All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[Iron Maiden]

the tragedy for those communities struck by the tornadoes illustrates the grave moral soundness of the Build Back Better Act and the recently passed American Infrastructure Act. I've written to Chuck Schumer that he should fast track voting on the Build Back Better bill as well as the Voting Rights Act before the end of the year. Force a carve-around of the filibuster. It's way beyond time to act with a sense of urgency. Those tornadoes could have touched down anywhere. Those communities in particular need immediate help literally rebuilding, all the things that are in the infrastructure bill. The BBB Act will address the human services side of the equation. This is serious. If the Dems are serious about regaining some momentum for 2022, then passing legislation that helps out all Americans (including "red staters"), and then hopefully never shutting up about the party who passed this, that's highly important.

That's the thing though. I'd bet most of those hit hard in Kentucky for example still worship Trump. If this administration rebuilt their towns before 2024 in record time, they'd still vote for Trump because they are that brainwashed, or brain dead.

[JCAll]

When I was in high school I had a great friend Tony. We stayed in touch for many years after I quit school and we still talk a couple times a year. We drifted apart as people do in life. He had an older brother Phil. Phil always treated me as family. In Phil's house he had what he called his Pine Room. it was a room with Pine Panel walls and it was where the 3 of us would go to relax and their father often joined us. We would listen to music sip some drinks even though Tony and I were not 21 and just talk and enjoy the night. Sadly I found out about an hour ago that Phil had been killed in the Tornados that hit Kentucky. It is very upsetting.

I spent the last few days upset that my home state had suffered such a tragedy. Not I am more then upset. I have known him for 24 years, I have been a guest in his home and was there for the birth of his two daughters, and even though we didnt talk as often as we used to I very much feel his loss.

I'm sorry to hear that. Disasters like this are a horrible tragedy.

[CaptainEurope]

Rep. Cheney hints at where this is going: federal criminal charges for President Trump.

"Did Donald Trump, through action or inaction, corruptly seek to obstruct or impede Congress’s proceedings?"

Um, she's reading 18 U.S.C. 1505

https://twitter.com/Jose_Pagliery/st...509334021?s=20

He has not gotten away with it yet.

[Tendrin]

https://twitter.com/Jose_Pagliery/st...509334021?s=20

He has not gotten away with it yet.

I'll believe it when I see it.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

When I was in high school I had a great friend Tony. We stayed in touch for many years after I quit school and we still talk a couple times a year. We drifted apart as people do in life. He had an older brother Phil. Phil always treated me as family. In Phil's house he had what he called his Pine Room. it was a room with Pine Panel walls and it was where the 3 of us would go to relax and their father often joined us. We would listen to music sip some drinks even though Tony and I were not 21 and just talk and enjoy the night. Sadly I found out about an hour ago that Phil had been killed in the Tornados that hit Kentucky. It is very upsetting.

I spent the last few days upset that my home state had suffered such a tragedy. Not I am more then upset. I have known him for 24 years, I have been a guest in his home and was there for the birth of his two daughters, and even though we didnt talk as often as we used to I very much feel his loss.

Sorry to hear about that, bb.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Fox News Hosts, Don Jr. Texted En Masse To Get Trump To Do Something Amid Capitol Riot

Fox News hosts, Republican lawmakers and Donald Trump’s oldest son all texted the former president’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, as the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was unfolding, pleading for the then-president to do something and stop the destruction unfolding in the halls of Congress, according to text messages read during a meeting of the House select committee investigating the attack on Monday.

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), a co-chair of the House panel, read aloud a series of text messages between some of Trump’s most vocal supporters and Meadows during a unanimous, 9-0, vote to recommend that the former Trump aide be held in contempt of Congress for his refusal to testify before lawmakers.

“Can he make a statement? Ask people to leave the Capitol?” Fox News’ Sean Hannity texted to Meadows during the riot, seeking action from Trump.

“Mark, the president needs to tell people in the Capitol to go home,” Fox News host Laura Ingraham texted.

“Please get him on TV,” the network’s Brian Kilmeade wrote. “Destroying everything you have accomplished.”

“He’s got to condemn this shit ASAP. The Capitol Police tweet is not enough,” Trump Jr., texted.

Trump, however, did not respond to the pleas, an absence of action that Cheney called his “supreme dereliction of duty.”

I saw a report about the messages on the local TV news this morning, so I'm sure this story has gone nationwide by now.

[Tami]

AT least one country knows how to hold government officials accountable.

Former Immigration Minister in Denmark Sentenced to Prison for Separating Couples

A Danish court of impeachment sentenced a former immigration minister known for her hard line stance against migrants to 60 days in prison, after she was found guilty of illegally ordering the separation of underage couples seeking asylum.

Judges presiding over the rare impeachment trial — the first in Denmark in 26 years — found that the former minister, Inger Stojberg, had intentionally neglected her ministerial duties by ordering the separation of the couples in 2016, the verdict said.

Ms. Stojberg, 48, promoted harsh migration policies for Denmark that were held up as examples by populist leaders and right-wing parties advocating tougher measures in many European countries.

A Danish court of impeachment sentenced a former immigration minister known for her hard line stance against migrants to 60 days in prison, after she was found guilty of illegally ordering the separation of underage couples seeking asylum.

Judges presiding over the rare impeachment trial — the first in Denmark in 26 years — found that the former minister, Inger Stojberg, had intentionally neglected her ministerial duties by ordering the separation of the couples in 2016, the verdict said.

Ms. Stojberg, 48, promoted harsh migration policies for Denmark that were held up as examples by populist leaders and right-wing parties advocating tougher measures in many European countries.

At the center of the trial was a statement Ms. Stojberg issued in 2016, after extensive coverage in the Danish media about so-called “child brides” at asylum centers, that the Danish Immigration Service was going to separate asylum-seekers in marriages where one person was underage, even if they had children. Some 23 couples, many of whom had fled to Denmark to escape wars in Syria and Iraq, were subsequently separated by immigration officials.

“They have to be separated,” she said at the time to the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, “because I will not accept that in my system there could be examples of coercion.”

One of the couples affected — a 17-year-old pregnant woman and a 26-year-old man — filed a complaint with the ombudsman of the Danish Parliament, who ruled that the separations were illegal.

[Tami]

Russia blocks U.N. move to treat climate change as a global security threat

Russia has vetoed the passage of a United Nations Security Council resolution that for the first time would have treated climate change as a threat to peace, even as many Western powers increasingly take climate risk into account as part of their security strategies.

The resolution, co-sponsored by Ireland and Niger, would have required the top U.N. body to consider climate change as a possible cause of conflicts, and to look for ways to address the risks and head off potential clashes.

Twelve of the Security Council’s 15 members voted in favor of the resolution Monday. India voted against it, alongside Russia, while China abstained. Russia is one of the council’s five veto-wielding permanent members with the power to block resolutions.

Moscow generally opposes any expansion of the Security Council’s agenda, experts say, and has regularly used its veto to block Western powers from intervening in conflicts, including in Syria. It argued that the resolution, if adopted, would politicize a “scientific and economic issue.”

[babyblob]

Fox News Hosts, Don Jr. Texted En Masse To Get Trump To Do Something Amid Capitol Riot



I saw a report about the messages on the local TV news this morning, so I'm sure this story has gone nationwide by now.

I have been seeing this story all over today. I laugh at the ones who texted mark upset at what is going on when pretty much everyone on that list has since the 6th been kissing Trumps ass, bashed the 6th Commission, have stated those arrested should be released and are in jail as part of the liberal agenda and nothing more etc... They are falling all over themselves forgiving Trump and his actions and those who took part in the 6th. So where is the out rage from them now? Oh it would hurt their ratings so they seem to have forgotten how upset they were. Screw them!

[Tami]

The network of election lawyers who are making it harder for Americans to vote

A powerful network of conservative election lawyers and groups with links to Donald Trump have spent millions of dollars promoting new and onerous voting laws that many key battleground states such as Georgia and Texas have enacted.

The moves have prompted election and voting rights watchdogs in America to warn about the suppression of non-white voters aimed at providing Republicans an edge in coming elections.

The lawyers and groups spearheading self-professed election integrity measures include some figures who pushed Trump’s baseless claims of fraud after the 2020 election. Key advocates include Cleta Mitchell with the Conservative Partnership institute; J Christian Adams of the Public Interest Legal Foundation; Hans von Spakovsky of the Heritage Foundation; Jason Snead of the Honest Elections Project; and J Kenneth Blackwell with the America First Policy institute.

These conservative outfits tout their goal as curbing significant voter fraud, despite the fact that numerous courts, the vast majority of voting experts and even former top Trump officials, such as ex-attorney general Bill Barr, concluded the 2020 elections were without serious problems.

