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

After leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives decided to ban earmarks for companies, executives figured out creative ways to still receive millions in federal tax dollars. An investigation by The New York Times found the end-around tricks hav...   read more

Oil settling on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon accident is threatening access to historical shipwrecks.   “If this oil congeals on the bottom, it will be dangerous for scuba divers to go down there and explore,” Ste...   read more

The 10 months that Marty Redding Jr. spent fighting the Germans during World War II was nothing compared to the battle the Florida resident has fought over seven decades with the Department of Veterans Affairs.   Despite a VA doctor’s diagnosis ...   read more

What’s the difference between “combat operations” and “stability operations?” Other than one word, not much, when it comes to the U.S. military role in Iraq.   Next month, the U.S. will officially end combat operations in the country it invaded ...   read more

Wachovia bank recently reached an agreement with federal prosecutors to settle charges that it allowed drug cartels to launder more than $378 billion through exchange houses it owned in Mexico from 2004 to 2007. Wachovia, now owned by Wells Fargo,...   read more

The first signs of the gulf oil spill entering the food chain have been found in the larvae of blue crabs and fiddler crabs, say scientists with the University of Southern Mississippi and Tulane University. The introduction of oil into crab specie...   read more

Looking for an advantage in dealing with federal regulatory agencies, hedge funds are hiring former top officials with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Ex-SEC chairman Harvey Pitt and former commissioner Roel Campos now work for hedge...   read more

Government subsidies for ethanol benefit not only the producers of the corn-based fuel additive, but also major oil companies. For every gallon of ethanol used in gasoline, an oil company receives 45 cents, and those credits have added up to more ...   read more

A former powerbroker on Wall Street, Philip D. Murphy was confirmed as the U.S. ambassador to Germany August 7, 2009, after spending several years during the mid-1990s as head of Goldman Sachs’ Frankfurt office. His familiarity with the German eco...   read more

If there’s one thing the new head of the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor knows, it is human rights. Sworn in as Assistant Secretary October 19, 2009, Michael L. Posner has spent the past 30 years dedicating himself t...   read more

The assistant secretary for the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, Patricia A. Hoffman, was nominated for the position December 9, 2009, and finally confirmed June 22, 2010. Hoffman is no stranger to the office, having held num...   read more

Patrick M. Gallagher has spent virtually his entire career at the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which is best known for setting America’s clock by providing the nation’s standard time service. Gall...   read more

With 40 years of experience as a scientist and engineer in the field of radiation effects science, technology, and hardness assurance in support of military and space systems, Peter S. Winokur took over the chairmanship of the Defense Nuclear Faci...   read more

Female members of the armed services currently don’t have access to abortion procedures at military hospitals, including facilities overseas that provide the only source of medical care for soldiers. But legislation passed 15-12 by the Senate Arme...   read more

Despite the addition of 100,000 new jobs to the federal workforce by the end of last year, representation of Hispanics in U.S. government jobs did not increase, says the Coalition for Fairness for Hispanics in Government. This development upset th...   read more

Millions of gallons of spilled oil aren’t the only danger to whales living in the Gulf of Mexico. The use of powerful sound waves by the oil industry to perform seismic surveys of the ocean floor has endangered the well-being of whales and dolphi...   read more