Top U.S. & World Headlines — May 31, 2018

Interview:
https://youtu.be/C_6LFrjJknI

Trey Gowdy’s total rebuke of Trump’s ‘spying’ narrative — and the pattern it fits - The Washington Post: Analysis

Almost no Republicans are vouching for Trump. An increasing number are speaking out against him. And yet history shows the base will believe his baseless claim. ....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/05/30/trey-gowdys-total-rebuke-of-trumps-spying-narrative-and-the-pattern-it-fits/

Fox News' Shep Smith debunks Sean Hannity's pro-Trump conspiracy theories - YouTube

Sean Hannity runs with Trump's conspiracy theories -- the exact same conspiracy theories that Fox News anchor Shep Smith debunked hours earlier....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBn7ShmT6TI

Surviving Gay Conversion Therapy, with Tim Rymel (Tom Smith, Serious Inquiries Only podcast SIO140)

Time Rymel grew up under the incredibly dogmatic and restrictive religion of Pentecostalism. At a young age, Tim realized he just wasn’t attracted to women like he was “supposed” to be. But, his intense belief system didn’t allow for that sort of thing, so Tim felt compelled to pursue gay conversion therapy. After he was “cured,” he married a woman and became a leader in “ex-gay” ministry. Eventually, though, things began to unravel…
Interview:
https://seriouspod.com/sio140-surviving-gay-conversion-therapy-with-tim-rymel-2/

Atheist Experience 21.18 with Matt Dillahunty and Don Baker

The Atheist Experience episode 21.18 for May 7, 2017, with Matt Dillahunty and Don Baker. Explaining Too Much. Don describes how, by explaining everything, the concept of God explains nothing at all.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/zIVNjU1IDO0

Trump wants you to see these children as animals—but they're as precious as your own - Daily Kos

It's tempting to believe that no one has ever loved their child like you love yours. But now we have policy being set by someone who likely believes that he invented loving one's children because for him, it was the first time he'd ever loved anyone but himself. ....
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/1767891

Trump’s Plan for Political Survival: Blame Obama for Everything - The Daily Beast

The last two presidents haven't spoken since inauguration as the attacks from 45 on 44 move from the vicious to the absurd. ....
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-plan-for-political-survival-blame-obama-for-everything

A Better 10 Commandments w James Miller (The Phil Ferguson Show #261)

Interview with auther James Miller. His new book is A better Ten Commandments. We discuss his ideas on making a far better list of ideas to make your life better.
Interview:
https://www.spreaker.com/user/8084919/261-ZkYb1a

Glenn Greenwald: Why Did ABC Ignore Roseanne Barr’s Hateful Tweets Again...

On Tuesday ABC canceled its hit show “Roseanne”, after its star, Roseanne Barr, fired off a series of racist comments on Twitter. In one tweet, Roseanne wrote, “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.” It was a reference to Valerie Jarrett, longtime adviser to President Obama, who’s African-American. Roseanne also accused billionaire George Soros, who’s Jewish, of being a Nazi collaborator and attacked Chelsea Clinton. The decision to cancel Roseanne was made by Channing Dungey, the first African-American president of a major TV network. The reboot of the hit 1980s sitcom Roseanne last year drew huge audiences and praise from President Trump, who once called Roseanne Barr to congratulate her on the show’s success. We speak with Glenn Greenwald in Rio de Janeiro....
Interview:
https://youtu.be/2P1M2mAE350

Who's going to apologize to the FBI? - CNN

Josh Campbell says that in light of Rep. Trey Gowdy's remarks, the White House and Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee owe the FBI an apology for wrongly accusing it of illegally spying on the Trump campaign ....
https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/30/opinions/fbi-is-owed-an-apology-for-false-spy-claim-campbell/index.html

On Fox News, of all places, Trump’s ‘spy’ claim is debunked by Trey Gowdy and even Judge Napolitano - The Washington Post

President Trump has made it clear that he likes what he hears on Fox News. The network often covers the president favorably, bringing on conservative commentators who push the president’s agenda and, at times, explore far-right conspiracy theories. But in an unusual shift Tuesday, three voices on Fox News pushed back against the president’s most recent conspiracy theory.....

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/05/30/on-fox-news-rep-trey-gowdy-and-andrew-napolitano-dismantle-trumps-spygate-theories/

Trey Gowdy: FBI’s Use of Informant for Trump Campaign Was Appropriate - The Daily Beast

The South Carolina Republican joins top Democrats in disputing President Trump's misleading characterization of the informant's activities. ...
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trey-gowdy-fbis-use-of-informant-for-trump-campaign-was-appropriate

A televangelist wants his followers to pay for a $54 million private jet. It’s his fourth plane - The Washington Post

Duplantis is the latest aircraft-seeking preacher to draw raised eyebrows and outright condemnation from critics who say a multimillion-dollar luxury jet is not what Jesus meant when he said "store up for yourself treasures in heaven." ....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/05/29/a-televangelist-wants-his-followers-to-pay-for-a-54-million-private-jet-its-his-fourth-plane/

How far back do the threads of the investigation into Trump and Russia actually go? - The Washington Post: Analysis

The claims made by Team Trump don't match what's known. ....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/05/29/how-far-back-do-the-threads-of-the-investigation-into-trump-and-russia-actually-go/

The U.S. lost track of 1,475 immigrant children last year. Here’s why people are outraged now -The Washington Post

What you need to know about a story that has snowballed into a fever pitch of #WhereAreTheChildren tweets — and pushback from HHS and, now, President Trump. ....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/05/27/the-u-s-lost-track-of-1500-immigrant-children-last-year-heres-why-people-are-outraged-now/

Whoopi Goldberg rebukes Roseanne for sharing 'horrific' manipulated image of Trump - The Hill

Barr shared a photoshopped picture that depicted "The View" co-host wearing a shirt with a graphic image of Trump. ....
http://thehill.com/homenews/media/389899-whoopi-goldberg-blasts-roseanne-for-sharing-fake-image-of-her-wearing-shirt

Fact check: Dems to blame for separating immigrant families? - CNN Politics

CNN's Jake Tapper, in partnership with FactCheck.org, looks at President Trump's claim that Democratic legislation has caused immigrant families to be separated. ....
https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/05/25/immigrant-families-separated-border-fact-check-tapper-orig.cnn/video/playlists/u-s-immigration/

Emails show collaboration among EPA and climate-change deniers - PBS NewsHour

Newly released emails show senior Environmental Protection Agency officials collaborating with a conservative group that dismisses climate change to rally like-minded people for public hearings on science and global warming. ....
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/emails-show-collaboration-among-epa-and-climate-change-deniers

Gas prices are up 31% from last Memorial Day. Here's why - CNN Money

Get ready for sticker shock at the gas station if you're one of the estimated 41.5 million Americans hitting the roads this Memorial Day weekend. ....
http://money.cnn.com/2018/05/25/news/economy/gas-prices-memorial-day-summer/index.html

These U.S. Workers Are Being Paid Like It’s the 1980s - Bloomberg

Thanks to a web of loopholes and limits, the federal government has been green-lighting hourly pay of just $7.25 for some construction workers laboring on taxpayer-funded projects, despite decades-old laws that promise them the "prevailing wage."
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-25/these-u-s-workers-are-being-paid-like-it-s-the-1980s

Trump's ban on global abortion funding has led to more abortions - CNN

Health worker Elizabeth Wanjiru was walking through the narrow streets of Kenya's largest slum earlier this year when she came across two schoolboys pointing at something in a muddy ditch. As she drew closer she saw it was the remains of an aborted fetus. Dumped elsewhere in Kibera, the fetus had washed up in a narrow alleyway after a night of rainfall. It's something Wanjiru hasn't seen for years....

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/24/health/trump-mexico-city-policy-abortion-ban-kenya-asequals-intl/index.html

Sterling Brown Arrest Fallout: 3 Officers Are Suspended - The New York Times

Body camera footage of the arrest of Mr. Brown, an N.B.A. rookie, showed an officer using a stun gun to subdue him while he was already on the ground. ....
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/25/us/sterling-brown-video-milwaukee-police.html

Meet Richard Painter, the anti-Trump former Republican who is running for Senate as a Democrat - The Washington Post: Analysis

If there's a bipartisan never-Trump constituency out there, Painter is trying to find it. ....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/05/25/meet-richard-painter-the-anti-trump-former-republican-running-for-senate-as-a-democrat/

Chicken safety fear as chlorine washing fails bacteria tests - the guardian

The chlorine washing of food, the controversial "cleaning" technique used by many US poultry producers who want access to the British market post-Brexit, does not remove contaminants, a new study has found. ....
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/26/chicken-health-fear-chlorine-washing-fails-bacteria-tests-brexit-salmonella-listeria

Twitter Bots May Have Delivered Donald Trump's Victory, Research Paper Says -- HuffPost

Twitter bots could have swayed the presidential election enough to account for Donald Trump’s margin of victory, according to new research....
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/twitter-bots-may-have-delivered-donald-trumps-victory-research-finds_us_5b07a231e4b0568a8809c66a

