Friday, June 8, 2018

And another day where “we have a world to run,” a new indictment is issued, and a high profile person suffering from depression commits suicide, comes to a close:

“My mom says some days are like that. Even in Australia.” -- Judith Viorst

The Trump regime has told a federal court that Obamacare shouldn't force insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions. I have so many versions of four-letter words I want to scream...so for now I’m saying nothing. Fucking bastard. Ooops, sorry, that one slipped out.

President Trump is calling on the Group of 7 to re-admit Russia to the group of leading economic powers, saying "we should have Russia at the negotiating table." More evidence of his love for, and commitment to, Russia.

A new indictment filed against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort names an ally with Russian intel ties. The charges are obstruction of justice.

'No Gays Allowed': Hardware store emboldened by Supreme Court cake ruling hangs discriminatory sign. Ah, the tried and true method of using the cover of religion to oppress groups of people you don’t like. If your religion requires you to oppress other human beings, then you need a different religion.

Trump said he doesn’t like having children separated from their parents who are detainees and that the action was the result of a Democratic bill. No law mandates this. So he’s once again lying.

Trump will ask athletes who kneel during the national anthem to recommend people for pardoning. That won’t help the dead, idiot. But he does love handing out ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ cards. Too bad he has no intention of understanding or trying to reform the criminal justice system.

Trump floats posthumous pardon for Muhammad Ali. Ali doesn’t need a pardon. The Supreme Court overturned his conviction in 1971. So it’s all bullshit Trump made up to...what?...make it look like he has empathy (something we know he doesn’t possess).

A majority of registered voters in America (58%) think that President Trump is intelligent, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll. 58% of Americans don’t know what the word “intelligent” means.

Anthony Bourdain, the gifted chef, storyteller and writer who took TV viewers around the world to explore culture, cuisine and the human condition for nearly two decades, has died. He was 61. Cause of death was suicide.

The number of school-age kids and adolescents hospitalized for suicidal thoughts or attempts from 2008 to 2015 more than doubled, the study found.

A record number of children died from influenza this past flu season, federal health officials say.

For Autistic Consumers, Pop Culture Can Be More Than an Escape. It Can Be a Lifeline.

Canada legalizing marijuana could pressure Congress to act on similar proposals for the United States. Legalize it and let’s get this shit over with already.

Trump Signals Possible Support For Marijuana Legislation.

Kia says it is recalling more than 507,000 vehicles in the U.S. because an electronic glitch may prevent airbags from deploying in the event of a crash. Hmmm. That can’t be good.

“A big part of depression is feeling really lonely, even if you’re in a room full of a million people.” -- Lilly Singh

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Thursday, June 7, 2018

And another day of trying to kill the masses, bully the world, and continue viewing most humans as “lesser” comes to a god damn close:

“And there must be some way outta this. I was thinking you’d know how.” -- James McMurtry

Trump administration tells court it won't defend key provisions of the Affordable Care Act. So the DOJ won’t uphold the law. The DOJ. Yeah, the same DOJ that is responsible for, you know, actually upholding the law. Anyone who voted for this waste of human flesh and hasn’t repented for their horrendous mistake, should never be forgiven. This is fucking bullshit.

If any country can bully the world, America can. But it is hard to think of a president who has bullied as gleefully as Donald Trump. I don’t want my country to bully the world. That’s not leading, that’s making enemies. Fuck that shit. And fuck bullies.

Trump on North Korea summit: “I think I'm very well-prepared. I don't think I have to prepare very much. It's about attitude. It's about willingness to get things done.” That’s how an eighth grader prepares for a math test.

40 senators just demanded that Donald Trump stop separating families at the border. “We ask that your Administration rescind this unethical, ineffective, and inhumane policy.”

U.S. immigration authorities say they are temporarily transferring 1,600 detainees to federal prisons.

Stormy Daniels' lawyer says Trump lawyer Giuliani is a "disgusting pig" and "an absolute misogynist" after Giuliani says the adult film star is "a woman who sells her body for sexual exploitation."

"I respect all human beings. I even have to respect criminals. But I'm sorry, I don't respect a porn star the way I respect a career women." — Rudy Giuliani. Which means you view some people as “lesser.” Fuck you, Rudy. You’re not better than anyone else.

EPA chief Scott Pruitt enlisted his 24/7 security detail to run errands, such as picking up his dry cleaning. Once he had agents drive him around to find his favorite moisturizing lotion. Scott Pruitt is a horrible person.

The new chief of staff to US national security adviser John Bolton defended anti-Muslim and far-right activists in a pair of online columns. John Bolton is a horrible person.

An openly gay gubernatorial candidate in Maryland is airing what activists say is the nation's first-ever political ad showing a same-sex couple kissing and it includes a jab at President Trump. He kisses his husband and then says, “Take that, Trump!”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been accused of groping a female reporter at a music festival in 2000.

Suicide rates are up by 30 percent across the nation since 1999, federal health officials reported. Because everything’s spinning down the shithole.

Facebook says a software bug made some private posts public for as many as 14 million users over several days in May.

Lava has destroyed 600 homes on Hawaii's Big Island: mayor.

Rescue work at Guatemala volcano suspended, death toll hits 100.

There's a cure for hepatitis C, but insurance companies don't want to pay for it.

Canada is set to legalize recreational pot. What does that mean for legalization in the States?

The "building blocks" for life have been discovered in 3-billion-year-old organic matter on Mars.

“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” -- Friedrich Nietzsche

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

And another day of offerings, contradictions, enlistments, and tours comes to a close:

“I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.” -- Alexander the Great

Ivanka Trump Was In Contact With A Russian Who Offered A Trump-Putin Meeting.

McConnell: Bill reining in Trump's tariff powers 'an exercise in futility'.

Contradicting Trump, House Speaker Paul Ryan agrees that there's no evidence that the FBI planted a “spy” in President Trump's 2016 campaign.

Parkland students will tour the country to encourage young people to turn out to vote.

Michigan set to become latest GOP-led state to attach work requirements to Medicaid eligibility. Republicans end floor debate early to silence angry Democrats.

Facebook enlists anchors from CNN, Fox News, Univision for news shows.

Facebook says it has a deal to share user data with Huawei, a Chinese smartphone maker that US intelligence agencies have described as a security threat. WTF?

Trump commutes sentence of Alice Marie Johnson after appeal by Kim Kardashian.

Papadopoulos' wife asks Trump for a pardon.

The NFL anthem policy violates several state constitutions. Stop watching the NFL. You are supporting a sport where the players get brain damage.

Texas’ highest criminal court deems condemned man mentally suitable for execution, despite prosecutors saying he’s not.

Workers at Amazon warehouse in Minnesota say they've suffered exhaustion, dehydration, injuries while working without air conditioning.

For the first time since 2010, there are no women in Forbes' top 100 list for the highest paid athletes.

Even without the swimsuit competition, Miss America is indefensibly bad.

Volcanic lava buries two housing tracts on Hawaii's Big Island.

Texas man nearly dies after being bitten by severed snake head. Well there’s something you don’t see every day.

“A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.” -- Bruce Lee

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

And another day of absurdness comes to a close:

“Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage.” — Smashing Pumpkins

U.S. lawmakers seek to block Trump on tariffs.

Aiming at Trump strongholds, Mexico hits back with trade tariffs. Mexico put tariffs on American products ranging from steel to pork and bourbon on Tuesday, retaliating against import duties on metals imposed by President Donald Trump and taking aim at Republican strongholds ahead of U.S. congressional elections in November.

All eighth graders at a Pennsylvania school were given a bulletproof Safe Shield insert for their backpacks as a graduation present. And this is the best we can do for our children? This is the acceptable lifestyle we have them growing up in? America, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Education Sec. Betsy DeVos: Federal school safety commission set up after Parkland school shooting will not examine the role of guns in school violence. Betsy DeVos is a horrible person.

EPA chief Scott Pruitt used an aide to look into a potential business opportunity with Chick-fil-A, according to emails. It was for his wife to open a franchise. Scott Pruitt is a horrible person.

Trump Picks Fight With The Eagles, Philadelphia Takes It From There.

Trump’s “Celebration of America” Features His Unfamiliarity With “God Bless America”. Of course he doesn’t know the words.

A SWAT team cleared the home of Parkland activist David Hogg after a hoax call. He was a victim of “swatting,”

Billionaire conservative icon David Koch stepping down from business and political activities.

NEW: 73% of white Americans feel worn out by the amount of news these days, much higher than both Hispanic (55%) and black Americans (55%). Republicans more so than Democrats. It’s amazing there are still people who identify as Republican. Amazing and sad.

Harvey Weinstein pleaded not guilty to rape in the first and third degree and criminal sexual act. He maintains, though, that these encounters he had with these women were consensual.

More than 100 members of Congress call on Jim Mattis to overturn transgender troop ban.

Miss America is “no longer a pageant. We are a competition.”

Student loan debt just hit $1.5 trillion. Women hold most of it. About 40% of people going to college have taken out loans to pay for school. But some people are taking on a lot more debt than others. That’s about $4500 for every person in America.

In 16 years, Social Security will have to cut benefits by 21% if lawmakers do nothing to cure the program's long-term funding shortfall.

Guatemala volcano explodes again, evacuations ordered.

Lava from Hawaii volcano destroys hundreds more homes.

Argentina ‘calls off’ controversial World Cup warm-up against Israel.

“Don’t brood. Get on with living and loving. You don’t have forever.” -- Leo Buscaglia

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Monday, June 4, 2018

And another day of cakes, witness tampering, and the Orange One declaring himself King comes to a close:

“Kings are not born: they are made by artificial hallucination.” -- George Bernard Shaw

Robert Mueller just accused Paul Manafort of attempted witness tampering. Mueller asked a judge to revoke bail for Manafort. Well now. This can only get better if Manafort is still in contact with Trump.

In narrow ruling, Supreme Court gives victory to baker who refused to make cake for gay wedding. The opinion applies to only the specific facts of this case. But it’s heading us down a slippery slope.

“I’m reading about a 7-2 vote. Pretty sure that’s not narrowly… At least 2 dem leaning justices must have agreed.” -- Donald Trump (He really is a special kind of stupid.)

Trump lawyers sent special counsel letter arguing President can't obstruct Russia probe. A 20-page letter essentially saying Trump is the law and therefore can not be guilty. You know, like all innocent people behave.

Trump declares 'absolute right' to pardon himself. You know, like all innocent people behave.

Rudy Giuliani Says Trump Shouldn’t Testify Because “Our Recollection Keeps Changing”. WTF?

Trump's legal memo to Robert Muller makes an unusually frank case for a tyrannical interpretation of presidential power.

Trump's 'cruel' measures pushing US inequality to dangerous level, UN warns. Donald Trump is deliberately forcing millions of Americans into financial ruin, cruelly depriving them of food and other basic protections while lavishing vast riches on the super-wealthy, the United Nations monitor on poverty has warned.

A Trump Employee Said He Knew Of Misconduct At The Company. Then He Claimed His Family Was Assaulted. A mother and her young son said they were terrorized by Trump security in 1995, after a family member announced plans to reveal “financial improprieties.” The incident is one of several in which Trump surrogates have been accused of going to extreme lengths to protect him. It’s the Trumpian way.

Trump scraps scheduled reception for the reigning Super Bowl champions after several Eagles players indicated they planned not to attend. It’s simple. Don’t be an asshole.

Guatemala volcano death toll up to 65, expected to rise.

Palestine Football Association: Fans should burn Messi shirts if he plays in Jerusalem next weekend.

Many breast cancer patients can skip chemo, big U.S. study finds.

Monsanto to drop name after sale to Bayer. Synonymous with deadly chemical warfare and genetically modified plants, Monsanto's new owner is ditching the name.

RIP Dwight Clark. He was 61.

“The Supreme Court is not elected, and it is therefore not a proper arbiter of social policy.” -- Lamar S. Smith

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Saturday, June 2, 2018

And another day of Russian accounts, a leaked photo, and dropping fertility rates comes to a close:

“The search for the truth is not for the faint-hearted.” -- Vincent D’onofrio

New internet accounts are Russian ops designed to sway U.S. voters, experts say. A new Russian influence operation has surfaced that mirrors some of the activity of an internet firm that the FBI says was deeply involved in efforts to sway the 2016 U.S. elections

“...the United States is now placing more tariffs on Canada, Mexico and the EU than on China.” The 4 Biggest Consequences of Trump's Disastrous Tariff Plan.

The Pentagon estimates that nearly 500 civilians were killed as a result of US military actions in the first year of the Trump administration.

The pardon of Dinesh D’Souza shows how far the racist fringe has risen under Donald Trump.

Missing Melania Trump barely makes news – things are getting weirder. We’re so used to bizarre behavior from the Trump administration that a missing first lady barely registers as strange. Oh, but it is.

