Monday, July 31, 2023
The News Roundup – Domestic and International (The 1A) 2023-07-28
Domestic
Former New York City Mayor and Trump associate Rudy Giuliani admitted this week that he lied when he made public statements alleging that election workers in Georgia committed voter fraud that contributed to former President Donald Trump’s 2020 loss. In a bid to avoid losing a defamation case, Giuliani claims that these statements are protected under the First Amendment.A Congressional hearing on UAPs yielded some surprising information this week. Three military veterans appeared before lawmakers on Wednesday, one of whom alleged that the U.S. had recovered “non-human biologics” from supposed UAP crash sights.
Twitter owner and Tesla executive Elon Musk rebranded the social media site this week. Users logged in to see the app plastered with the letter “X” instead of the little blue bird. In fact, Musk says the site’s name has changed entirely, despite the domain still being www.twitter.com.
Interview:
International
The situation surrounding the military takeover in Niger continues to develop. Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum was taken into custody this week by a group of soldiers. The U.S. and UN have raised concerns about regional stability.Heat waves and natural disasters fueled by climate change in Europe and America are making life for citizens unbearable. Thousands are fleeing their homes in Greece as wildfires rage across the country.
China is trying to figure out what to do about its youth unemployment problem. Some 21 percent of people aged 16-24 were without work last month.
Interview:
Weekly Roundup: Try That in a Barbie World (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
Brad and Dan begin by discussing the new Florida school curriculum that forces teachers to tell students that enslaved people received some benefit from their enslaved condition. Dan reports on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ claim that enslaved people would have been able to develop trade skills and other “personal benefits.”
In the second segment Brad outlines the controversy surrounding Jason Aldean’s song “Try That in A Small Town,” explaining why it’s code and what the history of lynching and other violence tells us about it.
In the final segment the hosts discuss the right-wing temper tantrums in reaction to the Barbie movie.
Interview:
In the second segment Brad outlines the controversy surrounding Jason Aldean’s song “Try That in A Small Town,” explaining why it’s code and what the history of lynching and other violence tells us about it.
In the final segment the hosts discuss the right-wing temper tantrums in reaction to the Barbie movie.
Interview:
What Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orbán Understand About Your Brain - POLITICO
In order to hack into the minds of the public, people need to feel fear or uncertainty. That could be caused by economic instability or pre-existing cultural prejudices, but the emotional basis is fear. The brain is designed to respond to fear in various ways, with its own in-built defense mechanisms which produce chemicals in the response pattern, such as cortisol and adrenaline. These chemical responses, which zip straight past our logical brains to our fight-or-flight reactions, are also activated by forms of language that instill fear, either directly (as in a vocal threat) or, more insidiously, by twisted facts which allay fears through lies and deceptive statements…
Convicted January 6 defendant Pam Hemphill discusses her journey to MAGA (The Weekend Show with Anthony Davis)
Convicted January 6 defendant Pam Hemphill discusses her journey to MAGA, falling foul of propaganda and how she finally escaped the cult of Trump, on The Weekend Show with Anthony Davis.
Interview:
Sunday, July 30, 2023
Right To Forge (Pete Strzok and Allison Gill; Cleanup on Aisle 45 podcast)
This week: Michigan charges 16 of that state’s fraudulent electors; Trump loses again in the E. Jean Carroll two and the Manhattan DA’s criminal case; we find out new details on the forthcoming charges in the Fulton County Republican election interference case; Hunter Biden’s attorney files an ethics complaint against Marjorie Taylor Greene and the House Committee Hearings that led to it; and more.
GOP lawmakers once praised Catholic Charities. Now they want to defund the group. - The Washington Post
Some Republicans don't like the work of Catholic Charities and other faith-based groups helping migrants at the U.S. border…
Ban the Bible? (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio podcast)
FFRF attorney Chris Line explains why many evangelicals are boycotting the "Barbie" movie. Colorado activist Rob Rogers tells us how he is protesting book banning by insisting that the bible should also be banned. Then we remember freethinking author and editor James A. Haught, from West Virginia, who died this week at age 91.
Interview:
Tax complaint filed against rightwing parents’ rights group Moms for Liberty | US politics | The Guardian
Michigan attorney alleges organization, named an extremist group by Southern Poverty Law Center, in violation of non-profit status…
Houston school district to turn libraries into disciplinary centers | Texas | The Guardian
Critics condemn superintendent Mike Miles's 'new education system' that removes students' access to books…
The Two Faces of Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. (Conspirituality podcast)
We’ve been tracking Bobby’s misinformation, contradictions, and cursed networks for three years. And now he’s having his moment, and it’s anyone’s guess how far he’ll run. But why is he so appealing on the presidential stage? Why is he polling at 20%, with his favorability in double digits against Biden?
