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‘Shoot At Hurricane Irma’ Facebook Event Taken Too Seriously, So Police Had To Issue A Warning | A Facebook event called Shoot At Hurricane Irma popped up just before the powerful storm made landfall in Florida, and apparently people took it seriously enough that the police felt they had to issue warnings not to do it.Over 80,000 people responded to the event, which tells us two things: One, that the event s young and naive creator, Ryon Edwards, had no freaking clue what he was really doing; and two, that people really are dumb enough to accept this on its face rather than question it. That s probably more true of right-wing gun nuts than anything since the nuttier part of the right loves any excuse to shoot off their firearms.The Pasco County Sheriff s Department, concerned that idiots might actually try this, tweeted the following in response to the interest in the event:To clarify, DO NOT shoot weapons @ #Irma. You won t make it turn around & it will have very dangerous side effectshttps://t.co/CV4Y9OJknv Pasco Sheriff (@PascoSheriff) September 10, 2017It s a tiny bit like firing your weapon straight into the air. What goes up, must come down, and the bullets can come down on perfectly innocent people and cause serious injury. In the case of a hurricane, the bullets can get spun around, more or less, and come back to you or someone near you. That warning tweet has been retweeted nearly 30,000 times.Edwards claimed that he created the event out of stress and boredom. The response apparently was a complete surprise to him, with him saying that he never thought this would get so out of control. People have allegedly even created graphics that show how to shoot at the hurricane correctly, and other Facebook events have appeared, with one suggesting using flamethrowers to stop the hurricane.It s really hard to tell what s sarcasm and what s not sometimes, especially for, well, stupid people. Edwards would have been better off finding something else to do with his stress and boredom, because yes, people really are that stupid.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | News | September 10, 2017 |
WATCH: Black Driver Bravely Shames Cop Who Drew His Gun Over A Turn Signal Infraction | When you are Black in America, getting pulled over by a cop even for the smallest infraction is a very scary thing. As we have seen repeatedly, this could cost you your life. Usually, when that happens, the cop in question faces no real consequences. Generally, the police department investigates itself and finds it did nothing wrong, naturally. So, to that end, Black Americans tend to act with extreme compliance when it comes to interactions with police. Not being that way could cost us our lives. However, one brave black driver who was pulled over for not using his turn signal properly decided that he s had enough, and confronted the cop who pulled him over and approached with a drawn gun.The whole incident was caught on video, as the man goes all in on the cop, saying: Big f*cking crime right? Big crime. A crime enough for you to come with your fucking gun pulled out, right? A turn signal not made is a big enough crime for you to need to take out your service pistol. Do you have no conscience? You just don t give a f*ck right? Because I would have been just another dead black motherf*cker right? the man tells the officer. And you would have just gone about your business, right? Luckily, the officer didn t shoot, and just accepted this rightfully outraged driver reading him the goods on his racist behavior. It s too bad more encounters with racist cops making unfounded assumptions about the supposed dangerous criminality of Black Americans can t end this way.Now, time to find out who this cop is.Watch the priceless video evidence of America s racist policing problem below:Cop pulls over a black man for failure to signal, walks to his car with his gun drawn Black dude is my fucking hero????????????????????? pic.twitter.com/S8ef8Mx4Kk SIX_FOOT_5 (@Choco_Optimus) September 10, 2017The ending of black dude going ham on cop Left him looking stupid as fuck! ? pic.twitter.com/9oCHBbCBRi SIX_FOOT_5 (@Choco_Optimus) September 10, 2017Featured image via video screen capture | News | September 10, 2017 |
Trump Junior TOTALLY Staged This Awkward Photo For The NYT, And Twitter Loves It | Last week, Donald Trump Junior became a new focus for Senate investigators in the case against Russia regarding the 2016 election. The New York Times did a piece on Wednesday detailing the fact that Junior was scheduled to meet with them (behind closed doors, of course) the following day and, well, you know the rest.It wasn t the article, explosive though it was, that captured the internet s attention, though. It was the hilariously badly-staged photo that Don Jr. apparently staged for Todd Heisler, a photographer on the Times staff, and the image it was clearly trying and failing miserably to portray:I, too, casually arrange photographs of my 100 children to face outwards so I can only see the backs of frames pic.twitter.com/Pa0cHP5ayj Ashley Feinberg (@ashleyfeinberg) September 8, 2017See the problem? Obviously when they were setting up the shoot, Son of the Deal decided he needed the world to know how much he loves his five kids. So he took essentially every picture ever taken of them, put them in shiny frames, and arranged them to best be captured by the camera, dad s studious face aglow with the glare of hard work emanating from his computer monitor stern in the background.Facing away from him.It was just too good to pass up, and so Twitter did not:THE PHOTOS MUST EARN THE RIGHT TO FACE FATHER the September Son (@bagofbadgers) September 8, 2017I don't want to know what he uses those giant scissors for Sam Lloyd (@LloydWithTwoLs) September 8, 2017His photos shoots are all awkward af pic.twitter.com/LoVhqrVpyr pauisanoun (@pauisanoun) September 8, 2017Welp, he's always seemed to be somewhat genetically inferior. #BestGenes pic.twitter.com/3RTMHJJWwM TinyFingeredFuhrer (@TinyFingerTrump) September 8, 2017Where's my brother don jr pic.twitter.com/UooKJ1vInw WrongAgain (@wrongestwrong) September 9, 2017He needs the bobblehead of his father there because it's the only way he'll get him to nod "yes" to something Kristen Hernandez (@K_Hern) September 8, 2017He's only 30% sure the kids are his M.R.Scully (@Falling_Short) September 8, 2017One user made a fine point about why it may have been set up so peculiarly:Joke's on you, he can see them in the 10 ft mirror that's guaranteed to be on the other side of the room Selerax (@Selerax) September 8, 2017While this woman pointed out that the biggest of Junior s photos on the desk was actually one of himself just like his dad: pic.twitter.com/7NMhprnhGS suzanne zuppello (@suppello) September 8, 2017Here s the part I think is funny, though:This is the most painfully staged shot I have ever seen in my whole entire life, bar none, EVER. ?TheKIERHAWK (@KieranStrange) September 9, 2017A quick Google search says that Todd Heisler of the New York Times is a professional photographer with thousands of shoots under his belt, a Pulitzer Prize, and an Emmy. C mon, Todd Don t even play like you didn t know Junior looked like an idiot.For the long con, for the wait-for-it, waaaaaait-for-it troll, I salute you.Featured image via David Becker/Getty Images | News | September 10, 2017 |
New Hampshire Cops Intent On Protecting Sadistic Racist White Teens Who Tried To Lynch A Biracial Boy | It s 2017, and lynchings of black people still happen, just as they did during Jim Crow. Case in point- how an 8-year-old boy in New Hampshire nearly lost his life because of some racist white teens who hung him from a tree with a rope. Luckily, the child was able to remove the rope himself and make it home.The whole incident started when the victim, a Claremont, New Hampshire resident was playing outside. The teens in question allegedly hurled racist slurs at the child, who is biracial in a 96% white town, and threw rocks and sticks at him. Things escalated when they all stood on a picnic table and took turns putting the rope of a tire swing around their necks. Then, they took the child and, according to Lorrie Slattery, a grandmother of one of the kids present, took the child and said: The (teenagers) said, Look at this, supposedly putting the rope around their necks, Slattery said. One boy said to (her grandson), Let s do this, and then pushed him off the picnic table and hung him. He swung three times before he was able to get down, and wound up having to be flown to a hospital for life-saving treatment. What is most appalling is how little national media attention this is getting. Further, Claremont Police Chief Mark Chase wants to make sure these horrific little racists are protected due to their mistakes. He won t even say whether or not there will be criminal charges, and certainly is not releasing their names. In fact, the only reason this is getting any attention at all is because the boy s mother, Cassandra Merlin, posted the following images on social media:This is a story that needs to blow up nationwide until this child receives justice. These attempted murdering racists need to be thrown in jail for the foreseeable future and charged with a hate crime. I won t hold my breath on it, but spread it far and wide. Make it go national until they have no choice but to act.It s the least we can all do.Featured image via screen capture from The Root | News | September 10, 2017 |
Two Florida Lawmakers Just Voted Against Hurricane Relief As Irma Strikes Their State | Two Florida Republican lawmakers voted against a $15 billion hurricane relief bill just as Irma churned toward the state. Congressmen Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Ted Yoho (R-FL) claim they have concerns about other provisions of the measure. Irma is now a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph but forecasters expect the storm to strengthen. Presently, the Florida Keys is facing a potentially catastrophic force that could threaten to drown entire islands.But, it s obviously more important for Gaetz and Yoho to exercise their conservative bonafides.The relief package sailed through the Senate and the House and was signed by Donald Trump on Friday. The package boosts funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a necessary move at this time following the destruction left by Hurricane Harvey and much more expected after Florida feels Irma s force and fury. Also, FEMA is running out of money so the funds are needed.The package will also raise the debt ceiling for three months and includes a short-term budget that would keep the government running until December. The deal struck between Trump and Democratic leaders Sen. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.) and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) sent Republicans into a panic while disregarding that lives are at stake after the deadly storm obliterated Houston, Texas.The Washington Post reports:That latter was a problem for GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz and Ted Yoho, who stuck to their principles of fiscal conservatism despite calls from fellow Florida lawmakers to support the bill. The two, who are among the 90 House Republicans who voted against the bill, do not represent parts of the state that are likely to feel Irma s immediate impact as the massive storm makes landfall on mainland United States this weekend. Snaking in a debt-ceiling increase with funding for victims and communities affected is immoral and reflective of broken leadership in Washington, Yoho said after the vote Friday. I do not think it wise to extend our borrowing limit without mandatory spending reforms . . . If this was a clean measure that focused on those affected by Hurricane Harvey, I would have proudly voted for it. Gaetz, whose district includes coastal areas along the Gulf of Mexico, said the debt limit should be raised only if it includes cuts in entitlement programs, which is really heartless since many victims of the Hurricanes will need a hand up after losing everything they owned in the world. I have a pretty strident view that I will only vote to raise the debt limit if that vote is accompanied by reductions in entitlement spending, Gaetz said. If conservatives don t start voting no against debt-limit increases, all the FEMA in the world won t save us from our most unfortunate destiny. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was against federal aid for victims of Hurricane Sandy, then a natural disaster struck his state with deadly force. Suddenly, he s cool with aid being provided to his state. Funny how that works. But the other two Republicans just don t want to help anyone, even their own constituents.Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images. | News | September 9, 2017 |
New Study Proves That Trump Supporters Are Racist, Infuriated By Black People (IMAGE) | Despite the fact that Donald Trump and his fanbase try to convince everyone that they re not racist whenever they get called out, the verdict is in and it s exactly as we suspected.Conservatives have been trying to convince everyone that their politics and values are about lowering taxes and minimizing big government, glossing over the fact that most of the time their policies will hurt minorities. Well, there s finally a proven reason for that it s because, plain and simple, conservatives are racist as hell. And even worse, they have a particular fear of African Americans.In a study reported by Vox, Trump supporters can be set off just by looking at a picture of a black person, and just seeing one can significantly change how they feel about a policy. This was discovered thanks to a new study by political scientists at Colgate and the University of Minnesota, which shed light on some of Trump supporters most racist behaviors.In the study, conservative participants were asked how they feel about housing assistance. The participants were divided in their support, however, when the researchers threw in a twist, it was discovered that Trump voters were WAY more likely to support housing assistance when they were shown an image of a white person. When they were shown a picture of a black person, it was a completely different story.And it gets worse not only were the Trump supporters less supportive, but they actually became angry! Just by looking at an African American person, Trump supporters got mad. The authors of this study, which was called Supporters and Opponents of Donald Trump Respond Differently to Racial Cues: An Experimental Analysis, wrote:We find that white Trump supporters randomly exposed to a black (versus a white) man in the context of soliciting their support for a housing-assistance policy were more opposed to the policy, angrier about the policy, and more likely to blame beneficiaries for their situation.So now we know that no matter how conservatives try to twist their justifications for not supporting certain causes that directly affect black people, the underlying issue is really that they re racist.Featured image via Mark Wallheiser / Getty Images | News | September 9, 2017 |
Red Cross Raises Tens Of Millions And You Won’t Believe What They’re Feeding Hurricane Victims | Americans are opening their wallets and donating to relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and with Hurricane Irma almost about to hit land in the U.S., people would be wise to be wary of which charity organization to give money to. For example, a survivor of Hurricane Harvey will be fed by the Red Cross but the food might kill them.The cauliflower doesn t even look cooked and it sits next to a few slices of what looks like ham along with crackers instead of bread.It isn t clear what the percentage of donations to the Red Cross goes to victims. The charity organization claims that 91 percent goes to victims but that s far from the truth. A Houston councilman has asked for people to not donate to the Red Cross, an organization which affords its executives with a hefty salary. I beg you not to send them a penny, Houston City Councilman Dave Martin said at Wednesday s council meeting. They are the most inept unorganized organization I ve ever experienced. Don t waste your money, Martin added. Give it to another cause. A study released by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) claims that the Red Cross had spent $124 million one-quarter of the money donors gave for earthquake relief in Haiti in 2010 on internal expenses.Since Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, the Red Cross has collected $211 million, according to USA Today.This Catholic charity claims that 100% of donated money goes to the victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.We are the official disaster relief agency of the US Catholic Church. 100% of funds go to #Harvey & #Irma relief. https://t.co/QaFD3UYALX CatholicCharitiesUSA (@CCharitiesUSA) September 9, 2017To its credit, the Red Cross is a massive first-response organization which has sheltered and fed (see picture above) hundreds of thousands of people.A good chunk of Donald Trump s $1 million donation to victims of Hurricane Harvey went to the Red Cross..@realDonaldTrump releases list of charities he donated to for Hurricane Harvey relief. pic.twitter.com/Tb51qQJd2I David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) September 6, 2017We re not suggesting that the Red Cross feed ribeye steaks and lobster tails to hurricane victims, but geez, how about throwing together a sandwich with a few extras for the hungry survivors who are left with nothing in the world due to a natural disaster.Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.@RedCrossHouston & @RedCross what kind of meal is this?! All of these monetary donations and food we brought in, this is what you serve?! pic.twitter.com/XaMOohh0Mi Ashton P. Woods (@AshtonPWoods) September 9, 2017 | News | September 9, 2017 |
‘Pharma Bro’ Faces Prison Time For Offering To Pay People To Assault Hillary Clinton | If you ve spent months or years telling Martin Shkreli, Pharma Bro as he is more commonly known, to go fuck himself, you ll be pleased to know he did just that.Shkreli, known for jacking up the price of life-saving medication, is currently out on bond while awaiting sentencing for securities fraud, but that may be a temporary condition of prosecutors have their way.Recently, Shkreli offered to pay his Twitter followers an obscene amount of money $5,000 per strand for Hillary Clinton s hair allegedly for genetic testing. The Clinton Foundation is willing to KILL to protect its secrets. So on HRC s book tour, try to grab a hair from her, he wrote Monday. I must confirm the sequences I have. Will pay $5,000 per hair obtained from Hillary Clinton. Payment after the sequence matches. Good luck, patrollers. Apparently, ordering people to assault the former First Lady a threat that has led to increased Secret Service protection isn t such a good idea when you re out on bond.Citing this threat as well as others Shkreli has made toward other women, prosecutors say his bond should be revoked because he represents a threat to the community. Prosecutors say that because of Shkreli s hit job, the Secret Service expended significant additional resources to ensure Secretary Clinton s protection. The government respectfully submits this motion for a bail revocation hearing, at which the government will move to revoke the defendant Martin Shkreli s bail and remand him into custody, the prosecutor s motion reads. His recent public conduct demonstrates that he cannot meet his post-trial burden to show, by clear and convincing evidence, that he does not pose a danger to the community. Shkreli has represented a danger to the community for quite some time, but it s nice to see people trying to get him away from society for a while.Featured image via screengrab | News | September 9, 2017 |
Another Pervert Out At Fox News Over Allegations Of Sexual Harassment | Fox News has a problem with sexual predators in its ranks. Their gross corporate rape culture is costing them television personalities left and right. First, it was the now-deceased mastermind behind the network, Roger Ailes. Then it was Bill O Reilly (who was, by all accounts, their main star) who had to be canned to save the network s brand after millions were paid to his victims. Now, it is happening again only this time it is Eric Bolling.Bolling had his own program, called The Specialists, which was relatively new, but he had been with the network for a decade. Fox News released a curt statement that read: Fox News Channel is canceling The Specialists, and Eric Bolling and Fox have agreed to part ways amicably. We thank Eric for his ten years of service to our loyal viewers and wish him the best of luck. There was no mention of the sexual harassment charges, but that was clearly the reason. Bolling has been accused of sending lewd photos of penises to female Fox News employees. Bolling, for his part, is, of course, denying the allegations. His lawyer released a statement that reads: Mr. Bolling recalls no such inappropriate communications, does not believe he sent any such communications, and will vigorously pursue his legal remedies for any false and defamatory accusations that are made. This all comes on the heels of Bolling being suspended after Yashar Ali of the Huffington Post came out with an explosive report regarding Bolling s conduct in the workplace. Bolling is filing a $50 million lawsuit against Yashar for character defamation. It likely won t go anywhere as no one in their right mind would write such a story without concrete evidence.That network of right-wing propaganda needs to go down the toilet with the rest of the sewage. They are misogynistic, racist, and all around bigoted to their core. They are also pathological liars who should not be allowed to call themselves news. So long, Bolling. Hopefully the rest of that vile network follows.Featured image via Logopedia | News | September 8, 2017 |
Trump Official Gets Asked A Simple Question About Global Warming. Her Response Is Unbelievable. (VIDEO) | Donald Trump s administration finds new ways to look foolish on a daily basis, and Trump s staff is more than willing to pick up the slack whenever their boss isn t behaving like a big enough idiot.On Friday, Trump s acting assistant administrator for Asia, Gloria Steele, made sure that she humiliated America and the Trump administration when she was left uncomfortably speechless by a simple question about climate change. The question was asked by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), who wanted to know if climate change has anything at all to do with rising sea levels in reference to the massive flooding in Bangladesh. Connolly asked Steele: Could the fact that a third of an entire sovereign nation Bangladesh being under water, could it have anything at all to do with, I don t know, the warming of the climate? Just like most of the incompetent people staffed on Trump s administration, Steele doesn t know a damn thing about the position she s in. Steele was obviously unprepared to answer any real questions about the matter, because all she could do was smile and let her mouth hang open as she was left clueless and speechless. This is an absolutely inappropriate response to a simple, straightforward question, but Steele could do no better.It turns out that Steele is taking after her boss in being completely ignorant. Trump himself has called climate change a hoax many times, and has even blamed the Chinese for being responsible for its creation. Trump s denial of facts and evidence on climate change is so dangerous that he made the United States one of the only three countries to oppose the Paris Climate Agreement. The stupidity of Trump and his administration are major threats to the future of the climate, and it s clear that they don t have any of the answers that the planet needs. You can watch Steele go completely mute below:Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images | News | September 8, 2017 |
Equifax Is Tricking Consumers Into Waiving Their Right To Sue Over Data Breach | Equifax, the oldest and most valuable of the three main credit reporting agencies, revealed a massive data breach; one of the largest such hacks ever recorded. Personally identifying information like Social Security numbers, birth dates, and even driver s license numbers were involved in the breach, affecting up to 143 million people nearly half the U.S. population.Naturally, anyone who with any credit at all will want to know whether or not their info was involved in the incident, and Equifax says they want to help. But now, concerns are being raised that Equifax is deceptively requiring consumers to waive their rights to join any class action lawsuit against them, should they enroll in the company s fraud protection program and possibly if they even use the website to see if they ve been affected.PSA: If you check Equifax's site to see if your data was stolen, you *waive your rights* to sue Equifax or be part of a class action suit. pic.twitter.com/p4AlmmLQ3r Zack Whittaker (@zackwhittaker) September 8, 2017That s right if you enroll in their fraud protection something they specifically provided to you because of the breach you automatically agree to arbitration and lose your right to sue. It s currently unclear whether this applies to merely checking to see if your information has been compromised.Outrageous. The website for the Equifax ID monitoring service Equifax is telling victims to sign up for includes an arbitration clause. pic.twitter.com/G7kSbrOsjS Matthew Preusch (@mpreusch) September 8, 2017The website, which, for obvious reasons, we will not provide a clickable link for here, is equifaxsecurity2017.com.The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB ) is actually trying to ban arbitration clauses like this, specifically because they can be so deceptive. But those rules have not yet taken effect, and won t for another ten days. More importantly, the rule will not work retroactively, so consumers can t get out of this arbitration if they follow through with the sign-up process on the Equifax site.New York s Attorney General has already contacted Equifax about the arbitration clause:This language is unacceptable and unenforceable. My staff has already contacted @Equifax to demand that they remove it. https://t.co/vT0x7f5Xhc Eric Schneiderman (@AGSchneiderman) September 8, 2017The CFPB said in a statement that the clause was troubling, and that they were investigating both the security incident that set this all off and the company s response to it, saying that Equifax could remove this clause so that consumers can receive this service without condition. Not only is Equifax requiring an agreement that strips you of your legal rights, but even if you decide you don t care about all that, the company requires you to provide even more personal information as you sign up for the resolution tool.Featured image via media library | News | September 8, 2017 |
With Irma About To Strike Florida, Trump Begs For Donations To His Re-Election Campaign | Trump has been tweeting about Hurricane Irma sort of for the last couple of days. His tweets mostly consist of bragging that his emergency teams are ready and telling people to stay safe. But while he s pretending to be concerned, he s also sending out messages begging people for donations; not to the charities and rescue organizations that are, and will be, on the ground in Florida during and after Irma, but to himself and his 2020 campaign.He s not even making a pretense of asking for donations to help him help those in Irma s path. Seriously. This is what he s sending out to his followers:The link in the above image goes to the donation page on Trump s campaign site, where a video again attacks career politicians and the media, and goes into his usual spiel about Let s finish the job, and Make America great again. It s ridiculously tone-deaf in light of how many are scrambling to aid those in Irma s path.He bragged about his response to the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, but he s not really doing anything but tweeting about Irma and closing Mar-a-Lago ahead of landfall. He s made a Facebook video that, like his tweets, urges people to get out of Irma s way, but many don t have that choice.The federal government has three major relief efforts to deal with right now: Ongoing recovery efforts in Texas and Louisiana, live-saving efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (where Irma has already hit), and evacuation and preparation efforts in Florida, which is more or less closed and in chaos.Trump will monitor Irma from the safety of Camp David and beg for donations to his campaign instead of do some real work.His timing for this kind of a message is especially poor. If he wants to ask for donations, fine. But he should be directing people to donate to the non-profits and other organizations that are on the ground everywhere in Irma s path and put his stupid, vapid campaign on hold. His priorities are clear, and they do not lie with the American people.Featured image via Win McNamee/Getty Images | News | September 8, 2017 |
Five ‘All American’ Football Players Booted From Team With Black QB After KKK Display | The city of Creston, in the heart of Iowa, sits nestled between State Route 25 and U.S. Highway 34, only a mile from the eastern bank of Summit Lake. The seat of Union County offers two additional lakes to fish in, the glorious Green Valley State Park, and a high school football team full of terrifyingly virulent racists.At least, Creston had that last one until Thursday. Scheduled to play the Clarinda Cardinals Friday night, the Creston Panthers will suddenly find themselves without five of their starters after a viral photo of them wearing hoods and posing with a burning cross, a rifle, and a Confederate flag, made the rounds on social media earlier this week.Clearly, the players didn t do well in history at Creston High. The location of the school in Union County is a stark reminder of which side Iowans fought for in the Civil War.The boys will probably not face legal difficulties. Being a piece of shit KKK member, or even pretending to be one, is protected under the First Amendment, and in a town of fewer than 10,000, it s not likely there s a lawyer in town who could successfully argue that anyone suffered damages as a result of their racist idiocy. Not even Kylan Smallwood, the Panthers quarterback, who is black. Sadly, Smallwood is already all too aware of the fact that this will blow over like nothing happened once the incident is forgotten. He won t forget, though: It s a bad way to put our town on the map, but I think as a community, we just have to move past it. Deal with it, I guess. I thought these guys were my friends. Like, I ve been to some of their houses before I wanted to ask them why, why they did it, but I haven t had the chance to yet. For their part, Creston High School has said that the students have been punished in addition to their removal from the team, but has not specified what that punishment was. Coach Brian Morrison called the families of each boy personally to tell them their sons were no longer playing for the Panthers.Just another day in post-racial America.Featured image via video screen capture | News | September 8, 2017 |
Trump HUMILIATES Republicans In Latest Hissy Fit After Siding With Democrats On Debt Ceiling | Donald Trump sure knows how to add insult to injury.Republicans in Congress must be seriously regretting their decision to endorse Trump now after they were totally humiliated on Thursday at the White House.During a meeting inside the Oval Office to discuss debt ceiling proposals, Trump stunned Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell by taking a deal offered by the Democrats which increases the debt ceiling for three months and provides Texas with Hurricane Harvey relief with no strings attached. Republicans were hoping for an 18 month increase and wanted to hold hurricane relief hostage in order to get concessions from the Democrats on other issues.But Trump pulled the rug out from under them because he knows that Republicans are incapable of governing even with majority control of the House and Senate.And that s why Trump kicked Republicans while they were down on Friday morning, suggesting he took the Democrats offer because of Republican failures to pass legislation. He then whined about the filibuster and asked Republicans to work on tax reform and get it done before the end of the month.Republicans, sorry, but I ve been hearing about Repeal & Replace for 7 years, didn t happen! Even worse, the Senate Filibuster Rule will . Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 8, 2017 never allow the Republicans to pass even great legislation. 8 Dems control will rarely get 60 (vs. 51) votes. It is a Repub Death Wish! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 8, 2017Republicans must start the Tax Reform/Tax Cut legislation ASAP. Don t wait until the end of September. Needed now more than ever. Hurry! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 8, 2017Republicans are not going to get tax reform done by the end of the month. They have even passed the debt ceiling bill with Hurricane Harvey relief yet. The GOP is a fractured party right now, the majority of whom are controlled by an extremist base.Trump would be better off working with the Democrats. He d not only get things done, he would be able to sign legislation that is far better for the country.Featured Image: Alex Wong/Getty Images | News | September 8, 2017 |
GOP ‘Moderate’ Under Attack From The Far Right Will Not Seek Re-election | We recently reported on how the far right is waging war against a dying breed: Congressional Republicans who at least attempt to be compassionate and reasonable in their policy-making. At the top of the list for these far right lunatics antics has been Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA), who is the co-chair of the moderate Tuesday Group in the House Republican conference. Dent has obviously been feeling the pressure from his less reasonable comrades, as he will not seek re-election in the 2018 midterms.This really isn t that surprising. Increasingly, the ultra conservative Freedom Caucus has gained power in the House Republican conference, and they and their followers have absolutely no problem ousting people who won t fall in line with their extreme far right agenda. It was this group that unseated former House Speaker Eric Cantor, and forced the most recent former House Speaker, John Boehner, to resign. So, perhaps Dent has the right idea here. He says of his decision: I ve worked to instill stability, certainty and predictability in Washington. I ve fought to fulfill the basic functions of government, like keeping the lights on and preventing default. Regrettably, that has not been easy given the disruptive outside influences that profit from increased polarization and ideological rigidity that leads to dysfunction, disorder and chaos. This, of course, is likely a nod toward those who are directly attacking and threatening Dent and other members of his Tuesday Group caucus. They see no way out when it comes to sustained political attacks by Trump minions and other nationalist types with alarming far right views.Now, as for how this helps us on the left? Den t district is a swing district. If we get our act together and run a good candidate in a good race. Get your act together, Democrats. As the GOP eats their own, these so-called moderates who aren t even bothering to run again out of fear of getting primaried by the far right can become Democratic seats. They are in swing districts, not solid red ones. The best way to #RESIST is to make sure we have a Democratic House of Representatives.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | News | September 8, 2017 |
Don Trump Jr. Testified To The Senate Today And They Don’t Seem To Believe A Word He Said | Donald Trump, Jr. went before Congress today to give yet another version of his reasons for meeting with a Russian lawyer in June of 2016. While he did actually confirm what he said in the email string he was dumb enough to post to Twitter that he met with Natalia Veselnitskaya because she claimed to have dirt on Hillary he gave a ridiculous reason for it. His reason was that he was trying to determine Hillary s fitness for office, because that s a totally innocent reason that makes it all okay.So that makes it all innocent, especially because he also claimed that he was just so overwhelmed with the campaign due to inexperience, but he did still evidently have the presence of mind to know he should talk to legal counsel about the propriety of the meeting and info, or so his claim goes.Some, however, on the Senate Judiciary Committee don t believe him, it seems. Sen. Chris Coons, who sits on that committee, sent out a memo to interested parties about Don the Con Jr. and his testimony today, complete with the statute regarding giving false testimony to Congress. And there s no ambiguity about it the top of the memo says: Below is a statute to keep in mind in regards to Donald Trump Jr. s testimony today. It quotes the full statute, which states that it s illegal to lie to Congress, and then Coons says: It is important to remember that anyone who testifies in front of a Senate committee is under the restrictions of the False Statements statute that says material false statements to Congress are criminal and punishable with fines or imprisonment or both. Read Coons full memo below:? After Don Jr. testimony to Senate Judiciary Cmte, Sen. Chris Coons office sends out statute on giving false statements to Congress pic.twitter.com/OUdKXMBfqm Andrew Desiderio (@desiderioDC) September 7, 2017The many contradictions in Don Jr. s reasons for meeting with Veselnitskaya clearly raise doubts that his testimony today was the truth. He first claimed, months ago, that he didn t meet with any Russians, and then later claimed that meant he didn t meet with any known Russian officials. Then he claimed that he did meet with a Russian attorney, but it was about adoptions. After that, he said he did meet with her, but it was because he was told she had dirt on Hillary. He said the meeting was a fruitless endeavor.Now he says it s because he wanted to determine her fitness for the presidency, which he seems to think makes it all okay. Coons is right to be skeptical. It would be one thing if the junior Trump s story had never changed, and contradicting information had never come out. But it s impossible to trust the testimony of someone who s changed their story as many times as he has.Featured image via John Moore/Getty Images | News | September 7, 2017 |
Vegas Cops Take Cheap Shot At Michael Bennett, Say ‘Hiding’ During Shooting Is Probable Cause | Now that Seahawks star defensive end Michael Bennett s harrowing story of police brutality has gone viral, the cops who arrested him are trying to cover their own asses in a PR-fueled letter to the NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell. In the letter, Detective Steve Grammas, the president of the Las Vegas Metro Police Protective Association, asks Goodell to open an investigation into Bennett s allegations, and requests that the commissioner take appropriate action. The irony is rich in seeing a letter asserting that the LVPD isn t racist, even as the first paragraph of it calls out the NFL for condoning Bennett s protest during the national anthem, a stance that only racists take.Bennett s protest, along with that of many players around the league, is specifically against police brutality when dealing with unarmed, innocent black suspects. To continue to insist that it is somehow disrespecting to everything the flag symbolizes is to ignore that the flag symbolizes justice as well.But the truly disgusting part of Grammas letter is the reason he and the Las Vegas Police attempt to use as justification for having unlawfully detained Bennett in the first place. Grammas actually asserts that hiding behind a slot machine, then running outside during an episode in which shots are being fired is considered probable cause to arrest Bennett for suspicious behavior. Guess what, geniuses? If Mike Bennett was running from the cops, you all just proved him right to have done so. He clearly has no gun, obviously isn t the only person in the entire casino hiding from the gunfire, and wasn t even remotely the only person running out the doors Bennett himself said that hundreds of people were staging an exodus from the scene.One would think that maybe the guy with the Super Bowl ring on who kind of looks like Michael Bennett and can leap over a four-foot barrier might not be their suspect.It is my most sincere hope that Bennett and his lawyers not only sue the department, but Detective Grammas personally, for being the kind of dumbass who would send a self-contradictory letter like this in a case where he s clearly just trying to fire back at Bennett s allegations.Featured image via Mat Hayward/Getty Images | News | September 7, 2017 |
BREAKING: Under Trump’s Leadership FEMA Could Run Out Of Money By Tomorrow | After Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston, Texas, then Irma barreled through the Caribbean on its way to Florida, two Senate Florida Senators are warning that the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will run out of disaster assistance funding on Friday unless Congress approves more money.Republicans in the House had been looking at cutting almost $1 billion from disaster accounts to help finance Donald Trump s ego-wall on the Southern Border and now that a natural disaster occurred with another expected to hit Florida, the optics would look really bad for the GOP and for the former reality show star.Trump s budget includes slashing FEMA s budget:But the response to the next Harvey could face even stricter financial constraints if President Donald Trump gets his budgetary wishes for the 2018 fiscal year, which begins October 1. The president s budget blueprint calls for FEMA s budget for state and local grants to be cut by $667 million, saying that these grants are unauthorized or ineffective.However, after Hurricane Harvey unleashed its wrath with more storms coming, Senate Republicans agreed to more than double funding to $15.25 billion to FEMA and local block grants to handle natural disasters, according to Reuters. FEMA is stretched, and, of all things, FEMA runs out of money unless we act by tomorrow, Democrat Senator Bill Nelson said during a speech on Thursday following a letter he wrote with Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio to congressional leaders warning that more funds were necessary.FEMA had just over $1 billion on hand as of Tuesday, and that s less than half the $2.1 billion it had last week. We re not going to let money get in the way of saving lives, FEMA director Brock Long told CBS on Wednesday. Congress knows what they need to do. A Senate vote is planned later on today.On Wednesday, the House voted 419-3 to pass a $7.85 billion package to help victims of Hurricane Harvey.Reps. Justin Amash (Mich.), Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Andy Biggs (Ariz.) were the only lawmakers to oppose the aid.Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images. | News | September 7, 2017 |
Trump Just Accidentally Admitted Climate Change Is Real (VIDEO) | Somebody must have put some truth serum in Little Donnie s Cheerios this morning, because first thing this morning, he tweeted something that was actually nice about a federal agency that his Republican cohorts love to denigrate FEMA:Hurricane Irma is raging but we have great teams of talented and brave people already in place and ready to help. Be careful, be safe! #FEMA Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2017He didn t stop there. During a joint press conference at the White House with the Emir of the State of Kuwait, Amir al-Sabah on Thursday, Trump was asked if he thought FEMA was being spread too thin with all of the crazy weather events happening right now. Not only did he acknowledge how well FEMA was handling both Hurricane Harvey and the impending storms that have yet to come aground, but he noted that the media was actually doing their job and reporting non-fake news! Well FEMA is doing an incredible job, as you all know. I mean, you ve been reporting it. You ve seen how incredible they are. And there s a great bravery to what they re doing. Like I said, something is off when Captain Congratulations has any praise for someone other than himself.But then Trump said something that sounded distinctly like he was acknowledging the existence of climate change: We ve never had a thing like this where you get hit with Harvey, which was about as bad as it gets, certainly from the standpoint of a water dump, and then you get hit with Irma, and there s one right behind Irma. I guess you probably know, but a smaller one, but nevertheless right behind. Now, not to detract from any concessions Donald Trump might be making to science, but I think he might be forgetting Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. No matter, we ll take Trump agreeing with basic facts wherever we can get it.Watch the clip from the joint press conference here:President Trump: "Certainly we're being hit with a lot of hurricanes. We've never had a thing like this " https://t.co/xrDzAiaLuv NBC News (@NBCNews) September 7, 2017Featured image via Chris Kleponis (Pool)/Getty Images | News | September 7, 2017 |
Trump Tells DACA Recipients Not To Worry And Gets Thrashed By The Internet | Just days after rescinding an Obama policy giving children of undocumented immigrants a path a citizenship, Donald Trump had the gall to tell those children to not worry.The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy resulted in over 800,000 applications that s how many people face deportation to countries they know nothing about after Trump s delay of six months ends without any action from Congress to keep the program alive.Indeed, none of these individuals are responsible for the actions of their parents. They were powerless to say or do anything when they were brought to the United States. To most of them, America is the only home they have ever known. Deporting them would be cruel and unusual punishment.Six months is not a very long time to wait. And Congress, especially one controlled by anti-immigrant Republicans, does not give these 800,000 people much hope that something will actually get done to spare them from the pain of being forcibly separated from family, friends, and the lives they have built.On Thursday morning, Trump made things worse by telling DACA recipients that they have nothing to worry about even though it is very clear that they have everything to worry about right no.For all of those (DACA) that are concerned about your status during the 6 month period, you have nothing to worry about No action! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2017Trump s message to these 800,000 people lacked any trace of empathy and ignored the fact that they only have six months before Trump s immigration squads come knocking on their doors or kicking them down to drag them away from the only home they have ever known.Twitter users had absolutely no problem trashing Trump s heartlessness.And then what about after 6 months? Will you kick them out of America without any notice? Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) September 7, 2017It s not the Next 6 MONTHS they are worried about It s the REST OF THEIR LIVES!! Impeach Donald Trump (@Impeach_D_Trump) September 7, 2017Imagine if Ivanka Came here at 2 years old from Russia. Imagine forcing her to move back to Russia w/out knowing the language or the country Impeach Donald Trump (@Impeach_D_Trump) September 7, 2017Obama was clear: that kids brought here by their parents should get a chance to earn their citizenship. That s the American spirit. Anirvan Ghosh (@anirvanghosh) September 7, 2017Ummm and what about after 6 months? What s the point of creating an arbitrary deadline to mess with people s heads? Greg Shugar (@GregShugar) September 7, 2017but after that 6 month period .you re screwed Mike Zoller (@mikezoller) September 7, 2017That s like telling someone who has six months to live that they have nothing to worry about for six months. Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) September 7, 2017Basically, all their plans for their futures being held hostage. All their accomplishments thus far null and void. James (@JaySaysStuff) September 7, 2017Essentially Go on living your life, career, education, etc knowing full well it could come to an abrupt end in 6 months. James (@JaySaysStuff) September 7, 2017And it s not just DACA recipients who are affected by Trump s decision. Everyone in this country would be affected because the economic consequences would be staggering. The economy stands to lose $400 billion if Trump goes through with the deportation of 800,000 people six months from now.So, it s not just DACA recipients who should be worried. Every American should be worried because Trump s hateful decision is going to hit all of us in the wallet.Featured Image: Alex Wong/Getty Images | News | September 7, 2017 |
CNN And MSNBC Destroy Trump, Black Out His Fact-Free Tax Reform Speech (TWEET) | Donald Trump practically does something to criticize the media as being fake news on an almost daily basis, but two major news networks have just turned the tables and put him on blast in a major way.The White House is currently up in arms over a recent decision by CNN and MSNBC, who decided not to air Trump s insanely dishonest North Dakota speech from earlier today. Trump was supposed to address tax reform in his speech, but there was a major problem with what he was saying not a word of it was true. In response to this fact-free speech, CNN and MSNBC decided that it was irresponsible to air the speech and decided to spare Americans the misinformation and nonsense.Once the Trump administration found out about this move by the press, the White House practically threw a hissy fit. Special Assistant to the President and Assistant White House Communications Director Steven Chueng tweeted:Instead of insulting their viewers with Trump s lies, MSNBC s Nicole Wallace reported on important, truthful topics such as DACA and Russia. CNN s Jake Tapper focused on Hurricane Irma, Russia, and the debt ceiling while Trump spewed his usual nonsense.This was a major f*ck you to the Trump administration and sends a strong message that the dishonest narrative that his administration continues to put out to the American people will not be tolerated. While people aren t likely going to react so strongly to a topic as dry as tax reform, having two major networks refusing to air his speech is a big deal. Trump desperately wants and needs that coverage, and is obviously pissed that all eyes were not on him. If more cable news networks break from Trump, his already failing presidency will be in even more danger.Featured image is a screenshot | News | September 7, 2017 |
Trump Tells The Dakotas: I Will Make The Drought ‘Go Away’ | Amateur president Donald Trump told the drought-stricken Dakotas that he can make the drought go away and told attendees during a tax reform speech that they are better off than cities flooded by Hurricane Harvey. I know you have a little bit of a drought. They had the opposite, believe me, Trump said during his speech in Mandan, North Dakota. You re better off. You are better off, they had the absolute opposite, the climate change denier said.Trump continued to say that he was surprised that droughts could happen this far north. We re doing everything we can but you have a very serious drought, he said. I just said to the governor, I didn t know you had droughts this far north. Guess what: you have them. We re working hard on it, and it will disappear, it will all go away, he said.According to a federal drought monitor report which was issued last week, it said there were long-term precipitation deficits in parts of the Dakotas, Nebraska and Montana, where 41 percent of the state s pasture and range conditions are rated very poor, The Hill reports.Trump said his Agriculture Department has been working closely with states in the region to alleviate the impact of the drought on farmers and ranchers. We will always stand strong with our farmers and our ranchers, the backbone of America, that I can tell you 100 percent, he added.Trump nominated an Oklahoma politician who is a climate change skeptic to run NASA an agency which monitors man-made climate change. The former reality show star, a purveyor of fake news, once tweeted that the concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive. During the presidential debates, Trump walked it back and said he was joking but now that Houston is underwater and Hurricane Irma is pummeling Puerto Rico on its way to Florida and the Dakotas are in the midst of a drought, we re wondering how funny that joke is because it certainly garnered a lot of likes and retweets from his fans.Maybe Trump plans to call Michele Bachmann so she can pray the drought away. Now there s a novel idea.Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images. | News | September 7, 2017 |
Facebook Just Confirmed Russia Spent At Least $100k On Ads To Influence Election | Earlier today, Facebook representatives told Congress something that should shake every American to their core: A shady Russian company bought thousands of dollars worth of ads specifically targeting American voters. $100,000, to be exact. In other words, Russian actors actively sought to influence the outcome of our election.Facebook has traced the ads back to what they re calling a Russian troll farm, which is known to spread propaganda friendly to the Kremlin. Some mentioned both Trump and Hillary by name, while most merely worked to stoke fears about gun rights, immigration, and other issues the same fears that Trump himself stoked during his campaign.With all the brouhaha surrounding fake news, and the question of how big a role social media played in the dissemination of fake news that may have unduly influenced our electoral outcome, this is a massive revelation indeed.NBC News posted Facebook s official statement on the matter to their Twitter account. It reads, in part: We have found approximately $100,000 in ad spending from June of 2015 to May of 2017 associated with roughly 3,000 ads that was connected to about 470 inauthentic accounts and Pages in violation of our policies. Our analysis suggests these accounts and Pages were affiliated with one another and likely operated out of Russia. Read their full statement below:Facebook statement: 470 inauthentic accounts likely operated out of Russia bought roughly $100,000 in ads between June 2015 and May 2017 pic.twitter.com/XZqvUKB0gG NBC News (@NBCNews) September 6, 2017How utterly convenient that these ads started popping up right as Trump formally announced his candidacy. This was even before the primary season really got underway, and the GOP field was crowded. At that point, we weren t going to know for months who the GOP candidate would be. Yet, when combined with all the other evidence against Trump and his campaign, such as meetings between Don Jr. and a Russian lawyer, the Trumps financial connections in Russia, and more, the dark picture of Russian meddling starts becoming a little clearer.Here s the thing: While the amount these Russians spent is just a tiny fraction of overall spending during the campaign cycle, and most of the ads didn t actually reference our election, the targeting was more specific than it ought to have been. That brings up questions about whether these Russian operators had help from within the U.S. when it came to targeting their ads.If they did indeed have help from inside our borders, where did the help come from? Russians already here? Or people close to some of the candidates (like, oh, say, Donald Trump and his family)? Facebook can t determine that, but hopefully investigators will be able to uncover some information about it soon.Featured image via Spencer Platt/Getty Images | News | September 7, 2017 |
Trump Humiliated As DACA Decision Practically Kills His Presidency (DETAILS) | As we saw with his Muslim travel ban as well as his attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare, every time Donald Trump puts forth one of his disastrous ideas, it blows up in his face and delivers a devastating blow to his already failing presidency.Each time Trump introduces an unpopular policy or idea, his already historically low approval rating takes another nosedive. This week, Trump only managed to make things worse for himself when he decided to end former President Obama s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program. Here s the problem most Americans disagree with him.According to a recent survey from Morning Consult/Politico, almost 80% (76% to be exact) of Americans do not believe that Dreamers (the undocumented immigrants that were brought into the United States illegally as kids) should be forced to return to their countries. The majority of Americans are far more humane than Trump, and believe that these immigrants should have the opportunity to become citizens, as most have been productive members and have contributed greatly to American society.Trump is especially in trouble because his decision to end DACA only offers more proof that he is a racist a**hole. As MSNBC s Joy Reid perfectly pointed out, there is no economic, national security or social cohesion rationale for ending DACA: Trump might say that he has great love for the immigrants that are living in America, but his decision proves the exact opposite. Trump wants to strip Dreamers of the lives and progress they have made for themselves in this country and force them to return to countries they are unfamiliar with, where they will have nothing.With this decision, Trump is not only screwing himself over by killing his presidency, but he is also basically putting the GOP in great danger in future elections by excluding one of the fastest-growing voting demographics. Trump is sinking the Republican Party and his presidency at record speed.Featured image via video screen capture | News | September 6, 2017 |
Seahawks Star Has Even MORE To Protest Before Games After Police Brutality In Vegas | One of the most feared defensive ends in football, Michael Bennett of the Seattle Seahawks, posted an account on Twitter Wednesday of his own story of police brutality, and it happened less than three weeks ago.Bennett was in Las Vegas the day after his team bested the Kansas City Chiefs in a preseason matchup. Before that game, as Bennett has the entire preseason, he sat during the national anthem in protest against police brutality nationwide. Number 72 has been an outspoken activist for years, but this year he has elected to actually join other players in protest of the treatment of people of color at the hands of police.As he did previous 2 weeks, Michael Bennett sits during national anthem. As last week, teammate Justin Britt stands at his side. #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/5ko7KG4jT2 Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) August 26, 2017Ironic doesn t begin to cover what happened to him the very next day. With a statement far too large to fit into even a series of tweets, Bennett posted his account of what happened after the much-hyped fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor in Las Vegas on August 26th:To be clear, Michael Bennett is a very big man. At six-foot-four and 275 pounds of pure muscle, Bennett wears a smaller version of standard NFL shoulder pads so they don t get in his way as he crushes his opponents on the field. But this beast of a man, compliant in every way, finally encountered something that made him fear for his life: The police.Any Seahawks fan and I am one of the biggest will tell you that Michael Bennett is the last person that would ever be a suspect in any kind of violent crime. If he seems like a monster when he gears up, it is in polar opposite to his life off the field. He lives in Hawaii with his wife and three young daughters. His brother Martellus, a tight end for the Packers, writes children s books. Michael collaborates with his brother s business, The Imagination Agency. He is a happy man.But today he is not happy. If NFL fans thought they were going to get players to stop protesting during the national anthem by complaining about their patriotism, they should seek out Michael Bennett and ask him how much he loves this country. Bennett is a proud American, standing up against the police brutality that has claimed so many young black lives, and almost claimed his own.Featured image via Elsa (Staff)/Getty Images | News | September 6, 2017 |
Airlines Immune From Price Gouging Laws In Florida, Royally Screwing Evacuees | Imagine you just heard on the news that the strongest storm ever observed in the Atlantic was headed your way, and soon. You would, like anyone concerned for themselves and their family, want to get out as soon as possible. And the quickest way to evacuate from anywhere is the fastest method of travel on earth: Air. But you hit a small snag. You don t have the goddamn fortune that the airlines are now charging for flights that were less than half as much the day before. That has to be against the law, right?Wrong. In Florida, where Hurricane Irma is bearing down like a banshee, there are price-gouging laws like there are in every state. But airlines don t answer to specific states. They re regulated by the FAA and the Department of Transportation, which means no state or local statutes apply to them.So when Lisette Diaz tried to book a flight to get her family out of South Florida, she found that flights from the area during what is normally a lull in the travel season in Florida had skyrocketed from a few hundred dollars to over $3,000. Trying to get to New York, she finally settled on tickets out of Fort Lauderdale that cost upwards of $1,300 per traveler. According to the Miami Herald, there were four people traveling with her, including her mother, grandmother, adult cousin, and 11-year-old sister. $6,600 later, she had her tickets.Diaz was far from the only person to run into price gouging. Florida s Attorney General Pam Bondi activated the state s price-gouging hotline for travelers to report these egregious acts.The Herald reported that Antonio Mercurius actually got his tickets from Miami to D.C. on Monday, before the pricing spikes. Out of curiosity, he checked the price of the same ticket the next day and found it had gone up more than 800% per ticket. Said Mercurius,I understand supply and demand but the laws of capitalism should not operate in the times of catastrophic danger. What happens to the people that can t afford flights now?People trying to evacuate responsibly before the storm vented their frustration on Twitter:@AmericanAir really charging $2000 for a flight from Miami to DC. Scum I tell you. The Last DJ Bender! (@djpushplay21) September 5, 2017Searching for flight tickets for my sister, grandma and cousin and they are over 1k from Miami New York! Tu Deseo ? (@Lissette24twiny) September 5, 2017Totally unacceptable, a $358 flight from Miami to NYC went up to $3578. Why should expect anything decent from these airlines??? F ing RATS! https://t.co/rjdH6J0yOL Joseph Pep Nodarse (@joerileyhudson) September 6, 2017Looking for flights for the last hour-plus was one of the most stressful experiences I've had in quite a while. Finally got one. Alex Schwartz (@AlexJSchwartz) September 5, 2017Leave it to the industry that brought you fees for everything from blankets and pillows to a simple name change on a ticket to really kick evacuees while they re down. While we watch storms like Harvey and Irma bring out the best in neighbors and charities, the airline industry quietly profits for our misery.Featured image via Joe Raedle/Getty Images | News | September 6, 2017 |
Florida Sheriff Exploits Desperate Hurricane Victims, Will Arrest Anyone With A Warrant Seeking Shelter | Ever since Donald Trump s rise, some of the most heartless people in positions of power have come out of the woodwork likely because they are emboldened by Trump s being a heartless bastard from the bully pulpit of the White House. Case in point Sheriff Grady Judd of Florida s Polk County.Of course, Florida is right in the middle of the path of the Category 5 beast known as Hurricane Irma. Therefore, there will be people in need of shelter and safety from the storm. However, instead of trying to help people stay alive during Irma, Sheriff Judd has reminded them that if they have any warrants out and they seek shelter, they will be arrested and taken to jail. Hell, they even suggest that to make it easier, you should just turn yourself in to the jail instead! This was, of course, announced via Twitter:Here is a screenshot of the relevant tweets, via CNN s Twitter:Of course, this is incredibly dangerous. This man should be doing everything he can to protect the residents of the county he is sworn to serve and protect, not threatening them with jail time for seeking shelter from what could clearly be a very deadly storm. It s like this Sheriff wants people to be afraid to seek help, and ultimately wind up dying in a deadly hurricane. His actions are complete dereliction of duty, and he should be relieved of said duties.Of course, we all know that won t happen. What is more likely to happen is that more deaths occur than otherwise would have because people are too afraid to come forward for help.Featured image via CNN Twitter | News | September 6, 2017 |
Senate Says ENOUGH Of Trump’s Racism, Will Force Him To Go On Legal Record Condemning White Supremacists | Most of the nation and world watched in horror just a couple of weeks ago as white supremacists, neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klan members, and other various white power groups descended on Charlottesville, Virginia. Their violent, hateful rally eventually resulted in the death of a brave counter protester, 32-year-old Heather Heyer.As if that weren t bad enough, Donald Trump s response to this racist violence made the situation that had already turned the nation into a tinder box even worse. Instead of condemning white supremacy as any sane, non-bigoted person would, Trump instead made an equivocation between the vile white supremacists and the people there protesting their hate. Only when he was forced to do so did he condemn the violent hate groups by name. However, Trump, being the arrogant, bigoted jackass that he is, could not let that carefully scripted statement stand. In a freewheeling press conference for the ages, Trump ranted for more than half an hour about how the other side was just as bad as the white supremacists. Well, now, it seems that members of the United States Senate are sick of Trump s bigotry and pandering to white supremacists, and they plan to force his hand on the issue.Politico is reporting that a bipartisan group of Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Cory Gardner (R-CO)- have drawn up a resolution that will have Trump make a legal statement against what happened in Charlottesville. That isn t all it does, though. It also forces Trump, once and for all and on the record, to commit to rejecting white nationalists, white supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and other hate groups. This is an extraordinary move, considering that resolutions are usually just symbolic in nature and not controversial at all. Generally, they just recognize honorary holidays for people of note and things like that. However, this resolution dubbed the Charlottesville Resolution will force Trump to, once and for all, stop winking and nodding at these vile hate groups. Senator Mark Warner said: Let there be no mistake: what happened in Charlottesville was an act of domestic terrorism perpetrated by a white supremacist, one that tragically cut short the life of a young woman, Heather Heyer, who was speaking out against hatred and bigotry. We will be pressing our colleagues to swiftly and unanimously approve this resolution in order to send a strong message that the United States Congress unconditionally condemns racist speech and violence. Senator Tim Kaine said in a statement of his own: During the violent white supremacist demonstrations in Charlottesville last month, our country lost three brave Virginians in Heather Heyer and Virginia State Police officers, Lieutenant Jay Cullen and Trooper Pilot Berke Bates. This resolution honors their lives while supporting the Charlottesville community as it heals and rightfully calls on us all, including President Trump, to do better as we combat acts of hate. The beautiful thing about this is that every single Senator will have to vote in favor of it, lest they be labeled a Nazi sympathizer for the rest of their political careers. While Teflon Don gets away with being an open racist, it has been shown time and time again that these other politicians do not have cults of personality of their own and will not be so fortunate should they attempt the same sort of behavior.To that end, Trump will have no choice but to sign this Charlottesville Resolution, and it will be in the presidential records as long as this republic exists.Featured image via Zach Gibson Pool/Getty Images | News | September 6, 2017 |
Trump Brags About Hurricane Size As Florida Braces For Disaster | Donald Trump is apparently thrilled that Hurricane Irma will be the biggest storm to ever hit the United States.Only weeks after Hurricane Harvey left a swath of devastation and death in Texas, Florida is bracing for an even deadlier and more destructive storm.People will die. Businesses and homes will be wiped off the map. Suffering and homelessness will be the reality in Florida. But Trump is too busy bragging about the size of the hurricane to actually care about the people who are in the path of the storm.In yet another Twitter rant on Wednesday morning, Trump proclaimed that his team is already in Florida preparing for the storm after bragging about what a good job they have done in Texas.Watching Hurricane closely. My team, which has done, and is doing, such a good job in Texas, is already in Florida. No rest for the weary! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 6, 2017In fact, Trump s response to Hurricane Harvey was to brag about the size of that storm, and he ended an Obama-era flood policy as Houston drowned. Trump has also proposed massive cuts to FEMA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which predicts and tracks hurricanes.It should also be noted that Trump inherited a FEMA that took the lessons of Hurricane Katrina seriously in preparation for future storms. So, Trump and his team did nothing special.But what Trump did next on Twitter shows just how little empathy and compassion he has for the people in the path of Hurricane Irma.Hurricane looks like largest ever recorded in the Atlantic! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 6, 2017Yeah, you read that right. Trump literally bragged about the size of this hurricane as if it s something to be proud of. This coming from a man who denies the very climate change that is causing bigger and more destructive hurricanes to form.As Floridians prepare for disaster, they must be wondering why Trump is so excited about watching them get slammed by the largest hurricane to ever strike the United States. If anything, Trump should be concerned about the coming destruction and death instead of bragging like he s about to win a prize.Featured Image: Jim Lo Scalzo Pool/Getty Images | News | September 6, 2017 |
AG Sessions Persuaded Trump To End DACA, Then Race-Baited His Way Through The Speech That Killed It | It s certainly no secret that Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, a man named after both the president of the Confederacy and the guy who actually started the Civil War, is an unholy racist. Like, he s so racist that the wife of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., actually delivered a letter to Congress pleading with them not to confirm him as a U.S. attorney 31 years ago.So it s no surprise to find out that Sessions was the driving force behind convincing Donald Trump to end DACA, the temporary deferment program for undocumented immigrants that protects them from deportation if they came here as children. Sessions sees no difference between an illegal alien who steals a car and one who may sit next to one of his 10 grandchildren in school one day.So imbued with the essence of Jeff Sessions was the Trump decision to boot nearly a million kids out of the country in less than a year s time that it was the AG himself who delivered the speech announcing it. And it was during that speech on Tuesday that the former senator from Alabama revealed the truth behind the decision to end DACA: That despite the fact that even many Republicans favor the basic protections that DACA affords, it is racism that serves as the foundation for undoing it. From the speech: The effect of this unilateral executive amnesty, among other things, contributed to a surge of unaccompanied minors on the southern border that yielded terrible humanitarian consequences. It also denied jobs to hundreds of thousands of Americans by allowing those same jobs to go to illegal aliens. This is a direct appeal to the racist tendencies of the Americans who put Donald Trump in office.Number one, the surge of unaccompanied minors that Sessions refers to began well before DACA was implemented. To suggest otherwise is a dog whistle to right-wing voters. A BBC report from 2012 showed that the number of unaccompanied minors who were apprehended near the border increased from October 2011 to March 2012 by 93% over the same period in the previous year. DACA was not implemented until June of 2012. Besides that, any who came after DACA was announced wouldn t have qualified in the first place. You had to have been in the United States at the time of implementation to benefit from the executive order.Number two, Sessions brings up the myth of the job-stealing immigrant. The theory, again an appeal to racists, is ridiculous from the start. Immigrants don t even look for the same jobs as native citizens. There is no evidence to support the claim that DACA has had any effect on jobs other than as a boost to our economy. In fact, with the job losses that will come as DACA expires something to the tune of 30,000 workers a month employers stand to lose billions in training new employees, and the federal government will lose tens of billions in lost revenue and GDP.But those facts don t jibe with the Sessions narrative.Don t let the mini-quarrel that Trump and Sessions got into earlier this year fool you. They both have a racist agenda, and this is the first major step in implementing it.Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images | News | September 5, 2017 |
Putin Breaks Up With Trump In HUMILIATING Public Split: He Is ‘Not My Bride’ | Ever since Donald Trump rode down the escalator at Trump Tower and announced his disgraceful bid for the White House, people have been making jokes about his alleged love affair with Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin. This is more than fair; after all, Putin is the ONE person Trump refuses to criticize. The orange one has viciously attacked everyone from the cast of the hit Broadway musical Hamilton, to Congresspeople and Senators in both his own party and the opposing party, too many celebrities to mention, cable news hosts, and just about anyone else you could think of. But not Vladimir Putin, not ever. The only close second is Trump s bizarre coddling of white supremacists and Nazis.Therefore, it must be the ultimate humiliation to have Putin do the unthinkable to Trump in a VERY public way: and say, and I quote, that, is not my bride. According to the New York Times, the Russian dictator seems to be tiring of Trump s chaos. At this point, Putin has spent a lot of political capital on the world stage helping get Trump elected, and yet Trump has failed to deliver sanctions relief, a better U.S.-Russia relationship, or anything else to the brutal dictator. Putin reportedly said of Trump: [He is] not my bride, and I am not his groom. Of course, Trump wants to be seen as a man s man, so to be emasculated by being referred to in the feminine by the man whose bitch everyone has accused him of being is really rubbing salt in that wound. Apparently, Putin made the remarks when being asked about what he thought of the idea that Trump might be removed from office forcibly before his four-year term is completed. Of course, no matter how humiliating this is for Trump, there will be no retaliation. He can t strike out at Putin; after all, this is the one man on the face of the planet who likely has the MAJOR goods on Trump.Now, if only Putin would grow tired of this game and release the most damning information ever and help us end this embarrassing American nightmare.Featured image via Sean Gallup/Getty Images | News | September 5, 2017 |
Pastor Who Prayed At Trump’s Inauguration Takes DACA Decision To The Woodshed | Donald Trump s decision to punish 800,000 young people who came to the U.S. as children, and subject them to deportation, isn t going down well. It s almost as if he didn t think before he decided to end the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA.Even a reverend who offered one of the prayers at Donald Trump s inauguration called on Tuesday for Congress to act in the wake of the former reality show star s decision to end the DACA program. Hundreds of thousands of Hispanic young people will be overcome with fear and grief today, the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, said in a statement, according to The Hill. Simultaneously, a multi-ethnic coalition of tens-of-millions of law-abiding, U.S. citizens will begin to put unrelenting pressure on members of Congress to provide a permanent solution for DREAMers, whose fate is in question by no fault of their own, he continued, referring to recipients of DACA.Rodriguez blasted politicians in the statement, saying that Hispanic people in this country have been the political bargaining chips of our powerful politicians for far too long. This is an affront to the sanctity of life, it is inhumane, and the Hispanic community will stand for it no longer, he said.Rodriguez then targeted Congress, saying lawmakers expressed concern for the country s Hispanic community but have chosen to do nothing. We will not distinguish between Republicans and Democrats but between those who stand for righteousness and justice and those who do not, he added.Statement from Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, who prayed at Trump's inauguration: pic.twitter.com/HgXwAoPMTZ Betsy Woodruff (@woodruffbets) September 5, 2017Trump, too cowardly to announce his decision to end DACA, had Attorney General Jeff Sessions (R-Racist) do his dirty work for him on Tuesday.Watch Rodriguez s prayer at Trump s inauguration:After the decision was announced, Trump tweeted, I look forward to working w/ D s + R s [SIC] in Congress to address immigration reform in a way that puts hardworking citizens of our country 1st. Good luck on getting Democrats (or Democrat s, as he put it) to work with you, Mr. Trump, after creating another hot mess. We need to hear from more Christians, especially the pro-life ones, on Trump s decision to kick 800,000 young, hardworking, taxpaying people out of the country.Image via screen capture. | News | September 5, 2017 |
Obama Pens STUNNING Response To Trump’s Cold-Blooded Move On DACA – Trump Fans Should Be Ashamed | Trump is working his tail off to undo absolutely everything President Obama ever did, because the black man who once occupied the White House apparently hated all of America and everyone in it far more than His Royal Orangeness, and that includes ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. That program protects undocumented immigrants from deportation if they were brought into the country as children.That was one of Obama s more controversial executive orders, with Republicans all up and down the line calling it a gross overreach of executive power. But Trump s plan is more insidious than a belief that he s righting the wrongs of the previous administration. He promised to remove 11 million undocumented immigrants from the country, who (in his mind) are here because Obama and the Democrats favor open borders, and by golly, he s going to accomplish that even if it hurts innocent people.Like those protected by DACA.So Obama wrote an absolutely beautiful response to Trump s cold-blooded fuckery on Facebook, naming every single thing wrong with Trump s move, including that it is politically motivated and morally questionable. He also pointed out what should be obvious, but apparently isn t, to anyone who believes the GOP s lies: Kicking [these immigrants] out won t lower the unemployment rate, or lighten anyone s taxes, or raise anybody s wages. For eons, the GOP has been sending the message that undocumented immigrants are just one huge burden on us that we can t sustain. White, working-class Americans took that to mean that undocumented immigrants are one of the main reasons they re losing their jobs and can t make any headway in this economy.It s a matter of basic decency, according to Obama. He knows as well as the rest of us that Trump has no decency to him, because if he did, he wouldn t do this, let alone shirk his own responsibility for it by shifting it over to Congress: Ultimately, this is about basic decency. This is about whether we are a people who kick hopeful young strivers out of America, or whether we treat them the way we d want our own kids to be treated. It s about who we are as a people and who we want to be. The ending of it is a subtle jab at those who claim strict adherence to the Constitution s letters, but not its spirit, like all those allegedly Constitutional Republicans and conservatives who blasted Obama over DACA, and now stand with the Racist-in-Chief on this. Read his full post below:Featured image via Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images | News | September 5, 2017 |
Trump Staffers Admit Their Boss Has No Idea What DACA Is | Donald Trump sent a racist elf to make the announcement that his administration is going to punish 800,000 young people, who came to the U.S. as children, and subject them to deportation in an act that Attorney General Jeff Sessions called compassionate. The Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA, is being terminated by a man who doesn t know what the program is, according to Trump s own administration officials, who said he doesn t fully comprehend what the move to eliminate DACA would mean.According to the New York Times, it was just an hour before the announcement that Trump administration officials privately expressed concern that the former reality show star might not fully grasp the details of the steps he was about to take, and when he discovered their full impact, would change his mind.Trump did not have the courage to face the nation and make the announcement himself and left Sessions to do his dirty work.The perpetrators behind pushing Trump to eliminate the program include Stephen Miller the amateur president s chief domestic policy aide who wrote the Trump campaign s immigration plan promising the termination of DACA, and has played a pivotal role inside the White House in pushing Trump to roll back the provision, according to Politico.Steve Bannon and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the latter of which just made the announcement, have also been against the program, even though ending it would hurt the economy.Trump, without even comprehending how upending the program would affect the economy as well as tear families apart, allowed three extremists to call the shots instead of trying to unify the country while it was just besieged by one deadly hurricane and another category 5 storm is on its way.Bannon and Sessions both believe that Trump s rise is credited to his stance on immigration, however, the former reality show star told DREAMers recently to rest easy because his administration would not kick them out of the country. Just a few days ago, Trump said, We love the DREAMers! Photo by Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images | News | September 5, 2017 |
South Dakota Republican Rigs Upcoming Election For Herself By Personally Purging Democratic Voters | This is a clear case of election-rigging.South Dakota Secretary of State Shantel Krebs is running for Congress in 2018. But rather than win the votes of the people fair and square, Krebs is using her current position to stack the odds in her favor.The Dakota Free Press pointed out that Krebs has purged thousands of voters from the rolls in the last threes months.The September 1, 2017, South Dakota voter registration tally shows 11,762 voters 2.14% of the August 1 total removed from Active status and 11,450 newly Inactive voters. This one-month purge restocks the Inactive pool, which the Secretary of State has whittled down over the last 18 months from a March 2016 peak of 54,708 to an August 2017 low of 30,619. Inactives now total 42,069 Thus, in three months, the Secretary of State managed to scrub 3.06% of the names on the voter rolls.Considering how close elections can be in this country, three percent is a big deal and could easily be enough to guarantee a victory for Krebs in November 2018.In fact, Democratic voters were targeted most by Krebs, which makes it all the more clear that she is rigging the election to help herself. In all, 2.63 percent of Democratic voters were purged from the rolls. If Democratic voters are kept from voting, her opponent doesn t stand a chance against her.And that s probably the whole point.This is voter suppression in its ugliest form. No candidate for office should have unfettered access to the voter rolls. As Secretary of State, Krebs is supposed to make sure elections are fair. But because she is going to be a congressional candidate in 2018, it appears she has thrown fairness out the window because winning is more important to her. When she pulls up the list of voters whom the state hasn t heard from for a while, it wouldn t be hard to sort that list by party and start with the Democrats first, the Dakota Free Press noted.That means Krebs has a conflict of interest and she should be forced to resign.Featured image via Mark Wilson/Getty Images | News | September 5, 2017 |
Trump’s Own Diversity Council Member Fact-Checks Him On DACA: ‘He’s A Liar’ (VIDEO) | Donald Trump s team is turning against him at record speed, and he s just been sent a strong message by a member of his own diversity council.Recently, Trump announced that he is going to get rid of the DACA program, marking his latest attack on immigrants. While much of America is furious over this, it seems like Trump has pissed off even his own team. Javier Palomarez, president of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and diversity council member to Trump, just destroyed Trump for recently claiming that he loved the 800,000+ people in the program. Palomarez pretty much tore Trump apart on CNN as he told Jim Acosta: If he gets rid of DACA, he s showing that he s a liar. He has said to this country that he is going to try to protect the people in the DACA program, that he was focused on getting rid of criminals. Palomarez made sure to point out the positives of DACA recipients, which includes high graduation and employment rates far from the drug dealers and rapists labels that Trump had made up for immigrants during his 2016 presidential campaign. Palomarez even stated that he was so disgusted with Trump s announcement that he is considering resigning from Trump s diversity council. He said: I m gonna work right up until the bloody end to try to convince this president to do the right thing by these 800,000 Dreamers who reside in this country. Trump s policies and plans are disgusting even members of his own team. So far, any of Trump s staff have resigned over his inhumane ideas, and there aren t any signs of this pattern slowing down. Trump is a nightmare for any administration members that give a damn about human rights, and it s clear that many members are struggling with the lack of morale. You can watch the interview below:Featured image via Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images | News | September 5, 2017 |
Mother Of DACA Recipient Who Died Rescuing Flood Victims Refused Entry Into U.S. To Bury Her Son | Donald Trump is set to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA, an Obama-era policy. It s a real d*ck move that is so appalling even Republicans are calling him out on it. Approximately 800,000 young people will be subject to immediate deportation, and that would have included Alonso Guillen, a 31-year-old disc jockey from Lufkin, Texas who gave his life while trying to rescue others in the state in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.On Wednesday, Guillen disappeared along with two of his friends after their boat hit the bridge over the creek and capsized, the Houston Chronicle reports.One of his friends clung to a tree and was eventually rescued but days later, Guillen and Tomas Carreon Jr. were still missing. Carreon s body was found floating down the creek on Friday.On Sunday, Guillen s body was found as it floated past a sandy berm. A relative quickly dove in and pulled his body to the shoulder of the creek. Soon after, a boat took him to shore.The Houston Chronicle reports:Guillen s father, Jesus Guillen, said he d asked his son not to try and rescue people in the storm, but he insisted, saying he wanted to help people. He cried and prayed on Sunday afternoon as they pulled his son s body from the water. Thank you, God, he said, for the time I had with him. Trump would have had Mr. Guillen deported and now Border agents are refusing to let his mother into the U.S. in order to bury her son.Guillen was a recipient of the DACA program and his father is here legally but his mother, Rita Ruiz de Guillen, 62, is still in the application process for legal status.Mrs. Guillen said from her home in Rita Ruiz, Mexico, across the border from Eagle Pass, that she s asking God for strength. I ve lost a great son, you have no idea, she said while weeping softly on the other end of the phone. I m asking God to give me strength. She explained that she had hoped that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials would take pity and grant her a humanitarian visa so that she could go to Houston and bury her son, but she was turned back at the border. When we are with God, there are no borders, she said. Man made borders on this earth. To a man like Donald Trump, Alonso Guillen is one bad hombre. To anyone with a heart, he died a hero.Featured image via Christopher Furlong/Getty Images | News | September 4, 2017 |
WATCH: CNN Majorly F*cks Up, Has White Supremacist Weigh In On DACA Panel | Donald Trump is the first authoritarian president we have ever had. Of course, one of the hallmarks of autocrats is that they destabilize trust in the free press and eventually attempt to squash the Fourth Estate altogether. Trump has done a remarkable job of implementing this dangerous autocratic strategy with his base. Therefore, it is absolutely vital that news outlets make sure that everything they do is on the up and up. This is especially true of outlets that are favorite targets of Trump s such as CNN.Unfortunately, it seems that CNN is dropping the ball there in a major way. Case in point they had a white supremacist sit on a nationally televised panel about the debate over whether or not the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program otherwise known as DACA should be rescinded by the Trump Administration.On Monday s edition of its early show, CNN had a panel discussion regarding the program that protects hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who were brought here through no fault of their own by their parents and know no other home. On the panel were Democratic strategist Maria Cordona, and Dan Stein of the Foundation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). However, there was one particularly disturbing detail that CNN left out of Stein s introduction: That his organization has a long history of trafficking in white supremacy. Luckily for the sake of public information, Think Progress s Judd Legum did it for them. Legum writes: CNN did not mention FAIR s deep roots in white supremacy, eugenics, and white nationalism. The organization was founded by John Tanton, who founded FAIR to keep America a majority-white population. Heidi Beirich of the Southern Poverty Law Center says of the founder of FAIR: [Tanton] has corresponded with Holocaust deniers, former Klan lawyers and the leading white nationalist thinkers of the era. He introduced key FAIR leaders to the president of the Pioneer Fund, a white supremacist group set up to encourage race betterment, at a 1997 meeting at a private club. He wrote a major funder to encourage her to read the work of a radical anti-Semitic professor to give you a new understanding of the Jewish outlook on life and suggested that the entire FAIR board discuss the professor s theories on the Jews. Judd Legum goes on to say that Stein, said he believes America s immigration laws, which he regards as too permissive, are an effort to retaliate against Anglo-Saxon dominance. He said that the current generation of immigrants is engaged in competitive breeding and that [m]any of them hate America, hate everything the United States stands for. As for Stein s contributions to the CNN panel on Monday morning? He insisted that DACA is nothing more than arbitrary amnesty program, and said that Democrats should be forced to help the GOP secure the borders, build the wall, interior enforcement and cut chain migration if they want to protect the DACA kids. In other words, make sure we keep America mostly white. No more brown people for this guy.Now, CNN has some great anchors. They really do. Personally, I try to tear myself away from MSNBC in order to watch them sometimes particularly OutFront with Erin Burnett and The Lead with Jake Tapper. That being said, I have never been comfortable with their penchant for allowing Trump supporters to spew unchecked lies on the air. In this climate of deteriorating confidence in the Fourth Estate and confusion about what is and isn t true, these practices are hardly in the interest of the public good. Now, they have white supremacists as panelists, somehow believing that these views should be given mainstream legitimacy.Get your act together CNN. This is why I definitely prefer MSNBC.Watch this appalling discussion below:Featured image via video screen capture | News | September 4, 2017 |
Hardcore Conservative Republican Senator BLASTS Trump’s Decision To Kill DACA | Donald Trump s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) is so toxic that even one of his most hardcore conservative Republican supporters in the Senate opposes it.It s safe to say that Oklahoma Senator James Lankford is one of Trump s most ardent supporters. After all, Lankford votes with Trump s position nearly 96 percent of the time, and he backed Trump during the 2016 Election.But Lankford is breaking with Trump when it comes to killing DACA.DACA was put in place by President Obama to help children who were brought to the United States by their parents. America is where they grew up and it is the only home they have ever really known. DACA was created to give them a path to citizenship and over 800,000 have applied.Deporting these people is heartless, especially since they would be deported to countries they have never really lived in.Trump s decision to end DACA has been criticized by Republicans and Democrats alike, and has drawn outrage from the American people. Trump s racist supporters, of course, support his decision.But some Republicans, like Lankford, oppose it. It is right for there to be consequences for those who intentionally entered this country illegally, Lankford said in a statement. However, we as Americans do not hold children legally accountable for the actions of their parents. We must confront the nation s out-of-date immigration policy and finally resolve the issues of strong border enforcement and merit immigration, Lankford continued. Policy reform must come from the American people through Congress. The Legislative and Executive Branch should put aside passivity and partisanship and finally modernize our immigration laws. That s nice, but if Lankford really supports DACA he will put his money where his mouth is and introduce a bill to enshrine it in law. Anything less would reveal his statement to be a lie designed to save his own ass from the wrath of voters who oppose Trump s decision.Trump intends to make an official announcement on Tuesday. Let s hope the outrage and opposition are enough to make him change his mind.Featured image via Ron Sachs Pool/Getty Images | News | September 4, 2017 |
Despicable Trump Announces An End To DACA, Will Kick 800,000 Kids Out | We always knew that Donald Trump was a heartless bastard. However, he just decided to leave no doubt about that fact in the minds of the American people, as the orange one has decided to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which is an Obama-era program that protects children who arrived in the United States illegally when they were very young from deportation. The announcement came late Sunday night, as millions of people waited anxiously to see what the fate of their family members and friends and for DACA recipients, themselves would be.According to Politico, Trump will phase the program out within six months, leaving 800,000 DACA recipients subject to immediate deportation. It seems that the six month waiting period to start deporting DACA recipients, also known as DREAMERS, is to give Congress time to solve the problem of undocumented children themselves. The argument seems to be that a lot of people in Trump s orbit believe that immigration policies like DACA are the job of lawmakers, not the president, and therefore President Obama had no right to do what he did for the DREAMERS.This all comes as many lawmakers including many Republicans have said that Trump should leave the DACA kids alone. After all, these are people who know no other home, who came here as very small children and are Americans in every way except on paper. They literally have nowhere to go if Trump and his goons deport them.Now, it should be noted that this is not an official announcement and that it came from White House sources with knowledge of the upcoming announcement who spoke to Politico reporters. Since Trump is impulsive and unpredictable, there is still time for all of this to change. Hopefully, Congress will do something during the six-month window, rendering this awful decision moot.Anyone who thought this administration wouldn t be on a mission to destroy the lives of millions of people was completely deluded. We now see that Team Trump is on their way to making America into their fever dream of a white ethnostate or as close to it as they can come. That s what you get when dumb people decide it would be a great idea to have a racist run the country.Featured image via screen capture from Twitter | News | September 3, 2017 |
Republican Panics On Live TV, Can’t Say Trump Is Capable Of Handling North Korea (VIDEO) | Donald Trump s credibility and power has become such a joke that not even members of his own party have any faith in him to deal with the current issues that America is facing.On Sunday, Republican Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) unintentionally showed everyone just how little the GOP believes in Trump when he couldn t force himself to say that Trump could handle the current nuclear crisis the United States is facing with North Korea. In an interview with CNN s Dana Bash, Flake was put on the spot about how capable Trump is (and isn t). Bash asked Flake: Senator, there are a lot of people waking up this morning in this country very concerned about what they re hearing from North Korea. Do you share Clapper s concern, not just about North Korea, but with the president s ability to respond? Flake couldn t give a straight answer. He said: Well, I I do have good confidence in our national security team and those who are advising the president. And the president does not have experience in this in this kind of situation, but few presidents do when they come into office. And I m confident that the people around the president are giving him good advice, and I believe that he will follow it. I sure hope he does. Obviously, you like a leader that s measured and sober and consistent. Our allies want to hear that. I think our adversaries need to hear that. But we have got a good team around the president. Bash was quick to put Flake on the spot and point out that he hadn t actually said that Trump could handle this matter. Bash pressed, Senator, you talked there about the president s team, but not about the president himself. Are you concerned about the president himself, as James Clapper is? Flake continued to stumble through this interview: Well, like I said, no president comes in prepared with regard to foreign policy experience. That s why you have a good team around them. I have had my concerns, I think everyone has, at some of the statements that have been made by the president with regard to NATO and other areas in foreign policy. Like I said, I think we we want somebody who is who is measured and sober and consistent and conservative in this regard. But he has a good team around him, and I have confidence in them. This is absolutely humiliating for Trump. Not only was his Defense Secretary, James Mattis, sent out earlier today to deliver a public statement on North Korea in his place, but now a member of his own party practically said Trump isn t capable of handling North Korea. Flake refused to support Trump and say he was a competent president, and instead opted to talk about the experts surrounding him.You can watch Flake humiliate Trump below:Featured image via screenshot | News | September 3, 2017 |
Defense Secretary Mattis Speaks Over Incompetent Trump’s Threats To North Korea (VIDEO) | Earlier today, Donald Trump once again disgraced the United States by demonstrating his incompetence with empty threats to North Korea via his Twitter account. Showcasing his inability to handle a crisis, Trump tweeted that he would meet with his military experts and could only say we ll see when he was asked about his plans to attack North Korea.Further proving that no one in his administration takes him seriously, Defense Secretary James Mattis was sent out to give a more powerful statement on North Korea, outshining his own boss threats. In a statement, Mattis warned North Korea that the United States military would certainly respond to any threat. Mattis said: Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming. Mattis also urged North Korea to listen to the UN Security Council: All members unanimously agreed on the threat North Korea poses and they remain unanimous in their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. We are not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea, but as I said we have many options to do so. Of course, the reason Mattis had to make this statement in the first place is because no one can believe a word that Trump says. Even eight months into his presidency, Trump has managed to destroy every ounce of credibility he might have had, and many of the tasks he should be doing are now falling on the shoulders of his more capable administration members. No one takes him seriously, so he needs to send others to make statements for him.You can watch Mattis cover for his boss in the video below:Defense Secretary James Mattis: Any threat to the United States will be met with a massive military response https://t.co/7WzbWvGoIK CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) September 3, 2017Featured image via Drew Angerer/Getty Images | News | September 3, 2017 |
Trump Administration Is Already Talking About Withholding Harvey Aid | On the National Day of Prayer, Donald Trump lashed out at South Korea and North Korea, while his administration wants Congress to attach aid for victims of Hurricane Harvey to a bill that would increase the federal debt limit. So, Trump is now at war with an influential group of House conservatives who have warned GOP leaders not to connect the two funding initiatives. This move might cause a looming conservative uprising. Usually, with Republicans, they want a debt limit increase tied to spending cuts but now, with an entire city underwater and thousands in shelters and at least 45 dead, Conservatives will have to battle it out.On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that he and the former reality show star believe that raising the U.S. debt limit, which Congress must do within the next few weeks in order to avoid defaulting on its bills, should be tied to disaster relief funding for Hurricane Harvey. Without raising the debt limit I m not comfortable that we d get the money we d need this month to Texas, Mnuchin said on Fox News Sunday. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin revealed the administration s approach Sunday morning when he was asked whether the White House could guarantee that funding for the disaster would not be attached to the fight over the debt ceiling. No, I can t. Quite the contrary, Mnuchin said, adding, The president and I believe that it should be tied to the Harvey funding. Watch:NEW: Sec Mnuchin tells Chris Wallace on @FoxNewsSunday that if the debt limit isn't raised, it will interfere w/ the #Harvey relief effort. pic.twitter.com/EfxtOowH8C Pat Ward (@WardDPatrick) September 3, 2017Mnuchin warned of a delay in recovery funding for Texas if the debt ceiling is not raised, according to the Washington Post. Our first priority is to make sure that the state gets money, it is critical, and to do that we need to make sure we raise the debt limit, he said. Without raising the debt limit, I m not comfortable that we will get the money that we need this month to Texas to rebuild. In 2011, congressional Republicans brought the country to the brink of default after refusing to raise the debt ceiling unless Democrats agreed to a series of future spending cuts. And now, Conservatives and Republicans will have to slap fight each other in order to get aid to Texas.Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images | News | September 3, 2017 |
Trump ‘Cherished’ Letter Obama Left Him When He Took Over, Then Did The Opposite Of What It Said | It has become customary for a president, upon leaving the office to the next holder of the title, to leave a note of encouragement. Different presidents, of course, have done it differently. Back in 1992, George H. W. Bush left Bill Clinton a note that famously said I am rooting hard for you. Good luck. Clinton likewise left one for the elder Bush s son, as George W. did for Barack Obama.But when Obama quietly folded his letter and placed it in a drawer in the Resolute Desk, it contained more than just platitudes and well wishes. In addition to being twice as long Obama is a speaker, after all it was filled with not only an account of how powerful a position it is, but also advice on how to handle the job with grace and humilityAlthough Trump has never publicly read the letter aloud, he has often spoken of how much he cherishes it, when he s not busy tweeting about what a horrible president Barack Obama was. Now CNN has obtained a copy of the letter from a person that Trump once showed it to:Exclusive: In the letter Obama left for Trump on Inauguration Day, he lays out four points of advice. Read it here: https://t.co/NLczJTxyaz pic.twitter.com/ttqXGx6TxK CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) September 3, 2017Some highlights:It s up to us to do everything we can (to) build more ladders of success for every child and family that s willing to work hard.It s up to us, through action and example, to sustain the international order that s expanded steadily since the end of the Cold War, and upon which our own wealth and safety depend.[W]e are just temporary occupants of this office. That makes us guardians of those democratic institutions and traditions like rule of law, separation of powers, equal protection and civil liberties that our forebears fought and bled for. Regardless of the push and pull of daily politics, it s up to us to leave those instruments of our democracy at least as strong as we found them.As you can see, President Obama left Trump with a lot of advice he has definitely not followed. From Trump s sustained focus on repealing his predecessor s signature health care bill to his determination to cut social spending in order to fund more tax cuts for the wealthy, he hasn t built any ladders of success. In his constant tweets threatening North Korea and belittling China, Mexico, and even allies like Australia and Germany, Trump hasn t done much for international order. But on the last few points, Trump has failed spectacularly. He has zero respect for the rule of law or separation of powers, and has proven himself an enemy of equal protection and civil liberties.President Obama s letter couldn t have surfaced at a more perfect time to highlight the differences between the man we got used to seeing handle disasters, terrorism, tragedies, and diplomacy humbly and the man-child who scoffs now at even the most common social norms.If only it had been a set of rules.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | News | September 3, 2017 |
WATCH: Kellyanne Conway’s Latest Gushing About Trump Will Make America Vomit | The wicked witch of the White House makes America sick again.As we all know, Donald Trump botched his first visit to Texas in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey by basically holding a rally and bragging about himself without once talking to a victim of the storm or surveying the devastation first-hand.And Trump s do-over trip was just as embarrassing and divisive as he praised the Coast Guard before attacking the media and bragging about his hand size.But Kellyanne Conway thinks all of that adds up to Trump uniting the country.During an appearance on Fox & Friends on Sunday, Conway gushed about Trump s visit to Texas and bragged about his pledge of $1 million to Harvey victims after Abby Huntsman incorrectly claimed that Trump s recent most recent trip has not been criticized by the media. That s what s so significant here, that the president and first lady felt compelled to donate $1 million of their own money, felt compelled to visit twice, to really spend the time yesterday, engage people, look them in the eye, Conway said.The only reason why Trump visited a second time is because he f*cked up his first visit so badly. This is the Donald Trump that so many of us know and are privileged to work with and to know very close and personal, Conway continued.And we all that s complete bullshit because Trump is a vindictive narcissist who only cares about himself. He has proved that time and time again.Furthermore, that $1 million pledge is merely a pledge. He actually hasn t donated a penny yet. And he probably won t since the foundation he uses to donate other people s money to charities is under investigation. Trump won t spend his own money to help those in need.But Conway wasn t done making America puke. She claimed that Trump is uniting the country by helping people who didn t vote for him as if to suggest that he doesn t have to help people who didn t support him in 2016. We look at them as our brothers and sisters in need who are suffering, Conway said. But this man is somebody who has always expressed the capacity and compassion for people in need. Is everyone done laughing yet? Because we all know Trump has zero compassion for anyone. He lacks the capacity to care about others. He only cares about himself and his image. Again, the only reason he went back to Texas a second time is because he refused to take the time to visit victims the first time around. Now he is busy using the victims as props so he can claim to give a damn.Conway then attacked the media for criticizing Trump, despite Huntsman claiming that there was no criticism of this second trip. They look so peevish and so small, Conway said. People are saying he missed an opportunity to unify the country. They are doing exactly that here. And also getting people meeting their needs of food, water, and shelter at the same time. Let s unify as a country beginning with the president. Here s the video via YouTube. The relevant remarks begin at the 5:30 mark.Donald Trump did not unify the country by going to Texas. If anything, he divided it even further by botching his first visit and then attacking the media during his second visit. He couldn t even control himself at a time when petty grievances should be put aside. Kellyanne Conway should be ashamed of herself. And so should Abby Huntsman.Featured Image: Screenshot | News | September 3, 2017 |
Trump STUPIDLY Attacks A Major U.S. Ally Before Threatening North Korea With War | If Donald Trump drags us into war with North Korea, it could be without the help of our most important ally in the region.South Korea is a critical ally since the country sits just below North Korea. South Korea not only serves as a base for our troops and any strike we launch against Kim Jong-Uu, it would provide logistical and military support.Defeating North Korea requires strong allies and cooperation. But Trump may have just ruined that with a Twitter tantrum on Sunday morning.First, Trump took a shot at China. Then he tweeted out what amounts to an I told you so and accused South Korea of appeasing North Korea. Then he threatened war with North Korea.North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States .. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017..North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017Trump s attack on South Korea comes just a day after he instructed his staff to prepare to withdraw from the South Korea trade deal, another move that antagonizes one of our closest allies at a time when we need them the most.So just to recap, China has warned Trump not to attack North Korea and now he has antagonized South Korea.America is running out of allies in Asia. And it s all because Donald Trump is a terrible leader who thinks being a bully works better than diplomacy and cooperation. Americans better get ready for nuclear war because Trump is going to start one.Featured image via Sean Rayford/Getty Images | News | September 3, 2017 |
Trump Stops Praising Coast Guard’s Harvey Efforts To Viciously Attack The Media (VIDEO) | Donald Trump has now become well known for his completely inappropriate tendency to disrespect those who should be honored. We ve seen it numerous times in Trump s efforts to congratulate and honor members of the military, and we witnessed it again earlier today.On Saturday, Trump visited Houston, Texas to assist a Hurricane Harvey relief effort. While he was there, Trump attacked the media several times but the most notable one was the incident that happened at the expense of the Coast Guard.In speaking with military officials and first responders who were responsible for saving lives in Texas, Trump couldn t help himself from going after the free press. Trump congratulated the Coast Guard, right before uttering this disgusting attack while pointing directly at the cameras: I hear the Coast Guard saved almost 11,000 people by going into winds the media would not go into. They will not go into those winds unless it s a really good story, in which case they will. For someone who wants the media to be nicer to him and protect his fragile ego, Trump sure doesn t know how to behave himself. The hilarious thing about what Trump just said is that several members of the media did far more to help Harvey victims than Trump did. If he would turn off Fox News for a second and actually pay attention to real news, he would have known that several media figures were helping the Coast Guard and other first responders in their relief efforts. There have even been several documented instances in which reporters directly assisted Harvey victims WHILE they were working. But of course, we can t expect Trump to take the high road ever. You can watch Trump disrespect the Coast Guard and the free press below:Pres. Trump praises Coast Guard for saving people by going into winds that the media would not go into unless it s a really good story. pic.twitter.com/YFfQ5NJmAY ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) September 2, 2017Featured image via Win McNamee/Getty Images | News | September 2, 2017 |
Trump Trolls Turn On GOP Moderates: ‘You’re Gonna Get Primaried’ | Believe or not, moderates do exist in the Republican Party. To those of us on the left, they hardly seem moderate, but they certainly aren t like, say, the Ted Cruz s of the world. In the House of Representatives, they even have a name. They call themselves the Tuesday Group. And since Donald Trump took office, it has been Republicans from that group who have been pushing back the hardest on Trump s more extreme and cruel policies. To that end, it should come as no surprise that Trump s band of trolls in his base are threatening the people in the Tuesday Group with primary challenges in 2018.At the top of the Trump trolls list of targets is Tuesday Group co-chair Charlie Dent (R-PA). They re letting Rep. Dent know that his days are numbered in the most public of ways by holding a huge event where they blasted their warnings to him from a park in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Adam Gingrich, who gives political advice to hard right politicians said to Dent: You re gonna get primaried. This particular rally is just the beginning. These people seem to be ready to primary anyone who has been critical of Trump and his agenda from the right. There s just one problem with that, though: They don t seem to understand some of these districts. In a place like Pennsylvania, Ted Cruz-style policies will not fly. These people have to be more moderate than say, members of the ultra conservative Freedom Caucus or they don t get elected and re-elected. There s that, and the fact that most of them seem to at least be attempting to appear reasonable. Despite these facts, though, word has leaked out that Trump himself went after Rep. Dent in a private rant, saying that Dent is destroying the Republican Party. So, as they are likely to do, the Trump Trolls came out in force on Friday in order to back their orange man up. Northampton County GOP Chairwoman Gloria Lee Snover said of Rep. Dent: I looked Charlie Dent in the eye and I saw the swamp. In times past, I ve supported Charlie Dent as the only alternative. But now, with his disregard and disrespect to my president I will no longer be able to support Congressman Dent. For the first time, we finally are going to have primary challengers we can get behind. So, in other words, fall in lockstep with Trump or get out. Rep. Dent, to his credit, is pushing back, though. He says of the situation: I have repeatedly made it clear that on issues such as reforming the VA, making the regulatory environment more reasonable, improving America s infrastructure, providing necessary funding to help meet the needs of our military and spurring economic growth, I will work constructively and supportively with President Trump. At the same time. I am not a sycophant. If the president errs on issues that are important to the people of the 15th, or for the entire country, I will continue to state my opinions respectfully and civilly. The best part of this is that it could be a huge gift to Democrats. Pennsylvania is a swing state that, until 2016, always went blue. Therefore, the idea of a hard right conservative being elected there is pretty out there. We can t rule it out, of course, but if the GOP spends all of its times fighting with itself and the Democrats unify around one candidate, we win.Get it together, Democrats. Here are a whole bunch of seats we could possibly win simply because Trump Trolls can t abide a GOP lawmaker who isn t licking Trump s boots 24/7.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | News | September 2, 2017 |
It’s Become Obvious Trump Is Filming PR Video With Hurricane Shelter Visit (VIDEO) | One thing is for certain when it comes to Donald Trump s *presidency, he s failing miserably and his approval rating is reflecting exactly that. According to Gallup Daily, Trump s approval rating has plummeted to 34% with 61% of the country disapproving of the job Trump is doing.via GallupWhat better way to make himself at least look like he s doing a good job than to appear to be helping the people of Texas after Hurricane Harvey. Of course, he could just go and help, but it appears that he s brought along quite the press team and perhaps even a video production team to record his actions.Watch the video here:WATCH: President Trump loads a man s pickup truck with supplies in Houston https://t.co/GDf559LNXI NBC News (@NBCNews) September 2, 2017Don t be surprised that if in the coming days we see a PR video come out on Trump s Twitter feed that will show all the good work Trump is doing for the people of Texas. And of course, people will fall for it, as they fall for most of his schtick. However, it s clear he s trying to rebound from a dismal approval rating that continues to sink fast. Pretty sad that he s going to such great lengths to make it look like he s doing a good job. He could, you know, actually do a good job. But that s unlikely.(*pending ongoing investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election)Featured image via video screen capture | News | September 2, 2017 |
Trump Brags About Hand Size While At Hurricane Shelter, And It’s Beyond Weird (VIDEO) | It s more than clear that Donald Trump is very proud of himself for visiting Texas for the second time after Hurricane Harvey. He s made sure to post videos of himself arriving, and the press is swarming him while he visits shelters housing displaced hurricane victims. Optics really are the best, right? Especially for plummeting approval ratings.However, in a very weird moment, the camera caught Trump talking about his hand size. That s right, Trump shouted: My hands are too big! Here s the video:Trump yells my hands are too big! Not sure who he is talking to. pic.twitter.com/XpRsbRlhCc Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) September 2, 2017Weird right? It s not really clear why he would say such a thing, or who he was saying it to. However, there he was, in the middle of a hurricane shelter, seemingly bragging about the size of his hands.If you re unaware, the size of Trump s hands has been an ongoing joke ever since the presidential race. The gag is that he has really tiny hands, or at least that s how rumor has it. So, overcompensating, he bragged about his hands then, and he s clearly still making sure people think his hands are plenty big enough for whatever it is he is doing at that shelter.Nonetheless, it s still weird and unnecessary to make sure he says such a thing on camera. He doth protest too much.Featured image via video screen capture | News | September 2, 2017 |
‘Responsible Gun Owner’ Pulls Weapon On Woman In Argument Over School Supplies | A Michigan woman decided to defend against tyranny? when she and another shopper couldn t agree over who got to buy the last notebook on the shelf at the Novi Towne Center store.According to ABC 13, the brawl yes, brawl involved two Farmington Hills residents, ages 46 and 32, and a mother and daughter from South Lyon, ages 51 and 20. In other words, these were all grown adults who should have known better but hey there was only one notebook on the shelf, and we ve all seen what happens in those post-apocalyptic movies when a store is down to the last gallon of milk, right?Two of the women, one of whom was the unnamed 20-year-old, reached for the notebook at the same time. The 46 and 32-year-olds apparently decided that she wasn t getting their goddamn notebook and began pulling her hair.Then, because this had almost hit peak trailer park, the 20-year-old s mother decided to go for bonus points by pulling out her gun. Fortunately, someone pushed her aside before she could do any harm.This is one of the NRA s responsible gun owners (conservatives can t dismiss this one, as it is confirmed that she is a concealed carry permit holder) ready to leap into action at the most minor sign of danger and make things worse by turning the situation potentially deadly.Watch it happen below:Featured image via screengrab | News | September 2, 2017 |
