Grijalva Rails Against Contracts Permitted In His Own Prison Reform Bill
Progressive Arizona congressman Raúl Grijalva expressed dismay that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) signed an $11 million contract with GEO Care because its parent company, GEO Group, profits off detaining women and children in horrific conditions. Yet, remarkably, Grijalva is the sponsor of a bill, which contains specific exemptions allowing companies
Abu Ghraib Torture Survivors Appeal Dismissal of Lawsuit Against CACI Interrogators
Iraqis tortured and abused at the Abu Ghraib prison appealed the dismissal of their claims against contractors from CACI International, Inc. Over the past seven years, the civil tort case has wound its way through federal courts, as it has been amended, appealed, dismissed and then re-instated. Most recently, on June
Former CIA Agent John Kiriakou Takes Us Inside The Saudi Terror Factory
Originally published at Mint Press News. CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou returns to join Mnar Muhawesh on “Behind the Headline,” going into greater depth on Saudi Arabia’s role in manufacturing terrorism by re-writing the entire religious history of Islam and engineering hadeeth to serve its own political & oil interests. The effects
Exxon Can’t Explain Shift From Climate Science To Climate Denial Funding
In an unusually intense interview featured on the National Public Radio (NPR) program On the Media, ExxonMobil spokesman and former journalist Richard Keil repeatedly failed to offer a reasonable explanation in response to charges that the energy giant shifted funding in the 1980s away from climate scientists and towards climate
The Heavy Price Families And Communities Pay For Incarceration
A new report details how families pay a high price for the incarceration of a relative—a price “felt most deeply by women, low-income families and communities of color.” It examines the various ways families and former prisoners “pay” for their incarceration, even after they are released. The report, “Who Pays? The True Cost Of
Rumors Persist That The CIA Helps Export Opium From Afghanistan
Despite billions spent to eradicate opium crops in Afghanistan, the crop is more popular than ever there, leading many to wonder whether some U.S. forces may actually be encouraging its growth and the heroin it later becomes.
Buried Alive: Solitary Confinement In U.S. Prisons (VIDEO)
American Friends Service Network: At any given time, there are more than 80,000 people in solitary confinement in prisons across the United States—locked up in closed cells for at least 23 hours every day and deprived of human contact for months, years, even decades.
Inspector General Urged To Investigate Justice Department For Ignoring CIA Torture
Amnesty International USA urged the inspector general for the Justice Department to investigate why the department has failed to examine human rights violations documented in the Senate report on CIA torture. In a letter dated September 21, AIUSA alleges the Justice Department failed to review evidence regarding the department’s role in human rights violations, which were committed by the CIA.
New York City Council Adopts Eight Bills For Transparency, Oversight Of Jails
Last week, the New York City Council sent eight bills to Mayor Bill DeBlasio’s desk aimed at bringing greater transparency to the city’s jails. The wave of legislation was introduced this past spring and its passage marks the latest efforts by the city to reign in the brutal culture of violence and impunity that has reigned inside its jails for years.
Volkswagen Emission Scandal May Lead To Industry-Wide Probe
German automaker Volkswagen has now admitted to installing software in its vehicles to cheat US pollution admission tests and has claimed that 11 million of its cars worldwide contain the software. The company announced it would set aside $7.3 billion to pay the costs of fixing the cars so they can actually pass an emissions test.