AlterNet.org: Coverage Areas

Bill Moyers: The Ghost of Joe McCarthy in Today's Republican Party

Bill Moyers, Michael Winship, BillMoyers.com — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PDT

Tea Party favorite Allen West was asked at a local gathering how many of his fellow members of Congress are â€œcard-carrying Marxists or International Socialists.â€

Tucker Carlson's Pathetic Descent into the Gutter of Hackdom

Alex Pareene, Salon — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:00:01 PDT

Once a promising young magazine writer, the bow-tied Daily Caller pundit has come to epitomize the worst about right-wing media.

Why Is Mitt Romney So Incredibly Weird?

Alex Pareene, Salon — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PDT

Everything you need to know about Willard Mitt Romney. An excerpt from Salon's new e-book, "The Rude Guide to Mitt"

Right-Wing ALEC in Damage Control, While Activists Launch Campaign to Expose 'ALEC Democrats'

Lauren Kelley, AlterNet — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:00:01 PDT

ALEC has made some concessions, but activists are keeping the pressure on, expanding their focus beyond corporations to target elected officials who align themselves with ALEC.

99% Spring Training Is Mixed Bag, But Has Potential for Inspiring New Activists

Jake Blumgart, AlterNet — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 22:00:01 PDT

The campaign has plenty to offer (reaching older activists, for instance) if individual organizers are passionate enough and take advantage of participants' enthusiasm.

The Awful Race Disparities That Still Haunt Us

Sam Fulwood III, Center for American Progress — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 22:00:01 PDT

Even though a black family lives in the White House, hardly anyone seriously argues that we live in a postracial society.

5 Supreme Court Decisions Pandering to Christianity

Rob Boston, AlterNet — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:01 PDT

In these five cases, the Supreme Court dropped the ball on separation of church and state.

Apocalypse Soon: Why Are Christians So Obsessed With the End Times?

Adam Lee, AlterNet — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:00:01 PDT

How can Americans make major life decisions on the basis of faith that the world will end in the very near future?

Why Support a Religion That Shames You? Pro-Choice Religious Group Offers Alternative

Carole Joffe, RH Reality Check — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:00:01 PDT

Religious faith should give us strength and confidence, not guilt and shame.

Americans Are Protesting, But What Keeps Full-Scale Riots From Breaking Out?

Jake Blumgart, AlterNet — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:00:01 PST

Michael Katz's new book traces the lack of urban unrest to America's complex web of freedoms and repression.

Robert Greenwald and Reporter Michael Hastings Take on the Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America's War Machine

Robert Greenwald, AlterNet — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:00:01 PST

Hastings, in his hard-hitting new book, discusses "politically correct imperialism," why the military is obsessed with its legacy, and why we're stuck in post-9/11 thinking.

Shocker: Is Our World Becoming Less Violent?

Joshua Holland, AlterNet — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:00:01 PST

Many believe the 20th century represents the pinnacle of human violence, but psychologist Steven Pinker argues that the opposite is true.

Woman in Jail for Shooting at Abusive Husband: Why Didn't Stand Your Ground Laws Apply to Her?

Maurice Garland, The Loop 21 — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:00:01 PDT

There are major inconsistencies in applications of "Stand Your Ground" laws.

Tracked, Detained at Gunpoint? 3 Americans Assaulted By Our Surveillance State

Amy Goodman, AlterNet — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:00:01 PDT

A career government intelligence official, a filmmaker and a hacker have all been targeted by the state, despite not having been charged with a crime.

Facebook and Google Turned Into Government Spies? The Dangerous New Law Before Congress (CISPA)

Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:00:01 PDT

A private company doing the governmentâ€™s work does not face the same privacy restrictions.

How "Real America" Was Utterly Screwed by Political and Economic Elites

Alex Pareene, Salon — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:00:01 PDT

The crumbling of once-great institutions isn't to blame for middle-class decline and anger.

5 Things Corporations Are Trying to Hide From You

David Sirota, Salon — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 11:00:01 PDT

These are but a few of many examples of a larger corporate opposition to basic disclosure.

