Study: Fewer Black College Students Receive Merit-Based Aid

During the 2007–08 academic year, undergraduate students received $62 billion in financial aid through the government, educational institutions and other sources, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Education. During that same period, the department found that Black college students were less likely than white students to receive merit-based financial aid, but more likely to receive aid based on financial need.

Judge Approves Black Farmers Settlement

WASHINGTON — A federal judge has given final approval to a $1.2 billion government settlement with black farmers who claim they were unfairly denied loans and other assistance from the Agriculture Department over many years.

The Most Influential White Americans In Black America

While there have already been tongue in cheek listsfeaturing the white Americans perceived as the most “down” with black folks, Loop21.com has decided to put together a list of the white Americans who have genuinely had the greatest impact on the lives of black Americans in the last century. Some played key roles in altering America’s laws to end legalized racial inequality, while others have helped increase the cultural influence of black Americans through the arts and entertainment, but all have made significant contributions to the black experience in America, whether they know it or not. (And in some cases, whether we want to admit it or not.)

VIDEO: As Republicans Spread ‘Politics Of Division,’ They Hypocritically Accuse Opponents Of Doing The Same

Over the last few weeks, Republicans have begun decrying the “politics of division” supposedly emanating from the White House and Occupy Wall Street, climaxing with Budget Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) speech at the Heritage Foundation on Wednesday. Clearly, these Republicans suffer from some memory loss, or a lack of self-awareness, or both. For some time now, these same people crying about “pitting Americans against Americans” have been enthusiastically labeling various people or groups in American politics as enemies, painting political disagreements as stark divisions over morality and worldview, and describing the Obama administration and Democrats as destructive, tyrannical, and un-American. ThinkProgress has the video report.

Watch it:

State-Certified Handgun Instructor In Texas Refuses To Teach Muslims, Obama Supporters

Crockett Keller, a state-certified gun safety instructor in Texas, wants to help you get a concealed handgun lesson — that is, unless you’re Muslim or liberal. “If you are a non-Christian Arab or Muslim, I will not teach you the class with no shame,” he says in a controversial new radio playing around Mason, TX, where Keller owns a gun store. “If you are a socialist liberal and or voted for the current campaigner in chief, please do not take this class. You have already proven that you cannot make a knowledgeable and prudent decision as under the law,” he added. In an interview with a local ABC affiliate, Keller made it clear he was serious: “I will give up my license to teach before I will teach them.”

Cain Smears Planned Parenthood: Accuses Group of ‘Genocide,’ Says Its Goal Is To ‘Kill Black Babies’ (Please Would Some Black Leader Please Shut-up "Uncle Ruckus?")

Today on Face The Nation, GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain claimed that Planned Parenthood wants to “kill black babies” and is part of an organized effort to commit “genocide” against the black community:

Why Young Men Fear Marriage

Daryl Motte and Seth Conger have got a lot going for them. They're young, attractive, smart, employed, single, funny, down-to-earth, slightly old-fashioned and curious -- the kind of guys who'd make perfect husbands.

Tax The Poor: Forget Occupy Wall Street, Conservatives Have A Different Idea

WASHINGTON -- The nation's ongoing economic downturn has sparked an odd response from a growing number of conservative and Republican leaders: a desire to blame the unfortunate and a demand for the poor to pay more.

Sunday October 30th 2011 Talking Heads

FOX NEWS SUNDAY

Chris Wallace is in Austin, Texas today, and yes, I'm jealous, because there is music and mole sauce everywhere down there. There, he's got Rick Perry, chilling in the Texas State History museum.

U.K. GIVES WOMEN EQUALITY IN ROYAL SUCCESSION FOR FIRST TIME IN 300 YEARS

If Prince William and Kate Middleton’s first child is a girl, she will be queen, thanks tohistoric changes adopted this week by the 16 nations in the Commonwealth Realm that recognize the Queen of England as monarch. Scrapping a 300-year-old law, the nations unanimously agreed to give women equal preference to succeed the throne for the first time, and also threw out old rules that barred the monarch from marrying a Catholic. Previously, women could only take the throne if there were no male heirs. “It reminds us of the potential in our societies that is yet to be fully unlocked and it encourages us to find ways to allow all girls and women to play their full part,” Queen Elizabeth II said at the opening of a summit of Commonwealth leaders in Perth, Australia, where the reforms were adopted.

Stop and frisk outcry: 87% of those stopped by police in Bronx are not arrested

Willie Hazzard was walking down Westchester Ave. with his two children the other day, wearing a black Transformers fitted hat, black and white Rocawear leather varsity jacket, black jeans, black Jordans and diamond studs in his ears.

Corporate Hacking Firm That Targeted ThinkProgress Now Markets Services Against ‘Politically Motivated’ Attacks

Earlier this year, ThinkProgress exposed a plot concocted by a set of military contractors, working on behalf of the law firm for the corporate lobbying group called the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, to hack and sabotage progressive organizations, including, to our surprise, ThinkProgress. The ploy was made public by hacktivists known as Anonymous, who stole a batch of e-mails from one of the military contractors involved, HB Gary Federal, and dumped them online for all to see (the dump revealed a separate conspiracy, on behalf of Bank of America, to destroy WikiLeaks and journalists like Glenn Greenwald). One of the corporate hackers involved in the scheme, Aaron Barr, has moved on to another firm.

CHART: Typical Hourly Wage Went Up Just $1.23 In The Last 36 Years

In a speech yesterday, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) claimed that President Obama created “class resentment” by calling for slightly higher taxes on the wealthiest Americans. At the same time, Occupy Wall Street protesters continue to speak out in favor of an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top of the income scale.

ANALYSIS: Warren Buffett Would Pay As Little As 0.2 Percent Tax Rate Under Rick Perry’s Tax Plan

Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry released a tax plan this week that he and many media reports called a “20 percent flat tax.” But Perry’s new alternative tax scheme is hardly “flat.”

68 PERCENT OF MILLIONAIRES SUPPORT RAISING TAXES ON MILLIONAIRES

According to a new survey by the Spectrem Group, “68% of millionaires (those with investments of $1 million or more) support raising taxes on those with $1 million or more in income. Fully 61% of those with net worths of $5 million or more support the tax on million-plus earners.” Spectrem’s George Walper told the Wall Street Journal, “what this tells us is that there are a number of wealthy folks who said: ‘Gee, we need to increase taxes to stimulate the economy. No one likes to be taxed more, but the reality is maybe it has to be done.’”

GRAPHIC: IF AMERICAN LAND WAS DISTRIBUTED IN THE SAME WAY AMERICAN WEALTH IS

Ever wonder what would happen if land in the U.S. were as unequally owned as wealth? Here’s an infographic showing exactly how much the 1 percent would own:

Just Three Corporate Front Groups Spent 13 Times As Much As The Entire Labor Movement To Buy Judicial Elections

After the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision opened the floodgates to unlimited corporate money in American elections, the decision’s defenders claimed this wasn’t such a big deal because unions could also take advantage of the decision. A new report by three leading voting rights and judicial independence groups gives the lie to this claim. According to the report, just three corporate interest groups — The Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the Business Council of Alabama, and the Illinois Civil Justice League spent more than 13 times as much trying to influence state supreme court elections as the entire labor movement:

REPORT: House GOP’s ‘Job Creating’ Spending Cuts Destroyed 370,000 Jobs

House Republicans took the government to the brink of shutdown last spring by demanding across-the-board budget cuts to many vital programs. Instead of focusing on job creation, as Americans wanted them to, the GOP turned its attention to slashing funds for programs that funded assistance for women and children, local law enforcement, the social safety net, environmental protections, and many other programs they deemed as either too expensive or unnecessary. Worse, when challenged on why they hadn’t made the effort to tackle high unemployment, Republicans insisted that their slash-and-burn budget cuts were meant to create jobs.

