Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Biden campaign ad highlights Obamacare in appeal to independent voters : Shots - Health News : NPR
"Folks, he's coming for your health care, and we're not going to let it happen," Biden says of Trump in a television and digital ad out this month, part of a $14 million investment in the handful of states expected to decide the presidency in November...
‘A history that’s been suppressed’: the Black cowboy story is 200 years old
A century later, the invisibility of Black men and women who settled the west from the late 1860s to the 1890s is seen as part of the post-civil war backlash against Black economic and political gains. "Racism reached its zenith in the early 20th century in the US, so the things Black people have done have been swept under the rug," says Art T Burton, a western historian...
Election officials in battleground Michigan grapple with sweeping voting changes and a presidential election | CNN Politics
This year, voting will be far easier for Michigan residents – thanks to new laws that establish early voting, automatically send out absentee ballots to voters who requested them and mandate that every community has least one drop box in which to return those ballots…
South Dakota, Texas Block Local Universal Basic Income Laws - Bloomberg
Research has complicated those critiques: After a year of receiving $500 a month, participants in a pilot guaranteed income program in Stockton, California, saw greater increases to their full-time employment rates than members of a control group who weren't receiving the regular payments.
Research also shows people use the cash for essentials like rent and food; participating in pilots has also been shown to improve some people's physical and mental health. The expanded Child Tax Credit — an example of the kind of far-reaching, unrestricted cash transfer advocates would like to see applied nationally — helped lift an estimated 3 to 3.5 million children out of poverty in each of its first three months in 2021…
Trump’s radical promise to the NRA raises the stakes in 2024
If elected, Donald Trump doesn't simply intend to do nothing to address gun violence; he intends to do less than nothing by undoing existing safeguards...
Trump Backers Drowned Out by Hecklers as They Proclaim Support - The New York Times
A contingent of supporters of the former president came to speak across from the courthouse, but they were inaudible…
Meteorologist slams DeSantis move to scrub climate change from Florida law - The Washington Post
"As Florida is on fire, underwater and unaffordable, our state government is rolling back climate change legislation and language," MacLaughlin wrote on X — the prelude to a passionate minute-long video explaining why he felt the measure was unwise...
A Texas think tank is pushing states to ban homeless camping : NPR
"Getting people into that stable, accessible, affordable home first, allows them to address any other issues, whether it's mental illness or addiction or other challenges," Yentel says.
Opponents of Cicero's approach also cite the expense.
The fiscal cost of a law will often be listed as zero, "but nothing could be further from the truth," says Eric Tars, senior policy director at the National Homelessness Law Center. "Studies have shown it actually costs two to three times more to keep people churning through the jail system, through law enforcement, the courts, all of that, than it does to simply provide housing," he says...
House Dems outraise House GOP with record April fundraising month | The Hill
"With only six months to go before Election Day, House Democrats are ensuring we have the resources to take back the majority, make Hakeem Jeffries Speaker, put an end to the chaos, and get the government back to work for families," Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), the chair of the DCCC, said in a release…
Federal judge in Texas blocks Biden rule expanding gun background checks | The Hill
A federal judge in Texas on Sunday blocked a Biden administration rule that expanded the requirements for background checks when selling a firearm…
The problem(s) with Sen. J.D. Vance’s praise for Hungary’s Orbán
The New York Times' Jamelle Bouie added that Orbán's Hungary "is corrupt, repressive and authoritarian, a place where democracy is little more than window dressing."
It was against this backdrop that Republicans and their allies in the United States started characterizing Orbán as an ally and a champion of conservative values. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, for example, has publicly touted Orbán's approach to governing. After Tucker Carlson cozied up to the Hungarian leader, New York magazine's Jon Chait noted that the host "is laying down a marker in the highest profile way he can that Orbán's iron fist is the future the Republican Party should want."…
Trump pulls desperate reversal in moment of PANIC
Marc Elias discusses Trump's desperate pivot to advocating for vote by mail.
Pope Francis on "60 Minutes": Key takeaways
The pope noted during the interview via a Spanish translator that the adjective "conservative" in such instances was "one who clings to something and does not want to see beyond that."
He added: "It is a suicidal attitude. Because one thing is to take tradition into account, to consider situations from the past, but quite another is to be closed up inside a dogmatic box."…
The Office of Special Counsel Is Updating Rules for White House Officials - POLITICO
"…I am announcing that prior OSC statements that White House officials cannot face Hatch Act enforcement in the same way other federal civilian employees do are no longer in effect. It is time to close the Hatch Act's escape hatch.
OSC enforcement of the Hatch Act also is being updated in two other ways. First, we will no longer automatically rule out bringing actions against former government employees. As the MSPB has advised: an "employee's post-violation resignation does not eliminate the case or controversy between the employee and the Special Counsel concerning whether the employee violated the Hatch Act and, if so, what penalty is warranted."…
What would Trump have done if January 6 riots had been led by Black Americans?
The US president Joe Biden asks at civil rights event: 'what do you think he would have done … if Black Americans had stormed the Capitol?'
Hidden Confessions of the Mormon Church (Reveal podcast)
Audio recordings obtained by The Associated Press provide an unprecedented look at the methods the Mormon church uses to keep child sexual abuse cases secret.
Interview:
Monday, May 20, 2024
Latest inflation figures are good news – even if they give a lot of people heartburn
The U.S. economy is slowing, but not crashing. In the dismal science, this is what counts as good news…
Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ ubiquitous in Great Lakes basin, study finds
The study did not address what the levels mean for human health and exposure, but fish consumption advisories are in place across the region, and many cities have contaminated drinking water...
Poultry plant could be closed for 30 days for allegedly hiring minors
At least two children have already been killed while working in Mar-Jac Poultry plants in the US south over the last year…
How ‘apocalypse’ became a secular as well as religious idea
Many American Christians today feel that the day of God's judgment is just around the corner. In a December 2022 Pew Research Center Survey, 39% of those polled believed they were "living in the end times," while 10% said that Jesus will "definitely" or "probably" return in their lifetime.
Yet for some believers, the Christian apocalypse is not viewed entirely negatively. Rather, it is a moment that will elevate the righteous and cleanse the world of sinners.
To reduce Black-on-Black crime, two criminal justice experts explain why offering monthly stipends to people at risk makes sense
This grave reality does not mean Black people are inherently violent. Instead, it largely reflects their disproportionate experience of systemic barriers such as poverty and limited access to quality education, good jobs and affordable housing – all factors that research shows contribute to neighborhood violence...
‘Scary’: public-school textbooks the latest target as US book bans intensify
The board of trustees for the Cypress Fairbanks independent school district in Houston voted 6-1 earlier this month to redact certain chapters in science textbooks, including those about vaccines, human growth, diversity, and climate change...
Why We Care (The Cross Examiner podcast S02E13)
Topics in this episode include: 
- Moms for Liberty (aka “Klanned Karenhood”) quote Hitler and disrupt moment of silence in memory of Holocaust victims.
- Missionary rapes his daughter, but does the story go deeper?
- Tommy Tuberville approves of White Nationalists in the military and says they aren’t racist, there just “American.”
- Josh Hawley lies about the Christian founding of the U.S., then doubles down on the lie.
- Public school to teach bible class?
- Trump followers say Trump should take his political opponents to the “train station.”
- Trump says that, if re-elected, he will ban “Christian haters” from entering the U.S.
- The Titan sub.
- There’s a magical fishing wire around Manhattan that lets Jews ignore scripture.
Cannon’s Canon (Andrew McCabe and Allison Gill; Jack: A Special Counsel podcast, Episode #77)
- Judge Aileen Cannon is successfully bogging down the Mar-a-Lago proceedings. It seems undeniable that she is biased towards Trump. At least that’s what Trump supporters have thought all along.
- Justice Sam Alito tries to throw his wife under the bus for flying an upside-down American flag in front of their house.
Interview:
Sunday, May 19, 2024
The News Roundup – Domestic and International (The 1A) 2024-05-17
Domestic
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump agreed on terms this week to face off in two televised debates before the general election this November. Neither will involve the Commission on Presidential Debates, the organization responsible for scheduling and administrating these showdowns for the last 40 years or so.Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was left “speechless” this week after a coalition of airlines banded together to sue his department over new rules concerning junk fees and making it easier for customers to receive refunds.
Interview:
International
As Russia continues to make gains in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has canceled all his trips abroad. U.S. Secretary of state Antony Blinken traveled to Kyiv and has promised additional aid to Zelenskyy’s troops.As paramilitary forces surrounded the Sudanese town of El Fasher, civil groups are warning that millions of people trapped in the city could be in danger. Dozens have been killed in fighting last weekend.
