News Releases

  • U.S.-China Tensions: Analysts Available

    HENRY ROSEMONT Author of A Chinese Mirror: Moral Reflections on Political Economy, Rosemont is professor of philosophy — specializing in Chinese philosophy — at St. Mary’s College in Maryland. He taught in China for four years, including during the 1989 crackdown. Rosemont said: “The Chinese government is behaving a little better than the U.S. government. We have a diplomatic agreement with China that provides for any citizen to have access to a member of the foreign service of his or her country within 48 hours. As far as can be ascertained, the Chinese complied with that. Unfortunately, the U.S. government…


  • Estate Tax: Interviews Available

    Yesterday the House passed a bill to eliminate the estate tax. These analysts are available for interviews: ELLEN GURZINSKY Executive director of the Funding Exchange, Gurzinsky said today: “The estate tax is raised from the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans — those who leave more than $675,000 at the time of death. More than half of all estate taxes are paid by those with household wealth over $5 million…. Without the estate tax, charitable contributions will decrease dramatically. The Treasury Department estimates that repeal could reduce charitable contributions by $5 billion to $6 billion a year, while others say the…


  • Tension with China: Interviews Available

    In the aftermath of a U.S. spy plane landing in China, the following analysts are available for interviews: ROBERT WEIL Author of Red Cat, White Cat: China and the Contradictions of “Market Socialism,” Weil said today: “The Bush administration has clearly taken a more confrontational attitude toward China from the start. Such a stance is bound to lead to these types of tense situations. What would the reaction be if the Chinese were routinely patrolling with spy planes off of Long Island? I don’t think it would be particularly well-received, especially if a situation like this occurred.” CARL CONETTA Co-director…


  • McCain-Feingold: Reform Gone Bad?

    Several provisions added to the McCain-Feingold bill have prompted some long-time proponents of campaign finance reform to oppose this legislation. Among those available for interviews are: JULIA HUTCHINS Campaign finance reform advocate at U.S. Public Interest Research Group and author of the recent paper “The Consequences of Raising Federal Contribution Limits,” Hutchins said today: “The McCain-Feingold bill now doubles the amount wealthy donors can give directly to politicians [hard money], doubles the state party contribution limits, raises the national party limits from $20,000 to $25,000, and increases the aggregate amount an individual can give per election cycle from $50,000 to…


  • Global Warming: A Crucial Moment

    In recent days, the Bush administration has moved away from restricting emissions of carbon dioxide. Today, it is being reported that the Bush administration plans to pull out of the Kyoto protocol on global warming altogether. The following analysts are available for interviews: ROSS GELBSPAN Author of The Heat Is On: The Climate Crisis, the Cover-Up, the Prescription, Gelbspan said today: “President Bush is correct in saying the Kyoto protocol is flawed — but not for the reasons he puts forward. It is flawed because its targets are far too low in the face of an increasingly disruptive climate. With…


  • Erin Brockovich and Bill Moyers Put Toxic Chemicals in National Spotlight

    The night after Julia Roberts won an Oscar for her fact-based portrayal of environmental activist Erin Brockovich, the chemical industry is set to take another blow on national television Monday evening as PBS airs “Trade Secrets” — an expose of “secrets buried in thousands of confidential documents from America’s chemical companies.” The following researchers and policy analysts are available for interviews: ADRIENNE ANDERSON For decades, Anderson has assisted communities poisoned by various chemicals. She teaches environmental ethics at the University of Colorado at Boulder and is currently filing a whistler-blower case. DAVID ROSNER Coauthor of the forthcoming Deceit and Denial:…


  • Eighteen Years After “Star Wars” — What’s Behind NMD?

    Today is the 18th anniversary of President Reagan’s announcement of his intention to begin a massive missile defense research program for the Strategic Defense Initiative. Reports are circulating today about a major reassessment of weapons systems by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who is a major proponent of National Missile Defense. The following analysts are available for interviews: WILLIAM HARTUNG Senior research fellow at the World Policy Institute and co-author of the recent report “Tangled Web: The Marketing of Missile Defense, 1994-2000,” Hartung said today: “The revival of NMD has everything to do with special interest lobbying by an unholy alliance…


