Biden isn’t perfect, but he beats the alternative.
Joe Biden is not a very good president. His communication skills are subpar, e.g. when he found himself praising the “Iranian” instead of the Ukrainian people in his State of the Union speech. His political judgments are sometimes poor, e.g. devoting most of his first year to assuaging the demands of the progressive wing of his party. His stubbornness can be destructive, e.g. his decision to withdraw precipitously from Afghanistan. And his priorities are often wrong, e.g. focusing on voting rights legislation that addressed small problems like the number of days of early voting and dropboxes at the expense of the urgent need to reform the Electoral Count Act.
And yet, I thank God every day that Biden is president. The Russian offensive against Ukraine is the first crisis of his presidency (other than COVID, which was ongoing when he assumed office) and in this emergency he has redeemed the hopes of those who voted for competence. The administration’s warnings to Moscow were unambiguous without being hysterical. Our revelations of intelligence unmasking Russian disinformation and false flag narratives were on the nose. Biden’s coordination with European allies was neither bullying nor “leading from behind,” but a skillful presentation of unity (special kudos to Secretary of State Antony Blinken). Biden’s muscular reaffirmation of the U.S. commitment to NATO was crucial not just for Europe but for the world. China is taking notes on how the globe is responding to Putin and perhaps thinking twice about trying to conquer Taiwan.
By proclaiming American solidarity with Ukraine and our democratic allies around the world, Biden has restored our equilibrium. If Ronald Reagan were still alive, he’d find little to criticize in the administration’s approach.
There were some missed opportunities. The president should have placed the invasion of Ukraine in a broader historical context and outlined how the struggle between democracy and authoritarianism is the defining issue of our time, whether abroad or at home. And he ought not to suggest or pretend that Americans can be spared any hardship, even higher gas prices, during this fight. On the contrary, he should be preparing the nation for sacrifice. Seventy-nine percent of Americans already favor banning Russian oil imports even if it means higher gas prices, and it’s a mistake to discount people’s unselfish impulses. Besides, if he promises that all of the pain will be inflicted on Russia, he will be blamed for breaking his word when Americans feel the sting of price hikes, instead of being honored for standing on principle.
Biden is a normal man with normal flaws. He made some errors, but he sees clearly what sort of menace Vladimir Putin is. Only the most obtuse or twisted soul could fail to see it. . . which brings us to the president’s predecessor.
The Ukraine crisis reminds us that Trump is no run-of-the-mill fool, but a unique combination of stupidity and venality. A quick refresher on his relations with Putin and Ukraine leaves little doubt that far from deterring Putin, he was Putin’s most reliable “useful idiot.” Trump’s most durable legacy is the Putinesque level of deceit he introduced into the American bloodstream, but he was also a mark.
Trump wasn’t the first president to go soft on Putin, of course. Barack “Tell Vladimir I’ll have more flexibility after the election” Obama plowed that ground very well. Failing to enforce his red line in Syria and inviting Russia to assert dominance there; failing to impose harsh sanctions after the annexation of Crimea; and mocking Mitt Romney for taking the Russian threat seriously, Obama was hardly a model of fortitude.
But at least Obama knew what he was doing. He chose diffidence and called it wisdom. Trump was a dupe and a dope, a walking refutation of the adage “you can’t kid a kidder.” An inveterate liar himself, he could never discern when he was being played, at least by the strongmen he admired like Putin, Kim, and Xi.
Having spent the entire 2016 campaign suggesting that it would be great if we “got along with Russia,” encouraging Moscow to hack Hillary Clinton’s emails, and accepting dirt on his opponent from Russian figures, Trump was under strong suspicion and a federal investigation for his Russia ties. All 17 American intelligence agencies agreed that Russia had interfered with the election to damage Clinton. Yet upon Trump’s first meeting with Putin, he accepted the Russian’s denials and announced the creation of “an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded and safe.” The plan to let the fox guard the henhouse was dropped after GOP senators exploded.
We’ll never know how many times Trump spoke to Putin because those records were expunged and Trump often demanded that the translators take no notes, but it is clear from the public record that Trump often repeated Putin’s talking points.
At the Helsinki summit, Trump infamously endorsed Putin’s version of the election interference story over that of America’s own intelligence agencies. “President Putin says it’s not Russia,” Trump said. “I don’t see any reason why it would be.” Later, speaking to Tucker Carlson, Trump revealed the other ways Putin had been poisoning his mind, planting ideas about NATO countries. “Why should my son go to Montenegro to defend it from attack?” Carlson asked. Trump responded: “I’ve asked the same question. Montenegro is a tiny country with very strong people. . . . They are very strong people. They are very aggressive people, they may get aggressive, and congratulations, you are in World War III.” Who believes that Trump had ever heard of Montenegro, far less formed views about their supposed aggressiveness, before that meeting?
Trump got other ideas from his conversations with Putin and dutifully lobbied our major trading partners in the G7 to invite Russia back into the fold. They declined.
In 2019, defending his decision to withdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan, Trump offered this little potted history about Russia’s engagement with that country: “Russia used to be the Soviet Union. Afghanistan made it Russia, because they went bankrupt fighting in Afghanistan. Russia. . . the reason Russia was in Afghanistan was because terrorists were going into Russia. They were right to be there.”
As with the other Putin nuggets he regurgitated, Trump said this with perfect ingenuousness.
Throughout his presidency, Trump hinted and blustered about withdrawing from NATO, which would fulfill Putin’s dearest wish. When his aides objected that this might be harmful politically, Trump conceded the point, as Carol Leonnig and Phil Rucker report, saying “Yeah, the second term. We’ll do it in the second term.”
As for Ukraine, Putin, like the KGB officer he had once been, had filled Trump’s mind with calumnies playing upon his particular obsessions. Trump got the idea that it was Ukraine, not Russia, that had interfered in the 2016 election, and that the meddling was against Trump, not for him. As New York Magazine reported, “Trump repeatedly told one senior official that the Russian president said Ukraine sought to undermine him.” Trump further believed in a mysterious “missing server” that was hidden in Ukraine containing the missing emails. In his infamous 2019 shake-down call with Volodomyr Zelensky, Trump alluded to it: “I would like you to find out what happened with this whole situation with Ukraine, they say CrowdStrike. . . I guess you have one of your wealthy people. . . The server, they say Ukraine has it.”
And because Trump swallowed Putin’s lies, congressional Republicans echoed them. In her testimony before the House intelligence committee, Fiona Hill attempted to debunk it:
Quote
Based on questions and statements I have heard, some of you on this committee appear to believe that Russia and its security services did not conduct a campaign against our country—and that perhaps, somehow, for some reason, Ukraine did. This is a fictional narrative that has been perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services themselves.
Yes, and by their willing mouthpiece, the then-president of the United States.
In 2016, Trump suggested that Russian ownership of Crimea be recognized, and again repeated a factoid that seems likely to have come directly from Putin. “The people of Crimea, from what I’ve heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were,” he told ABC News. The GOP platform was changed to omit endorsing arms for Ukraine. Asked about his view of Putin’s intentions, he huffed, “He’s not going into Ukraine, OK, just so you understand. He’s not gonna go into Ukraine, all right? You can mark it down. You can put it down. You can take it anywhere you want.”
It was more than ignorance, it was hero worship. Trump is a disturbed human being who is constantly revealing his attraction to violence and “strength.” Even as Putin was smashing his tanks into Ukraine, Trump fawned over his “genius” and then boasted that “I know him very, very well.” He said it was “wonderful.” He backtracked after a day or two, but doubtless only after being advised that it was politically unwise.
But if, God forbid, there were ever a second term, political considerations wouldn’t be dispositive and the most sinister and credulous man ever to disgrace the Oval Office would be unconstrained.
Biden hasn’t been perfect—but he’s a godsend given the alternative.
But, from cnn, and the article: "The House of Representatives voted late Wednesday night to pass a massive government funding bill that includes $13.6 billion in desperately needed aid to Ukraine as the country fights back against Russia's deadly invasion. Congress is racing the clock ahead of a Friday deadline when government funding is set to expire," Odd.
"As part of the effort to prevent a shutdown, the House passed by voice vote on Wednesday night a stopgap bill to extend government funding through Tuesday. "
Odd. I thought the bill was about helping Ukraine?
"The sweeping government spending bill, known on Capitol Hill as the omnibus, is the product of months of negotiations, but the sprawling legislative text, which runs 2,741 pages, was not released until around 1:30 a.m. ET Wednesday, just hours before House leaders initially had planned to try to jam it through the chamber, leaving little time for lawmakers to review the measure. " Odd.
2,741 pages...............for Ukraine aid of 13.6 billion? Or, 2741 pages for keeping their jobs (congress) and spitting billions upon billions to there voters.??
The 13.6 billion to Ukraine in this bill is like pennies on the dollar in regards to spending.
Also in that bill: "Behind closed doors, Pelosi was angry at Democratic members who revolted over the Covid relief offsets — and the meetings were extremely tense, including with Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, a source familiar with the matter said. Members felt blindsided by the deal that had been cut — and Pelosi was upset that they were forced to strip out new Covid relief money, the source said. "
Politics. Give a bill a name everyone likes and supports, add in all the pork you want, make it thousands of pages long, then attack those that actually care about the spending..........make them look like fools. Make them out to be non supportive of Ukraine (in this instance).
Things like this are why this country is screwed for the future.
yep... $1.5 trillion spending bill that's almost 3,000 pages released hours before your supposed to vote for it... and if you disagree with it you're a commie...
"The Ukraine aid is attached to an appropriations bill that will set the spending limits for the federal government for fiscal year 2022, which started in October. "
Oh, from the cnn article: "What else is tied to the spending bill? The massive spending bill, known as the omnibus, funds the federal government for fiscal year 2022. It calls for $730 billion in non-defense funding -- a 6.7% increase over fiscal year 2021 -- the largest jump in four years, according to the House Appropriations Committee. It also provides $782 billion in defense funding, a 5.6% increase over fiscal year 2021."
yet, the 13 billion for Ukraine is someone's head line?
Are you still surprised now that the facts are out? I think their votes were calculated. If it wouldn't have passed I think you may have seen some more vote for it.
I know that both parties pull this kind of crap. It should never be acceptable. I think the Dems should take some heat for this but I doubt they will from most on the left.
Facts? It's the omnibus bill to fund the country! LMAO, pretty sure this happens every year, but now because some souless ghouls got called out, it's SOOOO suspicious. Yeah right, if this was military spending and 730 billion for the rich, y'all would have zero problems and be like "nothing burger"... smh shameless. Especially arch.
This was your post, in an attempt to make it seem R's didn't support Ukraine. It was a failed attempt, as I've shown. It's not Ukraine, it's the other spending that got the "no" vote.
I guarantee, put a bill in congress supporting Ukraine, and not spending any other money in that bill, it passes unanimously.
Things looking worse and worse for libtards for midterms.
You say that right after someone posts the 31 senators that voted against aid to Ukraine.... These are the same ones that seem to speak highly of Putin...
Tucker is nothing more than a comrade of Putin. There's been a lot of that going around. While I don't always agree with Romney, at least he called them out on it......
Mitt Romney calls pro-Putin sentiments from some in GOP and media ‘almost treasonous’
This isn't even 'revisionist history.' It's 'revisionist current events.' At first I thought, "Does this fool think we believe his mess?" Then, I realized he isn't trying to reach us. He knows his audience, and he knows what they're willing to swallow- hook, line & sinker.
can my conservative brethren explain to me why a multi billionaire former president is asking his supporters for money to fix his private plane?
he should be able to pay for it in cold hard cash, right?
Next thing you know he'll be telling his followers that God told him to build an amusement park and they'll believe him ala Jim and Tammy Faye Baker. And he's actually just repeating what that Louisiana televangelist Jesse Duplantis asked his followers to do. Buy him a 54 million dollar jet. This is an old con.
He knows his audience, and he knows what they're willing to swallow- hook, line & sinker.
The same could be said for anyone who watches CNN/FOX/NBC/ABC/CBS/WashingtonPost/AP/NPR
The viewers are all spewing back out their political agendas on either side of the fence & very few can think for themselves or do any research.
You can tell when someone just watched one of the news stations because all they can do is parrot off what their propagandist news station told them how to think and feel.
It’s blatant lying and buildup of a country who is commuting mass atrocities. It really makes you wonder what his motivation is and what’s transacting behind the scenes.
It really makes you wonder what his motivation is and what’s transacting behind the scenes.
I don't wonder at all. He's been pretty consistent in his messaging, now that he's found his core audience. He licks Putin and visits Hungary's Viktor Orban because they are heads of two countries that are the equivalent of white ethnostates. He stains his bedsheets every night dreaming of what America might be if we only had what they have. Spend even a fraction of one of his shows, and you can hear his message loud and clear: Replacement theory. White genocide. Anti-CRT. Dude's an absolute 'Johnny One-Note' these days.
He ain't exactly a brain trust. He ain't exactly subtle, and he ain't exactly hard to figure out.
This was your post, in an attempt to make it seem R's didn't support Ukraine. It was a failed attempt, as I've shown. It's not Ukraine, it's the other spending that got the "no" vote.
I guarantee, put a bill in congress supporting Ukraine, and not spending any other money in that bill, it passes unanimously.
The squad voted against it. I guess that makes them pro-russian scum too.
He knows his audience, and he knows what they're willing to swallow- hook, line & sinker.
The same could be said for anyone who watches CNN/FOX/NBC/ABC/CBS/WashingtonPost/AP/NPR
The viewers are all spewing back out their political agendas on either side of the fence & very few can think for themselves or do any research.
You can tell when someone just watched one of the news stations because all they can do is parrot off what their propagandist news station told them how to think and feel.
Mind control at its finest.
Oh my goodness.. That is so much BS... Really.. Tell me what CNN/NBC/ABC/CBS, THe Post/AP and NPR flat out lied about... Come on, I want to know..... WE all know what Fox Lies about,, Just about everything.. Or at the least, twists the truth
He knows his audience, and he knows what they're willing to swallow- hook, line & sinker.
The same could be said for anyone who watches CNN/FOX/NBC/ABC/CBS/WashingtonPost/AP/NPR
The viewers are all spewing back out their political agendas on either side of the fence & very few can think for themselves or do any research.
You can tell when someone just watched one of the news stations because all they can do is parrot off what their propagandist news station told them how to think and feel.
So some in the house, the squad voted against. That's terrible. They are shameless. but uh, eh, oh, ee, they must have voted no because they don't like military budgets over blown... See, arch, I won't even try, I condemn them for their no vote, even though they knew it wouldn't matter in the house. You kind of got me! Woohoo for U. Big whoop for me. Those republicans in the Senate are still POSs. And you can't prove me wrong.
It’s blatant lying and buildup of a country who is commuting mass atrocities. It really makes you wonder what his motivation is and what’s transacting behind the scenes.
Russia and China are in bed. China will buy up all the Russian goods.
I do agree that total economic warfare with Russia is a bad idea. Both Russia and China know the only way to win a war with us is to break our bank. Well, them and the aholes in this country who agree with them.
I do agree that total economic warfare with Russia is a bad idea. Both Russia and China know the only way to win a war with us is to break our bank. Well, them and the aholes in this country who agree with them.
Countries that are on the West's side in the Russia-Urkaine conflict hold about 70% of the World's GDP. China produces about 20%, and Russia about 2% -- and then there are a scattering of other small countries that are on the Russian side or are neutral (maybe about 5% neutral or so).
They can try to break the US bank of course (potentially based on the fact that dictatorships can force their people to deal with more hardship), but they also need us more than we need them.
Can I ask the mods for a request? Can we disallow non-verified twitter postings. This board is becoming like facebook with the non-verified, non-legitimate reporters twitter postings. SlappySquirrel? Really?
Democrats are Liars. where is the free college? Democrats have controlled everything for 15 months, there is not even a HINT of free college for all. Paid off college loans, anyone??? Have the Democrats forgiven all of the loans across the country like they said???????? Nope!!!! A Lie. Bernie Sanders! Pete Butigegg, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, All in Charge, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumur, All in Charge, and LIE! none of your free stuff they promised you, is going on! None of it!
Tearing down Wall street, make the rich people pay, help the poor and the little guy??? LIES!
The Democrats did not help you out Generation Y, Generation Z, and you voted for them. Did you vote for Democrats because they were going to make houses more affordable? For young people? Another LIE, and the democrats control everything, nobody can stop them from keeping their word by passing legislation, except their own lies because their stinker party controls all forms of the federal government. Democrats are Liars! And people who vote for them are dumb for not figuring it out. Biden Lying People Dying 20 Dollars for Gas!
Democrats are Liars. where is the free college? Democrats have controlled everything for 15 months, there is not even a HINT of free college for all. Paid off college loans, anyone??? Have the Democrats forgiven all of the loans across the country like they said???????? Nope!!!! A Lie. Bernie Sanders! Pete Butigegg, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, All in Charge, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumur, All in Charge, and LIE! none of your free stuff they promised you, is going on! None of it!
Tearing down Wall street, make the rich people pay, help the poor and the little guy??? LIES!
The Democrats did not help you out Generation Y, Generation Z, and you voted for them. Did you vote for Democrats because they were going to make houses more affordable? For young people? Another LIE, and the democrats control everything, nobody can stop them from keeping their word by passing legislation, except their own lies because their stinker party controls all forms of the federal government. Democrats are Liars! And people who vote for them are dumb for not figuring it out. Biden Lying People Dying 20 Dollars for Gas!
gas is 20 dollars a gallon? i just filled up yesterday, didn't see those prices. why you lying while claiming others are lying?
Can I ask the mods for a request? Can we disallow non-verified twitter postings. This board is becoming like facebook with the non-verified, non-legitimate reporters twitter postings. SlappySquirrel? Really?
SO for the same reasons, nobody should post any news clips or anything a Republican says, because it's all unverified, and in the case of republicans, nothing should be believed at face value.
There were a lot of people who objected to Twitter being used in the first place on this board for the exact same reason Florida stated. Sadly you make it a political issue when it's not.
There are non verified accounts on both ends of the political spectrum, not just one side or the other. By your logic there would be far left media outlets that fall under that same guideline.
There were a lot of people who objected to Twitter being used in the first place on this board for the exact same reason Florida stated. Sadly you make it a political issue when it's not.
