In remarks made during a White House briefing on Friday, President Obama summarized the history of CIA abusive practices in the wake of the 9/11 attacks by asking people to remember “how afraid people” were at the time after he acknowledged plainly, “We tortured some folks.” The comments come amid growing anticipation and new controversy […]
Read MoreA leaked document is putting the spotlight on a trade deal between Canada and the European Union that one critic says is all about “giving corporations rights.” The text of the deal, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), had thus far been kept from public scrutiny. But the German television show Tagesschau uploaded a […]
Read MoreAs officials continue to delay the release of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee’s report on post-9/11 CIA interrogation techniques, 10 victims of CIA rendition and torture have signed an open letter (pdf) to President Obama asking him to declassify the heavily redacted report. The 500-page summary of the report, which includes details about secret overseas […]
Read More: Falling short by a single vote, a vote in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday evening failed to get the requisite 60 votes needed to approve a bill designed to force approval of the controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. The final vote was 59 in favor and 41 voting against the bill (see official […]
Read MoreThe police department for San Diego’s public schools recently revealed that they have acquired a large armored combat vehicle from the U.S. military. The $700,000 mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle (MRAP), which is designed to withstand blasts from improvised explosive devices and mines, was given to law enforcement for the Unified School District in April. The […]
Read MoreAs Congress skipped town and avoided a vote on war, President Obama announced this week that the US was taking the lead in bombing jihadists in Iraq and Syria, opening what is being widely interpreted as another long and costly American military campaign in the Middle East. This week, Bill discusses the latest on the […]
Read MoreJust over a week ago, the executive director of the Rodale Institute, Mark ‘Coach’ Smallwood, set out from the group’s research farm in eastern Pennsylvania on a 160-mile journey to Washington, DC with a walking stick, a brimmed hat, and a simple but profound message: We can not only stop climate change. We can reverse […]
Read MorePeople in the United States pay more for the internet, and receive slower service, than their international counterparts, finds a report published Thursday by the Open Technology Institute of the New America Foundation. Released annually, examines broadband costs and speeds in 24 cities in the United States, Asia, and Europe. It concludes that “Americans in […]
Read MoreAs the number of U.S. cities criminalizing sharing food with the homeless continues to rise as a result of burdensome requirements on food pantries and individuals, rights groups are condemning the cities for their focus on punishment over solutions. A report released Monday by the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) found that ordinances which […]
Read MoreThe fight against fracking in the U.K. heated up on Monday, following the release of a damning report from an influential parliamentary committee that said the practice is incompatible with the government’s goal of mitigating climate change. “Ultimately fracking cannot be compatible with our long-term commitments to cut climate changing emissions unless full-scale carbon capture […]
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