The James Risen Case Cuts to the Heart of "Freedom of the Press"

Thom Hartman @ Truthout - If the Senate doesn't screw things up, we might finally get the kind of media shield law that our democracy requires.

Late last month, the Republican-controlled House of Representative passed the so-called Commerce, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2015 (H.R. 4660) by a margin of 321 to 87.

On its own, there's nothing all that interesting about H.R. 4660. It's your basic cut-and-dry appropriations bill that lays out how a handful of federal agencies, including the Justice Department, can spend their money. H.R. 4660 is the kind of bill that Congress passes all the time without much media attention.  Read more.