Progressive News Feeds

The Daily Caller’s story linking Sen. Robert Menendez to prostitutes continues to disintegrate, as questions emerge about whether the only named source in the original article was paid to make the accusations. While the focus on possible payments to the source further establishes that the story is a farce, it also risks diverting attention from the central fact that the article never should have run in the first place.

Tags: author, barack-obama, conservative, desktop, foreign policy, health, iran, media matters, science, security, social security, video

National Rifle Association board member Ted Nugent made inflammatory comments about President Obama and said Cubans “haven’t figured out personal hygiene” during an appearance on an online radio show hosted by 9/11 truther and conspiracy theorist Pete Santilli. Santilli, who has promoted conspiracy theories relating to the December 14 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School that left 20 children and six educators dead, does little to hide the fact that he is a conspiracy theorist.

Tags: article, articles, author, barack-obama, economy, iran, lifestyle, media, social security, video, war, white house

The problem with so much of the Beltway media’s ongoing commentary regarding the sequestration showdown between Republicans and President Obama is that it reflects the central failing of the press throughout Obama’s presidency: It blames the president for the GOP’s ingrained, signature obstinacy. Earlier this week, I noted that the bulk of the commentary class was berating Obama for failing to ” lead ” on the budget issue.

Tags: elections, feeds, foreign-policy, government, internet, jobs, obama, science, social security

Joe Scarborough dishonestly cited Princeton economist Alan Blinder to bolster his campaign to undermine Nobel laureate Paul Krugman and accuse Democrats of being anti-math. Scarborough has been engaged in a rhetorical assault on Krugman ever since the New York Times columnist appeared on MSNBC’s  Morning Joe and called on lawmakers to focus on economic growth and job creation in the short-term, pivoting to long-term deficits only after the economy is stronger

Tags: author, director, economy, elections, foreign policy, science, social security, unemployment

While the richest Americans have fared well during the sluggish economic recovery, most Americans continue to struggle with falling wages and job uncertainty. According to a new report from the Conference Board, 62 percent of workers between 45 and 60 plan to delay their retirements , a stark jump from 2010 when 42 percent of workers planned a delay. Job loss, financial loss, and a lower salary caused many workers to reshape their future plans: Right now, more than half of middle class workers are expected to outlive their retirement savings , as pension plans have declined dramatically.

Tags: archives, auto, black, feeds, left-bottom, media, retirement, social security, taxes, tweets, yahoo

The decision by television news producers to rely on political guests and reporter-pundits in their coverage of the recent debt ceiling dispute not only Economists are clear about the primary sources of recent deficits — on top of the Bush tax cuts, the Great Recession triggered massively higher counter-cyclical spending, some of which was automatic for things like jobless benefits and food stamps, and some spending that was newly enacted to buoy a collapsing economy. Middle- and long-term deficit projections are more controversial, but many economists argue that once economic growth catches up to its potential, our fiscal health will depend almost entirely on our ability to control health care costs . This mainstream economist perspective appeared in just 1.4 percent of the debt ceiling segments Media Matters reviewed from a three week period, while over 20 percent of those segments blamed entitlements for the fiscal gloom.

Tags: america, budget, debt, feeds, government, jobs, progressive news, social security, video

In the months of campaigning that unfolded after Mitt Romney was skewered for saying that “ 47 percent ” of the country “believe that they are victims… believe the government has a responsibility to care for them,” President Obama was relatively silent about the remarks. But today, during his second inaugural speech, Obama got the last word in on the issue

Tags: author, congress, government, health, house, lgbt, obama, pennsylvania, social security

CNN’s State of the Union downplayed the economic consequences of not raising the debt ceiling, claiming “there is a way” for the federal government “to pay the bills.” Economists, however, have warned that a default would have catastrophic effects. Moreover, even if the federal government could stave off default by prioritizing interest payments, the decline of government spending would create “a massive demand shock to the economy.” On  State of the Union , during a discussion of the consequences of failing to raise the debt ceiling, Wall Street Journal editorial board member Stephen Moore downplayed the impact of a default, arguing: “There’s no default

Tags: author, breaking news, economy, education, health, legal, media, media matters, progressive news, social security, war

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA), who is joining a growing number of Republicans trying to add more spending cuts to the last-minute fiscal cliff deal and send it back to the Senate, joked that Senators may have been drunk when they passed the measure in the early hours of Jan 1. Responding to a question on CNN’s The Situation Room about why fiscal hawks like Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) supported the measure in the Senate, Issa implied that the 89 senators voted for the compromise because of the late night partying in celebration of the New Year.

Tags: boehner, economy, feeds, house, lgbt, politics, social security, thinkprogress, yahoo

Starbucks has faced scrutiny for what UK lawmakers call “outrageous” and “immoral” tax dodging, along with Amazon and Google. Starbucks’ average tax rate on overseas income is just 13 percent , and it has paid the UK just $13.8 million in the last 14 years. On Thursday, Starbucks promised to pay $16 million more to the UK over the next two years, after coming under fire for its complicated use of tax deductions and inter-company payments: “ Today, I am announcing changes which will result in Starbucks paying higher corporation tax in the UK — above what is currently required by law ,” [Managing Director Of Starbucks UK Kris] Engskov said in the speech to the London Chamber of Commerce “In addition, we are making a commitment that we will propose to pay a significant amount of corporation tax during 2013 and 2014 regardless of whether our company is profitable during these years,” Engskov said.

Tags: action, archives, author, boehner, british, congress, feeds, health, progressive news, social security, starbucks