All-purpose news and politics thread: Two Steps Beyond!

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Congress Is ‘Too Scared’ of the AMA to Really Attack Opioids

As the opioid epidemic ravages the country, lawmakers pushing for reforms to how the drugs are prescribed have encountered a series of roadblocks from a surprising source: the lobby for physicians.

Advocates for further restrictions and physician education on the highly addictive drugs say the American Medical Association has actively lobbied against the inclusion of several recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and that many members of Congress are unwilling to go up against the powerful lobby.

Several of the CDC guidelines were included in a bill called Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act 2.0, introduced by Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) in February, an update to the Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act that was signed into law in 2016.

Portman’s office confirmed that lobbyists from the group have told the Ohio senator’s staff they would not support provisions in the CARA 2.0 about the three-day rule or any mandatory physician education included in the bill.

The AMA opposition to proposals like limiting prescriptions of the highly addictive drugs to three-day supplies, mandating that physicians have courses about drugs and addiction, or even requiring physicians to check databases before prescribing certain drugs has confused and infuriated advocates.

During a meeting of advocates to curb opioid abuse last week, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) summed up the lack of progress on certain proposals, telling the group that some of his colleagues were “too scared to take on the AMA.”

The AMA was the seventh highest lobbying spender in 2017, with $21.5 million spent. Nearly $6.8 million has been spent in 2018 so far, according to OpenSecrets.com. It gave nearly $2 million to members of Congress in 2016 and has given $519,500 so far this election cycle.

[Tami]

ABC’s Roseanne Barr lobs stunningly racist insult at Obama adviser in unhinged Twitter rampage

Valerie Jarrett served as Senior White House Advisor for the full eight years President Barack Obama led the nation. She was also the assistant to the president for public engagement and intergovernmental affairs, and a co-chair of the Obama–Biden Transition Project. Before serving in the Obama White House, Jarrett was a CEO, the chairwoman of the Chicago Stock Exchange, the chairwoman of the board of the University of Chicago Medical Center, and held other prestigious titles.

That’s not how Roseanne Barr, the star of ABC TV’s regurgitated “Roseanne,” described Jarrett early Tuesday morning.

Responding to a tweet about Jarrett, Barr decided a racist attack was in order.

She called her the offspring of the “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes.”

[Tendrin]

Interresting.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog...-amazing-story

Bruce Carter was a diehard Bernie supporter and a self-started adjunct of the Sanders campaign with a “Black Men for Bernie” campaign bus making the rounds and the case for Sanders. But the intensity and bitterness of the Democratic primary race followed by the revelations of the DNC/Wikileaks emails drove his enthusiasm for Bernie into a burning enmity toward Hillary Clinton. Enter Dustin Stockton, a Breitbart reporter who struck up a running conversation and courtship which eventually led to Carter rebranding as a pro-Trump advocate in August 2016. He hit key concentrations of African-American voters in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Florida telling African-Americans either to vote for Trump or not vote at all. How would Carter get the money? Stockton (and Bannon in the background) had well-heeled Trump supporters writing big checks.

Then there were social media specialists with intelligence backgrounds to help (“military-grade influencer marketing and intelligence services”). They were introduced by Mike Flynn.
This passage gives some sense of the weirdness …

[Malvolio]

Disgusting. I'd love to see how those heartless fuckwads would act if they stared down a gun barrel and lived to tell the tale. They'd be traumatized as hell.

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Veterans Group Blasts Trump’s Memorial Day Remark As ‘Most Inappropriate’ Ever

VoteVets calls it “appalling” to offer happy greetings and self-promotion on a day meant to honor the fallen. The problem is, Trump either didn't understand how inappropriate his comments were, or didn't care. My money's on the latter.

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Florida Cop In Trouble After Wishing Car Accident On Gun Violence Protest

The officer lashed out during a “die-in” at Publix organized by Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg. That shitstain cop needs to be seriously reprimanded. God only knows if he might give a deranged mind a bad idea.

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Republicans Who Thought North Korea Summit Would Save Election Now Rebooting

Just the prospect of a peace deal appeared to boost Trump’s poll numbers. So what would a collapsed deal do? And there's still no mortal lock guarantee the meeting will still happen.

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Republican Congressman On Retiring Early: All I Do Is Answer Questions About Trump

“No matter what I say or do, I feel all I do is answer questions about Donald Trump rather than health insurance or tax policy.” Oh, WAHHHHHHHHH! That's what you get for having Orange Foolius as president. Don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out.

