Eric Zuesse – Proof that Ignorance Drives Hillary Clinton’s Voters

Although no organization that predictively polls the Democratic Presidential primaries has sampled the question (or its equivalent) “What is the most important reason why you prefer that candidate?” the assumption by political pundits has always been that, regarding Hillary Clinton voters, perhaps the most important reason for their choice of Clinton over Sanders is that she would be a stronger …

Jeff Guo – Death predicts whether people vote for Donald Trump

A few weeks ago, following the Republican Iowa caucuses, I pointed out an eerie correlation in the voting data. It seems that Donald Trump performed the best in places where middle-aged whites are dying the fastest. That wasn’t a fluke. The relationship between white mortality and Trump support is real, as the fresh results from Super Tuesday confirmed. Here are scatter charts to visualize this connection in nine of the 11 Super …

Jill Suttie – How Nature Can Make You Kinder, Happier, and More Creative

I’ve been an avid hiker my whole life. From the time I first strapped on a backpack and headed into the Sierra Nevada Mountains, I was hooked on the experience, loving the way being in nature cleared my mind and helped me to feel more grounded and peaceful. But, even though I’ve always believed that hiking in nature had many …

Black Agenda Radio – 02.22.16

Welcome, to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective with Glen Ford and his co-host, Nellie Bailey.

– Dr. Gerald Horne, the prolific author and professor of political science at the University of Houston, has another book out. It’s titled, “Paul Robeson: The Artist as Revolutionary.” Paul Robeson was an NFL-class athlete, spoke 12 languages, a movie star who was one of the biggest draws in the American musical theater, and was probably the best-known American in the world at the height of his popularity, in the early 1940s. Yet, no more than 20 years later, the crusading artist and social activists’ name had been all but erased from public discourse in the United States. How could that happen? We asked Dr. Horne.

– An analysis of employment statistics shows the Black jobless rate in Virginia, the state with the lowest Black unemployment rate in the nation, is the same as the white jobless rate in West Virginia, the state with the highest white unemployment rate, at 6.7 percent. What does this tell us about the so-called economic recovery? We spoke with Dr. Valerie Wilson, of the Washington-based Economic Policy Institute.

– Turkey is threatening to invade neighboring Syria, creating a direct confrontation with Russian military forces. Political analyst Eric Draitser, founder of StopImperialism.com, appeared recently on Russia Today’s “Cross Talk” program. Draitser says Turkish President Erdogan is playing with fire.

– Hillary Clinton is one step closer to becoming Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces, with her victory in Nevada. That’s a scary thought, as far as Dr. Stephen Zunes, is concerned. Zunes is Professor of Politics and International Studies, at San Francisco University. He says Hillary Clinton stoked the flames of war while Secretary of State.

– Ticket sales are soaring for Beyonce’s world tour. The Superstar seems to have profited from the controversy over her Black Panther-flavored performance at the Superbowl. Black Agenda Report editor Ajama Baraka, a co-founder of the U.S. Human Rights Network, says there’s nothing oppositional, much less revolutionary, about Beyonce’s “Formation” album. He also maintains that neither Bernie Sanders nor Ta-Nehisi Coates represents a challenge to the U.S. imperial order.

– Public television last week showed the acclaimed Stanley Nelson film, “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution,” which previously had been playing in selected theaters. Former Black Panther Kathleen Cleaver was honored at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, in Detroit. Cleaver recounted how she became involved with the Black Panther Party.

– The nation’s best-known political prisoner, Mumia Abu Jamal, is also a renowned author. Abu Jamal gives a boost to a former political prisoner’s latest book.

– Khalil Bennet is also imprisoned in Pennsylvania. Bennet is what inmates call “a child-lifer” – a person given a life sentence for a crime committed while he was a juvenile. The Supreme Court recently ruled that such sentences are cruel and unusual, setting the stage for the release of thousands of prisoners. Khalil Bennet says, when these former child-lifers are let loose, they can become the cadre of a new movement.

