Breaking News Events

[BullDog]

Finally Trump tweets something positive.

:blink:

As far as I know he hasn't tweeted since. Even better.

[BullDog]

Keep in mind that news of Hope Hicks' test results was reported by Bloomberg News not announced by the White House.

Also, Trump went to New Jersey for a fundraiser after they knew of Hicks' test results. Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has admitted it.

If anything, it looks like they were initially trying to cover it up, not fake something.

Several people who attended the announcement of Barrett for the Supreme Court nomination in the Rose Garden on Saturday have tested positive including Father Jenkins of Notre Dame, Senator Mike Lee, and Republican Chair Ronna McDaniel. It may or may not be related to the event. Barrett tested positive earlier this summer and recovered and just tested negative and is being tested daily.

[BullDog]

Out of an "abundance of caution" (according to Trump's doctor) he has been given an an antibody cocktail and now is being transported to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center .

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-be-transported-walter-reed-medical-center-marine-one-helicopter-n1241899

[~ocean]

rut row air force 1 is on the front lawn ~ he's going to Walter Reed

[Kätzchen]

I agree with comments posted today by Cin and Bulldog.

More importantly, I believe it is of vital importance to priviledge facts over the WH brand of fiction.

I still believe due justice will be served. Squatters rights never helped squatters in the past and i doubt flooding the judicial system with TP-picks will rewrite law to protect crooked ppl just like them.

It is maddening that people wont wear masks or wash their hands or make changes in their behaviors or thinking processes to accommodate that which is rational and sane.

Even now, like posted by other members, I do not believe that anybody on Team TP will ever tell the truth. They have not been truthful in unvarnished ways before. I doubt they will develop a conscience over the distruction imposed on people now or in thr days, months, and years ahead.

What they have done has not only hurt everybody, but they have hurt themselves too. At the expense of everyones mortality.

I still believe justice will be served in timely ways.

[Cin]

Out of an "abundance of caution" (according to Trump's doctor) he has been given an an antibody cocktail and now is being transported to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center .

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-be-transported-walter-reed-medical-center-marine-one-helicopter-n1241899

Looks like it's real after all. I didn't believe it.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Republicans ask Biden to put his campaigning on hold. They have the chutzpah to do something like that.

[BullDog]

Looks like it's real after all. I didn't believe it.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Republicans ask Biden to put his campaigning on hold. They have the chutzpah to do something like that.

I thought I saw something about some Republicans saying Biden should suspend his campaign for 14 days but now I can't find it. Maybe I dreamed it, lol.

Biden campaigned in Michigan today.

I see that as of now the Commission on Presidential Debates says the Vice Presidential debate is still on for next week. I thought it was interesting that I saw a few of the so-called "undecided's were still very interested in the VP debate even after being disgusted with the first Presidential one due to the cadidate's ages. Can't wait for Harris to destroy Pence!

[homoe]

rut row air force 1 is on the front lawn ~ he's going to Walter Reed


And did you notice he and everyone else was wearing a mask!?

[BullDog]

Thom Tillis of North Carolina (second Republican Senator along with Mike Lee who are both on the Judiciary Committee) and Kellyanne Conway have both tested positive. They were both at the Supreme Court Rose Garden ceremony and Conway helped with Trump's debate prep. I thought Conway had stepped aside to focus on her family but she seems to always be everywhere.

[Gemme]

Well, there's this.

Two top members of President Trump’s reelection campaign accused the Commission of Presidential Debates of being biased in favor of Democratic candidate Joe Biden on Thursday, while also highlighting a slew of nonscientific polls indicating the president won this week’s debate.

“The Commission on Presidential Debates has been in the news for much of the week. Most times when the CPD is described, they’re referred to as a ‘non-partisan organization,’” Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien said in a conference call with reporters. “Those characterizations could not be further from the truth.”

To back up his assertion, Stepien proceeded to identify members of the commission’s leadership, which has made statements critical of Trump, served in partisan positions or donated to Democrats. The CPD is a nonprofit corporation that has sponsored every presidential debate since 1988. Its leadership is made up of both Democrats and Republicans.

The call came after a Wednesday statement from the CPD saying it “intends to ensure that additional tools to maintain order are in place for the remaining debates.” That promise to change the format came after Trump repeatedly interrupted Biden in a debate that quickly devolved into a shouting match on Tuesday.

Trump’s performance during the debate has been roundly criticized by Republicans and Democrats alike. The president, however, tweeted Thursday that he had won the debate “easily” and that he would not agree to any rule changes going forward.

“Why would I allow the Debate Commission to change the rules for the second and third Debates when I easily won last time?” Trump tweeted.

Biden and Trump are set to have two more debates this month. Biden’s running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, will debate Vice President Mike Pence on Oct. 7.

Trump senior adviser Jason Miller, who joined Stepien on the call Thursday, reiterated that the president is opposed to any alterations to the planned debate format.

“President Trump is ready to go. There shouldn’t be any changes. We do not want any changes. This is purely a move by the Biden camp and their allies in the CPD,” Miller said.

Miller suggested Biden’s team requested specific changes — including having opening and closing statements — that would reduce the amount of “open discussion.” He also said the commission might try to equip the debate moderator with a “mute button” to cut off interruptions. Yes, please!

The CPD and the Biden campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

During the call, both Stepien and Miller made personal attacks on individual members of the CPD leadership. Stepien, a veteran political operative from New Jersey, pointed to an interview one of the group’s co-chairs, Frank Fahrenkopf Jr. gave to Nantucket Magazine last month. In that interview, Fahrenkopf — a former chairman of the Republican National Committee —said, “What I learned in 2016, which was an odd year, was that the American people are not necessarily going to vote for who they think is the smartest person.”

Stepien suggested this demonstrated clear bias against Trump and criticized Fahrenkopf for spending summers on Nantucket, a wealthy enclave in Massachusetts.

“I’m more of a Jersey Shore kind of guy. Frank is a Nantucket guy, apparently,” said Stepien, whose firm has been paid between $10,000 and $15,000 per month by the Trump campaign.

Stepien also listed Democratic donors on the CPD’s board. He noted that former Citigroup chairman Dick Parsons, a CPD board member, served on President Obama’s transition team after the 2008 election.

“The Democrats who serve in the leadership of the CPD are clearly supporters of Joe Biden. ... They endorsed Democrats. They donate to Democrats,” Stepien said. “The Republicans on the board of the CPD aren’t very different. Listen to their words, read their comments.”

Miller echoed Stepien’s critiques of the CPD and accused its leadership of being out of touch with everyday Americans.

“Rather than a cross-section of America, this group very much comes across as what you might see at an evening gala at the Metropolitan Club in D.C. For the most part, these are permanent swamp monsters … not representative of America as a whole,” said Miller, who has worked as a registered lobbyist in Washington.

Miller further incorrectly suggested only “one member” of the group’s board is a Republican.

The pair of top Trump campaign officials also defended the president’s performance in the debate by citing the fact he “won big” in a number of online polls.

The polls cited by the Trump campaign as evidence of the president’s debate victory were largely nonscientific surveys where web users were invited to click on the candidate who they felt won the debate. These polls are notoriously easy to manipulate and Trump has been accused of hiring consultants to game similar surveys in the past.

A trio of more reputable polls conducted by major media organizations all found that most respondents believed Biden won the debate. Miller and Stepien, however, stayed focused on the online results.

“He won in the New Jersey dot-com poll,” Miller said. “He won in the KISS-FM Phoenix Online survey.”

[C0LLETTE]

Polls
“He ( TRUMP ) won in the New Jersey dot-com poll,” Miller said. “He won in the KISS-FM Phoenix Online survey.”

I heard he is also winning the Charmin " Softest Toilet Paper and Flushable Wpes" poll If you're sitting on the john right now, there's still time to call in.

[homoe]

Thom Tillis of North Carolina (second Republican Senator along with Mike Lee who are both on the Judiciary Committee) and Kellyanne Conway have both tested positive. They were both at the Supreme Court Rose Garden ceremony and Conway helped with Trump's debate prep. I thought Conway had stepped aside to focus on her family but she seems to always be everywhere.

One of the channels showed clips of the Rose Garden Ceremony and there was Conway right up, close and personal, to Attorney General Bill Barr, both mask-less!

[C0LLETTE]

Is there anyone who watches CNN for even a few minutes per day who hasn't seen that clip?

[BullDog]

“He won in the New Jersey dot-com poll,” Miller said. “He won in the KISS-FM Phoenix Online survey.”

This literally made me laugh outloud.

Add Chris Christie and Senator Ron Johnson to the list of Republicans who have tested positive.

I really hope enough voters are not only fed up with all of these clowns but determined enough to overcome any challenges to voting to get as many of them out of office as possible - from the federal all the way down to the local level.

My absentee ballot is getting mailed to me this week so I will be voting very soon. I can't wait!

[nhplowboi]

Really Dr. Conely!? Kiss your career goodbye too. One more Trump lying mouthpiece who stepped in it with every statement he made. Will they EVER learn? Oh and geeze Governor Christie...your chances are even worse than Trump in this battle. Guiliani was there at their debate prep, I am sure we will be hearing about him soon.

[C0LLETTE]

Really Dr. Conely!? Kiss your career goodbye too. One more Trump lying mouthpiece who stepped in it with every statement he made. Will they EVER learn? Oh and geeze Governor Christie...your chances are even worse than Trump in this battle. Guiliani was there at their debate prep, I am sure we will be hearing about him soon.

My only concern is for the cleaning crew members who had to go into that prep room to clean up after those greaseballs left.

[~ocean]

“He won in the New Jersey dot-com poll,” Miller said. “He won in the KISS-FM Phoenix Online survey.”

This literally made me laugh outloud.

Add Chris Christie and Senator Ron Johnson to the list of Republicans who have tested positive.

I really hope enough voters are not only fed up with all of these clowns but determined enough to overcome any challenges to voting to get as many of them out of office as possible - from the federal all the way down to the local level.

My absentee ballot is getting mailed to me this week so I will be voting very soon. I can't wait!


Trump knew he was positive when he went to his last rally ~ he didn't care who he infected ! people r giving him the sympathy vote ~ he seems so pathetically ill, let's not forget who he really is ~ he's more ill than his paid off doctors say. I hope he pulls threw because the day will come when he is removed from the WH and not by air force 1. I want to see that day ~

[Kätzchen]

Last night, while driving home after work, I was listening to Ari Shapiro on NPR's Fresh Air and a news counterpart reporting back to Shapiro made the remark that every day, a certain book of news updates and memos are printed off in book form for TP to read each morning. I found that bit of news interesting because I thought I once read or heard on radio that Ivanka was the one who read to him each day because TP either can't read or their ability to comprehend what they read is not something TP can be bothered with, that he'd rather Ivanka be his 'mini-me' in charge of the 'world'. This is with regard for his being hospitalized at WR and such.

It should bother people greatly that the person occupying the WH not only knows our nation's top security info and data but that apparently this would include Ivanka (by proxy, reading the 'book' to him on a daily basis -- if this is in fact true).

Every day in the news. No matter where the news is reported, it's about one single person and the daily trauma/drama that is beset upon the people via the occupant (s) of the WH.

Anyway, I was pondering that yesterday evening on the drive home from work. And, wondering when my ballot by mail will arrive. Supposedly they are mailed out on Oct 14th, but that's not to say that is when they arrive in our mail box. Less than a week turnaround on getting it back to Democratic headquarters. I worry about the slim window of time to return ballots back to official ballot counting stations for those who depend on USPS to get the job done right the first time around (they already have a horrible track record, I think, in general terms of opinions).

Does anyone know if the VP debates are still going to happen? I was looking forward to either listening to Harris debate Pence via video or reading about it soon.

[~ocean]

Last night, while driving home after work, I was listening to Ari Shapiro on NPR's Fresh Air and a news counterpart reporting back to Shapiro made the remark that every day, a certain book of news updates and memos are printed off in book form for TP to read each morning. I found that bit of news interesting because I thought I once read or heard on radio that Ivanka was the one who read to him each day because TP either can't read or their ability to comprehend what they read is not something TP can be bothered with, that he'd rather Ivanka be his 'mini-me' in charge of the 'world'. This is with regard for his being hospitalized at WR and such.

It should bother people greatly that the person occupying the WH not only knows our nation's top security info and data but that apparently this would include Ivanka (by proxy, reading the 'book' to him on a daily basis -- if this is in fact true).

Every day in the news. No matter where the news is reported, it's about one single person and the daily trauma/drama that is beset upon the people via the occupant (s) of the WH.

Anyway, I was pondering that yesterday evening on the drive home from work. And, wondering when my ballot by mail will arrive. Supposedly they are mailed out on Oct 14th, but that's not to say that is when they arrive in our mail box. Less than a week turnaround on getting it back to Democratic headquarters. I worry about the slim window of time to return ballots back to official ballot counting stations for those who depend on USPS to get the job done right the first time around (they already have a horrible track record, I think, in general terms of opinions).

Does anyone know if the VP debates are still going to happen? I was looking forward to either listening to Harris debate Pence via video or reading about it soon.

hi Katzchen even though they are and will be monitoring Pence because of him being up close to everyone at the WH ~ yes they are still planning a VP debate next week Oct. 7th. they will be under diff. guidelines :) 12' apart etc. masks will be mandatory.

[BullDog]

Kätzchen, yes that's kind of a tight deadline. New Mexico is starting to mail out absentee ballots on October 6. I requested mine over Labor Day weekend and I checked online and it's been approved, so I'm hoping to get it this week. I plan on mailing it in right away. I am pretty sure it just needs to get to the next town over and there's plenty of time for it to get there by November 3 and I can track its status online.

No way Ivanka should have access to highly classified information.

[homoe]

Trump knew he was positive when he went to his last rally ~ he didn't care who he infected ! people r giving him the sympathy vote ~ he seems so pathetically ill, let's not forget who he really is ~ he's more ill than his paid off doctors say. I hope he pulls threw because the day will come when he is removed from the WH and not by air force 1. I want to see that day ~



SPOT on ~Ocean

[C0LLETTE]

Fake News.

Seems Mark Meadows was the New York Times source for info on Trump's condition.
Now we know what Trump means when he calls the New York Times "fake news ".

[firegal]

Trump never disclosed it till he had symptoms. He twittered today a 4 min video today thanking america AND.........in it he spoke of his wife and how well she is doing and he SAID........"Melania is a little bit younger than me" WTF!!!!!! she is 24 years younger! Reality check!

[C0LLETTE]

I do believe he was trying to be amusing.

[BullDog]

Jaime Harrison, who is neck and neck with Lindsey Graham in the South Carolina Senate race brought a plexiglass divider to the debate tonight to shield himself! What a smart man. Keep the Repug Rona crap away!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EjcdPLOXcAIw4rl.jpg

[Gemme]

No way Ivanka should have access to highly classified information.

Should and do are two very different things. We all know she's more intelligent than him. Still conniving, but smarter, which is even more dangerous.

As for the book, I believe that all modern day presidents have historically been given a sort of cliff notes daily. They can't be wasting their day scrolling through their phones or visiting news site after news site online, so I get that. I also wholly believe it's possible and, more so, likely that he does have someone give him the highlights of that information. It makes the most sense that it would be Ivanka since she's his right hand. Pence has to make due with the left hand.

[Kelt]

I do believe he was trying to be amusing.

I also saw that as him joking and treating it tongue-in-cheek.

I thought it was interesting that early in his video Trump said “Corona, or whatever you want to call it“ and did not call it either the China virus or the Asian flu. Maybe it’s a little more real for him now.

That said, I think the official bulletins we’ve been given from the WH are absolute BS and we will not know for sometime what is actually happening. The earlier press conference with his doctors was pretty clearly a gloss over.

[kittygrrl]

Trump never disclosed it till he had symptoms. He twittered today a 4 min video today thanking america AND.........in it he spoke of his wife and how well she is doing and he SAID........"Melania is a little bit younger than me" WTF!!!!!! she is 24 years younger! Reality check!


i think trump lives in another dimension..just visits ours every once in a while:tea:

[C0LLETTE]

Two-step Process.

1.Vote him out of office
2.then lock him Up.

[C0LLETTE]

Not sure how badly Trump wants to be President but I'm totally sure he doesn't want to be not-President.

"President" Trump is safe from criminal charges and gets his legal fees paid by American citizens.

"Mr." Trump will get slammed with criminal charge after criminal charge; will have to pay his own legal fees; and will have to pay his debts himself and get no pay-offs.

[homoe]

An attending physician at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center blasted the “astounding irresponsibility” of President Donald Trump, saying he put the lives of Secret Service agents at risk to wave at his fans from his motorcade on Sunday.

Trump made a spur-of-the-moment decision to briefly leave the hospital where’s he being treated for COVID-19 to do a “surprise” drive-by in the presidential SUV to wave to supporters — who he called “great patriots” — gathered outside.

“Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential ‘drive-by’ just now has to be quarantined for 14 days,” Dr. James Phillips tweeted.

Two Secret Service agents could be seen inside the presidential SUV with Trump. All three wore masks.

“They might get sick. They may die. For political theater. Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater. This is insanity,” Phillips said of the agents accompanying Trump.

Phillips — the head of Disaster and Operational Medicine in the Emergency Medicine Department of the George Washington University School of Medicine — noted that the SUV is hermetically sealed to protect against chemical attacks.

“The risk of COVID-19 transmission inside is as high as it gets,” other than during medical procedures, he added.

[Cin]

Two Supreme Court justices say marriage equality decision should be overturned
"The Court has created a problem that only it can fix," they say.

Justice Clarence Thomas issued an opinion today that repeatedly attacked the 2015 Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges – which legalized marriage equality in all 50 states – as unconstitutional because it “bypassed” the “democratic process” and cause people “with sincerely held religious beliefs concerning marriage” to “find it increasingly difficult to participate in society.”

“By choosing to privilege a novel constitutional right over the religious liberty interests explicitly protected in the First Amendment, and by doing so undemocratically, the Court has created a problem that only it can fix,” wrote Thomas, who was joined by Justice Samuel Alito. “Until then, Obergefell will continue to have ‘ruinous consequences for religious liberty.’”

Thomas made the statements about Obergefell while denying a petition from Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, citing her Christian beliefs. She has been involved in litigation ever since and asked the Supreme Court this year to overturn an appeals court decision that held her liable for violating people’s rights as an elected official.

The Supreme Court refused to hear the case. Thomas and Alito agreed with the Court because Davis’s case “does not cleanly present” a chance to overturn Obergefell, but they explained exactly why they think the landmark marriage equality decision is unconstitutional.

Thomas called Davis a “devout Christian” who was “one of the first victims of this Court’s cavalier treatment of religion in its Obergefell decision.” He wrote that now Christians who oppose LGBTQ equality are being branded “as bigots.”

When bakers refuse to sell cakes to same-sex couples are held liable for discrimination, Thomas argued, the problem is not just anti-discrimination laws but Obergefell itself because it legalized marriage equality.

“Obergefell enables courts and governments to brand religious adherents who believe that marriage is between one man and one woman as bigots, making their religious liberty concerns that much easier to dismiss,” he wrote.

“Since Obergefell, parties have continually attempted to label people of good will as bigots merely for refusing to alter their religious beliefs in the wake of prevailing orthodoxy.”

While Thomas and Alito don’t currently have a majority of the court to overturn the decision, the ACLU’s Chase Strangio noted on Twitter that it’s unusual to see Supreme Court justices openly show their desire to overturn a five-year-old decision.

“The brazenness of the rightward direction of the Court is a threat to even the most basic expectation of legal protection,” he tweeted.

Vox‘s Ian Millhiser called it “astonishing” that two Supreme Court justices want to take away civil rights from a minority just because some people who oppose them have been called “unkind words.”

“I don’t know how to characterize Thomas and Alito’s views without using the word ‘supremacist,'” he wrote. “Their apparent belief is that their culture must always be dominant and the Constitution must be interpreted not just to ensure that dominance, but to prevent criticism of it.”

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2020/10/two-supreme-court-justices-say-marriage-equality-decision-overturned/

[~ocean]

so the arrogant bastard is back in the WH w/ out a mask ~ spewing the virus everywhere. HE has gone to meetings. rally's, etc. and NOW wants to debate Biden ~ isn't there a law of recklessness or a criminal law making him responsible of spreading the virus ? He needs to go to jail ~ directly to jail ~ don't pass go either and have a mental evaluation w/ a mask ON ~ he makes me so mad.

[homoe]

~~

...:goodpost:...

[Gemme]

Sooooo, some guys got into a fist fight because one of them refused to wear a mask on a plane. He had a face shield, but that's not sufficient protection according to the airline's company policy.

Anyone want to guess how many germs got spewed about with the yelling and touching? Two of the guys in the rumble wore their masks low and not covering their noses.

smh

The fight started when a passenger who wore a face shield got into an argument with a flight attendant over wearing a face mask, KSL reported.

A spokesperson for Allegiant Airlines did not respond to questions regarding the incident, but told NBC News on Monday that the airline requires all passengers to wear face covering at all times, including at the ticket counter, gate area and for the duration of the flight.

“Face shields may be worn in addition to a face covering, but not as an alternative,” according to company policy.

The video shows another man, clad in a mask that doesn't cover his nose, throwing jabs at the passenger who refused to wear a mask while being held back by flight staff.

The fight was broken up after 30 seconds. The passenger without a face mask was escorted off the plane by flight attendants, while the other man was allowed to stay.

