DN Speak

Thursday, February 25, 2016

New White Supremacist PAC Robocalls: 'Don’t Vote For A Cuban,' Vote Trump! (AUDIO)

In a recording of the robocall sent to TPM, American National Super PAC founder William Daniel Johnson calls on white Americans to brush aside their fears of being branded as racist and stop the “gradual genocide against the white race” by electing Trump...
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/trump-robocall-super-tuesday-william-daniel-johnson

Big Chunk of Trump Voters Think Freeing the Slaves After the Civil War Was a Bad Idea

A new poll suggests that nearly 20% of Trump voters long for the Confederacy.
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/big-chunk-trump-voters-think-freeing-slaves-after-civil-war-was-bad-idea

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Macworld: Apple is reportedly fighting 12 more iPhone data extraction orders

The company has more than just the San Bernardino court order to contend with.
http://www.macworld.com/article/3036745/security/apple-is-reportedly-fighting-12-more-iphone-data-extraction-orders.html#tk.rss_all

Mastercard's working on selfie-based security for online payments

Instead of typing a password, you’ll soon be able to smile for the camera.
http://www.macworld.com/article/3036743/security/mastercards-working-on-selfie-based-security-for-online-payments.html#tk.rss_all

Macworld: How to boost your Wi-Fi signal without any tricks

The higher-frequency flavor of Wi-Fi used by 802.11n and 802.11ac can have higher power output and further range by picking the right channel.
http://www.macworld.com/article/3033938/networking/how-to-boost-your-wi-fi-signal-without-any-tricks.html#tk.rss_all

The Only Site You Need To Check Before Voting

We all need this.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ballotready-election-day-voting_us_56cc6b4ae4b0ec6725e3e469

PBS Announces Round-The-Clock Kids Channel

The new channel could bring educational programs to millions of kids without Internet access.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pbs-kids-channel_us_56ccaeade4b0ec6725e42655

How an Army of Pharma Lobbyists in Washington Have Locked in One of the Biggest Corporate Ripoff Schemes in America

Pharma is creaming tens of billions out of the federal government in a variety of schemes...
http://www.alternet.org/personal-health/how-army-pharma-lobbyists-washington-have-locked-one-biggest-corporate-ripoff

Take It from a Dane - Why Bernie Sanders Is Right to Push to Make America More Like Denmark

If you believe in universal health care, free education and paid maternity leave for all then Denmark is the ideal.
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/take-it-dane-why-bernie-sanders-right-push-make-america-more-denmark

Israel Announces $26 Million Cyberattack on Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement and Muslims in the West

In coordination with the Israeli tech industry, government unleashes a new spy and sabotage plan.
http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/israel-announces-26-million-cyber-attack-boycott-divestment-and-sanctions-movement

Texas School District Continues to Promote Christianity in Classrooms Despite Multiple Warnings

The letter states that the club meetings, formerly teacher-run, are now being conducted by Hardin-Jefferson High School students affiliated with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Hawks for Christ clubs.
This still violates the Establishment Clause of the Constitution, according to Grover’s letter...
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2016/02/23/texas-school-district-continues-to-promote-christianity-in-classrooms-despite-multiple-warnings/

Actor Johnny Depp Will Speak at Reason Rally 2016

Depp has alluded to his atheism before, though never explicitly...
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2016/02/23/actor-johnny-depp-will-speak-at-reason-rally-2016/

The God Distraction: Introduction

This is the introduction to my new ten part series, The God Distraction: I don't care if God exists, and neither should you...
https://youtu.be/yVVH071-5Ws

The God Distraction, Chapter One: Arguments

Can arguments settle the question of God's existence?
https://youtu.be/76Yc_DuZkLY

The Cruz Campaign's Dirty Tricks: A Closer Look

https://youtu.be/hYSotS1nUKo

Bill O'Reilly Tries to Force Ben Carson to Accept Failure

Bill O'Reilly tells Ben Carson that he's going to lose on Super Tuesday and asks him who he will endorse for president. Dr. Ben Carson will not accept the premise of this discussion, because even whilst causally mentioning the insane financial mismanagement of his own campaign, he seems to think he still has a chance. Michael Brooks is filling in for Sam Seder today...
https://youtu.be/7KjkcCCLt_o

Why Is Mitch McConnell Picking This Fight?

What’s at stake for the majority leader in the battle over Scalia’s replacement.
https://www.propublica.org/article/why-is-mitch-mcconnell-picking-this-fight

Top operative for Koch brothers will join Marco Rubio's campaign

A key player in the Koch brothers' inner political circle will work directly on Sen. Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign, bringing deep connections to the brothers' vast network of donors and experience helping oversee their sophisticated political operation...
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/02/23/top-operative-koch-brothers-join-marco-rubios-campaign/80799762/

Who is Killing American Manufacturing?

"They should shouting from rooftops, “No TPP!” For the love of American manufacturing, they should be yelling bloody murder."
http://www.industryweek.com/workforce/who-killing-american-manufacturing

"The Devil in Ted Cruz"

"Is he suffering from delusions? Amnesia? On the Senate floor he called Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader, a liar. He also likened Senate Republicans who recognized the impossibility of defunding Obamacare to Nazi appeasers."
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/24/opinion/the-devil-in-ted-cruz.html

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Could the 2016 Election Be Stolen with Help from Electronic Voting Machines?

Harvey Wasserman of Columbus, Ohio, has been a vocal critic of electronic voting machines. He co-wrote the book, "What Happened in Ohio: A Documentary Record of Theft and Fraud in the 2004 Election." His upcoming book is titled "The Strip & Flip Selection of 2016: Five Jim Crows & Electronic Election Theft." We talk to him about his concerns for the upcoming presidential race.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/OvF213popIA

South Carolina Legislators Propose Bill to Put “In God We Trust” Sign in Every Public School

Of course she has no problem with it. It’s her God they’re talking about...
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2016/02/23/south-carolina-legislators-propose-bill-to-put-in-god-we-trust-sign-in-every-public-school/

The psychology of narcissism - W. Keith Campbell

Narcissism isn’t just a personality type that shows up in advice columns; it’s actually a set of traits classified and studied by psychologists. But what causes it? And can narcissists improve on their negative traits? W. Keith Campbell describes the psychology behind the elevated and sometimes detrimental self-involvement of narcissists.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/arJLy3hX1E8

Darrell Issa: 'Technically' Obama was 'raised white'

https://youtu.be/gJ3lsLSp5Z0

And Now the Good News #177: 2/23/2016

Learn more about the stories featured in this video at the following sources:

“Fossil analysis pushes back human split from other primates by two million years”
http://goo.gl/pEi6vJ

“Neanderthals mated with modern humans much earlier than previously thought, study finds”
http://goo.gl/GxnQtv

“Fewer heart problems in people who drink moderately but often”
http://goo.gl/sgrcXL
https://youtu.be/Hn8FL8u04_4

What exactly is a brokered convention?

It's contentious, rare, and a throwback to a bygone political era.
https://youtu.be/4TZ5oCW0JFw

Franklin Graham Just Went Berserk Over Tonight's Charlotte LGBT Nondiscrimination Vote

...And now, Franklin Graham is once again weighing in, in a manner no one who calls themselves a true Christian would. According to Graham, LGBT people – presumably transgender people especially, given the context – are "pedophiles, perverts, and predators," and "depraved sexual activists."...
http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/davidbadash/franklin_graham_just_went_berserk_over_tonight_s_charlotte_lgbt_nondiscrimination_vote

Suddenly For Separation?: Falwell Jr. Says Jesus Wasn’t Into Politics

The Religious Right was predicated on the idea that Jesus was a bootstrap capitalist who hated legal abortion, gays, evolution, women’s rights, environmentalism, secular government, immigration, social-service programs for the poor and public education, among other things.
https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/suddenly-for-separation-falwell-jr-says-jesus-wasn-t-into-politics

