Wednesday, July 10, 2019

And another day of “pedophile island,” the GOP completely on board with child sex trafficking and rape, and truth you should not be trying to hide from comes to a close:

“Your message is excluding people.” — Megan Rapinoe

Read this. Just, read this. At least Parts 1, 2, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13. There is so much to this story. A deep well of lies, manipulation, and abuses many will not want to believe. But the truth must be known. Don’t hide from it.

Donald Trump once hosted a party with a guest list made up of just himself, Jeffrey Epstein, and “28 girls,” according to The New York Times, and ignored an organizer’s warning about Epstein’s conduct.

Even from jail, sex abuser [Jeffrey Epstein] manipulated the system. His victims were kept in the dark.

Whispers, suspicion about Epstein on Caribbean island. “Ask about Jeffrey Epstein on St. Thomas and rooms go quiet. Some people leave. Those who share stories speak in barely audible tones...Then, when Epstein pleaded guilty in a 2008 to soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution, his need for privacy began to appear more sinister. “Everybody called it ‘Pedophile Island,’” said Kevin Goodrich, who is from St. Thomas and operates boat charters. “It’s our dark corner.”” Jeffrey Epstein is a horrible person.

New Jeffrey Epstein accuser: He raped me when I was 15.

Acosta Defends His Handling of the Jeffrey Epstein Case. Asked if he had a message for the victims, he responded, “The message to the victims is that you need to come forward.” Easier said than done, Alex. Stop blaming the victims.

Former Palm Beach State Attorney says Acosta ‘completely wrong’ on Epstein. “If Mr. Acosta was truly concerned with the State’s case and felt he had to rescue the matter, he would have moved forward with the 53-page indictment that his own office drafted. Instead, Mr. Acosta brokered a secret plea deal that resulted in a Non-Prosecution Agreement.”

Alexander Acosta, the US labor secretary under fire for having granted Jeffrey Epstein immunity from federal prosecution in 2008, after the billionaire was investigated for having run a child sex trafficking ring, is proposing 80% funding cuts for the government agency that combats child sex trafficking. Priorities and all. Alexander Acosta is a horrible person.

Miami Herald Editorial Board: Alex Acosta made an ethically compromised decision 10 years ago. Today, he should resign.

In short: Trump and Epstein hung out a couple of decades ago and “partied” with--assaulted and abused--“young girls.” Epstein eventually got busted. Acosta bailed him out with a sweetheart deal. Ten years later Trump becomes President. Acosta becomes U.S. Labor Secretary. And here we are.

As Labor Secretary, Alexander Acosta Is Still Shielding the Wealthy.

Speaking directly to the camera, Rapinoe delivered a searing message for Donald Trump: "You’re excluding me. You’re excluding people that look like me. You’re excluding people of color."

Appeals court sides with President Trump, dismisses 'emoluments' lawsuit involving his DC hotel.

DC mayor says President Trump's July Fourth bash drained the city’s budget for security.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez suggests getting rid of entire Department Homeland Security.

Mississippi politician says female reporter must be accompanied by a male. According to Campbell, Foster's campaign director, Colton Robison, said she could not be alone in a car with Foster because "they believed the optics of the candidate with a woman, even a working reporter, could be used in a smear campaign to insinuate an extramarital affair."

In California, Obamacare Rates Are Going Down. The bottom line is that nearly everyone will pay less for insurance in 2020 than in 2019. This is what can happen when a state is actually serious about making Obamacare work as well as possible for everyone.

California has become the first state in the country to offer healthcare coverage to undocumented adults age 25 and younger.

Flash flooding hits New Orleans as Mississippi River forecast to rise to dangerous levels.

The federal government is warning Americans to brace for a "floodier" future. Government scientists predict 40 places in the U.S. will experience higher than normal rates of so-called sunny day flooding this year because of rising sea levels and an abnormal El Nino weather system.

Nearly one-quarter of Americans say they never plan to retire.

Trump invites conservatives, including fringe figures, to White House for social media summit. It's perhaps the clearest example yet of President Trump legitimizing fringe political allies. Neither Twitter nor Facebook received invitations to the event.

The University of Texas-Austin has announced it's offering full tuition scholarships to in-state undergrads whose families make $65,000 or less per year.

A new study has linked drinking just a small glass of a sugary drink per day to an 18% increase in overall cancer risk and a 22% increase in risk for breast cancer.

Can You Hear It? Sonic Devices Play High-Pitched Noises To Repel Teens.

