DN Speak

Monday, November 16, 2015

Tenn. Pastor Rails Against Islam After Paris Attack: 'There Is No Such Thing As A Good Muslim'

Following the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, Pastor Maury Davis of Cornerstone Nashville Church said on Sunday that there was "no such thing as a ... Read more

Women are twice as likely to die from causes related to pregnancy or childbirth in the United States

...than in Canada, a new global survey of maternal mortality published by the United Nations and the World Bank showed.
Read more

People Want DEA Chief to Resign After He Called Medical Marijuana ‘a Joke’

Protestors point to scientific studies that show the medicinal benefits of marijuana on patients suffering from chronic pain.
Read more

And So the Hate Speech Begins: Let Paris Be the End of the Right's Violent Language Toward Activists

Some can never let a tragedy go to waste.
http://www.alternet.org/media/and-so-hate-speech-begins-let-paris-be-end-rights-violent-language-toward-activists

Fitter legs linked to a 'fitter' brain

Researchers have found that muscle fitness as measured by power in the legs is strongly associated with an improved rate of ageing in the brain. Read more

After Paris Attack, Cruz Calls for More Tolerance...for Killing Civilians

The Texas senator puts on his best tough-guy routine.
... Read more

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Bill Nye Demolishes Climate Deniers: '

"The Single Most Important Thing We Can Do Now Is Talk About Climate Change"
The scientist discusses his new book, 'Unstoppable,' and the urgent need for climate action.
... Read more

Egyptians and Twitter Mock Ben Carson for Dumb Pyramids Theory

“Does he even deserve a response?” asked Mamdouh el-Damaty, a professor of Egyptology and antiquities minister, speaking to the AP. “He doesn’t.”
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/egyptians-and-twitter-mock-ben-carson-dumb-pyramids-theory

Two Police Officers Convicted

Two police officers who accused a motorist of trying to grab one of their guns were convicted Thursday of misconduct in part because a dashcam video showed the motorist holding his hands up.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/4a0cb5ca375d464cb8a158f8a96ea865/dashcam-video-man-holding-hands-helps-convict-officers

10 Falsehoods That Netanyahu Told During His Appearance At CAP

In a wide-ranging forum, the hawkish prime minister invoked several of his favorite claims about the Israeli-Palestinian ... Read more

Marco Rubio’s New Faith Director Believes It’s Loving To Condemn Homosexuality

Eric Teetsel will offer his anti-equality evangelical prominence to the Rubio campaign. ... Read more

Joe’s Crab Shack Believes Getting Rid Of Tipping Will Be Good For Workers And Business

"It reflects our commitment to not only being a great place to eat but a great place to work," the CEO said. ... Read more

Huckabee: Syrian Refugees Just Want America’s Healthcare, ‘A Good Sandwich’

Huckabee largely dismissed the idea of accepting Syrian refugees into the United States at Tuesday's Republican debate. ... Read more

White Supremacists Planned Mass Shootings At Black Churches And Synagogues, FBI Says

The men were allegedly preparing for a "race war." ... Read more

Noam Chomsky: America's Empire of Chaos

Chomsky reflects on the violent dynamics of US foreign policy in the 21st century.
... Read more

Hoover, Truman & Ike: Mass Deporters?

Q: Did Eisenhower deport 13 million illegal immigrants? Did Hoover and Truman use mass deportations to open jobs for U.S. citizens?
A: No. Nothing close to 13 million persons were deported during any administration. All three of these presidents wrestled with a rising tide of illegal immigration, but a long-running chain e-mail makes bogus claims about them.
http://www.factcheck.org/2010/07/hoover-truman-ike-mass-deporters/

Israeli anger as EU agrees to label settlement products

Producers must clearly label produce coming from settlements built on land illegally occupied by Israel and sold in EU. Read more

Matt Taibbi: From the GOP Campaign Trail

Matt Taibbi of "Rolling Stone" joins the show from the Republican campaign trail following the most recent debate.
https://youtu.be/r160ikXxkcg

The Crazy Proposal From Carly Fiorina Everyone Missed During Last Night’s Debate

America's government, according to Fiorina, is just too darn nimble. ... Read more

Why Aren’t More Candidates Listening To Veterans On Medical Marijuana?

