Politics news and opinion - Original Signal

The Raw Story

Personhood Ohio auctioning assault rifles to fund anti-abortion effort: The founder of Personhood Ohio says that God “willed the apostles to sacrifice their lives” so he has decided to auction of his personal assault rifles and over 2,500 rounds of ammunition to raise funds for banning abortion. “What do

British ‘Girl Scouts’ drop pledge to ‘love my God’: The Girl Guides of England, the British equivalent to the U.S.’ Girl Scouts, have modified their membership pledge to accomodate atheist members and prospective members, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday. “We knew that some people found our Promise confusing

Gun-loving heckler Tasered after harassing shooting survivor: A gun enthusiast was tackled, Tasered and arrested by police at a Concord, New Hampshire gun control rally on Tuesday night after he repeatedly harassed a speaker who was calling for all gun buyers to undergo background checks. The man

Same sex couples still face significant discrimination in housing: A new study by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) found that same sex couples are more likely to be passed over as tenants than heterosexual couples in the online rental housing market. According to a press release

Man charged for castrating paraplegic at Philadelphia assisted living home: A 41-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and other crimes after police say that he castrated a paraplegic man at an assisted living home in Philadelphia. Police said that Edgar Bonilla was visiting a female friend

California man accused of stabbing father and sawing off his own hands: Sheriff’s officials in Redding, California charged a 27-year-old man with attempted homicide on Tuesday after the suspect allegedly stabbed his father with scissors before severing his own hands. KOVR-TV reported that Shasta County Sheriff’s deputies found Jason Dunn standing in

First Yuri Gagarin film turns Soviet idol into Russian hero: Strapped in an orange suit in his spaceship, Yuri Gagarin smiles as the rockets roar and chirpily tells mission control: “Let’s go!” A new Russian film — “Gagarin. First Man in Space” — is the first full biopic on the

Indonesia to use rain-making technology to stop fires: Indonesia plans to use weather changing technology to try to unleash torrents of rain and extinguish raging fires on Sumatra island that have cloaked neighbouring Singapore in thick haze, an official said Wednesday. The city-state, which is home to 5.3

FBI search for Jimmy Hoffa’s body may last two more days: By Joseph Lichterman OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Michigan (Reuters) – Investigators looking for the remains of former Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa in a suburban Detroit field could search the area for two more days, seeking evidence to prove an elderly mobster’s claim

Obama to call for nuclear cuts in historic Berlin speech: Barack Obama will Wednesday propose major cuts in US and Russian nuclear stocks, making a pitch for his own place in history in an evocative open-air speech during his first visit as president to Berlin. Almost 50 years to the

Hospital investors ‘sold’ on Obamacare despite bumps: By Susan Kelly CHICAGO (Reuters) – Shares of U.S. hospital operators have been on a tear this year, on average posting triple the gains of the broader stock market, as investors tallied up the benefits of President Barack Obama’s healthcare

Accused Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro to appear today at pre-trial hearing: By Kim Palmer CLEVELAND (Reuters) – A former Cleveland school-bus driver accused of holding three women captive in his home and torturing them for a decade is scheduled to appear in court for a pre-trial hearing on Wednesday. Ariel Castro,

Small global warming rise would have ‘alarming’ impact: World Bank: WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Much of Bangkok could flood within the next two decades if global warming stays on its current trajectory, as sea levels rise and cyclones intensify, the World Bank said in a new report on Wednesday. The flooding

Japan finds highly toxic strontium-90 in Fukushima groundwater: By Osamu Tsukimori and Yuka Obayashi TOKYO (Reuters) – High levels of a toxic substance called strontium-90 have been found in groundwater at the devastated Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, the utility that runs the facility said on Wednesday.

Anchorman 2 trailer: Ron Burgundy is back – and it’s kind of a big deal: <iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/Elczv0ghqw0″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe> Will Ferrell and the Channel 5 news team make headlines once again, as they find their place in 1980s New York The debut full-length trailer for Anchorman 2 has hit the web, with Ron

John ‘The Executioner’ Martorano under microscope in trial of accused U.S. mobster James Wh(...): By Richard Valdmanis BOSTON (Reuters) – Attorneys for accused mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger will seek on Wednesday to paint star witness John “The Executioner” Martorano as a heartless killer whose testimony cannot be trusted in the trial of one

Reckless British bankers could face jail: commission: Bankers found guilty of reckless misconduct in Britain could end up in prison and be stripped of bonuses, under draconian proposals to clean up the City of London published on Wednesday. The radical penalties were put forward by an official

World’s largest solar boat arrives in New York: Planetsolar, the world’s largest solar-powered boat, arrived safely in New York on June 17, 2013. She has been transformed into a scientific platform as part of the “PlanetSolar DeepWater” expedition, and has joined by a team of researchers from the University

Red Cross defends keeping Guantanamo detainee records confidential: The pre-trial hearing on the five suspected 9/11 plotters continued Tuesday…

What’s that thing in Uranus’s orbit?: The planet Uranus – already an odd duck for its upended rings and spin axis that means it is spinning on its side – is being chased by two asteroids and is chasing another. One of the asteroids is in

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Daily Kos

Republican congresswoman pleased that her party is 'changing hearts and minds' on abortion: Please, GOP, keep on changing mindsWell, I guess you could say that this is half right:“We are changing hearts and minds,” said Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo. “We hear more and more

