The audio recording is disturbing: the terrified screams of a family in crisis, answered only by the cold voice of an automated voicemail system. “If this is an emergency, hang up and dial 911,” the voice says as a Port Richey woman desperately cries out for help. “Thank you for calling…” Finally, an operator answers…
By Jonah Bennett The International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual rule has called for the United States to raise the minimum wage, arguing that it would increase incomes for millions of poor Americans, CNBC reports. Proposed changes in the minimum wage would spur medium-term fiscal growth and “would be helpful from a macroeconomic point of view,” according to Christine…
PHILADELPHIA, PA–Minor infractions can have devastating consequences for those struggling to make ends meet. Often, those in poverty are faced with jail time for failing to pay arbitrary fines with money they don’t have. Eileen DiNino, 55, lost her life last week because of our broken criminal justice system. The impoverished mother of seven was…
By Blake Neff Teachers unions, long a core Democratic constituency, are in open revolt over the muted reaction of Democratic leaders to a recent court decision gutting California’s teacher tenure and seniority laws. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has angered teachers by failing to decisively take their side following California Judge Rolf Treu’s ruling this…
A college student at Ohio State University called 911 on Sunday to report that a man had broken into the house where she’d been sleeping and raped her. The dispatcher’s response, she says, was callous. When the dispatcher asked for a description of the assailant, the caller replied “A small male white boy with a…
GEORGIA–A scheme involving $18 million worth of food stamps has landed a lot of people in hot water. The DOJ is calling it “one of the largest federal food program frauds ever”, and has filed federal charges against 88 people. The plot involved the illegal purchase of WIC and food stamp benefits from low-income families….
The Free Thought Project has stumbled upon a story that is, at minimum, a remarkable illustration of government ineptitude. Last year, Michigan resident Sylvan Triggs got into a heated exchange with Canton police officers who detained him outside his home. Officers said they were detaining Triggs because he fit the description of a man who…
Today the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on a constitutional amendment that supposedly protects our democracy by enabling politicians to legislate the way Americans associate and speak about our political leaders. The amendment, written by Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) and co-sponsored by 41 senators, would allow Congress to regulate “the amount of contributions to…
BREVARD, FL – Video emerged yesterday of a heated confrontation between a Florida judge and a public defender. The incident began during a public hearing after a disagreement in the courtroom. In the video, Brevard County Judge John Murphy is heard saying, “If you want to fight, let’s go out back and I’ll just beat…
By Blake Neff Legal experts and higher education activists are issuing warnings about a new bill under consideration in California that would dictate how state schools respond to allegations of sexual assault. The bill, passed through California’s Senate 27-9 last Thursday (it must still be approved by the state Assembly), would require any school receiving…