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UCLA Launches First Face Transplantation Program in Western U.S.
Published May 25, 2012 - 10:11:34 AM
The UCLA Health System has launched the UCLA Face Transplantation Program, the first surgical program of its kind in the western United States and one of only a handful in the nation.
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Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell Supports Marriage Equality
Published May 24, 2012 - 9:51:32 AM
Former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell supports marriage equality. Powell made the remarks in an interview taped for CNN's The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. In talking with Blitzer, Powell cited his LGBT friends and their committed relationships as a driving force in his support.
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Heat-Related U.S. Deaths Projected to Rise 150,000 by Century's End Due to Climate Change
Published May 24, 2012 - 9:47:35 AM
More than 150,000 additional Americans could die by the end of this century due to excessive heat caused by climate change, according to a detailed analysis of peer-reviewed scientific data by the Natural Resources Defense Council.
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Secret Documents Highlight Nuclear's Risk
Published May 24, 2012 - 9:28:03 AM
Late last week Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) successfully negotiated the release of hundreds of pages of secret nuclear loan guarantee documents to settle Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation spanning nearly two years. These documents reveal that one of the nation's largest utilities, Southern Company, was aggressively pursuing controversial federal nuclear loan guarantees at significantly below market rates.
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Half of Americans with individual health plans could gain better coverage under the ACA
Published May 24, 2012 - 8:29:46 AM
More than half of Americans with individual market health insurance coverage in 2010 were enrolled in so-called "tin" plans, which provide less coverage than the lowest "bronze"-level plans in the Affordable Care Act, and therefore would not be able to be offered in the health insurance exchanges that are being created under the law, according to a Commonwealth Fund–supported study published today as a Web First in the journal Health Affairs. The analysis suggests that once the state-based exchanges—set up to make it easier for individuals and small businesses to shop for health insurance—go into effect in 2014, many of these Americans will be able to purchase plans that offer better coverage. In addition, many will be eligible for premium subsidies that will help offset the cost of the plans.
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Hundreds of Elected Officials Speak Out for Protecting America's Waterways
Published May 24, 2012 - 6:50:59 AM
More than 400 elected officials from 30 different states have asked President Obama to protect America's waterways. Today, Environment America released a list of 439 officials — from mayors to city council members to county commissioners to state legislators—who have sent letters or passed resolutions calling on the President to finalize proposed guidelines to restore Clean Water Act protections to many of the country's rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands.
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New Guttmacher Report Finds Publicly Funded Family Planning Clinics Are Crucial Sources of Care
Published May 23, 2012 - 10:16:54 AM
A new Guttmacher Institute study has found that publicly funded health centers that specialize in family planning services offer a wider range of contraceptive methods and are more likely to use protocols that help women quickly begin and stick with their birth control regimens. The survey also found that Planned Parenthood health centers are significantly more likely than all other types of health centers to provide almost all methods of birth control. In fact, 91 percent of Planned Parenthood health centers provide at least 10 of 13 highly effective, reversible contraceptive methods on-site, according to researchers.
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Dismal Civics Knowledge Linked to Decline in Voting, Volunteering Among Young
Published May 23, 2012 - 9:21:51 AM
With the presidential election approaching, a new study from Educational Testing Service (ETS) shows that weak civics knowledge among young people is linked to less voting, less volunteering and greater distrust in government. The report calls for sustained efforts on the part of parents, the public, the educational system, and local and national leaders to address these fault lines in our democracy that threaten our nation's civic well-being.
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Ohio School Admits to Wrong-Doing: Student wins right to wear "Jesus Is Not a Homophobe" T-Shirt
Published May 22, 2012 - 11:54:29 AM
Today the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio signed an agreed judgment order in favor of Maverick Couch, affirming the high school junior's First Amendment right to wear a T-shirt with the slogan "Jesus Is Not a Homophobe" to school on any day he chooses.
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New Analysis Details The Grade Level Decline of Congressional Speeches Since 2005
Published May 22, 2012 - 11:46:04 AM
The U.S. Congress speaks at nearly a full grade level lower than it did seven years ago, according to a new Sunlight Foundation analysis. Using the CapitolWords.org website -- which features the most popular words and phrases in the Congressional Record since 1996 -- Sunlight reviewed the vocabulary and sentence structure of what members of Congress are saying.
