Katie Rucke

Katie Rucke is a MintPress staff writer and investigative report specializing in the war on drugs, criminal justice, marijuana legislation, education and watchdog investigations as well as whistle-blowers. Her investigations related to the coverage of the 2010 Toyota recall scandal, and coverage of the trials of Anonymous hacker and proclaimed activist Jeremy Hammond as well as Bradley Manning have received international acclaim. Rucke has been recommended by the Wikileaks organization as a trusted journalist in 2013. Rucke has also written pieces for Yahoo! and various community magazines. Follow Katie on Twitter: @katierucke

You’ve Got Mail: Judge Grants Feds Unrestricted Access To Gmail Account

In giving law enforcement unfettered access to search for “some needles” in one individual’s “computer haystack,” a judge fans the flames of the data debate.

Privacy advocates were dealt a major blow on July 18, when a federal judge in New York ruled that law enforcement has the legal authority to search the entire email account of an unnamed individual who police believe was involved in a money laundering scheme. Google is now legally required to hand over the entire contents of the unnamed

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Marijuana Legalization To Be On The Ballot In A Maine City And Oregon

Come November, Alaska, Oregon, and South Portland, Maine, voters will decide whether to legalize marijuana for adults.

It’s official: Voters in Oregon and South Portland, Maine, will decide this fall whether to follow in the footsteps of Colorado and Washington state and legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older in limited quantities. News that voters in Oregon had gathered the some 88,500 signatures needed to place the legalization measure on the November

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Is The EPA Doing Enough To Stop Corporate Polluters?

Due to “the reality of budget cuts and staffing reductions,” the EPA has had to make hard choices, including the choice to only pursue “high impact cases.”

A new investigative report, published by The Crime Report, alleges that the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice often fail to hold corporations criminally accountable for violating environmental laws, including knowingly discharging raw sewage into water or killing a bald eagle. As Graham Kates, author of the report,

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New Hampshire Celebrates Bittersweet Anniversary Of Medical Marijuana Program

Officials in the Granite State are still stonewalling on the implementation of medical marijuana legislation signed into law last year.

Wednesday marked the bittersweet one year anniversary of New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan signing the state’s medical marijuana legislation into law. One year later, though, and that law has yet to take effect. Instead of rejoicing, medical marijuana patients and advocates “celebrated” the first anniversary of the state’s decision to legalize

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“Startling” Number Of Americans Are On Terrorist Watchlist

Experts argue that by including so many names on the Terrorist Watchlist, it’s actually more difficult for law enforcement to investigate or apprehend real criminals.

Imam Abdul A. Muhammad

According to a civil lawsuit made public last week, the U.S. government has added more than 1.5 million names -- not individuals -- to its Terrorist Watchlist in the last five years. This has sparked concern among many human rights organizations and advocacy groups, who say that the government has become too aggressive in its efforts to keep the

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Like NSA, Local Police Spy On Americans Without Warrant

Stingrays and other cell surveillance tools have been used in the U.S. for years without the knowledge of the public or even defense attorneys and judges.

Long before the National Security Agency was caught electronically surveilling Americans without first obtaining a warrant, local law enforcement agencies in about 15 states had been using technology to collect information from nearby cellular devices -- also without obtaining a warrant. Known as a Stingray, the suitcase-sized surveillance tool

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UAV Enthusiasts: Drone Photography Is Not A Crime

For several drone photography enthusiasts, their own footage has been their best defense against spurious charges.

David Beesmer was arrested by a New York state trooper on Tuesday and charged with a felony -- unlawful surveillance in the second degree -- for recording aerial video footage of the Mid Hudson Medical Group building in Ulster, New York, which just opened last Monday. Beesmer was in the area because he had taken his mother to a doctor’s

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