Friday, September 7, 2018

And another day of jail sentences, calls for investigations, and a former president showing us what we’ve been missing comes to a close:

“This November’s elections are more important than any in my lifetime.” -- President Barack Obama

60 Days

Obama gives 'State of our Democracy' speech.

The 7 most important moments in Obama’s blistering critique of Trump and the GOP.

John Dean: If Kavanaugh's confirmed, a president who shoots someone on Fifth Avenue can't be prosecuted in office. And that my friends, is why Trump picked Kavanaugh.

"He put it in a very crude manner...the concept is true but the way it was said was very, you know, hey - I went, like, to the best college." -- Donald Trump on Bob Woodward’s new book.

Trump is calling on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to investigate the author of the anonymous New York Times op-ed purportedly written by a senior Trump administration official. Which means what’s in the op-ed is true.

NY Times statement: "We're confident that the Department of Justice understands that the First Amendment protects all American citizens and that it would not participate in such a blatant abuse of government power."

Trump frets over "perjury trap" if he sits down with special counsel Robert Mueller. There is no such thing as “perjury trap.” He’s just setting the stage for uncertainty among his base if he is eventually charged with perjury.

George Papadopoulos, the Trump campaign adviser who triggered the Russia investigation, was sentenced to 14 days in prison. Hmmmm, only 14 days...

I Wrote Some of the Stolen Memos That Brett Kavanaugh Lied to the Senate About. He should be impeached, not elevated.

Nike’s online sales jumped 31% after the company unveiled its Kaepernick campaign.

Twitter now lets you launch live audio-only broadcasts from Periscope.

“You need to vote because your democracy depends on it.” -- President Barack Obama

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

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Thursday, September 6, 2018

And another day where the Democrats finally show some spine, subpoenas are issued in New York, and the passing of The Bandit comes to a close:

“If you hang onto something long enough, it will come back in style...like me.” -- Burt Reynolds

“Bring it.” — Senator Cory Booker

Senator Cory Booker releases 'confidential' Kavanaugh emails in combative Supreme Court confirmation hearing.

Five Times Brett Kavanaugh Appears to Have Lied to Congress While Under Oath. Pesky documents keep surfacing to contradict the nominee’s claims about his past.

The Trump administration is proposing a new regulation that would allow the federal government to detain migrant children with their families indefinitely. This would upend a ban on indefinite detention that has been in place for 20 years.

Amid a Wild Week, What You Need To Know About The 25th Amendment.

Sen. Rand Paul said he believes anyone with a security clearance who works at the White House should undergo a lie detector test to figure out who wrote the anonymous op-ed published in The New York Times.

History suggests that when the government targets universities in ways we are now witnessing in the United States, it is a signal of encroaching authoritarianism.

In Violation of Texas Law, Most High Schools Aren’t Giving Students the Chance to Register to Vote. Voter suppression at its finest.

The New York AG issued subpoenas against the state's Roman Catholic dioceses as New Jersey announced a task force to investigate allegations of sexual abuse of minors by the clergy.

CBS is reportedly offering CEO Les Moonves $100M to leave. WTF?

Twitter permanently bans Alex Jones and website Infowars.

More than 40 million Americans are struggling to pay for enough food month-to-month.

The World Surf League will offer equal prize money to both men and women starting in 2019.

India's top court decriminalizes gay sex in landmark ruling.

Research needed on family-based stigma against LGBTQ youth, study finds. “There’s an urgent need to develop policies and schemes to foster supportive homes and family environments.”

The Predator director Shane Black defends hiring a registered sex offender after Fox found out.

Hollywood redeems men for almost anything and punishes women for almost everything.

Toyota recalls a million Prius vehicles citing a fire risk.

This hyper-real robot will cry and bleed on med students.

New report urges NASA to intensify search for exoplanets and aliens.

Oscars nixes popular film category for 2019 ceremony.

RIP Burt Reynold. He was 82.

“You can only hold your stomach in for so many years.” -- Burt Reynolds

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

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

And another day of Op/Ed’s, 100 photos, a cage match, “hypothetical" questions, and the shit just getting crazier and crazier finally comes to a close:

“To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect.” -- Oscar Wilde

Vote this November

Sen. Leahy: Trump claims he has an absolute right to pardon himself. Does he?
Kavanaugh: “It’s a hypothetical question that I can’t begin to answer in this context.”
Leahy: "I hope for the sake of the country that remains [hypothetical]."

Actually, it wasn’t really a theoretical question. He either does have that right or he doesn’t. Kavanaugh chose not to answer.

Kavanaugh won’t say whether a sitting president should be subject to a subpoena.

Mueller subpoenas Jerome Corsi, birther and ex-Alex Jones associate. His lawyer believes Corsi will be asked about his contacts with former Trump aide Roger Stone.

Trump claims he has 100 photos of Comey and Mueller "kissing." We tried to find some. The shit just gets crazier.

Anonymous Official Blasts Trump in New York Times ‘Resistance’ Op-Ed. “The root of the problem is the president’s amorality,” the person wrote. “Anyone who works with him knows he is not moored to any discernible first principles that guide his decision making.”

Trump is accusing his administration’s anonymous op-ed writer of treason. That’s nonsense.

Election Officials Are Alarmed as Trump Administration Subpoenas Voter Data From 44 North Carolina Counties. The move, two months before the midterms, could interfere with election preparation and intimidate voters.

Facebook, Twitter execs admit failures, warn of 'overwhelming' threat to elections.

Marco Rubio and Alex Jones. Yeah, a cage match. It’s 2018.

New Kaiser poll finds 75% of Americans want to keep ACA protections for pre-existing conditions that GOP lawsuit seeks to overturn. Fuck the GOP.

Amazon's Bezos gives $10 million to bipartisan campaign fund dedicated to electing military veterans to Congress.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals says cities can't prosecute people for sleeping on the streets. It comes as the West Coast struggles with homelessness. We can do better than prosecuting them.

U.S. judge blocks Texas fetal tissue burial laws. A federal judge blocked Texas laws requiring the burial or cremation of aborted fetal tissue, saying in a decision on Wednesday the measures placed substantial and unconstitutional obstacles in the path of a woman’s right to choose an abortion.

Sex Ed Is About More Than Just Sex. Many children may not be hearing about puberty in schools until after a physical and emotional transformation is well under way.

Some high schools are giving out free condoms to combat a spike in STD rates.

Jupiter's "baffling" magnetic field is unlike any other.

After 60 years, Paul Simon has decided he's done writing music.

“Life is either a great adventure or nothing.” -- Helen Keller

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

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

And another day in “Crazytown” comes to a close:

“I stand by my reporting.” -- Bob Woodward

Bob Woodward has a new book coming out on September 11. Holy shit, we all need to read it. Wow. “Fear: Trump in the White House.”

"Fabricated stories": White House pushes back against Woodward's book. Yeah. Bob Woodward fabricating stories. That’s a good one.

Mueller will accept Trump's written answers to some Russia probe questions. Hmmm, I wonder who’ll write them.

Liberals have wanted Democrats to fight back harder against Brett Kavanaugh for weeks. This morning, Democrats did just that.

"Democrats are driving home that Republicans keep changing the rules with Supreme Court nominations". The opening hours of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s first confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh were not a debate about Brett Kavanaugh. They were about the Senate’s rules — and who’s breaking them.

The Justice Department Was Behind The Decision To Keep 100,000 Pages Of Kavanaugh’s Record Secret.

Parkland Dad Escorted Out of Hearing After Trying to Shake Kavanaugh’s Hand. Kavanaugh refused to shake his hand. Class act, that Brett Kavanaugh. Nice values you’ve got there. The White House spin on this is bullshit. It’s a lie. See the video for yourself. 

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” -- Maya Angelou

Republicans who didn’t even hold hearing on Merrick Garland complain that Democrats are destroying norms. We all lose when you vote Republican.

Zina Bash works in the White House and is tasked with Trump’s immigration policy. She displayed the “white power sign” as she sat behind Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing today. See the video. And here’s another video showing what happened just before she displayed the white nationalist sign. Yeah, like that was an accident. That is not a natural position to keep your hand in. She knew what she was doing.

Call your senators and tell them to vote “no” on Kavanaugh. (202) 224-3121

Apathy has consequences.