Watchdogs say that tightening state voting laws endanger the rights of Black voters and other communities of color who historically back Democrats by creating new rules limiting absentee voting and same day registration, while imposing other voting curbs.

Among the election lawyers and groups advocating tougher voting laws, Mitchell, a veteran conservative lawyer , boasts the highest profile and has sparked the most scrutiny. She took part in the 2 January call where Trump prodded Georgia’s secretary of state Brad Raffensperger to “find” about 11,780 votes to overturn Joe Biden’s victory there. After details emerged about Mitchell’s role on the call, Foley & Lardner, where she had worked for nearly 20 years, mounted an internal review, and she resigned.

[Tami]

I have been seeing this story all over today. I laugh at the ones who texted mark upset at what is going on when pretty much everyone on that list has since the 6th been kissing Trumps ass, bashed the 6th Commission, have stated those arrested should be released and are in jail as part of the liberal agenda and nothing more etc... They are falling all over themselves forgiving Trump and his actions and those who took part in the 6th. So where is the out rage from them now? Oh it would hurt their ratings so they seem to have forgotten how upset they were. Screw them!

They were/are like passengers in a car being driven at 120+ MPH, holding on for dear life and screaming 'you're going too fast!'....then when the car finally stops and they realize that they have survived, they breath a sigh of relief, smile, and say, 'Let's do that again'.

[Username taken]

Fox News Hosts, Don Jr. Texted En Masse To Get Trump To Do Something Amid Capitol Riot



I saw a report about the messages on the local TV news this morning, so I'm sure this story has gone nationwide by now.

The whole thing is pretty crazy and comes back to a point I made months ago, these talking heads and loud mouth conservatives aren't serious people.

They literally say one thing and completely do the opposite because of appearances.

They actually know what they are saying and what they stand for isn't right, true, or correct but they just go along with it to "own the libs". It's pathetic.

[Xheight]

AT least one country knows how to hold government officials accountable.

Former Immigration Minister in Denmark Sentenced to Prison for Separating Couples

Account to political revenge you mean - Harsh migration policies are indeed the deterrent that is a political choice not some objective rule or crime. Impeachment as a political weapon - how very familiar.

Since the 2019 election that brought the Social Democrats to power, immigration has become a less pressing issue in Danish politics.

The Court of Impeachment, which adjudicates cases in which government ministers are accused of unlawful misconduct and misuse of office, was last used in 1995. That year, former Justice Minister Erik Ninn-Hansen was given a suspended four-month sentence for having prevented Sri Lankan refugees from bringing their families to Denmark.

The court consists of 15 Supreme Court judges and 15 members appointed by parliament. Since it was created in 1849, the court has considered five cases and Stoejberg’s case is the third to result in a guilty verdict.

[JB]

Biden Won’t Extend Student Loan Relief And Confirms Student Loan Payments Restart February 1
https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfri...h=5d4ea12f290c

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed to reporters during a press briefing that the Biden administration won’t extend student loan relief — and the student loan payment pause will end January 31, 2022. Here are some highlights from her comments:

“In the coming weeks, we will release more details about our plans”
“We will engage directly with federal student loan borrowers to ensure they have the resources they need and are in the appropriate repayment plan.”
“We are still assessing the impact of the Omicron variant.”
“A smooth transition back into repayment is a high priority for the administration.”
“The Department of Education is already communicating with borrowers to help them to help to prepare for return to repayment on February 1.”
“41 million borrowers have benefitted from the extended student loan payment pause, but it expires February 1, so right now we’re just making a range of preparations.”

While I agree that payments should start up again, I'm not sure if this is the best time with most things still unknown about the variant and some areas reimposing restrictions.

[Xheight]

I have been seeing this story all over today. I laugh at the ones who texted mark upset at what is going on when pretty much everyone on that list has since the 6th been kissing Trumps ass, bashed the 6th Commission, have stated those arrested should be released and are in jail as part of the liberal agenda and nothing more etc... They are falling all over themselves forgiving Trump and his actions and those who took part in the 6th. So where is the out rage from them now? Oh it would hurt their ratings so they seem to have forgotten how upset they were. Screw them!

There is nothing to forgive in the actions on Jan. 6th were perhaps shocking but no less important to Stop the process which was in no way illegal in itself and precedented before in US History. Compared to the enormity of the a rigged election handing things back to state electors was always going to be shocking.