Wednesday, June 30, 2021
Opinion | Even the Squad is more pro-police than these Republicans - The Washington Post
… Democrats ought to be saying, as Biden aide Cedric Richmond did on "Fox News Sunday," "Republicans are very good at staying on talking points of who says defund the police, but the truth is, they defunded the police." Unlike GOP leadership, the numbers don't lie.
Opinion | The truth about many in the GOP base: They prefer authoritarianism to democracy - The Washington Post
"The evangelical worldview in America has historically been built on a set of hierarchies that have been defended as divinely ordained — Christian over non-Christian, Protestant over Catholic, white over non-white, men over women. In its strongest forms, this worldview is fundamentally anti-democratic and theocratic." In what sounds like a perfect alignment with political authoritarianism, "It demands deference particularly to white male charismatic leaders (even when they themselves violate communal norms) and builds identity through a politics of aggression to a shifting array of perceived out groups," Jones observes...
Opinion | The Right Goes All In on Ignorance - The New York Times
… The U.S. military has traditionally leaned Republican, but the modern officer corps is highly educated, open-minded and, dare I say it, even a bit intellectual — because those are attributes that help win wars. Unfortunately, they are also attributes the modern G.O.P. finds intolerable…https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/28/opinion/tucker-carlson-general-milley-republicans.html
Killings of Massachusetts state trooper and Air Force veteran being investigated as hate crimes - The Washington Post
…In March, FBI Director Christopher A. Wray acknowledged a rising tide of domestic terrorism and called it a "top concern."…
‘Where you live determines everything’: why segregation is growing in the US
… Many of these policies were not designed to oppress. They're a byproduct of self-interest. When we get in the car and drive, our goal is not to release C02 – that's the effect – our goal is to get somewhere. Racial inequality is a byproduct of self-interested behavior among the most powerful. The wealthy are channeled into the top zip codes, and the people who run those municipalities may be progressive politically, and pro-Black Lives Matter, but they want to protect their investment, and they will enact policies that minimize tax base outlays and maximize property values.
Gravitational waves from star-eating black holes detected on Earth
Spacetime-altering shock waves came from massive neutron stars crashing into black holes millions of years ago…
Trump contempt for White House Covid taskforce revealed in new book
Amid chaos at the White House as the coronavirus pandemic worsened, Donald Trump took to referring derisively to the Covid taskforce chaired by his vice-president as "that fucking council that Mike has"...
America’s evangelical church is being torn apart by culture wars
…The other side, the side that lost last week, wants to be more political, more explicitly aligned with the Trump-era Republican party, and aggressively prosecute the culture wars. They are motivated, I believe, by an inordinate fear of being out of step with the Republican party's brand of white identity politics – and its de facto leader, Trump. They believe white Christian America is embattled and surrounded by a hostile secular-liberal culture. Their only chance of survival, they believe, is to stay aligned with the Republican party against a radical left that threatens the Christian faith's very existence in America and whose ideologies are seeping into the SBC, as Mike Stone charges. As he said as he geared up for his run at the SBC presidency: "Our Lord isn't woke."…
Trump supporter warns CNN reporter of 'civil war' if former president not reinstated 'soon' | TheHill
… "He's coming back soon, and you guys are going down," a Trump supporter in Wellington identified as Ron told O'Sullivan, sparking laughter from others in his group. "The military already knows it was a fraud. He won by over 80 percent." …
Tuesday, June 29, 2021
PrayerMAX 5000™ Commercial
Finally, Prayer Amplification Technology™ can be yours -- either at home or on the go.
https://youtu.be/ZVUfLJVSdjg
https://youtu.be/ZVUfLJVSdjg
Health Care Sharing Ministries: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
Health Care Sharing Ministries, or HCSMs, advertise themselves as a more affordable, faith-based alternative to health insurance. But John Oliver explains some of the massive limitations these plans can have.
https://youtu.be/oFetFqrVBNc
https://youtu.be/oFetFqrVBNc
Republicans can win the next elections through gerrymandering alone | David Daley | The Guardian
…They won't need to embrace policies favored by a majority of Americans. All they need to do is rework maps to their favor in states where they hold complete control of the decennial redistricting that follows the census – some of which they have held since they gerrymandered them 10 years ago. Now they can double down on the undeserved majorities that they have seized and dominate another decade.
