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  1. #1216
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    U.S. border agents wrote fake court dates on paperwork to send migrants back to Mexico

    sylum seekers who have finished their court cases are being sent back to Mexico with documents that contain fraudulent future court dates, keeping some migrants south of the border indefinitely, records show.

    Under the Migrant Protection Protocols policy, asylum seekers with cases in the United States have to wait in Mexico until those cases are resolved. The Mexican government agreed to only accept migrants with future court dates scheduled.

    Normally, when migrants conclude their immigration court cases, they are either paroled into the United States or kept in federal custody depending on the outcome of the case.

    However, records obtained by the San Diego Union-Tribune show that on at least 14 occasions, Customs and Border Protection agents in California and Texas gave migrants who had already concluded their court cases documents with fraudulent future court dates written on them and sent the migrants back to Mexico anyway.
    Those documents, unofficially known as tear sheets, are given to every migrant in the Migrant Protection Protocols program who is sent back to Mexico. The document tells the migrants where and when to appear at the border so that they can be transported to immigration court. What is different about the tear sheets that migrants with closed cases receive is that the future court date is not legitimate, according to multiple immigration lawyers whose clients have received these documents.

    This has happened both to migrants who have been granted asylum and those who had their cases terminated — meaning a judge closed the case without making a formal decision, usually on procedural grounds. Additionally, at least one migrant was physically assaulted after being sent back to Mexico this way, according to her lawyer.
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  2. #1217
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    Republicans Seek to Swamp Democratic Offices With Anti-Impeachment Calls

    The Republican National Committee paid to generate thousands of calls to the congressional offices of nearly three dozen House Democrats in recent weeks, an effort that was aimed at both shaping opinion around the impeachment inquiry and tying up the phone lines of the elected officials, according to two people briefed on the effort.

    The calls were part of a broader effort by Republicans to influence public opinion around the investigation into President Trump. The Trump campaign and the Republican committee have taken the lead on political messaging defending Mr. Trump at a moment of political vulnerability, using television and digital ads, as well as the phone calls.

    The fact that the calls to congressional offices, estimated to number 11,000, were partly intended to jam the phone lines of House Democrats — potentially thwarting access to government offices — was described at a recent dinner of more than a dozen Republican aides, advisers and elected officials, known as the “Off the Record” dinner. Officials with the Republican National Committee told others at the dinner about the calls, suggesting they were automated and indicating that the aim was to tie up the phones in Democratic offices, according to two people briefed on what was said.

    Asked about the calls, Republican committee officials said they were not prerecorded “robocalls.” The officials said the committee used a vendor to survey voters. Those voters who said they opposed the impeachment inquiry were given the option of being connected to their congressional representative’s office, the officials said.
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  3. #1218
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    EPA chief of staff under investigation in document destruction

    The Environmental Protection Agency’s inspector general is investigating whether chief of staff Ryan Jackson was involved in destroying internal documents that should have been retained, according to two people familiar with the matter.

    The IG's office is asking witnesses whether Jackson has routinely destroyed politically sensitive documents, including schedules and letters from people like lobbyist Richard Smotkin, who helped arrange a trip for then-EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to Morocco when he was in office, according to one of the sources, a former administration official who told investigators he has seen Jackson do that firsthand.
    The previously unreported allegations add to the controversy around Jackson, a former aide to Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) who has been at EPA since the early days of the Trump administration. EPA's internal watchdog accused Jackson earlier this week of refusing to cooperate with other ongoing investigations.

    Story Continued Below

    Jackson was put on notice that the document destruction was improper, something the former official said he discussed earlier this year with an official from the IG’s office.

    “They would scold us on a daily basis and Ryan would say, ‘Oh, I didn’t know, we’ll do better next time,’" the former official said.
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  4. #1219
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    Chesa Boudin, a public defender backed by Black Lives Matter is the new DA of San Francisco.

    In a win for the progressive prosecutor movement, deputy public defender Chesa Boudin has declared victory over Interim District Attorney Suzy Loftus in the San Francisco race for DA. Boudin announced he’d won the race late Saturday afternoon following a concession from Loftus, Boudin’s campaign told The Appeal. The election was held on Tuesday, November 5, but it took several days to tabulate the votes. As with most local races in the city, voters can select their first-, second-, and third-place choices in a process called ranked-choice voting.

