Archive | Portside

October 7, 2017

Donald Trump’s Dangerously Coherent Agenda

John Nichols Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung

President Trump’s agenda is disturbingly coherent, and it is based around militarism, austerity, social division, voter suppression, and right-wing authoritarianism.

October 7, 2017

The Epic Systems Oral Argument Did Not Go Well for the Employers (Though it May Not Matter)

Andrew Strom On Labor

It’s worth noting how much the five Republican appointees on the Court would have to put their thumbs on the scale to rule in favor of the employers.

October 7, 2017

A ‘Sonic Attack’ on Diplomats in Cuba? These Scientists Doubt It

Carl Zimmer The New York Times

Sound can cause discomfort and even serious harm, and researchers have explored the idea of sonic weaponry for years. But scientists doubt a hidden ultrasound weapon can explain what happened in Cuba.

October 7, 2017

Hurricane Maria Could Lead to National Public Health Crisis

David Dayen The American Prospect

Some critical prescription drugs are only made on the island, and Hurricane Maria halted production at dozens of pharmaceutical factories.

October 6, 2017

When Mama Sang the Blues

Angela M. Franklin Cultural Weekly

"Whoever said a black woman/was always liberated/didn’t walk in my Mama’s heels," says southern California poet Angela Franklin, a poet active in the Social Justice movement.

October 6, 2017

Six Things to Know About Mass Shootings in America

Frederic Lemieux The Conversation

More guns don’t make you safer, and other recent findings about mass shootings that should help you identify misinformation when you hear it.

October 6, 2017

JFK Had Ordered Full Withdrawal From Vietnam: Solid Evidence

James K. Galbraith WhoWhatWhy

The Ken Burns-Lynn Novick PBS Vietnam Series glosses over JFK’s exit strategy

How Russia Sent a Small Idaho Town Into a Fake News Tailspin

October 6, 2017

Russian operatives have targeted Twin Falls, Idaho with a fake anti-immigration campaign launched on Facebook. NBC Left Field investigates.

An Algorithm That Could Help End Partisan Gerrymandering

October 6, 2017

The Supreme Court heard arguments this week in a case challenging partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin. So why not apply data science to a decades old issue?

Betsy DeVos Faces Silent Protest at Harvard Speech

October 6, 2017

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was confronted by largely silent protesters holding signs opposing the Trump administration's promotion of for-profit schools and changes to how colleges handle sex assault allegations at a speech at Harvard University.