Opinion | Republicans have given away the game - The Washington Post
… McConnell is effectively saying Republicans will agree to an infrastructure bill only on the condition that Democrats don't move forward on the rest of the agenda they were elected on.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/06/28/republicans-have-given-away-game/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/06/28/republicans-have-given-away-game/
‘Republicans are defunding the police’: Fox News anchor stumps congressman
"… but you and every other Republican voted against this $350bn."…
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/jun/28/chris-wallace-republicans-defunding-the-police-fox-news-congressman-jim-banks
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/jun/28/chris-wallace-republicans-defunding-the-police-fox-news-congressman-jim-banks
Missouri's New Gun Law Divides Police : NPR
"Missouri is in the middle of a gun violence crisis," says Tara Bennett, state legislative lead for the Missouri chapter of Moms Demand Action. "Instead of acting, the state leaders are punishing local law enforcement for doing their jobs."
Revealed: neo-Confederate group includes military officers and politicians
Leaked data shows other high-profile members have overlapping membership in more explicitly racist or violent groups…
McConnell tries to derail Democratic infrastructure strategy - POLITICO
… If McConnell were to pull his caucus back from the infrastructure bill, Democrats could conceivably roll everything together into one big package and pass it via reconciliation without a single GOP vote. But that's not Biden's preference, nor is it the preference of GOP senators who hammered out the deal...
Pelosi may include Republican on Jan. 6 select committee | TheHill
… The advantage for Pelosi to include a Republican among her picks would be to ensure that someone like Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) or Liz Cheney(R-Wyo.) would have a voice in the investigation and could lend some bipartisan credence to the panel...
'The Birds Aren't Real' movement says federal government replaced all birds with surveillance drones | TheHill
"What makes me think that? I think the evidence is all around us, birds sit on power lines, we believe they're charging on power lines, we believe that bird poop on cars is liquid tracking apparatus," Peter Mcindoe, the leader of the movement, told a local news outlet on Friday.
New Michael Wolff book reports Trump’s confusion during Capitol attack | Michael Wolff | The Guardian
…In a further exchange, Trump reportedly asked Meadows: "How bad is this? This looks terrible. This is really bad. Who are these people? These aren't our people, these idiots with these outfits. They look like Democrats."
Opinion | The cold truth about Republicans’ hot air over critical race theory - The Washington Post
… It's a cynical ploy. But a party willing to pretend — even now — that Donald Trump might somehow have won an election he lost clearly embraces cynicism as its core identity...
Investigations of the Trump Organization (Allison Gill, MSW Volume 2 - Episode 8)
This week: AG digs into the Manhattan DA & NY AG investigations into the Trump Organization and its members including Matthew Calamari and Matthew Calamari Jr.; the Manhattan DA informs Trump’s lawyers that they are considering criminal charges against Trump Org.; Giuliani’s license to practice law in NY gets suspended; DoJ announces a lawsuit against Georgia over its voter suppression laws; white nationalist, sniveling coward, authoritarian parrot, and chatterbox Tucker Carlson used his show to perpetuate Kremlin propaganda; more; plus the Fantasy indictment League picks.
Interview:
'Forget The Alamo' Author Says We Have The Texas Origin Story All Wrong (Dave Davies; Fresh Air)
"Slavery was the undeniable linchpin of all of this," author Bryan Burrough says. "It was the thing that the two sides had been arguing about and shooting about for going on 15 years. And yet it still surprises me that slavery went unexamined for so long."...
Interview:
Monday, June 28, 2021
Newsmax Host Dick Morris Claims Critical Race Theory Will Cause Kids to ‘Marry Their Mother’
… The Dick Morris Democracy host then went on to falsely insist that CRT is "based on the fundamental proposition that all white people are racist" and is akin to "original sin."…
https://www.thedailybeast.com/newsmax-host-dick-morris-claims-critical-race-theory-will-cause-kids-to-marry-their-mother
https://www.thedailybeast.com/newsmax-host-dick-morris-claims-critical-race-theory-will-cause-kids-to-marry-their-mother
Terrance Franklin Killing by Minneapolis Cops Under Scrutiny | Time
… "This was a straight-up execution," says Michael Padden, the attorney for the Franklin family, which in 2014 filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis based on the recording…
EPA watchdog says Trump appointees kept fired employees on payroll - POLITICO
The improper payments were directed by former chief of staff Ryan Jackson and carried out by former White House liaison Charles Munoz...
They Seemed Like Democratic Activists. They Were Secretly Conservative Spies. - The New York Times
Operatives infiltrated progressive groups across the West to try to manipulate politics and reshape the national electoral map. They targeted moderate Republicans, too — anyone seen as threats to hard-line conservatives…
Erik Prince linked to long-running undercover scheme to infiltrate Democratic party organizations - Raw Story - Celebrating 17 Years of Independent Journalism
… recruited a motley crew of home-grown American operatives from the conservative group Project Veritas and elsewhere to lead an initiative to infiltrate state-level Democratic party organizations and campaigns, according to a new report...
Jim Acosta hilariously previews Trump's MAGA rally: 'A clown car full of lies' - Raw Story - Celebrating 17 Years of Independent Journalism
… "What is so threatening about Trumpism, it's not just about the big lies. It's about pitting one set of Americans against another over the election, over a critical race theory, or whatever the next unserious outrage theory comes out of Fox News or Mar-a-Lago. If we stop fighting each other and start embracing the truth, these guys over here, they're going to run out of things to talk about," Acosta said. "And maybe even run out of money too too. But, hey, they could run off and join the circus — I hear they're hiring clowns."
Pro-Trump Republicans determined to oust GOP incumbents who supported impeachment - ABC News
…the former president looms large over their 2022 reelection campaigns, inspiring a slew of primary challengers determined to oust the Republicans who turned on the president…
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/pro-trump-republicans-determined-oust-gop-incumbents-supported/story
Three decades of global warming have yielded a more volatile, dangerous planet - Axios
…The climate change the planet has seen so far, now that the world has warmed by about 1.2°C (2.16°F) since the preindustrial era, is already resulting in unprecedented and destructive events worldwide...
Terrible Supreme Court Rulings; Machin's New Conditions (Opening Arguments podcast OA500B)
It's bonus OA!!! Andrew takes us through whatever the hell Manchin is trying to do with Republicans, then breaks down two Supreme Court rulings for us. Spoiler: they're terrible.
Interview:
Interview:
George Packer on How It Got So Bad in America & How it Could Get Slightly Better (June 27, 2021) - YouTube
Packer dissects the 4 Americas: The Rich Right-Wing Bastards, The Smug Liberal Elites, The Pissed-Off Not-so-Bright Tea Partiers, and The Woke Social Justice Police
There Are More Than Two Human Sexes
In high school biology, we learn that humans are born with either XX or XY chromosomes, and that a person’s internal and external sex organs match those chromosomes. It turns out, however, that sex isn’t that straightforward.
https://youtu.be/kT0HJkr1jj4
https://youtu.be/kT0HJkr1jj4
Wallace has contentious interview with GOP lawmaker: Aren't you the ones defunding the police? | TheHill
"But you and every other Republican voted against this $350 billion."
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/560432-wallace-has-contentious-interview-with-gop-lawmaker-arent-you-the-ones
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/560432-wallace-has-contentious-interview-with-gop-lawmaker-arent-you-the-ones
Republicans back on board after Biden's infrastructure clean-up - POLITICO
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) also indicated he would join his party's work on a bigger, separate bill...
Catholic Bishops Take on Joe Biden Over Abortion - The Atlantic
… If Biden's Catholic practice demands a response from the bishops' conference that Barr's did not, then the incoherence the bishops must address is their own...
Bill Barr on Trump's election fraud claims: "It was all bullsh*t" - The Atlantic
"You know, Mr. President, there are 662 precincts in Wayne County," Barr said. Trump seemed taken aback that he knew the exact number. "It's the only county with all the boxes going to a central place, and you actually did better there this time around than you did last time. You keep on saying that the Department of Justice is not looking at this stuff, and we are looking at it in a responsible way. But your people keep on shoveling this shit out."
