Jon Queally at Common Dreams writes—'What a Despicable Sham': MSNBC's Chris Hayes Denounces Five House Democrats as 'Cowards' for Helping GOP to Block Yemen Vote:  While a vote in the U.S. Senate to push forward a War Powers Resolution on Wednesday resulted in applause from peace advocates and critics of the U.S. involvement in the Saudi-led assault on Yemen, five Democrats in the U.S. House stirred outrage as they helped Republicans in the chamber pass a rule—attached to massive Farm Bill legislation—that effectively killed the hopes of voting on its version of the resolution for the remainder of the congressional session. The procedural vote in the Senate, said resolution co-sponsor Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), will help send a message to the world that the chamber will soon end its support for «this brutal, horrific war in Yemen led by an undemocratic, despotic regime.» But in the House, say critics, the five Democrats—Reps. Jim Costa (Calif.), Al Lawson (Fla.), Collin Peterson (Minn.), Dutch Rupperberger (Md.), and David Scott (Ga.)—sent the exact opposite message by backing the GOP-led effort to kill the resolution. MSNBC's Chris Hayes was just one of the journalists and other experts following the story who expressed outrage about the House vote. «There is literally no domestic constituency of actual voters who are agitating for the US to continue facilitating the bombardment and starvation of Yemen,» Hayes tweeted. He added, «What a despicable sham.» [...] TOP COMMENTS • HIGH IMPACT STORIES QUOTATION “To catch a thief, catch a thief.” ~~Ancient adage TWEET OF THE DAY xYes, Michael Cohen was Trump's personal lawyer, but more recently he was Deputy Finance Chair of the Republican National Committee. The Deputy Finance Chair of the RNC was just sentenced to 3 years in prison for felonies committed during the 2016 presidential election campaign.— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) December 12, 2018 BLAST FROM THE PAST On this date at Daily Kos in 2006—Pentagon Wants to 'Double-Down.' Sadr the Target: Whether the troops can be found to up the ante in Iraq and whether, if found, they can actually defeat al-Sadr in his own city without playing the Fallujah card is not something I'd want to «double-down» on even if we were just talking dollars instead of lives. While the Pentagon makes its calculations, and American troops wonder which Christmas they'll be home, the Bush-Cheney attempts at juggling the Iraqi factions continue apace. About all that's missing these days is an invitation to Ahmad Chalabi for lunch at the White House. And, of course, a sane plan for getting out of Iraq. LINK TO DAILY KOS STORE On today’s Kagro in the Morning show: Everybody's talking about yesterday's Oval Office meltdown. That includes Greg Dworkin & Joan McCarter. Nobody's talking about the job of UN Musical Director. That Chinese microchip spying story's falling apart. And so is Trump’s base, at last!  x Embedded Content RadioPublic|LibSyn|YouTube|Patreon|Square Cash (Share code: Send $5, get $5!)

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Former Gov. Jan Brewer’s losing, years-long battle to block Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients in Arizona from being able to apply for a driver’s license is going to cost the state’s taxpayers a shit ton of money, and it’s all her fault. “In an order Monday,” the Arizona Daily Star reports, “U.S. District Court Judge David Campbell said those who challenged the former governor’s executive order are entitled to almost $1.9 million in legal fees. And Campbell agreed they are owed more than $81,000 in other costs.” Brewer, in her trademark asshole way, issued an executive order blocking DACA recipients from licenses on the very day of DACA’s implementation back in 2012, kicking off a legal battle that stretched out for years. On the day in 2014 that the courts said the Arizona Department of Transportation could finally accept applications from DACA recipients, they very happily lined up at dawn. Only Nebraska joined Arizona in trying to block young immigrants from being able to legally drive, a policy that the former finally overturned in 2015. Noted constitutional scholar Brewer tried to pin her opposition to DACA on state law, but “in fact, appellate Judge Harry Pregerson wrote that Brewer’s order was motivated by ‘a dogged animus’ against DACA recipients.” Recall “papers, please,” anyone?  Brewer didn’t seem too happy about Campbell’s order this week. “That’s outrageous,” she said, continuing to defend her order. Well, racism sucks, Jan, it’s expensive, and in true Republican fashion, you’ve left your mess behind for others to clean up. “She's out of office,” MALDEF tweeted, “but Arizonans are still paying the price for her unconstitutional nativism.”

