Top Stories
Al-Jazeera Changed Stories to Please Bush Administration
The Al-Jazeera news network, branded a critic of American foreign policy in the Middle East, modified its coverage of the Iraq war in order to appease concerns raised by the Bush administration, according to classified U.S. information published b... read more
Tar Sands Oil Pipeline would Violate Bush-Era Pollution Law
The Obama administration, which supports the end of global warming, has embraced a petroleum project that would help produce oil so bad for the planet that the oil-friendly administration of George W. Bush outlawed its use in the United States.
... read more
Light Bulbs Too Expensive? Blame China
Most Americans probably don’t know what europium oxide is. But they surely know one of the consumer products it’s widely used in: compact fluorescent light bulbs.
They also may have noticed just how expensive these light bulbs have become, a... read more
SEC Chair Schapiro Retains a Lawyer
Mary Schapiro, chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has hired a lawyer to guide her through an investigation into her agency’s signing a half-billion-dollar office lease it could not afford.
The $557 million lease “grossly ... read more
Government Ignores Law Limiting Executive Salaries of Contractors
United States law demands that the government limit the amount of executive salaries earned by companies with federal contracts. But the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Federal Procurement Policy has not set the limit for fiscal year... read more
Interior Dept. Agrees to Settle Status of 757 Endangered Species by 2018
The Department of the Interior has agreed to a potentially landmark settlement with environmentalists that will impact more than 700 species considered threatened or endangered.
By 2018, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service promises to decide ... read more
Interior Dept. Report on Gulf Oil Disaster Places Blame on BP (and some on Halliburton and Transocean)
While more than one party played a role in the disaster, oil giant BP deserved the largest share of blame for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, says a new federal report.
In assessing the April 20 blowout and explosion that produced the wor... read more
Private Contractors Cost More than Government Employees
The justification behind contracting out government work to private employees is that it’s supposed to be cheaper to let the private sector do it. Well, that may not be true.
According to a study by the watchdog group the Project on Governme... read more
Capital Gains Tax Cuts=Welfare for the Rich
Advocates for shrinking, if not entirely eliminating, the tax on capital gains insist such a move is good for the economy, summing up their position with the slogan “Capital Gains=Better Jobs.”
But for many on the left, the message could be:... read more
HUD Accuses Big Banks of Receiving $6 Billion in Insurance Kickbacks
In addition to confronting court cases involving accusations of mortgage fraud, many of the nation’s largest banks could also be subject to criminal indictments from federal prosecutors, based on the findings of a government housing investigatio... read more
Newly Released Documents Reveal that Bush Administration Misled New Yorkers about Air Safety after 9/11 Attacks
In the rush after 9/11 to calm the nerves of anxious New Yorkers, the Bush administration downplayed the potential hazardous air quality of the financial district and consequently increased the risk of exposure for thousands.
An investigatio... read more
JPMorgan Pays $88 Million in Fines for Trading with Enemies
In agreeing to pay the largest settlement by a bank to date involving sanctions violations, JPMorgan Chase will fork over $88.3 million to the Department of the Treasury.
Treasury officials went after JPMorgan for breaking U.S. embargo laws ... read more
Why Do They Hate Us?
In the days following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, many people I spoke with simply could not understand why anyone, anywhere, would not like Americans, even if it was just a few dozen fanatics. In one form or another, they asked: W... read more
New Law Would Shift All Terror Suspects to Military Instead of Civilian Authority
Senate Republicans want to strip President Barack Obama and all future presidents of the ability to decide whether terrorism suspects should be handed over to civilian law enforcement or the military, preferring instead that detainees automatica... read more
Obama Sides with Manufacturers in Blocking Stricter Smog Standards
In a move that floored his environmental supporters, President Barack Obama late last week killed a tough new anti-smog plan proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Obama’s decision was exactly what Republicans and business in... read more
The Nine 9/11 Commission Recommendations Still Unmet
Since the 9/11 Commission issued its report on the causes of the 2001 attacks, governments at the federal, state and local levels have implemented about 75% of the recommendations put forth by the special panel.
But that’s not good enough, say... read more