#22 US Transportation System “Fuels” Inequality
The federal government disburses four times as much money for roadways as for public transit, a long-standing imbalance that has deprived the nation’s poorest of basic mobility for decades, Basav……
#21 School-Issued Technology Poses Surveillance Risks for Students
To address inequities in technology access highlighted by the shift to remote learning since the onset of COVID-19, school districts across the United States have doubled the number of laptops……
#20 States Hoard Federal Assistance Funding Amidst Record Poverty Levels
Despite the national poverty rate making its largest upward jump in recorded history, Hannah Dreyfus reported for ProPublica that states had stockpiled $5.2 billion in undistributed funds from the federal……
#19 Poor Infrastructure, a Legacy of Discriminatory Redlining, Inhibits Rural Black Americans’ Internet Access
Severe lack of infrastructure contributes to a “digital divide” in many southern states that most impacts rural Black Americans, according to an October 2021 study produced by the Joint Center……
#18 The Human Mind as “New Domain of War”: NATO Plans for Cognitive Warfare
On October 5, 2021, the NATO Association of Canada (NAOC) sponsored a forum on what panelists described as the “weaponization of brain sciences” to exploit “vulnerabilities of the human brain”……
#17 Former Neo-Nazi Leader Now Holds DOJ Domestic Counterterrorism Position
In a November 2021 Progressive magazine article, reporter Helen Christophi revealed that Brian P. Haughton, a former member of multiple racist skinhead bands and a past leader in the neo-Nazi……
#16 Dark Money Fuels Transphobic Opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment and Equality Act
The Eagle Forum, Concerned Women for America (CWA), the Independent Women’s Forum (IWF), and other women’s groups leading the opposition to the Equal Rights Act (ERA) and the Equality Act……
#15 EARN IT Act Threatens Online Freedom of Expression Under Guise of Policing Child Pornography
Last introduced in 2020, the EARN IT Act (Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act) is back—and more threatening to online freedom of expression than before, according to……
#14 Repression of Palestinian Media
The May 11, 2022, murder of Palestinian reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, evidently by Israeli soldiers, while she was covering one of their routine raids on a West Bank refugee camp……
#13 “Smart Ocean” Technology Endangers Whales and Intensifies Climate Change
Joint military and industry efforts to develop new ocean technologies and infrastructure—which engineers and advocates call the “smart ocean”—will have lethal consequences for whales, significantly undermining their “indispensable role” in……
#12 Facebook’s Blacklist of “Dangerous Individuals and Organizations” Stifles Public Debate
Facebook’s policy on “Dangerous Individuals and Organizations” (DIO) has become “an unaccountable system that disproportionately punishes certain communities,” Sam Biddle reported for the Intercept in October 2021. The policy, he……
#11 Wealthy Nations Continue to Drive Climate Change with Devastating Impacts on Poorer Countries
In a November 2021 article for The Conversation, Sonja Klinsky outlined how and why poorer regions are disproportionately affected by climate change. Wealthier nations, such as the United States, Canada,……
#10 Major Media Outlets Lobby Against Regulation of “Surveillance Advertising”
The world’s most popular social media apps and platforms—Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok—collect users’ data and employ it to target them with tailored advertising. This sort of “surveillance advertising” has become……
#9 New Laws Preventing Dark Money Disclosures Sweep the Nation
Across the United States, Republican lawmakers are pushing legislation modeled after a policy authored by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) that makes it illegal to compel nonprofit organizations to……
#8 CIA Discussed Plans to Kidnap or Kill Julian Assange
In late 2017, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), then under the direction of Mike Pompeo, seriously considered plans to kidnap or assassinate WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, according to a September……
#7 Concerns for Journalistic Independence as Gates Foundation Gives $319 Million to News Outlets
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has donated more than $319 million to fund news outlets, journalism centers and training programs, press associations, and specific media campaigns, raising questions about……
#6 Corporate Consolidation Causing Record Inflation in Food Prices
Corporate consolidation is a main driver of record inflation in food prices, despite claims by media pundits and partisan commentators to the contrary. As the economy attempts to shake off……
#5 Dark Money Interference in US Politics Undermines Democracy
Conservative dark money organizations opposing President Biden’s Supreme Court nomination also helped fuel conspiracy theories of election fraud after the 2020 election, as Igor Derysh reported for Salon in March……
#4 At Least 128 Members of Congress Invested in Fossil Fuel Industry
A series of Sludge articles written by David Moore in November and December of 2021 reported that at least 100 US Representatives and twenty-eight US Senators have financial interests in……
#3 EPA Withheld Reports on Dangerous Chemicals
Since January 2019, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has received more than 1,200 legally required disclosures about chemicals that present a “substantial risk of injury to health or the environment.”……
#2 Wage Theft: US Businesses Suffer Few Consequences for Stealing Millions from Workers Every Year
Thousands of US companies illegally underpay workers yet are seldom punished for doing so, Alexia Fernández Campbell and Joe Yerardi reported for the Center for Public Integrity in May 2021.……
Iran’s Struggle against Mandated Religious Practices
Protests in Iran continue to highlight the struggle against mandated religious practices by Iran’s government. Cato’s Mustafa Akyol comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Iran’s Struggle against Mandated Religious Practices
Protests in Iran continue to highlight the struggle against mandated religious practices by Iran’s government. Cato’s Mustafa Akyol comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Thomas Paine, Bridge Builder
much like his radical political ideas, Paine shunned all conventions when it came to this field as well. This is because he favored using iron over all other materials. The…