Politics

Even GOP Women Defend (Sort of) MoveOn Ad Against Bill O’Reilly Even GOP Women Defend (Sort of) MoveOn Ad Against Bill O’Reilly

Fox News contributor Margaret Hoover and Fox & Friends co-host Gretchen Carlson dared to tell Bill O’Reilly on his show last night that they think the new MoveOn ad, “GOP War on Women,” will be effective. In the spot, various women read recent Republican comments on birth control and abortion, and conclude that “the GOP must have a serious problem with women, and until the Republicans get over their issues, we women have got a serious problem with the Republican Party.” Download Video as MP4 After O’Reilly ran the latter part of the ad, Hoover said, “As a Republican, while I don’t like it, I actually think it is a hard-hitting and will be highly effective ad.” O’Reilly: But what sort of person would associate an entire political party with a few people’s opinions? Hoover: …It’s not just a few people.... O’Reilly: I can’t believe you guys think it will be effective. What kind of moron would think that? Hoover: Because we’re women, Bill. O’Reilly: It has nothing to do with women. Hoover: What?! And so it went, until Bill came back to say, “I have to scold Hoover now.” Even Carlson (who doesn’t seem to dumb herself down on the Factor as she does on her own Fox & Friends) looked like she wanted to scold Bill right back as she reminded him that Republicans are losing the war for women. Here’s the O'Reilly segment (and the even better, extended version of the MoveOn ad below): Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com Download Video as MP4

Mar 16, 2012 / Blog / Leslie Savan

Obama Campaign: New Documentary Breaks Traffic Record Obama Campaign: New Documentary Breaks Traffic Record

The Obama campaign's new documentary is a hit online.

Mar 16, 2012 / Blog / Ari Melber

The Patriot Act You Don’t Know About The Patriot Act You Don’t Know About

When the federal government wants some information under Section 215 of the Patriot Act—which allows agents to access “tangible things” like business records—it goes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. This much we know. What we don’t know is how broadly FISA interprets Section 215—what information it allows federal agents to access, and to what extent the government must prove “relevance” to a terrorism investigation. Two men who do know, however—Senators Mark Udall and Ron Wyden of the Senate Intelligence Committee—have consistently sounded alarms about what FISA is allowing under Section 215. While unable to reveal specifically what they have learned, the two Senators have repeatedly said that the public would be shocked if it knew what information was being collected with the help of FISA and the Patriot Act. This week, Udall and Wyden wrote to Attorney General Eric Holder asking him to address this issue (emphasis is theirs): We believe most Americans would be stunned to learn the details of how these secret court opinions have interpreted section 215 of the Patriot Act. As we see it, there is now a significant gap between what most Americans think the law allows and what the government secretly claims the law allows. This is a problem, because it is impossible to have an informed public debate about what the law should say when the public doesn't know what its government thinks the law says. The two senators were spurred to write after learning the Justice Department wants to dismiss lawsuits filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Times that seek to find out exactly how the government is interpreting Section 215. But it’s not the first time they’ve raised the issue, to Holder nor publicly—we’ve flagged it before here, and Wyden gave a dramatic speech on the Senate floor about this last year: Download Video as MP4 In 2009, the administration promised it would establish a process for “reviewing, redacting and releasing significant opinions” of FISA, but as the letter from Udall and Wyden notes, this hasn’t happened once. One has to assume Udall and Wyden are legitimately disturbed by what they know—it’s extremely unusual for two senators to go so public about secret information they are privy to, and especially to prod a president (and former Senate colleague) from their own party. Will we ever know what has alarmed them?

Mar 16, 2012 / Blog / George Zornick

This Week in Poverty: Me, Mom and Reagan This Week in Poverty: Me, Mom and Reagan

A new report on single mothers in the United States shatters some of the Gipper’s favorite myths that still persist today.

Mar 16, 2012 / Blog / Greg Kaufmann

For Women’s Rights, Another Round of Defensive Victories For Women’s Rights, Another Round of Defensive Victories

Let’s use this moment not only to defend what we have but demand what we don’t.

Mar 15, 2012 / Blog / Emily Douglas

Interns’ Favorite Pieces of the Week (3/14/12) Interns’ Favorite Pieces of the Week (3/14/12)

Each week, The Nation interns pick compelling stories in their areas of interest.

Mar 15, 2012 / StudentNation / The Nation

Workers and Reproductive Rights Under Attack in Arizona Workers and Reproductive Rights Under Attack in Arizona

A bill in Arizona would require women who want contraception coverage to prove that they are taking it for reasons other than pregnancy prevention.

Mar 15, 2012 / Nation in the News / Press Room

The Case for Progressive Federalism The Case for Progressive Federalism

Dissenting by doing.

Mar 15, 2012 / Blog / Jamelle Bouie

Can Harsh Voter ID Laws Threaten Democracy? A Judge Says ‘Yes’ Can Harsh Voter ID Laws Threaten Democracy? A Judge Says ‘Yes’

A ruling overturning Wisconsin's tough voter ID law says: “A government that undermines the very foundation of its existence—the people’s inherent, pre-constitut...

Mar 15, 2012 / Blog / John Nichols

John Nichols: Wisconsin’s Date With History John Nichols: Wisconsin’s Date With History

What might happen in a recall election for a governor and four state senators?