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Thursday November 30, 2017

Senate Debates GOP Tax Bill: What To Watch For
NPR | Arnie Seipel | 11/30/17

Senate Republicans have begun debate on their bill to overhaul the nation's tax code. Many GOP members sound hopeful about passing their tax bill, possibly in a matter of hours. But they aren't there yet. To pass, 50 of the 52 GOP senators need to support the legislation. As the bill is debated on the Senate floor Thursday, several amendments are expected to try and get their support.

  1. ANWR Drilling
  2. Fact that the tax bill would add to the deficit -- possibly beyond the $1.4 trillion price tag
  3. Another Run At Obamacare
  4. Child Tax Credit
Read more
Senate Debates GOP Tax Bill: What To Watch For | CSpan | 11/30/17 |
I'm a Depression historian. The GOP tax bill is straight out of 1929.
Catastrophe in Yemen, Voyagers, Rebuilding from the Wreckage | 60Minutes | 11/19/17 | 43:43

Trump Reportedly Once Bragged About 'First-Rate P***y'
HP | Dominique Mosbergen | 11/29/17

As Donald Trump gleefully skewers men like Matt Lauer and Sen. Al Franken on Twitter over allegations of sexual harassment, the president himself is facing accusations of being a "creeper."

On Wednesday night, the Daily Beast reported that Trump once bragged there's "nothing in the world like first-rate pussy" while leering at a young woman at his golf club at Mar-a-Lago. Michael Corcoran, a reporter for the now-defunct Maximum Golf magazine, said he heard the remark while he shadowed Trump in 2000 for a feature story. ... Read more

White House Plan: Replace Tillerson With C.I.A. Chief
NYT | Peter Baker | 11/30/17

The White House has developed a plan to replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with Mike Pompeo, the C.I.A. director, within the next several weeks. Mr. Pompeo would be replaced by Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas. ... Read more

White House readies plan to oust Rex Tillerson at State
WashingtonPost | Philip Rucker | 11/30/17

The embattled secretary of state would be replaced by CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who has become one of President Trump's most loyal and politically savvy members of the national security team, administration officials confirmed. The plan is expected to be set in motion over the next few weeks.

The Fix: The Trump administration's inevitable drift toward yes-men ... Read more

Diplomats Sound the Alarm as They Are Pushed Out in Droves
NYT | Gardiner Harris | 11/24/17

Of all the State Department employees who might have been vulnerable in the staff reductions that Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson has initiated as he reshapes the department, the one person who seemed least likely to be a target was the chief of security, Bill A. Miller.

Republicans pilloried Hillary Clinton for what they claimed was her inadequate attention to security as secretary of state in the months before the deadly 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya. Congress even passed legislation mandating that the department's top security official have unrestricted access to the secretary of state.

But in his first nine months in office, Mr. Tillerson turned down repeated and sometimes urgent requests from the department's security staff to brief him, according to several former top officials in the Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Finally, Mr. Miller, the acting assistant secretary for diplomatic security, was forced to cite the law's requirement that he be allowed to speak to Mr. Tillerson. ... Read more

Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Thursday, November 30 [11:10]
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Thursday, November 30 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. White House Defensive as Trump Shares British Hate Group Videos, Drawing International Condemnation
  3. Mehdi Hasan Rips Thomas Friedman's "Nauseating" Column in NYT Praising Saudi Arabia
  4. Will Trump's Latest Islamophobic Tweets Impact Court Rulings on His Mostly-Muslim Travel Ban?
  5. Nobel Prize-Winning Economist Joseph Stiglitz: Trump Tax Plan to Worsen Inequality, Expand Loopholes
  6. Anti-Globalization in the Era of Trump: Joseph Stiglitz on Shared Prosperity Without Protectionism
Trump's HHS Nominee 'Should be Under Criminal Investigation' | TRNN | 11/29/17 | 16:48
Mulvaney To Help Payday Lenders And Banks Fleece America | TYT | 11/29/17 | 8:14
Trump Hints At Scarborough MURDER | TYT | 11/29/17 | 7:50
The1a.org
The Accused ... And The Rest Of Us | 1a.org | 11/30/17 | 1hr
Matt Lauer was a daily presence in the homes of millions of Americans for two decades. This week, the longtime "Today" show co-host was fired by NBC after a complaint about "inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace" was investigated by the network. Now, those who watched and revered Lauer are in shock, or possibly even a state of grief.

Lauer is one of the latest high-profile people to lose his job over sexual misconduct at work. Minnesota Public Radio also fired former "Prairie Home Companion" host Garrison Keillor this week over allegations of improper behavior.

It's a moment of national reckoning on harassment, assault and abuse of power. How are you processing the growing list of fallen icons? And even though it can feel like we know celebrities intimately, how should you respond when someone you know in real life is accused of sexual misconduct?


Eugene Robinson: President Donald Trump's 'Nihilsm' Dangerous For The Country | Morning Joe | MSNBC | 11/30/17 | 13:16
Haass: Pay Close Attention To Nikki Haley's Dire Warning On North Korea | Morning Joe | MSNBC | 11/30/17 | 12:32
Joe On President Trump's Instability: What Is GOP, The Cabinet Waiting For? | Morning Joe | MSNBC | 11/30/17 | 9:56
Fmr. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers Slams Tax Bill, Steven Mnuchin | The Last Word | MSNBC | 11/30/17 | 6:49
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
A Boss Fight at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau | Trevor Noah | 11/29/17 | 6:09
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Trump and Republicans Rush to Pass Their Radical Tax Plan | Seth Meyers | 11/29/17 | 11:12
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Why Matt Lauer Wasn't On 'Today' Today | Stephen Colbert | 11/30/17 | 5:42
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Matt Lauer & Garrison Keillor Accused of Sexual Harassment | Jimmy Kimmel | 11/29/17 | 3:08
Note: I add this just to expose you to what the Alt Right is listening to. Sometimes pretty scary.
RED ALERT! War With North Korea Has Never Been Closer | Alex Jones Chan | 11/29/17 | 10:36
Full Show - What Will Nuclear War With North Korea Look Like? Secrets Of Matt Lauer's Firing | 11/29/17 | 2:52:04

11.30.2017. 11:40

Wednesday November 29, 2017

Inside the tweet that broke Trump's day, again
Politico | Annie Karni | 11/28/17

Nearly three months after Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi left a Chinese food dinner at the White House gloating about an immigration deal, the Democratic leaders on Tuesday abruptly canceled a follow-up sit-down in response to a tweet warning that President Donald Trump was more interested in playing to his base than playing ball.

"Meeting with 'Chuck and Nancy' today about keeping government open and working," Trump tweeted Tuesday morning. "Problem is they want illegal immigrants flooding into our Country unchecked, are weak on Crime and want to substantially RAISE Taxes. I don't see a deal!" ... Read more

Matt Lauer Fired By NBC Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations
HP | Alana Horowitz Satlin | 11/29/17

NBC has fired longtime "Today" host Matt Lauer following allegations of workplace misconduct, the network announced on Wednesday. "We are devastated," "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie said in an emotional statement. "All we can say is we are heartbroken."

Guthrie said that NBC News chairman Andy Lack informed employees early Wednesday about the decision after having received a complaint about Lauer's behavior on Monday night. She read Lack's note on-air, noting that while the network says it had never received a complaint about Lauer before, it has "reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident." ... Read more

Dan Rather On Lies In The President Donald Trump Era | The Last Word | MSNBC | 11/28/17 | 7:26
PBS - Poor Kids
In 2012, FRONTLINE spent months following four young children as their families struggled with financial ruin. This documentary revisits the families to see what their lives are like now, offering a powerful, firsthand look at what poverty means to children. | PBS | 11/21/17 : 54:38
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Wednesday, November 29 [9:36]
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Wednesday, November 29 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. In Surprise Move, Illinois Rep. Gutiérrez Won't Seek Re-Election, Says He'll Focus on Puerto Rico
  3. As GOP Tax Plan Faces Senate Vote, Critics Say Bill Would Give Hundreds of Billions to Top 1 Percent
  4. Graduate Students Plan Nationwide Walkouts Against GOP "Assault" On Post-Secondary Education
  5. Abuses of Power: Heather McGhee on Matt Lauer, Trump, Sexual Assault, Patriarchy and the Tax Code
  6. Cherokee Writer: Trump Pocahontas Slur Reflects Centuries of Colonial Violence Against Native Women
  7. Native American Woman Olivia Lone Bear, Mother of 5, Missing in North Dakota Oil Fields
Trump Plans to Move US Embassy to Jerusalem | TRNN | 11/28/17 | 41:51
"Chuck And Nancy" Cancel Trump Meeting | TYT | 11/28/17 | 16:14
BREAKING: Trump Appoints Mulvaney Head Of CFPB | TYT | 11/28/17 | 3:05
The1a.org
Statehouses And Sexual Harassment | 1a.org | 11/29/17 | 1hr
The nation is focusing on sexual harassment in Congress, but what about in your state capital?

"Since last year, at least 40 lawmakers -- nearly all men -- in 20 states have been publicly accused by more than 100 people of some form of sexual misconduct or harassment," USA Today reports.

Every state has different requirements for sexual harassment training, and each legislature handles accusations differently. This, combined with the drop in the number of reporters covering statehouses, has left many allegations unaddressed even as more women have entered politics.

For years, researchers and advocates thought that simply increasing the number of women in politics would reduce the amount of harassment and violence they encountered. But that hasn't turned out to be the case, even in places where the numbers of women in high government office have been on the rise, says Mona Lena Krook a Rutgers political science professor. "The resistance to women's participation has just taken new forms," she says. "There's been a pushback against women's inclusion."


With A Tweet, President Donald Trump Complicates His Political Life | Morning Joe | MSNBC | 11/29/17 | 19:02
President Donald Trump Re-Tweets Shocking Anti-Muslim Videos | Morning Joe | MSNBC | 11/29/17 | 4:17
Donald Trump Ethics Chief Resigns Sooner Than Most | The Beat With Ari Melber | MSNBC | 11/29/17 | 8:05
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
The Truth About Trump's "Pocahontas" Slur | Trevor Noah | 11/28/17 | 5:37
Late Night with Seth Meyers
The Best Way to Communicate with Trump, Grammy Award Nominees - Monologue | Seth Meyers | 11/29/17 | 3:29
Note: I add this just to expose you to what the Alt Right is listening to. Sometimes pretty scary.
Alex Jones: The Fall of Matt Lauer | Infowars | 11/29/17 | 41:51

11.29.2017. 12:09

Tuesday November 28, 2017
Dangerous Climate Change is Here and Worse to Come, Major Report Warns | TRNN | 11/27/17 | 16:37
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle engagement interview | CNN | 11/27/17 | 20:21
Fall of Raqqa, Syria: The secret deal | BBC News | 11/14/17 | 7:08

Senators Race to Pass Tax Bill by Sweetening Gains for Rich
Senators Scramble to Advance Tax Bill That Increasingly Rewards Wealthy | NYT | 11/28/17 | 2:37 NYTimes | Jim Tankersley | 11/28/17

As lawmakers scrambled to shore up votes from wavering colleagues, the deal-making centered on changes that would widen the bill's divide between the rich and the middle class.

Republicans, who are pressing for a Senate vote this week, can afford to lose only two of their members if they hope to pass the bill on party lines. ... Read more

Which Republican Senators Might Oppose the Tax Bill, and Why | NYTimes | Thomas Kaplan | 11/28/17

Rex Tillerson’s State Department Reorganizer Resigns After Just 3 Months
HP | Nick Visser | 11/27/17

The senior official charged with remaking the State Department in Secretary Rex Tillerson's image has resigned after three months on the job, an agency spokesman confirmed to NBC on Monday.

Maliz Beams, who was touted on the State Department website as having led "highly successful organizational transformations" at various financial firms, stepped down as a counselor to the department and said she would return to Boston, according to the spokesman's statement. Tillerson's deputy chief of staff, Christine Ciccone, will "step in to lead the Redesign effort." ... Read more

FCC chairman Ajit Pai says his children are being harassed over net neutrality
WashingtonPost | Hamza Shaban | 11/27/17

After proposing to dismantle net neutrality rules, and setting off a firestorm of criticism, Ajit Pai, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said his family has become the target of harassment.

During an interview Monday on "Fox & Friends," viewers were shown cardboard signs that host Steve Doocy said were put up at Pai's home in suburban Virginia. One sign, appearing to refer to Pai's children, read: "They will come to know the truth. Dad murdered Democracy in cold blood."

Pai said those signs crossed a line, even as he noted the charged debate over net neutrality. "I understand that people are passionate about policy, but the one thing in America that should remain sacred is that families, wives and kids, should remain out of it. And stop harassing us at our homes." ... Read more

Not only hasn't Trump drained the "Swamp", he has moved his Hot Tub in to it!

Trump Appointee Asserts Control Over CFPB for Now
WSJ | Yuka Hayashi | 11/28/17

The Trump administration and an Obama-era official dueled for control of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Monday, with Donald Trump's appointee taking the reins for now, pending a court challenge. ... Read more

Cyber Monday is shaping up to be the largest online shopping day in U.S. history.
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Tuesday, November 28 [11:20]
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Tuesday, November 28 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. As Accusations Stack Up, A Look at the Onerous Process of Reporting Sexual Abuse on Capitol Hill
  3. J20 Trial: 200+ Inauguration Protesters, Journalists & Observers Face Riot Charges From Mass Arrest
  4. Floating Guantánamos: How the Coast Guard Uses Indefinite Detention to Wage "War on Drugs" at Sea
Trump Uses Racial Slur | TYT | 11/27/17 | 8:20
Koch Brothers Buy Trump's Favorite Magazine | TYT | 11/27/17 | 8:12
Trump On 'Pussy Grabbing' Tape | TYT | 11/27/17 | 4:11
The1a.org
Big Tobacco's Big Apology | 1a.org | 11/28/17 | 1hr
Smoking rates today are highest among the poor and less-educated, according to government data. For instance, 29% of people living below the official poverty level smoke, versus 17.9% of people at or above poverty. People whose highest educational level is a General Educational Development (GED) certificate -- typically high-school dropouts -- are nine times more likely to smoke than people with graduate degrees (45.3% versus 5%).

