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FakeNoose

FakeNoose's Journal
FakeNoose's Journal
February 27, 2024

Rep. Summer Lee pulls out of Council on American-Islamic Relations banquet this weekend



The congresswoman faced criticism because other speakers had made antisemitic comments

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette link: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/election-2024/2024/02/27/summer-lee-election-2024-israel-house/stories/202402270067

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Summer Lee (D) PA-12 said Tuesday that she would not attend the banquet of an Islamic group after facing blowback from Democrats and Republicans over antisemitism allegations directed at some of those involved in the event.

Ms. Lee, D-Swissvale, said on the social media site X that she was unaware of some of the previous comments of others scheduled to speak alongside her at the Council on American-Islamic Relations Philadelphia chapter’s annual banquet this Saturday.

“To prevent the Muslim community from being the target of any more politically motivated Islamophobia and to ensure my Jewish and LGBTQ+ constituents know their concerns are heard, I will not be attending this event any longer,” she said.

Other scheduled speakers included former basketball player Ibrahim Jaaber, who called Jews “demons” and said they “cover their horns” in a post on X; and Islamic scholar Yasir Fahmy, who called Zionism a “sick and sadistic, ideological cult.” The background of these speakers were first reported by Jewish Insider.
- more at link -

Since getting elected to the U.S. House in November 2022 as one of the youngest Democrats, and the first Black to represent Pittsburgh, Ms. Lee has become tight with the progressive "Squad" as well as the Congressional Black Caucus. No problem there, but since last year, she has spoken against Israel in the media; she voted against the congressional bi-partisan non-binding resolution H. Res. 771 supporting Israel in the wake of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

February 27, 2024

How PA vets its voting machines, how the state keeps them safe, and more



Spotlight PA link: https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2024/02/pennsylvania-voting-machines-elections-101-prebunking/

During what is likely to be another contentious presidential election in Pennsylvania, you may hear contradictory, confusing, or downright false claims about voting machines. Politicians in the past few elections have promoted fabricated claims about how they work or taken advantage of routine problems to cast doubt on their security and accuracy.

In Pennsylvania, all voting machines produce paper ballots that can be audited. This allows election officials to verify the accuracy of the outcome long after voting has concluded. These systems are tested twice, once at the federal and once at the state level, before going into service. Before each election, each machine that will be used is tested again to ensure it works properly.

Despite these security measures, politicians have seized on human error or completely invented information to cast doubt on election results. In November 2020, former President Donald Trump amplified false claims that Dominion Voting Systems machines switched 221,000 votes from himself to Joe Biden in Pennsylvania. He made numerous such claims as part of a larger, concerted effort to overturn the results of the presidential election.

Ahead of the 2024 election, Spotlight PA and Votebeat spoke with state officials about the status of Pennsylvania's voting machines, how the devices are certified, and how counties select them.
- more at link -

This story is a nuts-and-bolts primer on how the electronic voting machines are selected, stored, calibrated and tested in Pennsylvania. Each of our 67 PA counties (namely the Board of Elections for each county) is responsible for its own vote collection, safekeeping and reporting. Training and testing is provided to the counties by the state before each election. Recommended reading!

February 27, 2024

Today's Tiedrich rant: Trump E. Coyote is off the cliff and in deep denial about how truly fucked he is



Link: https://www.jefftiedrich.com/p/trump-e-coyote-is-off-the-cliff-and

financially, Donald Trump is Wile E. Coyote right now, twenty feet past the edge of the cliff and refusing to look down. he’s in complete denial about how truly screwed he is, and he still imagines he’s fully in control of the situation. the fuck you are, numbnuts.

about 1:30pm yesterday my phone started blowing up with notifications from every news outlet. they all reported more or less the same story: Trump Appeals New York Civil Fraud Verdict.

Screenshot:


“huh, where did Trump get the money?” I said to myself, as I started tapping on the notifications, eager to find out — because remember, Trump can’t appeal without first ponying up 120% of the $465 million (and counting) he’s on the hook for after losing the Big Trump Family Business Fraud Fuckery Trial.

but that initial rush of reporting made no mention of money — because, in a mad dash to post a scoop, the press once again breathlessly reported only what Team Trump told them: that he’d filed an appeal. end of story. thanks again, media!
- more at link -

Tiedrich's rant continues and it's great, but I'm only allowed to post 4 paragraphs. Please click on the link to read the rest of his rant on the daily blog.