The Republican Party's clueless caucus is pretty much their entire caucus: Alexander Burns and Jake Sherman of Politico take a look at what they call the GOPs clueless caucus — the Todd Akins and Allen Wests and Steve Kings and Michele Bachmanns of the Republican Party

Surveillance bait: (Click to enlarge)I find the NSA Prism program -- what I know about it, anyway -- to be problematic. But it does seem theres a disconnect between public reaction to this particular scandal and our tolerance

Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest: Brian Schweitzer might decide in six million years or so: Want the scoop on hot races around the country? Get the digest emailed to you each weekday morning. Sign up here.Leading Off:• MT-Sen: So when will Democratic ex-Gov. Brian

Daily Kos Radio is LIVE at 9am ET!: Daily Kos Radios Kagro in the Morning show podcasts are now available through iTunes.We just might squeak by without lingering on the NSA story today. Weve got economic and labor stories. Crazy Congress

Cheers and Jeers: Wednesday: From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE…Netroots Nation 2013: Final ChecklistUnreal how fast these hippie love-ins roll around, aint it? Tonight #8 kicks off in San Jose with the Liquid Courage shindig

Abbreviated Pundit Round-up: NSA leaks and other arguments: WaPo on new ABC/WaPo poll (above graphic):Americans are divided when it comes to charging Edward Snowden with a crime for leaking portions of the National Security Agency’s sweeping surveillance of phone records and

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Think Progress

Congressman Claims People Struggling To Survive On Food Stamps Are ‘Intentionally Buying Over(...): Conservative firebrand Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) argued in a press release on Tuesday that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides cushy benefits to recipients and accused Democrats protesting proposed cuts of engaging in a “left-wing publicity stunt intended to

Russian Parliament Passes New Bill Outlawing Adoption By Gay Couples Abroad In Latest Homophobi(...): Once an international superpower, Russia is quickly gaining a new reputation as the world’s leading exporter of homophobia. The country’s lower chamber of parliament today passed a bill that would prohibit gay couples who are legally married in their own

Governor LePage Blacklists Maine Newspapers After They Criticize His Administration’s Energy (...): Following a critical series of articles in three Maine newspapers this week, Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s (R) office has cut off those papers’ access to administration officials. The same week the Portland Press Herald, the Kennebec Journal, and the Morning

West Virginia Democrat Signs On As The 52nd Sponsor Of The Employment Non-Discrimination Act: Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) today announced that he has signed on as the 51st co-sponsor of ENDA. With the bill’s original sponsor Jeff Merkley (D-OR), that leaves just four Democrats in the senate who have yet to embrace one of

Obama Announces New Plans To Reduce Global Nuclear Weapons Stockpile: In a speech at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, a historic symbol of the end of the Cold War, President Obama announced new plans to move towards reducing the American and global nuclear weapons stockpiles in order to reduce the

‘Twenty Feet From Stardom,’ ‘Lean In,’ And The Role Of Ambition In Women’s Profession(...): “You gotta have that narcissism, that ego,” Bruce Springsteen says of what it takes to be a lead singer early in Twenty Feet From Stardom, the excellent new documentary about backup singers from director Morgan Neville that opened on Friday.

Congressman Claims People Struggling To Survive On Food Stamps Are ‘Intentionally Buying Over(...): Conservative firebrand Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) argued in a press release on Tuesday that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides cushy benefits to recipients and accused Democrats protesting proposed cuts of engaging in a “left-wing publicity stunt intended to

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Little Green Footballs

Video: Rachel Maddow on the Increasingly Bizarre GOP Agenda: MSNBC Video

Wall Street Journal Editor James Taranto: The "War on Men" Is What's Important: I predict "war on men" will prove a more enduring idea than "war on women."— James Taranto (@jamestaranto) June 19, 2013Discuss.

Full House Committee Transcripts Reveal What Issa Wanted to Hide: Heres a pretty amazing development that may finally destroy the last shred of partisan hitman Darrell Issas credibility: Breaking: Full House Committee Transcripts Shed New Light on Genesis of IRS Targeting.Democrats on the House Oversight

Creationist Gov. Bobby Jindal's Hilariously Stupid Politico Rant: Undoubtedly the most absurd, ridiculous GOP op-ed youll see today: creationist Gov. Bobby Jindals latest dont be stupid piece for Politico: Opinion: GOP Needs Action, Not Navel-Gazing - Gov. Bobby Jindal.After ranting that the GOP really doesnt need to change

Video: Charlie Rose With President Obama on Syria, Iran, and NSA Leaks: FLV MovieVia CharlieRose.com.

Texas Republican Congressman: Fetuses Can Fap, Must Not Abort: Meanwhile, the Republican Party continues pushing insanely stupid regressive social issues, but lets all look over there at the NSA: Texas Congressman: Masturbating Fetuses Prove Need for Abortion Ban.As the House of Representatives gears up

This is not a parody: The Religious Right is trying to make abortion funny: salon.com“How do you make abortion funny?” That was a key question mulled at a major conservative gathering Friday on how to make social conservatism appealing to young people, after an election where Republicans got trounced in the battle for millennial

Coming Soon to Chicago: Glenn Greenwald and the Socialist Workers: Coming soon: dont miss Glenn Greenwald at the Socialism 2013 conference in Chicago, sponsored by the extreme left wing International Socialist Organization, the US branch of one of the many Trotskyite groups associated with the International Socialist umbrella movement.Also featured:

Coming Soon to Chicago: Glenn Greenwald and the Socialist Workers Party: Coming soon: dont miss Glenn Greenwald at the Socialism 2013 conference in Chicago, sponsored by the extreme left wing Socialist Workers Party, formerly known as the Communist League of America.Also featured: workshops on The new movement against Israeli apartheid, Obamas

Obama: "The NSA Cannot Listen to Your Telephone Calls, Cannot Target Your Emails": Buzzfeed has a partial transcript of President Obamas interview with Charlie Rose airing tonight on PBS, with some of Obamas clearest and most direct statements about the Snowden case:Barack Obama: Well, in the end, and

Edward Snowden: The US Government Wants to Murder Me: Lets examine some of the claims made by NSA leaker Edward Snowden in his Q&A session (stage-managed by demagogue Glenn Greenwald) this morning, shall we? Edward Snowden Q and A: NSA Whistleblower Answers Your QuestionsSNOWDEN: First, the US Government, just

Hong Kong Wants to Keep Edward Snowden as a Symbol of "China's Growing Power": Tonight, Chinese state newspaper Global Times is calling for Edward Snowden to remain in China: Snowden Extradition Would Tarnish Hong Kongs Image, Says China State Media | South China Morning Post.A state-backed Chinese newspaper on Monday said extraditing former spy

ZDNet "Pulls the Plug" on That Bogus CNET Story: Tonight ZDNet, sister company of CNET, is pulling the plug on the bogus CNET report that the NSA can wiretap US citizens phones without a warrant: Congressman Denies Report Claiming NSA Can Listen to Calls Without Warrants | ZDNet.Update at

Director of National Intelligence's Statement on CNET's Bogus Story: The Director of National Intelligence has released an official statement rebutting the hyperbolic claims made by CNETs Declan McCullagh:ODNI Statement on the Limits of Surveillance ActivitiesSunday, June 16, 2013 Office of the Director of National IntelligenceWashington, DC 20511The statement that

Edward Snowden's a Hero, All Right - to China and Russia: Well now. Im at a loss to understand how Edward Snowdens latest disclosures could possibly have been inspired by his much-vaunted concerns about civil liberties, since hes now revealing details about US espionage against Russia.American spies based in the UK

Glenn Greenwald: America Is "The Most Brutal, Sprawling Prison State on Earth": In a conversation about NSA leaker Edward Snowdens decision to flee to China, Glenn Greenwald cant resist retweeting one of the craziest over-the-top statements Ive seen yet:Yep - seems to be theory RT @ChadAustinSD If you dont submit to the

Pamela Geller Connects the NSA-Sekrit Muslim Dots: "Do They Attend the 911 Mosque?": And now we have the definitive jump-the-shark moment for CNETs absurdly misleading NSA story, as hate group leader Pamela Geller puts on her hate goggles and makes the connections between NSA spying and the SEKRIT MOSLEM CONSPIRACY: OBAMA ADMIN IS

CNET Updates Article, Continues to Make False Claims: CNET has finally gotten around to posting an update to their absurdly hyperbolic article, formerly titled: NSA Admits Listening to U.S. Phone Calls Without Warrants.The new title: NSA Spying Flap Extends to Contents of U.S. Phone Calls.But even though Rep.

Remember When Rep. Nadler Supposedly Said the NSA Could Listen to Phone Calls Without a Warrant(...): A followup to our post from yesterday about CNETs ridiculous over-heated claim that Rep. Jerrold Nadler said the NSA admitted that the Justice Department has secretly interpreted federal surveillance law to permit thousands of low-ranking analysts to eavesdrop on phone

NSA Paper: Fewer Than 300 Phone Numbers Examined in Detail: Reuters is reporting that theyve obtained an unclassified government paper saying the US government only accessed detailed information on fewer than 300 phone numbers, out of the millions of pieces of metadata they collected in 2012 -- and that this

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Crooks and Liars

Virginia Child Advocates Seek To Shift Focus of Campaigns: In Virginia, just one of two states with off-year gubernatorial elections this year, child advocates have just kicked off an effort to bring childrens issues to the fore of the campaign, releasing results of a new Mason-Dixon poll at a

Three NSA Veterans Speak Out on Whistleblower Snowden: We Told You So: If anyone has questions about why Edward Snowden chose not to go through the proper channels to try to get something done about the NSA datamining, it seems likely Snowden saw what happened to these former

Beck: Immigrants 'Learned From the Klan... They Are Just Changing Their Hood': Click here to view this media Conservative radio host Glenn Beck told Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R) on Tuesday that immigrant activists have

Mike's Blog Round Up: Woot! Hump day! :)Sorry, Rick Perry, but Ted Cruz is the current toast of Texas.Marmel: Its time for Sen. Jeff Flake to focus on his family.Bulletin of Atomic Sciences: Pandoras Promise, a pro-nuclear energy documentary is chock full of problems

R.I.P. Michael Hastings: Click here to view this media Very sad and tragic news on Michael Hastings passing:BuzzFeed is saddened to report that Michael Hastings died in a car accident early this

Open Thread: The tweet is fake, but still perfect.Open thread below...

Late Nite Music Club w/ Dierks Bentley & Kacey Musgraves: Genre: CountryTitle: Bourbon in KentuckyArtist: Dierks Bentley Bourbon In Kentucky Price: $1.29 (As of 06/18/13 03:46 pm details) Dierks Bentley is readying the fall release of his next album, Riser, on Capitol Records Nashville.

