Controversies

Tennessee Arrests Mother for Taking Meth while Pregnant

Mallory Loyola gave birth July 6 to a baby girl at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. She was arrested two days later when it was found that there was methamphetamine in her system while she was pregnant, and Loyola admitted to smoking meth a few days before giving birth. Methamphetamine, while an addictive drug, is not classified as a narcotic. Furthermore, there’s no evidence that Loyola’s baby was born addicted to drugs or harmed by Loyola’s drug use. read more

House Ways and Means Committee Claims Immunity in SEC Insider Trading Probe

The Legislative and Executive branches of government are currently in a standoff over records pertaining to an insider trading investigation. Officials at the SEC want the House Ways and Means Committee to turn over testimony and other records that might reveal if the staff director of the committee’s healthcare subcommittee, Brian Sutter, leaked important details about federal policy changes to a Washington lobbyist before the information became public knowledge. read more

Chemical Spill Company Fined $11,000 after Causing at least $61 Million in Damages

Earlier this year, a West Virginia chemical company contaminated the drinking water of hundreds of thousands of people, resulting in more than $60 million in economic damages. But the federal government so far has fined the company only $11,000. Schools and businesses had to close as a result of the contamination, which left 300,000 people without water. About 20% of those affected reported having health problems afterwards. read more

The Anti-Trafficking Law that Backfired into the Current Flood of Child Immigrants

The current policy crisis over the flood of immigrant children into the U.S. is a classic example of good legislative intentions gone awry. During the George W. Bush administration, Congress adopted legislation designed to make things safer for unaccompanied immigrant children arriving into the U.S. The point was to ensure that the children were put into “the least restrictive setting.” But that law is now causing a political nightmare for the Obama administration. read more

Largest Reservoir in U.S. Drops to Lowest Level in its 77-Year History

Established in 1937 following the completion of Hoover Dam, Lake Mead today is at its lowest water level since it first began filling up during the New Deal era. It’s lost 60% of its water capacity since 1983. The mammoth reservoir has had far more water being pumped out to supply Las Vegas (from which 90% of its water originates) and other Southwest cities than water being carried in from its primary supply, the Colorado River. read more

Ohio Leads Nation in Hazardous Waste Spills

Since 1971, Ohio has experienced 43,891 spills of hazardous materials. In second place is Pennsylvania (39,939), followed by California (39,673), Texas (39,084) and Illinois (37,524) among the top five. Ohio’s third largest city, Cincinnati, has dealt with more than 25% of the state’s accidents, and managed to average one spill a day last year. read more

As Republicans Drift Right, Gap between House and Senate is Greatest Since at least World War I

The political gridlock that has largely paralyzed Washington is about more than Democrats and Republicans not seeing eye-to-eye. It’s also a result of the two houses of Congress being very far apart on the ideological scale. The House and Senate “are more divided than at any time since the end of World War I” as far as political viewpoints go, said Harry Enten. The widest ideological gap on Capitol Hill last came in the 1980s. Today the gap is more than double. read more

More Sheriffs are Balking at Helping Obama Administration Jail Noncitizens

The change began in Oregon after a federal judge ruled that a sheriff had illegally held an immigrant at the request of U.S. Immigration. Other Oregon sheriffs then ceased honoring requests to detain immigrants for 48 hours without probable cause. Sheriffs in California, Washington, Minnesota and Kansas then followed suit. “When a judge says something is in violation of the Fourth Amendment, I am not going to just keep doing it,” said San Diego County Sheriff William Gore. read more

Two States Allow Seizing Guns from Mentally Ill; Other States on Hold

Connecticut was the first to pass legislation that authorized police to seize guns when individuals demonstrate they are a danger to themselves or others. Lawmakers adopted the landmark bill following a deadly shooting at the state’s lottery office, where four people were killed by a disgruntled employee. The other state is Indiana, which adopted its own law in 2005 following the fatal shooting of two people and the wounding of four others by a mentally ill person. read more

As Piglets Die, Pork Industry Clashes with Environmentalists over Burial Methods

Cases of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) virus have swept through the pork industry. The virus strikes piglets that are two to three weeks old and kills virtually all the animals it infects. Larry Baldwin of Waterkeeper said earlier this year in a press release: “Hogs are commonly buried in low-lying areas adjacent to wetlands. They often sit out for days waiting to be transported for off-site disposal while blood and other fluids seep into the ground.” read more

U.S. Doctors Prescribe Opiate Painkillers at Twice the Rate of any other Country…and 500,000 Veterans are Dependent

U.S. physicians write 82.5 prescriptions for opiate analgesics for every 100 persons in the country. Expressed another way, there are 40,000 daily doses of OPRs consumed here for each million inhabitants per day. The second leading consumer of OPRs, according to a United Nations report, is Canada with 20,000 daily doses per million. By comparison, Mexico consumes only 85 daily doses per million inhabitants. read more

Fracking Company in Pennsylvania Offers Residents $50,000 Each to Promise not to Sue about Anything

EQT Corporation, which operates a fracking well near Finleyville in Washington County, has offered $50,000 to those willing to sign a comprehensive no-liability waiver that prevents them from ever suing the company for any problem stemming from the drilling. EQT initially tried to get at least 30 Finleyville residents to sign the agreements, with the understanding that the money would only be paid out if all the local landowners came onboard. read more

Carbon Dioxide Levels Reach 800,000-Year High

Scientists say the level of CO2 has averaged 400 parts per million (ppm) for the past three months at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii. That last happened, climatologists say, between 800,000 and 15 million years ago, long before modern humans roamed the earth. The 400 ppm level contrasts with a level of about 280 ppm before the beginning of the Industrial Revolution less than two centuries ago. read more

First Case of DNA Used to Convict in Murder Case Proven to have been Transferred by Mistake

An investigation by Kulick revealed that on the night of Kumra’s death, Anderson had been treated by paramedics after passing out from drinking too much. During his treatment, Anderson had an oxygen-monitoring probe placed on his finger. That same piece of equipment was used later that evening on Kumra when first responders showed up at his home. read more

More than a Million Rapes in U.S. not Counted in Statistics Due to Police Mislabeling of Sexual Assaults

Writing in the Iowa Law Review, Yung discovered that nearly 70% of all police departments in 2012 relied on dispatchers—many of whom lack proper training—“to do the initial coding of sexual assault crimes.” He also determined that police officers sometimes fail to write reports after interviewing rape victims. Yung estimates that from 1995 to 2012, between 796,213 and 1,145,309 sexual assaults were wrongly categorized by local police. read more

New York Supreme Court Rules that Towns May Ban Fracking Despite State Law

Opponents of hydraulic fracturing have won a key legal ruling (pdf) in New York State, where the state’s highest court has said local governments can ban the controversial drilling practice regardless of state law. The decision comes in the wake of several ordinances adopted by towns seeking to prevent fracking operators from drilling within their jurisdictions. read more