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. 


  • Iraq Analysts Available

    JOHN QUIGLEY Professor of Law, Ohio State University. Specialist in the Mideast and in international law. “There is no basis in any Security Council resolution for unilateral military action by the U.S.” BARBARA LUBIN Executive director, Middle East Children’s Alliance More Information JEFF GUNTZEL Traveled recently to Iraq with Voices in the Wilderness, delivering medicine…

  • Iraq Sanctions: What’s the Policy?

    Whether the United States bombs Iraq or not, there are reports that the U.S. is changing its policy to a more sanctions-based approach. While many are claiming that Iraq would be rid of the sanctions if it complied with the weapons inspections, an examination of U.S. policymakers’ statements since the Gulf War suggests otherwise: April…

  • Environmentalists Urge Clinton to Live Up to Rhetoric

    With the Earth’s climate on the table as delegates from more than 160 nations gather in Buenos Aires for a global climate summit, some U.S. specialists are voicing concern that the White House is not honoring its promises. Among those available for comment: ROSS GELBSPAN Gelbspan, author of The Heat Is On: The Climate Crisis,…

  • Victories for Campaign Finance Reform in Two States Likely to Inspire Grassroots Efforts Nationwide

    Statewide ballot measures for campaign finance reform won approval Tuesday in Arizona and Massachusetts. Activists say those victories will inspire a groundswell of efforts around the country to clean up the elections process at the grassroots. “This sends a message nationwide,” said Kaia Lenhart, political director of Arizonans for Clean Elections. “There’s no doubt about…

  • Election Issues That Weren’t

    As the 1998 campaign nears its end, some observers contend that key realities of American society have remained out of focus. Several policy analysts are available for interviews on subjects they say have gone largely overlooked during this campaign season: JOHN C. BERG Director of Graduate Studies at the Government Department of Suffolk University, Berg…

  • Social Security: Economists Call for Realism

    Three economists issued statements Friday warning against unrealistic scenarios for privatizing Social Security. The researchers took aim at a new book put out this week by the Cato Institute (Common Cents, Common Dreams) which argues for privatization. They are available for interviews on Social Security policy options. RICHARD Du BOFF Professor of Economics at Bryn…

  • Pinochet Arrest Raises New Questions in Washington

    WASHINGTON — The arrest of former Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet has focused new attention on the record of his regime, which remained in power for 17 years after the 1973 coup that toppled Chile’s democratically elected government. Some pointed questions are being raised about the Washington-based Cato Institute’s current embrace of Jose Pinera, who…

  • Analysts Decry Inaction by Congress on HMO Reform

    WASHINGTON — The failure of Congress to pass legislation on health care reform before adjournment has angered many Americans. A number of doctors and health care analysts are available for interviews about Congressional inaction on a patient bill of rights to address problems with HMOs. Some of these specialists regard such a bill of rights…

  • Social Security: Would Privatization Help Minorities?

    WASHINGTON — A range of organizations today criticized rosy claims about Social Security privatization for Latinos and African Americans. At a presentation in Washington organized by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the widely cited Heritage Foundation was faulted for “technical errors” and “gross inaccuracies” in its claims that racial minorities would fare better…

  • “Surplus” and Poverty in America

    WASHINGTON — While President Clinton announces budget surplus figures today, some economists and poverty specialists are challenging the idea that poverty is receding as a national problem. Among those available for comment are: ANURADHA MITTAL Policy Director at the Institute for Food and Development Policy – Food First, Mittal said: “Extreme poverty is growing fastest…

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