Controversies
Formaldehyde Added to List of Cancer-Causing Chemicals
The Department of Health and Human Services has classified formaldehyde as a known carcinogen, but it remains to be seen if another part of the federal government will do its part to limit the chemical’s exposure to the public.
Health expert... read more
11 Most Endangered Historic Places in the U.S.
From natural settings to man-made structures, nearly a dozen historic locations in the U.S. are threatened with being lost forever, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Included on the list is Bear Butte in South Dakota... read more
Obama Interior Dept. Okays Indian Casinos Far From Reservations
The Obama administration has decided to allow Indian tribes to build casinos far from their reservations, a practice that was restricted under a rule adopted by President George W. Bush’s Department of the Interior.
Permitting the developmen... read more
Sprint and Its Contractors Win Right to Fire Legal Users of Marijuana
Companies in Washington State can fire employees for using medical marijuana in a legal manner, according to a ruling by the state’s Supreme Court.
An unnamed woman training for a position with TeleTech Customer Care Management, a customer-s... read more
Idaho Mining Company Pays $263 Million to Settle 20-Year-Old Contamination Lawsuit
Hecla Mining Company has agreed to pay one of the largest settlements ever involving toxic clean-up under the Superfund program. The good news is that the money will be used to help fund the clean-up. The bad news is that the amount won’t come c... read more
Fired Because His Wife Has Multiple Sclerosis…This is Why U.S. Needs Health Care Reform
Bradley Kilburn is suing what briefly was his new employer after the company fired him allegedly because his wife has Multiple Sclerosis (MS). In September 2010, Kilburn moved from Minnesota to Pocatello, Idaho, to begin his new position as fire... read more
Appeals Court Rules that Circumstantial Evidence is Enough to Keep a Prisoner at Guantánamo
Circumstantial evidence is sufficient for keeping detainees behind bars at Guantánamo, according to a federal appeals court in Washington, DC.
Hussain Salem Mohammad Almerfedi of Yemen was supposed to be released from the U.S. prison, after a ... read more
Military Court Appeals Move at Glacial Pace
Being accused of a crime in the U.S. military can mean spending years in prison before going to trial, and in some cases, being found not guilty.
A review of the military’s court system by McClatchy Newspapers found numerous problems plaguin... read more
Inspector General Criticizes Nuclear Chairman Jaczko for Secret Yucca Mountain Decision
Gregory Jaczko, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), has been accused of deliberately withholding information from his colleagues in an effort to stop work on the controversial Yucca Mountain waste dump in Nevada and making decis... read more
Life Still Deadly When Vets Return from Iraq and Afghanistan
Since October 2007, veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have been dying at a faster rate in at home than in combat, according to government figures.
For example, 113 veterans of the two wars died in the U.S. in May 2010, while only six... read more
VA Leases Land Meant for Disabled Vets to Oil Company and Other Private Businesses
Four veterans have launched a class-action lawsuit against the Department of Veterans Affairs over the use of a large VA campus in West Los Angeles.
The plaintiffs, aided by the American Civil Liberties Union and supported by the Vietnam Vet... read more
School District that Spied on Students and their Families Sued Again
Webcamgate is continuing to haunt school officials in Philadelphia.
Yet another lawsuit has been filed against the Lower Merion School District for illegally spying on students by remotely activating webcams on school-issued laptops. About 1... read more
Homeland Security Dept. Slashes Investigations of Non-Islamic Terrorism
After issuing a report two years ago warning of a possible rise in rightwing extremism, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has minimized its efforts to thwart such a threat.
A few months after President Barack Obama took office in 200... read more
City of Dallas Pays $2.5 Million for False Medicare and Medicaid Ambulance Charges
Accused of bilking the federal government and the state of Texas out of $40 million, the city of Dallas has reached a settlement to resolve fraudulent claims involving the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
According to a press release from the... read more
FCC Moves to Lower Decibel Level of TV Commercials
The days of having to turn down your television’s volume during commercial breaks may be coming to an end.
Responding to decades of complaints, the U.S. government is crafting rules that will force broadcasters to show commercials at the sam... read more
Is 40 Years Solitary Confinement Enough?
Two inmates in Louisiana’s prison system have spent nearly four decades in solitary confinement, raising cries of protests by human rights and prisoner advocates.
The two men in question are Albert Woodfox, 64, and Herman Wallace, 69, both o... read more