News reports
Gay marriage in court
Whatever the court eventually decides – the case is unlikely to be heard until late next year – the broader question is whether a country that considered gay sex a crime less than a decade ago is ready to embrace gay marriage.
Police violence on trial
Can American police officers be held accountable when they kill unarmed civilians? Two shocking incidents are putting the criminal justice system’s capacity to prosecute cops on trial.
Oil spill stains Obama
It was first suggested that the Gulf of Mexico spill could be “Obama’s Katrina” long before a drop of oil from the ruptured well hit shore. Five weeks after the Deepwater Horizon exploded, the tar is beginning to stick.
Ground Zero’s forgotten victims
“I suffer badly from night terrors,” says Kenneth George. “When I hear the crickets at night, it brings me back to Ground Zero, because the firemen, when they’re down, they have a response beeper that chirps.”
War without end?
The “war on drugs” has been a cornerstone of America’s criminal justice system ever since President Richard Nixon coined the phrase four decades ago. Three recent developments suggest that policy-makers are finally losing faith in its effectiveness.
Health care reform in the balance
The margins are so tight that a single vote could decide it, here or there. The number of formally undecided Democrats is dwindling by the hour, but still, no-one can be certain if the legislation will pass.
A bipartisan show of hands
For seven hours, Democrats and Republicans maintained the pretence of bipartisanship, knowing full well that agreement is impossible. President Obama was determined to show that he is taking the opposition’s ideas seriously. His opponents were keen to demonstrate that they could be reasonable. No amount of platitudes could disguise how entrenched their positions have become.
Patriot or terrorist?
Stack’s attack was an isolated, small scale expression of populist rage, spilling over into terrorism. “Violence not only is the answer,” he wrote, “it is the only answer.”
More tea, anyone?
The opening day account on Fox News sounded a suitably defensive note. “Don’t let anyone tell you this is not a big deal,” reporter Carl Cameron said. “If this gathering is unimportant and this movement is a mirage, why are its detractors so upset and its participants so upbeat?”
The state of Obama
“Democrats nationwide should be on notice,” wrote Republican Senator John Cornyn. “Voters are prepared to hold the party in power responsible for their reckless spending.” Democrat Evan Bayh agreed. “If you lose Massachusetts and that’s not a wake-up call, there’s no hope of waking up,” he said. The midterm elections in November seem awfully close.
