Fox News Is Now Trying To Blame Cultural Diversity For Gun Violence (VIDEO)

Fox News supports a white supremacist narrative. Read more

Top Ten Fruits Of The Right-Wing ‘Christian’ Spirit (VIDEO)

From ignorance to fear, hate and violence, here's a list of the top ten fruits of the right-wing Christian spirit.
Read more

Conservatives Freak Out On Mitt Romney After He Asks S.C. Capitol To Take Down Confederate Flag (TWEETS)

A Republican finally tries to do something right...and his fellow conservatives blast him for it.
  Read more

Charleston Highlights A Dark Demon Lingering Within The GOP

The orchestrated effort on the right to turn the Charleston Massacre into anything but right-wing racism is proof that the GOP ... Read more

Cop Fires More Than A Dozen Rounds Into Car Full Of Black Teens (VIDEO)

Newly released video shows a Chicago cop pumping a car full of Black teens with more than a dozen bullets. Here we go again. Read more

Giuliani: Biggest Civil Rights Issue Of This Century Is Vouchers And Choice In Public Schools

Former New York City Mayor apparently believes that destroying what's left of our public education system is the "biggest civil rights issue of this c...  Read more

My Response To Chuck Todd's Defense Of MTP Segment On Black Murderers

Chuck Todd has penned a response to the critics of his terrible Meet the Press segment highlighting black murderers who regret picking up a gun. We'v...  Read more

How The 2016 Republican Candidates Would Deal With Millions Of Americans Losing Their Health Plans

Here are the alternatives, or lack thereof, that many of the presidential candidates and likely contenders have offered in advance of the Supreme Court’s ruling...
 ... Read more

The Prison Doors Open And You’re Released. You Have No Money Or Transportation. Now What?

"When things start going wrong typically they started going wrong right away."  ... Read more

Huckabee: ‘One Racist Lunatic’ Doesn’t Mean The Confederate Flag Is Problematic

Speaking on Meet the Press on Sunday morning, Huckabee said presidential candidates shouldn't address "every little issue." ... Read more

Cardinal Donald Wuerl responds to Rush Limbaugh on climate change

http://youtu.be/BID8Jqd3P2E

IBM Punishes Louisiana For Governor’s Anti-Gay Executive Order

IBM warned Jindal it didn't like the pro-discrimination measure, but Jindal didn't listen.  ... Read more

Ayn Rand killed the American dream: Our free-market economy only works for the 1 percent

Bankers cash bonus checks while sending others to unemployment. Selfishness and deregulation made the rich richer The billionaire investor and philanthropist George Soros uses the term "free market fundamentalism" to describe the belief that the free market is not only the best but the only way o...

http://www.salon.com/2015/06/21/ayn_rand_killed_the_american_dream_our_free_market_economy_only_works_for_the_1_percent/

Scott Walker goes Todd Akin: Why Republicans get rape so embarrassingly wrong

The Wisconsin governor holds rape victims in contempt. It's a party-wide epidemic, with no sign of abating During the 2012 election, a whole bunch of Republican candidates, most notably Todd Akin, got it in their heads that it was a good idea to minimize the horrors of rape, usually in service of...

http://www.salon.com/2015/06/21/scott_walker_goes_todd_akin_why_republicans_get_rape_so_embarrassingly_wrong_partner/

TIL the Han dynasty of China drilled for natural gas, transported it in pipelines and gas containers and burned it in stoves ... in 200 BC

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Remembering The Memorial: Happy Birthday To A Classic Of Religious Liberty

Let's say a legislator in your state came up with the bright idea to force everyone to pay a ... Read more

Detached From Reality: Religious Right Claims Charleston Massacre Is Proof Of Anti-Christian Bias

Religious liberty – the right to worship freely, and safely – is evidence of a thriving democracy. Roof threatened that because he first threatened the equal rights of black Americans. It’s not the other way around.
... Read more

Bernie Sanders Wows Hollywood Progressives at Two L.A. Fundraisers

After the glitz and glitter of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's fundraising trips to L.A. this week, a cadre of industry super-liberals turned out Saturday to support Sanders...
“Our campaign is catching fire,” he said. “It’s for one simple reason: We are telling the truth. And I think that’s what the American people want to hear. The truth may not be necessarily pleasant, but we can’t go forward unless we have the courage to take a hard look at where we are today. And where we are today is not in a good place.”
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bernie-sanders-wows-hollywood-progressives-804004

