‘National & World News’ Archives
How the GOP Became the Party of the Rich
The inside story of how the Republicans abandoned the poor and the middle class to pursue their relentless agenda of tax cuts for the wealthiest one percent By Tim Dickinson November 9, 2011 7:00 AM ET The nation is still recovering from a crushing recession that sent unemployment hovering above nine percent for two straight years. The president, mindful of soaring deficits, is pushing bold action to shore up the nation's balance sheet. Cloaking ... Full Story
Murdoch’s Post Declares War on OWS
Murdoch’s Post Declares War on OWS This week, the media magnate’s notorious New York tabloid ran three consecutive covers that together branded Wall Street protesters as lazy, vicious beasts. Salon suggests the insults probably mean the occupiers are doing something right. Wednesday’s cover featured a now discredited story about a Wall Street cafe letting workers go after occupiers hindered business. On Thursday, an indignant editorial demanded ... Full Story
Rick Perry the government beneficiary
The Texas Tribune Perry the Antigovernment Politician Meets Perry the Government Beneficiary By Jay Rot As a Texas governor and presidential candidate, Rick Perry has repeatedly turned to the marketplace for policy solutions to health care and retirement security. But as a private citizen, Mr. Perry has generally relied on the government. Mr. Perry is a member of what the Texas Employees Retirement System calls “the elected class,” which enjoys the kind of ... Full Story
Occupy Together not Occupy Bloodlust
By Wim Laven Precedent There is an old adage for journalism: If it bleeds, it leads; we are reminded of this sentiment regularly. Earlier this year I wrote about our need to see Osama bin Laden’s body; the thirst for blood was alive and well after Muammar Gaddafi was killed as well. It is important to avoid such a reaction with the nonviolent Occupy Movement. Story On Tuesday Oct. 25, images of police in gas masks, armed with teargas, violently dispersing a crowd in Oakland California, ... Full Story
Veterans joining occupy movement
Call of Duty: Veterans Join the 99 Percent By Amy Goodman 11-11-11 is not a variant of Herman Cain’s much-touted 9-9-9 tax plan, but rather the date of this year’s Veterans Day. This is especially relevant, as the U.S. has now entered its second decade of war in Afghanistan, the longest war in the nation’s history. U.S. veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are appearing more and more on the front lines—the front lines of the Occupy Wall Street ... Full Story
Bogus claims that just won’t die
Bogus claims that just keep getting repeated — and a further explanation of the Pinocchio scale By Glenn Kessler “You have 219 new regulations coming out, costing over $100 million each.” — Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Oct. 27, 2011 As much as we try to expose wrongheaded rhetoric in today’s political debates, some of these “facts” keep popping up. It sometimes really feels like whack-a-mole. Imagine our surprise on Thursday when we saw that Rep. Paul ... Full Story
Halloween special: scary fact checks
Halloween special report: our scariest fact-checks! By Bill Adair Published on Sunday, October 30th, 2011 at 11:10 a.m. To celebrate Halloween, we're highlighting some of our scariest Truth-O-Meter items of the past few years. Scare tactics have a long and rich history in American politics. Opponents of Thomas Jefferson warned in 1800 that his election would mean that "murder, robbery, rape, adultery and incest will openly be taught and practiced." Joseph McCarthy tried to ... Full Story
Meltdown: Episode 2
Meltdown is a four-part investigation into a world of greed and recklessness that brought down the financial world. Beginning with the 2008 crash that pushed 30 million people into unemployment, brought countries to the edge of insolvency and turned the clock back to 1929, it moves on to examine the epidemic of fear that caused the world's banks to stop lending and how the people began their fight back. Finally, it asks how the world can prepare for the next crisis even as it recognises ... Full Story
Class Warfare: Q&A
With all the talk about class warfare the commentary on the Rasmusen Reports is enlightening. It is also enlightening that when ever the subject is brought up by conservatives, it is made to sound that class warfare is bad. The Koch brothers and their ilk are, and have been actively engaged in class war fare for some time now yet there has been no hue and cry from the conservatives. Why is it that when the less affluent want more it is class war fare and when the wealthy want more it is ... Full Story
“Occupy” the World
Are we becoming a police state. The scene of armed police in riot gear confronting unarmed protestors of the Occupy Denver protest was a chilling sight. It must have been a frightening experience for the protestors. Use of government force against protestors is nothing new in the United States. From the Boston Tea Party to Civil Rights Marches to antiwar protests to the Occupy protests of today, protest is a common occurrence in our society. The use of force against protestors is also common. ... Full Story