Surprise! White-Minority Income Gap Continues to Widen

Daniela Perdomo, AlterNet — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:52:01 PST

What do you call a society that in a period of crisis leaves its weakest to fend for themselves, while rushing to the aid of its most powerful? The United States.

The Hunger Games' Subtly Racist ClichÃ©

Bijan C. Bayne, AlterNet — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:00:01 PDT

Why is Hollywood still reducing black actors to spiritual servitude?

10 Interesting Things the World Learned This Week

Liz Langley, AlterNet — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PDT

Cool discoveries about music, Leonardo da Vinci and America's wolf population.

7 Most Absurdly Schmaltzy Historical Movies

Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, AlterNet — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 15:00:01 PDT

Sometimes filmic seriousness gets so intense it becomes hilarious.

How America Lost Its Collective Mind in the Drug War

Cliff Schecter, AlterNet — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:00:01 PDT

By any measure; economically, morally, democratically, we are the worse for pot prohibition.

Sending the Sick Into the Streets? How Drug Tests Will Lock Homeless New Yorkers With HIV/AIDS Out of Shelters

Jaron Benjamin, Mike Selick, AlterNet — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:00:01 PDT

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's new policy will require drug screening for homeless people living with HIV/AIDS applying for shelter.

#OpCannabis: Anonymous Hackers Take Up Marijuana Activism

Stephen C. Webster, Raw Story — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 15:00:01 PDT

Hacktivist Anonymous began the "OpCannabis" to throw the collective's weight behind drug reform.

6 Burning Questions on the Wal-Mart Corruption Scandal

Marcia L. Narine, AlterNet — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 06:00:01 PDT

A law professor and compliance consultant examines the scandal as a wake-up call for corruption and corporate culture.

Tavis Smiley and Cornel West: The Rich and the Rest of Us -- a Poverty Manifesto

Amy Goodman, Democracy Now! — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:00:01 PDT

Poverty is no longer black and brown - it is multicultural and multiracial - and is engulfing millions of us.

Wall Street-Inflated Student Debt Bubble Hits $1 Trillion; Debtors Rally for Relief

Sarah Jaffe, AlterNet — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:00:01 PDT

The collective weight of American student debt is a drag not just on those paying the debt, but on our entire economy.

Calling All Innovators

Tony Wagner, AlterNet — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 06:00:01 PDT

The five essential practices schools must adopt to build the innovators our future demands.

Will a New CEO Offer a Change of Course at For-Profit Colleges? (Hint: Not Likely)

David Halperin, Republic Report — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:00:01 PDT

Former Republican Congressman Steve Gunderson has taken the helm of the largest for-profit college association in the US. Will accountability rise on his watch?

Chomsky: How the Young Are Indoctrinated to Obey

Noam Chomsky, AlterNet — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 10:00:01 PDT

Forty years ago there was deep concern that the population was breaking free of apathy and obedience. Since then, many measures have been taken to restore discipline.

After a Generation of Extremism, Phyllis Schlafly Still a Leading General in the War on Women

Adele M. Stan, AlterNet — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 23:00:01 PDT

At 87, Schlafly is still on the warpath, gracing any podium that will have her with a font of barbed quips, bad facts and bitter resentment.

The Corporate Media's Outrageous Double Standard on Romney and Ted Nugent

Adele M. Stan, AlterNet — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:00:01 PDT

Mitt Romney's campaign welcomed the endorsement of a washed-up rock-n-roller who said President Obama could "suck on my machine gun." Where's the outrage?

Did Religious Right Leaders Spike Santorum's Campaign?

Adele M. Stan, AlterNet — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 18:00:01 PDT

Romney and Santorum huddled with religious-right leaders over Easter week. Did those meetings determine Santorum's fate?

10 Amazing Discoveries You Missed This Week

Liz Langley, AlterNet — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PDT

From medical devices straight out of Star Wars to birds that give Martha Stewart a run for her money, here are 10 fascinating new discoveries.

Billions in Fines Don't Matter -- Here's How BP Should Be Punished for the Gulf Disaster

Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:00:01 PDT

What is missing is a criminal prosecution that holds responsible the individuals who gambled with the lives of BP's contractors and the ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico.

10 Amazing Discoveries You Missed This Week

Liz Langley, AlterNet — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:00:01 PDT

Here's what researchers revealed this week: blood tests for depression, how to escape a ticket, the science behind Tupac's reappearance, crazy new species and more.

KFC Ordered to Pay $8.3 Million to Australian Girl Paralyzed After Eating a Twister Wrap

AFP — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:00:01 PDT

Monika Samaan was seven when she suffered salmonella encephalopathy -- a brain injury linked to food poisoning that also left her with a blood infection and septic shock.

Gulf Coast Waters Closed to Shrimping

Joieau, Daily Kos — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:00:01 PDT

State officials in Alabama have taken action, and other states need to take action to keep dangerous seafood from the Gulf off the dinner tables of Americans.

Occupy v. Whole Foods? Activists Take Over Land Slated for Development and Start a Farm

Jeff Conant, AlterNet — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 04:00:01 PDT

The Gill Tract is prime agricultural soil that activists hope can feed hundreds. But the UC Berkeley-owned land may be sold to Whole Foods.

Independent Test Results Show Fracking Flowback Emissions Are Dangerous Toxic Chemicals

Earthworks — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 07:00:01 PDT

A Texas town is ignoring its own test results to allow fracking to continue in violation of city ordinances and to the endangerment of local residents.

ALEC and ExxonMobil Push Loopholes in Fracking Chemical Disclosure Rules

Cora Currier, ProPublica — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 07:00:01 PDT

In many states, the chemical make-up of fluid pumped into the ground while fracking is shielded from the public, thanks to laws promoted by ALEC and Exxon Mobil.

EPA's First Fracking Rules Seen as Limited and Delayed

Lena Groeger, ProPublica — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:00:01 PDT

"It sets a floor for what the industry needs to do," said attorney Erik Schlenker-Goodrich of the Western Environmental Law Center. "The reality is we can do far better."

10 Wildly Depressing Facts About the Gender Wage Gap

Sarah Jane Glynn, Audrey Powers, Center for American Progress — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:00:01 PDT

If progress continues at its current rate, it will take 45 years to eradicate the wage gap.

Mitt Romney's Plan to Woo Female Voters: Pretend Women Are Very Stupid

Amanda Marcotte, AlterNet — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 07:00:01 PDT

Romney seems to assume that women don't care about sexual rights. But reproductive issues impact almost all women.

No Women Allowed? It's Way Past Time to Desegregate Augusta

Ellen Snortland, Ms. Blog — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 08:00:01 PDT

Golf is not just an innocent little game: We're talking billions of dollars and a social network that reaches into the highest levels of government, military and capitalism.

Supreme Court Asks Hard Questions at Oral Arguments Over Arizona's Extreme Immigration Law

Ben Winograd, Immigration Impact — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:00:01 PDT

The justices signalled that this may not be the end of the fight over SB 1070.

Coming Soon: a Huge Wave of Second-Generation Immigrant Voters

Rob Paral, Immigration Impact — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:00:01 PDT

These voters will be keenly aware of policies and rhetoric around immigration as it impacts their families directly.

Living In A Mixed-Status Home: "I Am the Only Undocumented Person in my Family"

Nancy Meza, Huffington Post — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 13:00:01 PDT

Undocumented immigrants do not live in isolation; we are integral members of of our communities

Thanks to Citizens United, Multinational Mega Lobbyist Firm Salivates Over $4 Billion in Campaign Cash

Lee Fang, AlterNet — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:00:01 PST

The WPP Group is perhaps the most important lobbying corporation you've never heard of.

How Pay-Pal Squeezes Merchants with Unfair and Likely Illegal Business Practices

Simon Waxman, AlterNet — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 23:00:01 PST

A class-action suit charges Pay-Pal with some shady practices that leave small businesses in a jam.

How Bank of America Covered Up Fraud by Silencing Whistleblowers

Michael Hudson, IWatch News — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:00:01 PDT

Countrywide made life hard for an internal investigator, and a court ruled that when BofA took over, she was illegally fired in retaliation.

Labor and Environmentalists Must Work Together to Build a Real Green Jobs Agenda

Jane McAlevey, The Nation — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 04:00:01 PDT

To move past the divisive politics of the Keystone battle, we must build a movement that puts both economic justice and climate action at the center of its demands.

