Thom's blog
The Koch brothers are spreading lies about Obamacare.
As Obamacare goes into effect, some states are getting creative with ads telling residents about the healthcare law's benefits. However, those ads will be running alongside a multi-million dollar misinformation campaign orchestrated by the Koch brothers.
Will Egyptians be swayed by international pressure?
In the days since the Egyptian military removed Mohamed Morsi from his presidency, violent protests have erupted in that nation. Dozens have been killed and more than one thousand people have been injured as pro-Morsi protesters clashed with those cheering the military's actions. Last week, the head of Egypt's constitutional court, Adly Mahmud Mansour, was sworn in as that nation's interim leader.
Should Obamacare provision be delayed?
Yesterday, the Obama Administration announced that one of the major provisions in the Affordable Care Act will be delayed for one year. Under the law, starting in 2014, businesses with over 50 employees would have been required to provide healthcare to workers or pay a fine. That provision will now not take effect until 2015, after next year's midterm elections.
This is movement politics.
From pro-choice Texans, to the Moral Mondays in North Carolina, to striking fast-food workers in numerous states, people around are nation are starting to take to the streets to demand that their voices be heard. Yesterday, in San Francisco, 2,400 unionized transit workers went on strike when management refused to come to an agreement.
Wedding bells are ringing in California!
After last week's historic Prop 8 ruling, same-sex couples in California were told they would have to wait at least 25 days to get married. However, Attorney General Kamala Harris asked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to speed things up, and allow people to marry sooner. And, that's exactly what they did.
Will we finally see a path to citizenship?
On Thursday, the United States Senate approved its so-called comprehensive immigration bill. It is the first significant attempt to fix out broken immigration system in over 25 years, and it includes a long-awaited path to citizenship. Senate Democrats passed the measure with the support of 14 Republicans, and the crowd in the Senate chamber erupted in chants of “Yes we can.”
Austerity is taking hold of our nation.
The Republican sequester is wreaking havoc on our economy. Yesterday, the Bureau of Economic Analysis announced a huge revision to previous estimates of economic growth. Initially, the BEA estimated our economy grew by 2.5 percent during the first three months of this year. Now they say our GDP only increased by 1.8 percent.
DOMA & Prop 8 go down!
The Supreme Court has struck down DOMA, and cleared the way for same-sex marriage to resume in the state of California. In two landmark decisions today, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of equality. The Defense of Marriage Act was ruled unconstitutional in a 5 to 4 ruling, as a violation of the equal protection guaranteed under the Fifth Amendment.
SCOTUS neuters the Voting Rights Act.
Our nation's highest court has struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. In a 5-to-4 ruling delivered by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Supreme Court ruled that the formula used to decide what states are subject to voting law pre-clearance is unconstitutional.
Where in the world is Edward Snowden?
Over the weekend, government officials and news agencies were playing a game of “Where's Snowden.” The NSA whistle-blower made a sudden departure from Hong Kong, reportedly traveling to Moscow, Russia. Snowden was then not in his seat for the next flight, which would have brought him from Russia to Cuba.