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Tuesday December 29, 2015
News Articles

The Dark Side Of A Record $5 Trillion In Mergers: Hundreds Of Thousands Of Imminent Layoffs
ZeroHedge | author | 12/29/15

Yesterday afternoon, Dealogic announced the for the first time in history, global announced M&A volume in 2015 would surpass $5 trillion. This record eclipses by 9% the previous all time high of $4.6 trillion set during the previous market bubble year of 2007.

The report adds that there were 10 $50 billion M&A transactions announced in 2015 worth a combined $798.9bn. That's five deals more than the previous record high activity set in 1998, 1999, and 2014. US targeted M&A ($2.5tr) accounts for half of 2015 volume and seven of the top 10 transactions.

Breaking down by total by sector, Healthcare ($723.7bn) and Technology ($713.1bn) were the leading sectors. The biggest deals announced in 2015 were Pfizer and Allergan's pending $160bn merger, followed by Anheuser-Busch InBev's $117.4bn bid for SABMiller, two of only eight $100bn+ transactions announced on record. ...
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Many have debated what has unleashed this unprecedented merger frenzy, even if the answer is simple: record low costs of debt have been used by management teams not only as a source of funding for record buybacks (pushing the acquiror's stock as a merger "currency" to all time highs), but also to fund ever greater portions of the merger consideration. The result are M&A EV/EBITDA multiples in the high teens, 20s, and even 30s (or higher) as hundreds of billions of investment grade debt have been issued to fund "financial engineering", be it buybacks or M&A, just not prefunding future revenue growth via spending on CapEx. ... Read more

Why Are We So Blind?
I ran across an older vifdeo by TYT that criticizes Turkey for paying 700 billion dollar for the Biggest Presidential Palace ever. Personally I think any monstrosity that doesn't help the people/populas directly, is just that a monstrosity. But then I remembered our US Embassy to Iraq which cost US tax payers over 1 billion dollars and two billion dollars to run annually.... TYT | Crazy Muslim Theory From The Biggest Presidential Palace Ever (old, 11/22/14) [4:58]

NBC | Enormous, Expensive U.S. Embassy in Baghdad (04/01/06) [2:08]
One look at the enormous 27 buildings, 104 acres embassy the U.S. government has built in Baghdad and, if it isn't clear to you already, THIS makes it's utterly clear that we've been lied to about what the whole invasion is all about. 2 BILLION a year to run the darn thing!! It couldn't be more obvious those that orchestrated this invasion had designs to stay for a very long time from the very beginning.
CNN | Farmer uncovers 11,000-year-old mammoth (10/03/15) [0:58]
Motherboard | The Mission to Resurrect the Woolly Mammoth (04/08/15) [22:02]
Right now, in the 21st century, South Korean scientists are actually working to resurrect the prehistoric woolly mammoth using cloning technology and the flesh of perfectly preserved specimen once buried in Northern Siberia. The hope is that if they can find an active cell from the meaty leg of a 40,000 year old frozen mammoth, it could hold the keys to bringing back the extinct species.

At the same time, shady tusk hunting Siberians looking for mammoth ivory support the Korean cloning project, by discovering frozen mammoths in the quickly melting permafrost of the Russian Far North. This bizarre supply chain inspired us to travel to Seoul, Yakutsk, and Moscow, to learn about humanity's quest to both profit from, and clone, the legendary woolly mammoth.
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Tuesday, December 29 [13:49]
*DR | Rev. Barry Lynn: "God And Government" (Reboadcast) (12/29/15) [1hr]
Rev. Barry Lynn has been a central player in the major church-state battles for decades. In his new book he revisits the issues that have defined his career like prayer in public school and reproductive rights.
TRNN | Fmr. Senior Airman Cian Westmoreland discusses: From Drone Technician to Whistleblower (12/28/15) [11:05]
*TYT | DISASTEROUS Methane Leak Poisons California (12/28/15) [10:05]
TYT | Prosecutor Throws Tamir Rice Case. Cop Walks. (12/28/15) [11:25]
TYT | Conservatives Attack Paul Ryan's "Muslim Beard" (12/28/15) [7:41]
RT | Situation Uncertain: US aid money to flow into Iraq after Ramadi liberated (12/29/15) [2:41]
Thom Hartmann - www.thomhartmann.com/
ThomHartmann | How Bernie Sanders could be America's next FDR, Part 1 (12/29/15) [12:42], Part 2 [12:37]
Professor Harvey Kaye, The Fight For The Four Freedoms: What Made FDR And The Greatest Generation Truly Great/University of Wisconsin at Green Bay joins Thom. Seventy-Five years ago next week - FDR gave one of his most important public addresses - the so-called Four Freedoms speech. What lessons does that speech hold for us today - in 2015?
NPR (National Public Radio) - www.npr.org/
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - www.pbs.org/
MSNBC - Maddow/Hayes - www.msnbc.com/

12.29.2015. 13:08

Monday December 28, 2015
News Articles

Honey, I Shrunk The Middle Class: Less Than One Third Of Households Qualify
ZeroHedge | author | 12/28/15

If it takes more than $126,000 to fund a qualitatively defined middle class lifestyle, what sense does it even make to call this "middle"?

The Pew Research Center's recent report The American Middle Class Is Losing Ground: No longer the majority and falling behind financially made a media splash, as it reported that less than 50% of adults are members of the Great American Middle Class. ... Read more

11 Dead In Texas Storms That Spawned Tornadoes
AP & HP | author | 12/27/15

Days of tumultuous weather have led to 43 deaths overall across Texas, Illinois, Missouri and the Southeast.

At least 11 people died and dozens were injured in strong tornadoes that swept through the Dallas area and caused substantial damage this weekend, while 13 people died in flooding in the Midwest.

It was the latest of a succession of powerful weather events across the country, from heavy snow in New Mexico, west Texas and the Oklahoma Panhandle to flooding in parts of the Plains and Midwest. Days of tumultuous weather have led to 43 deaths overall -- those in Texas, plus five in Illinois, eight in Missouri and 19 in the Southeast. ... Read more

A Nervous George Soros Lashes Out At Donald Trump: He Wants You To Be Afraid
ZeroHedge | author | 12/28/15

It appears The Establishment has decided to bring in the big guns to dislodge The GOP's nightmare scenario as Donald Trump goes from strength to strength in the polls. Writing in an op-ed for The Guardian, billionaire puppet-master George Soros urges Americans "to resist the siren song of the likes of Donald Trump," adding that "the terrorists and demagogues want us to be scared. We mustn’t give in." ... Read more

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Link to Article

Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Monday, December 28 [13:42]
DR | New Research On Teens, Toddlers and Mobile Devices (Rebroadcast) (12/28/15) [1hr]
TRNN | Fmr. Chief of Staff to Colin Powell Larry Wilkerson says: Is America Becoming a Garrison State? (12/26/15) [7:31]
TRNN | Scholar Sam Mitrani says the police were created to restrain the working class and the poor (older, 01/19/15) [15:24]
TYT | Muslims Shield Christians From Al-Shabaab (12/27/15) [4:36]
TYT | Mock Funerals Are Now A Thing (12/27/15) [6:23]
RoF | Puerto Rican Economy Gets Screwed By Big Banks; The Same Thing Is Happening In U.S. (12/18/15) [10:26]
Thom Hartmann - www.thomhartmann.com/
ThomHartmann | On Science & Green News (12/28/15) [6:41]
NPR (National Public Radio) - www.npr.org/
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - www.pbs.org/
MSNBC - Maddow/Hayes - www.msnbc.com/

12.28.2015. 12:10

Thursday & Friday December 24 & 25, 2015
News Articles

‘The Big Short,’ Housing Bubbles and Retold Lies
Paul Krugman | NYTimes | 12/21/15

“The Big Short” is based on the Michael Lewis book of the same name, one of the few real best-sellers to emerge from the financial crisis. I saw an early screening, and I think it does a terrific job of making Wall Street skulduggery entertaining, of exploiting the inherent black humor of how it went down.

... I could quibble over a few points: The group of people who recognized that we were experiencing the mother of all housing bubbles, and that this posed big dangers to the real economy, was bigger than the film might lead you to believe. It even included a few (cough) mainstream economists. But it is true that many influential, seemingly authoritative players, from Alan Greenspan on down, insisted not only that there was no bubble but that no bubble was even possible. ...

And the bubble whose existence they denied really was inflated largely via opaque financial schemes that in many cases amounted to outright fraud — and it is an outrage that basically nobody ended up being punished for those sins aside from innocent bystanders, namely the millions of workers who lost their jobs and the millions of families that lost their homes. ... Read more

How Close Are We to 'Dangerous' Planetary Warming?
HP | Michael E. Mann | 12/23/15

... The question immediately arises: How much time do we have until we reach the danger zone? How close are we to the 2C warming limit?

It has been widely reported that 2015 will be the first year where temperatures climbed to 1C above the pre-industrial. That might make it seem like we've got quite a ways to go until we breach the 2C limit. But the claim is wrong. We exceeded 1C warming more than a decade ago. The problem is that here, and elsewhere, an inappropriate baseline has been invoked for defining the "pre-industrial." The warming was measured relative to the average over the latter half of the 19th century (1850-1900). In other words, the base year implicitly used to define "pre-industrial" conditions is 1875, the mid-point of that interval. Yet the industrial revolution and the rise in atmospheric CO2 concentrations associated with it, began more than a century earlier. ... Read more
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Scores of eastern U.S. cities to shatter Christmas Eve warm weather records
WashingtonPost | Jason Samenow | 12/23/15

The warm air surging up the East Coast on Christmas Eve will prove nothing short of historic. Dozens of records will fall, some by very large margins. Temperatures at or above 70 degrees will span from Florida all the way into southern New England covering some 1,200 miles and 20 percent of the Lower 48. In many places in the East, temperatures will run some 30-40 degrees above normal. ... Read more
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Civilian Drones
Most Powerful Octacopter from OFM for Professional Aerial filming [14:10]
Domino's Flying Drone Delivers Pizza [1:07]
Ultra light Autogyro / Gyrocopter [4:41]
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Thursday, December 24 [12:46]
*TRNN | Historian, author, and educator Anthony Browder summarizes the African origins of Christmas (12/24/15) [11:43]
TRNN | James S. Henry say: Five Big Banks Plead Guilty to Rigging Currency Markets and No One Goes to Jail (older 2015) [12:44]
*TRNN | Sharon Kelly says: Will the Decline of Coal Solve the Climate Crisis? (12/24/15) [6:05]
*TYT | POLL: Bernie Sanders Would DESTROY Trump In General Election (12/23/15) [6:18]
TYT | Congress Sneaks CISA Into Omnibus Bill. NSA Gets Everything. (12/23/15) [7:01]
TYT | Tips To Save Money: Live In A Van At Work (Google) (12/25/15) [7:48]
TYT | Killing From A Distance: One Former Drone Operator's Disturbing Experiences (12/25/15) [3:04]
RT | CrossTalk: Why Not Public Bank? (E854) (12/26/15) [25:44]
Thom Hartmann - www.thomhartmann.com/
NPR (National Public Radio) - www.npr.org/
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - www.pbs.org/
MSNBC - Maddow/Hayes - www.msnbc.com/
Interesting Stuff
JURASSIC PARK - Evolution of a Raptor Suit (2012) [4:35]

12.24.2015. 11:49

Wednesday December 23, 2015
News Articles

The Big Short: "Every American Should See This Movie & Be F##king Pissed Off"
ZeroHedge | author | 12/23/15

The choice of Adam McKay as director turned out to be brilliant. The question was how do you make a movie about the housing market, mortgage backed securities, collateralized debt obligations, collateralized debt swaps, and synthetic CDOs interesting for the average person. He succeeded beyond all expectations.

Interweaving pop culture icons, music, symbols of materialism, and unforgettable characters, McKay has created a masterpiece about the greed, stupidity, hubris, and arrogance of Wall Street bankers gone wild. He captures the idiocy and complete capture of the rating agencies (S&P, Moodys). He reveals the ineptitude and dysfunction of the SEC, where the goal of these regulators was to get a high paying job with banks they were supposed to regulate. He skewers the faux financial journalists at the Wall Street Journal who didn't want to rock the boat with the truth about the greatest fraud ever committed. ... Read more

*CorbettReport | "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis, On Why The Bank Bailout Was A Mistake (12/11/15) [2:44]
The real story of the crash began in bizarre feeder markets where the sun doesn't shine and the SEC doesn't dare, or bother, to tread: the bond and real estate derivative markets where geeks invent impenetrable securities to profit from the misery of lower--and middle--class Americans who can't pay their debts. The smart people who understood what was or might be happening were paralyzed by hope and fear; in any case, they weren't talking.

Michael Lewis creates a fresh, character-driven narrative brimming with indignation and dark humor, a fitting sequel to his #1 bestseller Liar's Poker. Out of a handful of unlikely--really unlikely--heroes, Lewis fashions a story as compelling and unusual as any of his earlier bestsellers, proving yet again that he is the finest and funniest chronicler of our time. The #1 New York Times bestseller: "It is the work of our greatest financial journalist, at the top of his game. And it's essential reading." -- Graydon Carter, Vanity Fair

Fox Business Network Won't Put The Undercard Debate Out Of Its Misery
HP | Jason Linkins | 12/22/15

For as long as there's been a 17-person field for the GOP nomination, mankind has longed to winnow that field -- first to a number that could plausibly fit on a stage, and now, to a number that could plausibly fit in a van.

