Despite Claims of Progress, Labor and Environmental Violations Continue to Plague Apple
Nicki Lisa Cole and Jenny Chan, Truthout: Though Apple claims that 2014 was “a year of progress,” reports from labor rights groups and researchers reveal troubling labor and environmental violations continue unabated.
Fast-Track Treason and the Coming Corporate Coup
Rivera Sun, Truthout: The Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement usurps federal, state and local authority and functions as a global corporate coup. Those who vote “Yes” on fast-track authority are reneging on their sworn oaths to protect this nation from all threats, both foreign and domestic.
When Palestinians Die: Richard Falk on the Chapel Hill Shooting and the Media
Dan Falcone, Truthout: Scholar Richard Falk discusses the recent shooting of three Muslim Palestinian Americans in Chapel Hill, North Carolina; the subsequent conversation about hate crimes and Islamophobia, and the mainstream media coverage of the killer and victims.
Eric Holder Gives Prosecutors 90 Days to File Wall Street Collapse Charges
Sam Knight, The District Sentinel: Attorney General Eric Holder has given the Justice Department an opportunity to rewrite his legacy as the lead federal prosecutor who refused to take on some of the most notoriously larcenous bankers in history.
Did the GOP Just Give Away $130 Billion of Public Property?
Alan Grayson, The Nation: A giant Anglo-Australian mining company is getting the rights to a huge copper reserve – and we don’t know what US taxpayers are getting in return. Not all is lost, however, or at least not yet.
War Porn: Hollywood and War, From World War II to American Sniper
Peter Van Buren, TomDispatch: American Sniper, now “the most successful war movie of all time,” is just the latest in a long line of films that have kept US citizens on their war game. Think of them as war porn, meant to leave us perpetually hyped up.
Conservatives’ “American Dream” and the Battle for Weed in Washington State
The Daily Take Team, The Thom Hartmann Program: When it comes to medical marijuana in Washington, the legislative choice is between a system that allows many to earn decent money through local, small co-ops, and a system where just a few people make massive amounts of money by monopolizing the marketplace.
Egypt Makes Libya the New Front in Anti-ISIS War, Four Years After NATO Left Chaos Behind
Amy Goodman and Aaron Maté, Democracy Now!: Libya is in a state of crisis: Two different governments claim power, each with their own parliaments and armies. A number of militant groups, including the Islamic State affiliate, are scattered in between. Will foreign governments intervene in Libya again?
Watch the Video and Read the Transcript
This Chart Shows How Unions Help Redistribute Wealth Throughout US Society
Lillian Osborne, In These Times: A chart recently released by the Economic Policy Institute illustrates unions’ ability to impact not only their own members’ lives, but also the distribution of wealth in society as a whole.
Will the Millennium Development Goals Hit Their Targets?
Anna Childs, The Conversation: Looking back over the past 15 years, what have been the achievements of one of the world’s most ambitious projects – the Millennium Development Goals – and what didn’t work so well, despite the grand aspiration?
Dean Baker: Why We Must Oppose the Coming Fed Interest Rate Hike
Isaiah J. Poole, Campaign for America’s Future: The Fed is widely expected to raise interest rates sometime in 2015. The problem is, as economist Dean Baker points out, there is no inflation threat on the horizon, but there is a very real threat of choking the economic recovery and driving up unemployment if interest rates rise.
Watch the Video and Read the Article
Paul Krugman | The Enduring Debate Over Debt
Paul Krugman, Krugman & Co.: Debt does not mean that we’re stealing from future generations. A rise in public debt isn’t an indication that we’re living beyond our means – one person’s debt is another person’s asset. Debt is money we owe to ourselves.
BuzzFlash
White People Aren’t Called Terrorists Unless They Liberate Animals, Apparently
Mark Karlin, BuzzFlash at Truthout: The word “terrorism” is itself a public relations weapon. Who gets branded a terrorist and who doesn’t is a decision made within a political and cultural context.
The Peace Symbol Celebrates Its 57th Birthday, but Still No Peace
Matt Taibbi: A Whistleblower’s Horror Story
Read the Article at Rolling Stone
Alive and Bleeding: We Cannot Kill Our Way Out of War
The World’s Biggest Banks Might Be Moving Money for Terrorists
Read the Article at Bloomberg News
Maimed by Conflict, Forgotten by Peace: Life Through the Eyes of the War-Disabled
Read the Article at Inter Press Service
Since 9/11, We’ve Had Four Wars in the Middle East. They’ve All Been Disasters
Read the Article at Mother Jones
Video Footage Shows Massive Explosion After West Virginia “Bomb Train” Derailment
Read the Article and Watch the Video at Vice
Spirit In Action 