Sex Scandal Calls CIA’s Self-Policing Into Question

Staff / Truthdig Mar 20, 2009 A CIA sex scandal, or, more precisely, allegations that a CIA agent raped two Algerian women, has raised questions in Congress about how the agency polices itself. Oddly, discussions of the controversy have failed to emphasize another significant "oops" moment in CIA operations regarding corruption and the need for oversight: torture. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Finding Peace in the Culture Wars

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Mar 5, 2009 If President Obama's primary task is to restore economic growth, he has also been waging a quiet, long-term campaign to ease the nation's divisions around religious and moral questions. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Government’s Long Night May Be Ending

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Feb 26, 2009 Obama's message was plain: The era of bashing government is over. So, too, is the folklore of a marketplace capable of producing abundance without regulation, oversight or public intervention. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

To Each His Own Obama

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Jan 22, 2009 President Barack Obama intends to use conservative values for progressive ends, and in doing so he will confuse a lot of people. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Geithner’s Record of Failure

Staff / Truthdig Jan 15, 2009 Forget that business with the maid whose work papers expired The real scandal with Timothy Geithner, Barack Obama's choice to head the Treasury Department, is his history of lax regulation -- at least where his friends at Citigroup were concerned ProPublica did some digging and found that Geithner's New York Fed "eased the reins as the company blew billions ". Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Regulator Gave Blessing to IndyMac Shenanigans

Staff / Truthdig Dec 23, 2008 The Treasury Department's inspector general has been looking into the failure of IndyMac, which set the taxpayers back $8.9 billion, and what he found isn't pretty. It seems a certain regulator let the bank present itself as "well-capitalized" when the truth was something entirely different. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Breathing New Life Into Health Care

Marie Cocco / Truthdig Dec 4, 2008 Over the past 10 months, as the hemorrhage of jobs began to push the national unemployment rate toward its October level of 6.5 percent, about 3 million Americans were thrown off the insurance rolls or had their incomes fall so much that they became eligible for Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Obama’s Shrewd Choices

Joe Conason / Truthdig Nov 27, 2008 Barack Obama's appointees will implement the Obama program, not only because that is what he tells them to do but because that is what they have come to believe is best for the country. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Smoke Is Clearing

Marie Cocco / Truthdig Nov 25, 2008 This week marks a decade since a consortium of state attorneys general negotiated the landmark settlement of lawsuits against tobacco companies. The results are in: Cigarette consumption has declined by 28 percent in the past 10 years. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Barack and Michelle Obama on the Next Four Years

Staff / Truthdig Nov 17, 2008 Barack Obama covered a lot of ground during his first post-election interview Sunday. The president-elect said he will close Guantanamo, re-regulate the economy and wait until he's settled before getting his daughters that puppy. Michelle Obama, joining her husband, said she will become an active first lady once her children make the adjustment to their new home. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Obama in Charge

Staff / Truthdig Nov 10, 2008 For all the talk of checks and balances, the president has sweeping powers. Barack Obama is expected to demonstrate that by quickly reversing as many as 200 of President Bush's executive orders after taking the oath of office Jan. 20. The president-elect has reportedly had scores of advisers working on the matter for months. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Greenspan Admits Ideological Flaw

Staff / Truthdig Oct 23, 2008 The former Fed chair told angry lawmakers on Thursday that after 40 years of buying into free-market ideology he had "found a flaw." Rep. Henry Waxman told Greenspan "our whole economy is paying the price" because he ignored advice and resisted regulation. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )