Friday News Roundup – International (Diane Rehm Show)

The so-called Islamic State makes major gains this week, capturing Ramadi in Iraq and Palmyra in Syria, prompting new questions about U.S. strategy against the terror group. U.S. intelligence officials release a trove of documents from the 2011 raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound, providing an unprecedented window into the man’s private world and his final days. The international community condemns Egypt for sentencing ousted President Mohamed Morsi and more than 100 others to death. Southeast Asian nations agree to a temporary measure to relieve the latest migrant crisis on the high seas. And the last administrative hurdle to Cuba re-opening its Washington embassy is cleared. A panel of journalists joins guest host Indira Lakshmanan for analysis of the week’s top international news stories.
Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2015-05-22/friday-news-roundup-international

The 19 best-reviewed movies on Netflix right now

Netflix and Metacritic are two of the most useful tools in existence for film fans, but they're surprisingly difficult to use in conjunction with each...  Read more

Perfect reflection on the lake, England | by Caleb4ever [2048x1319]

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Science AMA Series: I'm Jerry Coyne, evolutionary biologist and author of FAITH VERSUS FACT and WHY EVOLUTION IS TRUE. AMA!

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One-third of American 8th graders think Canada is a dictatorship

Standardized test results indicate U.S. students know little about neighbours to the north
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Richard Clarke's Lesson On Iraq: 'We Destroyed The State'

"I know Richard Clarke was speaking of Iraq in this interview where he talked about the consequences of our invasion there, but his word sent a cold chill up my spine when I realized that his description of the fallout in Iraq is the same aspiration Republicans have for this country...."
Interview:
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Matt Taibbi On How Journalists And Politicians Were Cheerleaders For Iraq War

Democracy Now's Amy Goodman's web only interview with Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi on his recent article "Forget What We Know Now: We Knew Then Iraq War Was a Joke," which he wrote in response to Jeb Bush's interview Megyn Kelly on whether he would have authorized the invasion of Iraq, and subsequent flip-flopping...
Interview:
...  Read more

Antarctic glaciers thinning so fast, it's like a switch was flipped (+video)

A new study finds that processes related to global warming are weakening several Antarctic ice shelves surprisingly quickly – causing glaciers to lose... Read more

Opinion: Why Americans need to reinvent the entire education system

Senator Bernie Sanders argues that American public colleges should be tuition- free. Higher education should be, writes Robert Reich, but the US needs... Read more

The Bible Says Nothing About Abortion—But It Has A Lot To Say About Compassion - The Hive

“These little pain-capable unborn children of God” was just one of the phrases uttered during the U.S. House of Representatives’ recent floor vote to further restrict access to abortion. As representatives passed a ban on abortions after the 20-week mark, many used their faith as a justification for their unconscionable vote...
The Reader Comments are well worth a look too.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/the-bible-says-nothing-about-abortion-but-it-has-a-lot-to-say-about-compassion

GOP Guvs With '16 Ambitions Hamstrung By Budget Crises Of Own Making

All four of the GOP governors with 2016 ambitions are facing budget shortfalls back home that their critics would argue are disasters of their own doing. It puts them in a politically difficult position: consider tax increases that put their fiscal conservative credentials on the line, or move forward with ugly cuts that risk high-profile showdowns with their legislative counterparts...
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/budget-battles-gop-2016-governors

SUBJECT: We Can IMPEACH Hillary

My Conservative Inbox is a feature where TPM brings you some of the more interesting emails we receive each day. What you see below is a real email, p... Read more

Philosophy: The Problem of Evil

Sally Haslanger (M.I.T.) discusses a classic argument that God does not exist, called 'The Problem of Evil'. Along the way, she distinguishes different ways in which people believe that God exists, and discusses what's bad about having contradictory beliefs.
http://youtu.be/9pRzyioUKp0

Huge Insurance Company Cites Climate Change As Reason For Divesting From Coal

AXA is the first global financial institution to divest from investments in coal companies.  ... Read more

Mike Huckabee Makes Excuses For Duggar Family Hiding Years Of Sexual Abuse

Huckabee's statement on the alleged Duggar abuse treats it as a "sin" rather than a crime. ... Read more

We’re Failing To Connect Enough Kids To The Mental Health Treatment They Need

Young people aren't getting connected to the right doctors and medication. ... Read more

New EPA Rule Reduces Pollution In Communities Located Near Power Plants

The rule is good news for communities near industrial facilities, which are often lower-income and minority.  ... Read more

Al Franken on Indiana Governor Mike Pence - David Letterman

Al explains why Dave isn't the most embarrassing person from Indiana.
https://youtu.be/zm2Gp9fGPDU

Christian Persecution? It's Everywhere. Can I Name One Example? No.

