According to the FTC’s complaint,between 2008 and late 2013, ads for Speak products made unsupported claims that the supplements develop and maintain normal, healthy speech and language capabilities in children, including those with verbal apraxia -- a motor speech disorder affecting the ability to utter sounds, syllables, and words.

These ads, the complaint asserts, also falsely claimed that Speak products are scientifically proven to improve children’s speech. In addition, the complaint charges that ads for Speak products deceptively claimed that the supplements are effective in treating or mitigating verbal apraxia and communication and behavioral difficulties in children with an autism spectrum disorder.

The FTC’s complaint also charges that the defendants provided promotional materials making these false and deceptive claims for Speak products to third-party distributors that sold the supplements.

In addition, the FTC’s complaint charges that the defendants misrepresented a website called apraxiaresearch.com, which they owned and operated, to be an independent resource for research and other information relating to the treatment of apraxia. In fact, according to the FTC’s complaint, that website advertised the health benefits of defendants’ Speak products. The complaint also asserts that the defendants failed to disclose their affiliation with the Apraxia Research website and with parent endorsers of Speak products who received free supplements.

The proposed order settling the FTC’s charges would prohibit NourishLife and Nottoli from making false or unsubstantiated claims about the effectiveness of any dietary supplement, food, or drug, including but not limited to their Speak products. The proposed order also would bar the defendants from providing third-party distributors with deceptive marketing materials or otherwise providing others with the means to make these prohibited claims.

In addition, it would prohibit the defendants from misrepresenting the independence of any website or other publication that advertises their products, and would require them to clearly and prominently disclose any material connections to any such website or publication, or to any person endorsing their products.

The proposed order imposes a judgment of $3.68 million, which will be partially suspended – based on the defendants’ inability to pay -- after they pay $200,000.

The Commission vote approving the complaint and proposed final order was 5-0. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, on January 7, 2015. A motion for the court to enter the proposed final order was filed on January 9, 2015. The case is part of the FTC’s work to challenge false and deceptive claims about cognitive products for adults and children.

Information for Consumers

When it comes to treatments for health and fitness, it can be tough to tell useful products and services from those that don’t work or aren’t safe. For more information, see the FTC’s guidance on Treatments & Cures.

The FTC is a member of the National Prevention Council, which provides coordination and leadership at the federal level regarding prevention, wellness, and health promotion practices. This case advances the National Prevention Strategy’s goal of increasing the number of Americans who are healthy at every stage of life.

NOTE: The Commission files a complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the law has been or is being violated and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. Stipulated orders have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge.

COUNTERFEIT DVD SUPPLIER TO SERVE 21 MONTHS IN PRISON

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Tuesday, Januay 13, 2015
Counterfeit DVD Movie Supplier Sentenced to Federal Prison

A Brooklyn man was sentenced yesterday in Honolulu for his involvement in a counterfeit DVD movie ring, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Florence T. Nakakuni of the District of Hawaii.

Yakov Meir Chazanow, 41, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi of the District of Hawaii to serve 21 months in prison for conspiring to commit criminal copyright infringement, manufacturing counterfeit goods and to traffic in goods bearing counterfeit Dolby trademarks and counterfeit labels.

According to the evidence set forth in the record and at sentencing, from 2004 to 2011, Chazanow supplied over 30,000 high-quality pirated DVDs containing infringing copies of copyright-protected Asian action movies and corresponding counterfeit labels and packaging.  He then distributed them to co-conspirators, who in turn sold them to consumers in stores and online.

Chazanow, Sharon Josef and Jeffrey Alan Stockton were all charged in June 2013, and Stockton pleaded guilty to the charged conspiracy and two counts of trafficking in counterfeit labels on Sept. 19, 2013.  On Feb. 3, 2014, Chazanow pleaded guilty to the above charges, and Josef pleaded guilty to misdemeanor copyright infringement.  On May 12, 2014, the court sentenced Stockton to 21 months in prison, ordered him to pay restitution of $150, and entered a preliminary order directing Stockton to forfeit $250,000 in illegal proceeds, $32,154 in U.S. currency, a 2003 Toyota Tundra, 29 gold bars, 62 gold coins, six palladium coins and five silver coins.  Josef, who supplied pirated DVDs from 2011 to 2012, was sentenced yesterday to serve four months in prison.

The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.  Assistance was provided by the Motion Picture Association of America, Dolby Laboratories, Inc. and DVD Format/Logo Licensing Corporation.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant Deputy Chief for Litigation John H. Zacharia of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea W. Hattan and Leslie E. Osborne, Jr. of the District of Hawaii.

The President Speaks on Protecting Consumers and Families in the Digital...

SCIENTISTS FIND CONSEQUENCES FOR DISEASE REMEDIES

FROM:  THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 
Treatment for parasitic worms helps animals survive infectious diseases--and spread them

Scientists discover unanticipated consequences of some disease remedies
Parasitic worms, which infect millions of people and other animals around the world, influence how the immune system responds to diseases like HIV and tuberculosis.

In a new study of African buffalo, University of Georgia (UGA) ecologist Vanessa Ezenwa has found that de-worming drastically improves an animal's chances of surviving bovine tuberculosis--but with the consequence of increasing the spread of TB in the population.