Trump Goes Full Alex Jones as “Spygate” Falls Apart - Vanity Fair

Republicans have gone silent after getting a secret briefing on the "informant" in the Trump campaign. Democrats say they were shown "no evidence" for the allegations at all. ....
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/05/donald-trump-russia-investigation-fbi-informant

Sally Yates: Trump's DOJ pressure is 'a step beyond dangerous' - CNN Politics

Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates is alarmed by President Donald Trump's call for the Department of Justice to investigate whether it or the FBI spied on his presidential campaign for political reasons. ....
https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/25/politics/sally-yates-axe-files/index.html

Trump issues orders making it easier to fire federal employees - POLITICO

The orders will standardize agency rules to make it easier and quicker to remove poorly performing employees. ....
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/25/trump-federal-employees-unions-civil-servants-609167

Treatment and rhetoric about undocumented children put the Trump administration in a new category on hard-line immigration policy - The Washington Post: Analysis |

Trump's comments about unaccompanied minors are increasingly raising concerns. ....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/05/25/treatment-and-rhetoric-about-undocumented-children-put-the-trump-administration-in-a-new-category-on-hard-line-immigration-policy/

Hosted by Putin, Leaders of France, Japan Castigate Trump - The New York Times

Vladimir Putin hosted leaders of France and Japan in his native city, where they showed unity in their criticism of President Trump's recent moves.....
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/25/world/europe/putin-france-japan-trump.html

GOP Congressman: It Should Be Legal to Deny Housing to Gays - New York Magazine

Dana Rohrabacher suggests that Christians have a right to know that the people buying their house will never engage in sexual activity they dislike. ....
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/05/gop-congressman-dana-rohrabacher-housing-discrimination-against-gays-is-fine.html

No amount of capitulation will ever satisfy Trump - The Washington Post: Opinion

Here's the thing about the president: He's interested only in self-preservation. ....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-blurry-line-between-appeasing-and-deflecting-trump/2018/05/25/a301c23c-6049-11e8-9ee3-49d6d4814c4c_story.html

Trump accuses Mueller of ruining 'young and beautiful' lives of his campaign staffers - Daily Kos

A reminder that peak ridiculous is a moving target. ....
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/1767422

Skeptics' Guide to the Universe (SGU) podcast #671

• What's the Word: Consanguineous
• News Items: Yanny or Laurel, Google Duplex, Falcon-9 Launches, Coffee a Carcinogen, Alien 
• Octopuses Science or Fiction

Interview: 

https://www.theskepticsguide.org/podcast/sgu/671

Dead People Explain The Consequences of Atheism

Christine Pavlina from the channel "The Absolute" attempts to explain the consequences of atheism....
https://youtu.be/6__Efq4SKhM

‘No relief in sight’: Hundreds of Virginia inmates languish in solitary confinement for years, groups find - The Washington Post: Perspective

An ACLU report and inmates' letters counter the state's claim that it is a national model. ....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/no-relief-in-sight-hundreds-of-virginia-inmates-languish-in-solitary-confinement-for-years-groups-find/2018/05/22/0524ff56-5e01-11e8-a4a4-c070ef53f315_story.html

Top U.S. & World Headlines — May 29, 2018

Interview:
https://youtu.be/8JzuN13Z8js

Hundreds of migrant children are being separated from parents — and US officials can't keep track - CNBC

Federal officials were unable to find 1,475 migrant children who had been placed in foster homes in 2017. ....
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/25/us-officials-losing-track-of-separated-migrant-children.html

Indiana middle school on lockdown after gunfire erupts, injuring two - NBC News

The shooting in Noblesville, Indiana, happened a week after the Santa Fe High School massacre. ....
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/indiana-middle-school-lockdown-after-gunfire-erupts-n877476

F.B.I.’s Urgent Request: Reboot Your Router to Stop Russia-Linked Malware - The New York Times

Hundreds of thousands of home and office routers have been infected by the malware, which was created by the same group that hacked the Democratic National Committee. ....
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/27/technology/router-fbi-reboot-malware.html

Trump falsely accuses the New York Times of making up a source. It was an official who briefed reporters - The Washington Post

The senior White House official cited by the Times spoke to dozens of reporters Thursday at the White House and on a conference call to brief them on Trump's decision earlier that day to cancel his summit scheduled for June 12 in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. ...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-falsely-accuses-the-new-york-times-of-making-up-a-source-it-was-an-official-who-briefed-reporters/2018/05/26/2d055a60-612c-11e8-8c93-8cf33c21da8d_story.html

