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welcome to reality trivia
reality is the state of things as they actually exist
July 22, 2019
Real News Today
July 22, 2019
*Republican congressman delivers wholly misleading attack on the minimum wage
(GOP Politics)
*Racism, Inc.: How Donald Trump profits from xenophobia
(Trump)
*Which 2020 Democrats Are Taking Money From the Health Care Industry?
(Candidates)
*'Our paychecks bounced': US workers in limbo as coalmines suddenly close
(Slavery 21st Century)
(for previous day's articles see "what's inside" below)
comment/tweet of the day
Two polls that tell you about racism in America: 1. Poll: Slim majority supports deportation raids
2. Republican support for Trump rises after racially charged tweets: Reuters/Ipsos poll
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The dysfunctional state of America: The majority of American families living below the poverty line qualify for the classification of “working poor,” meaning that one or more members of the household are employed. Income is often attached to educational attainment, and the United States currently ranks seventh in literacy among the world’s nations. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found that 50 percent of U.S. adults cannot read a book written at an eighth-grade level.(America)
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Lex: conservatives use racism, lies, and voter ignorance to protect oligarchs while moderate/sellout democrats are cowards who fear progress, lack ideas, and consort with conservatives to protect the oligarchs.
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The Best People!!!
Trump’s Commerce Dept plagued by low morale and ‘disarray’ as chief Wilbur Ross falls asleep in meetings: report
July 22, 2019
By Alex Henderson, AlterNet -Raw Story
For months, there has been speculation in Washington, D.C. that Wilbur Ross, secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce for the Trump Administration, is on his way out. Reports that Ross falls asleep in meetings don’t exactly instill confidence in his leadership. And Politico’s Daniel Lippman, in a troubling report, describes the Commerce Department as being in a state of chaos and disorganization.
Lippman reports that according to his sources, the 81-year-old Ross “spends much of his time at the White House” in order to “retain President Donald Trump’s favor.” And the Commerce Department is suffering, Lippman observes, because of Ross’ “penchant for managing upward at the expense of his staff.”
Examples of chaos in the Commerce Department that Lippman cites range from “infighting among top officials” to “sudden departures of senior staffers without explanation.” And Ross, according to Lippman’s sources, is viewed as “a leader who is disengaged and prone to falling asleep in meetings.”
A former outside advisor to the Commerce Department told Politico that Ross is “sort of seen as kind of irrelevant” and that “the morale is very low there because there’s not a lot of confidence in the secretary.” Ross, that source told Politico, is “not respected in the building.”
According to that source, “Because he tends to fall asleep in meetings, they try not to put him in a position where that could happen. So, they’re very careful and conscious about how they schedule certain meetings. There’s a small window where he’s able to focus and pay attention and not fall asleep.”
Examples of chaos in the Commerce Department that Lippman cites range from “infighting among top officials” to “sudden departures of senior staffers without explanation.” And Ross, according to Lippman’s sources, is viewed as “a leader who is disengaged and prone to falling asleep in meetings.”
A former outside advisor to the Commerce Department told Politico that Ross is “sort of seen as kind of irrelevant” and that “the morale is very low there because there’s not a lot of confidence in the secretary.” Ross, that source told Politico, is “not respected in the building.”
According to that source, “Because he tends to fall asleep in meetings, they try not to put him in a position where that could happen. So, they’re very careful and conscious about how they schedule certain meetings. There’s a small window where he’s able to focus and pay attention and not fall asleep.”
“Things come to a screeching halt because (Comstock) demands to be the final decision on everything, whether it’s an e-mail that goes out to (Capitol) Hill or a letter to respond to X, Y and Z,” a White House source familiar with the Commerce Department told Politico.
During the late 2016 lame duck session, then-President-Elect Trump announced that he would be nominating Ross (a veteran banker) for secretary of the Commerce Department. Ross was confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate on February 27, 2017.
Lippman reports that according to his sources, the 81-year-old Ross “spends much of his time at the White House” in order to “retain President Donald Trump’s favor.” And the Commerce Department is suffering, Lippman observes, because of Ross’ “penchant for managing upward at the expense of his staff.”
Examples of chaos in the Commerce Department that Lippman cites range from “infighting among top officials” to “sudden departures of senior staffers without explanation.” And Ross, according to Lippman’s sources, is viewed as “a leader who is disengaged and prone to falling asleep in meetings.”
A former outside advisor to the Commerce Department told Politico that Ross is “sort of seen as kind of irrelevant” and that “the morale is very low there because there’s not a lot of confidence in the secretary.” Ross, that source told Politico, is “not respected in the building.”
According to that source, “Because he tends to fall asleep in meetings, they try not to put him in a position where that could happen. So, they’re very careful and conscious about how they schedule certain meetings. There’s a small window where he’s able to focus and pay attention and not fall asleep.”
Examples of chaos in the Commerce Department that Lippman cites range from “infighting among top officials” to “sudden departures of senior staffers without explanation.” And Ross, according to Lippman’s sources, is viewed as “a leader who is disengaged and prone to falling asleep in meetings.”
A former outside advisor to the Commerce Department told Politico that Ross is “sort of seen as kind of irrelevant” and that “the morale is very low there because there’s not a lot of confidence in the secretary.” Ross, that source told Politico, is “not respected in the building.”
According to that source, “Because he tends to fall asleep in meetings, they try not to put him in a position where that could happen. So, they’re very careful and conscious about how they schedule certain meetings. There’s a small window where he’s able to focus and pay attention and not fall asleep.”
“Things come to a screeching halt because (Comstock) demands to be the final decision on everything, whether it’s an e-mail that goes out to (Capitol) Hill or a letter to respond to X, Y and Z,” a White House source familiar with the Commerce Department told Politico.
During the late 2016 lame duck session, then-President-Elect Trump announced that he would be nominating Ross (a veteran banker) for secretary of the Commerce Department. Ross was confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate on February 27, 2017.
Raw stupidity!!!
C-SPAN caller poisoned by Trump says congresswomen in The Squad own ’27 million black African slaves’
July 22, 2019
By David Edwards - Raw STory
A Republican caller told C-SPAN on Monday that four non-white congresswomen own “27 million black African slaves.”
On C-SPAN’s Washington Journal program, a woman in Washington called in on the Republican line to rant against members of the so-called Squad: Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar (MN), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY), Ayanna Pressley (MA) and Rashida Tlaib (MI).
Lara began her call by chastising the media.
“There’s a lot of facts that are being walked around,” she complained. “For example, regarding the Russia-Mueller thing, it’s a proven fact that there was false evidence bought by Obama, Clinton and all the rest… those are facts. That’s not an opinion.”
Lara called the four Democratic congresswomen her “biggest concern.” President Donald Trump has recently made the congresswomen his top target and suggested that they should “go back” where they came from.
“The four — whatever they’re called, the group — you know, those people, they ascribe to an ideology that has 27 million black African slaves owned by them in their country,” she stated. “And that’s currently, not 150 years ago. That’s not then, but that’s now.”
“I mean, where are the Democrats leading us to?” Lara added. “I have to ask that question.”
At that point, the host cut off the caller, giving the guests a chance to respond.
“Let’s not accuse these congresswomen of owning 27 million slaves,” White House correspondent Noah Bierman pointed out. “They don’t. They’re American citizens.”
“They don’t own slaves and they’ve never advocated owning slaves,” he added. “I don’t think we want to go down those kind of roads.”
Congressional reporter Siobahn Hughes observed that Republicans “very consciously have made a decision to focus in on” the four congresswomen.
“Instead of focusing on policy, we have started to veer into questions of race,” she said, “and in some cases risk taking us down the road to violence.”
On C-SPAN’s Washington Journal program, a woman in Washington called in on the Republican line to rant against members of the so-called Squad: Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar (MN), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY), Ayanna Pressley (MA) and Rashida Tlaib (MI).
Lara began her call by chastising the media.
“There’s a lot of facts that are being walked around,” she complained. “For example, regarding the Russia-Mueller thing, it’s a proven fact that there was false evidence bought by Obama, Clinton and all the rest… those are facts. That’s not an opinion.”
Lara called the four Democratic congresswomen her “biggest concern.” President Donald Trump has recently made the congresswomen his top target and suggested that they should “go back” where they came from.
“The four — whatever they’re called, the group — you know, those people, they ascribe to an ideology that has 27 million black African slaves owned by them in their country,” she stated. “And that’s currently, not 150 years ago. That’s not then, but that’s now.”
“I mean, where are the Democrats leading us to?” Lara added. “I have to ask that question.”
At that point, the host cut off the caller, giving the guests a chance to respond.
“Let’s not accuse these congresswomen of owning 27 million slaves,” White House correspondent Noah Bierman pointed out. “They don’t. They’re American citizens.”
“They don’t own slaves and they’ve never advocated owning slaves,” he added. “I don’t think we want to go down those kind of roads.”
Congressional reporter Siobahn Hughes observed that Republicans “very consciously have made a decision to focus in on” the four congresswomen.
“Instead of focusing on policy, we have started to veer into questions of race,” she said, “and in some cases risk taking us down the road to violence.”
There’s no such thing as ‘Trumpism’. They’re Republicans.
They spent 40 years fostering the party they have now. They Built That.
Here’s how lawyers enabling Trump’s obstruction can have their livelihoods stripped from them — by anyone
July 21, 2019
By Tom Boggioni - Raw Story
In a column for the Daily Beast, a former Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives laid out a simple way to force lawyers advising aides to Donald Trump to defy Congressional subpoenas — or avoiding one themselves — to stop giving bad advice by moving to have them disbarred.
According to Brad Miller, who represented North Carolina in Congress between 2003 and 2013, the way in which former President Bill Clinton’s impeachment was handled — and the penalty he eventually received — is a road map for legal retaliation even if Democrats in Congress won’t do it.
Pointing out the numerous lawyers in the Trump administration who have refused to comply with subpoenas and answer lawmaker’s questions, Miller suggests formal complaints can be lodged with the Bar that can lead to disciplinary action or even disbarment.
Citing the Clinton case, Miller points out, “The Senate decided that Bill Clinton’s false testimony in the special prosecutor’s investigation and the Paula Jones lawsuit did not merit removal from office, but the false testimony was not without consequence. At the end of his presidency, Clinton made a deal that federal prosecutors would not prosecute him for perjury or obstruction of justice, and he would give up his law license.”
“The Arkansas Supreme Court suspended Clinton’s license for five years, and the United States Supreme Court disbarred him. Clinton had no plans to practice law in Arkansas or elsewhere, of course, and never sought reinstatement,” he recalled.
According to the ex-lawmaker, a referral to the Bar need not come from Congress — it can come from anyone.
“Who can file a grievance with the District of Columbia Bar,” he wrote. “All God’s children. Members of the House OGR [Oversight] Committee can; the lawyers in the citizenship question lawsuit can; anyone can.”
He then added a caveat.
“Perjury is tough to prove and should be. Witnesses are very rarely prosecuted for perjury for testimony that is disbelieved and even more rarely convicted,” he wrote. “Professional misconduct by lawyers is a different matter. It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to ‘engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation,’ or ‘conduct that seriously interferes with the administration of justice.'”
“Professional misconduct must be proved by ‘clear and convincing evidence,’ a tough standard but not nearly as tough as proof ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ required for a criminal conviction,” he concluded.
You can read more here (subscription required)
According to Brad Miller, who represented North Carolina in Congress between 2003 and 2013, the way in which former President Bill Clinton’s impeachment was handled — and the penalty he eventually received — is a road map for legal retaliation even if Democrats in Congress won’t do it.
Pointing out the numerous lawyers in the Trump administration who have refused to comply with subpoenas and answer lawmaker’s questions, Miller suggests formal complaints can be lodged with the Bar that can lead to disciplinary action or even disbarment.
Citing the Clinton case, Miller points out, “The Senate decided that Bill Clinton’s false testimony in the special prosecutor’s investigation and the Paula Jones lawsuit did not merit removal from office, but the false testimony was not without consequence. At the end of his presidency, Clinton made a deal that federal prosecutors would not prosecute him for perjury or obstruction of justice, and he would give up his law license.”