50 Percent Pay Cuts at GE's Plants: Is This the Future of American Jobs?

Mischa Gaus, Labor Notes — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 04:00:01 PDT

The company President Obama called a "model for America" is squeezing its workers, cutting pensions, wages and benefits--but workers are organizing to fight back.

15 Cities Rally for National Day of Protest on Public Transit

Darlene Lombos, Labor Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 14:00:01 PDT

Marking the anniversary of Martin Luther Kingâ€™s assassination, the Amalgamated Transit Union joined with Occupy in 15 cities to protest fare hikes and cuts to public transit.

What Law Enforcement Missed: New Book Explains Why We Need to Revisit the Oklahoma City Bombing

Laura Miller, Salon — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:01 PDT

The investigation failed to discover the truth because of sloppiness, self-serving intra-office politics, idiotic and obstructive turf wars among law enforcement agencies.

10 of Thomas Friedman's Dumbest "Big Ideas"

BelÃ©n FernÃ¡ndez, AlterNet — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PDT

You know the world is flat -- and hot and crowded -- but that's just the tip of Friedman's iceberg of hackery.

Moyers: Media Giants Fight Proposal That Could Shed Light on Who's Buying Our Elections

Bill Moyers, Michael Winship, BillMoyers.com — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:00:01 PDT

The new rule would require the ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox affiliates in the top 50 markets to make their files on political advertising available on line immediately.

The Racism-Conservatism Link: 'National Review' Firestorm Over Racism Calls Up William F. Buckley's Troubling Legacy

William Hogeland, AlterNet — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:01 PDT

Did Buckley ever really renounce his defense of white supremacy in the South?

The Soul of the Christian South: Fundamentalist and Progressive Churches Square Off in Gay Marriage Debate

Lynn Parramore, AlterNet — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:00:01 PDT

N.C. is the only state left in the Southeast without a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. What voters decide on May 8 will send a strong signal throughout the nation.

How Long Can Romney Keep Quiet About His Mormonism While He Panders to Evangelicals?

Sarah Posner, Salon — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PDT

Mitt Romney has been wooing evangelical voters for months. Will he now connect these issues to his own faith?

Wells Fargo, Terrified to Face Victims of Its Foreclosure Fraud and Predatory Lending, Locks Shareholders Out of Annual Meeting

Joshua Holland, AlterNet — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:00:01 PDT

The move to lock out shareholders was unprecedented, according to organizers.

Noam Chomsky on America's Declining Empire, Occupy and the Arab Spring

Joshua Holland, AlterNet — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:01 PDT

According to Chomsky, America's declining power is self-inflicted.

10 Ways Our Democracy Is Crumbling Around Us

Les Leopold, AlterNet — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:00:01 PDT

The financial rot is deeply impacting our democratic structures.

KBR Calls Former Employee Jamie Leigh Jones, Who Was Gang Raped By Co-Workers, A Liar

Stephanie Mencimer, MotherJones.com — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:00:01 PST

The notorious war contractor has fought Jones ever since she went public with her story, no matter how callous it makes the company look.

California Councilman: "I'm a Proud Racist"

Andrea Nill, ThinkProgress — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:30:01 PST

Santa Clarita councilman Bob Kellar made the remark at an anti-immigration rally, but insists he did not mean to "express animosity towards non-whites."

Health Insurers Spent $38 Million Lobbying Congress in 2009

Zaid Jilani, ThinkProgress — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 10:45:01 PST

These are the same companies that fought hard against the public option.

6 Kinds of Pills Big Pharma Tries to Get You Hooked on for Life

Martha Rosenberg, AlterNet — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PDT

Since direct-to-consumer drug advertising debuted in the late 1990s, the number of people on prescription drugs for life has ballooned.

How Psychiatric Drugs Made America Mad

Gary G. Kohls, Consortium News — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 23:00:01 PDT

Many casually prescribed drugs are fully capable of disabling â€“ often permanently â€“ bodies, brains and spirits.

How Psychiatry Stigmatizes Depression Sufferers

Bruce E. Levine, AlterNet — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:00:01 PDT

Viewing depression as a "brain defect" has resulted in the glorification of insipid happiness, particularly among our politicians.

