Threat Assessment
WITH US
Occupy the Highway group arrives in D.C.
A group of 22 Occupy Wall Street protesters have arrived in Washington, D.C. after a two-week trek on foot from New York City. [National Journal]
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AGAINST US
Fox News viewers poorly informed!
Fox News viewers are less likely to have a clue about major news events than those that generally avoid TV news shows and newspapers altogether, according to (yet another) study. [Slate ]
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WITH US
UC Davis suspends police chief
UC Davis has put its police chief on leave after university police officers doused peacefully protesting students with pepper spray and videos of the incident went viral. [Washington Post]
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AGAINST US
Mercedes exec busted under Alabama's harsh immigration law
A German Mercedes-Benz executive was stopped last week in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where the company has a manufacturing plant, and detained under the state's restrictive immigration law. He was released after a coworker retrieved his passport. [Politico]
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WITH US
New York town pulls its money from Chase
Officials in the blue-collar Village of Hempstead, New York decided to move its $12.5 million from Chase to a smaller local bank, after Mayor Wayne Hall heard countless stories from residents who tried unsuccessfully to get loans refinanced at Chase. [NPR]
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AGAINST US
School offers 'Homosexuality as gateway drug' class
Baylor University in Texas has come under fire for offering a class called "Homosexuality as a Gateway Drug." After an outcry, the Baptist school changed the course's name to "Special Topics in Sociology." [Huffington Post]
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WITH US
Polls showing climate skepticism are flawed
Some recent polls purport to show that belief in global warming is on the wane, but experts at ClimateProgress attribute the drop to flawed questions and a lack in recent media coverage. [ThinkProgress]
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AGAINST US
Wealthiest Americans get $30 billion a year in subsidies
According to a new report by Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), the government grants more than $30 billion in subsidies to the richest Americans, in the form of tax credits, Social Security retirement benefits and other deductions. [The Atlantic]
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AGAINST US
Shot fired at White House
The Secret Service reported Tuesday the discovery of a bullet lodged in a White House window; thankfully it was stopped by ballistic glass. [Politico ]
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WITH US
NASA now hiring new astronauts
Think you have what it takes to be an astronaut? NASA, seeking new men and women to join its team, posted a new listing on the federal government's job website Tuesday. [The Atlantic Wire]
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WITH US
Timberlake Rocks Marine Corps Ball
Earlier this year, in a You Tube video, Marine Corporal Kelsey De Santis invited singer/actor Justin Timberlake to come as her date to her unit's annual ball. He accepted, and the two attended the event together in Richmond, Virginia, on Saturday night. Afterwards, Timberlake called the evening "one of the most moving" he'd ever had. [AP]
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AGAINST US
Felons get their guns
While a federal law bars people with felony convictions from bearing arms, many states and jurisdictions are pretty lax when it comes to restoring gun rights, a New York Times examination finds. [New York Times]
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WITH US
Doctors go pro bono in Zuccotti Park
A team of doctors from Columbia University's health center and the Physicians for a National Health Program gave free flu shots Sunday to Occupy Wall Street protesters; the park also has its own 24-hour medical tent staffed by volunteer medical professionals, and the protester's pets receive free weekly check-ups from visiting veterinarians. [GOOD]
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AGAINST US
BANKS RAISE FEES ON THE SLY
Having backed off plans to impose debit card fees in the face of outraged consumer opposition, Bank of America and other major lenders have been "quietly" hiking and introducing other fees prices and fees in other areas – increasing charges for lost cards, for example. [New York Times]
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WITH US
Obama reaffirms waterboarding is 'torture'
President Obama on Sunday reaffirmed his view that the controversial interrogation technique known as waterboarding amounts to "torture" and is "contrary to America's traditions." This after GOP presidential candidates Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann said during a Republican debate on Saturday that they would reinstate the technique, authorized by George W. Bush and banned by Obama. [AP]
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AGAINST US
One in ten adults could have diabetes by 2030
Because of factors like aging and demographic changes, one in ten adults – 552 million people – could have diabetes by 2030, according to a new report by the International Diabetes Federation. Currently, one in 13 adults are stricken with the disease. [AP]
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WITH US
77 Percent Of Americans In Favor of Medical Pot
Even a majority of Republicans (66 percent) say doctors should be able to prescribe medical marijuana. [ThinkProgress ]
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AGAINST US
Gingrich collected millions from health-care industry
A Gincrich-founded think tank, launched in 2003, brought in as much as $200,000 per year from insurers and other health-care firms, offering "access to Newt Gingrich" and "direct Newt interaction." according to promotional materials. [Washington Post]
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WITH US
Birth Rate Down Among Teens
The rate fell 9 percent between 2009 and 2010 to its lowest recorded level last year. Experts put the decline down to more effective sex education and the effects of a bad economy. [WSJ ]
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AGAINST US
Before leaving office, Romney staff swiped hard drives
On his way out of the Massachusetts governor’s office, and just before his first run for president, Romney had top aides purchase their state-issued computer hard drives wipe Romney administration e-mails from a server, in a sharp departure from standard practice. [Boston Globe]
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WITH US
Start-up maps where people are sick
Sickweather gathers data (if you sign up) from social networks to plot out on a map where people are sick and what ails them, so you can avoid affected areas or at least take precautions.
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AGAINST US
Mississippi Sorority Sisters Dress in Blackface
Six students at the University of Southern Mississippi dressed in blackface to depict "The Cosby Show’s" Huxtable family at a 1980s-themed costume party last week, school authorities have admitted. [Colorlines ]
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WITH US
Penguins rescued in New Zealand oil spill being released
The first round of little blue penguins rescued from an October oil spill have been released back into New Zealand waters; 49 of the 343 birds have been freed, with more to come in the next few weeks. [Mother Jones]
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AGAINST US
Romney campaign ad takes Obama quote completely out of context
Mitt Romney's latest campaign video laughably misrepresents a 2008 Obama quote: the ad shows the then-presidential candidate saying “If we keep talking about the economy, we’re going to lose," but Obama actually said, "Senator McCain’s campaign actually said, and I quote, ‘If we keep talking about the economy, we’re going to lose.’” [The Atlantic Wire]