Veterans tell ThinkProgress that many Republican candidates are "just completely unreasonable and buy into the 'Reefer Madness' ... Read more

El Nino threatens millions of children in Africa: UN

Water shortages, hunger, and disease could affect 11 million kids in southern Africa, warns UNICEF. Read more

5 min Street Epistemology: Jamil | Muslim-Christian Ponders Prayer

https://youtu.be/_99dy6doEqs

How The American Religious Right Is Making The Middle East Peace Process Impossible | ThinkProgress

...But over the past few decades, the American Religious Right’s actions in the region have extended far beyond the broad consensus endorsing Israel’s right to exist, morphing instead into a form of faith-based activism that makes the area’s multitudinous issues more complicated. Often with the blessing of conservative politicians, funders, and pundits, right-wing Christian and Jewish groups in the United States have consistently offered financial assistance for the construction and maintenance of settlements in the West Bank that international law says are illegal, as well as lending support to fringe “outposts” that even the Israeli government often does not formally recognize. These constructions are passionately opposed by Palestinians, the international community, and the United States, which has repeatedly called them a “barrier to peace.”...
http://thinkprogress.org/world/2015/11/10/3720765/religious-right-israeli-settlements/

Christopher Hitchens "Hitch Slaps" Audience Member.

http://youtu.be/9HG0yH6Jtp0

Letting Go of God (Julia Sweeney)

Comedian Julia Sweeney performs her autobiographical telling of her reconversion from Catholicism to atheism.
https://youtu.be/KiU5ht5W_lk

Saturday, November 14, 2015

5 min Street Epistemology: Miguel (1) | Unraveling Faith

https://youtu.be/D8LYTy4DmEs

Can I Talk You Out of Your Faith? (The Thinking Atheist)

Is it possible to "talk someone out of their faith?" Is it even appropriate or worthwhile to make an attempt? If so, how might atheists best approach those with deep-seated (and often lifelong) religious convictions to foster real discourse and encourage critical thinking? Dr. Peter Boghossian is author of the book, "A Manual for Creating Atheists." Anthony Magnabosco is a YouTube activist and advocate of "street epistemology." Both men join Seth Andrews for this interesting discussion.
Interview:
http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/podcast/can-i-talk-you-out-of-your-faith#sthash.aAuqxbmG.dpuf

AlterNet Comics: Brian McFadden on Ben Carson's Blunderful World

The presidential hopeful takes you on a tour of the globe.
... Read more

Hebron hospital shooting: 'It was unnecessary killing'

Cousin of Abdullah al-Shalaldeh, killed by Israelis in a hospital raid, was fatally shot in a separate incident. Read more

BREAKING: Supreme Court Will Hear Case That Could Gut Roe V. Wade

It's the biggest abortion case in more than 20 years. ... Read more

New Report Reveals Bush Administration Ignored Dire Pre-9/11 Warning

The warnings in the meeting were largely ignored ... Read more

Rapidly Melting Glacier Has Enough Mass To Raise Sea Levels By Nearly 2 Feet

A massive glacier in Greenland is on the very verge of collapse, researchers have found. From 1996 to 2010, the edge of the glacier lost 2.2 miles into the ocean. But over just the next five years, it lost another 2.2 miles. The rapidly diminishing ice block, Zachariae Isstrom, has enough mass to raise the level of sea by nearly two feet...
Read more

Former CIA Director Reveals He Approved Drone Attack He Knew Would Kill Innocent Children

Panetta gave the go ahead on a strike he knew would kill innocent children. ... Read more

This Northwest City Just Passed The Strongest Resolution Against Fossil Fuels In The Country

Portland, Oregon just passed some of the strongest anti-fossil fuel regulations in the country.... Read more

Ben Carson Hires State Chair Who Supported Jim Crow And Opposed The Civil Rights Act

The former federal judge was a devoted segregationist. ... Read more

The New Religion Of Choice For White Supremacists

Spoiler alert: It's mostly because he's white. ... Read more

Indefensible Lomborg Analysis Misleads On Paris Climate Pledges, Ignores China

Widely debunked confusionist Bjorn Lomborg has twisted the world's climate pledges beyond recognition to make people think the ... Read more

Carson Says He Doesn't Regret Helping Friend Avoid Prison For Fraud

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ben Carson is defending his continuing business relationship with a close friend convicted of defrauding insurance companies. ... Read more

Report: States with handgun background checks have fewer mass shootings

There were fewer mass shootings in states that require background checks for handgun purchases over the past several years, a report by a national gun... Read more

Ben Carson Says His 'Sources' On Syria Are Better Than The White House

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson fired back Friday at the White House for dismissing his claims that China is moving into Syria, saying hi... Read more

Trump's Epically Insane Speech: The ISIS Part

https://youtu.be/ig9wpMvb_cc

GOP Debate Wrap-up: We’re All Screwed If Any Of These Idiots Get Elected

The fourth Republican debate is done, and there really were no clear winners. Rand Paul had a moment of lucidity before falling into his Libertarian economic nonsense. The real takeaway is that, if any of these buffoons make it to the White House, we’re all pretty screwed.

Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins discusses this.
https://youtu.be/c5gcpwPs9tk

Obama On Carson: He 'Doesn't Know Much About' Eliminating ISIL (VIDEO)

President Barack Obama dismissed Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson's comments on Syria and eliminating the Islamic State terrorist state in... Read more

ABC Breaking News | Latest News Videos

The Medicaid Crisis Bankrupting Public Hospitals | Al Jazeera America

NYC's public health system is a case study in how state budget cuts and Medicaid changes risk shuttering hospitals.
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/11/14/medicaid-crisis-bankrupting-public-hospitals2.html

Student debt is a problem for the entire US

Patricia Sabga discusses why student debt is an issue to everyone in the US and not just debtors and their families.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/CGJ_j43H9g8

Real Time with Bill Maher: Overtime – November 13, 2015 (HBO)

Bill Maher and his guests – Asra Nomani, Jay Leno, Michael Steele, Dylan Ratigan and Paul Reiser – answer viewer questions after the show.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/lTeD19M9F9g

Week In The News: College Campus Unrest, Immigration At Stake, Battle For Sinjar (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

Protests over race relations spread to more college campuses. At the GOP debate, the gloves were off. Who soared? Who scored? Who sank? And, can Bernie Sanders best Hillary when the Democrats debate this Saturday night? A blow to President Obama’s immigration plan. Kurdish forces move in on ISIS-held Sinjar.Netanyahu in the US. Jihadi John targeted by US airstrikes. A medal of honor hero at the White House. And, is Starbucks really declaring war on Christmas? This hour On Point, our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines. — Jane Clayson
Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2015/11/13/missouri-yale-race-immigration-gop-debate

Real Time with Bill Maher: New Rules – November 13, 2015 (HBO)

Bill Maher issues his latest decrees for society and reminds depressed white Americans that they’ve still got it pretty good.
https://youtu.be/DpVOgYhriMk

Friday News Roundup – Domestic (Diane Rehm Show, 2015-11-13)

President Obama is expected to sign a $607 billion defense bill despite its ban on moving some prisoners from Guantanamo to U.S. prisons. The ban has prompted debate on whether the president will try to bypass Congress and close the military prison through executive action. The White House says it will ask the Supreme Court for a ruling on immigration reform. President Obama enlists former diplomats in his push to sell the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. Republican presidential candidates spar over taxes, immigration, and wages in their latest debate. And the University of Missouri appoints a new interim president. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week’s top national news stories.
Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2015-11-13/friday-news-roundup-domestic

Friday News Roundup – International (Diane Rehm Show, 2015-11-13)

Kurdish fighters say they’ve retaken control of a key town in Iraq in an assault on ISIS, backed by coalition airstrikes. U.S. aircraft carry out an operation in Syria targeting the militant known as Jihadi John. ISIS claims responsibility for a double suicide bombing in Beirut that kills more than three dozen people and wounds hundreds. In Myanmar, the party of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi wins a landslide election victory. In Europe, Sweden begins border checks to stem the influx of migrants. And Russian athletes are under fire by the World Anti-Doping Agency. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week’s top international news stories.
Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2015-11-13/friday-news-roundup-international

Real Time with Bill Maher: Why Do They Hate Us? (HBO)

Bill Maher and panelists Dylan Ratigan, Michael Steele and Jay Leno discuss the motivations behind extremists’ attacks on western countries and the GOP's approach to foreign policy in this clip from November 13, 2015.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/mL5XXcDN3n0

Friday, November 13, 2015

Why Republicans Still Love the Gold Standard (New York Times)

"...Leaving his historical errors aside, Mr. Cruz is not the only Republican presidential candidate to express admiration for the gold standard: Senator Rand Paul and Ben Carson have, too. The gold standard has long been a pet cause among some conservatives (it was hinted at in the 2012 Republican platform) and has gained credence among mainstream Republicans as a tool to limit government influence over the economy.

But a return to the gold standard would be catastrophic, especially as we continue the climb out of our Great Recession. That is because, as the framers of Bretton Woods knew, the course of an economy depends not only on what happens, but on what people expect will happen..."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/13/opinion/campaign-stops/why-republicans-still-love-the-gold-standard.html

‘Pathological’ definitely doesn’t mean what Donald Trump thinks it means

"The notion that a pathology is something that cannot be treated or cured doesn't make much sense," wrote John Hibbing, a professor of political science and psychology at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, in an e-mail. "If the statement is true, why are there pathologists?"
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/11/13/pathological-definitely-doesnt-mean-what-donald-trump-thinks-it-means/

Donald Trump begs Iowans not to believe Ben Carson: ‘Don’t be fools, okay?’

...Trump appeared to unravel on stage Thursday evening before a crowd of roughly 1,500 in Fort Dodge...At first, the audience was quick to laugh at Trump's sharp insults and applaud his calls to better care for veterans, replace the Affordable Care Act and construct a wall along the Mexican border. But as the speech dragged on, the applause came less often and grew softer. As Trump attacked Carson using deeply personal language, the audience grew quiet, a few shaking their heads. A man sitting in the back of the auditorium loudly gasped...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/11/13/donald-trump-begs-iowans-not-to-believe-ben-carson-dont-be-fools-okay/