Deutsche Bank and Wall Street banks reportedly just gave Congress thousands of documents related to Russians with possible ties to Trump | Six banks including Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, and Morgan Stanley, have been providing Congressional committees thousands of documents related to an investigation into Trump's Russia ties.
https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/deutsche-bank-jpmorgan-give-congress-donald-trump-russia-documents-2019-8-1028431306
Banks Hand Over Trump Docs To House, State Investigators
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/wsj-banks-hand-over-trump-docs-to-house-state-investigators
Hours after Trump Visit to El Paso, Trump Supporter Arrested with possession of a knife and gun outside Immigration Center | Meanwhile, El Paso police arrested a Trump supporter Wednesday as he sat outside an organizing space for immigrant activists, wearing blue latex gloves and brandishing a knife. Organizers with Casa Carmelita say police also recovered a loaded gun, ammunition and a bag of white powder from the man’s truck, which sported a large banner portraying Donald Trump as Rambo and bumper stickers for the far-right conspiracy website InfoWars. The man appears to be 21-year-old Thomas Bartram, who was profiled earlier on Wednesday by the Washington Examiner. Bartram told the paper he was an “open-carry kind of guy” at political rallies; a photo accompanying the article shows Bartram making what appears to be a white nationalist hand gesture.
https://www.democracynow.org/2019/8/8/headlines/trump_supporter_with_loaded_pistol_knife_arrested_outside_el_paso_immigrant_center
Beto O’Rourke Flatly Calls Trump A White Supremacist On Live TV
https://twitter.com/jacobsoboroff/status/1159221564891652096
Montana Man Who Body Slammed Boy On His Head Over National Anthem Believed He Was Following Trump's Orders, Attorney Says
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-rhetoric-influence-montana-man-assault-national-anthem-wearing-hat-missoula-1453321
Trump : "If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you? Seriously, OK? Just knock the hell ... I promise you I will pay for the legal fees. I promise, I promise," he said on Feb. 1, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x_c6cvBR8s
U.S. Deported a Detroit Man to Iraq, Where He’d Never Been and Didn’t Speak the Language. He Died on the Streets.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/08/detroit-michigan-man-deported-died-iraq-diabetic-homeless.html
A 41-year-old Detroit man deported to Iraq in June died Tuesday, according to the American Civil Liberties Union and two people close to the man’s family. The man, Jimmy Aldaoud, spent most of his life in the U.S., but was swept up in President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration enforcement efforts. Edward Bajoka, an immigration attorney who described himself as close to Aldaoud’s family, wrote on Facebook that the death appeared to be linked to the man’s inability to obtain insulin in Baghdad to treat his diabetes. Aldaoud was an Iraqi national, but he was born in Greece and came to the U.S. as a young child, his family friend said. He had never lived in Iraq and did not speak Arabic, according to Bajoka.
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/07/iraqi-man-dies-deportation-trump-administration-1643512
ICE Mississippi raid that saw 680 workers arrested took place on first day of school, causing chaos for children
https://www.newsweek.com/ice-mississippi-raid-that-saw-680-workers-arrested-took-place-first-day-school-causing-chaos-1453207
Senate GOP plans to divert health, education funds to border wall
https://www.rollcall.com/news/congress/senate-gop-plans-to-divert-health-education-funds-to-border-wall
During El Paso hospital visit, Trump compared his and O’Rourke’s crowd sizes at political rallies, video shows
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/during-el-paso-hospital-visit-trump-compared-his-and-orourkes-crowd-sizes-at-political-rallies-video-shows/2019/08/08/573a3e68-b9eb-11e9-bad6-609f75bfd97f_story.html
A judge has barred the Trump administration from withholding public safety grants from the state and the city of Portland over Oregon’s sanctuary law that directs police not to help federal agents enforce immigration policies. U.S. District Judge Michael J. McShane, who is based in Eugene, Oregon, also said in the decision issued late Wednesday that the federal government can’t impose immigration-related conditions on the grant awards.
https://www.apnews.com/f68034c2c8ba45a6adbcbe2065a4b456
Trump campaign ad featured QAnon signs despite FBI warning that conspiracy could motivate extremists
https://www.salon.com/2019/08/08/trump-campaign-ad-featured-qanon-signs-despite-fbi-warning-that-conspiracy-could-motivate-extremists/
How Donald Trump Has Used A Secretive Justice System To Keep Lawsuits Against Him Quiet | Trump, his campaign, and his companies have used arbitration to try to move potentially damaging and embarrassing claims out of the public court process.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetillman/donald-trump-lawsuits-secret-arbitration
None of the 8 still-hospitalized survivors of the El Paso mass shooting wanted to meet with Trump during his visit to the city
https://www.businessinsider.com/no-hospitalized-el-paso-shooting-survivors-wanted-meet-trump-2019-8
Why Is Virginia Winemaker Eric Trump Smiling? -- Maybe It’s Because His Dad Is Threatening to Slap a Big, New Tariff on French Wines
https://www.dcreport.org/2019/08/08/why-is-virginia-winemaker-eric-trump-smiling/
Toxic Pesticides Are Driving Insect ‘Apocalypse’ in the U.S.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/toxic-pesticides-are-driving-us-insect-apocalypse-study-warns-180972839/
The White House is rafting an order to stop anti-Republican social media commentary/postings
https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/7/20759191/white-house-trump-administration-social-media-bias-executive-order-report
NY state sues ExxonMobil on charges that it knew the risks of climate change and defrauded investors by misrepresenting them.
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a28636123/exxonmobil-lawsuit-climage-change-new-york/
China delivers its most explicit threat to use military force in Hong Kong if protests get bigger and more violent
https://www.businessinsider.com/china-threatens-military-invasion-in-hong-kong-over-protests-2019-8
Beto O'Rourke: No matter our geographic distance from the other centers of power and population, this problem will find you. This problem of gun violence. This problem of hatred. This problem of white nationalist terrorism. It'll come find you, so it's on all of us.
https://twitter.com/MaddowBlog/status/1159281565396025344
Immigration: Nearly half of those arrested in raid released | In an email Thursday, Bryan Cox said more than 300 of the 680 people arrested Wednesday have been released from custody. He says about 30 were released at the plants and about 270 others were released from the military hangar where they had been brought after the raids to be processed.
https://apnews.com/379ceb154aa34469832a8ccbc22cf2e5
Today, ICE carried out what is believed to be the largest immigration raid in decades when they detained 680 workers at seven poultry plants in Morton, Mississippi. The workers, many of them members of the United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW), were employed by a company called Koch Foods Inc, which employs 13,000 workers throughout the US. (Koch Foods INC has no connection or relation to the billionaire political donor Koch Brothers). The UFCW, which represents workers at the plant, has been meeting with community groups and immigrants rights activists to mobilize community and legal support on behalf of the workers. As buses full of poultry workers arrived pulled up to the Mississippi National Guard base at Flowood, Mississippi 70 family members and supporters families gathered shouting at the armed guards, “Let Them Go! Let Them Go!” as workers were taken into the makeshift detention facility. The detention suffered by immigrants is yet another abuse suffered by immigrant poultry workers employed by Koch Foods Inc in Morton, Mississippi. In 2018, following a nearly eight-year-long legal battle, Koch Foods Inc. settled a $3.5 million brought by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against Koch Food Inc at the plant. The lawsuit alleged that Koch Foods Inc supervisors engaged in both racial and sexual harassment of Latina workers at its Morton, Mississippi plant. The lawsuit brought by the EEOC against Koch Food Inc’s alleged “that supervisors touched and/or made sexually suggestive comments to female Hispanic employees, hit Hispanic employees and charged many of them money for normal everyday work activities.” As part of its settlement, Koch Foods Inc. agreed to a three-year federal consent decree to change its discriminatory practices. As part of the consent decree, Koch Foods Inc. was forced to create a 24-hour-a-day bilingual hotline for workers to use to file complaints. Many immigrants rights advocates have speculated that workers are targeted for raids after their facilities get investigated for worker abuse. In June of 2018, ICE raided a unionized Fresh Mark meatpacking plant in Salem, Ohio; arresting 140 workers. A week before the raid on a Fresh Mark’s Salem facility, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined Fresh Mark $211,194 for three separate incidents in which proper guards for dangerous machinery were not in place. OSHA found that the lack of safety guards resulted in the death of an undocumented worker. In December of 2017, Domingo Ramos, a 49-year-old undocumented worker from Guatemala, was killed in the plant when his foot was sucked into a rotating auger, ripping off his lower leg and leading to him bleeding to death. Suspicious was also raised that workers complaining about working conditions in plants lead to raids when the Southeastern Provision in Morristown, Tennesse. The raid came after federal authorities were tipped off by a local bank that the owner of the plant may have been paying undocumented workers under the table. The United Food and Commercial Workers, which represents workers employed by Koch Food Inc. did not return an immediate request for comment about actions they intend to protect workers targeted by the raid. The UFCW has previously represented workers in its plant targeted by raids. According to sources in the immigrants’ rights movement, the UFCW has already been meeting with local immigrants activists in Mississippi to coordinate a strategy to respond to the raid. While it’s unclear if the raids are being triggered by federal authorities responding to the mistreatment of workers, the overall effect of these raids has had a chilling effect on workers speaking out. “These raids send a real signal to immigrant workers not to speak up, and we feel like these raids enable employers in the most dangerous industry to cut corners and violate labor standards,” said Debbie Berkowitz, who served as chief of staff of OSHA under Obama from 2009 to 2013 and now serves as the director of the worker health and safety program at the National Employment Law Project (NELP).
http://paydayreport.com/ice-raids-miss-plant-after-3-5-million-sexual-harassment-settlement/amp/
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2018/08/01/koch-foods-mississippi-pay-3-75-m-settle-discrimination-lawsuits/875688002/
https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/8-1-18b.cfm
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/29/ohio-ice-meatpacking-industry-deportations
https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/OPA/newsreleases/OSHA20180939.pdf
Trump Fires Deputy DNI Director Sue Gordon
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/dni-deputy-director-sue-gordon-resign
A scathing new Pentagon report blames Trump for the return of ISIS in Syria and Iraq
https://www.businessinsider.com/pentagon-blames-trump-for-return-of-isis-syria-and-iraq-2019-8
Pelosi Writes to President Trump Calling on Him to Bring McConnell, Senate Back to Washington to Consider House-Passed Bipartisan Gun Violence Prevention Legislation
https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/8819-3/
McConnell indicates he won't call Senate back early for gun debate
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/456758-mcconnell-indicates-he-wont-call-senate-back-early-for-gun-debate
Lindsey Graham vows to eliminate the rest of the PPACA (which has already been gutted) if GOP takes control in 2020
https://thinkprogress.org/lindsey-graham-vows-obamacare-repeal-if-gop-takes-control-2020-1e14cdc2267a/
A majority of Americans with employer-based health insurance said they want to keep their current coverage
https://www.businessinsider.com/most-americans-employer-based-plans-healthcare-medicare-for-all-2019-8
Per new Monmouth poll, Beto's Medicare for America (keep what you have or try Medicare) has most support amongst Dems in Iowa. We can have universal coverage and allow choice for people. This isn’t about what naysayers want. This is what Dems want. Iowa Dems: 21% support single payer. 56% support alllowing people to choose between Medicare for everyone and keeping their private plan.
https://twitter.com/neeratanden/status/1159504032853045248
https://twitter.com/neeratanden/status/1159505753692147712
Report Warns ISIS is "Resurging" in Syria After Trump Ordered a Partial Troop Withdrawal
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/report-isis-resurging-syria-trump-troop-withdrawal/
Green energy isn't enough to fix climate change, this report warns, we need to change our food production and land management.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-08-08/ipcc-report-climate-change-land-use/11391180
Critics Say Monsanto's Spying and Intimidation Operation Show Why BioTech Giant 'Needs To Be Destroyed Now':New documents reveal Monsanto's 'fusion center' aimed at targeting and discrediting journalists and critics
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/08/08/critics-say-monsantos-spying-and-intimidation-operation-show-why-biotech-giant-needs
How Monsanto's 'intelligence center' targeted journalists and activists
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/aug/07/monsanto-fusion-center-journalists-roundup-neil-young
FBI wants to monitor Facebook and Instagram for domestic threats in real time
https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/08/tech/fbi-facebook-instagram-twitter-data/index.html
ALEC’s ‘redistricting’ workshops will help GOP lawmakers gerrymander, watchdog groups warn
https://thinkprogress.org/alecs-redistricting-workshops-will-help-gop-lawmakers-gerrymander-watchdog-groups-warn-2013be8e41ff/
The gun group’s lawyer said “not a cent” of the nonprofit’s money was spent on helping executive Wayne LaPierre’s mansion search. A document we obtained shows that payments were flagged by internal accountants for doing just that.
https://www.propublica.org/article/documents-show-nra-money-helped-chief-wayne-lapierre-search-personal-mansion
McConnell told radio station he has a message to protestors (HIS OWN VOTERS) in front of his house: 'I will not be intimidated by you people (HIS OWN VOTERS) -- not a chance. Not a single thing you (HIS OWN VOTERS) do is going to alter how I operate on behalf of my constituents (THE PROTESTORS ARE HIS CONSTITUENTS) and the country."
https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1159578696841408518
What if plastic was no longer waste? French chemicals company Carbios has developed enzyme-based processes which rethink the life cycle of plastics so they can be endlessly recycled
https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1159575510789369880
Sue Gordon was due to become DNI on August 15th, by law. Sue Gordon is universally respected across the political spectrum as non-partisan and extremely competent. Trump could not allow someone competent and not loyal to him personally, even someone he appointed, to occupy the DNI position. She was fired (not resigned). This is precisely the same reason DHS Deputy Claire Grady's resignation was compelled in April when Kirstjen Nielsen "resigned". Donald Trump is filling the most important positions with hateful racists with no congressional oversight.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-08/u-s-deputy-intelligence-director-is-out-after-trump-meeting
ICE agents try to raid Brooklyn homeless shelter without warrants
https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-metro-christine-quinn-win-ice-homeless-trump-20190808-djlqkfnkkbcdzdvf5kirafifvm-story.html
Texas Is Illegally Throwing Out Mail-In Ballots, Lawsuit Says
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/texas-signature-mismatch-absentee-ballot_n_5d4b414ae4b01e44e4749888?3cl
DOJ Official Behind Failed Census Citizenship Question To Leave Department | John Gore, the main Justice Department official behind the Trump administration's failed push to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, is set to leave the department Friday.
https://www.npr.org/2019/08/08/749573662/doj-official-behind-failed-census-citizenship-question-to-leave-department
Kim Briear "Resigns" | The State Department’s top diplomat for Latin American matters has resigned after a dispute with the White House over Guatemalan immigration policy, according to The Washington Post. A senior administration official told the newspaper Kim Breier, assistant secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere, is leaving her post after White House policy adviser Stephen Miller berated her in an email chain for what he perceived as an insufficient defense of the Trump administration’s “safe third country” asylum agreement with Guatemala. Miller told Breier that it was "her job" to defend the agreement, which requires Central American migrants to seek asylum in Guatemala before applying for asylum in the U.S., the official added. The Post notes that it is unclear whether this was a primary cause of her resignation.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/456674-assistant-secretary-of-state-resigns-over-immigration-policy-report
Beto to Breitbart: "I went to Ciudad Juárez today because eight Mexican citizens died in our country—a consequence of our gun laws, of our president's racism, and of websites like yours, which are havens for white supremacy."
https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1159612451983372289
Thursday, August 8, 2019
Trump Supporters shoot up synagogues1, and temples2, and black churches3, and health clinics4, and community centers5, plot to bomb apartments of muslims6, stab people on trains7, run over protestors8, mail pipe bombs9, and shoot up garlic festivals10, WalMarts11, and get arrested for planning to shoot things up 'to make a point'12.
1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_synagogue_shooting
2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin_Sikh_temple_shooting
3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charleston_church_shooting 4:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Springs_Planned_Parenthood_shooting 5:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overland_Park_Jewish_Community_Center_shooting
6: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/04/18/three-kansas-militiamen-who-plotted-to-bomb-muslims-are-found-guilty-on-terrorism-charges/
7: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Timothy_Caughman
8: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlottesville_car_attack
9: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/26/us/bombing-suspect-trump-fan.html
10: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/gilroy-garlic-fest-shooting-santino-legan-864
11: https://nypost.com/2019/08/03/sick-manifesto-linked-to-walmart-shooting-suspect-blames-hispanic-invasion/
12:https://www.democracynow.org/2019/8/8/headlines/trump_supporter_with_loaded_pistol_knife_arrested_outside_el_paso_immigrant_center
2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin_Sikh_temple_shooting
3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charleston_church_shooting 4:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Springs_Planned_Parenthood_shooting 5:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overland_Park_Jewish_Community_Center_shooting
6: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/04/18/three-kansas-militiamen-who-plotted-to-bomb-muslims-are-found-guilty-on-terrorism-charges/
7: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Timothy_Caughman
8: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlottesville_car_attack
9: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/26/us/bombing-suspect-trump-fan.html
10: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/gilroy-garlic-fest-shooting-santino-legan-864
11: https://nypost.com/2019/08/03/sick-manifesto-linked-to-walmart-shooting-suspect-blames-hispanic-invasion/
12:https://www.democracynow.org/2019/8/8/headlines/trump_supporter_with_loaded_pistol_knife_arrested_outside_el_paso_immigrant_center
All People Working For The Trump Administration Are COMPLICIT, not merely Complacent...: I can no longer justify being a part of Trump's 'Complacent State.' So I'm resigning. [washingtonpost]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/i-can-no-longer-justify-being-a-part-of-trumps-complacent-state-so-im-resigning/2019/08/08/fed849e4-af14-11e9-8e77-03b30bc29f64_story.html
I can no longer justify being a part of Trump's 'Complacent State.' So I'm resigning.
By Chuck Park
August 8 at 9:11 AM
Chuck Park's resignation from the Foreign Service is effective Thursday.
I was 26, newly married and more than a little idealistic when I set off for my first diplomatic assignment almost a decade ago as a member of the 157th class of commissioned U.S. Foreign Service officers.
According to a certain type of right-leaning conspiracy theorist, that would make me part of "The Deep State" — a shadowy government within the government that puts its own interests above the expressed wishes of the electorate. Adherents to this theory believe that thousands of federal workers like me are plotting furiously to subvert the Trump administration at every turn. Many on the left, too, hope that such a resistance is secretly working to save the nation from the worst impulses of President Trump.
They have it all wrong. Your federal bureaucracy under this president? Call it "The Complacent State" instead.
Like many in my cohort, I came into the government inspired by a president who convinced me there was still some truth to the gospel of American exceptionalism. A child of immigrants from South Korea, I also felt a duty to the society that welcomed my parents and allowed me and my siblings to thrive.
Over three tours abroad, I worked to spread what I believed were American values: freedom, fairness and tolerance. But more and more I found myself in a defensive stance, struggling to explain to foreign peoples the blatant contradictions at home.
In Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, I spoke of American openness and friendship at consulate events as my country carried out mass deportations and failed thousands of "dreamers." I attended celebrations of Black History Month at our embassy in Lisbon as black communities in the United States demanded justice for Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Freddie Gray and the victims of the mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. And in Vancouver, I touted the strength of the United States' democracy at the consulate's 2016 election-night party as a man who campaigned on racism, misogyny and wild conspiracy theories became president-elect.
Since then, I have seen Trump assert the moral equivalence of violent white nationalists and those who oppose them, denigrate immigrants from "shithole countries" and separate children from their parents at the border, only to place them in squalid detention centers.
But almost three years since his election, what I have not seen is organized resistance from within. To the contrary, two senior Foreign Service officers admonished me for risking my career when I signed an internal dissent cable against the ban on travelers from several majority-Muslim countries in January 2017. Among my colleagues at the State Department, I have met neither the unsung hero nor the cunning villain of Deep State lore. If the resistance does exist, it should be clear by this point that it has failed.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/dissent-memo-circulating-in-the-state-department-over-trumps-policy-on-refugees-and-immigrants/2017/01/30/c1457689-5108-4ef7-bcea-1a5dee431ef8_story.html
Instead, I am part of the Complacent State.
The Complacent State sighs when the president blocks travel by Muslim immigrants; shakes its head when he defends Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman; averts its gaze from images of children in detention camps. Then it complies with orders.
Every day, we refuse visas based on administration priorities. We recite administration talking points on border security, immigration and trade. We plan travel itineraries, book meetings and literally hold doors open for the appointees who push Trump's toxic agenda around the world.
So when I read a recent New York Times op-ed calling for the public shaming of the "midlevel functionaries who make the system run," I squirmed in my seat. We rank-and-file, like the Justice Department lawyer who recently endured public scrutiny for defending the administration's terrible treatment of detained children, don't like to be called out. And when we are, we shrink behind a standard argument — that we are career officials serving nonpartisan institutions.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/29/opinion/immigration-children-detention.html
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/06/why-sarah-fabian-argued-against-giving-kids-toothbrushes/592366/
We should be named and shamed. But how should we respond? One thing I agree with the conspiracy theorists about: The Deep State, if it did exist, would be wrong. Ask to read the commission of any Foreign Service officer, and you'll see that we are hired to serve "during the pleasure of the President of the United States." That means we must serve this very partisan president.
Or else we should quit.
I'm ashamed of how long it took me to make this decision. My excuse might be disappointing, if familiar to many of my colleagues: I let career perks silence my conscience. I let free housing, the countdown to a pension and the prestige of representing a powerful nation overseas distract me from ideals that once seemed so clear to me. I can't do that anymore.
My son, born in El Paso on the American side of that same Rio Grande where the bodies of Óscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his daughter were discovered, in the same city where 22 people were just killed by a gunman whose purported "manifesto" echoed the inflammatory language of our president, turned 7 this month. I can no longer justify to him, or to myself, my complicity in the actions of this administration. That's why I choose to resign.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/06/26/father-daughter-who-drowned-border-dove-into-river-desperation/
I can no longer justify being a part of Trump's 'Complacent State.' So I'm resigning.
By Chuck Park
August 8 at 9:11 AM
Chuck Park's resignation from the Foreign Service is effective Thursday.
I was 26, newly married and more than a little idealistic when I set off for my first diplomatic assignment almost a decade ago as a member of the 157th class of commissioned U.S. Foreign Service officers.
According to a certain type of right-leaning conspiracy theorist, that would make me part of "The Deep State" — a shadowy government within the government that puts its own interests above the expressed wishes of the electorate. Adherents to this theory believe that thousands of federal workers like me are plotting furiously to subvert the Trump administration at every turn. Many on the left, too, hope that such a resistance is secretly working to save the nation from the worst impulses of President Trump.
They have it all wrong. Your federal bureaucracy under this president? Call it "The Complacent State" instead.
Like many in my cohort, I came into the government inspired by a president who convinced me there was still some truth to the gospel of American exceptionalism. A child of immigrants from South Korea, I also felt a duty to the society that welcomed my parents and allowed me and my siblings to thrive.
Over three tours abroad, I worked to spread what I believed were American values: freedom, fairness and tolerance. But more and more I found myself in a defensive stance, struggling to explain to foreign peoples the blatant contradictions at home.
In Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, I spoke of American openness and friendship at consulate events as my country carried out mass deportations and failed thousands of "dreamers." I attended celebrations of Black History Month at our embassy in Lisbon as black communities in the United States demanded justice for Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Freddie Gray and the victims of the mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. And in Vancouver, I touted the strength of the United States' democracy at the consulate's 2016 election-night party as a man who campaigned on racism, misogyny and wild conspiracy theories became president-elect.
Since then, I have seen Trump assert the moral equivalence of violent white nationalists and those who oppose them, denigrate immigrants from "shithole countries" and separate children from their parents at the border, only to place them in squalid detention centers.
But almost three years since his election, what I have not seen is organized resistance from within. To the contrary, two senior Foreign Service officers admonished me for risking my career when I signed an internal dissent cable against the ban on travelers from several majority-Muslim countries in January 2017. Among my colleagues at the State Department, I have met neither the unsung hero nor the cunning villain of Deep State lore. If the resistance does exist, it should be clear by this point that it has failed.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/dissent-memo-circulating-in-the-state-department-over-trumps-policy-on-refugees-and-immigrants/2017/01/30/c1457689-5108-4ef7-bcea-1a5dee431ef8_story.html
Instead, I am part of the Complacent State.
The Complacent State sighs when the president blocks travel by Muslim immigrants; shakes its head when he defends Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman; averts its gaze from images of children in detention camps. Then it complies with orders.
Every day, we refuse visas based on administration priorities. We recite administration talking points on border security, immigration and trade. We plan travel itineraries, book meetings and literally hold doors open for the appointees who push Trump's toxic agenda around the world.
So when I read a recent New York Times op-ed calling for the public shaming of the "midlevel functionaries who make the system run," I squirmed in my seat. We rank-and-file, like the Justice Department lawyer who recently endured public scrutiny for defending the administration's terrible treatment of detained children, don't like to be called out. And when we are, we shrink behind a standard argument — that we are career officials serving nonpartisan institutions.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/29/opinion/immigration-children-detention.html
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/06/why-sarah-fabian-argued-against-giving-kids-toothbrushes/592366/
We should be named and shamed. But how should we respond? One thing I agree with the conspiracy theorists about: The Deep State, if it did exist, would be wrong. Ask to read the commission of any Foreign Service officer, and you'll see that we are hired to serve "during the pleasure of the President of the United States." That means we must serve this very partisan president.
Or else we should quit.
I'm ashamed of how long it took me to make this decision. My excuse might be disappointing, if familiar to many of my colleagues: I let career perks silence my conscience. I let free housing, the countdown to a pension and the prestige of representing a powerful nation overseas distract me from ideals that once seemed so clear to me. I can't do that anymore.
My son, born in El Paso on the American side of that same Rio Grande where the bodies of Óscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his daughter were discovered, in the same city where 22 people were just killed by a gunman whose purported "manifesto" echoed the inflammatory language of our president, turned 7 this month. I can no longer justify to him, or to myself, my complicity in the actions of this administration. That's why I choose to resign.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/06/26/father-daughter-who-drowned-border-dove-into-river-desperation/
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Light News Dump
McConnell's campaign suspended from Twitter for posting critic's profanity-laced video
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/mitch-mcconnell/2019/08/07/mitch-mcconnell-campaign-suspended-twitter-profanity-laced-video/1948050001/
Trump and Republicans unconstitutionally order freeze of USAID funding with goal of ending USAID. | “In a reckless and irresponsible move, O.M.B. appears set on taking a sledgehammer to one of the most minuscule parts of the entire federal budget that would significantly damage America’s security and economic interests — and thwart congressional authority,” said Liz Schrayer, the chief executive of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, a nonprofit group that is an advocate for American diplomacy and counts large companies and nongovernmental organizations as members.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/07/us/politics/foreign-aid-freeze-congress.html
House Dems Finally Ask For Millions Of Brett Kavanaugh’s Hidden Documents | It's important to note that these aren't related to the sexual assault allegation, but rather to a case where he claimed under oath that he was not consulted during the appointing of a judge during the Bush administration when documents have been released that suggest he was. If he perjured (he did, multiple times) himself it would be grounds for impeachment, leading to removal. Impeachment is voted on by the House but a trial for removal is done by the perpetually-controlled-Republican Senate.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/brett-kavanaugh-investigation_n_5d49d56ce4b01ae816c9c6a4
Federal Judge Orders Government To Release Khashoggi Records
https://www.npr.org/2019/08/06/748877181/federal-judge-orders-release-of-khashoggi-records-by-u-s-government
Online message board 8chan’s fortunes worsened on Tuesday, as it was once again made homeless by a technical services provider and its owner was called to testify to the U.S. Congress after 8chan was linked to a weekend mass shooting in El Paso, Texas. The House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee demanded that owner Jim Watkins, an American living in the Philippines, testify about 8chan’s efforts to tackle “the proliferation of extremist content, including white supremacist content.”
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-shooting-tech/8chan-owner-called-before-u-s-congress-as-latest-host-drops-site-idUSKCN1UX012
White House Republicans rebuffed attempts by DHS to make combating domestic terrorism a higher priority
https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/07/politics/white-house-domestic-terrorism/index.html
The NRA Has Long Urged Americans To Arm Themselves Against An Immigrant Invasion
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nra-el-paso-shooting-anti-immigrant_n_5d49b2d8e4b0d291ed07a824
Fox News' Tucker Carlson calls concerns about white supremacy a "hoax": "It's actually not a real problem in America"
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/brett-kavanaugh-investigation_n_5d49d56ce4b01ae816c9c6a4
Florida governor orders criminal investigation of Jeffrey Epstein's 2008 plea deal
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/florida-governor-orders-criminal-investigation-jeffrey-epstein-s-2008-plea-n1039831
A 39-year-old man has been charged with felony assault of a minor in Montana after he allegedly slammed a 13-year-old boy to the ground for not taking his hat off during the national anthem. The incident took place Saturday at the Mineral County Fair and Rodeo in western Montana. Witnesses told a local CBS affiliate that as the anthem began Curt Brockway grabbed the teen, picked him up, and then slammed him headfirst to the ground. As people nearby approached, Brockway said he slammed the boy to the ground because of his hat. “He said (the boy) was disrespecting the national anthem so he had every right to do that,” eyewitness Taylor Hennick said. Brockway told a sheriff’s deputy that he had asked the boy to remove his hat for the anthem and that the boy cursed in response, though eyewitnesses did not corroborate that portion of Brockway’s retelling. | “There was a little boy lying on the ground,” Hennick told the Missoulian. “He was bleeding out of his ears, seizing on the ground, just not coherent.” She said she had heard a “pop” when the anthem began and recognized the boy as the neighbor of a family member. The injuries sustained by the boy were severe: He was taken to a local hospital where he was diagnosed with temporal skull fractures before being flown to a children’s hospital in Spokane, Wash. The boy’s parents said he continued bleeding from the ear for nearly six hours after the incident. | Brockway has had previous run-ins with the law and is currently serving a 10-year probation sentence for another assault charge involving a weapon.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/08/montana-man-slams-13-year-old-breaks-skull-hat-national-anthem.html
https://www.kpax.com/man-accused-of-assaulting-child-at-mineral-county-fairgrounds
https://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/crime-and-courts/superior-man-charged-with-assaulting-boy-who-was-disrespecting-the/article_1f731fbf-fd38-5c7f-8701-807909d8d137.html
House Democrats ready lawsuit to enforce subpoena for McGahn testimony
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-democrats-ready-lawsuit-enforce-subpoena-mcgahn-testimony/story?id=64825821
State Department Official Moonlit as a White Nationalist Leader and Attended Charlottesville, Report Says
https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/bjw88a/state-department-official-moonlit-as-a-white-nationalist-leader-and-attended-charlottesville-report-says
Increased emissions in Texas are canceling out climate progress across the country
https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/456299-increased-emissions-in-texas-are-canceling-out-climate-progress
Beto after being asked if it bothers him when Trump going after him on twitter: "No. When Trump is bad mouthing me, he’s leaving somebody else alone.”
https://twitter.com/NoahGeopfert/status/1159225164497862656
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/mitch-mcconnell/2019/08/07/mitch-mcconnell-campaign-suspended-twitter-profanity-laced-video/1948050001/
Trump and Republicans unconstitutionally order freeze of USAID funding with goal of ending USAID. | “In a reckless and irresponsible move, O.M.B. appears set on taking a sledgehammer to one of the most minuscule parts of the entire federal budget that would significantly damage America’s security and economic interests — and thwart congressional authority,” said Liz Schrayer, the chief executive of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, a nonprofit group that is an advocate for American diplomacy and counts large companies and nongovernmental organizations as members.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/07/us/politics/foreign-aid-freeze-congress.html
House Dems Finally Ask For Millions Of Brett Kavanaugh’s Hidden Documents | It's important to note that these aren't related to the sexual assault allegation, but rather to a case where he claimed under oath that he was not consulted during the appointing of a judge during the Bush administration when documents have been released that suggest he was. If he perjured (he did, multiple times) himself it would be grounds for impeachment, leading to removal. Impeachment is voted on by the House but a trial for removal is done by the perpetually-controlled-Republican Senate.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/brett-kavanaugh-investigation_n_5d49d56ce4b01ae816c9c6a4
Federal Judge Orders Government To Release Khashoggi Records
https://www.npr.org/2019/08/06/748877181/federal-judge-orders-release-of-khashoggi-records-by-u-s-government
Online message board 8chan’s fortunes worsened on Tuesday, as it was once again made homeless by a technical services provider and its owner was called to testify to the U.S. Congress after 8chan was linked to a weekend mass shooting in El Paso, Texas. The House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee demanded that owner Jim Watkins, an American living in the Philippines, testify about 8chan’s efforts to tackle “the proliferation of extremist content, including white supremacist content.”
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-shooting-tech/8chan-owner-called-before-u-s-congress-as-latest-host-drops-site-idUSKCN1UX012
White House Republicans rebuffed attempts by DHS to make combating domestic terrorism a higher priority
https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/07/politics/white-house-domestic-terrorism/index.html
The NRA Has Long Urged Americans To Arm Themselves Against An Immigrant Invasion
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nra-el-paso-shooting-anti-immigrant_n_5d49b2d8e4b0d291ed07a824
Fox News' Tucker Carlson calls concerns about white supremacy a "hoax": "It's actually not a real problem in America"
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/brett-kavanaugh-investigation_n_5d49d56ce4b01ae816c9c6a4
Florida governor orders criminal investigation of Jeffrey Epstein's 2008 plea deal
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/florida-governor-orders-criminal-investigation-jeffrey-epstein-s-2008-plea-n1039831
A 39-year-old man has been charged with felony assault of a minor in Montana after he allegedly slammed a 13-year-old boy to the ground for not taking his hat off during the national anthem. The incident took place Saturday at the Mineral County Fair and Rodeo in western Montana. Witnesses told a local CBS affiliate that as the anthem began Curt Brockway grabbed the teen, picked him up, and then slammed him headfirst to the ground. As people nearby approached, Brockway said he slammed the boy to the ground because of his hat. “He said (the boy) was disrespecting the national anthem so he had every right to do that,” eyewitness Taylor Hennick said. Brockway told a sheriff’s deputy that he had asked the boy to remove his hat for the anthem and that the boy cursed in response, though eyewitnesses did not corroborate that portion of Brockway’s retelling. | “There was a little boy lying on the ground,” Hennick told the Missoulian. “He was bleeding out of his ears, seizing on the ground, just not coherent.” She said she had heard a “pop” when the anthem began and recognized the boy as the neighbor of a family member. The injuries sustained by the boy were severe: He was taken to a local hospital where he was diagnosed with temporal skull fractures before being flown to a children’s hospital in Spokane, Wash. The boy’s parents said he continued bleeding from the ear for nearly six hours after the incident. | Brockway has had previous run-ins with the law and is currently serving a 10-year probation sentence for another assault charge involving a weapon.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/08/montana-man-slams-13-year-old-breaks-skull-hat-national-anthem.html
https://www.kpax.com/man-accused-of-assaulting-child-at-mineral-county-fairgrounds
https://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/crime-and-courts/superior-man-charged-with-assaulting-boy-who-was-disrespecting-the/article_1f731fbf-fd38-5c7f-8701-807909d8d137.html
House Democrats ready lawsuit to enforce subpoena for McGahn testimony
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-democrats-ready-lawsuit-enforce-subpoena-mcgahn-testimony/story?id=64825821
State Department Official Moonlit as a White Nationalist Leader and Attended Charlottesville, Report Says
https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/bjw88a/state-department-official-moonlit-as-a-white-nationalist-leader-and-attended-charlottesville-report-says
Increased emissions in Texas are canceling out climate progress across the country
https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/456299-increased-emissions-in-texas-are-canceling-out-climate-progress
Beto after being asked if it bothers him when Trump going after him on twitter: "No. When Trump is bad mouthing me, he’s leaving somebody else alone.”
https://twitter.com/NoahGeopfert/status/1159225164497862656
Mr. President, the hatred of the El Paso shooting didn't come from our city [elpasotimes]
https://www.elpasotimes.com/in-depth/opinion/editorials/2019/08/07/el-paso-shooting-open-letter-our-city-president-trump/1937514001/
Mr. President, the hatred of the El Paso shooting didn't come from our city
When you visit today, you will see El Paso in the agony of our mourning. You also will see El Paso at its finest.
Timothy Archuleta, El Paso Times
2:01 a.m. EST Aug. 7, 2019
Dear Mr. President:
Today is a tragic day to visit El Paso.
Less than a week ago, 22 of our own were killed as they shopped in a neighborhood store, as they prepared for their weekends, as they provided for their families.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2019/08/05/el-paso-shooting-victims-identified-see-the-names-walmart-texas-tx/1927961001/
Most of them were from El Paso. Eight were from our sister city of Juárez, steps away.
Today, you will find us in the agony of our mourning.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/local/community/2019/08/05/el-paso-community-reacts-unity-grief-anger-walmart-shooting/1916128001/
The violence that pierced El Paso, drawing you here today, is not of our own community. An outsider came here to shatter our city, to murder our neighbors. A white man from another Texas city came to target the more than 80% of us who share Hispanic roots.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/crime/2019/08/04/el-paso-shooter-walmart-hate-crime-domestic-terrorism-charges/1915755001/
We are horrified to have witnessed this violence in our city.
This is not the El Paso we want the world to know. This is a city with a deep tradition of racial harmony. It is a city of warm, compassionate, patriotic, accepting residents who did not deserve this suffering.
But, Mr. President, while we are sorry to have seen such violence and to have felt such pain, one other thing must be said about today.
Today is a very good day to visit El Paso.
Today, in spite of our suffering, you will see the city that makes us proud.
As our neighbors lay bleeding in hospitals, El Paso stood in line, in 104-degree heat, to donate blood — so much blood that organizers had more than they could handle.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/videos/news/2019/08/04/el-pasoans-flood-blood-donation-centers-following-mass-shooting/1917596001/
As families waited to be reunited with missing loved ones, El Paso quickly brought so much water and ice to their aid that donors were turned away.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2019/08/03/el-paso-walmart-shooting-families-reunite-survivors-wait-answers/1913240001/
When a gunman passed over one man to target others, that man didn't turn and run. He grabbed soda bottles from the shelves and started throwing, trying to distract the gunman from his evil intent. He was shot twice because of it. His name is Chris Grant. He is from El Paso.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2019/08/05/el-paso-shooting-man-tried-stop-walmart-shooter/1928443001/
As Grant lost blood and stumbled from the store, a woman helped stop the bleeding. She helped rush him to medical care. She had been shopping on her day off. Her name is Donna Sifford. She has been in El Paso since 1992. She is a port director for Customs and Border Protection.
They met again later at the hospital and embraced. Now, they are friends as well as neighbors.
This is El Paso.
Make no mistake. Today is not a happy day. Our city is in pain. We were targeted by a white supremacist, and we are suffering. We will remember the names of the 22 neighbors who died. Their names are printed here.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2019/08/04/el-paso-shooting-texas-victims-identities-updates-and-details/1915050001/
https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/08/06/PTX1/3a2ce508-4b77-49bd-a966-7aed867b30b7-el_paso_victim_list_editorial.png
The violence of that day may have been a product of his hatred. It was not a product of our community.
Our community did not deserve this.
Our compassion for one another goes back to the city's founding.
We were pioneers when a basketball coach from a small college we now know as UTEP started five African American players in a national championship basketball game for the first time — and won.
Fort Bliss, a key U.S. Army base, draws service members from around the world. They make us an international city many times over. When these patriots retire, many are purposeful in making El Paso their home.
When Pope Francis visited the Americas, he chose Juárez to conclude his trip. From there, he could reach out to the world on both sides of the border.
In El Paso, we embrace our relationship with Juárez. We are not separated by a border fence. In El Paso, the border is an opportunity. Commerce helps everyone share in the American dream.
We all want the same thing — we want our country to prosper. That's not different from your goal for America.
For many of us, our parents were born in Mexico. We are proud of that and we are also proud Americans.