JUDGE BLOCKS FLORIDA’S LAW REQUIRING DRUG TESTS FOR WELFARE APPLICANTS

Yesterday, federal Judge Mary Scriven — a President George W. Bush appointee —temporarily blocked Florida’s law that requires welfare applicants to pass a drug test at their own expense before they can receive benefits. Scriven ruled that the law may violate the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment ban on unreasonable searches and seizures: “This potential interception of positive drug tests by law enforcement implicates a ‘far more substantial’ invasion of privacy than in ordinary civil drug testing cases.” Nearly 1,600 applicants have refused to take the test since testing began this summer, and “they aren’t required to say why.” More than 7,000 have passed while only 32 have failed. Applicants are only reimbursed for the test if they pass. Florida is the first state to enact such a law. The judge’s injunction will remain until she schedules a full hearing.

Dayton, Ohio Welcomes Immigrants Fleeing Harsh Anti-Immigrant Laws In Other States

While other states are cracking down undocumented immigrants — and scaring away legal immigrants at the same time — one town is embracing them. Dayton, Ohio officials adopted the “Welcome to Dayton” plan on Oct. 5 to encourage immigrants to settle in their city. They see the potential influx of new residents as a way to boost the city’s economy, while states like Alabama and Georgia that have extreme anti-immigrant laws are seeing their economies suffer.

‘Pro-Life’ Measure Advancing In Several States Could Ban Some Couples From Conceiving Children

ThinkProgress has been reporting on the disturbing campaign by radical anti-abortion groups to pass “personhood” amendments to state constitutions that would define life as beginning the moment an egg is fertilized. These laws would not only criminalize abortion, but outlaw common forms of contraception as well.

CBO: INCOME OF THE TOP 1 PERCENT EXPLODED OVER THE LAST THREE DECADES

Congressional Budget Office today released a new report on the growth in income that’s occurred in the U.S. over the last three decades. CBO found that, “for the 1 percent of the population with the highest income, average real after-tax household income grew by 275 percent between 1979 and 2007,” while it grew by just 18 percent for the bottom 20 percent of the income scale. “As a result of that uneven income growth, the distribution of after-tax household income in the United States was substantially more unequal in 2007 than in 1979,” CBO said.

Political falsehoods, exaggerations and embellishments

Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican and favourite of the anti-tax Tea Party movement, has claimed throughout his political career that his parents fled Fidel Castro's Communist Cuba for freedom in the US.

Anonymous Hacks Lolita City Alleged Porn Ring

The "hacktivist" group Anonymous has uncovered what it says was a massive child pornography ring,according to the Examiner.

PETA Targets 'We Bought A Zoo': Wants Cameron Crowe's Film To Add Warning

Cameron Crowe's upcoming film, "We Bought A Zoo," features the story of a single dad, played by Matt Damon, who, searching for a way to bring his fractured family back together, purchases a house out in the country. What he doesn't realize, at first, is that the house comes with an entire private zoo. Loosely based on a true story, the zoo ends up bringing the family closer together, and bringing Damon love, in the alluring form of Scarlett Johansson.

Harold Camping Prediction: World Survives Doomsday (Again)

The world refused to end yet again on Friday, despite another prediction from Family Radio network owner Harold Camping that it would.

Global Ban On Toxic Waste Exports Advances

CARTAGENA, Colombia -- More than 170 countries agreed Friday to accelerate adoption of a global ban on the export of hazardous wastes, including old electronics, to developing countries.

Republicans Vote Down American Jobs — AGAIN!

In their never-ending quest to protect millionaires and billionaires, Senate Republicans once again voted down American Jobs. Last week, they joined together to unanimously oppose the millions of jobs that would be created by the American Jobs Act. Last night, the Senate took up one part of the president’s jobs plan — a provision for nearly 400,000 jobs for teachers, firefighters, and cops — and Senate Republicans had another chance to go on record. And againthey all voted no.

Iraq By The Numbers: The World’s Costliest Cakewalk

The Obama administration’s announcement of a withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of the year offers the possibility of a definitive conclusion for the U.S. military’s involvement in Iraq. But while the return of all U.S. service men and women by Christmas is a cause for celebration, the costs of the war are only beginning to be fully understood. The “cakewalk” to Baghdad, as George W. Bush adviserKenneth Adelman infamously wrote in February, 2002, has been anything but. The Iraq War, and the faulty premise that Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction, has had a staggering humanitarian and economic cost.

OBAMA: ‘AFTER NEARLY NINE YEARS, AMERICA’S WAR IN IRAQ WILL BE OVER’

Afternine years of war and nearly a year of back and forth about whether the United States would keep troops in Iraq past the year-end total withdrawal deadline, this afternoon, President Obama announced that all U.S. troops in Iraq will come home by the end of this year. “Today I can say that our troops in Iraq will definitely be home for the holidays,” he said. Watch video of his speech:

JACKSON: GOP HOUSE HAS AVERAGED ONE VOTE EVERY DAY TO GUT EPA

In today’s Los Angeles Times, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson calls for House Republicans to end their “assault on our environmental laws.” She points out that since the beginning of the year, the Republican-majority house has averaged one vote per day on a bill to undermine the Environmental Protection Agency, including a bill last week Republicans pushed through that eliminates several pollution control requirements for industrial boilers and incinerators. “How we respond to this assault on our environmental and public health protections will mean the difference between sickness and health — in some cases, life and death — for hundreds of thousands of citizens,” Jackson writes.

9 Most Misguided Ways Out Of Poverty

The idea that anyone can make it in America — The American Dream — is perhaps the most revered ideal associated with the world’s richest nation. And yet, amid the riches and fame is a large underclass, a population of poor Americans whose socio-economic standing challenges the notions of social mobility. As America’s conversation on the gap between rich and poor heats up, NewsOne examines the various ideas that many poor communities believe will close the gap.

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Moammar Gadhafi

The recently slain Libyan dictator, Moammar Gaddafi, ruled the Northern-African country of Libya for 41 years, until Libyan civilians decided they had enough. The longest-ruling Arab leader was killed by rebels today, just months after his government was overthrown.

Time and time again, his name was associated with war, conflict, and assassination attempts.

So what exactly did he do during his four decades of leadership?

Here is a list of 10 things you may have not known about Gadhafi:

1. Revolutionary

At age 27, as a captain in the army, Gadhafi led the 1969 coup that overthrew the Libyan monarchy while King Idris was abroad seeking medical treatment. Banning vices like gambling and alcohol, Gadhafi proclaimed “Islamic socialism” as the new regime’s philosophy of governance.[TheDailyBeast.com]

2. Pan Africanist

Gadhafi proposed the “United States of Africa” – an idea first thought of by US Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey — in which the continent would include “a single African military force, a single currency and a single passport for Africans to move freely around the continent.” [Rediff.com]

3. Flamboyant Leader

Gadhafi was known for his highly decorative military dresses and caps, his noodle hair was his trademark. Whenever he traveled out of the country, he was known to be more flamboyant. On foreign trips, instead of staying at five star hotels, he set up camp in a luxury tent and was accompanied by armed female bodyguards. Some of the pictures taken of his palace here, after he was ousted, shows Gadhafi’s opulence and the extravagant life that he led. He also had plastic surgery to shave years off his appearance. [Rediff.com]

4. Weapons Smuggler

In 1973, British authorities intercepted the Claudia, a ship carrying five tons of Libyan weapons destined for the Provisional IRA. Though briefly chastened, he again began funneling weapons to the IRA after a 1986 American bombing—launched from British bases—kills Gadhafi’s adopted daughter. In 1987, British and French officials stop another vessel, the Eksund, with 120 tons of weapons and ammunition. [TheDailyBeast.com]

5. Iron-Fisted

For four decades the willful, mercurial figure of Colonel Moammar Gadhafi ruled Libya with an iron grip while remaining a persistent thorn in the side of the West. Branded “mad dog” by Ronald Reagan, the outlandish antics, flamboyant dress and bombastic pronouncements of the self-styled “Brother Leader” made him a figure of ridicule at times. The erratic nature of his regime was underlined in 1984 when diplomats at the Libyan embassy in London shot at a demonstration outside, killing policewoman Yvonne Fletcher. [HeraldSun.com]

6. Car Designer

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the revolution that brought him to power, Gadhafi in September rolled out a car he designed. The car is chock-full of safety features, apparently in response to high numbers of fatalities on Libyan roads. A government official calls it “the safest car produced anywhere.” [BBC.co.uk]

7. Hated Leader

Prior to this year, there have been at-least 8 recorded unsuccessful assassination attempts against Gadhafi. In 1993, over 2,000 Libyan soldiers plotted to assassinate Gadhafi. The soldiers were members of the Warfalla tribe, which rebelled because it was not well-represented in the upper ranks of the Libyan Army. The coup attempt was crushed by the Libyan Air Force, which was entirely made of members of the Qadhadhfa tribe, which Gadhafi belongs to. [Wikipedia]

8. Terrorist

Gadhafi supported militant organizations that held anti-Western sympathies around the world. The Foreign Minister of Libya called the massacres “heroic acts.” Gadhafi fueled a number of Islamist and communist militant groups in the Philippines, including the New People’s Army of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The country still struggles with their murders and kidnappings. In Indonesia, the Organisasi Papua Merdeka was a Libyan backed militant group. [Wikipedia] In the most notorious of several state-sponsored terrorist acts, Libyan agents blew up Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people, in December 1988.[TheDailyBeast.com]

9. Callous

Just six months after the Lockerbie bombing, Gadhafi donned a white glove to avoid touching the “blood-stained hands” of fellow Arab leaders at a conference in Algiers in June 1988. Elsewhere at the conference, he pulled a white sheet over his body as a screen while Jordan’s King Hussein spoke; refused to shake the hand of Moroccan King Hassan II; tanned and sipped coffee instead of listening to speeches one afternoon; delivered a speech railing against his colleagues as “imperialist lackeys;” and skipped a summit dinner without even bothering to offer an excuse. [TheDailyBeast.com]

10. Philosophical

Benjamin Barber, an independent political analyst from the US who has met Col. Gadhafi several times recently to discuss Libya’s future, said the Libyan leader “sees himself very much as an intellectual.” “As a man he is surprisingly philosophical and reflective in his temperament – for an autocrat,” he told the BBC News website. [BBC] In what appears to be a racially incendiary move, Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gadhafi, once offered to stem the steady influx of Africans into various European nations in an effort to keep Europe “white and civilized.” Gadhafi told Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on a recent trip to Rome that the European Union (EU) should pay him at least 5bn euros ($6.3 billion) a year to stop illegal African immigration and avoid a “Black Europe.” [AfricaSource.com]

More:

To wit, match Muammar Gadhafi's record up against that of your favorite candidate:

• Gadhafi nationalized his nation's oil reserves and used the revenue to build schools, universities, hospitals, and infrastructure.

• Money from Libya's oil revenue is deposited into the bank account of every citizen.

• He raised the literacy rate from 20 per cent to 83 per cent.

• He built one of the finest health care systems in the “Third World.” All people have access to doctors, hospitals, clinics and medicines—free of charge. If a Libyan needs surgery that is unavailable in Libya, funding is provided for the surgery overseas.

• He raised the life expectancy from 44 to 75 years of age.

• Basic food items were subsidized and electricity was made available throughout the country.

• He developed huge irrigation projects in order to support a drive towards agricultural development and food self-sufficiency.

• Recognizing that water, not oil, would be the scarcest resource of the future, Gadhafi initiated the construction of the Great Man Made River, which took years to complete. Referred to as a wonder of the modern world, this river pumps millions of gallons of water daily from the heart of the Sahara desert to the coast, where the land is suitable for agriculture. {See it Here}

• Any Libyan who wanted to become a farmer was and still is given free use of land, a house, farm equipment, livestock and seed.

• Gadhafi vowed that his own parents, who lived in a tent in the desert, would not be housed until every Libyan was housed. He fulfilled that promise.

• Under Gadhafi, Libya has now attained the highest standard of living in Africa.

• Gadhafi put up a communications satellite—the first in Africa—to bring the continent of Africa into the 21st century of technology. This also interrupted the massive fees that European companies had been charging the Africans.

• He gave women full access to education and employment, and he has enabled women to serve in the armed forces.

• Gadhafi started and financed the African Union to tie all of the Mother continent into an eventual body with a common purpose called the “United States of Africa.”

• Gadhafi did so much to develop Africa that even Obama's arrogant Caucasian cohort Hillary Clinton had to admit as she stood before the African Union: “I know it is true over many years, Gadhafi played a major role in providing financial support for many African nations and institutions...” She could not claim America did ANYTHING but exploit, exploit, exploit—and murder!

• He was the first and only leader in the Arab world to formally apologize for the Arab role in the trade of African slaves. He acknowledged that Blacks were the true owners of Libya and proclaimed in his Green Book, “the Black race shall prevail throughout the world.”

• Nelson Mandela called Muammar Gadhafi one of the 20th century's greatest freedom fighters, and insisted that the eventual collapse of South Africa's apartheid system owed much to Gadhafi and Libyan support.

Tea Party Group Urges Small Businesses ‘Not To Hire A Single Person’ To Hurt Obama

Congressional Republicans have acted shocked and offended at Democrats’ suggestions that they are intentionally sabotaging the economy to try to win back the White House in 2012. Republicans have refused to pass President Obama’s jobs plan — which experts estimate will create at least 1.9 million jobs — and proposed an alternative plan that Moody’s says “will likely push the economyback into recession.”

Kasich Failed To Extend Ohio Ban On Exotic Animals, Now Concedes ‘It’s A Problem’ After Police Kill 49 Escaped Animals

Ohio leaped into the spotlight yesterday after 56 exotic animals — lions, rare Bengal tigers, bears, wolves, leopards, and a herpes-afflicted monkey — were let loose from a private zoo in Zanesville. Ohio police shot and killed 49 of the animals while only sixwere captured and taken to the Columbus Zoo. “It’s like Noah’s Ark wrecking right here in Zanesville, Ohio,” said Jack Hanna, TV personality and former director of the Columbus Zoo.

How The NRA Plans To Force Nearly Every State To Follow The Nation’s Worst Gun Laws

The NRA threw its full weight behind a bill called the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act, and members of Congress leaped to do their bidding. In all, 246 lawmakers signed onto the bill in the House, all but ensuring that it will pass that chamber, and more than half of the Senate Republican caucus co-sponsored an even more radical form of the bill during the last Congress. If the bill becomes law, it would allow nearly anyone to shop around for the one state that is willing to issue them a license to carry a concealed firearm, and then force other states to honor that license.

As Wages Dropped For Most Americans, Number Of People Making More Than $1 Million A Year Rose 20 Percent

Each year, the Social Security Administration puts out data collected from every single W-2 employment form, totaling the nation’s salaries, bonuses, and other compensation added to. Last year’s data, released yesterday, are “in a word, awful,” as Reuters’ David Cay Johnston writes.

Corporate Front Group ALEC Pushing For Repeal Of Paid Sick Day Laws Nationwide

Recently, a string of cities and states havepassed new ordinances that would require paid sick days for employees at certain employers. Just last week, Philadelphia’s city council passed a second version of a paid sick leave bill after the mayor vetoed the earlier one. Earlier this year, Seattle approved paid sick days legislation, while Connecticut became the first state with a state-wide requirement.

Study Shows South Carolina Voter ID Law Hits Minorities Hardest, Violating Voting Rights Act

As ThinkProgress has been reporting, a slew of Voter ID laws pushed by Republican legislators in several states are a transparent attempt to disenfranchise core Democratic voters, especially the poor, college students, and minorities. In May, South Carolina became the 10th state to adopt this legislation.

Rep. Allen West: ‘Martin Luther King Jr. Would Not Have Backed’ The 99 Percent Movement (Ass Wipe!!)

At the dedication of the national Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. memorial last Sunday, the Rev. Bernice King said her father Dr. King would support the 99 Percent Movement: “I hear my father saying what we are seeing now all across the streets of America and the world is a freedom explosion.” She reminded the nation that civil rights leader worked not just for racial justice, but for economic justice as well. “We should never adjust to the one percent controlling more than 40 percent of the wealth,” she said.

Florida Rep. Allen West (R), however, was “born and raised” in the same town that Dr. King grew up in. Therefore, he asserted as a fact today in a Newsmax interview that “Martin Luther King, Jr. would not back these types of protesters”:

Who Will the GOP Put First: Teachers & First Responders OR Millionaires & Billionaires?

Last week, the Senate GOP voted down the president’s jobs plan — and thousands of jobs in each and every state across the country.

Legendary Black Scientist Honored At John Hopkins University

Last weekend, at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, scientists, mathematicians, engineers and doctors, Noble Prize winners, professors and other intellectuals came to honor a living legend in the field of science, Dr. James West.

Greg Hinton, Cellphone Exec, Hired As DNC's First-Ever Diversity Officer

After pressure by black leaders within the Democratic National Committee for the organization to get serious about minority contracting and hiring and an "exhaustive search," the DNC has announced the hiring of US Cellular executive Greg Hinton as its first-ever Chief Diversity Officer.

CAIN’S 999 TAX CUT FOR THE RICHEST 1 PERCENT: $210,000 PER YEAR

Several analyseshave pointed out how Herman Cain’s much-ballyhooed 999 plan would raise taxes on low- and middle-income Americans while cutting taxes for those at the very top of the income scale. According to a new analysis by Citizens for Tax Justice, if 999 was in effect today, “the richest one percent of taxpayers would each pay $210,000 less in annual taxes on average, while the poorest 60 percent of taxpayers would each pay about $2,000 more in annual taxes on average, than they do now.”

CHART: Thanks To The 99 Percent Movement, Media Finally Covering Jobs Crisis And Marginalizing Deficit Hysteria

Part of the reason economic policymakers have failed to properly address the poor economy is because the nation’s news media has not properly covered the unemployment crisis. For example, at the beginning of August, when Washington, DC was debating the debt ceiling crisis, the national debt dominated the airwaves. While it was appropriate for the media then to be covering the deficit due to the debt ceiling debate at the time, there was a stunning lack of coverage of the jobs crisis. A ThinkProgress review of the media coverage of the last week of July found that the word “debt” was mentioned more than 7,000 times on MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News, and “unemployed” was only mentioned 75 times:

George Lucas Is Betting $93 Million of His Own Money on ‘Red Tails.’ Will the Force Be With Him?

George Lucas is betting $93 million of his own money that his new movie “Red Tails” will be a hit.

The creator of “Star Wars” reached into his own deep pockets to bankroll the new action movie about African-American pilots in World War II, spending $58 million to make it and $35 million more to distribute the film. Lucas serves as executive producer of “Red Tails.”

VIDEO: VETERAN PROTESTS HEAVY-HANDED POLICE TACTICS IN NYC: ‘THIS IS NOT A WARZONE!’

On Saturday, Occupy Wall Street demonstrators occupied Times Squares when thousands flooded the iconic location to protest economic inequities. After a number of demonstrators refused to leave the streets there, police responded with heavy-handed tactics to arrest them. Now, video has emerged of an apparent U.S. military veteran speaking out against these police tactics. The man, who identified himself as Sgt. Shamar Thomas, explained that he spent fourteen months in Iraq and that his parents served in the military as well. “This is not a warzone. It doesn’t make you tough to hurt these people!” protested Thomas to police officers. “There is no honor in that.” The crowd gave the man a hearty applause. Watch it:

Romney Legal Advisor Robert Bork: Women ‘Aren’t Discriminated Against Anymore’

Last August, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney announced failed Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork as the co-chair of his “Judicial Advisory Committee.” Bork’s selection was a clear sign that, if elected, Romney will appoint hard right justices with little regard for how the Constitution protects ordinary Americans. Bork once described the federal ban on whites-only lunch counters as “unsurpassed ugliness.” He believes that the government is free toban contraception outright. And he even thinks the government can outright criminalize sex.

SUPPORT FOR MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION REACHES HISTORIC HIGH

New polling released by Gallup today finds that 50 percent of Americans now support marijuana legalization, while 46 percent of Americans oppose it. This support for legalizing marijuana is actually a record high, as Gallup illustrates in the following chart:

Over 1,000 Americans Have Been Arrested Protesting Wall Street, While Bankers Have Dodged Major Prosecutions

One of the major complaints made against the financial sector by demonstrators who began their occupation of Wall Street one month ago today is that there have been few major prosecutions of banking executives and other financial actors for financial frauds and other crimes related to the economic crisis. The handful of serious enforcement actions that have been made include an 11-year sentenceagainst Goldman executive Raj Rajaratnam for insider trading and the conviction of the chairman of Florida-based mortgage-lender firm Taylor, Bean & Whitaker for $3 billion in fraud. Major players at the upper echelon of most banks remain untouched for their role in the crisis.

While Corporate Profits Are At 60-Year High, Main Street Businesses Continue To Struggle

Even as the economy struggles, corporate profits continue to rise. Wells Fargo, the largest consumer lender in America, announced today that its third-quarter earnings rose 21 percent, to $4.1 billion. Citigroup, the nation’s third-largest bank, also released its earnings statement today, announcing that its third-quarter earnings rose 73 percentover last year, with $3.8 billion in profits. Even though JP Morgan Chase saw its earnings fall from a year ago, it still raked in more than $3 billion in profits.

Black magic sperm? Gang of women arrested for drugging, kidnapping and raping men to steal their semen

Police investigating a spate of 'ritualistic' kidnappings and sex attacks on male hitchhikers have arrested three women.

