Leaked Documents Suggest Secretive Billionaire Trump Donors Are Milos Patrons

Source: Buzz Feed News



Secretive hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer and his family launched themselves into the top rank of American power through a series of spectacularly successful cash investments in politics: in Breitbart News, the far-right media outlet; in Cambridge Analytica, the controversial political data firm; and, of course, in Donald Trump, the President of the United States.

To those ventures — and a host of others — newly uncovered evidence strongly suggests an addition: Milo Yiannopoulos, the anti–political correctness crusader and conservative provocateur.

Leaked documents, including a promissory note and emails, as well as conversations with several people familiar with the matter, strongly imply that the Mercers funded Yiannopoulos following his resignation from Breitbart News after video surfaced in which he appeared to condone pedophilia. Together, they suggest that the financiers of the new conservative politics aren’t simply interested in protecting their money, but in winning a brutal new culture war waged largely online.

More than that, the documents point to a relationship that Yiannopoulos seems to regard as a kind of personal patronage, expecting from the family not just financial but legal support, after the British citizen’s visa status became tenuous post-Breitbart.

Read more: https://www.buzzfeed.com/josephbernstein/leaked-documents-suggest-secretive-billionaire-trump-donors?utm_term=.eanqOPBYg#.ugW72myar

'Going to be like the zombie apocalypse': Trump voters tell CNN they're terrified of Trumpcare

Source: Raw Story

CNN had a panel of Trump voters on to talk about health care on Thursday — and many of them were not impressed by what they’ve seen from congressional Republicans so far.

Trump voter Colleen England Byrd told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota that she was “scared” of the Republicans’ health care plan, and said that she needed help from the government to be able to afford key medications.

“I have bipolar disorder, it’s a pretty severe case,” she explained. “And if he takes that away — Medicaid people, Medicare people, no medications, no doctors — it’s going to be like the zombie apocalypse, really running-through-the-streets crazy.”

Trump White House: Home of the Nothingburger

Education Dept. Civil Rights Head: 90% of Campus Sexual Assaults Amount to 'We Were Both Drunk'

Source: Time

A Department of Education official said "90%" of sexual assault accusations on college campuses "fall into the category of 'we were both drunk,'" speaking out in an interview as Education Secretary Betsy DeVos prepares to meet Thursday with a range of advocacy groups to discuss the issue.

Candice Jackson, who leads the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights, told the New York Times that for most sexual assault investigations, there's "not even an accusation that these accused students overrode the will of a young woman."

"Rather, the accusations — 90% of them — fall into the category of ‘we were both drunk,’ ‘we broke up, and six months later I found myself under a Title IX investigation because she just decided that our last sleeping together was not quite right,'" she said.

The comment alarmed some advocates for sexual assault victims, including Jess Davidson, the managing director of the group End Rape on Campus.

Read more: http://time.com/4855492/betsy-devos-candice-jackson-campus-sexual-assault-accusations/?utm_campaign=time&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&xid=time_socialflow_twitter

Dear DU: Meet the LittleLobbyists... they are fierce! (lots-o-tweets)

"Documenting our adventures collecting stories of kids with complex medical needs and storming Capitol Hill."

https://twitter.com/LittleLobbyists/status/880237543509327873
https://twitter.com/LittleLobbyists/status/885205539533271040
https://twitter.com/LittleLobbyists/status/885098251719933953
https://twitter.com/LittleLobbyists/status/884548661753122819
https://twitter.com/LittleLobbyists/status/884516613642485760
https://twitter.com/LittleLobbyists/status/884502047990665219
https://twitter.com/LittleLobbyists/status/884489057564315648
https://twitter.com/LittleLobbyists/status/884478305537335296
Somehow they ended up in my tweet stream today. And yes, I am totally cutting onions here! Please give them a follow and/or a retweet (and a call to your Republican Senators).

GOP rep weighs in on House dress code during floor speech

Source: The Hill

A Republican congresswoman on Wednesday weighed in on the recent controversy over the long-standing dress code for a special hallway in the House, noting her own attire goes against the rules.

After concluding a floor speech about first responders, Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) ended her remarks by pointing out her sleeveless dress and open-toed shoes.

“Before I yield back, I want to point out, I’m standing here in my professional attire, which happens to be a sleeveless dress and open-toed shoes,” she said. “With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back.”

McSally’s comments come days after a report in CBS News detailed the confusion over the dress code, which is enforced in the Speaker’s lobby and the House chamber. The rules, the report said, are unclear and not imposed on the Senate side.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/house/341647-gop-rep-weighs-in-on-congressional-attire-during-house-floor-speech

Wow... this is who our Resident retweeted several days ago (a few of James Woods' tweets):

Betsy DeVos to meet with groups opposing protections for sexual assault survivors

Source: Think Progress

After months of receiving requests for meetings from advocates for sexual assault survivors, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has finally decided to sit down with them. But she’s also meeting with groups that are critical of Title IX guidance on campus rape, some of which have histories of intimidating rape survivors and dismissing domestic abuse against women.

The department reached out to the National Coalition for Men, SAVE: Stop Abusive and Violent Environments, and Families Advocating for Campus Equality, according to Politico.

DeVos has not taken a position on 2011 education department guidance on campus sexual assault, which expanded protections for sexual assault survivors by requiring all schools to have procedures in place to handle and quickly investigate complaints. But her decision to meet with these groups isn’t a good sign.

The National Coalition for Men, which was founded in the 1970s, has a long history of what is now known as “men’s rights activism.” One of the groups’ chapters published the photos and names of women, while calling them “false accusers.”

Read more: https://thinkprogress.org/devos-sexual-assault-bf7801b8264c

This artist rigged old New York City phone booths to tell powerful stories of immigrants

Source: Mashable



Walk into the graffiti-covered phone booth and pick up the phone — a person on the other end wants to tell you their story.

A new interactive art installation in New York City's Times Square is using old phone booths to share the stories of immigrants. Titled Once Upon a Place, the installation lets tourists and NYC locals enter one of three repurposed 1980s booths, pick up the phone, and hear the oral history of a recent New York City immigrant.

A phone book inside each booth teaches visitors more about every storyteller's community — both in New York and the country from which they immigrated. The phone book also has a space for visitors to write down stories about their own families, heritage, and journeys.

Afghan-American artist Aman Mojadidi recorded the oral histories featured in the installation over the course of several months, hoping to use art to create a safe environment for immigrants to share their experiences.

Read more: http://mashable.com/2017/07/10/immigrant-stories-phone-booth-nyc/?utm_cid=mash-com-Tw-main-link

If the Earth was flat...