Controversies
Lose Your Home, You Can Lose Your National Security Clearance Too
Home foreclosures have become a serious problem for the Department of Defense, where financial instability can lead to an employee losing his or her security clearance. An analysis of Pentagon records by Sheldon Cohen, a national security law ex... read more
Company Accused of Fraud Keeps Getting U.S. Contracts in Afghanistan
Federal officials have known for at least four years of serious fraud allegations involving the engineering and construction firm Louis Berger Group, which has handled important rebuilding projects in Afghanistan. But those accusations didn’t di... read more
Biggest Private-Sector Labor Election in 69 Years
One of the largest labor unions in California faces the prospect of losing thousands of members as a splinter group seeks to pull away from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
Members of SEIU have been given the choice of stayi... read more
Safety Director Claims SeaWorld Ordered Her to Obstruct Whale Death Investigation
Linda Simons, SeaWorld’s former safety director, claims she was fired for not following the orders of park officials to impede the federal government’s investigation of a trainer who was killed by an orca earlier this year.
In her lawsuit file... read more
Guantánamo Prisoner Caught in Al-Qaeda Catch 22
To be released from indefinite custody by the United States, a suspected terrorist must have quit being a member of al-Qaeda. But how can a detainee really demonstrate he has left the terrorist organization, while still in American detention? Mo... read more
Chinese Sculptors Brought in to Work on Martin Luther King Statue in D.C.
Local members of the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers union in Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. are protesting the decision by the Martin Luther King Memorial Foundation to import artisans from China to work on a sculpture for the Natio... read more
Labor Historians and Environmentalists Sue Park Service over Delisting of Battlefield
Environmentalists and historians have accused coal companies of pressuring the National Park Service into reversing its decision to list as a historic place the Blair Mountain Battlefield, where unions fought the biggest battle in American labor... read more
BP and Halliburton Try to Delay Lawsuits by Gulf Fishermen and Restaurants
As part of their delaying tactics, BP and the other companies involved in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill are claiming that fishermen, restaurant and hotel owners and others harmed by the disaster should not be allowed to sue for damages until they... read more
Amtrak Accused of Illegally Dismissing Its Inspector General
Republicans in Congress have accused Amtrak’s board of directors of illegally firing the agency’s longtime inspector general, who uncovered questionable financial decisions made by the passenger railroad service. According to a report issued by ... read more
Report on Drugging of Guantánamo Prisoners Remains Classified after One Year
Investigators for the Department of Defense have, for the past year, been sitting on a controversial report about the drugging of detainees at Guantánamo and other facilities. The report by the Pentagon’s inspector general was completed in Septemb... read more
One-Third of California’s Workers Are Immigrants (Including Its Governor)
No state in the nation owes more to immigrants than California, where foreign-born workers play a vital role in the economy. An extensive analysis of census data and other information by the Orange County Register found that one-third of Califor... read more
Most Middle School Black Students in Milwaukee Suspended at Least Once
Black students in middle school stand a much greater chance of being suspended than any other group, especially in parts of Florida and Wisconsin, according to university researchers. Using data from the U.S. Department of Education, researchers... read more
Hidden Fee Allows Housing Developers to Collect Money for 99 Years
Homeowners looking to sell their property would be wise to make sure they’re not on the hook for paying the original developer of the home thousands of dollars once the sale goes through. Developers are increasingly adding “resale fee” covenants... read more
Why Did 3 Babies Die in Same House at Fort Bragg?
Ten babies have died suddenly since January 2007 while living in base housing at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, prompting investigations into materials used to build homes. One home in particular may have been responsible for the deaths of three ... read more
Petraeus vs. The Numbers: Who to Believe about IED Attacks?
America’s top military commander in Afghanistan, Army General David Petraeus, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, insisted recently that Taliban attacks involving roadside bombs have “flattened” over the past year. Have they?
Petra... read more
Pentagon Inspector General Stopped Investigating Weapons Contractors
Republican Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa is unhappy with the performance of the Defense Department’s chief watchdog, and for good reason. The Pentagon’s inspector general’s office didn’t investigate a single weapons contract or contractor las... read more