Back-to-back killer storms in NW; Huge cache of 'rare earth' elements discovered in U.S.; Climate change worsened every hurricane; PLUS: NY revives congestion pricing...
Trump nominates fracking CEO and climate denier to head up Dept. of Energy; ; Winters warming quick in U.S.; PLUS: Biden heads to the Amazon Rainforest to offer hope...
THIS WEEK: Pyrrhic Victories ... Cabinet Clowns ... Blame Games ... Sharpie Shooters ... And more! In our latest collection of the week's sleaziest toons...
NY, NJ drought, wildfires; GOP wins House, power to overturn Biden climate action; PLUS: Very high stakes as United Nation climate summit kicks off in Baku, Azerbaijan...
Trump taps anti-environment Rep. Zelden to head EPA; U.N. finds 2024 hottest year ever recorded; PLUS: Good news for state climate initiatives on last week's ballots...
Callers ring in after Trump's re-election; Also: U.S. Senate result updates; Voting system concerns in several states; How nat'l media failed American democracy...
THIS WEEK: The Cancer Returns ... The Glass Ceilings ... The Consequences ... And too much more, in our latest collection of the week's best, very much-needed, toons...
Felony charges dropped against VA Republican caught trashing voter registrations before last year's election. Did GOP AG, Prosecutor conflicts of interest play role?...
State investigators widening criminal probe of man arrested destroying registration forms, said now looking at violations of law by Nathan Sproul's RNC-hired firm...
Arrest of RNC/Sproul man caught destroying registration forms brings official calls for wider criminal probe from compromised VA AG Cuccinelli and U.S. AG Holder...
'RNC official' charged on 13 counts, for allegely trashing voter registration forms in a dumpster, worked for Romney consultant, 'fired' GOP operative Nathan Sproul...
So much for the RNC's 'zero tolerance' policy, as discredited Republican registration fraud operative still hiring for dozens of GOP 'Get Out The Vote' campaigns...
The other companies of Romney's GOP operative Nathan Sproul, at center of Voter Registration Fraud Scandal, still at it; Congressional Dems seek answers...
The belated and begrudging coverage by Fox' Eric Shawn includes two different video reports featuring an interview with The BRAD BLOG's Brad Friedman...
FL Dept. of Law Enforcement confirms 'enough evidence to warrant full-blown investigation'; Election officials told fraudulent forms 'may become evidence in court'...
Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) sends blistering letter to Gov. Rick Scott (R) demanding bi-partisan reg fraud probe in FL; Slams 'shocking and hypocritical' silence, lack of action...
After FL & NC GOP fire Romney-tied group, RNC does same; Dead people found reg'd as new voters; RNC paid firm over $3m over 2 months in 5 battleground states...
After fraudulent registration forms from Romney-tied GOP firm found in Palm Beach, Election Supe says state's 'fraud'-obsessed top election official failed to return call...
On today's BradCast, hosted by me, Angie Coiro, it's all about effective activism in 2017 --- where we can at least hold our ground and maybe even gain a skosh more, in three critical areas.
Lisa Graves of The Center for Media and Democracy targets the fight against ALEC under Trump. Katie Klabusich, writer for The Establishment, focuses on reproductive, gender, and sexual freedoms. And Campaign for America's Future's Dave Johnson talks NAFTA, TPP, and other trade compacts, and their potential impact on wages.
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On today's BradCast, I'm in for Brad again. We start by pick up where we left off yesterday, with another review of fake news - this time, contrasting it with lazy, bad, or mistaken news reports.
And - about that reported book contract a flamboyant neo-Nazi is crowing about: why it's way too early to say, "We're boycotting Simon & Schuster!"
Then Natalie Blake with the California National Party explains how a state can secede from the US (hint: more than one option here). This is NOT the same California independence group allied with Russia, although you'd never get that from most media.
And an excerpt from a live conversation with author and culture critic Jeff Chang. Kind of fun to hear the Executive Director of Stanford's Institute for Diversity in the Arts explain how diversity is problematic.
While we post The BradCast here every day, and you can hear it across all of our great affiliate stations and websites, to automagically get new episodes as soon as they're available sent right to your computer or personal device, subscribe for free at iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn or our native RSS feed!