"At the South Carolina Freedom Summit, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN 7) advocated State Department intervention when asked what role the United States should play in protecting Christians around the world:

One of the things that we should be doing here is being very strong in our stance with religious freedom in our country... Our allies around the globe want to see us stay strong on our rights and not erode those rights... With the human rights violations and religious persecutions around the globe, we need a State Department that is going to step in and say, "This is not acceptable."

Blackburn thought that Christians are being persecuted in the U.S., but could not give any examples when asked by this reporter."
https://youtu.be/3V_znygZHj4

2015 Is Crushing It For Hottest Year On Record

Global warming appears to be getting ready for its mic drop.  ... Read more

California Wants To Stop Crisis Pregnancy Centers From Lying To Women

"We can all agree that women deserve to have all the information in front of them when they make some of the most important ... Read more

How States Are Trying To Make Life Harder For The Poor

Kansas imposed harsh restrictions on welfare recipients, but many states have been trying to find ways to crack down on the ... Read more

Bank CEO to bankers: Where are your values?

When five of the world's biggest banks were busted this week for manipulating the cost of dollars and euros, they did more than violate antitrust laws. They violated the public trust...
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Your Password Security Questions Are Terrible, And They're Not Fooling Anyone

...The main problem is that they're either easy to remember or "somewhat secure," but usually not both. That's according to a blog post written by Elie Bursztein, Google's anti-abuse research lead, and Ilan Caron, a software engineer. If security questions are easy to remember, they're probably easy for an impostor to guess; but if they're too complicated, the person who created them won't be able to remember them...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/22/password-security-questio_n_7414372.html

Who Said It: Fox News or Jesus?

“ … over the last 40 years, sadly, I think there’s been an effort to either make folks mad at folks at the top, or to be mad at folks at the bottom. And I think the effort to suggest that the poor are sponges, leeches, don’t want to work, are lazy, are undeserving, got traction. … I have to say that if you watch Fox News on a regular basis, it is a constant menu — they will find folks who make me mad … They’re like, I don’t want to work, I just want a free Obama phone — or whatever. And that becomes an entire narrative … very rarely do you hear an interview of a waitress — which is much more typical — who’s raising a couple of kids and is doing everything right but still can’t pay the bills...

http://sojo.net/blogs/2015/05/21/who-said-it-fox-news-or-jesus

Air Force won't punish general for speech about God

..."Olson was very clearly endorsing – in uniform – and extending preferential treatment to Christianity and the specific brand of Christianity promoted by the event," Rodda told Air Force Times on Thursday. "It makes no difference who it was sponsored by. Either way, that Air Force Instruction 1-1 applies."...
http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/2015/05/21/air-force-wont-punish-general-for-speech-about-god/27719487/

‘Point of Inquiry’ Selected by Spotify for Launch of New Podcast Offerings

Point of Inquiry, the flagship podcast of the Center for Inquiry, has been hand-selected by the popular streaming service Spotify to be part of the launch of its new slate of offerings, which now includes podcasts. The weekly audio program features the most fascinating and brilliant minds in science, religion, and politics in thought-provoking long-form interviews...
http://www.centerforinquiry.net/newsroom/point_of_inquiry_selected_by_spotify_for_launch_of_new_podcast_offerings/

Did Jesus Exist? Dr. Robert M Price, Dr. Richard Carrier, David Fitzgerald Interview Part 1

Please support our Patreon project to receive exclusive content and interviews not available on YouTube! www.patreon.com/acsj

Historians and Apologists have been arguing for centuries about the evidence for a historical Jesus, the Mythicist theory takes the position that Jesus may never have existed as a real person and has compelling evidence to support it. Join us as we invite the top three scholars/authors in the Mythicist field to discuss the best and worst evidence for a historical Jesus.

The Authors:

Robert M. Price holds two Ph.D. degrees (in Theology and New Testament). He has taught undergraduates, seminarians, and doctoral students. He served as pastor of the First Baptist Church of Montclair and as the Director of the Center for Inquiry, Metro, NY. His numerous books include Deconstructing Jesus, The Incredible Shrinking Son of Man, The Amazing Colossal Apostle, and The Human Bible New Testament. Price is the host of the podcasts The Bible Geek, The Human Bible, and The Lovecraft Geek.

