Inauguration 2017 Special Coverage w/ Angela Davis, Naomi Klein, Ralph Nader & More
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Special coverage in the Trump Era
From Public Citizen's Corporate Presidency site: "44 Trump administration officials have close ties to the Koch brothers and their network of political groups, particularly Vice President Mike Pence, White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and White House budget director Mick Mulvaney."
Dark Money author Jane Mayer on The Dangers of President Pence, New Yorker, Oct. 23 issue on-line
Can Time Inc. Survive the Kochs? November 28, 2017 By Jane Mayer
..."This year, among the Kochs’ aims is to spend a projected four hundred million dollars in contributions from themselves and a small group of allied conservative donors they have assembled, to insure Republican victories in the 2018 midterm elections. Ordinarily, political reporters for Time magazine would chronicle this blatant attempt by the Kochs and their allies to buy political influence in the coming election cycle. Will they feel as free to do so now?"...
"Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America" see: our site, and George Monbiot's essay on this key book by historian Nancy MacLean.
Full interview with The New Yorker’s Jane Mayer March 29, 2017, Democracy Now! about her article, "The Reclusive Hedge-Fund Tycoon Behind the Trump Presidency: How Robert Mercer Exploited America’s Populist Insurgency."
Democracy Now! Special Broadcast from the Women's March on Washington
The Economics of Happiness -- shorter version
Local Futures offers a free 19-minute abridged version of its award-winning documentary film The Economics of Happiness. It "brings us voices of hope of in a time of crisis." www.localfutures.org.
What's New?
June 15, 2011
Italians speak in referendum win against nuclear power, water privatization, more
"The referendum is valid only if at least a majority of electors goes to the polling station. Since 1997, no referendum reached the quorum, the 50% + 1 voters needed for the consultation to be valid. This last referendum saw a participation of 57% of Italian voters (54% globally, the number is lowered by the number of Italians living abroad). Voters were asked to vote SI (yes) if they wished for the law to be abrogated, NO if they wanted to keep the law as is. The SI won by a large margin.
Voting SI, Italians decided to abrogate 2 laws regarding privatization of water utilities management, 1 law regarding the construction of nuclear power plants and 1 law stating that the Prime Minister is allowed to skip judicial hearings if busy with official duties. The last one was one of the most controversial laws, since it is no secret that the current government emanated it in order to help Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi avoid facing several charges in front of the Milan's court.
Italy : Referendum June 2011 Results... but please note that the vote was for reversing the law in effect today so yes means no and no means yes ... just like is normal in Italian politics :-)
Referendum 1 Servizi pubblici locali ( public social services ) SI 95,35% NO 4,65%
Referendum 2 Tariffa servizio idrico ( water cost ) SI 95,80% NO 4,20%
Referendum 3 Energia elettrica nucleare ( Nuclear Eleectricity production ) SI 94,05% NO 5,95%
Referendum 4 Legittimo impedimento ( Legitimate impediment, Legal impediment ) SI 94,62% NO 5,38%"
Source: Life in Italy: http://www.lifeinitaly.com/news/en/referendum-2011