By Robert Reich – The Democratic contest has repeatedly been characterized as a choice between Hillary Clinton’s “pragmatism†and Bernie Sanders’s “idealism†– with the not-so-subtle message that realists choose pragmatism over idealism. But this way of framing the choice ignores the biggest reality of all: the unprecedented, and increasing, concentration of income, wealth and…
By Glynn Wilson – MOBILE, Ala. — A federal judge grilled lawyers here Tuesday about the questionable legality of a plan put forward by the administration of Alabama Governor Robert Bentley to use BP oil spill environmental restoration money for economic development to build a hotel and convention center on the state park beach in…
Connecting the Dots – By Glynn Wilson – I’ve been wondering when someone would mention the television ad for Senator Richard Shelby of Tuscaloosa, who is running for reelection in 2016 in spite of his age. He will be 81-years-old on election day and 87 if he lives to finish his term. I’ve been seeing…
Will they build them in Mobile? How will state and local officials and the local media respond? – By Glynn Wilson – MOBILE, Ala. — When Alabama officials celebrated the news that Airbus would open a plant to build planes and provide jobs here, little did they know one of the biggest customers would turn…
The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – If the people of Alabama are really willing to depend on a pathetic monopoly news organization like al.com, the new conservative corporate entity owned by the Newhouse brothers in New York who won the newspaper circulation wars in the last half of the 20th century but hide…
By Rebecca Riffkin and Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — A large majority of Americans, 63 percent, say they are dissatisfied with the size and influence of major corporations, according to the latest Gallup poll on the subject. “Americans have long been suspicious of the power of big corporations, but they have not been supportive…
By Walter Simon – BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The last time I was in the vicinity of the Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham was in the winter of 2012 at the occupy camp we set up, wrapping around the corner sidewalk of 20th and 5th avenue north in front of the entrance to Regions bank. The bus…
Earth’s 2015 surface temperatures were the warmest since modern record keeping began in 1880, according to independent analyses released on Wednesday by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Globally-averaged temperatures in 2015 shattered the previous mark set in 2014 by 0.23 degrees Fahrenheit (0.13 Celsius). Only once before, in 1998, has the new…
The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – MOBILE, Ala. — Let’s see. Do you want the good news or the bad news first? I know. It’s painfully obvious that people hate the government — and the media. Nothing works right anymore. The world is going to hell in a hand-basket. Insert your favorite cliche…
Private Company Sues Park Service for $50 Million Claiming Ownership of Park Names, Including Yosemite – By Glynn Wilson – A private contractor running many of the operations in America’s national parks is now suing the federal government claiming it owns the intellectual property rights of famous names like Yosemite National Park, along with the…
The competitors in the 2016 Oscars race were announced Thursday, in an event that was live-streamed from California. The winners will be announced on Feb. 28. The most nominations went to “The Revenant,” with 12, followed by “Mad Max: Fury Road,” with 10. “The Martian” was cited seven times, and “Carol,” “Bridge of Spies,” and…
Taking over a federal building at the point of a rifle gives protest a bad name – By John Kiriakou – The armed men occupying an isolated federal building in a remote Oregon bird sanctuary say they won’t leave until the federal government stops its “tyranny.” Yet it’s not clear what that tyranny is, exactly.…
Jim Rhodes – Income inequality, raising the minimum wage, an unfair tax structure, gender based wages, corporate outsourcing to avoid taxes and adequately compensating workers has provided Bernie Sanders with issues that resonate with the working poor, students, veterans, and a cross section of Americans excluded by the corporate elite that now control Washington. Mainstream…
By Robert Reich – If you haven’t yet seen “The Big Short” – directed and co-written by Adam McKay, based on the non-fiction prize-winning book by Michael Lewis about the housing and credit bubble that triggered the Great Recession — I recommend you do so. Not only is the movie an enjoyable (if that’s the…
By Robert Reich – Economic forecasters exist to make astrologers look good, but I’ll hazard a guess. I expect the U.S. economy to sputter in 2016. That’s because the economy faces a deep structural problem: not enough demand for all the goods and services it’s capable of producing. American consumers account for almost 70 percent…
By Jim Norman and Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — Television viewing was once so beloved by Americans that nearly half said it was their favorite thing to do at night. The latest public opinion survey shows night time TV is now less popular than ever, even with all the new choices between the major…
By Curtis Seltzer – BLUE GRASS, Va. — Six months ago, I wrote that Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders would be the nominees for president in 2016. Those predictions seemed far-fetched at the time. Now, Trump seems nearfetched, and Sanders is running a stubborn second to Hillary Clinton. Both Trump and Sanders have gotten stronger…
By Glynn Wilson – Homo sapiens have impacted the Earth’s climate to such a pervasive extent that scientists are urging the ushering in of a new geological era. We have now left the Holocene epoch and entered the Anthropocene, according to a new study out Thursday from the journal Science. The Holocene epoch, which scientists…
By Robert Reich – What’s at stake this election year? Let me put as directly as I can. America has succumbed to a vicious cycle in which great wealth translates into political power, which generates even more wealth, and even more power. This spiral is most apparent is declining tax rates on corporations and on…
WASHINGTON (NAJ) – The Obama administration filed its civil case in federal court against Volkswagen and its subsidiaries on Monday documenting multiple, willful violations of the Clean Air Act due to the company blatantly faking clean emissions tests and high gas mileage in its diesel automobiles sold to the public as clean and fuel efficient…
