Reuters finds lead levels higher than Flint’s in thousands of locales

Reuters finds lead levels higher than Flint's in thousands of locales:

A Reuters examination of lead testing results across the country found almost 3,000 areas with poisoning rates far higher than in the tainted Michigan city. Yet many of these lead hotspots are receiving little attention or funding. ST. via Pocket

North Carolina is no longer classified as a democracy

North Carolina is no longer classified as a democracy:

In 2005, in the midst of a career of traveling around the world to help set up elections in some of the most challenging places on earth – Afghanistan, Burma, Egypt, Lebanon, South Africa, Sudan and Yemen, among others – my Danish colleague, Jorgen Elklit, and I designed the first comprehensive via Pocket

Is Donald Trump a Threat to Democracy?

Is Donald Trump a Threat to Democracy?:

Donald J. Trump's election has raised a question that few Americans ever imagined asking: Is our democracy in danger? With the possible exception of the Civil War, American democracy has never collapsed; indeed, no democracy as rich or as established as America's ever has. via Pocket

Rising inequality has crushed the dream of upward mobility

Rising inequality has crushed the dream of upward mobility:

A child born in 1940 had an extremely good chance of growing up to earn more money than his parents did. via Pocket

The Perfect Weapon: How Russian Cyberpower Invaded the U.S.

The Perfect Weapon: How Russian Cyberpower Invaded the U.S.:

WASHINGTON — When Special Agent Adrian Hawkins of the Federal Bureau of Investigation called the Democratic National Committee in September 2015 to pass along some troubling news about its computer network, he was transferred, naturally, to the help desk. His message was brief, if alarming. via Pocket

Why Obamacare enrollees voted for Trump

Why Obamacare enrollees voted for Trump:

CORBIN, Kentucky — Kathy Oller is so committed to her job signing up fellow Kentuckians for Obamacare that last Halloween, she dressed up as a cat, set up a booth at a trick-or-treat event, and urged people to get on the rolls. via Pocket

Inequality Is Killing The American Dream

Inequality Is Killing The American Dream:

Decades of rising income inequality and slowing economic growth have eroded a pillar of the American dream: the hope that each generation will do better than the one that came before, according to new research released Thursday. via Pocket

Judges Find Wisconsin Redistricting Unfairly Favored Republicans

Judges Find Wisconsin Redistricting Unfairly Favored Republicans:

Federal courts have struck down gerrymanders on racial grounds, but not on grounds that they unfairly give advantage to a political party — the more common form of gerrymandering. The case could now go directly to the Supreme Court, where its fate may rest with a single justice, Anthony M. via Pocket

How Democrats Killed Their Populist Soul

How Democrats Killed Their Populist Soul:

In the 1970s, a new wave of post-Watergate liberals stopped fighting monopoly power. The result is an increasingly dangerous political system. It was January 1975, and the Watergate Babies had arrived in Washington looking for blood. via Pocket

How extralegal actions with a veneer of normalcy can lead to a nightmare

How extralegal actions with a veneer of normalcy can lead to a nightmare:

Community Voices features opinion pieces from a wide variety of authors and perspectives. (Submission Guidelines) Seventy-eight years ago next week there was a meeting in Berlin that was extraordinary in the way that it was ordinary. via Pocket

Executive Pay Clawbacks Are Gratifying, but Not Particularly Effective

Executive Pay Clawbacks Are Gratifying, but Not Particularly Effective:

If the goal is to keep corporate executives honest, compensation clawbacks aren't doing the job. That's what the recent action by Wells Fargo's board shows. via Pocket

My Four Months as a Private Prison Guard: A Mother Jones Investigation

My Four Months as a Private Prison Guard: A Mother Jones Investigation:

Have you ever had a riot?" I ask a recruiter from a prison run by the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). "The last riot we had was two years ago," he says over the phone. "Yeah, but that was with the Puerto Ricans!" says a woman's voice, cutting in. "We got rid of them. via Pocket

The U.S. Constitution: Time to update, to ensure a functioning government

The U.S. Constitution: Time to update, to ensure a functioning government:

It has become increasingly clear that the U.S. Constitution is in dire need of amendment. via Pocket

After Three Decades of Neglect, Antitrust Is Back on the Democratic Platform

After Three Decades of Neglect, Antitrust Is Back on the Democratic Platform:

An activist displays a stylized US flag at an Occupy Wall Street rally in New York City on September 18, 2011. (Photo: David Shankbone) For the first time in 28 years, the Democratic Party platform calls for vigorous, stepped-up enforcement of our anti-monopoly laws. via Pocket

http://ift.tt/2dwDnCu

http://ift.tt/2dwDnCu:

The article, entitled "Under Pence, state gave incentives to companies that offshored jobs," ran August 28 and is here. Cook's exposé is a textbook roadmap for reporters in every state. via Pocket

http://ift.tt/2dpogq2

http://ift.tt/2dpogq2:

via Pocket

Who Benefits From Strong Unions? Everyone.

Who Benefits From Strong Unions? Everyone.:

via Pocket

Daughters and Trumps

Daughters and Trumps:

As the father of no daughters, I'm appalled by Donald Trump's comments about groping women. As the husband of no wife, I'm offended. via Pocket

This Republican mayor has an incredibly simple idea to help the homeless. And it seems to be working.

