NYC Weighs Allowing Green Card And Visa Holders To Vote

Agha Saleh came to the United States inspired by democratic ideals, but it took him years to achieve a basic one here: voting.

Associated Press
By Associated Press

NEW YORK — Agha Saleh came to the United States inspired by democratic ideals, but it took him years to achieve a basic one here : voting. He'd lived through political upheaval in his native Pakistan and was eager to be part of America's storied "government of the people." But for the eight years until he got citizenship, it struck him as "a

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Catholic Church, FBI Blame Cult For Perpetuating Drug War

The Vatican and Mexico are debating the merits of a cult operating under the guise of Christianity.

Trisha Marczak
By Trisha Marczak

The Vatican and Mexico are debating the merits of a cult operating under the guise of Christianity -- one that the FBI has deemed a dark religion playing a role in drug-related violence that has led to the deaths of more than 70,000. At the forefront of the debate is Santa Muerte, revered and worshipped by Mexican Catholics as a supernatural

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Free NY College May Not Be Free For Long — U.S. Students Find Little Relief

A free college education is a rare thing in the United States. With collective student debt surpassing $1 trillion and average annual college tuitions topping $22,000, students across the nation increasingly must turn to costly loans to afford a decent education. Cooper Union, a college in New York City, is one of the few colleges left in […]

Martin Michaels
By Martin Michaels

A free college education is a rare thing in the United States. With collective student debt surpassing $1 trillion and average annual college tuitions topping $22,000, students across the nation increasingly must turn to costly loans to afford a decent education. Cooper Union, a college in New York City, is one of the few colleges left in the

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Afghan President Ready To Let US Have 9 Bases

The U.S. can keep nine bases in Afghanistan after the scheduled 2014 NATO combat troop pullout, the country’s president said Thursday, the first time he has made such an offer in public. Hamid Karzai insisted on “security and economic guarantees” first. Talks over a deal that would outline the American presence in Afghanistan after next […]

Associated Press
By Associated Press

The U.S. can keep nine bases in Afghanistan after the scheduled 2014 NATO combat troop pullout, the country's president said Thursday, the first time he has made such an offer in public. Hamid Karzai insisted on "security and economic guarantees" first. Talks over a deal that would outline the American presence in Afghanistan after next year

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Google Recognizes Palestinian Statehood

Earlier it referred to “The Palestinian Territories.” The search engine giant said it was following the U.N.’s lead.

Stephen Lendman
By Stephen Lendman

On May 1, Google recognized Palestine. It did so on its homepage. Earlier it referred to "The Palestinian Territories." More on that below. On Jan. 4, Abbas' presidential decree acknowledged the State of Palestine. It followed gaining U.N. non-member observer status. "All Palestinian stamps, signs and official letterhead will henceforth be

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Scenic, Strugglling S. Illinois Braces For Oil Rush

The Illinois Legislature considers regulations that could set off a rush among energy companies to drill deep in southern Illinois bedrock.

Associated Press
By Associated Press

This is the Illinois that many people never see — the sparsely populated southern tip where flat farmland gives way to rolling hills, rocky outcrops, thick forests and cypress swamps. Blacktopped county roads wend through no-stoplight towns. Locals speak in soft drawls and talk of generations who've lived on the same land or in the same

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