There are non verified accounts on both ends of the political spectrum, not just one side or the other. By your logic there would be far left media outlets that fall under that same guideline.
There were a lot of people who objected to Twitter being used in the first place on this board for the exact same reason Florida stated. Sadly you make it a political issue when it's not.
There are non verified accounts on both ends of the political spectrum, not just one side or the other. By your logic there would be far left media outlets that fall under that same guideline.
Sadly, this is a political forum, not Pitlandia. We should drop all sources except Pits brain. And then we could all be SOOOOOOO informed and uselessly centrist.
There were a lot of people who objected to Twitter being used in the first place on this board for the exact same reason Florida stated. Sadly you make it a political issue when it's not.
There are non verified accounts on both ends of the political spectrum, not just one side or the other. By your logic there would be far left media outlets that fall under that same guideline.
Correct.
Of course, you come out of nowhere to pile on because you hate me. LMAO. Weak sauce.
I didn't mention the word gallon!!! but I should have, so 'technically' Not a Lie! Because you know, there is NO END, to the democrats desire, to TakE from others, in this case in the form of hyper inflation in gas prices, because the democrats! ARE The Elite-ist SCUM that they speak against in economics.
(The word gallon is inherently implied, but I didn't mention it, but it's still NOT a Lie, because you can pay attention to the details, you are super observant.) Even So, You know, Everyone knows, the democrats won't stop at rising gas prices, for the everyday American, Even when it reaches 20 dollars per gallon, which it's on the way toward. BIDEN LYING PEOPLE DYING 20 DOLLARS FOR GAS!
It seems you're the only one saying we should ban things based on politics rather than the validity of the content. I think that's kind of showing signs indicative of OCD.
Pit is obviously speaking for a lot of people, and he's reciting history (DT) as it happened.
There's one easy filter, no matter the news source... glance over to see the poster name. That will usually let you sort about 80% of the b.s.
And WTH is uselessly centrist??
Centrists are useless, IMO. Is going along to get along, fence riding, or status quo maintaining useful today? I think the post Trump political spectrum has no use for centrists. And even though I care about Pit and call him a friend, you never know what side he will fall on in a fight… now is not the time for that. Just look at how Joe Manchin did the dems on Biden's BBB bill.
The only difference seems to be that you somehow believe that being an independent thinker rather than being led around by the nose by a certain wing of the democratic party is a bad thing. I consider that a good thing. But don't worry, we get labeled as being the same anyway.
Pit is obviously speaking for a lot of people, and he's reciting history (DT) as it happened.
There's one easy filter, no matter the news source... glance over to see the poster name. That will usually let you sort about 80% of the b.s.
And WTH is uselessly centrist??
Centrists are useless, IMO. Is going along to get along, fence riding, or status quo maintaining useful today? I think the post Trump political spectrum has no use for centrists. And even though I care about Pit and call him a friend, you never know what side he will fall on in a fight… now is not the time for that. Just look at how Joe Manchin did the dems on Biden's BBB bill.
Oddly enough, it was the centrists that passed the bill with Ukraine aid while extremists from both parties voted against it.
First, there are no left wing extremists in Congress. There are progressives that some, maybe most think are too far out there, sometimes I agree. But you won't catch dems speaking at racists conferences. Even Maxine for as nuts as she acts has way more character than an MGT or a Boebert on the left. You also won't find a Nunes type, a Cruz type, a Graham type, or anyone willing to openly sell out our democracy. So please, don't try to say that crap with a straight face.
Bernie, Maxine, and the squad all take heat for every little thing from the right, as bad or worse than us pouring it on Trump and company, WHO DESERVED IT. And as of right now, centrists or moderate establishment dems are a minority of dems. Progressives are the majority.
Leaked Kremlin Memo to Russian Media: It Is “Essential” to Feature Tucker Carlson The Russian government has pressed outlets to highlight the Fox host’s Putin-helping broadcasts. David Corn DAVID CORN Washington, DC, Bureau Chief Bio | Follow
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Mother Jones; Tucker Carlson Tonight/Zuma
Fight disinformation. Get a daily recap of the facts that matter. Sign up for the free Mother Jones newsletter. On March 3, as Russian military forces bombed Ukrainian cities as part of Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of his neighbor, the Kremlin sent out talking points to state-friendly media outlets with a request: Use more Tucker Carlson.
“It is essential to use as much as possible fragments of broadcasts of the popular Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who sharply criticizes the actions of the United States [and] NATO, their negative role in unleashing the conflict in Ukraine, [and] the defiantly provocative behavior from the leadership of the Western countries and NATO towards the Russian Federation and towards President Putin, personally,” advises the 12-page document written in Russian. It sums up Carlson’s position: “Russia is only protecting its interests and security.” The memo includes a quote from Carlson: “And how would the US behave if such a situation developed in neighboring Mexico or Canada?”
The document—titled “For Media and Commentators (recommendations for coverage of events as of 03.03)”—was produced, according to its metadata, at a Russian government agency called the Department of Information and Telecommunications Support, which is part of the Russian security apparatus. It was provided to Mother Jones by a contributor to a national Russian media outlet who asked not to be identified. The source said memos like this one have been regularly sent by Putin’s administration to media organizations during the war. Independent media outlets in Russia have been forced to shut down since the start of the conflict.
Advertise with Mother Jones The March 3 document opens with top-line themes the Kremlin wanted Russian media to spread: The Russian invasion is “preventing the possibility of nuclear strikes on its territory”; Ukraine has a history of nationalism (that presumably threatens Russia); the Russian military operation is proceeding as planned; Putin is protecting all Russians; the “losing” Ukrainian army is shelling residential areas of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russia; foreign mercenaries are arriving in Ukraine; Europe “is facing more and more problems” because of its own sanctions; and there will be “danger and possible legal consequences” for those in Russia who protest the war. The document notes that it is “necessary to continue quoting” Putin. It claims that the “hysteria of the West had reached the inexplicable level” of people calling for killing dogs and cats from Russia and asks, “Today they call for the killing of animals from Russia. Tomorrow, will they call for killing people from Russia?”
A section headlined “Victory in Information War” tells Russian journalists to push these specific points: The Ukrainian military is beginning to collapse; the Kyiv government is guilty of “war crimes”; and Moscow is the target of a “massive Western anti-Russian propaganda” operation. It states that Russian media should raise questions about Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s state of mind and suggest he is not truly in charge of Ukraine. And it encourages these outlets to “broadcast messages” highlighting the law recently passed by the Russia Duma that makes it a crime to impede the war effort or disseminate what the government deems “false” information about the war, punishable for up to 15 years in prison. This portion instructs Russian journalists to emphasize that these penalties apply to anyone who promotes news about Ukrainian military victories or Russian attacks on civilian targets.
This is the section of the memo that calls on Russian media to make as much use as possible of Tucker Carlson’s broadcasts. No other Western journalist is referenced in the memo.
Mother Jones is not posting the full document to protect the source of the material. Here are photos of the memo. The first shows the opening page; the next displays the paragraph citing Carlson.
It’s blatant lying and buildup of a country who is commuting mass atrocities. It really makes you wonder what his motivation is and what’s transacting behind the scenes.
Russia and China are in bed. China will buy up all the Russian goods.
I do agree that total economic warfare with Russia is a bad idea. Both Russia and China know the only way to win a war with us is to break our bank. Well, them and the aholes in this country who agree with them.
It's always nice to see you trash an action by this administration.. .but what's the alternative.. All Out WAR with Russia...
Plenty of far left radical nutbags in Congress. But you can't see it because you're part of that club.
You mean like the Far Right Radical NUTBAGS that support a president trying to overthrow legal elections? You mean like that.. You mean like FAR RIGHT NUTBAGS that attacked the capital causing death and bodily harm to both those that support them and those that oppose them? You mean like that.
And before you try to tell me the election was stolen,, show me a court in the land that that heard a case and held for the Far Right Radicals where it might actually have a chance of succeeding....
There are none... But then, I guess I'll hear that you think the entire justice system is fake....
It’s blatant lying and buildup of a country who is commuting mass atrocities. It really makes you wonder what his motivation is and what’s transacting behind the scenes.
Russia and China are in bed. China will buy up all the Russian goods.
I do agree that total economic warfare with Russia is a bad idea. Both Russia and China know the only way to win a war with us is to break our bank. Well, them and the aholes in this country who agree with them.
It's always nice to see you trash an action by this administration.. .but what's the alternative.. All Out WAR with Russia...
LOL...but since we have done everything else before doing much else, there isn't much else to do, right?
I am not Trashing the President so much, but he did come in from the very get go talking tough about Russia. It didn't exactly set the tone for any productive talks. So, if we weren't going to do that, we are where we are, painted in to a corner.
Are you suggesting playing nice with Putin was a realistic alternative? We watched 45 kiss his ass for four years. Not only by publicly saying he believed Putin over our entire intelligence community but by verbally trashing our allies and doing his best to drive a wedge within NATO. His constant attack on anyone who disagreed with him, even in his own party, negatively reinvented the Republican party. Calling everyone on the other side names, attacking the free press and doing his best to divide America even further.
One thing is for sure, if Putin could have invented a person to represent Russian interests in America, it would have been Trump. There's no need for Putin to do anything when he has an American president on the inside working to achieve the very goals he wanted to achieve.
It’s blatant lying and buildup of a country who is commuting mass atrocities. It really makes you wonder what his motivation is and what’s transacting behind the scenes.
Russia and China are in bed. China will buy up all the Russian goods.
I do agree that total economic warfare with Russia is a bad idea. Both Russia and China know the only way to win a war with us is to break our bank. Well, them and the aholes in this country who agree with them.
It's always nice to see you trash an action by this administration.. .but what's the alternative.. All Out WAR with Russia...
Don't much care for this administration. Biden has spoken about "accountability" 1000 times, he was supposed to be the anti-Trump in holding himself and others accountable... yet everything so far was Trumps fault, Covids fault, Putin's fault.. Inflation wasn't his fault, gas prices aren't his fault... nothing is his fault..
And what is this? Approaching 3 million refugees leaving Ukraine, thousands dead and dying from fighting Putin with almost no help.. and this is the answer to a question about the US supporting refugee programs...
Would anybody like to defend the position that Trump would not have been absolutely BLASTED if his response to a question about refugees was to laugh like that?
Makes for a bad clip , but she's pretty clearly talking to Duda about handling the question --- using the phrase that Duda slipped into English earlier in the press conference for:
Watch 24:15 -- Duda thanks the US for their support for this difficult time -- and then slips into english for the phrase "A friend in need is a friend indeed" - which he attributes to their earlier meeting. He makes some sort of gesture demonstrating that he just learned the set phrase, and people laugh (Duda doesn't speak English).
A couple times (most notably 33:50) - some translation issue is making it very difficult to figure out who is supposed to be answering which questions. It appears that Duda's translation is getting delayed too much leading to a bunch of awkward pauses when he is supposed to respond.
38:50 - The clip you are seeing. There is again an awkward pause because Duda's translation hasn't come through saying the question is for him -- Harris says she'll take the question for him, noting "A friend in need is a friend indeed." --- which is why Duda immediately gets it and laughs.
(not sure why the youtube video became huge, sorry)...
Aren't you the same guy who has posted in the past that often times what happens on a president's watch is greatly impacted by the previous administration? Or does that only apply according to which party gets elected?
Generally speaking, people who feel the need to fake laugh/cackle after most comments are insecure, don't have an answer, and are trying to get people (the audience) to like them.
Our v.p. fits that, as did another presidential candidate.
Generally speaking, people who feel the need to fake laugh/cackle after most comments are insecure, don't have an answer, and are trying to get people (the audience) to like them.
Our v.p. fits that, as did another presidential candidate.
Generally speaking, people who feel the need to fake laugh/cackle after most comments are insecure, don't have an answer, and are trying to get people (the audience) to like them.
Our v.p. fits that, as did another presidential candidate.
She is an embarrassment.
I find it funny that the likes of you think she's an embarrassment. She must be doing a better job than I thought. AND BTW, she was never my choice.
Trump lashes out at Time Warner for canceling his favourite network OAN: ‘Far more popular than anyone knows’
‘It is far bigger and more popular than anyone knows, and importantly, it represents the voice of a very large group of people!’ says the former president
Donald Trump has spoken out against Time Warner Cable’s decision to drop One America News, a far-right TV station that routinely praises him.
“I believe the people of this Country should protest the decision to eliminate OAN, a very important voice,” the former president said in a statement on Monday. “Demand that OAN be allowed to stay on the air. It is far bigger and more popular than anyone knows, and importantly, it represents the voice of a very large group of people!”
In recent months, multiple cable providers have axed OAN, an outspokenly pro-Trump network that has been accused of promoting right-wing conspiracy theories – including in a $1.6bn lawsuit by two voting machine companies, Smartmatic and Dominion Voting Systems.
On Monday, Mr Trump called the channel “very popular and wonderful,” and commanded his supporters to punish cable providers for dropping it.
He launched his social media app (Truth Social) and never bothered to advertise it. So nobody signed up. Then he had a meltdown because it wasn't popular.
Gee I thought a billionaire business man would know that he needs to do advertising. Dumb.
FATE, your girl is at it again. you need to explain to me what a 'lieutenant corporal' is.
she was speaking Biden
Covfefe.
Remember That one,, How about
Hamburder.
When you wanna beat on Biden, remember, you backed a MORON.
Realistically, I'd like to know why are the 70-80-year-olds generally regarded as unemployable due to mental decline but, they are pretty much singlehandedly making decisions for the country.
House Republicans who challenged Biden's win are losing lots of corporate cash Jason Lange and Andy Sullivan Wed, March 16, 2022, 6:05 AM·6 min read
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In the days after the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, dozens of companies said they would suspend political donations to Republican lawmakers who had backed then-President Donald Trump's baseless claims of fraud in the 2020 election.
More than one year later, Republicans in the House of Representatives who voted to challenge the election results have so far collected about half as much corporate cash as they did at this point in the previous election cycle, a Reuters analysis of campaign finance records shows.
By contrast, corporate donations are up about 10% to House Republicans who voted to certify President Joe Biden's victory over Trump.
The results indicate that the corporate boycott is not just limited to the dozens of companies that announced a halt to donations after the attack. Hundreds more have also scaled back their support, the Reuters analysis shows.
The shift illustrates the growing gulf between business interests and the right wing of the Republican Party, which under Trump's presidency grew more anti-establishment and more open to curbs on global trade and technology that would have been anathema in previous years.
"You've got members that are increasingly unmoored from commercial corporate interests and are more responsive to either a small number of very wealthy, deep-pocketed donors, or a large number of culture war-activated base voters," said Jon Lieber, a former staffer for Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell now at the Eurasia Group, an analysis firm.
The drop in corporate donations is unlikely to affect Republican prospects in the November congressional elections. The party is favored to win control of the House and possibly the Senate, in part due to Biden's sagging popularity, and because few Republican incumbents face competitive races of their own.
Reuters analyzed the 2021 campaign finance disclosures of 142 House Republicans who are running for re-election in November and were in office throughout the last election cycle. The analysis included both re-election funds and those raised by leadership committees, which lawmakers use to finance other political activities. The analysis focused on the House of Representatives where most Republicans voted against certifying Biden's victory, compared to only eight Republicans in the Senate.
Fundraising by the House Republicans remains robust - about $200 million in 2021. Both objectors and non-objectors to Biden's win brought in more money than in 2019.
Corporate dollars - which don't come directly from company coffers but are contributed by employees to fundraising groups controlled by the corporations - made up about a tenth of that 2021 amount. Their role in campaign finance has diminished over the last decade as the advent of online fundraising has made it easy to solicit donations from rank-and-file voters.
Lawmakers who objected to Biden's 2020 victory raised around $9 million from corporate groups in 2021, less than half of the roughly $19 million raised in 2019. Corporate money raised by those who did not object rose to about $14 million last year from nearly $13 million in 2019.
NO REGRETS
Even before the Jan. 6 attack, many companies steered clear of some of the most confrontational partisans.
Representative Matt Gaetz, who frequently appeared on cable television to praise Trump, raised only about $30,000 from corporate sources in 2019, out of the $1 million he netted in total.
He took in no money from corporate political action committees (PACs) in 2021 after voting to challenge the election results - but he raised about $4 million overall. His office did not respond to a request for comment.
Others have taken a steeper hit.
Representative Mike Kelly, a senior member of the powerful tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, collected about $460,000 in corporate donations in 2019.
But after the Pennsylvania Republican launched an unsuccessful lawsuit to overturn Biden's victory in his state and voted against certifying the election result on Jan. 6, he took in just over $110,000 in corporate donations last year - about 75% less.
Melanie Brewer, Kelly's campaign manager, said he did not regret his vote.
"While fundraising was difficult for many Republicans in 2021, it was more important that he reflected the values and ideals of his district," she said.
The chamber's top two Republicans, Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise, also saw steep drops in their corporate donations after voting against the Jan. 6 results. Neither responded to a request for comment.
However, companies continue to give to Republican election accounts that will help the wider party, helping these accounts keep up with fundraising by Democrats.
The National Republican Congressional Committee raised $140 million overall in 2021, on par with the $146 million raised by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Both groups raised more in 2021 than in 2019.
TECH, FINANCE FIRMS CUT OFF SUPPORT
The drop in corporate support for those who challenged the election masks significant differences among industries.
Eight of the largest corporate donors ahead of the 2020 election have cut off donations entirely to those who challenged the election results, records show.
Those companies are all in technology, finance or consumer goods - Alphabet Inc's Google, Microsoft Corp, Lowe's Companies Inc, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Corp, Prudential Financial Inc, Citigroup Inc and General Electric Co.
All either did not respond to a request for comment or declined to comment. Most of them announced in early 2021 they were suspending contributions to those who challenged the election results.
Donating to those lawmakers "could really incite a bunch of their key stakeholders - like employees, suppliers, customers and so on," said Russell Crook, an expert on corporate political activity at the University of Tennessee.
Some announced boycotts, only to abandon them.
Walmart Inc, which did not make any contributions in 2021 to the objectors, gave them $10,000 in January, split between McCarthy, Scalise and two others who voted against accepting the results.
Walmart spokesman Randy Hargrove said the company changed its stance because it felt it could better advocate for its interests "by engaging with policymakers from both parties."
By contrast, many defense contractors, whose profits depend on spending decisions made in Congress, have continued their support of all Republicans, whether or not they challenged the election results.
