Health Care Horror Stories
by Paul Krugman
Not long ago, a young Ohio woman named Trina Bachtel, who was having health problems while pregnant, tried to get help at a local clinic.Unfortunately, she had previously sought care at the same clinic while uninsured and had a large unpaid balance. The clinic wouldn’t see her again unless she paid $100 per visit — which she didn’t have. |
They knew: Bush, Cheney authorized 'harsh interrogations'
by Raw Story
President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney both signed off on using harsh interrogation techniques against suspected terrorists after asking the Justice Department to endorse their legality, news agencies have learned.The Associated Press reported earlier that senior Bush administration officials took care to insulate President Bush from a series of meetings where CIA interrogation methods, including waterboarding, which simulates drowning, were discussed and ultimately approved. |
Cindy McCain denies affair report: 'I knew the truth'
by Raw Story
The wife of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Cindy McCain, has publicly denied an 'affair' report alluded to in a February New York Times report -- in a press release from Access Hollywood.Watch the video here. In an exclusive interview with "Access Hollywood's" Nancy O'Dell, Cindy McCain opens up about dealing with the rumored romance between her husband Sen. John McCain and lobbyist Vicki Iseman, her previous addiction to painkillers and which first lady is an inspiration to her. The interview airs on "Access Hollywood," Friday, April 11th and Monday, April 14th. |
Dems plan $40M hit on McCain
by Ben Smith
Wealthy Democrats are preparing a four-month, $40 million media campaign centered on attacks on Sen. John McCain. And it will be led by David Brock, the former investigative reporter who first gained fame in the 1990s as a right-wing, anti-Clinton journalist. |
April Fools – Lessons From Inside the Peace Movement
by Maryam Roberts
On April 1, I got a press release in my inbox that caught my attention immediately. The subject read, “Breaking News: Marine Recruiting Station Leaving Berkeley: Agreement Reached with Landlord, City, and Protesters.” I instantly sent it around to staff, noting the surprising development. |
John Yoo's Torture Opinions Are Not Just "Opinions"
by Barry Yourgrau
In some of the responses to a post I wrote about John Yoo and his torture-enabling opinions, some readers raised the issue of "free speech" and "academic opinions" or the like -- comparing holding Yoo criminally liable for these opinions to suppressing and punishing, say, the opinions of a controversial college professor. |
Dems invoke Watergate in contempt trial
by Laurie Kellman
President Bush's refusal to let two confidants provide information to Congress about fired federal prosecutors represents the most expansive view of executive privilege since Watergate, the House Judiciary Committee told a federal judge Thursday.Lawyers for the Democratic-led panel argued in court documents that Bush's chief of staff, Josh Bolten, and former White House counsel Harriet Miers are not protected from subpoenas last year that sought information about the dismissals. |
Pope won't break bread with Bush
by Nick Juliano
The White House has scheduled a dinner next week in honor of Pope Benedict XVI's first visit to the United States, but one guest will be conspicuously absent from the proceedings: the pope himself.There are no competing events listed on the pope's schedule, and the White House was unable to explain Benedict's absence from the dinner. |
Hillary silences Bill after ex-president revives tale of wife's Bosnia misadventures
by Nick Juliano
Just as the furor over Hillary Clinton's inaccurate retelling of her 1996 trip to Bosnia was beginning to die down, her husband decided to revive the story.Stumping in Indiana, Bill Clinton sought sympathy for his wife by recounting the furor that erupted after Hillary's tale of landing at a Tuzla air base "under sniper fire" was shown to be false. The former president said the press overreacted to Hillary's fib, but his retelling of the story contained more than a half-dozen inaccuracies of its own. |
Drivers flood station for 35 cent gas
by AP
Traffic was backed up and police were called to control the crowd after a Wilmington gas station accidentally set the pump price at 35 cents a gallon.The Wilmington Star-News reported Friday that hundreds of drivers flooded a BP station for the cheap gas after the price dropped around 9 a.m. Thursday. |
Obama makes a molehill out of a mountain
by JazzFromHell
Huffington Post and others tried to capitalize on this earlier, an out-of-context quote from Obama supposedly characterizing rural Pennsylvanians as bitter, gun-totin' nutballs. If you read the original quote in context, you'll see how Jake Tapper et al. could carve it up for cheap hits on a slow Friday. |
Zappa Festival Defends Itself from ... Zappa
by Charles Hawley
The Zappanale has been celebrating the music of rock legend Frank Zappa for almost 20 years. Now, though, Frank's widow -- Gail Zappa -- has sued the festival for trademark violations. She insists she is only trying to protect her husband's "musical integrity." |
