Sheldon Richman – Beware the Anti-Politician Politician: They Still Want to Rule!

The good news about the presidential election season is that so many voters seem disgusted with career politicians. The bad news is that these voters are naively opting for “outsiders” who in reality are just politicians in another form. They are anti-politician politicians. This, I submit, is not progress. It is certainly a hopeful sign that perhaps more people than …

Infectious Myth – The Mysterious Acceptance of Bad Science as the cause of AIDS – 10.06.15

In episode 73 David tackles four weighty issues. A different take on Planned Parenthood. The Roseburg/Umpqua mass shooting. The complex issue of sexual consent. And finally, the original four Robert Gallo papers that cemented the HIV=AIDS theory in one fell swoop. Oh, and don’t forget the US government press conference that preceded their publication by a few weeks.

Leid Stories – 09.28.15

Holier Than Thou: The Role of Religion in the 2016 Presidential Race

The 2016 presidential race has unleashed a devil’s brew of marketing ploys—chief among them a distinctly nativist “American Christian” religiosity.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), was the first to tout his evangelical credentials to the [self-] righteous. In early April, in a bid to woo evangelicals, his campaign ran a 30-second spot, titled “Blessing,” in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada—the states with the earliest primaries.

In the ensuing months, the candidates’ religious beliefs, and religion as a whole, have featured prominently in media coverage of the presidential campaign. Leid Stories discusses the role of religion in shaping electoral choices.

Heather Digby Parton – Why Ben Carson’s Rapid Surge in the Polls Should Have You Very, Very Worried

Even as Donald Trump continues to dominate the national polls, with the latest from PPP [3] showing him holding on to a substantial national lead, another one of the Republican presidential candidates is finally starting to break away from the pack. And it’s not one of the mainstream political professionals, as everyone assumed it would be: Governor Scott Walker, Senator Marco Rubio, …

John Kasich Doesn’t Belong Anywhere Near The U.S. Department Of Education

Some Very Serious People have decided Governor John Kasich of Ohio is the latest personality to emerge from the field of presidential candidates in the Republican Party as a genuine bona fide consideration. According to a round up of political pundits and campaign strategists compiled by Politico, Kasich – along with Hewlett-Packard ex-CEO Carly Fiorina – put in a superior …

Jim Hightower – Superrich Donors Turn Our Democracy Into Their Plutocracy

Robert Mercer, a Wall Street hedge-fund magnate who started at I.B.M. and made his fortune using computer patterns to outsmart the stock market, has already put more than $11 million into Ted Cruz’s SuperPAC Once upon a time in our Good Ol’ US-of-A, presidential contenders and their political parties had to raise the funds needed to make the race. How …

The Mark Riley Show – 08.05.15

In year since searing death, Ferguson sees uneven change. Yes, there has been change, but how substantial has it been? Did it take the death of Michael Brown to bring about that change?

Another exoneration in Brooklyn brings total since last year to 14. DA Ken Thompson deserves the credit for this, but it also begs the question, what was the Das office doing before he got there?

In Congress, Obama begins campaign for Iran nuclear deal. His efforts are both public and private. However, when people talk about a better deal, just how do they think they’ll get it? Back out of this one, do they really think the Iranians will come back to the table?

The Voting Rights Act at 50. Back in the day, when people would warn against the erosion of the Act, I was one of those who thought they were overreacting. I was wrong. The attacks on the Voting Rights Act teaches us we must remain vigilant, lest someone try and take what was won at a terrible price.

John Kasich is in, Rick Perry is out in first Republican debate. The whole concept of upper and lower tiers is anti democratic on its face. And to use polling??? Nothing more than a means to generate money.

A belated look at New York’s cooling towers, prime suspect in Legionnaires outbreak. No matter what the suspect, the City should have been quicker to act and inspect the towers, if that’s where they suspect it comes from.

Synthetic marijuana gives people abnormal strength, makes them dangerous: NYPD. Leaving aside the similarities to the reefer scare of the early 20th century, this K2 looks like a problem. The place to stop it is at the point of sale, pure and simple.

Bar owner eliminated tips, raised prices and started paying everyone $15 dollars an hour. This was in Portland, Oregon where the cost of living is very high. Do you think it’s a good idea? He did it immediately, not in increments like politicians do.

The restrictions journalists agreed to in order to attend the Koch brothers’ conference. You don’t really want to ask why they agreed, do you?

Jeb!: “I’m not sure we need a half billion dollars for women’s health issues. He’s moonwalking backward, but this one’s going to hurt him.

Horrific bad factory farmers can’t put you in jail for exposing them no more. No more AG-Gag? Time to celebrate!

ALEC and polluters release new, uninspired schemes to block climate action

With most of America enduring major heat waves this week, mild and sunny San Diego is not a bad place to be — especially if you want to ignore climate change and block clean energy solutions. Turns out that’s where polluting companies and conservative state lawmakers are gathering right now for the American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) annual summer conference. …

The Spirit of Judy Miller is Alive and Well at the NYT, and It Does Great Damage – Glenn Greenwald

One of the very few Iraq War advocates to pay any price at all was former New York Times reporter Judy Miller, the classic scapegoat. But what was her defining sin? She granted anonymity to government officials and then uncritically laundered their dubious claims in the New York Times. As the paper’s own editors put it in their 2004 mea culpa about the role they played in selling the …

Admit It: You People Want To See How Far This Goes, Don’t You?

The latest polls are out, and just as I predicted, I’m leading the Republican presidential race by a wide margin. You might be wondering how that could be. After all, it’s hardly been a month since I entered the field and I’ve already alienated America’s largest immigrant population, seen dozens of my high-profile business deals implode one after the other, …