https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trumps-turnberry-golf-course-banned-by-british-open-report?ref=home

Trump’s Turnberry Golf Course Banned by British Open: Report
BLACKLISTED
Erik Uebelacker
Breaking News Intern
Published May. 31, 2023 11:42AM ET

Frilly dresses and white supremacy: welcome to the weird, frightening world of ‘trad wives’
Sian Norris
No longer a far-right subculture, the movement’s anti-feminist tenets are now inserting themselves into mainstream western politics
Wed 31 May 2023 09.00 EDT
Last modified on Wed 31 May 2023 10.02 EDT

snip//

Welcome to the weird and frightening world of trad wives, where women spurn modern, egalitarian values to dedicate their lives to the service of their husbands. My research into this far-right subculture began during the writing of my book on the far right and reproductive rights. I was curious to learn how the movement, determined to reduce women to reproductive vessels to aid white male supremacy, recruited women to its cause. The answer was a toxic combination of anti-feminism, white supremacy, normalised abuse and a desire to return to an imagined past.

Trad wives can be traced back to the Red Pill Women forum that was set up in 2013. According to research from Julia Ebner in 2020, 30,000 women identified as Red Pill Women or trad wives. As with most far-right trends, most of them appear to be in the US, but due to the networked nature of the modern far right, trends that start stateside don’t remain there. Interviews I conducted revealed that the British far right encourages its women to be trad, with women attending nationalist conferences such as the annual Patriotic Alternative conference, and making a name for themselves on the far-right infosphere.

The subculture shares aesthetics and values across the Atlantic. Long, floral dresses are the norm, idealising a mythic past of feminine modesty. Women should be covered up, as their bodies are just for their husbands. A woman’s role is to stay at home, serving her spouse domestically and sexually, while her partner goes to work to support her. Men should “discipline” women.

Unsurprisingly, they are anti-feminist, with the far right recruiting women to the trad lifestyle by claiming feminism has failed to make them happy. While not a trad wife herself, “alt-right” influencer Lauren Southern shot to fame by claiming feminism taught women “to work 9–5 and drink wine every night until their ovaries dry up”.

And, of course, they’re white. One meme I encountered on Telegram during my research summed up a good trad wife as being “knowledgable about her European roots” and who “loves her family, race and culture”. Leading the tribe is far-right influencer Ayla Stewart, who shot to social media fame when her notorious “white baby challenge” went viral after she declared: “As a mother of six, I challenge families to have as many white babies as I have contributed.”

more...

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/may/31/white-supremacy-trad-wives-far-right-feminist-politics

Billionaire Sackler Family To Get Immunity In $6 Billion Opioid Settlement
The family will receive full protection from civil legal claims under the deal, which was approved by a federal appeals court.
Nick Visser
May 30, 2023, 11:22 PM EDT


The billionaire family that owns Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, will receive immunity from all current and future civil claims over the company’s role in the opioid crisis as part of a deal approved by a federal appeals court on Tuesday.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit cleared the way for a settlement that would see the Sackler family pay up to $6 billion from its massive fortune derived from the painkiller business. Purdue Pharma has faced years of criticism that it helped fuel the opioid crisis in America, aggressively marketing OxyContin while misleading the public about the highly addictive pills.

snip//

Under the plan, Purdue will be dissolved and restructured into a new entity known as Knoa Pharma. The company will be overseen by a public board and will manufacture medications for addiction treatment, as well as OxyContin, with the profits used to fund programs that prevent and treat addiction itself. Those profits could total in the hundreds of millions of dollars over time.

About $750 million from the settlement will go to families and individuals affected by the opioid crisis. Payments are expected to range from about $3,500 to $48,000.



more...

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/purdue-pharma-sackler-family-immunity-deal_n_6476911be4b045ce248577d2

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/5/30/2172251/-House-Freedom-Caucus-neutered-by-debt-ceiling-deal


House Freedom Caucus neutered by debt ceiling deal
Tuesday, May 30, 2023 at 4:35:41p EDT
Joan McCarter


The deal President Joe Biden made with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy takes the debt ceiling off the table until Jan. 1, 2025, the remainder of Biden’s current term in the White House. No wonder the Freedom Caucus is so wound up about it! The debt ceiling is the best political hostage ever, even if some of those caucus members seem to question whether default or its consequences are actually real. The other thing the bill does, though you’re not seeing a lot of uproar from the Freedom Caucus maniacs about it yet, is make a potential government shutdown much more politically painful for Republicans. McCarthy might have just negotiated a lot of Republican potency away.

