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Post by mhbruin on Dec 9, 2022 9:42:56 GMT -8
Dons Can't Operate MRI Scanners. But catscan
Biden Traded a Straight White Man for a Gay Black Woman. How Do You Think the QOP Felt About That?
Republicans and right-wing media figures have found a litany of reasons to be mad about the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was freed in a prisoner swap Thursday after nearly a year in the Kremlin’s clutches.
Much of their rhetoric centers on the bigoted assertion that Griner ― a Black, gay athlete who has been vocal about police brutality and racial justice ― is anti-American for being outspoken in politics, and therefore unworthy of rescue by the Biden administration.
Ex-President Donald Trump had one of the most aggressive attacks Thursday, writing on his social media platform Truth Social that Griner is “a basketball player who openly hates our Country” and that it was a “‘stupid’ and unpatriotic embarrassment for the USA” to free her in exchange for Viktor Bout, a notorious Russian arms dealer.
His comments were a not-so-subtle reference to Griner’s participation in protests against police brutality. Following the 2020 police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, Griner, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, joined many professional athletes in calling attention to their deaths by refusing to stand for the national anthem during games and calling for the anthem not to be played at all.
Trump wasn’t the only GOP figure to harp on Griner’s protests Thursday.
“I sure hope she’ll stand for the national anthem,” Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) told reporters.
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 9, 2022 9:45:02 GMT -8
Sinema Challenges Arizona Democrats to a Game of Chicken
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s decision to leave the Democratic Party reshapes the dynamics of the 2024 Senate race in Arizona, creating fresh obstacles for Democrats to hold the seat in two years.
Sinema’s announcement Friday that she will become an independent prompted fury and told-you-so reactions from her Democratic critics, who vowed to fight to win back the seat in 2024. Sinema’s office said she will continue to not attend meetings of the Democratic caucus but intends to keep her committee seats assigned to her by Democrats, preserving the 51-49 Senate balance.
While Sinema won’t yet say whether she will run for re-election as an independent, the prospect shakes up the dynamics of the race. If she runs, it could mean a three-way battle between a Republican, a Democrat and Sinema as an independent.
And if Sinema — who despite being a regular headache for her party leaders remains ideologically closer to Democrats than the GOP — pulls more votes from Democratic-leaning voters, that could pave the way for a Republican candidate to win in 2024.
“I am not surprised. But I’m still shockingly disappointed at how awful she continues to be,” said Michael Slugocki, an outgoing vice chair of the Arizona Democratic Party. He said Sinema has had “no relationship and no contact with the state party for months” and did not inform them prior to her decision.
“It does shake up this race” in 2024, he said. “She’s deliberately trying to make it difficult for Democrats in Arizona.”
He added that her decision could also make it harder for Democrats to carry Arizona on the presidential level again in two years, if she spends two years attacking her party and splintering its successful coalition. “It does make things more difficult for Joe Biden, but I don’t think she cares at all.”
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 9, 2022 9:51:08 GMT -8
Putin and the Mullahs, Slitting in a Tree. A-R-M-I-N-G
Russia is now providing an "unprecedented level" of military and technical support to Iran in exchange for Tehran supplying weapons for the war in Ukraine, senior Biden administration officials say.
As part of the enhanced partnership, Russia may be providing Iran with advanced military equipment and components, including helicopters and air defense systems. In the spring, Iranian pilots trained in Russia to fly the Sukhoi Su-35, a Russian fighter jet, which the officials say indicates Iran “may begin receiving the aircraft within the next year.”
The White House had previously said it believes that Iran was supplying drones to Russia for use in Ukraine, but the relationship between the two nations is transforming into “a full-fledged defense partnership" with weapons and military expertise flowing in both directions, the officials said.
Russia is looking to collaborate with Iran on weapons development, including possibly establishing a joint production line for drones in Russia, according to the officials.
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 9, 2022 9:53:13 GMT -8
I Wanna' Know Have You Ever Seen UkraineIf the areas around Kreminna and Svatove appear to be confusing and slow, one area where Ukraine continues to make progress is up there in that remaining sliver of Kharkiv oblast that’s still under Russian occupation. Kupyansk Area. Open in another tab for a larger view. Ukraine has been gradually pushing Russia out of this area without making any big announcements. It’s not until the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense casually mentions Ukrainian forces in one of these positions, or notes them in the list of places that are being regularly shelled by Russia, that the change of hands becomes clear. There appear to be several small forces operating in this area, pressing in different directions. One has been working north over the past few days from the river crossing at Dvorichna. Another has been working further east, near Kyslivka. On Wednesday, there were some reports on Telegram that Ukraine had liberated Vilshana, but there is yet to be any confirmation of this. However, in the last two days it seems that Ukraine has liberated Pershotravneve. There’s no news on the Mykolaivka in the same little area, but this may simply be because Russia failed to toss any shells at this village of fewer than a dozen houses. For the most part, there aren’t any great passages to the east in this area, so taking these villages seems more about keeping any pressure off Ukrainian forces moving down the P07 than opening up another route to Svatove and points east. However, there is a road east from Tavilzhanka that runs past Velykyi Vyselok and eventually reaches all the way to the P66. No idea what kind of condition that road is in, or how many of the villages along that route have any complement of Russian military.