It’s not just that his endless rhetoric appeals to libertarians on the right and paranoiacs on the left. It’s that he casts a charismatic spell that echoes, exacerbates, and amplifies some of the deepest conflicts in the American psyche—between tradition and rebellion, nostalgia and grievance, idealism and paranoia.
Bobby, you see, is never quite who he seems to be. In one moment he’s the prodigal prince of Camelot, seen through a sepia lens. In the next he’s a tortured and braying conspiracy theorist, lit by the blue light of countless screens.
Interview:
It’s not just that his endless rhetoric appeals to libertarians on the right and paranoiacs on the left. It’s that he casts a charismatic spell that echoes, exacerbates, and amplifies some of the deepest conflicts in the American psyche—between tradition and rebellion, nostalgia and grievance, idealism and paranoia.
Bobby, you see, is never quite who he seems to be. In one moment he’s the prodigal prince of Camelot, seen through a sepia lens. In the next he’s a tortured and braying conspiracy theorist, lit by the blue light of countless screens.
Interview:
Congressional Dems pile on Alito after he says SCOTUS ethics can’t be regulated - POLITICO
"Congress has the authority to set the Supreme Court's budget and to infinitely expand the high court. But, according to Justice Alito, Congress cannot require SCOTUS to have a code of ethics like the rest of the federal government," Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday. "Does that sound remotely logical?"
Democrats claim the GOP is withholding contradictory evidence in Hunter Biden probe | PBS NewsHour
"This failure to release a transcript is the latest in your troubling pattern of concealing key evidence in order to advance a false and distorted narrative about your 'investigation of Joe Biden' that has not only failed to develop any evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden but has, in fact, uncovered substantial evidence to the contrary," Raskin wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press…
“Don’t They Care?” -- It’s In the Code Ep. 59 (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
Why do so many on the Christian, cultural, and political right receive such obvious pleasure in enacting policies and legislation that harm others? Don’t they care about the harm they’re doing? And if not, why not? Dan tackles this issue in this week’s episode, taking a look empathy, and its lack, as key concept for answering these questions.
Interview:
Saturday, July 29, 2023
The top 10 things to know about Kevin McCarthy’s impeachment plan
Biden doesn't seem too worried. The president was asked briefly on Tuesday about McCarthy's posturing. His broad smile suggested he's not overly concerned...
Former lawmaker says Trump asked him to overturn the 2020 election but so far special counsel hasn't contacted him
"Donald Trump wanted me to do four things: Advocate rescinding the election, advocate physically removing Joe Biden from the White House, advocate reinstating Donald Trump as president of the United States and advocate a new special election for president of the United States — all of which violate the U.S. Constitution and federal law," Brooks said. "And after I got done explaining that to him, he withdrew his endorsement and endorsed my opponent. So I'm mildly surprised none of these people have made inquiries about the details of this, but it is what it is."
Georgia Republican Calls Out Deception After Giuliani Bombshell | HuffPost Latest News
"For those that still believe there was widespread voter fraud, these people are admitting they lied to you," election official Gabriel Sterling tweeted on Thursday...
Opinion | What’s Happening in Giorgia Meloni’s Italy Is Scary - The New York Times
Ms. Meloni's administration has spent its first months accusing minorities of undermining the triad of God, nation and family, with dire practical consequences for migrants, nongovernmental organizations and same-sex parents…
A Black prosecutor was elected in Georgia – so white Republicans made their own district
After Jared Williams was elected Augusta DA, a lawyer and state lawmaker made an unusual proposal: that the whitest county split from the circuit…
Black fisherman repeatedly confronted by white neighbors, who ask what he’s doing there
Gibson, who is Black and documents his experiences fishing for catfish, carp, crappies and other fish on the social platform, said he has started videotaping every time one of the white residents in his 200-home development, Springwater Plantation, confronts him, asking for his address and questioning whether he should be there. He told NBC News that he soon learned he wasn't the only Black resident of the community to be confronted by white neighbors…
Arthur children’s book faces potential Florida ban over claim it ‘damaged souls’ | Florida | The Guardian
"'Spin the bottle' not okay for K-5 kids," Friedman added, still using all capital letters. In response to a question about what he believes might be the result of a student using the material, he wrote, "Damaged souls."…
Catholic diocese agrees to pay $100 million settlement to hundreds of abuse victims
… as part of its bankruptcy proceedings, the diocese itself will have to shell out $50 million, the parishes in the diocese will have to contribute $45 million, and other entities aligned with the diocese will pay $5 million, to settle the 411 abuse claims filed by 387 people, the lawyers said.
