As the Occupy movement fizzles out after coordinated evictions by police departments across the country, inquests will begin on what led to its demise. Was it the lack of specific demands? Or the absence of a leadership team? Perhaps the opponents are too powerful and stacked with too much wealth.

The Good News: Obama’s backbone is not a problem. The bad news: His politics, or ideology, is. Just the other day, the Republican House Speaker, in an unprecedented move, refused a request from the President of the United States to deliver a speech to Congress and the American people. The

Biologists have shown for the first time that serotonin, a chemical known to regulate sexual behaviors in both mice and men, determines whether male mice prefer to mount males or females. The study was ingenious and worth reading in its own right, but even more consequential is the moral dilemma

Here’s a horrific story about a Libyan woman who barged into a hotel where foreign journalists were having breakfast, to tell the tale of being kidnapped and gang-raped by government forces. Journalists who tried to prevent her from being forcibly taken away by government “minders” were assaulted. Let the record

Explosions, fires, exposed fuel rods. We are almost impotent watching crisis after crisis unfold at Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. The picture coming out is one of a loosening grip on the disaster. At the time of this writing, there are reports that spent fuel rods at the No.

The Wisconsin State Senate has authorized the arrest of the Wisconsin 14, who are self-exiled from their home state to prevent the destruction of labor unions in the state and across the country. Whatever one thinks of unions or these legislators, the right to withhold participation in government is a

The Ohio state senate has voted to ban strikes by public workers and establish penalties for those who do participate in walkouts. Unionized workers can negotiate wages, hours, and certain work conditions, but not health care, sick time, or pension benefits. The bill passed despite the opposition of six Republicans.

Scott Walker made clear during the fake Koch phone call his plan to destroy labor unions: drag out the stand-off, tire out the media attention, and be the last one standing. While unions and progressive groups have wakened to the gravity of the situation, they have been unable to gain

Libya The lack of any discussions on invading Libya, as conservatives/militarists were wont to do in the Bush years, shows what an abject failure the Iraq War has been. Several factors would seem to make this an ideal target for nation-building: A government that clearly lacks popular support and is

Brave New Foundation reports that Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, a top subordinate to Gen. Petraeus in Afghanistan, sought to unleash psychological operations against U.S. senators and congresspeople visiting Afghanistan. The aim was to secure more funds and troops for the war. “He and his staff reportedly sought psy-ops experts’ help