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

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Some Santa Fe shooting victims may have been caught in crossfire

Police responding to shots fired inside Santa Fe High School got locked into a 25-minute gun battle with the gunman, and some of the 10 people killed may have been caught in the crossfire, a Texas sheriff said Monday.

The possibility that some of the eight students and two teachers slain were felled by friendly fire came on the heels of a reported confession by Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, which was contained in a probable-cause affidavit, that he spared students he liked "so he could have his story told."

Addressing reporters, Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset said that as far as he could tell none of the victims were killed by law enforcement officers, but that he won't know for sure until the autopsies are completed.

"There were minimal shots fired, at least from us, from law enforcement," the sheriff said. "But the individual was still trying to shoot us."

[PaulBullion]

One of my favorite things is people who feel compelled to comment on Bruce Springsteen's FB page about how they were fans for 30 or 40 or however long years, but can now never listen to another note.

I know Bruce's lyrics aren't always as cut and dry as Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red White and Blue", but nothing has changed in the past few decades regarding The Boss.

Didn't he explicitly tell Reagan not to use Born in the USA and pointed out how badly they missed the point of that song?

[Tendrin]

A Republican candidate for Congress in Florida has walked back an earlier assertion that Puerto Rican hurricane evacuees should not be allowed to register to vote in the mainland United States.

As reported by Politico on Tuesday, Republican congressional candidate John Ward made the remark last week in response to a voter who asked about Puerto Ricans who have moved “either temporarily or permanently” to Florida: “How do you respond to them when they say that they need more help and that the aid to Puerto Rico is not enough?”

Oh WBE-EEEEEE.

[ZombieHavoc]

Didn't he explicitly tell Reagan not to use Born in the USA and pointed out how badly they missed the point of that song?

Yep. At that time, I guess one could be semi forgiven for missing the point, what with the bombastic and very patriotic sounding chorus. He shoulda immediately released the original acoustic version as a single in response. It's much angrier, the chorus sounds much more cynical and the point is not lost anywhere.

[Malvolio]

Welcome aboard the 'No, actually, Bill Maher is bad' wagon. xD

Nope. I don't think Bill Maher's bad. I just don't agree with him 100% of the time. I still laugh at a lot of his jokes and I get that as an atheist, he believes that all religions lead to bad things sooner or later. So when Maher says something about Muslim terrorists or their apologists, he's not saying it because he hates Muslims. He's saying it because he hates anyone who uses their religion as an excuse for violence.

[Tendrin]

Nope. I don't think Bill Maher's bad. I just don't agree with him 100% of the time. I still laugh at a lot of his jokes and I get that as an atheist, he believes that all religions lead to bad things sooner or later. So when Maher says something about Muslim terrorists or their apologists, he's not saying it because he hates Muslims. He's saying it because he hates anyone who uses their religion as an excuse for violence.

He can be funny, sure. He's also abjectly islamaphobic and invites and agrees with islamaphobes on his show. He has a history of bigoted comments that go beyond his 'actuallly, religion sux lol' stuff. I have little patience for Islamaphobia these days.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

The constitutional crisis is here

by Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post

Stop waiting for the constitutional crisis that President Trump is sure to provoke. It’s here.

On Sunday, via Twitter, Trump demanded that the Justice Department concoct a transparently political investigation, with the aim of smearing veteran professionals at Justice and the FBI and also throwing mud at the previous administration. Trump’s only rational goal is casting doubt on the probe by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, which appears to be closing in.

Trump’s power play is a gross misuse of his presidential authority and a dangerous departure from long-standing norms. Strongmen such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin use their justice systems to punish enemies and deflect attention from their own crimes. Presidents of the United States do not — or did not, until Sunday’s tweet:

“I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes — and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!”

Rather than push back and defend the rule of law, Justice tried to mollify the president by at least appearing to give him what he wants. The Republican leadership in Congress has been silent as a mouse. This is how uncrossable lines are crossed.

The Justice Department answered Trump’s tweeted demand by announcing that an existing investigation by its inspector general will now “include determining whether there was any impropriety or political motivation” by the FBI. Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein may hope that is enough to avoid a showdown. I fear he is wrong.

None of this is normal or acceptable. One of the bedrock principles of our system of government is that no one is above the law, not even the president. But a gutless Congress has refused, so far, to protect this sacred inheritance.

Trump is determined to use the Justice Department and the FBI to punish those he sees as political enemies. This is a crisis, and it will get worse.

[ZombieHavoc]

I don't know about you folks, but I'm throwing all my money and assets into the new WH Trump/NK commemorative coins. I assume they will soon be the only viable currency.

Sheeple.

[Tami]

I don't know about you folks, but I'm throwing all my money and assets into the new WH Trump/NK commemorative coins. I assume they will soon be the only viable currency.

Sheeple.

I hear you'll soon be able to get them real cheep on ebay, especially if the summit doesn't happen.

[ZombieHavoc]

I hear you'll soon be able to get them real cheep on ebay, especially if the summit doesn't happen.

Then we better buy them up, and we can then turn them into profit in 50 years when the Church of MAGA revises the history archives to show that the summit did in fact happen, no matter what the ancient texts decree.

[Michael Watkins]

I'm done with Bill Maher and his shitty show. Bari Weiss is always nasty so she and Bill can go both bite a big one...


[video=youtube;JjIT6GuLDU8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjIT6GuLDU8[/]

I'm not done with him. But he's been a real [expletive] on this particular subject.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

A bit of good news to share:

A white woman called police on black people barbecuing. This is how the community responded

Hundreds danced to hip-hop and '80s soul music Sunday and listened to local African-American candidates make their pitches. But this cookout in Oakland, California, wasn't just any spring festival.

The event, dubbed "BBQing While Black," was one community's powerful response to what many perceived as yet another example of everyday racism.

It all started on April 29, when a white woman reportedly called police on a few black people who, she said, were using a charcoal grill in an area where it was banned, according to CNN affiliate KRON. Oakland police arrived; no one was arrested. But the 25-minute episode was captured on video, then posted to YouTube and viewed more than 2 million times.

[kidfresh512]

Pruitt bars AP, CNN from EPA summit on contaminants, guards push reporter out of building

I am sure it was just a coincidence and there wasn't room....

[ed2962]

One of my favorite things is people who feel compelled to comment on Bruce Springsteen's FB page about how they were fans for 30 or 40 or however long years, but can now never listen to another note.

I know Bruce's lyrics aren't always as cut and dry as Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red White and Blue", but nothing has changed in the past few decades regarding The Boss.

What is it this time? Last time I remember it was over "41 Bullets"...

[ed2962]

Nope. I don't think Bill Maher's bad. I just don't agree with him 100% of the time. I still laugh at a lot of his jokes and I get that as an atheist, he believes that all religions lead to bad things sooner or later. So when Maher says something about Muslim terrorists or their apologists, he's not saying it because he hates Muslims. He's saying it because he hates anyone who uses their religion as an excuse for violence.

He doesn't like religion in general but he singles out Muslims...