We Resist: Day 726

One of the difficulties in resisting the Trump administration, the Republican Congressional majority, and Republican state legislatures (plus the occasional non-Republican who obliges us to resist their nonsense, too, like we don't have enough to worry about) is keeping on top of the sheer number of horrors, indignities, and normalization of the aggressively abnormal that they unleash every single day.

So here is a daily thread for all of us to share all the things that are going on, thus crowdsourcing a daily compendium of the onslaught of conservative erosion of our rights and our very democracy.

Stay engaged. Stay vigilant. Resist.

* * *

Earlier today by me: For the Record and Bill Barr Confirmation Hearing Today and We Are Being Gaslighted About the Gaslighter-in-Chief. And ICYMI late yesterday by Fannie: Keep Your Trickle-Down White Male Socialist Revolution.

Here are some more things in the news today...

In case you're wondering how the Bill Barr confirmation hearing is going, this about sums it up:

Leahy asks if William Barr will seek and follow the advice of DOJ ethics officials on whether he must recuse himself from the Mueller investigation.

Barr says that he will seek out their advice "but under the regulations, I make the decision."

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 15, 2019

[Content Note: HIV/AIDS stigma] In case you haven't heard, Barr has an utterly appalling record on HIV/AIDS dating back to the Reagan administration, including, as noted by staff at Towleroad, running "HIV prison camps" at Guantanamo Bay. Sounds like he and Mike Pence are going to get on like gangbusters.

* * *

Steve Liesman at CNBC: Trump Administration Doubles Estimate of Shutdown Cost to Economy from Original Forecast, Per Source. "The Trump administration now estimates that the cost of the government shutdown will be twice as steep as originally forecast. The original estimate that the partial shutdown would subtract 0.1 percentage point from growth every two weeks has now been doubled to a 0.1 percentage point subtraction every week, according to an official who asked not to be named. The administration had initially counted just the impact from the 800,000 federal workers not receiving their paychecks. But they now believe the impact doubles, due to greater losses from private contractors also out of work and other government spending and functions that won’t occur."

"The boost from Trump's tax cut isn’t materializing for taxpayers." No shit. https://t.co/1vasFdfCq1

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) January 14, 2019

Erin Banco, Asawin Suebsaeng, Betsy Woodruff, and Spencer Ackerman at the Daily Beast: Mueller Probes an Event with Nunes, Flynn, and Foreign Officials at Trump's D.C. Hotel. "The Special Counsel's Office and federal prosecutors in Manhattan are scrutinizing a meeting involving former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, one-time National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, and dozens of foreign officials, according to three sources familiar with the investigations. The breakfast event, which was first reported by The Daily Sabah, a pro-government Turkish paper, took place at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. at 8.30 a.m. on Jan. 18, 2017 — two days before [Trump's] inauguration. About 60 people were invited, including diplomats from governments around the world, according to those same sources. The breakfast has come under scrutiny by federal prosecutors in Manhattan as part of their probe into whether the Trump inaugural committee misspent funds and if donors tried to buy influence in the White House."

Pamela Brown, Evan Perez, and Shimon Prokupecz at CNN: Trump's Legal Team Rebuffed Request for Mueller Interview in Recent Weeks.

Donald Trump's legal team rebuffed special counsel Robert Mueller's request in recent weeks for an in-person session with Trump to ask follow-up questions.

The request was made after Trump's team submitted written answers to a limited number of questions from Mueller's team focusing on before Trump was in office.

As Mueller's investigation into possible collusion between Trump associates and Russians winds down, an interview with the President remains an outstanding issue even as Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani said an interview would happen "over my dead body." One source familiar with the matter summed it up by saying, "Mueller is not satisfied."

People familiar with the talks describe the two sides as at loggerheads, with no meaningful discussion about the issue in about five weeks.

And the Trump team appears to have hardened its position. It's told the Mueller team that prosecutors have no cause to seek follow-up questions in person after the President's team submitted written responses to questions before Thanksgiving.

In November, the President submitted written answers to questions submitted by Mueller's office that dealt largely with the allegations of Russian collusion and the time period before the inauguration.

The Trump team has all but closed the door to any further responses to Mueller, the sources say.

Guess it's time to send him a fucking subpoena then!

Olivia Gazis at CBS News: Adam Schiff Makes Specialty Hires for Reopened Russia Probe. "Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee have wasted no time in beefing up the investigative staff dedicated to continuing the committee's work on its semi-dormant Russia probe, even as the committee's new membership is still taking shape. The new majority has made offers to half a dozen new staffers, CBS News has learned, and is still searching for six more. Among the latest hires are an expert in corruption and illicit finance and a former prosecutor. ...'There's a lot of work yet to be done on Russia,' a senior committee official told CBS News. 'What we're doing is we are creating a purpose-built team that will take the point on that.'" Get him.

* * *

[CN: Nativism] Tara Bahrampour at the Washington Post: Federal Judge Rules Against Trump Administration's Push for Citizenship Question on 2020 Census, Case Likely Headed to Supreme Court. "A federal judge has ruled against the Trump administration's addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Census. In the first major ruling on the controversial question, Judge Jesse M. Furman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ordered the administration to stop its plans to add the question to the survey 'without curing the legal defects' identified in his opinion. Plaintiffs hailed the decision. 'This ruling is a forceful rebuke of the Trump administration's attempt to weaponize the census for an attack on immigrant communities,' said Dale Ho, director of the Voting Rights Project at the ACLU, which was a plaintiff in the case. The Trump administration had tried several times to stop the case from going forward, including requests to the Supreme Court; the administration is likely to appeal Furman's decision in the high court."

"Contrary to recent rumors, Ivanka Trump will not be the new leader of the World Bank, according to the White House. But she will play a large role in selecting its new president." Oh. https://t.co/O6lULTXqoy

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) January 15, 2019

Brian Stelter at CNN Business: John Kasich Signs with CNN as Senior Political Commentator. "John Kasich's time as Ohio governor just came to an end. And his time as a CNN commentator just began. On Tuesday morning CNN announced that Kasich is the newest addition to the network's stable of commentators. He will appear as a guest across an array of CNN programs. ...Kasich's move to CNN is notable because he is one of the most prominent critics of [Donald] Trump within the Republican Party. He has declined to rule out a 2020 primary bid against Trump." 1. He's not a prominent critic of Trump; he is a prominent critic of Trump's vulgarity. He has very few, if any, policy objections. 2. CNN is acknowledging that Kasich is essentially going to get a ton of free airtime ahead of a likely presidential run, and they're giving him the job, anyway. Disgusting.

* * *

[CN: Food insecurity; nativism] Rebecca Vallas at Rewire.News: Will Trump Starve SNAP Households to Get His Wall? "The nation's largest food assistance program, SNAP helps about 38 million people in 19 million households put food on the table each month. Nearly half are children. Facing criticism that funding for SNAP was set to run out at the end of January, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced last week that it had cobbled together enough money to pay February benefits. But if the shutdown drags on past that, the Trump administration doesn't appear to have a long-term plan for keeping SNAP up and running. The agency had nothing to say about March in its announcement — and apparently SNAP benefits will end altogether if the shutdown drags on."

[CN: Carcerality; violence; sexual assault] Ella Fassler at ThinkProgress: 'This Isn't Rehabilitation': Alabama Inmates Speak Out Against State's Soaring Prison Homicide Rate. "Kennedy's case isn't unique in Alabama, where the prison homicide rate is the highest in the nation at more than 34 per 100,000 prisoners. The level of violence has skyrocketed over the past 10 years, as prisons in the state come under fire for 'horrendously inadequate' care that violate the U.S. constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment. ...Derrick said he wakes up every morning fearing for his life. 'This isn't rehabilitation,' he told ThinkProgress. ...'They basically let prisoners kill each other.'"

[CN: Toxic masculinity] Kate Lyons and Matthew Weaver at the Guardian: Gillette #MeToo Ad on 'Toxic Masculinity' Cuts Deep with Men's Rights Activists. "Gillette is under fire from men's rights activists and rightwing publications for a new advertisement that engages with the #MeToo movement and plays on its 30-year tagline 'The Best a Man Can Get,' asking instead: 'Is this the best a man can get?' The advertisement features news clips of reporting on the #MeToo movement, as well as images showing sexism in films, in boardrooms, and of violence between boys, with a voiceover saying: 'Bullying, the MeToo movement against sexual harassment, toxic masculinity: Is this the best a man can get?' The film has generated heated debate." Where "heated debate" actually means "misogynist shitwheels proving the very point yet again."

What have you been reading that we need to resist today?

Open Wide...

Shut Up!

We Resist: Day 725

One of the difficulties in resisting the Trump administration, the Republican Congressional majority, and Republican state legislatures (plus the occasional non-Republican who obliges us to resist their nonsense, too, like we don't have enough to worry about) is keeping on top of the sheer number of horrors, indignities, and normalization of the aggressively abnormal that they unleash every single day.

So here is a daily thread for all of us to share all the things that are going on, thus crowdsourcing a daily compendium of the onslaught of conservative erosion of our rights and our very democracy.

Stay engaged. Stay vigilant. Resist.

* * *

Earlier today by me: Quite a Weekend for Russian Puppet Donald Trump and Julián Castro Announces Candidacy for President. And ICYMI late Friday: An Observation About the Shutdown.

Here are some more things in the news today...

Paul McLeod and Tarini Parti at BuzzFeed: This Is Now the Longest Government Shutdown in U.S. History and There's No End in Sight. "The ongoing government shutdown became the longest in United States history Saturday, and there is no end to the standoff in sight. [Today] marks the [24th] day of the partial shutdown, breaking the previous record of 21 days set during Bill Clinton's presidency between December 1995 and January 1996. That shutdown affected only a third as many workers. ...Friday was supposed to be payday for government workers. Around 800,000 people — roughly half of whom are furloughed, half of whom are deemed essential and must work without pay — missed their first paycheck since the shutdown began. Cracks are already starting to show. TSA workers are calling in sick in droves. Low-wage subcontractors are losing wages they'll likely never get back. Even the organization tasked with stabilizing the spike in asylum claims at the southern border has been largely shut down."

And that's just the tip of the iceberg, of course. People who rely on food stamps are going to have to try to find other sources of food if the shutdown doesn't end soon. Federal prisoners are soon going to start feeling the effects of a major barrier to their accessing resources, including food. People who live in federally subsidized housing may start having trouble making rent. The shutdown is already grim for millions of people, and it's going to escalate fast.

Meagan Flynn at the Washington Post: Compelled to Work without Pay, Federal Employees Sue Trump, Accusing Him of Violating 13th Amendment. "A group of federal employees working without pay during the partial government shutdown are likening the predicament to involuntary servitude in a lawsuit filed last week, accusing [Donald] Trump and their bosses of violating the 13th Amendment. ...Employees at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Bureau of Prisons, and Federal Aviation Administration have already filed lawsuits against the administration through their respective unions, among others. But this case, filed Wednesday in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, diverges from the others by invoking the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the aftermath of the Civil War. The four plaintiffs, who are from Texas and West Virginia, work for the departments of Justice, Agriculture, and Transportation; one is an air traffic controller. The lawsuit also claims violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, among other statutes."

Martin Pengelly and Oliver Laughland at the Guardian: Trump Rejects Lindsey Graham's Proposal to Reopen Government. "On day 24 of the partial government shutdown, the longest in history, Senate Republicans seemed best placed to negotiate a reopening of shuttered federal departments and threatened services and the restoration of pay to 800,000 workers. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who has worked assiduously to get close to Donald Trump, said he told the president he should reopen the government temporarily, to pursue a deal. Some Democrats voiced support. But on Monday morning, en route to New Orleans where he is due to address a farming convention, Trump told reporters he had rejected Graham's suggestion. 'I'm not interested,' he said of the senator's proposal. 'I want to get it solved. I don't want to just delay it. I want to get it solved.'"

Ariel Edwards-Levy at the Huffington Post: Most Americans Hold Trump Responsible for Government Shutdown, New Polls Show. (As well they should!) "Most Americans hold [Donald] Trump responsible for the partial government shutdown, according to a slate of just-released surveys, including the fourth wave of HuffPost/YouGov's shutdown tracking poll. The share of Americans who regard the shutdown as “very serious” now stands at a new high of 50 percent... 57 percent of Americans say they hold Trump at least partially responsible for the shutdown, an uptick from the 49 to 51 percent who have said the same in previous weeks."

My profound sympathies to everyone who is already being affected by the shutdown. Please feel welcome and encouraged to leave suggestions in comments for how others can best support those who rely on federal paychecks and/or services.

* * *

John Wagner at the Washington Post: Trump Denies Working for Russia, Calls Past FBI Leaders 'Known Scoundrels'. "Trump on Monday flatly denied that he worked for Russia, and he called FBI officials who launched a counterintelligence investigation to determine whether he did 'known scoundrels' and 'dirty cops.' ...'I never worked for Russia,' Trump said as he prepared to leave for an event in New Orleans, adding: 'Not only did I never work for Russia, I think it's a disgrace that you even asked that question because it's a whole big fat hoax. It's just a hoax.'" ...'He was a bad cop and he was a dirty cop,' Trump said of Comey. The president also attacked former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe as 'a proven liar and was fired from the FBI.' ...Speaking more broadly of FBI leadership at the time, Trump said 'the people doing that investigation were people that have been caught that are known scoundrels. They're ... I guess you could say they're dirty cops.'"

It's interesting (cough) that Trump's entire defense against charges he is a Russian asset is to talk shit about the U.S. intelligence community, i.e. calling them scoundrels, but never to talk shit about Putin, as in "I'd never work for such a scoundrel." https://t.co/DxtE28YDO9

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) January 14, 2019

Adrienne Mahsa Varkiani at ThinkProgress: Senate Democrats to Push Vote Blocking Sanctions Relief for Russian Oligarch's Companies. "Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on Saturday that sanctions on Oleg Deripaska's businesses should remain in place. He announced that he will force a vote disapproving the Trump administration's decision through a 2017 sanctions law, the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which requires a simple majority vote. Senate Democrats would need the support of a few Republicans to pass the bill and send it on to the House." This is something Schumer would not have to do if Trump and the Republican leadership weren't beholden to the Kremlin.

Further reminders that it's not just Trump who's compromised and/or voluntarily traitorous...

“Vekselberg is connected to a few people in Trump’s inner circle. In 2014, on a trip to Moscow, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner met with Emin Agalarov and attended a private fundraising dinner with Vekselberg," @olgaNYC1211 explains in my latest: https://t.co/P5jkMWobv2

— Cristina Maza (@CrisLeeMaza) January 14, 2019

Betsy Woodruff at the Daily Beast: Kremlin Blessed Russia's NRA Operation, U.S. Intel Report Says. "The Kremlin has long denied that it had anything to do with the infiltration of the National Rifle Association and the broader American conservative movement. A U.S. intelligence report reviewed by The Daily Beast tells a different story. Alexander Torshin, the Russian central bank official who spent years aggressively courting NRA leaders, briefed the Kremlin on his efforts and recommended they participate, according to the report [which also] notes that the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was fine with Torshin's courtship of the NRA because the relationships would be valuable if a Republican won the White House in 2016."

In related news... Jessica Schneider and Eli Watkins at CNN: Attorney General Nominee Says Mueller Should Be Allowed to Finish Report. "Attorney General nominee William Barr said that, if confirmed, he would let special counsel Robert Mueller finish his investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and believes the results should be made public. 'On my watch, Bob will be allowed to complete his work,' Barr intends to say to Congress at the start of his Senate hearing Tuesday, according to prepared testimony released on Monday. 'I believe it is in the best interest of everyone — the President, Congress, and, most importantly, the American people — that this matter be resolved by allowing the special counsel to complete his work,' he will say."

On its face, that certainly sounds like good news. Problem is, as I have been saying for more than a year now, Mueller's investigation has effectively, even if not intentionally, created loads of time and space for Republicans to so thoroughly consolidate power that they won't have to care about or even let the public see his conclusions, even if those conclusions recommend serious consequences for Trump and/or anyone else in his administration. The more time Mueller gives them, the more time they'll have to keep consolidating power and, not incidentally, stacking the judiciary. Barr, who by the way is old friends with Mueller, knows this. Of course he's happy to give Mueller all the time in the world.

The question for Senate Democrats during Barr's hearing is not whether he'll allow Mueller to finish, but whether he will support public disclosure of his findings, whenever they are delivered.

