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

[Carabas]

Welp... it was only a matter of time before the Alabama GOP pulled some shit like this.

I sure do love living in a state where the shitbag GOPers try and silence the voice of brown folks when they don't get their way. -_________________________-

What exactly is the difference between a special election and a regular one?

[numberthirty]

What exactly is the difference between a special election and a regular one?

In that most recent instance, the person they were running to replace would not see their term end until a couple of years from now.

The "Special" is sort of that it is happening specifically for that one spot(in this case, the balance of Sessions' term) as opposed to just being a regular old election day where lots of offices would be decided. So, the "Special" is mostly that you aren't really running for a "Term Ended/New Term General" office. It's been left vacant by something out of the ordinary.

[numberthirty]

That said, the person who was governor initially set the race for what would be "Regular" election day this year(I believe). His replacement rescheduled the race for late last year.

[numberthirty]

While it seems unclear if the jobs lost will be here in the States...

http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/23/news...uts/index.html

The maker of Huggies and Kleenex is cutting thousands of jobs

[Tami]

What exactly is the difference between a special election and a regular one?

To add to what #30 said, when an office holder [for example a Congresssman] leaves their position early for whatever reason, most States have 3 options.

1. Hold a special election - gives the citizens a chance to choose for themselves who will take over for the politician who left early. The Roy Moore/Doug Jones election is an example of this.

2. Chosen by a higher level elected official - for Senators and Representatives, sometimes Governors choose someone to take over the seat until the time of the next scheduled election. An example of this is what happened when Al Franken was pushed out of office, his governor selected the Lt. Governor to take over in his stead. This kind of thing happens also on local/city levels with Mayors choosing people to fill in when a member of the Council leaves unexpectedly.

3. Leave the seat empty - rarely happens, usually only when the next scheduled election is coming up soon anyway. But it can and does happen on occasion.

A person either chosen through special election or by someone like a governor often usually serves only a small part of the normal term, usually a year or so, though they have the option of running in the next elelction to hold onto the seat.

[Tami]

US military fails to tackle sexual abuse of children by Afghan allies, report finds

The US military showed little interest for years in tackling widespread sexual abuse of children by Afghan security forces it still funds and trains, according to a newly declassified report by a US government watchdog.

The exact scale of the problem remains unclear due to a lack of guidance on how to respond to suspected cases, a lack of training on how to report them, and in some cases reluctance to do so for fear of reprisals, said the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction (Sigar) in the report.

“The full extent of child sexual assault committed by Afghan security forces may never be known,” the report from Sigar said.

But two-thirds of the individuals and organisations interviewed for the recently declassified report said they were aware of “child sexual assault incidents or related exploitation by Afghan security forces”, the watchdog said.

The investigation was requested by 93 members of Congress, after an article in the New York Times warned that child sex assault was “rampant” among Afghan forces.

[Tami]

Trump-Russia investigation The key questions answered

Bigger than Watergate? Or a transparent sham? Whatever else it may be, the story of Donald Trump and Russia comes down to this: a sitting president or his campaign is suspected of having coordinated with a foreign country behind the scenes of the election that put him in office.

Trump strongly denies all wrongdoing and calls the inquiry a “witch-hunt”. But prosecutors see red flags everywhere.

The affair has the potential to eject Trump from the White House. But with the president protected by Republicans in Congress and impeachment a longshot historically, Trump’s fate probably lies in the ballot box.

[Tami]

At Davos, Will Trump Miss His Chance to Repair America's Image?

President Donald Trump will attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week. In a typical administration, the National Security Council (NSC) staff would prepare a “scene-setter” memo to help the president prepare and know what to expect before such a trip. But it’s unclear whether such a memo exists in this case or, even if it does, if the president will read it.

It is crucial that Trump understands the lay of the land before Davos. In that vein, I offer some scene-setter advice for the president and his staff to succeed on his trip abroad.