Two of them - Boeing Co and BAE Systems PLC - actually increased their donations to those who voted to challenge the election.
Boeing did not respond to a request for comment and BAE declined to comment.
Rock Holdings Inc, the parent company of mortgage lender Rocket Mortgage, roughly doubled its contribution to objectors in 2021, to at least $97,000. The company did not respond to a request for comment.
Boeing, BAE and Rock also increased donations to those who did not object to the election result.
Some Republican lawmakers reacted angrily last year when corporate representatives told them they would not get their support, according to a Republican strategist who directs business donations to lawmakers.
But those tensions have eased in recent months as Republicans have grown more confident of victory and less interested in picking fights with possible allies, the strategist said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Aren't you the same guy who has posted in the past that often times what happens on a president's watch is greatly impacted by the previous administration? Or does that only apply according to which party gets elected?
Yes, because I'm such a party loyalist.
And of course I've posted that, because it's true. But sometimes I find myself in arguments with people who have selectively taken the "if your butt is in the seat, then you own it" approach... so I adapt. I've gotten to the point where I don't expect any of them to tell the truth or take accountability for anything at all. Biden is no different. The guy has been a career politician almost as long as I've been alive, so I have even less faith in him to take responsibility or accountability for anything. His whole career is built on lying and evading responsibility.
I don't know how anybody takes her or MGT seriously. Clowns.
throw Biden and Giggles in there too.
No I won't. Biden is not perfect, but he doesn't get lumped in with these traitorous twits. Klan mommy MGT and brain dead Boebert are in a league of their own.
FATE, your girl is at it again. you need to explain to me what a 'lieutenant corporal' is.
she was speaking Biden
Covfefe.
Remember That one,, How about
Hamburder.
When you wanna beat on Biden, remember, you backed a MORON.
Realistically, I'd like to know why are the 70-80-year-olds generally regarded as unemployable due to mental decline but, they are pretty much singlehandedly making decisions for the country.
Centrist establishment boomers don't want to give up the reins, and refuse to acknowledge their time is over.
So Trump didn't sound like a bumbling moron? Come on man. I'm glad to heard you wouldn't support Trump in 2024 although I'm quite surprised by that.
Yes, Trump often times sounded like a rambling, bumbling moron...
Joe Biden was supposed to be the anti-Trump, the elder statesman, the voice of reason, the height of decorum, the polished politician with 50 years of political service and public speaking to convey his message clearly and articulately...
No, Biden just wasn't Trump. Sadly we were yet again in a competition between the lesser of two evils. Anyone claiming your explanation is the correct one must have been a fool.
Yes, that is a really radical, unamerican proposal!! According to the link it forbids teaching that any sex, race, ethnicity, religion or national origin is inherently superior or inferior”. Wow!!! How will we make progress if we cannot teach black children they are victims of the white oppressor and white children that they should be guilt ridden apologists for previous centuries. How stupid is that headline that says the law prevents discussion of race. Not true at all.
You guys need to find something real to bitch about instead of made up stuff.
Ahh yes, the racist conference where we had elected officials attending.
Look on the bright side, they are working really hard to distance themselves from unsavory people like Mitt Romney... because they hate "Rinos" far more than they hate actual racists.
Here are the 8 House Republicans who voted against suspending normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus Bryan Metzger Thu, March 17, 2022, 4:53 PM·3 min read
The House of Representatives passed a bill to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus.
Eight House Republicans voted against the bill on Thursday.
Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, and Thomas Massie were among them.
The House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday to suspend normal trade relations with both Russia and Belarus amid the war in Ukraine.
The Suspending Normal Trade Relations with Russia and Belarus Act, which passed by a 424-8 margin, allows President Joe Biden to increase tariffs on products coming from the two countries and requires the US Trade Representative to seek suspension of Russia's participation in the World Trade Organization.
The legislation must now pass the Senate and be signed by Biden to be enacted into law.
This move comes one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's address to Congress, and a week after the House also voted to enact tougher sanctions on Russia and ban the importation of oil from the country. Seventeen members of Congress, overwhelmingly Republicans, voted against that measure.
Belarus, though not the primary aggressor in the current conflict, is a close ally of Moscow and has allowed its territory to be used by Russian troops for staging invasions.
While Congress has been relatively unified in calling for Russia to be punished and for the US to support Ukraine, some on the right flank of the party have adopted a different tactic. Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina faced criticism from members of the GOP after he called Zelenskyy a "thug" at an event with constituents.
Here are the eight Republicans who voted against the bill on Thursday:
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida
Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado
Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky
Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona
Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina
Rep. Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin
Rep. Chip Roy of Texas
Most are on the right flank of the Republican Party, and are among the most loyal supporters of former President Donald Trump.
Greene, for her part, bemoaned in a Thursday floor speech that "all we're hearing on the news is Ukraine" and claimed that "Washington seems to care more about sending our sons and daughters to a potential war" than more pressing domestic issues.
Biden has repeatedly pledged not to send Americans troops to Ukraine.
—Acyn (@Acyn) March 17, 2022
Massie told Insider in an email that "this bill allows Biden and future Presidents to sanction virtually anyone they choose anywhere on the globe without Congressional approval," which he later tweeted about as well.
—Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) March 17, 2022
Boebert told Insider in an email that Congress "keeps focusing on distractions abroad and not our own challenges brought on by Joe Biden at home," adding that she believed the bill had "bad language" that could empower Biden to sanction people who "simply hold traditional views of life and family and restrict access to abortion."
Roy told Insider via email that he would've supported the bill if targeting Russia and Belarus were the sole focus, but he took issue with the legislation because it would "permanently empower the President with the unilateral authority to issue sanctions against anyone who he deems responsible for an undefined 'serious human rights abuse.'"
Insider has reached out to the other House Republicans' offices for comment as well.
Yes, that is a really radical, unamerican proposal!! According to the link it forbids teaching that any sex, race, ethnicity, religion or national origin is inherently superior or inferior”. Wow!!! How will we make progress if we cannot teach black children they are victims of the white oppressor and white children that they should be guilt ridden apologists for previous centuries. How stupid is that headline that says the law prevents discussion of race. Not true at all.
You guys need to find something real to bitch about instead of made up stuff.
If you don't like the part you may have played in history, simple, make it illegal to discuss it.. As for Made Up Stuff... Try Critical Race Theory.. That is another way of saying, HISTORY..
Yes, that is a really radical, unamerican proposal!! According to the link it forbids teaching that any sex, race, ethnicity, religion or national origin is inherently superior or inferior”. Wow!!! How will we make progress if we cannot teach black children they are victims of the white oppressor and white children that they should be guilt ridden apologists for previous centuries. How stupid is that headline that says the law prevents discussion of race. Not true at all.
You guys need to find something real to bitch about instead of made up stuff.
I'll ask you the same question that was asked of another poster by another poster: "Can you feel Tucker Carlson's arm up your bum while your lips are moving?"
House passes Crown Act banning discrimination against Black hairstyles
Crown stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair. The Crown Act prohibits "discrimination based on an individual's texture or style of hair."
The House on Friday passed the Crown Act, which would ban hair-related discrimination.
The measure, H.R. 2116, passed in a vote of 235-189 along party lines. It was introduced by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J.
Crown stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, and the act prohibits "discrimination based on an individual's texture or style of hair." The bill now goes to the Senate.
The legislation states that "routinely, people of African descent are deprived of educational and employment opportunities" for wearing their hair in natural or protective hairstyles such as locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, or Afros.
"Here we are today, standing on behalf of those individuals — whether my colleagues on the other side recognize it or not — who are discriminated against as children in school, as adults who are trying to get jobs, individuals who are trying to get housing, individuals who simply want access to public accommodations and to be beneficiaries of federally funded programs," Watson Coleman said in remarks on the House floor Friday morning.
This demonstrates the bill's necessity, she said, because there are people in positions of authority "who think because your hair is kinky, it is braided, it is in knots or it is not straight and blonde and light brown, that you somehow are not worthy of access to those issues."
"Well," she added, "that's discrimination."
"There's no logical reason that anyone should be discriminated against on any level because of the texture of their hair or the style of their hair," Watson Coleman said.
Without naming him, she referred to Andrew Johnson, a Black varsity high school wrestler in New Jersey with dreadlocks who was forced in 2018 to make a choice: cut his hair or forfeit his match.
"This bill is vitally important," she said. "It's important to the young girls and the young boys who have to cut their hair in the middle of a wrestling match in front of everyone because some white referee says that your hair is inappropriate to engage in your match."
The Biden administration this week said it "strongly supports" the Crown Act and "looks forward to working with the Congress to enact this legislation and ensure that it is effectively implemented." More than a dozen states, including New Jersey and New York, have passed versions of the Crown Act. California was the first state to do so.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Democrat from Maryland, told his colleagues Friday that the bill should have unanimous support. Fourteen Republicans voted for the bill.
"Our military took steps to end hair discrimination last year," said Hoyer, who is white. "If anybody thinks this isn't a real issue, obviously the military thought it was an issue. And it was an important enough issue they took action."
He said it was disappointing that 188 Republicans opposed the legislation when it was recently brought to the floor under an expedited process. Like Watson Coleman, other proponents of the bill mentioned a number of children — directly and indirectly — who drew national attention after they were reprimanded for wearing their hair in braids, dreadlocks or other protective styles.
Before a vote was taken, a number of Black and African American legislators spoke of having been discriminated against because of their hair.
"As a Black woman who loves my braids, I know what it's like to feel isolated because of how I wear my hair," Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., said on the House floor. "This is the last time we say no more to Black people being made to feel like we have to straighten our hair to be deemed professional."
Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., said someone had told a previous employer that she was "an embarrassment" because of the way her hair looked.
She accused some of her colleagues, such as Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, of avoiding a conversation about discrimination that disproportionately affects Black people. Jordan said Friday that he wanted to focus on gas prices, inflation and issues of importance "to the American people" and accused Democrats of distracting from those issues.
In response to Jordan's remarks, Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, said: "Black people are American people, too. And when you say the American people don't want it, you cannot exclude Black people. Black people would have this be on the floor. This is a kitchen table issue in Black households."
I dont understand black peoples hair enough to descriminate against it.
Interestingly enough, that ignorance is exactly why othersdo discriminate against it.
It happens all the time. In schools, they call it 'dress code violation,' even though it has nothing to do with clothing. In corporate, they call it 'unprofessional.'
Then, in the world of sports, there's this:
Swimming caps for natural black hair ruled out of Olympic Games This article is more than 8 months old International Swimming Federation rejects use of Soul Cap, saying it does not ‘fit the natural form of the head’
Swimming caps designed for natural black hair created by a black-owned brand will not be allowed at the Olympics.
The hats, made by Soul Cap, which previously partnered with Alice Dearing, who last week qualified to become the first black female swimmer to represent Team GB at the Olympics, have been rejected by the International Swimming Federation (Fina).
The body said the caps did not fit “the natural form of the head” and to their “best knowledge the athletes competing at the international events never used, neither require … caps of such size and configuration”.
Danielle Obe, the founding member of the Black Swimming Association, told the Guardian the ruling underlined the inherent systemic and institutional inequalities around the sport. “We believe that it confirms a lack of diversity in (the sport),” she said. “Aquatic swimming must do better.”
The original swimming cap, designed by Speedo 50, was created to prevent Caucasian hair from flowing into the face when swimming. Obe said the caps did not work for afro hair, which “grows up and defies gravity”.
She said: “We need the space and the volume which products like the Soul Caps allow for. Inclusivity is realising that no one head shape is ‘normal’.”
While other swim caps for afro hair are available they are difficult to find, which, Obe said, created a sense of exclusion for members of the black and minority ethnic community.
“If I walked into my local health club, gym or leisure centre, could I readily pick up one of these (swim caps for afro hair)? No,” said Obe. “Can I walk into a general retail store like Asda, Tesco or Sports Direct and pick one up? No.”
According to the sport’s governing body, Swim England, only 2% of regular swimmers are black. It found 95% of black adults and 80% of black children in England do not swim. While 79% of Asian adults and 79% of Asian children do not swim, black children are three times more likely to drown than white children.
Obe believes a lack of appropriate products prevents members of the BAME community taking up swimming. “If the (official swimming bodies) are talking about representation, they need to speak to the communities to find out what the barriers are that are preventing us from engaging. Hair is a significant issue for our community.”
In response to Fina’s decision, the founders of Soul Cap, Toks Ahmed and Michael Chapman, released a statement on Instagram highlighting the issues around exclusion and the sport.
“For younger swimmers, feeling included and seeing yourself in a sport at a young age is crucial. Fina’s recent dismissal could discourage many younger athletes from pursuing the sport as they progress through local, county and national competitive swimming,” they wrote. They said they feared swimmers would have to “choose between the sport they love and their hair”.
In a sport like competitive swimming, streamlining the profile is essential, just like speed skaters' skins. Wearing a cap like this would notbe a competitive advantage. So I'd like to hear FINA's justification for the decision. I swam competitively in HS, and know the culture from the inside. It was not particularly welcoming. I submit that their decision was based on something else.
I dont think its bad because I dont understand it. I just dont understand it because it works different than white peoples hair. I dig a lot of black people's hair styles. Its trendier than white people hair styles.
And yet again, hard core Trumpians don't care. They're still too obsessed with Hunter's laptop.
Well now that the lying National Media and Democrat Party have been exposed for falsely reporting Hunter's Laptop as Russian disinformation, of course we are interested in finding the truth, it is what we do.
Now that Joe Biden’s president, the Times finally admits: Hunter’s laptop is real
First, the New York Times decides more than a year later that Hunter Biden’s business woes are worthy of a story. Then, deep in the piece, in passing, it notes that Hunter’s laptop is legitimate.
Yet every time someone brings up the truth about Trump you make up some wacko conspiracy theory to try and make excuses. He lost the election. Get over it. He's a habitual liar. Admit it. He kissed the ass of Russia and N. Korea for your years. Own it. And the list goes on and on and on......
Wearing a cap like this would not be a competitive advantage. So I'd like to hear FINA's justification for the decision. I swam competitively in HS, and know the culture from the inside. It was not particularly welcoming. I submit that their decision was based on something else.
I didn't know what it looked like, though I could have guessed, so I looked it up and saw some images. There is absolutely zero chance this creates an advantage, in fact, it appears to be a disadvantage, more volume, more drag, than a person who can wear a traditional swim cap. If they have provided any justification for disallowing it, which I'm sure can be found, I would like to read it but there is a 99.9% chance I'm going to think it's all BS.
If you are looking for real comedy, just look at how the Democrats are running this Country.
Crime everywhere
Defund Law Enforcement
Open Southern Border during a Pandemic
Inflation
Gas Prices
Fentanyl Epidemic
Supply Chain still broken.
Leading from behind on every issue.
Lying about buying American while looking to Iranian and Venezuelan Dictators for oil but not American oil.
Allowing the Russians to negotiate with Iran for us over the Iranian Nuke deal.
Not even laughable but Pathetic!
Nobody needs a lesson on governing from the party of insurrection. That entire list is nowhere as bad as insurrection. You guys tried to overthrow the government. WTH were you thinking?
You can keep with the Hear No, Speak No, See No, but the rest of America is opening its eyes to the truth.
Since we now know Hunter's laptop is legit, and what is in it is also legit, does it not occur to you what China may have on our President?
1. Swish posted a video about Josh Mandel making an undebatable ass out of himself.
2. You responded by blaming our current government for every tangibly bad thing going on in the world. I’m surprised you didn’t list banana Laffy Taffy to be honest.
Just to be sure we keep it honest, the 13.6 billion was inside of a 1.5 trillion budget bill. It was not an independent "this is for Ukraine" bill.
So the guy who wrote the headline "This is how you write a headline to expose politicians operating in bad faith. Kudos to whoever wrote this at the @washingtonpost." Should reconsider "bad faith" initiatives.
I would like to see an independent bill for situations like Ukraine out there. One, to not try to “get other things through” and two, it does allow for more transparency on how certain reps actually advocate when it comes to issues like that. For the life of me, I see people like Cawthorn and MTG and, for the life of me, I don’t get their fixation on putting down Ukraine. Is it really all because of Hunter?
This is how you pollute Twitter with FAKE NEWS and expose your own bias... counting on the low IQ of your audience to believe your fake message. Kudos to you, Mr Klaas for spreading misinformation.
No, Ukraine was attacked by Russia. That has nothing to do with Hunter. It may however be a method not to upset the current party front runner to be the 2024 presidential nominee because he believes Putin over anyone else in our own government or intelligence community.
Just to be sure we keep it honest, the 13.6 billion was inside of a 1.5 trillion budget bill. It was not an independent "this is for Ukraine" bill.
So the guy who wrote the headline "This is how you write a headline to expose politicians operating in bad faith. Kudos to whoever wrote this at the @washingtonpost." Should reconsider "bad faith" initiatives.
Which is why they package all of this stuff together, it creates a win/win... either they get to pass through a bunch of stuff the other side would never vote for if it was brought up alone.... or they get talking points about how they voted against something that would be really popular.
I'm reminded of the time the media went after a congressman from Iowa who voted against a farm bill... like, how could somebody from Iowa do that? (of course he was a republican). Took me about 2 minutes to find the quote from him that he was voting against it because he didn't feel like it was enough and wanted it to fail so they could increase it....
If a congressman wants to vote against one of these large combination bills, I am okay with that. But what I want to hear is what in that bill caused them to vote against it.
I have not heard one thing about this bill that would lend to voting against it except that it was proposed by the opposite party and would make them look good. Which is a vrappy reason in my mind. Do what's best for the country and the people of the county.
So will someone please tell me, and I am open and listening, what is this bill is the reason for voting against it?
Short of reading the entire bill, we'll never know. Just as congress doesn't know much. They ALL, dem's R's, I's put their pet spending amount in a bill. Just as someone pointed out, 13.6 billion is a minute fraction of the 1.5 trillion spending bill.
$13,600,000,000 compared to $1,500,000,000,000.
Had this bill been $13.6 billion for Ukraine, my guess is it would've passed near unanimously.
Apparently the GOP decided to just use the SC hearings to rant against the Dems. I’m guessing it’s because they already know she’s gonna be confirmed.
