Thursday, November 21, 2024

Dead nominee walking

Today, Matt Gaetz's nomination to be US Attorney General flopped.  Now eyes turn to the hugely embarrassing Pete Hegseth.  Hanna Rosin (THE ATLANTIC) explains:



Aside from being a veteran, Hegseth has little qualification to lead the Department of Defense. He’s a Fox News host who has written a screed against DEI in the military. He has faced an allegation of sexual assault, which he denies, but the Trump team is not balking. “We look forward to his confirmation,” Steven Cheung, a Trump spokesperson, said in reply to news reports about the allegation. At another time in our history, many lines in Hegseth’s latest book alone might have disqualified him on the grounds of being too juvenile. In the introduction of The War on Warriors, he criticizes the “so-called elites directing the military today”: “Sometime soon, a real conflict will break out, and red-blooded American men will have to save their elite candy-asses.”

Focusing on scandals and inflammatory rhetoric, however, may serve as a diversion from a bigger, more alarming strategy. The real danger of Hegseth’s appointment lies in the role he might play in Trump’s reimagined military. In this episode of Radio Atlantic, we talk with the staff writer Tom Nichols about Trump’s grander plan to centralize control. “He’s going for the trifecta of putting nakedly loyalist, unqualified people into these jobs as a way of saying to everyone in those departments, I’m in control. I run these. You’re going to do what I say. And forget the Constitution. Forget the law. Forget everything except loyalty to Donald Trump,” Nichols says.

Here's a video.




"Iraq snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):

Thursday, November 21, 2024.  Satan's cabinet picks remain a sorry lot.


Turf wars.  That's what DC has always been about.  Nothing ever changes and only the idiots -- like Great Satan Trump -- refuse to adjust to the system.  The Constitution gives the Senate approval on all cabinet level nominees.  Not listening to their advice portion of advice & consent is not going to get him off on the right foot.  Attempting to bypass them will only make things more difficult for him in the future.

He's a lame duck.  And I did not see the photos from his last week of campaigning or photos from this weekend until late last night.  Is he going to leave the Oval Office in a coffin?  He looks dead.  If that's why he smears that orange make up on his face . . .  At any rate, he won't have another term.  He is a lame duck president whose health is giving out.  He hasn't even been sworn in and already the lie that he has a mandate has been corrected.  Applause for Lawrence O'Donnell who led on that and made the point  night after night on his MSNBC program.


Loathe THE NATION and what it's become under racist Katrina vanden Heuvel but Joan Walsh and John Nichols did play fair -- maybe that's why they didn't get the play that all the attack Kamala articles did on THE NATION's website? -- but Nichols points out:


Let’s put this in perspective: Trump is winning a lower percent of the popular vote this year than Biden did in 2020 (51.3), Obama in 2012 (51.1), Obama in 2008 (52.9), George W. Bush in 2004 (50.7), George H.W. Bush in 1988 (53.2), Ronald Reagan in 1984 (58.8), Reagan in 1980 (50.7), or Jimmy Carter in 1976 (50.1). And, of course, Trump numbers are way below the presidents who won what could reasonably be described as “unprecedented and powerful” mandates, such as Richard Nixon’s 60.7 percent in 1972, Lyndon Johnson’s 61.1 percent in 1964, or Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 60.8 percent. As Trump’s percentage continues to slide, he’ll fall below the thresholds achieved by most presidents in the past century.

Harris, on the other hand, is looking like a much stronger finisher than she did on election night. In fact, the Democrat now has a higher percentage of the popular vote than Presidents Trump in 2016 (46.1), Bush in 2000 (47.9), Clinton in 1992 (43), or Nixon in 1968 (43.4). She has also performed significantly better than recent major-party nominees such as Trump in 2020 (46.8), Trump in 2016 (48.2), Mitt Romney in 2012 (47.2), John McCain in 2008 (45.7), George W. Bush in 2000 (47.9), Bob Dole in 1996 (40.7), George H.W. Bush in 1992 (37.4), Michael Dukakis in 1988 (45.6), Walter Mondale (40.6), Carter in 1980 (41), or Gerald Ford in 1976 (48).

Yes, some of those historic results were influenced by the presence of strong third-party contenders. But most were not. And the bottom line is that the gap between Trump and Harris is narrower than the difference between major-party contenders in the vast majority of American presidential races.

Why make note of all the presidents who ran better than Trump? Why discuss the narrowness of his advantage over Harris? Why consider, in addition, that the Republican majorities in the House and Senate will be among the narrowest in modern American history? Because it puts the 2024 election results in perspective—and, in doing so, gives members of both parties an understanding of how to respond when Trump claims that an unappealing nominee or policy should be accepted out of deference to his “powerful” mandate.





Despite repeated claims from GOP corners that the United States gave Donald Trump a "mandate" on Election Day, the president-elect has still not secured a majority of the popular vote. 
According to the Cook Political Report, Trump has netted 76.8 million votes to Kamala Harris' 74.2 million votes. Trump's share of the ballots is good for 49.89% of the current tallied vote total. If the current margin of roughly 2.4 million votes holds, it will be the closest margin of victory since the contest between Al Gore and George W. Bush in 2000. 

Trump's current lead in the popular vote count is smaller than the one Hillary Clinton put up on him in 2016. Clinton gained 2.8 million more votes than Trump in her electoral loss. 




Yes, Donald Trump won the election. He will be the next president. There’s no question about that. But it’s also one of the narrowest popular vote wins in U.S. history. He got less than half the votes cast, winning a plurality but not a majority of the popular vote.

