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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

ShinyCottonCandy Everyone's friend Malamar from Lumiose City (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Everyone's friend Malamar
#285101: Jul 16th 2019 at 3:51:29 PM

You know, when I was younger I was led to believe things like politics weren’t so black and white. I suppose with my parents, things could have been much worse, except...

[down][tup]

Edited by ShinyCottonCandy on Jul 16th 2019 at 7:02:47 AM

My musician page
Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#285102: Jul 16th 2019 at 3:58:29 PM

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: The greatest trick the devil can play is convincing people he doesn't exist.

Leviticus 19:34
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#285103: Jul 16th 2019 at 5:53:52 PM

https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/07/16/day-908/

    Day 908: "Join us in condemning the president's racist tweets." 
1/ Republicans temporarily blocked a resolution denouncing Trump's racists tweets that four congresswomen of color should "go back" where "they came" from as "racist comments." In a floor speech, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged Democrats and Republicans to "join us in condemning the president's racist tweets" and that the "comments from the White House" are "disgraceful" and "disgusting" and that "these comments are racist." Republican Rep. Doug Collins interjected and asked Pelosi to "rephrase" her statement, which was then ruled as out of order under House rules that lawmakers may not make disparaging remarks about the president on the floor of the House. Following a two-hour long delay, the House voted along party lines to allow Pelosi to refer to Trump's tweets as racist, overriding House rules and GOP objections. That final vote on the resolution condemning Trump's rhetoric as "racist comments that have legitimized increased fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color" passed largely along party lines, 240-187. (Politico / NBC News / New York Times / CNN / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal)

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/16/pelosi-trump-racism-resolution-1417365

2/ Trump – again – denied that his racist tweets were racist, urging House Republicans to "not show 'weakness'" and reject the condemnation resolution. Trump called the resolution a "con game" and claimed that his tweets "were NOT Racist," because "I don't have a Racist bone in my body!" Trump then accused the four Democratic congresswomen – Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar – of "spewing some of the most vile, hateful, and disgusting things ever said by a politician in the House or Senate." (New York Times / Washington Post / The Guardian / Politico)

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/16/trump-attack-progressive-congresswomen-1416579

3/ Kellyanne Conway responded a White House reporter's question about Trump's racist tweets with "What's your ethnicity?" Andrew Feinberg had asked Conway which countries Trump was referring to when he suggested that Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar should "go back" to where they came from. All four congresswomen are U.S. citizens. (Daily Beast / NBC News)

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-adviser-kellyanne-conway-asks-reporter-what-s-your-ethnicity-n1030406

Kellyanne Conway's husband wrote an opinion piece saying "Trump is a racist president." (Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/george-conway-trump-is-a-racist-president/2019/07/15/b13c0bd4-a740-11e9-9214-246e594de5d5_story.html

4/ The Justice Department will not bring federal civil rights charges against the New York Police Department officer accused of fatally choking Eric Garner. Attorney General William Barr made the decision not to bring charges due to concerns that prosecutors could not successfully prove the officer acted willfully following a dispute between a Justice Department team from New York and the Civil Rights Division in Washington. Daniel Pantaleo will never face criminal prosecution for Garner's death, despite bystanders filming the arrest as Garner gasped: "I can't breathe." (New York Times / CNN / Politico)

https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2019/07/16/doj-will-not-bring-charges-against-officer-in-death-of-eric-garner-1103711

5/ The Trump administration will begin enforcing a new regulation that taxpayer-funded family planning clinics must stop referring women for abortions – effective immediately. Health and Human Services formally notified the clinics that it will begin enforcing the new rule on Monday, in addition to a requirement that clinics maintain separate finances from facilities that provide abortions. A separate requirement that both kinds of facilities cannot be under the same roof is scheduled to take effect next year. (CBS News / Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/e0bf2658969c482bb9addf40eb5bd667

    Notables 
A federal judge banned Roger Stone from social media after ruling that he violated a previous gag order that banned him from discussing his case in the media or public. "What am I supposed to do with you?" U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson asked rhetorically. In February, Stone posted a photo of Jackson with crosshairs from a gun. (NBC News / CNBC / CNN / Washington Post)

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/roger-stone-avoids-arrest-gag-order-violation-has-social-media-n1030411

Trump's former campaign communications chief hired numerous prostitutes and visited "hand job" massage parlors as recently as a few months ago. Jason Miller made the admission while testifying on in Washington D.C. in connection to his lawsuit against Gizmodo, accusing the media company of defaming him with a story citing an allegation he slipped an "abortion pill" to a stripper he impregnated. (Mediate)

https://www.mediaite.com/politics/exclusive-former-trump-aide-jason-miller-admits-to-hiring-prostitutes-in-2015-and-2017/

The House Oversight Committee is expanding an investigation into the use of personal email by Education Secretary Betsy De Vos. Chairman Elijah Cummings said the move came after "disturbing new revelations" released by the Education Department's inspector general in May about De Vos' use of personal email while on the job. (Politico)

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/15/devos-use-of-personal-email-as-secretary-probed-by-house-democrats-3582116

Trump named healthcare economist Tomas Philipson as the acting chair of his Council of Economic Advisers. Philipson was already a member of the council, and teaches the economics of healthcare at the University of Chicago. He also served as a top economist at the FDA and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Philipson replaced White House economist Kevin Hassett, who announced his departure on Twitter last month. (NPR)

https://www.npr.org/2019/07/15/731647850/trump-taps-health-care-expert-as-acting-top-white-house-economist

The revenue from Trump's tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods is not enough to cover the cost of the bailout for farmers, nor will it be enough to compensate all of the other industries hurt by the ongoing trade war. The tariffs will have brought in $20.8 billion as of Wednesday, but Trump has already committed to paying $28 billion to the farmers hurt by the trade war. The government hasn't provided similar bailouts to other businesses or industries that have lost contracts and revenue as a result of Chinese retaliation. (New York Times)

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/15/business/trade-war-tariffs-revenue.html

The Department of Agriculture will relocate 547 employees from the Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to an office building in Kansas City. Employees called the move an effort to "eviscerate" the agency and "silence" researchers doing work that runs counter to the administration's goals. The Trump administration claimed the move would save taxpayers money by bringing researchers closer to the farmers they serve. (NBC News)

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/federal-workers-u-s-department-agriculture-sound-alarm-about-agency-n1030056

The Interior Department will relocate 81% of its headquarters staff to west of the Rockies by 2020. Trump hasn't nominated a permanent director for Bureau of Land Management after more than two-and-a-half years in office. (Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2019/07/16/top-trump-officials-tell-bureau-land-management-staff-most-them-must-leave-dc-by-end-next-year/

Rep. Al Green plans to file articles of impeachment against Trump tonight, forcing a floor vote before the House departs for its August recess. Democrats have viewed Robert Mueller's appearance on Capitol Hill as a potential inflection point to begin impeachment proceedings. Green's move, however, will force House Democrats to take a position sooner than expected. Green has forced two votes on impeachment in the past, one in 2017 and one in 2018, while Republicans controlled the House. (Washington Post / Politico)

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/16/al-green-impeachment-house-democrats-1416845

Also seeing a Reuters notification that former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has died at age 99.

tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
Professional Forum Ninja
#285104: Jul 16th 2019 at 6:07:43 PM

[up]https://thehill.com/homenews/news/453428-former-justice-john-paul-stevens-dies-at-age-99

"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."
MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#285105: Jul 16th 2019 at 6:10:27 PM

Wikipedia says that while officially registered as a Republican, he was considered liberal-leaning by the time he died. Is that true?

@Fighteer:

The only diagnosis for Trump that is beyond reasonable doubt is narcissistic personality disorder. Anything else is pure speculation and is really not appropriate.
Time out! Last time I checked, this thread largely objected to describing him as having narcissistic personality disorder (which I firmly believe he shows every sign that is officially listed as symptoms of said disorder) on grounds that it's "armchair psychology". When did that change???

Edited by MarqFJA on Jul 16th 2019 at 4:12:17 PM

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
CrimsonZephyr Would that it were so simple. from Massachusetts Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Would that it were so simple.
#285106: Jul 16th 2019 at 6:23:32 PM

[up]He was 99 years old; when he first started voting, there were still liberal Republicans.

And his record shows a generally liberal ideological alignment, yes.

"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#285107: Jul 16th 2019 at 6:30:42 PM

[up][up] You're right. Technically that counts as armchair psychology because he does not have a diagnosis. However, there are reputable sources who firmly believe it and I see no reason not to treat it as fact at this point.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#285108: Jul 16th 2019 at 6:31:17 PM

"That final vote on the resolution condemning Trump's rhetoric as "racist comments that have legitimized increased fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color" passed largely along party lines, 240-187"

Note that when they say largely along party lines, they mean the number of Republicans who condemned Trump could be counted on one hand.

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#285109: Jul 16th 2019 at 6:52:26 PM

I really hope Pelosi doesn't walk back her statements. These rules are complete bullshit and need to be broken.

I couldn't agree more.

Considering that Pelosi later said “I stand by my statement. I’m proud of the attention that is being called to it, because what the president said is completely inappropriate against our colleagues" I think it's very unlikely that she' walk back from them.

Hopefully, the House rules can be amended and those racist wretches in the House GOP can be shown that we won't be silent about blatant and unacceptable racism.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#285110: Jul 16th 2019 at 6:55:59 PM

The House essentially voted to ignore those rules.

MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#285111: Jul 16th 2019 at 7:09:56 PM

So Stevens' death is technically more of a loss for the Democrats than it is for the GOP, right?

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#285112: Jul 16th 2019 at 7:11:27 PM

Stevens is a former Justice, so in purely pragmatic terms, his death affects nothing. Emotionally, however, I'm less sure without knowing what each side generally thought of the man.

Edited by sgamer82 on Jul 16th 2019 at 8:13:12 AM

MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#285113: Jul 16th 2019 at 7:14:32 PM

Oh, I missed the "former" part.