How Michael Flynn Profited From QAnon Conspiracy Theory
… Flynn articulated his vision of leveraging digital media to mount a political insurgency at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., on Veteran's Day weekend five years ago...
Opinion | The Catholic Bishops’ anti-Biden project is backfiring - The Washington Post
…That this is even an issue shows how the viruses of the political right have infected the U.S. Church leadership. It stands almost alone in the Catholic world in its singular focus on abortion, as Jason Horowitz reported in the New York Times. He noted that in "much of Europe and Latin America, it is essentially unthinkable for bishops to deny communion to politicians who publicly support abortion rights."…
Lagging global rankings portend America's post-COVID challenge - Axios
"How are those millions of Americans going to compete in a globalized economy?"
https://www.axios.com/america-global-competition-rankings-514759e5-d926-42ce-a828-3b47674e271b.html
https://www.axios.com/america-global-competition-rankings-514759e5-d926-42ce-a828-3b47674e271b.html
The 36 QAnon Supporters Running for Congress in 2022
Experts told Insider that this shows how QAnon has evolved into a major political force…
https://www.businessinsider.com/the-36-qanon-supporters-running-congress-in-the-2022-midterms-2021-6
Opinion | Who’s afraid of critical race theory? Not the students in my classes. - The Washington Post
… My students, on the other hand, have forged ahead without letting fear derail their honesty about the racism they witness. And as they tell their truths, they lose nothing for it. In fact, they benefit from their openness. They gain the ability to empathize, to see others' pain — and they develop a vision of justice based on its ability to bring peace instead of hate and violence...
Opinion | The Bishops Are Wrong About Biden — and Abortion - The New York Times
…No one told "Matthew" or "Mark" or "Luke" or "John" or Paul, or any other New Testament author, that he should condemn this sin of all sins. Nor did any author of the Old Testament raise this alarm, with the result that we do not have Moses or Jesus on record as opposing abortion. Nor did any of the major definitive creeds…
How The Pentagon Papers Changed Public Perception Of The War In Vietnam (Terry Gross; Fresh Air)
Fifty years ago, Daniel Ellsberg leaked classified information about U.S. policy in Vietnam to the press. We listen back to archival interviews with Ellsberg and Ben Bradlee of The Washington Post.
Interview:
Sunday, June 27, 2021
Uncovering Who Is Driving The Fight Against Critical Race Theory In Schools (Terry Gross; Fresh Air)
An NBC News analysis finds at least 165 local and national groups are trying to disrupt or block lessons on race and gender. NBC reporter Tyler Kingkade explores who is waging this fight, and why.
Interview:
“Religion and Reproductive Rights” (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio podcast)
We cover state/church news at the federal and state levels and talk about a new global study showing (unsurprisingly) that Christians are not happier than atheists. After hearing the song "Adrift On A Star," words by freethinking lyricist Yip Harburg and music by Dan Barker, we talk with FFRF's Reproductive Rights intern Barbara Alvarez about the growing threats to abortion rights from religiously motivated legislators.
Interview:
Monumental Lies (Reveal podcast)
The murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis Police officer last year sparked a wave of social justice protests, including ones targeting monuments that celebrate segregationists, slave-owners, conquistadors and Confederate leaders. Since then, about 160 monuments have come down, but roughly 2,000 remain standing.
We teamed up with Type Investigations to visit dozens of Confederate monuments and found that for devoted followers, they inspire a disturbing – and distorted – view of history: Confederate generals as heroes. Slaves who were happy to work for them. That twisted history is also shared with schoolchildren on class trips. And you won’t believe who’s funding these sites to keep them running.
Then, reporter Stan Alcorn follows the story of New Mexico’s great monument controversy. In 1998, the state was set to celebrate its cuarto centenario: the 400th anniversary of the state’s colonization by the Spanish. But a dramatic act of vandalism would turn the making of a monument in Albuquerque into a fight over history the city didn’t expect.
