September 27, 2019

NRA knew about Russian agent's links to Kremlin and worked with her anyway

By Josh Israel -
September 27, 2019

Maria Butina plead guilty to conspiracy charges after working to infiltrate the National Rifle Association and other conservative groups.

Earlier this year, Maria Butina was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges. The Kremlin-linked founder of Russia's equivalent to the National Rifle Association's had, without registering as a foreign agent, been working to infiltrate America's NRA and other conservative organizations.

A new report by the Senate Finance Committee's Democratic staff reveals that the NRA knew about Butina's links to Vladimir Putin's regime and welcomed her anyway, offering her access to the conservative movement.

The same, they found, was true of Butina's then-boss, former Russian government official Alexander Torshin — a "lifetime member" of the NRA who was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Treasury in April 2018.

According to their investigation, "the NRA, its officers, board members, and donors engaged in a years-long effort to facilitate the U.S.-based activities of Maria Butina and Alexander Torshin." They also found that some NRA officials who traveled to Moscow for a December 2015 meeting with Butina's group used the trip for their own business interests, a possible breach of the NRA's tax-exempt purpose.

https://shareblue.com/nra-russia-maria-butina-senate-investigation-national-rifle-association-kremlin/

I think maybe it is time to revisit the non profit status and how it is being used.................

September 27, 2019

174 GOP House members vote to let Trump raid military funds to pay for his wall

By Josh Israel -
September 27, 2019


The House followed the Senate's lead, passing a resolution to terminate Trump's national emergency on Friday. But the vast majority of Republicans sided with Trump.

A bad week for Donald Trump got worse on Friday. Two days after the Senate voted 54-41 to terminate his declaration of a national emergency at the southern border, the House adopted the same resolution by a vote of 236-174. Just 11 Republicans joined with one independent and the Democratic majority to end the so-called "emergency," well short of the number required to override Trump's inevitable veto.

Trump ran for president promising to build a massive wall across the entire length of the southern border of the nation. Over and over, he vowed that Mexico would happily pay 100% of the cost.

After Trump was elected, it quickly became clear that Mexico had no intention of spending billions of dollars for Trump's wall. Quickly, he pivoted to trying to get Congress to appropriate funds so the American people would pay for the entire project. But even after he tried to force this through the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history, Congress balked at the demand too.

Instead, Trump decided to effectively steal the money by using a legally questionable theory of presidential powers. He declared a national emergency and announced that he would take money Congress appropriated for the military to instead begin construction on his stalled wall.

https://shareblue.com/house-republicans-donald-trump-border-wall-military-funding-national-emergency-congress/

I guess, these 174 incompetent jerks never read the Constitution that they swore to Protect and Defend...................and the articles they must Protect and Defend...........................

U.S. Constitution, Article I, section 7, clause 1

“No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.”

U.S. Constitution, Article I, section 9, clause 7

Congress—and in particular, the House of Representatives—is invested with the “power of the purse,” the ability to tax and spend public money for the national government. Massachusetts’ Elbridge Gerry said at the Federal Constitutional Convention that the House “was more immediately the representatives of the people, and it was a maxim that the people ought to hold the purse-strings.”


Or these 174 must have gotten the memo from Federalist Society and the Judicial Watch used toilet paper, they believe in, which is full of ....................................

November 3, 2020 cannot get here fast enough........................

September 27, 2019

GOP leader fails second attempt in 3 days to get House to disapprove impeachment inquiry

By Oliver Willis -
September 27, 2019

Kevin McCarthy is a leading Republican defender of Trump despite ongoing corruption revelations.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy failed in his second attempt in three days to have the House of Representatives disapprove of the impeachment inquiry of Trump.

McCarthy attempted on Friday to introduce a motion in the House to disapprove of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after she came out in favor of the inquiry.

Pelosi (D-CA) cited Trump's "betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security, and betrayal of the integrity of our elections" in supporting the inquiry.

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer objected to McCarthy's attempt to undermine the speaker and asked members to instead set aside, or table, McCarthy's action.

https://shareblue.com/gop-leader-fails-second-attempt-in-3-days-to-get-house-to-disapprove-impeachment-inquiry/

Hey Kevin can I call you Kevin, maybe you and the other enabling jerks should do this emoji when you stand at a podium............ ................because after all Pelosi is following the Constitution, what are you and your enabling other 183 doing, using it for toilet paper, that's what you are doing......................

November 3, 2020 cannot get here fast enough................

September 27, 2019

12 bills the GOP is refusing to work on because of impeachment

By Josh Israel -
September 26, 2019

After months of Mitch McConnell blocking virtually all legislation in the Senate, Republicans are now blaming the impeachment inquiry for their legislative impotence.

