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Kentucky's Rand Paul: 'I am running for president'

Apr 07

Sen. Rand Paul launched his 2016 presidential campaign Tuesday with a combative message against both Washington and his fellow Republicans, declaring that "we have come to take our country back."

Viacom to Take $785 Million Write-Down on Reorganization

Viacom to Take $785 Million Write-Down on Reorganization wochit Business After weeks of layoffs and corporate reorganization to make Viacom more efficient and to promote future growth in the face of a more competitive market, the company on Monday announced that it is taking a $785 million pre-tax charge in the second fiscal quarter of 2015. Viacom said the changes it has made will provide annual savings of about $350 million. The savings in fiscal 2015 will be approximately $175 million. The impact of the strategic shifts have resulted in layoffs at MTV, Paramount, TV Land and other divisions. According to the announcement the layoffs, restructuring and acquisitions associated with the new strategy will cost Viacom about $400 million. As a result Viacom will temporarily stop share repurchases under its current $20 billion stock repurchase program.

TSA's Airport "Behavior Detection Program" Found to Target Undocumented Immigrants, Not Terrorists

TSA's Airport "Behavior Detection Program" Found to Target Undocume... democracynow http://democracynow.org - The Intercept revealed last month that it is quite easy to be deemed a "suspected terrorist" at airports in the United States. A leaked checklist used by the Transportation Security Administration shows an expansive list of "suspicious signs" for screening passengers, including yawning, fidgeting, whistling, throat clearing and staring at one's feet. All of these, according to the TSA, are considered behaviors that indicate stress or deception. Well now The Intercept has revealed who the program actually targets: not terrorists, but undocumented immigrants. Taking a five-week period at a major U.S. airport, The Intercept found that 90 percent of all those arrested were detained for being in the country illegally. Not a single passenger was arrested or suspected for ties to terrorism. The overwhelming detention of undocumented immigrants bolsters criticism that government screening programs have targeted passengers with racial profiling.

Are Obama's Record Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt and Iraq Fueling Unrest in Middle East?

Are Obama's Record Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt and Ira... democracynow http://democracynow.org - As Saudi Arabia continues U.S.-backed strikes in Yemen and Washington lifts its freeze on military to aid to Egypt, new figures show President Obama has overseen a major increase in weapons sales since taking office. The majority of weapons exports under Obama have gone to the Middle East and Persian Gulf. Saudi Arabia tops the list at $46 billion in new agreements. We are joined by William Hartung, who says that even after adjusting for inflation, "the volume of major deals concluded by the Obama administration in its first five years exceeds the amount approved by the Bush administration in its full eight years in office by nearly $30 billion. That also means that the Obama administration has approved more arms sales than any U.S. administration since World War II."

UNRWA: Crisis in ISIS-Controlled Palestinian Refugee Camp "Beyond Inhumane"

UNRWA: Crisis in ISIS-Controlled Palestinian Refugee Camp "Beyond I... democracynow http://democracynow.org - The United Nations has demanded access to a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria invaded by the self-proclaimed Islamic State, warning of a humanitarian catastrophe. About 18,000 people have been trapped in Yarmouk, just a few miles outside the capital Damascus, the stronghold of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. There were reports of sporadic fighting Monday between Palestinian fighters and ISIL militants. ISIL is reportedly collaborating with rivals from the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front to maintain its siege of the camp. Before boarding a flight earlier today, Christopher Gunness, spokesperson for the the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, spoke to Democracy Now! and described the situation.

"From Bad to Worse": Hundreds Dead & 100,000 Displaced as Saudi Led-Strikes Push Yemen to the Brink

"From Bad to Worse": Hundreds Dead & 100,000 Displaced as Saudi Led... democracynow http://democracynow.org - The death toll in Yemen continues to rise amid a Saudi-led military campaign and clashes between Houthi rebels and forces loyal to ousted President Abed-Rabbo Mansour Hadi. The most intense violence is in the southern city of Aden, with more than 140 people reportedly killed in a 24-hour period. The United Nations says hundreds have been killed and more than 100,000 have been displaced since Saudi Arabia launched a military campaign two weeks ago. The Saudi regime has asked Pakistan to provide soldiers, heightening the possibility of a ground invasion. The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned of a dire humanitarian situation and demanded access to besieged areas. We are joined by the journalist Safa Al Ahmad, whose latest documentary, "The Fight for Yemen," premieres tonight on Frontline on PBS stations nationwide. She was granted extremely rare reporting access to the Houthis as they advanced in Yemen.

Meet the Man Building Elon Musk's 760mph Hyperloop: Interview with Dirk Ahlborn

Meet the Man Building Elon Musk's 760mph Hyperloop: Interview with ... ReasonTV In 2012, Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and SpaceX, released a proposal for a futuristic tube transport system that could go faster than the speed of sound, cutting travel time between Los Angeles and San Francisco to 35 minutes or less. He described it as a "cross between a Concorde, a rail gun, and an air hockey table" that "can never crash," and called it the Hyperloop. But what exactly is the Hyperloop? "Imagine a capsule with 28 people that's hovering inside a tube at really high speeds of 760 miles per hour," says Dirk Ahlborn, CEO of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT), which is turning Musk's idea into reality. "It's completely solar-powered, it's cheaper to be built, it's earthquake-stable," he adds. Ahlborn recently sat down with Reason TV's Justin Monticello to talk about the technology behind the Hyperloop, his vision for a fully integrated system that would span the country, and the stark differences between it and publicly-funded high-speed rail projects.

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