Smoking rates vary considerably by geography. The highest rates in the 2009-2011 period were in nonurban counties in the South (31.9%) and small towns in the South (31%) and Midwest (30%). The lowest rates are in big Western cities (15%) and their suburban fringes (16.9%).
Big Tobacco's Big Apology | 1a.org | 11/28/17 | 0:45 GOOGLE SEARCH: Smoking Warning in Australia


Elizabeth Warren: This Is Donald Trump Bringing His Chaos | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC | 11/27/17 | 11:40
Can Michael Flynn Be Trusted? Congressman Adam Schiff Isn't So Sure | Morning Joe | MSNBC | 11/28/17 | 7:30
Mika: Can't WH Press Secretary Sanders Say President Donald Trump Misspoke? | Morning Joe | MSNBC | 11/28/17 | 8:54
Key Republican Senators Express Concerns About Tax Bill | Morning Joe | MSNBC | 11/28/17 | 2:56
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Ivanka Trump's Thanksgiving Centerpiece: A Giant Clam | Stephen Colbert | 11/24/17 | 2:34
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Trump's Christmas Gift to the Poor: Tax Hikes | Trevor Noah | 11/27/17 | 5:30
Seth Meyers
Trump Stands by Roy Moore, Pushes GOP Tax Plan | Seth Meyers | 11/27/17 | 11:00
Note: I add this just to expose you to what the Alt Right is listening to. Sometimes pretty scary.
Roger Stone Discusses Big FBI News, General Flynn, Mueller, Trump & Current Events | Infowars | 11/27/17 | 9:54

11.28.2017. 11:45

Monday November 27, 2017

Highlights from this week's Sunday shows
Politico | PoliticoPlaybook | 11/26/17

-- NANCY PELOSI speaks with CHUCK TODD on NBC'S "MEET THE PRESS": TODD: "Conyers -- in or out?" PELOSI: "We are strengthened by due process. Just because someone is accused -- and was it one accusation? Is it two? John Conyers is an icon in our country. He has done a great deal to protect women." ... TODD: "Do you believe John Conyers' accusers?" PELOSI: "I don't know who they are. Do you? They have not really come forward." TODD: "So you don't know if you believe the accusations?" PELOSI: "That's for the Ethics Committee to review. I believe he understands what's at stake here, and he will do the right thing."

-- MARTHA RADDATZ talks with SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-S.C.) on ABC'S "THIS WEEK": RADDATZ: "So, is President Trump on the side of wrong?" SCOTT: "Well, the president will have to make his own decisions on where he thinks he is and why he's there. Partisan politics is very important in Washington. It's how you get your job done on either side of the aisle. From my perspective, I'm not taking it from a Republican perspective or a Democrat perspective, I'm thinking about those folks who have been negatively impacted by these allegations. I'm thinking about the long-term health of the country from a personal perspective that leads me to one conclusion." ... Read more

Mulvaney Shows Up For Work At Consumer Watchdog Group, As Leadership Feud Deepens
NPR | Scott Neuman/Camila Domonoske | 11/27/17

The new head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau started work Monday -- whoever that is. President Trump's pick to lead the consumer watchdog, Mick Mulvaney, arrived at the office early Monday morning with a bag of Dunkin' Donuts in hand. Mulvaney, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, is the acting director of the group until Trump can get a permanent leader through the Senate confirmation process -- at least, according to the Trump administration.

But the former head of the CFPB, Richard Cordray, appointed Leandra English to lead the group in his wake. He named her as deputy director on Friday, his last day at the head of the group, hours before Trump named Mulvaney. English has since filed a complaint in U.S. district court in Washington, D.C., to block the Trump administration's rival appointment. ... Read more

How Trump and congress are erasing the last 20 years
Salon | Jillian S. Ambroz | 11/26/17

The Republicans of the 115th Congress and Trump have not accomplished much in the way of landmark legislation this year, unless you count overturning President Barack Obama's achievements. And on that front, they've been prolific.

In Trump's first four months of office, he and Congress have completely eliminated 14 rules issued by Obama -- rules ranging from things like protecting Americans from coal waste in drinking water to blocking individuals with severe mental illness from buying firearms -- using the Congressional Review Act. ... Read more

Tillerson and Trump wreak havoc at State: It's a right-wing tradition
Salon | Heather Digby Parton | 11/27/17

A number of stories bubbled up over the long holiday weekend, the juiciest being the news that Michael Flynn's lawyers have informed the president's lawyers that they can no longer participate in joint communications, which is taken to mean that Flynn is likely now cooperating with the special counsel in the Russia investigation. This is big news, if true. It could even be a watershed moment if, as suspected, Flynn will be required to offer up a bigger Trump-operation fish than himself. The names "Kushner" and "Trump Jr." are the only ones that come to mind. Stay tuned for more excited speculation through the end of the year.

But the other big story that had social media humming over the four days was this alarming New York Times piece about the apparent dismantling of the Department of State under Rex Tillerson. This has been a recurring theme in the political press for a while, but it seems to have reached critical mass as more and more career diplomats are leaving or being squeezed out while the leadership is largely absent.

First there's the 30 percent proposed cut in the State Department budget which has even some Republican fiscal hawks nervous. Top diplomats, many of whom were initially favorable toward Tillerson on the belief that his business expertise would bring experienced management skills, are in shock at the lack of professionalism and respect for expertise. Both Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., along with Democratic members of the House Foreign Relations Committee recently sent letters to Tillerson about "the exodus of more than 100 senior Foreign Service officers from the State Department since January" and what they described as "the intentional hollowing-out of our senior diplomatic ranks." ... Read more

Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Monday, November 27 [11:45]
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Showdown: Trump Appoints Director Who Vowed to Kill Agency | DN | 11/27/17 | 14:14
Will Houston's Post-Harvey Recovery Exacerbate Inequities or Build a More Just City? | DN | 11/24/17 | 13:23
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Monday, November 27 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. Sharif Abdel Kouddous: Mosque Attack Comes As Egypt Faces "Wave of Repression" on Political Freedoms
  3. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Showdown: Trump Appoints Director Who Vowed to Kill Agency
  4. Meet the Socialist Marine & Anti-Police Brutality Protester Who Won Democratic Seats in November
*Trump's HHS Pick: Alex Azar, a Big Pharma Insider Who Pushed Drug Price Increases For a Decade | TYT | 11/26/17 | 6:09
Revolution: 100 years young - Lenin's socialist vision in capitalist world | RT | 11/26/17 | 27:16
In October 1917, the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, seized power under the banner of socialism and set out to build the world's most equitable society. Today, capitalism prevails everywhere. Crushing inequality and poverty is rampant around the globe. So, was the October Revolution really as significant as it seemed 100 years ago? We spoke to unrepentant Leninists from a variety of backgrounds and different parts of the world to find out.
The1a.org
Congress Counts Down To The End Of The Year | 1a.org | 11/27/17 | 1hr
The holidays can be hectic. There's travel to plan, gifts to buy and, for Congress, legislation to pass.

Lawmakers' wish lists are packed with a new tax plan, repeal and replace, the DREAM Act and more. But with just a few weeks left before the year ends, what will Congress focus on, and what might actually pass?


Women Lead Backlash Against Donald Trump, Whether U.S. Is Ready Or Not | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC | 11/24/17 | 13:19
Everyone Must Condemn President Donald Trump's Press Attacks | Morning Joe | MSNBC | 11/27/17 | 10:22
Breaking Down Michael Flynn's Latest Move In Robert Mueller's Investigation | Morning Joe | MSNBC | 11/27/17 | 6:26
Where Are Democrats As GOP Prepares Vote On 'Pro-Rich' Tax Cut? | Morning Joe | MSNBC | 11/27/17 | 23:00
Why Do Many Evangelical Voters Support Roy Moore? | AM Joy | MSNBC | 11/20/17 | 17:19
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Thanksgiving And Trump's (Lack Of) Giving | Stephen Colbert | 11/24/17 | 6:11
Note: I add this just to expose you to what the Alt Right is listening to. Sometimes pretty scary.
BREAKING: Massive Nuclear Disaster In Russia Poisons Europe | Alex Jones Chan | 11/21/17 | 27:49

11.27.2017. 12:14

Wednesday November 22, 2017
No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban, and the War through Afghan Eyes by Anand Gopal

In a breathtaking chronicle, acclaimed journalist Anand Gopal traces in vivid detail the lives of three Afghans caught in America's war on terror. He follows a Taliban commander, who rises from scrawny teenager to leading insurgent; a US-backed warlord, who uses the American military to gain personal wealth and power; and a village housewife trapped between the two sides, who discovers the devastating cost of neutrality.

Through their dramatic stories, Gopal shows that the Afghan war, so often regarded as a hopeless quagmire, could in fact have gone very differently. Top Taliban leaders actually tried to surrender within months of the US invasion, renouncing all political activity and submitting to the new government. Effectively, the Taliban ceased to exist -- yet the Americans were unwilling to accept such a turnaround. Instead, driven by false intelligence from their allies and an unyielding mandate to fight terrorism, American forces continued to press the conflict, resurrecting the insurgency that persists to this day.

With its intimate accounts of life in war-torn Afghanistan, Gopal's thoroughly original reporting lays bare the workings of America's longest war and the truth behind its prolonged agony. A heartbreaking story of mistakes and misdeeds, No Good Men Among the Living challenges our usual perceptions of the Afghan conflict, its victims, and its supposed winners.
How Russia Helped Trump Win The White House | Fresh Air | 11/21/17 | 1hr
"The constellation of Russian connections circling around Planet Trump is quite extraordinary," says 'Guardian' reporter Luke Harding. His new book is 'Collusion.'
Collusion: Secret Meetings, Dirty Money, and How Russia Helped Donald Trump Win by Luke Harding

December 2016. Luke Harding, the Guardian reporter and former Moscow bureau chief, quietly meets former MI6 officer Christopher Steele in a London pub to discuss President-elect Donald Trump's Russia connections. A month later, Steele's now-famous dossier sparks what may be the biggest scandal of the modern era. The names of the Americans involved are well-known -- Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, Jared Kushner, George Papadopoulos, Carter Page -- but here Harding also shines a light on powerful Russian figures like Aras Agalarov, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and Sergey Kislyak, whose motivations and instructions may have been coming from the highest echelons of the Kremlin.

Drawing on new material and his expert understanding of Moscow and its players, Harding takes the reader through every bizarre and disquieting detail of the "Trump-Russia" story--an event so huge it involves international espionage, off-shore banks, sketchy real estate deals, the Miss Universe pageant, mobsters, money laundering, poisoned dissidents, computer hacking, and the most shocking election in American history.
60 Minutes
60 Minutes Australia: No winners (2017) Part 1 | 60 Minutes | 11/19/17 | 13:29 || Part 2 | 8:25 || Part 3 | 7:50
If anyone thought the insults hurled between North Korea and the United States couldn't get any more ridiculous, then this week set a new standard in farce. The rogue nation imposed the death sentence on President Donald Trump because he apparently called their leader, Kim Jong-un, short and fat. Ordinarily this kind of behaviour would be quickly dismissed, but 2017 has seen tensions on the Korean peninsula rise to the most dangerous level ever. The threat of nuclear war is real and experts calculate Kim Jong-un's regime has now amassed as many as 60 nuclear warheads. As well, advances in the North's ballistic missile program mean it can target not only mainland USA but also northern Australia. After months of negotiations, Nine News correspondent Tom Steinfort was given rare permission to travel to North Korea. There he worryingly discovered a country whose people are ready for conflict, and bizarrely, almost gleeful that a consequence of it could be the end of the world.

Reporter: Tom Steinfort
Producer: Garry McNab
60 Minutes Australia: The Russian connection (2017) | 11/12/17 | 13:06

This Is What It's Like to Be the Only Trump Fan at Thanksgiving Dinner
Politico | Mark Bauerlein | 11/22/17

In my household, when the holidays come, the usual family members plus a friend or two gather. We have three generations at the table: two female 80-year-olds, some 50-year-olds and the millennials. Only one of us is a Trump supporter. This is, after all, a family of professionals in a northeastern coastal city.

But it only takes one Trumper to turn a genial dinner into an emotional contest of wills. It doesn't matter that the holidays call for love and gratitude. We may try to talk about other things--our lives, our jobs, the weather--but Trump won't go unmentioned. The feelings he arouses are too stormy. This week, we should expect lots of politics along with our turkey and stuffing. ... Read more

Singer David Cassidy, 1970s Teen Idol, Dies At 67

New Tax Plan Contains Even More Bad News for Student Borrowers
RollingStone | Matt Taibbi | 11/22/17

The headline in the New York Times seemed sympathetic: "The House Just Voted To Bankrupt Graduate Students".

The piece by Erin Rousseau, a graduate student at M.I.T., detailed an insidious little virus buried in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, just passed by Republicans in the House. The law would repeal section 117(d)(5) of the tax code, which exempts graduate students' tuition waiver from taxation.

In the case of M.I.T. grad students like Rousseau -- who work as teachers or lab assistants -- the new law would tax over $50,000 of tuition they don't actually pay. It would increase such students' taxable income from the area of $33,000 to over $80,000. In most cases, that would add about $10,000 to their annual tax burden. ... Read more

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Wednesday, November 22 [12:19]
*Iraqi Civilian Describes U.S. Airstrike on His Home That Killed His Wife, Daughter, Brother & Nephew | DN | 11/22/17 | 12:18
*The Uncounted: New York Times Finds US Airstrikes Kill Far More Iraqi Civilians Than Pentagon Admits | DN | 11/22/17 | 28:18
*Anand Gopal: As US Continues Strikes in Afghanistan & Syria, Where is Coverage of Civilian Deaths? | DN | 11/22/17 | 12:36
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Wednesday, November 22 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. Expert: President Trump Calling His Accusers "Liars" Confirms Women's Fears of Not Being Believed
  3. Rebecca Solnit: Ending Sexual Harassment Means Changing Masculinity & Undermining Misogynist Culture
  4. FCC Moves to Gut Net Neutrality, Ignoring Public Support & Laws Upholding Equal Internet Access
  5. Haitians Denied Protected Status Face Deportation to "Nation in Turmoil" After Earthquake, Hurricane
*Col. Larry Wilkenson -> Why is the US Media and Foreign Policy Establishment Targeting Russia? | TRNN | 11/22/17 | 1:06:48
*Report: Civilian Death Toll in Iraq 31 Times Higher Than US Claims | TRNN | 11/22/17 | 1:06:48
The1a.org
Working In A World After Weinstein | 1a.org | 11/22/17 | 1hr
The list of powerful men accused of sexual assault or harassment grows longer. A workplace should be safe for everyone, but far too often it is not. And that becomes clearer each day, with each new story.

What will it take to persuade people with power and influence to make the changes made at organizations where harassment has been revealed to be permanent?
How Temporary Is Temporary Protected Status For Immigrants? | 1a.org | 11/22/17 | 1hr
The Trump Administration is ending a humanitarian program that has let almost 60,000 Haitians live and work in the U.S., giving them until summer of 2019 to leave the country -- willingly or not.

Temporary Protected Status is just that -- temporary. But it covers hundreds of thousands of others living in America. How long can they stay? And if natural disasters have left them with no home to go back to, what then?


Donald Trump Aims To Boost GOP Gerrymandering Advantage With Census Pick | MSNBC Rachel Maddow | 11/21/17 | 15:39
Trump Ignores Nixon lesson With Department of Justice Pressure | MSNBC Rachel Maddow | 11/21/17 | 12:28
WSJ: Robert Mueller Investigating Jared Kushner's Foreign Contacts With Russia | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/22/17 | 8:53
The Big Takeaway Of President Donald Trump And Vladimir Putin's Phone Call | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/22/17 | 11:14
President Donald Trump Support Of Roy Moore A 'Huge Gift' For Democrats | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/22/17 | 14:03
What Donald Trump & Vladimir Putin Talked About On Their 90-Minute Call | MSNBC 11th Hour | 11/21/17 | 8:10
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Trump Even Made Pardoning Turkeys About Obama | Stephen Colbert | 11/22/17 | 2:17
Trump On Roy Moore: 'You Have To Listen To Him' | Stephen Colbert | 11/22/17 | 2:48
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Exclusive - Alabama Reacts to the Roy Moore Accusations | Trevor Noah | 11/22/17 | 2:30
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Trump Pardons a Turkey, Single Dad Thanksgiving | 11/22/17 | 2:42
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel on Roy Moore Scandal | Jimmy Kimmel | older, 11/16/17 | 5:23
Note: I add this just to expose you to what the Alt Right is listening to. Sometimes pretty scary.
SPECIAL REPORT with Alex Jones • Nuclear Disaster In Russia Poisons Europe | Infowars | 11/21/17 | 23:26
Roger Stone Discusses Latest News and Current Events | Infowars | 11/20/17 | 36:40
Roger Stone Discusses Trump Administration, H.R. McMaster Latest News & Current Events | Infowars | 11/21/17 | 37:28

11.22.2017. 12:29

Tuesday November 21, 2017
Journalist Explains How Panama Papers Opened Up The World's Illicit Money Networks | Fresh Air | 11/20/17 | 1hr
Secrecy World: Inside the Panama Papers Investigation of Illicit Money Networks and the Global Elite Kindle Edition by Jake Bernstein

A hidden circulatory system flows beneath the surface of global finance, carrying trillions of dollars from drug trafficking, tax evasion, bribery, and other illegal enterprises. This network masks the identities of the individuals who benefit from these activities, aided by bankers, lawyers, and auditors who get paid to look the other way.

