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?
March 01, 2009
Budget Makes No 'Sweeping Shift' in Security Spending Yet
"In December, The New York Times reported that Obama's Secretary of State, National Security Advisor, and Defense Secretary had all 'embraced a sweeping shift of priorities and resources in the national security arena…a rebalancing of America's security portfolio after a huge investment in new combat capabilities during the Bush years.'
"The budget released today does show signs of a modest course correction. A 'sweeping shift' will have to wait. The main cause: While the new administration has slowed the rate of increase in the base military budget, it has still requested more money for the Pentagon than the Bush administration ever did. Its request of $534 billion is $20 billion more than the amount Congress appropriated for FY 2009.
"The administration has, commendably, included projected war spending in their preliminary budget. This brings the total budget for engaging the world militarily to $663.7 billion.
"The Task Force on a Unified Security Budget has been monitoring the overall balance of security spending on offense (the military), defense (homeland security) and prevention (non-military foreign engagement) since 2004. The preliminary budget information released today gives us the first indicator of the new administration's overall security priorities..."