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

[InformationGeek]

Chris Wallace vs. Donald Trump, who continues lashing out at veterans.

President Donald Trump dismissed criticism from William McRaven on Fox News Sunday, referring to the retired Navy SEAL Admiral as a “Hillary Clinton fan.”

While grilling the president on his anti-press rhetoric, Fox News anchor Chris Wallace brought criticism from McRaven, who oversaw the 2011 raid in Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden.

After Wallace listed McRaven’s bonafides, Trump cut in: “Hillary Clinton fan.”

“Special Operations…” Wallace said.

“Excuse me, Hillary Clinton fan,” Trump insisted.

“Who led the operations, commanded the operations that took down Saddam Hussein and that killed Osama bin Laden,” Wallace continued, “says that your sentiment is the greatest threat to democracy in his lifetime.”

“OK, he’s a Hilary Clinton backer and an Obama-backer,” Trump said.

“He was a Navy Seal 37 years,” Wallace shot back.

“Wouldn’t it have been nice if we got Osama Bin Laden a lot sooner than that, wouldn’t it have been nice?” Trump asked. “You know, living – think of this – living in Pakistan, beautifully in Pakistan in what I guess they considered a nice mansion, I don’t know, I’ve seen nicer. But living in Pakistan right next to the military academy, everybody in Pakistan knew he was there.”

“You’re not even going to give them credit for taking down Bin Laden?” Wallace asked.

Trump ignored the question in favor to hitting Pakistan: “They took him down but – look, look, there’s news right there, he lived in Pakistan, we’re supporting Pakistan, we’re giving them $1.3 billion a year, which we don’t give them anymore, by the way, I ended it because they don’t do anything for us, they don’t do a damn thing for us.”

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Finnish president denies ever discussing ‘raking’ with Trump

You guys president is just stupid. I mean seriously why would it ever leave your mouth that California should like rake the forests more and maybe they wouldn't burn.
And then to throw another Presidents name in there and say he told you his country did that.

Someone on social media posted he should allow the caravan to come Rake America Great Again

Gee whiz! Trump lied and made up something out of whole cloth? I’m shocked he would do something like that! NOT!

Chris Wallace vs. Donald Trump, who continues lashing out at veterans.

Let’s see, Trump insulted veterans by not attending ceremonies in France, then Arlington, Now he’s ripped the SEAL who helped put Osama bin Laden in the ground. Oh, yeah, he’s also keeping 5,000 servicemen and servicewomen from their families for Thanksgiving because of that so-called menacing caravan of women and children hundreds of miles from the border. To all you Trump lovers on this board, please tell me again how he’s a supporter of the military?

[Tazirai]

[PaulBullion]

Trump EPA Official Who Fought Coal Cleanup Arrested On Criminal Ethics Charges

Only the best people, yadda yadda yadda.

According to The Associated Press, Glenn was booked into a Jefferson County jail in Birmingham before he was released on a $30,000 bond. Charges include receiving money and soliciting something of value from a “principal, lobbyist or subordinate,” per AL.com.

Few details were released about the amount of money received or what was solicited. However, state ethics laws prohibit officials from using their office for financial gain and from soliciting money or other things of value.

[Mister Mets]

I don't know if we can attribute their rising stars to Schumer though. Or at least I've never credited him with their talent and drive. But if you've read something that states that he has personally encouraged their rise, sure. It just seems to me that the Senate has a different dynamic than the House because of the overall number of members. And the distinct role that senators play in politics. Not to take away from their deeds but its a bit easier to stand out when you are "competing" against 100 vs 435. Which to my mind makes people who stand out in the House all the more notable.

I was considering why people hold a particular view (IE- opposing Pelosi but not Schumer), not whether the view is correct.

One issue in the House is the lack of people who stand out. As far as I can tell, for Democrats, it's Alexandra Ocasia-Cortez, who hasn't even started serving yet, Tim Ryan, Elijan Cummings, John Lewis (more for his background than for what he's done as a Congressman) and Adam Schiff.

It is worth noting a major difference in the scoreboard in Pelosi's favor. No Democratic House member lost a general election to a Republican, while four Democratic Senators lost reelection to Republican challengers, including Bill Nelson of Florida.

[InformationGeek]

Holy crap... the article doesn't even mention what happened to the thief either.

A 6-year-old Texas girl is recovering at the hospital after being shot as her family waited in a McDonald's drive-thru.

According to KTRK, Claire Tidwell was struck in her leg by a security guard's stray bullet. Houston police say the guard opened fire on a theft suspect outside a T-Mobile store, where the suspect was trying to steal a cell phone.

"He saw the theft happening in progress. He pulled his weapon and actually shot the suspect," said Officer Anthony Le with HPD's Major Assaults Division.

Christopher Bradley, 28, a commissioned security officer, is being held in police custody. Police say he fired 10 shots, in total. Legal expert Steve Schellist expects Bradley to face charges, saying he appeared to act recklessly.

