Any salient points that hard-boiled Long Island Congressman Peter King made about the media’s Michael Jackson fixation were, for one, overshadowed by his descriptions of Jackson as a “low-life” and a “pedophile,” and also apparently lost on certain mainstream media outlets.
It is now estimated that at least 156 people have been killed, more than 800 injured and some 700 arrested as the Chinese government cracks down on protesters who are demanding justification for the death of two Uighur workers in restive Xinjiang province. Here is some video footage of the protests taking place.
Three prominent members of Sarah Palin’s Republican cohort—Karl Rove, Mike Huckabee and her successor, Alaska’s Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell—weighed in on this week’s “Fox News Sunday” to give their takes on the outgoing governor’s possible reasons for quitting and wonder whether she hurt or helped her chances to stay in the political spotlight.
For the holiday weekend, the “Left, Right & Center” squad takes a good, hard look at the state of the economy: How did we get here? Who’s to blame? Can it be fixed? Argument, and even entertainment, ensues as Robert Scheer, Arianna Huffington, Matt Miller and Tony Blankley do their best to make sense of it all.
In this video footage released by CNN on Friday, protesters en route to a rally in support of former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya find their travels cut short when a troop of soldiers, apparently representing the same military force that ousted Zelaya last Sunday and replaced him with Roberto Micheletti, move in and shoot out their bus tires.
Number 44 has been spotted in Orlando, in the form of an animatronic addition to Walt Disney World’s Hall of Presidents. And it speaks with the president’s actual voice. It’s as creepy as it is amazing, and easily worth a quick look.
Stephen Colbert gives us his take on some of the latest Supreme Court rulings: White firefighters were vindicated from long, nonexistent oppression; dumping toxic gold waste into lakes rules; and ibuprofen-smuggling teenage girls need to be kept in check. Watch this clip from last night’s “Colbert Report.”
Jon Stewart interviews Justin Fox, columnist for Time magazine and author of “The Myth of the Rational Market: A History of Risk, Reward and Delusion on Wall Street.” He suggests (gasp!) that markets aren’t rational and human behavior cannot always be predicted. Check out this clip from last night’s “Daily Show.”
The U.S. military has launched the first major offensive of Barack Obama’s new Afghanistan strategy, sending thousands of troops to Helmand province under the moniker Operation Strike of the Sword.
Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was ousted in his pajamas in a 1980s-style coup, while the CIA has begun recruiting laid-off Wall Street financial analysts to screw up other economies. Check out Jon Stewart’s take on things in this clip from Monday night’s “Daily Show.”
Amy Goodman talks with Bethany McLean, pictured, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and one of the journalists responsible for exposing the Enron scandal in 2001, about Bernie Madoff and what his 150-year sentence means on Wall Street. Check out this clip from Tuesday’s “Democracy Now!”
This week marks the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, considered the beginning of the gay rights movement. President Obama is set to meet with gay leaders (and all the anger they’ll bring with them over his failed promises regarding repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” and the Defense of Marriage Act) to commemorate the event. Check out this interview with Jarrett Barrios, the president of GLAAD.
On this week’s “Left, Right & Center” it’s lots of sex, a little health care and even less Michael Jackson. Is sexual repression a uniquely Republican problem? Discuss.
If, as President Obama once claimed, “sunlight is the best disinfectant,” then why is his administration keeping a significant amount of information in the dark? Check out this clip from last night’s “Daily Show” to find out why Jon Stewart is responsible for at least some of that.
“Fault Lines” has this disturbing look at efforts to transform American soldiers into “government-paid missionaries,” as one Christian fundamentalist group put it. Featuring Truthdig’s Chris Hedges.
Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest cultural satire is upon us—and the host of the “Tonight Show.” Conan O’Brien does his best, but all the lap-dancing and Kugel-staring is just too much for him to bear. [Update: Video fixed]
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad demands a public apology from President Obama for “interfering” in Iran’s affairs, while the crackdown widens in the Islamic Republic. Here’s a report from Bloomberg on the latest happenings in Iran.
Writer and religious scholar Reza Aslan joins Jon Stewart to discuss what he sees as a major shift in Iran: What once was a battle over fraudulent election results has become a revolution over the future of the Islamic Republic. Check out the interview on Wednesday night’s “Daily Show.”
The president opened his Tuesday press conference by saying, “The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, the beatings, and imprisonments of the last few days. I strongly condemn these unjust actions… .”
In case you haven’t heard, this whole Iran election crisis thing is about us. Is Barack Obama doing enough to aid our fellow Iranian freedom fighters? Are Westerners the cause of the protests? Watch this clip of last night’s “Daily Show” to find out.
You’ve heard of conflict diamonds, but did you know there might be blood on your cell phone? This PSA brings a little-known aspect of the conflict in Eastern Congo to light and offers a suggestion on how global consumers can help.
Last week Bill Maher took on the president. This week, the “Real Time” host accuses the Democrats of selling out their principles to hedge funds and polluters: ” ... over the last 30-odd years, Democrats have moved to the right and the right has moved into a mental hospital.”
This week’s episode of “Left, Right & Center” takes a look at the doings in Iran and U.S. involvement there, with Truthdig Editor Robert Scheer recalling his interview of a CIA agent who said he organized the 1953 coup in that country. Other topics include two hot issues on the domestic side—U.S. regulatory proposals and health care.
Stephen Colbert walks us through the list of new threats we should be aware of. America, look out for tropical Uighurs, gay animals and Donald H. Crosby. Check out this clip from Thursday night’s “Colbert Report.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee joins Jon Stewart to discuss abortion, and the two actually manage to have a civil conversation and get their points across. Here’s a clip from the interview on Thursday’s “Daily Show.”
Obama Risks Losing His Judicial Prize