Ted Cruz’s Father Fires Up Campaign Rhetoric

...In his speech here, Rafael Cruz compared President Barack Obama to former Cuban President Fidel Castro. He said “social justice” was a Marxist concept and linking a rise in teen pregnancy and violent crime to Supreme Court decisions that took prayer and the Bible out of public schools...
http://www.wsj.com/articles/ted-cruzs-father-fires-up-campaign-rhetoric-1434880803

Jim Jeffries - Gun Control (SFW)

https://youtu.be/HTyQ4Q8z-D8

Obama was right when he said 'this type of mass violence does not happen in other developed countries'

In the aftermath of a tragic shooting Wednesday at a Charleston, South Carolina, church in which nine were killed, President Barack Obama spoke out about a recent scourge of gun violence in the US. "Once again, innocent people were killed in part because someone who wanted to inflict harm had no ...

http://www.businessinsider.com/oecd-homicide-rates-chart-2015-6

“Fox & Friends” just can’t stop the spin: In the wake of Charleston, we must arm our pastors and priests

It's "extraordinary" that it's being investigated as a hate crime, Steve Doocy said -- it's an attack on Christians On "Fox & Friends" Thursday morning, co-host Steve Doocy said it was "extraordinary" that Police Chief Gregory Mullen referred to the massacre of nine black churchgoers by a young w...

http://www.salon.com/2015/06/18/fox_friends_just_cant_stop_the_spin_in_the_wake_of_charleston_we_must_arm_our_pastors_and_priests/

Don't Listen To Same-Sex Marriage Foes: It Was Always About Hating On The Gays

One need only to look at the legislative debates when the bans were originally being considered to see both homophobic undertones and explicitly anti-gay remarks...
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/same-sex-marriage-scotus-animus-preview

WSJ On Charleston: Don't Blame 'Institutionalized Racism' — It 'No Longer Exists'

The editorial board of the Wall Street Journal on Friday suggested that "institutionalized racism" was not a driving force in the massacre of nine peo... Read more

Why Conservatives Still Won't Admit That Charleston Was A Racist Crime

We live in an age where mass shootings are so common that there is now a template for politicians to plug in the victim's names, the date and location... Read more

Erickson On Charleston: We Can't Stop 'Real Evil' If We Accept Transgender People

Erick Erickson, editor-in-chief of the conservative blog RedState, said on Thursday that America's acceptance of transgender people was creating an in... Read more

NRA Board Member Blames Charleston Victim For His Own Death

Seriously.  Read more

The Most Outrageous Responses To The Pope’s Encyclical On Climate Change

What are climate deniers and right-wing talking heads saying about the eco-encyclical? A lot. ... Read more

Alleged Manifesto Of Dylann Roof Confirms Motivation For South Carolina Murders

If authentic, the document would confirm Roof's motivation was not to attack Christians or Christianity, as many have ... Read more

Here’s How All The Catholic Presidential Candidates Are Reacting To The Pope’s Climate Encyclical

The encyclical puts Republican candidates in an awkward position.  ... Read more

Why Conservatives Can Only Talk About ‘Religious Liberty’ In Charleston

Black Christian churches aren't attacked for being Christian; they're attacked for being black.  ... Read more

Black People Aren’t Making Things Up: The Science Behind ‘Racial Battle Fatigue’

"The results of our study suggest that the notion of racial battle fatigue could be a very real phenomenon that might explain ... Read more

Cancer-Causing Chemicals Found In Drinking Water Near Texas Fracking Sites

A new study raises concerns over Texas' fracking boom.  ... Read more

A Big Victory For Abortion Rights Preserves Women’s Access To The Latest Technology

The court decision is the culmination of a contentious fight over Planned Parenthood's "telemedicine abortion" program. ... Read more

Rick Perry Says Obama Administration Always Overreacts To ‘Accidents’ Like Charleston Shooting

Perry also expressed concern and implied that drugs may be responsible for violent behavior.  ... Read more
https://youtu.be/cjgHzfDIvj8

Obamacare repeal would blow out the deficit

Republicans argue the federal government can't afford Obamacare. But a new congressional report says repealing the law would cost, not save, more than $100 billion in the next decade.
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When Will Right Wing Leaders Condemn Right Wing Terrorism?