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 9, 2022 9:58:06 GMT -8
Muscovites May Need to Change Their Christmas Shopping Itinerary
That amazing explosion is a shopping center in Moscow that was apparently anchored by a large hardware store. The explosion has been blamed on everything from a missile to an electrical fault in stories so far, but this certainly looks like a planned and sequenced explosion. If I had to guess at the cause of this blast, I would say “insurance.”
In a country where safety regulations are laughable, construction standards are worse, and drunkenness is a way of life, it’s always possible that someone just happened to think stashing a few tons of low explosive in the local Walmart was a grand idea. But while this may look like some of the gas explosions on TV shows, that’s only because those explosions are … planned explosions.
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 9, 2022 9:59:31 GMT -8
Back in Bakhmut
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 9, 2022 10:06:55 GMT -8
Apparently Molasses Merrick Has Turned Things Over to Speedy Smith (Jumping Jack Smith?)
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 9, 2022 10:08:23 GMT -8
Some Senate Republicans Decide the Party Needs to Be MORE Extreme
In theory, after an intra-party contingent took aim at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and missed — it was the first leadership challenge the Kentucky Republican ever faced — the party had an opportunity to close ranks, move forward, and come to terms with the disappointing reality of another two years in the minority.
Indeed, common sense might suggest that the Republicans who rallied against McConnell would have to hope that they didn’t face his retaliatory wrath. (The phrase, “You come at the king, you best not miss” keeps coming to mind.)
But in practice, the party’s far-right faction has different plans in mind. Politico reported:
About a half-dozen Republican senators, most of whom publicly opposed Mitch McConnell as their leader last month, are getting more organized in a bid to exert their leverage in the chamber. ... These GOP senators have been quietly meeting on a regular basis to strategize future battles worth picking within McConnell’s ranks, and they’re set to call a special conference meeting next week to start a broader debate within the Republican conference.
The initiative apparently includes Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Mike Braun of Indiana, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Mike Lee of Utah, Ted Cruz of Texas, and Rick Scott of Florida.
Will the House Do the Same
House Republicans ‘May Dig Their Own Grave’ With Fringe Political Investigations
The contrast between the two chambers may become quite pronounced during the 118th Congress.
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine told The Bulwark Senate Democrats could pick up the slack where these investigations have fallen off in the House. Whether they will need to do so depends on which route Republicans take over the next two years—a serious one, or a frivolous detour.
“We may do some of our own work here to tell a more accurate story—that would depend on what the investigation is,” he said. “But if the House wants to go from a legislative body into a body that’s just trying to get headlines on weird investigations, they may feel like at the end of the day they can pat themselves on the back because they got on a cable news TV show. But I don’t think they’re going to be impressing their voters.”
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 9, 2022 10:10:28 GMT -8
The Night When the Lights Stayed On in Georgia
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 9, 2022 10:16:12 GMT -8
Back from the USSR
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 9, 2022 10:18:07 GMT -8
What's in a Name?
The Chicago Tribune, once a defender of Donald Trump’s rights, declared in an editorial Thursday that it now wants the former president’s name “jackhammered” off his hotel and condo tower in downtown Chicago.
Trump battled in 2014 to plaster his name on the Trump International Hotel and Tower, despite opposition by Chicagoans who thought it spoiled a skyline with no other giant names on buildings.
Trump got his way after a $50,000 campaign contribution to soon-to-be Mayor Emmanuel Rahm and a $5,000 donation to the city alderman whose district included the Chicago Trump Tower, the Tribune noted. He also hired the tax attorney of another alderman (since indicted), and shaved his tax bill by $12 million over six years, according to the Tribune.
Last year, Alderman Gilbert Villegas sponsored an ordinance that would ban “any person convicted of treason, sedition or subversive actions from doing business with the city, including having a sign permit.” The Tribune at the time defended Trump’s right to have the sign.
But now, enough is enough, the newspaper declared.
