Top Stories
Wisconsin Leads Nation in Census Response; Alaska in Last Place
With the deadline for mailing in forms having arrived, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that the national response rate is down considerably from the 2000 headcount. Whereas 72% of household mailed back their census forms 10 years ago, only 54% had... read more
Traffic Death Rate Hits New Low
The fewest number of Americans died on the nation’s roadways in 2009 since 1954, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Figures compiled by the agency show 33,963 people lost their lives last year in motor vehicle traffic... read more
Federal Court Rules against Patenting Human Genes
In a ruling that has enormous implications for the biotechnology industry, a district court judge in New York threw out the patents on human genes relating to breast and ovarian cancers. Judge Robert Sweet invalidated the patents held by Myriad Ge... read more
Scientists Accuse FDA of Ignoring Radiation Danger of CT Scans for Colon Cancer
Officials at the Food and Drug Administration
have been accused of ignoring warnings about the overuse of CT scans to check for colon cancer. Government experts have waited for a year for the FDA to respond to concerns presented to the agency, bu... read more
Court Ruling Opens Doors to Unlimited Campaign Donations
Following on the heels of the Citizens United decision that expanded political contributions by corporations and unions, a federal appeals court in Washington, DC, has decided that the government cannot limit donations to independent political gr... read more
Bank of America and Wells Fargo May Pay No Taxes for 2009
The tax news has been all good lately for some of the nation’s leading banks. First, JPMorgan Chase found out it will receive a fat refund from the federal government, and now Bank of America and Wells Fargo won’t have to pay federal income taxes ... read more
Majority of U.S. Governors Call for Increased Support for Wind Energy
A bipartisan group of 29 governors is calling for a national renewable energy standard which would mean greater use of wind-generated power. The Governors’ Wind Energy Coalition released a report that calls for streamlining the process of developi... read more
Home Sales Hit Record Low
The housing market recorded its worst month ever for new homes sales in February. The 308,000 total was the lowest since the federal government began tracking such data in 1963, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the ... read more
Google Exits China…Except for the Part Known as Hong Kong
Tired of China’s strict censorship rules, Google decided to shut down its mainland search engine (Google.cn) and redirect Chinese users to its Hong Kong-based web portal. But the move did not result in greater Internet freedom for Chinese Web surf... read more
Judge Rejects 9/11 First Responders Settlement as Too Small
Police, firefighters and other rescuers who worked at Ground Zero following the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, deserve a better settlement than was negotiated on their behalf, says U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein.
... read more
U.S. Army Burn Pit Victim Dies after Battle with Leukemia
More than 500 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts have reported illnesses that they blame on the open-pit burning of toxic waste by the military and defense contractors. The numbers were compiled by Disabled American Veterans, a nationa... read more
Appeals Court Orders Federal Reserve to Release Bank Bailout Records
The Federal Reserve has now lost two legal decisions in its effort to prevent the release of records showing which banks borrowed from the national bank’s discount window during the financial crisis of 2008. Bloomberg News and Fox Business Network... read more
McChrystal Takes Charge of Limiting Civilian Deaths: The Wrong Man for the Job?
U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal has talked the talk since taking over the military operation in Afghanistan, but can he walk the walk? With thousands of Afghan civilians having died over the years, the U.S. impressed upon McChrystal when he t... read more
14 Members of Congress from High Uninsured Districts Plan to Oppose Health Reform Bill
Despite representing districts where at least one-in-four constituents lack health insurance, 14 members of Congress plan to oppose the health care reform bill in the House. The group is dominated by Republican lawmakers from Florida and Texas, so... read more
U.S. Ranks Last in Study of Efficiency of Weapons Spending
The United States military may be one of the finest in the world, but it’s not very efficient when it comes to buying weapons. A study of the 33 leading armed nations conducted by the consulting firm McKinsey & Co. found the U.S. tied with Austral... read more
FCC Proposes Broadband Internet for All Americans
The 21st century equivalent of a chicken-in-every-pot, the Federal Communications Commission’s is spearheading President Barack Obama’s proposal to make high-speed Internet service available to all Americans. The FCC unveiled its ambitious plan th... read more