Some 9 million children in the U.S. are not covered by health insurance. Sadly, more than 6 million of those children could be getting health care coverage through Medicaid or ... Read More

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS), once a perennial debtor, has announced that it wiped out its debt during 2005, while delivering 50 percent more mail than it did 20 years ... Read More

Anyone who has ever had to deal with cancer knows the staggering financial burdens the disease imposes on both patients and their families. In many cases, private or corporate health ... Read More

Between fading public support for the Iraq war, a congressional setback for arctic oil drilling and a politically damaging response to Hurricane Katrina, you might think 2005 had been a ... Read More

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ruled that makers of whole grain barley and barley-containing products will be allowed to claim that those products reduce the risk of coronary ... Read More

Most things our government does bring one of three responses: "That's great," or "That stinks," or simply "Huh?" I suspect that even in 1778, upon hearing that the Constitution had ... Read More

If you really loved 2005 and just hate to see the year end, then there's a little good news for you. Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology ... Read More

CNN reports that unnamed "government officials" have confirmed that the FBI has been monitoring Muslim mosques, homes and other buildings in U.S. cities for abnormal radiation levels since 2002 without ... Read More

Ah, the holiday season, with its many traditions, family gatherings, general good feelings, and statistics. To commemorate this time of year, the counting elves at the U.S. Census Bureau presents ... Read More

The U.S. Senate last night voted to go along with the House of Representatives in extending key provisions the terror-fighting USA Patriot Act until Feb. 3, 2006, so that lawmakers ... Read More

Looks like some more congressional compromise will needed to extend the life of those 16 controversial provisions of the Patriot Act. Less than 24 hours after the Senate voted to ... Read More

In a bipartisan compromise, the U.S. Senate voted late Wednesday night to extend controversial provisions of the Patriot Act for six months, so that the law can be "retooled." The ... Read More

The U.S. Senate today blocked a controversial provision of the 2006 Defense Department spending bill which would have allowed oil drilling on Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The amendment, offered by ... Read More

Fighting for the survival of its mainline terror-fighting law, the U.S. Department of Justice reminds the U.S. Senate of what it calls “significant civil liberties safeguards” added to the latest ... Read More

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced the pending distribution of $1.33 billion in grants to nearly 5,000 local programs that assist homeless individuals and families. These ... Read More

The White House on Monday released President Bush’s 2005 Holiday season greetings for those observing: Hanukkah – “More than 2,000 years ago, the Jewish people led a revolt against oppressors who ... Read More

President Bush today vowed to continue authorizing non-court ordered eavesdropping on Americans thought to have ties to terrorism. “As president of the United States and commander in chief I have ... Read More

Hoping to bolster sagging public support for the Iraq war, President Bush told a national TV audience that terrorists and insurgents could "feel a tightening noose," after the relatively peaceful ... Read More

With his administration facing accusations of slow response to downright stonewalling, President Bush has issued an Executive Order (EO) directing federal agencies to improve their processing of requests for public ... Read More

Who do you think of when you think of stricter gun control laws? Democrats, of course. But, the Boston Globe reports here that the Democratic Party is "rethinking its approach" ... Read More

In a live, nationwide radio address, President Bush today acknowledged and defended his order to allow eavesdropping on people in the United States, and urged Congress to renew the terror-fighting ... Read More

In a major setback to the Bush administration, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators has effectively prevented the passage of a bill reauthorizing the controversial Patriot Act. CNN reports that the ... Read More

President Bush has released a Fact Sheet detailing his administration’s plans for rebuilding and improving the New Orleans levee system in order to protect the city from future flooding. Along ... Read More

Latest major consumer product recalls announced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC): American Honda Motor Corp. -- 24,000 all-terrain vehicles Celebrate Express Inc. -- 21,100 magic party favors and 25,500 costume ... Read More

Before you pucker up under that mistletoe; consider that while festive and fun, mistletoe also provides essential food, cover, and nesting sites for an amazing number of birds, butterflies, and ... Read More

Hoping to bolster public support for continued U.S. military participation in the Iraq war, the White House has released a Fact Sheet detailing what it calls "Iraq's Incredible Political Transformation" ... Read More

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an alert to physicians and patients warning of potential risks of birth defects resulting from the use Paxil, a drug prescribed for ... Read More

Just as the White House begins recruiting 77 million baby boomers for public service, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that an increased number of Americans participated in volunteer service ... Read More

The first of America's 77 million baby boomers will turn 60 in January. As they reach or near retirement age, how should the boomers spend their newly acquired free time? ... Read More

A National Education Association report indicates that America's teachers are losing spending power as inflation outpaced increases in their salaries last year. The report showed that inflation increased 3.1 percent ... Read More

Before crawling up on the roof to string the Christmas lights, you need to know that every year, hospital emergency rooms treat about 12,500 people for injuries, such as falls, ... Read More

It is a rare individual who has managed to keep at least some personal information from being stored in a U.S. federal government database. Doing just about anything, will get ... Read More

According to a couple of recent emails, people are getting phone calls informing them that they have been awarded a federal grant. Beware of such calls. They are only trying ... Read More

As the sun came up over the Pacific paradise of Oahu, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941, U.S. Navy Mess Attendant 1st Class Doris "Dorie" Miller did not help cook and ... Read More

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has initiated a $200 million Mortgage Assistance Initiative designed to assist up to 20,000 families displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Under ... Read More

Airline travelers will notice some changes in airport security measures starting December 22, according to the Transportation Security Agency (TSA). The specific changes include more additional screenings of passengers and ... Read More

As perhaps the one federal agency who's response to this summer's devastating hurricanes was nothing short of outstanding, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has now approved over $1 billion in ... Read More

Drawing a parallel to faulty intelligence on Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction program given to the White House in the run up to the Iraq War, the National Security ... Read More

The National Parks Service (NPS) may adopt a policy of seeking corporate sponsorship of national parks projects and facilities, according to a press release from the Public Employees for Environmental ... Read More