What You Should Know about Politics . . . But Don't: A Non-Partisan Guide to the Issues That Matter (2ND ed.)

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"Now in its second edition, here is one of the first and only issue-based nonpartisan guides to contemporary American politics. It s a very exciting time in American politics. Voter turnout in primaries and caucuses across the nation has shattered old records. More than ever, in this election year people are paying attention to the issues. But in a world of sound bites and deliberate misinformation and a political scene that is literally colored by a partisan divide blue vs. red how does the average educated American find a reliable source that s free of political spin? What You Should Know About Politics . . . But Don t breaks it all down, issue by issue, explaining who stands for what, and why, whether it s the economy, the war in Iraq, health care, oil and renewable energy sources, or climate change. If you re a Democrat, a Republican, or somewhere in between, it s the perfect book to brush up on a single topic or read through to get a deeper understanding of the often mucky world of American politics."

Dial M for Murdoch: News Corporation and the Corruption of Britian

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"A thriller on par with the legendary All the President's Men, the story of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation and British phone hacking scandal makes for political drama at its finest. Hickman, the reporter for The Independent who pursued the story; and Watson, a relentless Labour Party Parliament member who helped lead the government investigation that toppled the nearly 170-year-old News of the World, have produced a gripping account that will likely be a go-to source in years to come. News of the World reporters hacked voicemail messages of royals, actors, and soccer notables to drive newspaper sales in the hyper-competitive world of the tabloid press. Led by Rupert Murdoch, the paper's executives exerted enough pressure on police and politicians to foil years of investigations. An elaborate cover-up that passed off the hacking as the work of a "rogue reporter" and a private investigator was initially successful, but what ultimately undid the tabloid and brought down top execs like Rebekah Brooks were the revelations that reporters deleted voicemails of a murdered teenager, deceiving police and her family into thinking that she might still be alive. Anyone interested in the media scandal of the decade and its reverberations across the pond won't be able to put this book down."  (Publisher's Weekly)

Deception: The Untold Story of East-West Espionage Today

By Edward Lucas       Find This Book

"Lucas, Moscow bureau chief for the Economist from 1998 to 2002, has covered Eastern Europe since 1986. He has a very straightforward message, that Russian spies are not a Cold War relic. They are working right now and very effectively at infiltrating our society and stealing our secrets. The fact that most people think spying is a thing of the past gives Russian agents the ultimate cover, since no one can see what he or she believes no longer exists. Lucas provides a history of Russian spying from the era of Lenin to the arrest and deportation of Anna Chapman, one of a ring of suburban agents that so shocked the U.S. in 2010. He details how KGB tactics are now employed for new aims. He also gives a convincing and unsettling overview of the ways in which Russian organized crime, big business, and conventional diplomacy work together to dupe the West. This enormously complex material is made understandable and riveting by Lucas' expertise and his passion for exposing this threat."  (Booklist)

Who Gets What: Fair Compensation After Tragedy and Financial Upheaval

By Kenneth R. Feinberg     Find This Book

"An insider's account of how compensation decisions are made after major disasters. One of the country's leading lawyers, Feinberg (What Is Life Worth?: The Unprecedented Effort to Compensate the Victims of 9/11, 2005, etc.) has become the man called upon by government and private interests to decide settlements. He also bears the brunt of criticism when things don't go smoothly or seem to be unfair. Now he offers his side of the story. His involvement began with the 1984 settlement of the Agent Orange case. Now known as what he calls "the poster child of 'judicial activism, ' " the settlement compensated Vietnam veterans for alleged damages through a unique process that aroused the opposition of trial lawyers and politicians alike. It also set a pattern for Feinberg's career, during which he has worked on a variety of public and private cases, including the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund, the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund set up after the Virginia Tech shootings of 2006, and the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Victim Compensation Fund. Each of these cases has made Feinberg a figure of controversy. He took the heat from some 9/11 victims who didn't understand how, under the law enacted, each claimant could receive a different amount because of their different potential lifetime earnings. Recently, politicians have made him a target in the BP case. Feinberg also examines the delicate process of balancing concerns about equal treatment under the law with the need to deal fairly with the special circumstances created by disasters. He stresses the importance of public involvement through hearings and meetings and the necessity of transparency. An opportunity to get to know a man whose work has affected thousands."  (Kirkus Reviews)

