The
Harper's Index for June has been published. Here are a few of the items:
Number of people fatally shot near the Mexican border since 2010 for throwing rocks at U.S. Border Patrol agents: 10
Ratio of seriously mentally ill people held in U.S. state prisons and jails to those held in state psychiatric hospitals: 10:1
Estimated number of doctors working in and around Aleppo at the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011: 5,000
Number working there today: 36
Minimum acres of U.S. grassland that have been converted to soy and corn fields since 2006: 1,300,000
Minimum number of remains of World War I casualties uncovered in northern Italy since 1990 because of retreating glaciers: 40
Portion of inmates held in federal prisons who are nonviolent drug offenders: 1/2
Percentage change in U.S. worker productivity and compensation, respectively, between 1947 and 1973: +104, +93
Between 1973 and 2013: +108, +44
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Blast from the Past. At Daily Kos on this date in 2013—Portman joins ranks of Republicans who opposed expanded background checks but claim they backed them:
First, it was Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire who tried to obscure her vote against background checks for private gun sales. Then Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona did so. Now, Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio has done it, too.
What these Republicans have in common is their April 17 vote against the watered-down Manchin-Toomey proposal that would have expanded background checks to private sales of guns over the internet or advertised in any venue. They have something else in common as well. As a consequence of running into a firestorm of opposition from their constituents in the wake of that nay vote, accompanied by plunges in their public approval rating, they're all pretending they actually supported background checks. [...]
Indeed, the amendment introduced by Republican Sens. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Ted Cruz of Texas that Portman (and Ayotte and Flake) voted for would not have expanded background checks. Instead, it would have weakened the existing system by making it easier for dangerously mentally ill people to obtain guns, reducing the categories of people now covered by background checks and narrowing other categories. Grassley-Cruz would also have made it tougher for law enforcement to go after gun traffickers under existing law.
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Tweet of the Day:
Workers are going to keep fighting until they get a fair wage and a voice on the job #FastFoodGlobal @edshow
— @keithellison
On
today's Kagro in the Morning show: another wild GunFAIL story commands a.m. attention.
Greg Dworkin notes new, low jobless numbers, the Abramson ouster, and Christie insisting he's not toast. On the electoral front, "The Wisdom of Partisan Crowds", the advantages of incumbency, and calling out science denial. Worst prescription ever! U.S. Chamber of Commerce weighs in on immigration. Walking the tightrope of Congressional leadership. "How gun extremists target women."
Armando joins us to discuss a federal court decision upholding denial of trademark the USPTO found ethnically disparaging. Could that impact the DC football team?
High Impact Posts. Top Comments.