Jeffrey Scott Shapiro
Articles by Jeffrey Scott Shapiro
Raul Castro’s resignation won’t change Cuba’s fascist culture of cruelty
Last week, many media outlets reported Raul Castro's recent resignation at the Eighth Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba as a sign the totalitarian regime was taking a decisive step toward reform. Published April 21, 2021
The tarring of Steve Bannon
Fox News has reported that the Trump presidential transition team is already being called upon to rescind its appointment of Steve Bannon as White House chief strategist, citing accusations of anti-Semitism and racism. Published November 15, 2016
Vladimir Putin ‘probably’ ordered Alexander Litvinenko poisoning, British inquiry finds
One of the most spectacular cloak-and-dagger hits of the post-Cold War era has blossomed into a full-blown diplomatic row after a British government inquiry concluded Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin "probably" ordered the poisoning of a rogue spy in the heart of London nearly a decade ago. Published January 21, 2016
Donald Trump attracting white supremacists draws complaints
White nationalists have found a champion they can get excited about in Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump, but they're having a tough time getting their message through as they face a backlash from voters who reject it. Published January 14, 2016
Oklahoma City bombing secret: DNA extracted from unknown leg
The Oklahoma City Medical Examiner has partial DNA from an unmatched left leg collected from the ruins of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing, reviving the possibility of a 169th unidentified victim from the 1995 terror attack as well as defense lawyers' long-held belief that Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols had an additional accomplice. Published December 7, 2015
Kermit Roosevelt III speaks in D.C. on Japanese internment, Syrian refugee backlash
The great-great-grandson of Theodore Roosevelt and distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt will speak Monday evening at the Georgetown based Harvard Club about his new historical novel and legal thriller, which examines the constitutionality of Japanese internment during World War II, and the balance between liberty and security in a free society. Published November 22, 2015
Hillary Clinton State Department approved U.S. weapons shipment to Libya despite ban
The State Department initially approved a weapons shipment from a California company to Libyans seeking to oust Moammar Gadhafi in 2011 even though a United Nations arms ban was in place, according to memos recovered from the burned-out compound in Benghazi. Published October 20, 2015
SpaceX proposing cost-effective reusable rockets
As India launches its first observatory in space and Europe places a probe on a comet, SpaceX is hoping to help the U.S. lead the space race with reusable rockets and the kind of raw power not seen since the glory days of the Saturn V. Published October 4, 2015
UVa. changes handling of sex assault reports after Title IX probe
The University of Virginia entered into a settlement Monday with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights after a four-year long investigation, changing the way the school handles reports of sexual violence and harassment, officials said Monday. Published September 21, 2015
United Farm Workers, founded by Cesar Chavez, in standoff with Gerawan Farming
Fifty-three years after Cesar Chavez founded the United Farm Workers in California, the labor union is facing resistance from laborers at the largest U.S. peach farm, who are rallying against union representation and the state bureaucrats who refuse to count their votes to decertify the collective. Published August 19, 2015
Bernie Sanders, Martin Luther King III say Voting Rights Act needs progress 50 years after enactment
Martin Luther King III and Sen. Bernard Sanders think voters' rights in America still need to improve, and they expressed their concerns at the MLK Memorial in Washington on Thursday, which marked the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. Published August 6, 2015
Obama administration knew of Rolling Stone rape story before publication
The Obama administration disclosed Tuesday it first learned about Rolling Stone's ill-fated story on campus rape in Sept. 2014, about two months before it was published, when reporter Sabrina Rubin Erdely called seeking information on the government's investigation of the University of Virginia's handling of sexual assaults. Published July 22, 2015
Rolling Stone says University of Virginia rape accuser introduced by White House adviser
Rolling Stone has confirmed for the first time in a court filing that a University of Virginia sexual assault victim advocate, who also served on an Obama administration White House task force, introduced the student who became the centerpiece of the magazine's now-retracted story about a gang rape on campus. Published July 19, 2015
Gloria Allred: Create mechanism to revoke Bill Cosby’s Medal of Freedom
Famed sexual harassment and employment lawyer Gloria Allred, who represents a number of women accusing Bill Cosby of rape, wants President Obama to revoke the actor's Presidential Medal of Freedom and believes that the White House or Congress should create a mechanism to do just that. Published July 16, 2015
Russian space junk sends space station astronauts into ‘safe haven’ vehicle
Three astronauts working aboard the International Space Station (ISS) were nearly struck Thursday by what NASA is calling a "close pass" by flying Russian space junk. Published July 16, 2015
‘Maker Movement’ promises to help U.S. declare independence from Chinese goods
It started as a movement grounded in the rebellious "Do It Yourself" culture of punk rock music and libertarianism, and flowed to independent-minded engineers dismayed with "Made in China" mass-produced merchandise. Published July 8, 2015
Russian nuclear-capable bombers cruise California, Alaska coastlines on July 4
While Americans celebrated the Fourth of July, four nuclear-capable Russian long-range strategic bomber aircraft cruised through the U.S. Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), not far from the Alaskan and California coastlines. Published July 6, 2015
Roscosmos launches Russian rocket to resupply International Space Station
A Russian Soyuz-U rocket with 5,249 pounds of long-awaited supplies for the International Space Station launched from the Kazakhstan-based Baikonur Cosmodrome Friday, after two prior supply missions failed. Published July 4, 2015
McCain: SpaceX explosion no reason to ease Russian rocket ban
The recent Sunday explosion of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket high above the skies of Cape Canaveral should not reignite Washington's willingness to use Russian rocket engines, Senate Armed Services Committee John McCain said. Published June 30, 2015
Russia launching new hypersonic missile to carry nuclear warheads
Russia is test-flying a new, hypersonic glide vehicle that follows the contrails of China's WU-14, a delivery vehicle reportedly capable of carrying nuclear warheads at Mach 10 and less susceptible to U.S. anti-ballistic countermeasures. Published June 26, 2015