Controversies

Mitt Romney’s Mysterious 6 Tax Plan Studies

Only two of the six “studies” are really studies at all. Three are online articles and one is an op-ed that appeared in the Wall Street Journal. The author of one study, Martin Feldstein, an advisor to the Romney campaign, said that it was “impossible to calculate the exact effects of the future reforms since Gov. Romney hasn't specified what he would do.” read more

Every Year, Americans Eat more than their Weight in Genetically Engineered Foods

More than 90% of sugar beets and soybeans and 88% of corn grown in the U.S. are genetically engineered, according to the organization. Sugar beets are the preferred sweetener for 55% of prepared, sweetened foods, and 79% of salad oil is made from soybean oil. EWG did not include in its estimates several foods that are commonly genetically engineered, such as canola oil, cottonseed oil, papaya, yellow squash and miscellaneous soy products. read more

Obama Student Debt Program Helps High-Income Borrowers more than Others

“I would even argue that if you’ve got one graduate degree and you borrowed a lot to pay for it, your second graduate degree will be free,” study coauthor Jason Delisle told Raw Story. “It gets rid of any incentive for law schools to bring down their cost.” read more

Jailed for Falsely Bidding at an Oil Drilling Auction, Tim DeChristopher Leaves Prison

Environmental activistbTimothy DeChristopher, who garnered national attention for falsely bidding on oil-drilling leases during the Bush administration, has been released from prison. Jailed for two years for bidding at a December 19, 2008, Bureau of Land Management auction without any intent to pay, DeChristopher will spend the remaining six months of his term at halfway house in Salt Lake City. read more

Federal Court Orders to Ohio to Count Ballots Cast in Wrong Precinct

More than 80% of all ballots in Ohio are cast at polling places that handle more than one precinct. Oftentimes, poll workers will give a ballot for the wrong precinct to a voter who must cast a provisional ballot because they don’t have proper identification or other reasons. In these instances, the state threw out such ballots. In 2008, about 14,000 ballots were not counted because they were cast in the wrong precinct at the right polling place. read more

Three-Quarters of Scientific Retractions Caused by Misconduct, not Honest Errors

A new study of 2,047 retractions of biomedical and life-science research articles published between 1973 and May 3, 2012, says that only 21.3% of the time are retractions the product of honest errors. That means misconduct is behind three-quarters of retractions. The misconduct includes suspected fraud (43.4%), duplicate publication (14.2%) and plagiarism (9.8%). read more

Obama Administration Accused of Lying about Mortgage Fraud Crackdown Data

Of the eight cases DOJ called recent, two were filed before Oct. 1, 2011, including the case of Chicago attorney Norton Helton, who was sentenced on January 18, 2012, to 15 years in prison for his involvement in 102 fraudulent mortgage bailout transactions. The case against Helton was filed in October 2006. read more

Commerce Dept. Moves to Hide Overfishing Data from Public

Instead of obtaining statistics from the National Marine Fisheries Service, as current law allows, “the public might have to go through private fishing companies to access information about their fishing and its impact on the ecosystem,” according to OMB Watch. This change could create a conflict of interest, OMB Watch adds, because fishermen might be afraid to reveal details about their catches. read more

Atlanta Archdiocese Calls Komen Cancer Charity “Evil”

As far as the Archdiocese of Atlanta is concerned, an organization dedicated to helping women fight breast cancer is “evil” because, church officials claim, the group gives money to Planned Parenthood. But the local chapter of the group, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, says the archdiocese is mistaken about the funding. read more

Conn. Supreme Court Frees Accused Rapist of Speechless Handicapped Victim because She Didn’t Resist by Biting, Kicking or Screeching

The victim, whose disabilities include cerebral palsy, mental retardation and hydrocephalus, cannot speak and was only able to testify in court by using a keypad, on which she responded yes or no with just her right index finger. The state Supreme Court voted 4-3 to uphold the appellate decision after agreeing that the victim could have expressed her opposition through biting, kicking or screeching, as she had been known to do if she disliked the food she was given. read more

California Governor’s Veto Lets State Agencies Disrupt Protesters’ Cell Phone Communications

BART’s unprecedented disruption of service in August 2011 occurred when protesters began to gather for a rally days after a BART police officer fatally shot a knife-wielding homeless man at the San Francisco Civic Center station. BART was able to cut off service because of agreements it has with wireless carriers who operate a highly controlled network that can be turned off with practically a flip of a switch. read more

Appeals Court Reinstates Indefinite Imprisonment without Trial

The Obama administration immediately fought back against the decision and convinced a three-member panel of judges from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals to overrule Forrest’s ruling. Like Forrest, all three judges, Denny Chin, Raymond Lohier and Christopher Droney, were appointed by President Obama. The judges said ‘the statute does not affect the existing rights of United States citizens or other individuals arrested in the United States.” read more

Private Prison Industry Panics as States Rethink Costs of Mass Incarceration

In 2010, half of CCA’s revenue of $1.67 billion came from the states and 43% came from the federal government as a result of contract with the U.S. Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Prisons and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). read more

Americans Visiting Doctors Less Often

The rise in the number of Americans lacking health insurance may be influencing many to put off seeking medical help. The percentage of those without health benefits in 2010 was 21.8%, up from 17% nine years earlier. Only 24% of those without health insurance went to a doctor in 2010 compared to 72% of those who were insured. read more

Judge Gives Go-Ahead for Veterans to Sue over Human Guinea Pig Experiments

The plaintiffs claim the military and the Central Intelligence Agency tested as many as 400 types of drugs and chemicals, including mescaline, LSD, amphetamines, barbiturates, mustard gas and nerve agents, on soldiers. The veterans are not seeking monetary damages, but want the Department of Veterans of Affairs to provide medical coverage for those suffering from the effects of the testing. read more

Most 3-Strike Inmates Are Addicts, but Are No Greater Threat than Non-Addicts

Using measurements of risk factors and psychological makeups, social scientists and criminologists have developed tools for assessing the extent to which an inmate exhibits high-risk “criminal thinking,” and they have determined that these felons with substance abuse problems don’t pose any greater threat to the public than non-three-strike prisoners. read more