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welcome to reality trivia
reality is the state of things as they actually exist
may 25, 2018
real news today
may 25, 2018
*Scientists discovered massive hidden canyons in Antarctica that could spell bad news for the rest of the planet(Earth)
*Research suggests sweet potatoes didn't originate in the Americas as previously thought(Ancient Times)
*You Now Have a Patriotic Duty to Kneel During the National Anthem
by the rude pundit(Commentary)
*Medicaid work requirements would worsen South's health care crisis
(Payback)
*REPUBLICAN JOHN CORNYN EXPLAINS—LYING IS FINE, TELLING THE TRUTH IS 'LEAKING CLASSIFIED INFORMATION'(GOP Politics)
*A new study reveals how shockingly easy it would be for Walmart to boost workers’ wages(Slavery 21st Century)
*Texas chemical plant failed to take necessary precautions despite warnings, investigators find(Corporate Criminals)
*Biden Unleashes On GOP In A Campaign-Style Speech That Should Terrify Trump
(Demo Politics)
*GOP House Candidate Pushes 9/11 Conspiracy Theories And Believes Beyoncé Has Ties to the Illuminati(GOP Politics)
*Dear black NFL players, don't let yourselves be silenced
(Commentary)
*Stabbed at a neo-Nazi rally, called a criminal: how police targeted a black activist
(Race Matters)
*SENATE COMMITTEE ADVANCES JUDICIAL NOMINEES WHO WON’T COMMENT ON BROWN V. BOARD
(America)
*USA TODAY INVESTIGATION REVEALS THE TRUTH ABOUT MYSTERIOUS LLC THAT MADE TRUMP $107,000(Trump)
(for previous day's articles see "what's inside" below)
Border Patrol union chief calls Trump troop deployment 'a colossal waste'
By CRISTIANO LIMA - politico
05/25/2018 06:59 AM EDT
President Donald Trump's decision to deploy members of the National Guard to the southern U.S. border with Mexico is "a colossal waste of resources," according to the leader of a union representing members of the U.S. Border Patrol.
National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd, who represents roughly 15,000 agents, panned the measure that the president implemented last month to beef up border security and curb illegal immigration, regarding it as fruitless, according to a Los Angeles Times report released late Thursday. "We have seen no benefit," Judd said.
"When I found out the National Guard was going to be on the border, I was extremely excited," the union chief said, pointing to the impact that past troop deployments have had in easing functions for the Border Patrol.
But he added that this time around, "that has not happened at all."
The criticism marks a departure for a group that during the 2016 elections endorsed Trump's presidential run and hailed his push to tighten border security. It was the first time the union had endorsed a presidential candidate.
The president in April activated a plan to dispatch National Guard troops to the border, with Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen announcing at the time the move was intended to help alleviate the task of border patrol agents.
The action mirrored that of his immediate predecessors, with President George W. Bush having deployed roughly 6,000 members of the National Guard from 2006 to 2008 and President Barack Obama sending about 1,200 National Guard members to the border in 2010.
For his push, Trump garnered commitments from governors to deploy 1,600 National Guards troops to states bordering Mexico, though the president initially sought 2,000 to 4,000 to be deployed.
A Border Patrol spokeswoman told the Times that the troops deployed have assisted with 3,924 deportations, 1,116 "turn backs" of migrants into Mexico and the seizure of 3,486 pounds of marijuana.
National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd, who represents roughly 15,000 agents, panned the measure that the president implemented last month to beef up border security and curb illegal immigration, regarding it as fruitless, according to a Los Angeles Times report released late Thursday. "We have seen no benefit," Judd said.
"When I found out the National Guard was going to be on the border, I was extremely excited," the union chief said, pointing to the impact that past troop deployments have had in easing functions for the Border Patrol.
But he added that this time around, "that has not happened at all."
The criticism marks a departure for a group that during the 2016 elections endorsed Trump's presidential run and hailed his push to tighten border security. It was the first time the union had endorsed a presidential candidate.
The president in April activated a plan to dispatch National Guard troops to the border, with Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen announcing at the time the move was intended to help alleviate the task of border patrol agents.
The action mirrored that of his immediate predecessors, with President George W. Bush having deployed roughly 6,000 members of the National Guard from 2006 to 2008 and President Barack Obama sending about 1,200 National Guard members to the border in 2010.
For his push, Trump garnered commitments from governors to deploy 1,600 National Guards troops to states bordering Mexico, though the president initially sought 2,000 to 4,000 to be deployed.
A Border Patrol spokeswoman told the Times that the troops deployed have assisted with 3,924 deportations, 1,116 "turn backs" of migrants into Mexico and the seizure of 3,486 pounds of marijuana.
congrats black trump voters!!!
Trump administration scraps housing segregation rule
Critics call HUD's moves to jettison the Obama-era regulation "arbitrary and capricious"
DANIELLE MCLEAN - thinkprogress
MAY 25, 2018, 10:42 AM
The Trump administration is effectively scrapping an Obama-era rule that requires cities to submit comprehensive plans on how they will address housing segregation in their own neighborhoods before receiving federal funds.
HUD’s latest decision, published in the federal register on Wednesday, essentially ensures cities and towns seeking federal funds will be no longer be forced to take any steps to reduce segregation under the watchful eye of the federal agency.
Under Secretary Ben Carson, the Department of Housing and Urban Development had already delayed the implementation of the rule by several years — prompting a coalition of housing advocates and the State of New York to file a civil lawsuit against the administration.
The Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule was created by the Obama administration to help enforce the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which sought to combat the racial segregation of neighborhoods. Since the passage of the Fair Housing Act, the law has been poorly enforced and housing segregation has persisted.
HUD on Wednesday got rid of a key component of the Obama-era rule: the comprehensive and uniform assessment tool cities and towns needed to complete that described how housing segregation persisted in their communities and how they planned to address it.
The assessment tool “was having a transformative positive effect in communities across the country,” said Thomas Silverstein, counsel in the Fair Housing & Community Development Project at the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Laws, one of the groups involved in the lawsuit.
“HUD should provide local communities with the support and oversight they need to tackle entrenched barriers instead of returning to the failed policies of the past,” he said.
But Carson has described the Fair Housing Act and other neighborhood desegregation efforts, including the Obama-era rule, as a failed “social experiment.”
The latest decision by HUD forces the coalition to amend arguments in their lawsuit filed at U.S. District Court in Washington D.C., which it plans to do on Tuesday. But members do not believe it changes their basic argument, and are convinced that HUD’s reason for suspending the rule will not stand up in court.
“We are on the same track and we will get the same result, which is that HUD will have to reinstate the AFFH rule,” said Sasha Samberg-Champion, an attorney with Relman, Dane and Colfax, one of the firms involved in the lawsuit. “The basic thrust of the argument is exactly the same, which is HUD doesn’t have the authority to suspend the AFFH rule in this way and the reasoning for doing it is flawed in such a way that it is arbitrary and capricious.”
After passing the AFFH rule in 2015, the Obama administration began rolling it out in stages in October 2016. So far, a number of communities seeking grants have completed analyses using the more clear, structured, and robust assessment tool created under the rule, including New Orleans and the Philadelphia Housing Authority. A number of communities were supposed to turn in their analyses in April. Now, with HUD’s decision to suspend and withdraw the rule, it is unclear if those cities will be required to complete them.
Earlier this month, the coalition of fair housing advocates and New York State filed a lawsuit at U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. suing HUD over its decision not to require grant-seeking cities and towns to complete the newly created housing segregation assessment until sometime between 2020 and 2024 in January.
The lawsuit argues that HUD gave no notice and held no comment period as required by law before making the decision, that its reasoning for doing so was inadequate, and that HUD was reneging on its legal obligation to take meaningful steps to address housing segregation.
But Tuesday’s announcement indicates a change in HUD’s strategy as it discards the key assessment mechanism created under the Obama-era rule. HUD will eliminate the tool communities use to assess racial discrimination, and seek public comment “on the best framework for local governments to further fair housing choices in their communities,” the department said in a press release.
Since the coalition’s lawsuit challenged an extension of the AFFH rule’s deadline, it will need to be amended to argue why the latest decision is also unlawful.
In its notice in the federal register, HUD also attempted to bolster its argument for scrapping the assessment. This included objections to the data being collected, and what the agency says was a lack of proper guidance on the regional analysis portion and errors on the goals section. It also took issue with the cost and resources needed to implement the assessment.
Advocates said HUD should have expected a learning curve in implementing the rule and that additional resources were needed. Samberg-Champion said he agrees with HUD that improvements are needed the assessment tool but said the agency should be able to undertake the changes while continuing to roll it out.
“We think HUD is capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time,” he said.
On Tuesday, HUD published two other notices in the federal register that extends the comment period on the assessment tool and requires communities to continue assessing housing discrimination in their communities.
Spokesman Brian Sullivan said HUD’s latest decision was made because the assessment tool was confusing and difficult to use and was not influenced by the ongoing litigation. But critics strongly suspect that Wednesday’s actions were made in response to the lawsuit.
“I can’t imagine that the lawsuit had nothing to do with the move especially with the flurry of notices that were issued. I would find it very hard to believe that the lawsuit had no impact,” said Renee Williams, staff attorney at the National Housing Law Project, which plans to file an amicus brief in support of the lawsuit.
Williams said even if HUD improves the assessment tool down the road, getting rid of it in the short term would have “effectively the same effect” as the previous decision to delay AFFH. That will be harmful to poor people and minorities who will continue to be segregated into neighborhoods without any federal oversight.
“We won’t see this for a number of years and that in itself is harmful. We are going back to a process that is largely ineffective,” Williams said.
HUD’s latest decision, published in the federal register on Wednesday, essentially ensures cities and towns seeking federal funds will be no longer be forced to take any steps to reduce segregation under the watchful eye of the federal agency.
Under Secretary Ben Carson, the Department of Housing and Urban Development had already delayed the implementation of the rule by several years — prompting a coalition of housing advocates and the State of New York to file a civil lawsuit against the administration.
The Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule was created by the Obama administration to help enforce the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which sought to combat the racial segregation of neighborhoods. Since the passage of the Fair Housing Act, the law has been poorly enforced and housing segregation has persisted.
HUD on Wednesday got rid of a key component of the Obama-era rule: the comprehensive and uniform assessment tool cities and towns needed to complete that described how housing segregation persisted in their communities and how they planned to address it.
The assessment tool “was having a transformative positive effect in communities across the country,” said Thomas Silverstein, counsel in the Fair Housing & Community Development Project at the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Laws, one of the groups involved in the lawsuit.
“HUD should provide local communities with the support and oversight they need to tackle entrenched barriers instead of returning to the failed policies of the past,” he said.
But Carson has described the Fair Housing Act and other neighborhood desegregation efforts, including the Obama-era rule, as a failed “social experiment.”
The latest decision by HUD forces the coalition to amend arguments in their lawsuit filed at U.S. District Court in Washington D.C., which it plans to do on Tuesday. But members do not believe it changes their basic argument, and are convinced that HUD’s reason for suspending the rule will not stand up in court.
“We are on the same track and we will get the same result, which is that HUD will have to reinstate the AFFH rule,” said Sasha Samberg-Champion, an attorney with Relman, Dane and Colfax, one of the firms involved in the lawsuit. “The basic thrust of the argument is exactly the same, which is HUD doesn’t have the authority to suspend the AFFH rule in this way and the reasoning for doing it is flawed in such a way that it is arbitrary and capricious.”
After passing the AFFH rule in 2015, the Obama administration began rolling it out in stages in October 2016. So far, a number of communities seeking grants have completed analyses using the more clear, structured, and robust assessment tool created under the rule, including New Orleans and the Philadelphia Housing Authority. A number of communities were supposed to turn in their analyses in April. Now, with HUD’s decision to suspend and withdraw the rule, it is unclear if those cities will be required to complete them.
Earlier this month, the coalition of fair housing advocates and New York State filed a lawsuit at U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. suing HUD over its decision not to require grant-seeking cities and towns to complete the newly created housing segregation assessment until sometime between 2020 and 2024 in January.
The lawsuit argues that HUD gave no notice and held no comment period as required by law before making the decision, that its reasoning for doing so was inadequate, and that HUD was reneging on its legal obligation to take meaningful steps to address housing segregation.
But Tuesday’s announcement indicates a change in HUD’s strategy as it discards the key assessment mechanism created under the Obama-era rule. HUD will eliminate the tool communities use to assess racial discrimination, and seek public comment “on the best framework for local governments to further fair housing choices in their communities,” the department said in a press release.
Since the coalition’s lawsuit challenged an extension of the AFFH rule’s deadline, it will need to be amended to argue why the latest decision is also unlawful.
In its notice in the federal register, HUD also attempted to bolster its argument for scrapping the assessment. This included objections to the data being collected, and what the agency says was a lack of proper guidance on the regional analysis portion and errors on the goals section. It also took issue with the cost and resources needed to implement the assessment.
Advocates said HUD should have expected a learning curve in implementing the rule and that additional resources were needed. Samberg-Champion said he agrees with HUD that improvements are needed the assessment tool but said the agency should be able to undertake the changes while continuing to roll it out.
“We think HUD is capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time,” he said.
On Tuesday, HUD published two other notices in the federal register that extends the comment period on the assessment tool and requires communities to continue assessing housing discrimination in their communities.
Spokesman Brian Sullivan said HUD’s latest decision was made because the assessment tool was confusing and difficult to use and was not influenced by the ongoing litigation. But critics strongly suspect that Wednesday’s actions were made in response to the lawsuit.
“I can’t imagine that the lawsuit had nothing to do with the move especially with the flurry of notices that were issued. I would find it very hard to believe that the lawsuit had no impact,” said Renee Williams, staff attorney at the National Housing Law Project, which plans to file an amicus brief in support of the lawsuit.
Williams said even if HUD improves the assessment tool down the road, getting rid of it in the short term would have “effectively the same effect” as the previous decision to delay AFFH. That will be harmful to poor people and minorities who will continue to be segregated into neighborhoods without any federal oversight.
“We won’t see this for a number of years and that in itself is harmful. We are going back to a process that is largely ineffective,” Williams said.
But her emails
Russian Facebook ads inflamed Hispanic tensions over immigration after Trump election
Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY
Published 5:00 a.m. ET May 25, 2018
SAN FRANCISCO — In the months after Donald Trump rode to victory while calling for mass deportations, Russian operatives bought dozens of Facebook ads targeted at the Hispanic community seeking to further inflame tensions already roiled by the campaign's racially charged rhetoric, according to USA TODAY analysis.
Thousands of ads released by House Democrats earlier this month showed Russian operatives focused on race during the presidential election in what experts say was a clear effort to amplify existing divisions.
They didn't stop there. In the first half of 2017, as Trump aggressively moved to restrict immigration, fake Facebook pages set up by a Russian propaganda operation started pushing ads on both sides of the immigration debate.
One set of ads targeted users who had shown interest in Hispanic and Latino culture with pro-immigration messages. Another set zeroed in on users whose views aligned with Trump on immigration and deportation.
The aim? To stir outrage on both sides, says propaganda expert James Ludes.
"Because at the end of the day, the Russians don't really care what the policy is, they care about the divisiveness that the issue itself engenders," says Ludes, vice president for public research and initiatives at Salve Regina University. “They want to amp up the divisiveness and give it as loud a voice as they possibly can.”
A USA TODAY review of all 3,500 ads found that hundreds of them related to immigration or targeted Hispanics. Most of the ads ran after the election. They were shown millions of times.
Like the Facebook campaigns that targeted African Americans to heighten tensions over racism and police brutality during the presidential election, stoking resentment in the Hispanic community after the election was a part of the Russians' strategy to destabilize American democracy, says Nicholas Cull, a professor at University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
A federal grand jury in February indicted 13 people accused of working for the Internet Research Agency, a shadowy organization with ties to the Kremlin, to produce the Facebook ads. The indictment included emails from the Russian operation's employees that left no doubt that their objectives were "to sow discord in the U.S. political system."
"(The Russians) were in it for the long game. Their objective was not to see Trump elected president, but to see the United States undermined by its own political inconsistencies and divisions," Cull says. "The Russians don't want a happy Trump presidency. They are not Trump's friends. They want the American system to fail."
Tensions were running high in early 2017. During the campaign, Trump accused Mexicans of being "rapists," vowed to build a wall on the border of Mexico and swiftly deport "bad hombres," prompting Spanish language media giant Univision to run a pointed-anti-Trump campaign to get out the vote. Though Trump got more Latino support than expected, overwhelmingly, they voted against Trump.
Latino leaders in some parts of the U.S. organized against Trump and his policies, recruiting candidates to run for local and national office and urging the adoption of so-called "sanctuary cities," which limit cooperation with federal authorities seeking to detain immigrants. And in February 2017, Latinos walked off the job in a national "Day Without Immigrants."
Trump's threat to scrap Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, an Obama-era program that shields from deportation nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, provided more ammunition for the Russians' Facebook campaign.
In May, operatives recirculated authentic social media posts of Hispanics in graduation caps bearing defiant messages. One of those was an Instagram post from a young woman graduate with her cap emblazoned with the words: "Job-stealing immigrant." The post went viral and was spotted by the Russians, who made an ad out of it.
Thousands of ads released by House Democrats earlier this month showed Russian operatives focused on race during the presidential election in what experts say was a clear effort to amplify existing divisions.
They didn't stop there. In the first half of 2017, as Trump aggressively moved to restrict immigration, fake Facebook pages set up by a Russian propaganda operation started pushing ads on both sides of the immigration debate.
One set of ads targeted users who had shown interest in Hispanic and Latino culture with pro-immigration messages. Another set zeroed in on users whose views aligned with Trump on immigration and deportation.
The aim? To stir outrage on both sides, says propaganda expert James Ludes.
"Because at the end of the day, the Russians don't really care what the policy is, they care about the divisiveness that the issue itself engenders," says Ludes, vice president for public research and initiatives at Salve Regina University. “They want to amp up the divisiveness and give it as loud a voice as they possibly can.”
A USA TODAY review of all 3,500 ads found that hundreds of them related to immigration or targeted Hispanics. Most of the ads ran after the election. They were shown millions of times.
Like the Facebook campaigns that targeted African Americans to heighten tensions over racism and police brutality during the presidential election, stoking resentment in the Hispanic community after the election was a part of the Russians' strategy to destabilize American democracy, says Nicholas Cull, a professor at University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
A federal grand jury in February indicted 13 people accused of working for the Internet Research Agency, a shadowy organization with ties to the Kremlin, to produce the Facebook ads. The indictment included emails from the Russian operation's employees that left no doubt that their objectives were "to sow discord in the U.S. political system."
"(The Russians) were in it for the long game. Their objective was not to see Trump elected president, but to see the United States undermined by its own political inconsistencies and divisions," Cull says. "The Russians don't want a happy Trump presidency. They are not Trump's friends. They want the American system to fail."
Tensions were running high in early 2017. During the campaign, Trump accused Mexicans of being "rapists," vowed to build a wall on the border of Mexico and swiftly deport "bad hombres," prompting Spanish language media giant Univision to run a pointed-anti-Trump campaign to get out the vote. Though Trump got more Latino support than expected, overwhelmingly, they voted against Trump.
Latino leaders in some parts of the U.S. organized against Trump and his policies, recruiting candidates to run for local and national office and urging the adoption of so-called "sanctuary cities," which limit cooperation with federal authorities seeking to detain immigrants. And in February 2017, Latinos walked off the job in a national "Day Without Immigrants."
Trump's threat to scrap Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, an Obama-era program that shields from deportation nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, provided more ammunition for the Russians' Facebook campaign.
In May, operatives recirculated authentic social media posts of Hispanics in graduation caps bearing defiant messages. One of those was an Instagram post from a young woman graduate with her cap emblazoned with the words: "Job-stealing immigrant." The post went viral and was spotted by the Russians, who made an ad out of it.
Parkland Survivor Demolishes Mike Pence After Yet Another School Shooting: People 'Pray' for You to Take Action
The teenager said "prayers" aren't enough from elected officials
By Elizabeth Preza / AlterNet
May 25, 2018, 7:56 AM GMT
Lauren Hogg, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where 17 people were shot and killed earlier this year, slammed Mike Pence on Friday after the vice president offered his prayers for the victims in Friday's shooting in Indiana.
Pence, the former Indiana governor, sent the message after a student opened fire at Noblesville West Middle School, injuring two people. An eyewitness told CBS 4 a science teacher “swatted [the] gun away from the gunman’s hand, saving everyone else in the room.”
“Karen [Pence] and I are praying for the victims of the terrible shooting in Indiana,” Pence wrote on Twitter. “To everyone in the Noblesville community – you are on our hearts and in our prayers. Thanks for the swift response by Hoosier law enforcement and first responders.”
Hogg, the sister of Parkland activist David Hogg, replied to Pence’s tweet, imploring the vice president to “take action” instead of offering empty thoughts and prayers.
“How about instead of only praying this time you take action?” Hogg asked on Twitter. “Perhaps you don’t realize that the reason people pray after school shootings occur is in hopes that people like you who have the power to stop these things from happening take action.”
Hey @VP how about instead of only praying this time you take action?
Perhaps you don’t realize that the reason people pray after school shootings occur is in hopes that people like you who have the power to stop these things from happening take action. https://t.co/SBot8d3uz0
— Lauren Hogg (@lauren_hoggs) May 25, 2018According to USA Today, the incident in Indiana is at least the 21st school shooting in 2018. In Santa Fe, Texas, 10 students were killed last week when a 17-year-old used his father’s shotgun and .38-caliber revolver to shoot up an art class.
Pence, the former Indiana governor, sent the message after a student opened fire at Noblesville West Middle School, injuring two people. An eyewitness told CBS 4 a science teacher “swatted [the] gun away from the gunman’s hand, saving everyone else in the room.”
“Karen [Pence] and I are praying for the victims of the terrible shooting in Indiana,” Pence wrote on Twitter. “To everyone in the Noblesville community – you are on our hearts and in our prayers. Thanks for the swift response by Hoosier law enforcement and first responders.”
Hogg, the sister of Parkland activist David Hogg, replied to Pence’s tweet, imploring the vice president to “take action” instead of offering empty thoughts and prayers.
“How about instead of only praying this time you take action?” Hogg asked on Twitter. “Perhaps you don’t realize that the reason people pray after school shootings occur is in hopes that people like you who have the power to stop these things from happening take action.”
Hey @VP how about instead of only praying this time you take action?
Perhaps you don’t realize that the reason people pray after school shootings occur is in hopes that people like you who have the power to stop these things from happening take action. https://t.co/SBot8d3uz0
— Lauren Hogg (@lauren_hoggs) May 25, 2018According to USA Today, the incident in Indiana is at least the 21st school shooting in 2018. In Santa Fe, Texas, 10 students were killed last week when a 17-year-old used his father’s shotgun and .38-caliber revolver to shoot up an art class.
Feckless Paul Ryan hails GOP's 'good thorough oversight' of DOJ and FBI as a cure-all
Kerry Eleveld
Daily Kos Staff
Friday May 25, 2018 · 6:35 AM PDT
This one's for the history books—when the reckoning finally comes for the GOP's bankrupt Trump-era leadership, and the historians tear Paul Ryan limb-from-limb for his total dereliction of duty to our country.
Here's Ryan’s exchange on Thursday with NBC reporter Kasie Hunt regarding Donald Trump’s repeated interference with the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the investigation into his campaign’s ties to Russia.
Hunt: Do you think that the president has done any lasting damage to the FBI and DOJ?
Ryan: No, I do not believe that that is the case. I think, first of all, it's important that we have good thorough oversight—good thorough oversight, accountability and transparency heals all wounds that are committed by a government.
Ryan has now moved into the upside down with Trump. Somewhere amid Trump’s lies, manipulations and continued calls to investigate his investigators in order to undermine the rule of law—aided by House Republicans like Reps. Devin Nunes and Mark Meadows—“good thorough oversight” is taking place. Ryan misplaced his spine a long time ago but this claim is so baseless it’s downright slimy.
If reading the exchange didn’t thoroughly outrage you, you can watch it below.
Read More
Here's Ryan’s exchange on Thursday with NBC reporter Kasie Hunt regarding Donald Trump’s repeated interference with the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the investigation into his campaign’s ties to Russia.
Hunt: Do you think that the president has done any lasting damage to the FBI and DOJ?
Ryan: No, I do not believe that that is the case. I think, first of all, it's important that we have good thorough oversight—good thorough oversight, accountability and transparency heals all wounds that are committed by a government.
Ryan has now moved into the upside down with Trump. Somewhere amid Trump’s lies, manipulations and continued calls to investigate his investigators in order to undermine the rule of law—aided by House Republicans like Reps. Devin Nunes and Mark Meadows—“good thorough oversight” is taking place. Ryan misplaced his spine a long time ago but this claim is so baseless it’s downright slimy.
If reading the exchange didn’t thoroughly outrage you, you can watch it below.
Read More
While the NFL cowers to Trump, the WNBA takes a stand
"Think about history in general, it’s usually black women who are leading these marches and movements."
LINDSAY GIBBS - thinkprogress
MAY 25, 2018, 12:09 PM
In the summer of 2016, the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile — two black men whose shootings by police officers were caught on cell-phone video and went viral within a two-day period in July — helped ignite the Black Lives Matter movement.
Everywhere you looked, Americans were being forced to confront the realities of police brutality and racism, and debating the degrees to which both existed in today’s society. The sports world was no exception.
WNBA players were the first athletes to really make a statement. On July 9, just four days after Sterling was killed, the four captains for the Minnesota Lynx — Lindsay Whalen, Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson, and Maya Moore — held a rare pre-game press conference to discuss the deaths of Sterling, Castile, and the five Dallas police officers who were murdered by a rogue shooter at a Black Lives Matter rally that same week.
Then, on August 14, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers took athlete protests up a notch when he remained seated for the national anthem before a pre-season game, later telling reporters that he refused to stand for an anthem.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told reporters.
The way both leagues reacted to activism by its athletes — and to the election of Donald Trump a few month later — has come to define them. This week, the NFL unveiled a controversial new national anthem policy — without input from the players — which requires players to stand during the anthem if they choose to take the field during its performance, or else their team will be issued a fine. The league is trying to do all it can to prevent Trump from publicly attacking its policies on Twitter or at a rally; its making decisions out of fear, and out of a desire to suppress the voices of its athletes.
Meanwhile, the WNBA officially baked social activism into its brand when it unveiled the “Take a Seat, Take a Stand” campaign that donates a portion of every ticket sold to a group of charities that support women, the LGBTQ community, and efforts to end sexual assault.
“We’ve been talking about civic engagement since 2016,” WNBA President Lisa Borders told ThinkProgress in a phone interview earlier this week. “This is an effort to move to another iteration — to deliberately, officially put our stake in the ground and say, we are here.”
A few days after the new campaign was launched, Borders issued a strong statement supporting Planned Parenthood — one of the partners in “Take a Seat, Take a Stand” — after Trump and his administration began, once again, taking steps to defund the health care provider.
Because its reproductive health care offerings include providing women with access to safe abortions, Planned Parenthood has long been a politically polarizing organization. It’s certainly not a “safe” choice among organizations to support if you are a business that is attempting to appeal equally to all sides of the ideological spectrum — it’s not Breast Cancer Awareness, for instance, an initiative equally marketed by the NFL and WNBA. It was a bold move, in other words, for Borders to take such a public stand.
“Let me start by saying I hold a masers in health administration, and I previously worked in the heath care arena,” Borders told ThinkProgress. “And let’s just say I have the privilege and pleasure of running a women’s league. Any time I see anyone directly or indirectly attacking women or women’s rights, I feel an obligation to speak up. Planned Parenthood offers incredible health care to women and communities, particularly in rural settings. Planned Parenthood does great work for women who don’t have access to basic, preventative care.”
While stopping short of uttering the phrase “pro-choice,” that’s still a strong endorsement from Borders.
Now, none of this is to say that the WNBA is a perfect league that has always embraced progressive social causes. In fact, back in the summer of 2016, the league’s knee-jerk reaction was to discourage its players from taking a stand.
After the Lynx held their press conference about police brutality on July 9, teams across the league followed suit, wearing Black Lives Matter t-shirts during warm-ups and releasing statements on social media. Tensions within the league escalated quickly when the WNBA league offices sent a memo to players telling them they had to wear official gear during their warm-ups, and subsequently fined players for not doing so. But the players refused to step down. Teams began holding media blackouts. After games, players from the Seattle Storm, Liberty, and Washington Mystics, among others, wouldn’t discuss basketball; they’d only discuss police brutality. Eventually, the WNBA rescinded its fines. At the All-Star Game in 2017, Borders said she has “learned to listen better” after her missteps last year.
There’s still work to be done in that arena, too. Elizabeth Williams, a center for the Atlanta Dream, told ThinkProgress that there wasn’t a lot of communication between the league and the players before the “Take a Seat, Take a Stand” campaign was launched, and Borders said that no “Black Lives Matter” charities were considered as partners for the campaign — though she noted that each individual team is encouraged to pick local causes to support.
Still, the players see the campaign as a definite step in the right direction.
“I’m excited about it, it’s a good idea, it’s appropriate. We’ve made a name for ourselves as players who will take a stand, so it’s nice,” Williams said.
“Where sometimes leagues are afraid to take a stance, this league has been way ahead of the game in activism and equality, so we continue to take a leap,” said 2015 MVP Elena Delle Donne of the Washington Mystics.
The NBA has gotten a lot of credit for its social activism, and much of that is warranted — especially in a week like this one, where the Milwaukee Bucks issued such a strong statement condemning the abuse and intimidation its player Sterling Brown received at the hands of the Milwaukee Police Department.
But, thanks primarily to the relentless strength and vision of its players, the WNBA has been the league leading the way forward for everyone.
“Think about history in general,” Williams said. “It’s usually black women who are leading these marches and movements.”
Everywhere you looked, Americans were being forced to confront the realities of police brutality and racism, and debating the degrees to which both existed in today’s society. The sports world was no exception.
WNBA players were the first athletes to really make a statement. On July 9, just four days after Sterling was killed, the four captains for the Minnesota Lynx — Lindsay Whalen, Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson, and Maya Moore — held a rare pre-game press conference to discuss the deaths of Sterling, Castile, and the five Dallas police officers who were murdered by a rogue shooter at a Black Lives Matter rally that same week.
Then, on August 14, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers took athlete protests up a notch when he remained seated for the national anthem before a pre-season game, later telling reporters that he refused to stand for an anthem.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told reporters.
The way both leagues reacted to activism by its athletes — and to the election of Donald Trump a few month later — has come to define them. This week, the NFL unveiled a controversial new national anthem policy — without input from the players — which requires players to stand during the anthem if they choose to take the field during its performance, or else their team will be issued a fine. The league is trying to do all it can to prevent Trump from publicly attacking its policies on Twitter or at a rally; its making decisions out of fear, and out of a desire to suppress the voices of its athletes.
Meanwhile, the WNBA officially baked social activism into its brand when it unveiled the “Take a Seat, Take a Stand” campaign that donates a portion of every ticket sold to a group of charities that support women, the LGBTQ community, and efforts to end sexual assault.
“We’ve been talking about civic engagement since 2016,” WNBA President Lisa Borders told ThinkProgress in a phone interview earlier this week. “This is an effort to move to another iteration — to deliberately, officially put our stake in the ground and say, we are here.”
A few days after the new campaign was launched, Borders issued a strong statement supporting Planned Parenthood — one of the partners in “Take a Seat, Take a Stand” — after Trump and his administration began, once again, taking steps to defund the health care provider.
Because its reproductive health care offerings include providing women with access to safe abortions, Planned Parenthood has long been a politically polarizing organization. It’s certainly not a “safe” choice among organizations to support if you are a business that is attempting to appeal equally to all sides of the ideological spectrum — it’s not Breast Cancer Awareness, for instance, an initiative equally marketed by the NFL and WNBA. It was a bold move, in other words, for Borders to take such a public stand.
“Let me start by saying I hold a masers in health administration, and I previously worked in the heath care arena,” Borders told ThinkProgress. “And let’s just say I have the privilege and pleasure of running a women’s league. Any time I see anyone directly or indirectly attacking women or women’s rights, I feel an obligation to speak up. Planned Parenthood offers incredible health care to women and communities, particularly in rural settings. Planned Parenthood does great work for women who don’t have access to basic, preventative care.”
While stopping short of uttering the phrase “pro-choice,” that’s still a strong endorsement from Borders.
Now, none of this is to say that the WNBA is a perfect league that has always embraced progressive social causes. In fact, back in the summer of 2016, the league’s knee-jerk reaction was to discourage its players from taking a stand.
After the Lynx held their press conference about police brutality on July 9, teams across the league followed suit, wearing Black Lives Matter t-shirts during warm-ups and releasing statements on social media. Tensions within the league escalated quickly when the WNBA league offices sent a memo to players telling them they had to wear official gear during their warm-ups, and subsequently fined players for not doing so. But the players refused to step down. Teams began holding media blackouts. After games, players from the Seattle Storm, Liberty, and Washington Mystics, among others, wouldn’t discuss basketball; they’d only discuss police brutality. Eventually, the WNBA rescinded its fines. At the All-Star Game in 2017, Borders said she has “learned to listen better” after her missteps last year.
There’s still work to be done in that arena, too. Elizabeth Williams, a center for the Atlanta Dream, told ThinkProgress that there wasn’t a lot of communication between the league and the players before the “Take a Seat, Take a Stand” campaign was launched, and Borders said that no “Black Lives Matter” charities were considered as partners for the campaign — though she noted that each individual team is encouraged to pick local causes to support.
Still, the players see the campaign as a definite step in the right direction.
“I’m excited about it, it’s a good idea, it’s appropriate. We’ve made a name for ourselves as players who will take a stand, so it’s nice,” Williams said.
“Where sometimes leagues are afraid to take a stance, this league has been way ahead of the game in activism and equality, so we continue to take a leap,” said 2015 MVP Elena Delle Donne of the Washington Mystics.
The NBA has gotten a lot of credit for its social activism, and much of that is warranted — especially in a week like this one, where the Milwaukee Bucks issued such a strong statement condemning the abuse and intimidation its player Sterling Brown received at the hands of the Milwaukee Police Department.
But, thanks primarily to the relentless strength and vision of its players, the WNBA has been the league leading the way forward for everyone.
“Think about history in general,” Williams said. “It’s usually black women who are leading these marches and movements.”
4 Students Charged After Swastikas, Racial Graffiti Found At Maryland High School
appalachiablue - demo underground
5/25/18
Source: Sun
BALTIMORE -- Four Glenelg High School students have been charged with hate crimes after swastikas and racial epithets, including one that police said targeted the central Howard County school's African-American principal, were found painted on campus sidewalks, outside walls and parking lot at dawn.
Howard County Police said they used video from surveillance cameras to help identify the 18-year-olds, who are facing multiple counts of destruction of property based on bias. Three of the students, Seth Taylor, of Ellicott City, Tyler Curtiss, of Brookeville and Joshua Shaffer, of Mount Airy, were taken into custody at the school, police said. Matthew Lipp, of Woodbine, was picked up by police at his home.
All four were being booked at the county detention center on the misdemeanor charges at mid-afternoon, police said. Information about their attorneys was not available. The arrests were announced less than three hours after county, school and community leaders held a news conference to denounce the incident, which police have labeled a hate crime.
"Today's incident is extremely harsh in terms of what I've witness based on the pictures that I have seen. We will not tolerate this in Howard County," school Superintendent Michael J. Martirano said at the news conference in Ellicott City, surrounded by more than a dozen school, county and community leaders. "We work hard every day to make sure our children are safe and protected," Martirano said. "No child, no staff member, within our inclusive community should ever feel any form of threat or harassment or any form of hate."
Much of the graffiti, which Martirano said was found by building service staff early Thursday morning, was directed at Glenelg Principal David Burton, who is African-American. Martirano said he communicated with Burton earlier Thursday via email and planned to go to Glenelg on Thursday afternoon to meet with staff. Burton was asked to be at the news conference, Martirano said, but chose to stay with students.
The principal held an assembly with students Thursday morning about the incident. Burton, who is in his second year as principal of the 1,173-student school, received a standing ovation, Martirano said. Officials haven't estimated the cost to clean up and repair the damage. The markings were removed in the morning by maintenance workers, a school spokesman said. Martirano sent a note to all school system staff Thursday morning alerting them of the incident, and said he wants to see the incident used as a "teachable moment" with students.
The incident is the first hate crime in a Howard County school this year, authorities said. Susan Grossman, a rabbi at Beth Shalom Congregation in Columbia who stood with Martirano at the news conference, said it's the latest example of growing local anti-Semitism. Grossman said she's heard of an increased amount of anti-Semitic-based bullying among students in the county and called for a mandatory anti-bias curriculum, including lessons about the Holocaust. Martirano emphasized the need for parents to monitor their children's social media use and be active in discussing diversity issues.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/4-students-charged-after-swastikas-racial-graffiti-found-at-maryland-high-school/ar-AAxLhLh
BALTIMORE -- Four Glenelg High School students have been charged with hate crimes after swastikas and racial epithets, including one that police said targeted the central Howard County school's African-American principal, were found painted on campus sidewalks, outside walls and parking lot at dawn.
Howard County Police said they used video from surveillance cameras to help identify the 18-year-olds, who are facing multiple counts of destruction of property based on bias. Three of the students, Seth Taylor, of Ellicott City, Tyler Curtiss, of Brookeville and Joshua Shaffer, of Mount Airy, were taken into custody at the school, police said. Matthew Lipp, of Woodbine, was picked up by police at his home.
All four were being booked at the county detention center on the misdemeanor charges at mid-afternoon, police said. Information about their attorneys was not available. The arrests were announced less than three hours after county, school and community leaders held a news conference to denounce the incident, which police have labeled a hate crime.
"Today's incident is extremely harsh in terms of what I've witness based on the pictures that I have seen. We will not tolerate this in Howard County," school Superintendent Michael J. Martirano said at the news conference in Ellicott City, surrounded by more than a dozen school, county and community leaders. "We work hard every day to make sure our children are safe and protected," Martirano said. "No child, no staff member, within our inclusive community should ever feel any form of threat or harassment or any form of hate."
Much of the graffiti, which Martirano said was found by building service staff early Thursday morning, was directed at Glenelg Principal David Burton, who is African-American. Martirano said he communicated with Burton earlier Thursday via email and planned to go to Glenelg on Thursday afternoon to meet with staff. Burton was asked to be at the news conference, Martirano said, but chose to stay with students.
The principal held an assembly with students Thursday morning about the incident. Burton, who is in his second year as principal of the 1,173-student school, received a standing ovation, Martirano said. Officials haven't estimated the cost to clean up and repair the damage. The markings were removed in the morning by maintenance workers, a school spokesman said. Martirano sent a note to all school system staff Thursday morning alerting them of the incident, and said he wants to see the incident used as a "teachable moment" with students.
The incident is the first hate crime in a Howard County school this year, authorities said. Susan Grossman, a rabbi at Beth Shalom Congregation in Columbia who stood with Martirano at the news conference, said it's the latest example of growing local anti-Semitism. Grossman said she's heard of an increased amount of anti-Semitic-based bullying among students in the county and called for a mandatory anti-bias curriculum, including lessons about the Holocaust. Martirano emphasized the need for parents to monitor their children's social media use and be active in discussing diversity issues.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/4-students-charged-after-swastikas-racial-graffiti-found-at-maryland-high-school/ar-AAxLhLh
Feds Hid Edits in Right-Wing Video Used to Prosecute Anti-Trump Protesters
James O’Keefe’s outfit filmed activists talking before the inauguration, and prosecutors used it as evidence to say they conspired to riot. Turns out crucial moments were cut out.
KELLY WEILL - daily beast
05.25.18 4:48 AM ET
Federal prosecutors hid evidence from anti-Trump activists set to go on trial, two judges ruled this week.
For months, prosecutors have claimed a video by the conservative group Project Veritas proved that anti-Trump activists conspired to riot outside his inauguration. Court rules required the prosecution to disclose all edits made to the Project Veritas video, which purports to show some anti-Trump activists discussing the protest in advance. Instead, prosecutors passed off an edited video as undoctored, a judge ruled Wednesday and a second judge confirmed Thursday.
The ruling could have major implications for the case — if the video hasn’t already tainted proceedings.
Following mass arrests outside President Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2017, D.C. prosecutors charged approximately 200 people with conspiracy to riot and damage property. The mass indictment relied on evidence as flimsy as people wearing black clothing or chanting anti-capitalist slogans. If convicted on all counts, defendants face decades in prison.
So far, the case hasn’t held up in court. The first six defendants were tried in December and cleared of all charges. Shortly thereafter, prosecutors dropped the charges against 129 more defendants. But dozens remain charged. The Project Veritas video, which purportedly showed activists discussing plans to disrupt pro-Trump inauguration celebrations days before the protest, was expected to be evidence in a number of those trials. The defendants, including one who says he wasn’t even at the protest, pushed back, citing the reputations of Project Veritas and its founder James O’Keefe, who have been accused of deceptive editing videos, among other dubious tactics.
This week, the defense pointed out a bigger problem with the Project Veritas video.
A legal provision called the Brady rule requires prosecutors to disclose any evidence in their possession that might help the defense’s case.
Prosecutors “released these videos to the defense, and told the defense and the judge [the videos] only had very specific edits to remove an undercover police officer and the person who recorded the undercover video, who was with Project Veritas,” Elizabeth Lagesse, a defendant told The Daily Beast. Her case is scheduled for later this year. “But it turns out, they had neglected to disclose more than that.”
At least one potentially exculpatory section had been completely edited from the video. In the removed clip, a Project Veritas agent undercut part of the prosecution’s argument.
“I was talking with one of the organizers from the IWW [Industrial Workers of the World] and I don’t think they know anything about any of the upper echelon stuff,” the Project Veritas employee said in the removed clip.
The line is critical because prosecutors have eyed the IWW, a leftist union, as an instigator for the protest, Shadowproof previously reported. A number of the remaining defendants are IWW members, and IWW records were seized from defendants’ cell phones and entered as evidence in the case.
In a late Tuesday filing first reported by The Intercept, defense attorneys spotted the edited footage and called foul.
“The government has abused its power by hiding discovery from all defendants,” attorneys for the defendants wrote in a motion, “purposefully choosing not to disclose Brady information, and calling into question the integrity of all of its third-party video evidence and proffers in open court.”
That filing went to Robert Morin, Chief Judge of the D.C. Superior Court. (Morin oversees motions in the case, but is not directly presiding.) Morin ruled that prosecutors had violated the Brady rule by repeatedly hiding the video’s edits from defendants. The ruling opens the prosecution up to sanctions, Morin said. Although the exact form of the potential sanctions remains unclear, Morin chewed out a U.S. Assistant Attorney who tried to argue that the prosecution had done nothing wrong.
“Do you want me to rule on the sanction right now?” Morin asked the assistant attorney, according to Unicorn Riot.
Morin also raised the possibility of subpoenaing Project Veritas on the matter. The conservative group said they’d show up in court, if ordered.
“What happened between the judge and the prosecution is obviously beyond our purview,” Stephen Gordon, a Project Veritas spokesperson told The Daily Beast, “however we voluntarily cooperated with D.C. and federal law enforcement officials by supplying them with our video and will cooperate with any lawful order we receive from the court.”
On Thursday, the defense asked presiding Judge Kimberly Knowles to make a Project Veritas member available for a deposition. But the defense still worries the video might have already done its damage.
The clip is “problematic for the trial currently going on, because they played this Project Veritas video yesterday in that trial group,” Lagesse said on Wednesday. “So now what do they do? Do they try to cure that by telling the jury to ignore something they spent half a day watching and hearing about from a witness?”
Defense attorneys have suggested they might move for a mistrial based on the Brady ruling. Knowles reaffirmed Morin’s ruling on Thursday, although she declined to dismiss the case.
“It gives me a lot of hope for the case as a whole,” Lagesse said. “It’s the beginning of the process of exposing all this misbehavior that’s been going on under the surface.
“I think it’s going to be a lot easier for the defense to poke holes in things when people can see through and see that the prosecution is not acting as well as they might.”
For months, prosecutors have claimed a video by the conservative group Project Veritas proved that anti-Trump activists conspired to riot outside his inauguration. Court rules required the prosecution to disclose all edits made to the Project Veritas video, which purports to show some anti-Trump activists discussing the protest in advance. Instead, prosecutors passed off an edited video as undoctored, a judge ruled Wednesday and a second judge confirmed Thursday.
The ruling could have major implications for the case — if the video hasn’t already tainted proceedings.
Following mass arrests outside President Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2017, D.C. prosecutors charged approximately 200 people with conspiracy to riot and damage property. The mass indictment relied on evidence as flimsy as people wearing black clothing or chanting anti-capitalist slogans. If convicted on all counts, defendants face decades in prison.
So far, the case hasn’t held up in court. The first six defendants were tried in December and cleared of all charges. Shortly thereafter, prosecutors dropped the charges against 129 more defendants. But dozens remain charged. The Project Veritas video, which purportedly showed activists discussing plans to disrupt pro-Trump inauguration celebrations days before the protest, was expected to be evidence in a number of those trials. The defendants, including one who says he wasn’t even at the protest, pushed back, citing the reputations of Project Veritas and its founder James O’Keefe, who have been accused of deceptive editing videos, among other dubious tactics.
This week, the defense pointed out a bigger problem with the Project Veritas video.
A legal provision called the Brady rule requires prosecutors to disclose any evidence in their possession that might help the defense’s case.
Prosecutors “released these videos to the defense, and told the defense and the judge [the videos] only had very specific edits to remove an undercover police officer and the person who recorded the undercover video, who was with Project Veritas,” Elizabeth Lagesse, a defendant told The Daily Beast. Her case is scheduled for later this year. “But it turns out, they had neglected to disclose more than that.”
At least one potentially exculpatory section had been completely edited from the video. In the removed clip, a Project Veritas agent undercut part of the prosecution’s argument.
“I was talking with one of the organizers from the IWW [Industrial Workers of the World] and I don’t think they know anything about any of the upper echelon stuff,” the Project Veritas employee said in the removed clip.
The line is critical because prosecutors have eyed the IWW, a leftist union, as an instigator for the protest, Shadowproof previously reported. A number of the remaining defendants are IWW members, and IWW records were seized from defendants’ cell phones and entered as evidence in the case.
In a late Tuesday filing first reported by The Intercept, defense attorneys spotted the edited footage and called foul.
“The government has abused its power by hiding discovery from all defendants,” attorneys for the defendants wrote in a motion, “purposefully choosing not to disclose Brady information, and calling into question the integrity of all of its third-party video evidence and proffers in open court.”
That filing went to Robert Morin, Chief Judge of the D.C. Superior Court. (Morin oversees motions in the case, but is not directly presiding.) Morin ruled that prosecutors had violated the Brady rule by repeatedly hiding the video’s edits from defendants. The ruling opens the prosecution up to sanctions, Morin said. Although the exact form of the potential sanctions remains unclear, Morin chewed out a U.S. Assistant Attorney who tried to argue that the prosecution had done nothing wrong.
“Do you want me to rule on the sanction right now?” Morin asked the assistant attorney, according to Unicorn Riot.
Morin also raised the possibility of subpoenaing Project Veritas on the matter. The conservative group said they’d show up in court, if ordered.
“What happened between the judge and the prosecution is obviously beyond our purview,” Stephen Gordon, a Project Veritas spokesperson told The Daily Beast, “however we voluntarily cooperated with D.C. and federal law enforcement officials by supplying them with our video and will cooperate with any lawful order we receive from the court.”
On Thursday, the defense asked presiding Judge Kimberly Knowles to make a Project Veritas member available for a deposition. But the defense still worries the video might have already done its damage.
The clip is “problematic for the trial currently going on, because they played this Project Veritas video yesterday in that trial group,” Lagesse said on Wednesday. “So now what do they do? Do they try to cure that by telling the jury to ignore something they spent half a day watching and hearing about from a witness?”
Defense attorneys have suggested they might move for a mistrial based on the Brady ruling. Knowles reaffirmed Morin’s ruling on Thursday, although she declined to dismiss the case.
“It gives me a lot of hope for the case as a whole,” Lagesse said. “It’s the beginning of the process of exposing all this misbehavior that’s been going on under the surface.
“I think it’s going to be a lot easier for the defense to poke holes in things when people can see through and see that the prosecution is not acting as well as they might.”
*bites from real news - 5/25/2018*
*Russian GRU officer tied to 2014 downing of passenger plane in Ukraine
WASHINGTON
A mysterious man wanted in connection with the deadly downing of Malaysia Air Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 appears to be a high-level Russian military intelligence officer, an investigation by a team of reporting outlets has found.
(mcclatchy)
*Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE): Democratic Senator Says Trump Jr. Needs to Testify in Public Hearing After Previously Providing 'False Testimony'
*THE HEALTH INSURANCE HUSTLE: Why Your Health Insurer Doesn’t Care About Your Big Bills
Patients may think their insurers are fighting on their behalf for the best prices. But saving patients money is often not their top priority. Just ask Michael Frank.
*At Trump Tower, Michael Cohen and Oligarch Discussed Russian Relations
Eleven days before the presidential inauguration last year, a billionaire Russian businessman with ties to the Kremlin visited Trump Tower in Manhattan to meet with Donald J. Trump ... (The New York Times)
*‘A physical coward, a liar and no leader’: Two Navy vets nuke Trump ahead of his big Naval Academy speech
Pr*sident Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver a graduation commencement speech at the United States Naval Academy on Friday — but two Navy vets think that the graduates in attendance would be better off ignoring everything he says.
*Economic Update: An Unsustainable System
By Richard D. Wolff, Truthout | Audio Segment
*So, Donnie hired SPIES (Black Cube) to dig up dirt on Obama staffers in the Iran Deal
*Trump’s Racist Attacks Have a Deeper Meaning: The Ultimate Goal is Not NFL Players But Crushing All Dissent
Donald Trump threat to deport NFL players who defy him is just the beginning
By Chauncey DeVega / (alternet)
*‘It’s worse than murder’: How rural America became a hospital desert
Since 2010, 53 rural hospitals have closed – many in counties with poverty rates lower than average – leaving residents stranded in times of need
*Monuments: Inside the administration's quiet effort to recognize black history
*another racist picked: Trump administration nominates immigration hard-liner for migration post at State Department
Washington (CNN) - The Trump administration has tapped immigration hard-liner Ronald Mortensen to be the assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration ... (CNN)
*Fake black woman Rachel Dolezal now accused of welfare fraud — and the internet is roasting her hardcore
Rachel Dolezal, a former Washington State University instructor who was revealed to be biologically white after taking over the local branch of the NAACP, is facing welfare fraud charges.
*White Minnesota student accused of brutal beating that left black teacher on life support released without bail
A white student who stands accused of brutally beating a black teacher’s assistant was released without bail on Wednesday. Corey David Burfield, 18, of St. Paul, is charged with one count of first-degree assault and one count of third-degree assault.
*Assange will soon be booted from Ecuadorian embassy in London: report
*Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher says it's OK to not sell homes to gays;loses support of Real
U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher told a group of Realtors last week that homeowners should be able to refuse to sell their property to gays and lesbians, a statement that cost him the support of a key national Realtor group. “Every homeowner should be abl ... (Orange Coungy Register
trump working for his $500 million bride!!!
U.S. reaches deal to keep Chinese telecom ZTE in business: congressional aide
David Shepardson- reuters
MAY 25, 2018 / 9:50 AM
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration told lawmakers the U.S. government has reached a deal to put Chinese telecommunications company ZTE Corp back in business, a senior congressional aide said on Friday.
The deal, communicated to officials on Capitol Hill by the Commerce Department, requires ZTE to pay a substantial fine, place U.S. compliance officers at the company and change its management team, the aide said. The Commerce Department would then lift an order preventing ZTE from buying U.S. products.
ZTE was banned in April from buying U.S. technology components for seven years for breaking an agreement reached after it violated U.S. sanctions against Iran and North Korea. The Commerce Department decision would allow it to resume business with U.S. companies, including chipmaker Qualcomm Inc.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday floated a plan to fine ZTE up to $1.3 billion and shake up its management as his administration considered rolling back more severe penalties that have crippled the company.
The White House did not immediately confirm reports of the latest deal.
Trump’s proposal earlier in the week ran into resistance in U.S. Congress, where Democrats and Trump’s fellow Republicans accused the president of bending to pressure from Beijing to ease up on a company that has admitted to violating sanctions on Iran.
After the latest report, Republican Senator Marco Rubio tweeted, “Yes they have a deal in mind. It is a great deal... for #ZTE & China. #China crushes U.S. companies with no mercy & they use these telecom companies to spy & steal from us.”
Rubio, as well as Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer and Chris Van Hollen, said Congress should act to stop Trump from letting ZTE get back into business.
Chinese officials sought a pullback on ZTE as part of any broader deal to prevent a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is scheduled to visit China next week for another round of talks.
ZTE needs U.S. components for its mobile phones and network equipment. U.S. companies provide an estimated 25 percent to 30 percent of components in ZTE’s equipment.
ZTE, which is publicly traded but whose largest shareholder is a Chinese state-owned enterprise, agreed last year to pay a nearly $900 million penalty and open its books to a U.S. monitor for breaking a 2017 agreement after it was caught illegally shipping U.S. goods to Iran and North Korea, in an investigation dating to the Obama administration.
As part of that agreement ZTE dismissed four senior employees.
Shares of ZTE’s U.S. suppliers traded higher. Optical networking equipment maker Acacia Communications Inc, which got 30 percent of 2017 revenue from ZTE, rose 4.6 percent. Optical component company Oclaro Inc, which received 18 percent of its fiscal 2017 revenue from ZTE, rose 2.8 percent.
RELATED: China Contributing $500 Million to Trump-Linked Project in Indonesia
The Chinese government is extending a $500 million loan ... park that will feature …
The deal, communicated to officials on Capitol Hill by the Commerce Department, requires ZTE to pay a substantial fine, place U.S. compliance officers at the company and change its management team, the aide said. The Commerce Department would then lift an order preventing ZTE from buying U.S. products.
ZTE was banned in April from buying U.S. technology components for seven years for breaking an agreement reached after it violated U.S. sanctions against Iran and North Korea. The Commerce Department decision would allow it to resume business with U.S. companies, including chipmaker Qualcomm Inc.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday floated a plan to fine ZTE up to $1.3 billion and shake up its management as his administration considered rolling back more severe penalties that have crippled the company.
The White House did not immediately confirm reports of the latest deal.
Trump’s proposal earlier in the week ran into resistance in U.S. Congress, where Democrats and Trump’s fellow Republicans accused the president of bending to pressure from Beijing to ease up on a company that has admitted to violating sanctions on Iran.
After the latest report, Republican Senator Marco Rubio tweeted, “Yes they have a deal in mind. It is a great deal... for #ZTE & China. #China crushes U.S. companies with no mercy & they use these telecom companies to spy & steal from us.”
Rubio, as well as Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer and Chris Van Hollen, said Congress should act to stop Trump from letting ZTE get back into business.
Chinese officials sought a pullback on ZTE as part of any broader deal to prevent a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is scheduled to visit China next week for another round of talks.
ZTE needs U.S. components for its mobile phones and network equipment. U.S. companies provide an estimated 25 percent to 30 percent of components in ZTE’s equipment.
ZTE, which is publicly traded but whose largest shareholder is a Chinese state-owned enterprise, agreed last year to pay a nearly $900 million penalty and open its books to a U.S. monitor for breaking a 2017 agreement after it was caught illegally shipping U.S. goods to Iran and North Korea, in an investigation dating to the Obama administration.
As part of that agreement ZTE dismissed four senior employees.
Shares of ZTE’s U.S. suppliers traded higher. Optical networking equipment maker Acacia Communications Inc, which got 30 percent of 2017 revenue from ZTE, rose 4.6 percent. Optical component company Oclaro Inc, which received 18 percent of its fiscal 2017 revenue from ZTE, rose 2.8 percent.
RELATED: China Contributing $500 Million to Trump-Linked Project in Indonesia
The Chinese government is extending a $500 million loan ... park that will feature …
movie going while black!!!
Black teen says movie theater had him arrested because he was wearing ‘sagging’ pants
Brad Reed - raw story
25 MAY 2018 AT 15:08 ET
A black teenager from Wichita, Kansas, says that he was arrested this week solely because of his “sagging” pants.
14-year-old Alonzo Taylor Jr. tells local news station KAKE that he was going to see a movie at a local theater with friends when he was approached by the theater’s manager, who confronted him about having “sagging” pants.
Taylor tells the station that his pants weren’t particularly low, although he says he forgot to put on a belt before leaving the house to go to the theater.
Taylor also says that the pants sagging situation was exacerbated by the fact that he was carrying snacks he had just bought at the concession stand, which made it harder for him to pull his pants up.
“A couple of seconds after leaving the concessions counter, the manager walked up and said to pull up your pants or you’ll be escorted,” Taylor recalls to KAKE.
Taylor says that he obeyed the manager’s instructions, but was nonetheless arrested for allegedly trespassing in the theater.
Taylor’s mother, Ruth Dennis, tells KAKE that she fears her son’s future will be damaged by having an arrest record over something as trivial as having sagging pants.
“I just don’t want my son’s record to be messed up over sagging and to be labeled as a trespasser,” she says.
Police say that they are reviewing security camera footage of the incident and have not yet decided whether Taylor will face any charges. The movie theater where the incident took place did not respond to KAKE’s requests for comment.
14-year-old Alonzo Taylor Jr. tells local news station KAKE that he was going to see a movie at a local theater with friends when he was approached by the theater’s manager, who confronted him about having “sagging” pants.
Taylor tells the station that his pants weren’t particularly low, although he says he forgot to put on a belt before leaving the house to go to the theater.
Taylor also says that the pants sagging situation was exacerbated by the fact that he was carrying snacks he had just bought at the concession stand, which made it harder for him to pull his pants up.
“A couple of seconds after leaving the concessions counter, the manager walked up and said to pull up your pants or you’ll be escorted,” Taylor recalls to KAKE.
Taylor says that he obeyed the manager’s instructions, but was nonetheless arrested for allegedly trespassing in the theater.
Taylor’s mother, Ruth Dennis, tells KAKE that she fears her son’s future will be damaged by having an arrest record over something as trivial as having sagging pants.
“I just don’t want my son’s record to be messed up over sagging and to be labeled as a trespasser,” she says.
Police say that they are reviewing security camera footage of the incident and have not yet decided whether Taylor will face any charges. The movie theater where the incident took place did not respond to KAKE’s requests for comment.
*What's Inside*
may 22 - may 24
~CYCLISTS OF THE CHEROKEE NATION RIDE THE TRAIL OF TEARS
(FIRST AMERICANS)
*PEREZ INFURIATES LIBERALS WITH CUOMO ENDORSEMENT
(DEMO POLITICS)
*STEVE KERR LIGHTS UP THE NFL FOR ‘IDIOTIC’ ANTHEM RULE
(REAL PEOPLE)
*WHITE SUPREMACISTS BEHIND VIOLENT CHARLOTTESVILLE RALLY FACE LAWSUIT WITH MAJOR IMPLICATIONS(WHITE SUPREMACY)
*PENNSYLVANIA REGULATORS SUSPEND SERVICE AGAIN ON TROUBLED PIPELINE OVER SAFETY ISSUES(OIL)
*U.S. EFFORT TO STABILIZE AFGHANISTAN A $5 BILLION FAILURE, SAYS WATCHDOG
(REALITY)
*OBESITY LINKED TO 12 TYPES OF CANCER IN NEW REPORT
(CURRENTS)
*OHIO IS HOARDING MONEY MEANT FOR POOR FAMILIES
(AMERICA)
*TRUMP VERSUS RWANDA IN TRADE BATTLE OVER USED CLOTHES
(WORLD)
*KNIFE-WIELDING RACIST CHASED MUSLIM MEN OUT OF MCDONALD’S WHILE YELLING ‘GET OUT OF MY COUNTRY’: POLICE(AMERIKKKANS)
*BEYOND TRUMP: HERE'S WHY WE NEED A FEDERAL JOBS GUARANTEE BY ROBERT REICH
(TALKERS)
*AFTER MY EXPERIENCE WITH MILWAUKEE POLICE, I HAVE TO TELL MY STORY
(REAL PEOPLE)
*ZUCKERBERG SET UP FRAUDULENT SCHEME TO 'WEAPONISE' DATA, COURT CASE ALLEGES
(CORPORATE CRIMINALS)
*TRUMP’S VA STRIPS PROTECTION FROM WORKERS’ CONTRACT
(PAYBACK)
~WHAT DID THAT DUMB ORANGE MOTHERFUCKER SAY NOW? (ANTI-CHOICE AND ANTI-WOMAN EDITION) BY THE RUDE PUNDIT(COMMENTARY)
*TRUMP’S OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS DRILLING PLAN THREATENS SCORES OF COASTAL NATIONAL PARKS(ENVIRONMENT)
*FEDERAL JUDGE HANDS TRANSGENDER INMATES AN IMPORTANT LEGAL VICTORY
(RIGHTS)
*PROSECUTORS HID EVIDENCE THAT FAVORS ANTI-TRUMP PROTESTERS, JUDGE RULES
(GESTAPO USA)
*JEFF FLAKE: "WE MAY HAVE HIT BOTTOM"
(TRUMP)
*DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN CONFRONTS POMPEO OVER HIS HYPOCRITICAL CRITICISM OF HILLARY CLINTON(DEMO POLITICS)
*EX-TRUMP STAFFER APOLOGIZES TO AMERICA AFTER HE ALLOWS KILLING OF HIBERNATING BEARS AND THEIR CUBS(SUCKERS)
*SCIENTISTS PLAN DNA HUNT FOR LOCH NESS MONSTER NEXT MONTH
(WEIRD THINGS)
*IN 14 STATES AND DC, THE AFRICAN AMERICAN UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS AT LEAST TWICE THE WHITE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE(REALITY)
*THE RETIRED GENERAL WHO STOPPED A WALL STREET COUP
(TRUE HISTORY)
*BIG PAY GAPS ARE BAD FOR BUSINESS
(CAPITALISM)
*AN IGNORANT MAN... WHO IS A TAX CHEAT CONTINUES TO DAMAGE AMERICA
(TALKERS)
*EDUCATION SEC. DEVOS UNFAZED BY CONFLICT OF INTEREST CHARGES
(EDUCATION)
*WOMEN OF COLOR DEMAND FEDERAL INVESTIGATION OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT MCDONALD'S
( RIGHTS)
*HERE ARE FOUR WAYS FENTANYL COULD RADICALLY DISRUPT THE GLOBAL DRUG TRADE
(WORLD)
*FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: KIM JONG-UN ‘HAS TO MURDER HIS PEOPLE' — BUT HE 'PROBABLY DOESN'T LOVE' IT(WORTHLESS MEDIA)
*FROM SOUTH CENTRAL LA TO SOTHEBY’S: THE RECORD-BREAKING RISE OF KERRY JAMES MARSHALL(REAL PEOPLE)
*STACEY ABRAMS BECOMES FIRST BLACK FEMALE NOMINEE FOR GOVERNOR
(ELECTIONS)
~TRUMP GETS THE GO-AHEAD TO STRIP MONEY FROM CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM
(PAYBACK)
*MICHIGAN EXTENDS NONDISCRIMINATION PROTECTIONS TO LGBTQ COMMUNITY
(RIGHTS)
*CHICAGO GOVERNMENT SILENCES OBJECTIONS TO $95 MILLION POLICE ACADEMY PLAN
(AMERICA)
*MORE THAN 100 MILLION AMERICANS’ DRINKING WATER COULD BE CONTAMINATED BY HARMFUL CHEMICALS(ENVIRONMENT)
*WIDELY USED PVC PLASTIC CHEMICAL SPURS OBESITY, PREDIABETES: STUDY
(ENVIRONMENT)
*TRUMP REPORTEDLY REJECTS PHONE SECURITY MEASURES AS ‘TOO INCONVENIENT’
(TRUMP)
*HOW BUYING BABY POWDER HELPS FUND THE TALIBAN AND ISLAMIC STATE IN AFGHANISTAN
(WORLD)
*THE VIEW FROM TRUMP'S BRAIN
(WORTHLESS MEDIA)
*DEMOCRATS' ANTI-CORRUPTION PROPOSALS APPLAUDED AS ACTUAL PLAN TO DRAIN THE SWAMP
(DEMO POLITICS)
*CHEATING WORKERS OUT OF WAGES IS EASIER THAN EVER
(SLAVERY 21ST CENTURY)
*BETSY DEVOS TO INVESTIGATE YALE UNIVERSITY FOR DISCRIMINATION — AGAINST MEN
(EDUCATION)
*HERE'S HOW 'CONMAN' TRUMP DUPES HIS WHITE WORKING CLASS SUPPORTERS
(TALKERS)
*MASS SCHOOL SHOOTINGS MOSTLY HAPPENING IN SMALL-TOWN AND SUBURBAN AMERICA
(REALITY)
*HARLEY-DAVIDSON TOOK ITS TAX CUT, CLOSED A FACTORY, AND REWARDED SHAREHOLDERS
(CAPITALISM)
*TERRY CREWS: MARVEL, TOXIC MASCULINITY AND LIFE AFTER #METOO
(REAL PEOPLE)
*OF COURSE US BIRTH RATES ARE FALLING – THIS IS A HARSH PLACE TO HAVE A FAMILY
(AMERICA)
*INTERIOR DEPARTMENT MOVES TO REVERSE OBAMA-ERA RULES ON HUNTING BEARS, WOLVES IN ALASKA(ENVIRONMENT)
*RUDY GIULIANI WON DEAL FOR OXYCONTIN MAKER TO CONTINUE SALES OF DRUG BEHIND OPIOID DEATHS(CORPORATE CRIMINALS)
*PIZZA DELIVERYMAN'S KILLING: MAN ORDERED FREE DECADES LATER
(GESTAPO USA)
*late news of interest*
Wisconsin frack sand sludge spill reaches Mississippi River
Youssef Rddad, Associated Press Updated
3:25 pm, Thursday, May 24, 2018
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Officials in Wisconsin are testing the environmental and health impacts following a frack sand sludge spill that has now reached the Mississippi River.
A contactor's bulldozer slid into a pond earlier this week, leading to an hours-long rescue at the Hi-Crush mine in the western Wisconsin town of Whitehall. Rescuers emptied the pond to free the man, requiring them to release 10 million gallons (37.8 million liters) of water and mud into the Trempealeau River tributary.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is studying the sludge, but test results likely won't be back for a week. DNR spokesman Jim Dick said Thursday that Hi-Crush is cleaning up the area.
Meanwhile, the plume has reached the Mississippi River and Minnesota's pollution agency is monitoring it.
A contactor's bulldozer slid into a pond earlier this week, leading to an hours-long rescue at the Hi-Crush mine in the western Wisconsin town of Whitehall. Rescuers emptied the pond to free the man, requiring them to release 10 million gallons (37.8 million liters) of water and mud into the Trempealeau River tributary.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is studying the sludge, but test results likely won't be back for a week. DNR spokesman Jim Dick said Thursday that Hi-Crush is cleaning up the area.
