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The Left Column
PBS Killed WISCONSIN UPRISING Documentary "CITIZEN KOCH" To Appease Koch Brothers
(Truthout) "Citizen Koch," a documentary about money in politics focused on the Wisconsin uprising, was shunned by PBS for fear of offending billionaire industrialist David Koch, who has given $23 million to public television, according to Jane Mayer of the New Yorker. The dispute highlights the increasing role of private money in "public" television and raises even further concerns about the Kochs potentially purchasing eight major daily newspapers. The film from Academy Award-nominated filmmakers Carl Deal and Tia Lessin documents how the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United decision helped pave the way for secret political spending by players like the Kochs, who contributed directly and indirectly to the election of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker in 2010 and came to his aid again when the battle broke out over his effort to limit collective bargaining.
Rand Paul demands Congress ‘apologize’ to Apple for tax avoidance hearing
(Rawstory) Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on Tuesday lashed out at fellow members of Congress for looking into how technology giant Apple is able to avoid paying billions of dollars in taxes. The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released a report on Monday detailing how Apple had used a network of offshore shell companies in recent year to avoid paying taxes.
At a committee hearing on Tuesday, Paul was livid that Apple CEO Tim Cook was asked to testify. “I’m offended by a $4 trillion government bullying, berating and badgering one America’s greatest success stories,” the Kentucky Republican told the committee. “Tell me what Apple has done that is illegal?”
Looks like they found the source of the IRS cover-up: Darrell Issa
(TPM) At a hearing Tuesday, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George told the Senate Finance Committee that the Treasury Department informed Rep. Darrell Issa's (R-CA) office of its investigation into the IRS in 2012, and has had communications with this staff since then.
GOP Aides Mock House Republicans’ ‘Crazy’ Benghazi Witch-Hunt
(Think Progress) GOP aides are criticizing the House Republicans’ partisan witch-hunt over the Obama administration’s handling of the attacks on a U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya last year, arguing that the Party should focus more on substantive issues, such as lessons learned and how to recalibrate diplomatic security.
Roll Call reports that Republican aides are saying staffers are getting bogged down chasing bogus accusations. “We have got to get past that and figure out what are we going to do going forward,” a GOP aide told Roll Call. “Some of the accusations, I mean you wouldn’t believe some of this stuff. It’s just — I mean, you’ve got to be on Mars to come up with some of this stuff.” Another aide expressed frustration at accusations that military assets weren’t properly deployed during the night of the attacks and that a team from Tripoli could have been flown in to fight off the attackers.
Oklahoma senator: Tornado aid “totally different” from Sandy aid
(Salon) Sen. James Inhofe, a Republican from Oklahoma, argued that there is no comparison between Hurricane Sandy relief, which he voted against last fall, and aid for his state in the wake of the devastating tornado, because the two are “totally different.”
The Washington Post reports that Inhofe contended on Tuesday that the Hurricane Sandy relief bill was filled with pork, “things in the Virgin Islands. They were fixing roads there and putting roofs on houses in Washington, D.C.,” and that people were “exploiting the tragedy that took place.” He added: “That won’t happen in Oklahoma.”
Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn will seek to offset federal aid to victims of a massive tornado
(TPM) Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn will seek to offset federal aid to victims of a massive tornado that blasted through Oklahoma City suburbs on Monday with cuts elsewhere in the budget. "That's always been his position ," a spokesman told the Huffington Post Monday night. "He supported offsets to the bill funding the OKC bombing recovery effort."
Coburn, who intends to retire in 2016, joined his fellow Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe (R) last year in supporting an amendment that would have substantially cut a package of $60 billion dollars intended for reconstruction of the East Coast in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. The measure eventually passed in two parts with most of the Senate Republican caucus in opposition, but not before New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and New York GOP Reps. Peter King and Michael Grimm offered scathing critiques that their party was abandoning stranded people in the wake of the storm.
Krugman: Where Are The Deficit Celebrations?
(NYT) For three years and more Beltway politics has been all about the deficit. Urgent action was needed to avert crisis. A Grand Bargain absolutely had to be reached...So where are the celebrations now that the debt issue looks, if not solved, at least greatly mitigated? And it’s not just recovering revenues: health costs, the biggest driver of long-run spending, have slowed dramatically.
What we’re getting from the deficit scolds, however, are at best grudging admissions that things may look a bit less dire — if not expressions of regret that the public seems insufficiently alarmed.
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Stargazer Snaps Amazing Photo of Deep Space Oasis Science : By Judi Lynn
Sobering map of tornado tracks Science : By n2doc
The Waterfall and the World at Night Science : By n2doc
Around DU
Good Reads
- Amy Goodman: Another Memorial Day in This Endless War
- The radical uncertainty of this moment can enlarge our sense of possibility
- Sandra Steingraber Testimony for Illinois House of Reps. on Proposed Gas Fracking
- Whey Too Much: Greek Yogurt’s Dark Side
- Celebrating Inequality
- Lois Lerner Shows Why Obama Needs to Get Rid of All Remaining Bush Appointees
- The Tea Party, The IRS ‘Scandal’ — And The Actual Facts Of The Case
- Mitch McConnell Loses His Mind and Accuses Harry Reid of Intimidating Him
- Spending by Politically Active Tax-Exempt Groups, by type of group & by political point of view
- How America Became a Third World Country (2013-2023)
Politics 2013
- Nukular Follies -- Yahooo! Hop on board!!
- Another Republican Governor Reverses Course On Obamacare
- 'Tesla, labeled a “loser” by Romney, giving Obama green-energy strategy its biggest win: paying off
- Help Me Crash the Tea Party
- Urge NYT Public Editor to Probe Times Coverage of Syria Chemical Arms Claim
- Does anyone know what the President is
- Virginia Republicans Panicking Over Their Choice for Lieutenant Governor
- Conservative Nonprofits That Received Tax Exempt Status Outspent Liberals by 34-to-1
- The New Beltway Fantasy: Appointing IRS Special Counsel Would End GOP Obstructionism
- House GOP Holds Anti-Abortion Event Dominated By Men
General Discussion
- Women Say God Told Them To Walk Down Road Naked
- Wall Street Seeks Dodd-Frank Changes Through Trade Talks
- Firefighter Reportedly Fired After Caring For Disputed Salem Dog
- My daughter has just finished her abstinence-only sex ed at school
- Magnets, how do they work? A new safe, effective treatment for oil-soaked wildlife.
- Do you approve of this anti-Republican Oklahoma graphic?
- Nobel Laureate Phelps Warns Against EU as Iceland Drops Bid
- Chris Hedges w/Thom Hartmann: Rise Up or Die
- Morning Joe worse than usual today...
- In Memoriam: Wayne Miller (1918 – 2013)
Topics
- Religion: Pope Francis Says Atheists Who Do Good Are Redeemed, Not Just Catholics
- Men's Group: If you think think men arent objectified.....
- Environment & Energy: Coal Boom Could Destroy Great Barrier Reef
- Cooking & Baking: What's for Dinner ~ Thursday May 23rd - Still Awake Edition
- Economy: Hoe, hoe, hoe! Christmas trees are back, in new farm bill
- Photography: In Memoriam: Wayne Miller (1918 – 2013)
- Veterans: Did the Pentagon cry wolf over sequestration?
- LGBT: How Policy Nihilists in the Senate Doomed LGBT Immigrants
- Science: Rare Dance of the Planets in late May
- Anthropology: Submerged Structure Stumps Israeli Archaeologists
Places
- Missouri: St. Louis County Exec Dooley gave his support to using County Park to expand National Cemetery
- United Kingdom: London terrorist attack...and Trident
- North Carolina: 38 Signs You’re From North Carolina
- Canada: NDP’s Mulcair takes aim at Senate abolition
- Arizona: blech - fires starting early
- Wisconsin: More disturbing news from Wisconsin:
- Texas: 40 year tenure - Congratulations State Rep. Senfronia Thompson District 141 (D-Houston)
- Latin America: Ex-Ford execs charged in Argentine torture cases
- Pennsylvania: Corbett's brief: Penn State sanctions will cause other colleges to make more money on sweat shirts
- New York: Residents along Mohawk River sue NY over $4.6M in damage
Latest Breaking News
Global stocks markets hit after Chinese data and Fed comments.
