Sunday, December 31, 2023
Biden’s Christian ‘Persecution’? We Assess Trump’s Recent Claims. - The New York Times
Former President Donald J. Trump has repeatedly accused the Biden administration of criminalizing Christians, and Catholics in particular, for their faith. Here are the facts...
Police killed Niani Finlayson seconds after responding to her 911 call, video shows
Body camera reveals Los Angeles deputy fired at woman who sought help for domestic violence as nine-year-old daughter watched…
Special Counsel Jack Smith pushes back on Trump’s immunity claim | CNN Politics
"The implications of the defendant's broad immunity theory are sobering. In his view, a court should treat a President's criminal conduct as immune from prosecution as long as it takes the form of correspondence with a state official about a matter in which there is a federal interest, a meeting with a member of the Executive Branch, or a statement on a matter of public concern," the filing reads.
"That approach would grant immunity from criminal prosecution to a President who accepts a bribe in exchange for directing a lucrative government contract to the payer; a President who instructs the FBI Director to plant incriminating evidence on a political enemy; a President who orders the National Guard to murder his most prominent critics; or a President who sells nuclear secrets to a foreign adversary, because in each of these scenarios, the President could assert that he was simply executing the laws; or communicating with the Department of Justice; or discharging his powers as Commander-in-Chief; or engaging in foreign diplomacy," it adds.…
A Lie is Still a Lie (Allison Gill and Pete Strzok; Cleanup on Aisle 45 podcast episode #153)
This episode: 
- We have updates on the E. Jean Carroll case, the NYAG civil fraud case, and Rudy Giuliani.
- In Georgia, Jeffrey Clark and Mark Meadows are dealt both dealt losses.
- Trevian Kutti’s attorneys fire her.
- Plus, there’s a new “perfect” phone call where Donald Trump and Ronna McDaniel tried to convince Michigan canvassers not to verify the 2020 results.
Interview:
Can You ”Boost” Your Immune System? (Thomas Smith; Serious Inquiries Only podcast SIO409)
It's an Emergen-C episode with Dr. Rick Sullivan! With the holidays approaching, you may be wondering if there's a good way to boost your immune system and prevent getting sick. Well, there are many products that purport to do just that. Vitamins, Emergen-C, etc. Do they work? Find out!
Interview:
Getting Jefferson Right – fact-checking Claims About Our Third President
Warren Throckmorton's has a Ph.D. in History, whereas the favorite history commentator of the Christian nationalists actually only has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Education from Oral Roberts University.
Barton gets a lot of things very wrong, so wrong that the Bible publisher of one of his books felt morally obligated to recall the book when a real historian pointed out all the lies.
Throckmorton has a book and a podcast to debunk the lies Barton has been telling for years about The Founding Fathers and American history.
The book: Getting Jefferson Right
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The podcast: Telling Jefferson Lies begins in January. Hear the trailer here — https://gettingjeffersonright.com/telling-jefferson-lies-podcast-series/ — or Apple Podcasts, where you can also subscribe for free.
Saturday, December 30, 2023
Judge Blocks Iowa’s Ban on School Library Books That Depict Sex Acts - The New York Times
Authors and activists said the Republican-backed law infringed on free speech. The judge said the ban imposed a "puritanical 'pall of orthodoxy' over school libraries."..
Ohio Governor Blocks Bill Banning Transition Care for Minors - The New York Times
"Ohio would be saying that the state, that the government, knows better what is medically best for a child than the two people who love that child the most, the parents."
Opinion | Tim Alberta on Why Evangelical Politics Was Ready for Trump - The New York Times
"For the book, I spoke with Cal Thomas, who had been one of Jerry Falwell Sr.'s lieutenants in the Moral Majority, and he talked to me in these really broken, regretful tones. He was very emotional talking to me about how during his years with Falwell and the Moral Majority, how he knew that they were just ripping these people off."
From the economy to animal welfare, here are 10 good things that happened in 2023 - Vox
This was a hard year. But these 10 news stories remind us a better future is possible…
Navy Vet BLOWS THE LID off MAGA Brainwashing Project, MUST SEE
Michigan's Hillside College produces Christian nationalist propaganda as history texts for schools…
Opinion | Nine states quit ERIC voter database. Now it’s harder to identify fraud. - The Washington Post
They did so amid pressure from former president Donald Trump, who claimed in March that the consortium "pumps the rolls" for Democrats. Consequently, voter rolls in those states — Alabama, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia — are less accurate, and it's becoming harder to detect the small number of people who improperly vote in multiple states. Indeed, as 2024 begins, these same election officials find themselves spending taxpayer dollars to re-create the very tools that the system they abandoned had provided...
This year set to mark record drop in homicides, research shows | The Hill
The data, however, hasn't translated into a change in public perception. A Gallup poll released last month found that 77 percent of Americans surveyed believe crime has increased in the past year. More than half said crime has risen where they live...
Public Christian schools? Leonard Leo’s allies advance a new cause - POLITICO
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican, says the proposed school violates both the U.S. and the state Constitution, and he is suing to stop it. Separately, a group of 10 plaintiffs including public school parents and faith leaders represented by groups including Americans for Separation of Church and State filed a lawsuit warning that the creation of the school will erode a pillar of American democracy: the wall of separation between church and state…
If the law were to allow public funding of religious schools, legislatures in conservative states would come under immediate pressure to help bail out troubled religious school systems: Catholic and Protestant churches are shuttering due to significant declines in church attendance and financial support as Americans become increasingly secular.
The 1.8 million-student Catholic education system received a lifeline through the Supreme Court's 2022 decision in the case of Carson v. Makin, which required states with voucher systems to help students afford private schools to allow the money to be spent on religious academies. The influx of public money was already helping the Catholic Church to stave off parish closings, according to a 2017 National Bureau of Economic Research study that called vouchers "a dominant source of funding for many churches."
Democrats go after GOP’s ‘anti-history record’ with billboard ads | The Hill
The billboards feature a photo of Haley, DeSantis and Trump and say "MAGA's America" includes whitewashing slavery, erasing history, banning books and parroting Hitler...
Friday, December 29, 2023
Thursday, December 28, 2023
What Congress needs to get done in January, explained - Vox
Everything Congress has procrastinated on and needs to do in the new year, explained...
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Kinzinger says Christians who back Trump ‘don’t understand’ their religion | The Hill
Kinzinger, one of Trump's fiercest critics in the GOP, said in his post that "Trump is weak, meager, smelly, victim-ey, belly-achey, but he ain't a Christian and he's not 'God's man.'"…
The Biden Administration Is Quietly Shifting Its Strategy in Ukraine - POLITICO
"Voters will face a clear choice in this election between President Biden's strong leadership on the world stage, including his work to unite our allies and defend democracy at home and abroad, and Donald Trump's record of praising dictators and terrorists. Americans want a president they can trust, not an erratic extremist — and that's why they'll reject Donald Trump once again next November."…
Wednesday, December 27, 2023
Hunter Biden Text Cited in Impeachment Inquiry Is Not What G.O.P. Suggests - The New York Times
Hunter's oft-told story about giving half of his salary to his father appeared to originate during his freshman year at Georgetown.
His roommate at the time recalled Hunter telling him and his twin brother "a million times" that then-Senator Biden encouraged him to work, saying, "You can keep half of the paycheck, but you have to hand over the other half for 'room and board.'"…
Opinion | This Year, Make a Resolution About Something Bigger Than Yourself - The New York Times
What will you do — right now, this week, this month — to make a better world?
Serious Medical Errors Rose After Private Equity Firms Bought Hospitals - The New York Times
Some private equity owners may be overly eager to cut costs, leading to a decline in the quality of care, he said. "It's about the style of investing," he said. "It's about the aggressiveness and short-time-frame profits and returns on investment that are sought." In the cases where they do not pursue this strategy, private equity can be positive, Dr. Blumenthal added: "It brings capital. It brings innovation."
The researchers said the most likely explanation for the increased errors was fewer hospital employees, an effect that has been measured in other studies of private equity. "Reductions in staffing after acquisition could explain all of these findings," Dr. Song said...
