Bonus Episode, December 23, 2013

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Cenk and Wendy went to see American Hustle this past weekend. Cenk was impressed with the quality of the acting and the performances of comedian Louis CK and Christian Bale especially. Ana was worried that Anchorman 2 was going to suck given that sequels usually suck. She ended up really enjoying it and found herself being the obnoxious moviegoer who was the only person laughing in the theater at certain jokes. Cenk warns movie audiences to never go in to movies with too high expectations as they can almost do nothing but ruin a movie. Look for TYT Announcements from Ambassador Jeni here: http://bit.ly/TYTForum  

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The Young Turks, December 23, 2013

The Young Turks: December 23, 2013

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Boehner and house republicans are seeking to cut off extending unemployment benefits despite the unemployment insurance program being popular among the american people. Polling shows that if republicans cut unemployment insurance benefits, many GOP seats would come in to jeopardy. The 113th Congress has shattered records in terms of inactivity, passing only 65 bills. The house scheduled 239 days off this past year. Most of politicians’ time is spent raising money and not serving their constituency. New polling shows that politics has eroded confidence in scientific findings. The influence of political ideology and financial incentives are the main reasons attributed to the mistrust in science and science reporting. As suspected, republicans trust scientific findings less than independents and democrats.  91 think-tanks and foundations are behind the financing of climate change denial. The money from these organizations is being spent on lobbying, political contributions, and propaganda campaigns. Since 2003, funding has only increased due to the propaganda’s efficacy. This is yet another blatant example of money’s undue influence in politics. Americans have become so used to legalized bribery, the mainstream media doesn’t believe the reporting of dark money is worthwhile. Before a raid in Yemen, al-qaeda instructed their operatives not to attack hospitals. In the wake of the raid, after the hospital indeed went under attack, al-qaeda issued an official apology denouncing the actions and the killing of unintended victims. Al-qaeda is also starting to compensate unintended victims’ family members, which historically has been an american military tactic in the middle east. After Deerfield Beach, FL officials assured the town that their holiday displays on public lands would be inclusive i. e. it would include all holiday icons or no icons at all. They eventually betrayed their word and ended up erecting a nativity scene on public land anyway. Trey Radel won’t resign after being caught with cocaine. Trey Radel famously supported legislation requiring welfare recipients to undergo drug testing. Iceland is planning to build a major road between the capital and another city. A townspeople along this planned route are concerned about disturbing the habitat of elves and other “hidden folk”. It’s speculated that this was only a ruse among environmentalists to delay construction. This guess is wide off. Icelanders actually believe in elves and other mythical creatures living on the island. Bjork, arguably iceland’s biggest celebrity, confirmed her country’s belief in these creatures in an interview.

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Ana Kasparian joins Cenk for the second hour. A PR executive started a twitter firestorm when she sent out a racist tweet before flying to South Africa. By the time she landed in Africa, someone was waiting to take a picture of her at the airport. Her tweet was so infuriating, her own father turned on her. A former bandmate of Carlos Santana in the sixties, before the height of Santana’s fame, is now homeless. After many years of hoping for a reunion, the bandmate finally caught up with the music legend. A conservative Alabama town accidentally hired a dance troupe of drag queens dressed up as sexy santas for their holiday parade. Cracker Barrel decided to pull all of their Duck Dynasty merchandise from their shelves after Phil Robertson’s homophobic comments went public. After Cracker Barrel received backlash, the company caved to the backlash and reverted to selling Duck Dynasty products. Two members of pussy riot have been released from prison. Many believe that the amnesty is part of a PR stunt by Putin. One of the members wanted to serve the rest of her sentence rather than play in to Putin’s stunt. Taryn Brumfitt, a former fitness instructor, releases photos of herself displaying her body in its natural state after becoming a mother. She released the photos in response to the fit-mom and other fat-shamers. First responders after the Fukushima tsunami disaster are now showing signs of radiation poisoning. Sailors aboard the USS Ronald Reagan were among the first responders and are now part of a class action law suit filed against the owners of the nuclear power company.  Look for TYT Announcements from Ambassador Jeni here: http://bit.ly/TYTForum  

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