    “The people of San Francisco have sent a powerful and clear message: It’s time for radical change to how we envision justice,” Boudin wrote in a text to The Appeal. “I’m humbled to be a part of this movement that is unwavering in its demand for transformation.”

    “I didn’t win the race,” Loftus wrote in a text to The Appeal, “but we won the support of so many San Franciscans who are demanding that our city work more effectively together to build safety.” She congratulated Boudin and said she will “work to ensure a smooth and immediate transition.”

    In the last weeks of the election, Loftus and Boudin led the four-candidate pack, which also included Alameda County prosecutor Nancy Tung and Leif Dautch, a deputy attorney general for California. In October, Mayor London Breed, who endorsed Loftus, appointed her to serve as interim DA after George Gascón resigned, affording her, what critics said, was an unfair boost. In addition to Breed, the San Francisco Chronicle, Governor Gavin Newsom, and Senator Dianne Feinstein also endorsed Loftus.

    Boudin earned national headlines, as well as high-profile endorsements. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, and Black Lives Matter co-founders Patrisse Cullors and Alicia Garza all announced their support for Boudin.

    During the campaign, Boudin said he planned to continue the work he did as a deputy public defender to eliminate money bail, and expand alternative to incarceration programs, including for first-time DUI offenses.

    Boudin also pledged to implement restorative justice practices, which, he said, helped him cope with the trauma of growing up with incarcerated parents, Weather Underground activists Kathy Boudin and David Gilbert. His parents were convicted for their participation in a robbery in which three people were killed. “I went through a lot of these kinds of challenges that many children with incarcerated parents go through: feelings of guilt and abandonment and anger,” Boudin told The Appeal in January.
    https://theappeal.org/public-defende...utor-movement/

  5. #1220
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    State Department Freed Ukraine Money Before Trump Says He Did

    President Donald Trump says he lifted his freeze on aid to Ukraine on Sept. 11, but the State Department had quietly authorized releasing $141 million of the money several days earlier, according to five people familiar with the matter.

    The State Department decision, which hasn’t been reported previously, stemmed from a legal finding made earlier in the year, and conveyed in a classified memorandum to Secretary of State Michael Pompeo. State Department lawyers found the White House Office of Management and Budget, and thus the president, had no legal standing to block spending of the Ukraine aid.

    The White House freeze on assistance to Ukraine -- including a separate $250 million package of military aid from the Defense Department -- has become a central issue in House impeachment hearings, where witnesses say Trump ordered the assistance halted to force Ukraine to announce investigations into Joe Biden and other Democrats.
    The freeze on funds Ukraine sought for its continuing war against Russia-backed separatists was opposed by many in the administration. Alexander Vindman, director of European affairs on the National Security Council, has testified that he understood Pompeo, then-National Security Advisor John Bolton and Defense Secretary Mark Esper all recommended releasing the funds in an Aug. 15 meeting with Trump.

    The OMB has argued all along that the congressional notification by the State Department was only one step and it still had the power to hold the money after it was sent because of its authority to apportion -- or distribute -- the funds.
    But the State Department disagreed. Taylor, the envoy to Ukraine, said in his testimony that it was remarkable that the legal offices at the State and Defense departments had decided “they were going to move forward with this assistance anyway, OMB notwithstanding.”
    Congressional appropriators were frustrated when their inquiry on Aug. 29 about the status of the State Department funds was greeted by silence. Days passed and on Sept. 9, when they asked again, the State Department’s Legislative Affairs office told them there was no hold on the $141 million, according to a person familiar with the matter.

    What they didn’t know, according to one of the people, was that shortly before Sept. 9, Bolton had relayed a message to the State Department that the funding could go ahead. It’s not clear whether Bolton, who resigned from the job a week later, did so with Trump’s approval.
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  6. #1221
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rosa Luxemburg View Post
    Chesa Boudin, a public defender backed by Black Lives Matter is the new DA of San Francisco.



    https://theappeal.org/public-defende...utor-movement/
    More pleasing news.