"Whores' Glory": A Riveting Look at Sex Work in 3 Countries

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PDT

A daring, novelistic and unforgettable account of the real lives of female prostitutes in three very different countries and social contexts.

Sex in Exchange for Gifts and Cash? What It's Like to Sleep With Wealthy Older Men for Financial Support

Clarisse Thorn, Role Reboot — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:00:01 PDT

A 25 year old woman's experience on a "Sugar Daddy" site raises a host of class, race, and gender issues.

Sex Escape: Why Do Men Go to Dominatrixes?

Tracy Clark-Flory, Salon — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:00:01 PDT

Talking to pro-dommes about why some men find escape in submission.

America Has Woken Up to the Reality: Inequality Matters

Bill Moyers, Michael Winship, BillMoyers.com — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:00:01 PST

While police have cleared many Occupy encampments, a collective cry, loud and clear, has gone up from countless voices across the country: Enough's enough.

How Can You Have a Tea Party If You Won't Share the Pie?

Kerry Trueman, AlterNet — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:00:01 PDT

"You know what's really dragging our country down? The Tea Party's selfish, misanthropic mindset."

Thousands Rally in New York for Showdown with Wall St.

Alexander Zaitchik, AlterNet — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 00:00:01 PDT

Over 10,000 protesters gathered in New York's financial district to demand financial reform.

Watch General Petraeus Try to Move the Goalposts on the Afghanistan War

Derrick Crowe — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:40:01 PST

In West Point speech, President Obama was crystal clear: American troops would begin to withdraw from Afghanistan in July 2011. General Petraeus is trying to move the goalposts.

Cute Puppies Against Gitmo

Staff, Agit-Pop — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:55:01 PST

Obama promised to close Gitmo one year ago, and not much has changed. The puppies are disappointed.

Afghan Government Corruption Thrives While the People Starve

Derrick Crowe — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:46:01 PST

In the shadow of the Afghanistan war, corrupt officials live in opulent homes while poor people sell their children for food.

Doomed To Repeat It: Is Tennessee's New "Monkey Law" Just Scopes All Over Again?

Glenn Branch, National Council of Science Educators — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:00:01 PDT

The Volunteer State has set itself up for a replay of its 1926 Scopes Monkey Trial humiliation. And the ACLU attorney who won Kitzmiller v. Dover can't wait.

The World's Insurers Brace For Climate Change -- Except In America

Ben Schiller, Yale Environment 360 — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:00:01 PDT

Climate change is increasing insurance costs all over the world. But a recent Ceres report finds that American firms are still in denial.

Nature Is Not A Commodity: The Path to Rio+20

David Korten — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 08:00:01 PDT

David Korten: Indigenous wisdom reveals a path to the future that does not include a buy-out of the earthâ€™s natural systems.

Help for a Plastic Planet: New Report Focuses on Solutions to Global Plastic Pollution

Lisa Kaas Boyle, AlterNet — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:00:01 PDT

The report offers real solutions, in addition to an excellent scientific accounting of the threats posed by plastic pollution to the environment, wildlife, humans and economies.

One Family's Unconventional Solution to Save Water

Margaret Morganroth Gullette, AlterNet — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PDT

Self-composting toilets make a lot of sense when water is already a cause of national uprisings and covert wars.

The Global Pressures of Population and Access to Clean Water

John Donnelly, Global Post — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:00:01 PDT

As the world climbs toward a population of 9 billion, how can we support all those people?

The Globalization of Hollow Politics

Chris Hedges, Truthdig — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 12:00:01 PDT

The emptying of content in political discourse in an age as precarious and volatile as ours will have very dangerous consequences.

Drone War Escalation in Yemen Could Bring Blowback to the US

Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:00:01 PDT

Critics of the Obama administration's decision to escalate drone strikes in Yemen say it could wind up strengthening Al Qaeda in the country and poison Yemeni opinion of the US.

How a Rising Block of Countries Will Challenge America

Pepe Escobar, TomDispatch.com — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:00:01 PDT

There's a rising new bloc on the planet: BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa). What does that mean for America?