Controversies
Two California Cities Challenge U.S. Government over Military Recruiting
Fed up with the recruitment of teenagers by the military, residents of two Northern California cities overwhelmingly adopted a measure last November that prohibits such activity within their city limits. The federal government objected to the pass... read more
Justice Department Cites High Death Rate in Houston Jail
The Harris County Jail in Houston, TX, is not a place to serve time, based on alarming findings uncovered by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The DOJ report, obtained by the Houston Chronicle, revealed accounts of inmates dying unnecessaril... read more
Judge Halts Deportations over ICE Misconduct
A federal judge in New Haven, CT, threw out deportation orders on Monday for four men arrested by immigration agents who demonstrated unacceptable behavior during a 2007 raid. Judge Michael W. Straus ruled that officers with the Immigration and Cu... read more
Loss of Foreign Workers Would Damage Milk Supply in U.S.
The loss of immigrant labor would cripple the U.S. dairy industry, causing the economy to lose billions of dollars, according to a new study sponsored by the National Milk Producers Federation. After surveying more than 5,000 dairy farms, research... read more
Tennessee Legalizes Handguns in Bars
Democratic Governor Phil Bredesen of Tennessee has vetoed only six bills in his seven years in office, and until last week, the Legislature had never overridden a single one. But lawmakers were determined to overcome Bredesen’s objections when it ... read more
Bringing Democracy to the Corporate Boardroom: Roger Lowenstein
Long overdue, the democratization of corporate board elections would serve as a check for both management and shareholders, argues Roger Lowenstein, director of the Sequoia Fund. Traditionally, shareholders have had virtually no influence on corpo... read more
Who Should Decide if a Property is “Historic”?
Montgomery County, Maryland, is the site of a fierce debate over whether a local government has the right to designate private property as “historic” against the will of the owner. The property in question is owned by Sherwood Duvall, 90, who ha... read more
McCain Tries to Classify Nuclear Power as Renewable Energy; Voted Down
If you’ve wondered how life would be different if John McCain had won the 2008 presidential election, here’s one example of McCain supporting a policy that Barack Obama opposes.
At the urging of President Obama, members of the U.S. Senate are ... read more
Fertilizer Tank Collapse Leads Virginia to Consider Regulation
On November 12, 2008, in Chesapeake, Virginia, two Allied Terminals storage tanks collapsed, releasing two million gallons of liquid urea ammonium nitrate fertilizer into the surrounding residential area and seriously injuring two contractors work... read more
Bill Collectors Use Loophole to Seize Veterans’ Benefits
Republicans and Democrats in Congress have joined consumer advocates in calling for the Obama administration to move quickly and close a loophole in federal law that bill collectors are exploiting to seize veterans benefits and Social Security pay... read more
Arizona Man Convicted of Leaving Drinking Water in Desert
A member of a humanitarian organization dedicated to helping migrants survive their treks across the Arizona desert was convicted in federal court on Wednesday on charges of littering on public lands. Walt Staton faces up to one year in prison and... read more
Secret Satellite Set for Launch in Summer
Ordinarily the U.S. government doesn’t give out a lot of information about spy satellites its puts into space, but it does at least reveal which agency or branch of the military is behind a scheduled launch. But so far military officials are being... read more
Cornering the Endangered Fish Market
Mitsubishi, the Japanese conglomerate best known for making automobiles and electronics, is being accused of helping wipe out the bluefin tuna through its efforts to corner the market on the endangered species. A subsidiary of Mitsubishi is the la... read more
Giving Birth in Prison
Last month, New York legislators passed legislation to end the practice of shackling imprisoned women during labor and childbirth. If signed into law by Governor David Paterson, New York would join California and Illinois in being the only states ... read more
Selling Tap Water in Plastic Bottles
Consumers in California who buy bottled water from Safeway thinking it’s a healthier alternative to tap water may have to reexamine this assumption. The source of the Safeway store brand “purified” water is none other than the city of Merced in th... read more
The Man Who Ruined the SEC
Things got so bad at the Securities and Exchange Commission under the leadership of former chairman Christopher Cox that dedicated enforcement officials lost interest in doing their jobs to keep Wall Street from breaking the law. This situation ev... read more