U.S. and the World
Drone Killing of Civilians Sparks Outrage in Yemen…Apathy in U.S.
The United States has ramped up its drone war campaign in Yemen, where 10 civilians, including a 10-year-old girl and her mother, were killed last weekend. The attack provoked outrage among Yemenis, while the American media, which rarely pays attention to the war in Yemen anyway, was largely distracted by the Democratic Party’s national convention.
The 10 killed were among 29 who died in Yemen within a week, as the result of multiple drone attacks. read more
Foreigners Avoid Restrictions on U.S. Campaign Donations by Donating Through Trade Associations
The US Chamber of Commerce, like many large trade associations, is international in scope and has many foreign business members. Although the Chamber claims that money received from foreign source is segregated from domestic money, there is no way of knowing if that is true, because there’s no way to audit foreign corporate spending when it occurs through trade associations. read more
Obama Administration Discovers that Vicious Terrorist Group is a Vicious Terrorist Group
Active since the late 1980s, the group has been involved in numerous attacks, including the July 2008 bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul, the December 2009 Camp Chapman attack, and the September 12, 2011, attack on the US Embassy and nearby NATO bases in Kabul.
Nonetheless, the group, known as the Haqqani Network after its founder and leader, Jalalludin Haqqani, has not been officially designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. government. read more
U.S. Marines in Combat Operations in Guatemala against Drug Cartel
The Marines, who brought pilots, communication teams and combat engineers, have four UH-1N Huey helicopters. Their assignment is to spot drug traffickers from the Guatemalan drug cartel Las Zetas in boats—including crude mini-submarines—and then radio the Guatemalans, whose job is to seize the drugs and arrest cartel members. read more
Canadian Government Orders Deportation of U.S. Soldier who Refused to Return to Iraq
For three months she served as a gate guard at a forward operating base.
Soon she began to question the purpose of U.S. involvement in Iraq. “Why am I here? What am I giving my life for? How am I helping my comrades and Iraq's people?...Is what I am doing self-defense or aggression?” read more
Arctic Sea Ice Reaches Record Low
Most of the decrease is likely due to global warming, itself the consequence of pollution and the cutting down of forests, according to scientists. NASA’s researchers attribute this year’s unusually large loss to Arctic ice not to warm weather this year, but to increased temperatures in previous years that broke down thicker ice cover. read more
What to do about Children Illegally Crossing into the U.S. Alone?
U.S immigration courts weren’t designed to handle children. Unlike criminal or family courts, immigration courts provide no legal representation for those who can’t afford a lawyer. This can mean children, some as young as six, have to go before a judge to speak on their own behalf without having any idea what is happening to them. read more
SEC Narrowly Votes to Force Companies to Disclose Use of Conflict Minerals
Section 1502 requires companies to examine their supply chains to determine and disclose if their products contain minerals from the DRC or surrounding countries.
SEC officials estimate that section 1502 would cost companies $3 billion to $4 billion initially to comply and another $206 million to $609 million annually for compliance.
read more
U.S. Rejects Israeli Government Investigation into Killing of American Citizen in Israel
Some witnesses stated that Corrie was crushed by a bulldozer, while the IDF concluded that she died after being struck by falling debris. In addition, while the IDF reported that the driver of the bulldozer could not see her, witnesses said there was nothing to obscure the driver’s view. read more
U.S-Based Foundation Shames Memory of Late Civil Rights Leader by Hosting Human Rights Summit in One of World’s Worst Dictatorships
The summit does not represent the first time that the Sullivan Foundation has assisted Obiang. Last December it honored the dictator with the “Beacon for Africa” award for “exemplary contributions to improving the lives of Africa's most vulnerable citizens.” read more
Qantas Cancels Orders for $8.5 Billion Worth of Boeing Jets
The cancellation represented the biggest of its kind for the Dreamliner since Boeing began selling it. In March, China Eastern gave up on buying 24 787’s.
The manufacturer currently has more than 800 Dreamliners in its inventory.
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U.S. Companies Urge Congress to Ignore Russian Rights Violations and Drop Trade Restrictions
Backing the administration on the issue is the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, which represents major American exporters to Russia, ranging from Caterpillar, John Deere, General Electric, Boeing, Halliburton and Dell to Avon Beauty Products, Wrigley and Walt Disney Studios. If the restrictions were dropped, tariffs on vehicles shipped to Russia, for example, would drop from 15% to 5%. read more
Judge Orders CIA to Turn over More Documents about Drug Kingpin Pablo Escobar
Although it might seem obvious, when searching for records related to Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, the Central Intelligence Agency must actually search for the name “Pablo Escobar,” and must search everywhere they might reasonably be fo... read more
U.S. Increases Dependence on Oil Supplied by Saudi Royal Family
After years of working to reduce its dependence on Persian Gulf oil supplies, the U.S. has increased its petroleum imports from Saudi Arabia.
Over the past 12 months, American imports from the Saudi kingdom have increased by more than 20%. E... read more
Investigation Turns Up Only 10 Cases of Voter Impersonation Nationwide…in 10 Years
Voter impersonation, the reason why more than half of all U.S. states have adopted or considered voter identification laws, is virtually non-existent, according to an investigative news study.
After examining 2,068 cases of voter fraud since 2... read more
30% of Doctors Will Refuse to Treat New Medicaid Patients
Bad news for President Barack Obama’s healthcare law: Almost one-third of doctors say they won’t take new Medicaid patients.
As part of Obama’s reform plan, the government wants to significantly expand the number of Americans on Medicaid. Afte... read more