The Tribune’s editorial board’s reversal came after Trump called for terminating the Constitution last week.
But even more significantly to the newspaper, Trump’s company was convicted Tuesday on 17 counts of criminal tax fraud, falsifying records and other crimes in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan.
The “jury found that the Trump Organization was corrupt at the core, we are less than shocked to learn, helping executives dodge required taxes on a punch bowl of perks from luxury apartments to Mercedes-Benzes to cold, hard, cash,” the editorial noted.
“Let’s review,” it continued. “In a matter of days, if not hours, Trump failed to do his duty to support the Constitution, an act that should preclude a further run for president, and the Trump Organization was exposed as a criminal enterprise.”
“And Chicagoans still have to look at that sign?”
The newspaper urged: “Reintroduce an ordinance. Evoke moral turpitude. Try to get it taken down. This time with our support and, we’ll wager, most everyone who lives there.”
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 9, 2022 10:21:08 GMT -8
More QOP SlimeA week into December, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) is emailing residents that their heat is about to get cut off — except the alarmist messages from his campaign are actually just misleading fundraising pitches. “Your heat will be turned off. Emergency Notice,” reads an unsettling email notification a South Carolina resident received on their phone on Wednesday. After clicking on the alert, it leads to an email with the same subject line, “Your heat will be turned off.” It’s only after opening the email itself that it becomes clear that this isn’t an emergency overdue heating bill. It’s Scott’s campaign asking for money. Here’s a screenshot of the email notification received by this South Carolina resident:
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 9, 2022 10:23:12 GMT -8
Sad Day for a Bounty Hunter
A Texas judge on Thursday dismissed the first and only attempt by someone to sue a health care provider for violating the state’s citizen-enforced abortion ban, saying he wouldn’t consider it because the person who filed the lawsuit had no connection to the alleged crime.
The ruling marks the first test of Senate Bill 8, last year’s Texas law banning anyone from aiding or abetting an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. The law was able to survive court challenges because of its unique enforcement mechanism deploying citizens ― not the government ― to sue over any alleged violations. The ban went into effect before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, clearing the way for Texas and other red states to then pass even stricter abortion bans.
But Thursday’s decision by Bexar County Judge Aaron Haas shows that everyday citizens hoping to collect a $10,000 bounty from the state for reporting abortions may need to clear more hurdles.
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 9, 2022 10:28:07 GMT -8
What If They Burned Congress Down AND He Shot Someone On 5th Avenue?
Donald Trump’s immunity shield was so all-powerful that he would have been protected from lawsuits even if he’d called on his followers to “burn Congress down” while in office, his attorney stunningly argued in a federal appeals court.
Lawyer Jesse Binnall insisted Trump would be immune from any lawsuits in a string of extreme scenarios presented to him Wednesday at a hearing before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
The court is determining whether two police officers and 11 congressional Democrats can sue Trump for what they describe as a conspiracy to block Congress’ certification of the 2020 election results on Jan. 6 last year.
The complaints have focused on Trump’s tweets exhorting supporters to come to Washington, his lies that the election was stolen, and his remarks to supporters in a speech on the day of the insurrection to “fight like hell” and march to the Capitol.
A 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling held that presidents cannot be sued over their official acts. But U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled in February that Trump’s incendiary speech before the Capitol riots was not part of the then-president’s duties, allowing the lawsuits to move forward. Binnall was challenging that ruling on Wednesday.
Asked by Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan if a president would be immune from lawsuits even if he urged his supporters to intimidate citizens at polling stations to prevent them from voting, Binnall said yes, while also admitting that such behavior would be “horrible,” Bloomberg reported.
Binnall also defended presidential civil immunity when Judge Greg Katsas asked about a president hypothetically calling to “burn Congress down.” Binnall noted, however, that a president could “theoretically” be subject to post-presidency criminal charges in such a case (though not lawsuits), Reuters reported.
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 9, 2022 10:31:19 GMT -8
The Death of Unions is Slightly Exaggerated
Workers at a General Motors-LG Energy battery cell factory in northeast Ohio overwhelmingly voted to join the United Auto Workers, a big win for the union seeking to organize the growing electric vehicle supply chain sector.
The National Labor Relations Board said hourly employees at the Ultium Cells LLC plant near Cleveland voted 710 to 16 in favor of joining the union.
Ultium said it respected "the decision of our Ohio workforce supporting representation by the UAW. We look forward to a positive working relationship with the UAW."
The closely watched vote was a crucial test of the UAW's ability to organize workers who make parts for electric vehicles. The Detroit Three automakers all have battery plants in the works with South Korean partners.
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