Brian McFadden on Mitch McConnell's Wish List for Supreme Court Nominees

These are the candidates he's hoping for.
http://www.alternet.org/comics/alternet-comics-brian-mcfadden-mitch-mcconnells-wish-list-supreme-court-nominees

Paul Krugman: Why GOP Establishment Darling Marco Rubio Is Actually a Fringe Crackpot

"Rubio is pandering to an ignorant elite..."
http://www.alternet.org/economy/paul-krugman-why-gop-establishment-darling-marco-rubio-actually-fringe-crackpot

Robert Reich: 4 Reasons Ted Cruz is Even More Dangerous than Donald Trump

"Both men would be disasters for America, but Ted Cruz would be the larger disaster..."
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/robert-reich-4-reasons-ted-cruz-even-more-dangerous-donald-trump

25 Commonly Accepted 'Facts' That Just Ain’t So

It turns out that sharks do get cancer...
http://www.alternet.org/culture/25-commonly-accepted-facts-just-aint-so

Republicans React to Scalia's Death by Abandoning the Text of the Constitution

The faithful of the Republican Party constantly boast of their superior devotion to the Constitution. And they baselessly accuse the Democrats, especially President Barack Obama, of failing to abide by the text of the Constitution.

Then came the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, the hero of Republicans for claiming to so strictly follow the text of the Constitution. This suddenly opened-up a vacancy on the Supreme Court to be filled by President Obama. A Democrat. Horrors!...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cody-cain/republicans-react-to-scal_b_9292614.html

Common Core's Happy Days May Be Here Again

New studies related to the Common Core could prompt a wary public to give the standards a second look.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/patte-barth/common-cores-happy-days-m_b_9276596.html

Trump wrongly says Obamacare has 'no options,' competitive bidding

"We're going to have great plans, they're going to be a lot less expensive than Obamacare," Trump said on NBC’s Meet the Press. "They're going to be private. And there are going to be lots of ... We're going to have a lot of different options. Right now, you have no options. You know why? Because the insurance company controls (President Barack) Obama, because they gave him a lot of money. That's why you have lines around the states. And you can't get competitive bidding."
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/feb/21/donald-trump/trump-wrongly-says-obamacare-has-no-options-compet/

Penn Jillette: Reading the Bible (Or the Koran, Or the Torah) Will Make You an Atheist

The magician was asked to leave his Christian youth group by a pastor who told his parents: "He's no longer learning about the Bible from me. He is now converting everyone in the class to atheism."
https://youtu.be/E3rGev6OZ3w

Monday, February 22, 2016

Medical Neglect in the Name of God -- part 1 (Seth Andrews, The Thinking Atheist)

There are two words that, too often, mean the difference between life and death: Religious. Exemption. Individuals and families who reject necessary medical care in favor of prayer and adherence to strict church restrictions often pay with their lives, or the lives of their children. Rita Swan is the director of CHILD, INC, and she has firsthand experience with this. Rita has since dedicated her life to child advocacy and the fight to protect children from (often well-meaning) parents who keep them far from hospital care, and far from the health solutions they desperately need. It's a difficult subject, but a necessary discussion about faith, parental responsibility, and the need for real-world solutions to real-world problems. This is part one of a two-part show on this subject. Part two features Dr. Paul Offit, author of the book, "Bad Faith: When Religious Belief Undermines Modern Medicine," which airs February 2, 2016. CHILD, INC LINKS:
http://www.childrenshealthcare.org
http://www.idahochildren.org
Interview:
http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/podcast/medical-neglect-in-the-name-of-god--part-1-of-2-with-rita-swan

James Randi's fiery takedown of psychic fraud

Interview:
https://youtu.be/XcPuRaSEq1I

Senator Joni Ernst Won’t Denounce Faith-Based Discrimination, in Response to Atheist Questioner

"I think you vote for the person who is best qualified to serve the public. So, bottom line, we are representing the views of the people that elect us. And hopefully, people understand what our views are when we’re being elected, and we answer those questions through the campaign trail. So whether, again, it is not a religious litmus test for elected leaders. People will go vote for who they think will represent them best...."

