turbinetree
turbinetree's JournalCongressman spreads disinformation to defend Republicans' move to block election security funding
Source: Think Progress
Gaslight theater, starring Lou Barletta.
AARON RUPAR
AUG 3, 2018, 9:48 AM
Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) defended Republicans’ recent decision to vote down additional funding for election security by spreading disinformation during an interview on CNN on Friday.
“What we also found out in all of this talk is that Russia wasn’t able to interfere with our elections,” said Barletta, who is currently running for Sen. Bob Casey’s (D-PA) seat, contradicting what intelligence chiefs publicly said just the day before.
“They’re trying,” host Alisyn Camerota interjected. “And in the midterms, they may succeed.”
“But Alisyn, if they’re not able to do it, why would you spend more money?” Barletta responded. “You wouldn’t do that at home. If you’re putting something in your home and it’s doing the job, why would you spend more money if what you have is succeeding? That doesn’t make sense.”
Read more: https://thinkprogress.org/lou-barletta-election-security-funding-russian-meddling-cnn-trump-599e1ad48342/
Alisyn Camerota, Alisyn Camerota, Alisyn Camerota
You should have asked him if he thinks to defend and protect the country that there should be "Paper Ballots".....................to see what his response would be....................to show his true self worthlessness for being an enabler to the act of treason, after all he works for Paul "ayn rand" Ryan.................and that says everything................
November 2018 cannot get here fast enough......................vote
Gaslight theater, starring Lou Barletta.
I just wonder if he knows that he is suppose to "defend and protect the Constitution"........................
Hey Barletta---------------------FUCK YOU, where do you get your Citizens United John Roberts enabling treason campaign funds from............
Vote this asshole out of political office................so that he cannot get into the Senate...............
National Archives needs until Oct. 31 to review of Brett Kavanaugh's White House papers
Aug 2, 2018 1:58 PM EDT
WASHINGTON — The National Archives and Records Administration said Thursday it won’t be able to complete its review of nearly 1 million documents regarding Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s time in the George W. Bush White House until the end of October. This could potentially thwart Republican hopes for quick confirmation before the November election.
The documents being compiled are only the initial request from Republicans. They cover Kavanaugh’s time in the White House counsel office and his nomination to be a judge. But they don’t contain the broader cache of files being sought by Democrats from Kavanaugh’s time as Bush’s staff secretary.
The paper chase is emerging as the biggest battle over President Donald Trump’s nominee as senators scrutinize the record of the 53-year-old conservative appellate judge whose confirmation could tip the court rightward for a generation to come.
The chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But earlier Thursday, he declined to set a date for beginning confirmation hearings, only saying he hoped to start “sometime in September.”
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/national-archives-needs-until-oct-31-to-review-of-brett-kavanaughs-white-house-papers
Grassley is a ass........................the public has a right to know what this Federalist Society person thinks..........after all he has said that a sitting president......................can run around for four years and commit crimes................
http://www.scotusblog.com/2018/07/kavanaugh-on-presidential-power-law-review-article-on-investigations-of-sitting-presidents/
-snip-
UPDATE: While the focus of this post has been on Judge Kavanaugh’s Minnesota law review article, it’s worth pointing out that in a piece of video posted on Politico, Kavanaugh raised his hand at a 1998 Georgetown Law Journal conference when panelists were asked to indicate if they believed “as a matter of law that a sitting president cannot be indicted during the term of office.” The context of Kavanaugh’s prior remarks, which prompted the vote, strongly indicates that he understood the reference to “as a matter of law” to be referring to “as a matter of constitutional law.”
Spotify removes several Alex Jones podcast episodes for violating hate content policy
Dozens of episodes remain available, however.
REBEKAH ENTRALGO AUG 1, 2018, 6:54 PM
Spotify deleted several of Alex Jones’ podcast episodes Wednesday following outcry from users who criticized the company for giving a platform to a dangerous conspiracy theorist.
“We take reports of hate content seriously and review any podcast episode or song that is flagged by our community,” a Spotify spokeswoman told Vanity Fair. “Spotify can confirm it has removed specific episodes of ‘The Alex Jones Show’ podcast for violating our hate content policy.”
The company did not provide any further detail as to what hate speech was used in the podcasts removed. Dozens of Jones’ podcast episodes remain available on the streaming service, dating back to at least June 2017.
