Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Politics related links 101718



Brett Kavanaugh’s Angry, Partisan, Trump-Like Opening Statement

American Bar Association: Delay Kavanaugh until FBI investigates assault allegations

Do we really want a man consumed with rage, self-pity, and hate on the Supreme Court?

Trump crippling FBI investigation into Kavanaugh: Drinking, witnesses, and Swetnick off the table

Report: White House Is Controlling Who FBI Interviews in Kavanaugh Investigation

I Taught At Holton Arms School When Christine Blasey Ford Was A Student

Trump committed ‘outright fraud’ in ‘dubious tax schemes,’ according to a big, new NYT investigation

New York City Is ‘Looking to Recoup’ Any Unpaid Trump Taxes, de Blasio Says

I Know Brett Kavanaugh, but I Wouldn’t Confirm Him: This is an article I never imagined myself writing, that I never wanted to write, that I wish I could not write.

Kavanaugh’s 1983 Letter Offers Inside Look at High School Clique

This Vicious Buffoon Is a Vessel for All the Worst Elements of the American Condition: Donald Trump, American president*, disgraces his office once more.

Trump can't use FEMA's wireless alerts to send personal messages — it's illegal: Public concern around privacy and abuse of power is offset by legislation put into place to deter any president from mishandling the alert system.

On Brett Kavanaugh and His Dream Job

Trump gained millions from questionable tax strategies: New York Times

BOMBSHELL: Trump Being Investigated For Tax Evasion And Fraud

Sarah Sanders defends Trump's comments about Christine Blasey Ford

Trump Mocks and Imitates Christine Ford at Campaign Rally, Crowd Goes Wild

Crowd gasped and loudly booed Lindsey Graham after his trailer park comparison to Dr. Ford

Lindsey Graham on Dr. Ford: This is what happens when you go through a trailer park with a $100 bill

Cowardly Susan Collins doesn't just run from reporters, she uses the cops to keep them away

Kavanaugh’s buddies wrote insanely misogynist newsletter column about Dr. Ford’s high school

Kavanaugh called himself an ‘obnoxious drunk’ and ‘prolific puker’ in 1983 letter to classmates

FBI 'investigation' into Kavanaugh has ignored more than 40 potential witnesses

FBI has not contacted dozens of potential sources in Kavanaugh investigation: With the investigation winding down, multiple individuals who have tried to contact the bureau have not heard back.

150 mental health professionals sign letter calling for psychological assessment of Brett Kavanaugh

Miami University's new Title IX policy opens door for assailants to directly question their victims

More Than 500 Law Professors Condemn Kavanaugh For ‘Lack Of Judicial Temperament’: Eight of the signatures in the letter to the Senate were from professors at Yale, where the Supreme Court nominee obtained his law degree.

BREAKING: Kavanaugh's Classmates Turn On Him

Trump confounds U.S. allies, and China may benefit from diminished trust in America, survey finds

Putin and Xi Outrank Trump in Global Confidence Poll: Merkel and Macron come out far ahead in a new Pew Research survey.

There’s Nothing Wrong With the Liberal Order That Can’t Be Fixed by What’s Right With It: Realists need to get a lot more realistic about the global legal system.

JEFF FLAKE SAYS DONALD TRUMP SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISQUALIFIED FROM PRESIDENCY FOR QUESTIONING OBAMA'S BIRTHPLACE

FBI confidential Kavanaugh report handed to White House, Senate: If the motion passes, there will be up to 30 hours of debate, followed by a final confirmation vote, possibly Saturday.

Texas rejects 2,400 online voter registrations as Oct. 9 deadline looms

HILLARY CLINTON WOULD NOW BEAT DONALD TRUMP BY A LANDSLIDE, POLL SAYS

Global Image of US Plummets as 70% of People Worldwide Have 'No Confidence' in Trump Leadership: Only 50 percent of the world currently has a favorable opinion of the U.S., according to Pew, compared with 64 percent of those surveyed at the end of Obama's presidency

Thousands of Texas voter registration applications filed using online tool could be invalid

Feinstein Slams ‘Incomplete’ FBI Probe of Kavanaugh

Dem operative used 16,000 ‘amateur sleuths’ to dig up dirt on GOP candidates — and now he’s ready to dump it

Why the FBI’s Kavanaugh Investigation Is So Troubling: The feds did not interview key witnesses — including former classmates who claim they can corroborate sexual misconduct allegations and lies under oath

Mitch McConnell, the man who broke America

Michael Avenatti says the Kavanaugh FBI investigation is a 'farce and is being run by Donald Trump'

Americans Cheering After Parkland Survivor, David Hogg, Rips Into Brett Kavanaugh

Kavanaugh’s Former Roommate Just Came Forward And Threw Him Under The Bus: Watch

‘Why Was The FBI Held back?’: Fox News’ Judge Napolitano Drops Truth Bomb On Kavanaugh

White House just confirmed our worst fears about FBI Kavanaugh report

This Ruling Is Why Conservatives Are So Hopped Up on Brett Kavanaugh: They want—and need—to outnumber people like Judge Chen in the federal judiciary.

Brett Kavanaugh lied under oath, Sen. Patrick Leahy says. And he showed some evidence to prove it.

Republicans Have Decided to Ignore All of Brett Kavanaugh’s Lies

Sen. Murray: Confirming Kavanaugh will tell women to keep quiet

CALL YOUR SENATORS: TELL THEM TO VOTE AGAINST BRETT KAVANAUGH’S SUPREME COURT CONFIRMATION

Republican Sen. Ben Sasse drops a bombshell on the debate over Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court

An Injudicious Man, Unfit for the Supreme Court: This was a job interview, not a criminal trial. Kavanaugh, in his fury and pathos, failed the test.

