Controversies
Rights Groups Sue Obama Administration over Assassinations
Two civil liberties groups argued in federal court this week that the U.S. government does not have the legal right to order the assassination of American citizens overseas even if they advocate terrorist violence.
The case was brought by th... read more
EPA Toxic Substance Database is 55 Years Behind Schedule
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is supposed to maintain a database of dangerous chemicals to better inform the public of risks posed by the substances. But EPA officials have fallen so far behind on updating the Integrated Risk In... read more
Will Wal-Mart Replace the Government in Regulating Farming Practices?
Retail giant Wal-Mart appears to be getting behind sustainable agricultural practices, which could have a huge impact on farming in the United States. Wal-Mart wants to double sales of locally grown food by 2015, and it wants farmers to be more ... read more
Agriculture Dept. Pushes Restaurants to Use More Fatty Cheese
Whether the objective is to help the dairy industry or feed the poor, governments are pushing cheese to help cure their economic ills.
In the United States, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) is working at cross-purposes in assisting the D... read more
Idaho Gravel Mine Refuses Federal Inspection
The U.S. Department of Labor is taking a mining company to court for preventing a federal inspector from examining a sand and gravel rock-crushing operation near Weippe, Idaho.
Scott Amos, an inspector with the Mine Safety and Health Adminis... read more
Pentagon Finally Bans Interrogations by Private Contractors…Sort Of
Following the controversies surrounding detainee interrogations during the Bush administration, the Department of Defense has issued new regulations formally banning the use of private contractors to grill suspected terrorists held by the U.S. m... read more
Pipeline Explosion Survivors Accuse PG&E of Not Using Rate Hike Funds for Repairs
Survivors of the deadly gas-pipeline explosion that occurred September 9th in San Bruno, California, are suing Pacific Gas & Electric for causing the disaster. Among the claims leveled at PG&E is the assertion that the company received $5 millio... read more
Navy Officer Denied Conscientious Objector Status Because He Believes Jesus Forbids Violence
Naval officer Michael Izbicki has twice been denied an honorable discharge because the U.S. Navy rejected his assertion that he is a conscientious objector. Hailing from a family with a history of military service, Izbicki came to conclude that ... read more
No Antiwar Views Expressed On PBS News
PBS’s NewsHour, regarded by its supporters as a more thorough alternative to network and cable television news, has demonstrated a noticeable pro-war slant in its coverage of Afghanistan, according to a recent analysis by the media watchdog group,... read more
Interior Dept. Gives Contract to Company that Approved Gulf Drilling Rig Safety
Having approved the Deepwater Horizon’s safety procedures before the offshore oil rig exploded and unleashed the worst spill in U.S. history, Det Norske Veritas (DNV) of Norway now has been hired by the federal government to inspect the vital pi... read more
California Indian Tribe Clashes with Government Solar Project
Plans to build a 709-megawatt solar farm in the Southern California desert have hit a snag after a Native American tribe sued the U.S. government to stop development of the project from proceeding. In its lawsuit directed at the U.S. Department ... read more
Appeals Court Blocks Release of Documents…in Freedom of Speech Case
When the libertarian group Institute for Justice was asked by a New York Times reporter for a copy of its friends-of-the-court brief in the First Amendment case of Siobhan Reynolds, it had to decline, citing the fact that the document had been s... read more
Air Force Warns Service Members and Families about Facebook Locator App
The U.S. Air Force has warned personnel in Germany about the risk of new Facebook application that can reveal a user’s whereabouts, claiming the application’s features could pose a security risk. “Places I check in to” and “People Here Now” use ... read more
Google Sues Dept. of Interior over Microsoft Monopoly of E-Mail and Messaging System
Google is suing the Department of the Interior, claiming it was unable to compete for an email and messaging contract due to restrictions involving Microsoft software. The Interior Department asked in August for bids from companies to devise a s... read more
Ohio Court Approves Firing of School Employee for 30-Year-Old Drug Conviction
An unnamed school-hearing officer from Ohio thought he was in the clear in 1997 when his criminal record was expunged of a drug trafficking conviction from 1976, clearing the way for his employment with the Cincinnati school system. But when the... read more
8 Biggest Secret Donor Groups
The majority of the top non-party-affiliated spenders this election cycle have provided no information on the source of their campaign war-chests, according to Public Citizen. These groups have spent millions, and in some cases tens of millions ... read more