In Secrecy World, the Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter Jake Bernstein explores this shadow economy and how it evolved, drawing on millions of leaked documents from the files of the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca--a trove now known as the Panama Papers--as well as other journalistic and government investigations. Bernstein shows how shell companies operate, how they allow the superwealthy and celebrities to escape taxes, and how they provide cover for illicit activities on a massive scale by crime bosses and corrupt politicians across the globe.

Bernstein traveled to the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, and within the United States to uncover how these strands fit together--who is involved, how they operate, and the real-world impact. He recounts how Mossack Fonseca was exposed and what lies ahead for the corporations, banks, law firms, individuals, and governments that are implicated.

Secrecy World offers a disturbing and sobering view of how the world really works and raises critical questions about financial and legal institutions we may once have trusted.
Veteran News Anchor Charlie Rose Suspended After Sexual Harassment Allegations

Rep. John Conyers Reportedly Settled Complaint Involving Unwanted Advances
HP | Nick Visser | 11/21/17

Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) allegedly settled a wrongful dismissal complaint in 2015 after being accused of firing a female staffer who rejected his sexual advances, BuzzFeed News reported Monday night.

Conyers, 88, is the longest-serving member of the U.S. House of Representatives and among the most powerful members of Congress. In documents affiliated with the case filed by an unnamed woman in 2014, several former staff members also alleged the lawmaker repeatedly asked female employees for sexual favors, inappropriately touched them in public and asked staffers to contact and transport women they believed Conyers was having affairs with. ... Read more

It's time to investigate the sexual assault charges against Donald Trump
Salon | Amanda Marcotte | 11/21/17

Donald Trump got a pass during the campaign on numerous accusations of assault. We need a new special prosecutor

It's now been more than six weeks since a New York Times exposé about Harvey Weinstein triggered a flood of people stepping forward with stories about being sexually harassed by powerful men. Last week, the news cycle was swamped with accusations against Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore and Minnesota Sen. Al Franken. This week, there is another accusation against Franken and an explosive Vox story reporting that numerous women say New York Times star reporter Glenn Thrush kissed and manhandled them against their will, and then talked smack about them at work afterwards.

In the midst of all this, it's absolutely stunning to realize that the sitting president of the United States, Donald Trump, continues to evade any consequences for the numerous accusations of sexual assault and sexual harassment made against him by women who had nothing to gain by going public. His press secretary continues cheerfully deflecting questions by suggesting that Trump's accusers, all 16 of them, are liars. Read more

Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Tuesday, November 21 [14:15]
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Tuesday, November 21 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. Iraqi Civilian Describes U.S. Airstrike on His Home That Killed His Wife, Daughter, Brother & Nephew
  3. Damning New Report Shows U.S. Airstrikes in Iraq Killing Civilians are 31 Times the Pentagon’s Count
Vijay Prashad says -> Saudi Financial Crisis at Heart of Princely Rage | TRNN | 11/20/17 | 14:13
Economist Mark Weisbrot explains -> As US Fuels War Crimes in Yemen, House Says US Involvement is Unauthorized | TRNN | 11/19/17 | 14:22
LEAK: National Security Adviser Mocked Trump's Intelligence | TYT | 11/20/17 | 9:54
Kellyanne Conway Flip-Flops On Child Molestation | TYT | 11/20/17 | 4:31
Apple Writing Republican Tax Plan? | TYT | 11/20/17 | 9:54


The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
LaVar Ball Didn't 'Give Thanks' To Trump | Stephen Colbert | 11/21/17 | 4:26
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Harassment on the Hill: How to Avoid Being a Congressional Predator | Trevor Noah | 11/20/17 | 3:54
Seth Meyers
Seth Meyers: 'Wanna-Be Dictator' Trump Gets Into The Feud We've Been Waiting For | Seth Meyers | 11/21/17 | 7:40
Trump, who happened to be on a 12-day tour of Asia when the players were seized, intervened on their behalf with the Chinese president. He then criticized the players for not publicly thanking him immediately after they arrived home. They later held a press conference and thanked Trump. Days later, Trump attacked Ball, who downplayed the president's direct involvement in the release, and said he should have left Ball's son and teammates jailed in China.

11.21.2017. 10:18

Monday November 20, 2017

Want A Simpler Tax Code? Sure, But It Will Cost You.
HP | S.V. Date | 11/19/17

House Speaker Paul Ryan clears his desk with the sweep of his arm, illustrating all the clutter that would disappear from the tax code. President Donald Trump shows off a postcard-sized tax return. "It's going to make life very simple," Trump pledges, kissing the postcard for emphasis.

Such is the promise: Filing taxes will become much simpler -- a pitch that finds a ready audience among Americans who view IRS Form 1040 with fear and loathing. An unadvertised side effect of this simplicity: The proposed tax plan moving through Congress disproportionately benefits the wealthy, shifting the tax burden down the income scale toward middle- and working-class taxpayers. ... Read more

*PBS Frontline: Poverty, Politics & Profits | PBS | | 52:01

FCC Clears Way for Right-Wing Sinclair to Broadcast in 70% of American Homes
TRNN | Baynard Woods | 11/20/17

The Republican-led FCC voted 3-2 Thursday to eliminate the 42-year-old ban prohibiting the same entity from owning multiple broadcast companies or combining broadcast and print businesses within the same market.

... "Today you've turned over our collective resource of the public broadcast airwaves to a company whose business model is built on tearing apart the fabric of communities by pushing racist fearmongering in the guise of news," the media advocacy group Free Press wrote in an open letter to FCC commissioner Ajit Pai. "You granted Sinclair the ability to not simply broadcast this hate, but to maximize its already inflated profits by targeting its seeds of hate." ... Read more

Secrecy World: Inside the Panama Papers Investigation of Illicit Money Networks and the Global Elite Kindle Edition by Jake Bernstein

A hidden circulatory system flows beneath the surface of global finance, carrying trillions of dollars from drug trafficking, tax evasion, bribery, and other illegal enterprises. This network masks the identities of the individuals who benefit from these activities, aided by bankers, lawyers, and auditors who get paid to look the other way.

In Secrecy World, the Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter Jake Bernstein explores this shadow economy and how it evolved, drawing on millions of leaked documents from the files of the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca--a trove now known as the Panama Papers--as well as other journalistic and government investigations. Bernstein shows how shell companies operate, how they allow the superwealthy and celebrities to escape taxes, and how they provide cover for illicit activities on a massive scale by crime bosses and corrupt politicians across the globe.

Bernstein traveled to the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, and within the United States to uncover how these strands fit together--who is involved, how they operate, and the real-world impact. He recounts how Mossack Fonseca was exposed and what lies ahead for the corporations, banks, law firms, individuals, and governments that are implicated.

Secrecy World offers a disturbing and sobering view of how the world really works and raises critical questions about financial and legal institutions we may once have trusted.
Digital Superpowers Poised To Increase Global Inequities Under the Label of E-Commerce | TRNN | 11/20/17 | 20:02
Charles Manson Dead At 83
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Monday, November 20 [12:53]
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Monday, November 20 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. As Zimbabwe’s Mugabe Refuses to Resign, Advocates Say Coup “Is Not the Answer” for Meaningful Reform
  3. Trump Cited Pittsburgh in Pulling Out of Paris Deal—But Mayor Says City Will Implement Accord Anyway
  4. Virginia Governor Defies Trump on Paris Climate Deal, Pushes Investments in Solar & Wind
*Divided Congress Unites to Spend $700B on Military and War | TRNN | 11/18/17 | 9:25
*Bill Black -> Trump's CFPB Pick Will Likely Spell Bad News for Consumers | TRNN | 11/18/17 | 14:07
*R.I.P. The Internet, 1983-2017 | TYT | 11/19/17 | 8:41
*Democrat Giving Boost To Payday Lenders | TYT | 11/19/17 | 8:49
The1a.org
The FCC And The Wave Of Deregulation | 1a.org | 11/20/17 | 1hr
While much attention has been paid to potential legislation passing through Congress or to the actions of the president, the Federal Communications Commission has been quite active, according to the headlines:

  1. "FCC begins scaling back internet subsidies for low-income homes," reports Verge
  2. "F.C.C. Opens Door to More Consolidation in TV Business,"writes the New York Times
  3. "TV stations are about to track you and sell targeted ads, just like Google and Facebook," [reads a headline on the Los Angeles Times
  4. "FCC: Local TV and radio stations don't need local studios," says Engadget

The agency oversees everything from the ownership of local TV news (where millions of Americans get their information) to rural broadband expansion. We'll look at what the deregulation means for you, your access to information and your privacy.
What Are You Thankful For? | 1a.org | 11/20/17 | 1hr

Why President Donald Trump Could Be Brought Back Into Harassment Conversation | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/17/17 | 12:37
What About Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against President Donald Trump? | All-In | 11/17/17 | 11:50
Tapper goes through Trump accusers one-by-one | CNN | 11/17/17 | 7:02
Click to zoom in
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The GOP's Bonkers 'Uranium One' Chart | Stephen Colbert | 11/18/17 | 5:18
One Week Older, Moore Sexual Harassment | Stephen Colbert | 11/18/17 | 3:47
Hannity Made A Chart | Stephen Colbert | 11/17/17 | 0:58
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
We Can All Do Better Than Roy Moore | Samantha Bee | 11/15/17 | 6:33
John Oliver
One year after the presidential election, John Oliver discusses what we've learned so far | John Oliver | recent | 23:50
Note: I add this just to expose you to what the Alt Right is listening to. Sometimes pretty scary.
Infowars
End Game Now! & Troops Confirmed! at Langley, Al Waleed Sent Snipers to Vegas | Alex Jones Channel | 11/19/17 | 36:23
Alex Jones Channel
Elon Musk Issues Emergency Warning! Globalists Are Building A Giant Altar On Which To Sacrifice Huma | Alex Jones Channel | 11/19/17 | 10:02
Google Launches Giant Censorship Campaign In The Middle Of The Night | Alex Jones Channel | 11/18/17 | 42:03

11.20.2017. 11:11

Friday November 17, 2017

Lawyers call White House sexual harassment policy 'useless'
Politico | Matthew Nussbaum | 11/17/17

The executive office of the president, which is shielded under a 2002 law from reporting harassment allegations, offers employees bare-bones instructions on dealing with problems.

At the Department of Justice, there have been 31 sexual harassment complaints through the third quarter of 2017, a number in line with recent years. At the CIA, there were six sexual harassment complaints from 2012 to 2016, according to its federal reports. But there are no comparable records for the White House, thanks to a 2002 law -- the No FEAR Act -- that exempts the executive office of the president from filing requirements that apply to other executive branch agencies.

As Congress and the private sector move to improve reporting procedures and increase transparency amid multiplying revelations of widespread harassment, the White House remains uniquely opaque -- and reliant on guidance lawyers say falls short of common standards for shielding employees from abuse. ... Read more

Trump's Tweet Condemning Al Franken Assault Allegations Backfires Spectacularly
HP | Rebecca Shapiro | 11/17/17

President Donald Trump, infamously caught on tape bragging about groping women, was attacked on Twitter Thursday night for criticizing Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), who now faces allegations of sexual assault.

Anchorwoman Leann Tweeden said on Thursday that Franken groped and kissed her without her consent during a USO tour in 2006. ... Read more

Kellyanne Conway explains why Trump tweeted about Franken but not Moore
Politico | Louis Nelson | 11/17/17

President Donald Trump felt compelled to tweet out his thoughts on allegations of sexual misconduct against Sen. Al Franken because they represented a "brand new news story," counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway said Friday, explaining away the difference between the president's Franken tweets and his relatively couched comments on allegations against Republican Roy Moore.

"Al Franken was a brand new news story yesterday and the president weighed in as he does on the news of the day often enough," Conway told Fox News Friday morning. "The Roy Moore story is eight days old and the president put out a statement during his Asia trip on that. and since then, our press secretary has spoken on behalf of the president saying that he believes the people of Alabama will sort out what to do with Roy Moore and with that election." ... Read more

Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Friday, November 17 [9:20]
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Friday, November 17 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. "Keep It in the Ground": As COP23 Ends, Activists Protest at Europe's Largest Open-Pit Coal Mine
  3. Activists Condemn Failure of COP23 to Address Interrelated Crises of Climate, Energy & Inequality
  4. Key Architect of Paris Climate Accord: "We Cannot Combat Climate Change with More Coal"
  5. Tom Goldtooth: Carbon Trading is "Fraudulent" Scheme to Privatize Air & Forests to Permit
Al Franken Apologizes After Sexual Assault Allegations | TYT | 11/16/17 | 19:04
So you think You'll Get a Tax Break, or tax cut? Really? | Thom Hartmann | 11/16/17 | 9:15
The1a.org
*Friday News - Domestic | 1a.org | 11/17/17 | 1hr
Does Roy Moore's campaign for Senate have a future? More women came forward this week with allegations of sexual misconduct against the former Alabama judge and outspoken evangelical. And more Republican lawmakers have come forward to say they believe the women and that Moore should remove himself from the race. Moore says the claims are false.

The reputation of Republicans is also riding on their ability to pass a new tax reform bill that looks more like a takedown of the Affordable Care Act. Can the majority party get tax reform done?

Plus, more lives were taken in another mass shooting. There was another hearing with Attorney General Jeff Sessions on the Hill. And Mattel celebrated Muslim women with a new Barbie doll.
*Friday News - International | 1a.org | 11/17/17 | 1hr
The government takeover in Zimbabwe is not a coup d'etat ... according to the armed members of the country's military who have placed Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe under house arrest. How will the so-called "bloodless transition" of power play out?

In Germany, leaders of the world's most powerful countries gathered to talk climate change, but the Trump administration's delegates were met with protests. A huge far-right nationalist march disrupted an annual independence celebration in Poland. And Australia voted to legalize same-sex marriage.