Former Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl says he won't serve past year's end in John McCain's Senate seat. He'll be able to vote on Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the US Supreme Court.

North Carolina's unconstitutional gerrymandered map will be used in the midterms.

You’re getting desperate Ted--I mean, Rafael Cruz.

Kris Kobach will be investigated by a grand jury as he runs for governor.

People Are Actually Destroying Their Nikes After Colin Kaepernick Was Featured In An Ad. Racism runs high in these people.

Levi Strauss teams up with gun control group: "We cannot stand by silently".

Vladimir Putin is now the star of his own reality show on Russian state TV. Of course he is.

Amazon touches $1 trillion, on pace to overtake Apple.

“Hundreds of studies on sex ed and teen pregnancy prevention programs have been conducted, and what they show is that teaching kids about sex doesn’t make them start breeding like rabbits. Instead, it may prod them to delay having sex. Comprehensive sex education programs that include information about contraception have also been shown to reduce rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases and to increase the use of condoms and other contraceptives.” But Republicans refuse to listen.

Quarter of world's population 'not active enough to stay healthy'.

Today's College Students Aren't Who You Think They Are.

First eight bird extinctions of the 21st century confirmed.

Scientists have discovered the first known omnivorous shark.

Vast auroras dance over Saturn's north pole in stunning new photos.

“It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.” -- Mark Twain

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

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Monday, September 3, 2018

And another day where Nike and Colin “Just Do It” and Trump spouts his belief that law enforcement is nothing more than an extension of his political self-interest comes to a close:

“Well, I believe that when you are confirming a United States Supreme Court Justice, that it really isn’t Democratic or Republican; it’s American.” -- Arlen Specter

Donald Trump escalates his attacks on U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, suggesting the DOJ jeopardized midterms with the recent indictments of 2 Republican congressmen. Tweets: 'Two easy wins now in doubt ... Good job, Jeff.'

Where Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh stands on key issues.

Brett Kavanaugh’s SCOTUS could quickly strike down all campaign finance limits on rich people. I think odds are that he will.

Brett Kavanaugh’s History as a Judge Has Organized Labor Very Worried.

Brett Kavanaugh has a nearly perfect record of speeding up extinction.

Call your senators and tell them not to confirm Brett Kananaugh for Supreme Court Justice. Confirmation hearings begins September 4.

Trump kicked off Labor Day by insulting the leader of the largest labor union federation in the United States.

Here comes Robert Mueller’s big Trump-Russia week. Hmmm. Let’s see if this happens. It could be fun.

The New Yorker uninvites Steve Bannon from its festival after news that the former Trump aide would be interviewed there caused a sharp backlash. How in the world are we still talking about Steve Bannon?

Three minors from El Salvador separated from their parents after crossing the U.S. border were sexually abused in shelters in Arizona.

Germany's foreign minister told his fellow countrymen they're too lazy when it comes to battling racism and fighting for democracy.

Pope touts virtue of silence after sex abuse cover-up claims.

An ongoing federal investigation into public corruption in Tallahassee, Florida, threatens to damage the campaign of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum.

Beauty YouTuber Laura Lee lost 200,000 followers when her past racist tweets came to the surface. That cost her an estimated $65,000 per year.

Locked in a Nevada county jail for failing to take care of her traffic tickets, Kelly Coltrain asked to go to the hospital. Instead, as her condition worsened, she was handed a mop and told to clean up her own vomit. She died less than an hour later.

Google releases AI tool to identify child sex abuse images online.

Colin Kaepernick will be featured in Nike's signature "Just Do It" campaign as it celebrates its 30th anniversary. “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”

Two gay Malaysian women caned as punishment for same-sex relationship.

After Hurricane Harvey, Texas failed to defend workers against wage exploitation.

Moose that swam to Vermont drowns after crowd gathers for photos.

“I’m half living my life between reality and fantasy at all times.” -- Lady Gaga

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

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Sunday, September 2, 2018

And another day where some stuff happened (or maybe it didn’t) comes to a close:

“The world outside looks so unkind.” -- Dobie Gray

George Papadopoulos says Attorney General Jeff Sessions supported his proposal that Donald Trump meet with Vladimir Putin during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump says he'll 'study' his decision to cancel federal pay raises. Wait. You didn’t ‘study’ that before you made the decision?