Russian TV Host Just Admitted Russia Elected Trump | While in the United States, Special Investigator Robert Mueller is in the midst of making the case that Russia interfered with our election, there are apparently no questions about it in Russia. A television host for Russian state television admitted that they, as in Russians, elected Trump. The host isn t happy with the decision, either.#Russia s state TV host pours more gas on the fire, saying: So why did we elect such a President? Audience claps.https://t.co/SE8PZkkxup Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) September 1, 2017It gets worse for Trump. The host compared the reality star to a baby.#Russia s state TV: Trump is a political infant, who is being severely swaddled. Female host adds: and placed into geopolitical coffin. pic.twitter.com/xFx7Vn3Rd0 Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) September 1, 2017If you understand Russian, here s the entire show:Source: https://t.co/tAcnYuhNZz Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) September 1, 2017Twitter users were stunned at the admission:Yeah, I know, but confirmation of interference out in the open & on camera? Seriously wondering why anyone in RU would do that on purpose. Shelly (@Aargh4Shelly) September 1, 2017Sounds like buyers remorse. Eric Mullen (@emullensemperfi) September 1, 2017They know the bought a lemon ? Well in this case more like an rotten Orange ? Indigo1 (@Indigo1_) September 1, 2017 We . Susan Kimmel Wright (@SKimmelWrites) September 1, 2017If only Russia asked us before they put him in office. ? Destiny Reel (@DestinyReelly20) September 1, 2017hey trumpers, do you all believe in saintly russia still? they re turning on their pet project and you went along ignorantly, willingly #sad elizabeth (@ebishopphoto) September 1, 2017Did #Russians elect #Trump? Well, I understand what is going on. Popov is drunk. Zakir Zakirov (@zakir_zakirov) September 1, 2017There s a lot of dismay at the fact that Russian TV would admit to installing a puppet president, right in front of a potential world audience, but the fact is that they don t care. They have nothing to lose by the truth coming out, except for Trump s loyalty, which they are increasingly seeing as irrelevant, simply because he s such a doofus and completely ineffective. The worst that will be done to Russia is more sanctions.Featured image via Handout/Getty Images | News | September 2, 2017 |
Matt Damon Just Revealed A HUGE Secret About How Narcissistic Trump Really Is | Donald Trump is an insane narcissist. We all know that. However, actor Matt Damon just revealed just how bad Trump s narcissism is and it is positively frightening when it comes to such a person having the nuclear codes. As we re all well aware, Donald Trump owns bunches of gaudy buildings around the world. Since they are so unusual, it s only natural that they could be great locations for shooting movies. However, with Trump being Trump, there was a crazy catch that showed just how much of a narcissistic bully the orange man that is currently squatting in the Oval Office is.Apparently, in order to have access to Trump s buildings for the purpose of filming, directors were forced to allow Trump to have a part in whatever was being filmed. Damon says of this bizarre detail: The deal was that if you wanted to shoot in one of his buildings, you had to write him in a part. Martin Brest had to write something in Scent of a Woman and the whole crew was in on it. You have to waste an hour of your day with a bullshit shot: Donald Trump walks in and Al Pacino s like, Hello, Mr. Trump! you had to call him by name and then he exits. You waste a little time so that you can get the permit, and then you can cut the scene out. But I guess in Home Alone 2 they left it in. Damon went on to express dismay at the way Trump is running the nation and says of Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his investigation into the Russian hacking that took place in the 2016 election: [H]opefully his investigation is going smoothly. He can t wrap things up soon enough, as far as I m concerned. Damon also had quite a few things to say about Trump s white supremacist fan boys: [T]o see these young, aggrieved, white boys walking with their torches and screaming Jews will not replace us! It was just shocking. Then the night that the president [made his] many sides comment was absolutely abhorrent. Matt Damon is right on all accounts. It is shocking. Everything that is happening is shocking, and not in a good way. Donald Trump is destabilizing our democracy right before our very eyes, and the people in a position to do something about it will do nothing. Hopefully, Mueller finishes up soon, and we get rid of these people post haste.Featured image via Bill Pugliano/Getty Images | News | September 1, 2017 |
Very Suspicious Smoke Is Billowing Out Of Closing Russian Consulate | During an uncharacteristically blistering hot day, San Francisco residents noticed a surprising sight on Friday morning. There was smoke spewing out of the Russian Consulate that s scheduled to close and it s something Special Investigator Robert Mueller might want to look into.Temperatures on Friday barely escaped triple digits and it was a Spare the Air day in San Francisco, meaning that residents weren t allowed to burn their fireplaces (as if they d want to). Still, neighbors and the fire department were surprised to see black smoke coming from the chimney at the Russian Consulate.When the fire department arrived at the scene, they were turned away after allegedly being told that there wasn t a problem and that they were burning unidentified items in a fireplace.Mindy Talamadge, a spokeswoman from the San Francisco Fire Department, said the department received a call about the smoke and sent a crew to investigate but determined the smoke was coming from the chimney. They had a fire going in their fireplace, she said.Talmadge said she did not know what they were burning on a day when normally cool San Francisco temperatures had already climbed to 95 degrees by noon. It was not unintentional. They were burning something in their fireplace, she said.Source: SF ChronicleRemember, this is the consulate that Donald Trump ordered closed in retribution for Vladimir Putin s kicking diplomats out of Russia. Saturday is the deadline for the consulate to be closed.While the closure of the consulate and two diplomatic annexes might sound like a strong stance against Russia, it s a token measure, at best. Not a single diplomat is being kicked out of the country and the main consulate in Washington, D.C. will remain open.Saturday is the deadline for the oldest Russian consulate in the United States to close its doors. According to Russian propaganda Times, U.S. security services are set to search the facility on Saturday and it certainly appears that there s something in the San Francisco consulate that the Russians don t want Americans to find, or perhaps there s something that Trump doesn t want Americans to find.Update: Smoke was also seen outside the Russian consulate in Washington, D.C.EXCLUSIVE: Here's the fire in back of about to-be-closed DC Russia trade rep building. @janawinter on the scene. pic.twitter.com/oKoKX2OIBv Foreign Policy (@ForeignPolicy) September 1, 2017 Featured image via Justin Sullivan/Getty Images | News | September 1, 2017 |
Ex-DOJ Lawyer Just Dropped The Most Depressing Truth Bomb About The Trump Administration | While most Americans are aware that Donald Trump has full intentions of undoing much of the country s progress and taking us backwards in history, it s an entirely different thing to hear it from a professional.Vanita Gupta, the former acting head of the Justice Department s civil rights division, had served under former POTUS Barack Obama and has made some very depressing remarks based on her experience with Obama s administration and Trump s. In an interview with the Washington Post, Gupta said she s been shocked by Trump s anti-civil rights agenda : I have a severe case of whiplash, not just from being at the Justice Department, but also, quite honestly, from being a civil rights lawyer my whole life. I just have never seen an administration in my lifetime that has been so intent on pursuing an anti-civil rights agenda. That s a frightening remark to hear from a civil rights lawyer. The bigotry that has taken over the government under Trump isn t hard to miss, but a reminder like this does not make it easier to swallow. Fortunately, Gupta believes that Americans are the ones who will ultimately keep the country true to its values.Gupta is now championing The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and she says that even though the Trump administration is signaling a downward spiral for human rights, she has hope due to the resistance to Trump s attempts to destroy America s progress. She said: I am heartened by the level of energy that exists in communities around the country that are pushing back. I don t think any of us who believe in our country and in American ideals are gonna give up and kind of just throw our hands up and cower into a corner. You can listen to her interview below:Featured image via Drew Angerer/Getty Images | News | September 1, 2017 |
Trump’s Involvement In Houston Chemical Plant Explosion Will Set Your Hair On Fire | In the aftermath of the historic flooding that accompanied Hurricane Harvey s high winds and torrential rains, there was a surprising effect on the Arkema chemical plant east of Houston on Greens Bayou. The facility was inundated with so much water that it lost power, and that s when the chemical reactions began. When stored at improper temperatures, the organic peroxides at Arkema are unstable, leading to popping sounds, smoke, and eventually fire.Those fires emitted a smoke that many in the area described differently. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the emissions were like standing over a barbecue pit or something like that, where you get smoke in your eyes, according to NBC News. Richard Rennard, a representative of Arkema, described what came from the plant a little more cautiously:[The emissions are] noxious, certainly. I don t know the composition of the smoke.A deputy was, in fact, taken to the hospital after inhaling the fumes coming from the plant.But after officials warned everyone in a nearly two-mile radius that more explosions could follow, questions about whether the plant was following proper safety protocols began to arise. That s when Arkema s connection to the Trump EPA came to light.The International Business Times got their hands on federal records that showed Arkema successfully lobbied EPA Chief Scott Pruitt and a number of Republicans in an effort to delay new safety regulations for chemical plants that were passed by the Obama administration. Those rules, crafted after the chemical plant disaster in West, Texas 200 miles from Houston, would have taken effect in March. They also would have directly affected Arkema.In their letter opposing the new regulations, Arkema used standard conservative trope: That the rules would likely add significant new costs and burdens to the corporate audit process. Those costs, of course, would be on top of the more than $90,000 in OSHA fines assessed to the Crosby Arkema plant this year alone, all for serious violations. But it was nonetheless Arkema s conclusion that the final rule includes a litany of costly changes that have not been shown to increase safety. That seems a little less than true at this point.Although Texas Governor Greg Abbott has blocked public access to state records of just what chemicals are stored in which facilities, the AP reported that the Arkema plant also housed sulfur dioxide and methylpropen, which are, respectively, toxic and flammable. Storage of these chemicals would have required Arkema to file a risk management plan with the EPA which would have triggered the new Obama-era rules.If Trump hadn t struck them down, that is.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | News | September 1, 2017 |
Texas Republican Rejects Canadian Offer Of Real Help For Hurricane Victims, Asks For Prayers Instead | This is why religion should stay out of government.The people of Houston, Texas are drowning as flooding continues in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.Death and destruction are everywhere, and people are desperate for any help that can be provided. People need food, shelter, clothing, and medical supplies.At this point, the people of Houston don t really care where the aid comes from as long as it comes.But Texas Republican Secretary of State rejected an offer from Canada this week that would have provided blankets, beds, and physical manpower to the region affected by the storm.Quebec s Minister of International Relations Christine St-Pierre contacted Rolando Pablos to offer aid and condolences. It was a conversation about how devastating the situation is and we want to express our support to the people of Texas, St-Pierre said.Had Pablos accepted Canada s help, many people in Texas could have had blankets, pillows, and perhaps even something more crucial. The manpower Canada offered would have come in the form of professional electricians who would have helped restore much needed power to residents and buildings such as hospitals and shelters. Our crews are well-equipped and they have good knowledge of the grid so they can help to restore and rebuild the distribution lines, Hydro-Qu bec spokesperson Louis-Olivier Batty told CBC. Indeed, 250 Hydro-Quebec electricians did great work restoring power in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.Canada offered real help to storm victims. But Republicans slapped away their hand of friendship. Instead of accepting the generous offer of supplies and volunteers, Texas Republicans rejected the offer and asked for prayers from the people of Quebec. That s right. Texas Republicans think prayers can help them more than actual supplies and manpower.What the people of Texas need right now are not prayers. They need blankets, beds, and electrical power, all of which are in short supply because God sent a f*cking hurricane to slam the Texas coast.The people of Texas should be outraged that their elected officials are not accepting help from Canada. This offer could mean the difference between life and death for many people. Prayer is not going to help. It s a nice thought, but it won t do any good. People can t get warm by wrapping themselves in prayer. Electrical lines won t magically fix themselves because of prayer.This is why Republicans are totally unfit to lead. They offer prayers instead of real solutions. And that is going to cause more deaths and suffering in Texas.Featured Image: Screenshot | News | September 1, 2017 |
Psycho Cop Drags Handcuffed Nurse From Hospital For Not Letting Him Violate Patient’s Rights | A power-tripping Salt Lake City cop was caught on video arresting a nurse for following hospital policy (and the law) by not allowing him to draw a blood sample from an unconscious patient without a warrant.In the video, Detective Jeff Payne can be seen confronting Alex Wubbels, an ER nurse, and then ultimately handcuffing her and dragging her out of the hospital.Payne was determined to get a blood sample from the patient, who had been involved in a car wreck that had taken the life of another driver. The only problem with this was that the patient was unconscious, so he there fore he could not give consent, and Payne didn t have a warrant.When Wubbels refused to allow Payne to draw the patient s blood, Payne argued with her and insisted that he indeed had the authority to take a blood sample without a warrant or the patient s consent. He also threatened to arrest her if she didn t allow him to violate the patient s rights. I either go away with blood in vials or body in tow, Payne told the nurse.Wubbels consulted with multiple officials at University Hospital and then returned to tell Payne yet again that what if he wanted to take blood from an unconscious person, he would have to get a warrant.Payne, obviously furious, lost it at this point. He tells Wubbels that she is under arrest, grabs her arms and pulls them behind her back, then puts her in handcuffs. On the video, Payne can be seen dragging her out of the hospital and forcing her into the back of his police car. Help! Help! Somebody help me! Stop! Stop! I did nothing wrong! Wubbels can be heard screaming.A University of Utah police officer and Department of Public Safety officers, who work as security officers for the hospital, were present but did not do anything to try to stop Payne from arresting the nurse for doing her job.After shoving Wubbels into the back of his car, Payne can be heard saying that from now on, when deciding which hospital patients will be transported to, he will keep this incident in mind. I ll bring them all the transients and take good patients elsewhere, Payne said.Wubbels is being represented by Karra Porter, a Salt Lake City attorney, but she has not filed a lawsuit yet. According to Salt Lake police Sgt. Brandon Shearer, the department is conducting an internal investigation.According to Salt Lake police Sgt. Brandon Shearer, the department is conducting an internal investigation. Payne was suspended from the blood draw program but he still remains on duty. Shearer says that the department has conducted extra training as a result of this incident.Payne argued that exigent circumstances and implied consent law allowed him to draw blood from the unconscious patient. However, as Porter explained, implied consent hasn t been the law in the state of Utah since 2007 and in 2016 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against warrantless blood tests.Watch video of this out of control cop arresting a nurse for following the law, here: Featured image via video screen capture | News | September 1, 2017 |
Fed Up With Congress, Trump Just Put A Big Nail In Obamacare’s Coffin | Donald Trump and the Republican Congress may be failing miserably at their attempts to repeal and not replace the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), but that doesn t mean Trump isn t going to chip away at it, eventually dwindling it down to something that can be drowned in a bathtub.Trump took a big swing at Obamacare on Thursday by trying to keep the program secret from people who might be eligible to sign up. The White House is slashing the Affordable Care Act s advertising budget by a whopping 90 percent. They re also cutting the budget for in-person enrollment by 41 percent, so even if people do somehow get the message that they are eligible, good luck signing up. Altogether, that s a 72 percent cut in programs designed to boost enrollment, which is the only way the exchanges will survive.Administration officials cited diminishing returns from outreach activities. In a phone call with reporters, they said that most Americans already know about the Affordable Care Act. They plan to make the deepest cuts to the enrollment workers who have signed up few health law enrollees.Source: VoxIf Americans do know about the Affordable Care Act, they have a funny way of showing it. A recent survey found that a third of Americans didn t know that the Affordable Care Act and Obamacare were one and the same. Most concerning, given Thursday s cuts, is that those between the ages of 18 and 29 were among those least likely to know the difference. That s bad. The Affordable Care Act needs younger and healthy participants, or it will smother under its own weight. The surest way to kill the exchanges is to keep them a secret, says Timothy Jost, a consumer advocate at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Sick people will find them, but getting younger and healthier people enrolled is the problem. That is exactly Trump s point. He might not be able to kill the act through direct measures, but he can make it go broke. He already told us he would.3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down. As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal. Watch! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Trump doesn t give a crap about any of the American people, but that s no surprise. He is probably not even thinking about the millions of people he might be sentencing to death; only that he has another opportunity to stick it to the black guy (President Obama).Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images | News | August 31, 2017 |
Another Trump Official Decides It’s A REALLY Good Time To Resign | William C. Bradford, a Trump administration appointee who heads the Energy Department s Office of Indian Energy, resigned Thursday but claims that he was hacked after some of his controversial posts on social media were revealed. Saying I was hacked is 2017 s way of saying I am a dumbass and he really is the latter. Or perhaps he was drunkers when he allegedly made the comments.Bradford, who in 2015 resigned as a professor at West Point after penning an academic paper that argued the U.S. military should target Islamic holy sites as part of the war on terror, has just tendered his resignation with the Trump administration this afternoon and is no longer with the Department of Energy, said DOE spokesperson Shaylyn Hynes, according to CNN.Bombing Islamic holy sites may have been a plus with Donald Trump, but this week evidence was revealed that Bradford made inflammatory comments through an account on the online commenting service Disqus. We supposed commenting on Disqus crossed the line.But he is playing the victim, because of course.In response to the story, Bradford told CNN s KFile that he couldn t comment on an ongoing federal investigation into multiple cyber attacks and Internet crimes committed against me over the past several years, to include email intrusions, hacking, and impostors in social media. Bradford s alleged Disqus account questioned Obama s birth certificate and called the former president s mother a fourth-rate p&*n actress and [email protected]!re. That sounds reminiscent of his boss s rhetoric about former President Barack Obama. Maybe Trump hacked his account.Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden sent letters to the FBI and the DOE on Wednesday to request more information about Bradford s claim that he was hacked. Who knows.It all follows a pattern of Bradford s, allegedly.In June, following his appointment to the Department of Energy, The Washington Post reported provocative comments Bradford made on Twitter including calling Obama a Kenyan and saying that the World War II-era internment of Japanese-Americans was necessary. Bradford apologized for the comments at the time in a statement to the Post, calling them inexcusable. Again, though, we think he sounds suspiciously like Donald Trump, the original Birther. But it s a really good time to leave the derailing Trump train.Featured image via David Becker/Stringer/Getty Images | News | August 31, 2017 |
Trump’s Second Favorite Sheriff Just Very Suddenly Resigned | Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke seems like he came right out of Donald Trump central casting. He s racist. He s so hard on alleged criminals that he even let some die in his jail cells. He is so committed to the idea of an Old West sheriff that he even wears a Stetson hat. Oh, and the icing on the cake is that Clarke is African-American, and to add a touch of bi-partisanship to Trump, Clarke is a Democrat (in all but words, deeds, and votes).He s a strong supporter of Donald Trump and he was allegedly under consideration for a cabinet position. Like Trump, Clarke is an authoritarian. While he s all for the militarization of law enforcement, his weapon of choice is old-fashioned intimidation and harassment, like he allegedly did toward an airline passenger who dared shake his head at the sheriff.Not surprisingly, Trump loves him, even though the whole job thing never panned out. Earlier in the week, Trump potentially violated ethics rules by tweeting a recommendation of Clarke s book.A great book by a great guy, highly recommended! https://t.co/3jbDDN8YmJ Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017Just four days later, Clarke suddenly resigned his post with no notice.The Milwaukee County Clerk tells CBS 58 they received a resignation for Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke Thursday afternoon at 3:17 p.m. The resignation is effective immediately.Sheriff Clarke tweeted Thursday afternoon saying he was in Nashville.According to 1130 WISN Radio, Clarke is taking a non-government position.CBS58A lot of people are speculating that he s headed to the Trump administration, despite already being turned down by the Orange One.Headed for D.C.? Josh Canaday (@joshasylum) August 31, 2017He probably has a job in the Trump administration. SMH! Warrior Lovers (@little_one63) August 31, 2017Probably our next Secretary of State? Thatch (@thatchproof) August 31, 2017He finally getting that position he hoped for from *45, or did he just play himself out of a real job? YBM (@CommonSensai) August 31, 2017There are also rumors he s planning on running for a higher office.It s also highly likely that Clarke resigned because he s a sadist. Four people, including a baby, died in his jail cells within a one year period. One of the victims was mentally ill and he was deprived of water for a week. He died of dehydration.Despite being African-American, he seems to despise black people.Clarke, who grew up in a white neighborhood and attended a mostly white private high school, has said African Americans sell drugs because they re uneducated, they re lazy, and they re morally bankrupt. He calls Black Lives Matter Black Lies Matter and compared them to the KKK. He once claimed that police brutality ended in the 1960s. Clarke made an appearance in July at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, where RNC delegates gave him a standing ovation as he proclaimed Blue Lives Matter and celebrated the acquittal of a Baltimore officer charged in the death of Freddie Gray.Source: Huffington PostGiven his history, I d say there s a better than even chance he s resigning in front of a looming scandal.Featured image via Spencer Platt/Getty Images | News | August 31, 2017 |
Kellyanne Conway Immediately Regrets Defending Trump, Humiliates Herself On Live Television (VIDEO) | White House adviser Kellyanne Conway should have learned by now that whenever she tries to defend Donald Trump, she always ends up making a fool of herself instead.At this point in Trump s still budding presidency, it s become almost impossible to defend him. His approval rating is historically low and continues to plummet as he continues to f*ck up time and time again.Recently, Conway was made to regret her job as Trump s mouthpiece when she tried to argue that Trump was more approved of than the media. In an interview, Conway tried to beef up Trump s approval rating by dissing the media, and it went terribly wrong. Conway said: Why don t you throw up the mainstream numbers as well. Somebody can call me and let me know when the President s approval rating gets as low as the media s approval rating, and the Congress s and the party s. Conway must be just as ignorant as Trump because it s already been widely reported that far more voters (52 percent to be exact) prefer and trust the mainstream media over Trump. Only 37 percent would trust Trump over the media.Once again, Conway and her alternative facts have made America look like a joke. It s not just a stretch to say that Trump is more popular than the media it s a flat out lie because he can t even come close. Trump and his administration are so dishonest that if the media wasn t doing its job, the American people would be left in the dark. Thanks to the Trump administration, fewer Americans than ever have trust and faith in their government and have turned to the free press for answers.Conway s defense of Trump only further proves that America is being led by an administration with no dignity whatsoever. You can watch Conway embarrass herself below:Featured image via screenshot | News | August 31, 2017 |
The Guy Donald Trump Called ‘My African-American’ Thinks Trump Is Horrible For Black People | In between defending white supremacists and pardoning a white supremacist, Donald Trump makes half hearted attempts at convincing the nation that he s not racist. In reality, he s only convincing his followers, most of whom presumably have black friends and don t see race. Like his followers, Trump has a difficult time making a convincing case that he s not racist, even when he s trying. He famously tried during the presidential campaign, when at one rally, he pointed to a man, calling him my African-American. Of course, claiming ownership over another human being is always a really, really bad idea, but it s especially bad if you re trying to come across as woke, even by Trump s standards.What s worse, though, is that the man who Trump called my African-American wasn t even a Trump supporter, and nothing has changed, except for the fact that Greg Cheadle is now more convinced than ever that Trump is horrible for black people.Trump called Cheadle out by skin color at a rally in June of last year:WATCH: Look at my African-American over here; look at him, Donald Trump says while addressing man at Calif. rally.https://t.co/Gn8IL5XU1h NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) June 3, 2016It didn t bother Cheadle, though:Cheadle later downplayed the exchange to NPR, saying during an interview, I was not offended by it, because he had been speaking positively about black people prior to that statement. People around me were laughing [at the fact] that he noticed me, and everybody was happy. It was a jovial thing. He claimed, however, that he wasn t a Trump supporter and only went there to see what he was really like: I am not a Trump supporter. I went to go hear Donald Trump because I have an open mind, he added.Source: NewsweekOf course the internet was skeptical that Cheadle wasn t really a Trump supporter, and it was right. Cheadle is a Republican and he ended up voting for Trump, but mostly because he didn t like Hillary.It appears now that Cheadle is regretting that vote. I would like for him just to show an interest in black people, Cheadle said. Why can t he go to a black city? Why can t he trumpet black business? Why can t he have more black people in his administration? He contended Trump s call for law and order is really code language for, We re going to arrest more black people. To put that in some perspective, he didn t think Obama did enough for black people either.Still, Cheadle hasn t completely turned on #45. He says his support is on life support after Trump s Charlotte comments. I m not sure what it might take for him to finally pull the plug.Featured image via Joe Readle/Getty Images | News | August 31, 2017 |