Clinton vs Obama: All About The Money

Melissa Harris-Perry says that whatever complaints progressives may have against Barack Obama, he’s certainly not a less progressive president than Bill Clinton. And yet Obama is less popular than Clinton, a situation she attributes to racial bias:

Bill Maher Mocks 'We Are The 1%' Protest Signs (VIDEO)

As Occupy Wall Street stretches to more and more cities in the U.S., comedians and satirists are starting to pay more and more attention to the protests -- and in some cases, the comedy is coming from unexpected places.

Bank Of America Branch In California Reportedly Refuses To Allow Protesters To Close Accounts (VIDEO)

Should people who are tired of paying extra fees be allowed to close their bank accounts in protest? One Bank of America official reportedly doesn't think so.

Filthy Phones: 1 In 6 Cell Phones Have Traces Of E. Coli Bacteria

About one in six cellphones tested in the U.K. had traces of E. coli bacteria from fecal matter, a new study released for Global Handwashing Day suggests.

Obama MLK Memorial Dedication Speech Cites Jobs, Economy: 'I Know We Will Overcome'

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama saluted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday as a man who "stirred our conscience" and made the Union "more perfect," rejoicing in the dedication of a monument memorializing the slain civil rights leader's life and work.

Sunday October 16 Th 2011 Talking Heads

THIS WEEK WITH CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR

ABC News noticed the same thing everyone else did, apparently: Herman Cain is the new new thing in politics, mainly because he keeps repeating "9-9-9" over and over again. But Mitt Romney got endorsed by a bunch of important dudes! And Rick Perry wore a hard hat, as his wife complained that everyone was being mean to him. Also: no one can have jobs ever again. They also don't think much of Jon Huntsman's chances, but I think Dave Weigel already did what needed to be done with Huntsman with this:

Decision To Crack Down On Medical Marijuana Made In California, Not Washington, U.S. Attorney Says

WASHINGTON -- The decision to crack down on medical pot establishments in the Golden State was a collective decision by four U.S. attorneys in California and not the result of any directive from Washington, according to a spokesman for California-based U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr.

Dr. Boyce: Are Payments To MLK’s Family Unethical? I’m Not So Sure

The world has become uncomfortable with the “revelation” that Dr. Martin Luther King’s family has been paid several hundred thousand dollars for the new memorial built for Dr. King in Washington. It turns out that the family is being paid a “management fee” of a little more than $800,000, partly in exchange for their support of the monument. I’m admittedly surprised by the recent public reaction to the payment, since the information was revealed by the press nearly two years ago.

Blacks Who Deserve Monuments Of Rememberance Based On Historic Impact

While our country has dedicated plenty of our monuments to many great African Americans in various cities and towns, there are still a host of individuals who made a tremendous impact in this country who have yet to be honored in this manner.

Activist Who Reagan Called ‘One Of The World’s Greatest Labor Leaders’ Coming To Support Occupy Wall Street

As ThinkProgress reported earlier this week, former Polish anti-Soviet activist, union leader, and president Lech Wałęsa announced that he supports the occupation of Wall Street by demonstrators upset about economic injustice.

Anti-Abortion Groups Push ‘Heartbeat’ Bills In All 50 States

Earlier this month, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) introduced The Heartbeat Informed Consent Act which would require all abortion providers to “make the heartbeat of the unborn child visible and audible to its mother as part of her informed consent.” Bachmann’s bill may be a shameless pander to evangelical voters, but abortion foes are already planning a much more ambitious campaign to propose Bachmann-style “heartbeat” bills in all 50 states:

AIPAC Gives Koch A Pass For Flouting Iran Sanctions

Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that Koch Industries had been flouting U.S. sanctions with Iran when the company sold millions of dollars of petrochemical equipment to the Islamic Republic over several years. But the powerful pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC — which has for years been one of themost vocal proponents of tougher sanctions on Iran — has given the conservative mega-corporation a pass for dealing with the country.

NEW WEBSITE LETS YOU LIVESTREAM THE GLOBAL 99 PERCENT MOVEMENT

Tens of thousands of people are holding demonstrations in dozens of countries today protesting for local democracy and against socioeconomic inequities. An activist sympathetic to the global 99 percent movement has set up Occupystreams.org. Go there to find links to video livestreams of demonstrations and occupations ranging from Occupy Wall Street to Occupy Philippines.

The Global 99 Percent March In Hundreds Of Cities Worldwide For Social And Economic Justice

Ever since protesters inspired by the Arab Spring took over Zuccotti Park in New York City to protest Wall Street’s greed, people nationwide have been inspired to take part in their own protests and occupations, taking aim at corporate greed and economic injustice. Thus, the 99 Percent Movement was born, aimed at seeking social justice for the bottom 99 percent of Americans and taking aim the greed of the top one percent.

House Republicans Focus on Extreme Anti-Woman Agenda

Senate Republicans voted down the president’s jobs plan on Tuesday. Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) said House Republicans won’t even allow a vote on it. So what’s the House working on instead? An extreme, savage bill that would actually let women die.

YAHOO BECOMES LATEST CORPORATION TO LEAVE THE U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Politico’s Morning Tech reported that tech-giant Yahoo “has quietly left the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.” The company wouldn’t give a reason for its departure, but has been clashing with the Chamber over the PROTECT IP Act, a bill that would limit activities on websites accused of using copyrighted material. According to U.S. Chamber Watch, more than 50 local Chambers of Commerce and a dozen major corporations “have abandoned or disavowed the U.S. Chamber for their radical positions and pay-to-play model.”

Report: 25 Percent Of Millionaires Pay Lower Taxes Than 10.4 Million Middle-Class Americans

President Obama’s “Buffett Rule” is aimed at ensuring that wealthy Americans pay their fair share in taxes. As it stands today, a wealthy individual can take advantage of preferential tax treatment of investment income and various tax loopholes to drastically lower his or her tax rate and effectively pay lower taxes than middle-class families. To prove the point behind his namesake, billionaire Warren Buffett revealed to Republicans yesterday that he made more than $62 million last year while only paying a 17 percent tax rate.

CHART: Americans Support Occupy Wall Street, Oppose Tea Party

The new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows that Americans support the Occupy Wall Street protests by a two-to-one margin (37 percent in favor, 18 percent opposed) while more Americans view the Tea Party negatively (28 percent in favor, 41 percent opposed). This means the Occupy Wall Street protests have a net favorability of +19 percent while the Tea Party has a net favorability of -13 percent, as this chart produced by ThinkProgress shows:

Top North Carolina Republican: We Must ‘Divide And Conquer’ Welfare Recipients, Deny Assistance To Single Moms

Speaking to a crowd at Mars Hill College last week, North Carolina state House Speaker Thom Tillis (R) extolled the virtues of drug testing low-income people who need welfare benefits, declaring that they need to be “conquer[ed]” because “the money’s not getting to the right people.” “You go in and you see a woman in a wheelchair — she’s from here, she’s from Asheville — who’s on the brink of losing her benefits, and you know that Health and Human Services is sending checks to a woman who has chosen to have three or four kids out of wedlock,” he said. Aghast at such decisions, he declared that government must “find a way to divide and conquer the people who are on assistance”:

NEW ANALYSIS: The Three Things You Need To Know About Herman Cain’s 999 Plan

Herman Cain’s 999 plan was the star of the GOP’s primary debate this week, and with the increased attention has come increased scrutiny. Cain has been slow to let the details of his plan dribble out, but in an attempt to back up his claims that the plan is revenue-neutral and notregressive, his campaign finally revealed some specifics yesterday. With those new details, here is an updated analysis, with the three main things you need to know about 999:

Test Of Wisconsin Voter ID Law Led To Lines So Long People Left Instead Of Voting

Wisconsin’s new voter identification law has beenplagued with problems even before its first election, whether from government officials trying to shield the public from learning about the free version of a vote-only ID, Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) pledge to close Department of Motor Vehicle offices where the IDs can be obtained, or from protests from angry Wisconsinites who claim the new law, like similar laws around the country, is only aimed at disenfranchising voters who are more likely to vote Democrat.

NANCY PELOSI: GOP’S ANTI-ABORTION BILL WOULD LET WOMEN ‘DIE ON THE FLOOR’ OF A HOSPITAL

Completely ignoring their promise to focus on jobs, House Republicans will vote today on their “Protect Life Act.” Known by opponents as the “Let Women Die” bill, the measure would allow hospitals receiving federal support to turn away a woman seeking an abortion in any circumstance, even if it is necessary to save her life. At a press conference ahead of the vote, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) blasted the Republican’s bill as “just appalling.” “When the Republicans vote for this bill today, they will be voting to say that women can die on the floor,” she noted. Watch it:

Hedge Fund-Bankrolled Emergency Committee For Israel Smears Occupy Wall St. Protests As ‘Anti-Semitic’

The Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI), has joined thepack of conservative groups working to discredit the Occupy Wall Street Movement. The ECI — a Bill Kristol-Gary Bauer-Rachel Abrams-conceived organization — launched a YouTube ad this morning, seeking to paint the Wall Street protests as anti-Semitic.

Glenn Beck Sneers At Students Who Can’t Afford A College Education: ‘Go To The Free Public Library’

Conservative idol Glenn Beck spent much of his speech at the Values Voters Conference this weekend lambasting young Americans who are part of the 99 Percent Movement, and those who have the audacity to not be rich but want a college education. Beck all but declared that the 14 million jobless Americans are unemployed by choice — echoing similar sentiments by GOP candidate Herman Cain. “There are many in this country I call the fun-employed,” the former Fox News host told the crowd.

House GOP Proposes So-Called ‘Let Women Die’ Bill That Lets Hospitals Deny Life-Saving Care

In their latest assault on women’s health, this week House Republicans will take up HR 358, the ironically titled “Protect Life Act.” Opponents have rechristened the measure the “Let Women Die” bill because it would allow hospitals that receive federal funds to turn away a woman seeking an abortion in all circumstances, even if an abortion is necessary to save her life:

Why We Can’t Dismiss The NBA Labor Dispute As ‘Millionaires Versus Billionaires’

With news that the NBA will cancel the first two weeks (and possibly all) of its 2011-12 season, many irate fans are appalled that the players and owners can’t reach an agreement in the labor dispute to keep the league running. Memphis Business Journal reporter Michael Sheffield summed up the sentiment as “NBA lockout: Why can’t millionaires and billionaires just get along?”

Glenn Beck Tries To Vilify Wall Street Protests, Fails To Disclose His Coordination With Bank Lobbyists And Oil Barons

Since Fox News kicked Glenn Beck to the curb a few months ago, the largely forgotten radio blowhard has tried to shore up his radio listenership with a steady stream of authoritarian rhetoric. Increasingly, he is spending more and more time smearing the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations as a “shameless display ofmoral depravity.”

CHART: WALL STREET SALARIES RISE 11 PERCENT ANNUALLY, WHILE OTHER WORKERS’ INCREASE BY JUST 1.8 PERCENT

Mother Jones’ Kevin Drum re-engineered a chart from the New York State Comptroller’s office showing how, in the last three decades, salaries in New York City’s securities industry have far outstripped those in the city’s other sectors. “Wall Street salaries have risen11.2% per year, while all other salaries have risen 1.8% per year,” Drum found. In 2010, the average salary for someone in the securities industry was $366,000 while the average private sector salary in another industry was $66,000.

Republicans Set To Kill Obama’s Jobs Bill

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama’s jobs bill, facing a critical test in the Senate, appears likely to die at the hands of Republicans opposed to stimulus spending and a tax surcharge on millionaires.

White House Consulted Romneycare Advisers To Shape Obamacare

Mitt Romney responds to Democrats’ claims that President Obama modeled the Affordable Care Act on his 2006 Massachusetts health reform law, by asking why the president didn’t call him for advice. Today, Michael Isikoff reports that the administration did something much more useful — it consulted Romney’s closest advisers, holding “a dozen meetings in 2009 with three health-care advisers and experts who helped shape the health care reform law signed by Romney in 2006″:

SEATTLE POLICE TICKETING LATE-NIGHT DRIVERS FOR HONKING IN SUPPORT OF 99 PERCENT MOVEMENT

Seattle police officers started a new practice on Friday night in response to cars honking in support of the local Occupy Seattle demonstration, which is part of the larger 99 Percent Movement. The police announced that they will start ticketing late-night drivers for honking in support of the Seattle protesters, which led to one cabbie getting a $144 dollar ticket. Watch a local news report about the cab driver being ticketed as protesters chanted, “Cab drivers are 99 percent“:

Herman Cain: Tax Poor People’s Food To Finance Massive Tax Break For The Rich

The centerpiece of former pizza czar Herman Cain’s presidential campaign is his “999″ plan, which would slash taxes on the wealthy, drive up deficits to the worst point since World War II, and force low-income Americans to pay a massive nine times their current tax rate. In an interview this morning with CNN’s Candy Crowley, Cain even said food and clothing would not be exempt from the 9 percent national sales tax he would put in place if elected president. Indeed, he said it would be “fair” for a poor person to pay as much in sales taxes as Crowley does:

Conservative Writer Admits ‘Infiltrating’ 99 Percent Movement To ‘Mock And Undermine’ It

An assistant editor with a right-wing magazine admitted in a column Saturday evening to posing as part of the 99 Percent Movement in D.C. “in order to mock and undermine” it. Patrick Howley, an assistant editor for the American Spectator, was committed enough to his deception to be at the vanguard of a demonstration that saw police firing pepper spray and closing a downtown Washington museum.

FOX’S CHRIS WALLACE: 99 PERCENT MOVEMENT IS GETTING MORE COVERAGE ‘THAN IT DESERVES FROM THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA’

Almost from its inception as a fringe anti-tax movement, Fox News nurtured the Tea Party into a major political force — posting the dates and times of Tea Party rallies on its website, promoting events during their regular programming and even allowing one of its hosts to hold a “non-political” political rally of Tea Party supporters. Now that a similar movement is emerging that represents the 99 percent of Americans who do not benefit from far-right economic policy, however, Fox is singing a different tune. During today’s Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace suggested that the 99 Percent Movement is getting more coverage “than it deserves.” Watch it:

Egypt Riots: Christian Protesters Attacked, At Least 19 Dead

CAIRO — Flames lit up downtown Cairo, where massive clashes raged Sunday, drawing Christians angry over a recent church attack, Muslims and Egyptian security forces. At least 24 people were killed and more than 200 injured in the worst sectarian violence since the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak in February.

Presidential race loses fizz for Tea Party

(Reuters) - With their favored candidates for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination lagging or out of the race, many U.S. Tea Party activists are shifting focus to the struggle for control of the U.S. Senate.