Something that pundits haven't mentioned is that Chump was the CEO of the Chump Family Organizations, but it's not just his own wealth he's losing. It's the inherited wealth of all his siblings and their heirs. It's all going to be seized, or at least as much as Letitia James can grab to satisfy the court fines. Two brothers are dead and his older sister Marianne Trump Barry passed in November 2023. But there's still one younger sister living plus a passel of nieces and nephews. They're all going to be on the unemployment lines soon.

February 27, 2024

DVR alert: Pres. Joe Biden will be on Seth Meyers' Late Night show on NBC tonight

Biden stops by Seth Meyers’ late-night show for a chat



Link: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/biden-stops-by-seth-meyers-late-night-show-for-a-chat

NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden sat down for an interview with late-night comic Seth Meyers on Monday while he’s in New York for a campaign event with donors.

NBC said in a statement that Biden’s chat with the host was in recognition of the 10th anniversary of “Late Night With Seth Meyers.” The president began his New York visit by attending a private event with donors at a midtown hotel.

The show posted a clip of Biden’s appearance on social media, with comedian and actress Amy Poehler noting that Biden was a guest on the first show when he was vice president. Poehler said that she could get him to return, prompting Biden to enter to “Hail to the Chief.”

“It’s good to be back,” Biden told Meyers. “Why haven’t you invited me earlier?”
- more at link -

I love Seth Meyers' show but I rarely stay up that late. It's already a regular item on my DVR list, so I'll be sure to watch the show tomorrow morning.

February 26, 2024

Today's Tiedrich rant: Donald Trump's imaginary "crushing" victory, and other media atrocities



Link: https://www.jefftiedrich.com/p/donald-trumps-imaginary-crushing

going by the headlines alone, you would be forgiven for believing that Donald Trump totally fucking crushed Nikki Haley in this past Saturday’s South Carolina primary.

you had to read past the headlines to get the real story. yes, Trump did win — but he only got 59% of the vote. that 41% of the hard-core primary-voting GOP base won’t pull the lever for him is a huge problem for an incumbent candidate backed by the entire power structure of the Republican Party.

Donny has underperformed in every primary and caucus that’s been held to date — and yet, the media continues to paint a bullshit bubble of invincibility around him. Robert Reich gives us some perspective — as well as a history lesson — in his post this morning:

Quote:
In 1992, Patrick Buchanan won 40 percent of the vote in the New Hampshire primary, holding George H.W. Bush to 58 percent — almost exactly what Haley did to Trump on Saturday. The New York Times treated the outcome as a huge problem for Bush, with the headline “BUSH JARRED IN FIRST PRIMARY” followed by a story characterizing the result as “a roar of anger” toward Bush from Republican primary voters.


got that? a number that was a “huge problem” for Poppy Bush in 1992 is smooth sailing for Trump in 2024. oh, how our media continues to fail us.
- more at link -

There's a lot more to this rant, and it's worth a click to read the rest on Tiedrich's blog. He praises Governor Newsom for refusing to take the "Dump Biden" bait from Kristen Welker on Meet The Press. And much more!

February 21, 2024

A deficit of experienced voting officials could mean trouble for Pa.'s 2024 election

Spotlight PA link: https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2024/02/pennsylvania-election-2024-director-turnover-voting-errors/

As the presidential election approaches, Pennsylvania is facing a deficit of experienced election directors, increasing the risk of errors that could cause difficulties for voters, disenfranchise their votes, and ignite disputes over results.

In total, 58 officials who served during the November 2019 election have left. Compared with experience levels during the 2019 election, the state has lost a combined 293 years of experience among the top county election officials as of this publishing date, according to a Votebeat and Spotlight PA analysis of county data. The state currently has 21% fewer years of experience than it did for the November 2019 election.

Recent ballot printing and administration errors in Greene and Luzerne Counties, among others, show that having less-experienced county administrators can result in more problems occurring in an election. One of Greene County’s errors last year was an incorrect instruction telling voters to vote for up to three candidates in a commissioner race that allowed only two selections, which would have invalided their votes if they had done so.

