February 8th, 2017 continued. It's been 453 days since the Nov 8, 2016, election of some rich asshole, no. 45, and 381 days since the Jan 20th inauguration.
The White House left a secret subtext in the Nunes memo that they could later use to undermine Congress
Rep. Devin Nunes (left, R-CA) and President some rich asshole (right). Images via Creative Commons.
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The White House included a portion meant to undermine Congressional oversight when releasing the House Intelligence Committee’s controversial memo alleging abuses at the FBI and Justice Department.
“Public release of classified information by unilateral action of the Legislative Branch is extremely rare and raises significant separation of powers concerns,” White House counsel Don McGahn wrote in the cover letter addressed to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA) when declassifying the memo last Friday.
As Slate reported, this portion “buried” within McGahn’s cover letter acts as a means to undermine Congress’ ability to release information without the president, and suggests “the House or Senate’s release of classified information to the public may happen only at the sufferance of the executive branch.”
Slate’s Daniel Schuman broke McGahn’s argument into four assertions: that the executive branch “has primacy on national security matters” and is tasked with providing classified information to Congress, that “Congress’ power to release classified information is somehow weak” and that the White House can override Congress when releasing classified information like the contents of Nunes’ memo.
“This is a misreading of the law and a misunderstanding of Congress’ role as a co-equal branch of government with oversight powers over the executive,” Schuman wrote.
“When read together, these assertions could be viewed as an attempt to pre-empt further releases of information by Congress, either by claiming such efforts are not legitimate (or somehow are unconstitutional) or by refusing to provide information demanded by Congress,” he continued. “These assertions are flat out wrong.”
Schuman went on to argue that Congress and the executive branch “share responsibility on national security matters.” Congress’ power to release classified information separate from the White House was protected after Sen. Mike Gravel (D-AK), then the chairman of the Senate Public Works Committee, made a single-man motion to read the Pentagon Papers on the Senate floor in 1971. When he and his staff were tried before a grand jury for releasing that information, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 that they were protected by the Speech or Debate Clause of the Constitution.
Read Schuman’s entire analysis of McGahn’s “sneaky legal ploy” via Slate.
Devin Nunes just destroyed any semblance of bipartisanship in the House Intel Committee
Russia isn't paying for this wall.
Before Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) became chairman in 2015, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence had a reputation for bipartisanship. With the revelation, reported by CBS News on Thursday, that the committee’s Republican majority staff will soon be separated from the Democratic minority staffers on the committee by a wall — literally, a physical barrier separating public officials from each other — members of both parties are saying Nunes has destroyed any spirit of collaboration the committee once enjoyed.
Nunes took the reigns of the committee three years ago, promising to work “on a bipartisan basis” and to collaborate closely with the committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, who also represents a district in California. “This committee has a strong record of bipartisanship,” he said at the time, “and based on my previous cooperation with Rep. Schiff on the committee and on other issues, I am confident this tradition will continue in the new Congress.” In an interview with Bloomberg View, Nunes praised his predecessor’s, Rep. Mike Rogers’ (R-MI) successful work across the aisle: “Under his leadership, the Intelligence Committee had excellent bipartisan cooperation, and that tradition needs to continue.” That did not happen.
Last year, Nunes reportedly made calls to media outlets, at the rich asshole administration’s behest, to steer them away from the (correct) story that the rich asshole campaign’s Russian ties were under investigation.
Then he became the subject of an ethics investigation after he traveled to the White House, examined classified information provided to him by the rich asshole administration aides, and disclosed the information in a clumsy attempt to validate the president’s false claims that his phone was tapped by then-President Obama during the 2016 campaign. Though Nunes said he would recuse himself from the committee’s examination of the alleged ties between the rich asshole’s campaign and Russian operatives until the ethics committee closed its investigation in December, he continued to do the administration’s bidding over that time. Former chairman Rogers slammed Nunes, telling CNN last April that he’d have handled things “completely differently.”
In the past few weeks, Nunes and the Republican majority on the committee successfully worked with the rich asshole to release a misleading memo suggesting wrongdoing on the part of intelligence officials investigating the rich asshole-Russia scandal, on a party-line vote. At the same time, the majority delayed releasing Schiff’s rebuttal memo that purportedly debunked the claims.
Former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) slammed Nunes in an op/ed last week for acting “like a partisan hack.” Fox News host Shepard Smith lambasted him in late January for a “partisan mass distraction.” And even Rep. Tom Rooney (R-FL), who currently services on House Intelligence, told CBS News, “The level of trust and the level of everything down there is — it’s poison. It’s absolute poison down there,” adding that bipartisanship “is gone. It’s gone from that committee.”
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) told CBS News, “The committee is still redeemable — but not with Devin Nunes as chair.” And the Democratic leadership has urged Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) to remove Nunes. But Nunes remains at the helm of the committee responsible for oversight of the nation’s intelligence — and the wall his team is building seems a perfect metaphor for his tenure.
No one wants to be the White House science adviser
This is the longest stretch any president has left the job empty.
More than a year into the rich asshole presidency, the White House continues to go without a top science adviser. But new internal logs confirm it did consider a series of candidates last year in an attempt to fill the position.
A calendar obtained by ScienceInsider through a freedom of information request shows that last spring, the White House held several interviews to find someone to become the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
As director of OSTP, this person would be responsible for advising the president and his top aides on science and technology issues in “areas of national concern,” including everything from national security, education, health, and climate change.
Leading the interviews was Michael Kratsios, a top technology adviser and the only current political appointee to the OSTP. Among those helping him was Michael Catanzaro, a top energy policy aide and former oil and gas lobbyist.
For more than a year now the role of science adviser has remained vacant. This is the longest an administration has gone without an OSTP director since the position was introduced in 1976. President George W. Bush’s science adviser was confirmed in October, 2001 and under President Barack Obama it took only 47 days after he won the election to name his science adviser.
The names of those interviewed by President some rich asshole’s team, however, remain unknown; redacted for privacy considerations. While the calendar confirms the White House did give the position some thought — amidst much public scrutiny that it has not been a priority — the anonymity of the candidates “makes it impossible to judge the quality of the applicants,” ScienceInsider’s Jeffrey Mervis writes.
According to the document, three interviews were held for the OSTP Director position on March 2, 2017. Kratsios interviewed the candidates. It’s unclear whether one of these meetings was a follow up interview — it was held with Daris Meeks and Francis Brooke, two top aides to Vice President Mike Pence.
Two more back-to-back interviews were held on April 13, this time with a group of special assistants to the president, a White House counsel, and Catanzaro.
None of these candidates appear to have made the cut because on June 23 a phone call with Catanzaro and Kratsios was held to discuss “ideas” for the OSTP director role. The call lasted half an hour.
There are also two other interviews which took place for roles in OSTP; it is unclear whether these were for the director position or other vacancies. These took place on May 4 and July 24.
After this date, no further interviews were held over the next three months. The last date on the calendar is October 20. OSTP did not respond to a request for comment from ThinkProgress about whether any other interviews have taken place since October, which candidates they were considering, and why the position remains empty.
Despite the continued vacancy, the rich asshole has moved forward with several high-profile decisions with a heavy science component to them. Namely, the decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement.
Actions taken to respond to Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, and Irma would have also likely relied on the expertise of a science adviser. And any decisions made to cut budget spending in areas related to science would also see this person involved in the proposals.
Toward the end of January 2018 a group of Democratic members of Congress wrote a letter to the rich asshole urging him to fill the OSTP director position. This followed on from a similar letter last year which said without a “qualified, objective scientists” they feared that he may “continue to be vulnerable to misinformation and fake news.”
The January letter echoes these concerns and specifically raises climate change as an area which has suffered. It highlights a December tweet where the president confused basic science regarding the difference between weather and long-term temperature trends.
Citing efforts to repeal the Clean Power Plan, and removing mentions of climate change from the national security strategy, the letter states: “More broadly, your administration has repeatedly downplayed or ignored the importance of scientific fact and scientific research.”
“We believe that these mistakes might have been avoided if you had availed yourself to the kind of expert advice which previous presidents relied on when making such decisions,” it continues. “We are even more concerned, however, about what might occur if the country faces an unforeseen catastrophe.”
How likely is it that the Democrats will take back Congress? This historian has some answers
President some rich asshole during a speech in Ohio (Screenshot)
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As America looks ahead to November 2018 and the midterm congressional elections, the issue arises as to what effect President some rich asshole will have on the outcome.
Normally the President’s party loses seats and sometimes control of one or both houses of Congress. In the House of Representatives, since Woodrow Wilson’s first midterm election in 1914, the party in power has lost seats. The only exceptions: in 1934, when Franklin D. Roosevelt saw a gain of 9 seats in the lower chamber; in 1998, when Bill Clinton, in his second midterm saw a gain of 5 seats; and in 2002, when George W. Bush saw a gain of 8 seats.
These three exceptions can be explained as a vote of confidence in the New Deal of FDR two years in; a reaction of voters against the Clinton impeachment effort by Republicans, as polls clearly indicated opposition to such efforts with the economy flourishing; and the response of voters to September 11, 2001, at the strongest point of unity around George W. Bush in a national crisis, before the bottom fell out following the quagmire wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In the US Senate there have been more exceptions to the rule. Counting from Woodrow Wilson’s first midterm election, which marked the beginning of Senate elections by popular vote, we find that in 1914 the incumbent party had a four seat gain; in 1934, FDR saw a nine seat gain; in 1962 John Kennedy saw a 2 seat gain (which followed the Cuban Missile Crisis); in 1970 Richard Nixon got a one seat gain; in 2002, George W. Bush saw a 2 seat gain. (Both Reagan (in 1982) and Clinton (in 1998) saw neither gains nor losses.)
Now that the history is delineated, it is time to consider the likelihood of what might happen nine months from now, with an economy seemingly strong and a President (some rich asshole) with historically low public opinion ratings, the lowest since such polls were conducted in the time of FDR onward.
As this author writes this essay, the stock market suffered the worst loss in two years, and at the same time, the President’s public opinion rating moved up to the high 30s, at least in one poll taken before the stock market slide. Trying to project where the economy and the polls will go in the next nine months is a real gamble, with the certainty that if the stock market continues to falter, as it did in the last week of January going into the first few days of February, that would be terrible news for the rich asshole and his party, and would certainly undermine any temporary gain in public opinion polls. But these are intangibles that cannot be measured nine months out in a definite direction, so instead we must look at the facts, not the “alternative facts” that the right wing media, such as Fox News Channel and Breitbart, utilize.
The facts are that the Republican Party in Congress has had a disastrous performance in the 115th Congress, arguably the worst in all of modern American history, if not all the years of congressional history. The failure to accomplish their legislative agenda, other than the tax cut that dramatically gives massive benefits to the wealthy over average Americans, is likely to come back and bite them in a major way. As people realize that the small cut in taxes will not be enough to make their lives better, and that the social safety net of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid is endangered, as well as labor and environmental protections, not to mention the measures weakening support for education and health care, there is likely to be a massive angry reaction. As the government goes increasingly into debt to pay for the GOP tax cuts to the wealthy (the cuts will add over a trillion dollars to the national debt), the major argument of the Republican Party against the Democratic opposition will be squandered.
It’s possible a deal will be reached to protect the Dreamers (immigrants brought to the US as children); 85-90 percent already want to give them the right to remain in America. But the danger of a potential nuclear war with either North Korea or Iran, and the growing threat of a stronger China and a resurgent Russia, are likely to worry many Americans, and the refusal of the the rich asshole Presidency to pay attention to global warming and trade agreements will add to the alarm.
Furthermore, the rich asshole has set out to pack the federal court system through the selection of ideologically extreme right wing judges, often totally incompetent or lacking in experience, to the circuit and district courts, thereby skewing future generations of justice, which will affect us for decades.
His push for dramatic cuts in regulations in all areas of the economy is a warning sign of the undermining of consumer, labor, environmental, educational, and health and safety regulations that have become our heritage under Republican and Democratic Presidents from Theodore Roosevelt to Barack Obama.
His behavior and erratic actions are bound to antagonize millions, as is the GOP’s active coddling of his breach of norms: his power grabbing, attacks on the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the intelligence agencies, the judiciary, and the free press. Civil liberties and civil rights are under attack, and the odds are heavy, despite attempts at the suppression of minority voting groups and gerrymandered districts, that we will see greater numbers of young people, women, racial and ethnic minorities, and suburban voters coming out in droves, alarmed by what has been happening.
The Robert Mueller investigation will go on, and any further indictments or other actions of the Special Counsel on the various potential charges against some rich asshole, family members, and the rich asshole cabinet and staff, could lead to a constitutional crisis, which if one goes by the experience of Richard Nixon four and a half decades ago, should galvanize much of the nation against the president. It might force desperate Republicans, finally, to act against the abuses of the the rich asshole administration.
Also, many Republicans in Congress, more than 30 at this point, have decided not to run for reelection, including committee chairmen, who have chosen to retire or run for a different office, as they see the handwriting on the wall, and expect a major loss of seats. The Republicans who are running for reelection have particular problems in five states—New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Illinois, and California—where five of nine in New York, four out of five in New Jersey, four out of seven in both Virginia and Illinois, and eight out of fourteen in California, are vulnerable. (Many are from districts won by Hillary Clinton.)
So one can definitely expect a “Blue” wave in the House of Representatives, with 24 seats needed to gain a Democratic majority, but the likelihood of gaining 40 or more seats in the lower chamber. Looking at House of Representatives history since 1914, we learn that the shift of more than 40 seats is unexceptional. It happened in 1914, 1922, 1930, 1938, 1942, 1946, 1958, 1966, 1974, 1994, and 2010, a total 11 times out of a total of 26 midterm elections.
The US Senate is another matter, and it will be difficult for the Democrats to gain the two seats needed for a majority. The overwhelming majority of senators who happen to be up for re-election are Democrats (twenty-four plus two independents, Bernie Sanders and Angus King). The Republicans only have to defend 8 seats. Democrats have a chance to switch Arizona and Nevada and possibly Texas and Nebraska. But the Democrats have to protect seats in ten states that the rich asshole won: Missouri, Indiana, West Virginia, Florida, North Dakota, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. That’s a tall order. Historically, since 1914, the party in the White House has lost an average of four seats, which, if it occurs, would be a miracle in 2018. However, the party in the White House has lost more than 8 seats a total of 7 times in the past century, as high as 11 in 1946, 13 in 1958, and 9 in 2014, so it is not beyond the realm of possibility that the Republicans could lose up to four seats.
At this point, nine months before the election, the greatest likelihood is a Democratic gain of 40 or more seats and control of the House of Representatives, and a gain of one or two seats for the Democrats in the Senate, meaning either control by 51-49, or a 50/50 split Senate, which would give control to the GOP (Vice President Mike Pence would cast the deciding vote). This means continued tumult and chaos in the halls of Congress as well as the White House, but possible impeachment moves in the House with a Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It would no doubt spell the end of the rightwing revolution the rich asshole’s election seemed to signal.
DENIED: Defense Secretary Mattis ‘refuses’ reckless the rich asshole plan to sink Iranian ships
some rich asshole speaks to Jim Mattis (Pentagon)
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President some rich asshole wanted the Pentagon to provide military options for sinking Iranian ships but Defense Secretary Jim Mattis reportedly refused.
According to a Washington Post report published on Wednesday, the topic of Iranian ships came up last May when there were signs that Iran might increase military aggression.
The report says that the rich asshole personally called for Mattis to put together a plan to sink Iranian ships and hit other targets.
One tense moment came last May as officials grew increasingly concerned about aggressive Iranian behavior.For weeks, Mattis had been resisting requests from the White House to provide military options for Iran. Now the rich asshole made clear that he wanted the Pentagon to deliver a range of plans that included striking Iranian ballistic missile factories or hitting Iranian speedboats that routinely harassed U.S. Navy vessels.“Why can’t we sink them?” the rich asshole would sometimes ask about the boats.
U.S officials told the Post that the rich asshole’s request was passed to Mattis by National Security adviser H.R. McMaster during a conference call.
In the end, “the defense secretary refused,” the sources said.
“At that point, McMaster took Mattis off speakerphone, cleared his staff from the room and continued the conversation,” the Post reported.
U.S. Government Shutdown Begins as Congress Lets Funding Lapse Behind Paywall
Updated on February 9, 2018, 1:31 AM EST
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Senate, House may pass government funding plan by morning
The U.S. government entered a partial shutdown as Congress missed a midnight deadline to pass spending legislation because of a Republican senator’s objections, but the lapse may last only a few hours as the House and Senate plan votes early Friday morning.
There still are risks because of opposition in the House from conservative Republicans and some Democrats to the two-year budget agreement, which will allow an additional $300 billion in spending for the next two years. The bill also would fund the government on a short-term basis until March 23, and would suspend the federal debt limit until March 2019.
The shutdown drama played out on the same day that the U.S. stock market tumbled — with the S&P 500 losses of 10 percent since a Jan. 26 high signaling a correction. But if there were fears that a U.S. government shutdown, however brief, could contribute to volatility in the market, they weren’t enough to persuade GOP Senator Rand Paul or a sizable number of House Republicans and Democrats to say they would vote for a plan to keep the government open.
The Senate had to wait until after 1 a.m. Friday to take a procedural vote allowing the legislation to proceed because Paul denied the unanimous consent needed to act sooner. The Senate was moving toward passing the bill soon after, and the House plans to vote sometime between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m., if not earlier.
The Office of Management and Budget had said in a statement Thursday evening that it was preparing for a lapse in appropriations. If the House keeps to its schedule, funding could be restored by the time government workers arrive at their jobs and financial markets open.
“The outcome will not be any different” than if the Senate had voted during the day Thursday, second-ranking Republican John Cornyn of Texas said on Senate floor Thursday after Paul rejected his effort to move the vote up.
Rand Paul
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Paul kept the Senate tied up for hours, arguing against lifting limits on defense and non-defense spending.
Deficit Concerns
“If you were against President Obama’s deficits and now you’re for the Republican deficits, isn’t that the very definition of hypocrisy?” he said.
In the House, Speaker Paul Ryan emphasized the agreement’s increased funding for the Pentagon to assuage the concerns of Republicans who’ve said they’ll vote no because it also raises spending on domestic programs. Ryan’s intention to bring up an immigration bill “that the president will sign” fell short of demands from Democrats for an open debate on competing proposals.
“We must pass this budget agreement first, though, so that we can get on to that,” Ryan said of immigration legislation. “So please know that we are committed to getting this done.”
Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.
Photographer: Win McNamee/Pool via Bloomberg
Democratic Votes
Although Republicans have a 238 to 193 majority in the House, the Freedom Caucus, which numbers about three dozen Republicans, announced they would oppose the accord. That means Ryan and his allies likely will have to rely on support from some Democrats.
Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, who emphasized her opposition with an unprecedented eight-hour address on the House floor Wednesday, said she won’t vote for the budget deal without a firm commitment from Ryan on immigration. Nonetheless, she called it “a good bill.”
“I’m pleased with the product, I’m not pleased with the process,” she said Thursday at a news conference. Asked whether she’s pressing House Democrats to vote against it, Pelosi said, “I’m just telling people why I’m voting the way I’m voting.”
The House Democratic leadership team sent a notice to members, obtained by Bloomberg News, saying that the deal fails to provide a path to legislation that would protect young undocumented people from deportation and urging them to vote against it.
Senate Unity
Lawmakers from both parties will be picking over the agreement with an eye on how it might play in congressional elections coming in November. President some rich asshole backed the deal, which may give cover to Republicans concerned about adding to the budget deficit in an election year.
McConnell, right, and Schumer on Feb. 7.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
It’s filled with long-stalled or long-sought priorities for both sides. Republican defense hawks get more funds for the military, while Democrats get extra money for domestic priorities like combating opioid addiction, the National Institutes of Health budget and community health centers. The agreement also repeals a piece of Obamacare -- a Medicare cost-cutting board aimed at ensuring the program’s long-term solvency. And it would provide $90 billion in disaster assistance for California, Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The bill authorizes the sale of 100 million barrels from the Strategic Oil Reserve to pay for some of the new spending, and raises customs and airport security fees in the next decade. It also renews a number of expired tax breaks for calendar 2017 including for cellulosic biofuel, while extending a nuclear power tax credit that was scheduled to expire so that it is available after 2020.
The measure would temporarily finance the government at current levels through March 23 while lawmakers fill in the details on longer-term spending.
Although Pelosi was part of the bipartisan negotiations that led to the agreement, she said she wants from Ryan what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised Democratic leader Chuck Schumer: an open process for immigration legislation, particularly protections for so-called dreamers, the young immigrants covered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that the rich asshole is ending.
It was unclear how many Democrats would support the spending bill without such a promise from Ryan, but Representative Mark Meadows of North Carolina, the Freedom Caucus chairman, estimated that about 50 may be needed to make up for GOP defections and ensure passage.
Immigration Demands
Representative Luis Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat urging his party to kill the bill unless it includes a solution for dreamers, said party leaders weren’t making an all-out effort to withhold Democratic votes. But he said that if it passes, "all the leverage is gone" to force a DACA fix.
Republican Representative Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania said the fight to keep the government funded shouldn’t turn on immigration.
“I support getting DACA done too but people should vote for it based what’s in the deal, not what’s not in the deal,” he said. “The pragmatic members of both conferences should support this.”
— With assistance by Arit John, Justin Sink, Laura Litvan, and Erik Wasson
This cartoon depicting DREAMers as gang members was so ‘insanely racist’ the newspaper had to apologize
Albuquerque Journal political cartoon depicts DREAMers as gang members (Twitter)
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The Albuquerque Journal on Thursday apologized for an “insanely racist” editorial cartoon that ran in the conservative newspaper’s opinion section.
The cartoon shows a man and woman held up at gun point by MS-13 gang members. “Now, honey, I believe they prefer to be called ‘Dreamers’… or future Democrats…” the man says.
Wow. This insanely racist cartoon ran today in the @ABQJournal, my hometown newspaper and the first place I ever worked. The paper has always had a conservative editorial board, but this is next-level.
The Journal weathered intense backlash after publishing the graphic, including from Sen. Tom Udall, who demanded the paper apologize. State Sen. Linda Lopez (D) called the cartoon “another glaring example of the ignorance, racism and hatred openly permeating throughout our country.”
Words and images are still hateful and offensive, even when they appear in a cartoon. The @ABQJournal should apologize.
In an editorial addressing the outrage, staff writers argued the Journal “has supported a path to citizenship for the country’s estimated 1.8 million Dreamers,” who are the subject of a fierce, ongoing debate in Congress.
Editor Karen Moss issued a statement arguing the paper “[offers] views from all sides of the spectrum, and we realize some of the content will offend readers.”
“We do not agree with many of those views, but their purpose is to spark discussion and debate. In hindsight, instead of generating debate, this cartoon only inflamed emotions,” Moss added. “This was not the intent, nor does the Journal condone racism or bigotry in any form.”
Editorial Page Editor D’Val Westphal said she chose the cartoon because, from her perspective, the “conservative Anglo couple” were “ reacting out of fear and labeling their attackers as ‘Dreamers’ and even Democrats” despite the MS-13 gang members being “clearly labeled” as such.
“We live in a very politicized and reactionary time,” Westphal added. “But the mission of an editorial page is to explore all sides of an issue, to make people think and debate and examine closely the opposing view of an argument.
“Unfortunately, this cartoon did not inspire that kind of discussion,” Westphal acknowledged.
Omarosa breaks down in tears describing the rich asshole’s White House: ‘It is not going to be OK’
Omarosa Manigault Newman (Screenshot)
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Former senior White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman thinks Americans should be worried about President some rich asshole.
Manigault Newman made her debut on the reality TV show “Big Brother: Celebrity Edition” Wednesday night.
“I was haunted by tweets every single day. Like, what is he going to tweet next?” she said, in a clip uploaded to YouTube on Thursday.
Manigault Newman said she tried to confront the rich asshole about his behavior, but was attacked by other White House staff.
She said Americans should be worried.
“It’s going to not be ok. It’s not,” she said.
Manigault Newman served as director of communications for the White House’s Office of Public Liaison prior to her resignation in December 2017.
She had reportedly grown “fed up” with the way the rich asshole handled racially charged issues, such as the violent neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville.
Officials said she resigned, but sources claimed she had to be “dragged kicking and screaming from the White House.”
Watch video below:
Kellyanne Conway may be an Eagles fan, but the Eagles aren't the rich asshole fans.
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway can’t help but mix her Philadelphia Eagles fandom with political cheap shots, as she did Thursday by disrespecting NFL players who protest racism, including the Eagles players who will be boycotting her boss.
During an appearance on “Fox & Friends,” Conway expressed excitement about the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots, but she couldn’t just leave it at that.
“I just want to note that all through the season, not a single Eagle fan took a knee during the National Anthem,” Conway claimed, even though it is impossible for her to know that.
“It’s been a very prayerful team. Carson Wentz and Nick Foles are very out in the open how prayerful they are. It’s been a delight for Eagles fans everywhere.”
Conway’s claim about Eagles fans is absurd. It is a fact that NFL fans have been overwhelmingly supportive of the players’ right to protest.
Conway’s co-opting of the Eagles also disrespects that team’s players, who protested the rich asshole strongly during the season, and several of whom will boycott the traditional visit to the White House later this year.
Her attempt to contrast those who protest racism with those who are “prayerful” is also belied by the role black religious leaders have played in the fight against racism.
the rich asshole has been vicious and dishonest in his attacks on NFL players, and Kellyanne Conway took the Eagles’ moment of triumph to do the same.
Noted bigot Pence declines to answer on why he seems ‘out of the loop’ on major news
BY BRANDON CARTER - 02/08/18 04:31 PM EST
Vice President Pence told reporters in Japan on Thursday that he only recently learned of the allegations against former White House staff secretary Rob Porter, and declined to answer a question about why he often seemed "out of the loop" when it came to major events at the White House.
“I learned as I awoke this morning of those developments, so we’ll comment on any issues affecting White House staff when we get back to Washington,” Pence said of the allegations against Porter, who announced Wednesday that he would resign from his White House role after being accused of abusing his two ex-wives.
His resignation occurred overnight in Japan, where Pence appeared alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and visited U.S. troops at Yokota Air Force Base. The vice president is in the middle of a five-day trip throughout Asia before he leads the U.S. delegation at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
During a brief gaggle with reporters at the base, Pence was asked why he seemed “a little bit out of the loop” on major events in the the rich asshole administration.
“This is now a number of times when you’ve found out … about something very late, after a number of other senior staff below you in the West Wing have found out about it. Can you comment on why you often seem a little bit out of the loop on some of this major news?” a reporter asked.
Pence replied by saying it’s a “great honor” to serve as vice president. He also praised President the rich asshole for being “incredibly generous” in allowing him to represent the U.S. abroad in meetings with foreign leaders and at the upcoming Olympics, as well as allowing his involvement in the legislative process on Capitol Hill.
“I’m very grateful for that,” Pence said. “We’ll leave those White House staffing matters for when we get back to Washington.”
According to pool reports, White House staffers said Pence learned of both the allegations against Porter and his resignation on Thursday.
Pence is widely seen as one of the most influential members of the the rich asshole administration, with his imprint often seen on major policy decisions. He has been deeply involved in efforts to move the rich asshole's legislative agenda through Congress, including on the tax bill enacted last year.
The White House announced Thursday that Porter’s last day at the White House was Wednesday.
Deputy press secretary Raj Shah acknowledged that the White House mishandled the controversy surrounding Porter after chief of staff John Kelly and other administration officials initially defended Porter following the initial round of media reports in which two of his ex-wives accused him of domestic abuse.
Kelly issued a statement late Wednesday night saying he was “shocked” by the allegations, but said he stood by his initial praise of Porter and insisted that the former top aide should have an opportunity to defend himself.
White House hits back: Omarosa was fired three times on "The Apprentice"
BY LISA HAGEN - 02/08/18 04:13 PM EST
The White House on Thursday fired back at former aide Omarosa Manigault Newman after she made critical comments on “Celebrity Big Brother" about President the rich asshole and her time at the White House.
In a clip from the show released earlier in the day, Manigault Newman said she was “haunted” by the rich asshole’s tweets and attacked by colleagues when she tried to intervene.
“It’s going to not be OK, it’s not. It’s so bad,” she told fellow cast member Ross Matthews while wiping away tears.
When asked about the White House’s reaction, deputy press secretary Raj Shah said the administration isn’t taking her comments seriously and noted that Manigault Newman currently has no contact with the president, whom she first met while a contestant on NBC’s “The Apprentice.”
“Omarosa was fired three times on ‘The Apprentice,’ and this was the fourth time we let her go,” Shah told reporters during a press briefing.
“She had limited contact with the president while here. She has no contact now.”
Manigault Newman, who served as director of communications at the Office of Public Liaison, left the White House in December.
Her exit was an ugly one. Conflicting accounts emerged over if Manigault Newman was fired or resigned, and news reports claimed that she'd left the White House cursing and screaming and set off alarms trying to confront President the rich asshole about her termination. The Secret Service confirmed that it had deactivated her security pass.
Thursday is not the first time Manigualt Newman has been critical of the administration. Days after her departure was announced, she told "Good Morning America" she saw plenty of things that "upset" her during her time there.
"There were a lot of things that I observed during the last year that I was very unhappy with, that I was very uncomfortable with," she said.
Dow closes more than 1,000 points down for second time this week
BY SYLVAN LANE - 02/08/18 04:04 PM EST
The Dow Jones industrial average closed 1,033 points lower on Thursday, the second day of the week it has experienced a four-digit loss.
The Dow fell 4.1 percent, closing at 23,860. The Nasdaq lost 274 points on the day (3.9 percent), while the S&P 500 closed with a 100-point loss (3.75 percent).
Thursday's close is the second time in history the Dow has lost more than 1,000 points in one day. It fell 1,175 points on Monday.
The latest plunge in stocks means a market correction has officially taken place, as the market has dropped more than 10 percent from a peak on Jan. 26.
Overall, the Dow has 2,756 points since Jan. 26, erasing 2018’s early stock gains and cutting into the massive increase the index experienced during President the rich asshole’s first year in office.
Investors fear that low unemployment, increasing U.S. growth and rising wages will spur the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates, which would boost the cost of borrowing money.
the rich asshole on Wednesday said traders selling stocks are making a "big mistake" and that those trading stocks will regret their actions.
"In the 'old days,' when good news was reported, the Stock Market would go up. Today, when good news is reported, the Stock Market goes down," the rich asshole tweeted. "Big mistake, and we have so much good (great) news about the economy!"
"In the 'old days,' when good news was reported, the Stock Market would go up. Today, when good news is reported, the Stock Market goes down," the rich asshole tweeted. "Big mistake, and we have so much good (great) news about the economy!"
the rich asshole 'saddened' by Porter allegations
BY BEN KAMISAR - 02/08/18 04:17 PM EST
President the rich asshole was "saddened" by the domestic violence allegations against his former staff secretary Rob Porter, a top spokesman said Thursday.
Porter left the White House on Wednesday, after multiple reports detailed abuse allegations by both of his ex-wives. The allegations surfaced during Porter's FBI background check.
White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah told reporters on Thursday that the president was not aware of those allegations until reports first surfaced Tuesday night.
"He was surprised. He, like many of us, did not see that in Rob Porter, did not see what those allegations have brought forward," Shah said.
"He was surprised by it, disheartened by it, saddened by it."
Porter had been working on a temporary security clearance while the FBI finished his background check, which included considering those allegations. The White House initially heaped praise on their colleague, who denied the allegations in a statement. But the language changed Wednesday night after Porter announced his resignation.
Budget deal is brimming with special tax breaks
BY ALEXANDER BOLTON - 02/08/18 03:32 PM EST
The Bipartisan Budget Act that Congress is set to pass Thursday is brimming with tax provisions for a variety of special interests, including racehorse owners, small private colleges and television and film companies.
At least two of the tax breaks help the constituents of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who negotiated the deal with Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.).
Altogether, the special tax provisions amount to $17.4 billion over the next four years, with most of the costs incurred — $13.3 billion — in fiscal year 2018, according to an analysis released by the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT).
One provision limits the excise tax on investment income at private colleges and universities to schools with at least 500 tuition-paying students, shielding smaller institutions and costing the government an estimated $2 million a year in revenue over the next decade.
It’s a win for small schools such as Berea College, which is based in Kentucky.
Senate Republicans tried to exempt small colleges such as Berea in the tax-reform bill that passed in December, but the provision was removed after the parliamentarian said it violated procedural rules.
Another provision in the deal extends the three-year tax depreciation for racehorses, allowing owners to depreciate the value of their investment over the most productive span of their racing careers instead of the old seven-year schedule.
That provision was a top priority of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which also happens to be based in McConnell’s home state.
It also extends special expensing rules for film and television productions, giving a boost to Hollywood, a Democratic fundraising hub, and to live theater productions, a boon to Schumer’s home state of New York.
Schumer has argued that live theater productions should reap the same tax benefits as film and television and warned in the past that without tax incentives, production companies would move away from costly New York City.
Schumer has argued that live theater productions should reap the same tax benefits as film and television and warned in the past that without tax incentives, production companies would move away from costly New York City.
That provision will cost the government $1.3 billion in fiscal year 2018.
NASCAR track owners will get to share in $37 million in tax benefits thanks to an extension of the seven-year recovery period for motorsports entertainment complexes.
That tax break has been supported by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), one of Schumer’s closest allies. Her state is home to major automobile manufacturers and the Michigan International Speedway.
That tax break has been supported by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), one of Schumer’s closest allies. Her state is home to major automobile manufacturers and the Michigan International Speedway.
Sen. Dean Heller (Nev.), who represents the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), who has the Kansas Speedway, and Sen. Richard Burr (R), whose home state of North Carolina is a NASCAR hotbed, also support the provision.
Republican senators won other tax breaks they endorsed.
Sens. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) scored with the inclusion of an energy tax credit for advanced nuclear power facilities, which will cost $12.2 billion in 2018.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a champion of whistleblowers, will be happy about a provision unifying the tax treatment of awards to people who uncover corruption. That and language clarifying whistleblower awards will cost $187 million over 10 years.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a champion of whistleblowers, will be happy about a provision unifying the tax treatment of awards to people who uncover corruption. That and language clarifying whistleblower awards will cost $187 million over 10 years.
The bill provides $594 million in tax relief for people affected by the devastating California wildfires, including an employee retention tax credit for employers who suffered losses such as wineries in North California.
It’s a victory for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who faces a primary challenge this year. She and other members of the California delegation had pushed for wildfire victims to get the same treatment as hurricane victims.
Businesses affected by hurricanes Harvey and Irma will also benefit from an employee-retention tax credit.
Another provision extends tax relief for the plug-in electric motorcycles, which will help manufacturers such as Zero Motorcycles, based outside of Santa Cruz, Calif..
Richard Walker, the CEO of the company, has touted the tax break as helping to create jobs and invest in clean technology.
The deal also extends for one year the alternative motor vehicle credit for qualified fuel cell vehicles, at a cost of $4 million.
It’s one of many environmentally friendly tax credits, including breaks for biodiesel, energy-efficient home construction and modifications, non-wind renewable power facilities, and second-generation biofuel plants.
House GOP leaders scramble for budget votes
House GOP leaders pleaded at a press conference Thursday for their members to back a sweeping budget deal that has come under fire from conservatives, as leadership races to lock down enough votes to avoid a government shutdown by Thursday’s midnight deadline.
Rep. Martha McSally (R), the Arizona combat veteran running for the Senate, urged the conference to back the bill for its boost in military spending. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) called on the conservative House Freedom Caucus, whose members have criticized the budget for adding to the deficit, to stay on the GOP team and support the bipartisan package.
“We need to stay unified, we need to get this budget passed,” Cheney said. “We cannot be in a situation where we are letting our political debates, our political fights, our arguments, get in the way of getting [the military] the resources they need in this increasingly dangerous world to protect and defend every one of us.”
Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who needs to reach across the aisle for some Democratic votes, also reiterated his pledge to address immigration, saying “do not” doubt his commitment to fixing the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that President the rich asshole is ending in March.
The messages come as conservatives have revolted against the massive budget package over fiscal concerns, while some Democrats are still on the fence about whether to support the deal without a clear path forward on DACA.
The proposal, announced on Wednesday by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), sets the stage for $300 billion more in federal spending over the next two years while raising the debt ceiling for one year. It keeps the government temporarily funded until March 23, which will give lawmakers time to write an omnibus spending bill to fund the government for the rest of the year.
The deal also includes a number of other priorities for both parties, including money for disaster relief, the opioid crisis, the popular Children's Health Insurance Program and community health centers.
The bipartisan deal is expected to easily pass the Senate on Thursday. But the deal's backers could face a tougher lift after it reaches the House.
The House Freedom Caucus, a band of roughly 30 conservative hard-liners, slammed the proposal as fiscally irresponsible and took an official position against the package.
That means Ryan and his leadership team will need to rely on at least dozens of Democratic votes to help get the spending deal through the lower chamber to avert a government shutdown.
And GOP leaders will need even more Democrats if they face further defections in their own party, making it essential to corral support from defense hawks who are still torn over a package that adds to the deficit but provides a long-sought-after boost for the U.S. military.
“Our government has no higher responsibility than to support our men and women who are in harm’s way,” Ryan said, kicking off his press conference flanked by defense hawks in Congress.
“For months now, we have been working to get our military the resources it needs to keep the peace. This budget agreement delivers on that commitment.”
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), former chairman of the Freedom Caucus, predicted that “there are going to be more no's" than expected after he spoke to both Democrats and Republicans on the House floor Thursdaymorning.
Jordan pointed to members of the moderate Tuesday Group and the Texas delegation, which would be surprising given that the more than $80 billion in disaster aid would go toward hurricane-ravaged regions like Texas.
Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), a member of the GOP whip team, told The Hill that he thinks leaders were “still growing the vote” as of Thursdaymorning.
Ryan and his top lieutenants have so far sounded confident that they will ultimately clinch enough support for the measure, though they have declined to say how many Democratic votes they will need.
“I think we will,” Ryan told radio show host Hugh Hewitt when pressed on whether he will have the votes. “I feel good. Part of it depends on the Democrats. This is a bipartisan bill. It’s going to need bipartisan support.”
It’s unclear how many Democrats will vote against the legislation without concessions on immigration. A total of 45 Democrats backed the last continuing resolution to reopen the government.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who was intimately involved in the high-level budget caps negotiation, is vowing to oppose the deal unless she gets a firm commitment to consider legislation in the House to protect young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children, popularly known as “Dreamers.”
Democratic leaders sent out a whip notice Thursday afternoon to gauge how many lawmakers support the budget plan. The notice also urged them to oppose the package because the deal “fails to provide a path forward on protecting DREAMers.”
But Pelosi said at a press conference earlier in the day that she won’t be pushing rank-and-file Democrats to join her in voting against it, giving her members some room to support the deal.
The House Democratic Caucus will huddle late Thursday afternoon amid the mixed messaging.
Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar (Texas) and John Garamendi (Calif.) have both signaled that they will likely support the agreement.
And Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) officially announced he would support the bill on Thursday afternoon.
"If Democrats cannot support this kind of compromise, Congress will never function," Yarmuth said in a statement.
Updated: 3:28 p.m.
Senate conservatives threaten the rich asshole's controversial Fed pick
BY SYLVAN LANE - 02/08/18 02:09 PM EST
Key Senate conservatives could derail President the rich asshole’s choice to fill a spot on the Federal Reserve Board, threatening to derail the nomination that has a small margin for GOP opposition.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told reporters Thursday that he would vote against Marvin Goodfriend’s nomination to be a Fed governor, according to multiple reports, citing the economist’s unconventional monetary policy proposals.