Alabama Immigration Law: Immigrants Fearing Deportation Make Contingency Plans For Children

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Terrified by Alabama's strict new immigration crackdown, parents living in the state illegally say they are doing something that was unthinkable just days ago – asking friends, relatives, co-workers and acquaintances to take their children if they're arrested or deported.

Sunday October 9Th 2011 Talking Heads

FOX NEWS SUNDAY

Today Chris Wallace is gonna get Fast and Furious with Representative Darrell Issa and Rick Santorum. And -- ha! -- the panel will be asked to grapple with the #occupywallstreet demonstrations. That should go well. Of all the Sunday Morning panels, this is the one that's most aggressively fought to consider what it's like to walk in the shoes of ordinary Americans, right?

War On The EPA: Republican Bills Would Erase Decades Of Protection

WASHINGTON -- America's environmental protections are under a sweeping, concerted assault in Congress that could effectively roll back the federal government's ability to safeguard air and water more than 100 years, Democrats and advocates say.

Study Shows That Women Don’t Care About The Size Of The Man, Just How Many Racks And Stacks They Are Holding

According to a new study, fat people have to be more educated and make more scrilla to be able to compete in the dating game these days:

What Does the Congo Think About Apple’s iPhone Announcement

Apple’s announcement yesterday was a major buzz kill. The new iPhone will only be a version of the current 4th generation, and won’t be shatter-proof (we know a lot of you are walking around with busted iPhones). We wonder what folks working in the coltan mines in the Congo, where 80% of the world’s supply of this mineral can be found, thought about Apple’s unsatisfactory announcement. For them, it’s probably just another day on the job (we use the word “job” loosely because that would imply compensation for work done – which is not always the case).

America’s Most Famous And Now Extinct Housing Projects

For decades, poverty has poured through the halls of America’s poorest citizens housed in crime-ridden, severely distressed public housing developments across the nation. St. Louis was one of the first municipalities to reverse the trend of urban construction, demolishing its infamous Pruitt-Igoe development in the 1970s. But it was not until the late 1980s that other urban centers seriously considered a large-scale urban renewal program.

Black Unemployment Rate Drops As Economy Adds New Jobs

WASHINGTON – U.S. employers added 103,000 jobs in September, a modest burst of hiring after a sluggish summer.

DESPITE INSISTING STATE WAS ‘BROKE,’ GOV. SCOTT WALKER SPENT $60,000 ON IPADS

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) infamously used his state’s budget gap as pretext to strip collective bargaining rights from public sector workers, insisting that “Wisconsin is broke” and thus extraordinarily measures were required. But the state is apparently not that broke, as the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. just dropped “about $60,000″ on brand new iPads for every person on their staff, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Actually, they bought more than enough, purchasing 73 tablets for only 63 employees (they say the are in the middle of hiring more people). The agency is a public-private hybrid, but a spokesperson said the iPads were purchased with state dollars.

Despite 14 Straight Months Of Public Job Loss, Republicans Continue To Block Obama’s Jobs Plan

Hopes were not high today for this month’s jobs report after the economy appeared to net exactly zero jobs in August. While the numbers beat expectations, the story behind them reveals a pervasive trend in public sector job loss that Republicans seem committed to ignoring.

The Top Five Reasons To Move Your Money From Bank Of America

As hundreds of people remain encamped on Wall Street in New York City, and thousands of people across the country are taking part in a 99 Percent Movement aimed at battling economic inequality spurred on by enormous income gains by the richest one percent of Americans.

REPORTS OF ARRESTS AND PEPPER SPRAYING AT WALL STREET PROTESTS

There have been multiple reports of arrests and pepper spraying of protesters on Wall Street tonight. According to the Guardian, “there’s a flashpoint on the intersection of Broadway and Cedar Street,with reports of a number of arrests. Police have deployed orange netting to contain protesters. Subway trains have been ordered not to stop at Wall Street station.”

Steve Jobs Dead: Apple Co-Founder Dies At 56

Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder and former CEO, has died at the age of 56.
Apple has posted this statement on its website:

Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth, an Elder Statesman for Civil Rights, Dies at 89

The Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth, a storied civil rights leader who survived beatings and bombings in Alabama a half-century ago as he fought against racial injustice alongside the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., died on Wednesday in Birmingham, Ala. He was 89.

CHICAGO TRADERS RESPOND TO PROTESTERS WITH SIGNS READING ‘WE ARE THE 1%’

The Occupy Wall Street movement spread to Chicago this week, where protesters have gathered outside the Chicago Board of Trade, the world’s oldest options and futures trading center. Like the protesters in New York and other cities around the country, the group gathered to protest our nation’s growing income inequality, as the top 1 percent of Americans continue to see their incomes rise rapidly and their tax rates fall. The Chicago traders, confronted by the protesters’ “We are the 99 percent” message, crafted their own not-so-subtle reply, hanging signs in eighth-floor windows that said, “We are the 1%“:

96-Year-Old Tennessee Woman Denied Voter ID Because She Didn’t Have Her Marriage License

Swept up in the craze of preventing widespread voter fraud thatdoesn’t actually exist, Tennessee Republicans passed a voter identification law this year that they claimed would put an end to fraud and ensure fair elections. Like similar laws in other states, Tennessee’s version has come under scrutiny from voting rights advocates, civil rights groups like the NAACP and ACLU, and even Democratic senators, who oppose the laws because they will disenfranchise poor, elderly, and minority voters who are less likely to have photo IDs.

VIDEO: Corporate Media Shows Its Disdain for The 99 Percent Movement

The 99 Percent Movement’s protests in Manhattan have entered their third week. As the movement continues to build momentum, sympathetic coverage has begun to come in fromjournalists, politicians, and even Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. It’s been a while in getting to this point, however. Initial coverage of the protests often featured good-natured disdain at best, and outright mockery and contempt at worst.

Poor Maine Residents Resort To Bartering For Health Care With Yardwork, Housekeeping

As millions of Americans continue to struggle in the worst economy since the Great Depression, keeping up with rising health care costs has become an all-too-common problem. Low-income Maine residents who don’t have insurance have found a novel way of getting the health care services they need: bartering for them by offering to do yard work or other chores. NPR reports on a program that hopes to inspire other health clinics to consider alternative means of payment in difficult times:

Memo To The Media: It’s Not ‘Anti-Capitalist’ To Protest An Industry That Was Saved By Trillions Of Taxpayer Dollars

The occupation of Wall Street has now entered its third week and protests arespreading like wildfire throughout the country.

90 Percent Of Corporations Think Their Executives Deserve Above-Median Pay, Driving Income Inequality

Ongoing protests on Wall Street (which have inspired similar efforts around the country) are now in their third week, with no sign of slowing down. One of the issues galvanizing the protesters is the country’s growing income inequality, which is currently the worst its been since the Great Depression.

BILLIONAIRE BET: WARREN BUFFETT CHALLENGES RUPERT MURDOCH TO RELEASE HIS TAX RETURNS

Last week, News Corp’s Wall Street Journal editorial board told the billionaire behind the president’s “Buffett Rule” that, instead of calling for America’s wealthy to pay their fair share in taxes, Warren Buffett should “educate the public” by allowing “everyone else in on his secrets of tax avoidance by releasing his tax returns.” Today at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit, Buffett wholeheartedly agreed to release his tax returns to the public. He just has one condition: “I think it might be a terrific idea if [the Wall Street Journal] would just ask their boss, Rupert Murdoch, and he and I will meet at Fortune, and we’ll both give you our tax returns and you can publish them.” Buffett noted, “I’m ready tomorrow morning.” Murdoch has yet to respond.