Interview:
We teamed up with Type Investigations to visit dozens of Confederate monuments and found that for devoted followers, they inspire a disturbing – and distorted – view of history: Confederate generals as heroes. Slaves who were happy to work for them. That twisted history is also shared with schoolchildren on class trips. And you won’t believe who’s funding these sites to keep them running.
Then, reporter Stan Alcorn follows the story of New Mexico’s great monument controversy. In 1998, the state was set to celebrate its cuarto centenario: the 400th anniversary of the state’s colonization by the Spanish. But a dramatic act of vandalism would turn the making of a monument in Albuquerque into a fight over history the city didn’t expect.
Interview:
Michael Harriot: Senior Writer for TheRoot.com, the Nation’s Largest Black Online Newspaper (The Al Franken podcast)
Is America Racist? Hmm...
Privacy Policy and California Privacy Notice.
Interview:
Why Critical Race Theory is Indispensable (Opening Arguments podcast OA502)
This is a continuation of Episode 501's exploration of a rather arcane bit of legal jurisprudence that has somehow become the target du jour of the right wing, from Matt Gaetz to Newsmax to... well, Matt Gaetz again. That's right, it's an explanation of what critical race theory actually is, and whether it should be banned. (Hint: no)
In this episode, you'll learn more about the definitely NOT Marxist postmodern critique of language and legal textbooks, including an in-depth discussion of a case you probably have never heard of -- Johnson & Graham's Lessee v. M'Intosh, 21 U.S. 543 (1823). And if you have heard of the case, then a) you're probably a lawyer or law student, and b) you should thank a critical legal studies theorist!
We'll also get in depth with two of the founders of the CRT movement, Mari Matsuda and Kimberle Crenshaw. Learn what their unique contributions to legal scholarship were and are, and decide for yourself whether this is too dangerous for grad students to even read.
Finally, we'll delve back into the one-man astroturf unit that is Christopher F. Rufo and learn how he's deliberately misleading everyone about what CRT is in order to stoke a moral panic. This is an episode you don't want to miss & might want to share even with your Uncle Frank!
Finally, we do an Andrew Was Wrong on Arrow's Theorem as math professors rise up and storm our studio.
Interview:
In this episode, you'll learn more about the definitely NOT Marxist postmodern critique of language and legal textbooks, including an in-depth discussion of a case you probably have never heard of -- Johnson & Graham's Lessee v. M'Intosh, 21 U.S. 543 (1823). And if you have heard of the case, then a) you're probably a lawyer or law student, and b) you should thank a critical legal studies theorist!
We'll also get in depth with two of the founders of the CRT movement, Mari Matsuda and Kimberle Crenshaw. Learn what their unique contributions to legal scholarship were and are, and decide for yourself whether this is too dangerous for grad students to even read.
Finally, we'll delve back into the one-man astroturf unit that is Christopher F. Rufo and learn how he's deliberately misleading everyone about what CRT is in order to stoke a moral panic. This is an episode you don't want to miss & might want to share even with your Uncle Frank!
Finally, we do an Andrew Was Wrong on Arrow's Theorem as math professors rise up and storm our studio.
Interview:
Talk Heathen 05.23 with Rudy Bee and Lloyd Evans
SHOW TIME-STAMPS
00:00 Intro
05:41 Ashley-CO | Approaching Someone Undergoing JW Indoctrination
14:54 John-CA | Take Credit For Your Own Victories
30:57 Paul-(UK) | Who Wrote The Gospels?
47:22 Joshua-(PT) | Straw Manning Atheism
59:06 Jim-(CA) | Questioning Unexplained "Signs" After Praying
1:13:15 Jessie-NY | Gravitational Pull Of Fundamentalist Religions
1:20:37 Laura-(UK) | What Are The Jehovah's Witnesses
1:24:46 Richard-(UK) | What Makes A Religion A Cult?
Interview:
00:00 Intro
05:41 Ashley-CO | Approaching Someone Undergoing JW Indoctrination
14:54 John-CA | Take Credit For Your Own Victories
30:57 Paul-(UK) | Who Wrote The Gospels?
