And another day of full on fascism, renewed charges, TN Republicans blackmail Memphis, abusing the pardon power, rising heat-related deaths, the rising sea, cell phones, HPV, HS football deaths, microplastics in your brain, and Star Wars comes to a close:
“The idea is all people are equal.” -- George Lucas
Trump Goes Full Fascist in Truth Social Posting Spree. Usually the best indicator of Donald Trump’s mental state at any given time is the tone and frequency of his social media posts. On Wednesday — in the aftermath of a new election-interference indictment from Special Counsel Jack Smith — the former president seemingly spent the morning scrolling through his Truth Social comments and “re-truthing” all manner of conspiratorial, sexist, and fascist content. Trump posted dozens of memes and comments from accounts promoting the QAnon conspiracy theory, false claims about the 2020 election, sexist attacks against Kamala Harris, and the use of authoritarian tactics against his political enemies...Trump boosted several posts and comments calling for prominent Democrats to be imprisoned. One such post featured the image of former President Barack Obama with the caption “All roads lead to Obama. Retruth if you want public military tribunals.” Another post on the former president’s feed shows Harris, Hillary Clinton, President Joe Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Bill Gates, and Hunter Biden in orange prison jumpsuits. The image text reads “How to actually ‘fix the system.’” Trump has publicly indicated that if reelected, he would use his office to exact revenge on Biden and other prominent political figures. Last year, after being charged with offenses related to his mishandling of classified documents, Trump vowed to appoint a “real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America, Joe Biden. And the entire Biden crime family.”...A senior Trump campaign official tells Rolling Stone that they are consistently relieved, for the sake of their 2024 campaign, that the former president’s main social-media home is now Truth Social, if only because it limits the public reach and media attention that these kinds of posts receive, as Trump is trying to appeal to moderate and swing voters in the final months of the election. — So share this wide so those moderates and swing voters know what Trump is promoting and what he plans to do if put back in the White House. Vote Blue, and relegate this motherfucker to the dustbin of history.
Trump shares social media posts with QAnon phrases and calls for jailing lawmakers, special counsel. Trump reposted a doctored image that was made to look like President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in orange prison jumpsuits, among other political figures, and a lewd post about Harris and Clinton that referenced a sex act. One post seemed to suggest former President Barack Obama should be tried in a military court. Trump has long talked about seeking retribution against perceived enemies if he wins a second term. — It’s very important we all see what Trump is doing, and then understand what he will do if put back in office.
Donald Trump said he will fire America’s leading Generals and replace them with MAGA Generals. This is what fascism looks like.
Trump’s January 6 Charges Have Been Renewed—Despite His “Absolute Immunity”. Trump is still charged with conspiring to defraud the United States, conspiring to obstruct an official proceeding, obstructing an official proceeding, and conspiring to deprive people of their civil rights. The charges relate to Trump’s bid to retain power after his 2020 election defeat. But the new 36-page indictment drops a section that detailed Trump’s efforts to pressure the Justice Department to support his false claims of election fraud. It also no longer cites an unnamed official—who was easily identified as Jeffrey Clark, a former Trump loyalist in the Justice Department—among unindicted co-conspirators who assisted with Trump’s plot. The superseding indictment also still includes allegations that Trump attempted to pressure then–Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to carry out his ceremonial role in certifying the electoral vote count. That section remains even though Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the court’s immunity ruling that Trump’s interactions with Pence were official conduct for which “Trump is at least presumptively immune from prosecution.” Roberts, with little specificity, said the government would have to rebut “that presumption of immunity.”
More than 200 former Bush, McCain and Romney staffers endorse Harris. "Of course, we have plenty of honest, ideological disagreements with Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz. That’s to be expected," they wrote. "The alternative, however, is simply untenable.”
Tennessee Republicans tell Memphis to abandon gun reform or risk funding cuts. Republican leaders in the Tennessee House and Senate warned Memphis officials on Monday that if the city puts gun reform on the ballot this November, the state will withhold the city’s sales tax revenue. — a.k.a. Blackmail. Republicans only want their way of life to be followed, and they are doing their damndest to impose that life on those who want to live differently.
Trump abused the pardon power and promises to do so again. First, Trump may be the only candidate in American presidential history to be running on the promise of amnesty for criminals. He has floated pardoning the over 1,400 rioters who wound up criminally charged for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. Trump has called them “Great Patriots.” A fundraiser at Trump’s New Jersey golf club is scheduled for next week to pay their legal fees. Second, Trump is the first former president to face criminal charges and a criminal conviction himself — and thus the first to raise the specter of a presidential self-pardon that would evade and obstruct the rule of law. In June, the Supreme Court condoned criminal self-dealing for presidents by manufacturing immunity for crimes committed using official executive power. Coupled with pardons for co-conspirators willing to carry out a president’s criminal orders, that ruling virtually invites an unaccountable criminal network into the Oval Office — again, largely thanks to Trump. Third, Trump stands out among presidents for the numbers of pardons and commutations he gave to some pretty reprehensible people — including friends, politically connected allies, corrupt politicians and people whose silence unmistakably benefits him.
Trump’s businesses are raking in millions of dollars from Republican political campaigns – including his own. Between his three presidential campaigns, Trump and associated political groups have funneled more than $28 million in campaign donations to his businesses – helping convert the enthusiasm of his political supporters into personal profit.
Judge in Texas orders pause on Biden program that offers legal status to spouses of US citizens. A federal judge in Texas on Monday paused a Biden administration policy that would give spouses of U.S. citizens legal status without having to first leave the country, dealing at least a temporary setback to one of the biggest presidential actions to ease a path to citizenship in years. The administrative stay issued by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker comes just days after 16 states, led by Republican attorneys general, challenged the program that could benefit an estimated 500,000 immigrants in the country, plus about 50,000 of their children. The states accused the administration of bypassing Congress for “blatant political purposes.”