The persistent dangers of Right Wing terrorism. When will Right Wing leaders condemn Right Wing terrorism?...
http://youtu.be/E2gB0mLyhcQ

Atheist Debates - Interview: Dr. Robert M. Price

Dr. Robert Price teaches philosophy and religion at the Johnnie Colemon Theological Seminary. He has a PhD in Systematic Theology and a second PhD in the New Testament. A published author and recognized expert in the history of Christianity, biblical criticism, and theology, Dr. Price has also written books on the historicity of Jesus and the various Christ myth theories.

He has served as a fellow of the Jesus Seminar, the former editor of the Journal of Higher Criticism, a fellow of the Center For Inquiry's Committee on the Scientific examination of Religion and the advisory board of the Secular Student Alliance.

He graciously agreed to sit down with us to discuss the historicity of Jesus and how or if this topic has relevance in debates and discussions with Christians.
http://youtu.be/3NLXTGesqxA

FCC gives consumers a victory against unwanted calls

We won! Robocall blocking is allowed by the FCC!
http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20150619_FCC_gives_consumers_a_victory_against_unwanted_calls.html

The Koch Brothers - GOP Civil War Has Finally Arrived

The Koch Brothers are trying to tighten their grip on the Republican Party’s infrastructure, and the result is a power struggle between GOP leadership and their wealthy donors.
http://youtu.be/PPjNLlPzObs

Charleston Shooting Brings Out The Worst In Fox Audience, Because Everything Does

So we woke up to a horrible story: CHARLESTON, S.C. -- An intense manhunt was under way Thursday for a white gunman who opened fire on Wednesday nigh...  Read more

Corporate Media And The Dangerous Right-Wing Elephant In The Room

Imagine, if you will, a movement that was spreading through a country, fueled by lies, hate and conspiracy theories, resulting in armed standoffs with...  Read more

Lindsey Graham: It's 2015, There Are People Out There Looking For Christians To Kill Them.

South Carolina presidential hopeful Sen. Lindsey Graham was a guest on ABC's The View this morning and discussed the horrific shooting massacre of 9 p... Read more

Bobby Jindal Attacks President Obama's Gun Violence Comments As 'Completely Shameful'

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal does his best to shill for the NRA while calling President Obama "completely shameful" for daring to bring up gun control ...  Read more

House GOP Plan If SCOTUS Voids O-Care Subsidies: Let States Figure It Out

WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite White House veto threats, the House is ready to vote to repeal taxes on medical devices and kill a Medicare advisory board t...  
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Texas Says ‘F*ck The Constitution’ And Decides To Deposit Fantasy Gold To Back State Currency

Directly against the US Constitution, Texas governor Greg Abbott signed a bill to create a state run currency.
Read more

Watch bacteria power adorably tiny engines

The future of clean energy is an incredibly exciting one: we will do more while protecting the environment. Countless researchers, private institution...  Read more

Israel accused of 'war crime' over bulldozing of Palestinian olive groves.

“They didn’t leave me anything,” said Sabri Manasra, who said he and a cousin had lost 800 trees. “This is damage no one will forget, not my children, or my children’s children. I don’t understand how people can do this.”Read more

Fluid Injection's Role in Man-Made Earthquakes Revealed

Usually small though occasionally damaging earthquakes are a side-effect of industrial processes such as geothermal energy and oil-gas production that involve injecting water underground. But scientists have been unclear about the exact role of fluid injection in triggering these man-made earthquakes.
Read more

Week In The News: Charleston Shooting, TPA Shuffle, Jeb Jumps In (Tom Ashbrook, On Point) 6/19/2015

The regular news, and then the unbearable news this week. Out of Charleston. Nine killed at prayer. All black. A young white shooter confessing. A crime, authorities say, of hate. And a sickened nation asks, “Where’s the progress? The path out of this?” Across the Atlantic, the Pope turns to look deeply at climate change and delivers a big, urgent encyclical. Says we must change to protect creation. We’ve got trade twists, Al Qaeda leaders killed, Hillary Clinton rallying, and Jeb Bush formally in the race for the presidency. This hour On Point: our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines. / Tom Ashbrook
Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2015/06/19/charleston-shooting-south-carolina-tpa-jeb-bush

