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Friday October 11, 2024

In photos: Hurricane Milton's aftermath
Axios | Sareen Habeshian | 10/11/24

Hurricane Milton has resulted in at least eight deaths, as officials continued to survey damage from the storm on Thursday.

The big picture: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the death toll from Wednesday night's hurricane was expected to rise in coming days, and the state was working to restore power and replenish fuel supply. Over 2.6 million people remained without electricity as of 8:45pm ET Thursday. ... Lots of photos

Behind the Curtain: The Republican welfare state
Axios | Jim VandeHei,Mike Allen | 10/11/24

Republicans spent decades railing against welfare recipients. Now, they're deeply reliant on them to win elections.

Why it matters: The explosion of people getting 25% or more of their income from government aid - and Republican reliance on their votes - vividly explains the rise of former President Trump and the remaking of the Republican Party.

The big picture: Trump rose to power with the backing of the working class, then reoriented the party to focus on them as much as big business.

This helps explain the massive surge in government spending under Trump, his continued opposition to trade agreements, his scorn for GOP ideas to gut Social Security and Medicare, and his us-vs.-them rhetoric. ... Read more

Residents in more than half of America's counties (53%) drew a substantial share of their total income - more than a quarter - from the government in 2022, according to a new study, The Great Transfer-mation," by the Economic Innovation Group, a bipartisan think tank.

Overwhelmingly, these counties vote Republican. The transfer payments are funded in part by taxpayers in rich blue areas.

In 2000, that was the case in just 10% of counties.

In 1970, government safety-net money accounted for significant income in fewer than 1% of America's counties.

In photos: Northern lights dazzle skies across the U.S. and world
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 10/11/24

The northern lights returned to skies across the U.S. and the world over Thursday night after a powerful solar storm triggered stunning celestial displays also known as aurora borealis.

The big picture: Extreme G5 geomagnetic conditions were observed reaching the Earth for the first time in 21 years on Thursday and remained at G4 levels overnight, per NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, which warned the storm had the potential to disrupt communications and the electric power grid. ... Lots of pictures

Top U.S. & World Headlines - October 11, 2024 | 10/11/24 | 11:13
"Death Is Everywhere": Doctor Who Volunteered in Gaza & Lebanon Condemns Israeli Attack on Hospitals | DN | 10/11/24 | 12:10
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Friday, October 11 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. "Death Is Everywhere": Doctor Who Volunteered in Gaza and Lebanon Condemns Israeli Attacks on Hospitals Atomic Bomb Survivors Win Nobel Peace Prize, Say Gaza Today Is Like Japan 80 Years Ago "The Apprentice": New Film Opens Despite Trump's Attempts to Block Anyone from Seeing It
BREAKING: Trump gets FINAL bad news in DC court | btc | 10/11/24 | 9:19
Some of the Comments
1) It's been 3 years 9 months and no trial for January 6. Our legal system is broken.

2) Why is this man not already in a cell? How can it be legal for a criminal, a convicted felon to run for office?

3) The world is tired of Trump. Trump is rotten to the core. Kamala Harris / Tim Walz 2024!

4) Yet he's not behind bars. Our justice system is a joke. Get him in jail now!!!!!

5) Trump doesn't deserve any leniency or preferential treatment! Lock him up!

6) So much bad news and still no accountability. It’s getting old. Time to lock this criminal up and toss the key

The1a.org

Thursday October 10, 2024

What we couldn't prepare for with Hurricane Milton
Axios | Erica Pandey | 10/10/24

The big picture: It's nearly impossible to fully prepare for the projected scale of devastation of a storm like Milton.

There are still people and pets in the path of the storm who weren't able to - or didn't - evacuate in time.

FEMA - whose workers will be on the front lines helping people and managing the destruction - is already short-staffed, and is now spread even thinner due to the back-to-back hits from Helene and Milton.

The scale of the storm itself and the unpredictability of its precise path meant that it was impossible to gauge where the most help would be needed on Florida's coast. ... Read more

Hospitals across the U.S. are postponing elective surgeries, giving some patients Gatorade and using other workarounds to conserve IV fluids in the face of a nationwide shortage that officials fear will intensify with the arrival of Hurricane Milton.

The big picture: Hurricane Helene swamped a Baxter International plant in North Carolina that supplies more than 60% of the nation's IV solution, and a second key facility operated by B. Braun in Daytona Beach, Florida, is in the path of the latest storm.

Trump White House Got in the Way of Brett Kavanaugh Sexual Assault Investigation
The Intercept | Shawn Musgrave | 10/08/24

Six years after Brett Kavanaugh joined the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority, a Democratic senator claims the FBI barely followed up on explosive sexual assault allegations that emerged during his nomination. A report released Tuesday lays out how White House officials kept a tight leash on the FBI’s inquiry, contrary to Trump’s claims at the time that the agency had “free rein” to investigate the claims. ... Read more

Investigation Into Sexual-Assault Allegations Against Justice Brett Kavanaugh

On July 9, 2018, President Donald Trump nominated then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to be an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Before his confrmation hearing, Kavanaugh was subject to a routine "full-feld" background investigation by the FBI, which is a standard part of the confrmation process for all judicial nominees.

On September 4, 2018, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, following the ordinary procedure for considering Supreme Court nominees, commenced four days of hearings on Kavanaugh's nomination. On September 12, allegations of sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh, which had not been uncovered during the FBI's full-feld background investigation, began to surface. Over the next few days, Senators and the public learned of accusations by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University, that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her while the two were in high school. According to a letter Ford sent to Senator Dianne Feinstein, then the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee, "Brett Kavanaugh physically and sexually assaulted [Ford] during High School in the early 1980's" by locking her in a bedroom, climbing on top of her, attempting to remove her clothes, and putting his hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming.1 Kavanaugh publicly denied Ford's allegation.2

After Ford came forward, new allegations of sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh emerged, most notably from Deborah Ramirez, a classmate of Kavanaugh's at Yale University. On September 23, 2018, Te New Yorker reported Ramirez's allegation that, while in college, Kavanaugh "exposed himself at a drunken dormitory party, thrust his penis in her face, and caused her to touch it without her consent as she pushed him away."3 Kavanaugh publicly denied this allegation as well.4
Woodward reported that - according to an unidentified Trump aide - the former president and Putin have had "as many as seven" personal conversations since Trump left office in 2021.