"Health interventions can sometimes have unexpected and unwelcome outcomes," said Sam Scheiner, National Science Foundation (NSF) director for the Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (EEID) program, which funded the research. NSF, the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture support the EEID program.

"By examining such outcomes, we can design better intervention strategies for infectious diseases."

The findings, published this week in the journal Science, have implications for human health.

"If you think about humans in this context, this is what we'd like to do--to figure out how to help people who get infected by something live longer and be less sick," Ezenwa said. "But here we found that doing exactly that can have unanticipated consequences."

Testing buffalo for parasitic worms

Ezenwa and co-author Anna Jolles of Oregon State University conducted the research in South Africa's Kruger National Park.

In 2008, with the assistance of the park's Veterinary Wildlife Services Department, they captured 216 African buffalo and tested them for parasitic worms, known as helminths, and for bovine TB.

Half the buffalo received treatment for helminths; the rest were left untreated as a control group.

For the next four years, the scientists recaptured and retested each buffalo approximately once every six months.

They found that animals treated for worms were nine times more likely to survive TB infections than untreated animals; with the worms gone, their immune systems were able to mount a stronger defense against TB.

According to Ezenwa, this finding confirmed predictions about the effects of worms on the immune system based on an earlier study of TB and helminth infections in African buffalo.

"We'd done a one-off, short-term experiment to see if we could replicate, in this wild animal, the immunological results seen in laboratory experiments treating helminths in mice," she said. "That led to this larger experiment in a much bigger population over a longer time."

Treatment not always a plus

Ezenwa said that the previous work also suggested that treatment would reduce the rate at which individuals acquire TB infection and therefore the TB transmission rate.

"We expected it would be a net positive for the individual and for the population," she said. "But in fact when you carry out an experiment at this larger scale, in a real population, you see it's not all positive outcomes."

The improved survival rate allows infected buffalo to continue to spread TB within the herd, Ezenwa said.

Since they still get infected at the same rate there is an unexpected negative result for the population as a whole.

"Because coinfection is such a complicated area, laboratory studies are really essential in telling us about the detailed mechanisms of how immunological interactions work," she said.

"But we will never understand the real implications if all the work concentrates in the lab."

Need to look at similar animals to humans

Ezenwa said that in order to address human infectious disease problems, researchers need to also look at coinfection in populations that bear more similarity to humans.

"African buffalo are long-lived, they're in the wild in social groups, they're genetically variable--that's a little bit closer to people than laboratory mice, which have the same genetic background and live under artificial conditions," she said.

And understanding bovine TB-helminth coinfection in African buffalo is particularly relevant for human health because helminths are known to influence human immune responses to TB.

"The number of human cases of bovine TB worldwide is unknown, but where it's studied, it appears to be a substantial fraction of the total," said Frederick Quinn, head of the UGA Department of Infectious Diseases in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

"It's also unknown if bovine TB bacteria transmit more efficiently than other TB bacteria, what traits this pathogen possesses that allow infection of so many different species of mammals, and what happens when the host is co-infected with parasites or HIV.

"This work is a tremendous start in answering some of the fundamental questions about this disease and how best to control it in humans and other animals."

-NSF-


Media Contacts
Cheryl Dybas, NSF

MAN SENTENCED FOR ROLE IN ILLEGAL IMPORTATION AND TRAFFICKING IN NARWHAL TUSKS

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Monday, January 12, 2015
New Jersey Man Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison for Trafficking in Illegally-Imported Narwhal Tusks and Money Laundering

Andrew J. Zarauskas, a New Jersey resident, was sentenced to 33 months in prison for illegally importing and trafficking in narwhal tusks and associated money laundering crimes, announced Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden for the Environment and Natural Resources Division.  Zarauskas was also ordered to forfeit $85,089, six narwhal tusks and one narwhal skull.  In addition, Zarauskas was ordered to pay a fine of $7,500.  His prison sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release.

On Feb. 14, 2014, a federal jury in Bangor, Maine, convicted Zarauskas on six counts, including conspiracy, smuggling violations for buying and illegally importing narwhal tusks into the United States and money laundering violations associated with the illegal importations.  The market value of the teeth and tusks illegally imported by Zarauskas was determined to be between $120,000 and $200,000.

Narwhals are listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and are covered by the international Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).  It is illegal to import parts of the narwhal into the United States without a permit and without declaring the parts at the time of importation to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“The Justice Department is committed to the fight to save the world’s protected wildlife species, many of which are under sustained attack by poachers and wildlife traffickers,” said Assistant Attorney General Cruden.  “We are particularly grateful to our federal and Canadian law enforcement partners for unraveling this scheme to traffic in narwhal tusks and for bringing Zarauskas and his co-conspirators to justice.”

“The significant penalties imposed today for Mr. Zarauskas send a powerful message to any individual that decides to engage in the trade of illegal wildlife,” said Deputy Assistant Director for Law Enforcement Edward Grace of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  “We will continue to work closely with our international, federal and state partners to root out those individuals who exploit protected wildlife species for their own financial gain.”

“This is yet another case where dedicated investigators helped stop an international smuggling ring attempting to profit from the illegal exploitation and trade of vulnerable and threatened marine species,” said Assistant Administrator Eileen Sobeck for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries.  “NOAA will continue to work in collaboration with our international, federal and state law enforcement partners to make sure marine resources are protected now and into the future.”

