News Items

  • 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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  • Netanyahu Does Ceasefire with Hezbollah, Bombs School in Gaza

    “There will undoubtedly be a great deal of grief and trauma. Many will have no homes to return to, no schools for their children, and livelihoods destroyed. The wellbeing of children and their families must be prioritised in what will be a long journey to recovery.

  • * Omnicide Joe? * Pakistani Movement for Democracy

    “While it should be obvious to all that no one is going to survive a nuclear confrontation, the U.S., UK and some NATO countries continue playing with fire and irresponsibly escalating the Ukraine war, instead of looking for ways to end the conflict by diplomacy and negotiation. This is yet another reason why the Global…

  • Israel’s Dahiya Doctrine in Action: “This Is My Home Burning”

    “The Dahiya Doctrine is an Israeli military doctrine that calls for the use of massive, disproportionate force and the deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure.”

  • Will Rep. Massie Move to Impeach Biden on Ukraine?

    “Biden is risking provoking Russia to use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war by green-lighting unrestricted use of our long range ballistic missiles by Zelensky. Nukes would threaten species existence worse than Hitler. Impeach Biden instantly.”

  • Should Rahm Emanuel Be the New DNC Chair?

    In recent days, Democratic Party strategist David Axelrod has urged that Rahm Emanuel become the chair of the Democratic National Committee, which will elect its new leader early next year. Today, The Hill published a piece headlined “Rahm Emanuel Is a Terrible Choice for DNC Chair,” warning that “if the Democratic National Committee is trying to find…

  • “At Long Last” ICC Arrest Warrant Issued for Netanyahu

    “At long last, ICC arrest warrants have been issued for Netanyahu and Gallant for crimes against humanity. All states must now cooperate in their arrest. The western-built wall of impunity constructed around this genocidal apartheid regime is crumbling. We must all now work together to ensure that justice is done.”

  • Legal Moves on Israel at UN and Congress

    The Intercept reports that “The House is set to vote … on a bill that would let the administration destroy nonprofits it claims support terrorism.” The legislation is reportedly being put to a vote this week. Udry is executive director of Defending Rights & Dissent.

  • What Trump Can’t Do to Immigrants

    In the wake of Trump’s first election to the presidency in January 2017, activist David Bacon wrote about the economic context of immigration policy and what Trump could and could not do to shape immigration for Dollars and Sense. The piece was republished after Trump’s reelection.

  • “Kamala Harris Lost Because of the Ukraine War…”

      Kamala Harris lost because of the Ukraine War — but not for the reason you think. … Foremost, Biden’s decision to impose a broad array of sanctions on Russia in 2022″ did “not hamper Russia’s illegal invasion. Instead, they led to a Wall Street-fueled commodity bubble that sent inflation soaring. That turned the national…

  • With Further Israeli Atrocities, Is Congress Finally Acting?

    At the same time, the Biden administration has approved over $20 billion in arms sales to Israel, fueling this conflict and further destabilizing the region. … But Congress has not authorized this weapons transfer.

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