Thom's blog

Is coal gasification coming to the US?

Our nation has seen the dangers of coal mining and drilling for natural gas, but few of us have heard of coal gasification. That's because it's a highly dangerous process of creating synthetic natural gas, by setting coal on fire and injecting it with oxygen and water. And, if an Australian energy company has their way, Americans may become very familiar with this dangerous process.

Deadly weather is the new normal...

Over the weekend, a deadly string of nearly 80 tornadoes ripped through the Midwest. Meteorologists called the storms “a rare and very dangerous late-season weather outbreak” that came on quickly and gave people little time to find shelter. As of Monday morning, at least six deaths had been reported from the storms that spanned seven states, and the worst of the damage occurred in the town of Washington, Illinois.

A peak behind the TPP curtain.

This week, Americans got a peak behind the curtain of the Trans Pacific Partnership, and what we found is frightening. On Thursday, Wikileaks published a complete draft of the “intellectual property rights” chapter of the TPP, and it poses a serious risk to free speech and information access.

The IRS wants info on tax dodgers!

The Southern District Court of New York says the IRS can go after people who stash fortunes overseas. Last week, U.S. District Judge Kimba M. Wood authorized the agency to issue summonses that require Citibank and New York Mellon to hand over information about U.S. taxpayers who've been evading federal taxes.

Our economy should work for us.

You wouldn't know it by looking at your bank account, but our GDP growth rate was 2.8% in the third quarter of 2013. That's much higher than the long-term rate of 2%, but average Americans won't see any benefit from better growth.

The "Largest Corporate Power Grab You've Never Heard Of."

Many Americans oppose NAFTA and other trade deals, but they haven't even heard of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison describes the TPP as the “largest corporate power grab you've never heard of.” Despite 19 rounds of negotiations that started all the way back in 2005, many of the details of the TPP still remain secret, even to members of Congress.

Honor our veterans with peace.

Veterans Day is about honoring our service men and women, for the patriotic duty of putting their lives on the line to protect and serve our nation. But, one of the most important historical points about this day has been forgotten. Originally, Veterans Day was known as Armistice Day, and it commemorated the end of the First World War.

Lawsuit alleges insurance companies are at fault for cancellations.

Millions of insurance policies are being canceled across the nation, and while companies are blaming Obamacare – it appears that plain old greed is the real reason. Consumers in California say that their insurance company caused their cancellations, to jack up their premiums under the ACA.

Is the CIA bribing AT&T to spy on foreign citizens?

The Central Intelligence Agency has been bribing AT&T to help them spy on international communications. According to a new report in the New York Times, the CIA has been paying that company $10 million dollars a year for access to their overseas metadata. By accessing that data, the CIA is spying on private communications, including the date and length of calls, and the phone numbers involved, all without a warrant.

Yesterday's wins... and losses...

For democrats, the big victories from yesterday's elections were that Terry McAuliffe and Bill DeBlasio defeated their Republican opponents in Virginia and New York. However, there were many other wins, and losses, for progressives around our nation.

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Latest Headlines

Who rejected United States-North Korea peace talks?

There were conflicting reports on Sunday regarding a recent proposal for United States-North Korea peace talks which was allegedly made before North Korea"s recent nuclear test

U.K. Pound Falls As Markets Get Brexit Jitters

Bloomberg said on Monday the pound had sustained its biggest fall against the dollar in 11 months

Clinton: I'll defend Israel but push for 'two-state solution

Hillary Clinton believes both Republican candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz "missed the mark" with their approach to the Israel-Palestinian Arab conflict