"The left takes the opposite stance. After all, a wealthy black person should be the class enemy of a working class black person, while a working class white person, even one who holds racist views, should be their class ally. This message from the left just isn’t one that resonates with the black community."

New piece from me on why the US left has failed to win over Black voters nationally:

https://forward.com/opinion/435826/why-the-left-has-failed-with-black-voters/

Why The Left Has Failed With Black Voters

Marcus Johnson

On Tuesday, California Senator Kamala Harris suspended her campaign for president. With Harris out of the race, all six of the candidates who have qualified for this month’s debate are white. It’s just the latest example of how in moving to the left, the Democratic Party has failed — and failed to attract — black voters.

Much has been made about the rise of the left in the Democratic Party. After Bernie Sanders performed above expectations in 2016, some predicted that his brand of left politics would soon dominate the Democrats’ politics nationally, and they were right, judging by the 2020 democratic primaries. Some pundits went as far as to call Sanders the frontrunner for 2020 immediately after the 2016 election, and many of the 2020 candidates took the narrative of Sanders’ ideological strength at face value. Most notably, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has matched Sanders on the ideological left, to much success.

https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/03/bernie-sanders-elizabeth-warren-foreign-policy-074193
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/7/5/15802616/bernie-sanders-2020

The problem is that the Democratic electorate isn’t nearly as close to Sanders and Warren ideologically as some pundits would have you believe. Although Sanders essentially tied with Hillary Clinton with white voters, he lost black voters nationally by 50 points, which went a long way towards her winning the nomination. The candidate favored by black voters has won the Democratic primary in each contest going back to 1992. Black voters have an outsized influence on the primary process because of their concentration in the south, and because of their propensity to vote as a bloc. The south is a delegate rich region where white voters have abandoned the Democratic Party — meaning the primary electorate of many of these states is plurality or majority black.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/22/business/economy/why-sanders-trails-clinton-among-minority-voters.html

Black voters are also the most consistent Democrats in the general election, voting for Democratic presidents at a rate close to 90%. Failing to win over black voters can end your presidential campaign before it begins.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/journey-power-history-black-voters-1976-2020-n1029581

So why does the left have so much trouble with this demographic?

To understand the current problems of the left, you have to know a bit of political history. Moderate and conservative whites have gradually left the Democratic Party since the mid-1960s in a party sorting process that is still ongoing. This phenomenon has its roots in the successes of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, when Democrats officially became the party of minority rights. This sorting process was especially intense early on in the southern states, but it has since spread throughout the county. The result has been that the whites who have remained in the Democratic Party are generally further to the left of the political spectrum.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964
https://www.thenation.com/article/take-action-now-protect-voting-rights/

The white voters who have remained in the Democratic Party on average tend to be better educated and less religious than both the white voters who fled for the GOP and the black rank and file Democrats who never left. White Democrats are further left ideologically than their black counterparts on a range of issues.

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2019-09-02/democrats-blacks-latinos-white-liberals-biden

White voters in the Democratic Party are more likely to favor open immigration policies and take leftward stances on gender and sexuality. They are also more likely to have an ideological commitment to free college or free healthcare. Almost 80% of black Americans are Christian, and nearly half say they attend religious services once a week. This is a major divide from white liberals, of whom Frank Newport estimates only 4% are both ideologically liberal and highly religious.

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/04/23/black-americans-are-more-likely-than-overall-public-to-be-christian-protestant/
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/02/07/5-facts-about-the-religious-lives-of-african-americans/
https://news.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/258032/religious-left-numbers-problem.aspx

Moreover, black voters tend to choose candidates that have worked hard to build a relationship with their community over time. Because of the unique history of black Americans, earning the trust of this community is not an overnight affair. Going back 30 years, nominees such as Barack Obama and the Clintons had deep ties to the black community before even deciding to run for president.

This is in stark contrast to Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, candidates favored by the white left that have struggled mightily to pick up black support. Neither Sanders nor Warren spent much time building relationships with black voters prior to deciding to run for President. And they are not alone on the left in this regard. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was largely unable to move black voters in her direction during her primary; her strength was mostly with college educated whites. Trying to attract black voters after the fact is extremely difficult.

https://theintercept.com/2018/07/01/ocasio-cortez-data-suggests-that-gentrifying-neighborhoods-powered-alexandria-ocasio-cortezs-victory-over-the-democratic-establishment/

One of the left’s biggest problems with black voters is their rhetorical focus on class. The left’s primary objective is to take on the billionaires and corporate elite. The class-first narrative posits that members of the working class have a common enemy — the wealthy.

This argument doesn’t fit with the lived experience of many black Americans, who have endured racism at the hands of poor and wealthy whites alike. For instance, there is a long history of racism in unions. This isn’t the wealthy using schemes to divide the poor along racial lines either; a sizable percentage of whites regardless of class have come to hold these views on their own.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2017/12/15/racial-divides-have-been-holding-american-workers-back-for-more-than-a-century/

Social scientists have found that black Americans are the most likely of any demographic to believe in the concept of “linked fate,” the idea that “what happens to people from their racial group will affect them personally.” In other words, the black community is more likely to be drawn to rhetoric about the betterment of all black Americans instead of rhetoric about class divisions.

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/07/11/linked-fate-connectedness-americans/

The left takes the opposite stance. After all, a wealthy black person should be the class enemy of a working class black person, while a working class white person, even one who holds racist views, should be their class ally. This message from the left just isn’t one that resonates with the black community.

Another one of the left’s most critical messages is their rhetoric around what they see as political revolution, that expresses itself in rhetoric about tearing down the Democratic Party. Sanders and his surrogates are the biggest offenders here, but other elements of the left have echoed the same messages. The idea that the Democratic Party is corrupt, infiltrated by corporate interests, and needs to be torn down may win cheers with the white left, but it doesn’t attract black voters. That is because the Democratic Party as an institution both codified and defended Civil and Voting Rights for minorities for decades. Black voters view the Democratic Party as an institution that has fought for them and protected them from Republican offensives. It is not one that should be blown up.
You might wonder why Democrats haven’t realized that their messaging is at odds with that of most black voters. But the truth is, white voters in the Democratic primary are more educated, less religious, wealthier, and more ideologically liberal than black voters, and they live geographically separated from black voters, both within cities in the northeast and west coast and regionally in the south. This effective segregation has resulted in a huge blind spot for these progressive candidates.

As white voters continue to move left, the divide could lead to mounting tension within the Democratic coalition, a symptom of which can be seen in the debate over President Obama’s legacy. While the white left is eager to reinterpret Obama’s legacy as a failure, black Democrats have a near universal approval of the former President.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/116479/barack-obama-presidential-job-approval.aspx

In general, the problem can be summed up as follows: Black Democrats want the party to continue its fight to protect civil and voting rights and to expand access and opportunity, while white Democrats want the party to take on ideological stances regardless of the electoral consequences. Since black voters have disproportionate influence on the primary contest, there is the possibility that black voters could essentially override the choice of the white left (and deliver a Biden victory over Warren or Sanders).
That outcome would likely increase the intra-party tension, with inevitable calls to limit the electoral power of the southern states in future primaries. Of course, the white left could go in the opposite direction and decide to learn more about black voter decisions. But if the aftermath of 2016 is any indication, that rosy scenario probably isn’t going to happen.

Marcus Johnson is a political commentator and a political science PhD student at American University.

Trump calls Trudeau 'two-faced', cancels press conference and leaves Nato summit early after video of world leaders making fun of him

You know the NATO summit isn’t going well when the President would prefer to return to his impeachment: Trump calls Trudeau 'two-faced', cancels press conference and leaves Nato summit early after video of world leaders making fun of him

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-trudeau-nato-summit-press-conference-macron-boris-johnson-latest-a9232496.html

NBA Highlights

The Houston Rockets (13-7) fall to the San Antonio Spurs (8-14) 133 - 135 in double overtime

Demar draws the charge on Harden in the final secondsHighlights
https://streamable.com/tx8f5

Refs call this a missed dunk by Harden
https://streamable.com/oj8su

Alex Caruso comes in for the putback dunk
https://streamable.com/1rniy

Spurs fan yells at Harden, "Nobody wants to see a free throw shooting contest". Harden responds.
https://streamable.com/ghq5h

James Harden tonight in 2OT loss against the Spurs: 50 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists

Harden gets blocked again and Demar gets fouled at the other end
https://streamable.com/5iu34

Lonnie Walker IV goes on a personal 8-0 run to send the game to overtime
https://streamable.com/ur17s
Lonnie Walker IV just scored 19 points in the 4th quarter to force OT after erasing a 22 pt deficit

Luka with 33 PTS / 18 REBS / 5 ASTS in 3 quarters. Leading Mavs to 4 wins in 4 road games this week (self.nba)

James Harden is the first player in NBA history to score 50 PTS shooting under 30 FG%. No one has even reached 40 shooting under 30 FG%.

Jimmy Butler takes over in overtime against the RaptorsHighlights (streamable.com)
https://streamable.com/5to2y

Walker IV hits his second straight triple to tie the
https://streamable.com/mbsvy

The Miami Heat (15-5) defeat the Toronto Raptors (15-5), 121-110 on the back of a Jimmy Butler take-over in OT

Markelle Fultz has set a new career high with 20 points

IT loses his shoe, proceeds to play defence and knocks down the triple at the other end
https://streamable.com/qcbps

Poeltl crushes Hardens game-winning attempt
https://streamable.com/2w6ou

Anthony Davis ended the night with 25 Points and 10 Rebounds, and a monster effort on defense

The Dallas Mavericks (14-6) defeat the New Orleans Pelicans (6-15) 118-97 behind 33/18/5 from Luka Doncic

Luka shows off some magic in the post
https://streamable.com/ok8xp

Luka puts Jrue Holiday on skates and drills the deep three
https://streamable.com/7xktd

Demar DeRozan closed out the Rockets on both ends tonight
https://streamable.com/8bt99

Last season, Harden tied Curry's 2016 record for most 3PA in the first 20 games of a season with 222 3PA. This season, Harden has shattered that record with 285 3PA in his first 20 games.