First and foremost, the U.S. needs to repair its global image. The forum will include 3,000 participants, six G-7 leaders, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several of Trump’s G-20 peers, as well as attendees from countless other countries that the president has addressed—as “shitholes” or otherwise—over the last year. Gallup recently reported that Trump’s approval rating—at 30 percent across 134 countries surveyed—falls below that of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. And the World Economic Forum’s own Global Risks Report noted that “charismatic strongman politics is on the rise across the world,” specifically citing the “America First” platform alongside “deepening polarization” which “has, among other things, weakened democratic debate.”

How much do you want to bet that Trump will only make things worse, and make America look worse than it already does?

[TheInvisibleMan]

US military fails to tackle sexual abuse of children by Afghan allies, report finds

the military is always behind the ball on sexual assault and harassment, because it is so pervasive

I was assaulted, and then told a week later I could transfer or be discharged, and that was the only choice I was given

mainly because our command had just gotten clear of a sex scandal in which an officer was running a prostitution ring

[WestPhillyPunisher]

At Davos, Will Trump Miss His Chance to Repair America's Image?




How much do you want to bet that Trump will only make things worse, and make America look worse than it already does?

I won't take that bet as it's a mortal lock Dolt45 will say and/or do something stupid.

By the way, forgive me if I've missed a news cycle, but did Cheeto Jesus spare a moment or two to mention the mass shooting incident in Kentucky? Or was that tragedy beneath his notice because the shooter wasn't a Muslim?

[Gray Lensman]

I won't take that bet as it's a mortal lock Dolt45 will say and/or do something stupid.

By the way, forgive me if I've missed a news cycle, but did Cheeto Jesus spare a moment or two to mention the mass shooting incident in Kentucky? Or was that tragedy beneath his notice because the shooter wasn't a Muslim?

To quote Magneto and Professor X - "Why do you ask questions to which you already know the answers?"

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Days after the Deal Maker aka Donald Trump failed to reach a deal to try and prevent a shut down , Chuck Schumer has basically told him he won't get a wall now. In fact as people pointed out the senator told Trump he'd give him some funding for the wall in exchange for DACA. Reports are Trump made a terrible demand that he wanted all of the funding ($20+ billion) and the talks ended. Now he won't get fucking wall it appears .....DEAL MAKER folks.

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/3...ps-border-wall

[Iron Maiden]

I won't take that bet as it's a mortal lock Dolt45 will say and/or do something stupid.

By the way, forgive me if I've missed a news cycle, but did Cheeto Jesus spare a moment or two to mention the mass shooting incident in Kentucky? Or was that tragedy beneath his notice because the shooter wasn't a Muslim?

I doubt Fox News even mentions it so he may not even be informed about it.

[4saken1]

Trump-Russia investigation The key questions answered

Yep, I'm actively hoping they don't start the hearings until after February of next year. I see so many people pressuring Mueller to prosecute already. Do they not realize what a nonstarter that would be?

[JBatmanFan05]

Now he won't get fucking wall it appears .....DEAL MAKER folks.

Schumer's rescission is empty (probably like his offer was) because many won't get what they want without stronger border security offerings (physical and non-physical). And Schumer knows that now.

“A border wall is less important than E-Verify should be,” said Mark Krikorian, who runs the Center For Immigration Studies, a group that advocates for less immigration. But whatever the solution, he said, Trump is “going to go around saying it’s a wall — and some of it is going to have to be an actual concrete wall.”

If Democrats can accept that, it shouldn’t stand in the way of a deal, he said.

Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, said Tuesday that border security “must be on the table, we all agree on that. If there’s going to be more wall because all the experts say that’s what it takes to secure our border, we’re with it.”

Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota — who like Manchin faces a re-election campaign in a state Trump won handily — said she prefers the term “border security” to border wall and favors more money toward the concept.

Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat for whom an immigration overhaul is a signature issue, said Schumer pulling back the wall funding offer means “we’re going to start negotiations anew, with a clean slate.”

But border security and a physical barrier are still part of the mix.

“It’s part of the negotiation,” Durbin said. “We can bring all those issues up.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...gration-debate