Controversies
Minnesota Sues 3M for Polluting Mississippi River
After refusing to pay the bill for decades of pollution from its factories, the 3M Corporation is being sued by the state of Minnesota for discharging perfluorochemicals (PFCs) into the Mississippi River.
The lawsuit was filed after months o... read more
The Lobbyist Who Fights Democracy…and Breast Milk
In a town where lobbyists regularly take on ignominious clients, Lanny J. Davis stands out in Washington, DC. Davis, the attorney who helped defend President Bill Clinton from impeachment, finds himself in the spotlight these days, as the media,... read more
Animal Farms Get Bigger and Bigger
The last two decades witnessed the continued disappearance of small- and medium-sized farms, thanks to the ever-expanding presence of corporate-owned “factory” farms, according to Food and Water Watch.
In a new report, the agricultural watch... read more
Nation’s Worst History Textbook Publisher
Beware of history textbooks published by Five Ponds Press, which is based in Connecticut, but provides most of its textbooks to the Virginia Department of Education. Two of the company’s books, Our Virginia: Past and Present and Our America: To ... read more
Hispanics Flee Connecticut Town
In a town where almost 40% of the police force has been accused of racial profiling, Hispanic residents have given up on East Haven, Connecticut, and are moving out.
Both the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice’s civil rights division are... read more
8 Homeless Youth Die in New Orleans Fire…Trying to Keep Warm
Eight homeless young people died in New Orleans this week when the abandoned warehouse they were squatting in went up in flames and they were overcome by carbon monoxide. The five men and three women, ranging in age from their teens to early 20s... read more
Army Rewrites History of Deadly Afghan Battle…No High-Level Officers at Fault
Rather than blame high-level officers for the outcome, the U.S. Army has concluded that the vagaries of warfare caused nine soldiers to die at the battle of Wanat in Afghanistan.
An earlier assessment of the battle faulted battalion and brig... read more
Quick Deportations Help Accused Criminals
When federal immigration officials don’t communicate with local law enforcement about illegal immigrants who have broken the law, it’s the accused who benefit.
An investigation by the Columbus Dispatch uncovered numerous examples where Immig... read more
Why the Deepwater Horizon Crew Died…Poor Training, Poor Maintenance
Of the many things that went wrong on April 20 on the Deepwater Horizon, the explosion that destroyed the oil platform and killed 11 crew members boiled down two primary causes: insufficient training and poor maintenance.
An investigation by... read more
Obama Prepares Permanent Imprisonment without Trial for 48 at Guantánamo
With Congress preparing to forbid the closure of Guantánamo Bay and ban the transfer of detainees to the U.S., the Obama administration may use an executive order to formalize the policy and practice of indefinite detention without trial for sus... read more
Obama Interior Dept. Rules Polar Bears not Endangered
Much to the frustration of environmentalists but the delight of the oil industry, the Obama administration has stuck by its assessment of the polar bear being a threatened—but not endangered—species. Choosing the latter classification, which env... read more
Air Force Suicide Rate Hits 17-Year High
Like other branches of the military, the U.S. Air Force is struggling with increased numbers of suicides. With less than two weeks remaining in 2010, the Air Force reported 54 suicides this year, the highest total since 1993. It is the leading c... read more
Congress Orders Border Patrol to Polygraph All Applicants
Congress has decided it’s time to administer lie detector tests to those seeking work with the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) service, the nation’s largest law enforcement agency, which has been the subject of corruption allegations.
Ne... read more
Judge Orders First-Ever Damages for Bush-Era Illegal Wiretapping
The Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation, branded a terrorist organization during the Bush administration, is set to receive $40,800 in damages from the federal government for illegally spying on the foundation’s communications. The government also ha... read more
Tennessee Highway Patrolman Can Sue after Demotion for being Republican
A federal appeals court has allowed a Tennessee highway patrolman to sue the state for being demoted on partisan grounds. Robert Eckerman claims he was busted down to sergeant from lieutenant because he is a Republican working in a Democratic ad... read more
Army Ranger School Giving Way to Education by Real Combat
Who needs simulated hell when the real one is available? That’s the attitude of many in the U.S. Army who are skipping the service’s elite Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia—where soldiers endure 60 days of simulated combat under grueling co... read more