Ed Pilkington of the Guardian does some serious muckraking on right wing think tanks: 

Conservative groups across the US are planning a co-ordinated assault against public sector rights and services in the key areas of education, healthcare, income tax, workers' compensation and the environment, documents obtained by the Guardian reveal.

The strategy for the state-level organisations, which describe themselves as "free-market thinktanks", includes proposals from six different states for cuts in public sector pensions, campaigns to reduce the wages of government workers and eliminate income taxes, school voucher schemes to counter public education, opposition to Medicaid, and a campaign against regional efforts to combat greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change.

[Photo credit: Han van Hoof, Creative Commons.]

Join us tonight, Dec 2, for a panel discusion on the future of the union movement with guests Bruce Raynor, Andy Stern, Rich Yeselson, and Sarita Gupta, and moderator Raj Goyle.

A wave of protests swept Walmart on Black Friday and fast food strikes are being planned in 100 cities nationwide. The panel will discuss how campaigns by low-wage workers in the fast food and big box retail are reshaping the labor movement.

This free event is co-sponsored by the Sidney Hillman Foundation and the Rubin Foundation. Refreshments will be served. 

What: The Changing Face of Unionism: New ideas for labor in the 21st Century

When: Dec 2, 6-8pm.

Where: 17 W. 17th St, Manhattan, NY. (8th Floor)

What Part Do I Play in All of This: RSVP to alex@hillmanfoundation.org

You don't remember this, but if you were born in the United States in the last half-century, you probably had blood drawn to screen for dozens of rare genetic disorders. When these tests pick up treatable illnesses, prompt action can prevent early death or lifelong disability. The newborn screening program saves about 12,000 babies every year. Unfortunately, as the Milwaukee Journal Sential discovered, over 100,000 tests a year are processed late, and the consequences can be deadly. 

[Photo credit: Keaggy, Creative Commons.]

The Best of the Week's News

• Yet more reports of Border Patrol locking detainees in freezers, sometimes after dousing them with cold water.

• Mariya Strauss profiles kids who died at work after the Labor Department squelched proposed child labor rules that would have kept them out of dangerous farm jobs.

• Why Justice Anthony Kennedy might not be the pro-choice swing vote everyone expects him to be.

• The humanitarian crisis in the Philippines reignites controversy over U.S. food aid policies.