We'll also review the end of President Trump's visit to Asia, which included a meeting with the controversial president of the Philippines.
*Mika: What Is The Goal Of Discussing Assault And The Strength Of Women | 11/17/17 | 7:44
*Kasie Hunt Weighs In On Sexual Harassment In Washington | 11/17/17 | 5:12
Donald Trump Tweets About Al Franken, Silent On Roy Moore | MSNBC The Last Word | 11/16/17 | 18:25
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The Bipartisan Pastime Of Harassing Women | Stephen Colbert | 11/17/17 | 11:08
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Al Franken Faces Groping Accusations & Roy Moore Stays on Defense | Trevor Noah | 11/16/17 | 4:53
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Sexual Harassment in Congress: A Closer Look | Seth Meyers | 11/16/17 | 9:12
Note: I add this just to expose you to what the Alt Right is listening to. Sometimes pretty scary.
Roger Stone Discusses Senator Al Franken Leeann Tweeden, Next Round of "Me Too" from California Dems | Infowars | 11/16/17 | 18:08

11.17.2017. 09:20

Thursday November 16, 2017

Trump Chases U.S. Arms Deals in Asia to Help Him Win Re-Election
Bloomberg | Justin Sink | 11/14/17

President Donald Trump had one question for Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc: Why wasn't his country buying more American military equipment?

For Trump, a self-styled traveling salesman, crisscrossing the region to reverse decades of trade deficits, Vietnam's decision to buy arms from Russia was incomprehensible, almost insulting. Never mind that U.S. law prevented such sales until last year.

Trump reminded Phuc that he's been president for 10 months, according to two people who requested anonymity to discuss a private meeting. What was he waiting for? ... Read more
Trump Begging Countries To Buy Weapons | TYT | 11/15/17 | 9:34

WeWorks.com | WeLive.com
*WeWork Community Refugee Hiring Initiative | | 11/15/17 | 1:53
WeWork.com Community Refugee Hiring Initiative is a new initiative, in partnership with the International Rescue Committee, the Tent Partnership for Refugees, Breaking Barriers, and other partners, to empower refugees by providing opportunity for work, growth and community.
*Why Millennials Are Paying To Live In Shares Spaces Like WeLive | Vice | 10/26/16 | 3:44

Hope Hicks may hold the keys to Mueller's Russia puzzle
Politico | Darren Samuelsohn | 11/16/17

Prosecutors will interview the White House communications director in the coming weeks as they continue questioning those in the president's inner circle.

Special counsel Robert Mueller's team is preparing to interview the woman who's seen it all: Hope Hicks. She's been part of Donald Trump's inner circle for years, first at Trump Tower and then as an omnipresent gatekeeper and fixer who could get emails or other communications directly to the boss during the 2016 campaign.

As a senior White House adviser and now as communications director, she's been in the room for moments critical to Mueller's probe, which has grown to include the president's response to the Russia investigation itself.

Hicks' history with Trump makes her one of the more useful witnesses for Mueller as he looks for insights into the president's habits and moods. She also is one of the few people well positioned to recount the president's reactions at various moments as the Russia scandal has sidetracked his presidency -- including the Mueller appointment itself. ... Read more

*Scientists Issue Dire Warning on Climate Change & Key Researcher Urges "Changes in How We Live" | DN | 11/16/17 | 12:22
*Scientist Kevin Anderson: Our Socio-Economic Paradigm Is Incompatible With Climate Change Objectives | DN | 11/16/17 | 25:40
Broadcasting from the United Nations Climate Summit in Bonn, Germany, we continue our conversation with Kevin Anderson, one of the world's leading climate scientists. Anderson is deputy director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and professor of energy and climate change at the University of Manchester in Britain. The report is entitled "Can the Climate Afford Europe's Gas Addiction?"
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Thursday, November 16 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. Zimbabwe in Limbo As Military Seizes Control & Places President Mugabe Under House Arrest
  3. Nigerian Environmental Activist: Displacement from Climate Change Contributed to Rise of Boko Haram
  4. Activists at COP23 Decry Companies & Corporate Sponsors Pushing Fossil Fuel as Energy Solution
  5. Migration Expert Urges Immediate Action as Millions Are Already Displaced by Climate Change
*Is Canada a 'Rogue Nation' on Climate Change? | TRNN | 11/15/17 | 19:52
Roy Moore Got The Most Racist Lawyer He Could Find | TYT | 11/15/17 | 9:41
The1a.org
Two Certainties In The Senate: Health And Taxes | 1a.org | 11/16/17 | 1hr
The much-vaunted Senate tax bill is now a health bill.

Senator Rand Paul ?@RandPaul
Today I am announcing my intention to amend the Senate tax bill to repeal the individual mandate and provide bigger tax cuts for middle income taxpayers.
The mandate repeal is a promise we all made and we should keep. It also allows an additional $300 billion+ in tax cuts.

With a dearth of legislative victories, House and Senate Republicans had pinned their hopes on a sweeping change to the tax code -- no easy task. But now, with another mission heaped on top of their primary goal, can Republicans pass major legislation before the year is out?




Rep. Tom Cole On GOP Tax Plan: We Think It's Right For The American People | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/16/17 | 9:38
'President Donald Trump Comments On Vladimir Putin Don't Help Investigation' | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/16/17 | 4:53
Mika: Is Ivanka Trump Still Fighting For Women's Issues? | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/16/17 | 3:42
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Roy Moore Still Has Robots On His Side | Stephen Colbert | 11/16/17 | 3:55
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Trump-Proofing America's Nukes | Trevor Noah | 11/15/17 | 5:28
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel on Roy Moore Scandal | Jimmy Kimmel | 11/16/17 | 5:23
Note: I add this just to expose you to what the Alt Right is listening to. Sometimes pretty scary.
Alex Jones Infowars (1st Hour) Thu - 11/16/17 | Infowars | 11/16/17 | 42:49
Ex-Secret Service Agent Says Biden Is A “Weinstein-Level” Abuser | Alex Jones Channel | 11/16/17 | 19:08

11.16.2017. 11:00

Wednesday November 15, 2017

The GOP Tax Cut Plan Opens A New Front In The War On Obamacare
HP | Jonathan Cohn | 11/15/17

Here we are again, talking about a Republican proposal that would rattle health insurance markets, increase overall premiums and leave millions without coverage -- all while freeing up money for tax cuts that would disproportionately benefit corporations and wealthy Americans.

The new twist this time is the context. Full repeal of the Affordable Care Act is off the agenda, at least for the moment. Instead, Senate Republicans are talking about a bill, the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act," whose primary purpose is to reduce taxes. Until recently, health care wasn't really part of the conversation.

Then math intervened. The GOP's tax cut will end up costing somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.5 trillion, according to official government projections, and finding offsets that will get 50 votes has been difficult. Desperate to find a source of money that can work politically -- and, perhaps, to take a shot at Obamacare while they can -- Republicans have set their eyes on the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate. ... Read more

Jimmy Kimmel Asks People If Hillary Clinton Should Be Impeached | 11/15/17 | 3:12

House Democrats Help Republicans Pass $700B in Military Spending
TRNN | author | 11/15/17

A record spending bill overwhelmingly approved by the House on Tuesday authorizes $700 billion for the U.S. military. The annual National Defense Authorization Act earmarks over $634 billion for the Pentagon and an additional $66 billion for overseas military conflicts including Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. The package includes $12.3 billion for the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency, a moved aimed at North Korea.

The total is nearly $100 billion more than President Trump requested earlier this year. It calls for 90 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, 20 more than requested; 24 Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets, 10 more than requested; and 13 new Navy ships, five more than requested.

In a year of bitter partisan fights over healthcare, tax reform, and immigration, the House approved it with rare unity. The final vote was 356-70, including 127 out of the House's 194 Democratic members. The bill now goes to the Senate, where it's expected to be easily approved. An earlier Senate version was passed by a 89-8 margin. The nearly uniform Democratic support comes despite initial pledges to oppose Trump's proposed military spending increase, which was smaller than what they have now approved.

The U.S. accounts for about one-third of global military expenditures, outspending China by three to one and Russia by ten to one. Read more
*Abby Martin Exposes Untold History of U.S. Empire | Jimmy Dore/TYT | 11/14/17 | 30:34
*Jordan meets with Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz and the citizens of Puerto Rico to find out the truth about the Trump administration's hurricane recovery efforts. | SNL | 11/14/17 | 8:30
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Wednesday, November 15 [9:18]
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Wednesday, November 15 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. Pacific Climate Warriors Roll Out Anti-Coal "Red Carpet" for Angela Merkel at U.N. Climate Talks
  3. Special Report from the Occupied Forest: Meet Activists Fighting Europe's Largest Open-Pit Coal Mine
  4. Trump Climate Adviser Tells Democracy Now! Coal Needs a "Level Playing Field" at U.N. Climate Talks
  5. Scientists Issue Dire Warning on Climate Change & Key Researcher Urges "Changes in How We Live"
*What Happened to Trump's Trade War With China? | TRNN | 11/14/17 | 16:25
Jeff Sessions: I Do Declare! I Don't Recall! | TYT | 11/14/17 | 7:45
Why Roy Moore Was Banned From The Mall | TYT | 11/14/17 | 7:11
LEAKED: Donald Trump Jr.'s Communications With Wikileaks | TYT | 11/14/17 | 23:55
Corbett Report
*What Is Happening In Saudi Arabia? - Marwa Osman | The Corbett Report | 11/09/17 | 26:57
The1a.org
How To Stop Hazing | 1a.org | 11/15/17 | 1hr
A Collection Of Christian Artifacts Unlike Any Other | 1a.org | 11/15/17 | 1hr
Mitch McConnell Handling Of Past Sex Scandal A Warning For Roy Moore | MSNBC Rachel Maddow | 11/14/17 | 5:31
Watts: I Don't Get Why Russia Comes Back To Haunt Attorney General Sessions | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/15/17 | 7:50
Joe: Inexperienced White House Rookies Are Not Helping DC | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/15/17 | 7:25
Is There Strategy Behind Vice President Mike Pence's Denials? | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/15/17 | 7:57
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Donald Trump Jr. Wiki-Slides Into The DMs | Stephen Colbert | 11/15/17 | 5:22
The Very Forgetful Attorney General | Stephen Colbert | 11/15/17 | 3:58
Roy Moore Was Banned From A Mall And YMCA | Stephen Colbert | 11/15/17 | 3:55
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
How Trump Has Made China Great Again | Trevor Noah | 11/14/17 | 5:39
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Donald Trump Jr. and WikiLeaks; Trump Meets Duterte: A Closer Look | Seth Meyers | 11/14/17 | 10:40
Note: I add this just to expose you to what the Alt Right is listening to. Sometimes pretty scary.
Dr. Steve Pieczenik Updates Alex Jones About What Is Really Happening | Infowars | 11/10/17 | 40:13
Roger Stone Discusses Donald Trump JR, WikiLeaks Julian Assange, Seth Rich, Sessions Current Events | Infowars | 11/14/17 | 19:32

11.15.2017. 11:50

Tuesday November 17, 2017

Trump touts '$300 billion' in trade deals with Asia
Politico | Louis Nelson | 11/14/17

President Donald Trump touted the economic successes of his trip to Asia Tuesday, telling reporters that the five-nation tour had netted the U.S. "at least $300 billion" in trade deals.

"We've had a tremendously successful trip. Tremendous amounts of work was done on trade, not only on the deals -- and we have at least $300 billion worth of deals, but that will be, I think, way triple that number in a fairly short period of time," Trump said in remarks to the press as he left the East Asia Summit in the Philippines.

... One deal that earned specific mention from Trump is Vietnam's $12 billion order from Boeing, one that the president said came even though "they were going a different route." It was unclear if Trump was referring to an $11.3 billion deal between Boeing and Vietnam's VietJet airline signed in 2016 during a visit by former President Barack Obama or if Vietnam had placed an additional order with Boeing. ... Read more

**The Madness of Donald Trump
RollingStone | Matt Taibbi | 09/19/17

Evening, August 22nd, 2017, a convention center in Phoenix. It's Donald Trump's true coming-out party as an insane person. It looks like the same old Trump up there on the stage: same boxy blue suit, same obligatory flag pin and tangerine combover, same too-long reddish power tie swinging below his belt line like a locker-room abomination. Earlier this year there were efforts to make Trump stop wearing his suit jackets open -- designer Joseph Abboud said buttoning up was a "very visible way of showing he knows how serious the job is" -- but Donald Trump doesn't take advice, not even the gently benign kind.

That makeover was undone just as quickly as it was done, leaving the Donald with the same old tie-on-bulging-duodenum look from the campaign. He even sounds the same now, kicking off the event with a go-to favorite: "What a crowd!" he shouts. (A week from now, he will shout, "What a crowd, what a turnout!" from atop a truck in Corpus Christi, Texas, on the occasion of a deadly hurricane.) But the embattled president who takes the stage tonight is a different man from the barnstorming revolutionary who ripped through the American political process a year ago. That Donald Trump enjoyed himself, to an obscene degree. Watching Trump lean over a podium on the road to the presidency was like watching a stud boar hump a hole in the wall. ... Read more

LastWeekTonight with John Oliver
The Trump Presidency | John Oliver | 11/13/17 | 23:50
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Tuesday, November 14 [8:22]
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Tuesday, November 14 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. “Climate Apartheid”: South African Climate Activist Kumi Naidoo Slams Inequality at U.N. Summit
  3. Special Report: Revolt at Trump’s Pro-Coal, Pro-Nuclear & Pro-Gas Panel Rocks U.N. Climate Summit
  4. 1st Female President of the Marshall Islands & Her Poet Daughter: We Need Climate & Nuclear Justice
  5. Kumi Naidoo: United Nations Shouldn’t “Pander to Madness That Comes Out of the Trump Administration”
*Asher Orkaby of Harvard University says -> Saudi Arabia Threatens Famine, Genocide in Yemen | TRNN | 11/13/17 | 16:15
*US Intel Leaders: Putin Playing Trump, US "In Peril" | TYT | 11/13/17 | 6:01
*Trump Says He Trusts Putin Over American Intelligence | TYT | 11/13/17 | 7:08
The1a.org
*Executive Authority And Nuclear Weapons | 1a.org | 11/14/17 | 1hr
The president's sole authority to use nuclear weapons is the subject of a hearing on Capitol Hill this week. Republican Senator (and Trump critic) Bob Corker of Tennessee will lead the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a conversation about executive power and war. The Hill reports:

A debate over nuclear authority has reignited among lawmakers after President Trump warned in August that North Korea could face "fire and fury like the world has never seen" if it continues to advance its nuclear program.

The last time this issue was raised among lawmakers was in 1976. Should nuclear authority be in the hands of one -- or of many?
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Kim Jong-Un Hurt President Trump's 'Old' Feelings | Stephen Colbert | 11/14/17 | 5:03
Only Roy Moore Could Unite Stephen And Mitch McConnell | Stephen Colbert | 11/14/17 | 4:01
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
How the Right Politicized Roy Moore's Sexual Misconduct Allegations | Trevor Noah | 11/13/17 | 6:13
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Allegations Mount Against Roy Moore; Trump Cozies Up to Putin | Seth Meyers | 11/13/17 | 11:57
Note: I add this just to expose you to what the Alt Right is listening to. Sometimes pretty scary.
Roger Stone, Discusses Roy Moore, Menendez trail, Gen Flynn, Current Events | War Room | 11/13/17 | 37:12
Steve Bannon on Breitbart News Daily (11/13/2017) | Conservative Citizen | 11/13/17 | 21:32

11.14.2017. 08:46

Monday November 13, 2017
**One Nation, Overdosed: Documentary On The Deadliest Drug Crisis In American History (Full) | MSNBC | 11/09/17 | 44:40

Trump's weaselly notion of patriotism looks more like groveling
Salon | Bob Cesca | 11/13/17

President Donald Trump and his supporters have a screwy definition of patriotism. Apparently, it's a career-ending infraction to kneel during the national anthem during an ultimately meaningless football game, but it's acceptable for our chief executive to endorse the assurances and actions of foreign despots while summarily rejecting the decisions of American leaders, publicly and with awkward pride. It's difficult to see how these contradictory ideas make a lick of sense coming from the same faction, and the same president, roughly at the same time.

