Ever since he first went to Iraq to cover the U.S. occupation of that country in 2003, Dahr Jamail has distinguished himself as a journalist of rare courage and honesty, who understands that a conscious commitment to humane values is a necessary tool for the reporting the truth and not an obstacle to it. He continued to cover the Middle East since his initial stint as an independent unimbedded journalist, writing for Inter Press Service, Le Monde Dipomatique and Asia Times, among other publications. Dahr was the recipient of the 2008 Martha Gellhorn Award for Journalism.

Explain it to me like I’m stupid: why are we negotiating with these organizations at all?

Level playing field is one of those sneaky phrases you get from the insurance industry and from the conservatives. It sounds good, but what it means is sky-rocketing costs for citizens.

As the torture apologists tee up for another attempt at justifying torture by claiming it worked, it’s worth remembering that just after the CIA finished waterboarding KSM, they wrote a report acknowledging that he had been lying to them.

Sesame Street has always been out in front of issues that kids want and need to talk about, but that parents might think are above their heads.

I can recall watching the show as a kid and picking up cues about racial tolerance and how bigotry can hurt someone’s feelings. Or giving to others instead of being greedy.

It’s been a big week for the FDIC. The latest CFO report to the FDIC board came out Wednesday and three banks (including a biggie) were seized yesterday. But buried in the paperwork are signs that the FDIC has its eye on both the immediate situation and the longer term.

Today I’m taking a break from covering the silliness of wannabee Republicans like Max “Big Bucks” Baucus (besides, Emptywheel’s got the patent on that topic) to discuss the breathtaking nerve of an actual Republican: Minnesota’s absentee governor, Smilin’ Tim Pawlenty.

The refrain from Washington has been that we need to look forward and not investigate credible allegations of wrongdoing. Such an approach has become something of a Beltway tradition, but this time it looks especially perverse.

For more on pruning back executive power see Pruning Shears.

‘Tis the season. No, not that one. The bowl full o’ jelly man isn’t due for a few more months. It’s apple season. That joyous time of year when I start craving spiced cider and apple crisps and spending time with my family at a u-pick-em orchard.

Featuring new videos from 6 Day Riot and Fever Ray.