Wednesday, January 31, 2024
‘God’s Truth’: Biden Reveals What World Leaders Are Telling Him About Trump | HuffPost Latest News
Trump "represents uncertainty" and "we don't know exactly what he is going to do," Trudeau said, adding Canada "made it through the challenges represented by the Trump administration seven years ago, for four years, where we put forward the fact that Canada and the U.S. do best when we do it together."…
Party feud breaks out ahead of RNC meeting in Las Vegas - POLITICO
GOP county chairs and local activists warned the party isn't doing enough to compete in November...
The anti-abortion plan ready for Trump on Day One - POLITICO
"They have laid out an 887-page blueprint that includes, in painstaking detail, exactly how they plan to leverage virtually every arm, tool and agency of the federal government to attack abortion access," she said. "Trump's close advisers have actual plans to block access to abortion in every single state without any help from Congress or the courts."
Trump lawyers say company being tyrannized in Les Misérables parallel | Donald Trump | The Guardian
Clifford Robert, an attorney representing Trump and his family, wrote in a court filing that the court-appointed monitor overseeing the embattled Trump Organization is a "Javert" figure – a reference to the main antagonist in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables and the musical it inspired – looking to maintain power over Trump and his company…
‘She scares me’: Stefanik’s emergence as Trump’s cheerleader sparks criticism | Republicans | The Guardian
"She scares me in several ways," said Harvard government professor Steven Levitsky, the co-author of How Democracies Die. "Stefanik appears to be willing to go down Trump's authoritarian path wholeheartedly."…
No, the government is not sending $2,400 checks if you earn less than $30 an hour - PolitiFact
Online scammers employ these schemes to extract money from unsuspecting people or use personal details, such as Social Security numbers, to steal people's identities…
The IRS got $80B to help people and chase tax avoiders. Here's how it's going : NPR
"So we, for example, created a high-risk list of 1,600 millionaires and billionaires who owe back taxes. And we've put in a laser-focused effort to collect that money. And the new resources under the Inflation Reduction Act help us to do that. And we're working our way through that list. In just several months, we've collected nearly $200 million in back taxes, and we're not even through the list yet. So that demonstrates to you how much money is out there that is owed to the IRS. People want to know that the IRS is doing its part so that everyone is paying what they owe regardless of their income level…"
Florida Republicans' Bill Could Threaten IVF | HuffPost Latest News
"As a woman who had to utilize assisted reproductive technology to have my children, it is frightening for me that there's a piece of legislation moving through the process that would basically make it untenable to utilize this type of medicine to achieve creating a family," Florida state Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book (D) told HuffPost. "It's really, really scary."
Some anti-abortion activists oppose IVF because they believe a fertilized egg is a person, and they consider discarding fertilized eggs to be murder...
Tuesday, January 30, 2024
Weekly Roundup: Ron DeSantis Aborts 8 Months In (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
Brad and Dan begin by discussing what happened to Ron DeSantis. Taking stock of pundits who blame his failure on policy or lack of people skills, Brad argues that DeSantis lacks the aesthetic and eroticism to be a fascist leader. He was never Trump+. Just Diet Trump. The MAGA movement wants a strongman autocrat – and so he didn’t have it.
In the second segment, Dan reports on “man camps” around the country where guys are going to “get hard.” It’s a wild ride.
In the final segment, the hosts discuss a profile of a man who openly says he wants Trump again order to blow up the system and take revenge.
Interview:
In the second segment, Dan reports on “man camps” around the country where guys are going to “get hard.” It’s a wild ride.
In the final segment, the hosts discuss a profile of a man who openly says he wants Trump again order to blow up the system and take revenge.
Interview:
Accelerated Christian Education Exposed (with Jenna Scaramanga) (Thinking Atheist podcast)
ACE is a cult disguised as "education," with schools worldwide, laughably tragic workbook lessons, and a long history of abuse and bigotry.
Seth Andrews and his guest Dr. Jenna Scaramanga were once ACE students, and they're blowing the whistle.
Interview:
Seth Andrews and his guest Dr. Jenna Scaramanga were once ACE students, and they're blowing the whistle.
Interview:
Michigan man charged over threats to kill Biden, Harris, bomb D.C., FBI HQ
Russell Douglas Warren, 48, of Prudenville appeared in federal court Monday afternoon in Bay City, Michigan, and was ordered temporarily detained, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan told Axios...
Republicans now say it might be okay to ignore the Supreme Court - The Washington Post
The Supreme Court is the institution we charge with interpreting our Constitution; we now have a sitting U.S. governor and a congressman suggesting it's okay to ignore what the court says if you have a different interpretation…
Opinion | Judges slap down election deniers and contemptuous MAGA Republicans - The Washington Post
"This was not a protest that got out of hand. It was a riot; in many respects a coordinated riot, as is clear from cases before me. … 'Protestors' would have simply shared their views on the election — as did thousands that day who did not approach the Capitol. But those who breached and occupied the Capitol building and grounds halted the counting of the electoral college votes required by the Twelfth Amendment.
The rioters interfered with a necessary step in the constitutional process, disrupted the lawful transfer of power, and thus jeopardized the American constitutional order. Although the rioters failed in their ultimate goal, their actions nonetheless resulted in the deaths of multiple people, injury to over 140 members of law enforcement, and lasting trauma for our entire nation. This was not patriotism; it was the antithesis of patriotism.
And the rioters achieved this result through force. ...
The First Amendment does not give anyone the right to enter a restricted area or to engage in riotous activity in the Capitol."
Opinion | What Trump Could Do on Abortion in a Second Term - The New York Times
Some key abortion opponents, like the former Texas solicitor general Jonathan Mitchell, argue that Comstock should be interpreted as an effective ban on all abortions because every procedure that takes place in the United States relies on some item placed in the mail, from a surgical glove to a curet…
Monday, January 29, 2024
Colonoscopies may catch cancer — but yield sketchy bills : Shots - Health News : NPR
Medical providers have broad leeway to determine how they bill for care, including by deciding how to identify what goods or services were provided. This means patients may get stuck with charges for unfamiliar or downright bizarre things.
And because the law doesn't address how providers bill patients for preventive services, odd charges can crop up even for care that should be fully covered.
Research also shows private equity ownership, which has been increasing in specialties like gastroenterology, can lead to higher costs for patients, as well as lower quality care...
House GOP unveils Mayorkas impeachment articles | The Hill
House Republicans unveiled their articles of impeachment to remove Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, formally kicking off a controversial process as Democrats and experts argue he has not committed any high crimes or misdemeanors to justify booting him from his post.
Trump White House pharmacy improperly provided drugs and misused funds, Pentagon report says | Reuters
The unit spent $46,500 from 2017-2019 on 8,900 unit doses of Ambien, a brand name sleeping medication, which was 174 times more than the $270 the generic equivalent would have cost for the same amount of doses. It spent $98,000 on 4,180 unit doses of Provigil, a brand name stimulant, 55 times more than the $1,800 the generic equivalent would have cost, the report found...
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Opinion | When the Right Ignores Its Sex Scandals - The New York Times
How does a typical conservative activist deal with this reality? By pretending it doesn't exist…
Michael Steele (The Al Franken podcast)
The former Chair of the Republican National Committee talks to Al about the upcoming election and what to expect from Trump and the Republicans in Congress, how their goal is power for themselves, not the good of the people.
An example includes their plot to prevent passing a bill to solve the border and immigration crisis so that Trump can say Biden is failing to secure the border.
Interview:
Expert Witness List (Andrew McCabe and Allison Gill; Jack: A Special Counsel podcast, Episode #61)
Before the E. Jeanne Carroll damages were announced it looked like Trump was having a pretty ok week.
- His DC trial is stayed;
- Jack Smith filed a list of expert witnesses in the Mar-a-Lago case; and
- the prosecution in Fulton County is getting some bad press.
- Representative Barry “Look-at-that-beautiful-sconce” Loudermilk seems to want to get the names of some White House personnel who testified to the January 6 Committee with the guarantee that their names would remain anonymous.
- Plus another great listener question.
Sunday, January 28, 2024
The News Roundup – Domestic and International (The 1A) 2024-01-26
Domestic
The path to victory for GOP hopefuls not named Donald Trump is growing slimmer. The 45th president walked away winner of both the Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire GOP primary. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is now looking to her home turf in the Palmetto State to give her an edge against her former boss.The United Auto Workers union endorsed the campaign of President Joe Biden this week and the president and Vice President Kamala Harris held their first rally in Virginia.
Looking to the world of entertainment, the cast and crew of box office hit “Barbie” found themselves in an ironic position. Actor Margot Robbie and director Greta Gerwig, were not nominated for an Academy Award. But Ryan Gosling, who played the role of Ken in last summer’s box-office blockbuster was nominated for best supporting actor.
Interview:
International
Family members of some of the approximately 130 hostages still held captive by Hamas stormed a finance committee meeting in Israeli Knesset on Monday. This week talks between Israel and Hamas, mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt remain underway for deal calling for a two-month pause in fighting.After weeks of a stalemate in Congress, lawmakers are inching toward an agreement for more funding of the Ukraine war in a deal worth some $60 billion. There’s still a chance the agreement is scuppered over border funding.
Turkey’s parliament voted this week to approve Sweden’s bid to join NATO. Now, Hungary’s government is the last hurdle the Sweden must clear to gain full membership to the bloc.
Interview:
Trump ordered to pay E. Jean Carroll $83 million in defamation verdict - The Washington Post
"While Donald Trump doesn't care about the law, he certainly does not care about the truth, he does care about money," Kaplan said during her closing remarks...
U.S. war plans for Ukraine don’t foresee retaking lost territory - The Washington Post
The Biden administration is working on a long-term strategy for supporting Kyiv — despite the funding impasse in Congress. But those plans do not anticipate significant gains by Ukraine against Russia in 2024, officials say...
Biden vows to ‘shut down’ an overwhelmed border if Senate deal passes - The Washington Post
"It would give me, as President, a new emergency authority to shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed," he said. "And if given that authority, I would use it the day I sign the bill into law."…
How the Supreme Court gave police cover for raids gone wrong
It would be nice to think we shouldn't need the courts to tell police to avoid unnecessary violence, to abide by the Constitution, and to exercise due diligence when battering down doors and storming homes in the dead of night.
But the last 17 years have demonstrated that we clearly do. And until judges start taking seriously their responsibility to protect the Fourth Amendment, expect to see more innocent people shot, more injured children and bystanders, and more avoidable, unnecessary death...
Pope says LGBT blessings are for individuals, not approval of unions | Reuters
"When a couple comes forward spontaneously to ask for them, one does not bless the union, but simply the people who together have requested it. Not the union, but the persons," Francis said.
Francis stressed that such blessings should not be given in a liturgical context. The document says they should be delivered discreetly and never with any of the pomp or ceremonial accoutrements found at weddings...
/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/UMAD6RKHGNNUZBVUWM56KLK4ME.jpg)
Ron DeSantis condemned as Florida removes sociology as core college class
"The costs to society are higher still. Sociology students learn how to use empirical research and logic to assess the accuracy of claims made about the social world. They also gain skills to critique how power is distributed.
"In short, they are positioned to be engaged citizens, armed with the power to destabilize right-wing policy makers' agendas, and this is the threat these regulations seek to neutralize."…
Man speaks out after arrest by Alabama police officer goes viral: 'I am really traumatized'
Washington, 24, said he was on his way to pick up his brother on Dec. 2 when his tire "had a real bad blowout." He said he was on the ground changing the tire when an officer approached him and demanded that he show her his ID...
Cellphone video of the incident, which was obtained by ABC News, appears to show a female officer detaining Washington and using a stun gun on him as she holds Washington against a car...
After she shocks him, Washington begins to cry. She asks him, "You want it again?"...
https://abcnews.go.com/US/man-speaks-after-arrest-alabama-police-officer-viral/story?id=105456544
Cellphone video of the incident, which was obtained by ABC News, appears to show a female officer detaining Washington and using a stun gun on him as she holds Washington against a car...
After she shocks him, Washington begins to cry. She asks him, "You want it again?"...
https://abcnews.go.com/US/man-speaks-after-arrest-alabama-police-officer-viral/story?id=105456544
Going to extremes: New House Speaker Mike Johnson has a long history of promoting Christian Nationalism
...Formerly a highly placed attorney for two Christian Nationalist legal groups, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and First Liberty Institute, Johnson is stridently anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-reproductive freedom; he also peddles misinformation about separation of church and state.
Reporters scrambling to get a handle on the nation’s new speaker, who is second in line to the presidency, focused on his role as a 2020 election denier. But as AU was quick to point out, that’s just the beginning: Johnson holds many alarming views.
Immediately after Johnson was elected, Americans United’s staff swung into action and began exposing his record.
Here are some things we shined a light on...
Reporters scrambling to get a handle on the nation’s new speaker, who is second in line to the presidency, focused on his role as a 2020 election denier. But as AU was quick to point out, that’s just the beginning: Johnson holds many alarming views.
Immediately after Johnson was elected, Americans United’s staff swung into action and began exposing his record.