Well, there's some good news on that front. Fox Business Network has announced that its next debate, scheduled to take place in Charleston, South Carolina, on Jan. 14, will be governed by exacting new criteria that may limit the number of onstage candidates to as few as six. ... Read more

Sanders Wants Trump To Know He Also Went To The Bathroom.

The Plutocrats Are Winning. Don't Let Them!
HP Blog | Bill Moyers | 12/23/15

In the fall of 2001, in the aftermath of 9/11, as families grieved and the nation mourned, Washington swarmed with locusts of the human kind: wartime opportunists, lobbyists, lawyers, ex-members of Congress, bagmen for big donors: all of them determined to grab what they could for their corporate clients and rich donors while no one was looking.

Across the land, the faces of Americans of every stripe were stained with tears. Here in New York, we still were attending memorial services for our firemen and police. But in the nation's capital, within sight of a smoldering Pentagon that had been struck by one of the hijacked planes, the predator class was hard at work pursuing private plunder at public expense, gold-diggers in the ashes of tragedy exploiting our fear, sorrow, and loss. ... Read more

Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Wednesday, December 23 [14:30]
*DR | A Conversation With Faith Leaders On Moral Leadership In Today's Political Climate (12/23/15) [1hr]
Religious leaders have grown increasingly alarmed by anti-Muslim rhetoric in the wake of terrorist attacks both here and abroad. Members of different faiths on moral leadership in today's political climate.
TRNN | James Henry says: Are Apple CEO's Arguments for Lower Corporate Tax Rates Just Total Economic Crap? (12/23/15) [9:57]
TRNN | OpenSecret.org's Will Tucker and former financial regulator Bill Black respond: What Influence Does Wall Street Have Over Candidates Clinton and Sanders? (12/23/15) [17:32]
TYT | Trump on Clinton: She Got Schlonged By Obama (12/22/15) [6:18]
TYT | Norway Teaches Male Migrants How To Treat Women (12/22/15) [7:23]
RT | CrossTalk: Syrian Conundrum (12/23/15) [24:22]
Thom Hartmann - www.thomhartmann.com/
ThomHartmann | Trump Predicts Crash of 2016 (12/23/15) [5:58]
ThomHartmann | Is the Largest Earthquake Related To Fracking? (12/23/15) [6:11]
Tyson Slocum, Public Citizen's Energy Program joins Thom. For tonight's Green Report ..... We go to British Columbia - the site of history's largest earthquake caused by hydraulic fracturing - more commonly known as "fracking." Ken Paulson - the CEO of British Columbia Oil and Gas Commission wrote in a statement that "this seismic event was caused by hydraulic fracturing."
NPR (National Public Radio) - www.npr.org/
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - www.pbs.org/
MSNBC - Maddow/Hayes - www.msnbc.com/

12.23.2015. 16:17

Tuesday December 22, 2015
News Articles

We Spend $775 Billion on Global Fossil Fuel Subsidies
HP | Pierce Nahigyan | 12/21/15

COP21 is over. Now, the world's leaders have to figure out how to both reduce their carbon emissions and make a smooth transition to renewable energies. If you live in the U.S., you're probably going to hear Republicans complain that this will be expensive, difficult and downright un-American. But wait, you say, hasn't the cost of solar power significantly declined over the past few years?

Indeed it has. How responsible of you for noticing. Deutsche Bank has forecast that solar-generated electricity will be as cheap or even cheaper than conventional electricity in 47 US states by 2016. And the U.S. solar industry is booming. In 2014, the sector grew 21.8 percent, or 10 times faster than job growth for the entire U.S. economy. ... Read more

Stock Market "Fragility" Indicator Highest Since Lehman, BofAML Warns
ZeroHEdge | author | 12/22/15

In 2016 BofAML's global equity derivatives desk expects volatility to maintain its gradual upward trend, however, to continue to be punctuated with violent but short-lived shocks owing to poor liquidity, extreme positioning and a market still heavily manipulated by (and dependent on) the central bank put. Despite below-normal levels of volatility across asset classes, we are in uncharted waters in terms of a lack of stability:

  1. Markets are setting records in terms of jumping from calm to stressed & back,
  2. CB liquidity is tightening, making markets more accident prone, and
  3. Our indicator of cross-asset market fragility is near its highs
Read more
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GregHunter | Gerald Celente-2016 Predictions, Gold, Silver War and Collapse (12/06/15) [30:40]

Seymour Hersh Bombshell: US Military Shared Intelligence With Assad In Defiance Of Obama, CIA
ZeroHEdge | author | 12/22/15

In a shocking new report, Seymour Hersh reveals what he says was a covert operation run by the Joint Chiefs of Staff who sought to undermine the Obama administration and the CIA's goal of overthrowing the Assad regime in Syria. "If the American public saw the intelligence we were producing daily, at the most sensitive level, they would go ballistic." ... Read more

What Really Went Wrong With The US Military's Syria "Train And Equip" Program
ZeroHEdge | author | 12/22/15

The program was announced to quite a bit of fanfare - and quite a bit of ridicule due to the burgeoning debate over what counts as a "moderate" fighter - back in May and the idea was to field a group of fighters 5,400 strong by the end of the calendar year. In all, the effort was set to cost US taxpayers some $500 million.

Well, things quickly went awry and before you knew it, the vast majority of the fighters who participated in the program had either defected, been killed or kidnapped, or simply wandered off into the desert never to be heard from again. In September, US Central Command Gen. Lloyd Austin told Congress that only "four or five" of the troops the US "trained and equipped" were still fighting. "Let's not kid ourselves, that's a joke. This is just a total failure," Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said.

Now, we're beginning to get a bit of color on what exactly went wrong. According to a new piece by McClatchy, disagreements between the fighters and their trainers along with lackluster pay and a kidnapping by al-Nusra just a week into the group's deployment doomed the project from the outset. Upon graduation, the first 54 fighters traveled from Turkey and Jordan back into Syria and ... promptly went on vacation. ... Read more

Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Tuesday, December 22 [13:19]
*DN | Seymour Hersh's Latest Bombshell: U.S. Military Undermined Obama on Syria with Tacit Help to Assad (12/22/15) [17:23], DN | Part 2 [12:22]
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Stephen Cobert | Samantha Power Explains The Whole World (11/18/15) [7:42]
*DR | Economic And Geopolitical Implications Of The Global Oil Surplus (12/22/15) [1hr]
DR | The Best Movies Of 2015 (12/22/15) [1hr]
TRNN | Carlos Delclos explains: Podemos Breaks Two-Party System in Spain (12/22/15) [12:05]
TYT | The Real Drug Problem In America (12/21/15) [2:28]
*TYT | The Green Party's Jill Stein Tells Cenk Uygur Why the Democratic Party Will Torpedo Bernie Sanders (12/21/15) [3:40]
TYT | The Green Party's Jill Stein: Let's Be Honest About the Obama Legacy (12/21/15) [3:38]
RT | Keiser Report: Why Not Basic Income? (E582) (12/22/15) [25:39]
Thom Hartmann - www.thomhartmann.com/
ThomHartmann | Which Side Are You On? Third Way - Hillary vs. FDR - Bernie (12/22/15) [10:34]
*ThomHartmann | Trump Predicts the Bubble Will Burst... Just Like Thom (12/22/15) [5:55]
NPR (National Public Radio) - www.npr.org/
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - www.pbs.org/
MSNBC - Maddow/Hayes - www.msnbc.com/

12.22.2015. 15:33

Monday December 21, 2015
News Articles
3rd Democratic Presidential Debate ABC | 3rd Democratic Presidential Debate: Sanders, Clinton, O'Malley (12/19/15) [2:32:58]
TYT News - http://www.tytnetwork.com/ TYT | ABC News Democratic Debate: The Young Turks SUMMARY (12/19/15) [4:05]
TYT | ABC News Democratic Debate: BIGGEST WINNER (12/19/15) [6:04]
TYT | ABC News Democratic Debate: BIGGEST FAIL (12/19/15) [5:45]

Key Moments From the Democratic Debate
MotherJones | Hannah Levintova | 12/20/15

The third democratic presidential debate was held Saturday night at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, and it covered a wide range of issues, from terrorism and the heroin epidemic to family leave and student debt. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley ratcheted up his attacks on his rivals, while Hillary Clinton seemed more assured of her place as the presumptive Democratic nominee, training her fire on her Republican opponents. Sanders entered the debate with his campaign in damage control mode over news that at least one of his staffers had improperly accessed the Clinton campaign's voter date, but he still managed to mount a solid performance. ...

  1. Sanders apologizes to Clinton for his campaign's breach of her voter data:
  2. O'Malley accuses Sanders and Clinton of flip-flopping on gun control:
  3. "Should corporate America love Hillary?"
  4. Sanders dodges question on racial profiling of Muslims:
  5. Clinton doesn't really understand how encryption works:
  6. etc.
Read more

Islamophobia *TRNN | Dr. Kumar discusses: Islamophobia and a Challenge to Bill Maher, Part 1 (10/10/14) [20:57]

Will One of These Clowns Destroy the Paris Climate Deal?
MotherJones | Ben Adler | 12/18/15

Republicans didn't even wait for a global climate change deal to be struck in Paris to start undermining it.

Last month, congressional Republicans were loudly discouraging other nations from signing onto any agreement, arguing that the US won't keep up its end of the bargain if a Republican wins the 2016 presidential election. And they passed bills that would repeal the Clean Power Plan, the new set of EPA restrictions on carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants, which is the centerpiece of the Obama administration's strategy for meeting its emissions targets under the Paris Agreement. ... Read more

*China Is Absolutely Destroying the US on Clean Energy
MotherJones | Tim McDonnel | older, 11/24/15

Opponents to President Barack Obama's climate agenda, such as GOP presidential contender Marco Rubio, like to argue that anything the United States does to curb greenhouse gas emissions will be pointless because countries like India and China aren't doing the same.

But new data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance shows that this argument is just hot air: For the first time ever, over the last year the majority of global investment in clean energy projects was spent in developing countries. In fact, clean energy investment in China alone outpaced that in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France combined, BNEF found. Across 55 major non-OECD countries, including India, Brazil, China, and Kenya, clean energy investment reached $126 billion in 2014, a record high and 39 percent higher than 2013 levels. ... Read more

Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines forMonday, December 21 [13:14]
TRNN | Ralph Nader & Abby Martin on the Corporate Elections (12/20/15) [25:13]
Abby Martin interviews American political figure Ralph Nader about the 2016 presidential race - from the "Brown Shirt" Trump movement to "corporate criminal" Hillary Clinton - and the reality of who has power in America.
*TRNN | Economist James Henry explains: Congress Cuts Taxes for the Rich While Majority of Americans Want Them to Pay More (12/20/15) [7:11]
Christmas came early for Wall Street and corporations on Friday. Both houses of Congress passed the $1.1 trillion spending bill, which includes a $650 billion tax cut. This cut would add up to more than half a trillion dollars to the deficit over the next ten years. Now corporations and banks will be allowed to permanently conduct operations in foreign countries without paying current U.S. taxes, known as active financing. The mostly Republican-supported bill also includes some tax breaks for everyday people, like making permanent the Child Tax Credit, which provides a credit of up to $1,000 per child under the age of 17 for low-income families.
TRNN | Journalist Doug Henwood says: Is the DNC Unfairly Targeting the Sanders Campaign? (12/18/15) [8:17]
*DR | Analysis Of The Last Democratic Presidential Debate Of The Year (12/21/15) [1hr]
TYT | Teacher Fired After Showing Malala Video (12/19/15) [6:15]
TYT | The Impact Of Israel’s Wall (12/19/15) [15:12]
TYT | Vladimir Putin Endorses Donald Trump (12/20/15) [5:38]
TYT | Trump On Putin Killing Journalists, "At least he's a leader" (12/20/15) [6:47]
RT | CrossTalk: Endangered Christians (12/21/15) [25:06]
Thom Hartmann - www.thomhartmann.com/
*ThomHartmann | Rep. Alan Grayson on the Budget, Republicans and Hillary... (12/18/15) [42:44]
NPR (National Public Radio) - www.npr.org/
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - www.pbs.org/
MSNBC - Maddow/Hayes - www.msnbc.com/

12.21.2015. 11:29

Friday December 18, 2015
News Articles

*UN: World's Refugees And Displaced To Exceed 60 Million This Year
Reuters & WP | Stephanie Nebehay | 12/18/15

"One in every 122 humans is today someone who has been forced to flee their homes."

The number of people forcibly displaced worldwide is likely to have "far surpassed" a record 60 million this year, mainly driven by the Syrian war and other protracted conflicts, the United Nations said on Friday. The estimated figure includes 20.2 million refugees fleeing wars and persecution, the most since 1992, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a report.

Nearly 2.5 million asylum seekers have requests pending, with Germany, Russia and the United States receiving the highest numbers of the nearly one million new claims lodged in the first half of the year, it said. ... Read more

Interview With Paul Mason, Producer of #ThisIsACoup
theintercept.com | author | 12/17/15

Recounting the moment last January when the leftist Syriza party was elected to power in Greece, Paul Mason said, "I knew it would be the most important political crisis of my life."