* * *

[Content Note: Anti-choicery]

Says the guy who's overseen a hideous rollback of reproductive rights in his state. Kasich is (literally) the reason why I coined the phrase "the perfidy of civility." https://t.co/kuBiNnXuUi

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) January 14, 2019

Lindsay King-Miller at Rewire.News: The Real Question Now May Not Be How to Save Abortion Rights, but How to Prepare for Their Absence.

Having written about abortion rights and their opponents since the mid-2000s, including for Rewire.News, journalist Robin Marty was quick to dispense with hand-wringing over the future of Roe; as she sees it, an overturn is now inevitable.

Kennedy's retirement "was essentially a signal saying Roe v. Wade was up for grabs," she told me over the phone.

Marty's thread [on the subject] quickly garnered enough attention that she turned it into a HuffPost article, and then a book proposal, and then a book. After a breakneck round of drafting and editing, Handbook for a Post-Roe America will be available January 15.

...Much of what Marty discusses will not be new to those already involved in pro-choice organizing, but for people who have never considered the possibility of a world without Roe, her analysis is accessible without oversimplifying. She separates the feasible from the counterproductive: "Yes, buying a bunch of [emergency contraception] feels like a really proactive way to stick it to Trump and the rest of the anti-abortion politicians. But remember, most EC has a shelf life of three to four years, and in some cases the clock may already be ticking."

Throughout the book, Marty also points out the ways in which racism, poverty, and other oppressions restrict access to abortion beyond what is specified in the law. She highlights the importance of a reproductive justice framework that "goes far beyond just reproductive health and rights to highlight the intersections of race, class, gender, socioeconomic status, immigration status, religion, and the other intersections of women and people's lives."

...As reproductive rights organizers have insisted for generations, Handbook points out that making abortion illegal "does not stop people from seeking it, it only divides them into those who have the resources to find a safe abortion where it is legal, and those who attempt illegal abortions with a variety of success." And despite the specter of wire coat-hangers and "back-alley" abortions hanging over any debate about reproductive rights, Marty acknowledges that self-managed abortions, particularly medication abortions, are a safer and more viable option today than in decades past.

Handbook is cautious about emphasizing that it does not offer medical advice, but merely reproduces information that is available elsewhere. "I definitely talked to some lawyers," Marty told me with a laugh. Nonetheless, Marty does offer detailed explanations of various approaches to self-managed abortion, including reprinting a diagram explaining how to make a vacuum aspirator to perform the early abortion procedure called menstrual extraction.

The overall focus of the book, however, is less about preventing or ending unwanted pregnancies than it is about maintaining abortion access wherever possible.

And finally, in partial good news... AP at the Guardian: Judge Blocks Trump Administration Contraception Rule. "A judge in California on Sunday blocked from taking effect in 13 states and Washington D.C. Trump administration rules which would allow more employers to opt out of providing women with no-cost contraception. Judge Haywood Gilliam granted a request for a preliminary injunction by California, 12 other states, and Washington D.C. The plaintiffs sought to prevent the rules from taking effect as scheduled on Monday while a lawsuit against them moved forward. But Gilliam limited the scope of the ruling to the plaintiffs, rejecting their request that he block the rules nationwide."

At least it's something.

What have you been reading that we need to resist today?

Open Wide...

Shut Up!

We Resist: Day 664

One of the difficulties in resisting the Trump administration, the Republican Congressional majority, and Republican state legislatures (plus the occasional non-Republican who obliges us to resist their nonsense, too, like we don't have enough to worry about) is keeping on top of the sheer number of horrors, indignities, and normalization of the aggressively abnormal that they unleash every single day.

So here is a daily thread for all of us to share all the things that are going on, thus crowdsourcing a daily compendium of the onslaught of conservative erosion of our rights and our very democracy.

Stay engaged. Stay vigilant. Resist.

* * *

Earlier today by me: The Cost of Not Listening to Women, on the Women Not Listened To and Today in Misogyny Dressed Up as Revolution. And ICYMI late yesterday: Today in Trump's Campaign of Stochastic Terrorism.

Here are some more things in the news today...

[Content Note: Wildfires; death and displacement] Dani Anguiano and Gabrielle Canon at the Guardian: California Wildfires: Statewide Death Toll Rises to 50. "The statewide death toll in California's wildfires reached 50 late on Tuesday, as authorities reported six more deaths in the Camp fire in the north of the state. ...Authorities in northern California have ramped up the search for more victims buried in rubble left by the blaze that incinerated the town of Paradise [where] more than 200 people remain missing... Officials said earlier Tuesday that the fire had grown to 195 sq miles. Firefighters report that the fire is 35% contained and National Weather Service meteorologist Aviva Braun said early Tuesday that the high winds that helped spread the blaze have begun to diminish. Air quality in the area, which has been hazardous in recent days, is expected to worsen as light winds cause smoke to settle, Braun said."

Suggestions on ways to help can be found here. Please feel welcome and encouraged to suggest other ways to help in comments.

* * *

Kira Lerner at ThinkProgress: Abrams Campaign Wins Court Rulings as Push for a Runoff Election Continues. "A week after the midterm election left Georgia's gubernatorial race too close to call, Democrat Stacey Abrams is refusing to concede and the campaign is winning court orders, allowing the counting of votes to continue. Abrams hopes that Republican candidate Brian Kemp's vote total will drop below 50 percent, forcing a runoff in the race for Georgia's governor's mansion. In a ruling late Monday, a federal judge in Atlanta ordered Georgia to ensure that provisional ballots aren't unlawfully rejected and to wait until Friday to certify the election results."

As I said yesterday: "I'm hearing an awful lot of 'Beto 2020!' stuff, and the longer Abrams fights, the more I wonder why it isn't 'Abrams 2020!' that's dominating my social media. Because it damn well should be."

In other Democratic Women Getting It Done news...

Jeff Cox at CNBC: Maxine Waters Says Easing Banking Regulations 'Will Come to an End' When She Takes Committee Chair. "Rep. Maxine Waters, poised to take over the powerful House Financial Services Committee when the new Congress convenes in January, laid down the law Wednesday about the future of banking regulation. Speaking ahead of remarks by Randal Quarles, the Federal Reserve's vice chair of oversight for the banking industry, the California Democrat said efforts to loosen the reins on Wall Street financial institutions won't be tolerated should she be committee chair, as expected. 'Make no mistake, come January, in this committee the days of this committee weakening regulations and putting our economy once again at risk of another financial crisis will come to an end,' Waters said."

Rebecca Traister at the Cut: 46 Minutes with Barbara Lee. "Lee is running for chair of the House Democratic Caucus, the party's No. 5 leadership role, held most recently by Joe Crowley. ...Lee is no purist and believes in the mechanisms of power, leverage, and, sometimes, compromise. She sees a path forward for progressives — not outside the system, as she used to believe, but by making use of it. Even without the Senate, her party's return to the House majority will enable it, she says, to pursue a 'bold legislative agenda.' She wants to reduce health-care and prescription-drug costs, present an infrastructure bill that would create good jobs with high wages, and 'retake the role of oversight and investigation' with regard to corruption in the Trump administration."

Senator Dianne Feinstein (press release): Feinstein Calls for Judiciary Committee Hearings with Whitaker, Sessions. "Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today called on Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to quickly call committee hearings with Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker and fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions. ...In that letter, Feinstein wrote: 'The circumstances surrounding Attorney General Sessions' departure raise serious questions, including whether the appointment is lawful and the possible impact on Special Counsel Mueller's investigation.'"

It's almost like valuing and supporting experienced women know what the fuck they're doing results in good policy and oversight. Huh.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHAAAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAHHAHHAHAHAHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA 🌋 https://t.co/iFwBgWBDSG

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) November 13, 2018

And: Marco Rubio at the Wall Street Journal: Trump Is Right About Nationalism. (As I noted on Twitter: "I don't know if it's more embarrassing for Marco Rubio that he wrote this heap of trash, or more embarrassing for the Wall Street Journal that they published it.")

And: Betsy Woodruff at the Daily Beast: Justice Department Memo Declares Matt Whitaker Appointment Is Legal. The same Justice Department which Matt Whitaker was just appointed to lead?! Oh.

At Daily Kos, Mark Sumner notes that the DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel's memo cites, as its only relevant example of an acting attorney general who was appointed by a president despite having not been previously confirmed by the Senate, the 1866 appointment of Henry Stanbery by President Andrew Jackson.

[Stanbery was] the man who defended Johnson at his impeachment trial. Johnson appointed Stanberry to attorney general without Senate approval. Which was actually a major factor in his impeachment.

After surviving impeachment by a single vote, Johnson reappointed Stanberry to be AG as a way of delivering a final groin kick to his opponents in the Senate. He then put Stanberry up for the Supreme Court. Rather than watch Johnson bypass them again, the Senate moved to reduce the number of seats on the Supreme Court to keep Stanberry out.

A near impeachment. A revolt in the Senate. Three Supreme Court seats sliced away. And that is the incident that Trump's DOJ is citing to explain why it's okay to make Matt Whitaker acting AG.

Fucking hell.

And finally on this subject...

Millions of Americans are eager for a new political party. And we’re very eager to get rid of @realdonaldtrump, the worst president in U.S. history.

Gov. John Kasich sees an opening for a third party run for president https://t.co/4qAcnPHA4X

— Richard W. Painter (@RWPUSA) November 14, 2018

No.

* * *

Paul Sonne and Shane Harris at the Washington Post: U.S. Military Edge Has Eroded to 'a Dangerous Degree,' Study for Congress Finds. "The United States has lost its military edge to a dangerous degree and could potentially lose a war against China or Russia, according to a report released Wednesday by a bipartisan commission that Congress created to evaluate the Trump administration's defense strategy. The National Defense Strategy Commission, comprised of former top Republican and Democratic officials selected by Congress, evaluated the Trump administration's 2018 National Defense Strategy, which ordered a vast reshaping of the U.S. military to compete with Beijing and Moscow in an era of renewed great-power competition."

The Trump Regime, of course, just wants more nukes and a space force. Preferably a space force armed with nukes. But what we really need, maybe more than anything else, is better preparation for cyberattacks.

Case in point: Ryan Browne at CNN: Russia Jammed GPS During Major NATO Military Exercise with U.S. Troops.

The Russian military jammed GPS signals during a major NATO military exercise in Norway that involved thousands of US and NATO troops, the alliance said Wednesday, citing the Norwegian government.

The NATO exercise, Trident Juncture, concluded Sunday and involved some 50,000 personnel. It was labeled the alliance's largest exercise since the Cold War. Non-NATO members Finland and Sweden also participated in the exercise.

A spokesperson for the Norwegian ministry of defense acknowledged the jamming to CNN, which it said took place between October 16 and November 7, and said it would defer to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on further questions to Russian authorities.

"Norway has determined that Russia was responsible for jamming GPS signals in the Kola Peninsula during Exercise Trident Juncture. Finland has expressed concern over possible jamming in Lapland," NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu told CNN Wednesday.

"In view of the civilian usage of GPS, jamming of this sort is dangerous, disruptive and irresponsible," she added.

Asked about the report of Russian jamming, NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance was aware of the reports but did not offer additional information.

Well, shit.

Naturally, Trump might not care about Russia jamming military equipment, but, if Russia can do it, so can other countries he might be less inclined to forgive.

* * *

[CN: Homophobia; nativism] Andy Towle at Towleroad: LGBTQ Splinter Group from Migrant Caravan Is First to Arrive in Tijuana, Will Seek Asylum in U.S. "A group of LGBTQ migrants who split off from the main migrant caravan because of discrimination are the first to arrive in Tijuana, weeks ahead of the others. NPR reports: 'About 80 migrants, the majority of whom identify as LGBT, splintered off from the larger group in Mexico City after weeks of what they say was discriminatory treatment by local residents and other travelers, Honduran migrant Cesar Mejia told reporters at a news conference on Sunday. 'Whenever we arrived at a stopping point the LGBT community was the last to be taken into account in every way. So our goal was to change that and say, 'This time we are going to be first,'' Mejia said.' ...Most are planning to request asylum in the U.S. based on the fact that they are persecuted in their home countries, although Trump last week moved to restrict asylum for those crossing the border from Mexico."

WOW

"Since the tax cuts were passed, the 1,000 largest public companies have actually reduced employment, on balance. They have announced the elimination of nearly 140,000 jobs — which is almost double the 73,000 jobs they say they have created" https://t.co/Rstdx4jyxW

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) November 13, 2018

Ian Millhiser at ThinkProgress: Supreme Court to Hear a Subtle But Terrifying Threat to Obamacare. "In a sensible world, Virginia House of Delegates v. Bethune-Hill would have nothing whatsoever to do with the Affordable Care Act. On its surface, Bethune-Hill is a racial gerrymandering case which, the Supreme Court announced on Tuesday, will be heard by the Court for the second time. Yet Bethune-Hill also presents a difficult issue regarding when non-parties to a federal lawsuit may appeal lower court decisions to a higher authority. And this technical question could have tremendous implications for Obamacare. Depending on how the Supreme Court rules in Bethune-Hill, this seemingly irrelevant gerrymandering dispute could enable the Trump administration to collude with a highly partisan judge to shut down the Affordable Care Act in a bevy of red states."

[CN: White supremacy] Danielle Corcione at Rewire.News: Hate Group Figures Are Coming to Philadelphia's Pro-Police Rally. "Prominent far-right figures and fascist groups are planning to come to Philadelphia on November 17, when local right-wing organizers, including those affiliated with white supremacist groups, are expected to congregate at a 'We The People' rally in the city's historic district. Many Philadelphians aren't welcoming these organizations. ...The rally is slated for Independence Hall, steps away from the National Museum of American Jewish History." Rage seethe boil.

What have you been reading that we need to resist today?

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White Men to the Rescue (Of Course)

Here are two things I've read today about the 2020 presidential race because the 2018 midterm doesn't even exist I guess and nothing is more important than presidential races including voter suppression:

1. Amie Parnes and Devin Henry at the Hill: [Content Note: Video may autoplay at link] Franken Seen as Reluctant 2020 Candidate. "Political associates of Al Franken say they think the Minnesota senator could be talked into running for the White House if he believes he's the Democrat best positioned to defeat President Trump. But they say Franken would need to be convinced and argue that the former 'Saturday Night Live' star would be reluctant to enter a battle with a slew of other Democrats in what's increasingly expected to be a wide-open race for party's nomination. ...'He's not the type of person to crawl over everyone's dead carcasses to get to the White House,' said R.T. Rybak, the former mayor of Minneapolis and a Democratic National Committee vice chairman."

There aren't enough white dudes who want to run to defeat Trump? One of them has to be "talked into" doing it?

Don't get me wrong: I dig Al Franken. (Mostly.) But seriously.

2. Mike Allen at Axios: Kasich, Hickenlooper Eye Joint 2020 Bid. "Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) — 'the Johns,' as insiders are calling them — have been making a flurry of joint appearances to talk about state-driven improvements to health care. But Axios has learned that their duet is part of an alliance that's gaining momentum toward a possible joint independent bid for president in 2020, likely with Kasich at the top of the ticket. ...Some establishment Dems are apoplectic about the idea of Hickenlooper teaming up with a Republican. One top strategist told me: 'No Dem wants Kasich anywhere near our ticket.'"

Of course not. And it wouldn't even be the Democratic ticket if Kasich were at the top of it. It would just be a second Republican ticket with a dipshit Democratic lending the illusion of independence.

Meanwhile, it would provide endless grist for the Bernie Mill, as he and his supporters churn out endless piffle about the Democratic Party being insufficiently progressive and both parties being "the same."

Hey, white guys: Stop trying to "save us" from Donald Trump. Your heroics are nauseating me.

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In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Pulse shooting] President Obama is traveling to Orlando today to meet privately with survivors and grieving families. The President "will 'make clear that the country stands with the people of Orlando, stands with the LGBT community in Orlando as they grieve,' a White House spokesman said. Few details have been released but no major speech is planned."

[Continued CN] Also having traveled to Orlando are 12 golden retrievers who are trained as comfort dogs: "They had come to offer comfort to some of the victims of the attack, the families of those killed and the emergency medical workers, as well as anyone else in the city in need of some canine affection after the deadliest shooting in American history. ...Tim Hetzner, the president of the charity, said that the dogs in Orlando were helping to provide a feeling of safety, allowing those in distress to relax their guard and express their vulnerability during a difficult time. 'We've had a lot of people here that start petting the dog, and they break out crying,' he said. The dogs and their 20 handlers have visited hospitals and churches, and attended vigils and memorial services. On Wednesday, they visited some of the hospitalized victims and met with the staff of Pulse, the gay nightclub where the shooting occurred. 'People couldn't get out of their bed, so we had to bring the dog up so they could pet the dog while laying down,' Mr. Hetzner said. 'They start smiling, and in a couple cases, they started talking as much as they could.'" Blub.