July 4th: Liberate Space from the Surveillance State: Via OccupyWallSt:Liberate Space - July 4th - Cities Everywhere - Be DaringIn a few weeks, on July 4th we call on all individuals to blockade, disrupt and disobey the architecture of repression in their own cities.

Immigration Debate: Cue National ID Scary Music: I am so tired of the same ancient, wrinkled BS arguments against every single inch of progress we try to make as a nation. Gun debate? No problem, that ones easy, just cue up the argument

Idaho Republicans: Void Anti-Discrimination Laws in Case 'Gay Guy' Works 'in a Tutu': Click here to view this media Cornel Rasor, who chairs the Idaho Republican Partys resolutions committee, says that he pushed for a resolution to

200K Protesters Flood Brazilian Streets: An estimated 100,000 demonstrators (The BBC reports 200,000) flooded the streets of eight different Brazilian cities Monday night, venting frustrations over poor public services, police violence and government corruption.The marches began earlier this month in Sao Paulo, and soon gained

The Less Facts Favor the GOP, the More Scandal Narratives Do: In two previous pieces (here and here), I discussed the phenomena of scandal narratives in American politics, first stressing how such narratives reflect a right/left divide—emphasizing mythos (the construction of meaning) on the conservative side and logos (the discovery of

Fox Panel Pretends Obama Taking Responsibility for Fake Scandals Will End Fox Scandal Mongering: Click here to view this media For anyone that doesnt monitor the kind of B.S. that gets spouted on Fox News on a

Boehner Signals Return of Hastert Rule for Immigration Bill: This isnt the least bit surprising.House Speaker John Boehner is not going to bring a comprehensive immigration-reform plan to the floor if a majority of Republicans dont support it, sources familiar with his

James O'Keefe Strikes Low Blow For Justice: James OKeefe has a book release coming up on Tuesday and so hes dropping new video wherever he can in anticipation of it, I guess. But this one had me laughing because of the title he chose for his book

John Cornyn and the Government Teat: You know how Texas Senator John Cornyn just hates, hates, hates government? But even worse how he hates people who get “entitlements” like social security and Medicare?Not so much in his own feedlot.Come to find out,

Live Blog Chat with Jerry DeWitt, author of Hope After Faith: Welcome to an exclusive C&L live blogchat with Jerry DeWitt, author of Hope After Faith, which we reviewed yesterday. A quick recap: For twenty-five years, Jerry DeWitt was a deep south Pentacostal evangelical preacher. A little over two years ago,

Remember When the Patriot Act Debate Was About Library Records?: By Justin Elliott, ProPublicaIn the months following the October 2001, passage of the Patriot Act, there was a heated public debate about the very provision of the law that we now know the government is

John Oliver on Palin's Return to Fox: ‘We Can Just Fu*king Ignore Her!’: Click here to view this media The Daily Shows John Oliver was back for his second week filling in as host for Jon Stewart

Fox News Host: Trayvon 'May Have Been Violent' Because He Smoked Pot: Click here to view this media Fox News host Gregg Jarrett suggested on Monday that George Zimmerman might have been justified in killing Trayvon Martin

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Common Dreams

Toxic Radiation Soars in Fukushima Groundwater: No description.

Michael Hastings Dead: Reporter, Author Dies In Car Crash At Age 33: Michael Hastings, who was killed in

US and Rest of G8 Won’t Follow UK on Corporate Transparency: The G8 in Belfast (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)The United States is being singled out for criticism after the Group of Eight (G8) rich countries failed

Fear-Mongering NSA Attempts to Justify Spying Before Congress: NSA Director General Keith Alexander gave the impression at a Tuesday congressional hearing that the only thing standing between the U.S. people and 'terrorist' onslaught is secret spying.As he shared a panel with top FBI and Justice Department officials, Alexander

Back-Door Tar Sands Scheme Blocked by Local Community: Victory for environmentalists may be near in one of the more overlooked battles in the war against Canadian tar sands oil.A backdoor plan by Canada's Enbridge and the US-based ExxonMobil to establish an alternate tar sands pipeline has met fierce

'Standing Man' Silent Protest Sweeps Turkey

Yemenis Gather to Protest Detention, Torture in Gitmo

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Michelle Malkin

Joe Biden: ‘Black Helicopter™ crowd is really upset’: Double-barreled desperation

Dueling headlines, ‘Equal Pay Day’ edition: Preaching from behind

Trial for Bin Laden son-in-law may be delayed due to… sequester: High profile impact

More celebrities SWAT-ted; meanwhile, anti-Brett Kimberlin bloggers still under fire: The troubling trend of celebrity “SWATting” incidents has not abated. KPCC reports on the latest victims: The “swatting” phenomenon shows no signs of slowing down. The LAPD has sent officers to the homes of at least ten celebrities in recent

Man who escaped Castro’s Cuba speaks at Oregon gun control hearing: ‘You people don’t kno(...): Been there, done that, no thanks

EndTheCoverUp.com: 700 Special Ops vets call on Congress to establish special select committee (...): Via the Center for Security Policy, 700 Special Ops veterans sent a letter to Congress today calling on Congress to establish a select committee to investigate the Benghazi cover-up. “The SOF 700 letter was organized at the initiative of Lieutenant

The Iron Lady passes: Margaret Thatcher, R.I.P.: She was an irrepressible force for liberty. A lioness who minced no words. Fierceness personified. Britain and the world are better off because of Margaret Thatcher’s towering battles in defense of freedom and free markets. The world should mourn not

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The Washington Monthly

Abortion Kabuki: So the U.S. House of Representatives, as expected, passed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act by a 228-196 margin. As youd figure from a bill festooned in its title with...

