Monday, January 31, 2022
Alabama city to investigate policing for profit accusations against officers
…Officers have been cited in at least five federal lawsuits for manufacturing reasons for traffic stops, "making up laws", overcharging fines, using racist language and other misconduct allegations, AL.com said...
Georgia county purges Democrats from election board and cancels Sunday voting
…Across the US, Republican legislatures have introduced more than 200 bills aimed at reducing local control over elections and restrict voting access, according to the States United Democracy Center. All of it is aimed at ensuring that Republicans will have control over voting and elections rules, in support of Donald Trump's false claims of widespread voter fraud in 2020...
The Supreme Court’s Christian conservative revolution is upon us - Vox
…Roman Catholic Diocese was handed down just six months after the Court's contrary ruling in South Bay. And there's no plausible argument that the cases reached different outcomes because of material distinctions between the two cases. The only real difference between the two cases was that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg sat on the Court in May 2020, and Amy Coney Barrett held Ginsburg's seat by November. That was enough reason to convince this Court to abandon decades of precedent establishing that religious institutions typically have to follow the same laws as everyone else.
The Court's current majority, in other words, is itching for a fight over religion. And it holds little regard for established law. That means that a whole lot is likely to change, and very quickly…:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70449826/GettyImages_1235654113.0.jpg)
Second world war veteran twice denied absentee ballot under Texas voting law
"We know it's a new law, we're happy to correct [his registration]," said Holland. "He's a law-abiding citizen. He doesn't want to miss voting and yet there's no mechanism to add that driver's license to your record."
Trump Calls On Massive Protests If Prosecutors Go After Him And Offers Pardons To Jan. 6ers | HuffPost Latest News
Former President Donald Trump Saturday night called on his followers to stage massive protests in multiple cities should prosecutors act against him. He also said he would offer pardons to those charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol that he incited in a last-gasp attempt to remain in power...
School Vaccine Clinic Shut Down by Right-Wing Sabotage Campaign
A viral video shared by "Libs of TikTok" was part of a bid to spread fear about kids supposedly getting the vaccine under false pretenses...
Why Tucker Carlson’s special on Hungary and Soros matters - Vox
Fox Nation's "Hungary vs. Soros" is an appalling example of the mainstream right's embrace of views from the fringe...:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70446976/GettyImages_1332866573.0.jpg)
Farmers flourish under Biden, see recovery from Trump-era trade wars
"Well, certainly the difference between 2019 and 2021 is the differences in administrations," Montana Farmers Union President Walter Schweitzer said in an interview. "In 2019, our administration was at war with all of our customers." Under Biden, he said, the nation is "rebuilding our relationships with our customers."…
If You Know These Keyboard Shortcuts, You Won't Need a Mouse | WIRED
If you know the right tricks, you don't need to lift your fingers up from the keys.
Florida Sweep (feat. Robert J. DeNault) (Allison Gill; Mueller, She Wrote podcast)
This week: Russian state tv thinks of Tucker as a co-host; Russian meddling in Ukraine; Klyushin’s request to be released on bond is denied; plus Sabotage and the Fantasy Indictment League; an interview with Robert J. DeNault, and more. 
Interview:
Francesca Stavrakopoulou (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio podcast)
The Supreme Court has recently taken a number of troubling cases dealing with religion. FFRF's Legal Director Rebecca Markert joins us to talk about the Supreme Court oral arguments in a case about the city of Boston being forced to fly the Christian flag. Then we speak with atheist bible Professor Francesca Stavrakopoulou about her new book God: An Anatomy.
Interview:
It Was A Sprint (feat. Pete Strzok) (Allison Gill; Mueller, She Wrote podcast)
This week: AG talks with Pete Strzok about the Grimes/Barrak defense deal; the sprint to start Crossfire Hurricane, and more. Plus the Fantasy Indictment League.
Interview:
Sunday, January 30, 2022
How a new law ‘turbocharges’ difficulties of voting in Texas | PBS NewsHour
…In Texas, election workers are reporting that hundreds of applications for mail-in ballots are being rejected, one of the early effects of the state's new Republican-backed voting law.
It requires that voters provide either a partial Social Security number or a driver's license number on their ballot application. And that number has to match what's on their original voter registration. The problem is, most people don't remember what form of I.D. they initially provided, especially older voters who registered decades ago...
Remarkable photos of Black America 100 years ago - CBS News
Here's a look at what many facets of Black American life looked like roughly a century ago.