According to the evidence presented a trial, Zarauskas purchased approximately 33 narwhal tusks over nearly six years from two Canadian co-defendants.  The Canadian co-defendants purchased the narwhal tusks in Canada and subsequently brought them into the United States illegally by concealing the narwhal tusks either under their truck or under a utility trailer and not declaring the wildlife to border officials as required.  Once in the United States, a Canadian co-defendant shipped the narwhal tusks to Zarauskas from Bangor, Maine.  Zarauskas knew that the co-defendants lived in Canada and had illegally imported the narwhal tusks into the United States.

The case was investigated by agents from the Law Enforcement Offices of NOAA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Environment Canada.  The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Todd S. Mikolop and James B. Nelson of the Department of Justice’s Environmental Crimes Section.

WHITE HOUSE READOUT: PRESIDENT OBAMA'S MEETING WITH CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE  
January 13, 2015
Readout of the President’s Meeting with Members of the Congressional Leadership

 This morning, the President and the Vice President hosted the bipartisan, bicameral leadership of Congress in the Cabinet Room. The leaders discussed a wide range of issues, and the President highlighted areas where Republicans and Democrats can work together to protect our national security and continue the progress we have seen in the economy. The President underscored there are priorities that rise above politics – including keeping Americans safe by promptly and fully funding the Department of Homeland Security without delay so the men and women working there can operate with the confidence they need, and working together to pass legislation to combat the cyber security threats we face. The President committed to working with members of both parties on text for an AUMF that Congress can pass to show the world America stands united against ISIL. The President also underscored the importance of our diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, reiterating his strong opposition to additional sanctions legislation that could derail the negotiations and isolate the United States from our international coalition. Coming off the strongest year for private-sector job growth since the 1990s, the President asked that leaders from both parties work together to build on our growth. The President looks forward to working with Congress to make progress for the middle class, and ensure every American feels like they’re part of their country’s comeback.

SEC ANNOUNCES IT'S 2015 EXAMINATION PRIORITIES

FROM:  U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 
SEC Announces 2015 Examination Priorities

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced its Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations’ (OCIE) priorities for 2015 which focus on three areas: protecting retail investors, especially those saving for or in retirement; assessing market-wide risks; and using data analytics to identify signs of potential illegal activity.

“Our examination program collects information for the Commission on a range of important trends, issues, and risks,” said SEC Chair Mary Jo White. “OCIE helps us to maintain a strong presence with SEC registrants and to make a positive impact for the benefit of investors and our markets.”

“We share our annual examination priorities to promote compliance,” said Andrew J. Bowden, OCIE’s Director.  “We have observed that when we share our areas of focus, many industry participants independently review their controls in the areas we have identified.”

The 2015 examination priorities address issues across a variety of financial institutions, including investment advisers, investment companies, broker-dealers, transfer agents, clearing agencies, and national securities exchanges.  Areas of examination include:

Retail Investors – Retail investors are being offered products and services that were formerly characterized as alternative or institutional, including private funds, illiquid investments, and structured products.  Additionally, financial services firms are offering a broad array of information, advice, products, and services to help retail investors plan for and live in retirement.  OCIE will assess risks to retail investors that can arise from these trends.

Market-Wide Risks – OCIE will examine for structural risks and trends that involve multiple firms or entire industries, including: monitoring large broker-dealers and asset managers in coordination with the SEC’s policy divisions, conducting annual examinations of clearing agencies as required by the Dodd-Frank Act, assessing cybersecurity controls across a range of industry participants, and examining broker-dealers’ compliance with best execution duties in routing equity order flow.

Data Analytics – Over the last several years, OCIE has made significant enhancements that enable exam staff to analyze large amounts of data efficiently and effectively. OCIE will use these capabilities to focus on registrants and registered representatives that appear to be potentially engaged in illegal activity.

The published priorities for 2015 are not exhaustive and may be adjusted in light of market conditions, industry developments, and ongoing risk assessment activities.  OCIE selected the priorities in consultation with the Commission, the SEC’s policy divisions and regional offices, the enforcement division, the SEC’s Investor Advocate, and other regulators.

1/12/15: White House Press Briefing

NASA | Missions Take an Unparalleled Look into Superstar Eta Carinae

CHAIRMAN JOINT CHIEFS SAYS CREDIBILITY PROBLEM WILL CAUSE COLLAPSE OF ISIL

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Dempsey: Lack of Credibility Will Aid Terrorist Group ISIL’s Collapse
By Amaani Lyle
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2015 – Though U.S. and coalition airstrikes are destroying facilities and equipment controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the terrorist group ultimately will fail because the people it’s trying to control will reject its ideology, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in an interview broadcast today.

Appearing on “Fox News Sunday With Chris Wallace,” Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey noted that the new Iraqi government is reaching out to Iraq’s Sunni tribes and has made inroads in the strategic effort against ISIL.

“A group that embraces such a radical ideology has to maintain momentum in order to succeed, in order to maintain its credibility with the very people it's trying to influence,” Dempsey said.

