Judging for Dollars The role of Citizens United in Judicial Selection
With
Adam Skaggs, Counsel in the Democracy Program,
Brennan Center for Justice, NYU School of Law

Citizens United v Federal Election Commission, (2010), was
a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court
holding that corporate funding of independent political
broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited under the
First Amendment. Skaggs discussses the likely impact of
corporate and special interest money on judicial elections as
a result of the Citizens United decision including its impact
on eroding confidence in the judicial system.

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Prostrated At the Altar of the Balanced Budget: Sacrificing Social Security, Medicare, and Economic Recovery
with
James Galbraith, Lloyd M. Bentsen, Jr. Chair in Gov't/ Business Relations, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin

The Simpson-Bowles deficit reduction Commission established by the president, will deliver an attack on Social Security and Medicare dressed up in the sanctimonious rhetoric of deficit reduction. The Obama spending freeze is another sacrifice to the deficit gods. But, the deficit phobia of Wall Street, the press, some economists and practically all politicians is one of the deepest dangers that we face. It's not just the old and the sick who are threatened; we all are. To cut federal budget deficits without first rebuilding the economy is a sure path to stagnation, to a double-dip recession--even to a second Great Depression.
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It's Time to Play "Social Security Survivor"
with
Gerald W. McEntee, Pres., American Federation of State, County
and Municipal Employees

A broad coalition of groups has been formed to defend Social Security. Of all the ideas proposed this one comes from AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee: A new reality show starring the people who want to cut Social Security. He suggests having John Boehner, billionaire
benefit-cut advocate Peter G. Peterson, and Deficit Commission chairs Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles live for a year on the average Social Security benefit of $14,000.

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Arizona, the Anti-Immigrant Testing Ground
with
Isabel Garcia, Director, Pima County Legal Defender's Officeand Co-chair, Coalition de Derechos Humanos

Arizona While a federal judge blocked key controversial provisions of Arizona's new immigration legislation, one of the harshest anti-immigrant laws ever passed in the United States still went into effect on July 29 in that state and the injunction imposed on part of the legislation will be appealed. Eighteen other states are poised to enact similar legislation – pending the outcome of the Arizona litigation. We’ll head to Arizona to analyze the confluence of the immigration, military, border, and economic policies that has made it the country's primary laboratory forimplementing draconian immigration policies.
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PlusBoycott Arizona

The Urban Nomad covers the first press conference of the Sound Strike movement, led by Zack De La Rocha and Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine and Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes. They are organizing a large group of musicians, from Kanye West, to NIN to boycott playing in Arizona, in defiance of their newly enacted immigration law, SB1070. And, in protest of AZ anti-immigrant law, Outernational featuring Tom Morello & Cuéntame have produced a moving version of Woody Guthrie’s song “Deportee” that highlights the struggles and lives of migrants and "deportees" across the country today.

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Fed Up Hyatt Workers Protest Nationwide – Hundreds Arrested
with
. Jessie Ham, Hyatt Regency, Indianapolis where workers are in an organizing drive
. Chris Saez, Shop Steward, Hyatt McCormick, Chicago
. Annemarie Strassel, National Spokesperson, UNITE HERE Hotel Workers Rising Campaign

Facing layoffs and cutbacks, thousands of hotel workers in 15 cities across North America held demonstrations recently, protesting Hyatt and its billionaire ownership family, the Pritzkers—one of the wealthiest and most politically influential families in America. As part of these actions, hundreds of workers and supporters took arrest in coordinated acts of non-violent civil disobedience to express their outrage at how the company is trying to make the recession permanent for workers by outsourcing, slashing jobs and workers' hours at its hotels across the country, despite significantly improving industry conditions and Hyatt's rising share value.

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