“The Arkansas Supreme Court suspended Clinton’s license for five years, and the United States Supreme Court disbarred him. Clinton had no plans to practice law in Arkansas or elsewhere, of course, and never sought reinstatement,” he recalled.
According to the ex-lawmaker, a referral to the Bar need not come from Congress — it can come from anyone.
“Who can file a grievance with the District of Columbia Bar,” he wrote. “All God’s children. Members of the House OGR [Oversight] Committee can; the lawyers in the citizenship question lawsuit can; anyone can.”
He then added a caveat.
“Perjury is tough to prove and should be. Witnesses are very rarely prosecuted for perjury for testimony that is disbelieved and even more rarely convicted,” he wrote. “Professional misconduct by lawyers is a different matter. It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to ‘engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation,’ or ‘conduct that seriously interferes with the administration of justice.'”
“Professional misconduct must be proved by ‘clear and convincing evidence,’ a tough standard but not nearly as tough as proof ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ required for a criminal conviction,” he concluded.
You can read more here (subscription required)
How Julian Assange Turned His London Refuge Into An Election Meddling Command Post
What We Read This Week: Our Investigative News Roundup
By David Crook, DCReport Managing Editor
WikiLeaks Founder Met Russian Agents in the Ecuadorian Embassy
Surveillance reports obtained by CNN reveal that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange received in-person deliveries, potentially of hacked materials related to the 2016 US election, during a series of suspicious meetings at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. The reports also describe how Assange turned the embassy into a command center and orchestrated a series of damaging disclosures that rocked the 2016 presidential campaign in the United States. Despite being confined to the embassy while seeking safe passage to Ecuador, Assange met with Russians and world-class hackers at critical moments, frequently for hours at a time. He also acquired powerful new computing and network hardware to facilitate data transfers just weeks before WikiLeaks received hacked materials from Russian operatives. These stunning details come from hundreds of reports compiled for the Ecuadorian government by UC Global, a private Spanish security company. They chronicle Assange’s movements and provide an unprecedented window into his life at the embassy. They also add a new dimension to the Mueller report, which cataloged how WikiLeaks helped the Russians undermine the U.S. election.
Caught on Video
A November 1992 tape unearthed in the NBC News archives shows Trump partying with indicted child molester Jeffrey Epstein more than a decade before Epstein pleaded guilty to felony prostitution charges in Florida. The footage shows the two wealthy men laughing and pointing as they appear to discuss young women dancing at a Mar-a-Lago party. At one point in the video, Trump is seen grabbing a woman toward him and patting her behind.
The Great Southern Land Larceny
Between 1910 and 1997, African-Americans lost about 90% of their farmland, reports ProPublica. This problem is a major contributor to America’s racial wealth gap; the median wealth among black families is about a tenth that of white families. Now, as reparations have become a subject of national debate, the issue of black land loss is receiving renewed attention. A group of economists and statisticians recently calculated that, since 1910, black families have been stripped of hundreds of billions of dollars because of lost land. Nathan Rosenberg, a lawyer and a researcher in the group, told me, “If you want to understand wealth and inequality in this country, you have to understand black land loss.”
Surveillance reports obtained by CNN reveal that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange received in-person deliveries, potentially of hacked materials related to the 2016 US election, during a series of suspicious meetings at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. The reports also describe how Assange turned the embassy into a command center and orchestrated a series of damaging disclosures that rocked the 2016 presidential campaign in the United States. Despite being confined to the embassy while seeking safe passage to Ecuador, Assange met with Russians and world-class hackers at critical moments, frequently for hours at a time. He also acquired powerful new computing and network hardware to facilitate data transfers just weeks before WikiLeaks received hacked materials from Russian operatives. These stunning details come from hundreds of reports compiled for the Ecuadorian government by UC Global, a private Spanish security company. They chronicle Assange’s movements and provide an unprecedented window into his life at the embassy. They also add a new dimension to the Mueller report, which cataloged how WikiLeaks helped the Russians undermine the U.S. election.
Caught on Video
A November 1992 tape unearthed in the NBC News archives shows Trump partying with indicted child molester Jeffrey Epstein more than a decade before Epstein pleaded guilty to felony prostitution charges in Florida. The footage shows the two wealthy men laughing and pointing as they appear to discuss young women dancing at a Mar-a-Lago party. At one point in the video, Trump is seen grabbing a woman toward him and patting her behind.
The Great Southern Land Larceny
Between 1910 and 1997, African-Americans lost about 90% of their farmland, reports ProPublica. This problem is a major contributor to America’s racial wealth gap; the median wealth among black families is about a tenth that of white families. Now, as reparations have become a subject of national debate, the issue of black land loss is receiving renewed attention. A group of economists and statisticians recently calculated that, since 1910, black families have been stripped of hundreds of billions of dollars because of lost land. Nathan Rosenberg, a lawyer and a researcher in the group, told me, “If you want to understand wealth and inequality in this country, you have to understand black land loss.”
Neighbors in Nashville suburb form human chain to prevent ICE from taking man into custody
July 22, 2019
By Alex Henderson, AlterNet - Raw Story
In a Nashville suburb, an ICE agent’a attempt to take a man into custody on Monday morning proved unsuccessful when the man’s neighbors formed a human chain.
An agent for the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to Nashville’s WVTF Channel 5 (a CBS affiliate), attempted to detain the man in Hermitage, Tennessee, which is about ten miles from Downtown Nashville.
The man had entered his van with his son when the agent blocked them in, and neighbors responded by bringing them water and wet rags. After the neighbors formed a human chain, the man and his son were able to escape and enter their home — which the ICE agent was not authorized to enter.
The agent had an administrative warrant, which allows an ICE agent to detain someone but not to remove them from a home or vehicle by force. Unable to detain the man, the ICE agent left.
The incident was broadcast online by the man’s neighbors on Facebook Live.
An agent for the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to Nashville’s WVTF Channel 5 (a CBS affiliate), attempted to detain the man in Hermitage, Tennessee, which is about ten miles from Downtown Nashville.
The man had entered his van with his son when the agent blocked them in, and neighbors responded by bringing them water and wet rags. After the neighbors formed a human chain, the man and his son were able to escape and enter their home — which the ICE agent was not authorized to enter.
The agent had an administrative warrant, which allows an ICE agent to detain someone but not to remove them from a home or vehicle by force. Unable to detain the man, the ICE agent left.
The incident was broadcast online by the man’s neighbors on Facebook Live.
Bites from Real News
*7/22/2019*
*Puerto Rico Governor Will Not Seek Re-Election but Refuses to Resign
The announcement came after a week and a half of protests on the island in reaction to a government corruption scandal. Governor Ricardo Rosselló's term runs through 2020.
*Puerto Ricans launch biggest protest yet against governor
Angry protesters blocked the main road in Puerto Rico’s capital on Monday as they launched what was expected to be the largest yet of a wave of demonstrations seeking the resignation of the US territory’s embattled governor.
*Pence abruptly canceled trip because person he was meeting was about to be busted by the feds The White House abruptly canceled a planned trip to New Hampshire to prevent Vice President Mike Pence from being seen with somebody.
*This Dem Slow-Walked Getting Trump's Taxes--Now He's Getting Primaried
The latest 2020 primary challenger has emerged in Massachusetts. Alex Morse, the 30-year-old mayor of Holyoke, announced Monday that he is challenging Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA), a 30-year-incumbent representing Massachusetts’ 1st Congressional Distr ... (Daily Beast)
*A GOP senator just laid out his blueprint for theocratic segregationism
The second frustrating thing about Josh Hawley is that he is a liar. As a candidate for the United States Senate, Hawley literally used his own son as a prop to deflect allegations that he wanted to strip federal protections from Americans with preexisting conditions.
*TRUMP, INC.: Want to Meet With the Trump Administration? Donald Trump Jr.’s Hunting Buddy Can Help
Tommy Hicks Jr. isn’t in government, but he’s a longtime pal of the president’s son. That has put him in the room when the administration talks China and 5G policy, and it lets him help others — including one friend who had $143 million riding on the outcome.
*Chandrayaan-2: India launches second Moon mission
India has successfully launched its second lunar mission a week after it halted the scheduled blast-off due to a technical snag. Chandrayaan-2 was launched at 14:43 local time (09:13 GMT) from the Sriharikota space station. India's space chief said ... (BBC)
*The Case of Al Franken
A close look at the accusations against the former senator.
By Jane Mayer
*Trump May Be a White Nationalist, but American Racism Is Bipartisan
BY PAUL STREET
...It has spent most of the last two and a half years going after Trump on the dubious and absurdly complicated charge of Russian collusion, rather than attacking his most egregious sins, including his vicious racism, nativism, sexism, classism, corruption and, last but not at all least, ecocidalism.
*explaining a sellout: American History for Truthdiggers: Bill Clinton, the 'New Democrat'
BY MAJ. DANNY SJURSEN
Yet just as often the conservatives sided with him, forming alliances of convenience, as Clinton showed his true colors, which were centrist and even right-leaning. Indeed, it would be apparent, in hindsight, that the 42nd president was the first outright neoliberal chief executive, tacking right time and again and paving the way for the rise of neoconservative Republican power.
*The Origins of the ‘Acting White’ Charge
JOHN MCWHORTER
School integration yielded a disturbing by-product: a psychological association between scholastic achievement and whiteness.
*Bad Chemistry: HOW THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY IS FIGHTING TO KEEP POLLUTING THE WORLD
Pushes to “recycle” plastics are one element of a massive industry-led effort to suppress meaningful efforts to reduce plastic waste.
*Politicians don't care what you think
Political scientist Ethan Porter says state legislators are driven by party loyalty, don't care what public thinks
*Independent of everything: Is America too dumb for democracy?
(Commentary)
Unhinged Trump fan facing multiple charges after stalking Georgia woman and plastering her car with Trump stickers
July 19, 2019
By Tom Boggioni - Raw Story
According to a report in the Gwinnett Daily Post, an overzealous fan of Donald Trump is facing multiple charges — including stalking –by plastering her car with Trump stickers, harassing her and then following her in his work vehicle.
Sharon Wood of Lawrenceville, who is the vice-chair of the Gwinnett County Democratic Party, admitted that the back of her car is covered in stickers supporting liberal causes, which made her a target for one of President Trump’s boosters.
Leaving a Publix store on Monday afternoon she found someone had put “I (heart) Trump” stickers on her car, covering other stickers supporting Stacey Abrams and the Black Lives Matter. Choosing to remove them she was accosted by the unidentified man who called her a “traitor.”
“I just peeled them off and tossed them in my car and finished loading my groceries,” Wood explained. “And then when I went to get into the driver’s side of the car, I hear this guy yelling from across the parking lot ‘(expletive) traitor. You (expletive) traitor’ and I look over there and see this work van and this guy yelling.”
“I got in my car and left and he immediately started following me. That’s when I stopped being annoyed and started being scared,” she continued, adding that he chose to not go home and pulled into another parking lot, which the man in his work van could not enter — choosing to honk at her as he drove away.
Wood said that she called the business number listed on the truck only to have her accused stalker answer and tell her, “‘Why don’t you complain to Stacey Abrams?“
After news of the incident spread on Tuesday, the Post reports that the website and Facebook page for the company listed on the van was taken down with business’ status changed to “Permanently Closed” on Google.
Wood, in turn, reported the incident to the police who are investigating the driver who could be facing charges of simple assault, criminal trespass and misdemeanor stalking.
You can read more here.
Sharon Wood of Lawrenceville, who is the vice-chair of the Gwinnett County Democratic Party, admitted that the back of her car is covered in stickers supporting liberal causes, which made her a target for one of President Trump’s boosters.
Leaving a Publix store on Monday afternoon she found someone had put “I (heart) Trump” stickers on her car, covering other stickers supporting Stacey Abrams and the Black Lives Matter. Choosing to remove them she was accosted by the unidentified man who called her a “traitor.”
“I just peeled them off and tossed them in my car and finished loading my groceries,” Wood explained. “And then when I went to get into the driver’s side of the car, I hear this guy yelling from across the parking lot ‘(expletive) traitor. You (expletive) traitor’ and I look over there and see this work van and this guy yelling.”
