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babylonsister
babylonsister's Journal
babylonsister's Journal
August 11, 2020
What If The Press Stopped Letting Trump Interrupt?
https://crooksandliars.com/cltv/2020/08/what-if-press-stopped-letting-trump
August 11, 2020
Against that backdrop, it's negligent for media outlets to suggest Trump has done anything to try to stop this crisis. "When will journalists drop all the old conventions and stop with the euphemisms and describe the world as it is, not as they pretend it is," asked commentator Mehdi Hasan. "Trump’s response to the pandemic has been totally insane, uniquely reckless, criminally negligent."
more...
https://pressrun.media/p/memo-to-media-stop-pretending-trump-961
Eric Boehlert: Memo to media: Stop pretending Trump cares about the pandemic
Memo to media: Stop pretending Trump cares about the pandemic
Trump's war against America
Eric Boehlert
31 min
Embracing the false assumption that Trump cares about the raging Covid-19 pandemic and is trying to help the country heal, the press perpetuates a myth about the distressing state of our nation. On paper, the president ought to care. But this one does not, and that should be the dominant news story. Not claims that he's "still struggling to fully grasp the severity” of the crisis, as CNN recently reported. Or that the administration is merely "dysfunctional," as the Washington Post suggested last week.
"The lost days of summer: How Trump struggled to contain the virus," read the Washington Post headline, falsely implying that Trump has in fact "struggled" do anything in recent months to stop the virus. The reason tens of millions of American school children won't be back in classrooms this fall, why nearly 15 million have lost their jobs and remain out of work this year, why high-profile enterprises such as college football look less likely to happen in coming weeks is because Trump's done nothing to help fight the pandemic. (The Post headline was later changed to "Trump falls short in containing the virus," which still radically underplays the story.)
The clear evidence shows his actions have consistently made the crisis worse — that's the news story. In an excellent Slate piece that avoids the typically vague language used in so much of the pandemic coverage, William Saletan presented the unfiltered facts:
Trump knew we weren’t ready for a pandemic, but he didn’t prepare. He knew China was hiding the extent of the crisis, but he joined in the cover-up. He knew the virus was spreading in the United States, but he said it was vanishing. He knew we wouldn’t find it without more tests, but he said we didn’t need them. He delayed mitigation. He derided masks. He tried to silence anyone who told the truth. And in the face of multiple warnings, he pushed the country back open, reigniting the spread of the disease.
Against that backdrop, it's negligent for media outlets to suggest Trump has done anything to try to stop this crisis. "When will journalists drop all the old conventions and stop with the euphemisms and describe the world as it is, not as they pretend it is," asked commentator Mehdi Hasan. "Trump’s response to the pandemic has been totally insane, uniquely reckless, criminally negligent."
more...
https://pressrun.media/p/memo-to-media-stop-pretending-trump-961
August 10, 2020
Former Aide Confesses to Killing State Senator
Snapped? 
https://politicalwire.com/2020/08/10/former-aide-confesses-to-killing-state-senator/
Former Aide Confesses to Killing State Senator
August 10, 2020 at 10:19 am EDT By Taegan Goddard
Rebecca O’Donnell has pleaded guilty to killing her boss, former Arkansas State Senator Linda Collins (R), KATV reports.
O’Donnell admitted she was stealing money from the senator and “snapped” when confronted about it.
O’Donnell admitted she was stealing money from the senator and “snapped” when confronted about it.
August 9, 2020
Nancy Pelosi owns Chris Wallace: ‘Clearly you don’t have an understanding of what is happening here’
Published 25 mins ago
on August 9, 2020
By David Edwards
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) faced off against Fox News host Chris Wallace on Sunday over the failure to negotiate a COVID-19 financial relief bill.
In an interview on Fox News Sunday, Wallace suggested that there is an upside to executive actions taken by President Donald Trump in lieu of a financial relief bill because some people will get protections from evictions “rather than getting nothing at all.”
Watch the video below from Fox News, at link...
