Top Stories
Supreme Court Decision May Allow Corporations and Unions to Make Anonymous Political Donations
Combined with an earlier court decision, the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that lifted restrictions on corporate and union donations may also lead to these powerful interests contributing for and against campaigns without disclosing their parti... read more
National Archives Wants Investigation into Destruction of John Yoo Torture Emails
Emails discussing the early development of the Bush administration’s use of torture against detainees were deleted several years ago by a key Department of Justice (DOJ) official, prompting the National Archives and Records Administration and othe... read more
Gun Rights Expand under Obama
One year into the Obama administration and gun rights advocates have had little to fear. In fact, movements are underway across the country to adopt legislation aiding those who own firearms, contrary to fearful predictions early last year that th... read more
Navy Set to End Ban on Women in Submarines
Unless Congress decides to overrule the Department of Defense, women will finally be cleared to serve on nuclear submarines in about a month. The change follows an announcement last fall by Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staf... read more
Defense Secretary Gates Attacks NATO’s Pacifism
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is not a fan of peace, love and understanding when it comes to America’s NATO allies. Coming only days after one European country announced its plans to pull troops out of Afghanistan, Gates complained about ... read more
Sen. Roberts (R-Kansas) Accused of Complicity in Torture and Destruction of CIA Tapes
Two years before the
CIA
destroyed its tapes showing the torture of two detainees, the agency informed Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kansas), chairman of the
Senate Intelligence Committee
, of its plans—to which the conservative lawmaker agreed. This... read more
Obama Fights to Protect “Lobbyist Privacy” for Telecoms
President Barack Obama has promised to disclose all contacts lobbyists have with his administration. But at the same time, his Department of Justice is working to keep hidden the names of lobbyists who won immunity for the telecommunications compa... read more
WellPoint Lied about Justification for Rate Increase
The reason why Anthem Blue Cross of California wanted to hike its insurance rates by 39% was because the insurer says it suffered a loss of business last year, and was further hampered by the bad economy. Not so. According to a congressional revie... read more
As Medicaid Rolls Grow, Services are Cut, Adult Diapers Limited
Americans on Medicaid are caught between the federal government, which wants to add 15 million more people to the medical insurance program, and state governments that can’t afford coverage for existing patients. With budget deficits ballooning, s... read more
FDA Moves to Reduce Radiation Exposure from Medical Imaging
In an effort to reduce unnecessary exposure to radiation, the Food and Drug Administration is developing new guidelines for the medical industry to follow for certain kinds of tests. The rules will govern the use of three types of medical imaging ... read more
Should Illegal Immigrants be Counted in the Census…As Usual?
Another census, another debate about illegal immigrants. Every 10 years the federal government counts how many people are living in the United States, including those who entered the country illegally. But advocates for a government crackdown on... read more
Pentagon May Turn to Algae to Replace Oil
Some of the nation’s most important technological developments have come out of the military, and the Department of Defense may have done it again with a revolutionary way to make jet fuel out of algae. While many biotechnology companies have been... read more
A Growth Industry: Medical Schools
The number of medical schools in the United States
could increase by nearly 20% over the next several years to help meet the rising demand for new doctors. During the 1980s and 1990s, only one new med school opened in the U.S. (which currently ha... read more
Fighting Terrorists, Obama Goes for the Kill Instead of the Capture
Shoot first and don’t worry about asking questions later. That is the policy of the Obama administration when it comes to hunting down terrorists. Instead of trying to capture high-value targets and interrogate them, U.S. intelligence and military... read more
Obama Budget Would Redistribute $112 Billion from Top 1 Percent of Taxpayers
America’s rich will not appreciate President Barack Obama budget proposal for fiscal year 2012. Obama’s fiscal policies will result in redistributing billions of dollars in wealth from the upper echelons of society to the lower rungs, according to... read more
Most Americans Support Increasing Cigarette Tax to Raise $9 Billion a Year
A coalition of anti-smoking groups claims a majority of Americans want every state in the nation to raise their tax on cigarettes by $1 a pack. They cite polling data showing that 60% of respondents favor a cigarette tax boost that would bring in ... read more