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

[Malvolio]

https://thinkprogress.org/sanders-tr...-18814504b17d/

We called it, didn't we?

[Malvolio]

Alex Jones is demanding that the plaintiffs pay his legal fees as he tries to get the Sandy Hook lawsuit thrown out. Wotta good, compassionate, conservative Christian guy!!



And who here is surprised to learn that hate groups LOVE the idea of, and helped formulate, Sessions' new Religious Freedom SS?

Do you own a bakery, but don't want to bake a cake for a gay wedding because it violates your Christian beliefs? The Religious Liberty Task Force will protect you!

Do you work in a pharmacy, but your sincerely held Christian values won't let you fill out prescriptions for the morning-after pill? The Religious Liberty Task Force will protect you!

Are you a Sikh whose boss demands you remove your turban in the office? Sorry, you're on your own there. Call the ACLU!

[Tazirai]

Where the hell did Dukakis come from? He wants unity, but Connor Lamb style unity.

He had to shit on Ocasio-Cortez... lol. Morons.


Dukakis Warns Democrats Exaggerating Ocasio-Cortez Victory Is 'A Serious Mistake'

This weekend she linked up with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for a tour of the Midwest where the two campaigned for Democratic candidates.

But Dukakis is not convinced her brand of politics will work.

“The notion that somehow you can generalize from her victory that that’s got to be the Democratic strategy here I think is a serious mistake,” he told Braude.

Instead, Dukakis suggested Pennsylvania Congressman Conor Lamb as a better campaign model. He said the democrat, who won his own upset race earlier this year with a moderate message, was “a lot closer to what has to happen in most of the country.”

[Darkspellmaster]

Do you own a bakery, but don't want to bake a cake for a gay wedding because it violates your Christian beliefs? The Religious Liberty Task Force will protect you!

Do you work in a pharmacy, but your sincerely held Christian values won't let you fill out prescriptions for the morning-after pill? The Religious Liberty Task Force will protect you!

Are you a Sikh whose boss demands you remove your turban in the office? Sorry, you're on your own there. Call the ACLU!

This is not to mention the idea that Scientologist can use this against psychology to claim it's against their values to seek out medical attention for mental health issues, or even doctors for help in case of an emergency.

Or hell, some religious evangelicals probably would be using it to keep from going to the doctor for help in the first place. Like hey, you know that cancer, doctor saying that you have to take medicine that is against your beliefs, well the new RLTF will help you pray your illness away.

[Gray Lensman]

Where the hell did Dukakis come from? He wants unity, but Connor Lamb style unity.

He had to shit on Ocasio-Cortez... lol. Morons.


Dukakis Warns Democrats Exaggerating Ocasio-Cortez Victory Is 'A Serious Mistake'

Somehow, I don't think the guy who lost to the only 3rd continuous term for one party since Truman is someone to listen to when I want to win an election. Other than trying to dissect how he managed such a rare feat.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Detainee Attempts Suicide After Trump Administration Jams Migrants Into Troubled Prison

Staffers have long-warned that the Victorville federal complex was ill-equipped to handle the influx from ICE. And yet, nothing has changed. Reprehensible!

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That Trump Tweet Attacking Robert Mueller? Sorry, Republicans Haven’t Seen It.

Most GOP leaders would prefer to ignore the president’s diatribe on Jeff Sessions and the Russia investigation. That's because they're too damn cowardly to call out Trump for what he said.

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GOP Rejects Adding More Money To Beef Up Election Security

Republicans say states already have enough funds to do so. And besides, that would take away from money allocated for Farmer Welfare and Trump's military parade. Priorities, people! Priorities!

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Another Year, Another Warning The Earth Is Screwed

The planet bombed its “annual physical” with another year of record heat and rising seas. But the Trump Administration will tell everyone that climate change DOESN'T exist.

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CNN’s Jake Tapper Condemns Trump’s Treatment Of The Press After Tampa Rally

The CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent said the president is leading us “down a drain.” And things don't figures to get any better as Dolt45 continues his holy war against the media which has the nerve to NOT kiss his ass.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Mueller is looking at Trump’s tweets for obstruction of justice. And Trump just handed him more potential evidence.

Last week, the New York Times reported on how special counsel Robert S. Mueller III is looking at President Trump's tweets as potential evidence in an obstruction of justice case.

On Wednesday, Trump gave him more potential evidence.

In a tweetstorm, Trump called upon Attorney General Jeff Sessions to shut the whole Mueller probe down — the first time he has done that. It wasn't altogether surprising, given that his lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani has called for the investigation to be closed. But it was notable because it came directly from Trump this time, and his call focused on Sessions.

The attorney general has recused himself from the matter because of potential conflicts of interest, on grounds that he campaigned for Trump. So Trump is apparently calling for Sessions to un-recuse himself from a case in which he has acknowledged he cannot be seen as neutral, and then to end it.

In defending the tweet, Trump's lawyers told The Post that it wasn't an explicit command. “He carefully used the word, 'should,'" Giuliani noted. Trump's personal lawyer Jay Sekulow added: “The president has issued no order or direction to the Department of Justice on this.”

But that cleanup effort betrays the problematic nature of the tweet. And this is hardly the first time that Trump has broadcast a desire to change the course of the investigation. Whether any of those tweets rise to the level of obstruction of justice or may be used to build such a case, we don't know. But Trump has clearly played with fire — and is continuing to do so.

[kidfresh512]

Trump administration revokes Obama-era fuel economy standards

The White House announced Thursday that it is moving ahead on its much-anticipated plan to roll back the fuel economy mandate set by the Obama administration.

The previous guidelines, which were reached during Obama's first term, call for automakers to each reach a fleet average of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 — though with credits and other modifications, the actual figure is expected to wind up in the low to mid-40 mpg range. Thursday's announcement means the new standard is set at 37 mpg.

Acting Environmental Protection Agency chief Andrew Wheeler said the agency also intends to eliminate California’s authority to set its own automotive emissions rules — guidelines that have traditionally been tougher than those put in place by the EPA for the rest of the country.

“We are delivering on President Trump’s promise to the American public that his administration would address and fix the current fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards,” said Wheeler in a statement. “Our proposal aims to strike the right regulatory balance based on the most recent information and create a 50-state solution that will enable more Americans to afford newer, safer vehicles that pollute less.”

Recently departed EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt outlined the administration’s plans on Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, earlier this year, setting in motion a series of public hearings as well as a meeting between Trump and auto industry leaders to discuss a rollback.

Auto industry officials, notably including former Ford CEO Mark Fields, vocally supported a rollback during meetings with the then-new president in 2017. Facing heavy pressure from consumer lobbying groups, they have largely been silent about a cut in mileage targets in recent months, but there remains strong support in the industry to eliminate the California waiver.

“From the automakers' perspective, they’ll be happy not to deal with CARB,” (the California Air Resources Board that sets emissions targets), said Dave Sargent, the head of automotive research for J.D. Power and Associates. “What they want more than anything is one set of rules. Multiple sets of rules get expensive” to meet, as that can mean designing one model for states following the California rules and another model for the rest of the country.

I mean I get the Obama did it gotta roll it back mentality. But for a regular Trump voter why in the world would you want less gas mileage? No one is saying you have to buy a Tesla or anything. Ignore all the pollution aspects which gets tricky with climate change deniers etc.

Focus strictly on being a benefit to anyone's pocketbook by having more efficient cars out there. How is this a bad thing? I mean they will go to rallies and cheer this BS but why? How is this good for any of them personally?

[kidfresh512]

double post

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Trump administration revokes Obama-era fuel economy standards



I mean I get the Obama did it gotta roll it back mentality. But for a regular Trump voter why in the world would you want less gas mileage? No one is saying you have to buy a Tesla or anything. Ignore all the pollution aspects which gets tricky with climate change deniers etc.

