Skip to content Skip to footer

News in Brief: Justices Reject Health Care Review, and More

Justices Reject Health Care Review

Justices Reject Health Care Review

The Supreme Court rejected a request for a review of the Obama administration’s health care reform bill on Monday, The Wall Street Journal reports. A conservative legal group from California brought the suit to the Supreme Court in what was admittedly a long-shot request, as the Supreme Court rarely hears cases before they have been fully litigated in lower courts; notably, Justices Elena Kagan and Clarence Thomas participated in the court’s dismissal of the case. At least 20 more states have challenged the Supreme Court to repeal the health care law.

Keith Olbermann Will Return to MSNBC Tuesday

The Huffington Post reports that Keith Olbermann will be back on the air Tuesday. The “Countdown” host was suspended indefinitely after it was revealed that he had contributed money to Democratic campaigns without seeking approval, violating NBC News policy. MSNBC colleagues and reporters from other news networks jumped to support Olbermann; Kelly McBride of the Poynter Institute journalism think tank said, “What we’ve seen in the last five years is the rise of these personalities that eclipse the journalism that these organizations do.” After reinstating Olbermann, MSNBC President Phil Griffin stated, “I have determined that suspending Keith through and including Monday night’s program is an appropriate punishment for his violation of our policy.”

BP Didn’t Cut Corners to Save Money, Oil Spill Investigators Find

The bipartisan White House commission looking into the BP oil spill have found no evidence yet that BP, Transocean or Halliburton sacrificed safety to save money, The Hill reported. The panel, officially called the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, has not discovered evidence “where human beings made a conscious decision to favor dollars over safety,” said chief counsel Fred Bartlit, although they have also found that Halliburton and BP knew weeks ahead of time that the cement being used to seal the well was faulty.

We’re not going to stand for it. Are you?

You don’t bury your head in the sand. You know as well as we do what we’re facing as a country, as a people, and as a global community. Here at Truthout, we’re gearing up to meet these threats head on, but we need your support to do it: We must raise $18,000 before midnight to ensure we can keep publishing independent journalism that doesn’t shy away from difficult — and often dangerous — topics.

We can do this vital work because unlike most media, our journalism is free from government or corporate influence and censorship. But this is only sustainable if we have your support. If you like what you’re reading or just value what we do, will you take a few seconds to contribute to our work?