Logan Act: Why it could be illegal for Trump to call Putin
Axios | Ivana Saric | 10/01/24

Recent revelations about former President Trump's personal relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin have raised questions about whether Trump violated U.S. law.

Why it matters: With just weeks to go before the presidential election, the reports from journalist Bob Woodward's new book "War" have raised fresh questions about Trump's ties with leaders of one of the U.S.' greatest geopolitical adversaries.

Driving the news: News of Trump's reported phone calls with Putin have caught the attention of his opponents as a possible violation of the Logan Act, which restricts private citizens from engaging in diplomatic affairs with U.S. rivals. ... Read more

Top U.S. & World Headlines - October 10, 2024 | 10/10/24 | 11:40
3.5 Million Left Without Power After Florida Hit by Second Climate-Fueled Deadly Hurricane in Weeks | DN | 10/10/24 | 10:00
Trump & GOP Push Misinformation on Hurricanes as Climate Crisis Intensifies Across Globe | DN | 10/10/24 | 19:40
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Thursday, October 10 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. 3.5 Million Left Without Power After Florida Hit by Second Climate-Fueled Deadly Hurricane in Weeks
  3. Trump & GOP Push Misinformation on Hurricanes as Climate Crisis Intensifies Across Globe
  4. "Complete Neglect": Thousands Were Not Evacuated from Florida Jails & Prisons Ahead of Hurricane Milton
  5. Radio Conciencia: Florida Community Station Aims to Keep Immigrant Farmworkers Safe During Hurricanes
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New Supreme Court scandal SURGES into spotlight | btc | 10/10/24 | 13:32
Dark Money Alone Wont Get Trump Elected But This Will "HATE" | Thom Hartmann |10/09/24 | 4:51
The1a.org

Wednesday October 09, 2024

Milton to hit Florida as "dangerous major hurricane" Wednesday night
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magazine | author | date

Threat level: The storm track is looking more likely to slip just south of Tampa Bay, between there and Sarasota. Where the peak surge hits will cause widespread, potentially "catastrophic" destruction, the National Weather Service warned.

The National Hurricane Center has lowered Tampa Bay's storm surge projections slightly, to a still-record-setting 8- to 12-foot surge above ground level.

As of Wednesday morning, the National Hurricane Center forecast brings the full wrath of the storm ashore near or just north of Sarasota, Siesta Key and Punta Gorda, with a "catastrophic" 10- to 15-foot surge. This forecast may still be adjusted. ... Read more

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Timeline of Gaza | 3500 BCE to October 7th, 2023
Timeline of Gaza | 3500 BCE to October 7th, 2023 | UsefulCharts | 07/xx/24 | 36:19
Historical Origin of the 12 Tribes of Israel
Historical Origin of the 12 Tribes of Israel | UsefulCharts | 03/xx/24 | 32:26
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Top U.S. & World Headlines - October 09, 2024 | 10/09/24 | 11:28
"The First Live-Streamed Genocide": Al Jazeera Exposes War Crimes Israeli Troops Filmed Themselves | DN | 10/09/24 | 22:04
"Catastrophic Category 5": Report from West Florida on Hurricane Milton as Millions Evacuate | DN | 10/09/24 | 3:18
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Wednesday, October 09 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. "The First Live-Streamed Genocide": Al Jazeera Exposes War Crimes Filmed by Israeli Troops Themselves
  3. Motaz Azaiza, Acclaimed Journalist from Gaza, on Photographing War & Making "Art from the Pain"
  4. "Catastrophic Category 5": Report from West Florida on Hurricane Milton as Millions Evacuate
Trump gets nightmare news from his OWN party | btc | 10/08/24 | 10:16
Did Dark Money Put Trump Ahead Of Kamala Harris? | Thom Hartmann |10/08/24 | 8:35
The1a.org
'Speaks at a fourth grade level': Trump’s rambling speeches reignite question of cognitive state | MSNBC | 10/08/24 | 10:43

Tuesday October 08, 2024

With Hurricane Milton, climate change is a key factor
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 10/08/24

Hurricane Milton, which reached the top 5 list of most intense storms on record in the Atlantic Ocean, poses a dire threat to Tampa Bay and other highly populated areas on Florida's west coast.

The big picture: Human-caused climate change is among several factors that conspired to propel Hurricane Milton's rarely seen "explosive" intensification.

Sea level rise tied to climate change makes this storm potentially more destructive today than it would have been even a few decades ago.

Threat level: The storm, now a high-end Category 4, is on course for a calamitous encounter with the 17th-biggest metro area in the U.S. That area is unusually vulnerable to storm surge due to its coastline's shape and large population living near sea level. ... Read more

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Kamala Harris: The 2024 60 Minutes Interview Kamala Harris: The 2024 60 Minutes Interview | 60Minutes | 10/07/24 | 20:49
Donald Trump in the 60 Minutes election special Why voters won't hear directly from Donald Trump in the 60 Minutes election special | 60Minutes | 10/07/24 | 2:09
Top U.S. & World Headlines - October 08, 2024 | 10/08/24 | 12:34
Ta-Nehisi Coates: I Was Told Palestine Was Complicated. Visiting Revealed a Simple, Brutal Truth | DN | 10/08/24 | 25:09
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Tuesday, October 08 (FULL) | 59:02
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  1. Headlines
  2. "The Message": Ta-Nehisi Coates on the Power of Writing & Visiting Senegal, South Carolina, Palestine
  3. Ta-Nehisi Coates: I Was Told Palestine Was Complicated. Visiting Revealed a Simple, Brutal Truth
Donald Trump's Tax Plan Could Bankrupt America | Thom Hartmann |10/07/24 | 2:55
The1a.org

Woodward's "War" reveals new Biden backstory
Axios | Mike Allen | 10/08/24/span>

The backstory: "War" - from Simon & Schuster, Woodward's longtime publisher - is about the collision of three ongoing wars. It covers events from Jan. 6, 2021, to mid-August 2024:

It started as a book about the war in Ukraine, beginning with the Russian buildup.

After Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Woodward added the Middle East.

The struggle for the American presidency is at the center of it all.