As economics editor for Channel 4 News in the U.K. and the author, most recently, of PostCapitalism: A Guide to Our Future, Mason is well-suited to examine the tumultuous recent history of Greece, which has confronted both creditors and the European Union on the austerity measures that have crippled the country's economy. ... Read more

Tomgram: Nick Turse, A Shadow War and an American Drone Unit Under Wraps
TomDispatch.com | Nick Turse | 12/17/15

Am I the only person who still remembers how Pentagon officials spoke of the major military bases already on the drawing boards as the invasion of Iraq ended in April 2003? It was taboo back then to refer to those future installations as "permanent bases." No one wanted to mouth anything that had such an ugly (yet truthful) ring to it when it came to the desires of the Bush administration to occupy and dominate the Greater Middle East for generations to come. ...

America's Secret African Drone War Against the Islamic State

On October 7th, at an "undisclosed location" somewhere in "Southwest Asia," men wearing different types of camouflage and dun-colored boots gathered before a black backdrop adorned with Arabic script. They were attending a ceremony that mixed solemnity with celebration, the commemoration of a year of combat that left scores of their enemies slain. One of their leaders spoke of comraderie and honor, of forging a family and continuing a legacy.

While this might sound like the description of a scene from an Islamic State (IS) video or a clip from a militia battling them, it was, in fact, a U.S. Air Force "inactivation ceremony." There, Lieutenant Colonel Dennis Drake handed over to Colonel John Orchard the "colors" of his drone unit as it slipped into an ethereal military limbo. But that doesn't mean the gathering had no connection to the Islamic State. It did. ...

Read more

'Star Wars' Just Came Out And Already Broke A Box Office Record
HP | Sara Boboltz | 12/17/15

Ticket vendor Fandango says "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" has already broken its record for the most tickets sold for any film over its entire theatrical run. It usurped "Jurassic World" -- another nostalgia-heavy flick -- for the title.

"Star Wars" just might show us the biggest opening in film history. We'll soon find out whether it knocks "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 2" off its box-office throne for the most single-day ticket sales ($91.1 million). Or usurps "Jurassic World" for the crown of the biggest opening weekend on record ($208.8 million). As of Thursday morning, the film had scored $14.1 million overseas since it opened on Wednesday.

Fandango, which sells tickets to a majority of theater screens in the U.S., did not specify the value of the tickets sold. But The Associated Press reported earlier today that the film has earned more than $100 million in presale tickets in North America. ... Read more
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (trailer) [2:36]

Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Friday, December 18 [11:10]
*DN | Bob Herbert on GOP Debate: Democracy Is Being Dismantled Before Our Eyes (recent) [6:19]
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
*Stephen Colbert | Michael Moore's New Movie Is Neither Liberal Nor Conservative (12/18/15) [8:41]
Michael Moore - "Where to Invade Next" (trailer) (2016)
The Secret Bank Bailout
The Secret Bank Bailout German TV Award 2013 [58:30]
International Banking Cartel Documentary (full) [1:05:50]
*DR | Friday News -- Domestic (12/18/15) [1hr]
The Fed raises interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade. Congress is poised to pass a year-end tax and spending bill. And a Baltimore judge declares a mistrial in the Freddie Gray case. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories.
*DR | Friday News -- International (12/18/15) [1hr]
U.S-led airstrikes target an ISIS offensive in Iraq. Saudi Arabia forms an alliance against terrorism. And the UN's human rights chief says Burundi is on the cusp of civil war. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top international news stories.
*TYT | Bernie Sanders Raising Massive Cash WITHOUT Corporate Donors (12/17/15) [4:42]
*TYT | Republicans Compare Childlike ISIS Strategies (12/17/15) [6:05]
TYT | Price Gouging CEO Martin Shkreli Arrested (12/17/15) [3:59]
RT | CrossTalk: Road to peace? (12/18/15) [24:10]
RoF | Ring of Fire (E222) - Can The GOP Get Any Worse? (12/18/15) [29:00]
Thom Hartmann - www.thomhartmann.com/
ThomHartmann | Bernie Nabs Two More Major Endorsements (full) (12/17/15) [57:02]
NPR (National Public Radio) - www.npr.org/
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - www.pbs.org/
MSNBC - Maddow/Hayes - www.msnbc.com/

12.18.2015. 11:05

Thursday December 17, 2015
News Articles

*Where's Bernie? Media Ignores Sanders Though He's More Popular Than Trump
TheIntercept | Zaid Jilani | 12/17/15

The headlines about Donald Trump hitting new highs in national polls are tremendously deceptive, as they only measure his support among self-declared Republican primary voters, a small subset of the nation as a whole.

For example, in the recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, Trump was the first choice of 27 percent of the Republican voters who responded. Given the weighted samples in this poll (38 percent identify as Republican or leaning Republican) this translates into Trump capturing the support of about 11 percent of American voters in total.

In the same poll, 37 percent of Democratic voters supported Democratic contender Bernie Sanders. Given the weighted samples (43 percent identify as Democrat or leaning Democrat) that translated into roughly 16 percent of all American voters. ... Read more

And the Winner Is... ISIS
magazine | Georges Ugeux | 12/17/15

Following the debate was like listening to presidential candidates who consider that the most important issue facing the United States of America is to "beat ISIS." They did not even realize that, by doing so, they were giving ISIS the golden keys to the kingdom: the ability to define our policies. ... Read more

Ryan unveils sweeping $1.8T deal on government funding, taxes
TheHill | Scot Wong | 12/15/15

Last night, under the cover of the GOP debate, we had a bipartisan budget deal. Now it's going to Obama. Paul Ryan seems very excited. Cenk Uygur and John Iadarola (Think Tank), hosts of the The Young Turks, break it down. Tell us what you think in the comment section below.

"Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) announced to the House Republican Conference on Tuesday night that leaders have reached a sweeping year-end deal on taxes and funding the government after days of intense negotiations...

The full text of the 2009-page omnibus bill was posted online early Wednesday morning at about 1:30 a.m... He told colleagues that the spending bill will postpone the "Cadillac tax" on expensive healthcare plans and the tax package will place a two-year moratorium on the medical device tax, two critical sources of revenue for ObamaCare.

The Speaker told rank-and-file Republicans that they won more victories in the tax package than in the $1.15 trillion omnibus funding bill, which has been largely stripped of the policy amendments that Republicans wanted, according to a GOP lawmaker in the room.

Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, said the tax package provides $560 billion through breaks that will no longer expire -- and $650 billion in total tax relief -- over 10 years."
Read more

The Question No One Dared Ask at the GOP Debate
MotherJones | Jeremy Schulman | 12/16/15

Four days ago, world leaders finalized one of the most significant international agreements in history. The Paris Agreement, intended to combat climate change, included nearly 200 countries and was spearheaded by the United States and some of its most important allies. Republicans bitterly oppose President Barack Obama's efforts to fight climate change, and most of the party's presidential candidates have committed themselves to policies that would undermine the historic accord.

... The CNN debates focused on security and foreign policy. You don't have to be Bernie Sanders--who maintains that global warming is the greatest threat to US national security--to understand why CNN should have asked about the climate. Both Marco Rubio and Chris Christie complained that America's ability to fight ISIS has been degraded because our allies no longer "trust" us. It's hard to imagine that breaking the promises we just made in Paris would do anything to improve that trust. ... Read more

"Most Hated Man in America" Martin Shkreli Was Just Arrested for Alleged Securities Fraud
MotherJones | Inae Oh | 12/17/15

Martin Shkreli, the 32-year-old pharmaceuticals executive who landed in the news in September for price-gouging a life-saving drug by a staggering 5,000 percent, was arrested on Thursday for alleged securities fraud.

... The arrest comes just months after reports first surfaced accusing Shkreli of hiking the price of Daraprim, a parasite-killing drug used to treat patients with HIV or cancer, from $13.50 to $750 per pill. Outrage over the price hike prompted multiple headlines declaring him the "most hated man in America." ... Read more

Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Thursday, December 17 [11:10]
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
CorbettReport | Stephen Totally Watched CNN's GOP Debate (12/17/15) [7:07]
*DR | Assessing Violent Threats Against Our Schools (12/17/15) [1hr]
The two largest school systems in the U.S. received terror threats this week, leading Los Angeles to keep nearly 700,000 students home. Diane and guests discuss assessing threats against our schools, and how to keep children safe without disrupting learning.
New Reported Successes in Efforts to Reduce Suicide Rates (12/17/15) [1hr]
More than 40,000 Americans reportedly die by suicide each year. Some states and health systems are trying new approaches to reduce suicides and are reporting impressive results. We look at what methods seem to be working and why.
TRNN | Gerald Epstein says: Fed's Interest Rate Hike and Why You Should be Concerned? (12/17/15) [9:19]
*TRNN | Wealthiest 20 Americans Have More Wealth Than the Entire GDP of India (12/03/15) [14:44]
*TYT | Bipartisan Budget Agreement: More Handouts For Rich (12/16/15) [9:53]
TYT | "Affluenza" Teen On the Run From The Police (12/16/15) [4:10]
TYT | Republicans On Board With Trump: Target And Kill Families Of Terrorists (12/16/15) [15:09]
RT | 'ISIS far smarter than we give them credit for' -- McAfee predicts cyber war (12/16/15) [2:41]
RT | Keiser Report: Floating ruble & Progressive nationalism (E850) (12/17/15) [25:44]
RoF | Ring of Fire (E221) - Medical Marijuana Is No Joke (12/16/15) [29:00]
Thom Hartmann - www.thomhartmann.com/
Thom Hartmann | What's Next For Climate Activists? (12/17/15) [9:37]
NPR (National Public Radio) - www.npr.org/
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - www.pbs.org/
MSNBC - Maddow/Hayes - www.msnbc.com/

12.17.2015. 12:54

Wednesday December 16, 2015
News Articles

Great Speech by Bernie Sanders
CNN | Bernie Sanders, Georgetown University - Democratic Socialism Nov 19, 2015 [1:09:26]

ThomHartmann | The Media Is Ignoring the Most Important Issue of Our Time (12/16/15) [5:53]

CRUZ VS. RUBIO... JEB VS. TRUMP...
HP | author | 12/16/15

The long-simmering feud between Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) finally broke open Tuesday night at the fifth Republican presidential debate in Las Vegas, with several heated exchanges on topics of national security, the fight against terror and immigration.

It was not immediately clear whether either candidate vying for second place in the race for the GOP nomination, behind real estate mogul Donald Trump, landed enough punches to bring the other down. ... Read more
CNN | 5th Republican Presidential Debate, December 15, 2015 [2:12:16]

Study: Muslim Americans Are More Likely to Reject Violence, Intolerance Than Many Other Americans.

10 Biggest Lies and Distortions From the GOP Debate
AlterNet | Adam Johnson | 12/16/15

Another GOP debate, another steaming pile of half-truths, lies and pseudo-facts. The Republican Party seems to be almost entirely post-truth at this point, and if you call them out, you're the liberal media! It's a brilliant racket and one that led us to the current state of affairs where facts aren't just dispensable, but a political liability. ...

  1. Ben Carson and Ted Cruz: "We cannot vet refugees." This has been repeatedly debunked as hysterical posturing, yet remains a popular trope among the far right. In addition to a rather thorough takedown by John Oliver two weeks ago, PoliticoFact rated this claim, "Mostly False" in its detailed analysis this evening.
  2. Marco Rubio claims Assad created ISIS. Rubio has pushed the conspiracy theory that the reason ISIS grew in Syria is because the U.S. didn't back the rebels opposed to Assad when in fact the CIA, according to documents revealed by Edward Snowden, spent $1 billion a year arming, funding and assisting the opposition.
  3. Donald Trump cites bogus poll that 25% of Muslims condone acts of violence. As the New York Times notes: the poll -- conducted by the Polling Company, a Republican firm -- is in no way truly representative of all Muslim Americans because of its methodology.
  4. Chris Christie insists he was appointed U.S. Attorney on Sept 10, 2001. Why does Christie keep repeating this lie? It's been debunked several times and it's a matter of public record.
  5. Ted Cruz claims George W. Bush deported 10 million people. Geroge W. Bush deported 1.8 million people. Obama deported 2 million. It's unclear where Cruz is getting this number from.
  6. Donald Trump keeps saying he self-funds, but we know that's demonstrably false. This is another assertion that's completely disproven and easily searchable online (which raises the question of why CNN hasn't bothered doing this).
  7. Moderator lie: CNN's Wolf Blitzer claimed terrorism fears are higher than they've been since 9/11. That's not true. A recent Gallup poll shows terrorism fears have spiked recently, but are the same as in 2005 and nowhere near as high as after 9/11.
  8. Lie by omission: Why was the attack on Planned Parenthood not mentioned in a debate about terrorism? As Sean McElwee of Demos noted, in a debate that was nominally about "terrorism," non-Muslim terrorism was completely absent. The recent Planned Parenthood terrorist attack carried out by a man who claims to be a "warrior for babies" which embodies the true definition of terrorism.
  9. Lie by cliche: What the hell is Fiorina talking about? Fiorina keeps referencing "building up the sixth fleet" because presumably it sounds like some important walk-and-talk dialogue in the West Wing, but it actually makes no sense.
  10. Several candidates keep claiming the Iran deal "gives $150 billion to Iran." As the LA Times notes, it's not "giving" $150 billion to Iran, it's relieving sanctions that will ultimately unfreeze more than $150 billion in assets to Iran, but the funds were already Iran's to begin with.
Read more

Matt Taibbi on Obama's Economy
RollingStone | Matt Taibbi | (old 12/01/09)

In "Obama's Big Sellout", Matt Taibbi argues that President Obama has packed his economic team with Wall Street insiders intent on turning the bailout into an all-out giveaway. Rather than keeping his progressive campaign advisers on board, Taibbi says Obama gave key economic positions in the White House to the very people who caused the economic crisis in the first place. Taibbi also points to the ties Obama's appointees have to one main in particular: Bob Rubin, the former Goldman Sachs co-chairman who served as Treasury secretary under Bill Clinton.