ISIL’s Fate is Inevitable

Tactically, U.S. and allies forces have destroyed ISIL equipment, reversed some of its territorial gains and affected the terror group’s leadership, command and control and logistics, the chairman noted. But the fate of the terrorist regime is inevitable, he added, simply because people won’t accept it.

“It will collapse under its own contradictions, frankly, when the populations in which it tries to maneuver realize that ideology is not to their future benefit,” Dempsey said.

Though military efforts get the most attention, the chairman said, strides other areas such as in countering ISIL’s financing and messaging may be more important in thwarting the organization, Dempsey noted.

Campaign in Iraq Will Take Time

The campaign in Iraq will take time, Dempsey said, pointing out that U.S. and coalition forces are enabling the Iraqi government’s strategy. “It's not our strategy,” he said. “And I'm telling you, that is an extraordinarily important distinction.”

Before it can mount its own offensive against ISIL, the chairman explained, the Iraqi government, with the help of trainers and advisors, must accumulate the appropriate level of force and have it followed by reconstruction and humanitarian relief so the government is providing real governance and not simply security. This, he added, could take months.

Syrian Opposition Under Pressure

Meanwhile, in Syria, the opposition to Bashar Assad’s regime is under “enormous pressure,” particularly in the north, Dempsey, said. That region brings the greatest concern in regard to the ability to attract, recruit and vet a moderate opposition, he added.

“And Iraq, because we have a credible partner there, is the most important thing for us right now,” Dempsey said, “while maintaining pressure through disruptive airstrikes inside of what was a safe haven in Syria.

“As that issue evolves in Iraq, we will then adapt the campaign,” he continued. “And in the meantime, we're trying to build a credible partner on the ground in Syria … to take advantage of airstrikes should we ever turn our attention elsewhere. So it's really about a bit of choreography to get this right and not find ourselves potentially doing more harm if we create vacuums and voids and greater instability in the region.”

WHITE HOUSE FACT SHEET: "SAFEGUARDING AMERICAN CONSUMERS & FAMILIES"

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 

FACT SHEET: Safeguarding American Consumers & Families

Today, President Obama will build on the steps he has taken to protect American companies, consumers, and infrastructure from cyber threats, while safeguarding privacy and civil liberties.  These actions have included the President’s 2012 comprehensive blueprint for consumer privacy, the BuySecure initiative—launched last year— to safeguard Americans’ financial security, and steps the President took earlier this year by creating a working group of senior administration officials to examine issues related to big data and privacy in public services and the commercial sector.

In an increasingly interconnected world, American companies are also leaders in protecting privacy, taking unprecedented steps to invest in cybersecurity and provide customers with precise control over the privacy of their online content.  But as cybersecurity threats and identity theft continue to rise, recent polls show that 9 in 10 Americans feel they have in some way lost control of their personal information — and that can lead to less interaction with technology, less innovation, and a less productive economy.

At the Federal Trade Commission offices today, President Obama will highlight measures he will discuss in the State of the Union and unveil the next steps in his comprehensive approach to enhancing consumers’ security, tackling identity theft, and improving privacy online and in the classroom.  These steps include:

Improving Consumer Confidence by Tackling Identity Theft

The Personal Data Notification & Protection Act: The President is putting forward a new legislative proposal to help bring peace of mind to the tens of millions of Americans whose personal and financial information has been compromised in a data breach.  This proposal clarifies and strengthens the obligations companies have to notify customers when their personal information has been exposed, including establishing a 30-day notification requirement from the discovery of a breach, while providing companies with the certainty of a single, national standard.  The proposal also criminalizes illicit overseas trade in identities.

Identifying and Preventing Identity Theft:  To give consumers access to one of the best early indicators of identity theft, as well as an opportunity to improve their credit health, JPMorganChase and Bank of America, in partnership with Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO), will join the growing list of firms making credit scores available for free to their consumer card customers.  USAA and State Employees’ Credit Union will also offer free credit scores to their members, and Ally Financial is further widening the community of companies taking this step by making credit scores available to their auto loan customers.  Through this effort over half of all adult Americans with credit scores will now have access to this tool to help spot identity theft, through their banks, card issuers, or lenders.
Safeguarding Student Data in the Classroom and Beyond

The Student Digital Privacy Act: The President is releasing a new legislative proposal designed to provide teachers and parents the confidence they need to enhance teaching and learning with the best technology — by ensuring that data collected in the educational context is used only for educational purposes.  This bill, modeled on a landmark California statute, builds on the recommendations of the White House Big Data and Privacy review released earlier this year, would prevent companies from selling student data to third parties for purposes unrelated to the educational mission and from engaging in targeted advertising to students based on data collected in school – while still permitting important research initiatives to improve student learning outcomes, and efforts by companies to continuously improve the effectiveness of their learning technology products.

New Commitments from the Private Sector to Help Enhance Privacy for Students:  Today 75 companies have committed to the cause, signing a pledge to provide parents, teachers, and kids themselves with important protections against misuse of their data.  This pledge was led by the Future of Privacy Forum and the Software & Information Industry Association, and today the President challenged other companies to follow their lead.

New Tools from the Department of Education to Empower Educators Around the Country and Protect Students: The Department of Education and its Privacy Technical Assurance Center play a critical role in protecting American children from invasions of privacy. Today, we are announcing a forthcoming model terms of service, as well as teacher training assistance that will enhance our ability to help ensure educational data is used appropriately and in accordance with the educational mission.

