In West Virginia, teachers have ended their historic strike, after state officials agreed to raise the pay of all state workers by 5 percent. The strike began on February 22 and shut down every public school in the state. It was the longest teachers’ strike in West Virginia history. For more, we speak with Katie Endicott, a high school teacher and union activist in Mingo County, West Virginia. https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/7/we_won_teachers_end_historic_strike[with embedded video, and transcript]
After Victorious Strike, W. Virginia Teacher Sends Message to Oklahoma Educators Poised to Walk Out
Published on Mar 7, 2018 by Democracy Now!
As West Virginia teachers celebrate victory in their historic strike, Oklahoma teachers are considering following in their footsteps. On Tuesday, the Oklahoma Education Association announced that teachers would go strike on April 23 if the state Legislature doesn’t approve pay increases and funding for educational needs. For more, we speak with Teresa Danks, a third-grade teacher at Grimes Elementary School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She made headlines last year when she panhandled on a roadside to raise money for supplies for her classroom. She has since started a foundation called Begging for Education, dedicated to funding classrooms, improving teachers’ salaries and fiscal responsibility in Oklahoma. And we speak with Katie Endicott, a high school English teacher in Mingo County, West Virginia, who has a message for her counterpart in Oklahoma. https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/7/after_victorious_strike_w_virginia_teacher[with embedded video, and transcript]
Dems Team Up with GOP to Weaken Bank Rules, Which Critics Say May Lead to More Bailouts & Misconduct
Published on Mar 7, 2018 by Democracy Now!
On Tuesday, 16 Senate Democrats joined with 50 Republicans to advance a bill slated to roll back key financial regulations passed in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The bill would exempt 25 of the nation’s 40 largest banks from being subject to heightened scrutiny by the Federal Reserve. If it passes, it would be the biggest weakening of the Dodd-Frank Act since it was signed into law in 2010. The 67-32 vote in favor of a “motion to proceed” now sends the bill back to the floor for debate and possible amendments before a final vote in the coming days. We speak to Alexis Goldstein, a senior policy analyst at Americans for Financial Reform. https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/7/dems_team_up_with_gop_to[with embedded video, and transcript]
Texas Primaries See Surging Democratic Turnout & Record Number of Female Candidates
Published on Mar 7, 2018 by Democracy Now!
This year’s midterm elections officially began on Tuesday as Democratic and Republican primaries were held in Texas. Democrats are hoping Texas could become a key state in the party’s effort to retake control of the Senate and the House. A record 50 women were on the ballot in what many are calling the “year of the women.” On Tuesday, Congressmember Beto O’Rourke won the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. He will take on incumbent Ted Cruz, who easily won the Republican primary. On the House side, Democrats are putting up candidates in every Texas district for the first time in over 25 years. In one of the most watched Democratic races, progressive Democrat Laura Moser placed second, forcing a runoff against Democrat Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, an attorney who has been criticized for working at a law firm that has targeted unions in Texas. The race is seen as part of a war within the Democratic Party. Moser was endorsed by Our Revolution—the political organization that grew out of Bernie Sanders’s run for the White House. Fletcher was backed by the Democratic Party. In February, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee took the unusual step of directly attacking Moser even though she is a Democrat. Moser and Fletcher will now face each other in a runoff to decide who will face Republican Congressmember John Culberson in November. We speak to Mike Barajas, staff writer for The Texas Observer. https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/7/texas_primaries_see_surging_democratic_turnout[with embedded video, and transcript]
Democrats opposed tax cuts, GOP opposes tariffs to support decimated steel & aluminum industries. But Trump is doing what he promised & what his voters wanted. Wall Street & bankers are furious & fearful that this attack on globalism will result in a trade war. But the EU & WTO (World Trade Organization) already declared a trade war in response to Trump’s tax cuts that they claimed would give USA an unfair advantage. Then, the racism of the Democrat Party, as embodied by Schumer, has become a new “Jim Crow” law, just a different group. Will the racism become genocide like in South Africa? And an editorial board in Massachusetts asks Fauxcahontas to take a DNA test and put the issue of Elizabeth Warren’s Indian privilege to rest.
[from Alex Jones and his merry band of batshit bullshitters]
Anti-theism gets a bad rap from both atheists and the religious alike. With public figures like Jordan Peterson around, and droves of secular youtubers who go easy on religion, I think it’s worth discussing what anti-theism is, and what it isn’t. If only Hitchens was still around, public perception of anti-theism may be different.
Readout of President Donald J. Trump’s Call with President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski of Peru
Issued on: March 7, 2018
President Donald J. Trump spoke today with President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski of Peru to discuss the strong partnership between our two countries. President Trump underscored the need for countries in the region to work together to restore democracy in Venezuela, and the two leaders discussed the upcoming Summit of the Americas, which Peru will host next month. They agreed to continue to work together on issues of mutual interest.