Click above for Taibbi's video breakdown of his argument in which he identifies the major players on Obama's economic team, untangles the web that ties them to Rubin and points to how these relationships play into the financial "reforms" the Democrats are currently pushing through Congress. ... Read more



Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Wednesday, December 16 [10:58]
DN | Bob Herbert on GOP Debate: Democracy Is Being Dismantled Before Our Eyes (12/16/15) [6:20]
DN | Arun Kundnani (Author of "The Muslims Are Coming!") on Donald Trump (12/16/15) [6:12]
DN | Juan González: GOP to Puerto Rico - "Drop Dead" (12/16/15) [3:11]
*DR | Analysis Of The Last Republican Presidential Debate Of The Year (12/16/15) [1hr]
Nine Republican hopefuls meet in Las Vegas for the final GOP debate of the year. Donald Trump has his biggest lead ever in the polls but Ted Cruz tops him in Iowa. How the candidates fared and what it means for the GOP presidential nomination.
New Questions About The Use Of Forensic DNA (12/16/15) [1hr]
Forensic DNA has a reputation as an infallible science that catches bad guys and exonerates the innocent. But some experts warn it might not be the silver bullet its perceived to be.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
CorbettReport | Whoo! The World Will Stay Hospitable For Human Life! (12/15/15) [5:33]
TRNN | Journalist Laila Al-Arian discusses: In 'Homeland', Good Muslims Are CIA, Bad Ones Terrorists (12/16/15) [7:12]
TYT | Biggest WINNER | CNN Republican Debate (12/15/15) [8:31]
TYT | Biggest LOSER | CNN Republican Debate (12/15/15) [6:00]
TYT | Summary | CNN Republican Debate (12/15/15) [6:26]
RT | CrossTalk: Syrian minefield (12/16/15) [23:59]
RoF | Ring of Fire (E220) - The Koch Spy Network (12/16/15) [29:00]
Thom Hartmann - www.thomhartmann.com/
ThomHartmann | Caller: Don't Count Jeb Bush Just Yet... (12/16/15) [4:24]
NPR (National Public Radio) - www.npr.org/
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - www.pbs.org/
MSNBC - Maddow/Hayes - www.msnbc.com/

12.16.2015. 13:18

Tuesday December 15, 2015
News Articles

9 Candidates Will Take The Stage At The GOP Debate, But All Eyes Will Be On Donald Trump And Ted Cruz
HP | Julie Pace | 12/14/15

Donald Trump will be standing at center stage, but Ted Cruz will be in the spotlight at Tuesday night's Republican presidential debate.

The Texas senator is challenging Trump's lead in the kickoff Iowa caucuses, and he has the money, campaign infrastructure and conservative appeal to compete deep into the GOP primary season. Those assets now make him a target for his rivals, most notably Trump and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. ... Read more

Here's What's Up With The East Coast's Absurdly Warm Weather
HP | Nick Visser | 12/14/15

The weather's been positively toasty across much of the east coast over the past several days, especially for a December. In New York, Sunday temperatures shattered a 30-year-old record, hitting 70 degrees Fahrenheit. And the month has been chock-full of 60-plus days.

So what's going on? Is this a climate change thing, or a welcome boon from the ongoing El Nino tropical weather event? The answer actually lies with a buzzword from 2014's equally extreme temperatures: the polar vortex. ... Read more

The Fixed Income Bloodbath Continues: Wall Street Harbinger Jefferies Reports Another Terrible Bond Trading Quarter
ZeroHedge | author | 12/15/15

Earlier today Jefferies reported another quarter in which its Fixed Income revenue could best be described as dismal: Fixed Income posted a nominal $8.4 million in revenue: a whopping 83% collapse from the already subdued $48.6 million a year ago. The biggest irony is that while other banks are clamoring to be allowed to "prop trade" again, Jefferies which has had the green light to do just that as it never got an FDIC bailout and remains the only sizable pure-play investment bank, just got crushed precisely due to its junk bond prop trading. ... Read more

Essentially, TV news producers are wondering: "How do we keep getting the great ratings without helping elect the Fourth Reich?"

Matt Taibbi: It's Too Late To Turn Off Trump
AlterNet | author | 12/14/15

At some undefined moment over the past two weeks a light bulb suddenly came on over the talking heads in our corporate media as it dawned on them that Donald Trump was saying things that were really not so nice and kinda scary. Why it took them nearly half a year to reach this epiphany has not been satisfactorily explained or even examined, but as Matt Taibbi takes note in Rolling Stone, a good bet is that it had something to do with ratings, a factironically acknowledged by Trump himself. Citing the moral quandary posed to big TV execs by continuing to profit from coverage of someone who could at any day float the idea of, say, ethnic cleansing to his adoring fanbase, Taibbi sees this as an uncharacteristic problem for CNN and all of the major media who've sold out to Trumpmania: ... Read more

The 'Independence Day: Resurgence' Trailer Is So Good Even Jeff Goldblum Can't Handle It
HP | Cole Delbyck | 12/13/15

Football fans got quite the treat this Sunday when Fox aired the first trailer for the hotly anticipated follow-up to the sci-fi classic "Independence Day." Picking up 20 years later, "Independence Day: Resurgence" follows humanity's second round with an alien race hell-bent on world domination.

After the events of the first film, Earth has shored up its defenses, using alien tech to prevent another invasion. However, an alien distress signal draws a new force of life-threatening extraterrestrials, forcing the human race to once again fight for its survival. ... Read more
The 'Independence Day: Resurgence' (trailer) [2:21]

Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Tuesday, December 15 [11:48]
*DR | What An Interest Rate Hike From The Fed Could Mean For The Economy (12/15/15) [1hr]
On Wednesday the Federal Reserve is expected to announce an interest rate hike for the first time in nine years. What higher rates could mean for the economy, small businesses and consumers.
DR | Voter Discontent And Demographic Trends Driving The 2016 Presidential Race (12/15/15) [1hr]
Donald Trump continues to top Republican presidential polls and will be center stage for the upcoming debate. Diane and guests discuss voter discontent and the demographic trends driving the 2016 presidential race.
*TRNN | Bill Black: A "Jihadist" Against the Banks? (12/15/15) [8:11]
*TRNN | Chris Hedges and author Vijay Prashad trace the acceleration of U.S. militarism since the collapse of the Soviet Union (12/15/15) [27:16]
*TRNN | Professor Chris Williams says: 'Fossil Fuels' Nowhere to be Found in the Paris Agreement (12/15/15) [11:49]
TYT | No, Solar Panels Don't Suck Up All The Sun's Sun Juice (12/14/15) [3:51]
TYT | Deal Reached In Paris Climate Talks (12/14/15) [8:36]
TYT | Timid Ted Cruz Turns The Other Cheek After Trump Attack (12/14/15) [6:03]
RT | 'US doesn't understand what it's doing in Syria' -- CIA Veteran (12/14/15) [24:45]
RT | Keiser Report: Financial Monster Creations (E849) (12/15/15) [25:44]
RoF | ow And DuPont: The Largest Criminal Merger In History? (12/15/15) [7:30]
Thom Hartmann - www.thomhartmann.com/
*Thom Hartmann | Who Were the Bolsheviks and Why They Matter Today... (11/05/15) [43:10]
Thom Hartmann talks with Professor Stephen Cohen, Contributing Editor-The Nation / Professor Emeritus of Russian Studies & Politics at NYU and Princeton. Stephen's books, Bukharin and the Bolshevik Revolution (still in print) PLUS, Soviet Fates and Lost Alternatives, which examines the "New Cold War," BOTH available in paperback.
NPR (National Public Radio) - www.npr.org/
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - www.pbs.org/
MSNBC - Maddow/Hayes - www.msnbc.com/

12.15.2015. 13:00

Monday December 14, 2015
News Articles

GOP contenders prep for loud, ugly holiday season
Politico | Eli Stokols | 12/14/15

Trump will 'ruin Christmas for America,' says a Rubio consultant.

When the Republican National Committee pushed the Iowa caucuses out a month to Feb. 1, it seemed like the good people of Iowa and New Hampshire might get to enjoy the holiday season and a short respite from presidential politics. Goodbye to all that.

Donald Trump, who in a span of four days last week proposed banning Muslim immigration and executing all cop killers, has been driving the campaign news cycle for months -- and he's not about to let up now, not for the holiday season or anything else. ... Read more

Navy's New, "Truly Unstoppable" Warship Breaks Down Three Weeks After Launch.
*CorbettReport | "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis, On Why The Bank Bailout Was A Mistake (12/11/15) [2:44]
The real story of the crash began in bizarre feeder markets where the sun doesn't shine and the SEC doesn't dare, or bother, to tread: the bond and real estate derivative markets where geeks invent impenetrable securities to profit from the misery of lower--and middle--class Americans who can't pay their debts. The smart people who understood what was or might be happening were paralyzed by hope and fear; in any case, they weren't talking.

Michael Lewis creates a fresh, character-driven narrative brimming with indignation and dark humor, a fitting sequel to his #1 bestseller Liar's Poker. Out of a handful of unlikely--really unlikely--heroes, Lewis fashions a story as compelling and unusual as any of his earlier bestsellers, proving yet again that he is the finest and funniest chronicler of our time. The #1 New York Times bestseller: "It is the work of our greatest financial journalist, at the top of his game. And it's essential reading." -- Graydon Carter, Vanity Fair

Futures Resume Slide After Oil Tumbles Below $35, Natgas At 13 Year Low; EM, Junk Bond Turmoil Accelerates
ZeroHedge | author | 12/14/15

ith just 72 hours to go until Yellen decides to soak up to $800 billion in liquidity, suddenly we have China and the Emerging Market fracturing, commodities plunging, and junk bonds everywhere desperate to avoid being the next to liquidate. ... Read more

Why Stocks Have So Far Ignored The Carnage In Credit: Goldman's Five Reasons
ZeroHedge | author | 12/14/15

Despite the decline in stock valuations, US equities have performed far better than credit, causing investors to ask us, "What does the credit market see that the equity market does not?" Credit markets are reacting to a real deterioration in corporate balance sheets that the equity market has yet to digest. High yield (HY) credit spreads have widened dramatically since June and are currently in territory typical of recessionary environments. In contrast, the S&P 500 is just 6% below its all time high of 2131 reached in May of this year. Here are five observations... Read more

The Neocon's Hegemonic Goal Is Driving The World To Extinction
ZeroHedge | author | 12/14/15

As in George Orwell's 1984, the IMF is dividing the world into warring factions - the West vs. the BRICS. To avoid the coming conflict that the neoconservatives' pursuit of American hegemony is bringing, the Russians have relied on fact-based, truth-based diplomacy. However, neocon Washington relies on lies and propaganda and has many more and much louder voices. Consequently, it is Washington's lies, not Russia's truth, that most of the Western sheeple believe. The Western peoples are so dimwitted that they have not yet understood that the "war on terror" is, in fact, a war to create terror that can be exported to Muslim areas of Russia and China in order to destabilize the two countries that serve as a check on Washington's unilateral, hegemonic power. ... Read more

More News
  1. Oil prices drop towards 11-year lows on worsening glut (Reuters)
  2. Third Avenue Seen by Top Investors as Fueling More Carnage (BBG)
  3. Lucidus Has Liquidated $900 Million Credit Funds, Plans to Shut (BBG)
  4. Investor nerves tested with yuan, oil, Fed in play (Reuters)
  5. Junk Bonds Stagger as Funds Flee (WSJ)
  6. Seattle lawmakers set to vote on allowing Uber, other drivers to unionize (Reuters)
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Monday, December 14 [11:53]
*DR | Negotiators In Paris Agree To A Landmark Climate Accord (12/14/15) [1hr]
Negotiators reach an agreement on combating climate change. What's in the deal to curb greenhouse gas emissions, and what it means for governments, industry and the environment.
*TRNN | Nick Buxton explains: Leaders Sidestep Pentagon's Carbon Emissions at COP21 (12/14/15) [8:59]
*TRNN | Abby Martin interviews retired U.S. Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, Fmr. Bush Official says the Empire's Ship is Sinking (12/14/15) [23:57]
TRNN | Thousands March in Paris Demanding Strong Climate Accord (12/13/15) [10:59]
*TYT | STUDY: Terrorists Motivated By Politics Way More Than Religion (12/13/15) [6:00]
TYT | STUDY: Middle Class Americans No Longer Majority (12/12/15) [11:06]
TYT | Republican Establishment Planning Party Coup If Voters Pick Trump (12/12/15) [18:53]
TYT | Carly Fiorina Grilled On Constant Planned Parenthood Lies (12/12/15) [11:52]
*RT | Inside Story - Who is buying ISIL's oil? (11/27/15) [24:55]
RT | CrossTalk: Syrian Juggernaut (12/14/15) [24:37]
RT | Keiser Report: Tragic Heroes of Economic Stage (E848) (12/13/15) [25:44]
In this episode of the Keiser Report Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert discuss that never was a story of more woe than that of deflation and her Mario. They look at the tragic figures - central bankers and heads of the OPEC oil cartel - once able to command markets and prices but now just shouting angrily as their power slips away into the maelstrom.
RoF | Don't Let Them Fool You: Exxon Doesn't Give A Damn About Climate Change (12/11/15) [5:59]
Thom Hartmann - www.thomhartmann.com/
ThomHartmann | Is the War on Terror...Fueling Terror? (12/09/15) [9:43]
NPR (National Public Radio) - www.npr.org/
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - www.pbs.org/
MSNBC - Maddow/Hayes - www.msnbc.com/

12.14.2015. 12:10

Friday December 11, 2015
News Articles

Casino Capitalism Grips Washington
HP | Zach Carter | 12/11/15

Negotiations over a must-pass bill to avert a government shutdown have stumbled on an unlikely roadblock that has nothing to do with government spending or federal debt. Rather, it would hand heftier profits to a handful of private equity firms by amending a Depression-era bankruptcy law.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) nearly succeeded in attaching the private equity aid to a highway funding bill earlier this month, but the measure was stripped at the last minute amid opposition from liberal Democrats. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is now the lead champion of Shelby's provision, and is seeking to include some version of it in a bill to fund the federal government.

The policy rider would help two powerful financial firms -- Apollo Capital Management and TPG Capital -- exact financial concessions from other investors involved in a bitter battle over the fate of the Caesar's Palace casino empire. The New York Times' Gretchen Morgenson reported on the dispute in the fall of 2014, noting that Apollo and TPG were facing off against creditors that included a pension fund for California teachers.

Apollo and TPG own Caesar's Entertainment Corp., a casino empire that operates, among many properties, the famed Las Vegas gambling house. Caesar's has faltered under a heavy debt burden incurred by the complex deal that allowed Apollo and TPG to take over the company. Those two owners now want to shed that debt without formally declaring bankruptcy, since a bankruptcy court would require them to take heavy losses. ... Read more

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Pens Scathing Column Comparing Trump To ISIS
HP | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 12/10/15

In the wake of Donald Trump's Islamophobic cries and condemnations, NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar penned a column Wednesday comparing the presidential candidate to ISIS, the self-described Islamic State sullying the international landscape with their widespread violence and terrorism.

Just three days after Trump called for Muslims to be barred from "entering the United States," Abdul-Jabbar argued that the culture of fear that Trump has created with his reliance on intimidation, lies and downright discrimination is analogous to the literal, physical terrorism that ISIS has perpetuated of late. Citing Webster Dictionary's definition of terrorism -- "the use of violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal; the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion" -- Abdul-Jabbar put forth a theory: "If violence can be an abstraction -- and it can; that's what a threat is -- the Trump campaign meets this definition." ... Read more

Shit Is About to Get Real in California, El Niño Report Predicts
MotherJones | Julia Lurie | 12/11/15

After four years of drought, Californians are bracing for another potentially destructive weather event: El Niño. Earlier this week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, released a disaster plan including what to expect from the upcoming rainy season. Here are the key takeaways:

  1. This may be the strongest El Niño on record. Weather reports indicate that this year will be warm and wet--perhaps even more so than the winter of 1997-1998. That year, California evacuated 100,000 people.
  2. The dry conditions mean more flooding. The lack of soil moisture has made the soil "harden and act like cement," making it, paradoxically, less likely to soak up the rain. The chance of flooding is far higher than usual, especially in the productive farm country of the Central Valley and the surrounding area -- including the state's capital. "The primary risk areas are in populated areas mostly notably in Sacramento," the report reads -- and because of that, "a major flood situation would have significant impact on the economic, cultural, and political life of California." Additionally, a catastrophic levee failure in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta would jeopardize a major source of water for 60 percent of California homes and for a portion of the state's agricultural industry." One in five Californians lives in a flood zone.
  3. Wildfires in the summer mean more landslides in the winter. The wildfire season this year was devastating in California, scorching more than 300,000 acres. Mudslides are common in these scorched areas, called "burn scars," because water quickly runs off and there aren't trees to keep the soil, rocks, and other debris in place. Southern Californians got a little taste of what this might look like when rain led to severe landslides in October.
  4. King Tides, El Niño, and the Blob mean higher sea levels and more potential damage. Sea levels typically rise a few inches during El Niño, but this winter, scientists predict that the giant swath of warm water off the West Coast -- dubbed the Blob -- will lead to a rise of between 8 and 11 inches. State officials are particularly concerned about the potential damage caused by storms toward the end of both December and January, when the highest tides of the winter, called King Tides, are expected.
  5. The rains may ease the drought but won't solve it. All this water will certainly ease the drought and raise levels in the state's depleted reservoirs. But because the state is so behind on precipitation, it's very unlikely that it will make up for the state's now four-year water deficit.
Read more

Carl Icahn Warns "Meltdown In High Yield Is Just Beginning"
ZeroHEdge | author | 12/11/15

Amid the biggest weekly collapse in high-yield bonds since March 2009, Carl Icahn gently reminds investors that he saw this coming... and that it's only just getting started!

If you haven't seen 'Danger Ahead' watch it on http://www.carlicahn.com . Unfortunately I believe the meltdown in High Yield is just beginning ... Read more

Crushing The Auto-Makers' Dreams (In 2 Depressing Charts)
ZeroHedge | author | 12/11/15

Earlier this morning we got another glimpse of reality behind the smoke-and-mirrors, mainstream-media-sponsored last-pillar-standing lovefest that is US auto sales when the business sales data showed a disheartening tumble in sales in October. So where are all the sales going that automakers report? The answer is simple... (and painful). ... Read more

Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Friday, December 11 [10:04]
Indigenous Group Brings "Canoe of Life" 6,000 Miles from Amazon to Paris to Call for Climate Action (12/11/15) [5:04]
"A Rogue Company": Leading Glaciologist on Exxon's Climate Change Cover-Up (12/11/15) [5:56]
Voluntary Pledges Aren't Enough: Glaciologist Says Nonbinding Emission Reductions Won't Cut It (12/11/15) [8:20]
"Straight Wrong": British Climate Economist Responds to Trump's Climate Change Denial (12/11/15) [2:16]
Former World Bank Chief Economist on Climate: "I Hope Historians Will See This as a Turning Point" (12/11/15) [6:27]
At COP21, U.S. Allows Mention of Climate Reparations -- Only If It Doesn't Have to Pay Them (12/11/15) [11:34]
We are Sacrifice Zones: Native Leader Says Toxic North Dakota Fracking Fuels Violence Against Women (12/11/15) [5:18]
Climate Justice Movement "Extremely Disappointed" in COP21 Draft's "Failure to Step Up" (12/11/15) [9:45]
DN | Jeremy Corbyn Speech on Climate Crisis: Now Is Not the Time for Small Steps (12/11/15) [27:00]
*DN | "A Rogue Company": Leading Glaciologist on Exxon's Climate Change Cover-Up (12/11/15) [5:00]
Leading glaciologist Jason Box was an expert witness in a mock trial of Exxon held at COP21, which examined how the oil giant concealed its own findings dating back to the 1970s that fossil fuels cause global warming, alter the climate and melt the Arctic ice. "They take a public position that is counter to their own science, in effect lying to the public on issues just to keep their product sellable. That cost us 20 years," Box says. "If they had come straight and recognized themselves as an energy company, they could have made that transition with us to cleaner energy and remained a viable company. Now they're a rogue company."
*DR | Friday News -- Domestic (12/11/15) [1hr]
An update on the FBI's investigation of the San Bernardino shooters. Congress runs up against a budget deadline. And Donald Trump warns the GOP he would have support as an independent candidate. A panel of journalists joins guest host Melissa Ross for analysis of the week's top national news stories.
*DR | Friday News -- International (12/11/15) [1hr]
French authorities identify the third assailant in the Paris attacks. Negotiators work against a deadline on a global climate agreement. And in Venezuela the opposition wins control of Congress. A panel of journalists joins guest host Melissa Ross for analysis of the week's top international news stories.
*TRNN | Alan Robock: Nuclear Winter, Part 4 (older 2014) [19:24]
TRNN | The Voice of Europe: Political Radicalization in Europe (12/11/15) [20:16]
*TYT | Woman Reveals EXACTLY Why Donald Trump Is Popular (12/10/15) [4:37]
*TYT | Islamophobic Attacks On The Rise (12/10/15) [7:20]
*TYT | Mark Zuckerberg Stands With Muslims (12/10/15) [3:17]
RoF | Donald Trump Is The Ugly New Face Of The Republican Party (12/10/15) [7:33]
Thom Hartmann - www.thomhartmann.com/
NPR (National Public Radio) - www.npr.org/
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - www.pbs.org/
MSNBC - Maddow/Hayes - www.msnbc.com/

12.11.2015. 12:14

Thursday December 10, 2015
News Articles

First Time in 40 Years: Middle Class No Longer Majority
HP | Lydia O'Connor | date

The Middle Class Is No Longer America's Economic Majority

There are now more low-income and high-income Americans combined than there are people in the middle class, a study released Wednesday found.

According to a Pew Research Center report, there were 120.8 million adults living in middle-income households and 121.3 million in lower- and upper-income households combined in early 2015, marking the first time in the center's four decades of tracking this data that the size of the latter groups has transcended that of the first.

Since 1971, the percentage of adults living in the low income bracket has increased from 25 percent to 29 percent, and the percentage of adults living in the highest income bracket has shot up from 14 percent to 21 percent. The middle class, meanwhile, has shrunk from 61 percent to about 50. ... Read more

Meet The Mega-Donors Funding Donald Trump's Islamophobic Allies
HP | Paul Blumenthal | 12/10/15

... n his announcement, Trump pointed to a Center for Security Policy poll finding that 25 percent of Muslims "agreed that violence against Americans here in the United States is justified as a part of the global jihad" and 51 percent "agreed that Muslims in America should have the choice of being governed according to Sharia." The findings of this opt-in online poll, however, had already been widely discredited. ...

... By citing the bogus data from Gaffney's group, Trump helped shine a light on how the broader Islamophobic network works. Bogus statistics and trumped-up conspiracy theories are touted by mainstream figures to increase alarm and fear about Muslims. ... Read more

Charles Gave: "I Cannot Remember A Time When Less Thinking Has Ever Been Done In The Financial Markets"
ZeroHedge | author | 12/10/15

"What I find most hilarious is that some serious commentators have been pontificating at considerable length about what the market's participants think. These days, some 70% of market orders are generated by computers, and many of the rest by indexers. And computers do not think... I cannot remember a time when less thinking has ever been done in the financial markets, which is why I find today's financial markets infinitely boring." ... Read more

Onshore Yuan Has Been In Freefall Since The IMF Added China To The SDR Basket
ZeroHedge | author | 12/10/15

For the 5th day in a row, Onshore Yuan has tumbled against the USDollar. Absent the violent devaluation in August, this is the largest drop since March 2014, leaving the Chinese currency at its weakest level against the USD since August 2011. It appears that after showing some signs of 'stability' to appease The IMF's political decision, and following the weak trade data this week, China has decided to escalate the currency wars, perhaps in anticipation of (or in an attempt to stall) any market turbulence when The Fed hikes rates next week and withdraws up to $800bn in liquidity from global markets. ... Read more
Click picture to zoom in

More TYT
TYT | Rich People Deserve More Votes, Says Billionaire Tom Perkins (older) [8:49]
TYT | Rich Asshole Tries To Apologize And Makes Things Much Worse (older) [7:55]
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
*Stephen Colbert | A Tahini Bit Of Perspective On Politics (12/10/15) [6:44]
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Thursday, December 10 [9:39]
*DR | Donald Trump and Division within the Republican Party (12/10/15) [1hr]
Donald Trump's call to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. has touched off a rift within the Republican party: What the split between the base and party leaders means for the future of the GOP and the 2016 presidential race.
TRNN | Noam Chomsky on the Terror Attacks in Paris (12/09/15) [2:42]
TRNN | Robert Kelley says: IAEA Report Finds Many Allegations on Iran's Nuclear History Are Baseless (12/09/15) [15:10]
TYT | Israel Legislators Sign Petition To Ban "Neo-Nazi" Trump (12/09/15) [2:53]
*TYT | Trump And Hillary Agree: Screw Internet Freedom, ISIS Is Scary! (12/09/15) [6:06]
TYT | Does She Deserve Person Of The Year? (12/09/15) [3:41]
TYT | Fiorina Fail, Bernie Sanders, Koran vs Bible, and London Slave (full) (12/09/15) [31:18]
RT | Keiser Report: Paris attacks, COP21 & Bitcoin network (E847) (12/10/15) [25:45]
RT | Security or Surveillance: Privacy vs anti-terror security in digital age (12/10/15) [59:54]
RoF | Structured Settlement Companies Preying On Low Income Americans (12/10/15) [7:04]
RoF | Ring of Fire (E218) - Corporations' Brand New Scam (12/09/15) [29:00]
Thom Hartmann - www.thomhartmann.com/
ThomHartmann | 65% of Trump Supporters Want Ban on Muslims (full) (12/09/15) [57:20]
NPR (National Public Radio) - www.npr.org/
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - www.pbs.org/
MSNBC - Maddow/Hayes - www.msnbc.com/

12.10.2015. 11:46

Wednesday December 09, 2015
News Articles
Todays Headlines on Huffington Post
GRAND OLD PANIC ... Trump Throws GOP Into Chaos... Big GOP Players Say He Has A Point... Talk Radio Hosts Sympathetic!... POLLS: Trump Rising Nationally... In Iowa... In New Hampshire... WaPo Editorial Board Calls On Rivals To Denounce Him... But They're Almost As Bad... Party Leaders Plan To Support Him If He Wins Nomination... DEAR ISLAMOPHOBES: You're A National Security Threat... White House: Trump Disqualified Himself...

