Top Stories
Private Insurance Death Panels
“Death panels” are already a reality in California, according to the state’s nurses union, which argues that insurance companies are routinely rejecting medical care for patients, leading to unnecessary suffering and in some cases death.
A rev... read more
In Tough Economy, Firefighters Spend More Time as Medics
When people don’t have health insurance, they turn not only to emergency rooms for medical care, but to their local firefighters. Increasingly, firemen are handling medical emergency calls by those who have no means to see a doctor. Instead of rus... read more
85% of Stimulus Funds Still to be Spent
It’s been seven months since Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, commonly referred to as the 2009 stimulus package, which injected $792 billion into the economy to stave off the worst of the economic downturn. So how much o... read more
Holder Revives Civil Rights Enforcement
After enduring years of what critics called neglect on the part of the Bush administration, the Department of Justice under Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. is planning to bolster its civil rights division. For starters, Holder intends to add 50 n... read more
Navy Prepares for Increased Arctic Role Due to Global Warming
Global warming may wind up giving the U.S. Navy a new job. With the arctic ice pack shrinking rapidly, the North Pole could be entirely free of ice during the summer season within just 20 years. Such a development would create a brand new sea lane... read more
From Migrant Worker to Astronaut
Although a shuttle launched into space travels thousands of miles, for Jose Hernández, the meaning of a long, arduous journey is all too familiar. Hernández, one of the six astronauts aboard space shuttle Discovery, has had a remarkable success st... read more
The Fate of Emmett Till’s Casket
The Smithsonian’s new National Museum of African American History and Culture will feature the glass-topped casket that once displayed the remains of Emmett Till, whose murder became an early rallying point during the Civil Rights movement. Till’s... read more
Robocalls Bite the Dust…With Exceptions
As of Tuesday it will be illegal for businesses hocking goods or services to use prerecorded commercial telemarketing calls—or robocalls—according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). An FTC ruling going into effect on Sept. 1 outlaws telemarket... read more
Bailout Helped Banks “Too Big to Fail” Get Bigger
Is the flip side of “too big to fail” for the nation’s largest banks “too protected to change”? The decision by the federal government to prop up the likes of Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and others did more than just shield the fina... read more
U.S. Ranks Only 28th in Internet Speeds
Fast-paced can apply to many things in American society, but Internet connections is not one of them. A study by the Communications Workers of America found that the United States currently ranks 28th in the world when it comes to high-speed Web s... read more
CIA Interrogation Report: Bush vs. Obama Versions
Monday’s publication of the CIA inspector general report on detainee interrogations was not the first time an edited version of the document had been released. In 2008, the Bush administration declassified a heavily redacted version of “Counterter... read more
Court Orders Federal Reserve to Release Bailout Documents to Bloomberg News
The Federal Reserve, which has long enjoyed a tight cloak of secrecy around its financial decision making, lost a key ruling in federal court on Monday that will require it to turn over documents detailing which banks received emergency loans duri... read more
Insurance Companies Win Big in Healthcare Debate…Hospitals Too
If a health reform plan manages to become enacted, insurance companies and hospitals will by no means come out on the short end financially. An aggressive, well-orchestrated lobbying campaign by insurers, and a shrewd bit of bargaining by hospital... read more
William Calley Finally Apologizes for My Lai Massacre
At a time when many people are contemplating human rights abuses committed by Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan, William Calley, more than 40 years after he led one of the most notorious attacks in U.S. military history, publicly apologized for th... read more
Cost of Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Skyrockets
The cost of health insurance hasn’t just outpaced the growth of family incomes in the United States—it’s blown past. According to a new study by the Commonwealth Fund, employer-sponsored family health insurance premiums rose by 119% from 1999 to ... read more
Earmark Champion and Proud of It
Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) is not ashamed of the federal money he funnels back to his home state. “It may please you or it may not please you,” Inouye told a group of Hawaiian business and social representatives recently. “I’m the No. 1 earm... read more