Brett Kavanaugh’s Radical View of Executive Power: Trump’s Supreme Court nominee threatens to undermine the Mueller probe.

GOP COUNTY CHAIR SHARES FAKE 1980S CHRISTINE BLASEY FORD PICTURE, SUGGESTS SHE'S TOO UGLY TO SEXUALLY ASSAULT

Don't Confirm Brett Kavanaugh, Says Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens

House Intel GOP Withholds Rohrabacher and Wasserman Schultz’s Russia Probe Transcripts: On Friday, Republicans on the House intelligence committee voted to declassify 53 interviews from its Russia probe. Just not all of them.

Trump Charges China—Not Russia—with Meddling in U.S. Elections

Our Investigative Reporters Explain the Trump-Russia Story: Mark Mazzetti and Scott Shane answer readers’ questions on Russian interference in the 2016 election, the Mueller investigation and their reporting process.

FBI Lacks White House Approval to Talk to Kavanaugh and Ford, Sources Say

2 Of Brett Kavanaugh’s Former Classmates Withdraw Support For Him: “We fear that partisanship has injected itself into Judge Kavanaugh’s candidacy,” write Michael J. Proctor and Mark Osler.

Opposition to Kavanaugh grows after Senate hearing: Reuters/Ipsos poll

Poll: More Believe Ford Than Kavanaugh, A Cultural Shift From 1991

Should sex harassment charges disqualify a political candidate? 56 percent of Republicans say no
Poll finds 81 percent of Democrats would definitely not support a candidate accused of sexual harassment by multiple people.

Mueller ‘downsizing’ with departure of 2 prosecutors: 'I think they wouldn’t be letting people go unless they’re winding down,' said a Washington defense attorney working on the Russia probe.

Rosenstein to meet with House Republicans on Oct. 11: The deputy attorney general has been in the hot seat over a report that he proposed secretly recording the president.

Collins and Manchin to vote for Kavanaugh, effectively ensuring his Supreme Court confirmation

Russia’s growing threat to north Europe: Sweden hugs its friends closer, but will it tie the knot with NATO?

Tribune editorial: Hatch attack on alleged witness is despicable

A leading Holocaust historian just seriously compared the US to Nazi Germany: “If the US has someone whom historians will look back on as the gravedigger of American democracy, it is Mitch McConnell.”

Minutes after Sen. Susan Collins announced her support for Brett Kavanaugh, the site to fund her opponent was so overwhelmed that it crashed

Secretary of State: Voter Registration Deadline is October 9

What do Russian disinformation campaigns look like, and how can we protect our elections?

Brett Kavanaugh proceedings: Can a Supreme Court justice be impeached?

George W. Bush made calls reassuring Collins about Kavanaugh

Susan Collins Tries to Have Her #MeToo Cake and Eat It Too: Either you believe Christine Blasey Ford, or you don’t.

Trump Looking At $400 Million Unpaid Tax Bill, Civil Penalties Could Take Everything He Owns

Lindsey Graham won't read the FBI report on Kavanaugh, but he's ready to vote

The Supreme Court’s legitimacy crisis is here: Brett Kavanaugh’s Senate confirmation will likely turn many Americans against the Court itself.

McConnell: Conservative revamp of the courts isn't done yet.  The Senate majority leader calls the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh a 'seminal moment' for the conservative movement.

A Victim’s Perspective on Sexual Assault

Chief Justice John Roberts Accused of ‘Cover Up’ for Sitting on Kavanaugh Misconduct Complaints

Kavanaugh's opening remarks are a master class in a common sexual abuser defense tactic

Willie Nelson - Vote 'Em Out (Texas - Rally for Beto)

“None of This Was Fair”: the Kavanaugh Nomination Marks the Triumph of Trumpism on Capitol Hill
For the President, the whole fight has been the kind of win he loves: divisive and loud, with enraged liberals sputtering and his political base riled up.

Here's "Something Bold" Democrats Can Do: Conduct the Kavanaugh Probe White House and GOP Refused to Have: "Instead of acting like the minority and like victims, Dems need to go on the offensive and act like a majority! Investigate, interview, and use the power of the media loudly, with courage and fervor!"

If The Rule Of Law Means Anything, Kavanaugh Must Be Impeached: If a federal judge can get away with lying to Congress, why do we even have sworn oaths?

Explosion of Anger, Promises to Oust Her in 2020 After Susan Collins Says "Yes" to Brett Kavanaugh
"Women in this nation will remember this. We will all remember this."

'Trump-Proofing the Presidency': New Report Details How to Stymie the Next Deeply Unethical Person Elected to the White House.  "The only silver lining is that because of Trump, we now know how to strengthen the system against future presidents who lack an ethical compass."

COLIN POWELL SAYS DONALD TRUMP HAS TURNED AMERICA FROM 'WE THE PEOPLE' TO 'ME THE PRESIDENT'

I believe survivors. I believe Christine Blasey Ford. And I still believe Anita Hill

America loses with Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court

Susan Collins goes all in for Kavanaugh – and for Trump

On guns, Americans agree more than they know

One year in, #MeToo Hasn’t brought the change we need

Democrats Just Confirmed Lots Of Trump’s Judges So They Could Skip Town: The resistance wilts in August.