In case you are wondering why it was that Bernie Sanders could be arsed to participate in the Senate filibuster last night to demand a vote on gun reforms, he "was in Burlington, Vt., ahead of a simulcast speech to supporters today. (He is not expected to concede.) He'd been in Washington the night before the filibuster began, for the Democratic luncheon and a meeting with Hillary Clinton, but he was not able to return to the city. 'It just didn't work yesterday,' said Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs. 'We're keeping an eye on votes next week.'" Oh. It just didn't work out. Sure.

Here's a cool line from that same article, following a note about what Sanders tweeted: "Hillary Clinton did roughly the same thing." Yeah, roughly. Except for the fact that she's not a sitting senator, so the fact that she only tweeted her support is actually rather NOT ROUGHLY THE SAME THING AT ALL.

[CN: War on agency; abortion; sexual violence] Disappointing: "Obama Administration Punts on Helms Amendment: The administration confirmed to Rewire that the president's remarks on 'treating survivors' at the United State of Women Summit Tuesday will not translate into executive action on the Helms Amendment—the subject of a demonstration that preceded Tuesday's summit activities."

Oprah Winfrey has endorsed Hillary Clinton. "You're gonna get a female president! And you're gonna get a female president! Everybody in here is gonna get a female president!!!"

Hillary has also secured the endorsement of the AFL-CIO: "Hillary Clinton is a proven leader who shares our values," said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka in a statement. "Throughout the campaign, she has demonstrated a strong commitment to the issues that matter to working people, and our members have taken notice."

Ohio Governor John Kasich and Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough had a terrific exchange (ahem) about whose fault Donald Trump is. Kasich says it's the media's fault, like his party and its base and the cultivation of hatred had nothing to do with it. Meanwhile, Scarborough acts as though the media has no choice in whether to cover Trump. No one wants any responsibility. Cool. I guess how Donald Trump became the Republican nominee is a mystery lost to the sands of time.

Meanwhile, one of Donald Trump's campaign co-chairs and policy advisers Sam Clovis says of criticism from other prominent Republicans and the party leadership: "Either they want to get behind the presumptive nominee who will be the nominee of this party and make sure that we do everything we can to win in November or we're just asking them if they can't do that, then just shut the hell up." What a terrific team Trump has put together.

Congratulations to Jamie Shupe, who has won their legal battle to identify as neither male nor female, a historic ruling that makes them the first legally non-binary person in the US.

A woman parked in a space reserved for veterans. Someone who didn't know her left a note on her car reading: "This parking is for veterans, lady. Learn to read & have some respect." I bet you can guess how this ends! If you guessed that the person who wrote the note is a misogynistic asshole and the woman to whom it was written is a Navy veteran whose Facebook response has gone viral, give yourself a thousand points!

Wow: "Scientists have collected a second burst of gravitational waves sweeping through the Earth. The warping of space-time was sensed on Christmas Day in the US at the Advanced LIGO laboratories—the same facilities that made the historic first detection in September last year. Back then, the waves came from two huge coalescing black holes. This new set of waves, likewise, is ascribed to a black hole merger—but a smaller one. Reporting the event in the journal Physical Review Letters, the international collaboration that operates LIGO says the two objects involved had masses that were 14 and eight times that of our Sun."

[CN: Moving GIFs at link] And finally! Rescue pig and French bulldog puppy are BFFs. I MEAN.

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Kasich: Out

Welp, somebody finally woke up John Kasich from his nap, and he's dropping out of the Republican race for the presidency. Which is basically just a formality, since he has absolutely zero chance of winning the nomination, and has had all along.

From seventeen down to one. The cheese Donald stands alone.

I've got a piece on this at BNR, focusing on the fact that Trump's now totally undivided attention is one more reason that Bernie Sanders needs to immediately cease his personal attacks on Hillary Clinton.

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Primarily Speaking

Well, Republicans, you've done it. From a field of 17 terrible candidates, you have selected the absolute fucking worst as your nominee. After a commanding victory in Indiana, that smirking scoundrel is the new standard-bearer of your reprehensible party.

John Kasich still remains in the race, presumably because no one has yet woken him up from his nap to inform him it's drop-out time, but Ted Cruz suspended his campaign last night (that must have been a fun few days for Carly Fiorina!), and Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus tweeted: "@realDonaldTrump will be presumptive @GOP nominee, we all need to unite and focus on defeating @HillaryClinton #NeverClinton."

Which is exactly what they're going to do. It's what they were always going to do.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle, Bernie Sanders won in Indiana. It was, however, close enough he won't gain much ground in delegates, as they're still proportionally awarded to Democrats. Which means there's still no path to victory for Sanders.

At this point, even if Sanders won 100% of the remaining pledged delegates, he still couldn't win, unless superdelegates start abandoning Clinton en masse, which is highly unlikely.

After winning Indiana, Sanders has 1,399 pledged delegates and superdelegates to his name, according to the Associated Press' count. That means he needs 984 more to reach the threshold of 2,383 needed to win.

The remaining contests, however—Guam, West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and the District of Columbia—only have 933 pledged delegates to offer.

Clinton is not going to win zero delegates from here forward and lose hundreds of superdelegates. Sanders simply has no viable path to the nomination.

Naturally, that did not stop him from declaring otherwise. In a brief presser last night, he vowed to keep fighting, saying: "We feel great about gaining the momentum to take us to the finish line." And then, incredibly: "I think we can pull off one of the greatest political upsets in the history of the United States." Okay.

So now as Trump looks to general, Clinton will have to fight on two fronts: Start taking on Trump; keep fighting Sanders. As long as Sanders keeps attacking Clinton, the media will keep reporting it, and she'll be obliged to respond, to some extent.

It's not that she can't handle it; of course she can. It's that, at this point, given the math, she shouldn't have to.

Which isn't to say Sanders must drop out. It's only to say he doesn't need to keep attacking her. He, too, could pivot to Trump. He hasn't.

So Sanders is going to keep making it tough on Clinton. He's going to keep attacking her, which means he's going to keep generating negative press for her and keep handing talking points to Trump.

All the same, Clinton is going to be the nominee. Her road will just be unnecessarily more difficult. But what else is new?

Given that reality, my colleague and friend Peter Daou wrote what is possibly the greatest post ever written last night: "This Is the Face of the Woman Who Will Save the World from Donald Trump."

"Take a look, and act accordingly." LOLOLOLOLOLOL A+

If you're wondering whether I will definitely be shouting ACT ACCORDINGLY! for the next several decades, the answer is a resounding YES.

Donald Trump is the Republican nominee for the United States presidency. A terrible man who would oversee a ruinous administration defined by abject bigotry and reckless governance.

He is rude. He is offensive. He is intemperate. He is incompetent. He is unprepared. He is vainglorious. He is brittle. He is unethical. He is dishonest. He is cruel. He is terrifying. And he has a legitimate shot at becoming the next president.


ACT ACCORDINGLY!!!

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Good Grief

[Content Note: War on agency.]

I'm glad the Republican front runner is keeping a firm focus on the important issues:

Donald Trump ridiculed John Kasich's "disgusting" eating during a rally in Rhode Island on Monday.

"Did you see him? He has a news conference, all the time when he's eating. I have never seen a human being eat in such a disgusting fashion," the GOP presidential front-runner said of his rival to a laughing, cheering crowd.

..."This guy takes a pancake and he's shoving it in his mouth," he said of Kasich. "It's disgusting."

"Do you want that for your president? I don't think so."

No, I don't want Kasich for my president. I also don't want someone who thinks this is worth public comment for my president.

Frankly, sir, I find it a lot more disgusting that Governor Kasich defunded Planned Parenthood.

As but one example of many.

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In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

RIP Prince. The singer has reportedly died at his estate, at age 57. [UPDATE: His publicist has now confirmed the unfortunate news that he has indeed died.] I don't even know what to say. His innovative music was extraordinarily influential; he was one of the most successful singers in history, having sold over 100 million albums globally. He was a total weirdo (which is a word I trust you know by now I don't use in a mean way), and I am just so sorry to all his fans who loved him and his work.

