"The chamber’s increasingly aggressive role — including record spending in the midterm elections that supports Republicans more than 90 percent of the time — has made it a target of critics, including a few local chamber affiliates who fear it has become too partisan and hard-nosed in its fund-raising."

So reports a headline story in the New York Times today about the Chamber of Commerce's increasingly secretive and partisan fundraising and lobbying efforts. The Chamber, once an institution that supported small and family businesses, increasingly does the bidding of a few large corporations, and in the first part of our GRITtv Digs investigation, Harry Hanbury starts to open up the Chamber's secrets for you.

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Following a recent spate of well-publicized suicides by gay teenagers, Dan Savage, Savage Love syndicated columnist, started a YouTube channel recording videos to tell LGBT youth "It gets better." The first videos included messages from Savage and his partner, and now even President Obama has recorded a message for the project.

Members of the faith community here in New York, frustrated that religion is often touted as a reason for hatred of gay and lesbian people, have started recording It Gets Better messages within their congregations.  Rev. Winnie Varghese of St. Mark's Church on the Bowery and Rev. Jacqueline Lewis, Ph.D. of Middle Collegiate Church join us to talk about their attempts to bring hope to people who face discrimination and hatred.