About three-quarters of Americans support the release of all files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, a new PBS News/NPR/Marist poll finds. Another 13% want some of the Epstein files released, while only 9% don't want any documents released.
A senior federal prosecutor in Virginia has privately told colleagues she intends to reject efforts to bring criminal charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, despite mounting pressure from President Donald Trump, according to MSNBC, citing two people familiar with the matter. read more
Economist and YouGov poll finds president had a 16-point deficit in terms of popularity compared with late-night host
Paramount said Monday that it has bought the news and commentary website The Free Press and installed its founder, Bari Weiss, as the editor-in-chief of CBS News, saying it believes the country longs for news that is balanced and fact-based. read more
Voters under 50 are the least open to electing a female president, and four in 10 Americans personally know someone who would not elect a woman to the White House, a new poll finds.
How long before we start seeing on death certificates something like...
Cause of Death: RFK, Jr's policies?
While I doubt that would actually happen ...
Then there's things like this ...
What to know about RFK Jr.'s financial ties with a personal injury law firm (January 2025)
www.cbsnews.com
... Kennedy has made about $2.5 million since 2022 in his work with the law firm, including $850,000 last year, public records show. Kennedy, himself a longtime personal injury lawyer, could earn even more if the litigation against Merck prevails given that he is opting to keep his stake in the pending court case, according to ethics documents filed before his confirmation hearings.
Kennedy has a consulting arrangement to refer cases to Wisner Baum, which is pursuing cases related to the HPV vaccine Gardasil. If Kennedy is confirmed, he said he would resign from that arrangement.
"I am entitled to receive 10% of fees awarded in contingency fee cases referred to the firm," Kennedy stated in his ethics pledge. According to the document, Kennedy will retain an interest in cases that do not involve the U.S. as a party and in which the U.S. does not have a "direct and substantial interest."
At the same time, Kennedy vowed to divest his rights to payment in contingency fee cases in which the U.S. is a party or has a direct or large interest to a "non-dependent, adult family member."
Financial conflict of interest?
Kennedy's plan to continue collecting contingency fees while serving as Health and Human Services secretary raises questions as a matter of ethics and policy, according to Kathleen Clark, a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis, "It's very unusual for a cabinet secretary to retain an interest in contingency fee litigation," Clark told CBS MoneyWatch. "It's troubling."
For example, if Kennedy stands to financially gain in lawsuits against Merck or other drugmakers, his impartiality as HHS secretary could face scrutiny if the companies faced a federal enforcement action or submitted a drug for government approval, Clark added. ...
@#44 ... My current preference is NLT. New Living Translation. ...
While I would not categorize it as a "current" favorite, what I do like to read is...
The Complete Parallel Bible.
The Complete Parallel Bible, with the Apocryphal / Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version / Revised English Bible / New American Bible / New Jerusalem Bible
www.goodreads.com
I enjoy reading it, and referring to it when I have questions, because it shows four various translations of the original Bible text.
More from the link above ...
... This outstanding Bible presents four of the most highly respected modern language Bible translations, arranged side by side on the page for easy comparison--the first and only parallel text Bible to include the Apocryphal books in the NAB and NJB as well as the NRSV and REB translations.
Bonded leather flexible binding; ribbon marker; 2-piece box.
Genres: Religion
3292 pages, Leather Bound
First published November 25, 1993
...
YMMV, and all that.
President Trump Job Approval
www.realclearpolling.com
...
RCP Average 9/15 - 10/6
Approve: 45.0
Disapprove: 52.2
Spread: -7.2
President Trump Approval - Economy
www.realclearpolling.com
RCP Average 8/18 - 10/5
Approve: 41.5
Disapprove: 55.3
Spread: -13.8
President Trump Job Approval - Immigration
www.realclearpolling.com
RCP Average 8/18 - 10/5
Approve: 46.6
Disapprove: 50.3
Spread: -3.7
President Trump Job Approval - Inflation
www.realclearpolling.com
RCP Average 7/16 - 10/3
Approve: 38.0
Disapprove: 60.0
Spread: -22.0
'Assault on the public servants': Ex-DOJ officials calls out 'destruction' of department
www.alternet.org
... A group of 282 former Justice Department (DOJ) officials has issued a warning accusing President Donald Trump of systematically eroding the core functions and independence of the DOJ.
In an open letter, the officials " none of whom are political appointees " claim the Department is under attack, MSNBC reported Monday.
"We believe it's our duty to sound the alarm about this administration's degradation of DOJ's vital work, and its assault on the public servants who do it," the letter reads, per the report.
The signatories are said to include a wide cross-section of long-serving career employees including prosecutors, FBI agents, analysts, immigration judges, civil rights lawyers and more.
Many of those who were forced out, they say, were involved in investigations relating to Jan. 6, 2021 riots, or inquiries into Trump himself. Others resigned quietly, unwilling to be complicit. All were nonpartisan career civil servants, not political appointees, per the report.
The letter accuses the current DOJ leadership of violating constitutional norms and threatening retaliation against employees who don't align with the president's wishes.
Some of the actions they point to include demotions, forced reassignments, firings, and pressure to abandon investigations. These moves, they argue, are draining the department of its institutional memory and eroding its ability to recruit and retain capable, independent staff. ...
... bought the news and commentary website The Free Press and installed its founder, Bari Weiss, as the editor-in-chief of CBS News ...
The Free Press (Common Sense) " Bias and Credibility
mediabiasfactcheck.com
...Overall, we rate The Free Press as Right-Center biased due to its consistent criticism of left-leaning views, especially on cultural and social issues.
We rate them Mixed for factual reporting because, while articles are generally well-sourced, the outlet often presents one-sided opinion pieces that lack counterarguments or broader contextual balance. ...
Found this ...
YouTube Restrictions on Belarus and Russia Strengthen Minsk's Propaganda
jamestown.org
... Russian Minister of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media Maksut Shadayev stated in a June 4 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other members of the Russian government that alternative Russian video platforms, VK Video and RuTube, are "demonstrating considerable progress."
He claimed that two-thirds of YouTube traffic has shifted to Russian platforms and that many Russian content creators from YouTube have moved to these platforms after their channels were blocked and deleted by YouTube last year (President of Russia, June 4).
The restrictions imposed by YouTube on content from Russia and Belarus following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 have most negatively impacted independent bloggers and media outlets. The sanctions have made it more difficult for independent media, which previously relied on donations and advertising through YouTube, to expand their audiences and secure funding. ...
fwiw, I make zero effort to monetize my youtube channel. I just post (mostly music) videos, and let the copyright holders get their due money.
@#5
Yeah, there's that also.
But I have to ask, if the Epstein files are so unimportant, why did Spkr Johnson call a recess back in August to prevent a vote on them?