Behind the scenes: Because Simon & Schuster pulls out all the stops for Woodward, he was able to make late changes to the manuscript after Biden dropped out and endorsed Harris on July 21. ... Read more

War by Bob Woodward

War is an intimate and sweeping account of one of the most tumultuous periods in presidential politics and American history.

We see President Joe Biden and his top advisers in tense conversations with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. We also see Donald Trump, conducting a shadow presidency and seeking to regain political power.

With unrivaled, inside-the-room reporting, Woodward shows President Biden's approach to managing the war in Ukraine, the most significant land war in Europe since World War II, and his tortured path to contain the bloody Middle East conflict between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas.

Woodward reveals the extraordinary complexity and consequence of wartime back-channel diplomacy and decision-making to deter the use of nuclear weapons and a rapid slide into World War III.

The raw cage-fight of politics accelerates as Americans prepare to vote in 2024, starting between President Biden and Trump, and ending with the unexpected elevation of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for president.

War provides an unvarnished examination of the vice president as she tries to embrace the Biden legacy and policies while beginning to chart a path of her own as a presidential candidate.

Monday October 07, 2024

How Israel's war spread beyond Gaza
Axios | Dave Lawler,Jacque Schrag | 10/07/24

Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel sparked immediate fears of regional war. A year later, those fears are close to fruition.

The big picture: Israel is fighting on two fronts, against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, while engaging in an escalating tit-for-tat with Iran, a key patron of both militant groups.

Driving the news: While the war in Gaza is ongoing, the heaviest fighting has recently shifted to southern Lebanon.

More than 1,000 people have died in Lebanon since Israel began an intense bombing campaign on Oct. 1, followed by a ground invasion.

Israel says its goal is to clear out Hezbollah infrastructure to allow civilians who fled northern Israel after Oct. 8, 2023 - when Israel and Hezbollah began exchanging cross-border strikes - to safely return home. ... Read more

Hurricane Milton: Dire scenario looms for Florida
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 10/07/24

Evacuations are underway in the Tampa Bay area and other parts of the Florida Gulf Coast as Category 3 Hurricane Milton rapidly intensifies and is forecast to make landfall midweek.

Threat level: The storm poses a dire scenario of a direct hit on Tampa Bay from the west-southwest, which would push an unprecedented 8-to-12-foot storm surge into the Bay and other locations along and to the south of where the eye crosses the coast.

Hurricane and storm surge watches have been issued along the state's west coast.

For comparison, the peak surge in Tampa Bay during Hurricane Helene was at the range 4 to 8 feet. It proved extremely damaging, and raised awareness about the city's overall surge risk exposure. ... Read more

Top U.S. & World Headlines - October 07, 2024 | 10/07/24 | 11:31
Israeli Peace Activist Lost His Parents on October 7. He's Calling for an End to War & Occupation. | DN | 10/07/24 | 14:04
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Monday, October 07 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. Israeli Peace Activist Maoz Inon Lost His Parents on October 7. He's Calling for an End to War & Occupation.
  3. "The Path Forward": Palestinian and Israeli Activists Working Toward Peace Featured in New Film
  4. Palestinian Poet Mosab Abu Toha: One Year After Oct. 7, U.S. Is Still Arming Israel's Slaughter in Gaza
  5. Report from Beirut: Israel Intensifies Bombardment of Lebanon, Displacing 1.2 Million
Trump, Republicans caught pulling DISGUSTING stunt | btc | 10/07/24 | 14:57
The1a.org
And You Thought Project 2025 Was Bad | CityNerd | 10/03/24 | 17:58

Friday October 04, 2024

Jack Smith's endgame
Axios | Sam Baker | 10/04/24

Special counsel Jack Smith's latest account of Jan. 6 is full of vivid new details depicting then-President Trump inflaming a violent insurrection despite knowing he had lost.

Why it matters: Smith and his team are pulling out everything they can muster to persuade the courts that their case against Trump should go forward.

The special counsel's latest brief, unsealed Wednesday, is an effort to keep the case against Trump alive in the face of the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity.

Job No. 1 is to convince the courts that Trump's actions were the actions of a private person desperate to cling to power - not those of a president carrying out his official duties. And the additional evidence prosecutors put forward in their latest brief is designed to help make that arguments. ... Read more

Job growth surged in September as unemployment rate edged down

Liz Cheney says at GOP birthplace it's "our duty" to reject Trump
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 10/04/24

ormer Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) at a campaign event with Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday urged voters to "reject the depraved cruelty" of former President Trump and vote for the Democratic presidential nominee.

The big picture: "In this election, putting patriotism ahead of partisanship is not an aspiration," said Cheney at the event in the birthplace of the Republican Party at Ripon, Wisconsin. "It is our duty."

"We cannot turn away from this truth," said Cheney in her first campaign event with Harris since she endorsed the Democrat last month. ... Read more

Trump in an interview with Fox News ahead of her speech called former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter "a stupid war hawk."
Federal Courts: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Federal Courts: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | 10/03/24 | 27:10
GOP badly outspent in most expensive House races
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Top U.S. & World Headlines - October 04, 2024 | 09/04/24 | 10:38
What Is Israel's Endgame in Lebanon? Airstrikes Intensify, Hospitals Overwhelmed, 1.2M Displaced | DN | 10/04/24 | 15:13
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Friday, October 04 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. What Is Israel's Endgame in Lebanon? Airstrikes Intensify, Hospitals Overwhelmed, 1.2 Million Displaced
  3. War in Lebanon "Giving More Space" for Israel to Continue Slaughter in Gaza: Journalist Akram al-Satarri
  4. "Separated": Film Shows How Trump Tore Immigrant Families Apart, 1,300 Kids Still Alone
Michigan Voters Could Swing the Nation | Robert Reich | 10/04/24 | 1:16
Trump goes OFF THE DEEP END over bombshell DC trial update | btc | 10/04/24 | 8:51
Russia's Shocking Bomb Attack on Ukraine EXPOSED w/ Phillip Ittner | Thom Hartmann |10/04/24 | 10:56
The1a.org

Thursday October 03, 2024

Read: New filing unveils additional evidence in Trump's 2020 election case
Axios | Sareen Habeshian | 10/03/24

A lengthy motion from special counsel Jack Smith was unsealed Wednesday, making public what prosecutors say is new evidence that former President Trump and his allies tried to subvert the 2020 presidential election results.