Here are some things we shined a light on...
The Christian Crypto Fraud (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podast #515)
— Christian pastor and wife sued over alleged cryptocurrency fraud scheme. (1:30)
— An Ohio pastor was punished for opening his church to the homeless. He deserves it. (23:50)
— Conservatives are falsely claiming NBC censored Jesus in an interview with C.J. Stroud. (48:30)
— A Mississippi school rightly reprimanded a kid who said “Jesus Christ” out of frustration. (58:00)
— Have the “Nones” finally peaked? (1:07:40)
Interview:
— An Ohio pastor was punished for opening his church to the homeless. He deserves it. (23:50)
— Conservatives are falsely claiming NBC censored Jesus in an interview with C.J. Stroud. (48:30)
— A Mississippi school rightly reprimanded a kid who said “Jesus Christ” out of frustration. (58:00)
— Have the “Nones” finally peaked? (1:07:40)
Interview:
Cold Tesla’s in Chicago; Skeptical Investing (The Phil Ferguson Show podcast)
Does cold weather in Chicago mean electric vehicles are not practical?
Interview:
An Atheist Chaplain (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio podcast)
FFRF Director of Communications Amit Pal describes how India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a Hindu temple on the site of a demolished mosque in a political effort to establish Hindu nationalism in that country. Then we speak with Devin Moss, the humanist chaplain who was called in to support an atheist death-row inmate executed in Oklahoma.
Interview:
Saturday, January 27, 2024
House Bunk (Allison Gill and Pete Strzok; Cleanup on Aisle 45 podcast episode #157)
This week, we have more information on the allegations of a conflict of interest made by defendant Mike Roman against Fani Willis.
We check in on Alina Habba in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case.
Plus, more bungling from the House when it comes to Hunter Biden.
Plus, more bungling from the House when it comes to Hunter Biden.
Interview:
Elon Musk Spreads Election Misinformation on X Without Fact Checkers - The New York Times
Civil rights lawyers and Democrats are sounding alarms about Mr. Musk's claims about voting. The Biden campaign called his posts "profoundly irresponsible."…
US border policy deal within reach despite efforts by Trump to derail it, senators say
"I think the border is a very important issue for Donald Trump," the Utah senator Mitt Romney, a Republican who has pressed his party to approve military aid for Ukraine, told reporters on Capitol Hill on Thursday. "And the fact that he would communicate to Republican senators and congresspeople that he doesn't want us to solve the border problem because he wants to blame Biden for it is really appalling."
He continued: "The reality is that we have a crisis at the border, the American people are suffering as a result of what's happening at the border. And someone running for president ought to try and get the problem solved as opposed to saying: 'Hey, save that problem. Don't solve it. Let me take credit for solving it later.'"…
At a press conference earlier this week, the Texas senator Ted Cruz, a Republican, denounced the proposal, the details of which have not yet been released, as a "stinking pile of crap" that "represents Senate Republican leadership waging war on House Republicans".
Cruz alleged that the negotiators involved cared only about supporting Ukraine and not fixing the issues at the southern border….
Nearly 65,000 US rape victims could not get an abortion in their state, analysis shows
Researchers estimated likely number of rape-related pregnancies in 14 states with near-total abortion bans since Dobbs ruling…
Biden is betting big on abortion rights. A look at his record to protect access
Trump could, Summers suggested, legally label certain forms of hormonal birth control – such as IUDS – as abortifacients, suggesting that they cause abortions. (Medical experts widely believe that they do not.) The US supreme court has previously supported a similar move. In a 2014 decision, issued when the court's makeup was far less conservative, the justices ruled that a corporation did not have to cover certain forms of birth control for employees because the corporation's religious owners believed them to be abortifacients.
"The bottom line here is that advocates sounded the alarm for years that Roe was at significant risk of being overturned. And we were dismissed by many as catastrophizing the whole thing," Summers said. "And look where we are."
Amish family’s horse and buggy stolen outside Michigan Walmart
Woman charged with larceny and larceny of livestock after truck driver witnesses the alleged theft …
Thomas Jefferson on Reason
"… Shake off all the fears and servile prejudices under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion.
Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear … Do not be frightened from this inquiry by any fear of its consequences.
If it end in a belief that there is no God, you will find incitements to virtue in the comfort and pleasantness you feel in its exercise and in the love of others which it will procure for you."
