Controversies
Judge Allowed Clerks to Handle Cases While She Vacationed in China
While she was on a ten-day vacation in China, the staff of a St. Louis-based judge handled hundreds of cases for her, including denying bail and issuing arrest warrants.
Associate Circuit Judge Barbara T. Peebles is now in trouble with her jud... read more
Bank of America Agrees to Record Fine in Anti-Minority Loan Discrimination Case
Bank of America, owner of Countrywide Financial Corporation, has agreed to pay $335 million to settle discrimination complaints filed against its subsidiary.
Crafted by the U.S. Department of Justice, the settlement resolves allegations that C... read more
High Price of Water Stretching Citizens in Texas and Alabama
Incompetence and greed have made the simple necessity of turning on the tap an expensive, and increasingly prohibitive, part of ordinary life.
In Alabama, home of the nation’s largest public bankruptcy (Jefferson County), local residents are s... read more
Is Gulf Seafood Really Safe for Children and Pregnant Women?
Since the BP oil spill last year devastated the Gulf region, the federal government has encouraged the purchase of local seafood to help fishermen get back on their feet. But a new study raises the question of whether this fish is safe to consume,... read more
Reservists and Younger Vets Hit Employment Wall
While the U.S. pulls out the last of its troops from Iraq, a new difficulty back home begins: Finding jobs for thousands of returning veterans.
With the Iraq occupation over and Afghanistan expected to wind down as well in the near future, the... read more
National Guard Added to Joint Chiefs of Staff on 375th Anniversary
Despite opposition from the Department of Defense and the nation’s top military commanders, the head of the National Guard will soon have a seat at the Joints Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
Legislation approved by Republicans and Democrats is now with... read more
Ohio Changed District Boundaries to Reward Donor
Ohio’s 16th congressional district is being scrutinized for its new boundaries following the state legislature’s September approval of a redistricting plan. At the behest of a top aide for U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, who hails from Ohio’s 8th... read more
Most Chimpanzee Research No Longer Necessary
A panel of experts commissioned by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has concluded that most of the research involving chimpanzees is not necessary. According to the most recent count, there are 937 chimpanzees being used for research in the... read more
For U.S. Teens, Marijuana Up, Alcohol Down
Teenagers in the United States aren’t as big on booze as they once were. But marijuana is growing in popularity with the younger crowd.
This year marks the fourth straight year that marijuana use has gone up among teens, according to an annual... read more
FAA Okays iPads for Cockpits but Not for Passengers
When flight attendants aboard American Airlines planes announce it’s time to put away all electronic portable devices, at least two of them will still be in use.
In the cockpit.
American has decided to replace their paper flight manuals wi... read more
Obama and Marines Gave False Account of Medal of Honor Winner’s Heroism
The U.S. Marine Corps has been accused of pumping up the heroic story of Dakota Meyer, the first living Marine to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War.
Meyer was awarded the military’s most distinguished honor in September at a Whi... read more
Jon Corzine becomes First Ex-Senator to Testify in Senate Investigation
Democrat Jon Corzine of New Jersey has earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first former U.S. senator to testify in a Senate investigation, thanks to the scandal that has rocked the investment firm MF Global.
The Senate Committee o... read more
Obama and Duncan Greatly Exaggerated Figures to Justify No Child Left Behind Changes
An independent assessment of how public schools are performing under the No Child Left Behind law has found nearly half of them are failing to perform as required—a number that’s significantly lower than the total claimed by the Obama administrati... read more
Increasing Cases of U.S. Citizens Detained as Illegal Immigrants
The Obama administration’s aggressive deportation program has resulted in a growing number of U.S. citizens being detained by authorities.
Americans arrested have gotten caught up in the controversial Secure Communities program, which checks t... read more
84-Year-Old Women: Pepper-Sprayed and Losing Right to Vote
Dorli Rainey of Seattle, Washington, and Ruthelle Frank of Brokaw, Wisconsin, have something unusual in common—each, at the age of 84, suffered at the hands of their government for trying to practice their constitutional rights.
Rainey is the ... read more
Labor Department Clashes with Farm Groups over Child Labor Laws
The Obama administration is proposing tougher child labor rules for farming and that has angered agricultural groups and their Republican supporters.
The regulations, developed by the Department of Labor, would restrict the ability of farm wor... read more