W.H. Admits Trump Lied: Never ‘Witnessed Horror And Devastation’ Caused By Harvey ‘First Hand’ | Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday morning that he had witnessed the horror and devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey first hand during his visit to Texas earlier this week.After witnessing first hand the horror & devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey,my heart goes out even more so to the great people of Texas! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2017But just like everything out that comes out of Trump s mouth, this turned out to be just another one of his lies. When White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was questioned about Trump s remark, she admitted that he was full of sh*t. He met with a number of local officials who are eating, sleeping, breathing the Harvey disaster, Sanders said. He talked extensively with the governor, who certainly is right in the midst of every bit of this, as well as the mayors from several of the local towns that were hit hardest. And detailed briefing information throughout the day yesterday talking to a lot of the people on the ground that certain is a firsthand account. In truth, Trump never went anywhere near the hardest hit areas and never even met with a single victim of the hurricane. He visited Corpus Christi and gave a press conference with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, where he climbed on top of a fire truck to brag about the crowd size because that s what he does.The reality is that the closest Trump got to witnessing first hand the horror and devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey was looking at a radar map.After witnessing first hand the horror & devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey, my heart goes out even more so to the great people of Texas!A post shared by President Donald J. Trump (@realdonaldtrump) on Aug 30, 2017 at 9:41am PDTRaise your hand if you re surprised. Nobody? Hmm, didn t think so.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | News | August 31, 2017 |
Dan Rather: Mueller’s Russia Investigation Has Trump ‘Seized With Fear’ | Legendary journalist Dan Rather says that Robert Mueller s ongoing Russia investigation has Donald Trump seized with fear. Speaking to MSNBC on Wednesday, Rather explained that the investigation into Trump s possible collusion with Russia has Trump scared out of his mind. Donald Trump is afraid. He s trying to exude power and strength. He s afraid of something that Mueller and the prosecutors are going to find out. A political hurricane is out there at sea for him, we ll call it Hurricane Vladimir if you will, the whole Russian thing. It s still pretty far out at sea, but each day this hurricane, this political hurricane is building in intensity. Mueller s investigation has been steadily picking up steam. It was reported on Wednesday that New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is now working with Mueller to take an even deeper look at Trump s former campaign manager Paul Manafort.Former national security adviser Michael Flynn has also found himself under a microscope and has even tried to cut deals for immunity to flip on Trump. So far, neither Mueller nor Congress (who is conducting their own simultaneous investigation) has taken him up on the offer. This is presumably because they don t need to let Flynn off the hook in exchange for his testimony to nail Trump s hide to the wall.Publicly, Trump still claims that the investigation is nothing more than a witch hunt. However, those close to him say that behind closed doors, Trump has become increasingly distraught over the intensifying investigation into his shady Russian ties.Trump should be afraid, very afraid. In fact, being terrified of what Mueller may find is probably the smartest thing he has done so far. Sooner or later, the truth is going to come out just like it always does. And when that finally happens, Trump is going to be beyond screwed. It s only a matter of time.You can watch Rather s interview below: Featured image via video screen capture | News | August 31, 2017 |
Enough About Texas, Let’s Talk Taxes: Trump’s Priorities Shift To Breaks For The Rich | After a brief and almost meaningless visit to Texas, during which Donald Trump didn t meet with a single victim of Hurricane Harvey, the president s cavalcade moved on to Missouri, where he returned to what he really cares about: More money for wealthy people.He s first, of course. His tweets from Wednesday morning prove unequivocally that the only victim he cares about is himself. He sent out a placating message about horror and devastation (which he didn t ask even one Harvey refugee about) just 25 minutes after a tweet about North Korea, and only 15 minutes before he went back into Martyr Mode :After reading the false reporting and even ferocious anger in some dying magazines, it makes me wonder, WHY? All I want to do is #MAGA! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2017With that much obsession on his own well-being, why wouldn t the next logical step be another campaign-style stop to try and convince people to support his awful tax plan? Did I say campaign-style? What I mean is, this was not a White House event. This was straight-up partisan. If Donald Trump operated under the rule of law, the RNC would have to reimburse taxpayers for his Missouri speech, in which he explicitly called for the ouster of a Democratic senator, Claire McCaskill. Speaking to a crowd in Springfield, Trump said,We must lower our taxes and your senator, Claire McCaskill, she must do this for you, and if she doesn t, you have to vote her out of office.That s campaigning, not laying out policy. But he doesn t have much policy yet to reveal: The GOP has yet to agree on much of what will go into their tax reform package. Trump himself would like to see the business tax rate lowered to 15%, a number so low that it would cripple the government without slashing spending on the poor. But even most Republicans oppose so low a rate, and his plans for tax relief for the middle class and repatriating offshore profits are, so far, still out in the ether somewhere.The bottom line is, now that he s got that awful trip to Texas out of the way, Trump is on the warpath, and his only focus is now on winning. He even warned the members of his party not to disappoint him on taxes, the way they did on Trumpcare:I am fully committed to working with Congress to get this job done, and I don t want to be disappointed by Congress. Do you understand me?Oh, we understand, Donnie. You were embarrassed by Mitch McConnell and humiliated by John McCain, so now you want a McVictory to soothe your fiery case of butthurt. Americans see through your tax reforms, though. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. It s the Republican Way!Featured image via Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images | News | August 30, 2017 |
Trump ‘Really Likes’ The Idea Of A Violent Uprising When He’s Impeached | According to Trump ally Alex Jones, when Donald Trump is impeached all bets are off. He won t tell his supporters to accept the decision of the American people. He won t urge calm. In fact, he quite enjoys the idea of a violent uprising in his name.Recently, TMZ approached Trump ally Roger Stone in an airport and asked about impeachment. This is not 1974, Stone said. People will not stand for [the impeachment of President Trump]. Any politician who votes for it would be endangering their own life. There will be violence on both sides. Stone clarified that a civil war will happen if The Donald is impeached. I was told the president really liked Roger Stone s clip on TMZ when they confronted him in an L.A. airport saying, We re going to impeach Trump.' Jones said during an interview with recently pardoned criminal Joe Arpaio after the former Maricopa County sheriff said that people who want to take me down better watch out. Trump has never exactly shied away from violence. In fact, when people oppose him at his rallies, he quite literally tells his meth-addled fascist followers to attack them. He has even offered to pay legal fees for supporters who brutally beat black men at his events.Unfortunately for Trump s supporters, a violent uprising will not go so well for them. While they view the Left as anti-gun, many of us are well-armed and (unlike them) properly trained to defend ourselves. We just don t worship our weapons like they do.Watch the interview below:Featured image via Gerry Images (Ralph Freso) | News | August 30, 2017 |
Trump Confidante Confirms: The Donald Doesn’t Want To Be President Anymore | Donald Trump is a horrible president. Everyone knew in the run up to the election that he was in no way qualified for this job. Now that he is in the Oval Office, these facts are magnified on an hourly basis a thousandfold. However, there seems to be one unlikely person who, at least secretly, shares these opinions in part: Donald Trump himself.A source close to Trump says that he is miserable. For one thing, he is angry that members of his cabinet, such as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, are refusing to walk in lockstep on some of Trump s more controversial public statements the comments after the violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville that left a woman dead is a particular source of Trump s ire. Further, what really seems to get him is that there will no firings of top level cabinet officials, because no qualified person would take those jobs now. The source says of how Trump is feeling on his cabinet secretaries public thrashings: I think that cuts him to the quick. The same source says of the laughable idea of Trump being able to replace Tillerson or any other high level member of the cabinet: I couldn t name you a guy who would take the job or get confirmed. Also, the last of the alt-right Trump s fellow travelers in bigotry are pretty much gone from the White House, thanks to Trump s new Chief of Staff, General John Kelly. It seems that the disciplined adult in the room has zero intention of replacing literal Nazis like Trump s ousted Chief Strategist Stephen K. Bannon and key adviser Sebastion Gorka. The source says of these developments: General Kelly has come in and done a look-see on what everyone s been working on for the first six or seven months hereSome people were ready, and some people were not. As for Trump himself? Well, he s flippin miserable. The source says of the poor old Donald s feelings as of late: He feels like this is not what he signed up for, and his accomplishments are being underplayed. He just looks around and says, When is this going to get better? The source goes on to say that Trump s emotional state is the worst it s ever been. Well, what did he expect? Sure, when you re president, you re the most powerful person on earth. But it s also the hardest job in the world. It s hard even when the occupant is actually qualified. Trump is not. He has that attention span of a gnat on crystal meth, does not read books, can t even use basic modern technology such as email, has dangerous authoritarian instincts, no impulse control, and no respect for the rule of law. Further, he is bigoted, petulant, vindictive, and petty. He s also an admitted serial sexual assaulter and adulterer. In short Trump is everything we DON T want in a president, from his character, to his knowledge (read: lack thereof), to his ignorance and bigotry.It seems that The Donald thought he d be able to rule over the nation like some kind of mad king. It s obvious that he got a very rude awakening. Oh, if only we lived in an alternate universe where he could have seen what this would be like, and had decided against running for president.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | News | August 30, 2017 |
Trump Just Threw A Colossal Hissy Fit On Twitter, Now He Looks More Incompetent Than Ever (TWEETS) | Donald Trump has the maturity of a toddler, and he certainly put it on full display early Wednesday morning.Completely ruining the tone he was trying to set after traveling to Texas with First Lady Melania to visit the devastation the area was left in after Hurricane Harvey, Trump decided to go back to his childish antics and reignite his ongoing feud with the media. Attacking dying magazines , Trump said: After reading the false reporting and even ferocious anger in some dying magazines, it makes me wonder, WHY? All I want to do is #MAGA! Of course, let s for a second just ignore the fact that Trump loves painting himself as a victim, or the fact that several mainstream media networks are actually soaring and doing better than ever thanks to their anti-Trump reporting and coverage. It was the last line of Trump s ridiculous, whiny tweet where he stated All I want to do is #MAGA that gained the most attention and the reactions were pretty damn hilarious. Here are just some of the best responses: Apparently, Twitter users had a field day, as they often do whenever Trump displays how undeserving he is to be the leader of the free world. Trump never fails to humiliate America with his blatantly unprofessional behavior, and his Twitter account alone is a major source of anxiety and embarrassment for Americans throughout the country. As long as Trump has access to social media, he could humiliate or endanger the country at any moment and unfortunately, this behavior has become so common that we just expect this insanity from Trump on a daily basis now.Trump has done nothing to #MAGA, and shows no real genuine interest in improving the country beyond his own personal gain and that of his rich privileged friends.Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images | News | August 30, 2017 |
Hypocrite Ivanka Gets SKEWERED For Approving Dad’s Move To Kill Obama Pay Equality Rules | Ivanka Trump just proved that she doesn t support pay equality, and the Internet damned her to hell for her hypocrisy.During his presidency, President Obama issued a set of rules designed to help end pay discrimination on the basis of gender and race.The rules would have required employers to give pay data to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Such data would have been used as evidence of pay discrimination which could then be used to shape policies to end such practices.But Donald Trump killed those rules this week and excused his action by claiming that they violate the Paperwork Reduction Act. In short, Trump used a bullshit excuse to hurt women and minorities, and gave employers the power to discriminate at will.One would think that Ivanka Trump would be pissed about this, considering that she frequently claims to be a champion for equal pay. But, no.In fact, daddy s little girl actually backed her dad s decision. Ultimately, while I believe the intention was good and agree that pay transparency is important, the proposed policy would not yield the intended results, Ivanka said. We look forward to continuing to work with EEOC, OMB, Congress and all relevant stakeholders on robust policies aimed at eliminating the gender wage gap. Killing evidence-gathering rules actually kills the very transparency Trump claims is important. Once again, Ivanka Trump proves that when it comes right down to it, she is a hypocrite and is complicit.Ivanka s betrayal of women and minorities drew a sharp rebuke from Twitter users.@IvankaTrump You re a sell out. So much for your BS about fighting for pay, gender, and racial equality. Daddy s girl through and through. JenBoudreau (@Jen_Boudreau) August 30, 2017@IvankaTrump @IvankaHQ Way to influence @realDonaldTrump on pay equality. #complicit #unqualified #resign https://t.co/k3oLIePEZ4 Angry Dem (@suzeysway1) August 30, 2017@IvankaTrump siding w/racist sexist father on scrapping pay equality measures. Shameful grifter. No end to their deceit Brian (@BrianAndrewD) August 30, 2017Why??? @IvankaTrump , WTH, I thought you were leading the change for pay equality for women. Do you have no sway with your father? https://t.co/zUr0DPVpYh Catenigma (@Catenigma) August 30, 2017To Ivanka Trump, at the risk of making her feel even less comfy in DC: Lady! Overturning wage transparency rules won t fix the pay gap Cate Gormley (@cate_gee) August 30, 2017.#HYPOCRITE & #LIAR @IvankaTrump Backs Dad s Plan 2 Scrap Rules Preventing Pay Discrim n https://t.co/deGNEXHR9VART FOR THE RESISTANCE pic.twitter.com/6EbY6AAofJ Proudly Liberal (@LiberalProudly) August 30, 2017So much for your promises in your father helping women! Thanks @IvankaTrump!https://t.co/noRo8QnWDi Zach Filzer (@zacharyfilzer) August 30, 2017Let them Eat Cake: Ivanka Backs Trump Administration s Plan to Scrap Obama Rules Preventing Pay Discrimination https://t.co/HQNmTrt09Q Herbert (@HHooversGhost) August 30, 2017If she really cared about achieving pay equality, Ivanka Trump would have supported these rules. Instead, she demonstrated that she is nothing more than a collaborator in her dad s sexist and racist administration.Featured Image: Sean Gallup/Getty Images | News | August 30, 2017 |
Georgia Republican Threatens To ‘Disappear’ Democrat Over Monuments To Slavery | A furious Georgia Republican issued a horrifying threat to a Democrat over her push to remove Confederate statues. In an ominous social media post, State Rep. Jason Spencer warned that if former state Rep. LaDawn Jones doesn t abandon her fight against monuments to slavery, she might go missing. In a contentious back and forth on Facebook, Spencer told Jones that people in South Georgia are people of action, not drama and then added that people who don t understand that will go missing in the Okefenokee. Too many necks they are red around here, he wrote. Don t say I didn t warn you about em. Jones, a black woman who represented an Atlanta-based district from 2012 to 2016, did not back down from Spencer s threat of physical violence. Enjoy but know WINTER IS COMING, Jones wrote back. You know it too otherwise you wouldn t have found a need to even make this post or those hollow threats of not coming to south GA. Spencer now swears that he really wasn t threatening Jones. Of course. No, to the contrary, he was just trying to keep her safe by giving a warning to her of how people can behave about this issue. (Insert eye roll here.) She is from Atlanta and the rest of Georgia sees this issue very differently, Spencer said. Just trying to keep her safe if she decided to come down and raise hell about the memorial in the back yards of folks who will see this as an unwelcome aggression from the left. Jones later said in an interview that she and Spencer had developed a friendship during their time representing the people of Georgia and that she wasn t worried about his online threat. If it were anybody other than Jason Spencer, then I would be alarmed. But we had a unique relationship in the Georgia Legislature, Jones said. If that had come from anybody else, I d take it as a serious threat. But she did say that she was very concerned by his appalling reaction to her efforts to remove the statues of people who fought against the U.S. in their quest to continue the practice of owning people based on skin color. Because if that s representative of what people in south Georgia think, then yikes. You can read the tense exchange in its entirety here:Featured image via screenshot | News | August 29, 2017 |
A Judge Just Gave Sarah Palin Some Very, Very Bad News | Remember how Sarah Palin sued the New York Times for mistakenly saying that a concrete link had been established between her Facebook post that featured crosshairs over former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords district and Jared Loughner s decision to open fire on her? Well, that didn t work out so well. Don t retreat. RELOAD, Palin famously posted on Facebook along with an image depicting gun sights over various states whose legislators she was targeting. Shortly after, Loughner shot Giffords in the head and pumped bullets into numerous others, killing six and wounding thirteen others.No concrete link between the two has been established though it is reasonable to assume Palin s encouragement played a role in the shooting.Speaking of shooting, District Judge Jed Rakoff shot down Palin s frivolous lawsuit against the Times on Tuesday. Nowhere is political journalism so free, so robust or, perhaps, so rowdy as in the United States, Judge Rakoff wrote in his 26-page decision. But if political journalism is to achieve its constitutionally endorsed role of challenging the powerful, legal redress by a public figure must be limited to those cases where the public figure has a plausible factual basis for complaining that the mistake was made maliciously. What we have here is an editorial, written and rewritten rapidly in order to voice an opinion on an immediate event of importance, in which are included a few factual inaccuracies somewhat pertaining to Mrs. Palin that are very rapidly corrected, Rakoff wrote. Negligence this may be; but defamation of a public figure it plainly is not. Judge Rakoff s opinion is an important reminder of the country s deep commitment to a free press and the important role that journalism plays in our democracy, a spokeswoman for the Times said. We regret the errors we made in the editorial. But we were pleased to see that the court acknowledged the importance of the prompt correction we made once we learned of the mistakes. This is, of course, bad news for Palin and her ally Donald Trump, who wants to open up libel laws to make it easier to people like Palin to file frivolous lawsuits against journalistic institutions for every little mistake even if a correction has been made.Lately, the Right has been practically masturbating over the idea of bullying anyone who reports something they don t like with expensive lawsuits as an attempt to keep criticism to a minimum.This is bad news for anyone who has recently filed a frivolous lawsuit against journalists, including alt-Right (a term employed by Nazis as a form of rebranding) journalist Cassandra Fairbanks, who sued a Fusion reporter for correctly reporting that she had made a hand gesture that had been adopted by the white power movement during a visit to the White House.Fortunately, Judge Rakoff refused to allow Palin s farcical lawsuit to get off the ground. Hopefully, this sends a message to the Right that bullying journalists with lawsuits will not go well for them.Featured image via screengrab | News | August 29, 2017 |
That Time Mike Pence Begged Congress Not To Fund Hurricane Katrina Relief (VIDEO) | Hurricane Harvey devastated Texas on the 12th anniversary of Katrina. And now, Hurricane Harvey is advancing to Louisiana. Katrina was one of the five deadliest storms in United States history, killing nearly 2,000 people as flood walls failed and the levee broke. A whopping 80 percent of New Orleans was under water as people fought to get on their rooftops to survive. Katrina was the deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. since 1928 and it took days before bodies were discovered, mostly the elderly and disabled.In 2005, Mike Pence, then a Republican congressman from Indiana, who considers himself to be a devout Christian, addressed the issue of funding for the devastated state. Mr. Speaker Katrina breaks my heart. When I consider it s tragic aftermath the ancient parable comes to mind and the rains descended and the flood came and the winds blew and beat against the house and it fell with a great crash. For most American families when a tree falls on your house, you tend to the wounded, you rebuild and then you figure out how you re gonna pay for it, Pence said. Later today Congress will continue the work of funding the relief and recovery from Hurricane Katrina, he continued. And well we should by speeding more than $50 billion dollars to FEMA & other agencies, but as we tend to the wounded, as we begin to rebuild, let us also do what every other American family would do in like circumstances, and expects this Congress to do. Let s figure out how we re gonna pay for it. Congress must ensure that a catastrophe of this nature, does not become a catastrophe of debt for our children & grandchildren, he added, unfortunately.Watch:Video: Katrina breaks my heart but we must not let Katrina break the bank for our children & grandchildren Mike Pence-2005 #ImpeachTrump pic.twitter.com/SxmT8NGEA7 Scott Dworkin (@funder) August 29, 2017At the time, Pence was leading an effort by House Republicans to offset any post-Katrina aid with offsetting budget cuts in other programs, which includes highway projects and the new Medicare prescription drug benefit.Mike, you can stop calling yourself pro-life now, thankyouverymuch.Featured image via Aaron P. Bernstein/Stringer/Getty Images | News | August 29, 2017 |
Sicko In Texas Wants To Make A Buck Off Harvey Disaster, And It Might Land Her In Hot Water | Late Monday night, CNN s Don Lemon had a phone guest who called in to the show from the apartment she was trapped in with her cousin and a one-month-old baby. Ices Bragg, in a pronounced southern drawl, described the scene around her: Rising water, fires visible from the window nearby, and perhaps most disturbing of all, an upstairs neighbor taking advantage of the situation.Lemon asked the woman to repeat what she had told him previously about the neighbor:Lemon: You told us last hour that one of your neighbors was trying to go upstairs to another apartment, and what happened?Bragg: Um, the lady had told her that if she had three hundred dollars to come in to her apartment, she would let her.Lemon: Wow. Unbelievable.Bragg: Yes sir, it is.The exchange was heart-stopping. We saw price-gouging on gas after Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, but watching big companies take advantage of desperate consumers is almost nothing new in this country. To hear an account of a neighbor, with the advantage of higher ground, threatening to let people die unless they pony up is nothing short of shocking.An economy based on unbridled capitalism like we see in America almost guarantees that there will be price-gouging in some areas during times of heightened demand for whatever someone s selling. But at the very least, there are laws prohibiting the practice during a state of emergency. That s little comfort to the poor, but it does mean that this upstairs neighbor could no pun intended pay a price.This is not the first report of price-gouging in the state. Houston is currently deluged with trillions of gallons of water. When those waters recede, the complaints that have been pouring in to the Texas Attorney General s office will likely result in serious trouble for those they hold to account.Watch the CNN clip here:Featured image via video screen capture | News | August 29, 2017 |
Ted Cruz Awkwardly Explains Why Texas Should Have Federal Relief Money But Not Victims Of Hurricane Sandy | U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz was against federal aid for natural disasters until he was for it. The Texas Senator voted against Federal funding for victims of Hurricane Sandy, the deadliest and most destructive hurricane in the Atlantic in 2012, but now he wants funds after Hurricane Harvey barreled down on his state. At least 14 people have died after Harvey hit Texas. More than 3,000 people have been rescued as responders work around the clock in devastating conditions.During a press conference on Monday, Cruz said that Trump has pledged whatever the state needs for water-soaked Texas. But, just after that presser, Cruz was in the awkward position of having to defend his position to MSNBC s Katy Tur on the 2012 Hurricane Sandy relief package, calling it filled with unrelated pork. There is time for political sniping later, Cruz said without one bit of irony or acknowledgement of his hypocrisy. It s not really political sniping, senator, Tur shot back. These are people who needed money and who needed funding right after that storm, I covered those people. Many of them, just like those in Houston, lost absolutely everything they owned. Cruz told Tur that hurricane relief is a vital, central role of the federal government and should continue to be for a long time. The problem with that particular bill is it became a $50 billion bill that was filled with unrelated pork, Cruz said. Two-thirds of that bill had nothing to do with Sandy, he continued. And what I said then and still believe now is that it s not right for politicians to exploit a disaster and people who are hurting to pay for their own political wish list. Disaster relief needs to be focused on the victims of disaster relief, and I supported that for Sandy, disaster relief there, and I would support that anywhere there s a major disaster without getting distracted by political, unnecessary pork spending, he added.The Washington Post begs to differ with Cruz:The Congressional Research Service issued a comprehensive report on the provisions, and it s clear that virtually all of it was related to the damage caused by Sandy. There may have been some pork in an earlier Senate version, but many of those items were removed before final passage. There were also some items that appear to have been misunderstood.Regardless, Ted Cruz voted against it but now he wants all that delicious disaster relief money for his state. And, Texas should get that money asap. The victims of Sandy should have, too.Image via screen capture. | News | August 29, 2017 |
ICE May Soon Be Able To Destroy Records Of Immigrant Detainee Sexual Abuse And Death | Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known by the acronym ICE, have approached the National Archives and Record Administration (NARA), seeking an approval for their timetable in which they can destroy records in relation to their detention operations.NARA is an independent agency of the United States government whose main responsibility is preserving and documenting government and historical records, as well as increasing public access to documents of which the National Archives are comprised. On this particular occasion, however, ICE isn t asking NARA for advice about matters of record-keeping efficiency, but rather for approval to erase a long documented history of human rights and constitutional abuse.If Trump and his crew have their way, the sheer amount of immigrants in detention is going to increase exponentially, while the conditions of the locations where detainees are housed will get worse. So it is important that these records are kept available, but what exactly is the paper trail that ICE is trying to cover up?Many organizations and advocates have been decrying and trying to draw attention to the issue of abuse of basic human rights in the detention system for years and it turns out they have more than just a strong case. ICE has requested permission from NARA to routinely destroy official records from 11 different categories, mainly consisting of those that offer proof of the mistreatment endured by detainees, such as records related to sexual assaults, solitary confinement and, most importantly, the deaths of people in ICE custody. The other records ICE are campaigning to dispose of on a relatively frequent basis are regular detention monitoring reports, logs about detainees in ICE facilities and communications from the public reporting detention abuses.What is even more disturbing is it looks like NARA is going to approve ICE s request and their reasons for doing so are simply horrendous. Through the eyes of NARA, records relating to cases of sexual assault and even death of detainees do not document significant actions of Federal officials, despite the fact that there have been 10 deaths in immigration detention in the past 10 months. When it comes to cases of sexual assault, Nara claims the information is highly sensitive and does not warrant retention. If ICE gets their way, which is more than likely, their plan is to be able to destroy sexual assault and death records after 20 years and reports about solitary confinement after only three years, removing their criminal paper trail completely from the public eye over time.Featured image via Anthony Devlin/Getty Images | News | August 29, 2017 |
