All purpose news and politics thread part v: The quickening

[kidfresh512]

I dont think Trump will be removed from office either. But with the Dems putting all of this information out there and having public hearings it should be enough to get informed people to vote Trump out of office in 2020. Which to be honest is what I think may be some of their motivation in all of this.

The lesson of the Impeachment Inquiry for the majority of us and those who live in reality is that the curtain is open now to see who these people really are. There is no more pretending the GOP cares about values, or family, or they are somehow more "patriotic" and pro military. They are oh so willing to get behind bashing distinguished career diplomats who have served us admirably and tried to carry out the jobs and mission of United States policy around the world.

They will not remove Trump we already knew that. Pelosi resisted impeachment until the corruption was just too in your face that people were willing to become whistle blowers to say hey this guy is using the power of America to strong-arm and personally bully our allies to announce sham investigations into debunked conspiracy theories for his own personal gain. With no thought to the national security of the country. GOP were never going to do the "right thing" for the country. They would do what they have always done. Hoard power, pander to their base, bend and break all rules, gerrymander, slander and lie to hold onto power.

They don't try to expand the base or reach out to all of Americans. They find it better to restrict access to voting, and representation and force their will on people regardless of the changing demographics of society.

If nothing else the impeachment is necessary to show that one side "talks about the constitution" when it suits them. We are supposed to believe all these inexperienced "conservative judges" they are shoving on every bench with an open spot are going to strictly interpret the Constitution. On the other hand we have the president saying that the actual text of the constitution "emoluments" is made up and a sham when its brought up against him.

And we have democrats who have witness after witness laying down the facts of corruption, and self dealing, and the denigration of our democratic process of diplomatic relations with corrupt shadow figures like Guiliani who are after personal gain. The hearing is more about putting the corruption on show for a call to vote in 2020 against this corruption. GOP are showing they don't care, they dont want to pay attention. They would rather chase conspiracy theories or tell you to not believe what you are seeing and hearing live even though none of it has been contradicted.

That's the crazy thing. There is no defense saying any of these witnesses have lied. In fact its all been corroborated by the president, his chief of staff, the release of these partial memos they think would help them. But, actually just lay bare the corruption. They have no substantive defense so they go with "partisan hearing". Where are any defenses to the substance of the testimony AT ALL?

People are not blind. When they see these GOP senators ignoring these clearly dignified career professionals who went out of their way to testify against pressure to warn Americans. They respond. He wont be removed because GOP bow down and are afraid of their base. But, what it CAN show is make clear the rest of the voting electorate need to get off their butts in 2020 and vote him out no matter what.

[InformationGeek]

It feels like parody at some points, ya know?

I agree Katrina, Pam Bondi is a great womem!

[Tami]

Revealed: ex-KGB agent met Boris Johnson at Italian party

Boris Johnson met an ex-KGB agent during a highly controversial trip to attend a party two days after attending a high-level Nato summit that focused on Russia, the Observer can reveal.

The prime minister, who was foreign secretary at the time, met Russian billionaire businessman Alexander Lebedev, whose family owns Britain’s Independent and Evening Standard newspapers, following a summit of foreign ministers in Brussels staged in the wake of the poisoning of ex-Russian agent Sergei Skripal.

The two met in Italy in April 2018, a month after the attack using the novichok nerve agent in Salisbury, when Johnson, in what appears to be a highly unusual break with protocol, apparently left behind his personal security detail and flew to a lavish party at a palazzo near Perugia hosted by Lebedev’s son Evgeny.

While the meeting with Evgeny Lebedev was confirmed to the Guardian in September, Alexander Lebedev denied meeting Johnson.

However a spokesman has gone on to acknowledge that the meeting between Johnson and Alexander Lebedev, a former KGB officer, did take place, though he insisted there was nothing was out of the ordinary.

“He goes there [Italy] often to stay with his son. He is in Europe a lot and has met pretty much all Evgeny’s friends here over the years. So there is nothing particularly unusual about the meeting,” said the spokesman for Alexander Lebedev.

It is not known what was discussed or how long the meeting between Moscow-based Alexander Lebedev and Johnson lasted. When asked to comment, Downing Street declined.

