American Politics thread: No Nazis Allowed
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https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/06/19/day-881/
Day 881: Misplaced certainty
1/ The EPA rolled back Obama's Clean Power Plan, allowing states to set their own carbon emissions standards for coal-fired power plants and limits the agency's authority to set national restrictions on carbon emissions in the future. Andrew Wheeler, the EPA administrator, insisted that the new plan will reduce carbon emissions in the power sector 34% below 2005 levels – roughly equal to the goals of the Clean Power Plan. Experts, however, say the U.S. power sector needs to cut its emissions 74% over 2005 levels by 2030 to keep global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. As of last year, the power sector had cut its greenhouse gas emissions 27% compared with 2005. The EPA also said the new rules could result in 1,400 more premature deaths by 2030 than the Obama-era plan. (New York Times / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / CNN / Axios)
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/politics/epa-rolls-back-obama-coal-emissions/index.html
2/ Hope Hicks refused to answer questions during a closed-door hearing before the House Judiciary Committee as part of their ongoing investigation into whether Trump obstructed justice. While the White House did not formally assert executive privilege to block Hicks from answering questions, White House Counsel Pat Cipollone's said Hicks was "absolutely immune" from discussing her tenure in the Trump administration. Hicks, however, is a private citizen. Hicks also wouldn't answer questions as basic as where she sat in the West Wing or whether she told the truth to Mueller. Meanwhile on Twitter, Trump accused Democrats of putting Hicks "through hell" and seeking a "Do Over" of the Mueller investigation. The Judiciary Committee said it will release a full transcript of the interview within 48 hours. (Politico / Washington Post / New York Times / NBC News / Daily Beast /CNN)
Earlier Today: House Democrats will question former White House communications director Hope Hicks during a closed-door session of the Judiciary Committee. Lawmakers intend to ask Hicks about five specific incidents of possible obstruction of justice outlined in the Mueller report. White House counsel Pat Cipollone claimed in a letter that Hicks is "absolutely immune" from answering any questions about her time working for the White House and for the Trump transition team. The committee also plans to ask Hicks about the hush money payments that Trump made to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal. (Politico / Washington Post)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/18/hope-hicks-donald-trump-obstruction-1368197
3/ Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is privately claiming that Iran has ties to Al Qaeda in order to justify invoking the 2001 war authorization and allow the Trump administration to go to war with Iran. The 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force permits the U.S. to wage war on Al Qaeda and its allies. While Pompeo claimed Trump "does not want war," Trump ordered 2,500 additional troops to the region recently. On Monday, the Pentagon said it would send an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East. (New York Times / Washington Post)
Senator Tom Cotton wants to launch a "retaliatory strike" on Iran for the two recent tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman. "Whatever Iran thinks they can do to the United States or our security partners in the region we can do tenfold to them," Cotton said. "One hundredfold to them." (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/19/tom-cotton-iran-attack-trump-1369863
Tucker Carlson has privately advised Trump against taking military action against Iran. The Fox News host compared Pompeo's "misplaced certainty" that Iran attacked the tankers to former Secretary of State Colin Powell's now-discredited claim that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. (Daily Beast)
https://www.thedailybeast.com/fox-news-tucker-carlson-privately-advises-trump-against-iran-war
poll/ 67% of Democrats want lawmakers to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump – up from 59% in April. (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/19/impeachment-democrats-poll-congress-1368158
Notables
A U.N. investigator called for further investigation into Saudi officials, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, regarding the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. U.N. Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard released a 101-page report detailing her months-long investigation into Khashoggi's death, providing new details which Callamard says place the blame for the murder beyond just the 11 Saudi agents who are currently on trial. Callamard said Khashoggi's death amounted to an extrajudicial killing, possibly involving torture, for which the Saudi kingdom is responsible. (Washington Post / CNN / The Guardian / Wall Street Journal)
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/middleeast/khashoggi-saudi-arabia-report-intl/index.html
Trump vowed to cure cancer and ends AIDS if he's elected to a second term. Trump promised to "come up with the cures to many, many problems, to many, many diseases" as he officially kicked off his 2020 campaign in Orlando. (CBS News)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-cure-cancer-aids-joe-biden-orlando-campaign-rally/
Trump Jr. mocked Joe Biden for saying he wants to cure cancer. Junior's remarks came shortly before his father made the same promise to the same audience. (Washington Post)
Trump took credit for passing a veteran's health care bill that was signed into law by Obama in 2014. The Veterans Choice program allows veterans to see doctors outside the government-run VA system at taxpayer expense. (The Hill / Associated Press)
https://www.apnews.com/375515aecedb4aed949e4f2eb9c54eb6
Trump refused to apologize for the full-page ad he ran in 1989 calling for the execution of the Central Park Five who were exonerated in 2002 after Matias Reyes confessed to raping the woman, which was backed up by DNA evidence. Trump suggested the men might still be guilty, because "they admitted their guilt." "You have people on both sides of that," Trump added. A new Netflix series has renewed scrutiny surrounding the Central Park Jogger case. (NBC News / ABC News / Washington Post / USA Today)
Sarah Huckabee Sanders is "extremely serious" about running for governor of Arkansas. Sanders is preparing to leave her current role as White House press secretary at the end of the month and has been privately considering a gubernatorial run for months. (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/19/sarah-huckabee-sanders-arkansas-governor-1369873
Today marks 100 days without an on-camera White House press briefing. The previous record was 42 days. (CNN)
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/media/reliable-sources-06-18-19/index.html
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https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/06/20/day-882/
[h=1]Day 882: The best is yet to come[/h]
1/ Trump warned that Iran "made a very big mistake" after its military claimed responsibility for shooting down an American drone in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed the drone "violated" Iranian airspace, while U.S. military claimed the unmanned aircraft was taken down in "an unprovoked attack on a U.S. surveillance asset" over international airspace. Trump called the action "a new fly in the ointment" and a "very foolish move," saying the "this country will not stand for it, that I can tell you." Trump added that it also could have been a "mistake" by someone "loose and stupid." A top Iranian commander, meanwhile, warned that Iran was "fully ready for war." And, when asked whether the U.S. would attack Iran, Trump responded: "You'll soon find out." (ABC News / Associated Press / New York Times / Politico / The Guardian / NBC News / CNN / CNBC)
2/ The Senate voted to block the sale of $8.1 billion in munitions to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In back-to-back votes, the Senate passed three measures to block Trump from using his emergency authority to complete the arms sales, but fell short of the support needed to overcome a pledged veto. Trump is expected to veto the Senate's resolutions. (New York Times / Politico / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post)
3/ A federal appeals court ruled that the Trump administration's family planning "gag rule" can immediately take effect nationwide. The ruling lifts national injunctions ordered by lower federal courts in Oregon and Washington state, as well as a statewide injunction in California, allowing the Trump administration to strip federal Title X funding from any clinic that provides abortions or abortion referrals. Planned Parenthood faces a cut of $60 million in Title X funds. (Washington Post / Politico)
4/ A watchdog group filed a complaint claiming Ivanka Trump violated the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in elections in their official capacity. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington cited a tweet from Ivanka Trump two days before Trump's 2020 campaign launch that included the campaign slogan "Make America Great Again" and stated "the best is yet to come." (The Guardian / The Hill)
