iPhone 5 Pre-Orders Hit 2 Million In Only 2 Day

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — Apple says iPhone 5 preorders topped 2 million in 24 hours, more than double the amount of iPhone 4S preorders.

Why Are We So Negative Online?

Being a self-proclaimed blogger and someone who strives at staying positive, though I sometimes fall I have a question.

'Do Not Call' Complaints Up Sharply As More Americans Get Robocalled

WASHINGTON (AP) — So much for silence from telemarketers at the cherished dinner hour, or any other hour of the day.

Complaints to the government are up sharply about unwanted phone solicitations, raising questions about how well the federal "do-not-call" registry is working. The biggest category of complaint: those annoying prerecorded pitches called robocalls that hawk everything from lower credit card interest rates to new windows for your home.

Chicage Teachers Strike: Rahm Says He Will Sue!

The Chicago Teachers Union delegates decided Sunday night not to accept a deal for a new contract from Chicago Public Schools and made plans to resume negotiations Tuesday, effectively prolonging the weeklong teachers strike and ensuring that school would not be in session for the city's public school students for the next two days.

Yes Watch The Polls, But Realize All Voters May Not Get There Chance To Vote In This Election

With the DNC convention over, and the president receiving a decent bounce in the polls over Mitt Romney as of September 7Th.  You would think some people would have sorta kinda, decided over who would best lead the country by now at least. But most of us who have decided, may not get a chance to get our vote out due to many of the voter rights acts taking place around the country.

Zoe Saldana Is Not ‘Dark-Skinned Enough’ To Play Nina Simone (I would say India Arie not Zoe!)

Ever since it was announced that “Avatar” starZoe Saldana (pictured right) had been tapped to play jazz/blues/folk singer and activist Nina Simone (pictured), there has been sizable backlash from the Simone family and around the blogosphere, because Saldana is deemed too light for the role, according to the New York Times.

Oregon Woman Contracted Plague From Stray Cat

PORTLAND, Ore. -- A woman who tried to help her friend save the life of a choking cat also contracted the plague from the disease-stricken feline over the summer, health officials said Friday.

Occupy Wall Street: What Happened?

By the time the police kicked the protesters out of Zuccotti Park last November, the Occupy Wall Street movement had already split into at least two distinct factions. There were the mostly college educated activists and intellectuals who essentially made up the government of the park, and the drifters who slept in the park and relied on donations mostly allocated by the first group for food, clothes and other basic necessities.

The Sunday September 16Th, 2012 Talking Heads

FOX NEWS SUNDAY

It's a pity that the Sunday shows don't just do a pool report on days like today, because the variety of questions that Susan Rice is likely to the peppered with is likely to be rather small, and chances are, each ensuing Sunday show will just ask the same ones, as if they were the first.

Republicans Will Continue Obstruction If Obama Is Reelected (That why we must vote to get as many of them out of office as possible)

WASHINGTON -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says the partisan gridlock in Washington won't change if President Barack Obama gets reelected and the House and Senate retain their current party majorities.

Media Campaign Coverage Almost Never Addresses Poverty

The Census Bureau recently found that the poverty rate stalled at 15 percent in 2011, unchanged from the year before, when analysts had expected an increase. That still means, however, that one in six Americans are living in poverty — a level the country has only briefly reached twice since 1970.

The 1992 Dream Team Versus The 2012 Dream Team Debate Is Back In New NBA 2K13

That's right 2k Sports puts this question out there again, the only thing is you get to decide who will win!  NBA 2K13 will have this as one of  best debates of all time. Well, in your living room that is of course.

Assange Will Get Aboriginal Passport

Just Julian Assange's luck: He's being offered a passport, but it's from a nation that doesn't exist. In a symbolic gesture of support, an Aboriginal group in his native Australia today issued the passport in his name and presented it to Assange's father, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. The Indigenous Social Justice Association is fighting for sovereignty within Australia, and it wanted to express solidarity with Assange, who it says has been left high and dry by the Australian government. Assange, meanwhile, remains in the Ecuador embassy in London as he tries to avoid extradition to Sweden.

GOP Congressman Calls Planned Parenthood A ‘Racist Organization,’ Compares Abortion To Slavery

Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) compared abortion to slavery and said that Planned Parenthood was a “racist organization” that was “created for the sole purpose of killing” children of color at a conservative religious conference in Washington, DC, Friday.

GOP Farm Bill Obstruction Could Defund 90 Percent Of Department Of Agriculture

The 2012 Farm Bill is still languishing in the House, with GOP leadership in the chamber intentionally preventing action on the legislation for political reasons.According to the New York Times, “House leaders declined to take up either [the Senate or the House] version of the legislation. They are not eager to force their members to take a vote that would be difficult for some of them, nor would they wish to pass a measure largely with Democrats’ votes right before an election.”

Romney And Bain Boosted Agriculture Giant Monsanto In Spite Of Toxic Past

Biotechnology firm Monsanto Company, which currently owns most of the patents for America’s staple crops, is already cozy with American lawmakers. A new Nation report, however, indicates that “a very old friend in a very high place” may usher in the corporation’s most prosperous years yet.

Feds Question Alleged Islam Movie-Maker

The man believed to have produced the now-infamous Innocence of Muslims film is getting more attention than he banked on—from federal probation authorities. Sheriff's deputies escorted Nakoula Basseley Nakoula from his Southern California home late last night so he could be questioned by the feds, reports the Los Angeles Times. It's possible that in pushing the anti-Islam film, he violated the terms of his probation on a previous bank fraud conviction.

'Too Big To Fail' Banks, Now Even Bigger, Fight Reform

The collapse of Lehman Brothers four years ago today was the Pearl Harbor moment of a financial crisis that, over the next few months, threatened to bring down the entire U.S. financial system.

Mitt Romney Continues Smear Campaign Against the President

On Tuesday evening — the evening of September 11th — as violence was still unfolding in Libya, Mitt Romney issued a statement accusing President Obama of “sympathizing”with those who murdered four Americans, including the American ambassador to Libya. After the full scope of the attacks including the deaths of four Americans became clear, Romney then held a press conference Wednesday morning during which he doubled down on these false and outrageous smears against the president and other members of his administration. The Romney campaign’s official talking points even blamed the president for the attacks.

7 Dead in Arab Riots; KFC, Hardee's Burned

Violent protests continued across the Arab world today and claimed at least seven lives, three of them near the US embassy in Sudan's capital city, NBC News reports. Security officers in Khartoum fired tear gas at about 5,000 angry demonstrators, who were also protesting at nearby British and German embassies. In other developments:

House Republicans Plan Two Month Vacation, Leaving Key Bills Awaiting Action

House Republican Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) announced Friday that after next week, the House will stand in recess until November 13. His plan for a nearly two month vacation will undoubtedly allow more time for campaigning, but will leave several vital bills awaiting action.

Wisconsin Collective Bargaining Law Struck Down By County Judge

MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin judge on Friday struck down nearly all of the state law championed by Gov. Scott Walker that effectively ended collective bargaining rights for most public workers.