Cyber Ninjas CEO Refuses To Comply With Order To Turn Over Records From Arizona Audit | HuffPost Latest News
…Maricopa County Superior Court Judge John Hannah early this month found the Ninjas in contempt of a court order for failing to produce the audit records, and he imposed a $50,000-a-day fine until the company complied. Soon after, the Ninjas firm quickly shut down…
Arizona Republicans introduce election subversion bill
…The proposal does not require lawmakers to find evidence of fraud or lay out any factors they would have to consider in order to overturn an election...
American muckrakers: Peter Schweizer, James O’Keefe and a rightwing full court press
…Rebekah Mercer chairs the GAI board, a position previously held by Steve Bannon, whom Donald Trump pardoned of fraud charges but who is now under indictment for contempt of Congress. Mercer is also a founding investor in Parler, a rightwing alternative to Twitter and communications vehicle for Trump's faithful in the run-up to the 6 January insurrection.
The Mercers are mainstays of Breitbart News and once funded James O'Keefe's Project Veritas – of which, more later. Via Cambridge Analytica, the Mercers helped hijack Brexit. Not surprisingly, Nigel Farage counts the Mercers as allies…
Forgotten Founder (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio podcast)
Guests: Margaret Downey and Gary Berton. We talk about the need to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Breyer with a proponent of state/church separation. After hearing Dan Barker's tribute to Thomas Paine, "The World Is My Country," we talk with two Paine experts: Margaret Downey, president of the new Thomas Paine Memorial Association, and Gary Berton, president of the Thomas Paine National Historical Association, about the drive to erect a statue to the "forgotten founder" in Washington DC.
Interview:
Ron Reagan: Unabashed Atheist
Ron Reagan Jr. reflects on what’s changed since he first recorded an infamous ad for FFRF in 2014.
Learn more about the Freedom From Religion Foundation at ffrf.org.
Learn more about the Freedom From Religion Foundation at ffrf.org.
Interview:
Talk Heathen 06.04 with Katy Montgomerie and Kenneth Leonard
00:00:00 Intro
14:21 Nick-AZ | Greatest Contradiction Within The Bible
26:47 Alex-(AU) | A God Exists And Alex Can Prove It!
56:29 Gohan-TX | God Is The Basis Of Morality
1:22:30 Jeff-OH | Biblical Accuracy And The Human Condition
14:21 Nick-AZ | Greatest Contradiction Within The Bible
26:47 Alex-(AU) | A God Exists And Alex Can Prove It!
56:29 Gohan-TX | God Is The Basis Of Morality
1:22:30 Jeff-OH | Biblical Accuracy And The Human Condition
Interview:
The Atheist Experience 26.04 with Matt Dillahunty and Jim Barrows
00:00 Intro
03:34 Mr Warlight-AK | My Soul Argument
09:20 Mike-TX | More (-mon) Bad Cosmology
16:05 Jasmine-OR | Entropy and the Bible
28:18 Bruno-(BR) | Agnostic Word Salad
37:03 Earl-IL | Dreaming of God 2.0
41:19 Justin-NY | Picking Your Battles at Parties
47:37 Jonathan-AZ | I Smell a Theist Bear Trap!
55:40 Monsters-TX | Cogito Ergo… Pagan God?
1:00:30 Anon-TX | My Beliefs Aren’t True and IDGAF
1:12:49 Joe-MO | The God Verdict
1:20:32 AJ-DC | Coming out as Atheist
1:27:58 Paul-CA | It’s Like… Energy Dude
1:31:07 Tim-TX | My Illiterate Jesus
1:41:59 Outro
03:34 Mr Warlight-AK | My Soul Argument
09:20 Mike-TX | More (-mon) Bad Cosmology
16:05 Jasmine-OR | Entropy and the Bible
28:18 Bruno-(BR) | Agnostic Word Salad
37:03 Earl-IL | Dreaming of God 2.0
41:19 Justin-NY | Picking Your Battles at Parties
47:37 Jonathan-AZ | I Smell a Theist Bear Trap!
55:40 Monsters-TX | Cogito Ergo… Pagan God?
1:00:30 Anon-TX | My Beliefs Aren’t True and IDGAF
1:12:49 Joe-MO | The God Verdict
1:20:32 AJ-DC | Coming out as Atheist
1:27:58 Paul-CA | It’s Like… Energy Dude
1:31:07 Tim-TX | My Illiterate Jesus
1:41:59 Outro
Interview:
Hi, I'm an Atheist: Coming Out to Family and Friends (with author David G. McAfee)
Author and journalist David G. McAfee talks about his new book, which is helping guide atheists through their "coming out" to family, friends, and associates.