“I got in my car and left and he immediately started following me. That’s when I stopped being annoyed and started being scared,” she continued, adding that he chose to not go home and pulled into another parking lot, which the man in his work van could not enter — choosing to honk at her as he drove away.
Wood said that she called the business number listed on the truck only to have her accused stalker answer and tell her, “‘Why don’t you complain to Stacey Abrams?“
After news of the incident spread on Tuesday, the Post reports that the website and Facebook page for the company listed on the van was taken down with business’ status changed to “Permanently Closed” on Google.
Wood, in turn, reported the incident to the police who are investigating the driver who could be facing charges of simple assault, criminal trespass and misdemeanor stalking.
You can read more here.
Health industry tweets about Pride but remains silent on rule undoing protections for LGBTQ patients
"Any entity working toward people living healthily should oppose the revision to the rule."
AMANDA MICHELLE GOMEZ, CASEY QUINLAN - Thinkprogress
JUL 19, 2019, 11:21 AM
Many influential players in the health industry have stayed silent since the Trump administration proposed undoing civil rights protections for LGBTQ patients in late May. But these muted responses haven’t gone unnoticed, especially when those who say they support LGBTQ rights, and celebrated Pride Month through social media, don’t speak up.
ThinkProgress reached out to seven insurers and insurance middlemen who either met with HHS’ Office for Civil Rights, the Office of Management, or the Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs while officials reviewed the proposed rule for comment, as none have spoken out against it in public statements since it was released two months ago — even if some supported Pride through Twitter.
Insurance companies, however, have lobbied for the elimination of major language access protections in the rule, which indicates they may not only be comfortable with the rollback of these protections as a means for saving money, but were willing to accept anti-LGBTQ aspects of the rule in order to get them, a Center for American Progress analysis shows. (ThinkProgress is an editorially independent news site housed at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.)
The Trump administration is trying to roll back the Affordable Care Act’s Health Care Rights Law by eliminating the ban on sex discrimination, which includes discrimination based on gender identity and sex stereotyping. Under this proposed rule, health providers could refuse to treat transgender patients and insurance companies can refuse to cover services they need or charge them a lot more for it. (The sweeping rule goes beyond undermining protections for LGBTQ individuals; for example, it eliminates protections for all patients who have abortions.)
Many advocacy and provider groups were quick to voice opposition to the proposed rule that changes the Health Care Rights Law, Section 1557 of the ACA. The largest physician group, the American Medical Association (AMA), along with other organizations representing nurses and psychiatrists, immediately wrote the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), saying it opposed the rule and wants the strongest nondiscrimination protections available for LGBTQ patients.
“We urge you to reconsider,” the May 24 letter reads.
But major insurers and insurance middlemen who can vary benefits in a way that harms LGBTQ patients have yet to comment on the proposed rule, even though some took to Twitter to highlight their support for LGBTQ rights during Pride last month.
Aetna, for example, whose research is often cited in the proposed rule, and which tweeted supportively during Pride Month, hasn’t released any statement.
ThinkProgress reached out to Aetna for comment, along with insurance companies and insurance middlemen (pharmacy benefit managers, third parties who negotiate prices between pharmaceutical companies and health plans) who met with Trump officials about the proposed rule but haven’t released any public statement about it. This includes America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, CVS Health, Express Scripts, and Pharmaceutical Care Management Association.
Only an AHIP spokesperson immediately responded to say they have until August to comment on the rule. The public has until August 13th to formally submit comments to federal officials, which the Trump administration is required to review — the administration will then release its final rule with an effective date.
“We are still reviewing and if we have a comment we’ll get back to you,” said AHIP communications director Cathryn Donaldson via email.
AHIP is the largest association representing insurers and many companies rely on it to submit formal comments — even those like Oscar Health, who say they’re proud to offer gender-affirming care in all states where they offer plans. In June 2018, for instance, dozens of advocacy groups wrote Oscar Health asking it to eliminate discriminatory exclusions for transgender patients.
“Discrimination based on gender identity runs contrary to Oscar’s values. Gender identity should have no effect on someone’s access to healthcare,” said an Oscar Health spokesperson, in a statement to ThinkProgress.
Like Aetna, Pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts also showed support of Pride Month by retweeting its Express Scripts Jobs account, which boasted that the Express Scripts and Cigna locations were flying pride flags.
CVS Caremark, another pharmacy benefit manager, is a subsidiary of CVS Health. In June, CVS Health tweeted about its efforts to keep its own workforce diverse and attached an image of a heart covered with a rainbow flag.
Insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers do stand to benefit financially from Trump’s proposed rule, according to a new report by the Center for American Progress’ director of policy, LGBT research and communications project, Sharita Gruberg.
HHS said providers, insurers, and pharmacy benefit managers under Trump’s proposed rule would save $3.6 billion over five years in “unnecessary regulatory costs.” That’s because under the proposed rule, they would no longer need to notify patients of their rights in the top 15 languages spoken in the state they operate in, which is intended to help those with limited English proficiency.
Insurers lobbied to change the Health Care Rights Law, because they wanted to limit language access protections as to relieve administrative burden and costs, Gruberg writes. So, while it hasn’t issued public comments on what the proposed rule means for LGBTQ patients, AHIP has submitted a formal comment to HHS asking it to limit the scope of publications and communications that have to meet a requirement intended to help patients with limited English proficiency.
Meanwhile, advocates have called on the health industry to speak out against the proposed rule.
“In supporting the LGBTQ community, insurers and pharmacy benefit managers should oppose the proposed revision to section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. Opposing the proposed revision increases access and combats discrimination in health care,” said Benjamin Brooks, the assistant director of policy at Whitman-Walker Health.
“Any entity working toward people living healthily should oppose the revision to the rule,” Brooks said in a statement to ThinkProgress.
National Center for Transgender Equality also encourages anyone who considers themselves an industry leader to condemn this rule because a statement signals to transgender patients who face a public health crisis that they are prioritizing them.
“We’ve seen insurance companies do so. AMITA health care put out a press release days after the regulation was announced, rightfully condemning it and rightfully standing up for their own customer base who are transgender,” said Gillian Branstetter, a spokesperson for the National Center for Transgender Equality.