Thomas Jefferson, writing to nephew Peter Carr on August 10, 1787
14th Amendment: Illinois election board hears objection to Trump candidacy based on January 6 insurrection | CNN Politics
An attorney for the challengers, Matthew Piers, asserted that Trump filed "false" paperwork with Illinois election officials when he certified that he was "fully qualified to serve as president." As a result, Piers argued, Trump "may not be placed on the ballot."…
Friday, January 26, 2024
Nearly 30 percent in U.S. now identify as having no religious affiliation - The Washington Post
Trying to understand how nones construct their values, the study found that the group places a relatively high value on science. Forty-four percent of nones say there is a scientific explanation for everything, even if they don't understand how everything works, compared with 16 percent of religiously affiliated Americans. Fifty-six percent of nones say science does more good than harm, compared with 40 percent of the religiously affiliated who say the same.
But when it comes to identifying important factors for deciding between right and wrong, nones and religiously affiliated Americans look similar, with 82 percent of the former and 83 percent of the latter saying "they don't want to hurt people." The motivation of "logic and reason" was picked by 82 percent of nones and 79 percent of the religiously affiliated…
New Hampshire and Iowa Reveal Broader Weaknesses for Trump - The New York Times
Outside the soft bubble of Republican primaries, Mr. Trump's campaign is confronting enduring vulnerabilities that make his nomination a considerable risk for his party. Those weaknesses were laid bare in New Hampshire on Tuesday, where independents, college-educated voters and Republicans unwilling to dismiss his legal jeopardy voted in large numbers for his rival, Nikki Haley…
Mr. Trump will no doubt win many of these voters in November. But the number of Haley supporters telling pollsters they will back Mr. Biden — roughly 40 percent according to state and national polls — is striking. Even if some of those voters were never Trump voters to begin with, the figure suggests a large number of Republicans, or former Republicans, may not be coming home...
Could a court really order the destruction of ChatGPT? The New York Times thinks so, and it may be right
The Times claimed both that ChatGPT was unlawfully trained on vast amounts of text from its articles and that ChatGPT's output contained language directly taken from its articles.
To remedy this, the Times asked for more than just money: It asked a federal court to order the "destruction" of ChatGPT.
N.S.A. Buys Americans’ Internet Data Without Warrants, Letter Says - The New York Times
In a letter to the director of national intelligence dated Thursday, the senator, Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, argued that "internet metadata" — logs showing when two computers have communicated, but not the content of any message — "can be equally sensitive" as the location data the F.T.C. is targeting.
He urged intelligence agencies to stop buying internet data about Americans if it was not collected under the standard the F.T.C. has laid out for location records.
"The U.S. government should not be funding and legitimizing a shady industry whose flagrant violations of Americans' privacy are not just unethical, but illegal," Mr. Wyden wrote…
A new lens into Trump’s legacy of adding to the federal debt - The Washington Post
So it was with Trump. When he came into office, the debt was just a tick under $20 trillion. By the time he left — in only four years, half the duration of Obama's White House tenure — it had grown to just under $28 trillion. It remains the single largest four-year increase in history, though President Biden (who has seen the debt increase $6.4 trillion so far in his presidency) may give him a run for his money...
Biden economy’s resilience fuels Democrats’ 2024 optimism - The Washington Post
In prepared remarks, Yellen rebuked the forecasters who "thought a recession last year was inevitable." She also touted low gas prices, a jump in consumer sentiment, rising wealth relative to pre-pandemic levels, a decline in the gap between rural and urban unemployment, caps on some drug prices, and some other signs of economic improvement.
"It's been the fairest recovery on record," Yellen said, according to her prepared remarks. "The recovery we've had — instead of one that was weaker or less fair — meant that we avoided financial pain for most middle-class American families."…
Tesla shares plummet as analysts decry ‘train wreck’ investor call - The Washington Post
In an earnings call this week, CEO Elon Musk failed to allay concerns over falling demand and persistent price cuts…
About Stolen Device Protection for iPhone in iOS 17.3 - Apple Support
Update your iPhone to iOS 17.3 . Then…
Stolen Device Protection adds a layer of security when your iPhone is away from familiar locations, such as home or work, and helps protect your accounts and personal information in case your iPhone is ever stolen…
Thursday, January 25, 2024
Meta has not done enough to safeguard children, whistleblower says
It would take three months for Meta to carry out an efficient crackdown on self-harm content, Béjar added. "They have all the machinery necessary to do that. What it requires is the will and the policy decision to say, for teenagers, we're going to create a truly safe environment that we're going to measure and report on publicly."…
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