Politics

VOA Vows Independence As Trump Calls For ‘Worldwide Network’

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VOA Vows Independence As Trump Calls For ‘Worldwide Network’

"President Franklin Roosevelt created the VOA during World War II to broadcast behind enemy lines what its current director, Amanda Bennett, said was "truthful news about the war, in contrast with Nazi propaganda." She said that, over the years, the mission hasn't really changed that much. "Our job is to do two things," she said."One is to tell America's story objectively to places that can't see it otherwise, and the other one is to bring objective news and information to places that have no other access to it. So we say that in a large part of the world we are the free press."

Roger Allen LaPorte – Wikipedia

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Roger Allen LaPorte – Wikipedia

I was reading a book about the Catholic Workers and Roger Laporte. I wonder how the media would cover his death today? Would it be seen as a national tragedy, a brave act of protest against injustice and the war, or just another crazy religious person who committed a serious crime against himself?

How I Think They Could Improve Voter Turn-Out

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I’ve always thought a way to improve voter turn-out would be electronic-poll books, that would publicly report who had voted in real-time voting so campaigns could target those who had not voted on election day, offering rides and focusing on the small universe of voters who not voted.

Drop

How Identity, Not Issues, Explains the Partisan Divide

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How Identity, Not Issues, Explains the Partisan Divide

"U.S. politics increasingly looks like a savage battle between left and right. Consistent with closing ranks in a battle, Americans are expressing policy opinions that align more and more with their political groups. Of all conflicts between groups in America, partisanship is one of the most divisive, with 86% of Americans seeing strong conflicts between Republicans and Democrats. Yet, political differences are not always cause for alarm. Increased sorting could reflect identification with groups that better match our values. Perhaps Republicans and Democrats can’t compromise because their policy preferences are irreconcilable. However, this doesn’t explain why Americans personally dislike political opponents with such intense fervor."