  7. #1222
    Ol' Doogie, Circa 2005 GindyPosts's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Malvolio View Post
    They can take their phony baloney "War on Christmas," and stick it right up their asses. That is, if there's any room, what with their heads taking up so much space in there.
    I find it ironic that they rant on about the "War on Christmas" when there's so many holidays during that time of the year and that they argue in favor of Christmas focusing entirely on the commercial aspect rather than the spiritual aspect.

  8. #1223
    Ultimate Member Mister Mets's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rosa Luxemburg View Post
    So there's a right-wing coup underway in Bolivia.

    If Evo Morales is actually ousted, the country is fucked.
    There are protests because of voting irregularities.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-50365340

    The Organization of American states commissioned an audit. According to the article I linked to, "during the audit, it said it found physical records with alterations and forged signatures, and evidence of wide-scale data manipulation. The international body concluded it was unlikely that Mr Morales had won by the 10% margin required for a victory. It recommended that a new electoral commission be set up before a fresh election could take place."

    Do you have any good articles or other material on shenanigans in the election or the aftermath?
    Sincerely,
    Thomas Mets

  9. #1224
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    A Plea From 33 Writers: Words Matter. Stop Using ‘Quid Pro Quo.’

    A plea from 33 writers: Please use language that will clarify the issues at hand.

    Please stop using the Latin phrase “quid pro quo” regarding the impeachment inquiry. Most people don’t understand what it means, and in any case it doesn’t refer only to a crime. Asking for a favor is not a criminal act; we frequently demand things from foreign countries before giving them aid, like asking them to improve their human rights record.

    That is not a crime; the crime is President Trump’s demand for something that will benefit him personally. But using this neutral phrase — which means simply “this for that” — as synonymous with criminality is confusing to the public. It makes the case more complicated, more open to question and more difficult to plead.

    Please use words that refer only to criminal behavior here. Use “bribery” or “extortion” to describe Mr. Trump’s demand to President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, making it very clear that this is a crime. The more we hear words that carry moral imputations, the more we understand the criminal nature of the act.

    Please also stop using the phrase “dig up dirt.” This slang has unsavory connotations. Instead, please use the more formal, direct and powerful phrase “create false evidence,” or “find incriminating evidence” or the simpler “tell lies about.”
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  10. #1225
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    John Bolton, key figure in Trump impeachment inquiry, signs book deal

    John Bolton, the former national security adviser who is a key figure in the Ukraine scandal and impeachment inquiry, has a book deal.
    The hawkish Bush-era veteran, Trump’s third national security adviser, left the White House in September over disagreements with the president. According to the Associated Press, which cited three publishing officials with knowledge of negotiations, he reached his book deal over the past few weeks with Simon & Schuster.

    Two of the officials said the deal was worth about $2m. Bolton was represented by the Javelin literary agency, whose clients include former FBI director James Comey and the anonymous Trump administration official whose book, A Warning, comes out on 19 November.

    Bolton’s name has come up often recently during the House impeachment inquiry, which has focused on Trump’s pressure on Ukraine to investigate potential 2020 election rival Joe Biden, the former vice-president.

    In a transcript of a closed-door interview released on Friday, a former national security official described how Bolton “immediately stiffened” as EU ambassador Gordon Sondland “blurted out” that he had worked out a trade – a Ukrainian investigation for an Oval Office welcome for Ukraine’s new president – with Trump’s acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney.
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  11. #1226
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    18 vehicle caravan coming from Mexico. But this time they are allowed to come in without any issues as they are white Christians. What baffles me is that trump supporters don't care that these mormon sects are raping children and forcing them into marrying old men.

  12. #1227
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    We Are Running Out of Air

    Officials have implored the people of New Delhi to stay inside, indefinitely. Five million children in India’s capital have been handed face masks. Everyone is to keep windows closed. Contrary to the most fundamental medical advice, the city’s chief minister urged residents this week to “avoid outdoor physical activities.”

    News images seem cut from an apocalyptic outbreak film. One of India’s holiest rivers is covered in toxic foam that looks like white cotton candy. Midday visibility is like a foggy dusk. The air reportedly causes people’s eyes to burn.
    At the root is not some panic-inducing virus, though. The cause is simply pollution from agriculture and transportation. And the city’s air crisis is unique only in degree. The same elements are accumulating in the air everywhere.
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  13. #1228

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    Quote Originally Posted by WestPhillyPunisher View Post
    But remember, boys and girls, we godless, left wing liberals are the snowflakes. SMDH.