  • Campaign Finance Reform

    STEPHANIE WILSON Executive director of the Fannie Lou Hamer Project, Wilson said today: “During the civil rights movement of the last century, voices rose in resistance to racism, inequality, brutal oppression and disenfranchisement, and they could not be silenced. Their cries resulted in both the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts — legislation that Congress could no longer avoid or delay. Yet even this landmark legislation would prove to be inadequate in fulfilling the promise of democracy for all Americans. Today, our elections remain largely the stronghold of the racially and economically privileged of the nation. We are awash and…


  • Sharon’s Visit

    SUSAN AKRAM An associate professor at Boston University School of Law who specializes in refugee issues, Akram said today: “The deteriorating situation is a reflection of a complete lack of focus on the international law principles that should guide a just solution for the millions of Palestinian refugees and for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict generally. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is a total rejectionist of any solution that entails even minimal justice for the Palestinians. He is moving towards the total ‘cantonization’ of the Palestinian areas, establishing 46 separate isolated areas.” More Information ELLEN SIEGEL Siegel has worked with various Jewish…


  • Coke and Commercialization of Schools

    The Coca-Cola company announced on Wednesday that it intends to change the way it does business with school districts. The list of changes includes encouraging local representatives to negotiate non-exclusive contracts, supplying of vending machines that have school messages on the outside rather than Coke ads, and offering a wider variety of “nutritious” beverages. The following critics of commercializing schools are available for interviews: GARY RUSKIN Director of Commercial Alert, Ruskin said: “Coke is on the run. Their announcement today is a desperate PR effort to keep angry parents from kicking Coke, Pepsi, Channel One and other junk food marketers…


  • Threats to First Amendment Rights

    For Documented, Anna Oakes writes that rulings in high-profile cases targeting noncitizen university students who have engaged in pro-Palestine speech, like those of Mohsen Mahdawi and Rümeysa Öztürk, could redefine First Amendment protections.  ANNA OAKES; [email protected]      Oakes is an independent journalist based in New York City. Oakes told the Institute for Public Accuracy: “For the…

  • Should Black People Be Allowed to Vote?

    “Asked by Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut whether he would support bringing back ‘laws in this country to only allow white people to vote,’ Bozell refused to give a direct answer.“

  • Trump Seeks U.N. Blessing for Gaza Scheme

    “U.N. Security Council delegations, led by the U.S. as the co-perpetrator of the genocide in Palestine, with the support of complicit countries like the U.K. and France, and with the cooperation of U.S. client states in the region, are conspiring to merge elements of the French-Saudi colonial plan, with the U.S. colonial plan, in order…

  • Jews, Zionism and Mamdani

    “This is not a new debate. Anti-Zionism has existed since the birth of Zionism itself. The American Council for Judaism has proudly stood in this tradition since 1942, representing what was once the mainstream stance of the Reform movement: that Jewish identity, ethics, and community do not depend on nationalism, and that Jewish life flourishes…

  • Did Baerbock Coverup Germany’s Role in the Gaza Genocide at the ICJ?

    “Journalists should ask Annalena Baerbock if German diplomats — under her leadership as foreign minister — lied to the ICJ about Germany’s active military support at Israel’s request. A @DropSiteNews report suggests as as much.” 

  • Deception About Medicare for All

    A new report from corporate-oriented Democrats called “Deciding to Win” declares that Medicare for All is an “unpopular economic policy”––but advocates say the claim is false.

  • Trump’s Big Caribbean War Lie

    “The evidence that the U.S. Navy’s buildup in the Caribbean is not about combating drugs but rather regime change in Venezuela is overwhelming. Perhaps the most obvious is that the U.S. is obliterating small boats and their crews, rather than capturing the men and forcing a confession from them. No names are released.“

  • Trump and Nuclear Threats

    “The U.S. government has withdrawn from various nuclear weapons treaties, including the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty during the George W. Bush administration and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in Trump’s first administration. It has been in violation of its disarmament obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The Biden administration made U.S. nuclear policy more aggressive in…

  • U.S. “Ceasefire” a “Ploy to Sabotage the Rule of Law” — Again

    Mokhiber added: “We are indeed seeing another ploy by the U.S. government working in collusion with the secretariat of the U.N. to sabotage the rule of law as well as the work of many in the U.N. system who are trying desperately to uphold the U.N. Charter.”

  • The Long History of Long Covid

    Writing for Truthout, Jesse Hagopian, a longtime educator with long Covid, details how Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has harmed Americans with long Covid by shutting down the Office of Long Covid Research and Practice, gutting funding, and derailing trials and studies. Hagopian did extensive research to “situate this moment of disability caused by Covid, contextualized…

Mastodon