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/08/nancy-pelosi-owns-chris-wallace-clearly-you-dont-have-an-understanding-of-what-is-happening-here/
Nancy Pelosi owns Chris Wallace: 'Clearly you don't have an understanding of what is happening here'
Nancy Pelosi owns Chris Wallace: ‘Clearly you don’t have an understanding of what is happening here’
Published 25 mins ago
on August 9, 2020
By David Edwards
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) faced off against Fox News host Chris Wallace on Sunday over the failure to negotiate a COVID-19 financial relief bill.
In an interview on Fox News Sunday, Wallace suggested that there is an upside to executive actions taken by President Donald Trump in lieu of a financial relief bill because some people will get protections from evictions “rather than getting nothing at all.”
For her part, Pelosi quoted a Republican senator who said that the president’s executive action is “constitutional slop.”
“While he says he’s going to have a moratorium on evictions, he’s going to ask the folks in charge to study if that’s feasible,” Pelosi explained before noting that the president’s payroll tax holiday serves to “undermine Social Security and Medicare.”
“These are illusions,” she said.
“While he says he’s going to have a moratorium on evictions, he’s going to ask the folks in charge to study if that’s feasible,” Pelosi explained before noting that the president’s payroll tax holiday serves to “undermine Social Security and Medicare.”
“These are illusions,” she said.
“But, Speaker,” Wallace pressed, “I understand the president’s executive action doesn’t do all the things you want. But having no bill at all, not coming to any agreement wasn’t going to provide any of the things that you want either.”
“You’re known as a master negotiator,” the Fox News host continued. “But didn’t you mess this one up? Because you talk about all the things that the president’s bill… cities and states won’t get any money, there’s no money for the Post Office, there’s no money for hospitals, there’s no money for states boards of elections. You knew that the president was threatening to take this executive action.”
“Should you have cut a deal?” Wallace wondered. “And are you ready to go back into talks to try to come up with a fuller package.”
“You’re known as a master negotiator,” the Fox News host continued. “But didn’t you mess this one up? Because you talk about all the things that the president’s bill… cities and states won’t get any money, there’s no money for the Post Office, there’s no money for hospitals, there’s no money for states boards of elections. You knew that the president was threatening to take this executive action.”
“Should you have cut a deal?” Wallace wondered. “And are you ready to go back into talks to try to come up with a fuller package.”
“Clearly, you don’t have an understanding of what is happening here,” Pelosi shot back, “both in the weakness of the president’s executive orders, which don’t give the money — the enhanced benefits, but puts a complicated formula there which will take a while — if all — to accomplish, to put money in the pockets of the American people.”
Pelosi reiterated the need to support health care workers but Wallace interrupted.
“I allowed you to finish,” the Speaker said. “You allow me to finish.”
Pelosi reiterated the need to support health care workers but Wallace interrupted.
“I allowed you to finish,” the Speaker said. “You allow me to finish.”
Watch the video below from Fox News, at link...
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/08/nancy-pelosi-owns-chris-wallace-clearly-you-dont-have-an-understanding-of-what-is-happening-here/
August 9, 2020
Posted on Sun, Aug 9th, 2020 by Tim Libretti
Opinion: Let Us Count the Ways Trump, GOP Have Created a Death Culture in America
snip//
When I say his domestic policies and practices are genocidal, I mean to assert quite blatantly that his governing has sought quite actively and hostilely to undermine the lives of Americans.
It isn’t just that he’s careless and callous with American lives. He carefully seeks to promote American death.
As I write, over 160,000 Americans have died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only had Trump refused to address the virus, we have also learned that Jared Kushner’s coronavirus team strategically chose not to implement a coordinated national strategy to address the pandemic, believing the virus was poised to hurt traditionally blue states disproportionately hard.
In short, the consciously crafted strategy of the Trump administration was to let Americans die.
Trump’s fervent push to re-open the economy and to send children back to schools also exemplifies his promotion of American deaths, not American lives. As we have already witnessed in Indiana, sending children, teachers, and staff back to schools will certainly lead to more sickness and death. It’s a matter of when, not if.
And, of course, it’s not just Trump. It’s the entire GOP.