Richard Carrier has a Ph.D. in the history of philosophy from Columbia University, and is a published philosopher and historian, specializing in contemporary philosophy of naturalism, and in Greco-Roman philosophy, science, and religion, and the origins of Christianity. He blogs regularly, lectures for community groups worldwide, and teaches courses online. He is the author of many books including Sense and Goodness without God, On the Historicity of Jesus, and Proving History, as well as chapters in several anthologies and articles in academic journals. For more about Dr. Carrier and his work see www.richardcarrier.info

David Fitzgerald is an atheist activist, writer, public speaker and historical researcher who has been actively investigating the Historical Jesus question for over 15 years. He has a degree in history and was an associate member of CSER (the Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion) He lectures around the country at Universities and national secular events. He is also author of NAILED: Ten Christian Myths That Show Jesus Never Existed At All and The Complete Heretic’s Guide to Western Religion series.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/LPZ39rqaIZ0

"Einstein's" Argument for God

http://youtu.be/6sSTOhNr_5U

The IMF says we spend $5.3 trillion a year on fossil fuel subsidies. How is that possible?

This week, the International Monetary Fund put out a big report claiming the world spends $5.3 trillion a year subsidizing energy, mainly fossil fuels...  Read more

Study: Each new immigrant creates 1.2 new jobs

Between 2000 and 2014, the population of the District of Columbia grew by more than 15 percent to 658,893. That influx of people has raised, and conti...  Read more

Rand Paul is talking. Here's why we should all be listening.

On the surface, Rand Paul held the Senate floor for nearly 11 hours Wednesday to protest a new version of the Patriot Act provision under which the Na...  Read more

Gulfoss, a waterfall in Iceland [1200 x 800] by Andrei Reinol

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Ganging Up On The Girl Scouts: Religious Right Attacks Group For Being Inclusive

Supporters are heralding it as a major advance for trans equality, but Christian fundamentalists aren’t exactly pleased by the news.
... Read more

Former Fiorina Staffer: I'd Rather Go To Iraq Than Join Campaign For Prez

Carly Fiorina's fledgling presidential campaign could encounter a major early obstacle – the long memories of her former staffers. ... Read more

Rand Takes Left Turn on the Road to Bulls**tville on Clinton and Mass Incarceration

One of Rand Paul's emerging angles in his hoped-for race against Hillary Clinton is to put the former Senator and Secretary of State on the line for her husband's role creating the system of mass incarceration which many on both sides of the political spectrum now believe was either a mistake or at least should be reined in. “I’ll ask Hillary Clinton," he said earlier this week, "what have you done for criminal justice? Your husband passed all the laws that put a generation of black men in prison. Her husband was responsible for that.”... Read more

California Doctors’ Shift On Physician-Assisted Suicide Could Be A Harbinger Of Change

It could lead to legislative change.  ... Read more

Megabanks Fined $2 Billion For Criminal Activity, Will Be Able To Continue Business As Usual

Even billions of dollars in fines and a wave of felony confessions won't hurt these five giant banks. The same government that ... Read more

Jeb Bush Says People Who Accept Climate Science Are ‘Really Arrogant’

Potential Presidential candidate Jeb Bush does not trust that there's a consensus on climate science.  ... Read more

We’re Letting Untested Rape Kits Languish In Warehouses And It Has Huge Consequences

Untested DNA evidence is collecting dust.  ... Read more

The Six Craziest Arguments Politicians Are Making Against Protecting National Parks And Wildlife

No, state control of national forests won't prevent terrorism.  ... Read more

Massive Clinton-era Internet bug shows pitfalls of Obama's 'backdoor' proposal

A Clinton-era Internet law is coming back to haunt us by exposing our private online messages to hackers. Now, the Obama administration is lobbying Congress to repeat the same policy all over again.
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Make the most of Mail for iOS with these 8 powerful tips

Nope, you don't have to settle for plain text when you're composing Mail messages on your iOS device, nor must you archive ... Read more

RNC Can't Figure Out Debates, So They'll Let Fox News Decide

Since everyone and their brother (I'm looking at you, Jeb) is running for the 2016 Republican nomination this year, there's a real problem with how to...  Read more

Neil Cavuto And Ben Stein Attack Clinton And Sanders For Waging Class Warfare On The Rich

Remember all that wailing and gnashing of teeth we've seen from Faux "news" in recent weeks over President Obama rightfully calling them out for routi...  Read more

Fox Baselessly Suggests An Evil Cabal Between Hillary Clinton And Labor Unions

It was a Fox News twofer today as the Curvy Couch Crew suggested that labor union donations to the Clinton Foundation, while Hillary Clinton served as...  Read more

Look at all the free apps you can get to run on your computer in your Chrome browser

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/apps

Bush's CIA Briefer: Bush And Cheney Lied About Iraq Intelligence

It would have been helpful if Chris Matthews dug in this hard before the war, but hey, bygones! At least all those dead people have the satisfaction o... Read more
https://youtu.be/lqOat2wDitQ

Christopher Hitchens at the "Festival of Dangerous Ideas" FODI

Christopher Hitchens Starts at 4:00 the 'Festival of Dangerous Ideas' at the Sydney Opera House in October 2009.

