In Defense of the Mega-Rich

As food stamps were cut, millionaire Tom “Kristallnacht” Perkins explained the plight of the wealthy; athletes are looking to unionize; and how will Supreme Court justices believing in “natural law” affect their legal decisions? These discoveries and more below.

On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that have found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.

Watch a Millionaire Explain How the Rich Are Victims as Food Stamp Cuts Are Announced The House and Senate Agriculture committees announced a long-in-the-works compromise Farm Bill Monday evening — at the exact same time Tom “Kristallnacht” Perkins was defending the mega-rich on television.

More Damning Signs of Chris Christie’s Corruption The political press devoted nearly all of its attention on Tuesday to President Obama’s State of the Union address, which meant embattled New Jersey Governor Chris Christie had a rare respite from what has been, for weeks now, unrelentingly negative coverage.

Socialite Strips Naked, Jumps from Roof of Beverly Hills Building After Facelift Sandra D’Auriol, 53, reportedly snapped after she woke from the nip-and-tuck procedure by Dr. Brian Novack, a popular plastic surgeon to the stars. D’Auriol – a jeweler who once worked for Asprey, which supplies the Royal Family – stripped naked and went to the roof of the 15-story building, where she jumped to her death.

The Return of Capital Thomas Piketty’s new book, Le capital au XXIe sieÌcle (which is supposed to be released soon in English as Capital in the 21st Century), is creating quite a stir. It is the subject of the latest column by Thomas B. Edsall and was recently reviewed by Branco Milanovic.

Solar Wind Creates Water in Star Dust, Implications for Life Solar wind can form water on interplanetary dust, potentially adding to the primordial soup that gave rise to life on Earth, scientists say.

Netanyahu to Convene Forum to Debate BDS Threat Government to seriously discuss boycott for first time, after Dutch pension giant decides to divest from Israel’s banks.

How Students Transformed $6 Billion Endowment Last October 4, a group of students clutching more than 2,000 petitions knocked on the door of the Duke University Board of Trustees meeting and requested an audience.

Athletes Move to Unionize The Internet – or at least, the piece of the Internet where people pay moderate attention to college sports – blew up Tuesday afternoon with the news that some number of Northwestern University football players are seeking to unionize.

New, Privatized African City Heralds Climate Apartheid Nigeria’s Eko Atlantic augurs how the super-rich will exploit the crisis of climate change to increase inequality and seal themselves off from its impacts.

A First Look at First Look Media It has been three months since Glenn Greenwald left The Guardian in the wake of his Edward Snowden scoop to join a new media property with the eBay founder and chairman Pierre Omidyar, offering scant detail about what the new venture will look like.

Top Israeli Think Tank: If Talks Fail, Withdraw from 85% of West Bank The country’s leading strategic think tank recommended on Tuesday that if the diplomatic process with Palestinians fails, Israel unilaterally withdrawal from 85 percent of the West Bank – between the security barrier and the Jordan Valley.

Obama’s NSA Speech Makes Orwellian Surveillance Patriotic When considering the revolutionary history of the United States, most would think of fighting for freedom, the enshrinement of basic human and civil rights in a constitutional government of the people, by the people and for the people.

When Judges Believe in ‘Natural Law’ At least two Supreme Court justices think there’s a divine legal code underlying the Constitution. How will this influence the outcomes of Hobby Lobby and other cases where the plaintiffs claim a moral high ground?