Meanwhile, the plume has reached the Mississippi River and Minnesota's pollution agency is monitoring it.
Amazon Alexa Device Recorded a Family's Private Conversation and Sent It to Someone on Their Contact List
The incident raises deep concerns about privacy and smart home recording devices.
AlterNet
May 24, 2018, 7:39 AM GMT
A family in Portland, Oregon reports that an Amazon Alexa device recorded a private conversation and randomly sent it to a contact in Seattle.
Danielle, who declined to provide her last name, told KIRO-TV that the contact called her family to tell them that their privacy was being compromised.
"'Unplug your Alexa devices right now,'" the unnamed individual reportedly said. "'You're being hacked.'"
"We unplugged all of them and he proceeded to tell us that he had received audio files of recordings from inside our house," Danielle said. "At first, my husband was, like, 'No, you didn't!' And the (recipient of the message) said, 'You sat there talking about hardwood floors.' And we said, 'Oh gosh, you really did hear us.'"
She has since contacted Amazon to launch an investigation.
“Amazon takes privacy very seriously," the company wrote in a press statement. "We investigated what happened and determined this was an extremely rare occurrence. We are taking steps to avoid this from happening in the future."
Danielle says Amazon has refused to provide a refund and still hasn't explained how the incident actually occurred.
Danielle, who declined to provide her last name, told KIRO-TV that the contact called her family to tell them that their privacy was being compromised.
"'Unplug your Alexa devices right now,'" the unnamed individual reportedly said. "'You're being hacked.'"
"We unplugged all of them and he proceeded to tell us that he had received audio files of recordings from inside our house," Danielle said. "At first, my husband was, like, 'No, you didn't!' And the (recipient of the message) said, 'You sat there talking about hardwood floors.' And we said, 'Oh gosh, you really did hear us.'"
She has since contacted Amazon to launch an investigation.
“Amazon takes privacy very seriously," the company wrote in a press statement. "We investigated what happened and determined this was an extremely rare occurrence. We are taking steps to avoid this from happening in the future."
Danielle says Amazon has refused to provide a refund and still hasn't explained how the incident actually occurred.
Winery partly owned by Republican Devin Nunes held charity yacht party with
prostitutes and cocaine: lawsuit
Sarah K. Burris - raw story
23 MAY 2018 AT 19:26 ET
A winery partly owned by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) is now in some legal trouble after a charity event allegedly involving cocaine and sex workers, according to the Sacramento Bee.
The lawsuit is from an employee of Alpha Omega Winery, who was asked to work a 2015 charity cruise on the San Francisco Bay. What may have begun as a charity event was filled with men who “appeared to be cocaine and ‘drawing straws’ for which sex worker to hire” the lawsuit says. The cruise was part of a night that was auctioned off at a fundraiser. The winning bidders were allegedly “important investors in Alpha,” the lawsuit revealed.
The staffer, Alene Anase, described the sounds of “sexual activity” happening in bedrooms and saw one man “fondling and suckling” sex workers’ breasts. She noted that the sex workers also seemed to be “too young to consent” to the activity.
She alleged that several John Does that are listed in the lawsuit also tried to tell her to “provide services of a sexual nature.” Under normal circumstances, she could simply have walked out or walked away. In this case, however, she was on the water and unable to get to shore.
She then phoned the winery asking for help. A higher-ranking staffer told her to “lie low” to avoid harassment.
When the charity cruse ended the men then had the sex workers line up “on the deck of the yacht, reviewed out loud and in detail the sexual services performed and paid them in front of Plaintiff.”
The winery ultimately settled the suit and Kelly Carter, director of communications, said that the terms are confidential. She also took a shot at the allegations themselves and attempted to protect Nunes from being linked.
“Rep. Devin Nunes is one of a few friends (Baggett) invited to invest in the winery in 2005. None of the investors has ever been involved with the management of the company. Robin is the sole managing partner and ultimate decision maker at Alpha Omega,” Carter said. “Robin has made a point to never mix politics with the business of Alpha Omega. Our business model is simple: grow great grapes, make great wine, hire great people and provide our customers with a great experience.”
She said no one on board had a connection to the winery.
The Alpha Omega Foundation has raised nearly $1 million through the auction, which benefits charities throughout Napa, California and the yacht has been donated numerous times.
It’s unclear how much of the winery or foundation is owned by Nunes, but there are 49 other investors.
The lawsuit is from an employee of Alpha Omega Winery, who was asked to work a 2015 charity cruise on the San Francisco Bay. What may have begun as a charity event was filled with men who “appeared to be cocaine and ‘drawing straws’ for which sex worker to hire” the lawsuit says. The cruise was part of a night that was auctioned off at a fundraiser. The winning bidders were allegedly “important investors in Alpha,” the lawsuit revealed.
The staffer, Alene Anase, described the sounds of “sexual activity” happening in bedrooms and saw one man “fondling and suckling” sex workers’ breasts. She noted that the sex workers also seemed to be “too young to consent” to the activity.
She alleged that several John Does that are listed in the lawsuit also tried to tell her to “provide services of a sexual nature.” Under normal circumstances, she could simply have walked out or walked away. In this case, however, she was on the water and unable to get to shore.
She then phoned the winery asking for help. A higher-ranking staffer told her to “lie low” to avoid harassment.
When the charity cruse ended the men then had the sex workers line up “on the deck of the yacht, reviewed out loud and in detail the sexual services performed and paid them in front of Plaintiff.”
The winery ultimately settled the suit and Kelly Carter, director of communications, said that the terms are confidential. She also took a shot at the allegations themselves and attempted to protect Nunes from being linked.
“Rep. Devin Nunes is one of a few friends (Baggett) invited to invest in the winery in 2005. None of the investors has ever been involved with the management of the company. Robin is the sole managing partner and ultimate decision maker at Alpha Omega,” Carter said. “Robin has made a point to never mix politics with the business of Alpha Omega. Our business model is simple: grow great grapes, make great wine, hire great people and provide our customers with a great experience.”
She said no one on board had a connection to the winery.
The Alpha Omega Foundation has raised nearly $1 million through the auction, which benefits charities throughout Napa, California and the yacht has been donated numerous times.
It’s unclear how much of the winery or foundation is owned by Nunes, but there are 49 other investors.
Michael Cohen's Business Partner Agrees to Cooperate as Part of Plea Deal
BumRushDaShow - demo inderground
5/22/18
Source: New York Times
A significant business partner of Michael D. Cohen, President Trump’s personal lawyer, has quietly agreed to cooperate with the government as a potential witness, a development that could be used as leverage to pressure Mr. Cohen to work with the special counsel examining Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Under the agreement, the partner, Evgeny A. Freidman, a Russian immigrant who is known as the Taxi King, will avoid jail time, and will assist government prosecutors in state or federal investigations, according to a person briefed on the matter.
Mr. Cohen’s conduct was initially examined by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel investigating the 2016 election that led to Mr. Trump’s victory, and then referred to the United States attorney’s office in Manhattan. Last month, federal agents carried out search warrants at Mr. Cohen’s home, his office and a hotel room where he was staying, seeking documents related to his business associates and accountants.
Mr. Trump’s lawyers have been resigned to the strong possibility that the investigation of Mr. Cohen’s businesses could lead him to cooperate with federal prosecutors.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/22/nyregion/michael-cohen-trump-taxi-cooperation.htm
A significant business partner of Michael D. Cohen, President Trump’s personal lawyer, has quietly agreed to cooperate with the government as a potential witness, a development that could be used as leverage to pressure Mr. Cohen to work with the special counsel examining Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Under the agreement, the partner, Evgeny A. Freidman, a Russian immigrant who is known as the Taxi King, will avoid jail time, and will assist government prosecutors in state or federal investigations, according to a person briefed on the matter.
Mr. Cohen’s conduct was initially examined by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel investigating the 2016 election that led to Mr. Trump’s victory, and then referred to the United States attorney’s office in Manhattan. Last month, federal agents carried out search warrants at Mr. Cohen’s home, his office and a hotel room where he was staying, seeking documents related to his business associates and accountants.
Mr. Trump’s lawyers have been resigned to the strong possibility that the investigation of Mr. Cohen’s businesses could lead him to cooperate with federal prosecutors.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/22/nyregion/michael-cohen-trump-taxi-cooperation.htm
denial conservative style!!
From Crooks & Liars: I've never gone wrong betting on the racism and arrogant ignorance of the Right: I've only erred occasionally on the point spread. And predicting Conservative behavior is dead-easy because traditionally they only have four basic settings:
Pleading Ignorance.
Of course Conservatives are ignorant -- deeply and malignantly ignorant. This comes from letting lying demagogues like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity take a dump in their skulls for the last 20 years. But since the GOP OnStar only emits turns in one direction, traditionally the only way Conservatives have been permitted to be "wrong" about anything was that they were "not Conservative enough!". From Crain's, October, 2015:
- Arrogant triumphalism: The aforementioned "We won! You lost! Bush is a genius! Suck it Libtards!"
- All-out denialism: The aforementioned "Everything I see on non-Fox teevee is fake! Terrible lies by the terrible Murrica-hating Libtard media conspiracy!"
- Bargaining: It doesn't matter whether or not I'm a brain-washed moron...because Both Sides!"
- Running Away: As I pointed out back during the first Great Skedaddle back in 2009, because Conservatives are by nature abject moral cowards, their last "out" is doing like German soldiers did after the fall of Berlin: stop running away from the catastrophe they created only long enough to burn their uniforms. See, "I'm an independent."
Pleading Ignorance.
Of course Conservatives are ignorant -- deeply and malignantly ignorant. This comes from letting lying demagogues like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity take a dump in their skulls for the last 20 years. But since the GOP OnStar only emits turns in one direction, traditionally the only way Conservatives have been permitted to be "wrong" about anything was that they were "not Conservative enough!". From Crain's, October, 2015: