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

An Elephant Never Forgets: Video Highlights Dangers Of Traumatized Elephants

An animal rights group releases video footage of trainers abusing circus elephants, calling the public’s attention to the traumatic lives of these traveling pachyderms.

Katie Rucke
بواسطة Katie Rucke
JordanWorldCircus-ElephantInPaddock

Almost two months after Virginia Rep. Jim Moran, co-chair of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, introduced the latest Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act, which would bar exotic, non-domestic animals from touring with circuses in the United States, new video footage obtained by Animal Defenders International illustrates once again the

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Congress Pushes Feds To Expand Researchers’ Access To Marijuana

Congress asks the head of Health and Human Services to do away with an additional review process required only for those hoping to study marijuana’s medicinal effects.

Katie Rucke
بواسطة Katie Rucke
Marijuana Testing Labs

Thirty members of Congress signed a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell on Tuesday, asking that she make the process of obtaining federally-grown marijuana for medicinal research less burdensome for U.S. scientists. “Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia have passed laws allowing for

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Report Show Police Using Asset Seizure To Bolster Budgets

Law enforcement can seize property if they suspect it has been involved in a crime. Slowly, though, the ease with which this can be done is changing.

Katie Rucke
بواسطة Katie Rucke
Confiscated cash on display as New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly speaks to reporters during a news conference at New York City Police Department. (AP/Mary Altaffer)

The rights afforded to people by the U.S. Constitution do not extend to their property. This means that when a law enforcement official suspects that someone’s property -- including his or her car, money, home or gun -- was involved in a crime, the official can seize that property and keep it. When this happens, there’s next to nothing that

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Federal Court Set To Evaluate Force-Feeding At Guantánamo

By showing the court videos of their client being force-fed, lawyers hope to finally put an end to the force-feeding practices at Guantánamo.

Katie Rucke
بواسطة Katie Rucke

For the first time ever, lawyers for a Guantánamo Bay detainee who has been on a hunger strike since April 2013 met with U.S. federal judges on Wednesday to discuss the force-feeding practices at the prison and ask that they be stopped once and for all. By showing video footage of force-feeding sessions at the facility, lawyers for Abu Wa'el

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PotBotics: Tailor-Made Medical Marijuana Treatment

By identifying what effects different medical marijuana strains have on a particular patient and his symptoms, one biotech company could revolutionize the industry.

Katie Rucke
بواسطة Katie Rucke
potbotics

Medical professionals in 22 states and Washington, D.C., can now legally recommend that a patient use marijuana to help treat symptoms and side effects they suffer from as a result of a severe or debilitating medical condition. But since marijuana continues to be classified as a Schedule I drug on the federal level -- meaning the drug has no

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Can Someone Be Too Smart To Be A Cop?

Ever called a police officer “stupid” or questioned whether he or she was actually using their brain? If so, you wouldn’t be alone, and you might not even be wrong.

Katie Rucke
بواسطة Katie Rucke
NATO SUMMIT DEMONSTRATION IN CHICAGO

It turns out that those who have cursed at a police officer for apparently not using his or her brain or said an officer was being “stupid” may not be as far off the mark as the American public might hope. Although it’s not widely known, federal courts have ruled since 2000 that police departments can legally opt to not hire someone simply

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Judge Unseals Video Of Denver Prison Guards Abusing Inmate

An inmate beaten by other inmates and at least one guard describes systemic corruption at a Denver jail — allegations a federal judge asks U.S. Attorneys to investigate.

Katie Rucke
بواسطة Katie Rucke
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Recently released surveillance footage and documents from the Denver County Jail support one inmate’s claims that widespread brutality, corruption and witness intimidation are occurring inside the walls of the jail -- among the guards. Video footage from the Denver County Jail, which was released publicly for the first time on Thursday, shows

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