Controversies
Tennessee Judge Sued for Ordering Drug Tests of Courtroom Spectator
Judge Durwood Moore of Dickson County, Tennessee, used to force spectators in his courtroom to submit to random drug tests—until the state’s judicial oversight body censured Moore for violating peoples’ constitutional rights. Moore finally went to... read more
In Reverse of Bush Policy, CIA to Share Data with Scientists
Leading scientists from academia, industry and government are now gaining access to information on climate change that’s collected by spy agencies. The data, which includes high resolution images taken from intelligence satellites, is helping rese... read more
Beware of New Credit Card Fees
Credit card issuers are producing new fees and deals to make up for the $50 billion in revenue they expect to lose as a result of the Credit Card Act of 2009. Some store-based cards, like those offered by sporting-goods chain Gander Mountain, will... read more
Goldman Used Unregulated Cayman Islands to Mislead Investors
As if selling complex, volatile investment deals weren’t bad enough, Goldman Sachs utilized off-shore accounts in the Cayman Islands to help themselves and other Wall Street institutions hide the true nature of their high-stakes schemes that contr... read more
Chertoff Exploits Detroit Plane Bomb to Stir up Business for Client
Former Homeland Secretary Michael Chertoff has been all over the airwaves since the attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day, advising the nation that it should invest in full-body scanners for airports. What Chertoff fail... read more
Nebraska Wins Big in Health Care Bill; California, New York, Florida Lose (and So Do Unions)
If the health care reform plan crafted by the Senate becomes law, Nebraska will be a big winner, while some of the nation’s most populous states and labor unions will lose out. Nebraska is set to receive an extra $100 million in Medicaid funds und... read more
House of Representatives Would Function Better if It Worked from Home: Conor Friedersdorf
In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, Congress began to make preparations for meeting remotely in the event of another threat to the nation’s capital. But even without a crisis, would having an e-Congress be so bad, asks Conor Friedersdorf at AOL’s... read more
Court Rejects California’s Strict Warnings about Chemicals in Meat
A California appellate court has ruled the state’s anti-toxic chemicals law, Proposition 65, cannot be used to require labeling of meat approved by the federal government. The ruling came about after the American Meat Institute and National Meat A... read more
Are Poorest States Also Most Religious?
Does lack of income drive people to church? Data compiled by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and the U.S. Census Bureau would indicate a correlation between high levels of poverty and large concentrations of religious Americans. For inst... read more
Bottled Water Sales Leaking, but Tap Water Increasingly Unsafe
Whether it’s because of the economy or pressure from environmentalists, bottled water sales are declining after years of growth. Sales dropped 3.2% in 2008 and are expected to fall another 2% this year. Industry leaders are insisting the decline i... read more
Wall Street’s 10 Worst Lies of the Year: Nomi Prins
Wall Street’s bad behavior hasn’t changed all that much from last year, writes Nomi Prins, senior fellow at the public policy center Demos
and a former managing director at Goldman Sachs. Despite what the Obama administration says about changing ... read more
Babies in U.S. More Likely to Die than Those in Cuba or Europe
High death rates among newborn children have historically been a problem associated with the developing world. But the United States finds itself experiencing a higher infant mortality rate (defined as deaths in the first year of life, per 1,000 l... read more
Health Care Reform Bill Helps Pfizer and Merck, but Hurts Generics
Passage of the Senate health care reform plan on Thursday delighted Democrats and large pharmaceutical manufacturers, but left makers of generic drugs shaking their heads. While proclaiming the need to cut medical costs, Democrats approved a plan ... read more
Nestle Sells “100% Juice” That Isn’t
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has come down on Nestle for marketing juice drinks to children that aren’t as healthy as the company claims. FDA officials took exception with Nestle’s advertising that its BOOST Kid Essentials Nutritionally ... read more
Movie Ratings: Smoking Marijuana=R; Murder=PG-13
Many in Hollywood are up in arms over the decision by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to give an “R” rating to the romantic comedy It’s Complicated. The decision had nothing to do with scenes of sex or violence in the film starrin... read more
More than 200 Charities Pay Executives More than $1 Million a Year
Private sector executives have been taking a lot of heat for their lucrative salaries, but the world of nonprofits has not been immune from such excesses.
Last year, while corporate executives’ salaries fell an average of 9%, nonprofit leaders... read more