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Post by mhbruin on Nov 15, 2022 9:09:09 GMT -8
I buy my guns from a guy named "T-Rex". He's a Small Arms Dealer.
Russia Keeps Attacking Civilian Targets While Ukraine Attacks Military Ones. How's The Worked For You So Far, Vlad?
Russia has launched one of its biggest barrages of missiles yet against Ukraine, days after its troops were forced to withdraw from Kherson.
The capital Kyiv was among the cities hit, with officials saying at least one person was found dead.
There were strikes across Ukraine, from Lviv in the west to Chernihiv in the north.
As well as following Russia's setback in Kherson, the attacks come as world leaders meet at the G20 in Bali.
There Moscow faced fierce condemnation for the war in Ukraine.
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Post by mhbruin on Nov 15, 2022 9:16:28 GMT -8
How's Zero COVID Working For You, Xi?
Crowds of residents in southern China's industrial metropolis Guangzhou have escaped a compulsory lockdown and clashed with police, as anger at strict coronavirus curbs boiled over.
Dramatic footage shows some overturning a police vehicle and tearing down Covid control barriers. Riot teams have now been deployed in the area.
It follows Guangzhou's worst Covid outbreak since the pandemic began.
Amid bad economic figures, China's zero Covid policy is under enormous strain.
Tensions had been building in the city's Haizhu District, which is under stay-at-home orders.
The area is home to many poorer itinerant labourers. They have complained of not being paid if they are unable to turn up for work, and of food shortages and skyrocketing prices while living under Covid control measures.
For several nights, they'd been tussling with the white-clad Covid prevention enforcement officials, and then overnight on Monday the anger suddenly exploded onto the streets of Guangzhou with a mass act of defiance.
Again, unsubstantiated rumours have played a role. Stories have spread that the testing companies are faking PCR results to artificially boost the number of infections in order to make more money.
In the north of the country, the coronavirus rumour mill is also building pressure.
Officials in Hebei Province announced that the city of Shijiazhuang would halt mass testing. But this led to speculation that the population was going to be used, guinea-pig-style, to monitor what would happen if the virus was allowed to spread unchecked.
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Post by mhbruin on Nov 15, 2022 9:18:56 GMT -8
Holland Deals With Epidemic of Laughing Young People. No Action on Laughing Cow.
The Dutch government is banning the use of nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, amid concerns over the health risks for the growing number of young people using it.
The ban, which starts in January, makes it illegal to buy, sell or own the gas.
However, the authorities say it can still be used for medicinal purposes and in the food industry.
The government also hopes the ban will reduce the number of road traffic accidents involving the drug.
According to road safety monitor TeamAlert, laughing gas has played a role in 1,800 accidents across the Netherlands over the past three years.
"Almost two a day, figures that really shocked us," Maartje Oosterink of TeamAlert told AD newspaper earlier this month.
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Post by mhbruin on Nov 15, 2022 9:22:52 GMT -8
A Musical Message for Kevin McCarthy
Conservative lawmakers sent a strong message to House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy on Monday, telling him he doesn't have the votes to be the next speaker.
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Post by mhbruin on Nov 15, 2022 9:25:04 GMT -8
Rudy Walks (Or Hobbles)
Rudy Giuliani will not face criminal charges in a grand jury investigation into whether he violated U.S. lobbying laws in his dealings with Ukraine, prosecutors said Monday.
Federal investigators in April 2021 seized electronic devices belonging to Giuliani, who was accused of trying to dig up dirt about the Bidens in Ukraine to benefit former President Donald Trump, in part to see whether they contained any evidence showing efforts to oust the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, and whether he ran afoul of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
In a court filing Monday, prosecutors for the U.S. attorney for Southern New York told U.S. District Judge Paul Oetken that “the grand jury investigation that led to the issuance of the above-referenced warrants has concluded, and that based on information currently available to the Government, criminal charges are not forthcoming.”
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Post by mhbruin on Nov 15, 2022 9:28:05 GMT -8
You Bought Him. He Owns You
Although his dominance of Republican politics has led to three disappointing elections in a row for his party, a solid and devoted core of conservative voters appears ready to follow him wherever he leads again — even if into defeat.
It’s a painful reality for the cohort of Republicans hoping to move on from Mr. Trump. First they have to find answers to two inevitable questions: How many Trump die-hards are there, and can they be persuaded? ....................... Belief in Donald Trump means never having to face the facts. If the MAGA movement wouldn’t accept defeat in an election Mr. Trump directly lost, head-to-head, in 2020, why would it accept defeat in this one secondhand? Has everyone forgotten the basic lessons of the nation’s unwilling but thorough immersion in the Trump psyche? From the Trumpian point of view, Mehmet Oz didn’t lose to John Fetterman in Pennsylvania because Mr. Trump has worn out his magic touch; Mr. Oz lost because he, personally, was not Donald Trump.