Melo goes down hard
https://streamable.com/qaudp

The top 5 teams in the Eastern Conference now have a combined home record of 43-2. The Miami Heat are responsible for both loses.

Pascal Siakam attempted one shot in all of 4th quarter/OT in a close loss to the Heat

James Harden and Russell Westbrook took 68 shots combined and made 18 shots with a FG% of 26.47%. Rest of the team took 44 shots and made 24 shots with a FG of 54.54%.

Through the first half vs Spurs, James Harden has 22 points in 17 minutes on 3/10 FG shooting and 15/15 FTs

Knicks spent $70M this offseason to be one of league’s worst teams

The last 9 matchs of Evan Fournier (Orlando) - Average 25.2 PTS (50% FG / 50% 3PTS)

Markelle Fultz with the nifty finish
https://streamable.com/2zebr

Since being traded to the Pelicans, Lonzo Ball is now shooting 36% on 6.5 three-point attempts per game, and over 44% on corner threes.

Derrick Rose with his signature up and under finish at the basket
https://streamable.com/16iqv

Jimmy Butler 22 Pts 13 Rebs 12 Asts vs Toronto Raptors

Andre Drummond has 8/8/2/4/4 at the half @CLE and is closing in on the historical 5x5

Dwight blocks Malik Beasley from behind and Caruso goes all the way
https://streamable.com/nlhbe

James Harden has recorded his second career game with 20+ 3PA and 20+ FTA. No one else in NBA history has recorded one of these games.

Jamal Murray misses the 3 while trying to draw a foul on Green. Danny Green responds with a transition 3 of his own
https://streamable.com/ncmcv

Winslow denies Ibaka at the rim
https://streamable.com/tdoup

Seth nails a deep three with the shot clock running out
https://streamable.com/ghg2w

Jokic throws the alley oop pass from inside his own half
https://streamable.com/1fzb1

Mann drives down the middle for the slam
https://streamable.com/ggyac

Jimmy Butler has recorded his fifth career triple double (first since 2017)

Blake Griffin beats the buzzer with a deep three
https://streamable.com/neq8l

IT trying new ways to stop Markelle Fultz
https://streamable.com/lpsg2

Dame drives right to the hole and slams it
https://streamable.com/4omx4

Tim Hardaway Jr. with the steal and slam
https://streamable.com/pfzma

Jamal Murray blocks AD, goes coast to coast and finishes over LeBron
https://streamable.com/uaknf

Bazemore chase down block on Kawhi
https://streamable.com/ii7o5

The Los Angeles Clippers (16-6) defeat the Portland Trail Blazers (8-13) by a score of 117-97, led by Montrezl Harrell, who had 26 points and 10 rebounds off the bench

Poeltl blocks Harden in the clutch again
https://streamable.com/zjdu9

Light News

Lev Parnas Handed Over Tapes of Trump and Giuliani to the House Intelligence Committee
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/lev-parnas-handed-over-tapes-of-trump-and-giuliani-to-the-house-intelligence-committee-917769/amp/

Investigators are trying to determine whether the unidentified "-1" phone number in the impeachment report belongs to Trump, according to Schiff. If so, the calls with Giuliani could be further evidence of Trump's direct involvement.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/03/us/politics/rudy-giuliani-calls-1.html

Kamala Harris drops out of the Presidential race
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/03/us/politics/kamala-harris-campaign-drops-out.html

Joe Sestak drops out of Democratic presidential campaig
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1093811

Trump border wall $400 million contract handed to company owned by Republican donor who promoted firm on Fox News
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-border-wall-contract-fox-news-republican-donor-fisher-sand-gravel-arizona-a9230346.html

CNN political analysts were at a loss for words while discussing a poll conducted by the Economist/YouGov that found 53% of Republicans said that Donald Trump is a better president than Abraham Lincoln was.
https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2019/12/02/republicans-trump-lincoln-economist-yougov-poll-ip-sot-vpx.cnn

Trump loses appeal to block Deutsche Bank, Capital One from handing his financial records to Congress | Appeals court orders Trump's banks to turn financial records over to Congress
https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2019/12/03/trump-loses-appeal-to-block-deutsche-bank-capital-one-from-handing-his-financial-records-to-congress.html
https://www.axios.com/trump-financial-records-subpoena-deutsche-bank-8ad4507e-aa16-4641-ae5f-5dbc022cb030.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/03/business/trump-deutsche-bank-subpoena.html

Trump solar tariffs cost 62K US jobs
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/472691-analysis-trump-solar-tariffs-cost-62k-us-jobs

2020 will largely be a battle on our phones, tablets and computers. Hear from leading digital expert @taraemcg, CEO of Acronym, about how Trump is leveraging digital, what Dems need to do and how you can play a role.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/campaign-hq-with-david-plouffe/id1479487160#episodeGuid=8a7a91ce-e6e1-11e9-98aa-8fbc9db52f65

Potato processors are rushing to buy supplies and ship them across North America in order to keep French fries on the menu after cold, wet weather damaged crops in key producers in the U.S. and Canada. Cool conditions started to hit growing regions in October, lashing potatoes with frost. Farmers in Alberta and Idaho were able to dig up some damaged crops for storage. But growers in Manitoba, North Dakota and Minnesota received snow and rain, forcing them to abandon some supplies in fields. As the wild weather hurt crops, an increase in fry-processing capacity in Canada has boosted demand. The combination will lead to tight supplies, and it's likely that potato prices could climb this year across North America, Stephen Nicholson, a senior grains and oilseeds analyst at Rabobank, said in a phone interview. International costs may also rise as the U.S. won't be able to export as much. "French fry demand has just been outstanding lately, and so supplies can't meet the demand," Travis Blacker, industry-relations director with the Idaho Potato Commission, said in a phone interview. The United Potato Growers of Canada estimates about 12,000 Manitoba acres (about 4,900 hectares), or 18% of the province's planted area, were left unharvested -- equal to what was abandoned for all of Canada last season. About 6.5% of Alberta's potatoes are estimated to be frost damaged. Manitoba is the country's second-largest grower, followed by Alberta. Prince Edward Island is No. 1. The government will issue estimates for the nation's crop on Dec. 6. The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts domestic output will drop 6.1% this year to the lowest since 2010, the agency said in a Nov. 8 report. In Idaho, the top producer, output is forecast to fall 5.5%. Part of the problem for processors is the crop damage means potatoes are coming in smaller. French-fry makers usually favor longer spuds.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-12-02/french-fry-squeeze-hits-north-america-after-poor-potato-harvest

During the GM strike, we wrote 28 articles & made 31 videos from 5 states w/ crowdfunding from our readers. Donate to help us cover labor stories in news deserts http://paydayreport.com/donate
https://twitter.com/MikeElk/status/1192978996289560578

From the report: Phone records show a series of calls and a text between @DevinNunes & @RudyGiuliani on April 10, around the time Giuliani is beginning what Dems say is a smear campaign aimed at Bidens.
https://twitter.com/GarrettHaake/status/1201942862201589762

How Far Can Cities Go to Police the Homeless? Boise Tests the Limit | A decade-old legal fight shapes a mayoral race and offers the Supreme Court a chance to weigh in. | The case, Boise v. Martin, is examining whether it’s a crime for someone to sleep outside when they have nowhere else to go. The suit arose when a half-dozen homeless people claimed that local rules prohibiting camping on public property violated the Eighth Amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment. The plaintiffs prevailed at the appellate level last year, putting the city at the center of a national debate on how to tackle homelessness. Now Boise — after hiring a powerhouse legal team that includes Theodore B. Olson and Theane Evangelis of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher — has asked the Supreme Court to take the case, a decision that could come within days. Nobody at Interfaith Sanctuary, a shelter for 164 with bunk beds in neat rows, needed a primer. They had been talking about it for weeks. Before the debate, Dawn Whitson, a shelter resident making $12 an hour as a hotel receptionist, said she wanted to know why the city was spending potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight the suit instead of putting the money toward more shelter beds or homeless services.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/03/business/homeless-boise.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/20/us/justice-dept-presses-civil-rights-agenda-in-local-courts.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/04/us/hawaii-homeless-criminal-law-sitting-ban.html
https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/city-of-boise-idaho-v-martin/

The Class of 2000 'Could Have Been Anything' | The high school yearbook is a staple of teenage life. But for some, it reflects the devastating toll of the opioid crisis. [nyt]

See article for photo gallery

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/12/02/us/opioid-crisis-high-school-teenagers.html

The Class of 2000 'Could Have Been Anything'

The high school yearbook is a staple of teenage life. But for some, it reflects the devastating toll of the opioid crisis.

By Dan LevinDec. 2, 2019

The Minford High School Class of 2000, in rural Minford, Ohio, began its freshman year as a typical class. It had its jocks and its cheerleaders, its slackers and its overachievers.

But by the time the group entered its final year, its members said, painkillers were nearly ubiquitous, found in classrooms, school bathrooms and at weekend parties.

Over the next decade, Scioto County, which includes Minford, would become ground zero in the state's fight against opioids. It would lead Ohio with its rates of fatal drug overdoses, drug-related incarcerations and babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome.

https://cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/u.osu.edu/dist/3/67698/files/2018/12/The-Opioid-Crisis_Data-and-Program-Evaluation-Lisa-Roberts-1p3doa9.pdf

To understand both the scope and the devastating consequences of what is now a public health crisis, we talked to dozens of members of the Class of 2000. Many opened up to us about struggles with addiction, whether their own or their relatives'. They told us about the years lost to getting high and in cycling in and out of jail, prison and rehab. They mourned the three classmates whose addictions killed them.

In all of the interviews, one thing was clear: Opioids have spared relatively no one in Scioto County; everyone appears to know someone whose life has been affected by addiction.