The big picture: U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan unsealed the 165-page redacted motion, despite Trump's opposition.

In response to a recent Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity, Smith filed the motion seeking a determination Trump was acting as a private citizen and not as the president when he sought to overturn the 2020 election.... Read more

New filing unveils additional evidence in Trump's 2020 election case.pdf
"At its core, the defendant's scheme was a private one; he extensively used private actors and his Campaign infrastructure to attempt to overturn the election results and operated in a private capacity as a candidate for office," Smith wrote.

Trump "resorted to crimes" to try to keep power in 2020, Jack Smith alleges
Axios | Erin Doherty,Sareen Habeshian | 10/03/24

Special counsel Jack Smith outlined in a motion unsealed by a judge on Wednesday what he called former President Trump's "increasingly desperate" efforts to subvert the 2020 presidential election results.

Why it matters: Trump and his legal team had opposed the motion, arguing it would interfere with the November election results. The filing unveils new details in connection to the Republican presidential nominee's Jan. 6 case.

U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan unsealed the redacted motion on Wednesday.

State of play: Smith in the motion wrote that Trump's "scheme was a private criminal effort." He emphasized throughout the document that the former president was acting in his capacity as a candidate, not a president. ... ... ... Read more

How Israel's air defenses knocked down Iran's missiles
Axios | Colin Demarest | 10/03/24

Israel's air defenses, supported by the U.S., mostly neutralized the threat from Iran's approximately 180-ballistic missile attack on Tuesday.

The big picture: Only one civilian was killed, in the West Bank, in one of the most intense aerial attacks Israel has ever faced. Once again, Israel's vaunted air defense systems lived up to their reputation.

How it happened: Israel's Arrow, designed to take out long-range missiles like the ones Iran launched, played a key role.

The system "performed as expected" and produced "wonderful" results, Israel Aerospace Industries CEO Boaz Levy told Axios. State-owned IAI developed the system in partnership with the U.S.

The Arrow is one of the most sophisticated air defense systems in the world, with an advanced radar system to detect incoming projectiles and supersonic interceptors to knock them down. ... Read more

Top U.S. & World Headlines - October 03, 2024 | 09/03/24 | 9:49
"Don't Do It": Lebanese Lawyer Warns Israel Against Using War to Create a "New Middle East" | DN | 10/03/24 | 18:06
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Thursday, October 03 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. "Don't Do It": Lebanese Lawyer Warns Israel Against Using War to Create a "New Middle East" "Starving Gaza": Al Jazeera Film Shows U.S. Keeps Arming Israel as It Uses Hunger as a Weapon of War Six Factory Workers Feared Dead In Tennessee After Being Swept Away During Hurricane Helene
Trump's Tax Scam: Why Nothing Trickled Down | Robert Reich | 10/03/24 | 4:21
Trump hit with pre-election nightmare in court | btc | 10/03/24 | 27:08
Trump & Kamala Tied ?!? - Why 2024 Election Polls Predict Closest Election in History | Thom Hartmann |10/03/24 | 6:09
The1a.org
Maddow reacts to new Jack Smith evidence against Trump: 'Sent a chill down my spine' | MSNBC | 10/03/24 | 12:13

Wednesday October 02, 2024

Israel plans massive Iran payback with Middle East on edge
Axios | Barak Ravid | 10/02/24

Israeli officials staring down all-out regional war tell Axios Israel will launch a "significant retaliation" to Tuesday's massive missile attack within days that could target oil production facilities inside Iran and other strategic sites.

Why it matters: Israel and Iran have never been closer to opening up a new and far more dangerous front in the war that has engulfed the Middle East.

Iran threatened on Tuesday that if Israel responds with force to the nearly 200 missiles it launched on Tuesday, it will attack again.

If that happens, Israeli officials say all options will be on the table - including strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. ... Read more

Midwestern nice debate: Vance and Walz find surprising common ground
Axios | Erin Doherty ... | 10/02/24

The lone vice presidential debate between Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) was substantive and unusually civil, with the candidates exchanging policy proposals on immigration, abortion and gun violence but not personal attacks.

The big picture: VP debates rarely change the trajectory of an election - but this one did appear to temper the tone, however fleetingly.

Vance stepped out of his role as former President Trump's campaign trail attack dog. He laid out a new, more nuanced approach to "mass deportations" under a Trump-Vance administration and seemed to concede that abortion bans - which he has supported - can be harmful to some women.

Walz, for his part, nodded along with several of Vance's answers. At one point Vance laid out a very different approach to paid family leave than the one Walz had just espoused, and the Minnesota governor said he actually agreed with many of Vance's ideas and thought they could be incorporated into Harris' plans. ... Read more

In VP Debate, JD Vance Downplays Jan. 6 Insurrection & Refuses to Admit Trump Lost 2020 Election | DN | 10/02/24 | 4:31
As Hurricane Helene Death Toll Tops 166, Vance Casts Doubt on Climate Science & Carbon Emissions | DN | 10/02/24 | 6:44
Walz Decries Demonizing Immigrants After Trump & Vance Spread Lies About Haitians in Springfield, OH | DN | 10/02/24 | 6:52
JD Vance Tries to Hide His Hard-Line Anti-Abortion Record by Coopting Democratic Talking Points | DN | 10/02/24 | 7:08

OpenAI speeds ahead as it shifts to for-profit
Axios | Ina Fried | 10/02/24

OpenAI used a developer event in San Francisco on Tuesday to announce several capabilities, the most provocative of which allows developers to make use of the same real-time speech capabilities recently added to ChatGPT.

In showing off the product to the press on Monday, OpenAI chose a demo of the capability paired with Twilio's cloud communications platform.

In the demo, OpenAI showed its Realtime API powering an AI agent to make a call on its own to a fictional candy store and order 400 chocolate-covered strawberries.