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2016/02/20/senator-joni-ernst-wont-denounce-faith-based-discrimination-in-response-to-atheist-questioner/

It’s Official, The Government Only Works For The Wealthy

In America today, we have too many people going hungry, too many people living on the streets, and too many people who don’t know how they’re going to pay their medical bills. This isn’t the result of a lack of leadership, it’s the result of bad leadership. Republicans in America have worked very hard to create these problems just so they can give a few more handouts to the already-wealthy.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/p25Gk2sZIbs

Telecom startup to bolt Georgia after ‘religious liberty’ vote

“It makes no sense. It’s absolutely unnecessary. We are a startup and we are trying to get the best talent we can,” said Williams, who is gay. “And I don’t want to be in a state where it is hard to attract the best talent.”
http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2016/02/21/telecom-startup-to-bolt-georgia-after-religious-liberty-vote/

Philippine church defends Manny Pacquiao over anti-gay slurs

He said it was “unfair” to condemn Pacquiao for echoing what he reads in the Bible when he was asked about same-sex marriage...
http://www.rawstory.com/2016/02/philippine-church-defends-manny-pacquiao-over-anti-gay-slurs/

High Schooler Roughed Up At Donald Trump's South Carolina Rally Tells His Story | ThinkProgress

When high school senior Thomas Hill learned that Republican frontrunner Donald Trump was speaking just across the river from his hometown of Augusta, Georgia, he wanted to take the opportunity to confront the increasingly popular candidate on his rhetoric painting Latino immigrants as criminals. A few hours later, video of his ejection from the rally, and Trump honoring the men who roughed him up, went viral...
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/02/18/3750693/trump-protester-sc-story/

Baltimore Police Stop Man For Not Wearing His Seat Belt, End Up Shooting Him In Neck | ThinkProgress

When four plainclothes officers were monitoring traffic in late January, they say they saw 22-year-old Jawan Hawkins driving without a seat belt on. Moments later, Hawkins wound up with a bullet in his neck because he allegedly hit one of their car doors...
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/02/18/3750723/police-shoot-seatbelt/

ThinkProgress: Donald Trump Still Deserves Credit On Iraq. Here’s Why.

“George W. Bush made a mistake,” Trump said. “We can make mistakes. But that one was a beauty. We should have never been in Iraq. We have destabilized the Middle East.”
“They lied,” Trump continued, referring to Bush administration officials. “They said there were weapons of mass destruction and there were none. And they knew there were none.”...
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/02/19/3751265/donald-trump-still-deserves-credit-on-iraq-heres-why/

Drug Testing Welfare Recipients Is A Popular New Policy That Cost States Millions. Here Are The Results. | ThinkProgress

Proponents of these programs argue that they’re implemented not just to save money, but to help people who may be struggling with substance abuse. But the data tells a different story...
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2016/02/19/3747139/states-drug-testing-welfare-recipients/

Being an atheist doesn't mean you're rational

Interview:
https://youtu.be/jhQdYvz0VwQ

All Workers In This State Will Soon Be Guaranteed A Paid Day Off When They Get Sick | ThinkProgress

On Wednesday, Vermont’s House approved a bill that would guarantee workers in the state the ability to earn paid sick days, sending it to Gov. Peter Shumlin (D)’s desk. Once the governor signs it into law, as he has said he will do, Vermont will become the fifth state in the country to ensure employees the right to a paid day off for their own illness or that of their loved ones...
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2016/02/18/3750721/vermont-paid-sick-leave/

Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire? Cruz Hopes To Overcome Bitter Accusations With Faith

"I don't think he has the character or the morals to really lead our country in the right way," he told NPR. And Barry predicted that polls showing Trump was still winning the state's evangelical vote were wrong...
http://www.npr.org/2016/02/19/467366313/liar-liar-pants-on-fire-cruz-hopes-to-overcome-bitter-accusations-with-faith

Pope Calls On Christians To Abolish Death Penalty

"The commandment, 'Thou shalt not kill,' has absolute value, and concerns both the innocent and the guilty," Pope Francis said Sunday, urging that the death penalty be abolished...
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/21/467549565/pope-calls-on-christians-to-abolish-death-penalty

GOP Lawmakers Across The Country Are Advancing Their War Against Planned Parenthood

Last month, a Houston grand jury concluded that Planned Parenthood hasn’t done anything wrong. Every state-level investigation into the group has come up empty. But that’s made no difference to the GOP politicians who are insistent on using this discredited information to attack Planned Parenthood. It’s working. In several states this week, Republican leaders successfully advanced their efforts to undermine the organization’s work...
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2016/02/20/3751681/gop-war-planned-parenthood/

Canadian Island Flooded With Questions From Americans Fleeing Potential Trump Presidency

“Don’t wait until Donald Trump is elected president to find somewhere else to live!” the website’s home page originally read, according to TIME. “Start now, that way, on election day, you just hop on a bus to start your new life in Cape Breton, where women are legally able to choose an abortion, Muslim people can roam freely, and the only ‘walls’ are holding up the roofs of our extremely affordable houses.”
http://thinkprogress.org/world/2016/02/20/3751728/american-refugees/

Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Mia Love, And Other Ideas Trump Supporters Have For Supreme Court Nominees

"He’s a constitutionalist and he’s all for enforcing the law."
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/02/20/3751297/trump-supreme-court-ideas/

Sunday, February 21, 2016

“How Jesus Became God.” (Bart Ehrman Michael Bird Debate 2016)

Professor Bart D. Ehrman met with Australian theologian and New Testament scholar Michael F. Bird at the 2016 Greer-Heard Point Counter Point Forum on February 12-13, 2016 for a two part debate. The event was held at 7:00 p.m. and Part 2 the next day at 2:00 p.m. in the Leavell College Chapel at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. An attendee question and answer session followed the debate. The subject of the debate was “How Jesus Became God.”

This debate is discussed on Bart Ehrman's Foundation Blog: http://ehrmanblog.org/?p=10254

Bart D. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He came to UNC in 1988, after four years of teaching at Rutgers University. At UNC he has served as both the Director of Graduate Studies and the Chair of the Department of Religious Studies. A graduate of Wheaton College (Illinois), Professor Ehrman received both his Masters of Divinity and Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary, where his 1985 doctoral dissertation was awarded magna cum laude.

Michael F. Bird, BMin, BA (Hons), PhD taught New Testament at the Highland Theological College in Scotland (2005-9) before joining Crossway College in Brisbane as lecturer in Theology (2010-12). He joined the faculty at Ridley as lecturer in Theology in 2013. As an industrious researcher, Michael has written and edited over twenty books in the fields of Septuagint, Historical Jesus, Gospels, St. Paul, Biblical Theology, and Systematic Theology.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/RtkeNuCwinc

Iowa GOP Debate | Full Frontal with Samantha Bee | TBS

https://youtu.be/SoV37597ARE

Scalia Dies, Republicans Debate | Full Frontal with Samantha Bee | TBS

Justice Antonin Scalia passes. Here's how you destabilize an election that's already pretty much a car tumbling down the side of a cliff.
https://youtu.be/6bvl6spBVEc

Donald & Marco | Full Frontal with Samantha Bee | TBS

Marco Rubio malfunctions despite assurances talking-point fail-safes had been installed.
https://youtu.be/kEWevb4pByU