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2014, "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" ran a profile of Victoria Jackson, who since her days as a performer on Saturday Night Live has gone madder than a hatter wearing a top hat full of s***house rats. She ran for office in Tennessee to be a county commissioner, for whatever reason, but since 2008 Jackson has, without comedic intent, used her celebrity (or former celebrity) to tell people about how Barack Obama is the Anti-Christ, a communist who enslaved African-Americans again, just like Hitler, and had allowed the Muslim Brotherhood to infiltrate our government. Obviously, she took the news that he won a second term poorly, and said that “America died”. She also railed against an episode of Glee for featuring two gay characters kissing, defended Todd Akin’s “legitimate rape” remarks, compared the Sandy Hook Massacre to abortion, and complains about the lack of a White History Month. She has not been on the ballot for several years now, and people still honestly aren’t sure if her uber-conservative persona is a parody of actual conservatives, or she’s serious and really that insane.


In 2015, 2016, 2017, and in 2018, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” posted profiles of Jake Anderegg, a Utah State Senator who sponsored HB 391, the Utah GOP’s effort to prohibit the Medicaid Expansion in their state, and keep much needed federal dollars out of the hands of their citizens back in March of 2013. Early into Anderegg’s first term, he was the subject of controversy when he and the President of the Utah State Senate Wayne Niederhouser started joking around on Twitter about how the men’s room at the capitol was always occupied, and Anderegg joked that he was strongly considering a gender identity change so that he could use the women’s restroom, instead. He still won re-election easily, not being challenged in the GOP Primary in 2014, and in his second term, it looked like at first, Anderegg’s big controversy would make a spectacle of himself by arguing his own traffic tickets after he got busted doing 71 MPH in a 35 MPH zone, and tried claiming the officer both exaggerated about what the speed limit was where he was driving, and that he wasn’t going as fast as he was accused of. Under oath, he finally admitted to going 60 to 65 MPH, but not after fighting, kicking, and screaming about “entrapment” and “revenue generation” by the local police, which really doesn't amount to much when you're flaunting traffic laws by double the posted speed limit. But in late June 2015, when he drafted a bill that would will “end government agencies’ involvement in issuing marriage licenses.” In other words, if gays could get married, then NO ONE could. The historic implications of this are the real kicker, as many critics noted it was similar to the disgusting reaction many Southern politicians who were in favor of segregation had after finding out they would need to integrate schools, and instead decided to close them so neither white, nor black children could attend. And when you place yourself in the company of bigots of that caliber, well, congratulations, you win a CSGOPOTD profile. We have little to update on Anderegg, save for the fact that he was throwing cold water on Mormons who were suggesting a protest vote, and rallying around Evan McMullin in the 2016 elections, and telling them to stand with Donald Trump. Anderegg, who so staunchly wants to defend the sanctity of marriage from gay people, rallied them around an admitted serial sexual predator who has committed adultery multiple times on his three wives, and boasted about it. And, we're filled with sadness and loathing to point out that Anderegg managed to casually run for re-election in the Utah State Senate in 2016, and was handed victory because no one bothered to run against him, whatsoever, in the primary of the general election.

Now, Utah voters in 2018 voted on the expansion of Medicaid, as a ballot initiative left it up to the good people of Utah to vote on this year. And, it passed. Time will tell if Jake Anderegg will back up his threat from last month where he promised that the Republican state legislature would simply repeal the law in the state legislature if it passes or not, when the new session starts. Make no mistake, Anderegg is obsessed with conservative dogma, and will defy the will of the people if he’s empowered to do so (in other words, he’s a real s***ty politician).

Since we last checked in on Anderegg, he’s been throwing a tantrum whenever anything is done by the government to help people, including the fit he threw after Utah voters voted to expand Medicaid statewide, but he argued that voters in HIS district didn’t, so why bother? Oh, and a slightly smaller complaint as he was in the minority of State Senators who voted against a bill to create affordable housing in the state.

Other than that, we have no new updates on Anderegg at this time and we look forward to him potentially getting bounced from office in 2020.
 

[Tami]

GOP senator says whistleblower's sources 'exposed things that didn't need to be exposed'

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., said Sunday that the administration officials who provided the whistleblower with information on President Donald Trump's conduct toward Ukraine "exposed things that didn't need to be exposed."

Johnson, who spoke with the president about why military aid was being withheld from Ukraine prior to the administration releasing the hold in mid-September, spoke to NBC's "Meet the Press" after a week that saw three officials at the heart of U.S.-Ukraine relations testify publicly in the impeachment probe.

The Wisconsin senator said he wanted "to point out is the damage being done to our country through this entire impeachment process."

"It's going to be very difficult for future presidents to have a very candid conversation with a world leader because now we've set the precedent of leaking transcripts," he said. "The weakening of executive privilege is not good. And by the way, these individuals that leaked this. If their interest was a stronger relationship with Ukraine, they did not accomplish this. Having this all come out into public has weakened that relationship and exposed things that didn't need to be exposed."