Welfare-Themed Board Game From The 1980′s Resurface On The Web (I remember this Shyt, and sad thing is it came from my home state!)

A defunct Maryland-based board game manufacturer known for crafting satirical and anti-liberal board games in the 1980s recently became a topic on social media channels after images of its most-infamous title resurfaced via the Internet. The game, Public Assistance: Why Bother Working For A Living, was released by Hammerhead Enterprises back in 1980. The company alleged that the game was intended to be a spoof of the welfare system, and after a complicated court case with New York officials calling for a ban of the game, Hammerhead Enterprises triumphed based on constitutional laws.

'Framework' To End Strike Reached With Chicago Teachers Strike

CHICAGO -- The city's nearly weeklong teachers strike appeared headed toward a resolution Friday after negotiators emerged from marathon talks to say they had achieved a "framework" that could end the walkout in time for students to return to class Monday.

Chris Wallace, Gretchen Carlson "Debate" over Mitt Romney's Response To Libya Attack

Chris Wallace and Gretchen Carlson sparred about Mitt Romney's response to the deadly attack on the U.S. embassy in Libya on Friday's "Fox and Friends."

Romney slammed the White House's response to the attack, in which Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed, earlier this week. The GOP candidate has been flooded with criticism from the left and the right, over the accuracy and timing of his remarks.

Obama, Hillary Clinton Honor Ambassador Chris Stevens, Libya Attack Victims

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. — President Barack Obama on Friday honored the four Americans killed in an attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya, recalling their lives in deeply personal terms and declaring the United States will never pull back on its principles or "retreat from the world."

Scott Brown’s New Woman-Friendly Ad Glosses Over His Anti-Woman Voting Record

Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) released a new ad on Friday geared toward moderate Massachusetts voters who are suspicious of Brown’s social conservatism. Brown has been trying hard to paint himself as a moderate pro-choice Republican in spite of his party’s extreme anti-choice positions — and his own voting record.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday on whether the state’s strict voter ID law violates the commonwealth’s constitution

               

In Meetings With Anti-Pornography Group, Romney Campaign Promised To Prosecute Porn

WASHINGTON, DC — Mitt Romney’s campaign told a leading anti-pornography group that the Republican nominee will pursue and prosecute pornography if elected president.

DEMINT LIKENS TEACHERS STRIKING IN CHICAGO TO ‘THUGS’ IN THE MIDDLE EAST (NeoCons Rising!)

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) jokingly compared the teachers strike in Chicago to the unrest in the Middle East during a speech at the Values Voters summit Friday morning. “You know, we had a lot of bad news this week,” DeMint began. “On my way over, I was reading another story about a distant place where thugs had put 400,000 children out in the streets. And then I realized that was a story about the Chicago teachers strike. But we’ve got to think of good things.” Watch it:

Group At Conservative Conference Urge Women To ‘Go Home And Put Some Clothes On

WASHINGTON, DC — Literature being handed out at the Values Voter Summit on Friday attacks women for being “immodest” and extolled them to “go home and put some clothes on!”

North Carolina Supreme Court Justice To Speak To Nullificationist Group That Compared Obama To Hitler

The words “tea party” are not normally associated with moderation and restraint, but a group known as the Asheville Tea Party is extreme even by tea party standards. The Asheville Tea Party published a lengthy rant comparing President Obama to Hitler (sample quote: “Hitler took control of the banks….Obama took control of the banks. Hitler installed Socialized medicine….Obama’s Administration passed Socialized medicine.”). They devote an entire section of their website to “Sharia, The Threat.” They offer a list of resources focused on the “communist take over of America” (sample article title: “How Many Members Of The U.S. Congress Are Self-Declared Socialists?”). And they are hosting an event tomorrow keynoted by a sitting North Carolina Supreme Court justice:

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION REPORT: SEQUESTER WOULD BE ‘DEEPLY DESTRUCTIVE…TO CORE GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONS’

The Obama administration’s Office of Management and Budget today released a report on the $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts — the so-called sequester — that will occur if Congress does not reach a deficit reduction deal by the end of the year. According to OMB, there is “no question that the sequestration would be deeply destructive to national security, domestic investments, and core government functions.” Under the sequester, defense spending that is not exempted would be reduced by 9.4 percent, while non-defense discretionary spending that is not exempted would be reduced by 8.2 percent. Non-defense mandatory programs would be cut by 7.6 percent. Earlier this week, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) couldn’t name anything that Republicans would do to cut a deal to preempt the sequester.

House Republicans Voted Against The Environment More Than 300 Times Since 2011

The House of Representatives added to its historic tally of anti-environment votes with a 245 to 161 vote on Friday approving the GOP’s “No More Solyndras Act” — a messaging bill that hampers Department of Energy loan guarantees to clean energy projects.

Migrants from African who call America's whitest state home (Last Time I Saw This Many White Upset And Speaking In Code Was When The President Was Elected)

Maine is the least diverse state in the US - 96.9% of the population describe themselves as white - but a growing community of African immigrants now call it home.

Yosemite park hantavirus alert to 230,000 campers

Yosemite park rangers have expanded a health advisory about a killer virus to nearly a quarter of a million people who have stayed there since June.

Libya makes arrests over deadly US embassy attack

Libyan authorities have made several arrests in connection with the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi in which the ambassador was killed.

Top Romney Adviser Faults Obama For Murder Of U.S. Ambassador, Claims Romney Would Have Prevented Attack

The Romney campaign has escalated their attacks on President Obama following the murder of four Americans, including the ambassador, in Libya. In an interview with the Washington Post, Mitt Romney’s top foreign policy adviser pinned the blame for the attacks squarely on Obama and flatly claimed they would not have happened if Romney had been president:

Education Solution: Ban Private Schools

If cities want to avoid situations like the current mess in Chicago, then John Cook at Gawker has some advice: Make all private schools public. Rich parents (and politicians like Rahm Emanuel and the Obamas) are less likely to care about public school conditions, because they can afford to send their kids to private schools. In order for legislators to lobby for better conditions in the classroom, they need to be worried that their own kids' schools might be jam-packed with students and lacking an air-conditioner (or a library, like 160 public schools in Chicago).

Airline Workers Stole 100K Mini Booze Bottles

Authorities say workers at New York's Kennedy airport stole 100,000 mini liquor bottles and duty-free items such as larger bottles of liquor, perfume, and cigarettes. Eighteen employees were arrested yesterday on charges including larceny and possession of stolen property. Fifteen are current or former truck drivers for LSG Sky Chefs, an airline catering company owned by Lufthansa that serves as a subcontractor to American Airlines. The other three are security guards.

“You ain’t be breakin no wind up in here dawg.”

This is just the most funniest thing I have seen in a while, and what location can make it even funnier? Well, the hood of course! Thought I would throw some fun in the mix, we all must laugh sometime.

AL-QAEDA ‘GAVE UP OSAMA BIN LADEN’ TO HELP OBAMA GET REELECTED, LIMBAUGH CLAIMS

It’s a tall order for Rush Limbaugh to outdo himself, but he may have accomplished that during his radio broadcast Wednesday when he floated the idea that al-Qaeda purposefully allowed American troops to kill Osama bin Laden in order to bolster President Obama’s re-election chances. “What if Ayman al-Zawahiri gave up Osama bin Laden for the express purpose of making Obama look good? Giving Obama stature, political capital?” Limbaugh asked in a segment flagged by Media Matters. He justification was that al-Qaeda wants to “keep him in power” because doing so “furthers the cause.”

Yemen, Egypt, Libya Protests Target U.S. Offices

SANAA/CAIRO, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Demonstrators attacked the U.S. embassies in Yemen and Egypt on Thursday in protest at a film they consider blasphemous to Islam, and American warships headed to Libya after the U.S. ambassador there died in related violence earlier this week.

Kanye West’s ‘To The World,’ And Mitt Romney As A Symbol of Tax Evasion

When Nicki Minaj joked about voting for Mitt Romney in a recent song, rhyming “I’m a Republican, voting for Mitt Romney/You lazy bitches is fucking up the econ’my,” it was a useful reminder that, while hip-hop has, at times, been a genre that relies heavily on claims of authenticity, rappers don’t actually intend to follow through on every declarative statement they make in song. But while “To The World,” Kanye West’s leaked track from his forthcoming Cruel Summer album, is probably not a useful tool for determining whether Mr. West will vote for President Obama, or evaluating Sen. Harry Reid’s claims that Mitt Romney paid no income taxes in some years, the line “I’m just trying to protect my stacks, Mitt Romney don’t pay no tax, Mitt Romney don’t pay no tax,” is actually worth paying attention to:

Romney’s Adviser Complains About Company’s High Taxes — But It Pays Just 2.2 Percent

In a congressional hearing Thursday, Continental Resources CEO and Mitt Romney’s chief energy adviser Harold Hamm asked to preserve the oil industry’s billions in tax breaks, although his company pays little in federal taxes. The oil firm has earned more than $1.8 billion profit over five years by dominating the oil shale boom in North Dakota.

After 18 Years, Violence Against Women Act Has Saved Countless Lives

For many victims of domestic abuse, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has been a resounding success, and a lifeline. Since then-Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) wrote the legislation in 1994, the country’s infrastructure for dealing with rape and abuse has vastly improved, saving countless women’s lives and livelihoods.

Reagan, Bush Refused To Politicize Iran Crisis During 1980 Presidential Election

Republicans love Ronald Reagan. Despite the fact that today’s GOP is so far to the right that it probably would consider Reagan a radical leftist, whatever policy Republicans want to prescribe to a any particular issue, they just stamp a “Ronald Reagan” seal of approval to it and the crowd goes wild.

NEW YORK CITY HEALTH BOARD UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES SODA BAN

The New York City Board of Health on Thursday approved a ban on the sale of sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces. The ban, an initiative by the city’s mayor Michael Bloomberg (I), was expected to pass, but soda companies have led a concerted effort to portray the policy as an impingement on personal freedoms. The ban passed by a vote of 8-0.

ONE IN THREE AMERICANS FALSELY BELIEVE MOST LATINOS ARE UNDOCUMENTED

More than 30 percent of non-Hispanics inaccurately think that a majority of Latinos in the U.S. are undocumented, according to a new poll from the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) and Latino Decisions about media portrayals of Latinos and immigrants. Only about 18 percent of the Latino population in the U.S. is undocumented, and 37 percent of U.S. Latinos are actually immigrants. In its report, the NHMC said media portrayals of Latinos and immigrants exacerbates “stereotypically negative opinions” about them. “It is producing attitudes among non-Latinos that contribute to hate speech and hate crimes,” saidAlex Nogales, president and CEO of NHMC. The organization plans to share its results with the Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to push the agencies to study the impacts of hate speech in the media.

Senate Races 2012: Conservative Groups Seek GOP Senate Control With Tens Of Millions In Ads

Note:  These races will allow President Obama to pass things people need right now, and to make it seem as if no one is doing nothing, atleast in the Democratic party. Help give this man the tools he needs to make sweeping changes. This goes for the congress as well. We had a few Conservadems that messed up a lot of things when the Dems held the house. When you vote chose someone who will not cause this problem. 

WASHINGTON -- All eyes are fixed on the money race between President Barack Obama, Republican nominee Mitt Romney and the outside groups cheering them on with attack ads. That attention may allow one of the biggest money stories in the 2012 election to fly under the radar. In the fight for control of the Senate, a coalition of conservative groups have pummelled Democratic senators and candidates in the nation's closest races for more than a year in an attempt to wrest control of the chamber and make Sen. Mitch McConnell the next Majority Leader.

Voter ID Laws Could Disenfranchise 1 Million Young Minority Voters: Study

An estimated 700,000 young minority voters could be barred from voting in November because of photo ID laws passed across the country in recent years, according to a new study.

Bob Dylan: America Can Never Get Rid Of Slavery’s Shame

NEW YORK — Bob Dylan says the stigma of slavery ruined America and he doubts the country can get rid of the shame because it was “founded on the backs of slaves.”

Conservatives Fault All Muslims For The Murder Of U.S. Ambassador To Libya

As the United States woke to the news of the deaths of U.S. ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three other U.S. citizens, politicians and pundits were already blaming Islam, as a religion, for the violent protests at the U.S. Embassies in Libya and Egypt. Here are some statements that portray Islam as a violent religion, linking all Muslims to the extremist actions of a contingent of violent protestors:

Study Finds High-Income Tax Cuts Don’t Stimulate Economic Growth

Congressional Republicans and their party’s presidential nominee have both pushed plans to cut taxes on the wealthiest Americans in hopes that such a move would stimulate the economy and aid the recovery from the Great Recession. A new study, however, indicates that tax cuts for the wealthiest earners fail to generate economic growth at the same pace as tax cuts aimed at low- and middle-income earners.

Financial Crisis Cost U.S. $12.8 Trillion Or More: Study

The 2008 financial crisis cost the U.S. economy at least $12.8 trillion, a new study found -- and that's a "very conservative number," according to the authors.

U.S. Poverty: Census Finds 46.2 Million Impoverished As Median Income Drops

WASHINGTON (AP) — The ranks of America's poor remained stuck at record levels, although dwindling unemployment benefits and modest job gains helped stave off what experts had predicted would be the fourth rise in a row in the poverty rate.

Apple iPhone 5 Announcement

After almost two years of waiting, Apple fans can finally say it: Five is alive.

At a media event in San Francisco on Wednesday, Apple introduced the long-awaited iPhone 5, a redesigned iPhone that is taller and thinner than last year's iPhone 4S and that adds a larger, 4.0-inch display. That boost in screen size represents the first-ever change to the longstanding 3.5-inch display that graced the original iPhone in 2007 and every iPhone after it -- and is perhaps a response to the larger displays on Samsung and HTC smartphones.

Mitt Romney Attacks President Obama Over Libya Crisis

WASHINGTON -- On Wednesday morning, hours after the deaths of four U.S. diplomats, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Mitt Romney put his campaign on the line by attacking President Barack Obama and the besieged diplomats in the Middle East.

