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

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#238226: Apr 10th 2018 at 3:06:48 PM

I like this idea, and I imagine it could be applied to most issues honestly.

Do we all agree we need a science and technology committee at the senate run by senators, but let scientists conduct the hearings and issue a report

Personally I would be happy with just more technologically literate people in general, but whatever works.

edited 10th Apr '18 3:08:31 PM by megaeliz

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#238227: Apr 10th 2018 at 4:28:44 PM

White House sources say that Trump is considering firing Rosenstein.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/10/politics/trump-rod-rosenstein-robert-mueller/index.html

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
BonsaiForest Since: Jan, 2001
#238228: Apr 10th 2018 at 4:31:30 PM

I'm hoping this is appropriate to post here, since it relates to politics. Specifically, the Christian Right.

The movie group I'm a member of is going to be watching Jesus Camp in a half hour from now. (Currently, we're in the pre-show) The movie, for those who are unfamiliar with it, is a documentary on Religious Right indoctrination in the US, in the form of camps that children go to that teach them Christianity and right wing politics and try to get them to be active and involved. We see how they're taught about what abortion is, how to convert people to Christianity, and things like that.

To some, it's a real horror show. To me, seeing how the Religious Right seems to be slowly losing influence and desperately trying to cling to the power they have so they don't lose it, it's not as scary as I thought it would be (I watched it on Sunday with an online friend).

Anyway, if you're interested in joining us in a chat room and watching the film, the link is here: https://cytu.be/r/TroperCoven - and there is a plugin that needs to be installed for the movie to display, but the plugin is linked to right there. Because of the movie's political theme, I'm wondering if anyone from here would like to join us and discuss it. (Normally our group is light and comedic, but the founder plans to treat this movie as heavy material - something he does once in a while for "special" movies that are artsy or cover serious subjects.)

edited 10th Apr '18 4:35:47 PM by BonsaiForest

DrDougsh Since: Jan, 2001
#238229: Apr 10th 2018 at 4:39:48 PM

I watched that film some years back. At first I thought it was acted and was mesmerised by just how convincing the main actress's portrayal of a cheerfully horrible person was.

BonsaiForest Since: Jan, 2001
#238230: Apr 10th 2018 at 4:40:53 PM

I read a "Where are they now?" article, and of the three kids that are the biggest focus of the documentary, two are still totally into Jesus in a big way, while another is a more subdued Christian. The kid who expresses doubts in the movie, grew up to leave Christianity.

Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#238231: Apr 10th 2018 at 5:13:57 PM

Can Rosenstein be fired directly or does Sessions have to fire him for Trump?

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
BonsaiForest Since: Jan, 2001
#238232: Apr 10th 2018 at 5:15:14 PM

People at work are laughing about how Trump's lawyers need lawyers now. I'm loving this shitshow.

I read a brief article saying that Republicans running locally are trying to distance themselves from Trump to save their ass, while the Trump administration wants Republicans to feel indebted to Trump and have to follow his agenda.

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#238233: Apr 10th 2018 at 5:17:18 PM

Running locally has done wonders for the Dems so far, especially in more moderate/conservative areas where their federal platform might lack appeal.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#238234: Apr 10th 2018 at 5:20:22 PM

I apologize if this has already been posted but I think but I think this article is extremely apropos regarding Trump wanting to fire Mueller. Poll: Nearly 70 percent of Americans say Trump shouldn't fire Mueller

As the title says 69% of Americans don't want Trump to fire Mueller and 55% of Republicans oppose it as-well.

If Trump does this I think we'll see the mother of all clusterfucks and likely devastating electoral consequences, I can't imagine how bad this could get for him and the Republicans. We're in unprecedented territory and I think the results of it will be too.

edited 10th Apr '18 5:20:46 PM by Fourthspartan56

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#238235: Apr 10th 2018 at 5:24:29 PM

Their plan might be to fire Rosenstein and appoint a toady to hobble Mueller, hoping that generates less outrage.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
rmctagg09 The Wanderer from Brooklyn, NY (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
The Wanderer
#238236: Apr 10th 2018 at 5:27:19 PM

Women Can't Have Prior Salaries Used Against Them, Court Says In Equal Pay Case:

Employers can't pay women less than men just because they made less at a previous job, a federal appeals court has ruled. The continuing gender pay gap is "an embarrassing reality of our economy," the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in its opinion.

The court said a woman's prior salary, whether considered on its own or along with other factors, can't be used to justify paying a female employee less than her male counterpart. To do so perpetuates discrimination, the court's majority opinion said.

Citing studies that show American women lose some $840 billion annually because of the wage gap, the court wrote, "If money talks, the message to women costs more than 'just' billions: Women are told they are not worth as much as men."

