https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9u6tvrvKGU
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Why Democrats calling Republicans ‘weird’ works so well - The Washington Post
A central pillar of Trump's campaign is the idea that liberals are perverted misfits who want to tear down American values. Married men and women who have children are normal, but couples without children, or parents without partners, or children with two dads, or women who have two children but also once had an abortion — those people are morally deficient. All of this is old-school puritanism, but Trump brought it all into a pep rally atmosphere. Not only was it morally correct to pass judgment, but it was also festive and fun. They were strong; libs were weak. They were right; libs were wrong. They were with the prom king, who was telling them they were awesome, and the libs were outcasts in the library, probably being read to by a drag queen.
"Weird" intrudes on that narrative. It doesn't entirely upend it, but it does plant a seed of doubt. What if, instead of being admired or feared, they are instead being laughed at? What if, instead of edgelords, they are actually just the kids in the corner eating glue off their hands?…
Opinion | Joe Biden: My plan to reform the Supreme Court and ensure no president is above the law - The Washington Post
"We can and must prevent the abuse of presidential power and restore the public's faith in our judicial system."
Kamala Harris Erases Trump's Swing-State Lead in 2024 Election: Poll - Bloomberg
The numbers suggest Harris has a shot at reassembling the voter coalition that propelled President Barack Obama to the White House — and a clearer path to victory than Biden, who'd struggled to galvanize the Democratic base…
Project 2025 director leaves as Democratic attacks spurred backlash from Trump - The Washington Post
"Hiding the 920-page blueprint from the American people doesn't make it less real — in fact, it should make voters more concerned about what else Trump and his allies are hiding," she said in a statement. "Project 2025 is on the ballot because Donald Trump is on the ballot. This is his agenda, written by his allies, for Donald Trump to inflict on our country."
More than 900 Native American children died while at Indian boarding schools in U.S. - The Washington Post
The Washington Post, in a year-long investigation published in May, found at least 122 priests, sisters and brothers assigned to 22 boarding schools since the 1890s were later accused of sexually abusing Native American children under their care. Most of the documented abuse occurred in the 1950s and 1960s and involved more than 1,000 children...
Top Evangelical Leader: “We’ve Lost Our Credibility to the Outside World...
"We are the people Jesus warned us about."
Arizona mayor becomes the latest Republican to back Harris
"The time has come for my fellow Arizona Republicans to return to the core foundations of the Grand Old Party. Our party used to stand for the belief that every Arizonan, no matter their background or circumstances, should have the freedom, opportunity and security to live out their American Dream. But since Donald Trump refused to accept the outcome of the 2020 election, Republicans have yet to course correct. The Republican Party with Trump at its helm continues down the path of political extremism, away from focusing on our fundamental freedoms."
J.D. Vance’s weirdest idea: giving extra votes to parents - Vox
"In short, Vance wants to turn the law into a vehicle for legislating hard-right morality.
This isn't being unfair to Vance: he explicitly identifies as a "postliberal," a school of thought that believes it's the government's job to push people toward living morally upright lives, defined in conservative religious terms. In particular, he has cited Patrick Deneen — a Notre Dame professor and chief postliberal theorist — as a major influence. Speaking at a release event for Deneen's book, Regime Change, Vance described himself as an "anti-regime" politician — meaning that he aimed to act on Deneen's call for fundamentally transforming American politics along postliberal lines..."
Olympic ‘Last Supper’ scene was in fact based on painting of Greek gods, say art experts
The idea, Jolly said, was "more to have a big pagan party linked to the gods of Olympus, Olympian, Olympianism … You'll never find in me any kind of wish to mock, to denigrate anything at all. I wanted a ceremony that repairs and reconciles."
Jolly did not name the painting that inspired the tableau, but art historians in France and the Netherlands have pointed to van Bijlert's work, a portrayal of the ancient Greek deities gathered for a feast on Mount Olympus.
The Dutch art historian Walther Schoonenberg was in no doubt. "The tableau vivant or 'living painting' in the opening ceremony of Paris 2024 was of The Feast of the Gods, by Jan van Bijlert from 1635," Schoonenberg said on X...
Student loan borrowers who owe over $200,000 become more common
"There are quite a number of people who owe the federal government over $2 million in federal student loans," Johnson said...
Trump or Harris? NPR asks Pittsburgh area voters how they feel : NPR
"I am a registered Republican, but I don't like the extreme right of the party," Runco said. "I'm a little frightened by Project 2025 and how that will influence or is influencing the party."
Runco spent 20 years in a Christian ministry and generally opposes abortion, but feels it is sometimes medically necessary...