In early March, when masks were not required by airports, a single passenger was responsible for infecting 15 other people aboard a flight from London to Hanoi, Vietnam, according to a study in the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, which is published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In its travel guidance, the CDC recommends wearing a mask that covers your nose and mouth and maintaining at least six feet apart from others.

[BullDog]

Learned on Rachel Maddow that Conley is an osteopath - so he's not even the right kind of doctor to be in charge of Trump's illness. I know there were plenty of specialists at Walter Reed and they could have access to specialists at the White House too, but this is so screwy.

Crash and burn time is coming. He was gasping for breath after climbing the stairs and taking off his mask at his latest insane photo op.

[homoe]

~~
Oh I'm sure that's the reason!

It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact she went off the rails and her rocker, was found walking in the dessert wearing only a bra and shorts, claiming she was "God, and was going to take everyone back to heaven in a spaceship".

[C0LLETTE]

Speak up Trump. Do some of that condemnation of lawlessness that you're so fond of.

6 men charged with plotting to kidnap Michigan governor.

Right wing crime and terrorism.

One more opportunity for Trump to attack and blame Democrats and Antifa?

I wouldn't be surprised if Trump starts going on about Patty Hearst.

OH, I forgot to mention that there are good people on both sides.

[C0LLETTE]

BTW

Biden NEVER exhorted anyone to "LIBERATE MICHIGAN"

[~ocean]

~~
Oh I'm sure that's the reason!

It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact she went off the rails and her rocker, was found walking in the dessert wearing only a bra and shorts, claiming she was "God, and was going to take everyone back to heaven in a spaceship".

lololololol need I say more lololololol

[Cin]

At least they are talking about it, out loud. I don't necessarily believe they will get anywhere but at least it will be out in the open. Whatever the reason discussing the possibility of invoking the 25th amendment can only be a good thing at this point.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/520191-pelosi-were-going-to-be-talking-about-25th-amendment

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that Democrats will hold an event on Friday to discuss the 25th Amendment amid concerns over President Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis.

“Tomorrow, by the way, tomorrow, come here tomorrow. We're going to be talking about the 25th Amendment.

Even his kids have noticed he's more nuts than usual.
https://theslot.jezebel.com/daddy-is-scaring-the-trump-kids-1845278619

According to sources close to the family, the Trump children are passing the hours of their father’s covid in the same way I assume they passed much of their childhoods, staring in wide-eyed horror at one another as their shitty dad endangers the entire family’s livelihood with a titty-baby tantrum, playing a silent game of “Not It” to see who among them will attempt to placate daddy this time.

Vanity Fair is reporting that for this particular meltdown, it’s most likely Donald Trump Jr. who has drawn the short straw, as it would seem Junior is the only Trump kid who will openly admit that there’s anything unusual about the president’s dangerous, ill-advised covid-spreading joyride or barrage of late-night, all-caps tweets:

[homoe]

Jane Fonda has no time for crazy sex but that’s okay — she’s had plenty of it.

On Friday, the 82-year-old icon appeared remotely on The Ellen DeGeneres Show hosted by Girls Trip star Tiffany Haddish, who filled in for DeGeneres.
"I gotta say, you look amazing,” Haddish, 40, told Fonda. “...I need to know because you look so good, are you still having sex? Are you having, like, crazy sex?" “No,” answered the actress, giving a thumbs-down. “No, zero...I don’t have time. I’m so old and I’ve had so much of it, I don’t need it right now because I’m too busy.”

Sidebar: Nobody likes a bragger Jane nobody....:giggle:

[C0LLETTE]

High five, Jane...after lots of years there's not that much that's new and unless you're fabulous within the first 10 minutes, I'm asleep.

[homoe]

~~~
Oh, I don't know about that, what idiot said you can't teach an old dog new tricks...

[C0LLETTE]

~~~
Oh, I don't know about that, what idiot said you can't teach an old dog new tricks...

It's not that I'm tired of learning. I'm just tired of teaching.

[C0LLETTE]

Money money money

The powerful head of the Vatican’s saint-making office, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, resigned Thursday from the post and renounced his rights as a cardinal amid a financial scandal that has reportedly implicated him indirectly.

Becciu, the former powerful No. 2 in the Vatican’s secretariat of state, has been reportedly implicated in a financial scandal involving the Vatican’s investment in a London real estate deal that has lost the Holy See millions of euros in fees paid to middlemen.

The financial problems date from 2014, when the Vatican entered into a real estate venture by investing over $200-million in a fund run by an Italian businessman. The deal gave the Holy See 45 per cent of the luxury building at 60 Sloane Ave. in London’s Chelsea neighbourhood.

The money came from the secretariat of state’s asset portfolio, which is funded in large part by the Peter’s Pence donations of Catholics around the world for the pope to use for charity and Vatican expenses.


UGH UGH UGH

[homoe]

Look at a map of daily COVID-19 cases in the U.S. Most of the Northeast and West Coast is yellow, indicating limited spread. The numbers across the Southeast tend to be moderate, or orange. Move into the Upper Midwest and more red hot spots start to appear.

And then there’s one state that’s covered in crimson: Wisconsin.

Right now Wisconsin is battling the worst coronavirus outbreak in America. The question is why. What about Wisconsin is different from, say, the neighboring states of Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois, where the virus isn’t spreading nearly as fast?

The answer, at least in part, is politics: specifically, the brand of cavalier, it-will-go-away politics propagated by President Trump and parroted by lower-level Republicans who seem hell-bent on resisting efforts to sustain social distancing and mask wearing when the spread is still low enough to contain — and in Wisconsin’s case, who continue to resist even after infections spiral out of control.

As Trump resumes in-person campaigning with a White House event Saturday and a rally Monday in Florida — and with cases rising nationally to their highest level since August — Wisconsin has emerged as a cautionary tale for the rest of the country about what could be coming this fall and winter to places that let politics get in the way of commonsense precautions. Last month Trump held an outdoor rally in Mosinee that attracted thousands of people, most of whom were not wearing masks. Even as case counts soared, he planned to return for back-to-back rallies in Janesville and Green Bay earlier this month — plans that were scrapped only after the president himself tested positive for the virus.

[homoe]

~~
I really enjoyed how almost all the Democrats had pictures, names, and stories to put to those who will lose coverage for pre-existing conditions IF the Afford Care Act should be overturned and declared unconstitutional!

And as for the Republicans IMHO most had their noses shoved so far up the nominees arse they couldn't get them any farther. ESPECIALLY Kennedy!

[BullDog]

Voter groups founded by LeBron James, Michelle Obama join forces ahead of Election Day

Michelle Obama and LeBron James are teaming up their voter engagement organizations, with the former first lady saying making a plan to vote early is "critical” this year.

Obama's organization, When We All Vote, and the Los Angeles Laker’s group, More Than a Vote, announced their new partnership on Tuesday. The shared goal for the voter drives is to "build momentum and excitement around voting early," they said in a news release.

Over the course of two weeks leading up to the Nov. 3 election, the organizations say they'll "provide information, transportation, food, music, personal protective equipment and voter protection support to Americans near early voting sites in cities around the country." Cities being targeted include: Philadelphia, Atlanta, Detroit, Milwaukee and Charlotte, among others.

“It’s now up to us to do everything in our power to get our friends and family ready to vote early and safely together,” Obama said in a statement. “We can’t leave anyone behind. I’m proud of the work When We All Vote will do with More Than a Vote and our partners to help provide on-the-ground support for Americans who will cast their ballots early."

James created his voting rights group, which is aimed in part at motivating African Americans to cast ballots in the White House race, in June. The NBA Finals MVP has said the idea was fueled by the worldwide protests over racial inequality and police brutality sparked by the death of George Floyd in police custody.

Obama launched When We All Vote in 2018.

https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/520781-voter-groups-founded-by-lebron-james-michelle-obama-join-forces

[BullDog]

Yes, Rachel Maddow went there! She was interviewing Kamala Harris tonight and asked her if she noticed the fly on Pence during the debate and Kamala just kept nodding her head and laughing. She didn't have much more to say about it, but that was priceless. I'm still laughing.

[homoe]

Yes, Rachel Maddow went there! She was interviewing Kamala Harris tonight and asked her if she noticed the fly on Pence during the debate and Kamala just kept nodding her head and laughing. She didn't have much more to say about it, but that was priceless. I'm still laughing.

Those two had a gigglefest a couple times.........:giggle:

[homoe]

A Tuesday interview between Nancy Pelosi and Wolf Blitzer about the ongoing negotiations for a COVID-19 relief bill quickly grew heated as the House speaker accused the CNN anchor of being a Republican “apologist” who was uninformed about the bill.

“With all due respect, and you know we’ve known each other a long time, you really don’t know what you’re talking about,” Pelosi said. “I don’t know why you’re always an apologist, and many of your colleagues, apologists for the Republican position.”

During the interview, Blitzer pressed her on why House Democrats have rejected the Trump administration’s latest $1.8 trillion stimulus bill offer as many Americans have continued to struggle financially during the pandemic. “Can you look them in the eye, Madame Speaker, and explain why you don’t want to accept the president’s latest stimulus offer?” Blitzer asked earlier in the interview.

“I hope you’ll ask the same question of the Republicans of why they don’t really want to meet the needs of the American people,” Pelosi said. “I know what their needs are. I listen to them and their needs are not addressed in the president’s proposal. So when you say to me why don’t you accept theirs, why don’t they accept ours?”

[C0LLETTE]

Wolf Blitzer annoys the hell out of me. I wanted Pelosi to smack him even harder.

[homoe]

Rudy Giuliani's daughter Caroline, 31, slams her famous father as feeding Trump's 'mob mentality' after blasting him as the 'President's personal bulldog' in stinging essay urging readers to vote for Joe Biden.

Caroline Giuliani is one of Rudy Giuliani's two children; she is a Harvard graduate and an avowed Democrat. She accused her father of feeding Trump's 'mob mentality' during an interview with MSNBC on Thursday night
The 31-year-old also slammed her Republican father in a new essay penned for Vanity Fair earlier in the day. Caroline claims she has suffered 'decades of despair over politics' and is embarrassed to tell people that Rudy Giuliani is her father. She says tensions with her dad have become exacerbated as he stands loyally beside President Trump

In her essay, Caroline urges readers to vote for Joe Biden, claiming the future of the country hangs in the balance.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8845357/Rudy-Giulianis-daughter-Caroline-31-slams-famous-father-sycophant-stinging-essay.html

[homoe]

WASHINGTON — Perhaps the most symbolic and telling moment of the Senate hearings on the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court came on Tuesday, when Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas asked about the notepad on the desk before Barrett. “Is there anything on it?” Cornyn asked.

In response, the 48-year-old smiled and held up the pad for the committee members to see. Other than the letterhead of the U.S. Senate, it was completely blank.

Cornyn found the lack of notes “impressive,” and the right seized on the notepad as a symbol of an eminently prepared nominee, a federal judge and former Notre Dame scholar who knows the law so well that notes were unnecessary. Her memory must have been pretty good too.

Her progressive critics, however, who are legion, saw something else.

For some, her refusal to take notes was disrespectful of the process, a sign that Republicans had known the fix was in from the start and were going through the motions of what Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., called “a sham” of a hearing.

Others saw the blank sheet as symbolic of Barrett’s inscrutability, her stubborn refusal to be drawn into a discussion of her beliefs. Republicans have argued that something they call the Ginsburg Rule — in reality, little more than an excuse — allows her to avoid answering questions about cases that might come before the court. And since the Supreme Court might rule on any number of issues, from the commerce clause to same-sex marriage, she could keep her bat safely on her shoulder as Democrats threw hard pitches her way.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/after-30-hours-of-hearings-barrett-remains-a-blank-slate-233129354.html

[C0LLETTE]

RATINGS WAR?

The first ratings numbers are in and it seems Joe Biden may have defied the odds and beat Donald Trump in their head-to-head town hall matchup on ABC and NBC, respectively Thursday night.

According to Variety, during the 8-9 p.m. ET hour when both town halls were airing, Biden drew 12.7 million viewers on ABC compared to 10.4 million for Trump. Even when you compare Trump’s hour-long session to Biden’s full 90-minute town hall, the Democratic candidate’s ratings number only drops to 12.3 million. Trump’s numbers are likely to rise when the simulcast ratings from cable networks MSNBC and CNBC are included, but on the broadcast networks alone, Biden appears to be the clear winner.

On Thursday, The Daily Beast reported that Trump had hoped to use his superior ratings to humiliate his opponent. “He looks at this the same way he looks at attendance at his rallies versus the [turnout] Biden gets for his events,” one source said. “He obviously wants to blow Biden out of the water.”


‘Nodding Woman’ Behind Trump in Miami Town Hall Unmasked
NBC News

The identity of the overly agreeable “nodding lady” seated behind President Donald Trump at his NBC Miami Town Hall Thursday night has been revealed. Despite being in an audience of “undecided voters,” Mayra Joli, an immigration attorney who once declared herself Miami’s “master of selfies,” is actually a proven Trump supporter who ran for Congress on a pro-Trump ticket in 2018, the Miami Herald reports. After the rambling town hall, Joli greeted the president, telling him, “We have your back! You see, you see, you are the best,” which prompted the president to ask where she was from, according to a video she posted on her Facebook page. “I’m from the Dominican Republic, but I’m American, I’m an American.” Trump responded by mimicking a baseball swing and saying, “Hey, Sammy Sosa?”

[homoe]

RATINGS WAR?

The first ratings numbers are in and it seems Joe Biden may have defied the odds and beat Donald Trump in their head-to-head town hall matchup on ABC and NBC, respectively Thursday night.

According to Variety, during the 8-9 p.m. ET hour when both town halls were airing, Biden drew 12.7 million viewers on ABC compared to 10.4 million for Trump. Even when you compare Trump’s hour-long session to Biden’s full 90-minute town hall, the Democratic candidate’s ratings number only drops to 12.3 million. Trump’s numbers are likely to rise when the simulcast ratings from cable networks MSNBC and CNBC are included, but on the broadcast networks alone, Biden appears to be the clear winner.

On Thursday, The Daily Beast reported that Trump had hoped to use his superior ratings to humiliate his opponent. “He looks at this the same way he looks at attendance at his rallies versus the [turnout] Biden gets for his events,” one source said. “He obviously wants to blow Biden out of the water.”


‘Nodding Woman’ Behind Trump in Miami Town Hall Unmasked
NBC News

The identity of the overly agreeable “nodding lady” seated behind President Donald Trump at his NBC Miami Town Hall Thursday night has been revealed. Despite being in an audience of “undecided voters,” Mayra Joli, an immigration attorney who once declared herself Miami’s “master of selfies,” is actually a proven Trump supporter who ran for Congress on a pro-Trump ticket in 2018, the Miami Herald reports. After the rambling town hall, Joli greeted the president, telling him, “We have your back! You see, you see, you are the best,” which prompted the president to ask where she was from, according to a video she posted on her Facebook page. “I’m from the Dominican Republic, but I’m American, I’m an American.” Trump responded by mimicking a baseball swing and saying, “Hey, Sammy Sosa?”

In 2016 it was the guy in the "red sweater" and during McCain/Palin it was "Joe the plumber".......

[homoe]

The statement from the publicly guarded first lady comes after the Justice Department this week took the extraordinary step of filing suit against Winston Wolkoff over "Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with The First Lady," a New York Times bestseller that was released six weeks ago. Trump did not mention Winston Wolkoff by name, but the details in the statement, which was framed as promoting the first lady's Be Best initiative, left little doubt as to whom she was referring.

Mrs.Trump said that Winston Wolkoff blames her in the book "for bad news coverage that she brought upon herself and others. Never once looking within at her own dishonest behavior and all in an attempt to be relevant. These kinds of people only care about their personal agenda — not about helping others."

Sidebar: Well when it comes to dealing with people who only care about their personal agenda — not about helping others, Melainia has a prime example right in front of her face........

[Cin]

https://www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/users/user1368/new_girl_savage_450_ap_nashville_womens-march-nashville-ap-rc-201017_1602967047667_hpembed_3x2_992.jpg

https://www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/users/user1368/girl_big_guzy_npr_women-march-010_custom-158e020f330ed907d6fdd2213eb228df78aa2c46-s1900-c85.jpg
“We refuse to accept a fascist America” — The Handmaids
In the Name of Humanity: I Am My Mother's Savage Daughter

This weekend's Women's March, like those that came before, brimmed with hope, rage, resolve and fabulous signs: "I'm Speaking...The Future Is Equal...Honor Her Wish...No Country For Old Men...We Must Now Be Ruthless...Women Are the Future....I Am My Mother's Savage Daughter." There were vows that women will "walk over broken glass" to vote the fascist out. There were chilling chants from multiple groups of women dressed as handmaidens, protesting extremist Amy Coney Barrett and proclaiming, "In the name of humanity, we refuse to accept a fascist America." And there were many young people and children, powerful testimony to changing demographic realities: Since the 2016 election, over 15 million teens have turned 18 and and can now vote; this year alone, 4 million more can vote, and another 15 million will become eligible for the 2024 election.

Those numbers were reflected by the kids, galvanized by the hateful times and good parents, who turned up to represent the next generation and insist, like one 12-year-old, "Anyone at any age can make a difference." Her handwritten sign read, "Watch out — I can vote in six years." In New Jersey, nine-year-old Charlotte Meyer spoke at a rally in honor of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The daughter of Elizabeth Meyer, founder of the Women’s March on New Jersey, Charlotte urged her listeners to speak up if they see someone lying or bullying: “Often we don’t realize how powerful our voice is until we use it. There are so many children and adults who can’t speak up, and we need to be their voices for them.” She also summoned the spirit of RBG, who was "a mom....She knew what it was like to raise kids in an unfair world. Let’s all stand together, stand up for one another, and create the world she hoped for.” Charlotte and the rest eloquently echo the latest ad from The LIncoln Project, "The Girl In the Mirror," which focuses in horror on what our kids now see and hear from our "leaders." "Vote for her," it urges. "Vote for change."

VlJqf_9YYj0

https://www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/users/user1368/girl_glass_450_ceiling_womens-march-la.jpg

https://www.commondreams.org/further/2020/10/18/name-humanity-i-am-my-mothers-savage-daughter

[tantalizingfemme]

This is absolutely disgusting and goes completely against the NASW Code of Ethics.

Texas social workers can now turn away LGBTQ, disabled clients: A state regulatory board removed the discrimination protections following a recommendation from Gov. Greg Abbott.

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/texas-social-workers-can-now-turn-away-lgbtq-disabled-clients-n1243891?cid=sm_npd_nn_fb_ma&fbclid=IwAR00gAPKROMC9dm676QqSaBbkz_DCwRSqeOw2H1FX KC2jINKjg7YDmsHs-E

[Kätzchen]

Wow. Just read a news flash over on CNN concerning how TP has a bank account in China? No wondering now, thanks to investigative reporting provided by The New York Times. Wow. Just wow.


https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/20/politics/trump-china-taxes-financial-records/index.html

[Bèsame*]

Pope calls for civil unions for same-sex couples, in major departure from Vatican doctrine

Oct. 21, 2020, 10:07 AM EDT
By Henry Austin
Pope Francis called for the passage of civil union laws for same-sex couples in a documentary that aired in Rome on Wednesday, in a major departure from the position held by the Vatican’s doctrinal office.

“Homosexuals have a right to be part of the family,” the Pontiff said in “Francesco,” a documentary about his life, according to the Catholic News Agency. “They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it.”

[C0LLETTE]

Take That Amy!

Francis becomes first pope to endorse same-sex civil unions

[PlatinumPearl]

Former Blue Bell Creameries CEO faces charges in connection with alleged listeria contamination coverup.


A Texas grand jury charged Paul Kruse, Blue Bell Creameries' former CEO and president, was charged with wire fraud and conspiracy in connection with an alleged cover-up of the company's 2015 listeria outbreak, the Department of Justice announced on Wednesday.

https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1ah9yi.img?h=450&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f
© Jamie Squire/Getty Images OVERLAND PARK, KS - APRIL 21: Blue Bell Ice Cream is seen on shelves of an
Overland Park grocery store prior to being removed on April 21, 2015 in Overland Park, Kansas.
Blue Bell Creameries recalled all products following a Listeria contamination. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)


Kruse, who served as the company's CEO and president from 2004 to 2017, was charged with seven counts of wire fraud and conspiracy for an alleged scheme to cover up what the company knew about the listeria contamination in Blue Bell products, according to the Department of Justice.

"We firmly believe the charges will be dismissed because they are untimely," said Chris Flood, who represents Kruse. "We look forward to a jury hearing what really happened in 2015 and Blue Bell's response to the unfortunate events."

Blue Bell said it would be inappropriate for the company to comment on Kruse's legal situation since he is no longer with the company.

According to the indictment, Kruse allegedly directed employees to remove potentially contaminated products from store freezers without notifying retailers or consumers of the real reason. Kruse instructed employees to tell customers who asked about the removed items that there was an "unspecified issue with a manufacturing machine," the indictment alleges.

Blue Bell did not issue an immediate recall of the products nor did the company inform customers about the listeria contamination, according to the indictment.

"US consumers rely on food producers and suppliers to ensure the safety of the nation's food supply.The charges announced today show that if an individual violates food safety rules or conceals relevant information, we will seek to hold them accountable," said Judy McMeekin, associate commissioner for regulatory affairs at the Food and Drug Administration, in a news release."We will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who jeopardize public health."

The ice cream was linked to 10 listeria cases in four states and resulted in three deaths in Kansas. In May, the company pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors for distributing adulterated food products and agreed to pay $19.3 million in fines for shipping contaminated ice cream during the 2015 listeria outbreak. The company shut down all its plants in 2015 cleanings and updates, according to the news release.

Listeriosis is a potentially fatal infection caused by the germ listeria, which is found in soil, water, raw milk and some animals like poultry and cattle. Unlike many other germs, it can grow in the cold temperature of a refrigerator or in a food processing plant.


Source: msn.com
Website: https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/us/former-blue-bell-creameries-ceo-faces-charges-in-connection-with-alleged-listeria-contamination-coverup/ar-BB1ah63Q?li=AAggFp5&ocid=mailsignout
Date: October 22, 2020

[C0LLETTE]

Banksy’s Show Me the Monet sells for almost $10-million at auction

Banksy’s playful take on a famous Impressionist painting has sold at auction for £7.6-million (US$9.8-million), the second-highest price ever paid for a work by the British street artist.

Show Me the Monet sold to an unidentified bidder at Sotheby’s in London on Wednesday evening, surpassing its upper pre-sale estimate of £5-million.

In the 2005 work, Banksy added abandoned shopping carts and an orange traffic cone to Claude Monet’s image of water lilies in his garden at Giverny.

Alex Branczik, Sotheby’s European head of contemporary art, said the work was one of the “strongest and most iconic” Banksy works to appear at auction.

Banksy, whose real name has never been officially confirmed, began his career spray-painting buildings in Bristol, England, and has become one of the world’s best-known artists.

But what if future generations think it's dumb as dirt and badly painted. Then what? No refunds after 30 days without sales slip.

____________________________________

[Gemme]

The debate.

bPiofmZGb8o

I'm literally nauseous at the comments.

[Kätzchen]

I came across an Op-Ed, over on CNN, which asks the question:
Who won the debate? (https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/23/opinions/who-won-the-debate-opinion/index.html)

It's a quick read. Several individuals wrote op-eds addressing the idea of who won the final debate. I like what one of the contributors submitted:

Paul Callan: The last debate may have propelled Biden to the presidency.


Despite his chronic case of malignant narcissism, President Donald Trump demonstrated occasional flashes of dignified "presidential" behavior last night. Trump, however, struggled to hold the reasonable tone like a patient gasping for air in an ICU. His opponents may observe that the ability to lie in a dignified manner does not really confer presidential dignity.

Throughout the evening the Trumpian narcissism leaked through in claims like his belief that he is the best president for African Americans since Abraham Lincoln. His passive response to Covid-19 was graphically demonstrated when the wives joined their husbands for a photo op at debate's end. Biden immediately put his mask back on as his already masked wife, Jill Biden, approached. An also masked First Lady Melania Trump then joined her defiantly unmasked husband for a photo which neatly summed up the differences between the candidates on the surging pandemic.

In what was one of the best candidate debates in recent political history, Biden demonstrated the confidence and experience to rescue the nation from the trauma of Trump. The President's attempt to paint Biden as a wild-eyed, corrupt socialist had fallen flat and the debate may well be remembered as the event which propelled Biden to the presidency.

Paul Callan is a CNN legal analyst, a former New York homicide prosecutor and counsel to the New York law firm of Edelman & Edelman PC, focusing on wrongful conviction and civil rights cases.

[homoe]

Sophie Lewis Sat, October 24, 2020, 8:15 AM PDT

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are demanding that an anti-Trump group removes billboards in Manhattan's Times Square that feature their images alongside criticism of the White House's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to The Lincoln Project.

The group of longtime Republican strategists, who prominently oppose the re-election of President Trump, said the billboards highlight Ivanka Trump and Kushner's "indifference" to the suffering of Americans who have lost their lives due to "their reckless mismanagement" of the pandemic.

One billboard shows Trump, a senior advisor to the president, smiling and gesturing to statistics showing that over 33,000 New Yorkers and over 221,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. The photo appears to be taken from a tweet she sent in July to promote Goya beans. A second billboard features Kushner, who is also a White House advisor, next to body bags and a quote that Vanity Fair reported he said during a meeting in March: "[New Yorkers] are going to suffer and that's their problem." Kushner allegedly made the statement during a March 21 White House meeting with a private-sector group about the nation's pandemic response. The Vanity Fair article claims Kushner criticized Governor Andrew Cuomo for failing to procure enough Personal Protective Equipment for his state.

In a letter tweeted by The Lincoln Project on Friday night, attorney Mark Kasowitz, who has worked for the president in the past, called the billboards "false, malicious and defamatory." He claims Trump "never made any such gesture" and Kushner "never made any such statement." "If these billboards are not immediately removed, we will sue you for what will doubtless be enormous compensatory and punitive damages," he wrote.

Kasowitz's law firm did not immediately respond to CBS News' request for comment.

In a subsequent statement, The Lincoln Project said the billboards would not be taken down, calling the outrage "comical." "While we truly enjoy living rent-free in their heads, their empty threats will not be taken any more seriously than we take Ivanka and Jared," the statement said. "Jared and Ivanka have always been entitled, out-of-touch bullies who have never given the slightest indication they have any regard for the American people. We plan on showing them the same level of respect." "We consider it important that in Times Square, the crossroads of the world, people are continuously reminded of the cruelty, audacity and staggering lack of empathy the Trumps and Kushner have displayed towards the American people," it added.

The Lincoln Project did not immediately respond to CBS News' request for comment.

Jared and Ivanka have always been entitled, out-of-touch bullies who have never given the slightest indication they have any regard for the American people. We plan on showing them the same level of respect.

There were more than 83,000 confirmed coronavirus cases reported Friday, marking a new record high for a single day in the U.S. The latest surge is pushing the number of infections to more than 8.4 million and increasing the death toll past 223,000 people, according to Johns Hopkins University.

[homoe]

Legal threats from Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner aimed at the Lincoln Project’s Time Square billboards that associates them with the Trump administration’s failed COVID-19 response isn’t scaring the anti-Trump organization one bit.

“Please peddle your scare tactics elsewhere. The Lincoln Project will not be intimidated by such empty bluster,” attorney Matthew Sanderson wrote in a lengthy response to Trump and Kushner’s lawyer, Marc E. Kasowitz.

The billboards on the corner of 44th Street and Broadway in the heart of Times Square feature the president’s daughter and son-in-law, with one of Ivanka Trump smiling and gesturing towards the national and New York state numbers of COVID-19 deaths, and the other of Kushner smiling alongside a quote that reads “[New Yorkers] are going to suffer and that’s their problem.”

The Lincoln Project — a political action committee formed by Republicans whose goal is to prevent the re-election of Donald Trump — posted the letter from Kasowitz Friday evening, calling it, “Nuts!” and quickly responded with a statement, saying in part, “Jared and Ivanka have always been entitled, out-of-touch bullies who have never given the slightest indication they have any regard for the American people. We plan on showing them the same level of respect.”

But Sanderson’s comments went further in a three-page response to Kasowitz Saturday night, saying that Trump and Kushner are “public officials” and have been such “since President Trump, in a gross act of nepotism, awarded” them White House positions in 2017.

“Americans have the right to discuss and criticize their public officials freely,” Sanderson wrote. “Public officials have periodically tried, as Kr. Kushner and Ms. Trump do here, to evade accountability and muzzle dissent by threatening or filing defamation lawsuits against critics. Fortunately, substantial constitutional protections are afforded to those who speak out about public officials.”

Sanderson goes on to point out that the Lincoln Project’s billboards are, “in any event, are entirely accurate.”

[Cin]

The Other World-Altering Event Happening Next Week

An important date is coming up. On November 4, the day after the election, the United States will earn a dubious distinction: It will become the only country in the world to formally exit the Paris agreement. In the historic global climate change deal, struck in 2015, 189 countries agreed on nonbinding domestic targets to keep global temperatures well below a disastrous 2 degrees Celsius.

The Paris deal marked a breakthrough in that it encouraged rapidly growing nations like China and India to take action to combat climate change alongside United States and Europe, historically the world’s largest sources of emissions. Rather than set universal emissions cuts, it allowed each nation to determine their contributions. The countries’ initial pledges were considered a starting point—the expectation was that everyone would return to the negotiating table in 2020 with more ambitious cuts to carbon pollution.

Trump allies like Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have hinted they may also exit the Paris agreement.
In 2017, President Trump, surprising no one, announced his intent to withdraw the United States from the agreement. There was a silver lining: Instead of inspiring a complete unraveling of the plan, his threat had the opposite effect—no country exited the agreement, and in fact 38 more countries have joined since 2017.

Yet the future stability of the Paris deal still depends heavily on whether the United States stays in. Trump allies like Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have hinted they may also exit. November 2020 was supposed to be a pivotal month when countries returned to the negotiating table to evaluate their progress and make new goals. COVID-19 delayed the annual international climate meeting until 2021, but even in the chaos of the pandemic, other major economies have ramped up their climate ambitions. China recently announced its goal to be carbon neutral by 2060. India has raised its goal to install 450 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030, double its goal it set in Paris for 175 gigawatts in 2022. And the European Union just officially adopted a net-zero carbon pollution target for 2050 as binding law.

Since his 2017 announcement, Trump has been repeating two dangerous lies about US participation in the deal: His first lie was that the agreement would come at immense cost to Americans while other major polluters would contribute nothing; his second was that the United States has already exited the accord. “The Paris Accord, I took us out because we were going to have to spend trillions of dollars and we were treated very unfairly,” Trump said in the extensive climate section of the debate.

About that: First of all, Trump didn’t actually withdraw—rather, the United States will in the Paris deal until November 4 because of a required three-year waiting period. Second, it’s absurd to imagine that the United States, as the biggest and richest polluter somehow got shortchanged in the agreement. This isn’t the United States bending to the will of the United Nations; instead, the United States basically guided the terms of the agreement. The cost Trump is ostensibly alluding to—President Obama’s pledge of $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund for developing nations—is to help other nations cut pollution and fight climate impacts. Those investments would undoubtedly help the United States, as well: As we’ve seen this year, from hurricanes to western wildfires, the United States is not immune to experiencing climate crises at home.

“It’s clear that we should’ve been spending the last four years doing more,” says Jake Schmidt, an expert on international climate negotiations and senior advisor to the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund. Yet in spite of Trump’s hostility toward the Paris agreement, the United States has made some progress over the last four years. The Michael Bloomberg and Jerry Brown-led group America’s Pledge estimated that emissions reduction goals made by cities, states, and companies could cut US emissions by a third by 2030

For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis, the election, and more, subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter.
An important date is coming up. On November 4, the day after the election, the United States will earn a dubious distinction: It will become the only country in the world to formally exit the Paris agreement. In the historic global climate change deal, struck in 2015, 189 countries agreed on nonbinding domestic targets to keep global temperatures well below a disastrous 2 degrees Celsius.

The Paris deal marked a breakthrough in that it encouraged rapidly growing nations like China and India to take action to combat climate change alongside United States and Europe, historically the world’s largest sources of emissions. Rather than set universal emissions cuts, it allowed each nation to determine their contributions. The countries’ initial pledges were considered a starting point—the expectation was that everyone would return to the negotiating table in 2020 with more ambitious cuts to carbon pollution.

Trump allies like Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have hinted they may also exit the Paris agreement.
In 2017, President Trump, surprising no one, announced his intent to withdraw the United States from the agreement. There was a silver lining: Instead of inspiring a complete unraveling of the plan, his threat had the opposite effect—no country exited the agreement, and in fact 38 more countries have joined since 2017.

Yet the future stability of the Paris deal still depends heavily on whether the United States stays in. Trump allies like Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have hinted they may also exit. November 2020 was supposed to be a pivotal month when countries returned to the negotiating table to evaluate their progress and make new goals. COVID-19 delayed the annual international climate meeting until 2021, but even in the chaos of the pandemic, other major economies have ramped up their climate ambitions. China recently announced its goal to be carbon neutral by 2060. India has raised its goal to install 450 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030, double its goal it set in Paris for 175 gigawatts in 2022. And the European Union just officially adopted a net-zero carbon pollution target for 2050 as binding law.

Since his 2017 announcement, Trump has been repeating two dangerous lies about US participation in the deal: His first lie was that the agreement would come at immense cost to Americans while other major polluters would contribute nothing; his second was that the United States has already exited the accord. “The Paris Accord, I took us out because we were going to have to spend trillions of dollars and we were treated very unfairly,” Trump said in the extensive climate section of the debate.

About that: First of all, Trump didn’t actually withdraw—rather, the United States will in the Paris deal until November 4 because of a required three-year waiting period. Second, it’s absurd to imagine that the United States, as the biggest and richest polluter somehow got shortchanged in the agreement. This isn’t the United States bending to the will of the United Nations; instead, the United States basically guided the terms of the agreement. The cost Trump is ostensibly alluding to—President Obama’s pledge of $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund for developing nations—is to help other nations cut pollution and fight climate impacts. Those investments would undoubtedly help the United States, as well: As we’ve seen this year, from hurricanes to western wildfires, the United States is not immune to experiencing climate crises at home.

“It’s clear that we should’ve been spending the last four years doing more,” says Jake Schmidt, an expert on international climate negotiations and senior advisor to the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund. Yet in spite of Trump’s hostility toward the Paris agreement, the United States has made some progress over the last four years. The Michael Bloomberg and Jerry Brown-led group America’s Pledge estimated that emissions reduction goals made by cities, states, and companies could cut US emissions by a third by 2030.

Still, the world is a long way off from meeting its commitments in Paris. Carbon pollution has temporarily fallen during the COVID crisis, but the economic recovery will matter more for whether the world is still on its worst-case, business-as-usual path. It would be easy for a Biden administration to rejoin the Paris deal in January, but they would have much more work to do to repair relationships and trust in American leadership. And he has even more to do on the domestic front to repair Trump’s war on climate science. Just yesterday, the New York Times reported that the Trump administration removed a chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration after he asked climate-skeptic political appointees to adhere to the agency’s scientific integrity policy.

“It’s hard when you have the world’s largest market and a major global player either sitting on the sidelines,” says Schmidt. “Or in Trump’s case, doing everything he can to pull things backward.”

https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2020/10/the-other-trump-doomsday-scenario/

[Cin]

I can't post the video or pics but here's a link.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/10/30/1991022/-Video-shows-cops-dragging-Black-mother-out-of-SUV-cops-post-picture-saying-her-son-was-found-lost

Video shows cops dragging Black mother out of SUV, cops post picture saying her son was found ‘lost’


Rice’s video appears to show at least two officers bashing in the windows and then one officer repeatedly hitting the driver with a baton. Officers then pull a second adult out of the vehicle, and then seconds later appeared to remove the child from the backseat.

The video, shot by 30-year-old Aapril Rice, was filmed from the rooftop of Rice’s home. In the video, dozens of riot-geared officers swarm the diagonally stopped car, smashing the windows all around with their batons. They rip the front door open and, while at least two officers continue swinging their batons, drag the driver out of the car and onto the concrete about 15 feet away from the vehicle.

The Philadelphia Inquirer first reported on the bogus social media posts by the Fraternal Order of Police, including one showing Young’s son and reading: “We are not your enemy. We are the Thin Blue Line. And WE ARE the only thing standing between Order and Anarchy.” The Fraternal Order of Police, like cowards, has not responded to inquiries from either the Post or the Inquirer about the video and their bullshit propaganda use of a 2-year-old child whose innocent mother they abused.

The photo the Fraternal Order of Police used was taken literally moments after police smashed and attacked this kid’s mother, yanked her out of the car, and separated the child from his mother for hours.

This post by
@GLFOP
is a lie. My firm
@MinceyFitzRoss
represents this boy and his mother. This photo was taken moments after police attacked their vehicle, busted out the windows, ripped the mother from her car and assaulted her.

Looks like Philly PD smashed the windows of a passing vehicle that was trying to turn around, then dragged the parents out and beat them on the ground in front of their terrified children. [@MrCheckpoint]

[PlatinumPearl]

Fake driver's licenses flooding into US from China, other countries, US says

Nearly 20,000 counterfeit U.S. licenses were seized at Chicago’s O’Hare airport in the first half of 2020, according to a report.

https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2020/08/640/320/fake-licenses.jpg?ve=1&tl=1


Counterfeit documents are giving criminals a license to commit a host of offenses, including terrorism, U.S. officials say -- and young adults who are lax with their personal information may be their biggest enablers.

In the first six months of 2020, Customs and Borden Protection officers seized nearly 20,000 counterfeit U.S. driver’s licenses at Chicago’s O’Hare airport alone, according to a report.

The 19,888 licenses and other fake documents were included in 1,513 overseas shipments, mostly from China and Hong Kong, CBP said, according to FOX 5 in New York City. Others were from South Korea and Britain.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/fake-drivers-licenses-flooding-into-us-from-china-other-countries-us-says.amp?__twitter_impression=true

[PlatinumPearl]

‘We’re being left behind’: Rural hospitals can’t afford ultra-cold freezers to store the leading Covid-19 vaccine

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EmjtzXpW4AAVSo8?format=jpg&name=small

Large urban hospitals across the U.S. are rushing to buy expensive ultra-cold freezers to store what’s likely to be the first approved Covid-19 vaccine. But most rural hospitals can’t afford these high-end units, meaning health workers and residents in those communities may have difficulty getting the shots.

https://www.statnews.com/2020/11/11/rural-hospitals-cant-afford-freezers-to-store-pfizer-covid19-vaccine/

[PlatinumPearl]

Ring recalls 350,000 smart doorbells after some of them caught fire


San Francisco (CNN Business)Amazon-subsidiary Ring is recalling hundreds of thousands of video doorbells after receiving reports of them catching fire.

The potential fire hazard impacts around 350,000 2nd generation Ring doorbells sold in the United States and roughly 8,700 more sold in Canada, according to a notice posted by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on Tuesday. The $100 doorbells were sold on Ring's website and on Amazon (AMZN) between June 2020 and October 2020, according to the CPSC.

"The video doorbell's battery can overheat when the incorrect screws are used for installation, posing fire and burn hazards," the notice said.

According to the notice, Ring has thus far received 23 reports of doorbells catching fire and causing property damage, as well as eight reports of minor burns.

"The safety of our customers is our top priority," Ring spokesperson Emma Daniels said in a statement, adding that the company is working with the CPSC and has contacted customers affected by the recall with updated device installation instructions. "Customers do not need to return their devices,"she added.

Ring users can check whether their doorbells are impacted by the recall at this link on the company's support website, by entering the model and serial number printed on the back of the device.

Ring, bought by Amazon in 2018, has been caught up in controversy in the past. Last year, it announced partnerships with more than 400 police departments across the United States to give law enforcement easier access to videos recorded on its doorbells. The partnerships allowed police to submit requests for video recordings for certain locations to help with active investigations.

But privacy advocates slammed the move, saying at the time that it threatened to create a 24/7 surveillance program.

More recently, in September, Ring unveiled the Always Home Cam — a $250 drone with an attached camera that can automatically fly around your house and stream video to your smartphone.



Source: cnn.com
Website: https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/10/tech/ring-doorbell-recall-fire/index.html?utm_term=link&utm_source=fbbusiness&utm_content=2020-11-11T06%3A01%3A06&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR07IlOFCA4xH2y140vGYSSMiWxI-Udkyr1N99TGw9pLLcNKSZifw2rghRQ
Date: November 11, 2020

[PlatinumPearl]

Microsoft warns Russian, North Korean hackers targeting groups researching COVID-19 vaccines

https://thehill.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumb_small_article/public/microsoft_012017getty_0.jpg?itok=IkTXGulE


Microsoft warned Friday that the company witnessed efforts by Russian and North Korean hacking groups to target pharmaceutical companies and coronavirus vaccine researchers.

The announcement is part of a wider effort by the company to take action against these attacks.

“In recent months, we’ve detected cyberattacks from three nation-state actors targeting seven prominent companies directly involved in researching vaccines and treatments for Covid-19,” Tom Burt, the corporate vice president of Customer Security and Trust at Microsoft, wrote in a blog post.

“The targets include leading pharmaceutical companies and vaccine researchers in Canada, France, India, South Korea and the United States.”

Burt wrote that the three advanced persistent threat groups involved were a Russian group known as “Strontium” and two North Korean groups known as “Zinc” and “Cerium.”

https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/525794-microsoft-warns-russian-north-korean-hackers-targeting-groups

[PlatinumPearl]

How Ticketmaster Plans to Check Your Vaccine Status for Concerts: Exclusive


Monday's news that pharmaceutical company Pfizer's early results on a new COVID-19 vaccine showed a 90% efficacy rate on an initial clinical trial have given concert professionals hope that the business can start mounting a return in 2021. As part of that preparation, Ticketmaster has been working on a framework for post-pandemic fan safety that uses smart phones to verify fans' vaccination status or whether they've tested negative for the coronavirus within a 24 to 72 hour window.

Many details of the plan, which is still in development phase, will rely on three separate components -- the Ticketmaster digital ticket app, third party health information companies like CLEAR Health Pass or IBM's Digital Health Pass and testing and vaccine distribution providers like Labcorp and the CVS Minute Clinic.