On today's BradCast, I'm in for Brad and Desi again.
I review the news of the day, including Stanford University's changes in sexual assault procedures, George Takei's plea to Donald Trump to take nuclear weapons seriously, flying accusations of false news, and a new book contract for Milo Yiannopoulos.
Then RJ Eskow joins me to talk Russia and Israel --- including why he uses the word "alleged" when referring to Russian email hacks. Finally, Susie Madrak on a story falling between the cracks: the GOP effort to undercut Medicaid.
While we post The BradCast here every day, and you can hear it across all of our great affiliate stations and websites, to automagically get new episodes as soon as they're available sent right to your computer or personal device, subscribe for free at iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn or our native RSS feed!
On today's BradCast, yours truly, Angie Coiro, picks up the reins from Nicole Sandler, in our joint effort to keep Brad and Desi on vacation.
First up: a look at the Professor Watchlist and one of its targets: a Costa Mesa college professor afraid to leave her home. Then an Atlantic story on the economic revival of Elkhart Indiana, where even a vast upswing in manufacturing and employment leaves residents still in denial that Barack Obama has been good for the economy.
Author Meg Elison joins me to discuss her trek through the US class system and its mythology, and her novel The Book of the Unnamed Midwife, with its dystopian world of male dominance and destroyed class distinctions.
While we post The BradCast here every day, and you can hear it across all of our great affiliate stations and websites, to automagically get new episodes as soon as they're available sent right to your computer or personal device, subscribe for free at iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn or our native RSS feed!
On today's BradCast, guest hosted by Angie Coiro, we track the battle for a Presidential recount in three contested states. A look into the difference between a 'recount' and an 'audit'. How a disinformation campaign by Russia apparently took over hashtags to push false narratives, generated and distributed fake news, and worked overall to undermine Americans' faith in our democracy.
A quick delve into why Facebook's profits could take a serious ding if the company really went after fake news.
Then Leland Faust, unapologetic free market fan and author of A Capitalist's Lament, looks at the decay of financial industry standards over the past forty years, and demands change --- even while he decries existing regulations as ineffective wastes of time.
Finally, in the spirit of the season, a small list of things to be grateful for --- little glimpses of what America still does right.
While we post The BradCast here every day, and you can hear it across all of our great affiliate stations and websites, to automagically get new episodes as soon as they're available sent right to your computer or personal device, subscribe for free at iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn or our native RSS feed!
On today's BradCast, guest hosted by Angie Coiro, we discuss more echoes of the Third Reich, Fox, and Trump's amazement at what his new job entails.
Right up front it's a news roundup, including - believe it or not - some encouraging tales.
Then Angie’s guest is Oliver Willis, commentator and blogger from oliverwillis.com. He's covering multiple stories of Trump and the media, including a look at Megyn Kelly's effort to go legit.
Also today: psychologist Paul Marcille and historian Charles Postel put Election 2016 in new contexts. Postel says, calm down --- that old wisdom about democracies dying after about 200 years has no evidence to support it!
While we post The BradCast here every day, and you can hear it across all of our great affiliate stations and websites, to automagically get new episodes as soon as they're available sent right to your computer or personal device, subscribe for free at iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn or our native RSS feed!
On today's BradCast, guest hosted by Angie Coiro, a roundup of Trump-generated violence around the country; a Holocaust scholar suspended from high school teaching for daring to mention the obvious; the Democratic Coalition Against Trump's compendium of Trump/Putin connections; and finally: futurist Alex Steffen says it's not "game over" for the climate.
Angie's first guest is Scott Dworkin from The Democratic Coalition Against Trump. DCAT is giving the FBI a little help, since it's having so much trouble finding connections between Donald Trump, his team, his family, and Vladimir Putin. The kicker: all of this stuff is public record.
Also today: Angie covers the story of a Holocaust scholar who tried to show high schoolers the parallels between the rise of Hitler and the rise of Trump. One parent complained; boom, he's suspended. There's a petition to get him back in the classroom.
Finally, futurist Alex Steffen, founder of The Heroic Future makes a pitch for the tech world to unify against the evil Trump is sure to wreak. And he explains why this is no time to shrug your shoulders and declare the battle for the planet lost.
While we post The BradCast here every day, and you can hear it across all of our great affiliate stations and websites, to automagically get new episodes as soon as they're available sent right to your computer or personal device, subscribe for free at iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn or our native RSS feed!
On today's BradCast, guest hosted by Angie Coiro...
With long months of flying accusations about Hillary Clinton, something finally stuck! But not the way Republicans have long hoped: it's FBI Director James Comey bearing the brunt, along with Congressman Jason Chaffetz and his oddly prescient tweets about Comey's announcement. We talk to Nathan Lerner, founder of the Keep America Great PAC and Executive Director of the Democratic Coalition Against Trump. The Coalition has filed ethics complaints against Comey and Chaffetz, and paired up with Richard Painter of the George W. Bush administration to denounce Comey's announcement.
Also today: Angie deconstructs Peter Thiel's address to the National Press Club. And she rounds up a passel of other news, including coverage of Donna Brazile's stolen email, and the #grabyourwallet campaign.
While we post The BradCast here every day, and you can hear it across all of our great affiliate stations and websites, to automagically get new episodes as soon as they're available sent right to your computer or personal device, subscribe for free at iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn or our native RSS feed!
On today's BradCast, guest hosted by Angie Coiro of In Deep Radio, a surprising crush of news headlines post-holiday weekend.
Among them: Bulldozers tore up North Dakota sacred lands of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe amidst protests against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, even as all parties await a court judgment to block construction. Bill Cosby's lawyers claim that attorney Gloria Allred just wants the spotlight and is making racist attacks. And a CNN presidential election poll appears to have completely excluded millennials!
Meanwhile, one of my guests, Robert J. Elisberg of Huffington Post, wants to know if Trump's letter-writing doctor violated HIPAA by discussing his "knowledge" of Hillary Clinton's alleged health problems. So Flash Gordon, MD joins us to clarify.
Then it's back to Elisberg, this time for a tale of Berlin, L.A., and a handful of "Hillary Clinton for President" buttons. Finally, a review of a few important medical stories, including a ban on "antibacterial" soaps.
While we post The BradCast here every day, and you can hear it across all of our great affiliate stations and websites, to automagically get new episodes as soon as they're available sent right to your computer or personal device, subscribe for free at iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn or our native RSS feed!
On today's BradCast, guest hosted by Angie Coiro, we consider whether --- all protests to the contrary --- Brock Turner's sentence for sexual assault was in fact fair and just. Then we'll take a look at the bizarre language of Election 2016.
With Brock Turner's release from jail after just three months, Angie revisits his trial and sentencing with Imani Gandy of Rewire, and Sajid Khan of the Santa Clara County, CA Public Defender's Office. Imani brings her signature wit to piercing points about not just the Turner sentence, but elements of rape culture and privilege behind it. Sajid Khan says what few have: that more jail time --- or even prison --- wouldn't necessarily be the answer in cases involving young offenders.
Then, linguist Geoffrey Nunberg tackles how Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are using language on the campaign trail to entice voters. His take: Trump never grew up, and Clinton can barely get a word in with the cor;oprate media.
While we post The BradCast here every day, and you can hear it across all of our great affiliate stations and websites, to automagically get new episodes as soon as they're available sent right to your computer or personal device, subscribe for free at iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn or our native RSS feed!
Finally, David Dayen discusses three unsung heroes of the mortgage meltdown – ordinary people who wouldn’t let their homes be foreclosed without fighting back. They sparked a movement that turned foreclosures back on the banks and led to real legislative change...
While we post The BradCast here every day, and you can hear it across all of our great affiliate stations and websites, to automagically get new episodes as soon as they're available sent right to your computer or personal device, subscribe for free at iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn or our native RSS feed!
On today's BradCast, guest hosted by Angie Coiro, we wade through this week's Trump dump so you don't have to.
Angie's guest is RJ Eskow from The Zero Hour. His excellent report on the makeup of Donald Trump's economic advisory group almost got lost in the noisier news this week. It's an important read, full of shadowy Steves with nefarious histories.
