Republican-Led Congress Opens With Broad Attack On Regulation

Most voters hold favorable views of regulatory agencies like the EPA and the public protections they provide, yet critics worry a new bill would make the already inefficient regulatory process “as dysfunctional, inefficient and redundant as possible.”

Carey L. Biron
By Carey L. Biron

A Pilgrim's Pride contract chicken farm full of three-week-old chicks just outside the city limits of Pittsburg, Texas.  The Consumer Federation of America warned last week that long-standing food safety regulations, such as those requiring companies to prevent contamination of meat and poultry products with deadly foodborne pathogens, will be

Read Full Article

Interview: New EU Reform Measures Fall Short, Danish Researcher Says

Though the European Union has lauded its own efforts to avoid another disastrous banking fall out, one Danish researcher says these efforts simply aren’t enough.

Magda Fahsi
By Magda Fahsi
EU Parliament

BRUSSELS -- In 2008, a major financial crisis rocked the world. In the European Union, this event sparked a political discussion on a series of measures designed to prevent the dire consequences of such crises in the future, including big bank bailouts. Meanwhile, five years have passed and the EU has adopted new financial rules under the

Read Full Article

Sen. Warren: Are We Making It Easier For Big Banks To Break The Law?

Warren questions whether current enforcement strategy is any deterrent at all.

Andrea Germanos
By Andrea Germanos
FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012, file photo, U.S. Sen.-elect Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., left, faces reporters(AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

Where's the deterrent for stopping big banks from breaking the law? That was the question posed by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) Thursday at the Senate Banking Committee Hearing, referencing the whopping raise recently given to Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan, whose Board of Directors awarded him the pay hike after the company spent billions

Read Full Article

Study: Tobacco Control Has Saved Millions Of Lives

More than 42 percent of U.S. adults smoked in years preceding the report; that rate has dropped to about 18 percent.

Associated Press
By Associated Press
In this Saturday, March 2, 2013 file photo, a woman smokes a cigarette while sitting in her truck in Hayneville, Ala. Anti-smoking measures have saved roughly 8 million U.S. lives since a landmark 1964 report linking smoking and disease, a study estimates, yet the nation's top disease detective says dozens of other countries have surpassed U.S. efforts to stop many tobacco-related harms. The study and comments were published online Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. This week’s journal commemorates the 50th anniversary of the surgeon general report credited with raising alarms about the dangers of smoking. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, File)

CHICAGO (AP) — Anti-smoking measures have saved roughly 8 million U.S. lives since a landmark 1964 report linking smoking and disease, a study estimates, yet the nation's top disease detective says dozens of other countries do a better job on several efforts to cut tobacco use. The study and comments were published online Tuesday in the Journal

Read Full Article

Farm Bill Takes Aim At State Animal Welfare Laws

Iowa Rep. Steve King blames ‘vegan lobby’ in fight over Farm Bill’s ban on production standards for interstate agricultural goods.

Associated Press
By Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) —The future of state laws that regulate everything from the size of a hen's cage to the safe consumption of Gulf oysters may be at stake as farm bill negotiators work to resolve a long-simmering fight between agriculture and animal welfare interests. The House Agriculture Committee added language to its version of the farm bill

Read Full Article

Dallas Woman Dies In Rollercoaster Accident: Is Texas Conservatism To Blame?

The death of Rosy Esparza at Six Flags Over Texas has called attention to the state of industrial regulations in Texas.

Frederick Reese
By Frederick Reese

The death of Rosy Esparza on Friday on a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas has called attention to the state of industrial regulations in Texas. While Six Flags initially stated that it will be “working with authorities” to determine what happened, it was later revealed that Six Flags will be heading the investigation itself, as there are no

Read Full Article