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News Releases

  • Analysts Look Beyond Tragic Bombings to Assess Future of East Africa

    WASHINGTON — In the aftermath of the tragic bombings in East Africa that took the lives of at least 250 people, analysts familiar with the region are assessing major issues confronting Kenya, Tanzania and neighboring countries. Among those available for comment: DENNIS BRUTUS Professor of Africana Studies and English at the University of Pittsburgh, Brutus said: “We sympathize with those who are suffering from these tragedies, but we should also sympathize with those suffering independent of these bombings. In Kenya, we should bear in mind the repression of the Daniel Arap Moi government, which has jailed members of the opposition…

  • Debate Breaks Out on Efforts to Pressure Burma About Human Rights

    WASHINGTON — In the largest such effort since the anti-apartheid movement of the 1980s, the state of Massachusetts and some 20 cities and localities are effectively refusing to buy from companies that do business in Burma, where a military junta seized power and human rights abuses persist. Now, salvos are being fired about the legitimacy of such measures by local governments. Today, hours after the Cato Institute put out a news release arguing that state and local selective-purchasing laws on Burma are unconstitutional, the think tank drew a barrage of criticism for confusing the issue rather than clarifying it. Among…

  • At the End of Sweltering Month, Denial on Global Warming

    WASHINGTON — Despite record temperatures and the prevalent view of the scientific community, some denial about global warming has not melted. In recent days, a troop of global-warming deniers journeyed to Capitol Hill. Patrick Michaels of the Cato Institute was among those who testified Wednesday disputing the scientific weight of evidence on climate change. A number of environmentalists and scientists are available for comment, including: KEVIN TRENBERTH Trenberth, who heads the Climate Analysis Section at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, said: “This is amazing in view of the heat wave going on in Texas and throughout the southern U.S.,…

  • Killing at School: Behind the Images

    WASHINGTON — In two weeks, the boys accused of the deadly shooting spree at their school in Jonesboro, Arkansas go on trial. Criminal justice and youth experts associated with the Institute for Public Accuracy say the trial — scheduled to get underway shortly before millions of students across the nation return to classes — should not be used to exploit the tragedy of school violence. The analysts warn against crafting policies and making statements that fuel fear at one of the safest institutions in America: schools. Among those available for comment are: VINCENT SCHIRALDI Schiraldi is director of the Justice…

  • Claims for Privatizing Social Security Called

    WASHINGTON — While a prominent think tank claimed Monday that privatizing Social Security would help American women, a past president of the American Economic Association called the conclusions “preposterous.” Robert Eisner said the plan would actually harm women and severely damage Social Security as a system of social insurance. The Cato Institute — whose major contributors include American Express, the Chase Manhattan Bank, Citicorp, Fidelity Investments and other private firms — asserted that women would be better off under a system of privately owned retirement accounts. But a number of specialists quickly disputed the claim and said that privatization would…

  • Backers of International Court Challenge Nay-Sayers

    WASHINGTON — As discussions on the International Criminal Court treaty were coming to a close in Rome today, backers of a strong Court criticized the U.S. delegation’s end-game approach at the historic meeting. Some Court advocates took particular exception to the common argument that the Court would open a legal Pandora’s box, saying that such allegations are a red herring. Among those available for comment are: PHYLLIS BENNIS A fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and author of “Calling the Shots: How Washington Dominates Today’s UN,” Bennis said: “The U.S. is essentially trying to create an international criminal court…

  • “Notable Hypocrisy” Cited as Prominent Think Tank Urges Funding Disclosure by Witnesses at Capitol

    WASHINGTON — A new report by one of the nation’s most influential think tanks, the Heritage Foundation, criticizes witnesses who testified on Capitol Hill without disclosing grants they had received from the U.S. government. But the report does not mention that the Heritage Foundation presented congressional testimony on American policies toward North Korea without acknowledging that Heritage itself had received $1 million funneled from the South Korean government. The Heritage report assesses compliance with a “Truth in Testimony” rule, adopted by Congress in January 1997, requiring that witnesses who appear before House committees disclose federal grants and contracts received during…

  • Alternatives to Federal Anti-Drug Policies

    WASHINGTON — With a $195 million federal anti-drug ad campaign now underway, some experts on drug policies and the law are questioning the effectiveness of the latest efforts to curb drug use. Among those available for comment are: DARRYL COLBERT Program Administrator for the Substance Abuse Network of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, Colbert said: “Before the federal government spends the money, they ought to ask people who are on the front lines how they should spend that kind of money. Suppose people see these ads and pick up the phone to call for some help. Where are…

  • What Should Be Done With the Budget Surplus?

