Top Stories
New Product Complaint Database Thrills Consumer Groups, Horrifies Manufacturers
For the first time ever, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) plans to make public thousands of complaints it receives from Americans about harmful products. Consumer advocates have hailed the decision to create a Web-based database con... read more
Arizona One of Three States to Allow Carrying Concealed Weapon without Permit
Arizona, where accused gunman Jared Lee Loughner shot 19 people, killing six in Tucson, is one of three states in the country that allows adults to carry concealed weapons without a permit. (The others are Vermont and Alaska.) The law took effec... read more
Despite Media Headlines, Pentagon Spending is Up, not Down
The Department of Defense budget is not going down, regardless of the recent talk by Defense Secretary Robert Gates trumpeting $78 billion in military cuts (over five years). Yes, Gates plans to trim spending in some areas, and even eliminate ce... read more
Largest Mass Burial in U.S. Military History
The remains of 20 familyless veterans received full military honors on Saturday as part of the largest mass burial of its kind in U.S. history. The ceremony, conducted at Calverton National Cemetery on eastern Long Island, was part of a national... read more
Giffords Worried about Sarah Palin Putting Her in Crosshairs
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Arizona), was shot through the head on Saturday, January 8. Back on March 22, 2010, just hours after Giffords voted to pass the health reform bill, the glass door of her office in Tucson was smashed The following evenin... read more
Rep. Fitzpatrick Violated Constitution on Same Day He Read it Aloud in Public
Pete Sessions of Texas and Mike Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania did not get off to a smooth start at the beginning of the 112th Congress. The Republican lawmakers skipped the official swearing in of all members on the House floor because they were a... read more
Presidential Report Blasts BP and Others for Fatal, Cost-Saving Decisions
There was no shortage of blame to go around, according to a presidential panel charged with investigating the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling criticized everyone from ... read more
House Republican Oversight Leader Asks Big Business What Regulations They Want Changed
In keeping with the holiday spirit, Representative Darrell Issa (R-California), the new chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee, asked corporations last month to send him their wish list of government regulations they’d l... read more
Boeing Sales Force Includes…U.S. Government Officials
Serving as an American diplomat, Commerce official, even the president of the United States, sometimes requires being a salesman for Boeing.
Another revelation brought about by the WikiLeaks publication of classified State Department cables ... read more
House Republicans to Create Budget Czar with Executive Powers: Paul Ryan
The new Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives intends to give broad new powers to the chairman of the budget committee, authorizing him to craft large budget cuts or tax breaks without requiring a full vote by all House member... read more
20 Government Tips for Surviving a Nuclear Attack
The Obama administration is working on new guidelines for the public to follow in the event of a nuclear explosion, whether it comes from a missile attack or a terrorist “dirty bomb.” The biggest challenge for government officials is figuring ou... read more
Labor Dept. Expands Categories of Long-Term Unemployment
With more than a million Americans out of work for two years or longer, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has decided to expand the length of time someone can be defined as long-term unemployed.
Currently, the BLS asks if an individual ha... read more
Obama Justice Dept. Refuses to Help Polish Torture Probe
Polish lawyers representing detainee Abu Zubaydah have been unsuccessful in getting help from the Department of Justice under President Barack Obama to confirm that the CIA held their client at a secret prison in northern Poland eight years ago.... read more
Texas Neighbors Sue BP as “Known Felon”
BP is facing a $10 billion class action lawsuit filed by those living near its Texas City oil refinery, which has been the site of explosions, pollution leaks and numerous fatalities in recent years.
The plaintiffs characterize BP as “a know... read more
Is Being a General Just a Resume-Builder on the Road to Wealth?
Fifteen years ago, there were plenty of retiring generals and admirals who decided not to cash in their years of military experience for a high-paying position in the defense industry. In fact, less than 50% of retiring three- and four-star offi... read more
Bureau of Land Management Reverses Bush Anti-Wilderness Policy
The Obama administration has decided to restore a wilderness protection policy that was eliminated during George W. Bush’s first term in office.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will once again reassert its longstanding efforts to grant t... read more