Category Archives: ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

More Problems At CBS


Media Matters for America
 

CBS finally retracted its flawed 60 Minutes Benghazi report. But as it continues to stonewall calls for an independent inquiry, new concerns being raised about the original report, and another flawed CBS report has emerged.

John Whitehouse Twitter: @existentialfish

More Major Issues

Lara LoganMcClatchy is the latest news outlet to offer a damning critique of the 60 Minutes Benghazi report. McClatchy’s reporting finds fault in Lara Logan‘s report even beyond the statements of CBS’ discredited “eyewitness”: http://mm4a.org/1dqP2co Related: 60 Minutes‘ failure to disclose its financial conflict of interest was not an isolated incident: http://mm4a.org/172ASNu Eric Boehlert examines what questions CBS still must answer –and why they might not want to: http://mm4a.org/HMB6Pi

Another CBS Sourcing Issue

Attkisson, IssaAnother CBS “exclusive” story has quickly fallen apart. CBS reported a project manager was kept in the dark about HealthCare.gov security failures. In reality, a “partial transcript” that excluded the context shows that this was about a part of the site not due to go live until 2014: http://mm4a.org/1aRQWoz Related: Simon Maloy explains how CBS could have quickly fact checked this: http://mm4a.org/1dqTtnw Storied outlets from The New York Times to the Associated Press ran with this flawed story: http://mm4a.org/19kDQJX

What Is Wrong At Fox?

Haiyan destructionFox host Stuart Varney said he got a “big smile” when Australia refused to give aid after an official from the Philippines tearfully asked for nations to give to a climate fund in the wake of Super Typhoon Haiyan: http://mm4a.org/1fBZbEw Related: Fox also lashed out at George Clooney over climate change and Typhoon Haiyan: http://mm4a.org/18mveD3 You can support the American Red Cross Typhoon relief effort here: http://rdcrss.org/1fDOiBS

 

 

FEATURED VIDEO

Jon StewartThe Daily Show and The Colbert Report both criticized CBS’ 60 Minutes for its now discredited Benghazi report. http://mm4a.org/1hCYnUi

RUSH RECIDIVISM

LimbaughIn response to a series of ads for health care aimed at young people, Rush Limbaugh claimed his sexist attacks on Sandra Fluke from last year were vindicated. http://mm4a.org/1gKwuby

FACT CHECKING THE KELLY FILE

Megyn KellyMegyn Kelly recently featured a guest who claimed he sold his business because of Obamacare. When Salon’s Eric Stern looked into it, he found the story far more complicated than Kelly let on: http://bit.ly/HVxMC3

IMAGE OF THE WEEK

CNBC
Media Matters Billboard Campaign Calls On CNBC To Improve Its Climate Coverage

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

A Trojan Horse


By 

Who Is Really Trying to ‘Fix’ Obamacare?

President Obama, Congressional Democrats, and House Republicans all have proposed changes to Affordable Care Act to address concerns over dropped policies, but not all of these so-called fixes are created equal.

While the Democratic plans seek changes to actually address the concerns, the Republican plan passed by the House of Representatives today is actually a Trojan Horse meant to destroy Obamacare and put insurance companies back in charge once and for all. In fact, Speaker Boehner (R-OH) explained that it was a “targeted strike” on the law and just one more step on the road to repeal.

(The road to repeal seems to be neverending, as the House has now voted at least 46 times to repeal Obamacare and yet it’s still the law of the land.)

House Republicans further betrayed their true motivations today when they used procedural tricks to block a vote on a Democratic plan to allow insurers to keep offering cancelled plans, expand oversight of rate hikes, and require insurers to notify consumers of alternatives to their sub-standard plans.

The GOP’s reason for blocking a vote on the bill? They said it had too manyprovisions protecting consumers from insurance companies and abusive rate hikes.Seriously.

Here’s a chart breaking down the differences between the main proposals out there to address concerns about insurers dropping sub-standard insurance plans:

EDIT_obamacare_fixes-58

BOTTOM LINE: Democrats are interested in making Obamacare work. Republicans are only interested in making it go away.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

It’s Time For An Upgrade: Let’s End the Mommy Penalty for NY Women!
The New York Women’s Equality Coalition has just relaunched a statewide digital and grassroots campaign to demand a Women’s Equality Agenda for New York State. Our campaign shines a spotlight on the need to update and strengthen New York State laws to reflect the reality of women’s lives in 2013. The Coalition has also launched an exciting video highlighting the antiquated laws in New York that need an upgrade.
Illegal or Just Sleazy? Watch to Find Out…
Test your knowledge of the gaps in New York’s discrimination laws by watching  this video. Then show it to your friends, your family, and your legislators! Send it, post it, tweet it, and get involved in the push to pass the Women’s Equality Agenda before it dies on December 31st. Click on the picture below to see and share the video.
Mind The (Motherhood Wage) Gap!
We recently focused on women, like Armanda Legros, who are demanding that state legislators stand up for pregnant women and new mothers in New York State. Read our Op-Ed in the Albany Times Union  here.
This week, we focus on the wage gap. Women in New York make only 84% of men’s earnings, and the percentage is even worse for women of color. Mothers in particular are less likely to be hired and promoted, and, on average, receive a lower salary, than their childless counterparts. The Women’s Equality Agenda would help close this maternal wage gap by prohibiting discrimination against parents in the workplace and strengthening our state’s equal pay laws. Every day that our legislators fail to take action is another day that the women of New York lose out! Read our blog post here.
Please take a moment to  sign Armanda’s petition and tell legislators that New York needs the Women’s Equality Agenda!
Twitter Rally TOMORROW 12-1pm ET!
What else can you do to make your voice heard? We’re having a twitter rallyTOMORROW, Wednesday, 12pm-1pm on the maternal wage gap. Here are a few sample tweets you can use to let your followers know that the “mommy penalty” is unfair, senseless, and needs to end NOW!

  • In NY, moms make 5% less per child than their childless peers. We need legislators to pass the #WEA and #UpgradeNY to end this now!
  • A bigger family shouldn’t mean a smaller salary! Pass the #WEA to end the mommy penalty for NY women #UpgradeNY
  • We need laws that work as hard as today’s working moms. #UpgradeNY #WEArestrong Learn more @ http://bit.ly/SfMTnO
  • Vintage: Great for t-shirts, bad for New York law. Let’s pass the #WEA and #UpgradeNY today! http://bit.ly/HICp2g
New York’s outdated laws have to change and we won’t stop until women and families have true equality across the state–stay tuned for our new 2014 Women’s Equality Agenda.
Thank you for all your support,
The ABB Team: Sherry, Dina, Phoebe, Jared, Elizabeth, Liz, Risha & Rachel
Donate now to A Better Balance.  Together we can improve the lives of families across the country. 
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

latimes.com


Albuquerque becomes latest abortion battlefield

By Cindy Carcamo
A ballot initiative — thought to be the nation’s first such municipal measure — would bar the procedure at 20 weeks. Such a ban would have statewide impact.
Philippine city overwhelmed by task of burying typhoon victims
In Tacloban, the Philippine city hit hardest by Typhoon Haiyan, hundreds of bodies are hastily buried in a long trench. More corpses lie in the streets or still covered by rubble.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Pass a budget that ends sequestration!


AAUW Action Network

It’s been a month since Congress came to its senses and ended the unnecessary federal government shutdown that turned families’ lives upside down and cost our economy millions of lost days of work.

Now it’s time for our lawmakers to – finally – get down to business, and we can make them do it.

As part of the October budget deal that re-opened the federal government, Congress established a joint House-Senate budget committee to find a path forward. The committee is meeting now, and their report is due to the House and Senate by December 13. That gives lawmakers just one month to consider the recommendations of the committee and pass a budget before the short-term continuing resolution expires on January 15, 2014.

December and January might sound far away, but the committee is meeting now and making decisions about the programs we care about now. One decision they should make is to get rid of the misguided across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration, which began in March. The effects of sequestration have been painful so far, and they will only get worse over time. Congress must support a transparent appropriations process that ends sequestration once and for all.

Want to make sure low-income women, infants, and children have access to the food they need?

Want to protect access to services for domestic violence survivors?

Want to stand up for quality public education and safe school climates
free from bullying and harassment?

Then we need to contact our senators today and urge them to pass a budget that ends sequestration once and for all.

Congress should resist calls to enact “flexibility” or exempt defense spending when it comes to sequestration. Congress must end sequestration, period.

The AAUW Action Fund Lobby Corps delivered this message to senators this morning, and now it’s time for you to drive it home. Please, take two minutes to urge your senators to support a transparent appropriations process that ends sequestration!