Fears Grow over Oil Spill’s Long-Term Effects on Food Chain

As oil continues gushing from the ocean floor into the Gulf of Mexico, with no sign of stopping until a new well is finished this August, scientists, environmentalists and local residents are beginning to reckon with the reality of a massive annihilation of sea creatures and wildlife.

More Deepwater Disasters on the Horizon?

Despite a federal moratorium on offshore oil drilling, new permits and controversial environmental waivers for oil rigs continue to be granted, sparking criticism from policymakers and environmentalists.

Legal Groups Protest Probe of Guantanamo Lawyers

The American Bar Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, and numerous other legal organisations are demanding that the Senate Armed Services Committee reject a provision in a House of Representatives bill that would mandate an investigation into lawyers representing Guantanamo Bay detainees.

Texas Texts Tilt to the Right

The American Civil Liberties Union has launched a letter-writing campaign designed to persuade book publishers not to use the "ideologically-slanted standards for social studies textbooks" approved by the Texas State Board of Education as a model for use in other states.

Historic Conservation Pact a Decade in the Making

It was here in Yellowknife, on an inlet of the Great Slave Lake, that Stephen Kakfwi, then a minister of wildlife and economic development who would go on to become premier of the Northwest Territories, brought together in 1996 a group that would decide which areas of the forest needed to be protected and which areas could be developed.

U.S. Towns Open Doors to Cleared Gitmo Prisoners

As Congress stiffens its resistance to moving any Guantánamo prisoners anywhere near the continental U.S., some communities are putting out the welcome mat.

Loggers, Activists Reach Deal on Canada’s Vast Northwoods

The decades-long war in Canada's northwoods appears to be over. Environmental groups and Canadian logging companies linked arms Tuesday morning and agreed to work together to sustainably manage and protect 720,000 square kilometres of Canada's boreal forest - an area twice the size of Germany.

Oil Sands Riskier than Gulf Spill, Say Investor Groups

As the oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico destroys habitat and livelihoods, the extraction of oil from Canadian oil sands deposits is having a similar impact on fragile ecosystems and communities deep in the North American interior.

U.S.: Overflowing Prisons Spur Call for Reform Commission

Despite the lacklustre performance of so-called "blue ribbon commissions" in the United States over the years, sponsors of the latest proposal - the National Criminal Justice Commission - are optimistic that it will become a reality and that its recommendations will be taken seriously by the president, Congress and the U.S. public.

Ecosystem in Peril after Gulf Oil Spill

With engineers giving a best-case scenario of "weeks" before the catastrophic oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico is sealed, some scientists are warning that the region's ecosystem could face major long-term damage.

Pentagon Faces Battle in Effort to Reverse Military Contracting

Pentagon chief Robert Gates has called for a cutback of 15 billion dollars in wasteful military spending on contractors as well as government bureaucracy, or risk not being able to pay for its current force.

Changing Face of U.S. Cities a Harbinger of the Future

The majority of youth in U.S. cities are no longer white, but there is also a growing disparity in the educational background and incomes of those cities' populations, says a new report from the Washington-based Brookings Institution.

High Court Nominee Already Drawing Fire from Left and Right

The question of whether U.S. Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan will move the court to the right or the left continued to be among the main points of contention among legal scholars Monday.

U.S.: Offshore Drilling Badly Tarnished by Gulf Oil Leak

As oil seeps into the environmentally and economically critical Gulf of Mexico following an explosion on a rig there two weeks ago, some groups are saying this catastrophe should mark the end of offshore drilling for oil - and be a "clarion call" for moving away from fossil fuels.

Will Arizona Give Immigration Reform a Shot in the Arm?

Advocates for comprehensive immigration reform are working against time to transform a groundswell of popular support into concrete legislation that the U.S. Congress can pass this year.

U.S. States Consider Starting Their Own Banks

At least eight U.S. states are considering proposals to start state-run banks in the wake of an economic crisis where many private banks ceased or greatly decreased their lending, literally shrinking the money pool available in state economies.

Climate Concerns Spur Changes in U.S. Military

Though some conservative politicians and activists in Washington remain unconvinced of the need for action, the U.S. military is taking the effects of climate change increasingly seriously.

Citizen Scientists on the Trail of Disappearing Bees

It's the world's worst-kept secret: bees are in a state of crisis. One of nature's most benign pollinators is dying in record numbers, much to the alarm of beekeepers and gardeners.

U.S.: Protests Mount Against Immigrant Crackdown

Three civil rights organisations are suing the U.S. government to obtain records related to a little-known programme known as "Secure Communities" that further involves local and state police in federal immigration enforcement.

U.S. Civil Rights Veterans Pass Torch to Younger Generation

Robert Moses, 75, a legendary leader and organiser in the 1960s U.S. civil rights movement, was huddled with a dozen people discussing plans for a campaign to make quality education a constitutional right. On one side was his son Omowale, 38. Next to Omo was John Doar, 89, head of the civil rights division of the U.S. Justice Department in 1960-67 and prosecutor of the major civil rights cases of that era.

Congress Moves to Curb Unlimited Corporate Campaign Money

This week will see the introduction of legislation in both houses of the U.S. Congress designed to blunt the impacts of a recent Supreme Court decision that held that corporations are people and thus have the right to spend unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns for or against any candidate.