POST VOTE 2020 - Voter's Being Duped

Once again, Republics prove they no longer support democracy.

"How voters are being ‘duped’ by Trump’s election challenges" PBS NewsHour 12/10/2020

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  A lawsuit filed this week by the Texas Attorney General asked the U.S. Supreme Court to delay certification of election results in four states won by President-elect Joe Biden.  President Trump and 17 states, all with Republicans attorneys general, signed on to the case, which experts say has little chance of being heard by the justices.  Judy Woodruff Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan to discuss.

 

 

"Supreme Court denies Texas attempt to overturn election results" PBS NewsHour 12/11/2020

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  In a closely watched decision the U.S. Supreme Court late Friday denied an attempt by the state of Texas, supported by a large number of Republicans, to overturn the election results and President-elect Joe Biden's victory in four states.  Judy Woodruff spoke with John Yang, Lisa Desjardins and Yamiche Alcindor to discuss.

FACEBOOK - Federal Trade Commission & 46 States File Lawsuits

"Facebook under fire as states seek to rein in the social media giant" PBS NewsHour 12/09/2020

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Facebook is one of the most valuable companies in the world, but its dominance is the subject of major new antitrust actions.  A pair of lawsuits filed by the Federal Trade Commission, and by 46 states, allege that Facebook used its power illegally to drive out competition and buy out rivals.  Phil Weiser, Colorado's Democratic attorney general, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the suits.

AMERICA ADDICTED - Johnson & Johnson Court Judgment

"What Okla. judgment against Johnson & Johnson means for opioid accountability" PBS NewsHour 8/26/2019

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  An Oklahoma judge delivered a $572 million judgment against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson in the first major legal decision to go against a drugmaker for its role in the opioid crisis.  The judge found the company’s marketing practices helped flood the state with painkillers.  William Brangham talks to StateImpact Oklahoma’s Jackie Fortier about the case's unusual argument and broad impact.

VOTE 2018 - Michigan

"Why this tight Michigan race for attorney general matters" PBS NewsHour 10/31/2018

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Many states will be selecting an attorney general on Election Day.  From time to time, these officials, who represent their states in legal proceedings, have acted as a check on federal policies.  Christy McDonald of Detroit Public Television shares a look at a close race in Michigan, where Democratic candidate Dana Nessel is running against Republican candidate Tom Leonard.

CATHOLICISM - The Cover-Ups

"‘Secret archives’ detailed priests’ child sex abuse and cover-ups, PA. attorney general says" PBS NewsHour 8/14/2018

Shocked?  But remember, first and foremost, Priests are only human beings.  It is our fault for placing them on a pedestal and thinking them saints.  Think about it, what positions would attract pedophiles: easy access to children, where they could gain the trust of children, and sometimes be protected.

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  A scathing new grand jury report in Pennsylvania describes decades of sexual abuse by Catholic priests.  At least 1,000 children were molested by more than 300 clergy, the panel found, which also claims a conspiracy of silence extended all the way to the Vatican.  Judy Woodruff sits down with Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Fr. Thomas Reese of Religion News Service.

NRA MURDER INCORPORATED PROMOTIONS - 3D Printed Guns

"How some states are fighting to stop ‘undetectable’ 3D-printed guns" PBS NewsHour 7/31/2018

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  In 2013, a gun rights enthusiast posted designs online for a 3D-printed, functional handgun.  In June, the State Department reversed a past decision and allowed it to be posted online by Texas-based group.  Attorneys general from eight states and the District of Columbia have filed a lawsuit in a last-ditch effort.  John Yang gets reaction from Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

"Trump ‘looking into’ 3D guns, says he’s consulting with NRA" from AP PBS NewsHour 7/31/2018

OK, so in 'Trump World' the NRA is an official consulting firm on U.S. policy?  NOT!

President Donald Trump tweeted on Tuesday he is consulting with the National Rifle Association over whether it makes sense for a Texas company to publish downloadable blueprints for a 3D-printed gun.

Trump tweeted he is “looking into 3-D Plastic Guns being sold to the public,” adding that he “already spoke to NRA.”

The President expressed doubt, saying “doesn’t seem to make much sense!”  He did not offer further details.

The National Rifle Association did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump spoke after eight states filed suit against the administration, contending the hard-to-trace plastic weapons are a boon to terrorists and criminals and threaten public safety.

Unlike traditional firearms that can fire thousands of rounds in their lifetime, experts say the 3D-printed guns normally only last a few rounds before they fall apart.

The suit, filed Monday in Seattle, asks a judge to block the federal government’s late-June settlement with Defense Distributed, which allowed the company to make the plans available online.

Joining the suit were Democratic attorneys general in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Maryland, New York, and the District of Columbia.  Separately, attorneys general in 21 states urged Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, on Monday to withdraw from the settlement with Defense Distributed, saying it “creates an imminent risk to public safety.”

People can use the blueprints to manufacture a plastic gun using a 3D printer.  But gun industry experts have expressed doubt that criminals would go to the trouble, since the printers needed to make the guns are very expensive, the guns themselves tend to disintegrate quickly and traditional firearms are easy to come by.

Unlike traditional firearms that can fire thousands of rounds in their lifetime, experts say the 3D-printed guns normally only last a few rounds before they fall apart.  They don’t have magazines that allow the usual nine or 15 rounds to be carried, instead, they usually hold a bullet or two and then must be manually loaded afterward.  And they’re not usually very accurate.

Cody Wilson, the founder of Defense Distributed, first published downloadable designs for a 3D-printed firearm in 2013.  It was downloaded about 100,000 times until the State Department ordered him to cease, contending it violated federal export laws since some of the blueprints were downloaded by people outside the United States.

The State Department reversed course in late June, agreeing to allow Wilson to resume posting the blueprints.  The files were published on Friday.

The company filed its own suit in Texas on Sunday, asserting that it’s the victim of an “ideologically fueled program of intimidation and harassment” that violates the company’s First Amendment rights.

Meanwhile, Defense Distributed agreed to block temporarily Pennsylvania residents from downloading the plans after state officials went to federal court in Philadelphia on Sunday seeking an emergency order.  The company said it has also blocked access to users in New Jersey and Los Angeles.

ONE ON ONE - Offensive Speech and Gurbir Grewal

"In exclusive interview, N.J. Attorney General reacts to ‘hateful’ ridicule by radio hosts" PBS NewsHour 7/26/2018

NOTE:  Gurbir Grewal is a Sikh-American (not an Arab, aka not everyone who wares a turban is Muslim)

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  A pair of longtime New Jersey radio hosts, Dennis Malloy and Judi Franco, were kicked off the [talk radio] air Thursday after repeatedly referring to Gurbir Grewal, the country's first Sikh attorney general, as "turban man."  In an exclusive interview, Grewal joins Amna Nawaz to speak out against discrimination and stand up for those who can’t.