    ====================

    Special Investigation: Go Back To Your Country, They Said



    Anyone who thinks what happened to Mr. Smith can't happen to ANY person of color (like me) or anyone of a different race are kidding themselves.

    **********

    Trump Says Ukraine Call Was ‘Perfect,’ And GOP Can’t Decide How To Defend Him

    Republicans have a disjointed defense of Trump as impeachment hearings are set to go public. Trumpublicans have no choice but to defend their dear leader who can end their cushy careers with a tweet, they just don't know how. It's all so laughable.

    **********

    Richest 1% Close To Topping Wealth Of Entire Middle Class Due To Trump Tax Cuts, Interest

    As the wealthy continue to amass more assets, they have more power to skew the system to further benefit them, economists warn. Is it any wonder the one percenters have zero love for billionaire hating Elizabeth Warren, or that fat cat Michael Bloomberg got in the race to stop her if he can.

    **********

    The Trump Administration Wants To Charge Migrants For Seeking Asylum

    Only three countries in the world currently require asylum-seekers to pay up. Well, ****. Why not? Once again, the cruelty IS the reason for everything this administration does when it comes to dealing with migrants.

    **********

    Buttigieg Chewed Out For Eating Cinnamon Roll Like Chicken Wing: ‘I’m Calling The FBI’

    A viral photo shows the South Bend, Indiana, mayor chowing down on the confection after he cut it with a knife and fork. I don't see what the big deal is. I eat cinnamon rolls like that myself. The damn things are sticky and gooey and messy as hell. Tasty too.
    Outrage worthy of the time "Obama wore a tan suit!"
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  14. #1229
    Ultimate Member Robotman's Avatar
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    Haha I’ve been saying this to friends for a while now. They have to sell the impeachment to the public and using “quid pro quo” won’t work. “Extortion” is a way better way to describe it.

    Conservatives are much better at, let’s say, marketing buzz words and phrases to the public. They use certain words and hammer them into their follower’s heads. The scary words: “SOCIALISM!” “WITCH HUNT!” “BIG GOVERNMENT!”.

    Liberals need to get much better at simplifying their message and fight fire with fire. If conservatives are going to call every liberal a socialists, then liberals need to start labeling right wing tactics fascist.

  15. #1230

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    Gus Bilrakis

    Welcome to what is the 798th original profile here at “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” profile, where we’ll be taking a look at the sitting U.S. House Representative from Florida’s 12th Congressional District, Gus Bilrakis, who has held office since 2006, jumping in to be a legacy and take over where his father Michael Bilirakis to serve three terms in Florida’s 9th Congressional District before jumping to the 12th District from 2013 to the present. Prior to that, Bilrakis served in the Florida House of Representatives for four terms from 1999-2007.

    Now, part of how Gus Bilirakis caught our attention was the day he hosted a women’s summit, that featured an agenda with key topics such as “weight loss” and “gardening that are relevant to their interests. Perhaps that has a lot to do with why Bilirakis has a long, long history of voting against women’s issues, not just his pathological series of anti-choice votes, but the fact that he’s voted against every equal pay bill that’s come across his path the entire time he’s been in Congress.

    Bilirakis is also a climate change denialist to the extend that he defended Donald Trump’s hair-brained decision to pull out of the Paris climate accords, and did so by citing a highly flawed study that claimed 2.7 million jobs would be lost if the United States honored the agreement.

    But what troubled us the most as we dug deeper into recent statements by Gus Bilirakis was his town hall in February of 2017. His constituents were highly alarmed that the GOP-controlled Congress and Trump administration might move to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and leave tens of millions stripped of their health insurance. So what was Bilirakis’ response? He decided to begin babbling about “death panels. Y’know, the same “death panels” that Republicans fear-mongered about in 2009 and 2010 to fear-monger about the Affordable Care Act that NEVER CAME TO BE when the law got passed. The same “death panels” that were named Politifact’s “Lie of the Year” eight years earlier. And for that, Bilirakis was booed out of his own town hall.
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