The Trump effect: New study connects white American intolerance and support for authoritarianism - NBC News

The research suggests that when intolerant white people fear democracy may benefit marginalized people, they abandon their commitment to democracy. ....
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/trump-effect-new-study-connects-white-american-intolerance-support-authoritarianism-ncna877886

The biggest stories you missed over Memorial Day weekend -- The Washington Post

Here's what you need to catch up on from the holiday weekend.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/05/28/the-biggest-stories-you-missed-over-memorial-day-weekend/

The intent behind Giuliani’s Watergate comparisons -- The Washington Post: Opinion

What Trump and his team would like for us to refer to as Spygate is not Watergate. It is nothing like it.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2018/05/28/the-intent-behind-giulianis-watergate-comparisons/

Ivanka Trump won China trademarks days before her father's reversal on ZTE - the guardian

Watchdog group says the timing of the approvals "raises significant questions about corruption'... Ivanka Trump's fashion and homewares business received initial approval from the Chinese government for five trademark applications days before her father announced a U-turn in policy on ZTE, a Chinese telecoms firm that has admitted breaking US sanctions on Iran and North Korea. Related: Ivanka Trump photo with son sparks backlash over border separations...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/28/ivanka-trump-won-china-trademarks-donald-trump-zte-reversal

The Trump administration’s immigration policies are impossibly cruel. That’s the whole point. -- The Washington Post: Opinion

Don't think they'll be swayed by appeals to compassion.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2018/05/28/the-trump-administrations-immigration-policies-are-impossibly-cruel-thats-the-whole-point/

Did the Trump Administration Separate Immigrant Children From Parents and Lose Them? -- The New York Times

Federal officials have lost track of nearly 1,500 children, but those children arrived at the border alone.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/28/us/trump-immigrant-children-lost.html

Trump's mass deportation agenda means a huge payday for private prison profiteers -- Daily Kos

Nearly 75 percent of the 300,000 immigrants who are arrested and thrown into detention by federal immigration authorities every year are held in privately run prisons. There is money for private-prison profiteers in the incarceration of black and brown bodies, and under the mass deportation policies of the Trump administration, they will make even more: In the week following the 2016 election, stock prices for the country's two biggest prison companies rose by around a third, largely on the ...
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/1767106

Is Michael Avenatti Fit to Practice Law in New York? (Opening Arguments podcast OA174)

It’s time for another Rapid Response Friday, which means we get to break down Michael Avenatti’s response to the opposition to his motion to appear pro hac vice in the Southern District of New York — amongst many, many other issues!

We begin, however, with a brief Andrew Lived Through The 1980s segment (formerly: Andrew Was Wrong), that segues into an update on the Panmunjom Declaration discussed in Episode 173.

After that, it’s time to go yodeling, where we break down Paul Manafort’s other criminal trial, Michael Avenatti’s ethical responsibilities regarding SARs, Donald Trump’s financial disclosures, and (sadly) much, much more.

Finally, we end with an all new Thomas Takes The Bar Exam #76 regarding the admissibility of witness testimony. If you’d like to play along with our new Patreon perk, just retweet our episode on Twitter or share it on Facebook along with your guess. We’ll release the answer on next Tuesday’s episode along with our favorite entry!
Interview:
https://openargs.com/oa174-is-michael-avenatti-fit-to-practice-law-in-new-york/

“The Trump Investigation” (Pod Save America podcast)

Trump hits a bump in the road on his way to the Nobel Peace Prize, Republicans try their hardest to make 2018 about immigrant gang members, and 700 Trump investigation stories break in one day. Then Jason Kander joins Jon and Dan to talk about the midterms and the new season of Majority 54, and Inimai Chettiar of the Brennan Center for Justice talks about the prison reform bill moving through Congress.
Interview:
https://crooked.com/podcast/the-trump-investigation/

Santorum: Hyperbole to say missing migrant kids are lost

During a CNN panel debate on reports that nearly 1,500 children of migrants were separated from their parents, former Sen. Rick Santorum said calling the children lost is hyperbole meant to create an issue where there isn't one other than the bureaucracy isn't working well.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/NszFw0wA5j4

North Korea and Gaza (Pod Save the World podcast)

Tommy talks with Washington Post reporter Anne Gearan about the on again, off again North Korea summit, the situation in Gaza and the Trump administration’s response, and Rex Tillerson’s harsh criticism of President Trump.
Interview:
https://crooked.com/podcast/north-korea-gaza/

