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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2024 8:15:05 GMT -8
A pastor, a doctor and an engineer were waiting one morning for a particularly slow group of golfers. The engineer fumed, "What's with these guys? We must have been waiting for 15 minutes!" The doctor chimed in, "I don't know, but I've never seen such ineptitude!" The pastor said, "Hey, here comes the greens keeper. Let's have a word with him."
"Hi George. Say, what's with that group ahead of us? They're rather slow, aren't they?" The greens keeper replied, "Oh, yes, that's a group of blind firefighters. They lost their sight saving our clubhouse from a fire last year, so we always let them play for free anytime." The group was silent for a moment.
The pastor said, "That's so sad. I think I will say a special prayer for them tonight." The doctor said, "Good idea. And I'm going to contact my ophthalmologist buddy and see if there's anything he can do for them." The engineer says, "Why can't these guys play at night?"
Vote for Him and Buy Gold From Him
The race to replace retiring Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) is heating up, and the Salt Lake Tribune reports that a debate of Republican Senate candidates this week highlighted the role that "fringe" ideas have taken within the party.
Among the candidates was Jeremy Friedbaum, who the Salt Lake Tribune reports "used Wednesday’s forum to hawk his company which sells gold money that can be used as currency in Utah."
Friedbaum also drew cheers from the crowd during the debate by touting his plan to rename his hometown of Provo's airport after former first lady Melania Trump.
Other candidates at the debate weren't quite as colorful but they nonetheless demonstrated their fealty to right-wing causes, including former Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson touting his past decision to call "the legislature into a special session in June of 2020 to make DEI (diversity, equality, and inclusion) and CRT (critical race theory) illegal in terms of having those issues taught in our schools."
Attendees at the debate were also given a series of pamphlets from groups such as the John Birch Society that urged parents to completely remove their children from schools so that they wouldn't be exposed to critical race theory.
Another pamphlet, meanwhile, falsely claimed that a United Nations environmental program was a secret program aimed at enslaving Americans.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the topics of discussion at the debate reflected the conspiratorial tone of those pamphlets.
"Many of the questions during Wednesday morning’s Republican U.S. Senate debate in Orem reflected the alternate political reality inhabited by GOP base voters where esoteric topics that might seem odd to everyday Utahns are intensely important," the publication writes. "It’s a universe where the “deep state” is perpetually on the verge of turning the country into a socialist society and politicians in Washington are all too willing to set fire to the Constitution to assist in that goal."
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2024 8:18:01 GMT -8
Shooting Themselves in the Foot, the Leg, the Arm and the HeadGOP strategist Doug Heye hammered the Republican National Committee for sending out a robocall this week that was jam-packed with lies about the 2020 presidential election. While appearing on CNN, Heye said that the robocall, which recycles debunked claims about mass numbers of dead people voting in 2020, was not only wrong factually, but also politically self-destructive. "The problem is, we've already seen for Republicans, we've already seen this play out," he said. "This is voter suppression -- it has Republicans suppressing their own own votes. We saw it in Georgia with Trump's unsuccessful race there in 2020. And then we saw it with the Senate races, when Donald Trump was out there saying, 'Your vote doesn't matter, it's been taken away from you.' Everything that Lara Trump just said there, it's cost Republicans." He then recounted how in the past he has helped Republicans win through the kinds of mail-in voting practices that Trump has repeatedly disparaged over the years. "Republicans have long had an advantage on this," he said. "And unfortunately, in deference to Donald Trump, as always, they're just giving it away." Nobody Move Or I'll Shoot
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2024 8:19:30 GMT -8
Ask for Help and Ye Shall Receive ... Sometimes Three men were rescued by the US Coast Guard off an island in Micronesia after they sent out a plea for "HELP" using palm tree leaves. They spelled out "HELP" with the leaves, which led to the rescue nine days after they left on a sailing trip. They had been reported missing after failing to return from a journey to Pikelot Atoll - an uninhabited coral island about 415 miles from Guam.
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2024 8:21:19 GMT -8
Shame!
Arizona's legislature descended into cries of "shame!" as senior Republicans blocked attempts to repeal the state's 1864 law banning abortion.
Republican majority leaders on Wednesday cut off two attempts to discuss a repeal and adjourned for the week, prompting chants from Democrats.
One Republican described it as "extremist, insurrectionist" behaviour.
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2024 8:22:05 GMT -8
He Will Be Running Though Airports in Hell
O.J. Simpson, the decorated football superstar and Hollywood actor who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend but later found liable in a separate civil trial, has died. He was 76.
The family announced on Simpson's official X account — formerly Twitter — that Simpson died Wednesday after battling cancer. Simpson's attorney confirmed to TMZ he died in Las Vegas.
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2024 8:23:08 GMT -8
No Rights? No Justice!
Arizona voters will likely have the chance to overturn their state Supreme Court's new ruling banning nearly all abortions when they head to the polls this fall, but they'll also have the opportunity to reshape the court itself.
