Controversies
Federal Judge Rules against Allowing Corporations to Submit Ballot Propositions
As far as U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez is concerned, despite the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, corporations don’t enjoy the same rights as individuals when it comes to submitting ballot propositions.
In a ruling out of San Diego... read more
Why Did Justice Dept. Lose 30% of Tax Prosecutors in One Month?
The federal government’s effort to crackdown on tax evaders using overseas banks has become hampered by the sudden loss of almost one-third of its tax prosecutors can civil litigators.
Within the Department of Justice, 25 of the 95 attorneys i... read more
Virginia First State to Sell Naming Rights to Roads
Having become the first state to sell off the naming rights of its rest stops, Virginia is going one step further by naming roads and bridges after anyone ponying up the necessary cash.
State officials are still deciding how much it will cost ... read more
Report Faults National Park Service for Not Supporting History Education
A group of university historians has faulted the National Park Service (NPS) for doing an inconsistent job of properly sharing the history of national treasures with visitors.
In the study Imperiled Promise, which was commissioned by NPS, four... read more
House Subcommittee Hearing on Low Morale at Homeland Security Fails to Call Any Employees as Witnesses
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has a human resources problem, both in terms of leadership and espirit de corps.
Things are so bad at DHS that a congressional hearing was held to discuss the matter. But when the House Subcommittee on... read more
Report Says Fatal West Virginia Mine Disaster Could Have Been Prevented by Regulators
Had the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) done its job, nearly 30 miners might be alive today.
In April 2010, an explosion inside the Upper Big Branch Mine (UBB) in West Virginia killed 29 men digging for coal. But the accident migh... read more
ATF Employees Give Low Scores to Leadership
Leaders of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are not well regarded by the agency’s rank and file. An internal survey asked employees if managers maintained “high standards of honesty and integrity.” Only 44% said “yes.”... read more
Would Loan Forgiveness Help Homeowners and the Government?
An internal assessment by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has concluded that reductions of mortgage principal would serve to benefit both homeowners and the federal government. But the head of the FHFA has resisted this move.
Lowerin... read more
Illinois City Sued for Not Testing Hundreds of Rape Kits
Harvey, Illinois, is being sued by a sexual assault victim who contends police officials failed to process or preserve more than 200 rape kits. The plaintiff, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, also claims police “have a history of discrim... read more
Nuclear-Powered Drones Stopped by “Political Conditions”…Or Just Delayed
Scientists at a leading defense contractor and government research laboratory have been working on developing a new generation of drone aircraft that utilizes nuclear power.
Based on a vaguely worded report out of Sandia National Laboratories,... read more
U.S. Fisheries Service Kills Sea Lions to Help Salmon Industry
When the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) released revised regulations last year to allow the states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho to kill sea lions thought to be eating too many salmon, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and... read more
Judge Overrules EPA Denial of Mountaintop Removal Coal Permit
Despite a recent study showing that mountaintop removal coal mining—in which coal companies literally remove the tops of mountains, dump the tons of debris into nearby streams and then strip mine the underlying coal—causes children born nearby to ... read more
Assets of 10 Biggest Banks=Half of U.S. GDP
The nation’s largest banks, with combined holdings equal to half of the U.S. economy, represent a “clear and present danger” and must be broken up.
This alarmist conclusion is not the work of a consumer advocate or a liberal critic of Wall Str... read more
EPA Says Water Near Pennsylvania Fracking is Safe, but Would You Drink It?
Experts with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) told residents of Dimock, Pennsylvania, that their water—contaminated with chemicals from hydraulic fracturing—is safe to drink.
Locals and some scientists aren’t buying it.
“Any sugge... read more
Rebranding Sewage Sludge as Compost
If one Washington lobby has its way, sewage sludge will be rebranded as compost, making it easier for crops to be exposed to toxic materials.
Pushing the rebranding effort is the U.S. Composting Council, an organization founded by the makers o... read more
Florida Becomes First State to Drug Test Public Employees…Except Elected Officials
Following the time-honored tradition of lawmakers (“do unto others as you would not do unto yourself”), the Florida legislature adopted the first-in-the-nation law that allows state workers to be tested for drug use.
Legislators are exempt.
... read more