Video of sharks interacting off Massachusetts coast is a first, scientists say. "Based on scarring patterns and wounds, we know white sharks off Cape Cod frequently bite each other. However, until this video was shot, we had never witnessed any sort of social interaction."

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

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Tuesday, July 9, 2019

And another day of more disgusting treatment toward migrant children, more attacks on the ACA, and more on the sex-trafficking of under aged girls comes to a close:

“No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot” — Mark Twain

Migrant children held in Yuma, Arizona, report sex assault and retaliation for protests in addition to unsanitary conditions and overcrowding. This is disgusting. It must stop.

The Affordable Care Act Is Back In Court: 5 Facts You Need To Know. Healthcare is right. Not a privilege.

The Jeffrey Epstein Case Is Like Nothing I’ve Seen Before. Great wealth insulates people from consequences, but not always, absolutely, or forever.

Labor Secretary Acosta defends Jeffrey Epstein deal as Democrats demand his resignation.

Miami Herald editorial board calls for Trump Labor chief to resign.

Trump is standing by Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta amid calls for his resignation over his work overseeing a plea deal that allowed Jeffrey Epstein to avoid federal prosecution and plead guilty to lesser state charges in 2007.

No One Is In The Mood For Alex Acosta's Gaslighting Ways. “This is, of course, BS. Acosta had plenty of evidence to put Epstein away for good and chose instead to give him a sweetheart deal which was so horrible he intentionally did not notify Epstein's victims because he knew beyond all doubt they would have raised hell over it.”

Despite calling billionaire Jeffrey Epstein a "terrific guy" in the past, President Trump now says he's not a fan and hasn't spoken to him in a long time. Mmm hmmm.

The true origins of the Seth Rich conspiracy theory. It was a fake story planted by Russian foreign intelligence and promoted by Trump’s White House and Fox News.

Amy McGrath announces bid to take on Sen. Mitch McConnell in 2020. Get him, Amy.

Mitch McConnell just got a serious Democratic challenger.

Appeals court rules Trump can’t block users on Twitter.

Nearly all the people who carried out mass attacks in the US last year made threatening or concerning communications beforehand, and more than three-quarters prompted concern from others, the US Secret Service says in a new report Tuesday.

A housing development planned for the Arizona desert was put on hold due to environmental concerns. Then came a secret meeting between the developer and the man Trump would appoint to run the Dept. of Interior, and suddenly the project was back on track.

Ross Perot, the self-made Texas billionaire who twice ran for president as an independent, has died at age 89.

Disney Channel star Cameron Boyce suffered from epilepsy, family says. He was 20.

CDC urges doctors to learn to recognize early signs of a polio-like condition in children, called acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), and move quickly to collect lab samples for investigators.

Boys aged 12 and 13 will be offered the HPV vaccine in all British schools, in a move health officials say will prevent thousands of cancer cases.

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

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Monday, July 8, 2019

And another day of the rich trafficking young girls, “Unalienable Rights,” embracing religion, and giving birth to the wrong children comes to a close:

“Nothing disturbs me more than the glorification of stupidity.” — Carl Sagan

Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein is accused of running a sex trafficking ring and paying girls as young as 14 for sex, an unsealed indictment says.

All the assault allegations against Donald Trump, recapped. “She claims she was repeatedly raped by Trump and Jeffery Epstein at Epstein’s New York City apartment in 1994, when she was 13 years old.” Do MAGA lovers really love child rapists?

Justin Amash on what his GOP colleagues say behind closed doors. "(Trump) thinks people owe loyalty to him, but people are elected to Congress with an oath to support and defend the Constitution, not an oath to support and defend one person, the President who happens to be from your own party," Amash said.

Nancy Pelosi has chosen her war, and it’s with her own party’s future. To be clear: none of these freshmen Democrats have personally attacked Pelosi and all four of them backed her bid for the speakership. As CNN’s Nathan McDermott tweeted, “It is pretty notable that the most vocally anti-Pelosi Democrats (ala the moderates in swing districts who opposed her leadership) don’t get as much criticism from her as the left-wing of the party.” Yep. Worth the read.

Mitch McConnell's great-great-grandfathers owned 14 slaves. McConnell has opposed paying reparations to descendants of slaves, though census records show his family, like many others, benefited from their labor.

Congressional Democrats subpoena Trump businesses in an escalation of the fight to get his financial records. The DOJ wants a court to block them. Hmmm, isn’t that weird?