Trump's Incendiary Comments Throw GOP Into A Tailspin
AP & HP | Steve Peoples | 12/09/15

Donald Trump's plan to ban Muslims from entering the United States is shoving the Republican Party to the edge of chaos, abruptly pitting GOP leaders against their own presidential front-runner and jeopardizing the party's longtime drive to attract minorities.

Unbowed, Trump fired a searing warning Tuesday via Twitter to fellow Republicans carping about his proposal. A majority of his supporters, he tweeted, "would vote for me if I departed the GOP & ran as an independent." ... Read more

Fox's Elisabeth Hasselbeck Blames Obama For Trump's Proposed Muslim Ban

San Bernardino Shooters Radicalized At Least 2 Years Ago, FBI Director Says
AP & HP | author | 12/09/15

FBI Director James Comey says the two San Bernardino shooters were radicalized at least two years ago and had discussed jihad and martyrdom as early as 2013. Comey told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, were radicalized even before they met online.

Comey also said the couple was inspired by foreign terror organizations and described them as "homegrown violent extremists." ... Read more

No, Mental Illness Is Not the Main Cause of Mass Shootings in America
MotherJones | Mark Follman | 10/27/15

A Washington Post-ABC News poll on gun violence published Monday included a stark finding: "By a more than 2-to-1 margin, more people say mass shootings reflect problems identifying and treating people with mental health problems rather than inadequate gun control laws." Sixty-three percent of respondents blamed a deficient mental health care system as the prime reason for America's incessant gun massacres, while 23 percent pointed to weak gun regulations.

... What's most troubling about these results and the question that prompted them is that they perpetuate a dangerous stigmatization. The vast majority of mentally ill people are not violent. I wrote about this in my recent Mother Jones cover story on threat assessment, a growing strategy for stopping mass shooters that relies on collaboration between mental health and law enforcement experts: ... Read more

The United States Has Had More Mass Shootings Than Any Other Country

Open Carry Gun Laws Make It Harder to Protect the Public, Police Chiefs Say
MotherJones | Mark Follman | 11/04/15

It wasn't a matter of if, but when it would happen. On Saturday in Colorado Springs, a man exercising his right under state law to openly carry a rifle in the streets went on a rampage, killing three people before police took him out in a hail of bullets. Just before the attack, an alarmed neighbor saw the man walking around armed and dialed 911. The dispatcher explained to her that it was legal to carry a gun in public. Her 911 call wasn't deemed urgent -- the police did not process it as "the highest priority call for service," a Colorado Springs PD official confirmed to Mother Jones yesterday. ... Read more

The War on Drugs Has Cost Taxpayers Over 1 Trillion Dollars
Iraq Seeks To Cancel Security Agreement With US, Will Invite Russia To Fight ISIS


Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Wednesday, December 09 [10:38]
*DR | Environmental Outlook: The Earth's Melting Ice Sheets (12/09/15) [1hr]
For this month's Environmental Outlook: The earth's great ice sheets are shrinking at an accelerating rate. But just how quickly is still unclear. Please join us to discuss the latest on the earth's melting ice sheets and what it means for the world's oceans.
*TRNN | Vijay Prashad says that ISIS oil is smuggled through Turkey to Israel and is a major source of ISIS funding. (12/09/15) [16:03]
*TRNN | Dimitri Lascaris says: Day 9: No Meaningful Outcome From Paris. (12/09/15) [12:41]
TRNN | Analyst: Prosecutors Present Strong Case Against Cop Accused in Death of Freddie Gray (12/09/15) [7:51]
*TYT | Republicans React To Trump's Muslim Ban Idea (12/08/15) [5:48]
I usually don't use PressTV videos, because I think they are too bias. But it is interesting to see other peoples point of view.
UN secy. general, human rights chief condemn Trump's anti-Islam rhetoric (12/09/15) [6:24]
TYT | Viral Video Proves People Don't Know The Bible From The Qur'an (12/08/15) [3:34]
TYT | Fox News Thinks Islamophobia Is Pretend (12/08/15) [9:03]
RT | CrossTalk: Syrian chessboard (12/09/15) [23:54]
Thom Hartmann - www.thomhartmann.com/
ThomHartmann | Trump Defends Call to Block Muslims from Entering U.S. (full) (12/08/15) [57:00]
NPR (National Public Radio) - www.npr.org/
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - www.pbs.org/
MSNBC - Maddow/Hayes - www.msnbc.com/
Other Videos and Documentaries I Ran Across

12.09.2015. 12:01

Tuesday December 08, 2015
News Articles
Todays Headlines in the Huffington Post

TRUMP GOES FULL FASCIST... 'Complete Shutdown' On Muslims Entering... Neo-Nazi Publisher: 'The Ultimate Savior'... Cruz Refuses To Condemn... Cheney: 'Goes Against Everything We Stand For'... No Rivals Call Out Islamophobia...

A Note On Trump: We Are No Longer Entertained
HP | author | 12/08/15

Earlier today, the candidate currently leading in the polls for the Republican presidential nomination called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States." That was, of course, Donald Trump. As Jeffrey Goldberg just tweeted, "Donald Trump is now an actual threat to national security. He's providing jihadists ammunition for their campaign to demonize the US." On the heels of Trump's proposed change for America, we will be changing how we cover him at The Huffington Post. ... Read more

"Heil Donald Trump - THE ULTIMATE SAVIOR." That's what Andrew Anglin, publisher of the neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer, had to say in response to Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump's call for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States." "Finally: someone speaks sense," Anglin wrote, pasting Trump's new proposal under the headline "Glorious Leader Calls For Complete Ban on All Moslems." "Make America White Again!" his post concludes.
Person of the Year? Time readers poll picks Bernie Sanders (12/07/15) [6:57]

Look Who's Buying American Democracy
HP | Robert Reich | 12/07/15

According to an investigation by the New York Times, half of all the money contributed so far to Democratic and Republican presidential candidates -- $176 million -- has come from just 158 families, along with the companies they own or control.

Who are these people? They're almost entirely white, rich, older and male -- even though America is becoming increasingly black and brown, young, female, and with declining household incomes. According to the report, most of these big contributors live in exclusive neighborhoods where they have private security guards instead of public police officers, private health facilities rather than public parks and pools. ... Read more
Robert Reich explains: A handful of super-wealthy Americans (158) are/is in the process of buying our government. (12/07/15) [2:50]

Nevada GOPer: 5-year-old holding gun in Christmas photo learned 'total trigger control' from NRA cartoon
RawStory | David Edwards | 12/07/14

Nevada state assemblywoman Michele Fiore (R) on Monday defended allowing her 5-year-old grandson to hold a handgun in the family Christmas photo, arguing that the boy had learned "total trigger control" from a National Rifle Association (NRA) cartoon.

Earlier this month, Fiore raised eyebrows when she posted her family's annual Christmas photo to Facebook showing each member dressed in a red shirt and holding a gun. At the center of the photo, her 5-year-old grandson, Jake, can be seen with a small pistol in his hand. ... Read more

TYT | A Very Locked And Loaded Christmas (12/07/15) [5:57]

Arnold Schwarzenegger Doesn't Care If You Agree With Him On Climate Change
HP | Nick Visser | 12/08/15

Arnold Schwarzenegger is using his muscle to tackle the growing threat of climate change, and he doesn't "give a damn" whether you agree with him.

In an impassioned letter posted to his Facebook page on Monday, the former California governor told his followers that he doesn't care if they believe the climate is changing because he's going to address the issue regardless. He championed ongoing investment in renewable energy and likened the future of fossil fuels to a failing business.

"I, personally, want a plan," Schwarzenegger wrote. "I don't want to be the last investor in Blockbuster as Netflix emerged. That's exactly what is going to happen to fossil fuels."

More than 100 world leaders have been meeting in Paris since late last month to try to forge some sort of accord to limit emissions and the use of fossil fuels. Although the world as a whole is deeply worried about climate change, Americans are largely unconcerned with the issue.
Read more

Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Tuesday, December 08 [9:11]
*DR | Growing Pressure On Social Media Sites To Monitor And Remove Terrorist Content (12/08/15) [1hr]
A Facebook posting has emerged as an element in the San Bernardino terrorism investigation. Increasing pressure on social media companies to monitor, report and remove terrorist content online.
DR | Approval Of Genetically Modified Salmon, No Labels Required (12/08/15) [1hr]
*TRNN | Vijay Prashad says: there is no evidence of an operational relationship between ISIS and the terrorist San Bernardino attack (12/08/15) [12:59]
TRNN | Norman Solomon says: Obama's oval office speech about gun control and terror leaves out who is the target of our foreign policy, and the barbaric practices of our allies like Saudi Arabia (12/08/15) [10:20]
TYT | Trump Says Israel Doesn't Really Want Peace... Republicans Lose It (12/07/15) [8:40]
TYT | Cops Patiently Wait For Excuse To Execute Man (12/07/15) [4:20]
*TYT | US Police Vs. Good Police: A Comparison (12/07/15) [9:37]
RoF | Ring of Fire (E216) - Bogus SCOTUS (full) (12/07/15) [29:00]
RoF | All Eyes On Paris Climate Talks; Climate Action NOW Before It's Too Late (12/07/15) [18:10]
Thom Hartmann - www.thomhartmann.com/
ThomHartmann | #YouAintNoMuslimBruv & the Real Way to Fight ISIS (full) (12/07/15) [57:00]
NPR (National Public Radio) - www.npr.org/
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - www.pbs.org/
MSNBC - Maddow/Hayes - www.msnbc.com/

12.08.2015. 10:39

Monday December 07, 2015
News Articles

The World's Most Influential Voices of 2015
HP | Nathan Gardels | 12/07/15

The 2015 Global Thought Leaders Index, a "collective intelligence" analysis that maps the global conversation on the Internet and ranks its most influential voices, has just been released by The WorldPost and the Zurich-based Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute.

For the first time, the annual index measures not only the globally-dominant English language infosphere, but also the other main language infospheres of Spanish and Chinese, as well as German. Altogether we rank the nearly 400 people who are most often mentioned and discussed online, ranging in the global index from Pope Francis, who ranks #1, to Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk at #4, Edward Snowden at #5 and cellist Yo-Yo Ma at #9. Other top influencers of note include former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis at #78, Chinese novelist Mo Yan at #83, Cuban blogger Yoani Sánchez at #99 and Indian novelist Chetan Bhagat at #136. ... Read more
Introducing The WorldPost -- Where the World Meets (2015) [3:20]

Defense Contractors Cite "Benefits" of Escalating Conflicts in the Middle East
The Intercept | Lee Fang | 12/04/15

Major defense contractors Raytheon, Oshkosh, and Lockheed Martin assured investors at a Credit Suisse conference in West Palm Beach this week that they stand to gain from the escalating conflicts in the Middle East.

Lockheed Martin Executive Vice President Bruce Tanner told the conference his company will see "indirect benefits" from the war in Syria, citing the Turkish military's recent decision to shoot down a Russian warplane. The incident, Tanner said, heightens the risk for U.S. military operations in the region, providing "an intangible lift because of the dynamics of that environment and our products in theater." He also stressed that the Russian intervention would highlight the need for Lockheed Martin-made F-22s and the new F-35 jets. ... Read more

*RT | Dead End: The Calais Crisis (12/06/15) [26:24]

Right-wing trolls are going ballistic: Why Rush Limbaugh & co. are freaking out about hate crimes
Salon | Gary Legum | 12/07/15

Conservative media spent the last few days roasting Attorney General Loretta Lynch for comments she made at a dinner Thursday night with the Muslim Advocates, a legal organization that advocates for the rights of Muslim Americans nationwide. Because anytime you can overreact to the nation's top law enforcement officer promising to prosecute hate crimes against a tiny minority of your countrymen, you have to do it.