Heat-related deaths spiked 117% in the US since 1999. Using data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers found the annual number of deaths varied from year to year before 2016, with spikes in 2006 and 2011. But after 2016, the study found a steady increase. On average, heat-related deaths decreased by 1.4% from 1999 to 2016, then increased by 16.8% each year from 2016 to 2023. The authors say heat-related deaths are probably undercounted.
The worldwide catastrophe of rising seas especially imperils Pacific paradises, Guterres says. Sea levels are rising faster in the western tropical Pacific because of where the melting ice from western Antarctica heads, warmer waters and ocean currents, UN officials said...Guterres is amping up his rhetoric on what he calls “climate chaos” and urged richer nations to step up efforts to reduce carbon emissions, end fossil fuel use and help poorer nations. Yet countries’ energy plans show them producing double the amount of fossil fuels in 2030 than the amount that would limit warming to internationally agreed upon levels, a 2023 UN report found.
Canada imposes a 100% tariff on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles, matching the US. Canada announced Monday it is launching a 100% tariff on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles, matching U.S. tariffs imposed over what Western governments say are China’s subsidies that give its industry an unfair advantage.
Schools are competing with cell phones. Here’s how they think they could win. In some ways, it’s as if students “just care less and less about what people think, but also somehow care more,” said Isabella, 14. Some teens, she said, no longer care about appearing disengaged, while others are so afraid of ridicule they keep to themselves. She blames social media and the lingering isolation of the post-COVID era. Educators say their tried and true lesson plans are no longer enough to keep students engaged at a time of struggling mental health, shortened attention spans, reduced attendance and worsening academic performance. At the crux of these challenges? Addiction to cell phones. Now, adults are trying new strategies to reverse the malaise.
Some types of HPV may affect men's fertility, new study suggests. A new study from Argentinian researchers has found that the strains of HPV considered high risk because of their links to cancer were not only more common than low-risk strains in a small study population of men, they also appeared to pose a greater threat to sperm quality. The study, published Friday in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, found that high-risk HPV appears to suppress key components of the immune system in the male genital tract. This could hamper the body’s ability to clear HPV, a process that typically takes about six months to a year after infection, while raising the risk of other infections that may also compromise male fertility...The CDC recommends routine HPV vaccination for all boys and girls at 11 or 12 years old — children can receive it at as young as age 9 — and for those through age 26 who were not previously fully vaccinated. Experts consider the vaccine exceptionally safe.
Alabama high school football player dies of brain injury sustained during game. Tellier's death is the latest in a string of deaths involving high school football players. A West Texas high school player also died from a head injury in 2022, while a student died during football practice in Florida in 2021 and a 15-year-old boy died after collapsing during practice in Georgia the same year.
A West Virginia boy died after a collision during football practice. It’s the third student football player death this month. Their deaths highlight the risks of the America’s most popular sport as the country enters Labor Day weekend and football season. — Stop playing and watching football.
Nearly .05% of Your Brain Is Likely Microplastic, Brain Samples Reveal. In a new paper, scientists report that brain samples taken from cadavers had an average of 0.48% of their weight made up of microplastics, meaning pieces of plastic that are smaller than 5 millimeters. The study has yet to undergo peer review; it’s hosted online as a preprint on the National Library of Medicine website...The researchers noted that the rise in microplastics over time aligns with a global increase in the rates of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia conditions. “I don’t know how much more plastic our brain can stuff in without it causing some problems,” Campen said.
A stark social divide: Adults without a college degree more likely to have no close friends, survey finds. Nearly all U.S. adults used to have close friends. In 1990, the share of the population that said they didn’t was low and roughly the same no matter one’s education level: just 2% for people with college degrees and 3% for those without. But a recent survey suggests that share has risen overall, particularly among those who did not graduate college — creating a kind of class divide in people’s level of social engagement and connection. Nearly a quarter of U.S. adults with a high school diploma or lower education level said they had no close friends. The number was even higher for Black adults in that group: 35%. Just 10% of those with a college degree said the same.
People Who Are More Flexible Tend to Live Longer, Study Finds. After accounting for other factors like body mass index or age, less flexible men were nearly twice as likely to die than highly flexible men, while less flexible women were almost five times as likely to die than highly flexible women...This type of research can only show a correlation between being flexible and a longer lifespan, not a direct cause-and-effect relationship. But plenty of other studies have found that exercise in general can extend and improve the quality of our later years of life.
Police officers are starting to use AI chatbots to write crime reports. Will they hold up in court? Oklahoma City’s police department is one of a handful to experiment with AI chatbots to produce the first drafts of incident reports. Police officers who’ve tried it are enthused about the time-saving technology, while some prosecutors, police watchdogs and legal scholars have concerns about how it could alter a fundamental document in the criminal justice system that plays a role in who gets prosecuted or imprisoned.
Can the Best of Star Wars Survive the Worst of Its Fans? But like most popular culture, the Star Wars fandom, especially online, has become inundated with loud, conservative, and in some cases, incredibly racist voices. While Disney has never said these voices are directly impacting what shows get made, the vocal minority of Star Wars devotees keep limiting what they’ll accept as true Star Wars. These fans say they’re fighting for Star Wars’ future. But if their endless fantasy world can’t accept any stories that they don’t recognize — some of the self-professed biggest fans in all the worlds could be closing themselves off to any future at all. What is crystal (kyber?) clear is that before Star Wars can have another successful show, the loudest voices online need to realize the Star Wars they want to return to never existed in the first place. Will the real Star Wars please stand up? -- The Star Wars universe deserves better than these racist and misogynistic “fans.” Click the link and see what George Lucas has to say.
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