Controversies
Gas Prices Up, but so Are Profits and Exports as Refiners Hold Back Production
Rather than match demand for gasoline, oil companies are producing less for the U.S. market and exporting more to other countries, while taking increased profits. The result: higher prices at the pump.
The national average for one gallon of ... read more
Should Food Stamps be Used for Soft Drinks?
Arguing the move would stigmatize poor people at the checkout stand, the soft drink industry is opposing a plan by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to ban the use of food stamps to buy “sugar-sweetened beverages.”
Bloomberg says the res... read more
BP Releases Toxic Pollution in Texas City…Again
Along with a refinery operated by Valero Energy Corporation, BP’s Texas City, Texas, refining operation has once again polluted the air of local residents, this time with a discharge of 150,000 pounds of pollutants.
The releases by Valero an... read more
Teen Birth Rate: Mississippi Quadruples New Hampshire
Teen births declined overall in the United States for 2009, the latest year available according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But a wide disparity exists between states with the highest and lowest rates, which are based on t... read more
Classified Documents on the Rise Despite Obama Talk of Transparency
In the 15 months after President Barack Obama ordered the federal government to decrease the amount of classified information, less than half of all relevant agencies had bothered to establish policies to comply. In fact, in FY 2010, government ... read more
Homeless Mom Faces 20 Years in Jail for Enrolling Son in Better School District
Wanting a better education for her child, a homeless single mother enrolled her son in a neighboring district’s school—and now faces a 20-year prison sentence and a $15,000 fine.
Tanya McDowell avoided putting her son into a Bridgeport, Connec... read more
FBI Hints at Criminal Charges in Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster
The Obama administration may be considering criminal charges against the operator of the Upper Big Branch Mine, where 29 workers were killed in April 2010.
In a letter to victims’ families, the FBI has mentioned its “investigation into vario... read more
Does the Air Force Have Too Many Generals?
There are some in Washington who feel the U.S. Air Force has too many generals.
From Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the number of Air Force top brass has been challenged. And the numbers would seem t... read more
D.C. Held Election on Passover when Jews are not Allowed to Use Machines
Election officials in the District of Columbia have been criticized for scheduling a special election on Passover, a Jewish holiday that requires observers to avoid writing or using electronic devices, such as voting machines.
The problem be... read more
Supreme Court Hears Case Involving Use of Doctor Prescription Records by Drug Companies
Should the government be allowed to shield the records of doctors who write prescriptions for patients? This is the matter before the U.S. Supreme Court today, regarding the constitutionality of a Vermont law designed to keep physician-prescript... read more
Hostile Audience Leads to Early Halt of BP Spill Compensation Forum
Resentment stemming from the effects of last year’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill was unleashed at a public hearing in New Orleans, prompting officials to shut down the meeting early.
Presiding over the discussion were U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu ... read more
Supreme Court May Review Law that Prevents Military Personnel from Suing for Medical Malpractice
For more than 60 years, military personnel have been shielded from medical malpractice lawsuits. But that could end depending on what the U.S. Supreme Court decides to do with the case of former Air Force Sergeant Dean Patrick Witt.
Witt was... read more
Alabama Legislature Apologizes for 1944 Gang Rape
Recy Taylor may soon receive her apology. The 91-year-old African-American woman was raped in Alabama by a gang of Caucasian men in 1944, but never saw justice served as two all-white, all-male grand juries refused to indict the suspects.
Th... read more
Match.com Sued for Not Screening Out Convicted Sex Offender, Promises to Start Checking
Match.com, the popular online dating website, has announced it will begin screening applicants against the national sex offender registry after it was sued by a woman claiming she was raped by someone she met through the service.
The new pol... read more
Obama Justice Dept. Sides with Police over Warrantless Spying
The U.S. Department of Justice under President Barack Obama has taken the position that law enforcement should be allowed to monitor Americans without a warrant.
The administration has appealed a federal appellate court ruling that nullified... read more
Is It Finally Time to Punish Pro-Torture Judge and Doctors?
Dr. Larry James, the former chief psychologist at Guantanamo, is facing potential investigation by the Ohio State Psychology Board for allegedly overseeing the torture of detainees.
Four Ohio residents have petitioned a local court to compel... read more