Wednesday, March 7th 2018: Trump Defends Borders! - The president's DOJ filed a lawsuit against California, stating the state is intentionally disrupting federal immigration law. Also, stocks opened significantly lower today after Gary Cohn’s resignation as the White House's chief economic adviser. Furthermore, the CIA warns of the Chinese Communist Party infiltrating American universities! Roger Stone hosts the final hour[, with an appearance by Jacob Engels].
I know the video's long so here are a few key / shocking points: 2:37 Murder is only wrong because God says it is 11:35 This man does not understand why sexually abusing a child is wrong 13:31 Men have the God-given right to rape their wives... jk you can't rape your wife. :| 23:10 God wants you to stay in an abusive relationship 24:07 Women, remember your place - you are subordinate.
This week on FFRF's Ask an Atheist, our topic is, "Does in God We Trust belong in public buildings?" FFRF Director of Communications Amit Pal joins Staff Attorneys Andrew L Seidel and Elizabeth Cavell to discuss this issue. We will also talk about Kimberly Daniels proposal to add "In God We Trust" to Florida public schools, and Sally Hunt who was recently kicked out of a public meeting after opposing the phrase.
On Today’s War Room Show: Lee Ann McAdoo takes over in studio to break down the latest attacks on infowars, internet censorship and is joined by Michael Zimmerman and Darrin McBreen.
[from Alex Jones and his merry band of batshit bullshitters]
Waypoint meets Frank Cifaldi, the founder of the Video Game History Foundation. The history of video games are in danger of disappearing. Not just the games itself, but the packaging, the culture, and the experience of the players. We join Frank on his quest to save these relics.
Mueller probe circling Trump aide Roger Stone's Russia ties
The Beat with Ari Melber 3/7/18
New reports reveal Mueller is probing whether the United Arab Emirates funneled money to Trump¹s political efforts. Maya Wiley and Bill Kristol join Ari Melber to discuss the centrality of Trump ally Roger Stone in the Mueller investigation.
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is suing Trump, claiming a "hush agreement" from their alleged affair is invalid because Trump never signed it. Ari Melber breaks down how the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels is a legal problem for Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, whether he paid it himself or not.
Classes resume at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High following the February 14th mass shooting. VICE News goes back to Parkland as students return to class.
The Juicero Founder Is Really Into Raw Water And Really Hates Talking About Juicero (HBO)
Published on Mar 7, 2018 by VICE News
Just a couple years ago, Doug Evans was making his Silicon Valley dreams come true when he raised over $120 million in venture capital for his juicer startup, Juicero. Now, after the company collapsed, he’s trying to figure out what to do next.
You might have heard of Juicero. The $700 wifi connected home juicer became the embodiment of Silicon Valley excess, and shortly after a Bloomberg story revealed you could squeeze the company’s juice packs with your hands instead of the expensive juicer, the company folded. Juicero was ridiculed for its price tag and the fact that it required a wi-fi connection to work. But Evans says the media got it all wrong, and never gave the company a chance.
Now, Evans has a new obsession: raw water. Evans garnered new scrutiny earlier this year when he announced on his Instagram that he was partaking in a five-day “raw water cleanse.” As he ponders his next gig, Evans joined VICE News to harvest raw water in Northern California.
Mueller gathers evidence on Trump-Kremlin back channel
All In with Chris Hayes 3/7/18
Special Counsel Robert Mueller has evidence that a secret Seychelles meeting in 2017 was an attempt to establish a back channel between the incoming Trump administration and the Kremlin, reports the Washington Post.
How much of foreign profits did Trump really donate?
All In with Chris Hayes 3/7/18
Then President-Elect Donald Trump promised he would donate all hotel profits from foreign governments to the U.S. Treasury, but the Trump Organization now refuses to say how much or give details.
Trump wanted WH counsel McGahn to deny Mueller firing story: NYT
The Rachel Maddow Show 3/7/18
Ari Melber talks with Michael Schmidt, reporter for The New York Times, about new reporting that Donald Trump talked to Reince Priebus and Don McGahn about their testimony to Robert Mueller and pressed McGahn to deny a story about Trump's desire to fire Robert Mueller.
McGahn is White House lawyer, not Trump lawyer, Trump should know
The Rachel Maddow Show 3/7/18
Joyce Vance, former U.S. attorney, talks with Ari Melber about the kind of legal jeopardy Donald Trump could be in based on new reporting from The New York Times, and the role of the White House legal counsel.
Trump risks following Nixon mistake in talking with witnesses
The Rachel Maddow Show 3/7/18
Michael Beschloss, NBC News presidential historian, talks with Ari Melber about how New York Times reporting on Donald Trump talking to Robert Mueller witnesses compares to past presidents also taking such legally ill-advised action.
