March 27, 2014

$1 trillion student loan debt widens US wealth gap

Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Every month that Gregory Zbylut pays $1,300 toward his law school loans is another month of not qualifying for a decent mortgage.

Every payment toward their student loans is $900 Dr. Nida Degesys and her husband aren’t putting in their retirement savings account.

They believe they’ll eventually climb from debt and begin using their earnings to build assets rather than fill holes. But, like the roughly 37 million others in the U.S. saddled with $1 trillion in student debt, they may never catch up with wealthy peers who began life after college free from the burden.

The disparity, experts say, is contributing to the widening of the gap between rich and everyone else in the country.

Read more: http://www.salon.com/2014/03/27/1_trillion_student_loan_debt_widens_us_wealth_gap/

March 27, 2014

China sentences rapist of 16 girls to death

Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese court has sentenced to death a rapist who posed as a female on social networks to lure 16 girls to meet him, a state news agency reported Thursday.

Wang Yong, 40, was sentenced earlier this month for raping the girls aged 12 to 16 starting in 2009, the official Xinhua News Agency said. He was arrested in September 2012.

Xinhua said Wang was unemployed and posed as a female on online social networks to befriend schoolgirls and convince them to meet him. He raped the girls in hotels.

The Intermediate People’s Court in Wuhu city in eastern China’s Anhui province also sentenced Wang’s accomplice, a 16-year-old girl who said she had been coerced by him, to three years’ imprisonment. She brought younger girls whose trust she had gained to the hotels.

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Read more: http://www.salon.com/2014/03/27/china_sentences_rapist_of_16_girls_to_death/

March 27, 2014

Hobby Lobby’s secret agenda: How it’s quietly funding a vast right-wing movement

Exclusive: How entities related to the company are quietly pumping tens of millions into a mélange of fringe causes

ELI CLIFTON

Hobby Lobby says it’s just trying to protect its religious freedom. The family-founded and -run company is closed on Sundays, has an employee manual that includes biblical references, and announces on its website its commitment to “Honoring the Lord in all we do by operating the company in a manner consistent with biblical principles.” The company got in hot water last year when an employee told a blogger that no Hanukkah decorations were stocked “because Mr. Green is the owner of the company, he’s a Christian, and those are his values.”

Though the company went on to apologize, the battle for its Christian identity was revived this week when lawyers for the company argued before the Supreme Court that the company should not have to comply with the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate. The issue, says Hobby Lobby co-founder Barbara Green, isn’t that the company wants to meddle with women’s rights to take contraceptive drugs. “We’re not trying to control that,” she said. “We’re just trying to control our participation in it.”

But a document published here for the first time reveals Hobby Lobby appears to be going much further than protecting freedom, providing funding for a group that backs a political network of activist groups deeply engaged in pushing a Christian agenda into American law. The document shows entities related to the company to be two of the largest donors to the organization funding a right-wing Christian agenda, investing tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars into a vast network of organizations working in concert to advance an agenda that would allow businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians and deny their employees contraceptives under a maximalist interpretation of the Free Exercise Clause of the United States Constitution.

That network of activist groups has succeeded in passing legislation in Arizona requiring women to undergo an ultrasound before an abortion, banning taxpayer-funded insurance paying for government employees’ abortions, defining marriage as a union between a man and woman, and funding abstinence education. And there’s evidence that its efforts go well beyond the borders of the Copper State.

more
http://www.salon.com/2014/03/27/hobby_lobbys_secret_agenda_how_its_secretly_funding_a_vast_right_wing_movement/

March 27, 2014

Christie Is Certain Bridge Scandal Won't Weigh On 2016 Decision

CATHERINE THOMPSON – MARCH 27, 2014, 8:19 AM EDT

Whether New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) ultimately chooses to run for president or not, the scandal surrounding his aides' involvement in lane closures on the George Washington Bridge will not be a factor in his decision.

"There's certainly nothing that's happened in the last number of months, since we talked about this the last time that would make me think any differently about my ability to pursue that job," Christie said Wednesday on his monthly radio program in reference to the scandal, as quoted by CNN.

The governor declined to say whether or not he was leaning towards launching a 2016 bid, however. "I'm not going to make any conclusions until I absolutely have to," he said, as quoted by CNN.

Christie's national poll numbers and home state approval ratings have plummeted since he denied that he ordered or approved the lane closures on the bridge last summer. An internal review commissioned by Christie's administration is expected to clear him of any wrongdoing.

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http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/christie-bridge-scandal-wont-affect-2016-decision

March 27, 2014

Today's The Day Christie Tries To Take Back Control Of The Bridge Scandal

ERIC LACH – MARCH 27, 2014, 10:03 AM EDT

After months of document releases, advancing investigations, bad headlines, and questions, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) looks ready to declare his redemption in the George Washington Bridge lane closing scandal.

Thursday morning, the legal team hired by Christie in January plans to release the results of an internal review of the scandal, and the findings are expected to clear the governor of any role in the lane closures, which caused a massive traffic jam in Fort Lee, N.J. in September. The full report will be made available on a public website, and Randy Mastro, the prominent defense attorney who lead the internal investigation, is expected to discuss the findings and take questions at a press conference held in the Manhattan offices of his firm, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

Later on Thursday, Christie plans to sit down with Diane Sawyer of ABC News for his first television interview since the scandal erupted in January. Christie and his wife, Mary Pat Christie, will be interviewed in their home, and will discuss internal review. The interview is slated to air Thursday night.

But Christie isn't off the hook yet. The release of the internal review comes as state lawmakers and the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey continue to investigate the lane closures. For months, many have suggested that the lanes were closed for political reasons, and documents released in January showed that close aides to Christie were involved in discussions of the closures both before and after they took place. Federal prosecutors have also looked into allegations made by the Democratic mayor of Hoboken, N.J., Dawn Zimmer, who in January publicly accused the Christie administration of threatening to withhold Hurricane Sandy relief aid if she did not support a development project in her city.

more
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/chris-christie-take-control-scandal

March 27, 2014

World Vision Reverses Decision To Hire Christians in Same-Sex Marriages

Source: Christianity Today

(UPDATED) President Richard Stearns: 'Certain beliefs are so core to our Trinitarian faith that we must take a strong stand on those beliefs.'

Celeste Gracey and Jeremy Weber/ MARCH 26, 2014

(Updated 10:06 p.m. Central with new comments from George O. Wood. Previously updated to include comments from Richard Stearns.)

Only two days after announcing it would hire Christians in same-sex marriages, World Vision U.S. has reversed its ground-breaking decision after weathering intense criticism from evangelical leaders.

"The last couple of days have been painful," president Richard Stearns told reporters this evening. "We feel pain and a broken heart for the confusion we caused for many friends who saw this policy change as a strong reversal of World Vision's commitment to biblical authority, which it was not intended to be."

"Rather than creating more unity (among Christians), we created more division, and that was not the intent," said Stearns. "Our board acknowledged that the policy change we made was a mistake … and we believe that (World Vision supporters) helped us to see that with more clarity … and we're asking you to forgive us for that mistake."

"We listened to (our) friends, we listened to their counsel. They tried to point out in loving ways that the conduct policy change was simply not consistent … with the authority of Scripture and how we apply Scripture to our lives," said Stearns. "We did inadequate consultation with our supporters. If I could have a do-over on one thing, I would have done much more consultation with Christian leaders."

Read more: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/march-web-only/world-vision-reverses-decision-gay-same-sex-marriage.html

March 27, 2014

Rand Paul Wants Donors to Know He's Super Prepared to Run for President

ABBY OHLHEISER

Sen. Rand Paul already has people working for him, presumably for a run for president in 2016, in all 50 states. A swing state? Rand Paul is there. A ruby red, late primary state where it's kind of pointless to start campaigning in now? Rand Paul is there. Paul's attempt to be the candidate who owns every state the light touches early on is, according to the Washington Post, his high-profile way of trying to prove to the Republican establishment — along with the money that funds establishment-approve runs for office — that he can build a campaign beyond his libertarian base.

Members of his 200-strong national network (called Rand Paul Victory, which raised $4.4 million last year) include former establishment donors alongside the libertarian backers you'd to expect to see working with Paul. And, he's been courting Wall Street and Silicon Valley money, just like any good potential candidate would.

The Kentucky senator's campaign hinted that it had a 50-state team in an interview with the New York Times last week. That piece suggested that organizationally, Paul wasn't quite ready for prime time. Here's one example:

more
http://www.thewire.com/politics/2014/03/rand-paul-wants-donors-to-know-that-hes-super-prepared-to-run-for-president/359703/

March 27, 2014

Obama Makes It Official: Phone Companies, Not the NSA, Will Store Your Metadata in Bulk

ABBY OHLHEISER

President Obama formally confirmed a much-anticipated change to the NSA's bulk phone metadata collection programs: telephone companies — not the NSA — will store that data in bulk going forward. "Having carefully considered the available options," Obama said in a written statement, "I have decided that the best path forward is that the government should not collect or hold this data in bulk." That data will now stay in the hands of the telephone companies, who will keep it for the "length of time it currently does today."

The plan itself already has approval from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Court, but Obama isn't going to act unilaterally to shut off the NSA's collection program (we've explained why here). Given that Congress won't create, agree upon, and pass the needed legislation to enact this plan before the current program goes up for renewal tomorrow, the NSA will get one more 90-day renewal from the FISA court for the collection program under Section 215 of the Patriot Act. After those 90 days are up, the government will have to get orders from the FISA court in order to access the bulk records. However, a statement from the White House notes that the government will be able to bypass the court and query the telephony metadata collection without an order in an "an emergency situation."

The NSA reform proposal released by the White House contains a few more changes, some of which are already at least partially in place:

Consistent with a reform announced in January, queries can only produce records within" two hops of the selection term being used."

The government won't have to go back to FISA court every time they query on a certain target — court orders will allow multiple queries "over a limited period of time without returning to the FISC for approval."

The private companies will be under a court order to give "technical assistance" to make sure the government can query and obtain the records quickly and clearly.

more:
http://www.thewire.com/politics/2014/03/obama-makes-it-official-phone-companies-not-the-nsa-will-store-your-metadata-in-bulk/359712/

March 27, 2014

Iowa Senate Candidate Nails the Sarah Palin Sensibility

ALLIE JONES

"I'm Joni Ernst. I grew up castrating hogs on an Iowa farm," says the U.S. Senate candidate from Iowa in her first campaign ad, released on Tuesday. Today, Sarah Palin endorsed Ernst on her Facebook page, praising her "pork cutting" skills.

Ernst has Palin's backwoods, Mama Grizzly sensibility nailed in her first ad — Ernst notes she's a mother first. She's a true conservative, not a RINO. And she's not afraid to cut pork barrel spending in Washington. "Let's make them squeal," Ernst says, with a knowing glint in her eye. She's not referring to pigs in this instance. The ad is basically a 30-second version of Palin's 2008 RNC convention speech, if you swap out moose hunting for pig castrating and snowmobiles for Harleys. It's already hit the late-night joke factory.

During his Tuesday night monologue, Jimmy Fallon riffed, "I'm Joni Ernst, and I grew up throwing battery acid in people's faces. Wait, what?" But this is the kind of reaction Palin loves. Ernst is a real Iowa mom — a true patriot — who will bring farm girl politics to Washington and the lame-stream media.

"Joni is a veteran of the Iraq war and continues her service as a Lt. Colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard. She’s been a fighter for freedom both in and out of uniform," Palin writes on Facebook. "Iowa – come together and send this Midwest Mama Grizzly roaring to Washington on her Harley so she can join with the good guys to get our country back on track!" Ernst is gunning to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin. If she wins the crowded Republican primary, she'll face current Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley in the general election. In a March 13 Quinnipiac poll, Braley led Ernst 42 to 29. That was before she started talking about cutting people's balls off.

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http://www.thewire.com/politics/2014/03/iowa-senate-candidate-nails-the-sarah-palin-sensibility/359639/

March 27, 2014

Obama's First Meeting with the Pope Went Swimmingly

This article/OP has been entered in the Religion Forum

DANIELLE WIENER-BRONNER

President Barack Obama and Pope Francis met today for the first time, speaking in private for nearly an hour on inequality, immigration, and not-abortion, presumably.

The Catholic Church has been at odds with the White House over Obama's insistence on including birth control coverage in the Affordable Care Act, among other things, but analysts said they expected the meeting to strengthen the relationship between Washington and the Church by focusing on common interests.

CNN reports the meeting was "a reset of sorts" between Obama and leaders of the church. "The goal: focus on areas where two of the world's most influential men agree and gently tread ground where they differ," CNN writes. Areas of agreement include, according to a White House statement, a "shared commitment to fighting poverty and growing inequality." The touchier topics would be gay marriage and birth control.

Still, Vatican officials said that the pope almost certainly shared his view on the Affordable Care Act with the president during the visit.

more
http://www.thewire.com/politics/2014/03/obama-meets-the-pope-first-time/359701/