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Post by mhbruin on Feb 15, 2024 9:29:22 GMT -8
Church Bulletin Bloopers Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children. They Should Both Keep Their Day JobsThe New York prosecutor leading Donald Trump’s civil fraud case sent the former president a heart of a poem on Valentine’s Day. “Roses are red,” wrote Attorney General Letitia James. “Violets Are blue. No one is above the law. Even when you think the rules don’t apply to you.” This poem came out about noon Wednesday, hours after Trump shared his own Valentine’s Day missive to his wife that included all-caps complaints about witch hunts, indictments, and arrests. What is His Day Job?Say it with cash: Trump’s Valentine love letter to Melania is fundraising email |
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 15, 2024 9:31:23 GMT -8
If You Hide Evidence, Does It Become Inadmissable?
After getting off to a rough start, the hearing in New York over the Stormy Daniels hush money trial ended with another sharp reprimand.
According to Just Security fellow Adam Klasfeld's live updates from the courtroom, "Trump's prosecutor Christopher Conroy complained about not receiving defense exhibits as discovery some six weeks before trial."
The judge wasn't happy.
“There could be sanctions for failure to comply,” the judge said.
The moment came after Trump's lawyers were arguing with the judge over the partisanship of the jurors, claiming Trump was under attack by "a Democrat" — referring to President Joe Biden.
He had previously requested that potential jurors detail campaign contributions, which the assistant district attorney said could become a proxy for asking about party affiliation.
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 15, 2024 9:33:03 GMT -8
Chaos is Contagious
Kristina Karamo is still refusing to step aside as Michigan Republican Party chair, even after she was ousted and a replacement has been declared for the role.
A special committee convened by the Republican National Committee found former ambassador Pete Hoekstra was the rightful chair of the state GOP, but Karamo and her allies have vowed not to recognize their decision following months of internal dispute, reported MLive.
“It’s business as usual for the Michigan Republican Party," Karamo's faction said in a statement. “Today’s biased ruling further solidifies our position that the RNC has no authority to override the will of the MIGOP precinct delegates and state committee members. Their blatant disregard for the MIGOP bylaws and procedures is a travesty.”
Karamo was removed from her post at a Jan. 6 meeting where about 37 percent of the party's senior body voted against her, but in a second vote held a week later at a better-attended meeting she secured 55 percent of the state committee's support as leader.
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 15, 2024 9:38:32 GMT -8
This is Not How to Take a Leak
Google and environmental group Environmental Defense Fund on Wednesday unveiled a partnership to expose sources of climate-warming emissions from oil and gas operations that will be detected from space by a new satellite.
MethaneSAT will launch next month, one of several satellites that are being deployed to monitor methane emissions across the globe to pinpoint major sources of the invisible but potent greenhouse gas. It is a partnership led by EDF, the New Zealand Space Agency, Harvard University and others.
Data from the satellite will be available later this year, and Google Cloud will provide the computing capabilities to process the information.
Google also said it will create a map of oil and gas infrastructure, using artificial intelligence to identify components like oil tanks. MethaneSAT's data on emissions will then be overlayed with the Google map to assist in understanding which types of oil and gas equipment tend to leak most.
This Could be a BIG Help. Methane Leaks are Responsible For Around 10% of Global Warming
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 15, 2024 9:40:05 GMT -8
Who Wants This Endorsement?
President Joe Biden has been handed an endorsement from an unexpected and perhaps unwelcome source: the Kremlin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that his country would prefer to see the “more experienced” Biden in the White House for a second term than the Republican front-runner, former President Donald Trump.
The comments, which may be taken more as mischievous meddling than serious statecraft, were the Russian leader’s most direct in public on the upcoming U.S. presidential election. They were welcomed by Trump but dismissed by the White House, which urged Putin to “stay out” of the election.
In an interview with Russian propagandist reporter Pavel Zarubin released Wednesday night, Putin did not hesitate when asked whether Biden or Trump was better for Russia.
“Biden,” Putin said. “He is a more experienced, predictable person, an old-school politician.”
Previous Guy Probably Wanted It
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 15, 2024 9:42:54 GMT -8
The Next Generation. No Civics Education. News from TikTok.
A report by Rand Corp. found that of a nationally representative sample of 1,400 K-12 teachers, 65 percent reported restricting instruction on “political and social issues.” This is nearly double the percentage of teachers who reported actually being subject to state laws that restrict discussion of race, sex and gender in the classroom, according to the report. A Washington Post analysis found that, as of late 2022, legislators in 25 states had passed 64 laws restricting what teachers can teach and what children can do at school. More than two dozen similar laws passed in 2023.
Teachers’ most common reason for curtailing some forms of education, the report found, was their worry that school or district leaders would not support them if parents expressed concerns — and teachers working in politically conservative areas were more likely to censor themselves.