Interview:
The Reteyerment; At-Will Employees Forced to Stay? and Avenatti vs Stormy Daniels! (Opening Arguments podcast OA564)
Huge news day! BREYER WILL RETEYER! What a relief. Andrew takes us through that and the potential replacements. They’re all great! Then we’ve got, by immense popular demand, coverage of a story in which at-will employees were forced by a court to stay in their job. What happened? Was it reported correctly? Find out! Then finally, it’s Stormy Daniels vs scumbag Michael Avenatti in one of the many trials Avenatti is facing for his unethical behavior.
Interview:
Saturday, January 29, 2022
The News Roundup — Domestic (The 1A) 2022-01-28
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced plans to retire. Now, President Joe Biden has the chance to make his first nomination, indicating he will select a Black woman as his pick to send to the Senate for confirmation.
Omicron-fueled COVID infections have dropped in the northeast after cresting in mid-January. However, infections are surging in the Midwest.
The trial of the three officers involved in the murder of George Floyd begins this week. Prosecutors must prove that Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng had a responsibility to intervene as Derek Chauvin killed Floyd.
Interview:
Omicron-fueled COVID infections have dropped in the northeast after cresting in mid-January. However, infections are surging in the Midwest.
The trial of the three officers involved in the murder of George Floyd begins this week. Prosecutors must prove that Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng had a responsibility to intervene as Derek Chauvin killed Floyd.
Interview:
The News Roundup — International (The 1A) 2022-01-28
The world continues to watch the border between Russia and Ukraine. Countries in Western Europe are sending military aid and repositioning their defenses. President Joe Biden warned Russia than an invasion would change the nature of world diplomacy.
The military has assumed control in Burkina Faso in the latest coup in the country’s history. Now, 20 million people on the edge of the Sahara are waiting to see if the military will keep its promise to return the country to constitutional order within a “reasonable time.”
Boris Johnson’s political career may be in jeopardy following reports the U.K. prime minister threw a birthday party while his government imposed restrictions on indoor gatherings in the beginning of 2020.
Interview:
The military has assumed control in Burkina Faso in the latest coup in the country’s history. Now, 20 million people on the edge of the Sahara are waiting to see if the military will keep its promise to return the country to constitutional order within a “reasonable time.”
Boris Johnson’s political career may be in jeopardy following reports the U.K. prime minister threw a birthday party while his government imposed restrictions on indoor gatherings in the beginning of 2020.
Interview:
No, Kamala Harris Is Not Headed To The Supreme Court | Ron Johnson Gets Tough On America's Babies - YouTube
Fox News is way off the mark with their "credible" speculation that VP Harris will be President Biden's nominee for the Supreme Court, and Stephen has a song for Senator Ron Johnson who thinks society has no duty to take care of children.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FYdmRHeIc8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FYdmRHeIc8
Opinion | Pastor Tony Evans leads his flock toward danger with anti-vaccine rhetoric - The Washington Post
…This position — which assumes that God introduces an element of uncertainty into the conclusions of science to expose human arrogance — is intended to justify a reasonable middle ground of personal choice on vaccination. The problem? It is a theological absurdity based on a bald-faced deception in service to a dangerous ideology…
Dan Goldman: Evidence shows Trump was involved in conspiracy to overturn election
Former assistant U.S. attorney for SDNY Dan Goldman reacts to the subpoenas sent from the January 6th select committee to fake Trump electors across the country…
Here are the Black female judges being floated as Biden’s Supreme Court pick - The Washington Post
…Leondra Kruger, 45, is a California Supreme Court justice. At the U.S. Department of Justice, she served as deputy solicitor general, the federal government's second-ranking representative in arguments at the Supreme Court, before becoming one of the youngest people ever nominated to the high court in California, taking her seat in 2015…
The sex trafficking allegations against Matt Gaetz, explained - The Washington Post
…What we know: That Greenberg, Gaetz's Florida friend, has pleaded guilty to sex-trafficking charges of a minor (among a slew of other crimes) and he's now fully cooperating with investigators who seem focused on people beyond Greenberg. In fact, a number of allies around Gaetz seemed to have turned on him…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/27/sex-trafficking-allegations-matt-gaetz/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/27/sex-trafficking-allegations-matt-gaetz/
‘We are desperate for new people’: inside a hate group’s leaked online chats
…Rousseau requires Patriot Front members to distribute the group's stickers weekly, and upload photos to an internal channel as proof they've done an assignment. It also requires members to buy the stickers from him directly at a markup.