Pursuit of Kremlin link by Trump backer eyed by Mueller: WaPo
The Rachel Maddow Show 3/7/18
Sari Horwitz, national reporter for The Washington Post, talks with Ari Melber about Trump backer Erik Prince trying to set up a back channel of communication with the Kremlin at a secret Seychelles meeting with a Russian official close to Vladimir Putin, officials from the UAE, and UAE adviser George Nader, who is reportedly cooperating with Robert Mueller.
White House bungles effort to downplay Stormy Daniels case
The Rachel Maddow Show 3/7/18
Ari Melber explains how the White House is only digging itself into a deeper hole as it tries to deflect and explain away the nature of Donald Trump's relationship with porn actress Stormy Daniels.
GOP aims to shut down incomplete House Trump Russia investigation
The Rachel Maddow Show 3/7/18
Rep. Eric Swalwell talks with Ari Melber about the Republican effort to end the House Intelligence Committee's Trump Russia investigation without trying in good faith to fulfill its mission.
Florida advances gun bill; protests move to Mitch McConnell
The Rachel Maddow Show 3/7/18
Ari Melber reports on new gun control legislation in Florida, more remarkable for its very existence than its content, and students now taking their activism to the doorstep of Mitch McConnell.
NYT: Trump ignores legal advice, talks to witnesses about Mueller
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell 3/7/18
The New York Times reports that President Trump spoke to Reince Priebus and Don McGahn about their testimony to Mueller’s team, raising questions about obstruction of justice and witness tampering. Lawrence O'Donnell explains.
Stormy Daniels' lawyer: White House claims are "nonsense"
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell 3/7/18
Stormy Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti says that his client "won't hold back" if given the chance to tell the story of her relationship with Donald Trump. Avenatti tells Lawrence O'Donnell that the White House's response to Daniels is "absolute nonsense".
Trump blames video games, Parkland student proposes real policies
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell 3/7/18
Pressure from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student activists has pushed the Republican Florida House of Representatives to pass a gun control bill. David Hogg, a survivor of the massacre, joins Lawrence O'Donnell.
NYT: Trump spoke to witnesses about their Mueller interviews
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 3/8/18
The New York Times reports Pres. Trump has spoken to witnesses about their conversations with Special Counsel Robert Mueller. We talk to the reporter who broke that story.
Mueller probing if 2017 meeting was about Kremlin back channel
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 3/8/18
A new Washington Post report says Special Counsel Mueller is probing whether a 2017 meeting in Seychelles was an effort to establish a back channel between the Trump Transition and the Kremlin.
Trump lawyer tries to silence porn star Stormy Daniels
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 3/8/18
NBC News reports Trump attorney Michael Cohen is is trying to silence porn star Stormy Daniels with a secret restraining order - or a gag order - warning she'll face penalties if she publicly discusses her alleged relationship with Trump. Our panel reacts.
Putin praises Trump saying he has 'no disappointment at all'
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 3/8/18
In a new interview, Russia leader Vladimir Putin says Donald Trump is someone he can negotiate with adding that he thinks the U.S. political system "has been eating itself up." The New York Times' Peter Baker joins to discuss.
While Pres. Trump often calls unflattering coverage he doesn't like, 'fake news' -- Jim Warren, author & a veteran journalist of the Chicago Tribune joins to talk about his new media startup aimed to fight the very real problem of 'fake news.'
After Trump tweets that there's "no chaos, only great energy" in the White House, Kellyanne Conway is accused of violating the Hatch Act, senior economic adviser Gary Cohn resigns, and Stormy Daniels sues the president for failing to sign his own NDA.
Niccole Thurman explains how conservatives are facing discrimination in the online dating world and introduces Jordan to a dating app just for straight Trump supporters.
Seth takes a closer look at President Trump's insistence that his White House is not in chaos, despite being sued by a porn star and one of his top aides resigning.
Alter ego Mills Jacko talks about vintage vinyl, God uses music to communicate with the unwashed masses, 1972 Elvis and peak music in the America Empire, (American Trilogy Analysis).
