Obama Administration Calls the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby Bluff

Ian Millhiser ThinkProgress
The Obama Administration’s new rules will likely put an end to the Supreme Court’s ability to move the goalposts every time someone raises a new objection to the administration’s policy. Now, the country will have to wait to find out whether Hobby Lobby actually permits this latest set of rules — or whether the language in the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision was simply Lucy pulling away the football one more time

The Coming Race War Won’t Be About Race

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar TIME
Kareem Abdul Jabar says that Ferguson is not just about systemic racism — it's about class warfare and how America's poor are held back

The Racism of the US Criminal Justice System in 10 Charts

The shooting of Michael Brown offers Americans yet another reminder that their criminal justice system is riddled with racial disparities. From encounters with police to prison sentences, Ferguson is another drop in a very full bucket.

The Racial Wealth Gap in America

Though the United States is one of the wealthiest countries, to many Americans this prosperity remains out of reach. Blacks and Hispanics who are striving to make a better life for themselves and their families are not given the same asset building opportunities. Full research here.

Peter Case -- House Rent Party

Peter Case tells the tale of a modern day house rent party. Filmed during the Music Fog sessions at the 2010 Americana Music Festival in Nashville, TN.

How Economic Inequality Harms Societies

We feel instinctively that societies with huge income gaps are somehow going wrong. Richard Wilkinson charts the hard data on economic inequality, and shows what gets worse when rich and poor are too far apart.

Friday Nite Videos -- August 22, 2014

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How Economic Inequality Harms Societies. Peter Case -- House Rent Party. The Racial Wealth Gap in America. Guantanamera Around the World. The Racism of the US Criminal Justice System in 10 Charts.

Missing in Action: AFL-CIO Should Be in Ferguson

Carl Finamore Common Dreams
American labor is not dividing our membership by strongly addressing issues of racism. On the contrary, division already exists. Unity of the white working class with the majority of women and people of color in this country can only be achieved on the basis of supporting and defending common social and economic rights. Continuing to ignore harsh realities of racist discrimination will only continue our separation.

Tidbits - August 21, 2014

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Reader Comments - We need a special prosecutor ((Cornell William Brooks, NAACP); Ferguson, Racism, Economic Inequality, Michael Brown, Police Militarization; Racism and Misuse of Genetics; Rosetta Comet; Jewish Resources for Resisting Nationalism; Robin Williams; Israel, Gaza and Hamas; NFL's New Low - Asks Performers to Pay to Play at Super Bowl; Today in History - Nat Turner's Rebellion; Tomorrow - Fannie Lou Hamer & the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party