Controversies
Credit Card Companies Worm Their Way Around New Restrictions
Determined to make up for lost revenue from the 2009 Credit CARD Act, issuers of credit cards are increasingly relying on other fees not restricted by the federal legislation. The Center for Responsible Lending has determined in a report that cred... read more
Fisheries Agency Clashes with Navy and Supreme Court over Killing of Whales
The National Marine Fisheries Service refuses to sign off on the U.S. Navy’s plans to inadvertently kill whales as part of weapons testing. The agency’s refusal to go along with the planned use of explosives at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Pan... read more
Vietnam Veterans Allowed to Proceed with Lawsuit over Drug Experiments
A group of Vietnam veterans are proceeding with their lawsuit against the military and intelligence agencies for subjecting them to secret experiments that took place from the 1950s through the 1970s. A federal judge in San Francisco, Claudia Wilk... read more
CIA Agents Get to Moonlight in the Corporate World, Working on “Deception Detection”
Spy by day, Wall Street consultant by night. This is the life led by many CIA officers who moonlight for financial firms and hedge funds, all with the blessing of headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
In an expose published by Politico, and take... read more
Halliburton Gone Wild: KBR Goes to Supreme Court to Defend Gang Rape
Oil development giant Halliburton has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to have an alleged rape victim’s lawsuit thrown out, preferring instead to resolve the matter behind closed doors at an arbitration hearing. Jamie Leigh Jones, who was employ... read more
Israel Finally Admits to Using White Phosphorus in Gaza
Israel’s military has reprimanded two senior officers for an artillery attack last January in the Gaza Strip that involved the use of white phosphorus, a chemical condemned by human rights groups.
The barrage came as part of the assault on Ham... read more
FDA Takes Aim at Doctors Who Pitch Unapproved Cosmetic Drugs
Dr. Leslie Baumann, a well-known dermatologist and clinical researcher in Miami Beach, spoke too soon about the supposed benefits of Dysport, an injectable antiwrinkle drug, getting her into trouble with the Food and Drug Administration. In anothe... read more
Nobel Peace Prize Winner Obama Increases Spending for Nuclear Weapons
In a twist of logic, Nobel Peace Prize winner President Barack Obama is claiming the nation must spend more money on nuclear weapons in order to get rid of them. That’s because a new treaty the administration is negotiating with Russia to reduce n... read more
CBS Super Bowl Ads: Anti-Abortion Yes; Gay Dating No
CBS is facing criticism for deciding to selectively accept advocacy advertisements for the first time during the Super Bowl. The network agreed to take $2.5 million from Focus on the Family, a conservative antiabortion, anti-gay group, and show it... read more
Study Finds Hands-Free Driving Laws Ineffective
Banning the use of cell phones to make calls or send text messages while driving has not made the roads any safer, according to an insurance industry study, demonstrating the fact that dangerous distractions still exist when motorists are allowed ... read more
Banks Accused of Helping Fraudulent Telemarketers Launder Millions
Telemarketing companies that scam consumers out of their money are being aided by some of the biggest banks in the country, according to a class action case filed in a Pennsylvania federal court. The lawsuit names five national banks—Wells Fargo, ... read more
Senate VA Committee Approves Health Care for Camp Lejeune and Atsugi Toxic Exposure
Victims of toxic exposure at two U.S. military bases may receive health insurance from the federal government to help with their medical treatments. But even as Senate legislation granting the assistance moved forward on Thursday, one Republican s... read more
Virginia School District Bans Sexually Explicit Anne Frank Diary Version…After One Complaint
One parent. That’s all it took for school officials in Culpeper County, Virginia, to pull an uncensored version of Annie Frank’s diary from classrooms, because the parent complained about a passage in which the 14-yeaar-old girl talks about her va... read more
Conservative Solutions to Health Care: R. Emmett Tyrell, Jr.
R. Emmett Tyrell, Jr., founder and editor in chief of The American Spectator, has several conservative alternatives to the Democrats’ healthcare reform “monstrosity.” For starters, the expense of the American medical system, which has kept million... read more
Update: Buyer Resigns--Congressman’s Foundation Has Money for Golf Outings, but Not for Scholarships
Update: On Friday, Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Indiana) announced that he would not seek reelection in November. He said that his wife, Joni, had a terminal illness. However, Buyer is clearly also in a legal hot seat because of the situation described bel... read more
Defense Contractors Go Offshore to Avoid Payroll Taxes
Setting up foreign subsidiaries allows American defense contractors not only to utilize cheaper labor and more favorable regulations, but also avoid paying taxes that fund key government safety net programs. This conclusion was reached by the Gove... read more