Top Stories
Pentagon Actually Gained $50 Billion from Spending Cuts Deal
To hear Pentagon officials tell the story, the recent agreement to deal with the federal debt by cutting military spending is a potentially catastrophic threat to U.S. security. But if you read between the lines, it doesn’t look so bad after all... read more
31 U.S. Troops Killed in Worst-Ever Afghanistan Incident
America’s elite Navy SEALs have again borne the worst of the Afghanistan war for the U.S. military, losing 17 commandoes on Saturday in the single deadliest day since the conflict began almost ten years ago.
The SEALs were among 31 who died wh... read more
Judge Gives Go-Ahead for Another Torture Lawsuit against Donald Rumsfeld
Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will have to defend himself in court following a federal judge’s decision to green-light a lawsuit from an Army veteran who claims he was imprisoned and tortured by the U.S. military in Iraq.
The vete... read more
The Americans Who Inspired the Norwegian Mass Murderer
Anders Behring Breivik, the man who murdered 77 people in Norway, is apparently quite the fan of American right-winger haters of Islam, based on the citations in his 1,500-page manifesto.
The American most cited (55 times) in Breivik’s writi... read more
Georgia and Colorado Bank Failures Cost Americans $2.5 Billion
The effects of the 2008 bad-mortgage crisis continue to ripple their way through the banking industry, with failures this year in two states alone costing taxpayers $2.5 billion.
In Georgia, 16 banks have been rescued by the Federal Deposit ... read more
9/11 Survivors Lawsuit against United Airlines Given Go-Ahead
In the 10 years since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, thousands of survivors have settled their lawsuits against the airlines and other parties, and collected awards totaling billions of dollars. But one family has held out so it can ... read more
10 Most Popular AllGov Stories—July 2011
This month’s most popular stories dealt with the mysterious suspension of a scientist, the Obama administration’s refusal to punish torturers and questions about Michele Bachmann’s husband. There were also two items from our Unusual News Categor... read more
Obama Administration Suspends Scientist Who Warned of Threat to Polar Bears
Five years ago wildlife biologist Charles Monnett made news with his observation of drowned polar bears in the Arctic sea, which helped fuel the debate over global warming. Today, Monnett has made headlines again, this time for being suspended f... read more
U.S. Government Sues UBS for $900 Million, Charging Mortgage Fraud
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), overseer of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, is suing UBS to recover nearly a billion dollars in losses stemming from the mortgage crisis, claiming the Swiss bank committed fraud.
FHFA says Fannie and Fr... read more
Should Citizens Go to Prison for Filming Police Misconduct?
Recording law enforcement in the act of breaking the law can itself be an unlawful violation, as some states have taken the side of police against citizens filming instances of brutality or misconduct.
At least 12 states have made it illegal... read more
Rural Americans Suffer Worse Health—and Health Care—Than Those in Cities and Suburbs
Life in the country and small towns may be void of the congestion and crime of the big city. But rural living does not necessarily translate into better health, or for that matter better medical care.
The UnitedHealth Center for Health & Ref... read more
Most of U.S. Debt is Owed to…Americans
It is one of the largest, and certainly most powerful, myths in American politics today: that America’s debt is in the hands of foreigners, primarily the Chinese.
By repeatedly telling the American people that the U.S. national debt is contr... read more
If Corporations and Richest Americans were Taxed at 1961 Rates, U.S. Would Gain $716 Billion a Year
One way to help solve the federal deficit problem is to turn back the clock on tax rates for corporations and the wealthy, which could yield three quarters of a trillion dollars more for the U.S. Treasury annually.
Researchers at the Institu... read more
State Department Assembles Secret Private Army in Iraq
Once the U.S. military pulls out of Iraq by next January, the State Department will be left to defend itself and its diplomats against hostile Iraqis. To ensure their safety, officials are assembling a force of 5,500 security contractors—equal i... read more
FAA Furloughs 4,000 as Democrats and Republicans Fail to Find Common Ground
Partisan gridlock in Congress over the budget extended this week to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), resulting in 4,000 government employees getting furloughed without pay and lawmakers blaming each other for the failure to act.
Fo... read more
Pro-Choice Governor Lets Missouri Join the Burgeoning Anti-Abortion Crowd
Despite his election on a pro-choice platform, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon permitted two anti-abortion bills to become law this week.
Conservative lawmakers in the state legislature sent Nixon two identical abortion-restriction laws, one fro... read more