Here's how it would work, if approved: After purchasing a ticket for a concert, fans would need to verify that they have already been vaccinated (which would provide approximately one year of COVID-19 protection) or test negative for coronavirus approximately 24 to 72 hours prior to the concert. The length of coverage a test would provide would be governed by regional health authorities -- if attendees of a Friday night concert had to be tested 48 hours in advance, most could start the testing process the day before the event. If it was a 24-hour window, most people would likely be tested the same day of the event at a lab or a health clinic.

https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/touring/9481166/ticketmaster-vaccine-check-concerts-plan

[C0LLETTE]

Lezlie Lowe

AUTHOR, NO PLACE TO GO: HOW PUBLIC TOILETS FAIL OUR PRIVATE NEEDS

There are not enough public bathrooms. And I mean free, municipally cared-for public spaces where anybody can go, no questions asked. In most Canadian cities, what we have are lots of public bathrooms in commercial spaces, such as coffee shops, malls and restaurants. But those don’t necessarily meet everyone’s needs in terms of access, unlike a public bathroom that is on-street, ideally open 24 hours and free. We need to have a reckoning about the fact that publicly available washrooms in Starbucks or McDonald’s don’t actually meet the needs of everybody. If you are unhoused and haven’t had a shower for three days, you’re not likely to be able to use that bathroom. You’re more likely to get kicked out.

When you hear planners talk about cities, it’s fantastically aspirational. I’m glad we’re talking about walkability and liveability and aging in place. But you literally cannot have any of those things without public bathrooms. If there were more of them, people could spend more time using cities. Malls typically have really nice bathrooms, and lots of them, and the reason is so people stay longer.

[PlatinumPearl]

United Airlines begins FIRST chartered flights to move batches of Pfizer COVID vaccine in refrigerated cases
as the US prepares for mass distribution.


* Pfizer are readying for distribution of the first batches of the COVID vaccine

* The vaccine is still not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

* The FDA will meet on December 10 in a public hearing to consider the data

* Vaccine will be flown around the country in special conditions to keep it cold

* The Pfizer vaccination must be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius

* The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) is giving permission for dry ice to be used



United Airlines on Friday began operating charter flights to move shipments of Pfizer's (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/pfizer/index.html) COVID-19 vaccination ahead of a mass inoculation program expected to begin in late December, according to a report.

The flights are the first step in a global supply and distribution network, which is being prepared to spring into action when the vaccine is approved by regulators.

The airline has been granted special permission by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) to fly with increased quantities of dry ice, to keep the vaccine cold.

Pfizer's vaccination must be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius.

The specific chartered routes being flown were not specified by the Wall Street Journal (https://www.wsj.com/articles/united-begins-flying-pfizers-covid-19-vaccine-11606512293), which reported the news.

But it was revealed that United intends on flying cargo flights between the Belgian capital, Brussels, and Chicago's O'Hare airport to support distribution of the vaccine, according to a November 24 letter from the FAA viewed by the Journal.

Brussels and Chicago are both convenient international airports for Pfizer's plants in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Puurs, Belgium, where the final assembly of the vaccine takes place.

Chicago is also close to Pfizer's distribution site in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, which is being expanded in preparation for the vaccine roll out.

The company has another distribution site in Karlsruhe, Germany.

Pfizer also plans dozens of cargo flights and hundreds of truck trips each day once approval is given by authorities.


https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/11/28/01/36195228-8995425-image-a-22_1606528217125.jpg
Pfizer's vaccine is reportedly being transported by United Airlines in readiness for distribution.


https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/11/28/01/36195222-8995425-image-a-39_1606528632347.jpg
United Airlines have been granted permission to fly an increased quantity of dry ice for cooling.


Vaccine doses for Europe will be produced at sites owned by BioNTech - Pfizer's German partner - as well as in Pfizer's manufacturing site in Belgium.

In the US it will be produced in Michigan, at the Kalamazoo plant.

Covering two square miles, it is the largest manufacturing site in the world for Pfizer.

An estimated 2,200 Pfizer employees work in the town of Portage, where the plant is located on the outskirts of Kalamazoo, home to 53,000 people.

The vaccine's components will criss-cross the United States.

It will start with raw material production in St. Louis, Missouri.

The drug substance then will be purified in Andover, Maryland, before being shipped to Portage, Michigan.

In Portage, the drug is combined with other raw materials.

'Bulk vaccine will then be transferred to an aseptic filling line where it will be filled into a sterilized vial and capped. It will then undergo 100 per cent inspection before it is transferred to the packaging lines,' according to a press release from Pfizer.

The FAA said in a statement on Friday that it was supporting the 'first mass air shipment of a vaccine,' and that it is working with airlines to safely transport COVID-19 vaccines.

United had asked the FAA to be allowed to carry more dry ice than is typically allowed on flights, in a bid to keep the vaccine cool.

The FAA said it would allow United to carry 15,000 pounds of dry ice per flight, which is five times more than normally allowed - dry ice is controlled on passenger planes because of concerns about leaks of carbon dioxide, which may not be detected mid air.

Pfizer have created suitcase-size boxes packed with dry ice to keep its vaccine doses cold, the paper reported.

It means they can ship the vaccine quicker, by eliminating the need for large temperature-controlling containers.


https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/11/28/02/36078274-8995425-Pfizer_s_vaccine_must_be_stored_in_incredibly_low_ temperatures_i-a-40_1606530916545.jpg
Pfizer's vaccine must be stored in incredibly low temperatures in a facility like the one shown.

Who will be first in line to be vaccinated against Coronavirus?

* Health workers will be first in line to be vaccinated

* Those most vulnerable to the targeted infection are a high priority: It includes 12 million critical health, national security and essential workers

* 110 million people at high risk from the coronavirus: This includes those over 65 who live in long-term care facilities, or those of any age who are in poor health, or who also are deemed essential workers

* Those living where the outbreak is currently worst will also be a priority

* Volunteers taking part in the final stage trials of vaccine testing who receive dummy shots will be given the real thing once an injection is created

* The remaining general U.S. population of 205 million other people would come later



Video - https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2020/11/21/8356848119521690731/636x382_MP4_8356848119521690731.mp4 (https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2020/11/21/8356848119521690731/636x382_MP4_8356848119521690731.mp4)


Pfizer's vaccine, one of several being developed, is giving hope to billions of people around the world.

In the US, the FDA will meet on December 10 in an emergency session (https://www.fda.gov/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-calendar/vaccines-and-related-biological-products-advisory-committee-december-10-2020-meeting-announcement), to be live streamed, where they will discuss authorizing the vaccine's use.

Pfizer requested emergency use on November 20.

How much vaccine is available and when is a moving target, but initial supplies will be scarce and rationed.

Last week Gustave Perna, chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed - the US government's program for coordinating distribution and administration of the drug - said that 4.1 million doses would be initially distributed.


https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/11/28/02/36078302-8995425-Gustave_Perna_was_due_to_retire_this_year_instead_ he_has_been_ha-a-41_1606530926295.jpg
Gustave Perna was due to retire this year: instead he has been handed a huge and vital task.


Pfizer has been conducting dry runs of each step, from vaccine delivery to opening Pfizer's GPS-tracked special containers to vaccine storage, Perna said.

The vaccine will be free for Americans. It was unclear whether those with Green Cards or in the country on visas would be included.

Arguments are brewing over who will pay. The federal government is covering a significant chunk of the cost, but states say they need extra funds to pay for associated costs of monitoring and administering the vaccine.

Perna said they were aware that the 6.4 million doses were not even enough to vaccinate all of the country's 20 million health-care workers, let alone the U.S. population of 330 million.

But he said 'a steady drumbeat' of additional doses will be delivered as manufacturing capacity ramps up in each successive week.

About 25 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine may become available in December, 30 million in January and 35 million more in February and March, according to information presented to the National Academy of Medicine at the end of November.

Recipients will need two doses, three weeks apart.

The CDC will meet on Tuesday to decide on recommendations for who should get it first, based on the data and known side effects.

Healthcare workers and vulnerable populations, such as those in nursing homes, are likely to get the first doses, followed by seniors.

It is believed that the general population will receive the vaccine around April.


Source: dailymail.co.uk
Website: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8995425/United-Airlines-flies-batches-Pfizer-COVID-vaccine-refrigerated-cases.html?fbclid=IwAR1g0JLjPOEKDbzZEpBTZvveEIfjmG EeWIuVL_ko_o4sOgARi8MCTMbH2u8
Date: November 27, 2020

[Kelt]

This is going to be one heck of a never-before-seen global mobilization.

It’s going to be interesting to watch this play out.

[PlatinumPearl]

First doses of Pfizer coronavirus vaccine have flown to US from Belgium: report

[Video: View on website]



The first doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine candidate have been flown to the U.S. from Belgium, a source familiar with the United Airlines COVID Vaccine Readiness Task Team planning confirmed to NBC on Saturday. (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/covid-live-updates-la-county-orders-post-thanksgiving-lockdown-n1249195/ncrd1249229?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma#liveBlogHeader)

On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that United commenced chartering flights to send doses of the vaccine to the United States. In a statement to The Hill on Friday (https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/aviation/527792-united-airlines-charters-flights-to-distribute-pfizers-covid), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also confirmed that it was "supporting the first mass air shipment of a vaccine."
A source told the network the FAA is allowing United to carry 15,000 pounds of dry ice per flight, which is five times more than the permitted limit.

Pfizer's vaccine must be kept at below-freezing temperatures to maintain the efficacy of the dosages.

United would not confirm details of the flight to The Hill but said it would "support a vaccine distribution effort on a global scale," noting its shipment run is through the United Cargo division of the airline.

Pfizer's vaccine candidate was developed in partnership with the German biotechnology company BioNTech, and last week, Pfizer applied for emergency use authorization with the Food and Drug Administration. The vaccine will be distributed once it is approved.

According to a Financial Times Saturday report, the United Kingdom is slated to approve Pfizer's vaccine as early as next week (https://thehill.com/policy/international/527822-uk-to-approve-pfizer-and-biontech-covid-19-vaccine-next-week-report).



Source: thehill.com
Website: https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/aviation/527835-first-doses-of-pfizer-vaccine-being-flown-to-us-from-belgium
Date: November 28, 2020

[homoe]

Coronavirus stimulus: Lawmakers unveil $908 billion bipartisan relief proposal

The bipartisan group of lawmakers — including Manchin, Senators Mark Warner (D., Virg.), Bill Cassidy (R., La.), Susan Collins (R., Me.), Mitt Romney (R., Utah) and several others — say their plan aims to find common ground on some of the most pressing issues, and it could be used as a framework for the next stimulus package.

“It would be stupidity on steroids if Congress left for Christmas without doing an interim package as a bridge,” said Warner.

[homoe]

Coronavirus stimulus: Lawmakers unveil $908 billion bipartisan relief proposal

The bipartisan group of lawmakers — including Manchin, Senators Mark Warner (D., Virg.), Bill Cassidy (R., La.), Susan Collins (R., Me.), Mitt Romney (R., Utah) and several others — say their plan aims to find common ground on some of the most pressing issues, and it could be used as a framework for the next stimulus package.

“It would be stupidity on steroids if Congress left for Christmas without doing an interim package as a bridge,” said Warner.

You don't suppose Warner was referring to Susan Collins when he said stupidity on steroids do ya? Nah, I'm sure it was just a figure of speech!

[Kätzchen]

Zodiac Killer's cipher finally known after amateur codebreakers solve it, according to California FBI office.

Link to CNN story: https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/11/us/zodiac-killer-cypher-340-code-trnd/index.html

[Bèsame*]

This isn't what anyone wants to wake up to on Christmas morning..

'Like a bomb went off': Explosion in Nashville that damaged 20 buildings, injured 3 people an 'intentional act'

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2020/12/25/downtown-nashville-explosion-christmas/4044635001/

[Gemme]

Terrorism doesn't vacations or holidays.

[Kätzchen]

I just read over on MSNBC that one way to protect American's from another reign of terror by T---p is to immediately hold Impeachment Hearings another time because this time, they can bar him from holding office ever again.


The same number of senators would need to find Trump guilty in this scenario. If the Senate chooses, though, it could return to holding a separate vote on sentencing after the vote to convict or acquit. And according to precedent set in 1912, there needs to be only a majority vote to approve disqualification.

Imagine: Trump is an ex-president, out of power, no longer any immediate assistance to the Republicans still in Congress. In hinting at a Grover Cleveland-esque bid to reclaim the White House, he's blocking several GOP presidential hopefuls in the Senate from gearing up to run in 2024.

Biden won't order the Justice Department to investigate Trump's actions, but the House has already said it plans to continue its reckoning with the Trump administration's misdeeds. It makes sense that Trump's final actions in office be adjudicated, as well. It would be fitting if these last-minute offenses were what keeps him from ever gaining power again.


LINK: https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/trump-s-pardons-are-worth-second-impeachment-inquiry-n1252456?icid=msd_topgrid

[Kätzchen]

Criminal probe, legal fights await Trump after White House
AP -- Michael R. Sisak, 19th of November 2020 (updated news article).

A few miles south of the namesake tower where Donald Trump began his run for president, New York prosecutors are grinding away at an investigation into his business dealings that could shadow him long after he leaves office in January.

The probe led by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. is one of several legal entanglements likely to intensify when Trump loses power — and immunity from prosecution — upon leaving the White House.

Trump faces two New York state inquiries into whether he misled tax authorities, banks or business partners. Two women alleging he sexually assaulted them are suing him. Some Democrats are calling for the revival of a federal campaign finance investigation that appeared to end under U.S. Attorney General William Barr.

It isn’t known whether any investigation has gathered sufficient evidence to charge Trump with any crimes.

Prosecuting a former president would also be an unprecedented step in a country that has sought, since its founding, to sweep aside a departing commander-in-chief’s alleged transgressions in favor of a peaceful transition of power.

“With the country so sharply polarized in 2020, would a legal battle ultimately be seen as political retaliation? That is a difficult calculation,” said Meena Bose, executive director of the Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency at Hofstra University.
Trump has said that he has the “absolute right” to pardon himself for any federal offenses, but the concept remains untested because no president has ever attempted to do so. A 1974 Justice Department opinion said presidents could not pardon themselves because that would violate the “fundamental rule that no one may be a judge in his own case.”

Trump has used his pardon power to help out friends and high-profile defendants in the past, commuting the sentence of longtime friend Roger Stone in July and former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich in February, and has suggested he could do more of the same before his term ends.

Vance’s investigation is particularly troublesome for Trump because it involves possible state-level charges that could not be wiped away with a presidential pardon.

Vance, a Democrat, hasn’t disclosed the details of his probe, citing grand jury secrecy rules, but his office has said in court filings that it is related to public reports of “extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization.”

Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, told Congress that Trump often inflated the value of his assets when dealing with lenders or potential business partners, but deflated them when it benefited him for tax purposes.

While Trump has been in office, the investigation’s progress has been hampered by court fights over whether prosecutors could get access to his tax returns, or whether a president has any immunity from a state investigation. One appeal related to the records battle is now before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Vance’s office declined to comment. It isn’t clear whether the long-running probe is close to conclusion, or months or years away from any resolution.

A message seeking comment was left with a lawyer for Trump. In the past, Trump has called Vance’s investigation “a continuation of the witch hunt — the greatest witch hunt in history.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James is also investigating whether Trump’s company lied about the value of its assets to get loans or tax benefits, though her probe is civil — not criminal — in nature. Trump’s son, Eric Trump, spoke by video with investigators last month after losing a court fight to postpone the deposition until after the election.

There were new revelations Thursday that both James and Vance had also subpoenaed documents related to tax deductions taken by Trump’s company related to business consulting fees paid to his daughter, Ivanka Trump.

Part of Vance’s criminal investigation pertains to payments made during Trump’s 2016 campaign to porn actress Stormy Daniels and model Karen McDougal to prevent them from publicly alleging they had extramarital affairs with him.

Cohen pleaded guilty to orchestrating the payments, which Manhattan federal prosecutors said amounted to illegal gifts to Trump’s campaign. They identified Trump in court filings as having directed Cohen’s efforts, but he was not charged. Trump has denied the affairs and said any payments were a personal matter, not a campaign expense.

The Justice Department has a longtime policy stating that it is unconstitutional to prosecute a sitting president in federal court.

There is also the potential that a Democrat-led Justice Department could pursue matters left uncharged in Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference, such as allegations Trump obstructed justice.

President-elect Joe Biden, a Democrat, has said that he would not direct his Justice Department to pursue charges against Trump — nor would he stand in the way of investigations it might take up on its own.

“I am not going to make that individual judgment,” Biden told reporters in August.

Some Democrats have cautioned that indicting Trump could enrage the nearly 74 million Americans who voted for him, complicating Biden’s promised effort to heal the nation’s political divisions. Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, a Democrat, has warned of the “potential cost to the nation” from prosecuting a former president.

Richard Nixon was pardoned by his successor, Gerald Ford, after resigning in 1974 over the Watergate break-in in an effort by Ford to end the fallout from an all-consuming political scandal. Bill Clinton, on his final day in office, struck a deal with special counsel Robert Ray to avoid prosecution over perjury allegations that led to his impeachment. He agreed to give up his law license for five years and pay a $25,000 fine for lying in a sexual harassment lawsuit.

Paul Rosenzweig, a former senior counsel in the Clinton investigation, argues that potentially criminal behavior stemming from Trump’s time as a businessman would make him an exception to the practice of not prosecuting former presidents.

“Never before have we had a president, who has been credibly accused of criminal activity from before his presidency,” he said.

Once out of office, Trump won’t be able to point to his busy schedule as a reason to delay civil lawsuits, like ones brought by E. Jean Carroll, a former magazine advice columnist, and Summer Zervos, a restaurateur and contestant on his old TV show, “The Apprentice.”

Carroll says Trump raped her in the mid-1990s in a New York department store. Her lawsuit says Trump’s denial of the allegation — including that she was “totally lying” to sell a memoir — defamed her. Carroll is seeking a DNA sample from Trump to see if it matches material found on a dress she says she wore during the alleged attack.

Zervos says Trump kissed and groped her when she sought to talk to him about her career in 2007. Trump denied her allegations and retweeted a message calling Zervos’ claims a hoax.

Trump’s lawyers have maintained that Zervos’ defamation suit should be delayed until he’s out of office. That’s now only about nine weeks away (eta: it's less than 3 weeks now).

LINK: https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-new-york-campaign-finance-cyrus-vance-jr-manhattan-f841d62dbf6d1a8ba2949bc577858f6e

[Kätzchen]

Carl Bernstein: This is the ultimate smoking gun tape

CNN Newsroom

Legendary Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein reacts to audio obtained by the Washington Post of President Donald Trump pushing Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" votes to overturn the election results in the state.

LINK: https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2021/01/03/trump-georgia-votes-raffensperger-call-tapes-bernstein-sot-vpx.cnn


*********************************
*********************************
*********************************

I'm so glad we still have people in our society who have tons of experience in prior times, like back during the Watergate scene in Washington DC.

Will the GOP call for his immediate resignation?
Will TP be brought up on charges, serious charges for tampering with the vote and asking for other elected officials to overthrow American democracy?

Carl Bernstein makes the case for why this recorded phone call is solid evidence of a sitting president willing to commit crime, no matter the cost to others, at the expense of American democracy, at the expense of the safety and security of American citizens.

OMG, this is SO upsetting.

In other news: Nancy Pelosi is elected Speaker of the House, today.

[Kätzchen]

LINK: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/04/opinion/trump-georgia-call.html

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Thought I would leave a link to an excellent Op-ed ftom The New York Times, while we wait for the final outcome concerning senate run-off election results.

I agree with the oped im that there needs to be law created to punish those who cheat and tamper with elections for those who seated with executive powers. The author of the oped makes the case for holding elected officials accountable.

In the meantime...


Go Warmock, Go Ossoff! Go Georgia Voters!!!

[CherylNYC]

It looks like the Democrats have it, but no one will make the official call. Gah!

[nhplowboi]

Warnoff has been called and they believe they can call Ossoff in a few hours! Way to go Georgia!! Perdue and Loeffler, just 2 more idiots who threw their lot in with the Donald and are now going to be has-beens just like he is.

[Vincent]

Warnoff has been called and they believe they can call Ossoff in a few hours! Way to go Georgia!! Perdue and Loeffler, just 2 more idiots who threw their lot in with the Donald and are now going to be has-beens just like he is.

John Ossof mother was born and raised in Sydney Australia "My town YAY"
If he wins he will be the first, to enter US politics,with close personal connection to Australia.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/almost-australian-the-georgia-run-off-candidate-with-roots-down-under-20210106-p56s01.html

[nhplowboi]

Mob rule currently reigning at the Capitol. Are you happy now you POS?

[Kätzchen]

Ex-DC police chief to T---P: "shut the hell up and get out of the way!"

https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2021/01/06/washington-dc-protest-congress-electoral-college-ramsey-trump-sot-vpx.cnn

In other viral news flashes; Yay for Ossoff & Warnock!!!

Thank heavens for the hard work of Stacy Abrams and the Black and Latino outreach for coordinating and immobilizing the vote in Georgia.

[~ocean]

Just the act of calling his minions to engage in this siege is TREASON ~ this is not a demonstration ~ it's domestic terrorism . I've been in the Capitol bldg. the walls reek of honor. I felt so proud to walk those hallways. The fact that this mob of unamerican Trump supporters have the enter the Capitol is criminal.

[BullDog]

I am overjoyed that Warnock & Ossoff both won!!! I knew we had a chance but given that the polls lately seem to have inflated Democrats' standing I wasn't sure.

Thank you Georgia voters! You not only made sure that your state is well-represented but you have made a huge difference in what Biden & the Democrats will be able to do.

Big thank you to Stacey Abrams and all the other organizers who have worked so hard for years and years to mobilize the vote and overcome all the Republican attempts at voter suppression to make this possible!

I agree with ~ocean that what is happening in the US Capitol today is treason and domestic terrorism. Anyone backing this and trying to claim the election was fraudulent is a traitor to the United States of America and Democracy. The Capitol is indeed hallowed ground.

