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Since the beginning of recorded time, and probably since long before that, the human body has been highly politicized, particularly in the areas of sexuality and reproduction. With the emergence of biotechnology, genetic modification, and the further refinement of psychopharmacology, we can expect further political polarization around the ethical issues these new options will raise. For example: should we genetically enhance our offspring in accordance with our cultural values, thereby significantly shaping their future in unpredictable ways before they’re even born? In our time, many of the political battles over the body revolve around reproduction, and therefore the rights of women. Abortion and birth control, specifically, are epicenters of controversy in the United States, and the site of a fervent cultural clash between religious ideas about sex and reproduction and democratic ideals of personal liberty.
The U.S. and Afghanistan have agreed to a deal that will put Afghan troops in charge of deeply unpopular night raids on local homes by special forces in Afghanistan. FULL STORY
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Pete Spiliakos provides a nice review of Solicitor General Verrilli’s attempts to defend Obamacare in front of the Supreme Court this past week (“What Part of ‘Because I Said So’ Don’t You Understand?”). Most tv and print pundits say the government’s lawyers (Verrilli) did a poor job defending the law in front of the court [ ... ] South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was never the subject of an Internal Revenue Service investigation into a worship center her family helps run, according to a letter released by the agency Friday. Haley’s office says the letter is proof that the “totally contrived” rumors that spread across the Internet this week that Haley could be [ ... ] It’s called the “The Eleventh Commandment,” and it was popularized by former President Ronald Reagan.
The Daily Beast
Celebs in Hoodies From Jamie Foxx to Carmelo Anthony, athletes, musicians, and actors alike are putting their hoodies up to protest the killing of unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was wearing a hoodie at the time of his death. See photos.
NewsBusters.org | Exposing Liberal Media Bias
Earlier this year, a reporter informed me of what is apparently a common belief in the business press, namely that "the Labor Department considers the (seasonally adjusted, or SA) numbers to be much more reflective of what’s actually going on in the economy" than the raw (i.e., not seasonally adjusted, or NSA) economic data. That's interesting, given that you can't even do seasonal adjustments without the raw data, but I digress. That expressed and almost blind belief in SA numbers explains why virtually no one in the press bothers to look at, let alone report, the NSA numbers. But given this "seasoned" faith, why didn't the business press tell readers that today's revisions to SA figures for initial unemployment claims going back to 2007 released today by the Department of Labor increased the originally reported amounts for the past four weeks by an average of almost 4%?
OpenSecrets Blog May 22 - If President Obama's attacks on Mitt Romney's long career at Bain Capital are a liability, as some Democrats now worry, they don't seem to bother many of Romney's old colleagues: Employees of Bain Capital and Bain & Company have given more than $152,000 to Obama's campaign and the joint fundraising operation he runs with the Democratic National Committee. May 22 - A new poll shows that mitt Romney may have narrowed the gender gap between himself and Barack Obama somewhat in terms of voters -- he's only behind by about 7 percentage points, instead of 19 as he was earlier this year -- but the enthusiasm isn't translating to dollars for the campaign. May 21 - It was a bear market last month in terms of Wall Street's investment in the presidential race -- candidates and super PACs alike.
OpenSecrets.org: Money in Politics -- See Who's Giving & Who's Getting
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Parishioners stand outside a Catholic church in a poor Santiago suburb on Saturday in Cuba. Pope Benedict XVI is in Mexico but will head to Cuba next for a three-day visit. Pope Benedict XVI's trip will be the first papal visit to the island since John Paul II's historic trip in 1998. Two outdoor public Masses will give Benedict a chance to address the Cuban people, and all sides of Cuba's long political conflict will be looking for a little sympathy from the pope. Artyom Savelyev's adoptive mother in Tennessee put him on a plane two years ago and sent him back to his homeland, unaccompanied.United States | World news | guardian.co.uk
18 Mar 2012: Video (40 sec) Robert Bales, whose name was revealed after six-day Pentagon enbargo, could face death penalty if convicted of murdering 16 civilians in Afghanistan
U.S. Congress News - Yahoo! News
With demonstrators chanting outside, the Supreme Court began hearing arguments Monday on the fate of President Barack Obama's historic health care overhaul, no less controversial two years after Democrats pushed it to passage in Congress. Twenty-six states are leading the legal challenge, while Republican presidential …
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Douglas Graham NFL Hall of Fame players and Members of Congress attend a press conference to announce legislation authorizing the Treasury to mint coins in recognition of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. From left to right: Warren Moon, Bruce Smith, Kellen Winslow, Floyd Little, Bobby Mitchell, Sen. Joe Manchin, Rep. Rob Portman and Rep.Political campaigns have taken their battles online, part of a broader effort to target specific voter groups at critical moments. Spending on online political advertising is expected to reach about $160 million this year. A congressional report detailing the value of major tax breaks shows they amount to more than $1 trillion a year and benefit wide swaths of the population.
Political News - Politics, Campaigns & Election News - WSJ.com
The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com
12:54 pm ET - Staff Sgt. Robert Bales joined the Army shortly after the 911 terrorist attacks, and he served three tours in Iraq before being sent to Afghanistan. Now he sits in the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, charged with killing 16 Afghan villagers.Reuters Reuters Reuters Reuters Shutterstock
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