The Truth About Citizens United

James Carville: The story of Citizens United begins with the Bush carry election of 2004. He says it was illegal for corporations to spend any of their general money in federal elections at that time. "Fahrenheit 9 11" made by Michael Moore, distributed by Miramax and made by doggy dog films," he says.

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Citizens United, a conservative non-profit corporation, was once caught in the crosshairs of campaign finance law. The company violated the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act by broadcasting a political film within 30 days of a primary election. The Supreme Court split 5-4 on the issue. Did the court side with the free speech of a corporation? What happens when there are two different visions of the First Amendment? Are corporations people? Join James Harrigan, Antony Davies, and special guest Trevor Burrus as they recount the courtroom drama of Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission and more on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers.

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Quick hits

The bystander effect

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31157529

The world is becoming a better place

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP59tz2WreY

Advances toward a cancer cure

https://www.studyfinds.org/strategic-medicine-researchers-develop-trojan-horse-drug-that-tricks-then-kills-cancer-cells/

Foolishness of the week

https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/17/health/beef-environment-resources-report/index.html

Topic of the week: Political Speech and the Citizens United Decision