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  • Election Reforms: Falling short

    WASHINGTON — Proponents of progressive election reform gave cautious approval to the recent report issued by a commission assigned to investigate the improvement of federal elections. Many critics, however, point to several obstacles that remain in the way of free and fair elections throughout the United States. The report, issued by the National Commission on…

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  • Son of Star Wars: Another arms race?

    WASHINGTON — Reports emerging from the Pentagon about plans to test a “Space Bomber” are drawing accusations that the U.S. government is attempting to engage in another arms race. The bomber, a spacecraft reportedly capable of destroying targets on the other side of the globe within 30 minutes, is a key component of Defense Secretary…

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  • ExxonMobil: Facing a boycott

    ExxonMobil, one of the biggest corporations on the planet, is now facing a boycott spearheaded by activist groups protesting the company’s policies at home and abroad. The boycott was launched by PressurePoint, a grassroots organization looking to “take real action on climate change and corporate influence,” according to Chris Doran, campaigns director for the group.…

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  • Beyond the Ford-Firestone Uproar: Critics blast lack of regulation, accountability in SUV safety

    WASHINGTON – Recent congressional hearings probed the accountability of Ford and Firestone in many incidents where car or tire malfunctioned, causing injury or death. The hearings also questioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the federal government’s chief regulator of automobile safety, and its role in providing the public with adequate information. While the blame-placing…

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  • NEWS BRIEFING WITH LAWRENCE SUMMERS, SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY RAYMOND OFFENHEISER, PRESIDENT, OXFAM

    Questions from IPA appear below in bold HEADLINE: NEWS BRIEFING WITH LAWRENCE SUMMERS, SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY RAYMOND OFFENHEISER, PRESIDENT, OXFAM DEBT RELIEF TO POOR COUNTRIES AND OXFAM EDUCATION NOW AWARD INTRODUCTION: MARTA ARIAS LOCATION: NATIONAL PRESS CLUB, WASHINGTON D.C. BODY:

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  • Ten Real Reasons To Impeach Clinton

    We all seem to have lost our sense of proportion. Why are the political leaders of the United States and the major media talking of impeaching Bill Clinton for lies about sex, surely not the most important sins of his administration? If Clinton is to be impeached, why do it for frivolous reasons? I can…

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  • Autopsy Of A Disaster: The U.S. Sanctions Policy On Iraq

    For a shorter version of this timeline, click here. Myth: The Sanctions Will be Lifted When Iraq Complies with the U.N. Inspections April 3, 1991: U.N. Security Council passes Resolution 687 which states that upon “the completion by Iraq of all actions contemplated in” specific paragraphs of the resolution, “the prohibitions against financial transactions ……

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  • “Koch Sends Pro-Romney Mailing to Employees While Stifling Workplace Political Speech”

    Mike Elk just wrote the piece “Koch Sends Pro-Romney Mailing to 45,000 Employees While Stifling Workplace Political Speech” for In These Times where he is a staff writer and regular contributor to the magazines’ “Working” blog. The new piece states: “In a voter information packet obtained by In These Times, the Koch Industries corporate leadership…

  • * Iran Sanctions * Biden Antiwar? * Phony Nobel?

    Muhammad Sahimi is a professor at the University of Southern California and lead political columnist for the website PBS/Frontline/Tehran Bureau. While both Biden and Ryan touted the sanctions on Iran in last night’s debate, Sahimi said: “The sanctions were supposed to be ‘smart’ and ‘targeted,’ but they have turned to be anything but. They have…

  • Debate Disinformation on Social Security and Medicare

    Eric Kingson is co-chair of the Strengthen Social Security Campaign. He said today: “In her opening question on Social Security to Mr. Ryan, Martha Raddatz drew on and reinforced a common myth — that Social Security ‘is going broke’ and that dramatic change is needed for it ‘to survive.’ Her assumptions were wrong. Social Security…

  • Is There a Real Foreign Policy Debate?

    Peter Van Buren, a 24-year veteran Foreign Service Officer at the State Department, spent a year in Iraq. He is author of We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People. He just wrote “Don’t Ask and Don’t Tell: Six Critical Foreign Policy Questions That Won’t…

  • Beyond the Horse Race: Issues Driven Polling

    Taylor Peck is co-founder of iSideWith.com. He said today: “iSideWith.com is an interactive, non-partisan website that helps voters track how their views compare the 2012 presidential candidates’ views. Users answer a series of questions on important issues including taxes, Medicare, gay marriage, the war in Afghanistan and global warming.”

  • Meningitis Outbreak “Highlights Failure of FDA”

    Deputy director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, Dr. Michael Carome said today: “The now widely publicized outbreak of life-threatening fungal meningitis in back-pain patients linked to steroid injections prepared by a compounding pharmacy highlights the failure of the Food and Drug Administration’s regulatory oversight of drugs prepared and sold by such pharmacies. What is…

  • Ten Years After Iraq War Vote: Will Biden and Ryan be Asked About Yes Votes and False Statements on WMDs?

    Among Phil Donahue’s many media credits is executive producer for the 2007 feature documentary film, “Body of War.” He said today: “Over 4,000 Americans died in Iraq and over 2,000 Americans have already died in Afghanistan. Both vice presidential candidates voted for the Iraq invasion — neither they nor the men at the top of…

  • Americans Heading to Drone-Targeted Area of Pakistan; U.S. Amb. Questions Confidential U.S. Casualty Numbers

    Policy director of Just Foreign Policy, Robert Naiman just wrote the piece “Americans Press U.S. Ambassador for End to Drone Strikes in Pakistan, and the Ambassador Responds,” which states: “On Wednesday, as a member of a U.S. peace delegation to Pakistan organized by Code Pink, I delivered a petition from more than 3,000 Americans to…

  • Venezuela’s Election

    Mark Weisbrot is co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C. (CEPR will be live-blogging the elections Sunday, with updates from election accompaniers on the ground in Venezuela.) Weisbrot’s most recent column appears in The Guardian. He wrote: “Here is what Jimmy Carter said about Venezuela’s ‘dictatorship’ a few weeks ago:…

  • Debate: * Economy * PBS * “Energy Independence”

    Richard Wolff is author most recently of the book Occupy the Economy: Challenging Capitalism. He said today: “The debate was notable mostly for what it evaded. (1) In the last comparable economic crisis (1930s), unemployment was treated by a massive federal jobs program, yet neither candidate had anything to say on such an approach despite…

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