This Republican mayor has an incredibly simple idea to help the homeless. And it seems to be working.:

Republican Mayor Richard Berry was driving around Albuquerque last year when he saw a man on a street corner holding a sign that read: "Want a Job. Anything Helps." via Pocket

Debugging

Debugging:

via Pocket

Death in Black and White

Death in Black and White:

This essay has been updated to reflect news developments. We, black America, are a nation of nearly 40 million souls inside a nation of more than 320 million people. And I fear now that it is clearer than ever that you, white America, will always struggle to understand us. via Pocket

If Not Trump, What?

If Not Trump, What?:

Donald Trump now looks set to be the Republican presidential nominee. So for those of us appalled by this prospect — what are we supposed to do? Well, not what the leaders of the Republican Party are doing. They're going down meekly and hoping for a quiet convention. via Pocket

There’s No Such Thing as a Free Rolex

There's No Such Thing as a Free Rolex:

THIS week, the Supreme Court heard McDonnell v. United States, the case of Bob McDonnell, the former governor of Virginia who is appealing his 2014 conviction for public corruption. via Pocket

The Real Reason Middle America Should Be Angry

The Real Reason Middle America Should Be Angry:

Like many "flyover" cities, St. Louis's decline is not mainly a story of deindustrialization, but of decisions in Washington that opened the door to predatory monopoly. The people of St. via Pocket

What Research Says about Defeating Terrorism

What Research Says about Defeating Terrorism:

So what have psychologists had to say about the problem? Quite a lot. But their cool-headed observations seem to have been drowned out by the all-too-familiar chorus of senators, celebrities and others waging their own rhetorical jihad against Islam. via Pocket

New study sheds light on what happens to women who are denied abortions

New study sheds light on what happens to women who are denied abortions:

In the US, there are many laws limiting when and how women can receive abortions. But there is almost no research on what happens to women who seek out abortions and are denied them. via Pocket

The Case for Reparations

The Case for Reparations:

Two hundred fifty years of slavery. Ninety years of Jim Crow. Sixty years of separate but equal. Thirty-five years of racist housing policy. Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole. via Pocket

Arbitration Everywhere, Stacking the Deck of Justice

Arbitration Everywhere, Stacking the Deck of Justice:

On Page 5 of a credit card contract used by American Express, beneath an explainer on interest rates and late fees, past the details about annual membership, is a clause that most customers probably miss. via Pocket

The five extra words that can fix the Second Amendment

The five extra words that can fix the Second Amendment:

John Paul Stevens served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court from 1975 to 2010. This essay is excerpted from his new book, "Six Amendments: How and Why We Should Change the Constitution." Following the massacre of grammar-school children in Newtown, Conn. via Pocket

America's gun problem, explained

America's gun problem, explained:

It has become an unfortunate American tradition: Following a mass shooting, President Barack Obama yet again takes to the lectern to address the nation on yet another horrific act of gun violence in the US, typically making no effort to hide his anger and frustration at this routine. via Pocket

Sidekick chemicals reverse antibiotic resistance in microbes

Sidekick chemicals reverse antibiotic resistance in microbes:

As microbes continue to build immunity to antibiotics, researchers are scrambling to design new therapies and figure out ways to restore the killing power of the once-potent medicines. via Pocket

The Most Important 2016 Issue You Don’t Know About

The Most Important 2016 Issue You Don't Know About:

We've seen plenty of economic issues discussed in this presidential election: the proper level of financial regulation, the high cost of prescription drugs, the clustering of wealth at the very top. via Pocket

White working-class nostalgia, explained by John Wayne

White working-class nostalgia, explained by John Wayne:

1973 was a pretty grim year in the US. The Watergate scandal reached its peak. The Vietnam War entered its final throes. The turbulent cultural revolutions of the 1960s had everyone raw-nerved and exhausted. via Pocket

Disturbing data: The rich and powerful get their policies adopted, even if opposed by most voters

Disturbing data: The rich and powerful get their policies adopted, even if opposed by most voters:

You won't be shocked to learn that wealthy people get the policies they want from government more often than those of low or moderate means. via Pocket

No Cost for Extremism

No Cost for Extremism:

This article appears in the Spring 2015 issue of The American Prospect magazine. And click here for a free PDF of this 25th Anniversary Issue of the Prospect. via Pocket

11 ways race isn’t real

11 ways race isn't real:

Every time someone struggles to explain or select a racial identity, every time we have a public debate about should check get to check box, and every time a person's looks don't seem to match up with what they call themselves, it's a reminder that race is a social and political construct. via Pocket

Watch Out for These Products That Charge More for "Women's Versions"

Watch Out for These Products That Charge More for "Women's Versions":

Women are being charged $1,351 more than men, per year, for almost identical products, just labeled "for women." This pricing phenomena, often called the "Pink Tax", can typically be avoided by shopping in the men's section for identical products and paying close attention to pricing. via Pocket

Rich Kids Stay Rich, Poor Kids Stay Poor

Rich Kids Stay Rich, Poor Kids Stay Poor:

On Friday, a team of researchers led by Stanford economist Raj Chetty released a paper on how growing up in poverty affects boys and girls differently. via Pocket

Poverty stunts IQ in the US but not in other developed countries

Poverty stunts IQ in the US but not in other developed countries:

As a child develops, a tug of war between genes and environment settles the issue of the child's intelligence. One theory on how that struggle plays out proposes that among advantaged kids—with the pull of educational resources—DNA largely wins, allowing genetic variation to settle smarts. via Pocket