“I think the loss of experienced election directors at the county level is one of the biggest dangers we face,” Secretary of State Al Schmidt said at a recent event in Lebanon County. “That turnover creates an environment where it’s more likely for mistakes to be made.” The Department of State is hoping training programs and guidance on the highly technical aspects of running an election will help smooth the transition for new directors.
- more at link -

Here come the wing-nuts, looking for ways to cause more election trouble! We definitely need as many Dems and liberal-minded independents as possible to fill these positions.

February 21, 2024

Today's Tiedrich rant: Comer Fudd and Jim Jordan are fucking idiots who got duped by Russian spies



Link: https://www.jefftiedrich.com/p/comer-fudd-and-jim-jordan-are-fucking

are James Comer and Jim Jordan traitorous idiots, or idiotic traitors?

we’re learning more about the bullshit that indicted liar Alexander Smirnov was feeding to Comer and Jordan. as always with these Republican shitheads, the more we find out, the more horrific the story gets — because Smirnov wasn’t just making up his own lies about Joe and Hunter Biden. no, he was purposely spreading disinformation that was being given to him by Russian agents.

and the Morons Twins, Jimmy and Jimmy, grabbed that Russian spyfuckery with both hands and ran with it.

yesterday, the Department of Justice submitted its filing explaining why Smirnov — a flight risk if ever there was one — should be detained without bail, and oh fucking boy, does it lay out some explosive shit.

Quote:
The former FBI informant charged with lying about the Bidens’ dealings in Ukraine told investigators after his arrest that Russian intelligence officials were involved in passing information to him about Hunter Biden, prosecutors said Tuesday in a new court filing, noting that the information was false.

Smirnov claims to have “extensive and extremely recent” contacts with foreign intelligence officials, prosecutors said in the filing. They said he previously told the FBI that he has longstanding and extensive contacts with Russian spies, including individuals he said were high-level intelligence officers or command Russian assassins abroad.
- more at link -

It seems the DoJ stopped just short of calling Smirnov himself a spy ... but we get the picture.

There's much more to this awesome Tiedrich rant, including bonus material on Hunter Biden. But as usual I can't make it fit into 4 paragraphs. It's worth a click to read the rest on Tiedrich's blog.

February 20, 2024

Today's Tiedrich rant: no, imbeciles, Donald Trump isn't the American Navalny -- he's the American Putin



Link: https://www.jefftiedrich.com/p/no-imbeciles-donald-trump-isnt-the

the prison murder of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has given the dumbest assholes in the universe a shiny new talking point that they can’t shut the fuck up about.

here’s Pantload Emeritus of the Republican Party, Newt Gingrich, to lay it out.

Screenshot:


Quote:
“Navalnys death in prison is a brutal reminder that jailing your political opponents is inhumane and a violation of every principle of a free society. Watch the Biden Administration speak out against Putin and his jailing of his leading political opponent while Democrats in four different jurisdictions try to turn President Trump into an American Navalny. The hypocrisy and corruption of the left is astonishing.]


that’s so much fucknuttery packed into one tweet, but the gist is that Trump is a political prisoner just like Navalny, and Joe Biden is the moral equivalent to Vlad Putin. perpetual failed candidate and perennial Trump bootlicker Lee Zeldin picked up the ball and ran with it.

Screenshot:


Quote:
“As the world reflects on the murder of Alexei Navalny at the hands of Putin, it’s worth remembering that Democrats are actively doing Biden’s bidding as they also try to imprison his chief political opponent, Donald Trump, remove him from the ballot, and ensure he dies in prison.”
- more at link -

There's much more on this rant but I can't make it fit in 4 paragraphs. Please click on the link and read the rest.

I don't know how anyone could mistake Chump for Putin ... he's not even Putin-Lite. I mean think about it, Chump can't afford to pay his lawyers and court fees, he has to get the wingnuts to pay them. Meanwhile Putin is literally the wealthiest man in the world, and almost all of it was stolen from the Russian people.

Great rant!



