NOW LIVE ON WhoWhatWhy
The Politics of Surviving Guantánamo
by Mohamedou Ould Slahi
Mohamedou Ould Slahi reveals what it takes to make it through Gitmo when the American justice system won’t take “I didn’t do it” for an answer.
WHO
Americans Split on Support for Fracking in Oil, Natural Gas
Fracking isn’t a slam-dunk. A new Gallup poll shows a stark 40-40 split on the issue, with 19% unwilling or unable to give an opinion. Predictably, 66% of Republicans support fracking versus a mere 26% of Dems. But it’s the lagging support by all-important independents—so-called “swing” voters—that should worry fracking enthusiasts. Only 35% of indies are in favor, 44% oppose, while the rest state they have “no opinion.” These numbers show that the debate is wide open.
Pentagon Finally Admits That Israel Has Nukes
Last month the Department of Defense released a secret document from 1987 confirming the worst-kept secret in the world—the existence of Israel’s nuclear arsenal. So, why has it been a “secret”? Unlike Iran, Israel hasn’t signed onto the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. So, Israel’s nukes are the elephant in the room during nuclear negotiations with Iran. And it is hard to ignore the incredible hypocrisy of America’s tacit support for Israel’s nuclear program, even as Israel works to scuttle any deal with Iran.
Baker Creating J Street Challenge for Jeb
“Baker” refers to former Secretary of State James Baker, the elder statesman of Texas oil royalty and long-time consigliere to the Bush Dynasty. The Neocons at Commentary are not fond of Baker, deeming him “hostile” to Israel. Now Baker has deigned to give a keynote address to the J Street lobby, the Leftie, peace-promoting alternative to AIPAC. Apparently, this is a problem for The Next Bush In Line because his relationship with Arab-loving Baker is too close for the comfort of the GOP’s Right Wing-Neocon alliance.
In Clinton Emails on Benghazi, a Rare Glimpse at Her Concerns
How do you leverage a scandal into a net positive? You release a sampling of emails showing great “concern” and intense engagement about the main issue hampering your presidential candidacy. And that’s one main takeaway from the 300 emails released by Team Clinton. They also show some distance between Hillary’s and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice’s portrayal of Benghazi. The emails still leave open many questions, but those are unlikely to derail her as she resumes her march to inevitability.
Obama’s Lobbyist Edict Only Slowed ‘Revolving door’
President Obama signed an ethics executive order on his second day in office, but it has done little to stop the movement of people from government into lobbying or into the businesses they previously regulated while in government. However, the rules—as porous as they still are—have been effective in forestalling the typical conflict of interest scandals that come with almost every administration. That’s something, right?
WHAT
$1 Billion TSA Behavioral Screening Program Slammed as Ineffective “Junk Science”
Q: What is worse than Big Brother?
A: When Big Brother drops $1 billion on a pseudo-scientific “behavior detection” system that not only doesn’t work, but if it did work, would violate its own ethics rules against racial profiling. Oh, brother.
WHY
Modern Marijuana Is Often Laced With Heavy Metals and Fungus
Pot packs a bigger punch than ever before. Years of cross-breeding created pot with up to 30% more tetrahydrocannabinol than it had in the 1980s, but with virtually none of the cannabidiol used medicinally to treat a variety of illnesses. What isn’t missing in consumer-market marijuana is a variety of microbial agents, contaminants and heavy metals that make it a less-than-mellow trip.
Sign Up
Like what you see? Sign up to subscribe.
