Truthout - All Articles

Venezuela Blows Up Two Bridges Along Colombia Border

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:17:20 -0500

Venezuelan forces destroyed two pedestrian bridges that spanned the border with Colombia, further heightening tensions between the two countries that have been at odds since Colombia agreed to allow the US military to expand its presence on Colombian bases.

Robert Reich | Harry Reid, and What Happened to the Public Option

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:38:05 -0500

First there was Medicare for all 300 million of us. But that was a non-starter because private insurers and Big Pharma wouldn't hear of it, and Republicans and "centrists" thought it was too much like what they have up in Canada -- which, by the way, cost Canadians only 10 percent of their GDP and covers every Canadian. (Our current system of private for-profit insurers costs 16 percent of GDP and leaves out 45 million people.)

Protests Don't Stop UC Regents' 32 Percent Fee Hike

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:24:03 -0500

Surrounded by campus police dressed in protective riot gear and armed with beanbag guns, hundreds of student protesters at UCLA today chanted "Shame on You, Shame on You" toward the building where the UC Regents had just voted to raise tuition and fees by $2,500 over the next year.

Murder at Guantanamo?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:46:05 -0500

With recent news reports centering on Attorney General Eric Holder's announcement that some Guantanamo detainees would be prosecuted in federal court and revamped, albeit flawed military commissions, important stories from previous months related to the prison facility continue to sink ever deeper into the swamp of our collective amnesia.

Vietnam Vet Stages Hunger Strike in Front of White House to Raise Awareness About PTSD

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:08:39 -0500

Since Veterans Day, Thomas E. Mahany, a 62-year-old Vietnam War veteran, has been on a hunger strike in front of the White House to raise awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder and protest the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A Growing Climate Change Movement Emerges

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:06:18 -0500

Hundreds of climate activists swarmed down a hill toward Britain’s largest coal-burning power plant Oct. 17 with the intention of shutting it down. Within minutes, dozens had broken through the perimeter fence, erected specifically for this protest, and entered the site, known as Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station. But 650 police officers rapidly secured the breach and over the next six hours battled about 300 activists determined to topple other sections of the fence.

Who's Afraid of World Government?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:57:55 -0500

A few weeks ago, Glenn Beck of the Fox News Channel, with that hysterical flourish that has made him the darling of right-wing extremists, proclaimed: "America, if . . . you're not really into that whole One World Government thing, watch out." This kind of warning, regularly issued on Fox News, seems rather absurd today, given the obvious weakness of the United Nations and the failure of mainstream political figures to even suggest that this international organization might be strengthened to provide more effective world governance.

Eugene Robinson | Battlefield in the War of Ideas

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:53:52 -0500

Washington - Critics of Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to bring the self-proclaimed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks and four other accused terrorists to New York for trial can't seriously believe the city will have trouble handling the expected "Trial of the Century" hoopla. The critics can't really think a judge is going to give Khalid Sheik Mohammed an open microphone to spew his jihadist views, or fear that a jury -- sitting just blocks from Ground Zero -- will look for reasons to let an accused mass murderer off on some technicality.

Economic Crisis Is Getting Bloody - Violent Deaths Are Now Following Evictions, Foreclosures and Job Losses

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:04:03 -0500

Despite ever rosier economic predictions and a surging stock market, the body count from the economic crisis is destined only to grow in the weeks and months ahead.

Hoping for Cloture: Senate Liberals Drop Reconciliation Weapon In Fight for Health Reform

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:19:53 -0500

What happens if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid can't get the votes he needs from conservaDems and Joe Lieberman to shut down a filibuster before a final vote on health care reform?