Focus strictly on being a benefit to anyone's pocketbook by having more efficient cars out there. How is this a bad thing? I mean they will go to rallies and cheer this BS but why? How is this good for any of them personally?

Because Trump says it's good for them, and that's all the lemmings need to know. It's all part of the disturbing, hive mind mentality that keeps Trump's base fully intact and the GOP scared to death of challenging him out of fear of losing that support they need because his followers are unshakably loyal to Trump, NOT the party. Chances are his followers either don't know or don't care that they're potentially draining their own wallets, if their god emperor says Obama era fuel standards are bad, then they're onboard with hating them as well.

[Username taken]

Damn, these liberals, always arguing with facts (sarcasm)

[JCAll]

Trump administration revokes Obama-era fuel economy standards

I mean I get the Obama did it gotta roll it back mentality. But for a regular Trump voter why in the world would you want less gas mileage? No one is saying you have to buy a Tesla or anything. Ignore all the pollution aspects which gets tricky with climate change deniers etc.

Focus strictly on being a benefit to anyone's pocketbook by having more efficient cars out there. How is this a bad thing? I mean they will go to rallies and cheer this BS but why? How is this good for any of them personally?

I know people who legitimately argue that they don't think cars should come with seat belts, because they shouldn't be forced to pay for thing they aren't going to use. I don't understand people anymore.

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2914, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” published a profile on Stephen Broden, an old pal of Texas Gov. Rick Perry who accuses Planned Parenthood of committing "black genocide", that President Obama deliberately orchestrated the economic crash of 2007 (which would be amazing for him to have done from the Senate), and calling for armed revolution if he was not elected to office. He continues to speak publicly with radical views (including support for "religious freedom" to discriminate against the LGBT community).

It was on this date in 2015 that we published our original "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" profile of Scott Renfroe, a former Colorado State Senator and Personhood supporter who went on to declare during a debate in the state legislature about providing benefits for same-sex partners of state employees, started to volunteer his opinion that homosexual behavior was an “abomination” and began comparing homosexuality to straight up MURDER, after quoting the Book of Leviticus from the Bible. Which is amazing, because even Old Testament fans know murder is one of the Ten Commandments from the Book of Exodus, so Renfroe maybe needed some more Bible study on top of being given some sensitivity training to help him be just a functional human being. Still, Renfroe was re-elected during the 2010 Tea Party Wave, and went on to call for the National Guard to be tasked with sorting through protesters in the state capitol calling for the legalization of marijuana to find the ones with legalized medical marijuana cards, and confiscate them for their actions (note: the National Guard did not come). Renfroe also complained that cutting back on the number of hours of education in physics would somehow lead to the “feminization” of the boys. As you would expect, Renfroe’s voting record was awful, including a vote against a bill to provide emergency contraception for sexual assault survivors, votes against allowing Medicaid to pay for family planning, and a vote to avoid Colorado from adopting the United Nations Convention Against the Discrimination of Women. Renfroe made a bid for Congress in 2014, losing out to Ken Buck while running for the seat to represent Colorado’s 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is only 50 years old at the time of this post, so we’re expecting he’ll resurface and run for office somewhere, at some point.