Black Consumer Report As New Empowerment Tool Released by Nielsen

NNPA Chairman Cloves Campbell says new report will empower African-Americans.

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - By the year 2015, African-Americans will be spending $1.1 trillion a year on products and services.

Top 10 Signs You’re Becoming A Baby Mama

According to statistics more black women in American are baby-mamas than they are wives. Some even have multiple children with multiple men. Some of these women who had children out-of-wedlock are successful in their lives and others UN-successful. 73 percent of black children enter this world at a disadvantage—they are more likely to live in poverty, and more vulnerable to a life in the animal house called prison. Here is madamenoire’s list of some of the wrong-thinking that can place you in the position to do it all, alone:

Top 5 Reasons Why The Occupy Wall Street Protests Embody Values Of The Real Boston Tea Party

In recent years, the Boston Tea Party has been associated with a right-wing movement that supports policies favoring powerful corporations and the wealthy. As ThinkProgress has reported, lobbyists and Republican front groups have driven the current manifestation of the Tea Party to push for giveaways to oil companies and big businesses.

Citibank To Impose $20 Fees On Certain Customers

Citibank will charge some customers up to $20 per month for low account balances starting later this year, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

Minimum Wage Raised In Four States, Washington First To Top $9

WASHINGTON -- Four states have announced that they will be raising their minimum wage rates for 2012, led by Washington state, which will become the first in the country with a minimum wage over $9 per hour.

Hank Williams Jr. Compares Obama To Hitler, Gets Pulled From 'Monday Night Football' (VIDEO)

ESPN decided to pull its Monday Night Football introduction after singer Hank Williams, Jr. made comments comparing President Obama to Hitler. Astatement put out by the network read:

“While Hank Williams, Jr. is not an ESPN employee, we recognize that he is closely linked to our company through the open to Monday Night Football. We are extremely disappointed with his comments, and as a result we have decided to pull the open from tonight’s telecast.”

A source at ESPN told The Huffington Post that they are still evaluating whether they will use the song in the future.
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PREVIOUSLY: Hank Williams is more than ready for some political football.

The country singing star and voice of the Monday Night Football theme song, Williams appeared on "Fox and Friends" this morning to talk politics via satellite hookup. He got right into it, telling the hosts that he didn't like any of the candidates in the GOP primary for President, and that John Boehner's golf game with Barack Obama was a major mistake.

"That would be like Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu. Not hardly. In the shape this country is in?"

When Brian Kilmeade said that he didn't understand the analogy, Williams was non-plussed. "I'm glad you don't brother, because a lot of people do. They're the enemy... Obama! And Biden! Are you kidding? The Three Stooges."

And while it was suggested that the President and Vice President were only two people, falling short of the trio he described, Williams just moved on to talking about the current race.

"The one that makes the most sense is Herman Cain," he said, finally revealed which candidate he supported. Back in 2008, Williams ignited a controversy when, campaigning for John McCain, he said to an audience in Colorado, "Join me now in our national--you know, that song that, uh, Mr. Obama's not real crazy about, we're singing it right now."

Williams says he plans a run for Senate in Tennessee in 2012 as a Republican.

Presumably, Williams wasn't too excited when Obama gave a cold open to Monday Night Footballback in 2006, teasing the announcement of a Presidential run before he actually jumped into the race.

Video:

Binge-Drinking Among Women Is Up: Study

People born after the World War II era -- especially women -- are more likely than their ancestors to binge drink and develop alcohol disorders, according to a new review of studies.

Obama’s Successful Counterterror Strategy

Last Friday, a U.S. drone strike killed radical Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki — a “propagandist for aspiring jihadists around the globe” — and another American citizen, Samir Khan, co-editor of the al Qaeda English language propaganda magazine, Inspire. President Obama called Awlaki’s death “a major blow to al-Qaeda’s most active affiliate,” referring to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). While while some have questioned Awlaki’s influence on AQAP’s operations, a report out today from the U.S. Military Academy’s Combating Terrorism Center said that killing Awlaki has weakened AQAP, but “the only way to eliminate the threat is to take out its Yemen leaders.” Indeed, al-Awlaki’s lawful killing removes a genuine threat to the United States, but it brings Yemen no closer to peace and stability, writes CAP terrorism expert Ken Gude. But there is another significant aspect to his death. “It sets a sense of doom for the rest of them,” one senior U.S. official said. “Getting Awlaki, given his tight operational security, increases the sense of fear. It’s hard for them to attack when they’re trying to protect their own back side.” But also, more than just weakening AQAP, Awlaki’s death — and indeed the successful raid that killed Osama bin Laden — highlight’s President Obama’s impressive record in combating terrorism since he moved in to the Oval Office.

VIDEO: Reagan Called For An End To ‘Crazy’ Tax Loopholes That Let Millionaires Pay Less Than Bus Drivers

When President Obama released his plan for “the Buffett rule,” which involves closing tax loopholes and ensuring that millionaires pay their fair share in taxes, he explained that “middle-class families shouldn’t be paying higher taxes than millionaires and billionaires.” “Warren Buffett’s secretary shouldn’t pay a higher tax rate than Warren Buffett,” he said.

THINKPROGRESS REPORT OUTS REPUBLICANS IN THE CLEAN-ENERGY CLOSET

A new ThinkProgress special report by Lee Fang shows that 62 Republicans from the House and Senate were once proponents of clean energy investments, sending letters asking for various clean energy-related loan guarantees, grants, and other assistance for their districts. Yet amidst the recent Solyndra controversy, many members of Congress have seized the opportunity to go on a witch-hunt against other clean energy programs authorized by the Department of Energy, from voting to defund the loan guarantee program and projects that would help employ veterans, and voting to slash funds for the clean car program that has created tens of thousands of jobs, to denouncing all clean energy grants as fraudulent, to denouncing all clean energy grants as fraudulent, and labeling green jobs as “so-called phony” jobs. These Republicans were once supportive of these government-funded green jobs in their districts. Do they still support them, or have cheap political attacks taken priority? Read the full report HERE.

How Unequal We Are: The Top 5 Facts You Should Know About The Wealthiest One Percent Of Americans

As the ongoing occupation of Wall Street by hundreds of protesters enters its third week — and as protests spread to other cities such as Boston and Los Angeles — demonstrators have endorsed a new slogan: “We are the 99 percent.” This slogan refers an economic struggle between 99 percent of Americans and the richest one percent of Americans, who are increasingly accumulating a greater share of the national wealth to the detriment of the middle class.

Fox News Offers Wall Street Protester An Interview But Doesn’t Air It After He Slams Fox

As the occupation of Wall Street enters its third week, the New York Observer points out that the notoriously right-wing Fox News has been doing its best to dismiss the protests. Fox has had its producers try to “prank” demonstrators, and the network has aired edited video interview footage to try to mock protesters.

Student Pushes Back Against Anti-Abortion Protesters Outside Her High School: We’re Just Trying To Get An Education

As ThinkProgress has reported, anti-abortion protesters are increasingly targeting high schools and middle schools in their public crusade against reproductive rights, often forcing students to look at disturbing graphic images as they make their way to class.