All-purpose news and politics thread: Two Steps Beyond!(Part II)

[Tazirai]

America’s 1% hasn’t had this much wealth since just before the Great Depression

It’s not fashionable to wear flapper dresses and do the Charleston, but 1920s-style wealth inequality is definitely back in style.

New research says America’s ultra-rich haven’t held as much of the country’s wealth since the Jazz Age, those freewheeling times before the country’s finances shattered. “U.S. wealth concentration seems to have returned to levels last seen during the Roaring Twenties,” wrote Gabriel Zucman, an economics professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

Zucman said all the research on the issue also points to large wealth concentrations in China and Russia in recent decades. The same thing is happening in France and the U.K., but at a “more moderate rise,” the paper said.

[Tazirai]

Dem Leader Steny Hoyer Hints at Possible ‘Further Action’ Against Rep. Omar if No Change

Earlier this week the Democratic congressman expressed skepticism regarding Omar’s apology for controversial remarks she made about pro-Israel lobbyists.

“Let’s see what happens. Apologies are nice but actions are better,” he told MSNBC’s Katy Tur.

Hoyer has not yet clarified what kind of action may be taken against Omar.

[Kirby101]

It probably is a top ten issue, since it affects the long-term prospects of the country in numerous ways (IE- the ability of the nation to decide who is granted citizenship and how many.) It is perfectly fine to believe that border security is adequate, but it is an important issue.

But you didn't answer if you think if you think Trump is right to make the Wall an issue worth shutting down the government. And while related, border security is not the same as immigration and citizenship.
Do you realize border crossings are at a 20 year low. (some studies say it's a 50 year low).

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/20/u...eclining-.html

[KOSLOX]

Dem Leader Steny Hoyer Hints at Possible ‘Further Action’ Against Rep. Omar if No Change

*Steve King laughs.*

[Tazirai]

Wisconsin GOP blocks Black History Month bill because it honors Milwaukee native Colin Kaepernick
"Evidently the Republicans don’t think the 1st Amendment rights should be afforded to African-Americans."

To commemorate Black History Month this year, State Rep. David Crowley, a Democrat representing parts of Milwaukee in the Wisconsin state assembly, authored an extremely uncontroversial resolution simply meant to honor the state’s notable black Americans. It was passed through the state Assembly – but not before Republicans decided to raise a hissy fit.

Republican legislators refused to support the resolution — which was introduced and proposed by the chamber’s black caucus — until their friends across the aisle agreed to remove the name of Milwaukee native Colin Kaepernick from its list of honorees.

“I think it’s important to recognize the contributions of literally thousands and thousands of African-Americans to our state’s history but also trying to find people who, again, bring us together. Not look at people who draw some sort of vitriol from either side,” said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R), as reported by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Kaepernick was included in the resolution in part because of the awareness he raised about police brutality by taking a knee during the national anthem of NFL games, but also because of his strong local connection and the fact that he made a $25,000 donation to Urban Underground, a Milwaukee nonprofit that works with teens.

Crowley said the whole thing was a “slap in the face,” and a “textbook example of white privilege.”

GOP Lawmakers Jettison Colin Kaepernick From Black History Month Resolution
Black legislators called the move a “slap in the face.”

Wisconsin’s all-white GOP Assembly members on Tuesday removed former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick from a resolution honoring African-Americans during Black History Month.

The state Assembly passed the resolution without Kaepernick for “obvious reasons,” said Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke.

[Tazirai]

Store closes after Nike boycott: 'More Colin Kaepernick fans than I realized'

Prime Time Sports in Colorado is about to be no more. After being open for more than 20 years, its doors are closing due to pulling the same stunt as 32 NFL teams.

Blackballing Colin Kaepernick.

Except this time, it goes even further.

Stephen Martin, owner of Prime Time Sports, decided in September to remove All Nike gear from his store after the company featured the former 49ers quarterback in an ad.

"According to me, [Kaepernick] has sacrificed a salary," Martin wrote on a large sign at the store. "Nothing compared to what every soul on our 'Honor the Flag' memorial wall that was built a few years ago has suffered and died for," the note continued, with pictures of service members.

Well, that plan didn't turn out too well.

“Being a sports store without Nike is kind of like being a milk store without milk or a gas station without gas. How do you do it? They have a monopoly on jerseys,” Martin said to a local NBC station.

Even though Kap remains out of the NFL while other less worthy quarterbacks continue to get jobs, Martin learned the hard way how many people support Kaepernick's message of protesting racial and social injustices.

“As much as I hate to admit this, perhaps there are more Brandon Marshall and Colin Kaepernick supporters out there than I realized,” Martin added.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Store closes after Nike boycott: 'More Colin Kaepernick fans than I realized'

This should be a Onion article : Store Spites itself , Loses Business being Idiots.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Dem Leader Steny Hoyer Hints at Possible ‘Further Action’ Against Rep. Omar if No Change

What an asshat. Meanwhile, Steve King is still in politics. Ridiculous.

Wisconsin GOP blocks Black History Month bill because it honors Milwaukee native Colin Kaepernick
"Evidently the Republicans don’t think the 1st Amendment rights should be afforded to African-Americans."




GOP Lawmakers Jettison Colin Kaepernick From Black History Month Resolution
Black legislators called the move a “slap in the face.”

The thing is, Republicans probably didn’t give a **** about the anthem protests until Trump, with his longtime grudge against the NFL made it an issue.

Store closes after Nike boycott: 'More Colin Kaepernick fans than I realized'

How did this fool stay in business for as long as long as he had after making a colossal mistake like that?

[InformationGeek]

Says everything, doesn't it?