Hometown paper drops a bomb on Devin Nunes and endorses opponent in scathing editorial

Video: Brett Kavanaugh’s Path to the Supreme Court

Video: Brett Kavanaugh’s Path to the Supreme Court

Susan Collins’s Elaborate Yes on Brett Kavanaugh, and Lisa Murkowski’s Straightforward No

The Penultimate Vote on Brett Kavanaugh

Waiting for Senators Outside the Room Where They Read the F.B.I.’s Kavanaugh Report

The F.B.I. Investigation of Brett Kavanaugh and the Politics of Thoroughness

Trump’s Mocking of Christine Blasey Ford and the Dark Laughter of His Audience

Did the Democrats’ Obsession with Having an F.B.I. Investigation Pay Off?

The Surreal Televised Aftermath of the Ford-Kavanaugh Hearing

Sexual-Assault Victims Confront Jeff Flake and Voice the Anguish of Millions

Mussolini is Strung Up (Graphic) 1945 Milan, Italy

The Rise and Fall of Benito Mussolini

Feds freeze Russian oligarch’s assets, Upper East Side mansion

Poll: Majority of Americans Say Kavanaugh Shouldn’t Be On the Supreme Court

We must change our culture and reform our laws: We are living through a new era of support for survivors of sexual assault as brave people continue to come forward to report what happened to them.

Trump apologizes to Kavanaugh on 'behalf of our nation,' says judge 'proven innocent': The president's unusual remarks came at the White House ceremonial swearing-in ceremony for the new Supreme Court justice on Monday night.

The Collapse of the American Empire?

Mitch McConnell just won the biggest battle yet in his long war on democracy: But his confirmation of Bret Kavanaugh has woken a sleeping giant – one that could ultimately cost him

Anderson Cooper shuts down Donald Trump Jr.'s lie

Kavanaugh Hearing Cold Open - SNL

Watch Pete Davidson Slam Kanye West for Pro-Trump ‘SNL’ Rant on Weekend Update: “Being mentally ill is not an excuse to act like a jackass,” comedian says of rapper’s rant and “off the meds” declarations

WATCH: Senator Mitch McConnell Floats Confirming a Supreme Court Justice in 2020

READ: Matt Deitsch Tweets to Senator John Cornyn ‘John, the Only Person Paid and Orchestrated to Spread Fear Is You’

Teacher's Quiz Causes Outrage For Separating Extremist Views Into 'Left' And 'Right' Sides

Local GOP Official Wants to Send Native American House Candidate ‘Back to the Reservation’

It’s Time for the Left To Unite Behind Bernie 2020: He’s popular, principled and there are no better options.

Antidotes to the Poison of Political Despair

Chief Justice John Roberts orders new investigation into Brett Kavanaugh: Fox News

Dear Republican Voters: Stop Blaming the Left. You're Trash. Own It.  It's weird how some mean words from a liberal can make conservatives vote for white nationalism...

Trump’s successful neutering of the FBI’s Kavanaugh investigation has scary implications
A proof of concept for further erosion of the FBI.

This week in Trump-Russia News: Russia takes a backseat to Kavanaugh drama

Trump Administration Seeks to Stifle Protests Near White House and on National Mall

Mitch McConnell Warns Democrats Not To Harass Trump By Investigating Him

Kavanaugh Yale classmate: The FBI investigation was a joke. I tried to help and was ignored.

Supreme Power Play

Collusion Is Not a Crime, Trump Campaign Argues

Faithful Execution of the Office and Laws: New Research on the Original Meaning of Article II

Democrats Have A Chance To Win One Of The Reddest Districts In The Country: If they do pick up West Virginia 3rd, it’d be the biggest party flip in a midterm since 1998.

UK Confiscating Oligarchs' Property If They Cannot Show Legitimate Source of Funds

THE GOP HOKEY POKEY

Letters to the Editor We Need to Change Our Electoral System

Ohio Officials Show No Grace

Gene Lyons: Kavanaugh no judge of character

Why Women Don’t Report Sexual Assault: Delays should never be used to discredit accusers like Christine Blasey Ford.

Mr. Vice President, You Are One Big Phony

A New Roadmap for Getting Change Done: Victories of insurgent progressive candidates and reforms within the Democratic Party show a mandate to enact progressive legislation.

Cue the Visigoths: People are starting to realize Donald Trump is unfit to be president. But Trump is only a symptom, not the cause, of the threat to our democracy.

The 1 Percent Has a Dark Plot to Replace American Democracy With an Elite Plutocracy — And It's Working: How will American democracy resist their twisted goal of one-dollar, one-vote plutocracy?

Suspicions Confirmed, Woodward on Trump

Decoding the Rod Rosenstein melodrama: Distraction from Kavanaugh, or part of a larger plot?
Someone’s trying to destroy Rosenstein or lure the media away from the Kavanaugh scandal. Quite likely both

Trump’s stump speech is a con job

Stay Nasty

Nobody in the White House is Part of ‘The Resistance’: They admit Trump’s dangerous, but they’ll stick with him as long as he cuts billionaires’ taxes, deregulates corporations, and feeds the military-industrial complex.

Table Manners Make the Candidate

Men’s Bodies and the Politics of Abortion

Want to defend democracy? Start with your public librabry.

Kavanaugh Charade Is Coming Apart

Stiehm: A tale full of sound and fury

Ralph Nader: Where is the Democrats’ Contract with America 2018?

All the Anonymous BS That's Fit to Print: Self-Serving Newspapers Ditch Their Own Ethics Rules

Michael Moore Turns Up the Heat in Fahrenheit 11/9: The cinematic son of America’s industrial proletariat launches a blistering broadside.

Nothing Normal About Allegations Against Teenager Kavanaugh

Dana Milbank: Texas creates the perfect curriculum for the Trump age

This Is a Day of Horrors, Foreign and Domestic: These days, and the horrors they contain, are becoming far too normal.

Trump’s attacks on journalists seed violence: Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi may be the latest victim in a world where autocratic governments see journalists as fair game. 

