Military and civilian lawyers representing terror suspect detainees at Guantanamo Bay are sent a letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel urging him to improve conditions as authorities there crack down on detainees engaging in a hunger strike. "While the hunger strike continues to increase in scope and severity, there is much you can do, right [...]

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Our literary trip to Vietnam reviews three books haunted by the spectres of war and authoritarian rule

The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh

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Let me preface this post by saying that I despise labels and hierarchies in general; they are divisive, instead of unifying, and I'm always looking for ways to break them down. Alas, this is the society we've all helped create, whether passively, or intentionally, so, one has to deal, otherwise others will deal for you. All that said... please indulge me, if you don't mind. What if Lee Daniels' Precious was a comedy? What if Soul Plane, or Booty Call and similar comedies were dramas? Inspired by recent conversations I had with friends, and myself (yes, I converse with myself from time to time), I wondered if what I would call our conditioned classist thoughts...

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Over the last three years, the IMF's economic forecasts have repeatedly proved to be overly optimistic. The problem is rooted in a misdiagnosis of the global economy's problems, including the impact of the eurozone crisis and slowing GDP growth in emerging economies.

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A coalition of people who live and work near the drilling rigs that have allowed the U.S. to see incredible booms in oil and gas production is in Washington, D.C. this week demanding that both government and industry be held accountable when drilling causes health and environmental problems. Members of the "Stop the Frack Attack" [...]

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I'm glad we've got the first trailer for Don Jon, the directorial debut of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, because it gives me an opportunity to talk about something I've been thinking about since I saw it at SXSW this year. As romantic comedies have hit a financial and creative rough spot, one of the best responses to [...]

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Oklahoma residents are still recovering from this past week's devastating tornadoes, which killed over 20 people and likely incurred billions of dollars in damages in Moore and Shawnee. But their elected officials are currently focusing on some other priorities that fall outside of disaster relief. On Wednesday, Oklahoma state senators approved a bill that would [...]

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Our guest blogger is Jack Jenkins, a Senior Writer and Researcher with the Faith and Progressive Policy Initiative. As the House Agriculture Committee convened earlier this week to discuss whether or not to cut as much as $4.1 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps), the conversation between lawmakers [...]

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FP may have published its list of Ramzan Kadyrov's weirdest Instagrams a bit too soon. Instead of shutting down his account, as he threatened last week, the Chechen strongman appears to be doubling down on the photo-sharing site this week.

Take, for example, the Instagram aficionado's decision to introduce his followers to what appeared to be his doppelganger. According to the Moscow Times, the caption to the photo below reads, "Dear friends, I will reveal a secret to you, but please don't tell anybody. I have sent my double to work instead of me today. Let's see how he manages!"

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Last November, Florida voters endured massive lines and chaotic polling places largely thanks to a barrage of election law changes pushed by Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) and other GOP lawmakers. Republicans slashed the number of early voting days in half, changed ballot length restrictions to add lengthy and frivolous constitutional amendments to 12-page ballots, restricted [...]

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