Solartopia Green Power and Wellness Hour – 02.18.16

THE WAR AGAINST SOLAR POWER comes to Solartopia today with three great expert/activists.

Pulitzer-nominee JACQUES LESLIE opens with his powerful NYTimes article on Nevada’s attempt to crush the massive, successful spread of rooftop panels. Jacques’ unique, distinguished journalistic career has spanned the field from Vietnam to a marquee book on big dams and much more.

Long-time nuclear opponent JUDY TREICHEL reports to us from Nevada on the Public Utilities Commission decision to assault homeowners like herself who have installed highly productive solar panels. The corrupt state government is now waging war to protect the fossil/nuke investments of the Koch Brothers against the clean, cheap, job-producing power of the sun.

By contrast, activist PAUL KANGAS joins us to talk about the California Public Utilities Commission decision to guarantee a 15 cent/kilowatt-hour payment to homeowners pumping juice into the grid from their own solar panels. The city of Berkeley has now resolved to shut the Diablo Canyon nuke, upping the ante on the race between renewables and the likelihood of a catastrophic explosion at the state’s last reactors.

All-in-all, this is a program sure to make the sun shine in your heart…and on your roof.

Leid Stories – 02.18.16

Election Primaries 2016: The Republicans’ Offensive Counteroffensive to the Democrats’ Shenanigans

The presidential race is at full throttle. Skirmishes earlier this month in Iowa and New Hampshire have winnowed the ranks of contenders, and a further culling might occur before Super Tuesday (March 1) after primaries in Nevada and South Carolina. Leid Stories has been discussing the shenanigans on the Democratic side, a fierce battle between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders to be the standard bearer in the general election. We look at how the other wing of the duopoly is faring as six survivors of a brutal political editing execute an offensive counteroffensive.

Dustin Beilke – Obama Administration Enables Billionaire Takeover of America’s Public Schools

With the Walton billionaires doubling down [3] in their efforts to accelerate the charter school industry and with the Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings, throwing in $100 million [4] to privatize traditional public schools, one might think that the U.S. Department of Education would be a major line of defense for America’s public schools educating the most underserved students or even a bold investor in …

Leid Stories – 10.09.15

The Pre-Debate Debates, Right Here on Free Your Mind Friday!
Leid Stories listeners won’t be waiting for the other party’s Oct. 13 dog-and-pony show in Nevada to find out what the issues are and where the Democratic presidential candidates stand. It’s grist for mill on “Free Your Mind Friday,” the best open forum on the planet.
Call in (888-874-4888) and join our regularly scheduled People’s Debate.

Ty Bollinger – The Truth About Chemotherapy – History, Effects and Natural Alternatives

Treating cancer is BIG business. In fact, each year in the USA, allopathic (conventional) cancer treatments generate over $200 billion in revenue. Despite this, cancer is still the #2 leading cause of death in the United States and Great Britain, and the #1 leading cause of death in Canada and Australia. Experts believe these statistics are only going to worsen. So how can …

Solartopia Green Power and Wellness Hour – 08.18.15

We discuss NUKES ON THE ROAD TO SHUTDOWN with the great KEVIN KAMPS.

As the atomic industry slumps to total market failure decrepit nukes like Ohio’s DAVIS-BESSE and California’s DIABLO CANYON slide toward complete collapse.

With his unique comprehension of the industry’s complex realities, Kevin walks us through the on-going downfalls in Illinois, Ohio and New York, along with the technical collapse of reactors like Indian Point, Pilgrim and Diablo Canyon.

In particular, these reactors are in violation of water quality laws on both the state and federal level and should have shut many moons ago.

DONNA GILMORE then fills us in on the battles over decommissioning California’s SAN ONOFRE . In particular, the fight over substandard dry casks for storing high level fuel rods has moved center stage as ratepayers are socked with hundreds of millions on costs that Southern California Edison does not want to cover. Donna’s assessment of this epic confrontation has especially serious implication for the future of us all.