Will CBO Save Immigration Reform?: Theres a lot of over-optimistic hype surrounding the Senate Gang of Eights immigration reform bill, based apparently on the theory that momentum will add a bunch of votes in the...

Daylight Video: Its the 148th Juneteenth--the day commemorating the final liberation of slaves in Texas on June 19, 1865, and thus the long-delayed implementation of the Emancipation Proclamation. Heres Shirley Verrett performing...

Day's End and Night Watch: This Thursday through Saturday Ill be live-blogging from the Netroots Nation event, just up the road (nearly said the 101, but remembered the trouble that got me in!) in San...

Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me: Heres a fascinating take on new polling data from Florida by Politicos Tal Kopan, with the headline: Gov. Rick Scott rebounding. Florida Gov. Rick Scott trails two potential 2014 challengers...

Jindal Should Have Left Well Enough Alone: From the mockery its arousing, Im beginning to think Bobby Jindals Politico op-ed today (which I mocked earlier) could wind up being as big a problem for his image, at...

Early Nose-Counting On Filibuster Reform: WaPos Greg Sargent reports today that Harry Reid wont have much of a margin of error if he goes nuclear next month in order to end or restrict filibusters of...

For Those Who Can't Get Enough of Politico: Gotta say, TNRs Isaac Chotiner is on a roll today. Aside from raising solid doubts about Marco Rubios investment in the ultimate success of comprehensive immigration reform, hes got an...

Lunch Buffet: Just spent a good part of the last half-hour in a Twitter conversation with my friends Greg Sargent and Jonathan Bernstein (with Mike Tomasky and Ezra Klein chipping in) over...

A Beneficial Escalation Over the Filibuster: For once, Im happy with an utterance by Mitch McConnell (per TPMs Sahil Kapur): Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tuesday starkly warned Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) not...

Rubio's Ideal Scenario: Since the byzantine course of comprehensive immigration reform legislation has gotten inextricably tied up with the political career of Marco Rubio (another development we can thank the Gang of Eight...

Pass Immigration Reform, Save the Filibuster: Much of the buzz about Ryan Lizzas vast New Yorker (paywall protected) piece offering an insider look at the development of the Senates immigration reform legislation has revolved around a...

Different Tune On Abortion Way Off the Table: Its interesting that on the very day Bobby Jindal published his ukase ordering an end to the GOP rebranding project with all its navel-gazing and bedwetting, one of the conservative...

Okay, Enough Thinking: Well, you gotta say, that Bobby Jindals not afraid to change his tune. Back in January, he thrilled Beltway observers by telling Republicans to stop being the stupid party. Now...

Daylight Video: Forty-six years ago today, the Monterey Pop Festival came to a close. Though not as large or iconic as Woodstock, Monterey Pop may have produced better music, and created quite...

Day's End and Night Watch: An interesting day, given the small offerings from the news gods (aside from our own reported story). Here are some final items of the day: * Conservatives in both Houses...

Bad News for the Amigos: Speaking of polls: Gallup asked about support for or opposition to the presidents decisions to direct military aid to Syrian rebels. 37% of respondents approved while 54% disapproved. The partisan...

Disapproval Isn't Defection: So todays big news from the world of public opinion surveys is a new CNN/ORC poll that shows the presidents job approval rating dropping from 53% in May to 45%...

"Let Allah Sort It Out": Im not quite willing to go as far as Salons Joan Walsh, who says that St. Joan of the Tundra is politically relevant again now that shes kissed and made...

Supreme Court Bingo: As you may be aware, Supreme Court watchers often try to predict the direction of major decisions based on the Courts habit of evenly distributing opinion assignments as the end...

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Talking Points Memo

The GOP's New Abortion Bill: TPM Reader MB on the new GOP abortion ban bill ... I just wanted to underscore how horrific the Republicans abortion bill was, and how its sent shockwaves through my circle of friends. While Im political, many of my friends...

Status Check on the Autopsy: There were supposedly two takeaways from the 2012 election. First, the GOP had a difficult time polling the new American electorate, a shortcoming tied to the second takeaway, which was that the GOP was ill-prepared to win elections in the...

A Nation of Weiners?: Japanese politicians apparently have a really hard time not embarrassing themselves on theTwitter....

Please Get This Doofus Off TV: Like quantum theory and relativity, who can really explain why they still let lazy and permanently and embarrassingly wrong historian Niall Ferguson on TV? All I can figure is that it is a testament to how much Americans are still...

ICYMI: Michael Hastings, Dead at 33: In case you missed the news last night, a big shock and a big loss in the world of journalism. Michael Hastings died yesterday in a car crash in Los Angeles. He was 33. He was probably known best, among...

ICYMI: Michael Hastings, Dead at 33: In case you missed the news last night, a big shock and a big loss in the world of journalism. Michael Hastings died yesterday in a car crash in Los Angeles. He was 33. He was probably known best, among...