"If any of the prices seem above market rate it's because it also goes toward paying for our servers, our digital accounts and subscriptions, and the food I can afford to eat," wrote Rousseau. One member complained that their region was "single-handedly paying Thomas' rent" with the amount of stickers they were buying…
The GOP’s anti-vaccine mandate push is seeping into other vaccines — and schools - The Washington Post
"For months, we've written in this space about how the Republicans' pushback against coronavirus vaccine mandates could foment — and apparently has been fomenting — opposition to mandates of other vaccines, including for schoolchildren. It's inherent in their talking points: If vaccines should be a matter of "choice," why not those more long-standing vaccines, too? High-profile Republicans haven't generally addressed where they draw the line and why…"
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/25/gops-anti-vaccine-mandate-push-is-seeping-into-other-vaccines-schools/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/25/gops-anti-vaccine-mandate-push-is-seeping-into-other-vaccines-schools/
Johnson wrong on claim that COVID vaccines are killing athletes on the playing field - PolitiFact
…There is also the obvious problem with those cases, as they relate to supporting Johnson's claim, so far as that the two athletes are not, well, dead…
Opinion | It’s time to challenge the right wing’s radical schools agenda - The Washington Post
…A small group of parents should not be allowed to censor controversial books by tossing them out of school libraries. We don't need "snitch lines" that encourage parents to offer complaints aimed at intimidating teachers who dare to talk about race, racism and other topics displeasing to the ideologues…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/01/26/its-time-challenge-right-wings-radical-schools-agenda/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/01/26/its-time-challenge-right-wings-radical-schools-agenda/
U.S. economy grew 5.7 percent in 2021, fastest since 1984, despite ongoing pandemic - The Washington Post
…In a powerful rebound from 2020, when the economy contracted by 3.4 percent — its worst result since 1946 — 2021′s strong growth created a record 6.4 million jobs…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/01/27/gdp-2021-q4-economy/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/01/27/gdp-2021-q4-economy/
The removal of ‘Maus’ from a middle-school curriculum reflects an old debate, not a new one - The Washington Post
"It is intensely weird in a deeply American way to take an award-winning book about the mass murder of millions of people and fret over eight bad words and a naked mouse."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/27/maus-removal-old-debate/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/27/maus-removal-old-debate/
The simple numbers every government should use to fight anti-vaccine misinformation | Australia news | The Guardian
…So because the sheer number of vaccinated people is far larger than the number of unvaccinated people, the total number of "breakthrough" cases outnumbers the number of cases among unvaccinated people.
This also means that total number of severe outcomes is potentially going to be larger. However, when these numbers are put into context as proportions of the total number of people in the state, the protective effect of vaccines is obvious…
Why Clarence Thomas faces calls to recuse himself from affirmative action case
"Ginni Thomas's activities are unprecedented in supreme court history in terms of a spouse engaging in issues that are constantly before the court," said Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court, a non-partisan group which advocates supreme court reform. "The appearance of impropriety is in itself impropriety – all the supreme court has is the trust of the public, and once you chip away at that you are in trouble."
Fox News Abandons the GOP on Russia - The Atlantic
…Tucker Carlson's influence is felt across right-wing social media, where it is amplified by figures such as Steve Bannon, Mike Cernovich, Glenn Greenwald, and Mollie Hemingway. A highly visible coterie of socially conservative intellectuals also argues the case against helping Ukraine.
Meanwhile, day after day, Republican officeholders in the House and the Senate urge more support for Ukraine. That list includes not only traditionalists such as Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, but also many legislators who got close to former President Donald Trump, such as Senators Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz, and Lindsey Graham….
Republicans Are Trying to Suppress More Than Votes - The Atlantic
"They are trying to create a new generation of potential voters who have a warped view of this country's history and are not informed about present-day inequities," Nelson told me…
…"They are doing everything they can: It's voter suppression; it's control [of] the curriculum. It's all designed to keep the people currently in power in power longer, because they can see what's coming."…
The Supreme Court’s new death penalty order should make your skin crawl - Vox
The Court's new death penalty order is almost too cruel to be believed...:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70444650/872138722.0.jpg)
https://www.vox.com/22906309/supreme-court-death-penalty-alabama-intellectually-disabled-hamm-reeves
Analysis: Biden gets climate win with court loss on Gulf of Mexico oil leases | Reuters
A U.S. judge's surprise decision this week to annul the Biden administration's first Gulf of Mexico oil lease auction because of its climate change impact has raised questions about the future of the nation's federal drilling program – and played directly into the president's hand.../cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/SH6AR3YV3ZP7VOQA34H3FOWAL4.jpg)
Parosmia: Covid changed the foods I can eat - The Washington Post
…take it from me: You don't want to wake up one morning with your morning cup of coffee smelling like rotten milk.
