Controversies
Army Reverses Punishment for Officers in Firefight Deaths of 9 U.S. Soldiers
As far as the U.S. Army is concerned, no one in a position of command should be held accountable for the mistakes that resulted in one of the deadliest battles of the Afghanistan war.
In July 2008, a platoon of soldiers manning an outpost nea... read more
Oklahoma Police Taser Bedridden 86-Year-Old Woman
Bedridden and on oxygen, Lona Varner of El Reno, Oklahoma, was zapped by police using Taser guns after she acted in an “aggressive” manner in her bed. Officers showed up at Varner’s residence after her grandson, Lonnie Tinsley, called 911 seeking ... read more
BP Avoids Offshore Drilling Halt in Alaska by Building Artificial Island
BP’s oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico prompted the federal government to call for a moratorium on all offshore drilling—and yet the company is still moving ahead, with regulators’ blessings, to tap a potentially huge undersea petroleum reserve o... read more
Judge Who Ruled against Oil Drilling Moratorium Owns Oil Industry Stock
In throwing out the Obama administration’s moratorium on offshore oil drilling, U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman of Louisiana said halting production would negatively impact the industry and local economy. The ban also might have impacted Feldma... read more
Where is FEMA in the Gulf Oil Crisis?: Rich Galen
During the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, Americans have heard from or about the U.S. Coast Guard, the Minerals Management Service, and even President Barack Obama. But the one agency that has not made an appearance—the one whose mission is ... read more
80% of Drugs Approved in U.S. Are Tested Abroad
There’s “made in the USA,” but rarely can pharmaceutical companies claim to have “tested” their medications and therapies in the United States.
Daniel Levinson, inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services, has found that ... read more
Shareholder Sues Archer Daniels Midland over Misleading Executive Pay
Agricultural giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) failed to inform its shareholders that senior executives would receive $1.3 billion in compensation for last year—an amount representing 74% of the company’s 2009 net earnings, according to a
lawsui... read more
Long Island Indians Finally Win Recognition and Casino
After struggling for three decades to win recognition, the Shinnecock Indians last week were officially declared a federally-sanctioned tribe by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The legal status means the relatively impoverished tribe of 1,292 member... read more
Supreme Court Invalidates 500 Government Labor Decisions
Two years’ worth of work, amounting to about 500 cases, will have to be reconsidered by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), as ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court in a split decision that crossed ideological lines. The five-member NLRB tried ... read more
Is It Time to Limit Nicotine Levels in Cigarettes?
The Food and Drug Administration should use the expanded powers given to it by Congress and crackdown on the level of nicotine in cigarettes, argues David Kessler, former head of the FDA during the Clinton administration. Kessler, who tried to reg... read more
17 Afghan Soldiers Go AWOL from Language School in Texas; 10 Still Missing
A U.S. Air Force Base in Texas lost track of 17 military personnel visiting from Afghanistan to study English at a language school. Of the 17 who went AWOL over a period of 18 months from the Defense Language Institute English Language Center at L... read more
Obama Administration Moves to Protect Small Ranchers against Big Meatpackers
Seeking to address concerns that big meat processors have too much power over market prices, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has proposed new regulations designed to open up commercial opportunities for small farmers supplying chicken an... read more
Jailed for Debt in the U.S. in the 21st Century
More than a hundred and fifty years ago, Americans were thrown into jail for not paying their debts, until the country did away with so-called debtors’ prisons in 1833. Today, similar punishments have returned for those in over their heads in debt... read more
Major Egg Producer Accused of False Claims about Animal Welfare
Following up on its investigation of factory farms that produce millions of eggs for American consumers, The Humane Society of the United States has filed a complaint against Rose Acre Farms with the Federal Trade Commission. Rose Acre, the nation... read more
Why Are So Many Returning Veterans So Angry?
The trick to helping veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars struggling with anger issues may lie in focusing on certain symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), say researchers with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and ... read more
U.S.-Born Citizen Blocked by Obama Administration from Returning to U.S.
Yahya Wehelie, a U.S. citizen born to immigrants from Somalia, spent 18 months in Yemen. He says he was there to learn Arabic and look for a bride before deciding to return to the United States. But Wehelie’s trip home was interrupted in Egypt, wh... read more