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#285114: Jul 16th 2019 at 7:51:21 PM

The thing I find really ironic with Conway's remarks today (namely, this bit where she asks a reporter his ethnicity before clarifying that she's Irish/Italian) is this - both groups were marginalized in much the same manner as those from Central and South America are now.

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#285115: Jul 17th 2019 at 5:07:23 AM

'Unfit to be president': Full text of House impeachment resolution on Trump – Read the full text of Rep. Al Green's House impeachment resolution

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/unfit-be-president-full-text-house-impeachment-resolution-trump-n1030611


Am interesting op-ed that suggests a way to tell when Trump is being more dishonest than normal.

'Sir' alert: This one word is a telltale sign Trump is being dishonest

https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/07/16/politics/sir-trump-telltale-word-false/index.html?r=https%3A%2F%2Fcurrentstatus.io%2F

I've fact-checked every word Trump has uttered since his inauguration. I can tell you that if this President relays an anecdote in which he has someone referring to him as "sir," then some major component of the anecdote is very likely to be wrong.

Lots of people do call Trump "sir," of course. But the word seems to pop into his head more frequently when he is inventing or exaggerating a conversation than when he is faithfully relaying one. A "sir" is a flashing red light that he is speaking from his imagination rather than his memory.

In poker parlance, it's a tell.

Trump has told false "sir" stories on all manner of subjects: health care, the Middle East, the courts, unions and — just last week — both tariffs and social media. But no genre of Trump story is more reliably sir-heavy than his collection of suspiciously similar tales about macho men breaking into tears of gratitude in his presence.

In a speech in January, Trump painted a colorful picture of the "strong, tough" farmers, ranchers and builders who stood behind him in 2017 as he signed an executive order to rescind a water regulation. "Half of them were crying," he told the American Farm Bureau Federation, especially one man so tough he might not have cried even "when he was a baby."

"He was crying," Trump repeated. "He said, 'Sir, you gave me back my life. You gave me back my property.'" Touching if true. Absolutely not true.

The signing ceremony happened on camera. The video, still available on the White House's You Tube channel, shows that nobody standing behind Trump was crying.

Edited by sgamer82 on Jul 17th 2019 at 6:14:17 AM

akanesarumara Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: Abstaining
#285116: Jul 17th 2019 at 5:20:23 AM

Wait... stop me if I'm wrong.

Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, made a speech calling for impeachment in the House of Representatives.

It didn't make it to votes on Tuesday, but still, the speech was held.

Has anyone been this open on the House floor about this?

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#285117: Jul 17th 2019 at 5:30:26 AM

Well it's not going to pass but I am glad as it at least marks on the record that someone tried to do the right thing.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
akanesarumara Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: Abstaining
#285118: Jul 17th 2019 at 5:33:36 AM

Yeah the fact that this was actually and outright openly brought up in the House is major in itself. We just gotta see what the GOP does now that the ball is in their court.

Deadbeatloser22 from Disappeared by Space Magic (Great Old One) Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
#285119: Jul 17th 2019 at 5:46:51 AM

So it seems Pelosi got censured for breaching a rule against calling the President a racist, or describing any statement made by the President as racist.

A rule instituted by the GOP less than a month after Trump secured the nomination.

"Yup. That tasted purple."
akanesarumara Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: Abstaining
#285120: Jul 17th 2019 at 5:51:50 AM

less than a month after Trump secured the nomination

The nomination back in 2016 or the one for this round? I'm genuinely curious.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#285121: Jul 17th 2019 at 5:54:50 AM

[up][up]The House already voted to more or less ignore said rules. Not surprisingly, it mostly went on party lines.

Disgusted, but not surprised
ShinyCottonCandy Everyone's friend Malamar from Lumiose City (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Everyone's friend Malamar
#285122: Jul 17th 2019 at 6:06:08 AM

[up][up]The 2016 one. Formally, Trump hasn’t secured the 2020 nomination yet, but we all know that he effectively has.

My musician page
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#285123: Jul 17th 2019 at 6:12:41 AM

It's telling that the GOP put that rule in after Trump was nominated. It really says a lot about their priorities.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
DingoWalley1 Asgore Adopts Noelle Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
Asgore Adopts Noelle
#285124: Jul 17th 2019 at 6:23:15 AM

A Federal Judge has signed an order, agreed to by both the Justice Department and the opposing Parties, that blocks the Trump Administration from ever adding the Citizenship Question to the Census, so even if Trump were to win re-election in 2020, this order bars his Administration from adding the Question to the Census. As of now, only Congress can add it during Trump's remaining years.

So that's a victory in and of itself; even if Trump remains President in 2021, he can't legally try to recast the Census with the Question on it.

tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
Professional Forum Ninja
#285125: Jul 17th 2019 at 6:38:55 AM

And in today's weird news: a videogame historian has spotted Microsoft's failed peripheral, the Xbox Kinect, as a security tool at Newark International Airport.

"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."

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