Qatar’s prime minister expressed concern over the state of peace talks between Israel and Hamas, saying that they were almost at a standstill.
Interview:
The Bishops, the Billionaires, and the Catholic Far-Right (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
Brad speaks with Mary Jo McConahay, who tells the story of how the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have become one of the most formidable and reactionary forces in America — by campaigning to alter democratic institutions under the guise of religious liberty, and allying with major right-wing contributors such as the Kochs.
But as McConahay details, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In an investigation reminiscent of Jane Mayer’s Dark Money, she uncovers an ominous and long-term political strategy of attacking secular, liberal democracy by waging war on democratic norms and institutions.
Playing God was chosen by the New Yorker as one of the books helping to make sense of the current political moment.
Interview:
Weekly Roundup: Toxic Masculinity Outside a Courtroom and at a Commencement Speech (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
Brad and Dan take on a series of stories related to hypermasculinity, politics, and religion. They begin with the commencement speech by Harrison Butker, the NFL player who sparked controversy with his rad-trad commencement speech. From there the hosts move to the Trump sycophants visiting his trial each week – breaking down why they are all dressing like Trump and what this says about the toxic masculinity operative on the American Right. They finish with a brief discussion of Texas Governor Greg Abbot’s pardon of a man who ran over protesters and shot a person at point blank range.
Interview:
Trump-linked dark-money group spent $90m on racist and transphobic ads in 2022, records show
Citizen for Sanity's spending has continued into this election cycle, with more recent ads focusing intensely on "anti-white" racism. One ad from last year plays on racist fears of white Americans being disadvantaged by diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) metrics, falsely claiming that "leftwing politicians think skin color and gender identity should determine who gets the job". Another ad declares that equity is "leftwing code for whites and Asians not welcome". The group asserts that "Democrats used to care about the middle class, now they just care about your race and your gender." Other ads have targeted Democrats in competitive races, such as Senator Sherrod Brown in Ohio…
FINALLY: Court hands down ruling we've been waiting for
Marc Elias discusses the court ruling in the long-awaited Arizona case over throwing out the election manual.
Harrison Butker’s Commencement Address and other news about rightwing religion (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podast #531)
— Harrison Butker‘s commencement address was a disgrace to Catholics everywhere. (1:55)
— Texas megachurch caught manipulating traffic data to get new stoplight. (26:10)
— A statue of disgraced evangelist Billy Graham got unveiled in the U.S. Capitol. (39:31)
— MN lawmaker: Public schools engage in “censorship” by not teaching Creationism. (45:55)
— Christian college fires professor for challenging right-wing talking points. (56:08)
— A Louisiana school gave kids a biblical advice book comparing sex to slavery. (1:16:28)
Interview:
— Texas megachurch caught manipulating traffic data to get new stoplight. (26:10)
— A statue of disgraced evangelist Billy Graham got unveiled in the U.S. Capitol. (39:31)
— MN lawmaker: Public schools engage in “censorship” by not teaching Creationism. (45:55)
— Christian college fires professor for challenging right-wing talking points. (56:08)
— A Louisiana school gave kids a biblical advice book comparing sex to slavery. (1:16:28)
Interview:
A Louisiana school gave kids a biblical advice book comparing sex to slavery
Students at Lessie Moore Elementary in Louisiana were given books equating premarital sex to slavery and urging them to convert to Christianity, all because a local church was given permission to come on school property and target children.
Billionaires targeting Texas schools, says former far-right hard-liner | The Texas Tribune
"It's all about destroying the trust with the citizens to the point where they would tolerate something like doing away with public schools," he said in an interview...
Saturday, May 18, 2024
VIRTUAL webinar: Christian Nationalism: American Democracy's Looming Threat · Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Americans United and All Saints Episcopal Church will host a panel of experts to discuss the looming threat of Christian Nationalism and how we can fight against it in our daily lives. During the conversation, we will dive into the details of Christian Nationalism and hear from the panelists on how we can work together to support freedom without favor and equality without exception.
High levels of weedkiller found in more than half sperm samples, study finds
Glyphosate found in samples from French infertility clinic raising questions about controversial chemical's impact on fertility…
Trump and Johnson spread unfounded fears by urging non-citizen voting ban
The idea that non-citizens are voting in US elections in large numbers is a lie. Several studies have shown that the number of non-citizens who successfully vote is extremely small. For example, a 2017 analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice of 42 jurisdictions in the US found that non-citizens were 0.0001% of the votes cast.
As GOP demands Biden/Hur audio, James Comer gives away the game
In other words, the White House's counsel's office accused Comer and his colleagues of wanting to use Biden's interview "for partisan political purposes," after which Comer put in writing that he's focused on using the audio recording to target "swing voters."…
J.K. Rowling’s transphobia: A history
An exhausting — if not exhaustive — timeline of J.K. Rowling's transphobia…
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Steven Weinberg's Best Arguments against Religion
In this video Steven Weinberg delves into the clash of truth-seeking methods between science and religion, from authority reliance to moral choices, and uncover why weakening religion's hold may be vital for civilization's progress.
Biden moves could help shape political landscape in his favor - The Washington Post
Attorney General Merrick Garland asked Biden to exert privilege because the department feared providing the recordings to Congress could hurt future efforts to gain cooperation from administration officials, especially if they are asked to sit for recorded interviews.
Garland's request was not without precedent; his predecessors in the Trump and Obama administrations also asked the president to exert executive privilege for investigative materials.
House Republicans are seeking the recording of Biden's interview with special counsel Robert K. Hur, who concluded his investigation without filing any charges against Biden, arguing they needed it as part of their broader investigation into Biden and his family. But the White House argued their request was purely political, noting that the lawmakers had already received a written transcript of the interview...
Friday, May 17, 2024
NFL's Harrison Butker is slammed for speech on women, abortion : NPR
He criticized President Biden for his handling of the pandemic and his stance on abortion, which he said falsely suggests people can simultaneously be "both Catholic and pro-choice."
Butker blamed "the pervasiveness of disorder" for the availability of procedures like abortion, IVF, surrogacy and euthanasia, as well as "a growing support for degenerate cultural values and media." …
Thirsty in paradise: Water crises are a growing problem across the Caribbean islands
Climate change and extreme weather worsen water insecurity…
‘Barbaric’: Palestinian lorry drivers recount settlers’ attack on Gaza aid convoy
"We are shocked and surprised that the army did not provide us with any kind of protection," he said. "Even though they were present and watching what was happening. The army was at the service of the settlers.''
Zoubi said the drivers fled the scene but that when they returned later to retrieve their belongings, they were attacked by the settlers, some of whom were armed.
'At that point the army gathered us and ordered us to raise our hands on the walls," he said. "The settlers were free to terrorise us. I have never been attacked so brutally before…
Google Just Introduced 20 Major AI Updates - Google IO
Google just announced 20 new updates during the Google I/O event that change almost everything about their services.
These updates include massive changes to search, a brand new large language model, AI agents, AI Teammate, new text-to-image and text-to-video models, and much more.
Gorsuch, Alito break from conservatives on CFPB ruling | The Hill
The justices' decision caps a battle that marked the biggest legal threat to the CFPB since its establishment in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to crack down on predatory lending and enforce consumer protection laws.
The challenge to its funding mechanism was brought by two lender trade associations and was backed by all the nation's Republican state attorneys general…
Fox News Hosts Go Into Meltdown Mode Over Biden-Trump Debate | HuffPost Latest News
The right-wing network's Laura Ingraham went full Opposite Day by saying that Trump can be calm and presidential, while Biden is prone to ranting.
"All Donald Trump has to do is stay calm and stay calm during the entire debate, and let Biden rant and rave, because Scranton Joe is looking and sounding meaner and more petty by the day," Ingraham said. "And then Trump, by comparison, he easily appears presidential, cool, confident and, yeah, possessing a lot of common sense."…
It Can't Happen Here
We've seen what can happen before. Donald Trump is telling us what he will do to America, when will you believe him?
Raskin presses insurers, PBMs on free contraception coverage | The Hill
In all 50 states, the Affordable Care Act guarantees coverage of women's preventive services, including free birth control and contraceptive counseling. There are 18 contraceptive methods approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but the law requires insurers to cover only one product per category.
A 2023 staff report from Raskin's office found that many patients covered by five of the largest health insurers and four of the largest PBMs impose coverage exclusions and other restrictions on birth control products, contrary to the ACA…
NFL Player Goes Viral ATTACKING WOMEN — And It QUICKLY BACKFIRES!
