DN Speak: 2/15/15

Saturday, February 21, 2015

He Had to Go There

Wayne Barrett is an elder statesmen and giant of the New York City press world. And he's got a file on Rudy Giuliani. In fact, it's probably not a fil... Read more

Tea Party News Network Staffers Quits

Well, well, well. Is anybody shocked by this development? The conservative Tea Party News Network website (TPNN) lost most of its staff on Thursday ... Read more

Crude oil is being transported across North America in tanker cars that aren't designed for oil

...this is why they keep exploding when they derail (like in W.Va on Monday)... U.S. has seen a 400 percent increase in crude oil transportation. So why don't we have rail cars that are designed to carry it? Read more

Another atheist sentenced in Egypt. University reported disbelieving student to the authorities

A 22-year-old Egyptian atheist was sentenced to a year in jail for "contempt of religion" at a court hearing on Monday. Read more

Pope Francis compared the arguments for transgender rights to nuclear weapons

Pope Francis recently criticized modern views on gender identity, going so far as to compare the basis for transgender rights to nuclear weapons and g... Read more

Ron Paul: Good News Is That Secession Is Happening

Former Republican Rep and presidential candidate Ron Paul isn't doing that grifter son of his any favor these days. From BuzzFeed: Ron Paul: "Good Ne... Read more

Jeb Bush Lobbied Dad's Administration For Medicare Fraudster

Sounds like Jeb is a fixer and a bag man, just like his father. Oops! WASHINGTON -- Jeb Bush personally lobbied the secretary of health and human ser... Read more

Scott Walker Green Lights Stealth Attack On Unions

Scott Walker is definitely Reagan incarnate without the folksy sense of humor or Hollywood ties. When it comes to unions, he's just as vicious and qui... Read more

Obama Mocks Mitch McConnell For Taking Credit For Improving Economy

President Barack Obama on Friday laughed off Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) recent suggestion that positive economic signs could be c... Read more

Poll: More Americans Believe Our Military Budget Isn't Big Enough

I was just saying to myself the other day: "Self, you know what we really need? More military spending!" Of course, this is Gallup, so I'd love to see... Read more

What Slut-Shamers Have In Common With Anti-Abortion Activists

In 2013 Emily Lindin began putting her diary entries online. The pages that she posted detailed her experience, between the ages of 11 and 14, of bein... Read more

Report: GOP Supreme Court Nominee In PA Sent Racial 'Christmas' Email

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A white county judge nominated for Pennsylvania's highest court apparently forwarded a racially insensitive email showing a bla... Read more

States That Accepted Obamacare’s Medicaid Expansion Are Creating More Jobs

"The gains in healthcare jobs suggest that ACA expansion is generally positive for that sector's employment profile," a new ... Read more

In January, U.S. Saw Vastly More Daily Warm Records Than Cold Records. February, Too.

January saw a cool East Coast but, relatively, a much hotter West Coast. Recent research links this pattern to human-caused ... Read more

Scott Walker skips debt payment due to budget shortfall, then dines with supply-siders

1. Wisconsin's Legislative Fiscal Bureau has announced that Governor Scott Walker's administration will skip a scheduled $108 million debt payment b... Read more

Illinois Governor Seeking To Raid Higher Education Budget A Month After Being Sworn In

The multimillion dollar cut would hit a system already struggling with crumbling buildings, disappearing scholarships and ... Read more

Congressman Claims Immigrants Are Netting $24,000 Each From Obama’s Executive Action

This isn't the first time Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) conflated facts about undocumented immigrants. The post Congressman Claims ... Read more

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz calls out Giuliani for 'offensive' Obama comments

"As an American, I find Rudy Giuliani's vicious comments about President Obama 'not loving America' to be profoundly offensive to both the President and the Office," Schultz said in a statement.
Read more

Week In The News: ISIS And Radical Islam, Immigration Reform Hits Snag (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Shock and awe savagery out of ISIS this week. Twenty-one heads lopped off on a beach in Libya and a warning to the West. In Washington, President Obama laboring mightily not to be drawn into the language of religious war – and catching flak for that. We’ve got an ignored ceasefire in Ukraine. Jeb Bush on foreign policy. A federal judge in Texas blocking White House executive action on immigration for millions. Icy cold in the East. Weird warmth in the West. And a superbug in California. This hour On Point: Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.
Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2015/02/20/islamic-extremism-ukraine-ceasefire-immigration-reform

