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ProPublica
Justin Elliott is a reporter for ProPbulica. He is a former reporter for Salon.
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Justin Elliott
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FROM Justin Elliott
To the Point
Will Washington become a kleptocracy? Donald Trump promised to "drain the swamp" in Washington, but critics say he's creating a new swamp of potential conflicts of interest. The White House has opened a revolving door by appointing lobbyists and corporate leaders to regulate the businesses they formerly worked for. Public money's being spent at Trump properties, and family members have the chance to enrich themselves by making government policy. Ethics officials and reporters say the flood of possible violations is so great that a single scandal looks like it's just part of business as usual.
To the Point
Who are the hundreds of officials Trump has hired so far? Is the President draining the swamp… or taking the plunge? Photo by the Alves Family Earlier this week, we reported on how few vacancies President Trump has filled in the government’s many massive bureaucracies. But those are the top jobs going unfilled. Pro-Publica , the non-profit, independent news service, reports that hundreds of people have been quietly installed all across the government in mid-level jobs. Justin Elliott co-wrote the story.
To the Point
Police Clear Zuccotti Park as Protesters Grasp for New Strategy After hundreds of police forced protesters out of Zuccoti Park early this morning, lawyers for "Occupy Wall Street" woke up a local judge who issued a temporary order to let them back in. As protesters returned to stand outside barricades, another judge was assigned to conduct a hearing. Justin Elliot has been covering the encampment for Salon.com .
To the Point
Cities Losing Patience with Occupy Protesters It began as Occupy Wall Street and spread to other American cities. In Lower Manhattan, the Occupy movement defeated an effort to move protesters out of Zuccotti Park, and it's not yet succumbed to the beginning of winter. In temperate Los Angeles, California, the Mayor provided ponchos during a brief rainstorm, but has since said the protests "cannot continue indefinitely." In Oakland, it's been a different story, with a backlash against arrests leading to tear gas and rubber bullets. We get updates from Kate Linthicum of the Los Angeles Times and Justin Elliott of Salon.com .
To the Point
Who Should Clean Up Zuccotti Park? The private owner of Zuccotti Park in New York's Financial District says it's time to perform basic repairs and clean up after weeks of the camp-out by Occupy Wall Street . Mayor Bloomberg says the protesters should move, at least temporarily. Will there be a confrontation with the NYPD? Today Occupy Wall Street rejected owner Brookfield Properties ' clean-up plan, saying protesters will do the cleaning themselves and take their brooms, mops, squeegees and other equipment to Wall Street itself. Justin Elliot is a staff writer at Salon.com .
Which Way, L.A.?
Does Occupy Wall Street Have a Future? Occupy Wall Street has spread to Boston, where Mayor Thomas Menino ordered arrests early this morning, even though he says he agrees with the protesters' issues. In New York today, the action moved from Lower Manhattan to the Upper East Side. Is it a resurgence of America's Left? Does it have the staying power to make a difference?
To the Point
Does Occupy Wall Street Have a Future? Occupy Wall Street has spread to Boston, where Mayor Thomas Menino ordered arrests early this morning, even though he says he agrees with the protesters' issues. In New York today, the action moved from Lower to Upper Manhattan. Is this what America's dispirited Left has been waiting for? Republicans who've adopted the Tea Party call this "mob protest" and "class warfare." Democrats are split between guarded sympathy and outright support. But both parties have close ties to Wall Street, and this is a movement that's likely to resist being co-opted. With economic grievances roiling the country, polls show that Americans are paying attention. We hear different opinions on what might happen next.
Which Way, L.A.?
A New Year, a New Congress…a New Obama? Barack Obama is still on vacation in Hawaii, but it's definitely a working holiday as he and a handful of close advisors are preparing for the year ahead. Next month, for the first time, President Obama will face a Republican-controlled House, a divided Congress on Capitol Hill and an election in 2012. Aides have already said the President plans to spend more time outside the "bubble" of Washington DC, to take his case directly to voters. Obama's team won credit for bi-partisan cooperation in getting important bills passed during the final days of the last Congress, but the Administration angered many Democrats in making a tax deal with Republicans. How will the new political realities on Capitol Hill affect his legislative agenda? Who will be the new players on Obama's team as he enters the second half of his first term and looks ahead to 2012?
To the Point
A New Year, a New Congress…a New Obama? Barack Obama is still on vacation in Hawaii, but it's definitely a working holiday as he and a handful of close advisors are preparing for the year ahead. Next month, for the first time, President Obama will face a Republican-controlled House, a divided Congress on Capitol Hill and an election in 2012. Aides have already said the President plans to spend more time outside the "bubble" of Washington DC, to take his case directly to voters. Obama's team won credit for bi-partisan cooperation in getting important bills passed during the final days of the last Congress, but the Administration angered many Democrats in making a tax deal with Republicans. How will the new political realities on Capitol Hill affect his legislative agenda? Who will be the new players on Obama's team as he enters the second half of his first term and looks ahead to 2012?
Which Way, L.A.?
How an Uncontested Mosque Became the 'Ground Zero Mosque' Last Friday, President Obama said Muslims have a right to include a mosque in a new community center two blocks from where the World Trade Center used to be. On Saturday, he said he did not mean to comment on the "wisdom" of the project, which many interpreted as a retreat from his first remarks. That suggests the political power of the controversy over what's come to be called " the Mosque at Ground Zero ."
To the Point
How an Uncontested Mosque Became the 'Ground Zero Mosque' Seven out of every 10 Americans now oppose the mosque to be located inside an Islamic center two blocks from the World Trade Center site in Manhattan. A few months ago, nobody cared. But what's come to be called "the Mosque at Ground Zero" is this month's angriest political issue. Last Friday, President Obama said Muslims have a right to include a mosque in their new community center. On Saturday, he said he did not mean to comment on the "wisdom" of the project, which many interpreted as a retreat from his first remarks. How did that happen? Was it a creation of right-wing Islamophobes? Are politicians now exploiting fears of a highly diverse religion? Have the mainstream media played a paradoxical role by downplaying Islamic extremism?
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To the Point
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
To the Point
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.