A massive healthcare lawsuit hasn't been getting a great deal of attention but it’s been quietly growing, nonetheless. Almost all the states have joined a complaint against generic prescription drug makers that began with a focus on just two drugs, but has expanded to implicate 16 companies and more than 300 drugs. Joseph Nielsen, an assistant attorney general and antitrust investigator in Connecticut who is leading the charge tells the Washington Post that «This is most likely the largest cartel in the history of the United States.» Last month a federal judge ruled that «more than 1 million emails, cellphone texts and other documents cited as evidence could be shared among all plaintiffs,» ballooning the scope of this probe into how drug manufacturers who are supposed to be providing lower-cost generic drugs are engaged in illegal price-fixing, and cheating American consumers and taxpayers. Since then, some really damning details have emerged, including the «insider lingo» executives used while working out their collusion «over steak dinners, cocktail receptions and rounds of golf.» It's a very clubby world, it turns out, in which the market for generic drugs is called the «sandbox,” and where all the companies are supposed to cooperate to get their »fair share,« meaning spreading the profits out evenly. Not doing so is »trashing the market”—in other words, selling drugs at a price other than what the cartel agreed upon. Generics are supposed to be bringing health care costs down for consumers. That was the intent back in 1984 when Congress wrote the law establishing rules for generics. «It’s particularly ironic since the whole idea of generic drugs was we would get a lower price,» says former Rep. Henry Waxman, the California Democrat who co-wrote the law. «If generic versions are higher than need be through rigged systems, that undercuts the whole idea.» That's exactly what's happening.

It’s been months since any politician or mainstream media outlet has reported in detail on Puerto Rico. But the situation on the island remains dire—socially, politically, and financially. In addition to the ongoing, extensive recovery from Hurricane Maria, 2019 marks the 13th consecutive year of recession for Puerto Rico’s economy. The Financial Oversight and Management Board, created in 2016, was supposed to be overseeing the debt crisis and reducing government spending. But the board’s austerity measures have been controversial and now Democrats in the House of Representatives want to use their new majority to investigate the board.  According to The Washington Post, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) says that the board’s proposed cuts have made the island’s economic recovery more difficult. Grijalva is the incoming chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, which oversees Puerto Rican affairs. “It’s our responsibility as a committee—now as a majority—to treat the citizens of Puerto Rico as coequals,” said Grijalva. He hopes that the committee will visit the island and learn about both the board and the economy, which could lead to oversight hearings based on what they find.  While Grijalva blames the board for exacerbating the island’s economic misfortune, the fiscal board says it is not their fault. Instead, they shifted blame to the local government. A spokesman for the board says it is the island’s government that is making things worse by refusing to enact the board’s proposed cuts. In November, the board sent a letter to House Democrats warning that the Puerto Rico’s deficits would only grow larger in the long term. In order to prevent this, they advised that the government would need to implement more reforms and use short-term surpluses to manage long-term deficits. Apparently, no one can agree on how to fix the debt and who’s to blame for it. But things continue to get worse. Hurricane Maria caused an estimated $43 billion in damages and the island owes $70 billion to bondholders. The island’s annual general fund budget is only $9 billion, all of which means bondholders will be waiting for their money for a long time.  Interestingly, the people of Puerto Rico have absolutely no say on who is on the fiscal board that is managing the debt. Members of the board are chosen by the White House from a list generated by members of Congress. Both Republicans and Democrats get to pick a slate of names to go on the list. And while Puerto Rico technically has a delegate in Congress, its delegate is a non-voting member which means they have no say in fixing what is so obviously broken. 

