www.politicususa.com/2014/05/17/senate-republicans-hit-time-blocking-bill-unanimously-supported.html
"obstructing legislation that Republicans helped write and supported has everything to do with the Republican Party’s policy of bringing governance to an end because the American people elected an African American man as President, and it is also a message Republicans began sending in 2009 within days of President Obama’s inauguration. What Hatch meant to say is Republican obstruction had nothing to do with the content of the legislation, only that they were unable to attach amendments to benefit their campaign donors."
May 19, 2014
Meet The Republican Judge Fighting To Bail Scott Walker Out Of A Criminal Investigation
www.thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/05/11/3436347/meet-the-republican-judge-fighting-to-bail-scott-walker-out-of-a-criminal-investigation/
"One day after Randa ordered this investigation halted, even requiring prosecutors to return or destroy documents that provided evidence that illegal coordination took place, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit issued a brief order holding that Randa had no business deciding this case in the first place — as the case was already on appeal."
"One day after Randa ordered this investigation halted, even requiring prosecutors to return or destroy documents that provided evidence that illegal coordination took place, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit issued a brief order holding that Randa had no business deciding this case in the first place — as the case was already on appeal."
May 17, 2014
Moral Mondays Shames NC Lawmakers, So They're Restricting Statehouse Access
Moral Mondays Shames NC Lawmakers, So They're Restricting Statehouse Access
"Conservatives in North Carolina really do not like the weekly protests in the state capitol intended to shine light on their shenanigans and shame them for their war on the working class there. But that won't stop protesters from gathering."
"Conservatives in North Carolina really do not like the weekly protests in the state capitol intended to shine light on their shenanigans and shame them for their war on the working class there. But that won't stop protesters from gathering."
Bring Back the Monarchs! | Common Dreams
Bring Back the Monarchs! | Common Dreams
"The monarch butterfly's decline is a bellwether of a much larger crisis facing all pollinators."
"The monarch butterfly's decline is a bellwether of a much larger crisis facing all pollinators."
One of the most beautiful places on Earth is under attack — and that’s very bad news for us
One of the most beautiful places on Earth is under attack — and that’s very bad news for us
"The Great Barrier Reef is the crown jewel of the ocean, but it might not be for long"
"The Great Barrier Reef is the crown jewel of the ocean, but it might not be for long"
Fox News’ divisive race strategy: How O’Reilly, Hannity and Coulter intentionally tore America apart
Fox News’ divisive race strategy: How O’Reilly, Hannity and Coulter intentionally tore America apart
"False claims go unchallenged, racial fears are stoked -- and political scientists discover it helps GOP at polls"
"False claims go unchallenged, racial fears are stoked -- and political scientists discover it helps GOP at polls"
Idaho’s GOP Gubernatorial Primary Debate Reveals Deep Streak Of Extremism
Idaho’s GOP Gubernatorial Primary Debate Reveals Deep Streak Of Extremism
"This week's debate among the candidates in the GOP primary for the governor's race in Idaho raised more questions than it answered, especially: What kind of extremists won't Republicans accept as viable candidates?"
"This week's debate among the candidates in the GOP primary for the governor's race in Idaho raised more questions than it answered, especially: What kind of extremists won't Republicans accept as viable candidates?"
May 14, 2014
Koch Brothers Learn How to Fake Concern for the Poor, an Expensive Lesson
www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/koch-brothers-learn-how-fake-concern-poor-expensive-lesson
"Having figured out voters are compassionate, the right makes odd plan to act on it."
"Having figured out voters are compassionate, the right makes odd plan to act on it."
Republicans' Insane Political Strategy: Ruining Our Country Hurts the Democratic Party
www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/republicans-deadly-political-strategy-damage-country-and-you-damage-democratic
"The GOP knows that if it can damage the economy, the average voter might blame it on the president"
"The GOP knows that if it can damage the economy, the average voter might blame it on the president"
May 13, 2014
PERRspectives: The Republicans' Offsetting Penalties
PERRspectives: The Republicans' Offsetting Penalties
"Arthur Laffer's supply side snake oil--that "tax cuts pay for themselves" because the additional economic activity they incentivize will produce revenues higher than they otherwise would have been--is as rotten now as it was when Jude Wanniski first sketched Laffer's Curve on a cocktail napkin for Ronald Reagan."
"Arthur Laffer's supply side snake oil--that "tax cuts pay for themselves" because the additional economic activity they incentivize will produce revenues higher than they otherwise would have been--is as rotten now as it was when Jude Wanniski first sketched Laffer's Curve on a cocktail napkin for Ronald Reagan."
Crazy Rafael Cruz Cozies Up With Ginni Thomas For Some Obama-Bashing
Crazy Rafael Cruz Cozies Up With Ginni Thomas For Some Obama-Bashing
"These pathological, deluded idiots think that Obama sits up at night rubbing his hands together trying to figure out ways to keep people dependent on government. It's always so much better to just die in the streets, after all."
"These pathological, deluded idiots think that Obama sits up at night rubbing his hands together trying to figure out ways to keep people dependent on government. It's always so much better to just die in the streets, after all."
How the Right Wing is Killing Women | Common Dreams
How the Right Wing is Killing Women | Common Dreams
"According to a report released last week in the widely-respected health research journal, The Lancet, the United States now ranks 60th out of 180 countries on maternal deaths occurring during pregnancy and childbirth."
"According to a report released last week in the widely-respected health research journal, The Lancet, the United States now ranks 60th out of 180 countries on maternal deaths occurring during pregnancy and childbirth."
Musicians, Artists Make Plea to FCC: 'Protect the Open Internet' | Common Dreams
Musicians, Artists Make Plea to FCC: 'Protect the Open Internet' | Common Dreams
"A group of nearly 50 noted musicians, actors and other creators sent a letter Tuesday to the head of the Federal Communications Commission, urging him to "protect the open Internet as a vehicle for free expression and collaboration" and to ditch his current plans they say would kill net neutrality."
"A group of nearly 50 noted musicians, actors and other creators sent a letter Tuesday to the head of the Federal Communications Commission, urging him to "protect the open Internet as a vehicle for free expression and collaboration" and to ditch his current plans they say would kill net neutrality."
AT&T/DirecTV Deal Marks Latest in Mega-Merger Bonanza | Common Dreams
AT&T/DirecTV Deal Marks Latest in Mega-Merger Bonanza | Common Dreams
'In a move described as the latest "telecommunication mega-merger," wireless giant AT&T, the nation's second-largest carrier, has announced its intention to purchase DirectTV, the nation's single largest satellite television provider, for an estimated $50 billion."
'In a move described as the latest "telecommunication mega-merger," wireless giant AT&T, the nation's second-largest carrier, has announced its intention to purchase DirectTV, the nation's single largest satellite television provider, for an estimated $50 billion."
'Energy [R]evolution': Nearly 100% Renewable Is Doable, says Report | Common Dreams
'Energy [R]evolution': Nearly 100% Renewable Is Doable, says Report | Common Dreams
"Not only can all this be accomplished, say researchers and experts, it can be done with readily available technologies and on an expedited timeline that—if executed—would prove humanity capable of acting to address the crisis of planetary climate change before it's too late."
"Not only can all this be accomplished, say researchers and experts, it can be done with readily available technologies and on an expedited timeline that—if executed—would prove humanity capable of acting to address the crisis of planetary climate change before it's too late."
May 12, 2014
Pesticide Firms Use Tobacco Playbook to Spin Bee Crisis
Pesticide Firms Use Tobacco Playbook to Spin Bee Crisis
"One out of every three bites of food we eat requires pollination by bees, but America's bee population is taking a pounding, with initial reports indicating greater losses of hives this winter than the last."
"One out of every three bites of food we eat requires pollination by bees, but America's bee population is taking a pounding, with initial reports indicating greater losses of hives this winter than the last."
May 11, 2014
8 of the Worst Right-Wing Wackos This Week: War on Science Edition
www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/8-worst-right-wing-wackos-week-war-science-edition
"Remember when we all used to agree that science and knowledge were good things? When scholarship was respected? When we looked to educated people to do research and inform us what was actually going on with the world?"
"Remember when we all used to agree that science and knowledge were good things? When scholarship was respected? When we looked to educated people to do research and inform us what was actually going on with the world?"
Elizabeth Warren Explains Why She Ran for Office | The Nation
Elizabeth Warren Explains Why She Ran for Office | The Nation
"And vows to fight for people who got screwed by Wall Street."
"And vows to fight for people who got screwed by Wall Street."
12 of the Biggest Myths About Marijuana Debunked
www.alternet.org/drugs/12-biggest-myths-about-marijuana-debunked
"But the evidence is in, and the arguments against legalization simply don’t hold up. As more people feel comfortable discussing the actual facts about marijuana, the falsehoods that dominated much of the 20th century are dissipating from the zeitgeist."
"But the evidence is in, and the arguments against legalization simply don’t hold up. As more people feel comfortable discussing the actual facts about marijuana, the falsehoods that dominated much of the 20th century are dissipating from the zeitgeist."
May 10, 2014
The Collapse of the Bees... And How To Save Them | Common Dreams
The Collapse of the Bees... And How To Save Them | Common Dreams
"Two new reports this week provide key evidence that back a growing call that the destructive use of large-scale chemical agriculture must be halted in order to give the global bee population a fighting chance to regain their strength as the world's most prolific and effective pollinating species."
"Two new reports this week provide key evidence that back a growing call that the destructive use of large-scale chemical agriculture must be halted in order to give the global bee population a fighting chance to regain their strength as the world's most prolific and effective pollinating species."
May 9, 2014
Ocean Acidification, Wildfires Are Taking Their Toll On The Pacific Northwest
www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/05/09/3436080/national-climate-assessment-northwest/
"ocean waters in the bay have become so acidic that the company can’t grow oyster larvae off the coast of Washington anymore."
"ocean waters in the bay have become so acidic that the company can’t grow oyster larvae off the coast of Washington anymore."
This Weekend Watch Schwarzenegger Fight Wildfires, Or GOP Pol Make On-Air Climate Science Conversion
www.thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/05/09/3436061/schwarzenegger-wildfires-climate-science/
"The good news is that this weekend — May 9-11 — Showtime is making all its programming, including “Years of Living Dangerously,” available for free to 74 million homes that get cable, which is to say most of the country."
"The good news is that this weekend — May 9-11 — Showtime is making all its programming, including “Years of Living Dangerously,” available for free to 74 million homes that get cable, which is to say most of the country."
Big Oil Wants to Keep Its Tax Breaks Despite Very Profitable Winter
www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2014/05/05/89012/big-oil-wants-to-keep-its-tax-breaks-despite-very-profitable-winter/
"The big five oil companies made a combined profit of $23 billion in the first quarter of 2014, and had cash reserves of $68 billion. They do not need the $2.4 billion in annual special tax breaks that could otherwise pay for approximately 658,000 Pell Grants for college students or 42,000 additional public school teachers; that amount of money could also increase federal funding for the National Cancer Institute by 50 percent. Any of these investments would benefit Americans far more than the handouts to oil companies, particularly when those companies use one-third of their profits to buy back their own stocks, and their five CEOs have a combined salary of $89 million annually."
"The big five oil companies made a combined profit of $23 billion in the first quarter of 2014, and had cash reserves of $68 billion. They do not need the $2.4 billion in annual special tax breaks that could otherwise pay for approximately 658,000 Pell Grants for college students or 42,000 additional public school teachers; that amount of money could also increase federal funding for the National Cancer Institute by 50 percent. Any of these investments would benefit Americans far more than the handouts to oil companies, particularly when those companies use one-third of their profits to buy back their own stocks, and their five CEOs have a combined salary of $89 million annually."
Missouri May Be the Next State to Ban Tesla Motors
www.alternet.org/environment/missouri-may-be-next-state-ban-tesla-motors
"Missouri is the latest state to try to slip in anti-Tesla legislation without anyone noticing. The "Show Me State" legislature is trying to obscure their actions by slipping through legislation as it current session comes to an end this Spring."
"Missouri is the latest state to try to slip in anti-Tesla legislation without anyone noticing. The "Show Me State" legislature is trying to obscure their actions by slipping through legislation as it current session comes to an end this Spring."
Republicans Have Blocked 500 Bills
Republicans Have Blocked 500 Bills
"since 2007, they have filibustered about 500 pieces of legislation that would help the middle class"
"since 2007, they have filibustered about 500 pieces of legislation that would help the middle class"
Meet the Right-Wing Tycoon of Missouri, One of Conservatives' Biggest Money Men
www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/meet-right-wing-tycoon-missouri-one-conservatives-biggest-money-men
"Sinquefield’s contributions have not always brought successful outcomes. He backed Todd Akin’s candidacy for the Senate, even after Akin said that women who are victims of what he called "legitimate rape" rarely get pregnant."
"Sinquefield’s contributions have not always brought successful outcomes. He backed Todd Akin’s candidacy for the Senate, even after Akin said that women who are victims of what he called "legitimate rape" rarely get pregnant."
Pope: The Bible Demands The Redistribution Of Wealth
www.thinkprogress.org/home/2014/05/09/3436223/pope-the-bible-calls-for-the-redistribution-of-wealth/
"Pope Francis has made moral economics and concern for the poor a chief focus of his ministry since he ascended to the papacy in March 2013."
"Pope Francis has made moral economics and concern for the poor a chief focus of his ministry since he ascended to the papacy in March 2013."
Food Industry Giants to Wage Legal Battle to Defeat Vermont's Landmark GMO Labeling Law | Common Dreams
Food Industry Giants to Wage Legal Battle to Defeat Vermont's Landmark GMO Labeling Law | Common Dreams
"As pro-labeling advocates were cheering Vermont's passage of a GMO labeling bill on Thursday, a powerful food industry lobbing group announced its plans to file a federal lawsuit to overturn the law."
"As pro-labeling advocates were cheering Vermont's passage of a GMO labeling bill on Thursday, a powerful food industry lobbing group announced its plans to file a federal lawsuit to overturn the law."
Koch Bros. Group Readies 'Endless Millions' for Rightwing Takeover | Common Dreams
Koch Bros. Group Readies 'Endless Millions' for Rightwing Takeover | Common Dreams
"In addition to the well-known work of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)—which perfected the model of crafting and pushing state-level legislation through its network of convservative lawmakers and groups, billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, as the Washington Post reported earlier this week, is also "deploying a state-level political network" to do his political bidding."
"In addition to the well-known work of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)—which perfected the model of crafting and pushing state-level legislation through its network of convservative lawmakers and groups, billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, as the Washington Post reported earlier this week, is also "deploying a state-level political network" to do his political bidding."
Fox News devolves from climate denial to rejecting all science
Fox News devolves from climate denial to rejecting all science
"To watch Will and Krauthammer grasp for rationales to cast doubt on an established scientific field merely because its findings pose a challenge to their ideological priors is a depressing, and even harrowing, study in the poisonous effects of dogma upon a once-healthy brain."
"To watch Will and Krauthammer grasp for rationales to cast doubt on an established scientific field merely because its findings pose a challenge to their ideological priors is a depressing, and even harrowing, study in the poisonous effects of dogma upon a once-healthy brain."