5/ Felix Sater will testify before the House Intelligence Committee tomorrow about his experience working on the proposed Trump Tower Moscow. The closed-door interview is part of House Democrats' investigation into Trump's plans to expand his business operations in Russia during the 2016 election. Sater is a U.S. citizen who worked on two separate efforts to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. He was originally scheduled to testify in March, but his appearance was postponed. (Washington Post)
6/ Deutsche Bank is being investigated by federal authorities over questions of whether it complied with anti-money-laundering laws. Investigators will review the bank's handling of suspicious activity reports about potentially problematic transactions, including some linked to Jared Kushner. The criminal investigation is one part of several separate but overlapping government probes into financial corruption and the flow of illicit funds through the U.S. financial system. Several other banks are also under investigation. (New York Times)
7/ Three more senators received a classified Pentagon briefing about a series of reported Navy encounters with UFOs. A growing number of members from key oversight committees have requested similar briefings. Sen. Mark Warner was one of the latest three to be briefed on what Warner's spokesperson referred to as an "unidentified aerial phenomenon." The briefing comes several days after Trump claimed he had also been briefed on the reports. "People are saying they're seeing UFOs. Do I believe it? Not particularly." (Politico / ABC News) -
I don't have articles to quote, but from what I've followed in the news today:
-The U.S almost went to war with Iran, if not for the watchful eye of Donald Trump. In other words, Trump's collection of war hawks seem hungry for a chance for war, and our only chance of avoiding it is a man who can't pay attention for more than 5 minutes. Holy shit.
-ICE is supposedly going to crack down on illegal immigrants in greater numbers, creating a disturbing gestapo situation. Not helping that Nazi feeling is the fact that Trump's White House is arguing against providing detainees with basic care.
-The House's investigations are being stonewalled, and not enough is being done. Whereas earlier I was actually pretty patient with Nancy Pelosi's slow pace strategy, I'm losing that now.
In short, it feels like today is a particularly bad news day. If I can point to one good story, I'll say take relative comfort that, meanwhile, Sean Hannity is in another media scandal.
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Here's some links that most cover some/all of your reports:
https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/06/21/day-883/
Day 883: "Cocked and loaded."
1/ Trump authorized a retaliatory military strike on Iran but called it off 10 minutes before because the response would not have been "proportionate." The planned attack, ordered after Iranian forces shot down a Navy drone over the Strait of Hormuz, would have involved airstrikes and killed approximately 150 people. Officials said Trump had initially approved the attacks. Earlier, Trump tweeted that he was "cocked and loaded" for a strike, but later disputed that, claiming "nothing was green lighted." (New York Times / New York Times / ABC News / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / Los Angeles Times / Bloomberg)
Putin said he's open for a meeting with Trump, but that a U.S. military conflict with Iran would be a "catastrophe." Putin added that he believed Iran was complying with its commitments to the Iran nuclear deal. Hours later, Trump tweeted that he was in "no hurry" to confront Iran and called off the planned airstrike. (Associated Press / ABC News)
https://www.apnews.com/2c1d6e923a7349e29daf0e00a956f2d8
The White House did not notify House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Trump's plans to strike Iran. Pelosi is second in line to the presidency. (Washington Post)
Fox & Friends called Trump's decision to abandon airstrikes against Iran a "weakness, and weakness begets more attacks." Hosts Brian Kilmeade insisted that "North Korea's watching. Turkey's watching. Russia's watching. China…" (Daily Beast)
Iran received a message from Trump via Oman warning that an attack on Iran was imminent. Iranian officials said Trump claimed he was "against any war with Iran and wanted to talk to Tehran about various issues." They also said Trump "gave a short period of time to get our response but Iran's immediate response was that it is up to Supreme Leader." Another official said they would deliver Trump's message to the Ayatollah, "however, we told the Omani official that any attack against Iran will have regional and international consequences." (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-iran-usa-oman-exclusive-idUSKCN1TM0UZ
2/ Trump directed ICE to conduct a mass roundup of migrant families that have received deportation orders. The Sunday raids – dubbed the "family op" – will take place in as many as 10 cities and could target about 2,000 immigrants facing deportation orders. (Washington Post / NBC News)
ICE has deported more immigrants during the first eight months of this fiscal year than any full fiscal year of Trump's presidency, but he has yet to match Obama's early deportation numbers. ICE deportations fell to 226,119 in fiscal 2017 and then rose to more than 250,000 in fiscal 2018 before the Trump administration hit a high of 282,242 as of June this fiscal year. (Axios)
A legal team interviewed 60 children at a migrant detention facility near El Paso, TX and were told stories of neglect and mistreatment at the hands of the U.S. government. The lawyers warned that kids are forced to take care of other kids. There is also inadequate food, water, and sanitation for the 250 infants, children, and teens currently detained at the Border Patrol station. (Associated Press / NBC News)
https://apnews.com/46da2dbe04f54adbb875cfbc06bbc615
3/ Trump threatened a Time magazine reporter with prison after a photographer tried to take a photo of the letter sent to him by Kim Jong Un. Trump showed four reporters the letter he said was "written by Kim Jong Un" and then he asked to go off-the-record. Later in the interview, the subject turned to Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 campaign, and instead of answering the question, Trump lashed out about the photographer's attempt to take a shot of the letter from Kim. "Well, you can go to prison, instead, because if you use, if you use the photograph you took of the letter that I gave you…" (Time / CNN / Washington Post / Daily Beast)
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/21/media/time-photographer-trump-threat/index.html
4/ Trump rejected an allegation by journalist E. Jean Carroll that he sexually assaulted her in a Manhattan department store dressing room in the 1990s, saying that he has "never met this person in my life." According to Carroll, she met Trump inside Bergdorf Goodman when he told her he was buying a gift for "a girl" and needed help. While in the lingerie section, Carroll said Trump suggested a lace bodysuit, and encouraged her to try it on. "The moment the dressing-room door is closed, he lunges at me, pushes me against the wall, hitting my head quite badly, and puts his mouth against my lips," Carroll writes. "He seizes both my arms and pushes me up against the wall a second time, and, as I become aware of how large he is, he holds me against the wall with his shoulder and jams his hand under my coat dress and pulls down my tights." More than a dozen women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct. Trump, meanwhile, said: "Shame on those who make up false stories of assault to try to get publicity for themselves, or sell a book, or carry out a political agenda." (New York Magazine / Politico / Daily Beast)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/21/trump-dismisses-new-sexual-assault-allegation-1376698
5/ The House Intelligence Committee issued a subpoena to Felix Sater after he failed to show up for a voluntary interview. The Russia-born business executive worked with Michael Cohen to build a Trump Tower in Moscow before the 2016 election. Trump never disclosed the ongoing Trump Tower Moscow negotiations while he was running for president and repeatedly claimed that he has "nothing to do with Russia." Sater said he was feeling ill and slept through his alarm. (Politico / NBC News / Reuters / The Hill)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-sater-idUSKCN1TM1TY
YESTERDAY: Sater said he "will answer every question without exception" and planned to discuss previously undisclosed details about his efforts to get a Trump tower built in Moscow. (Washington Post)
Federal prosecutors alleged that Roger Stone violated his gag order with recent social media posts. Stone was banned by Judge Amy Berman Jackson from making public statements about his case in February, after he posted on Instagram a photo of the judge with crosshairs behind her head. (CNN)
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/20/politics/roger-stone-gag-order-challenge/index.html
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So, today alone
1. Trump accused of forcible rape by a famous writer
2. Trump threatens to jail a reporter
3. Trump adviser Sean Hannity faces a possible federal investigation on obstruction that involves Donald Trump as a co-conspirator
4. Trump lies to America about a national security briefing that almost led to war-The U.S almost went to war with Iran, if not for the watchful eye of Donald Trump. In other words, Trump's collection of war hawks seem hungry for a chance for war, and our only chance of avoiding it is a man who can't pay attention for more than 5 minutes. Holy shit.
That's…not quite what happened. Trump's story is he okayed the go ahead, and no one told him what the casualties would be. Then 10 minutes before th strike, he was tole there would be casualties, and he called it off.
That's... not how that works. Casualty predictions are upfront in the report. Maybe Trump didn't READ said report and didn't care, but even if that's the cae, casualties wouldn't have stopped HIM from doing it. So he's saying whatever he thinks makes him look better.
Best guesses are Fox News in the morning told him war was good, and then Fox News in the afternoon had Tucker Carlson say it was bad, and he changed his mind. Or, he got a message from his boss Putin.
Either way thats crazy, and it's all just such a terrifying mishmash of obvious blatant lie about almost going to war.... it's just insane.
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The entire Fox News network needs a top down reshaping. They are a dangerous chaotic element to politics and go far beyond their reach of what a news organization is intended to conduct.
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Fox isn't a news organization.
No really, it legally isn't. They have to classify themselves as "entertainment" in order to not fall under fire to a LOT of a laws regulating news.
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Respected writer: "I was raped by Donald Trump." (remember: this is the first sexual misconduct allegation that involves actual penetration)
NYT/CNN/etc.: lol who cares
AOC: "Concentration camps are concentration camps."
NYT/CNN/etc.: 3000 articles tone-policing AOC and accusing Democrats of dirty politics
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Can you please not start another war U.S.A., please!
The rest of the world.
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The war hawks have learned nothing from Iraq. Sadly, I'm not surprised by this. All the chicken hawks will be stirred up in jingoistic patriotic ferver, and any dissent will be viewed as "weakness".
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The war hawks have learned nothing from Iraq. Sadly, I'm not surprised by this. All the chicken hawks will be stirred up in jingoistic patriotic ferver, and any dissent will be viewed as "weakness".
I'm sure they've learned plenty. War=$$$.
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So, today alone
1. Trump accused of forcible rape by a famous writer
2. Trump threatens to jail a reporter
3. Trump adviser Sean Hannity faces a possible federal investigation on obstruction that involves Donald Trump as a co-conspirator
4. Trump lies to America about a national security briefing that almost led to warThat's…not quite what happened. Trump's story is he okayed the go ahead, and no one told him what the casualties would be. Then 10 minutes before th strike, he was tole there would be casualties, and he called it off.
That's... not how that works. Casualty predictions are upfront in the report. Maybe Trump didn't READ said report and didn't care, but even if that's the cae, casualties wouldn't have stopped HIM from doing it. So he's saying whatever he thinks makes him look better.
Best guesses are Fox News in the morning told him war was good, and then Fox News in the afternoon had Tucker Carlson say it was bad, and he changed his mind. Or, he got a message from his boss Putin.
Either way thats crazy, and it's all just such a terrifying mishmash of obvious blatant lie about almost going to war.... it's just insane.
Yes, this is a better summary. I forgot to factor in Trump's constant lying and his stupid attempts to scare people into working out deals.
Speaking of which, it seems Trump is delaying those ICE raids for two weeks in order to "see if Democrats and Republicans can work together on a solution." So, he's either angling for a deal, or using this as a excuse to back out of this idea. Either way, what a knob.
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Remember when the Democrats held hearings on the various credible accusations of sexual assault against the president?
Nope, me neither.
But they did support the president in starting a war with Iran.
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https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/06/24/day-886/
Day 886: Restraint
1/ Trump signed an executive order imposing new, "hard-hitting" sanctions on Iran in response to the downing of an unmanned U.S. drone last week. The new sanctions will deny Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and eight Iranian military commanders access to "key financial resources and support." Trump also warned that U.S. "restraint" has limits. (New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / CNBC)https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/24/trump-sanctions-iran-over-downed-drone.html
Trump approved an offensive cyberstrike that disabled Iranian computer systems used to control rocket and missile launches. U.S. Cyber Command launched the cyberstrikes against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps last week. (Washington Post)
2/ Trump delayed planned nationwide ICE raids for two weeks to see if Congress can "work out a solution." Immigration agents had planned to sweep and deport people living the U.S. illegally in 10 major cities beginning Sunday. Hours after defending the plan, Trump delayed the raids on Saturday. Earlier in the week, Trump threatened to arrest and deport "millions of illegal aliens" next week. ICE leaders expressed concerns that officers' safety would be in jeopardy because too many details about the raids had been made public. (Associated Press / New York Times / CNN / Politico / ABC News)
https://apnews.com/70c173c8d213438e9fbef4d1f2bba07b
The Trump administration moved most of the children from a remote Border Patrol station in Texas following reports that more than 300 children were detained there with inadequate food, water and sanitation. (Associated Press)
3/ The Trump administration stopped promoting dozens of taxpayer-funded studies about the impacts of climate change. The studies include a discovery that rice loses vitamins in a carbon-rich environment, a finding that climate change would exacerbate allergy seasons, and a warning to farmers about an expected reduction in the quality of important grasses used to feed and raise cattle. All of the studies were peer-reviewed and cleared through the Agricultural Research Service. (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/23/agriculture-department-climate-change-1376413
More than 70 medical and public health groups warned that climate change is "a health emergency." The health organizations' policy recommendations are at odds with Trump's approach. (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/ce88bd15279749dbabcde34c8ef3dc28
Pence refused to say whether climate change was a legitimate threat to the U.S. Instead, Pence said that the Trump administration would "always follow the science" on the issue. (Axios / The Hill)
https://www.axios.com/mike-pence-climate-change-threat-198bedd7-b724-4330-87b5-754f81c278f8.html
4/ Nearly 100 internal Trump transition team vetting documents were leaked, revealing a wide range of "red flags" about several officials who went on to secure high-ranking positions in the Trump administration. (Axios / Business Insider / Daily Beast)
https://www.axios.com/leaked-donald-trump-vetting-docs-hbo-6ce3cd26-1eb9-4da8-b15e-47b56020aef7.html
Former EPA administrator Scott Pruitt had a section in his vetting form titled: "allegations of coziness with big energy companies."
Former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price had sections in his dossier flagging "criticisms of management ability" and "Dysfunction And Division Has Haunted Price's Leadership Of The House Budget Committee."
Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney had several "red flags," including his assessment that Trump "is not a very good person."
The Trump transition team was so worried about Rudy Giuliani being chosen as secretary of state that they created a separate 25-page document titled "Rudy Giuliani Business Ties Research Dossier" with many accounts of his "foreign entanglements."
The transition team was worried that Gen. David Petraeus "Is Opposed to Torture."
Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had ties to Russia.
Kris Kobach, who was once in the running for homeland security secretary, had "white supremacy" as one of his vulnerabilities.
Nikki Haley, who would go on to be U.N. ambassador, was flagged for saying that Trump is everything "we teach our kids not to do in kindergarten."
Notables
The White House is expected to block a former White House deputy counsel from answering House Judiciary Committee's written questions. Annie Donaldson was the top deputy to former White House Counsel Don McGahn, who, according to Robert Mueller, was directed by Trump on several occasions to fire the special counsel. (Politico)https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/23/white-house-immunity-testimony-mcgahn-donaldson-1376950
Trump nominated Mark Esper to be the next defense secretary following the abrupt resignation of acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan. Esper is currently the secretary of the Army and former West Point classmate of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. (New York Times / Politico)
Fox News host Jeanine Pirro lobbied for a top Justice Department job under Jeff Sessions, which Trump considered. Sessions, however, blocked the appointment and then Pirro attacked Sessions on her show for recusing himself from the Russia investigation, calling him the most "dangerous person" in the U.S. (Washington Post / Talking Points Memo)
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-pirro-justice-department-fox-news
Trump said appointing Sessions as his first attorney general was his "biggest mistake" and that he'd like a "do over" on the decision. (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-sessions-idUSKCN1TO0TH
White House officials have refused to tell House Democrats what happened to the interpreter notes from Trump's private meeting with Putin. The House Oversight Committee argues that the notes are federal records that must be preserved under record-keeping laws. The White House, however, won't say whether Trump destroyed or in any way altered the interpreter notes. (Washington Post)
The House Oversight Committee will vote to subpoena Kellyanne Conway related to her violations of the Hatch Act if she does not voluntarily appear at the committee's hearing. The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activities in their official capacity, and the civil service watchdog known as the Office of Special Counsel determined earlier this month that Conway violated the act by "disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in an official capacity during television interviews and on social media." Conway claimed that House Democrats are seeking her testimony in retaliation for successfully managing Trump's 2016 campaign. [Breaking News: The White House moved to block Conway from testifying to Congress about alleged violations of the Hatch Act.] (Axios / Washington Post)
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N](https://www.texastribune.org/2019/06/24/texas-border-facility-donations-turned-away/?utm_campaign=trib-social&utm_content=1561414500&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter)ot only are Republicans so evil they're denying soap and tooth brushes to be bought for immigrants.
They won't even ACCEPT DONATED ones.
Fucking evil.
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Actors are reading the report live now. John Lithgow is reading Trump's lines. It seems pretty great.
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Dammit, I missed it. But all the more reasons to like those actors.
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N](https://www.texastribune.org/2019/06/24/texas-border-facility-donations-turned-away/?utm_campaign=trib-social&utm_content=1561414500&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter)ot only are Republicans so evil they're denying soap and tooth brushes to be bought for immigrants.
They won't even ACCEPT DONATED ones.
Fucking evil.
You know things are getting pretty damn bad when Somali pirates are more humane to their hostages.
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https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/06/24/day-886/
Day 886: Restraint
1/ Trump signed an executive order imposing new, "hard-hitting" sanctions on Iran in response to the downing of an unmanned U.S. drone last week. The new sanctions will deny Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and eight Iranian military commanders access to "key financial resources and support." Trump also warned that U.S. "restraint" has limits. (New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / CNBC)https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/24/trump-sanctions-iran-over-downed-drone.html
The article doesn't mention Trump referring to Khomeini, dead now these thirty years, as the Supreme Leader. The charitable interpretation is that he's too stupid to check to make sure he's pronouncing Khamenei correctly.
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https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/06/25/day-887/
[h=1]Day 887: Overwhelming force[/h]
1/ **Trump – again – denied the rape allegations against him by E. Jean Carroll, claiming she is "totally lying" and "not my type."**Carroll accused Trump of pushing her up against a dressing room wall and raping her in a department store in 1995 or 1996. Trump accused Carroll of making up the story, because "I know nothing about this woman. I know nothing about her. She is — it's just a terrible thing that people can make statements like that." Carroll is the 16th woman to have publicly accused Trump of sexual assault or misconduct — all of which he has denied. (The Hill/ New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / Axios)- Day 883: Trump rejected an allegation by journalist E. Jean Carroll that he sexually assaulted her in a Manhattan department store dressing room in the 1990s, saying that he has "never met this person in my life." According to Carroll, she met Trump inside Bergdorf Goodman when he told her he was buying a gift for "a girl" and needed help. While in the lingerie section, Carroll said Trump suggested a lace bodysuit, and encouraged her to try it on. "The moment the dressing-room door is closed, he lunges at me, pushes me against the wall, hitting my head quite badly, and puts his mouth against my lips," Carroll writes. "He seizes both my arms and pushes me up against the wall a second time, and, as I become aware of how large he is, he holds me against the wall with his shoulder and jams his hand under my coat dress and pulls down my tights." More than a dozen women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct. Trump, meanwhile, said: "Shame on those who make up false stories of assault to try to get publicity for themselves, or sell a book, or carry out a political agenda." (New York Magazine / Politico / Daily Beast)
2/ The New York Post's former top editor deleted a story about E. Jean Carroll's rape allegations against Trump. Col Allan, a Trump supporter and top Rupert Murdoch lieutenant, ordered the story to be scrubbed from the website on Friday, as well a wire story by the Associated Press. Allan returned to the paper in early 2019, reportedly in an effort to make the paper even more friendly to Trump. (CNN / New York Daily News)
3/ Congress is trying to pass a $4.5 billion in emergency humanitarian aid to the southwestern border while putting restrictions on Trump's immigration policies. In the Senate, Republicans and Democrats approved a $4.6 billion border aid package last week that contained some limitations to prevent the administration from using the resources for enforcement. The House bill allocates $4.5 billion, but goes further in placing restrictions on the money. Democrats in the House, however, are still concerned that any money they approve will be directed by the Trump administration to advance Trump's immigration policies. The Trump administration, meanwhile, threatened to veto the House measure, claiming it "does not provide adequate funding to meet the current crisis" and "contains partisan provisions designed to hamstring the administration's border enforcement efforts." (New York Times / Reuters)- Here's what's different between the House and Senate bills. (New York Times)
4/ Customs and Border Protection returned more than 100 children back to a troubled Border Patrol station that independent monitors called conditions "unconscionable." Officials said the children were returned to the Clint, Tex. station due to a lack of bed space in U.S. shelters designed for children. Lawyers who visited recently the Clint station said hundreds of minor detainees had been housed for weeks without access to showers, clean clothing, or sufficient food. (Washington Post / CNN)
- Health and Human Services said it will run out of money in July for sheltering migrant children. HHS Secretary Alex Azar said a situation to a government shutdown would result if the program isn't funded, with workers and companies caring for the children without pay. (Bloomberg)
- Border Patrol is rejecting donations of toys, soap, toothbrushes, diapers and medicine for children held in "horrendous," overcrowded facilities. Under the Antideficiency Act, the government can't spend any money or accept any donations other than what Congress has allocated to it. (Texas Tribune / Washington Post / Slate)
- Day 886: The Trump administration moved most of the children from a remote Border Patrol station in Texas following reports that more than 300 children were detained there with inadequate food, water and sanitation. (Associated Press / New York Times)
- Day 834: John Kelly joined the board of a company that operates the largest facility for unaccompanied migrant children. Caliburn International is the parent company of Comprehensive Health Services, which operates Homestead and three other shelters for unaccompanied migrant children in Texas. Prior to joining the Trump administration, Kelly had been on the board of advisors of DC Capital Partners, an investment firm that now owns Caliburn. (CBS News)
5/ The Customs and Border Protection agency's acting commissioner will resign in the coming weeks amid an increase in the number of undocumented migrants crossing the border and the fight over how to address it. John Sanders assumed the role after Kevin McAleenan replaced Kirstjen Nielsen as homeland security secretary this spring. (New York Times / CNN / Reuters)
6/ Trump declined to say if he has confidence in FBI Director Christopher Wray. When asked about his level of confidence in Wray, Trump replied: "Well, we'll see how it turns out." Trump added that he disagrees with the FBI director, who previously said he does not believe the bureau "spied" on Trump's 2016 campaign. (The Hill / CNN / Axios)- Day 811: Barr told Congress that the government was "spying" on Trump's campaign during the 2016 election, but provided no evidence. During a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Barr said that while he's not launching an investigation of the FBI or suggesting there is an "endemic" problem at the FBI, he does "think there was a failure among a group of leaders at the upper echelons." Barr went on to say that he wanted to understand if there was "unauthorized surveillance" of political figures and whether law enforcement officials had proper legal justification for the "genesis" of the counterintelligence investigation. (New York Times/ Washington Post / Politico / NBC News / CNN / Bloomberg / Axios)
- Day 838: FBI Director Christopher Wray said he would not call the 2016 investigation into Trump's campaign advisers "spying." When asked during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing if he had "any evidence that any illegal surveillance" into the Trump 2016 campaign occurred, Wray told lawmakers that "I don't think I personally have any evidence of that sort." Wray's comments are in contrast to those made by Attorney General William Barr at a Senate hearing on April 10th, where he claimed that "spying did occur, yes," calling it "a big deal." The Justice Department inspector general is expected to issue a report in the next month or two about the origins of the FBI investigation into the Trump campaign. Wray asked lawmakers to wait for the report. (Washington Post / NBC News / CNN)
7/ Trump is privately considering withdrawing from a defense treaty with Japan. Trump claimed the pact is too one-sided, because it guarantees U.S. aid if Japan is ever attacked, but doesn't require Japan's military to do the same for America. The treaty was signed more than 60 years ago and constitutes the foundation of the post-war alliance between the two countries after World War II. (Bloomberg)
8/ Iran called Trump's White House "mentally retarded" and promised that Iran wouldn't be intimidated by new, "fruitless sanctions." Iran's Foreign Ministry also said Trump's leadership would lead to "the permanent closure of the road of diplomacy" between the two countries and that Iran would take new steps to reduce its commitments under the nuclear deal with world powers on July 7th. Trump meanwhile, threatened that any attack by Iran would be answered with "great and overwhelming force" and in some cases, "overwhelming will mean obliteration." (New York Times / Politico / Bloomberg / NBC News / The Independent / Washington Post)
9/ Trump claimed he has the authority to initiate a military strike against Iran without congressional approval, but said he likes "the idea of keeping Congress abreast." Speaker Nancy Pelosi asserted that Trump would need congressional approval for any "hostilities" against Iran. Jim Inhofe, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, however, believes that Trump's authority to take military action against Iran falls within his executive power, but outside the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force. (The Hill / CNN)
poll/ 65% of voters support Trump's decision to call off the planned military strike against Iran. 14% opposed the decision. Only 36% of voters support U.S. military actions against Iran in response to the downed surveillance drone. 42% oppose military action against Iran, while 22% say they have no opinion. (Politico)
[h=2] Dept. of Swamp Things.[/h]
- Melania Trump's communications director will be the next White House press secretary, replacing Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who is leaving at the end of the month. Stephanie Grisham will also take over the role of communications director, which has been vacant since the departure of Bill Shine in March. (NBC News / Axios / New York Times / Politico / Washington Post)
- The Commerce Department ordered a former official not to answer questions from the House Oversight and Reform Committee about the Trump administration's decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census. Commerce Department lawyers instructed Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross' senior adviser and counsel, James Uthmeier, not to answer the committee's questions about his contacts with the White House or his conversations with Ross regarding the citizenship question. (Washington Post / Politico)
- The House Oversight and Reform Committee called on the House to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt for defying congressional subpoenas related to whether the administration was seeking to discriminate against certain groups by adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Census. (Reuters)
- Trump has been frequently snapping at Mick Mulvaney and expressing more frustration with him than usual, revealing a slow deterioration of their relationship. Trump has recently asked people what kind of leadership and value they think Mulvaney is adding. Trump, however, is unlikely to replace his acting chief of staff – his third chief of staff in less than two-and-a-half years – anytime soon. (Politico)
- The Treasury Department's inspector general will open an investigation into why Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin delayed the new $20 bill featuring Harriet Tubman. The Trump administration has denied that it delayed the release of the bill. Trump, however, has publicly lamented the idea of replacing Andrew Jackson. (New York Times / Washington Post)
- The White House directed Kellyanne Conway to reject a request to testify before the House Oversight Committee about her repeated violations of the Hatch Act, a federal ethics law that bars government officials from engaging in political activities at work. (New York Times / Washington Post)
- A federal judge ruled that the Democrats' emoluments lawsuit against Trump can proceed. District Judge Emmet Sullivan said discovery could begin Friday, and Democrats are expected seek financial information, interviews and other records from Trump and the Trump Organization. The Trump administration can still try to delay or block Democrats from issuing subpoenas by appealing directly to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to intervene. (Washington Post)
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Seems legit. He's gunning for the libertarian nom it looks like.
One more for my Millenial followers:
How many of you have explored the depths of human spirit through Anime? If you haven't watched at least one of the following, you need to:
Grave of the Firefiles
A Wind Named Amnesia
Voices of a Distant Star
Millennium Actress
Metropolis
To my Millenials again:
I have no illusions about my age, but be careful when you diss JoJo. I watched my first Anime in 1988 - Akira - before most of you even existed. "Ghost in the Shell" (the original), was my favorite, then "Princess Mononoke" and "Spirited Away". Respect.
I don't know about his other policies but he's got good taste in anime.
He then proceeds to talk about Bitcoin and kind of ruin it.
He's also uhm… apparently hiding out in Cuba to avoid the law right now. So... interesting guy.
Also looking at his photos and other interests, it is entirely possible that man is my father.
Like seriously a 98% match for my dad. The interest in anime is where it falls off though, my dad is not a fan of cartoons.
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Oh yeah, a Cuba backed candidate.
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Well it was about time for the third party clown car to pull up.
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He's also uhm… apparently hiding out in Cuba to avoid the law right now. So... interesting guy.
He's not a guy I'd vote for if he's hiding in Cuba from the law, but he is, indeed, an interesting guy.
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John McAfee also has, um, opinions on black people: https://cloverchronicle.com/2018/11/22/john-mcafee-talks-about-black-culture-in-social-media-rant/
Of course, all libertarians are bad so it should come as no surprise.
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Well it was about time for the third party clown car to pull up.
"Hello, I'm Bill Jakov of the WakaWaka Party announcing my bid for the US presidency. It is my belief that Instagram is key to reduced unemployment, affordable healthcare, and the location of Lincoln's gold. Also, we need to get rid of some of the States because there's too darn many of them. I am NOT a crack pot."
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Yeah, Libertarians have always struck me as, at absolute best, naive.
My understanding is that Libertarianism is a system that relies on as little government oversight and regulation as possible. That if the government stays out of everyone's business (literally and figuratively) everything will work out. Putting aside whether something like that is even feasible for a nation as big as the United States of America, it seems to rely on a kindness/decency in human nature that's noticeably absent more often than not.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
Activists get permit to fly 'Baby Trump' blimp over July 4 'Salute to Trump' celebration – The “Baby Trump” blimp that has followed President Trump around the world will fly just blocks from the White House hours before his Fourth of July address.
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Debate nightS Bingo
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https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/06/26/day-888/
Day 888: Terminated
1/ Robert Mueller agreed to testify before the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees in back-to-back public hearings on July 17th about his investigation into Russia's election interference and possible obstruction of justice by Trump. The announcement came after the two panels issued a subpoena compelling Mueller's testimony. Mueller previously said he did not want to testify and his report should serve as his testimony. Members of Mueller's team will also participate in a closed-door session with lawmakers. (NBC News / Washington Post / New York Times / Politico / ABC News / CNN)
2/ Trump attacked Mueller and – without evidence – accused him of committing a crime after House Democrats announced that Mueller would testify publicly next month. Trump claimed that Mueller "terminated" FBI communications by deleting text messages exchanged by two former FBI officials, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. "And that's illegal," Trump tweeted. "That's a crime." Trump was referring to a report by the Justice Department inspector general that said it could not recover texts from the phones assigned to Strzok and Page, because by the time investigators requested the devices, they had been reset for other officials to use. Trump referred to Strzok and Page as "pathetic lovers" for having had an affair. (Washington Post / New York Times / Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKCN1TR1UU
3/ The House Oversight Committee authorized a subpoena for Kellyanne Conway after she failed to show for a hearing about her alleged violations of the Hatch Act, a law that limits federal employees' political activity. Special counsel Henry Kerner said Conway should be fired for blatantly and repeatedly violating the Hatch Act. The White House, meanwhile, blocked Conway from testifying about the allegations. Chairman Elijah Cummings warned that the committee would vote to hold Conway in contempt if she ignores the subpoena. (Washington Post / New York Times / CNN / Reuters / Politico / Axios)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-congress-hatchact-idUSKCN1TR28N
4/ The House approved a $4.5 billion aid package for the southwestern border. The 230-195 vote was mostly along party lines, with all but four Democrats supporting bill. Even if the two chambers are able to reach an agreement, it's unclear if Trump will sign it into law. Democrats will now have to begin negotiations with Senate GOP leaders in order to get the aid package signed into law before the weeklong recess. (Politico / NBC News)
5/ Trump complained that congressional Democrats "won't do anything at all about border security" hours after the House passed the aid package to address the humanitarian crisis at the southern border. (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/26/trump-border-security-bill-1382995
6/ The Senate passed a $4.6 billion emergency spending bill for the southern border, rejecting the House legislation that attempted to set rules on how Trump could use the money. The Senate legislation allocates about $1.3 billion to improve border facilities and $2.9 billion for the care of migrant children. The measure would prohibit Homeland Security from adding more beds at detention centers or migrant processing facilities. House and Senate leaders must now decide whether to reconcile their conflicting proposals or head into a week-long July Fourth recess without addressing the growing humanitarian crisis. (New York Times / Politico / Associated Press / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal)
https://apnews.com/34d63808863f4ecb8174d880262f1fc3
[emoji3579] Notables
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the U.S. is "about 90% of the way there" on a trade deal with China. Mnuchin expects Trump and President Xi to make progress during the upcoming G20 Summit, but did not provide any details about what the remaining 10% of an agreement might look like. Trump, meanwhile, warned of a "Plan B with China" to raise tariffs on the remaining $300 billion of Chinese imports. (CNBC / Bloomberg)
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/26/mnuchin-says-us-china-trade-deal-was-90-percent-complete.html
Trump's diplomatic protocol chief has been suspended indefinitely ahead of the G20 Summit in Japan. Sean Lawler is being investigated by the State Department inspector general over accusations that Lawler intimidated his staff and_carried a whip in the office._ The protocol chief assists the president during overseas trips and during visits from foreign leaders by making introductions and briefing the president on customs and protocol. Mary-Kate Fisher will take over as acting protocol chief. (CNN / Bloomberg)
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/26/politics/state-department-protocol-chief-suspended/index.html
The EPA air chief resigned amid scrutiny over possible violations of federal ethics rules. Bill Wehrum helped reverse Obama-era rules aimed at cutting pollutants before joining the Trump administration. The Energy and Commerce Committee has been investigating Wehrum's compliance with Trump's ethics pledge, which requires political appointees to recuse themselves from specific matters involving their former employers and clients for two years. (Washington Post)
The White House will host "digital leaders" for a Social Media Summit next month following Trump's accusations that Google, Facebook and Twitter are biased against him and other conservatives. Earlier in the day, Trump suggested that "we should be suing Google and Facebook," adding "perhaps we will." (Politico / Axios)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/26/white-house-social-media-summit-1383280
The Justice Department sued former Trump senior White House advisor Omarosa Manigault Newman for allegedly failing to file a financial disclosure report after she was fired in late 2017. Manigault Newman said she couldn't file the report because the White House never returned her personal files after she left. (CNBC / CNN / Politico)
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/25/omarosa-sued-for-failing-to-file-financial-disclosure.html
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
Reddit Restricts Pro-Trump Forum Because of Threats – The subreddit The_Donald was “quarantined” after users posted threats of violence against police officers and politicians in Oregon, administrators said.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/26/us/politics/reddit-donald-trump-quarantined.html
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
N.R.A. Shuts Down Production of NRATV, and Its No. 2 Official Resigns – The N.R.A’s top lobbyist, accused of plotting against its leader, has resigned. The group has also shut down its live broadcasting arm and severed ties with its ad firm
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/25/us/nra-nratv-ackerman-mcqueen.html
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Does anyone know what exactly happened at the museum of fine arts in Boston? Like what was said exactly and what the demands are?
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2020 debates begin! Can't wait to hear from Elizabeth Warren and some other people too I guess.
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Does anyone know what exactly happened at the museum of fine arts in Boston? Like what was said exactly and what the demands are?
Two visitors harassed a group of students with one cussing at them for being black and another comparing one of the kids to a stripper; both visitors have been banned by the Museum. The school said that there were also some racist statements by some of the museum staff but I haven't seen that come up after the first article or so. There was also the standard situation where security guards just happened to be constantly wandering around every single area the kids went into shortly after they went there. The Museum's position is that security people were walking through those areas at shift changes but no explanation as to why those shift changes just happened to consistently be occurring wherever the school group was and why they were following them while going through those areas.
Far as demands go, I think there were a few like showcasing local black student artists, internships, and free passes for the kids and school staff involved.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
Far as the debates go, I'm waiting until they weed out the whackjob candidates to pay attention.
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Warren is owning, all the white guys are probably the same person using tricks to appear as multiple people.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
Castro killed Beto.
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In fairness to Beto, the Castros are staying fresh by switching out behind the stage during every commercial break.
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I can't watch a debate with 20 people. I'll read the summaries tomorrow.
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Castro and Booker were good, Warren was fine, no one else seemed especially strong to me.
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If a guy called Hussein managed to win, I don't think a Castro is impossible. But it hurts the eyes.
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I want to be surprised and furious but I’m just so tired.
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Ruling against challenges to partisan gerrymandering is idiotic since Roberts's opinion seems to be "who are we to say what's fair?" Fuck off.
But at least they blocked the citizenship question on the census.
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Thankfully Bank of America has pulled business with companies who deal with detention centers, or rather concentration camps.
https://ktla.com/2019/06/26/bank-of-america-will-no-longer-do-business-with-companies-that-run-detention-centers/?fbclid=IwAR0K2E0aDMI1pXnHpEWnZnBu2zwoJCJFkD1zuX9IkMmESGnOU7KY0a4HMM8Little by little more businesses are cutting ties to these camps, so hopefully the money-grubbers will start to get it into their fucking heads.