Trump won by about 2.5 million votes out of more than 150 million cast. That means his lead over Vice President Kamala Harris in the popular vote is down to about 1.6%. In fact, when comparing Trump’s margin of victory to every presidential election going back to 2000, the president-elect boasts the smallest margin of anyone who’s actually won their election and the popular vote. 

[. . .]

So take a step back and keep all of this in mind when you hear Trump and his supporters suggest that the election was this enormous wave in which a transformation swept across the country, in which Americans were just begging for a MAGA makeover.

That is the line Republicans are selling — and lots in the mainstream media are granting it in various ways — but it’s just plainly not true. And we’ve gone through this all before. Just compare all the postmortems in the past two weeks about “what the American people really wanted” when Trump won by 1.6 points nationally to the postmortems we got in 2016, after Clinton beat him by 2.1% nationally, but lost in the Electoral College. It’s all the same stuff.



Donald has no mandate.  And US senators have their own turf and, honestly, are not dependent upon the good graces of a president.  Dems in the Oval Office usually grasp that.  Donald still can't.  And he chooses one huge mistake after another as a nominee.  Steven T. Dennis, Jamie Tarabay, Daniel Flatley and María Paula Mijares Torres (BLOOMBERG NEWS) report:

President-elect Donald Trump is poised to skip over FBI vetting of his nominees, upending more than 60 years of precedent and putting him on a collision course with members of his own party as he tries to power his controversial cabinet picks through the Senate.

Republican senators have balked at Trump potentially forgoing the routine FBI background checks to install former Representative Matt Gaetz as attorney general as well as other controversial nominees like Pete Hegseth to lead the Pentagon and Tulsi Gabbard, another former House member, to run national intelligence.

Trump’s transition team hasn’t signed an agreement with the Justice Department and FBI that would allow the bureau to vet nominees, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not be identified discussing internal deliberations. The agreement is typically an initial step to begin the process of vetting.



The nominees are a joke -- again,  -- and they spell doom for the country if approved and doom for the already struggling Satan if they're not approved. 

Take the deeply unqualified Pete Hegseth who thinks he can transition from talk show host to Secretary of Defense.  Rhian Lubin and Katie Hawkinson (INDEPENDENT) explain:


Donald Trump’s transition team is said to be “upset” with Pete Hegseth because he “hasn’t been honest” about the sexual misconduct allegation from his past – prompting insiders to consider other options to lead the Pentagon.

Hegseth was tapped last week to become Trump’s defense secretary but now those in the president-elect’s inner circle are “quietly preparing a list of alternative” candidates, Vanity Fair reported.


“It’s becoming a real possibility,” a source told the outlet’s special correspondent Gabriel Sherman.

The source said that the Trump team was taken by surprise after a serious sexual assault allegation against Hegseth came to light, which led Trump’s incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles to question the former Fox News host on a call last week. Hegseth was never charged with a crime and denies the allegations.

“People are upset about the distraction. The general feeling is Pete hasn’t been honest,” a second source told Vanity Fair.

A “prominent Republican” close to the Trump transition team told the outlet that some are also unhappy with the president-elect’s choice due to Hegseth’s lack of qualifications to lead the nation’s defense.

“There are Republicans with a background in the Defense Department who are privately saying, ‘I’m not working for this guy,’” the source said.

 


He has no executive experience and serving in the military doesn't mean knowing all the many issues.  We went over this in Tuesday's snapshot and noted that any Republican serving on the Senate Armed Services Committee would be a better choice and know the issues involved.


Then there's plastic surgery junkie and alleged sex trafficker Matt Gaetz whom Satan has nominated for Attorney General.  They're trying to keep hidden both the Justice Dept's report on their investigation into Gaetz on charges of assaulting underage females and the House Ethics Committee's findings as well. Travis Gettys (RAW STORY) reports:




The Florida Republican resigned last week as soon as Trump announced his nomination, which complicates the release of that panel's findings, but former ethics chairman Charlie Dent published an op-ed for MSNBC arguing that Gaetz's exit from Congress should not prevent the public from learning what lawmakers found.

"Ordinarily, nominees for Cabinet positions are thoroughly vetted to identify any potential obstacles to confirmation," wrote Dent, a Republican former congressman from Pennsylvania. "Trump has eschewed any pretense of a normal vetting process and instead has sought an attorney general nominee prepared to torch the very department he would lead. Not to quibble about Gaetz’s qualifications, but he has scant experience as a lawyer and was the subject of a lengthy sex crimes investigation by the Justice Department that resulted in no charges filed against him."
[. . . ]

"Gaetz thought his resignation could block the report’s release and avoid having disturbing details from the report going public," Dent added. "Well, not so fast."


There's no House rule prohibiting the committee from releasing a report on a departed member, and Dent cites several examples of that happening in the past, when the panel issued a report on teen sex allegations against Rep. Don Lukens (R-OH) in 1990, misuse of campaign funds allegations against Rep. Bill Boner (D-TN) in 1987, and sexual misconduct allegations against Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) in 2006.

"The precedent of post-resignation disclosure is particularly stronger surrounding sexual misconduct by members," Dent wrote.

As it should be.  He didn't slink off the way most disgraced people would.  He wants to be Attorney General.  The American people have the right to know everything in that report.  As Marcia noted last night:


So let's review a few things.  We pay for the work members of Congress do.  They are working for us.  Remember that.  Matt Gaetz resigned from Congress last week to stop the release of an ethics report on him -- it would have been released last Friday.  By resigning, he was no longer a member of Congress and killed the report's release.  Riley Beggin (USA Today) explains:


The House Ethics Committee had an ongoing investigation into similar allegations. That panel planned to vote on whether to release a report on its findings just two days after Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress. Lawyers for two women who spoke with the committee have said they testified that they witnessed Gaetz under the influence of drugs and sexually assaulting a minor in 2017. Gaetz has denied the allegations.

Trump also tapped Fox News host Pete Hegseth to be defense secretary. A woman alleged Hegseth raped her in 2017. He has denied the allegation, and police never pressed charges against him. Hegseth admitted to paying the woman a settlement amount, saying he feared he would lose his job at Fox over the accusation.

In a previous political era, the claims against Gaetz and Hegseth would likely be the death knell for a Cabinet nomination.


He is nominated by Donald Trump to be the next Attorney General of the United States.  And where's the report?  He's accused of assaulting underage women.  So where's the report?  We paid for it.  He's trying to become the next Attorney General of the United States.  Where's the report?




Republican Senator Kevin Cramer has publicly rejected the possibility of a recess appointment for controversial Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, calling the move "unwise."

Cramer made the remarks during a CNN interview on Monday, a week after Gaetz was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to be attorney general.
[. . .]

Amid the controversial pick, Trump has faced scrutiny from some Republican lawmakers, like Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who have expressed dismay at Gaetz's nomination. Half of Senate Republicans, including some in senior leadership positions, privately saying they don't see a path for Gaetz to be confirmed by the Senate, NBC News reported.




 
There's the awful Linda McMahon -- see Rebecca's "the immensely unqualified linda mcmahon" -- proposed for Secretary of (Mis)Education.   There's terrorist Tulsi who members of the unit she served in complained about, who belongs to a cult and who does not have the experience or skill set to be the Director of Traffic let alone the Director of National Intelligence -- the post that, believe it or not, Satanic Trump has nominated her for.  And there's always the failure that is Junior.  Little man pumps all the steroids into his veins he can and still comes up short -- see Elaine's "Only tin foil hat wearing Lisa Pease is impressed with Junior."  Rachel Roubein and Dan Diamond (WASHINGTON POST) report:


Republican senators are poised to decide whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr. becomes the nation’s next health secretary. But in interviews this week, a half-dozen GOP lawmakers said they had questions or outright concerns about his nomination, with several citing his vaccine skepticism, as they weighed whether to vote for him.

“Look, I believe in vaccines. I think they’ve saved millions of lives,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) said in an interview. “If he has a different point of view, then he’ll have to explain them to us.”

President-elect Donald Trump last week selected Kennedy to run the Department of Health and Human Services, the nearly $2 trillion agency that oversees federal health insurance programs, medical regulations and vaccine approvals. The selection has alarmed federal health leaders and medical groups, who say Kennedy should be nowhere near the nation’s public health infrastructure given that he has repeated debunked claims about vaccines and made other false or questionable assertions.

The pick has also scrambled Capitol Hill, with Republicans trying to decide whether to vote for a former Democrat who has supported abortion, attacked the pharmaceutical industry and wants to change U.S. agriculture policies, among other positions that challenge GOP orthodoxy.


Junior, of course, brings along his thyroid challenged wife, an 'actress' of no merit or talent whose 'career' is several rungs below that of Mary Jane Croft.  

So, as the second Trump administration looms and her husband is poised to “go wild on health,” in Trump's words, pushing to change vaccine requirements, remove fluoride from water, and more if his nomination to appointed secretary of health and human services is approved, Hines is in the increasingly rare position of being a woman with choices.

One option: Hines could divorce Kennedy. She can point to the Nuzzi situation, which was reportedly consensual, if generally icky. (A third-party investigation into Nuzzi's work at New York found no evidence of journalistic bias in her work, but reporter and publication “agreed that the best course forward is to part ways” nonetheless.) A former babysitter has also made credible allegations of sexual assault, as reported by Vanity Fair (Kennedy responded in other outlets by saying he is “not a church boy”). The animal stuff is disturbing, and the anti-vaccine stance and false claims that stir up hysteria and dangerous medical situations that can result in entirely preventable deaths is not ideal either. Hines’ home state of California does still have no-fault divorce—but maybe not for much longer, if the Republicans have anything to say about it.

She could stay married to him and order up the Melania Trump Starter Pack: Dark, oversized sunglasses and a tight-lipped grimace pair gorgeously with legally wedded resentment and a sprinkling of “no comment” responses. Hell, Melania isn’t even planning to move into the White House this time around, sources say. Maybe she and Hines could hang out in Florida (Hines’ state of origin), get some brunch, and not talk about the havoc their husbands are wreaking on the country. You can be legally married and quiet, as both women have demonstrated. Last Thursday, Hines was spotted on Kennedy's arm at a Mar-a-Lago party, yukking it up with Team MAGA, Trump himself reportedly included. Maybe this is the sacrifice she's willing make in the name of plentiful shrimp cocktail.

A third option would be for Hines to take her own philosophy about improv to heart: Commit, 100 percent, and lie in the bed she’s made. The apparent path of willful ignorance and silence Hines has taken so far, as if not acknowledging Kennedy's campaign and controversial views would make it so that they might as well not exist, is no longer one she can walk, given the announcement of Kennedy's nomination and seeming inevitability of his continuing presence in the political arena.

Welcome to Washington, Cheryl. What'll it be?


Poor Cheryl, so pathetic.  And I'm finding it hard to believe -- well, maybe not -- that I know who he snuck off with last Sunday and Cheryl doesn't.  But Cheryl, you keep playing doormat -- it's the only role you've ever pulled off convincingly. 




President-elect Donald Trump’s flurry of announcements about his picks for government (and extra-governmental) positions seems obviously unburdened by consideration of how popular those choices might be. It is not common for a president-elect to identify a number of people with so little experience to fill high-level government positions, certainly. Nor is it common for a president-elect to be so uncertain about the confirmation of those intended nominees — by a Senate his own party controls, mind you — as to approach his inauguration with a plan in place to sidestep the Senate confirmation process.


It should not be surprising, then, that the people Trump has tapped are viewed with little enthusiasm among Americans more broadly.


These are the nominees we  get when 'independent' media like THE NATION, DEMOCRACY NOW!, THE PROGRESSIVE, IN THESE TIMES, et al fail us by spending three months leading into a presidential election attacking not Donald Trump but instead attacking Kamala Harris -- and doing so on a daily basis.


As Steve Nicks asks, "What shall I say this time?" ("Straight Back").


My kindness is pretty much shot for the year.


So I wish so many of you writers would just stop bothering me.  


This morning it's a guy who wants his COMMON DREAMS column highlighted.  And I've told him not before.  He's one of the ones who attacked Kamala constantly.  Now he's going to be our answer?  F**k you.  You're part of the reason that Trump will be sworn in.


And now you think we should just forgive you and ignore what you did?  Your actions have consequences that probably won't effect you -- you're a White, straight male of a certain age.  But it will impact and destroy the lives of the many of the rest of us.


He wants me to know that he actually wrote some supportive columns about Kamala but COMMON DREAMS didn't run those.


Really?


Is that the truth?  Because if it is (a) you waited to share that until after it no longer matter and (b) don't share it with me, week after week, Ava and I documented how the 'independent' media was destroying Kamala's campaign with one attack after another.


I'm not your priest and I'm not going to absolve you.


If you want to share what COMMON DREAMS did, share it in a column.


But you won't.  


You'll just whisper it because whether it's Mika and Joe or some non-corporate lefty, you're all about protecting yourselves and the circle jerk you try to pass off as an 'independent' media.  


Your new column?  Weak sauce.  And the points you barely make should have been made during the election.  Cry to someone else because I don't feel sorry for you.  You're guilty and you're responsible.  And I'll feel bad for the way you destroyed hope for so many Americans, but I don't -- and won't -- feel sorry for you.


Senator Patty Murray's office issued the following:


Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, reintroduced their legislation to clarify that victims of discrimination can seek damages for emotional harm under federal law—after the Supreme Court curtailed their ability to do so in its devastating April 2022 ruling in Cummings v. Premier Rehab Keller. The senators’ Clarifying Civil Rights Remedies Act of 2024 ensures that people who suffer emotional harm because of discrimination they experienced are able to seek restitution under federal anti-discrimination statutes—recognizing that while discrimination may not cause a financial loss, it can and often does cause lasting emotional distress.

“Our legislation recognizes the plain truth that people who are discriminated against often suffer lasting emotional harm and should have the ability to seek justice in our courts, including restitution — even if the discrimination they experienced did not have a financial impact,” said Senator Murray. “The Supreme Court’s failure in Cummings to recognize and account for the humiliation and distress a person can experience after being discriminated against in a classroom, a doctor’s office, or other settings was a profound mistake — our legislation would right this wrong and ensure victims of discrimination can seek the appropriate damages they deserve.”

“Discrimination can leave a lasting mental impact on those who experience it. That’s why the Supreme Court’s decision in Cummings v. Premier Rehab Keller is so harmful. It prevents those who have suffered emotional distress due to discrimination from seeking damages,” said Senator Durbin. “I’m joining Senator Murry in introducing the Clarifying Civil Rights Remedies Act to clarify that damages for emotional harm are available to victims of discrimination. No one who faces discrimination should be denied justice in court.”

In April 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision authored by Chief Justice Roberts that victims of discrimination cannot sue under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or the Affordable Care Act to recover damages for emotional distress caused by illegal discrimination. The decision denies many victims of discrimination an appropriate remedy for the harms they have suffered.

The Clarifying Civil Rights Remedies Act of 2024 makes explicit that remedies available for violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act include compensatory damages, including for emotional harm. The legislation ensures that victims have recourse and that incentives exist to encourage recipients of federal funds to comply with our federal civil rights laws.

“As advocates for women and girls, including LGBTQI+ individuals and survivors of sexual violence, we’ve seen the range of harms that can follow after experiencing discrimination, including harassment and assault. The Clarifying Civil Rights Remedies Act of 2024 is critical for victims to receive remedies they are entitled to under our civil rights laws,” said Gaylynn Burroughs, Vice President for Education & Workplace Justice at the National Women’s Law Center. “Justice was impaired when the Supreme Court limited remedies for emotional distress in its decision in Cummings, but we are grateful for Senator Murray’s leadership in ensuring that victims of harassment have explicit rights to remedies for emotional harm.”

“Discrimination can devastate a person’s well-being. It can lead to anxiety, depression, and even substance abuse. Since the Supreme Court’s decision in Cummings, students across the country have been denied a financial remedy for the emotional harm that discrimination has caused them,” said Adele Kimmel, Public Justice’s Students’ Civil Rights Project Director. “The Clarifying Civil Rights Remedies Act is an important first step in restoring the availability of this crucial remedy.”

“Access to our nation’s courts is critical to make real the promise of our nation’s civil rights laws,” said Megan Schuller, Legal Director of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. “When the Supreme Court failed to recognize the intent of vitally important civil rights statutes and erected yet another barrier to vindicating those rights, it placed Americans with disabilities and others at greater risk of experiencing discrimination in schools, hospitals, workplaces, state and local government programs, and other settings with no meaningful recourse. We are grateful to Senator Murray for reintroducing the Clarifying Civil Rights Remedies Act, which will correct the Court’s flawed interpretation and restore to people with disabilities and others the ability to access justice.”