“It’s really important for the insurance industry to put… generations of stigma behind itself because as the medical world knows and affirms exclusions against transition-related care are not based in good medicine and not based in good science and not based in good business,” she added.
According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, one third of transgender people surveyed said they had at least one negative experience with a doctor or health care provider that was related to being transgender. Sometimes transgender people had to teach their own provider about appropriate care, were asked unnecessary or invasive questions about being trans that were unrelated to care, or were refused transition-related care.
A 2017 Center for American Progress survey found that 9% of gay, lesbian, bisexual, or queer respondents said that in the year prior to the survey, doctors or health care providers used harsh or abusive language during treatment. Meanwhile, 8% said they were refused treatment because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation.
ThinkProgress reached out to seven insurers and insurance middlemen who either met with HHS’ Office for Civil Rights, the Office of Management, or the Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs while officials reviewed the proposed rule for comment, as none have spoken out against it in public statements since it was released two months ago — even if some supported Pride through Twitter.
Insurance companies, however, have lobbied for the elimination of major language access protections in the rule, which indicates they may not only be comfortable with the rollback of these protections as a means for saving money, but were willing to accept anti-LGBTQ aspects of the rule in order to get them, a Center for American Progress analysis shows. (ThinkProgress is an editorially independent news site housed at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.)
The Trump administration is trying to roll back the Affordable Care Act’s Health Care Rights Law by eliminating the ban on sex discrimination, which includes discrimination based on gender identity and sex stereotyping. Under this proposed rule, health providers could refuse to treat transgender patients and insurance companies can refuse to cover services they need or charge them a lot more for it. (The sweeping rule goes beyond undermining protections for LGBTQ individuals; for example, it eliminates protections for all patients who have abortions.)
Many advocacy and provider groups were quick to voice opposition to the proposed rule that changes the Health Care Rights Law, Section 1557 of the ACA. The largest physician group, the American Medical Association (AMA), along with other organizations representing nurses and psychiatrists, immediately wrote the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), saying it opposed the rule and wants the strongest nondiscrimination protections available for LGBTQ patients.
“We urge you to reconsider,” the May 24 letter reads.
But major insurers and insurance middlemen who can vary benefits in a way that harms LGBTQ patients have yet to comment on the proposed rule, even though some took to Twitter to highlight their support for LGBTQ rights during Pride last month.
Aetna, for example, whose research is often cited in the proposed rule, and which tweeted supportively during Pride Month, hasn’t released any statement.
ThinkProgress reached out to Aetna for comment, along with insurance companies and insurance middlemen (pharmacy benefit managers, third parties who negotiate prices between pharmaceutical companies and health plans) who met with Trump officials about the proposed rule but haven’t released any public statement about it. This includes America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, CVS Health, Express Scripts, and Pharmaceutical Care Management Association.
Only an AHIP spokesperson immediately responded to say they have until August to comment on the rule. The public has until August 13th to formally submit comments to federal officials, which the Trump administration is required to review — the administration will then release its final rule with an effective date.
“We are still reviewing and if we have a comment we’ll get back to you,” said AHIP communications director Cathryn Donaldson via email.
AHIP is the largest association representing insurers and many companies rely on it to submit formal comments — even those like Oscar Health, who say they’re proud to offer gender-affirming care in all states where they offer plans. In June 2018, for instance, dozens of advocacy groups wrote Oscar Health asking it to eliminate discriminatory exclusions for transgender patients.
“Discrimination based on gender identity runs contrary to Oscar’s values. Gender identity should have no effect on someone’s access to healthcare,” said an Oscar Health spokesperson, in a statement to ThinkProgress.
Like Aetna, Pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts also showed support of Pride Month by retweeting its Express Scripts Jobs account, which boasted that the Express Scripts and Cigna locations were flying pride flags.
CVS Caremark, another pharmacy benefit manager, is a subsidiary of CVS Health. In June, CVS Health tweeted about its efforts to keep its own workforce diverse and attached an image of a heart covered with a rainbow flag.
Insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers do stand to benefit financially from Trump’s proposed rule, according to a new report by the Center for American Progress’ director of policy, LGBT research and communications project, Sharita Gruberg.
HHS said providers, insurers, and pharmacy benefit managers under Trump’s proposed rule would save $3.6 billion over five years in “unnecessary regulatory costs.” That’s because under the proposed rule, they would no longer need to notify patients of their rights in the top 15 languages spoken in the state they operate in, which is intended to help those with limited English proficiency.
Insurers lobbied to change the Health Care Rights Law, because they wanted to limit language access protections as to relieve administrative burden and costs, Gruberg writes. So, while it hasn’t issued public comments on what the proposed rule means for LGBTQ patients, AHIP has submitted a formal comment to HHS asking it to limit the scope of publications and communications that have to meet a requirement intended to help patients with limited English proficiency.
Meanwhile, advocates have called on the health industry to speak out against the proposed rule.
“In supporting the LGBTQ community, insurers and pharmacy benefit managers should oppose the proposed revision to section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. Opposing the proposed revision increases access and combats discrimination in health care,” said Benjamin Brooks, the assistant director of policy at Whitman-Walker Health.
“Any entity working toward people living healthily should oppose the revision to the rule,” Brooks said in a statement to ThinkProgress.
National Center for Transgender Equality also encourages anyone who considers themselves an industry leader to condemn this rule because a statement signals to transgender patients who face a public health crisis that they are prioritizing them.
“We’ve seen insurance companies do so. AMITA health care put out a press release days after the regulation was announced, rightfully condemning it and rightfully standing up for their own customer base who are transgender,” said Gillian Branstetter, a spokesperson for the National Center for Transgender Equality.
“It’s really important for the insurance industry to put… generations of stigma behind itself because as the medical world knows and affirms exclusions against transition-related care are not based in good medicine and not based in good science and not based in good business,” she added.
According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, one third of transgender people surveyed said they had at least one negative experience with a doctor or health care provider that was related to being transgender. Sometimes transgender people had to teach their own provider about appropriate care, were asked unnecessary or invasive questions about being trans that were unrelated to care, or were refused transition-related care.