Purdue Pharma introduced its opioid painkiller, OxyContin, in 1996, when the Class of 2000 entered high school. Some students began experimenting, often combining prescription opiates with alcohol at parties.

For many, what started as a weekend dalliance morphed swiftly into an all-consuming dependence. They swallowed opiates before school, snorted painkillers in the bathrooms and crushed up pills with a baseball on desks at the back of classrooms.

"OxyContin just started showing up at parties around junior year. People wanted to try it. It was fun. It got to where kids were doing it in the parking lot before school. By senior year it was so common."

Ashley Moore was a cheerleader and a member of the honor society. Her sister became addicted and is now in recovery.

I started seeing a lot of pills around 15 years old and I told myself I was never going to do them. But kids were selling Oxys at school for $3 a pill. By the time I was 19, I was looking in every medicine cabinet and bathroom. All of my close friends, we all turned into drug addicts."

Jonathan Whitt was on the golf team and became addicted to painkillers when he was 16. At 28, he switched to intravenous opioid use and then heroin. He has been jailed at least 10 times and has done multiple stints in rehab. He has been in recovery for four years.

"I had orthopedic surgery and managed to go to a home basketball game. Hanging out with some classmates, I had one kid approach me, ask about my surgery, then ask if I had pills to add to the collection. I declined and he went off to a small group and started handing out pills. I never carried any drugs with me because of the issues we had in Minford."

Christopher Henry moved to Minford when he was a sophomore and said he saw students exchanging or taking pills at church and at parties. He worked for 10 years at pharmacies and said they were often robbed for opiate painkillers. A relative from his previous marriage was addicted to opioids.

"My first encounter with drugs was one day at lunch. They were snorting pills on the bleachers. I had no idea people even snorted pills. My friend said they snort them to get high faster. Then you started having people overdosing. Before I knew it, people who were in high school doing drugs just to be cool, they had a real problem."

Miranda McGinnis was football homecoming queen and still lives in Minford. Though she said she never tried drugs, a relative is in recovery.

Addiction Knows
No Boundaries

Over the next decade, many members of the Class of 2000 spent their 20s getting college degrees and starting families. Others did anything they could to avoid withdrawal.

Friends and relatives began overdosing or getting arrested, or both. Some went to prison. Some became drug dealers and said they were now plagued with guilt at having fueled countless addictions.

In 2010, Scioto County would lead Ohio in the number of opioid prescriptions, with enough to give 123 pills to each resident.
   
"The consequences started happening in college. By this point I was physically dependent on OxyContin, but it was very easy to tell myself, 'I don't do crack, I don't shoot up.' That messed me up for a really long time."

Jake Bradshaw was a member of the baseball and soccer teams. His opioid addiction, which at one point cost him $400 a day, led to heroin and cocaine and continued through multiple stints in rehab and jail. In recovery since 2013, he founded the blog "Humans of Addiction" and is now working in the drug treatment industry.

"Pain management was part of treatment. I went to school and noticed if I took two pills instead of one, my day was a little bit better. The doctor kept prescribing them; I kept taking them. I was 21 when I got clean. I actually got arrested and went to outpatient treatment. I didn't want to go to prison, I didn't want to die."

Melissa Pace was in high school chorus and a class officer. She was prescribed opioids after a car accident her senior year. She is now a critical care paramedic and has treated several of her former classmates for overdoses.

"The year after I graduated, my best friend and I noticed other kids in our friend group were getting into car wrecks. She and I are the only ones who haven't been to rehab, haven't lost our kids. We look back and think, 'How did we not get addicted to this stuff?' Because every single person in our group of friends got addicted."

Jessica Daugherty was a homecoming attendant and in the school's vocational track. She said she tried opioids but didn't like the taste. Several of her cousins are addicted to drugs, including one who is now in prison for the second time.

"It didn't matter what your social status was because everyone was doing OxyContin. I got into a car wreck in '99 and the doctor prescribed me liquid Vicodin. Then someone introduced me to Oxys when I was 21. I went to a bar when I was 23, high on Xanaxes, Oxy, alcohol. I got into a fight and did seven years in the penitentiary. When I got out, I stayed away from everybody. That's what saved me."

Ralph Boggs played baseball and basketball. At least 10 of his family members have been addicted to drugs.
   
"I don't remember a lot of high school because I was messed up on drugs. By senior year, I realized I had a problem. I had one good friend in high school who helped me through it. Once I got cleaned up, other people were getting into it heavy. I kind of stay away from the area. It's heartbreaking to even go back. For me, once you're truly recovered you have to fight to stay clean."

Melissa Kratzenberg was in the honor society, marching band and art club. She started using pain pills as a freshman and stopped after she drank nearly an entire bottle of liquid hydrocodone when she was a senior. Several relatives have struggled with drugs, one of whom died after 20 years of addiction.

'We Could Have
Been Anything'

For the Minford High School Class of 2000, the opioid crisis is personal. Its members feel it daily when they remember those who died from overdoses, or those who continue to struggle with addiction.

Since this class graduated, more than 400,000 Americans have died from opioid overdoses. As many as 275 have died in Scioto County.
   
"I just remember getting that call. They are calling it an overdose, cocaine, which was not his drug of choice. I have a brother-in-law who died a month later, and we have another still in active addiction, we're afraid he's going to go, too. We lost five in three months. The craziest thing is we never lost anybody significant until I got sober, then everybody started dying. I have a book full of obituaries."

Dawnielle Bravo said her brother Daniel Bravo, who was a member of the language club and football and baseball teams, started using drugs when he was about 12. He spent time in prison and fatally overdosed in June 2018, leaving behind one child. The mother of his son also died of an overdose, as have many of his cousins. Several family members remain addicted, and Dawnielle has been in recovery for four years.

"I go to recovery meetings every Wednesday. I tell them stories about my addiction and how I had the will to get clean. But I feel guilt in different ways, for sharing and offering to people who I know have gone way too far with it. To this day I ask G-d for forgiveness."

Lee Easter played on the high school baseball and soccer teams. He started smoking marijuana when he was 9 and became addicted to opioids his freshman year. He soon began dealing drugs, including cocaine and heroin. He was 30 and high on a mix of painkillers and whiskey when he was in an accident. He has been in recovery for three years.

"When I worked at the sheriff's department I started seeing my classmates, a lot of them. When they come through here, we kind of reminisce, talk about how we're approaching 40 years old, and catch up on family. If they're really bad into drugs you can see it."

Kasey Boone played soccer and was in the school musical. He enlisted in the military but later returned to Minford and joined law enforcement. He became a probation officer in 2013, and said he has seen about 15 percent of his classmates on probation and more than 20 percent at the jail. Several of his relatives have become addicted to opioids — one is in prison and another fatally overdosed.

"I don't think there is anyone who hasn't been affected."

Jillian Salisbury was voted "Most Likely To Succeed" and became a veterinarian. Two of her cousins have been to prison for addiction-related convictions and another cousin fatally overdosed.

"I don't think I noticed how bad it was until after we graduated. We started hearing so-and-so died of an overdose, so-and-so is on drugs. Oh my G-d, it's a lot of my classmates."

Stephanie Twinam was in Bible club, chorus and honor society. While she never did drugs, she and her husband have permanent custody of their nieces, one of whom was born dependent on heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. One of her cousins became addicted to drugs.
   
"It's been eight years and I still miss that feeling of being high. So many of my best friends are either dead or in a wheelchair from drugs. We were like a group of siblings. You just see so much sadness. We could have been anything, done anything."

Brooklyn Frazie was senior prom queen and a member of the Bible club and chorus. She first tried painkillers the summer after graduation and became a drug dealer to finance her addiction, which spiraled into injecting heroin. She spent much of her 20s cycling in and out of jail and prison, and has been in recovery since 2011. Nearly 10 of her cousins are also recovering from addiction.

"I teach English. Sometimes they write about it, sometimes I know about it because there's a note in their file, 'Dad's not allowed to pick them up because Dad's on drugs,' or they'll be moved out of home and placed into foster care."

Katie Hall was in Bible club and honor society. She does not recall seeing any drug use during high school. But she is now a high school teacher and sees the impact on her students, some of whom have parents using opioids. Two of her family members have struggled with addiction.

"We've lost so many kids, not just in my grade, all the grades around my age, because of drugs. I'm raising a niece because of the drug problem. It got real bad a couple of years after we graduated. But I never left. There are so many good people here."

Brian Slusher has several cousins who became addicted, including one who died in July, and another who took his life. Since January, he has been raising his brother-in-law's 16-year-old daughter because her parents are struggling with addiction.

The New York Times tried reaching every one of the 110 members of the Class of 2000. Of the 49 classmates — or relatives of classmates — who were interviewed, 15 reported a current or former addiction to opioids.

At least 37 have family members who are grappling with addiction or are in recovery. At least 10 said they have been arrested or incarcerated for crimes related to their addiction. And three class members died of overdoses or from drug-related causes.

The interviews were edited for brevity and clarity.

Matthew Sedacca contributed reporting. Susan Beachy and Jack Begg contributed research. Produced by Beth Flynn, Andrew Rossback and Matt Ruby. Additional work by Amanda
Cordero, Dave Horn and Jessica White.