Leaked photo reveals 'mass trial' of immigrants in Texas. A recently leaked image shows dozens of immigrants in orange jumpsuits, their hands and feet shackled, undergoing a "mass trial" in Pecos, Texas, a small town roughly 70 miles southwest of Odessa. Rapid fire trials like the one seen in the image are not an anomaly, but few Americans know what the controversial practice looks like since photographing federal court proceedings is forbidden. [The photo] was apparently snapped by someone who felt morally conflicted by the effects of the Trump administration's new "zero tolerance" policy.

Sex workers say a new law meant to stop human trafficking could kill them. FOSTA has already led to the removal of sites that hosted running lists of sex workers’ clients who have been violent, refused to pay, or otherwise engaged in hostile behavior.

California Bans State-Funded Travel to Oklahoma in Response to LGBT Adoption Law. More states need to follow California’s lead.

Fox News Steamrolls Cable News Competition With Big Win In May Ratings. A lot of Americans over 50 embrace, relish, even cherish stupidity and propaganda.

Massive wildfires in Colorado and New Mexico have torched thousands of acres and forced 1,500 people to evacuate.

The research is clear: needle exchange programs fight the spread of disease and help connect drug users to treatment — all without enabling more drug use.

Immunotherapy could stop prostate cancer spreading. Men with otherwise untreatable prostate cancer could halt its spread and survive longer by undergoing immunotherapy treatment, a trial has shown.

U.S. fertility rates have hit a 30-year low.

Exams 2018: The 'myth' of the visual learner.

“Cowards are cruel, but the brave love mercy and delight to save.” -- John Gay

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Friday, June 1, 2018

And another day where we scream “It’s not about the economy, stupid. It’s about us as a nation, as a people, and how we want to be represented in this world” finally comes to a close:

“Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” -- George Orwell

The Chatterbox-in-Chief Blows Yet Another Secret.

May jobs report: Unemployment down to 3.8%, payrolls up by 223,000.

How Michael Cohen Protects Trump By Making Legal Threats. Michael Cohen is a horrible person.

The black unemployment rate hits a record low.

Alabama governor's plan to arm school principals draws mixed reactions, with the NAACP calling it "the absolute worst idea.” I guess if one is trying to get more black teenagers killed then this is a good idea. WTF? More guns is not the answer.

"Black lives don't matter," lawyer says after jury awards $4 in police killing. America, 2018.

Trump calls for comedian Samantha Bee's firing after crude Ivanka slur. There’s a difference between using “horrible language” and spouting racist bullshit about a person of a different race. You wouldn’t know that Donald because you’re a fucking racist. Then there’s the whole thing that with his remarks he is actively promoting censorship of something he doesn’t like. That’s a dangerous path, which is why we have the First Amendment to begin with.

First lady Melania Trump isn't accompanying the President to Camp David this weekend, marking the 22nd day since she was last seen publicly. Hmmmm. I’ve been seeing talk of possible physical abuse against her. (And it’s not like Trump doesn’t have a history.) It does seem strange she hasn’t been seen in 22 days.

U.S. vetoes U.N. resolution denouncing violence against Palestinians.

Trump Adds Another Anti-Science, Anti-Choice Woman to Oversee Critical Health Programs. Foley’s dubious qualifications include leading a set of anti-abortion centers, giving speeches about accepting God’s word as the ultimate truth, and passing herself off as a practicing doctor when she has no medical license. America, 2018.

Judge Temporarily Blocks Iowa's 'Fetal Heartbeat' Abortion Law. This law essentially prohibits abortion from around 6 weeks on.

Pope Francis is sending investigators back to Chile to look into historical child abuse, saying the church should be ashamed of its treatment of victims.

Texas school locked down after a student died from what authorities say was a self-inflicted gunshot, no one else hurt.

Red flag laws linked to declines in gun suicides.

Trump orders Energy Department to help ailing coal, nuclear plants. Under the directive, Perry would require grid operators to buy electricity from ailing nuclear and coal-fired power plants to keep them from being shuttered.

Half of women working in STEM say they have experienced gender discrimination at work.

Chaos unfolds as VISA payment crashes across Europe.

How does 'holy grail' cancer test work and when will it be available?

Researchers reveal an evolutionary basis for the female orgasm. “Few things are as magical as the female orgasm, whether you are experiencing it, inducing it, or just a casual observer. It is essentially pure art in motion.” Not going to disagree there.

“Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence.” -- Abigail Adams

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Good night.