Not So Much: Our report on why congressional oversight of the intelligence community doesnt work very well and maybe isnt supposed to. Fascinating piece....

No Help There: House Republicans appear to be coalescing around an attempt to kill immigration reform. But theyre not getting any help from this CBO study, requested by arch-immigration reform for Sen. Jeff Sessions. It shows that rather than ballooning the deficit the...

Issa's Latest Racket Unravels: House Oversight Committee Chair Darrell Issa (R-CA) says he is deeply disappointed that Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-MD) decided to release the full unedited interviews from the IRS investigation. These supplement the bits and pieces selectively leaked to the press...

The Day In 100 Seconds: Wondering if the NSA is monitoring Americas phone calls? The agencys chief supplied an answer, over and over again. Full-size version....

Is That How It Works?: Shorter WSJ columnist: Lets be honest, it takes two to have a sexual assault....

Could Change Everything: Dont look now but medical costs may actually be starting to go down....

Nate Silver Responds: Silver: Politico cofounders lack curiosity for the world outside of the bubble....

Nate Silver Responds: Silver: Politico cofounders lack curiosity for the world outside of the bubble....

The Future of Advertising: The future of advertising is definitely creating ads like this that are so awesome that people like me are are mind-controlled into posting them in my blog even when the big corporation isnt paying anything for posting it. If youre...

How Could This Have Gone Wrong?: A fashion spread featuring models posing as famous women writers ... at the moment of each womans notorious suicide ... gets Vice in hot water....

Don't Copernicize Me, Bro!: Politico cofounder lashes out at Nate Silver for trying to prove things with math....

Today In Outreach: Immigration reform appears to be swirling down the drain in the House while it prepares to vote later today to ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy....

Good Point: In commenting on our story this morning about the Senate intelligence committee invoking a non-disclosure agreement to prevent a former staffer from talking to us about the way congressional oversight of the intelligence community works -- or doesnt work --...

McConnell Straight Up Trolls Democrats: Mitch McConnell: You want to go nuclear on filibuster reform -- then look out on Obamacare, Keystone, ANWR and the estate tax....

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Power Line

Negotiating the terms of America’s humiliation: (Paul Mirengoff) The U.S. has commenced negotiations with the Taliban. The Afghan government is excluded from the talks, which I consider a disgrace. The U.S. has proved to be a worse than feckless partner. Why any state or group would

The Iranian election — the foreign policy establishment’s take: (Paul Mirengoff) The House Committee on Foreign Affairs (Subcommittee on the Middle East and Northern Africa) held a hearing yesterday on the Iranian elections. Wanting to know more about the subject, and to see our friend Tom Cotton in action,

Open enrollment: (Scott Johnson) In its second term the Obama administration continues to do great harm to the land of the free and the home of the brave, nowhere more so than in the preservation of Obamacare. We really ought to be

Are Republican Politicians Really Stupid?: (John Hinderaker) I have never thought so. On the contrary, the Republican politicians I know well are far smarter and much more hard-working than the public gives them credit for. Still, there are times when you wonder: are Republican politicians–not

Two Stories About Privacy: A Journalist and a Quisling: (John Hinderaker) There is lots of talk, these days, about privacy: about cyber surveillance; about intrusive government; about whether we can feel secure on the telephone and on line. Amid all the noise, it is sometimes hard to sort the

CBO Analysis Confirms: Gang of Eight Bill Is a Disaster: (John Hinderaker) The Congressional Budget Office released its analysis of the Gang of Eight’s immigration proposal today, and spinning is in full swing. The fact is, however, that the basic facts can’t be spun: the bill is a disaster. As

Let’s not go there: (Paul Mirengoff) Yesterday, I suggested that the most plausible scenario under which Congress enacts Schumer-Rubio style amnesty legislation is one in which: (1) the House passes very different legislation, but (2) relents in conference with the Senate, and (3) adopts

“Marco, There’s Somebody on Television Pretending To Be You!”: (John Hinderaker) Today the Senate voted down amendments to the Gang of Eight’s bill that were proposed by Senators Thune and Vitter. Thune’s amendment would have required 350 miles of the 700-mile border fence that was mandated by the 2006

The cunning Mr. Cummings: (Scott Johnson) House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa has posted a statement on the IRS investigation that responds to Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings’ announced intention to post the full investigative interview of IRS employee John Shafer online. Cummings has now

Energy Geek Week: Peak Oil RIP Edition: (Steven Hayward) Commenter David Hill reminded us yesterday of Steve Martin’s excitement about new phone books (one of my favorite scenes, too), but my seriously analogous moment comes this week every year when BP releases it Annual Statistical Review of

Boehner commits to Hastert Rule on immigration reform: (Paul Mirengoff) I hear that at the weekly House GOP conference, Speaker Boehner firmly committed to the Hastert rule on immigration reform legislation, with no wiggle room. Boehner explained that he, Pelosi, and Hastert have violated the rule when they

Green Weenie of the Week: Jerry Brown: (Steven Hayward) Now I know what you’re thinking: doesn’t California Governor Jerry Brown deserve a coveted Power Line Green Weenie lifetime achievement award for some of the things he did 35 years ago, when he was governor first time around?

