| Alternet
Fourteen-year-old Tremaine McMillan says he was feeding his puppy and playing on the beach with some friends when cops riding ATVs approached him and asked what he was doing. The "peacekeeping" officers say they saw McMillan roughhousing with another teenager, told him it was “unacceptable behavior,” and asked where his mother was. When McMillan walked away, they chased him on ATVs, jumped out, pinned him to the ground and arrested him. According to police reports, McMillan “attempted to pull his arm away, stating, 'Man, don't touch me like I did something.'"
Friday, May 31, 2013
Thursday, May 30, 2013
FBI nominee Comey: The man who told Bush his eavesdropping was illegal — MSNBC
As word spread Wednesday that James Comey is President Obama’s pick to lead the FBI into the next decade, the potential nominee was meeting with a group of law professors.
Over lunch, Comey–who served as deputy attorney general under former President George W. Bush–was asked about oversight of government surveillance programs in the wake of a recent Supreme Court ruling related to the issue. Lawyers, Inspectors-General, and Congress all have oversight roles, he said.
No one knows that better than Comey, who nearly resigned after discovering that Bush’s own surveillance program had operated outside the law. Comey stayed after Bush agreed to fix the program.
FBI nominee Comey: The man who told Bush his eavesdropping was illegal — MSNBC
Gitmo: Examine chief’s ‘fitness for command,’ DoD attorneys tell Hagel — MSNBC
The Defense Department’s own attorneys have asked Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to “examine the fitness of Col. John Bogdan for command.” The DoD’s Office of the Chief Defense Counsel, whose members represent some of the “high value detainees” at Guantanamo Bay prison, submitted the letter on May 20 to address concerns that “relate to the treatment of all prisoners, to include the men whose internment appears to be indefinite.”
Gitmo: Examine chief’s ‘fitness for command,’ DoD attorneys tell Hagel — MSNBC
Gitmo: Examine chief’s ‘fitness for command,’ DoD attorneys tell Hagel — MSNBC
Thanks for the memories! Bachmann’s 10 most controversial moments — MSNBC
One thing is certain about Rep. Michele Bachmann: She certainly knows how to raise some eyebrows.
The Tea Party favorite of Minnesota announcedWednesday in a video that she would not seek another House term in 2014, insisting it has nothing to do with concerns about being re-elected (she narrowly won last year) or recent inquiries into the finances related to her failed bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
Thanks for the memories! Bachmann’s 10 most controversial moments — MSNBC
Prosecutor tapped to head FBI known for role in Bush-era surveillance standoff - U.S. News
The man poised to be the next head of the FBI is a former prosecutor respected by both sides of the aisle who may be best known for his role in a Hollywood-esque Washington showdown that thwarted the reauthorization of a controversial surveillance program.
Prosecutor tapped to head FBI known for role in Bush-era surveillance standoff - U.S. News
Prosecutor tapped to head FBI known for role in Bush-era surveillance standoff - U.S. News
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Letter sent to Bloomberg contained ricin, preliminary test shows
This is what the gun crazies are up to now.
By Inserting Itself Into Syrian War, Hezbollah Makes Historic Gamble - NYTimes.com
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Fighting a pre-emptive war against foreign jihadists is not the usual mission for Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group best known for confronting Israel. So when its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, explained why he was sending fighters into Syria, he took care to remind his followers that they were not “living in Djibouti” but on the border of a country whose two-year uprising Hezbollah sees as a threat to its existence.
By Inserting Itself Into Syrian War, Hezbollah Makes Historic Gamble - NYTimes.com
'Grit' Is More Important Than IQ - Business Insider
What's the best predictor of success? IQ, talent, socioeconomic status, luck?
Nope. It's 'grit,' more than anything else.
Through her research at the University of Pennsylvania —and firsthand experience teaching in New York City's public schools —psychologist Angela Duckworth has found that the ability to withstand stress and move past failures to achieve a goal is the best indicator of future success.
Richest 20 percent get half the overall savings from U.S. tax breaks, CBO says - The Washington Post
The 10 largest breaks in the U.S. tax code will save taxpayers more than $900 billion this year, with just over half the benefits flowing to the richest 20 percent of households, congressional budget analysts said Wednesday.
And the richest 1 percent of households, those with at least $327,000 in annual income, get an especially big haul — about 17 percent of the total savings, according to the report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
Richest 20 percent get half the overall savings from U.S. tax breaks, CBO says - The Washington Post
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Chinese Hackers Reportedly Compromised U.S. Designs For More Than 2 Dozen Weapons
WASHINGTON/CANBERRA, May 28 (Reuters) - Chinese hackers have gained access to designs of more than two dozen major U.S. weapons systems, a U.S report said on Monday, as Australian media said Chinese hackers had stolen the blueprints for Australia's new spy headquarters.
Citing a report prepared for the Defense Department by the Defense Science Board, the Washington Post said the compromised U.S. designs included those for combat aircraft and ships, as well as missile defenses vital for Europe, Asia and the Gulf.
Among the weapons listed in the report were the advanced Patriot missile system, the Navy's Aegis ballistic missile defense systems, the F/A-18 fighter jet, the V-22 Osprey, the Black Hawk helicopter and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The report did not specify the extent or time of the cyber-thefts or indicate if they involved computer networks of the U.S. government, contractors or subcontractors.
But the espionage would give China knowledge that could be exploited in a conflict, such as the ability to knock out communications and corrupting data, the Post said. It also could speed China's development of its defense technology.
Chinese Hackers Reportedly Compromised U.S. Designs For More Than 2 Dozen Weapons
Citing a report prepared for the Defense Department by the Defense Science Board, the Washington Post said the compromised U.S. designs included those for combat aircraft and ships, as well as missile defenses vital for Europe, Asia and the Gulf.
Among the weapons listed in the report were the advanced Patriot missile system, the Navy's Aegis ballistic missile defense systems, the F/A-18 fighter jet, the V-22 Osprey, the Black Hawk helicopter and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The report did not specify the extent or time of the cyber-thefts or indicate if they involved computer networks of the U.S. government, contractors or subcontractors.
But the espionage would give China knowledge that could be exploited in a conflict, such as the ability to knock out communications and corrupting data, the Post said. It also could speed China's development of its defense technology.
Chinese Hackers Reportedly Compromised U.S. Designs For More Than 2 Dozen Weapons
When the IRS targeted liberals - Salon.com
While few are defending the Internal Revenue Service for targeting dozens of conservative groups, there are two critical pieces of context missing from the conventional wisdom on the “scandal.” First, at least from what we know so far, the groups were not targeted in a political vendetta — but rather were executing a makeshift enforcement test (an ugly one, mind you) for IRS employees tasked with separating political groups not allowed to claim tax-exempt status, from bona fide social welfare organizations. Employees are given almost zero official guidance on how to do that, so they went after Tea Party groups because those seemed like they might be political. Keep in mind, the commissioner of the IRS at the time was a Bush appointee.
When the IRS targeted liberals - Salon.com
When the IRS targeted liberals - Salon.com
Heroes of Uncertainty - NYTimes.com
The Glock executive testified that he would keep doing business with a gun dealer who had been indicted on a charge of violating firearms laws because “This is still America” and “You’re still innocent until proven guilty.”
The president of Sturm, Ruger was not interested in knowing how often the police traced guns back to the company’s distributors, saying it “wouldn’t show us anything.”
And a top executive for Taurus International said his company made no attempt to learn if dealers who sell its products were involved in gun trafficking on the black market. “I don’t even know what a gun trafficker is,” he said.
The world’s firearms manufacturers have been largely silent in the debate over gun violence. But their voices emerge from thousands of pages of depositions in a series of liability lawsuits a decade ago, before Congress passed a law shielding them from such suits in 2005, and the only time many of them were forced to answer such questions.
Heroes of Uncertainty - NYTimes.com
Gun Makers Shun Responsibility for Sales, Suits Show - NYTimes.com
The Glock executive testified that he would keep doing business with a gun dealer who had been indicted on a charge of violating firearms laws because “This is still America” and “You’re still innocent until proven guilty.”
The president of Sturm, Ruger was not interested in knowing how often the police traced guns back to the company’s distributors, saying it “wouldn’t show us anything.”
And a top executive for Taurus International said his company made no attempt to learn if dealers who sell its products were involved in gun trafficking on the black market. “I don’t even know what a gun trafficker is,” he said.
The world’s firearms manufacturers have been largely silent in the debate over gun violence. But their voices emerge from thousands of pages of depositions in a series of liability lawsuits a decade ago, before Congress passed a law shielding them from such suits in 2005, and the only time many of them were forced to answer such questions.
Gun Makers Shun Responsibility for Sales, Suits Show - NYTimes.com
WATCH: Harris-Perry Tears Apart Republican Nominee - http://huff.to/18jILQ3L
Apart E.W. Jackson, Virginia Lieutenant Governor Nominee (VIDEO)
Rebecca Shapiro | May 26, 2013
During her Saturday MSNBC show, Melissa Harris-Perry tore apart E.W. Jackson, Virginia Republicans' controversial nominee for lieutenant governor.