Most of us are old enough to remember when Trump, during his inaugural rage-gasm, declared that his presidency would be all about putting "America First." It was a "new decree," he said, that would be "heard in every city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power." He continued, "From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, it's going to be only America first! America first!" This was his central inaugural theme, and an ongoing refrain of his presidency. Part isolationism, part patriotism, all meaningless when shouted from his orange yapper. ... Read more

The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade by Andrew Feinstein $7.99

The Shadow World is the harrowing behind-the-scenes tale of the global arms trade, revealing the deadly collusion that all too often exists among senior politicians, weapons manufacturers, felonious arms dealers, and the military -- a situation that compromises our security and undermines our democracy.

Pulling back the curtain on this secretive world, Andrew Feinstein reveals the corruption and the cover-ups behind a range of weapons deals, from the largest in history -- between the British and Saudi governments -- to the guns-for-diamonds deals in Africa and the imminent $60 billion U.S. weapons contract with Saudi Arabia. He exposes in forensic detail both the formal government-to-government trade in arms and the shadow world of illicit weapons dealing, and lays bare the shockingly frequent links between the two. Drawing on his experience as a member of the African National Congress who resigned when the ANC refused to launch a corruption investigation into a major South African arms deal, Feinstein illuminates the impact this network has not only on conflicts around the world but also on the democratic institutions of the United States and the United Kingdom.

Based on pathbreaking reporting and unprecedented access to top-secret information and major players in this clandestine realm, The Shadow World places us in the midst of the arms trade's dramatic wheeling and dealing -- from corporate boardrooms to seedy out-of-the-way hotels -- and reveals the profound danger and enormous financial cost this network represents to all of us.
LastWeekTonight with John Oliver
The Trump Presidency | John Oliver | 11/13/17 | 23:50
Steve Bannon's Interview with the Times: President Trump, Mitch McConnell and White Nationalism | NYT | 11/10/17 | 10:18
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Monday, November 13 [9:37]
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Monday, November 13 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. CA Gov. Jerry Brown Tells Indigenous Activists Protesting Fracking He'll Put Them "In the Ground"
  3. COP23: Activists from Puerto Rico to Island Nations Demand Climate Reparations, End to Fossil Fuels
  4. Thousands Protest in Manila as Trump Hails "Great Relationship" with Philippines President Duterte
  5. Amid Sea Level Rise & Devastating Storm, Island Nations Call for "Real Climate Leadership" at COP23
  6. "We are Still In": Sen. Markey & U.S. Lawmakers Stage Anti-Trump Revolt at UN Climate Talks in Bonn
  7. From Roy Moore to Trump: Sen. Markey Lauds Women Who Speak Out, Calls for Moore to Pull Out of Race
  8. Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz to President Donald Trump: "Nobody Can Escape Climate Change"
On Asia Trip, Trump Met by Protests Calling on U.S. to Open Diplomatic Relations with North Korea | DN | older, 11/10/17 | 21:17
Andrew Feinstein, author of the book Shadow Wars -> Worldwide Warfare Will End When We Divest From the Arms Industry | TRNN | 11/12/17 | 6:33


*The Hilarious Way Republicans Define "Middle Class" | TYT | 11/12/17 | 6:41
The1a.org
*Roy Moore, And His Supporters, Remain Defiant | 1a.org | 11/13/17 | 1hr
Last week, multiple women stepped forward to accuse Roy Moore, the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Alabama, of sexual misconduct with minors in the 1970s (https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/gop-senate-candidate-roy-moore-threatens-sue-washington-post-n820116). The reaction from the GOP has been mixed.

Some establishment leaders have said Moore should step aside if the allegations are true, but the candidate himself has stuck to his story. He says the allegations are "fake news" and has threatened to sue the Washington Post, which broke the story.
Fair Trade And Fair Play: President Trump's Pitch For Trade In Asia | 1a.org | 11/13/17 | 1hr
Donald Trump used his trip to Asia to make the case for a new world trade order. In a speech to world leaders, the U.S. president said, "I am always going to put America first, the same way that I expect all of you in this room to put your countries first."

The New York Times called the president's message "strikingly hostile" to Pacific Rim trading partners.

Mr. Trump roundly condemned the kind of multilateral accords his predecessors pursued, reprising a message he brought to China this week that blamed weak American leadership for trade imbalances that he said had stripped jobs, factories and entire industries from the United States.
Barnicle: World Leaders Are Laughing At The US | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/13/17 | 8:14
The Choice Dems And GOP Must Make On GOP Alabama Senate Nominee Roy Moore | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/13/17 | 13:31
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
One More Reason Not To Elect Roy Moore | Stephen Colbert | 11/10/17 | 3:53
Trump's Menage A Terrible Phone Call With France | Stephen Colbert | 11/11/17 | 3:13
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
China Pulls Out All the Stops for Trump | Trevor Noah | 11/10/17 | 6:23

11.13.2017. 11:50

Friday November 10, 2017

What's at Stake in the Bonn Climate Talks?
NYT | Brad Plumer | 11/10/17

The Paris climate agreement of 2015 was a key moment in the battle against climate change: 195 countries vowed to help limit the rise in global temperatures since the industrial revolution to "well below" 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

But the Paris deal was just the start of a long, arduous process. The world's nations are still struggling to translate their lofty promises into meaningful cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Which explains why diplomats are now meeting for yet another round of climate talks in Bonn, Germany, from Nov. 6 to 17.

Much of the attention at these talks will be on the Trump administration, which has vowed to withdraw the United States from the Paris deal by 2020. In response, a gaggle of world leaders, American governors, major corporations and advocacy groups will make a big show of insisting that global action on climate change is still trundling forward, with or without President Trump. ... Read more

Senate GOP's tax bill points to nasty fight ahead
Politico | Bernie Becker | 11/09/17

There are dramatic differences between the House and Senate versions of the tax overhaul, imperiling Trump's desire to sign legislation by year end.

Yawning divisions have emerged between the House, Senate and White House over tax reform, raising doubts about whether Republicans will be able to achieve their most important political and policy priority before the end of the year.

The Senate and House are split on some key issues, including the top tax rate and the timing of the corporate tax cut, and also at odds with President Donald Trump in many areas. Hard bargaining, battles between GOP factions and an onslaught of lobbying are the gauntlets Republicans will have to run to get legislation to Trump's desk by the end of the year -- and into their mailers and ads for the 2018 elections.

If one thing unifies Republicans and makes the job easier than it might appear, it's the fear that they will have nothing to take into those contests after the failure of another marquee effort, repealing and replacing Obamacare. House Speaker Paul Ryan and other GOP leaders used the drubbing the party took in Tuesday's election in Virginia as a warning to the rank and file: Pass tax reform or face the wrath of Republican voters. ... Read more

Steven Mnuchin, foreclosure king of America
Salon | Nomi Prins/TomDispatch | 11/10/17

Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs partner, arrived in Washington with a distinct reputation. Back in 2009, he had corralled a bundle of rich financiers to take over California's IndyMac bank, shut down amid the 2008 foreclosure crisis by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Bought for $13.9 billion (but only $1.3 billion in actual cash), Mnuchin turned it into a genuine foreclosure machine, in the process sealing his own fate when it came to his future reputation. At the time, he didn't appear concerned about public approval. Something far more valuable was at stake: the $200 million that, according to Bloomberg News, he raked in personally, thanks to the deal. ... Read more

Click to zoom in
Click to zoom in
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Friday, November 10 [11:34]
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Friday, November 10 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. On Asia Trip, Trump Met by Protests Calling on U.S. to Open Diplomatic Relations with North Korea
  3. Will Trump Challenge Philippines President Duterte's Deadly Drug War When They Meet in Manila?
  4. Bill McKibben on Future of the Paris Climate Accord & U.S. Role at COP23 Climate Talks in Germany
Empire Files: After Hurricane Harvey, Abandoned Community Takes Charge | TRNN | 11/10/17 | 22:56
Trump Advisor Caught Lying About Tax Cuts | TYT | 11/09/17 | 6:03
Trump: I Don't Blame China For Taking Advantage Of America | TYT | 11/09/17 | 9:46
The1a.org
*Friday News - Domestic | 1a.org | 11/10/17 | 1hr
  1. Is it safe for Democrats to be optimistic about a return to power at the national level?
  2. What's in the Republican tax bill?
  3. What, in hindsight, could have stopped the nation's latest mass shooting?
  4. And is there a way to end this week on a high note?
*Friday News - International | 1a.org | 11/10/17 | 1hr
President Trump visits Asia. Several Saudi Arabian princes visit prison. And we revisit a conversation about offshore tax shelters in light of the Paradise Papers.

Travel around the world with us for a look at some of the biggest stories in this week's international news.
NYT: Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon Calls Collusion A Joke | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/10/17 | 8:27
Robert Mueller Looks Into Fmr. WH Adviser Michael Flynn's Role In Alleged Plan | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/10/17 | 5:29
Joe Weighs In On Elections: US Politics Are A 'Disaster' | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/10/17 | 4:52
Kellyanne Conway's interview tricks, explained | Vox | older, 02/13/17 | 6:31
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
President Xi Meets President 'Me' | Stephen Colbert | 11/10/17 | 5:04
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
China Pulls Out All the Stops for Trump | Trevor Noah | 11/09/17 | 6:23
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Republicans Push Their Tax Plan After Election Losses | Seth Meyers | 11/09/17 | 9:57
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Talks to Kellyanne Conway About Trump Putin Meeting | Jimmy Kimmel | 11/09/17 | 3:15
Note: I add this just to expose you to what the Alt Right is listening to. Sometimes pretty scary.
Must See! Feminist Organizations Used As Sex-Cult Front Groups | Inforwars | 11/09/17 | 2:54:53
Roger Stone About Brazile, Seth Rich, Mueller, Saudis And Left Lunatics | Inforwars | 11/09/17 | 32:40

11.10.2017. 10:26

Thursday November 09, 2017

How Trump Learned to Love the Swamp
Politico | Michael Grunwald | 11/09/17

A year after the election he's still campaigning as a populist, but he's governing for the big interests he ran against.

Richard Cordray, the crusading Democrat who runs the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, had never met or even spoken to President Donald Trump. But on October 30, he sent an unusually emotional letter to the White House, begging the president to preserve a new rule ensuring that consumers could sue financial firms in court. "This letter is not about charts or graphs or studies," he wrote. "Instead, it is simply a personal appeal to you."

Cordray said he had been warned that his letter would be a waste of time, since the president's Republican allies in Congress had already passed a bill killing the rule, but he tried a last-ditch appeal to the drain-the-swamp, elite-bashing populism that Trump so powerfully expressed in the 2016 campaign. Cordray explained that the bill would prevent ordinary Americans from filing class-action suits against corporate wrongdoers like Wells Fargo and Equifax, and that a veto would help the people who put Trump in office fight the special interests Trump had vowed to crush. ... Read more

Bannon: Mitch McConnell should resign
Politico | Louis Nelson | 11/09/17

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon on Wednesday called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to resign, telling Fox News that "there needs to be a sense of urgency in the Senate."

"I'm to the point that I think Mitch McConnell, to really bring unity to the Republican Party and get things done, I think Mitch McConnell ought to tender his resignation," Bannon, who returned to his job heading the conservative media outlet Breitbart News upon leaving the White House, told Fox News' Sean Hannity. "What he ought to do is offer to resign as soon as taxes are done. We can't do it in the middle of taxes. ... Because, I've got to tell you, there needs to be a sense of urgency in the Senate." ... Read more

America's diplomacy power is being completely destroyed, ambassador warns
Salon | Matthew Rozsa | 11/08/17/span>

Fleeing foreign officers have a "serious, immediate, and tangible effect" on America's ability to shape the world

Former ambassador Barbara Stephenson is warning that President Donald Trump is mishandling the State Department. While I do my best, as principal advocate for our institution and as a seasoned American diplomat, to model responsible, civil discourse, there is simply no denying the warning signs that point to mounting threats to our institution -- and to the global leadership that depends on us," Stephenson wrote in an editorial for the American Foreign Service Association, of which she is president.

She added, "There is no denying that our leadership ranks are being depleted at a dizzying speed, due in part to the decision to slash promotion numbers by more than half. The Foreign Service officer corps at State has lost 60 percent of its Career Ambassadors since January. Ranks of Career Ministers, our three-star equivalents, are down from 33 to 19. The ranks of our two-star Minister Counselors have fallen from 431 right after Labor Day to 369 today -- and are still falling." ... Read more

Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Thursday, November 09 [12:21]
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Thursday, November 09 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. In China, Trump Talks Trade & North Korea, Ignoring Climate Change & Crackdown on Human Rights
  3. Yemeni Journalist: Saudi Arabia's Total Blockade on Yemen is "Death Sentence" for All
  4. Saudi Prince Mohammad bin Salman Consolidates Power & Purges Rivals Under "Anti-Corruption" Pretense
Vijay Prashad: 'The Only Way to Confront a War Economy is to Confront a Culture of War' | TRNN | 11/08/17 | 21:43
Trump Talks Nuclear War...And Golf | TYT | 11/08/17 | 7:08
The1a.org
Anyone who didn't stay up all night watching the election returns last year woke up to news that felt inevitable the night before, but nearly unpredictable a month earlier.

The polls were wrong. The pundits were wrong. The people had spoken and they chose Donald Trump. Since then, many Trump opponents have gone through something akin to the stages of grief -- denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance -- while the president's backers have largely remained unwavering in their support. But one thing pretty much everyone could agree on is that things have not been the same since Election Night of 2016.

We're not here to replay the election or question the results. Rather, with a year of hindsight, we look at what drove the Trump campaign to victory, and what's changed in the year since we woke up to the results.
No other collective group of Americans receives more respect, honor and admiration than members of the U.S. military. But those who serve are also used by politicians to press sided perspectives on all kinds of hot-button issues, from medical benefits to NFL protests.