NEW - Fox News rejected a national ad for the anti-Nazi documentary short "A Night At The Garden" that was going to run during Hannity's show. The reason? A Fox account executive told the ad-buyer: "Our CEO said that it was not appropriate for our air."

[numberthirty]

Came across this in an article last month. It's the entire issue with folks trying to change the subject when it comes to Harris' time as a part of law enforcement. No one has a problem with it strictly because of it being what it is. It's the actual reality of her career during that time.

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertai...review/579430/

Kamala Harris’s Political Memoir Is an Uneasy Fit for the Digital Era

Under District Attorney Kamala Harris, the overall felony-conviction rate in San Francisco rose from 52 percent in 2003 to 67 percent in 2006, the highest seen in a decade. Many of the convictions accounting for that increase stemmed from drug-related prosecutions, which also soared, from 56 percent in 2003 to 74 percent in 2006. As California’s attorney general, Harris pushed a punitive initiative that treated truancy among elementary schoolers as a crime for which parents could be jailed. In 2014, she attempted to block the release of nonviolent second-strike offenders from overcrowded state prisons on the grounds that their paroling would result in prisons losing an important labor pool.

[Kirby101]

Came across this in an article last month. It's the entire issue with folks trying to change the subject when it comes to Harris' time as a part of law enforcement. No one has a problem with it strictly because of it being what it is. It's the actual reality of her career during that time.

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertai...review/579430/

You shouldn't vote for her then. But make sure if she is the nominee to do everything you can to make people think she would be worse than Trump.

[numberthirty]

You shouldn't vote for her then. But make sure if she is the nominee to do everything you can to make people think she would be worse than Trump.

The question at hand is a lot more like "Why Would Someone Willingly Back A Candidate Who Put Political Power Together That Way?"

Probably multiplied by a factor of ten for each other alternative that you won't support in order to do so.

Edit: Obviously, you are setting aside the more troubling aspects of her time before Congress to just talk about the bit in that article.

[Mister Mets]

But you didn't answer if you think if you think Trump is right to make the Wall an issue worth shutting down the government. And while related, border security is not the same as immigration and citizenship.
Do you realize border crossings are at a 20 year low. (some studies say it's a 50 year low).

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/20/u...eclining-.html

I don't think you asked me if the wall was worth the shutdown. I'm in favor of expanding the walls as part of a border security overhaul (along with e-verify and greater focus on visa overstayers), but it was not worth the shutdowns.

While border crossings are currently relatively low, that doesn't mean they'll stay that way in the future, especially if people living in other countries get the impression that border crossings will be a way to gain citizenship.

Border security is part of the immigration question, since it is a way many people come into the country.

Says everything, doesn't it?

As an aside the Oscar-nominated short documentary is available online.

https://vimeo.com/237489146

Came across this in an article last month. It's the entire issue with folks trying to change the subject when it comes to Harris' time as a part of law enforcement. No one has a problem with it strictly because of it being what it is. It's the actual reality of her career during that time.

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertai...review/579430/

Isn't a high felony-conviction rate a potentially good thing? Low percentages could easily be the result of bad policies (IE- charging people who are innocent, overcharging misdemeanors.)

[numberthirty]

...

Isn't a high felony-conviction rate a potentially good thing? Low percentages could easily be the result of bad policies (IE- charging people who are innocent, overcharging misdemeanors.)

Depends on how it actually happened.

http://www.sfweekly.com/news/a-lack-of-conviction/

A Lack of Conviction

But there's a problem with Harris' central campaign claim. Records obtained by SF Weekly reveal that the performance of prosecutors in the San Francisco District Attorney's office is less impressive than suggested by her much-trumpeted conviction statistics.

The records show that while Harris' overall conviction rate has reached new highs over the past several years, that success is based almost entirely on plea deals negotiated before defendants accused of serious crimes proceed to trial. (Such pleas form the bulk of any D.A.'s convictions.) By contrast, felony convictions for cases that actually go to trial and reach a jury verdict — a comparatively small group that nevertheless includes some of a district attorney's most violent and emotionally charged cases — have declined significantly over the past two years.

In 2009, San Francisco prosecutors won a lower percentage of their felony jury trials than their counterparts at district attorneys' offices covering the 10 largest cities in California, according to data on case outcomes compiled by officials at the San Francisco Superior Court as well as by other county courts and prosecutors. (Officials in Sacramento, the state's seventh-largest city, did not provide data.) Harris' at-trial felony conviction rate that year was 76 percent, down 12 points from the previous year.

In the first quarter of 2010, things got worse. During that time, Harris' office secured guilty verdicts in just 53 percent of its felony trials — a remarkable figure, revealing that defendants accused of serious crimes who took their case to trial had an even one-in-two shot at winning an acquittal. By contrast, the most recent recorded statewide average was 83 percent, according to statistics from the California Judicial Council.

The general decline in felony trial convictions has included more failures in murder cases specifically, according to records released by the D.A.'s office in response to a request from SF Weekly. From January 2009 through the end of last month, according to the records, Harris has obtained murder or voluntary manslaughter convictions for just 11 out of 20 homicide defendants at trial, with the rest acquitted or convicted on lesser charges.

[Tendrin]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps...reign-meddling

Two teams of federal officials assembled to fight foreign election interference are being dramatically downsized, according to three current and former Department of Homeland Security officials. And now, those sources say they fear the department won’t prepare adequately for election threats in 2020.
“The clear assessment from the intelligence community is that 2020 is going to be the perfect storm,” said a DHS official familiar with the teams. “We know Russia is going to be engaged. Other state actors have seen the success of Russia and realize the value of disinformation operations. So it’s very curious why the task forces were demoted in the bureaucracy and the leadership has not committed resources to prepare for the 2020 election.”