Ohio grand jury to decide whether to charge woman who miscarried for ‘abuse of a corpse’ | Ohio | The Guardian
"By seeking to indict her, you are clearly implying that anyone who miscarries at any point in pregnancy in our state must retrieve the fetal tissue whether they are at home, at work, at school, at a restaurant or other public place and preserve it until the tissue can be disposed of properly even though Ohio law does not define what a proper disposal method would be nor require that this non-existent method be used," the group wrote. "We have no doubt that women facing the threat of jail time and hefty fines will conceal the fact that they have miscarried and refuse to seek treatment."…
Baltimore Police training officers with an emphasis on emotional regulation, empathy | PBS NewsHour
The Baltimore Police Department recently started requiring its members to complete a program on emotional regulation that uses video as a learning tool and teaches them the basics of brain science by examining the relationship between thoughts, feelings and actions. It's a far cry from traditional police training…
Tuesday, December 26, 2023
‘You better pray’: Christian nationalist groups are mobilizing before the 2024 elections
Patriots of Ozaukee County declares on its website that it views as fundamental "truths" that "God is our creator" and "Jesus is our savior". The Ozaukee county group has also hosted Constitution Alive! events touting the claim that the US constitution is a Christian document – led by the Patriot Academy organization, a Christian nationalist group that also offers weapons courses...
Monday, December 25, 2023
The Dark Side Of Christmas: Deconstructing The Slaughter Of The Innocents
Today's episode is about the slaughter of the innocents found in Matthew chapter 2. Herod The Great supposedly orders the killing of all baby boys under the age of 2 years old in Bethlehem. Let's look at why this story probably didn't happen, and what it would mean if it did!
Interview:
Show Me The Dicta (Andrew McCabe and Allison Gill; Jack: A Special Counsel podcast, Episode #56)
This week, Trump filed his opposition to Jack Smith’s SCOTUS petition in the immunity case, and the Supreme Court has denied that petition to grant certiorari before judgment.
Meanwhile, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals has granted Jack Smith’s request for an expedited appeal. Also, Trump has asked for a hearing in front of the full DC Circuit court panel on his appeal of Judge Chutkan’s limited gag order. Even though the DC trial has been stayed, Jack Smith filed his exhibit list and discovery with Trump’s lawyers, who refused to accept it.
There’s another perfect Trump call, this time with Michigan canvassers in November of 2020. A newly unsealed court filing shows Jack Smith was looking at obstruction and false statements charges for Jeffrey Clark and John Eastman. Another federal judge has ordered Rep. Scott Perry to hand over communications to Jack Smith.
In Florida, we have Jack Smith’s motion and Trump’s opposition to a jury questionnaire and filings on whether CIPA Section 4 should be ex parte and whether classified documents should go to Nauta and de Oliviera. Plus, we have some great listener questions.
Interview:
Meanwhile, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals has granted Jack Smith’s request for an expedited appeal. Also, Trump has asked for a hearing in front of the full DC Circuit court panel on his appeal of Judge Chutkan’s limited gag order. Even though the DC trial has been stayed, Jack Smith filed his exhibit list and discovery with Trump’s lawyers, who refused to accept it.
There’s another perfect Trump call, this time with Michigan canvassers in November of 2020. A newly unsealed court filing shows Jack Smith was looking at obstruction and false statements charges for Jeffrey Clark and John Eastman. Another federal judge has ordered Rep. Scott Perry to hand over communications to Jack Smith.
In Florida, we have Jack Smith’s motion and Trump’s opposition to a jury questionnaire and filings on whether CIPA Section 4 should be ex parte and whether classified documents should go to Nauta and de Oliviera. Plus, we have some great listener questions.
Interview:
Nikki Haley surges in poll to within four points of Republican leader Trump
The former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley has pulled within four percentage points of frontrunner Donald Trump in New Hampshire's 2024 Republican presidential primary, a contest which could prove closer than expected for the ex-president, according to a new poll...
David Byrne's Christmas playlist; Nicolas Cage (Terry Gross; Fresh Air Weekend podcast)
Whether you're merry or miserable, David Byrne's holiday playlist will resonate: The singer-songwriter and Talking Heads frontman presents some of his favorite holiday music — including songs by The Pogues, James Brown, LCD Soundsystem and Paul Simon.
Forget Hollywood's 'old guard,' Nicolas Cage says the young filmmakers get him: The Oscar-winning actor is seeking out the next generation of filmmakers because, he says, many established directors have "already made up their minds about me." Cage's new movie is Dream Scenario.
Interview:
Forget Hollywood's 'old guard,' Nicolas Cage says the young filmmakers get him: The Oscar-winning actor is seeking out the next generation of filmmakers because, he says, many established directors have "already made up their minds about me." Cage's new movie is Dream Scenario.
Interview:
How the Roswell 'UFO' spurred our modern age of conspiracy theories (Terry Gross; Fresh Air podcast)
"The foundation of our modern conspiratorial age in our politics begins in the wake of Watergate with UFOs," Graff says. "You don't get January 6th and the big lie in the 2020 election without the foundation of those UFO conspiracies in the '80s and '90s."
Interview:
Sunday, December 24, 2023
The News Roundup – Domestic and International (The 1A) 2023-12-22
Domestic
The Colorado Supreme Court disqualified former President Donald Trump from their primary ballot for the 2024 election this week. The decision is expected to be reviewed by the Supreme Court which features several Trump-appointed justices.Harvard President Claudine Gay is back in the hot seat this week. In addition to questions over instances of antisemitism on her campus, she’s facing allegations of plagiarism relating to several pieces of scholarship she published in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Congress is in gridlock again over funding for the war in Ukraine. House Republicans held a bill passed by the Senate that would send money to Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s troops hostage over immigration restrictions.
Interview:
International
A Hamas political chief was in Egypt this week for discussions with Israeli officials who proposed a pause of violence in exchange for around 40 hostages. Talks were reportedly less than fruitful.The European Union has reached an agreement to overhaul its migration and asylum systems in the face of pressure from a rise of far-right parties in its member states.
Pope Francis cleared the way this week for Catholic priests to give blessings to same-sex couples, angering conservative officials in the Vatican.
Interview:
Comer Pyle (Allison Gill and Pete Strzok; Cleanup on Aisle 45 podcast episode #152)
This episode:
- Hunter Biden moves to dismiss;
- House Republicans approve a fishing expedition– impeachment inquiry into President Biden;
- Rudy is hit with a nearly $150 million judgment for defaming Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss;
- plus updates on the NYAG’s $250M civil fraud suit;
- the E. Jean Carroll defamation case,
- and a preliminary exam of six of the indicted fraudulent electors in Michigan.
Interview:
The Far-Right Pushes a New Conspiracy Theory to Discredit Jack Smith – Mother Jones
A new conspiracy theory rising on the right is being deployed to help Donald Trump.
It claims that Jack Smith, the special counsel who is prosecuting Trump for his attempt to overturn the 2020 election and for his alleged swiping of classified documents, was part of a multimillion dollar extortion scheme when he was the chief prosecutor investigating and prosecuting war crimes in Kosovo. In the past two weeks, this unsubstantiated narrative has started popping up on fringe right-wing sites and social media posts. Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser and QAnonish MAGA champion, has promoted this tale. These allegations appear to be in the early phase of the right-wing transmission belt that propels false stories and conspiracy theories from less prominent platforms to more established conservative media and toward the mainstream—often facilitated by Republican members of Congress…
Do electric cars really produce fewer carbon emissions than petrol or diesel vehicles?
In part five of our series exploring myths surrounding EVs, we assess the greenwashing claims…
Biden pardons thousands of people convicted of marijuana possessions
"Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities," Biden said. "Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It's time that we right these wrongs."
Saturday, December 23, 2023
Opinion | On Satanic Idols and Free Speech - The New York Times
What is happening? Why are leading figures on the right embracing the exact kind of behavior they condemn on campus? Why is it that campus activists are "snowflakes" when they tear down conservative displays, but a Christian veteran is a "hero" who embodies the "American spirit" when he engages in comparable ideological vandalism?