Spotify was forced to take action after some users announced a boycott of the service due to its decision to host The Alex Jones Show. Jones has long been known for smearing victims of terrible tragedies, fear-mongering about immigrants and LGBTQ people, and spreading wild conspiracy theories. (As Vox pointed out, the show also appears on Apple Podcasts.)
https://thinkprogress.org/spotify-removes-alex-jones-podcasts-hate-speech-ced120251530/
Employee at immigrant shelter in Arizona arrested for allegedly sexually abusing teen girl
The employee faces charges of molestation, aggravated assault, and sexual abuse.
REBEKAH ENTRALGO AUG 1, 2018, 8:16 PM
An employee at an Arizona facility that houses immigrant children separated from their families at the border has been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl, according to Phoenix police.
Fernando Negrete, 32, was arrested Tuesday and is facing charges of molestation of a child, sexual abuse, and aggravated assault, the Arizona Republic reported. One of the victim’s roommates informed police on July 25 that she had witnessed the suspect kiss the girl multiple times and touch her breasts and crotch over her clothes in the bedroom she shared with two other minors. The claims made by the teen are substantiated by video surveillance footage showing Negrete near the girls’ room multiple times between 9 p.m. and about 10:30 p.m. on June 27.
According to the Phoenix Police Department, the suspect admitted to his involvement and was booked into jail on one count each of molestation, aggravated assault, and sexual abuse.
Just last week, ProPublica published police reports and call logs from more than two-thirds of youth immigrant shelters run and/or contracted by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department’s Office of Refugee Resettlement describing rampant abuse.
https://thinkprogress.org/employee-at-immigrant-shelter-in-arizona-arrested-for-allegedly-sexually-abusing-teen-girl-7c73f67e2ac3/
Study finds New York state's proposed single-payer system financially feasible
The plan would provide comprehensive health coverage to millions of New York residents, including undocumented immigrants.
ADDY BAIRD AUG 1, 2018, 11:05 AM
A proposed single-payer health care system in New York state is economically viable and could insure a million people currently without coverage, according to a study from RAND Corp. released Wednesday.
The analysis, which looks at the New York Health Act, was commissioned by the New York State Health Foundation. It makes a number of charitable assumptions about the institution and implementation of the single-payer system, but ultimately concludes the plan would be a cost-effective way to provide health insurance to all New York residents, including undocumented immigrants, while also lowering costs.
According to the study, after moving to a single-payer system, spending in New York would remain the same through 2022 and 3 percent lower — about $15 billion less — by 2031.
The plan would cover comprehensive outpatient and inpatient care, primary and preventative care, prescription drugs and laboratory tests, rehabilitative care, and dental, vision, and hearing on top of all benefits currently required by state insurance law. The bargaining power of the state could also result in prescription drug cost savings, according to the RAND analysis.
https://thinkprogress.org/ny-health-act-rand-6a0f41d3131b/
If Facebook is removing pages, why is all this Russian material still up?
Facebook says it's being proactive. Evidence shows otherwise.
CASEY MICHEL AUG 1, 2018, 1:53 PM
Facebook made waves Tuesday when the company announced it had removed more than 30 pages and Instagram accounts that showed evidence of “coordinated inauthentic behavior.”
While Facebook didn’t identify the source of the coordination, CNN reported that company representatives told Congress they suspect Russian links behind the activity. Facebook also wrote in a statement Tuesday that the pages and accounts shared “connections” with those previously linked to Russia’s Internet Research Agency (IRA) — an assessment shared by the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensics Research Lab.
The announcement follows a series of similar actions, including the removal of 270 pages in April and, most notably, over 470 accounts last fall, sparking the past year’s revelations and debate about Russian social media interference.
Any move to shutter these fake pages is of course a welcome step — especially when some of the pages specifically attempt to inflame racial tensions, organize anti-Trump protests, or post material regarding the acquisition of Russian weapons. (As the “Aztlan Warriors” account, removed in the batch announced Tuesday, wrote in one post, “I could see Russia supplying with Russian weapons to take back the land.”)
https://thinkprogress.org/if-facebook-is-removing-pages-why-is-all-this-russian-material-still-up-7ee4b7059b63/
Facebook the Bullwinkle introduction................
Scientists aren't impressed with New York Times' new story on climate change
Experts label 30,000 word piece "historically inaccurate" and "based on logical non sequiturs."