In addition to Senators Murray and Durbin, the legislation is cosponsored by Senators Baldwin, Blumenthal, Booker, Casey, Duckworth, Helmy, Kaine, Sanders, Van Hollen, Welch, and Whitehouse.

The legislation is endorsed by the National Women’s Law Center, the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Public Justice, American Association for Justice, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the Arc of the United States, National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), National Black Justice Coalition, The Trevor Project, American Atheists, National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity, National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, Know Your IX, and Just Solutions.

A one-pager on the legislation is available HERE.

Read the full text of the Clarifying Civil Rights Remedies Act of 2024 HERE.

###


That's something to focus on.  Some pathetic and cowardly writer who helped put Donald back into the White House?  You're on your own.  


The following sites updated:







at

He was always useless

People need to know their lane.  Grifter and carnival barker Nate Silver never has known his lane.  Ariana Baio (INDEPENDENT) notes:



Political pollster and writer Nate Silver suggested President Joe Biden is unfit to remain in office for the next two months and should allow Vice President Kamala Harris to take over for the rest of the term.
In response to a Washington Post article that claims Biden, 82, has avoided public appearances and reporters’ questions since the election, Silver wondered if he is competent.


It's time for people to stop listening to Silver.  He's just a carny that needs to hit the road already.

"Iraq snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):

 Wednesday, November 20, 2024.  Mika and Joe soil themselves while nut jobs like Francis Boyle harm the left.


Did Mika and Joe destroy MSNBC this week?







I heard what they'd done Monday afternoon and immediately removed their video from the snapshot -- they were talking about Pete Hegseth.  When the shock faded, the anger remained.  And I wasn't a big fan of MORNING JOE.  Two cowards went and sucked up to save their own asses and their viewers b e damned.


There was no excuse for it.  It tars them as traitors -- they betrayed the audience -- and as liars because how could you say all that they have said about the great Satan and then turn around and make nice with him?


They now make clear that, at least their section of MSNBC, is nothing but posing and acting -- and that's really not something a so-called news network wants to be known for.


Rachel Maddow, Joy Reid, Ari, Chris Hayes, all of them are now suspect.


I'm not saying they should be -- I can't imagine a time when I won't applaud and defend Chris -- someone who actually keeps their word and has a record for doing so -- but I am saying that two on airs embarrassed the network and put a question mark over the network and the other on air personalities.



Ron Filipkowski (MEIDASTOUCH MEDIA) notes:


After social media across multiple platforms erupted over Joe and Mika’s trip to MAL to kiss the ring, or, as Joe put it, “restarting my communications with Trump,” the response this morning was to insult the critics. Scarborough opened the show with this:

“Yesterday, I saw for the first time what a massive disconnect there was between social media and the real world because we were flooded from phone calls from people all day, literally around the world, very positive, very supportive.”

So, the millions of people who expressed outrage that J&M went to the home of the man they have called a serial sexual abuser of women and the second coming of Hitler are disconnected from the real world, but J&M’s friends calling them from around the world have their finger on the pulse? I guess we will find out when the ratings from this week come out whether this is just cranks on social media or real people who used to watch their show. (The show’s ratings had already tanked since the election even before this).

Sure, the consensus of the opinions on social media don’t always reflect society as a whole or the views of the entire country. I get that. But that’s not really the issue here. Morning Joe’s audience is largely the very same people who are complaining on social media - educated, sophisticated people who follow the news very closely and are on social media. So, with this dismissive statement, Joe insults his own audience yet again.

I guess I’m just not sophisticated enough to understand why a TV host would go to someone’s house to kiss and make up who accused him of murdering a staffer to cover up an extramarital affair (with no evidence). Or who viciously insulted his wife over her intellect, looks, and plastic surgery. I guess those of us in the imaginary social media world don’t get the nuance of how it is necessary to kiss the ring of that person in order to provide TV commentary to a largely progressive audience.



People around the world?  Joe is such a damn liar.  No one gives a damn about MORNING JOE in Japan or France or any country that has their own media.   There is no excuse for what took place.  


While Joe lied and invented world wide fans, MEIDASTOUCH actually polled:

 

After we reported that Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski admitted to bending the knee to Trump at Mar-a-Lago this past weekend, we decided to conduct a survey to see if it impacted viewers of Morning Joe. We were Morning Joe fans, and it made us not want to watch them again. We wanted to see if MeidasTouch viewers felt as we did.

We surveyed 9,686 people, and the results were shocking: 90.3 percent of those surveyed say they will not watch Morning Joe ever again. It’s sad that Morning Joe screwed over its audience like this and lost the credibility and trust it had gained from us and others


Mika and Joe are exposed as actors, not as journalists.  They will say and do anything for a check.

They are not alone.  


Remember that as you read over Lynda Williams (COMMON DREAMS):


As a physicist and concerned citizen, I find myself outraged every time I scroll through social media and encounter tweets from the Department of Energy, or DOE, and the Office of Nuclear Energy, or ONE, touting nuclear power as “clean, safe, and carbon-free.”

This narrative not only misrepresents the dirty reality of nuclear power but also obscures the significant environmental and health risks associated with its production and waste. It’s infuriating to see government agencies knowingly lie and promote such misleading information, while ignoring the pressing issues faced by communities affected by the toxic reality of the nuclear power industry—propaganda paid for by U.S. taxpayers!

Oh, Canada! Leading the Charge Against Nuclear Greenwashing

Finally, someone is doing something about it—but not in the U.S., where you’d expect it. In Canada, a coalition of seven environmental organizations recently filed a formal complaint with the Competition Bureau against the Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA), accusing it of misleading the public by marketing nuclear power as “clean” and “emissions-free.” Based on Canada’s Competition Act, the complaint challenges the CNA for violating provisions related to false or misleading advertising, similar to greenwashing regulations in other countries, where deceptive environmental claims distort market competition and misinform consumers.