Growing Up Amid the Opioid Crisis
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/31/us/opioid-children-addiction.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/12/us/opioids-ohio-minford.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/22/us/opioids-foster-care-ohio.html
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/us/addiction-heroin-opioids.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/11/us/overdoses-youtube-opioids-drugs.html

The House Intelligence Committee has just released the draft impeachment report — "The Trump-Ukraine Impeachment Inquiry Report" — to all Members and the public. | As this report details, the impeachment inquiry has found that President Trump, personally and acting through agents within and outside of the U.S. government, solicited the interference of a foreign government, Ukraine, to benefit his reelection

https://intelligence.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=890

https://intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/20191203_-_full_report___hpsci_impeachment_inquiry_-_20191203.pdf

The report has no conclusion or suggestions at the end -- it ends very abruptly, leaving their findings to the House Judiciary Committee to weigh and consider for any articles of impeachment

Nunes is implicated in the report. The report mentions that former Nunes staffer Kash Patel spoke with Giuliani on May 10 for 25 minutes, just after Giuliani spoke to Volker about his upcoming (and ultimately aborted) trip to Ukraine. HPSCI found that April "phone records show contacts between Mr. Giuliani, Mr. Parnas, Representative Devin Nunes, and Mr. Solomon.” On April 10th, within a 15 minute span, Giuliani had 5 different phone calls with Nunes - three times Giuliani called Nunes, twice Nunes called Giuliani. Then on April 12, Lev Parnas spoke to John Solomon (The Hill journalist who helped spread Giuliani's conspiracies), Devin Nunes (for 8 min), and then Solomon again.  This reminds me of something that didn't get much attention. During Gordon Sondland's public testimony, Nunes was caught on camera giving Sondland a message. Never found out what that was about...
https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand/status/1201941336619986944?s=19
https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand/status/1201942130740154368?s=19
https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand/status/1201942645146304514?s=19
https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand/status/1201943168557686785?s=19
https://twitter.com/YpsiGal/status/1200508757345738753?s=19

Section I. The President's Misconduct: The President Conditioned a White House Meeting and Military Aid to Ukraine on a Public Announcement of Investigations Beneficial to his Reelection Campaign

• The President’s Request for a Political Favor
• The President Removed Anti-Corruption Champion Ambassador Yovanovitch
• The President’s Hand-picked Agents Begin the Scheme
• President Trump Froze Vital Military Assistance
• The President Conditioned a White House Meeting on Investigations
• The President’s Agents Pursued a “Drug Deal”
• President Trump Pressed President Zelensky to Do a Political Favor
• The President’s Representatives Ratcheted up Pressure on the Ukrainian President
• Ukrainians Inquired about the President’s Hold on Security Assistance
• The President’s Security Assistance Hold Became Public
• The President’s Scheme Unraveled
• The President’s Chief of Staff Confirmed Aid was Conditioned on Investigations

Section II. The President's Obstruction of the House of Representatives' Impeachment Inquiry: The President Obstructed the Impeachment Inquiry by Instructing Witnesses and Agencies to Ignore Subpoenas for Documents and Testimony

• An Unprecedented Effort to Obstruct an Impeachment Inquiry
• Constitutional Authority for Congressional Oversight and Impeachment
• The President’s Categorical Refusal to Comply
• The President’s Refusal to Produce Any and All Subpoenaed Documents
• The President’s Refusal to Allow Top Aides to Testify
• The President’s Unsuccessful Attempts to Block Other Key Witnesses
• The President’s Intimidation of Witnesses

Of particular note is that the executive summary touches only briefly on Trump's personal order to remove Yovanovich as part of a deal with Serhiy Lutsenko, which is a core issue in the SDNY criminal investigation. It only gets a few sentences in the report summary, and key characters are barely mentioned, for example Parnas (2 mentions), Firtash (0), Shokin (0) and Lutsenko (8) - although the full 300 page report contains quite a bit more detail.
The committee has rightly focused on the facts we know for certain, and which constitute just about the most egregious and overt abuses of power one could imagine. However, the dirty details of the original conspiracies by Giuliani and his henchman (allegedly a "secret mission" ordered by Trump himself according to Parnas, who has provided supporting audio and video the House) remains a garbage bag of offal that will gradually be ripping open as the impeachment trial proceeds in the Senate.
Edit - The full report does indeed have a taste just from the scant records obtained so far: Giuliani called the White House four times - as well as a mysterious phone number conspicuously denoted "-1" - on April 24th, 2019. That was the day Yovanovitch was removed, in fulfillment of the original conspiracy with Lutsenko to fabricate dirt on Biden.
Then the following day, April 25th:

• "-1" (likely Trump on his Cell phone) calls Rudy.
• Rudy calls Sean Hannity
• Trump calls into Hannity's show to talk about Ukraine.

NBA Highlights

Tuesday night's Miami vs Toronto matchup will feature 6 of the top 15 defenders according to defended field-goal percentage

Giannis with the insane longboi dunk
https://streamable.com/xzc9f

The Milwaukee Bucks (18-3) demolish the New York Knicks (4-17) by the score of 132-88 extending their win streak to 12 gamesPost Game Thread

Thybulle steals the outlet pass and tosses an oop to Simmons
https://streamable.com/9ir94

Simmons shows off his handles
https://streamable.com/bty7p

With the loss to the 76ers tonight, the Jazz fall to 1-6 when wearing their gold Statement jerseys. They are 11-3 in literally any other uniform set they've worn this year.

The Golden State Warriors (4-18) suffer an abysmal loss to The Atlanta Hawks (5-17) 79-104

Al Horford with the disrespectful block on Bojan Bogdanovic
https://streamable.com/4fznk

Giannis shows off the range
https://streamable.com/2jjyk

The Philadelphia 76ers getting James Ennis from the Rockets last season was a theft.

Rubio with one of the worst airballs of the season
https://streamable.com/zxprf

Kelly Oubre makes his second 3 in a row to give the Suns a 1 point lead with 20 seconds to go
https://streamable.com/b8hu8

Giannis Antetokounmpo vs the Knicks tonight: 29/15/3 (10-14 FG) in 21 minutes

Horford with the free throw flinch
https://streamable.com/y750q

Embiid bulldozes Davis and stares at him
https://streamable.com/cmg7x

With win against Jazz tonight, 76ers have best home record in the NBA at 10-0

Bucks follow their 40 point win over the Hornets with a 44 point win vs the Knicks

Donovan Mitchell and a court-side fan share some words, fan is escorted out of the arena shortly after
https://streamable.com/iocft

Joe Ingles received MORE elbows to the face than 3 pointers scored by the ENTIRE Utah Jazz in the first half of tonight's game

#24 overall pick Ty Jerome in his NBA debut: 4 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals in 12 minutes

Luka Doncic has gone for 20/5/5 in 15 consecutive games. The only players with a longer streak since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976-77 are Michael Jordan and Russell Westbrook.

The visiting Indiana Pacers (13-7) defeat the Memphis Grizzlies (6-14) behind a balanced effort from the Pacers starters and the Holiday bros, 117-104

Chicago Bulls (7-14) survive a comeback from Sacramento Kings (8-11) to defeat them by 113 - 106 behind 28 points from Zach Lavine

Giannis Antetokounmpo is currently averaging 58% from charity stripe on 233 attempts, second most in the league. He's a career 74% shooter from the line. For reference, Ben Simmons is also averaging 58%.

Utah has gotten blown out by Pacers, Raptors and Sixers on road trip

Biyombo euro-steps around Booker for the And-1
https://streamable.com/2sttb

Former Warrior Damian Jones dunks on his replacement WCS
https://streamable.com/kx4ob

Donovan Mitchell career vs 76ers (6 games) = 20.1 PPG on 40.7 TS% (35/18/64 splits)

Richaun Holmes muscles his way into an offensive rebound and finishes it at the rim
https://streamable.com/pfolt

Graham airballs the game-tying three
https://streamable.com/95g6i

Denzel Valentine drains the fading three over two defenders
https://streamable.com/hfagu

Kelly Oubre Jr. puts Miles Bridges on a poster
https://streamable.com/jleoh

Dennis Smith Jr's first start since booed by MSG fans statsline vs Bucks: 26 min 1-7 FG 0-3 3PT 1 REB 3 AST 1 TO with plus/minus -28

Light News

Rep. Duncan Hunter says he will plead guilty in campaign finance scandal, leave Congress | Hunter said he will accept whatever sentence the judge gives. He said he wants his seat to remain in Republican hands and he will try to ensure a smooth transition, indicating he will be leaving Congress.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-02/rep-duncan-hunter-to-abandon-not-guilty-plea-in-campaign-finance-scandal
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/rep-duncan-d-hunter-says-he-will-plead-guilty-tuesday-to-misusing-campaign-funds/2019/12/02/c68609c8-1535-11ea-a659-7d69641c6ff7_story.html

The Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee thoroughly investigated alleged Ukraine interference in the 2016 election and found no evidence that Ukraine waged a top-down interference campaign akin to the Kremlin's efforts, Politico reports.
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1201627377111117825
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/02/senate-panel-ukraine-election-interference-074796

"[A]n interview that fall with the Democratic consultant at the heart of the accusation that Kyiv meddled, Alexandra Chalupa, was fruitless, a committee source said, and Republicans didn’t follow up or request any more witnesses related to the issue."
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1201627377111117825
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/02/senate-panel-ukraine-election-interference-074796

The First 2 Congressmen To Endorse Trump Have Been Indicted
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-duncan-hunter-chris-collins-indictments_n_5b7caf60e4b07295150dd6cb

New tax returns for the Donald J. Trump Foundation reveal the charitable organization raised no money and gave none away in the year leading up to President Donald Trump’s agreement to shut down the controversial charitable vehicle. | The value of the sports memorabilia and painting dropped significantly since they were procured by the Trump Foundation. The painting of Trump was purchased with foundation money for $10,000 in 2014 but the new tax return lists its worth now as just $500 while the helmet, which the foundation bought for $12,000 at an auction, is listed at $475. Notably absent from the Trump Foundation’s latest tax return is another 6-foot-tall painting of Trump the foundation paid $10,000 for after Melania Trump won it at an auction in 2012. Valued at $700 at the start of 2017, the painting’s value mysteriously dropped to zero by the end of that year without explanation and is not mentioned in the 2018 tax return at all.
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/12/trump-foundation-tax-return-shows-activities-grinding-to-a-halt-before-shutdown/
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6562971-Donald-J-Trump-Foundation-2018-990.html
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/12/trump-foundation-to-dissolve-under-court-agreement/
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/11/trump-foundation-tax-return/

After Complaining About Lack of Due Process, Trump Declines Invitation to Participate in Judiciary Impeachment Hearing; "He is getting, but waiving, due process."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/12/02/after-complaining-about-lack-due-process-trump-declines-invitation-participate

