Controversies

Stanford Grad Students Show NSA Metadata Names are Easier to Trace than Obama Admits

After spending a few hours of research and even fewer dollars, the student snoopers identified names for 91 out of 100 numbers. Their conclusion? “If a few academic researchers can get this far this quickly, it’s difficult to believe the NSA would have any trouble identifying the overwhelming majority of American phone numbers.” read more

The Most Catastrophic Climate Predictions Are Seen as the Most Probable

Professor Steven Sherwood at the University of New South Wales said the research reveals how climate change is impacting clouds, and consequently, increasing the likelihood of higher air temperatures in the coming decades. The warming of the planet results in fewer clouds, which in turn allows for less sunlight to be reflected by clouds back out toward space, causing temperatures to rise even more. read more

Did California Just Take the First Step towards Gun Registration?

Law enforcement agencies had previously been mandated to destroy records of all “long gun” transactions within 10 days. Now with the adoption of AB 809, those agencies are required to track the make, model and serial number of such weapons, as well as the identity and address of the gun owners. The only way to avoid getting put into a state database, critics said, was to purchase their weapons by December 31. Many seemed to do just that. read more

If only 24% of Americans Consider Themselves Republicans, Why do Republicans Dominate Sunday Talk Shows?

Only 24% of respondents to a recent Gallup survey (December 5-8) considered themselves Republicans. And yet, GOP politicians consistently made more appearances than Democrats on programs like “Meet the Press,” “Face the Nation,” “This Week,” “State of the Union,” and “Fox News Sunday.” Six of the top seven, and 10 of the top 13 guests on these shows were Republicans. read more

NSA Unit Intercepts Computer Shipments for Secret Access Modifications

These specialists intercept computer shipments ordered by a targeted person and reroute the boxes to secret workshops. There, the packages are opened, and either software or hardware are implanted into the equipment to allow the NSA full access to the system once it’s operational by the target. The packages are then carefully resealed and sent on their way to the unsuspecting customers. read more

U.S. Population Growth Slows to Lowest Rate Since 1937

In 2013, the nation expanded by less than a percentage point (0.72%), according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau. The tepid growth was the lowest since 1937, with even slower expansion still to come. Percentage-wise, the biggest gainer was North Dakota, where a thriving oil and gas industry helped boost the population by 3.14%. It was followed by the District of Columbia (2.06%), Utah (1.61%) Colorado (1.52%) and Texas (1.49%). read more

Number of Black-Owned Commercial TV Stations Goes from 18 to 0 in 7 Years

Two years before Obama was first elected to the White House, there were only 18 full-power TV stations owned by African-Americans. This total represented just 1.3% of all such stations in the country. By the end of his first term in office, those 18 had declined to only five stations. And as of this month, the number has fallen all the way to zero. read more

Bureau of Prisons Fights against Early Release of Dying or Incapacitated Prisoners

Over one 20-year period (1992-2012), BOP asked the courts to consider motions for early release only two dozen times a year on average, according to a report last year from Human Rights Watch. That’s out of a federal prison population of more than 200,000. The federal prison population has expanded by nearly 800% since 1980. Thousands of these inmates are now seniors, whose care can cost twice as much as non-elderly inmates. read more

Federal Court Allows Ousted Protesters to Sue South Carolina Gov. Haley

Haley tried to justify her call for arrests by pointing to an emergency regulation by the state Budget and Control Board (which Haley chairs) that banned sleeping on Statehouse grounds. But the new rule made no reference to a 6 pm or any other curfew on protesting. Also, it was adopted after the arrests were made. read more

Federal Workers Discover their Health Plan Fails New Federal Guidelines

The plan does not cover pre-existing conditions or certain preventative care, both requirements of the health law. The volunteers are apparently caught in a Catch-22: AmeriCorps argues that because they are technically not employees it does not have to offer them the “minimum essential coverage” needed to comply with the individual mandate, but as volunteers to work with the poor they are so badly paid they cannot afford better coverage. read more

Senators Coburn and Lee Block Bill to Aid Mentally Ill

The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Act (S. 162) would allocate $40 million for mental health courts, create more crisis intervention teams to work with law enforcement, and provide military veterans with better screening for mental health problems, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and drug addiction. The measure would also help police academies better train cadets to effectively respond to mentally ill people. read more

Blue Collar Temp Workers more Likely to be Injured

Growth in blue collar temping has been even more dramatic: last year, more than one in every 20 blue-collar workers was a temp, and according to a ProPublica analysis of occupational employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the share of temp workers doing blue collar work has grown dramatically, from 30% to 47% since 1993. In the rush to use these workers, according to the report, health and safety issues have taken a back seat. read more

53% Increase in Books Banned by U.S. Schools

The Kids’ Right to Read Project (KRRP), part of the National Coalition Against Censorship, says attempts to remove books from classrooms and libraries went up 53% this year, based on 49 attempts in 29 states. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie was labeled “anti-Christian” in numerous states (Montana, New York, New Jersey and West Virginia). KRRP said it “went to bat for [this book] more than any other work in 2013.” read more

Battery Recycler Fights Emergency Clean-Up Order

Exide Technologies in Vernon, has been accused of presenting a health hazard to more than 100,000 people while melting down up to 40,000 batteries a day. It has been smacked around this year by the South Coast Air Quality District (AQMD) and the state Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), which almost managed to close it, at least temporarily. read more

“Preferred Speech” at Issue as Judge Overturns North Carolina Governor’s Ban of NAACP Rally

The plaintiffs argued that the administration was discriminating against them based on their political viewpoints—an argument Judge Allen Baddour seemed to agree with. Baddour determined that there was no difference between the groups that want to protest cuts to unemployment benefits and the state's decision not to expand Medicaid and other demonstrations that had used the Capitol grounds, aside from the content of their speech. read more

10-Year Backlog of 12,000 Untested Rape Kits in Memphis May Have Resulted in More Rapes

Attorney Robert Spence, who is representing the plaintiff, Jane Doe, says his client was raped 12 years ago, but her kit was never tested to help find the culprit. He also said the man who raped Jane Doe committed multiple rapes after his client’s sexual assault. By not processing the rape kits, police violated the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution, Spence claims. read more