VIDEO: John Oliver on the Terrible Mistreatment of Not Just Chickens but Also Chicken Farmers

Natasha Hakimi Zapata / Truthdig May 18, 2015 "How can the people who make the meat we eat the most barely be making a living?" asks HBO's "Last Week Tonight" host. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

What You Need to Know About the Terrifying Monsanto Protection Act

Tracy Bloom / Truthdig Mar 29, 2013 In case you haven't yet heard of the so-called Monsanto Protection Act, it's a horrific piece of legislation that is tantamount to a huge corporate giveaway to the agricultural biotech giant Monsanto. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Miracle Food Blues: Bolivia Trades Health for Cash

Staff / Truthdig Mar 22, 2011 The nutritional virtues of quinoa have been known since the Inca had an empire, but now that it's sent around the world to satisfy the bourgeois appetites of the Whole Foods set, some Bolivians have become malnourished although slightly better off economically. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Scientists Fear Chinese ‘Superbugs’

Staff / Truthdig Feb 6, 2010 Leading scientists are criticizing Chinese doctors and farmers for what they believe is a reckless overuse of antibiotics in both the medical and agricultural industries, which, they argue, has led to an explosion of resistant "superbugs" endangering global health. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

A Return to War?

Staff / Truthdig Jan 7, 2010 Officials say at least 140 were killed in ethnic clashes in southern Sudan over the past week, reigniting fears by many that the country -- which still endures violence in Darfur -- may return to war. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Staff / Truthdig Feb 5, 2009 The key word being had: The new secretary of energy, Nobel Prize-winning Steven Chu, is making waves in the policy community with his daunting comments about climate change. Chu warns that the farms of California, the nation's leading agricultural producer, could vanish by the end of this century if steps to slow global warming are not taken. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

How Can These Fundamentals Be Called Strong?

Staff / Truthdig Oct 3, 2008 A government report released Friday morning leaves little room for any defense of the failed policies of the Bush administration or any belief in the economic wisdom of John McCain, whose erroneous assertion that the "fundamentals of the economy are strong" failed to mention a 6.1 percent unemployment rate, up nearly two percentage points since 2007. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

New World Trade Treaty Plowed Under

Staff / Truthdig Jul 30, 2008 The World Trade Organization talks in Geneva finally imploded Wednesday, as negotiations over farm subsidies and labor standards collapsed into an immovable standstill between wealthy and poorer countries. The talks, defended heavily by the "developed world," are seen by critics as an instrument to serve corporate interests. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bush Vetoes Farm Bill

Staff / Truthdig May 21, 2008 Without batting an ironic eye, President Bush has vetoed a $289-billion farm bill, claiming the legislation gives too much money to wealthy farmers. The bill includes steps to spur biofuel use and would expand nutrition programs to help poor Americans buy food. The Democratic Congress is expected to override the veto. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Annie Nelson on the ‘Fuel That Doesn’t Kill Us’

Joshua Scheer / Truthdig Jan 29, 2007 Annie Nelson, wife of Willie Nelson and co-chairperson of the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance, speaks to Truthdig about stomaching the State of the Union and the myth that alternative fuels are years away. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

California Legislators Challenge Hemp Ban

Staff / Truthdig Aug 28, 2006 California legislators have sent a bill to Gov. Schwarzenegger that would legalize the cultivation of industrial hemp, setting up a direct confrontation with federal drug authorities. The plant, which contains none of the hallucinogenic properties of marijuana, is considered a kind of miracle crop by farmers and entrepreneurs who seek to exploit its fast growth and myriad uses. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )