Controversies
Georgia Judge Allowed Prosecutors to Choose Defendant’s Lawyers
When the state of Georgia ran out of money to pay for an accused individual’s legal defense, a local judge allowed the prosecutor to choose the public defenders who would represent the man facing the death penalty. To make matters worse, the defen... read more
Why Aren’t Farmworkers Paid Normal Overtime?
Unlike other hourly employees in California, farmworkers have been unable to collect overtime pay for more than eight hours of work since World War II. But Democrats in the state legislature have approved legislation that would undo the overtime r... read more
Yet Another Victim of the BP Oil Spill: Historic Shipwrecks
Oil settling on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico
from the Deepwater Horizon accident is threatening access to historical shipwrecks.
“If this oil congeals on the bottom, it will be dangerous for scuba divers to go down there and explore,” Ste... read more
Gulf Oil Enters the Food Chain
The first signs of the gulf oil spill entering the food chain have been found in the larvae of blue crabs and fiddler crabs, say scientists with the University of Southern Mississippi and Tulane University. The introduction of oil into crab specie... read more
Hedge Funds Hire Ex-Regulators
Looking for an advantage in dealing with federal regulatory agencies, hedge funds are hiring former top officials with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Ex-SEC chairman Harvey Pitt and former commissioner Roel Campos now work for hedge... read more
Oil Exploration vs. Whales in Gulf of Mexico
Millions of gallons of spilled oil aren’t the only danger to whales living in the Gulf of Mexico. The use of powerful sound waves by the oil industry to perform seismic surveys of the ocean floor has endangered the well-being of whales and dolphi... read more
Fort Wayne Public Schools Allow Religious Instruction to Replace Class Time
Public schools in Fort Wayne, Indiana, have been accused of allowing Christian churches to bring trailers onto campuses in order to provide “religious release time” to students—instead of attending their regular classes. The parents of one third g... read more
Toxic Katrina Trailers Now Used for Gulf Oil Spill Workers
They’re back, and they're as smelly as ever. The portable trailers used in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to house thousands of people who lost their homes—and that were discovered to contain unhealthy levels of formaldehyde—have returned to the Gu... read more
U.S. Newspapers Call Waterboarding Torture…If Another Country Does It
America’s major daily newspapers were happy to call waterboarding torture last decade if the interrogation technique was used by a country other than the United States. But the newspapers “almost never” referred to the method of simulated drowning... read more
Pentagon Considers First Medal of Honor for Living Soldier Since Vietnam War
It has been nearly four decades since a soldier performed actions that the Department of Defense deemed worthy of being awarded the Medal of Honor, while still alive. But that could change soon if the White House goes along with the Pentagon’s rec... read more
Veterans May Have Been Exposed to AIDS at St. Louis VA Hospital During Dental Treatment
More than 1,800 veterans were potentially exposed to HIV and hepatitis at the St. Louis Veterans Affairs Medical Center thanks to poorly sanitized dental equipment. The exposure, which VA officials insisted was “low risk,” took place over a year b... read more
Environmentalists Battle Oil Companies and Obama Administration over Utah Wilderness
The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management are not following the government’s own forest plan for the Uinta National Forest in north-central Utah, according to three conservation groups that have filed an injunction to stop the re-leasi... read more
Voters Sue Florida over Misleading Ballot Language
Four individuals are suing the Florida Department of State over the choice of language in a ballot summary for the November election. At issue is the description of Amendment 9, which was put on the ballot by state lawmakers unhappy with the feder... read more
Salmon May Become First Genetically Modified Animal Approved for Human Consumption
In what could become the first step towards allowing genetically-engineered animals into the American diet, the Food and Drug Administration is debating whether to approve a new breed of salmon that can grow twice as fast as natural salmon.
Aq... read more
BP Accused of Illegally Burning Sea Turtles to Death
BP has conducted numerous controlled burns on the ocean surface to eliminate some of the oil collecting in the Gulf of Mexico. But in the process, the company is also burning alive endangered sea turtles caught in the areas set aflame, according t... read more
State Department Honors Dissenters
Dissent is back in style within the State Department, now that the Obama administration is in charge. During the Bush years, very few diplomats were willing to speak out against U.S. foreign policy, for fear of retribution. But under Secretary of ... read more