They have been quite clear. If there’s choice between life or a “way of life” that entails death, the GOP opts for the latter.
more...
https://www.politicususa.com/2020/08/09/opinion-let-us-count-the-ways-trump-gop-have-created-a-death-culture-in-america.html
Let Us Count the Ways Trump, GOP Have Created a Death Culture in America
Posted on Sun, Aug 9th, 2020 by Tim Libretti
Opinion: Let Us Count the Ways Trump, GOP Have Created a Death Culture in America
snip//
When I say his domestic policies and practices are genocidal, I mean to assert quite blatantly that his governing has sought quite actively and hostilely to undermine the lives of Americans.
It isn’t just that he’s careless and callous with American lives. He carefully seeks to promote American death.
As I write, over 160,000 Americans have died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only had Trump refused to address the virus, we have also learned that Jared Kushner’s coronavirus team strategically chose not to implement a coordinated national strategy to address the pandemic, believing the virus was poised to hurt traditionally blue states disproportionately hard.
In short, the consciously crafted strategy of the Trump administration was to let Americans die.
Trump’s fervent push to re-open the economy and to send children back to schools also exemplifies his promotion of American deaths, not American lives. As we have already witnessed in Indiana, sending children, teachers, and staff back to schools will certainly lead to more sickness and death. It’s a matter of when, not if.
And, of course, it’s not just Trump. It’s the entire GOP.
They have been quite clear. If there’s choice between life or a “way of life” that entails death, the GOP opts for the latter.
more...
https://www.politicususa.com/2020/08/09/opinion-let-us-count-the-ways-trump-gop-have-created-a-death-culture-in-america.html
August 8, 2020
A man who was sentenced to life in prison for selling $30 of marijuana will be freed
By Kay Jones and Scottie Andrew, CNN
Updated 12:51 AM ET, Sat August 8, 2020
(CNN)A military veteran serving a life sentence for selling less than $30 worth of marijuana will soon be released from prison, his attorney said.
Derek Harris, who was arrested in 2008 in Louisiana for selling an officer .69 grams of marijuana, was recently resentenced to time served. He's already served nine years in prison.
Initially, Harris was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to the Louisiana Supreme Court. He was resentenced in 2012 to life in prison under the Habitual Offender Law, which allows judges to impose stricter sentences on someone who's been charged before.
The Louisiana Supreme Court agreed with Harris' argument claiming he had "ineffective assistance of counsel at sentencing on post-conviction review." The matter was sent back to the trial court for an evidentiary writ.
The District Attorney's office agreed that Harris "received ineffective assistance at sentencing and was entitled to a lesser sentence," Boyle said in a statement.
more...
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/08/us/man-freed-life-sentence-marijuana-trnd/index.html
A man who was sentenced to life in prison for selling $30 of marijuana will be freed
A man who was sentenced to life in prison for selling $30 of marijuana will be freed
By Kay Jones and Scottie Andrew, CNN
Updated 12:51 AM ET, Sat August 8, 2020
(CNN)A military veteran serving a life sentence for selling less than $30 worth of marijuana will soon be released from prison, his attorney said.
Derek Harris, who was arrested in 2008 in Louisiana for selling an officer .69 grams of marijuana, was recently resentenced to time served. He's already served nine years in prison.
Initially, Harris was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to the Louisiana Supreme Court. He was resentenced in 2012 to life in prison under the Habitual Offender Law, which allows judges to impose stricter sentences on someone who's been charged before.
The Louisiana Supreme Court agreed with Harris' argument claiming he had "ineffective assistance of counsel at sentencing on post-conviction review." The matter was sent back to the trial court for an evidentiary writ.
The District Attorney's office agreed that Harris "received ineffective assistance at sentencing and was entitled to a lesser sentence," Boyle said in a statement.
more...
