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0FAKE
| 22-Dec-17 | News | Many people have raised the alarm regarding the fact that Donald Trump is dangerously close to becoming an autocrat. The thing is, democracies become autocracies right under the people s noses, because they can often look like democracies in the beginning phases. This was explained by Republican David Frum just a couple of months into Donald Trump s presidency, in a piece in The Atlantic called How to Build an Autocracy. In fact, if you really look critically at what is happening right now the systematic discrediting of vital institutions such as the free press and the Federal Bureau of Investigation as well the direct weaponization of the Department of Justice in order to go after Trump s former political opponent, 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, and you have the makings of an autocracy. We are more than well on our way. Further, one chamber of Congress, the House of Representatives, already has a rogue band of Republicans who are running a parallel investigation to the official Russian collusion investigation, with the explicit intent of undermining and discrediting the idea that Trump could have possibly done anything wrong with the Russians in order to swing the 2016 election in his favor.All of that is just for starters, too. Now, we have Trump making United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley bully and threaten other countries in the United Nations who voted against Trump s decision to change U.S. policy when it comes to recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish State. Well, one expert, who is usually quite measured, has had enough of Trump s autocratic antics: Former CIA Director John O. Brennan. The seasoned spy took to Trump s favorite platform, Twitter, and blasted the decision:Trump Admin threat to retaliate against nations that exercise sovereign right in UN to oppose US position on Jerusalem is beyond outrageous. Shows @realDonaldTrump expects blind loyalty and subservience from everyone qualities usually found in narcissistic, vengeful autocrats. John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) December 21, 2017Director Brennan is correct, of course. Trump is behaving just like an autocrat, and so many people in the nation are asleep when it comes to this dangerous age, in which the greatest threat to democracy and the very fabric of the republic itself is the American president. Fellow Americans, we know the GOP-led Congress will not be the check on Trump that they are supposed to be. It s time to get out and flip the House and possibly the Senate in 2018, and resist in the meantime, if we want to save our country from devolving into something that looks more like Russia or North Korea than the America we have always know. We re already well on our way.Featured image via BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images | Former CIA Director Slams Trump Over UN Bullying, Openly Suggests He’s Acting Like A Dictator (TWEET) |
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| 13-Dec-17 | News | In this #METOO moment, many powerful men are being toppled. It spans many industries, from entertainment, to journalism, to politics and beyond. Any man that ever dared to abuse his power to sexually harass, molest, or assault women better brace himself for being rooted out, publicly shamed, and forced into early retirement.Well, unfortunately, the latest bombshell story has actually resulted in the suicide of a lawmaker. Kentucky State Representative Dan Johnson left a suicide note on Facebook and then shot himself on a bridge, according to reports from local authorities. Bullitt County Sheriff Donnie Tinnell reported to local station WDRB that Johnson s body was found after his suicide note from Facebook was reported to the local police. Here is that note:Now, nobody wants to celebrate a suicide. This man should have resigned gracefully and faced his accuser, who was a friend of his daughter s, who says that Johnson molested her while she was passed out drunk in his home. Apparently, Johnson, who referred to himself as some kind of pope, routinely engaged in parties with plenty of alcohol with minors. Johnson s home was called the Pope s House, and he was the preacher at the Heart of Fire City Church, where the alleged molestation took place.Now, innocent until proven guilty and all of that, but if someone commits suicide, it s likely there could be some merit there. That s a rather extreme measure to take. Further, by all accounts, this guy was no saint. He was heavily pro-gun, opposed any and all abortion rights, and has referred to President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys on his Facebook page, among other racist messages and images.Again, we re not glad the man is dead. But, it is important for people to remember him for exactly who he was. We grieve for the loss his children, wife, and grandchildren suffered, for nobody deserves such a loss. However, methinks the people of Kentucky are much better off. Sad to say, but true.Featured image via screen capture | KY GOP State Rep. Commits Suicide Over Allegations He Molested A Teen Girl (DETAILS) |
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| 19-Dec-17 | News | A new animatronic figure in the Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World was added, where every former leader of the republic is depicted in an audio-animatronics show. The figure which supposedly resembles Jon Voight Donald Trump was added to the collection and it s absolutely horrifying. The internet noticed that, too.Here s a few more pictures of the Donald Trump animatronic. #HallOfPresidents pic.twitter.com/a45En9Jwys WDW News Today (@WDWNT) December 19, 2017Trump robot in the Hall of Presidents looks like a 71-year-old Chucky doll. pic.twitter.com/yLCBmhpNvG John Cohen (@JohnCohen1) December 19, 2017Breaking: 7 Disney Princesses and a Storm Trooper have come forward alleging Hall of Presidents Trump made lewd comments to them Brohibition Now (@OhNoSheTwitnt) December 19, 2017Trump s animatronic figure for the Disney Hall of Presidents looks like it was carved out of Play-Doh and left out in the Florida heat, where it was discovered by a dying albino squirrel who settled atop its head and has been left there to decompose. pic.twitter.com/3vMZUTEylx Elizabeth M. (@_ElizabethMay) December 19, 2017In a time w/ so many heavy items, thank you to Disney for the laugh. They did so much so well in the @realDonaldTrump animatronic. Little hands, check Absurdly long tie, check Horrifying face, checkmateWhen Trump is impeached, can they move this to the Haunted Mansion? https://t.co/XrOvu32EV8 State of Resistance (@AltStateDpt) December 19, 2017all the other presidents in Disney s new Hall of Presidents look like they can t believe Donald Trump is president either pic.twitter.com/eMP9UX1bM8 Matt Binder (@MattBinder) December 18, 2017Disney unveiled Trump figure at the Hall of Presidents. To save production costs, they pulled the animated hands off of a retired figurine from the Its a Small World ride. Tim Hanlon (@TimfromDa70s) December 19, 2017The best part of Donald Trump being in Disney s Hall of Presidents will be when they remove him from the Hall of Presidents and put him in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride s jail. pic.twitter.com/XViyKFQCET Rex Huppke (@RexHuppke) December 19, 2017Comment today by local news channel anchor in Orlando: Donald Trump robot just added to Disney s Hall of Presidents. I hope they programmed all the former presidents to not roll their eyes and shake their heads while he s talking. Mark Hertling (@MarkHertling) December 19, 2017NPR: Disney World Adds Trump Animatronic Figure, But Likeness Is Lacking. But who REALLY wants to look at an accurate Donald? The man is about as presidential looking as a fucking Pokemon. https://t.co/HFYJRkefJ1 Stephen (@Harvest_This) December 19, 2017Could we put the animatronic version in the White House and the real one in Disney World? Asking for 7.6 billion people and the future of the planet. https://t.co/65FhbQHuV4 #Disney #Trump #JonVoight David Schmid (@DavidSchmid1) December 19, 2017We re pretty sure Disney is trolling Trump.Image via Twitter. | The Internet Brutally Mocks Disney’s New Trump Robot At Hall Of Presidents |
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| 29-Dec-17 | politicsNews | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Transgender people will be allowed for the first time to enlist in the U.S. military starting on Monday as ordered by federal courts, the Pentagon said on Friday, after President Donald Trump’s administration decided not to appeal rulings that blocked his transgender ban. Two federal appeals courts, one in Washington and one in Virginia, last week rejected the administration’s request to put on hold orders by lower court judges requiring the military to begin accepting transgender recruits on Jan. 1. A Justice Department official said the administration will not challenge those rulings. “The Department of Defense has announced that it will be releasing an independent study of these issues in the coming weeks. So rather than litigate this interim appeal before that occurs, the administration has decided to wait for DOD’s study and will continue to defend the president’s lawful authority in District Court in the meantime,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. In September, the Pentagon said it had created a panel of senior officials to study how to implement a directive by Trump to prohibit transgender individuals from serving. The Defense Department has until Feb. 21 to submit a plan to Trump. Lawyers representing currently-serving transgender service members and aspiring recruits said they had expected the administration to appeal the rulings to the conservative-majority Supreme Court, but were hoping that would not happen. Pentagon spokeswoman Heather Babb said in a statement: “As mandated by court order, the Department of Defense is prepared to begin accessing transgender applicants for military service Jan. 1. All applicants must meet all accession standards.” Jennifer Levi, a lawyer with gay, lesbian and transgender advocacy group GLAD, called the decision not to appeal “great news.” “I’m hoping it means the government has come to see that there is no way to justify a ban and that it’s not good for the military or our country,” Levi said. Both GLAD and the American Civil Liberties Union represent plaintiffs in the lawsuits filed against the administration. In a move that appealed to his hard-line conservative supporters, Trump announced in July that he would prohibit transgender people from serving in the military, reversing Democratic President Barack Obama’s policy of accepting them. Trump said on Twitter at the time that the military “cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.” Four federal judges - in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Seattle and Riverside, California - have issued rulings blocking Trump’s ban while legal challenges to the Republican president’s policy proceed. The judges said the ban would likely violate the right under the U.S. Constitution to equal protection under the law. The Pentagon on Dec. 8 issued guidelines to recruitment personnel in order to enlist transgender applicants by Jan. 1. The memo outlined medical requirements and specified how the applicants’ sex would be identified and even which undergarments they would wear. The Trump administration previously said in legal papers that the armed forces were not prepared to train thousands of personnel on the medical standards needed to process transgender applicants and might have to accept “some individuals who are not medically fit for service.” The Obama administration had set a deadline of July 1, 2017, to begin accepting transgender recruits. But Trump’s defense secretary, James Mattis, postponed that date to Jan. 1, 2018, which the president’s ban then put off indefinitely. Trump has taken other steps aimed at rolling back transgender rights. In October, his administration said a federal law banning gender-based workplace discrimination does not protect transgender employees, reversing another Obama-era position. In February, Trump rescinded guidance issued by the Obama administration saying that public schools should allow transgender students to use the restroom that corresponds to their gender identity. | U.S. military to accept transgender recruits on Monday: Pentagon |
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| 22-Dec-17 | politicsNews | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Friday said a shifting landscape will lead him to work with Democrats on immigration and financial regulation early in the new year, following a year of acrimony and partisan legislation. In an end-of-year news conference, McConnell touted a list of Republican accomplishments since President Donald Trump took office in January. It started with the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court and ended with an overhaul of the U.S. tax code. But in January, McConnell’s already razor-thin 52-48 Republican majority will shrink to 51-49 with the swearing in of Senator-elect Doug Jones, the Democrat who surprised the political world with a win in a special election in the deeply Republican state of Alabama. Adding to McConnell’s difficulties, special Senate procedures are fading that allowed him to pass a tax bill and try to repeal the Affordable Care Act this year without any Democratic support. That means that McConnell’s victories - if he has them - will require more collaboration and less confrontation. The pivot was the centerpiece of his news conference remarks. “There are areas where I think we can get bipartisan agreement,” McConnell said. First on his list was legislation to change Dodd-Frank banking regulations that he said would help smaller financial institutions. The Kentucky senator noted that Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo has advanced legislation that is co-sponsored by several Democrats. McConnell also pointed to bipartisan efforts to help undocumented immigrants, known as “Dreamers,” who were brought into the United States when they were children. If negotiators from both parties can come to a deal for the Dreamers that Trump’s administration can support, “we’ll spend floor time on that in January,” McConnell said. On Thursday, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer complained that throughout 2017 Republicans “have been hell-bent on pursuing a partisan agenda.” When asked by a reporter of possible bipartisan successes in 2018, Schumer pointed to the need for infrastructure improvements but said that Trump has been “all over the lot” on how to accomplish road, airport and other construction projects. With the November 2018 congressional elections approaching, Democrats might have less incentive to cooperate with Republicans, especially after Schumer’s party won decisive victories in special elections this month and last in Alabama and Virginia. McConnell hinted it would be tougher to find agreement with Democrats on some other legislative issues, including welfare reform, which Trump says he wants to push ahead with in 2018. McConnell said he would consult with Trump and House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan in January over prospects for welfare reform. | Senate leader McConnell sees a more collegial 2018 |
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| 23-Dec-17 | politicsNews | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal appeals court in Washington on Friday rejected a bid by President Donald Trump’s administration to prevent the U.S. military from accepting transgender recruits starting Jan. 1, the second court to issue such a ruling this week. Four federal judges around the country have issued injunctions blocking Trump’s ban on transgender people from the military, including one that was also handed down on Friday. The administration has appealed the previous three rulings. In a six-page order, the three-judge-panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the administration had “not shown a strong likelihood that they will succeed on the merits of their challenge” to a district court’s order blocking the ban. On Thursday the Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it was denying the administration’s request while the appeal proceeds. The two courts’ actions could prompt the administration to ask the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court to intervene. Also on Friday, a federal trial court in Riverside, California, blocked the ban while the case proceeds, making it the fourth to do so, after similar rulings in Baltimore, Seattle and Washington, D.C. U.S. District Judge Jesus Bernal said without the injunction the plaintiffs, including current and aspiring service members, would suffer irreparable harm. “There is nothing any court can do to remedy a government-sent message that some citizens are not worthy of the military uniform simply because of their gender,” he added. The administration had argued that the Jan. 1 deadline for accepting transgender recruits was problematic because tens of thousands of personnel would have to be trained on the medical standards needed to process transgender applicants, and the military was not ready for that. The Obama administration had set a deadline of July 1, 2017, to begin accepting transgender recruits, but Trump’s defense secretary, James Mattis, postponed that date to Jan. 1. In an August memorandum, Trump gave the military until March 2018 to revert to a policy prohibiting openly transgender individuals from joining the military and authorizing their discharge. The memo also halted the use of government funds for sex-reassignment surgery for active-duty personnel. | Second court rejects Trump bid to stop transgender military recruits |
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| 22-Dec-17 | politicsNews | The following statements were posted to the verified Twitter accounts of U.S. President Donald Trump, @realDonaldTrump and @POTUS. The opinions expressed are his own. Reuters has not edited the statements or confirmed their accuracy. @realDonaldTrump : - Our big and very popular Tax Cut and Reform Bill has taken on an unexpected new source of “love” - that is big companies and corporations showering their workers with bonuses. This is a phenomenon that nobody even thought of, and now it is the rage. Merry Christmas! [0747 EST] - At some point, and for the good of the country, I predict we will start working with the Democrats in a Bipartisan fashion. Infrastructure would be a perfect place to start. After having foolishly spent $7 trillion in the Middle East, it is time to start rebuilding our country! [0805 EST] - “The President has accomplished some absolutely historic things during this past year.” Thank you Charlie Kirk of Turning Points USA. Sadly, the Fake Mainstream Media will NEVER talk about our accomplishments in their end of year reviews. We are compiling a long & beautiful list. [0917 EST] - With all my Administration has done on Legislative Approvals (broke Harry Truman’s Record), Regulation Cutting, Judicial Appointments, Building Military, VA, TAX CUTS & REFORM, Record Economy/Stock Market and so much more, I am sure great credit will be given by mainstream news? [1004 EST] - Will be signing the biggest ever Tax Cut and Reform Bill in 30 minutes in Oval Office. Will also be signing a much needed 4 billion dollar missile defense bill. [1007 EST] -- Source link: (bit.ly/2jBh4LU) (bit.ly/2jpEXYR) | Trump on Twitter (Dec 22) - Tax cut, Missile defense bill |
0FAKE
| 31-Dec-17 | News | House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes is going to have a bad day. He s been under the assumption, like many of us, that the Christopher Steele-dossier was what prompted the Russia investigation so he s been lashing out at the Department of Justice and the FBI in order to protect Trump. As it happens, the dossier is not what started the investigation, according to documents obtained by the New York Times.Former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos was drunk in a wine bar when he revealed knowledge of Russian opposition research on Hillary Clinton.On top of that, Papadopoulos wasn t just a covfefe boy for Trump, as his administration has alleged. He had a much larger role, but none so damning as being a drunken fool in a wine bar. Coffee boys don t help to arrange a New York meeting between Trump and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt two months before the election. It was known before that the former aide set up meetings with world leaders for Trump, but team Trump ran with him being merely a coffee boy.In May 2016, Papadopoulos revealed to Australian diplomat Alexander Downer that Russian officials were shopping around possible dirt on then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Exactly how much Mr. Papadopoulos said that night at the Kensington Wine Rooms with the Australian, Alexander Downer, is unclear, the report states. But two months later, when leaked Democratic emails began appearing online, Australian officials passed the information about Mr. Papadopoulos to their American counterparts, according to four current and former American and foreign officials with direct knowledge of the Australians role. Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the F.B.I. and is now a cooperating witness with Special Counsel Robert Mueller s team.This isn t a presidency. It s a badly scripted reality TV show.Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images. | Drunk Bragging Trump Staffer Started Russian Collusion Investigation |
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| 1-Dec-17 | News | While Donald Trump has been taking vacations, special counsel Robert Mueller has been working hard on the Russia investigation. Instead of golfing this weekend, we suggest that the former reality show star huddle with his lawyers. Trump s former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about conversations with the Russian ambassador and he s fully cooperating with Mueller. As part of the plea deal, Flynn admitted that he was directed by a senior member of the Trump transition team to make contact with Russian officials in December. In addition, Flynn is prepared to testify that Trump as a candidate, ordered him to make contacts with the Russians.This marks the first instance of solid proof that there was collusion between team Trump and a hostile foreign government.On Friday, just after the news broke, the White House insisted that Flynn s guilty plea will not implicate Trump or anyone else in the White House.The White House said in a statement that Flynn was fired for making false statements to Trump officials, and that he worked for the administration for a short time and that he was a former Obama administration official. The false statements involved mirror the false statements to White House officials which resulted in his resignation in February of this year, said White House lawyer Ty Cobb. Nothing about the guilty plea or the charge implicates anyone other than Mr. Flynn. The White House then referred to Flynn as the former National Security Advisor at the White House for 25 days as well as a former Obama administration official. However, the White House left out a few important details. President Obama fired Flynn as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency and he also warned Trump about Flynn during a discussion two days after the election and emphasized that he had concerns about him joining the national security team for the new president.On top of that, just after Flynn was forced to resign, Trump called him a wonderful man who was treated unfairly by the media.Photo by David Becker/Getty Images. | White House Panics Knowing Flynn Is Going To Take Them Down |
0FAKE
| 10-Dec-17 | News | Judge Jeanine Pirro has continued her screamy ragey meltdown over special counsel Robert Mueller s investigation into any possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election. The Fox host is trying to discredit the FBI and we re wondering where the Blue Lives Matter crowd is as she tries to take down law enforcement officials. On Saturday night, Pirro said there needs to be a cleansing at the FBI and the Department of Justice.Pirro claims that quite a few officials are protecting Hillary Clinton who does not hold public office or are destroying Donald Trump, and singled out Deputy Director of the FBI Andrew McCabe, FBI official Peter Strzok, former Associate Deputy Attorney General Bruce Ohr, former FBI Director James Comey and you guessed it: Special Counsel Robert Mueller all of whom she says need to be arrested and placed in handcuffs. There have been times in our history where corruption and lawlessness were so pervasive, that examples had to be made, she shrieked. This is one of those times. There is a cleansing needed in our FBI and Department of Justice it needs to be cleansed of individuals who should not just be fired. But who need to be taken out in cuffs, Pirro declared.Watch:.@JudgeJeanine: There have been times in our history where corruption and lawlessness were so pervasive, that examples had to be made. This is one of those times. pic.twitter.com/I2a1Uz5DGK Fox News (@FoxNews) December 10, 2017Pirro has been trying to work Trump up into a frenzy over Hillary Clinton by using conspiracy theories. She got so out of hand that even Trump became visibly agitated and walked out on her during her rant.Pirro s husband was convicted of conspiracy and tax evasion in 2000. For that, he was sentenced to spend over two years locked up in prison for improperly deducting $1.2 million of his personal expenses as business write-offs while living a lavish lifestyle. Mr. Pirro was convicted on all 34 counts.Pirro split with her hubby after he admitted to fathering a child with another woman. He told the press and Pirro failed to give him enough attention. I know! Maybe if he changed his name to Hillary Clinton then he d get all the attention he needs.Pirro s hatred for Hillary Clinton goes way back and it appears to stem from jealousy.Maybe Pirro should heed the advice from Pirro in 2016 when she said, We cannot have a country run by a president subject to ongoing criminal investigations, potential indictments and never-ending hearings [W]hether she s indicted or even guilty, it doesn t matter. I ll just leave this here:When you re attacking FBI agents because you re under criminal investigation, you re losing https://t.co/SIoAxatCjp Sarah Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) November 3, 2016Image via screen capture. | WATCH: Fox Host Calls For A ‘Cleansing’ Of The FBI, And To Arrest Everyone Investigating Trump |
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| 21-Dec-17 | politicsNews | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two U.S. senators on Thursday urged federal authorities to halt the planned expansion of a $1 billion airport facial scanning program, saying the technology used to identify travelers on some flights departing from nine U.S. airports for international destinations may not be not accurate enough and raises privacy concerns. Congress has approved the use of the program for non-U.S. citizens, but never expressly authorized its use for Americans. The Department of Homeland Security has said the system is needed to prevent travelers from leaving the country using someone else’s identity and to prevent visitors to the United States from overstaying their visas. Senators Mike Lee, a Republican, and Edward Markey, a Democrat, in a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, raised concerns that too many travelers would be inconvenienced by faulty scan results and questioned why Americans are being subjected to the screens, known as biometric exit detection technology. In the letter, they raised objections to expanding the program beyond the nine airports where it is already in use. “We request that DHS stop the expansion of this program and provide Congress with its explicit statutory authority to use and expand a biometric exit program on U.S. citizens,” the senators wrote. “If there is no specific authorization, then we request an explanation for why DHS believes it has the authority to proceed” They cited a report released Thursday by Georgetown University Law School’s Center on Privacy & Technology that found DHS is conducting the scans “without basic legal and technical safeguards - or any meaningful justification of its billion-dollar cost.” Congress in 2016 authorized spending up to $1 billion over 10 years on the facial scans. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), on its website, says the program collects “facial images from all travelers from the United States” on a flight and uses the images to verify identities. It says the images are stored for no more than two weeks and says that “CBP is dedicated to protecting the privacy of all travelers.” The government said Thursday that U.S. citizens may opt out of the facial screening and instead have a separate review of their ID documents. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman said the government is working to establish the biometric exit program “in a way that’s most efficient and secure for the traveler and that is least disruptive for the travel industry.” Airports using the system include Boston, Las Vegas, Miami, New York’s John F. Kennedy, Washington Dulles, both Houston airports, Chicago O’Hare and Atlanta. The senators want DHS to provide data that the program will not unduly burden travelers. DHS said previously its goal is a 96 percent “true accept rate,” meaning the technology can positively identify 96 percent of the faces it scans. The senators, however, said this meant “there would still be a false denial for one in 25 travelers. Further there is evidence that certain face scans exhibit different error rate depending on the race or gender of the person being scanned.” DHS has said travelers who cannot be verified are escorted to another area where Customs and Border Patrol uses other methods to verify their identity. The Georgetown Law report also noted that DHS has not established any rules governing the program. “It’s as if DHS has hired a billion-dollar bouncer to check IDs but never checked how good he is at spotting a fake,” said Laura Moy, deputy director of the center and co-author of the report. “They also don’t know if he’s biased against certain groups of people.” The senators said DHS also needed safeguards to ensure facial data is not shared with other U.S. agencies. | Senators seek to stop expansion of airport facial scans |
0FAKE
| 7-Dec-17 | News | In America, we have been having a conversation about police brutality against black Americans. Despite the countless black people murdered unjustly by police, there is usually no justice. Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, Keith Lamont Scott, Michael Brown, Freddie Gray too many to mention here, really. All of those people were senselessly murdered by cops who chose to be their judges, juries, and executioners, and they did so with impunity and without consequence. However, there is hope, and it is coming out of South Carolina, of all places.North Charleston police officer Michael Slager murdered Walter Scott, a black man who was fleeing after a routine traffic stop in cold blood in 2015. He would have gotten away with it, too, had it not been for a citizen who was brave enough to tape the murder. The tape showed that Slager had lied about his life being in danger, and it showed him cuffing Scott s lifeless body, and then planting a taser as evidence. Here is the news report of that damning tape:Thanks to that tape, Slager was arrested and charged with murder. Now, fast forward two years later, and Slager has been convicted of murder. U.S. District Judge David Norton decided to throw the book at Slager, and sentenced the murdering ex-cop to 19-24 years in prison.The original case ended in a mistrial, but the state of South Carolina seemed determined to get justice for Walter Scott, and that happened on December 7, 2017. Of course, Slager s family begged for mercy from the judge, but luckily those calls were ignored. Michael Slager is a murderer, and he deserves the sentence he got.So many times, these cases end with the murderous cops back on the force, out in the streets after what amounts to nothing more than a paid vacation, free to murder another black person at will again. Thankfully, for once, the system worked as it should. For once, I am proud to be a South Carolinian. Hopefully this sets a precedent, and helps us turn a corner toward the arc of justice.Watch the video of the remarks of the Scott family below: Featured image via Grace Beahm-Pool/Getty Images | BREAKING: Cop Finally Gets His Due, Walter Scott’s Killer Sentenced To Prison (DETAILS) |
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| 30-Dec-17 | politicsNews | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos told an Australian diplomat in May 2016 that Russia had political dirt on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, the New York Times reported on Saturday. The conversation between Papadopoulos and the diplomat, Alexander Downer, in London was a driving factor behind the FBI’s decision to open a counter-intelligence investigation of Moscow’s contacts with the Trump campaign, the Times reported. Two months after the meeting, Australian officials passed the information that came from Papadopoulos to their American counterparts when leaked Democratic emails began appearing online, according to the newspaper, which cited four current and former U.S. and foreign officials. Besides the information from the Australians, the probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation was also propelled by intelligence from other friendly governments, including the British and Dutch, the Times said. Papadopoulos, a Chicago-based international energy lawyer, pleaded guilty on Oct. 30 to lying to FBI agents about contacts with people who claimed to have ties to top Russian officials. It was the first criminal charge alleging links between the Trump campaign and Russia. The White House has played down the former aide’s campaign role, saying it was “extremely limited” and that any actions he took would have been on his own. The New York Times, however, reported that Papadopoulos helped set up a meeting between then-candidate Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and edited the outline of Trump’s first major foreign policy speech in April 2016. The federal investigation, which is now being led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, has hung over Trump’s White House since he took office almost a year ago. Some Trump allies have recently accused Mueller’s team of being biased against the Republican president. Lawyers for Papadopoulos did not immediately respond to requests by Reuters for comment. Mueller’s office declined to comment. Trump’s White House attorney, Ty Cobb, declined to comment on the New York Times report. “Out of respect for the special counsel and his process, we are not commenting on matters such as this,” he said in a statement. Mueller has charged four Trump associates, including Papadopoulos, in his investigation. Russia has denied interfering in the U.S. election and Trump has said there was no collusion between his campaign and Moscow. | FBI Russia probe helped by Australian diplomat tip-off: NYT |
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| 22-Dec-17 | politicsNews | (Reuters) - Democrat Doug Jones’ surprise victory over Republican Roy Moore in this month’s special U.S. Senate election will be certified on Dec. 28, Alabama state officials said on Friday. Jones will be the first Democrat sent to the Senate from Republican stronghold Alabama in a quarter century. When he takes office, Republicans’ majority in the chamber will narrow to 51 of the 100 seats. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, Attorney General Steve Marshall and Secretary of State John Merrill will meet to certify Jones’ win, Merrill’s office said in a statement. Jones’ margin of victory was 1.5 percentage points. Moore has not conceded defeat in the Dec. 12 vote, despite being urged by President Donald Trump to do so. Calls and emails to Moore’s campaign spokeswomen were not immediately returned on Friday. Moore was a controversial candidate whose campaign was beset by allegations that he sexually assaulted or pursued teenage girls while he was in his 30s. He denied the misconduct allegations, saying they were a result of “dirty politics.” | Alabama to certify Democrat Jones winner of Senate election |
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| 31-Dec-17 | politicsNews | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of a conservative Republican faction in the U.S. Congress, who voted this month for a huge expansion of the national debt to pay for tax cuts, called himself a “fiscal conservative” on Sunday and urged budget restraint in 2018. In keeping with a sharp pivot under way among Republicans, U.S. Representative Mark Meadows, speaking on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” drew a hard line on federal spending, which lawmakers are bracing to do battle over in January. When they return from the holidays on Wednesday, lawmakers will begin trying to pass a federal budget in a fight likely to be linked to other issues, such as immigration policy, even as the November congressional election campaigns approach in which Republicans will seek to keep control of Congress. President Donald Trump and his Republicans want a big budget increase in military spending, while Democrats also want proportional increases for non-defense “discretionary” spending on programs that support education, scientific research, infrastructure, public health and environmental protection. “The (Trump) administration has already been willing to say: ‘We’re going to increase non-defense discretionary spending ... by about 7 percent,’” Meadows, chairman of the small but influential House Freedom Caucus, said on the program. “Now, Democrats are saying that’s not enough, we need to give the government a pay raise of 10 to 11 percent. For a fiscal conservative, I don’t see where the rationale is. ... Eventually you run out of other people’s money,” he said. Meadows was among Republicans who voted in late December for their party’s debt-financed tax overhaul, which is expected to balloon the federal budget deficit and add about $1.5 trillion over 10 years to the $20 trillion national debt. “It’s interesting to hear Mark talk about fiscal responsibility,” Democratic U.S. Representative Joseph Crowley said on CBS. Crowley said the Republican tax bill would require the United States to borrow $1.5 trillion, to be paid off by future generations, to finance tax cuts for corporations and the rich. “This is one of the least ... fiscally responsible bills we’ve ever seen passed in the history of the House of Representatives. I think we’re going to be paying for this for many, many years to come,” Crowley said. Republicans insist the tax package, the biggest U.S. tax overhaul in more than 30 years, will boost the economy and job growth. House Speaker Paul Ryan, who also supported the tax bill, recently went further than Meadows, making clear in a radio interview that welfare or “entitlement reform,” as the party often calls it, would be a top Republican priority in 2018. In Republican parlance, “entitlement” programs mean food stamps, housing assistance, Medicare and Medicaid health insurance for the elderly, poor and disabled, as well as other programs created by Washington to assist the needy. Democrats seized on Ryan’s early December remarks, saying they showed Republicans would try to pay for their tax overhaul by seeking spending cuts for social programs. But the goals of House Republicans may have to take a back seat to the Senate, where the votes of some Democrats will be needed to approve a budget and prevent a government shutdown. Democrats will use their leverage in the Senate, which Republicans narrowly control, to defend both discretionary non-defense programs and social spending, while tackling the issue of the “Dreamers,” people brought illegally to the country as children. Trump in September put a March 2018 expiration date on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program, which protects the young immigrants from deportation and provides them with work permits. The president has said in recent Twitter messages he wants funding for his proposed Mexican border wall and other immigration law changes in exchange for agreeing to help the Dreamers. Representative Debbie Dingell told CBS she did not favor linking that issue to other policy objectives, such as wall funding. “We need to do DACA clean,” she said. On Wednesday, Trump aides will meet with congressional leaders to discuss those issues. That will be followed by a weekend of strategy sessions for Trump and Republican leaders on Jan. 6 and 7, the White House said. Trump was also scheduled to meet on Sunday with Florida Republican Governor Rick Scott, who wants more emergency aid. The House has passed an $81 billion aid package after hurricanes in Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico, and wildfires in California. The package far exceeded the $44 billion requested by the Trump administration. The Senate has not yet voted on the aid. | As U.S. budget fight looms, Republicans flip their fiscal script |
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| 23-Dec-17 | politicsNews | LIMA (Reuters) - Peru’s President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski could end up the surprise winner of an attempt to oust him from power this week, after some opposition lawmakers broke ranks with party leaders to support him, opening a divide that might strengthen his hand. Despite having a Congressional majority, the rightwing opposition party Popular Force was unable to push through a motion to remove Kuczynski from office on Thursday, after 10 of its own lawmakers broke ranks to save the president. The vote cemented a growing divide in the opposition and looked to threaten its control over Congress, potentially aiding Kuczynski as he tries to restore political stability and revive investments in one of Latin America’s most robust economies. The surprise defection was the result of a deal struck between Kuczynski and Popular Force rebel lawmaker Kenji Fujimori to get his father and ex-president Alberto Fujimori out of prison, alleged Popular Force secretary general, Jose Chlimper. Over the past year, Kenji has courted Kuczynski’s center-right government while challenging his sister Keiko’s leadership of the rightwing populist movement that their father formed in the 1990s. In defiance of his sister, Kenji threw his support behind Kuczynski ahead of the vote on whether to remove him from office over unproven graft allegations. Nine other Popular Force lawmakers followed his lead. “This is the birth of a serious and formal split (in the Fujimori movement),” said Guillermo Loli, the head of political research for pollster Ipsos Peru. “Everything points to a pardon,” he added. Kuczynski’s government denied that a pardon for Fujimori was part of its political negotiations. In an address to the nation late on Friday, Kuczynski said he would spend the coming days reflecting on his year and a half in office. “I’ll be announcing to you changes to make sure 2018 is not just a year of greater growth, but politically different,” Kuczynski said. Efforts to reach the Popular Force lawmakers who defected were not successful. One, Clayton Galvan, said on local TV channel Canal N that Alberto Fujimori called them from prison to ask them to help Kuczynski stay in power. Alberto Fujimori, who is serving a 25-year sentence for graft and human rights crimes, is a deeply divisive figure in Peru. While many consider him a corrupt dictator, others credit him with ending an economic crisis and bloody leftist insurgency during his 1990-2000 term. Freeing him would likely anger the well-organized foes of the Fujimori clan - a mix of technocrats, leftists, human rights activists and academics. “The day (Kuczynski) signs a pardon, he loses all of those guys. Permanently,” said Harvard University political scientist Steve Levitsky. Support from the anti-Fujimori crowd was key to Kuczynski’s razor-thin victory over Keiko in last year’s presidential election, and to keeping the motion to oust him from succeeding. “Kuczynski was saved by two diametrically opposed political groups: Kenji’s group and the left, which opposes a pardon. He can’t please both of them,” said Levitsky. Kuczynski, a 79-year-old former investment banker, took office amid hopes he would usher in cleaner government and faster economic growth. Instead, a graft scandal roiling Latin America has stalled investments and ensnared him in allegations of wrongdoing. Before the vote on Thursday, Kuczynski fanned fears of a return to Peru’s authoritarian past and described the motion as part of a legislative “coup” attempt by Keiko’s supporters. Popular Force denies the charge and says the bid to remove him was part of its fight against corruption and within the bounds of the constitution. A hardline Popular Force lawmaker loyal to Keiko, Hector Becerril, said the Kenji faction represented “traitors.” “If they have any sense of decency after this vote, the least they could do is present their resignations,” Becerril told journalists on Friday. “Hopefully today.” With 10 votes fewer, Popular Force would command 61 seats in the 130-member, single-chamber Congress, less than an absolute majority, though it would still be the biggest voting bloc. The political crisis has cost Kuczynski his interior minister, Carlos Basombrio, who announced his resignation on Friday. Kuczynski could make a decision about other Cabinet changes in coming days, his government said. | Failed vote to oust president shakes up Peru's politics |
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| 6-Dec-17 | News | President Donald Trump announced yesterday that he plans to formally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. While this is left most pundits perplexed, the reasoning is clear. Trump wants to divert attention from Robert Mueller s investigation. It is no coincidence that the day after the news broke that Deutsche Bank has received subpoenas for information on the Trump family s assets, that this Jerusalem decision was announced. What could be a bigger news story than getting this information? A blow up in the Middle East.Look at the reaction world leaders have had to this announcement. American allies throughout the Middle East and Europe have asked Trump not to do this and have stressed how dangerous a statement this is. US News and World Report put this out today: The mere consideration of Trump changing the status quo sparked a renewed U.S. security warning on Tuesday. America s consulate in Jerusalem ordered U.S. personnel and their families to avoid visiting Jerusalem s Old City or the West Bank, and urged American citizens in general to avoid places with increased police or military presence. It is worth noting that while Trump will formally announce that the U.S. will recognize Jerusalem as Israel s capital, there is no movement underway to relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv. In fact, he has signed an order to delay that decision for another six months. This move is necessary due to the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act, which mandated the embassy be moved. It also allowed the president to delay that by six months and every president since that act became law has done so this way.The Atlantic has even compared this decision to Trump wagging the dog, a reference to a movie where a U.S. president goes to war with Albania to take the public s attention away from his own scandals involving a mistress. The film was viewed as a parody of President Bill Clinton s military actions in Afghanistan and Sudan after he acknowledged an affair with Monica Lewinsky.While whether or not Clinton attacked other countries to distract the nation from his actions with Lewinsky may be a point that is up for debate, it is clear that Trump likes to do things to distract the public s attention. Catherine Rampell wrote about this tactic late last year in the Washington Post. She wrote: Welcome to 2017, the ouroboros of distractions, where every terrible thing is a head-fake for a ruse for a diversion for a misdirection from something else much, much worse. Trump makes announcements, sends tweets and says things without any thought to the real world consequences that follow. Experts in the Middle East fear that the Jerusalem announcement will lead to real deaths. Many people worry that his thoughtless and impetuous tweets will lead to a nuclear war. His thoughtless comments confuse and enrage many.By making such a move, for such purely personal reasons, Trump is proving, once again, that he is not fit to be president of a condo association, much less of the United States.Featured image by Andrew Burton/Getty Images. | Trump Only Cares About Trump; Why He Is Recognizing Jerusalem Today |
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| 28-Dec-17 | politicsNews | NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The new U.S. tax code targets high-tax states and may be unconstitutional, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday, saying that the bill may violate New York residents’ rights to due process and equal protection. The sweeping Republican tax bill signed into law by U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday introduces a cap, of $10,000, on deductions of state and local income and property taxes, known as SALT. The tax overhaul was the party’s first major legislative victory since Trump took office in January. The SALT provision will hit many taxpayers in states with high incomes, high property values and high taxes, like New York, New Jersey and California. Those states are generally Democratic leaning. “I’m not even sure what they did is legally constitutional and that’s something we’re looking at now,” Cuomo said in an interview with CNN. In an interview with CNBC, Cuomo suggested why the bill may be unconstitutional. “Politics does not trump the law,” Cuomo said on CNBC. “You have the constitution, you have the law, you have due process, you have equal protection. You can’t use politics just because the majority controls to override the law.” The Fifth Amendment of the Constitution, better known for its protection against self-incrimination, also protects individuals from seizure of life, liberty or property without due process and has been interpreted by the Supreme Court as guaranteeing equal protection by the law. Cuomo and California Governor Jerry Brown, both Democrats, have previously said they were exploring legal challenges to SALT deduction limits. Law professors have said legal challenges would likely rest on arguing that the provision interferes with the protection of states’ rights under the U.S. Constitution’s 10th Amendment. Tax attorneys said Cuomo’s legal argument against the tax bill could be that it discriminates and places an unjust tax burden on states that heavily voted for Democrats in the past - known as “blue states.” “The de facto effect of this legislation is to discriminate against blue states and particularly from (Cuomo’s) perspective the state of New York,” said Joseph Callahan, an attorney with the law firm Mackay, Caswell & Callahan in New York. But some tax experts noted the U.S. Supreme Court has interpreted the 16th Amendment to give Congress broad latitude to tax as it sees fit. In a frequently cited 1934 decision, the Supreme Court called tax deductions a “legislative grace” rather than a vested right. “I don’t understand how they think they have a valid lawsuit here,” David Gamage, a professor of tax law at Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law, told Reuters last week, speaking generally about governors in blue states that could challenge the tax bill. Cuomo also said on Thursday that New York is proposing a restructuring of its tax code. He provided no details. A group of 13 law professors on Dec. 18 published a paper suggesting ways that high-tax states could minimize the effects of the SALT deduction cap. Their suggestions included shifting more of the tax burden onto businesses in the form of higher employer-side payroll taxes, since the federal tax bill’s cap on SALT deductions only applies to individuals and not businesses. States also could raise taxes on pass-through entities, which the federal tax bill specifically benefits with a lower rate on a portion of their income. On Friday, Cuomo said he would allow state residents to make a partial or full pre-payment on their property tax bill before Jan. 1, allowing taxpapyers to deduct such payments for 2017 before the cap kicks in, prompting a wave of residents to pay early. However, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service on Wednesday advised homeowners that the pre-payment of 2018 property taxes may not be deductible. | New York governor questions the constitutionality of federal tax overhaul |
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| 31-Dec-17 | News | Donald Trump just couldn t wish all Americans a Happy New Year and leave it at that. Instead, he had to give a shout out to his enemies, haters and the very dishonest fake news media. The former reality show star had just one job to do and he couldn t do it. As our Country rapidly grows stronger and smarter, I want to wish all of my friends, supporters, enemies, haters, and even the very dishonest Fake News Media, a Happy and Healthy New Year, President Angry Pants tweeted. 2018 will be a great year for America! As our Country rapidly grows stronger and smarter, I want to wish all of my friends, supporters, enemies, haters, and even the very dishonest Fake News Media, a Happy and Healthy New Year. 2018 will be a great year for America! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017Trump s tweet went down about as welll as you d expect.What kind of president sends a New Year s greeting like this despicable, petty, infantile gibberish? Only Trump! His lack of decency won t even allow him to rise above the gutter long enough to wish the American citizens a happy new year! Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) December 31, 2017no one likes you Calvin (@calvinstowell) December 31, 2017Your impeachment would make 2018 a great year for America, but I ll also accept regaining control of Congress. Miranda Yaver (@mirandayaver) December 31, 2017Do you hear yourself talk? When you have to include that many people that hate you you have to wonder? Why do the they all hate me? Alan Sandoval (@AlanSandoval13) December 31, 2017Who uses the word Haters in a New Years wish?? Marlene (@marlene399) December 31, 2017You can t just say happy new year? Koren pollitt (@Korencarpenter) December 31, 2017Here s Trump s New Year s Eve tweet from 2016.Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don t know what to do. Love! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2016This is nothing new for Trump. He s been doing this for years.Trump has directed messages to his enemies and haters for New Year s, Easter, Thanksgiving, and the anniversary of 9/11. pic.twitter.com/4FPAe2KypA Daniel Dale (@ddale8) December 31, 2017Trump s holiday tweets are clearly not presidential.How long did he work at Hallmark before becoming President? Steven Goodine (@SGoodine) December 31, 2017He s always been like this . . . the only difference is that in the last few years, his filter has been breaking down. Roy Schulze (@thbthttt) December 31, 2017Who, apart from a teenager uses the term haters? Wendy (@WendyWhistles) December 31, 2017he s a fucking 5 year old Who Knows (@rainyday80) December 31, 2017So, to all the people who voted for this a hole thinking he would change once he got into power, you were wrong! 70-year-old men don t change and now he s a year older.Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images. | Donald Trump Sends Out Embarrassing New Year’s Eve Message; This is Disturbing |
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| 1-Dec-17 | News | Michael Flynn, Trump s embattled former national security adviser, has reportedly caved in and will testify to Robert Mueller and his team about Trump s collusion with Russia. According to an ABC News special report, Flynn has pleaded guilty to charges that include making false statements to the FBI. Most importantly, he admitted in his plea that officials on Trump s transition team directed his contacts with Russian officials.Furthermore, according to CNN s David Wright on Twitter, there s more to it than that. He s reporting that Brian Ross, who reported for ABC News, said that Flynn also says he s prepared to testify that Trump himself ordered him, directed him, to make contact with the Russians, which contradicts all that Donald Trump has said at this point. .@BrianRoss reports Michael Flynn is prepared to testify that President Trump as a candidate Donald Trump ordered him, directed him, to make contacts with the Russians, which contradicts all that Donald Trump has said at this point. David Wright (@DavidWright_CNN) December 1, 2017.@BrianRoss: As well, we re told that Flynn made the decision to cooperate only in the last 24 hours. That he is distraught about this decision, but feels he is doing the right thing for his country David Wright (@DavidWright_CNN) December 1, 2017.@BrianRoss: and that he is facing huge legal bills of more than a million dollars, and he said that finally he had to go and do this for that reason. He expects to put his house on the market. He is facing serious financial problems. David Wright (@DavidWright_CNN) December 1, 2017For his part, Flynn issued a statement saying the following: Actions I acknowledged in court today are wrong, and through my faith in God, I am working to set things right. My guilty plea and agreement to cooperate with the Special Counsel s Office reflect a decision I made in the best interests of my family and of our country. I accept full responsibility for my actions. The White House has said that this is merely more of what got Flynn fired in the first place, and that this will have zero effect on Trump. Har de har har don t make us laugh too hard. It hurts. Merry Christmas to Donald Trump and his entire treasonous family and administration! We hope you like orange jumpsuits!Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | BREAKING: Michael Flynn CRACKS – Will Testify To Mueller Against Trump Himself |
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| 23-Dec-17 | News | In the wake of yet another court decision that derailed Donald Trump s plan to bar Muslims from entering the United States, the New York Times published a report on Saturday morning detailing the president s frustration at not getting his way and how far back that frustration goes.According to the article, back in June, Trump stomped into the Oval Office, furious about the state of the travel ban, which he thought would be implemented and fully in place by then. Instead, he fumed, visas had already been issued to immigrants at such a rate that his friends were calling to say he looked like a fool after making his broad pronouncements.It was then that Trump began reading from a document that a top advisor, noted white supremacist Stephen Miller, had handed him just before the meeting with his Cabinet. The page listed how many visas had been issued this year, and included 2,500 from Afghanistan (a country not on the travel ban), 15,000 from Haiti (also not included), and 40,000 from Nigeria (sensing a pattern yet?), and Trump expressed his dismay at each.According to witnesses in the room who spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity, and who were interviewed along with three dozen others for the article, Trump called out each country for its faults as he read: Afghanistan was a terrorist haven, the people of Nigeria would never go back to their huts once they saw the glory of America, and immigrants from Haiti all have AIDS. Despite the extensive research done by the newspaper, the White House of course denies that any such language was used.But given Trump s racist history and his advisor Stephen Miller s blatant white nationalism, it would be no surprise if a Freedom of Information Act request turned up that the document in question had the statements printed inline as commentary for the president to punctuate his anger with. It was Miller, after all, who was responsible for the American Carnage speech that Trump delivered at his inauguration.This racist is a menace to America, and he doesn t represent anything that this country stands for. Let s hope that more indictments from Robert Mueller are on their way as we speak.Featured image via Chris Kleponis/Pool/Getty Images | Trump Said Some INSANELY Racist Stuff Inside The Oval Office, And Witnesses Back It Up |
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| 30-Nov-17 | News | In Michigan, the upcoming election in 2018 presents voters with an interesting option: They could, for the first time, have an all-female ticket for every major office being contested. Senator Debbie Stabenow is up for re-election, and odds are good that the nominees for Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State will all be women.At least one of those candidates thinks that s a very good thing. Democratic candidate for AG Dana Nessel has produced a campaign ad that capitalizes on the benefits of being female when it comes to running for public office. Namely, the fact that she doesn t have a d*ck to wave at every passerby.With the wave of allegations over the last few weeks, beginning with the outing of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein as a total pervert and a sexual predator, it seems like everywhere you look there s someone else being ousted from their position or job for having at least acted like a pig and in some cases the allegations are even worse.Of course, not everyone is suffering from the paradigm shift that has stoked bravery in women across America and around the world. The highest office in the country is, of course, occupied by a man who s been accused by at least 19 women of everything from sexual harassment to actual inappropriate physical touching. And the open US Senate seat in Alabama is currently being contested by, on the Democratic side, the guy who successfully prosecuted the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham that killed four young black girls, and on the Republican side, a guy who s accused of pursuing, dating, and touching teenage girls as young as 14 when he was an Assistant District Attorney in his 30 s.Dana Nessel wants to help you avoid all of that unseemly contact with potentially predatory men by simply not being one: [W]hen you re choosing Michigan s next attorney general, ask yourself this: Who can you trust most not to show you their penis in a professional setting? Is it the candidate who doesn t have a penis? I d say so. Watch the amazing ad here:Featured image via Bill Pugliano/Getty Images | This Hilarious Campaign Ad Shows Voters How They Can Avoid Scandalous Elected Officials |
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| 30-Dec-17 | News | On Friday, it was revealed that former Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke, who was being considered for Homeland Security Secretary in Donald Trump s administration, has an email scandal of his own.In January, there was a brief run-in on a plane between Clarke and fellow passenger Dan Black, who he later had detained by the police for no reason whatsoever, except that maybe his feelings were hurt. Clarke messaged the police to stop Black after he deplaned, and now, a search warrant has been executed by the FBI to see the exchanges.Clarke is calling it fake news even though copies of the search warrant are on the Internet. I am UNINTIMIDATED by lib media attempts to smear and discredit me with their FAKE NEWS reports designed to silence me, the former sheriff tweeted. I will continue to poke them in the eye with a sharp stick and bitch slap these scum bags til they get it. I have been attacked by better people than them #MAGA I am UNINTIMIDATED by lib media attempts to smear and discredit me with their FAKE NEWS reports designed to silence me. I will continue to poke them in the eye with a sharp stick and bitch slap these scum bags til they get it. I have been attacked by better people than them #MAGA pic.twitter.com/XtZW5PdU2b David A. Clarke, Jr. (@SheriffClarke) December 30, 2017He didn t stop there.BREAKING NEWS! When LYING LIB MEDIA makes up FAKE NEWS to smear me, the ANTIDOTE is go right at them. Punch them in the nose & MAKE THEM TASTE THEIR OWN BLOOD. Nothing gets a bully like LYING LIB MEDIA S attention better than to give them a taste of their own blood #neverbackdown pic.twitter.com/T2NY2psHCR David A. Clarke, Jr. (@SheriffClarke) December 30, 2017The internet called him out.This is your local newspaper and that search warrant isn t fake, and just because the chose not to file charges at the time doesn t mean they won t! Especially if you continue to lie. Months after decision not to charge Clarke, email search warrant filed https://t.co/zcbyc4Wp5b KeithLeBlanc (@KeithLeBlanc63) December 30, 2017I just hope the rest of the Village People aren t implicated. Kirk Ketchum (@kirkketchum) December 30, 2017Slaw, baked potatoes, or French fries? pic.twitter.com/fWfXsZupxy ALT- Immigration (@ALT_uscis) December 30, 2017pic.twitter.com/ymsOBLjfxU Pendulum Swinger (@PendulumSwngr) December 30, 2017you called your police friends to stand up for you when someone made fun of your hat Chris Jackson (@ChrisCJackson) December 30, 2017Is it me, with this masterful pshop of your hat, which I seem to never tire of. I think it s the steely resolve in your one visible eye pic.twitter.com/dWr5k8ZEZV Chris Mohney (@chrismohney) December 30, 2017Are you indicating with your fingers how many people died in your jail? I think you re a few fingers short, dipshit Ike Barinholtz (@ikebarinholtz) December 30, 2017ROFL. Internet tough guy with fake flair. pic.twitter.com/ulCFddhkdy KellMeCrazy (@Kel_MoonFace) December 30, 2017You re so edgy, buddy. Mrs. SMH (@MRSSMH2) December 30, 2017Is his break over at Applebees? Aaron (@feltrrr2) December 30, 2017Are you trying to earn your still relevant badge? CircusRebel (@CircusDrew) December 30, 2017make sure to hydrate, drink lots of water. It s rumored that prisoners can be denied water by prison officials. Robert Klinc (@RobertKlinc1) December 30, 2017Terrill Thomas, the 38-year-old black man who died of thirst in Clarke s Milwaukee County Jail cell this April, was a victim of homicide. We just thought we should point that out. It can t be repeated enough.Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images. | Sheriff David Clarke Becomes An Internet Joke For Threatening To Poke People ‘In The Eye’ |
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| 29-Dec-17 | politicsNews | WEST PALM BEACH, Fla./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Friday it was set to kick off talks next week with Republican and Democratic congressional leaders on immigration policy, government spending and other issues that need to be wrapped up early in the new year. The expected flurry of legislative activity comes as Republicans and Democrats begin to set the stage for midterm congressional elections in November. President Donald Trump’s Republican Party is eager to maintain control of Congress while Democrats look for openings to wrest seats away in the Senate and the House of Representatives. On Wednesday, Trump’s budget chief Mick Mulvaney and legislative affairs director Marc Short will meet with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan - both Republicans - and their Democratic counterparts, Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Nancy Pelosi, the White House said. That will be followed up with a weekend of strategy sessions for Trump, McConnell and Ryan on Jan. 6 and 7 at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, according to the White House. The Senate returns to work on Jan. 3 and the House on Jan. 8. Congress passed a short-term government funding bill last week before taking its Christmas break, but needs to come to an agreement on defense spending and various domestic programs by Jan. 19, or the government will shut down. Also on the agenda for lawmakers is disaster aid for people hit by hurricanes in Puerto Rico, Texas and Florida, and by wildfires in California. The House passed an $81 billion package in December, which the Senate did not take up. The White House has asked for a smaller figure, $44 billion. Deadlines also loom for soon-to-expire protections for young adult immigrants who entered the country illegally as children, known as “Dreamers.” In September, Trump ended Democratic former President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protected Dreamers from deportation and provided work permits, effective in March, giving Congress until then to devise a long-term solution. Democrats, some Republicans and a number of large companies have pushed for DACA protections to continue. Trump and other Republicans have said that will not happen without Congress approving broader immigration policy changes and tougher border security. Democrats oppose funding for a wall promised by Trump along the U.S.-Mexican border. “The Democrats have been told, and fully understand, that there can be no DACA without the desperately needed WALL at the Southern Border and an END to the horrible Chain Migration & ridiculous Lottery System of Immigration etc,” Trump said in a Twitter post on Friday. Trump wants to overhaul immigration rules for extended families and others seeking to live in the United States. Republican U.S. Senator Jeff Flake, a frequent critic of the president, said he would work with Trump to protect Dreamers. “We can fix DACA in a way that beefs up border security, stops chain migration for the DREAMers, and addresses the unfairness of the diversity lottery. If POTUS (Trump) wants to protect these kids, we want to help him keep that promise,” Flake wrote on Twitter. Congress in early 2018 also must raise the U.S. debt ceiling to avoid a government default. The U.S. Treasury would exhaust all of its borrowing options and run dry of cash to pay its bills by late March or early April if Congress does not raise the debt ceiling before then, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Trump, who won his first major legislative victory with the passage of a major tax overhaul this month, has also promised a major infrastructure plan. | White House, Congress prepare for talks on spending, immigration |
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| 5-Dec-17 | News | We ve all heard the stories of Donald Trump preferring a well-done steak with ketchup and shunning any new delicacies, despite living a lifestyle that offers him all the luxuries one could ever desire, however, it s not just that the President has terrible gastronomical taste, a new memoir suggests that his diet is one of several poor lifestyle choices that could very well shorten his life.According to an excerpt from Let Trump be Trump, an upcoming book by Trump s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and aide David Bossie, we get to enter the inner circle where the President of the United States having a 2,400-calorie McDonald s dinner is par for the course. Trump s appetite seems to know no bounds when it comes to McDonald s, with a dinner order consisting of two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish, and a chocolate malted, is just one of the claims made in the book. To put that meal in perspective, Trump s dinner contains 3,400 grams of sodium, despite the American Heart Foundation recommending just 1,500 grams per day, plus enough white bread to last most people a week. Remember, this is just one meal, but it only gets worse. On Trump Force One there were four major food groups: McDonald s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, pizza, and Diet Coke, the authors write about traveling with Trump during the early days of his presidency, but there may be a valid reason for it Not only is he a fan of manufacturing, Trump is also a renowned germaphobe who allegedly won t eat from a package that has already been opened, which would also explain the plane s cupboards being stacked with Vienna Fingers, potato chips, pretzels, and many packages of Oreos. Those well-done steaks make a little more sense now, as well. But a little bit of bacteria is probably the least of the President s worries. This is a 71-year-old man who gets next to no exercise (it s hard to include his golf when he barely even walks while playing), gets very little sleep, and is constantly throwing tantrums, so add in that diet and you have the perfect recipe for a heart attack. The diet alone, especially the snacks, is almost an open-invite for diabetes, too.What makes this frightening for the rest of us is that this is a man who is currently responsible for a nuclear standoff with North Korea, as well as dealing with rapidly warming oceans and an ever-increasing tax bill. If he has this lack of concern for his own wellbeing, then what does it say of his risk-assessment abilities?Featured image via Win McNamee/Getty Images | Donald Trump’s Eating Habits Could Be Dramatically Affecting His Wellbeing And Our Safety |
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| 12-Dec-17 | News | Donald Trump is afraid of strong, powerful women. He is a horrific misogynist, and has shown himself to be so over and over again. That is nothing new. He has mocked the weight of a beauty queen, made repeated suggestions about women s menstrual cycles, and had repeatedly called women who accuse men including himself of sexual harassment and sexual assault of being liars and threatened to sue him. Now, he has gone even lower with an attack on Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY).In an early morning tweet, Trump actually suggested that Senator Gillibrand would have sex with him for campaign money. No, I m not kidding. Here is the tweet:Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office begging for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2017For one thing, I don t think Kirsten Gillibrand has to beg the likes of Donald Trump for anything, and she certainly would not stoop anywhere near doing what Trump is suggesting for campaign money. Think about this, folks: the sitting president is actually saying that a sitting Senator offered him sex in exchange for campaign money. That is truly beyond the pale. We already knew that Donald Trump was a sexist asshole, but this is a new low, even for him.General Kelly, General McMaster, and whomever else is running that White House DO SOMETHING about this fool s Twitter habit. It is way out of control, and he does great damage to the nation with ever 140 280 character outburst. This is outrageous. Forget the fact that the orange overlord is currently squatting in the Oval Office no adult, period, should be acting like this.In this watershed Me Too moment in America, it is time to call out the Sexist-in-Chief for what he is a complete misogynist who has no respect for women and never has. Ivanka, Melania, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Hope Hicks, and all the other women in Trump s orbit need to step up and say that there s been more than enough. Curtail this man s sexist behavior, or turn in your woman card. Every last one of you.Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images | Despicable Trump Suggests Female Senator Would ‘Do Anything’ With Him For Campaign Money (TWEET) |
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| 21-Dec-17 | politicsNews | NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal appeals court in Virginia on Thursday rejected a bid by President Donald Trump’s administration to prevent the U.S. military from accepting transgender recruits starting Jan. 1. The administration had urged the appeals court to suspend an order by a federal judge in Baltimore for the armed forces to begin accepting transgender recruits on that date. The administration has said the Jan. 1 start date was causing the armed forces to scramble to revise their policies at the risk of harming military readiness. In a brief two-paragraph order, the three-judge panel of the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it was denying the administration’s request while the appeal proceeds. All three judges are Democratic appointees. The court’s action could prompt the administration to ask the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court to intervene. “We disagree with the court’s ruling and are currently evaluating the next steps,” U.S. Justice Department spokeswoman Lauren Ehrsam said in a statement. Several transgender service members, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, filed suit in Maryland after Trump said in July he would ban transgender people from the military, a move that would reverse a policy of the Republican president’s Democratic predecessor Barack Obama to accept them. Trump cited concern over military focus and medical costs. So far, three federal judges around the country have issued injunctions blocking Trump’s ban. His administration has appealed all three rulings. Joshua Block, an ACLU attorney who represents the plaintiffs in the Maryland case, said he was happy the appeals court saw through the government’s “smokescreen” to further delay enlistment. Thursday’s action was in response to the administration’s appeal of a Nov. 21 ruling by U.S. District Judge Marvin Garbis, who said that the transgender prohibition likely violates the plaintiffs’ constitutional right to equal protection under the law. The Garbis ruling followed a similar one on Oct. 30 by another federal judge in Washington, D.C. A third judge in Seattle also ruled against the administration on Dec. 11. In an August memorandum, Trump gave the military until March 2018 to revert to a policy prohibiting openly transgender people from joining the military and authorizing their discharge. The memo also halted the use of government funds for sex-reassignment surgery for active-duty military personnel. The Obama administration had set a deadline of July 1 of this year to begin accepting transgender recruits. But Trump’s defense secretary, James Mattis, postponed that date to Jan. 1, which the president’s ban then put off indefinitely. The Trump administration said in legal papers that the armed forces are not prepared to train thousands of personnel on the medical standards needed to process transgender applicants and might have to accept “some individuals who are not medically fit for service.” The Pentagon on Dec. 8 issued guidelines to recruitment personnel in order to enlist transgender applicants by Jan. 1. The memo outlined medical requirements and specified how the applicants’ sex would be identified and even which undergarments they would wear. The ban’s challengers said the memo contradicted the claim that the military was not ready. The Justice Department disagreed, telling the court on Wednesday that “all this memorandum shows is that the military is scrambling to comply with the injunction.” The lawsuit’s lead plaintiff Brock Stone, 34, has served in the U.S. Navy for 11 years, including a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan, and wants to remain for at least 20 years, according to court papers. | U.S. court rejects Trump bid to stop transgender military recruits on Jan. 1 |
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| 7-Dec-17 | News | When Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) announced his plans to resign Thursday, he specifically called out Donald Trump over the Access Hollywood video and Roy Moore, an alleged pedophile who is running for the Senate seat in Alabama with the GOP s blessing. Donald Trump Jr., not known for being a brainiac, decided to mock Franken on Twitter as if he didn t listen to the Democrat s amazing speech. Junior invoked one of the former comedian s Saturday Night Live most well-known characters, writing, because I m good enough, I m smart enough, and God-darnit people like me and included the hashtag #Franken. because I m good enough, I m smart enough, and God-darnit people like me. #Franken Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) December 7, 2017Twitter gave Junior a wake-up call:pic.twitter.com/NmuRm5MgMz liberalgranny50 (@peppersandeggs) December 7, 2017I am sure daddy @realDonaldTrump can sympathize as he is a fellow sexual predator pic.twitter.com/Qesftp1u28 Matt Slavin (@tHemAttsLavin) December 7, 2017 Grab em by the pussy. Donald Trump. Mrs. SMH (@MRSSMH2) December 7, 2017Did you wear a diaper when you tweeted this? Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) December 7, 2017 And when you re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab em by the pussy. your dad Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 7, 2017Your father is a rapist. Ask your mom if you don t believe me.Also: you ll be in prison this time next year, traitor. Greg Olear (@gregolear) December 7, 2017This is coming from Donald I do not recall Trump Jr. Rep. Jackie Sharp (@JackieSharp) December 7, 2017Can t wait to tweet joke about you when you go to prison. pic.twitter.com/JajOLBYqc6 American Dad (@okiedokiepokey) December 7, 2017pic.twitter.com/zB2kijzXk1 Meghan Morris (@seaghost78) December 7, 2017 I moved on her actually. You know she was down on Palm Beach. I moved on her and I failed. I ll admit it. I did try and fuck her. She was married. Your Dad #Franken #25thAmendmentNow Lesley Abravanel (@lesleyabravanel) December 7, 2017Calm down Fredo, go shoot a sedated animal or something, it s what you re good at. Motive of Christmas Past (@Falsemotive) December 7, 2017Yes, Jr, your Father (Sexual Predator) such a shining example to your 2 daughters. Nothing in the world like First Rate P*ssy he said. cantblameobamaanymor (@DrRev_Mustafa1) December 7, 2017Franken said during his speech, I, of all people, am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the Senate with the full support of his party. Trump and Moore support each other.Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images | Don Jr. Tries To Mock Al Franken’s Resignation, Backfires Immediately |
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| 1-Dec-17 | News | Donald Trump has a white supremacy problem, and now it is causing Great Britain, America s closest ally, to rebuke him in an historically public way. After Trump retweeted the leader of Britain First, a fascist white nationalist group, Prime Minister Theresa May decided she had had enough. She publicly criticized Trump, and made it clear that she in no way approved of his identifying with Britain First. May said of Trump s tweets: The fact that we work together does not mean that we re afraid to say when we think the United States has got it wrong, and be very clear with them. And I m very clear that retweeting from Britain First was the wrong thing to do. May went on to call Britain First a hateful organization that has caused division in her nation. Now, it seems that a so-called working visit that had been planned soon for Trump in Britain will now be cancelled.Trump, of course, instead of trying to patch things up in the special relationship that has always existed between the United States and Great Britain, decided to attack the Prime Minister of our closest and most important ally again, of course, via Twitter:.@Theresa_May, don t focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom. We are doing just fine! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2017Donald Trump is an absolute disgrace. He is shredding America s international relationships, and painting us as a country full of bigoted, knuckle-dragging morons in front of the entire world. No matter who cancelled the visit to the UK for Trump, they were right to do so. The UK s citizens are right to be outraged that this buffoon was set to come to their great nation. Now, if only we Americans could get rid of him in the same way. We can hope.Featured image via Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images | Trump Gets An Epic F**ck You From Britain Over His White Supremacist Retweets |
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| 12-Dec-17 | News | Alabama is a notoriously deep red state. It s a place where Democrats always think that we have zero chances of winning especially in statewide federal elections. However, that is just what happened on Tuesday night in the Special Election to replace Senator Jeff Sessions. Doug Jones, the Democratic Senate candidate who is known in the state for prosecuting the Ku Klux Klan members who bombed a church during the Civil Rights Movement and killed four little African American girls, will be the next Senator from Alabama. CNN has just called the race, as there seems no more GOP-leaning counties out there.To contrast, Roy Moore had been twice removed from the Alabama Supreme Court as Chief Justice for violating the law, and was also credibly accused of being a sexual predator toward teen girls. Despite all of that, though, the race was a nail biter, because Moore has a long history and a deep base in Alabama. Of course, decent people including Republicans were horrified at the idea of a man like Roy Moore going to the Senate. Despite the allegations of sexual predation, Moore also had said many incendiary things, such as putting forth the idea that Muslims shouldn t be allowed in Congress, that homosexuality should be illegal, and that America was great when slavery was legal. And that s just for starters, too.Thank you Alabama, for letting sanity prevail in this race. Oh, and a message to Democrats this is proof we can compete everywhere. Get a fifty state strategy going so we can blow the GOP outta the water in 2018.Featured image via Justin Sullivan/Getty Images | CNN CALLS IT: A Democrat Will Represent Alabama In The Senate For The First Time In 25 Years |
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| 21-Dec-17 | politicsNews | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday took a step toward averting a partial government shutdown at the end of this week, approving rules to debate a bill that would fund federal agencies through Jan. 19. Also cleared for debate was an $81 billion disaster aid bill to help U.S. states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands recover from a series of recent natural disasters. House votes on both bills were expected later on Thursday. | Short-term government funding, disaster aid bills advance in House |
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| 23-Dec-17 | politicsNews | (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday said President Donald Trump’s hotly contested travel ban targeting people from six Muslim-majority countries should not be applied to people with strong U.S. ties. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers several West Coast states, also said its ruling would be put on hold pending a decision on the latest version of the travel ban from the Trump administration by the U.S. Supreme Court. Since taking office in January, Trump has been struggling to enact a ban that passes court muster. A three-judge panel from the 9th Circuit narrowed a previous injunction from a lower federal court to those people “with a credible bona fide relationship with the United States.” It also said that while the U.S. president has broad powers to regulate the entry of immigrants into the United States, those powers are not without limits. “We conclude that the President’s issuance of the Proclamation once again exceeds the scope of his delegated authority,” the panel said. The ban targets people from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen seeking to enter the United States. Trump, a Republican, has said the travel ban is needed to protect the United States from terrorism. The state of Hawaii, however, challenged it in court, and a Honolulu federal judge said it exceeded Trump’s powers under immigration law. Trump’s ban also covers people from North Korea and certain government officials from Venezuela, but the lower courts had already allowed those provisions to go into effect. The same three-judge 9th Circuit panel, which limited a previous version of Trump’s ban, heard arguments earlier this month. Trump issued his first travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority countries in January, which caused chaos at airports and mass protests. He issued a revised one in March after the first was blocked by federal courts. That expired in September after a court fight and was replaced with the current version. The ban has some exceptions. Certain people from each targeted country can still apply for a visa for tourism, business or education purposes, and applicants can ask for an individual waiver. “We are pleased that the Supreme Court has already allowed the government to implement the proclamation and keep all Americans safe while this matter is litigated. We continue to believe that the order should be allowed to take effect in its entirety,” U.S. Justice Department spokeswoman Lauren Ehrsam said in a statement. | Trump travel ban should not apply to people with strong U.S. ties: court |
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| 5-Dec-17 | News | Arizona Republican Senator Jeff Flake has never been a fan of Donald Trump or his incendiary, divisive brand of politics. Now, he is a leading GOP voice against electing Roy Moore (R-AL) to the United States Senate. Moore is an accused child molester, and has a lifetime history of making all kinds of bigoted and incendiary comments. He has said that homosexuality should be illegal, and that Muslims should not be allowed to serve in Congress. Moore was also removed twice from the Alabama Supreme Court for refusing to comply with higher court rulings. Well, Flake has finally had enough of his party enabling characters like Moore. He had already said that if he lived in Alabama, he d be voting for Democrat Doug Jones. Now, Flake has taken his support of Jones even further, in the wake of the Republican National Committee s decision to support an accused child molester rather than a Democrat.Taking to Twitter, Senator Flake posted an image of a check made out to Doug Jones Senate campaign. Here is the tweet, captioned Country over Party :Country over Party pic.twitter.com/JZMTaEYdxQ Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) December 5, 2017Now, I don t agree with Jeff Flake on anything politically, but I can say that he is trying to act with morality and decency here. One could argue that Flake s plans to retire from the Senate mean that he can do this without consequence, but at this point, that matters not. We do not need a pedophile in the United States Senate, and the GOP apparatus should be ashamed of themselves for trying to get Roy Moore elected. But, hey better a pedophile than a Democrat, right?Featured image Drew Angerer/Getty Images | Sitting GOP Senator Has Had ENOUGH, Donates To Alabama Democrat For Senate (IMAGE) |
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| 22-Dec-17 | politicsNews | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Steve Bannon, a former top White House strategist and a former chief campaign aide to Donald Trump, has been asked to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives intelligence panel next month, Bloomberg News reported. Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager, was also asked to testify in early January, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing an official familiar with the committee’s schedule. Representatives for the committee did not immediately respond to inquiries for comment. The panel is probing alleged Russian meddling into the 2016 U.S. election. | House panel asks Trump ex-top aide Bannon to testify: Bloomberg |
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| 20-Dec-17 | News | The media has been talking all day about Trump and the Republican Party s scam of a tax bill; as well as the sheer obsequiousness of Trump s cabinet, and then members of Congress, after their tax scam was all but passed. But the media isn t quite saying what Trump wants. They ve been doing analysis and discussion all day long rather than praising it for the grand achievement Trump believes it is. The GOP has increasingly sounded exactly like Trump when it comes to media coverage, and coverage of the tax scam is no different. Coverage of Trump in general hasn t changed.Today, Lindsey Graham went after the media for portraying Trump as a kook, and unfit for office (they wouldn t be doing their job if they weren t telling the truth, though). Graham said: You know what concerns me about the American press is this endless, endless attempt to label the guy as some kind of kook; not fit to be president. Jake Tapper notes that he himself has never labeled Trump that way. But then he points out something rather odd about Graham s opinion. Take a look at the short video clip below:Lindsey Graham today: I m concerned by the media s attempt to label Trump as a kook or not fit to be President.Lindsey Graham in 2016: I think he s a kook. I think he s crazy. I think he s unfit for office. pic.twitter.com/hIxs3DciO8 Tomthunkit (@TomthunkitsMind) December 17, 2017There it is, out of Graham s own mouth. He parroted himself. In 2016, he used the exact words to describe Trump that he said the media is using today. Freudian slip?Featured image via video screen capture | WATCH: Lindsey Graham Trashes Media For Portraying Trump As ‘Kooky,’ Forgets His Own Words |
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| 25-Dec-17 | News | The number of cases of cops brutalizing and killing people of color seems to see no end. Now, we have another case that needs to be shared far and wide. An Alabama woman by the name of Angela Williams shared a graphic photo of her son, lying in a hospital bed with a beaten and fractured face, on Facebook. It needs to be shared far and wide, because this is unacceptable.It is unclear why Williams son was in police custody or what sort of altercation resulted in his arrest, but when you see the photo you will realize that these details matter not. Cops are not supposed to beat and brutalize those in their custody. In the post you are about to see, Ms. Williams expresses her hope that the cops had their body cameras on while they were beating her son, but I think we all know that there will be some kind of convenient malfunction to explain away the lack of existence of dash or body camera footage of what was clearly a brutal beating. Hell, it could even be described as attempted murder. Something tells me that this young man will never be the same. Without further ado, here is what Troy, Alabama s finest decided was appropriate treatment of Angela Williams son:No matter what the perceived crime of this young man might be, this is completely unacceptable. The cops who did this need to rot in jail for a long, long time but what you wanna bet they get a paid vacation while the force investigates itself, only to have the officers returned to duty posthaste?This, folks, is why we say BLACK LIVES MATTER. No way in hell would this have happened if Angela Williams son had been white. Please share far and wide, and stay tuned to Addicting Info for further updates.Featured image via David McNew/Stringer/Getty Images | Racist Alabama Cops Brutalize Black Boy While He Is In Handcuffs (GRAPHIC IMAGES) |
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| 12-Dec-17 | News | As a Democrat won a Senate seat in deep-red Alabama, social media offered up everyone s opinion because that s what social media does. Democrat Doug Jones narrowly defeated accused pedophile and serial sexual assaulter Roy Moore in a special election for the Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions when he was appointed Attorney General. And some Republicans aren t exactly heartbroken about this.Take Meghan McCain John McCain s daughter. She went right after one of Trump s biggest supporters Steve Bannon as soon as the election results were announced:Suck it, Bannon Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) December 13, 2017Three simple words. It s amazing what three simple words can say.Steve Bannon spoke at Moore s election night rally, which we assume was supposed to be a night of celebration. Bannon endorsed Moore early on, against Luther Strange, whom Donald Trump himself campaigned for earlier this year. Bannon s support for Moore remained steadfast even in the wake of multiple allegations surfaced against him of sexual assault, harassment and even pedophilia. Bannon even said, There s a special place in hell for those who refuse to support Moore.On Dec. 12, the people of Alabama rejected Roy Moore s penchant for pursuing, even assaulting, teenage girls. They rejected his hate and bigotry. They rejected an asshat who has been removed from Alabama s Supreme Court twice for violating federal court orders, thus demonstrating he has no respect for the rule of law. And they sent a message to the Republican Party that this bullshit will no longer be tolerated. If deep-red Alabama can elect a Democrat, then anyone can. And that should have Republicans scared out of their minds.Well, we re going there, along with Meghan McCain and anyone else who believed Moore shouldn t ever hold public office. Even Republicans have their limits, it seems.Featured image via Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images | Meghan McCain Tweets The Most AMAZING Response To Doug Jones’ Win In Deep-Red Alabama |
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| 24-Dec-17 | politicsNews | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge in Seattle partially blocked U.S. President Donald Trump’s newest restrictions on refugee admissions on Saturday, the latest legal defeat for his efforts to curtail immigration and travel to the United States. The decision by U.S. District Judge James Robart is the first judicial curb on rules the Trump administration put into place in late October that have contributed significantly to a precipitous drop in the number of refugees being admitted into the country. Refugees and groups that assist them argued in court that the administration’s policies violated the Constitution and federal rulemaking procedures, among other claims. Department of Justice attorneys argued in part that U.S. law grants the executive branch the authority to limit refugee admissions in the way that it had done so. On Oct. 24, the Trump administration effectively paused refugee admissions from 11 countries mostly in the Middle East and Africa, pending a 90-day security review, which was set to expire in late January. The countries subject to the review are Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. For each of the last three years, refugees from the 11 countries made up more than 40 percent of U.S. admissions. A Reuters review of State Department data showed that as the review went into effect, refugee admissions from the 11 countries plummeted. Robart ruled that the administration could carry out the security review, but that it could not stop processing or admitting refugees from the 11 countries in the meantime, as long as those refugees have a “bona fide” connection to the United States. As part of its new restrictions, the Trump administration had also paused a program that allowed for family reunification for refugees, pending further security screening procedures being put into place. Robart ordered the government to re-start the program, known as “follow-to-join”. Approximately 2,000 refugees were admitted into the United States in fiscal year 2015 under the program, according to Department of Homeland Security data. Refugee advocacy groups praised Robart’s decision. “This ruling brings relief to thousands of refugees in precarious situations in the Middle East and East Africa, as well as to refugees already in the U.S. who are trying to reunite with their spouses and children,” said Mariko Hirose, litigation director for the International Refugee Assistance Project, one of the plaintiffs in the case. A Justice Department spokeswoman, Lauren Ehrsam, said the department disagrees with Robart’s ruling and is “currently evaluating the next steps”. Robart, who was appointed to the bench by Republican former President George W. Bush, emerged from relative obscurity in February, when he issued a temporary order to lift the first version of Trump’s travel ban. On Twitter, Trump called him a “so-called judge” whose “ridiculous” opinion “essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country”. Robart’s ruling represented the second legal defeat in two days for the Trump administration. On Friday, a U.S. appeals court said Trump’s travel ban targeting six Muslim-majority countries should not be applied to people with strong U.S. ties, but said its ruling would be put on hold pending a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. | Federal judge partially lifts Trump's latest refugee restrictions |
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| 21-Dec-17 | politicsNews | SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A second U.S. judge on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from enforcing new rules that undermine an Obamacare requirement for employers to provide insurance that covers women’s birth control. U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr. in Oakland, California, said the federal government likely did not follow proper administrative procedures in promulgating the new rules, and put them on hold while a lawsuit challenging their legality proceeds. The decision followed a similar ruling from a federal judge in Philadelphia last Friday that blocked the administration from enforcing rules it announced in October allowing businesses or nonprofits to obtain exemptions on moral or religious grounds. Gilliam ruled on a lawsuit pursued by Democratic attorneys general in California, Delaware, Maryland, New York and Virginia. He said that a preliminary injunction was necessary given the “dire public health and fiscal consequences” that could result as a result of the administration adopting the rules without the input of interested parties. “If the Court ultimately finds in favor of Plaintiffs on the merits, any harm caused in the interim by rescinded contraceptive coverage would not be susceptible to remedy,” he wrote. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement that, given last week’s decision in Pennsylvania, “today’s ruling amounts to a one-two punch against the Trump administration’s unlawful overreach.” The U.S. Justice Department defended the rules in court. Lauren Ehrsam, a department spokeswoman, said the agency disagreed with the ruling and was evaluating its next steps. “This administration is committed to defending the religious liberty of all Americans and we look forward to doing so in court,” Ehrsam said in a statement. The lawsuit is among several that Democratic state attorneys general filed after the Republican Trump administration revealed the new rules on Oct. 6, which targeted the contraceptive mandate implemented as part of 2010’s Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. The rules will let businesses or nonprofits lodge religious or moral objections to obtain an exemption from the law’s mandate that employers provide contraceptive coverage in health insurance with no co-payment. Conservative Christian activists and congressional Republicans praised the move, while reproductive rights advocates and Democrats criticized it. | Second U.S. judge blocks Trump administration birth control rules |
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| 22-Dec-17 | politicsNews | KING OF PRUSSIA, Pennsylvania/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In the Fox & Hound sports bar, next to a shopping mall in suburban Philadelphia, four Democrats are giving speeches to potential voters as they begin their journey to try to unseat Republican congressman Pat Meehan in next year’s elections. Winning this congressional district - Pennsylvania’s 7th - is key to Democrats’ hopes of gaining the 24 seats they need to retake the U.S. House of Representatives next November. The stakes are high - control of the House would allow them to block President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda. On the surface, Democrats face a significant hurdle. In nearly two-thirds of 34 Republican-held districts that are top of the party’s target list, household income or job growth, and often both, have risen faster than state and national averages over the past two years, according to a Reuters analysis of census data. (Graphic: tmsnrt.rs/2Bgq29K) That is potentially vote-winning news for Republican incumbents, who in speeches and television ads can trumpet a strengthening economy as a product of Republican control of Washington, even though incomes and job growth began improving under former Democratic President Barack Obama. “The good economy is really the only positive keeping Republicans afloat,” said David Wasserman, a congressional analyst with the non-partisan Cook Political Report. Still, trumpeting the good economy may have limited impact among voters in competitive districts like this mostly white southeast region of Pennsylvania bordering Delaware and New Jersey, which has switched between both parties twice in the past 15 years. Many of the two dozen voters that Reuters interviewed in the 6th and 7th districts agreed the economy was strong, that jobs were returning and wages were growing. A handful were committed Republicans and Democrats who always vote the party line. About half voted for Meehan last year, but most of those said they were unsure whether they would vote for him again in 2018. Some said they were disappointed with the Republican Party’s handling of healthcare and tax reform as well as Trump’s erratic performance. About half also felt that despite an improving economy, living costs are squeezing the middle class. Drew McGinty, one of the Democratic hopefuls at the Fox & Hound bar hoping to unseat Meehan, said the good economic numbers were misleading. “When I talk to people across the district, I hear about stagnant wages. I hear about massive debt young people are getting when they finish college. There’s a lot out there not being told by the numbers,” he said. Still, Meehan, who won by 19 points in last November’s general election, is confident the strong economy will help him next year. He plans to run as a job creator and a champion of the middle class. “The first thing people look at is whether they have got a job and income,” Meehan said in a telephone interview. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton carried the district by more than two points in the White House race, giving Democrats some hope that they can peel it away from Republicans next November. Kyle Kondik, a political analyst at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said the election will essentially be a referendum on Trump. The economy might help Republicans, he said, but other issues will likely be uppermost in voters’ minds, like the Republican tax overhaul - which is seen by some as favoring the rich over the middle class - and Trump’s dismantling of President Barack Obama’s initiative to expand healthcare to millions of Americans, popularly known as Obamacare. Indeed, healthcare is Americans’ top concern, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted earlier this month. Next is terrorism and then the economy. “Healthcare will be the No. 1 issue,” in the election, predicted Molly Sheehan, another Democrat running to unseat Meehan. Democrats have warned that dismantling Obamacare will leave millions of Americans without health coverage, and political analysts say Republicans in vulnerable districts could be punished by angry voters. Republicans argue that Obamacare drives up costs for consumers and interferes with personal medical decisions. In Broomall, a hamlet in the 7th District, local builder Greg Dulgerian, 55, said he voted for Trump and Meehan. He still likes Trump because of his image as a political outsider, but he is less certain about Meehan. “I’m busy, which is good,” Dulgerian said. “But I actually make less than I did 10 years ago, because my living costs and costs of materials have gone up.” Dulgerian said he was not sure what Meehan was doing to address this, and he was open to a Democratic candidate with a plan to help the middle class. Ida McCausland, 65, is a registered Republican but said she is disappointed with the party. She views the overhaul of the tax system as a giveaway to the rich that will hit the middle class. “I will probably just go Democrat,” she said. Still, others interviewed said the good economy was the most important issue for them and would vote for Meehan. Mike Allard, 35, a stocks day trader, voted for Clinton last year but did not cast a ballot in the congressional vote. He thinks the economy will help Meehan next year and is leaning toward voting for him. “Local businesses like the way the economy is going right now,” he said. In the 7th district median household income jumped more than 10 percent from 2014 to 2016, from $78,000 to around $86,000, above the national average increase of 7.3 percent, while job growth held steady, the analysis of the census data shows. Overall, the U.S. economy has grown 3 percent in recent quarters, and some forecasters now think the stimulus from the Republican tax cuts will sustain that rate of growth through next year. Unemployment has dropped to 4.1 percent, a 17-year low. In midterm congressional elections, history shows that voters often focus on issues other than the economy. In 1966 the economy was thriving, but President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Democrats suffered a net loss of 47 seats, partly because of growing unhappiness with the Vietnam War. In 2006, again the economy was humming, but Republicans lost a net 31 seats in the House, as voters focused on the Iraq war and the unpopularity of Republican President George W. Bush. In 2010, despite pulling the economy out of a major recession, Democrats lost control of the House to Republicans, mainly because of the passage of Obamacare, which at the time was highly unpopular with many voters. “When times are bad, the election is almost always about the economy. When the economy is good, people have the freedom and the ability to worry about other issues,” said Stu Rothenberg, a veteran political analyst. | As Republicans aim to ride economy to election victory, a warning from voters in key district |
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| 29-Dec-17 | politicsNews | SEATTLE/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump called on the U.S. Postal Service on Friday to charge “much more” to ship packages for Amazon (AMZN.O), picking another fight with an online retail giant he has criticized in the past. “Why is the United States Post Office, which is losing many billions of dollars a year, while charging Amazon and others so little to deliver their packages, making Amazon richer and the Post Office dumber and poorer? Should be charging MUCH MORE!” Trump wrote on Twitter. The president’s tweet drew fresh attention to the fragile finances of the Postal Service at a time when tens of millions of parcels have just been shipped all over the country for the holiday season. The U.S. Postal Service, which runs at a big loss, is an independent agency within the federal government and does not receive tax dollars for operating expenses, according to its website. Package delivery has become an increasingly important part of its business as the Internet has led to a sharp decline in the amount of first-class letters. The president does not determine postal rates. They are set by the Postal Regulatory Commission, an independent government agency with commissioners selected by the president from both political parties. That panel raised prices on packages by almost 2 percent in November. Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos, who remains the chief executive officer of the retail company and is the richest person in the world, according to Bloomberg News. Bezos also owns The Washington Post, a newspaper Trump has repeatedly railed against in his criticisms of the news media. In tweets over the past year, Trump has said the “Amazon Washington Post” fabricated stories. He has said Amazon does not pay sales tax, which is not true, and so hurts other retailers, part of a pattern by the former businessman and reality television host of periodically turning his ire on big American companies since he took office in January. Daniel Ives, a research analyst at GBH Insights, said Trump’s comment could be taken as a warning to the retail giant. However, he said he was not concerned for Amazon. “We do not see any price hikes in the future. However, that is a risk that Amazon is clearly aware of and (it) is building out its distribution (system) aggressively,” he said. Amazon has shown interest in the past in shifting into its own delivery service, including testing drones for deliveries. In 2015, the company spent $11.5 billion on shipping, 46 percent of its total operating expenses that year. Amazon shares were down 0.86 percent to $1,175.90 by early afternoon. Overall, U.S. stock prices were down slightly on Friday. Satish Jindel, president of ShipMatrix Inc, which analyzes shipping data, disputed the idea that the Postal Service charges less than United Parcel Service Inc (UPS.N) and FedEx Corp (FDX.N), the other biggest players in the parcel delivery business in the United States. Many customers get lower rates from UPS and FedEx than they would get from the post office for comparable services, he said. The Postal Service delivers about 62 percent of Amazon packages, for about 3.5 to 4 million a day during the current peak year-end holiday shipping season, Jindel said. The Seattle-based company and the post office have an agreement in which mail carriers take Amazon packages on the last leg of their journeys, from post offices to customers’ doorsteps. Amazon’s No. 2 carrier is UPS, at 21 percent, and FedEx is third, with 8 percent or so, according to Jindel. Trump’s comment tapped into a debate over whether Postal Service pricing has kept pace with the rise of e-commerce, which has flooded the mail with small packages.Private companies like UPS have long claimed the current system unfairly undercuts their business. Steve Gaut, a spokesman for UPS, noted that the company values its “productive relationship” with the postal service, but that it has filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission its concerns about the postal service’s methods for covering costs. Representatives for Amazon, the White House, the U.S. Postal Service and FedEx declined comment or were not immediately available for comment on Trump’s tweet. According to its annual report, the Postal Service lost $2.74 billion this year, and its deficit has ballooned to $61.86 billion. While the Postal Service’s revenue for first class mail, marketing mail and periodicals is flat or declining, revenue from package delivery is up 44 percent since 2014 to $19.5 billion in the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2017. But it also lost about $2 billion in revenue when a temporary surcharge expired in April 2016. According to a Government Accountability Office report in February, the service is facing growing personnel expenses, particularly $73.4 billion in unfunded pension and benefits liabilities. The Postal Service has not announced any plans to cut costs. By law, the Postal Service has to set prices for package delivery to cover the costs attributable to that service. But the postal service allocates only 5.5 percent of its total costs to its business of shipping packages even though that line of business is 28 percent of its total revenue. | Trump wants Postal Service to charge 'much more' for Amazon shipments |
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| 24-Dec-17 | politicsNews | (Reuters) - A gift-wrapped package addressed to U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s home in a posh Los Angeles neighborhood that was suspected of being a bomb was instead filled with horse manure, police told local media. The package was found Saturday evening in a next-door neighbor’s driveway in Bel Air, the Los Angeles Police Department told the Los Angeles Times and KNBC television, the NBC affiliate in Los Angeles. The package also included a Christmas card with negative comments about President Donald Trump and the new U.S. tax law signed by Trump last week. Reuters could not reach LAPD officials for comment on Sunday. An LAPD bomb squad X-rayed the package before opening it and found the horse manure inside, police told local media. Aerial footage from KNBC showed officers investigating a large box in wrapping paper, then dumping a large amount of what they later identified as the manure and opening the card that was included inside. Mnuchin, who KNBC said was not home when the package was discovered, is a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc executive and Hollywood film financier. A road in Bel Air was closed for about two hours, KNBC reported. The U.S. Secret Service is also investigating the incident, according to the TV station. | Treasury Secretary Mnuchin was sent gift-wrapped box of horse manure: reports |
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| 26-Dec-17 | politicsNews | (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court in Washington on Tuesday upheld a lower court’s decision to allow President Donald Trump’s commission investigating voter fraud to request data on voter rolls from U.S. states. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) watchdog group, which filed the lawsuit, did not have legal standing to seek to force the presidential commission to review privacy concerns before collecting individuals’ voter data. EPIC had argued that under federal law, the commission was required to conduct a privacy-impact assessment before gathering personal data. But the three-judge appeals court panel ruled unanimously that the privacy law at issue was intended to protect individuals, not groups like EPIC. “EPIC is not a voter,” Judge Karen Henderson wrote in the ruling. Washington-based U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly first denied EPIC’s injunction request in July, in part because the collection of data by the commission was not technically an action by a government agency so was not bound by laws that govern what such entities can do. Kollar-Kotelly noted that the commission, headed by Vice President Mike Pence, was an advisory body that lacks legal authority to compel states to hand over the data. Most state officials who oversee elections and election law experts say that voter fraud is rare in the United States. Trump, a Republican, set up the commission in May after charging, without evidence, that millions of people voted unlawfully in the 2016 presidential election in which he defeated Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton despite losing the popular vote. The commission’s vice chair, Kris Kobach, the Republican secretary of state for Kansas and an advocate of tougher laws on immigration and voter identification, asked states in June to turn over voter information. The data requested by Kobach included names, the last four digits of Social Security numbers, addresses, birth dates, political affiliation, felony convictions and voting histories. More than 20 states refused outright and others said they needed to study whether they could provide the data. Civil rights groups and Democratic lawmakers have said the commission’s eventual findings could lead to new ID requirements and other measures making it harder for groups that tend to favor Democratic candidates to cast ballots. EPIC executive director Marc Rotenberg could not immediately be reached for comment. | U.S. appeals court rejects challenge to Trump voter fraud panel |
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| 27-Dec-17 | politicsNews | (Reuters) - A lottery drawing to settle a tied Virginia legislative race that could shift the statehouse balance of power has been indefinitely postponed, state election officials said on Tuesday, after the Democratic candidate mounted a legal fight. The decision to put off the high-stakes lotto, originally scheduled for Wednesday, marks the latest twist in a dramatic election recount that at one point showed Democrat Shelly Simonds beating Republican incumbent David Yancey by a single vote. A victory by Simonds would shift Republicans’ slim control of the 100-member House of Delegates to an even 50-50 split with the Democrats, forcing the two parties into a rare power-sharing arrangement. A day after Simonds emerged as the victor of a recount, a three-judge panel ruled that a disputed ballot should be counted for Yancey. That decision left the two candidates tied with 11,608 votes each in a district that encompasses the shipping hub of Newport News in southeastern Virginia, setting the stage for the equivalent of a coin toss to pick a final winner. Simonds asked a state court to reconsider on Tuesday, arguing that the disputed ballot was wrongly included. An image filed in court showed that the ballot had bubbles filled in beside both names, with a slash mark by Simonds’ name. The voter selected Republicans for other offices. Simonds told reporters that the case had implications not only for her contest but for the integrity of state elections as a whole, saying that without a court ruling in her favor, “recounts would become a never-ending spiral of courtroom challenges.” The chairman of the Virginia Board of Elections, James Alcorn, said in a statement that while holding a lottery would be in keeping with state law, such a move should be considered “an action of last resort.” He added: “Any substantive concerns regarding the election or recount should be resolved before a random drawing is conducted.” Yancey’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Virginia House Republican Caucus said in a statement that it was reviewing the new court filings. “We believe the court acted appropriately and that the integrity of the process is without question,” spokesman Parker Slaybaugh said. Virginia Department of Elections spokeswoman Andrea Gaines said in an email that no new date for a drawing has been set. Democrats notched historic gains in Virginia’s statehouse elections last month, part of the party’s first big wave of political victories since Republican Donald Trump won the White House last year. Before the Nov. 7 general election, Virginia Republicans held 66 seats to the Democrats’ 34 in the House of Delegates, along with a majority in the state Senate. | Virginia officials postpone lottery drawing to decide tied statehouse election |
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| 2-Dec-17 | News | Donald Trump really should have taken his staffers advise and not tweeted about former national security adviser Michael Flynn because the former reality show star just implicated himself. I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI, Trump tweeted. He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide! I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 2, 2017 Oh my god, he just admitted to obstruction of justice, former Justice Department spokesman Matthew Miller tweeted. If Trump knew Flynn lied to the FBI when he asked Comey to let it go, then there is your case. Oh my god, he just admitted to obstruction of justice. If Trump knew Flynn lied to the FBI when he asked Comey to let it go, then there is your case. https://t.co/c6Wtd0TfzW Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) December 2, 2017However, last February, then-White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Trump asked Flynn to resign from his position because of eroding trust. There is not a legal issue but rather a trust issue, he said at the time.After Flynn left, Trump defended him, calling the disgraced former national security adviser a wonderful man. I think he s been treated very, very unfairly by the media as I call it, the fake media, in many cases, Trump said in February. I think it s really a sad thing he was treated so badly. When Flynn resigned, he apologized for giving an inaccurate assessment of his conversation with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak to Mike Pence, who, at the time, was the vice-president elect.Pence then said that Flynn had not discussed sanctions with Kislyak.The day after Flynn resigned, Trump, according to then-FBI Director James Comey, asked him to let go of an investigation into Flynn.Trump admitted that he knew Flynn lied to the FBI, then he asked Comey to drop the investigation. Shorter version: Trump just tripped over his own little d*ck and presented exhibit A for trial because he obstructed justice.Photo by Steve Pope/Getty Images. | Trump Just Admitted He Knew Flynn Lied To The FBI Before He Asked Comey To Drop The Investigation |
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| 29-Dec-17 | politicsNews | The following statements were posted to the verified Twitter accounts of U.S. President Donald Trump, @realDonaldTrump and @POTUS. The opinions expressed are his own. Reuters has not edited the statements or confirmed their accuracy. @realDonaldTrump : - Together, we are MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! bit.ly/2lnpKaq [1814 EST] - In the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year’s Eve on record. Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up! [1901 EST] -- Source link: (bit.ly/2jBh4LU) (bit.ly/2jpEXYR) | Trump on Twitter (Dec 28) - Global Warming |
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| 28-Dec-17 | politicsNews | The following statements were posted to the verified Twitter accounts of U.S. President Donald Trump, @realDonaldTrump and @POTUS. The opinions expressed are his own. Reuters has not edited the statements or confirmed their accuracy. @realDonaldTrump : - Vanity Fair, which looks like it is on its last legs, is bending over backwards in apologizing for the minor hit they took at Crooked H. Anna Wintour, who was all set to be Amb to Court of St James’s & a big fundraiser for CH, is beside herself in grief & begging for forgiveness! [1024 EST] -- Source link: (bit.ly/2jBh4LU) (bit.ly/2jpEXYR) | Factbox: Trump on Twitter (Dec 28) - Vanity Fair, Hillary Clinton |
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| 28-Dec-17 | politicsNews | (Reuters) - Alabama officials on Thursday certified Democrat Doug Jones the winner of the state’s U.S. Senate race, after a state judge denied a challenge by Republican Roy Moore, whose campaign was derailed by accusations of sexual misconduct with teenage girls. Jones won the vacant seat by about 22,000 votes, or 1.6 percentage points, election officials said. That made him the first Democrat in a quarter of a century to win a Senate seat in Alabama. The seat was previously held by Republican Jeff Sessions, who was tapped by U.S. President Donald Trump as attorney general. A state canvassing board composed of Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, Governor Kay Ivey and Attorney General Steve Marshall certified the election results. Seating Jones will narrow the Republican majority in the Senate to 51 of 100 seats. In a statement, Jones called his victory “a new chapter” and pledged to work with both parties. Moore declined to concede defeat even after Trump urged him to do so. He stood by claims of a fraudulent election in a statement released after the certification and said he had no regrets, media outlets reported. An Alabama judge denied Moore’s request to block certification of the results of the Dec. 12 election in a decision shortly before the canvassing board met. Moore’s challenge alleged there had been potential voter fraud that denied him a chance of victory. His filing on Wednesday in the Montgomery Circuit Court sought to halt the meeting scheduled to ratify Jones’ win on Thursday. Moore could ask for a recount, in addition to possible other court challenges, Merrill said in an interview with Fox News Channel. He would have to complete paperwork “within a timed period” and show he has the money for a challenge, Merrill said. “We’ve not been notified yet of their intention to do that,” Merrill said. Regarding the claim of voter fraud, Merrill told CNN that more than 100 cases had been reported. “We’ve adjudicated more than 60 of those. We will continue to do that,” he said. Republican lawmakers in Washington had distanced themselves from Moore and called for him to drop out of the race after several women accused him of sexual assault or misconduct dating back to when they were teenagers and he was in his early 30s. Moore has denied wrongdoing and Reuters has not been able to independently verify the allegations. | Jones certified U.S. Senate winner despite Moore challenge |
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| 26-Dec-17 | politicsNews | The following statements were posted to the verified Twitter accounts of U.S. President Donald Trump, @realDonaldTrump and @POTUS. The opinions expressed are his own. Reuters has not edited the statements or confirmed their accuracy. @realDonaldTrump : - Based on the fact that the very unfair and unpopular Individual Mandate has been terminated as part of our Tax Cut Bill, which essentially Repeals (over time) ObamaCare, the Democrats & Republicans will eventually come together and develop a great new HealthCare plan! [0658 EST] - WOW, @foxandfrlends “Dossier is bogus. Clinton Campaign, DNC funded Dossier. FBI CANNOT (after all of this time) VERIFY CLAIMS IN DOSSIER OF RUSSIA/TRUMP COLLUSION. FBI TAINTED.” And they used this Crooked Hillary pile of garbage as the basis for going after the Trump Campaign! [0824 EST] - All signs are that business is looking really good for next year, only to be helped further by our Tax Cut Bill. Will be a great year for Companies and JOBS! Stock Market is poised for another year of SUCCESS! [17:17 EST] -- Source link: (bit.ly/2jBh4LU) (bit.ly/2jpEXYR) | Trump on Twitter (Dec 26) - Hillary Clinton, Tax Cut Bill |
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| 11-Dec-17 | News | Ronald Reagan is largely seen as the Messiah of the Republican Party. Despite how long it has been since the man was president, he has always remained the high standard of GOP morality for potential office holders. That is, until now. Reagan is likely rolling over in his grave at the idea of the state of his party with Donald Trump as its standard-bearer, and he s likely doing the same at the prospect of a bigoted accused child molester like Roy Moore (R-AL) being the next GOP Senator from Alabama. Well, now Reagan has another reason to hate Moore: He s clearly in the pocket of Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin just like Donald Trump is.During an interview where he s talking about Americans being the face of evil in the world right now, Moore indicates that Putin s harsh and murderous treatment of LGBTQ people in Russia is something he would like to see happen in the United States. Then, he does something most appalling, and goes on to give Putin a message in Russian. Now, no one knows where a bigoted, backwoods buffoon like Roy Moore would learn Russian. After all, he s barely left Alabama, where he has spent the last 40+ years wreacking havoc and just basically cementing Alabama s place as America s bigoted boil on the butt of humanity wherever and whenever he can. However, he managed to learn enough Russian to dog whistle to Putin in that interview. That should disturb us all. Not only is the man being a homophobe, a racist, a misogynist, and more than likely a child molester, he s also a Russian stooge.America, we can do better. We have enough Russian puppets at the highest levels of government. Lord knows we don t need one in the United States Senate.Watch the appalling video below:Please watch this until the end, Roy Moore sides with Putin over Reagan, says that America is the focus of evil in the world, and sends a nice message to Putin in Russian. pic.twitter.com/wFgDkvzEhT The Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) December 10, 2017Featured image via Drew Angerer/Getty Images | Accused Child Molesting Senate Candidate Roy Moore Sides With Putin Over Reagan (VIDEO) |
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| 21-Dec-17 | politicsNews | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Thursday launched an effort to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign supplies of critical minerals used in smartphones, computers and military equipment, which he said poses a national security and economic risk. Under a directive from President Donald Trump, Zinke will work with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to publish in 60 days a list of non-fuel minerals that are vulnerable to supply chain disruptions and necessary for manufacturing and will develop a strategy to lessen U.S. dependence on foreign suppliers. The policy would aim to identify new domestic sources of critical minerals; increase domestic exploration, mining and recycling; giving miners and producers electronic access to better mapping and geological data; and streamlining leasing and permitting for new mines. “The United States must not remain reliant on foreign competitors like Russia and China for the critical minerals needed to keep our economy strong and our country safe,” Trump said. The order comes after the Interior Department and the U.S. Geological Survey published a report earlier this week that detailed U.S. dependence on foreign competitors for its supply of certain minerals. The report identified 23 out of 88 minerals that are priorities for U.S. national defense and the economy because they are components in products ranging from batteries to military equipment. The list included rare earths metals, lithium, graphite and other minerals. That report did not offer policy recommendations, but Zinke said he would rely on the findings as he prioritizes research into certain mineral deposit areas on federal land and plans policies to promote mining. Twenty of the 23 critical minerals that the United States relies on are sourced from China. Much of the world’s lithium is produced in Australia and Chile, with the bulk of the world’s reserves straddling huge salt flats in the so-called lithium triangle of Chile, Bolivia and Argentina. Lithium exports from Chile, for example, approached $600 million in 2016, or roughly 40 percent of the global market by volume, according to Chile development agency Corfo. Lithium producers SQM, Albemarle and FMC Lithium are among the region’s top producers. | U.S. launches effort to reduce reliance on imports or critical minerals |
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| 16-Dec-17 | News | Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) thought it would be a good idea to attack Special Counsel Robert Mueller over the Russia probe. As Mueller s noose tightens, Republicans are losing their sh-t and attacking Mueller and the FBI in order to protect probably the most corrupt president ever.Former Attorney General Eric Holder tweeted on Friday, Speaking on behalf of the vast majority of the American people, Republicans in Congress be forewarned: any attempt to remove Bob Mueller will not be tolerated. Cornyn retweeted Holder to say, You don t. You don t https://t.co/7lHYkIloyz Senator JohnCornyn (@JohnCornyn) December 16, 2017Bloomberg s Steven Dennis tweeted on Saturday that [Cornyn] s beef is with Holder, not Mueller, but Cornyn responded to say, But Mueller needs to clean house of partisans. But Mueller needs to clean house of partisans https://t.co/g8SwgAKtfH Senator JohnCornyn (@JohnCornyn) December 16, 2017The Washington Post s Greg Sargent asked Cornyn, Will you accept the findings of the Mueller probe as legitimate, @JohnCornyn? Makes sense to me to wait to see what they are first, Cornyn responded.Makes sense to me to wait to see what they are first https://t.co/9lCqpYujKN Senator JohnCornyn (@JohnCornyn) December 16, 2017Republicans are trying to discredit Mueller and Twitter users took notice.If you even THINK of firing Mueller I ll make it my life s mission to make sure this is your last term, buddy. Mrs. SMH (@MRSSMH2) December 16, 2017Carrollton, TX here Ready and willing to help get Cruz and Cornyn out Jules012 (@JulesLorey1) December 16, 2017Garland, TX here Same! Bye Bye TDK (@ejkmom1998) December 16, 2017Austin, TX. #IStandWithMueller. Cronyn is a fake representative. He represents his own interests and anything to profit himself Vj (@Tex92eye) December 16, 2017I stand with Mueller! Kenneth Shipp (@shipp_kenneth) December 16, 2017He speaks for me Its BS how you cover up for a Russia pawn If Trump not gulity why would Mueller be fired to cover up Ellen Reeher Morris (@EllenMorris1222) December 16, 2017@EricHolder speaks for 69% of Americans according to recent polling. That s vast majority in my book. You were around for the Saturday Night Massacre @JohnCornyn. Firing Mueller would be X100! Lori Winters (@LoriW66) December 16, 2017Country over party. pic.twitter.com/NXEX9rGBgu PittieBoo (@PittieBoo) December 16, 2017He speaks for me, @JohnCornyn , and he speaks for the vast majority of American citizens who, you should remember, vote. See you in 2018. Andrew Silver (@standsagreenoak) December 16, 2017I might just move to Texas to get those cronies tossed out of office. Blue wave is coming for the corrupt. Ollie (@marciebp) December 16, 2017Good try, John. History will not be kind to you.Photo by Ann Heisenfelt/Getty Images | Republican Senator Gets Dragged For Going After Robert Mueller |
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| 28-Dec-17 | politicsNews | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill said he will certify Democratic Senator-elect Doug Jones as winner on Thursday despite opponent Roy Moore’s challenge, in a phone call on CNN. Moore, a conservative who had faced allegations of groping teenage girls when he was in his 30s, filed a court challenge late on Wednesday to the outcome of a U.S. Senate election he unexpectedly lost. | Alabama official to certify Senator-elect Jones today despite challenge: CNN |
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| 23-Dec-17 | politicsNews | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. financial regulators said on Friday that because the new tax bill could make timely financial reporting difficult, public companies can make reasonable estimates when uncertain of the impact of the new tax law in financial reports, and will have up to a year to report final numbers. The Securities and Exchange Commission bulletin comes after the U.S. Chamber of Commerce warned on Thursday that some U.S. listed companies may struggle to file their annual financial reports on time because the Republican-led overhaul of the country’s tax system may prompt a raft of additional disclosures. In a statement on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TJCA) issued on Friday, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton and Commissioners Kara Stein and Michael Piwowar said guidance was similar to that given in the past when tax law changes affected financial reporting. The $1.5 trillion tax bill, signed into law on Friday by U.S. President Donald Trump, will significantly affect many companies’ year-end financial statements because listing rules oblige them to flag any potential material risks or changes to their operations and financial outlook to shareholders. The bill significantly lowers the income tax rate for U.S. companies - to 21 percent from 35 percent - allows them to repatriate cash from overseas, and modifies numerous deductions, among other changes. Public companies have been given a “measurement period” to study the changes created by a new law. During the measurement period, the SEC expects companies to complete their accounting and that “in no circumstances should the measurement period extend beyond one year from the enactment date,” of the TJCA. Companies will also need to make disclosures during the measurement period, including any updates to provisional amounts given earlier, or newly discovered reporting implications from tax bill. For companies with fiscal years ending Dec. 31, getting the necessary analysis done in time could be tough, the Chamber said. The tax bill It is the largest such overhaul since the 1980. In addition to slashing the corporate rate, it temporarily reduces the tax burden for most individuals. | Companies have up to a year for new U.S. tax bill reporting: SEC |
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| 20-Dec-17 | News | Abigail Disney is an heiress with brass ovaries who will profit from the GOP tax scam bill but isn t into f-cking poor people over. Ms. Disney penned an op-ed for USA Today in which she rips the GOP a new one because she has always been cognizant of income and wealth inequality. In other words, she is not Donald Trump, Paul Ryan or Bob Corker. Or Mitch McConnell. She is Abigail Disney, dammit. Since the election of Ronald Reagan, the gap between rich and poor has grown dramatically and trickle down economics has turned out to cause more of a trickle up, she writes. But nothing has brought the problem of inequality into sharper focus for me than the current proposals by Republicans to overhaul the tax system. Disney says that this proposal will be burdensome to the middle class while decreasing the responsibility of the wealthy to contribute to the common good. And then she dropped a truth bomb. (We like truth bombs.)Republicans insist this plan will cut taxes for the middle class, but the truth is that any meager savings will be offset by losses elsewhere in deductions no longer allowed, loss of Medicaid and Medicare coverage, and less funding for education, all of which are on the chopping block in order to provide a tax cut for a few very wealthy people like me. There is even a tax break to private jet owners. This bill will give me this tax cut while also killing health insurance for over 13 million people, Disney wrote. It will let me pass over $20 million to my children, tax-free. And all my friends with private jets? They get a tax cut too. With a suffocating education system, a dying infrastructure and a national debt that will be at least $1.5 trillion bigger, that social mobility will be far out of reach for people like you, Disney continued. But I will be able to stay comfortably right where I am. Does that strike you as fair? No, it does not, thankyouverymuch. But given how this bill was written, I think it s looking a lot like a nightmare from Pirates of the Caribbean, Disney wrote. Have I made you angry yet? I really hope I ve made you angry. You should be. No one who votes for this tax bill will be voting with your life in mind. But you will pay for it. Watch:This Disney heiress is taking a stand against the GOP tax bill even though she s going to benefit from it pic.twitter.com/E5bmcI83mU NowThis (@nowthisnews) December 20, 2017 If democracy is just a bunch of people advocating for their own self-interest instead of the interests of the greater good, then we re not a democracy, we re anarchy, Disney added. We need to start voting and acting as citizens as though the common good matters more than our own personal well-being. This isn t tax reform. It s a heist.Photo by Ralph Orlowski/Getty Images for Burda Media. | Heiress To Disney Empire Knows GOP Scammed Us – SHREDS Them For Tax Bill |