47:22 Joshua-(PT) | Straw Manning Atheism
59:06 Jim-(CA) | Questioning Unexplained "Signs" After Praying
1:13:15 Jessie-NY | Gravitational Pull Of Fundamentalist Religions
1:20:37 Laura-(UK) | What Are The Jehovah's Witnesses
1:24:46 Richard-(UK) | What Makes A Religion A Cult?
Interview:
The Atheist Experience 25.23 with Dave Warnock and Kenneth Leonard
SHOW TIME-STAMPS
00:00 Intro and Announcements
05:23 Kameron-MD | Finding Purpose Without God
17:14 Joe-VA | Bad Moral Arguments From Atheists
34:47 Richard-NV | Evolution Is Wrong, Therefore God
44:21 Ahmed-(EG) | Allah Is Evident
58:17 David-CA | Jesus Seems Omniscient
1:11:41 Jeff-CA | Atheists Don't Solve Social Issues
1:19:48 Kenny-OK | Extraordinary Evidence
1:31:38 Peter-TX | What Are Our Goals?
1:42:07 Outro
00:00 Intro and Announcements
05:23 Kameron-MD | Finding Purpose Without God
17:14 Joe-VA | Bad Moral Arguments From Atheists
34:47 Richard-NV | Evolution Is Wrong, Therefore God
44:21 Ahmed-(EG) | Allah Is Evident
58:17 David-CA | Jesus Seems Omniscient
1:11:41 Jeff-CA | Atheists Don't Solve Social Issues
1:19:48 Kenny-OK | Extraordinary Evidence
1:31:38 Peter-TX | What Are Our Goals?
1:42:07 Outro
Interview:
Saturday, June 26, 2021
The News Roundup — Domestic (The 1A) 2021-06-25
President Joe Biden has unveiled a strategy to combat a spike in violent crime. His administration has ok’d the hiring of more police officers across the country using coronavirus relief funding. The move may be in response to his critics on the right who have branded him as soft on crime.
A report commissioned by the Michigan GOP on the results of the 2020 election found no evidence of fraud.
From CNN:
Interview:
A report commissioned by the Michigan GOP on the results of the 2020 election found no evidence of fraud.
From CNN:
“There is no evidence presented at this time to prove either significant acts of fraud or that an organized, wide-scale effort to commit fraudulent activity was perpetrated in order to subvert the will of Michigan voters,” the Michigan Senate Oversight Committee said in a report released Wednesday.The Biden administration has indicated that the nation will miss its July 4 partial vaccination goal. The president announced in past months that he wanted at least 70 percent of the American population to have received at least one shot of the vaccination.
Interview:
The News Roundup — International (The 1A) 2021-06-25
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, are visiting the White House Friday to discuss the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country.
The country’s former President, Hamid Karzai, said in an interview that the U.S. failed in Afghanistan and that NATO’s withdrawal from the region left behind a disaster.
Computer virus software company founder John McAffee was found dead in a Spanish prison just as his extradition to the United States was approved. He was charged with tax evasion last year.
U.S. authorities have seized a range of Iran’s state-linked news website domains. Officials say the sites are spreading disinformation.
Interview:
The country’s former President, Hamid Karzai, said in an interview that the U.S. failed in Afghanistan and that NATO’s withdrawal from the region left behind a disaster.
Computer virus software company founder John McAffee was found dead in a Spanish prison just as his extradition to the United States was approved. He was charged with tax evasion last year.
U.S. authorities have seized a range of Iran’s state-linked news website domains. Officials say the sites are spreading disinformation.
Interview:
Trump aides prepared Insurrection Act order to be used against Black Lives Matter activists: report - Raw Story - Celebrating 17 Years of Independent Journalism
…he wanted thousands of active-duty troops on the streets of the nation's capital, one of the officials said."…
Critical Legal Studies and Critical Race Theory (Opening Arguments podcast OA501)
If you've heard the buzz about Critical Race Theory lately, you... probably have absolutely no idea what it actually is because the people who have already passed laws in several states banning it don't even know. But if you've heard an informed person talk about it, you may have heard that it has its roots in the law. Well then, what better place to give you a deep dive than on a law show! So what is Critical Legal Studies? How did it pave the way for Critical Race Theory? OA is on the case.
Interview:
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