...This means that, when the ushers pass around the collection baskets at Sunday Mass at churches across the Diocese of Syracuse, some of that money could be used to pay the victims, Danielle Cummings, a spokesperson for the diocese, confirmed...
Friday, July 28, 2023
On America's farms, foreign workers solve one problem but raise others : NPR
"I want to make sure that there are fewer obstacles in front of our ability to produce food in this country, and to make sure that the American people continue to have an abundant and safe food supply," says Newhouse.
"If we don't have an adequate labor force for the agricultural industry, that's in jeopardy."…https://www.npr.org/2023/07/27/1187682674/farm-workers-guest-workers-h-2a-visa-agricultural-harvest-farm-labor
Thursday, July 27, 2023
Inside Mar-a-Lago, Where Thousands Partied Near Secret Files - The New York Times
A Times investigation shows how Donald J. Trump stored classified documents in high-traffic areas at Mar-a-Lago, where guests may have been within feet of the materials...
Bowe Bergdahl's desertion conviction is voided : NPR
In 2017, a military judge told attorneys in Bowe Bergdahl's court-martial case that he was impervious to pressure from then-President Donald Trump — but he made a crucial omission: one week earlier, the judge had applied for a new job in the Trump administration...
Why Hunter Biden's plea deal was questioned, delayed by a judge - The Washington Post
A federal judge exposed a rift over immunity provisions, and questioned whether the structure of the deal was legal…
How and Why Illegal Border Crossings Have Dropped So Dramatically - The New York Times
The Biden administration's new asylum policy, which a judge blocked this week, has contributed to a plunge in illegal border crossings at the southern U.S. border...
The Supreme Court codified discrimination against me, and possibly you | The Hill
Following 303 Creative, it will take little time before landlords claim the right to discriminate against same-sex couples and their families on the ground that providing them shelter would require the landlord to condone same-sex relationships and facilitate same-sex sexual behavior in violation of their beliefs. Far from the hypothetical and contrived facts on which the Supreme Court based its decision in 303 Creative, this is a real-world scenario. I know because I lived it...
Opinion | Black History Is a Casualty in Ron DeSantis’s Christian Nationalist Quest - The New York Times
In the same way that Donald Trump made his bones as America's white nationalist in chief, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida is trying to make his as the country's chief Christian nationalist, a subset of white supremacy that holds that God has ordained America as a Christian nation, and that its ideals must be protected from the encroachment of pluralism — racial, religious or otherwise…
But Christian nationalism isn't merely "patriotic Christians" and it's not Christianity, but rather, as the University of Oklahoma sociologist Samuel Perry put it, can be understood as "an impostor Christianity that uses evangelical language to cloak ethnocentric and nationalist loyalties."…
Biden cancels $130M in debt for students who were 'ripped off' by Colo. college - ABC News
"These borrowers were lied to, ripped off and saddled with mountains of debt," President Joe Biden said in a statement...
Black Nurse and Aides Allegedly Called 'N****rs' and 'Slave Girls' By Alabama Assisted Living Staff Who Also Neglected African-American Residents, Lawsuit Claims
Nine Black nursing professionals filed a civil lawsuit for unlawful race discrimination after claiming they endured hellish, bigoted conditions at an Alabama assisted living facility where they were the victims of several instances of racial abuse and harassment...
Members of Congress Blast Big Oil Companies for Windfall Profits Amid High Gas Prices and Climate Crisis
"Big Oil companies are making obscene profits and rewarding their shareholders with lucrative buybacks. We need a Windfall Profits Tax on these profits to put more money in the pockets of working families. As we look to the future, we must transition to renewable energy and ensure American energy prices are not tied to the whims of dictators abroad," said Senator Jeff Merkley...
Opinion | Dream Hampton: ‘The Flooding Eats Your Memories. It Destroys Them.’ - The New York Times
Dream Hampton explores water as
a force of harmony and devastation as climate
change affects her home city of Detroit...