Romney Tends 'To Shoot First And Aim Later', Says President Obama

President Barack Obama responded to Mitt Romney's charge that the White House mishandled its response to the embassy attacks in Egypt and Libya by accusing his challenger of having a tendency to "shoot first and aim later."

Tea Party 'Birther Fest' a Bust

If a "Birther" jamboree starring Pat Boone and Arizona's Sheriff Joe Arpaio sounds like your idea of a good time, you should have bought a ticket sooner. The September 22 event, organized by Greater Phoenix Tea Party Patriots, has been called off due to poor ticket sales, reports ABC. Terry Lakin, an Army doctor who went to prison for refusing to deploy to Afghanistan, was also booked to speak at the event, which was supposed to take place at Phoenix's 2,650-seat Celebrity Theater.

Michelle Obama Not a Basketball Wife, Mob Wife or Bad Girl (For those fools who compare her to Condi Rice....Just nuts!)

By:  PhoenixStaff

As a mother and a black woman I like most parents worry about celebrities that my child may choose to look up to. Therefore, I have told my child not to aspire to be a rapper or an athlete. Set goals on being their lawyer or agent. I have told him that there is more to life than the bling bling that he sees adorned by those he sees on the television screen.

Decision Upholding Pennsylvania Voter ID Law Relied On 1869 Case Warning Of ‘Rogues,’ ‘Strumpets,’ and ‘Wandering Arabs’

As the Pennsylvania Supreme Court prepares to review the constitutionality of the state’s photo ID law, a University of Pittsburgh law professor flagged the flimsy and offensive precedent upon which the lower court relied when it upheld the law. In rejecting the plaintiffs’ argument that the law violates the state Constitution’s guarantee of “free and equal elections,” the court cited the 1869 case of Patterson v. Barlow, which, Professor Jessie Allen points out, serves as a “blatant example of the anti-democratic voter suppression alleged by plaintiffs in the current voter ID case.”:

U.S. Consulate In Libya Attacked: 1 American Employee Shot Dead, 1 Wounded In Hand During Attack (Attack May Have Been Planned)

TRIPOLI, Libya -- A Libyan security official says one American consulate employee has been shot dead and another wounded in the hand during an attack at the U.S. consulate in the eastern city of Bengazi.

How One Mega-Donor Could Save $2.3 Billion Under Romney’s Tax Plan

The $100 million that billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson pledged to donate to Mitt Romney will turn out to be a good investment if the Republican nominee wins the presidential election in November, a new report from the Center for American Progress Action Fund found. Thanks to Romney’s tax proposals, which call for massive tax cuts for the rich, corporate tax reforms that will encourage the offshoring of profits, and the elimination of certain investment taxes, Adelson could personally savemore than $2 billion in taxes, according to CAPAF Director of Fiscal Reform Seth Hanlon.

Cheney Smears Obama On 9/11, Claims He Took ‘Sole Credit’ For Bin Laden’s Death

On the eve of the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, former Vice President Dick Cheney accused President Obama of taking “sole credit” for the killing of Osama bin Laden and ignoring his presidential daily intelligence briefings. “If President Obama were participating in his intelligence briefings on a regular basis then perhaps he would understand why people are so offended at his efforts to take sole credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden,” Cheney told the Daily Caller on Monday night, quoting a report by former Bush administration official Marc Thiessen that “charged that Obama had attended fewer than half of the presidential daily briefs since taking office.”

"OBAMA CARES" HAS SAVED CONSUMERS $2.1 BILLION

Regulations in Obamacare set up a program to review insurance rate increases and instituted an 80/20 rule, requiring insurance companies to spend no more than 20 percent of consumer premiums on profits and administrative costs. And since September 2011, insurance providers have had justify premium rate increase of more than 10 percent for individual and small group markets. Consumers have saved an estimated $1 billion on their insurance premiums as a result of rate review, and 13 million Americans received $1.1 billion in rebates last year from the 80/20 provision.

America’s 1 Percent Have 288 Times As Much Wealth As The Median Household

According to a new report by the Economic Policy Institute, the wealthiest 1 percent of American households had a net worth 288 times as large as the median household wealth of $57,000 in 2010. This constitutes a huge increase from 1962, when the ratio was 125-1:

Going To School In Chicago: High Poverty, Short School Days, Crumbling Buildings

Chicago’s public school teachers were on strike for a second day today, continuing a standoff with the city’s mayor, Rahm Emanuel (D). Negotiations stalled over a handful of issues, including teacher evaluations, the funding of charter schools, and class sizes.

Kraft CEO Comes Out Against Cuts To U.S. Food Stamp Program

Kraft isn’t going give up its slice of the food stamp pie without a fight.

Tony Vernon, the incoming CEO at the world’s third largest food and beverage company, has come out against cutbacks to America’s $75 billion food stamp program, The Financial Times reported Sunday.

Amazing Five-Year-Old Piano Prodigy (Tsung Tsung) Astounds Us With His Performance (In America We Cut Our Music Programs And Double Down On Jails)

While this five-year-old boy is not South Korea's Yoo Ye-eun, this Hong Kong tot absolutely floored us with his skill. Who knew these little fingers could move so quickly?

GoDaddy Outage Takes Out Millions Of Sites; Supposed Anonymous Member Claims Credit

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands and possibly millions of websites hosted by GoDaddy.com went down for several hours on Monday, causing trouble for the mainly small businesses that rely on the service.

Obama Appoints Record Number Of Women Judges To Federal Bench

WASHINGTON -- With the confirmation of Stephanie Rose as a U.S. district court judge on Monday, President Barack Obama has put 72 women on the federal bench -- the most ever appointed by a president in one term. It also ties the number former President George W. Bush had confirmed in his entire eight-year presidency, according to numbers provided by the White House.

Nicki Minaj & Obama: Rapper Thanks President For Understanding Her Sarcastic Romney Lyric

Nicki Minaj caused a mini-controversy last week, when she appeared to endorse Mitt Romney in a song on Lil Wayne'sDedication 4 mixtape (also known as the editorial page of hip hop). And because this is America, Barack Obama himself was recently asked about the surprising lyric in an interview.

"Obama Cares" Led To Record Drop In Uninsured Young Adults

Thanks to the popular Obamacare provision that extends health insurance coverage to millions of young adults by allowing them to stay on their parents’ insurance until 26 years of age, a new report from the Centers for Disease Control estimates the number of uninsured young people dropped by one-sixth between 2010 and 2011. This represents the largest annual decline for any age group since the CDC first began collecting data on insurance rates in 1997.

FIRED ELECTIONS OFFICIALS SUE OHIO SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WRONGFUL TERMINATION

Two Montgomery County board of election members are suing Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted for wrongful termination after they voted to allow early voting on weekends. Husted immediately suspended and then fired them for defying his state-wide directive restricting voting to weekdays only. Dennis Lieberman and Tom Ritchie, who have served on the board for a collective 28 years, filed the federal lawsuit Monday morning. Besides accusing Husted of wrongful termination, the two Democrats are asking for a temporary reinstatement as the Montgomery County elections board comes up against the September 11 deadline to hire new members in order to continue operations. Husted is currently grappling with multiple lawsuits against his office and is appealing a recent decision to restore early voting on the three-day period before Election Day.

