NOW LIVE ON WhoWhatWhy
Who’s Stealing Your Vote? A Documentary
By John Wellington Ennis
This documentary examines America’s broken electoral system, focusing in particular on shenanigans in the fiercely contested election and reelection of George W. Bush. Though released in 2006 to a limited audience, its lessons have never been more relevant.
WHO
The Man Who Shot Michael Brown
The New Yorker profiles former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. The unindicted shooter of Michael Brown turned to policing after the real estate market crashed in 2008 and jobs in home construction dried up. Wilson, whose mother had legal problems and whose own youth was quite unsettled, quickly embracing policing. After some “culture shock” in his first job, he found work in Ferguson and became part of a police force the Department of Justice determined to be little more than a transparent, revenue-raising shakedown scheme. Read the first part of the DOJ’s report here.
A New, Extremely Dangerous Kind of Jewish Fanaticism
Famed security agency Shin Bet is dealing with a new, virulent threat to the State of Israel—a group of radical messianic Jews bent on overthrowing the Israeli government. The issue of Jewish terrorism came to the fore last week after the firebombing of a Palestinian home killed a toddler. Now the Israeli government is cracking down on radical Israelis, even going so far as to approve detention of citizens without charge.
Report: US-led Strikes in Iraq, Syria Killed Many Civilians
On the same day the Wall Street Journal reported that the US is expanding its airpower mission over Syria to provide cover for rebels fighting President Assad, another report detailed hundreds of civilian casualties resulting from airstrikes against ISIS targets. Reporting by Airwars, a watchdog group currently tracking the airstrikes, identified 57 strikes that killed at least 459 civilians.
WHAT
How Much Cash the Candidates Have Raised and Who’s Giving
Here’s the latest tally for what looks more like a full-blown industry than a campaign for the nation’s highest office. The starkest comparison is not just between the candidates (Bush leads with $114m, Clinton is second with $64m), but it is also the huge gap between the dollars they raised for their “official” campaigns, and the big bucks grabbed by their Super PACs. Jeb Bush, for example, only pulled in $11.43m in “official” donations versus $103.17m for his Right to Rise PAC.
WHY
Because Homeland Security Allows Chemical Plants to Self-Report Toxic Releases, 44% are Wrong
“Distance of Concern” is the area around a toxic chemical plant susceptible to the poisonous effects of a potential release. This is of keen interest to Homeland Security, particularly since these plants could be targeted by terrorists. So, according to a new report by the GAO, they let operators self-identify the size of the potentially deadly zones around their plants. And those companies chronically underreported the danger zones around the facilities. The GAO recommends more oversight and more verification.
There May be a Complex Market Living in Your Gut
The human gut is a universe filled with microbes and bacteria. And the environment is teeming with microscopic life. But understanding the complex inter-relationships of the microbial world has been a difficult challenge for scientists. Now, they are using conventional economic theories to unpack the mysterious interactions of microbes. It turns out… that your stomach and the European Union have a lot in common.
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