And a spokesman for Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) told The Hill that the conservative senator was "undecided" on Goodfriend's nomination.
Paul’s opposition means Goodfriend must receive unanimous support from the 50 other Senate Republicans to be confirmed, including Sen. John McCain, who has missed Senate votes while he recovers from treatment for brain cancer at home in Arizona.
No Democrats are expected to vote for Goodfriend, meaning that should Goodfriend receive 50 votes, Vice President Pence would have to break the tie to confirm the nominee.
Goodfriend, a Carnegie Mellon professor and former Richmond Fed senior vice president, has drawn criticism for incorrect predictions about rampant inflation during the early 2010s and proposals meant to reduce the value of cash withdrawn from banks in times of crisis.
Goodfriend had proposed placing magnetic strips on currency that would track the length of time a note had been deposited at a bank. The idea is meant to encourage banks to lend money to stimulate the economy when Fed interest rates are already at zero.
The proposal would effectively create negative interest rates, reducing the value of money kept in bank accounts.
Goodfriend has since abandoned the magnetic strip proposal but has expressed a willingness to explore other negative interest rate policies. Former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), Rand Paul's father, introduced a bill in 1999 and 2003 to ban such policies, both of which died without committee or floor action.
The Senate Banking Committee voted to advance his nomination Thursday morning 13 to 12 along party lines.
Updated at 3:03 p.m.
Pentagon not certain that the rich asshole's military parade will be in Washington
BY ELLEN MITCHELL - 02/08/18 01:54 PM EST
President the rich asshole’s vision of a large-scale military parade might not happen in Washington, D.C., the Pentagon said Thursday.
“We don’t know that it will be in Washington,” Defense Department chief spokeswoman Dana White told reporters Thursday when asked what cities are being considered for the parade’s location.
“There are options and we will explore those and the president will ultimately decide.”
The White House confirmed this week that the rich asshole requested the Pentagon begin planning a military parade last month.
Pentagon officials have since stressed that the parade is still in initial planning stages and have given few details as to the cost, make-up and location of such an event, other than noting that the Army will take the lead on planning.
“The president often looks for opportunities to honor and appreciate our service members. ... When we have those options we will provide that to the White House and the president will decide,” White said.
When asked whether there may be other options to honor the military in lieu of a parade, White replied “there are several options that are possible ... but the bottom line is we want to honor our service members. That is the intent.”
White did not answer questions on who would be paying for the parade or if there would be a cap on its expense.
Defense Secretary James Mattis on Wednesday also declined to directly answer when asked about the cost of a parade after he spent much of the briefing making the case for adequate, stable defense funding.
“I think we’re all aware in this country of the president’s affection and respect for the military,” Mattis told reporters at the White House.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have blasted the idea as frivolous and a waste of Defense dollars at a time when the Pentagon is highlighting readiness issues.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) said he didn't “know that it’s necessary.”
The last large-scale military parade in Washington featuring Pentagon hardware and troops took place in 1991 to celebrate the end of the Gulf War. That display cost an estimated $8 million.
White House tries to defend John Kelly’s conduct in domestic abuse scandal, only makes things worse
Raj Shah attempted to defend Kelly in the face of reports that he knew about domestic abuse allegations against Rob Porter.
On Thursday afternoon, White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah made his first appearance at the podium and attempted to defend the conduct of Chief of Staff John Kelly in recent months. It did not go well.
Shah attempted to defend Kelly in the face of reports that he knew about domestic abuse allegations against Rob Porter, who served until Wednesday as White House Staff Secretary. Kelly allowed him to stay in the job even though Porter, who was regularly dealing with classified materials, could not get a permanent security clearance. Even after the allegations were made public, Kelly offered an unqualified endorsement of Porter and reportedly tried to convince him not to resign.
Shah said that Kelly become “fully aware of the allegations yesterday.” Asked if Kelly was “partially aware” or, as was reported by multiple outlets, if he knew about the allegations in November, Shah said that he was “not going to get into specifics.”
Shah was also pressed on Kelly’s claim in a statement released Wednesday night that the allegations were “shocking.” Kelly initially responded to the accusations that he physically and mentally abused two ex-wives with a full endorsement of Porter’s character.
“So, you’re saying the initial reports were two former wives accused him of violence, both physical and verbal abuse, was not sufficient for him to say he was not a man of honor?” Shah was asked.
Shah said that Kelly was referring to the “full nature of the allegations,” including “images.”
Shah was pressed a third time about whether Kelly knew about the claims Porter’s ex-wives made to the FBI about physical abuse.
“Are you saying the chief of staff of this White House had no idea Rob Porter’s two ex-wives had domestic violation allegations against him when they made those claims to the FBI, that John Kelly did not know that? How is that possible that the chief of staff did not know that?” a reporter asked.
Shah said that the “the chief of staff does not get detailed updates about what may or may not have been alleged,” leaving unanswered the question of whether he got a general update about the allegations.
Shah also repeatedly said that Porter was “terminated” on Wednesday, when the White House had said it was his decision to resign. Shah defended the decision to allow Porter to stay in his job for more than a year with a temporary security clearance because his background check “had not been completed.”
Under siege, Shah finally acknowledged that “we all could have done better over the last few hours or last few days in dealing with this situation.”
The National Organization for Women agrees, and is calling for Kelly to be fired.
Ryan: 'Do not' doubt my commitment to solving DACA
BY SCOTT WONG - 02/08/18 01:05 PM EST
Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Thursday had a message for his critics who don’t think he’s serious about protecting hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants: Don’t doubt me.
“I know that there is a real commitment to solving the DACA challenge in both political parties. That’s a commitment that I share. To anyone who doubts my intention to solve this problem and bring up a DACA and immigration reform bill, do not,” Ryan told reporters at his weekly news conference in the Capitol.
“We will bring a solution to the floor — one that the president will sign.”
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democrats are pressuring Ryan to immediately bring legislation to the floor to shield from deportation the so-called Dreamers, immigrants who were brought to country illegally as children.
In a record-setting eight-hour speech on the House floor Wednesday, Pelosi vowed to oppose a bipartisan deal to boost spending and avert a government shutdown early Friday because the agreement excluded an immigration solution. President the rich asshole has said protections will end next month for about 800,000 recipients of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
The Speaker, however, argued that passing the massive budget caps deal Thursday would allow Congress to focus its efforts on the immigration issue.
“Guess what? In order to shift our focus and get onto the next big priority, which is a DACA solution, we’ve got to get this budget agreement done,” Ryan said. “And I’ll say it once and I’ll say it again, we will bring a DACA solution to the floor.”
Another point of contention between Ryan and Pelosi is how exactly an immigration bill will come to the floor. Pelosi has asked Ryan for a more free-wheeling amendment process, where competing proposals come to the floor and the most popular bill advances.
But Ryan has rejected that approach, saying he’ll only bring an immigration bill to the floor that he’s sure the rich asshole will sign.
“I want to make sure we get it done right the first time. I don’t want to just risk a veto. I want to get it right the first time, and I think we can get there,” Ryan said. “I’m confident we can bring a bipartisan solution to the floor that can get signed into law and solve this problem.”
Pelosi will not whip Democrats against budget vote
BY MIKE LILLIS - 02/08/18 12:01 PM EST
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday reiterated her opposition to a sweeping two-year budget deal expected to hit the floor later in the day, but said she won’t be pushing rank-and-file Democrats to join her in voting against it.
“I’m just telling people why I’m voting the way I’m voting,” she told reporters in the Capitol, just hours before federal funding expires.
The decision not to whip against the package is sure to infuriate some immigrant rights advocates, including those in her own caucus.
Critics have accused Pelosi and other Democratic leaders of failing to maximize their leverage in recent budget fights for the sake of securing legal protections for the “Dreamers,” young immigrants brought to the country illegally as kids.
Pelosi churned countless headlines on Wednesday when she seized the House floor for more than eight hours in a one-woman protest against the Republicans’ inaction on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which President the rich asshole is ending on March 5.
She vowed to oppose the budget package unless Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) guaranteed a DACA vote in the House, as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has done in the upper chamber.
But Pelosi’s critics have charged that, without following the speech with a strong whip effort against the budget deal, her feat of endurance amounts to little more than empty theater.
“I’m thankful to her for giving that speech; I applaud her for giving the speech, and now tomorrow I want her to use the same kind of tenacity and muscle and perseverance to stop the Democrats from folding,” Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) said Wednesday evening.
“Because what you have is collusion … between a group of Democrats and some rich asshole that will lead to the deportation of Dreamers.”
Pelosi helped negotiate the bipartisan budget package, which would prevent an imminent government shutdown and dictate federal spending over the next two years. Included are a host of provisions favored by the Democrats, including a bump in funding for efforts to combat the opioid crisis, veterans health care, emergency disaster relief and a popular children’s health care program.
Pelosi described it as “a good bill” — but one she can’t support because it lacks an accompanying commitment from Ryan to vote to preserve DACA.
“I fought very hard for many of the things that are in there, and I think it’s a good bill. … It’s unfortunate that it’s taking place in an insulting way for those of us who are trying to protect the values of our country,” she said.
“I’m pleased with the product; I’m not pleased with the process.”
Pelosi amplified her calls for Ryan to stage an immediate vote to protect the Dreamers, urging the Speaker to bring any and all competing proposals to the floor and let the most popular bill advance — a contest known in Congress as the “queen of the hill.”
“Bring everything to the floor,” Pelosi said. “Let everybody vote for what they believe.”
Ryan, playing hardball, has promised no such vote, saying that he won’t consider any DACA bill that lacks the rich asshole’s support.
Both chambers are expected to vote on the budget package Thursday, just hours before the current short-term spending patch expires. The Senate, moving first, is expected to pass the measure easily, while the House vote — facing opposition from members on both sides of the aisle — is less certain.
Still, Ryan said Thursday morning that he’s confident the bill will clear the lower chamber.
“I feel good,” he told the conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
“Part of it depends on the Democrats. This is a bipartisan bill. It’s going to need bipartisan support.”
The budget agreement would extend government spending through March 23, allowing appropriators to work on a longer-term omnibus package through the remainder of the fiscal year.
If Congress fails to pass another patch by the end of Thursday, large parts of the government would begin to shutter at midnight.
Paul Ryan says he has the votes for budget deal
BY MELANIE ZANONA - 02/08/18 09:49 AM EST
Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said on Thursday that he believes he has the votes needed to pass a massive budget deal and avoid a government shutdown, despite pushback from both the left and right over the bipartisan deal.
“I think we will,” Ryan told radio show host Hugh Hewitt when pressed on whether he will have the votes. “I feel good. Part of it depends on the Democrats. This is a bipartisan bill. It’s going to need bipartisan support.”
The package to bust spending caps and raise the debt ceiling is expected to easily pass the Senate on Thursday and be sent over to the House, where it could be a tougher lift. Passing the measure would keep the government open for another six weeks and avoid a shutdown set for midnight Thursday.
Ryan pointed out that the bill includes a number of other GOP priorities, including an increase in military funding, disaster aid and the repeal of an ObamaCare advisory board.
But the House Freedom Caucus, a band of roughly 30 conservative hard-liners, took an official position against the package on Wednesday evening after revolting against the measure earlier in the day over fiscal concerns.
That means Ryan and his leadership team will need to rely on dozens of Democratic votes to help get the spending deal through the lower chamber to avert a government shutdown.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who was intimately involved in the high-level budget caps negotiation, is vowing to oppose the deal unless she gets a commitment to consider legislation in the House to protect young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children, popularly known as “Dreamers.”
But it’s unclear how many other Democrats will also vote against the legislation without concessions on immigration.
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) said Wednesday night that Democratic leaders were not whipping their members on the budget deal. He expressed openness to supporting the agreement, which includes a number of other Democratic priorities, and said he does not feel pressure to oppose to it.
“I’m going to look at it, and we’ll see what happens, but what I’ve seen so far, it looks like it’s moving in the right direction,” Ryan said on Thursday.
The deal, announced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), calls for raising the debt ceiling through March 2019 and busting budget caps imposed by the 2011 Budget Control Act. It would boost funding for the Pentagon and domestic programs by about $300 billion over current levels over the next two fiscal years, but lawmakers said that only about $100 billion of that would be offset.
The framework has the backing of President the rich asshole, who on Twitter called it "so important for our great Military."
It also calls for an additional four years of funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program, $90 billion in additional disaster aid for hurricane-ravaged Florida, Puerto Rico and Texas, billions more to fight the opioid epidemic, and funding for community health centers that serve the poor and uninsured.
The legislation would keep the government funded for another six weeks, through March 23. That would give lawmakers enough time to write an omnibus spending bill to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year and break the pattern of passing continuing resolutions.
Dem rep mocks the rich asshole on military parade: His last one 'not very well attended'
BY MALLORY SHELBOURNE - 02/07/18 09:13 AM EST
A Democratic lawmaker on Tuesday mocked the idea of a military parade at the request of President the rich asshole, suggesting last year’s inauguration was “not very well attended.”
“There was already a #TrumpParade in DC,” Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) wrote on Twitter. “Not very well attended the first time, would be a waste of Pentagon time and resources the second time.”
There was already a #TrumpParade in DC. Not very well attended the first time, would be a waste of Pentagon time and resources the second time.
Photo: usat.ly/2nNlH8m
Larsen included a photo from the president’s inauguration showing empty stands and a link to a USA Today article titled, “There were a lot of empty seats in the stands along the rich asshole's parade route.”
The tweet followed a Washington Post report that said the rich asshole asked the Pentagon to look into holding a military parade. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders later confirmed that the rich asshole requested the Defense Department “explore a celebration” for Americans to demonstrate their support for the military.
The subject of the rich asshole’s inauguration crowd size became a thorn in the side of former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who in his first briefing from the podium insisted the rich asshole had “the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe.”
Pictures of the event seemed to show a much smaller crowd than the administration was claiming.
some rich asshole Desperately Announces To The World That He’s ‘Better Than Obama’
some rich asshole is obsessively jealous of former President Barack Obama and it shows almost every single day. The former reality show star can’t fill his predecessor’s shoes and that makes him feel inadequate. So, he sent out a mass email with the header ‘Better than Obama.’
the rich asshole claimed, without giving a source, that he’s doing a better job than President Obama was on this day in 2010.
“President the rich asshole has a stronger approval rating (48%) today than Barack Obama (44%) did in 2010 on this same day,” the email reads. “But we bet you won’t hear it from the media.”
The email came with the header, “Better than Obama” as if he’s in a contest. Note: It’s addressed to Zilda because I use the name ‘Zilda Snaggletooth’ to get his emails. Don’t ask me why. I have no idea why I did that.
Then, the rich asshole asks the recipients of his ego-email to rate his job performance, giving only the options of: Great, Good, Okay and other.
That is fake news. President Obama was a popular President. the rich asshole is the least popular ‘president’ of any other in history at this point in his so-called presidency.
the rich asshole has made this claim before.
“While the Fake News loves to talk about my so-called low approval rating, @foxandfriends just showed that my rating on Dec. 28, 2017, was approximately the same as President Obama on Dec. 28, 2009, which was 47%…and this despite massive negative the rich asshole coverage & Russia hoax!” he tweeted in late December.
While the Fake News loves to talk about my so-called low approval rating, @foxandfriends just showed that my rating on Dec. 28, 2017, was approximately the same as President Obama on Dec. 28, 2009, which was 47%...and this despite massive negative Trump coverage & Russia hoax!
That claim was debunked by FiveThirtyEight, showing that Obama was well ahead of the rich asshole after almost a year in the White House. Obama had an average approval rating of 49.6 percent through 343 days while the rich asshole came in at 37.7 percent.
Sad!
‘Bullshit’: Navy SEAL Who Killed Osama Bin Laden Just Rained All Over the rich asshole’s Military Parade
The former U.S. Navy SEAL who says he fired the shots that killed Osama bin Laden shredded some rich asshole over his decision to instruct the Pentagon to hold a massive military parade in the nation’s capital. In October, the rich asshole hosted a dinner for Robert J. O’Neill who was joined by his new wife. Kid Rock, a vocal the rich asshole supporter, was featured at O’Neill and Jessica Halpin’s wedding. O’Neil retired from the military in 2012, and two years later, identified himself as the Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden during an interview with Fox News. By this point, you’ve realized that O’Neill is a rich asshole supporting conservative but he’s not too keen on the rich asshole’s big military parade.
“A military parade is third world bullshit,” O’Neill tweeted on Thursday. “We prepare. We deter. We fight. Stop this conversation.”
Of course, President Obama didn’t request a military parade for himself after ordering the capture or killing of Osama bin Laden. He chaired five National Security Council meetings to discuss an operation to raid bin Laden’s compound in 2011. The morning after the last meeting, Obama gave the order to raid bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan. The next day, Obama addressed the nation to announce that Osama bin Laden had been killed. Conservatives have never given him credit for that. But somehow, most the rich asshole supporters feel that 45 should have a military parade even though he avoided serving because his feet hurt.
O’Neill, though, called the rich asshole out.
When the rich asshole visited France last year on Bastille Day, he was in awe of the military parade and he wanted one, too. His quest for a big parade is driven by his massive ego and it will cost taxpayers millions of dollars.
Joe Biden Comes Out And Says It: the rich asshole Is Being Blackmailed By Putin
As everyone else avoids directly addressing what is going on with some rich asshole and Russia, former Vice President Joe Biden just doesn’t seem to feel the need to mince words.
MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell asked Biden on Thursday why the rich asshole was “so reluctant to take on Vladimir Putin” — and she got an answer she probably was not expecting.
“Look, you know, I want to give every American, including the president, the benefit of the doubt, but I can’t fathom any reason other than he is concerned of what Putin might say or do, or what information he may or may not have,” Biden said, adding that the rich asshole administration was not making a sufficient effort to prevent Russia from again interfering in our elections.
“But look, unrelated to the whole issue of whether or not there’s collusion, separate and apart from all that, it’s necessary for us to stem this problem,” he told Mitchell. “It’s necessary for us to corral the Russians.”
Biden’s words come as the head of cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security confirms (again) that Russian hackers did indeed successfully penetrate the voter registrations of several states during the election. There is no evidence as of yet that any votes were changed, but cybersecurity expert Jeremy Epstein says that such a thing might not be obvious.
“So as a remote attacker, I can target an election management system, one of these ballot programming computers. If I can infect it with malicious software, I can have that malicious software spread to the individual machines on the memory cards, and then change votes on Election Day,” Epstein says.
“This is a real threat,” election technology expert Larry Norden agrees. “It’s not going away, and if anything, foreign adversaries, even people at home, might be emboldened to do this more going forward. And to me it is a real call that we have to do more as soon as possible to secure these systems.”
With the rich asshole administration refusing to implement bipartisan sanctions against Russia, “emboldened” is probably how Putin is feeling right now.
Watch Biden say what’s going on below:
Asked about White House abuse scandal, Mike Pence has no answers
"It's a great honor for me to serve as vice president."
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly reportedly tried to cover up a White House domestic abuse scandal, and may have jeopardized national security in the process.
On Tuesday, The Daily Mail published accounts from two of White House secretary Rob Porter’s ex-wives, who claimed he had previously abused them. In the wake of those allegations, Kelly released a statement unequivocally defending Porter, but backtracked later, releasing a second statement in which he claimed he was “shocked by the new allegations.”
However, according to sources who spoke to CNN and Politico this week, Kelly and senior White House staffers reportedly knew about the domestic abuse allegations for months, but allowed Porter to keep his job handling highly classified documents anyway.
The controversy has sparked calls for Kelly’s resignation. On Thursday, the National Organization for Women released a statement blasting him as an enabler and calling on him to step down.
“Women who work for John Kelly are asking themselves today if they can trust General Kelly to protect them from sexual predators. Clearly, they can’t,” spokespersons wrote.
Despite the backlash, some Republicans would still rather talk about anything else.
Mike Pence
Speaking with reporters in Japan, Pence — who’s on his way to the Winter Olympics in South Korea — said he had just learned of the accusations against Porter that morning and wouldn’t comment on them until he was back in the states.
A reporter followed up by asking the vice president if he could explain why he “often seem[ed] a little bit out of the loop on some of this major news,” indirectly referencing several instances, including Pence’s claim last year that he had made false statements to the press about former national security adviser Mike Flynn’s contacts with Russia because other officials had misinformed him.
Pence ignored the question entirely, replying, “It’s a great honor for me to serve as vice president.”
Mac Thornberry
During a CNN interview, House Armed Services Committee Chair Mac Thornberry (R-TX) responded with extreme skepticism to host Brianna Keilar’s question about whether he thought Kelly should resign.
“I don’t know what General Kelly or anybody else knew,” Thornberry said.
Keilar pointed to CNN’s and Politico’s reporting indicating that Kelly had known about the abuse for some time. Thornberry immediately tried to change the topic by insisting he was devoting all of his energy to making sure Congress passes a large military spending increase.
“No look — I am fixed on trying to fix on planes and ships, and do the right thing by the military,” he said.
Later during the interview, Thornberry said he hadn’t invested much thought in the White House abuse scandal because “if you are a soldier on a mountaintop in Afghanistan right now, or standing near the Demilitarized Zone in South Korea, you are not concerned about the to-ing an fro-ing of all of this politics.”
Like Thornberry, the rich asshole’s favorite cable network has desperately been trying to change the topic and shift focus to other issues. While the White House abuse scandal has been a dominant story for most major outlets, Fox News has mostly ignored it, pushing debunked conspiracy theories about the Obama administration instead.
Why is John Kelly still in the White House?
Kelly engaged in a series of wildly irresponsible actions to cover up a domestic abuse scandal and may have jeopardized national security.
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly was supposed to be a “moderating influence” on the rich asshole — the “adult” who would impose military order on a chaotic White House.
Instead, Kelly engaged in a series of wildly irresponsible actions to cover up a domestic abuse scandal that ultimately may have jeopardized national security. As his actions were exposed, Kelly expressed no contrition and gave a variety of conflicting and self-serving statements.
In most White Houses, this fact pattern would cost Kelly his job. “John Kelly Must Resign,” the National Organization for Women said in a statement on Thursday afternoon. Kelly’s standing in the rich asshole White House, however, is far more uncertain.
Kelly reportedly knew for months about allegations that Rob Porter beat women
Before he resigned on Wednesday, Rob Porter was the White House Staff Secretary, an extremely important but low-profile position that controls the information flow to the president. Porter also served as the former chief of staff to Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), which made him one of the few White House aides with high-level government experience. By all accounts, Porter was valued by Kelly, who became the rich asshole’s chief of staff last July. Kelly viewed Porter as a key ally in his efforts to impose discipline on the White House.
But Porter, according to his ex-wives, had a dark past. Colbie Holderness, who married Porter in 2003, told CNN that “the physical abuse began almost immediately after their wedding.” Holderness said “Porter’s repeated physically abusive behavior also included throwing her on the bed and forcefully pushing one of his limbs into her body in anger and choking her.” In 2005, he allegedly punched her in the face.
Jennifer Willoughby married Porter in 2009. They quickly separated and, according to Willoughby, “Porter came looking for her at their previously shared home and it appeared that he had punched a glass pane on the front door.” She sought and received a temporary protective order in 2010. She alleges that Porter also physically assaulted her when she was in the shower that year. CNN also reported there was a third woman who dated Porter and reached out to his ex-wives for advice on how to exit the abusive relationship.
According to multiple reports, Kelly knew for months before Porter resigned that multiple women alleged he beat them up.
Politico, citing a senior administrative official, reported that “Kelly and other top White House officials were aware of the allegations, including the 2010 protective order, weeks and in some cases months before they were made public.” Similarly, CNN reported that by “early fall, it was widely known among the rich asshole’s top aides — including chief of staff John Kelly — both that Porter was facing troubles in obtaining the clearance and that his ex-wives claimed he had abused them.”
When the allegations of abuse became public, Kelly unequivocally defended Porter
The allegations against Porter were first made public by the Daily Mail. In a statement to the paper on February 6, Kelly expressed his unequivocal support.
Rob Porter is a man of true integrity and honor and I can’t say enough good things about him. He is a friend, a confidante and a trusted professional. I am proud to serve alongside him.
Kelly did not say he would investigate the allegations or offer any commentary on the issue of domestic abuse. Privately, Kelly reportedly encouraged Porter not to resign and to “stay and fight.”
As the tide shifted against Porter, Kelly feigned ignorance
As more details of Porter’s abuse emerged, including a photo of Holderness with a black eye, Kelly released a new statement in which he pretended to have just learned about the abuse allegations.
I was shocked by the new allegations released today against Rob Porter. There is no place for domestic violence in our society. I stand by my previous comments of the Rob Porter that I have come to know since becoming Chief of Staff, and believe every individual deserves the right to defend their reputation. I accepted his resignation earlier today, and will ensure a swift and orderly transition
We know from multiple reports that the idea that Kelly would be “shocked” by these allegations is not credible. Further, he had previously commented on the allegations to the Daily Mail and did not express any shock, only support for Porter.
Kelly allowed Porter to handle highly classified information, despite his inability to obtain a security clearance and his susceptibility to blackmail
The job of White House Staff Secretary is extremely important because its responsibilities include controlling the information that flows to the president, which naturally includes highly classified material. As such, it requires a security clearance.
Porter, however, was unable to receive a security clearance because his former spouses told the FBI about his alleged domestic abuse. Holderness told the FBI she thought Porter was susceptible to blackmail because people knew about his history of domestic abuse. Willoughby said Porter called her and angrily demanded that she remove a blog post in which she documented Porter’s abuse, citing delays to his security clearance. He called her again in January when reporters started investigating his past. Both times, she refused.
Despite his inability to obtain a security clearance, Kelly allowed Porter to keep his job. Kelly’s actions, therefore, didn’t just fail morally — they also endangered national security.
“Kelly’s conduct is a violation of best practice in both White House personnel and intelligence handling,” Norm Eisen, White House Counsel in the Obama administration, told ThinkProgress. “He exposed the White House and so the nation to compromise by sharing America’s and our allies’ most closely held secrets with someone he happened to like but who was subject to blackmail. Now that person is gone but takes all the secrets with him in his head, so the risk continues.”
Eisen described Kelly’s actions as “truly shocking.”
George W. Bush: Russia meddled in election
BY AVERY ANAPOL - 02/08/18 07:13 AM EST
Former President George W. Bush on Thursday said that there is “clear evidence” of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
Bush made the comments while speaking at a summit in Abu Dhabi, according to The Associated Press, at a time when tensions are rising between President the rich asshole and U.S. intelligence agencies over the investigation into Russian meddling.
“There’s pretty clear evidence that the Russians meddled,” Bush said, the news service reported. “Whether they affected the outcome is another question.”
“It’s problematic that a foreign nation is involved in our election system,” he added. “Our democracy is only as good as people trust the results.”
U.S. intelligence agencies concluded last year that Russia interfered in the election, and evidence that Russian operatives used social media platforms to influence voter opinions continues to build.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday that Russia is already attempting to interfere in the 2018 midterm elections.
There are several ongoing investigations into whether the rich asshole campaign colluded with Russia to win the election, probes which the rich asshole has repeatedly referred to as witch hunts.
The rich asshole administration earlier this month declined to impose new sanctions on Russia over the meddling, saying that the threat of increased sanctions is already “serving as a deterrent” to the Kremlin.
In his latest remarks, Bush also criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that he has a “chip on his shoulder.”
“The reason he does is because of the demise of the Soviet Union troubles him,” Bush said, according to the AP. “Therefore, much of his moves [are] to regain Soviet hegemony.”
the rich asshole ‘global gag rule’ revival is set to hit Planned Parenthood hard
White House policy could cost the International Planned Parenthood Federation $100 million in funding.
A rule revived by the rich asshole administration gutting funding for organizations that perform or promote abortions abroad could cost the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) around $100 million in funding, according to analysis by the New York Times. It’s the latest indication that White House efforts to hinder reproductive justice work are hitting the well-known non-profit health organization.
According to a State Department report on Tuesday, four organizations working internationally (along with dozens of their regional partners) have rejected rules reintroduced by the rich asshole administration requiring health care funding recipients to eschew any connection to abortion. The White House argues that number is relatively small — of the 733 organizations with funding up for renewal, the government says 729 accepted the new stipulations laid out by President the rich asshole.
But those that opted out will be hit hard. While the organizations that declined to go along with the rich asshole’s mandate remained unnamed in the State Department report, both Marie Stopes International (based in London) and IPPF have publicly said they will decline. According to the Times, Marie Stopes works in 37 countries and will lose out on $80 million, while IPPF, active in over 170 countries with 29 impacted by the ban, will likely see a $100 million loss.
The United States serves as the world’s biggest source of health funding, providing around $8.8 billion in global assistance annually. Officials said that money declined by the four organizations would go to others providing similar services, but were unable to speak to the long-term impact the funding stipulations might have globally.
“It is too early to analyze systematically what effect, if any, this will have on programming,” the report reads. “When a partner declines to agree to the policy and the department or agency reprograms funds to other organizations, the amount of funding directed to respective recipient countries will remain the same.”
The report was intended to measure the impact of a policy the rich asshole revived shortly after taking office. The Mexico City policy, also known as the “global gag rule,” is a Reagan-era policy that bars international funding for any organization that offers abortion counseling or referrals, advocates for decriminalizing abortion, or offers abortion services. It has been revived and rescinded on a partisan basis: Republican administrations have typically favored it while Democratic administrations have not.
Reviving the policy has far-reaching implications. Currently, no U.S. federal funding can be used to fund abortions under the Hyde amendment. Another piece of legislation, the Helms amendment, prohibits international groups from using U.S. funding for abortions. The global gag rule goes a step further, preventing organizations from using separate funds in countries without restrictions like those in the United States.
Unlike past Republican presidents, the rich asshole has expanded the rule to include all U.S. global health assistance, as opposed to reproductive health efforts alone. Typically, the global gag rule impacts around $600 million in funding. But the rich asshole’s decision to bring the policy back on his first working day in office impacted nearly $9 billion in international aid. The Kaiser Family Foundation has estimated some 1,275 foreign non-governmental organizations could be impacted by the policy.
A number of studies have shown that international funding for abortion is crucial. Around 42 million people worldwide elect to have abortions annually and nearly 70,000 die as a result of abortions performed without appropriate safety measures. The global gag rule exacerbates those statistics: in many countries, pregnant people are twice as likely to have an unsafe abortion when global funds are restricted.
Historically, the policy has backfired: When the gag rule was last revived under President George W. Bush, abortion rates actually increased in Sub-Saharan Africa. The policy’s revival has also shuttered clinics across developing areas around the world, leading to restricted access to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, along with trauma counseling for survivors of rape. One Kenyan health clinic described the global gag rule as “a death sentence” for those seeking care.
Those statistics have done little to slow legislators who take issue with safe and legal abortion services — especially those provided or funded by Planned Parenthood’s U.S. branch, PPFA. The organization has long been a favorite target of conservatives and the the rich asshole administration, who have sought to defund all of its health care efforts, including HIV tests, STD screenings, pelvic exams, and general health services. While he has waffled on his stance towards the organization, the rich asshole has repeatedly worked to gut Planned Parenthood since taking office, inserting provisions in his Affordable Care Act repeal bill last March, which would have stripped the non-profit of funding, in order to appease ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus members.
Arguably no policy under the rich asshole has targeted the organization more than the global gag rule. At the time of the policy’s revival in 2017, Planned Parenthood joined a coalition from a wide range of sectors in criticizing the decision.
“When in place, the negative impacts of the global gag rule have been broad and severe: health services have been dismantled in a number of communities; clinics that provided a range of reproductive, maternal, and child health care, including HIV testing and counseling, were forced to close; outreach efforts to hard to reach populations were eliminated; and access to contraceptives was severely limited, resulting in more unintended pregnancies and more unsafe abortions,” the coalition wrote in a letter.
IPPF has not formally responded to the State Department’s report. Spokespersons for the organization did not immediately return a request for comment.
GOP senator reams John Kelly for defending alleged wife beater: ‘You can’t beat the hell out of your spouse’
Retired General John Kelly has been confirmed as Secretary of Homeland Security, a sprawling department responsible for everything from domestic antiterrorism to border security and disaster prevention. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
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Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) on Thursday slammed White House Chief of Staff John Kelly for making a “bad decision” when he defended a staffer who is accused of beating multiple wives.
During an interview on CNN, host John Berman asked Kennedy if he is troubled by reports that Kelly knew that one of his aides, staff secretary Rob Porter, had been accused of domestic abuse but did not fire him. Porter later submitted his resignation after the charges became public.
Kennedy agreed that the allegations “appear to be the truth.”
“If you want to serve the public, particularly as a member of the president’s staff, I don’t care who you are,” the Louisiana Republican continued. “Even if you are a Rhodes Scholar, you can’t beat the hell out of your spouse. It’s wrong.”
Berman pointed out that Kelly had initially defended Porter, calling him a “man of honor and integrity.” But in a subsequent statement, the chief of staff insisted that he had been “shocked” by the allegations of domestic abuse.
Kennedy praised the job Kelly has done as chief of staff but concluded that defending Porter was a “bad decision.” The senator stopped short of calling on Kelly to step down.
Watch the video below from CNN.
Puerto Rican town rebuilds its own power grid after they grow tired of begging US government for help
Puerto Rico in wake of Hurricane Maria (Photo by Hector Retamal/AFP)
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Residents of the Puerto Rican town of Caomo had collectively rebuilt their own power grid after they got tired of waiting for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help them out.
NBC News reports that citizens in the town have been “pulling power lines from undergrowth and digging holes for wooden posts in a do-it-yourself effort to solve a small part of the United States’ longest-running power outage,” which first occurred starting last October when Hurricane Maria struck the island.
Vice Mayor Edgardo Vazquez tells NBC News that his town had to take this drastic measure because it was unlikely that power would be restored until next summer otherwise.
60-year-old resident Carmita Rivera tells NBC News that she started organizing people to help rebuild the grid after dealing for months with delays in repairs and living in the dark.
“Desperation set in,” she said. “We all felt like: ‘What about us? We’re human beings. Enough is enough.'”
Sue Kelly, president and CEO of the American Public Power Association, tells NBC News that Caomo’s story is inspiring — but also troubling, as efforts that aren’t coordinated by professional electricians can often result in serious injuries.
“The biggest issue is safety,” she said. “We are making good progress… but uncoordinated efforts can result in death.”
‘You’re a Nazi’: CNN’s Alisyn Camerota destroys Republican candidate after he calls Holocaust a ‘scam’
Alisyn Camerota speaks to Arthur Jones (CNN/screen grab)
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CNN’s Alisyn Camerota on Thursday told a Republican candidate for U.S. Congress in Illinois that she hoped he would lose after he denied the Holocaust and became visibly angry at her.
In an interview on CNN’s New Day, Camerota noted that Arthur Jones was poised to take the Republican nomination for 3rd Congressional District because he is running unopposed.
“It is shocking to hear how vocally unapologetic you are about your racism,” Camerota told Jones. “Are you a Nazi?”
“I don’t call myself a Nazi, I call myself an American patriot and statesmen,” Jones insisted.
The CNN host noted that Jones had been part of anti-Semitic groups for over 40 years, that he attends Nazi rallies and was part of the White People’s Party.
“You dress in Nazi garb and you celebrate Hitler’s birthday,” Camerota explained. “You’re a Nazi.”
For his part, Jones insisted that he no longer a member of Nazi organizations.
“I haven’t belonged to one since about 1990,” he said.
As the interview continued, Jones became combative, refusing to let Camerota finish questions. At one point, he referred to the Holocaust as an “extortion racket” and a “scam.”
“Here’s the good news,” Camerota remarked. “You have a long track record of losing. You lose virtually everything that you run for. You’ve run for Congress and you’ve lost, for mayor, for alderman. And we’re not in the business of predicting of predicting the news but I can say that you will lose this race.”
“Chances are, you’ll go down in flames,” she concluded.
Watch the video below from CNN.
CNN did an absolutely insane interview with an actual Nazi running for Congress in Chicago
Jones on CNN Screenshot via RealNewsNetworkMedia/Youtube
- CNN interviewed Nazi and Holocaust denier Arthur Jones, who is running unopposed in a Republican congressional primary in Illinois.
- Jones used anti-Semitic and homophobic language in the interview, and made baseless claims about the Holocaust.
- The Republican Party has condemned Jones, but he will likely clinch the nomination.
- But he's likely to lose the general election to a Democrat in the deep blue Chicago area.
CNN's Alisyn Camerota interviewed a Nazi and Holocaust denier on CNN on Thursday, and the result was an insane, bewildering, largely unproductive shouting match.
Arthur Jones is a self-described white supremacist who is running in the Republican primaries in Illinois's 3rd congressional district, which runs southwest from Chicago's downtown into the city's suburbs. In deep blue Chicagoland, Jones is running unopposed for the party's nomination.
Camerota began the interview by challenging Jones on his past membership in the American Nazi Party, the White People's Party, and his history as a vocal Holocaust denier. Jones replied that he was just a red-blooded American.
“I don't call myself a Nazi; I call myself an American patriot and statesman," Jones said.
Jones' campaign website has a section devoted to the "Holocaust Racket," referring to the genocide that killed 6 million Jews, calling it the "the biggest blackest
Camerota had some choice words for the content on Jones' site.
“You can call it whatever you want, Mr. Jones, but your website is filled with the most vile, rancid, rhetoric, I think I've ever read," she told him.
In response, Jones embarked on an anti-Semitic and homophobic tirade.
"It's not vile and rancid, it's the truth!" he yelled. "It's one man, one man, myself, that's standing for the truth, and the news media can't stand that — the Democrats and Republicans, the cursed two-party, Jew party, queer party system — can't stand that!"
Despite his apparent disdain for both parties, Jones is running on the Republican ticket. But both the local and national Republican parties have disavowed him.
“We condemn this candidate and his hateful rhetoric in the strongest possible terms," said a Republican National Committee spokesman.
During the course of the interview, Jones made a number of baseless claims about the Holocaust, stating that Holocaust survivors had forged records to obtain Social Security benefits.
Camerota asked him how he would adequately represent the 7,000 Jewish people living within the 3rd congressional district's boundaries, to which Jones replied that he was only interested in representing "white, Christian, patriots."
She closed the interview by pointing to Jones' past failures in running for public office.
"You have a long track record of losing," Camerota said. "You lose virtually everything you run for. You've run for congressman and you've lost, for mayor, for alderman, and we're not in the business of predicting the news, but I can say that you will lose this race. You couldn't have been a dog catcher."
Watch the full interview here:
Mike Pence lies about his support for anti-gay conversion therapy during riff with Olympic skater Adam Rippon
Mike Pence (Photo: by Michael Vadon/Flickr)
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Mike Pence overnight posted a very Trumpian tweet in his latest attempt to not take responsibility for having supported funding for anti-gay conversion therapy.
And while the Vice President can call it “fake news,” it’s not.
Olympic skater Adam Rippon last month slammed Vice President Pence for his support of the fraudulent practice of anti-gay conversion therapy, in a USA Today interview. Pence reportedly was so angered by Rippon’s remarks within an hour of the article being published his office tried to arrange a conversation with the Olympic skater, who at the time was the first openly-gay athlete to participate in the Winter Olympic Games.
Rippon refused, as USA Today’s Christine Brennan reported. She spoke with CNN Thursday morning to explain the entire story.
The Vice President “was so concerned about the criticism he received from U.S. Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon that his staff went to the extraordinary length of asking the U.S. Olympic Committee to set up a conversation between the two – an offer Rippon turned down,” Brennan reported.
Pence’s office is now refuting that they tried to arrange a conversation, but Brennan stands by her reporting, as she told CNN Thursday morning.
Conversion therapy, also known as reparative therapy, is a dangerous practice that supposedly turns gay people straight. It does not. In fact, every major medical organization has warned of the possible harms it can bring, which noting it is ineffective. It has also been linked to suicide. Judges have ruled it is “fraud.”
Yet when running for re-election as a U.S. Congressman Mike Pence’s campaign website noted he supported funding the practice, which Pence now denies.
“The widespread belief that Pence supports gay conversion therapy,” USA Today noted, “comes from a statement he made in 2000 on his congressional campaign website: ‘Resources should be directed toward those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior.’ While he didn’t explicitly mention gay conversion therapy, leaders in the LGBT community have said they believe that’s what Pence meant in light of his long-standing opposition to gay rights.”
Pence also tweeted directly to Rippon, basically telling the Olympic athlete what he told USA Today is fake news too:
The Republican Party will have a Nazi on the ballot come November.
Warning viewers that “the language you’re about to hear in this segment is offensive,” CNN’s Alisyn Camerota interviewed a combative Arthur Jones on Thursday morning. He’s the soon-to-be Republican nominee for Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District.
Jones is running unopposed, which means he will be representing the Republican Party in November.
Jones is also a vocal Nazi and a hardcore white supremacist.
“You’ve been part of anti-Semitic groups since the 1970s. You go to neo-Nazi rallies, we have pictures of you there,” Camerota noted, by way of introduction. “You were part of the White People’s Party. You dress in Nazi garb and you celebrate Hitler’s birthday — you’re a Nazi.”
When Jones insisted he’s not a member of any formal party, Camerota shot back, “You can call it whatever you want, Mr. Jones, but your website is filled with the most vile, rancid rhetoric I think I’ve ever read.”
Jones defended it as “the truth.”
From there, the interview went South, as Jones angrily attacked Jews and gays, while also stressing, “I’m campaigning as a Republican.” He said he’s committed to representing the “white Christian patriots” in his district.
“Yes, I deny the Holocaust!” Jones insisted, dismissing the World War II genocide as “nothing but an international extortion racket.”
Not surprisingly, the Republican Party has disavowed Jones’ candidacy, insisting his views have no place in the GOP.
But the Jones embarrassment is part of the larger Republican Party problem in 2018. Anchored down by a historically unpopular some rich asshole, the party can’t recruit quality candidates this cycle. Or, in the case of the Illinois 3rd District, it can’t find any candidates to run. Not with the prospects of a Democratic wave building each week.
That’s why Jones is running unopposed and why a Nazi and a Holocaust denier will likely be on the ballot for the GOP come November. Behold, the rich asshole’s GOP.
Pence's lack of concern about such horrifying allegations is stunning, even by the rich asshole administration standards.
Mike Pence’s twisted sense of morality won’t allow him to be alone with a woman without his wife present, but leads him to refer to a roiling domestic abuse scandal as merely a “White House staffing matter.”
some rich asshole and his highest-ranking officials rushed to defend now-ousted White House senior staffer Rob Porter against multiple allegations of domestic violence, from two ex-wives and one girlfriend.
Chief of staff John Kelly released a statement reiterating his previous statement of support of Porter, but added that he was “shocked” by the allegations, while the White House cut Porter loose after previously stating that he would stick around to ease the transition.
But even hours after those developments, Pence couldn’t muster a syllable of outrage about the violence that Porter is accused of, and for which there are photographs.
During a press gaggle at Yokota Air Force Base on Wednesday, Pence was asked to comment on the scandal and the fact that the White House knew of the allegations when Porter was subjected to an FBI background check in February 2017 when he joined the administration.
Pence immediately tried to change the subject. “We’re standing at Yokota Air Force Base in Japan; we’re on our way to the Olympics.”
Pence added that he learned “of those developments” that morning. “And so we’ll comment on any issues affecting White House staff when we get back to Washington.”
Another reporter asked Pence why he “often seem[s] a little bit out of the loop of some of this major news.”
Pence tried to change the subject again. “You know, it’s a great honor for me to serve as vice president,” Pence responded.
“President the rich asshole has been incredibly generous with the responsibilities and opportunities he’s given me to serve, representing the United States on the foreign stage, as we have here in Japan, as we will later today in South Korea, and of course at the Olympics, and also being involved in the legislative process. And I’m very grateful for that.”
He concluded, “But we’ll leave those White House staffing matters for when we get back to Washington.”
Pence’s lack of concern about these allegations is stark, even by the rich asshole administration standards.
But his claim not to have known about Porter’s history highlights a deeper problem for Pence, who led the transition that hired Porter and would have been in a position to know that the FBI flagged his security clearance.
Pence has made a second career out of being left out of the loop, claiming he knew nothing of Michael Flynn’s foreign contacts, despite having been warned about them by Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD). His name is missing from thousands of transition team emails that cover the time period during which Flynn, and Porter, were hired.
While the rich asshole’s entire administration is on the hook for defending Porter even after these allegations surfaced, Pence’s hypocrisy is especially galling given his claims to moral purity, and the likelihood that he’s lying about not having known about Porter from the start.
The GOP memo alleging FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ) misdeeds, emanating from House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), has not proved to be the game-changer that some of President the rich asshole’s most ardent supporters had hoped for.
Even before the memo was released last Friday, media reports suggested that even some figures within the White House considered the document underwhelming. That judgment seems to have been borne out, as the memo has begun to fade from the headlines with the political landscape not fundamentally altered.
Other experts in the field argue that the memo has actually helped the FBI and DOJ.
For example, it stated that the initial impetus for opening a counterintelligence investigation into the rich asshole campaign and Russia was not the disputed dossier prepared by a former British spy, Christopher Steele.
Steele was employed by Fusion GPS, which was in turn being paid in part by the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s campaign. But the probe had been opened because of separate suggestions of Russian meddling emanating from former the rich asshole campaign adviser George Papadopoulos, according to the Nunes memo, though Steele approached the FBI around the same time.
The memo “helps the FBI and the DOJ rather than advance the conspiracy theory that is being advanced by Nunes,” said Jimmy Gurulé, a former assistant attorney general who served in senior law enforcement positions under Republican and Democratic presidents.
Gurulé also argued that the broader narrative being advanced by the president and his loyalists — in essence, that there was a plot in intelligence circles to bring him down — was “irrational, illogical and laughable.”
the rich asshole is not backing away from his charges, however. Shortly after the memo first became public he wrote on Twitter: “This memo totally vindicates ‘the rich asshole’ in probe. But the Russian Witch Hunt goes on and on….This is an American disgrace!”
At Wednesday’s media briefing, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, “The president feels vindicated because he feels like the Russia investigation has been a politically motivated witch hunt for the last year, and the memo clearly vindicates the president’s position that there was political bias.”
Several Republicans have dissented from that assessment, including Reps. Trey Gowdy (S.C.) and Will Hurd (Texas), who are not among the rich asshole’s most frequent GOP critics.
Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) had also stated even before the Nunes memo was released that it did not “impugn the Mueller investigation or the deputy attorney general [Rod Rosenstein].”
That leaves the president still facing into the crosshairs of a possible interview with special counsel Robert Mueller’s team.
the rich asshole has previously said he is willing to be interviewed by Mueller. As recently as late January, he told reporters at the White House, “I’m looking forward to it, actually.” But The New York Times reported earlier this week that his legal team had advised him against agreeing to such an encounter.
At Tuesday’s media briefing, Sanders refused to be drawn on whether the rich asshole would ultimately agree to provide testimony to Mueller.
the rich asshole critics argue that his hesitancy will only further fuel suspicions.
“I think there are a lot of independent voters who are a little exhausted in some ways by this whole thing,” said Republican consultant and the rich asshole critic Rick Wilson. “They don’t love this being the centerpiece every single day.
“But I don’t think some rich asshole gets a whole lot of benefit of the doubt about whether he’s obstructing justice because the more he talks, the more it seems odd. ‘Why are you so angry? Why did you want to get rid of Bob Mueller?’ ”
Nunes has promised further revelations probing the behavior of other arms of government, including the State Department. And some loyalists for the president continue to insist that the Mueller probe is “intractably infected with bias,” as Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) told The Hill earlier this week.
The one significant poll taken since the memo’s release made uncomfortable reading for the rich asshole supporters.
The Quinnipiac University poll, released on Tuesday, found that 53 percent of voters believe that the rich asshole has attempted to “derail or obstruct” the Russia probe, as just 41 percent say he had not. The margin among independent voters was even wider, at 56 percent to 37 percent.
“The ‘earth-shattering’ memo has failed to shatter the earth,” Wilson said.
The Memo is a reported column by Niall Stanage, primarily focused on some rich asshole’s presidency.
The treachery of John Kelly or
Why is John Kelly still in the White House?
Kelly engaged in a series of wildly irresponsible actions to cover up a domestic abuse scandal and may have jeopardized national security.
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly was supposed to be a “moderating influence” on the rich asshole — the “adult” who would impose military order on a chaotic White House.
Instead, Kelly engaged in a series of wildly irresponsible actions to cover up a domestic abuse scandal that ultimately may have jeopardized national security. As his actions were exposed, Kelly expressed no contrition and gave a variety of conflicting and self-serving statements.
In most White Houses, this fact pattern would cost Kelly his job. “John Kelly Must Resign,” the National Organization for Women said in a statement on Thursday afternoon. Kelly’s standing in the rich asshole White House, however, is far more uncertain.
Kelly reportedly knew for months about allegations that Rob Porter beat women
Before he resigned on Wednesday, Rob Porter was the White House Staff Secretary, an extremely important but low-profile position that controls the information flow to the president. Porter also served as the former chief of staff to Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), which made him one of the few White House aides with high-level government experience. By all accounts, Porter was valued by Kelly, who became the rich asshole’s chief of staff last July. Kelly viewed Porter as a key ally in his efforts to impose discipline on the White House.
But Porter, according to his ex-wives, had a dark past. Colbie Holderness, who married Porter in 2003, told CNN that “the physical abuse began almost immediately after their wedding.” Holderness said “Porter’s repeated physically abusive behavior also included throwing her on the bed and forcefully pushing one of his limbs into her body in anger and choking her.” In 2005, he allegedly punched her in the face.
Jennifer Willoughby married Porter in 2009. They quickly separated and, according to Willoughby, “Porter came looking for her at their previously shared home and it appeared that he had punched a glass pane on the front door.” She sought and received a temporary protective order in 2010. She alleges that Porter also physically assaulted her when she was in the shower that year. CNN also reported there was a third woman who dated Porter and reached out to his ex-wives for advice on how to exit the abusive relationship.
According to multiple reports, Kelly knew for months before Porter resigned that multiple women alleged he beat them up.
Politico, citing a senior administrative official, reported that “Kelly and other top White House officials were aware of the allegations, including the 2010 protective order, weeks and in some cases months before they were made public.” Similarly, CNN reported that by “early fall, it was widely known among the rich asshole’s top aides — including chief of staff John Kelly — both that Porter was facing troubles in obtaining the clearance and that his ex-wives claimed he had abused them.”
When the allegations of abuse became public, Kelly unequivocally defended Porter
The allegations against Porter were first made public by the Daily Mail. In a statement to the paper on February 6, Kelly expressed his unequivocal support.
Rob Porter is a man of true integrity and honor and I can’t say enough good things about him. He is a friend, a confidante and a trusted professional. I am proud to serve alongside him.
Kelly did not say he would investigate the allegations or offer any commentary on the issue of domestic abuse. Privately, Kelly reportedly encouraged Porter not to resign and to “stay and fight.”
As the tide shifted against Porter, Kelly feigned ignorance
As more details of Porter’s abuse emerged, including a photo of Holderness with a black eye, Kelly released a new statement in which he pretended to have just learned about the abuse allegations.
I was shocked by the new allegations released today against Rob Porter. There is no place for domestic violence in our society. I stand by my previous comments of the Rob Porter that I have come to know since becoming Chief of Staff, and believe every individual deserves the right to defend their reputation. I accepted his resignation earlier today, and will ensure a swift and orderly transition
We know from multiple reports that the idea that Kelly would be “shocked” by these allegations is not credible. Further, he had previously commented on the allegations to the Daily Mail and did not express any shock, only support for Porter.
Kelly allowed Porter to handle highly classified information, despite his inability to obtain a security clearance and his susceptibility to blackmail
The job of White House Staff Secretary is extremely important because its responsibilities include controlling the information that flows to the president, which naturally includes highly classified material. As such, it requires a security clearance.
Porter, however, was unable to receive a security clearance because his former spouses told the FBI about his alleged domestic abuse. Holderness told the FBI she thought Porter was susceptible to blackmail because people knew about his history of domestic abuse. Willoughby said Porter called her and angrily demanded that she remove a blog post in which she documented Porter’s abuse, citing delays to his security clearance. He called her again in January when reporters started investigating his past. Both times, she refused.
Despite his inability to obtain a security clearance, Kelly allowed Porter to keep his job. Kelly’s actions, therefore, didn’t just fail morally — they also endangered national security.
“Kelly’s conduct is a violation of best practice in both White House personnel and intelligence handling,” Norm Eisen, White House Counsel in the Obama administration, told ThinkProgress. “He exposed the White House and so the nation to compromise by sharing America’s and our allies’ most closely held secrets with someone he happened to like but who was subject to blackmail. Now that person is gone but takes all the secrets with him in his head, so the risk continues.”
