Mystery of NSA Leak Lingers as Stolen Document Case Winds Up

TAMI ABDOLLAH and ERIC TUCKER / The Associated Press Jul 6, 2019 A contractor's case comes to an end without it being resolved who was behind the devastating leak of U.S. government hacking tools. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

California Labor Commission Officially Calls Uber Driver an Uber Employee

Kasia Anderson / Truthdig Jun 17, 2015 A California labor agency has determined that, at least in one instance, an Uber driver is actually an employee of the company, not an independent contractor who happens to rely on Uber-provided information to drive her business. But what does this mean for the ride-sharing behemoth? Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

States Rebel Against Obamacare Website Contractor

Peter Z. Scheer / Truthdig Dec 27, 2013 For Christmas, Vermont and Massachusetts are giving a lump of coal to CGI Federal, the Canadian company that built Healthcare.gov and seven other state-based health care exchanges. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Withdrawal Means Withdrawal

Staff / Truthdig Oct 17, 2011 President Obama will be able to say that he kept one of his promises from the ’08 campaign trail come Dec. 31 of this year, when all but 160 American troops will leave Iraq after more than eight years of heavy military involvement (read: war) in the Middle Eastern nation. (more) Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Billions of Taxpayer Dollars Wasted on Private Contractors

Staff / Truthdig Sep 14, 2011 A study conducted by the Project for Government Oversight (POGO) found that on average the U.S. government pays private contractors more than twice what it pays federal workers for a number of public services. (more) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Blood Money’ Springs CIA Contractor From Pakistan Jail

Staff / Truthdig Mar 17, 2011 Lucky for him. Raymond Davis, the CIA contractor who was nabbed in January after shooting and killing two men in Pakistan (the news of which wasn't released until February), has been freed from detainment after the payment of "blood money" to the victims' families. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Passing the Bloodstained Buck

Staff / Truthdig Dec 18, 2010 The mercenary firm formerly known as Blackwater has argued in court that the company’s private contractors who killed 17 Iraqis in Baghdad in 2007 should not be held accountable. Why? It’s Washington’s fault, they claim, as Blackwater fighters were acting as employees of the U.S. government at the time. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Rebranding’ U.S. Combat Troops in Iraq

Staff / Truthdig Aug 30, 2010 Much fanfare was made about the so-called withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq this month, but as this Al-Jazeera report explores, we might want to read the fine print on this one. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

This Military Contractor Rocks a $100,000 Belt Buckle

Staff / Truthdig Jul 27, 2010 David H. Brooks did well enough selling body armor to the military to hire 50 Cent and Aerosmith to play at his daughter's bat mitzvah. He wore a gem- and diamond-encrusted American flag belt buckle, lest his patriotism come under suspicion. Now he's on trial for allegedly improperly putting millions on his expense account, for fraud and for insider trading. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Federal Judge Dismisses Charges in Blackwater Shooting Case

Staff / Truthdig Jan 1, 2010 A federal judge let five Blackwater Worldwide security contractors off the hook Thursday, dropping all charges against them in a 2007 case in which 14 Iraqi civilians were killed and 20 wounded during a Baghdad shooting. The Justice Department wasn't thrilled with this outcome, and a DoJ spokesman told The Washington Post that his colleagues are "still in the process of reviewing the opinion and considering our options." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Blackwater CEO Steps Down

Staff / Truthdig Mar 3, 2009 Saying that he's "taking on new challenges," Blackwater Worldwide founder and CEO Erik Prince announced Monday that he's resigning from his long-held position at the top of the security company, which has now changed its name to the spooky and sci-fi-tinged Xe. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The House That Todd Palin’s ‘Buddies’ Built

Staff / Truthdig Oct 14, 2008 First Dude Todd Palin has said he and some "buddies" built his lakefront home in Wasilla, Alaska, but an investigation by the Village Voice connects the home's construction, if circumstantially, to the beneficiaries of a local boondoggle championed by his wife. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )