Charles Pierce | The Supreme Court's Legitimacy Is on the Brink of Collapse

07 October 18 AM

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Charles Pierce | The Supreme Court's Legitimacy Is on the Brink of Collapse 

Charles Pierce, Esquire
Pierce writes: "That's the sticking point for succeeding generations. Kavanaugh's entire career prior to being installed in the federal court where he now sits was as a partisan lawyer, the political equivalent of an ambulance chaser. That was the part of him that came out in his now infamous tirade. That was where 'revenge for the Clintons' came from."
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Donald Trump supporters. (photo: Damon Winter/NYT)

Drain What Swamp? Trump's Supporters Embrace Kavanaugh, Member of a Class They Once Rebuked.
Jenna Johnson, The Washington Post
Johnson writes: "At the heart of President Trump's political movement is this paradox: A wealthy reality television star who lived in a gold-encrusted Manhattan penthouse was able to gather a dedicated following of the less privileged and launch a war against his own social class."
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Christine Blasey Ford answers questions at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., September 27, 2018. (photo: Melina Mara/Reuters)

Christine Blasey Ford's Friend Criticizes FBI for Not Interviewing Him
CBS News
Excerpt: "Koegler said there are a minimum of seven people who knew about Ford's allegation of sexual assault against Kavanaugh before his nomination and were not interviewed by the FBI."
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Activists celebrate outside the Leighton Criminal Courts Building hearing the verdict in the murder trial of Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke on Oct. 5, 2018 in Chicago. (photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Jason Van Dyke Trial: Chicago Takes to the Streets Following Murder Conviction
Safia Samee Ali and Doha Madani, NBC News
Excerpt: "Activists in Chicago used protests to celebrate the murder conviction of a white police officer who killed a black teenager in 2014."
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Hadi Mohammed sits with his 9 year old son Mohammed Ghaleb in their Lincoln, Neb. apartment. (photo: Nati Harnik/AP)

Trump Refugee Policy Leaves Thousands Stranded Outside US
Susannah George and Colleen Long, Associated Press
Excerpt: "Death threats drove Hadi Mohammed out of Iraq and to a small apartment in Nebraska, where he and his two young sons managed to settle as refugees. But the danger hasn't been enough to allow his wife to join them."
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Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi speaks at an event hosted by Middle East Monitor in London Britain, September 29, 2018. (photo: Middle East Monitor/Reuters)

Turkey Concludes Missing Saudi Journalist Was Killed in Consulate
Orhan Coskun, Reuters
Coskun writes: "Turkish authorities believe that prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who disappeared four days ago after entering Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul, was killed inside the consulate, two Turkish sources said on Saturday."
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At least 388 houses were flooded in Nicaragua due to the rains over the last 24 hours. (photo: Jorge Torres/EPA)

Heavy Rain Causes Floods, Landslides in Central America
Al Jazeera
Excerpt: "Heavy rain has lashed parts of Central America and has led to flash flooding and landslides."
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Matt Taibbi | Chatting With Bernie Sanders About a Looming Financial Crisis

04 October 18

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Matt Taibbi | Chatting With Bernie Sanders About a Looming Financial Crisis 

Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone
Taibbi writes: "Ten years ago, George W. Bush signed into law the Troubled Asset Relief Program, better known as the TARP bailout. The rescue forked over $700 billion of taxpayer money to bail out giant Wall Street banks that were already too big, and were about to get bigger."
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White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah. (photo: ABC News)

White House Confirms FBI's Kavanaugh Investigation Only Looked at What Republican Senators Wanted
Josh Israel, ThinkProgress
Israel writes: "Asked why the FBI was not permitted to investigate whether Kavanaugh had memory lapses - as his former Yale roommate and other former classmates have alleged - Shah argued that no Senator who matters wanted to know."
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Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on September 27 on Capitol Hill. (photo: Erin Schaff/Getty)

I Was Brett Kavanaugh's College Roommate: He Lied Under Oath
James Roche, Slate
Roche writes: "In 1983, I was one of Brett Kavanaugh's freshman roommates at Yale University. About two weeks ago I came forward to lend my support to my friend Deborah Ramirez, who says Brett sexually assaulted her at a party in a dorm suite. I did this because I believe Debbie."
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Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. (photo: Michael Reynolds/Getty)

Well-Timed Study Shows the Lasting Consequences of Sexual Assault
Katie Heaney, The Cut
Heaney writes: "This week, a study affirming the lasting impact of sexual assault and harassment on middle-aged women's mental and physical health was published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Its timing is remarkable, published amid an ongoing national conversation and controversy surrounding the Kavanaugh Supreme Court hearings - specifically, allegations that he assaulted Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, now 53, when both were in high school."
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Closeup of a microchip. (photo: Bloomberg)

The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate US Companies
Jordan Robertson and Michael Riley, Bloomberg
Excerpt: "One official says investigators found that it eventually affected almost 30 companies, including a major bank, government contractors, and the world's most valuable company, Apple Inc."
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The fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi. (photo: Getty)

Washington Post Columnist Arrested at Saudi Embassy, According to His Fiancee
Erin Cunningham and Kareem Fahim, The Washington Post
Excerpt: "The Turkish foreign ministry summoned Saudi Arabia's ambassador to discuss the whereabouts of veteran journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Turkey's state media reported, after he disappeared while visiting the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday."
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Iokarenhtha Thomas, a mother of five. 'That's just the reality of living on reserve,' she said of the lack of water. 'You grow up being treated unfairly.' (photo: Jennifer Roberts/Guardian UK)

While Nestle Extracts Millions of Liters From Their Land, Residents Have No Drinking Water
Alexandra Shimo, Guardian UK
Shimo writes: "Ninety-one percent of the homes in this community aren't connected to the water treatment plant, says Michael Montour, director of public works for Six Nations. Some, like the Thomas home, have no water at all. Others have water in their taps, but it is too polluted to drink."
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Robert Reich | If This Isn't a Sham Investigation, I Don't Know What Is

05 October 18 It's Live on the HomePage Now: Reader Supported News Robert Reich | If This Isn't a Sham Investigation, I Don't Know What Is  Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Facebook Page Reich writes: "As the nation slept, the White House announced that the FBI has completed its investigation into sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh." READ MORE Over a thousand people marched to the Supreme Court Thursday to protest nominee Brett Kavanaugh. (photo: Addy Baird/ThinkProgress) More Than 1,000 People March to Supreme Court as Senate Prepares to Confirm Kavanaugh Addy Baird, ThinkProgress Baird writes: "More than a thousand people marched to the U.S. Supreme Court Thursday to protest Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women." READ MORE  Natalia Veselnitskaya, the lawyer who met senior Trump campaign officials in 2016. (photo: Getty) Russian Official Linked to Natalia Veselnitskaya, the Trump Tower Lawyer, Is Dead Nico Hines, The Daily Beast Hines writes: "Russia's Deputy Attorney General Saak Karapetyan was exposed this year for running a foreign recruitment operation with Natalia Veselnitskaya." READ MORE Senator Bernie Sanders at a rally last year on Capitol Hill for a minimum and rights to form unions. (photo: Alex Wong/Getty) After Disney, Amazon Wage Hikes, Bernie Sanders Targets McDonald's John Bowden, The Hill Bowden writes: "Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) is taking aim at McDonald's after Amazon announced this week that it would raise its companywide minimum wage to $15 per hour, following months of pressure from Sanders and other progressives." READ MORE San Francisco police officers. (photo: Reuters) San Francisco Police Targeted Only Black Residents in Drug Arrests, Lawsuit Claims Sam Levin, Guardian UK Levin writes: "San Francisco police exclusively targeted black residents during undercover drug arrests as part of a pattern of racial profiling, according to a new lawsuit." READ MORE Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater and now chairman of Frontier Services, in Hong Kong in March 2017. (photo: Justin Chin/Bloomberg News) Erik Prince Again Pushes to Privatize Afghan War as Conflict Drags On Karen DeYoung, Shane Harris and Dan Lamothe, The Washington Post Excerpt: "More than a year after his plan to privatize the Afghan war was first shot down by the Trump ­administration, Erik Prince returned late last month to Kabul to push the proposal on the beleaguered government in Afghanistan, where many believe he has the ear - and the potential backing - of the U.S. president." READ MORE A pump jack at an oil drilling operation. (photo: Getty) Trump Administration Moves to Open 1.6 Million Acres to Fracking, Drilling in California Dale Kasler, The Sacramento Bee Kasler writes: "Ending a five-year moratorium, the Trump administration Wednesday took a first step toward opening 1.6 million acres of California public land to fracking and conventional oil drilling, triggering alarm bells among environmentalists." READ MORE Contribute to RSN Become a Fan of RSN on Facebook and Twitter Update My Monthly Donation

FOCUS: Senator Sasse Drops Kavanaugh Bombshell

04 October 18

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FOCUS: Senator Sasse Drops Kavanaugh Bombshell 

Matthew Rozsa, Salon
Rozsa writes: "Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) could have further complicated Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation prospects when he publicly suggested he would have preferred a woman to be nominated to the Supreme Court in his stead."
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Jane Mayer and Ronan Farrow | The FBI Probe Ignored Testimonies From Former Classmates of Kavanaugh

04 October 18 AM It's Live on the HomePage Now: Reader Supported News Jane Mayer and Ronan Farrow | The FBI Probe Ignored Testimonies From Former Classmates of Kavanaugh  Jane Mayer and Ronan Farrow, The New Yorker Excerpt: "Frustrated potential witnesses who have been unable to speak with the F.B.I agents conducting the investigation into sexual-assault allegations against Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, have been resorting to sending statements, unsolicited, to the Bureau and to senators, in hopes that they would be seen before the inquiry concluded." READ MORE Sen. Bernie Sanders. (photo: Getty) Bernie Sanders to Launch New Plan to Break Up Wall Street Giants, Including Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Jeff Stein, The Washington Post Stein writes: "Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday unveiled legislation that would place a hard cap on the size of financial institutions, a proposal that would splinter Wall Street's biggest firms in an effort to ward off future taxpayer bailouts." READ MORE Activists gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court to hold a vigil in opposition to US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanugh. (photo: Reuters) Hundreds of Law Professors Sign Letters Rejecting Kavanaugh Nomination Jon Swaine, Guardian UK Swaine writes: "Hundreds of US law professors are urging the Senate to reject Brett Kavanaugh's supreme court nomination because of his conduct at last week's hearing on sexual misconduct allegations." READ MORE Voters fill out their ballots. (photo: Amber Arnold/AP) Cook Report: Eight More GOP Seats Move Towards Democrats David Wasserman, Cook Political Report Wasserman writes: "Five weeks out, several personally popular Republicans who appeared to be defying the "blue wave' in Clinton-won districts are beginning to see their leads erode." READ MORE Brett Kavanaugh. (photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP) Senate Democrats Suggest There's Something Fishy in Kavanaugh's Past Background Checks Jack Crosbie, Splinter News Crosbie writes: "According to Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, there's nothing in any of those reports that relates to alcohol abuse or sexual misconduct. According to Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, that's not true." READ MORE Supporters of temporary protected status for immigrants hold signs and cheer at a March 12 rally before a news conference announcing a lawsuit against the Trump administration. (photo: Jeff Chen/AP) Federal Judge, Citing Trump 'Animus' Against Nonwhites, Blocks Removal of Haitians, Salvadorans and Others Meagan Flynn, The Washington Post Flynn writes: "A federal judge in California temporarily blocked the Trump administration's plans to terminate the legal status of about 300,000 immigrants who fled violence and disaster in Haiti, Sudan, Nicaragua and El Salvador." READ MORE The frame of this picture can only take in a small part of the CF Industries nitrogen complex in Donaldson, Louisiana. (photo: Julie Dermansky/Getty) Our Fertilizer Is Killing Us. Here's a Fix. Nathanael Johnson, Grist Johnson writes: "Now, for the first time in over a hundred years, there's a potential solution. A pack of startups is racing to market with a means of fixing nitrogen without polluting the Earth." READ MORE Contribute to RSN Become a Fan of RSN on Facebook and Twitter Update My Monthly Donation