Earthbound (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio)

Sarah Haider, co-founder of Ex Muslims of North America (exmna.org) will receive FFRF's "Freethought Heroine" award at our convention in San Francisco in November. She talks to us about the irony that while the number of Ex-Muslims is growing rapidly in the United States, the challenges of leaving Islam are becoming more dangerous. Then we interview international lawyer, chess promoter, and private investment fund manager Richard A. Conn, Jr., about his new book: Earthbound Parent: How (and Why) to Raise Your Little Angels Without Religion.
Interview:
https://ffrf.libsyn.com/earthbound

Are Republicans abetting a demagogue — or something worse? -- The Washington Post: Opinion

The president's enablers are hurting the country in sad and lasting ways.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/is-donald-trump-an-instinctual-demagogue-or-an-instinctual-authoritarian/2018/05/24/cc62c342-5f8b-11e8-9ee3-49d6d4814c4c_story.html

Why Your Health Insurer Doesn’t Care About Your Big Bills -- ProPublica

Patients may think their insurers are fighting on their behalf for the best prices. But saving patients money is often not their top priority. Just ask Michael Frank...
https://www.propublica.org/article/why-your-health-insurer-does-not-care-about-your-big-bills

Trump wanted to cancel North Korea summit before Kim Jong Un could

The president was caught between Pompeo and Bolton, say multiple officials...
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/inside-summit-collapse-trump-wanted-cancel-n-korean-leader-could-n877291

Trump's Misleading L.A. Story - FactCheck.org

President Donald Trump claimed that federal immigration officials asked the Los Angeles Police Department in January to detain an "illegal immigrant," but the police "let him go, and he killed somebody." That's not how it happened. The murder occurred last summer — before federal immigration officials say they issued a detainer request — so it did not happen after police released him, as Trump implied. Los Angeles has a history of being what Trump refers to as a "sanctuary city." In 2012, Los...
https://www.factcheck.org/2018/05/trumps-misleading-l-a-story/

Best of Alex Rosenberg Amazing Arguments And Clever Comebacks Part 2

Interview:
https://youtu.be/3a2_GN5rtDM

James Comey: Trump’s "Spygate" Claims Are Made Up - CONAN on TBS

CONAN Highlight: "I don’t find it possible and I know it not to be true." - James Comey responds to President Trump's "spygate" tweets.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/nUDe99ZUft8

Woman Makes Racist Face At Asian-American Serviceman: 'This Is Not Your F**ing Country' -- HuffPost

Video shows the woman making a slant-eye gesture and yelling “Chinese ugly” at the Korean-American reservist.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/woman-pulls-eyes-back-to-korean-american-serviceman-this-is-my-fking-country_us_5b06edcde4b05f0fc845fff9

RWW News: Dave Daubenmire Says The Deep State Will Carry Out False Flag Shootings To Target Trump

https://youtu.be/hChx1JHvOis

Introducing the Sean Hannity Extended Universe - YouTube

Interview:
https://youtu.be/Ijr2Jpf3GPY

Things conservatives blame for mass school shootings instead of guns - YouTube

Interview:
https://youtu.be/BSvnItN-TPk

Newly Released Bodycam Video Shows Police Violently Arresting NBA Player Sterling Brown -- BuzzFeed News

The Bucks guard plans to file a civil rights lawsuit after police used a Taser on him over a parking violation...
https://www.buzzfeed.com/talalansari/newly-released-bodycam-video-shows-police-violently

Families of Sandy Hook victims file defamation suit against right-wing radio host -- ABC News

Six families of victims killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting, as well as an FBI agent who responded to the scene, filed a defamation lawsuit on Wednesday against radio personality Alex Jones, who has repeatedly called the shooting fake.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/families-sandy-hook-victims-fbi-agent-file-defamation/story

In an internal memo, the White House considered whether to simply ‘ignore’ federal climate research - The Washington Post

Even as Trump’s deputies have worked methodically to uproot policies aimed at curbing the nation’s carbon output, the administration’s agencies continue to produce reports showing that climate change is happening, is human-driven and is a threat to the United States.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/05/23/in-an-internal-memo-the-white-house-considered-whether-to-simply-ignore-federal-climate-research/

Christian leaders call out the heresy of Trumpism - The Washington Post: Opinion

A declaration from 23 prominent Christians doesn't mention the president by name — but it calls 'America First' a 'theological heresy.' ....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/christian-leaders-call-out-the-heresy-of-trumpism/2018/05/23/00f026c2-5eb5-11e8-9ee3-49d6d4814c4c_story.html