South African Labor Unrest Spreads; 41,200 Miners Strike

MARIKANA, South Africa (AP) — Labor unrest spread in South Africa on Monday with a wildcat strike by 15,000 workers stopping operations at a gold mine while few workers reported for duty in the fourth week of a stoppage at the world's third largest platinum mine.

Asked For Specific Loopholes Romney Will Close To Pay For Tax Plan, Adviser Says ‘Energy Independence’

Tara Wall, an adviser to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign who has proven unable to outline policy specifics before, struggled on Monday to specify a single loophole Romney would close to pay for his proposed massive tax cuts. Romney has said he would eliminate loopholes that benefit wealthy taxpayers to avoid increasing the deficit or raising taxes on middle income families.

Rep. Allen West Finds Hidden ‘Soviet Union, Marxist-Socialist’ Meaning In Obama Campaign’s ‘Forward’ Slogan

“Forward” may be an innocuous slogan to most Americans, subtly contrasting the Democrats’ progressive policies to the Republicans’ desire to reverse most Obama-era laws. Rep. Allen West (R-FL), though, has found a deeper meaning.

A Dummy's Guide To Wine Regions

Say you're a novice wine drinker. You enjoy a glass of red wine with dinner on the weekends, or a glass of chilled rosé when you're spending time on the patio with friends. You love the idea of being adventurous and ordering exotic wines when dining out at your favorite restaurant, but you lack the wine geek know-how to recognize any particular wine brand when you're perusing a wine list, and find the whole process a bit perplexing. In terms of enthusiasm, you are good to go, but when it comes to actual knowledge and skills, you're a bit rocky, and that's an understatement.

Chicago Teachers Strike: Union, Emanuel Disagree On Bottom Line

On Monday, Chicago's public school students won't have any classes to go to.

After weeks of negotiations, Mayor Rahm Emanuel's team and the Chicago Teacher's Union failed to agree on a contract. On Sunday night, CTU officially announced it was going to strike for the first time in a quarter century. So on Monday, instead of teaching, the union's 26,000 educators will protest.

Obama Beats Mitt Romney Fundraising For First Time In 3 Months

WASHINGTON -- The reelection campaign of Barack Obama is back in the lead on the fundraising front after raising $114 million in August. The total, which is a combination of funds raised by the campaign, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Obama's victory committee, exceeds the $111.6 million the Romney campaign said that they raised in combination with the Republican National Committee (RNC) and Romney Victory for the same time period. This marks the first time since the Romney campaign and the RNC started raising money together that the Obama team has beaten them in monthly fundraising.

Taliban: We'll Kidnap or Kill Prince Harry

The Taliban is hell-bent on harming Prince Harry during his latest combat tour in Afghanistan. "We are using all our strength to get rid of him, either by killing or kidnapping," a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban toldReuters today. "We have informed our commanders in Helmand to do whatever they can to eliminate him." He implied that there were plans for "Harry operations." The third in line for the throne arrived at Camp Bastion in restive Helmand province last week, and will be stationed there for four months.

Wall Street Scammer Ducks Prison by Working for CIA

How a developer of Fort Lauderdale Trump Tower, a troubled project that cost investors millions, got the feds to erase his criminal past.

Rescue Workers Health Problems, Funding Fights Stand Out On 9/11 Anniversary

NEW YORK, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Eleven years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, New Yorkers will mark the anniversary on Tuesday against a backdrop of health concerns for emergency workers and a feud over financing that has stopped construction of the $1 billion Ground Zero museum.

RG3 (Robert Griffin III) Downs The Saints 40-32 In NFL Debut

NEW ORLEANS — Robert Griffin III brought his Heisman Trophy swagger to New Orleans and made his NFL debut look like a Big Easy.

Obama Picked Up By Scott Van Duzer, Florida Pizza Place Owner (REPUBLICANS FOR OBAMA... Priceless "I don't vote party line")

In Florida for his bus tour on Sunday, President Barack Obama made an unannounced stop at Big Apple Pizza and Pasta in Ft. Pierce. There, the shop's owner, Scott Van Duzer, lifted the president off the ground:

Bombing Iran Would Take How Many Planes?

If Washington does bomb Iran's nuclear facilities, we're not talking about a few fighter jets speeding by for quick sorties, reports Wired. The mission would require more than 100 planes and ships—plus drones and tanker aircraft—to complete a complex mission involving electronic warfare, attacks on air defenses, and the bombing of five Iranian nuclear facilities, according to a study by Washington defense analyst Anthony Cordesman. That strike, however, could be the easiest part.

Iraq Bombings: Wave Of Attacks Kill At Least Scores In Iraq

BAGHDAD -- Iraq's fugitive Sunni vice president was sentenced Sunday to death by hanging on charges he masterminded death squads against rivals in a terror trial that has fueled sectarian tensions in the country. Underscoring the instability, insurgents unleashed an onslaught of bombings and shootings across Iraq, killing at least 92 people in one of the deadliest days this year.

GOP House Candidate Claims GOP War On Women Will Create ‘More Free Choice’ For Women

Small town Mayor Mia Love (R-UT), a GOP congressional candidate who received a speaking slot at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, is considered a rising star by many within her party. Yet she offered a defense of the Republican Party’s plans to roll back reproductive freedom on Fox News Sunday today that takes a significant amount of liberty with the English language. In a discussion about the GOP’s plan to make abortion illegal, defund Planned Parenthood and enable employers to restrict their employees’ access to birth control, Love suggested these policies will lead to “more free choice and more liberties” for women.

Racist Politics: Why Can’t Some People Get Over Obama Being Black? (This Goes Out To Other Black People Too)

Is it because he’s black?

The question of whether race fuels opposition to President Barack Obama has become one of the most divisive topics of the election. It is sowing anger and frustration among conservatives who are labeled racist simply for opposing Obama’s policies and liberals who see no other explanation for such deep dislike of the president.

Protecting An Open Internet

Dear Friends,

It's been an amazing summer for Internet freedom -- largely because of the hard work of Demand Progress and our members.

Romney Says His Plan To Cut Taxes On The Rich Doesn’t Actually Cut Taxes On The Rich

On Meet The Press this morning, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney claimed that his tax plan — which provides a 20 percent tax cut for all Americans — would not “reduce the tax burden” on the rich, even as he has touted the plan as a tax cut for everyone and independent analyses show that it would, in fact, provide a massive tax break to the wealthiest Americans:

Flabbergasted Rand Paul Learns Public Employment Decreased Under Obama

One of the least appreciated but easily-confirmed facts about the current state of the American economy is that the number of Americans employed by the government has gone downunder President Obama. But apparently this is news to one the Republican Party’s most prominent tea party conservatives. During a roundtable discussion on ABC this morning over the size and adequacy of the 2009 stimulus, a flabbergasted Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) asked economist Paul Krugman if he was actually arguing that government employment had gone down under Obama:

France Plots Tax Hikes Of Up To $26 Billion: Report

PARIS, Sept 9 (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande could outline 20 billion euros ($26 billion) in tax hikes and may lower the country's growth forecast forecast for 2013 to a maximum of 1 percent when he speaks on national television on Sunday evening, a French newspaper said.

The Sunday September 9Th, 2012 Talking Heads

FOX NEWS SUNDAY

Ok, well, some things do not change, and one is that the economy is terrible. Another is that Glen Hubbard and Austan Goolsbee will be around to talk about it. So that's what we are going to do today on Fox News Sunday, as well as some other dumb stuff.

Tigers Adapt to Avoid Humans

Humans and tigers might just be able to coexist in the same space, with humans taking the day shift and the big cats coming out at night, a new study suggests. Researchers examined tiger habits in Chitwan National Park in Nepal, where tigers and humans share the same paths, the BBC explains. They found that tigers, who normally operate both during the day and at night, adopted more nocturnal habits to avoid the humans.

Missing Black Boys Don’t Matter: Cops Try In Vain To Draw National Media Attention To Amir Jennings’ Story

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Despite detectives’ pleas to national media, the disappearance of an 18-month-old black boy with the wide smile has yet to grab the widespread attention given to other missing children’s cases. Some advocates say the reason why may be as simple as the toddler’s gender – and his race.

Can Barack Obama Win The White, Working-Class Vote?

DES MOINES, Iowa — President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney are working feverishly for an increasingly smaller but crucial slice of the electorate – white, working-class voters.

Wall Street Executives Unlikely To Face Criminal Charges, Source Says

A last-ditch effort by federal and state law enforcement authorities to hold Wall Street accountable for nearly bringing down the U.S. economy is unlikely to lead to any criminal charges against big bank executives, according to a source close to the investigation.

California Spends More on Jails than Higher Education

As California struggles to comply with a court order to reduce its prison population, a new study finds that the state now spends more on its correctional system than on higher education.

Should Taxpayers Subsidize Sports Stadiums?

My colleague Pat Garofalo and I have written extensively about cities, states, and professional sports franchises that have asked taxpayers to subsidize new arenas and stadiums, and whether it’s a good idea for local taxpayers — who usually double as the team’s fans — to foot the bill. Today, Pat and I wrote a piece for The Atlantic magazine’s business page in which we examined the case of Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona, the home of the bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes hockey franchise.

Infographic: The Economic Impact Of The Republican and Democratic Immigration Platforms

At their respective nominating conventions this summer, the Republican and Democratic parties could not have adopted more different platforms on the question of how to deal with the 11.5 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. The platform adopted by Republicans doubles down on nearly every extreme enforcement tactic, with the goal of “self-deportation,” or driving all undocumented immigrants out of the country. In contrast, the platform adopted by Democrats calls for the practical, forward-looking reforms that were once embraced by leaders in both parties—even by a Republican whose name was conspicuously absent during their convention, former President George W. Bush.

Hip-Hop Cash Kings 2012: Dr. Dre Tops Forbes Annual List

Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter’s reign as Forbes’ Hip-Hop Cash King has officially ended--for now at least.

Most And Least Diverse Cities: Brown University Study Evaluates Diversity In The U.S.

With the battle over immigration raging on and racial and ethnic minorities surpassing whites for the first time, there's no question the U.S. is getting more diverse.

46th Anniversary Of Star Trek (Yes For Even Those Black Men Near 50 Who Are Also Gamers, But I Am 37 And Can Fix Those Games Consoles Thanks To This Show!) Oh Well!

Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) and its crew, led by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), first officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and chief medical officer Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley), in the 23rd century. Shatner's voice-over introduction during each episode's opening credits stated the starship's purpose:

George Zimmerman Wants Trayvon Martin's School Records

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Former neighborhood watch leader George Zimmerman wants to use Trayvon Martin's school records as part of his defense.

Man Shot And Killed By NYPD After Escaping Armed Robbers At Bronx Bodega

THE BRONX — A worker in a Bronx bodega was shot and killed by police as he escaped an armed robbery in the store, police sources and witnesses said.

Politicians To Blame For Weak Job Growth, Economists Say

Five years after the economic downturn began, the unemployment rate is nearly double what it was in 2007. According to some economists, politicians are to blame.

Mexico Running Low on Eggs

Mexico is running seriously short of eggs. After an avian flu outbreak in June killed millions chickens and the price of feed soared, the nation's residents are now facing what the Washington Post calls the "Great Mexican Egg Crisis." Consider that Mexicans consume an average of 350 to 400 eggs per person each year, making their country one of the highest per-capita egg-eating nations in the world, notes Time.

100,000 PEOPLE TELL CNN TO FIRE CONTRIBUTOR FOR SEXIST COMMENTS

Over 100,000 people have signed onto a petition calling on CNN to fire Erick Erickson, the contributor who dubbed the largely female lineup at the Democratic Convention ‘the Vagina Monoglogues.’ According to Nita Chaudhary, co-founder of Ultraviolet, which launched the petition, it sailed past 100,000 signatures this morning, and is still steadily growing.

Cleaning Up the Economy

By PAUL KRUGMAN

Bill Clinton’s speech at the Democratic National Convention was a remarkable combination of pretty serious wonkishness — has there ever been a convention speech with that much policy detail? — and memorable zingers. Perhaps the best of those zingers was his sarcastic summary of the Republican case for denying President Obama re-election: “We left him a total mess. He hasn’t cleaned it up fast enough. So fire him and put us back in.”

Romney On Omitting U.S. Troops From RNC Speech: ‘You Talk About Things You Think Are Important’

In an interview with Fox News this afternoon, Mitt Romney shot back at critics who complained that he didn’t mention Afghanistan or praise U.S. troops in his convention speech last week, arguing that he focused on issues that are “important.”

POLL: OBAMA APPROVAL UP 7 POINTS AFTER DNC

President Obama’s approval rating climbed to 52 percent, his highest rating in many months, according to Gallup’s latest poll. The last three days of the Democratic National Convention gave him a 7 percent bump in approval over three days, with a 3 percent hike in just the past 24 hours. Mitt Romney received no bump in the polls from the RNC, dropping from 47 percent before the convention to 46 percent. The DNC also surpassed the RNC in ratings; even competing with the opening night of NFL football, more people tuned in to Bill Clinton’s DNC speech than the second half of the Cowboys-Giants game.

Ohio Secretary Of State Backs Down, Allows Local Officials To Set Early Voting Hours

After previously trying to restrict early voting, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted (R) today reversed course on his decision to block county boards of elections from setting their own early voting hours in the days leading up to the November election.

Even Fox News Is Fed Up With Romney Failing To Provide Details Of His Tax Plan

The Romney campaign has so far refused to clarifywhich tax deductions and loopholes it would eliminate in order to make its huge proposed tax cut for the rich revenue neutral. Despite repeated requests, the campaign and candidate have refused to budge, content to say that the tax plan “can’t be scored” due to its lack of detail.

Unhappy Anniversary: Republicans Have Blocked The American Jobs Act For One Year

On September 8, 2011 — one year ago tomorrow — President Obama laid out a series of policy proposals known collectively as the American Jobs Act. The plan included stimulus spending in the form of immediate infrastructure investments, tax credits for working Americans and employers to encourage consumer spending and job growth, and efforts to shore up state and local budgets to prevent further layoffs of teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public safety officials.

Paul Ryan Acknowledges Requesting Federal Money From Program Funded By Obamacare

Earlier this week, the Nation uncovered the fact that Paul Ryan — who has voted with his party to repeal President Obama’s health care law over 30 times — requested Obamacare funds for his Wisconsin district in 2010. However, after the news broke that Ryan sought to fund a new community health center with federal money provided through health care reform, his campaign was quick to retort that grant program has nothing to do with supporting Obamacare because it was created under former President George W. Bush.

Judge To Woman Sexually Assaulted By Cop: ‘When You Blame Others, You Give Up Your Power To Change’

Last summer, a drunk Arizona police officer named Robb Gary Evans drove himself to a bar, flashed his badge to avoid paying cover at the door, and then walked up behind a woman, put his hand up her skirt, and ran his fingers over her genitals. A jury convicted him of sexual abuse, a felony with a maximum sentence of 2 and a half years in prison, and Evans was fired from the police force after an internal investigation.

NAACP Releases Video Explaining Voter ID Laws (For Those Who Like Facts)

1 in 2.3 million. Those are the infinitesimal chances voter fraud will occur in a federal election. That's less likely than being struck by lightning or attacked by a swarm of bees. Right now, 33 states have proposed laws making it harder to vote. That means 23 million Americans will have a much more difficult time voting, and communities of color will by hit hardest by these new laws. Get the facts about voter suppression from our video, and text "VOTE" to 62227 to join the NAACP mobile list.

Romney Pay Us $1 Million Not To Release Your Tax Returns Or Else!: Extortionist Demands

WASHINGTON (AP) — Assuming it’s not a hoax, the purported theft of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney‘s tax returns has all the trappings of a high-tech whodunit: a politically themed burglary, a $1 million demand in hard-to-trace Internet currency, password-protected data and a threat to reveal everything in three more weeks. But can it be believed?

Civil Rights Icon John Lewis: GOP Voter Suppression Laws Are ‘Not Right,’ ‘Not Fair,’ ‘Not Just’

At the DNC Thursday night, civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) recounted his fight for voting rights, the progress made, and the continued threat to ensuring the right to vote for all Americans. Lewis, who still bears scars from beatings in his struggle for racial equality told the DNC audience “we have come too far together to ever turn back.” Yet he warned that Republican-led voter suppression laws are taking America back in that direction:

BIDEN CALLS OUT GOP ON MEDICARE: ‘THEY’RE FOR A WHOLE NEW PLAN. THEY’RE FOR VOUCHERCARE’

Vice President Joe Biden hit Republicans on Thursday night for their lies and distortions on Medicare. The Republican ticket has attacked Obamacare’s $716 billion in Medicare savings, while papering over Mitt Romney’s plan, which would bankrupt Medicare by 2016. “They’re for a whole new plan,” Biden said. “They’re for Vouchercare. That’s not courage. That’s not even truthful.”

Barack Obama Speech At 2012 Democratic National Convention: Perseverance Replaces Change

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- There were no fireworks on Thursday night -- at least not of the literal variety. There were no Greek columns or open-air stadiums surrounded by majestic mountains. There were no calls for a new type of politics or for a turning of the page on the George W. Bush administration.

5 Things Black People Need To Know About Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney is challenging Barack Obama for the presidency, and before the 2012 election, there are some things Black people should know about the Republican candidate. The 65-year-old former Massachusetts governor is a divisive figure—and not just because he’s a super-wealthy Mormon who once supported a state health care plan similar to the one that he and his party have blasted PresidentObama for implementing on the national level. As Nov. 6 approaches, we decided to make a list of five things Black folks should know about Mitt Romney.

Elderly Farmer Accidentally Grows Field of Pot

Want to keep the drug police off your property? Don't sow your land with birdseed. That's what a 74-year-old German farmer says he did—and the bird food contained hemp seeds, resulting in an accidental 10-foot-high cannabis crop, Der Spiegel reports. He explained that he wanted to grow sunflowers, police said. "But because he didn't have any sunflower seeds, he instead scattered half a sack of old bird seed he had at home." He swears he didn't know he ended up growing pot. As the police watched, the farmer plowed up the 3,000-square-foot field.

GOP Rep. Calls Federal Student Loans A ‘Slippery Slope’ That Could Lead To Holocaust

According to Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), federal student loans are the start of a “slippery slope” that could eventually lead to a Holocaust. While speaking at Maryland’s Allegany College on Wednesday, Bartlett invoked this horrid comparison while arguing that government loans are unconstitutional:

University Of Oregon Begins Mandatory Drug Testing for Athletes

The University of Oregon is initiating mandatory random drug testing of all of its student athletes this fall. The new temporary policy, which will be reviewed by the university following a public hearing next month, was spurred by an article in ESPN The Magazine that reported high rates of marijuana use on the school’s football team.

‘It’s Arithmetic’: The Best Of Bill Clinton’s DNC Speech, In One Infographic

Last night, President Bill Clinton formally nominated President Obama for a second term at the Time Warner Center in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina in a fiery, energetic speech that had the DNC crowd roaring from the moment he stepped on stage.

Tests Confirm Isaac Stirred Up Oil From BP Spill

It looks like Gulf Coast beaches will be getting periodic reminders of the 2010 BP oil spill for years to come. Tests confirm that tar balls washed ashore in the wake of Hurricane Isaac did indeed come from the infamous Macondo well, reports the AP. Isaac apparently dredged up oil from the spill that had settled on the ocean floor off Louisiana, Alabama, and elsewhere. The amounts hitting the beaches aren't staggering, but an Auburn researcher says this likely won't be the end of it.

City With Biggest Heroin Problem: Chicago

Chicago has earned the unwanted distinction of having the nation's worst heroin problem. And by at least one measure, no other city is close. The Chicago area registered about 24,000 ER visits related to heroin between 2008 and 2010, says a new report by the Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy. In a distance second place was New York City, with about 12,000 such visits, reports the Huffington Post.

Clinton: Over Last 50 Years, Two-Thirds Of Private Sector Job Growth Came Under Democratic Presidents

Former President Bill Clinton poured cold water on the Republican Party’s jobs rhetoric last night in a speech at the Democratic National Convention, telling the nation that in the 50 years since John F. Kennedy took office, the vast majority of private sector jobs have been created under Democratic administrations. In those 52 years, as Bloomberg reported in May, 42 million of the new private sector jobs were created during 24 years of Democratic presidencies versus just 24 million under Republicans.