Trump’s PARTNER IN CRIME Gets EXPOSED in 4K
Anthony Davis EXPOSES Project 2025 by breaking down a recent speech from the President of the Heritage Foundation, Kevin Roberts - a close ally to both Donald Trump and JD Vance...
The Atlantic’s Frank Foer and Elaina Plott Calabro on Harris and Biden (Al Franken podcast)
This past week, we saw President Joe Biden drop out of the Presidential race and VP Kamala Harris emerge as the new nominee for the Democratic Party.
The Atlantic’s Frank Foer wrote the book “The Last Politician” about Joe Biden’s consequential first term and Elaina Plott Calabro, also from The Atlantic, has interviewed Kamala Harris multiple times.
We recap some of Biden’s biggest accomplishments and examine the radically changed political landscape since Joe Biden withdrew from the race.
How will the Trump campaign adjust to run against Kamala Harris? Can she sustain the excitement around her campaign all the way to November?
Interview:
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
Elon Musk Accuses Kamala Harris Of Being An 'Extinctionist' | HuffPost Latest News
Musk accused the vice president of being anti-family in a pearl-clutching post on X over the weekend...
Venus’ atmosphere reveals potential signs of life — again, scientists say | CNN
Scientists' current understanding of the atmospheric chemistry of Venus cannot explain the presence of phosphine, said Dr. Kate Pattle, a lecturer in the department of physics and astronomy at University College London. "It's important to note that the team behind the measurements of phosphine are not claiming to have found life on Venus," Pattle said in an email. "If phosphine is really present on Venus, it might indicate life, or might indicate that there is Venusian atmospheric chemistry that we do not yet understand."…
Fact check: Vance falsely claims Harris is ‘calling to end the child tax credit,’ which she is actually calling to increase | CNN Politics
Vance's claim that Harris is calling to end the child tax credit is false. In fact, it is the opposite of reality: Harris has called for years to increase the child tax credit. As vice president, she has advocated for the permanent adoption of the enhanced child tax credit that was temporarily in effect in 2021 under a pandemic relief law – a law that was signed by President Joe Biden after it was passed by Congress with only Democratic support...
Harris raises $200m and gets 170,000 volunteers in first campaign week
Campaign says it saw 'unprecedented grassroots support' as about 66% of total fundraising came from first-time donors…
Biden calls for supreme court reforms including 18-year justice term limits
Biden called for a "no one is above the law" amendment to the constitution, which would make clear that no president is entitled to immunity from prosecution by virtue of having served in the White House. Biden also said justices' terms should be limited to 18 years, under a system where a new justice would be appointed to the supreme court by the serving president every two years...
Donald Trump accused of falsely vilifying migrants for surge in US fentanyl deaths
Former head of US border security says claim 'terribly misleading' and statistics show nine of 10 convicted traffickers are US citizens…
Why does Trump promise to protect police officers like Sean Grayson?
Donald Trump's call to give police officers complete federal immunity is under renewed scrutiny following the horrific shooting of Sonya Massey.
America is heading for an economic miracle, thanks to Biden
What's made this possible is an economy that's incredibly robust on multiple fronts. The American Rescue Plan, the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS Act worked together like the legs of a chair, giving the nation's economy the strength to weather the aftereffects of the pandemic. And not just survive, but grow…
Scammers Are Targeting Older Americans and Their Retirement Savings - The New York Times
Criminals on the internet are increasingly going after Americans over the age of 60 because they are viewed as having the largest piles of savings...
Maga Morons - A Short Animated Film
In this video, interviews with real MAGA people are animated. Alex Jones is imagined as if he reformed his life and is now a truth teller.
Project 2025’s plan for turning government funded independent media into President’s bully pulpit
Voice of America, PBS, NPR to become propaganda machines of the fascist leader…
Think of what MAGA white supremacists and Christian nationalists can do when they replace journalism with their preferred messages.
Scoop: Sen. Gary Peters emerges as Harris VP dark horse pick
Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) told Axios: "I know for sure that one of the reasons his name is in the mix is that labor really wants to have somebody who is undoubtedly pro union, and Gary fits that definition quite well."
Clarence Thomas Hit With The BAD News In Unexpected Supreme Court Takedown
Supreme Court Justices, specifically Clarence Thomas, get rocked by new address from President Biden announcing he will be targeting the Supreme Court's corruption scandals with a reform plan that could introduce term limits.
Trump compared to 'righteous prophetic heroes' in prayer at rallies, says reporter
Not that Trump will carry out God's plan, but that God will carry out Trump's plan… and carry out righteous retribution against the enemies of MAGA…
LifeWise Academy: The Project 2025 Connected Religious Release Program in Public Schools (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
Brad interviews activist and parent Natalie Hastings, LifeWise Academy, a religious release program in public schools that takes children out of their school day for Bible study. Hastings provides insights into the program’s growth, its impact on students, and its connections to larger political movements such as Project 2025. The discussion highlights concerns about the program’s effects on school resources, inclusion, mental health, and the push for policies mandating such programs in different states.
Natalie Hastings is a public school parent who began tracking the efforts of national extremism on public schools when her own district elected four new board members who promised to “fight CRT,” canceled an opt-in Racial Diversity Awareness Day, and passed a “Culture of Kindness” resolution to restrict teaching and discussions on race, gender identity, and inclusion. She educates and activates local communities to protect the rights of every student through Honesty for Ohio Education, an alliance of 70+ nonprofit organizations and its Honesty Teams Network, a partner in HEAL Together Race Forward’s #PublicSchoolStrong initiative. Hastings also manages research for Ohioans Against Extremism, (OHAgainstExtremism.org) a new website launching in August 2024.
Interview:
Natalie Hastings is a public school parent who began tracking the efforts of national extremism on public schools when her own district elected four new board members who promised to “fight CRT,” canceled an opt-in Racial Diversity Awareness Day, and passed a “Culture of Kindness” resolution to restrict teaching and discussions on race, gender identity, and inclusion. She educates and activates local communities to protect the rights of every student through Honesty for Ohio Education, an alliance of 70+ nonprofit organizations and its Honesty Teams Network, a partner in HEAL Together Race Forward’s #PublicSchoolStrong initiative. Hastings also manages research for Ohioans Against Extremism, (OHAgainstExtremism.org) a new website launching in August 2024.
Interview:
Mock Trial: Should Trump’s Conviction Stand? (John Donvan; Open to Debate podcast)
Donald Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime. He was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree under New York law. Trump has the right to appeal and announced the day after the conviction that he would.
Now there is also a Supreme Court ruling that says presidential immunity is permitted for official acts committed in office. Legal scholars are questioning whether his conviction could be overturned and what could come next.
Those defending the New York court conviction argue that no individual, regardless of their office, is above the law, and keeping Trump accountable is crucial for upholding the rule of law. Its overturning would set a dangerous precedent undermining the judicial system’s integrity.
Those arguing for the defendant argue the laws under which Trump was convicted were misinterpreted or misapplied, possibly extending beyond their intended scope and his actions, since they were during his tenure, and some may have been within remit of his official duties.
Now, we take this question to a mock trial: Should Trump’s Conviction Stand?
Now, we take this question to a mock trial: Should Trump’s Conviction Stand?
Interview:
Israel and Hezbollah have escalated attacks on each other. How likely is war? (Terry Gross; Fresh Air podcast)
Hezbollah, the militant group based in Lebanon, shares Hamas’ goal of destroying the state of Israel. New Yorker writer Dexter Filkins talks about his reporting trip to the Lebanese/Israeli border.
Interview:
Monday, July 29, 2024
Officer charged with killing Sonya Massey had history of ‘bullying’
Sean P Grayson worked for six law enforcement agencies in four years, with allegations of abuse of power and lying…
Vaccines tell a success story that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Trump forget – here are some key reminders
Here are some facts about vaccines that skeptics like Kennedy get wrong:
Elon Musk retweets altered Kamala Harris campaign ad
Elon Musk, the owner of X, retweeted a parody Kamala Harris campaign ad Friday without labeling it as misleading, an apparent violation of his own platform's rules…
Texas sues Biden administration over teenage access to birth control - The Washington Post
Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said he was protecting parental rights in Texas; analysts say it's an effort to upend a federal rule for the whole country...
Warren says the Supreme Court is ‘actively undermining’ democracy
Biden's and Warren's comments on the Supreme Court come weeks after the justices ruled that former presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution.
Warren said that the Supreme Court is a reason why voters should back Democrats come November.
"And I think what Joe Biden will do over the next six months, is he's going to keep drawing that to the attention of the American people and reminding them when they vote in November, the Supreme Court is on the ballot. And that is a good reason to vote for Kamala Harris and to vote for Democrats in both the Senate and the House," she said…
Appeal Primer (Andrew McCabe and Allison Gill; Jack: A Special Counsel podcast, Episode #87)
This week we go over what Jack Smith’s appeal to the 11th Circuit will look like and why Judge Cannon will likely be overturned.
Donald Trump threatens to sue DoJ for violating his Constitutional rights.
Plus we take some listener questions.