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/08/us/man-freed-life-sentence-marijuana-trnd/index.html
August 8, 2020
Ripping Down Trump’s Phony ’Treason’ Conspiracy
Joe Conason
August 07 | 2020
History matters, especially when an unscrupulous president constantly seeks to revise and distort fundamental facts as events unfold. This week, a courageous law enforcement official stepped forward to correct the record at last, and under oath.
snip//
What Yates and her fellow prosecutors learned from those recordings was that the former general (once famously entertained by Russian President Vladimir Putin himself) had undermined U.S. sanctions imposed after Russia intervened in the 2016 presidential election. Those same recordings later showed that Flynn had deceived Vice President Mike Pence and other officials about his contacts with Russia. She testified that the probe continued because of the revelations about Flynn's subversion.
There was no attempt by the Obama administration — including then-Vice President Joe Biden — to direct the investigation to harm Trump or his incoming administration, she said. There was no effort to interfere with Trump's campaign using a falsified intelligence warrant. Such claims barely merit discussion, since it was Hillary Clinton's campaign, not Donald Trump's, that was undone by the public revelations about an FBI investigation.
Having established the basic facts, Yates bluntly rebuked the machinations by Attorney General William Barr to protect Flynn from the consequences of his acts — which have enraged and embarrassed nearly every lawyer who ever served the United States. She contradicted Barr's weak claims exonerating Flynn of lying to the FBI, which the attorney general used to dismiss his guilty plea. And Yates didn't hesitate to point out the terrible consequences for the integrity of the justice system when the highest law enforcement officer uses his power to rescue the president's guilty accomplices.
Covering Yates' testimony, the Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin described Sally Yates as a straight professional, free of partisan taint — in short, the opposite of the badly bent Bill Barr. When Trump and Barr and their ilk are at last gone, it will be figures of integrity like Yates who restore the rule of law and repair the depredations of this regime.
Joe Conason: Ripping Down Trump's Phony 'Treason' Conspiracy
https://www.nationalmemo.com/ripping-down-trumps-phony-treason-conspiracyRipping Down Trump’s Phony ’Treason’ Conspiracy
Joe Conason
August 07 | 2020
History matters, especially when an unscrupulous president constantly seeks to revise and distort fundamental facts as events unfold. This week, a courageous law enforcement official stepped forward to correct the record at last, and under oath.
snip//
What Yates and her fellow prosecutors learned from those recordings was that the former general (once famously entertained by Russian President Vladimir Putin himself) had undermined U.S. sanctions imposed after Russia intervened in the 2016 presidential election. Those same recordings later showed that Flynn had deceived Vice President Mike Pence and other officials about his contacts with Russia. She testified that the probe continued because of the revelations about Flynn's subversion.
There was no attempt by the Obama administration — including then-Vice President Joe Biden — to direct the investigation to harm Trump or his incoming administration, she said. There was no effort to interfere with Trump's campaign using a falsified intelligence warrant. Such claims barely merit discussion, since it was Hillary Clinton's campaign, not Donald Trump's, that was undone by the public revelations about an FBI investigation.
Having established the basic facts, Yates bluntly rebuked the machinations by Attorney General William Barr to protect Flynn from the consequences of his acts — which have enraged and embarrassed nearly every lawyer who ever served the United States. She contradicted Barr's weak claims exonerating Flynn of lying to the FBI, which the attorney general used to dismiss his guilty plea. And Yates didn't hesitate to point out the terrible consequences for the integrity of the justice system when the highest law enforcement officer uses his power to rescue the president's guilty accomplices.
Covering Yates' testimony, the Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin described Sally Yates as a straight professional, free of partisan taint — in short, the opposite of the badly bent Bill Barr. When Trump and Barr and their ilk are at last gone, it will be figures of integrity like Yates who restore the rule of law and repair the depredations of this regime.
August 8, 2020
8/08/20 9:33am
Sarah Kendzior: 'Trump Does Not Care If He Gets Caught... He Cares If He Is Punished'
Americans are paying a heavy price for there being no consequences for Trump's lawlessness, said Kendzior.
By Ed Scarce
2 hours ago by Ed Scarce
VIDEO @ LINK~
She's right. If there are never any real negative, personal consequences for any of Trump's actions, why wouldn't he just ignore laws as it suits him? Trump was basically given a blank check by Senate Republicans earlier this year during their impeachment trial (farce) to do whatever the fuck he feels like doing, and Americans are indeed paying a stiff price for their neglect.
Sarah Kendzior: 'Trump Does Not Care If He Gets Caught... He Cares If He Is Punished'
https://crooksandliars.com/2020/08/sarah-kendzior-trump-does-not-care-if-he8/08/20 9:33am
Sarah Kendzior: 'Trump Does Not Care If He Gets Caught... He Cares If He Is Punished'
Americans are paying a heavy price for there being no consequences for Trump's lawlessness, said Kendzior.
By Ed Scarce
2 hours ago by Ed Scarce
VIDEO @ LINK~
She's right. If there are never any real negative, personal consequences for any of Trump's actions, why wouldn't he just ignore laws as it suits him? Trump was basically given a blank check by Senate Republicans earlier this year during their impeachment trial (farce) to do whatever the fuck he feels like doing, and Americans are indeed paying a stiff price for their neglect.
ZERLINA MAXWELL: What is the risk now for corruption as we are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic?
SARAH KENDZIOR: I mean, everything is a risk but the biggest risk the is threat to human life that is caused by his reaction to the coronavirus. This is an extension of the way he's behaved since he took office. He came in to abuse executive power, to enhance his personal wealth and then he went on to do all the typical things that kleptocratic, authoritarian leader does, which is purge agencies, pack courts, and then bend the law so that, in his view, he is not longer breaking it. That's why he has his henchmen like Bill Barr. And one thing that makes Trump unique because not all kleptocratic, authoritarian leaders are the same is his sadism, you know, which came through in Mary Trump's intreview. But it's also been pointed out on by a number of experts on mental health and authoritarian rule. This is someone whose gut reaction to 9/11 was my buildings look taller. His reaction to financial crisis is this is good for me, this makes me more money. In 2014, he went on Fox News and said "What will make America great again is total economic collapse, complete disaster, riots in the street." There are no limits with him. The only thing that will matter are legal consequences. He does not care if he is caught. He cares if he is punished and we have had four years to do that and people have failed to do that and now we Americans are paying the price.
SARAH KENDZIOR: I mean, everything is a risk but the biggest risk the is threat to human life that is caused by his reaction to the coronavirus. This is an extension of the way he's behaved since he took office. He came in to abuse executive power, to enhance his personal wealth and then he went on to do all the typical things that kleptocratic, authoritarian leader does, which is purge agencies, pack courts, and then bend the law so that, in his view, he is not longer breaking it. That's why he has his henchmen like Bill Barr. And one thing that makes Trump unique because not all kleptocratic, authoritarian leaders are the same is his sadism, you know, which came through in Mary Trump's intreview. But it's also been pointed out on by a number of experts on mental health and authoritarian rule. This is someone whose gut reaction to 9/11 was my buildings look taller. His reaction to financial crisis is this is good for me, this makes me more money. In 2014, he went on Fox News and said "What will make America great again is total economic collapse, complete disaster, riots in the street." There are no limits with him. The only thing that will matter are legal consequences. He does not care if he is caught. He cares if he is punished and we have had four years to do that and people have failed to do that and now we Americans are paying the price.
August 8, 2020
Posted on Sat, Aug 8th, 2020 by Sean Colarossi
Trump Team Calls Biden A ‘Very Good Debater’ As They Desperately Try To Lower Own Expectations
After spending much of the campaign trying – and failing – to paint Joe Biden as senile and off his game, the Trump team now claims the former vice president is a skilled debater.
The new comments are a rather remarkable shift for the Trump campaign, which has been claiming that Biden won’t even participate in all three debates ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
Biden, of course, already pledged in June that he would attend all three of the scheduled debates with Trump. As The Post pointed out, Trump only made that same commitment this past Thursday.
One indication that a presidential campaign is losing – besides polling – is when it starts throwing public tantrums about debate rules, as the Trump team has been doing.