As Bolt's Daniel Nichanian points out, two of the justices who voted with the majority will be up for election to new six-year terms in November, Clint Bolick and Kathryn Hackett King. They won't have actual opponents, though, but rather will face what are known as "retention" elections. Under this system, which is used for members of the judiciary in many states, voters are presented with a simple "yes/no" question asking whether a particular judge should "be retained in office."
It's rare for judges to lose retention elections, but it's also rare for a state supreme court to thrust itself into the national limelight the way that Arizona's just did. And abortion will be a top—if not the top—issue this year in Arizona, particularly because reproductive rights supporters say they've already collected enough signatures to place a measure on the November ballot that would enshrine the right to an abortion into the state constitution.
Should Bolick or Hackett King lose, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs would be able to appoint replacements, drawn from a list created by the state's Commission on Appellate Court Appointments. But while that commission is, under the state constitution, supposed to be politically diverse, Hobbs' Republican predecessor, Doug Ducey, stacked the board with nominal independents who have ties to the GOP.
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2024 8:24:56 GMT -8
Truman Ran Against the "Do Nothing Congess". This One is Far Worse.
In an upset on the House floor, the measure, which would extend a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act known as Section 702, failed what is normally a routine procedural test. On a vote of 228 to 193, 19 House Republicans, most aligned with the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, joined Democrats in opposing its consideration.
Such defections were once considered unthinkable but have become increasingly common as the hard right has rebelled against G.O.P. leaders.
It was unclear how Republicans would attempt to move forward.
The setback came just hours after Mr. Trump added his powerful voice of opposition to a sizable contingent of right-wing lawmakers who have clamored for a more sweeping FISA overhaul that would severely limit the government’s spying powers. And it unfolded as intelligence officials were visiting Capitol Hill to brief lawmakers and urge them to pass the legislation, which they say is essential to keep the country safe from a terrorist attack.
It was the third time attempts to advance the bill have collapsed in the House. In December, Mr. Johnson scrapped plans to hold votes on rival bills to narrow the scope of the law after an ugly fight broke out among Republicans. He pulled the bill again in February.
Wait! Did Congress Do Something? Yes! They Made a Problem Worse.
If Catholic Charities of San Antonio doesn’t soon get more federal funding aimed at supporting asylum-seekers, it will have to close its Migrant Resource Center during the evening and overnight hours, which could leave busloads of newly arrived immigrants on the streets.
The nonprofit received $55 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency program in the prior fiscal year, which it used to provide more than 220,000 people with temporary shelter, food and clothing, legal services, counseling and transportation to their final destination. But it only has $5.7 million left, so it is considering slashing the welcome center’s hours in coming weeks to preserve its ability to help migrants during the day for the rest of the year.
Congress last month approved the fiscal year 2024 funding level for FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program in the federal funding package, nearly six months into the fiscal year. Cities, counties and states around the nation have repeatedly asked the federal government for more money to handle the surge of migrants entering the US, and the Biden administration last year called on lawmakers to pump an additional $600 million into the program. The program has not been able to provide any additional financial support since late 2023.
But instead, lawmakers cut the program’s funding to $650 million, down nearly 20% from the prior year. The House and Senate appropriations committees did not return requests for comment.
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2024 8:27:17 GMT -8
Here Comes the SunScientists have discovered a new material that could radically improve the efficiency of next-generation solar panels. A team from Lehigh University in the US developed a material capable of achieving an absorption efficiency rate of 190 per cent of the theoretical efficiency limit for traditional silicon-based solar cells. “This work represents a significant leap forward in our understanding and development of sustainable energy solutions, highlighting innovative approaches that could redefine solar energy efficiency and accessibility in the near future,” said Chinedu Ekuma, a professor of physics at Lehigh University. Tests of the material showed that it performed particularly well when absorbing infrared light and visible regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The material achieved an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 190 per cent – an important method for measuring the efficiency of a solar cell. The EQE rate represents the generation of one electron for each photon absorbed from sunlight. Collecting more than one electron from one photon is possible with the new material, thus accounting for such a high EQE rate. Solar panel breakthrough promises record efficiency with new quantum material
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2024 8:30:24 GMT -8
Taking Cancel Culture to New Heights: Previous Guy Wants to Cancel the Election
During his poolside speech at the “Border 9/11 Gala” at Mar-a-Lago, Trump suggested that the 2024 election could be ended and that he could be declared the winner. Trump started off by claiming he has "experts" that will be watching "the cheating very carefully…
Trump then suggested that he has "so many more votes" than Biden that "they could cancel that election" and declare him the winner:
"Because, I'll tell you what, if it's just by the vote, they could cancel that election. We win that election right now, We have so many more votes than they do, but we have to be very vigilant. We have to be very careful."
Suggesting that an election can be cancelled to automatically declare a winner comes from threats to democracy. Trump has called himself a dictator on "day one," but his autocratic intentions would likely go unrestrained past one day.
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2024 8:32:29 GMT -8
Making Sure the Nubile Young Females Have His BabiesThe time has come to reflect on the life and times — especially the times — of William Claude Jones. Jones was a “prevaricator, a poet, a politician and the pursuer of nubile young females,” according to a 1990 article published in the Journal of Arizona History, which appears to be the most comprehensive biographical report published on the life of the 19th-century rogue. His pursuit of such nubility began with a marriage to Sarah Freeman, who bore him two children in the 1840s, when Jones would have been in his 20s or early 30s. He was a sitting member of the Missouri state legislature at the time, but his family followed him to Arkansas and then Texas as he searched for more prominent government appointments. In 1854, President Franklin Pierce eventually named him U.S. attorney for the New Mexico territory, and it was hereabout that Jones’s first wife filed for divorce. His next wife was a girl whose name was believed to be Maria v. del Refugio, writes L. Boyd Finch, the author of the journal article. New Mexico’s delegate to Washington, Miguel Otero, was bothered by the union. He “declared that the bride was twelve years old,” Finch writes, “and that Jones had ‘abducted’ her.” Otero petitioned President James Buchanan to fire Jones for the moral failing, but Jones resigned instead. While Jones lived in Arizona, he was elected to represent Tucson in the 1st Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly. And then, when that legislature convened in 1864, he was elected speaker of the House. And it was that legislature — the one Jones presided over in 1864, after he had already abandoned his first wife, and married a 12-year-old and was just weeks away from marrying a 15-year-old, though still a few years away from marrying a 14-year-old — it was that legislature that passed a law reading, “Every person who shall administer or cause to be administered or taken, any medicinal substances, or shall use or cause to be used any instruments whatever, with the intention to procure the miscarriage of any woman then being with child, and shall be thereof duly convicted, shall be punished by imprisonment in the Territorial prison for a term not less than two years nor more than five years.” Meet the ‘pursuer of nubile young females’ who helped pass Arizona’s 1864 abortion law
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2024 8:33:23 GMT -8
This is the Only Appealing Thing About Previous Guy
Former President Donald Trump lost a third attempt this week to delay his hush money trial in New York after an appeals court judge soundly rejected his claim, setting the stage for jury selection to begin on Monday.
Despite two other failed efforts this week, Trump’s lawyers argued Judge Juan Merchan should have recused himself from overseeing the case and asked for a delay while they argued for his removal. The former president has been indicted on 34 counts related to falsifying business records over an alleged hush money payment to the adult film star Stormy Daniels in the waning days of the 2016 presidential election.
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2024 8:36:34 GMT -8
Gunning for the Gun Show Loophole
The Biden administration on Thursday announced they are closing what is often known as the "gun show loophole," by tightening up the definition of what it means to be "engaged in the business" of selling firearms.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) has just implemented a change in the federal register language, which was previously more specific to who was selling guns, and the agency did it in accordance with the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was passed in 2022.
The administration rolled out the proposed rule in September 2023, taking in over 300,000 comments from the public.
Prior to the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, those "engaged in the business" of firearms dealer were required to register to become a federally licensed firearm dealer, according to the language previously used. The definition that ATF is implementing on Thursday is more specific to better regulate the market in accordance with the new federal law, according to the White House.
The rule now explicitly lists the types of commercial activities that indicate whether a person should become a federally licensed dealer and thus be required to run a background check; prevents people from evading the licensing and background check requirements by claiming that they are just selling a few guns, according to the White House; and prevents people from falsely claiming that guns are part of a personal collection and exempt a seller from running a background check on a buyer.
By being more specific and precise in the definition, Administration officials on a call with reporters said it would require more people to register for a federal selling license and run a background check on the person they are selling to.
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Post by mhbruin on Apr 11, 2024 8:42:48 GMT -8
Previous Guy is In DIre Straits, and Not Because He Wants His MTV.
Former President Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign is in "dire straits" his own staffers say put him at a "huge disadvantage" to incumbent President Joe Biden, according to Washington insiders and a new report.
Money and staffing problems plague Trump's campaign in battleground states where the former president — facing mounting legal fees amid multiple criminal and criminal court battles — cannot afford to expand, according to NBC News.
Two Republican operatives privately told NBC News Trump and the Republican National Committee have fewer than five staff members between them in Pennsylvania and Michigan. And Trump reportedly can't afford to expand the campaign's staff to full capacity in some places, like Pennsylvania, until the summer.
In comparison, Biden's campaign had $71 million cash — more than double Trump's — in February, according to the report.
Biden's campaign told NBC News that money went into a hiring spree that brought in 300 paid staffers across nine states and 100 offices in key swing states.
"Trump’s advisers would not disclose staffing levels, but his ground game still seems to be at a nascent stage," the report notes. "His campaign hired state directors in Pennsylvania and Michigan last week, people familiar with the recruitment process said."
One staffer raised serious concerns and made a blunt comparison between the two campaigns.
“This is like comparing a Maserati to a Honda — 2020 had staff and the bodies in place to turn out the vote,” one of those staffers said. “This current iteration is starting from ground zero, and we’re seven months out from the election. It makes no sense and puts them at a huge disadvantage to Biden, who is staffing up in droves.”
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