The Race Is On to Exploit a Melting Antarctica

Staff / Truthdig Dec 30, 2015 After more than a century of protection from exploitation by military and commercial interests, a number of countries are positioning themselves to seize greater influence in Antarctica on the day its protective treaties expire. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

‘Sentence First, Verdict Afterwards’: The ‘Alice in Wonderland’ World of Secret Trade Agreements

By Ellen Brown, Web of Debt Jun 24, 2015 The terms of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Trade in Services Agreement are so secret that drafts of the negotiations are to remain classified for four years and five years after the deals become law. How can laws be enforced against people and governments who are not allowed to know what was negotiated? Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Switzerland Votes to Narrow Immigration Pipeline From EU Countries

Staff / Truthdig Feb 10, 2014 That old saw about Swiss independence could in part explain Switzerland's vote, held Sunday, in favor of tightening restrictions on immigration into the country from European Union member nations. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Lost

By Bob Englehart, The Hartford Courant May 28, 2012 Dig deeper

The Russians Are Coming (or Not)

Staff / Truthdig Aug 30, 2011 Correction: Back in 2007, a Russian official announced a scheme to build an underwater rail system linking Siberia to Alaska. Such a railway would require the longest tunnel ever built and expenditures of about $94 billion (by one estimate). More than four years later, the transcontinental railway was in the news again. (more) Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The Pirates Might Prefer Fish to Guns

William Pfaff / Truthdig Apr 15, 2009 Obama's promise that the U.S. and its allies will put an end to Indian Ocean piracy had the forceful ring to it that good American citizens like to hear, but half the NATO navies aren't going to change the desperate circumstances that turned Somalia's fisherman into pirates. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Obama Takes Another Crack at Commerce

Staff / Truthdig Feb 24, 2009 Fourth time's the charm? Barack Obama's two official picks to serve as commerce secretary both had to drop out. Another candidate withdrew her name before it was ever announced. Now the president is reported to have offered the job to former Washington Gov. Gary Locke. So who is he? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Another Nominee Bites the Dust

Staff / Truthdig Feb 13, 2009 Apparently nobody wants to be President Obama's commerce secretary. The second candidate for the post, Sen. Judd Gregg, has dropped out. The Republican senator cited "irresolvable conflicts," including the stimulus package and the census. That's what you get for trying to make nice with those fussy Republicans. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

And Commerce Secretary Goes to …

Staff / Truthdig Dec 3, 2008 Bearded political renaissance man and current governor of New Mexico Bill Richardson was picked Wednesday morning to be Barack Obama's secretary of commerce. The unsurprising move makes Richardson the latest politician drafted by Team Obama, who point to Richardson's experience at the U.N., as governor, and as energy secretary. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Obama Settles on 3 More Cabinet Picks, Sources Say

Staff / Truthdig Nov 20, 2008 Those famous "multiple Democratic sources close to the transition" have revealed three more members of Barack Obama's Cabinet: Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle as secretary of health and human services, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as chief of homeland security and Obama's billionaire buddy and top fundraiser Penny Pritzker to head the Commerce Department. Update: Pritzker is out. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

What’s a Few Trillion Yuan Between Comrades?

Staff / Truthdig Nov 10, 2008 Instead of buying lots of new cheap things, people are busy stuffing what's left of their money in mattresses. That has China, where the goodies come from, worried. The Chinese government has decided a stimulus is in order, to the tune of 4 trillion yuan (more than $550 billion). Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Tentative Security Gains in Baghdad?

Staff / Truthdig Nov 20, 2007 The New York Times reports that in certain areas of Baghdad, such as the Dora neighborhood in the south of the city, residents are cautiously returning to their homes and attempting to resume some semblance of normal life by taking advantage of a recent lull in violence. How long it will last, however, remains to be seen. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )