Frank Zappa — Bolero, Barcelona, May 17, 1988.

In entertainment news, the idea has been floated in Republican Party circles (there are nine of these) to make the Lame Stream Media pay for the rights to broadcast the GOP primary debates. Apparently this is because the Republican National Committee has run up $22 million in debt, an understandable and inevitable consequence of  the [...]

Overwhelmingly, the American people think the war in Afghanistan is not worth fighting, and 73 percent of the country wants us to withdraw substantial numbers of troops soon. Yet a majority of Americans, 53 percent, doubt President Obama and Congress will listen to the electorate about the war.

I’m struggling to understand why Obama Administration officials appear to be trying to lecture the Japanese government and particularly its nuclear emergency workers on the seriousness of the situation at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Generation Station. How is this helpful?

While there is rarely a large sector in our economy that doesn’t tend to get some form of corporate welfare, nuclear power is unique in that it benefits from almost every scheme ever designed by the government to directly or indirectly subsidize an industry.

Nuclear power receives direct subsidies, loan guarantees, special tax breaks, government insurance, the government promise to assume the huge potential liability if anything goes wrong, and state-based corporate assistance.

Conservatives have successfully demonized the idea of organized labor to the extent that a lot of people probably think that unions are merely there for self-aggrandizement or shaking down taxpayers. In truth, a labor-led working environment is one that can bring benefits to the worker and lift them out of poverty.

Bahrain forces continue to hold the Salmaniya Hospital under siege with doctors and nurses beaten if they try to leave or take ambulances out. At the same time, journalists are being refused entry to the country and several have been deported.

Wisconsin is more than just ground zero in a fight over the future of public sector unions, it is the embodiment of the Republican Party’s commitment to bare-knuckle political warfare; their willingness to push the law to its limits to gain long-term political advantage for the party. While it is most evident in Wisconsin, this effort to structurally reshape our laws for the benefit of elected Republicans is happening all over the country.

You do not have to weigh the costs of nuclear power against the health and environmental impact of fossil fuels. You have to weigh it against the costs of all other energy alternatives. And given that, it comes up well short.

Bradley Manning supporters will rally around the world in a series of events to call for an end to the soldier’s inhumane treatment. With at least 20 events this weekend and a dozen more scheduled, thousands of people will take to the streets to protest the “ridiculous, counterproductive, and stupid” treatment of accused WikiLeaks whistleblower Bradley Manning at the hands of our government. Check out the events and RSVP for a rally today.