The complaint argues that the CNA omits critical information about the environmental damage and health risks associated with the nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium mining, radioactive waste management, and the impacts on communities near nuclear facilities. By selectively framing nuclear power as a climate solution, the CNA diverts attention and resources away from truly sustainable alternatives like solar and wind energy.

In confronting the extremism of a potential Trump administration, it’s more vital than ever to collaborate with Canada and other nations committed to challenging nuclear misinformation.

In the U.S., similar deceptive practices could be challenged under the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Act, which includes the FTC’s Green Guides. These guidelines require that any environmental claims be substantiated, transparent, and not misleading about the overall environmental impact. Yet, organizations like the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and the American Nuclear Society (ANS) continue to promote nuclear power as a “clean” energy solution while conveniently ignoring the lifecycle emissions, radioactive waste, and long-term environmental costs.

Leading the charge in Canada are groups such as the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA), Environmental Defence Canada, and the Sierra Club Canada Foundation. Here in the U.S., organizations like the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and the Sierra Club could take similar action against the NEI and ANS by leveraging the FTC’s guidelines to expose deceptive marketing practices in the nuclear sector.

Let’s Be Real: Nuclear Power is Not Clean or Green

Sure, nuclear fission may not produce direct carbon emissions, but the nuclear fuel cycle—including uranium mining, reactor construction, radioactive waste management, and decommissioning—creates significant greenhouse gas emissions. In places like the Navajo Nation, uranium mining has already caused immeasurable harm. Over 523 abandoned uranium mines and mills continue to contaminate the land and water with radioactive waste, leading to severe health problems that affect multiple generations. The DOE’s failure to address these ongoing harms while simultaneously promoting the narrative of “clean, safe, carbon-free” nuclear power is not just unethical—it’s a dangerous distraction from real solutions for our energy needs and the fight against climate change.


Nuclear energy is not safe.  The byproduct of it is not safe and is deadly for millions of years.  A nuclear plant makes a much better target for terrorism than a world sky scraper.  It is a danger to all of us.


Some people got taken in by Oliver Stone.  He's a pig and he lies.  But some on the left treated him like a god. 


Words?  Pretty words trick a lot of people.  Equally true, there are a lot of sell outs.


And there is just the grotesque.  That would be people like John Stauber who made their money and name on the left but turned out to be psycho nut jobs who now platform and embrace Laura Loomer and other hate merchants.


I'm not in the mood to play.  What John Stauber puts on his social media is disgusting but the left -- even those who promoted him -- looks the other way and refuses to call out what he's become -- a racist troll.


I'm not playing that game.


Francis A. Boyle is a legal professor who once had a working brain.  He's repeatedly sent stuff to this site over the years and I've tried to include it where possible.  Didn't mean I agreed, didn't mean I disagreed.  


But we're done.  

I knew of him through members of Congress -- including John Conyers.

He keeps sending garbage and doesn't seem to realize that it's not being missed in the inbox.  That can happen.  That's not what's happening with him.


I don't care that he wants to impeach Joe Biden.


That is his 'new' and 'productive' effort.  


Joe Biden steps down in January, it's almost Thanksgiving, buy a damn clue, read the room.  Francis is a damn loser.  Maybe he always was, maybe he just became it.


But not only do I not have time for that garbage nonsense, I also don't have time for Alex Jones.  Is this the first time his name has appeared here in our two decades?  Ava and I covered his nonsense for a media piece at THIRD.  


But Francis has sat down with Alex Jones and done a great interview on impeaching Joe Biden and . . .


And shut the hell up.  


Seriously, you embarrass yourself.  You shame yourself.


I am appalled that no one calls out John Stauber.  But when I saw all the e-mails of Francis trying to promote himself and Alex Jones, my first response was to just ignore it.  So maybe that's why some on the left who were so cozy with John Stauber have refused to call him out for the hate merchant he's become?  I don't know but I'm not playing that game.


Francis A. Boyle is nuts and has no place on the left.  He can join the other grifters like Glynneth Greenwald and Fatt Taibbi in promoting and defending Alex Jones.  


We won't miss him.  If you're looking what's going on in this country right now and your 'answer' is to impeach Joe Biden?  You're beyond insane.


People are living in fear of what's coming.  


And your answer is to defocus with a bunch of nonsense while you play footise with Alex Jones?


You're a disgrace and a good reason why our country is at the point it is right now and why so many Americans rightfully are worried about what's coming after the January inauguration.


Senator Elizabeth Warren issued the following:


Washington, D.C. – Today, in response to the news that President-elect Donald Trump has named Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to serve as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released the following statement: 

“Donald Trump’s appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. poses a danger to public health, scientific research, medicine, and health care coverage for millions of Americans. RFK Jr. wants to stop parents from protecting their babies from measles and his ideas would welcome the return of polio. He has spread conspiracy theories on everything from COVID to mass shootings. I will have a lot of questions about Mr. Kennedy’s fitness to serve as health secretary when he appears before the Finance Committee.”

###



Senator Ron Wyden issued the following:

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement on Donald Trump picking Chris Wright to be nominated for Department of Energy secretary and Doug Burgum to be nominated for Department of Interior secretary.

“It’s sadly not the least bit surprising that Trump’s picks to do his bidding at the Department of Energy and the Department of the Interior have long track records cheerleading for Big Oil, corporate America, and the ultra-wealthy gas executives plotting to fill their already over-stuffed pocketbooks,” Wyden said. “These nominees were selected with the goal of taking our country back in time and rolling back climate progress. American workers and families will pay a steep price as Trump's agenda destroys jobs and shuts down renewable energy projects all over the country that Americans overwhelmingly support.

“But make no mistake: as a senior member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I will watchdog the Trump administration’s every move. Oregonians voted for elected officials who will stand up to Trump’s climate denying policies and keep fighting to protect our state’s beloved public lands from being pillaged for profit. That’s exactly what I’ll do–all while keeping a spotlight on the urgent need for climate action so all Oregonians have a bright and better future.” 

###


Senator Richard Blumenthal issued the following:


[HARTFORD, CT] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) joined Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and all Senate Judiciary Democrats in a letter to the House Ethics Committee urging the House Ethics Committee to preserve and transmit to the Senate Judiciary Committee all relevant documentation on former Congressman Matt Gaetz, including the report that the House Ethics Committee was reportedly prepared to vote to release tomorrow. The letter follows Mr. Gaetz’s resignation from Congress yesterday after President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Mr. Gaetz to serve as Attorney General.

The Senators wrote, “The sequence and timing of Mr. Gaetz’s resignation from the House raises serious questions about the contents of the House Ethics Committee report and findings. We cannot allow this critical information from a bipartisan investigation into longstanding public allegations to be hidden from the American people, given that it is directly relevant to the question of whether Mr. Gaetz is qualified and fit to be the next Attorney General of the United States.”

The Senators continued, “The Senate has a constitutional duty to provide advice and consent on presidential nominees, and it is crucial that we review all of the information necessary to fulfill this duty as we consider Mr. Gaetz’s nomination. We thus request that you immediately provide to the Senate Judiciary Committee your Committee’s report and all documentation related to your investigation into Mr. Gaetz’s alleged misconduct. The Senate Judiciary Committee will accept this information in any format that accords with your Committee’s rules, but please include all underlying source materials on which you relied, including interviews and contact information for any of these sources.”

In April 2021, the House Ethics Committee announced that the Committee was “aware of public allegations that Representative Matt Gaetz may have engaged in sexual misconduct and/or illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gift, in violation of House Rules, laws, or other standards of conduct,” and as a result, the Committee had “begun an investigation and will gather additional information regarding the allegations.”

In June 2024, the House Ethics Committee issued a statement noting that the Committee had “determined that certain of the allegations merit continued review” and that “the Committee has also identified additional allegations that merit review,” including allegations pursuant to Committee Rules 14(a)(3) and 18(a) that Representative Gaetz may have: engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct.”

There is substantial precedent for the release of such materials in both chambers of Congress. In 1987, the House Ethics Committee released a preliminary report about former Rep. Bill Boner after he left Congress, stating: “In the Committee’s view, the general policy against issuing reports in cases such as here involved is outweighed by the responsibility of the Committee to fully inform the public regarding the status and results of its efforts up to the date of Representative Boner’s departure from Congress.” Similarly, in 2011, the Senate Select Committee on Ethics released its preliminary report on former Senator John Ensign after he resigned from Congress. The House Ethics Committee has also continued investigations after Members have left Congress, such as in 2010 when it twice reauthorized its investigation into former Rep. Eric Massa after his departure.

Along with Blumenthal, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Laphonza Butler (D-CA).

Full text of today’s letter is available here and below:

November 14, 2024

Dear Chairman Guest and Ranking Member Wild:

In light of President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement of his intent to nominate former Congressman Matt Gaetz to be Attorney General, we request that the House Committee on Ethics immediately preserve and transmit to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary all relevant documentation on Mr. Gaetz, including the report that your Committee was reportedly prepared to vote to release tomorrow.

In April 2021, you announced that the Committee was “aware of public allegations that Representative Matt Gaetz may have engaged in sexual misconduct and/or illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gift, in violation of House Rules, laws, or other standards of conduct,” and as a result, the Committee had “begun an investigation and will gather additional information regarding the allegations.”

In June 2024, the Committee issued a statement noting that the Committee had “determined that certain of the allegations merit continued review” and that “the Committee has also identified additional allegations that merit review,” including “allegations pursuant to Committee Rules 14(a)(3) and 18(a) that Representative Gaetz may have: engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct.”

The sequence and timing of Mr. Gaetz’s resignation from the House raises serious questions about the contents of the House Ethics Committee report and findings. We cannot allow this critical information from a bipartisan investigation into longstanding public allegations to be hidden from the American people, given that it is directly relevant to the question of whether Mr. Gaetz is qualified and fit to be the next Attorney General of the United States. 

The Senate has a constitutional duty to provide advice and consent on presidential nominees, and it is crucial that we review all of the information necessary to fulfill this duty as we consider Mr. Gaetz’s nomination. We thus request that you immediately provide to the Senate Judiciary Committee your Committee’s report and all documentation related to your investigation into Mr. Gaetz’s alleged misconduct. The Senate Judiciary Committee will accept this information in any format that accords with your Committee’s rules, but please include all underlying source materials on which you relied, including interviews and contact information for any of these sources.

Thank you for your time and prompt consideration of this important request.

Sincerely,


US House Rep Joaquin Castro's released this:


WASHINGTON — Today, Rep. Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (NY-05), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sen. Majority Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led the release of a new report from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) that examines the role of U.S. firearms in Caribbean arms trafficking. The report found that nearly three-quarters of firearms recovered from the Caribbean and traced by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) could be sourced back to the United States, with many originating from U.S. retail sales.

A bicameral group of top Foreign Affairs, Homeland Security, and Judiciary Democrats joined Castro, Meeks, and Durbin in releasing this report, including Reps. Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Committee, Lou Correa (CA-46), Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement, Dan Goldman (NY-10), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement and Intelligence, and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Co-Chair of the House Haiti Caucus.

Key findings in today’s report include:

  • 73% of firearms recovered from 25 Caribbean countries and tracked by ATF’s eTrace system between 2018 - 2022 could be sourced to the United States. Among these firearms, 45 percent could be sourced back to an initial retail purchase in the United States, with most sales originating in Florida, Texas, and Georgia.
  • Handguns represented the majority (88 percent) of firearms recovered and traced from the Caribbean. During the study period from 2018 to 2022, the number of long guns submitted for tracing across the Caribbean nearly tripled from five percent to fifteen percent of all weapons examined.

A full copy of the report can be found here.

“The most effective way to address violence and instability in the Caribbean is to prevent U.S. guns from falling into the hands of criminals,” said Congressman Joaquin Castro, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. “During my time on the Foreign Affairs Committee, I’ve met with dozens of leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean who plead with the United States to stop the gun trafficking that is wreaking havoc on their countries. Today’s report from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office demonstrates how criminal organizations across the Caribbean source their weapons from the United States in a deadly trade that has contributed to the collapse of Haitian society and devastating loss of life across the region. The Biden-Harris administration has taken important steps to curb gun trafficking, including through strict enforcement of penalties in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and the subsequent establishment of a Coordinator for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions at the Department of Justice. To continue this progress, Congress must pass my Americas Regional Monitoring of Arms Sales (ARMAS) Act, which mobilizes resources across the federal government to disrupt firearms trafficking from the United States. No approach to the challenges facing our hemisphere can be complete without a comprehensive strategy to end gun trafficking. I hope the next administration will treat this issue with the gravity it deserves.”

“Leaders across the Caribbean have long called on the United States to address the pernicious effects of arms trafficking from our shores to their countries. These weapons destabilize communities and compound the challenges faced by our Caribbean neighbors, enabling gangs and transnational criminal networks to perpetrate crime that undermines U.S. national security and regional stability. We must invest in efforts to stem the flow of illicit weapons from our shores to the Caribbean. Doing so will protect communities in the United States, Caribbean and wider Western Hemisphere,” said Ranking Member Gregory W. Meeks.

“Enabled by the NRA and Republican extremists, our country’s lax gun laws have created a vicious cycle of firearms trafficking to international drug cartels and criminal organizations, recklessly destabilizing countries throughout the region. Today’s report demonstrates the severity of this phenomenon, which unleashes violence, drug trading, and chaos in its wake. We need to stem the ‘iron river’ of firearms trafficking and pass additional commonsense gun safety legislation. I stand ready to do so with any of my colleagues ready to fight this fight,” said Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“As this report shows, the overwhelming majority of guns recovered in the Caribbean were trafficked from the United States. We need to ensure that guns from the U.S. are not getting in the hands of the cartels and criminal organizations. Our homeland security depends on it,” said Congressman Bennie Thompson, Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Committee.

“As this nonpartisan report highlights, nearly three-quarters of firearms recovered in the Caribbean can be traced back to the United States, underscoring the urgent need for stronger action to combat arms trafficking. We must strengthen screening and enforcement at our ports and hold bad actors accountable for smuggling firearms into the region. That’s why I introduced the Caribbean Arms Trafficking Causing Harm (CATCH) Act — to build on the progress we made with the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act by specifically targeting illegal gun exports to the Caribbean. Together, these efforts will help curb the flow of deadly weapons, reduce violence, and enhance security for our neighbors and ourselves,” said Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Co-Chair of the House Haiti Caucus.

“Illicit firearms trafficking from the U.S. is fueling violence in Caribbean countries including Haiti, destabilizing the region and causing a growing number of people to flee their home countries for their safety,” said Congressman Seth Magaziner, Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement and Intelligence. “We need double down on efforts that will crack down on illicit firearms trafficking and stop cartels from spreading violence using U.S. weapons.”

"American firearms traffickers aren’t just fueling a gun violence  epidemic here at home, they’re also arming cartels abroad and contributing to the drug and human trafficking operations at the border, including the fentanyl crisis,” said Congressman Dan Goldman. “The GAO's startling report drives home the urgent need to crack down on the trafficking of American firearms abroad. Congress must pass legislation like Congressman Castro's ARMAS Act and my Disarming Cartels Act – to keep these American manufacturers from fueling the crisis at the border.”

Background

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Caribbean countries accounted for six of the world’s 10 highest national murder rates in 2021, with the majority of homicides stemming from gun violence. Data from the Small Arms Survey indicates that legal civilian firearm ownership rates in the Caribbean are relatively low, with gun laws and regulations that are restrictive by global standards. Nevertheless, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has reported a significant increase in the quantity, caliber, and type of firearms illegally trafficked from the U.S. to the Caribbean. Particularly in Haiti, the flow of illicit firearms from the United States has facilitated the growth of violent gangs and contributed to increasing displacement and U.S.-bound emigration.

In 2022, Congress passed, and President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which created new federal criminal offenses for firearms trafficking. More than 500 defendants have been charged to date under these new provisions. In 2023, the Department of Justice appointed a Coordinator for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions to elevate regional firearms trafficking investigations and prosecutions. In today’s report, GAO recommended that the State Department additionally establish indicators specific to firearms trafficking in the Results Framework for the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), a longstanding security cooperation partnership between the United States and thirteen Caribbean countries. The State Department has concurred with GAO’s recommendation.


But we've got nut jobs like Boyle taking up oxygen with nonsense about impeaching Joe?


The left is never wrong to promote the expansion of civil rights and liberties and that battle does not hurt election results.  What does hurt is nut jobs and not calling them out to make clear that we do not stand with them.


The following sites updated:


at