Top Stories
Business is Booming at Federal Criminal Courts; Drugs and Immigration 60% of Cases
Federal criminal courts broke a record last year for the number of defendants that filed through the system. The number of defendants increased 3% over the previous year, with the total recorded at 102,931. Drug offenses were the most commonly pro... read more
Two-Thirds Killed by Recent Tornadoes Lived in Mobile Homes
Reinforcing the commonly held assumption that mobile homes are not safe in tornado country, a disproportionate number of tornado victims in both recent and previous disasters were occupants of the lightweight housing.
During the recent storms ... read more
Lead Plaintiff in Anti-Obamacare Lawsuit Now Bankrupt with Unpaid Medical Bills
The lead plaintiff in the lawsuit trying to overturn President Barack Obama’s mandate that every American have health insurance went bankrupt while owing $4,500 in unpaid medical bills.
Mary Brown, the former owner of a small auto repair shop ... read more
Who Did More Harm to American Security, Bradley Manning or Scooter Libby?
Army Private Bradley Manning is facing the possibility of spending a long time in prison for embarrassing the U.S. government, while I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, the former right-hand man to Vice-President Dick Cheney, did no prison time even though ... read more
Virginia Becomes Eighth State to Require Ultrasounds before Abortions
Women in Virginia, like those in seven other states, will be required to undergo an ultrasound procedure as a condition for having an abortion under a new law signed by Republican Governor Bob McDonnell. An earlier version of the bill created a na... read more
Author of Camp Lejeune Contaminated Water Report Criticizes Military for Censoring Details
The expert in charge of investigating water contamination at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina has accused the military and a federal agency of censoring a new report on the problem, after they claimed to have done so for reasons of national security... read more
Prescription Drug Prices for Seniors Rising Faster than Inflation
Despite a significant decline in the price of generics, the cost of purchasing prescription drugs has gone up for seniors.
A new report from the AARP’s Public Policy Institute says the prices of drugs used most often by older Americans went up... read more
IRS Clashes with Conservative Campaign Groups Claiming Non-Profit Status
A battle is brewing between politically-oriented nonprofit organizations and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) about whether the groups deserve tax-protected status. Although such groups support both major political parties, it is the wealthier c... read more
Holder’s Rationale for Killing Americans is Full of Holes
In a speech before a university audience, Attorney General Eric Holder this week provided the legal justifications for assassinating American citizens involved in terrorism.
Holder told students at Northwestern University that the government c... read more
Current Supreme Court Lacks Wider Life Experience than All Previous Courts
After making a statistical study of 105 versions of the Supreme Court since its inception, law professor Benjamin H. Barton has concluded that the current Roberts Court is unusual in ways that go beyond the obvious, such as the fact that it is the... read more
Obama Oil Speculation Task Force Ignores Oil Speculation
Despite a growing consensus that speculators are behind recent price increases, the government’s almost year-old oil speculation task force has done little more than talk about the problem. From the beginning of January to the end of February, the... read more
Study of Miners Exposed to Diesel Fuel Finally Published
Diesel exhaust is hazardous to your health…but the diesel industry does not want you to know that. That is the basic message underlying two papers just published in the prestigious Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The papers are based on ... read more
Hackers and Cybercriminals Enjoying Field Day in 2012
Coming off a big 2011, hackers are off to another strong start so far this year. Last year, either political hackers or cybercriminals went after entertainment companies (Sony), encryption designers and even the Central Intelligence Agency, to nam... read more
Nuclear Complexes Could Save Billions by Shopping at Hardware Store Instead of Building New Facilities
Following on a congressman’s recommendation for trimming a hundred billion dollars in federal nuclear repairs, a watchdog organization has offered up its own suggestions for ways to keep Washington from spending $7.5 billion for new facilities.
... read more
Virginia Legislature Votes to Oppose Indefinite Detention of Americans without Trial
Lawmakers in Virginia have put aside their partisan differences about health care, contraception and other issues to officially oppose a controversial law passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama that allows the federal government t... read more
White House, NSA Clash over Monitoring of Private Company Networks
Top officials in the National Security Agency (NSA) are pushing for greater access to private-sector computer networks, all in the name of preventing cyberattacks. But the White House has insisted the NSA slow down its efforts, mainly because of p... read more