News Releases

  • “Excess Mortality” During the Covid-19 Pandemic

    In the first study to delve beyond federal- and state-level statistics to look into county-level Covid-19 deaths in more granularity, researchers find that excess mortality was concentrated in nonmetropolitan areas of the country.


  • Biden Nominates Elliott Abrams

    Elliot Abrams is set to be nominated for the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. David DeCamp, news editor for antiwar.com says, “Abrams is a neoconservative hawk who led the Trump administration’s failed Venezuela regime change effort… Abrams is notorious for his role in covering up atrocities committed by U.S.-backed forces in Latin America during the Reagan administration… Abrams also served in the George W. Bush administration as the deputy national security advisor from 2005 – 2009.”


  • Sierra Leone Election Called “Rigged” 

    Chernoh Alphah Bah, founder of Africanist Press, is living in exile in the US for calling out political corruption in Sierra Leone. He says, “The nexus between financial corruption and political corruption is always anchored in rigged elections. Politicians who steal public funds can’t organize credible elections.”


  • Protests in France

    Regarding the recent murder of a 17-year-old kid of Algerian descent by French police, Jean Bricmont says, “Luckily, there are videos of the incident that prove that the policeman did not act in legitimate self-defense… starting in the 1970’s there was mass immigration that was of course favored by the employers, but also, in the name of diversity and multiculturalism… some of the descendants of these immigrants feel deeply alienated from French society, which leads to a dialectic of violence between them and the police as well as a large part of French society.”


  • Inside the Drug Shortages

    American patients are currently being affected by shortages of various medicines, and earlier this month, U.S. lawmakers introduced legislation to identify the country’s pharmaceutical supply chain weaknesses. But pharmacists have critiques.


  • Upholding the Myths of Colorblindness and the “Model Minority” 

    Regarding the Supreme Court’s recent decision against affirmative action in university/college admission policies, Kevin Kumashiro says, “Today’s SCOTUS decision is not surprising, but nonetheless a travesty… this decision perpetuates the myth of colorblindness that race no longer matters and that democracy is somehow advanced when we refuse to attend to long-standing and pervasive issues of racial injustices.”


  • Extreme Marine Heatwave

    June sea surface temperatures near Ireland and the U.K. are the highest seen in nearly two centuries.


  • New Findings on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

    A new meta-analysis of the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy found that CBT did not outperform other psychotherapies in the treatment of depression. 


  • What is “Wellness Capitalism”?

    In a new primer, researchers describe ‘wellness capitalism”––a model of public health involving the state, employers, and a wellness industry in which worker behaviors are monitored to improve society’s health.


  • Private Equity Firms Pocketing Money for Autism Services

    Between 2017 and 2022, PE completed 85 percent of all buyouts of autism service providers––the highest rate of buyouts in any industry. 


  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • A Year After Warning of Stock Collapse, Economist Cites Political Leaders’ “Negligence”

    An economist who predicted a collapse of stock prices a year ago, when the Nasdaq composite index was near its peak, said today that “the nation’s political leaders chose to ignore the stock market bubble” — and “as a result, millions of families have seen their dreams of a secure retirement or their children’s college…

  • Taxes and Triggers

    MAX SAWICKY Senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, Sawicky said today: “Because some members of Congress view President Bush’s proposed tax cut as a budget buster, they would like to make these large tax cuts subject to cancellation or postponement if economic and budget prospects begin to dim. The buzz word for such devices…

  • Repeal of Workers’ Safety?

    Last night, the Senate voted to roll back a new federal rule protecting workers from repetitive stress injuries. House action is expected later this week. The following analysts are available for interviews: PAMELA VOSSENAS Vossenas is co-chair of the health and safety committee of the National Writers Union, which is affiliated with the United Auto…

  • South Africa AIDS Trial

    With a historic trial underway in South Africa, as 39 pharmaceutical companies try to stop the South African government from importing cheaper versions of AIDS drugs, the following analysts in the United States and South Africa are available for interviews: ROBERT WEISSMAN Co-director of Essential Action and author of the recent paper “AIDS and Developing…

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