A Nation of Snitches – Chris Hedges

A totalitarian state is only as strong as its informants. And the United States has a lot of them. They read our emails. They listen to, download and store our phone calls. They photograph us on street corners, on subway platforms, in stores, on highways and in public and private buildings. They track us through our electronic devices. They infiltrate …

Unexplained Explosion Shakes Nuclear Power Plant North of New York City – Sarah Lazare

In what witnesses described as a huge explosion, a transformer at the Indian Point nuclear power plant just north of New York City caught on fire Saturday, billowing smoke and prompting the operator to shut down the impacted unit. Onlookers documented the explosion on Twitter: pic.twitter.com/pABGZZN50F — Gustavus Gricius (@GustavusHimself) May 9, 2015 At a wedding at #monteverde at old stone and just …

1 in 4 US Renters Must Use Half Their Pay for Housing Costs – JOSH BOAK

More than one in four U.S. renters have to use at least half their family income to pay for housing and utilities. That’s the finding of an analysis of Census data by Enterprise Community Partners, a nonprofit that helps finance affordable housing. The number of such households has jumped 26 percent to 11.25 million since 2007. Since the end of …

Anger as Hurricane Sandy victims have to pay back emergency aid with interest – David Millward

Thousands of families whose homes were destroyed by Hurricane Sandyare being ordered to repay some of the compensation they received from the government. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is not only demanding interest on what it says were overpayments, but Washington is ready to call in debt collectors to recoup the cash. That is not the only blow faced by …

In Historic Ruling, Pair of Chimpanzees Recognized as ‘Legal Persons’ – Nadia Prupis

For the first time in U.S. history, a judge has effectively recognized two chimpanzees as legal persons, in an order Monday which will allow a pair of research primates—Hercules and Leo—to seek relief from unlawful imprisonment. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Barbara Jaffe on Monday granted the chimps a writ of habeas corpusthat will require Stony Brook University, where they are being kept …

Newly Leaked TTIP Draft Reveals Far-Reaching Assault on US/EU Democracy – Sarah Lazare

A freshly-leaked chapter from the highly secretive Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement, currently under negotiation between the United States and European Union, reveals that the so-called “free trade” deal poses an even greater threat to environmental and human rights protections—and democracy itself—than previously known, civil society organizations warn. The revelation comes on the heels of global protests against the mammoth …

How much student testing is too much? – RENEE SCHOOF

If it’s springtime, it must be standardized testing time in schools across the country. It’s also when the debate over whether students are inundated with too many tests becomes hot. Experts say testing is up. Parents who want their children to skip the tests say their ranks are growing. Lawmakers say they’re hearing a loud message about too much unnecessary …

How Corporate America Invented Christian America – KEVIN M. KRUSE

In December 1940, as America was emerging from the Great Depression, more than 5,000 industrialists from across the nation made their yearly pilgrimage to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, convening for the annual meeting of the National Association of Manufacturers. The program promised an impressive slate of speakers: titans at General Motors, General Electric, Standard Oil, Mutual Life, …

Ukrainian Government Condemns Russia’s Celebration of Victory Against Nazis

The Ukrainian Government said on April 7th that any country sending representatives to Russia’s celebration of the 70th anniversary of their victory against Adolf Hitler, will be blacklisted by Ukraine. That celebration will take place on May 9th. According to the Russian news report, “Over the weekend, Kremlin Chief of Staff Sergei Ivanov noted that the leaders of at least 25 states …

States Fail to Properly Manage Fracking Waste, Says Groundbreaking Report

It might seem illogical, but in 1988 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) put a loophole in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) which regulates hazardous and solid waste, exempting the waste from oil and gas exploration, development and production (E &P) from oversight. While it conceded that such wastes might indeed be hazardous, it said that state regulations were …