Convening the Public and Private Sector to Tackle Emerging Privacy Issues

Voluntary Code of Conduct for Smart Grid Customer Data Privacy: Today the Department of Energy and the Federal Smart Grid Task Force are releasing a new Voluntary Code of Conduct (VCC) for utilities and third parties aimed at protecting electricity customer data — including energy usage information.  This Code reflects a year of expert and public consultation, including input from industry stakeholders, privacy experts, and the public.  As companies begin to sign on, the VCC will help improve consumer awareness, choice and consent, and controls on access.

Promoting Innovation by Improving Consumers Confidence Online

Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights Legislation: Online interactions should be governed by clear principles — principles that look at the context in which data is collected and ensure that users’ expectations are not abused.  Those were the key themes of the Administration’s 2012 Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, and today the Commerce Department announced it has completed its public consultation on revised draft legislation enshrining those principles into law.  Within 45 days, the Administration will release this revised legislative proposal and today we call on Congress to begin active consideration of this important issue.

These actions build on steps the President has already taken to support consumer privacy and fight identity theft, including:

Making Federal Payments More Secure to Help Drive the Market Forward: In October, as part of his BuySecure Initiative, the President issued an Executive Order laying out a new policy to secure payments to and from the Federal government by applying chip and PIN technology to newly issued and existing government credit cards, as well as debit cards like Direct Express, and upgrading retail payment card terminals at Federal agency facilities to accept chip and PIN-enabled cards. This accompanied an effort by major companies like Home Depot, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart to roll out secure chip and PIN-compatible card terminals in stores across the country.

New Measures to Prevent Identity Theft: The President also announced new steps by the government to assist victims of identity theft, including supporting the Federal Trade Commission in their development of a new one-stop resource for victims at IdentityTheft.gov and expanding information sharing to ensure Federal investigators’ ability to regularly report evidence of stolen financial and other information to companies whose customers are directly affected.

SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS IN INDIA AT FORD FACTORY TOUR IN INDIA

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Remarks at Ford Factory Tour Sanand
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Gujarat, India
January 12, 2015

Well, good morning, everybody. What a great team. How are you? Everybody learning everything you have to learn? Everybody knows how to build a car? All right.

This is very, very exciting for me. I was mentioning to Nigel that, back in my home state of Massachusetts, where I have lived all my life, my -- some of our friends up in the part of the country -- part of the state have a farm. And the whole farm is 360 acres. That's a big farm. I was just learning from Nigel that this plant is 460 acres of plant, which is absolutely extraordinary. And, as I think about what is going to go on here, it is really exciting for me to be able to come and visit and see this.

All of you know that in the United States we went through a transformation in our auto industry. And for a period of time the auto industry was very hard hit. There are a lot of reasons for that. But we believed in it, President Obama believed in it, and we helped the industry to turn around. And, as a result, not only do we now have a very exciting auto industry in Detroit and in other parts of the country, but look at this: we have a $1 billion investment right here in this plant, another $1 billion in another plant. There will be more than 11,000 jobs between those, and those will create something like 30,000 jobs here in India for all of the different suppliers and downstream companies that are part of the whole production process.

It is an amazing story. And you, each of you, those of you working here, are really very, very lucky in lots of ways, because you are defining the future for India and for the United States and for the world. This is the future. What Nigel was just talking about is more and more people are now gaining purchasing power, because, as the jobs grow, the economy grows, more and more trade takes place, more and more people who have been locked in poverty for too long are beginning to be able to be part of the global commerce. And there are still hundreds of millions of people out there, waiting to share in that.

So, what Nigel is saying is, as those people begin to get a better job, get a little bit of money, they're going to go out and buy a car. And that means building roads, garages, being able to make them economical. And also, having cars that are environmentally sound and friendly, because automobiles contribute to the greenhouse gases, which contributes to global climate change. So we all need to be very smart about the kinds of cars we design, and what we do, and the long-term effect on the surrounding community and the environment. But this is exciting, because it really represents the economic transformation that is bringing our countries closer and closer together.

I just was part of this vibrant Gujarat Summit that we had. I was with the Prime Minister yesterday. I know he is excited about coming out here, I think some time in March, and inaugurating this particular plant. And then you will officially be in production. But we talked about how, in so many different businesses, there are enormous possibilities for cooperation between the United States and India. And we are both democracies. We are the oldest democracy; you are the biggest democracy. And, together, we think we have an opportunity to say a lot to people about freedom, about opportunity, about respect, about rights, and about people's ability to be able to make their own choices and do better in life.

America and India share a passion for innovation and for thinking and for freedom. You will find, as you work here, and as you go on, that your lives are going to be significantly improved and better because of the kind of operation that is run here. I know you have a Happy Schools program, and you also have health care and other kinds of things. All of these are the kinds of benefits that come with a good job, a good company. And I want you all to know that, in my family, we have a Ford hybrid car. (Applause.) So I am happy to say that I am here with friends, I'm safe.

But let me just thank all of you very, very much. President Obama is very excited about coming. He is going to be your National Day guest during the observance in a couple of weeks. And he and the Prime Minister will meet, and I'm confident that they will be able to make some positive progress on some of the issues that we're working on together on energy, on our bilateral investments, the relationship with our economies. And we are very, very excited about the possibilities for a stronger and stronger relationship between the United States and India.

