News

Belated Justice: Army Cancels Halliburton Contract

Staff / Truthdig Jul 13, 2006 We're a bit late to this story, but we couldn't let it go un-blogged HUURAH! You know the old saying: You can overbill some of the government agencies all the time, all the government agencies some of the timebut you can't, apparently, charge $45 for a case of soda and get away with it forever. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Ellen Goodman: What’s Eating Us About Eating Lobster?

Ellen Goodman / Truthdig Jul 13, 2006 The arguments for banning the cooking of live lobsters may have their merits, but by making lobster meat just another shrink-wrapped commodity we further disconnect ourselves from the food chain that sustains us. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Joe Conason: Sen. Lieberman Literally in Bed With Drug Lobby

Joe Conason / Truthdig Jul 13, 2006 The senator who would lecture us on ethics drafted a bill in 2005 that made generous giveaways to pharmaceutical companies -- one month after his wife went to work in the pharmaceuticals division of a major lobbying and PR firm. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Marie Cocco: Your Papers, Please

Marie Cocco / Truthdig Jul 13, 2006 The current push to require voters to supply proof of citizenship at the voting booth has very little to do with preventing illegal voting and much more to do with keeping away from the polls those most likely to vote for Democrats. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Classic Molly Ivins: Economic Morality Has Been Buried

Molly Ivins / Truthdig Jul 13, 2006 Molly Ivins is on vacation. In this column from 2001, she argues that in a country where CEOs make 475 times the salary of their employees, most people's "economic freedom" is limited to a choice between cinnamon- and mint-flavored toothpaste. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Expert: Trees Could Grow in Antarctica Within Century

Staff / Truthdig Jul 13, 2006 Due to global warming, the icy continent could revert to how it looked 40 million years ago--with bushes and trees, an environmental expert told an international scientific conference. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Vanuatu Is World’s Happiest Country, Study Finds

Staff / Truthdig Jul 13, 2006 The AP reports: "The tiny South Pacific Ocean archipelago of Vanuatu is the happiest country on Earth, according to a study published measuring people's wellbeing and their impact on the environment." Zimbabwe came in last of the 178 ranked countries. The U.S. came in at a dismal 150th. Of the G8 industrial powers, Italy scored highest at 60th. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Head-Butting Soccer Star: Opponent Insulted My Family

Staff / Truthdig Jul 13, 2006 According to the AP: "Zinedine Zidane apologized for head-butting an Italian opponent during the World Cup final, saying Wednesday that he was provoked by harsh insults about his mother and sister." Watch the interview (in French, no subtitles) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Schwarzenegger Reaffirms Support for Minutemen

Staff / Truthdig Jul 12, 2006 The Calif governor said about the group of private citizens who are patrolling the country's border with Mexico, "I support any time that a civilian wants to go and do the job that law enforcement cannot do" (Story--scroll down) Ironically, the governor made the statement at a campaign stop while trying to burnish his credentials with Latino voters--many of whom view Minutemen as akin to the KKK Also, higher up in the piece: Karl Rove gets booed while trying to woo Latinos at a conference. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Rep. Emanuel Makes Satirical Mincemeat of White House Salaries

Staff / Truthdig Jul 12, 2006 Responding to a recently published list of White House salaries--including $100,000 a year for the "director for lessons learned," Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) ran through a few "lessons" the White House apparently missed. Money quote: "When you've 'turned the corner' in Iraq more times than Danica Patrick at the Indy 500, it means you are going in circles." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Novak Names Sources in CIA Leak Case

Staff / Truthdig Jul 12, 2006 Columnist Robert Novak revealed for the first time, in a column to be released Wednesday, that both Karl Rove and former CIA spokesman Bill Harlow had confirmed Valerie Plame's status as a CIA agent He said that this occurred only after another administration official first supplied him with the info This is not a huge deal, relatively speaking, but certainly of interest to Plamegate junkies . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Gay, Godly and Guilty

Staff / Truthdig Jul 12, 2006 Salon reviews a thoughtful new book that examines the mental anguish suffered by homosexual Christians who enter residential programs to battle their sexual desires. (Reg. req'd.) Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )