Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
babylonsister
babylonsister's Journal
babylonsister's Journal
June 7, 2023
“We Were Very Stoned” Pete Davidson Learns A Hard Lesson About Online Shopping After Buying That Staten Island Ferry Boat
You might say he has a boatload of regrets.
By Kase Wickman
June 6, 2023
We would say it happens to the best of us, but like…most of us don’t buy entire boats on the internet. Pete Davidson and Colin Jost, however, do. And it seems like they’re finally ready to admit that maybe buying a decommissioned Staten Island ferry boat wasn’t a well thought-out plan.
Some people have oopsie eBay moments buying Beanie Babies under the influence, or VHS tapes of old favorite movies, forgetting that they don’t have VCRs while others spend over a quarter of a million dollars on what Davidson has called “the windowless van of the sea.” The pair paid $280,100 for the vessel as part of a group that bought the ferry in a bit of online shopping tomfoolery last year, and though there was initially talk of turning it into a sort of floating entertainment venue, Davidson now appears to be praying for its demise, no longer cherishing his role as captain.
more...
https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2023/06/we-were-very-stoned-pete-davidson-online-shopping-staten-island-ferry-boat
"We Were Very Stoned"
“We Were Very Stoned” Pete Davidson Learns A Hard Lesson About Online Shopping After Buying That Staten Island Ferry Boat
You might say he has a boatload of regrets.
By Kase Wickman
June 6, 2023
We would say it happens to the best of us, but like…most of us don’t buy entire boats on the internet. Pete Davidson and Colin Jost, however, do. And it seems like they’re finally ready to admit that maybe buying a decommissioned Staten Island ferry boat wasn’t a well thought-out plan.
"I have no idea what's going on with that thing," Davidson told Entertainment Tonight at the premiere of the latest Transformers movie. "Me and Colin were very stoned a year ago and bought a ferry. And we're figuring it out."
Some people have oopsie eBay moments buying Beanie Babies under the influence, or VHS tapes of old favorite movies, forgetting that they don’t have VCRs while others spend over a quarter of a million dollars on what Davidson has called “the windowless van of the sea.” The pair paid $280,100 for the vessel as part of a group that bought the ferry in a bit of online shopping tomfoolery last year, and though there was initially talk of turning it into a sort of floating entertainment venue, Davidson now appears to be praying for its demise, no longer cherishing his role as captain.
more...
https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2023/06/we-were-very-stoned-pete-davidson-online-shopping-staten-island-ferry-boat
June 7, 2023
https://www.thedailybeast.com/mark-meadows-has-testified-before-grand-jury-in-trump-probe-report
Mark Meadows Has Testified Before Grand Jury in Trump Probe: Report
SPILLING THE TRUMP TEA
Matt Young
Night Editor
Published Jun. 06, 2023 7:36PM ET
Mark Meadows Has Testified Before Grand Jury in Trump Probe: Report
https://www.thedailybeast.com/mark-meadows-has-testified-before-grand-jury-in-trump-probe-report
Mark Meadows Has Testified Before Grand Jury in Trump Probe: Report
SPILLING THE TRUMP TEA
Matt Young
Night Editor
Published Jun. 06, 2023 7:36PM ET
Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Trump’s final right-hand-man while he held office, has testified before a federal grand jury hearing evidence into the investigations brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith, according to The New York Times. It remains unclear when he testified and which investigation Meadows was specifically questioned about—or whether he assisted with more than one. Meadows, the last White House chief of staff before Trump’s 2020 loss, is a key line of inquiry into the former president’s attempts to stay in office in the days leading up to the Jan. 6 riots. A second investigation surrounds Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents as he left office—as well as possible obstruction of justice. Rumors surrounding Meadows’ recent low profile led many to speculate over his involvement with the probes. A lawyer for Meadows, George Terwilliger, told the outlet: “Without commenting on whether or not Mr. Meadows has testified before the grand jury or in any other proceeding, Mr. Meadows has maintained a commitment to tell the truth where he has a legal obligation to do so.”
June 6, 2023
5 hours ago
EPA Ends Trump-Era Bid to Kill Pollution Rules for Plastics Recycling
“This is a big deal,” says one nonprofit clean air expert.
James Bruggers
This story was originally published by Inside Climate News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
snip//
“This is a big deal,” said James Pew, director of clean air practice at the environmental group Earthjustice. The abandoned proposal “would have reversed the regulatory definition that has been in place since 1995,” he noted, “and its effect would have been that pyrolysis and gasification incinerators do not have to install pollution controls, meet emission limits, or monitor or report their pollution.”
“They wouldn’t be accountable to the communities where they operate, or anyone else,” Pew said. “That is why the industry was pushing so hard for this redefinition.” Even the state laws that have been passed with a goal similar to what Trump’s EPA was seeking do not supersede the Clean Air Act, he added.
Jane Williams, executive director of California Communities Against Toxics, an environmental group, said the EPA’s decision would be an important safeguard as pressure for chemical recycling grows.
“The fossil fuel industry will have to get permits and follow an emission speed limit if it wants to polka dot the country with a new fleet of plastic incinerators,” she said.
EPA Ends Trump-Era Bid to Kill Pollution Rules for Plastics Recycling
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/06/epa-trump-clean-air-act-plastics-advanced-recycling-gasification-pyrolysis/5 hours ago
EPA Ends Trump-Era Bid to Kill Pollution Rules for Plastics Recycling
“This is a big deal,” says one nonprofit clean air expert.
James Bruggers
This story was originally published by Inside Climate News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
snip//
“This is a big deal,” said James Pew, director of clean air practice at the environmental group Earthjustice. The abandoned proposal “would have reversed the regulatory definition that has been in place since 1995,” he noted, “and its effect would have been that pyrolysis and gasification incinerators do not have to install pollution controls, meet emission limits, or monitor or report their pollution.”
“They wouldn’t be accountable to the communities where they operate, or anyone else,” Pew said. “That is why the industry was pushing so hard for this redefinition.” Even the state laws that have been passed with a goal similar to what Trump’s EPA was seeking do not supersede the Clean Air Act, he added.
Jane Williams, executive director of California Communities Against Toxics, an environmental group, said the EPA’s decision would be an important safeguard as pressure for chemical recycling grows.
“The fossil fuel industry will have to get permits and follow an emission speed limit if it wants to polka dot the country with a new fleet of plastic incinerators,” she said.
June 6, 2023
How Biden’s Policy Wins Impact Your Community
June 6, 2023 at 6:32 am EDT By Taegan Goddard
How Biden's Policy Wins Impact Your Community
https://politicalwire.com/2023/06/06/how-bidens-policy-wins-impact-your-community/How Biden’s Policy Wins Impact Your Community
June 6, 2023 at 6:32 am EDT By Taegan Goddard
“The White House on Tuesday is launching a website to map and track tens of thousands of infrastructure projects and private manufacturing investments, an effort by the administration to show the positive impact of its policies on the U.S. economy to a skeptical public,” the AP reports.
“The site, Invest.gov, documents roughly 32,000 infrastructure projects and more than $470 billion worth of investments in the production of electric vehicles, batteries, computer chips, biotech, clean energy and other sectors.”
“The site, Invest.gov, documents roughly 32,000 infrastructure projects and more than $470 billion worth of investments in the production of electric vehicles, batteries, computer chips, biotech, clean energy and other sectors.”
June 5, 2023
Mary Trump Shows GOP Wannabes How To Give 'Loser' Trump A Lesson In 'Humiliation'
The niece of the former president urged 2024 GOP candidates to stop going easy on her "thin-skinned baby" of an uncle.
Ed Mazza
Jun 5, 2023, 03:56 AM EDT
Mary Trump, estranged niece and longtime critic of Donald Trump, said the 2024 Republican hopefuls are too afraid of her uncle’s loyal supporters to take him on directly ― but urged them to do so anyway.
She even suggested a stunt a candidate could pull at a debate: Show up with a bowl of mashed potatoes.
Mary Trump Shows GOP Wannabes How To Give 'Loser' Trump A Lesson In 'Humiliation'
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mary-trump-humiliation_n_647d84dfe4b0b4444c7fb422Mary Trump Shows GOP Wannabes How To Give 'Loser' Trump A Lesson In 'Humiliation'
The niece of the former president urged 2024 GOP candidates to stop going easy on her "thin-skinned baby" of an uncle.
Ed Mazza
Jun 5, 2023, 03:56 AM EDT
Mary Trump, estranged niece and longtime critic of Donald Trump, said the 2024 Republican hopefuls are too afraid of her uncle’s loyal supporters to take him on directly ― but urged them to do so anyway.
“If they were serious people they would understand that they have a huge opportunity to take Donald out without having to contradict him in terms of policy,” she told MSNBC’s Katie Phang. “Just call him what he is: He’s a loser. He loses constantly. He has never legitimately won anything in his life. He is a thin-skinned baby who has nothing to offer but white grievance.”
She even suggested a stunt a candidate could pull at a debate: Show up with a bowl of mashed potatoes.
“That was his very first experience of humiliation was when he was being a total brat before my grandmother put dinner on the table,” she said. “My dad, just in order to shut him up and stop him from tormenting his little brother Robert, took a bowl of mashed potatoes and dumped it on Donald’s head.”
She added: “He hates that story.”
She added: “He hates that story.”
June 5, 2023
Casey DeSantis Is the Walmart Melania
Ouch. She fancies herself like Jackie O, but that's another story.
Casey DeSantis Is the Walmart Melania
TRYING TOO HARD
She’d better hope that pleather is pudding-proof.
Katie Baker
Executive Editor
Updated Jun. 04, 2023 4:03PM ET / Published Jun. 04, 2023 3:58PM ET
The First Lady of Florida showed up on the campaign trail in Iowa this weekend wearing a ghastly black leather jacket—American flag on front, an alligator and the silhouette of her state on the back, with the sneering words, “Where Woke Goes to Die”—that brought to mind nothing so much as the racks of a Red State big-bin store where it would be retailing for $24.99.
To be fair, Casey DeSantis wore the bomber to a charity biker rally and I’m sure the campaign intended it to be a viral moment, like Melania Trump’s infamous “I Really Don’t Care” coat that the former First Lady donned to check out the border crisis.
snip//
By contrast, Casey DeSantis’ coat is just like her husband Ron DeSantis’ campaign: Crude. Grasping. Saying the ugly part out loud. Whereas Trump would wink-wink at the fascists—who can forget his dog whistle to the “very fine people on both sides” at Charlottesville—DeSantis wants to peel off Trump’s base by being even more explicit about who he intends to target. You can see it right there on his wife’s jacket: DeSantis’ Florida is where the woke go to die—and a lot of other people die as well.
https://twitter.com/CaseyDeSantis/status/1665157857413570560
Florida under DeSantis has had one of the highest COVID death rates in the nation, even as he’s exulted in his anti-mask policies. And as the governor whips up anti-LGBT sentiment and bans books on race, Casey’s jacket and its message of death also bring to mind the horrific Pulse nightclub mass shooting in Orlando, not to mention the state’s shameful history of Jim Crow-era lynch mobs and the Rosewood massacre. But of course, DeSantis and his cronies want to prevent kids from learning about any of that by censoring their library books and AP curricula.
The jacket, then, is a warning: Watch out, America.
more...
https://www.thedailybeast.com/casey-desantis-is-the-walmart-melania-trump?ref=home
June 4, 2023
As Ron DeSantis Barnstorms New Hampshire, Thousands Of Floridians Lose Health Insurance
He's attacking Disney and "the woke mob" on the campaign trail, but his policies back home are making it harder for low-income residents to stay insured.
Jonathan Cohn
Jun 4, 2023, 08:00 AM EDT
Florida’s Ron DeSantis is now officially a candidate for president, and so far his campaign is going about as expected.
The Republican governor has decried the “malignant ideology” of the left and “the woke mob,” and he’s promised to make the rest of America more like his “free state of Florida.” He has suggested that Disney is trying to brainwash America, and he’s gone after former President Donald Trump too, albeit indirectly, by urging Republicans to “dispense with a culture of losing” during an appearance in New Hampshire.
These are the subjects DeSantis wants to discuss and, quite possibly, the ones that matter most to Republican primary voters. But there’s another topic in the news that could use some attention.
Over the past few weeks, roughly a quarter-million Floridians have lost health insurance coverage through Medicaid. And that’s just the beginning. In the coming months, even more Medicaid beneficiaries in Florida could lose their coverage as well ― with many, and quite possibly most, ending up uninsured altogether.
It’s a big deal in Florida. It should be a big deal elsewhere too, because a major reason for the coverage losses are a series of policy decisions that DeSantis and his administration have made. These decisions say a lot about his priorities and values, and how he might govern as president.
more...
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ron-desantis-floridians-losing-medicaid-coverage_n_647a5010e4b045ce2488aa46
As Ron DeSantis Barnstorms New Hampshire, Thousands Of Floridians Lose Health Insurance
As Ron DeSantis Barnstorms New Hampshire, Thousands Of Floridians Lose Health Insurance
He's attacking Disney and "the woke mob" on the campaign trail, but his policies back home are making it harder for low-income residents to stay insured.
Jonathan Cohn
Jun 4, 2023, 08:00 AM EDT
Florida’s Ron DeSantis is now officially a candidate for president, and so far his campaign is going about as expected.
The Republican governor has decried the “malignant ideology” of the left and “the woke mob,” and he’s promised to make the rest of America more like his “free state of Florida.” He has suggested that Disney is trying to brainwash America, and he’s gone after former President Donald Trump too, albeit indirectly, by urging Republicans to “dispense with a culture of losing” during an appearance in New Hampshire.
These are the subjects DeSantis wants to discuss and, quite possibly, the ones that matter most to Republican primary voters. But there’s another topic in the news that could use some attention.
Over the past few weeks, roughly a quarter-million Floridians have lost health insurance coverage through Medicaid. And that’s just the beginning. In the coming months, even more Medicaid beneficiaries in Florida could lose their coverage as well ― with many, and quite possibly most, ending up uninsured altogether.
It’s a big deal in Florida. It should be a big deal elsewhere too, because a major reason for the coverage losses are a series of policy decisions that DeSantis and his administration have made. These decisions say a lot about his priorities and values, and how he might govern as president.
more...
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ron-desantis-floridians-losing-medicaid-coverage_n_647a5010e4b045ce2488aa46
June 4, 2023
Connecticut Governor Poised To Sign State's Most Sweeping Gun Measure Since Post-Sandy Hook Laws
The measure comes as mass killings occur at a record pace in the United States.
June 3, 2023, 12:54 PM EDT
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A slate of gun control measures was headed Saturday to Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s desk, after an all-night state Senate debate and early morning vote to approve the state’s most wide-ranging gun legislation since the laws that followed the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting.
Lamont, a Democrat, plans to sign the measure. He said in a statement that the legislation would “modernize our firearm safety laws in a smart and strategic way to help prevent tragedy from happening.”
Among other things, the changes would ban openly carrying firearms and prohibit selling more than three handguns within 30 days to any one person, with some exceptions for instructors and others.
Other provisions include expanding Connecticut’s current assault weapon ban to include some other similar weapons; stiffening penalties for possession of large-capacity magazines; expanding safe-storage rules to more settings; and adding some domestic violence crimes to the list of disqualifications for having a gun.
The measure passed the Senate 24-11, following a 96-51 House vote last week. Democrats control both chambers.
more...
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/connecticut-governor-poised-to-sign-states-most-sweeping-gun-measure-since-post-sandy-hook-laws_n_647b6d68e4b0a7554f44cbc8
Connecticut Governor Poised To Sign State's Most Sweeping Gun Measure Since Post-Sandy Hook Laws
Connecticut Governor Poised To Sign State's Most Sweeping Gun Measure Since Post-Sandy Hook Laws
The measure comes as mass killings occur at a record pace in the United States.
June 3, 2023, 12:54 PM EDT
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A slate of gun control measures was headed Saturday to Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s desk, after an all-night state Senate debate and early morning vote to approve the state’s most wide-ranging gun legislation since the laws that followed the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting.
Lamont, a Democrat, plans to sign the measure. He said in a statement that the legislation would “modernize our firearm safety laws in a smart and strategic way to help prevent tragedy from happening.”
Among other things, the changes would ban openly carrying firearms and prohibit selling more than three handguns within 30 days to any one person, with some exceptions for instructors and others.
Other provisions include expanding Connecticut’s current assault weapon ban to include some other similar weapons; stiffening penalties for possession of large-capacity magazines; expanding safe-storage rules to more settings; and adding some domestic violence crimes to the list of disqualifications for having a gun.
The measure passed the Senate 24-11, following a 96-51 House vote last week. Democrats control both chambers.
more...