Sri Lanka police and Buddhist rioters clash after emergency declared Police in Sri Lanka have used tear gas to disperse Buddhist rioters in the city of Kandy, who have been attacking mosques and Muslim-owned businesses. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43305453
Trump's lawyer reportedly got a secret order barring porn star Stormy Daniels from dishing on tryst A lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels says she did have sex with President Donald Trump more than a decade ago. Daniels is suing to be released from a nondisclosure agreement that she signed on the eve of the 2016 presidential election with a company set up by Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen. Cohen has admitted facilitating a $130,000 payment to Daniels but has denied she had an affair with Trump. Trump has never publicly responded to the claims about Daniels. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/07/stormy-daniels-lawyer-says-she-had-sex-with-trump-would-return-money.html
Holocaust Museum rescinds Elie Wiesel Award to Nobel winner Aung San Suu Kyi The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum announced Wednesday that it is rescinding the Elie Wiesel Award — its highest honor — it gave in 2012 to Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese political leader and Nobel laureate, saying military crimes against the Muslim Rohingya minority “demand that you use your moral authority to address this situation.” The announcement, posted on the museum’s website, comes as calls are becoming louder and louder for Suu Kyi, once a towering human rights hero, to speak out. She is seen as the power behind President Htin Kyaw, a close friend and ally. Prevented by Burmese law from running for political office, she holds the title of state counselor and foreign minister. [...] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/03/07/holocaust-museum-rescinds-elie-weisel-award-to-nobel-winner-san-suu-kyi/
The SEC just made it clearer that securities laws apply to most cryptocurrencies and exchanges trading them The SEC statement marked an expansion of scrutiny to companies involved with trading, in contrast to previous publications that focused on the digital coins and their developers. "I think the next step here will likely be subpoenas to exchanges, if they haven't already started," said Ryan Schoen, senior financial services policy analyst at Washington Analysis. Ryan Gilbert, partner at Propel Venture Partners, which is indirectly a minority investor in Coinbase, said the SEC's statement "could also be a precursor to some enforcement actions." https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/07/the-sec-made-it-clearer-that-securities-laws-apply-to-cryptocurrencies.html
Hope Hicks reportedly told House Intelligence Committee that her email was hacked Longtime Trump aide Hope Hicks told lawmakers that her email was hacked, NBC News reported. Sources told NBC that the former White House communications director talked about both her Trump campaign and personal email accounts. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/07/hope-hicks-said-her-email-was-hacked-nbc-news.html
Sergei Skripal and the 14 deaths under scrutiny When Sergei Skripal, a former Russian double agent, collapsed suddenly on Sunday in the sleepy cathedral city of Salisbury, there were unavoidable echoes of a messy, high-profile death in London a little over a decade before. 7 March 2018 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43299598
Russians Were Accused Of Killing This Man. The Story Is Far Murkier. A man who smuggled military equipment for Ukrainian fighters disappeared in Guernsey, prompting fevered speculation of a Kremlin hit. BuzzFeed News found a more complicated tale. March 1, 2018 https://www.buzzfeed.com/richholmes/guernsey-death-and-dark-rumour
Poison in the System - 1 of 6 When a financier dropped dead in Britain shortly after exposing a vast Russian crime, police said it was not suspicious. But with his inquest now underway, BuzzFeed News has uncovered explosive evidence of a suspected Kremlin assassination plot – and a secret assignation in Paris on the eve of his death – that the British authorities have sidelined. June 12, 2017, https://www.buzzfeed.com/heidiblake/poison-in-the-system
From Russia With Blood - 2 of 6 Lavish London mansions. A hand-painted Rolls-Royce. And eight dead friends. For the British fixer Scot Young, working for Vladimir Putin's most vocal critic meant stunning perks – but also constant danger. His gruesome death is one of 14 that US spy agencies have linked to Russia – but the UK police shut down every last case. A bombshell cache of documents today reveals the full story of a ring of death on British soil that the government has ignored. June 15, 2017 https://www.buzzfeed.com/heidiblake/from-russia-with-blood-14-suspected-hits-on-british-soil
The Secrets Of The Spy In The Bag - 4 of 6 After the dead body of an MI6 spy was found locked in a sports bag in London, police said the death was “probably an accident” – but British and American spy agencies have secret intelligence suggesting Gareth Williams may have been assassinated over highly sensitive work on Russia. June 20, 2017 https://www.buzzfeed.com/tomwarren/secrets-of-the-spy-in-the-bag?utm_term=.utyea02PN2#.ohRNK7dMyd
"Everyone thinks he was whacked" - 5 of 6 The US government ruled Mikhail Lesin’s death an accident, but multiple intelligence and law enforcement officials suspect it was a Russian hit. The government is withholding information so today BuzzFeed News has filed a lawsuit to pry the records loose. July 28, 2017 https://www.buzzfeed.com/jasonleopold/putins-media-czar-was-murdered-just-before-meeting-feds
Police File Exposes Holes In The Investigation Into US Death Of Putin’s Media Czar - 6 of 6 The heavily redacted report reveals nothing about how RT founder Mikhail Lesin sustained the blunt force injuries that killed him. And the Washington, DC, police won’t say whether they reviewed three critical hours of hotel security footage between when Lesin was last seen alive and when he died. December 8, 2017 https://www.buzzfeed.com/jasonleopold/police-file-exposes-holes-in-the-investigation-into-us