Obamacare’s Very Stable Genius by none other than Paul Krugman:

Front pages continue, understandably, to be dominated by the roughly 130,000 scandals currently afflicting the Trump administration. But polls suggest that the reek of corruption, intense as it is, isn’t likely to dominate the midterm elections. The biggest issue on voters’ minds appears, instead, to be health care.

And you know what? Voters are right. If Republicans retain control of both houses of Congress, we can safely predict that they’ll make another try at repealing Obamacare, taking health insurance away from 25 million or 30 million Americans. Why? Because their attempts to sabotage the program keep falling short, and time is running out.

I’m not saying that sabotage has been a complete failure. The Trump administration has succeeded in driving insurance premiums sharply higher — and yes, I mean “succeeded,” because that was definitely the goal.

Enrollment on the Affordable Care Act’s insurance exchanges has also declined since 2016 — with almost all the decline taking place in Trump administration-run exchanges, rather than those run by states — and the overall number of Americans without health insurance, after declining dramatically under Obama, has risen again.

But what Republicans were hoping and planning for was a “death spiral” of declining enrollment and soaring costs. And while constant claims that such a death spiral is underway have had their effect — a majority of the public believes that the exchanges are collapsing — it isn’t. In fact, the program has been remarkably stable when you bear in mind that it’s being administered by people trying to make it fail.

What’s the secret of Obamacare’s stability? The answer, although nobody will believe it, is that the people who designed the program were extremely smart. Political reality forced them to build a Rube Goldberg device, a complex scheme to achieve basically simple goals; every progressive health expert I know would have been happy to extend Medicare to everyone, but that just wasn’t going to happen. But they did manage to create a system that’s pretty robust to shocks, including the shock of a White House that wants to destroy it.

Hugging a Vanillite will give you frostbite.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#238237: Apr 10th 2018 at 5:34:16 PM

[up][up]To be frank I find this hard to believe, Trump very much wants Mueller gone and if decides to fire Rosenstein then I don't see why he would decide to hold back there and just try to (from his perspective) solve the problem completely.

Lets not forget that this is Trump we're talking about, he's a moron who's completely detached from reality and thus has no reason to use half-measures.

[up]That article on the ACA looks very interesting, I also love how it's complementary of the ACA. I've seen too many people throw shade at it or accuse Obama of "not going far enough" which is annoying and shows staggering ignorance.

edited 10th Apr '18 5:36:28 PM by Fourthspartan56

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#238238: Apr 10th 2018 at 5:35:12 PM

Takeaways from The Zuck Testimony from The NY Times. (Other than most of the Senate not understanding social media).

Mark Zuckerberg Testimony: Senators Question Facebook’s Commitment to Privacy

Facebook’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, began the first of two marathon hearings in Washington on Tuesday afternoon, answering tough questions on the company’s mishandling of data.

This was Mr. Zuckerberg’s first appearance before Congress, prompted by the revelation that Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm linked to the Trump campaign, harvested the data of an estimated 87 million Facebook users to psychologically profile voters during the 2016 election.

Mr. Zuckerberg, clad in a navy suit and bright blue tie, faced hours of questioning from lawmakers, who pressed him to account for how third-party partners could data without users’ knowledge. Senator John Thune of South Dakota talked about the need for Facebook to avoid creating “a privacy nightmare.”

Lawmakers grilled the 33-year-old executive on the proliferation of so-called fake news on Facebook, Russian interference during the 2016 presidential election and censorship of conservative media. Among the highlights:

  • Senators warned that they are skeptical that the company can regulate itself and threatened to enact privacy rules and other regulations. They said they weren’t sure if they could trust a company that has repeatedly violated its privacy promises.

  • There were glimmers of a partisan divide: Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, asked about Facebook’s handling of conservative media, including content related to Glenn Beck and a Fox News personality; Democrats probed Mr. Zuckerberg on how quickly Facebook responded to Russian meddling.

  • Mr. Zuckerberg, surrounded by his top legal and policy executives, appeared well-coached. He answered questions directly and without defensiveness as he tried to reiterate the mission of the social network to better connect the world.

1. ‘I think that may be what this is all about … your right to privacy.’

Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, zeroed in on the issue at the heart of Facebook’s troubles, asking Mr. Zuckerberg whether he would be comfortable sharing the name of the hotel he stayed in last night or if he would be comfortable sharing the names of the people he has messaged this week.

“No. I would probably not choose to do that publicly here,” Mr. Zuckerberg said.

“I think that may be what this is all about,” Mr. Durbin said. “Your right to privacy. The limits of your right to privacy. And how much you give away in modern America in the name of, quote, connecting people around the world.”

