The Simplest Explanation Of The Iran Deal You’ll Find

Legos make everything simpler.  ... Read more

‘Comedy’: Amy Schumer Compares Birth Control to Gun Rights

“Ask your doctor if birth control is right for you,” the ad begins. “Then, ask your boss if birth control is right for you. Ask your boss to ask his priest...
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/katie-yoder/2015/05/04/comedy-amy-schumer-compares-birth-control-gun-rights#sthash.rsfV7SDk.dpuf

Even Nuns Aren't Exempt From Obamacare's Birth-Control Mandate

A federal appeals court rules that the Little Sisters of the Poor received a sufficient religious accommodation.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/07/obama-beats-the-nuns-on-contraception/398519/

'Blowing my mind': Prove finds ice mountains on Pluto, canyons on its moon

"Who would have supposed that there were ice mountains?" project scientist Hal Weaver said. "It's just blowing my mind."
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2015/07/16/blowing-my-mind-prove-finds-ice-mountains-on-pluto-canyons-on-its-moon/

Obama: Iran Nuke Deal Makes Our Country, World Safer

...Six world powers, including the United States, reached the deal on Tuesday. It aims to limit Iran's nuclear capability in exchange for lifting punishing economic sanctions. Obama has said the deal eliminates every pathway to an Iranian nuclear weapon... He also said that critics of the deal have not presented a better alternative and indicated that he was ready for an engaged conversation on the matter...
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/coming-obama-takes-questions-iran-nuclear-deal-n392511

Obama: Iran deal is only alternative to more Mideast war

...Obama is now spearheading an intense White House push to counter Republican critics in Congress and reassure jittery allies such as Israel and Saudi Arabia...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/15/us-iran-nuclear-obama-idUSKCN0PP2BQ20150715

Why Some People Think The Iran Nuclear Deal Is Historic And Others Think It’s A Historic Mistake

While certain critics were pushing for unfettered access to Iran's nuclear sites, Brom said, "it never works that way." ... Read more

S.C. Raised Confederate Flag in '61 to Insult 9 Black Protesters—Now Took It Down to Honor 9 Slain

Has history come full circle?
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/sc-raised-confederate-flag-61-insult-9-black-protesters-now-took-it-down-honor-9

10 Most Insane Calamities Right-Wingers Predict Will Result from Gay Marriage

The wing-nuts are having an epic meltdown.
http://www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/10-most-insane-calamities-right-wingers-predict-will-result-gay-marriage

Every Judgement About Women Destroyed In Just Over One Minute (VIDEO)

In most situations, women are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Should they work? Should they stay home? Should they have a nanny? Should they have an abortion? Should they leave an abusive partner? Should they… should they… should they….
Read more

Tyson Chicken Factory Farm Caught On Hidden Camera Torturing And Neglecting Animals

"Tyson Foods is literally torturing chickens to death," said MFA's president, Nathan Runkle. "They are crammed into filthy, windowless sheds, thrown, kicked, and brutalized by careless workers, and bred to grow so fast they suffer from painful leg deformities and heart attacks. This is sickening animal abuse no company with morals should support. Tyson Foods has not only the power, but also the ethical responsibility to end the worst forms of cruelty to animals in its supply chain."
Read more

Why Some People Think The Iran Nuclear Deal Is Historic And Others Think It’s A Historic Mistake

While certain critics were pushing for unfettered access to Iran's nuclear sites, Brom said, "it never works that way." ... Read more

Lindsey Graham: Why Don’t Republicans Believe The Scientists On Climate Change?

"If I went to 10 doctors and nine said, 'Hey, you're gonna die,' and one says 'You're fine,' why would I believe the one ... Read more

Democrats Push Accountability And Universal Pre-K For Major Education Bill

Democrats will push for an accountability amendment and pre-k amendment Wednesday. ... Read more

Jeb Bush Wants More Americans To Work Long Hours But Doesn’t Want To Pay Them Overtime

Jeb Bush called expanding overtime protections to five million more workers "the wrong approach."  ... Read more

House Republicans Are Outraged That Obama Is Too Merciful

A letter from several House Republicans suggests that bipartisan progress on criminal justice reform could prove fragile in the ... Read more

Across The Globe, Wildfire Season Is Lasting Longer

The global area affected by wildfire has also doubled.  ... Read more

Watching ‘The Stanford Prison Experiment’ In The Era Of Mass Incarceration

"I feel guilty about allowing the suffering to go on as long as it did. And that's reinforced in the movie." ... Read more

Abortion is a medical procedure. The reality of those often isn't pleasant.