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/connecticut-governor-poised-to-sign-states-most-sweeping-gun-measure-since-post-sandy-hook-laws_n_647b6d68e4b0a7554f44cbc8
June 3, 2023
The Rude Pundit
Proudly lowering the level of political discourse
6/03/2023
The Real Mind Virus Is the GOP's Attack on Reality
snip//
Again, we haven't heard what the final objective is from DeSantis or legislators in all the states that have lost their goddamn minds (and court cases) over drag performances and trans treatment. They'll say they're preventing child sexual abuse, except facts don't back that up. They'll say it's for the welfare of children, except that makes zero sense in a world inundated with sexual imagery, images and ideas that don't necessarily say they are targeting only feels of heterosexual lust. I mean, I know a few lesbians who thoroughly enjoy the Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders.
I mean, it's fucking obvious what they want. They want to curtail the power of non-whites, power they see growing along with the teaching of the harm whiteness in this country has actually done. They want to push LGBTQ people back into the closet, or the prison, by making their existence illegal. They want to control speech, control sexuality, control all those things that they see as threats to their power, a power that is enforced through hegemonic whiteness and enforced heterosexuality.
Or, to put it another way, the politicians and media apparatchiks who push this agenda are fucking frightened little bitches asserting their remaining power to fuck shit up for everyone not them. (And let's be clear: the public doesn't support most of this shit.) They want to fuck up public education. They want to be able to jail or punish ideological enemies. And they want to do it by pretending that's what the endgame of "wokeness" is when the endgame of wokeness is really, simply to fucking ask people to stop being assholes and to acknowledge that reality is fucking real. Yeah, that means teaching children that shit was fucking awful and, hey, let's learn about the awfulness so we can be less shitty. Yeah, that means saying that trans people need our support and that queer couples are just couples. But I guess it takes some effort to do that. It's a hell of a lot easier to tell people, "You should be afraid. Go hide and cower with your guns until we make it safe for you again."
If the "anti-woke" forces had to say what they ultimately want, it would sound vile. It's about erasure. It's about elimination. It's about returning to an imagined past that they keep insisting was somehow good when, really, it was just a clusterfuck of hate, violence, and repression. That's why they need to be pushed to say it.
There is no "woke mind virus." There is only what's real and what's fake. And the GOP can't face reality.
The Rude Pundit: The Real Mind Virus Is the GOP's Attack on Reality
https://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-real-mind-virus-is-gops-attack-on.htmlThe Rude Pundit
Proudly lowering the level of political discourse
6/03/2023
The Real Mind Virus Is the GOP's Attack on Reality
snip//
Again, we haven't heard what the final objective is from DeSantis or legislators in all the states that have lost their goddamn minds (and court cases) over drag performances and trans treatment. They'll say they're preventing child sexual abuse, except facts don't back that up. They'll say it's for the welfare of children, except that makes zero sense in a world inundated with sexual imagery, images and ideas that don't necessarily say they are targeting only feels of heterosexual lust. I mean, I know a few lesbians who thoroughly enjoy the Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders.
I mean, it's fucking obvious what they want. They want to curtail the power of non-whites, power they see growing along with the teaching of the harm whiteness in this country has actually done. They want to push LGBTQ people back into the closet, or the prison, by making their existence illegal. They want to control speech, control sexuality, control all those things that they see as threats to their power, a power that is enforced through hegemonic whiteness and enforced heterosexuality.
Or, to put it another way, the politicians and media apparatchiks who push this agenda are fucking frightened little bitches asserting their remaining power to fuck shit up for everyone not them. (And let's be clear: the public doesn't support most of this shit.) They want to fuck up public education. They want to be able to jail or punish ideological enemies. And they want to do it by pretending that's what the endgame of "wokeness" is when the endgame of wokeness is really, simply to fucking ask people to stop being assholes and to acknowledge that reality is fucking real. Yeah, that means teaching children that shit was fucking awful and, hey, let's learn about the awfulness so we can be less shitty. Yeah, that means saying that trans people need our support and that queer couples are just couples. But I guess it takes some effort to do that. It's a hell of a lot easier to tell people, "You should be afraid. Go hide and cower with your guns until we make it safe for you again."
If the "anti-woke" forces had to say what they ultimately want, it would sound vile. It's about erasure. It's about elimination. It's about returning to an imagined past that they keep insisting was somehow good when, really, it was just a clusterfuck of hate, violence, and repression. That's why they need to be pushed to say it.
There is no "woke mind virus." There is only what's real and what's fake. And the GOP can't face reality.
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: NY
Home country: US
Current location: Florida
Member since: Mon Sep 6, 2004, 09:54 PM
Number of posts: 171,056
