Turkey widens Khashoggi probe as pressure mounts on Trump and the Saudis

Posted on October 18, 2018 by

From CBS News

Turkey’s justice minister said Thursday his government’s investigation into the disappearance and alleged murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi will wrap up soon, as police reportedly expanded their hunt for clues to new areas outside of Istanbul. Turkish and Arab media outlets said Thursday that officers were to search a forested area and a farmhouse just outside the city, after security camera video purportedly showed vehicles connected to Saudi officials visiting the sites on the day Khashoggi disappeared.

On Wednesday, Turkish forensic investigators searched the Saudi Consul General’s residence in Istanbul. Turkish officials have said they believe Khashoggi was killed by a Saudi government hit squad after he walked into the consulate 16 days ago.

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Posted in Controversial, Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia, Turkey

The last article by Jamal Khashoggi has been published by the Washington Post: ‘What the Arab world needs most is free expression’

Posted on October 18, 2018 by

A note from Karen Attiah, Global Opinions editor of the Post

I received this column from Jamal Khashoggi’s translator and assistant the day after Jamal was reported missing in Istanbul. The Post held off publishing it because we hoped Jamal would come back to us so that he and I could edit it together. Now I have to accept: That is not going to happen. This is the last piece of his I will edit for The Post. This column perfectly captures his commitment and passion for freedom in the Arab world. A freedom he apparently gave his life for. I will be forever grateful he chose The Post as his final journalistic home one year ago and gave us the chance to work together.

Read Jamal Khashoggi’s last article…

Posted in Controversial, Jamal Khashoggi, Thought-Provoking Analysis, Washington Post

Election Update: One Way The House Map Actually Helps Democrats

Posted on October 18, 2018 by

By Nathaniel Rakich of FiveThirtyEight

Turnout can vary pretty dramatically among congressional districts, which is one reason that the partisan breakdown of seats in the House doesn’t necessarily match the results of the national popular vote. The way this usually unfolds in practice, at least in midterms, is that fewer votes are cast in Democratic districts than in Republican ones, which works in the Democrats’ favor.

States lack reliable data on how many eligible voters there are. That’s why some believe that the Trump administration’s push to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 Census may be an entree to redrawing districts based on the number of eligible voters.

So keep an eye on this seemingly overlooked distinction; it could emerge as the major fight in the next round of redistricting.

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Posted in Controversial, Thought-Provoking Analysis, Political parties, United States, Republicans, Donald Trump, FiveThirtyEight, Democrats

5 facts about U.S. suburbs

Posted on October 17, 2018 by

By Ruth Igielnik and Anna Brown of Pew Research

  1. Politically, the suburbs are evenly divided overall, but some have a clear Democratic or Republican tilt.
  2. Poverty has increased more sharply in the suburbs than in urban or rural counties.
  3. Although the population is aging across all community types, suburbs are seeing the most rapid growth in older adults.
  4. Suburban counties have the highest drug overdose fatality rate of any community type.
  5. Suburban counties are the only ones that have gained population from other community types, as well as from abroad.

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Posted in Democrats, Demographics, income, Pew Research, Political parties, Republicans, Senior citizens, Thought-Provoking Analysis, United States

Is The Supreme Court Facing A Legitimacy Crisis?

Posted on October 16, 2018 by

By Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux and Oliver Roeder of FiveThirtyEight

In his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Brett Kavanaugh dropped the demeanor of a neutral jurist and launched into a deeply partisan speech. The use of such nakedly political rhetoric during a Supreme Court confirmation hearing is highly unusual. Of course, they were unusual circumstances.

The reality is that today, Americans’ confidence in the Supreme Court is weaker than it was 20 years ago. Americans may no longer be willing to give the court the benefit of the doubt.

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Posted in Supreme Court