Tom Perez foiled, we hope: (Paul Mirengoff) We have written about the lengths to which Tom Perez, President Obama’s nominee for Secretary of Labor, went to induce the City of St. Paul into withdrawing its appeal of a fair housing lawsuit that raised the viability

The Gang that couldn’t talk straight: (Paul Mirengoff) Yesterday, it was revealed that an aide to Sen. Rubio made the following statement to Ryan Lizza of the New Yorker: There are American workers who, for lack of a better term, can’t cut it. There shouldn’t be

Tell Dems: Stop scamming voters: (Scott Johnson) The Democrats of the (Democratic) House Majority PAC are out with a seemingly ubiquitous Internet ad that blares: DON’T LET STUDENT LOAN RATES SKYROCKET! TELL REP. KLINE: STOP SCAMMING STUDENTS! Usage note: “Ubiquitous” is an adjective that does

Miss Utah vs. Barack Obama and Jay Carney: (John Hinderaker) The Miss USA pageant was last night; it was won by Erin Brady, Miss Connecticut: There is an interesting trend toward the Northeast in Miss USA, as last year’s winner (and this year’s Miss Universe) was Olivia Culpo,

The immigration reform endgame: (Paul Mirengoff) Earlier today, I discussed a way in which the House leadership could bring a comprehensive, amnesty-style immigration reform bill up for a vote without clearly violating the Hastert Rule (under which only legislation supported by half of the

Another Totally Frivolous Pop Culture Post: (Steven Hayward) So a week or so ago on my post on “Jay Leno For President,” I noticed that frequent Power Line commenter David Hill’s FB identification reads: “Works at Veridian Dynamics.” No way! Better Off Ted was one of

Understanding Iran’s election: (Scott Johnson) It really shouldn’t be difficult to understand Iran’s presidential election, assuming you pay attention to such things. If you get your news from the mainstream media, however, it might be close to impossible to understand it. As Paul

Obama’s approval rating plummets: (Paul Mirengoff) President Obama’s approval rating is down to 45 percent, according to a CNN/ORC poll of 1,014 adult Americans. 54 percent disapprove of his job performance. A month ago, the same pollsters found that 53 percent approved of the

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Eschaton

"Progressive" language lessons: I felt like having a ramble recently about the way our centrist leaders in the Democratic Party explain their policy agenda, so I wrote this.

Overnight: Long day. Good time to get sick.

Evening Thread: No description.

Skills Gap: Weve been getting regular reports of employers who are deeply concerned that they dont have a vast pool of highly skilled workers with specialty training willing to work in undesirable locations for 12 bucks an hour. That isnt actually a

Afternoon Thread: This has to be the most absolute stupidest thing Ive ever heard:There is no question in my mind that a baby at 20-weeks after conception can feel pain. The fact of the matter is, I argue with the chairman because

34,000 Feet: Flying is awful.

HAMP'd: The key point here is that these are ongoing practices (one ex-employee confirms BofA was deliberately pushing their customers into foreclosure as late as last August) and that theres documentary evidence in addition to sworn statements (the plaintiffs already submitted

The Grift Goes On: Everything Is Illumilooted.Its most interesting feature, however, is not architectural, but financial. The house, which is owned by John Sexton, the president of New York University, was bought with a $600,000 loan from an N.Y.U. foundation that eventually grew to

I Hate Waking Up To An Alarm Clock: Yes, yes, thats a problem most of you face regularly but since I rarely need to, whenever I do, I spend the night being paranoid that I set it incorrectly, it wont go off, and Ill miss my flight or

Late Night: Rock on.

Sides: This primary season could be .... interesting.

Monday Evening: enjoy

Spooky Action At A Distance: No I didnt have wireless broadband for my Commodore 64, but as a fairly early adopter I do remember people being relatively freaked out by Wifi when they first saw it. Some of you oldsters might remember that having a

Afternoon Thread: No description.

Culture: One never quite knows the truth of stories like this, because SECRET, but if true this hardly portrays an institutional culture which respects privacy and has meaningful safeguards (from 2008).US Soldiers Phone Sex Intercepted, SharedFaulk says he and others in

Barack Obama Doesn't Run Booz Allen: Even if one thinks that the policies of the Obama administration are basically correct and that Barack Obama is, unlike , basically a good guy, he doesnt actually control the day to day operations of a sprawling surveillance state which

Tiny Bit Of Eschaton History: Dont think I ever actually ate a waffle, but Bonte offered free wifi back before most people had even heard of wifi, so I used to go there to have coffee and write sucky blog posts.

Wanker of the Day: Fred Hiatt

Program Notes: Travel/nerd convention this week so blogging will probably be a bit random. More generally, Ive been trying to detach from the blog a bit more than I have in the past (on weekends, at least). It isnt the hardest job

Savvy: Im seeing responses along the lines of How dare Snowden reveal that we spy on other countries and of course we spy on other countries everybody knows that.It cant really be both, you know.

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AMERICAblog

Gun nut tasered after assaulting cops and heckling dad of girl shot to death (video): If you want to understand why American has a violence problem, you need go no further than this video..

HUD study finds significant anti-gay discrimination in rental housing market: Surprisingly, they found more discrimination against gay couples in states with laws barring it..

Poll: NSA leak served public interest, but prosecute Snowden anyway: Young people are the only age group to oppose prosecution, with 44% in favor, 50% opposed..

Michael Hastings, reporter who brought down Gen. McChrystal dies at 33: Hastings caught McChrystal, our then-top general in Afghanistan, taking swipes at President Obama..

