Controversies
Freddie Mac Profits if Homeowners Unable to Refinance
Borrowing a page from Goldman Sachs and other Wall Street banks that bet against investments sold to investors, mortgage giant Freddie Mac is banking that Americans won’t be able to refinance their homes—even though making refinancing easier is on... read more
Mass Honeybee Deaths Linked to Insecticide
Agricultural chemicals may be partly responsible for the massive die-off of honeybees in the U.S., according to researchers at Purdue University. Entomologists have found the presence of neonicotinoid insecticides, which are used on corn and soybe... read more
Body and Vehicle Scanners Spreading and Using Higher Doses of Radiation
Law enforcement efforts are supposed to serve and protect the public, but what happens when the methods used actually harm innocent members of the public? As AllGov reported last November, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has great... read more
Teachers Union in North Carolina Sues State over Post-Midnight Override of Governor’s Veto
North Carolina’s teachers union is suing the legislature after lawmakers met late at night in special session to approve legislation that will prevent union members from voluntarily choosing to have union dues automatically deducted from their pay... read more
Infamous Speed Trap Town Eliminates Entire Police Department
The Great Recession may have a silver lining for motorists: budget woes have forced at least two municipalities known as “speed traps” to disband their police forces, and one has voted to dis-incorporate entirely. Meanwhile, the town of Heath, Ohi... read more
U.S. Pig Farmers Use Drug Banned in China as Unsafe
A feed additive given to pigs is considered so bad that officials in China—producer of harmful toys, building materials and other suspects exports—has banned it. But ractopamine hydrochloride, a drug used to keep pigs lean and boost their growth, ... read more
D.C. Cops Beat Children Who Tried to Hug Relatives during Parade
A three-judge appellate court panel in Washington, DC, has revived a lawsuit brought by families against two district police officers accused of using excessive force against children.
While observing the Caribbean Carnival Parade on Georgia A... read more
OSHA Issues Second-Ever Safety Violation Complaint for Entire Store Chain
The Obama administration is getting tough with employers who violate work-safety rules, imposing penalties never used until now.
For only the second time in the history of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, OSHA officials have ... read more
BP Whistleblower Claims He was Fired for not Altering Cleanup Data
A BP employee who worked on the Gulf oil spill cleanup is suing the company, claiming he was fired for refusing to alter data so BP could claim the cleanup phase was completed.
August Walter worked in BP’s Gulf Coast Restoration Organization, ... read more
USDA Proposes Privatizing Poultry Inspections
In what it calls a win-win reform that will save money and improve food safety, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) intends to change the way it inspects poultry processing plants.
Critics of the plan say it amounts to privatizing food i... read more
Railroad Industry Claims Mandated Safety Technology is Too Expensive
Twenty-one railroad accidents since 2001 could have been prevented with new safety technology that the industry is fighting against adopting. Using GPS, wireless communications and central control centers, Positive Train Control (PTC) automaticall... read more
If Blood Donors Can be Paid, Why Not Bone Marrow Donors?
Now that advances in medical technology are making it easier today to perform extractions, a nonprofit group is fighting the federal government to win the right to pay donors for bone marrow.
Under a 1984 federal law, it is illegal for anyone ... read more
Obama Administration Orders Insurers to Cover Contraceptives
In a controversial decision regarding women’s health care, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius has announced a final rule that requires employers that provide insurance coverage to their employees to cover contraceptives at no... read more
EPA Finally Supplies Drinking Water to Pennsylvania Fracking Victims
In yet another case of drinking water contamination in areas where energy companies have engaged in the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is supplying clean water to some re... read more
Disabled Idahoans Sue State over Medicaid Cuts the State Refuses to Explain
Thirteen disabled Idahoans, living with disabling and chronic conditions such as epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, Down’s Syndrome, schizophrenia, and developmental disabilities ranging from mild to severe, are suing the Idaho Department of Health and... read more
Court Approves Washington State System of Limiting November Ballot Access to Two Candidates
Washington State’s open-primary law has withstood a key legal challenge in federal court, giving hope to reformers opposed to the two-party system that has dominated elections.
Approved by voters in 2004, it immediately came under legal attack... read more