Interview:
Weekly Roundup: Kamala Harris Rises Despite Jezebel Attacks from the Right (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
In this weekly roundup, we discuss the unexpected shifts in the political landscape following Joe Biden’s decision not to run for re-election and Kamala Harris emerging as the presumptive Democratic nominee.
We analyze the excitement around Harris’ campaign, the contrasting positions and controversial remarks of JD Vance, and how his views on natalism and abortion rights could impact the election.
We also explore the underlying influence of radical conservative Catholicism in American politics, particularly through connections like Kevin Roberts and Project 2025.
The conversation includes the broader cultural implications and public reactions, highlighting increased voter registration and widespread support across various demographics.
Interview:
It’s in the Code Ep 107: “DEI Candidate” (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
GOP rep. Tim Burchett posted on social media and has said in interviews that Kamala Harris is the “DEI candidate” for president? What does he mean by this? How does this statement reflect the ideology of “colorblindness”? And How does this language operate as an open code for contemporary American racism? Dan talks about these issues and more in this week’s episode.
Interview:
Sunday, July 28, 2024
Trump faces backlash for ‘in four years, you don’t have to vote again’ remark - The Washington Post
Some Democrats say his comments, directed at a Christian audience, signaled his plans to be a dictator. His campaign says he was talking about 'uniting' the country, and experts point to his 'deliberately ambiguous' speaking style...
The News Roundup – Domestic and International (The 1A) 2024-07-27
Domestic
President Joe Biden addressed the nation from the White House this week, explaining his decision to step down as the Democrats nominee for the 2024 presidential election.Former President Donald Trump’s team isn’t going to make things easy for presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Following the transfer of $91 million from the Biden campaign to the fledgling Harris campaign, Republican operatives filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission.
The Department of Justice is set to investigate why an Illinois sheriff’s deputy killed a Black woman named Sonya Massey in her home, killing her via a fatal gunshot to the head.
International
Amid his country’s continuing campaign to devastate Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress this week, framing his military’s actions as a desperate battle for survival.Earth set two new heat records this week. Sunday and Monday saw the planet warm to its two highest temperatures on record since at least 1940.
The 2024 Summer Olympics are set to kick off with their opening ceremony on Friday in Paris.
Interview:
N.A.R. and Christian Nationalism
This is about the evangelical movement that believes they are new apostles with new revelation, with a mission from God to take over everything. The Bible and Constitution are null and void, superseded by what god tells them personally — to be in control forever. They are the drivers of Christian nationalism and Project 2025.
Former Republican Lt Governor Leaves Trump Supporter TOTALLY SPEECHLESS!!!
Duncan discusses the threat Donald Trump poses to the country generally, but also the genuine threats that he and his family were subjected to after Donald Trump tried to steal the election in 2020.
Disbelief: The Origins of Atheism in a Religious Species (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio podcast)
Project 2025 and “divine intervention” are discussed, as well as state/church complaints and victories in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Illinois, New Jersey and Tennessee.
FFRF Anne Nicol Gaylor Legal Fellow Sammi Lawrence joins us to talk about our legal victory allowing a nonreligious after-school group to meet on campus alongside the religious Good News Club in Memphis, Tenn.
Then, we talk with evolutionary psychologist Will M. Gervais about his new book Disbelief: The Origins of Atheism in a Religious Species.
Interview:
Whiplash with the Southern Baptists (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podast #541)
— What it means to have Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee. (0:30)
— A Southern Baptist leader praised Biden’s “selfless” act. Then he was fired. Then he was unfired. (8:35)
— New Zealand report finds 200,000 abuse victims in care of state, faith-based groups. (35:57)
— A Texas public school superintendent won’t stop promoting Christianity at work. (50:17)
— Tennessee district owes over $15,000 after illegally thwarting After School Satan Club. (1:06:40)
— Survey: 37% of Americans are Creationists (but a record-high 24% accept reality). (1:12:16)
Interview:
— A Southern Baptist leader praised Biden’s “selfless” act. Then he was fired. Then he was unfired. (8:35)
— New Zealand report finds 200,000 abuse victims in care of state, faith-based groups. (35:57)
— A Texas public school superintendent won’t stop promoting Christianity at work. (50:17)
— Tennessee district owes over $15,000 after illegally thwarting After School Satan Club. (1:06:40)
— Survey: 37% of Americans are Creationists (but a record-high 24% accept reality). (1:12:16)
Interview:
Biden Out + JD Vance’s Postliberal Monarchist Catholicism (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
In this episode, we react to President Joe Biden’s surprising decision not to seek reelection, focusing on Kamala Harris’s rapid emergence as the new Democratic frontrunner after raising $60 million in one day.
We examine the implications of a Harris candidacy and explore JD Vance’s connections with reactionary Catholic intellectuals and Silicon Valley monarchists.
Additionally, the show reviews Patrick Deneen’s vision of ‘common good conservatism’ and Curtis Yarvin’s radical political ideas, while touching on the influence of conspiracism in American religion and politics. The discussion highlights how certain religious traditions can prime individuals, especially American evangelicals and Christian nationalists, to believe in conspiracy theories.
Interview:
MZ Sniffer (Allison Gill and Pete Strzok; Cleanup on Aisle 45 podcast episode #183)
This week: 
- Joe Biden is out. Kamala Harris is in. The GOP is a bit panicked.
- DoJ has indicted Guo Wengui on wire fraud and money laundering charges.
- Calls from both sides for US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign are heeded.
- We learn of many of the security anomalies at Mar-a-Lago.
- Senator Bob Menendez was found guilty on all charges.
- Plus updates on Fulton and Alexander Smirnov.
Interview:
Nearly 43,000 people commented on the DEA reclassifying cannabis. What did they say?
Analysis shows 59% of commenters want the proposed rule change to go further and for marijuana to be decriminalized…
JD Vance called for ‘federal response’ to block women from traveling for abortions
VP nominee pushed baseless warning in 2022 that George Soros would pack planes of Black women to get abortions…
GOP wants to hold Harris’s immigration record against her - what did she do?
As vice-president, Harris was handed a daunting mission at the onset of her term: to address the "root causes" of migration from the northern triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. But at no point was she put in charge of border policy. That is the responsibility of the Homeland Security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, who was with Harris when she visited the border in June 2021, three months after she was given the assignment.
Instead, Harris's mandate, as laid out by the president, was to meet with government officials and private sector partners to tackle enduring problems in the region, such as poverty, violence and a lack of economic opportunity, that drive people to migrate from their home countries to the United States, said Theresa Cardinal Brown, a senior adviser of immigration and border policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
"It was a diplomatic and development focus," she said, "not a border focus."
Saturday, July 27, 2024
Bill Barr complicit in misleading voter fraud statement’s release – watchdog
"Nearly every DOJ lawyer we interviewed – both career employees and Trump Administration political appointees – emphasized how 'unusual' it would be for the department to issue a public statement containing details about an ongoing criminal investigation, particularly before any charges are filed," the inspector general report said. "As one then US Attorney told us: 'If [we] don't have a charge, we don't say anything about an investigation; we just don't do that.'"
Barr's behavior "was certainly not consistent" with that guidance, the report said…
Exclusive: CNN survey finds 48 states say Harris can get on ballot instead of Biden, rejecting claim switch breaks state laws | CNN Politics
In general, they explained that they receive the names of a major party's presidential nominee after the nominee is officially chosen by the party; that the Democratic convention has not been held yet (it's scheduled for in-person events on August 19-22, with an official nomination vote to be held virtually earlier in the month); and that their state's deadline for receiving the party nominees' names has not arrived yet…
Control
The people pulling all the strings are now hanging you out to dry. You used to be in total control. What happened, Donald?
Donald Trump Gets No Black Votes vs. Kamala Harris in New Michigan Poll
Among the Black voters surveyed, 82.1 percent supported Harris, 11.5 percent backed independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and none supported Trump...
Opinion | Trump Ignores the Ruinous History of Tariffs - The New York Times
"Overreliance on tariffs helped foment an era of economic shocks. The Panic of 1893, at the time the worst depression in American history, was set off by business and bank failures but aggravated by foreign creditors demanding payment in gold, which only encouraged the U.S. Treasury to push for even higher tariffs to curb imports..."
Lawrence O’Donnell Utterly Trashes ‘Laziest, Stupidest’ Trump In Scathing Monologue | HuffPost Latest News
Few people "better personify real garbage than Trump," he added. "Everything out of Donald Trump's mouth is real garbage. He is a pollutant. He has polluted American politics. He is simultaneously stupid enough to believe the real garbage that he spews and liar enough not to believe all of it."…
Republicans are already souring on JD Vance - POLITICO
"I'm a little surprised they didn't vet him as thoroughly as they should have," said one GOP strategist...
Friday, July 26, 2024
Harris: We Are Not Going Back | Why Did Trump Pick Vance? | Fox News Is ...
Vice President Kamala Harris is already landing effective blows against Trumpism on the campaign trail, Republicans are regretting Trump's choice of running mate, and the folks at Fox News are finding it hard to criticize Harris for her policies.
Mexican president to ‘friend’ Trump: close the US-Mexico border at your peril
Andrés Manuel López Obrador warns ex-president that campaign pledge will hurt $325bn Mexicans bring to US…
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