...No matter how legal the events in the video are, in the days to come, I’m sure we’ll see a renewed Republican effort to attack and even defund Planned Parenthood. Not because the organization has done anything illegal, but because people don’t like watching a doctor describing abortion in a matter-of-fact way over lunch...
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jul/15/planned-parenthood-videos-abortion-truths

Hardly Any Women Regret Having an Abortion, a New Study Finds

The study was carried out by researchers from the Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health at UC San Francisco’s School of Medicine, and from the university’s division of biostatistics.
http://time.com/3956781/women-abortion-regret-reproductive-health/

How Oregon's Fight To Expand Birth Control Access Is Influencing Other States

...Democratic lawmakers in other states have expressed interest in passing legislation similar to Oregon's new 12-month supply law. The Washington, D.C. Council introduced a 12-month dispensing bill earlier this year, which was not met with any opposition at the hearing. The bill was co-sponsored by nine members of the council and is currently under congressional review after the mayor signed it...
http://www.ibtimes.com/how-oregons-fight-expand-birth-control-access-influencing-other-states-2008050

Christian Terrorists Target Satanic Temple’s Baphomet Statue

The group had plans to unveil the 8.5-foot tall, 1.5-ton bronze statue of the Lord of Darkness, a goat-headed figure also known as a Baphomet, in Detroit on July 25. However, after threats from angry Christians, the owner of the venue scheduled to host the unveiling cancelled the event.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2015/07/christian-terrorists-target-satanic-temples-baphomet-statue/#sthash.8tu84vFD.dpuf

5 American Sex Norms Europeans Probably Think Are Insane

Europeans tend to view us as the land of the free, home of the batshit crazy. Below are some of the biggest sexual WTFs Europeans have about America.
http://www.alternet.org/sex-amp-relationships/5-american-sex-norms-europeans-probably-think-are-insane

China Unveils Plans to Build an 8,000-Mile High-Speed Underwater Railway Line to America

It sounds like an April Fool’s joke, but from what we can tell, the Chinese government is completely serious about their latest high speed rail project. According to multiple news outlets, China plans to build an 8,000+ mile railroad (sounds plausible) connecting China, Russia, Canada, and the U.S. that includes a 125 mile undersea tunnel spanning the Bering Strait! The plan was announced in China’s state-run newspaper, the Beijing Times, and apparently Russia is already on-board with the plan. While it would be nice to travel from China to America in two days without setting foot in a single airport, engineers around the globe are skeptical.
http://inhabitat.com/china-unveils-wacky-idea-to-build-an-8000-mile-high-speed-underwater-railway-line-to-america/

TIL Sweden is so good at recycling that it has run out of rubbish and imports 80,000 tons a year from Norway.

Sweden, a recycling-happy land where a quarter of a million homes are powered by the incineration of waste, is facing a unique dilemma: The nation has run out of much-needed fuel.
http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/recycling/blogs/sweden-runs-out-of-garbage-forced-to-import-from-norway

Free book vending machines installed in low-income areas in an attempt to get books into homes.

Now, Jet Blue Airways is launching a pilot program in Southeast D.C. that aims to get books into homes. Starting Wednesday, July 8, their Soar with Reading program will stock three vending machines throughout the area with free books for kids.
Read more

How The Iran Nuclear Deal Could Reshape The Middle East

... What's certain is that the narrow and highly technical negotiations on Iran's nuclear program will influence the much broader trajectory of the Middle East in many ways, large and small. One impact was instant: Oil prices tumbled in response to the prospect of increased Iranian oil on the world market...
http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/07/14/422536452/how-the-iran-nuclear-deal-could-reshape-the-middle-east

The Best (And Worst) Retailers For Sustainable Seafood

A new report from Greenpeace ranks retailers on the sustainability of their seafood programs.  ... Read more

Business Groups Are Suing The EPA Over Its New Drinking Water Protections

The lawsuit claims businesses will "suffer real economic harm" from the new anti-pollution rule.  ... Read more

Scott Walker’s Offensive Claim About Gay Men And Children

Walker thinks anti-gay discrimination "protected children."  ... Read more

The Northeast’s Electricity Bills Have Dropped $460 Million Since They Started Paying For Carbon

Cap-and-trade works.  ... Read more

This Presidential Candidate Wants To Extend Health Care To Undocumented Immigrants

His proposal would cover upwards of five million immigrants.  ... Read more

NYPD Union Boss Calls Settlement For Eric Garner’s Death ‘Obscene’

...the city medical examiner ruled Garner’s death a homicide caused by the illegal police chokehold used by Daniel Pantaleo. ... Read more

Hillary Clinton: Workers should get bigger piece of company profits

American workers are struggling and American corporations are posting record profits.
Read more

China targeting U.S. chipmaker for massive takeover

As Chinese takeovers go, this one would be huge.
Read more

The U.S. is facing a $1 trillion pension shortfall

And no one is being held accountable...

