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Obama Orders Hospital Visitation Rights for Gay Partners, Friends of Widows
Described as a change long overdue by gay rights activists, hospitals will soon have to allow visitation rights to homosexual partners, under orders from President Barack Obama. The new rule will be enforced through the federal government’s Medica... read more
SEC Charges Goldman Sachs with Billion-Dollar Fraud…At Last
A lot of Americans on both the left and the right have been wondering if the bankers and Wall Street investors who caused the economic collapse that began in 2008 would ever have to pay the price for what they did to the country. Goldman Sachs emp... read more
Israel Unveils World’s Largest Drone…the Size of a 737
Not known for its public displays of new weaponry, Israel’s military sent a message to Iran recently by unveiling its latest “breakthrough” in unmanned aircraft, the Heron TP, nicknamed Eitan, which is Hebrew for “strong.”
The Eitan is the wor... read more
USDA Finds Major Problems with Toxins in Meat Supply
Consuming beef in the United States comes with the risk of ingesting toxins because of cracks in the federal government’s meat inspection system. In a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the inspector general said there is a “growi... read more
Controversy over Mine Safety Oversight and Explosion Investigation
Problems continue to emerge for the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) in the wake of the Upper Big Branch mining disaster in West Virginia. Despite having a former union official, Joe Main, running the MSHA, the agency allowed Upper Big... read more
Volunteers Scramble to Protect Closed State Parks
State parks from one end of the United States to another face closure as a result of budget cuts imposed by lawmakers, prompting volunteers to step forward to keep some facilities open.
In New York, Parks Commissioner Carol Ash said her agency is... read more
Should Obama Nominate a Protestant to the Supreme Court?
The pending retirement of Justice John Paul Stevens means not only the loss of the U.S. Supreme Court’s oldest member, but also its only Protestant. This development has raised the question among legal observers whether President Barack Obama shou... read more
With Saddam Gone, Iraq May be Ready to Go Nuclear
Development of a nuclear energy program is gaining political support within Iraq, according to a research paper produced for the U.S. Army War College’s Strategic Studies Institute. Norman Cigar, a U.S. Marine Corps research fellow, writes that “t... read more
Civil Liberties Groups Join GOP in Opposition to Obama Version of Closing Guantánamo
President Barack Obama will have to overcome political opposition on the left and the right if he wants to shutter Guantanámo Bay and move its terrorism suspects to the Thomson Correction Center in Illinois. Republicans in Congress, led by Senate ... read more
9/11 Firefighters and Medical Workers Suffered Lung Damage for 7 Years
The toxic cloud that enveloped the World Trade Center site following the September 11, 2001, attacks caused thousands of firefighters and medical workers to suffer long-term lung damage, according to a new study published in the New England Journa... read more
More than 3 Million Americans Unemployed for More Than a Year…Highest Rate Since World War II
Nearly a quarter of all Americans unemployed have been without a job for a year or longer, according to a new study by the Pew Economic Policy Group, which noted the rate was the highest since World War II. In its report (A Year or More: The High ... read more
Court Rules Internet Providers Can Control User Traffic
The Federal Communications Commission now must look to Congress if it wants to regulate the Internet and how companies limit customers’ access to the Web. In a 3-0 decision handed down by a Washington appellate court, Comcast won its case against ... read more
Mine Safety Agency Issued Report Warning of Poor Inspector Training 5 Days Before West Virginia Explosion
Only five days before the worst mining accident in more than 25 years, the federal government’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) was faulted for not doing a better job of training inspectors. An investigation by the U.S. Department of ... read more
NATO Admits U.S. Forces Killed Innocent Pregnant Women in Afghanistan
U.S. Special Operations commandoes in February mistakenly killed five Afghans, including two pregnant women, and then tried to cover up their mistake. An investigation by NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) determined that Americ... read more
McChrystal Admits U.S. Troops are Killing Innocent Afghans at Checkpoints
America’s top commander in Afghanistan, Army General Stanley McChrystal, continues to struggle with the problem of U.S. troops shooting innocent citizens at checkpoints or near passing convoys. During a virtual town hall meeting with U.S. soldiers... read more
Length of Long-Term Unemployment Reaches Record High
The best news the government has to offer for the 15 million Americans looking for work is that unemployment has leveled off at 9.7% and is likely to remain around that level for the rest of the year. The fact that the jobless pool won’t grow more... read more