PBC News & Comment: Russia Begins Airstrikes in Syria

Russia launched first airstrikes in Syria, not aimed at IS, widening the war and complicating overthrow of the Assad government….
--Afghan forces rushing to retake Kunduz get bogged down by Taliban fighters on the way as US airstrikes have little impact
--in our in-depth interview, journalist and commentator Robert Parry exposes Obama’s false narratives on Syria, Ukraine
--as Saudi Arabia gears up to crucify and behead teenager for protesting, Anonymous hackers hit Saudi websites, demanding clemency
--federal judge dismisses case brought by 9/11 families, citing sovereign immunity
--Chicago saw 14 people shot, 6 killed in 15-hour period
--Senate passes funding bill with no Planned Parenthood cuts, House votes next
--Cecile Richards faced down GOP demagogues yesterday, refuting the false claims against Planned Parenthood and exposing their incoherent arguments
--yesterday, we reported that Missouri investigation cleared Planned Parenthood of any wrongdoing, but radical GOP senate leader forces shutdown of Columbia clinic
--email from Traditional Values Coalition shows compounded lies used to support disingenuous claims
--listener Linda Lewis tipped me to op-ed from law professor arguing that efforts to strip funds from Planned Parenthood are unconstitutional “bill of attainder”
--Pope Francis had “secret meeting” with Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who claims religious freedom to deny marriage licenses to gays
--several states are engaged in trafficking illegal, dangerous drugs used in executions
--Sen. Elizabeth Warren claims a scalp, as Brookings fires a fellow who misled a Senate committee about a report he testified on
--listener Carl Howard tipped me to Glenn Greenwald’s excellent article tying Sen. Feinstein and her powerful husband to efforts to punish anti-Israel views expressed on UC campuses