...There are two big reasons states have fallen behind. First, a lot of the funds are held in stocks, and returns on those investments fell during the Great Recession.
And second, some states have failed to make the required contribution to their pension programs...

Read more

Boehner Pretends There's Still More To Learn From Their Benghazi Witch Hunt

Here's a question I'd like to see at least one reporter in our corporate media ask any of these Republicans who continue to do what House Speaker John...  Read more

Chaffetz Continues The GOP Tradition Of Being Wrong About Iran

Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo featured Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R) who expressed the entire Republican Party's disenchantment wi...  Read more

GOP Myth: Obamacare Is Driving Insurance Mergers

Republican lawmakers and their friends in Washington's conservative think tanks have put forth another reason Americans should hate Obamacare: it's ma...  Read more

Regime Change

Trump reportedly told a meeting of Hollywood conservatives that the US should have invaded Mexico instead of Iraq - which certainly would have cut dow... Read more

Clinton To Bush: American Workers 'Need A Raise,' Not Longer Hours

NEW YORK (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton accused former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush of lacking an understanding of the needs of American workers on Monday, us... Read more

Rick Scarborough Says Gay Parents Will Drive Their Children 'Into An Early Grave Called Hell'

Rick Scarborough warns that gay marriage will kill this nation because gay parents will disciple their children into Hell.
http://youtu.be/oWZLY4aHtt0

The thing Bernie Sanders says about inequality that no other candidate will touch

There are very few unspoken rules among major-party candidates for president, and Bernie Sanders is breaking one of them. He's saying that America's leaders shouldn't worry so much about economic growth if that growth serves to enrich only the wealthiest Americans...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-bernie-sanders-income-inequality-20150713-story.html

"Christian" Group puts Angie's List on 'Bigotry Map' over RFRA

...Angie's List canceled a planned $40 million expansion on the Eastside of Indianapolis, blaming the decision on RFRA and fueling concerns about the new law's economic impact on the city. The company's CEO, Bill Oesterle, later resigned and has become one of the law's most outspoken opponents...
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2015/07/13/group-puts-angies-list-bigotry-map-rfra/30102075/

CNN to Rick Santorum: Why aren't you more like your pope?

http://youtu.be/eLE3SkuYlHA

And Now the Good News #145: 7/14/2015

http://youtu.be/VTAq98k2zPo

Trump's Racist Speech Skyrockets Him To Top Of GOP Polls

http://youtu.be/LCJePmIzVQY

Robert Reich Grades Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and jeb bush On Economics

http://youtu.be/yXmhB9aWpK4

To Win Republican Base, Scott Walker Has Gone Far-Right

The Wisconsin governor appears to be going down the same road as Mitt Romney in 2012.
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/win-republican-base-scott-walker-has-gone-far-right

Smoking may cause schizophrenia.

It is well known that schizophrenics smoke at a greater rate than the general population, but a new study indicates that smoking may play a direct role in the development of the condition.
Read more

USDA Says: Okay To Ship U.S. Chickens to China for Cheap Processing Then Back Home For You to Eat

"China’s food safety system, which is said to be decades behind America’s, is highly questionable given some of the more recent food safety scandals that have surfaced in the country..."
Read more

Defending Discrimination: The Religious Right Is Unhappy About Americans United’s New Project To End Religion-Based Refusals

Like most of the Religious Right, FRC President Tony Perkins confuses not getting his way with actual persecution.
https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/defending-discrimination-the-religious-right-is-unhappy-about-americans

Jarring: 'Everybody Has a Killer in Their Family': Growing Up Black in West St. Louis

"'Everybody in My Neighborhood Has a Killer in Their Family': Growing Up Black in West St. Louis" ... Read more

Santorum Calls For A Constitutional Amendment To Ban Same-Sex Marriage

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) put some daylight between himself and other 2016 contenders who are calling for a constitutional amendment to scale b... Read more

The Last-Minute Change That Scott Walker Made To The Wisconsin Budget

Walker's changes puts the state at serious risk of being sued over constitutional violations.  ... Read more

Australian Government Deals Big Blow To Public Investment In Renewable Energy

The Abbott administration continues its campaign against renewable energy.  ... Read more