Green Illusions: The Dirty Secrets of Clean Energy and the Future of Environmentalism ( Our Sustainable Future )

By Ozzie Zehner    Find This Book

"Aternative solutions to the growing energy crisis other than alternative energy. "Green" technology and energy solutions are all the rage as global warming, rising populations and unheard-of oil prices confront the world. However, asks Zehner, "do we have a society capable of being powered by alternative energy?" His answer is no. With thorough research, the author demonstrates that no amount of solar panels, wind turbines, biodiesel, nuclear plants or "clean" coal will solve these global problems. The underlying issue is not the lack of energy or a new way to generate it but overconsumption of available energy and resources. Zehner proves that many of today's "green" solutions would be prohibitively expensive on a grand scale and/or cause more environmental damage than good. The author examines "some ideas that, hopefully [will] spur some thought into how we might practically move from material and energy consumption to more durable and meaningful forms of social growth and well-being." These ideas include the creation of more "walking communities," cities in which the basic needs of citizens can be reached on foot or by bicycle. He also advocates "advancing the rights of women and girls," since contraceptive education is just one part of the puzzle of population explosion, and he suggests the creation of a "Department of Efficiency," which would be responsible for reducing the rampant waste of energy. "America has plenty of energy--more than twice as much as it needs," he writes. "We just waste most of it." By offering readers numerous steps toward reaching attainable goals, Zehner hopes environmentalists will initiate a shift of focus to "women's rights, consumer culture, walkable neighborhoods, military spending, zoning, health care, wealth disparities, citizen governance, economic reform, and democratic institutions." A bold look at the downside of green technologies and a host of refreshingly simple substitute solutions" (Kirkus Reviews)

The Tea Party: A Brief History

By Ronald Formisano    Find This Book
"Some 40 to 45 percent of Republican primary voters are Tea Party members seeking to direct the course of this year's presidential election. Yet the group that has been at the center of politics since 2009 is still not clearly defined in terms of objectives and message. Is it more concerned about shrinking the government or prodding the nation toward more conservative social values? The Tea Party has clearly pushed the political agendas of both major parties to the right, but will it have an enduring effect on American politics? Formisano offers a historical perspective, comparing the Tea Party to similar populist movements, both progressive and reactionary, of the past, from the original Boston Tea Party to the People's Party of the 1890s, from the Progressive Party of the 1920s to the Dixiecrats of the 1940s and, more recently, the parties of George Wallace and Ross Perot. He examines the conditions that gave birth to the Tea Party and whether it is genuinely grassroots or directed by corporate interests and billionaires. A helpful primer on a movement that is changing the American political landscape."  (Booklist)

Confront and Conceal: Obama's Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power

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""Confront and Conceal "provides readers with a picture of an administration that came to office with the world on fire. It takes them into the Situation Room debate over how to undermine Iran's program while simultaneously trying to prevent Israel from taking military action that could plunge the region into another war. It dissects how the bin Laden raid worsened the dysfunctional relationship with Pakistan. And it traces how Obama's early idealism about fighting "a war of necessity" in Afghanistan quickly turned to fatigue and frustration.
One of the most trusted and acclaimed national security correspondents in the country, David Sanger of the "New York Times "takes readers deep inside the Obama adminis-tration's most perilous decisions: The president dispatch-es an emergency search team to the Gulf when the White House briefly fears the Taliban may have obtained the Bomb, but he rejects a plan in late 2011 to send in Special Forces to recover a stealth drone that went down in Iran. Obama overrules his advisers and takes the riskiest path in killing Osama bin Laden, and ignores their advice when he helps oust Hosni Mubarak from the presidency of Egypt.
"The surprise is his aggressiveness," a key ambassador who works closely with Obama reports.
Yet the president has also pivoted American foreign policy away from the attritional wars of the past decade, attempting to preserve America's influence with a lighter, defter touch--all while focusing on a new era of diplomacy in Asia and reconfiguring America's role during a time of economic turmoil and austerity.
As the world seeks to understand whether there is an Obama Doctrine, "Confront and Conceal "is a fascinating, unflinching account of these complex years, in which the president and his administration have found themselves struggling to stay ahead in a world where power is diffuse and America's ability to exert control grows ever more elusive."  (Publisher Description)