How Fox News Dresses Up Extreme Right-Wing Conspiracy Theories as News
www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/how-fox-news-dresses-extreme-right-wing-conspiracy-theories-news
"Now, Fox acts as a crucial bridge between the radical and the everyday. Fox gives a voice and a national platform to the same type of deranged, hard-core haters who hounded the new, young Democratic president in the early 1990s. Fox embraces and helps legitimize the kind of conspiratorial talk that flourished back then but mostly on the sidelines. The Murdoch channel has moved derangement into the mainstream of Republican politics."
"Now, Fox acts as a crucial bridge between the radical and the everyday. Fox gives a voice and a national platform to the same type of deranged, hard-core haters who hounded the new, young Democratic president in the early 1990s. Fox embraces and helps legitimize the kind of conspiratorial talk that flourished back then but mostly on the sidelines. The Murdoch channel has moved derangement into the mainstream of Republican politics."
Led by Darrell Issa, House Republicans Are Taking America Back to McCarthyism
www.politicususa.com/2014/05/09/led-darrell-issa-house-republicans-america-mccarthyism.html
"For the past five years conservatives have openly expressed their greatest desire is to take the nation back to the 1950s they claim was a special period in American history because Black people knew their place, women were submissive, and Ozzie and Harriet most accurately represented the population. Most of what conservatives think was awesome about the 50s are precisely what they oppose today whether it was robust union representation for labor, adequate funding for education, and government investment in infrastructure. Even though it is impossible to go back in time, House Republicans are taking the nation back to a dark period in the nation’s history when a demagogic, reckless, and mean-spirited Republican inspired fear in politicians and entertainers alike with unsubstantiated accusations and very public attacks on the character and patriotism of political opponents under color of authority of the United States Congress."
"For the past five years conservatives have openly expressed their greatest desire is to take the nation back to the 1950s they claim was a special period in American history because Black people knew their place, women were submissive, and Ozzie and Harriet most accurately represented the population. Most of what conservatives think was awesome about the 50s are precisely what they oppose today whether it was robust union representation for labor, adequate funding for education, and government investment in infrastructure. Even though it is impossible to go back in time, House Republicans are taking the nation back to a dark period in the nation’s history when a demagogic, reckless, and mean-spirited Republican inspired fear in politicians and entertainers alike with unsubstantiated accusations and very public attacks on the character and patriotism of political opponents under color of authority of the United States Congress."
Raising the Minimum Wage to $10.10 Would Benefit 4.7 Million Moms | Economic Policy Institute
Raising the Minimum Wage to $10.10 Would Benefit 4.7 Million Moms | Economic Policy Institute
"In honor of Mother’s Day, we thought it would be appropriate to point out a gift millions of moms would appreciate: an increase in the minimum wage. About 22 million moms are working in the United States today. Over one-fifth of all working moms would get a raise if we increased the minimum wage to $10.10. That’s 4.7 million moms and their families who would see an increase in wages with that modest minimum wage increase.
And, not to be left out, 11.6 percent, or 2.6 million, working dads would also see a raise if we increased the minimum wage. That’s over 7 million parents who would see an increase in wages."
"In honor of Mother’s Day, we thought it would be appropriate to point out a gift millions of moms would appreciate: an increase in the minimum wage. About 22 million moms are working in the United States today. Over one-fifth of all working moms would get a raise if we increased the minimum wage to $10.10. That’s 4.7 million moms and their families who would see an increase in wages with that modest minimum wage increase.
And, not to be left out, 11.6 percent, or 2.6 million, working dads would also see a raise if we increased the minimum wage. That’s over 7 million parents who would see an increase in wages."
Top 10 Reasons GOP Benghazi Witch Hunt Is Just a Campaign Fundraising Ploy | Common Dreams
Top 10 Reasons GOP Benghazi Witch Hunt Is Just a Campaign Fundraising Ploy | Common Dreams
"Since Obamacare is increasingly a wildly popular success, the GOP is flailing around looking for an issue, any issue to help fundraising for the fall congressional campaigns."
"Since Obamacare is increasingly a wildly popular success, the GOP is flailing around looking for an issue, any issue to help fundraising for the fall congressional campaigns."
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