NFL Kicker Harrison Butker just went viral on the right with a commencement speech telling female students to ignore the promise of a professional career and be a wife and mother instead — and it quickly blew up in his face!
Court rejects parents’ attempt to opt kids out of LGBTQ-inclusive reading assignments | The Hill
In August 2023, U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman found that the parents were unlikely to succeed on the merits and denied their request to keep the policy in place while the case proceeds. She found that they failed to show that the lack of an opt-out policy would result in the "indoctrination of their children" or "coerce their children to violate or change their religious beliefs."
"The parents still may instruct their children on their religious beliefs regarding sexuality, marriage, and gender, and each family may place contrary views in its religious context," Boardman wrote in the order last year.
"No government action prevents the parents from freely discussing the topics raised in the storybooks with their children or teaching their children as they wish," she added...
Florida Democrat launches group to fight conservative takeover of school boards - POLITICO
The launch pits the group directly against a well-oiled political machine that has helped dozens of conservative candidates win school board races across the country...
Supreme Court Justice Alito’s House Displayed a ‘Stop the Steal’ Flag After Jan. 6 - The New York Times
This spring, the justices are already laboring under suspicion by many Americans that whatever decisions they make about the Jan. 6 cases will be partisan. Justice Clarence Thomas has declined to recuse himself despite the direct involvement of his wife, Virginia Thomas, in efforts to overturn the election.
Now, with decisions in the Jan. 6 cases expected in just a few weeks, a similar debate may unfurl about Justice Alito, the ethics experts said. "It really is a question of appearances and the potential impact on public confidence in the court," Mr. Fogel said. "I think it would be better for the court if he weren't involved in cases arising from the 2020 election. But I'm pretty certain that he will see that differently."…
Opinion | Beware the Pettiness of the Powerful - The New York Times
I wish I could say that this dynamic is uniquely Trumpian. But it isn't.
The power of plutocratic pettiness came into focus during the Obama years, when many wealthy financiers were enraged by a president who, objectively, hadn't done anything to deserve it. On the contrary, he had helped bail many of them out from the consequences of a financial crisis that they helped cause. But he occasionally dared to say that Wall Street had, indeed, played a role in the crisis, and in general he didn't seem to treat rich bankers with the extreme deference that they considered their due...
Texas Governor Pardons Daniel Perry in 2020 Black Lives Matter Protest Shooting - The New York Times
The family of the protester, Garrett Foster, a 28-year-old former mechanic in the U.S. Air Force, expressed disbelief at the decision and saw a political motivation. Republicans, including the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, and the political pundit Tucker Carlson, had called for Mr. Perry's pardon.
"It doesn't make sense. I feel like I'm in a 'Twilight Zone' episode. This doesn't happen," Mr. Foster's mother, Sheila, said in a telephone interview. "It seems like this is some kind of a political circus and it's costing me my life."
Her son was a supporter of the Second Amendment, she said, who advocated free speech and had been attending the racial justice protests in 2020 day after day. "He deserved so much better," Ms. Foster said. "He was an Air Force veteran. He was out there protecting people from people like Perry."…
House Passes Bill to Force Biden to Reverse Israel Arms Pause - The New York Times
The legislation has no chance of advancing in Congress or being signed into law. Republicans scheduled a vote anyway in an effort to spotlight Democratic divisions over Israel and rebuke the president...
Opinion | The View Within Israel Turns Bleak - The New York Times
"It's so much easier to put everything on Netanyahu, because then you feel so good about yourself and Netanyahu is the darkness," said Gideon Levy, an Israeli journalist who has documented Israel's military occupation for decades. "But the darkness is everywhere."…
Opinion | I was a Republican Partisan. It Altered the Way I Saw the World. - The New York Times
If you are a true partisan, you essentially become an unpaid lawyer for your side. Every "good" fact that bolsters your argument is magnified. Every "bad" fact is minimized or rationalized. When partisanship reaches its worst point, every positive claim about your side is automatically believed, and every negative allegation is automatically disbelieved. In fact, allegations of wrongdoing directed at your side are treated as acts of aggression — proof that "they" are trying to destroy "us."
You see this reality most plainly in the daily Republican theatrics surrounding Trump's criminal indictments. Rather than wrestle seriously with the profoundly troubling claims against him, they treat the criminal cases as proof of Democratic perfidy. They believe every claim against Hunter and Joe Biden and not a single claim against Trump.
The result is a kind of divorce from reality...
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