3 min ago - Global markets fell after weak Chinese data and worries that the US Federal Reserve may slow its monetary stimulus. In Asia, the fall was led by Japan's Nikkei index, which closed down 7.3% having fallen as much as 10%. European markets also revers ... (BBC News)
Woolwich attack exclusive: Man in bloody video - named 'Mujahid' - was known to Anjem Choudary's ban
42 min ago - Full headline : Woolwich attack exclusive: Man in bloody video - named 'Mujahid' - was known to Anjem Choudary's banned Islamist group Al Muhajiroun One of the two men involved in the Woolwich terror attack was known to a banned Islamist organisati ... (Independent)
Stricken Japan nuke plant struggles to keep staff
1 hr ago - By YURI KAGEYAMA TOKYO (AP) - Keeping the meltdown-stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in northeastern Japan in stable condition requires a cast of thousands. Increasingly the plant's operator is struggling to find enough workers, a trend that many ex ... (AP-Excite)
'Never in his life': Father of Tsarnaev's friend questions FBI slaying of son
1 hr ago - An FBI agent shot Tamerlan Tsarnaev-linked triple murder suspect Ibragim Todashev in Florida, allegedly after the suspect attacked him with a knife. But Todashev’s father Abdulbaki told RT he strongly doubted his son could attack the agent first. . ... (Russia Today)
Five killed, 50 wounded in Lebanon's Tripoli
2 hrs ago - Five people were killed and more than 50 wounded in overnight clashes in Tripoli between Lebanese gunmen backing rival factions in Syria's civil war, doctors and security sources said on Thursday. Tripoli has suffered sporadic sectarian violence sin ... (Reuters)
Stockholm Suburbs Beset by more Riots
5 hrs ago - STOCKHOLM—Cars and buildings were smoldering early Wednesday after a third-straight night of rioting around Sweden's capital, in what has become the country's worst outbreak of civil unrest in years. Eight people were arrested overnight, bringing t ... (online WSJ)
Phthalates: Study links chemicals widely found in plastics, processed food to elevated blood pressur
5 hrs ago - Plastic additives known as phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) are odorless, colorless and just about everywhere: They turn up in flooring, plastic cups, beach balls, plastic wrap, intravenous tubing and—according to the Centers for Disease Control and ... (Phys.org)
BIS and IMF attacks on quantitative easing deeply misguided warn monetarists
5 hrs ago - The BIS enjoys huge prestige. It was the only major institution to warn persistently before 2008 that credit excess threatened to trigger a global crisis. The bank's monetary veteran Claudio Borio is esteemed by specialists as one of the world's mos ... (The Telegraph)
Obama, lawmakers ready to renew push to shutter Guantánamo Bay prison
6 hrs ago - As President Obama gears up for a new push to close Guantánamo Bay, lawmakers from both parties are skeptical the president will be successful in persuading Congress to shutter the facility. Obama is delivering a speech on national security Thursday ... (The Hill)
Official: Dead Boston bombings suspect involved in 2011 slayings
8 hrs ago - (CNN) -- Deceased Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev participated in a 2011 gruesome triple homicide outside Boston along with a Chechen killed early Wednesday during a confrontation with the FBI and Massachusetts State Police in Orlan ... (CNN)
Galveston judge indicted on 8 criminal counts
8 hrs ago - GALVESTON - A Galveston County judge has been indicted on eight criminal counts charging him with abuse of office, including retaliation against the attorney representing the judge's wife in a divorce case. The indictments, presented to state Distri ... (Houston Chronicle)
Sandy Battered Rockaway Residents Now Aiding Oklahoma Tornado Victims Who Helped Queens Last Year
10 hrs ago - http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/queens-helps-tornado-victims-article-1.1351941 IMAGES of the deadly Oklahoma tornado were roaring across her TV screen, but Marissa Bernowitz was worrying about a man she had never met. The Rockaway woman ... (NY Daily News)
Ireland says will not be U.S. "whipping boy" on tax
11 hrs ago - (Reuters) - Ireland's finance minister said the country would not be the "whipping boy" for what he called a flawed U.S. Senate report that said Irish loopholes helped technology giant Apple shrink its tax bill. Ireland has been forced to defend its ... (Reuters)
South African Court Acquits Brother of Oscar Pistorius
11 hrs ago - One Pistorius brother is free of charges — acquitted Tuesday of culpable homicide in the death of a woman in a road accident. The famous younger brother, Olympian double-amputee Oscar Pistorius, still must face his day in court for shooting and kill ... (ABC News)
1 student dead, 2 hurt, 1 missing in rock slide at St. Paul park
12 hrs ago - One fourth grade student is dead and another is missing after a rock slide in Lilydale Regional Park Wednesday afternoon. St. Paul Fire Marshal Steve Zaccard said students from two fourth grade classes at Peter Hobart Elementary School in St. Louis ... (strib)
US pushes Europe to amend arms embargo on Syrian rebels
12 hrs ago - The United States is lobbying European governments to back a British-led call to amend the EU arms embargo on Syria to put pressure on President Bashar al-Assad to enter into talks with the opposition. John Kerry, the US secretary of state, has been ... (The Guardian)
Despite Protests, Chicago to Close 49 Schools