The voters have spoken. Our votes count. Democracy won. And we must never, ever stop fighting.

[Kätzchen]

I am overjoyed that Warnock & Ossoff both won!!! I knew we had a chance but given that the polls lately seem to have inflated Democrats' standing I wasn't sure.

Thank you Georgia voters! You not only made sure that your state is well-represented but you have made a huge difference in what Biden & the Democrats will be able to do.

Big thank you to Stacey Abrams and all the other organizers who have worked so hard for years and years to mobilize the vote and overcome all the Republican attempts at voter suppression to make this possible!

I agree with ~ocean that what is happening in the US Capitol today is treason and domestic terrorism. Anyone backing this and trying to claim the election was fraudulent is a traitor to the United States of America and Democracy. The Capitol is indeed hallowed ground.

The voters have spoken. Our votes count. Democracy won. And we must never, ever stop fighting.


I agree with Bulldog: we got to keep up the Good Fight to ensure that our democracy remains in tact.

Btw, it is good to see you on the forum boards today, Bulldog.

:tea:

[Cin]

kt9I3EoYtSE

I find that the pro-Trump insurrectionists are being allowed to just wander off into the night much more unsettling than the fact that they attacked the Capitol today. There certainly was a lot of non-policing in one of the worlds most militarized cities. This version of democracy is a comfortable and welcoming space for white supremacist violence. It has left me speechless.

Dozens of women have been arrested and handcuffed for sitting outside senate offices in protest during the Kavanaugh hearings

Black people, disabled people and protestors of all kinds peacefully praying, walking, singing in the name of justice inside the Capitol these past 4 years were dragged out in wheelchairs, mocked by the police, and beaten

Disabled people have been dragged out of their wheelchairs as they were arrested by the Capitol Police during healthcare bill protests.

The examples are endless.

It's just lucky for these terrorists that none of them pulled a George Floyd and tried to pass a phony twenty dollar bill to buy cigarettes. Because then the cops get serious.

If I didn't know better I would think police forces in the US exist primarily to enforce the race/class divide & not actually to protect public safety. Well they will protect white supremacist safety.

Today has shown the police don’t need de-escalation training, they choose who to escalate on, that’s not a training issue. Police don’t need unconscious bias training, they are conscious of their bias.

Historically protestors can't get anywhere near the capital. You would get your head cracked open if you got near some barrier. There are videos of the police opening the barrier for these rioters today. They are letting this happen. Can we imagine why?

Unsure what white privilege is? White privilege is being able to storm the heart of US democracy with nary a rubber bullet in sight.

Should anyone still doubt the inequality of justice in the US, today should clear that up for you.

The police literally did nothing today except take down an inconvenient barrier and pose for some selfies with white supremacist terrorists who were storming the Capital building. Then law enforcement just let them all go.

Right now my concern is for black and brown essential workers trying to get home tonight after curfew. The police will show no mercy there.

[Cin]

$721,531,000,000 defense budget revealed to be powerless against white people

https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/z5Mpp6KnkPetg1QI6YCeXTWS9T4=/871x492/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(tr ue):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/6TBFDSV5VVEA3M5PJR2FG6ZA34.JPG

From
DV DeVincentis
2,427 Tweets
See new Tweets
DV DeVincentis

[Cin]

US Capitol Police in D.C. opened gates for yesterday's terrorists.

Video shows police opening the guard gates for the rioters

If this is actually what it appears… it means this was orchestrated on some level.

Click the link to see the video. Very disturbing.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/1/6/2006489/-D-C-Capitol-Police-Appear-To-Have-Opened-Gates-To-Mob-Not-Good

[nhplowboi]

Cin I have to agree that this was an orchestrated event especially after reading the Trump administration had decided earlier this week the protection of federal buildings would be the task of civilian law enforcement.

I am likewise angry after seeing the amount of damage, destruction and total anarchy witnessed yesterday, the arrests were miminal and the majority were over curfew violations.

We can only hope video taken will result in officers being terminated and people being charged at a later date.

[Vincent]

Democracy Now

https://www.democracynow.org/

[Cin]

Democracy Now

https://www.democracynow.org/

Thanks for the link. I particularly enjoyed reading this exchange:

Bree, let’s begin with you. You were tweeting up a storm as the storm was unfolding in Washington, D.C., yesterday. You said, “Y’all the DC mayor requested the national guard. The pentagon was discussing the threat long before today. It’s not possible security forces were caught off guard, unprepared or simply failed. Please cease this ridiculous narrative.” So, take it from there, Bree.

BREE NEWSOME BASS: Yes. Thank you for inviting me to join you.

I mean, I was on social media all yesterday and, like everyone else, was just kind of gripped by watching the events that were happening. And one of the things that we saw throughout the day yesterday were people like myself, who have been present for various protests, you know, and mostly people of color, Black people, noting the obvious difference in terms of how police have a coordinated, overtly militarized response to any kind of protest that is challenging racism in policing or racism in the government versus what we witnessed yesterday. And I think that what we saw yesterday is just another one of these kind of flashpoint moments in history that just represents a culmination of everything that came before it, and really shines a spotlight on everything that is fundamentally wrong. And one of those things is clearly policing.

The idea that we had no idea that this was coming, which I think, is, frankly, one of the, like, ongoing, most disturbing talking points that we have gotten throughout the Trump administration — people say, “How could we have gotten here? This isn’t who we are,” which just completely flies not just in the face of American history — right? — but in the face of the events of just the past five years. I mean, everything that we have seen in the past five years pointed to what happened yesterday happening. And so, the idea that security officials, people who are tasked with protecting the Capitol, could not have foreseen the conflict that played out yesterday is clearly beyond belief. I mean, there’s no way to believe that that is the case.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: And, Bree, quite apart from the fact that, you know, it was just an astounding spectacle of all these, I mean, effectively domestic terrorists invading the Capitol, what’s also strange, if not outright stunning, is the fact that there was such little comment from either the Department of Justice or security agencies responding to this extraordinary event, apart, of course, from the FBI asking for explicit help in identifying those who instigated the violence — an extremely bizarre request given that it was quite apparent who the instigators were.

BREE NEWSOME BASS: Absolutely. I mean, again, the central issue here is white supremacy. And white supremacy was foundational to the establishment of this nation. That is the central conflict. I mean, that is the main thing that I continue to say as an activist, is that, clearly, this is the central conflict. It is baked into our institutions. It was baked into our Constitution at the founding. And that continues to be the case. And that explains why — I wouldn’t even describe it as a difficulty in figuring out what is going on. It’s just the fact that it is the defining internal conflict of the nation. So, yes, of course, you have people within the military. You have people within policing. You have people within the government. It was elected officials who initiated the events that led to this riot.

One of the things that was most striking to me yesterday — I was among the people who kind of stayed up into the wee hours of the morning watching how things played out at the Capitol — was, you know, you would see congressperson after congressperson condemning the insurrectionist mob — so you’re talking about, you know, the civilians who showed up — but there was still very little acknowledgment of the fact that the people who led the insurrection, the people who have incited these people to mob the Capitol, were sitting there in the chamber, were still voicing their objection to the election.

So, you know, this idea that we are somehow just going to reach across the aisle and shake hands and carry on as though we did not witness things play out as it did, as though the primary inciter of violence yesterday was not the president of the United States, is just completely unrealistic. And there’s no way that that can happen.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: And, Bree, you also — among your tweets yesterday, you wrote that what was happening yesterday was not the culmination of the last four years, but in fact the culmination of the last five centuries. Could you talk about that?

BREE NEWSOME BASS: Yeah, that was actually me retweeting someone else who made that excellent point. And again, it goes to the heart of this false notion that we could not foresee what was happening or that this is not America. This is absolutely America. We have an ongoing, prolonged history not just of colonization and slavery and genocide in this country, but also this constant back-and-forth where we try to make strides towards having a democracy that truly recognizes the rights and citizenship of all people, and violent, white supremacist backlash against that cause.

I mean, you know, people were bringing up the Wilmington riots — right? — of 1898, which that took place here in North Carolina, another example in the aftermath of the Civil War where you had Black people being elected to Congress, working in collaboration with white elected officials, and they were overthrown. There was a white mob that just came to town, burned down buildings and violently overthrew the democratically elected government. And we are still, in our state, in the year 2021, dealing with the aftermath of that conflict.

So this is not something that is foreign to the United States. This is something that is very much baked into our DNA. What happened yesterday cannot be separated, of course, from the fact that we just had an election that not only ousted a blatant white nationalist president, but we just elected a Catholic president, a vice president who is Black and Indian American, and then we had the Senate just flip, day before yesterday, with the election of a Black man and a Jewish man from Georgia. So, yes, you know, of course we’re going to see white supremacists in the Capitol waving Confederate flags. Of course we have known for years now that the greatest imminent threat to the United States is both white supremacist, far-right terrorists and the current president of the United States.

So, again, for anyone in a position of security or authority who is tasked with securing national security and securing the Capitol and the safety of the people who work and reside there to claim that this was somehow unpredictable, again, flies in the face of any logic. And if we are going to be serious about addressing the threats that we face right now from fascism and from the far right, we have to confront the presence of that element in our police forces, point blank, period. This has been the main point that we have been making in the Black Lives Matter movement, in the call for defunding the police and shifting resources, because it is very clear that the primary function of police forces in the United States is to enforce racism above enforcing public safety.

[PlatinumPearl]

OlhxMbMwtHY
White House Press Briefing with Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany 1/7/21

[homoe]

OlhxMbMwtHY
White House Press Briefing with Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany 1/7/21


WOW some press conference where no press is allowed to ask questions!

No doubt Trump sent her out after the debacle of yesterday.

On a personal note, I wouldn't believe her even if her tongue came notarized ...

[FireSignFemme]

WOW some press conference where no press is allowed to ask questions!
...I wouldn't believe her even if her tongue came notarized ...

LOL too funny

[~ocean]

WOW some press conference where no press is allowed to ask questions!

No doubt Trump sent her out after the debacle of yesterday.

On a personal note, I wouldn't believe her even if her tongue came notarized ...

lololololololololol that's all I have to say ! excellent post !

[Cin]

They will be back on January 19. They are cheerfully warning anyone who will listen.

Ron Russell, a Trump supporter from Ohio, told The Dispatch, "I see justice being done. This is our house, our house. We're taking it back. May not be today, but we will take this house back, guaranteed."

Robert Unterzuber, a friend of Russell, predicted that future attacks on the Capitol Building will be even more violent — telling The Dispatch, "We're coming to the Capitol, and we're going to tear her down if necessary and drag them people out of there."

Similarly, Christopher Alberts, a Trump supporter from Maryland, told The Dispatch, "The people that were here today are going to come back even more, and we're not coming back peacefully — and we're not coming back unarmed. America's long overdue for revolution."

Anthony Maffei, another Trumpista, told The Dispatch, "If we have to get violent, then it's time to get violent."

Retired Army Colonel Celestino T Perez wrote:
"Today, January 6, 2021, We patriots by the millions, have arrived in Washington, D.C., carrying banners of support for the greatest President the world has ever known. But if we must... Many of Us will return on January 19, 2021, carrying Our weapons, in support of Our nation's resolve, to which the world will never forget!!!" a colonel who goes by the name Celestino T Perez wrote in a post on Parler, which has become the latest favorite social media platform for the far-right. He continued, "We will come in numbers that no standing army or police agency can match. However, the police are NOT Our enemy, unless they choose to be! All who will not stand with the American Patriots... or who cannot stand with Us... then, that would be a good time for YOU to take a few vacation days." He signed off as "The American Patriot."

After a screenshot of the post went viral on Twitter, people started tagging the FBI and requesting the police to be better prepared than they were to handle the mob that attacked the Capitol. "And remember the Capitol police let everybody who sacked our Capitol go yesterday with a tsk tsk so they’re still at large," one of them said.

I hope law enforcement meets these people on January 19 or 20 with a quarter of the force they use against BLM protests. They certainly can't claim they didn't know about or expect an attack like they did regarding January 6. Although they most certainly did know way ahead of time about the attack January 6, they may not have understood that these people were not peaceful and planned to use deadly violence. Police and military cannot use that excuse this time. They are well aware these people have killed and plan to kill again. I hope for the sake of metro police officers that these agencies will better protect their own this time.

Just as a point of reference here is an excerpt from an article in the Guardian from 2017 regarding how protestors are handled who are just in the vicinity of the Capitol.

"On the morning of President Trump’s inauguration, police in riot gear using sting-ball grenades and pepper spray, trapped and arrested more than 230 people. Some were anti-Trump demonstrators; some were not. The next day, federal prosecutors charged them all with “felony rioting”, a nonexistent crime in Washington DC. The prosecution then launched a sweeping investigation into the defendants’ lives, demanding vast amounts of online information through secret warrants.

Prosecutors eventually dropped a few defendants, like journalists and legal observers, but simultaneously increased the charges against everyone else. The most recent indictment collectively charged more than 200 people with felony rioting, felony incitement to riot, conspiracy to riot, and five property-damage crimes – all from broken windows.

Each defendant is facing over 60 years in prison.

The prosecution next obtained warrants focused on anti-Trump organizers. One sought a list of all visitors to a website that organizers used to promote Inauguration Day protests. A second sought information on all Facebook friends and related communications of two organizers, the host of a coalition Facebook page, and those who simply “liked” that page."

All this from 5 broken windows. On January 6 we had 5 deaths. There is a real problem with law enforcement enforcing laws depending on if they agree with the politics of the law breakers or if they see themselves reflected in a law breaker or not and a justice system who is not blind and far from equitable.

Many of these terrorists are retired army and police from all over the country. They are well armed and understand combat. I hope law enforcement does a better job than they did on January 6. Or they could be pro active and round them all up right now before they do more damage. They are brazenly admitting who they are and what they plan to do. Where is the FBI? Why all this silence and inaction?

[Kätzchen]

I just like her for her stalwart leadership.

Nancy Pelosi is many steps ahead of a potentially threatening nightmare by talking with Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon to head off last minute seditious behavioral choices, made by TP, that could have lasting damage for not only the US, but for our global partners and allies.


https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/house-democrats-discussing-swift-action-impeach-trump-75132258?cid=clicksource_4380645_8_three_posts_car d_hed

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Twitter has permanently suspended T***p's account. Twitter said that there was a risk the account could be used for violent incitement. He previously had 88 million followers.

[Kätzchen]

Twitter has permanently suspended T***p's account. Twitter said that there was a risk the account could be used for violent incitement. He previously had 88 million followers.

I'm glad to hear that Twitter took action and held him accountable. That is good. I was reading about it over on CNN and I also saw that another app that TP supporters and other right-wing white supremacists use is Parlar and that app was deleted so hate groups cannot access it anymore.

I wonder if some IT expert has developed an algorithm to help catch these people, is what I've been wondering about.


Thanks for posting that Twitter finally banned T---P.

[homoe]

~~~
Bill Belichick turns down Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump, cites Capitol attack.....:hangloose:

[GeorgiaMa'am]

~~~
Bill Belichick turns down Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump, cites Capitol attack.....:hangloose:

Good, now T***p's friends are seeing and acknowledging him for the lying scum he is.

[homoe]

Forbes magazine’s chief content officer delivered a stark warning to companies that might consider hiring Kayleigh McEnany, Kellyanne Conway, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and other former spokespeople in the Trump White House: Do so and risk losing all credibility given their history of perpetuating “lies-upon-lies, repeated frequently and fervently” on behalf of the president. And what better way to punish those spreaders of untruth than by warning the businesses who hire them in the future?

“Let it be known to the business world: Hire any of Trump’s fellow fabulists above, and Forbes will assume that everything your company or firm talks about is a lie,” Forbes Chief Content Officer Randall Lane wrote in a piece published Thursday. “We’re going to scrutinize, double-check, investigate with the same skepticism we’d approach a Trump tweet. Want to ensure the world’s biggest business media brand approaches you as a potential funnel of disinformation? Then hire away.”

Lane singled out former White House press secretaries and spokespeople such as Kayleigh McEnany, Kellyanne Conway, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Sean Spicer — noting that they have shirked their duty to tell the truth regardless of how uncomfortable that may be.

“As someone in the business of facts, it’s been especially painful to watch President Trump’s press secretaries debase themselves,” Lane wrote. “Yes, as with their political bosses, spins and omissions and exaggerations are part of the game. But ultimately in PR, core credibility is the coin of the realm.”

While Lane said he wasn’t surprised by Trump’s propensity for “shamelessly exaggerating and prevaricating” information, he has been shocked by “the number of people willing to lend credence to that obvious mendacity on his behalf.”

Lane spoke out about the need to come clean following the deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. “In this time of transition — and pain — reinvigorating democracy requires a reckoning. A truth reckoning. Starting with the people paid by the People to inform the People.”

The distrust of information coming out of the White House began on day one of the Trump administration, when Spicer exaggerated the inauguration crowd size, demanding people believe what he was saying and not what their eyes were seeing, Lane pointed out. And that was just the beginning.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/forbes-editor-warns-companies-not-120424630.html

[Cin]

Two US Capitol Police officers were suspended and at least 10 more are under investigation for their behavior during last week's assault on the Capitol, and federal agents will look at whether current and former law enforcement officers played a role in the riot.

At least seven officers in five other departments across the country have come under internal investigations as their presence in Washington during the assault comes to light through social media or other means.

One officer in New York, one in Philadelphia, two in Seattle, two in Virginia and one in Texas are under investigation by their departments for potential rules violations. Additionally, some departments have been contacted by the FBI as part of their criminal investigation into the overrunning of the Capitol.

The number may grow as investigators and the public sift through social media and lodge allegations that officers may have been involved in the siege.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/11/politics/capitol-police-officers-suspended-tim-ryan/index.html

[homoe]

Former White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, got schooled on the First Amendment by none other than her high school teacher for complaining about losing followers on Twitter.

Ms Sanders wrote: “I’ve lost 50k+ followers this week. The radical Left and their big tech allies cannot marginalise, censor, or silence the American people. This is not China, this is the United States of America, and we are a free country.”

In response, Dana D Deree, who says he taught at Ms Sanders' old high school responded “You were a student at Little Rock Central High when I taught AP Government there, but you didn't take the advanced class. If you had, maybe you would better understand the First Amendment and the difference between limits on government and freedoms for private individuals."


Mr Deree added: “I've taught Sunday School too. You didn't learn those lessons either.”

And she has political aspirations?

[Cin]

Former White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, got schooled on the First Amendment by none other than her high school teacher for complaining about losing followers on Twitter.

Ms Sanders wrote: “I’ve lost 50k+ followers this week. The radical Left and their big tech allies cannot marginalise, censor, or silence the American people. This is not China, this is the United States of America, and we are a free country.”

In response, Dana D Deree, who says he taught at Ms Sanders' old high school responded “You were a student at Little Rock Central High when I taught AP Government there, but you didn't take the advanced class. If you had, maybe you would better understand the First Amendment and the difference between limits on government and freedoms for private individuals."


Mr Deree added: “I've taught Sunday School too. You didn't learn those lessons either.”

And she has political aspirations?
Dana D. Deree sounds like she is an excellent teacher too bad some people are unteachable.

I also enjoyed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's response on twitter to Sanders as well.
"Free advice - if you are losing tens of thousands of followers the moment Twitter starts taking down Neo-Nazis and violent insurrectionists, maybe don’t advertise that!"

[Cin]

Speaking of AOC, as well as expending monumental effort to have Trump impeached, she also is working hard to have elected officials such as Senators Cruz, Hawley and Johnson, who were complicit in the insurrection, forced to resign or be removed from office.

She tweeted
"Lies are not differences of opinion

The elected officials who amplified & repeated known lies about our elections served as drum corps to insurrectionists.

The drum major in the House was
@GOPLeader
Kevin McCarthy.

Rep. McCarthy bears unique, elevated responsibility in all this chaos. He must resign."

Unfortunately this will never happen. The Repugs are back on track. Spreading lies and misinformation, making excuses for the attack on the Capitol and now we stand pretty much in the same place as we were before the attempted coup. The Dems are continuing with their endeavors to bring about some kind of justice for what happened while the Repugs continue with bullshit business as usual. The shock of what happened on Jan 6 did dull their sparkle for a bit, but the GOP is back , blinking, winking and twinkling up a storm.

[Cin]

The GOP won't change. Pence and Trump had a meeting Monday and all seems well between them. I guess Pence forgot about the gallows built at the Capitol where Trump supporters vowed to hang him for being a traitor. Or maybe he is remembering it well. I think there is a lot intimidation that happens with these radical right/white supremacist militia type movements. It's all so black and white with them, no grey areas, which is why Christian right groups are heavily involved with these people financially and as members. I don't think the Christian right can see the color grey at all. For all these people, the end justifies the means.

We sure do live in interesting times. I wonder what the inauguration will bring.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/america-votes/house-speeding-to-impeach-trump-for-u-s-capitol-insurrection-1.5261804
Excerpts below:

Democrats' House resolution was blocked by Republicans. However, the full House is to hold a roll call vote on it Tuesday, and it is expected to pass. After that, Pelosi said, Pence will have 24 hours to respond. Next would be the impeachment proceedings.

Pence has given no indication he is ready to proceed on a course involving the 25th Amendment.

He and Trump met late Monday for the first time since the Capitol attack, a senior administration official said.

Trump and Pence had a "good conversation" in the Oval Office discussing the week ahead, and they pledged to continue working for the remainder of their terms, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting.

No member of the Cabinet has publicly called for Trump to be removed from office though the 25th Amendment.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., offered the 25th Amendment resolution during Monday's brief session. It was blocked by Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., as other GOP lawmakers stood by him.