JOE ROMM
AUG 1, 2018, 1:31 PM
The New York Times Magazine is hyping a massive new story claiming that the period from 1979 to 1989 was “The decade we almost stopped climate change.”
But the just-released, roughly 30,000 word article by Nathaniel Rich is already being widely criticized by leading scientists, historians, and climate experts. As physicist Ben Franta, who studies the history of climate politics, put it, “Rich’s exoneration of fossil fuel producers as well as the Republican party seem based on logical non sequiturs.”
Bob Brulle, a Drexel University sociologist and author of numerous studies on climate politics and lobbying, said in a media statement, “This article strikes me as a highly selective historical account that omits key facts that run counter to its overall narrative.”
In particular, “its treatment of industry actors is limited to their official statements, and neglect their political actions,” Brulle said. Those political actions have always been to oppose action on climate change and spread disinformation.
https://thinkprogress.org/scientists-slam-new-york-times-climate-story-for-whitewashing-role-of-big-oil-and-gop-63fbc3a85b09/
-snip-
That fatalistic view conveniently lets key actors off the hook. The fact is that during the times the United States was seriously contemplating action to address climate change, those efforts were thwarted again and again by by the fossil fuel industry and its multi-decade disinformation campaign, as well as key Republicans dating back to the Reagan administration.
After all, somehow, the world came together in Paris in 2015 to agree to a deal that proved society capable of “sacrificing present convenience to forestall a penalty imposed on future generations.” But today the United States stands alone in opposition, and it’s not because of humans are incapable of acting together for the future benefit of all.
I hate when a major publisher like the New York Times "gaslights".......................our kids, our grand kinds, our planets trees and animals are endanger because of this bull shit..................
Study confirms corporate profits are going to executives and shareholders, not workers
In Trump’s "greatest economy," companies are underpaying their workers and enriching investors.
RYAN KORONOWSKI
AUG 1, 2018, 12:44 PM
According to President Trump, we are living in “the greatest economy in the HISTORY of America and the best time EVER to look for a job.”
The details reveal something a little different. While unemployment may be low, workers are experiencing historically low wage growth, while companies are responding to Trump’s recent tax cut by routing their profits predominantly to top executives and big shareholders in the form of stock buybacks.
A Wall Street Journal analysis of how 1,111 companies pay their workers released Wednesday morning illustrates this in stark terms. While “median pay lies between about $44,000 and $95,000 for about half of the 1,111 companies in the S&P 1,500 index that have disclosed median employee pay,” zooming into specific large companies that have been actively padding the wallets of their largest shareholders through stock buyback programs reveals that the true priority here is not sustainable long-term raises for middle-class workers.
The Journal’s Theo Francis and Yaryna Serkez found that “employing low-wage workers directly drags median pay down. Median pay at McDonald’s was much lower, at $7,017, in part because McDonald’s directly employs hourly servers at more of its restaurants.” The low median pay at McDonald’s comes as the fast-food behemoth bought back $1.6 billion in stock in the first quarter of 2018 alone.
https://thinkprogress.org/worker-income-low-in-trumps-booming-economy-stock-buybacks-wealthy-22f1d2af5ab8/
And then there is Amazon and the Walton's.....................................
Portland's efforts to crack down on fossil fuels just won big
The "green wall of resistance" sees some reinforcement from the courts.
E.A. CRUNDEN
AUG 1, 2018, 1:05 PM
Oregon’s Supreme Court has handed a major victory to Portland, upholding the city’s right to greatly restrict fossil fuel infrastructure. The measure has been a source of controversy and considerable back-and-forth over the past few years as business groups have sought to challenge the ordinance.
On Tuesday, the court declined to review a Oregon Court of Appeals decision issued in January that affirmed Portland’s constitutional right to prohibit new fossil fuel infrastructure, including storage and distribution terminals for oil and gas.
In 2016, the Portland City Council unanimously approved the ordinance limiting the construction of such terminals. This lead business groups to appeal the issue to Oregon’s Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA). The Columbia Pacific Building Trades Council, Portland Business Alliance and Western States Petroleum Association have led the opposition to the city’s efforts.
LUBA ruled that Portland had violated the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution in that it restricted interstate commerce, a decision that was later overturned by the Court of Appeals. Tuesday’s decision by the state Supreme Court upholds that ruling, finding that Portland’s ordinance is not unconstitutional after all.
https://thinkprogress.org/oregon-portland-fossil-fuel-infrastructure-court-5183f967d9a6/
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