While conducting oversight of the Trump administration, the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives has managed to pass more than 400 pieces of legislation since the start of 2019. The vast majority of these have been blocked by Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. McConnell has bragged about his blockade, calling himself the "Grim Reaper" and gleefully refusing to take any action to stop gun violence, protect the planet, improve the nation's health care system, protect LGBTQ people from discrimination, or ensure equal pay for women.

Now that the Democratic majority in House of Representatives has launched an impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump's apparently illegal attempts to enlist a foreign government to provide opposition research for his 2020 campaign, Trump and his defenders in Congress have embraced a new dishonest talking point: blaming their unwillingness to act on impeachment.

Trump previewed this approach a May. Angry that the Democrats were doing their constitutionally required oversight of him and his administration, he stormed out of a meeting with Democratic leaders, vowing he would not do anything to improve the nation's crumbling infrastructure unless they stopped investigating him. He has so far been true to his word, doing nothing to improve roads, bridges, dams, or anything else.

In the past few days, congressional Republicans have attempted to convince the American public that because the House is investigating Trump's Ukraine scandal, all of their opportunities to legislate are now dead. These include:

https://shareblue.com/republicans-impeachment-donald-trump-house-democrats-mitch-mcconnell-senate-congress/

FUCK YOU MOSCOW MITCH with your attempt of deflection...............................

November 3, 2020 cannot get here fast enough

September 27, 2019

GOP senator says she's too focused on ethanol to read 9-page whistleblower report

By Dan Desai Martin -
September 26, 2019

The nine-page report outlines Trump's illicit activities related to Ukraine and 2020 election interference.

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) says she has yet to read a whistleblower report outlining credible allegations Trump abused his power by pressuring a foreign government to investigate a political foe, in order to help his chances in the 2020 election.

"I haven't read the full report," Ernst, one of several vulnerable senators up for reelection in 2020, told a Washington Post reporter Thursday afternoon.

The "full report" to which she is referring is a total of seven pages long, plus an additional two-page appendix. Ernst said she was unable to discuss the allegations in it.

"If you do want to talk about ethanol, I am happy to talk about ethanol because that’s where all my efforts are right now," she added.

https://shareblue.com/joni-ernst-donald-trump-ukraine-whistleblower-ethanol-2020-election-iowa-republican-joe-biden/

Well Joni, can I call you Joni, first and foremost, you can't walk and chew gum at the same time correct.
Second, since you have been enabling the treasonous asshole in the white house and everyone involved in his criminality, you know like blackmail, extortion for example, and doing his version of the Richard Nixon tapes, and then to top it all off your treasonous president of crime trying to hide information on server that has a "passcode" for which it was not intended for, too deceive and hide his crimes........................ and all this time you have voting "yea" to put non-qualified Federalist Society assholes on the bench, and all you are worried about is worrying only about ethanol, to hell with protecting and defending the Constitution and people, which you sore to do, while you had one hand behind your back with your fingered crossed.............................and guess what one of the Federalist Society involved with this coverup to strong arm a country is William Barr...........from the Federalist Society ranks, helping in on the crimes which are unfolding .....................so how do you feel now about ethanol, now,do you think you can find time to read it now are you that stupid not too, me thinks you are stupid.......................

Which ever democrat is running against you I am all in to have you defeated.....................


November 3, 2020 cannot , and I mean cannot get here fast enough..............

September 26, 2019

Hell Bound Train........................

Hellbound Train
Savoy Brown

Hellbound Train I'm on it's track
Too late now to turn my back
Conductor coming ticket in his hand
Come to claim my soul
Take me to his land

Hellbound Train I been so wrong
Too late now I'm moving on
Conductor standing watch in his hand
Got to get aboard take you to his land

I'm going down the road on the Hellbound Train
Take a long look lady 'cause you won't see me again
Take a last look lady, yes hard and long
'Cause I'm going down the road on the Hellbound Train

Hellbound Train driving slow
Move on down to the Hell below
Conductor please won't you lend a hand?
Got to get on board take me to your land

Yes I know I've been so wrong
Too late now I'm moving on
Hellbound Train I'm on it's track
Moving down I can't look back

I'm going down the road on the Hellbound Train
Take a long look lady 'cause you won't see me again
Take a last look lady, yes hard and long
'Cause I'm going down the road on the Hellbound Train

I'm going down the road on the Hellbound Train
Take a long look lady 'cause you won't see me again
Take a last look lady, yes hard and long
'Cause I'm going down the road on the Hellbound Train

Lost and flying down the road on the Hellbound Train
Lost and flying down the road on the Hellbound Train
Hand and hand with the devil


Songwriters: David Francis Baerwald / Will Sexton
Hellbound Train lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

September 26, 2019

GM reverses decision, will pay striking union workers' healthcare coverage

Source: Reuters

Business News
September 26, 2019 / 11:39 AM / Updated 12 minutes ago

2 Min Read

DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Co on Thursday reversed its decision not to pay for the healthcare coverage of its striking United Auto Workers union workers, citing confusion around the issue, a company spokesman said.

