Topic: Social Issues

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'Stop and frisk': 7 questions about New York's controversial policing tactic

A federal class-action lawsuit regarding the New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk program has raised questions about the controversial practice made legal under a 1968 US Supreme Court ruling. But what is it, and does it work?
Playing the IRS card: Six presidents who used the IRS to bash political foes

Since the advent of the federal income tax about a century ago, several presidents – or their zealous underlings – have directed the IRS to use its formidable police powers to harass or punish enemies, political rivals, and administration critics. Here are six infamous episodes.
Briefing
IRS 101: Seven questions about the tea party scandal

The Internal Revenue Service is under the microscope now, as revelations have emerged that the agency wrongly targeted conservative groups seeking nonprofit status. Here’s an accounting of what has happened, along with the ramifications.
5 myths about amnesty for illegal immigrants in Senate bill

Under a bipartisan Senate immigration bill, immigrants who have come to the United States illegally are given a "path to citizenship." On close inspection, each of the following five claims about the requirements for illegal immigrants to earn amnesty are not what they seem.
Immigration reform bill: Top 8 changes GOP senators want

More than 300 amendments were submitted for possible inclusion in a sweeping immigration reform package – at least 100 of them from two Republicans, Sens. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Jeff Sessions of Alabama. Here are eight notable changes GOP lawmakers want to see in bill, as the Senate Judiciary Committee takes up amendments between now and Memorial Day.

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Palestinian support for 'two-state' solution drops with Israel defiant on settlement freeze

Palestinian support for a two-state solution is declining, according to a new poll released as Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to continue building in East Jerusalem.
Sudan President Bashir threatens to expel foreign election observers

Ahead of April 11 parliamentary and president elections, Sudan President Omar al-Bashir told supporters that if foreign election observers 'interfere in our affairs, we will cut their fingers off, put them under our shoes, and throw them out.'
Google China pullout: What has changed?

The Google China pullout means that operations were shifted overnight, with the company saying it will no longer comply with Chinese government demands that it censor its search results. Some in China expect Google will eventually be kicked out of the mainland.
Marjah, Afghanistan: Guns quiet, the battle for power now begins

One month after a US-led offensive to clear the Taliban from Marjah, Afghanistan, locals are worried less about the insurgents returning to power than about a notorious former official seeking to join the new government.
Ciudad Juárez killings focus US-Mexico meeting on security

The US delegation for meetings in Mexico Tuesday is dominated by security officials – an indication of how relations between the two countries are changing, especially given the recent Ciudad Juárez killings.
Google ends Internet censorship, dares China to make next move

Google's decision to stop Internet censorship of search results in China puts a global spotlight on China, online free speech activists say.
Supreme Court declines case: US can move detainees without notice

The Supreme Court declined to hear a case on whether federal judges can require the US to give 30 days notice of any plan to move Guantánamo detainees to another country.
'Ave Maria' at graduation? Supreme Court declines case.

A superintendent banned an instrumental performance of ‘Ave Maria’ at a high school graduation ceremony because it seemed too religious. On Monday, the Supreme Court turned away the case.
Mexicans skeptical of US immigration reform in wake of DC march

Sunday's march in Washington for immigration reform made front page news in Mexico, where many complain that the US focuses too much on Mexico's brutal drug war and not enough on immigration reform.
Gallery: Health care reform passed: who Nancy Pelosi won and lost
At Washington's immigration reform march, a warning from Latinos

Immigrants and activists turned out by the tens of thousands to urge President Obama to keep his campaign promises on immigration reform.
Russia protests: Thousands rally in 'Day of Wrath' against Putin

This weekend's Russia protests, in which thousands gathered in 20 Russian cities for 'Day of Wrath' demonstrations against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and other government officials, brought together diverse political forces.
Wal-Mart ‘All black people leave’ arrest a media wake-up call

In the last week, both Toyota and Wal-Mart bore the the brunt of alleged consumer skulduggery. Critics say the media is more gullible than most Americans when it comes to reporting stories like the racist PA announcement or the runaway Prius.
ACORN sliding toward bankruptcy?

Embattled housing advocacy group ACORN could announce bankruptcy, officials say, after a raft of state chapters disbanded.
Time short for immigration reform plan

As immigration reform advocates prepare to march on Washington, a draft bipartisan plan gets scrutiny.
Healthcare reform: Reaching finish line comes down to trust

Cutting deals to nail down votes is under way leading up to a House vote on healthcare reform. Trust that promises will be kept is key, but it's been eroding between House and Senate this session.
Why Americans oppose the healthcare reform bill

Many say the healthcare reform bill will help only the poor and uninsured. Americans' inability to make sense of it is causing them to respond negatively or to retreat to familiar partisan positions, poll and political analysts say.
North Korea spurns UN push to stop executions and torture

The North Korea ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva denounced its recommendations just as reports emerged that the North had executed the official responsible for a ruinous currency revaluation.
Gallery: Tea Party politics
A series of textbooks is called "inflammatory" and anti-Muslim

A Muslim-American advocacy group speaks out against a set of children's textbooks that it says unfairly depicts Islam.
Gallery: Top 10 unusual protests
As Ireland breaks for St. Patrick's Day, Ulster Unionists turn to Flash Harry for votes

The Ulster Unionist Party, once the powerful voice of pro-British activism in Northern Ireland, has turned to Freddy Mercury impersonator Flash Harry to improve its political standing.
Is Obama anti-Semitic? Netanyahu brother-in-law causes ruckus.

The office of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday rejected the remarks of his brother-in-law Hagai Ben Artzi, who called President Obama 'anti-Semitic.' But how many other Israelis share Mr. Ben Artzi's view?
Opinion: Israeli Apartheid Week: a ritual of discrimination and incitement against Israel

Israeli Apartheid Week doesn’t seek Middle East peace. It seeks to harm the Jewish people by taking from them the only land where they are not a minority.
Britain needs a Glenn Beck

British TV journalists can't express a point of view when reporting the news. Why not?