Pelosi said the Republicans were enabling Trump's "unhinged, unstable and deranged acts of sedition to continue. Their complicity endangers America, erodes our Democracy, and it must end."

However, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, a Trump ally, said in a letter to colleagues that "impeachment at this time would have the opposite effect of bringing our country together."

[Kätzchen]

Funny how the Democrats always roll up our sleeves and go to work repairing the damage to our country caused by the Notorious Shit Shovelers (aka, the GOP).

H e l l o.

Even corporate America is cutting off the cash cow ventures by TP (et al).

And, the voting machine company in Canada is suing key figures of the Shit Shoveler Party for defamation damages.

Just remember, all of you who follow TP blindly, no matter the cost to our nation.

We're all watching you commit these crimes against the US.

Your time will come for you to account for your harmful actions. Soon. Very soon.

Remember: no one is above the law. Not even TP.

[Kätzchen]

Our work campus has refused to fly the national flag since Jan 6th.

No half mast.

It is Zero Mast.

In response to both serious national issues: Covid-19 and the Capitol Riots, et al.

[Kätzchen]

Turns out to be the people who orchestrated seditious coup de tat (Capitol Riots).


https://abcnews.go.com/US/longtime-trump-advisers-connected-groups-rally-led-capitol/story?id=75261028&cid=clicksource_4380645_6_heads_hero_live_hero_hed

[Kätzchen]

PS/ Be sure to catch the big blockbuster article on these events, over @ New York Times this coming Sunday.

[PlatinumPearl]

The NBA has fined the Nets' Kyrie Irving $50,000 for violating the league's health and safety protocols and assigned him a five-day quarantine

He will forfeit more than $400,000 in salary per game for those missed during quarantine at a rate of 1/81.6 of his season salary.

Kyrie Irving will forfeit $816,898 for the 2 games missed this past week.


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EryP70iXYAI56rD?format=jpg&name=small



Source: Twitter
Username: Marc Stein @TheSteinLine
Date: January 15, 2021

[homoe]

U.S. Capitol Police have arrested a Virginia man who attempted to get past a security checkpoint with fake inauguration credentials, a loaded firearm, and 500 rounds of ammo.

According to CNN, Wesley Allen Beeler was taken into custody Friday night after he pulled up to a checkpoint near the Capitol building in Washington D.C. He allegedly provided officers with an "unauthorized inauguration credential" before he admitted to having a Glock semi-automatic pistol in his vehicle. Officers later discovered the Glock was loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition and a round chamber ready to fire. A Metropolitan Police Department report also states Beeler had 509 rounds of ammunition and 21 12-gauge shotgun shells.

The man was taken to the U.S. Capitol Police headquarters and charged with carrying a concealed weapon, possessing an unregistered firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device.

[PlatinumPearl]

Police Say Oregon Man Who Stole A Car With A Child In The Backseat Came Back And 'Lectured' The Mom About Parenting.

https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1cL3EQ.img?h=469&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f
A police offer makes a call on his radio. ftwitty/Getty Images.



* A carjacker in Beaverton, Oregon returned a child to their mother after realizing they were in the backseat of the car he was stealing.
The thief scolded the mother for leaving the kid in the car and threatened to call the police on her before driving off in the car, police said.

* "He actually lectured the mother for leaving the child in the car and threatened to call the police on her," Beaverton police spokesman Officer Matt Henderson told the Oregonian.


Oregon police are looking for a man who they say stole a car with a child in the backseat only to return the 4-year-old and reprimand the mom about her parenting.

The carjacking took place outside of a grocery store in Beaverton, Oregon on Saturday when the mom left the car running with the child in the backseat, local authorities said.

The mother left the car unlocked and went inside to buy a gallon of milk and some meat, acorrding to the Oregonian.

The thief happened to walk by and hopped in the car, the New York Post reported.

He soon realized the 4-year-old was in the backseat and U-turned in the parking lot, returning the child to the mother - but not without scolding her, according to Beaverton police.

"He actually lectured the mother for leaving the child in the car and threatened to call the police on her," Beaverton police spokesman Officer Matt Henderson told the Oregonian.

The thief ordered the mom to take the child before driving off in the stolen car.

"Obviously, we're thankful he brought the little one back and had the decency to do that," Henderson said.



Source: msn.com
Website: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/police-say-oregon-man-who-stole-a-car-with-a-child-in-the-backseat-came-back-and-lectured-the-mom-about-parenting/ar-BB1cPBkp
Date: January 17, 2021

[PlatinumPearl]

Old article currently circulating social media. Definitely worth the read for those that support this fast food chain.



Chick-fil-A and Same-Sex Marriage

The fast food chain has been criticized for donating money to organizations that oppose same-sex marriage.



Snopes Staff
Published 9 March 2012
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/chick-fil-a-gay-marriage/

[homoe]

Job Seekers With Trump White House on Their Resumes Face a Cold Reality.


Perhaps, if they don't mind the cold of Minnesota, the "pillow guy" could take on some of them!


https://www.yahoo.com/news/job-seekers-trump-white-house-195444670.html

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) Released

"Countries that perform well on the index invest more in health care, are better able to provide universal health coverage and are less likely to violate democratic norms and institutions or the rule of law."

The 2020 CPI was released yesterday by Transparency International, "the global coalition against corruption". Much of last year's corruption around the world was enabled by the Covid-19 situation, and took place in healthcare systems.

"Continuing on its downward trend" since 2012, the United States scored 67 points out of 100, with 100 being the ideal best score and 0 being the worst conceivable score.

Denmark and New Zealand achieved the best scores, at 88 points. The worst scores went to Somalia and South Sudan, with 12 points.

To read a release from Transparency International with highlights from the report, click here (https://www.transparency.org/en/press/2020-corruption-perceptions-index-reveals-widespread-corruption-is-weakening-covid-19-response-threatening-global-recovery). To read the full report which contains a ranking of all countries, click here (https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2020/index/nzl).

[homoe]

After storming the Capitol, alleged rioters now want Trump pardons

“I would like a pardon from the president of the United States,” said Jenna Ryan, a Texas real estate agent charged in the storming of the Capitol, in an interview with CBS News late last week. “I think that we all deserve a pardon. I’m facing a prison sentence. I think that I do not deserve that.”

Adam Newbold, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL, told ABC News that he was seeking “clemency” after posting a Facebook video boasting about “breaching the Capitol,” which brought FBI agents to his door for an interview. “I would like to express to you just a cry for clemency, as you understand that my life now has been absolutely turned upside-down,” Mr. Newbold said.

An attorney for Jacob Chansley — the man who entered the Capitol wearing horns and carrying a spear — said on CNN that his client also deserved a pardon, as he was only in the Capitol because he had “hitched his wagon” to Mr. Trump and felt he was answering a “call” from the president to go there. “The words and invitation of a president are supposed to mean something,” said the attorney, Albert Watkins.

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2021/01/17/Alleged-Capitol-rioters-donald-Trump-invited-them-pardons-insurrection-protests-washington/stories/202101170157

[homoe]

Merrick Garland tells senators Capitol riot investigation will be his first priority as attorney general


Attorney general nominee Merrick Garland said Monday that his first priority and briefing if confirmed as attorney general would center on the sprawling investigation into the Jan. 6 riot the U.S. Capitol.

Testifying at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Garland drew parallels to the domestic terrorism threat the Justice Department faced in confronting the Ku Klux Klan and the prosecution he led of Timothy McVeigh in the bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995. When Garland was last in the Justice Department, he supervised that case.

But, Garland said, “we are facing a more dangerous period than we faced in Oklahoma City at that time.” He said he imagined that investigators would explore not just those who entered the Capitol, but those who might be involved in other ways.

“We begin with the people on the ground and we work our way up to those who are involved and further involved,” Garland said. “And we will pursue these leads wherever they take us.”

[homoe]

Mitt Romney Delivers Ominous 2024 Prediction For The Republican Party


Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) says the former President is far from being crippled politically.

“I don’t know if he’ll run in 2024 or not, but if he does, I’m pretty sure he will win the nomination,” Romney told The New York Times on Tuesday, adding that polls show “if you put President Trump in there among Republicans, he wins in a landslide.”

Despite the prediction, Romney ― a frequent critic and the only Republican to vote in favor of conviction during both impeachment trials ― said he would not help make it happen.

“I would not be voting for Trump. I haven’t voted for him in the past,” Romney said. “I would probably be getting behind somebody who I thought more represented the tiny wing of the Republican Party that I represent.”

[homoe]

'Not fair!': Man who put feet on Pelosi's desk has outburst at court hearing for Capitol riot

Richard Barnett, reportedly screamed at Judge Christopher R. Cooper during a virtual hearing where it was determined he would remain detained until at least his next hearing in May. He yelled at Cooper that it was “not fair” that he remained in jail as others were released, according to NBC Washington’s Scott MacFarlane.

“Everybody else who did things much worse are already home,” Barnett said. He later added, “I’ve been here for a month, they’re going to set it for another month, and everybody else is getting out.”

Barnett was taken into custody in his home state of Arkansas in January on federal charges of entering and remaining on restricted grounds, violent entry and theft of public property. He has also been charged with disrupting official proceedings, disruptive and disorderly conduct and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building, according to court records.


Images of Barnett reclining in Pelosi’s chair with his feet up on her desk were widely shared and quickly became synonymous with the storming of the U.S. Capitol Building. Barnett later spoke to a New York Times reporter, who tweeted about the exchange following the incident in Pelosi’s office.

He told the Times that he took an envelope from Pelosi’s desk and left her a quarter in exchange, even though “she ain’t f------ worth it.”


“Mr. Barnett’s frustration stems from the fact that he is incarcerated pre-trial, despite lacking any criminal history, being gainfully employed, respected in his community, and in a stable relationship for over 20 years,” McBride said in a statement to NBC News. “Normally, facts like these are more than enough for an individual to fight their case from the outside.”

[PlatinumPearl]

Uber and Lyft create a shared database of drivers banned for assault

The program will be open to other transportation and delivery companies.

https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/GQ5HRhtJDuporAZ6Ss6xlw--~B/Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTQ1MDt3PTY3NTthcHBpZD15dGFjaHlvbg--/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2020-08/793b9af0-dbe3-11ea-9dfd-cafeeab006a0.cf.webp



Uber and Lyft will work together to share information on US drivers and delivery people accused of physical and sexual assault to ensure those individuals are banned on both platforms, the two companies announced on Thursday in separate blog posts. HireRight, a company that specializes in conducting background checks, will oversee the Industry Sharing Safety Program database. Other transportation and delivery companies in the US will have the chance to contribute and access the database as long as they adhere to the same data accuracy and privacy policies that Uber and Lyft must follow.

"We want to share this information with each other and hopefully in the near future with other companies, so that our peers in this space can be informed and make decisions for their own platforms to keep those platforms safe," Jennifer Brandenburger, Lyft's head of policy development, told NBC News.

The database won't include information on victims. Additionally, the incident that landed a driver in the database will fall in broad categories.

Creating a joint database of physical and sexual abusers is a major step for the two companies. Both Uber and Lyft have been frequently and consistently criticized for doing too little to protect their passengers, particularly if they're women, from predatory drivers. When Uber published its first safety report in 2019, the company revealed it had received nearly 6,000 reports of sexual abuse reports between 2017 and 2018. In 2019, 14 unnamed women sued Lyft, alleging the company had failed to run adequate background checks on its drivers. Finding a way to share the identities of contractors whom it had removed from its platform was one of the actions Uber said it would take in its safety report.



Source: Engadget.com
Website: https://www.engadget.com/uber-lyft-industry-sharing-safety-program-204433080.html?fbclid=IwAR3NrTSGjSEonOJudz-ysnRSQ7m6N0QzQtbb_D1-ynCMehvLX81GpswGKDs
Date: March 11, 2021

[PlatinumPearl]

Meghan Markle Reportedly Considering a run for US President

https://cms.thepostmillennial.com/content/images/2021/03/Untitled-design---2021-03-13T224221.042.jpg



Sources in Britain's Labor party claimed that Meghan Markle will be using the publicity surrounding her interview with Oprah to launch a political career with aspirations for the White House.

According to the Daily Mail a senior Labor figure, who is a veteran of the Blair administration and has ties to DC, claimed that Markle was working with members of the Democrat party to start a campaign and fundraising to become a future US president.

During the 2020 presidential election cycle, Markle and her husband Prince Harry urged voters to 'reject hate speech' and issued a 'a call for decency' against then President Donald Trump.

Another source told The Mail that 'The Blairite, internationalist and Democratic party networks are buzzing with talk about Meghan's political ambitions and potential backers.'

Last year, a friend of Markle told Vanity Fair that one of the reasons the Duchess of Sussex had not given up her US citizenship when she married into the Royal Family was so that she could have the option of entering American politics.

The unidentified friend told the outlet, "One of the reasons she was so keen not to give up her American citizenship was so she had the option to go into politics. I think if Meghan and Harry ever gave up their titles she would seriously consider running for president." The source added that the Markle was looking at a possible 2024 run. President Joe Biden would be 82 at the time of his next campaign.

Markle’s biographer, Omid Scobie, author of Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, said in a documentary that the former actress "has her eyes set on the US presidency."

When asked about the possibility, US constitutional experts said that Markle would have to renounce her title in Britain if she wanted to hold public office in American. The Founding Fathers also banned the government from granting titles of nobility under Article I of the Constitution.

Former "Good Morning Britain" host Piers Morgan said of Markle’s Oprah interview Monday "I don’t believe a word that she says." The comments came one day before Morgan walked off the set of his show during a discussing about the Royals and quit hours later.



Source: thepostmillennial.com
Website: https://thepostmillennial.com/meghan-markle-reportedly-considering-a-run-for-us-president
Date: March 14, 2021

[PlatinumPearl]

Biden Planning First Major Tax Hike in Almost 30 Years: Report


President Biden is reportedly planning the first major hike in federal taxes in almost 30 years to fund the economic program set to follow the recently approved $1.9 trillion pandemic stimulus package.

Unidentified sources told Bloomberg that the increases will reflect the promises Biden made during his 2020 campaign.

The planned increases reportedly include: raising the corporate tax from 21 percent to 28 percent; increasing the income tax rate on people making more than $400,000; expanding the estate tax; paring back tax preferences on pass-through businesses such as limited-liability companies; and setting up a higher capital gains tax rate for individuals making at least $1 million.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.

As Bloomberg notes, an independent analysis of the Biden campaign's tax plan conducted by the Tax Policy Center found that it would raise around $2.1 trillion over 10 years.

Tax hikes included as part of infrastructure and job packages will likely include repealing part of former President Trump's 2017 tax law that largely benefitted corporations and wealthy individuals, the news outlet notes, citing sources close to the matter.

Biden had said during his campaign that he would repeal Trump's tax cuts on "day one" of his administration, though he has yet to do so.

Democratic lawmakers have expressed some hesitance to support a tax increase. Moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), who has quickly become a key vote in Congress, previously told The Hill that he thought repealing Trump's tax cuts would be "ridiculous."

He later walked back his remarks, saying, “Everything’s open for discussion.”

“His whole outlook has always been that Americans believe tax policy needs to be fair, and he has viewed all of his policy options through that lens,” former Biden economic aide Sarah Bianchi told Bloomberg. "That is why the focus is on addressing the unequal treatment between work and wealth.”

Any tax increases that are passed would likely take effect beginning in 2022, according to Bloomberg, which noted some lawmakers have called for the administration to hold off as pandemic-related unemployment remains high.

An anonymous Democratic House member told The Hill in February that they did not think the government should be raising taxes.

“People would accept the corporate tax raised a few points but beyond that you’re going to have problems, especially in the middle of an economic crisis,” the lawmaker said at the time.

Republicans are expected to fight any proposed tax increases, though Bloomberg notes that there are some measures that they may get behind such as shifting from a gasoline tax to a vehicle-miles-traveled fee.

GOP lawmakers may also support tax incentives that stop U.S. companies from moving jobs and profits out of the country, though they may not support penalties against such companies.



Source: thehill.com
Website: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/543180-biden-planning-first-major-tax-hike-in-almost-30-years-report
Date: March 15, 2021

[C0LLETTE]

Best of luck President Biden. It's about time.

[C0LLETTE]

Meghan Markle Reportedly Considering a run for US President

https://cms.thepostmillennial.com/content/images/2021/03/Untitled-design---2021-03-13T224221.042.jpg



Sources in Britain's Labor party claimed that Meghan Markle will be using the publicity surrounding her interview with Oprah to launch a political career with aspirations for the White House.

According to the Daily Mail a senior Labor figure, who is a veteran of the Blair administration and has ties to DC, claimed that Markle was working with members of the Democrat party to start a campaign and fundraising to become a future US president.

During the 2020 presidential election cycle, Markle and her husband Prince Harry urged voters to 'reject hate speech' and issued a 'a call for decency' against then President Donald Trump.

Another source told The Mail that 'The Blairite, internationalist and Democratic party networks are buzzing with talk about Meghan's political ambitions and potential backers.'

Last year, a friend of Markle told Vanity Fair that one of the reasons the Duchess of Sussex had not given up her US citizenship when she married into the Royal Family was so that she could have the option of entering American politics.

The unidentified friend told the outlet, "One of the reasons she was so keen not to give up her American citizenship was so she had the option to go into politics. I think if Meghan and Harry ever gave up their titles she would seriously consider running for president." The source added that the Markle was looking at a possible 2024 run. President Joe Biden would be 82 at the time of his next campaign.

Markle’s biographer, Omid Scobie, author of Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, said in a documentary that the former actress "has her eyes set on the US presidency."

When asked about the possibility, US constitutional experts said that Markle would have to renounce her title in Britain if she wanted to hold public office in American. The Founding Fathers also banned the government from granting titles of nobility under Article I of the Constitution.

Former "Good Morning Britain" host Piers Morgan said of Markle’s Oprah interview Monday "I don’t believe a word that she says." The comments came one day before Morgan walked off the set of his show during a discussing about the Royals and quit hours later.



Source: thepostmillennial.com
Website: https://thepostmillennial.com/meghan-markle-reportedly-considering-a-run-for-us-president
Date: March 14, 2021


oh bulshit

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Headline from CNN: "In one hour, Atlanta-area spa shootings left 8 dead, including 6 Asian women, local reports say"

In the news, there has been some speculation that the shootings were racially motivated. The shooter has been caught, and is a white 21-year-old male from a rural suburb of Atlanta. They caught him headed south.

Okay, here's the thing to know: there are three kinds of "spas" in Georgia, because of statewide licensing rules. The first is the kind that may come to mind for you, with saunas, hot tubs, indoor swimming pools, workout rooms, massage therapy, facials, and the like. They are standalone buildings with their own parking lots, or they are located in high-rent areas of the city with parking decks attached and/or valet parking. Some are in high-end hotels. I have been to some of these. These are operated by different races of people in Atlanta. This is _not_ the kind of spa that the shooter targeted.

The second kind of spa sort of imitates the first, except that generally only aesthetic services are offered, such as massage therapy, facials, foot spa treatments, natural treatments, etc. They tend to be a lower class of establishment, often found in strip malls, and some of them are quite nice. I have also been to some of these. These are usually operated by Asian people and/or New Age practitioners/naturalists in Atlanta. These are also _not_ the kind of spa that the shooter targeted.

The third kind of spa are what are known as "jack shacks" or "massage parlors" in other parts of the country. These are the lowest of the low, usually found in standalone buildings with private/hidden entrances (usually in the back), and in sketchy parts of town. I have never been to one of these, although I have known three people who worked in them at one time or another. They offer sex for sale. They are occasionally discovered to be engaged in human trafficking, and they employ primarily Asian women, although also a few women of other races. I do not know what kind of people own these places, although I have heard of white men, gay men, and (mostly) Asian men and women operating them.

The third kind of "spa" are the kinds of places that the shooter targeted. This is speculation on my part, but it is based on my knowledge as a resident of Atlanta. I reviewed news photographs of the locations, as well as looked up their addresses. I expect that the women who were shot will turn out to have been sex workers (not, of course, that this in any way justifies them being murdered). These third types of "spa" tend to have lots of cash on hand (because what patrons of these places would want to use a credit card?), as opposed to the first two kinds of spa, which basically run on credit cards. I expect this will turn out to be the reason the shooter targeted these businesses, for the cash.

[homoe]

Jim Jordan’s Clumsy Attempt To Quote Reagan Spectacularly Backfires....

Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) posted a quote from former President Ronald Reagan on social media in an attempted dig at President Joe Biden. But the move didn’t go as well as he hoped.

Jordan cited a quote from Reagan that’s often used in right-wing memes on social media. President Reagan: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help.”

Jordan’s critics were quick to pounce, causing both his name and Reagan’s name to trend on Twitter. Many noted the role of government ― of which Jordan is a member ― in getting the urgently-needed coronavirus vaccine to Americans, including his own constituents. Numerous people pointed out that Reagan’s comment was said as he justified government help to farmers in 1986, saying “the government must act compassionately and responsibly” and vowing to provide “record amounts of assistance.” Some also noted Reagan’s failures during a different health crisis as AIDS cases and deaths exploded under his watch.

Other people referred to accusations that Jordan, as an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State University, knew of allegations the team’s doctor was molesting athletes but did nothing. Although Jordan denies those charges, multiple athletes from his time with the team have come forward to corroborate the story.

[homoe]

Sanders, Warren legislation would hike taxes to curb 'absurd' CEO pay.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) and several Democratic lawmakers re-introduced legislation on Wednesday that would raise taxes on companies that pay their CEOs more than 50 times the pay of a median worker. Sanders unveiled the bill hours before leading a Senate Budget Committee hearing focused on income and wealth inequality.