On this date in 2017, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” published a profile of Pete Nielsen, a former member of the Idaho House of Representatives from 2002-2016 who was enough of an extremist that the Idaho Republican Party still thought he was unfit to be trusted to do much of anything, and in the fourteen years he served in the state legislature, Nielsen was never appointed to oversee a legislative committee nor won a legislative leadership position. What brought Pete Nielsen to our attention was that in February 2016, he was engaged in debate over a bill that would require mandatory intra-vaginal ultrasound bill for women seeking abortions, without exceptions for rape or incest, and Nielsen decided to state his belief that you can’t get pregnant from rape, and later clarifying to the media, "I'm convinced because of the trauma it would not be like it was with consensual sex." Sounds like yet another Republican who went to the Todd Akin school of f***ed up science facts, eh? A few days later, likely after Republican Party leaders cornered Nielsen and shook the holy f*** out of him for repeating one of the same mistakes that doomed them only four years earlier in the 2012 elections, he changed his tune, saying that he had once read medical journals that made him believe what he was saying was true, but that upon reviewing the facts, he was wrong, and a woman can get pregnant if she is raped. However, he wasn’t about to allow for the exception in the bill for rape or incest victims, in spite of his new revelation. Nielsen’s voting record also included GOP voter suppression efforts with Voter ID bill, a vote to attempt at nullify the Affordable Care Act, a vote for HJM 4, a resolution to seek the impeachment of any member of the judiciary who rules in favor of same sex marriage, a vote to try to have the Bible taught in public schools, and a vote against raising the minimum wage during one of the worst eras for economic inequity in our country in a century. Now, we would like to say that Nielsen didn’t run for re-election in 2016 because of that gaffe, but he was 78, so maybe he just felt it was time to call it a career. Or maybe, he felt he would have also been marred by his January 2016 arrest on the charges of illegally poaching an elk. The important thing is he’s out of office.

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2017, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” published a profile about Michael Folk, a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates who on July 15th, 2016, decided to get on Twitter to share his thoughts about former Secretary of State, First Lady, and current Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, posting “@HillaryClinton You should be tried for treason, murder, and crimes against the US Constitution… then hung on the Mall in Washington, DC”. After receiving widespread criticism, Folk tried justifying his mindset, sending out a second message that read, “Sorry, I don’t mince words… read this story & watch this video & maybe you’ll understand. Hillary supporters coming out of the woodwork this morning…” The video he linked to was about Hillary Clinton’s e-mails. Which was not, and is apparently not worthy of prosecution per then FBI Director James Comey or anyone in that role since, but if you ask Michael Folk, amateur judge, jury, and executioner, someone should be prepping a noose for a public hanging. Anyway, United Airlines suspended Michael Folk while they investigated the matter, and he also was obviously given an audience with the Secret Service. As for what sort of legislator Michael Folk is… a quick glance at his voting record showed he’s a fan of stricter Voter ID laws to combat statistically non-existent in-person voter fraud at the cost of disenfranchising tens of thousands of voters, his vote for concealed carry of firearms without a permit, that he supported one of those conservative “religious freedom” laws that’s an end-around attempt to side-step the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage, a ban on abortion at 20 weeks, and a not at all inflammatory piece of legislation to ban a “dismemberment abortion”, which we can only assume is based on the sort of information someone would get from a fraudulent organization like the Center for Medical Progress.

While Michael Folk did win re-election in 2016 in spite of his troubling comments, and now in 2018, he’s actually thinking he’s worthy of a promotion onto the West Virginia State Senate, planning a challenge to incumbent Democrat John Unger and facing no opposition to doing so in the GOP Primary. Meanwhile, he’s also trying to raise his profile by circulating a petition to try and impeach West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice because… he doesn’t live inside the state capitol? Yeah… feeling like you have to do a little better than that, Mike. Some people actually commit treason with Russia and folks aren’t hustling to impeach them… also, those same people don’t get you calling on them to be tried and executed, so there’s that.

Anyway, we’re hoping Michael Folk goes down in flames in November, and becomes little more than a footnote going forward.

[Mister Ferro]

https://www.nytco.com/sarah-jeong-jo...itorial-board/

What would it be like if we all deleted Facebook? What does the future of online privacy look like?Why can’t the tech industry diversify? Are monkeys allowed to sue over copyrights? And what in the world is #cockygate?

To answer questions like these, the editorial board will soon be turning to Sarah Jeong, who will join us in September as our lead writer on technology.

She arrives most recently from the Verge, where she’s a senior writer. She also authored the book, “The Internet of Garbage,” which examines the many forms of online harassment, free speech, and the challenges of moderating platforms and social media networks.

This is ok to hire but not thoughtful conservatives?