U.S. and the World
Judge Blasts Bureau of Land Management for Using Email Error as Excuse to Ignore Evidence in Wild Horse Killing Case
Although big firm “corporate lawyers” have a well-deserved reputation for sharp dealing and exploiting technicalities, attorneys working for the government are equally willing to hide behind picayune loopholes when it benefits their client. A case... read more
When Global Corporations Sue Governments, Guess Who Usually Wins
In a world turned upside down, when governments forbid companies from dumping toxic waste or warn their citizens of the dangers of tobacco, large multinational corporations sue them in secret courts, where unelected judges, acting without juries, ... read more
Facebook Co-Founder Drops U.S. Citizenship to Avoid Taxes
Proving once again the adage that wealth has no patriotism, billionaire Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin has renounced his U.S. citizenship to avoid a hefty tax bill when Facebook goes public on May 18.
Born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1982, S... read more
Federal Court Rules Congress and President Bear Responsibility for Fixing Veterans’ Mental Health Crisis
Catch-22 is alive and well at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, with an able assist last week from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. In Joseph Heller’s novel Catch-22, under Army Rule Catch-22 a crazy pilot could be grounded ... read more
Ambassador to Netherlands: Who Is Timothy Broas?
The presidential practice of handing out plum ambassador assignments to major political donors who have few or none of the qualifications to serve in such posts is alive and well in the Obama administration, just as it was in that of George W. Bus... read more
Residents of Arkansas and New Jersey Lead Nation in Credit Card Debt
Americans love their credit cards, some more than others.
Residents of Arkansas and New Jersey currently have the heaviest credit card debts, according to the Federal Reserve. Arkansans carry an average of $4,060 per person, making their state... read more
Drone Victim Families in Pakistan File Petitions against CIA Killing of Civilians
Victims of a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) drone attack in Pakistan have filed two lawsuits in a Pakistani court demanding that their government seek criminal prosecution for those responsible for killing 50 civilians.
The lawsuits (known ... read more
Parents of Only U.S. Soldier Held as POW in Afghanistan Don’t Trust Obama to Help in Election Year
Parents of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, the only U.S. soldier being held prisoner in Afghanistan, have said election-year politics are getting in the way of President Barack Obama negotiating their son’s release.
Captured in 2009, Bergdahl is... read more
FBI Fills Last Spot on 10 Most Wanted List…and He Lasts One Day
It took 321 days for the FBI to fill the 10th spot on their Ten Most Wanted List left open by the arrest last year of Whitey Bulger…but only one day to close the case. Adam Mayes’ inclusion on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s fugitive list ... read more
U.S. Abandons $80 Million Consulate in Afghanistan as Too Dangerous
Originally scheduled to open a new $80 million consulate last month in northern Afghanistan, the State Department has now abandoned its plans after failing to heed warnings early on about the project.
The ill-fated plan was conceived three yea... read more
Preparing for World Web War I
In the 1984 hit sci-fi movie The Terminator, the artificial intelligence network Skynet becomes self-aware and initiates a nuclear world war against humankind. In the real world of the early 21st Century, the nations of the world are preparing for... read more
6 Companies that Bribed Foreign Officials and Supported Lobbying against Anti-Bribery Laws
Wal-Mart, exposed for bribing officials in Mexico, is by no means the only major American corporation to get busted recently for payoffs. In fact, the retail giant has plenty of company when it comes to breaking the law and supporting efforts to c... read more
U.S. Export to Mexico: Murder Weapons
Just as American drug users get most of their product ultimately from Mexico, Mexican drug cartels get most of the weapons they use from the United States. The drug war in Mexico, which has killed about 50,000 people since 2006, depends not only o... read more
NASA Study: Arctic Warming Causing Ocean to Emit Harmful Methane Gas
The greenhouse gas effect behind global warming is not only causing the ice in the Arctic sea to break apart, but also unleashing potentially even more gases that could accelerate the earth’s rising temperatures.
A new study from the National ... read more
Cruise Ship Let Castaways Die
Two fishermen from Panama adrift in their disabled boat might have lived had an American cruise ship bothered to stop and pick them up last month.
While sailing from South America to the United States on March 10, the Star Princess cruise ship... read more
U.N. to Investigate Conditions of Native Americans
For the first time in its history, the United Nations is scrutinizing the plight of Native Americans in the United States.
UN Special Rapporteur James Anaya, a human rights professor at the University of Arizona’s College of Law, will spend th... read more