Fiery train derailment in Oregon caused by at least one broken bolt

Crumpled oil tankers lie beside the railroad tracks after a fiery derailment on June 3 prompted evacuations from the tiny Columbia River Gorge town in Mosier, Ore. Railroad officials say at least one broken bolt holding a rail in place caused the fiery derailment of a Union Pacific train moving volatile crude oil through the Columbia River Gorge on the Oregon-Washington border.

Fundies Are Livid Obama’s Faith-Based Council All Gay Now

Back in the Bush Administration, Dubya created the "Office of Faith Based Initiatives," which was a sop to Christian ministries to get them some federal dollars for their food banks and other social welfare type activities. It was supposed to be part of Bush's "compassionate conservatism," but it quickly became mired in controversy.

Perfect End to Democratic Primary: Anonymous Superdelegates Declare Winner Through Media

The decree, issued the night before the California primary in which polls show Clinton and Bernie Sanders in a very close race, was based on the media organization's survey of "superdelegates": the Democratic Party's 720 insiders, corporate donors, and officials whose votes for the presidential nominee count the same as the actually elected delegates. AP claims that superdelegates who had not previously announced their intentions privately told AP reporters that they intend to vote for Clinton, bringing her over the threshold.

Social Security’s Enemies Are Down – But They’re Not Out

Not so long ago, Social Security was endangered by a "bipartisan" consensus that sought to cut its benefits - already lower than those of comparable countries - as part of a "grand bargain." President Obama even put a slow-motion benefit cut into one of his proposed budgets, in the form of a reduction in cost-of-living increases.

Voters Outraged as Media Accused of Falsely, Preemptively Crowning Clinton

Both the AP and NBC News were accused of journalistic malpractice by ignoring the explicit intstructions of the DNC about how delegates should be counted and for declaring Hillay Clinton the Democratic Nominee on Monday. The Bernie Sanders campaign and progressives across the nation expressed mixtures of frustration and contempt Monday night after major news outlets-following declarations by the Associated Press and NBC News -ignored the explicit instructions about how primary delegates should be tallied and declared that Hillary Clinton has won the nomination of the Democratic Party.

Dear Graduates: We’re Leaving you a Trumpian America; Please Fix It

I've long had a weakness for commencement addresses, or at least for what they might be rather than what they usually are, which is why I've written them relatively regularly myself. Since no actual college or graduating class has ever asked me to give such a speech, I've addressed the graduates of 2015 and other years Graduates of 2016, don't be fooled by this glorious day.

Media calls Election for Hillary before California: Superdelegate System under Fire

The prediction is likely to stir controversy among Sanders supporters and critics of the superdelegate system, which has been branded "anti-democratic." The race between Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton is not even over yet, but the latter has already won the Democratic nomination, according to the Associated Press.