"She's OK. She's stable," said her father, Danny Tidwell. "There was gunshots. We were sitting in the car, ordering food. All of a sudden, gunshots started going off everywhere. It was so loud that we knew it was close. It was so close that we ducked in the seat, because we couldn't tell where it was coming from. As the shots were going off, my daughter said, 'Daddy, I'm hurt.' I turned around and there was blood everywhere. I knew she was shot, so I just left."

Danny Tidwell rushed his daughter home, where family members called for help.

The bullet lodged in Claire Tidwell's leg was removed and she took her first steps Tuesday, just one day after she was shot.

"That is the bravest 6-year-old I have ever met in my life," Jessica Montanez, Claire's aunt, told KTRK. "I'm grateful that she's alive, first of all, that's most important. Second of all, it's more so how the situation happened, it could have been a lot worse."

Claire's family has set up a GoFundMe to help with expenses on her road to recovery.

[Tendrin]

Holy crap... the article doesn't even mention what happened to the thief either.

A six year old was nearly killed over a frigging cel phone, to say nothing of the life of the alleged thief. Shameful.


Edit: the thief was also hit, apparently, several times. He is expected to survive. His life is worth more than a cel phone.

[numberthirty]

For anyone who still buys into the idea that what was pawned off as an apology was enough for Monica Lewinsky, let's allow the lady in question to clarify...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...=.7c0fb1d4fe64

‘Bill Clinton should want to apologize’: Monica Lewinsky opens up about scandal in new documentary

Beyond whether she thinks she is “owed or deserving” of a personal apology from Bill Clinton, Lewinsky wrote that she thinks he “should want to apologize.”

“I’m less disappointed by him, and more disappointed for him,” she wrote. “He would be a better man for it . . . and we, in turn, a better society."

In addition...

Take, for example, Clinton’s famed Oval Office address in which he declared, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.”

In that moment, akin to a “sports coach signposting the playbook for the big game,” Clinton “threw down the gauntlet,” Lewinsky wrote.

“With that, the demonization of Monica Lewinsky began,” she wrote. “As it so often does, power throws a protective cape around the shoulders of the man, and he dictates the spin by denigrating the less powerful woman.”

Clinton’s position of power continued to benefit him, Lewinsky said, pointing out how the former president was rarely asked in interviews to directly address the scandal.

“If you want to know what power looks like, watch a man safely, even smugly, do interviews for decades, without ever worrying whether he will be asked the questions he doesn’t want to answer,” she wrote.

[Tendrin]

Oh, look. 30's still on on the CLintons.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Osama Bin Laden Hunter Slams Trump Behavior As ‘Greatest Threat To Our Democracy’

Retired Navy Adm. William McRaven spoke out after Trump falsely called him a “Hillary Clinton backer” and said bin Laden should have been caught sooner. Kudos to Adm. McRaven for telling it like it is about Trump.

**********

Finnish President: I Didn’t Talk To Trump About Raking To Prevent Wildfires

During his visit to California amid the Camp fire, President Donald Trump claimed that Finland spent “a lot of time on raking and cleaning” to prevent blazes. But hey, why would Trump let the truth get in the way of a good story?

**********

Hanging Chads Long Gone, Florida Has Another Election Nightmare

The biggest difference, observers say, is the rhetoric elected officials are using to escalate accusations of fraud. What IS it about Florida that makes elections such a four alarm shitshow?

**********

Kansas Governor Calls On County Official To Resign Over ‘Master Race’ Comment

Leavenworth County Commissioner Louis Klemp made the remark to a black city planner at a public meeting last week. Once again, this would never have happened before Trump became president and made public displays of racism acceptable.

**********

White Women Who Vote GOP Aren’t ‘Voting Against Their Own Interests’

“If he invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row.”

That’s what Cindy Hyde-Smith, the GOP senator from Mississippi, said of one of her supporters during a campaign event. Hyde-Smith, who is white, faces a runoff later this month against Democrat Mike Espy, who is black. She represents the state that saw the most lynchings during the Jim Crow era, and her remarks have reminded many of the power white women held during that reign of terror.

In 1955, when Carolyn Bryant lied and said that a 14-year-old Emmett Till had whistled at her, Till was murdered by her husband and brother-in-law.

Hyde-Smith has doubled down on her comment and refused to apologize. Her remarks do not merely reflect the excesses of partisanship in the U.S. midterm elections, nor are they the result of mere tribalism or polarization. This is white supremacy, upheld with the help of the actual and threatened violence of white women. This white supremacy exists in mainstream political elections, in extremist movements, and in more soft-core white savior configurations that are no less deadly.

The image that most people conjure when they think of “white supremacy” is of a man in a Klan robe or marching at Charlottesville carrying a Tiki torch. And if we think of women upholding white supremacy at all, it is in the angry faces of women who opposed integration in the 1950s and busing in the 1970s.

But the truth is that white women have always been ardent proponents of violent white supremacy, and they continue to be some of its most vocal advocates.

