US Politics
Obama caves in to Catholic Church, religious right on contraceptives
By Kate Randall, February 11, 2012
President Obama on Friday caved in to pressure from the Catholic Church and the religious right, announcing that religiously affiliated employers would not be required to provide access to birth control as part of medical coverage for their women employees.
Democrats propose cut in extended unemployment benefits
By Patrick Martin, February 11, 2012
The plan is the beginning of a bargaining process in Congress that will cut benefits for the long-term unemployed.
Obama administration brokers pro-bank mortgage fraud settlement
By Joseph Kishore, February 10, 2012
The terms of the agreement announced Thursday are entirely favorable to the banks, while doing little or nothing to aid the millions of people who have been devastated by the collapse of the US housing market.
Corporate money dominates US primary contests
By Patrick Martin, February 9, 2012
There are two basic hallmarks of the 2012 campaign: low turnout, reflecting deep popular alienation from both big business parties; and the decisive role of a handful of billionaires.
The American “left” and Obama’s State of the Union address
By Janel Flechsig, February 7, 2012
The response of representatives of left-liberal and pseudo-socialist circles to Barack Obama’s January 24 State of the Union address confirms their role as adjuncts of the Democratic Party and supporters of Obama’s reelection campaign.
Romney wins Nevada Republican caucuses on low turnout
By Patrick Martin, February 6, 2012
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney won the Nevada Republican caucuses February 4 with 48 percent of the vote, compared to 23 percent for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
The Susan G. Komen Foundation debacle and the US establishment
By Kate Randall, February 4, 2012
The announcement this week by the Susan G. Komen Foundation that it would cut off funding to Planned Parenthood unleashed a popular backlash.
Super PAC reports reveal the narrow base of US politics
By Patrick Martin, February 3, 2012
Reports filed with the Federal Election Commission identify the relative handful of people who finance the Democratic and Republican candidates in the US presidential election.
Obama backs hydrofracking in State of the Union speech
By Philip Guelpa, February 2, 2012
In an attempt to curry favor with the energy industry in advance of the presidential election, President Obama used his State of the Union address to declare his backing for hydrofracking.
Romney wins Florida Republican primary
By Patrick Martin, February 1, 2012
The multimillionaire former governor of Massachusetts won with an all-out advertising blitz while voter participation in the primary declined.
Obama administration prosecutes CIA whistleblower for exposing torture
By Alan Gilman, January 31, 2012
In a criminal complaint filed January 23, the Obama administration’s Justice Department charged John Kiriakou, a former Central Intelligence Agency operative, with disclosing classified information to journalists about the waterboarding of Abu Zubayda.
The trade unions and Obama’s State of the Union speech
By Barry Grey, January 28, 2012
The American trade union leadership can be counted on to resort to demagogy and lies in pursuit of its narrow self-interest. In its response to Tuesday’s State of the Union address, the union brass did not disappoint.
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