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Billion Dollar Bait & Switch: States Divert Foreclosure Deal Funds
Published May 22, 2012 - 11:15:33 AM
Answers to homeowners' questions about the Independent Foreclosure Review.The administration's website for the foreclosure prevention program. Provides an FAQ, homeowner examples, and other tools to see whether you might qualify for the program.A list of HUD-approved housing counseling agencies nationwide.Tips for homeowners from the Federal Trade Commission.These rules lay out how mortgage servicers are supposed to conduct the program.A finance and economics blog that provides news and metrics on the state of the housing market.
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Interior's Scientific Integrity Program Devolving into Mosh Pit
Published May 22, 2012 - 11:12:15 AM
A vaunted initiative to restore public confidence in the scientific work of the federal agency with the most tarnished record is foundering, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The U.S. Department of Interior has failed to deliver on its promises to conduct independent investigations of reports of scientific misconduct, prevent political interference or develop protocols to prevent duplicative and conflicting investigations, leaving an opaque jumble of irresolution.
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Gun Deaths Outpace Motor Vehicle Deaths in 10 States in 2009 New Analysis Shows
Published May 22, 2012 - 11:06:13 AM
A new Violence Policy Center (VPC) state-by-state analysis of government data comparing firearm deaths and motor vehicle deaths shows that gun deaths outpaced motor vehicle deaths in 10 states in 2009, the most recent year for which state level data is available. The 10 states which experienced more firearm deaths than motor vehicle deaths in 2009 are: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, and Washington (see alphabetical listing of states with mortality figures below). Nationally, there were 31,236 firearm deaths in 2009 and 36,361 motor vehicle deaths according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.
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Obama Election-Year Pullbacks on Safety, Environment Dismay Advocates
Published May 22, 2012 - 7:43:23 AM
Two summers ago, Wyatt Whitebread drowned in corn at the age of 14.
It happened on a hot July morning, while he was working at a grain handling operation in Mount Carroll, Ill. Soon after Whitebread climbed inside a storage bin to help empty it, equipment whirring nearby created a downward force, essentially turning the corn beneath the boy's feet into quicksand.
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Leading 22-State Coalition, A.G. Schneiderman Urges U.S. Supreme Court to Uphold State Campaign Finance Laws In Wake of Citizens United
Published May 21, 2012 - 2:05:41 PM
Leading a bipartisan coalition of 22 states and the District of Columbia, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman filed a brief urging the Supreme Court to uphold state campaign finance laws in the wake of its Citizens United decision. In American Tradition Partnership v. Bullock, the Court has been asked to automatically strike down Montana's campaign finance law on the ground that it violates the First Amendment rights of corporations. The Schneiderman-led coalition rejects this position, arguing the states have a compelling interest in regulating corporate spending in state and local elections, and that the Court should not automatically invalidate state campaign finance laws without a full hearing.
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In Landmark Move, NAACP Board Endorses Marriage Equality
Published May 21, 2012 - 1:42:58 PM
On the heels of President Obama's historic support for marriage equality and subsequent polling on the issue among African-Americans, the NAACP Board of Directors today endorsed marriage equality.
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NRDC, Other Groups Urge President Obama to Attend Rio+20 Earth Summit
Published May 21, 2012 - 1:25:31 PM
The Natural Resources Defense Council and more than 20 other environmental, social and health groups today released a letter sent to President Barack Obama strongly encouraging him to attend the Rio+20 Earth Summit in June.
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60,000 People Ask President Obama for Apology to Torture Victim Maher Arar
Published May 21, 2012 - 1:22:34 PM
Today, Amnesty International USA, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and the National Religious Campaign Against Torture delivered to the White House a petition of more than 60,000 signatures asking President Obama to extend a formal apology to Maher Arar. Arar is a Canadian citizen who was detained in 2002 by the United States and sent to Syria where he was tortured and imprisoned without charge for a year. Arar was ultimately released and allowed to return to Canada. He was never charged with a crime.
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Supreme Court to Hear ACLU Case Challenging Warrantless Wiretapping Law
Published May 21, 2012 - 7:27:36 AM
The U.S. Supreme Court today agreed to consider whether plaintiffs represented by the American Civil Liberties Union have the right to challenge the constitutionality of a controversial law that authorizes the National Security Agency to conduct dragnet surveillance of Americans' international emails and phone calls.
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Humane Society Urges Congress to Take Immediate Action by Passing the Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act
Published May 21, 2012 - 7:23:43 AM
In the wake of an undercover investigation revealing that an Oklahoma roadside zoo with approximately 200 tigers and other big cats is allowing children to interact with dangerous predators, The Humane Society of the United States is calling on members of Congress to take immediate action on the Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act (H.R. 4122). This bipartisan federal bill, introduced by Reps. Buck McKeon, R-Calif., and Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif., would curb the private possession and breeding of tigers, lions and other big cats.
