U.S. and the World
Obama Keeps Fighting in Court to Jail Americans Indefinitely without Trial
In its legal fight to indefinitely jail Americans suspected of terrorist ties, the Obama administration has refused to give any ground in federal court, even dodging a judge’s questions about whether it has abided by a temporary order to not enf... read more
Radioactive Sinkhole Forces Evacuation of 150 Homes
An enormous sinkhole in Louisiana has forced the evacuation of 150 homes and prompted a lawsuit by local residents claiming the opening may contain radioactive material.
Located about 50 miles from Baton Rouge, the sinkhole occurred when an un... read more
“Path to Prosperity” — Paul Ryan’s Budget Plan — Doesn’t Include Federal Workers
Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan wants to create a “path to prosperity” for American workers.
But government employees are not invited to come along.
Ryan, the House Budget Committee’s chairman, has sponsored the Republican... read more
Johnson & Johnson Sued for Misrepresenting “Health Benefits” of Splenda Essentials Sweetener
Having lost a billion-dollar case over illegal marketing of its pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson is now being sued for misleading consumers about the artificial sweetener Splenda.
Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary, McNeil Nutritionals, has clai... read more
Unemployment Benefits Go to Millionaires Because of a Loophole in Current Law
Among the many Americans who collected unemployment checks during the Great Recession were thousands of millionaires who legally received jobless compensation.
People with incomes of $1 million or more are entitled to file and receive unemploy... read more
CDC Warns of New Swine Flu Virus Hitting Children Who Pet Animals at County Fairs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning of a new swine flu that so far has sickened more than 100 children, mostly in the Midwest.
To date, 145 cases of the influenza (H3N2) have been diagnosed in four states since mi... read more
Court Guts Ohio Law that Helped GOP by Prohibiting Medicaid Doctor Campaign Donations
An Ohio law prohibiting doctors from contributing to political campaigns has been ruled unconstitutional by the federal Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. The law, on the books since 1978, barred physicians who participate in the Medica... read more
Feds Unhappy with N.Y. Action Against Bank Accused of “Scheming” with Iranians
New York State’s new banking regulator has made enemies in Washington after it went solo in going after a London-based bank caught laundering money for Iran.
Benjamin Lawsky, the head of the recently created New York State Department of Financ... read more
Google Pays Record $22.5 Million Fine for Privacy Violations
Google has agreed to pay a record fine of $22.5 million for creating Internet programming that circumvented anti-tracking settings on computers and smart phones.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ordered the fine after Google’s cookie scheme,... read more
Despite Senate Report, Justice Dept. Won’t Prosecute Goldman Sachs for Mortgage Meltdown Role
From “too big to fail” to “too big to prosecute,” Wall Street investment banking firm Goldman Sachs— whose deceptive behavior to its own investors was found by a bipartisan Senate investigation to have contributed to the 2008 financial meltdown th... read more
Court Says Utah Must Pay Millions to Polygamist Trust Fund
The state of Utah is on the hook to pay more than $5 million to those running a multi-million dollar trust for polygamists.
Members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lost control of their $110 million trust to t... read more
Kentucky Tops Southern-Dominated “Toxic 20” Air Polluting States
The American South is a region of many traditions, among the most durable of which is hostility to government programs to protect the environment and public health. The consequences of that tradition are laid bare in a report released Thursday by ... read more
Mississippi Offers French Tax Dodgers a Refuge
Millionaires seeking to avoid France’s new income tax bracket can either relocate across the channel to England, or all the way across the Atlantic to Mississippi.
After French President Francois Hollande proposed a 75% tax on all income in ex... read more
Monsanto Genetically Modified Crops Make the Drought Worse
As if farmers weren’t having enough troubles from the severe drought affecting much of the United States, agricultural-biotechnology giant Monsanto has added to the suffering through one its genetically engineered creations.
Corn modified with... read more
Blackwater Fined Millions, Given 3 Years to Prove It’s Reformed
The private security firm formerly known as Blackwater, which is now on its third corporate name, has agreed to pay the U.S. government $7.5 million to avoid going to trial on weapons-related and other charges.
The company, which went from Bla... read more
Pfizer Pays $60 Million for Bribing Foreign Doctors
Foreign subsidiaries of Pfizer spent years bribing foreign doctors and healthcare officials to expand sales of the company’s pharmaceuticals, according to a $60 million settlement reached with the U.S. government.
The deal, brokered by the Sec... read more