Trump says Democrats ‘not nice!’ for holding impeachment hearings while he’s overseas — but GOP did same to Clinton
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/02/trump-criticizes-democrats-for-impeachment-timing.html

China suspends US Navy visits to Hong Kong over support for protests
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-50626796

BuzzFeed News sued the US government for the right to see all the work that Mueller’s team kept secret. Today we are publishing the second installment of the FBI’s summaries of interviews with key witnesses.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jasonleopold/mueller-report-secret-memos-2

Judge denies Trump admin request to stay order requiring McGahn to appear for testimony. Also flays DOJ, calling its arguments 'disingenuous' & 'unacceptable mischaracterization'. Doc:
https://twitter.com/joshgerstein/status/1201627676265435136
https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.210013/gov.uscourts.dcd.210013.53.0_3.pdf

The article also surfaces some of the details regarding what appears to be very serious violations of the Privacy Act by DOJ officials. Strzok is currently suing DOJ for Privacy Act violations related to the release of text messages.
https://twitter.com/Susan_Hennessey/status/1201331299404992512



What Trump has actually done in his first 3 years — A big tax cut, unprecedented environmental degradation, Wall Street unleashed, and a whole lot of judges.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/12/2/20970521/trump-administration-achievements

Chairman Nadler Statement on White House Refusal to Participate in First Impeachment Hearing | "The American people deserve transparency. If the President thinks the call was 'perfect' and there is nothing to hide then he would turn over the thousands of pages of documents requested by Congress, allow witnesses to testify instead of blocking testimony with baseless privilege claims, and provide any exculpatory information that refutes the overwhelming evidence of his abuse of power."
https://nadler.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=394158

The Trump campaign says it will illegally refuse to credential reporters from Bloomberg News after the organization's owner jumped into the Democratic primary. In response, Bloomberg News said it wouldn't investigate any of the Democrats running.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/michael-bloombergs-news-operation-wont-investigate-him-or-democratic-rivals-11574625757

U.S. House Speaker Pelosi says at climate summit: "We are still in" | U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi took her duel with Donald Trump to a climate summit on Monday, pledging that Congress would urgently tackle global warming despite the president’s opposition to an international pact.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-accord-pelosi/u-s-house-speaker-pelosi-says-at-climate-summit-we-are-still-in-idUSKBN1Y61SZ?il=0

The US economy is losing billions of dollars because foreign students aren't enrolling
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/19/business/international-students-decline/index.html

Steve Bullock, a successful two-term governor of a small red state with real accomplishments had no traction.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/02/us/politics/steve-bullock-2020-drops-out.html

Impeachment meetings tomorrow and Wednesday by House Intelligence and House Judiciary cast a transatlantic shadow over Pres Trump's attendance at the @NATO Summit. Happened before in 1998 when House Judiciary voted Articles of Impeachment when Pres Clinton was overseas.
https://twitter.com/markknoller/status/1201480119258361856

Volodymyr Zelensky questions the fairness of Trump's decision to freeze American aid: "If you're our strategic partner, then you can't go blocking anything for us," he said. "I think that's just about fairness. It's not about a quid pro quo."
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1201479902651912193
https://time.com/5742108/ukraine-zelensky-interview-trump-putin-europe/

A wave of new laws in 15 states that allow people to make claims of sexual abuse going back decades could bring a deluge of lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Church that could surpass anything the nation’s clergy abuse crisis has seen before.
https://apnews.com/621efb9528384f278c71a97308404531

300+ Trump ads taken down by Google, YouTube | We found that over 300 video ads were taken down by Google and YouTube, mostly over the summer, for violating company policy. But the archive doesn't detail what policy was violated. Was it copyright violation? A lie or extreme inaccuracy? Faulty grammar? Bad punctuation? It's unclear. The ads determined to be offending are not available to be screened. We found very little transparency in the transparency report.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/300-trump-ads-taken-down-by-google-youtube-60-minutes-2019-12-01/

U.S. Drone Killed Afghan Civilians
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/01/world/asia/drone-civilians-afghanistan.html

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has begun informing Republican officials he plans to appoint financial services executive Kelly Loeffler to the state’s soon-to-be vacant Senate seat, according to three people familiar with the conversations. Members of the state’s Republican congressional delegation were among those to receive a heads-up from Kemp on his decision, according to an aide to a House Republican from Georgia who received a call from the governor over the weekend. A spokesperson for Kemp declined to comment. Loeffler’s expected selection was first reported by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The choice could face serious backlash from conservatives. Donald Trump has told Kemp he favors GOP Rep. Doug Collins, a staunch ally and the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, for the appointment. Kemp took Loeffler to the White House late last month to meet with the president. But the meeting did not go as planned: Trump raised pointed concerns about whether Loeffler — who has never run for elected office before — is seasoned enough in politics to receive the nod.
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/01/georgia-governor-set-to-buck-trump-on-senate-appointment-074730

This Is the Single Best Argument For Why Trump Should Be Impeached and Removed: He tried to meddle in the 2020 election. It's crazy to say that you have to let him participate in the 2020 election in order to render a verdict on his attempt to cheat in it.
https://thebulwark.com/this-is-the-single-best-argument-for-why-trump-should-be-impeached-and-removed/

Trump Tweets Support For World AIDS Day. His Budget Would Slash Critical Funding.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-world-aids-day-budget_n_5de42205e4b0d50f32a42bc4

As U.S. corporate jet use approaches pre-financial crisis levels and chief executives take an increasing number of personal trips on the company tab, many investors are being kept in the dark about the true cost of the perk
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-taxes-jets-insight/off-the-radar-u-s-ceos-jet-perks-add-millions-to-corporate-tax-bills-idUSKBN1Y6131

Denmark has for the 1st time put Greenland top of its national security agenda, ahead of terrorism & cybercrime. The Defence Intelligence Service linked its change in priorities to US interest in Greenland, expressed in Trump's desire to buy the territory.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50598898

YEP: I don’t think OK BOOMER is any less ageist than mocking millennials. Many Boomer women had to fight for decades to get into positions of power (Kamala Harris, Mazie Hirono, Marcia Fudge, to name a few). I don’t give a shit if they can’t turn their iPhone flashlight off.
https://twitter.com/shannonrwatts/status/1201282556089397248

Zelensky Tells Trump: Please Stop Saying Ukraine Is Corrupt. He'll stop, but he'd like you to do him a favor, though...
https://www.thedailybeast.com/zelensky-tells-trump-please-stop-saying-ukraine-is-corrupt

John Kerry: We’ve Got To Treat Action On Climate Change Like A War
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/john-kerry-climate-change-war_n_5de48766e4b0d50f32a47891

Jordan Sekulow says Trump personal legal team plans to dig into the background of the law professors who HJC Democrats call as witnesses. "I can't wait to find out what crazy stuff the law professors have written. I bet anti-Israel, borderline antisemitic. Maybe anti-American?"
https://twitter.com/dsamuelsohn/status/1201560836944388096

Giuliani Threatens to Sue Fox News Host for Calling Him Part of the ‘Swamp’
https://www.thedailybeast.com/rudy-giuliani-threatens-to-sue-fox-news-host-steve-hilton-for-calling-him-part-of-the-swamp

Sir David Attenborough says it’s ‘too late’ to reverse climate change | 11-year-old had written in to ask what the worst thing to happen in his life would be ‘if we don’t tackle climate change’. Sir David replied: ‘I think civil unrest on a great scale, and mass migration on a great scale."
https://metro.co.uk/2019/11/30/sir-david-attenborough-says-late-reverse-climate-change-11244918/

London Bridge victim's father condemns 'beyond disgusting' Boris Johnson for using son's death for political gain - 'Don’t use my son’s death to promote your vile propaganda. Jack stood against everything you stand for'
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-london-bridge-terror-attack-jack-merritt-father-daily-mail-a9228886.html

Grandmother dumps burnt remains of home at Australian Parliament House in climate change protest
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-02/bushfire-victim-nsw-nymboida-climate-change-protest/11757082

2020 Voting machine status of the Moscow 8:

Shelby (R-AL) Decade old insecure unsupported voting machines
https://www.al.com/news/2019/07/report-says-aging-voting-machines-a-concern-in-alabama.html

Daines (R-MT) Brand new printing electronic machines. Nice.
https://www.mtpr.org/post/touchscreen-voting-machines-could-debut-montana-november

Hoeven (R-ND) New machines. Electronic scan of paper ballots
https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/new-north-dakota-election-equipment-going-out-to-counties/article_2cab579d-8b4c-5190-9156-ebf55d4a6846.html

Johnson (R-WI)Infamously hackable, no effort to fix
https://www.wisconsinwatch.org/2018/07/voting-systems-in-wisconsin-a-key-swing-state-can-be-hacked-security-experts-warn/

Kennedy (R-LA)Paperless, notorious
https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/local/louisiana/2019/09/15/analysis-new-louisiana-election-same-old-voting-machines/2336495001/

Moran (R-KS)You gotta be kidding me. Nobody knows.
https://www.govtech.com/policy/Kansas-Voting-Machine-Records-Raise-Questions.html

Thune (R-SD)Paper ballots, punch or optical scan
https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/Codified_Laws/DisplayStatute.aspx?Type=Statute&Statute=12-17B-2

Granger (R-TX)Deliberately replacing 20 year old machines with hackable paperless machines
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/05/election-security-texas-1445537

Kennedy needs hacker support. That's why he was there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lil_Bub | https://www.instagram.com/iamlilbub/

iamlilbub

Verified

This is my first photo with BUB next our last photo together.

On the morning of Sunday, December 1st 2019 we lost the purest, kindest and most magical living force on our planet. BUB was cheerful and full of love laying in our bed with us Saturday night, but unexpectedly passed away peacefully in her sleep.. I have always been fully transparent about BUB's health, and it was no secret that she was battling a persistent and aggressive bone infection. Even knowing this, we weren't expecting her to pass so soon or so abruptly without warning. I truly believe that she willingly made the decision to leave her failing body so that our family would not have to make that difficult decision ourselves.
It is impossible to put into words the profound effect that BUB has had on my life, on the lives of thousands of homeless pets, and on the lives of those of you that have cared for her as if she were your own family. She taught me everything that I know about unconditional love, she brought my wife Stacy and I together, she's the reason we have our beautiful children Rosco and Lula, and she has been a constant source of warmth and love in our lives for the past 8 years. To say that our family is devastated would be an understatement.

But most importantly, BUB has made a huge difference in the world of animal welfare, and in the lives of millions of people worldwide. She has literally saved thousands of lives (both pets and humans), she started the first national fund for special needs pets, she was the subject of groundbreaking genetic and biological research, she's helped raise over $700,000 for animals in need, and has spread a message of determination, positivity, and perseverance to people all over the world. And even though my heart is absolutely crushed by her graceful departure from planet Earth, I know that her sprit, magic, and overwhelming energy are still with us, reminding us every day to be better.

Dearest BUB, I will never forget your generosity, your limitless supply of love, or your uncanny ability to bring so much magic and joy to the world. I am forever honored and humbled that you chose me as your caretaker. Please visit all of us in our dreams o

NBA Highlights

The Dallas Mavericks (13-6) end the 10-game winning streak of the Los Angeles Lakers (17-3) with a 114-100 victory

The Clippers are tipping off in Staples Center right now despite the Lakers, who finished a game in the same building just 3 hours ago.

Kawhi skies over two wizards defenders and throws it down
https://streamable.com/39hzi

The offensive rebound literally lands in Kawhi's hands and he hits the mid-range jumper
https://streamable.com/s2zfe

The Los Angeles Clippers (15-6) defeat the Washington Wizards (6-12) 150-122 behind Kawhi 34, PG 31, Lou 23 and Montrezl 22

Rui Hachimura career high 30 points 9 rebounds

VanVleet in 11 games without Lowry: 21.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 2.7 turnovers, 44% FG, 40% 3P, +42 in 37.5 minutes.

LeBron calling out his teammates for not getting back on defense and then leaves KCP hanging
https://streamable.com/hvsjy

Kristaps Porzingis hears AD coming and lets him fly by before hitting the open 3 as the Mavericks go up big
https://streamable.com/gfla4

Anthony Davis finds Caruso for the 1 hand slam
https://streamable.com/mpay4

Luka Doncic Puts On a Show At Staples Center Dec 1, 2019 - 27 Pts, 10 Asts, 9 Rebs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZUpv8B2y_4

The Toronto Raptors are currently blowing out the Jazz 77 by 37 the end of the first half, led by Siakam’s 26 points.

The Miami Heat (14-5) defeat the Brooklyn Nets (10-10) 109-106 in a thriller

Jimmy Butler is shooting 42.6% from the field and 24.3% on threes this season, yet he is recording a team-best +/- of +130 and averaging +9.3 per game, the 5th highest in the league for players with more than one game played

The Lakers went cold in the second half and the Mavericks, led by Luka Doncic, won 114-100

Siakam hits the 3 to end the half
https://streamable.com/mi932

The Boston Celtics (14-5) defeat The New York Knickerbockers (4-16) Tatum and Brown combine for 58 points. Final Score: 113-104 w/ Proper Box Score

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combine for 58 pts, 11 reb, 8 ast, 2 blks, and 3 stls on 21-42 (9-21 from 3) shooting in win over Knicks tonight

LeBron throws it up and AD goes sky high to catch it
https://streamable.com/auw2z

Pascal Siakam with 19 points in the first quarter

Kyle "fully healthy" Kuzma finishes the game 1-8 with 4 points

DeMar DeRozan drains the three
https://streamable.com/d14xi

The 40 point half-time lead is the biggest in Raptors history & also the biggest halftime deficit in Jazz history

RHJ busts out the moves after a magic And-1 fader
https://streamable.com/m8i3n

Justise Winslow sinks two clutch free throws to put the Heat up 3 with 11 seconds left
https://streamable.com/l3b6g

Pascal Siakam remembers how to shoot with the long 3
https://streamable.com/vvegp

Doncic blows by AD and gets the bucket
https://streamable.com/mduk7

Markelle Fultz with a pretty impressive and-1
https://streamable.com/rjsw2

CP3 drains the contested 3 over Hayes as the shot clock expires
https://streamable.com/a627r

Willie Cauley-Stein misses but gets the circus shot tip-in
https://streamable.com/rs3vc

VanVleet finds OG for the beauty alley-oop past two Utah defenders
https://streamable.com/uc63i

David Nwaba with the seductive spin
https://streamable.com/zqdve

Fred wants to be back in the game
https://streamable.com/hx7xh

Siakam ends the game with 35/5/5 - 14/22 FG and 5/9 from 3pt

Markelle Fultz with the beautiful dish and the sauce
https://streamable.com/30x8s

Devin Booker hit 45-straight 3’s in practice
https://streamable.com/tm4ws

Paul George has 27 points in 16 minutes on 10/16 FG at the halftime against the Washington Wizards.

PG slices through the defense
https://streamable.com/ageqj

Markelle Fultz is an excellent finisher at the rim, solid mid range shooter and... A good FT shooter

Christian Wood Career High | 28 points
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOYZy3Gmhv4

Light News

The White House has informed House Democrats that it will not participate in the Judiciary Committee's first impeachment hearing.
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/01/trump-impeachment-response-house-judiciary-074712


Six more countries join Trump-busting Iran barter group | Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden sign up to Instex mechanism that sidesteps US sanctions
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/01/six-more-countries-join-trump-busting-iran-barter-group

Trump's proposed cuts to food stamps would affect:
- 400,000 people in Texas
- 328,000 in Florida
- 225,000 in Pennsylvania
- 176,000 in Washington State
- 165,000 in Michigan
- 118,000 in Wisconsin
- 97,000 in Georgia
Pass it on.
https://twitter.com/RBReich/status/1200869859287949312

It'd be great if they publicly outed the 'Russian-owned company' that hacked into Ohio election. My bet is on the RNC.

House Intel panel sets Tuesday vote on impeachment report
https://apnews.com/5869552714da4f98884aefe53e3d1be8

The movement toward these industries is clear. Does that mean gas and oil are dead? No. Coal is being reduced faster than they and all factors combine to raise question of why potus prefers to boost what is on the wane vs boosting opportunities where they exist most
https://twitter.com/ChrisCuomo/status/1201218932012703745

Solar and wind power are growing so rapidly that for the first time ever, the United States will likely get more power in 2021 from renewable energy than from coal, according to projections from the Institute for Energy Economic and Financial Analysis.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/26/business/renewable-energy-coal/index.html

Florida prison guards to be deputized as ICE agents in crackdown on dark-skinned people
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-florida-corrections-ice-agents-20191125-lvchvglutjaytmqf23htbgcr5i-story.html

Former OSU wrestlers say Rep. Jim Jordan knew about Richard Strauss' sexual abuse
https://www.wusa9.com/article/opinion/jim-jordan-should-step-down-ohio-state-sexual-abuse-allegations/65-a33fe57b-92e6-4a38-8235-2764738a4784

Pointing to a “hierarchical relationship” with local governments, the state late Friday asked an appeals court to uphold a 2011 law that threatened to fine city and county officials thousands of dollars and kick them out of office if they approve stricter gun regulations. Florida since 1987 has barred cities and counties from passing regulations stricter than state firearms laws, and the penalties in the 2011 law were designed to strengthen that “preemption.” The law, for example, could lead to local officials facing $5,000 fines and potential removal from office. Local governments and officials, including the city of Orlando, filed three lawsuits challenging the 2011 law after last year’s mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that killed 17 people. The lawsuits were ultimately consolidated in Leon County circuit court, where a circuit court judge ruled parts of the law were unconstitutional.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-local-gun-law-appeal-20191125-y7huymkvababbegsnjf6zks4lq-story.html

The anti incrementalists said Trump will bring about dynamic change from the left through resistance and revolution. So they said "anyone but Hillary." In the long run all they got was Trump packing the courts with conservatives for the next 30 years or more.
https://twitter.com/gus_802/status/1200917486742360066?s=21o

Two women pass the Army's gruelling six month infantry training course making them the first British female soldiers whose main purpose is to kill the enemy at close quarters
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7742777/Two-women-pass-Armys-gruelling-six-month-infantry-training-course.html

Terrelle Pryor charged with assault, woman charged with attempted homicide
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/11/30/terrelle-pryor-charged-with-assault-woman-charged-with-attempted-homicide/

Rob Gronkowski will not be returning to the NFL in 2019 as the deadline for being added to the Pats roster has passed.

The Bills are 3-1 vs. NFC East this year, the 3 wins were against the teams that beat them in the Superbowl in the 90s

Not only is Pryor in stable condition, but he’s expected to make a full recovery according to his agent. https://twitter.com/abc7newsbayarea/status/1200869123821051905

Seven #Patriots players, all starters, were listed as questionable with illnesses, from flu to cold to anything in between. While things seem to be trending in the right direction & most or all should play, this was as challenging a week as one can imagine in NE. Worth watching.
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1201066152782229504

Rep. Joaquin Castro: “This is a dereliction of duty by Bill Barr to not treat this as a criminal matter. It’s Bill Barr protecting the president..The way to handle it would have been to appoint a special counsel to investigate all these matters.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/01/justice-departmentelection-year-trump-074408

Hi, I'm Phil Ehr and I want to be the next Congressman for #FL1. @mattgaetz is the embodiment of what's wrong with Washington. I'm ready to fight for Northwest Florida, but I can't win this fight without you - join our team:
https://twitter.com/PhilEhr/status/1200782774606671872

This is the guy Trump cleared. Six fellow SEALs reported him. They called him "El Diablo." | “He’s interfering with the chain of command, which is trying to police its own ranks,” said Peter D. Feaver, a specialist on civilian-military relations at Duke University and former aide to President George W. Bush. “They’re trying to clean up their act and in the middle of it the president parachutes in — and not from information from his own commanders but from news talking heads who are clearly gaming the system.” Chris Shumake, a former sniper who served in Chief Gallagher’s platoon, said in an interview that he was troubled by the impact the president’s intervention could have on the SEALs. “It’s blown up bigger than any of us could have ever expected, and turned into a national clown show that put a bad light on the teams,” said Mr. Shumake, speaking publicly for the first time. “He’s trying to show he has the troops’ backs, but he’s saying he doesn’t trust any of the troops or their leaders to make the right decisions.” | When the captive was killed, other SEALs were shocked. A medic inches from Chief Gallagher testified that he froze, unsure what to do. Some SEALs said in interviews that the stabbing immediately struck them as wrong, but because it was Chief Gallagher, the most experienced commando in the group, no one knew how to react. When senior platoon members confronted Chief Gallagher, they said, he told them, “Stop worrying about it; they do a lot worse to us.” The officer in charge, Lt. Jacob Portier, who was in his first command, gathered everyone for trophy photos, then held a re-enlistment ceremony for Chief Gallagher over the corpse, several SEALs testified. A week later, Chief Gallagher sent a friend in California a text with a photo of himself with a knife in one hand, holding the captive up by the hair with the other. “Good story behind this, got him with my hunting knife,” he wrote. | As the deployment wore on, SEALs said the chief’s behavior grew more erratic. He led a small team beyond the front lines, telling members to turn off locator beacons so they would not be caught by superiors, according to four SEALS, who confirmed video of the mission obtained by The New York Times. He then tried to cover up the mission when one platoon member was shot. At various points, he appeared to be either amped up or zoned out; several SEALs told investigators they saw him taking pills, including the narcotic Tramadol. He spent much of his time scanning the streets of Mosul from hidden sniper nests, firing three or four times as often as the platoon’s snipers, sometimes targeting civilians. One SEAL sniper told investigators he heard a shot from Chief Gallagher’s position, then saw a schoolgirl in a flower-print hijab crumple to the ground. Another sniper reported hearing a shot from Chief Gallagher’s position, then seeing a man carrying a water jug fall, a red blotch spreading on his back. Neither episode was investigated and the fate of the civilians remains unknown. Chief Gallagher had been accused of misconduct before, including shooting through an Afghan girl to hit the man carrying her in 2010 and trying to run over a Navy police officer in 2014. But in both cases no wrongdoing was found. SEALs said they reported concerns to Lieutenant Portier with no result. The lieutenant outranked Chief Gallagher but was younger and less experienced. SEALs said in interviews that the chief often yelled at his commanding officer or disregarded him altogether. After the deployment, Lieutenant Portier was charged with not reporting the chief for war crimes but charges were dropped. So SEALs said they started firing warning shots to keep pedestrians out of range. One SEAL told investigators he tried to damage the chief’s rifle to make it less accurate. By the end of the deployment, SEALs said, Chief Gallagher was largely isolated from the rest of the platoon, with some privately calling him “el diablo,” or the devil. | Chief Gallagher was reported by six fellow SEALs and arrested in September 2017, charged with nearly a dozen counts including murder and locked in the brig in San Diego to await his trial.
A Fox Contributor’s Cause
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/30/us/politics/trump-seals-eddie-gallagher.html
https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/11/26/trump-gallagher-case-navy-seal-war-crimes-casualties-spencer/

I’m not a big Sanders Stan but I will support him if he’s the nominee. People, Trump’s re-election is an existential threat. If you do not think the GOP is watching these attacks and will amplify them in the general, you’re wrong.
https://twitter.com/neeratanden/status/1201173095802966019

In 2016, I was on this website as some on the left shredded Hillary in ways that I believe ultimately weakened her in the general. Everyone said it’s a primary so it’s ok. Now as we hit the heat of the primary, many people are gleefully doing it again to multiple candidates.
https://twitter.com/neeratanden/status/1201173090346192896

Wait so Bernie’s own 2017 free college bill had means testing in it? The same as Buttigieg’s now? 😭😭😭 #ItsACult
https://twitter.com/marcushjohnson/status/1200966892581720064?s=21

Assad’s war crimes are so well documented investigators are overwhelmed. The US hasn’t been pushing for regime change since 2012-13 and even then they barely made a serious effort. At this point you’re just echoing propaganda for the most brutal dictator of the 21st century.
https://twitter.com/DGisSERIOUS/status/1200865603252297729

Holy Wood (In The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death)

Assad’s war crimes are so well documented investigators are overwhelmed. The US hasn’t been pushing for regime change since 2012-13 and even then they barely made a serious effort. At this point you’re just echoing propaganda for the most brutal dictator of the 21st century.
https://twitter.com/DGisSERIOUS/status/1200865603252297729

On healthcare, Biden interestingly made the case that opponents supporting M4A are proposing parts of his "Biden plan" for their transitional healthcare proposals. He also said that other candidates have taken pieces of plan, suggesting that's why his plan is the most favorable
https://twitter.com/MariannaNBCNews/status/1201208348789616640

US Supreme Court set to wade into gun control debate for the first time in nearly a decade on Monday, hearing a dispute over an NYC gun restriction that could have major implications for gun rights nationwide.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/gun-control-advocates-nervous-supreme-court-takes-first-2nd-amendment-n1093451?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_np

Oh, hey, Charlie. Would you like to officially call for the immediate and unconditional release of Trump's tax returns? How about a full and complete set of financial statements from Trump's hundreds of LLCs and shell corporations? Otherwise, sit down,, son.
https://twitter.com/TheRickWilson/status/1201137033432854530
https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/1200856000846168065

And, related, of course, is that Biden still has a fairly large lead in national polls. I remain sort of amazed how unable people are to recognize that opinion among their peer groups/social circles/social media channels is often not representative of public opinion at large.
https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/1201201129465536512

Your dad’s policies released a prison full of ISIS fighters. You may want to sit out a critique.
https://twitter.com/neeratanden/status/1201198201375805440
https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1200629241508958214

Tom Steyer’s impeachment group is missing its big moment because he’s running for president
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/11/20/20964803/tom-steyer-2020-need-impeach-trump-hearings-presidential-campaign

Our exclusive story on the mass killing in Mahshar. Revolutionary Guards forces surrounded, shot and killed 40 to 100 demonstrators — mostly unarmed young men — in a sugar cane field where they had sought refuge. | Iran is experiencing its deadliest political unrest since the Islamic Revolution 40 years ago, with at least 180 people killed — and possibly hundreds more — as angry protests have been smothered in a government crackdown of unbridled force.

It began two weeks ago with an abrupt increase of at least 50 percent in gasoline prices. Within 72 hours, outraged demonstrators in cities large and small were calling for an end to the Islamic Republic’s government and the downfall of its leaders.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/01/world/middleeast/iran-protests-deaths.html

"Since Mr. Trump took office, more than 40 foreign governments have invoked the specter of 'fake news' to discredit journalists in the United States and abroad."
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/30/opinion/editorials/fake-news.html

Elizabeth Warren introduced legislation this week that would rescind 20 Medals of Honor awarded to U.S. soldiers who slaughtered hundreds of Lakota Indians — mostly women and children ― in the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/elizabeth-warren-revoking-medals-wounded-knee-massacre_n_5dde7cc6e4b0d50f329a68bf

"Iraq’s Secret Sex Trade" reveals how, to increasing concern among Iraqi Shias, some clerics are abusing an ancient Islamic marriage practice to exploit women and girls. Stream the full documentary.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/nine-gripping-new-documentaries-to-stream-over-thanksgiving-break/?

Hearing on disqualification of new attorney for Rep. Duncan Hunter postponed | A hearing Monday to decide whether a new defense attorney for Rep. Duncan Hunter should be disqualified because of an alleged conflict of interest was postponed until Dec. 3.
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/watchdog/story/2019-11-25/hearing-on-disqualification-of-new-attorney-for-rep-duncan-hunter-postponed
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/watchdog/story/2019-11-19/rep-duncan-hunter-says-witnesses-told-grand-jury-his-wife-was-responsible-for-questioned-spending

No Big Ben. Bell and Brown long gone. No JuJu, no Conner, no Pouncey or Tuitt. Fourth-string QB from training camp. They still found a way to win and get to 7-5. Pretty incredible resolve from the Steelers. https://twitter.com/JFowlerESPN/status/1201249352787906562

The Dolphins pull off the miraculous trick play from the goal line with a touchdown thrown by the punter Matt Haack to the kicker Jason Sanders
https://streamable.com/2zlk0

Justin Tucker wins the game for the Ravens
https://www.clippituser.tv/c/pdnxlz

I’d like to hear nothing from the Browns for the rest of the season. You made shirts, talked, and then lost to a 3rd string QB.
https://twitter.com/ryenarussillo/status/1201247927475171329

Jimmy G finds Deebo on 4th down for the touchdown
https://www.clippituser.tv/c/mnpedm

“Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown a touchdown against the Eagles for seven different teams” is an amazing stat
https://twitter.com/TomFornelli/status/1201231089727090691

Ryan Fitzpatrick has now thrown a TD pass against the Eagles with 7 different franchises: Rams, Bengals, Bills, Texans, Jets, Buccaneers, Dolphins. He is the only player in NFL history to pass for a TD against 1 opponent with 7 different franchises in his career
https://twitter.com/NFLResearch/status/1201214920655687680

Marcel Harris strips the ball right from Lamar for his first lost fumble on the year
https://www.clippituser.tv/c/lwvrar

The Titans block Vinatieri's kick and return it for a touchdown to take the lead
https://streamable.com/o0f3w

Fantastic sideline grab by Jarvis Landry
https://streamable.com/pmnpr

James Washington makes a fantastic touchdown catch despite getting pulled and interfered with
https://streamable.com/bwd7j