America is our country. We are home.
Not everyone who visits El Paso has understood this.
During a visit to El Paso in April 2017, then-U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions called El Paso "ground zero." He said our city was "the front lines … where we take our stand" against cartels and human traffickers.
Mr. President, in your February State of the Union address, you claimed that El Paso was "one of our nation's most dangerous cities" before a border wall was built.
Mr. President, that is not El Paso.
Our city and Juárez were always linked. Today, we are intertwined more than ever. The evil that visited us targeted people from El Paso and Juárez alike. In our sorrow, we are more alike than ever.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2019/08/05/el-paso-recovers-historic-mass-shooting/1918329001/
Some in our community doubt we will be able to change your view of our border community. But it is important to us that we explain all that is good about El Paso.
In El Paso, when a baby in a onesie was covered in blood in an attack on a neighborhood store, a man scooped her up and raced for the exits.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2019/08/06/el-paso-shooting-money-cost-victim-fund-mass-casualty/1923634001/
In El Paso, when our neighbors were hurt, people and businesses donated more than $1 million in just two days to help them.
Our people are scared. Many of us feel our city is still viewed as a target.
But El Paso does not lash out in anger, even when we are treated unfairly.
In El Paso, we won't ever look at someone who is different with prejudice in our hearts.
The hatred that came to us came from an outsider. It did not come from El Paso.
Tim Archuleta is editor of the El Paso Times.
Mr. President, the hatred of the El Paso shooting didn't come from our city
When you visit today, you will see El Paso in the agony of our mourning. You also will see El Paso at its finest.
Timothy Archuleta, El Paso Times
2:01 a.m. EST Aug. 7, 2019
Dear Mr. President:
Today is a tragic day to visit El Paso.
Less than a week ago, 22 of our own were killed as they shopped in a neighborhood store, as they prepared for their weekends, as they provided for their families.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2019/08/05/el-paso-shooting-victims-identified-see-the-names-walmart-texas-tx/1927961001/
Most of them were from El Paso. Eight were from our sister city of Juárez, steps away.
Today, you will find us in the agony of our mourning.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/local/community/2019/08/05/el-paso-community-reacts-unity-grief-anger-walmart-shooting/1916128001/
The violence that pierced El Paso, drawing you here today, is not of our own community. An outsider came here to shatter our city, to murder our neighbors. A white man from another Texas city came to target the more than 80% of us who share Hispanic roots.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/crime/2019/08/04/el-paso-shooter-walmart-hate-crime-domestic-terrorism-charges/1915755001/
We are horrified to have witnessed this violence in our city.
This is not the El Paso we want the world to know. This is a city with a deep tradition of racial harmony. It is a city of warm, compassionate, patriotic, accepting residents who did not deserve this suffering.
But, Mr. President, while we are sorry to have seen such violence and to have felt such pain, one other thing must be said about today.
Today is a very good day to visit El Paso.
Today, in spite of our suffering, you will see the city that makes us proud.
As our neighbors lay bleeding in hospitals, El Paso stood in line, in 104-degree heat, to donate blood — so much blood that organizers had more than they could handle.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/videos/news/2019/08/04/el-pasoans-flood-blood-donation-centers-following-mass-shooting/1917596001/
As families waited to be reunited with missing loved ones, El Paso quickly brought so much water and ice to their aid that donors were turned away.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2019/08/03/el-paso-walmart-shooting-families-reunite-survivors-wait-answers/1913240001/
When a gunman passed over one man to target others, that man didn't turn and run. He grabbed soda bottles from the shelves and started throwing, trying to distract the gunman from his evil intent. He was shot twice because of it. His name is Chris Grant. He is from El Paso.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2019/08/05/el-paso-shooting-man-tried-stop-walmart-shooter/1928443001/
As Grant lost blood and stumbled from the store, a woman helped stop the bleeding. She helped rush him to medical care. She had been shopping on her day off. Her name is Donna Sifford. She has been in El Paso since 1992. She is a port director for Customs and Border Protection.
They met again later at the hospital and embraced. Now, they are friends as well as neighbors.
This is El Paso.
Make no mistake. Today is not a happy day. Our city is in pain. We were targeted by a white supremacist, and we are suffering. We will remember the names of the 22 neighbors who died. Their names are printed here.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2019/08/04/el-paso-shooting-texas-victims-identities-updates-and-details/1915050001/
https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/08/06/PTX1/3a2ce508-4b77-49bd-a966-7aed867b30b7-el_paso_victim_list_editorial.png
The violence of that day may have been a product of his hatred. It was not a product of our community.
Our community did not deserve this.
Our compassion for one another goes back to the city's founding.
We were pioneers when a basketball coach from a small college we now know as UTEP started five African American players in a national championship basketball game for the first time — and won.
Fort Bliss, a key U.S. Army base, draws service members from around the world. They make us an international city many times over. When these patriots retire, many are purposeful in making El Paso their home.
When Pope Francis visited the Americas, he chose Juárez to conclude his trip. From there, he could reach out to the world on both sides of the border.
In El Paso, we embrace our relationship with Juárez. We are not separated by a border fence. In El Paso, the border is an opportunity. Commerce helps everyone share in the American dream.
We all want the same thing — we want our country to prosper. That's not different from your goal for America.
For many of us, our parents were born in Mexico. We are proud of that and we are also proud Americans.
America is our country. We are home.
Not everyone who visits El Paso has understood this.
During a visit to El Paso in April 2017, then-U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions called El Paso "ground zero." He said our city was "the front lines … where we take our stand" against cartels and human traffickers.
Mr. President, in your February State of the Union address, you claimed that El Paso was "one of our nation's most dangerous cities" before a border wall was built.
Mr. President, that is not El Paso.
Our city and Juárez were always linked. Today, we are intertwined more than ever. The evil that visited us targeted people from El Paso and Juárez alike. In our sorrow, we are more alike than ever.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2019/08/05/el-paso-recovers-historic-mass-shooting/1918329001/
Some in our community doubt we will be able to change your view of our border community. But it is important to us that we explain all that is good about El Paso.
In El Paso, when a baby in a onesie was covered in blood in an attack on a neighborhood store, a man scooped her up and raced for the exits.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2019/08/06/el-paso-shooting-money-cost-victim-fund-mass-casualty/1923634001/
In El Paso, when our neighbors were hurt, people and businesses donated more than $1 million in just two days to help them.
Our people are scared. Many of us feel our city is still viewed as a target.
But El Paso does not lash out in anger, even when we are treated unfairly.
In El Paso, we won't ever look at someone who is different with prejudice in our hearts.
The hatred that came to us came from an outsider. It did not come from El Paso.
Tim Archuleta is editor of the El Paso Times.
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Light New Dump
Using the El Paso terrorist's manifesto, I connected the dots for folks still having trouble doing that. This is just the first page.
https://twitter.com/BFriedmanDC/status/1158025780233986048
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EBIiTeFWkAA2o8K.jpg
There are literally straight lines between what the terrorist believes and what is repeated daily by conservative media outlets and the U.S. president.
https://twitter.com/BFriedmanDC/status/1158029145496010752
Ocasio-Cortez confronts McConnell over photo of men in ‘Team Mitch’ shirts ‘groping & choking’ her cutout | The young men wear matching shirts from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)’s campaign, and cluster around a cardboard cutout of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Several of them hold their thumbs down. One grasps the life-size poster by the waist and pretends to kiss the congresswoman. Another appears to mime his hand around her neck. To Ocasio-Cortez, the photo — originally posted to Instagram with the caption “break me off a piece of that” and then made viral on Twitter on Monday — suggested an endorsement of violent misogyny. “Are you paying for young men to practice groping & choking members of Congress w/ your payroll, or is this just the standard culture of #TeamMitch?” Ocasio-Cortez asked on Twitter on Monday night.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/08/06/aoc-mcconnell-cardboard-cut-out-groping-choking/
Mitch McConnell campaign says "boys will be boys" after Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blasts disturbing groping pic
https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-ocasio-cortez-mcconnell-cut-out-groping-20190806-ggehtijrhzbj5gj2cndv3b2cye-story.html
The Nebraska Republican Party on Monday called for Republican state Sen. John McCollister to re-register as a Democrat after he accused the party of enabling white supremacy in the United States. | McCollister gained national attention on Sunday after sharing a series of tweets condemning the Republican Party for what he described as its complicity in "obvious racist and immoral activity inside our party." "The Republican Party is enabling white supremacy in our country," McCollister said on Twitter. "As a lifelong Republican, it pains me to say this, but it’s the truth."
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/456290-nebraska-gop-tells-republican-lawmaker-who-said-party-is-enabling-white
https://twitter.com/SenMcCollister/status/1158178237899522048
According to Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl, the gunman who opened fire in the popular Oregon District in downtown Dayton around bar close time was “neutralized” by officers a mere 30 seconds after he fired his first shot. But largely due to the .223-caliber high-capacity rifle with 100-round magazines he was wielding, 30 seconds was all the time he needed to leave nine people dead and at least 27 others injured before he was killed by police. CNN, citing Dayton officials, reported that the gunman fired 41 shots in less than 30 seconds, and stuck 14 people with gunfire.
https://www.vox.com/2019/8/5/20755047/dayton-mass-shooting-timeline-good-guy-with-a-gun-myth
https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/05/us/dayton-monday-shooter-stopped-in-seconds/index.html
Trump referred to immigrant 'invasion' in 2,000 Facebook ads, analysis reveals: President’s campaign ads on social media use language similar to that of El Paso suspect’s manifesto
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/05/trump-internet-facebook-ads-racism-immigrant-invasion
Iranian stamp issued in memory of Suleiman Khater | Suleiman Mohammed Abdul-Hamid Khater (Arabic سليمان خاطر, also transcribed Soleiman, Sulaiman, Sulayman, Suliman etc.; 1961-1986) was an Egyptian soldier who committed the Ras Burqa massacre of October 5, 1985, when he opened fire on Israeli tourists in the Sinai Peninsula, killing seven of them, as well as an Egyptian police officer. While Israel demanded that he be harshly punished, he enjoyed widespread support in Egypt and throughout the Arab world for his actions. Khater was found dead in January 1986, hanged in his jail cell, and many suspected that the Egyptian authorities staged a "suicide" as a convenient escape from their political dilemma.
https://i.imgur.com/IKzgV9z.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suleiman_Khater
A 'Fox and Friends' host said it's 'a fact' that America is experiencing a Hispanic invasion, directly echoing the El Paso shooter's manifesto
https://www.businessinsider.com/brian-kilmeade-fox-friends-america-invasion-el-paso-shooter-2019-8
Three Days After El Paso, Fox & Friends Re-Ups the 'Invasion' Conspiracy Theory the Shooter Cited | There is no way that, at this point, they don't know what they're doing.
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a28620972/brian-kilmeade-fox-invasion-anti-hispanic-fact-el-paso/
California's new ammo background check law blocked 100 sales in first month
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/californias-new-ammo-background-check-law-blocked-100-sales-in-first-month/
17 million Americans purged from voter rolls between 2016 and 2018, new report finds
https://thinkprogress.org/17-million-americans-purged-from-voter-rolls-between-2016-and-2018-new-report-finds/
Reminder: Mitch McConnell campaign posts photos of bullet-shaped tombstones with Democrat names on hours after El Paso shooting - One of the gravestones read "RIP Amy McGrath", a reference to the candidate running to unseat him in the Kentucky senate race
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/mitch-mcconnell-twitter-amy-mcgrath-tombstone-el-paso-shooting-trump-a9040631.html
Police “neutralized” the Dayton shooter in 30 seconds. He still shot 14 people.
https://www.vox.com/2019/8/5/20755047/dayton-mass-shooting-timeline-good-guy-with-a-gun-myth
Beto O'Rourke backs abolishing filibuster to pass gun control
https://www.axios.com/beto-orourke-abolishing-filibuster-gun-control-6d022948-b02e-4775-81c7-8dfb16477a35.html
Republicans Block Effort to Save the Great Lakes from Invasive Asian Carp -- $800 Million Plan Includes an Electronic Barrier Just 50 Miles from Lake Michigan
https://www.dcreport.org/2019/08/06/republicans-block-effort-to-save-the-great-lakes-from-invasive-asian-carp/
Beto O'Rourke: We very consciously started out 243 years ago on the premise that we're all created equal. We never quite lived up to it, but until now, until this administration, we never stopped trying.
https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1158562287885664256?s=09
Alaska's sea ice has completely melted away - after an Arctic summer with well above-average temperatures, warmer seas, and a historic July heat wave
https://mashable.com/article/alaska-sea-ice-melt-2019/
Peter Strzok sues over firing for anti-Trump texts
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/06/peter-strzok-lawsuit-firing-trump-texts-1448615
Mitch McConnell’s campaign calls protest outside his Louisville home as a call to violence
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mitch-mcconnells-campaign-decries-protest-outside-his-louisville-home-as-a-call-to-violence/2019/08/06/46d344b0-b86b-11e9-bad6-609f75bfd97f_story.html
US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman resigns
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/456352-us-ambassador-to-russia-jon-huntsman-resigns
Ohio shooter joins long list of mass shooters with records of misogyny
https://thinkprogress.org/ohio-shooter-joins-long-list-of-mass-shooters-with-records-of-misogyny-50d50afe5a40/
US Justice Dept. sues House Democrats over subpoena seeking Trump accounting records from Mazars
https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6244879/Mazars-Justice-Department.pdf
Oregon woman who admitted to kicking a baby’s stroller with the baby in it because she was upset that the baby was white and his mother was black has been convicted for bias crime. Sentenced to 30 days in jail.
https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2019/08/portland-woman-who-kicked-babys-stroller-convicted-of-bias-crime.html
The lives lost in El Paso
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/08/04/el-paso-shooting-victims/
https://twitter.com/BFriedmanDC/status/1158025780233986048
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EBIiTeFWkAA2o8K.jpg
There are literally straight lines between what the terrorist believes and what is repeated daily by conservative media outlets and the U.S. president.
https://twitter.com/BFriedmanDC/status/1158029145496010752
Ocasio-Cortez confronts McConnell over photo of men in ‘Team Mitch’ shirts ‘groping & choking’ her cutout | The young men wear matching shirts from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)’s campaign, and cluster around a cardboard cutout of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Several of them hold their thumbs down. One grasps the life-size poster by the waist and pretends to kiss the congresswoman. Another appears to mime his hand around her neck. To Ocasio-Cortez, the photo — originally posted to Instagram with the caption “break me off a piece of that” and then made viral on Twitter on Monday — suggested an endorsement of violent misogyny. “Are you paying for young men to practice groping & choking members of Congress w/ your payroll, or is this just the standard culture of #TeamMitch?” Ocasio-Cortez asked on Twitter on Monday night.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/08/06/aoc-mcconnell-cardboard-cut-out-groping-choking/
Mitch McConnell campaign says "boys will be boys" after Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blasts disturbing groping pic
https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-ocasio-cortez-mcconnell-cut-out-groping-20190806-ggehtijrhzbj5gj2cndv3b2cye-story.html
The Nebraska Republican Party on Monday called for Republican state Sen. John McCollister to re-register as a Democrat after he accused the party of enabling white supremacy in the United States. | McCollister gained national attention on Sunday after sharing a series of tweets condemning the Republican Party for what he described as its complicity in "obvious racist and immoral activity inside our party." "The Republican Party is enabling white supremacy in our country," McCollister said on Twitter. "As a lifelong Republican, it pains me to say this, but it’s the truth."
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/456290-nebraska-gop-tells-republican-lawmaker-who-said-party-is-enabling-white
https://twitter.com/SenMcCollister/status/1158178237899522048
According to Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl, the gunman who opened fire in the popular Oregon District in downtown Dayton around bar close time was “neutralized” by officers a mere 30 seconds after he fired his first shot. But largely due to the .223-caliber high-capacity rifle with 100-round magazines he was wielding, 30 seconds was all the time he needed to leave nine people dead and at least 27 others injured before he was killed by police. CNN, citing Dayton officials, reported that the gunman fired 41 shots in less than 30 seconds, and stuck 14 people with gunfire.
https://www.vox.com/2019/8/5/20755047/dayton-mass-shooting-timeline-good-guy-with-a-gun-myth
https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/05/us/dayton-monday-shooter-stopped-in-seconds/index.html
Trump referred to immigrant 'invasion' in 2,000 Facebook ads, analysis reveals: President’s campaign ads on social media use language similar to that of El Paso suspect’s manifesto
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/05/trump-internet-facebook-ads-racism-immigrant-invasion
Iranian stamp issued in memory of Suleiman Khater | Suleiman Mohammed Abdul-Hamid Khater (Arabic سليمان خاطر, also transcribed Soleiman, Sulaiman, Sulayman, Suliman etc.; 1961-1986) was an Egyptian soldier who committed the Ras Burqa massacre of October 5, 1985, when he opened fire on Israeli tourists in the Sinai Peninsula, killing seven of them, as well as an Egyptian police officer. While Israel demanded that he be harshly punished, he enjoyed widespread support in Egypt and throughout the Arab world for his actions. Khater was found dead in January 1986, hanged in his jail cell, and many suspected that the Egyptian authorities staged a "suicide" as a convenient escape from their political dilemma.
https://i.imgur.com/IKzgV9z.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suleiman_Khater
A 'Fox and Friends' host said it's 'a fact' that America is experiencing a Hispanic invasion, directly echoing the El Paso shooter's manifesto
https://www.businessinsider.com/brian-kilmeade-fox-friends-america-invasion-el-paso-shooter-2019-8
Three Days After El Paso, Fox & Friends Re-Ups the 'Invasion' Conspiracy Theory the Shooter Cited | There is no way that, at this point, they don't know what they're doing.
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a28620972/brian-kilmeade-fox-invasion-anti-hispanic-fact-el-paso/
California's new ammo background check law blocked 100 sales in first month
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/californias-new-ammo-background-check-law-blocked-100-sales-in-first-month/
17 million Americans purged from voter rolls between 2016 and 2018, new report finds
https://thinkprogress.org/17-million-americans-purged-from-voter-rolls-between-2016-and-2018-new-report-finds/
Reminder: Mitch McConnell campaign posts photos of bullet-shaped tombstones with Democrat names on hours after El Paso shooting - One of the gravestones read "RIP Amy McGrath", a reference to the candidate running to unseat him in the Kentucky senate race
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/mitch-mcconnell-twitter-amy-mcgrath-tombstone-el-paso-shooting-trump-a9040631.html
Police “neutralized” the Dayton shooter in 30 seconds. He still shot 14 people.
https://www.vox.com/2019/8/5/20755047/dayton-mass-shooting-timeline-good-guy-with-a-gun-myth
Beto O'Rourke backs abolishing filibuster to pass gun control
https://www.axios.com/beto-orourke-abolishing-filibuster-gun-control-6d022948-b02e-4775-81c7-8dfb16477a35.html
Republicans Block Effort to Save the Great Lakes from Invasive Asian Carp -- $800 Million Plan Includes an Electronic Barrier Just 50 Miles from Lake Michigan
https://www.dcreport.org/2019/08/06/republicans-block-effort-to-save-the-great-lakes-from-invasive-asian-carp/
Beto O'Rourke: We very consciously started out 243 years ago on the premise that we're all created equal. We never quite lived up to it, but until now, until this administration, we never stopped trying.
https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1158562287885664256?s=09
Alaska's sea ice has completely melted away - after an Arctic summer with well above-average temperatures, warmer seas, and a historic July heat wave
https://mashable.com/article/alaska-sea-ice-melt-2019/
Peter Strzok sues over firing for anti-Trump texts
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/06/peter-strzok-lawsuit-firing-trump-texts-1448615
Mitch McConnell’s campaign calls protest outside his Louisville home as a call to violence
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mitch-mcconnells-campaign-decries-protest-outside-his-louisville-home-as-a-call-to-violence/2019/08/06/46d344b0-b86b-11e9-bad6-609f75bfd97f_story.html
US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman resigns
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/456352-us-ambassador-to-russia-jon-huntsman-resigns
Ohio shooter joins long list of mass shooters with records of misogyny
https://thinkprogress.org/ohio-shooter-joins-long-list-of-mass-shooters-with-records-of-misogyny-50d50afe5a40/
US Justice Dept. sues House Democrats over subpoena seeking Trump accounting records from Mazars
https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6244879/Mazars-Justice-Department.pdf
Oregon woman who admitted to kicking a baby’s stroller with the baby in it because she was upset that the baby was white and his mother was black has been convicted for bias crime. Sentenced to 30 days in jail.
https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2019/08/portland-woman-who-kicked-babys-stroller-convicted-of-bias-crime.html
The lives lost in El Paso
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/08/04/el-paso-shooting-victims/
Monday, August 5, 2019
We willingly chose to define ourselves not by race, not by ethnicity, not by common ancestry, not by any difference, but by the fact that we are all created equal. And I know that we have never fully lived up to that, but this is a defining moment. This is where we choose if we are going to continue to pursue that, or whether we are going to give up on the idea altogether.
