Newsvine

BREAKING: NSA admits listening to U.S. phone calls without warrants

Paul William Tenny — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 23:46:14 +0000

The National Security Agency has acknowledged in a new classified briefing that it does not need court authorization to listen to domestic phone calls. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat, disclosed this week that during a secret briefing to members of Congress, he was …

Kirsten Powers: It's the institutions that need to demonstrate respect for the public they allegedly serve.

Paul William Tenny — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 17:11:57 +0000

Powers slammed the bipartisan group of legislators who attacked Snowden including Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Susan Collins (R-ME), and House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), as well as opinion leaders like David Brooks, Jeffrey Toobin, Lawrence O’Donnell, Richa …

NSA Leaker Has Higher Approval Rating Than Congressional Dems, Congressional GOP, Congress as a whole, and the President

Paul William Tenny — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 02:00:29 +0000

But how do they feel about the act of leaking? "Fifty-four percent of respondents said the leaker, Edward Snowden, 29, did a 'good thing' in releasing information about the government programs," Zeke Miller writes of a new poll from TIME. "Just 30 percent disagreed." That means …

NSA: Senators Who Back NSA Spying Oppose Gun Background Checks For Infringing Rights

Paul William Tenny — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:45:43 +0000

Just months after many U.S. senators opposed tougher background checks for gun buyers on the grounds that they would tread on Americans' liberties, many of them are standing behind the far more intrusive intelligence-gathering programs of the National Security Agency. Senators …

No, Edward Snowden probably didn't commit treason

Paul William Tenny — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:49:22 +0000

So the government would have to demonstrate that Snowden was actively trying to provide aid and comfort to a specific entity, such as al-Qaeda, with which the U.S. is at war. What’s more, all treason cases require two witnesses to the “overt act” in question. …

Toddlers Killed More Americans Than Terrorists Did This Year

Paul William Tenny — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 22:29:46 +0000

Americans hate terrorists and love our kids, right? So you might be shocked to know that preschoolers with guns have taken more lives so far this year than the single U.S. terrorist attack, which claimed four lives in Boston. This is admittedly tongue-in-cheek, but one has to …

Shady government-tied organization making list of every registered Virginia gun owner

Paul William Tenny — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 16:39:20 +0000

Turns out, though, the only group currently seeking that list of Virginia gun owners seems to be the Republican Party itself. Before it becomes the law of the land, Republican Party of Virginia Executive Director Anthony Ready did what he does every year.

Study Says Republicans Lie Three Times More Often Than Democrats

Paul William Tenny — Wed, 29 May 2013 20:20:52 +0000

Republicans lie more — at least according to the Tampa Bay Times’ PolitiFact. A new study found that the fact-checking operation finds Republicans to be less trustworthy than Democrats, based on the number of false claims made during President Obama‘s second t …

Obamacare Will Be A Debacle -- For Republicans

Paul William Tenny — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:02:47 +0000

The big fear has been of sharply rising premiums as insurers are required to cover people with preexisting conditions. And the biggest test case was always going to be California. Well, the preliminary numbers for CA are in — and they’re looking very good, with c …

Fox News host tells her radio audience to violently attack Obama supporters

Paul William Tenny — Fri, 24 May 2013 19:54:43 +0000

During her syndicated radio show this afternoon, conservative columnist Andrea Tantaros reacted to the Justice Department’s snooping on the Associated Press and Fox reporter James Rosen by decrying “Obama’s America” and telling her audience if they see a …

Rand Paul defends Apple for hiding tens of billions in offshore accounts to avoid taxes, attacks his own party for caring

Paul William Tenny — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:01:55 +0000

Yesterday, reports said a Senate panel found that Apple “avoided billions in taxes in the United States and around the world through a web of subsidiaries”…

Mississippi Could Soon Jail Women for Stillbirths, Miscarriages

Paul William Tenny — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:59:58 +0000

The district attorney argued that methamphetamine detected in Buckhalter's system caused Hayley Jade's death. The state Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments on the case on April 2, is expected to rule soon on whether the prosecution can move forward. If prosecutors prevai …

Nonconservative Groups Say IRS Scrutinized Them, Too

Paul William Tenny — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:30:39 +0000

The IRS was in the hot seat Friday, with its outgoing acting commissioner . A Senate panel is scheduled for Tuesday. Congress is prodding to find out why the agency singled out conservative groups for special scrutiny.