Chuck Pagano's Colts special teams walked so Brian Flores' special teams could run.
https://twitter.com/bykevinclark/status/1201219480980000768

Joe Haden picks Baker off to seal the win for the Steelers
https://twitter.com/i/status/1201247477573263371

Steelers players wearing “Free Pouncey” shirts as they arrive at Heinz Field for rematch vs. Browns
https://twitter.com/mysportsupdate/status/1201167945264746496?s=21

When Jimmy Garoppolo and Lamar Jackson meet on the field later today, they will enter with a combined record of 33-6 (.846) as starting quarterbacks. Since the merger in 1970, that is the best combined record in a QB matchup in which both quarterbacks have at least one start.
https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1201184181696565249

QB @GardnerMinshew5 is 8 of 10 passing for 98 yards and one TD for a passer rating of 140.8.
https://twitter.com/TDickman89/status/1201238421429248008

Daniel Jones finds Sterling Shepherd in the snow for a 18 yard touchdown
https://streamable.com/nzkwo

The Dolphins have scored 20 points unanswered and now lead the Eagles, 34-28 in the 4th quarter

Here are 13 reasons why statements by @SenJohnKennedy & other GOP lawmakers re Ukraine are fundamentally misleading: 1- Russia interfered in 2016, turbo-charged by cyber means, to a degree no foreign power ever has in a US election.
https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1201279930476224513

2- No one, including US intel, the GOP-led Senate Intel Cmte, & private cyber security firms Crowdstrike & FireEye, express doubts about this. Only Trump and his most loyal allies do.
https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1201280190829252610

3- No one, including US intel, the GOP-led Senate intel Cmte, & private cyber security firms Crowdstrike & FireEye, put any other country in the same galaxy as Russia re 2016 interference. Only Trump and his most loyal allies do.
https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1201280347033522177

4- Diverting attention to Ukraine originated in a deliberate Kremlin-led disinformation campaign intended to divert attention away from Russia. See Fiona Hill sworn testimony.
https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1201280888786575366

5- Two of the 2016 culprits - Russian hacking groups known as Cozy Bear & Fancy Bear - and their tactics were well-known and easily identifiable by US intel.
https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1201281051403915264

6- Russian hackers had hacked the State Dept email system in 2014-2015 & followed similar patterns, schedule & coding. As a fmr NSA official told me, in 2016, they didn’t even bother to hide.
htthttps://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1201281224871960576

7- Russia’s aim was to hurt Clinton & help Trump. See the release of stolen Podesta emails just minutes after the release of the Access Hollywood tape.
https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1201281437497999360

8- The DNC server sits in the basement of the DNC HQ, not Ukraine.
The FBI, as per normal, had no need for the physical device. It captured digital copies
https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1201281635016216576

9- Trump, Nunes etc have persisted in peddling the conspiracy theories that Ukraine stole the server (& that Crowdstrike is owned by a Ukrainian) as the root of their false Ukrainian interference claim. There are numerous public statements to this effect
https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1201282104849506305

10- Despite this, GOP lawmakers, including Kennedy, are now misleadingly claiming things such as a 2016 Op/Ed critical of Trump by a Ukrainian official are the basis of Trump/GOP claims. By doing so they are, in effect, laundering a lie.
https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1201282179306840068

11- Russia is already interfering in the 2020 election, including by amplifying GOP repetition of Russian propaganda re Ukraine.
https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1201282317735604226

12- To date, Trump has yet to identify preventing such interference as a priority. In fact, fmr DHS Secretary Nielsen & others have said there was a deliberate effort in the WH *not* to even discuss such interference with the president.
https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1201282518240108551

13- I’ve asked numerous current & former intel & law enforcement officials and GOP & Democratic lawmakers if the 2020 election is sufficiently safe from interference by Russia & others without the president. All have told me No.
https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1201282964514099200


Last year 17 TX State House Republicans won their election by less than 10 points. We can flip these seats by reaching un-registered Democrats. Your donation will be used to send them pre-filled voter registration forms w/ stamped return envelope.
https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1201268796612317185
https://flipthetxhouse.com/donate

We win nine seats in the TX legislature, Dems will have a majority. That means an end to racist gerrymandering, a chance to address gun violence, reproductive rights, Medicaid expansion, & climate change in Texas. Will be positive for Congressional & Presidential races as well.
https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1201269931410644998

And @BetoORourke won in 9 of these 17 districts! These districts only went by abo 60k votes and there are more than 90k Dems who need to update their voter reg. Help us get them registered so we can #FliptheTexasHouse!
https://twitter.com/FliptheTXhouse/status/1201272961581355011

“Explain the Chargers to me.” “Well, imagine a Choose Your Own Adventure book but no matter what choice you make you die.”
https://www.twitter.com/ChrisBurkeNFL/status/1196649502075228160

Jaguars QB Gardner Minshew on Nick Foles: “One thing I didn’t appreciate was all the booing today. No one deserves that. You have guys pouring their heart and soul into this”
https://twitter.com/ashlynrsullivan/status/1201259017781358593

"That’s the GOAT. Before he hangs it up, I had to at least get one.” - @DeshaunWatson on @TomBrady
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1201364553222639616

The Baltimore Ravens and the New York Giants both started the season at 2-2. Since then, the Ravens have won 8 straight and the Giants have lost 8 straight.

Doug Pederson on losing to the Miami Dolphins: “That’s a good football team.””
https://twitter.com/BrandonGowton/status/1201257986544619521

Tom Brady is 50 for 103 with 4.7 YPA since the bye

Seventh straight game for Brady with a passer rating below 100. Longest streak of his career.

Freddie Kitchens: “my daughters wanted me to wear the shirt and I’d wear it again... the t-shirt didn’t cause us to give up 40-yard passes”
https://twitter.com/BenAxelrod/status/1201253861043904512?s=20

Russian firm tried to hack Ohio voting. Ohio detected and thwarted an election-related cyber attack this month, the state's elections chief said. Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose said the “relatively unsophisticated” hacking attempt on Nov. 5, which was Election Day, originated in Panama but was traced to a Russian-owned company.

LaRose told the Columbus Dispatch on Tuesday that the would-be attackers were looking for vulnerabilities in his office's website. “They are poking around for soft spots,” LaRose said. LaRose said Ohio's election results are safe because neither the election machines nor the ballot counters the state uses are connected to the internet. He said the attempted attack sought to insert malicious code into his office's website. It was detected by the state's Albert network security system, a sort of digital burglar alarm.
https://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/ohio/20191128/russian-firm-tried-to-hack-ohio-voting
https://apnews.com/6518b9a986f640c4899a979bbc48390b

NBA Highlights | James Harden has 60 through 3 quarters

James Harden has 60 through 3 quarters
https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401160924

James Harden reaction when he realises he missed his career high by just two points
https://streamable.com/c0xoe

James Harden finishes with 60 points and 8 assists in 31 minutes on 87.9 TS%

James Harden has now tied Michael Jordan for 3rd most 60+ point games in NBA history

Ben Simmons gets his 3rd steal in a row to complete the hat trick and the Sixers win
https://streamable.com/dzhkv

James Harden has 8 of the 10 highest scoring games of 2019

Ben Simmons gets another clutch steal with under 10 seconds to go

Harden outscored the Hawks during the minutes he played 60-58

The Sacramento Kings (8-10) defeat the Denver Nuggets (13-4) by the score of 100-97 behind 30 points from Harrison Barned

Jamal Murray with the last play of the game and Denver down 3
https://streamable.com/0a3nn

Standing ovation for T.J. McConnell in his return to Philadelphia
https://streamable.com/38r5y

Richaun Holmes blocks Murray at the end of the 4th to send the game to OT
https://streamable.com/uu1um

Gary "Gary Harris" Harris Just Outscored the Entire Kings Team in the First Quarter

Nikola Jokic ends an Overtime loss with 7 pts on 3/11 shooting vs the Kings

After Starting 0-3, The Indiana Pacers have gone 12-3

Harden hits the impossible deep three to give him 31 in the 1st half
https://streamable.com/q4llc

Rapist Kobe is right, "load managment" needs to be banned: https://youtu.be/lTMf_UHxdY0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTMf_UHxdY0

Sigh....Orlando Magic F Al-Farouq Aminu has suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee and will be out indefinitely, league sources tell ESPN.

Philadelphia 76ers (14-6) defeat Indiana Pacers (12-7) by 119 - 116 behind 30 points from Joel Embiid

The Bucks finish 15-1 in the month of November after a 41 point victory over the Hornets

Tobias Harris dunks it to give the Sixers a 1 point lead late in the 4thHighlights
https://streamable.com/gm01d

Harden with his 8th 3 of the game! He has 43 with 8 and a half minutes left in the 3rd quarter
https://streamable.com/vw9v8

Ben Simmons Turns Into A Thief To Save Entire Sixers With Crazy Steals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjxFleEsZHc

Most 50 point games this decade - 1. James Harden (20) 2. Kevin Durant (7) 3. Damian Lillard (7) 4. Steph Curry (6). James Harden didn’t get his first 50 point game until 2015.

Joel Embiid tonight: 32 points (8-15 FG; 1-2 3FG; 15-15 FT), 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, and 2 steals in 33 minutes.

Trae Young scored 37 points on 85TS%, while the rest of the Hawks scored 74 points on 47TS%

James Harden EPIC 60 Points in 3 Qtrs | Hawks vs Rockets | November 30, 2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WeQ9RNc-ZM

Bucks finish tonight's game with 41 assists, the highest achieved by any team this year.

Ben Mclemore tonight: 24/13 on 9/13 shooting and 6/11 from three

In his first real action of the season, Dragan Bender puts up 12 points on 5/7 shooting in 13 mins

T.J. Warren shot 12.5% from 3 in his first 6 Pacers games. In his 13 games since, he has shot 53.6% from 3

Joel Embiid has completely dominated Myles Turner in their matchups over the last 3+ seasons

Murray takes Lowry off the dribble and nails the jumper with a hand in his face
https://streamable.com/hetqw