Top Stories
Obama Administration Stonewalls Inquiry into Radioactive Weapon Use in Iraq
Efforts to determine the health and environmental risks of depleted uranium (DU) weaponry in Iraq have been hampered by the Obama administration. DU, which makes shell and bullet casings harder and more capable of piercing armor, can contaminate the environment and contribute to health problems, including cancer and birth defects. It is estimated that 400 tons of DU ammunition were fired in Iraq, mostly by American units, during the Gulf War and the 2003 invasion. read more
Income Drop for Month Biggest in 20 Years, But Spending Up and Stock Market Hits Record High
In January, incomes decreased 3.6%, the largest monthly drop in 20 years. But less money coming in didn’t cause a corresponding drop in consumer spending. Rather, household purchases increased 0.2% in January after a 0.1% gain during the previous month. The savings rate, on the other hand, slipped to 2.4%, the lowest since November 2007. read more
FBI Complains that Sequestration Cuts will Hinder its Snail’s-Paced Wall Street Investigations
This argument has provoked derisive responses from some observers who find it appalling the FBI could blame draconian budget cuts that have yet to really kick in for the agency’s failure to indict Wall Street leaders.
Former Congressman Brad Miller (D-North Carolina) told the Huffington Post, “Are they worried that because of sequestration the FBI will interview critical witnesses three years after the statute of limitations has expired instead of just one year?" read more
U.N. Calls on Obama to Publish Findings on Bush-Era Torture
Information on the CIA kidnapping program was collected by a Senate select committee on intelligence. But those findings—collated in a 6,000-page report— were never released to the public, and Emmerson wants that report turned over.
Emmerson has urged the British government to make similar disclosures pertaining to its role in the program.
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“Golden Age” for Corporate Profits as Aid to Poor Hit by Budget Cuts
As of the third quarter of 2012, corporate profits as a percentage of national income rose to 14.2%, representing the largest share at any time since 1950, according to The New York Times. However the percentage of corporate income that went to employees, 61.7%, is close to the lowest it’s been since 1966. The boom in corporate profits has not been accompanied by an increase in jobs in the United States and overall personal income has only risen 1.4% per year over the same period. read more
Michigan Gov. Snyder Moves to Supersede Detroit’s Elected Government
Counting Detroit, more than half of Michigan’s African-American citizens have lost their right to urban self-governance, their cities being run instead by nearly omnipotent managers appointed by the state’s Governor, Rick Snyder, a member of the overwhelmingly white Republican Party.
Voters last November voted to repeal Public Act 4, but Republican legislators used a lame duck session in December to ram through a nearly identical bill (Public Act 436) to replace Public Act 4. read more
Native Americans Win Right to Prosecute Non-Indians in Tribal Courts
The National Congress of American Indians replied to these remarks by pointing out that the attorney general may certify a tribal court’s eligibility to prosecute non-Indians only “after…concluding that the criminal justice system of the requesting tribe has adequate safeguards in place to protect defendants’ rights.” In addition, the Indian Civil Rights Act guarantees the rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights to all those under the jurisdiction of tribal governments. read more
30% of Americans Who Received Government Aid are Disabled
Forty-six million adults benefited from income-based government aid, either in the form of cash or in-kind assistance (services, goods and vouchers), in 2011, and of this total, 30.4% had a disability.
Among those receiving both cash and in-kind assistance, the percentage of beneficiaries with disabilities jumped to 58.3%.
In West Virginia, 41.7% of those receiving federal assistance had disabilities, whereas in Arizona, only 25.1% did. read more
Federal Court Halts Florida’s Random Drug Testing of Welfare Applicants
The court case was filed by Luis Lebron, a Navy veteran and single father, who also cared for his mentally disabled mother. Lebron told the Tampa Tribune, “I felt like, I served my country for four years; doesn't that mean anything anymore? I've worked for pretty good companies. I'm going to school; I'm supposed to graduate. I shouldn't be in this position.” read more
Former Jobs of Current Members of Congress
Although the 541 people who serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate (including non-voting delegates in the House) are hardly representative of the United States citizenry as a whole, they are a varied group. Here is a sampling of what some of them used to do before they were elected to serve in Congress. read more
Youth Incarceration Rate in U.S. Drops to 35-Year Low
The report revealed that many young people behind bars in 2010 were not there for violent crimes or robbery. In fact, only 25% were.
The largest group of offenders (40%) consisted of drug and probation violators and those committing “status” offenses, such as truancy or illegal possession of alcohol.
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Supreme Court Votes 5-4 to Reject Challenge to Warrantless Wiretap Program
Siding with the Obama administration, the court’s conservative wing said the plaintiffs—a group that included the ACLU, Amnesty International, Global Fund for Women, Global Rights, Human Rights Watch, International Criminal Defence Attorneys Association, The Nation magazine, PEN American Center, Service Employees International Union and others—could not demonstrate that they or their clients would be harmed by the law. read more
Big Energy Firm Agrees to Replace Coal-Burning Plants with Wind and Solar Operations
American Electric Power (AEP) will stop using coal by 2015 at power plants in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. It intends to replace the energy produced by the plants with new wind and solar investments in Indiana and Michigan.
The company also will spend $5 billion to install pollution controls on other plants located throughout the East and reduce its annual sulfur dioxide emissions over the next 12 years from 828,000 tons to 174,000 tons.
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Six Underground Tanks Leaking Nuclear Waste in Washington State
The newly discovered problem only adds to the soil contamination at Hanford, which was used for five decades to produce plutonium for the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal.
There are nearly 150 tanks, similar in size and design, to the six spilling radioactive liquid and sludge at the site. Four of the six tanks have leaked in the past. The news led the state’s governor, Jay Inslee, to wonder about the “integrity” of the other tanks.
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Does U.S. Government Have the Right to Assassinate Its Citizens on U.S. Soil? Leaders Won’t Say
When President Obama was asked if drone strikes could be used against U.S. citizens within the U.S., his reply was as evasive as Brennan’s: There “has never been a drone used on an American citizen on American soil.” read more
As States Ban Payday Loans, Big Banks Move in to Help Lenders
JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo enable the lenders to withdraw payments automatically from borrowers’ bank accounts. This includes those in states that have banned the loans. Often these withdrawals lead to quick profits for the banks thanks to overdraft and other fees. In fact, a report by Pew Charitable Trusts found that 27% of payday loan borrowers ended up with overdraft fees. read more