Why is the TPP Deal Such a Big Secret? →

I've wondered about this; I keep hearing people say "It's entirely secret!" and others say "No, it's not secret at all!" We finally have some insight; it seems like the White House has put up as many onerous barriers as possible, to make an end-run around Congress:

DESVARIEUX: But who else has been able to see this deal? The USTR released names of about 600 trade advisors who have access to the text. Eighty-five percent of these advisors represent trade associations and corporations. The rest of the groups, like labor, are clearly in the minority. Members of Congress like Connecticut Democrat Rosa DeLauro has come out strongly against the secrecy around the TPP. Congress can only read one section at a time in a secret location in the Capitol's basement, and they are forbidden from taking notes, and only staff with special clearance can see the text.
DeLauro says getting information out to the public has been an uphill battle.
REP. ROSE DELAURO (D-CT): And it's taken us a very, very long time to get, to be able to see, to see, three or four chapters of this agreement. We have been unable to do that for months and months and months.
DESVARIEUX: As of April, only 43 members of Congress had actually asked to see the text, according to the Hill. President Obama stands by his assertion that the text is available, and that there is no secret deal.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: You got some critics saying that any deal would be rushed through. It's a secret deal. People don't know what's in it. This is not true. Any agreement that we finalize with the other 11 countries will have to be posted online for at least 60 days before I even sign it. Then it would go to Congress, and you know they're not going to do anything fast.
DESVARIEUX: But critics say that once fast-track is passed the TPP is pretty much a done deal because it guarantees that Congress cannot amend or filibuster a deal, meaning the final deal will simply get an up or down vote. So the logic goes that if the Obama administration can get enough votes to pass fast-track they'll get enough votes for the agreement, and history has proven that to be true.
It happened with the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement under President Reagan, with NAFTA under President Clinton, and CAFTA under President George W. Bush, in addition to many others.
DELAURO: What we're asking on fast-track is that we allow there to be congressional input into the process of the negotiations. That's what we're asking for, and that has not happened.
DESVARIEUX: But is this level of secrecy around a trade agreement really unprecedented?
DAMON SILVERS, DIR. OF POLICY, AFL-CIO: [Inaud.] have been personally involved in trade negotiations for the last 20 years or so are universally of the opinion that this is the most secretive process that they've ever experienced.

Getting ahead of the spin on the pope’s environmental encyclical →

In truth, Francis is neither a political conservative nor a liberal, which are Western categories that arose during the French Revolution. If you asked, he’d probably tell you he comes out of the moderate wing of Argentina’s Peronist movement. (I have yet to meet anyone, however, including any of the Argentines I know, who can clearly define what exactly that means.)
Basically, Francis appears to sees himself as a Latin American pastor who takes Church teaching and tradition for granted, and who tries to bring it to bear on situations of suffering he’s seen with his own eyes.
Attempting to read his agenda, including Laudato Sii, as a boost for any political alignment thus is destined to get him wrong.

I Went to Church with Bruce Jenner and Here’s What Caitlyn Taught Me About Jesus. →

Jesus wasn’t one to turn away from those the world had labeled broken. He was the one  who would walk towards them with open arms.  
As we continue this conversation (some would call it an argument) about the LGBTQ community and the church, I pray we can remember our God, read His word, and most of all, pray before we speak. I know plenty of other church leaders who don’t feel comfortable affirming the LGBTQ community. I also know their hearts.
May your heart break for those who are struggling or hurting. May you see what God is doing in the world he has promised to transform. May we live in hope and love.

Flu-Driven Mass Slaughter of Midwest Poultry Conveys the Scale of Our Meat Habit →

Here’s a brief look behind headlines from the Midwest about the scope of the poultry slaughter necessitated by the spread, since last December, of the H5N2 strain of bird flu.
You can keep track of the impact on chicken and turkey farms at an avian influenza web page maintained by the federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. (The Poultry Site, an industry news site, is also tracking the latest developments.)
The combined toll in chickens and turkeys is approaching 50 million dead or slaughtered birds.
That is a huge number. But gauge it against the scale of the mass-meat industry and it becomes more like a rounding error. Just one company, Tyson Foods (one of the biggest chicken vendors on the planet) processes 41,000,000 chickens a week.

The True Cost of Fashion →

The thing that bugs me about anti-sweatshop messages is that they often feel like thinly-veiled “buy American” campaigns (although you can substitute “American” nowadays with “any country that’s rich” or sometimes outright “any country that’s not China”). If it’s the welfare of workers abroad we care about, buying stuff they didn’t make doesn’t help. 
...
Confusingly, Morgan then turns around and praises the “buy local” movement, which is an even more regional version of “buy American.” But maybe this is to say that we all recognize there’s a problem, but we don’t really know what to do about it (at least when it comes to actually helping workers abroad).

The Patriot Act's broadest surveillance powers have expired →

From a few days ago, and there's debate about how much this matters. Still, it's the principle of the thing...

Central portions of the Patriot Act are now expired, after a late-night Senate vote failed to extend the provisions. Those portions include Section 215, which applies to business records requests and has been used to justify the bulk collection of American phone and internet records. The previous Patriot Act authorization had set those portions of the law to expire on June 1st if not renewed. NSA officials told CNN that the agency's bulk metadata collection operation was shut down at 7:44pm Sunday night, a few hours in advance of the deadline.

Texas Lawmakers Pass a Bill Allowing Guns at Colleges →

I'm very interested in how this works out, as I am in the effects (pro/con) of gun laws in general. As a former student who attended a college at the time of a mass shooting on campus, part of me wishes I had been there, armed. I like to think I'm way above average in personal responsibility, however...

Students and faculty members at public and private universities in Texas could be allowed to carry concealed handguns into classrooms, dormitories and other buildings under a bill passed over the weekend by the Republican-dominated Legislature. The measure is being hailed as a victory by gun rights advocates and criticized by many students and professors as irresponsible and unnecessary.
The so-called campus-carry bill is expected to be signed into law by the Republican governor, Greg Abbott. It would take effect in August 2016 at universities and August 2017 at community colleges.
Supporters say it will make college campuses safer by not preventing licensed gun owners from defending themselves and possibly saving lives should a mass shooting occur, such as the one that unfolded at Virginia Tech University in 2007.
Opponents say the notion that armed students would make a campus safer is an illusion that will have a chilling effect on campus life. Professors said they worry about inviting a student into their offices to talk about a failing grade if they think that student is armed. And Democratic lawmakers and some university leaders worry about increased security costs and the bill’s effect on recruiting potential teachers and students from other states.

Tesla loses fight with dealers to sell its cars in Texas →

Texans love their middle men!

The Texas State Legislature has failed to vote on two separate bills that would have allowed the electric car company to sell its cars directly to customers. The bills were designed to bypass an older, dealer-backed law on the books that prohibits manufacturers from direct sales. Such laws exist in a number of states, such as West Virginia, Arizona, Connecticut, and Michigan. Musk successfully lobbied to have a similar law reversed in New Jersey, and he was attempting to pull off the same feat in Texas.