Reporter says Saudis made gruesome ‘proof-of-death’ video of Washington Post columnist’s killing

Inside the Pro-Trump Effort to Keep Black Voters From the Polls: Breitbart staffer recruited Sanders activist Bruce Carter to get African Americans to support the Republican—or stay home.

Donald Trump, Brett Kavanaugh, and the Rule of Pampered Princelings

Chief Justice Roberts Requests Tenth Circuit To Investigate Kavanaugh Ethics Questions

I Listened to All Six Trump Rallies in October. You Should, Too

Trump’s Government Isn’t Ready for a Crisis: Empty desks at FEMA and the State Department are symptoms of a bigger problem.

An open letter to the Democratic National Committee: Please resign, on behalf of the party and the country

How Do You Distinguish between Religious Fervor and Mental Illness?  It's not meant as insult to believers; the two states of mind can share many similar characteristics

Humanist Legal Society Launches with Press Club Panel July 19

The Truth about Mike Pence: An Interview with Author Michael D’Antonio

Humanists Disheartened by Masterpiece Cakeshop Decision

Statement on Family Separation at Southern US Border

Simultaneously Fighting for Secular Government and LGBTQ Rights

AHA Joins Groups Opposing Foster Care and Adoption Discrimination

Faith-Based Discrimination Bill Stripped from House Appropriations

Humanists File Supreme Court Brief in Bladensburg Cross Case

Humanists File Second Supreme Court Brief in Bladensburg Cross Case

Humanist Leaders Respond to Troubling New Task Force

Humanists Prevail in Challenge to Religious Activities in Douglas County Schools

Freedom of Religion, Freedom from Religion: Can They Coexist?

Godless Humanists Continue Fight for Equality in Federal Appeals Court

Atheists Seek to Close the Book on South Carolina Graduation Prayers

Eve of Battle

The Reason Julia Salazar Won: A core of true believers were the backbone of her campaign. How should they handle accounts of her dishonesty?

Reasons to Believe: 10 ways to respond to Brett Kavanaugh’s defenders.

Trump on Reporting a Sexual Assault

Breaking News: Seymour Hersh and the ambiguities of investigative reporting.

Letters From the October 22, 2018, Issue By Our Readers

Richard Ojeda’s Politics of Regret: Can a reformed Trump voter win over West Virginia?

In Search of the Lost Republic: Americans once believed that their government belonged to them. Can we again?

AOC Responds to Her Critics: After a high-profile national tour, Ocasio-Cortez defends her perceived missteps—and calls cynicism “the greatest enemy of the progressive left.”

Beto O’Rourke Fights the Clampdown in Texas: His campaign represents a real-time experiment for a party that is still struggling to define itself in the Trump era.

Comix Nation

A Woman Can Never Be Likable Enough: From an early age, we’re taught to please men. What if we got angry instead?

Kavanaugh’s Defenders in Congress Don’t Care About Process: The hearings reveal disparities in who gets to speak out—and who must remain silent.

Kavanaugh’s Testimony

Brett Kavanaugh Is a Liar—So Why Couldn’t Democrats Call Him One?  News reports are not helping by wrongly presenting the hearing as a “he said/she said” affair.

Letters From the October 29, 2018, Issue: The Gore-y truth…

CNN Poll: Majority oppose Kavanaugh, but his popularity grows with GOP

Educators denounce vote to confirm Kavanaugh who is unfit to serve on Supreme Court. 
NEA President: Only thing to do ‘for those who share disappointment in this moment: vote'

'This Is Pathetic': Progressives Furious as Schumer Rubber Stamps 15 More Right-Wing Judges for Trump: Critics angrily denounced Senate Democrats for helping the Republican majority "shape our country in Donald Trump's brutal image for decades to come"

'Definition of a Rigged System' as GOP Candidate for Georgia Governor Commits Massive Purge of Registered Voters: "We need UN election observers in Georgia...the state, not the country."

"Any 'Her' Will Do": Due Process for Boys Like Kavanaugh, But Feinstein Latest Target of Trump's "Lock Her Up" Chant.  "It's not just an assault on norms, the rule of law, and due process they claim to love, it's a downright creepy attempt at intimidating women."

Nikki Haley will resign as Trump’s UN ambassador at the end of the year

As Nikki Haley Resigns, Critics Forced to Clarify That "Pro-War, Pro-Imperialist" Sycophant for Trump Is No "Moderate": U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley "was probably the most pro-war, pro-imperialist high-ranking Trump official, and therefore the most beloved Trump official by the war-loving U.S. media. She held every conventional foreign policy view that has generated so much destruction."

Nikki Haley's resignation comes one day after an ethics watchdog requested an investigation into her acceptance of free flights on private jets

Petitions to Impeach Kavanaugh Surge as Organizers Say Not Even Supreme Court Justices 'Above the Law': "A majority of Americans opposed Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court and we believe a majority will ultimately support his impeachment as well," says Heidi Hess of CREDO Action

Marine Le Pen is hoping to come top in next year’s Euro-election: After a poor showing last year, the nationalists are resurgent

A Democrat leads in Virginia’s 10th: The district hasn’t sent a Democrat to the House of Representatives for 36 years

Apparently Jared Kushner Doesn’t Pay Income Taxes Either: ‘New York Times’ obtained documents that show president’s son-in-law has paid no income taxes from 2009 to 2016

Trump’s FEMA Chief just publicly shamed the victims of Hurricane Michael

Fox News was just busted trying to frame liberals for a riot in humiliating fashion

Trump Snaps When Asked How He Could Fall In ‘Love’ With A Brutal Dictator: ‘I’m Not A Baby’

People’s Vote March

A new authoritarian axis demands an international progressive front

Hillary Clinton: Bill's affair with Monica Lewinsky wasn't an abuse of power because 'she was an adult'

Kavanaugh Has Exposed the Savage Amorality of America's Ruling Class: How the DC establishment has responded to his confirmation controversy tells us an awful lot.