Conservatives Bash Sandra Fluke’s Convention Speech, Parroting Limbaugh’s Sexist Attacks

Despite the widespread outcry against Rush Limbaugh’s and Bill O’Reilly’s sexist smears against Sandra Fluke earlier this year — when they claimed she was a “slut” who wants the government to pay for her “social life” — other far-right commentators haven’t quite grasped why these types of attacks are offensive. After Fluke took to the stage of the Democratic National Convention last night to articulate the issues at stake in the ongoing War on Women, conservative media took to Twitter to bash her for “whining” about needing free birth control for the activities that go on in her “bedroom”:

Associated Press ‘Fact Checks’ Clinton’s Speech By Bringing Up Monica Lewinsky (After Reading Last Into The Night I Noticed Several AP Articles Went Negative Or Had A Strong Conservative View To Them)

Bill Clinton’s 48-minute speech at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night was, as FactCheck.org put it, “a fact-checker’s nightmare: lots of effort required to run down his many statistics and factual claims, producing little for us to write about.”

GOP Congressman Wants Junk Food Back In Schools: ‘Kids Are Starving’

In a recent speech, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) assailed new federal regulations that improve the nutritional standards of meals served in schools. He called the new standards, which come from the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, rationing:

BANK LOBBYISTS LAUNCH SUPER PAC TO WEAKEN WALL STREET REFORM

The American Bankers’ Association — which represents the biggest banks in the U.S. — will likely vote today to launch a Super PAC to back candidates who favor rolling back provisions of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law. The group plans to focus on Senate races, as “attempts in the Republican-controlled House to roll back regulation of the financial industry, particularly the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, have so far run aground in the Democratic-controlled Senate.” Having a Super PAC would allow the ABA to funnel money anonymously to these races; so far, the ABA has donated $1.7 million to 2012 candidates, the majority of which went to Republicans.

How A Republican Appeals Court Just Made Citizens United Even Worse

One of the few silver linings on the Supreme Court’s election-buying decision in Citizens United was its holding that — although corporations are now free to spend as much money as they want to elect their preferred candidates — such spending could still be subject to disclosure laws so long as those laws bear a “substantial relation” to “‘providing the electorate with information’ about the sources of election-related spending.” The most Republican federal court of appeals in the country just wiped away much of this silver lining, however, striking down a Minnesota law requiring corporations seeking to buy elections to register their political fund and make regular public disclosures of its activities.

Bill Clinton Speech Asks Undecided Voters To Hang On, Give Obama Another Chance

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -– Bill Clinton made the nation a big promise Wednesday night, pledging to those still struggling that their economic fortunes will turn around if they reelect President Barack Obama.

World's No. 1 Crack Market: Brazil

It turns out the next Summer Olympics will be held in the country that's the crack capital of the world, according to Federal University of Sao Paulo researchers who have concluded that the No. 1 crack market is none other than Brazil, the AFP reports. Nearly 6 million Brazilian adults have tried crack, or 4% of the population. One out of every 100 adults had used in the past year.

Harriet E. Wilson Became The First Black Person To Publish A Novel On This Date In 1859

Pioneering novelist Harriet E. Wilson became the first African American novelist of either gender to publish a book in North America on this date in 1859. Although Ms. Wilson’s book, “Our Nig: Sketches From The Life Of A Free Black,” was initially released anonymously and did not catch on with readers, the book would finally get national attention for its historic feat 123 years later.

This Might Make You Cry (The Healthcare Fight In The Real)

Why We Fight

Progressives have spent decades fighting to make affordable health care accessible to all Americans — as a right, not a privilege. And after spending two years fighting to pass Obamacare, we’ve spent the last two years fighting off partisan political attacks in Congress and the courts while implementing benefits that are already making a difference in the lives of tens of millions of Americans. Tens of millions more will benefit by the time the law is fully implemented in two years.

WATCH: Sandra Fluke Explains The Republican War On Women In 144 Seconds

Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown Law student who was dragged into the national spotlight after Rush Limbaugh referred to her as a slut, said Wednesday it is time to choose between being “a country that honors our foremothers by moving us forward, or one that forces our generation to re-fight the battles they already won.”

More absurd than interviewing a chair?

Dear Readers,

So last week the Republican party came out with their official platform and, not surprisingly, it included some really special love for the banks:

The Most Extreme Race-Based Positions Of Mitt Romney’s New Black Leadership Council Chair

The Romney campaign announced Wednesday that Rep. Allen West (R-FL), the Tea Party darling from Florida, will be one of three chairs on the Romney For President Black Leadership Council.

PAT ROBERTSON: DEMOCRATS ARE THE ‘PARTY OF GAYS, GODLESSNESS, AND WHATEVER ELSE’

Televangelist Pat Robertson added to the not-a-controversy debate over the Democratic Party’s platform today, attacking the party for representing only “gays, godlessness, and whatever else.” He said he was “astounded” that the platform included marriage equality, and accused Democrats of “insulting” Catholics, labor unions, and God. RightWingWatch has the clip:

Kumar Doesn’t Understand Obama’s Marijuana Policy

In advance of his speech yesterday at the Democratic National Convention touting how President Obama’s policies have improved the lives of younger voters, the Obama campaign released video of actor-turned-former-White-House-staffer Kal Penn reprising his role as Kumar Patel from the Harold & Kumar movies. The video prompted Yahoo News reporter Chris Moody to ask Penn about the Obama Administration’s marijuana policy. Unfortunately, Penn’s answer was not particularly well-informed:

POLL: VIEWERS SAY CLINT EASTWOOD TALKING TO A CHAIR WAS BEST SPEECH OF GOP CONVENTION

A recent poll from the Pew Research Center found that not only did fewer people watch this year’s Republican National Convention than in 2008, but those that did were more impressed by 82-year-old Oscar winner Clint Eastwood than they were by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. According to the poll, 20 percent of viewers rated Eastwood’s bizarre speech with an empty chair as the highlight of the RNC, compared to just 17 percent that named Romney’s acceptance speech and 9 percent for Paul Ryan.

Galaxy S III Sales Trump iPhone To Becomes Best-Selling U.S. Smartphone (Samsung Exec to Apple Exec, "1 Billion Dollars! Do You Want It In Small Or Large Bills?)

Apple's iPhone has been dethroned.

Since its launch in October 2011, the iPhone 4S has dominated the U.S. marketplace as the top-selling smartphone phone.

Yvette Clarke, Congresswoman, Says Slavery Still Around In 1898 During 'Colbert Report' Interview

History can be hard, even for a Congresswoman.

That's the message many late-night television viewers came away with Tuesday night after watching an interview on Comedy Central's satirical news show "The Colbert Report" in which a New York representative stumbled through basic American history.

Brain Disease Study Indicates Football Players Face Higher Risk Of Death From Alzheimer's, ALS

Hours before the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys get the 2012 NFL season underway, a study of former NFL players has revealed just how dangerous it may be to play professional football. According to a study published in the Sept. 5 issue of Neurology, NFL players may face a higher risk of dying from Alzheimer's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Obama For America Files Motion To Enforce Early Voting In Ohio

Obama For America filed a motion Wednesday asking a federal court to enforce three days of early voting in Ohio before the 2012 election.