RIP Chyna: "Former pro wrestling star Joanie 'Chyna' Laurer was found dead in her home today, according to her manager. She was 45 years old. Her official Twitter and Facebook accounts both confirmed the news." I'm not a fan of wrestling, so I don't know a whole lot about Chyna, but I know that she meant a lot to female wrestling fans.

2016: You have a lot to answer for, you cruel shit.

[Content Note: Drones; war; death and injury] "Because US drone strikes are cloaked in secrecy, occur in remote or dangerous locales and target people presumed to be terrorists, Americans rarely hear from survivors or their relatives. But a theme emerges in interviews the Guardian has conducted with more than half a dozen drone survivors: the pain from the strike never ends, as the apparatus of secrecy renders closure unobtainable." A difficult but very important read, on the human cost of the US' drone warfare.

[CN: Guns] "Hillary Clinton slammed the abundance of guns in the United States on Thursday, in her latest remarks stressing the need for a national movement to blunt the influence of the gun lobby and end the cycle of violence perpetuated with firearms. 'It is just too easy for people to reach for a gun to solve their problems. It makes no sense,' Clinton said in remarks preceding a panel in Hartford, Connecticut, that featured family members of gun-violence victims, including at nearby Newtown's Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012. 'And we can do this consistent with the Second Amendment, we can do this with the support of responsible gun owners, and that is exactly what we will do. And I want you to know that I know I don't have all the answers.' Prefacing her remarks in Connecticut ahead of the state's Tuesday primary, Clinton said, 'I'm not here to make promises I can't keep. I am here to tell you I will use every single minute of every single day if I'm so fortunate enough to be your president looking for ways that we can save lives, that we can change the gun culture.'"

[CN: Misogyny] "The Young Turks' Jimmy Dore: Clinton Campaign 'Devalues' the Term Misogynist; 'If Bernie Sanders Is a Sexist, Everybody Is a Sexist." Bernie Sanders is magically immune to internalized misogyny despite being socialized in a patriarchal culture! Film at 11!

[CN: Transphobia] "Transgender people should be able to use whatever bathroom they want, Donald Trump said Thursday. 'Oh, I had a feeling that question was going to come up, I will tell you. North Carolina did something that was very strong. And they're paying a big price. There's a lot of problems,' the Republican presidential candidate said during a town hall event on NBC's Today. Referring to comments from an unnamed commentator who on Wednesday said North Carolina should 'leave it the way it is right now,' Trump said he agreed. 'Leave it the way it is. North Carolina, what they're going through with all the business that's leaving, all of the strife—and this is on both sides. Leave it the way it is,' he said, referring to companies that have canceled plans to move or expand businesses in the state as a result of the law, which bans transgender individuals from using a bathroom that does not match their gender at birth. 'There have been very few complaints the way it is. People go. They use the bathroom that they feel is appropriate,' Trump said. 'There has been so little trouble.'" Fucking hell. Welp. When Donald Trump is the voice of reason on transgender issues, you know you have derailed. (Countdown to Trump backpedaling from this momentary lapse of decency in 3...2...)

[CN: Bigotry] If you are suffering from insomnia and need something to help you fall asleep, maybe you could try reading John Kasich's interview with the Washington Post editorial board. Also if you're feeling chilly, you could print it out and burn it!

[CN: Transphobia] Curt Schilling, yet another sports-dude of whom I'd never heard until he said something profoundly offensive, has been fired for a transphobic Facebook rant. Good.

Kids these days! Get ON my lawn! "Last week, two new wearable technologies gained a spotlight when their creators were awarded the Lemelson-MIT student prize, a yearly cash award to a handful of collegiate inventors. The twist? These promising technologies weren't developed by major corporations or experienced PhDs—some were developed by people who can't even legally drink alcohol. ThinkProgress spoke with a few of the winners about exactly how their inventions work, and how they hope they will transform the ability to communicate with two different populations: children with autism and deaf users of American Sign Language."

"VW reaches US deal in emissions scandal: Final details of the packages offered will be announced in June, but a court had given VW and regulators until Thursday to reach a deal in principle. Last year, US regulators discovered that VW cars were fitted with software that could distort emissions tests. The German giant subsequently said 11 million cars worldwide were affected. Details of the preliminary agreement were announced in a California court. US district court Judge Charles Breyer said the settlement would include a buyback offer for nearly 500,000 2.0-litre vehicles. He did not give details of how much car owners would offered in compensation, but said the deal between Volkswagen, the US government and private lawyers would be 'substantial.' Judge Breyer said VW would also pay into an environmental fund and commit other money to promote green car technology."

[CN: Moving GIF at link] And finally! All the blubs foreverrrrrrrr: "Rescue Pit Bull Gets His Own Kitty; Loves Her Like a Daughter." ♥ ♥ ♥

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New York Primary Wrap-Up

Cheers!
So, as you may have heard, New York had its primary yesterday! Congratulations to Hillary Clinton, who won the state for whom she served two terms as US Senator by almost 16 points! Wow!

(Here is her [video autoplays] victory speech. A transcript is not yet available.)

Clinton was awarded 139 delegates, and Bernie Sanders was awarded 106.

On the other side of the aisle, Donald Trump also won, taking 60% of the vote. He was awarded 89 delegates, and John Kasich was awarded 3. Ted Cruz was awarded no delegates. Whoooooops! There's some New York values for ya, pal.

Since who fucking cares about the Republicans, let's go back to the Democrats.

Clinton won more votes in New York than all the GOP candidates combined. She passed the ten million vote threshold for this primary. In exit polling, 72% of voters said she had energized the Democratic Party (compared to 64% for Sanders). She won by double digits. Will the media at long last stop with the garbage narrative about an enthusiasm gap?

Probably not! At least if the Washington Post's late-night coverage is any indication: "Hillary Clinton won New York, but her image is underwater." Hahahahahaha of course it is!

This, meanwhile, was their complementary piece on Trump: "New York blowout gives Donald Trump big boost in GOP race." Perfect.

Anyway.

Team Sanders is vowing that they'll still take it all the way to the convention, even though the math makes it virtually impossible for him to win. Actually impossible, unless basically all the superdelegates abandon Clinton for Sanders. Which won't happen.

I certainly hope that Sanders will reconsider his hard negative campaign strategy, especially since it's not even working. But I fear that we're just going to see more of the same. I'd be happy for my fears to be proven unfounded!

I guess we'll have to wait and see.

In the meantime, congratulations to Clinton supporters who are so happy! To the Sanders supporters who are merely disappointed, as anyone is when their candidate loses, my sympathies. I know it's a bummer.

And to the Sanders supporters who are losing their fucking shit over Clinton's win, let me make a suggestion: You wouldn't be so devastated if you hadn't turned this primary into an epic battle of good vs. evil. As you may have noticed, when Clinton loses in the entirely typical way that happens during primaries, I'm basically like, oh well, better luck next time. But since you've turned your opponent into HISTORY'S GREATEST MONSTER, it's no wonder you can't have a reasonable response to losing.

Just settle down. You've done your darnedest to demonize her, but she's not actually a demon. She's just a politician who won this one, not because of some grand conspiracy, but because she's run a better campaign in the opinion of more people. Shrug.

I strongly suggest reserving the apoplexy for the general election, when we'll all be facing an opponent who genuinely deserves it.

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In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Earthquake; death.] Absolutely awful: "Rescuers pulled survivors from rubble Sunday after the strongest earthquake to hit Ecuador in decades flattened buildings and buckled highways along its Pacific coast. Officials said the quake killed at least 350 people and injured more than 1,500. The magnitude-7.8 quake, the strongest to hit the country since 1979, was centered on Ecuador's sparsely populated fishing ports and tourist beaches, 105 miles (170 kilometers) northwest of Quito, the capital. Vice President Jorge Glas said at a somber news conference that the death toll was likely to rise. Much of the damage occurred in the cities of Manta, Portoviejo, and Guayaquil—all several hundred kilometers (miles) from the center of the quake, which struck shortly after nightfall Saturday. In Pedernales, a town of 40,000 near the quake's epicenter, dozens of frightened residents prepared to sleep in the streets for a second straight night as power cables were strewn across streets with no prospect of electricity being restored soon. 'We're trying to do the most we can, but there's almost nothing we can do,' said Pedernales Mayor Gabriel Alcivar. ...'This wasn't just a house that collapsed. It was an entire town,' he said." At Bustle, Alex Gladu has compiled some suggestions for how to help.

