Controversies
Controlling Two Pollutants Could Cut Global Warming in Half: U.N. Report
If more effort is put into reducing the release of short-lived pollution, the rate of global warming could be slowed dramatically, say scientists in a new United Nations report.
The study produced by the UN Environment Programme found that t... read more
Hate Groups Top 1,000 for First Time
The American hate movement continues to grow in size, as the number of such groups topped 1,000 for the first time since the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) began keeping track of the organizations in the 1980s.
Last year’s growth marked ... read more
Obama Administration Threatens to Create Billion-Dollar Drug Research Center
With industry developing fewer and fewer new drugs, the Obama administration has decided to start a government-run research center that would explore new remedies for diseases.
As part of the National Institutes of Health, the new National C... read more
House Republicans Move against Wolves
Buried inside a U.S. House budget bill to keep the federal government operating past March is a controversial provision that would remove the endangered species classification for wolves in the Rocky Mountains.
Pushed by Republicans, the pla... read more
Combat Body Armor Saves Lives…but Leads to Long-Term Injuries
Medical studies performed by the U.S. Army and Marines Corps have found troops are carrying excessive amounts of weight on their bodies, due to body armor and other equipment, resulting in increasing numbers of neck, spine and other serious inju... read more
Is Prime Healthcare Starving Its Medicare Patients?
Under investigation by state and federal officials, Prime Healthcare Services is operating hospitals in California that have patients with unusually high rates of malnutrition that usually is found only among starving children in developing coun... read more
20 Attacks on Members of Congress and Their Staff before Gabby Giffords
In the wake of last month’s shooting in Tucson, Arizona, in which U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords was the primary target, Congress’s research arm found that more than 20 attacks have been made on lawmakers and their staff since the establ... read more
Huge Potato Price-Fixing Lawsuit Heats Up
Potato growers belonging to the nation’s largest cooperative are facing a massive lawsuit challenging the organization’s antitrust exemption, which has been in effect since the 1920s. A class action case brought by potato purchasers alleges the ... read more
Activist Who Bid on Oil Leases Faces 10 Years in Prison
University of Utah economics student Tim DeCristopher delayed the selling of oil and gas leases on thousands of acres of public land more than two years ago, but now his actions have him facing felony charges in a Utah federal court.
On Decemb... read more
Environmentalists Sue Feds over $3 Billion Indiana Highway
A $3 billion highway project in Indiana threatens to destroy thousands of acres of forests, farmlands, caves and aquatic ecosystems, according to environmentalists suing the federal government to halt construction.
The Hoosier Environmental ... read more
Park Service Prepares to Kill Hundreds of Wild Bison; Montana Governor Grants Reprieve
Stepping into the middle of a political fight between conservationists and ranchers, Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer has blocked the impending slaughter of hundreds of Yellowstone National Park bison. The Democratic governor said he took actio... read more
South Dakota in Turmoil over a Bill to Call Killing Abortion Doctors “Justifiable Homicide”
Conservative lawmakers in the South Dakota legislature want to expand the definition of “justifiable homicide” to include killings that seek to protect the life of a fetus. Abortion rights advocates claim the legislation has been crafted to make... read more
Iraqi Finally Admits to Lies about WMD Used By Bush Administration to Justify Invasion
Defector Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi has admitted he lied when he told European intelligence agents in 2000 that Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction. Janabi’s lie proved monumental as the false information was used by the Bush admini... read more
Texas Denies Compensation to Man Released from Death Row because Document Lacked Word “Innocence"
As Anthony Graves said himself, nothing has come easy in his effort to obtain justice.
After spending 18 years on Texas’s Death Row for a murder he did not commit, Graves was finally freed on October 27, 2010. But his attempt to receive compen... read more
Caregivers for Wounded Troops Still Waiting 9 Months after Benefits Approved
Approved by Congress last spring, the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act was supposed to represent a “major step forward in America’s commitment to families and caregivers who tend to our wounded warriors every day,” according t... read more
Obama Decentralizes Wildlife Management in National Parks, Threatening Reagan Protections
In proposing to decentralize the management of national forests and endangered species, the Obama administration may undo protections that President Ronald Reagan approved 29 years ago.
A new rule developed by the U.S. Department of Agricult... read more