| Watching freedom of the press erode, Venezuela's journalists get innovative Posted: 07 Jul 2017 02:01 PM PDT ![Watching freedom of the press erode, Venezuela's journalists get innovative]( "Watching freedom of the press erode, Venezuela's journalists get innovative") "President Nicolás Maduro continues with his plan to rewrite the constitution without consulting Venezuelans," a woman says, her head hovering behind a square cardboard cutout made to look like a television screen. Bus TV is a live newscast on public buses that started here in Caracas, but has already spread to cities including Mérida, Valencia, and Barinas. Amid prolonged protests over Venezuela's economic and political crises, and increasing authoritarianism, it targets listeners who may not have access to the internet or media beyond public television stations, which are under increasing pressure from the government.
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| Turning down the temperature on town halls Posted: 07 Jul 2017 11:12 AM PDT ![Turning down the temperature on town halls]( "Turning down the temperature on town halls") There's nothing quite as personal as health care to arouse the passions of voters. In the summer of 2009, angry tea party protesters swarmed town halls of Democrats working on health-care legislation. Now the tables are turned – to the point where some Republicans are simply not holding these meetings with the public, or finding a way to screen questions or restrict access.
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| A bad election for Theresa May was good for democracy, Besides the snap election, what else cost the Tories?, Macron party’s primary victory is hope for Europe, Biden and Clinton presidential tilts would be troubling, Nadal reserves a place in history Posted: 07 Jul 2017 09:17 AM PDT ![A bad election for Theresa May was good for democracy, Besides the snap election, what else cost the Tories?, Macron party's primary victory is hope for Europe, Biden and Clinton presidential tilts would be troubling, Nadal reserves a place in history]( "A bad election for Theresa May was good for democracy, Besides the snap election, what else cost the Tories?, Macron party's primary victory is hope for Europe, Biden and Clinton presidential tilts would be troubling, Nadal reserves a place in history") "It turned out to be a terrible June for [British Prime Minister Theresa] May, but perhaps for democracy, the Conservatives' unexpected loss marks the beginning of a warm summer," states an editorial. "Another round of mid-term elections cannot be ruled out, as May's leadership of the Conservatives and the party's proposed alliance with an Irish party with a theological bent are both shaky.... [T]he election result strongly proves popular disapproval of the kind of hard Brexit that May had been planning.... But the June elections did bring their share of good news. ASIDE FROM THERESA MAY'S SNAP ELECTION CALL, WHAT ELSE COST THE TORIES?
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| Gulf Arabs vs. Qatar: Why all the fuss over Al Jazeera? Posted: 07 Jul 2017 09:07 AM PDT ![Gulf Arabs vs. Qatar: Why all the fuss over Al Jazeera?]( "Gulf Arabs vs. Qatar: Why all the fuss over Al Jazeera?") Amid all the talk of Qatar's alleged support for terrorism, at the core of the Gulf Arab countries' ongoing blockade of the oil- and gas-rich emirate is one major source of contention: Al Jazeera. A central demand of the Gulf states lead by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – relayed by mediator Kuwait and allegedly leaked by Qatar – is for the Gulf country to "close Al Jazeera network and its affiliates." Other key demands: downgrading ties with Iran and closing a Turkish military base in Doha.
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