Asked about safeguards, OpenAI said it wasn't watermarking its AI voice to allow it to be detected, or mandating how people disclose their use of AI. ... Read more

Meanwhile, Fortune reported on Tuesday that another fierce debate took place within OpenAI over whether the company's o1 reasoning model (previously code-named Strawberry) was ready for release.
Top U.S. & World Headlines - October 02, 2024 | 09/02/24 | 10:03
Regional War Feared as Biden Backs Israel's Threat to Retaliate After Iranian Missile Attack | DN | 10/02/24 | 21:59
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Wednesday, October 02 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. Regional War Feared as Biden Backs Israel's Threat to Retaliate After Iranian Missile Attack
  3. In VP Debate, JD Vance Downplays Jan. 6 Insurrection & Refuses to Admit Trump Lost 2020 Election
  4. As Hurricane Helene Death Toll Tops 166, Vance Casts Doubt on Climate Science & Carbon Emissions
  5. Walz Decries Demonizing Immigrants After Trump & Vance Spread Lies About Haitians in Springfield, OH
  6. JD Vance Tries to Hide His Hard-Line Anti-Abortion Record by Coopting Democratic Talking Points
Vance CRASHES & BURNS over simple question at VP debate | btc | 10/02/24 | 12:36
Night of Violence? Trump's Fascist Response to Hurricane Helene | Thom Hartmann |10/02/24 | 4:49
The1a.org
According to a flash poll conducted by SSRS for CNN, registered U.S. voters thought the two vice presidential nominees Tim Walz and JD Vance were fairly evenly matched in last night's VP-debate, hosted by CBS News and broadcast nationally on TV. The poll of 574 U.S. adults gave Vance the slight advantage with 51 percent of votes to Walz's 49.

As the following chart shows, the first and only scheduled vice-presidential debate between Walz and Vance appears to have helped the image of both candidates in the eyes of U.S. voters. Where Walz had been viewed favorably by 46 percent of registered voters in the run up to the debate, this rose by 13 percentage points to 59 percent on October 1 following the debate. For Vance, favorable opinions rose by 11 percentage points before and after the event, from 30 percent 41 percent.

Tuesday October 01, 2024

Past wars loom over Israel's ground operation in Lebanon
Axios | Barak Ravid | 10/01/24

Israeli officials insist their ground operation in southern Lebanon will be limited in scope and length.

But Israeli officials said that twice before - in 1982 and 2006. Those invasions of their northern neighbor escalated into far wider, deadlier and more protracted conflicts.

Why it matters: That could happen again. The most dramatic possible consequence of a ground invasion would be if it convinces Iran to change course and get directly involved to save the militia it has built for decades.

But there's another scenario U.S. officials have been warning about for months: pro-Iranian militias in Syria, Iraq and Yemen could come to Hezbollah's help and either send their fighters to Lebanon or open another front through Syria. ... Read more

For months, the skirmishes on the Israel-Lebanon border simmered below the threshold of a war. But two weeks ago Israel decided to escalate with a series of attacks that killed more than 1,000 people and dealt Hezbollah its biggest blow in years.
'Israel is trying to drag the US and Iran into a shooting war'
Professor John Mearsheimer: 'Israel is trying to drag the US and Iran into a shooting war' | The Spectator | 10/01/24 | 40:13

The stock market's astonishing returns
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Axios | Felix Salmon | 10/01/24

A year ago, the 30-year return for the S&P 500 was 834%, which is to say it rose just over ninefold between the end of Q3 1993 and the end of Q3 2023.

Today, the index's 30-year return is 1,135% - it's risen more than twelvefold in the past 30 years, and currently stands at an all-time high.

Why it matters: The stock market has been on a tear of late - up 34% over the past year and up 20% year to date.

That's the best stock-market performance in the first three quarters since 1997, and it's boosted total returns over pretty much any time horizon. ... Read more

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ver the past few years, plant-based meat substitutes have come closer and closer to mimicking the real thing, with brands like Beyond Meat having even sussed out how to create fake meat that "bleeds". But after an initial boom, the company has rapidly come down from its peaks.

There are several reasons for the hype having died down, one of which being that many consumers decided to move away from buying the often more expensive items amid the cost of living crisis. Another reason cited is that plant-based meats have become a part of the U.S.'s culture war, labeled as a symbol of left-wing politics and a binary to "real" meat.
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Top U.S. & World Headlines - October 01, 2024 | 09/01/24 | 9:52
Fears Grow over Israeli Ground Invasion as Israel Orders 25 Lebanese Villages to Flee Homes | DN | 10/01/24 | 15:27
"I Pled Guilty to Journalism": WikiLeaks' Julian Assange Speaks Publicly After Prison Release | DN | 10/01/24 | 7:21
Ports Shut Down from Maine to Texas as 45,000 Dockworkers Launch Strike over Pay & Automation | DN | 10/01/24 | 10:54
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Tuesday, October 01 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. Fears Grow over Israeli Ground Invasion as Israel Orders Residents in 25 Lebanese Villages to Flee Homes
  3. Ports Shut Down from Maine to Texas as 45,000 Dockworkers Launch Strike over Pay & Automation
  4. "I Pled Guilty to Journalism": WikiLeaks' Julian Assange Speaks Publicly for First Time Since Prison Release
  5. "A Historic Moment": A Look at AMLO's Legacy as Claudia Sheinbaum Becomes Mexico’s First Female President
Trump gets SHUT DOWN over hurricane response ON FOX NEWS | btc | 10/01/24 | 11:29
How Will Project 2025 Turn Hurricanes Into Even Deadlier Threats | Thom Hartmann |10/01/24 | 4:03
The1a.org
'A complete lying lunatic': Conway blasts Trump's Hurricane Helene fabrications | MSNBC | 10/01/24 | 8:30

Monday September 30, 2024

Helene leaves "unimaginable" destruction in 5 states as death toll tops 100
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 09/30/24

aHurricane Helene has left officials in five Southeastern states grappling to respond to the widespread destruction it caused after hitting Florida as a Category 4 storm last week, with the death toll now entering the triple digits.

The big picture: Officials raised the death count in Georgia from 17 to 25 Monday, bringing the number of storm-related deaths across six states to at least 107, per AP.

Officials on Sunday confirmed 30 deaths in the flood-hit Buncombe County, western North Carolina, where Asheville saw historic water level rises.