Elizabeth Warren releases DNA results indicating she has Native American heritage: Trump, who has said he would donate $1M to charity if Warren took a DNA test, replied bluntly to the news: "Who cares?"

Trump denies offering $1 million for Warren DNA test, even though he did

Get Off My Lawn: Trump Proposal Could Squelch Protests in D.C.

Thread by @SethAbramson: "(THREAD) The most important meeting in the Trump-Russia timeline isn't the June '16 meeting at Trump Tower—it's the August 3, 2016 meeting b […]"

Comment: Let's Have a War on Donald Trump: We need to be creative in finding ways to express displeasure toward the President, the only real check on his cruelty.

Smoking Gun: He's Lying!  If Trump’s nose had grown a quarter-inch with each lie, it would now be sixty-eight feet long.

Over the Wall: Lessons in Democracy from Mexico.  The same activists who helped López Obrador win his bottom-up campaign hope that his victory will interrupt  a cycle of corruption that has poisoned democracy even at the very humblest local level.

Ending the Silence: Advocates take aim at non-disclosure pacts that protect sexual harassers.

The Undoing of Progressive Wisconsin: From our upcoming issue of the magazine: How Trump's victory heralded the final stage of a national unraveling.

‘Not Good for a Democracy’: James Clapper, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency under George H. W. Bush and Director of National Intelligence under President Barack Obama speaks out against the current President.

Going Local: In the age of Donald Trump, some of the most significant political battles are taking place on the local level.

Off the Map: The Oval Office Apprentice.  President Donald Trump has failed at many endeavors, but he has a real knack for pretending to be authentic.

NEW DATING APP FOR TRUMP SUPPORTERS SEEKS TO ‘MAKE AMERICA DATE AGAIN’

Brian Kemp Advertisement Found on Grindr

Trump Holds Crazy Press Conference to Defend Brett Kavanaugh: A Closer Look

Trump blasts 'Pocahontas' Elizabeth Warren at rally

Beware of Preelection Polling Spin

Kavanaugh’s Victory Is a Loss for America: In a country with already-shaky institutions, a blatantly partisan Supreme Court is the last thing anyone needs.

How Do I Explain Justice Kavanaugh to My Daughters?

How Do I Explain Justice Kavanaugh to My Daughters?

The Wounds Won’t Heal: The fight over Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation has left the United States deeply divided.

The Rise of West Coast Democrats: How a different type of American liberalism could lead the party to victory

Why Won’t Democrats Move Left in the Suburbs?  They could win with more progressive candidates, but the leadership insists on cautious moderation.

Going for Broke: Today’s voters owe a lot of money. Do they care if their candidates do too?

The New Republic October Issue: The Evangelical Opposition

The Struggle for a New American Gospel: A liberal’s search for God and faith in a divided country

All the Rage: What a literature that embraces female anger can achieve

The Origins of America’s Enduring Divisions: For Jill Lepore, the United States has always been a nation caught between its sunny ideals and its darker realities.

False Concepts of Liberty, Pt. 2: Individual freedom and the public square

We Are Witnessing the Last Gasps of Centrism: While the Democratic establishment is blindly attempting to revive the neoliberal Third Way, the party’s base is embracing socialism.

The Democratic party went awol in 2016 – and is still missing: The party has no clear leader, no convincing analysis of why they lost the election, and no strategy to do better next time

Don’t Endorse Bernie Yet—Make Candidates Compete for the Left Vote: Keep the left lane open.

The Inside-Outside Approach to Bernie 2020: Endorse, but play the long game.

A Bold Foreign Policy Platform for the New Wave of Left Lawmakers: Socialists and other progressives are running for office on strong domestic programs. Here’s how their foreign policy platform can be just as strong.

How America Systematically Fails Survivors of Sexual Violence

Ecology and Pollution related links 101718



The EPA is set to expose Americans to more radiation and more mercury based on a killer quack theory

EPA turns to scientific outliers in effort to loosen radiation limits, saying a bit of exposure may be healthy

Potential Customers Beware: Popular DNA Testing Company is Almost Completely in Bed with Big Pharma

Vietnam Could Use Monsanto Cancer Verdict As Legal Precedent for Massive New Lawsuit, Top Government Official Says

MONSTER STORM HURRICANE MICHAEL GENERATING 31-FOOT WAVES WITH 145 MPH WINDS THAT WILL LEAVE SOME AREAS ‘UNINHABITABLE’ FOR MONTHS: "Hurricane Michael is a dangerous, catastrophic life-threatening storm," Dean said Wednesday. "The panhandle of Florida has never had a Cat 4 landfall in their history, and Michael could go down as the strongest hurricane to hit the U.S. in the month of October." The Florida Panhandle could see storm surges of up to 13 feet and flash-flooding from heavy rainfall, the NHC said. The chance of tornadoes will also increase Wednesday in parts of the Panhandle, the northern Florida Peninsula and southern Georgia.

World has a decade to bring climate change under control, say U.N.’s top scientists

We have 12 years to limit climate change catastrophe, warns UN: Urgent changes needed to cut risk of extreme heat, drought, floods and poverty, says IPCC

California’s apocalyptic fires are a side effect of modern life: The ‘new normal’ of a year-round wildfire season is a problem of our own making.

