Human Rights

obama and gates

Former Obama Officials Call for Oversight Over Targeted Killing

Obama's former defense secretary says there should be "some check" on the president.

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| Thu Feb. 21, 2013 6:04 AM PST

WATCH: The State Of Obama's Union [Fiore Cartoon]

We are a new nation, a nation whose government can kill its citizens at will.

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| Wed Feb. 20, 2013 11:13 AM PST
California Innocence Project infographic

Charts: The Staggering Cost of Death Row for California Taxpayers

An eye-popping breakdown of the ultimate punishment in the Golden State.

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| Tue Feb. 19, 2013 4:00 AM PST
Andre Thomas photoillustration

How Crazy Is Too Crazy to Be Executed?

The voices told Andre Thomas to gouge out his eyes. But even that hasn't convinced the state of Texas to reconsider his death sentence.

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| Tue Feb. 12, 2013 4:00 AM PST

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drone missile fire

In the Context of "1,000 Years" of Warfare, Drones Are "More Humane"

Saying that US drones are "a lot more civilized" and more "humane" way of doing war-related business is technically true. But that's not really the point.

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| Mon Feb. 11, 2013 12:59 PM PST
thomson prison

Welcome to the New Federal Supermax

The recently acquired "Gitmo North" doesn't jibe with the government's stated goal of reducing solitary confinement.

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| Mon Feb. 11, 2013 4:00 AM PST
polar bears

Polar Bears Need Love…and a Plan

Leading polar bear ecologists brainstorm plans to save an iconic species from imminent and catastrophic population declines.

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| Mon Feb. 11, 2013 4:00 AM PST

Senator: Let's Have a Targeted Killing Court

A freshman senator from Maine suggests a court that would consider warrants for targeted killing.

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| Thu Feb. 7, 2013 5:35 PM PST

Invisible Women: The Real History of Domestic Workers in America

Forget Fran Drescher: Real-life nannies, housecleaners, and cooks have long struggled against sexism, racism, and exclusionary laws.

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| Thu Feb. 7, 2013 4:00 AM PST
interrogation prisoner machine gun soldier

Report: These 54 Foreign Governments Helped the CIA Torture, Detain, and Transport Suspects After 9/11

The Open Society Justice Initiative's detailed report lists Belgium, Libya, Iran, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and dozens of others as complicit in the US' controversial anti-terror operations.

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| Tue Feb. 5, 2013 4:01 PM PST

Obama Targeted Killing Document: If We Do It, It's Not Illegal

A white paper explains when the US government can kill a US citizen.

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| Tue Feb. 5, 2013 9:55 AM PST

Obama Lays Out His Pitch for Immigration Reform

The president's plan looks a lot like the Senate plan. But there are key differences.

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| Tue Jan. 29, 2013 3:25 PM PST
Indians protest rape victim in New Delhi

A Rape a Minute, a Thousand Corpses a Year

Violence against women is incessantly overlooked, both in America and elsewhere.

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| Fri Jan. 25, 2013 4:00 AM PST

Young Immigrants Renew Push for Path to Citizenship

A new campaign called The Dream Is Now lets undocumented youth tell their stories and push for a road to permanent legal status.

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| Wed Jan. 23, 2013 7:47 AM PST

Filmmakers' Tortured Defense of "Zero Dark Thirty"

Mark Boal and Kathryn Bigelow don't have much ground to stand on here—other than the red carpet.

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| Mon Jan. 14, 2013 7:50 AM PST
zero dark thirty jessica chastain gangster squad sean penn

In Theaters This Weekend, a Civil Libertarian's Nightmare

"Gangster Squad" has the extrajudicial killing. "Zero Dark Thirty" brings the torture.

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| Fri Jan. 11, 2013 4:04 AM PST

Ouch! Sharp Lessons From Deepwater Horizon

A special edition of the science journal PNAS assesses the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe: what really happened, what we learned, and what to do better next time.

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| Fri Dec. 14, 2012 4:17 AM PST
vaccination

Is the Pentagon Planning to Inject Us With Super-Human Invincibility Juice?

New DARPA project seeks injectable elixirs to protect against all kinds of scary things.

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| Fri Dec. 14, 2012 4:00 AM PST

How to Get Republicans to Care About Women's Issues: Snacks

No, really.

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| Thu Dec. 13, 2012 5:21 AM PST
afghan soldier

Breaking: The US Military Can't Decide Whether to Be Nice to Afghans

A new Army cultural-sensitivity manual triggers a debate: Are boorish Americans to blame for insider attacks?

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| Tue Dec. 11, 2012 10:58 AM PST