Also today: Gotta Laff joins Angie to review the rest of this week's Trump follies. Then a more serious discussion: does it do damage to use mental health terms like "nut", "crazy", "sociopath" when discussing someone like Trump?
While we post The BradCast here every day, and you can hear it across all of our great affiliate stations and websites, to automagically get new episodes as soon as they're available sent right to your computer or personal device, subscribe for free at iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn or our native RSS feed!
On today's BradCast, guest hosted by Angie Coiro: How the Democratic Convention came across to two lifelong progressive feminists, and how Muslim women clapped back against Donald Trump with #CanYouHearUsNow.
My guest, Edina Lekovic from the Muslim Public Affairs Council, tackles Trump's misogynist, racist reaction to Khizr and Ghazala Khan's Democratic Convention appearance. Then, she reacts to common slams against American Muslims - "the hijab proves you're not a feminist", and "Islam is dedicated to violent conversion of infidels".
Also today: Laffy, the famous 'Gotta Laff' of The Nicole Sandler Show, reacts to the Dem Convention - from its visual appeal, to the style of its speakers, to the very mixed blessing of the first mainstream woman Presidential nominee.
Finally, Angie puts the new movie The Great Wall in the context of the many, many White Savior-flavored films that have preceded it.
While we post The BradCast here every day, and you can hear it across all of our great affiliate stations and websites, to automagically get new episodes as soon as they're available sent right to your computer or personal device, subscribe for free at iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn or our native RSS feed!
On today's BradCast, guest hosted by Angie Coiro, we look at the aftermath of the killings of five police officers in Dallas. Even something this shattering can't break the flow of hatred from some sources. Give an ear to Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, who faulted Black Lives Matter protestors for dodging the bullets that killed the officers, and has his own conspiracy theories of how far in advance the protest had been planned.
And witness former Congressman Joe Walsh, who climbed atop the bodies to rally violence against President Obama. Of course, he says he didn't do that. You be the judge.
Then for some positive inspiration, some stunning results from an effort in Los Angeles to build an effective community policing policy. Connie Rice, cofounder of The Advancement Project tells of one housing project where daily body counts gave way to zero - ZERO - shots fired once the program was in full swing.
Also, Debra Cooper, Democratic State Committeewoman for Manhattan’s Upper West Side, gives her take on the Clinton email investigation results, including this week’s hearing. She and Angie are pretty far apart on the merits of Hillary Clinton, but they - and Debra's five-year-old nephew - are on the same page about having a woman in the Oval Office.
While we post The BradCast here every day, and you can hear it across all of our great affiliate stations and websites, to automagically get new episodes as soon as they're available sent right to your computer or personal device, subscribe for free at iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn or our native RSS feed!
On today's BradCast, guest hosted by Angie Coiro, we discuss the revelations of Lies, Incorporated: The World of Post-Truth Politics, from Ari Rabin-Havt and Media Matters for America. Then an analysis of the court case that's garnered attention throughout and beyond the US: the conviction and sentencing of attempted rapist Brock Turner of Stanford.
Ari Rabin-Havt hosts The Agenda on Sirius XM. He collaborated with Media Matters for America on the book Lies, Incorporated: The World of Post-Truth Politics. He tracks to the source of lies that will not die, like death panels and climate change denial. Surprisingly, the shadowy, well-funded individuals that do this work aren't always motivated by the money. Remember Todd Akin's claim that "If it’s legitimate(!!) rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down?” Turns out he may have really believed that.
Also today: why did the judge in the trial of Stanford athlete Brock Turner ignore both mandatory minimum sentence guidelines and the prosecutor to bestow a sentence much lower than anyone expected? Guests Imani Gandy and Sajid Khan, both attorneys, weigh in on what it means in court to be white, male, upper middle class, and a jock.
While we post The BradCast here every day, and you can hear it across all of our great affiliate stations and websites, to automagically get new episodes as soon as they're available sent right to your computer or personal device, subscribe for free at iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn or our native RSS feed!
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About Brad Friedman...
Brad is an independent investigative
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expert on issues of election integrity,
and a Commonweal Institute Fellow.