Future Generations Will Mourn What the EPA Did on 9/11: The White House wants to clear the way for frackers to release more methane, which poisons communities and torches the climate

The Rhinestone Cowboy

Climate change: A crisis that can’t be ignored.  According to a new UN report, the human race is running out of time to stop the deadliest effects of climate change.

EPA to disband a key scientific review panel on air pollution

Planet Earth Is Doomed. How Do I Go On?  Another reader asks how to respond to an alt-right wedding invitation.

Thankful to Avoid Prison, Acquitted Valve Turners Lament Lost Chance to Defend Planet-Saving Necessity of Pipeline Shutdown: "It's great that the defendants were found not guilty," said Dr. James Hansen, "but we missed an opportunity to inform the public about the injustice of climate change."

What's Not in the Latest Terrifying IPCC Report? The "Much, Much, Much More Terrifying" New Research on Climate Tipping Points: "This is the scariest thing about the IPCC Report — it’s the watered down, consensus version."

UN Experts Warn of 'Climate Catastrophe' by 2040 Without 'Rapid' and 'Unprecedented' Global Action: "The climate crisis is here and already impacting the most vulnerable," notes 350.org's program director. "Staying under 1.5ºC is now a matter of political will."

'Her Radiant Rolls' Put Her Over The Top: Alaska Park Names Its 'Fattest Bear'

Hurricane Michael survivors just publicly called out Trump’s FEMA for bungling relief efforts

North Carolina asks for $929M in Hurricane Matthew recovery, Trump administration offers $6M

Mammals cannot evolve fast enough to escape current extinction crisis

The World’s Climate Goals Aren’t Ambitious Enough: Two degrees of warming is too much, it turns out.

The New York Times Proves President Trump Is a Crook

Economics and Corruption related links 101718



Average annual expenditures and characteristics of all consumer units, Consumer
Expenditure Survey, 2013-2016

Average annual expenditures and characteristics of all consumer units, Consumer
Expenditure Survey, 2013-2016

People think the new Dad’s Army stamps are a cheeky comment on Brexit: With phrases like "Don't panic!" and "It won't cost you much...", the quotes on the 50th anniversary Royal Mail stamps have quickly got fans laughing

Don’t be fooled: Working Americans are worse off under Trump

Is Trump Mainly Rebranding NAFTA?  The economic impact—and political future—of the '94 trade deal's successor is utterly unclear.

Welcome to the Next Deadly AIDS Pandemic: The world thought it had fought the HIV virus to a stalemate—but its strategy was flawed in ways that are only now becoming clear.

Heart drug trials halted over Brexit fears

West Virginia poverty gets worse under Trump economy, not better

Multifocal interventions significantly reduce opioid overprescribing

Many women never heard of a 'baseline mammogram'

ECRI: Top 10 health IT hazards for 2019

Type 2 diabetes is being misdiagnosed in African-Americans, genetic study suggests: A genetic variant found in African-Americans significantly reduces the accuracy of the HbA1c blood test used to diagnose and monitor type 2 diabetes

15 Supplement Ingredients to Always Avoid: These supplement ingredients can cause organ damage, cardiac arrest, and cancer

The Body in Poverty: The decline of America’s rural health system and its toll on my family

The Municipal Bank: Compliance, Capitalization, Liquidity, and Risk

Nobel prize in economics won by Nordhaus and Romer for work on climate change and growth - as it happened: The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences has been awarded to two American men for work on climate change and sustainable growth

WELCOME TO POWER PULSE, our new monthly newsletter that will update readers on how we can all ensure that all young people have the systems of support they need to decide if, when, and under what circumstances to get pregnant and have a child.

The Nobel chemistry prize goes for work that harnesses evolution. The results: new enzymes and new therapeutic antibodies

The daily work of helping the vulnerable continues: It is this daily work in our communities — charting a path out of poverty — that we hope will be our proudest legacy. 

Ford Prepares for Mass Layoffs After Losing $1 Billion to Trump's Trade Tariffs, Report Says

Insect-filled chocolates, rat hair noodles, and maggoty orange juice: The reality of a Brexit trade deal with Trump

Bark if you want to stop Brexit: Wooferendum – in pictures.  Dogs and their owners gather for a march to Parliament Square

Trump Has Made Enriching Sheldon Adelson a Top Goal of U.S.-Japan Relations

Ten Years Since the Financial Crisis We're Still Getting Screwed: Banks have tougher regulations, but instead of borrowing less and reducing complexity, we have borrowed more as the global debts of governments, companies and households stands at $233 trillion.

Document: Chinese Intelligence Officer Indicted and Extradited to U.S. for Spying on Aviation Companies

The end of the middle class: Why prosperity is failing in America.  Sky-high rent, second jobs, and wealth-worshipping 1% TV shows—journalist Alissa Quart explains how the American dream became a dystopia, and why it's so hard for middle-class Americans to get by.

She Was Too Poor To Stay In School. Now She's An Inspiration To Rihanna

From Poverty To Rocket Scientist To CEO, A Girl Scout's Inspiring Story

The Dreams Of Today's Teen Girl Activists

Gentrification begets gentrification

Thought for Food as Farmers Hit the Wall

DATA SHOWS LITTLE EVIDENCE TAX CUTS TRICKLED DOWN TO WORKERS

Froma Harrop: How about Medicare Advantage for all?