The media must do better | When the media ask questions as if we have a normal president, as if Trump isn’t himself the purveyor of the ideology that motivates mass murderers and as if he hasn’t been hiding out at his golf course for more than a day after the El Paso terrorist massacre, they enable him to maintain the patina of respectability and his followers to support him while disassociating themselves from the white nationalism he foments. | [washingtonpost]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/08/05/press-must-do-better/
The media must do better
By Jennifer Rubin
August 5 at 10:45 AM
After the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, President Trump is already is blaming the media (“News coverage has got to start being fair, balanced and unbiased, or these terrible problems will only get worse!”) and threatening to hold gun safety legislation hostage to “immigration reform” — the bipartisan variety of which he has worked to defeat.
Responsible coverage would mean beginning every story and every news segment with a reminder that Trump before the two recent shootings never condemned white nationalism and, in fact, consistently has abetted it. It would explain that Trump has virulently opposed all bipartisan efforts at immigration reform and together with his party has blocked background checks.
Imagine if President Barack Obama had rhetorically amplified radical Islamist fundamentalism, accepted support from its adherents, remained sequestered 24 hours after two terrorist attacks, blamed the media and disingenuously suggested anti-terrorism measures be married, say, to a hike in the minimum wage or another Democratic demand. The media would have questioned his mental stability, gone nuts over his refusal to appear publicly and hounded members of his party to disown him, if not seek his removal from office.
What’s wrong with current coverage? The media don’t treat Trump as they would Obama; they don’t treat domestic white nationalist terrorism like “real” terrorism, and they don’t treat Republicans as responsible for this president’s moral insanity.
Beto O’Rourke had it right when he lambasted the media for essentially playing dumb, for asking without context questions for which “they know the answers to” (language warning):
Sky News
Verified account @SkyNews
'What the f***?' - Former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke says President Trump's language against minorities promotes racial division and violence.
Two mass shootings left 29 people dead this weekend in the US.
https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1158271382154817537
When the media ask questions as if we have a normal president, as if Trump isn’t himself the purveyor of the ideology that motivates mass murderers and as if he hasn’t been hiding out at his golf course for more than a day after the El Paso terrorist massacre, they enable him to maintain the patina of respectability and his followers to support him while disassociating themselves from the white nationalism he foments.
The mainstream media need to rethink practices such as:
- Putting on air inveterate liars such as Kellyanne Conway
- Carrying any Trump rally live, given the high likelihood that he will be inciting anti-immigrant hysteria
- Questioning Republican lawmakers without insisting that they account for the president’s conduct
- Using benign headlines (“Trump wants action on gun safety”) to obscure Trump’s complicity (e.g. blocking gun control)
- Allowing Trump’s past offenses to be lost down the memory hole (e.g., Trump began his campaign saying, “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.”)
- Ignoring Fox News’s role in stoking anti-immigrant hate.
Trump and his apologists will accuse the media of “taking sides.” But when one side is routinely lying as well as aiding and abetting white nationalism, you bet the media should take sides. A simple example: When Trump says he is the “least racist” person, he should be pummeled with questions about everything from his refusal to recognize that the Central Park Five were exonerated to his use of dehumanizing language (“infested”) to his insistence there were “very fine” people among the neo-Nazi marchers in Charlottesville to his repeated attacks on African Americans’ intelligence. Print stories recounting his words (“Trump ignores his racist track record” not “Trump says he’s the least racist person”) should recount his record of racism.
False balance and moral squeamishness on the part of the media are malpractice. Trump depends on cowed Republicans and an overly solicitous media to maintain his hold on power. End both, and we’d go a long way toward ridding ourselves of this moral and political menace.
The media must do better
By Jennifer Rubin
August 5 at 10:45 AM
After the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, President Trump is already is blaming the media (“News coverage has got to start being fair, balanced and unbiased, or these terrible problems will only get worse!”) and threatening to hold gun safety legislation hostage to “immigration reform” — the bipartisan variety of which he has worked to defeat.
Responsible coverage would mean beginning every story and every news segment with a reminder that Trump before the two recent shootings never condemned white nationalism and, in fact, consistently has abetted it. It would explain that Trump has virulently opposed all bipartisan efforts at immigration reform and together with his party has blocked background checks.
Imagine if President Barack Obama had rhetorically amplified radical Islamist fundamentalism, accepted support from its adherents, remained sequestered 24 hours after two terrorist attacks, blamed the media and disingenuously suggested anti-terrorism measures be married, say, to a hike in the minimum wage or another Democratic demand. The media would have questioned his mental stability, gone nuts over his refusal to appear publicly and hounded members of his party to disown him, if not seek his removal from office.
What’s wrong with current coverage? The media don’t treat Trump as they would Obama; they don’t treat domestic white nationalist terrorism like “real” terrorism, and they don’t treat Republicans as responsible for this president’s moral insanity.
Beto O’Rourke had it right when he lambasted the media for essentially playing dumb, for asking without context questions for which “they know the answers to” (language warning):
Sky News
Verified account @SkyNews
'What the f***?' - Former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke says President Trump's language against minorities promotes racial division and violence.
Two mass shootings left 29 people dead this weekend in the US.
https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1158271382154817537
When the media ask questions as if we have a normal president, as if Trump isn’t himself the purveyor of the ideology that motivates mass murderers and as if he hasn’t been hiding out at his golf course for more than a day after the El Paso terrorist massacre, they enable him to maintain the patina of respectability and his followers to support him while disassociating themselves from the white nationalism he foments.
The mainstream media need to rethink practices such as:
- Putting on air inveterate liars such as Kellyanne Conway
- Carrying any Trump rally live, given the high likelihood that he will be inciting anti-immigrant hysteria
- Questioning Republican lawmakers without insisting that they account for the president’s conduct
- Using benign headlines (“Trump wants action on gun safety”) to obscure Trump’s complicity (e.g. blocking gun control)
- Allowing Trump’s past offenses to be lost down the memory hole (e.g., Trump began his campaign saying, “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.”)
- Ignoring Fox News’s role in stoking anti-immigrant hate.
Trump and his apologists will accuse the media of “taking sides.” But when one side is routinely lying as well as aiding and abetting white nationalism, you bet the media should take sides. A simple example: When Trump says he is the “least racist” person, he should be pummeled with questions about everything from his refusal to recognize that the Central Park Five were exonerated to his use of dehumanizing language (“infested”) to his insistence there were “very fine” people among the neo-Nazi marchers in Charlottesville to his repeated attacks on African Americans’ intelligence. Print stories recounting his words (“Trump ignores his racist track record” not “Trump says he’s the least racist person”) should recount his record of racism.
False balance and moral squeamishness on the part of the media are malpractice. Trump depends on cowed Republicans and an overly solicitous media to maintain his hold on power. End both, and we’d go a long way toward ridding ourselves of this moral and political menace.
Light News Dump
A controversial video of Trump laughing at a proposal to 'shoot' migrants is resurfacing amid two shootings in Texas and Ohio
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-shoot-them-video-resurfacing-after-texas-ohio-mass-shooting-2019-8
March 2017: Trump quietly signed a bill into law rolling back an Obama-era regulation that made it harder for people with mental illnesses to purchase a gun. Trump signed the bill into law without a photo op or fanfare.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-signs-bill-revoking-obama-era-gun-checks-people-mental-n727221
FBI agents are reluctant to pursue white nationalist extremists because they don't want to target Trump's base, former counter-terror officer says
https://www.businessinsider.com/ex-fbi-boss-agents-dont-want-to-target-trump-base-2019-8
Trump pictured greeting guests and smiling at his golf club hours after 20 people killed in mass shooting
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/trump-golf-wedding-el-paso-dayton-mass-shooting-death-toll-a9039401.html
Representative Kenny Marchant of Texas is planning to announce his retirement on Monday, according to two Republican officials, becoming the fourth Republican House member from Texas in recent weeks to head for the exits rather than face re-election in 2020 in a state that is rapidly becoming more competitive. | After a generation of dominance in Texas, Republicans are now facing the same challenges as their counterparts in other parts of the country: By linking themselves to President Trump and his incendiary brand of nationalist politics, they are alienating the sort of suburban voters who were once among the Republican Party’s most dependable supporters.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/05/us/politics/house-retirement-republican.html
Cloudflare Boots 8chan as a Customer | Cloudflare's move comes after multiple mass shooters have posted so-called manifestos to the anonymous message board.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/59nm5d/cloudflare-boots-8chan-as-a-customer
India revoked special status for Kashmir and dissolved entire "state", Kashmir is an Islamic terrorism movement masquerading as a "state", all Kashmiris are hardcore Islamic terrorists because once again Kashmir is not a region, it's an Islamic terrorist movement
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-49231619
Beto O'Rourke was the first Democratic candidate to pledge to show up for the Giffords and March For Our Lives gun control forum - and he did so *before* the El Paso terrorist attack. He's the real deal.
https://twitter.com/MichelleHodkin/status/1158210169463037954
Clip of Beto on Morning Joe (full video still to come) (via Beto O'Rourke on Twitter)
https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1158362950069116928?s=20
Trump and his people deleted racists tweets in wake of El Paso shooting
https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/trump-deleting-tweets-el-paso-shooting/
Trump Administration Has Cut Back Programs That Detect Weapons of Mass Destruction:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-administration-has-cut-back-programs-that-detect-weapons-of-mass-destruction-report
China responded to Donald Trump’s tariff threat with another escalation of the trade war on Monday, letting the yuan tumble to the weakest level in more than a decade and asking state-owned companies to suspend imports of U.S. agricultural products.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-05/china-hits-back-at-trump-with-weaker-yuan-halt-on-crop-imports
FBI warns of copycat attacks in wake of mass shootings
https://thehill.com/homenews/456168-fbi-warns-of-copycat-attacks-in-wake-of-mass-shootings
House judiciary chairman says Trump’s call for immigration reform after shootings ‘reminds me of the 1930s in Germany’
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/05/nadler-ties-trump-call-for-immigration-reform-after-shootings-to-nazi-germany.html
Beto: You may call a cockroach and infestation. You may use that word in the Third Reich to describe those who are undesirable, who must be put down because they are subhuman. You do not expect to hear that in the United States of America in this age, in our generation, with this beautiful country that decided 243 years ago that we would not define ourselves by race, or ethnicity, or our differences, but by the fact we are all created equal
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/beto-o-rouke-trump-el-paso-vigil_n_5d47b258e4b0ca604e344276
Schumer, Pelosi demand McConnell cancel Senate recess to pass background check bills
https://www.axios.com/schumer-pelosi-background-check-mcconnell-mass-shootings-58613596-1ea0-43eb-b274-cc46152c228c.html
'MAGA Bomber' Cesar Sayoc sentenced to 20 years in prison for trying to kill Trump critics, including Obama, Clinton, Biden, Booker, Harris
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/05/cesar-sayoc-sentenced-to-20-years-for-sending-bombs-to-trump-critics.html
Iowa native JD Scholten announces second bid to unseat GOP Rep. Steve King
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/05/politics/jd-scholten-challenges-steve-king/index.html
Mitch McConnell's campaign shared a photo of his political opponents' names on tombstones (that are shaped like bullets) after the El Paso shooting | The tweet from McConnell's official Senate campaign Twitter account @Team_Mitch started gaining traction after McConnell's Democratic Senate challenger Amy McGrath tweeted it out on Monday afternoon. Merrick Garland, whose Supreme Court nomination was stalled by and ultimately upended thanks to McConnell, is on another tombstone, as is Kentucky's Democratic Secretary of State Alison Lundergarn Grimes. The original tweet was posted at 6:35 p.m. on Saturday — hours after news of the shooting started coming out, and just 24 minutes before McConnell tweeted his prayers to the victims and first responders in the El Paso shooting. The tweet was still up as of 2:30 p.m. Monday.
https://theweek.com/speedreads/857086/mitch-mcconnells-campaign-shared-photo-political-opponents-names-tombstones-after-el-paso-shooting
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Monday pressed Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers on why the public shouldn’t be allowed to see redacted portions of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, suggesting that he may be willing to consider releasing at least some of the restricted document.
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/456236-judge-questions-barrs-handling-of-mueller-findings
Jared Kushner Saw Trump Presidency As Chance To 'Dig Himself Out Of' Debt, Pushed Ivanka To Move To D.C.: Report
https://www.newsweek.com/jared-kushner-trump-debt-ivanka-dc-1452672
People suffer from mental illness in every other country on earth; people play video games in virtually every other country on earth. The difference is the guns.
https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/1158429087133839360
He incited people to murder Hillary Clinton her with a gun and won the Presidency
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/10/us/politics/donald-trump-hillary-clinton.html
A woman in the crowd suddenly yelled, “Shoot them!” Trump chuckled. “That’s only in the panhandle you can get away with that stuff,” he said. The crowd clapped and cheered.
https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-what-trump-hath-wrought-20190805-rrgamb5cozcrne45gtscane6su-story.html
NRA spent $1.6 million lobbying against background check expansion laws in months leading up to latest mass shootings
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/05/nra-spent-1point6-million-lobbying-against-expanded-background-check-laws.html
TulsiGabbard does not respond to requests for comment about Neo-Nazi donations to her campaign -- or whether they will be returned
https://twitter.com/jonallendc/status/1158442591060447232?s=09
Barbra Streisand: "This is no time to mince words -Beto is right! And this president has the nerve to blame the news media for these tragedies ? HE is the one inciting violence!"
https://twitter.com/BarbraStreisand/status/1158456643060936711
Trump often blames mass shootings on mental health. When the perpetrator is Muslim, he blames Islam.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/08/05/trump-often-blames-mass-shootings-mental-health-when-perpetrator-is-muslim-he-blames-islam/
'An Act of Terrorism': Mexico Plans Legal Action Against US After 6 Citizens Killed in El Paso Shooting: "Mexico would like to express its utmost, profound condemnation and rejection of this barbaric act," said Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico's Foreign Minister
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/08/05/act-terrorism-mexico-plans-legal-action-against-us-after-6-citizens-killed-el-paso
Trump STILL owes city of El Paso $470,000 for MAGA rally from February
https://www.ksat.com/news/donald-trump-still-owes-city-of-el-paso-470000-for-maga-rally-from-february
Second car rams into crowd as chief executive Carrie Lam warns city is being pushed to ‘the verge of a very dangerous situation’
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2019/aug/05/hong-kong-protest-brings-city-to-standstill-ahead-of-carrie-lam-statement-live
Any illusion we had that progress is inevitable—or that the change we need is going to come of its own accord—is shattered in moments like this. It is on every single one of us to meet this moment with everything we've got as a country. We will make this right.
https://twitter.com/betoorourke/status/1157823191600914432
Greenland's ice wasn't supposed to melt like last week until 2070: 'Across lower elevations around the margins of the ice sheet, bare glacial ice melted at an unprecedented rate, losing 12.5 billion tons of water on Thursday alone'
https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/456112-greenlands-ice-sheet-wasnt-expected-to-melt-like-this-until-2070
A reporter asked: "Is there anything in your mind that the president can do now to make this any better?" O'Rourke responded: "What do you think? You know the shit he's been saying. He's been calling Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals. I don't know, like, members of the press, what the fuck? Hold on a second. You now, I -- it's these questions that you know the answers to. I mean, connect the dots about what he's been doing in this country. He's not tolerating racism, he's promoting racism. He's not tolerating violence, he's inciting racism and violence in this country. So, uhm, you know, I just -- I don't know what kind of question that is."
https://twitter.com/ericbradner/status/1158196171451576321
ttps://twitter.com/ericbradner/status/1158196171451576321
Sunday, August 4, 2019
Yep: Trump's racism does not just offend our sensibvilities; it fundamentally changes the character of this country. And it leads to violence. -Beto
https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1157851323796037634s://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1157851323796037634
Light News Dump
North Korea features Donald Trump on its stamps
https://qz.com/1681045/north-korea-features-donald-trump-on-its-stamps/
8chan Is a Megaphone for Shooters. ‘Shut the Site Down,’ Says Its Creator.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/04/technology/8chan-shooting-manifesto.html
9 killed in Ohio in second US mass shooting in 24 hours
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/at-least-16-hospitalized-as-police-investigate-ohio-shooting/2019/08/04/67d696d0-b690-11e9-acc8-1d847bacca73_story.html?utm_term=.99c41fc0c8c1
Donald Trump still owes city of El Paso $470,000 for MAGA rally from February
https://www.ksat.com/news/donald-trump-still-owes-city-of-el-paso-470000-for-maga-rally-from-february
300,000 Virginians newly covered through Medicaid expansion
https://www.apnews.com/ee6dc40c4f8b4f7cb6b4735344db008a
All publicly-funded sports and leisure centres in Scotland have banned the sale of energy drinks to children under the age of 16. The drinks, which can also have high levels of sugar, have been linked to health problems in children.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-49220773
Government to spend five times more on 'propaganda' than helping councils prepare for no-deal Brexit
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-no-deal-boris-johnson-local-council-spending-planning-a9037951.html?utm_source=reddit.com
Apple suspends access to Siri recordings after workers overhear iPhone users 'having sex': The move follows a report that workers were "regularly" hearing recordings of confidential and intimate encounters.
https://news.sky.com/story/apple-suspends-access-to-siri-recordings-after-privacy-concerns-11775439
YEP: Bernie was so bad on gun safety in 2016, that the NRA tweeted their Bernie Sanders' cheers during the 2016 debates! Come on ... multi-million gun corporations get more rights than people Bernie's a hypocrite He's Republican lite on guns & immigration
https://twitter.com/riotwomennn/status/1158000285647851525?s=21
Beto O'Rourke: A victim's wife asked me, "How do we change this?" In addition to universal background checks, a ban on the sale of weapons of war, & red flag laws, we have got to acknowledge the hatred and open racism we're seeing on Fox News, on the internet, and from our Commander-in-Chief.
https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1158040005891092481
A 25-Year-Old Mom Died Trying to Shield Baby from El Paso Shooter
https://www.thecut.com/2019/08/el-paso-shooting-victim-jordan-anchondo.html
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell fractures shoulder after falling at his Kentucky home, his office says
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2019/08/04/senate-majority-leader-mitch-mcconnell-fractures-shoulder-after-falling-at-his-kentucky-home-his-office-says/
El Paso shooting being treated as domestic terrorism, police say suspect cooperating
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/el-paso-shooting-being-treated-domestic-terrorism-police-say-suspect-n1039076
Trump Remains Out of Sight Following Two Mass Shootings
https://time.com/5643570/trump-shootings-reaction-el-paso-dayton/
Republicans and Fox News: White Nationalist Violence Has Nothing to Do With White Nationalism | Instead, they blamed video games, mental illness and even ISIS
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/republicans-and-fox-news-white-nationalist-violence-867294/
McConnell couldn't escape 'Moscow Mitch' at Kentucky's biggest political picnic
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/elections/kentucky/2019/08/03/moscow-mitch-follows-mcconnell-kentucky-fancy-farm-picnic/1912758001/
Two Top Republicans Blame Video Games, School Prayer Bans, Social Media for Mass Shootings in Texas, Ohio
https://www.newsweek.com/republicans-blame-video-games-school-prayer-texas-ohio-mass-shootings-social-media-1452500
North Korea is a no-show at Asian summit, snubbing Trump administration again
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-08-03/north-korea-snubs-trump-administration-asean-summit-nuclear-talks-pompeo
Tim Ryan Suspends Campaign: GOP ‘Needs to Get Their Sh*t Together’ With Gun Control
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/tim-ryan-republicans-need-to-get-their-sht-together-867310/
https://qz.com/1681045/north-korea-features-donald-trump-on-its-stamps/
8chan Is a Megaphone for Shooters. ‘Shut the Site Down,’ Says Its Creator.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/04/technology/8chan-shooting-manifesto.html
9 killed in Ohio in second US mass shooting in 24 hours
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/at-least-16-hospitalized-as-police-investigate-ohio-shooting/2019/08/04/67d696d0-b690-11e9-acc8-1d847bacca73_story.html?utm_term=.99c41fc0c8c1
Donald Trump still owes city of El Paso $470,000 for MAGA rally from February
https://www.ksat.com/news/donald-trump-still-owes-city-of-el-paso-470000-for-maga-rally-from-february
300,000 Virginians newly covered through Medicaid expansion
https://www.apnews.com/ee6dc40c4f8b4f7cb6b4735344db008a
All publicly-funded sports and leisure centres in Scotland have banned the sale of energy drinks to children under the age of 16. The drinks, which can also have high levels of sugar, have been linked to health problems in children.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-49220773
Government to spend five times more on 'propaganda' than helping councils prepare for no-deal Brexit
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-no-deal-boris-johnson-local-council-spending-planning-a9037951.html?utm_source=reddit.com
Apple suspends access to Siri recordings after workers overhear iPhone users 'having sex': The move follows a report that workers were "regularly" hearing recordings of confidential and intimate encounters.
https://news.sky.com/story/apple-suspends-access-to-siri-recordings-after-privacy-concerns-11775439
YEP: Bernie was so bad on gun safety in 2016, that the NRA tweeted their Bernie Sanders' cheers during the 2016 debates! Come on ... multi-million gun corporations get more rights than people Bernie's a hypocrite He's Republican lite on guns & immigration
https://twitter.com/riotwomennn/status/1158000285647851525?s=21
Beto O'Rourke: A victim's wife asked me, "How do we change this?" In addition to universal background checks, a ban on the sale of weapons of war, & red flag laws, we have got to acknowledge the hatred and open racism we're seeing on Fox News, on the internet, and from our Commander-in-Chief.
https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1158040005891092481
A 25-Year-Old Mom Died Trying to Shield Baby from El Paso Shooter
https://www.thecut.com/2019/08/el-paso-shooting-victim-jordan-anchondo.html
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell fractures shoulder after falling at his Kentucky home, his office says
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2019/08/04/senate-majority-leader-mitch-mcconnell-fractures-shoulder-after-falling-at-his-kentucky-home-his-office-says/
El Paso shooting being treated as domestic terrorism, police say suspect cooperating
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/el-paso-shooting-being-treated-domestic-terrorism-police-say-suspect-n1039076
Trump Remains Out of Sight Following Two Mass Shootings
https://time.com/5643570/trump-shootings-reaction-el-paso-dayton/
Republicans and Fox News: White Nationalist Violence Has Nothing to Do With White Nationalism | Instead, they blamed video games, mental illness and even ISIS
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/republicans-and-fox-news-white-nationalist-violence-867294/
McConnell couldn't escape 'Moscow Mitch' at Kentucky's biggest political picnic
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/elections/kentucky/2019/08/03/moscow-mitch-follows-mcconnell-kentucky-fancy-farm-picnic/1912758001/
Two Top Republicans Blame Video Games, School Prayer Bans, Social Media for Mass Shootings in Texas, Ohio
https://www.newsweek.com/republicans-blame-video-games-school-prayer-texas-ohio-mass-shootings-social-media-1452500
North Korea is a no-show at Asian summit, snubbing Trump administration again
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-08-03/north-korea-snubs-trump-administration-asean-summit-nuclear-talks-pompeo
Tim Ryan Suspends Campaign: GOP ‘Needs to Get Their Sh*t Together’ With Gun Control
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/tim-ryan-republicans-need-to-get-their-sht-together-867310/
Saturday, August 3, 2019
News Dump
A federal judge has temporarily blocked a New York law that would allow the House Ways and Means Committee to obtain President Trump’s state income tax returns. Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee to the Federal District Court in Washington, D.C., said Thursday the injunction will remain in effect while Trump’s lawsuit challenging the law proceeds. The court will hear arguments on August 29. Democrats say they need to see Trump’s tax returns to investigate any potential conflicts of interest or self-dealing related to Trump’s sprawling business empire.
https://www.democracynow.org/2019/8/2/headlines/trump_appointed_judge_blocks_release_of_trumps_tax_returns
At least 19 people died and another 40 were wounded in a mass shooting at a shopping center in El Paso, Texas on Saturday, senior U.S. law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told NBC News. The shooting happened at a Walmart near the Cielo Vista Mall. The Walmart was at capacity with up to 3,000 shoppers during the busy back-to-school season, police said. A 21-year-old suspect identified as Patrick Crusius, a resident of the Dallas area, has been taken into custody, law enforcement sources told NBC News.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/03/police-in-el-paso-are-responding-to-active-shooter.html
Patrick Crusius is a pro-Trump racist wrote an anti-immigrant manifesto published online shortly before the attack
A Republican senator held up the confirmation of a White House budget official this week in an attempt to obtain sensitive information about border wall contracts he has been trying to steer to a major donor, according to emails obtained by The Washington Post. The emails show Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) blasting the “arrogance” of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after senior military officials told him the contracts contained sensitive, proprietary information provided by the companies that could not be shared. In recent months, Cramer has touted his preferred construction firm, North Dakota-based Fisher Industries, and campaign finance records show the senator has received thousands of dollars in contributions from company chief executive Tommy Fisher and his family members. Cramer put a temporary hold this week on the confirmation of Michael Wooten, a nominee for a senior post at the White House Office of Management and Budget. After Wooten was confirmed Thursday, Cramer lashed out at the Army Corps in private emails when he was told the contracting bids contain sensitive information.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/gop-senator-held-up-trump-nominee-demanding-to-see-border-wall-contracts-after-army-corps-panned-construction-firm-he-prefers/2019/08/02/b185a76a-b566-11e9-8f6c-7828e68cb15f_story.html?utm_term=.4da777f1be18
https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/he-always-brings-them-up-trump-tries-to-steer-border-wall-deal-to-north-dakota-firm/2019/05/23/92d3858c-7b30-11e9-8bb7-0fc796cf2ec0_story.html?utm_term=.4eb8483ca454
Trump administration cuts legal funding for victims of human trafficking
https://www.washingtonpost.com/crime-law/2019/08/02/trump-administration-cuts-funding-victims-human-trafficking/
A coalition of states sued the Trump administration Friday for the second time to block a planned reduction in the penalties automakers pay when they fail to meet fuel economy standards. Twelve states and the District of Columbia sued the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for replacing an Obama-era regulation that imposed a penalty of $14 for every tenth of a mile-per-gallon that an automaker falls below the standards. The lawsuit came a week after four major automakers announced a deal with California to toughen standards for gas mileage and greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement involving Ford, BMW, Honda and Volkswagen bypasses the Trump administration’s push to relax mileage standards nationwide. The new federal rule would keep the penalty at $5.50, where it has been since the mid-1970s. The legal challenge led by the attorneys general in California and New York argues the new rule would keep the penalty far below the inflation-adjusted rate required by a 2015 law.
https://apnews.com/05ff02fbc707472b981e1c0cf188a416
Kellyanne Conway "did it again" violating the Hatch Act with her Nikki Haley tweet, watchdog says
https://www.newsweek.com/kellyanne-conway-hatch-act-nikki-haley-1452404
17 Million Voters Have Had Registration Canceled Since 2016 Election: Report
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/brennan-center-voter-purging_n_5d448735e4b0ca604e31daf5
Professors Aren't Discriminating Against Conservative Students | A major study led by a lifelong Republican finds no evidence that professors are deliberately giving conservative students bad grades. The idea that left-wing college professors are both brainwashing undergraduates and discriminating against conservative students has emerged as one of the most consistent right-wing lines of attack against American higher education over the last few decades. While conservative undergrads, like many types of students, may often feel isolated, a new working paper led by a public policy professor who tells me he's a "lifelong Republican" suggests that any evidence for bias in grading against conservative students is at best minimal and most likely absent.
https://psmag.com/ideas/no-professors-arent-discriminating-against-conservative-students
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3383704
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, which reviewed government data as part of ongoing litigation, migrant children are still being separated from their parents. A total of 911 children were separated from their families at the southern border between June 28, 2018, and June 29, 2019, the ACLU said. The inspector general for Health and Human Services warns that “thousands more” could have been separated as far back as 2017, and in early 2018, prior to government tracking. Both of those numbers are on top of the 2,737 children separated from their families during a six-week period ending in June 2018, when the Trump administration was routinely separating families who arrived in the U.S.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/why-did-you-leave-me-in-new-testimonies-migrants-describe-the-torment-of-child-separation
The company developing the Russia-backed Kentucky aluminum mill has hired a firm founded & run by former McConnell aide and super PAC adviser Scott Jennings to give the project a PR boost as Democrats raise concerns about the initiative.
https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand/status/1157405534976434176
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/02/russia-pr-braidy-aluminum-1445259
Trump admin ends family-based reunification programs for Haitians and Filipino World War II vets
https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/02/politics/trump-end-two-family-reunification-programs/index.html
I helped prepare Senator Ted Cruz for his 2018 debates, and here's what I learned: Beto O'Rourke is the toughest candidate I ever prepped against and one of the most impressive I've ever seen. The media might not recognize his skills, but voters do | For those who believe he's a lightweight, that his social media habits are not presidential material and he doesn't have enough experience or gravitas, I'm here to set you straight. What he managed in Texas in his race against Senator Cruz was not a fluke: Beto got out the vote in ways none of us expected. His four million votes surpassed Hillary Clinton's 3.87 million votes in 2016, which had been the highest total ever achieved in Texas by a Democrat. He had real talent on the stump, and didn't use prepared remarks. He did what great pastors do when they get comfortable: he preached on his feet. His speeches had the feel of a religious revival, without any trace of Elmer Gantry sanctimoniousness. Always, he framed things simply and in a moral dimension. And not with the anti-capitalist shrillness of Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren or Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. Beto was not an angry candidate. He was the opposite. I might even say he was a joyful candidate, and in this age of anger and resentment, this made Beto different. Beto wasn't just a star on the stump, but off the stump, too. I watched him talk to people who lined up for a quick selfie, and he turned even those small moments into something personal. Meaningful. Unlike President Obama, an introvert who didn't seem to care for the palm-pressing, Beto seemed to draw energy from interacting with the public. In that sense, he had what Bill Clinton and George W. Bush had — an instinctive feel for the interpersonal part of campaigning. The retail nature of the business. Beto was a natural on the debate stage because he understood something profound about the ritual. It isn't actually a debate. It's an audition. It was less like Firing Line and more like American Idol. As often as possible, he kept a smile on his face and his eye on the camera, hoping the people watching at home would like him more than my guy. Beto had advantages that critics thought were problems. He didn't have a speechwriter, didn't have any outside consultants, and he didn't rely on big data. That made him dangerous. And difficult to prepare against in battle. No one understood this better than President Obama. "What I liked most about his race was that it didn't feel constantly poll-tested," Obama said on The Axe Files about Beto's campaign. "It felt as if he based his statements and his positions on what he believed. And that, you'd like to think, is normally how things work. Sadly it's not." Beto did things his way. When he committed to visiting all 254 counties in the state of Texas, some people dismissed him and others wrote it off as a gimmick he'd never pull off. But Beto was serious, logging tens of thousands of miles covering a state that's so big, it could house two Californias, four Floridas, 28 Vermonts or 221 Rhode Islands. Why'd he do it? Because he wanted to win over voters in places that others would have written off. How better to change someone's mind or heart than to meet them? The candidate did a lot of the driving himself, with aides in tow. He often spoke about how his never-ending tour of Texas felt a lot like his days managing his own punk band — called Foss — that he'd assembled in El Paso. He and his bandmates started a record label and booked tours, traveling the country and parts of Canada during his summers off from Columbia University, where he majored in English and captained the crew team. O'Rourke wasn't the best musician in the band, but he happily told reporters that he was the best roadie. That too was a big advantage. Many critics made fun of the not-so-proficient outtakes and videos of the band. But Beto learned important things in that period of his life. He learned how to command a stage. How to play with an audience. And how to let the audience play with him. No amount of coaching or consultants can teach that. Beto had a relentless energy. He was fueled by ambition but seemed to enjoy himself. That, I suspect, is something he learned on the road with his band mates. If a band isn't having fun, what's the point? Beto was good at teasing himself. He often brought up the fact that he was still working hard on one voter in Texas: his mom, who was a Republican. And he could be funny, joking about the low approval ratings of Congress. "Congress has an approval rating of around nine percent," he said. "Communism ten percent. Gonorrhea eight percent. We're right in the middle." Beto was a prodigious fundraiser, reeling in an astonishing $80 million. And more than $61 million came from ActBlue, an online portal for small dollar supporters. Beto had one last advantage: He had a real story about his roots. His El Paso story. He didn't always love his hometown, and like so many of us growing up, couldn't wait to escape — and leave tensions with his father behind. After wandering for a time and trying life in Brooklyn, he came to a life-altering conclusion: he wasn't a New Yorker after all. The journey home is a big theme in American life. And in Beto's. His story — although I heard it ad nauseum — was powerful. Proof you can indeed go home again. Beto lives a few blocks from the house he grew up in.
https://www.newsweek.com/2019/04/19/beto-orourke-ted-cruz-presidential-elections-donald-trump-1365360.html
Rob Friedlander: Beto O'Rourke first stated his support for impeaching President Trump **TWO YEARS AGO** while running for Senate in one of the most conservative states in the country. Why? Because he leads with the courage of his convictions. Always.
https://twitter.com/robsfriedlander/status/1156753152026300416
Man dies in front of 11-year-old daughter at US border detention camp
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/elections-2020/2019/07/31/beto-orourke-drops-trump-country-see-can-drum-support-after-better-debate-showing
The New York Times: What Beto Gets Right - His approach to both Medicare and the border.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/02/opinion/beto-orourke-medicare.html
Trump Golf Costs Top $110 Million -- More Than 1 Estimate For All Of Obama’s Travel
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-obama-golf_n_5d45c72de4b0acb57fcd4eb8
https://www.democracynow.org/2019/8/2/headlines/trump_appointed_judge_blocks_release_of_trumps_tax_returns
At least 19 people died and another 40 were wounded in a mass shooting at a shopping center in El Paso, Texas on Saturday, senior U.S. law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told NBC News. The shooting happened at a Walmart near the Cielo Vista Mall. The Walmart was at capacity with up to 3,000 shoppers during the busy back-to-school season, police said. A 21-year-old suspect identified as Patrick Crusius, a resident of the Dallas area, has been taken into custody, law enforcement sources told NBC News.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/03/police-in-el-paso-are-responding-to-active-shooter.html
Patrick Crusius is a pro-Trump racist wrote an anti-immigrant manifesto published online shortly before the attack
A Republican senator held up the confirmation of a White House budget official this week in an attempt to obtain sensitive information about border wall contracts he has been trying to steer to a major donor, according to emails obtained by The Washington Post. The emails show Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) blasting the “arrogance” of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after senior military officials told him the contracts contained sensitive, proprietary information provided by the companies that could not be shared. In recent months, Cramer has touted his preferred construction firm, North Dakota-based Fisher Industries, and campaign finance records show the senator has received thousands of dollars in contributions from company chief executive Tommy Fisher and his family members. Cramer put a temporary hold this week on the confirmation of Michael Wooten, a nominee for a senior post at the White House Office of Management and Budget. After Wooten was confirmed Thursday, Cramer lashed out at the Army Corps in private emails when he was told the contracting bids contain sensitive information.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/gop-senator-held-up-trump-nominee-demanding-to-see-border-wall-contracts-after-army-corps-panned-construction-firm-he-prefers/2019/08/02/b185a76a-b566-11e9-8f6c-7828e68cb15f_story.html?utm_term=.4da777f1be18
https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/he-always-brings-them-up-trump-tries-to-steer-border-wall-deal-to-north-dakota-firm/2019/05/23/92d3858c-7b30-11e9-8bb7-0fc796cf2ec0_story.html?utm_term=.4eb8483ca454
Trump administration cuts legal funding for victims of human trafficking
https://www.washingtonpost.com/crime-law/2019/08/02/trump-administration-cuts-funding-victims-human-trafficking/
A coalition of states sued the Trump administration Friday for the second time to block a planned reduction in the penalties automakers pay when they fail to meet fuel economy standards. Twelve states and the District of Columbia sued the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for replacing an Obama-era regulation that imposed a penalty of $14 for every tenth of a mile-per-gallon that an automaker falls below the standards. The lawsuit came a week after four major automakers announced a deal with California to toughen standards for gas mileage and greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement involving Ford, BMW, Honda and Volkswagen bypasses the Trump administration’s push to relax mileage standards nationwide. The new federal rule would keep the penalty at $5.50, where it has been since the mid-1970s. The legal challenge led by the attorneys general in California and New York argues the new rule would keep the penalty far below the inflation-adjusted rate required by a 2015 law.
https://apnews.com/05ff02fbc707472b981e1c0cf188a416
Kellyanne Conway "did it again" violating the Hatch Act with her Nikki Haley tweet, watchdog says
https://www.newsweek.com/kellyanne-conway-hatch-act-nikki-haley-1452404
17 Million Voters Have Had Registration Canceled Since 2016 Election: Report
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/brennan-center-voter-purging_n_5d448735e4b0ca604e31daf5
Professors Aren't Discriminating Against Conservative Students | A major study led by a lifelong Republican finds no evidence that professors are deliberately giving conservative students bad grades. The idea that left-wing college professors are both brainwashing undergraduates and discriminating against conservative students has emerged as one of the most consistent right-wing lines of attack against American higher education over the last few decades. While conservative undergrads, like many types of students, may often feel isolated, a new working paper led by a public policy professor who tells me he's a "lifelong Republican" suggests that any evidence for bias in grading against conservative students is at best minimal and most likely absent.
https://psmag.com/ideas/no-professors-arent-discriminating-against-conservative-students
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3383704
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, which reviewed government data as part of ongoing litigation, migrant children are still being separated from their parents. A total of 911 children were separated from their families at the southern border between June 28, 2018, and June 29, 2019, the ACLU said. The inspector general for Health and Human Services warns that “thousands more” could have been separated as far back as 2017, and in early 2018, prior to government tracking. Both of those numbers are on top of the 2,737 children separated from their families during a six-week period ending in June 2018, when the Trump administration was routinely separating families who arrived in the U.S.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/why-did-you-leave-me-in-new-testimonies-migrants-describe-the-torment-of-child-separation
The company developing the Russia-backed Kentucky aluminum mill has hired a firm founded & run by former McConnell aide and super PAC adviser Scott Jennings to give the project a PR boost as Democrats raise concerns about the initiative.
https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand/status/1157405534976434176
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/02/russia-pr-braidy-aluminum-1445259
Trump admin ends family-based reunification programs for Haitians and Filipino World War II vets
https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/02/politics/trump-end-two-family-reunification-programs/index.html
I helped prepare Senator Ted Cruz for his 2018 debates, and here's what I learned: Beto O'Rourke is the toughest candidate I ever prepped against and one of the most impressive I've ever seen. The media might not recognize his skills, but voters do | For those who believe he's a lightweight, that his social media habits are not presidential material and he doesn't have enough experience or gravitas, I'm here to set you straight. What he managed in Texas in his race against Senator Cruz was not a fluke: Beto got out the vote in ways none of us expected. His four million votes surpassed Hillary Clinton's 3.87 million votes in 2016, which had been the highest total ever achieved in Texas by a Democrat. He had real talent on the stump, and didn't use prepared remarks. He did what great pastors do when they get comfortable: he preached on his feet. His speeches had the feel of a religious revival, without any trace of Elmer Gantry sanctimoniousness. Always, he framed things simply and in a moral dimension. And not with the anti-capitalist shrillness of Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren or Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. Beto was not an angry candidate. He was the opposite. I might even say he was a joyful candidate, and in this age of anger and resentment, this made Beto different. Beto wasn't just a star on the stump, but off the stump, too. I watched him talk to people who lined up for a quick selfie, and he turned even those small moments into something personal. Meaningful. Unlike President Obama, an introvert who didn't seem to care for the palm-pressing, Beto seemed to draw energy from interacting with the public. In that sense, he had what Bill Clinton and George W. Bush had — an instinctive feel for the interpersonal part of campaigning. The retail nature of the business. Beto was a natural on the debate stage because he understood something profound about the ritual. It isn't actually a debate. It's an audition. It was less like Firing Line and more like American Idol. As often as possible, he kept a smile on his face and his eye on the camera, hoping the people watching at home would like him more than my guy. Beto had advantages that critics thought were problems. He didn't have a speechwriter, didn't have any outside consultants, and he didn't rely on big data. That made him dangerous. And difficult to prepare against in battle. No one understood this better than President Obama. "What I liked most about his race was that it didn't feel constantly poll-tested," Obama said on The Axe Files about Beto's campaign. "It felt as if he based his statements and his positions on what he believed. And that, you'd like to think, is normally how things work. Sadly it's not." Beto did things his way. When he committed to visiting all 254 counties in the state of Texas, some people dismissed him and others wrote it off as a gimmick he'd never pull off. But Beto was serious, logging tens of thousands of miles covering a state that's so big, it could house two Californias, four Floridas, 28 Vermonts or 221 Rhode Islands. Why'd he do it? Because he wanted to win over voters in places that others would have written off. How better to change someone's mind or heart than to meet them? The candidate did a lot of the driving himself, with aides in tow. He often spoke about how his never-ending tour of Texas felt a lot like his days managing his own punk band — called Foss — that he'd assembled in El Paso. He and his bandmates started a record label and booked tours, traveling the country and parts of Canada during his summers off from Columbia University, where he majored in English and captained the crew team. O'Rourke wasn't the best musician in the band, but he happily told reporters that he was the best roadie. That too was a big advantage. Many critics made fun of the not-so-proficient outtakes and videos of the band. But Beto learned important things in that period of his life. He learned how to command a stage. How to play with an audience. And how to let the audience play with him. No amount of coaching or consultants can teach that. Beto had a relentless energy. He was fueled by ambition but seemed to enjoy himself. That, I suspect, is something he learned on the road with his band mates. If a band isn't having fun, what's the point? Beto was good at teasing himself. He often brought up the fact that he was still working hard on one voter in Texas: his mom, who was a Republican. And he could be funny, joking about the low approval ratings of Congress. "Congress has an approval rating of around nine percent," he said. "Communism ten percent. Gonorrhea eight percent. We're right in the middle." Beto was a prodigious fundraiser, reeling in an astonishing $80 million. And more than $61 million came from ActBlue, an online portal for small dollar supporters. Beto had one last advantage: He had a real story about his roots. His El Paso story. He didn't always love his hometown, and like so many of us growing up, couldn't wait to escape — and leave tensions with his father behind. After wandering for a time and trying life in Brooklyn, he came to a life-altering conclusion: he wasn't a New Yorker after all. The journey home is a big theme in American life. And in Beto's. His story — although I heard it ad nauseum — was powerful. Proof you can indeed go home again. Beto lives a few blocks from the house he grew up in.
https://www.newsweek.com/2019/04/19/beto-orourke-ted-cruz-presidential-elections-donald-trump-1365360.html
Rob Friedlander: Beto O'Rourke first stated his support for impeaching President Trump **TWO YEARS AGO** while running for Senate in one of the most conservative states in the country. Why? Because he leads with the courage of his convictions. Always.
https://twitter.com/robsfriedlander/status/1156753152026300416
Man dies in front of 11-year-old daughter at US border detention camp
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/elections-2020/2019/07/31/beto-orourke-drops-trump-country-see-can-drum-support-after-better-debate-showing
The New York Times: What Beto Gets Right - His approach to both Medicare and the border.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/02/opinion/beto-orourke-medicare.html
Trump Golf Costs Top $110 Million -- More Than 1 Estimate For All Of Obama’s Travel
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-obama-golf_n_5d45c72de4b0acb57fcd4eb8
Friday, August 2, 2019
YEP: Stop Calling Ddemocrats "Spineless Cowards" And "Republicans" For Wanting To Keep The Health Care Plans That Work For Them And Reject Being Dumped On Shit Medicaid/Medicare Which Ahem COST MONEY AND COVER NOTHING | It’s a favorite debate line of Warren, Sanders, and Harris. It only helps the GOP. [slate]
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/08/democratic-debate-warren-sanders-republican-talking-points-stop.html
Stop Talking About “Republican Talking Points”
It’s a favorite debate line of Warren, Sanders, and Harris. It only helps the GOP.
By William Saletan
Aug 01, 20196:07 PM
A dangerous message is spreading in the Democratic presidential race. The message, delivered in this week’s debates by three of the top four contenders, is that Democrats and journalists who challenge left-wing ideas are parroting “Republican talking points.” The candidates who issued this rebuke—Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and Sen. Kamala Harris of California—are trying to cow their critics. And they’re implying that if you don’t support an emerging progressive orthodoxy, you don’t belong in the Democratic Party.
This message is false and self-destructive. It narrows the party and suppresses constructive dissent. “Republican talking points” is a Democratic talking point that helps the GOP.
In Tuesday’s debate, several centrists—Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana, Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio, former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland, and former Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado—went after Sanders and Warren for their “Medicare for All” proposal. Some argued that the math didn’t add up—for example, that Medicare-level reimbursements wouldn’t keep rural hospitals afloat. Others objected that the bill was coercive. “Americans [are] used to being able to make choices, to have the right to make a decision,” said Hickenlooper. In Wednesday’s debate, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado made similar points against Harris, although her proposal would allow more of a role for private insurers.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1907/30/se.01.html
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1129/text
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1907/31/se.02.html
The centrists also offered political objections. They argued that Americans would rebel at having to pay higher taxes and at being told to give up their private insurance. They pointed out that unions had negotiated health insurance plans for their members and wouldn’t take kindly to losing those plans. A backlash against such ideas could cost Democrats the 2020 election, the centrists warned. Or it might paralyze the health care debate while uninsured people continued to die. The better course, according to the centrists, was to build on the Affordable Care Act by offering a government-run plan—a “public option”—as an alternative to private insurance.
The leftists made good points in rebuttal. Sanders noted that patients on private insurance are already constrained by network limits on which doctors they can see. A single-payer system, he argued, would eliminate those barriers. Sanders and Harris also pointed out that the current system is inherently disruptive, since people have to change insurance when they change jobs. In addition, Sanders reasoned that if the government took care of health insurance, unions could focus their bargaining on wages instead.
These are constructive arguments. But in a political campaign, it’s tempting to go beyond such arguments and resort to more potent visceral attacks. That’s what Warren and Sanders did on Tuesday. And on Wednesday, Harris, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro followed their lead.
Warren and Sanders depicted the centrists as weaklings, cowards, and sellouts. Sanders called them “Democrats afraid of big ideas.” Warren accused them of “spinelessness” and refusing to confront problems. When Delaney disputed Sanders’ insurance math, Sanders snapped that perhaps Delaney had “made money off of health care.” Sanders also insinuated that CNN’s Jake Tapper was criticizing the Sanders bill because “the health care industry” was advertising on CNN.
The left’s main talking point was “Republican talking points.” When Delaney warned against taking away private health insurance, Warren said Democrats should “stop using Republican talking points.” When Hickenlooper objected to the Green New Deal’s broad promise of government-funded jobs, Warren accused him of using a “Republican talking point” to pretend that “we don’t really have to do anything” about climate change. When Tapper asked about raising taxes to pay for Sanders’ health care bill, Sanders retorted, “Your question is a Republican talking point.” After the debate, when CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked Warren what she would say to Americans concerned about having to “give up their private insurance,” she rebuked him: “I really wish we’d stop using Republican talking points.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQunAPp5Nhs
In Wednesday’s debate, Harris followed suit. When Bennet cautioned against raising taxes and eliminating employer-based insurance plans, Harris fired a shot across his bow: “We cannot keep with the Republican talking points on this. You’ve got to stop.” When former Vice President Joe Biden objected to decriminalizing illegal immigration, Booker accused him of “playing into Republican hands.” And when CNN’s Don Lemon reminded Castro that “President Obama’s homeland security secretary, Jeh Johnson, whom you served with,” had written an op-ed against border decriminalization, Castro shot back: “Open borders is a right-wing talking point. And, frankly, I’m disappointed that some folks, including some folks on this stage, have taken the bait.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/07/06/trump-era-politics-are-drowning-out-consensus-immigration-its-time-some-straight-talk/
The “talking points” attack is unhealthy for several reasons. To begin with, it’s false. The concerns raised by Biden, Bennet, and others aren’t coming from Republicans. They’re coming from policymakers who have spent their careers in the Democratic Party.
Second, the centrists are offering good ideas, and their criticisms are connected to those ideas. Delaney has a market-based plan to tax carbon, develop a “private innovation economy” for carbon capture, and disperse the profits to build political support for addressing climate change. Beto O'Rourke is proposing “Medicare for all who want it”—a public option that could grow into a single-payer system, but only if consumers choose it.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1907/30/se.01.html
https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1146546157767860224
Third, the centrists’ criticisms can sharpen the left’s ideas. Sanders’ college subsidy plan will be less expensive, more likely to pass, and less likely to hurt Democrats in elections if he excludes rich families from it, as Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota has proposed. Castro is more likely to get what he wants on immigration—blocking the separation of parents from children at the border—if Democrats target that policy directly instead of trying to decriminalize unauthorized entry. And Harris’ version of Medicare for All, which lets private insurers compete with the government if they meet the same rules for coverage and fees, is itself a response to criticisms of the Sanders bill. The left’s idea of Medicare for All is evolving and converging with the centrist idea of an expanding public option.
Fourth, by framing centrist ideas as Republican, the left is helping the GOP. If you tell voters that anyone who worries about tax increases, opposes free college for rich kids, supports the availability of employer-based health insurance, or thinks border jumping should remain a crime is really a Republican and/or spineless coward, the whole electoral map will turn red.
Take the question of health care. A month ago, at a Democratic debate, all 10 candidates on the stage raised their hands when they were asked whether “your government plan would provide coverage for undocumented immigrants.” In Tuesday’s debate, Ryan objected to that idea, saying it was unfair to American citizens “struggling to pay for their health care.” Some progressives didn’t like his answer. But in a CNN interview after the debate, Warren predicted that the general election would pit Trump’s message of blaming immigrants against her message of blaming the rich. If that’s how the election unfolds—and if Warren has to defend a platform of taxpayer-funded health care for undocumented immigrants—won’t that help Trump make his case? Shouldn’t Democrats debate this “Republican talking point” before they face it for real?
https://www.apnews.com/ba79e0b64af24ce68f91e1f2d58b0bde
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/06/27/all_dem_candidates_raise_hand_when_asked_if_illegal_immigrants_should_get_health_care_coverage_at_debate.html
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1907/30/se.01.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rma_HxXZnDg
In Wednesday’s debate, Biden argued for an increase in legal immigration. “The reason we’re the country we are is we’ve been able to cherry-pick from the best of every culture,” he said. For example, he proposed, “anybody … with a Ph.D., you should get a green card for seven years. We should keep them here.” Instead of embracing this proposal, Booker attacked it. “This really irks me, because I heard the vice president say that if you got a Ph.D., you can come right into this country,” said Booker. “That’s playing into what the Republicans want, to pit some immigrants against other immigrants.”
No, it’s not. Favoring immigrants based on merit criteria, such as job skills and advanced degrees, has been a Democratic idea since the 1960s.
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/08/immigrants-merit-based/535974/
Democrats have a lot of advantages in the coming election. They’re running against a deeply unpopular president, and voters largely share the progressive outlook on universal health care, college affordability, taxing the rich, and raising the minimum wage. The dumbest thing Democrats could do is alienate those voters by disowning the mainstream. “Republican talking points” is a talking point that only helps Republicans.
Stop Talking About “Republican Talking Points”
It’s a favorite debate line of Warren, Sanders, and Harris. It only helps the GOP.
By William Saletan
Aug 01, 20196:07 PM
A dangerous message is spreading in the Democratic presidential race. The message, delivered in this week’s debates by three of the top four contenders, is that Democrats and journalists who challenge left-wing ideas are parroting “Republican talking points.” The candidates who issued this rebuke—Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and Sen. Kamala Harris of California—are trying to cow their critics. And they’re implying that if you don’t support an emerging progressive orthodoxy, you don’t belong in the Democratic Party.
This message is false and self-destructive. It narrows the party and suppresses constructive dissent. “Republican talking points” is a Democratic talking point that helps the GOP.
In Tuesday’s debate, several centrists—Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana, Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio, former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland, and former Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado—went after Sanders and Warren for their “Medicare for All” proposal. Some argued that the math didn’t add up—for example, that Medicare-level reimbursements wouldn’t keep rural hospitals afloat. Others objected that the bill was coercive. “Americans [are] used to being able to make choices, to have the right to make a decision,” said Hickenlooper. In Wednesday’s debate, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado made similar points against Harris, although her proposal would allow more of a role for private insurers.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1907/30/se.01.html
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1129/text
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1907/31/se.02.html
The centrists also offered political objections. They argued that Americans would rebel at having to pay higher taxes and at being told to give up their private insurance. They pointed out that unions had negotiated health insurance plans for their members and wouldn’t take kindly to losing those plans. A backlash against such ideas could cost Democrats the 2020 election, the centrists warned. Or it might paralyze the health care debate while uninsured people continued to die. The better course, according to the centrists, was to build on the Affordable Care Act by offering a government-run plan—a “public option”—as an alternative to private insurance.
The leftists made good points in rebuttal. Sanders noted that patients on private insurance are already constrained by network limits on which doctors they can see. A single-payer system, he argued, would eliminate those barriers. Sanders and Harris also pointed out that the current system is inherently disruptive, since people have to change insurance when they change jobs. In addition, Sanders reasoned that if the government took care of health insurance, unions could focus their bargaining on wages instead.
These are constructive arguments. But in a political campaign, it’s tempting to go beyond such arguments and resort to more potent visceral attacks. That’s what Warren and Sanders did on Tuesday. And on Wednesday, Harris, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro followed their lead.
Warren and Sanders depicted the centrists as weaklings, cowards, and sellouts. Sanders called them “Democrats afraid of big ideas.” Warren accused them of “spinelessness” and refusing to confront problems. When Delaney disputed Sanders’ insurance math, Sanders snapped that perhaps Delaney had “made money off of health care.” Sanders also insinuated that CNN’s Jake Tapper was criticizing the Sanders bill because “the health care industry” was advertising on CNN.
The left’s main talking point was “Republican talking points.” When Delaney warned against taking away private health insurance, Warren said Democrats should “stop using Republican talking points.” When Hickenlooper objected to the Green New Deal’s broad promise of government-funded jobs, Warren accused him of using a “Republican talking point” to pretend that “we don’t really have to do anything” about climate change. When Tapper asked about raising taxes to pay for Sanders’ health care bill, Sanders retorted, “Your question is a Republican talking point.” After the debate, when CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked Warren what she would say to Americans concerned about having to “give up their private insurance,” she rebuked him: “I really wish we’d stop using Republican talking points.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQunAPp5Nhs
In Wednesday’s debate, Harris followed suit. When Bennet cautioned against raising taxes and eliminating employer-based insurance plans, Harris fired a shot across his bow: “We cannot keep with the Republican talking points on this. You’ve got to stop.” When former Vice President Joe Biden objected to decriminalizing illegal immigration, Booker accused him of “playing into Republican hands.” And when CNN’s Don Lemon reminded Castro that “President Obama’s homeland security secretary, Jeh Johnson, whom you served with,” had written an op-ed against border decriminalization, Castro shot back: “Open borders is a right-wing talking point. And, frankly, I’m disappointed that some folks, including some folks on this stage, have taken the bait.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/07/06/trump-era-politics-are-drowning-out-consensus-immigration-its-time-some-straight-talk/
The “talking points” attack is unhealthy for several reasons. To begin with, it’s false. The concerns raised by Biden, Bennet, and others aren’t coming from Republicans. They’re coming from policymakers who have spent their careers in the Democratic Party.
Second, the centrists are offering good ideas, and their criticisms are connected to those ideas. Delaney has a market-based plan to tax carbon, develop a “private innovation economy” for carbon capture, and disperse the profits to build political support for addressing climate change. Beto O'Rourke is proposing “Medicare for all who want it”—a public option that could grow into a single-payer system, but only if consumers choose it.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1907/30/se.01.html
https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1146546157767860224
Third, the centrists’ criticisms can sharpen the left’s ideas. Sanders’ college subsidy plan will be less expensive, more likely to pass, and less likely to hurt Democrats in elections if he excludes rich families from it, as Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota has proposed. Castro is more likely to get what he wants on immigration—blocking the separation of parents from children at the border—if Democrats target that policy directly instead of trying to decriminalize unauthorized entry. And Harris’ version of Medicare for All, which lets private insurers compete with the government if they meet the same rules for coverage and fees, is itself a response to criticisms of the Sanders bill. The left’s idea of Medicare for All is evolving and converging with the centrist idea of an expanding public option.
Fourth, by framing centrist ideas as Republican, the left is helping the GOP. If you tell voters that anyone who worries about tax increases, opposes free college for rich kids, supports the availability of employer-based health insurance, or thinks border jumping should remain a crime is really a Republican and/or spineless coward, the whole electoral map will turn red.
Take the question of health care. A month ago, at a Democratic debate, all 10 candidates on the stage raised their hands when they were asked whether “your government plan would provide coverage for undocumented immigrants.” In Tuesday’s debate, Ryan objected to that idea, saying it was unfair to American citizens “struggling to pay for their health care.” Some progressives didn’t like his answer. But in a CNN interview after the debate, Warren predicted that the general election would pit Trump’s message of blaming immigrants against her message of blaming the rich. If that’s how the election unfolds—and if Warren has to defend a platform of taxpayer-funded health care for undocumented immigrants—won’t that help Trump make his case? Shouldn’t Democrats debate this “Republican talking point” before they face it for real?
https://www.apnews.com/ba79e0b64af24ce68f91e1f2d58b0bde
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/06/27/all_dem_candidates_raise_hand_when_asked_if_illegal_immigrants_should_get_health_care_coverage_at_debate.html
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1907/30/se.01.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rma_HxXZnDg
In Wednesday’s debate, Biden argued for an increase in legal immigration. “The reason we’re the country we are is we’ve been able to cherry-pick from the best of every culture,” he said. For example, he proposed, “anybody … with a Ph.D., you should get a green card for seven years. We should keep them here.” Instead of embracing this proposal, Booker attacked it. “This really irks me, because I heard the vice president say that if you got a Ph.D., you can come right into this country,” said Booker. “That’s playing into what the Republicans want, to pit some immigrants against other immigrants.”
No, it’s not. Favoring immigrants based on merit criteria, such as job skills and advanced degrees, has been a Democratic idea since the 1960s.
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/08/immigrants-merit-based/535974/
Democrats have a lot of advantages in the coming election. They’re running against a deeply unpopular president, and voters largely share the progressive outlook on universal health care, college affordability, taxing the rich, and raising the minimum wage. The dumbest thing Democrats could do is alienate those voters by disowning the mainstream. “Republican talking points” is a talking point that only helps Republicans.
"In America, no one is above the law. The President will be held accountable." | https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/8219-2/
https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/8219-2/
Pelosi Statement on Progress of House Investigations
August 2, 2019
Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released this statement on the progress of the House's investigations:
"When we take the oath of office, we solemnly vow 'to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.' The Mueller report states unequivocally that Russia interfered in the 2016 election 'in sweeping and systematic fashion.' And the Intelligence Community informs us that Russia is working 24/7 to undermine our elections. This assault on our elections is a serious national security matter which the President chooses to ignore.