Friday News Roundup – Domestic (Diane Rehm Show) 6/19/2015

The suspect in a mass murder of nine people in Charleston, South Carolina is expected in court Friday. In the tragedy’s wake, President Barack Obama renews his call for stricter federal gun laws. The House narrowly passes fast-track trade legislation but the bill still faces hurdles in the Senate. After months of speculation, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush formally enters the presidential race. He and other candidates react to the Pope’s encyclical on climate change. The Federal Reserve leaves interest rates unchanged. And Rachel Dolezal’s resignation from the NAACP prompts questions about whether race can be a choice. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week’s top national news stories.
Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2015-06-19/friday-news-roundup-domestic

Friday News Roundup – International (Diane Rehm Show, 6/19/2015)

In a new war of words, Russia accuses the U.S. of deploying military trainers in East Ukraine. The U.S. says Russia is violating a six-week-old cease-fire agreement there. U.S. officials confirm a CIA drone strike in Yemen killed al-Qaida’s No. 2 leader. The Pentagon considers allowing U.S. soldiers to fight alongside Iraqi forces targeting the Islamic state. The U.N. warns the world’s refugee crisis has reached unprecedented levels. A meeting of Eurozone finance officials ends with no deal on Greek debt. And Pope Francis calls for global action on climate change. Diane and a panel of journalists discuss the week’s top international stories.
Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2015-06-19/friday-news-roundup-international

Some Lawmakers Are Making The Separation Of Church And State Seem Like A Total Joke

...While there are some legitimate debates to be had about what, exactly, the government can and can't do when it comes to protecting religion -- the Supreme Court has considered this issue in a number of cases -- the examples below suggest that many lawmakers are trying their hardest to chip away at the separation between church and state...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/16/separation-church-state_n_7594272.html

Pope Francis's Comments On Heterosexual Parenting Alienate Gay Catholics

“Pope Francis' message...is harmful to many others in the Catholic Church: single-parent families, families where emotional and physical abuse occurs, families who are separated geographically because of political or economic situations, to name a few,” DeBernardo told HuffPost. “In focusing his attention on a standard of male-female child-rearing, Pope Francis ignores the real economic, political, cultural, and psychological forces which harm contemporary families around the globe.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/16/pope-francis-heterosexual-parents_n_7597040.html

Idaho Republican Party Considers Proposal Supporting “Bible Use” in Public Schools

...But what justification could anyone possibly have for the relevance of the Bible in astronomy, biology, geology, etc? There is none whatsoever...
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2015/06/09/idaho-republican-party-considers-proposal-supporting-bible-use-in-public-schools/

A test of faith: Pope Francis puts 2016 GOP hopefuls on the defensive

“Essentially, what this papal encyclical is saying is that every Catholic should vote for the Democrat Party,” conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh said Tuesday, using the name for such a document from the pope. “That’s what it is. How else do you interpret it when the pope comes out and sounds like Al Gore on global warming and climate change?”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/a-test-of-faith-pope-francis-puts-2016-gop-hopefuls-on-the-defensive/2015/06/18/bc3af116-15d2-11e5-9518-f9e0a8959f32_story.html

Pope Francis Goes Off the Rails

Perhaps it doesn’t matter because only the climate-change passages will get much play, but the document could have benefited from an editor cutting out the bizarre ramblings.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/06/pope-francis-goes-off-the-rails-119134.html

Does the 'Catholic vote' even exist?

Pope Francis’ climate encyclical stirs debate, but isn’t likely to move voters.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/pope-francis-encyclical-catholic-vote-119179.html

Juneteenth and How Slavery Really Ended

...Against this resistance, the Army turned to force. In a largely forgotten or misunderstood occupation, the Army spread more than 40 outposts across Texas to teach rebels “the idea of law as an irresistible power to which all must bow.” Freedpeople, as Haywood’s quote reminds us, did not need the Army to teach them about freedom; they needed the Army to teach planters the futility of trying to sustain slavery... Read this piece and it will change your understanding of just how slavery really ended and why...
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/hidden-history-of-juneteenth