“Given the confusion around what was happening, we chose to work with our providers to ensure that the benefits would remain fully in place,” GM spokesman Jim Cain said.

The UAW had accused GM of blindsiding them with the decision to drop coverage during the strike, and some workers had claimed they could not pay their medical bills as a result. The union seized on this issue to rally public and political support for the striking workers.

“There is no doubt that public sentiment sees these actions of GM as a shameful act,” Terry Dittes, the UAW vice president in charge of the GM department, said on Thursday in a letter to GM that the union released publicly.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-autos-labor/gm-reverses-decision-will-pay-striking-union-workers-healthcare-coverage-idUSKBN1WB22T?il=0

September 26, 2019

U.S. Senator Warren's liberal plans fuel rise in Democratic presidential field

Politics
September 26, 2019 / 6:04 AM / Updated 5 hours ago

Amanda Becker, Chris Kahn
6 Min Read

IOWA CITY, Iowa/NEW YORK (Reuters) - When U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren jogged onstage at the University of Iowa last week for her largest rally yet in the state that hosts the first presidential nominating contest, college students cheered, wearing “Warren has a plan for that” t-shirts and waving “Persist!” signs.

The crowd of roughly 2,000 people also included young professionals, parents rocking infants, public school teachers and elderly climate activists, reflecting the diverse coalition that has fueled the Massachusetts senator’s steady rise in opinion polls since she launched her campaign this year.

According to Reuters/Ipsos polling, Warren is the only candidate for the 2020 Democratic nomination to consistently increase her level of support over the past six months. The latest poll, conducted Sept. 23-24, shows 14% of Democrats and independents support Warren, nearly triple her level in April and enough for second place behind former Vice President Joe Biden.

Warren’s support has surged among a broad group of Democrats and independents: the college educated, high-wage earners making at least $100,000 per year, lower-wage earners making under $50,000 per year, suburban residents, retirees and women.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-warren/u-s-senator-warrens-liberal-plans-fuel-rise-in-democratic-presidential-field-idUSKBN1WB14L

September 26, 2019

For all f Hockey Fans ( Cammi Granato of Downers Grove is hired by the Seattle

expansion franchise as the NHL’s first female scout)

By Associated Press
Associated Press |
Sep 25, 2019 | 1:52 PM
| SEATTLE

Seattle’s expansion NHL franchise has hired former U.S. Olympic team captain Cammi Granato, who grew up in Downers Grove, as a pro scout.

“I’ve had other NHL opportunities to get back into hockey,” Granato said, according to NHL.com. “Seattle is the right fit for me.”

According to the Seattle Times, she is believed to be the first female professional scout working for an NHL team. Other women have served as amateur scouts.

Granato, 48 and a Hockey Hall of Famer, led the Americans to the gold medal in the first Olympic women’s hockey tournament in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. She also played for the silver-medal team in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/ct-cammi-granato-seattle-nhl-scout-20190925-ep7ro6lssrd5lc7wocx3ojgw7i-story.html

September 26, 2019

Clinton impeachment manager Lindsey Graham calls Trump Ukraine scandal 'nothing burger'

By Josh Israel -
September 25, 2019

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) dismissed concerns that Trump violated the law with his request to the Ukrainian president.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) dismissed revelations that Donald Trump asked the Ukrainian president to investigative a political opponent — an apparent violation of federal election law — by suggesting that the story is a "nothing (non-quid pro quo) burger."

Graham, who once urged Trump to "go to hell" but now is one of his fiercest defenders, tweeted on Wednesday morning that he could not believe House Democrats had launched an impeachment inquiry over Trump's clear efforts to pressure a foreign leader to help him get reelected.

Wow. Impeachment over this?" Graham asked. "What a nothing (non-quid pro quo) burger. Democrats have lost their minds when it comes to President @realDonaldTrump."

https://shareblue.com/lindsey-graham-donald-trump-impeachment-ukraine-whistleblower-bill-clinton/

Hey Graham as former JAG.............when did you pass the bar examine, have they changed the definition about and knowing anything about blackmail and extortion...................or is there a new version, playing around in your enabling head.....................of BS.......................because do you remember what you said back in the Clinton days.....................here let me help you on your hypocrisy....................

https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article230483449.html

https://shareblue.com/lindsey-graham-donald-trump-impeachment-ukraine-whistleblower-bill-clinton/