One of the key things the agreement does is disincentivize the other hostage-taking action that Republicans love: holding up funding in order to shut the government down. The deal has a trigger mechanism that ensures that if Republicans do try to shut the government down, they end up making cuts to the thing they love most, next to tax cuts for rich people—defense spending. A shutdown would also force automatic cuts to veterans’ health care, the other thing Republicans have insisted is most important to them since Democrats pointed out just how much they would have taken away from veterans with their original debt ceiling offer.

As structured, the deal mostly holds all discretionary funding “roughly flat,” the White House says, for the next two years. That includes all the stuff that’s subject to appropriations bills, as opposed to mandatory spending for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. It does increase funding for defense and veterans’ care, giving the White House what Biden asked for on defense spending in his 2024 budget proposal—$886 billion, up about 3% from 2023. So non-defense spending is held roughly flat for two years, and defense and veteran spending is increased.

With budget levels established for the next two fiscal years, the next job for Congress is appropriating that money. The agreement requires Congress to finish all 12 appropriation bills before the end of the calendar year. If Congress does not complete work on appropriations, it triggers an automatic stopgap funding measure with cuts of 1% across the board—including defense and veterans. Those cuts hold until the appropriations bills are passed.

Yes, the Freedom Caucus is probably still going to want to shut it all down, because that’s what they do, but the rest of the Republicans aren’t going to want to own those immediate cuts that will happen starting Jan. 1 if they don’t finish their work. That includes cuts to defense and to veterans’ care, which would be owned by the Republican majority. That’s a pretty effective hammer to wield against further hostage-taking shenanigans.

How much power, then, does the Republican House have coming out of this deal? McCarthy clearly is giving an awful lot away in terms of leverage. The power of the purse is pretty much the only thing the House has and he’s decided to share it with Biden. He won’t have the threat of a government shutdown to extract much of anything from Biden: It would cause his majority too much pain.

McCarthy might come out of this slightly stronger in his own conference, since the Freedom Caucus doesn’t seem to be able to unify against his leadership. There might be a challenge to his speakership, but it looks like it would fail if for no other reason than there is literally no one else who wants the job. So McCarthy might have consolidated some power with House Republicans by the end of this week, but he’ll have ceded a helluva lot more to Biden and the Senate.

Power Trip
Billionaire Ken Griffin: New ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Law Is Too Far, Even for Me
DeSantis Divergence
The Republican heavyweight still supports classroom restrictions for younger children in Florida.
Noah Kirsch
Wealth and Power Reporter
Updated May. 30, 2023 5:18PM ET / Published May. 30, 2023 1:29PM ET


Even for Republican billionaire Ken Griffin, Florida’s expanded “Don’t Say Gay” law is a bridge too far.

In a statement to The Harvard University student newspaper The Crimson, a spokesperson for the GOP megadonor said he opposes the new regulations, which bar teachers in all grades from delving into topics related to gender and sexual identity. Previously, the law only applied to teachers in third grade or below; Griffin endorsed those measures.



A representative for Griffin told The Daily Beast he has no additional comment on the situation.

A one-time Trump backer, Griffin has since moved on from the former president. In November, he referred to Trump as a “three-time loser” and expressed hope that he wouldn’t run for president in 2024.

more...

https://www.thedailybeast.com/billionaire-ken-griffin-new-dont-say-gay-law-is-too-far-even-for-me?ref=home?ref=home

Five Fake Crises That the GOP Has Manufactured To Deflect Our Attention From the Real Crisis
by Robert Reich | May 30, 2023 - 6:20am

— from Robert Reich's Substack




http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/robert-reich/106415/five-fake-crises-that-the-gop-has-manufactured-to-deflect-our-attention-from-the-real-crisis

Trump’s Lawyers Start to Wonder If One Could Be a Snitch
STITCHES
There’s plenty of bad blood among Trump’s team of lawyers. But there’s also a new concern that someone could turn on the rest of the team.
Jose Pagliery
Political Investigations Reporter
Published May. 30, 2023 3:58AM ET


With three anticipated indictments, two ongoing court cases, and an ever-expanding cadre of lawyers, former President Donald Trump is at a critical juncture—and yet his legal advisers are starting to turn on each other.

According to five sources with direct knowledge of the situation, clashing personalities and the increasing outside threat of law enforcement has sown deep divisions that have only worsened in recent months. The internal bickering has already sparked one departure in recent weeks—and that could be just the beginning.