Beautiful video of a rotating supercell thunderstorm in Texas: This monster cloud was hanging over Texas and rotating like something out of Close Encounters..

A report from Congress’ annual charity baseball game: During the 6h inning, I accidentally touched butts with Steny Hoyer. Not that was a highlight of the day..

Tornado forms over Denver’s airport an hour ago, images and video: Amazing amateur images and video of a tornado funnel cloud forming literally right over Denvers airport..

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TPMCafe

Message to world government: Don't govern the Internet: You could think of the Aspen IDEA report published today as a letter to the head of the International Telecommunications Union, Hamadoun Touré, suggesting that he should reconsider his intent to put the light touch of government on the Internets

Obama and Romney on Foreign Policy - Drawing the Contrasts: The political battle lines are being drawn for the general election debate over foreign policy and national security, and you cant do much better than my fellow Democracy Arsenal blogger Michael Cohen for a guide. One key theme of Michaels

Will Yale's Alumni Save Liberal Education?: Hoping to head off alumni resistance to the brand-new Yale-National University of Singapore college that the Yale Corporation has created somewhat stealthily in collaboration with the government of that authoritarian city-state, Association of Yale Alumni chairman Michael Madison has inadvertently

Neocons Celebrate: We Got MJ Rosenberg, We'll Get You: The right-wing pro-Israel lobby has taken off its mask. In the wake of my departure from Media Matters, it is in a celebratory mood. In one article and column after another, the Israel-is-always-right types cannot contain their feeling of triumph.There

"Harvard Faculty Lounge" v. "Fox News Green Room": Among the idiotic things about this Harvard faculty lounge nonsense is the fact that President Obama wasnt on the faculty; he was a student. But never mind all that. If Republicans want to highlight a location with a supposedly warped

A Small But Solid Victory for Liberal Education at Yale: Just as the Tunisian vendor who sparked the Arab Spring was provoked not only by one bureaucratic or police affront but also by a long train of abuses, petty and large, that had alienated many Tunisians from the government, so

Republican Foreign Policy Boiled Down for You: Some simple rules of thumb:1. Extent US must pursue missile defense: As far as conceivable2. How much it matters whether the conceivable technology is actually workable: Not very3. How much we should spend on the military: More (definitely more than

The Showdown Over Liberal Education at Yale: The stampede (or is it a gold rush?) abroad by dozens of American universities to plant their flags, brand names and, some of them claim, the seeds of liberal education and democracy was starting to seem thoughtless and chaotic by

New Law in WI Keeps People From Voting - Me, for Instance: After not being allowed to vote this morning, I want to report from the Wisconsin front lines of the draconian voting laws that Republicans have been pushing through state legislatures across the country. For all the focus on stringent requirements

Not That Complicated: Justice Alito said that if he didnt buy a Volt, the price of Volts would go up. Where did he learn that? Yale Law School? I hope not; I was there with him and I dont remember learning that if

Why Land Day still matters: By Sam Bahour and Fida JiryisEvery year since 1976, on March 30, Palestinians around the world have commemorated Land Day. Though it may sound like an environmental celebration, Land Day marks a bloody day in Israel when security forces gunned

Romney's Foreign Policy Fantasies: "Breathtaking Weakness?": In a blog post at the web site of Foreign Policy magazine, Republican presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney attempts to paint the Obama administration as soft on Russia, and on security issues more broadly.But Romneys tirade reveals more about his own

A Letter To Congressman Waxman: The following post is a letter from Reed Hundt to Congress Henry Waxman titled Re: In re H.R. 3309.Dear Congressman Waxman:You have asked me to share my views on the Federal Communications Process Reform Act of 2012, H.R. 3309, in

How the Supreme Court Permits Government-Controlled Speech: This short, troubling PBS NewsHour segment on the Chinese-governments new American TV News network, CCTV, must be causing some sleepless afternoons at the Supreme Court for conservative justices who opened the door to this with the Citizens United ruling.As I

How 'Citizens United' Has Strengthened Government-controlled Speech: This short PBS NewsHour segment on the Chinese-governments new American TV News network, CCTV, must be causing some sleepless afternoons for conservative Supreme Court justices like Antonin Scalia, who opened the door to this with the Citizens United ruling.In that

Will Yale's Singapore Venture Advance Liberal Education or Corrupt It?: Some societies in Asia may be receptive to a seed of liberal education being sown by universities such as Yale. Some Asian societies might nourish liberal educations understandings of ordered liberty and democratic deliberation better than were doing in the

Will Yale Advance Liberal Education in Asia, or Corrupt It?: Some societies in Asia may be receptive to a seed of liberal education being sown by American universities. Some Asian societies might even nourish liberal educations understandings of ordered liberty and democratic deliberation better than were doing here in the

Video: What Rush Limbaugh Really Thinks!: What Rush Limbaugh REALLY thinks! Why Rush Limbaugh really apologized to Sandra Fluke.

Obama's Peace Speech At AIPAC: I was happily surprised by the Presidents AIPAC speech. I say this as someone who absolutely opposes the use of force to stop Irans nuclear program and who favors containment, not war, if the Iranians develop nuclear weapons.I understand that

But What Exactly Is Green Manufacturing?: When most people think of green manufacturing jobs, they think of multi-billion-dollar investments in plants making lithium-ion batteries for electric cars or photo-voltaic panels and wind turbines for smartening grids.They fear, not without reason,

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