Officials also confirmed storm-related deaths in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, as search and rescue teams continued to respond to the fallout from the hurricane that struck Florida late Thursday before moving into Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee. ... Read more

A Beatiful River
A Scenic View
Tom Hartmann
Climate Change's Breaking Points: We're Running Out of Time! | Thom Hartmann | 09/26/24 | 9:16
The Last Hours
The Last Hours Part 1 | Thom Hartmann & Leonardo Dicaprio | -10yrs | 7:33

Nuclear power's AI renaissance
Axios | Ben Geman | 09/30/24

A new U.S. nuclear energy age may be dawning after years of false starts and dashed hopes.

Why it matters: The data centers powering the AI revolution have an insatiable thirst for energy. Major stakeholders - in Washington, Silicon Valley and beyond - see nuclear energy as one of the answers.

Driving the news: The Energy Department announced this morning it had finalized a $1.5 billion loan to stake the revival of the Holtec Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan. It'd be the first American nuclear plant to be restarted.

The news comes a week after tech giant Microsoft and Constellation Energy unveiled a $1.6 billion power purchase deal to restart a dormant reactor at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island plant in 2028. ... ... ... Read more

Top U.S. & World Headlines - September 30, 2024 | 09/30/24 | 12:55
Scientist Peter Kalmus: Fossil-Fueled Climate Change Left Out of Media Coverage of Hurricane Helene | DN | 09/30/24 | 8:59
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Monday, September 30 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. Israeli Assassination of Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah "Shocked All of Lebanon."" What Happens Next?
  3. Gideon Levy: "Israel's Barbaric Glee over Nasrallah's Assassination Is a New Low for Israeli Society"
  4. Trita Parsi on Israel's Nasrallah Assassination and Why Netanyahu Still Wants War with Iran
  5. Fossil-Fueled Climate Change Left Out of Media Coverage of Hurricane Helene: Scientist Peter Kalmus
Why is MAGA so weird? | Robert Reich | 09/30/24 | 2:30
Debate: Is the LEFT OR RIGHT More Violent? | Thom Hartmann | 09/28/24 | 5:54
The1a.org

Friday September 27, 2024

Historic and deadly Hurricane Helene slams Florida to the Carolinas
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 09/27/24

Hurricane Helene is one of the most expansive and damaging hurricanes on record for the Southeast, owing to its unusual size and rapid intensification.

The big picture: As of Friday morning, at least three people had died as a result of the massive storm, AP reports. More than 1 million customers were without power in Florida, with at least another 2.9 million in Georgia and the Carolinas, according to poweroutage.us.

Helene's effects extend across a wide area, causing record inland flooding in western North Carolina and unprecedented storm surge flooding in Tampa.

The storm spared Atlanta from its strongest winds, but the center of the storm made it within 100 miles of the city as a hurricane, with the most damage occurring to the east-southeast of the city.

One stunning stat: With 140 mph maximum sustained winds, Helene was the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida, where the peninsula curves into the panhandle. ... Read more

Between 1982-2016 only six storms had displayed such a ramp up in intensity before a U.S. landfall.

Jack Smith files evidence under seal against Trump in Jan. 6 case
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 09/27/24

Special counsel Jack Smith filed a sealed legal brief in former President Trump's federal Jan. 6 case Thursday, outlining legal arguments for criminally prosecuting the Republican presidential nominee over efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Why it matters: U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan will decide whether or not to publicly release the brief containing previously unseen evidence, or a redacted version of it, and it's possible this could occur before November's presidential election.

Context: Smith in August filed a slimmed-down, superseding indictment that Trump's legal team opposes, after the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court ruled that presidents have immunity for "official acts."

State of play: The Supreme Court left it for Chutkan to determine whether Trump's alleged conduct in this was protected under presidential immunity. ... Read more

Report from Beirut: Israel Is "Targeting Everyone" in Bombing Campaign, Killing 700+ in Just Days | DN | 09/27/24 | 11:09
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Friday, September 27 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. "Crisis of Faith": Calls Grow for NYC Mayor Adams to Resign After Historic Indictment
  3. Report from Beirut: Israel Is "Targeting Everyone" in Bombing Campaign, Killing 700+ in Just Days
  4. How CNN, ADL & Others Amplified Smear Against Rep. Rashida Tlaib for Criticizing Campus Prosecutions
Trump's Democracy-Busting Project 2025: My Congressional Testimony | Glenn Kirschner | 09/26/24 | 11:47
Climate Change's Breaking Points: We're Running Out of Time! | Thom Hartmann | 09/26/24 | 9:16
The Last Hours Part 1 | Thom Hartmann & Leonardo Dicaprio | -10yrs | 7:33
The1a.org

Thursday September 26, 2024

U.S., France and key allies call for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon
Axios | Barak Ravid | 09/26/24

The U.S., France and key allies issued a joint statement on Wednesday calling on Israel and Hezbollah to agree to a 21-day ceasefire during which negotiations could take place on a diplomatic solution to the crisis on the Israeli-Lebanese border.

Why it matters: The statement - released after 10 days of intense fighting that has killed more than 700 people in Lebanon - is aimed at stopping the escalation and particularly at preventing a possible Israeli ground invasion of southern Lebanon to push Hezbollah militants away from the border.

The joint statement was issued by the U.S., France, Australia, Canada, European Union, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. ... Read more

Israel's foreign minister rules out US-French ceasefire proposal saying 'There will be no ceasefire in the north'
The Guardian | Martin Belam | 09/27/24

In a message posted to social media, Katz said: "There will be no ceasefire in the north. We will continue to fight against the terrorist organization Hezbollah with all our might until victory and the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes.""

Benjamin Netanyahu's office also appeared dismissive of the proposal, saying "The news about a ceasefire - not true. This is an American-French proposal, to which the prime minister did not even respond." ... Read more

House passes bill to head off government shutdown until December
Axios | Andrew Solender | 09/26/24

The U.S. House on Wednesday passed a bill to fund the federal government through Dec. 20, punting a potential government shutdown until after the Nov. 5 election.

Why it matters: The Senate is poised to act quickly on the measure, which House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) embraced after trying and failing to rally Republicans around a six-month extension.