The data comes as the nation faces a fraught debate over how we teach and tell our history — and describe our society — to the youngest generations of Americans. Since the coronavirus pandemic, at least 14 states have enacted 18 laws erecting guardrails around what children can learn about race, The Post found, while at least eight states have enacted 15 laws censoring or prohibiting discussion of gender identity, sexuality and LGBTQ subjects.
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 15, 2024 9:47:53 GMT -8
The Thief-in-Chief is Back
Trump’s Takeover Of The RNC Could Mean Party Donors Will Pay His Legal Bills AgainThree years after agreeing to pay Donald Trump’s legal bills on the rationale that cases against him were “politically motivated,” the Republican National Committee could face pressure from its coup-attempting presumed nominee to pay not just tens of millions of dollars more in legal fees but more than $450 million in likely judgments against him. “That’s why he wants ‘his people’ on the inside. It’s not about building up MAGA but rather getting MAGA to pay his bills,” said former RNC chair Michael Steele, referring to the “Make America great again” motto that’s become shorthand for Trump’s followers. “The RNC and its donors have all been hoodwinked by the flimflam man,” said Jennifer Horn, a former chair of the New Hampshire Republican Party and, because of that, a former RNC member. “There’s no rationale for any of it that makes sense in a rational world.” Although Trump has won only a few dozen delegates of the 1,215 he needs to secure the GOP presidential nomination, he announced this week that one of his top aides, Chris LaCivita, would take over the party’s day-to-day operations while daughter-in-law Lara Trump would become the RNC’s co-chair. And that has some RNC members worried that the same logic party officials used to justify spending donor money on Trump’s legal fees in 2021 could now be offered as a reason to cover some or all of the $88 million he must pay the woman he raped and then defamed, and the $370 million or more he will likely have to pay the state of New York for business fraud.
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 15, 2024 9:49:46 GMT -8
One Trial is Postponed? Next!
Donald Trump’s hush-money trial will go ahead as scheduled with jury selection starting on March 25, a New York judge ruled Thursday, turning aside demands for a delay from the former president’s defense lawyers.
The decision sets the stage for a case centered on years-old accusations that Trump sought to bury stories about extramarital affairs that arose during his 2016 presidential campaign. It will be the first of the four criminal prosecutions against Trump to proceed to trial.
Other cases charge him with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election and illegally hoarding classified documents at his Florida estate.
In leaving the trial date intact, Judge Juan Manuel Merchan took advantage of a delay in the separate prosecution in Washington related to efforts to undo the election. That case, originally set for trial on March 4, has been effectively on hold pending the outcome of an appeal from Trump on the legally untested question of whether a former president enjoys immunity from prosecution.
Noting that he resisted defense lawyer urgings from months ago to postpone the trial, Merchan said: “I’m glad I took that position because here we are — the D.C. case did not go forward.”
The hush money trial is expected to last up to six weeks, the judge said.
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 15, 2024 9:53:56 GMT -8
Rheumatoid arthritis drug abatacept may also prevent the diseaseA clinical trial showed that abatacept is effective in preventing the onset of rheumatoid arthritis. About 6% of patients treated with abatacept developed arthritis compared to 29% given a placebo following a year of treatment, according to clinical trial results published Tuesday in The Lancet. "This is the largest rheumatoid arthritis prevention trial to date and the first to show that a therapy licensed for use in treating established rheumatoid arthritis is also effective in preventing the onset of disease in people at risk," researcher Andrew Cope, head of the King's College London Center for Rheumatic Diseases, said in a news release. "These initial results could be good news for people at risk of arthritis, as we show that the drug not only prevents disease onset during the treatment phase but can also ease symptoms such as pain and fatigue," he continued. For the clinical trial, researchers recruited 213 patients older than 18 at high risk of rheumatoid arthritis. They all had early symptoms like joint pain, but no swelling that would lead to a formal diagnosis.
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 15, 2024 9:55:16 GMT -8
Where's the Beef?
Meat and rice is a centuries-old dish, loved across the world in a multitude of varieties. Now, Korean scientists are combining the two, by growing animal muscle and fat cells inside rice grains.
According to a study published in science journal Matter," the "cell-cultured protein rice," could prove to become a superfood. Scientists used fish gelatin, a safe and edible ingredient that helps cells latch onto the rice, then seeded Cow muscle and fat stem cells into the rice.
After 9 to 11 days, the cell-cultured beef rice was harvested. According to the study's author Sohyeon Park, the rice provided a natural structure and nutritional profile for the meat cells to grow.
On Thursday, Park told CNN his team had tried experimenting with other combinations including soybeans, it didn't work out because consumers "can't feel the meat-like texture."