Sanders invited Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to testify during the hearing, but Bezos declined. An Amazon (AMZN) worker fighting for a union in Alabama did join the hearing. Sanders accused Bezos of trying to stop workers from forming a union, and blasted him for amassing tens of billions in wealth throughout the pandemic while many of his workers struggled.

"Amazon and Jeff Bezos are not alone. The American people are increasingly disgusted with the corporate greed they're experiencing every single day," said Sanders at the hearing. "They're sick and tired of CEOs that now make 320 times more than their average employees, while at the same time giving themselves big bonuses, golden parachutes and yet they cut back on the healthcare that their workers have."

Sanders pointed to an Economic Policy Institute Study that found CEO compensation grew by 1,167% from 1978 to 2019.

[homoe]

Michael Cohen says Trump is in for a 'proctological exam of the highest order' by New York prosecutors.

....:praying:...

Today in uncomfortable metaphors: former Trump fixer Michael Cohen says his old boss is in for some proctological discomfort.

The Washington Post reports that Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance's investigation into former President Donald Trump is heating up. Last month, Vance's office received Trump's tax records and began digging through the millions of pages of financial records from the past decade.

Including the Manhattan inquiry, the Post reports at least six ongoing investigations that could involve Trump, as well as 29 lawsuits in which he or one of his companies is named as a defendant.

"The sheer volume of these legal problems indicates that ... Trump has fallen to a point of historic vulnerability before the law," writes the Post. Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney and longtime fixer who was convicted of campaign finance violations and fraud in 2018, seems to agree.

Cohen called Vance's investigation "a proctological exam of the highest order." "The level of review is unprecedented in Trump's corporate history," he said.

Previously, Cohen predicted the inquiry would end in jail time for the former president, saying Trump ought to start shopping for a "custom made jumpsuit" because "it does not look good for" him. Cohen has spoken with Vance's investigators seven times, but is not privy to all the specifics that may be found in Trump's financial documents.

[FireSignFemme]

Unbelievable. I'm not sure some reports say five others four, but in any case some guy killed family members and a friend who was visiting them over stimulus money and one of them was a child. Now get this, for just $700.00! Yep the little girl's mother got a $1,400.00 stimulus check for herself. Not him, not the child – herself and he demanded half of it. She wouldn't give it to him. So he shot the place up, killed them. Then ran and hid in some neighbor's attic. I don't know maybe this idiot thought it was for the child and since the child was half his he should get half the money. Fortunatly someone in the home managed to survive, ran for their life, reported it to the police and the murderer is locked up now.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Unbelievable. I'm not sure some reports say five others four, but in any case some guy killed family members and a friend who was visiting them over stimulus money and one of them was a child. Now get this, for just $700.00! Yep the little girl's mother got a $1,400.00 stimulus check for herself. Not him, not the child – herself and he demanded half of it. She wouldn't give it to him. So he shot the place up, killed them. Then ran and hid in some neighbor's attic. I don't know maybe this idiot thought it was for the child and since the child was half his he should get half the money. Fortunatly someone in the home managed to survive, ran for their life, reported it to the police and the murderer is locked up now.

Incredible. People are just going crazy with guns. Maybe those people with the aluminum foil hats are onto something - maybe we should all take precautions and wear our own hats when we go outside.

[homoe]

Fox News host apologizes for error after telling Trump that Biden's DHS secretary had stepped down.



https://news.yahoo.com/fox-news-harris-faulkner-trump-live-dhs-secretary-resigned-175325392.html

[homoe]

Second batch of payments expected on Wednesday March 24.



https://www.yahoo.com/money/stimulus-checks-second-batch-175410097.html

[homoe]

Birx reveals she received a 'very uncomfortable' phone call from Trump after giving interview warning of severity of pandemic.

Of all the doctors CNN's chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta interviewed for the network's upcoming documentary COVID War: The Pandemic Doctors Speak Out, which will air Sunday at 9 p.m. ET, Dr. Deborah Birx, the former White House coronavirus response coordinator, was "perhaps the most" introspective, he said.

In one of the clips CNN has shared ahead of the airing, Birx said she believes the majority of coronavirus deaths after the initial surge in the United States could have been prevented. In another excerpt, discussed by Gupta and Dana Bash on Sunday's edition of State of the Union, Birx is seen telling Gupta that she knew she was "being watched" during her time in the Trump administration, noting that everyone "was waiting for me to make a misstep." She revealed that an interview she did with Bash over the summer, in which she warned about the severity of the virus, even in seemingly isolated regions of the U.S., particularly angered former President Donald Trump and his team.

Sidebar: Perhaps now she should be worried about the anger of the families of those that may of been spared if she'd spoke up and worried less about any missteps and Trump!


https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/dr-deborah-birx-says-most-005853847.html

[homoe]

WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump is slamming two of his most prominent coronavirus advisers. He says Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx are “two self-promoters trying to reinvent history.”

Fauci is the chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, and in a statement released Monday evening, Trump calls him “the king of ’flip-flops.” He accuses Fauci of “moving the goalposts to make himself look as good as possible.”

Birx managed the Trump administration’s response to the pandemic, and Trump says she “is a proven liar with very little credibility left.”

https://kvoa.com/news/national-news/2021/03/30/trump-blasts-fauci-and-birx-as-self-promoters/

[homoe]

New York State prosecutors investigating former President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization have subpoenaed the personal bank records of the company’s chief financial officer and are investigating gifts he and his family received from Trump, according to a new report.

According to the New York Times, Manhattan prosecutors have turned their attention toward Allen Weisselberg, who has overseen the company’s finances for decades. Sources told the Times prosecutors working for Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. seem to be working to gain Weisselberg’s cooperation in their investigation into whether Trump and the company falsely manipulated property values to receive loans and tax benefits.

Though Weisselberg has not been accused of wrongdoing, if prosecutors were to discover any possible illegal activity through a review of his personal finances, they could then use that information to push him to cooperate with the investigation.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/ny-prosecutors-subpoenaed-trump-organization-202351356.html

[homoe]

More GOP-Run States Announce Cuts To Federal Unemployment Benefits....

They’re yanking the extra $300 and other benefits Congress put in place during the pandemic.

Really, does anyone think people are sitting home becoming millionaires because of a measly three hundred extra dollars?!




https://www.huffpost.com/entry/missouri-unemployment-benefits-worker-shortage_n_609adc22e4b0909247fc2221

[Gemme]

More GOP-Run States Announce Cuts To Federal Unemployment Benefits....

They’re yanking the extra $300 and other benefits Congress put in place during the pandemic.

Really, does anyone think people are sitting home becoming millionaires because of a measly three hundred extra dollars?!


https://www.huffpost.com/entry/missouri-unemployment-benefits-worker-shortage_n_609adc22e4b0909247fc2221

homoe, several industries, including my own are struggling to find people willing to go back to work because....YES....they are making just as much if not more from the added $300/week unemployment benefits than they would make working in the fields suffering the most, which offers zero incentive to get back to work.

This is good news for hospitality, food and retail industries because, like me, the other workers who have been covering the shifts and working 6 or 7 days a week and/or regular double shifts for months and months are tired, stressed out and ready to have time off again. And don't forget about the medical personnel that have been stretched to the max since the beginning of the pandemic. They got the brunt of everything during this whole thing worse than anyone else.

[homoe]

Mary Papenfuss·Trends Reporter, HuffPost
Thu, May 13, 2021, 10:05 PM

Kroger grocery company CEO Rodney McMullen cut COVID-19 hazard pay for food workers last year just months into the pandemic — then scooped up a record $22.4 million in compensation for himself, Bloomberg reported Thursday.

McMullen’s pay package was revealed Thursday in a regulatory filing. His compensation rose almost 6% from the prior year, padded by a bigger bonus, a salary hike and stock awards, Bloomberg noted. That was McMullen’s biggest take ever since he became CEO in 2013.

Median pay for Kroger’s workers fell 8%, to an annual $24,600. Kroger’s full-time workers, however, did get a bonus a year ago: $300. The Cincinnati-based company, the nation’s largest supermarket chain, employs about 465,000 people.

McMullen early last year proudly announced a $2 hourly hazard increase — which he termed a “Hero Bonus” — for store and warehouse employees who continued to work as they risked contracting the coronavirus.

But the bonus was cut in May 2020, even as COVID-19 surged, sparking a storm of controversy. “The hazard pay is disappearing. The hazard is not,” Bloomberg noted at the time.“How do you go from a hero to zero when there’s still a pandemic out there?” asked one worker.

Kroger has closed stores this year rather than comply with city ordinances that require hazard pay for grocery store workers.

[homoe]

Inflation fears have rocked the stock market in recent weeks as investors wrestle with the prospects for substantially higher interest rates for the first time in years. Yet inflation also poses a threat to retirees who rely on Social Security for most or all of their financial support. Those living on fixed incomes have to find ways to stretch their money further even when prices are on the rise.

Fortunately, Social Security institutes annual cost of living adjustments (COLA) that are supposed to address the loss of purchasing power caused by inflation. With energy prices on the rise and the latest inflation report showing price hikes across many other parts of the economy, retirees could end up seeing their biggest COLA in years when 2022 rolls around.

The April inflation report came out earlier this week, and some investors were shocked. The headline number showed a 0.8% rise in the Consumer Price Index for the month. That followed a 0.6% jump in March, and brought the gain over the past 12 months to 4.2%. That's the largest 12-month increase since 2008. Core inflation (which excludes volatile food and energy prices) rose an even higher 0.9% in April. Investors are used to food and energy prices being volatile. But big gains in other areas are more unusual, and they have many economists on edge.

How Social Security COLAs rely on the CPI

To calculate its COLAs, the Social Security Administration looks at a slightly different measure of inflation called the CPI-W. That index rose 0.9% in April to a level of 261.237.

That number is up 4.7% from where it was a year ago. However, to calculate the COLA, the SSA will take the average CPI-W figures for the months of July through September and compare them to last year's average over the same period. The average from the 2020 period was 253.412, which resulted in a COLA of 1.3% at the beginning of this year.

If the CPI-W stays where it is throughout the pivotal summer months, then it would result in a 3.1% COLA for 2022. That'd be the biggest jump in Social Security payments since the 3.6% rise that recipients got at the beginning of 2012 -- and that followed two years during which there was no benefit increase at all.

Meanwhile, if inflation keeps rising, COLAs could be even higher. There's a lot of time between now and the September inflation report that will come out in mid-October.

High COLAs aren't necessarily good

More money is always helpful for those on fixed incomes, but the real question is whether retirees will end up feeling an outsize pinch from the higher costs that are driving up inflation. For those hoping to travel, higher prices for transportation and hotels could crimp budgets. Even the somewhat smaller increases in other key areas could eat up check increases quickly.

Nevertheless, if higher prices are here, then the least Social Security can do is to fulfill its promise to try to keep up. A super-sized COLA might help cushion the blow at least somewhat for retirees who rely on the benefit program.

https://www.fool.com/investing/2021/05/15/2022-could-give-social-security-checks-their-bigge/?source=eptyholnk0000202&utm_source=yahoo-host&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=article

[homoe]

Tue, May 18, 2021, 8:36 PM
The FBI is investigating whether a U.S. defense contractor illegally directed money to Sen. Susan Collins’s 2020 reelection campaign, Fox News has learned.

FBI personnel searched electronic devices belonging to Martin Kao, a former CEO of Hawaii defense contractor Navatek, seeking evidence that he orchestrated an effort to funnel alleged illegal contributions to help Collins, a Maine Republican, in her 2020 reelection bid, according to a recently unsealed search warrant application.

Authorities also seized cell phones belonging to Kao and colleague Clifford Chen, the document said.

Federal agents requested the warrant, citing evidence that Kao reimbursed friends and family members about $45,000 in donations they made directly to Collins’ campaign, violating a federal law that bans donations made in the name of another person.

3_0N9DKtAH8

IF only she'd stuck to her original statement!

[homoe]

Axios

The House of Representatives voted 252-175 on Wednesday to pass a bill to set up a bipartisan 9/11-style commission to investigate the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

Why it matters: Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and GOP leadership oppose the commission, but 35 House Republicans voted in support of the bill, underscoring the fault lines within the party in the aftermath of the insurrection.

The amount of Republican support makes it far more difficult for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to try and dismiss the commission outright as a partisan effort.

What's next: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has promised the bill will get a vote, but it's still unclear how many Republicans will get on board.

McConnell told fellow Republicans Tuesday he could not support the agreement in its current form, two sources familiar with his remarks told Axios' Alayna Treene, and formally announced his opposition from the Senate floor on Wednesday.

10 GOP senators are needed for the proposal to pass.

The creation of the commission has been delayed for months because Republicans have insisted its scope should be expanded to include violence by far-left protesters last summer after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

McCarthy (R-Calif.) has argued it would be "duplicative and potentially counterproductive" because Congress and the federal government are carrying out other investigations into the riot.

Many Republicans are concerned the bill will be weaponized to subpoena members and could alienate members of the GOP base, as well as former President Trump — who was impeached by the House for inciting the riot.

Catch up quick: House Homeland Security Committee chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) announced last week that negotiators had reached an agreement with Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) on the commission. Katko is one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in the aftermath of Jan. 6.

It said the 10-person bipartisan commission "will be charged with studying the facts and circumstances of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol as well as the influencing factors that may have provoked the attack on our democracy" and would have the authority to issue subpoenas.

Based on the legislation passed by the House, the commission will be required to issue a final report with findings and recommendations to "prevent future attacks on our democratic institutions" by Dec. 31, 2021.

Former President Trump, who was impeached by the House for inciting the riot, criticized the commission in a statement on Tuesday, and urged House and Senate Republicans to not support what he called a "Democrat trap."

House Whip Steny Hoyer told reporters the House would pursue a a select committee of some kind even if the commission does not pass the Senate.

[homoe]

Alex Rodriguez's new era starts now.

The former MLB player is ready to move on and start his next chapter, which comes a little over a month after he and Jennifer Lopez decided to end their engagement. On Sunday, May 23, the 45-year-old star took to Instagram Stories to share an update with his fans.

"I am about to step into a new beginning in my life," he began his caption. "Anything that doesn't serve me is clearing out of my life. New energy is emerging. New levels are unlocking for me mentally, physically, and spiritually."

He concluded, "I am remaining patient and know that this new phase of my life is coming."

That 'a boy A-Rod keep a stiff upper lip!

[homoe]

Allan Smith
Sun, May 23, 2021, 8:14 AM
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Sunday he is not getting vaccinated because he already had Covid-19.

Speaking with a conservative radio host on WABC radio, Paul, an Ophthalmologist, said he won't change his mind unless he sees evidence that people who have already been infected are again getting very sick, needing hospitalization or dying.

"Until they show me evidence that people who have already had the infection are dying in large numbers, or being hospitalized or getting very sick, I just made my own personal decision that I’m not getting vaccinated because I’ve already had the disease and I have natural immunity," Paul said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that those who have been previously infected get vaccinated because experts are not certain of how long natural immunity lasts.

Sidebar: And even if evidence is shown to this SOB, I doubt he'll believe it want to argue over it!

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Alex Rodriguez's new era starts now.

. . .

"I am about to step into a new beginning in my life," he began his caption. "Anything that doesn't serve me is clearing out of my life. New energy is emerging. New levels are unlocking for me mentally, physically, and spiritually."

He concluded, "I am remaining patient and know that this new phase of my life is coming."


It sounds suspiciously like he just quoted his horoscope for the day.

[nhplowboi]

OK that made me laugh out loud Ma'am.
Thanks I needed that.It sounds suspiciously like he just quoted his horoscope for the day.

[homoe]

NEW YORK (AP) — An indictment against Steve Bannon was dismissed Tuesday over the objection of prosecutors who said it should stand despite ex-President Donald Trump's decision to pardon his former chief strategist.


Bannon, Flynn, Roger Stone,........

My guess is we'll never see these A-holes in Orange Jumpsuits either!

[homoe]

Ron Dicker·General Assignment Reporter, HuffPost


Former President Donald Trump hauled out his familiar catchphrases Tuesday to respond to reports that a special grand jury has been convened to hear evidence against the Trump Organization.

In a rambling statement on his blog, Trump managed to include “witch hunt,” “hoax” and “rigged.”

“This is a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in American history. It began the day I came down the escalator in Trump Tower, and it’s never stopped,” he wrote on his website.

[homoe]

Coronavirus: Yale doctor warns that upcoming Tokyo Olympics ‘looks like a superspreader event'.

As the number of COVID-19 cases surge in Japan, U.S. health officials warn against all travel to the country which is set to host the Olympic Games in two months.

Dr. David Katz, a preventive medicine specialist who founded and served as director of Yale University’s Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center from 1998 to 2019, cautioned of a potential "superspreader event" given Japan’s high case count and slow vaccine rollout.

“From a public health perspective, given what's going on in Japan... this looks to me like a superspreader event,” Dr. Katz told Yahoo Finance Live. “If vulnerable people who are not immune come from all over the world and take the virus back, we could have outbreaks in many parts of the world again.”

Japan has reported more than 32,000 COVID-19 cases and 654 deaths in the last seven days, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, while just 2.3% of its population has been vaccinated so far.

[homoe]

The French Open, plus the three other Grand Slam tournaments, issued a joint statement Sunday announcing that world No. 2 Naomi Osaka has been fined $15,000 for skipping her media obligations following her Round 1 win against Patricia Maria Țig at Roland-Garros. Osaka was also warned about the consequences of continuing to skip media sessions, which could be a whole lot worse than a $15,000 fine.

Osaka said last week that she would not participate in any of her contractually mandated media obligations during the French Open due to mental health concerns.

I don't know who else has been following this story, but I am finding it very interesting!

With Oprah's new series "The Me You Don't See" and other attention being paid to mental issues recently, why aren't there more concerns about Osaka's claim's about facing the press during tournaments causing mental issues?

And as for the statement issued by the powers who be, The statement also emphasized that the rules are in place to ensure that "all players are treated exactly the same, no matter their stature, beliefs or achievement," and that the Grand Slams feel Osaka's media blackout gives her an "unfair advantage" over her competitors" I think it a bunch of malarkey!

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/naomi-osaka-fined-15000-for-media-boycott-warned-about-escalating-consequences-160430281.html

[homoe]

The French Open, plus the three other Grand Slam tournaments, issued a joint statement Sunday announcing that world No. 2 Naomi Osaka has been fined $15,000 for skipping her media obligations following her Round 1 win against Patricia Maria Țig at Roland-Garros. Osaka was also warned about the consequences of continuing to skip media sessions, which could be a whole lot worse than a $15,000 fine.

Osaka said last week that she would not participate in any of her contractually mandated media obligations during the French Open due to mental health concerns.

I don't know who else has been following this story, but I am finding it very interesting!

With Oprah's new series "The Me You Don't See" and other attention being paid to mental issues recently, why aren't there more concerns about Osaka's claim's about facing the press during tournaments causing mental issues?

And as for the statement issued by the powers who be, The statement also emphasized that the rules are in place to ensure that "all players are treated exactly the same, no matter their stature, beliefs or achievement," and that the Grand Slams feel Osaka's media blackout gives her an "unfair advantage" over her competitors" I think it a bunch of malarkey!

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/naomi-osaka-fined-15000-for-media-boycott-warned-about-escalating-consequences-160430281.html

Maybe it's time to end these "contractually mandated media obligations"? Hopefully if others feel the same way they'll step up as well!

[homoe]

The French Open, plus the three other Grand Slam tournaments, issued a joint statement Sunday announcing that world No. 2 Naomi Osaka has been fined $15,000 for skipping her media obligations following her Round 1 win against Patricia Maria Țig at Roland-Garros. Osaka was also warned about the consequences of continuing to skip media sessions, which could be a whole lot worse than a $15,000 fine.

Osaka said last week that she would not participate in any of her contractually mandated media obligations during the French Open due to mental health concerns.

I don't know who else has been following this story, but I am finding it very interesting!

With Oprah's new series "The Me You Don't See" and other attention being paid to mental issues recently, why aren't there more concerns about Osaka's claim's about facing the press during tournaments causing mental issues?

And as for the statement issued by the powers who be, The statement also emphasized that the rules are in place to ensure that "all players are treated exactly the same, no matter their stature, beliefs or achievement," and that the Grand Slams feel Osaka's media blackout gives her an "unfair advantage" over her competitors" I think it a bunch of malarkey!

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/naomi-osaka-fined-15000-for-media-boycott-warned-about-escalating-consequences-160430281.html

Sorry, Oprah's series is The Me You Can't See.

[homoe]

Mental Health Awareness Month.



https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D5p5flEXkAAa-C5.jpg

[homoe]

The French Open, plus the three other Grand Slam tournaments, issued a joint statement Sunday announcing that world No. 2 Naomi Osaka has been fined $15,000 for skipping her media obligations following her Round 1 win against Patricia Maria Țig at Roland-Garros. Osaka was also warned about the consequences of continuing to skip media sessions, which could be a whole lot worse than a $15,000 fine.

Osaka said last week that she would not participate in any of her contractually mandated media obligations during the French Open due to mental health concerns.

I don't know who else has been following this story, but I am finding it very interesting!

With Oprah's new series "The Me You Don't See" and other attention being paid to mental issues recently, why aren't there more concerns about Osaka's claim's about facing the press during tournaments causing mental issues?

