January 2011 Archive
Life Tenure for Federal Judges Raises Issues of Senility, Dementia
Issues related to aging and dementia increasingly plague the federal court system, where judges in their 80’s and 90’s are shouldering a larger portion of cases.
States Will Soon Have To Start Paying Interest on Their Massive Unemployment Borrowing
Many states have had to borrow billions from the federal government to maintain unemployment insurance payments. But the interest-free grace period on those loans that came with the stimulus bill is about to run out.
After 'Ad Hoc' Government Bailout, Citigroup Still Too Big to Fail, Watchdog Says
Citigroup, bailed out because of the government's "gut instinct," is strengthened as a result of the support--but still too big to fail, according to a TARP watchdog report.
Opponents to Fracking Disclosure Take Big Money From Industry
The Interior Department wades into controversy as it mulls whether to require drilling companies to disclose the chemicals they use to frack wells drilled on public lands.
Health Advocacy Groups Take Drug Company Cash—Often Without Full Disclosures, Report Says
An analysis of health advocacy groups listed in a drug company's donation registry has found that a vast majority of the non-profit organizations did not disclose their corporate funding source.
Pennsylvania’s Governor-Elect Nominates Insiders for Top Environmental Posts
New faces will oversee the expanding gas drilling industry in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale.
Auto Makers and Oil Industry Trade Groups Write Back With Regulations to Target
Responding to a request from the GOP’s new House oversight chair, trade groups for automakers and the oil industry identified regulations to roll back—as well as anticipated regulations to fight.
Leaderless and Under Pressure, Firearms Agency Keeps Gun Tracing Records Secret
The ATF has for years been without a director and subject to restrictions on its ability to take action against gun dealers and share gun tracing information.
What Do 50 Cent, Carmen Electra & Shaquille O’Neal Have in Common? Touting Penny Stocks
Rapper 50 Cent urges millions of Twitter followers to invest in an obscure penny stock, the latest in a long list of celebrities offering investment advice that’s long on risk and short on security.
One Year After Haiti’s Quake, U.S. Gov't and Corporations Still Have Unfulfilled Pledges
As coverage pours in around the anniversary of Haiti's earthquake, an update on a few promises of aid left unfulfilled.
Gulf Claims Czar Makes Mixed Progress on Transparency Pledges
Gulf spill paymaster Kenneth Feinberg has made mixed progress in carrying out his transparency promises.
Why Arizonans Can Buy Guns Made In-State Free of Background Checks, and Other Issues in Gun Control
In the wake of a deadly shooting in Arizona, questions have surfaced about whether the type of weapon, concealed weapon permits and other gun control issues contributed to the incident.
Oil Leak Is Latest Mishap for Alaska's Troubled Pipelines
Months before the latest leak was discovered, we'd obtained on a report that flagged extensive corrosion in BP's Alaska pipeline system.
Which Senator Secretly Sabotaged the Popular Whistleblower Protection Bill?
Despite bipartisan support, a bill to expand whistleblower protections died in the lame duck session of Congress, when a single senator killed it with a secret hold.
Obama Expresses Displeasure With Guantanamo Restrictions But Signs Them Into Law
The president says he will seek the repeal of new provisions tucked into defense-spending legislation, but averts a confrontation with the new Congress by not raising constitutional objections.
Déjà-vu? The National Commission Report on BP’s Gulf Disaster Echoes Old Findings
Last May, President Obama established the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling to unravel the circumstances that led to the April 20, 2010 disaster in the Gulf. A sneak-peek chapter made public on Wednesday didn’t actually conclude anything new.
Oil-Spill Panel Co-Chair: Others Implicated, But BP ‘Centrally Responsible’
In the lead-up to the disaster, BP was the primary decision-maker in seven out of nine cases when a riskier path was chosen over safer alternatives, according to a new chapter of the spill panel's report.