Mike Pompeo unveils new "Unalienable Rights" commission — and progressive groups fear what it might do.

Trump tweets that his administration will no longer deal with UK ambassador. Trump is so “inept” and “insecure.”

A matter of faith: Democrats embrace religion in campaign.

The USWNT lawsuit isn't just challenging pay disparity -- it also claims the US Soccer Federation has denied women equal playing, training and travel conditions, as well as equal promotion, support and development for their games.

$15 Minimum Wage Would Boost 17 Million Workers, Cut 1.3 Million Jobs, CBO Says.

The biggest lie in Trump's environmental speech today.

The best way to fight global warming? A new study suggests planting at least a trillion trees.

Florida principal refused to call the Holocaust a 'factual, historical event'.

Teen odds of using marijuana dip when states legalize recreational use. The new results echo a study showing a decline in teen use after sales of recreational pot began in 2014 in Washington state.

US couple say they gave birth to the wrong children. A lawsuit filed by the couple in New York states that the couple was shocked to give birth to two boys who were not of Asian descent.

On average, older adults spend over half their waking hours alone.

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

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Saturday, July 6, 2019

And another day of kissing, arrests, double standards, brain drains, and a vaccine for fake news comes to a close:

“And if it takes forever, forever it’ll be.” -- OK Go

Today is International Kissing Day. Happy Kissing!

The Privilege of Positivity. The very idea that we can have the option of escaping terrible news or sidestepping difficult conversations or limiting disturbing information, is itself confirmation that we are buffered from a good deal of struggle. That we can tire of a story or an issue—likely means we have no real personal stake in it...To me, activism is pure positivity. It is passionately affirming humanity by taking note of the places it is most endangered and assailed...But as often as we share beautifully crafted Instagram images, we need to make sure we’re showing people reality completely unfiltered as well. The world needs this too.

The More You TV Watch, the More You Vote Populist. Does watching television make people stupid? Are stupid people more likely to vote for populist parties? And can these effects linger for years, or even decades? Apparently it does.

“Outbreaks of scabies, shingles and chickenpox were spreading among the hundreds of children who were being held in cramped cells, agents said. The stench of the children’s dirty clothing was so strong it spread to the agents’ own clothing — people in town would scrunch their noses when they left work. The children cried constantly. One girl seemed likely enough to try to kill herself that the agents made her sleep on a cot in front of them, so they could watch her as they were processing new arrivals.”

Jeffrey Epstein arrested in New York, charged with sex trafficking.

New York federal appeals court on Wednesday ordered the unsealing of up to 2,000 pages of judicial documents that are expected to show evidence relating to whether New York financier Jeffrey Epstein and his partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, were recruiting underage girls and young women as part of an international sex trafficking operation.

Trump Is Going to Brag About All He’s Done for the Environment. No. Really. On Monday, he’s giving a speech about America’s clean air and water. And his environmental leadership.

Flashback: Plastic straw ban? Cigarette butts are the single greatest source of ocean trash.

Second CBP-linked Facebook group shows derisive images of migrants.

New study shows Russian propaganda may really have helped Trump. The study does not prove Russian interference swung the election to Trump. But it did find Trump's poll numbers improved when Russian trolls were active. The study found that every 25,000 re-tweets by accounts connected to the Internet Research Agency, a troll farm led by an oligarch close to President Putin, predicted a 1% increase in opinion polls for President Trump.

Iran Could Surpass Uranium Enrichment Limits On Sunday.

Thousands of extended family members are arriving at the border with children in tow, hoping to give them a better life in America. What many don't know is that they may never join those children in the U.S.

Indianapolis church puts holy family in ‘ICE detention’ in bold statement about immigration policy.

Nancy Pelosi dismisses Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Tlaib, Pressley as just "four people" after Democrats split on border bill.

Customs and Border Patrol agents at a migrant processing center in Texas allegedly attempted to humiliate a Honduran migrant by making him hold a sign that read, "I like men," according to emails written by an agent who witnessed the incident.

American Medical Association Wades Into Abortion Debate With Lawsuit.

Alex Morgan says criticism of her tea-sipping celebration illustrates a double standard. "I feel that there is some sort of double standard for females in sports, to feel like we have to be humble in our successes and have to celebrate, but not too much or in a limited fashion.” She’s not wrong.

Starbucks barista asks police officers to leave because customer 'did not feel safe,' police union claims. But if the police officers were LGBTQ, Republicans wouldn’t have found what happened “offensive” at all.