A 2017 Center for American Progress survey found that 9% of gay, lesbian, bisexual, or queer respondents said that in the year prior to the survey, doctors or health care providers used harsh or abusive language during treatment. Meanwhile, 8% said they were refused treatment because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation.
Wendy Davis Announces Campaign for Congress, Will Challenge U.S. Rep. Chip Roy
Olivia Messer - Reporter
Published 07.22.19 9:22AM ET
Daily Beast Cheat Sheet
Former Texas State Senator Wendy Davis, who made national headlines in 2013 when she spent 11 hours filibustering an omnibus anti-abortion bill, has announced her candidacy for Congress. She will vie for the Democratic nomination in Central Texas’ 21st District and then, if successful, battle Republican U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, from Austin. Davis’s campaign released a biographical announcement video on Monday. “I’m running for Congress because people’s voices are still being silenced,” she said. “I’m running for our children and grandchildren, so they can live and love and fight for change themselves.” Davis has not run for elected office since she lost the Texas gubernatorial election to Republican Greg Abbott in 2014 by over 20 percentage points.
Dozens Injured After Armed Mob Violence Against Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Demonstrators
Jamie Ross - Reporter
Updated 07.22.19 6:56AM ET
Daily Beast Cheat Sheet
At least 45 people have been injured, one critically, after dozens of masked men attacked pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong. The protests against a Chinese extradition bill have been ongoing for seven weeks, but this is the first time this kind of violence has been seen, the BBC reports. The masked men were dressed in white shirts and are reportedly suspected to be triad gangsters. They attacked protesters and passers-by with wooden and metal rods inside a train station. In a statement, the government said: “This is absolutely unacceptable to Hong Kong as a society that observes the rule of law. The SAR [Special Administrative Region] Government strongly condemns any violence and will seriously take enforcement actions.”
Trump’s National Doral Resort Golf Club Shortlisted for Next Year’s G-7 Summit: Report
Jamie Ross - Reporter
Published 07.22.19 6:51AM ET
Daily Beast Cheat Sheet
Trump National Doral, President Trump’s struggling golf resort in Miami, has reportedly been shortlisted as a potential location to host the G-7 summit when it comes to the U.S. next year. Axios reports the Trump property is among the final few possible locations under consideration. It will be the first G-7 summit—an annual meeting of the leaders of the world’s most powerful economies—to be hosted in the U.S. since 2012, when Barack Obama invited leaders to Camp David. Earlier this year, the Washington Post reported that Trump’s Doral resort was in “steep decline” and that, in two years, the resort’s net operating income had fallen by 69 percent.
British Conservative Lawmaker Charged With Three Counts of Sexual Assault
Jamie Ross - Reporter
Updated 07.22.19 7:04AM ET
Daily Beast Cheat Sheet
A British lawmaker from the ruling Conservative party, Charlie Elphicke, has been charged with three counts of sexual assault. England's Crown Prosecution Service announced the charges Monday morning and said that the alleged assaults were committed against two women. The member of parliament said last year, following reports that police were investigation him for the alleged offences, that he was “completely confident” he will be able to prove his innocence. He was suspended by the Conservative party in November 2017 when the allegations were first reported but he had his membership restored in December 2018 when Theresa May was facing a vote of confidence in her leadership. A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said: “The CPS made the decision to charge Mr Elphicke after reviewing a file of evidence from the Metropolitan Police.”
White woman threatens to call cops on black man after he splashes her car with water during rainstorm
July 19, 2019
By Tom Boggioni - Raw Story
In yet another story of a white woman having a meltdown because a black person was doing, well, basically nothing, BET reports that a black man driving down a flooded street during a rainstorm was threatened by a white woman saying she would report him to the police for splashing her car.
Or, as the poster of the viral video, @sewellwells wrote on Instagram: “So this LADY bout to call the COPS on me cause my Car wet her Car.”
As he explained in the video, “Cars is taking they time driving through the flood, and this one car was driving down the middle. So I go right past her, [and it] happened to be her window was down, so as I ride past her, I guess the water splashed up in her car.”
“You just got my car soaking wet, you’re driving through the flooded area, you could’ve damaged my car,” the woman can be heard shouting. “You got my car soaking wet, I’m going to write your license plate.”
As the woman rolls up her window, sewellwells called out to the woman, “Roll your window up before I wet it again. You going to tell the police I wet your car?! Stupid!”
Or, as the poster of the viral video, @sewellwells wrote on Instagram: “So this LADY bout to call the COPS on me cause my Car wet her Car.”
As he explained in the video, “Cars is taking they time driving through the flood, and this one car was driving down the middle. So I go right past her, [and it] happened to be her window was down, so as I ride past her, I guess the water splashed up in her car.”
“You just got my car soaking wet, you’re driving through the flooded area, you could’ve damaged my car,” the woman can be heard shouting. “You got my car soaking wet, I’m going to write your license plate.”
As the woman rolls up her window, sewellwells called out to the woman, “Roll your window up before I wet it again. You going to tell the police I wet your car?! Stupid!”
*What's Inside*
July 19 - July 21
✔The Tainted Corporations Dominating the Opioid Industry
(Corporate Criminals)
*Here’s how the press rewards GOP cowardice in the age of Trump
(Worthless Media)
*The US Gave Slavers Their Land Back. What About Black Folks’ Reparations?
(Race Matters)
*Fox News host decimates Trump aide’s defense of racism and hypocrisy
(Worthless Media)
*...So We Have to Save Ourselves (Part 2) by The Rude Pundit
(Commentary)
*The real problem wasn’t the racism — it was the Trump taking ‘the Lord’s name in vain’ twice: supporter(Sellouts)
*'Ricky, resign!' Puerto Rico's famous musicians lend voice to surging protesters
(Colonies)
✔Mitch McConnell’s big donors are Wall Street firms — and only 9% of his funds comes from Kentucky(GOP Politics)
*Why won’t the charter school industry acknowledge its failures?
(Education)
*Here’s the ugly racist history behind tipping — and how it still persists today
(Slavery 21st Century)
*Los Angeles police spied on anti-Trump protesters
(Gestapo USA)
*Black US lawmaker says white man told her to 'go back where you came from’
(Amerikkkans)
✔Bragging that ‘discrimination is no longer tolerated in Texas’ Gov. signs bill allowing anti-LGBT discrimination(America)
*DEMOCRAT-BACKED CENTRIST PAC IS SUPPORTING A REPUBLICAN AGAINST A VULNERABLE SWING-DISTRICT INCUMBENT(Sellouts)
*Yingying Zhang murder: anger in China as US killer of scholar spared death penalty
(World)
*late news of interest*
Pastor claims he was sucking demons out of sexually assaulted men
July 18, 2019
By Bob Brigham - Raw Story
Multiple victims have come forward to accuse a New Jersey pastor of sexually assaulting them as part of exorcism rituals.
“Three men have come forward claiming Rev. Dr. William Weaver performed sex acts on them when they came to him for private counseling at Linden Presbyterian Church,” Newsweek reported Thursday. “Weaver, 69, would allegedly tell the men that he needed to ‘suck’ out demons through their semen, citing Native American rituals and a verse from Ephesians telling Christians to ‘put on the full armor of God.'”
According to impact statements the men submitted to the Presbytery of Elizabeth, which has jurisdiction over the church in Linden, Weaver would order each to strip naked and lie down. Then he would place an “angel coin” on their foreheads and have them balance stones on their hands and ankles. Weaver would then allegedly perform oral sex on them,” Newsweek reported.
“I refuse to stay silent any longer. I need to make sure that this never happens to anyone else ever again,” one man wrote.
“An investigation by the Presbytery found credible evidence of ‘multiple acts of idolatry and sexual misconduct.’ It also reportedly uncovered gay porn on a church-owned computer in Weaver’s office,” Newsweek added.
“Three men have come forward claiming Rev. Dr. William Weaver performed sex acts on them when they came to him for private counseling at Linden Presbyterian Church,” Newsweek reported Thursday. “Weaver, 69, would allegedly tell the men that he needed to ‘suck’ out demons through their semen, citing Native American rituals and a verse from Ephesians telling Christians to ‘put on the full armor of God.'”
According to impact statements the men submitted to the Presbytery of Elizabeth, which has jurisdiction over the church in Linden, Weaver would order each to strip naked and lie down. Then he would place an “angel coin” on their foreheads and have them balance stones on their hands and ankles. Weaver would then allegedly perform oral sex on them,” Newsweek reported.
“I refuse to stay silent any longer. I need to make sure that this never happens to anyone else ever again,” one man wrote.
“An investigation by the Presbytery found credible evidence of ‘multiple acts of idolatry and sexual misconduct.’ It also reportedly uncovered gay porn on a church-owned computer in Weaver’s office,” Newsweek added.
CNN's Cuomo Loses It When Kris Kobach Suggests He Could Support an Openly Racist President
DonViejo - Demo Undergroun d
7/16/19
By Aidan McLaughlin Jul 16th, 2019, 9:53 pm
CNN host Chris Cuomo clashed with Republican Senate candidate Kris Kobach after the former Kansas secretary of state said he would support an outwardly racist president.
Kobach defended President Donald Trump’s ugly spat with four Democratic congresswomen of color, whom he told over the weekend to “go back” to where they came from — three were born in the United States, all four are citizens — in comments that have drawn fire from the president’s own party.
After Cuomo made the case that Trump’s attacks were picking a “race battle,” Kobach rejected the comments as racist. The CNN host then proposed a hypothetical.
“What would you do if the president said, ‘I am a racist. That’s why I said it.’ What would you do?” Cuomo asked.
“Uh, then I would not defend him, because there’s no excuse for racism in America,” Kobach responded first.
“Really?” Cuomo asked. “Would you still support him as president?”
Kobach paused. “Uhm. I don’t know.”
“You have to think about it!” Cuomo exclaimed. “You have to think about whether or not you would support a racist! Really!?”
“I’d have to know who was running against him,” Kobach said.
“A racist! An admitted racist you would have to know more?” Cuomo continued, as Kobach stammered. “Kris, come on man. It can’t be that partisan.”
“These are ridiculous hypotheticals,” Kobach protested.
“It’s ridiculous that it took you that long to answer it,” Cuomo said. “You’re running for Senate, and you have to take a pause whether or not if he said he was a racist you’d still support him. Come on, brother.”
Kobach argued Cuomo’s hypothetical “doesn’t even make sense” because “the president has not said anything racist.”
Watch the brutally uncomfortable segment, via CNN:
https://www.mediaite.com/tv/cnns-cuomo-loses-it-when-kris-kobach-suggests-he-could-support-an-openly-racist-president/
CNN host Chris Cuomo clashed with Republican Senate candidate Kris Kobach after the former Kansas secretary of state said he would support an outwardly racist president.
Kobach defended President Donald Trump’s ugly spat with four Democratic congresswomen of color, whom he told over the weekend to “go back” to where they came from — three were born in the United States, all four are citizens — in comments that have drawn fire from the president’s own party.
After Cuomo made the case that Trump’s attacks were picking a “race battle,” Kobach rejected the comments as racist. The CNN host then proposed a hypothetical.
“What would you do if the president said, ‘I am a racist. That’s why I said it.’ What would you do?” Cuomo asked.
“Uh, then I would not defend him, because there’s no excuse for racism in America,” Kobach responded first.
“Really?” Cuomo asked. “Would you still support him as president?”
Kobach paused. “Uhm. I don’t know.”
“You have to think about it!” Cuomo exclaimed. “You have to think about whether or not you would support a racist! Really!?”
“I’d have to know who was running against him,” Kobach said.
“A racist! An admitted racist you would have to know more?” Cuomo continued, as Kobach stammered. “Kris, come on man. It can’t be that partisan.”
“These are ridiculous hypotheticals,” Kobach protested.
“It’s ridiculous that it took you that long to answer it,” Cuomo said. “You’re running for Senate, and you have to take a pause whether or not if he said he was a racist you’d still support him. Come on, brother.”
Kobach argued Cuomo’s hypothetical “doesn’t even make sense” because “the president has not said anything racist.”
Watch the brutally uncomfortable segment, via CNN:
https://www.mediaite.com/tv/cnns-cuomo-loses-it-when-kris-kobach-suggests-he-could-support-an-openly-racist-president/