Jackson, now a nominee for the second-highest political office in Virginia, has previously compared Planned Parenthood to the KKK and has called members of the LGBT community "perverted" and "very sick people."
In one of her signature segments, Harris-Perry penned a "letter of advice" to Jackson. She said:
Dear Bishop E.W. Jackson: It’s me, Melissa. May I call you "Ewwww"? Because I’ve heard what you’ve had to say about your politics. And quite frankly, it’s pretty disgusting.
Monday, May 27, 2013
Nonprofit Applicants Chafing at I.R.S. Tested Political Limits - NYTimes.com
When CVFC, a conservative veterans’ group in California, applied for tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service, its biggest expenditure that year was several thousand dollars in radio ads backing a Republican candidate for Congress.
The Wetumpka Tea Party, from Alabama, sponsored training for a get-out-the-vote initiative dedicated to the “defeat of President Barack Obama” while the I.R.S. was weighing its application.
And the head of the Ohio Liberty Coalition, whose application languished with the I.R.S. for more than two years, sent out e-mails to members about Mitt Romney campaign events and organized members to distribute Mr. Romney’s presidential campaign literature.
"Representatives of these organizations have cried foul in recent weeks about their treatment by the I.R.S., saying they were among dozens of conservative groups unfairly targeted by the agency, harassed with inappropriate questionnaires and put off for months or years as the agency delayed decisions on their applications."
But a close examination of these groups and others reveals an array of election activities that tax experts and former I.R.S. officials said would provide a legitimate basis for flagging them for closer review.
Jim Downs: Who Invented Memorial Day?
"On May 1, 1865, freed slaves gathered in Charleston, South Carolina to commemorate the death of Union soldiers and the end of the American Civil War. Three years later, General John Logan issued a special order that May 30, 1868 be observed as Decoration Day, the first Memorial Day -- a day set aside "for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet church-yard in the land."
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Why DOJ didn't need a 'super search warrant' to snoop on Fox News' e-mail
If attorney general Eric Holder wanted to perform even a momentary Internet wiretap on Fox News' e-mail accounts, he would have had to persuade a judge to approve what lawyers call a "super search warrant."
A super search warrant's requirements are exacting: Intercepted communications must be secured and placed under seal. Real-time interception must be done only as a last resort. Only certain crimes qualify for this technique, the target must be notified, and additional restrictions apply to state and local police conducting real-time intercepts.
But because of the way federal law was written nearly half a century ago, Holder was able to obtain a normal search warrant -- lacking those extensive privacy protections -- that allowed federal agents to secretly obtain up to six years of email correspondence between Fox News correspondent James Rosen and his alleged sources.
Obama’s Gitmo Problem - NYTimes.com
" Late Wednesday afternoon, less than 24 hours before President Obama made his big national security speech — in which he said, for the umpteenth time, that the prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, should be closed — a group of American lawyers representing Guantánamo detainees filed an emergency motion with the Federal District Court in the District of Columbia. The motion asked the court to order the removal of “unjustified burdens” that the military command at Guantánamo has placed on the detainees, making it nearly impossible for them to meet with their lawyers."
Friday, May 24, 2013
This Is Not 2009 - NYTimes.com - Charles Blow
With the scent of scandal encircling the White House, some Republicans are already licking their chops over the 2014 midterm elections, while some Democrats are pre-emptively licking their wounds.
Not so fast, folks. Retract those tongues.
This Is Not 2009 - NYTimes.com
Fox News Is a Terrible Advocate for Freedom of the Press - Elspeth Reeve - The Atlantic Wire
Roger Ailes is full of self-righteous outrage that the Department of Justice subpoenaed Fox News reporter James Rosen's personal emails as it investigated the leak of classified information about North Korea. It's a recent conversion after leading a news network that has been calling for criminalizing journalism for year
'We Steal Secrets': Filmmaker Alex Gibney Talks About Wikileaks | The Nation
It’s a classic David and Goliath story: one man with a computer against the world’s most powerful nation. Bradley Manning’s trial starts June 4; he’s charged with espionage and aiding the enemy. His crime: releasing to Wikileaks, and to The New York Times and The Guardian (and The Nation), hundreds of thousands of classified files documenting widespread civilian casualties, torture and corruption in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. Now award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney has a new documentary about it: We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks. His other films include Enron: Smartest Guys in the Room, and Taxi to the Dark Side, which won the Oscar for best feature documentary. We Steal Secrets opens in Los Angeles and New York City on Friday, May 24.
