by Liz SidotiYELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. - Family in tow for a tour of national treasures
far from Washington, President Barack Obama is trailed by criticism
from gun opponents and parks advocates for allowing firearms into such
majestic places as this.
"There is still time for Congress and the president to take steps to keep loaded firearms away from the valleys of Yellowstone, the cliffs of Yosemite, and the Statue of Liberty - but they need to act quickly," said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.read more

by Brendan Doyle WASHINGTON - Ocean surface temperatures around the world were the warmest on record for the month of June, according to federal scientists, though they caution that one month doesn’t necessarily imply global warming.The warmer temperatures do confirm that an ocean phenomenon known as El Nino is building in the Pacific Ocean.Some scientists think that the rising temperatures hint at broader changes, perhaps resulting from global climate change. Environmentalists and fishermen are wary of what it may mean.read more

by Sam SteinOne year ago at the Netroots Nation conference in Austin, Texas the mood of the crowd was one of excitement and elation over the possibility of a Barack Obama presidency.A year later, with that possibility achieved, a sense of cynicism has begun to creep in. On Saturday morning, one of the president’s closest advisers, Valerie Jarrett addressed the Netroots Nation conference in Pittsburgh. And while attendees were largely supportive throughout the question and answer session, the reception was warm at best. The defining moment, in fact, came when Jarrett was hissed and heckled.read more

by Danielle KurtzlebenWASHINGTON - The U.S. government continues to withhold even the most basic information about prisoners in the Bagram detention facility in Afghanistan, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a New York-based legal rights organization.An April 2009 ACLU Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for documents and information about the detainment of prisoners at Bagram has yielded dead ends with both the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).read more

by Thalif DeenUNITED NATIONS - U.S. President Barack Obama’s pledge to take concrete steps towards "a world without nuclear weapons" has garnered overwhelming support from peace activists worldwide.But at the same time he has given no indication of any similar cutbacks on conventional arms sales - at least judging by rising U.S. weapons exports this year.read more

by Emily FriedmanJoshua has been taking the bus to his local Whole Foods in New York City every five days for the past two years. This week, he said he’ll go elsewhere to fulfill his fresh vegetable and organic produce needs."I will never shop there again," vowed Joshua, a 45-year-old blogger, who asked that his last name not be published.read more

An extraordinary report from Guy Adams in Los Angeles at the music arena that has been turned into a makeshift medical centerThey came in their thousands, queuing through the night to secure
one of the coveted wristbands offering entry into a strange parallel
universe where medical care is a free and basic right and not an
expensive luxury. Some of these Americans had walked miles simply to
have their blood pressure checked, some had slept in their cars in the
hope of getting an eye-test or a mammogram, others had brought their
children for immunizations that could end up saving their life.read more

by Jeremy Scahill
Despite the Iraqi government’s announcement earlier this year that it
had canceled Blackwater’s operating license, the US State Department
continues to allow Blackwater operatives in Iraq to remain armed. A
State Department official told The Nation that Blackwater (which
recently renamed itself Xe Services) is now operating in Iraq under the
name "US Training Center" and will continue its armed presence in the
country until at least September 3.read more

by Suzanne GoldenbergThe US oil and gas lobby are planning to stage public events to give the appearance of a groundswell of public opinion against legislationclimate change strategy, according to campaigners. that is key to Barack Obama’s read more

by Carol RosenbergCanada
must seek the immediate return of Toronto-born Guantánamo captive Omar
Khadr rather than await the outcome of his U.S. military trial because
American troops mistreated the alleged teen terrorist and Canadian
officials knew about it, Canada’s appeals court ruled Friday.
The Federal Court of Appeal’s 2-1 ruling, issued in Ottawa, effectively
instructs the Canadian government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper to
intervene in the case before Khadr is tried by military commission. read more