Parkland survivor David Hogg helps raise thousands for anti-Ted Cruz billboard featuring Trump tweet. Simply beautiful.

This Arizona police department has a history of violent incidents caught on video. Now, the FBI is getting involved.

Plano, Texas, doctor sparked outrage after he told a medical publication that female physicians make less than men because they “don’t work as hard” and prioritize “something else ... family, social, whatever.” Let’s make him a former doctor.

What Pope Francis knew or didn’t know won’t cure the disease that is the Catholic Church. 

aka: idiots

Billionaire Seahawks owner and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen this year has made his largest-ever foray into congressional politics: A $100,000 donation to a group aiming to keep Republicans in control of the House. If you needed another reason to stop watching the Seahawks and the NFL.

Americans should be more afraid of HPV. HPV-related oral and genital cancers are on the rise — yet we're under-using the vaccine that can prevent them. Get your kids—both girls AND boys—the HPV vaccine. They’re going to have sex at some point. You’re not going to stop that from happening. But you can help protect them against some cancers. Get them vaccinated.

Rio's 200-year old National Museum hit by massive fire. More than 20 million items ranging from archeological findings to historical memorabilia are at risk of being lost.

A man is facing 10 felony counts for allegedly going on dates with numerous women across Southern California before skipping out on the bill. Up 10 13 years if convicted. And now you know.

“I know that I am intelligent, because I know that I know nothing.” -- Socrates

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

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Saturday, September 1, 2018

And another day of funerals, memorials, and Trump being Trump comes to a close:

“The America of John McCain has no need to be made great again because America was always great.” — Meghan McCain

As Washington mourns McCain, Trump tweets attacks against media, Canada, and FBI.

Trump administration withholds 100K Kavanaugh pages from the Bush White House. They’re trying to hide something. You know it to be true.

Bruce Ohr is a DOJ official who has been at the agency for almost three decades — his focus is international organized crime, particularly Russian organized crime.

A senior Justice Department lawyer says a former British spy told him at a breakfast meeting two years ago that Russian intelligence believed it had Donald Trump ‘‘over a barrel,’’ according to multiple people familiar with the encounter.

Kavanaugh won't commit to recusal from Trump, Mueller-related matters.

The 43 most staggering lines from Donald Trump's Indiana speech. Wow. And many of you voted for him. Ugh.

"America was saved when Donald J. Trump was elected president," suspect charged with threatening to kill employees of The Boston Globe says outside the courthouse.

US denying passports to Hispanic Americans in South Texas. A growing number of Hispanics along the Texas-Mexico border with birth records showing they were born in the United States are being denied American passports, held in immigration detention centers, and entered into deportation proceedings.

Bank of America freezing accounts of customers suspected of not being US citizens.

A DC lobbyist has made a plea deal related to work done for Russian and Ukrainian clients. The case was referred by special counsel Mueller.

Trump threatens to withdraw from World Trade Organization. You know, if they don’t “shape up.”

Trump, without evidence, says NBC fudged 2017 Russia interview.

Trump cancels pay raises for federal employees, saying the nation’s budget can’t support it. But we have money for tax cuts?

Rise of extreme nationalist groups in Germany brings a return of anti-Semitic acts. Nationalism is a disease.

Church leaders in Australia won't require mandatory reporting of child abuse said in confession.

Former NBC News producer says network guilty of “massive breach of journalistic integrity” on Ronan Farrow’s Harvey Weinstein exposé. NBC actively sidelined the story and reportedly threatened to ‘smear’ Ronan Farrow.

Mail held by Israel for 8 years finally reaches Palestinians in West Bank.

Hall of Famer Willie Lanier says he nearly died after hit, tells players to obey tackling rule. Stop watching the NFL. You are getting entertainment from watching people cause permanent damage to their bodies.

Colin Kaepernick’s collusion case against the NFL allowed to proceed.

Dairy products, especially cheese and yogurt, were found to protect against death from any cause, according to new research.

Scientists Find Enzyme That Could Help Create Universal Blood Type.

Some restaurants are banning cell use at their tables.

“Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.” -- Elbert Hubbard

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

Until next time, my friends. Good night.