Top Stories
Investment Banking Cartel More Concentrated than Ever, Drops to 5
Where once there were 17 major investment banks on Wall Street, there now are only five.
During the financial crisis, stalwarts such as Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and Merrill Lynch crumbled, leaving behind Goldman Sachs, Morga... read more
Roberts Supreme Court Not a Friend of Free Speech
A legal expert has questioned the conventional wisdom that the U.S. Supreme Court led by Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. has been a strong proponent of free speech.
Monica Youn, a lawyer with the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York Unive... read more
Obama Recess Appointments Rare in Comparison to Previous Presidents
Senate Republicans want the American people to think that President Barack Obama is on a “power grab” after using a recess appointment to install Richard Cordray as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and three new members to the Nati... read more
FBI Expands Definition of Rape to Include Male and Non-Resisting Victims
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officially expanded its definition of rape this week, changing the standards for sexual assault for the first time since 1929. Under the new definition, rape will include male victims as well as women and ... read more
Mysterious U.S. Space Spy Plane Probably Tracking China
Once China puts people aboard its new space station, they may have to watch what they say.
The United States’ super-secret space plane, the X-37B, is currently orbiting the earth on a classified mission. Even though the government won’t say wh... read more
Number of Americans Wounded in Iraq is Obscured by Fog of War…and Peace
Most Americans simply don’t want to think about the Iraq War anymore. But that is not an option for hundreds of thousands of veterans and their families.
Exactly how many U.S. troops died in Iraq is pretty well established: 4,487 dead. But det... read more
Johnson & Johnson Sued over Secret Recall of Children’s Tylenol after Death of 2-Year-Old
Seeking to avoid adverse publicity, Johnson & Johnson allegedly carried out a “stealth recall” of its Children’s Tylenol—a move that cost the life of a two-year-old child, say parents.
The father and mother of River Moore are suing the drug co... read more
Ohio Closes Fracking-Related Injection Wells after Earthquakes
After a significant earthquake hit on New Year’s Eve, leaders in Ohio ordered the temporary closure of one natural gas-related injection well in the eastern portion of the state near Youngstown and the postponement of the opening of four more.
... read more
Obama Signs into Law Indefinite Detention of Americans without Trial
He waited until New Year’s Eve to do it…but he did it. While expressing “serious reservations” about the bill, President Barack Obama on New Year’s Eve signed legislation that cements into law two highly controversial tenets of the war on terror: ... read more
FDA Quietly Ends Attempt to Regulate Antibiotics in Animal Feed
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided to withdraw rules limiting the use of human antibiotics in animal feed, much to the dismay of environmental and consumer groups.
The FDA used the holiday season to quietly make the policy chan... read more
20 Most Popular AllGov Stories—2011
1. Iceland Ranked World’s Most Peaceful Nation, Somalia Worst; U.S. Improves to 82nd
The United States placed 82nd in the ranking, behind Gabon and just ahead of Bangladesh. According to the Institute, “If the U.S. moderately reduced its violence... read more
Post-Occupation Iraq Turns into Bonanza for U.S. Weapons Makers
The presence of U.S. soldiers in Iraq may have dwindled, but American-made weaponry will still be quite visible, and in use, there for a long time to come.
The Obama administration is planning to sell nearly $11 billion in arms and training to... read more
Obama’s Secret Assassination Program
Having succeeded a president who relied on secrecy to thwart terrorism, Barack Obama has himself established a clandestine and “extensive apparatus” to hunt down and assassinate terror suspects across the globe.
Whereas George W. Bush’s war-on... read more
Wealth Gap between Congress and Other Americans Widens to 9 to 1
Recent economic times have been tough on most Americans. But for those representing the struggling masses, it’s been much easier to accumulate wealth.
The wealth gap between lawmakers and constituents increased substantially from 2004 to 2010,... read more
Police Departments Use Federal Grants to Stock Up on Fancy Riot and Terrorism Gear
To the benefit of weapons manufacturers, Police departments throughout the United States have been loading up on sophisticated weaponry and riot gear since September 11, 2001, thanks to generous grants from the federal government.
About $34 bi... read more
Two Thirds of U.S. Foreign Aid is Really Military Aid
When some Americans complain that foreign aid is wasting taxpayer money abroad that could be put to better use at home, they may not realize that today’s version of foreign aid isn’t what it used to be. Call it the Pentagon-zation of U.S. foreign ... read more