[Jack Dracula]

Trump makes it difficult for Republicans to deny the racism, sexism and basic cruelty of their party. Not impossible, mind you, but difficult.

I believe to a certain extent he's helped the GOP leadership realize that they needn't have been so reticent about some of their underlying motivations. The plain fact that something like the Access Hollywood tape can happen and the Christian Right and evangelical voters will still wholeheartedly support him is an indicator of just how much bad behavior people are willing to excuse as long as their own needs are met.

[Tami]

US, S Korea postpone joint exercise criticized by N Korea

BANGKOK — U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Sunday the United States and South Korea have indefinitely postponed a joint military exercise in an “act of goodwill” toward North Korea.

The move comes even as Japan’s defense minister, whose country feels threatened by repeated North Korean missile launches, told Esper “no one could be optimistic about” changing the North’s behavior.

The statement by Japan’s defense chief, Taro Kono, was a stark illustration of the difficulties facing the U.S. and its international allies and partners as they struggle to get North Korea back to negotiations to eliminate its nuclear weapons and missiles. Talks launched by President Donald Trump in 2018 have stalled with no resumption in sight.

Although the U.S. military for years as called its joint military exercises with South Korea an important means of keeping troops and commanders ready for combat on short notice, Trump has called them a waste of money and a provocation to the North.

[Tami]

More than 233,000 students have experienced gun violence at school since Columbine

The Washington Post spent months determining how many children have been exposed to gun violence during school hours since the Columbine High massacre in 1999.

Beyond the dead and wounded, children who witness the violence or cower behind locked doors to hide from it can be profoundly traumatized.

The federal government does not track school shootings, so The Post pieced together its numbers from news articles, open-source databases, law enforcement reports and calls to schools and police departments.

The children impacted grew with each round of reporting: from 135,000 students in at least 164 primary and secondary schools to more than 187,000 on 193 campuses.

Since March, The Post has taken a closer look at states with fewer local news sources and searched more deeply for less visible public suicides and accidents that led to injury.

The count now stands at more than 233,000 children at 243 schools.

[Mister Mets]

Pete Buttigieg has claimed that 400 influential African-Americans have endorsed his Douglass plan, which dealt with public health care, education, criminal justice reform, etc. The problem is that many of those listed as endorsing it didn't actually do so, and that about 40% of the signers are white.

The political usefulness of such a document is obvious for Buttigieg, who is polling very poorly with black voters both nationally and in South Carolina, which holds the fourth Democratic primary/caucus and has a majority-black Democratic electorate.

A problem: When the Intercept dug into the endorsement, it found that two of the three top-line black politicians listed say they never endorsed the Douglass Plan, and that at least 40 percent of the other 400 individuals whose names are listed are white.

Here’s what state Rep. Ivory Thigpen said:

Even though I had had conversations with the [Buttigieg] campaign, it was clear to me, or at least I thought I made it clear to them, that I was a strong Bernie Sanders supporter—actually co-chair of the state, and I was not seeking to endorse their candidate or the plan. But what I had talked about was potentially giving them a quote of support in continuing the conversation, because I do think it’s a very important conversation.

And Johnnie Cordero:

“I never endorsed that plan. I don’t know how my name got on there. No, that’s not true: I know how my name got on there,” Cordero began, before explaining that Buttigieg had emailed him the plan and asked for feedback, which began a conversation with Buttigieg’s staff.

“I had some difficulties with it,” Cordero said. … “The long and the short of it was they never sufficiently answered my questions, so I never actually endorsed the plan.”

Buttigieg’s campaign, according to the Intercept’s Ryan Grim, said that rather than asking individuals directly to sign their names to the article, it merely gave those whom it considered to have endorsed the Douglass Plan the chance have their names removed :

He also used a stock photo of Kenyans to represent African-Americans who would be helped by his plan.

[Tami]

Pete Buttigieg has claimed that 400 influential African-Americans have endorsed his Douglass plan, which dealt with public health care, education, criminal justice reform, etc. The problem is that many of those listed as endorsing it didn't actually do so, and that about 40% of the signers are white.



He also used a stock photo of Kenyans to represent African-Americans who would be helped by his plan.

On @PeteButtigieg’s invitation to @JulianCastro to tour the black community in South Bend, Castro calls the invitation a “media stunt.”

Twitter Link

Mayor Pete has a problem with the Black Community and other Minorities. It was clear from the moment the problem cropped up in his City. He may take Iowa, but I doubt he'll do well in States with larger Black Communities.

[Tami]

Katie Hopkins forced to sell £1m home and now rents after humiliating libel case

Katie Hopkins was forced to sell off her £1million Devon home and now rents after a humiliating court case wiped out her finances.

The far-right activist, whose extreme and distasteful views saw her sacked from two lucrative newspaper columns and her LBC radio show, had to flog her family home to pay off a £500,000 legal bill after the writer Jack Monroe sued her for libel and won.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, racist Hopkins whinged that speaking her mind lost her her career - having compared migrants crossing the Mediterranean in dinghies to "cockroaches" and claiming she'd use gunships to prevent people from landing on European shores.

While she didn't apologise for the circumstances leading up to the 2017 legal case - she'd falsely accused anti-poverty campaigner Jack Monroe of vandalising a war memorial - Hopkins did express regret that she hadn't acted sooner to settle the case out of court.

And she claimed she learned nothing from being on The Apprentice in 2007, adding: "I 100% did not. However, I did learn that at the start of a recruitment process it's best to keep your mouth shut, listen and learn where you fit in - and only then have your say."

Hopkins found herself under fire in September when Little Mix's Jesy Nelson cited her fat-shaming tweet as the point at which her depression spiralled out of control, leading to a suicide attempt.

In the BBC documentary Odd One Out, Jesy recalled how she came off stage after an X Factor performance in 2013 to read a tweet from Hopkins that read: "Packet Mix have still got a chubber in their ranks. Less Little Mix. More Pick n Mix."

Jesy revealed she'd not eaten for a week before her X Factor return in 2013 and was horrified when she saw what Hopkins said after the performance.

The Little Mix star said: "All I remember feeling at that time is what’s the f**king point.

"I've starved myself for a week and I'm still getting called fat. I could be the skinniest girl in the world and this is never going to go away.

[Dalak]

Is something wrong with Trump?

Trump's visit to Walter Reed 'not protocol' for routine visit, source says

Typically, Walter Reed's medical staff would get a general notice about a "VIP" visit to the medical center ahead of a presidential visit, notifying them of certain closures at the facility. That did not happen this time, indicating the visit was a non-routine visit and scheduled last minute.
The source said it was possible a small group of doctors involved in Trump's medical exams were notified before Trump arrived at Walter Reed, but said all medical staff at Walter Reed would typically be aware if the President was arriving for a routine medical exam.

His two previous physical exams in office were announced ahead of time by the White House and noted on his daily public schedule, but a source with knowledge of the matter told CNN Saturday that the President's unannounced trip to the medical center was not even on the President's internal schedule as of Saturday morning.

-----

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, in response to a CNN request for comment on Sunday, said: "We're not going to get into security and movement protocols when it comes to the President, but as my statements said he's in good health and it was a routine checkup as part of his annual physical. I've given plenty of on the record statements that were truthful and accurate -- actively trying to find and report conspiracy theories really needs to stop."
Grisham on Saturday said Trump decided to get parts of his physical done early because he had a "free weekend" in Washington, but did not responded to questions about why Trump did not get his full physical exam -- which typically takes 4 hours -- done this weekend. Grisham also denied the President had any health issue.

Trump, Grisham said Saturday, underwent a "quick exam and labs." Several experts familiar with White House medical procedures said that Trump can get routine labwork done at the White House's on-site clinic, indicating Trump needed tests that can't be done there.

[Tami]

Is something wrong with Trump?

Trump's visit to Walter Reed 'not protocol' for routine visit, source says

Lets' face it, he's got the physique of a bag of mashed potatoes, the stamina of a wilted cornstalk just before winter, and the eating habits of the Hamburglar. He also has the stress tolerance of plastic wrap over pasta sauce in a microwave oven. Which also describes his current situation.

Bottom line, I'm amazed he hasn't collapsed long before, not that I want him to.

[Mister Mets]

Is something wrong with Trump?

Trump's visit to Walter Reed 'not protocol' for routine visit, source says

It is pretty suspicious, especially with the irregularly scheduled "annual physical" excuse.

There's some hope that this is paving the way for a health-based resignation, or setting up that excuse. I don't think we'll be that lucky.

[Kusanagi]

It is pretty suspicious, especially with the irregularly scheduled "annual physical" excuse.

There's some hope that this is paving the way for a health-based resignation, or setting up that excuse. I don't think we'll be that lucky.

Yeah, I could see a lot of Republicans quietly hoping for a health based resignation, as they could still say they backed him till the end, while at the same time getting him out of their hair. However I can't ever see Trump resigning of his own free will, the man is incapable of admitting to any type of failing or weakness on his part.