Read more: http://www.thenation.com/blog/174526/we-steal-secrets-filmmaker-alex-gibney-talks-about-wikileaks#ixzz2UGIyVPh1
The teen scientist who faced jail time speaks out — MSNBC
Three weeks ago, All In with Chris Hayes first reportedon model Florida High School student Kiera Wilmot, then facing expulsion and felony charges for conducting an independent science experiment on school grounds. After our report and a groundswell of support from the science community, social media platforms and press, the charges against Kiera were dropped. Kiera’s punishment was reduced to a ten-day suspension and completion of the Juvenile Justice Diversion Program.
The teen scientist who faced jail time speaks out — MSNBC
China Tells North Korea to Return to Nuclear Talks - NYTimes.com
BEIJING — The Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, bluntly told a North Korean envoy Friday that his country should return to diplomatic talks designed to rid North Korea of its nuclear weapons, according to a state-run Chinese news agency.
China Tells North Korea to Return to Nuclear Talks - NYTimes.com
President Obama Vows to End the Perpetual War - NYTimes.com
President Obama’s speech on Thursday was the most important statement on counterterrorism policy since the 2001 attacks, a momentous turning point in post-9/11 America. For the first time, a president stated clearly and unequivocally that the state of perpetual warfare that began nearly 12 years ago is unsustainable for a democracy and must come to an end in the not-too-distant future.
President Obama Vows to End the Perpetual War - NYTimes.com
Thursday, May 23, 2013
The Case for Hope | The Nation
This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To stay on top of important articles like these, sign up to receive the latest updates from TomDispatch.com.
Ten years ago, my part of the world was full of valiant opposition to the new wars being launched far away and at home—and of despair. And like despairing people everywhere, whether in a personal depression or a political tailspin, these activists believed the future would look more or less like the present. If there was nothing else they were confident about, at least they were confident about that. Ten years ago, as a contrarian and a person who prefers not to see others suffer, I tried to undermine despair with the case for hope.
The Case for Hope | The Nation
"US Boy Scouts to allow gay members" http://feedly.com/k/16RASAH
Finally the Boy Scouts strike a blow against superstition and bigotry. I spent ten years in scouting. It was rife with homophobia, racism and sexism. I got a lot of good Ooi it of scouting in spite of the bad. Big saw an effeminate twelve year old scout psychologically tortured at scout camp. I did my best to help him. This is a great day for scouting.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Monday, May 20, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2013
South Korea: The little dynamo that sneaked up on the world
South Korea, long in the shadow of other Asian 'tiger economies,' is suddenly hip and enormously prosperous – so much so that it may have outgrown its thankless dream of reuniting with the North.
South Korea: The little dynamo that sneaked up on the world
A Washington ‘whodunit’: who fed bogus Benghazi ‘emails’ to the media? **UPDATE: a ‘glaring omission…’** | The Reid Report Blog
It was one hell of a bombshell. Except that it wasn’t true. Karl had not “obtained” any talking points emails at all. And the White House had not been shown to have weighed in on State Department revisions to the talking points that would be provided to Susan Rice, nor did a State Department spokeswoman evince a desire to cover up the true CIA assessment of the threat to the Benghazi compounds, who committed the Benghazi attacks, or why they happened.
The story began to unravel pretty quickly, starting with this “update” posted on the ABC News website under Karl’s story:
A Washington ‘whodunit’: who fed bogus Benghazi ‘emails’ to the media? **UPDATE: a ‘glaring omission…’** | The Reid Report Blog
Melissa Harris-Perry: The real cost of a burger and fries
In the South, a love of guns and a loss of life — MSNBC
BATON ROUGE, La. — On a recent afternoon, a wave of laughter filled the House chamber here as several lawmakers marched down to the floor and stood back-to-back to see who was the tallest among them. A pudgy, balding man, standing about 5-feet-5-inches, puffed out his chest and sized up his taller peers. “I think I’M the tallest!” he boasted, as the galler
In the South, a love of guns and a loss of life — MSNBC
In the South, a love of guns and a loss of life — MSNBC
Rep. Issa Aware Of IRS Investigation Since Last July
The Treasury Department Inspector General for Tax Administration sent a letter to Congressman Darrell Issa and Congressman Jim Jordan on July 12, 2012 informing them they would be auditing the IRS in response to their concerns that certain groups might be receiving extra scrutiny. The letter came in response to a June 28th letter of that year from Congressman Issa and requests for an investigation.
The letter states that after meeting with the staff of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which Issa chairs, the IG Office of Audit began work on the issue. The IG offered in the letter to provide a status update to the staff of the committee throughout the investigation as well as provide copies of interim and final reports.