Eisen described Kelly’s actions as “truly shocking.”
Cartoon depiction of Dreamers as gang members draws backlash from New Mexico residents
"In hindsight, instead of generating debate, this cartoon only inflamed emotions."
Lawmakers, advocates, and New Mexico residents were outraged after an Albuquerque newspaper ran an offensive cartoon depicting immigrant “Dreamers” holding up a white couple in an alley on Wednesday.
Published in the conservative newspaper’s opinion section, the cartoon depicts three men with weapons holding up a well-dressed white couple. In the cartoon, one man holds a gun in one hand and grabs the woman’s bag with the other. He wears a low-hanging pair of pants revealing his underwear. Another figure wears a vest with a skull on it and the phrase “MS 13,” referencing the deadly Salvadoran-American gang that first began in Los Angeles. The third figure wears a lit bomb belt and holds a bloody knife. A thought bubble extends from the well-dressed man who has his hands up. It says, “Now honey… I believe they prefer to be called ‘Dreamers’… or future Democrats.”
Wow. This insanely racist cartoon ran today in the @ABQJournal, my hometown newspaper and the first place I ever worked. The paper has always had a conservative editorial board, but this is next-level.
The use of the term “Dreamers” refers to immigrants who came to the country as children and are now the subject of intense political discourse in the nation’s capitol. President some rich asshole ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative last September, phasing out temporary deportation protections and work authorization for nearly 800,000 immigrants. There’s been active debate over whether to provide permanent legislative relief for these individuals through a federal bill.
Democratic lawmakers were among the swell of people condemning the cartoon. State Sen. Linda Lopez (D) criticized the cartoon as “another glaring example of the ignorance, racism and hatred openly permeating throughout our country.” Both of New Mexico’s senators also criticized the “hateful” and “bigoted” depiction, calling for an apology from the Albuquerque Journal and pointing out that it could “sow division in our community.”
Words and images are still hateful and offensive, even when they appear in a cartoon. The @ABQJournal should apologize.
Shame on the @ABQJournal for stooping to a new low and publishing a heinous and bigoted depiction of Dreamers in today’s paper that serves only to sow division in our community.
Staff writers with the Albuquerque Journal editorial board issued a response to the backlash, saying that the purpose of the cartoon was to “spark discussion and debate” but that in “hindsight,” the “cartoon only inflamed emotions.”
“Editorially, the Journal has supported a path to citizenship for the country’s estimated 1.8 million Dreamers,” staff writers insisted.
“Our editorial pages offer views from all sides of the spectrum, and we realize some of the content will offend readers,” Journal Editor Karen Moses later said in a statement. “We do not agree with many of those views, but their purpose is to spark discussion and debate. In hindsight, instead of generating debate, this cartoon only inflamed emotions. This was not the intent, nor does the Journal condone racism or bigotry in any form.”
Yet frankly, the Journal should have known that the intent was quite literally as racist as the cartoon portrayal of Dreamers. Cartoonist Sean Delonas has come under fire before for other depictions that relied on crude stereotypes of political issues. And the Journal should have also known that cartoons like these do not “spark discussion,” but reinforce the claim that Dreamers are exactly as scary as the rich asshole administration and many Republican lawmakers have made them out to be.
Perhaps the most offensive problem with the cartoon is that it’s factually wrong. DACA recipients must undergo a criminal background check before they are approved for the program. The federal Dream Act, a bill that first arose in 2001, which would have provided permanent protections for certain immigrants, would also require applicants to submit to a criminal background check. And any federal bills that Congress is currently debating also subjects its applicants to background checks.
But Delonas’ cartoon relies on the persistent myth that immigrants, particularly undocumented people, are prone to criminal behavior. As ThinkProgress reporter Alan Pyke reported, studies show “the actual quantitative reality is that immigrants in general and undocumented ones in particular are less prone to criminality than the average U.S. citizen.”
Republican politicians have relied on this kind of trope to dismiss immigrant-friendly policies. Last week, Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran (R) released an ad depicting a hooded man gunning down a white woman as a narrator links the violence to undocumented immigrants. In 2015, then-presidential candidate the rich asshole released an ad featuring undocumented criminal killers. And last year, two Republican gubernatorial candidates from Virginia and New Jersey separately released ads linking undocumented immigrants with criminals and killers.
“This latest show of bigotry does not reflect the true nature and values of the people of our state –with a proud history of welcoming diversity and cherishing the cultural, social and economic contributions from immigrant families,” Gabriela Hernandez, executive director for NM Dream Team & southwest regional organizer for United We Dream, said in a statement. “We must continue pushing back against this sort of fear mongering and misrepresentation of our communities. Hate, bigotry, xenophobia or racism have no place in [New Mexico] and neither should a newspaper attempting to divide our communities through the spread of a racist ideology.”
Fox News goes more than 14 hours without mentioning White House staffer accused of beating wives
Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade (Fox News)
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A senior White House official resigned Wednesday afternoon over domestic assault allegations from both of his ex-wives — but Fox News went more than 12 hours without mentioning his name.
Rob Porter will leave his position as White House staff secretary as early as Thursday after his ex-wives went public with their claims — which they each told the FBI about during the official’s background check before taking the government job.
Fox News broke the news of his resignation during “Outnumbered,” and the conservative network also reported the announcement during three afternoon and evening programs, according to a search using the TV Eyes database.
The network last mentioned Porter’s name at 6:08 p.m., when chief White House correspondent John Robert reported that other top administration officials were aware of the abuse allegations before they were reported in the media.
But none of the Fox News primetime programs discussed Porter’s departure or the abuse allegations Wednesday evening, and “Fox & Friends” didn’t mention his name during the first two hours of its broadcast.
That’s a 14-hour gap and counting.
By contrast, MSNBC and CNN each devoted segments to the allegations against Porter and discussed chief of staff John Kelly’s defense of him — even after the claims were made public.
Pence keeps lying about supporting ex-gay therapy as his feud with gay Olympian escalates
Pence's history of supporting conversion therapy isn't "fake news."
The feud between Vice President Mike Pence and gay Olympic skater Adam Rippon escalated again Thursday when Pence tweeted directly at the athlete, describing his history of supporting ex-gay conversion therapy as “fake news.”
In an interview last month, Rippon — the first openly gay athlete to qualify for the U.S. Winter Olympic team — objected to the fact Pence would be leading the delegation. “You mean Mike Pence, the same Mike Pence that funded gay conversion therapy?” he said. “I’m not buying it.” Adding that he’ll refuse to attend a post-Olympic celebration at the White House, Rippon also chided Pence for standing by President the rich asshole’s various racist and insensitive comments.
Skier Gus Kenworthy, who came out in 2015 after winning a silver medal at the 2014 Olympics, also qualified for the 2018 Olympics and shared his own concerns about Pence, saying that having him lead the delegation “doesn’t send the right message.” Appearing on Ellen this week, he described Pence as someone who has “directly attacked the LGBT community” and “a bad fit” to lead the delegation.
“The Olympics is all about inclusion and people coming together, and it seems like it’s not really doing that,” Kenworthy said.
After USA Today first reported Rippon’s comments back in January, Pence’s press secretary Alyssa Farah quickly shot back, denying his claim. “This accusation is totally false and has no basis in fact,” she said. “Despite these misinformed claims, the vice president will be enthusiastically supporting all the U.S. athletes competing next month in Pyeongchang.”
Pence was so concerned with Rippon’s comments that he also apparently reached out to set up a meeting with the athlete. Rippon had said he was open to meeting with Pence, but only after the competition, and declined the offer. The vice president’s office initially denied having made this attempt, but has since confirmed reaching out to the U.S. Olympic Committee to offer — not request — a meeting with Rippon.
In a recent interview with YouTube’s Tyler Oakley, Rippon joked that he was in a “war” with Pence.
“When he was just a lad from Indiana, he was trying to fund gay conversion therapy…. And me, as a gay man, I’m not going to go out of my way to try to meet Mike Pence,” he said.
Pence’s repeated denials that he supported ex-gay therapy can easily be disproved. His 2000 congressional campaign website clearly said that he would only support funding for HIV treatment through the Ryan White Care Act if money stopped going to organizations that “celebrate and encourage the types of behaviors that facilitate the spreading of the HIV virus.” Instead, he argued, “Resources should be directed toward those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior.”
In 2016, Pence spokesperson Marc Lotter insisted that this meant that Pence was actually calling for federal funds to “be directed to groups that promoted safe sexual practices.” That explanation, however, does not account for behaviors that Pence did not want to “celebrate and encourage,” nor does it explain to whom he was referring when he mentioned “those seeking to change their sexual behavior.” Moreover, it’s contradicted by the fact that, in 2002, Pence rejected the validity of condoms in a CNN interview, incorrectly calling them “a very, very poor protection against sexually transmitted diseases” and insisting that “the only truly safe sex…is no sex.”
As a congressman, Pence also offered a “religious freedom” amendment to a 2007 hate crimes bill that would have included protections based on sexual orientation. (Such a bill later became law in 2009). In his statement introducing the amendment, he listed various anti-gay activists who he worried would somehow be silenced by the legislation. Among his examples was “an ad campaign by pro-family groups showing that many former homosexual people had found happiness in a heterosexual lifestyle.”
The context doesn’t help either; Pence’s position on HIV funding on that same 2000 campaign website was immediately preceded by statements opposing both marriage equality for same-sex couples and any effort to protect “homosexuals” from discrimination in a similar fashion to women and ethnic minorities. Given Pence’s long history of homophobia both before and after his 2000 campaign, it’s inconceivable that he was referring to anything other than ex-gay therapy.
Rob Reiner drops hammer on the rich asshole: ‘He’d rather have a military parade than defend’ democracy from Russia
Rob Reiner (MSNBC)
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Film director Rob Reiner is trying to sound the alarm about Russia’s interference in American democracy — and he’s enlisted the help of two veterans of national security.
Reiner appeared Thursday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” where he shared excerpts of a lengthy interview he conducted with former director of national intelligence James Clapper and former CIA director John Brennan.
“The Russians did invade our country, they did try to disrupt our democracy and right now we’re not doing anything,” said Reiner, who has formed the Committee to Investigate Russia with former Bush speechwriter David Frum.
“The president of the United States has ignored it,” Reiner added, “and he’d rather have a military parade than actually defend us and protect us and make us more secure. So it is very scary, and when you have guys like this speaking out, it is time to sit up and take notice.”
Reiner said Clapper and Brennan had a combined 90 years of experience in national security, and he said Americans should pay attention to their warnings.
“I don’t recall anything that gave me viscerally in the pit of my stomach a more uncomfortable, uneasy feeling than when I realized what the Russians were doing,” Clapper says in the video.
The two former officials said those efforts were far more aggressive than previous efforts to influence elections in other countries — and they warned that President some rich asshole left the U.S. vulnerable to inevitable future attempts.
“As long as the occupant of the Oval Office continues to refute the unanimous assessment of CIA, FBI and NSA about what they did, it undercuts any effort to deal with it strategically and thoughtfully,” Brennan said.
Co-host Mika Brzezinski said her late father, who served as national security adviser in the Carter administration, shared the same reaction to Russian meddling as Clapper did in the interview.
“These are people who are deeply immersed in confidential conversations pertaining to global stability, and they have a feeling of unease,” she said. “It sends a shiver down my spine.”
Sessions’ plan to end the opioid epidemic: “Take some aspirin … and tough it out.”
FEBRUARY 8, 2018
Over-the-counter headache meds are not always the answer to illness and pain.
some rich asshole’s response to the opioid crisis was horrifically incompetent from the start and has not improved. With White House counselor Kellyanne Conway taking a lead role and sidelining medical experts, even some Republican senators are dissatisfied.
But Conway is not the only problem. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who is responsible for the law enforcement side of the issue, has neither empathy for opioid-addicted Americans nor any understanding of their medical challenges.
This week, Sessions gave a speech to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tampa, and as seen on footage obtained by the Tampa Bay Times, he made an eyebrow-raising proposal to end the opioid problem.
“I am operating on the assumption that this country prescribes too many opioids,” Sessions said. “I mean, people need to take some aspirin sometimes and tough it out.”
While it is true the opioid epidemic partly began with pharmaceutical companies aggressively marketing opioids beyond their medical necessity, forcing terminal cancer patients or car accident victims to just “take some aspirin” and “tough it out” is a clueless and callous idea.
Not only is Sessions minimizing the crippling agony many opioid users have gone through, but he does not seem to understand a major structural cause of the opioid epidemic: that many other treatments for chronic pain, like physical therapy, are only available to affluent people and communities.
The reason the opioid crisis has disproportionately hit places like rural Kentucky and West Virginia is that these places are too poor to fund any other kind of pain treatment. They will need federal funding and support to properly fix this, not aspirin.
In an even deeper irony, some studies suggest one of the cheapest ways states have reduced opioid addiction is to legalize marijuana. But Sessions, a hardliner who is urging federal prosecutors to override state legalization, refuses to accept the evidence.
On the contrary, at another talk at the Heritage Foundation this week, in which Sessions also suggested chronic pain patients “take a couple of Bufferin and go to bed,” he brought up the gateway drug myth. “We think a lot of this is starting with marijuana and other drugs too.”
Sessions has boiled chronic pain, addiction, and the socioeconomic structures that exacerbate it down to matters of will and choice. As long as that is his attitude, he will be of no use in addressing a crisis of public health.
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