These days, there are all kinds of ways to show support for America's troops -- a donation at the store register tacked onto your purchase, a yellow ribbon strategically placed in your front yard, televised tributes to war heroes -- but what exactly constitutes "support"? We talk about what active servicemembers and veterans need in terms of financial, medical and emotional assistance. And we learn to recognize when "the troops" are being played for political gain.
Robert Reich On 'Saving Capitalism': Citizen Activism Is Giving Me Hope | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/09/17 | 7:38
NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio: Democrats Must Get Out Into The Community | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/09/17 | 12:35
Former U.S. Ambassador: I Would Like To See Pride From President Donald Trump | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/09/17 | 9:45
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
If Everything Is About Trump, Then So Is Losing Elections | Stephen Colbert | 11/09/17 | 4:21
Trump Assures South Korea That He Is Very Good | Stephen Colbert | 11/09/17 | 5:13
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
So Much Winning for Democrats on Election Day 2017 | Trevor Noah | 11/08/17 | 5:37/a>
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Democrats Get Their First Big Electoral Wins of the Trump Era | Seth Meyers | 11/09/17 | 9:03
Note: I add this just to expose you to what the Alt Right is listening to. Sometimes pretty scary.
Roger Stone, Zach, FBI Jailed! MK-Ultra | Inforwars | 11/08/17 | 42:49
President Trump (unfair trade) Speech in CHINA, with President Xi, UN-FAIR for USA! | Inforwars | 11/09/17 | 16:11

11.09.2017. 11:37

Wednesday November 08, 2017

Did Ronald Reagan's 1981 tax cut supercharge the economy?
WashingtonPost | Nicole Lewis | 11/08/17

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, during a press briefing, Oct. 31:

"While arguing over President Reagan's 1981 tax cuts, Democrats claimed it would only benefit the rich. The Democrat speaker of the House at the time, Tip O'Neill, called them royal tax cuts, because he claimed they favored the wealthiest Americans. What really happened was more than 14 million new jobs were created over five years; incomes grew by over 22 percent for the next seven years; and the economy grew by over 3.5 percent, on average, for the rest of the decade."

... Many of the gains Sanders cites can be attributed to economic recovery following the recession from 1981-1982 and Volcker's monetary policy. Additionally, over the course of his presidency, Reagan increased taxes several times.

It would be more reasonable to consider the tax cuts in conjunction with a series of monetary policy interventions enacted during and before Reagan's administration. Yet Sanders gives Reagan all the credit. We wavered between Two and Three Pinocchios for Sanders, as the data points are mostly correct, but they are used in a misleading way. ... Read more

Watch Out, Donald Trump. Here Come The Democrats.
HP | Nick Baumann | 11/07/17

The Democratic Party romped to victories across the country Tuesday, gaining key state legislative seats, two governorships and full control of the state governments of New Jersey and Washington, where they'll have wide power to enact their agenda.

In one sense, the wins should have been expected: President Donald Trump is extremely unpopular, and the party that holds the White House usually does worse in congressional, state and local elections in years when the president isn't on the ballot.

And the victories were expected in some cases. In New Jersey, Democrat Phil Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs banker, consistently led in the polls and will now be the next governor. But elsewhere, outcomes were more uncertain. ... Read more

Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House by Donna Brazile

In the fallout of the Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee--and as chaos threatened to consume the party's convention--Democrats turned to a familiar figure to right the ship: Donna Brazile. Known to millions from her frequent TV appearances, she was no stranger to high stakes and dirty opponents, and the longtime Democratic strategist had a reputation in Washington as a one-stop shop for fixing sticky problems.

What Brazile found at the DNC was unlike anything she had experienced before--and much worse than is commonly known. The party was beset by infighting, scandal, and hubris, while reeling from a brazen and wholly unprecedented attempt by a foreign power to influence the presidential election. Plus, its candidate, Hillary Clinton, faced an opponent who broke every rule in the political playbook.

Packed with never-before-reported revelations about what went down in 2016, Hacks is equal parts campaign thriller, memoir, and roadmap for the future. With Democrats now in the wilderness after this historic defeat, Hacks argues that staying silent about what went wrong helps no one. Only by laying bare the missteps, miscalculations, and crimes of 2016, Brazile contends, will Americans be able to salvage their democracy.

Trump Bucks Usual Aggression, Opens The Door To Negotiations With North Korea
HP | Nick Visser | 11/08/17

President Donald Trump took a far more measured tone during his address to South Korea's National Assembly on Wednesday, touting the option of diplomacy with North Korea while delivering a strong message to the country's leader that it must end its nuclear weapons program.

Trump, speaking in Seoul as part of his 12-day tour of Asia, delivered a direct and at times heavy-handed message to Kim Jong Un, telling the North Korean leader: "Do not underestimate us. Do not try us."

However the president echoed calls from a day earlier when, speaking at a news conference with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, he urged Pyongyang to "come to the table and make a deal."

"I also come here to deliver a message directly to the leader: The weapons you are acquiring are not making you safer. They are putting your regime in grave danger," Trump told the National Assembly. "Every step you take down this dark path increases the peril you face. North Korea is not the paradise your grandfather envisioned. It is a hell that no person deserves. ... Read more

Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Wednesday, November 08 [13:31]
Trump's Commerce Secretary Owns Stake in Russian Companies While He Oversees Potential Sanctions |DN | 11/08/17 | 2:55
Paradise Papers Expose "Cleverest Ways of Exploiting" Offshore Tax Havens by GOP & Democratic Donors |DN | 11/08/17 | 8:53
Billionaire GOP Backer Robert Mercer Used Offshore Profits to Fund Breitbart & Attacks on Clinton |DN | 11/08/17 | 7:59
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Wednesday, November 08 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. Voters Reject Republican Candidates as New "Autopsy" Report Finds the Democratic Party in Crisis
  3. Billionaire GOP Backer Robert Mercer Used Offshore Profits to Fund Breitbart & Attacks on Clinton
  4. Trump's Commerce Secretary Owns Stake in Russian Companies While He Oversees Potential Sanctions
  5. Paradise Papers Expose "Cleverest Ways of Exploiting" Offshore Tax Havens by GOP & Democratic Donors
The Intercept's Ryan Grim Explains -> The Link Between Saudi Prince's Power Grab and DC Corruption | TRNN | 11/07/17 | 11:56
Trump Praises Saudi Royal Purge | TYT | 11/07/17 | 7:56
The1a.org
The gunman who entered a rural Texas church and murdered 26 people should have never been allowed to buy his weapons because of his history with domestic violence.

It's illegal for anyone convicted of child or spousal abuse to purchase a firearm. But a reporting oversight about the shooter's violent background by the Air Force helped Devin Patrick Kelley evade an appearance in the National Criminal Information Center database.

Kelley should have been ineligible for gun ownership based on a military court conviction for a brutal assault on his wife and infant stepson that left the child's skull fractured. Authorities are now investigating threats the shooter made against his in-laws.

The Texas church massacre is the latest incident of gun violence where red flags about the perpetrator include past abusive behavior. This was true of the Pulse nightclub shooter as well. Allegations about the Las Vegas shooter's mistreatment of his girlfriend arose in the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting in recent U.S. history. And there are many more incidents easily missed in national headlines.

Is there a link between domestic violence and mass shootings? If so, should we all be paying closer attention to solving the problem of domestic violence?
Donna Brazile On Her New Book 'Hacks': DNC Not Rigged But There Was A Cancer | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/08/17 | 18:21
Donald Trump Takes Hard Line On North Korea At Korean Assembly | MSNBC 11th Hour | 11/08/17 | 6:22
Pussy Riot's Warning About President Donald Trump For The U.S. Resistance | MSNBC Last Word | 11/07/17 | 8:29
LastWeekTonight with John Oliver
Economic Development | John Oliver | 11/05/17 | 14:55
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Saudi Arabia's Political Purge | Trevor Noah | 11/07/17 | 5:11
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Strangest Stranger Things Mash-Up Ever | Jimmy Kimmel | 11/06/17 | 3:22

11.08.2017. 09:46

Tuesday November 07, 2017

Trump: 'Hundreds more' would have died in Texas if gun laws were stricter
Politico | Louis Nelson | 11/07/17

Tougher vetting for individuals who purchase firearms would not have stopped the gunman in last weekend's mass shooting in Texas, President Donald Trump said Tuesday, tamping down renewed calls for gun control.

At a press conference Tuesday in South Korea, Trump was asked if he would consider seeking "extreme vetting" for gun purchasers similar to what he has advocated for individuals entering the U.S. from other countries. Trump said such screenings would not have stopped Sunday's gunman, who killed 26 people inside a Texas church, and could potentially have stopped another gun owner from confronting the shooter. ... Read more

Trump commerce secretary's business links with Putin family laid out in leaked files
TheGuardian | Jon Swaine and Luke Harding | 11/05/17

Donald Trump's commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, is doing business with Vladimir Putin's son-in-law through a shipping venture in Russia.

Leaked documents and public filings show Ross holds a stake in a shipping company, Navigator, through a chain of offshore investments. Navigator operates a lucrative partnership with Sibur, a Russian gas company part-owned by Kirill Shamalov, the husband of Putin's daughter Katerina Tikhonova.

Ross, a billionaire and close friend of Trump, retained holdings in Navigator after taking office this year. The relationship means he stands to benefit from the operations of a Russian company run by Putin's family and close allies, some of whom are under US sanctions. ... Read more
The Paradise Papers, a leak of 13.4million files

Hedge Funds Are Having Their Best Year Since 2013 | Bloomberg | 11/07/17 | article (Read more)

Texas church shooting and domestic violence: A large and disturbing pattern
Salon | Amanda Marcotte | 11/07/17

The Sutherland Springs shooting looks like another example of men acting out violent rage against women

As more information leaks out about the mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas -- where 26 people were murdered and 20 more injured during Sunday church services -- it's becoming clear that this almost certainly started off as a domestic violence incident. The alleged shooter, Devin Patrick Kelley, had a history of such incidents. In 2012, he was court-martialed by the Air Force for an assault on his wife and child. After his divorce from that wife, police were summoned to his home in 2014 another report of abuse, this one involving a girlfriend he would marry two months later. ... Read more

Syria Vows To Sign Paris Agreement, Leaving U.S. Alone In Climate Denial
HP | Alexander C. Kaufman | 11/07/17

Syria took a break on Tuesday from its gruesome six-year civil war to announce plans to sign the Paris climate agreement, leaving the United States as the only country to reject the emissions-cutting deal.

The deal was considered historic because it was the first climate agreement to include the U.S. ? the world's biggest historic emitter, with by far the largest per-capita carbon footprint ? and China, which currently produces the most carbon pollution on a national level. The U.S. took a lead role in shaping the deal.

Only war-torn Syria and Nicaragua, which protested the agreement's failure to impose strict demands on major polluters, refused to sign. ... Read more

Leak Exposes Ross Stake In Putin-Tied Company | MSNBC | 11/06/17 | 14:12
Sec. Ross Responds To Paradise Papers Allegations | CNBC | 11/06/17 | 16:08
Wilbur Ross At Nexus Of Donald Trump Russian Deal | MSNBC Rachel Maddow | older 02/27/17 | 21:56
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Tuesday, November 07 [10:51]
How Domestic Violence and Militarism "Open the Floodgates" to Mass Shootings Like the Texas Massacre |DN | 11/07/17 | 19:33
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Tuesday, November 07 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. How Domestic Violence and Militarism "Open the Floodgates" to Mass Shootings Like the Texas Massacre
  3. As NYPD Officers Are Charged with Rape of Teenager, Advocates Call for End to Mass Sexual Violence
  4. Acclaimed Chilean Writer Isabel Allende on Death of Pablo Neruda, the 1973 Chilean Coup & Trump
  5. Chilean Writer Isabel Allende's New Novel, "In the Midst of Winter," Examines Immigrant Lives & Love
*Investigative reporter James S Henry explains -> 'Paradise Papers' Leak Details How Major Corporations Evade Taxes | TRNN | 11/07/17 | 14:77
*Col. Larry Wilkerson Explains -> Most of Congress "Likes War" and Opposes Ending US Support for Saudi War in Yemen | TRNN | 11/07/17 | 13:14
New Saudi Power Grab Follows Big Losses | TRNN | 11/07/17 | 15:36
Rand Paul Hospitalized After Neighbor Assault | TYT | 11/06/17 | 3:42
Trump Commerce Secretary Lied About Russian Ties | TYT | 11/06/17 | 6:44
Fox News: No Better Place To Get Killed Than Church! | TYT | 11/06/17 | 10:51
The1a.org
Accepting The America We Have | 1a.org | 11/07/17 | 1hr
It's become an all-too familiar scenario: A mass shooting leaves several people dead, thoughts and prayers are requested and given, debates over gun control and mental health bubble up then ... another shooting happens and the cycle repeats.

This is the reality we live in. The government gives citizens instructions for what to do if there's a shooting at work. Cartoons that run before films tell moviegoers what to do if there's an attack on the theater. The Onion's satirical headline, "'No Way To Prevent This,' Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens" reliably goes viral after every new incident. ...
One Year Later, Two Tests For The Major Parties | 1a.org | 11/07/17 | 1hr
It's been a tumultuous year for the Republican and Democratic parties. After an upset in the 2016 election, the GOP hasn't completely united behind President Trump. Some members have adjusted to the president's platform, while others -- typically outgoing and former elected officials -- have spoken out against the direction the president is pulling the party in.

Meanwhile, Democrats are struggling to rebuild after losing what they thought was a sure thing. And new revelations from the party's former chair have led to tumult in the ranks and questions over the party's organization, fundraising and strategy.

Now it's testing time outside of Washington. Tight elections in Virginia and New Jersey have turned the states into proving grounds for parties still adjusting to a year-old surprise.
Trump Campaign Adviser Carter Page's Testimony Uncovers A 'Very Odd' Picture | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/07/17 | 11:56
Congressman Jim Himes Calls Carter Page's Intel Testimony 'Eccentric' | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/07/17 | 4:04
Hayes On Donald Trump's "Two Modes" In The Wake Of Atrocities | MSNBC All In | 11/06/17 | 2:30
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Gun Violence Makes Us Feel Powerless, But We're Not | Stephen Colbert | 11/06/17 | 3:22
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Japan Suffers Through a Visit from Trump | Trevor Noah | 11/06/17 | 5:14
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Trump Travels to Asia as Russia Probe Escalates: A Closer Look | Seth Meyers | 11/06/17 | 11:38
Note: I add this just to expose you to what the Alt Right is listening to. Sometimes pretty scary.
Crazy-Times! 11/6/17 | Inforwars | 11/06/17 | 28:53
North Korea Nuclear Warning! Trump Attacking on North Korea: 'Era of Strategic Patience is Over' | The Economist | 11/06/17 | 12:52
How to Survive a Nuclear Attack | North Korea Nuclear Warning! | The Economist | 08/13/17 | 17:23

11.07.2017. 11:49

Monday November 06, 2017

Trump Says Deadly Texas Shooting Isn't A Guns Issue, It's A Mental Health Problem
HP | Rebecca Shapiro | 11/06/17

President Donald Trump responded to the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history by saying the attack was a result of "a mental health problem" and not due to lax gun control laws.

During a news conference Monday in Tokyo, Trump said it was "a little bit soon" to get into a discussion about gun control. ... Read more

Mass shooting in Southernland Springs, Texas kills 26 people, nearly half of the congregation of a church, or 7% of the population of the town.

Vanity Fair: Trump blaming Kushner for Mueller investigation
The Hill | Rebecca Savransky | 11/01/17

President Trump is reportedly blaming White House adviser Jared Kushner for his role in decisions that led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller, according to a new report by Vanity Fair.

In a call Tuesday to former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon, Trump put blame on Kushner for the part he took in choices to fire former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former FBI director James Comey, Vanity Fair reported. ... Read more
Trump Turning On Jared Kushner? | TYT | 11/02/17 | 6:55

Trump continues to degrade the presidency -- and there's no quick fix coming
Salon | Chauncey DeVega | 11/06/17

In normal circumstances, Trump's contempt for democracy would be grounds for removal. But nothing is normal now/p>

With great power comes great responsibility. Those words are a warning. They are also a proclamation. Donald Trump has learned neither of the two lessons.

