Rumors are spreading that the U.S. Supreme Court will vote 5-4 to rule that a U.S. president cannot be prosecuted for anything he does while he is president. Some Democrats are suggesting that Joe Biden bring a gun to his first debate with Donald Trump. If he shoots Trump, he would be immune, but if Trump shoots Biden he would be prosecuted because he is not a sitting president.   read more

The great budget reduction negotiated by Republican leaders and President Barack Obama may not be so large after all. In fact, it might just be pretty darn small.   An analysis by the Congressional Budget Office has concluded the real savings ...   read more

American Airlines and United Airlines along with two airport security firms will have to pay a $1.2 billion settlement for damage caused to property during the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center.   Approved by the Second Cir...   read more

There certainly was a lot of cleaning up after the BP oil spill in the Gulf region, and not all of it had to do with petroleum.   While the worst oil spill in U.S. history was economically damaging for many in Louisiana, others made out like b...   read more

After more than 30 years, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has decided to flex its muscles at the coal mining industry, warning two operators to fix safety violations or face being shut down.   MSHA officials have told Bledsoe ...   read more

In the 38-year history of the Endangered Species Act, Congress had never intervened in the law and dictated whether an animal or plant should be protected. But that streak is now over, with the inclusion of language in the budget compromise bill...   read more

The CIA has lost nearly 100 top officials to the private sector since Sept. 11, 2001, denying the spy agency a wealth of experience as it seeks to combat terrorism and other threats to the United States. The losses also represent a change in att...   read more

House Republicans and President Barack Obama have demonstrated how much they value the importance of government transparency. As part of their budget compromise averting a federal shutdown, the two sides agreed to slash funding for government in...   read more

America’s patent system has always been based on the first-to-invent principle, meaning whoever creates something new gets the right to sell it and profit from their work. Now, Congress is seriously considering replacing this historical system w...   read more

More than 80,000 workers operate Japan’s 18 nuclear power plants, but nearly 90% of them are not employees. Those manning the complex, potentially dangerous facilities are contractors who receive varying levels of pay and benefits, depending on ...   read more

The $38 billion budget compromise that averted a government shutdown contained numerous political victories for Republicans, as well as some chicanery to help inflate the GOP achievement.   For instance, lawmakers can claim they cut $5 billion f...   read more

Instead of collecting their federal pensions in their forties or fifties, congressional lawmakers would have to wait until they reach the Social Security retirement age, under legislation introduced in the Senate.   “It’s time for members of C...   read more

Leaders of the Seminole Indians have demanded a personal apology from President Barack Obama after military lawyers involved in tribunals for Guantánamo detainees compared the actions of the Florida tribe’s ancestors to al-Qaeda.   In 1818, Gene...   read more

Maikel Nabil Sanad, a blogger who publicly criticized the military regime governing Egypt, has been sentenced to three years in prison, raising concerns about the future of democracy in the Middle Eastern country.   Nabil became the first blog...   read more

Wanting no part of the state’s new open-primary law, leaders of the Idaho Republican Party successfully sued to keep their nominee-selection process closed to all non-GOP voters. Now, even though it was Republican legislators who changed the sys...   read more

Described as “exceptional” by one international research organization, U.S. military expenditures in 2010 continued to eclipse those of all other nations, even growing powerhouse China.   Last year, China spent an estimated $119 billion on its...   read more

Life is very, very good for executives atop America’s leading corporations.   An examination by The New York Times of CEO salaries at 200 major companies revealed the median compensation in 2010 was $9.6 million. This amount was 12% higher tha...   read more