Monsanto-Bayer merger hurts farmers and consumers

Cheap Tricks With Economic Statistics: The Democratic Version

Two Pot Bills Pave the Way for Better Health Research, Decriminalization

The Three Big Lessons We Didn’t Learn from the Economic Crisis

Beware ‘The Bill’

New Legislation Would Put the Brakes on Wave of Ag Mega-Mergers

Trump’s China Tariffs on Solar backfire; American Natural Gas hurt, as US PV sales Soar

Henry Ford Would Fire Ford CEO Jim Hackett

Hurricane Florence Blows Open Harsh Realities of American Inequality

THERE COULD BE A FINANCIAL CRASH BEFORE END OF TRUMP'S FIRST TERM, EXPERTS SAY, CITING LOOMING DEBTS

Is the World Bank Group Above the Law?  A fishing community in India challenges the bank’s private-lending arm in the US Supreme Court.

Americans Work Too Much Already: The Save American Workers Act would do nothing of the sort, but it would force many employees to log more hours.

A Small Nation That Thinks It’s a World Power: Brexit emerged from its supporters’ nostalgia for a supposedly glorious past.

Trump Wants to Make Union Pickets Illegal: Bloomberg reports Trump's new management heavy NLRB wants to question the legality of picket lines

Profit Before Kids: An Analysis of the Performance and Financial Practices of For-Profit, Virtual Charter Schools

Mr. Trump, If You Love Medicare, Improve It and Expand It to All: Can the U.S. afford to expand Medicare to all?  The real question is, can we afford not to?

Britain’s war on dirty money lacks oomph: It is strong on transparency but weak on enforcement

Here's a (partial) list of all the pre-existing conditions the GOP bill may not cover

How To Prevent Brain-Sapping Delirium In The ICU

No Wonder It Works So Well: There May Be Viagra In That Herbal Supplement

FACT CHECK: Trump's False Claims On 'Medicare For All'

Going slow on cannabis cafes can’t be a good thing

Here’s why Marriott workers are on strike

51 GOP Senators Just Voted To Cut $1.5 Trillion from Medicare and Medicaid To Give Super-Rich and Corporations a Tax Cut: The Republican budget, declared Sen. Sanders after its passage, "is not a bad bill. It's a horrific bill."

The Supremes v. the Unions: Recent rulings expose the high court’s anti-worker bias.

The Other Refugee Crisis: “I’m searching in vain for an antonym for the word ‘refugee.’ I need that word to characterize people, myself included, who feel compelled to stay in their states.”

Ties that Bind: Draconian employment contracts are creating a new form of indentured servitude.

‘This Is In Our Blood’: How striking West Virginians made history—again.

Nanny Nation: There’s one job Americans don’t mind giving immigrants.

Where There's Smoke, There's Fired: Employers are still dumping workers for using pot, even where it's legal.

On the Corner of Happy and Hypocritical: Why is the nation’s largest drugstore chain still selling cigarettes?

Legislation That Would Surreptitiously Steal Social Security’s $2.9 Trillion Surplus Has Been Defeated – But 97% of Republicans Voted For It

McConnell Blames Entitlements, Not GOP, for Rising Deficits

The Enduring Scam of Corporate Tax Breaks: Why these deals have remained popular in Washington despite the overwhelming evidence that they don't work

What Trump Gets Right on Trade: There’s an important truth behind his attack on globalization.

How Brexit Became a Political Circus: It’s turned into a stage for grandstanding and unprincipled ambition.

America’s Missing Labor Party: The history of strikes shows that, for lasting success, workers need to capture political power.

MMT Economics Explained - Dr. Stephanie Kelton Interview

Late Stage Capitalism is Killing America

Global Capitalism: Economic Nationalism

OP-ED: We’re all Bad Socialists and That’s OK: A Call for Wholehearted Praxis – Democratic Socialists of America

How Unions Can Solve the Housing Crisis: The labor movement once built thousands of low-cost co-op apartments for working class New Yorkers. It could do so again.

Steve Bannon’s European Dream: Europe used to serve as a utopian vision for the Left and a punching bag for the Right. Now it’s reversing.

Socialism and Feminism: We Can’t Have One Without the Other: Fighting capitalism and patriarchy at the same time.

Portrait of the Environmentalist as a Young Arsonist: Abby Geni’s new novel, The Wildlands, explores means and ends in the fight for animal and Earth liberation.

“Democratic Socialism Will Prevail”: An Interview with Ron Dellums in 1976.  Dellums, a democratic socialist member of the House of Representatives, was interviewed in the first issue of In These Times, saying “if democracy means anything, it should mean a government of all the people, by all the people, for all the people.”

Criminal Justice and Racism links 101718



Members of California white supremacist group arrested in connection with deadly Charlottesville rally

That time Donald Trump falsely accused 5 boys of rape and ruined their lives.

Mapping Slavery in the Nineteenth Century

Map showing the distribution of the slave population of the southern states of the United States compiled from the census of 1860

Why the A1C Test May Miss Diabetes in Some African-Americans: A new study suggests a gene variant may skew test results for the standard diabetes test in the group. Here’s how to advocate for your health.  …if every American was screened for diabetes solely using A1C, 650,000 African-Americans, who have the variant of the gene G6PD, would have a missed diagnosis.

White supremacists threaten violence at a Stacey Abrams campaign event. Where's the media outrage?

Appalling audio catches D.C. school official mocking ninth grader who'd just reported sexual assault

Texas refuses dentures to inmates because 'chewing isn't a medical necessity'

Bad policies and systemic bias are driving huge increases in Native American incarceration rates

When will Florida stop banning people convicted of felonies from voting? November ... maybe.

Catching Up to Pauli Murray

Native American imagery is all around us, while the people are often forgotten: For indigenous people, everything from Columbus Day to sports team mascots are reminders of how their culture was nearly killed — and is still misrepresented.

It's Indigenous Peoples Day. Do you know whose stolen land you're on?

The Search for Murdered and Missing American Indian Women

A Day For Global Girls Gets People Talking, But Then What?

Who Runs the Police?

Of Course, It’s Racial

Rising Above the Clergy Scandal

The Nation’s Biggest Collection Of Racist Objects

Serena Williams 'Especially Proud' to Support Nike Amid Backlash of Colin Kaepernick’s ad

UPDATE: Anti-gay lawyer confirmed as head of Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division
Senate Republicans push through Eric Dreiband's nomination on a party-line vote

The white woman who falsely accused black boy of sexual assault just finally apologized — kind of

Robert E. Lee’s great-nephew just torched Trump for honoring his racist ancestor at rally [WATCH]

Black Officer, White Robe: Ron Stallworth, Colorado Springs Police Department’s first black undercover detective, speaks about one of the most ironic infiltrations of all time.

Into the Light: For Lorraine Hansberry, American radicalism was a passion and a commitment. It was, in fact, a requirement for human decency.

Edge of Sports: Why LeBron James Must Not Shut Up. Over the last six years, LeBron has carved out a legacy for himself as someone unafraid to use his platform to speak out about racism and police violence.

Before European Christians forced gender roles, Native Americans acknowledged 5 genders

Mitch McConnell Just Unveiled the Most Inevitable Political Development of 2018: Possibly of all time.

Turning a KKK Bombing Ground Into an Urban Farm: A black-led cooperative movement grows pumpkins and community in Birmingham.

RACE, CLASS, AND SOCIALIST STRATEGY

BEWARE THE RACE REDUCTIONIST

Veterans related links 101718



VA employees among federal government workers honored with Sammies awards

VA awards new leases to provide health care facilities to Veterans

VA announces extension, expansion of contract with TriWest for community care: Also announces closeout plan with Health Net, extension of dialysis partnerships

TriWest takes over VA community care programs nationwide

VFW Action Corps Weekly, October 5, 2018

Special Agent Ronald Shurer II Receives the Medal of Honor

Servicemembers Leaving the Military Should Register with DMVA, Apply for Federal Benefits and Safeguard Their Paperwork

Sat, October 27, 2018, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT at Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, 3900 Woodland Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19104.  PA is 60,000 Women Veterans Strong! The Women Veterans Committee of the Governor’s Advisory Council for Veterans' Services invites ALL Veterans & Community Supporters to attend a FREE & engaging Women Veterans Town Hall & Expo!  All are welcome to participate in briefings/info sharing about available resources for military women. Women Veterans this Expo is for YOU! Come voice your comments, concerns, and have your questions answered by a wide network of care providers. We're shining light on the experience of Military Women and highlighting their strength.  Featured speaker-Deputy Adjutant General for Veterans Affairs Major General (Ret) Eric G. Weller.  Event is hosted in partnership by the PA Department of Military & Veteran Affairs, The Women Veterans Committee of the Governor’s Advisory Council for Veterans' Services, the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC and the Veterans Multi-Service Center.  Light breakfast refreshments will be served.

A helping hand for heroes: MilitaryShare program helps local veterans, active duty, families stretch their budgets

A Veteran Had a Yard Sale to Pay for His Own Funeral. Two Men Helped Him Raise $58,000.

'March for the Fallen' honors service members at Fort Indiantown Gap: photos

Old Glory crosses Western Pennsylvania en route from Boston to San Diego

Vietnam Veterans receive recognition in Pottstown: A ceremony at Memorial Park honors three men for their service.

Military seeks volunteers for a study that could help grieving families

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie State of VA Community Town Hall

Top 5 Tips On How Women Veterans Can Persevere From The Military To The Workforce

VA Secretary Tours Veterans Clinics Hit by Hurricane Florence

Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD) Is Currenty Accepting Resumes: - NSWCPD is accepting resumes for: engineers; chemists; physicists; mathematicians; cybersecurity specialists; contract specialists; technicians; business majors; finance specialists; security specialists; electricians; and marine machinery mechanics.  - The Navy Yard, 5001 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA (Philadelphia County).  - Candidates looking for employment with NSWCPD should submit their resume to:
Ret. Justice John Stevens: Kavanaugh Disqualified Himself From Supreme Court | The Last Word | MSNBC

Here are the best and worst VA medical centers

End of fiscal year hospital Star rating shows large improvement in overall quality of services of VA medical centers across nation

Forward Observer: Senate Continues to Stalls on Blue Water Navy Act Passage

Woman’s Rant About The Damage Caused By Fake Service Dogs Is A Must-Read

Local, national veterans groups share $32k at Bensalem event

Brain Injuries, US Military and NFL

Veterans Vote Brochure

Legislative Priorities

Voting assistance for Service members, their families and overseas citizens

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

How to report problems with the VA

VA Implements Mandatory Overtime to Reduce Huge GI Bill Delay

Isakson Vows Blue Water Relief

Free Flu Shots for Veterans and Military Families

Netflix Just Announced a ‘Medal Of Honor’ Series That Recreates Some Of The Most Incredible Acts Of Valor From WWII To Post-9/11

Rededication of Vietnam Veterans Memorial on its 30th Anniversary at Bristol Township Municipal Bldg

The Vietnam Memorial Moving Wall VFW Post 2867, 340 Outwater Ln, Garfield, New Jersey

Blue Water Navy – Brown Water Navy – Civil War Navy Symposium – 2018

Lieutenant General Herbert Raymond McMaster, US Army – Guest Speaker

Join the Under Secretary for Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Paul R. Lawrence, Ph.D., in a live Webcast.  Please note that you must first register using first/last name and email. You will only need to enter your email in the bottom box the day of the event if you have previously registered.  To register and watch the event click here:

Captain William Lawrence "Larry" Roach, Jr obituary

Long After they Died, Military Sees Surge in Identifications