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| 6-Dec-17 | News | On Wednesday, Donald Trump took a step no previous president had ever dared to consider. He has declared that the United States now officially recognizes the city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and announced plans to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city.The only problem is, the city isn t just holy to the country of Israel.While Trump indicated that he wasn t taking a position on any contested land, that s really a misleading statement, since declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in effect gives the city to the Israelis, a position that essentially declares the debate on who all of the land belongs to over.Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator in the peace process, was quick to respond, saying that Trump had destroyed any possibility of peace and that he was pushing this region towards chaos [and] violence. Mustafa Marghouti, an independent Palestinian politician, told Al-Jazeera that: This is not a single act. This US administration that did not speak even once about a two-state solution. This American administration did not say or mention the words Palestinian state once. This American administration has failed to exercise any pressure on Israel on the issue of settlements, although Israel has enhanced settlement activities in the occupied territories by no less than 100 percent since President Trump was elected. Many expect to see outrage across the Middle East as news of the decision comes in.The European Union, for their part, insists that their position has not changed, and issued a statement almost immediately declaring that they intended to continue working toward recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of two distinct states Israel AND Palestine.Just as he does here at home, Trump seems to be uniting people against him, even some that seem to be unlikely pairings. Both the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and King Abdullah II of Jordan warned that ignoring the Palestinian, Muslim, and Christian rights in Jerusalem will only fuel further extremism and undermine the war against terrorism. But the decision does make Trump s evangelical supporters in America happy. Their desire to hasten the end of days has been a constant source of bafflement for those seeking to understand the strange relationship between the Jewish state and evangelicalism. According to Christian traditions, the Jews will all die in the Apocalypse, as will everyone who doesn t share their specific beliefs.No wonder they re mostly Republicans.Watch Trump s announcement here:Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | Trump Completely SCREWS The Middle East Peace Process, Just Another Wednesday For Him |
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| 21-Dec-17 | News | Just when you might have thought we d get a break from watching people kiss Donald Trump s ass and stroke his ego ad nauseam, a pro-Trump group creates an ad that s nothing but people doing even more of those exact things. America First Policies is set to release this ad, called Thank You, President Trump, on Christmas Day and, well, we threw up a little in our mouths trying to watch this.Basically, the spot is nothing but people fawning all over Trump for all the stuff he hasn t actually done. The ad includes a scene with a little girl thanking Trump for bringing back Merry Christmas, which never went away (there are even videos of President Obama saying Merry Christmas himself). A man thanks him for cutting his taxes. And America First says that everyday Americans everywhere are thanking Trump for being such a great and awesome president.The best president.Nobody s ever done what he s done. He s breaking all kinds of records every day.Believe us.Anyway, the word propaganda comes to mind when watching this. That s what it is literal propaganda promoting someone who shouldn t need this kind of promotion anymore. Watch this ad bullshit below:The way the MAGAs are kowtowing to Orange Hitler is both disgusting and frightening. The man has done nothing, and his policies will harm the very same Americans who are thanking him. Unfortunately, it will take an obscene amount of pain before they ll open their eyes and see they ve been duped by a con man with a bad hairdo.And his ongoing need for this kind of adoration is, at best, unbecoming of his office. This ad is vile.Featured image via Al Drago-Pool/Getty Images | WATCH: Brand-New Pro-Trump Ad Features So Much A** Kissing It Will Make You Sick |
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| 5-Dec-17 | News | All Senator John McCain wanted to achieve on the morning of Monday, December 4 was to hit that magic milestone of three million Twitter followers, a goal of which he was just 74 followers shy. So what was McCain s approach to gaining those new followers? Simple, he would go on Twitter and rely on word-of-mouth, how could that possibly fail?We're only 74 Twitter followers away from 3M spread the word & help us reach this big milestone! John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) December 4, 2017There was just one little thing Senator McCain had forgotten to factor in His significantly waning popularity since he voted for the Republican tax bill. Being the Republican Senator for Arizona, some may have seen this as him just batting for his own team, but let s not forget that John McCain was one of the few glimmers of hope as he was also one of the only Republicans that has been openly critical of President Trump and this is a terrible tax bill.Not only will the new tax measures raise taxes on those earning less than $75,000 per annum, it would also take healthcare from 13 million Americans and raise the national debt by almost $1.5 trillion dollars over the coming decade! To add insult to injury, the 479-page bill wasn t even completed when it was released on Friday night, with some pages crossed out and others with hand-written amendments in the margins. Furthermore, nobody even had a chance to read it when they were forced to vote on it, but that didn t sway McCain and the bill somehow managed to pass the Senate.UPDATE: Senate Republicans are so desperate to pass their tax bill tonight that they're now making handwritten changes to their already handwritten changes Seriously. pic.twitter.com/KQfW7bOyk1 Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) December 2, 2017Some people had grown to believe that Senator McCain wasn t too bad for a Republican, but when he shocked everyone and voted in favor of the new tax bill, one where 13 million taxpayers will lose their healthcare but still subsidize his treatment for brain cancer, he proved he was no different and people decided to revolt. So when McCain put out the plea for another 74 followers to reach the three million mark, Twitter-users instead instigated a massive unfollow campaign using the hashtag #UnfollowMcCain, costing him hundreds of followers every minute.Over 5,000 people have unfollowed you since you sent this this two hours ago.One reason is you because you a man undergoing cancer treatment voted to strip $25 BILLION dollars from the part of Medicare which pays for CANCER TREATMENT.#unfollowmccain https://t.co/gWl6KsAaLE Mikel Jollett (@Mikel_Jollett) December 4, 2017I m happy to report that @SenJohnMcCain has lost more than 10,000 followers since I posted the below tweet. Please retweet to spread the word!! #UnfollowMcCain https://t.co/TSb8B9Oj1B Jon Cooper (@joncoopertweets) December 4, 2017Yeah, I'm a 'no' on that. You can have all the Twitter followers you want AFTER you prove that you care more about this country than you do about the corrupt GOP & your stinking donors by voting *NO* on the #GOPTaxScam.Meantime: #UnfollowMcCain jessica james (@MontaukBuzz) December 4, 2017His vote alone would've made it 50/50 giving time to fight/fix whatever,, he's the one who so openly said "No" gaining more trust & support from Dems. He blew it giving his family tax-free $. He also said yes to drilling in the Arctic reserve. #UnfollowMccain Suomi_Tytt (@musiikkia) December 4, 2017I am so disgusted in your #GOPTaxScam vote. Your legacy as an American Hero and a Maverick ended right there. Denying cancer treatment for Medicare/Medicaid patients gets you #UnfollowMcCain JustDe (@bobnde79) December 4, 2017So, how bad has the #UnfollowMcCain campaign been for the Arizona Senator? Well, at the time of writing this article he needed approximately another 30,000 followers to achieve his goal. Probably just should have kept quiet at 74 and hoped for things to improve organically.Featured image via William Thomas Cain/Getty Images | John McCain Wanted Another 74 Twitter Followers, But His Plan Backfired Miserably (TWEETS) |
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| 21-Dec-17 | politicsNews | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The ethics probe into U.S. Representative Blake Farenthold, who is already under a cloud for alleged sexual misconduct, is being expanded to look into whether he mixed his political campaign with congressional work and lied to the House Ethics Committee, the panel said on Thursday. Last week, Farenthold said he would not seek re-election next year after accounts surfaced that he created a hostile work environment. The Texas Republican denied allegations of sexual harassment but admitted allowing an unprofessional culture in his Capitol Hill office. On Thursday the ethics committee voted unanimously to investigate whether Farenthold used his congressional staff and other resources of the House of Representatives to further his political campaign, and if he had made false statements or omissions to the committee. The panel was already looking into whether he committed sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation against a former staff member and if he made inappropriate statements to other members of his staff. The committee said the announcement should not be read as an indication that it had found any rule violations. Farenthold’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Congress strictly divides lawmakers’ work on Capitol Hill and their runs for re-election so that taxpayers do not end up subsidizing political campaigns. In August, the committee went so far as to warn Representatives, who face elections every two years, they should not even send texts or forward emails related to their campaigns while in House buildings. Congress is reviewing its workplace policies on sexual harassment after a number of lawmakers have been accused of sexual misconduct in recent weeks amid a wave of such allegations against powerful men in entertainment, politics and the media. A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House said on Thursday intends to introduce legislation in January reforming a 20-year-old law that covers sexual harassment in Congress, which it hopes will pass soon after. | House widens ethics probe to include Farenthold campaign work |
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| 21-Dec-17 | News | Republicans are working overtime trying to sell their scam of a tax bill to the public as something that directly targets middle-class and working-class families with financial relief. Nothing could be further from the truth, and they re getting hammered on that repeatedly. Speaking on CNBC, Paul Ryan was going full throttle, trying to convince us that the paltry savings we re getting is actually wait for it big money.But he didn t just go with the usual talking points. With a smug look that only someone who grew up in a wealthy family can muster when talking about that which he does not know, Ryan claimed that the $2,059 more per year that families living paycheck-to-paycheck will see is extremely significant. Then he decided he had to amend that to say such savings might be nothing to a family earning $600,000 per year (true), or for people living in New York or California (false).Those are the same two states that Trump s loyal subjects insist on stripping from the 2016 vote totals to claim that Trump actually won the popular vote. Watch Ryan completely dismiss all the struggling families living in blue states below:If you re living paycheck-to-paycheck which is more than half of the people in this country and you got #2059more from a tax cut next year, that s not nothing. pic.twitter.com/8TKtrMqRa1 Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) December 21, 2017Someone needs to reach through their computer or television and wipe that smugness off his face. It is the height of arrogance and insult to imply that there are no struggling families in either of those two states.Featured image via Mark Wilson/Getty Images | WATCH: Paul Ryan Just Told Us He Doesn’t Care About Struggling Families Living In Blue States |
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| 23-Dec-17 | politicsNews | NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department has issued new guidelines for immigration judges that remove some instructions for how to protect unaccompanied juveniles appearing in their courtrooms. A Dec. 20 memo, issued by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) replaces 2007 guidelines, spelling out policies and procedures judges should follow in dealing with children who crossed the border illegally alone and face possible deportation. The new memo removes suggestions contained in the 2007 memo for how to conduct “child-sensitive questioning” and adds reminders to judges to maintain “impartiality” even though “juvenile cases may present sympathetic allegations.” The new document also changes the word “child” to “unmarried individual under the age of 18” in many instances. (Link to comparison: tmsnrt.rs/2BlT0VK May 2007 document: tmsnrt.rs/2BBR8wj December 2017 document: tmsnrt.rs/2C2sWCs) An EOIR official said the new memo contained “clarifications and updates” to 10-year-old guidance “in order to be consistent with the laws as they’ve been passed by Congress.” The new memo was posted on the Justice Department website but has not been previously reported. Immigration advocates said they worry the new guidelines could make court appearances for children more difficult, and a spokeswoman for the union representing immigration judges said judges are concerned about the tone of the memo. President Donald Trump has made tougher immigration enforcement a key policy goal of his administration, and has focused particularly on trying to curb the illegal entry of children. The administration says it wants to prevent vulnerable juveniles from making perilous journeys to the United States and eliminate fraud from programs for young immigrants. One changed section of the memo focuses on how to make children comfortable in the court in advance of hearings. The old guidance says they “should be permitted to explore” courtrooms and allowed to “sit in all locations, (including, especially, the judge’s bench and the witness stand).” The new guidance says such explorations should take place only “to the extent that resources and time permit” and specifically puts the judge’s bench off limits. The new memo also warns judges to be skeptical, since an unaccompanied minor “generally receives more favorable treatment under the law than other categories of illegal aliens,” which creates “an incentive to misrepresent accompaniment status or age in order to attempt to qualify for the benefits.” It also says to be on the lookout for “fraud and abuse,” language that was not in the previous memo. Immigration judges are appointed by the U.S. Attorney General and courts are part of the Department of Justice, not an independent branch. The only sitting immigration judges routinely allowed to speak to the media are representatives of their union, the National Association of Immigration Judges. Dana Marks, a sitting judge and spokeswoman for the union, said the “overall tone” of the memo “is very distressing and concerning to immigration judges.” “There is a feeling that the immigration courts are just being demoted into immigration enforcement offices, rather than neutral arbiters,” Marks said. “There has been a relentless beating of the drum toward enforcement rather than due process.” Former immigration judge Andrew Arthur, who now works at the Center for Immigration Studies, which promotes lower levels of immigration overall, said the new guidelines were needed. In their previous form, he said, “so much emphasis was placed on the potential inability of the alien to understand the proceedings ... that it almost put the judge into the position of being an advocate.” The courts have had to handle a surge in cases for unaccompanied minors, mostly from Central America, after their numbers sky-rocketed in 2014 as violence in the region caused residents to flee north. While illegal crossings initially fell after Trump took office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said that since May, each month has seen an increase in children being apprehended either alone or with family members. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a speech in Boston in September that the special accommodations for unaccompanied minors had been exploited by “gang members who come to this country as wolves in sheep clothing.” Echoing some of these concerns, the new memo notes in a preamble that not all child cases involve innocents, and that the courts might see “an adolescent gang member” or “a teenager convicted as an adult for serious criminal activity.” Jennifer Podkul, policy director of Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) said Congress included special procedural protections for immigrant children in a 2008 anti-trafficking bill to “make sure that a kid gets a fair shot in the courtroom.” “These kids are by themselves telling a very complicated and oftentimes very traumatic story,” said Podkul. “The approach of this memo, which is much more suspicious, is not going to help get to the truth of a child’s story.” In cases where children are called to testify, the old guidance instructed judges to “seek to limit the amount of time the child is on the stand.” The new guidance says that judges should “consider” limiting the child’s time on the stand “without compromising due process for the opposing party,” which is generally a government prosecutor. The memo leaves in a range of special accommodations made for children, including allowing them to bring a pillow or booster seat or a “toy, book, or other personal item.” It also maintains that cases involving unaccompanied minors should be heard on a separate docket when possible and that children should not be detained or transported with adults. | Exclusive: U.S. memo weakens guidelines for protecting immigrant children in court |
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| 17-Dec-17 | News | Right now, the whole world is looking at the shocking fact that Democrat Doug Jones beat Republican Roy Moore in the special election to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions in the United States Senate. Of course, Moore s candidacy was rocked by allegations of sexually harassing and even molesting teenage girls and being banned from the mall in his hometown of Gadsden, Alabama for doing so.Even before that, Moore was an incendiary character in Alabama politics, having been removed as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court not once but twice, and having made statements such as Muslims should not be allowed in Congress and homosexuality should be illegal. Hell, he even said that the last time America was great was when we had slavery. Therefore, he was an extraordinarily damaged candidate as it was. However, despite all of this, Alabama is a deep red state, with many voters agreeing with some of Moore s more extreme positions, and some even insisting that the allegations of sexual misconduct were simply not true. That is why it was such a shock that Doug Jones pulled out a win for that Senate seat.Well, there is one entity that could not resist going all in on the fact that Roy Moore lost this race: Saturday Night Live. While doing a caricature of the results, SNL began, with its Weekend Update host Colin Jost brutally mocking Moore s alleged proclivities fore teen girls: Congratulations to Alabama s newest Senator not Roy Moore. Doug Jones has become the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in Alabama in over 20 years. Said Roy Moore: gross, over 20 years? Jost then got in a dig at Trump, for whom Moore s loss was a humiliating failure, remind everyone what Trump said of Jones win: The Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time. It never ends! Indeed. If the sane people of America have anything to say about it, it will be a very, very long time after 2018 before the GOP is allowed to control anything. Jost continued mocking Trump: That s it? You just went all in for an accused pedophile and when he lost, [you re] just like, well, we had fun! He could be removed from office tonight and tweet: Congratulations to Robert Mueller on a great investigation. Had a fun time being president. Catch you on the flippity-flop! #DietCokeTime . Oh, if only that could be our reality, to have Trump congratulating Mueller for removing him and his entire treasonous, criminal administration. Until then, we ll have to stick to Weekend Update and the rest of SNL, and hope for the best.Watch the video below:Featured image via Scott Olson/Getty Images | SNL Hilariously Mocks Accused Child Molester Roy Moore For Losing AL Senate Race (VIDEO) |
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