And that’s fine, everything has turned into theater. But damn, graham went a bit overboard with it. How do you tick yourself off so much you gotta leave the hearing? Lol jeez man, trump isn’t gonna claim you on his tax returns bro just stop it.
Short of reading the entire bill, we'll never know. Just as congress doesn't know much. They ALL, dem's R's, I's put their pet spending amount in a bill. Just as someone pointed out, 13.6 billion is a minute fraction of the 1.5 trillion spending bill.
$13,600,000,000 compared to $1,500,000,000,000.
Had this bill been $13.6 billion for Ukraine, my guess is it would've passed near unanimously.
Unless someone can come up with one good reason to vote against it, I don't want to hear any defense of those who did. Have the ones who voted against said anything? Not that I have heard.
Let's just be honest. They voted against because they don't want Biden and the Dems to get a win.
Now we return you to your regularly scheduled debate
It's like big time wrestling, all the insurrectionists, racists, dimwits, and troglodytes tune in to see the depravity daily. Doesn't surprise me at all with 74 million of them being dumb enough to vote Trump for a second term.
Apparently the GOP decided to just use the SC hearings to rant against the Dems. I’m guessing it’s because they already know she’s gonna be confirmed.
And that’s fine, everything has turned into theater. But damn, graham went a bit overboard with it. How do you tick yourself off so much you gotta leave the hearing? Lol jeez man, trump isn’t gonna claim you on his tax returns bro just stop it.
I am glad he did. If you are honest with yourself, he spoke the truth.
Seriously, who care who goes to what church and how often they go? Who cares who took who to the HS dance? The last several confirmation hearings have been nothing but character smears.
I agree, we need to get away from that. I think Jackson sounded fine and is well qualified to sit on the court even if we may have political differences.
The mark of a good judge isn't what they say, it is what they do when seated. Time will tell if she or any other justice has some balance in their views or if they are simply political rubber stamps. If any branch of the government needs to be moderate, it is the courts. After all, that is what a judge is supposed to be, fair and impartial, especially to the political BS in this country.
Now we return you to your regularly scheduled debate
Yes but in a few weeks you will be crying fake tears about the liberal media bias and cancel culture and all sorts of things, trying to play the victim and implying that conservative voices are being drowned out ... and yet Faux News which is a Trump Propaganda machine pumping out lies and whose own lawyers argued in court that viewers should never believe any "facts" that Faux tells it's viewers.
Apparently the GOP decided to just use the SC hearings to rant against the Dems. I’m guessing it’s because they already know she’s gonna be confirmed.
And that’s fine, everything has turned into theater. But damn, graham went a bit overboard with it. How do you tick yourself off so much you gotta leave the hearing? Lol jeez man, trump isn’t gonna claim you on his tax returns bro just stop it.
I am glad he did. If you are honest with yourself, he spoke the truth.
Seriously, who care who goes to what church and how often they go? Who cares who took who to the HS dance? The last several confirmation hearings have been nothing but character smears.
I agree, we need to get away from that. I think Jackson sounded fine and is well qualified to sit on the court even if we may have political differences.
The mark of a good judge isn't what they say, it is what they do when seated. Time will tell if she or any other justice has some balance in their views or if they are simply political rubber stamps. If any branch of the government needs to be moderate, it is the courts. After all, that is what a judge is supposed to be, fair and impartial, especially to the political BS in this country.
LMAO, Lindsey was wearing his vagina on his sleeve yesterday! Wow. And you thought it was TRUTH. smh.
The entire GOPer strategy for this confirmation is to cry about supposed injustices done by dems to past candidates? Kabuki theater.
He was definitely the Kavanaugh in the room. Can you imagine what Graham and his ilk would be saying if Ketanji Brown Jackson had acted like Graham or Kavanaugh had?
I think he’s pretty much campaigning. During part of his rant yesterday, he alluded to a lot of displeasure as to why a candidate from South Carolina was not chosen instead of KBJ.
See, that was my only objection to the Kavanaugh appointment. Kavanaugh had only one accuser and usually when someone has such a propensity it's not a one time thing. That doesn't mean he was either innocent or guilty but in my mind it wasn't overwhelming or convincing. But his lack of ability to contain his emotions and the way he displayed himself in that hearing? I didn't feel someone with such an utter lack of ability to contain his composure under pressure should be appointed to the SCOTUS. There will be many times that cases will come before the SCOTUS that may touch a nerve in regards to personal experiences or personal beliefs. I want people on the court who can remain cool, calm and collected when weighing such important issues that impact us all.
I 100% agree with that. IMO, that was the best argument against Kavanaugh, but it went largely/relatively ignored (which for me, is telling). I also think that that one was a real game-changer with how those hearings would be conducted going forward. A sort of arms race, except in terms of theatrics and stupidity.
Evan Neumann: US Capitol riot suspect gets asylum in Belarus
A California man suspected of taking part in the US Capitol riots last year has been granted asylum in Belarus.
Evan Neumann fled the US after being charged in connection with the riots.
The 48-year-old first settled in Ukraine, before reaching Belarus where he asked for asylum - claiming he faced "political persecution" in the US.
A Belarusian official said Mr Neumann has been granted permission to remain in the country "indefinitely".
State officials also alleged that Mr Neumann had been forced to cross the Belarusian border "illegally" after attracting "interest from local secret services" in Ukraine.
Mr Neumann told Belarusian state-owned news agency Belta he had "mixed feelings".
"I am glad Belarus took care of me. I am upset to find myself in a situation where I have problems in my own country."
In July last year, Mr Neumann was charged on six different counts, including violent entry and assaulting police officers. He was accused of punching two police officers and using a metal barrier as a "battering ram" against police during the riots at the US Capitol building on 6 January 2021.
But, according to Mr Neumann, he had already sold his house and travelled across Europe to Ukraine.
After worrying the Ukrainian authorities were watching him, Mr Neumann says he crossed the border into Belarus on foot in August. Belarus does not have an extradition treaty with the US.
In November, Mr Neumann gave an interview to Belarusian state TV and rejected the charges against him.
"I do not believe that I have committed any crime," he said. "One of the accusations was very upsetting. It is alleged that I hit a police officer. That is baseless."
He said he was asking for "government protection" from Belarus because of the "political persecution" he faced in the US, including the FBI questioning his family and using a photo of him on its most-wanted list.
A video released by Belta on Tuesday showed an immigration official handing Mr Neumann a document confirming his refugee status and the head of the Brest police migration directorate, Yuryy Brazinski, told state TV that he will eventually be entitled to apply for citizenship.
"Now you are completely under the protection of the Republic of Belarus," the official says.
Mr Neumann is among more than 650 people who have been charged for their actions on 6 January, when supporters of then-US President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol to protest against the result of the 2020 election.
Belarus, led by authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, has faced multiple US sanctions over alleged human rights abuses and its support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Neumann told state TV he planned to stay in the Belarusian city of Brest.
"I have started a life here," he said.
He added that he has plans "to move my family here," but noted that the decision would ultimately be up to his wife
“Yeah, so anyhow, I was thinking maybe you and the kids would want to come, too. I’m staying with the scientist who almost married Phoebe.”
In all seriousness, I find a lot of irony in professing to be a die hard patriot who then seeks asylum with an historical US adversary once you blatantly break the law.
No worries, I am thrilled to see the Progressives and Libs beginning to learn about the real world.
My State was a hopeless mess with a Blackface wearing Dem Governor who by his own admission, slaughtered kids after they were born. (He's a Pediatrician) Concerned Parents, questioning what the Libs were doing to their children at schools were considered terrorists.
Washington DC (near me) was all for defunding the Police and yanking Police out of our schools.
Even our President, who declared war on oil in favor of green is having second thoughts, realizing energy and National Security go hand in hand.
My State is now Red for Republican. The Lib crap is ending each day.
DC is looking to hire Police but have to raise the signing bonuses and pay in an attempt to hire and retain cops. They are looking for money in the budget to do just that. All as crime soars.
The schools are looking to hire officers to put down the crime that has broken out in those schools without law enforcement.
They will never admit they were wrong of course, but I am glad to see they are beginning to learn about the real world around them.
Marjorie Taylor Greene Inadvertently Exposes Ugly Truth About GOP In New Ad Lee Moran Wed, March 23, 2022, 3:51 AM·1 min read
The reality of the GOP in 2022 is laid bare in extremist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) own words in a progressive group’s biting new attack ad.
Greene’s claim that lawmakers like her are “not the fringe” but “the base of the party” is put on loop in the edited, online spot that the PAC MeidasTouch released Tuesday.
The conspiracy theorist’s comments are cut alongside footage of her parroting Kremlin talking points about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “thug” and former President Donald Trump hailing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression toward his neighboring country as “genius.”
The video, below, garnered more than 340,000 views in its first 10 hours on Twitter alone.
The clip went viral as Greene faced backlash for blaming Ukraine for being invaded by Russia.
“You see Ukraine kept just poking the bear and poking the bear, which is Russia,” she told the Voice of Rural America Network. “Russia is being very successful in their invasion, even though we hear different things on television,” she added. Independent reports suggest Russia misjudged the strength of Ukrainian resistance and is incurring higher casualties than expected.
Marjorie Taylor Greene says she is 'threatened' by trans women
“All of my life, as an American women, I’ve been equal in every place to men, but not anymore.”
Story at a glance
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) said she feels “threatened” by transgender women who are “aggressively replacing” cisgender women.
Taylor Greene in a tweet referred to trans women as “biological men,” which is often used by anti-transgender activists to imply that trans people are not who they say they are.
Taylor Greene was responding to a now-deleted tweet from Fox News host Tucker Carlson, which implied that Assistant Health Secretary Rachel Levine, who is a transgender woman, is a man.
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) has said she feels threatened by transgender women, who she alleges are “aggressively replacing” cisgender women in some spaces.
Taylor Greene in a tweet on Tuesday referred to trans women as “biological men,” a term often used by anti-LGBTQ+ activists to imply that trans people are not who they say they are, according to the media advocacy group GLAAD.
“As a woman, I feel threatened because biological men are aggressively replacing women,” Taylor Greene wrote on Twitter. “All of my life, as an American women, I’ve been equal in every place to men, but not anymore.”
Taylor Greene was replying to a tweet by conservative Fox News host Tucker Carlson criticizing USA Today for naming Assistant Health Secretary Rachel Levine, who is transgender, one of its “Women of the Year.”
Carlson in his tweet, which has since been deleted by Twitter for violating the platform's rules, included screenshots of two other deleted tweets which referred to Levine as a man.
One of the tweets came from the conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who asked, "Where are the feminists?" following USA Today’s announcement. The other came from the conservative Christian satirical blog The Babylon Bee, which named Levine their "Man of the Year."
“But wait,” Carlson wrote. “Both of these tweets are true.”
Carlson and Taylor Greene’s criticism of USA Today and Levine comes after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) also took aim at the four-star admiral, tweeting a photo of the USA Today announcement naming Levine as one of its “Women of the Year” and writing: “Rachel Levine is a man.”
Paxton later doubled down on that statement, intentionally misgendering Levine for a second time on Twitter after his original tweet was flagged for violating Twitter’s rules about hateful conduct.
“Yesterday I stated an irrefutable scientific fact: Rachel Levin is a man,” he wrote Friday in a statement. “I pointed this out after USA Today named him ‘Woman’ of the Year. But Levine is not a woman. He has one X and one Y chromosome and other male-sex characteristics."
“I just follow the science,” Paxton added. That tweet has also been flagged by Twitter for hateful content, and users are not able to like or comment on it.
Conservative attacks on Levine also come as more than 100 bills under consideration in state legislatures across the country seek to restrict the rights of transgender Americans. Roughly half aim to bar trans youth from competing in student athletics — an issue amplified by the recent success of the transgender collegiate swimmer Lia Thomas, who last week became the first trans woman to win a national Division I championship.
Thomas’ success has helped ignite a national debate over whether transgender female athletes should be allowed to compete against cisgender women. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Tuesday announced that he would not recognize Thomas’ NCAA win and declared second-place finisher Emma Weyant the “rightful” winner.
Once again just another Republican backlash for all the wrongs the libs have pulled on them. You know, like when they all forced that woman to accuse their selection of rape.
A California mother seeks accountability after her daughter’s preschool teacher led her class in an anti-Biden chant
A California mother is asking for accountability after she received a video last month showing her child’s preschool teacher leading her class in a political chant against President Joe Biden.
The video was taken by an unidentified teacher at Turning Point Christian School, a private school in Norco, California.
The video was first uploaded to a messaging app the school uses to communicate with parents on February 18, according to Christina Webb McFadden, whose daughter was a student at the school. The recording was taken down a few hours later, after McFadden complained to the school’s office staff.
In the video McFadden blurred and shared with CNN, the teacher is heard initiating a call-and-response when she asks her students, “Who is our president?” and the students reply with, “Biden!”
The teacher then asks the class, “What do we want to do with him?” and her students respond with, “We want him out!”
“I was very fearful because it was sent to not only me, but other households as well. I was worried it would be used as some sort of propaganda video with my daughter being front and center and not understanding what she’s saying,” McFadden said.
“In the video, without the blurred faces, you can see my daughter was uncomfortable. She might not understand the context, but she knows this isn’t something nice to say.”
Though the incident happened last month, McFadden told CNN she has decided to speak up now because she wants to help advocate for legislation that will help hold early childhood educators accountable.
“Earlier today a video was posted that has since been deleted as it did not share our school and church philosophy of honoring and respecting authority including those in government positions. We are sorry for any misunderstanding this could of (sic) created,” the statement, which McFadden shared with CNN, reads.
McFadden said she also spoke with school administrators the following week and the school took full responsibility for the incident but did not let her see the lesson plan that led up to the chant.
According to McFadden, school administrators told her they reviewed the lesson plan after the incident and approved it. It is unclear whether any disciplinary action was taken against the teacher who led the chant.
Damn those trumpians are trying to indoctrinate our kids in preschool! There truly is no low. They can't twist older kids minds with their political garbage, so they start entrenching hatefulness as soon as they can. Disgusting.
That doesn’t even make sense. She’s a lifetime appointed judge. What dark money group is going to lobby her after she makes office?
You have to understand something about this new Republican variant: it doesn't have to make sense. It just has to get sound bytes for FOXOANBreitMax to use. It's shallow, bs political theater to keep their ring-in-nose base riled up ahead of mid terms. They know KBJ's confirmation is already a LeBron power dunk, so they're using their TV time to launch their campaign for November. Look at their line of questioning: Gender, race, 'soft on crime' (the lazy 40-year old fallback)... all are the issues they will be running on in the mid terms. Free advertising, disguised as a confirmation hearing.
I feel it necessary to say that Dems grandstand like this too. In this case, I do it to save time, because I know someone will feel obligated to point that out to me. I just saved them some typing.
"Do you think babies are racist?" -Ted Cruz, 2022, at a Supreme Court confirmation hearing.
Like I said, it doesn't have to make sense. It just needs to make headlines.
Bret kavanaugh had a woman he did not know accuse him of despicable things. He knew she was lying and he knew she was doing it for political reasons. This woman was trying to damage his career and she was willing to destroy his reputation, damage his marriage and expose his two young daughters to hearing awful things about their father. And he knew none of it was as true. And he was filled with “righteous indignation”. He was royally pissed!! Perfectly understandable.
If the lady testifying today goes off on Lindsey Graham you will admire her passion because you want her on the court. Someone you do not want on court? Well, they lack judicial temperament. Try to be consistent at least.
If she goes off in court, then you may have an argument. She hasn't, and has been extremely gracious considering the stupidity being thrown in her direction.
If she goes off in court, then you may have an argument. She hasn't, and has been extremely gracious considering the stupidity being thrown in her direction.
there has must have been a special on stupid - they have certainly been handing it out like no-bodies business.
If she goes off in court, then you may have an argument. She hasn't, and has been extremely gracious considering the stupidity being thrown in her direction.
So glad you brought Kavenaugh up. Here is a response that exemplifies what folks like me think, when comparing the demeanor of KBJ to that beer-swilling frat brat;
If the lady testifying today goes off on Lindsey Graham you will admire her passion because you want her on the court. Someone you do not want on court? Well, they lack judicial temperament. Try to be consistent at least.
But that won't happen because she has too much class and grace to stoop to that level. It seems it's your side that admires the screamers and tantrum throwers. It seems your logic is this, "Well you guys did it so we will do it!" The only real difference I can see is that Kavanaugh lost his ever loving mind over it. He lacked the ability to maintain any form of composure and sounded like a raving lunatic.
And can you imagine what Republicans would say if a black woman conducted herself the way Kavanaugh did? I mean if you wish to address consistency. You see, some people have to go through their life understanding that to be successful they're held to a higher standard. That any time they step out of line or allow emotions to take over, they will be labeled and suffer a huge setback because of it. That has given them a lifetime to conduct themselves in a way that is very much above reproach. Because they can't afford to do anything otherwise.
Ketanji Brown Jackson did not act like Kavanaugh because of that. She maintained her cool and remained calm. Something I would consider an admirable quality for a member of the SCOTUS. I surely wouldn't want someone on the court who has a meltdown every time they must consider a matter that is personal to them.
Just so I am clear about your standards Clem, are you saying that anyone who drank beer in college and joined a fraternity should be ineligible for the Supreme Court?? Does that standard apply to other judgeships or just the supremes?? How about elective office?? Does it apply to candidates??
I was unable to open that article so I do not know what it said about nominee Jackson. But are you certain she did not drink beer in college, or, horror of horrors, join a sorority? Or is all of that irrelevant really and the issue is the nominee’s politics??
Since it seems the "few more neurons" you received are malfunctioning, I'll repeat, the man had zero lack of composure. He lacks the ability to control his emotions. But it seems the bigger tantrums people throw, the better some of you like them. I prefer people serving on the SCOTUS have the ability to keep their emotions in check and not act like their hair is on fire every time they face adversity. It's the tale of two judges.
Just so I am clear about your standards Clem, are you saying that anyone who drank beer in college and joined a fraternity should be ineligible for the Supreme Court?
Nah, kEiThFrOmZeNiA! Just the rapey ones are ineligible. Maybe, if you weren't so programmed by Tuckerisms, you might be able to discern the difference on your own.
GOP congressman convicted for lying to federal agents
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) on Thursday was convicted for lying to federal investigators about illegal donations to his campaign, the Department of Justice announced.
Why it matters: The verdict marks a stunning fall from grace for Fortenberry, who is likely to resign or be expelled from the House after serving for nearly two decades in Congress.
Fortenberry gave up his seat on the House Appropriations Committee after he was indicted in October, in accordance with GOP conference rules.
Driving the news: A federal jury in California found Fortenberry guilty of three felonies: two counts of making false statements and one count of falsifying and concealing materials.
Prosecutors accused Fortenberry of repeatedly lying to FBI agents about $30,000 in illegal contributions from Nigerian-Lebanese billionaire Gilbert Chagoury. According to the Justice Department, Fortenberry was informed by an associate of the money's illicit origins but did not amend his federal election filings and later denied any wrongdoing in two interviews with the FBI.
The other side: Fortenberry has publicly defended himself and sought to portray the indictment as politically motivated.
"[President] Biden’s FBI is using its unlimited power to prosecute me on a bogus charge," Fortenberry said in a fundraising video ahead of the indictment, which was reported by Axios' Lachlan Markey. His legal team carried that narrative into the courtroom, attempting to undercut the prosecutor by highlighting his donations to Democrats. His lawyers also argued that Fortenberry misremembered details of his call with the associate when speaking to investigators, but did not intend to mislead them.
The tantrums were thrown by the looney lefties who kept disrupting the hearing. Your kindred spirits I am sure. One thing (maybe the only thing) you can count on from the left is closing down speech.
I should have known. You are one of those kooks who believe the lying woman, who knew no details, had no proof and no witnesses she told at the time of the supposed rape. Actually she said she told her best friend about it, but when they spoke to her she had no idea what Ford was talking about. Man you have to be a pretty simple minded fellow to fall for that. Hmm.
I should have known. You are one of those kooks who believe the lying woman, who knew no details, had no proof and no witnesses she told at the time of the supposed rape. Actually she said she told her best friend about it, but when they spoke to her she had no idea what Ford was talking about. Man you have to be a pretty simple minded fellow to fall for that. Hmm.
It doesn't take a simple minded person to believe the truth, Keith, but it does take a certain kind of man to dismiss a woman's allegation of rape to side with a rapist.
Since Trump has more than 25 accusers when it comes to defending sexual predators he has lots of practice. I have no ideas what Kavanaugh did or didn't do concerning a single accusation. But his total lack of composure and tantrum in a SCOTUS hearing speaks volumes about his temperament.
Sadly neither you nor I know the absolute truth. I have pointed out the facts as I know them, maybe you have that contradict what I said. For example, can you tell me she presented three friends who substantiated the story. Did she present a blue stained dress, did she have audio of kavanaugh apologizing the day after for assaulting her. The answer to all those of course is no, you cannot. You don’t like his politics so he is guilty.
In case you have not been paying attention, there have been a number of highly publicized cases of women lying about being raped. The duke lacrosse came comes to mind. Simple minded just believe without looking at the evidence. Most of us need to see some proof. I am sure if you had your way the entire duke lacross team would still be in jail.
Again that is only your perception and it is colored by your politics. If kavanaugh had assumed the demeanor of one whose body has been taken over by the invasion of the body snatchers you would be bitching that he shows no passion. You oppose him and you will invent what you need to justify your opposition. Just another lefty phony!!
Again that is only your perception and it is colored by your politics. If kavanaugh had assumed the demeanor of one whose body has been taken over by the invasion of the body snatchers you would be bitching that he shows no passion. You oppose him and you will invent what you need to justify your opposition. Just another lefty phony!!
And the best you can come up with is "Just another lefty phony!!"
You sound like Trump. And that's not a compliment. You seem to be confusing crazy diatribe with passion.
If a black woman had said and acted the same way I can only imagine the things you would be saying.
Nothing you said about kavanaugh’s demeanor rang true to me and that dumb picture you used to try to portray something was the last straw. So I pulled up kavanaugh’s testimony in response to the ford charges. About 40 minutes worth. He was emotional and passionate. He presented a very fact based defense of himself. But he never screamed nor did he ever throw a “tantrum”. In other words, you lied. I get it. For you lefties when the facts do not support your position you just make things up. You subscribe to the senator Harry Reid code of truth telling. When he gave a press conference during the 2012 election that Romney had not paid his taxes for 10 years his goal was to turn voters against Romney. After the election in a press conference a reporter said to him that it had been shown that Romney had paid his taxes for those 10 years . Reid’s response: well we won the election didn’t we?? And you are a Reid clone.
My standards are borne out in the attached op-ed, which you claim you can't open. It was not about beer consumption or frat membership. It was about temperament, public behavior, and the 'sliding scale of personal standards' our society is so well-known for. I used the reference to merely describe the D00D. Since you are incapable of or unwilling to read the article comparing the two SC candidates, there really is nothing for us to discuss.
You got hung up on 'beer-swilling frat brat,' because that's ALL you read.
For the life of me, I can't understand your inability to open a simple hyperlink. I just tried it again, and it opened for just fine. Instead, I think you can open it, but just don't want to .
Lost opportunity for a conversation. Oh, well... on to other things.
more and more "conservatives" are parroting the election fraud rhetoric. its like they just refuse to admit that the majority of the country despises trump. republicans dancing around the issue because even admitting that trump lost is a threat to their job.
people claim they love a straight shooter, so i dont understand why they get offended when others point out that they're acting like cult members when the actions being displayed are exactly that. looking at the northwest region of the country, it's getting crazier and crazier there. idaho and utah in particular....man i wouldn't go there if someone paid me to.
one dude...who isn't even conservative but just panders to voters is who they decide to follow. Conservatives said all the time that they hate politicians who pander and play to the base, then turn around and get offended when told that trump is doing exactly that.
there's a difference between patriotism and nationalism. and there's a difference between patriotism and blind loyalty. its apparent a massive chunk of right leaning americans don't know the difference.
If someone has to use a SNL clip to try make some point...........well
Yeah, the clip shows Kavanaugh actually talking. Making up wild conspiracy theories and being unhinged. I know to you that part doesn't count. Hilarious.
You only see what you want to see. I guess the conspiracy theory that "This is all about the Clinton's" seems perfectly normal to you which speaks volumes.
Marjorie Taylor Greene Goes Off In Homophobic Rant Against Pete Buttigieg
The far-right member of Congress seemed to blend together her hateful conspiracy theories.
By Mary Papenfuss Mar. 26, 2022, 08:47 PM EDT
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) went on a twisted rant at Donald Trump’s rally in Georgia Saturday telling Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, to “stay out of our girls bathrooms.”
“You know what?” Greene asked the crowd in Commerce, starting off her bigoted rant. ”Pete Buttigieg can take his electric vehicles and his bicycle, and he and his husband can stay out of our girls bathrooms. Yup.”
While Greene’s rant was clearly motivated by hate, it is unclear which bigoted conspiracy theory she was drawing on in her attack of the Transportation Secretary and his husband, who are gay.
Greene has been a vocal opponent of transgender people using the bathroom according to their gender identity. Pete Buttigieg is not transgender, though that didn’t seem to stop Greene from lumping him into her general anti-LGBTQ comments.
Greene also attacked collegiate swimmer Lia Thomas, who is a trans woman, misgendering her while she yelled. In addition, Greene took the opportunity to bash Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams as “the Death Star” from the “Star Wars” franchise. But she bungled her sci fi references. Abrams just had a cameo in the Season 4 finale of “Star Trek: Discovery.”
Greene also warned that she’s “coming” for Georgia voters who have filed a complaint to block her reelection because of her role in last year’s insurrection, which they argue disqualifies her. Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, passed after the Civil War, states that no person may hold political office who has “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” or “given aid or comfort” to the nation’s enemies.
I’m glad I have an EV now to avoid going into women’s restrooms. I didn’t realize that’s what it took. That or a bicycle I guess but I haven’t ridden one of those in years.
Stay safe out there to all you male gas guzzlers. It’s a slippery slope. One thing you’re driving and next thing you know, you’re peeing sitting down.
While Greene’s rant was clearly motivated by hate, it is unclear which bigoted conspiracy theory she was drawing on in her attack of the Transportation Secretary and his husband, who are gay.
There's no doubt the motivation was gay bashing. But the delivery of it was so botched up she made herself out to be a bigger fool than she already appeared to be. And at this point that's a feat in and of itself.
Hey, if you and Pit don’t like what she said, then you can just go ahead and take your hemp shirts, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, and Nespresso makers and stay the hell out of my pickup truck with a lift kit.
Do you have a rebel flag flying in the bed of it and a gun rack in the cab? Because if you fail those two basic standards you can't possibly be a MTG supporter. Certain requirements apply.
Two Trump flags (for coming and going views), a don't tread on me, a rebel flag, a Q flag, and a 2A flag. You can't miss him unless you are completely surrounded by white hoods.
Two Trump flags (for coming and going views), a don't tread on me, a rebel flag, a Q flag, and a 2A flag. You can't miss him unless you are completely surrounded by white hoods.
Omg. I think imma put a “don’t tread on me” flag up on the crib and have the entire HOA confused as hell.
Mississippi Republican Says Trans Rights Supporters Should Face a Firing Squad
Robert Foster tweeted that “groomers” and supporters of trans rights should be executed by firing squad, then doubled down.
A former candidate for Mississippi governor tweeted last week that “groomers” and supporters of trans rights should be executed by firing squad.
His account has already been reinstated by Twitter.
On Thursday, Robert Foster suggested—apparently unprompted—that “those who want to groom our children and pretend men are women,” the latter a reference to supporters of transgender rights, should be “lined up against [a] wall before a firing squad and sent to an early judgment.”
Foster reiterated his call for the state-sanctioned murder of trans rights supporters in a message to the Mississippi Free Press. “The law should be changed so that anyone trying to sexually groom children and/or advocating to put men pretending to be women in locker rooms and bathrooms with young women should receive the death penalty by firing squad,” Foster told the website, declining an interview.
(Though “grooming” is a real term used to describe adults who build trust with children and their families in order to sexually abuse them, the American right has recently weaponized the term to portray supporters of LGBTQ+ youth as being driven by pedophilia.)
Foster, a former two-term state representative who received 18 percent of the Republican primary vote in 2019, was the principal author of a 2017 bill allowing Mississippi to execute death row prisoners by firing squad and gas chamber, according to the Mississippi Free Press.
Foster’s post was later removed for violating Twitter’s rules, but the ex-lawmaker continued to imply that trans rights supporters should be killed. In response to a tweet from former Mississippi GOP executive director Spencer Ritchie implying Foster was a fascist, Foster castigated Ritchie and other “spineless establishment RINOs” for “conced[ing] every fight with the Communists.”
“Now the Godless have power and they are destroying our country,” Foster tweeted at Ritchie. “Soon we will have to deal with this directly.”
That tweet was still up as of Tuesday morning, as was another where Foster said that a firing squad was a “civilized and efficient way of disposing of evil” and cheaper than it would be to “fly them all up high over the Gulf of Mexico and push them out of a helicopter.”
“Transgendered people are merely victims, it’s their pedo groomers that are consumed by evil,” Foster said in another post.
Foster attempted to backtrack and said he had limited his call for executions to “groomers of children,” though that was a lie. It appears his account was briefly suspended, but by Sunday, he was back on the site.
Twitter did not respond to a request for comment from VICE News asking for details about Foster’s suspension.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, who defeated Foster in that 2019 gubernatorial primary, signed a bill into law earlier this month that made Mississippi one of a dozen states to laws banning transgender girls from playing youth sports with other girls. A similar law passed last year in West Virginia was blocked by a federal judge.
After Utah Gov. Spencer Cox vetoed another similar bill last week, citing statistics showing the high rates of attempted suicide among transgender children and the fact that only one transgender girl plays youth sports in Utah. Republican lawmakers overrode his veto Friday while amending the bill for the state to cover legal fees associated with the legislation.
“I remain hopeful that we will continue to work toward a more inclusive, fair, and compassionate policy during the interim,” Cox said in a statement Friday.
Trump Asks Putin to Release Dirt on Joe Biden By Jackson RichmanMar 29th, 2022, 10:31 am 5709 comments
Donald Trump vows to ban transgender athletes Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Former President Donald Trump called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to release dirt on President Joe Biden amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In an interview with Just the News founder John Solomon published on Tuesday, Trump reiterated his unproven claim that Yelena Baturina, a Russian oligarch and the wife of former Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, gave $3.5 million to a business that Hunter Biden, a son of Joe Biden, helped found.
“She gave him $3.5 million so now I would think Putin would know the answer to that,” said Trump. “I think he should release it. I think we should know that answer.”
“How is it that the mayor of Moscow, his wife gave the Biden family three and a half million dollars?” he added. “I think Putin now would be willing to probably give that answer. I’m sure he knows.”
This is not the first time Trump has called on Russia to release damaging information on a political rival. While running for president in 2016, Trump called on Moscow to release the hacked emails of then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Additionally in the interview, Trump remarked, “I’m the best thing that ever happened to NATO, because I made them pay. So NATO has plenty of money now.
“And by the way, that’s another, I’m the one who brought up Nord Stream 2 … . I’m the one that blocked it. I terminated it. They weren’t gonna have it. [Biden] then opened it.”
While Biden did waive sanctions against Nord Stream 2, a gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, in 2021, he implemented them last month following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly said Trump claimed Yury Luzhkov gave $3.5 billion to a business Hunter Biden helped found. The claim holds Luzhkov gave $3.5 million.
Well clem, I still cannot open your article. That seemed to cause you a great deal of angst, but oh well. I did go over to the nation website and I was able to access a couple of articles free. Which is fortunate because I would not give that bunch a dime. I read what I think is the article you posted, had the nominee’s name in the title. Author Elie Mystal. I am confident my takeaways from it are way different than yours.
When I read the author’s name it rang a bell. Mystal. He is the guy who called the greatest governing document in the history of the world “trash”. Why?? Because it was written by white guys!! So frankly, this guy has zero credibility with me. My main takeaway from the article was that the author was a race obsessed individual. Not sure if you are old enough to remember the Cold War days when people saw a communist under every bed. People were paranoid about all things Russian. This guy sees racism in every word uttered by a senator. He was gravely offended that this black women had to answer to a bunch of white guys. Apparently advise and consent does not apply when the candidate is a black female.
As I said, I rewatched Kavenaugh’s testimony and found nothing objectionable in it. I found nothing objectionable about Jackson’s demeanor. I could not support her because of her positions and beliefs. Posters on here who are lying about kavanaugh’s demeanor should just own up to the fact that he is a strict constructionist and the would never support him. It is not that hard.
How do these sanctions on Nord Stream 2 work exactly? We see this back and forth over who is for them or not for the sanctions. I am still struggling to see how the U.S. can feasibly do anything about a pipeline that transports gas or oil out of a country that is not the U.S. and into a country that is not the U.S. and through territories not in the U.S., with transactions paid for in non-US currencies.
Sununu is a Republican I could get behind (Not just because of this article). Him and Larry Hogan (the governor of Maryland).
At DC roast, NH's GOP governor skewers Trump as 'crazy'
AAMER MADHANI Sun, April 3, 2022, 11:27 AM
WASHINGTON (AP) — GOP Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire said Donald Trump is “crazy” and joked that if the former Republican president was admitted to a mental hospital, “he ain't getting out!”
Sununu skewered Trump during the Gridiron Club’s spring dinner Saturday night, an annual Washington gathering featuring skits and speeches from Democrats, Republicans and journalists that are expected to “singe” but “not burn” the capital's political elite.
“He’s (expletive) crazy!” Sununu said in salty remarks that roasted members of both parties as well as the Washington journalists who cover them. The governor added: "The press often will ask me if I think Donald Trump is crazy. And I’ll say it this way: I don’t think he’s so crazy that you could put him in a mental institution. But I think if he were in one, he ain’t getting out!”
Sununu also spoke of being left astonished by an encounter with Trump when the former president was visiting New Hampshire for a political rally.
After greeting Trump at the airport, Sununu said Trump insisted he ride with him to the venue. Sununu said that Trump spent most of the ride obsessing over his polling numbers, but at one point broke his train of thought to point out that all the people holding American flags along the motorcade route were his fans.
Trump pointed to one man with a flag and sign before Trump returned to the topic of polling, Sununu recalled.
“I can’t help but notice the guy he pointed at, the sign he’s holding says, '(expletive, Trump!),” Sununu joked.
In his Gridiron address, Sununu also took aim at Democrats and poked fun at himself.
He said White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who is reportedly set to sign a deal soon to join MSNBC, would be smart to get her money upfront considering the network’s ratings.
Sununu noted he was included in a Washington Post list of 10 potential 2024 GOP presidential contenders. He cracked that his vast foreign policy experience included building a short wall with polite signage on New Hampshire’s border with Canada.
Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who spoke on behalf of Democrats at the dinner, remarked that he had not heard a “Republican use the F-word that much since the Nixon administration.”
“But I’ve got to say that Gov. Sununu's eloquent profanity is the kind of insurrection the GOP needs today," Raskin said.
The sitting president typically attends the event. President Joe Biden, who spent the weekend in his home state of Delaware, skipped but sent a video message. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo delivered remarks on behalf of the administration.
Republicans last year made a pitch to Sununu to challenge incumbent Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan in 2022, but he ultimately declined and opted to run for reelection as governor. The seat is one of several that Republicans are eyeing as they look to win control of the Senate in upcoming midterm elections.
Sununu told the Washington Examiner that after hearing GOP leadership’s plan for the next two years, he decided wasn’t interested in simply being a “roadblock” to Biden’s agenda.
No, Donald Trump did not kill Osama bin Laden, despite claims by a Michigan congresswoman
WASHINGTON – Donald Trump's supporters give him credit for lots of things, but a Michigan member of Congress went way beyond reality in falsely claiming that Trump "caught" Osama bin Laden.
"Caught Osama bin Laden and Soleimani, al-Baghdadi," said Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., during a Trump rally Saturday in Washington Township, Mich., in a speech in which she attacked President Joe Biden's foreign policy.
Trump was a private citizen in 2011, when President Barack Obama authorized the mission that killed bin Laden, the al-Qaida leader and architect of the 9/11 attacks on the United States. Biden was vice president at the time, and opposed the raid during internal deliberations because of uncertainty over whether bin Laden would be at the location of the raid.
