Top Stories
Pentagon Financial Books in Disarray
Contending with insurgents in foreign countries may prove to be a more manageable task for the Department of Defense than balancing its books.
Since 2003, the Pentagon has spent more than $2.6 billion on a new accounting system for the armed s... read more
Fracking Pipelines Currently Unregulated
Pipelines carrying natural gas from hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) operations are currently unregulated by the federal government, leaving a large gap in the reporting of leaks, corrosion and potential health hazards.
A new report from the... read more
Recent “Stand Your Ground” Laws Extend Justifiable Home Protection Violence into the Streets
If George Zimmerman avoids prosecution for the February 26 shooting of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida, he will have the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to thank.
At the urging of the NR... read more
The Forgotten Victims of the Bales Massacre
Of the 17 Afghans murdered by Bales on March 11, 11 of them were relatives of farmer Muhammad Wazir, who lives in the village of Balandi in the Zangabad area of Panjwae district.
Wazir was away at the time of the attack, visiting his brother, ... read more
Obama and Holder Remove Restrictions on Gathering and Keeping Data about All Americans
Even as the Obama administration goes full speed ahead on its version of the Bush administration’s supposedly defunct “total information awareness” program by building a massive complex in the Utah desert that will intercept, analyze and store com... read more
FDA Helped Pfizer Profit from Alzheimer’s Drug by Increasing Dose to Dangerous Level
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agreed to let Pfizer sell a higher dosage of a best-selling Alzheimer’s drug as a means of extending its patent, even though the new prescription dose caused potentially harmful side effects.
Developed by... read more
House Republicans Push Bill to Stop Most Regulations
Republicans in the U.S. House are pushing legislation that would freeze new regulations and hamper the changing of existing ones, all in the name of helping small businesses grow.
But critics contend that the Regulatory Freeze for Jobs Act rep... read more
FCC Opens Radio Airways to Small, Nonprofit Local Stations
Advocates of community radio won an important victory this week when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced it would dismiss a backlog of more than 6,000 pending applications for what are known as translators and open the applicatio... read more
Supreme Court Hears Cases of 14-Year-Olds Given Life Imprisonment without Parole
The U.S. Supreme Court this week heard two cases that will decide whether juveniles as young as 14 years of age should be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. They are among about 2,200 Americans serving life sentences wi... read more
Georgia Government Ranked Least Ethical in U.S.
In the first State Integrity Investigation conducted by multiple watchdog groups, the state of Georgia came in dead last, although it was not the only government to receive a failing grade.
After assessing transparency, accountability and anti... read more
Court Rules Republican National Committee Must Still be Monitored for Voter Fraud
With all the accusations of voter fraud Republicans have made against Democrats in recent years, it is easy to forget that it is actually the Republican Party that has been under court-ordered monitoring for potential race-based voter fraud for th... read more
3.8 Million Americans Live on $2 a Day
People living on only a few dollars a day are supposed to dwell in developing countries, not wealthy ones like the United States. But a new report says millions of Americans struggle to get by on less than $2 per day.
The University of Michiga... read more
JPMorgan Chase Caught “Misrepresenting” Credit Card Collections; Whistleblower Fired
After cutting corners and relying on poor accounting, JPMorgan Chase shut down its legal operation against credit card debtors, some of whom may have been wrongly sued by the bank. It would appear to be another example of greed overcoming honesty.... read more
10% Unemployment Considered a Crisis…But for Black Workers, It’s Normal
Supporters of President Barack Obama have hailed the news of new job opportunities and the decline of the unemployment rate. When the national unemployment rate reached 10% for one month—in October 2009—it caused widespread despair and worry. The ... read more
Business is Booming at Federal Criminal Courts; Drugs and Immigration 60% of Cases
Federal criminal courts broke a record last year for the number of defendants that filed through the system. The number of defendants increased 3% over the previous year, with the total recorded at 102,931. Drug offenses were the most commonly pro... read more
Two-Thirds Killed by Recent Tornadoes Lived in Mobile Homes
Reinforcing the commonly held assumption that mobile homes are not safe in tornado country, a disproportionate number of tornado victims in both recent and previous disasters were occupants of the lightweight housing.
During the recent storms ... read more