And as for the statement issued by the powers who be, The statement also emphasized that the rules are in place to ensure that "all players are treated exactly the same, no matter their stature, beliefs or achievement," and that the Grand Slams feel Osaka's media blackout gives her an "unfair advantage" over her competitors" I think it a bunch of malarkey!

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/naomi-osaka-fined-15000-for-media-boycott-warned-about-escalating-consequences-160430281.html

Threatening and issuing fines, perhaps they could sit down and try listening?

[Gemme]

I hear what you are saying, homoe, but if it's a contractual obligation, then she knew when she signed the contract to compete that that is an expectation of her. She had time beforehand to devise a way to compromise. Also, reading the post she made cites three main reasons for her not wanting to do the media rounds.

1. She doesn't want to be asked the same questions over and over again.
2. She said that after a loss, it can beat a player down.
3. She doesn't wanted to be subjected to people that doubt her.

To address point two, she won so that reason doesn't apply to her at all, at least for the one that she's already missed. If she didn't want to be subjected to people that could doubt her, then she chose the wrong career. High performance level athletes in any sport all have fans and critics. It's part of the job. Hell, it's part of MY job and I'm as far away from being a professional athlete as you can get. As for point one, everyone in just about every sport has media junkets of some kind. Due to COVID, some have been adjusted for safety protocols, but they are being done.

My job comes with stress too but I can't just bail whenever I feel overwhelmed. I realize that that probably makes me seem callous but it's life and it's a KNOWN stressor for her chosen career, which she has been at for years now. She's had ample time to address it and/or deal with it.

Now, if they were chasing her down the road and creating dangerous situations like some paparazzi do, I'd totally get it. But she's refusing to sit down in a conference room and answer questions. Her coach and support staff could direct the reporters and let them know that certain subjects or questions are off limits. There are ways around it. There are also other athletes with mental health issues that have found ways to compensate and compromise. 35% of elite athletes deal with a mental health crisis (Data is from Athletes for Hope, an organization that aims to educate, encourage and assist athletes.). Why can't she take notes from them and find a way that benefits her?

In the end, it's her money to lose and if she wants to commit breach of contract, that's up to her but if she makes no effort to meet that contractual obligation in some way, then that's that.

[homoe]

As the controversy around Naomi Osaka’s press-conference boycott grew, Osaka’s sister Mari tried to explain the thinking behind the decision – only to later retract her comments with the words “I’m sorry Naomi I probably made the situation worse.”

Osaka has been threatened with a default from Roland Garros – and suspension from future grand slams – if she does not climb down from her stand, which she seems to have taken with no warning or consultation, as far as the tennis authorities are concerned.

When the four grand-slam events united on Sunday to put out a hardline statement, Osaka replied with a one-line tweet: “anger is a lack of understanding. change makes people uncomfortable”.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the French Open altogether. It seems that she was unable to resolve her mental health needs with the requirements of her contract with the federation. Osaka has also stated that she is going to "take some time away" from tennis, which has led sports commentators to assume that she will not be participating at Wimbledon either.

[homoe]

Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the French Open altogether. It seems that she was unable to resolve her mental health needs with the requirements of her contract with the federation. Osaka has also stated that she is going to "take some time away" from tennis, which has led sports commentators to assume that she will not be participating at Wimbledon either.

Russell Wilson, Stephen Curry, Sue Bird, the list goes on and on who are supporting Naomi Osaka after French Open withdrawal...

[homoe]

Plenty of prominent athletes and other big names from the sports world rushed to social media to support Naomi Osaka after she withdrew from the French Open. Osaka announced on Twitter on Monday that she was pulling out of the event just days after she made the decision not to speak to reporters during the tournament.

“The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the U.S. Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that,” she wrote in a statement, in part. “Anyone that knows me knows I’m introverted, and anyone that sees me at the tournaments will notice that I’m often wearing headphones as that helps dull my social anxiety … I’m gonna take some time away from the court now, but when the time is right I really want to work with the Tour to discuss ways we can make things better for the players, press and fans.”

French Tennis Federation president Gilles Moretton issued a statement after Osaka’s withdrawal, too, but declined to answer any questions from reporters while doing so.


OF course Moretton refused to answer questions! NOW he sits there with egg on his face.

[homoe]

Piers Morgan, the presenter who famously stormed off the set of “Good Morning Britain” after criticism from a co-host, faced furious backlash Monday after he wrote a column calling tennis star Naomi Osaka a “brat” for refusing to speak to media in order to protect her mental health.


https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/piers-morgan-naomi-osaka-column-004503542.html

[homoe]

For all the story's complexities, and for all the public still does not know about Osaka's health and the communication between her and tennis officials, psychologists say Osaka should be lauded for speaking openly about her mental health in a culture still skeptical of wounds it cannot see, for asserting boundaries to keep herself safe even at cost to her career, and for challenging her sport, the media and the public to rethink what we demand of athletes.

[homoe]

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Tuesday that would bar transgender female athletes from playing on girls' and women's sports teams at public schools -- a move that LGBTQ advocates decried as particularly "unconscionable" on the first day of LGBTQ Pride Month.


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/governor-signs-bill-targeting-transgender-athletes-on-1st-day-of-pride-month/ar-AAKBHLL

[homoe]

The city of Chicago has filed separate lawsuits against Grubhub and DoorDash alleging the third-party delivery companies “engaged in deceptive practices to prey on its affiliated restaurants.” The lawsuits filed August 27, in Cook County circuit court, contain a multitude of allegations, including that the companies use bait-and-switch tactics to fool customers into thinking they’ll be paying lower fees compared to what they’re ultimately charged.

The DoorDash lawsuit also alleges that the company “used consumer tips to pay itself rather than its drivers.” There’s also the question of the Chicago Fee, the charge DoorDash added to compensate for the city’s pandemic-era fee cap. The city says DoorDash tried to make it seem like the Chicago Fee was being administered by the city, and even included a customer’s tweet from January in the lawsuit: “one thing about Chicago, they gon tax your ass LMAO.”

A DoorDash spokesperson says drivers get 100 percent of tips but had no comment on the Chicago Fee. Tipping was also the subject of a $2.5 million settlement after the Washington, D.C. attorney general investigated DoorDash in November 2020. At one point, DoorDash was using tips to subsidized wages for drivers, meaning employees wouldn’t earn more than their locked-in wages. DoorDash has since ended this practice.

[Kätzchen]

Manchin Poised to Profit From Mine Reclamation Funding He Championed

by Donald Shaw (Sept. 23rd, 2021)

Article link: https://prospect.org/power/manchin-poised-to-profit-from-mine-reclamation-funding/


__________________________________.


Here is an excerpt from the article which tells you quite a bit about how the Manchin family in W. Virginia is benefitting from this and how Manchin has been actively working against our own democratic party and working against Climate Change goals our country needs to adopt to help save the planet.

I hope this news article goes viral and that Manchin is held accountable for his shady business tactics, both as a congressman and as a business owner.

Enersystems was founded by Sen. Manchin in 1988 and is now run by his son. Since joining the Senate, Manchin has been paid more than $4.5 million by the company in which he owns shares that he says in his most recent annual financial disclosure are worth between $1 million and $5 million. Last year, the company paid him nearly $500,000. AmBit’s Grant Town plant has been the only recipient of Enersystems’ coal sales to power plants since 2008, according to The Intercept’s review of U.S. Energy Information Agency and the Public Service Commission of West Virginia.

According to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, as of 2020 there were at least 140,355 acres of unfunded AML problem areas in West Virginia. Cleaning up those sites would cost nearly $2 billion, according to the committee. The $11.3 billion in new AML project funding is currently sitting in the House, where Democratic leaders are pursuing a two-track approach that links the Senate’s infrastructure bill with passage of the reconciliation package of new spending and tax measures that is currently being developed.

Although cleaning up abandoned mine sites may be beneficial for the people who live near them, burning waste coal taken from the sites may also be worse for the air and human health than burning coal from traditional sources. The Grant Town plant produces more sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide per unit of energy output than any other coal plant in the state, according to Vice’s reporting on 2018 calculations from Jim Kotcon of the West Virginia Sierra Club.

“There’s no doubt that West Virginia needs the mineland reclamation funding that the senator is pushing for, reclaiming old sites,” Kotcon told Sludge. “The issue is that burning the gob creates pollution from the plant, which hopefully is better controlled than the spontaneous burning of gob piles, and it is not always clear that the land and streams really do see a net benefit. Add in the greenhouse gas emissions and increasing price competition from renewables, and we conclude that a land reclamation approach is preferable to burning the gob.”

While Manchin pushed forward this program from which he may profit, he has also worked to kill legislation that could harm his business and those of his donors in the fossil fuel industry. He is currently working to revise President Biden’s proposed clean electricity standard, currently being debated in Congress’ reconciliation package, that would require power companies to gradually increase their renewable energy sources until they are no longer emitting carbon dioxide. Under a $150 billion fund in the reconciliation bill, the government would pay companies that clean up their electricity supply and fine those that miss deadlines. Manchin recently said on CNN that power companies are already on course to renewable energy due to market forces and that the fund “makes no sense at all.” According to The New York Times, Manchin’s version is expected to have less ambitious clean energy standards and provide rewards to companies that build new natural gas powered-plants.

[PlatinumPearl]

The Ambassador Bridge—the international border crossing that links
Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan, has been closed in both directions.
https://windsorite.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/bridge-aerial-640x427.jpg


The Ambassador Bridge—the international border crossing that links Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan, has been closed in both directions due to the possible discovery of explosives in the area.

According to The Canadian Press, investigators say that the surrounding areas around the bridge have been evacuated.

Traffic remains open via the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel and the Blue Water Bridge.

An explosives unit is on the scene.



Source: The Post Millennial
Website: https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-bridge-connecting-canada-and-us-closed-possible-explosives?utm_campaign=64474
Date: October 4, 2021

[homoe]

U.S. President Joe Biden said Wednesday his administration has helped broker an agreement for the Port of Los Angeles to become a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week operation, part of an effort to relieve supply chain bottlenecks and move stranded container ships that are driving prices higher for U.S. consumers. Biden called the commitment to become a 24/7 operation “a big first step in speeding up the movement of materials and goods through our supply chain.”
But he said the “rest of the private sector chain” now needs to step up, as well, to help goods move faster. Biden said some companies, such as Walmart at UPS, are already pledging to help relieve the supply chain issues. And he called on others to do the same.

Sidebar: I've just been curiously wondering how, if these ports didn't have enough workers before to handle a Mon - Friday workload, how this is going to pan out.

I have no doubt there is a bottleneck of goods getting out of and into the states from China, but I can't understand once the containers arrive why the
bottleneck!? They seem to blame a lack of labor among longshoremen and truck drivers. These are both well paying jobs so I don't see many fleeing from these positions UNLIKE restaurant wait staff & retail sales clerks which are notorious for low pay and well.... just crappy jobs in general.

.."Something Is Rotten in the State Of Denmark"

[cathexis]

U.S. President Joe Biden said Wednesday his administration has helped broker an agreement for the Port of Los Angeles to become a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week operation, part of an effort to relieve supply chain bottlenecks and move stranded container ships that are driving prices higher for U.S. consumers. Biden called the commitment to become a 24/7 operation “a big first step in speeding up the movement of materials and goods through our supply chain.”
But he said the “rest of the private sector chain” now needs to step up, as well, to help goods move faster. Biden said some companies, such as Walmart at UPS, are already pledging to help relieve the supply chain issues. And he called on others to do the same.

Sidebar: I've just been curiously wondering how, if these ports didn't have enough workers before to handle a Mon - Friday workload, how this is going to pan out.

I have no doubt there is a bottleneck of goods getting out of and into the states from China, but I can't understand once the containers arrive why the
bottleneck!? They seem to blame a lack of labor among longshoremen and truck drivers. These are both well paying jobs so I don't see many fleeing from these positions UNLIKE restaurant wait staff & retail sales clerks which are notorious for low pay and well.... just crappy jobs in general.

.."Something Is Rotten in the State Of Denmark"

Bet Biden will strike-break as his Republican counterpart did. Remember the 1981 PATCO strike that Reagan broke on 8/5/1981. He utilized the military and fired the unionized air traffic controllers. That was the second insult to workers, the first was the treatment of President Jimmy Carter, number three insult was the coup d'tat he caused on Grenada. During the mid-late 20th Century, primarily the 1950s-80s, mostly during the Kennedy and Reagan eras, the US fought to rid the World of Communism so we've conquered several Caribbean island states and Central American countries.

Just a wee history lesson for those younger folks who may not remember this period of time.

[homoe]

~~
Rittenhouse judge dismisses underage weapons charge in murder trial.

IMHO, this dude needed to check his HUGE ego at the door!

I hope they throw the book at this little piss ant!

[homoe]

~~~

https://www.yahoo.com/news/deer-breaks-michigan-church-1st-114800183.html

[homoe]

~~~

https://www.yahoo.com/news/deer-breaks-michigan-church-1st-114800183.html

Orema, just curious if this happened around your neck of the woods. Seen any deer's running amok?

[Orema]

Orema, just curious if this happened around your neck of the woods. Seen any deer's running amok?

It all over the local news with many warnings. It’s about 130 miles from me in Sturgis, Mi.

Haven’t seen any deer nor wild turkeys for awhile. Most of them know what time it is and are laying low, I think.

[homoe]

It all over the local news with many warnings. It’s about 130 miles from me in Sturgis, Mi.

Haven’t seen any deer nor wild turkeys for awhile. Most of them know what time it is and are laying low, I think.

Smart creatures, their mama's didn't raise no dummies.....:hangloose:

[cathexis]

It all over the local news with many warnings. It’s about 130 miles from me in Sturgis, Mi.

Haven’t seen any deer nor wild turkeys for awhile. Most of them know what time it is and are laying low, I think.

None of the animals that we usually see in my area like deer, wild turkey. moose, and elk can be found. The birds seem to have migrated early.

[homoe]

The 31 people arrested in Idaho have ties to a White nationalist group and planned to riot at a Pride event.

(CNN)After an alarmed 911 caller reported a group dressed like a "little army" getting into a moving truck, police in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, arrested 31 men believed to be linked to a White nationalist group, who had plans to riot at a weekend Pride event, authorities said.

The large group -- which police believe was affiliated with Patriot Front -- was seen at a hotel piling into a U-Haul with riot gear, the caller told a 911 dispatcher. They were later pulled over and arrested, Coeur d'Alene Police Chief Lee White said.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/13/us/idaho-patriot-front-arrests-pride-what-we-know/index.html

All I can say is thank god someone saw something and reported it

[FireSignFemme]

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/rogers-communications-services-down-thousands-users-downdetector-2022-07-08/

I've heard it's Roger's Network and everything connected to Roger's infrastructure?

[homoe]

A victory for the Jan. 6 panel as Bannon agrees to talk.


IMO I don't think the committe should pin their hopes up high for getting much out of this SOB!

[Stone-Butch]

You are so right Fire. Rogers has screwed up again but this time Big Brother is pi--ed. No computer or tv networks working except local tv concerning weather etc. This is around the globe apparently. I could not get any service until late today. No landline only cell phones for 911 emergencies. This is the worst ever. I think the company has millions to pay out to the huge corporations who could not do any business period. Things are back now but it has been tense for a couple of days, again.

[homoe]

Former Oath Keeper offers dire warning to the nation that .the Oath Keepers are a very dangerous organization

I wonder what finally caused this A-hole to finally see the light?

[homoe]

Former Oath Keeper offers dire warning to the nation that .the Oath Keepers are a very dangerous organization

I wonder what finally caused this A-hole to finally see the light?

It kind of make me sick watching this A-hole testify on Tuesday!

[homoe]

Republicans in Congress lay groundwork for anti-transgender push.

U.S. Republicans in Congress are lining up behind legislation that critics say would roll back protections for transgender people, setting a playbook for action on a divisive social issue should they take control of Congress this fall.

The bills have no chance of becoming law this year, as Democrats narrowly control both chambers of Congress. But they are a sign that Republicans aim to elevate a battle over transgender rights that has so far largely played out at the state level.

[homoe]

From Tuesday's Jan 6th hearings.

"After our last hearing, President Trump tried to call a witness in our investigation -- a witness you have not yet seen in these hearings," she said at the close of the most recent committee hearing.

Cheney said the witness did not answer the call.

"Their lawyer alerted us, and this committee has supplied that information to the Department of Justice," she said. "Let me say one more time, we will take any effort to influence witness testimony very seriously," Cheney said on Tuesday, as the committee continually warns against witness tampering in its ongoing investigation. A Trump spokesman wrote on Twitter after Cheney's comments that she "continues to traffic in innuendo and lies."

I hate to say this but, I just don't think Trump is going to face charges on anything! Oh how I would love to be proven wrong.

[JDeere]

Ivana Trump passed away, she was found at the bottom of some stairs, in her house. They think she fell, no foul play involved.

No matter political deal, this is sad because the kids lost their mom.

[homoe]

Former DOJ officials who served under Republican presidents say the January 6 committee has made the case to prosecute Trump: 'The evidence is now overwhelming'.

The panel has shown, they said, that Trump was at the center of a "scheme" to overturn the 2020 election by showing how he ignored repeated statements by his aides and officials, and continued pressuring Vice President Mike Pence in the lead-up to the formal counting and certification of the Electoral College vote on January 6.

"The evidence is now overwhelming that Donald Trump was the driving force behind a massive criminal conspiracy to interfere with the official January 6 congressional proceeding and to defraud the United States of a fair election outcome," the trio of Donald Ayer, Stuart M. Gerson, and Dennis Aftergut wrote in an opinion piece for The Atlantic.

They wrote that it is abundantly clear how unusual it would be to charge a former president and someone who is the leading candidate for the 2024 GOP nomination, but warned that "the damage to America's future that would be inflicted by giving him a pass far outweighs the risks of prosecuting him."

Well hopefully from your lips to god's ear!

[homoe]

From Tuesday's Jan 6th hearings.

"After our last hearing, President Trump tried to call a witness in our investigation -- a witness you have not yet seen in these hearings," she said at the close of the most recent committee hearing.

Cheney said the witness did not answer the call.

"Their lawyer alerted us, and this committee has supplied that information to the Department of Justice," she said. "Let me say one more time, we will take any effort to influence witness testimony very seriously," Cheney said on Tuesday, as the committee continually warns against witness tampering in its ongoing investigation. A Trump spokesman wrote on Twitter after Cheney's comments that she "continues to traffic in innuendo and lies."

I hate to say this but, I just don't think Trump is going to face charges on anything! Oh how I would love to be proven wrong.

Mary Trump says Donald Trump reportedly trying to contact a Jan. 6 witness shows he is 'terrified and desperate'."What is important about that to me is it is an important misstep," Mary said. "Donald ... has always been really good about keeping his fingerprints off things and having his minions do his dirty work. For him to reach out directly to the witness ... suggests to me two things: he's terrified and desperate and he's completely overestimating his power to manipulate people. I think that that ship has sailed."

[homoe]

From Tuesday's Jan 6th hearings.

"After our last hearing, President Trump tried to call a witness in our investigation -- a witness you have not yet seen in these hearings," she said at the close of the most recent committee hearing.

Cheney said the witness did not answer the call.

"Their lawyer alerted us, and this committee has supplied that information to the Department of Justice," she said. "Let me say one more time, we will take any effort to influence witness testimony very seriously," Cheney said on Tuesday, as the committee continually warns against witness tampering in its ongoing investigation. A Trump spokesman wrote on Twitter after Cheney's comments that she "continues to traffic in innuendo and lies."

I hate to say this but, I just don't think Trump is going to face charges on anything! Oh how I would love to be proven wrong.

"What it tells me is that he's extremely nervous. Why? Because first of all, in my tenure with him, I never saw him call anybody," Cohen said. "He would never do it himself. I think the way I know him and as well as I know him, he doesn't trust anyone anymore, so he decided to do it himself."

https://www.businessinsider.com/trumps-niece-alleged-witness-tampering-shows-hes-terrified-and-desperate-2022-7

[homoe]

Two men from New York received 44 months of prison time for their involvement in the Capitol riot. Cody Mattice, 29, and James Mault, 30, pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers at the riot.

As the judge handed down their punishment on Friday, the two men wept.

During the insurrection, Mattice captured himself and Mault on video. In one of the videos, according to the release, Mattice can be heard saying, "It's about to be nuts," as he headed toward the Capitol.

Both Mattice and Mault were sentenced before a judge on Friday. The two wept and asked Chief U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell for leniency, the Washington Post reported. They continued to weep as Howell upheld their prison time.

[Cin]

This made me cry. Such mixed emotions. By mixed emotions I mean sadness for all she went through, concern for how the horrific last ten months will affect her and all she still will have to go through, anger that it took this long for her country to bring her home and also more anger for all the bullshit crap she will have to listen to when assholes say she deserved what happened to her. But I am so happy that she will soon be in the arms of her wife and family.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/08/politics/brittney-griner-released/index.html

[Bèsame*]

1 dead, at least 10 hurt in shooting after Chiefs Super Bowl parade in Kansas City: 'Tragedy'

Sad.

Two are in custody.

[Kätzchen]

Will the DA Tish James conduct a fire sale of T——p properties to settle the ongoing fines for his business tax fraud case of half a billion bucks ????

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/18/politics/trump-464-million-dollar-bond/index.html


:firetruck: :firetruck: :firetruck: :firetruck: :firetruck:

[Kätzchen]

Meet the Secretive Rich Funding Efforts to Keep Others Poor

LINK: https://inequality.org/great-divide/shouldnt-every-american-enjoy-the-luxury-of-a-roof/