During his presidency, Trump authorized military operations that led to the deaths of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Iranian military commander Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, and accused terrorist Hamza bin Laden – the son of bin Laden.
“Trump aide seeking New Hampshire House seat voted in 2 states in 2016.
A former Trump administration official now running for Congress in New Hampshire voted twice during the 2016 primary election season, potentially violating federal voting law and leaving him at odds with the Republican Party’s intense focus on “election integrity.”
Matt Mowers, a leading Republican primary candidate looking to unseat Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, cast an absentee ballot in New Hampshire’s 2016 presidential primary, voting records show. At the time, Mowers served as the director of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s presidential campaign in the pivotal early voting state.”
Marjorie Taylor Greene reports Jimmy Kimmel to cops over Will Smith joke
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said late Wednesday that she reported comedian Jimmy Kimmel to the U.S. Capitol Police after he joked on air that Will Smith should slap her.
Greene, a Republican from Georgia, said the late-night host’s comment amounted to a “threat of violence.”
On Tuesday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Kimmel mocked Greene for calling three GOP senators — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Mitt Romney of Utah — “pro-pedophile” when they declared they would vote for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation into the Supreme Court.
“Wow, where is Will Smith when you really need him, huh?” Kimmel said, appearing to reference Smith’s slap of comedian Chris Rock onstage at this year’s Oscars.
Greene’s comment referenced a line of questioning by GOP members on the Senate Judiciary Committee about Jackson issuing lenient sentences to sex offenders.
“ABC, this threat of violence against me by @jimmykimmel has been filed with the @CapitolPolice,” Greene tweeted Wednesday.
Kimmel responded on Twitter Wednesday night, writing: “Officer? I would like to report a joke.”
Ohio GOP Senate hopeful: Middle class doesn't pay fair share
JULIE CARR SMYTH Fri, April 8, 2022, 6:05 PM·3 min read
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Mike Gibbons, a leading Republican Senate candidate from Ohio, said at a media event last fall that middle-class Americans don't pay “any kind of a fair share” of income taxes.
“The top 20% of earners in the United States pay 82% of federal income tax — and, if you do the math, and 45% to 50% don’t pay any income tax, you can see the middle class is not really paying any kind of a fair share, depending on how you want to define it,” Gibbons said.
The comments by Gibbons, a millionaire investment banker from Cleveland, were made in a September episode of “The Landscape” podcast by Crain's Cleveland Business. But they could take on new resonance after Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, a potential 2024 presidential candidate, introduced a governing plan in February that has divided the party over its call to raise taxes on millions of Americans who don’t earn enough to pay federal income taxes.
Scott, who leads the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, has said that paying even a small tax would give poor people “skin in the game” to boost their interest and involvement in how tax dollars are spent.
Other leading Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have distanced themselves from Scott's proposal, worried that the prospect of raising taxes on lower-income Americans could prompt election-year attacks from Democrats.
Campaign spokesperson Samantha Cotten said Friday that Gibbons has pledged not to raise taxes on individuals or businesses.
“Mike Gibbons does not support tax increases on any American — and never has,” she said in a statement. “Mike is a businessman, not a career politician and he understands economics and how to implement smart ideas and strategies that will benefit all Americans.”
Yet, ahead of the May 3 primary, Republican rivals are looking to use the comments against Gibbons. One opponent, Republican Mark Pukita, has had it posted on his YouTube page for the last three weeks with the caption "Tax Hike Mike Gibbons.”
Asked about the Scott plan during a Republican Senate debate last week, former Ohio Republican chair Jane Timken said she opposes his proposal to raise taxes on the middle class, while “Hillbilly Elegy” author J.D. Vance said the GOP needs to stand for “middle-class people being able to raise a family and do it on a single income.”
In the video, Gibbons is pictured before a campaign backdrop and criticizes Democrats for advancing an “absolutely false” narrative that “the middle class is getting screwed and the wealthy, the elite, are cheating everybody” because they "need the middle class to win an election.” He says he doesn't have a problem with a "progressive tax system structure" but notes that the wealthy already pay a lot in taxes.
Gibbons asks: “How much of the total tax bill can a very small percentage of the nation pay and still be a democracy?"
Democrats have spent the better part of a decade pushing for higher taxes on top earners and will likely do so again this year.
President Joe Biden included a “Billionaire Minimum Income Tax” in his 2023 budget proposal. In announcing the tax proposal, the Democrat asserted that “a firefighter and a teacher pay more than double” the tax rate that a billionaire pays.
According an analysis of 2019 Internal Revenue Service data, the most recent available, by the fiscally conservative Tax Foundation, the top 10% of Americans earn 47.3% of reported income and pay 70.9% of the income taxes. The bottom 50% of American wage earners report 11.5% of the income and pay 3.1% of the taxes. That leaves the middle 40% of Americans earning 41.2% of the income and paying 26.1% of the income taxes.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank, argues that such figures do not reflect considerable amounts of wealth among high-income Americans that are shielded from taxation or are taxed at lower rates than wage earners.
Virginia GOP official who called Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin a "stinking N-word" and called for the lynching of Austin and others in Washington refuses to resign.
But I thought there wasn't any racism anymore? I thought that saying in some cases Republicans elect racists was a lie? I mean when you see a crowd marching with tiki torches shouting "Jews will not replace me!", there are certainly good people on that side, right?
Well I just got back from a ban after over a year without one. Putting arch back on ignore and throwing Vers in there too. I've also bumped heads with 40, fate, and Keith, but they all seem like the type who don't run to the refs when things are heated. 99.9% know it's the guy who can't take ridicule. I'm just done with him. And the GOP, Trump supporters, and alt-right wingers will still get told what's on my mind at ALL times. That is all.
Well deserved names though. And I've seen much worse said on here, with NADA, ZIP ZILCH... Especially you. You get away with all kinds of that crap. Have you ever been banned?
Well I just got back from a ban after over a year without one. Putting arch back on ignore and throwing Vers in there too. I've also bumped heads with 40, fate, and Keith, but they all seem like the type who don't run to the refs when things are heated. 99.9% know it's the guy who can't take ridicule. I'm just done with him. And the GOP, Trump supporters, and alt-right wingers will still get told what's on my mind at ALL times. That is all.
So ironic, and everyone knows it.
You can't accept that apparently you broke the rules, and apparently got banned. So, you do you and blame me? For reporting you to some ref/s? Please. Grow up. I don't even know HOW to report anyone to a ref.
I don't call posters names. I bash groups in general. And yes, I have been banned before.
I'm an equal opportunity basher.
Then don't complain when you get banned. I think the refs are pretty lenient in this forum in general. You have to be pretty blatently crossing the line before they toss you.
Well I just got back from a ban after over a year without one. Putting arch back on ignore and throwing Vers in there too. I've also bumped heads with 40, fate, and Keith, but they all seem like the type who don't run to the refs when things are heated. 99.9% know it's the guy who can't take ridicule. I'm just done with him. And the GOP, Trump supporters, and alt-right wingers will still get told what's on my mind at ALL times. That is all.
So ironic, and everyone knows it.
You can't accept that apparently you broke the rules, and apparently got banned. So, you do you and blame me? For reporting you to some ref/s? Please. Grow up. I don't even know HOW to report anyone to a ref.
LMAO, lies. You expect us to believe you don't know how to report somebody… like you don't support Trump… you're a joke arch. We're done. Just don't talk to me anymore. I've blocked you permanently this time and this is the last post of yours that I will ever read. Have a good day. Go rat on somebody else.
Well I just got back from a ban after over a year without one. Putting arch back on ignore and throwing Vers in there too. I've also bumped heads with 40, fate, and Keith, but they all seem like the type who don't run to the refs when things are heated. 99.9% know it's the guy who can't take ridicule. I'm just done with him. And the GOP, Trump supporters, and alt-right wingers will still get told what's on my mind at ALL times. That is all.
Bring it, bad boy!
FTR, I've reported one person in all my time here and it wasn't even a comment directed at me. It was egregious as hell and unacceptable in any forum.
We haven't gone past friendly for quite a while. I knew it wasn't you. Haven't EVER got that vibe from you even when it's heated. But coincidences don't happen all the time with the same guy in play. I think that sums it up. If you know what I mean.
Tennessee Lawmaker Praises Hitler’s Work Ethic In Speech About Homeless People
A TennesseeRepublican wants the state’s unhoused population to draw inspiration from Adolf Hitler. No, seriously.
While debating a bill on Wednesday that would criminalize homeless camps on public property in the state, State Sen. Frank Niceley (R) decided to share with the chamber “a little history lesson on homelessness.”
That lesson: Hitler was homeless for a spell, too, but by golly, then he pulled himself up by his bootstraps and “went on to lead a life that got him in the history books.”
This is the sort of clip that needs to be watched to be believed:
When The Tennessee Holler asked him to clarify his comments, the state senator repeatedly declined to engage and instead walked away
The bill passed 22–10 and is now headed to Gov. Bill Lee (R) for his signature.
Prior to Wednesday’s history lesson, Niceley was known for opposing making cockfighting a felony in the state because it’s a “cultural tradition.”
Thomas should recuse himself because his wife's text messages from November make her "complicit" in the Jan 6 insurrection.
Please tell me what I'm missing.
If you can't see how a SCOTUS Justice's opinion might be swayed when his wife was part of planning an insurrection against our democracy, well I can't help you.
Thomas should recuse himself because his wife's text messages from November make her "complicit" in the Jan 6 insurrection.
Please tell me what I'm missing.
If you can't see how a SCOTUS Justice's opinion might be swayed when his wife was part of planning an insurrection against our democracy, well I can't help you.
Can you help me see how she "helped plan an insurrection"?
Senator 'In Shock' As Trump-Backed Neb. Governor Candidate Put Hand 'Up My Dress' Mary Papenfuss Fri, April 15, 2022, 11:12 PM·3 min read
Nebraska Republican state Sen. Julie Slama said she was “in shock” when Donald Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster allegedly put his hand “up my dress” at a GOP dinner.
Slama detailed what she has described as an “assault” in 2019 in an interview Thursday, the day the Nebraska Examiner reported that she and seven other women had accused the Republican businessman of groping them.
“As I was ... walking to my table, I felt a hand reach up my skirt, up my dress and the hand was Charles Herbster’s,” Slama said, her voice shaking, in an interview on News Radio KFAB in Omaha. “I was in shock. I was mortified. It’s one of the most traumatizing things I’ve ever been through.”
Slama added: “I watched as five minutes later he grabbed the buttocks of another young woman. ... This was witnessed by several people at the event.”
Slama talked of the intimidating, “huge power differential” in that situation between herself, then a newly appointed 22-year-old state senator, and “one of the biggest donors in the Nebraska Republican Party.”
Herbster has denied all the accusations as “libelous fake news” and is now threatening to sue to protect his reputation. He called the timing of the allegations just weeks before the primary suspect.
The Examiner corroborated six of the eight allegations with witnesses, the newspaper reported. All of the alleged incidents occurred between 2017 and this year, and involved teenagers to women in their 20s, according to the Examiner.
All 13 female state senators in the Nebraska legislature, including five Republicans, issued a statement Thursday condemning the “highly credible, corroborated allegations.”
“Sexual assault is despicable and damaging,” the statement added. “This is not a question of politics — it is an issue of character and basic human decency.” Herbster’s actions “make him unfit to serve,” the statement concluded.
Herbster, owner and CEO of Conklin Company and a sometimes beauty pageant judge, is currently a front-runner in the race for Nebraska governor, even though he has never held political office. He reportedly gave $1.3 million to Trump’s campaigns and attended the Jan. 6, 2021, rally outside the Capitol with members of Trump’s inner circle.
Donald Trump Jr. campaigned with Herbster in Nebraska earlier this week.
Trump has hailed Herbster, who considers himself a born-again Christian, as a “tremendous supporter of America First.”
The allegations against Herbster aren’t likely to shake Trump’s endorsement. Trump has been accused by dozens of women of sexual misconduct. He was also recorded boasting about “grabbing” women “by the [censored].”
Omaha’s former mayor reportedly responded to the accusations by saying that he wanted to put Slama on the witness stand to ask her what she was wearing when she was allegedly groped. So Slama showed him — and emphasized to KFAB that “clothes don’t equal consent.”
Under Nebraska state law, touching a person inappropriately without consent on the outside of their clothes constitutes third-degree sexual assault.
The primaries for candidates for governor and lieutenant governor will be held May 10. The winner of the Republican primary was expected to win the general election in November.
There is a photo in the article of the dress she says she was wearing that doesn't copy over
Banning math books and attacking libraries: Republicans ramp up their mission to spread ignorance
Florida bans 50 math books while a Republican judge in Texas argues there's no reason "to provide a public library"
When Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis rolled out a bold new plan to crush public education under the boot of literacy-suspicious authoritarians, Republicans swore up and down that this was not actually the war on public schools it looked like. A pair of deliberately vague bills — one aimed at censoring "critical race theory" and another at banning "instruction" on "sexual orientation and gender identity" — were justified with disingenuous claims that Republicans merely wanted to protect children from "indoctrination" and even "grooming." Critics, however, noted that the funding and organization behind these efforts linked the DeSantis plan to a larger religious right assault on the very concept of public education.
Then Florida banned over two dozen math textbooks, proving critics right. This is, and always has been, an assault on education itself. DeSantis praised the ban, declaring that the books are "indoctrinating concepts like race essentialism, especially, bizarrely, for elementary school students."
The only thing that's bizarre is the attempt to reframe mathematics education as "critical race theory." It's been clear for months that when Republicans talk about "critical race theory," they are not talking about the college-level academic theory that looks at the legal infrastructure that supports racial inequalities. Instead, it's a catch-all phrase to demonize any history book or literature that acknowledges that racism is real. Now, the circle of censorship is expanding to basic math.
Thinking is the enemy of authoritarianism.
To those who have been carefully watching the GOP as they become more openly fascistic, none of this is surprising. As I wrote in December, authoritarians have long taken a dim view of the very concept of education. Even basic literacy and math skills are viewed as a threat because they open the door to critical thinking. Above all else, Republicans do not want a population armed with critical thinking skills. While it doesn't get much mainstream press coverage, conservatives have long been nurturing anger over federal education guidelines, often called "Common Core." These standards aim to give kids a real understanding of math and how it works, instead of simply memorizing multiplication tables and quitting before they get to calculus. Having people understand concepts on a deeper level terrifies the right, however. They prefer a populace that's kept ignorant because they are prone to blindly following authority.
So under such circumstances, it's not a surprise that Republicans are expanding their war on learning past schools and targeting libraries, as well. On Sunday, the Washington Post published a chilling story looking at this nationwide attack on reading through one Texas community's battle over the local public library.
The religious right in Llano, Texas has been bullying the local library to pull books deemed "pornographic filth," mostly because the books admit racism is real, that LGBTQ people exist and that human beings are naked under their clothes. If that sounds like an exaggeration, it's not: One of the books targeted is "In the Night Kitchen" by Maurice Sendak, a children's book that has a drawing of a naked child that is only "pornographic" to people who think all nudity, even children's nudity, is about sex. Another book is "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates, clearly targeted for the "pornography" of being about how racism is a real problem that affects real people.
As the Post reports, the GOP book banners, "some of whom did not even have library cards," have made incredible headway at circumventing the library's rigorous protocols against censorship. They've been working through the head chair of the governing body of Llano County, a Republican named Ron Cunningham, who simply walked right into the library and pulled the books he didn't want other people to read off the shelf.
"The board also needs to recognize that the county is not mandated by law to provide a public library," Cunningham wrote in a letter to Bonnie Wallace, a far-right activist who has been granted secretive but wide-ranging censorship powers. After the Post confronted Cunningham with this letter, which was obtained under a FOIA request, he replied with pablum about how the county is "committed to providing excellent public library services." But, of course, the true attitudes are coming out in that letter and the relentless hostility to educators and librarians in general.
As Kathryn Joyce has demonstrated through expansive reporting for Salon, once you look past the surface talk about "protecting" children and towards the actual organizers and brain trust for the right, it becomes clear that the long-term goal here is destroying public education. In some cases, the plan is to replace it with private and for-profit "schools" that teach fake right-wing science and history. Realistically, for most people who can't afford private school tuition, this GOP plan would likely mean no real education for their kids at all. This is absolutely fine by the authoritarian right, of course, which views functional literacy as a gateway drug to that dreaded "critical thinking." Plus, if poor and middle-class kids don't finish high school, that means that the children of the wealthy have fewer people to compete with for spots in elite universities.
As Umberto Eco wrote in his fundamental examination of fascism, "All the Nazi or Fascist schoolbooks made use of an impoverished vocabulary, and an elementary syntax, in order to limit the instruments for complex and critical reasoning." To be functionally literate, instead of being incapable of reading much more than a street sign or a Donald Trump tweet, is to open the door to thinking. Thinking is the enemy of authoritarianism.
To be certain, most Americans — even most Republican voters — don't think literacy, much less math skills or scientific knowledge, are bad things. And they certainly wouldn't approve, if they found out how expansive the Republican war on education actually is. That's why these leaders dress up their hatred of education with conspiracy theories about "critical race theory" and "grooming." It's about distracting voters from what's really going on: a full-blown assault on the ability of all kids to receive a basic education.
That said, the abject terror that has been instilled in the average Republican voter of "wokeism" has opened the door to radicalizing them towards a fascist view that literacy itself is the enemy. As this battle in Llano shows, it doesn't take much to get conservatives to start taking a dim view of the mere existence of books and libraries. Take this recent propaganda video from Tucker Carlson and Fox News, an unwittingly campy portrayal of "manhood" as being a matter of throwing tires and drinking raw eggs.
It's a short step from this sort of imagery to portraying the more cerebral pastimes of reading and studying as emasculating wastes of time. As Eco writes, to the fascist, "Thinking is a form of emasculation." We're already most of the way with the right, which has taken to demonizing school teachers as "groomers" and using the word "professor" as a slur term. It's a movement led by Trump, a man who is proudly illiterate and whose social media writers would deliberately inject grammatical errors and misspellings into his tweets to keep up his image as someone who can barely read. Republicans are swiftly reimagining illiteracy not as an embarrassing flaw, but as an aspiration. A child's right to education is caught directly in the crosshairs.
So Donald Trump has endorsed J.D. Vance in the race for Ohio’s Republican Senate nomination. Will Trump’s nod tip the balance? I have no idea, and frankly I don’t care.
