Controversies
The Deadliest Car on U.S. Roads
While traffic death rates in general have declined, the car found to be the deadliest has actually gotten more dangerous over time. The Kia Rio, a very small four-door car, led the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) list of the deadliest cars through the 2012 model year with 149 deaths per million registered vehicle years. A similar IIHS report prepared in 2011 found the Rio to have “only” 89 deaths per million registered vehicle miles. read more
New Senator from North Carolina Says Restaurant Workers Should not be Required to Wash Hands after Using the Toilet
Like many conservatives, Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, says there are too many regulations burdening American businesses and some of them have got to go. That includes eliminating the state and local laws, recommended by the Food and Drug Administration, mandating that food workers hit the sink before going back to the kitchen. Tillis’ plan would include a requirement that restaurants post signs telling customers that the staff don’t have to wash up. read more
Defense Dept. Redefines Alcohol as a “Weapon” in Sexual Assault Cases
The change came about after outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered his agency to review its alcohol polices in an effort to reduce the number of rapes within the military. “They include a department-wide review of institutional alcohol policies...including the risk that alcohol is used as a weapon against victims in a predatory way,” Hagel said last May. The new policy was reflected in the Pentagon’s latest sexual assault prevention guide that describes alcohol as a weapon. read more
Urban Heat Waves on the Rise; Extreme Wind Declines
“Our findings suggest that urban areas are experiencing a kind of double whammy — a combination of general climatic warming combined with the heat island effect...preventing cities from cooling down as fast as rural areas,” said study coauthor Dennis Lettenmaier. “Everything’s warming up, but the effect is amplified in urban areas.” The trend has been accelerated at night because all that concrete is holding in heat. Almost two-thirds of urban areas are experiencing hotter nights. read more
Nebraska Republicans Fight to Get Rid of One Democratic Electoral Vote
Under the current system, it is possible for a Democratic presidential candidate to pick up one of Nebraska’s five electoral votes. Barack Obama accomplished this rare feat in 2008, which marked the first time that had happened for a Democrat since 1964 with Lyndon Johnson. GOP leaders now want to change state law and turn Nebraska into a winner-take-all state, as is the case with 48 other states. Republicans don’t want to see a Democrat snatching away any of those votes again—even one. read more
Seniors Beware of Useless Tests…in Certain States
States that attract elderly Americans for vacations or winter stays sometimes have higher testing rates for certain procedures. Florida, long a popular getaway for seniors, is one such state. The Times found three years ago that Florida doctors ordered more than twice the number of nuclear stress tests, echocardiograms and vascular ultrasounds per Medicare beneficiary than in Massachusetts. Florida is an “epicenter of Medicare abuse,” wrote the Times. read more
Justice Dept. to Tell Thousands of Immigrants they will have to Wait for Hearings until November 2019
The number of immigrants waiting to see a judge is staggering; about 430,000 are currently backed up. In California alone, there are more than 85,000 people, the population of a medium-sized city, whose cases are pending. Texas is next with more than 74,000 people waiting. All those people are waiting for a spot on the calendars of only 230 immigration judges. The average wait is 600 days. read more
Groups Sue EPA over Failure to Regulate Stinking Pollution
Eight organizations filed suit last week against the EPA for failing to control emissions from large feeding operations that do not permit animals to graze. These are known as “concentrated animal feeding operations” (CAFOs), of which there are at least 18,000 in the United States. There are two suits, one (pdf) dealing with ammonia pollution, the other (pdf) with methane and other air pollutants. read more
Justice Dept. Agrees to Release Secret Memo Relating to Patriot Act and Census Info
The American public will soon find out why intelligence agencies and law enforcement have accessed census data under the guise of protecting the nation from terrorism.
The details will become known once the U.S. Department of Justice releases a secret memo that covers legal interpretations of controversial Section 215 of the Patriot Act. read more
Would Atlantic Wind Energy Create more Jobs than Offshore Oil Drilling?
An environmental group contends in a new report that a better job producer near the Eastern seaboard would be wind turbines, which could provide more employment than new drilling platforms. Oceana says offshore wind could, over the next 20 years, create nearly 91,000 more jobs than offshore drilling. Turbines also could produce more energy than drilling, over a period of two decades, which would be enough electricity for 115 million homes. read more
More than 60% of Statements by Fox News Pundits and Guests Turn out to be False, According to PolitiFact
The analysis revealed that 61% of the statements on Fox News were either mostly false, definitely false or “pants on fire” false. Another 18% were half true, 11% mostly true and only 10% completely true. Statements made on MSNBC and NBC news found 44% to land in the false categories. Twenty-two percent were half true, 24% mostly true and just 9% completely true. On CNN, 21% were various degrees of false, while 23% were found to be half true, 42% mostly true and 15% completely true.
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Pennsylvania Fracking Companies Flaunt Environmental Rules and Regulations…Every Day
The largest 20 frackers averaged more than 1.5 violations a day, with many racking up hundreds of violations. Some of the violations included allowing toxic chemicals to flow off drilling sites and into local soil and water; endangering drinking water through improper well construction; and dumping industrial waste into local waterways. The report noted that the numbers collected are probably on the low side.
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HUD Official Worked for Government and Housing Industry at the Same Time…Beyond the Revolving Door
Until June, Debra Gross worked for the Housing and Urban Development at the same time she was a deputy director for an advocacy group that had interests in HUD decision making. HUD’s IG looked into the Gross case and found it created a conflict of interest. How Gross was even hired by former HUD Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing Sandra Henriquez might raise questions, but federal law permits agencies to share employees with outside organizations. read more
Half of Prisoners Cleared after being Wrongly Convicted are African-American
The National Registry of Exonerations reported that 66 of the 125 inmates who were exonerated in 2014 were black. Since 1989, 1,536 people have been exonerated and 715 were black. “This can be attributed to the fact that there are more African-Americans in the U.S. prison system than any other race group,” said ThinkProgress. African-Americans make up only about 13% of the U.S. population at large, but about 43% of the prison population. read more
Fracking Earthquake Responsibility Case Goes to Court
In 2011, the town of Prague was hit by a 5.6 earthquake that damaged numerous homes, including one belonging to Ladra. She suffered an injury to her knee, requiring two surgeries. She contends the earthquake was the result of fracking wells operated by the defendants, New Dominion LLC and Spess Oil Co. The case has serious ramifications for the oil and gas industry, which could be forced to stop using the controversial drilling procedure if the two companies are found liable.
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Student Settles with Philadelphia Police after Airport Arrest for Carrying Arabic Flash Cards
TSA agents were concerned about the flash cards, and according to George, asked him: “Do you know who did 9/11?”
George replied: “Osama Bin Laden.”
The TSA supervisor then asked him if he knew what language Osama Bin Laden spoke.
“Arabic,” George replied.
To which the TSA supervisor replied: “So do you see why these cards are suspicious?”
Then, a Philadelphia police officer approached George and handcuffed him. He spent five hours under arrest, cuffed the entire time.
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