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https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/06/27/day-889/
Day 889: Contrived
1/ The Supreme Court blocked the citizenship question from being added to the 2020 census. The court found that while the Department of Commerce had a right to reinstate the question, the administration provided a "contrived" justification for doing so. The Trump administration claimed the citizenship question was necessary to better comply with federal voting rights law, while critics argued it is an attempt to intimidate immigrant households. The Department of Commerce will now have to justify the addition of the question, which raises the question of whether the Trump administration will have enough time or the ability to add it before the forms have to be printed. The administration previously told the court that the questionnaire needed to be printed by the end of June. The Census Bureau found the question would reduce the response rate –especially in immigrant communities – and result in an estimated 6.5 million people not being counted. (CNN / NBC News / New York Times / NPR / Washington Post)
2/ The Supreme Court ruled that federal courts cannot block partisan gerrymandering in a 5-4 decision that fell along partisan lines. Chief Justice John Roberts rejected two constitutional challenges to partisan district mapmaking – one brought by Democrats in North Carolina and another by Republicans in Maryland – writing that "partisan gerrymandering claims present political questions beyond the reach of the federal courts." Districts are drawn nationwide every 10 years, and the next redistricting is scheduled to take place following the 2020 census, which also triggers reapportionment of U.S. House seats among states. Because of the 2010 midterm elections, the Republican party controls most statehouses across the country and, by extension, jurisdiction over the redistricting process. Dissenting Justice Elena Kagan called the decision "tragically wrong." (Washington Post / New York Times / NBC News / Politico / NPR / CNN / Bloomberg / USA Today / CNBC / Associated Press / The Guardian / Wall Street Journal)
https://apnews.com/4156cf044e314b5bb9f2d0a99f4bc2b2
3/ Trump marked his arrival in Japan for the G20 Summit by lashing out at U.S. allies. He complained that if the U.S. were attacked, Japan would simply "watch it on a Sony television" instead of coming to America's defense. He called Germany a security freeloader, and complained about India's new tariffs on U.S. goods. Trump is scheduled to meet with the leaders of all three countries on Friday. Trump did not, however, have anything negative to say about the fourth world leader on his meeting schedule for Friday: Putin. (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/27/world/asia/trump-g20.html
Trump demanded that India withdraw its latest tariff hike on 28 U.S. products. India imposed tariffs in response to Trump's decision to remove key trade privileges for New Delhi. Trump called the tariffs "unacceptable," and tweeted that he's looking forward to "to speaking with Prime Minister Modi about the fact that India, for years having put very high tariffs against the United States, just recently increased the tariffs even further." Trump is expected to meet with Modi at this week's G20 Summit in Japan. (CNBC)
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/27/us-india-trade-donald-trump-on-indias-tariff-hike-on-us-goods.html
4/ Trump told reporters that what he says to Putin in private is "none of your business," when asked what the two world leaders will discuss behind closed doors at the G20 Summit. Trump is scheduled to meet with Putin after House Democrats hear from the White House records chief about allegations that Trump tried to hide documents detailing his previous private conversations with Putin. (Politico / CBS News)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-leaves-for-asia-trip-g20-today-2019-06-26-live-updates/
5/ Two women corroborated E. Jean Carroll's allegation that Trump sexually assaulted her in the 1990s. Carroll privately confided in Carol Martin and Lisa Birnbach after the alleged attack. Both came forward to talk about the advice they gave Carroll at the time. Neither of the women had been publicly identified until now, and it was the first time since the alleged assault that they had discussed the incident together. Trump denied Carroll's allegation and said she is "totally lying" and that he wouldn't have assaulted her because "she's not my type." (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/27/us/politics/jean-carroll-trump-sexual-assault.html
6/ The Trump International Hotel in Washington charged the Secret Service more than $200,000 in taxpayer money. The agency paid $33,638 for unspecified charges over two days in June, which coincided with Trump's first re-election campaign fundraiser. The Secret Service was also billed for $14,900 for two days in June 2017 and another for $11,475 for two days the next month. (NBC News)
Debatables
Last night was the first of two back-to-back Democratic presidential primary debates, featuring 10 candidates and 5 moderators. The debate centered around a handful of major topics, including healthcare, guns, immigration, climate change, Iran, and others. Trump was absent from most of the discussion, with candidates opting instead to talk more about their respective policies and positions than Trump's presidency. The second debate begins tonight at 9 p.m. ET and will feature another 10 candidates. Instead of giving you a breakdown of last night's entire two-hour ordeal, here's how some of the major outlets are covering it:
Fact-checking the first night of the first Democratic presidential debate. (CNN)
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/26/politics/democratic-debate-fact-check-night-1/index.html
Fact-checking the claims that hold up and the ones that don't. (NBC News)
5 takeaways from the first Democratic debate. (NPR)
https://www.npr.org/2019/06/27/736451302/5-takeaways-from-the-first-democratic-debate
7 takeaways from the first Democratic debate. (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/27/democratic-debate-results-1385018
Recap: Democrats Diverge on economy and immigration in first debate. (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/26/us/politics/democratic-debate-2020.html
Recap: Democrats clash on healthcare, border in scrappy first U.S. presidential debate. (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-debate-idUSKCN1TR168
Analysis: Who won the first debate? Experts on the Left and Right weigh in. (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/27/us/politics/democratic-debate-winners-losers.html
Analysis: Debate shows how leftward it has moved. (Los Angeles Times)
https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-2020-democratic-debate-miami-analysis-20190626-story.html
Transcript: The first Democratic debate night transcript, annotated. (Washington Post)
FTW: Jay Inslee called Trump the greatest threat facing the U.S. (Axios)
Hot take: Trump's reaction to the first 2020 Democratic presidential debate: "BORING!" (NBC News)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/trump-slams-democratic-debate-n1022426
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Yeahh the gerrymandering decision was pretty baffling and benefits just about no one. I live in a suburb of DC and am in the same district as the entirety of western Maryland (which is basically West Virginia) which makes about zero sense.
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It doesn’t benefit no-one… it benefits the people who have gerrymandered most throughout the country, the Republicans.
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It doesn’t benefit no-one… it benefits the people who have gerrymandered most throughout the country, the Republicans.
Now, I'm not saying that I want more Republicans to represent my state in Congress…I'm just saying it makes no sense for District 6 to be drawn into my town.
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After an overwelming landslide in the 2018 elections, House Democrats decide to become the party that passes bills to pay for torturing kids:
I am pretty certain Nancy Pelosi is just a Republican who ran on the Democratic ticket in order to sabotage the left wing.
Her speech after the 2018 was "I can't wait to do some bi-partenship" i.e., help the conservatives push their agenda through.
Compare that to when Republicans swept into the majority and it was "We are going to fight the president tooth and nail, block all attempts to appoint anyone anywhere and effectively make him a lame duck years before his term is over."She refuses to even remotely consider impeachment despite the fact that the sitting president has committed far more very clear violations than any sitting president in history ever has. And I am willing to say that Trump may not actually be the worst president in U.S. history because the U.S. had some real idiots and monsters during the 1800s and early 1900s whose legacies have been forgotten, but he has had the most very clear constitutional violations if only because modern technology made that so much easier.
She draws heat from Republicans by claiming to support very left-wing policies and for representing San Francisco which is for some inexplicably reason the biggest boogeyman to American right-wingers– but for all the years she has been the supposed leader of the Democratic party-- can one say she has ever done anything to advance any of her supposed policies. Seems like anything she stated she was in favor of and did end up becoming the national policy happened regardless of her, not because of her.
I think it is likely that she is literally paid by the same people as the Republicans to be a feckless and inept opposition. Basically the "Washington Generals" on a national level.
Because any politician on the left who was serious about fighting for liberal causes would be fighting just as nasty, just as underhanded and just as dirty as the people on the right. They would have blocked every single Trump appointee to anything, even while in the minority, just as the Republicans did to Obama. They would filibuster every bill-- especially since under Obama the Republicans made it so common that just the vague threat of doing so was enough for the Democrats to give up, abandon or just compromise every value on every one of their bills and basically have the Republicans rewrite them all before they even went up for a vote.
The fact that they couldn't even block, or even delay, a supreme court appointee who was clearly an entirely unqualified stooge goes to show that none of the Democrats are even really trying.