[CN: War; terrorism] "The US is to send 200 extra troops to Iraq to help fight so-called Islamic State (IS), officials say. The deployment will increase the number of US personnel in Iraq to about 4,100. Alongside the additional troops, Apache attack helicopters will be deployed for the first time against IS in Iraq. US Defence Secretary Ash Carter made the announcement during an unannounced visit to Baghdad, where he met with US military officials and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. The US also plans to give Kurdish Peshmerga forces, which are fighting IS on the ground, more than $400m (£280m; €350m) in assistance. ...Most of the additional 200 US troops will be special forces, according to the Associated Press. The remainder will include trainers, security forces for the advisers, and maintenance crews for the Apaches. The Apaches would help Iraqi forces to recapture the country's second city of Mosul from IS, Mr Carter said."

[CN: Anti-immigrationism next two paragraphs] Today, the Supreme Court will be hearing oral arguments "in a case that could determine the fate of millions of undocumented immigrants hoping for relief from the looming threat of deportation. At stake are two of President Obama's executive actions—the Deferred Action for Parents and Americans (DAPA) and its sister initiative, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA+)—that sought to improve the situation for unauthorized immigrants in the absence of congressional action on the issue. DAPA and DACA+ would give immigrants with deep ties to the country more options to stay and work in the United States."

It's likely the decision will come down to the vote of Chief Justice John Roberts, whose "record suggests that he may avoid taking a position on such a divisive and partisan issue, focusing instead on the more technical question of whether the states challenging the Obama administration's immigration plan have suffered the sort of direct and concrete injury that gives them standing to sue. That jurisprudential off-ramp would avoid a deadlock or a grand pronouncement from a short-handed court on a politically charged issue in a presidential election year. And that may prove attractive to a chief justice who has said he does not want the Supreme Court to be viewed as a forum where 'partisan matters would be worked out.'"

[CN: Homophobia; transphobia] Here is yet another reminder that John Kasich is no moderate and is also a real jerk: "When asked on CNN whether he'd stop states from passing [anti-LGBT] laws, Kasich responded as follows: "And what I like to say is, just relax. If you don't like what somebody's doing pray for them, and if you feel as though somebody is doing something wrong against you, can you just for a second get over it? You know?" Can he just for a second shut up? You know?

[CN: Homophobia] Not to be outdone in aggressive indecency, Ted Cruz, in response to a question about same-sex marriage, says the Constitution protects all of us, but then said the states should have decided same-sex marriage, so that some states could outlaw it. Well, which the fuck it is, Ted? Does the Constitution protect all of us, or only the ones who happen to live in states where bigotry doesn't decide the law?

[CN: Violence] Chilling but accurate: "Trump has turned this election cycle into the most terrifying reality TV show in recent memory and Cleveland is slated to be the victim of his season finale."

[CN: Domestic violence; guns] Oscar Pistorius will be sentenced in June for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp, a court in South Africa has confirmed. The former Paralympian's culpable homicide conviction—and its five-year prison sentence—was overturned by the supreme court in December 2015, when appeal judges instead found him guilty of murder. On Monday, Pistorius was in court in Pretoria as Judge Aubrey Ledwaba, who presided over an earlier bail hearing, told him he would face a fresh sentencing hearing from 13-17 June. Pistorius spoke only to confirm that he understood the judge's decision."

[CN: White supremacy; eliminationism; guns] "A South Carolina judge announced yesterday (April 13) that the trial for Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof will be moved from July 2016 to January of 2017. Roof faces nine counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder for shooting parishioners during Bible study at Charleston, South Carolina's Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to death. He faces an additional 33 federal charges, including hate crimes. His U.S. District Court trial has also been delayed while the Justice Department decides if it will seek the death penalty. According to Reuters, Judge J.C. Nicholson announced the delay during a court hearing attended by several victims' relatives. Roof waived his right to appear."

[CN: Lead poisoning; moving GIF at link] If you didn't see John Oliver's segment on lead poisoning and remediation on his show last night, Sean Mandell has the clip plus commentary. Great stuff on a terrible subject.

Welp, this is pretty damn cool! "NASA Successfully Attaches Inflatable Room to International Space Station."

[CN: Moving GIF at link] And finally! Sweaters for baby goats! I MEAN.

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Still Indecent

[Content Note: Rape culture; victim-blaming.]

On Friday, I noted that Republican presidential candidate and Ohio Governor John Kasich had engaged in some gross preemptive victim-blaming that tasks women with preventing their own rapes, telling a female college student concerned with sexual assault: "I'd also give you one bit of advice. Don't go to parties where there's a lot of alcohol. Okay? Don't do that."

Yesterday, during an interview with CNN's Dana Bash, Kasich was super confused about why that was problematic:

Pressed about whether he understood why a lot of people saw that as victim-blaming, Kasich said that he did not. "Actually, I don't know how anybody would take it that way."

"I don't care if there's a party with alcohol. I'm just saying be careful! That's what I would tell my daughters," he added, continuing to embrace the disproved myth that that there is a direct link between rape and alcohol consumption.

The Ohio Governor then boasted that he had been the leader in trying to punish sexual assaults. "When our folks first sat down with the colleges and universities, I have a lady attorney who sort of led this effort for me. They didn't quite know what do and I said, I don't care about what they know or don't know — we are going to have a system in place to make sure that the women on our college campus are protected and if something would happen to them, that justice can be done."

Kasich then urged Bash to drop the subject: "Let's go on," he told her.

There are about two dozen different reasons that Kasich's "advice" is undiluted garbage, but perhaps the most obvious is this: Telling women how to avoid rape, instead of telling men not to rape, is straight-up rape culture garbage.

Rape culture is telling girls and women to be careful about what you wear, how you wear it, how you carry yourself, where you walk, when you walk there, with whom you walk, whom you trust, what you do, where you do it, with whom you do it, what you drink, how much you drink, whether you make eye contact, if you're alone, if you're with a stranger, if you're in a group, if you're in a group of strangers, if it's dark, if the area is unfamiliar, if you're carrying something, how you carry it, what kind of shoes you're wearing in case you have to run, what kind of purse you carry, what jewelry you wear, what time it is, what street it is, what environment it is, how many people you sleep with, what kind of people you sleep with, who your friends are, to whom you give your number, who's around when the delivery guy comes, to get an apartment where you can see who's at the door before they can see you, to check before you open the door to the delivery guy, to own a dog or a dog-sound-making machine, to get a roommate, to take self-defense, to always be alert always pay attention always watch your back always be aware of your surroundings and never let your guard down for a moment lest you be sexually assaulted and if you are and didn't follow all the rules it's your fault.

Be careful, he says. As if "carelessness" is why women get raped.

Here's the thing about rapists: They rape people. They rape people who are strong and people who are weak, people who are knowledgeable and people who are ignorant, people who fight back and people who submit just to get it over with, people who are sluts and people who are prudes, people who rich and people who are poor, people who are tall and people who are short, people who are fat and people who are thin, people who are conscious and people who are incapacitated, people of every race and shape and size and ability and circumstance. The only thing that the victim of every rapist shares in common is the bad fucking luck of being in the presence of a rapist.

Rapists are determined to rape. And if this girl doesn't go to a party "where there's a lot of alcohol" and (more importantly) a rapist, that girl would. It doesn't make that girl any more responsible for being raped. And if no girls at all went to that party, that rapist would find another way to obtain his victims.

Victim-blaming is based on the damnably fucked-up notion that people (and women in particular) allow themselves to be victimized by virtue of carelessness or stupidity, and we need to be warned and educated and lectured and hectored and cajoled and shamed into never being victims (again).

No.

Our culture creates rapists—and they create victims. No one has ever been a victim of rape, until they had the bad fucking luck of being in the presence of a rapist.

Enough victim blaming. Enough.

That John Kasich doesn't agree we've had quite enough of this reprehensible rhetoric already is just another one of many reasons that no one should cast another vote for him ever again.

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This Is Indecent

[Content Note: Rape culture.]

Here is just another reminder that "moderate" John Kasich is actually just as aggressively terrible as the other two dirtbags still lingering in the clown car:

The young woman, a first-year student at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, had asked the Ohio governor at a town hall here how he would help her "feel safer and more secure regarding sexual violence, harassment and rape" as president.