"The Mueller report and his testimony last week confirmed that the President's campaign welcomed Russian interference in the election, and laid out ten instances of the President's obstruction of justice. The President's more recent attempts to prevent us from finding the facts is further evidence of obstruction of justice.
"To protect our democracy and our Constitution, Democrats in the Congress continue to legislate, investigate and litigate.
Litigation:
- Last week, Jerry Nadler, Chair of Judiciary, took a significant step when he filed a petition to obtain the grand jury testimony underlying the Mueller report, for the House to 'have access to all the relevant facts and consider whether to exercise its full Article I powers, including a constitutional power of the utmost gravity — approval of articles of impeachment.'
- Elijah Cummings, Chair of Oversight and Reform, is winning in court in the Mazars case, seeking the President's financial statements and reports prepared by his accountant to determine financial conflicts, violations of the Emoluments Clause, and the truthfulness of representations contained in the President's statutorily required financial disclosure forms;
- Maxine Waters, Chair of Financial Services and Adam Schiff, Chair of Intelligence are winning in court in the Deutsche Bank case, seeking the President's bank account records to assist with the Committees' investigation of unsafe banking practices, including money laundering, illicit transactions and foreign investments;
- Richie Neal, Chair of Ways and Means, is pursuing the President's tax returns to assist with the ongoing investigation of the IRS's presidential tax audit program;
- Eliot Engel, Chair of Foreign Affairs, on another front, is investigating the Russia connection with hearings seeking the facts from the Trump-Putin meetings;
- In addition, last week, the House voted to reiterate its oversight authority, and ratified and affirmed the subpoenas already issued by the committees and any subpoenas to come. Responding to the subpoenas gives the President an opportunity to provide information that could exonerate him. If he has nothing to hide, he should cooperate with the subpoenas.
Investigation:
- Our litigation has been strengthened by the months of work from our six committees which are engaged in the investigations. 54 percent of House Democrats serve on these committees engaged in hearings and investigations, and I am very proud of their work.
Legislation:
- We have sent the Securing America's Federal Elections Act to the Senate. However, Mitch McConnell refuses to take up this legislation or any other legislation to protect our democracy. Why do the President and the Republican Leader in the Senate choose to protect Russia rather than to protect the integrity of our elections? We will continue to lead a drumbeat across the country demanding the GOP Senate act.
"The assault on our elections and our Constitution is a grave national security issue. We owe it to our Founders to sustain our system of checks and balances and our democracy. We owe it to our heroic men and women in uniform who risk their lives for freedom to defend our democracy at home. We owe it to our children to ensure that no present or future president can dishonor the oath of office without being held accountable.
"In America, no one is above the law. The President will be held accountable."
Pelosi Statement on Progress of House Investigations
August 2, 2019
Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released this statement on the progress of the House's investigations:
"When we take the oath of office, we solemnly vow 'to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.' The Mueller report states unequivocally that Russia interfered in the 2016 election 'in sweeping and systematic fashion.' And the Intelligence Community informs us that Russia is working 24/7 to undermine our elections. This assault on our elections is a serious national security matter which the President chooses to ignore.
"The Mueller report and his testimony last week confirmed that the President's campaign welcomed Russian interference in the election, and laid out ten instances of the President's obstruction of justice. The President's more recent attempts to prevent us from finding the facts is further evidence of obstruction of justice.
"To protect our democracy and our Constitution, Democrats in the Congress continue to legislate, investigate and litigate.
Litigation:
- Last week, Jerry Nadler, Chair of Judiciary, took a significant step when he filed a petition to obtain the grand jury testimony underlying the Mueller report, for the House to 'have access to all the relevant facts and consider whether to exercise its full Article I powers, including a constitutional power of the utmost gravity — approval of articles of impeachment.'
- Elijah Cummings, Chair of Oversight and Reform, is winning in court in the Mazars case, seeking the President's financial statements and reports prepared by his accountant to determine financial conflicts, violations of the Emoluments Clause, and the truthfulness of representations contained in the President's statutorily required financial disclosure forms;
- Maxine Waters, Chair of Financial Services and Adam Schiff, Chair of Intelligence are winning in court in the Deutsche Bank case, seeking the President's bank account records to assist with the Committees' investigation of unsafe banking practices, including money laundering, illicit transactions and foreign investments;
- Richie Neal, Chair of Ways and Means, is pursuing the President's tax returns to assist with the ongoing investigation of the IRS's presidential tax audit program;
- Eliot Engel, Chair of Foreign Affairs, on another front, is investigating the Russia connection with hearings seeking the facts from the Trump-Putin meetings;
- In addition, last week, the House voted to reiterate its oversight authority, and ratified and affirmed the subpoenas already issued by the committees and any subpoenas to come. Responding to the subpoenas gives the President an opportunity to provide information that could exonerate him. If he has nothing to hide, he should cooperate with the subpoenas.
Investigation:
- Our litigation has been strengthened by the months of work from our six committees which are engaged in the investigations. 54 percent of House Democrats serve on these committees engaged in hearings and investigations, and I am very proud of their work.
Legislation:
- We have sent the Securing America's Federal Elections Act to the Senate. However, Mitch McConnell refuses to take up this legislation or any other legislation to protect our democracy. Why do the President and the Republican Leader in the Senate choose to protect Russia rather than to protect the integrity of our elections? We will continue to lead a drumbeat across the country demanding the GOP Senate act.
"The assault on our elections and our Constitution is a grave national security issue. We owe it to our Founders to sustain our system of checks and balances and our democracy. We owe it to our heroic men and women in uniform who risk their lives for freedom to defend our democracy at home. We owe it to our children to ensure that no present or future president can dishonor the oath of office without being held accountable.
"In America, no one is above the law. The President will be held accountable."
Light News Dump
Trump Drops Plans to Nominate John Ratcliffe as Director of National Intelligence
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/02/us/politics/trump-ratcliffe-dni.html
A federal judge strikes down Trump's plan to deny asylum to migrants who enter U.S. outside a port of entry— again
https://www.newsweek.com/federal-judge-strikes-down-trump-asylum-policy-again-1452396
‘We’re All Tired of Being Called Racists’ At Donald Trump’s rally in Cincinnati, droves of attendees made it clear that they stood with the president despite his recent comments.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/08/trump-supporters-called-racists/595333/
83 Ethics Complaints Against Justice Brett Kavanaugh Dismissed Permanently
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/brett-kavanaugh-ethics-complaints-dismissed_n_5d4442a1e4b0acb57fcb6356?ncid=APPLENEWS00001
Hours after an FBI warning about QAnon is published, a QAnon slogan turns up at Trump’s rally
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/08/02/hours-after-an-fbi-warning-about-qanon-is-published-qanon-slogan-turns-up-trumps-rally/
Donald Trump Threatens To Release ‘Thousands Of ISIS Fighters’ To Europe
https://www.inquisitr.com/5560709/trump-europe-isis-fighters/
Trump responds to reports of Cummings' Baltimore home being robbed: 'Too bad!'
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/455893-trump-responds-to-reports-of-cummings-baltimore-home-being-robbed-too
Kris Kobach illegally uses border wall group to fund Senate bid
https://www.thedailybeast.com/kris-kobach-uses-border-wall-group-to-fund-senate-bid-likely-illegally
As Donald Trump marked the 400th anniversary of American democracy in Virginia, top Democrats who had stayed away from the commemoration were observing a 400th anniversary of a different kind – one inextricably linked to the founding of the United States. In southern Ghana, US House speaker Nancy Pelosi and 13 members of the Congressional Black Caucus were observing the 400th anniversary of the arrival of enslaved Africans in Virginia. The lawmakers visited the Cape Coast and Elmina slave castles, where hundreds of thousands of captured Africans were forced onto ships never to return. “Our souls have been touched by what we saw there…These profound places are a sobering testament to humanity’s capacity for great evil and also a helpful reminder of the capacity for great resilience, renewal and strength of a people,” Pelosi said in an address to Ghana’s parliament on Wednesday (July 31). The US delegation to Ghana included civil rights icon John Lewis and Ilhan Omar, two on a long list of politicians of color at the receiving end of racist remarks by the current US president.
https://qz.com/africa/1680260/pelosi-ilhan-omar-black-congressional-caucus-in-ghana/
Trump Illegally Withdraws From 1987 Nuclear Pact With Russia (presidents are not allowed to unilaterally withdraw from a treaty the Congress has ratified without getting approval from Congress)
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/us-withdraws-inf-nuclear-treaty-russia_n_5d43fde4e4b0ca604e303579
There's a new downloadable font inspired by gerrymandered congressional districts | Gerrymandering of legislative districts has received significant attention in the courts and in the public, and one graphic designer has now created a gerrymandering-themed font to raise awareness about fair electoral maps.
The new font, which you can download at uglygerry.com, has one or combinations of multiple gerrymandered congressional districts for each letter of the alphabet from A-Z.
https://www.businessinsider.com/you-can-download-font-gerrymandered-congressional-districts-2019-8
https://uglygerry.com/
Last night, Trump responded to the Democratic debates, but the truth is: We already gave him what he wanted. Let’s stop tearing one another apart—and remember that no matter who we nominate, all of us will need to come together to defeat Donald Trump.
https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1157327488516673537
PSA to the Beto should run for Senate folks: You're not helping us here in TX. If you're concern trolling, just own it. If you think you're helping, stop. Beto isn't running for Senate in 2020. If he did, it would be counterproductive. Cornyn would attack him for running for Pres
https://twitter.com/SnarkedUpLawyer/status/1157152337321811975
We put in a lot of work to make this state winnable again. Beto put in a lot of work to make this state winnable again. But just anybody won't win it. The Dem running for Gov lost by 13%. It's still an uphill battle, so stop making it harder on us.
https://twitter.com/SnarkedUpLawyer/status/1157152338819158022
When you say Beto should drop out and run for Senate, you imply that our current candidates are weak and can't win. You diminish the people who are trying to flip this state. Work with us, not against us. If you truly care about flipping TX, drop that narrative.
https://twitter.com/SnarkedUpLawyer/status/1157152340064948224
Finally, feel free to use your platforms to promote the candidates we have running. I attached a graphic of them. Also, feel free to donate. Help us flip Texas, not by attacking Beto, but by promoting the people running. #TXSenateRace #Beto2020 #TurnTexasBlue #CanCornyn
https://twitter.com/SnarkedUpLawyer/status/1157152348331900934
Trump Praises Kim Jong Un’s “Beautiful Vision for His Country” - The North Korean regime is responsible for murders, disappearances, and nightmarish prison camps.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/08/trump-praises-kim-jong-uns-beautiful-vision-for-his-country/
Trump praises North Korea after missile tests rattle region
https://apnews.com/27d712d79d484ac7990efcdb6994d150
Trump 2020 banner, supporters booted from Baltimore Orioles game as Fans Shout "Take it down"
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-supporters-banner-removed-baltimore-orioles-stadium-1452366
'Should Send Shockwaves Across the Nation': Grave Warnings as McConnell Accelerates Right-Wing Takeover of US Courts - "Senate Republicans will stop at nothing to stack the courts with partisan judges who will push their radical agenda through at any cost."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/08/01/should-send-shockwaves-across-nation-grave-warnings-mcconnell-accelerates-right-wing
A gun store's billboard targeting the congresswomen known as the 'Squad' is coming down
https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/02/us/north-carolina-squad-billboard-trnd/index.html
Trump Using Puerto Rico's Political Crisis to Restrict Hurricane Relief Aid
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/08/02/unacceptable-trump-using-puerto-ricos-political-crisis-restrict-hurricane-relief-aid
James Comey
Verified account @Comey
James Comey Retweeted Mark Meadows
I love transparency. I just wait for facts before I talk about them. I’m confident the results of all IG reports will show honest public servants worked hard to protect this country from a threat this president and his enablers won’t acknowledge. And @ me next time, bruh.
https://twitter.com/Comey/status/1157104624538722304
Kentucky Miners Are Camped Out on Railroad Tracks Demanding Their Stolen Wages
https://truthout.org/articles/kentucky-miners-are-camped-out-on-railroad-tracks-demanding-their-stolen-wages/
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/02/us/politics/trump-ratcliffe-dni.html
A federal judge strikes down Trump's plan to deny asylum to migrants who enter U.S. outside a port of entry— again
https://www.newsweek.com/federal-judge-strikes-down-trump-asylum-policy-again-1452396
‘We’re All Tired of Being Called Racists’ At Donald Trump’s rally in Cincinnati, droves of attendees made it clear that they stood with the president despite his recent comments.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/08/trump-supporters-called-racists/595333/
83 Ethics Complaints Against Justice Brett Kavanaugh Dismissed Permanently
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/brett-kavanaugh-ethics-complaints-dismissed_n_5d4442a1e4b0acb57fcb6356?ncid=APPLENEWS00001
Hours after an FBI warning about QAnon is published, a QAnon slogan turns up at Trump’s rally
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/08/02/hours-after-an-fbi-warning-about-qanon-is-published-qanon-slogan-turns-up-trumps-rally/
Donald Trump Threatens To Release ‘Thousands Of ISIS Fighters’ To Europe
https://www.inquisitr.com/5560709/trump-europe-isis-fighters/
Trump responds to reports of Cummings' Baltimore home being robbed: 'Too bad!'
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/455893-trump-responds-to-reports-of-cummings-baltimore-home-being-robbed-too
Kris Kobach illegally uses border wall group to fund Senate bid
https://www.thedailybeast.com/kris-kobach-uses-border-wall-group-to-fund-senate-bid-likely-illegally
As Donald Trump marked the 400th anniversary of American democracy in Virginia, top Democrats who had stayed away from the commemoration were observing a 400th anniversary of a different kind – one inextricably linked to the founding of the United States. In southern Ghana, US House speaker Nancy Pelosi and 13 members of the Congressional Black Caucus were observing the 400th anniversary of the arrival of enslaved Africans in Virginia. The lawmakers visited the Cape Coast and Elmina slave castles, where hundreds of thousands of captured Africans were forced onto ships never to return. “Our souls have been touched by what we saw there…These profound places are a sobering testament to humanity’s capacity for great evil and also a helpful reminder of the capacity for great resilience, renewal and strength of a people,” Pelosi said in an address to Ghana’s parliament on Wednesday (July 31). The US delegation to Ghana included civil rights icon John Lewis and Ilhan Omar, two on a long list of politicians of color at the receiving end of racist remarks by the current US president.
https://qz.com/africa/1680260/pelosi-ilhan-omar-black-congressional-caucus-in-ghana/
Trump Illegally Withdraws From 1987 Nuclear Pact With Russia (presidents are not allowed to unilaterally withdraw from a treaty the Congress has ratified without getting approval from Congress)
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/us-withdraws-inf-nuclear-treaty-russia_n_5d43fde4e4b0ca604e303579
There's a new downloadable font inspired by gerrymandered congressional districts | Gerrymandering of legislative districts has received significant attention in the courts and in the public, and one graphic designer has now created a gerrymandering-themed font to raise awareness about fair electoral maps.
The new font, which you can download at uglygerry.com, has one or combinations of multiple gerrymandered congressional districts for each letter of the alphabet from A-Z.
https://www.businessinsider.com/you-can-download-font-gerrymandered-congressional-districts-2019-8
https://uglygerry.com/
Last night, Trump responded to the Democratic debates, but the truth is: We already gave him what he wanted. Let’s stop tearing one another apart—and remember that no matter who we nominate, all of us will need to come together to defeat Donald Trump.
https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1157327488516673537
PSA to the Beto should run for Senate folks: You're not helping us here in TX. If you're concern trolling, just own it. If you think you're helping, stop. Beto isn't running for Senate in 2020. If he did, it would be counterproductive. Cornyn would attack him for running for Pres
https://twitter.com/SnarkedUpLawyer/status/1157152337321811975
We put in a lot of work to make this state winnable again. Beto put in a lot of work to make this state winnable again. But just anybody won't win it. The Dem running for Gov lost by 13%. It's still an uphill battle, so stop making it harder on us.
https://twitter.com/SnarkedUpLawyer/status/1157152338819158022
When you say Beto should drop out and run for Senate, you imply that our current candidates are weak and can't win. You diminish the people who are trying to flip this state. Work with us, not against us. If you truly care about flipping TX, drop that narrative.
https://twitter.com/SnarkedUpLawyer/status/1157152340064948224
Finally, feel free to use your platforms to promote the candidates we have running. I attached a graphic of them. Also, feel free to donate. Help us flip Texas, not by attacking Beto, but by promoting the people running. #TXSenateRace #Beto2020 #TurnTexasBlue #CanCornyn
https://twitter.com/SnarkedUpLawyer/status/1157152348331900934
Trump Praises Kim Jong Un’s “Beautiful Vision for His Country” - The North Korean regime is responsible for murders, disappearances, and nightmarish prison camps.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/08/trump-praises-kim-jong-uns-beautiful-vision-for-his-country/
Trump praises North Korea after missile tests rattle region
https://apnews.com/27d712d79d484ac7990efcdb6994d150
Trump 2020 banner, supporters booted from Baltimore Orioles game as Fans Shout "Take it down"
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-supporters-banner-removed-baltimore-orioles-stadium-1452366
'Should Send Shockwaves Across the Nation': Grave Warnings as McConnell Accelerates Right-Wing Takeover of US Courts - "Senate Republicans will stop at nothing to stack the courts with partisan judges who will push their radical agenda through at any cost."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/08/01/should-send-shockwaves-across-nation-grave-warnings-mcconnell-accelerates-right-wing
A gun store's billboard targeting the congresswomen known as the 'Squad' is coming down
https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/02/us/north-carolina-squad-billboard-trnd/index.html
Trump Using Puerto Rico's Political Crisis to Restrict Hurricane Relief Aid
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/08/02/unacceptable-trump-using-puerto-ricos-political-crisis-restrict-hurricane-relief-aid
James Comey
Verified account @Comey
James Comey Retweeted Mark Meadows
I love transparency. I just wait for facts before I talk about them. I’m confident the results of all IG reports will show honest public servants worked hard to protect this country from a threat this president and his enablers won’t acknowledge. And @ me next time, bruh.
https://twitter.com/Comey/status/1157104624538722304
Kentucky Miners Are Camped Out on Railroad Tracks Demanding Their Stolen Wages
https://truthout.org/articles/kentucky-miners-are-camped-out-on-railroad-tracks-demanding-their-stolen-wages/
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Light News Dump
Dismissing a question as "a Republican talking point" or "spineless cowardice" during a primary debate just means that a candidate isn't ready to face Trump and Republican attacks in a general election.
