Arizona Could Pay High Price for Anti-Immigrant Law

U.S. immigration experts, law enforcement officials and religious leaders are hitting back at the draconian legislation signed into law in Arizona last week, charging it will subject the state to "staggering potential costs" and vowing to have the law declared unconstitutional in the courts.

GM Crops Go to US High Court, Environmental Laws on the Line

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in its first-ever case involving genetically modified crops. The decision in this case may have a significant impact on both the future of genetically modified foods and government oversight of that and other environmental issues.

Q&A: U.S. Immigration Needs an Internal Watchdog

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) has come under growing fire for its poor treatment of would-be immigrants held in detention - including a number of controversial deaths, lack of medical facilities, administrative bungling resulting in loss of records, and absence of due process for detainees at ICE detention centres.

U.S. Sheriff Abused Immigration “Detainer”, Lawsuit Charges

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing a Colorado sheriff it says held a man for 47 days with no charges, no opportunity to see a judge and no opportunity to post bail, simply because federal immigration officers suspected that the man was in the U.S. in violation of federal immigration laws.

Prosecutor Seeks Anonymous Jury in New York “Terror” Trial

U.S. Justice Department lawyers petitioned a federal court Wednesday to begin a controversial terror-related trial in New York City with an "anonymous jury" in order to protect the jurors, lawyers and court officials.

Privacy Groups Challenge U.S. Airport Body Scanners

More than 30 privacy and civil liberties organisations have filed a formal petition with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), urging the federal agency to shut down the use of 'full body scanners' (FBS) at the nation's airports.

New Face of U.S. Foreclosures – The Unemployed

Giselle Jiles could be the new face of foreclosure. The 52-year-old financial planner has owned her home in Oakland's Laurel District for 12 years. She did not buy an expensive home that was beyond her means and she did not sign up for a predatory adjustable rate mortgage that was reset at an unsustainably expensive rate.

Farm Workers Fight for an Extra Cent

Chanting "No more slaves! Pay a living wage!", hundreds of farmworkers, students and others marched 22 miles through central Florida for three days, calling on the Publix supermarket chain to pay an extra penny to the impoverished workers who pick their tomatoes.

Anti-Government Sentiment Mounting in U.S.

Public hostility toward the government has reached record highs, according to a major new survey released on the 15th anniversary of the bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building, the worst deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. territory before 9/11.

Obama Weighs Choices for Sharply Divided High Court

With the resignation of Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, U.S. President Barack Obama faces an opportunity that may become a migraine - or vice versa.

Damaged, and Down and Out

Anna Mollah wept uncontrollably in her Glen Oaks, Queens home as she remembered how her husband used to beat her.

Q&A: Treatment of New York Detainee Is “Legalised Torture”

For the past almost three years, a U.S. citizen, Syed Fahad Hashmi, has been held in isolation in a federal detention centre in New York City.

Nukes Lobbying Brings Obama’s Foreign Policy into Focus

The past two weeks have been marked by major foreign policy accomplishments for U.S. President Barack Obama, including the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), the signing of a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, and what appear to be improvements in the increasingly tense Washington-Beijing relationship.

Q&A: Repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Now

In his State of the Union address to Congress, U.S. President Barack Obama promised to end the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which forbids gays and lesbians from serving openly in the Armed Forces. Three months later, efforts to repeal the policy continue to languish in Congress.

U.S.: Groups Hail Refugee Protection Act

Immigrants' rights activists are virtually unanimous in their endorsement of proposed legislation that would change decades of U.S. asylum practices. But proponents of the legislation fear it may never find its way out of the U.S. Senate to the president's desk.

DISARMAMENT: Mixed Reviews for Obama’s Nuclear Strategy

U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday unveiled a new Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) that will significantly limit the circumstances under which Washington would use nuclear weapons as part of a strategy to bolster the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and other efforts to halt and reverse the spread of nuclear arms.

U.S.: Audit Finds Major Problems in Immigration Policing

A controversial government programme that enlists local police officers and sheriff's deputies to help enforce U.S. immigration laws is verging on being out of control and unable to assess whether it is meeting its stated goals.

U.S.: Controversy Erupts over Deportation Quotas

Immigrants' rights advocates are up in arms Thursday over an apparent gaffe by a senior government official suggesting that immigration authorities would use a "quota system" to determine the number of people it would deport - followed by a "clarification" from higher-ups that appeared to confirm the quota approach.

U.S.: Obama Approves New Coastal Oil Drilling

U.S. President Barack Obama announced on Wednesday his administration's plan to expand the areas off the U.S. coast which will be eligible for oil and natural gas drilling, as environmental groups condemned the plan as damaging to the oceans and coastal ecosystems.

U.S.: Immigration Detention Abuses Continue

More abuses in the U.S. immigration detention system came to light last week when it was revealed that two mentally disabled men continue to be held in detention while facing possible deportation for criminal assault convictions, despite having already served their time.

U.S.: Big Energy Firms Blocking Solar Power in South

As citizens, businesses and non-profit organisations seek to transition to cleaner power sources like solar and wind, some big energy firms whose business models rely on polluting sources are standing in the way.