So, I wish you all well. I congratulate you on being part of an incredibly modern, amazingly state-of-the-art plant. I urge you all to learn as much as you can, work as hard as you can, listen to the safety rules. And I wish you all well, and thank you for a wonderful welcome here, at this truly amazing plant. It's a great privilege for me to be able to be here with you. Thank you so much. Thank you. (Applause.)

DOCTOR CLAIMED MILLIONS IN FALSE BUSINESS EXPENSES

 FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Friday, January 9, 2015
Former Kentucky Doctor Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax Returns Claiming Millions in False Business Expenses

A former London, Kentucky, doctor pleaded guilty today to filing false tax returns on which he falsely reported millions in fictitious business expenses to reduce his taxable income, announced Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert for the Justice Department’s Tax Division.

According to the documents filed with the court, Dr. Visa Haran Sivasubramaniam owned and operated Hematology Oncology Physicians East (HOPE), where he offered medical oncology and hematology services.  During a three year period, from 2007 through 2009, Sivasubramaniam earned more than $16 million in total income from HOPE, but he reported nearly $13 million worth of false and fictitious medical supply expenses to offset that income.  Sivasubramaniam admitted that for 2008 and 2009, he signed false corporate tax returns for HOPE and false personal tax returns, which reported limited taxable income and ficticious losses from HOPE when he in fact knew that his net income was millions of dollars more.  According to court documents, Sivasubramaniam owes more than $4.5 million in taxes.

Sivasubramaniam faces a statutory maximum sentence of six years in prison and a $500,000 fine.  His sentencing is set for July 7 before U.S. District Judge Amul R. Thapar for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

This case was investigated by special agents of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.  Trial Attorneys Yael T. Epstein and Thomas G. Voracek of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.

HHS TOUTS ACA AS MAKING "GREAT STRIDES" FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH CARE

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 
Great Strides for Women’s Health Under the Affordable Care Act
Jan 09, 2015

By: Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement, The White House
President Obama has said repeatedly that “when women succeed, America succeeds.”  And over the past year, millions of women have gained the security of knowing that their professional, academic, financial, and personal dreams will not be put in jeopardy if they face a health challenge.  Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) released a report detailing the important strides we have made in women’s health as a result of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”).

Up until last year, insurance companies could - and often did - charge women different premiums than men for the same coverage. As of January 1, 2014, the ACA prohibits this gender discrimination.   In part because of improved options and affordability, today’s report outlines a significant 5.5 percentage point decline in the uninsured rate among women between the ages of 18 and 64 since 2013.  And as more and more women take advantage of the Open Enrollment period that ends February 15, 2015, and sign up for affordable private health insurance, that number will continue to drop.

These statistics are reflected in the individual stories and experiences of our neighbors, friends, colleagues, and loved ones.  I recently spoke with Ann C., a mother of three from Connecticut, who described to me her new appreciation for the importance of preventative care.  Last year, Ann was relieved to find a health insurance plan that she could afford by enrolling through the Marketplace.  She quickly put her new coverage to good use, and scheduled a mammogram.  The test revealed an irregularity which lead to an immediate biopsy and minor surgery.   She was diagnosed with cancer, but fortunately she had the coverage she needed in order to catch it early on and she had a method to pay for treatment.  Imagine learning such news without the ability to receive or pay for treatments. Because she caught it early, Ann is now facing a brighter, cancer-free future.

And Ann is far from alone.  One in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime, and that is just one of many illnesses which both disproportionately affect women, and which can often be treated more effectively if caught early.  The ACA has increased coverage for millions of women and helped millions more remain healthy with improved access to preventive services such as mammograms, Pap smears, contraception, domestic violence screening, and other vital health services for no out-of-pocket cost.  As revealed in today’s HHS report, over 48 million women have benefitted from this expanded access to preventive care.  And because these services are available without a co-pay, women no longer need to choose between the health care they need and their other essential expenses.

Today’s report also found that the ACA has been instrumental in providing maternity benefits. 8.7 million women who purchased coverage on the individual market  have gained these crucial benefits.  The ACA also requires plans to cover maternity-related preventive services, which help increase the likelihood of a healthy and safe delivery.  With even an uncomplicated delivery costing tens of thousands of dollars, these new protections are helping curb the large expenses many women and families incur for hospital stays during pregnancy.
Today marks the last day of the Women’s Week of Action, celebrating the ACA’s accomplishments, and gearing up for the work we still have left ahead of us.  The Affordable Care Act has given millions of women peace of mind for themselves and their families. And although many women have gained coverage since last year’s Open Enrollment, there are still millions of women who have yet to sign up and gain access to these crucial services.

DOJ INTERVENES IN LAWSUIT REGARDING CANCELLATION OF REDSKINS TRADEMARKS

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Friday, January 9, 2015
Justice Department Intervenes in Lawsuit Involving Washington Redskins Trademark
Justice Department Will Defend Constitutionality of Trademark Statute

Earlier today, the government filed a notice of intervention in Pro-Football, Inc. v. Amanda Blackhorse, et al. notifying the court in the Eastern District of Virginia that it would defend the federal authorities of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), the Justice Department announced.