Just 10% of fossil fuel subsidy cash 'could pay for green transition' - Redirecting small portion of subsidies would unleash clean energy revolution, says report
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/01/fossil-fuel-subsidy-cash-pay-green-energy-transition
Zuckerberg’s Facebook is reportedly working on a back-door content-scanner for WhatsApp, tantamount to a wiretapping algorithm - it will scan your messages before you send them and report anything suspicious.
https://www.ccn.com/news/zuckerberg-wiretap-whatsapp-libra/2019/07/30/
Money from a retirement program for the US military is slated to be diverted to pay for Trump's border wall
https://www.businessinsider.com/military-retirement-program-could-lose-funding-trump-border-wall-2019-8
Dutch 'burqa ban' comes into force - A law that prohibits clothing that "covers the face" from being worn in a variety of public spaces, such as schools, hospitals, public buildings and public transport, came into effect in the Netherlands on Thursday.
https://www.dw.com/en/dutch-burqa-ban-comes-into-force/a-49838909
Baltimore does not receive the ‘billions’ Trump says city government wastes, steals | The federal web site that tracks spending — USAspending.gov — says individuals, agencies and other institutions in Baltimore have received roughly $8 billion over the past two years. But the vast majority has not gone to City Hall to distribute, according to the website, which is the federal government clearinghouse for spending data. For example, at least $3 billion has gone to the Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Medical Services Corp. and the University of Maryland for research, medical care and other programs. More than $600 million pays for vouchers and other rental housing subsidies, money that winds up in the hands of landl/rds to help pay rent for low-income city residents. A billion of the money represents payments by the Social Security Administration to retirees and disabled people, while nearly half a billion goes to Baltimore City Public Schools as “Title I” support to provide extra services for students from poor families. About $200 million goes to nonprofit agencies that help people with HIV or AIDS. Another $100 million has gone to college students through the federal Pell Grant program to help pay tuition. According to Baltimore’s official budget reports, the city government itself has received $380 million in federal assistance over the last two fiscal years for operating and capital expenses. The money represents federal grants sprinkled across 75 services — with the biggest amounts paying for HIV treatment services for people without health insurance, permanent housing for the homeless and reducing tobacco use by pregnant women. That total includes $40 million the federal government awarded as Community Development Block Grants, flexible funding that allows local governments to deliver housing renovations, economic development and recreational facilities to low-income neighborhoods. It’s a program Trump wants to eliminate.
https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-pol-trump-numbers-20190801-yn6reo7elvcjlg7gi32t4lzrsm-story.html
http://usaspending.gov/
UN: US, allies killed more civilians than Taliban in Afghanistan in first half of 2019
https://www.dw.com/en/un-us-allies-killed-more-civilians-than-taliban-in-afghanistan-in-first-half-of-2019/a-49797473
Trump says US will impose 10% tariffs on $300 billion of Chinese goods starting September 1
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/01/trump-says-us-will-impose-10percent-tariffs-on-300-billion-of-chinese-goods-starting-september-1.html
Senator seeks to prevent next Cambridge Analytica scandal with new voter privacy bill
https://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2019/8/1/20750490/facebook-google-voter-privacy-act-cambridge-analytica-bill
Four Automakers Stand Firm With California Against a Trump Administration Rollback
https://blog.ucsusa.org/dave-cooke/four-automakers-stand-with-california-against-administration-rollback
Equifax Won't Give Anyone $125 After All — It turns out the credit bureau company never had enough money set aside to pay back all 147 million people affected by one of the largest data breaches in history
https://www.gq.com/story/equifax-pay-me
Joe Biden: It’s astonishing to see other Democratic candidates attack him for his role in their party’s historic successes. | As a conservative watching the Democratic debates, I found that one of the most astonishing aspects of the multicandidate assault on Joe Biden was that the case against him seems to be based in large measure on his role in two generations of Democratic victories. His “crimes” consist partly in playing crucial roles in the political successes of two previous Democratic presidents — men who were personally so popular that it’s entirely likely that they would have won a theoretical third term. In key issue after key issue, Mr. Biden isn’t running against the failures of the past. He’s running against the arrogance of the present. Let’s take, for example, his role in passing Bill Clinton’s signature anti-crime legislation, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. Yes, it was tough on crime. It enhanced penalties; it expanded the death penalty; and it funded new police officers and new prison cells. It also included the Violence Against Women Act and an assault weapons ban that wouldn’t have a ghost of a chance of passing Congress today. Moreover, it did not play a material role in mass incarceration, which is a product mainly of state prosecutions, not federal law enforcement.
And what two additional elements do Mr. Biden’s critics miss? First, it was passed with overwhelming Democratic support (including a majority of the Congressional Black Caucus), which means that most of his present critics — had they been in office at the time — would have also voted for the bill. Second, the Clinton administration presided over a truly historic decrease in the crime rate. Yes, that decrease has many causes, but it is still true that violent crime fell, property crimes fell and tens of thousands of men and women are alive today because their towns and cities are far, far safer than they were when Mr. Clinton took office. Given our low crime rate, it’s time to try easing our nation’s punitive approach, but we have the luxury of policy experimentation in part because America’s war on crime worked. And what of immigration? On Wednesday night, Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York pressed Mr. Biden over the Obama administration’s deportation policies. He was attacking Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden for enforcing federal law. This was astonishing. By the standards of the present moment, the Obama administration’s immigration policies were not only progressive, the challenges on the southern border were minimal compared with what the Trump administration now faces. Illegal border crossings during the Obama administration were substantially fewer, on average, than during the Bush administration, and far fewer than the surge the Trump administration faces now. At the same time, Mr. Obama pressed and exceeded constitutional limits in his attempts to use his executive authority to protect Dreamers and their families from deportation. Yet even that record is under fire because the Obama administration didn’t abandon deportations? But it’s the health care debate that truly boggles this conservative’s mind. Mr. Biden is running not just on a defense of Obamacare but on an immense expansion of the most significant Democratic social policy victory since the Johnson administration won passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. Make no mistake, creating a public option for citizens to buy into government health insurance would have immense effects on the private health insurance market. Passing a public option would be a historic Democratic legislative achievement, even in a narrowly Democratic-controlled Senate. But that’s just not enough. Obamacare was sold to the American public in part through a (failed) promise that Americans could keep the plans they liked. “If you like your health care plan, you can keep it,” President Obama said in 2013. Now single-payer advocates like Bernie Sanders attack Mr. Biden for saying pretty much the same thing — Americans can keep the employer-based plans they prefer. From the crime bill to immigration to health care, Mr. Biden is facing attacks for his role in policies that Democrats can argue in good faith worked. Crime rates went down; Mr. Obama staved off a crisis on the southern border while protecting hundreds of thousands of Dreamers from deportation; and after Obamacare was put in place, the number of Americans without health insurance fell to an all-time low. The arrogance of the present scoffs at these Democratic achievements. Instead, it declares that crime rates would have fallen even without Democratic toughness, that our nation’s immigration challenges would have been eased without conventional law enforcement, and that our health care system is so broken that Obama’s signature legislative achievement must be completely undone. It’s one thing to attack Mr. Biden’s vote on the Iraq war. That was a Republican administration’s policy; it faced substantial Democratic opposition; and now even Republicans have largely rejected their own president’s great gamble. It’s another thing entirely to reject Democratic accomplishments of the recent past. During the debate, I watched as Mr. Biden appeared genuinely and rightfully befuddled at the attacks on his record. But he was combating not only his own failures but the spirit of the present age. New orthodoxies form at the speed of Twitter. There is no respect for the wisdom of the past, and there is no understanding of the complexities of the challenges preceding generations faced. Success is taken entirely for granted, and failures are seen as a sign of moral defect. There is no grace, only judgment. As the race rolls on, Mr. Biden’s best hope is that most Democrats have different memories and different priorities. Maybe a reason for his current polling dominance is that Democrats are proud of the policy successes of administrations past and grateful for his role in their success. But Mr. Biden can’t coast on the fond memories of the Democratic middle. He has to better remind his voters why they hold him in such high regard. He helped them win. He played a key role in the party’s most significant achievements.
And what of his critics? Should they not understand that the forces of judgment they unleash now can be turned on them? The conventional wisdom of today will soon be deemed the backward thinking of yesterday, and then — perhaps — they will empathize with Mr. Biden’s incredulity that his successes are now deemed not just failures, but moral flaws.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/01/opinion/debate-joe-biden.html
Steelmaker That Praised Trump Tariffs Now Suing U.S. for Relief
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-01/steelmaker-that-praised-trump-tariffs-now-suing-u-s-for-relief
The FBI for the first time has identified fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terrorist threat, according to a previously unpublicized document obtained by Yahoo News. | “The FBI assesses these conspiracy theories very likely will emerge, spread, and evolve in the modern information marketplace, occasionally driving both groups and individual extremists to carry out criminal or violent acts,” the document states. It also goes on to say the FBI believes conspiracy theory-driven extremists are likely to increase during the 2020 presidential election cycle.
https://news.yahoo.com/fbi-documents-conspiracy-theories-terrorism-160000507.html
FBI memo warns QAnon poses potential terror threat
https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/fbi/455770-fbi-memo-warns-qanon-poses-a-potential-terror-threat-report
Justice Department won't prosecute Comey over leak of his memos after referral from internal watchdog
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/justice-department-won-t-prosecute-comey-over-leak-his-memos-n1038326
Candidates Should Visit the Country’s Most Polluted Areas, Activists Say
https://truthout.org/articles/candidates-should-visit-the-countrys-most-polluted-areas-activists-say/
Forestry Expert Donald Trump Offers to Help Putin with Siberian Wildfires
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/08/trump-putin-call-offers-to-help-put-out-siberian-wildfires
Cuomo signs bill banning teachers from bringing guns to school
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/455698-cuomo-signs-bill-banning-teachers-from-bringing-guns-to-school
Trump’s New Pick for UN Ambassador was ‘Gold-Level Member’ at the Trump International Hotel
https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/trumps-new-pick-for-un-ambassador-was-gold-level-member-at-the-trump-international-hotel/
Texas Rep. Hurd, lone black Republican in House, won’t seek reelection
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/texas-rep-hurd-lone-black-republican-in-house-wont-seek-reelection/2019/08/01/0927745c-b487-11e9-8949-5f36ff92706e_story.html?utm_term=.84ee9a42e88f
Three NRA board members resign in latest sign of upheaval at gun rights group
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/three-nra-board-members-resign-in-latest-sign-of-upheaval-at-gun-rights-group/2019/08/01/aad49bc0-b49d-11e9-8f6c-7828e68cb15f_story.html?utm_term=.b56f3be6cfcf
Manhattan D.A. Subpoenas Trump Organization Over Stormy Daniels Hush Money
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/01/nyregion/trump-cohen-stormy-daniels-vance.html
Greenland Is Melting Away Before Our Eyes
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/greenland-ice-sheet-melt-865803/
Just 10% of fossil fuel subsidy cash 'could pay for green transition' - Redirecting small portion of subsidies would unleash clean energy revolution, says report
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/01/fossil-fuel-subsidy-cash-pay-green-energy-transition
Zuckerberg’s Facebook is reportedly working on a back-door content-scanner for WhatsApp, tantamount to a wiretapping algorithm - it will scan your messages before you send them and report anything suspicious.
https://www.ccn.com/news/zuckerberg-wiretap-whatsapp-libra/2019/07/30/
Money from a retirement program for the US military is slated to be diverted to pay for Trump's border wall
https://www.businessinsider.com/military-retirement-program-could-lose-funding-trump-border-wall-2019-8
Dutch 'burqa ban' comes into force - A law that prohibits clothing that "covers the face" from being worn in a variety of public spaces, such as schools, hospitals, public buildings and public transport, came into effect in the Netherlands on Thursday.
https://www.dw.com/en/dutch-burqa-ban-comes-into-force/a-49838909
Baltimore does not receive the ‘billions’ Trump says city government wastes, steals | The federal web site that tracks spending — USAspending.gov — says individuals, agencies and other institutions in Baltimore have received roughly $8 billion over the past two years. But the vast majority has not gone to City Hall to distribute, according to the website, which is the federal government clearinghouse for spending data. For example, at least $3 billion has gone to the Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Medical Services Corp. and the University of Maryland for research, medical care and other programs. More than $600 million pays for vouchers and other rental housing subsidies, money that winds up in the hands of landl/rds to help pay rent for low-income city residents. A billion of the money represents payments by the Social Security Administration to retirees and disabled people, while nearly half a billion goes to Baltimore City Public Schools as “Title I” support to provide extra services for students from poor families. About $200 million goes to nonprofit agencies that help people with HIV or AIDS. Another $100 million has gone to college students through the federal Pell Grant program to help pay tuition. According to Baltimore’s official budget reports, the city government itself has received $380 million in federal assistance over the last two fiscal years for operating and capital expenses. The money represents federal grants sprinkled across 75 services — with the biggest amounts paying for HIV treatment services for people without health insurance, permanent housing for the homeless and reducing tobacco use by pregnant women. That total includes $40 million the federal government awarded as Community Development Block Grants, flexible funding that allows local governments to deliver housing renovations, economic development and recreational facilities to low-income neighborhoods. It’s a program Trump wants to eliminate.
https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-pol-trump-numbers-20190801-yn6reo7elvcjlg7gi32t4lzrsm-story.html
http://usaspending.gov/
UN: US, allies killed more civilians than Taliban in Afghanistan in first half of 2019
https://www.dw.com/en/un-us-allies-killed-more-civilians-than-taliban-in-afghanistan-in-first-half-of-2019/a-49797473
Trump says US will impose 10% tariffs on $300 billion of Chinese goods starting September 1
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/01/trump-says-us-will-impose-10percent-tariffs-on-300-billion-of-chinese-goods-starting-september-1.html
Senator seeks to prevent next Cambridge Analytica scandal with new voter privacy bill
https://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2019/8/1/20750490/facebook-google-voter-privacy-act-cambridge-analytica-bill
Four Automakers Stand Firm With California Against a Trump Administration Rollback
https://blog.ucsusa.org/dave-cooke/four-automakers-stand-with-california-against-administration-rollback
Equifax Won't Give Anyone $125 After All — It turns out the credit bureau company never had enough money set aside to pay back all 147 million people affected by one of the largest data breaches in history
https://www.gq.com/story/equifax-pay-me
Joe Biden: It’s astonishing to see other Democratic candidates attack him for his role in their party’s historic successes. | As a conservative watching the Democratic debates, I found that one of the most astonishing aspects of the multicandidate assault on Joe Biden was that the case against him seems to be based in large measure on his role in two generations of Democratic victories. His “crimes” consist partly in playing crucial roles in the political successes of two previous Democratic presidents — men who were personally so popular that it’s entirely likely that they would have won a theoretical third term. In key issue after key issue, Mr. Biden isn’t running against the failures of the past. He’s running against the arrogance of the present. Let’s take, for example, his role in passing Bill Clinton’s signature anti-crime legislation, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. Yes, it was tough on crime. It enhanced penalties; it expanded the death penalty; and it funded new police officers and new prison cells. It also included the Violence Against Women Act and an assault weapons ban that wouldn’t have a ghost of a chance of passing Congress today. Moreover, it did not play a material role in mass incarceration, which is a product mainly of state prosecutions, not federal law enforcement.
And what two additional elements do Mr. Biden’s critics miss? First, it was passed with overwhelming Democratic support (including a majority of the Congressional Black Caucus), which means that most of his present critics — had they been in office at the time — would have also voted for the bill. Second, the Clinton administration presided over a truly historic decrease in the crime rate. Yes, that decrease has many causes, but it is still true that violent crime fell, property crimes fell and tens of thousands of men and women are alive today because their towns and cities are far, far safer than they were when Mr. Clinton took office. Given our low crime rate, it’s time to try easing our nation’s punitive approach, but we have the luxury of policy experimentation in part because America’s war on crime worked. And what of immigration? On Wednesday night, Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York pressed Mr. Biden over the Obama administration’s deportation policies. He was attacking Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden for enforcing federal law. This was astonishing. By the standards of the present moment, the Obama administration’s immigration policies were not only progressive, the challenges on the southern border were minimal compared with what the Trump administration now faces. Illegal border crossings during the Obama administration were substantially fewer, on average, than during the Bush administration, and far fewer than the surge the Trump administration faces now. At the same time, Mr. Obama pressed and exceeded constitutional limits in his attempts to use his executive authority to protect Dreamers and their families from deportation. Yet even that record is under fire because the Obama administration didn’t abandon deportations? But it’s the health care debate that truly boggles this conservative’s mind. Mr. Biden is running not just on a defense of Obamacare but on an immense expansion of the most significant Democratic social policy victory since the Johnson administration won passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. Make no mistake, creating a public option for citizens to buy into government health insurance would have immense effects on the private health insurance market. Passing a public option would be a historic Democratic legislative achievement, even in a narrowly Democratic-controlled Senate. But that’s just not enough. Obamacare was sold to the American public in part through a (failed) promise that Americans could keep the plans they liked. “If you like your health care plan, you can keep it,” President Obama said in 2013. Now single-payer advocates like Bernie Sanders attack Mr. Biden for saying pretty much the same thing — Americans can keep the employer-based plans they prefer. From the crime bill to immigration to health care, Mr. Biden is facing attacks for his role in policies that Democrats can argue in good faith worked. Crime rates went down; Mr. Obama staved off a crisis on the southern border while protecting hundreds of thousands of Dreamers from deportation; and after Obamacare was put in place, the number of Americans without health insurance fell to an all-time low. The arrogance of the present scoffs at these Democratic achievements. Instead, it declares that crime rates would have fallen even without Democratic toughness, that our nation’s immigration challenges would have been eased without conventional law enforcement, and that our health care system is so broken that Obama’s signature legislative achievement must be completely undone. It’s one thing to attack Mr. Biden’s vote on the Iraq war. That was a Republican administration’s policy; it faced substantial Democratic opposition; and now even Republicans have largely rejected their own president’s great gamble. It’s another thing entirely to reject Democratic accomplishments of the recent past. During the debate, I watched as Mr. Biden appeared genuinely and rightfully befuddled at the attacks on his record. But he was combating not only his own failures but the spirit of the present age. New orthodoxies form at the speed of Twitter. There is no respect for the wisdom of the past, and there is no understanding of the complexities of the challenges preceding generations faced. Success is taken entirely for granted, and failures are seen as a sign of moral defect. There is no grace, only judgment. As the race rolls on, Mr. Biden’s best hope is that most Democrats have different memories and different priorities. Maybe a reason for his current polling dominance is that Democrats are proud of the policy successes of administrations past and grateful for his role in their success. But Mr. Biden can’t coast on the fond memories of the Democratic middle. He has to better remind his voters why they hold him in such high regard. He helped them win. He played a key role in the party’s most significant achievements.
And what of his critics? Should they not understand that the forces of judgment they unleash now can be turned on them? The conventional wisdom of today will soon be deemed the backward thinking of yesterday, and then — perhaps — they will empathize with Mr. Biden’s incredulity that his successes are now deemed not just failures, but moral flaws.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/01/opinion/debate-joe-biden.html
Steelmaker That Praised Trump Tariffs Now Suing U.S. for Relief
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-01/steelmaker-that-praised-trump-tariffs-now-suing-u-s-for-relief
The FBI for the first time has identified fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terrorist threat, according to a previously unpublicized document obtained by Yahoo News. | “The FBI assesses these conspiracy theories very likely will emerge, spread, and evolve in the modern information marketplace, occasionally driving both groups and individual extremists to carry out criminal or violent acts,” the document states. It also goes on to say the FBI believes conspiracy theory-driven extremists are likely to increase during the 2020 presidential election cycle.
https://news.yahoo.com/fbi-documents-conspiracy-theories-terrorism-160000507.html
FBI memo warns QAnon poses potential terror threat
https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/fbi/455770-fbi-memo-warns-qanon-poses-a-potential-terror-threat-report
Justice Department won't prosecute Comey over leak of his memos after referral from internal watchdog
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/justice-department-won-t-prosecute-comey-over-leak-his-memos-n1038326
Candidates Should Visit the Country’s Most Polluted Areas, Activists Say
https://truthout.org/articles/candidates-should-visit-the-countrys-most-polluted-areas-activists-say/
Forestry Expert Donald Trump Offers to Help Putin with Siberian Wildfires
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/08/trump-putin-call-offers-to-help-put-out-siberian-wildfires
Cuomo signs bill banning teachers from bringing guns to school
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/455698-cuomo-signs-bill-banning-teachers-from-bringing-guns-to-school
Trump’s New Pick for UN Ambassador was ‘Gold-Level Member’ at the Trump International Hotel
https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/trumps-new-pick-for-un-ambassador-was-gold-level-member-at-the-trump-international-hotel/
Texas Rep. Hurd, lone black Republican in House, won’t seek reelection
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/texas-rep-hurd-lone-black-republican-in-house-wont-seek-reelection/2019/08/01/0927745c-b487-11e9-8949-5f36ff92706e_story.html?utm_term=.84ee9a42e88f
Three NRA board members resign in latest sign of upheaval at gun rights group
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/three-nra-board-members-resign-in-latest-sign-of-upheaval-at-gun-rights-group/2019/08/01/aad49bc0-b49d-11e9-8f6c-7828e68cb15f_story.html?utm_term=.b56f3be6cfcf
Manhattan D.A. Subpoenas Trump Organization Over Stormy Daniels Hush Money
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/01/nyregion/trump-cohen-stormy-daniels-vance.html
Greenland Is Melting Away Before Our Eyes
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/greenland-ice-sheet-melt-865803/
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