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EPA releases for public comment draft scientific study of Bristol Bay Watershed
Published May 18, 2012 - 1:11:32 PM
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today released for public comment a draft scientific study of the Bristol Bay watershed and its natural resources. EPA's report responds to growing interest in large-scale mining in the watershed from a number of stakeholders and local communities with a range of views and will lead to a better understanding of potential environmental impacts of these activities on the watershed. Under the Clean Water Act, EPA has the authority and responsibility to protect the nation's water and perform scientific studies that enhance the agency's and the public's knowledge of water resources. EPA's focus in the assessment is scientific and technical; the agency has made no judgments about the use of its regulatory authority under the Clean Water Act and the draft study in no way prejudges future consideration of proposed mining activities.
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The Organic Watergate: Report Profiles Agribusiness Corruption, Illegal Activities at USDA
Published May 18, 2012 - 12:02:37 PM
The nation's leading organic farming watchdog, The Cornucopia Institute, is challenging what it calls a "conspiracy" between corporate agribusiness interests and the USDA that has increasingly facilitated the use of questionable synthetic additives and even dangerous chemicals in organic foods. In its new white paper, The Organic Watergate, Cornucopia details violations of federal law, ignoring congressional intent, that has created a climate of regulatory abuse and corporate exploitation.
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U.S. Courts to Try Contractors for Torture at Abu Ghraib
Published May 18, 2012 - 11:47:36 AM
Two U.S. companies can be prosecuted for the alleged role of their employees in torture at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, a U.S. federal court ruled last week. The companies are CACI of Arlington, Virginia, which provided the interrogators at the prison, and L-3/Titan of New York city, which provided translators at the same location.
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More Than One Million Comments Supporting Carbon Pollution Limits Delivered To EPA
Published May 18, 2012 - 11:45:53 AM
Today, a broad coalition of groups supporting clean air safeguards announced that more than one million Americans have shown their support for new standards to curb industrial carbon pollution from power plants by submitting comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). With over a month still remaining in the public comment period, this is already the largest number of public comments the EPA has ever received on any issue, and we anticipate many more comments to come in the weeks ahead.
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Most States Do Not Protect Patients From Substandard Physicians
Published May 18, 2012 - 10:57:02 AM
Most states, including one of the largest – Florida – are not living up to their obligations to protect patients from doctors who are practicing substandard medicine, in part because of budget cuts, according to Public Citizen's annual ranking of state medical boards, released today.
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House Fails To Pass Amendment Scaling Back NDAA Indefinite Detention Provisions
Published May 18, 2012 - 9:59:30 AM
An amendment that would have explicitly banned indefinite detention in the United States and repealed a controversial section of last year's National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was voted down by the House of Representatives today. The final vote was 182-237.
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Human Rights Watch: House VAWA Vote a Step Backward for Women's Rights
Published May 18, 2012 - 9:14:09 AM
The US Congress should move forward with a Senate bill to renew the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and reject the dangerous alternative passed by the House of Representatives, Human Rights Watch said today.
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Humane Society Files SEC Complaint Over Tyson Foods' Deceptive Animal Welfare Claims
Published May 18, 2012 - 7:03:22 AM
The Humane Society of the United States filed a legal complaint with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission asserting that Tyson Foods, Inc., the world's second-largest meat producer, is making deceptive public statements related to animal well-being. The complaint charges that Tyson violated federal securities law with its widely-distributed statements about its policies and practices relating to animal care. Tyson's statements were made in response to an HSUS undercover investigation at Wyoming Premium Farms, a former supplier of pigs to a Tyson subsidiary, which was released last week.
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New Prison Rape Standards Offer Landmark Protection
Published May 18, 2012 - 6:13:11 AM
The long awaited national prison rape elimination standards issued on May 17, 2012 by the Justice Department, if fully implemented, may end widespread prison rape in the United States, Human Rights Watch said today. The standards provide detailed guidance to federal, state, and local officials on how to prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse in their confinement facilities.
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ACLU: DOJ PREA Regulations Encouraging but Fail to Protect Immigration Detainees
Published May 18, 2012 - 6:00:50 AM
The Department of Justice (DOJ) today released federal regulations implementing the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), representing the first time that the federal government has issued national standards to help end sexual abuse in prisons, jails and youth detention centers.
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