Top Stories
GM and Chrysler Bailouts Freed Them from Paying Accident Victims
When General Motors and Chrysler were bailed out by the Obama administration, they received not only billion-dollar deals, but also a get-out-jail-free-card for auto liability lawsuits.
Today, the newly reborn car makers don’t have to pay th... read more
Federal Reserve Gave Big Banks Enormous Secret Loans at Ridiculous Rates
During the financial crisis of 2008, the Federal Reserve made short-term loans worth at least $100 billion to banks without bothering to tell shareholders or Congress. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts), who co-authored the 2010 financial regulat... read more
Vermont Becomes First State to Move Towards Single-Payer Health Care
Vermont is on its way to establishing the nation’s first single-payer health care system—the proposed national version of which is known as “Medicare for All.” But how the state actually gets there and begins operating the program is unclear, beca... read more
What is Obama Keeping Secret about the Patriot Act?
Before Congress passed the reauthorization of the Patriot Act on Thursday, two Democratic U.S. senators objected that some provisions of the law give the government broad authority to secretly spy on Americans.
But what those provisions enta... read more
U.S. Court Affirms Judgment against Syrian Government for Supporting Terrorists Who Beheaded Americans
Syria is on the hook to pay more than $400 million to the families of two American contractors killed by a terrorist organization aided by the government led by Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
The DC Court of Appeals upheld a lower court de... read more
American at Trial Ties Pakistan Spy Agency to Terrorist Attack in India
According to a Pakistani-American who helped pull off the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, Pakistan’s intelligence agency worked with the culprits who killed more than 166 people in India, including six Americans.
Coming on the heels of the di... read more
Companies and Nonprofits that Received Stimulus Money Now Owe $750 Million in Taxes
Thousands of businesses and non-profit organizations that benefited from the federal stimulus plan owe the IRS more than $750 million in back taxes.
A Government Accountability Office report states that at least 3,700 recipients of $24 billi... read more
Justice Dept. and SEC Allow Companies to Investigate Themselves
When it comes to investigating corporations of bribery and other crimes, the federal government prefers to save money—and allow suspects to conduct their own probes—than perform their own snooping from start to finish.
Whether the concern is... read more
39 of the Biggest Corporations Paid a Lower Tax Rate than the Average American
The average American pays about 12% of his or her income to federal income tax. Thanks to statistics compiled by US Uncut Chicago, a group that advocates boycotting U.S. corporations that avoid paying taxes in the United States, we now know the ... read more
First Conviction Using Hate Crimes Prevention Law
A young man from Arkansas has received the first conviction at trial under the new federal hate crimes law enacted in 2009.
Frankie Maybee, 20, of Green Forest, was convicted by a federal jury on May 19 of multiple counts of committing and c... read more
UBS Still Popular with Both Obama and Republicans after Paying More Than $1 Billion in Fines
It’s been no-hard-feelings for Swiss bank UBS AG, the financial institution that hasn’t let more than $1 billion in government fines get in the way of building relationships with politicians in Washington.
Over the past three years, UBS has ... read more
Public Worries about Unemployment and the Economy, but Media Prefers Deficit
The largest daily newspapers in the U.S. have placed greater emphasis on coverage of the federal budget deficit than the issue of unemployment, even though the American public is most concerned with jobs and the economy. The latest Gallup Poll s... read more
House Prepares to Give President Authority to Wage Worldwide War Forever
It isn’t often that Congress voluntarily gives up power to the President of the United States, but that appears to be the case with a terrorism-related provision added to a military authorization act.
Hidden within the National Defense Autho... read more
Chicago Trial May Expose Pakistan Government’s Support of Terrorism
A Pakistani-American is expected to testify at a federal trial in Chicago that Pakistan’s intelligence agency supported the 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai, India.
David Coleman Headley will tell how he began preparing for the attack two yea... read more
Both Medicare and Social Security, For the First Time, Spent More than They Received
Last year marked a dark milestone for Medicare and Social Security, as both entitlement programs, for the first time in the same year, paid out more in benefits than they collected in revenue.
This development meant the federal government ha... read more
Appeals Court Blasts VA for Mental Health “Incompetence”
The Department of Veterans Affairs was blasted this week by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for bungling both the care of veterans and the processing of disability benefit claims.
In a case brought by veterans advocates, the appellate cou... read more