Ohio’s G.O.P. primary has, after all, been a race to the bottom, with candidates seemingly competing to see who can be crasser, who can do the most to dumb down the debate. Vance insists that “what’s happening in Ukraine has nothing to do with our national security” and that we should focus instead on the threat from immigrants crossing our southern border. Josh Mandel, who has been leading in the polls, says that Ohio should be a “pro-God, pro-family, pro-Bitcoin state.” And so on. Any of these candidates would be a terrible senator, and it’s anyone’s guess who’d be worst.
But the thing about Vance is that while these days he gives cynical opportunism a bad name, he didn’t always seem that way. In fact, not that long ago he seemed to offer some intellectual and maybe even moral heft. His 2016 memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” drew widespread and respectful attention, because it offered a personal take on a real and important problem: The unraveling of society in Appalachia and more broadly for a significant segment of the white working class.
Yet neither Vance nor, as far as I can tell, any other notable figure in the Republican Party is advocating any real policies to address this problem. They’re happy to exploit white working-class resentment; but when it comes to doing anything to improve their supporters’ lives, their implicit slogan is, “Let them eat hate.”
Let’s talk for a minute about the reality Vance was writing about back when many took him seriously.
I still encounter people who imagine that social dysfunction is mainly a problem involving nonwhite residents of big cities. But that picture is decades out of date. The social problems that have festered in 21st-century America — notably large numbers of prime-age males not working and widespread “deaths of despair” from drugs, suicide and alcohol — have if anything fallen most heavily on rural and small-town whites, especially in parts of the heartland that have been left behind as a knowledge-centered economy increasingly favors high-education metropolitan areas.
What can be done? Progressives want to see more social spending, especially on families with children; this would do a lot to improve people’s lives, although it’s less clear whether it would help revive declining communities.
Back in 2016 Trump offered a different answer: protectionist trade policies that, he claimed, would revive industrial employment. The arithmetic on this claim never worked, and in practice Trump’s trade wars appear to have reduced the number of U.S. manufacturing jobs. But back then Trump was at least pretending to address a real issue.
At this point, however, neither Trump nor any other important Republican is willing to go even that far. I’d say that G.O.P. campaigning in 2022 is all culture war, all the time, except that this would be giving Republicans too much credit. They aren’t fighting a real culture war, a conflict between rival views of what our society should look like; they’re riling up the base against phantasms, threats that don’t even exist.
This isn’t hyperbole. I’m not just talking about things like the panic over critical race theory, although this has come to mean just about any mention of the role that slavery and discrimination have played in U.S. history. Florida is even rejecting many math textbooks, claiming that they include prohibited topics.
That’s bad. But we’re seeing a growing focus on even more bizarre conspiracy theories, with frantic attacks on woke Disney, etc. And roughly half of self-identified Republicans believe that “top Democrats are involved in elite child sex-trafficking rings.”
What people may not realize is that Vance’s anti-immigrant rhetoric is almost as detached from reality as QAnon-type theories about Democratic pedophiles. I mean, yes, undocumented immigrants do exist. But the idea that they pose a major threat to public order is a fantasy; indeed, the evidence suggests that they’re considerably more law-abiding than native-born Americans.
And making the alleged insecurity of the southern border your signature campaign issue is especially bizarre if you’re running for office in Ohio, where immigrants make up only 4.8 percent of the population — around a third of the national average. (Almost 38 percent of the population of New York City, and 45 percent of its work force, is immigrant. It’s not exactly a dystopian hellhole.)
But look, none of this is a mystery. Republicans are following an old playbook, one that would have been completely familiar to, say, czarist-era instigators of pogroms. When the people are suffering, you don’t try to solve their problems; instead, you distract them by giving them someone to hate.
And history tells us that this tactic often works.
As I said, I have no idea whether Trump’s endorsement of Vance will matter. What I do know is that the G.O.P. as a whole has turned to hate-based politics. And if you aren’t afraid, you aren’t paying attention.
J.D. Vance said Trump might be 'America's Hitler' in 2016 text message
J.D. Vance's former roommate on Monday released a purported screenshot of a 2016 conversation between him and Vance in which the now pro-Trump Senate candidate wrote that the former president might be "America's Hitler."
Josh McLaurin, who attended Yale Law School with Vance and has served in the Georgia House of Representatives since 2019, previously alluded to the conversation with Vance in a tweet posted Thursday.
In the message, Vance wrote that Republicans had neglected "lower-income, lower-education white people," leaving an opening for a "demagogue" like Trump. "I go back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical a--hole like Nixon who wouldn't be that bad (and might even prove useful) or that he's America's Hitler," Vance wrote.
"The public deserves to know the magnitude of this guy's bad faith," McLaurin tweeted alongside the screenshot.
Former President Donald Trump endorsed Vance in Ohio's competitive GOP Senate primary on Friday, writing that although Vance "said some not-so-great things about me in the past," he "gets it now."
In 2016, Vance called himself a "Never Trump guy" and referred to Trump as an "idiot," Politico reported.
In a 2021 interview with Time magazine, Vance explained how he came around to Trump. "I sort of got Trump's issues from the beginning," Vance said. "I just thought that this guy was not serious."
Trump, Vance continued, "is the leader of this movement, and if I actually care about these people and the things I say I care about, I need to just suck it up and support him."
All of the other 49 states were able to figure out exactly what that percentage of banned math books were. The only exception, for some odd reason was Florida.
Thomas should recuse himself because his wife's text messages from November make her "complicit" in the Jan 6 insurrection.
Please tell me what I'm missing.
there were 29 text messages with 28 starting in the beginning of November up through the end of November and then a rather long pause until one on January 10th. In the text on 1/10 she directed her anger at VP pence for not stopping the certification of President Biden. And she was also at the insurrection rally on 1/6.
Punishing business is nothing new for them. Trump called for the boycott of almost 30 companies who said or did things he didn't like while he was president. And DeSantis is going after Disney too. It looks like he's going after the support of all the crazies for a 2024 run. And then they claim it's the dems who support cancel culture.
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren demands a criminal investigation into Jared Kushner getting $2billion investment from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman six months after leaving the White House
Sen. Elizabeth Warren said that the Department of Justice should 'take a hard look' at whether Jared Kushner violated any criminal laws in accepting a $2 billion investment from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Six months after Kushner left the White House, his newly formed private equity firm Affinity Partners secured a $2 billion investment from Saudi Arabia's state-owned sovereign wealth fund, according to a New York Times report.
Speaking with Warren, Pod Save America host and Obama-era National Security Council spokesperson Tommy Vietor called the deal 'one of the most staggeringly corrupt things I've heard.'
He asked the Massachusetts Democrat whether the Department of Justice (DOJ) or Congress should look into the matter.
'I think there's a question that the Department of Justice should take a really hard look to see if that fits within any of our current - I mean it is a kind of shaggy dog version of how you get to what is going on here - does it violate any of our criminal laws? And I'd want to take a hard look at that,' Warren said.
'I think this is a moment where Congress needs to do a lot more about corruption,' she added.
Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law and former White House senior adviser, secured the massive deal despite being flagged for its 'inexperience' and 'public relations risks' by a panel of economics experts who screen the Saudi wealth fund's investments.
During his time in the White House, Kushner was known for his close personal relationship with Saudi Arabia's de facto leader Mohammed bin-Salman and for helping him secure a $110 billion arms deal. He was among the Saudi royal family's staunchest defenders within the administration amid international outrage over its murder of US-based journalist and MBS critic Jamal Khashoggi.
He also was one of the chief architects of the Abraham Accords, a historic peace agreement between some Arab states and Israel which MBS was in support of.
But when it comes it his experience running a new private equity firm, the Saudi panel reportedly found Kushner's Affinity Fund to be 'unsatisfactory in all aspects.'
The panel also expressed serious reservations about Kushner's limited areas of expertise and lack of domestic investors.
Despite that, however, the $620 billion Public Investment Fund (PIF) reportedly led by MBS approved the $2 billion just days after business experts raised their concerns at a June 30 meeting.
It's twice the amount they invested in Trump Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin's firm, despite Mnuchin's vast experience in the financial industry.
The Saudis' PIF also reportedly got at least 28 percent ownership of Kushner's company in the deal.
A letter obtained by the Times from July of that year shows staff for the MBS-run wealth fund maintaining 'this investment aims to form a strategic relationship with the Affinity Partners Fund and its founder, Jared Kushner.'
As to the panel's concerns about why invest so much with Kushner when he had little prior experience to show for it, staff reportedly said any cuts 'may negatively or fundamentally affect the framework of the agreed strategic and commercial relationship.'
The fund's staff also said the investment was worth the risk because of the ability to 'capitalize on the capabilities of Affinity’s founders’ deep understanding of different government policies and geopolitical systems.'
The business deal raises ethics concerns mentioned in Sunday's report over whether MBS is seeking to pay Kushner back for his allyship at the White House or possibly preemptively seeking influence if Trump runs and wins again in 2024.
The report notes that Kushner barely has any experience in private equity, having primarily worked for his father's real estate firm before joining the White House.
One of his largest deals, buying a $1.8 billion office building in Manhattan in 2007, turned into a financial burden for his family's real estate empire during the 2008 recession.
But he was still able to reportedly secure a better deal with the Saudis than Trump Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, a seasoned investor and former executive at Goldman Sachs.
Mnuchin, who was also courting the Saudi wealth fund's investment for his Liberty Strategic Capital, secured a $1 billion investment, according to the Times.
Both Mnuchin and Kushner's firms agreed to open offices in the Saudi capital of Riyadh and cut back their standard two percent asset management fees.
However, Mnuchin came away with a one percent fee, while documents reportedly show Kushner's fee at 1.25 percent.
That would get Kushner's firm annual profits of $25 million from the Saudi's investment alone, not counting additional cash earned.
The wealth fund's staff hailed Mnuchin as having 'significant access toward understanding the future of the U.S. financial system' and 'deep experience at some of the highest levels of the U.S. regulatory system,' according to the Times.
Saudis' PIF also owns shares of Uber and United Kingdom-based soccer team Newcastle United Football Club.
As of public filings disclosed on March 31 of this year, Kushner's Affinity Fund is managing $2.5 billion -- the bulk of which is from overseas investors, mainly Saudi Arabia.
When the Saudi-based screening panel flagged the lack of U.S.-based investors in its June 30 meeting, staff reportedly said Kushner 'would like to avoid media attention at this time.'
'Accordingly, Affinity has approached international institutional investors on a very discreet basis (especially PIF as Affinity’s cornerstone LP) to anchor the launch of their inaugural fund,' they reportedly said.
Kushner was thrust into the spotlight recently when he appeared for an interview with the House of Representatives' Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The former president's son-in-law was described to NPR by a lawmaker on the panel as 'helpful' when he appeared before them via video link on March 31.
His testimony was reportedly critical to the investigation, as a close confidante of the former president and the husband of his oldest daughter Ivanka Trump.
It's suggested that Kushner did not use any privilege claims nor did he plead the Fifth Amendment during his more than six-hour sit-down.
Trump soon to be considered a long shot for the 24 nomination. Too many GOPer Billionaires with more money than him don't want him and Vlad on the ticket. The world is Ukraine, not Russia or Nazi Germany USA.
For all of you who wrongly complained that banning Trump, or MTG etc from Twitter is a violation of their 1st Amendment rights, this is how you violate someone's Rights to Free Speech.
The Government to intentionally and punitively make a law to prevent you from saying something they don't like.
No matter how many times you explain what the constitution actually says the more they ignore it. Unless it's about guns. Then they'll quote the constitution.
Look at that damn fool push Putin's agenda. Smdh. The insurrectionist traitors just can't do the right thing.
Edit to let one of the last true Republicans tell us what he thinks. Why do we let these people just walk around freely in our country causing chaos and destruction with words of misinformation, lies, and deceit? I'm not talking about powerless men who buy into their BS, but the leaders, heads of the snake. I can plainly see at least two dozen of them that should be behind bars. Another 50 or so that should have their citizenship revoked. And not more than 10 or 20 on the federal level that should get a pass. But the most blatant ones, saying the secret parts out loud, completely revealing their traitorous natures… let them stand trial for treason.
North Carolina GOP senator calls for Madison Cawthorn's cryptocurrency purchases to be investigated by House Ethics Committee Cheryl Teh 1 hour ago
A senator from Rep. Madison Cawthorn's home state has called for the congressman to be investigated for his undeclared crypto purchases. Chris Seward/AP Republican Senator Thom Tillis has called for Rep. Madison Cawthorn to be investigated. Tillis said that Cawthorn "owes North Carolinians an explanation" about his crypto investments. Tillis previously chastised Cawthorn for embarrassing the state with "juvenile behavior."
Republican Senator Thom Tillis has called for Congress to conduct a bipartisan investigation of his House colleague, Rep. Madison Cawthorn, over the latter's undeclared cryptocurrency purchases.
Tillis, who also represents North Carolina, said on Wednesday that Cawthorn's possible violation of congressional insider-trading laws needs to be looked into by the House Ethics Committee.
"Insider trading by a member of Congress is a serious betrayal of their oath, and Congressman Cawthorn owes North Carolinians an explanation," Tillis tweeted.
Cawthorn is suspected of possibly violating a federal conflict-of-interest law called the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act (STOCK). Congress members must, by law, publicly declare their cryptocurrency trades worth more than $1,000 in their transaction reports.
The Washington Examiner reported on Tuesday that Cawthorn publicly declared that he had purchased a meme coin called "Let's Go Brandon," named after an anti-Biden chant. On December 29, Cawthorn was seen at an event with James Koutoulas, one of the people behind the crypto coin, per the outlet.
The following day, Brandon Brown, the NASCAR driver for whom the coin was named, said that the cryptocurrency would sponsor him, causing its value to skyrocket.
However, Cawthorn did not disclose his purchase of the cryptocurrency to Congress.
Despite representing the same party in the same state, Tillis has come out strongly to oppose Cawthorn. For one, a super PAC tied to Tillis spent $300,000 on an advertising campaign against Cawthorn, pushing the message that the Cawthorn "lies for the limelight."
Tillis was also one of the Republican leaders who chastised Cawthorn after the lawmaker claimed he had witnessed "sexual perversion" and drug use among his Congress colleagues.
Responding to Cawthorn's allegations, Tillis said the congressman had demonstrated "a consistent pattern of juvenile behavior, outlandish statements, and untruthfulness." In the same statement, Tillis threw his weight behind Cawthorn's primary challenger, Chuck Edwards.
Cawthorn has been the subject of a series of scandals. Besides his orgy claims, he was also the subject of a recent Politico article that ran photos showing him decked out in lingerie, which he dismissed as "goofy vacation photos."
Cawthorn was also cited this week for bringing a loaded gun into the Charlotte airport. This was the second time Cawthorn had been found with a gun in his carry-on luggage, having also been cited at the Asheville Regional Airport in February last year.
Ohio Republican Jean Schmidt Calls Rape an “Opportunity”
Every Ohio Republican Should Be Forced to Account for Schmidt’s Comments, Asked if They Condemn Them
Columbus, OH — Today, when testifying on Ohio’s version of the trigger ban bill, Republican Jean Schmidt was asked about a lack of an exception for rape in her legislation. Her response: it’s an “opportunity” for the person who was raped. Every single Republican in Ohio should be asked about Schmidt’s comments and whether they agree that rape is an “opportunity.”
“Jean Schmidt’s vile comments today show how far Republicans will go to attack Ohio women in an effort to score political points. Jean Schmidt should apologize to every victim of sexual violence in our state and pull her bill from consideration. And her fellow Republicans – from Mike DeWine on down – who have supported these anti-choice bills should be forced to account for her comments and their ongoing attacks on women,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Matt Keyes.
Life was so much better when we didn't have to take these idiots seriously. This woman and the cult she is part of are deranged, delusional, religious extremists. They should be nowhere near the seats of power in any level of government in our democracy.
We certainly elect some vile people into Congress. And I am not talking about people we disagree with their political ideaology but rather their moral and ethical ideology.
Question: What is meant by "trigger" abortion ban?
In the United States, thirteen states — Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma,[1] South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas,[2] Utah, and Wyoming[3] have trigger laws that would automatically ban abortion in the first and second trimesters if the landmark case Roe v. Wade were overturned.
You could call them, “just in case fascism wins”, laws/bills too. They only become law, if and when they become legally allowable on the federal level. In other words, disgusting little special interests wish lists that all of us should be aware of before voting. Imagine the evil that could be done by any party with the votes to overrule accepted laws they don't like due to religious values… sounds like the Taliban or Christian sharia law IMO.
Interesting, thanks for posting that. Who would have ever thought that we we come up with unconstitutional laws and have them on the books waiting to be activated like some jihad sleeper cell. I don't know what the right answer is for the legality of abortion but I do know that the republicans are masters at playing dirty.
Instead of creating legislation that can actually help people now, they spend their time preparing legislation for when/if they gain more power. Scumbags.
Representative says he would burn books deemed inappropriate by state
State Rep. Jerry Sexton said Wednesday he would “burn” books found obscene by an expanded state textbook commission charged with policing school library selections.
In debate with Sexton over legislation requiring school districts to submit lists of library books to the commission, state Rep. John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville, asked what the state would do with the books, put them out in the street or set them on fire?
Sexton responded, “I don’t have a clue, but I would burn ’em.”
The House passed the measure, but it is unclear whether it will pass the General Assembly. Sexton, a Bean Station Republican who is not seeking re-election this year, acknowledged the House and Senate bills are likely to go to a committee to work out differences. Sexton carried the bill for House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, and Sen. Jon Lundberg, R-Bristol.
Republican lawmakers have consistently pointed toward a book, “Me, Earl and the Dying Girl” as an example of obscene material found in elementary libraries. Sexton continued that mantra Wednesday, though he referred to it as “Me, Earl and the Girl Named Pearl,” saying it is “very sexual” and “pornographic” in nature. He also claimed lawmakers found obscene materials in school libraries in 93 of 95 counties.
The House legislation would require schools to make lists of books to be sent to the state textbook commission for approval. The commission, which will receive extra appointments, including the state library director, from House and Senate speakers, would be charged with going over those lists and giving approval.
The measure also sets up a process for parents to file complaints with the state.
Clemmons and other Democrats continued to object.