What Jack Smith won't say - POLITICO
"A speedy trial is necessary to ensure that evidence is available, witnesses' memories are fresh, and jurors are able to find their recollections credible," McQuade noted, adding that if Trump were elected in 2024, his trial could be pushed until 2029 or beyond. "At that point, the public's interest in a speedy trial has been defeated."
What Trump has to fear from the Michigan tape - POLITICO
Ty Cobb, who once served as Trump's lawyer and whose views on the 14th Amendment the Trump campaign has recently highlighted, said he saw the recordings as "likely a violation" of the federal honest services fraud statute.
"Also, shows the depths to which Trump personally participated in fraudulently pimping the 'Big Lie,'" Cobb said. "McDaniel is equally exposed. Clearly, evidence going to the core conspiracies charged by the special prosecutor."…
The GOP’s case against Biden unravels in new and unfortunate ways
The most charitable explanation is that GOP officials and their aides were careless and clumsy when reviewing the underlying documents. The more unsettling possibility is that congressional Republicans deliberately tried to mislead the public in their zeal to tear down the president without cause...
Trump Camp Kicks Up A Stink Over Adam Kinzinger's Claim Ex-President Smells | HuffPost Latest News
In a viral post over the weekend, Kinzinger, a vocal Trump critic, wrote, "I'm genuinely surprised how people close to Trump haven't talked about the odor."
"It's truly something to behold. Wear a mask if you can," he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter…
Friday, December 22, 2023
Michigan is spending $107M more on pre-K − here's what the money will buy
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration has announced intentions to continue to expand public pre-K, including a goal of offering universal pre-K to all Michigan 4-year-olds by the end of 2026...
Opinion | Crime is way down - The Washington Post
The FBI's crime tracker for the first three quarters of 2023, compared with the same period in 2022, shows violent crime down 8 percent and property crime down 6 percent, NBC News reported, using analysis from criminologist Jeff Asher. Rape was down nearly 15 percent, and robbery dropped roughly 9 percent. The only exception to the positive trend was car thefts, which were up about 10 percent…
Trump lashes out after Colorado ruling removing him from ballot
Predictably, the ex-president took to his social media site to condemn the decision – and to raise funds…
Thursday, December 21, 2023
Fact check: Are Colorado Supreme Court justices ‘unelected,’ as GOP has claimed? | CNN Politics
Facts First: These comments aren't entirely accurate. In Colorado, supreme court justices are initially appointed by governors but then have to face the voters by running in statewide retention elections. Colorado voters previously chose to keep all four justices who were in the 4-3 majority that ruled against Trump...
‘Incompetent dumpster fire’: Michigan GOP rocked by financial turmoil and infighting | CNN Politics
"We should have a fighting chance in the state of Michigan to award our electors to a Republican. … With this chaos and alienation of other Republicans, we don't stand that chance," he said...
Senator John Fetterman vows to block ‘outrageous’ $14.9bn US Steel sale
"Neither US Steel nor Nippon reached out to our union regarding the deal, which is in itself a violation of our partnership agreement that requires US Steel to notify us of a change in control or business conditions," McCall told Axios, calling the sale "shortsighted".
A previous buyout offer in August, worth $7.3bn, by rival company Cleveland Cliffs, was rejected by US Steel. That offer did have the support of the USW union, which praised the Ohio-based Cleveland Cliffs as being "in the best position to ensure that US-based manufacturing remains strong in this country", and noted it didn't cut jobs during previous acquisitions in 2019 and 2020…
Man Cleared of Murder After More Than 48 Years in Prison - The New York Times
Glynn Simmons, 70, of Oklahoma, was exonerated after a 1975 conviction for a murder he did not commit, prosecutors said. He served the longest wrongful sentence in the United States...
Opinion | The Colorado Ruling Is a Rebuke for the Ages - The New York Times
As the justices in Washington weigh these matters, they will no doubt be aware of the political unrest surrounding them. They know that Mr. Trump has built a large political following and is marshaling his followers to turn against the justice system for indicting him, to intimidate law enforcement officials and court personnel and anyone else who gets in his way. They are aware that he will whip his die-hard followers into a frenzy against the Supreme Court itself, just as he unleashed his followers to try to bend Congress to his will on Jan. 6...
Wednesday, December 20, 2023
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