The Exact Same Texas Lawmakers That Voted Against Hurricane Relief Are Now Begging For Help | When Hurricane Sandy hit, affecting states all the way from North Carolina to New England and particularly devastating New York and New Jersey in 2012, Texas lawmakers overwhelmingly voted against recovery assistance. In fact, John Culberson, whose 7th congressional district includes parts of Houston, was the only Texas Republican in Congress in favor of the $50.7 billion relief effort.One of the loudest opponents of Sandy aid was Ted Cruz, who was merely weeks away from becoming a Texas Senator. Cruz s main concerns involved additional spending, which included funding for disaster preparedness and relief in other parts of the country as a means of gaining support for the Hurricane Sandy relief effort. Hurricane Sandy inflicted devastating damage on the East Coast, and Congress appropriately responded with hurricane relief, Cruz said in a statement at the time in an effort to justify his stance. Unfortunately, cynical politicians in Washington could not resist loading up this relief bill with billions in new spending utterly unrelated to Sandy. Now Cruz, who campaigned for President of the United States, eventually losing the Republican primary in Indiana to Donald Trump in March of last year, has teamed up with fellow Texas Senator John Cornyn to contact President Trump, begging him to sign a major disaster declaration at the request of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, allowing the state to access key federal resources as soon as possible. Given the potential catastrophic impact that the Hurricane may have on Texas communities, Cruz and Cornyn wrote in their plea to Trump, we strongly support this request and urge you to provide any and all emergency protective measures available by a major disaster declaration. The irony of Cruz s appeal to the President hasn t been lost on residents on the east coast. MSNBC even quizzed Cruz yesterday on the hypocritical nature of his request, but in typical fashion, Cruz just avoided the question. There s time for political sniping later, he said. I think our focus needs to be on this crisis and this disaster. Despite Cruz abandoning them in their time of need five years ago, several New York and New Jersey lawmakers have decided to take the high road and support Cruz during his.Despite my TX colleagues refusal to support aid in #SouthJersey time of need, I will support emergency disaster $$ for those impacted Frank LoBiondo (@RepLoBiondo) August 28, 2017Disasters & emergencies are just that disasters & emergencies. Must stand together as Americans, not be hypocritical based on geography Frank LoBiondo (@RepLoBiondo) August 28, 2017Ted Cruz & Texas cohorts voted vs NY/NJ aid after Sandy but I'll vote 4 Harvey aid. NY wont abandon Texas. 1 bad turn doesnt deserve another Rep. Pete King (@RepPeteKing) August 27, 2017As lifelong NYer w/ NY values I will vote for emergency Harvey $ for Ted Cruz's constituents. Above all, true Americans must stand together. Rep. Pete King (@RepPeteKing) August 27, 2017Others were also quick to mention that maybe Cruz should also pursue the funding for disaster preparation that he was so opposed to when Sandy hit.texans should hope cruz helps do what he criticized the sandy aid package for doing: get $ for future texas storm prep. he won't, of course. chris hooks (@cd_hooks) August 28, 2017Featured image via Michael Reynolds Pool/Getty Images | News | August 29, 2017 |
Even Back In 1993, Donald Trump Was Getting Shut Down With His Nazi Bullsh*t | In any other administration, this would be absolute gold. Every opposition player hopes to find some evidence of a politician acting like a complete jackass at some time in the past. They can use it in campaign ads, or even better, to keep someone from getting elected in the first place. That s not how it works with Donald Trump, though.Much like Greg Gianforte, the Montana congressman whose base turned out to elect him even better after he assaulted a reporter, Donald Trump was elected by people who wanted an asshole. After all, this is the man who famously claimed he could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn t lose voters. His voters have never proved him wrong on that. He has consistently been just one of the worst humans ever to walk the planet in every way, and his base is still as fervent as the day they vaulted their racist, sexist, xenophobic, homophobic asshole into power.This video is not for them, though. This is just for us. They d probably claim this video is doctored, anyway. FAKE NEWS, they might say.It s not, of course.Two dozen years ago, Donald Trump The Plain Old Very Rich Citizen found himself in front of a House subcommittee on Resources. He was testifying that the mafia, with whom Trump has some experience, was all over the casinos that were supposed to be run by Native Americans. The man he s speaking directly to in this video is George Miller, an absolute powerhouse in Congress for four decades, consistently one of the most liberal members of the House of Representatives. In short, George Miller has no time for Trump s racist tirade.Is it foreshadowing? Maybe we say politically correct, maybe we don t. Trump was definitely showing shades of his racist father at that point, and a preview of just how little he cares for being a good person. But the way Miller shuts him down is legendary.Go ahead, watch it again. I won t tell anyone.Featured image via video screen capture | News | August 29, 2017 |
The Nickname White House Aides Have For Ivanka Is Going To Seriously Piss Off America | It was almost inevitable, really. We were bound to find out just how much better than us the Trumps think they are. After all, Donald himself hails from a long line of Trumps who have never had to work a day in their lives. Why would his own family be any different? And possibly the most spoiled of all is, of course, Ivanka, in whom Donald clearly sees all of the traits he thinks are good about himself.But there s no way to be prepared for the nickname that the president s aides have given her because it is absolutely maddening. According to a long-form piece in the upcoming October edition of Vanity Fair, West Wing advisers have taken to calling her Princess Royal. That s a name that came up during the G20 Summit when Trump gave her his seat at the conference table between England and China. The move angered even some insider fans of Trump, with one saying at the time, This is not a royal family. They ve got that right. America was founded by people who believed in democracy, who wanted to get away from a king. Sure, we love to watch the British royal family because it all seems like a fantasy. In fact, America s obsession with the Windsors mostly began with Princess Diana, the first in the royal house whose marriage did not include a vow to obey her husband.The unnamed advisers to Trump may call his daughter that behind her back, but there is little doubt that both she and her father see things that way. Her appointment to a position inside the White House was essentially a coronation, and the veins of nepotism that course through Trump s administration carry blood as blue as the states Trump lost last November.In the pages of the upcoming article, another anonymous member of the inner circle outlines the problem with Ivanka and even Prince Jared:What is off-putting about them is they do not grasp their essential irrelevance. They think they are special.Let s hope the House of Trump is short-lived.Featured image via Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Lord & Taylor | News | August 28, 2017 |
GOP Runs Out Of Good Things To Say About Trump: ‘He’s An Asshole, But He’s Our Asshole’ | Republicans have spent the past two years insisting that Donald Trump really isn t a complete and utter moron in addition to being a raging bigot. Just give him a chance, conservatives have bellowed from the rooftops since he was sworn into office in January. But now, it seems that Trump s own party has run out of good things to say about him.Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter was speaking during a gathering with the Riverside County Young Republicans when the best thing he could come up with to say about Trump was that he may indeed be an asshole, but hey, at least he s our asshole. He put his hand near his mouth like when you are going to whisper something, Jose Guzman told the Los Angelos Times. And then he decided what the hell and told the room how he really feels. He s just like he is on TV, Hunter reportedly said to the group. He s an asshole, but he s our asshole. When this is the best thing your own party can manage to say about you, you know your presidency is in big trouble. To make it even more pathetic, this isn t even someone who has been against Trump in his past. This is one of his supporters. Hunter endorsed Trump early on in the primaries not long after he won the Nevada caucuses.Let s all hope that conservatives like Hunter are as willing to own the messes Trump has created for both the country and the Republican party. Because Hunter is right on both counts. Trump is an asshole and he is their asshole. Trump is most definitely a monster the GOP created and they need to own that as well. Then, once they get a grip on that reality, they need to grow a pair and do something to stop him before he causes any more damage than he already has.Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images | News | August 28, 2017 |
There’s A Bill In The House That Would Completely Shut Down The Russia Investigation | For Republicans, the Robert Mueller investigation into Donald Trump s Russian ties is a very inconvenient truth. If Trump is found guilty, there s little doubt that many others in the party would be dragged down with him. It s also putting a big damper on the Republican agenda to screw the poor and the middle class while giving big bonuses to Trump and those in his tax bracket (whatever that is). Now there s a bill in Congress to shut the whole thing down and it can be done, legally.Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) has introduced a bill that would financially starve the investigation by cutting off funding after six months and would limit its scope to nothing prior to June, 2015, which was when Trump decided to run for president.According to a Washington Post report, Trump has been seeking business opportunities in Russia for three decades. It began in 1987, when he explored the options of opening a hotel in Moscow. He found it rather inconvenient, because everything is owned by the government while Russia was under communist rule.Almost 10 years later, in 1996, Trump announced that he was going to invest $250 million in buildings in Moscow. Those deals didn t pan out, but he was given a lot of trademarks that year.In 2005, Trump further expressed interest in building in Moscow, saying, It s ridiculous that I wouldn t be investing in Russia, he said. Russia is one of the hottest places in the world for investment. We will be in Moscow at some point. In 2008, Donnie Jr. admitted that the Trumps have all kinds of money tied up in Russia. In terms of high-end product influx into the US, he says, Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia. In 2013, while planning the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow, Trump tweeted about Putin becoming his best friend. Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow if so, will he become my new best friend? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 19, 2013During that year, he also continued his talk about doing more business in Russia.Cutting the investigation off at 2015 isn t a guarantee that Trump will get away with it. There have been numerous meetings between Russian officials and Trump officials since then.Mueller, though, is going broad. He s going after money laundering and all of Trump s business ties and he s probably going back years. DeSantis sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Committee on the Judiciary. It s very possible that he has some insight into the scope of Mueller s investigation and he knows that if he prevents him from looking at anything pre-2015, Trump may have cleaned up his act, at least on paper.The provision, which is part of a government spending package may never see a vote, but if enough Republicans see this as a way out of the mess, it could.Featured image via Win McNamee/Getty Images | News | August 28, 2017 |
Trump Goes On Psychotic Mexico Rant During News Conference, Mexico Responds PERFECTLY (VIDEO) | Donald Trump s refusal to accept the fact that Mexico is not paying for his ridiculous, ineffective border wall is pretty much the definition of psychotic. Mexico has struck down Trump s claims that it will foot the bill for the wall numerous times, but Trump continues to state the opposite and he continued to do so on Monday during a joint press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto.When OANN s Trey Yingst asked Trump if he was still going to try and force Mexico to pay for the wall, Trump said: Yes, it will. One way or the other, Mexico s gonna pay for the wall. That s right. It may be through reimbursement, but one way or the other, Mexico will pay for the wall. Showing just how ineffective and flawed his plan was, Trump had to add the disclaimer that the U.S. will likely pay for the wall at first, to be later reimbursed (which probably won t happen). Trump said: We need the wall, it s imperative. We may fund it through the United States, but ultimately Mexico will pay for the wall. You can watch Trump completely disconnect from reality and facts below:Trump made these comments just hours after the Mexican government put out a strong statement about how it WOULD NOT pay for the border wall. Mexico s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: As the Mexican government has always stated, our country will not pay, under any circumstances, for a wall or physical barrier built on U.S. territory along the Mexican border. To make this even more embarrassing for Trump, former Mexican President Vicente Fox, a well-known critic of Trump and his wall, posted this on Twitter:.@realDonaldTrump how many times do we have to tell you? You can keep tweeting, but we won t pay the #FuckingWall. https://t.co/pfOwLSBocB Vicente Fox Quesada (@VicenteFoxQue) August 28, 2017Trump seriously needs to get back to the real world and start working on real solutions instead of his twisted fantasies.Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images | News | August 28, 2017 |
Even As Trump Rips Their Country On Twitter, Mexico Offers Help With Hurricane Harvey | Just as they did during and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina a dozen years ago, Mexico has extended a hand in friendship and assistance to the state of Texas to help them deal with Hurricane Harvey. Their generosity is especially moving in light of the horrible things our president has said about them, including insulting tweets as recently as Sunday:With Mexico being one of the highest crime Nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017We are in the NAFTA (worst trade deal ever made) renegotiation process with Mexico & Canada.Both being very difficult,may have to terminate? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017Mexico has, of course, repeatedly reiterated that it will not be paying for Donald Trump s multi-billion-dollar wall. The fact that a response is even merited still baffles me, because why in the world would they? But quite apart from their dealings with the U.S. President, Mexico has always had a good relationship with the state of Texas. The ties between the southern state and the country they used to be a part of have always been strong, due to the large mobile population that blurs the border between our two countries.Both Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray and Carlos Gonzalez Gutierrez, the Mexican consul general in Austin have contacted Texas Governor Greg Abbott s office to extend their offers of assistance. Gutierrez, in fact, has been in constant communication with the governor s office, according to the Dallas Morning News:As we have done in the past, Mexico stands with Texas in this difficult moment.The consul general in Dallas, Francisco de la Torre Galindo, echoed Gutierrez sentiment:The offer for help and collaboration acknowledges a reality. We live in the same neighborhood called North America. We can t be distant neighbors, not any more, not ever.After extensive searching on social media and on the Office of the Governor s website, we can t seem to find any acknowledgment from Governor Abbott of Mexico s offers. That s disappointing, as Mexico has very publicly made them and their help is always welcome. As of Monday afternoon, however, there was nothing on Texas.Gov, Abbott s Facebook page, or either his personal Twitter account or his official account, the latter of which he uses extensively.On Texas (and America s) behalf, let me say Thank you Mexico, and thank you, President Pe a Nieto for your offer. We can always use a hand.Featured image via John Moore/Getty Images | News | August 28, 2017 |
The UNBELIEVABLE Reason Trump Pardoned Arpaio As Hurricane Harvey Was Bearing Down | If Donald Trump hadn t proven himself to be the worst person to ever occupy the White House, he certainly proved it on Friday. While Hurricane Harvey was about to hit land as the largest hurricane in over a decade, he pardoned the racist sheriff Joe Arpaio.As it turns out, Trump s timing wasn t just heartless and it wasn t at all oblivious. Like nearly everything the former reality show star does, it was about television ratings. In the middle of a hurricane, even though it was a Friday evening, I assumed the ratings would be far higher than they would be normally, Trump said during a press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinist . You know, the hurricane was just starting. He s done a great job for the people of Arizona, he s very strong on borders, very strong on illegal immigration, Trump said about Arpaio. I thought he was treated unbelievably unfairly when they came down with their big decision to go get him right before the election voting started. Source: The HillBy pardoning the man who was convicted of disregarding a court order to stop racially profiling, Trump already proved himself to have zero compassion, but the fact that it was some sort of ratings grab proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Trump isn t even human.It also explains a lot about his media coverage during the election. Trump seems to have one skill, and that is to bring on ratings, in much the same way as any shock jock might. He doesn t elevate the national dialogue; he shoves it into the gutter. He will never be my president because he refuses to be my president. He is only the president to those who voted for him. He is by far the most divisive man (and I use that word very broadly) to ever hold office. He is id with a dangerous dose of ego and Friday s pardon of Arpaio showed the worst of both.Featured image via Drew Angerer/Getty Images | News | August 28, 2017 |
Advisers Are Now Warning Donald Trump About Impeachment | Donald Trump s so-called presidency is plagued with so many scandals it s hard to keep up. So naturally, impeachment is being floated around. The former reality show star and co-writer of Art of the Deal , has unsurprisingly failed to make any deals after being on the job for 8 months now. Trump s approval ratings are abysmal as he finds himself to be the most unpopular president ever in the 70-year history of polling and then there are the investigations into his presidential campaign s possible ties to Russia.On top of that, White House advisers have reportedly been warning Trump about his potential removal from office, which entails the exhaustive impeachment process, according to Newsweek.Meanwhile, Trump is so worried that he s taken to his Twitter account to look for protection. It s very sad that Republicans, even some that were carried over the line on my back, do very little to protect their President, Trump tweeted in late July. If Republicans don t Repeal and Replace the disastrous ObamaCare, the repercussions will be far greater than any of them understand! According to The Washington Post, several White House advisers have voiced their concerns to Trump about his possible impeachment, and about how overcoming such proceedings would require friendships with the elected officials responsible for making a decision as to whether he should remain in office, but instead, he seems to be at battle with them, including his Republican colleagues, who he has lashed out at repeatedly. If Democrats take the House in 2018, impeachment proceedings could begin. And as far as funding his ego-wall along the Southern border, well, that wouldn t even be a consideration in a Democratic controlled House.Trump s latest war has been with Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, a man of influence in Washington, DC. Despite what we might think of McConnell, he s a powerful man. He could, ironically, make Trump a one-term President. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images | News | August 28, 2017 |
Trump Tried To Distance Himself From His ‘Senior Advisor’ Who Promised Russia Would Help Get Him Elected | Remember the name Felix Sater, because it s going to come up a lot while Robert Mueller and his special counsel team tear down the fa ade surrounding Donald Trump s collusion with the Russian government to interfere in the 2016 election.According to the New York Times, Mr. Sater, a former broker for the Trump Organization, wrote a series of emails that played up his ties to both Trump himself and to Vladimir Putin and the Russian government. Those emails were sent to Michael Cohen, Mr. Trump s lawyer. In the communications, Sater said that if the company built a Trump Tower in Moscow, he would personally get Putin on board and, more importantly, that it would help them engineer Donald Trump s election as President of the United States:I will get Putin on this program and we will get Donald elected. We both know no one else knows how to pull this off without stupidity or greed getting in the way. I know how to play it and we will get this done. Buddy, our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it. I will get all of Putins team to buy in on this, I will manage this process.That s quite a boast, coming from a man who by the time he even worked for Trump had already worked as a mob informant for the U.S. government, fled to Moscow to avoid criminal charges while boasting of his KGB and Kremlin contacts there, and had gone to prison for slashing apart another man s face with a broken cocktail glass, according to Bloomberg.At another point, Sater promised to arrange for Ivanka Trump to sit in Putin s chair. Felix later escorted Donald s kids around Moscow, though Ivanka now says she had nothing to do with any business dealings.Trump insists he barely knows Felix Sater, and has for some time. But Sater, post-prison, carried a Trump Organization business card describing himself as a senior advisor to the future president. One might imagine that litigation-happy Trump would have fits if he saw an unauthorized person toting this around:Sater's business card pic.twitter.com/6AOZcb7QHd Kerry McCue (@krrmcc) May 13, 2017Does all that sound a little too James Bond-ish for you? How about a video of Donald Trump walking out of an interview four years ago with BBC s Panorama after being asked about Sater:Even in the video, Trump attempts to put as much space as possible between himself and the man whose emails to his lawyer just two years later would cast such a long shadow on his dealings with Russia.I just want to know if Ivanka ever got to sit in that chair.Featured image via video screen capture | News | August 28, 2017 |
Donald Trump Was Looking To Build A Trump Tower In Moscow While He Was Running For President | As you would be more than aware, contacts between high-ranking and lower-level Trump aides and Russians have emerged in recent months and, as a result of these talks, a new story is coming to light; that Donald Trump s businesses were trying to seal a deal on building an enormous Trump Tower in Moscow while he was campaigning to become President of the United States.According to those familiar with the proposal, as well as new records reviewed by Trump Organization lawyers, Felix Sater, a Russian-born real estate developer who migrated to Brooklyn at the age of six, was essentially begging Trump to fly to Russia to promote the idea for the Tower and also claimed he could get President Vladimir Putin to say great things about Trump, all while he was still campaigning to be Commander in Chief in late 2015 and early 2016.Sater took it to another level when he predicted in an email sent to Trump Organization Executive Vice President Michael Cohen in November 2015, that Trump and his organization would be celebrating both his Presidential win and one of the biggest residential projects in the history of real estate. According to one of the few people briefed on the email exchange, Sater s message to Cohen was something to the effect of, Can you believe two guys from Brooklyn are going to elect a president? The plan for the Moscow Trump Tower was abandoned at the end of January last year, just before the beginning of the presidential primaries and before Trump s Russian business ties became a major issue, because, although the Trump Organization signed a letter of intent to go ahead with the project despite Trump himself not making the proposed trip to Russia, they lacked the land permits to proceed.The details of the Moscow Trump Tower have deal have never been made public, however, the emails are scheduled to be turned over to congressional investigators soon and all signs point to this being far from President Trump s only business dealing with Russia during his time on the campaign trail. White House officials, as well as Cohen, Trump s longtime legal advisor, have declined to comment on the issue.Featured image via Michael Reynolds Pool/Getty Images | News | August 28, 2017 |
Eric Holder Just Hilariously Called Trump Out On Arpaio: Obama Never Asked Me To Drop A Case | Former Attorney General Eric Holder responded to a report that Donald Trump asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions to drop the charges against Joe Arpaio (aka America s most racist sheriff) by throwing shade at the crooked administration on Twitter.The Washington Post published an article on Saturday claiming that Trump had personally asked Sessions to abandon the case against Arpaio, who was convicted of criminal contempt charges after ignoring a federal court order. Holder tweeted out that in all the years he had worked as Attorney General under former President Obama, he had never once been asked to drop charges against anybody, ever. Number of times over six years that President Obama called and asked me to think about dropping a case: ZERO, Holder tweeted on Sunday, with a link to the article written by the Post included.Number of times over six years that President Obama called and asked me to think about dropping a case: ZERO https://t.co/je7dhk7R28 Eric Holder (@EricHolder) August 27, 2017According to the Post, Trump s advisers told him that asking Sessions to drop the Arpaio case would be a mistake but naturally, he did it anyway. When the charges against Arpaio moved forward, Trump decided that it didn t matter because he was just going to pardon him if he was convicted anyway. What are friends for? Right?Arpaio was convicted of criminal contempt charges after a federal court ordered him to stop the racist policing practices he employed as sheriff of Maricopa County, which included jailing suspected illegal immigrants in a tent city. Despite the court s ruling that his practices were discriminatory and violated the Constitution, Arpaio basically gave a middle finger to the judge and continued his bigoted tactics.Trump pardoned his loyal supporter on Friday night while the nation was being ravaged by Hurricane Harvey. He was promptly condemned for this move by both Democrats and Republicans alike. Even House Speaker Paul Ryan spoke out against Trump s decision to pardon Arpaio on Saturday.Featured image via Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images | News | August 27, 2017 |
Phoenix Newspaper Breaks The Internet In Brutal Tweetstorm On Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio | A Phoenix publication took to its Twitter account to explain the kind of person former Sheriff Joe Arpaio is following Donald Trump s decision to pardon him. The former reality show star pardoned the racist former Sheriff of Maricopa County while a hurricane was barreling down on Texas. Trump is likely testing his pardoning powers to use that same privilege for the Russia investigation.Joe Arpaio called himself America s toughest sheriff, but appeared to be begging for a pardon after he was convicted of criminal contempt in July after violating a 2011 court order in a racial profiling case. Arpaio, 85, was ordered to stop profiling Latinos but he couldn t stop himself.Trump tweeted, I am pleased to inform you that I have just granted a full Pardon to 85 year old American patriot Sheriff Joe Arpaio. He kept Arizona safe! but the Phoenix New Times which has covered Arpaio for two decades reminded everyone that the former sheriff is no patriot.We've been covering Joe Arpaio for more than 20 years. Here's a couple of things you should know about him 1/many PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017Arpaio described his own jail as a concentration camp. He ran a jail that he described as a "concentration camp." https://t.co/5MNt2lxOyw PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017Trump s patriot has blood all over his hands.Prisoners there died at an alarming rate, often without explanation. https://t.co/wriqDix6EA PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017Arpaio is a very cruel man.One of his jailers nearly broke the neck of a paraplegic guy who had the temerity to ask for a catheter. https://t.co/eySbTTJFph PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017One time, as a publicity stunt, he marched Latino prisoners into a segregated area with electric fencing. https://t.co/DYeyFUDhbD PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017Here's a couple of other examples of what went on in his jails: https://t.co/lX0xV7dyNg PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017https://t.co/qtnT38W7da PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017https://t.co/z8nbN7xBt1 PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017He ran an ongoing "mugshot of the day" contest on the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office website. https://t.co/n9hyv0u6Xd PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017He had a reporter arrested.He arrested New Times reporters for covering him. We won a $3.75 million settlement for that one. https://t.co/tB97Xtg5ig PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017Under him, the MCSO failed to investigate hundreds of sex abuse cases, many of which involved children.https://t.co/CdsU0p9dZo PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017The cruel former sheriff has a lot in common with the Birther-in-Chief.But he somehow found time and money to send a deputy to Hawaii to look for Barack Obama's birth certificate. https://t.co/lVX595OVmX PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017Oh, and one time he staged an assassination attempt against himself? That was weird. https://t.co/KboxuTwYXe PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017In 2013, a federal judge confirmed what literally everyone in Phoenix knew: he'd been racially profiling Latinos. https://t.co/2uYZLMdnwt PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017Then he had the judge and his wife investigated.So naturally, he hired a PI to investigate the judge and his wife. https://t.co/e7Nf01R7vn PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017He also kept on profiling people, which is why he got charged with contempt of court (and was found to be guilty AF) https://t.co/PycurAtivk PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017He also tried to destroy some of the hard drives containing material that was supposed to be turned over the court. https://t.co/XKgR3SDWXd PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017By 2015, his fondness for racial profiling had cost the county more $44 million. On top of, you know, ruining lives. https://t.co/zlLg6kCsUf PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017He also paid millions to settle lawsuits like this one, where deputies stood by as an inmate was brutally beaten. https://t.co/WppUM1vPOs PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017Because this is the Old West or something, he had a "Sheriff's Posse." One member got arrested on child porn charges https://t.co/FJosPbsdke PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017A puppy was set on fire.His office was responsible for countless fiascos like this botched SWAT raid, where deputies set a puppy on fire. https://t.co/Gb7MS5zare PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017So, yeah, that's who Trump just pardoned. You can read all our coverage of Arpaio over the years here: https://t.co/7JkmOEVPWW PhoenixNewTimes (@phoenixnewtimes) August 26, 2017Trump also thinks Sheriff David Clarke Jr. is a cool dude. He s not, but Trump promoted his book on Twitter this morning, calling him a great guy. A great book by a great guy, highly recommended! he tweeted.A great book by a great guy, highly recommended! https://t.co/3jbDDN8YmJ Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017Terrill Thomas, a 38-year-old black man died of thirst in Clarke s Milwaukee County Jail cell last year. Thomas s death was ruled as a homicide. Clarke Jr. has said that Black Lives Matter is a terrorist movement, and calls it, Black LIES Matter. If David Clarke played a role in Django Unchained, you know which character he d be perfect for.These two awful men are Trump s patriots. Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images. | News | August 27, 2017 |
WaPo: Trump Tried To Get Sessions To Let Racist Sheriff Joe Arpaio Off The Hook Months Ago | Donald Trump just threw a match on this tinder box of a nation when he decided to pardon former Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio. This guy is a racist who was convicted in court of contempt for refusing to follow an order to stop racially profiling and detaining people. Arpaio terrorized that county for years with impunity and without consequence, and now it seems that he will be able to carry on being awful.Now, there is even more nefarious news out there regarding this. It seems that Trump tried to get Jeff Sessions Department of Justice to let Arpaio off the hook by dropping the case against him altogether. It seems that Sessions told Trump that such an action would not be the appropriate thing to do. Having no other choice, Trump waited until Arpaio was convicted, and THEN decided to wait for the perfect time to issue a pardon. One White House official says of Trump s thinking on the Arpaio matter: We knew the president wanted to do this for some time now and had worked to prepare for whenever the moment may come. Of course, we mustn t forget that Arpaio and Trump have been political partners in crime ever since they started the birtherism nonsense, in which they promoted the racist lie that President Obama was not born in the United States. They both doggedly tried to prove that the nation s first Black President was not a legitimate Commander-in-Chief all because he s Black.In short, they are two racist peas in a pod, so of course Trump wasn t going to let his man go to jail, even though if there was ever someone who deserves to rot in jail, it s this racist, abusive former Sheriff.One good thing came out of this, though: It showed that when Trump is willing to do something truly egregious, the Department of Justice has maintained at least a little independence and is willing to push back. However, in this instance, said pushback had no real effect.Come on, Congress, Mueller, whomever please get rid of this lawless president while we still have a nation left.Featured image via Ralph Freso/Getty Images | News | August 26, 2017 |
Trump Calls Out Anti-Fascists By Name, But FBI And DHS Say The Alt-Right Acts Like ISIS — And Goes Unmentioned | Ever since the Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia claimed the life of Heather Heyer, the entire spectrum on the Right from moderates all the way to Alt-Right terrorists has been scrambling to figure out a way to blame it on the Left. That s natural. It was a murder, after all. Nobody wants to take the blame for anything bad they re responsible for, let alone the murder of an innocent victim. But Donald Trump has been especially adept at seemingly calling out radical groups, while never actually explicitly naming the radical group that is to blame.It s not like he doesn t know the phrase Alt-Right. It s in the news every day. He sure as hell knows the word Antifa. That s the many in his many sides comment after Heyer s murder, which he doubled down on two days later. In fact, the word came out of his mouth in accusation at his Phoenix rally last Tuesday. Someone even made a joke about it: pic.twitter.com/9fANLcaXXN Chris Stephens (@ChrisStephensMD) August 23, 2017The only time I can remember Trump saying the words alt-right in reference to Charlottesville was in Trump Tower: What about the alt-left that came charging at, as you say, the alt-right ? Do they have any semblance of guilt? As YOU say.So why won t he address the Alt-Right? They are a terrorist group, by any definition. What s more, they identify as Christians, persecuted for their identity, justifying their actions with appeals to us over them. That s pretty reminiscent of another radicalized, religious extremist group that feels persecuted, hates outsiders and gay people, treats women like chattel, and uses terror and death to achieve their aims.Only those guys are brown.Here in America, though, ISIS and groups like them that is to say, radical Islamic terrorists have nothing on white Christian males. A joint intelligence bulletin from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security found that the group we softly label white supremacists were responsible for 49 murders in 26 terror attacks over the last decade and a half. That s more than any other group in America. That report from two agencies tasked with American safety literally says that radicalized white Christian males are the most dangerous people in the country.Part of Trump s unwillingness to name the Alt-Right as the terror group they are comes from their Goebbels-like effectiveness with propaganda. If they can make it seem like there actually are two sides to the conflict that led to Heyer s death (and countless other injuries, physical, mental, and personal), they can paint their own side as justified in opposition to it. They achieve this with troll-led petitions that seem legitimate, and by posing as members of the Left and doing horrible things. Remember that kid who would break something, then leave a piece of it in his brother s room so his parents would bust the wrong boy? That s the Alt-Right.But the other part of Donald Trump s inability to name names when it comes to the Alt-Right is simple: They are his biggest fans, and he loves them, terrorism be damned.Featured image via Stephen Maturen/Getty Images | News | August 26, 2017 |
Disgusting Trump Is Using Hurricane As An Opportunity To Deport People | A Category Four hurricane has hit Texas. It s set to be the most disastrous hurricane since Katrina hit Louisiana in 2005, yet Donald Trump is using it as an opportunity to deport people.Thousands of people are evacuating the affected areas, trying to beat the storm. Instead of helping ensure that evacuations go smoothly, the Trump administration is doing the exact opposite. They are creating checkpoints and forcing people to show their papers proving they are documented residents of the United States.The federal government is closing border patrol checkpoints in the path of the hurricane, but they re leaving checkpoints open outside the path. The Texas Tribune reports: Border Patrol checkpoints will not be closed unless there is a danger to the safety of the traveling public and our agents. Border Patrol resources, including personnel and transportation, will be deployed on an as needed basis to augment the efforts and capabilities of local-response authorities, the agency said in a statement.The Border Patrol is a law enforcement agency and we will not abandon our law enforcement duties. I m sure you can imagine the consequences. Sure, checkpoints will only be open outside the path of the hurricane, but they can still cause traffic to back up for miles. It will also all but ensure that undocumented immigrants and their families will stay behind, only to be potentially killed by the hurricane or the resulting floods.Civil rights agencies like the ACLU are furious. This is a disgusting move from the Border Patrol that breaks with past practices, American Civil Liberties Union director of immigration policy and campaigns Lorella Praeli said. The Border Patrol should never keep checkpoints open during any natural disasters in the United States. Everyone, no matter the color of their skin or background, is worth saving. Everyone, no matter the color of their skin or background, is worth saving. Except to Donald Trump, they really aren t. Trump doesn t care about anyone, but he does care about appeasing his racist, xenophobic base. John Edwards used to talk about two Americas. Today, we have the America that Donald Trump cares about (about 1/3 of the country) and we have the rest of us who could all die in the path of a hurricane for all he cares.Featured image via Pool/Getty Images. | News | August 26, 2017 |
One More Nazi Resigned From Trump’s White, House; Will Newly Pardoned Arpaio Replace Him? | Just days after Donald Trump advisor and avowed racist alt-right provocateur Steve Bannon was fired, another of Trump s White House Nazis is out.Sebastian Gorka was born in London but lived in Hungary where he worked with racist and anti-semitic groups. He resigned on Friday because Trump apparently hasn t been effective enough in Making America Great White Again. [G]iven recent events, it is clear to me that forces that do not support the MAGA promise are for now ascendant within the White House, Gorka reportedly wrote in a letter obtained by The Federalist. CNN confirmed the letter. As a result, the best and most effective way I can support you, Mr. President, is from outside the People s House, he continued. Gorka was seen as one of Trump s staunchest supporters, and often took to TV to rip the media s coverage of the administration.Source: The HillGorka is best known as one of Trump s spokespeople who creeps the hell out of people. Watch Samantha Bee tell you everything you need to know:Donald Trump s White House has had quite the day. He banned transgender people from the military. A Category Four hurricane is about to hit Texas, so Trump loosened regulations on federal flooding standards.In a week when Trump is challenged to prove to the nation that he s not racist, he pardoned Maricopa, Arizona former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted of violating a court order to stop racially profiling people. Will Arpaio take Gorka s place?Why not? Trump clearly doesn t care if he s perceived as a racist. That s his base. In his surreal and overly defensive speech he gave in Phoenix this week, he once again brought up the border wall, an issue that Arpaio deeply cares about. Arpaio has long been a supporter of Trump and he s proven that he s willing to thwart the law, just like Trump.Trump and Arpaio aren t new to partnering. Arpaio assigned a fake posse to help in Trump s fake search for President Obama s real birth certificate.Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio would assign a five-man Cold Case Posse to probe the authenticity of Obama s birth certificate, he told Jerome Corsi, the former World Net Daily columnist and Ur-birther. When I get allegations brought to me by the citizens of Maricopa County, I look into the allegations, just like I am doing here, he said at the time.Six months later, Arpaio announced at a press conference that the long-form birth certificate was a computer-generated forgery. That s when Trump took notice. Within a couple weeks of Arpaio s announcement, Trump had printed out an Associated Press article about the charade and handwritten a note to the sheriff. It read:Joe Great going you are the only one with the guts to do this keep up the good fight. Donald TrumpSource: NY MagIn other words, look for Arpaio to be Trump s next hire. Perhaps Homeland Security, or like Gorka, terrorism advisor?Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images. | News | August 26, 2017 |
BREAKING: Trump Goes Full Racist AGAIN, Pardons Sheriff Joe Arpaio | Donald Trump has an endless history of racism that dates back decades, so it comes as no surprise that he has now pardoned the very bigoted and controversial former Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio. This is a man who was convicted of being a bigot and using the law and the powers of his office to racially profile and brutalize Latino citizens. He was found in criminal and civil contempt of court, but of course, since he was targeting Latinos, who Trump hates, that is just A-Okay with the orange fascist.Generally, when people receive pardons, they have served some time, and shown some remorse. This is nothing more than an extension of Trump s open and visible contempt for non-white immigrants and those from Mexico in particular and all minorities, really this comes as no surprise, reprehensible as it is.Also, to top it all off, Sheriff Joe is a birther, and he constantly went to the press to dispute the validity of President Obama s birth certificate in explicitly racist terms. This, of course, was Trump s number one crusade in his original foray into presidential politics, and it was a huge factor in his gaining real traction with the racist Republican base voters.Of course, we cannot forget the infamous tent city in which imprisoned immigrants were housed in tents and forced to be humiliated with pink underwear. It goes on and on.This is disgusting. A racist who was found to have used the power of his elected office to enact racism as policy is now going free because the guy squatting in the Oval Office is a racist, too.All I can say is that at least the people of Maricopa County voted him out after all of these years and all of this open bigotry as policy.If there isn t GOP backlash from this, we need to all rise up. This is beyond appalling. With this pardon, racism is officially law in America.Featured image via Ralph Freso/Getty Images | News | August 25, 2017 |
On The Day A Hurricane Is About To Hit Land, Trump Signs Order Making Floods Worse | Donald Trump is about to get his first real test as Commander-in-Chief. Hurricane Harvey is a Category four storm that s about to hit landfall in Texas. It will be the worst since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and on the very same day it s set to hit he s going to sign an executive order that will potentially make future hurricane damage much worse.Trump s executive order is just another petulant attempt at undoing everything Obama did because well he was Obama. It would reverse standards that would make government buildings safer from flooding something needed with rising sea levels, and yes, with hurricanes.The Trump administration has complained that it takes too much time to get permits and approvals for construction projects. The administration has issued dozens of rules and orders to reverse or rescind Obama-era regulations addressing climate change and its consequences such as rising sea levels and more severe storms.The Obama-era standard required that builders factor in scientific projections for how climate change could affect flooding in a certain area and ensure projects can withstand rising sea levels and stronger downpours.Source: CNBCThe scientific consensus is that sea levels are going to rise at an alarming level. By the end of the century, they could rise by more than six feet. While that may not sound like a lot, think about the havoc on your own home when there are just a few inches of flood water.Obviously, this executive order only affects federal buildings and state regulations could easily override them, but many of the states in the flood zones (like Texas, Louisiana, the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida) are led by, and overwhelmingly inhabited by, Republican climate change deniers. Washington, D.C. is also in a flood zone.Trump sees safety regulations on buildings as an inconvenience for him. Overturning Obama s executive order does two things, it helps erase the black guy s legacy and it helps the Grifter-in-Chief just in case he gets a federal contract.Featured image via Pool/Getty Images. | News | August 25, 2017 |
RNC Staffer Assigned To Finding Positive Stories About Trump Says Take This Job And Shove It | Imagine for a moment that your job was to scour the media, searching for the rare news report that puts a positive spin on Donald Trump and his disastrous escapades in the White House. For one RNC staffer, this was the day to day reality he faced every morning when he clocked into work. After hanging on for several months, Andy Hemming finally decided he couldn t take it any longer and resigned. You can hardly blame the guy and have to ask, how did he stay on this sinking ship as long as he did?According to Politico, Hemming handed in his resignation on Monday. Previously, the publication had written a profile on Hemming which referred to him as the staffer the White House pays $89,000 a year to spot and distribute positive stories from the mainstream media. Hemming was senior adviser for research at the RNC in the 2016 cycle and director of research on the Trump campaign. At the White House, he worked from 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. every weekday and was a regular in reporters inboxes, blasting out stories favorable to the administration.Hemming has not yet commented on his decision to leave the position, but White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that it was a [m]utual decision that he could best help promote the president s agenda on the outside. Andy is smart and very talented and we wish him all the best. All administrations have people dedicated to finding and spreading news stories that show the president in a good light, but performing these duties with Trump at the helm was no doubt a unique experience. There surely isn t much positive media coverage on him these days because, in addition to being a raging bigot, he continually manages to screw up even the simplest of tasks (like not frying his retinas while watching the eclipse). How Hemming kept from completely losing his mind long before now is anybody s guess.Featured image via Chris Kleponis-Pool/Getty Images | News | August 25, 2017 |
Trump Wants It Both Ways, But You Can’t Pass The Most Bills If ‘They’ Won’t Let You Pass Bills | Everybody s gotten used to Donald Trump contradicting himself. You can almost count on it, really. But with the exception of a few notable misspellings and typos, generally, his tweets that contradict previous tweets don t come on the same day, let alone in the same hour. And a contradictory pair in the span of eleven minutes? Maybe he s reprising another guy s role.Friday morning, Trump did just that. He complains all the time, but the two complaints that he tweeted just after 6:30 his time just don t go together. First, he says that 8 Democrats control the Senate because of the filibuster. Trump has advocated that the GOP use the nuclear option to get rid of the filibuster for some time, but most if not all Republicans are hesitant they know that if they do, the next time voters elect a Democratic majority, their opposition will be able to ram through any legislation they like, with nothing to stop them. That s something Trump doesn t understand neither party wants.If Senate Republicans don't get rid of the Filibuster Rule and go to a 51% majority, few bills will be passed. 8 Dems control the Senate! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2017Just eleven minutes later, Trump came to his senses and realized if he says the GOP can t pass bills and he is the leader of the GOP then he can t keep saying he s passed more bills than a concert promoter on a New York subway. So he went back to that.Few, if any, Administrations have done more in just 7 months than the Trump A. Bills passed, regulations killed, border, military, ISIS, SC! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2017I d just like to point out the humor in calling his administration the Trump A. We all have the same character limit on Twitter, Donnie. Just leave out if any next time, so what could be admin doesn t look like ass.But complaining about the Democrats in Washington keeping him from doing what he wants is quickly becoming one of his favorite topics. There are the hilariously wrong-in-retrospect messages:Despite the long delays by the Democrats in finally approving Dr. Tom Price, the repeal and replacement of ObamaCare is moving fast! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2017The tweets where he can t quite get his Cabinet approved as fast as he d like:It is so pathetic that the Dems have still not approved my full Cabinet. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 3, 2017The Senate Democrats have only confirmed 48 of 197 Presidential Nominees. They can't win so all they do is slow things down & obstruct! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 11, 2017And the ones where everything is the Democrats fault, okay?The Democrats, without a leader, have become the party of obstruction.They are only interested in themselves and not in what's best for U.S. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 30, 2017The Obstructionist Democrats make Security for our country very difficult. They use the courts and associated delay at all times. Must stop! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 18, 2017So where are all the superlatives? You know, the best, most amazing, biggest by far in the history of the world tweets about how incredibly, ridiculously huge his successes are, which of course are the most successful of all time?Well, those are there, too, but I m not going to bore you by re-posting a bunch of tweets where Trump tries to Bannonize the old nine-iron. The point is, Trump really wants to have it both ways that he simultaneously is the most bestest at presidenting, and that those dirty demon-dog Democrats won t let him president properly. He s not even close on the claim that no A has done more. He s behind Bill Clinton in bills passed and signed by about 30% for this point in his presidency.And that s just fine by me.Featured image via Drew Angerer/Getty Images | News | August 25, 2017 |
REPORT: Mueller Hot On Trump’s Trail, Has Built His Own ‘Miniature Justice Department’ | Donald Trump is very afraid of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. It has been reported repeatedly that he is completely obsessed with the Russia investigation, and it seems that he is right to be. According to a new report in the Daily Beast, Mueller has built what they are calling an army of lawyers to investigate just what went on with Russia s interference into the 2016 presidential election, and especially into any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian government officials.The new report says that Mueller s team now includes 16 heavy-hitting attorneys, and they have space deep inside one of the most secret locations in Washington, and the space includes a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCHIF), which is the name for places no laymen and laywomen like us will ever see the inside of. The secrets kept in there are pretty much in a tomb, until those privy to them see fit to release them. On top of all of that, it seems that Mueller has pulled together what the Daily Beast is calling his own Miniature Justice Department. The Daily Beast assembled a list of the names on Mueller s team, and their resumes are nothing short of stellar. Only one has never worked as a federal prosecutor, but he is a top notch lawyer in his own right and is surely useful. You can read the lengthy accomplishments of these attorneys here.In short Trump is right to be scared out of his mind. It also bears noting that sometime ago now, Mueller actually convened his own grand jury which means he has enough to believe he will stumble upon something that will warrant criminal indictments. Further, this team of lawyers has broad authority to subpoena anyone and everyone in Trump s orbit and force them to testify under oath. Also, remember even if they aren t under oath, lying to government officials is still a crime, so these people better start learning to tell the truth unless they want to face some serious jail time.Come on, Special Counsel Mueller. We re rooting for you. With any luck, everyone in Trump s White House will be thrown out of office and in jail before the 2018 midterms.Featured image via Ann Heisenfelt/Getty Images | News | August 25, 2017 |
House Dem Wants GOP On Record: Stop Gov’t Spending At Trump Properties | Early next month, the GOP-controlled House of Representatives will take up a spending bill that provides funding for nearly every department in the federal government. It s a must-pass bill because, without it, the government will shut down. That s a non-starter for many Republicans, who still feel the pain of the last time there was a government shutdown. Republicans were largely unable to shift blame to the Democrats as they attempted to do, and their popularity suffered as a result. But despite the GOP s absolute grip on Congress, the bill is still subject to amendments, and one Democrat from Tennessee has a doozy in mind.Representative Steve Cohen is introducing amendments to the spending plan that would ban the use of federal funds at Trump-branded properties. It covers every business listed on Trump s financial disclosure form, including hotels, country clubs, and resorts. That means events like the ones at Mar-a-Lago where Trump has hosted dignitaries and foreign leaders would either be held elsewhere, or Trump would have to provide accommodations free of charge.Such an arrangement would have prevented the Secret Service from having to stay in a trailer outside Trump Tower, where they moved after price negotiations fell apart over them staying inside while protecting the president. It also would have precluded the State Department from spending upwards of $15,000 on rooms at a hotel that Trump recently opened in Vancouver. Most of all, it might reduce the amount of money you and I pay for the president to spend more than 20% of his time in office (so far) at his own resorts.In a statement Cohen released Wednesday morning, he said:Congress should not allow the President to use his office to profit himself and his family. The President s refusal to divest from his privately owned businesses creates a conflict of interest when steering federal spending to his resorts and other businesses The American people should have total confidence that the President is serving their interest, not his own financial enrichment. President Trump s refusal to disclose information to Congress or seek Congress s authorization for accepting profits from foreign governments stemming from his sprawling foreign financial interests is a brazen violation of the Constitution and a danger to our democracy.We couldn t agree more, Congressman. And while these amendments stand about a snowball s chance in hell of passing or possibly even being brought up for a vote it will be nice to see you force Republicans to go on record and either declare their allegiance to Donald Trump, or to the principles of conservatism.Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images | News | August 24, 2017 |
Trump Supporter Laura Ingraham FAILS With Fake Photo Of Trump’s Sh*tty Rally Crowd | You know how conservatives are constantly screaming FAKE NEWS every time they see something they don t like? It s interesting that they have no problem sharing news that is demonstrably fake given their professed distaste for it.This is what Trump Nazi Laura Ingraham s website looks like as I type this sentence:Notice anything off? If you guessed the photo of what she claims is five straight miles of Trump fans banging on the doors to barely halfway fill a venue that is capped at 5,000 people you re correct. Good job. You get a cookie. Go you!The image is from an event that serves as the traditional pick for conservatives when they want to lie about Donald Trump s crowd size. That s right the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers victory parade (FUN FACT: Like almost everything else, it attracted more people than Trump s inauguration).This isn t the first time Ingraham has acted like an embarrassment to the human race. In 2016, she was captured at CPAC giving the Nazi salute to a photo of Trump that appeared to be doing the same back at her:I'd forgotten the one with Laura Ingraham giving the Nazi salute, it's been so long https://t.co/UBDRGOI98z pic.twitter.com/wxC8vCHPDL i, Smiley ???? (@smiley_yearwood) August 18, 2017It s important to remember that this is what passes for reality in the Stupid Part of America. Recently, the Virginia Republican Party shared a news article claiming that Rosa Parks daughter praised Trump as a civil rights hero, for example. Rosa Parks had no children, but that didn t stop their idiot followers from sharing it hundreds of times.Conservatives are easy to mock these days for some reason. It s no wonder they keep telling us that the way to win them over is to stop calling them racists and making fun of their hilarious stupidity.Featured image via screengrab | News | August 24, 2017 |