In answering the question, Kasich talked about efforts in Ohio to provide support for college students facing sexual harassment, such as access to confidential reporting, rape kits, and the opportunity to "pursue justice after you have had some time to reflect on it all."

Kasich said these efforts should be extended to the rest of the country as well so that students "know exactly what the rules are" and do not feel vulnerable. He also reflected on how having two daughters affects his views on the issue.

"I have two 16-year-old daughters and I don't even like to think about it," Kasich said.

"It's sad, but it's something that I have to worry about," the student responded.

Kasich jumped in, saying he had advice.

"Well I would give you, I'd also give you one bit of advice. Don't go to parties where there's a lot of alcohol. OK? Don't do that," Kasich said as the audience applauded.

In lieu of a 2,000-word screed riddled with profanity, I will simply say: Governor Kasich, this is a horrendous piece of advice that tasks women with preventing our own rapes and absolves rapists of accountability. It is a very indecent thing to say, and you are dangerously wrong.

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In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Misogyny; abduction; abuse; terrorism] Two years ago today, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from the Chibok Government Secondary School in Nigeria. Some of them were able to escape, but 219 remain missing. Of the ones who remain missing, it is almost a certainty that some of them have been killed, by being forced to participate in acts of violent terror or by other means. Many, or all, of the survivors have been subjected to unfathomable tortures and abuse. I feel utterly helpless to do anything meaningful, except to continue to write about this, and the ongoing abductions that Boko Haram continues to orchestrate. I take up space in solidarity with the girls who are missing, and with their families, who desperately want them home.

[CN: Earthquake] Oh no: "A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 has knocked over houses in southern Japan, and police said people could be trapped underneath the rubble. The Japanese Red Cross Kumamoto hospital said it had admitted or treated 45 people on Thursday, including five with serious injuries. The quake struck at 9.26pm (12.26pm GMT) near Kumamoto city on the island of Kyushu. There was no risk of a tsunami. ...Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, told a news conference that the damage was being assessed, but there were no abnormalities at nearby nuclear facilities. The epicentre was 74 miles (120km) north-east of the Sendai nuclear plant, the only one operating in the country." I hope there are no fatalities. Still, there is a lot of damage, and, as of right now, the most profoundly affected areas have no water access. UPDATE: I see the linked story has been updated to reflect that two people have died. My condolences to their loved ones.

[CN: Guns; death] Wow: "In a major blow to gun companies, a judge in Connecticut on Thursday decided the lawsuit brought by 10 families affected by the December 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School against the maker of the Bushmaster AR-15 rifle used in the shooting will continue. At issue is the 2005 federal law that provides gun businesses immunity from civil lawsuits, known as the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), or PLCAA for short. Connecticut State Judge Barbara Bellis on Thursday rejected the gun companies' motion to dismiss the case."

[CN: Carcerality; racism] "From Ferguson to Chicago to Newark, communities across the country are being called out for growing local justice systems planted in racist soil. Now, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation aims to help make over those systems. Today (April 13), the foundation announced that it will support justice system reform to the tune of $25 million as part of a larger $75 million commitment to transforming how America uses jails. It is issuing 11 grants of $1.5 to $3.5 million to 11 jurisdictions, plus another nine grants of $150,000 each. The money is earmarked to address racial and ethnic disparities and reduce jail populations. Each grantee had to submit a proposal that outlined a project that is meant to not only function locally, but act as a model for other locales. The projects cover everything from implicit bias training for law enforcement to community-based substance abuse treatment programs to alternatives to incarceration, and each emphasizes community engagement and collaboration."

This is very good news: "Small-time crime and arrest records will be sealed automatically for thousands of people [in Pennsylvania] under new legislation, dubbed the Clean Slate initiative, introduced by a large bipartisan group of lawmakers in Harrisburg. The Clean Slate initiative is the first of its kind in the nation. Several states from Ohio to Mississippi to California have reformed their recordkeeping laws in recent years as activists called attention to the lingering harms that even a simple arrest with no criminal charge can inflict. But Pennsylvania will be the first to automate the process, a significant step forward for people who don’t have the resources to petition the court for the kind of relief other states have made available." Good job, Pennsylvania!

[CN: Transphobia; homophobia] Of course: "Mat Staver and the Liberty Counsel, who served as lawyers for Rowan County, Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, are behind more than 20 anti-LGBT 'bathroom bills' around the nation, CBS News reports: ''It is only about being free to pursue your faith,' said Mathew Staver. 'We have no interest in discriminating against anyone.' Staver is the founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, which has affiliated attorneys in all 50 states—drafting bills, advising lawmakers and defending clients in what they believe to be the great cultural clash of our time…Lately, Liberty Counsel has been helping to draft legislation for conservative lawmakers in at least 20 states. 'There's certainly a thread of information that is similar and the same,' Staver said. 'They all have the same intent and that is to protect religious freedom.' But opponents say Liberty's handiwork actually protects those who, for religious reasons, decline to employ or serve gays, lesbians, or transgender people.'" Just because someone uses religion to try to justify their bigotry doesn't actually make their reason "religious."

[CN: Rape culture; victim-blaming] Rage seethe boil: "Brigham Young University students who are victims of sex crimes say they are investigated by the school and sometimes disciplined after reporting their abuse, a consequence that critics say silences victims and emboldens offenders. At colleges nationwide, student victims are encouraged to report sexual assaults to schools' Title IX officers, charged with enforcing a federal law that guarantees students don't face hostility on campus based on their gender. But multiple students say that at BYU—a private university owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—Title IX staff routinely alert the Honor Code Office. ...In a statement, BYU said a student 'will never be referred to the Honor Code Office for being a victim of sexual assault,' and that its Honor Code proceedings are 'independent and separate' from Title IX investigations. But multiple BYU students investigated by the school's Honor Code Office disagree, saying they were scrutinized as a result of reporting a sex crime. In some cases described by past and current students, Honor Code investigations were launched even when the accused assailants were not BYU students—the alleged victim being the sole possible target."

[CN: War on agency] Guess those assurances that Donald Trump is just "playing a role" and doesn't believe all the heinous shit he's saying aren't valid! What a shock! "Donald Trump's charitable giving includes donations to anti-choice organizations, along with a crisis pregnancy center (CPC), according to his charity's tax returns and a document provided by the Trump campaign and published by the Washington Post. In 2013, tax filings show the Donald J. Trump Foundation gave $25,000 to Justice for All, an anti-choice group targeting college campuses."

[CN: Nuclear war] Hillary Clinton has penned an op-ed excoriating Trump for his irresponsible rhetoric on nuclear proliferation and warfare: "Keeping America safe is the most solemn responsibility of any President. So when Donald Trump says 'we need unpredictability' when it comes to nuclear weapons, when he talks casually about actually using these weapons, and when he says he sees no problem in letting more countries develop nuclear weapons, he's not just wrong. This kind of loose talk is dangerous. These may be the most reckless statements on national security by any major presidential candidate in modern history. ...Our national security is too important to entrust to someone who hasn't thought long and hard about how to keep us safe. And remember: Loose cannons tend to misfire. That's a risk we just can't take."

[CN: Splaining; Christian Supremacy] John Kasich is still flying under the radar, but never forget that he is also extremely terrible: "Kasich's travels in New York brought him yesterday to a Jewish bookstore, where he met students of the Talmud. Having thus met people who spend their entire day scrutinizing religious texts, Kasich's reaction was to ask them if they were aware of facts about those texts that they probably knew as very small children. 'They sold [Joseph] into slavery, and that's how the Jews got to Egypt. Right? Did you know that?' For those who never attended Sunday school, this is a bit like visiting MIT, wandering into a physics lab, and asking people if they ever heard of this guy named Isaac Newton." There's video at the link.

No thank you! "AMC, the biggest movie theater chain in the United States, has a new CEO in Adam Aron, and he's up for some changes to the moviegoing experience. Granted, there are plenty of things that could be improved about theaters, but 'allowing texting in theaters' isn't one of them—despite his willingness to try it. This is it. This is the hill my youth dies on. I guess I'm glad it's a movie theater-shaped hill, anyway." LOL.

And finally! All the blubs forever: "A dog and kitten who lost their home were reunited in a heart-warming encounter caught on video at a California animal center recently. And there's more good news! Ami the dog and Mikaela the kitten have both been adopted by a loving family." ♥

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Shut Up!