12 hrs ago - After an emotional public schools meeting, officials here in the third-largest district in the country voted Wednesday to close 49 public schools that they said were not being fully used. The decision, passed unanimously by the Chicago Board of Ed ... (New York Times)
Google boss calls for a 'rational and predictable international tax system'
12 hrs ago - The Google chairman, Eric Schmidt, has told political leaders to sort out a rational and predictable international tax system, as he faced a wave of criticism over the firm's failure to pay more tax. Ed Miliband attempted to deliver his rebuke direc ... (The Guardian)
Germany and Britain Push to List Hezbollah as a Terror Group
12 hrs ago - Two of Europe’s most powerful countries, Britain and Germany, have thrown their weight behind a push for the European Union to designate the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, a move that could have far-reaching consequenc ... (New York Times)
Oklahoma Senate votes to defund Planned Parenthood 2 Days after Tornado
12 hrs ago - In the wake of one of the most destructive tornadoes in history, Oklahoma state senators passed a bill on Wednesday that would effectively defund Planned Parenthood. Senate Bill 900, which re-allocates family planning funds to public providers and h ... (Huffington Post)
Group wants special court to release ruling on unlawful U.S. surveillance
12 hrs ago - A civil liberties group is set to file a motion Thursday asking a special federal court to allow the release of a classified opinion that found the government engaged in unlawful surveillance on Americans. The Electronic Frontier Foundation is turni ... (Washington Post)
Judge apologizes for lack of transparency in James Rosen leak probe
12 hrs ago - The chief judge of the District’s federal court issued an unusual order Wednesday, apologizing to the public and the media for not making certain court documents widely available online. The gesture of transparency by U.S. District Judge Royce C. La ... (Washington Post)
Tesla Motors fully repays $465 million federal loan nine years early
14 hrs ago - In a huge boost for the Obama Administration and clean-energy firms, electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors (TSLA) announced Wednesday that it has paid back its $465 million government loan in full and nine years early. The Department of Energy oversee ... (San Jose Mercury News)
Tech Giant Sees 'Competitive Advantage' in Autistic Workforce
14 hrs ago - Autism advocates are praising a German software company for its plan to hire people with autism as software testers, programmers and data quality assurance specialists. SAP, which employs more than 65,000 people worldwide, said it sees a "potential ... (ABC News)
Nebraska attorney general seeks to revoke license of only nurse at prominent abortion clinic
15 hrs ago - Nebraska attorney general seeks to revoke license of only nurse at prominent abortion clinic By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, May 22, 3:38 PM OMAHA, Neb. — A prominent Nebraska abortion clinic is facing a new legal challenge from sta ... (Associated Press)
Fed Stimulus Still Needed to Help Recovery, Bernanke Says
15 hrs ago - Despite recent improvement in the job market, the Federal Reserve needs to continue its stimulus efforts to avoid endangering the recovery, the Fed chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, told Congress on Wednesday. While acknowledging the risks of historicall ... (new york times)
I.R.S. Official Denies Misleading Congress
15 hrs ago - The Internal Revenue Service official who first disclosed that the agency had targeted conservative groups for special scrutiny, and in doing so ignited a controversy that has ensnared the White House, denied on Wednesday that she had ever provided ... (new york times)
In a First, U.S. Acknowledges Drones Killing 4 Americans
15 hrs ago - By CHARLIE SAVAGE Published: May 22, 2013 4:30 pm Eastern WASHINGTON — One day before President Obama is due to deliver a major speech on national security, his administration on Wednesday formally acknowledged that the United States had killed f ... (New York Times)
Reid appears to back away from "nuclear option" on fillibusters
15 hrs ago - With one of President Barack Obama’s key nominees on the verge of being confirmed by the Senate on Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid appeared to edge away Wednesday from an idea that some Democrats are calling for: enacting a change in Sena ... (NBC News)
Governor John Hickenlooper delays execution of Nathan Dunlop
15 hrs ago - DENVER - Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper delayed the execution of convicted killer Wednesday, citing doubts about death penalty. Sources tell 9NEWS that Hickenlooper is granting a "temporary reprieve" in the case, not clemency. Under a repriev ... (9News)
Video
Noam Chomsky: 'Drone strikes a terror-generating machine'
Google Spies On You Everywhere
Aaron Swartz's Legacy: US media's new system to shield leaks
Sam Seder with Glenn Greenwald: Obama Administration's War On Press Freedom
E.W. Jackson: No Federal Aid For Natural Disasters
March Against Monsanto May 25th, Blog, Protest, Call Reps, everything, DO IT
Martin Bashir - IRS official pleads the fifth in face of Republican ire
Alan Grayson: It's Our Job to Pass Laws, Not Give Favors to Foreign Oil Corporations
Sen. Warren Q&A with Treasury Secretary Jack Lew
Steven Crowder Must Hate Jesus
This Is What Tyranny Looks Like
The Pope and the money changers
Thom Hartmann: A "right to vote" constitutional amendment is here...
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