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

Fear Keeping Women Silent When Reporting Sexual Harassment By Male Co-Workers

Victims of sexual abuse speak in Newport Beach, Calif., […]

Katie Rucke
作者 Katie Rucke
Victims of sexual abuse speak in Newport Beach, Calif., Monday, Oct. 8, 2007. (AP Photo/Mark Avery)

(MintPress) – In 1991, when female law professor Anita Hill testified at the confirmation hearing of then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas that she had been sexually harassed by him, she was largely criticized. Some senators and Thomas supporters even went so far as to question her truthfulness and mental health. After the hearing Thomas went

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Anti-Prohibitionists Push To Block Marijuana Legalization Initiatives

Marijuana plants are seen in Chicago where officers say […]

Katie Rucke
作者 Katie Rucke
Marijuana plants are seen in Chicago where officers say they discovered two football fields worth of pot plants growing on the city's South Side Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford)

(MintPress) – On Oct. 1, a law legalizing medicinal use of marijuana went into effect in Connecticut, allowing patients suffering from debilitating diseases in the state to qualify for a medical marijuana registration certificate. While the passage of the law was highly controversial, legalizing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes has been

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Growers: The Surprising Opponents of Marijuana Legalization

This image provided by the Bay Area News Group shows cl […]

Katie Rucke
作者 Katie Rucke
This image provided by the Bay Area News Group shows cloned marijuana plants that are for sale at Harborside Health Center on Thursday, July 12, 2012 in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Aric Crabb, Bay Area News Group)

(MintPress) – It’s no surprise legalization of marijuana has received support from about 56 percent of Americans. Despite being a prohibited substance in the U.S. for 75 years, nearly 29 million Americans use it annually, resulting in marijuana becoming the third most popular recreational drug behind alcohol and tobacco. Various states have

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Should The Federal Government Invest In Arts Education?

Fifth grade students draw self portraits during a Studi […]

Katie Rucke
作者 Katie Rucke
Fifth grade students draw self portraits during a Studio in a School class, Feb. 4, 2004. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

(MintPress) – In a time when our nation is politically and economically divided, the value of funding arts in education has become a hot-button issue. Many Republicans are ready to induce major cuts, especially in the form of federal funding for the arts, in order to balance the budget. Yet many Americans, such as those involved in nonpartisan

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What You Tweet Can Be Used Against You

A photo illustration shows the icon of the Twitter app […]

Katie Rucke
作者 Katie Rucke
A photo illustration shows the icon of the Twitter app on a smartphone. (Photo Timur Emek/file)

(MintPress) — Twenty-one-year-old Charlotte, N.C. resident Donte Jamar Sims had no idea the Secret Service was reading his tweets until he was arrested last week and charged in a felony criminal complaint for posts such as, “Well Ima Assassinate president Obama this evening ! ... Gotta get this monkey off my chest while he's in town -_-”. Known

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Economic Downturn Influences Motor City’s Creative Movement

Detroit’s skyline is shown in this Dec. 2000, pho […]

Katie Rucke
作者 Katie Rucke
Detroit's skyline is shown in this Dec. 2000, photo. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

(MintPress) — As Detroit’s economy began to plummet in the early 2000s, its reputation for gutted and dangerous neighborhoods trumped the major accomplishments the industrial city had once been recognized for. Largely discouraged by the 18.2 percent unemployment rate that plagued the city at the height of the economic crisis, 25 percent of

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Brutal Tactics By St. Paul Police Department Continue

A police officer raises his weapon during a protest at […]

Katie Rucke
作者 Katie Rucke
A police officer raises his weapon during a protest at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008. (AP Photo/Kathryn Grim)

(MintPress) — Around 6 p.m. Wednesday evening, 30-year-old St. Paul, Minn. resident Eric Ronnell Hightower was on his way to a nearby park with his friend, when he says a St. Paul police officer approached him and fired a chemical irritant in his eyes. “He never asked me, ‘What's my name?’ He never asked me for my ID or nothing,” said Hightower

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