“Don’t librarians currently decide what’s appropriate to go in a library? And why are we usurping the authority of librarians and placing the state in the place of deciding what’s appropriate and what’s not for children?” Clemmons asked.
Sexton responded that he’s not sure who’s putting obscene or pornographic books in libraries, though he said librarians might be signing off on them.
In a back-and-forth with state Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, Sexton said he wasn’t sure about the qualifications required for people to serve on the textbook commission. But he noted his mother had no educational training and raised 10 kids, in addition to helping raise 23 great-grandchildren.
“She done a great job,” he said, adding common sense should be used to determine what is appropriate.
Just as parents turn off the TV when certain words are said in the presence of children, the state is doing the same thing in libraries.
“We’re turning those books off that are not appropriate, that use words that are very illicit, not only just words but some of these books have drawings. We consider them XXX and pay a premium price to see it at the movies,” he said.
Johnson noted in response, she would “have to trust you on that thing about movies.”
Arguing that one group shouldn’t determine what books are read by students across the state, Johnson noted, “History hasn’t looked fondly on people who ban books or burn books.”
Sexton, however, said the state isn’t banning books, just removing them from libraries.
Lindsey Kimery, past president of the Tennessee Association of School Librarians and legislative task force co-chair for the group, said Wednesday the library bill was not on her group’s radar until Monday night.
“This is how sly and sneaky it was,” Kimery said, adding she wondered why some Democrats voted for it previously.
Language was dropped that would have required creation of a statewide list of books. Instead, school districts will have to compile a list of books for the textbook commission to review.
Sexton said nothing about creating a statewide list during discussion in a committee meeting, only that it would add seats to the textbooks commission, Kimery said.
The Tennessee Association of School Librarians worked for three years to create the position of state librarian, which was eliminated from the Department of Education around 2000, but not to oversee a statewide list of unapproved books, she said.
“We’re just watching in horror,” Kimery said.
Librarians feel they’ve been turned into “collateral damage” this legislative session after groups affiliated with conservative organizations started complaining about selections they claim were found in libraries.
Representatives of Moms for Liberty, a Williamson County-based group, testified in committees for other legislation designed to ferret out books with obscene words. At one point, musician John Rich accused librarians of “grooming” students for sex and said they are worse than perverts who drive around in vans trying to lure children into the vehicle.
Lawmakers considered a bill earlier this session that would have criminalized librarians for allowing obscene material in libraries. It failed in the Senate. Another bill from Gov. Bill Lee set up a process to review books and handle parents’ complaints.
The Tennessee Association of School Librarians points out schools already have processes for parents to object to books, which involves talking to the librarian, going to the school administration, then the school district.
Librarians select thousands of books each year based on descriptions of the content, age recommendations, awards and other types of information. When parents make complaints, they work with them to handle the situation, she said.
Kimery, however, raised questions about the complaints directed at “Me, Earl and the Dying Girl,” pointing out it is a high school book. In her investigation, she could not find anything showing it was in an elementary school or middle school in the state.
The book does contain sexually graphic language in a couple of places, but it is written for students age 15 to 18, some of whom are old enough to serve in the military, Kimery said.
Librarians are worried this type of legislation will create a “slippery slope” for widespread book bans, she added.
“We’re providing books that meet the needs of our students, books they’re interested in reading because we want them to have books to choose from so they will become lifelong learners and readers, books that support the curriculum,” Kimery said.
What the hell is in GOPer water that makes them such a mess? This is stone age crap. Next they'll be drowning women to prove they are not witches. (A LOT OF CUSSING) pathetic Nazi jackasses.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Thursday is introducing a bill to abolish Section 230 — the law the protects online platforms from liability — on the heels of Twitter accepting Elon Musk’s offer to buy the company and take it private.
Greene’s bill would eliminate the law making online platforms not liable for content posted by third parties and replace it with a provision to require “reasonable, non-discriminatory access to online communications platforms” through a “common carrier” framework that Greene compared to airlines or package delivery services.
Republicans have long claimed that social media platforms have an anti-conservative bias, pointing to tweets that have been taken down and the removal of entire feeds from networks.
The most prominent Republican who has seen his feeds taken down is former President Trump, who was permanently banned from Twitter after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, which led to his impeachment for instigating the chaos. Trump was not convicted in the Senate, though every Democrat and seven Republicans voted to convict.
Greene’s personal Twitter account was permanently suspended in January after she repeatedly violated the platform’s policy on misinformation relating to COVID-19, though her official congressional account remains active.
Tech companies have disputed the arguments that they have a bias against conservatives, and right-wing Facebook pages regularly have top-performing posts on the nation’s most used social media platform.
A February report from New York University found that the claims of a bias are not backed by evidence, saying that “no trustworthy large-scale studies have determined that conservative content is being removed for ideological reasons or that searches are being manipulated to favor liberal interests.”
Titled the 21st Century FREE Speech Act, Greene’s measure will serve as the House version of a Senate bill sponsored by Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.).
To combat the alleged bias against conservatives, it would prevent online communications platforms from exerting “undue or unreasonable preference or advantage to any particular person, class of persons, political or religious group or affiliation, or locality” and would provide consumers a mechanism to sue for violations.
It would allow providers to restrict access to lewd and obscene material like pornography, excessively violent content, harassing content and unlawful content. Companies would be required to disclose their content moderation policies to users.
Greene cast the legislation as protecting Twitter under Musk, who has said he wants to combat censorship and has been cheered on by the right as he has moved to take over the company.
“If Elon Musk actually does what he’s setting out to do, this actually will protect him,” Greene told The Hill in an interview. “It’ll stop any type of overarching intervention that will force him to limit people’s free speech, whether it’s the Biden administration or some other bill that becomes law.”
While Greene has warred with Twitter, she thinks her bill will affect other social media platforms more.
“I think it’ll affect Facebook drastically. We already know what Facebook engaged in, especially through the 2020 election, covering up the Hunter Biden laptop story, the New York Post story,” Greene said, adding that YouTube is “very guilty” as well. “They’ve kicked tons of people off.”
Unlike Twitter, Facebook did not fully block the link to the New York Post’s October 2020 story on Hunter Biden’s laptop. But Facebook said that it reduced the story’s distribution on the platform.
Greene, who was stripped of her committee assignments soon after being sworn into office last year over posts about conspiracy theories and liking a Facebook comment that called for the assassination of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), was making plans to introduce the bill before Musk announced plans to buy Twitter.
After her personal Twitter account was permanently banned, she said she spent a lot of time evaluating various bills that aim to take on Big Tech companies and thought Hagerty’s bill was most effective. Musk’s move to buy Twitter caused her to speed up the process, she said.
“Elon Musk buying Twitter and talking about defending free speech has ramped up the Democrats’ efforts to want to clamp down on speech. And so that made me realize, you know, that I need to introduce this now,” Greene said.
Greene said that she did not think the bill would shutter smaller social media companies by making them more open to lawsuits with its elimination of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
“Small companies can definitely get started. They can survive,” Greene said.
“Social media would be a common carrier very much like FedEx or the airlines where no matter who you are, you can buy a plane ticket and then fly somewhere,” she said.
The bill’s introduction marks a shift into more serious policy for the firebrand Georgia congresswoman. Other bills and resolutions led by Greene include articles of impeachment against President Biden, a resolution to remove Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Ca.) from the House, a bill to “stop the spread of taxpayer-funded bioweapons” and a bill to fire Anthony Fauci. She has co-sponsored 132 other bills.
Hagerty welcomed Greene for leading the bill in the House.
“These Big Tech platforms are the modern day public square, which is why the 21st Century FREE Speech Act would treat them as common carriers who must provide reasonable, nondiscriminatory access to all users. I’m pleased to have Representative Greene’s partnership in this effort to put the American people back in charge of what they say or hear online,” Hagerty said in a statement.
Greene said that the bill would still allow companies to remove content deemed to be harassment, noting that she has been on the receiving end of such messages.
“Social media, unfortunately, is a place where people feel powerful to say things behind the keyboard that they probably would never say to someone’s face, they certainly shouldn’t say at all. So that is — it’s unfortunate,” Greene said.
Her bill introduction also comes days after The New York Times published audio from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) speaking to other House GOP leaders in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack in which he wondered whether social media companies could take away Republican members’ accounts.
“It’s hurtful to hear things said about social media because I believe in free speech and no one should lose their social media account. None of us did anything wrong,” Greene said of McCarthy’s comments.
But she acknowledged that McCarthy’s office has helped her in trying to reinstate her Twitter account.
McConnell overestimated number of GOP senators who’d vote to convict Trump: book
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) overestimated the number of Republican senators he thought would vote to convict former President Trump during his second impeachment trial in the upper chamber, according to a new book.
In the book, “This Will Not Pass,” New York Times journalists Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin report that McConnell thought there would be 17 GOP votes to convict Trump the weekend after Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Trump was impeached in the House in connection to the Capitol insurrection, during which several people died, including a Capitol Police officer.
“McConnell told his advisers there would be at least 17 Senate Republicans ready to affirm Trump’s impeachment, supplying the two-thirds vote needed to convict,” the authors wrote, according to the excerpt obtained by McClatchy DC.
One of the reporters said McConnell pulled him aside after the Capitol riot to see if they had heard any information on if other Republicans would support using the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office.
However, when the time came and only seven people in the Republican Party were willing to impeach Trump, McConnell changed his tune.
“I didn’t get to be leader by voting with five people in the conference,” McConnell reportedly said.
McConnell ended up adopting the argument presented to him by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), which was that the Senate can’t impeach a private citizen, reportedly believing it was a “smart position for him to take and predicted many other Senate Republicans would follow suit.”
After the riot, McConnell put the Senate on recess until Jan. 19, right before Trump left office.
“It wasn’t going to happen — he wasn’t going to be a leader who stood with 15 percent of the caucus,” a longtime adviser to McConnell told the authors.
Democrats, according to the book, believed if McConnell pushed for impeachment harder, he could have convinced more Republicans to vote for Trump’s impeachment, McClatchy DC reported.
Since the riot and impeachment trial, McConnell has sought to keep his distance from Trump and has been reluctant to answer questions about the former president.
Trump, for his part, has taken to slamming McConnell, referring to him as “Old Crow” in statements since taking office.
In a different excerpt from the book reported by Punchbowl News, Trump told the authors McConnell was to blame for his leaving office, alleging that he would still be in the White House now if McConnell bought into his claims that the 2020 election was “stolen” from him.
The Hill has reached out to McConnell’s office for comment.
Exonerated? Looks to me like they knew he was guilty as hell but were too afraid of the bat crap crazy base to do the right thing. Claiming he was exonerated is a farce.
And then this idiot chimed in:
Trump said he’d be in White House instead of Mar-a-Lago if it weren’t for McConnell: book
Former President Trump told New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns that he would still be in the White House if Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had bought into his false election claims.
”Had Mitch stuck with many members of the party who knew the election was rigged, I think we wouldn’t be at Mar-a-Lago,” Trump said in an interview at his resort in Florida, an excerpt of the reporters’ “This Will Not Pass” book that was obtained by Punchbowl News states.
“We would be at the White House having this conversation,” he added.
Trump and McConnell’s relationship nose-dived after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot amid Trump’s stolen election claims.
Trump is “practically and morally responsible for provoking the events” of Jan. 6, McConnell said after the former president’s second impeachment trial.
McConnell recently said in an interview, however, that he would support Trump if he became the GOP presidential nominee in 2024.
“I think I have an obligation to support the nominee of my party,” McConnell said. “That will mean that whoever the nominee is has gone out and earned the nomination.”
Trump has not been so forgiving, frequently referring to McConnell as “Old Crow.”
“Why is it that Old Crow Mitch McConnell voted for a terrible Democrat Socialist Infrastructure Plan, and induced others in his Party to do likewise, when he was incapable of getting a great Infrastructure Plan wanting to be put forward by me and the Republican Party?” Trump asked after McConnell voted last year for the bipartisan infrastructure plan.
The latest excerpt has come after a week of bombshells from the book, including tapes with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) suggesting Trump should resign if he was impeached after the riot.
Trump dismissed tensions with McCarthy in the Mar-a-Lago interview and when asked why the House GOP leader claims to be tougher with Trump in private than in public, Trump summed it up to an “inferiority complex,” according to Punchbowl.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Thursday is introducing a bill to abolish Section 230 — the law the protects online platforms from liability — on the heels of Twitter accepting Elon Musk’s offer to buy the company and take it private.
This doesn't make sense.
She wants online platforms to get sued for what a 3rd party posts but she also wants free speech on the internet and is opposed to those platforms blocking or deleting posts because that is censorship. How is that supposed to work?
She's a very stupid person. If you were expecting even a modicum of logic, you're sadly mistaken. This is the mainstream right today. Lost like farts in a whirl wind to their own rhetoric. They can't even keep it all straight in their minds. Or they can't recall (especially their crimes).
Still trying to deflect about who tried to overthrow the election? Still trying to deflect about Charlottesville? The fascists have shown who they really are and deflecting as well as denying it won't change that.
“Can’t you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something?” Trump asked, according to an excerpt in Esper’s book “A Sacred Oath,” Axios reported.
Context: Esper enraged Trump by publicly stating in June 2020 that he opposed invoking the Insurrection Act — an 1807 law that permits the president to use active-duty troops on U.S. soil — in order to quell protests against racial injustice.
I know, i know. The excuse will be that he's lying because he's trying to sell a book. What ever it takes to make yourself feel better about it I guess.
So does that mean you think the outcome of the 2020 presidential election was fair and correct? Just curious since you say you've never said anything about it.
I think there are plenty of things that are out of whack with our election process but I don't think it affected the outcome in 2020. I think the process is open to plenty of fraud and think we would all be fairly naive to think it doesn't go on (to some extent) on both sides.
I think there are some really silly things people complain about. Having to verify your identify being the most ludicrous... I mean really? You shouldn't need a proper ID to vote?
I'm hopeful that sometime in my lifetime we can jump on a PC and have a verification process that will allow us to vote from the comfort of our home. Not real keen on the amount of ballots being passed from person to person to person through the vehicle of the most inept government agency available -- the USPS.
And I'll add... we've had a number of elections come into question over the past 20 years... and that will continue. Acting like complaining about the validity of an election is a "GOP thing" is a bit ridiculous.
You sure used a lot of qualifiers. And no I'm not trying to say "Acting like complaining about the validity of an election is a "GOP thing". But riling up a bunch of people to use violence to attack the Capital to overturn election results is. Most people fully understand the difference.
You sure used a lot of qualifiers. And no I'm not trying to say "Acting like complaining about the validity of an election is a "GOP thing". But riling up a bunch of people to use violence to attack the Capital to overturn election results is. Most people fully understand the difference.
"Jesus was not killed by atheism and anarchy. He was brought down by law and order allied with religion, which is always a deadly mix. Beware those who claim to know the mind of God and who are prepared to use force, if necessary, to make others conform. Beware those who cannot tell God's will from their own. Temple police are always a bad sign. When chaplains start wearing guns and hanging out at the sheriff's office, watch out. Someone is about to have no king but Caesar"
“He [Donald Trump] is an unprincipled person who, given his self-interest, should not be in the position of public service.” -- Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, under Donald Trump.
Every single tell-all book that has been published paints the same picture of this man:
shallow hollow greedy morally, ethically and intellectually bereft.
Manifestly unfit to be even the mayor of Mayberry.
“He [Donald Trump] is an unprincipled person who, given his self-interest, should not be in the position of public service.” -- Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, under Donald Trump.
Every single tell-all book that has been published paints the same picture of this man:
shallow hollow greedy morally, ethically and intellectually bereft.
Manifestly unfit to be even the mayor of Mayberry.
We all knew that going in, that was as predictable as the sun rising in the east.
We all knew that going in, that was as predictable as the sun rising in the east.
No - that's a gross misrepresentation and possible misunderstanding of the situation. Over 74 Million Americans voted for Trump in 2020. Everyone did not know that going in and many still don't because they get their propaganda from Fox or one of the other Right Wing outlets that are even worse.
Democrats and true Conservatives talking amongst themselves about what an obvious Douche Donny is while ignoring the (still) mass popular xenophobic and hate filled message Trump and his cronies spew is a huge problem. Transparency, education and engagement is needed with (some of) the 74 million.
The only positive thing I can think of by Trump leading the Republican party is that we found out there were a lot more far right extremists willing to use cheating, lying and supporting the overthrow of democracy than we ever thought there were. We now know their numbers are much higher than we would have ever thought before. That's probably the only truthful thing Trump has ever brought to light.
US man charged with wife’s murder wins Republican town primary from jail
Andrew Wilhoite, 40, of Lebanon, Indiana, accused of killing Nikki Wilhoite with flower pot and dumping her body in nearby creek
A central Indiana man accused of murdering his wife and dumping her body in a creek in March has won a Republican primary election for township board in the state – from jail.
Andrew Wilhoite, 40, of Lebanon received 60 of the 276 total votes on Tuesday for Republicans for three positions on the Clinton township board, Boone county election results showed.
Wilhoite was arrested in late March in connection with the death of 41-year-old Elizabeth “Nikki” Wilhoite, whom, the authorities suspect, was killed by a blow from a gallon-sized concrete flower pot, the Indianapolis Star reports.
He has been held since then in the Boone county jail without bond, charged with murder.
Indiana police allege Andrew Wilhoite struck Nikki Wilhoite in the head with a blunt object, knocking her out.
He then put her in a vehicle and drove to a creek a few miles from their home and dumped her body there after dropping it from a bridge, police allege.
Police found Nikki Wilhoite’s body on 26 March partially submerged in about three feet of water.
Court records indicate Nikki Wilhoite filed for divorce on 17 March. The couple had been married for 12 years.
Andrew Wilhoite’s jury trial is scheduled for 29 August, court records show.
If he is convicted of a felony before the 8 November general election, he would automatically be removed from the ballot. No Democrats have filed for the board.
“Under our legal system, every person is innocent until proven guilty,” said Brad King, co-director of the Indiana Election Division.
A message seeking further comment was left on Friday by the Associated Press for Wilhoite’s attorney.
The township board has three members and only three people stood for election.
Nikki Wilhoite was reported missing on 25 March after failing to report for work.
You kind of got me! Woohoo for U. Big whoop for me. Those republicans in the Senate are still POSs. And you can't prove me wrong.
Sure there are MTG.
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