The leader’s great promise to his followers has always been that he will liberate them from consequences. Turnout numbers and precinct returns, like real-estate bankruptcies, are nothing more than inconvenient opinions, to be overcome by force of bluster, or force of will. ......................... Still, G.O.P. politicians and voters who want to move on from Trump face a lot of obstacles. According to the YouGov poll, Trump is still ahead of DeSantis among “strong Republicans.” Going back to 2016, polls have often underestimated his support, and, in many parts of the country, “Trump 2024” flags and posters are already evident. Plus, having dominated Republican politics for the past six years, Trump has many allies embedded in the Party machinery and in Congress. In the incoming class of G.O.P. House members, roughly two-thirds have adopted some version of his 2020 election denialism, according to a tally by the Washington Post. On top of all this, Trump remains a prolific fund-raiser. And, despite the front page of Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post hailing Trump’s would-be rival as “DeFuture” following DeSantis’s victory over Crist, the forty-four year old Floridian hasn’t confirmed his intention to be a candidate in 2024.
Which Begs the Bigger Question: How Does a Party with No Policies and No Interest in Governing Continue to Win Elections?
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Post by mhbruin on Nov 15, 2022 9:33:02 GMT -8
This "Lame Duck session" Isn't Going to Be Lame
There are the must-pass bills: government funding (the current stop-gap bill runs out on Dec. 16) and putting the debt ceiling out of Republican reach for the next two years—however they choose to do it. That’s the absolute minimum of what they need to do to make sure that government won’t implode. Optimally, they will pass a package with all 12 of the government funding bills to last the whole of 2023, giving us a year without shutdown threats. That’s actually achievable and has been in negotiation for weeks—the people in charge of that stuff for Senate Republicans are more moderates who probably share the goal of minimizing the damage the House GOP can do.
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Post by mhbruin on Nov 15, 2022 9:35:24 GMT -8
Hannity Announces the News With His Usual Class
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Post by mhbruin on Nov 15, 2022 9:38:23 GMT -8
The Perfect Self-Own
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Post by mhbruin on Nov 15, 2022 9:41:55 GMT -8
An Endorsement from Previous Doesn't Seem to Come with a Chack
Donald Trump hoarded $94 million this election in his various political committees as his anointed candidates lost the Senate for Republicans in tight races where that money might have made the difference between winning and losing.
“We didn’t lose because of Trump’s rhetoric. We lost because Trump is cheap,” said one Trump adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “He left them all hanging dry…. It gave a free shot for all the right-wing pundits to turn on him.”
To Previous Guy a Loophole is Chasm
After nearly two years of alluding to the possibility, former President Donald Trump is set to formally announce his 2024 presidential bid on Tuesday night.
But despite holding almost $100 million in campaign funds across a handful of different political action committees, Trump won't be able to use much of that money, at least directly, on his come-back bid.
That's because Save America — a "leadership PAC" that Trump has used as his primary fundraising vehicle since the end of his 2020 campaign, raising over $100 million in the process — can't be legally converted into a presidential campaign account.
But the former president may be looking for a well-worn legal loophole, according to one watchdog group, by pouring some or all of that money into a new super PAC called "MAGA, Inc. — which legally can't coordinate with Trump and his official campaign — and using that committee to indirectly support his 2024 campaign by running ads attacking his political opponents or touting Trump's candidacy.
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Post by mhbruin on Nov 15, 2022 9:49:50 GMT -8
Now Everything Going On at Twitter is Clear
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Post by mhbruin on Nov 15, 2022 9:52:57 GMT -8
I Pray This is Not Typical Of Who Is Teaching Our Kids
A white Texas middle school teacher who was captured on video telling Black students that he believes his race is "superior" no longer works at the school, officials confirmed Monday.
"Last Friday, Nov. 11, Pflugerville ISD officials were made aware of an inappropriate conversation a teacher at Bohls Middle School had with students during an advisory class," Pflugerville Independent School District Superintendent Douglas Killian said in a statement. "As of Monday morning, Nov. 14, the teacher in question is no longer employed by Pflugerville ISD and we are actively looking for a replacement."
The unidentified teacher was captured in a video that went viral telling a classroom, which included Black students, "Deep down in my heart, I'm ethnocentric, which means I think my race is the superior one."
"I think everybody thinks that," the teacher added. "They're just not honest about it."
When a student asked him to clarify if he is racist, the teacher responded, "I think everybody is a racist at that level." A Black student then plainly tells the teacher that he no longer respects him. ................................ A woman and her husband have lost their jobs as teachers after filming sexually explicit videos on school property for their OnlyFans account, the woman said in a video statement she posted online. Samantha Peer and her husband, Dillon Peer, had both been teachers in Arizona's Lake Havasu Unified School District.
In a statement, Samantha Peer, a former eighth-grade science teacher who used the alias "Khloe Karter" for her OnlyFans account, admitted to filming explicit content on school grounds, but said that it took place after school and that no students were ever present or involved.
Samantha Peer said she resigned "under pressure" on Oct. 31 after initially being placed on leave. Her husband, who was a teacher at Nautilus Elementary School, was then fired a few days later, she said. Samantha Peer said her husband was classified as a permanent substitute and was an at-will employee.
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Post by mhbruin on Nov 15, 2022 9:54:39 GMT -8
Why Would They Wait So Long to Issue a Subpoena, When Everyone Knew This Would Happen?
The House Jan. 6 committee said Monday it was evaluating all of its options after former President Donald Trump sued to block a subpoena from the panel for documents and testimony.
"Former President Trump has failed to comply with the Select Committee's subpoena requiring him to appear for a deposition today," the committee chair, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, and Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the vice chair, said in a statement.
"Even though the former President initially suggested that he would testify before the committee, he has since filed a lawsuit asking the courts to protect him from giving testimony," Thompson and Cheney said.
They said that Trump's "attorneys have made no attempt to negotiate an appearance of any sort, and his lawsuit parades out many of the same arguments that courts have rejected repeatedly over the last year. The truth is that Donald Trump, like several of his closest allies, is hiding from the Select Committee's investigation and refusing to do what more than a thousand other witnesses have done."
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Post by mhbruin on Nov 15, 2022 9:58:21 GMT -8
Ukraine Can Continue to Say to Putin, "Who's Your Vlady?"
After recapturing Kherson from Russian forces and assured of unstinting U.S. support, Ukraine is well positioned to push its advantage in the war rather than accept frozen frontlines through winter, some military analysts said.
The strategic and symbolic victory comes as fierce fighting continues further north along more than 1,000 km of front lines, a reminder that even with the vast Dnipro River now separating the enemies around Kherson, other objectives remain in play.
"Ukraine has the initiative and momentum and is dictating to the Russians where and when the next fight will be," said Philip Ingram, a former senior British military intelligence officer.
That could include refocusing the offensive closer to Bakhmut in the industry-heavy eastern region of Donbas, where Russia has itself been trying to break through for months.
"The winter will slow things but not stop them - the Ukrainians will be well prepared to keep fighting through the winter, the Russians will be less well prepared to survive the winter cold," he said.
Mile after mile of abandoned trenches along the road to the southern port city of Kherson spoke of the miserable living conditions some Russian forces had to endure on the right bank of Kherson before their retreat.
Reuters witnessed trenches that were narrow, muddy and often exposed to the elements, in contrast to the wooden-floored trenches of the Ukrainians, some equipped with internet and flat-screen TVs.
"Whatever (the Ukrainians) do, it will be carefully planned, kept secret and will likely be extremely well executed," Ingram added.
Retired U.S. General Ben Hodges said there would be no need for Ukraine to rush across the Dnipro while it secures Kherson on the right (west) bank and pulls up artillery to bear down on Russian forces defending the approaches to annexed Crimea.
Some residents in Kherson, meanwhile, are concerned about the risk of Russian shelling of the city once its forces regroup further east.
According to Hodges, Russians concentrated in the south could be exposed to a thrust from Ukraine's other wing, driving down from the direction of Kharkiv towards the devastated city of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov.
"They (the Russians) will have trenches, but it is wide open terrain (in the south), easy to target Russians there," he said.
"This Kherson fire support base becomes the anchor to support further manoeuvre by the left flank as it fights its way ... towards Mariupol, Berdyansk, and Melitopol."
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Post by mhbruin on Nov 15, 2022 10:00:48 GMT -8
Oregon Goes Pro-Life
Oregon voters have narrowly passed measures that would strengthen gun laws and mandate healthcare as a human right.
Measure 114 requires residents to obtain a permit to purchase a gun, bans large-capacity magazines of more than 10 rounds except in some circumstances and creates a statewide firearms database. It is one of the nation's strictest gun-control measures.
To qualify for a permit, an applicant would need to complete an approved, in-person firearm safety course, pay a fee, provide personal information, submit to fingerprinting and photographing and pass a federal criminal background check. The permits would be processed by local police chiefs, county sheriffs or their designees.
The ban on large-capacity magazines would not apply to current owners, law enforcement or the military.
Proponents of the measure say it would reduce suicides — which account for 82% of gun deaths in the state — mass shootings and other gun violence.
Opponents, including the left-wing Socialist Rifle Assn., say it would infringe on constitutionally protected rights and could reduce gun access among marginalized communities and people of color if law-enforcement agencies are the arbiters of the permitting process. They say permitting fees and the cost of the firearms course could also be barriers to access.
The healthcare proposal, Measure 111, makes Oregon the first state in the nation to change its constitution to explicitly declare affordable healthcare a fundamental human right.
The amendment reads: “It is the obligation of the state to ensure that every resident of Oregon has access to cost-effective, clinically appropriate and affordable health care as a fundamental right.”
It does not define “cost-effective, clinically appropriate and affordable,” nor does it say who would foot the bill.
The Oregon Health Authority says 94% of Oregonians currently have insurance coverage and more are eligible for the Oregon Medicaid plan or a subsidy to reduce the cost of commercial insurance.
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