When Pope John Paul II visited Damascus in May 2001, Bashar used his welcoming speech to denounce the Jews, saying, “They tried to kill the principles of all religions with the same mentality in which they betrayed Jesus Christ and the same way they tried to betray and kill the Prophet Muhammad.”   read more

One of the ways that Republicans have been attacking President Obama’s budget is by saying that it represents “class warfare.” Republican columnist David Brooks wrote that, according to Obama, “no new burdens will fall on 95 percent of the America...   read more

Sunday’s news that the American International Group (AIG) was paying out $165 million in executive bonuses elicited universal outrage from politicians and media commentators. The story garnered so much attention that it overwhelmed a much bigger b...   read more

On Thursday, Pentagon officials unveiled a $400 million project to develop a prototype of an unmanned spy aircraft that would resemble a high-tech dirigible. Dirigibles have been decidedly out of fashion since the infamous Hindenburg accident on M...   read more

One week before Christmas, the Bush administration changed the rules to make it easier and cheaper for agricultural businesses to employ temporary foreign workers. On Friday, within hours of being sworn in as Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis announ...   read more

Last week, the Obama administration refused to release copies of seven documents “in the interest of national security.” Did the documents have to do with torture, with warrantless wiretapping, with clandestine spy and antiterror activities? None ...   read more

Because many Muslims interpret the Quran as forbidding taking or paying interest on loans, the Islamic world has developed a different system of mortgages. Last month, the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency became the first government entity in the ...   read more

As President Obama and his new administration attempt to reform the American health care system, one viable and desirable option is being kept off the table: single-payer health care. Single-payer health care is a financing system whereby the U.S....   read more

Each year, the National Security Archive at George Washington University gives its Rosemary Award to the branch of government that is least responsive to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. This year’s award goes to the FBI. During the pas...   read more

U.S. Marines in Farah Province, Afghanistan, are using an all-female unit to interact with Afghan women in a region in which male Marines talking with women would be considered culturally unacceptable. A similar program has already met with succes...   read more

In a curious case of left and right coming together, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed suit against the city of Clearwater, Florida, on behalf of a bait and tackle shop that was ordered to cover up a painting of fish that the cit...   read more

Moody’s Investors Service has issued a list of 283 “Bottom Rung” companies that are most at risk of defaulting on their debt payments. Moody’s expects 45% of these firms to default over the next 12 months. Among the most well-known of these high-r...   read more

Critics are calling President Obama’s new tax policies “class warfare” and even “socialism.” But his supporters look at it differently: they refer to it as a “Robin Hood budget.” There is no question that Obama is increasing spending for the poor,...   read more

On March 2, Navy Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told CNN that he believed that Iran has enough “fissile material” to build a nuclear bomb. His position was supported by the Israeli government. According to a pre...   read more

As many companies are being forced to cut back on spending, including salaries and staff, employee satisfaction has not been a huge priority during these tough economic times. However, Steve Wulchin and Jonathan Sawyer, founders of FreeWave Techno...   read more

On Sunday, the Obama administration brought sighs of relief to many Americans by announcing the first reduction of U.S. troops in Iraq—12,000 over the next six months. (Current troop strength in Iraq is 142,000.) But those who are old enough to re...   read more

Even in the midst of a struggling economy, in which most states are facing budget deficits, the prison industry has continued to experience significant growth and increased funding. A recent report released by the Pew Center on the States, entitle...   read more