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U.S. Political News, Opinion and Analysis
If there's an upside to Gov. Mike Pence signing the pro-discrimination SB101 "Religious Freedom
Restoration Act" into law last week, it's this: the bigots, homophobes and neo-segregationists have
been coaxed out of the woodwork, exposing themselves for what they really believe.
Bob Cesca
Managing Editor, The Daily Banter, host, 'The Bob Chez Show'
This nation has a strong tradition of Latino leaders being environmental champions and the Latino
Democrats in Congress reflected that tradition in 2014.
Call it an irony, if you will, but as the Obama administration struggles to slow down or halt its
scheduled withdrawal from Afghanistan, newly elected Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is performing
a withdrawal operation of his own.
Dilip Hiro
Author, 'Apocalyptic Realm: Jihadists in South Asia'
Reining in the payday loan industry has been in the works over at the CFPB for a while now, and it's
not a moment too soon. Why isn't there national regulation? Although some people are willing to do
so, liberals believe that our country cannot permit such behavior.
Ian Reifowitz
Author of 'Obama's America: A Transformative Vision of Our National Identity'
Corporate interests that spend hundreds of millions a year on state and federal lobbying have grown
accustomed to getting what they want at the federal and state levels, but it is much harder to assert
corporate control over America's 22,553 municipal and county governments.
Mary Bottari
The Center for Media and Democracy/ALEC Exposed

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The bill's supporters clearly meant to target LGBT people, and it didn't help that Governor Pence's
surrounded himself with anti-LGBT activists when he signed the bill.
Next time you hear someone blabbing about how robots are going to take away our jobs, tell them to
can the science fiction and get back to the real world. The immediate threat to jobs is the folks on
the Federal Reserve Board who want to raise interest rates.
Dean Baker
Co-director, CEPR; author, 'The End of Loser Liberalism: Making Markets Progressive'
As gobs and gobs of money in the form of campaign contributions keep congesting our elections,
"We the People of the United States" are forced out of this crucial political process. If we want to
reclaim our seats at the decision-making table we're going to have to stamp out Big Money.
Ben Cohen
Co-Founder, Ben Jerry's Ice Cream and Head Stamper, StampStampede.org
The Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act, signed by Governor Mike Pence last week, is one of
the most biased pieces of state legislation we've seen in our modern era. The fact that it is cloaked in
the name of religious freedom is particularly offensive to me as a member of the clergy who has
been engaged in ministry and social justice work my entire life.
Millionaire bundlers for presidential candidates are feeling hurt that candidates, now more focused
on billionaires, aren't courting them in the manner to which they are accustomed. And the angst of
these millionaires is bipartisan. The ultimate pal for Wall Street and big money in the Democratic
Party may fall to a crashing defeat: Rahm Emanuel is in real trouble.
Harry Reid's announcement that he will not stand for reelection to the Senate from Nevada in 2016
is a major loss for the climate movement -- and yet another signal that the U.S. Senate is being
transformed by today's bifurcated, parliamentary politics into an institution almost unrecognizably
different from its traditions.
Carl Pope
Former executive director and chairman, Sierra Club

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The situation in Indiana is upsetting for a lot of reasons. One is the overt discrimination against
LGBT individuals the so-called Religious Freedom Restoration Act, as currently written, will protect
under the law. Another is the utter venality displayed by Indiana Governor Mike Pence.
Marc Leandro
Private chef; author, 'The Junior Project' surrogacy blog
The threats emanating from Yemen are distorted and exaggerated, the stakes are actually relatively
low (except for Yemenis), any imposed settlement is highly elusive and the costs to those engaged
may be high. For the U.S., it can be once again something of a lose-lose situation where the enemy
of my enemy is often also my enemy.
Menendez's indictment would be unfortunate for his family, his career, and his reputation, but it
could bode well for world peace. While Menendez is progressive on issues such as immigration
reform and gay rights, he is a hawk on two key foreign policy issues: Iran and Cuba.
The Obama administration believes that failure will leave the world less safe. Furthermore, failure at
the current negotiations would not open the way for ten years of trust. The lack of trust is one of the
biggest impediments to sustained diplomatic relations.
This week, the U.S. has a chance to lead an international coalition into an agreement that would
guard against any attempt by Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. However, the decades since the
Iranian Revolution in 1979 are littered with missed opportunities to resolve differences.
World leaders are close to an historic agreement that would roll back and contain Iran's nuclear
program. In order for the deal to succeed, however, it must deliver on three core issues.
Joe Cirincione
President, Ploughshares Fund; Author, 'Nuclear Nightmares: Securing the World Before It Is Too
Late'
SB 101 is based on hate; no matter how Governor Pence tries to sell it, he is teaching discrimination,
he is enshrining inequality into Indiana law, and he is justifying segregation under a false flag in
which liberty would have no part.
Christine Pelosi

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Chair, CA Democratic Party Women's Caucus
Stuart Milk
Co-founder and Board President, Harvey Milk Foundation; nephew of Harvey Milk
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