U.S. and the World
Billion-Dollar Taxpayer Subsidies for Junk Food Junkies
The U.S. government is indirectly contributing to the nation’s obesity problem, according to one consumer advocacy group, by providing billions of dollars in agricultural subsidies that help produce junk food.
Apples to Twinkies 2012, a recent... read more
Five-Year Mystery Solved: Why Are So Many Military Pilots Choking?
The U.S. Air Force has decided to lift its flying restrictions on the pricey F-22 Raptor after determining the oxygen problem pilots were experiencing was not related to the planes.
In May, the service limited the F-22 to low-altitude flights ... read more
Class Warfare: Billionaires vs. Millionaires
The Hamptons’ life of luxury has devolved into upper-class warfare replete with battles over helicopters and gargantuan mansions.
In what’s been billed as the (moneyed) fight of the century, as reported by Josh Harkinson at Mother Jones, bil... read more
Pentagon Spends Billions on Cost-Overruns Just Trying to Track Its Spending
The Department of Defense is trying to fix what may be the biggest, ugliest accounting system ever.
So far, the Pentagon’s long-running effort to modernize its bookkeeping has incurred $8 billion in cost overruns, and is anywhere from two ye... read more
L.A. Clamps “Gentle Ban” on Pot Shops Days after Bay Area Supporters Vent at Obama
Following protests in Northern California’s Bay Area against an Obama administration crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries, the Los Angeles City Council this week voted to ban most such shops.
The unanimous decision was supported by th... read more
Americans with Legal Access to Classified Materials Reaches 4.8 Million
Guardians of U.S. government secrets are not part of some small circle of chosen officials. Rather, they are part of a very large one.
Individuals in possession of a security clearance from Washington now total more than 4.8 million, a new hig... read more
Battle over Raising Debt Limit Cost U.S. More Than $1 Billion in Extra Borrowing Costs
Last year’s bickering between House Republicans and President Barack Obama over raising the nation’s debt limit was indeed costly, and not just because it resulted in the government borrowing even more money to keep Washington going.
By taking... read more
Two Afghan Vice Presidents Accused of Atrocities
Senior officials in the Afghanistan government have been named in a special human rights report detailing atrocities that took place during the 1980s and 1990s.
Compiled over six years, “Conflict Mapping in Afghanistan Since 1978” accuses 500 ... read more
Obama Healthcare Law Forces Insurers to Spend More on Patient Benefits
Americans may soon be getting checks in the mail, and they will have the federal healthcare reform law to thank.
One key, but little known provision of the Affordable Care Act, has to do with the medical loss ratio (MLR) and insurance companie... read more
Victim’s Mother Wants Killer to be Allowed to Attend His Mother’s Funeral
Chad Spurley, convicted of manslaughter while driving drunk, won’t be attending his mother’s funeral, because he’s still in prison for the crime. This fact has upset, of all people, the mother of Spurley’s victim.
Davi Dohm, 36, of Madison, Wi... read more
For First Time, Uniformed Troops March in Gay Pride Parade
Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines … they all were represented last weekend in San Diego’s annual gay pride parade. The presence of hundreds of military personnel—in uniform—marked the first time gay service members had marched in such an event anywhe... read more
Doctors Selling Drugs Available for Less at Pharmacies
Doctors who sell medications out of their offices are adding millions of dollars a year to the country’s ballooning healthcare bill.
With the help of middlemen and drug distributors, physicians have opened up mini pharmacies allowing them to d... read more
House Agriculture Committee Slips in Late Amendment Attacking State Animal Welfare Laws
House Republicans are attempting to block states’ ability to impose tough animal-welfare laws through a federal agricultural bill.
The Protect Interstate Commerce Act, recently approved by the House Committee on Agriculture, would prevent stat... read more
Bipartisan Congressional Insider Trading Ban May Contain Huge Bipartisan Loophole
The office of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Virginia) gutted a much-publicized ethics law earlier this year by creating a huge loophole for family members, although the Congressman insists the change was inadvertent and promises to fix it.... read more
Tennessee County Continues to Oppose Allowing Muslims to Worship at New Mosque Despite Court Ruling
Residents of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, have fought the building of a new mosque for more than two years, during which opponents have said Muslims are a threat to American democracy.
When the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, which has been operat... read more
Big Banks Dominate Meetings with Regulators; Reform Groups Left in the Waiting Room
Banking representatives have dominated meetings with federal regulators charged with implementing the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, leaving reform advocates with considerably less time to make their case.
Large ba... read more