Lynch's appearance had been scheduled months ago, but it took on a particular urgency in the wake of both the terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13 and the massacre in San Bernardino carried out by a radicalized Muslim husband-and-wife team last Wednesday. Speaking to a notable spike in anti-Muslim rhetoric after the recent events, Lynch said, ... Read more

Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Monday, December 07 [8:24]
*DR | The Latest On The San Bernardino Shooting Investigation (12/07/15) [1hr]
The FBI calls the San Bernardino shooting an act of terrorism. Diane and guests discuss the latest on the investigation, as well as fears that mass shootings are the new normal in America.
The State Of Homelessness In America In 2015 (12/07/15) [1hr]
The number of homeless in America is going down, but in some cities there have been big increases leading some local leaders to declare states of emergencies.
TRNN | The Islamic State that Buys Our Weapons (12/07/15) [7:05]
Last year, Saudi Arabia became the United State's largest purchaser of arms, enshrining the untouchable status of a ruling monarchy that many accuse of fanning the flames of extremism in the Middle East.
TRNN | Who's Listening to Civil Society at COP21? (12/07/15) [13:31]
Activists Anjali Appadurai and Kali Akuno describe the isolation and militarization at COP21 meetings and how world leaders refuse to acknowledge the need to end fossil fuel dependent economies.
TRNN | World's Richest Nations Continue to Shower Public Money on Fossil Fuels Companies (12/07/15) [13:14]
*TYT | Reporters Swarm San Bernardino Terrorists' Home On Live TV (12/04/15) [8:09]
TYT | San Bernardino Terrorists Pledged Loyalty To ISIS Online (12/04/15) [13:56]
TYT | Ben Carson Visited Syrian Refugees, So Now He's An Expert... (12/05/15) [5:48]
RT | CrossTalk: Syria's Wheel of Fortune (12/07/15) [23:43]
RoF | Ring of Fire (E215) - The GOP And The Brand Of "Hate" (12/03/15) [29:00]
Thom Hartmann - www.thomhartmann.com/
ThomHartmann | Thom Confronts Morano on the Massive Climate Coverup (12/04/15) [6:58]
NPR (National Public Radio) - www.npr.org/
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - www.pbs.org/
MSNBC - Maddow/Hayes - www.msnbc.com/

12.07.2015. 12:31

Friday December 04, 2015
News Articles
Todays Headlines in Huffington Post

ARMED TO THE TEETH
2 Assault Rifles, 2 Handguns, 1,600 Ammunition Rounds On Them... 4,500 Rounds And 12 Bombs At Home... Killers Led Secret Life... Police Chief: They 'Came Prepared'... Bought Guns Legally... 'This Was Somebody We Had Not Heard Of Before'... Motive Mystery... 14 KILLED, 21 WOUNDED... THE VICTIMS... MAP: All Of The Mass Shootings In America This Year...

U.S. First Shields Its Torturers and War Criminals From Prosecution, Now Officially Honors Them
TheIntercept | Glenn Greenwald | 12/04/15

... President Obama made the decision in early 2009 to block the Justice Department from criminally investigating and prosecuting Cheney and his fellow torturers, as well as to protect them from foreign investigations and even civil liability sought by torture victims. Obama did that notwithstanding a campaign decree that even top Bush officials are subject to the rule of law and, more importantly, notwithstanding a treaty signed in 1984 by Ronald Reagan requiring that all signatory states criminally prosecute their own torturers. Obama's immunizing Bush-era torturers converted torture from a global taboo and decades-old crime into a reasonable, debatable policy question, which is why so many GOP candidates are now openly suggesting its use. ... Read more

Since January The US Has Added 294,000 Waiters & Bartenders, And Zero Manufacturing Workers

W has taught us nothing: ISIS, the Iraq War and America's looming quagmire
Salon & TomDospatch | Andrew J. Bacevich | 12/04/15

Assume that the hawks get their way -- that the United States does whatever it takes militarily to confront and destroy ISIS. Then what? Answering that question requires taking seriously the outcomes of other recent U.S. interventions in the Greater Middle East. In 1991, when the first President Bush ejected Saddam Hussein's army from Kuwait, Americans rejoiced, believing that they had won a decisive victory. A decade later, the younger Bush seemingly outdid his father by toppling the Taliban in Afghanistan and then making short work of Saddam himself -- a liberation twofer achieved in less time than it takes Americans to choose a president. After the passage of another decade, Barack Obama got into the liberation act, overthrowing the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in what appeared to be a tidy air intervention with a clean outcome. As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton memorably put it, "We came, we saw, he died." End of story. ... Read more

Why This Sucker Is Going Down... Again
ZeroHedge | author | 12/04/15

So how do you grow household wealth by $18 trillion in the face of these dismal real world trends? In a word, with a printing press. But what happened today is that Draghi showed he is out of tricks and Yellen confessed she is out of excuses. Yes, this sucker is going down. And this time all the misguided economics professors turned central bankers in the world will be powerless to reverse the plunge. ... Read more

More News
  1. The Jobs Report Probably Won't Change the Fed's Mind on Liftoff ( BBG)
  2. U.S. authorities look for militant links to shooters in California mass slaying ( Reuters)
  3. Neighbors, Acquaintances Shocked That Couple Are San Bernardino Shooting Suspects ( WSJ)
  4. ECB Fumbles the Stimulus-Baton Hand-off, Mussing Up Fed's Plans ( WSJ)
  5. OPEC Heads for Status Quo as Members Clash Over Crude Output Cut ( BBG)
  6. Foreigners drawn in as fear and loathing grip China's finance industry ( Reuters)
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Friday, December 04 [9:49] *DR | Friday News Roundup -- Domestic (12/04/15) [1hr]
Investigators continue to search for a motive in the San Bernardino, California shooting. The Senate votes to repeal parts of president Obama's health care law despite the promise of his veto. And what the November jobs report might mean for an interest rate hike. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories.
*DR | Friday News Roundup -- International (12/04/15) [1hr]
Britain hits ISIS in Syria after its parliament authorizes strikes. NATO reveals plans to expand, angering Russia. And the UN says Iran worked on weapons design longer than previously thought. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top international news stories.
TRNN | Chris Williams and Amy Miller discus: Will COP21 Lead to Markets and an Unenforceable Agreement? (12/04/15) [27:16]
TYT | Government Wastes Millions And YOU Pay For it (12/03/15) [3:33]
TYT |How Much Did The NRA Buy YOUR Senator For? (12/03/15) [6:18]
TYT | Paul Ryan: Keep Selling Guns To Terrorist Watch List (12/03/15) [8:59]
Thom Hartmann - www.thomhartmann.com/
ThomHartmann | 20 Americans Own More Wealth than Half the Country (full show) (12/03/15) [57:15]
NPR (National Public Radio) - www.npr.org/
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - www.pbs.org/
MSNBC - Maddow/Hayes - www.msnbc.com/
Showtime - The Spymasters
NPR Fresh Air | Top CIA 'Spymasters' Agree: We Can't Kill Our Way Out Of Terrorism (12/03/15) [36:13]
http://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air website
CBS | "The Spymasters": 12 CIA directors open up about war on terror (11/17/15) [9:16]
MSNBC | "The Spymasters": Filmmakers Explore Inner Workings of CIA (11/25/15) [8:21]
Showtime | The Spymasters: CIA in the Crosshairs | Official Clip [2:35]
Showtime | The Spymasters: CIA in the Crosshairs | John Brennan Interview [2:23]
Showtime | The Spymasters: CIA in the Crosshairs | David Petraeus Interview [2:11]
Showtime | CIA Documentary 'The Spymasters' To Premiere On Showtime In November
The docu features more than 100 hours of intimate and candid conversations with all 12 living directors of the Central Intelligence Agency and the agency's top operatives, with unprecedented access to America's spy network. Chris Whipple (The President's Gatekeepers) is penning the docu, and Gédéon Naudet and Jules Naudet (9/11) are directing. The Naudets, Chris Whipple, David Hume Kennerly and Susan Zirinsky (9/11) will executive produce in a co-production with CBS News. Mandy Patinkin (Homeland) will narrate.
The film focuses on the organization during one of the most controversial periods in CIA history -- director_of_national_intelligencemarked by the use of torture, secret prisons, undeclared war, lethal drone warfare and even an alleged assassination. It asks the questions: How far should America go to keep us safe from another terrorist attack? What is considered fair game? Has the world's elite spying organization focused on paramilitary operations at the expense of gathering intelligence? What about killing enemy combatants from the air by remotely piloted aircraft and targeting American citizens? And as the CIA's deadly drones wage a remote-controlled aerial war, are we losing moral high ground and creating more enemies than we kill? The film will examine the internal debate among the directors about what is ethical and how America should fight to protect its own citizens.

The Spymasters will include never-before-seen footage of directors talking about their failures and previously classified successes, and the terrorist attacks that each director lived through, according to Showtime. It also will feature key critics of the CIA who voice claims of ineffectiveness, overreaching authority and poor image. Here is a complete list of the CIA directors and operatives featured in the docu:

CIA Directors:
George H. W. Bush, Stansfield Turner, William Webster, Robert Gates, James Woolsey, John Deutch, George Tenet, Porter Goss, Michael Hayden, Leon Panetta, David Petraeus, John Brennan, Michael Morell (Acting Director twice), John McLaughlin (Acting Director once)

CIA Operatives:
Cofer Black, Chief of the Counter Terrorism Center | Jose Rodriguez, Chief of the Counter Terrorism Center | Gina Bennett, Analyst tracking Osama Bin Laden | Bob Baer, Case officer
Vice News
Vice | Former CIA Deputy Director Apologizes for Flawed Iraq War Intel (06/25/15) [22:51]
Vice | Ex-CIA Officer John Kiriakou: "The Government Turned Me Into a Dissident" () [16:48]

12.04.2015. 12:03

Thursday December 03, 2015
News Articles

San Bernardino Suspects Identified As Syed Farook And Tashfeen Malik
HP | Willa Frej | 12/02/15

The suspects in Wednesday?s mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, have been identified as Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27. Both were killed in a shootout with police, who tracked them to a home in nearby Redlands. The couple fled the shooting, where 14 people were killed at a holiday party for county employees, in a black SUV before law enforcement intercepted them hours later. Farook was an environmental specialist who had worked for the county health department ... Read more

Meet Syed Farook And Tashfeen Malik, The Husband And Wife San Bernardino Shooters
ZeroHedge | author | 12/03/15

"Was there a link to terror?"

... Farook, whose family was originally from Pakistan, was born in America and was employed as an environmental health specialist for San Bernardino County. He did what health specialists do: inspect restaurants and other facilities for health violations.

"Farook traveled to Saudi Arabia earlier this year and returned with a wife," AP reports, citing co-worker Patrick Baccari, who said Farook "was gone for about a month in the spring, and when he returned word got around [he'd] had been married." His new wife was described as "a pharmacist."

Although we would urge caution when it comes to drawing conclusions around the sectarian divide, we'd be remiss if we didn't note that ISIS, al-Qaeda, and many of the other groups the public generally identifies with extremism, are Sunni. Saudi Arabia (where Farook allegedly found his wife) promotes puritanical Wahhabism.

In the wake of the tragedy, Muzammil Siddiqi, religious director of The Islamic Society of Orange County, reminded Americans that Islam is not synonymous with terror: "Please do not implicate Islam or Muslims. Our faith is against this kind of behaviour." ...

... Of course at the end of the day, two people opening fire with assault rifles on a holiday party seems pretty "terrifying" to us regardless of what inspired the shooters, but remember, crises like these are only "useful" in today's world if they serve someone's geopolitical ends so don't be surprised if the mainstream media soon turns up the San Bernardino equivalent of the forged Syrian passport found in Paris three weeks ago. Read more

Hey America! Your latest mass shooting numbers are in, and it's obvious what you were most thankful for this November -- MOAR GUNZ!!1!

There Have Been More Mass Shootings This Year Than There Have Been Days
HP| Nick Wing | 12/02/15

Americans were exposed to the terror of mass gun violence again on Wednesday, this time at a social services center in San Bernardino, California. The initial reports revealed a distressingly familiar pattern: A heavily armed active shooter or shooters, at least 14 people dead and more injured, harrowing images of law enforcement and first responders rushing to get the area under control, and stunned people -- some of them wounded and bleeding -- streaming out of the facility.

It seems like we've seen this time and time again. But mass shootings occur even more frequently than many people realize, because most of them don't make the national news. Over on Reddit, the Guns Are Cool community has compiled a list of every U.S. mass shooting this year. According to their count, Wednesday's burst of violence was the 355th this year. ... Read more

Spot The Factory Orders Recession
ZeroHedge | author | 12/03/15

When it comes to the US manufacturing economy, things are now abundantly clear: it is in a recession, the only question is how acute this recession will be, and how long it will last. According to the latest factory orders data released moments ago by the Dept of Commerce, while the headline number rose a modest 1.5%, above the 1.4% expected, the reality is that the baseline number was so low a sequential rebound was inevitable. The real punchline is the Y/Y change, which is shown on the chart below: it shows that factory orders have now been negative over the prior year for a whopping 12 consecutive months, which is just 3 shy of the 15 months of Y/Y declines recorded during the great recession. .. Read more

Click picture to zoom in
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Thursday, December 03 [12:15]
*DR | Latest On The San Bernardino Shooting (12/03/15) [1hr]
A deadly shooting inside a social services center in San Bernardino, California yesterday left 14 people dead and 17 injured. It's the largest mass shooting in the U.S. since Sandy Hook in 2012. We get the latest.
*DR | Climate Change, Exxon Mobil, and Columbia University (12/03/15) [1hr]
In October, a critical report on Exxon Mobil's climate change position appeared in The Los Angeles Times. Now the company is taking on the authors of the report -- Columbia University's journalism school.
TRNN | Mary Lou Malig of the Global Forest Coalition says the premise and the strategy to reach 2° is flawed (12/03/15) [10:21]
TRNN | Frederic Mousseau discusses: Least Developed Countries Gets 248 Million to Adopt to Climate Change (12/03/15) [14:32]
TYT | San Bernardino Mass Shooting (12/02/15) [9:01]
TYT | Blame The NRA And GOP For Armor-Piercing Bullets (12/02/15) [4:47]
*TYT | Trump: Don't Just Kill ISIS... Kill Their Whole Families (12/02/15) [10:47]
TYT | Boats Full Of Bodies Washing Ashore In Japan (12/02/15) [4:20]
RT | US drone-killing whistleblowers reportedly see bank accounts frozen (12/02/15) [2:52]
RoF | Ring of Fire (E214) - Trump and Fox (12/02/15) [29:00]
Thom Hartmann - www.thomhartmann.com/
NPR (National Public Radio) - www.npr.org/
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - www.pbs.org/
MSNBC - Maddow/Hayes - www.msnbc.com/

12.03.2015. 12:53

Wednesday December 02, 2015
News Articles

This Is The Beginning Of The End Of The Fossil Fuel Industry
HP | Alexander C. Kaufman | 12/02/15

Oil and gas giants such as Royal Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil and BP continue to reap stupendous profits from selling products that contribute to the high levels of carbon emissions causing climate change. Like the tobacco industry before it, these companies have poured money into lobbying and misinformation campaigns to escape restrictive regulations.