Last Monday, Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller issued his first indictments of Trump's inner circle for financial and other crimes related to the Russia scandal. The next day Sayfullo Saipov, an alleged ISIS-inspired terrorist, killed eight people and injured at least a dozen on the streets of lower Manhattan.

In response, Donald Trump concocted a series of lies and conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton, uranium, and the Democratic Party. On Twitter as well as in interviews throughout the week, he said that the American legal system was "a joke" and "a laughingstock." Trump may also have made it much more difficult to convict or sentence Saipov by publicly threatening him with execution. ... Read more

Sex, Booze And Bribes Corruption Probe Targets 60 U.S. Navy Admirals: Report
HP | Mary Papenfuss | 11/06/17

A massive investigation of U.S. Navy corruption in Asia that featured wild parties, bribes and prostitutes has expanded to include more than than 60 admirals and hundreds of other Navy officers, The Washington Post reports.

The probe centers on Malaysian contractor Leonard "Fat Leonard" Glenn Francis, who provided money and wild times in exchange for classified information to win lucrative contracts with the 7th Fleet for his Singapore-based company and defraud the U.S. government, according to the newspaper.

The Justice Department has already filed charges against 28 people, including two admirals, since Francis was arrested in a sting operation four years ago. But that could just be the beginning. Eighteen people have pleaded guilty to charges that include violations of military law and federal ethics rules.

The Navy told the Post that investigators have been examining the conduct of 440 personnel, current and retired, including at least 60 admirals. ... Read more

Trump Is Racking Up an Appalling Civilian Death Count
AlterNet | Marjorie Cohn / Truthout | 11/03/17

In March alone, 1,000 died as a result of needless American wars.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump advocated killing innocent families of suspected terrorists. "When you get these terrorists, you have to take out their families," he declared. Besides the immorality of killing innocents, the targeting of civilians violates the Geneva Conventions.

The George W. Bush administration unlawfully detained and tortured suspected terrorists. Determined not to send more suspects to Guantánamo, Barack Obama's administration illegally assassinated them with drones and other methods, killing many civilians in the process.

Now the Trump administration is killing record numbers of civilians and weakening the already-flimsy targeted killing rules Obama put in place. ... Read more

Click to zoom in
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Monday, November 06 [14:00]
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Monday, November 06 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. Suspect in Texas Church Massacre was Thrown Out of Air Force & Jailed for Assaulting Wife & Child
  3. Texans Decry "Extremist" Gun Lobby & Inadequate Background Checks After Mass Shooting Kills 26
  4. After Texas Massacre, Drexel Prof. Asks: "What Makes White Men So Prone to This Kind of Behavior?"
  5. Why Did Media Overlook Sept. Shooting in Plano, Texas When Estranged Husband Killed Wife & 7 Others?
  6. Paradise Papers: Millions of Leaked Docs Reveal Shady Ties & Tax Evasion by Trump's Inner Circle
Suspect in Texas Church Massacre was Thrown Out of Air Force & Jailed for Assaulting Wife & Child | DN | 11/06/17 | 12:55
Paradise Papers: Millions of Leaked Docs Reveal Shady Ties & Tax Evasion by Trump’s Inner Circle | DN | 11/06/17 | 8:03
Sarah St. Vincent of Human Rights Watch -> Documents Raise Fears of Pentagon Domestic Spying | TRNN | 11/03/17 | 8:37
Climate Collapse Outpacing Scientific Models | TYT | 11/05/17 | 6:55
The1a.org
*The Latest On The Texas Church Shooting | 1a.org | 11/06/17 | 1hr
A shooting at a church outside of San Antonio, Texas, has left 25 people confirmed dead. CNN reports that "the shooter was killed after a brief chase."

We'll hear from reporters on the scene as the investigation continues.
*A Look Inside The Paradise Papers | 1a.org | 11/06/17 | 1hr
Paradise Papers Report.

A new leak of confidential records reveals the financial hideaways of iconic brands and power brokers across the political spectrum

A leak of 13.4 million documents from offshore tax havens has revealed a slew of details about some of the richest and most powerful people and companies. The trove of data, which are being called the Paradise Papers, "exposes ties between Russia and U.S. President Donald Trump's billionaire commerce secretary, the secret dealings of the chief fundraiser for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the offshore interests of the queen of England and more than 120 politicians around the world,"

As with the Panama Papers, the Paradise Papers are being reported on by dozens of newsrooms and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

The Guardian
  1. Extensive offshore dealings by Donald Trump's cabinet members, advisers and donors, including substantial payments from a firm co-owned by Vladimir Putin's son-in-law to the shipping group of the US commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross.
  2. How Twitter and Facebook received hundreds of millions of dollars in investments that can be traced back to Russian state financial institutions.
  3. The tax-avoiding Cayman Islands trust managed by the Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau's chief moneyman.
PARADISE PAPERS Massive Document Dump NAMES Politicians & Elites Hiding Billions From Public | MoxNews | 11/05/17 | 14:11
President Donald Trump Frustrated By Notion Of Independent Justice | MSNBC Rachel Maddow | 11/03/17 | 23:44
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross Hid Ties To Vladimir Putin Cronies | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/06/17 | 8:13
Sen. Richard Blumenthal Criticizes Wilbur Ross' Ties To Russia, I Feel Misled | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/06/17 | 12:58
President Donald Trump On Texas Mass Shooting: It's Not A 'Guns Situation' | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/06/17 | 14:53
LastWeekTonight with John Oliver
Economic Development | John Oliver | 11/05/17 | 14:55
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
In Asia, Trump Might Meet 'Pen Pineapple Apple Pen' Guy | Stephen Colbert | 11/04/17 | 3:59
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Silicon Valley Answers to Congress Amid the Russia Probe | Trevor Noah | 11/03/17 | 6:41
Note: I add this just to expose you to what the Alt Right is listening to. Sometimes pretty scary.
Breaking! Seth Rich, Donna Brazile, DNC, Hillary | Infowars | 11/05/17 | 21:00
ROGER STONE: Sessions Recuses Himself From Uranium One | Infowars | 11/03/17 | 24:40
Lord Monckton on Climate Change | Infowars | 11/06/17 | 36:40

11.06.2017. 12:30

Friday November 03, 2017

Rogue Twitter Employee Deletes Donald Trump's Account On Last Day
HP | Doha Madani | 11/02/17

President Donald Trump's personal Twitter account, @realDonaldTrump, briefly vanished from the internet on Thursday.

Social media users noticed that for a short period of time around 7 p.m. EDT Thursday, the page was inaccessible. Given the president's frequent use of the platform, confusion began to circulate as to why the account might be deleted. But it was all an employee error, Twitter said about an hour later. It seems that an employee who was leaving the company deleted the account. ... Read more

Trump Twiter Archive
Trump Twiter Archive

Trump: 'We'll see' if Tillerson lasts duration of term
Politico | Cristiano Lima | 11/02/17

President Donald Trump on Thursday declined to give a full-throated endorsement of his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, saying that "we'll see" if he will serve out his term with the president.

... "We'll see. I don't know who's going to be [here for the] duration," the president replied. He also noted that Tillerson was "working hard" and "doing his best." With the remark, Tillerson again had his future with the Trump administration thrown into uncertainty. ... Read more

How America's Bloated Defense Budget Leaves Us Defenseless...and Broke
AlterNet | Guy Saperstein | 11/01/17

We're spending billions on the military at the expense of health care and schools.

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children."

It has been over six decades since Dwight D. Eisenhower uttered these words in a broadcast announcement from the Statler Hotel in Washington D.C. And while circumstances in America have undoubtedly changed, his words remain accurate. ... Read more

Donna Brazile Confesses that DNC Rigged Primaries
TRNN| Michael Sainato | 11/02/17

Former DNC Interim Chair Donna Brazile confirms money laundering scheme between the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign

On November 2, Donna Brazile published an excerpt from her upcoming book, "Hacks," in Politico. In the passage, Brazile outlines how she first discovered the joint fundraising agreement between Hillary Clinton's campaign and the DNC that created the Hillary Victory Fund. The agreement is the most overt evidence that the DNC rigged the 2016 Democratic Primaries for Hillary Clinton. Essentially, Brazile claims that the fund was used to launder money to the Clinton Campaign, and in exchange the DNC received help in clearing out its debt. The catch was that former DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the entire apparatus of the DNC was at the control of the Clinton Campaign, serving as an extension of it under the false pretense of neutrality.

"Individuals who had maxed out their $2,700 contribution limit to the campaign could write an additional check for $353,400 to the Hillary Victory Fund--that figure represented $10,000 to each of the thirty-two states' parties who were part of the Victory Fund agreement--$320,000--and $33,400 to the DNC," Brazile writes. "The money would be deposited in the states first, and transferred to the DNC shortly after that. Money in the battleground states usually stayed in that state, but all the other states funneled that money directly to the DNC, which quickly transferred the money to Brooklyn." ... Read more
BOMBSHELL: Donna Brazile Admits DNC Rigged Primary Against Bernie | TYT | 11/02/17 | 18:05

Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Friday, November 03 [9:09]
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Friday, November 03 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. In Puerto Rico's Highlands, Hurricane Maria Has Exploded Fault Lines of Poverty & Austerity
  3. Economist Yanis Varoufakis: Puerto Ricans Deserve an Escape from "Permanent Debt Prison"
  4. Yanis Varoufakis on Global Capitalism & How Trump's Tax Plan is Class War Against the Poor
  5. Greek Economist Yanis Varoufakis on Nazi Resurgence in Europe & Why "ISIS Loves Donald Trump"
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on Donna Brazile's DNC Bombshell | TRNN | 11/03/17 | 9:28
Alison Kirsch says -> Who Funds the World's Dirtiest Energy Projects? | TRNN | 11/03/17 | 10:43
Breitbart, Milo Lose Megadonor Robert Mercer | TYT | 11/02/17 | 5:42
The1a.org
*Friday News - Domestic | 1a.org | 11/03/17 | 1hr
New York came under attack this week, with eight people killed in what's being called an act of terror.
"Prosecutors say [the suspect] waived his Miranda rights and confessed during a hospital interview to having carried out the attack after being inspired by ISIS videos he watched on his cellphone," NPR reports.
The focus on the suspect's online connection with ISIS brought additional attention to the role of social media networks in politics, something they were already discussing with lawmakers in hearings this week.
In response to the violence, President Trump called for a change to immigration policy.
The president and congressional Republicans are also pushing for a change in the tax code, though a new poll suggests the public isn't that excited to see lawmakers pivot to taxes.
Meanwhile, the first indictments in the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election were handed down.
And whether it's in Hollywood, New York or Washington, victims of sexual harassment continue to step forward with accusations against powerful men.
*Friday News - International | 1a.org | 11/03/17 | 1hr
A terror attack ended the lives of six international tourists who were visiting New York this week. The suspect, a 29-year-old man from Uzbekistan, is in custody and authorities are working to learn more about why he may have carried out this act of deadly violence.

President Trump weighed in, rather controversially, on the lower Manhattan attack as he prepares for a trip abroad to Asia.

Is now the right time for him to leave the country?

And the CIA has released thousands of files recovered from Osama Bin Laden's computer, including the former al-Qaeda leader's personal journal..
Heilemann: Donna Brazile's Book Shocking For Exposing 'Collusion' | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/03/17 | 8:53
Joe: 'Any Self-Aware POTUS Would Be Very Concerning' | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/03/17 | 18:52
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Bannon Suggests Trump Defund Robert Mueller's Investigation | Stephen Colbert | 11/03/17 | 7:00
The Daily Show by Trevor Noah
Silicon Valley Answers to Congress Amid the Russia Probe | Trevor Noah | 11/02/17 | 6:41
Roger Stone Discusses Info in JFK Files, Trumps Upcoming trip to Asia, Latest News Current Events | Infowars | 11/02/17 | 38:34 Alex Jones Interviews Author William Jasper | Infowars | 11/03/17 | 25:08

11.03.2017. 14:38

Thursday November 02, 2017

GOP Sticks With Big, Permanent Corporate Tax Cuts in House Bill
WSJ | | 11/02/17

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, set to be released Thursday morning, would permanently chop the corporate tax rate from 35% to 20%, compress the number of individual income tax brackets, and repeal the taxes paid by large estates starting in 2024, according to a detailed summary of the plan reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The plan would seeking the biggest transformation of the U.S. tax code in more than 30 years. Read more

Trump Blamed The Visa Lottery For A Terrorist Attack. But Ending It Wouldn't End Terrorism.
HP | Elise Foley | 11/01/17

Experts say the focus shouldn't be on shutting down the visa lottery but on preventing radicalization.

President Donald Trump and his White House are using the Tuesday terrorist attack in New York City to push their goal of cutting legal immigration by misleading the public about the diversity visa lottery system. But immigration experts argue that early available evidence indicates the focus should be on preventing radicalization ? and that eliminating the diversity lottery or blocking people from certain nations won't prevent such attacks.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders falsely said on Wednesday that there is no vetting for the diversity visa lottery, a program that allows 50,000 people to move to the country each year from countries with low immigration rates. ... Read more

Is Trump trapped? He's hemmed in by bad advice, with no way out
Salon | Heather Digby Parton | 11/02/17

According to The New York Times, the president is cool, calm and collected in the wake of special counsel Robert Mueller's indictments of three of his close associates this week. He called up a reporter to say "I'm actually not angry at anybody. I'm not under investigation, as you know. . . . Even if you look at that, there's not even a mention of Trump in there. . . . It has nothing to do with us." He also said, "I just got fantastic poll numbers" and that he's "really enjoying" the job. Sure he is.

He didn't tell the Times reporter what poll numbers he was looking at, but whatever they were, they weren't anyone else's definition of fantastic. His best job approval numbers at the moment are in the low 40s, and most have him languishing in the 30s. Gallup's daily tracking poll hit a new low this week: 33 percent. Trump's longtime friend and adviser, Sam Nunberg, told Vanity Fair's Gabriel Sherman, "You can't go any lower. He's fucked." ... Read more

Google and Facebook's Congressional Testimonies Reveal a Deep Hypocrisy at the Heart of the Missions of These Tech Titans
AlterNet | Liz Posner | 11/01/17

The companies don't care about their consumers anymore.

The House and Senate intelligence committees probed legal representatives from Google, Facebook, and Twitter this week over their role in Russia's hacking of the 2016 election. While the three corporate reps played along, claiming ignorance of the extent of the Russian involvement and outrage over it happening at all, their behavior at the testimonies revealed a deep and underlying rot within their companies -- one that we all could have seen coming since we first discovered these companies were spying on us. The Google, Facebook, and Twitter congressional hearings this week confirmed that the Russian infiltration of the American election wasn't just a problem of oversight on behalf of those companies. They also revealed that these companies have, to some extent, abandoned their fundamental missions. ... Read more

Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Thursday, November 02 [12:04]
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Thursday, November 02 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. "Send Him to Gitmo": Trump Urges Execution of Saipov After Defending "Both Sides" in Charlottesville
  3. Advocates: Make "Low-Tech" Car Attacks Less Deadly by Putting Barriers on Bicycle & Pedestrian Paths
  4. Trump Scapegoats Immigrants, Calls to End Diversity Visa Lottery That Brought Saipov to U.S. in 2010
  5. Trump & Media Focus on Muslims After Attack in NYC, Even as NYPD Says Islam Played No Role
  6. Uzbekistan Cooperated with CIA Torture & Rendition Post-9/11, As Govt. Boiled Dissidents Alive
*Economist Dean Baker -> Trump's Tax Man, and Tax Plan, for the 1% | TRNN | 11/02/17 | 8:00
Climate Emergency: Greenhouse Gas Levels Surge to Historic Levels | TRNN | 11/02/17 | 11:03
Donald Trump Jr. Anti-Socialist Halloween Tweet Backfires | TYT | 11/01/17 | 8:22
The1a.org
*Facebook Has Commented On An Election You Voted In. Be The First To Like It. | 1a.org | 11/02/17 | 1hr
One year ago, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said it was a "pretty crazy idea" that the social network he created might have influenced the presidential election.