[numberthirty]

Oh, look. 30's still on on the CLintons.

If you took a look at that and got "Clinton", you missed about eighty-five percent of what it was actually about.

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2014, 2015, 2016, as well as 2017, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day posted profiles of Steve Scalise, the current U.S. House Representative for Louisiana's 1st District, who was revealed to have spoken before a group of White Supremacists, EURO in 2002, a group that was actually founded by David Duke. Oh, and Duke says he and Scalise are of like mind, which is easy to believe considering that as a state legislator, Scalise voted against a resolution for the state of Louisiana to apologize for slavery. frequently appeared as a guest on the Fox News Channel as well as maintained a close-knit relationship with the Family Research Council (an anti-gay hate group) that has seen him appear a number of times on Tony Perkins’ Washington Watch program to say they are both “on the right side of history” on their stance against same sex marriage. We noted at the time that Scalise had lied that the Affordable Care Act would “lead to healthcare rationing” while trying to fight tooth and nail from healthcare in any way including contraceptive coverage. He repeatedly kept trying to defund Planned Parenthood, falsely claimed the Bush era tax cuts created an economic boom, denied climate change because President Obama wore a coat to his second inauguration (that would be in January), defended the racist nickname of the Washington D.C. NFL franchise. He also claimed Obama really didn’t want to fight ISIS, and called for his impeachment over his executive orders over immigration.

Now, Scalise coasted to re-election in 2018 with 71% of the vote, and while we usually end up writing a whole rundown of a sitting Congressman’s awful voting record, with Steve Scalise during this session of Congress, that’s a bit tougher a prospect to do, since he missed a plurality of votes after being shot by a deranged gunman during practice for the annual Congressional baseball game. Now, given that Scalise has always been opposed to any and all gun control, we wondered if being the victim of gun violence might make him have a change of heart, and want to do something about stopping a man like the shooter, a man with a history of domestic violence and anger issues from having owned a gun in the future.

NOPE. Scalise learned nothing, and still will be in the pocket of the gun lobby. He has literally said being shot “fortified” his view on gun rights, if by fortified you mean hospitalized for months. James Brady wept.

Anyway, the other detail of the shooting? The woman on the security detail that is largely credited for saving Scalise’s life, and that of other Congressmen present is an African American lesbian. Why, with Steve Scalise’s history of being associated with White Nationalists like David Duke, or his staggering anti-LGBTQ record of votes, maybe he’d have a change of heart there after a woman who’s the embodiment of what Scalise’s pals hate saved his life, right?

NOPE. Four months after a lesbian saved his life, Steve Scalise learned nothing, and went to speak at the “Voter Values Summit”, an annual conference run by the anti-gay hate group the Family Research Council. The same FRC that’s run by Tony Perkins, a longtime GOP Platform Committee member who as a state legislator, paid tens of thousands of dollars in 1996 for David Duke’s mailing list. This is like if the ending of a Christmas Carol saw Ebeneezer Scrooge rolling around in a pile of money in bed with a cut to Tiny Tim dying in bed while his family weeps, frankly. The villain, even when presented with his own mortality and given a last chance to change is like, “NAW, F*** IT.”

And we mean that, considering that Scalise defended Donald Trump for celebrating Congressman Greg Gianforte having body-slammed a reporter, saying he was just “ribbing” the Montana Congressman, and not endorsing violence. Well, wouldn’t you know it, within a week of that statement, a Trump supporter mailed off pipe bombs to CNN, Robert DeNiro, and a bunch of high-ranking Democrats, so maybe Scalise is just full of s*** about not seeing a link.

Needless to say we will now stop talking about Steve Scalise, because he’s a special kind of person who inspires you to think “F*** that guy in particular” and we don’t want to dwell on how lucky someone as evil as he is surviving gun violence while so many tens of thousands of others are not so fortunate. That would take us to a dark place, frankly. (Too late.)

[JCAll]

What IS it about Florida that makes elections such a four alarm shitshow?

Republicans.
ba-dum-tish

[Tami]

Right of return or time to move on?

BOURJ EL BARAJNEH REFUGEE CAMP, Lebanon

The do-it-yourself tattoo on Jihad al-Qassim’s arm shows a faded outline of Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque, a brand from decades ago signifying a teenage hope to return to the land his family fled.

But now, at age 49, his yearning is to get out and go anywhere. “We are suffocating,” he said.

Over 70 years, this half square mile of canvas tents erected by Palestinian refugees who fled the fighting when Israel was created in 1948 has grown into a densely packed neighborhood of at least 50,000 people.

Despite the fact that many were born and raised in here in Lebanon, Palestinian residents remain reliant on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), an entity that provides aid to millions of Palestinians around the region, particularly for basic services like health care and education.

Now, however, the Trump administration is trying to dismantle that lifeline, leaving many Palestinians fearing for their futures.

[Mecegirl]

Stacy Abrams says that she will run for office again.https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-...r-office-again Maybe for senate in 2020?