But, as world leaders gather in Paris on Nov. 30 for the month-long COP21 climate talks, the fossil fuel industry's future is in jeopardy. There may be an abundant supply of oil, gas and coal and -- at least for now -- a strong demand for these products, but there is a growing urgency among business leaders and policymakers to stem usage before the effects of global warming worsen dramatically. ... Read more

Sanders Beats All Top Republicans In Latest Poll
HP |Janie Velencia | 12/02/15

In a hypothetical matchup against the current GOP front-runner, business mogul Donald Trump, Sanders takes 49 percent of the vote to Trump's 41 percent. Against Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Sanders leads 44 percent to 43 percent. He also beats Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) by 10 percentage points and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson by 6 points.

Fifty-nine percent of voters also say Sanders is honest and trustworthy -- placing him well above former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, his chief rival for the Democratic nomination, and above all top Republican candidates tested in the poll. ... Read more

ISIS Sympathizers In The U.S. Are Mostly Young, Male And American

Here's All The Nonsense 2016 Republicans Have Spouted About Climate Change
HP | Nick Visser | date

Scientists are in near universal agreement that the climate is changing, that it's largely humanity's fault and there is "no plan B" should we fail to act. But you'd never know that if you just listened to some of the Republican presidential contenders.

Here are some of the most outrageous things the 10 leading candidates for the GOP nomination have said about climate change. Many of these statements are patently false: A single volcano does not emit more greenhouse gases than all of humanity; weather is not the same thing as the climate; and a single nation like America -- the second-largest carbon emitter on the planet -- can certainly make a difference. ...

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Donald "It's Cold Outside" Trump
  1. "It's snowing & freezing in NYC. What the hell ever happened to global warming?" -- March 2013
  2. "I believe in clean air. Immaculate air. But I don't believe in climate change." -- Sept. 2015
  3. "It's really cold outside, they are calling it a major freeze, weeks ahead of normal. Man, we could use a big fat dose of global warming!" -- October 2015

Ben "This Always Happens" Carson
  1. "There's always going to be either cooling or warming going on. As far as I'm concerned, that's irrelevant. What is relevant is that we have an obligation and a responsibility to protect our environment." -- November 2014
  2. "Of course there's climate change. Any point in time, temperatures are going up or temperatures are going down. Of course that's happening. When that stops happening, that's when we're in big trouble." -- September 2015

Marco "Oh, But The Jobs" Rubio
  1. "We are not going to destroy our economy, make America a harder place to create jobs, in order to pursue a policy that will do nothing, nothing to change our climate, to change our weather." -- September 2015
  2. "America is not a planet." -- September 2015

Ted "You Climate Blasphemers, You" Cruz
  1. "If you look at satellite data for the last 18 years, there's been zero recorded warming. The satellite says it ain't happening." -- August 2015
  2. "Climate change is not science. It's religion." -- October 2015

Jeb "Well Maybe, But I'm A Republican" Bush
  1. "The climate is changing, whether men are doing it or not." -- June 2015
  2. "I don't think it's the highest priority. I don't think we should ignore it, either." -- August 2015

Carly "I Worked With Scientists And They're All Wrong" Fiorina
  1. "I believe if you're going to go to science, you need to read the fine print. And here's what the scientists say: A single nation acting alone can make no difference at all." -- September 2015
  2. "The only answer to this problem, according to the scientist, is a three-decade global effort, coordinated and costing coordinated effort. It's impossible, are you kidding? A three-decade effort, costing trillions of dollars, coordinated with current technology? It'll never happen." -- September 2015

Mike "Um, Kaboom" Huckabee
  1. "Science is not as settled on that as it is on some things." -- June 2015
  2. "A volcano in one blast will contribute more than a hundred years of human activity." -- August 2015

Chris "Sure, But Nah" Christie
  1. "I think global warming is real. I don't think that's deniable. And I do think human activity contributes to it."* -- May 2015
  2. *But Christie has adamantly opposed New Jersey joining into a multi-state greenhouse gas initiative, calling it "a completely useless plan." -- September 2014

John "It's Your Kids' Problem" Kasich
  1. "We don't want to destroy people's jobs, based on some theory that is not proven." -- August 2015
  2. "Do I believe there is something called climate change? I do. Do I think that human beings affect it? I do. How much? Not enough for me to go out and cost somebody their job." -- October 2015

Rand "Doesn't Really Know" Paul
  1. "Not conclusive." -- April 2014
  2. "Not sure anybody exactly knows why." -- April 2014
  3. "Alarmist." -- April 2014
  4. "I don't want to shut down all forms of energy such that thousands and thousands of people lose jobs." -- April 2015
Read more

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Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Wednesday, December 02 [11:09]
DN | Philippines' Former Climate Negotiator Yeb Saño's 900 Mile Pilgrimage to Paris Summit Ends with Fast (12/01/15) [7:30]
*DR | Chicago Police Chief's Firing And Efforts To Boost Public Trust In Police (12/02/15) [1hr]
Chicago's mayor fires the city's police chief amid protests over the response to the police killing of a black teenager. Diane and guests give an update on efforts to boost public trust in police forces across the country.
TRNN | Todd Oppenheim compares the treatment of the six officers charged with killing Freddie Gray to the clients he represents as a Baltimore Public defender (12/01/15) [10:41]
TRNN | Veronica Arreola discusses: Planned Parenthood and the Long Line of Violence Against Women and Abortion Providers (12/01/15) [8:07]
TYT | Andrea Tantaros: Liberals Indicting Entire Religion... Christian White Republicans (12/01/15) [10:50]
*TYT | Bill O'Reilly: Planned Parenthood Deserves Criticism Over "Baby Parts" (12/01/15) [11:20]
TYT | Japan To Slaughter Thousands Of Whales For "Scientific Research" (12/01/15) [3:31]
*RT | CrossTalk: Syrian fault lines (12/02/15) [24:04]
*RT | Keiser Report: Moar War (E843) (12/01/15) [25:25]
RT | Disrupted oil routes push ISIS towards heroin trade, already 1 $bn a year (12/01/15) [1:16]
RT | Libyan Sirte becomes new ISIS stronghold with direct sea route to Europe (12/01/15) [1:52]
RoF | GOP Is Hellbent On Derailing Paris Climate Talks (12/01/15) [3:24]
*RoF | Ring of Fire (E213) - President Cruz...A Terrifying Thought (12/01/15) [29:00]
Thom Hartmann - www.thomhartmann.com/
*ThomHartmann | Is Ted Cruz the Most Extreme Anti-Woman Candidate? (12/02/15) [11:16]
NPR (National Public Radio) - www.npr.org/
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - www.pbs.org/
MSNBC - Maddow/Hayes - www.msnbc.com/

12.02.2015. 12:04

Tuesday December 01, 2015
News Articles

Headlines for Today

SMOG BLANKETS BEIJING...
Do-Or-Die Time For Climate Change Efforts... 'Never Have The Stakes Been So High'... Desperate Hope To Stave Off Catastrophic Climate Change... Pope Francis: 'We Are At The Limits Of Suicide'... The Countries That Will Suffer The Most If Talks Fail...

To Global Heads of State: 'We Are at a Critical Juncture For People and Our Planet'
HP | Richard Branson | 12/01/15

This letter was originally sent to global Heads of State in the lead up to the G20 meeting in November, by twenty-two leaders in business and civil society, calling for them to make a long-term goal in the COP21 agreement an urgent personal priority.

To global Heads of State,

We are writing to you because we believe we are at a critical juncture for people and our planet.

As you will be aware, signatories to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change have committed to limit the global average temperature increase to below 2°C 1.

We are writing to request that this existing commitment is translated into an actionable Long-Term Goal at COP21. The science, economic costs and social risks of climate change are becoming increasingly clear. We believe that securing a Long-Term Goal in Paris should therefore be an urgent personal priority for you, as it is for all of us.
Read more

Former Military Chief: Iraq War Was A 'Failure' That Helped Create ISIS
HP | Matt Ferner | 11/30/15

Retired Lt. General Michael Flynn, former U.S. special forces commander in Iraq and Afghanistan who was the country's highest ranking military intelligence official, says that the George W. Bush administration's Iraq war was a tremendous blunder that helped to create the self-proclaimed Islamic State, or ISIS.

"It was a huge error," Flynn said about the Iraq war in a detailed interview with German newspaper Der Spiegel published Sunday. "As brutal as Saddam Hussein was, it was a mistake to just eliminate him," Flynn went on to say. "The same is true for Moammar Gadhafi and for Libya, which is now a failed state. The historic lesson is that it was a strategic failure to go into Iraq. History will not be and should not be kind with that decision."

When told by Der Spiegel reporters Matthias Gebauer and Holger Stark that the Islamic State would not "be where it is now without the fall of Baghdad," Flynn, without reservations, said: "Yes, absolutely." ... Read more

Atlanta Fed Slashes Q4 GDP Forecast From 2.3% To Just 1.4% In Under One Week
ZeroHedge | author | 12/01/15

Moments ago the GDPNow website announced that the latest model forecast for real GDP growth in the fourth quarter of 2015 has now tumbled to a paltry 1.4 percent on December 1, down from 1.8 percent on November 25. "The decline occurred this morning after the Manufacturing ISM Report On Business from the Institute of Supply Management and the construction spending release from the U.S. Census Bureau." ... Read more

Majority Of World Economy Weakening As US Manufacturing PMI Tumbles To 2 Year Lows

"Time To Hike Rates?" The Last 2 Times ISM Manufacturing Was Here, The Fed Unleashed QE1 & QE3
ZeroHedge | author | 12/01/15

While it is hoped that the economy can continue to expand on the back of the "service" sector alone, history suggests that "manufacturing" continues to play a much more important dynamic that it is given credit for... and that is a major problem as ISM Manufacturing just fell below 50 for the first time since Nov 2012, crashing to 48.6 - the weakest since June 2009. Across the components, new orders collapsed (worst since Aug 2012), and prices paid crashed. Seems like a perfect time to raise rates!! ... Read more

Thom Hartmann - www.thomhartmann.com/
ThomHartmann | TTIP & Big Oil... Secret Deal Exposed (12/01/15) [6:39]
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Tuesday, December 01 [13:16]
*DN | Naomi Klein on Paris Summit: Leaders' Inaction on Climate Crisis is "Violence" Against the Planet (11/30/15) [13:03]
DN | "The Paris Agreement Will See the Planet Burn": Former Bolivian Climate Negotiator Pablo Solón (12/01/15) [15:10]
*DR | Shootings At A Planned Parenthood Clinic In Colorado (12/01/15) [1hr]
Police are working to determine possible motives behind the killing of three people at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic. Diane and guests discuss the latest on the investigation and the high-stakes political battle to shape societal views on terrorism, gun control and mental illness.
*TRNN | Janet Redman and Dimitri Lascaris discusses: Climate Protesters Defy State of Emergency in Paris (12/01/15) [15:35]
*TRNN | Larry Wilkerson discusses: Ousting Assad is Counterproductive and Illegal, Says Congresswoman (12/01/15) [9:55]
TYT | Protests In Paris At COP21 Climate Talks (11/30/15) [5:53]
TYT | Liberals Blamed For Planned Parenthood Attack (11/30/15) [11:24]
TYT | Planned Parenthood Terrorist Kills 3, Injures 9 (11/30/15) [6:25]
RT | Disrupted oil routes push ISIS towards heroin trade, already 1 $bn a year (12/01/15) [1:16]
RT | Libyan Sirte becomes new ISIS stronghold with direct sea route to Europe (12/01/15) [1:52]
RT | Ring of Fire (E212) - Bernie Is Right On Climate Change (11/30/15) [29:00]
NPR (National Public Radio) - www.npr.org/
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - www.pbs.org/
MSNBC - Maddow/Hayes - www.msnbc.com/

12.01.2015. 13:16



Special Interest Important stuff
GOOD Shorts Videos

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GOOD Short Videos
Newer Documentaries You Might Not Have Seen

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Newer Documentaries
Documentaries You've Never Seen

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Documentaries (small | pop-up)
Documentaries (big | full screen)
Good YouTube Documentaries

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Great YouTube Docs. (small | pop-up)
Good YouTube Docs. (big | full screen)

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)

Or click here for a tablet or a small screen device
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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Sponsors

I'm looking for sponsors to financially help with this site.  If you might be interested please send me a message using the Contact form.

Donation


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. 
But I have a modest standard of living so I plan to give all extra donation, beyond my immediate needs, to several of my favorite charities.

save-the-children

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