2. Centering the hearing on Cambridge Analytica

Much of the hearing so far has centered on Cambridge Analytica. The hearing was called as a result of reporting by The New York Times on the company’s data harvesting. Lawmakers asked Mr. Zuckerberg what, if anything, he knew about Cambridge’s harvesting, what he was doing to ensure it would not happen again and whether he knew of other operations that engaged in similar data collection on the platform.

Mr. Zuckerberg said Facebook would be “investigating many apps, tens of thousands of apps, and if we find any suspicious activity, we’re going to conduct a full audit of those apps to understand how they’re using their data and if they’re doing anything improper. If we find that they’re doing anything improper, we’ll ban them from Facebook and we will tell everyone affected.”

3. Did Facebook deceive its users?

Senator Kamala Harris, Democrat of California, zeroed in on whether Facebook deceived consumers. She pressed Mr. Zuckerberg on whether the company made a decision not to inform users about the Cambridge Analytica episode when they learned in 2015 that data was sold by a researcher to the political consulting firm.

“I’m talking about notification of users. And this relates to the issue of transparency and the issue of trust: informing users of what you know in terms of how their personal information was misused,” Ms. Harris said.

Mr. Zuckerberg did not admit that the company explicitly decided to withhold that information from consumers, but he said the company made a mistake in not informing users.

The question was key to the Federal Trade Commission’s investigation of Facebook’s violation of a 2011 consent decree. If the company withheld information, which would be a deceptive act, the company could face record fines for violating its promises to the agency.

4. Democrats press on Russian meddling

Senator Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, pressed Mr. Zuckerberg on Russia’s exploitation of the platform during the 2016 presidential election.

Mr. Zuckerberg admitted that the company’s effort to find and stop the Russian meddling was “slow,” and called that failure “one of my greatest regrets.” He said Facebook was tracking known Russian hacking groups in real time but took much longer to recognize the inflammatory posts of the Internet Research Agency, a private company with Kremlin ties.

“There are people in Russia whose job is to exploit our systems,” Mr. Zuckerberg said. “This is an arms race.”

5. Booker raised concerns about racial targeting

Senator Cory Booker, Democrat of New Jersey, questioned Mr. Zuckerberg over discriminatory uses of Facebook’s advertising platform to target ads to users by race, and tools that law enforcement officials have reportedly used to surveil activists of color.

6. As Zuckerberg was being grilled, Facebook’s stock price jumped

Early impressions of Mr. Zuckerberg’s testimony were positive. In his first appearance before Congress, he appeared confident and answered questions directly. At first he was grim-faced, looked tired and serious. But he warmed up after an hour and offered humor about the company’s motto. He insisted on continuing questions when offered a break, eliciting smiles and laughter from staff sitting behind him.

“This is a different Mark Zuckerberg than the Street was fearing,” said Daniel Ives, chief strategy officer and head of technology research for GBH Insights in New York. “It’s a defining 48 hours that will determine the future of Facebook and so far he has passed with flying colors and the Street is relieved.”

Some senators didn’t share investors’ enthusiasm

Not all lawmakers left appeased by Mr. Zuckerberg’s testimony.

“I was unsatisfied,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut. “More of the apology tour,” he said, “which we have heard before.”

Mr. Blumenthal said it was clear to him that Facebook could not and would not fully regulate itself and that Congress needed to provide a solution.

8. Zuckerberg has a long history of apologizing

Mr. Zuckerberg has a history of apologizing for the company’s mistakes and promising to do better. Wired Magazine recently noted that Mr. Zuckerberg has a 14-year history of apologizing. That seems to have caused some consternation on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers prodded Mr. Zuckerberg about why, exactly, they should believe his promises now.

“After more than a decade of promises to do better, how is today’s apology different and why should we trust Facebook to make the necessary changes to ensure user privacy and give people a clearer picture of your privacy policies?” Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, asked.

9. Will regulation of Facebook be coming?

Mr. Thune, the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, called Facebook and its role in society “extraordinary” and began the hearing by explaining why Facebook is being singled out and why Mr. Zuckerberg was asked to appear alone.

He said the Cambridge Analytica situation underscored how Facebook can be used for nefarious reasons, saying it appeared “to be the result of people exploiting the tools you created to manipulate users’ information.”

In an indication that he may support legislation for internet companies, Mr. Thune said, “In the past, many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle have been willing to defer to tech companies’ efforts to regulate themselves. But this may be changing.”

Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, said the tech industry “has a responsibility” to protect its users and said “the status quo no longer works.”

10. A lingering question: Does Facebook favor Democrats?

That was the accusation that Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, was leveling at Mr. Zuckerberg when he grilled him for several minutes as to why the social network has been allegedly censoring content from conservative organizations and Trump supporters.

