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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 Federal Election Reform headed by former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, was presented to President Bush. Among its recommendations are provisions regarding increases in equipment standards and stepped-up federal funding for the administration of elections.

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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 Donald Rumsfeld’s plan to modernize U.S. weaponry. The satellite is currently under production by NASA and Lockheed Martin, a leading military contractor. Pentagon claims that the bomber can cause greater and deeper ground damage from a virtually unassailable height have many critics questioning it as…

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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. “The U.S. government’s climate change policy is the ExxonMobil policy,” Doran says. “What sort of democracy do we have when one company can buy off our political process for its own gains?” ExxonMobil is a charter member of the Global Climate Coalition, an influential industry…

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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 among corporate executives and congressional subcommittees occurred on Capitol Hill, several analysts decried the lack of accountability being demanded of the corporations involved. Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, pointed to a lack of regulation of sport utility vehicles and rollover standards.

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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 think of at least ten reasons to impeach him, for acts far more serious than his dalliance with Monica Lewinsky or his lies to Kenneth Starr. I am speaking of matters of life and death for large numbers of people. 1. Clinton approved, very early…

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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 … shall have no further force or effect.” The paragraphs cited have to do with weapons inspections. Other paragraphs in the resolution have to do with “return of all Kuwaiti property seized by Iraq” and Iraqi liability for losses and damage resulting from Iraq’s occupation of…

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  • Bloomberg Backs Off Clearing Occupy Wall Street

    AP reports: “The cleanup of a plaza in lower Manhattan where protesters have been camped out for a month was postponed early Friday, sending cheers up from a crowd that had feared the effort was merely a pretext to evict them.” For more, including video streams from various cities, see. MICHAEL RATNER, mratner at michaelratner.com…

  • Breaking: Protests at Armed Services Committee

    Contacts: Leah Bolger, Vice President of Veterans for Peace, leahbolger at comcast.net Medea Benjamin, Code Pink, medea.benjamin at gmail.com Protesters are currently demonstrating at a meeting of the House Armed Services Committee, standing up one by one and denouncing the continuing wars. Live video stream. They released the following statement this morning: “In 2120 Rayburn…

  • Alleged Iranian Plot Against Saudi Arabia and Israel

    MUHAMMAD SAHIMI, moe at usc.edu Sahimi is a professor at the University of Southern California and lead political columnist for the website PBS/Frontline/Tehran Bureau. He has published extensively on Iran’s political development and its nuclear program. He just wrote “Questions over Alleged Islamic Republic Assassination Plot in U.S.” BEAU GROSSCUP, bgrosscup at csuchico.edu Grosscup is…

  • Protesters Enter Congress; Trade Deals Show “Contempt”

    According to organizers, there were at least three arrests this morning as protesters entered Congressional office buildings and chanted “We are the 99 percent,” “End the wars, tax the rich” and “Senators for sale go to jail.” For further information and forthcoming video clips, see. Meanwhile, Congress is reportedly close to holding a vote on…

  • Wall Street Protests and Columbus Day

    As Occupy Wall Street — OccupyWallSt.org — begins its fourth week, OccupyTogether.org reports there are “occupy” meetups in over 1,100 cities. Roving live video at: livestream.com/globalrevolution KENT LEBSOCK, oweakuinternational at me.com Lebsock is coordinator of the Owe Aku International Justice Project. He will be speaking at Occupy Wall Street at 5 p.m. ET today. He said today: “Corporate greed…

  • Nobel Peace Prize and Protests Against Wars

    Today marks ten years since the U.S. began its invasion of Afghanistan; protests against war and corporate power are underway in D.C. in coordination with protests around the U.S. The New York Times reports: “The Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 was awarded on Friday to three campaigning women from Africa and the Arab world in…

  • Ten Years of Afghan War: * Protests * Costs * From Afghanistan

    DAVID ROVICS, drovics at gmail.com Friday, October 7 is the tenth anniversary of the United States’ invasion of Afghanistan. “Occupation” protests begin today at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C. opposing wars and corporate power:  livestream rotating from different cities. Singer-songwriter Rovics will be preforming at the launch of the Freedom Plaza protests today. At a…

  • Protests: “Another World Is Possible”

    Reports indicate that today is seeing the largest Wall Street protest to date, see. For more information and for livestreaming see and see. ARUN GUPTA,  ebrowniess at yahoo.com A founding editor of the New York City based Indypendent, Gupta also helped found the Occupied Wall Street Journal. COSTAS PANAYOTAKIS, cpanayotakis at google.com Panayotakis is associate professor of…

  • Largest Wall Street March Yet, Nurses and other Unions Join

    The largest march yet is expected today on Wall Street, see. For more information and for livestreaming, see or see. ROSEANN DeMORO, DEBORAH BURGER, via Carl Ginsburg, cginsburg at nationalnursesunited.org, Charles Idelson, cidelson at calnurses.org National Nurses United, the largest union and professional association of nurses in the U.S. — with 170,000 members — will…

  • “Occupation” Protests Starting in D.C.

    KEVIN ZEESE, kbzeese at gmail.com MARGARET FLOWERS, M.D.  mdpnhp at gmail.com Zeese is a core organizer of October2011.org and co-director of ItsOurEconomy.US. He said today: “The Occupy Movement goes to the next level on Thursday with the occupation of Freedom Plaza. This Washington, D.C. occupation, which has been growing for the last six months, before…

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