Conservative Advice To GOP: Don't Legislate, Focus On Scandals

Paul William Tenny — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:07:59 +0000

Heritage Action, the political activist offshoot of the conservative Heritage Foundation, has some advice for House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor: focus on the scandals plaguing the Obama administration and stay away from legislation that could "highli …

Major anti-Obamacare Criticism Debunked, Survey Says Only 1% of Employers Will Drop Health Care Coverage Because Of Obamacare

Paul William Tenny — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 23:44:14 +0000

Despite speculation indicating otherwise, most employers don’t plan to drop workers from their healthcare plans as a result of Obamacare, a new survey finds. Nearly 70 percent of benefit professionals said their companies “definitely will” keep offering cover …

After RNC autopsy recognizes need to evolve on gay rights, RNC reaffirms opposition to gay marriage

Paul William Tenny — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 21:09:45 +0000

Remember that widely discussed Republican National Committee diagnosis that explicitly recognized the need for the party to rethink its approach to gay rights issues? It said: “Already, there is a generational difference within the conservative movement about issues …

N.C. Republican Lawmaker Against Islamic Prayer Before Government Meetings Because "I do not condone terrorism"

Paul William Tenny — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:30:36 +0000

In an email exchange obtained by the News & Observer, state Rep.

If Election Were Held Today, Democrats Would Win House In A Landslide -- And Only Win A 5 Seat Majority

Paul William Tenny — Fri, 5 Apr 2013 16:02:38 +0000

According to a Quinnipiac poll released today, if the election were held today 43 percent of the electorate would support a Democratic U.S. House candidate, as opposed to just 35 percent who would back a Republican. That 8 point lead for Democrats is significantly more than the …

Former SC Republican Director to Iraq War Vet: "Shame You Didn't Come Home in a Body Bag"

Paul William Tenny — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:51:23 +0000

Former South Carolina GOP executive director Todd Kincannon shows his support for the US military in a tweet about Iraq War veteran and anti-war activist Mike Prysner, demonstrating once again that special mean-spirited hatefulness so beloved of the American right wing:

Voter Fraud: A Massive, Anti-Democratic Deception

Paul William Tenny — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 03:51:35 +0000

I knew something wrong was afoot when my wife reported that a 90-year-old woman had to be turned away from voting early at our local polling place. Her crime: She didn’t have a driver’s license. Why would she? She wasn’t able to drive anymore. As the embarra …

Racism Talk At CPAC Derailed When Attendee Says Slaves Should Have Been Grateful

Paul William Tenny — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 23:31:59 +0000

A panel hosted by “Frederick Douglass Republicans” at CPAC was supposed to be about how Republicans can overcome their issues with race and tolerance spun out of control when an attendee suggested that Douglas should have been grateful to his slave owners “for …

The Sequester Is President Obama's Fault

Paul William Tenny — Wed, 6 Mar 2013 07:38:12 +0000

Now that we are counting up the days of the sequester instead of counting down, it would be a good time to cast blame. And my candidate is President Obama. I'm not blaming Obama for the reasons that Bob Woodward came up with in his fantasyland. I am blaming President Obama and …

Iowa GOPers Push Bill To Make Divorce More Difficult, Question If It Leads Girls To Be 'Promiscuous' | Mediaite

Paul William Tenny — Tue, 5 Mar 2013 19:58:17 +0000

Seven Republican members of the Iowa House are hoping to make divorce more difficult by pushing a bill that would prohibit “no-fault” divorces for parents of minors. The move, they said, stems from concern about the negative effect of divorce on children.

Twitter Conservatives Having a Grand Time Making Rape Jokes

Paul William Tenny — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 22:29:19 +0000

Today we find the conservative movement on Twitter happily making thousands and thousands of puerile, disgusting jokes about rape, in the #LiberalTips2AvoidRape hashtag. You’re supposed to think it’s clever commentary on liberal hypocrisy, because those damned libe …

Should an armed drone be dispatched to kill Christopher Dorner?

Paul William Tenny — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 19:22:01 +0000

A major manhunt has been underway in the Los Angeles area for Chris Dorner, the former LAPD officer, Navy reservist, and trained marksman who is the prime suspect in the murder of three people, including the daughter of an LAPD captain (who previously represented him in a disci …