Tag: news

Rachel Maddow – Are The News Gods Testing Your Capacity For Outrage?


Licentiathe8th

Ever have a day when it seems there isn’t much new going on in the news? Then – BAM – MSNBC or another group weeds out six stories that show a lot is going on.  Here, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow shows recent news stories that are pushing the “outrage-o-meter” over the line.  (Video from May 21st, 2015.)

The stories include:

A Colorado law requires the family of an Aurora mass-shooting victim to pay $220,000 in legal fees to the ammunition maker they tried to sue. The ammunition from that company was used in the shooting that killed their daughter.

OSHA levied penalty of $99,000 last week over six months after a toxic gas leak killed four workers at DuPont’s chemical plant in La Porte, Texas.  OSHA stated that those who died “would be alive today had their employer…taken steps to protect them.” DuPont, however, is a $60 Billion company, according to Maddow.

It came as something of a shock recently when detectives showed up at the Capitol building in Montpelier, Vermont, during work hours and apprehended Vermont State Senator Norman McAllister, writes Vox.  The shock compounded as the charges against him became known: the longtime lawmaker was allegedly running a grisly sexual extortion racket from his dairy farm in Franklin County, in the far northwestern corner of the state. So far, he’s been accused of sexually assaulting two women who were previously employees.

Kansas lawmakers are threatening to cut off all funding for the judicial branch of state government if the Kansas Supreme Court strikes down a law enacted last year on how chief judges in the district courts are selected. House and Senate budget negotiators agreed to the language in a bill that would fund the judicial branch for the next two years, according to Lawrence-Journal World.

(And other stories as well…)

https://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/23/osha-chief-fine-deadly-dupont-leak-petty-cash/

http://www.vice.com/read/the-vermont-state-senator-accused-of-sexual-assault-515

Did Texas Authorities Warn About Biker Gang Rivalry Previously?

ABC News

Texas authorities issued a bulletin to law enforcement agencies earlier this month that warned of increasing violence between two rival biker gangs blamed for the shootout outside a restaurant in Waco on May 17th, writes ABC News.

The bulletin from May 1st, obtained by ABC News affiliate WFAA-TV in Dallas, said there had been skirmishes and talk of war between the Bandidos and Cossacks for months.

The bulletin was issued by the Texas Joint Information Center run by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

It said the conflict might start because Cossacks had been refusing to pay Bandidos dues for operating in Texas and for wearing the Texas patch on their vests without the Bandidos’ approval.

Did The Daily Show Hold Corporate Media Accountable?

Ring of Fire Radio

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert were instrumental in showing us how dysfunctional the corporate news has become.

They are both moving on, and a void has been created that needs to be filled with the same kind of poignant broadcasting that will keep young viewers interested in the world.

Lawyer Mike Papantonio discusses this with Lee Camp, who is doing similar work on his show Redacted Tonight on RT, found at rt.com.

Bizarre: Man Hits Child In Car, Stops To Help, Gets Shot

Milwaukee two shot dead after road accident

A motorist who knocked down and killed a two-year-old girl in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been shot dead after stopping to help at the scene of the accident.

A gunman, apparently enraged that a van had struck a 2-year-old boy Sunday in Milwaukee, not only “assassinated” the driver of the van – in the words of Mayor Tom Barrett – but also shot the toddler’s 15-year-old brother, who had rushed to the scene.  The 15-year-old boy, who was not in the vehicle, was shot in the shoulder and later died in hospital.

The accident happened on Sunday at 5:10pm after the child ran into the street and was hit by a van.

Rasheed T. Chiles, 15, had been attending a party at a nearby house with his brother, 2-year-old Damani T. Terry.  Damani was hit by the van.

Archie Brown Jr., 40, was driving the van about 5:10 p.m. Sunday in the 4600 block of N. 48th St., near Wahl Park in Milwaukee when he hit Damani, who had run into the road, according to Milwaukee police.

Brown immediately jumped out and was reportedly grieving and upset as he stood over the body.

Police have said there were no suspects in custody.  Milwaukee police continued on Monday to work on identifying the shooting suspect.

In the late afternoon, Attorney Michael Hupy offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who shot Brown.  An upset Hupy said it was the fourth time ever he has offered a reward in a murder case.

Police Captain Timothy Heier said the 41-year-old driver remained at the scene to help and was then shot along with the teenager, who was not a passenger.

Sky News reports the driver was 41, whereas The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel states he was 40.

The driver was identified by his father.  Archie Brown, Sr. said his son was the father of four daughters, including one who was six months old.

Vice News Discusses The Death Penalty

Vice News

Recently, Vice News traveled around the world speaking to people about capital punishment, and differences in global attitudes on the death penalty.

In this video, they asked people whether the death penalty is outdated, and how effective capital punishment is as a crime deterrent.

(Updated article)

OK, Fine’s List Of Right-Wing Media Outlets

rush-limbaugh-793679Does anyone remember reading or seeing on the television prior to the election that ISIS was coming across our borders in order to spread Ebola?  And then, after the election in November, that story disappeared? Hmm….ever wonder where those stories originated?

Here is a list of right-wing media outlets to the best of OK, Fine’s knowledge.

Television:  Fox News, The Sarah Palin Channel

Radio:  Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Glenn Beck,  Fox Radio (Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly etc.), Adam Carrolla, Mark Levin, Newsmax Radio, Michael Savage, Bryan Fischer, Steve Solomon, etc.

Print media/internet: The Washington Times, Newsmax, The Drudge Report, Breitbart, World Net Daily (WND), The Weekly Standard, The Daily Caller, The Examiner (examiner.com),  etc.

If you are getting your news from these sources, be aware that the sources are right-wing media outlets with their own agenda.  Double and triple check your information with other sources to make sure that the information is factual.

This site will be periodically updated as new sources arise.

Iggy Azalea Quits Social Media Over Body Bullying


TYT Network

Rapper Iggy Azalea has decided to take a break from using social media after seeing some “shocking” comments about her body online.

“Since claiming she would be quitting social media last night, it looks like the rapper has done just that,” says ABC News.

Media Refuses To Cover Trans Pacific Partnership

The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a proposed trade agreement between 12 “member” countries: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, The U.S.,  and Vietnam.

There have been complaints that the agreement will benefit the wealthy and corporations at the expense of the average person.

Wikipedia states that economist Joseph Stiglitz, organized labor, and The Economic Policy Institute and the Center for Economic and Policy Research argued that the TPP could benefit the wealthy but result in further job losses and declining wages.

“In December 2013, 151 House Democrats signed a letter written by Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and George Miller (D-CA), which opposed the fast track trade promotion authority for the TPP. Several House Republicans opposed the measure on the grounds that it empowered the executive branch. In January 2014, House Democrats refused to put forward a co-sponsor for the legislation, hampering the bill’s prospects for passage.”

Noam Chomsky, Senator Bernie Sanders, economist Paul Krugman, and economist Robert Reich have all complained that the TPP would lower wages for average people and help the wealthy become richer.

According to sources, the trade agreement has also largely been negotiated in secret. According to Wikipedia, Senator Ron Wyden, Elizabeth Warren, and Representative Alan Grayson have all complained about the level of secrecy surrounding the negotiations.

Secular Talk looks at the reasons why the media is ignoring the issue.


Secular Talk

Sources: Marco Rubio Makes Moves Toward 2016 Presidential Run

Could the 2016 Republican presidential primary turn into a Florida fight?

Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a potential GOP presidential candidate, responded to the announcement by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush that Bush would “actively explore” running for president by saying, “Bush is someone I admire greatly,” he told ABC’s Jeff Zeleny.

“I think he’d be a very formidable candidate.”

Rubio declined to say whether he has spoken to Bush since his 2016 exploratory announcement, but said his decision wouldn’t be influenced by Bush’s.

“If you decide to run for President you do so because you want to be President, not you want to be president unless someone else wants to be president first,” Rubio said.

“I want to make my decision on the basis of where’s the best place for me to achieve our agenda to restore the American dream and that’s a decision we’re going to make.”

“We’ll make a decision in due course,” Rubio added.

However, ABC claims that a senior aide told ABC’s Jon Karl that his team has been instructed to move forward and he is moving closer to a presidential run in 2016

“He has told us to proceed as if he is running for president,” the aide said told Karl.

A Rubio aide confirmed to Breitbart News that the ABC News report was accurate, although the sunshine state senator has not made a final decision.

Already, Rubio has hired Anna Rogers, the current finance director for American Crossroads, to join his political action committee.  She is supposed to start on February 1.

More here