As Trump’s legal troubles keep growing—with criminal and civil investigations in New York City, Washington, and Atlanta—so too does the unwieldy band of attorneys who simply can’t get along.

The cast of characters includes an accused meddler who has Trump’s ear, a young attorney who lawyers on the team suggested is only there because the former president likes the way she looks, and a celebrity lawyer who’s increasingly viewed with disdain. Worst of all, now that federal investigators have turned the interrogation spotlight on some of Trump’s lawyers themselves, defense attorneys on the team seem to be questioning whether their colleagues may actually turn into snitches.

more...

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-lawyers-start-to-wonder-if-one-could-be-a-snitch?ref=home?ref=home

https://www.facebook.com/marlenelockett

Marlene Chambley Lockett

Gringo: - Hi, where are you from?
Mexican: - Hi, I’m from Mexico.
Gringo: - Ah! The land of Chapo Guzmán, narcos, marihuana, crime and extortion.
Mexican -I’m sorry, are you a drug addict or a TV junkie?
Gringo - No!!! Why?

Mexican -Because if you were an athlete or sports fan, you would have identified Mexico with Ana Guevara, Hugo Sanchez, Julio Cesar Chavez, Finito, Chicharito Hernandez, Canelo Alvarez, Rafael Marquez, etc.

If you were an educated person, you would have asked about the Aztec empire, the Mayan culture, the Olmecs or any other of the great mesoamerican cultures.

If you were a well traveled person you would have talked about our majestic archaeological sites, our tourist-friendly colonial cities, our megalopolis or our exotic beaches… the astonishing biodiversity of our rainforests, mountain ranges, deserts, conifer forests…

You could have identified Mexico with our great painters, Diego Rivera, Rufino Tamayo, Frida Khalo, José Clemente Orozco; our composers: Agustín Lara, Consuelo Velázquez, Armando Manzanero, Juan Gabriel, Jose Alfredo Jimenez, our writers and poets: Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Juan Rulfo, Octavio Paz, Juan José Arreola, Elena Poniatowska, Amado Nervo, Jaime Sabines;

our inventors or scientists: Manuel Mondragón, Guillermo González Camarera, Luis Ernesto Miramontes;

our cinematographers: Ismael Rodríguez, Emilio Fernández, Alfonso Cuaron, Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Emmanuel Lubezki, and even Luis Buñuel, who, being originally from Spain, chose to adopt the Mexican nationality...

If you were a gourmand, you would have asked about Tamales, Cochinita Pibil, Mole, Adobo, Chilaquiles, Chiles en nogada, Guacamole, Pan de Muerto, etc. Or our traditional beverages: Tequila, Mezcal, wines and beers.

However, I can see, the only thing you can relate to Mexico is the provider to American drug addicts...
I just want you to realize that México is a lot more than what ignorant people and fear-mongering media knows or chooses to propagate.
There are millions of honest Mexicans, who even without knowing you, will open the door to our homes, and that if you care to visit, you will love to get to know us and to visit us. Mexico is even more than I can possibly tell you!

VIVA MÉXICO!
Pass it on to help people understand Mexico.
(Copied) Thank you, Robin Mullen.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/5/27/2171833/-Guys-I-gotta-say-I-think-Dark-Brandon-team-absolutely-nailed-this

Guys, I gotta say, I think Dark Brandon & team absolutely nailed this.
Reviser
Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)
Sunday May 28, 2023 · 1:42 AM EDT
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Morning update: Nice to see this discussion happen while I was asleep. The morning after, I find myself thinking more and more about Kevin McCarthy. Why on Earth did he accept such a weak deal? I think, as noted quickly below, that the GOP’s oligarch puppet masters must have told him enough is enough.

Just a few quick thoughts.

Truth is, I’m stunned at how well Biden did. That assessment has to start with the caveat that the entire Democratic leadership screwed up not killing the debt ceiling when we had a real shot during past moments of united governance.

That said. Two weeks ago, I believed McCarthy and the Vandals absolutely were willing to push the US in to default. Tonight I certainly believe the Vandals still are. Ronna McDaniel sure seemed to suggest as much with her Kinsley Gaffe the other day. But clearly, tonight, it seems that Kevin McCarthy is not. I’m inclined to think that’s because the oligarchs who run the GOP (not to mention SCOTUS) actually do think they have more to lose from a global economic crash than they have to gain from the resulting Shock Doctrine moment. Lucky for the rest of us.