He's since had a change of heart. And the idea doesn't seem that crazy, considering the scope of Russian activity online around the election. As the New York Timesreports:

Russian agents intending to sow discord among American citizens disseminated inflammatory posts that reached 126 million users on Facebook, published more than 131,000 messages on Twitter and uploaded over 1,000 videos to Google's YouTube service, according to copies of prepared remarks from the companies that were obtained by The New York Times.

And now representatives from Facebook, Google and Twitter have been called before Congress to explain how their technology may have been misused (Zuckerberg himself has an earnings call to attend and won't appear on Capitol Hill).
President Donald Trump Blames Jared Kushner For Bad Political Advice | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/02/17 | 8:38
Does GOP Have Its Act Together On Tax Bill? | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/02/17 | 7:57
President Donald Trump's Tweet Calls For Death Penalty For NYC Terror Suspect | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/02/17 | 9:37
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Trump's Name For His Tax Bill Is So... Trumpy | Stephen Colbert | 11/02/17 | 4:52
Stephen Explains Socialism To Donald Jr. With Halloween Candy | Stephen Colbert | 11/02/17 | 3:51
Late Night with Seth Meyers
How the GOP Is Reacting to the Papadopoulos Indictment | Stephen Colbert | 11/01/17 | 11:30

11.02.2017. 10:08

Wednesday November 01, 2017

Trump attacks Schumer over NYC attacker and visa program
Politico | Louis Nelson | 11/01/17

President Donald Trump on Wednesday laid the blame for the deadly attack at the feet of the Senate minority leader, saying a State Department visa program that he claims allowed the driver in Tuesday's New York terrorist attack to enter the U.S. is a "Chuck Schumer beauty."

"The terrorist came into our country through what is called the 'Diversity Visa Lottery Program,' a Chuck Schumer beauty. I want merit based," Trump wrote online in a pair of posts. "We are fighting hard for Merit Based immigration, no more Democrat Lottery Systems. We must get MUCH tougher (and smarter)."

"'Senator Chuck Schumer helping to import Europe's problems' said Col. Tony Shaffer. We will stop this craziness!" Trump added in a third post, referencing Shaffer's appearance on Fox News's "Fox & Friends." ... Read more

Bryan Cranston: 'F**k You' To Anyone Who Wants Trump To Fail | TYT | 11/01/17 | 7:29

6 Loose Ends in Mueller's Investigation That Could End Up Shaking Trump's Presidency
AlterNet | Steven Rosenfeld | 10/31/17

... "The first big takeaway from Monday morning's flurry of charging and plea documents with respect to Paul Manafort Jr., Richard Gates III and George Papadopoulos is this: The president of the United States had as his campaign chairman a man who had allegedly served for years as an unregistered foreign agent for a puppet government of Vladimir Putin, a man who was allegedly laundering remarkable sums of money even while running the now-president's campaign, a man who allegedly lied about all of this to the FBI and the Justice Department," wrote Susan Hennessey and Benjamin Wittes for LawfareBlog.com. ... Read more

How a Federal Inquiry Says Paul Manafort Laundered $18 Million | NYTimes | | 10/31/17 | article
CO2 makes largest Jump in recorded history, hits record high | Climate State | 10/31/17 | 7:38
Scott Pruitt Declares War on Wind and Solar Energy, While Fossil Fuels Get Billions in Subsidies | AlterNet | Elliot Negin | 10/30/17 | article

The Education of Betsy DeVos
Politico | Tim Alberta | Nov/Dec 2017

President Donald Trump's most controversial, ideological Cabinet pick is discovering the limits of her power.

KANSAS CITY, Missouri -- It is strange, if a bit unsettling, to see U.S. Marshals constantly hovering near the U.S. secretary of education, a 59-year-old evangelical Christian grandmother whose hobbies are bike riding, yoga and visiting grade schools. But as Betsy DeVos approached Kansas City Academy on a sunny Friday morning in mid-September, it was clear why she wants them there.

It was the final day of her "Rethink School" tour, the familiar fly-around trip taken by a Cabinet secretary to capture some local news coverage and emphasize priorities--in DeVos' case, to highlight unique and innovative learning environments across the country. But at this particular stop, tension filled the air. Several hundred protesters gathered outside -- vastly outnumbering the 76 students, grades 6 through 12, who attend the school -- while a procession of speakers denounced DeVos as a destroyer of public education and an enabler of campus rape. ... Read more

Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Wednesday, November 01 [12:09]
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines forWednesday, November 01 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. Shocking New Investigation Links Berta Cáceres's Assassination to Executives at Honduran Dam Company
  3. Puerto Rico: As Whitefish Contract Faces Scrutiny, Fluor and Other Companies Move to Privatize Water
  4. As Elon Musk Proposes Taking Over Power Authority, Puerto Ricans Demand Community-Owned Solar Power
  5. Judge Rejects Part of Trump's Ban on Transgender Military Members Serving Openly
*Col. Larry Wilkerson explains -> The 'Perpetual' Authorization for Use of Military Force is 'Dangerous' | TRNN | 11/01/17 | 18:57
BREAKING: Truck Plows Into People By World Trade Center | TYT | 10/31/17 | 10:22
Trump Seething With Hatred After Mueller's First Arrests | TYT | 10/31/17 | 10:10
Note: Cenk Uygur gets a little emotional on this video. Everyone should do their own investigation on important topics, and history in general, to make up their own minds.
John Kelly's Revisionist Civil War History | TYT | 10/31/17 | 13:30
The1a.org
*What Do We Need To Know About Uzbekistan? | 1a.org | 11/01/17 | 1hr
Officials were quick to declare the attack that left eight people dead in New York City Tuesday an act of terror.

The suspect, it was revealed, comes from Uzbekistan, a country that has been both a U.S. partner in fighting terrorism, and the home to several suspects who have threatened the U.S. and Europe. What do we need to know about Uzbekistan?
Male, Minor and #MeToo | 1a.org | 11/01/17 | 1hr
Women in Hollywood are being heard. The Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal put the problem of harassment and assault of women in the industry in full view. But showbiz's open secret doesn't end there. Some of Hollywood's youngest victims aren't as empowered in this moment of #MeToo to speak up, particularly if they're male.

This week, actor Anthony Rapp accused Oscar winner Kevin Spacey of assaulting him when Rapp was just 14 years old. Spacey apologized, but said that he didn't remember the incident.

How pervasive is sexual abuse of children in the entertainment industry? And who in Hollywood is working to stop it?
Newly Unsealed Court Documents Tie Paul Manafort, Rick Gates To Russia | MSNBC Rachel Maddow | 10/31/17 | 14:04
New York City Halloween Celebrations Defy Act Of Terror | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/01/17 | 5:22
New York City Halloween Celebrations Defy Act Of Terror | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/01/17 | 5:22
Congressman Adam Schiff: Don't Use NYC Tragedy To Push Visa Agenda | MSNBC Morning Joe | 11/01/17 | 8:49
Tillerson, Mattis SCHOOLS Corker and Flake on authorization of military force by President Trump | C-Span? | 10/30/17 | 53:29
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The Papadopoulos Monologue-opoulos | Stephen Colbert | 11/01/17 | 8:44
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Unfollowed: Escaping Trump's Tweets | The Daily Show | 11/01/17 | 4:12
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Donald Trump Jr.'s Donald Trump Mask, Christopher Columbus' Birthday - Monologue | Seth Meyers | 11/01/17 | 3:20
Note: I add this just to expose you to what the Alt Right is listening to. Sometimes pretty scary.
David Knight - Alex Jones Infowars | Infowars |11/01/17 | 42:38
SHH.. Quiet! Coming Attacks! | Infowars |11/01/17 | 20:53

11.01.2017. 12:32



Special Interest Important stuff
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Lindsey Graham Mashups
Lindsey Graham

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said the quiet part aloud on why he’s still so close to former President Donald Trump: because we can use him for our goals. "President Trump has gotten people who wouldn't give me or Romney or anybody else the time of day. They believe he is on their side," the senator told the America First Agenda Summit crowd on Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

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Environment & Climate Change
Environment

The term "climate change" is often used to refer specifically to anthropogenic climate change (also known as global warming). Anthropogenic climate change is caused by human activity, as opposed to changes in climate that may have resulted as part of Earth's natural processes.

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AI - Artificial Intelligence | Machine Learning | Deep Learning
AI - Artificial Intelligence

AIArtificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence demonstrated by machines, as opposed to the natural intelligence displayed by animals including humans. AI research has been defined as the field of study of intelligent agents, which refers to any system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chance of achieving its goals.

The term "artificial intelligence" had previously been used to describe machines that mimic and display "human" cognitive skills that are associated with the human mind, such as "learning" and "problem-solving". This definition has since been rejected by major AI researchers who now describe AI in terms of rationality and acting rationally, which does not limit how intelligence can be articulated.
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Quantum mechanics | AI - Artificial Intelligence
Quantum mechanics

Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles.  It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, quantum field theory, quantum technology, and quantum information science.
Classical physics, the collection of theories that existed before the advent of quantum mechanics, describes many aspects of nature at an ordinary (macroscopic) scale, but is not sufficient for describing them at small (atomic and subatomic) scales. Most theories in classical physics can be derived from quantum mechanics as an approximation valid at large (macroscopic) scale.
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Economy, Wall Street and Banksters

Wall Street and Banksters

Wall Street is an eight-block-long street running roughly northwest to southeast from Broadway to South Street, at the East River, in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, the American financial services industry (even if financial firms are not physically located there), or New York-based financial interests.

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Intelligence Agencies/Deep State?

Intelligence Agencies/Deep State?

An intelligence agency is a government agency responsible for the collection, analysis, and exploitation of information in support of law enforcement, national security, military, and foreign policy objectives. Means of information gathering are both overt and covert and may include espionage, communication interception, cryptanalysis,.

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Daniel Ellsberg | Pentagon Papers
Daniel Ellsberg

Daniel Ellsberg and Paul Jay explore Ellsberg's latest book, The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner. In the introduction to the book, Ellsberg writes: "No policies in human history have more deserved to be recognized as immoral or insane. The story of how this calamitous predicament came about and how and why it has persisted over a half a century is a chronicle of human madness".

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Nukes
Nukes

Nuclear weapons have come a long way and come in all types of different sizes. Some are relatively small while others are enormous, so big they boggle the mind at what they can be capable of, i.e. the Soviet 'Tsar Bomba' is/was 3,000 times greater than the Hiroshima bomb.

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Rana Foroohar and Fall of American Business
Rana Foroohar

Ms. Foroohar says financialization delivers stagnant wages, inequality and economic crisis; the Financial Times columnist and author of "Makers and Takers" says the financial sector represents only 7 percent of the U.S. economy, but takes around 25 percent of all corporate profit while creating only 4 percent of all jobs.

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The Untold History of the United States by Oliver Stone & Petere Kuznick

The Untold History of the United States by Oliver Stone & Petere Kuznick | 2014 | 10 Episodes

Oliver Stone and American University historian Peter J. Kuznick began working on the project in 2008. Stone, Kuznick and British screenwriter Matt Graham cowrote the script. It covers "the reasons behind the Cold War with the Soviet Union, U.S. President Harry Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan, and changes in America's global role since the fall of Communism." Stone is the director and narrator of all ten episodes.

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Kuznick Interviews

Kuznick Interviews

Historian Peter Kuznick says Eisenhower called for decreased militarization, then Dulles reversed the policy; the Soviets tried to end the cold war after the death of Stalin; crazy schemes involving nuclear weapons and the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba put the world of the eve of destruction - with host Paul Jay

The Untold History of the United States by Kuznick, Peter.mobi | Book | 6.99 MB

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China Valley of Tunnels

China Valley of Tunnels

A report written by a Georgetown University team led by Phillip Karber conducted a three-year study to map out China’s complex tunnel system, which stretches 5,000 km (3,000 miles). The report determined that the stated Chinese nuclear arsenal is understated and as many as 3,000 nuclear warheads may be stored in the underground tunnel network.

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911
911

On September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists attacked the Unites States. They hijacked four airplanes in mid-flight. The terrorists flew two of the planes into two skyscrapers at the World Trade Center in New York City. The impact caused the buildings to catch fire and collapse. Another plane destroyed part of the Pentagon (the U.S. military headquarters) in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth plane crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Officials believe that the terrorists on that plane intended to destroy either the White House or the U.S. Capitol. Passengers on the plane fought the terrorists and prevented them from reaching their goal. In all, nearly 3,000 people were killed in the 9/11 attacks.

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The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War

Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's ten-part, 18-hour documentary series, THE VIETNAM WAR, tells the epic story of one of the most consequential, divisive, and controversial events in American history as it has never before been told on film. Visceral and immersive, the series explores the human dimensions of the war through revelatory testimony of nearly 80 witnesses from all sides--Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as combatants and civilians from North and South Vietnam. Ten years in the making, the series includes rarely seen and digitally re-mastered archival footage from sources around the globe, photographs taken by some of the most celebrated photojournalists of the 20th Century, historic television broadcasts, evocative home movies, and secret audio recordings from inside the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations.

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Trump's Mashups
Trump's Mashups

Donald Trump talks a lot, but what is he actually saying? VICE News' "Trump Talk" mashup series tries to answer that. And, we're happy to say, it was just nominated for two Webby Awards. Now you can watch all the nominated videos.

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Trump's Sexcapades
Trump's Sexcapades.

Jessica Leeds (1980s)
Kristin Anderson (1990s)
E. Jean Carroll (1995 or 1996)
Lisa Boyne (1996)
Cathy Heller (1997)
Temple Taggart McDowell (1997)
Karena Virginia (1998)
Mindy McGillivray (2003)
Jennifer Murphy (2005)
Rachel Crooks (2005)
Natasha Stoynoff (2005)
Juliet Huddy (2005 or 2006)
Jessica Drake (2006)
Ninni Laaksonen (2006)
Cassandra Searles (2013)
Allegations of pageant dressing room visits(1997)
Mariah Billado,
Victoria Hughes,
and three other Miss Teen USA contestants
Bridget Sullivan (2000)
Tasha Dixon (2001)
Unnamed contestants (2001)
Samantha Holvey (2006)

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Trump's Speeches | Rallys |Interviews
Trump's Speeches | Rallys

Donald Trump talks a lot, but what is he actually saying? Watch Trump at some of his rallys and see what you think.

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I am one of those "once" middle class, over 60, over educated, under-employed, semi retired, soon to be poor workers, that everyone is talking about. 
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