Bruce Fein

McCain, Elon Musk, defense authorization

Section 1615 of the pending National Defense Authorization Act smuggled in by Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, to repay political benefactor Elon Musk proves philosopher Samuel Johnson's adage: "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel."

October 17, 2017

Trump should ignore call to leave NAFTA alone

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's stentorian call to leave the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) largely undisturbed should be ignored by President Donald Trump.

October 16, 2017

Sunset Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act proviso

The science of government is the science of experiment. Statutes routinely give birth to unintended consequences.

October 11, 2017

Medical Marijuana Amendment: Trump, Sessions wrong

Exemplary is the opposition of President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions to extending the Rohrabacher Medical Marijuana Amendment to prohibit the expenditure of federal funds to prosecute medical marijuana businesses that are operating legally under state law.

September 25, 2017

U.N.-Nigeria stance on Biafrans

The United Nations will live in infamy for lending its megaphone on Tuesday, September 19, 2017, to Nigeria's elected military dictator Muhammadu Buhari.

September 20, 2017

Elections security is national security

The U.S. Senate should enthusiastically pass the Graham-Klobuchar amendment to H.R. 2810, the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2018.

August 28, 2017

Congress: Trust NIH but verify the science

Scientists have ulterior motives and agendas like the rest of us.

August 18, 2017

Trump Mueller Nixon Saturday Night Massacre

Congress should enact legislation that would protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller from arbitrary firing by President Trump to short-circuit his investigation of alleged Russian government collusion with the Trump presidential campaign or related crimes. It should resurrect the Independent Counsel Act.

August 15, 2017

Trump, North Korea, Constitution

On matters of war and peace, the U.S. Constitution speaks in prime colors, not pastels.

August 14, 2017

Antiquities Act: No president licensed to revoke national monuments

The text, spirit, and 111-year history of the Antiquities Act of 1906 militate against presidential power to revoke a national monument proclamation made by a predecessor president. That conclusion does not disturb the U.S. Constitution's separation of powers.

August 1, 2017

Congress should sunset Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act amendments

Congress should sunset any extension of the intelligence community's dubious electronic surveillance authority to intercept, store and search the contents of international communications under section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments of 2008.

July 31, 2017

Section 702 Surveillance Authority: No Extension Unless the Fourth Amendment Honored

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments of 2008 (FAA) authorizes the government to seize and search the international communications of American citizens without probable cause or warrants in violation of the Fourth Amendment. Section 702 should not be extended beyond its current expiration date of December 31, 2017 unless Congress cures its constitutional infirmity.

July 25, 2017

Trump Sessions election integrity commission

President Donald Trump's May 11, 2017 Executive Order establishing the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity is overbroad and unfocused. Section 3 (a) and (b), for instance, authorizes inquiry into anything that might "enhance" or "undermine" public confidence in the integrity of elections, which could include media or polling biases, money, gerrymandering, or otherwise.

July 19, 2017

Congress Obamacare repeal replace

The congressional effort to repeal or reform Obamacare is on life support. Congress should not let this serious crisis go to waste.

July 18, 2017

Consumer Finance Protection Bureau arbitration

The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau's (CFPB) anti-arbitration rule to facilitate expensive class action litigation to resolve consumer finance disputes in lead-footed courts is like a doctor recommending chocolate sundaes to treat obesity.

July 17, 2017

Congress Aerojet Rocketdyne military influence Russia

Do you think this common quid pro quo between lawmakers and members of the multi-trillion dollar military-industrial-counterterrorism complex (MICC) ought to be criminal?

July 13, 2017

H.R. McMaster’s ‘Dereliction of Duty’

National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster is guilty of the same deceits, expediencies and tergiversations for which he sharply rebuked our military leadership during the Vietnam War in "Dereliction of Duty." Mr. Master's defection from his own gospel to the catechisms of the multi-trillion dollar military-industrial-counterterrorism complex was no aberration.

July 11, 2017

Trump, Congress science funding

Government-funded scientific research is generally a bad deal for taxpayers but a good deal for government officials who choose to feed at the public trough. To no avail, erstwhile Sen. William Proxmire (D-Wis.) acquired notoriety with Golden Fleece Awards for inane or extravagant government spending.

July 7, 2017

Trump Mattis McMaster military advice

President Donald Trump should beware of his military advisers -- especially retired Marine Corps General and Secretary of Defense James Mattis, and U.S. Army officer and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.

July 5, 2017

Congress voter fraud cyber security

Something is rotten in the state of our electronic voting practices. They are recklessly wandering toward online voting despite their high vulnerable to hacking and manipulation by cyberspace clowns, partisans, enemies, or all three.

July 4, 2017