Rep. Issa Aware Of IRS Investigation Since Last July
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Budget Office Says Obama Plan Would Cut Deficit by $1 Trillion
WASHINGTON — President Obama’s budget proposal, if enacted into law, would cut more than $1.1 trillion from the government’s projected deficits over the next 10 years, the nonpartisanCongressional Budget Office said on Friday. It would bring deficits down to near 2 percent of economic output, a level many economists consider safe in the long term. And it would hold them there for years to come.
Budget Office Says Obama Plan Would Cut Deficit by $1 Trillion
Gay Rights Rally Is Attacked in Georgia
Americans like to criticise Islamic fundementalists who sometimes commit barbaric acts in the name of their religion but remain quiet when Christian fundementalists committ the same type of barbaric acts.
Gay Rights Rally Is Attacked in Georgia
Gay Rights Rally Is Attacked in Georgia
Mountain of Petroleum Coke From Oil Sands Rises in Detroit
WINDSOR, Ontario — Assumption Park gives residents of this city lovely views of the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit skyline. Lately they’ve been treated to another sight: a three-story pile of petroleum coke covering an entire city block on the other side of the street.
Fabrizio Costantini for The New York Times
Detroit’s ever-growing black mountain is the unloved, unwanted and long overlooked byproduct of Canada’s oil sands boom.
And no one knows quite what to do about it, except Koch Carbon, which owns it.
Mountain of Petroleum Coke From Oil Sands Rises in Detroit
CBS: It was congressional GOP that faked Benghazi email (video)
CBS Evening News let out a bit of a bombshell tonight, admitting on the air that it was Republicans on the Hill who provided the media with false quotes that are the only real smoking gun the GOP has buttressing its conspiracy-theory surrounding the Benghazi attack.
CBS: It was congressional GOP that faked Benghazi email (video)
CBS: It was congressional GOP that faked Benghazi email (video)
As victims multiply, military laments ‘no silver bullet’ to sexual assault — MSNBC
“There is no silver bullet,” for stopping military sexual assault President Obama said earlier this week. Surely, that came as no surprise to his former defense secretary, Leon Panetta, who said more than a year ago: “There is no silver bullet when it comes” to solving military sexual assault.
As victims multiply, military laments ‘no silver bullet’ to sexual assault — MSNBC
As victims multiply, military laments ‘no silver bullet’ to sexual assault — MSNBC
Friday, May 17, 2013
Which ear you hold your cell phone to may reveal brain dominance
Researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit say that, similar to handedness, most people who hold their cell phones to their left ear are right-hemisphere dominant and vice versa.
Which ear you hold your cell phone to may reveal brain dominance
Larry Page's reality distortion field - CNET Mobile
"Every story I read about Google is us versus some other company or some stupid thing," the Google co-founder andCEO told 6,000 developers at Google I/Oin his surprise appearance on stage Wednesday. "Being negative is not how we make progress. The most important things are not zero sum. There is a lot of opportunity out there."
Larry Page's reality distortion field - CNET Mobiles
Larry Page's reality distortion field - CNET Mobiles
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Good news on the follow up to the brilliant 2009 reboot of Star Trek: for fans of futuristic action spectaculars, the new Star Trek film is well worth ponying up a tenner to see.
crave.cnet.co.uk
REPORT: Diversity On Evening Cable News In 13 Charts | Research | Media Matters for America
" Evening Cable News Guests Were Overwhelmingly White And Male
Men Dominated Guest List On Cable News. Out of 1,677 total guests, CNN had the largest proportion of men -- 76 percent -- during the month of April. Women did not make up more than 33 percent of guests on any network."
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The Last Word: Inspector General report on IRS
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
The Last Word: Inspector General report on IRS: ""
(Via.)
Obama’s Justice Department: Holder’s Leak Investigations Are Outrageous and Unprecedented - Slate Magazine
Obama’s Justice Department: Holder’s Leak Investigations Are Outrageous and Unprecedented - Slate Magazine: "Attorney General Eric Holder has said that he doesn’t want the Obama administration’s leak prosecutions ‘to be his legacy.’ But he has also trumpeted the cases—six and counting—in response to criticism from Senate Republicans. ‘We have tried more leak cases—brought more leak cases during the course of this administration than any other administration,’ Holder said before the Senate Judiciary Committee last year. This shouldn’t be a source of pride, even the fake point-scoring kind. In light of the Justice Department’s outrageously broad grab of the phone records of reporters and editors at the Associated Press, the administration’s unprecedented criminalizing of leaks has become embarrassing. This is not what Obama’s supporters thought they were getting. Obama the candidate strongly supported civil liberties and protections for whistle-blowers. Obama the president risks making government intrusion into the investigative work of the press a galling part of his legacy."
(Via.)
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