ISIS has a glossy propaganda magazine extolling the virtues of things like rape, slavery and killing in God's name.

Top of the Alty World

“ISIS Magazine Promotes Slavery, Rape, and Murder of Civilians in God's Name”—Mother Jones

An accidentally released court filing shows how a mining company funneled dark money to a nonprofit to help get favorable legislation passed.—ProPublica

China's aggressive attempts at redrawing its maritime borders have many fearing war on the horizon, but it may also be the case of a regime desperately seeking legitimacy.—The Atlantic

A new synthetic LDS-like drug has killed a Florida teen and sparked a major investigation.—New Times Broward-Palm Beach

Top of Alty Utah

A same-sex couple in Utah has threatened to sue social security over denied benefits following orders by state government to recognize the validity of the marriages.—Utah Political Capitol

LDS Church leaders pushed members to make the church-funded documentary Meet the Mormons a hit by urging them to buy out theaters and in one ward fliers for the film were placed in Sacrament meeting handouts.—Salt Lake City Weekly

Ogden's Standard-Examiner takes a try-anything approach with TV news cameras and a studio.—Salt Lake City Weekly

Utah Politico Hub highlights the legal analysis the Attorney General's Office provided in a recent report on Common Core.—Utah Politico Hub

Rantosphere

A Utah Political Capitol/Utah Politico Hub “HubCap Spin” debate looks at the House District 33 race that covers much of West Valley City between Democrat Liz Muniz and Republican incumbent Craig Hall. Adam Andrews of the Hub looks at the advantages Hall has going into the election.

“West Valley area does have a larger concentration of minority groups when compared to other areas of Salt Lake County. It also has a large amount of people who are within a lower economic grouping. Traditionally, both of those things have worked in favor of Democratic candidates. Hall still seems to have the upper hand in this; as he speaks fluent Spanish, and regularly speaks to his Latino constituents in their primary language.”—Utah Political Capitol

The Longview

Salt Lake City Weekly looks at the outsized power Amazon has in killing off local business.

“Amazon is by far the largest online marketer in the world, with more sales than the next nine U.S. online retailers combined. That has given Bezos the monopoly power to stalk, weaken and even kill off retail competitors—threatening such giants as Barnes & Noble and Walmart and draining the lifeblood from hundreds of small Main Street shops.

Lest you think that 'predator' is too harsh a term, consider the metaphor that Bezos himself chose when explaining how to get small book publishers to cough up deep discounts as the price of getting their titles listed on the Amazon website. As related by Businessweek reporter Brad Stone, Bezos instructed his negotiators to stalk them 'the way a cheetah would pursue a sickly gazelle.' Bezos’ PR machine tried to claim that this comment was just a little 'Jeff joke,' but they couldn’t laugh it off, for a unit dubbed the 'Gazelle Project' had actually been set up inside Amazon.”—Salt Lake City Weekly