Baker College Threatens Legal Action Against Former Teacher Who Talked to Reporters — ProPublica
Baker College, one of the largest private schools in Michigan, is threatening legal action against a former faculty member who spoke to ProPublica and the Detroit Free Press for an investigation published this month…
Ted Cruz Is Fundraising Off a Debunked 1/6 Conspiracy Theory – Mother Jones
"…Sticking with the scoundrel's method of just asking questions, he wrote potential donors, "What are they trying to hide now about the events of January 6, 2021? I'm working hard to expose the full truth and shine a light on whether there was any FBI involvement on that day… and the liberal media can't stand it!" Endeavoring to whip up paranoia, Cruz asserted that Democrats "want to twist the events of January 6" and create a "completely dishonest narrative" to "distract voters from the the Biden administration's failures and their Party's extreme-left agenda." Of course, he added that "their pals in the liberal media [are] all-in on the scam."…"
After threats against election workers, DOJ starts making arrests
Hundreds of election workers faced threats and menacing messages. The Justice Department is now starting to file criminal charges...
PolitiFact | Iowa GOP deceptively edits Abby Finkenauer's comments on Build Back Better
…The Republican Party's press release and Crompton's tweet eliminated the full context of Finkenauer's statement when it had the complete statement. Some truth exists when saying Finkenauer doesn't know what's in the bill but critical facts, such as the bill is in flux and Finkenauer has a wish list for it, are missing in the press release and tweet…
Microsoft, Activision, and Monopoly Law! (Opening Arguments podcast OA563)
There was huge news in the gaming industry as Microsoft announced a deal to acquire Activision! You may remember Activision from such episodes as OA513: California v. Activision Blizzard, Inc in which we covered some of the disgusting sexist behavior that has landed the company in hot water. How does that affect this acquisition? Well, you might be surprised! Listen in!
Interview:
Marc Elias & Ari Berman on the GOP’s Assault on Democracy. (Al Franken podcast)
From voter suppression to the capture of the electoral administration & certification.
Interview:
Interview:
Friday, January 28, 2022
No, America is not on the cusp of a civil war
As a matter of fact, respondents regularly troll researchers in polling and surveys – especially when they are asked whether or not they subscribe to absurd or fringe beliefs, such as birtherism (a conspiracy that held that Barack Obama was born outside of the US and was legally ineligible to serve as president of the United States)...
This story about National Guard doctors finding hospitals with no COVID patients is fake - PolitiFact
…On Jan. 27, the hospital's vice president and chief legal officer, Harry Kapralos, sent a cease-and-desist letter to Real Raw News, writing that claims including that the National Guard was assigned to the hospital were "false, defamatory, and misrepresentative of the truth." …
Rand Paul concocts a new FDA plot to 'punish' conservatives
…The Biden administration is not limiting conservatives' access to Covid protections; it's doing the opposite, making safe, free, and effective vaccines and boosters available to all Americans — regardless of ideology, party affiliation, or residency in "fly-over country."…
Opinion | Tucker Carlson’s support for Vladimir Putin against Ukraine gives Republicans what they deserve - The Washington Post
Tucker Carlson has created a thorny dilemma for Republicans running in 2022 primaries: How can they cast President Biden as "weak" on Ukraine when the nation's most-watched right-wing TV commentator is enforcing a new orthodoxy suggesting that the U.S. must not defend Ukraine against Russian aggression in any way, shape or form?…
'Modern-day lynching': Man found shot dead during trip with co-worker - ABC News
"They are trying to sweep this under the rug," Spencer's sister, Tehilah, wrote on a GoFundMe page. "We will not let them ... He was slaughtered and killed in what I consider an act of modern-day lynching!"
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals is breaking every rule in the book.
It's one thing for conservative judges to reach conservative outcomes. It's something else entirely for them to ignore the Supreme Court and standard court procedures in order to reach those outcomes. Yet in recent months, that's exactly what the radical U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit—which has jurisdiction over Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi—has been consistently doing...
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