Atheists in the Pulpit: The Clergy Project (AHA Conference 2015)

This panel will tell the story of the four-year-old Clergy Project, an online support community for current and former members of the clergy who deconverted from their faith while serving in ministry. Speakers include Gretta Vosper, John Compere, Terry Plank, and Michael Thomas Tower.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/hTme-3nz8q4

EXPOSED: The Daily Beast's Anti-Bernie Sanders Slant Due to Conflict of Interest with Clintons

The Daily Beast has been strongly pushing the narrative that Bernie Sanders is not electable—a talking point straight out of the Hillary Clinton campaign. Why are they doing this? As it turns out, there is a direct conflict of interest between the owner of The Daily Beast and the Clintons. We expose them for the shill media outlet that they are in this segment.
https://youtu.be/PwU8KMY7s1U

It's Morning Again In Canada

Marco Rubio's striking new campaign ad shines a spotlight on the struggles regular Canadians face.
https://youtu.be/L5ZwtSwSX3Q

GOP Candidate Actually Admits The ‘Ferguson Effect’ Is Not Supported By Data

“That’s anecdotal. There’s not any evidence of that other than what I watch on TV.”
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/02/19/3751479/bush-ferguson-effect/

Lawmakers Call For An Investigation Into Shell’s Climate Policies

Three Democratic lawmakers have sent a letter to the Justice Department calling for an investigation into whether Royal Dutch Shell knowingly misled the public about the dangers of climate change...
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/02/19/3751279/shell-climate-investigation/

Peruvian Oil Spill Prompts Water Emergency For Thousands

Peru’s General Directorate of Environmental Health issued the water quality emergency Wednesday, more than three weeks after the first rupture was reported on January 25. The second spill, which came from a different section of the same pipeline, took place on February 3, further extending plumes of oil and affecting the livelihood of communities that rely on fishing and agriculture...
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/02/19/3751281/oil-spill-in-the-amazon/

Mitch McConnell’s Arguments Against An Obama Supreme Court Nomination Debunked By McConnell

While much of their article simply notes that some Democrats have also embraced obstructionism and delays in the past, the senators’ key points have been debunked by one the Senate’s most powerful Republicans: Mitch McConnell himself...
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/02/19/3751232/mcconell-grassley-scalia-debunked-by-mcconnell/

The Forgotten Crisis Every Presidential Candidate Should Be Talking About In Nevada

The foreclosure crisis has largely slipped off America’s news radar over the past few years. And understandably so: The share of homes that are worth less than what the owner owes on her mortgage has been cut in half since 2011. But even after that dramatic drop in so-called negative equity, more than 7 million homeowners were still underwater on their mortgages as of early 2015...
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/02/19/3751343/foreclosure-crisis-nevada-caucus/

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is using hoax email chains to form his national security policy — according to a fable he told a South Carolinian crowd on Friday...
http://thinkprogress.org/world/2016/02/20/3751675/trump-torture-pig-blood/

New York Conservatives Want To Reach Into Poor People's Grocery Carts And Tell Them What To Buy | ThinkProgress

The two lawmakers have introduced a bill to ban food stamps cards from being used to buy a laundry list of foods, arguing both that poor people are too fat and that they’re currently allowed to enjoy foods that are too tasty...
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2016/02/20/3751602/food-stamps-junk-food-new-york/

Dems Blast GOP In Nevada For Alleged Plans To Tamper With Dem Caucus

"Rather than letting voters decide and allowing our democratic system to work, Republicans are resorting to trickery and gimmicks in an attempt to subvert the will of the people," the Reid statement Friday said.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/dems-scold-nevada-gop

A total of 57 systematic reviews, containing the 176 individual studies, focused on 68 different health conditions - and found there to be no evidence homeopathy was more effective than placebo on any...
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Homeopathy-found-to-be-effective-for-0-out-of-68-illnesses/articleshow/51066514.cms