Opinion | The Ridiculous Medical Bill Brought to You by the Latest Hospital Merger - The New York Times
When hospitals buy doctors' practices, research shows, rates for visits tend to go up as they did for Mr. Finney. Some purchases are essentially catch-and-kill operations: Buy a nearby independent outpatient cardiac center, for example, in order to eliminate cheaper competition...
A Democrat’s obsessive quest to change the way America is farmed and fed | Farming | The Guardian
"We simply pay too much to the wrong people, to grow the wrong foods the wrong way, in the wrong places," Blumenauer said...
DeSantis’s crusade to delegitimize the horrors of slavery is white supremacy in government
What DeSantis has started in Florida is a steady campaign of lies, obfuscation and political violence that slowly chips away at our shared reality, without which a truly democratic and free society is impossible to achieve. And like Derrick Johnson, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) said, Florida's new education rules are clearly "an attempt to bring our country back to a 19th-century America where Black life was not valued, nor our rights protected"...
Republicans target abortion pill access as government shutdown threat looms
House Republicans' messaging on the bill claims that their provision "reins in wasteful Washington spending" and "protects the lives of unborn children". The bill would also decrease the Snap benefit program – formerly known as food stamps – by $32bn compared with 2023 levels, as well as prevent the health and human services department from putting limits on the maximum amount of nicotine in cigarettes...
DeSantis aide fired after sharing video featuring symbol used by Nazis | Ron DeSantis | The Guardian
"DeSantis is perfectly happy having this kind of person on the staff but doesn't want people to know it. He still employs, Christina Pushaw [his press secretary] and other alt-right, white nationalist and anti-LGBQT activists."…
Rudy Giuliani says he falsely accused 2 election workers of mishandling ballots : NPR
"Giuliani's stipulation concedes what we have always known to be true — Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss honorably performed their civic duties in the 2020 presidential election in full compliance with the law; and the allegations of election fraud he and former-President Trump made against them have been false since day one," Gottlieb said in a statement…
Insurance coverage for mental health care gets a boost from Biden : Shots - Health News : NPR
If you break your arm, you go to the doctor, your insurance (usually) pays. Why is it so much harder to get health insurance to pick up the tab if you have a mental health breakdown?…
DeSantis suggests he could pick RFK Jr. to lead the FDA or CDC - POLITICO
Kennedy, who remains a long shot for the Democratic presidential nomination, has aired contentious views over vaccines, having questioned their effectiveness on several occasions. In the past few weeks, hecame under sharp fire from liberals for suggesting that Covid was engineered to be less lethal to Asian and Jewish people. He has also been a critic of Anthony Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, commenting once that he would prosecute him if "crimes were committed."…
Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Third man arrested in firebombing of California Planned Parenthood clinic
The suspects – including a US marine – face up to 31 years for the 2022 molotov cocktail attack on the Costa Mesa clinic…
DoJ sues Texas governor over refusal to remove anti-migrant buoys from river
Blowback over the tactics is widening, including from within Texas and particularly in light of a state trooper's account of razor wire leaving asylum seekers bloodied and officers denying migrants water in 100F (37.7C) heat and being told to push children into the river...
Arkansas man gets four-year term for beating Capitol officer with flagpole
Peter Francis Stager, 44, also stood over and hurled profanities at an injured policeman during the violent insurrection on January 6…
Disabled Retiree Loses $80K on Gold Coins Hawked on Fox News
White was shocked that Fox would lead him astray..
Donald Trump’s popularity has fallen among Republican voters, poll suggests | Donald Trump | The Guardian
Ex-president's favorability has fallen 9 points to 66% with party supporters, while Republicans with a negative view rose to 32%…
McCarthy, in escalation, floats Biden impeachment inquiry - ABC News
"Instead of focusing on the real issues Americans want us to address like continuing to lower inflation or create jobs, this is what the @HouseGOP wants to prioritize," tweeted White House spokesperson Ian Sams. "Their eagerness to go after @POTUS regardless of the truth is seemingly bottomless."
How Trumpism Differs From Fascism - The Atlantic
In a new Trump administration, total devotion to the leader would be the sole qualification for appointment.
Unlike previous fascist leaders with their cult of war, Trump still offers appeasement to dictators abroad, but he now promises something much closer to dictatorship at home…
Tuesday, July 25, 2023
Black Folks Who Were Touted by Florida as Benefiting From Slavery Weren’t Enslaved
A report by the Tampa Bay Times has exposed just how flawed Florida's new education policy about teaching slavery—that it somehow may have benefited some Black people—really is, with nearly half of the examples provided by the state having never been enslaved at all…
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