Trump is desperate to raise expectations for Joe Biden and lower his own
more...
https://www.politicususa.com/2020/08/08/trump-team-calls-biden-a-very-good-debater-as-they-desperately-try-to-lower-own-expectations.html
Trump Team Calls Biden A 'Very Good Debater' As They Desperately Try To Lower Own Expectations
Posted on Sat, Aug 8th, 2020 by Sean Colarossi
Trump Team Calls Biden A ‘Very Good Debater’ As They Desperately Try To Lower Own Expectations
After spending much of the campaign trying – and failing – to paint Joe Biden as senile and off his game, the Trump team now claims the former vice president is a skilled debater.
“Joe Biden is actually a very good debater. He doesn’t have as many gaffes as he does in his everyday interviews,” said Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller, according to The Washington Post.
“I would make the argument that Joe Biden would even be the favorite in the debates since he’s been doing them for 47 years,” Miller added.
“I would make the argument that Joe Biden would even be the favorite in the debates since he’s been doing them for 47 years,” Miller added.
The new comments are a rather remarkable shift for the Trump campaign, which has been claiming that Biden won’t even participate in all three debates ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
Biden, of course, already pledged in June that he would attend all three of the scheduled debates with Trump. As The Post pointed out, Trump only made that same commitment this past Thursday.
One indication that a presidential campaign is losing – besides polling – is when it starts throwing public tantrums about debate rules, as the Trump team has been doing.
Trump is desperate to raise expectations for Joe Biden and lower his own
more...
https://www.politicususa.com/2020/08/08/trump-team-calls-biden-a-very-good-debater-as-they-desperately-try-to-lower-own-expectations.html
August 8, 2020
European diplomats believe Joe Biden will repair the damage done by Trump to America's broken alliance with Europe
Thomas Colson and Adam Payne
Jul 4, 2020, 12:02 PM
Joe Biden's election as US president in November would restore UK-US relations, repair the diplomatic damage caused by the Trump administration, and boost the prospects of a transatlantic trade deal, according to European diplomats and trade experts.
The transatlantic alliance between the US and its European allies has been under growing strain since Trump's election in 2016.
The president's attacks on multilateral institutions such NATO, his attacks on Europe's rapprochement with Iran, and his decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord have all tested the long-standing "special relationship" with the UK and other European allies.
The damage has been reflected among the European public, with recent polling showing a collapse in perceptions of America on the other side of the Atlantic.
more...
https://www.businessinsider.com/europe-believes-biden-would-repair-trumps-damage-to-european-alliance-2020-7
European diplomats believe Joe Biden will repair the damage done by Trump...
European diplomats believe Joe Biden will repair the damage done by Trump to America's broken alliance with Europe
Thomas Colson and Adam Payne
Jul 4, 2020, 12:02 PM
European diplomats and foreign policy experts say that a Joe Biden presidency would restore the United States' strained alliances with Europe.
Donald Trump's presidency has put relations between the US and its closest allies under severe stress.
The president's attacks on international institutions and his dislike for multilateral action have tested longstanding alliances.
One senior UK diplomat told Business Insider that they believed a Biden presidency would bring an end to "the venal corruption" of the Trump era.
Donald Trump's presidency has put relations between the US and its closest allies under severe stress.
The president's attacks on international institutions and his dislike for multilateral action have tested longstanding alliances.
One senior UK diplomat told Business Insider that they believed a Biden presidency would bring an end to "the venal corruption" of the Trump era.
Joe Biden's election as US president in November would restore UK-US relations, repair the diplomatic damage caused by the Trump administration, and boost the prospects of a transatlantic trade deal, according to European diplomats and trade experts.
The transatlantic alliance between the US and its European allies has been under growing strain since Trump's election in 2016.
The president's attacks on multilateral institutions such NATO, his attacks on Europe's rapprochement with Iran, and his decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord have all tested the long-standing "special relationship" with the UK and other European allies.
The damage has been reflected among the European public, with recent polling showing a collapse in perceptions of America on the other side of the Atlantic.
more...
https://www.businessinsider.com/europe-believes-biden-would-repair-trumps-damage-to-european-alliance-2020-7
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Gender: FemaleHometown: NY
Home country: US
Current location: Florida
Member since: Mon Sep 6, 2004, 09:54 PM
Number of posts: 171,059