Friday News Roundup – Domestic (Diane Rehm Show)

President Barack Obama defends his refusal to identify terrorists as Muslim extremists. At a White House summit on counterterrorism he said doing so would empower violent fanatics. The White House considers its options after a federal judge halts the president’s executive actions on immigration. Some Republicans say Congress should pass a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security without conditions. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush asserts his political independence ahead of a possible 2016 presidential bid. And the White House sets a deadline for a West Coast port settlement. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week’s top national news stories.
Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2015-02-20/friday-news-roundup-domestic

Friday News Roundup – International (Diane Rehm Show)

Ukraine accuses pro-Russian separatists of continued attacks despite a cease-fire. European officials meet to negotiate a Greek loan extension as the country faces insolvency as early as next week. President Obama calls for a global effort to combat terrorism. U.S. Central Command says it will support an Iraqi spring offensive to take back Mosul from ISIS fighters. And the U.N. says 2014 was the deadliest year for civilians in Afghanistan since it began keeping track.
Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2015-02-20/friday-news-roundup-international

What The Atlantic Left Out About ISIS According To Their Own Expert

There's more to the story of ISIS. The post What The Atlantic Left Out About ISIS According To Their Own Expert appeared first ... Read more

Black Primary School Students In Rhode Island Are 6x More Likely To Be Suspended Than White Peers

Another school-to-prison pipeline report highlights gross racial disparities in Rhode Island's education system. The post ... Read more

Friday, February 20, 2015

What ISIS Really Wants

The Islamic State is no mere collection of psychopaths. It is a religious group with carefully considered beliefs, among them that it is a key agent of the coming apocalypse. Here’s what that means for its strategy—and for how to stop it.
http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2015/02/what-isis-really-wants/384980/

Florist Who Refused to Work Gay Wedding to Appeal Court Ruling

Alliance Defending Freedom says the ruling threatens the financial ruin of 70-year-old Richland florist Barronelle Stutzman, along with her business, Arlene's Flowers. The organization says it will file the appeal on her behalf.
http://www.newsmax.com/US/appeal-gay-wedding-florist/2015/02/19/id/625841/

21 Things Atheists Are Tired Of Hearing

http://www.buzzfeed.com/natashaumer/atheists-are-evil

Delivering a package to a private residence

Careless Proposal: Kan. Legislator’s Bill Would Grant Special Privileges To Religious Foster Families

As written, Senate Bill 158 requires couples seeking this designation to be married and heterosexual, to abstain from alcohol and tobacco and to agree to attend a “social group larger than the family that meets regularly, preferably at least weekly” in order to qualify. Only one parent would be permitted to work outside the home.
... Read more

Woah!!!

Bill Donohue Demands Obama Attack Islam While Playing The Poor Picked On Christian Card

The Catholic League's Bill Donohue was back at it again, having another meltdown on air just before President Obama's speech this Wednesday on violent... Read more

Republicans Really, Really Fear Russ Feingold

While there is rumor running rampant that Russ Feingold is going to return to Wisconsin to run for his old seat, it is not clear at this time how much... Read more

Edward Snowden: US, British spies hacked cell phone SIM card encryption keys (+video)

In the latest revelation to come from NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden, The Intercept reports that US and British intelligence services hacked into t... Read more

Canadian Company Behind Keystone XL To Seek US Approval For Second Pipeline

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The Canadian company behind the long-delayed Keystone XL oil pipeline will seek U.S. government approval for another pipeline — ... Read more

Bill O'Reilly Has His Own Brian Williams Problem | Mother Jones

"...for years, O'Reilly has recounted dramatic stories about his own war reporting that don't withstand scrutiny—even claiming he acted heroically in a war zone that he apparently never set foot in..."
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/02/bill-oreilly-brian-williams-falklands-war
http://youtu.be/W7UGC3quedc

Why States Keep Trying To Ban Abortion Procedures That Don’t Exist

"We see all of these restrictions coming down the pike year after year that just do not make sense." The post Why States Keep ... Read more