Former President Trump complicated the process by repeatedly demanding Republicans attach legislation, called the SAVE Act, requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. Ultimately, that language was left out of the bill so that Democrats would support it. ... Read more

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According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the U.S.-Mexico border crossing is the most dangerous land migration route in the world, having claimed the lives of at least 686 people in 2022. According to the IOM, these deaths accounted for almost half of the 1,457 migrant deaths and disappearances recorded throughout the Americas that year, marking the deadliest year on record since IOM's Missing Migrants Project started in 2014.
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Top U.S. & World Headlines - September 26, 2024 | 09/26/24 | 11:56
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Thursday, September 26 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. NYC Mayor Eric Adams Indicted as Calls Grow for Him to Resign Amid Multiple Federal Corruption Probes
  3. "Hell Is Breaking Loose in Lebanon": Israel Rejects Ceasefire Proposal as U.N. Chief Calls for Peace
  4. U.S. Gov't Agencies Found Israel Was Blocking Gaza Aid. Blinken Ignored Them to Keep Weapons Flowing
Who's Driving Political Violence? | Robert Reich | 09/21/24 | 2:49
Mark Cuban leaves Trump PANICKING with brilliant attack | btc | 09/26/24 | 9:02
The Secret Weapon the GOP Uses To Hypnotize Americans Into Voting For Their Own Destruction | Thom Hartmann | 09/25/24 | 7:18
The1a.org

Wednesday September 25, 2024

Harris to make her case as champion of U.S. middle class in economic speech
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 09/25/24

Why it matters: The Harris campaign believes this speech could help define the Democratic presidential nominee as a champion of the middle class and Trump as being for billionaires, as she emphasizes her middle-class upbringing and his more prosperous start to life.

Polls show Harris is as trusted as Trump on the economy and one survey conducted after this month's presidential debate had her slightly ahead. A senior campaign official said they aim to further enhance this with her Pittsburgh speech.

State of play: Harris' speech will build on already-announced policy positions on the economy.

These include a $25,000 tax credit and other incentives for first-time homebuyers, banning price gouging on food and groceries, expanding a tax break for creating a small business, lowering health care costs and taxing long-term capital gains at 28% for wealthy Americans.

Over 400 economists and policy experts said in an open letter endorsing Harris on Tuesday that she "worked on behalf of American families to lower costs, cut taxes, raise wages, and promote worker organizing." ... Read more

Trump briefed on "threats from Iran to assassinate him," his campaign says
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 09/25/24

U.S. officials see Iran as the biggest nation-state threat to November's elections. Last week, U.S. investigators said Iranian "malicious cyber actors" emailed associates of President Biden's re-election campaign with "non-public material" stolen from Trump's campaign over the summer.

Details: Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said in a Tuesday evening statement that officials from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) had briefed the ex-president "regarding real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an effort to destabilize and sow chaos" in the U.S.

"Intelligence officials have identified that these continued and coordinated attacks have heightened in the past few months, and law enforcement officials across all agencies are working to ensure President Trump is protected and the election is free from interference," Cheung said. ... Read more

One Side
Israel's MURDEROUS Rampage In Lebanon: Mass Slaughter Beckons | Owen Jones | 09/24/24 | 9:06
The Other Side
Israeli blitz obliterates Hezbollah rocket base hidden in 'civilian' home | The Sun | 09/24/24 | 13:43
Top U.S. & World Headlines - September 25, 2024 | 09/25/24 | 10:40
"Lebanese Civilians Are Paying the Price": Israeli Strikes Kill Nearly 600, Displace Thousands | DN | 09/25/24 | 11:30
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Wednesday, September 25 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. "Lebanese Civilians Are Paying the Price": Israeli Strikes Kill Nearly 600, Displace Tens of Thousands
  3. Green Pres. & VP Candidates Jill Stein, Butch Ware on Gaza & Fighting "Two Zombie Political Parties"
  4. "Fuerza Mexicana": Juan González on Chicago's Mexican Community & How It Saved the City from Decline
Trump slapped with BAD NEWS from DC judge | btc | 09/25/24 | 8:46
Trump goes OFF THE RAILS with DISGUSTING message to women | btc | 09/25/24 | 9:32
Is This the Week Fox-So-Called-News Faces Its Reckoning? | Thom Hartmann | 09/24/24 | 6:18
The1a.org
John Bolton: World Leaders Think Donald Trump Is 'A Laughing Fool' They Can Take Advantage Of | Al Arabiya | 09/14/24 | 7:11

Tuesday September 24, 2024

Israel Bombed Lebanon Today, Killing Hundreds. The U.S. Is Sending More Bombs.
TheIntercept | Jonah Valdez | 09/23/24

The Israeli military has embarked upon a massive bombing campaign in Lebanon. Last week, it began with the remote detonation of thousands of personal electronic devices. On Friday, an Israeli strike leveled a building in the Beirut suburbs. On Sunday and into Monday, the bombings expanded into the largest attack on Lebanon since Israel's 2006 invasion. All told, the Israeli military bombed 1,300 targets, killing at least 490 people, including more than 90 children and women.

The death toll is already the highest since the 2006 Israel–Hezbollah War, and certainly the worst since October 7, when Israel and Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shia group backed by Iran, began exchanging strikes. The Israeli government continued its attacks over the course of the day Monday, hitting a Beirut suburb with three missiles, injuring at least six others. While Israel said it targeted Hezbollah's weapons supplies, Lebanon's health minister also said the strikes hit hospitals, medical centers, and ambulances. ... Read more

America's secret opinions
Axios | Erica Pandey | 09/24/24Click to enlarge

Why it matters: Politicians and institutions take cues and shape policies based on public opinion - but these stated opinions might not truly reflect what people want.

61% of Americans admit to "self-silencing" - keeping their true opinions on sensitive topics to themselves.

Zoom in: Populace, a Massachusetts think tank, and YouGov polled Americans to gauge their public and private views on topics like trust in government, gun control, higher education and the border.

How it works: Respondents were provided a mix of traditional polling questions and other questions using a list experiment method, or item-count technique, that provides them with a greater sense of anonymity. ... Read more

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said that if reelected, he would impose new tariffs on China reaching 60 percent of the goods’ value. After Trump’s tariffs aimed at China in early 2018, retaliation from the country and other nations affected hit the U.S. economy and especially agricultural producers hard. A report from the USDA shows that between mid-2018 and the end of 2019, more than $27 billion, thereof $25.7 billion tied to China, had to be compensated with government payments to farmers. Tariff rates never exceeded 30 percent of goods value in that time period and were as low as 7.5 percent for some products, so an even higher and uniform tariff rate of 60 percent would be sure to send another shock wave through the U.S. business and farming communities.