But let’s get real. Biden got a TWO-YEAR debt ceiling reprieve (which might be more than enough to kill it forever in court), and all we lost was work rules for SNAP benefits for childless people under 55, which won’t even change the total amount of money spent on SNAP benefits. Changes to environmental permitting regulations which I won’t pretend I know very much about yet, but doubt I will like them. But absolutely no change to the historic IRA bill’s climate provisions. No change to Medicaid provisions at all? (I’m not quite clear on these details yet.)

And two years of flat government spending, which obviously isn’t ideal at all but, as Matt Yglesias pointed out in his email tonight, is precisely what the GOP could get anyway just by forcing through two years of continuing resolutions through the election.

That’s it? That’s what Kevin McCarthy got?

The debt ceiling is defanged through 2025 (and hopefully forever). The market will pop Monday morning because Joe Biden protected the global economy by pushing through a bipartisan deal that almost all of us, just a week ago, would have thought impossible. And which the extremes of both parties are going to scream against and maybe vote against.

And let’s talk about those extremes.

Starting with the Vandals. I think (and hope) that what we’re now about to witness is the defanging of the Freedom Caucus’ supposed hold over the GOP and American politics. They’re going to try and tank this deal. McCarthy’s going to get most of the GOP and, I believe, plenty of the Democrats as well. Maybe then they’ll try to depose him as Speaker. Who will win that vote? Will any Democrats support him in exchange for what he’s doing now? All pure speculation.

What I do know is that if the Republican candidate wins in 2024 we might expect that the GOP will also keep the House and take the Senate, and lord only knows how our free republic survives that scenario. And I believe that by cutting this deal Biden is going a long way toward winning in 2024. Because for sure this deal goes a long way to stabilize the economy — I have wanted to see Biden invoke the 14th all along, I’ve been an absolutist who believed he shouldn’t give the Vandals anything. Not a crumb.

Dark Brandon is much smarter than that. While we’re nursing our grievances over the cruel and stupid concessions that we shouldn’t have had to make to the opposition, let’s please remember what we’re protecting. Joe Biden, who I never supported for the 2020 nomination and did not believe was the person for the moment, and whom I still find woefully deficient as keeper of the bully pulpit, nonetheless continues to amass a record of effective progressive governance that hasn’t been equalled by any Democratic president since LBJ and FDR before him. I’m still stunned to read and reread the collected legislation that this administration has passed over the past two years through razor-thin majorities at the perpetual mercy of the likes of Manchin and Sinema. None of that was touched today. Not even close. And as noted: the budgets agreed to are the same flat-line budgets the Republicans could have and surely would have had through CRs anyway. It’s a deal for two years, removing one huge risk for Biden in 2024. And Biden is going to be the great conciliator, presiding over bipartisan governance, just like he always promised America he could be.

And there won’t be an economic crisis over this. And the likes of MTG, Gaetz, and the rest of them are going to get stuffed.

I forgot to talk about our side’s extremes. if that’s us I just don’t think we have a lot to complain about and I think we have a lot to be grateful for. I think the awesome Joan McCarter got it really wrong yesterday. I think the provisions Biden had to surrender in order to close this deal are nowhere near the level of what we all gained. Nor anywhere near the level of what would have been at risk if Biden (and, it must be said, McCarthy) allowed it to through to the deadline, the 14th, who knows what.

And maybe most of all, I think what Biden pulled off here — remember that Dolt 45 was out there urging the GOP to push to default — is going to help us win next year. Which we absolutely absolutely absolutely must.

Russia
Head of RT Calls for Lindsey Graham’s Assassination After Edited Video
‘WE HAVE HIS ADDRESS’
The boss of Russia’s main news channel is among a number of authority figures in the country that have reacted with fury over edited comments made by the South Carolina Senator.
Julia Davis
Updated May. 28, 2023 6:55PM ET / Published May. 28, 2023 6:47PM ET


U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham’s recent comments during his Friday meeting with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in the war-torn country caused outrage and fury in Moscow, with the head of RT Margarita Simonyan calling for his assassination.

In a video clip of the meeting, Graham’s comments were spliced in a way that made it seem that the Senator stated that the fact that Russians “are dying” in the invasion is “the best money we’ve ever spent.” In fact, Graham said that the U.S. aid to Ukraine—and not specifically the deaths of the Russians—was a valuable investment in global security for the United States.



https://twitter.com/i/status/1662765930940694528

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https://www.thedailybeast.com/head-of-rt-margarita-simonyan-calls-for-lindsey-grahams-assassination-after-edited-russia-comments?ref=home?ref=home