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Crowd At Yankee Stadium Greets Rudy Giuliani With ‘Thunderous Boos’

More like boo-liani, amirite? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Two thumbs WAY up to Yankees fans!

Giuliani probably thought Yankee Stadium was his safe-space. After all, the Yankees do have a history as one of the more conservative teams in MLB. I'm a long-time Yankee fan, but I can admit that they were the next-to-last team to integrate, they still employ George Steinbrenner's no beards rule for players, and they've been known as the corporate team ever since they bought Babe Ruth's contract from the Red Sox. And in the 1990s, Yankee fans loved Giuliani. But as New Yorkers, we've always known what a con artist Donald Trump is, and we'll give a good ole Bronx cheer to anyone who defends him.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

ABC’s Roseanne Barr lobs stunningly racist insult at Obama adviser in unhinged Twitter rampage

You gotta wonder how long ABC will continue putting up with that harridan before they decide enough is enough and give her the boot. I know Roseanne's rebooted show is getting good ratings and all, but the Mouse can't be liking the PR hit with crap like this. One wonders what the final straw would be that will force Disney to sever ties with Barr, ratings be damned.

[Dalak]

You gotta wonder how long ABC will continue putting up with that harridan before they decide enough is enough and give her the boot. I know Roseanne's rebooted show is getting good ratings and all, but the Mouse can't be liking the PR hit with crap like this. One wonders what the final straw would be that will force Disney to sever ties with Barr, ratings be damned.

Well she's losing Producers over it, but why Wanda Sykes would have been involved in the first place is a mystery to me.

[Tami]

You gotta wonder how long ABC will continue putting up with that harridan before they decide enough is enough and give her the boot. I know Roseanne's rebooted show is getting good ratings and all, but the Mouse can't be liking the PR hit with crap like this. One wonders what the final straw would be that will force Disney to sever ties with Barr, ratings be damned.

Until it stops getting good ratings. Anyone who finds Barr disgusting, should not watch her show.

[Iron Maiden]

I'm surprised ABC hasn't made an announcement yet. No apology will repair this... she tweeted what is in her heart and her mind. No changing that. She should be fired immediately. If not, if the cast had any morals, they should walk off the show.

[Tami]

I'm surprised ABC hasn't made an announcement yet. No apology will repair this... she tweeted what is in her heart and her mind. No changing that. She should be fired immediately. If not, if the cast had any moral, they should walk off the show.

The only reference to a comment by ABC is something along the lines of 'Let Roseanne be Roseanne'. If that is their attitude, then I really don't watch ABC anymore anyway. When I do watch TV, it's usually either NBC or CBS.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

The only reference to a comment by ABC is something along the lines of 'Let Roseanne be Roseanne'. If that is their attitude, then I really don't watch ABC anymore anyway. When I do watch TV, it's usually either NBC or CBS.

Clearly ABC is turning a blind eye to Barr's antics as long as the ratings on her show are good and the money flows into ABC's coffers. The only way Disney will get the hint that Roseanne is bad for business is when sponsors bail on the show, if she keeps being an assclown, advertiser boycotts will soon follow, and THAT'S when the Mouse will take action.

[Jackmando7]

I'm surprised ABC hasn't made an announcement yet. No apology will repair this... she tweeted what is in her heart and her mind. No changing that. She should be fired immediately. If not, if the cast had any moral, they should walk off the show.

Maybe I am over reacting due to the fact that she has made me absolutely furious on a few occasions, but...

Do you think she should be allowed to continue to work in the entertainment industry without a serious attitude adjustment? With the B.S. her and her stupid show promote, I can't imagine many people feel she deserved to be stuck in front of a camera.

[BaneBreaker]

http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/rose...bc-1202824211/

Roseanne has been cancelled

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

She’ll just end up being a martyr for the Trump brigade anyways. Then she’ll take it to a streaming service or something. In this culture it’s a shit show either way. If ABC drops her then that whole side threatens to boycot. If they keep her then other side threatens to boycott.

Edit: spoke to soon. Now looking forward to the overreaction on the right. Popcorn ready

[Tami]

http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/rose...bc-1202824211/

Roseanne has been cancelled

Maybe Trump TV will pick it up. Glad that ABC came to it's corporate senses.

[Dalak]

http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/rose...bc-1202824211/

Roseanne has been cancelled

Oo'delally! That was quicker than expected.