The topic was 'Religion Poisons Everything'.
https://youtu.be/kwiHkM126bk

Anti-Gay Groups Gear Up To Fight A 30-Year-Old Supreme Court Victory Over Racism

This time, the forces of religious discontent are not mustering in support of racism, they're mustering in favor of anti-gay ... Read more

The Bernie Sanders plan to fix income inequality

America has an income inequality problem and Bernie Sanders is on a mission to fix it.
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Bill Nye's organization launched a solar sail. It could change space travel.

Most spacecraft, once launched from the Earth, move around in space with thrusters: small rockets that burn fuel, emit exhaust, and push the craft alo...  Read more

Why the world needs more scientists

Scientific research is the engine that drives health advances. If future world leaders would keep that simple concept in mind when making decisions ab...  Read more

The best study done so far shows people with Obamacare plans like their plans

Most Obamacare enrollees are pretty happy with their coverage, a new survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows. This KFF study is among the firs...  Read more

Oil company in CA spill has been fined before for safety violations

The oil company behind the spill in California has been in trouble before...
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Dear New York Times: What Is The News Value Of This Story?

Joe Conason lets the Times have it over yet another Benghazi!-related conspiracy story, this one involving long-time Clinton friend Sid Blumenthal and...  Read more

What Waco biker shootout suggests about race in America

Bikers involved in the Waco, Texas, shootout have been treated differently because they're white, some activists say. Such concerns point to how diffe... Read more

Study: Lawmakers Assume Voters Are Way More Conservative Than They Are

Researchers from UC Berkeley and the Univeristy of Michigan dug up some surprising results after posing the question: How much do lawmakers really kno... Read more

Obama: Climate Change Is 'Indisputable' National Security Threat

NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP) — President Barack Obama has argued for action on climate change as a matter of health, environmental protection and internatio... Read more

The Human Impact of Discovering Alien Life, with Astrobiologist Steven J. Dick (Point of Inquiry)

Our universe is made up of billions of galaxies. The cosmos is so mind-bogglingly vast, that it’s hard not to suppose that we aren’t alone, that life must exist somewhere else besides our own planet. Last month, some of the world’s leading scientists gathered at an Astrobiology Symposium run by NASA and the Library of Congress to discuss where we stand in our search for extraterrestrial life.

This week on Point of Inquiry, Steven J. Dick, the Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology, discusses the progress that has been made in the search for extraterrestrial life, and what the potential ramifications may be if and when we make this most monumental of discoveries — that we are indeed not alone.
Interview:
http://www.pointofinquiry.org/the_human_impact_of_discovering_alien_life_with_astrobiologist_steven_j._di/

The Theology of ISIS, with Dr. Adam Silverman (Point of Inquiry)

The rise of ISIS, the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, has sparked debate about the role of religion — specifically Islam — in violent extremism. This week, Dr. Adam Silverman offers us a glimpse into the theology of ISIS, and tackles some difficult questions; What does ISIS believe and how do its religious beliefs shape its political choices? What about the notorious video-taped beheadings and reports of rape as weapons of war? How does ISIS want the United States to react, and how should we?

Dr. Silverman has just completed a four-year stint as Cultural Advisor to the U.S. Army War College. He holds a doctorate in Political Science and Criminology from the University of Florida and he deployed in Iraq in 2008 to interview Iraqi religious and political leaders to better understand their culture and values.
Interview:
http://www.pointofinquiry.org/the_theology_of_isis_with_dr._adam_silverman/

Ebola in the Age of Epidemics - Special Live Episode (Point of Inquiry)

There’s no doubt that Ebola is an incredibly dangerous and genuinely lethal virus, but it’s also a highly manageable one, though you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise given the kind of hyperbolic coverage we've seen of the epidemic. In order to sort fact from fiction about the real threat posed by Ebola, and to better understand its origins and wider implications, Point of Inquiry presents a special episode, recorded before a live audience in New York.

We begin with a presentation by Dr. Jon Epstein, a veterinarian and epidemiologist who specializes in emerging pandemic threats in the developing world. Then Point of Inquiry host Josh Zepps goes more in depth, in a conversation with Dr. Epstein and Dr. Kevin Olival, a disease ecologist and evolutionary biologist. Both are world-leading experts on Ebola and disease prevention with a great deal of insight as to what governments and aid workers need to do to prevent Ebola from becoming a pandemic.

Recorded live at the Brooklyn Brewery, this event was organized by Eco Health Alliance, an international biodiversity organization.'
Interview:
http://www.pointofinquiry.org/ebola_in_the_age_of_epidemics_-_special_live_episode/