In August 2006, five Native Americans, Amanda Blackhorse, Marcus Briggs, Philip Gover, Jillian Pappan and Courtney Tsotigh, sought the cancellation of six Washington Redskins trademark registrations under the Lanham Act on the grounds that the trademarks were disparaging to Native Americans at the time they were registered.  A panel of the TTAB agreed and issued a June 18, 2014 decision that the registrations should be canceled.

Pro-Football Inc., the owner of the Washington Redskins, filed a complaint in U.S. District Court on Aug. 14, 2014, against the five individuals who had petitioned the TTAB for invalidation of the Redskins trademarks.  Pro-Football Inc. is challenging the constitutionality of Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1052(a) on the grounds that the act violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  The Lanham Act permits denial or cancellation of a trademark application if the trademark is disparaging or falsely suggests a connection with persons living or dead, institutions, beliefs or national symbols.  The act further provides that if a private party believes that a trademark was improperly registered, the party may commence a review proceeding before the TTAB seeking to have the trademark canceled.

The United States will defend the constitutionality of the federal statute.

“The Department of Justice is dedicated to defending the constitutionality of the important statute ensuring that trademark issues involving disparaging and derogatory language are dealt with fairly,” said Acting

Assistant Attorney General Joyce R. Branda for the Civil Division.  “I believe strongly in the rights of all Americans to celebrate and maintain their unique cultural heritage.  Going forward, we will strive to maintain the ability of the United States Patent and Trademark Office to make its own judgment on these matters, based on clear authorities established by law.”

The United States is specifically authorized by federal statute to intervene in any federal action in which the constitutionality of an act of Congress is drawn into question.  Intervention by the United States will not interfere with the timely adjudication of this action.

The case is being handled by the Justice Department’s Civil Division’s Federal Programs Branch with the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

NASA | 'Disk Detectives' Top 1 Million Classifications in Search for Pla...

SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS AT VIBRANT GUJARAT

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Remarks at the Vibrant Gujarat Opening Ceremony
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar
Gujarat, India
January 11, 2015

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much. Prime Minister Modi and Secretary General Ban, many famous ministers, trade representatives, the prime ministers – ladies and gentlemen, I fear we have reached that magical moment in an event when just about everything has been said, but not everybody has said it. (Laughter.) For me it is a privilege to be able to be here for many reasons, but perhaps most importantly, I’m personally delighted to be back in India, and to join you for the seventh Vibrant Gujarat summit. Particularly because this is the home state of your visionary prime minister, your prime minister who has brought a particular energy to this transformational moment, but also because he has already made the name Gujarat synonymous with possibilities, with change, with energy. (Applause.)

And I know it is because of his reputation for what he achieved in the course of his leadership here in Gujarat, that the people of India have now given him this very special mandate to help make this the moment that we all come together to achieve the goals that Secretary Ban Ki-moon, World Bank President Jim Kim, and others have described here this morning.

It is also particularly exciting for me, I’m told that this morning we are all of us talking to you about 95 percent of the people responsible for 95 percent of the GDP of India. So this is an amazing opportunity.

I know that President Obama is very excited and particularly pleased with the fact that he will be the first United States president to be honored as Chief Guest on Republic Day – (applause) – and he will be the first sitting United States president to visit India twice while in office. (Applause.) Let me make it clear: We believe that that purposefully says something important about the value that both countries place on our critically important relationship.

There are an amazing number of thoughtful leaders here today, some of whom like our friends from the Netherlands, the Dutch who have made themselves particularly visible and energetic this morning. (Laughter.) But let me just say something that I feel that I think everybody shares. We may all come from different walks of life, but we stand together this morning with the people of France as they march in tribute to the victims of last week’s murderous attack on the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo in Paris. And we stand together not just in anger and outrage, but in solidarity and commitment to the cause of confronting extremism and in the cause that extremists fear so much and that has always united our countries – freedom. We stand together in freedom and together we make it clear that no act of terror will ever stop the march of freedom. (Applause.)

I want to emphasize, not to the exclusion of any other country – there are many countries here who share this particular belief – but the United States and India are two countries, literally defined in our documents that create us as a nation, defined by our commitment to freedom, to innovation, to the belief that all things are possible. President Obama often tells people that only in America would his particular journey have been possible. And Prime Minister Modi’s journey from a young man who sold tea right by the railroad right here in Gujarat to the Prime Minister’s residence on Race Course Road seems no less improbable. (Applause.) So we join you in celebrating the extraordinary chapter of India that is being written today.

I am especially pleased to be joined here today by two key leaders from our Administration, the leaders of the U.S.-India relationship: Ambassador Rich Verma and Assistant Secretary Nisha Desai Biswal. Half a century ago, Ambassador Verma’s parents left India – a country they loved and have never stopped loving – to build a life in the United States. Today, I couldn’t be more pleased that we have returned the favor by sending Rich Verma, our first Indian-American Ambassador, to India. (Applause.) And Nisha, who is here today, was born right here in Gujarat, and she is now here as the Assistant Secretary of State of the United States and my principal adviser on strengthening the U.S.-India partnership. (Applause.)