Fifty-one years in prison is the kind of justice you get if you are the 16-year-old survivor of sex trafficking that kills a much older man who solicits you for sex. Though Cyntoia Brown is clearly the victim in this scenario—a young woman who has experienced unspeakable trauma and sexual assault at the hands of men, the state of Tennessee says that she must remain in prison for five decades before she can be released. In 2004, Brown was 16 when she shot and killed Johnny Allen, a man who was 43 years old at the time. She was a runaway who was living with her 24-year-old boyfriend, a pimp who raped her and forced her into prostitution. Allen was a real-estate agent who solicited Brown one night for sex. He took her back to his home and got into bed with her. According to Brown, she feared for her life and thought he was reaching for a gun. So she shot him first with a handgun she had in her purse.  The Huffington Post notes that Brown was later tried as an adult and convicted of the following: first-degree murder, felony murder, and aggravated robbery. She was originally sentenced to life in prison. The U.S. Supreme Court says that life sentences without parole for juveniles is a violation of their constitutional rights. And so Brown’s lawyers filed a lawsuit claiming that her sentence is unconstitutional. But the state of Tennessee doesn’t care about Brown or her rights. So last week, the state’s Supreme Court ruled that she has to remain in prison for 51 years before she is eligible for parole. Specifically, “under the state’s law, defendants like Brown who were convicted of first-degree murder after July 1, 1995, can only be released from prison after serving at least 51 years of their sentences.” This is not justice. Especially when Brown was convicted of a crime for defending herself against a man who was in the act of committing a crime—unless, of course, Tennessee considers sex with a minor who’s been forced into prostitution legal. It’s nothing but a workaround for the court, which delighted in noting that technically Brown isn’t in prison for the rest of her life. In fact, they made it clear that she’d received a “life sentence, not a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.” One can only hope these judges are pleased with themselves. After all, it takes a truly awful person to sentence a teenage rape victim to life in prison.  It’s worth noting that Brown hadn’t even reached the age of consent and wasn’t a legal adult at the time. And yet somehow, she’s the villain who ends up in jail until she’s a senior citizen. It’s really hard to imagine that this would be happening if Brown were white. And especially male. Actually, it wouldn’t be happening. Because white men who rape are so often given a pass, receiving light sentences or no sentence at all. We need only look at some recent cases in the news to know this. 

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Choksi, who escaped in the first week of January this year after he and his companies cheated the bank of Rs 70 billion, has taken citizenship of Antigua

A seasoned IAS officer who is close to the current government, will Das find an independent voice as the new central bank boss?

Industrial robotics is on track to be worth around $20 billion by 2020, but while it may something in common with other categories of cutting-edge tech — innovative use of artificial intelligence, pushing the boundaries of autonomous machines that are disrupting pre-existing technology — there is one key area where it differs: each robotics firm […]

Volvo Trucks released teaser images Wednesday of the electric trucks it plans to bring to California next year as part of a demonstration project, the latest truck manufacturer to publicize its electric plans in the state. The attraction to California is no accident. The state has set aggressive targets to improve air quality and reduce […]

Researchers have demonstrated a new technique's viability for membranes.

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Researchers have created a noninvasive technology that detects when nerve cells fire based on changes in shape. The method could be used to observe nerve activity in light-accessible parts of the body, such as the eye, which would allow physicians to quantitatively monitor visual function at the cellular level.

Riverdale is back to… whatever passes for normal after last week’s three-chapter split episode. We once again begin the show with Jughead’s narration telling us what a normal day everyone’s having. That should immediately […] The post ‘Riverdale’ Season 3, Episode 8 Recap: Someone Read ‘Watchmen’ appeared first on Geek.com.

HONOLULU (AP) - The Latest on a plane crash off the coast of Hawaii (all times local): 4 p.m. Authorities say the pilot of an airplane that crashed off Hawaii during a military exercise is in serious condition. Honolulu Emergency Services spokesman Dustin Malama says the 47-year-old appears to have ...

When the leaders of global airlines posed for a photo in June, there were 25 men in dark suits and a lone woman in the last seat on the far right. That could be changing, but very slowly. Air France announced Wednesday that Anne Rigail will take over as CEO ...

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DALLAS (AP) - The CEO of United Airlines says his pilots don't need any additional training on the new Boeing jet that is at the center of the investigation into a deadly crash in Indonesia. Oscar Munoz says that's because United's pilots are prepared to respond to problems that might ...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas' parks and tourism director is leaving the agency to take a job with Bentonville-based Walmart. Gov. Asa Hutchinson's office announced Wednesday that Kane Webb is resigning as head of the state Department of Parks and Tourism at the end of the year. Webb will ...

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Miro Heiskanen, Blake Comeau and Alexander Radulov scored for Dallas, which has dropped its last two after winning four straight.

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Ondrej Kase got his first NHL hat trick, Brandon Montour had four points in the third period

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