In a release, the team said the hybrid rice is more nutritional that traditional rice, with 8% more protein and 7% more fat. Compared to traditional rice, the hybrid rice was firmer and more brittle.
The new food is also less reliant on water and natural resources normally used to feed and grow cattle. According to the study, for every 100 gram of protein produced, hybrid rice is estimated to release less than 6.27 kg. of CO2, compared to beef's 49.89 kg.
If commercialized, the hybrid rice could cost around $2.23 per kilogram. Currently, beef costs around $15 per kilogram.
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 15, 2024 9:56:33 GMT -8
Sadly, MAGA Doesn't have a Monopoly on Stupid
The National Archives rotunda and galleries in Washington, D.C., closed to the public early on Wednesday afternoon after two apparent climate change protesters dumped red powder on the case holding the U.S. Constitution.
The encasement protected the Constitution from any damage, the National Archives said in a press release. The agency’s conservators are evaluating the damage to the rotunda.
The two men were immediately detained and escorted out by security personnel on site. Their identities and the contents of the powder remain unclear. Officials are investigating the incident.
A video posted on social media shows two men covered in the red powder, standing in front of the glass case housing the U.S. Constitution and making prepared speeches about climate change.
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 15, 2024 9:58:27 GMT -8
What Do You Expect When You Donate Money to a Clown?Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign is in disarray amid an exodus of campaign workers who say disorganization, lavish spending, amateurish leadership, and a severe disconnect between the campaign and the candidate’s values have led the long-shot bid for the presidency astray. Fourteen members of Kennedy24 have resigned since the start of the year, including 12 field staff and two main staff, according to multiple sources who spoke with Mediaite on the condition of anonymity. One source close to the campaign pinned the turmoil on two leaders: Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, campaign manager and Kennedy’s daughter-in-law, and Del Bigtree, an anti-vaccine activist who serves as the campaign’s communications director. The source described Fox Kennedy and Bigtree as “self-serving” operatives who were “making decisions based on their own personal advancement opportunities, and not acting in the best interest of the candidate.” A major point of contention within the campaign has been the eye-watering payouts to campaign leadership revealed in FEC reports. Bigtree’s firm KFP Consulting was paid $35,000 in December; it has made $90,000 off the campaign in total so far. Starlight Saint, the LLC registered to campaign COO Matthew Sanders, makes $21,000 a month. More Beautiful World, the LLC registered to campaign adviser Charles Eisenstein, made $21,667 a month in October, November, and December 2023. ‘The Campaign Is a Mess’: RFK Jr. Hit With Staff Exodus Over ‘Lavish Spending’ and ‘Amateurish’ Leadership
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 15, 2024 10:00:34 GMT -8
Tommy Tuberville, Traitor
Tommy Tuberville, former college football mediocrity and TNR’s Dumbest Senator of 2023, announced himself as a contender for Congress’s Biggest Putin Sycophant in a recent interview on a Mobile, Alabama, radio program.
Speaking on The Jeff Poor Show on Monday, Tuberville shamelessly fawned over the Russian prime minister.
“You can tell Putin’s on top of his game. One thing he said that, it really rung a bell, is the propaganda media machine over here, they sell anything they possibly can to go after Russia,” Tuberville said, aping almost word for word the Kremlin’s talking points on American opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We forced this issue,” said Tuberville. “We kept forcing NATO all the way to Eastern Europe, (Ukraine isn't part of NATO) and Putin just got tired of it. He said, ‘Listen, I do not want missiles on my border from the United States. It’d be like Russia coming to Mexico and putting missiles in Mexico.”
“I can understand what he’s talking about,” Tuberville added, showing an empathy apparently reserved only for authoritarians.
The comments came just hours before Tuberville voted to shoot down the Senate’s foreign aid deal, which dedicates $60 billion in aid to Ukraine. (The $95 billion package also includes aid for Israel and Taiwan.)
“They can’t win,” Tuberville told Poor, referring to Ukraine. “Half the country’s like we are: They don’t even know what war is going on,” he added, a hard-to-believe assertion given the estimated $100 billion in damages Ukraine has suffered since the beginning of the war.
He Weakens Our Military. Then He Praises Our Enemies.
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Post by mhbruin on Feb 15, 2024 10:03:39 GMT -8
Russia lost an entire army, now they’re losing a second one
Reuters has information from the latest version of the IISS Military Balance estimate of weapons available to each of the world’s militaries. That estimate suggests that Russia has lost more than 3,000 tanks, “the equivalent of its entire pre-war active inventory.” That number is about half the losses estimated by Ukraine’s general staff, but in line with the numbers of verified losses collected from videos and photographs. In addition to those tanks, Russia has lost thousands of armored transports, supply trucks, engineering vehicles, and artillery guns. It continues to lose dozens more every day. An Army Here. An Army There. Pretty Soon You Are Talking About Real Losses.
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