Controversies
Ex-Guantánamo Prisoners Petition to be Declared “Persons”
The question of whether detainees held by the United States are “persons” under American law may yet again come before the Supreme Court, which already told a federal circuit court in Washington, DC, earlier this year to review its ruling that for... read more
Obama to Continue Bush Outsourcing of Interrogations
Renditions will continue to be used by the U.S. government under President Barack Obama, but with the goal of making them kindler and gentler, according to administration officials. Rather than bringing terrorism suspects to the United States, whi... read more
U.S. Farm Sizes Rising Dramatically
American agriculture is steadily becoming an industry dominated by larger farms, according to a new study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Statistics compiled for the report show production of many types of crops and livestock doubled or eve... read more
Controversial PR Firm Screens Journalists Embedding with Troops in Afghanistan
Reporters seeking to cover the war in Afghanistan may not get the chance to embed with U.S. military units if their previous coverage of the conflict is deemed too negative. The Pentagon is relying on the controversial public relations firm, The R... read more
Children’s Hunger Strike in Greece
For the second year in a row, migrant children left to survive on their own in Greece have gone on a hunger strike to protest their imprisonment on a Greek island where conditions have been described as “abominable” by one European human rights bo... read more
More Pages of CIA Interrogation Report Released after 5 Years
Five years after it was written, and 15 months after the Bush administration released a heavily redacted version, the Obama administration has published a less censored version of the report by the CIA’s inspector general that reviewed the early i... read more
Lower Retirement Age to 55: Thom Hartmann
While it might seem counterintuitive, a great way to stimulate the economy would be to encourage older Americans to leave the employment sector by lowering the retirement age to 55, argues progressive talk show host Thom Hartmann. For the plan to ... read more
CQ Exposes Truth Behind Partisan Health Care Claims
After months of closely following the public debate over health care reform, a trio of reporters from Congressional Quarterly decided to expose the half truths and outright lies promulgated by both Democrats and Republicans and their support group... read more
Does Andrew J. Hall Deserve a $100 Million Bonus?
Energy trader Andrew J. Hall is set to receive $98 million from CitiGroup for his work buying and selling oil shares on behalf of the bank. The fact that CitiGroup is preparing to pay this bonus is politically volatile for the Obama administration... read more
VA Office Gave Bonuses While Disability Claims Piled Up
“Absurd” is not a word often found amid the dry accounting investigations performed by inspectors general of the federal government. But the IG for the Department of Veterans Affairs couldn’t help but use the word, and others like “nepotism,” to d... read more
Racial Profiling Not Always Racist: Walter E. Williams
Is racial profiling always a bad thing? Professor Walter E. Williams of George Mason University doesn’t think so. He points out examples where decisions are made based on an individual’s ethnicity, with little or no concern expressed for such disc... read more
Military Contractors Outnumber Troops in Afghanistan
In the early months of his administration, President Barack Obama criticized the reliance on private contractors to help fight America’s war in Iraq, saying “too much money has been paid out for services that were never performed, buildings that w... read more
Iran’s Next Defense Minister Wanted by Interpol for “Crimes against Life and Health”
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has earned the scorn of critics both inside and outside of Iran for selecting Ahmad Vahidi as the country’s next defense minister. Vahidi has been accused by Interpol of participating in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish c... read more
Privatizing Taxes Hits Homeowners
For thousands of homeowners struggling to keep up on mortgage payments, there is the added difficulty of falling behind on property taxes and having to deal with opportunistic companies that have taken over tax collecting for local governments. Nu... read more
Curing Health Insurance Without a Public Option: Paul Toffel
If the nation is unwilling to support a government-run health care option, then Dr. Paul Toffel has an alternative reform plan. A clinical professor of medicine at the University of Southern California’s medical school, Toffel offers what he calls... read more
Is It Time to License the Export of Torture Devices?
Trading in the business of torturing or executing human beings may soon require an export license from the federal government, if the Department of Commerce adopts new rules under consideration. The department’s Bureau of Industry and Security wan... read more