Back then, the Trump Administration addressed concerns earmarking federal aid worth $28 billion for farmers. Under current President Joe Biden, relief payments continued to rise. Yet, farmer advocates pointed out that the subsidies were going to large farms predominantly, leaving smaller producers out in the rain.
Top U.S. & World Headlines - September 24, 2024 | 09/24/24 | 10:46
"Absolutely Terrifying": Israel's War Comes to Lebanon, Sets Record-Breaking Single-Day Death Toll | DN | 09/24/24 | 21:54
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Tuesday, September 24 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. "Absolutely Terrifying": Israel's War Comes to Lebanon, Setting Record-Breaking Single-Day Death Toll
  3. Climate Activists Shut Down Citibank HQ in NYC, Demand Halt to Fossil Fuel Investments
  4. NYC Climate Week: Climate Activist Kumi Naidoo on the Need for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty
  5. Marcellus Williams Execution in Hands of Supreme Court; Victim's Family, Prosecutor Don't Want Him to Die
5 Ways Trump Would Blow up the Economy | Robert Reich | 09/24/24 | 4:31
Trump PANICS with last-ditch stunt in court | btc | 09/24/24 | 9:33
10,000 Books Banned: What's Really Behind This Massive Censorship? | Thom Hartmann | 09/23/24 | 3:56
The1a.org

Monday September 23, 2024

Israeli strikes kill 274 in southern Lebanon: Lebanese Health Ministry
Axios | Barak Ravid | 09/23/24

Lebanon's health ministry said at least 274 people were killed and more than 1,000 wounded in a massive wave of Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon on Monday.

Why it matters: The barrage of strikes come with Israel and Hezbollah staring down the possibility of all-out war. They were the most wide-ranging and deadliest the Israel Defense Forces have launched inside Lebanon since the 2006 war between Israel and the militant group.

The latest: Lebanon's health minister said there is a massive displacement of civilians from southern Lebanon after the Israeli airstrikes. Those killed in the attacks included women, children, and paramedics.

Israel Defense Forces said 150 rockets were fired from Lebanon after the Israeli airstrikes. Dozens of rockets were launched toward the Haifa area and farther south in Israel. Sirens went off in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank about 60 miles south of the border with Lebanon. ... Read more

Why Democratic super PACs aren't focused on attacking Trump
Politico | Jessica Piper | 09/23/24

Democratic super PACs are taking an unusual approach in this year's presidential race: They're not focusing on former President Donald Trump.

A significant majority of this cycle's spending by pro-Democratic outside groups - which typically function as attack dogs - is going to ads aiming to drive positive perceptions of Vice President Kamala Harris. It's a particularly striking shift after a majority of similar groups' spending in both 2016 and 2020 was focused on driving up Trump's negatives, a POLITICO analysis of ad spending found.

That stark contrast reflects a challenging reality: Harris began her abbreviated campaign comparatively unknown to many voters, setting off a frenzy to define her in the final weeks of the election. That's particularly pronounced because this is Trump's third presidential run in a row - and even after his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and his four indictments and conviction earlier this year, voters' views of him are largely set. ... Read more

Democrats are outspending Republicans nationwide
Axios | Alex Fitzpatrick,Kavya Beheraj | 09/23/24

Democrats are outspending Republicans on political ads by about a half-billion dollars since Aug. 1, according to data from analytics platform AdImpact.

By the numbers: As of Sept. 20, Democrats have spent $1.8 billion on ads booked for Aug. 1 through Nov. 5, compared to $1.3 billion for Republicans.

That includes spending by campaigns (from the presidential candidates down to lower-ballot hopefuls) as well as by outside groups.

Campaigns alone, Democrats have spent nearly $700 million, compared to almost $400 million by Republicans. ... Read more

Fentanyl fueling worst drug crisis in U.S. history
Fentanyl fueling worst drug crisis in U.S. history, killing 70,000 a year | 60 Minutes| 09/22/24 | 13:21
Top U.S. & World Headlines - September 23, 2024 | 09/23/24 | 11:09
Israel Bombs Lebanon After Blowing Up Pagers in "Act of Mass Mutilation." Is Ground Invasion Next? | DN | 09/23/24 | 21:52
Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Monday, September 23 (FULL) | 59:02
Note: on the full 59:02 video look for small white (or black) circles on the Progressbar they denote the different news stories. You can move the pointer on the Progressbar to jump to each story, and around the video.
  1. Headlines
  2. Israel Bombs Lebanon After Blowing Up Pagers in "Act of Mass Mutilation." Is Ground Invasion Next?
  3. "Israel Has No Right": Al Jazeera Managing Editor Slams Israel's Raid & Closing of West Bank Bureau
  4. MAGA-Allied Georgia Election Board Votes to Hand-Count Ballots: Move Could Throw National Election
Trump descends into PANIC as campaign falls apart | btc | 09/23/24 | 21:53
Top Republican campaign IN FREEFALL after huge announcement | btc | 09/23/24 | 8:00
What's the REAL Reason Trump Won't Lose Voters No Matter What? | Thom Hartmann | 09/21/24 | 3:13
The1a.org




02.10.2011. 07:16



Special Interest Important stuff
GOOD Shorts Videos

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Lindsey Graham Mashups
Lindsey Graham

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

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Environment & Climate Change
Environment

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

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

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

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

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

Wall Street and Banksters

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

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Intelligence Agencies/Deep State?

Intelligence Agencies/Deep State?

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

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Daniel Ellsberg | Pentagon Papers
Daniel Ellsberg

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

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Nukes
Nukes

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

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Rana Foroohar and Fall of American Business
Rana Foroohar

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

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

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

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

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Kuznick Interviews

Kuznick Interviews

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

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

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China Valley of Tunnels

China Valley of Tunnels

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

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911
911

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

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The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War

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

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Trump's Mashups
Trump's Mashups

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

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Trump's Sexcapades
Trump's Sexcapades.

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

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

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

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Sponsors

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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.

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