demmiblue
demmiblue's JournalIn case you missed the #TrumpAddress last night, here's the abridged version ;)
https://twitter.com/PaulLeeTicks/status/1083037934155165696Surviving R Kelly is a watershed moment for women of colour
Its been several days since the Surviving R Kelly docuseries began on 3 January, reaching a channel record of 1.9 million viewers and the hashtag is still trending. Conversations and debates about Lifetimes intense six-part series are still evolving, as people digest the stories shared by Kellys survivors. And on Tuesday, news broke that investigators are looking into allegations in both Chicago and Atlanta as a result of the series.
One could assume that the reason for the series success is a combination of good promotion, curiosity, outrage and excitement. But for many women, particularly black and brown women who have experienced sexual violence, I believe the premiere was both a long-awaited public moment of vindication for those Kelly has allegedly hurt (and for those fighting to hold him accountable), and a sign of the ever-growing resistance against him and others who inflict this kind of harm of women and girls in our communities.
Reports citing Nielsen ratings show that out of the millions of viewers, large percentages identify as women. Out of the 18-49 age demographic, 1.1 million people watched and 767,000 were women. Among 25-54s, 1.2 million watched and 837,000 were women. This leads me to believe that the buzz and the shock about the series arent as connected to the curiosity of the uninformed or the rage of the disbelieving as one might think.
To me, these numbers reflect the reality that women and girls from marginalised communities, who have always had to fight for and advocate for themselves, have been waiting for this moment or one like it; for the world to see the kind of violence committed against the most vulnerable in our communities in a way that it cant ignore. If the series along with recent stories of Jazmine Barnes, Yasmine James and Cyntoia Brown have reminded us of anything, its that black and brown women and girls are still viewed us undeserving of protection. Our humanity is not seen as valuable.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/09/surviving-r-kelly-women-of-colour-docuseries?CMP=twt_gu
"Mr. Trump, here's your trash." Reps. Jared Huffman and Jackie Speier deliver trash...
Reps. Jared Huffman and Jackie Speier deliver trash from National Parks in their California congressional districts to the White House as government shutdown drags on. https://abcn.ws/2D02RDW
https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1083031947679617024
Kremlin says we won't use detained ex-U.S. marine as a pawn
Source: Reuters
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Wednesday rejected a British suggestion it might use a former U.S. Marine detained in Russia on espionage charges as a pawn in a diplomatic game and said it reserved the right to conduct counter-intelligence activities.
Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine who also holds a British passport, was detained by Russias Federal Security Service on Dec. 28. His family have said he is innocent and that he was in Moscow to attend a wedding.
Commenting on the case earlier this month, British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said individuals should not be used as pawns of diplomatic leverage.
Asked about Hunts remark, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters:
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-usa-espionage-britain-idUSKCN1P30UM?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=5c36090404d3014a8d8c26e1&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter
Today, as the first black Lieutenant Governor of our state, I will be gaveling in the 100th session
https://twitter.com/garlin/status/1083002291278569475(love the hashtag! )
.@SenatorLankford says he doesn't think Trump's campaign boss giving polling data to person...
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1082997030740525056FOX & FRIENDS: Sarah, why did you dramatically inflate the number of people on watchlists...
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1082993996799053824https://twitter.com/KorGhee/status/1082994882946449408
Why Men Find the New Congresswomen So Frightening
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What these women, and the other vocal, aggressive new faces in the House, are doing lives right on the seam between Ginsburgs lawyerly legal reform project and the teenage Janes hunger for furious public protest. And thats exactly why Republican men find them so terrifying. Its why Ocasio-Cortez was dismissed as a little girl by Ed Rollins, and why Donald Trump (the swearing-est president in history) condemned Tlaib for being a mother who cursed in front of her sons.
These men arent afraid of these women because theyre part of a movement, although they are. Theyre terrified because these women are empowered professionals who have parlayed careers in institutions of power to become formidable political actors. Calling them uncivil or bad mommies or child-like isnt effective when women are legitimate holders of high officeand yet, as we see, it continues in ever-more comically depressing forms. As Virginia Heffernan notes, These moth-eaten virgin-whore tropes have become self-satirizing. If you think misogyny has faded since Mad Men days, youre wrong. In fact, as women pack the halls of power, it seems more virulent than ever, as conservatives convulse in fear at losing their old rubrics of control. They lash out more than Don Draper ever did.
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In the meantime, Pelosi is working to put forth new legislation aimed at reopening the parts of the federal government that are shuttered. Ocasio-Cortez is proposing tax policies that are actually quite reasonable. Sit with that image for a moment: Men in government are fussing and fuming about all the ways in which the government they run doesnt actually matter much, while criticizing women in government for attempting to govern. Its almost as if they are smashing up the toys of political leadership just as women are finally being allowed to move on the game board.
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The women in Congress now have a seat at the table. They dont have to explain anything to anyone. They arent here to importune men for anything. They dont have to beg for empathy. And they certainly dont look inclined to apologize. Fights over tone and civility tend to be less relevant when both sides have institutional authority behind them.
To the extent On the Basis of Sex is dispiriting, its because its painful to be reminded that women have been fighting the same stupid fights for four decades. Its frankly unbelievable that we have to do it yet again, and probably again and again after that. But to the extent On the Basis of Sex is a reminder of how much has changed, it underscores that we dont have to convince men to make room, we simply need to take a seat. These women in the House are, well, in the house. They dont have to ask for permission to be there. Its still going to be a long haul, with more pointed fingers and cries of witch. But somewhere along the way, as the bell bottoms were traded in for pinks hats, something changed. Women dont have to choose between being Jane or Ruth anymore. They can be both. The revolution is coming from inside the House.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/01/ocasio-cortez-tlaib-news-women-power-ruth-bader-ginsburg.html?fbclid=IwAR0R7tiVc1DTM0saAMUbG19x5xXTcN5wc-TarmjLsxxEjS_1D7YtIHrhHBo
Jared Kushner is telling senators that public support will shift toward Trump after speech
Among those making calls to senators is Trump administration official Jared Kushner, who has called at least one Democratic senator, according to a source briefed on the matter.
Kushners message: Public support will grow for the border wall after Trumps speech tonight and his Thursday visit to the border.
The hope is to rally GOP support and pick up at least one Democratic defector, the source said.
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-speech-shutdown-border/h_afa9883e6ecdec3306de818d728929fe?utm_medium=social&utm_term=image&utm_content=2019-01-08T15%3A12%3A02&utm_source=twCNNp
Did CIA Director Gina Haspel run a black site at Guantnamo?
The claim by Rita Radostitz, a lawyer for Khalid Sheik Mohammed, appears in one paragraph of a partially redacted transcript of a secret hearing held at Guantánamo on Nov. 16. Defense lawyers were arguing, in a motion that ultimately failed, that Haspels role at the prison precludes the possibility of a fair trial for the men accused of orchestrating the 9/11 attacks who were also held for years in covert CIA prisons.
Neither the public nor the accused was allowed to attend the hearing but, following an intelligence review, the Pentagon released portions of its transcript on a war court website.
Haspel reportedly ran a CIA black site in Thailand where two terror suspects were waterboarded, probably before her arrival there. The unverified statement that she had a similar assignment at the terror-detention center at the U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, would reveal a never-before disclosed chapter of the spy chiefs clandestine career.
https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/national-security/guantanamo/article223835570.html
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