Crunched By His Big Tax Cuts, Scott Walker Will Skip $108 Million In Debt Payments

Gov. Scott Walker (R) wants to delay a debt payment to cover a budget shortfall, which will end up costing the state more in ... Read more

Judge To Anti-Gay Florist: Religion Is Not An Excuse To Defy Anti-Discrimination Laws

"No Court has ever held that religiously motivated conduct, expressive or otherwise, trumps state discrimination law in public ... Read more

Record Numbers Of College Students Are Struggling With Depression And Anxiety

And their schools aren't always equipped to help them with their mental health issues. The post Record Numbers Of College ... Read more

Four Oil-Related Spills Reported In North Dakota, The Latest In A Week Of Oil Mishaps

Is it a coincidence that there have been so many oil spills and explosions of trains lately?

Safe to say this has not been a great week for the U.S. oil industry. The post Four Oil-Related Spills Reported In North ... Read more

You Know You're a Bigot When . . .

"At last, a surefire test for Islamophobia."
... Read more

Common Estate-Planning Mistakes – At A Glance - WSJ

We all know that having an estate plan is good for our finances and for our heirs. But many of us fail to put a plan in place—for fear of facing our own mortality, among other reasons. And those who do have a plan often make mistakes that can lead to familial and financial problems down the road. The Experts, a group of finance professionals and academics, weigh in on what they see as the biggest mistakes people make with estate planning.
http://blogs.wsj.com/briefly/2015/01/13/common-estate-planning-mistakes-at-a-glance/

Debunking exercise myths: Tips to enjoy a lifestyle that can prevent premature aging

"...With an increasing number of individuals diagnosed with diabetes and living longer in worse health, the loss of fitness increases the risk of early death, heart attack, and stroke. Dr. Huebschmann says, "The key message is to find fun ways to be active for 2 ½ hours per week –such as 30 minutes per day on 5 days of the week. Your heart will thank you for it..."
http://www.healthcanal.com/geriatrics-aging/59356-debunking-exercise-myths-tips-to-enjoy-a-lifestyle-that-can-prevent-premature-aging.html

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Right-Wing Christians' Hostility to Science Destroys Lives

"...Good family planning transforms life for men, women and children. Opposition to advances in contraception ruins lives...
...All of this adds up to a counter-intuitive fact: women who are using contraceptives to prevent pregnancy kill fewer embryos than women who are trying to get pregnant, and the more effective the contraception is, the fewer embryos die..."
Read more

Wal-Mart to raise U.S. hourly workers' pay after criticism

CHICAGO — Wal-Mart Stores will begin paying all of its U.S. hourly workers at least $9 an hour by April and $10 an hour by next February, striking back at critics who say it underpays employees...
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-wp-blm-news-bc-walmart19-20150219-story.html

Salt Lake NAACP denounces religious rights bill

..."What this bill does is advance religion and makes it a trump card, if you will, a greater right than other rights," he said...
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/print/865622242/Salt-Lake-NAACP-denounces-religious-rights-bill.html

Atlanta fire chief fired after calling gays 'vile' claims religious bias

"...Reed said he terminated Cochran because of his lack of judgment and management skills, not his religious beliefs. Not only did Cochran violate the city’s code of conduct, which requires approval from city officials to publish a book, but he also distributed his book to employees who did not ask for it. Such behavior, the mayor said, opened the city to potential discrimination lawsuits..."
http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/nation_world/la-na-atlanta-police-chief-fired-gay-discrimination-20150123,0,6191992.story

Obama Counters Violent Extremists With Extremists

America’s growing alliance with violent extremists in the fight against ISIS is an inconvenient truth at the White House summit on curbing violent extremism.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/02/19/obama-counters-violent-extremists-with-extremists.html

Faulted for Avoiding ‘Islamic’ Labels to Describe Terrorism, White House Cites a Strategic Logic

"...Obama aides say there is a strategic logic to his vocabulary: Labeling noxious beliefs and mass murder as “Islamic” would play right into the hands of terrorists who claim that the United States is at war with Islam itself. The last thing the president should do, they say, is imply that the United States lumps the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims with vicious terrorist groups..."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/19/us/politics/faulted-for-avoiding-islamic-labels-white-house-cites-a-strategic-logic.html