Controversies
Blind and Visually Impaired Gain Right to Narrated TV
For the second time in 11 years, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has ordered television networks to provide audio descriptions of actions on screen to assist blind and visually impaired viewers.
The FCC issued similar rules in 20... read more
Navy Upgrades Discharge Status of Gay Sailor…From World War II
The end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has impacted not only the soldiers of today, but those who served nearly 70 years ago.
In 1944, Melvin Dwork was kicked out of the U.S. Navy for being gay (apparently turned in by his boyfriend at the time ... read more
Obama Administration Ignored Accurate Warnings about Failed Solar Company
Two weeks before the Obama administration granted its first green-energy loan guarantee in 2009 to Solyndra Inc., an analyst in the U.S. Department of Energy warned that the solar-panel manufacturer would run out of money by September 2011.
... read more
Did FBI Hide 9/11 Info from Congress about Saudi Couple in Florida?
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probed a possible connection between a Saudi family living in Florida and the hijackers who carried out the September 11 attacks, but never informed Congress or the 9/11 Commission about the investigatio... read more
Is Navy Munitions Depot in Washington a Danger to the Public? Don’t Ask
Glen Milner of Lake Forest Park, Washington, has been trying for eight years to find out if the U.S. Navy’s largest munitions depot on the West Coast is a threat to nearby communities.
But the Navy has refused to turn over the information Mi... read more
Orwell’s Big Brother Will Have His Day at the Supreme Court
Described as the most important Fourth Amendment case heard in a decade, the matter of United States v. Jones will begin arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in November.
At stake is the Obama administration’s position that law enforcement ... read more
Fine Print in Health Care Law Allows Insurance Companies to Choose Who Examines Their Disputed Decisions
Consumer advocates are complaining about a provision in the federal healthcare reform law that was supposed to give patients more power in disputes with insurance companies.
With insurers often refusing to pay for certain medical services, t... read more
Understaffed Agency Regulating Pipelines Depends on Oil Industry to Regulate Itself
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), charged with overseeing nearly 170,000 miles of hazardous liquid pipelines in the United States, is coming under scrutiny in the wake of oil spills in Montana and Michigan, and th... read more
National Parks Just Starting to Add the Stories of Native Americans
America’s national parks can be great learning tools, providing information to people of all ages about natural and man-made history. But when it comes to educating visitors about Native Americans, the parks still have a long ways to go.
At ... read more
The Pesticide that Won’t Go Away…Watch Your Strawberries
Methyl bromide, a hazardous pesticide that most farmers were supposed to stop using six years ago, is still being sprayed in large quantities in parts of California.
An international agreement called for the phaseout of methyl bromide by 200... read more
Justice Dept. Transfers Border Patrol Murder Case Away from Phoenix
The U.S. Attorney’s office in Arizona has been accused of trying to cover up a link between the murder of a Customs and Border Protection agent and a controversial anti-drug program that allowed guns to fall into the hands of cartels.
Shortl... read more
Appeals Court Rules Justice Dept. Must Reveal Details of Warrantless Tracking of Cell Phones
Civil libertarians won an important victory in federal court on Tuesday involving the government’s use of cell phone data to track suspects without a warrant.
Since the September 11 attacks, U.S. intelligence and federal law enforcement agen... read more
Discharged Gay Soldiers Now Re-Enlisting
The “don’t ask, don’t tell” years in the U.S. military were difficult for homosexual service members. But now that the discriminatory policy is being eliminated, many gays and lesbians who were forced out of the military want to go back to servi... read more
Nevada Raises the Stakes in Legal Battle against Bank of America Mortgage Fraud
Nevada’s attorney general last week expanded her state’s mortgage fraud lawsuit against Bank of America, a move that could have serious consequences for the embattled bank and a potential settlement between national banks and other attorneys gen... read more
S&P Gives Higher Rating to Sub-Prime Mortgages than to U.S. Bonds
Standard & Poor’s, the Wall Street rating institution whose integrity already was questioned a few years ago, has decided that securities backed by subprime home loans deserve a higher rating than bonds issued by the federal government.
That... read more
Arizona Begins Charging for Prison Visits
Visiting inmates in Arizona will now require a $25 background check fee, making the state the first in the nation to require such an expense.
Wendy Baldo, chief of staff for the Arizona Senate, admitted that the money raised from the new fee... read more