Katie Rucke

Katie Rucke is a MintPress staff writer and investigative report specializing in the war on drugs, criminal justice, marijuana legislation, education and watchdog investigations as well as whistle-blowers. Her investigations related to the coverage of the 2010 Toyota recall scandal, and coverage of the trials of Anonymous hacker and proclaimed activist Jeremy Hammond as well as Bradley Manning have received international acclaim. Rucke has been recommended by the Wikileaks organization as a trusted journalist in 2013. Rucke has also written pieces for Yahoo! and various community magazines. Follow Katie on Twitter: @katierucke

‘Street Doctor’ Provides Health Care For Homeless

Withers leads Operation Safety Net, the nation’s first full-time street medicine program, and estimates his team has treated about 10,000 people in Pittsburgh alone.

Katie Rucke
By Katie Rucke
Dr. Jim Withers watches over as a medical student gives aid to a homeless person.

For the past 20 years, Dr. Jim Withers has anonymously brought his medical expertise to the streets of Pittsburgh to treat the homeless. Known locally as the “street doctor,” Withers says he began to reach out to and treat homeless people in 1992 with the help of a man named Mike Sallows, who used to be homeless and still knew some people who were

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Parents, Feminists Fume Over Kids Game Glamorizing Plastic Surgery

The game essentially equates being thin with beauty, and makes it clear that the only way to fix a weight problem is surgery.

Katie Rucke
By Katie Rucke

“[Barbara] has so much extra weight that no diet can help her,” reads the description of a new game in the iTunes store marketed at kids as young as 9. “In our clinic, she can go through a surgery called liposuction that will make her slim and beautiful. We’ll need to make small cuts on problem areas and suck out the extra fat. Will you operate

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Activists Continue To Push Washington Post To Disclose Its CIA Connection

But Executive Editor Martin Baron said the newspaper doesn’t need to routinely inform readers of the CIA-Amazon-Bezos ties when reporting on the CIA.

Katie Rucke
By Katie Rucke

After collecting some 33,000 signatures, a group of activists say they are ready to deliver a petition to the Washington Post on Wednesday, asking the paper to disclose to the public that the paper’s owner Jeff Bezos not only works with, but profits from the CIA. Started by the progressive online organization RootsAction, which advocates for

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Marijuana-Related Offenses Down In Colorado, Police Blame ‘Confusing’ New Law

If the DOJ finds that police and prosecutors in Colorado are unsure of the law and thus unable to do their jobs, state marijuana legalization may be in jeopardy.

Katie Rucke
By Katie Rucke

Marijuana-related offenses decreased by a whopping 77 percent between 2012 and 2013, according to a Denver Post analysis of data provided by the Colorado Judicial Branch. According to the Post’s report, the most noticeable decline was related to the number of people who were charged with petty marijuana possession, which dropped from an average of

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Activists Announce Day To ‘Fight Back’ Against NSA

Ultimately, the goal of February’s protest is to push for the passage of the USA Freedom Act.

Katie Rucke
By Katie Rucke
Surveillance

Next month, freedom of information and digital rights activists are joining to generate awareness for the mass surveillance the federal government has conducted on Americans in hopes of inspiring the public to push lawmakers for change. News of the protest was announced on Jan. 10, the day before the one-year anniversary of the death of digital

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Rap Group Sues FBI — Again — For Classifying Fans As Gang Members

At first, Insane Clown Posse member Violent J thought the FBI’s classification of the Juggalos as a gang was a compliment, but later realized it was discrimination and harassment.

Katie Rucke
By Katie Rucke
Joseph Bruce aka Violent J, left, and Joseph Utsler aka Shaggy 2 Dope, member of the Insane Clown Posse address the media in Detroit, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014. The rap metal group sued the U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday over a 2011 FBI report that describes the duo's devoted fans, the Juggalos, as a dangerous gang, saying the designation has tarnished their fans' reputations and hurt business. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit in Detroit federal court on behalf of the group's two members. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

The horror-core-rap duo Insane Clown Posse and four of their devotees --  known as “Juggalos” -- have filed another lawsuit against the Department of Justice and the FBI after the law enforcement agency listed the group’s fans as gang members in its 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment report. With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union

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Historic Preservation Grant Given to Native Americans

Although the grant is being lauded, critics say the lands benefiting from the grant are in danger from Big Oil interests.

Katie Rucke
By Katie Rucke
Eagle Point on Hualapai American Indian Reservation (Photo by .L. Richard Martin, Jr. via Flickr)

The federal government doled out $2.2 million in federal grants to 135 different tribal nations in order to preserve almost 200,000 acres of land in the U.S., the federal government announced on Thursday. Though the federal government’s efforts to protect federal lands may be applauded by many, tribal leaders say that their land is in danger,

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