Mr. Zuckerberg declined to answer whether Facebook is a neutral public forum or if it is expressing its own views of free speech, avoiding a complex legal question that Mr. Cruz was posing.

11. Facebook is working with Robert Mueller

Mr. Zuckerberg said that Facebook was working with Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and potential ties to the Trump campaign.

Replying to Senator Patrick Leahy, Democrat of Vermont, Mr. Zuckerberg initially seemed to confirm that Facebook had been served with subpoenas along the way, before saying he was not certain.

And notables:

A boost

Mr. Zuckerberg is clad in a suit and tie at his hearing. He also had a cushion in his seat to help give his testimony a lift.

Before the hearing, Zuckerberg was welcomed by dozens of Zuckerbergs

Greeting Mr. Zuckerberg on Tuesday are dozens of cardboard cutouts of his own image wearing “fix fakebook.” in front of the U.S. Capitol Building.

The formal writing style of the Times just makes those last too even more ridiculous.

edited 10th Apr '18 5:43:51 PM by megaeliz

fruitpork Since: Oct, 2010
#238239: Apr 10th 2018 at 5:52:41 PM

Re: hobbling mueller: nope. Trump wants to pull the “You’re fired!” Schtick again to try and “teach him a lesson.” It probably isn’t going to work. Still, I refuse to believe a single republican will lift a finger. They’ll probably just watch in horror and do nothing as controversy rises up.

edited 10th Apr '18 5:54:40 PM by fruitpork

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#238240: Apr 10th 2018 at 5:55:21 PM

[up] that would fit with his narcissism.

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#238241: Apr 10th 2018 at 5:56:52 PM

[up][up]To be perfectly frank I am highly skeptical of the idea that no Republicans would do anything, their base would not want Mueller to be fired and there would be no wealthy donors saying otherwise so I don't see much motivation for them to allow Trump to screw them over like that by firing Mueller before the midterms.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
#238242: Apr 10th 2018 at 6:03:56 PM

I think there's a difference between healthy skepticism and just shutting it out completely as a possibility.

In the right circumstances, if nothing else, they might consider it the more likely option to save their own necks.

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#238243: Apr 10th 2018 at 6:04:15 PM

Republican promises aren't worth the paper they're reported with. I'll believe they'll impeach their own President when I see it. Not before.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Eschaton Since: Jul, 2010
#238244: Apr 10th 2018 at 6:05:45 PM

His base not supporting it is something I just don't buy. They may say that now, but when it actually happens and push comes to shove, I don't have any faith that the majority would stand opposed.

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#238245: Apr 10th 2018 at 6:07:11 PM

[up][up]Same goes with protecting Mueller.

I just really hope that the rebelliousness that you Yankees excel at (tongue) manifests like never before if Mueller is fired and the investigation halted.

edited 10th Apr '18 6:22:53 PM by Rationalinsanity

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
fruitpork Since: Oct, 2010
#238246: Apr 10th 2018 at 6:09:52 PM

Considering all the protests? If mueller got fired, half the country would lose their shit.

TheWildWestPyro from Seattle, WA Since: Sep, 2012 Relationship Status: Healthy, deeply-felt respect for this here Shotgun
#238247: Apr 10th 2018 at 6:10:28 PM

Honestly? Mueller is one of the biggest hopes the country is clinging onto right now.

All eyes are on him and his team, especially after the raid.

edited 10th Apr '18 6:10:36 PM by TheWildWestPyro

fruitpork Since: Oct, 2010
#238248: Apr 10th 2018 at 6:13:33 PM

I wonder if mueller was the one who had a hand in the raid; this seems like poor timing otherwise. Maybe he’s ready to drop a bombshell.

Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#238249: Apr 10th 2018 at 6:13:53 PM

I think there's a difference between healthy skepticism and just shutting it out completely as a possibility.

In the right circumstances, if nothing else, they might consider it the more likely option to save their own necks.

Exactly my thoughts, just because the Republicans are untrustworthy does not mean they cannot be trusted to do whatever best supports their sense of self-preservation.

I think it's not implausible that enough Republicans could be willing to take action to protect Mueller that things could get interesting.

edited 10th Apr '18 6:19:40 PM by Fourthspartan56

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#238250: Apr 10th 2018 at 6:17:31 PM

So, it's not technically US politics but it's definitely important to US politics. The current news out of Syria is that the Syrian Air Force is moving as much materiel as possible into Khmeimim Airbase, presumably to protect it from a US strike. There's also been a NOTAM and associated navigational warnings issued for the area in effect tomorrow.

It's hard to say if this is indicative of an impending strike or just general heightened tensions, but if there's going to be a strike it seems like it'll be soon. The Russians are going about their usual routine of blame and deny, but everyone is definitely on edge.

They should have sent a poet.

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