NYPD officers were called to a Whole Foods about suspected shoplifter. Then they paid for her groceries.

U.S. Representative Amash, the only Republican supporting impeaching Trump, quits Republican Party on July 4. "Today, I am declaring my independence and leaving the Republican Party. No matter your circumstance, I’m asking you to join me in rejecting the partisan loyalties and rhetoric that divide and dehumanize us.”

Alaska fears 'brain drain' after 41 percent proposed cut to university system. The cuts could close campuses, shut down departments, and force 1,300 layoffs. "We may not even be able to mow the lawns," one administrator said.

Researchers have created a 'vaccine' for fake news. It's a game.

Drug prices in 2019 are surging, with hikes at 5 times inflation.

Teachers are 3 times more likely to need a second job to make ends meet.

Lesbian visibility at Women's World Cup has impact far off the field. Excellent.

Disney’s live-action Little Mermaid will star a black Ariel. Every Disney princess for the past 30 years has had Ariel’s face. Now Ariel has a new face.

Here's why we call the open-mouth smooch a 'French kiss'.

8 health benefits of kissing. So get to kissing!

Mad magazine to come off newsstands, largely end publishing new content.

Swearing good for people, says Ukrainian health minister. Fuck yeah!

Cockroaches are becoming immune to insecticides. Have a great day.

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

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Wednesday, July 3, 2019

And another day, the day before the one finger “Salute to America” to feed a small wannabe dictator’s ego, comes to a close:

“When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.” -- Sinclair Lewis

Trump downplays, defends cost of his Fourth of July event. One day before the celebration, the president claimed that the cost would be "very little compared to what it is worth," as the total amount remained unclear. What a waste of money. Very fiscally responsible, as the current version of the Republican Party has shown themselves to be.

D.C. plans to bill the government for any tank damage to roads, bridges after Trump's July 4th.

July 4th fireworks donor lobbied President Trump on tariffs and won a reprieve.

The flag clothing you're buying for July 4 is technically illegal. But MAGA lovers don’t give a shit.

Trump administration ending in-person interpreters at immigrants’ first hearings. He’s doing everything he can to dehumanize people he doesn’t like.

Border agency knew about secret Facebook group for years.

Pediatricians share migrant children's disturbing drawings of their time in US custody.

Judge temporarily blocks Ohio ban on abortion after first detectable heartbeat, predicts it will be found unconstitutional.

An official says the Justice Department has been instructed to keep looking for a way to ask census responders whether they're U.S. citizens. This is despite the administration saying that printing of the census without a citizenship question has begun.

Trump claims homelessness is 'phenomenon that started 2 years ago,' blames 'liberal' mayors. According to data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, homelessness overall has decreased by 15% since 2007. Trump literally just makes shit up. And if homelessness started two years ago, then it all falls under his watch.

This judge said coming from a "good family" means a 16-year-old couldn't be a rapist. WTF?

California becomes first in US to ban discrimination over natural hairstyles. Why is this even an issue? Oh, that’s right. Racism. Good for California.

Baked Alaska: record heat fuels wildfires and sends tourists to the beach. Anchorage sees 80F weather with nearly 120 fires blazing across the state.

Torrential rains have created dangerous conditions in southwestern Japan, prompting evacuation orders for more than 1.1 million people.

'Football pitch' of Amazon forest lost every minute.

Americans love their trash and hate to recycle, report finds. In fact, individuals in the United States create more than three times as much trash as those in China. You read that correctly.

Men who eat yogurt may have lower colon cancer risk.

A Second Non-Repeating Fast Radio Burst Has Been Pinpointed To A Distant Galaxy.

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

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Tuesday, July 2, 2019

And another day of “ticking time bombs,” photos, conditions, cruelty, impunity, fines, flags, and dwindling pride comes to a close:

“Hello darkness, my old friend.” -- Simon & Garfunkel (But today I’m in the mood for Disturbed’s version)

American pride is dwindling, a new poll suggests. Not much to be proud of these days. Let’s begin:

Photos show hundreds of migrants squashed into cells, appealing for assistance. One senior manager at a facility called the situation a "ticking time bomb." Migrants banged on cell windows and pressed notes against the plexiglass.

Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas released videos purportedly showing the conditions inside two migrant detention centers along the border with Mexico.

From bad to 'sheer inhumanity': Detention conditions for migrants worse under Trump, advocates say.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez describes the cruelty and impunity she glimpsed at the border. But if you’re a misogynistic racist fuck you won’t read it.

“If you torture people, maybe they won’t think America is great. And maybe that’s their grand plan. But it’s torture. It’s cruelty.” -- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Q: Are you satisfied with the trip? Did you see everything that you came here to see?

AOC: I mean, yes and no. Yes, in that I’m satisfied that I saw these facilities. No, in that it was very clear that they disappeared hundreds of people. They disappeared them.

Q: Like, disappeared disappeared?

AOC: Yeah, like, they’re gone. I think they dumped them in Juárez, according to what people were saying.

America, 2019. As stated earlier: Not much to be proud of these days.

Lawmakers demand change after scrutinizing conditions at immigrant detention centers.

Trump Administration Sends Out Notices Of $500,000 Fines For Those In U.S. Illegally.

Trump administration will print 2020 census without citizenship question.

Nike pulls Betsy Ross flag shoes after Kaepernick complaint, report says. The flag of the 13 American colonies has been appropriated by some white nationalists as representing a time when the U.S. had slavery.

Arizona governor says he wants to yank Nike's tax breaks over sneaker controversy.

We're in the longest economic expansion ever — but it's the rich who are getting richer. And that’s by design.

More than 200 corporations are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that federal civil rights law bans job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Tanks arrive in D.C. for Trump's Fourth of July celebration. Jesus.

Researchers say they’re one step closer to finding a potential cure for HIV after successfully eliminating the virus in living mice for the first time.

I paid $47 an hour for someone to be my friend. Can an app that lets you rent a friend help overcome the loneliness that stems from smartphones and social media?

Scientists "speechless" after fox makes 2,176-mile, 76-day trek from Norway to Canada.

Freaky star seems to dim randomly, and astronomers don't know why.

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

Until next time, my friends. Good night.

Monday, July 1, 2019

And another day of horrible things yelled at congresswomen, ‘inhumane conditions’ at the border, a disgusting border patrol Facebook group, keeping secrets in Texas, decreasing sea ice, and frozen sperm in outer space all comes to a close:

“I will outwork your hate. I will outlove your hate. I will always put my country first. ... And you all can outscream me, but I will never stop speaking truth to power.” -- Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan)

“It’s very dangerous and the minute that we lose our own humanity, we’ve gone into our very dark place,” Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) said. “Unfortunately, our country has gone to a very dark place.”

Government watchdog warned as far back as May that conditions at an El Paso border station were so bad that border agents were arming themselves against possible riots. The findings counter the statement by a top Trump admin official that reports of poor conditions for migrants at border stations were “unsubstantiated.”

Democrats decry 'inhumane conditions' at migrant detention camps. Man, the things the protestors yelled at the members of Congress. Such horrible people that support Trump and the Republican Party.

Secret Border Patrol Facebook group mocked migrant deaths, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The three-year-old group, which has roughly 9,500 members, shared derogatory and sexist comments about lawmakers, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, ProPublica reported. “Fuck the hoes.” “There should be no photo ops for these scum buckets.” “If he dies, he dies.” There’s more at the ProPublica story. Wow.

Trump's 4th of July "Salute to America" event to include ticketed section for VIPs. Such the wannabe dictator.

Trump says there will be military tanks at his July 4th celebration. Read that again. Tanks.

Democrats investigating whistleblower claims Pompeo's security picked up Chinese food and his dog.

‘Hide the evidence': New Texas law may help GOP keep secrets about its redistricting strategy. Texas has passed a new law that lets lawmakers conceal their emails and other communications from public scrutiny. Because, you know...Texas.

After decades of gradual increases, Antarctic sea ice is now decreasing faster than that in the Arctic, according to new research based on 40 years' worth of satellite data. The planet doesn’t need us. We need the planet.

It's so hot that mussels are cooking in their shells and highways are buckling.

Summer hailstorm in Guadalajara, Mexico, buries cars, damages houses. More than 3 feet of hail fell during the freak summer storm.

For the first time, the U.S. got more electricity from renewables than coal.

Signs are pointing to a coming U.S. recession, according to an economic indicator that has preceded every recession over the past five decades.

Japan resumes commercial whaling after 30 years, in defiance of international criticism.

When it comes to artists losing the rights to their songs, Taylor Swift is hardly alone.

Frozen sperm retains its viability in outer space conditions. Human sperm samples exposed to microgravity are just as active and concentrated as on Earth.

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

Until next time, my friends. Good night.