    WASHINGTON — For the first time in decades, government officials and policy wonks in the nation’s capital are talking about what to do with a federal budget surplus. The Congressional Budget Office predicts a surplus of between $43 billion and $63 billion this year. While many in Washington are pushing for tax cuts, some policy analysts far from the centers of power are urging different approaches. Among those available for interviews are: ELLEN FRANK A member of the editorial board of Dollars and Sense magazine, Frank said: “The surplus should be returned to the public in the form of services…

  • While Clinton Offers Reassurances in Hong Kong, Some Critics Dispute His Economic Assumptions

    WASHINGTON — President Clinton hopes that his public statements in Hong Kong on Friday will help to soothe jitters about economic turmoil in Asia. But some policy analysts in the United States are raising fundamental questions about the recent upheaval that has roiled the economies of many Asian nations. Despite assurances from U.S. officials, critics are calling for a re-examination of assumptions about economic globalization. Among those available for comment are: KEVIN DANAHER Mr. Danaher, the editor of 50 Years Is Enough: The Case Against the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, contends that this year’s massive economic turbulence…

  • Media Outlets Miss the Point on “Pandemic Preparation”

    A new brand of opinion pieces focus too narrowly on U.S. biomedical capabilities, ignoring the structural and social drivers of pandemics, says public health practitioner Anne Sosin.

  • Insulin Advocates on the Insulin For All Act of 2023

    After pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly announced it would lower the price of insulin, another major manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, announced it would begin slashing some U.S. insulin list prices up to 75 percent next year.

  • Did the Reagan Campaign Defeat Carter by Colluding with Iran to Hold on to the Hostages?

    Decades after allegations initially surfaced of a secret mission by the Reagan campaign to derail Jimmy Carter’s 1980 re-election bid by sabotaging his efforts to free 52 American hostages being held in Iran, the New York Times is finally giving the story the attention it deserves with its report on Ben Barnes’ new claims.

  • Putin and ICC “Rank Hypocrisy” 20 Years After Iraq Invasion

    The ICC has not indicted even one American, even one Brit, even one Canadian, even one Australian, even one NATO leader, even one Israeli. This despite all the death and destruction that they have inflicted upon humanity all over the world for the past two decades.

  • Is the Fed Both Causing and Exploiting Crises?

    The present crisis reveals some of the big shortcomings in the 2008 bailout approach — starting with a failure to nationalize and prosecute fraudster bankers

  • “Blame the Fed”

    After some — laudable — patience as pandemic-induced inflation rose, Powell decided to raise rates to foam the runway for a soft landing. The truth is that the Fed has never engineered a soft landing.

  • Silicon Valley Wants A Bailout

    Americans for Financial Reform states: “The swift demise of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank and the actions taken by the federal regulators over the weekend underscore the folly of the partial rollback of the Dodd-Frank law in 2018

  • Collapse of SVB: Single Payer Healthcare — For the Financial System Only

    After 2008 the financial system was supposed to be fixed thanks to Dodd-Frank, stress tests, higher capital requirements, etc. Suddenly we wake up to discover that the collapse of a single bank mortally threatens the whole financial system and that authorities are reinstating single payer healthcare for the financial system (only).

  • China Brokers Normalization Between Iran and Saudi Arabia

    Saudi-Iran tensions have had many ups and downs in the past 40 years, but this is the first time they have agreed to lower the temperature through Chinese mediation. By not taking sides, China has emerged as a player that can resolve disputes rather than merely sell weapons.

  • “The Partisan Pandemic Cottage Industry”

    In a new piece for PESTE magazine, public-health researcher Abby Cartus critiques the mainstream narrative of pandemic response in the U.S., which contends that the reason the country’s pandemic response was so badly botched is the country’s deep partisan polarization. 

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