Top Stories
Do the Children of Unmarried Working Mothers Have to Struggle Harder for Success?
Being part of a single-mother household can be challenging for the children as well as the parent, particularly if the mother has little education and limited income.
Today, more than 40% of all children born in the United States are born ou... read more
Most Widespread U.S. Drought in 24 Years
In yet another likely sign of the advance of man-made global warming, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) last week declared that 1,016 counties in 26 states are natural-disaster areas, the agency’s biggest such declaration ever, as drough... read more
First Insurance Company Refuses to Cover Damages Caused by Fracking
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company last week accidentally became the first American insurance company to publicly state that it will not cover damage caused by the controversial gas drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing or “fracking.” ... read more
Damage at California Nuclear Power Plant Worse than Earlier Reported
Even if you listened closely you wouldn’t have heard the sound of decaying tubes carrying radioactive steam through the now-shuttered San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station between San Diego and Los Angeles.
And you would have to look ver... read more
2,400 U.S. Companies Allowed to Avoid Government Safety Inspections
A government program that allows businesses to implement “voluntary protection” for its workers has resulted in missed inspections, numerous industrial accidents and at least 80 deaths.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA... read more
Bipartisan House Bill Would Open Congressional Research Service Reports to the Public
Reports produced by Congress’ think tank would become available to the public under bipartisan legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Public Access to Congressional Research Service Reports Resolution of 2012 (H. Re... read more
Property Tax Lien Foreclosures: Homeowners Lose; Banks and Local Governments Win
An often overlooked, but nonetheless important aspect of the foreclosure crisis has involved property tax lien foreclosures.
When a property owner falls behind on mortgage payments, local governments can impose a tax lien that, if not paid... read more
People Imprisoned in U.S. for Drug Offenses Skyrockets from 41,000 to 507,000 in 30 Years
No wonder states like California and others experienced a boom in prison construction beginning in the 1980s.
According to statistics compiled by The Sentencing Project, a nonprofit dedicated to prison reform, the total number of people in j... read more
Governors from States with Most Uninsured Oppose Expanding Health Insurance for Uninsured
The more a state needs help with its uninsured, the more likely its (Republican) leader opposes the federal healthcare reform law.
According to the Brookings Institution, a liberal-leaning think tank, 14 of the 19 states with the highest rat... read more
We Spend $20 Billion a Year to Fight Illegal Drugs, Yet Cocaine Is Cheaper than It Was 30 Years Ago
If the United States’ war on drugs was succeeding, the prices of narcotics should be going up. After all, a reduction in the supply of drugs—the main objective of the government’s efforts—should result in less availability and thus a higher price ... read more
First Legal Challenge to Bush-Obama Anti-Immigrant Program
A growing number of United States citizens have been wrongfully detained under a government program intended to detect undocumented immigrants who are arrested by local police–and now one of them is fighting back.
Chicago-area resident James... read more
Members of Congress Received “VIP” Loans from Countrywide
Before it nearly imploded and was bought out by Bank of America during the 2008 financial crisis, Countrywide Financial used a VIP program to loan money to members of Congress as a way to influence their decision-making.
At least seven curre... read more
Increasing Numbers of Registered Voters Could Lose Right to Vote because of New ID Laws
Generally speaking, election tacticians for both major parties pursue two strategies: make sure your supporters actually go to the polls on Election Day and try to persuade undecided voters to lean your way when they cast their ballots. But this... read more
Farmers Feel the Pinch of Dwindling Migrant Labor
American farmers are losing billions of dollars a year because a shortage of farmworkers is resulting in crops spoiling in unpicked fields.
The estimated loss is between $5 billion and $9 billion annually, according to the American Farm Bure... read more
Glaxo Agrees to Pay Record $3 Billion Settlement for Fraud and Hiding Drug Safety Data
In a year of billion-dollar settlements involving drug manufacturers, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has topped them all. The British pharmaceutical company has agreed to pay a record amount—$3 billion—to resolve criminal charges for promoting its best-s... read more
Obama’s Health Care Tax Increase Smaller than Reagan’s Tax Hike
Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the penalty for not having health insurance is a tax, some Republicans, including Rep. Connie Mack of Florida and Rep. Jeff Landry, have blasted the federal healthcare reform law as containing the l... read more