Katie Rucke

Katie Rucke is a MintPress staff writer and investigative report specializing in the war on drugs, criminal justice, marijuana legislation, education and watchdog investigations as well as whistle-blowers. Her investigations related to the coverage of the 2010 Toyota recall scandal, and coverage of the trials of Anonymous hacker and proclaimed activist Jeremy Hammond as well as Bradley Manning have received international acclaim. Rucke has been recommended by the Wikileaks organization as a trusted journalist in 2013. Rucke has also written pieces for Yahoo! and various community magazines. Follow Katie on Twitter: @katierucke

PANDA, Fighting The NDAA One City At A Time

Inspired by a YouTube video, a 20 year old built a movement against the National Defense Authorization Act that allows the government to indefinitely detain anyone, even American citizens.

Katie Rucke
Par Katie Rucke

In his dorm room in Bowling Green, Ohio, in 2011, Dan Johnson watched a YouTube video comparing the rise and fall of the Third Reich in Nazi Germany to what was happening in the political realm in the United States at the time. The video specifically detailed a piece of legislation known as the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act. The video

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“Call Flooding” For Police Reform

With change most likely to come on the heels of public demand so strong that it can’t be ignored, the public is encouraged to flood police departments with calls to end police brutality.

Katie Rucke
Par Katie Rucke

Since the advent of social media, the public’s relationship with law enforcement has evolved into one in which the public can instantly call out abusive policing techniques and incidents in the hope that unlawful and inappropriate behavior can be stopped once and for all. It may not be glaringly obvious, but the use of social media channels such

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Growing Support For March Against Monsanto

People around the world will take to the streets on Saturday to protest GMOs and “Big Agriculture” in the March Against Monsanto.

Katie Rucke
Par Katie Rucke

Millions of people around the globe will participate in local demonstrations on May 24, 2014, to call for a permanent end to the use of genetically modified organisms and other harmful agrochemicals used by “Big Agriculture” companies such as Monsanto. Dubbed the March Against Monsanto, the protests will be held in more than 400 cities in more

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Who Can Afford College In America?

The rising cost of higher education is putting a degree out of reach for low-income and middle-class Americans, and it may even be proving too costly for the wealthy elite.

Katie Rucke
Par Katie Rucke
college

Many higher education institutions were forced to make dramatic cuts to their programs and exponentially raise tuition in the wake of the 2008 recession. These actions were meant to make up for losses in funding, but they have also made it more difficult for low-income and middle-class Americans to obtain a college degree. According to a report

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Fate Of Anti-NSA Law In Hands Of Calif. Senate

“This act yanks away the welcome mat and tells the NSA, ‘We don’t want you in California unless you follow the Constitution,’” one supporter says.

Katie Rucke
Par Katie Rucke
NSA

The California State Legislature has revisited a bill introduced earlier this year that would make it nearly impossible for the National Security Agency to conduct its Big Brother-esque surveillance operations in the state, since the federal government has failed to offer Americans such protection. SB-828 -- also known as the Fourth Amendment

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A Battle Against The Feds Rages Out West

For those in the American West seeking to wrestle states’ rights out the hands of the government, one man says, “This isn’t political; this isn’t economic. This is just who we are.”

Katie Rucke
Par Katie Rucke
Range Showdown

Inspired by Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy’s push back against the federal government, a local public official in southern Utah led a protest over the weekend against the Bureau of Land Management’s decision to close the 12-mile Recapture Canyon trails to motor vehicles in 2007, after it was discovered an illegal 7-mile trail had been created in the

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Minn. Closer To Stopping “Policing For Profit”

Starting in August, police in Minnesota will no longer be able to seize property from people suspected of — but not charged with — criminal involvement.

Katie Rucke
Par Katie Rucke

Starting Aug. 1, new legislation goes into effect in Minnesota that will stop law enforcement from seizing a person’s property -- including cash, stocks, real estate, vehicles, guns, cars and homes -- if that person is only suspected of being involved with wrongdoing or crime. Under the bipartisan supported legislation, Minnesota will soon

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