Every nation prides itself in any number of different things. One of the things that we share with a number of nations, but we particularly pride ourselves in, is the benefit that our country gains from diversity. And frankly, this belief in opportunity, even against long odds, is unique to India and the United States in many ways. Our founding documents begin with exactly the same three words: “We the people.” (Applause.) And our innovators and entrepreneurs are constantly pushing the curve of discovery, constantly believing in the possibilities of the future.

I’ve been coming to India now for many years. In fact, I remember traveling here at the end of the Cold War, a young senator, when nerves were still raw and suspicions still lingered. But as a senator, I began to see how profoundly this relationship could change quickly.

When I traveled to Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore with executives from companies and high-tech industries, I was immediately overwhelmed by the sense of possibility, by the promise, by the entrepreneurial passion. And I believe very strongly that today the moment has literally never been more ripe to deliver on the incredible possibilities of relationships between all of our countries.

If we work together, with partners who are here and some who are not here today, I am convinced that the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy can help to forge a new era of shared possibility and security for hundreds of millions of people in India, but indeed, across Asia, and across the world. We can do exactly what Jim Kim said: We could end extreme poverty in our lifetimes. (Applause.)

In fact, our economic partnership is already growing stronger by the day. Annual trade in goods and services between the United States and India has grown nearly five-fold since 2000 alone. Bilateral foreign direct investment now stands at nearly $30 billion. And our trade and investment supports hundreds of thousands of jobs in both of our countries and in other countries that are partnering here. The fruits of this kind of partnership are extraordinary, and the supply chain for goods and services now stretches not just one country to another but between many different countries.

Here’s the truth, and this is what is important at a meeting like this: We can do more together, and we must do more together, and we have to do it faster. That’s why I’m here this week, because I want to ensure that our economic relationship grows stronger in every respect. We share Prime Minister Modi’s goal of increasing our countries’ annual trade fivefold in the years ahead, and we want to expand our commercial ties and change the way our businesses talk with one another so we can take this relationship, and these relationships is plural, to the new heights that we envision.

And I want to emphasize, we do not view this as a zero-sum competition where we have to fight exclusively for what we want or what India, United States would have – all of us have an ability to take charge of the opportunities that are staring us in the face. When you consider – I think Jim Kim mentioned these numbers – the number of people living in extreme poverty around the world today, the numbers of schools that need to be built, the number of hospitals that need to be built, the roads that need to be built, the energy grids that need to be changed, the unbelievable opportunity to tourism by (inaudible) travel, we are building an endless set of possibilities, and it through this kind of meeting that we will harness the energy to make the most of those possibilities.

I am convinced, as we look to the relationship of the future though, just as Ban Ki-moon mentioned a few minutes ago, there is one enormous cloud hanging over all of us which requires responsibility from leaders. Global climate change is already violently affecting communities not just across India but around the world. It is disrupting commerce, development, and economic growth. It’s costing farmers crops. It’s costing insurance companies unbelievable payouts. It’s raising the cost of doing business, and believe me, if it continues down the current trend-line, we will see climate refugees fighting each other for water and seeking food and new opportunity.

So this is a relationship between India and the United States where we believe very deeply that we could turn sustainable economic growth opportunities into a prosperity we have ever seen before. And it means one very simply thing: Unlike many problems in public life where you struggle sometimes between the plusses and minuses of a particular choice you make – and leaders here all know and business leaders all know what I’m talking about – the choices of climate change offer an unprecedented number of plusses, and frankly, almost no downside. If we make the choices that are staring us in the face, the fact is that a solution to climate change is already here. It’s called energy policy. Sustainable energy policy. And in a sustainable energy policy comes a whole set of benefits to our economy, something many countries of the world are screaming for today.

The world that changed the United States creation of wealth in the 1990s was a $1 trillion market with 1 billion users. And we created wealth through every single sector of the American economy. It was the technology revolution – communications, principally. The world we’re looking at today, the energy market, is a $6 trillion market with four to five billion users today, potentially, and up to 9 billion users by the year 2050, if population meets the current trends. My friends, that’s the greatest market human beings have ever known. And if we seize it properly, our ability to bring modern resources to the task is unlimited.

That means we need to join together to take advantage of the challenge that was laid down by Prime Minister Modi who has now committed to greatly expand India’s wind resources, make your agricultural systems more resilient, increase your national solar mission fivefold. And together, we can create an environment where all of our companies play leading roles in bringing cutting-edge technologies, equipment, capital, and know-how not just to India but to countless countries that need this growth and development now. That’s how we will turn Prime Minister Modi’s “Make in India” initiative a win-win opportunity for the planet as a whole. (Applause.)

So I just close by saying to all of you that I can’t think of a moment in the years I’ve been in public life when our destinies are converging as significantly as they are today. India and the United States I think have a common responsibility, together with our other country partners, a common opportunity to prove that democracies can deliver for their citizens, and frankly, that by doing so that is when we are at our strongest. It is also when we’re at our most secure. And that’s how we will capitalize on the full potential inherent in this partnership now and for generations to come.

I was very taken during Prime Minister Modi’s campaign by (in Hindi) – (applause) – participate in the (inaudible). I tell you what, that sounds like a pretty good slogan for all of us to adopt, and if we adopt it, we can get the job done. Thank you very, very much. (Applause.)