Trouble in Flint
Nearly 100,000 residents of Flint, Michigan (66 miles north of Detroit) are without safe drinking water and at risk of lead poisoning. The city’s water supply has been contaminated, which means people cannot safely cook, drink or even brush their teeth with tap water. Local, state and the federal government are now involved, as well […]
Occupation in Oregon
As the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon by armed militia closes out another week, btw brings you news of what is happening and what both sides hope to accomplish in a standoff. Background Father and son ranchers, Dwight Hammond (73) and Steven (43), own about 12,000 acres of land located in […]
UN Climate Change Conference
Over the years, btw has brought you stories about Climate Control—what it is, what it does, and measures proposed to slow its effect. Last week, around 25,000 representatives from nearly 200 countries came together in Paris for talks aimed at creating a legally-binding agreement to reduce carbon emissions globally. Key Issues From November 30 to […]
ISIS Strikes Beirut and Paris
Last Friday, November 13, terrorists conducted several attacks in Paris. There were also terrorist attacks the day before in Beirut, Lebanon. In both cases, the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) has assumed responsibility for targeting innocent bystanders in busy, public places. The terrorist group also officially claimed responsibility for the Russian airliner that had been […]
Clinton Testifies in Hearing on Benghazi
In 2013, btw brought you news of a round of Congressional hearings regarding the 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. The purpose of these hearings is to investigate and report on the incident that resulted in the death of four people, including U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens. Last week, the committee conducted its […]
A Closer Look at the Syrian Refugee Crisis
Thousands of people have died fleeing war-torn Syria since conflict intensified in 2011. But it was the haunting image of a lifeless, three-year-old boy washed up on the coast of Turkey that has intensified the conversation about what is happening and what can/should be done. What is a Refugee? For as long as there have […]
Reforming Our Prisons
Last month, President Obama made a visit to the El Reno Correctional Institution in El Reno, Oklahoma, making him the first sitting American president to visit a federal prison. The trip was an effort to highlight his commitment to overhauling the nation’s criminal justice system. “Mass incarceration makes our entire country worse off,” he said in […]
Happy Juneteenth
President Abraham Lincoln declared an end to slavery in the United States with the Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862. Following the Union army’s success at the Battle of Antietam, Lincoln proclaimed “That on the 1st day of January . . . 1863, all persons held as slaves within any state or designated part of a […]
Memorial Day Rememberances
Monuments and memorials tie us to our past and teach us lessons for the future. Official memorials must be pre-approved by an act of Congress. There are 29 official national monuments located throughout the United States, and they are owned and managed by the National Park Service. Fourteen of them are in our nation’s capital, […]
Remembering a Nation’s Mourning
The Sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary of the Civil War has reached its final year. Commemorative events have been taking place across the country since 2011. These have included reenactments of major battles, tours of battle sites, lectures and other educational opportunities. Much of 1865 was made up of a series of surrenders and the eventual disbandment […]