Controversies
Obama Leaves CIA Watchdog Post Vacant
If there’s one agency in the federal government whose secretive nature cries out for internal oversight, it’s the CIA. And yet it is this very same spy operation that has gone without an inspector general for more than a year.
Former CIA watch... read more
More Americans in Jail than in Alaska and More in State Prisons than in New Hampshire
Incarceration levels in U.S. jails and prisons are in decline, with state penitentiaries recording their first year-to-year reduction since 1972. But even with the shrinking numbers in jail and prison populations, the country still has more Americ... read more
Can Oil Spill Victims Get a Fair Trial if Majority of Area Federal Judges Have Oil Ties?
If there’s one thing both sides of the more than 100 lawsuits filed as result of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill agree upon, it’s consolidation. Attorneys for the companies being sued—BP, Transocean Ltd. and Halliburton—and the hundreds of plaintiffs... read more
Health Professionals Helped CIA Use Torture Victims as Research Subjects
As the CIA under President George W. Bush used torture techniques against suspected terrorists, the agency’s medical personnel assisted such “enhanced” interrogations through experimentation designed to improve the program’s effectiveness to extra... read more
UN Swine Flu Drug Advisors were Linked to Drug Makers Who Profited from Vaccines
One year after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the existence of an H1N1 pandemic, governments around the world find themselves in possession of unused vaccines after paying billions of dollars collectively to pharmaceutical companies.... read more
Construction Company Hid Chinese Drywall Problem for Two Years
American construction businesses that used Chinese-made drywall containing toxic substances have tried to either get away with their decisions without public notice or give away the material to other U.S. suppliers.
WCI Communities, an East Co... read more
BP, with Government Support, Hid Videos Showing Size of Oil Spill
Video footage showing the seriousness of the oil spill at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico was kept from the public in the early days of the crisis. But exactly who was to blame for suppressing the images is up for debate.
BP insists the U.S. ... read more
Attacks on National Forest and Park Staff Hit All-Time High
National Parks and public forests are increasingly becoming dangerous places to work for federal employees. Using data obtained from the federal government, the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) found that attacks and threat... read more
ACLU Sues Federal Government for Access to Files Relating to Warrantless Spying
Having received no response to its Freedom of Information Act request, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed suit against the federal government seeking records showing how it has been collecting Americans’ international emails and phone... read more
Schenectady School Suspends Seventh-Grader for Wearing Rosary to School
A New York mother is suing the Schenectady City School District because officials at Oneida Middle School repeatedly suspended her seventh grade son in May for wearing a plastic rosary outside of his shirt in memory of his dead brother and uncle. ... read more
Department of Transportation Moves to Protect Air Travelers’ Rights
Unwilling to wait for Congress to address growing complaints from Americans, the Obama administration has decided to adopt federal regulations forcing commercial airlines to be more accommodating to passengers.
One change crafted by the U.S. D... read more
African-Americans Still Excluded from Southern Juries
It is 2010, and still many prosecutors in the South are excluding African-Americans from serving on juries. One study by the Equal Justice Initiative uncovered problems in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina... read more
Companies Sue Online Critics Not to Win, but to Intimidate
Consumers who use online social media and other websites to vent about businesses run the risk of being “slapped.” Known as in legal circles as a “strategic lawsuit against public participation” (or Slapp), this tool is being utilized by companies... read more
Recycled Toxic Coal Ash Found in Drywall and Construction Fill Dirt
In states where coal is vital to electricity production, resulting in huge quantities of coal ash left to be disposed somewhere, businesses have looked for new ways to get rid of the toxic material. These solutions have included adding coal ash to... read more
Update on Mysterious Post-Katrina Death of Henry Glover
The mysterious death of Henry Glover of New Orleans is gradually becoming less mysterious. Glover, who was found bleeding from a gunshot wound during the post-Katrina chaos and driven by a local resident to a temporary police compound, may have be... read more
California Senate Opposes Texas History Textbook Changes
California’s state Senate wants no part of Texas’ new standards for history textbooks. Responding to changes adopted by Texas State Board of Education, the California Senate adopted legislation intended to prevent conservative revisions to America... read more