February 19, 2024

Your water bill could increase $265 a year under proposed EPA rule, Philly water department says

Philadelphia Water Department says new river water standards could cost it $3 billion.



Philly Inquirer link: https://www.inquirer.com/business/philadelphia-water-rates-bills-epa-delaware-river-20240219.html

The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) says that a proposed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule to increase a clean water standard in the Delaware River would cost it $3 billion to comply — a cost customers would bear.

“Without significant financial support from the state or federal government, that cost will be passed on to customers in Philadelphia’s neighborhoods through higher water bills for years to come,” PWD said in a statement issued Sunday, just days before public comments close on the federal proposal.

It estimates that the proposed regulations would cost customers an additional $22.17 per month on their water bills, not $1.50 per month as calculated by EPA. That comes out to about $265 a year, PWD said in the statement.

PWD serves over 2 million people in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Delaware, and Bucks Counties by drawing water from the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers and cleaning it to EPA drinking water standards.
- more at link -

February 19, 2024

Pa. election 2024: The state Senate races to watch as Democrats seek the majority



Spotlight PA link: https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2024/02/pennsylvania-state-senate-elections-2024-democratic-majority-flip-republican/

HARRISBURG — Democrats want to flip the Pennsylvania Senate this November, and party backers are eyeing a handful of districts as key to taking control of the chamber for the first time in 30 years. Political insiders told Spotlight PA that only a small number of districts, mostly in Western and central Pennsylvania, are competitive in this year’s state Senate elections.

In addition to picking up those seats, Democrats will also have to fend off Republican challengers in vulnerable districts where residents have increasingly voted for GOP candidates. Because of the high stakes, political observers expect these races to draw big money and national interest, which happened in 2022 when a flood of cash helped Democrats flip the state House.

Republicans hold 28 state Senate seats to Democrats’ 22. GOP control of the chamber is the norm. Except for a brief 16-month interlude in the 1990s, Republicans have held a majority in the upper chamber since 1980. The chamber’s 50 senators serve four-year terms, and half the body stands for election every two years. In presidential election years like 2024, lawmakers in odd-numbered districts are on the ballot.

If Democrats flip the upper chamber and hold onto the state House, the party will control the governor's mansion and the legislature in 2025, a so-called “trifecta” that would pave the way for lawmakers to pass a far-reaching agenda over Republican objections.
- more at link -

Please click on the link to see detailed analyses. The best chance to flip the Senate (per Spotlight PA) will be these Senate districts:

SD-15
Democratic candidates: State. Rep Patty Kim; Harrisburg pastor Alvin Taylor
Republican candidates: Dauphin County Treasurer Nick DiFrancesco, Army veteran Ken Stambaugh

SD-37
Democratic candidate: Nicole Ruscitto, educator and former local township councilor
Republican candidate: State Sen. Devlin Robinson

SD-45
Democratic candidates: State Rep. Nick Pisciottano; social worker Makenzie White; former Duquesne Mayor and environmental organizer Nickole Nesby
Republican candidates: Security services business owner Jen Dintini; local GOP committee member Kami Stulginskas (Spotlight PA could not identify a website or social media account for this candidate.)

SD-49
Democratic candidates: Erie County Democratic Party Chair Jim Wertz; Selena King, a former staffer for U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.)
Republican candidate: State Sen. Dan Laughlin



Profile Information

Name: Kathy Hinsman
Gender: Female
Hometown: Pittsburgh PA
Home country: USA
Current location: Pittsburgh
Member since: Sat Feb 18, 2017, 02:16 PM
Number of posts: 32,620

About FakeNoose

Hey DU friends! Baby boomer here. I became a voter in 1972 when I turned 21, and I've been voting regularly ever since. For a long time I remained independent - always voting for Dem candidates. However that changed in 2008 when I wanted to vote for Hillary Clinton for President. But I live in Pennsylvania where we have closed elections, and my only chance to vote for Hillary was in the Dem primary. So I joined the Democratic Party in 2008, voted for Hillary, and I've never looked back. Barack Obama won the primary in Pennsylvania, as ell as most other states, and I supported him in the general election. It was a different story in 2016 .... You'll never convince me that Chump didn't CHEAT his way into the White House. The worst 4 years in the history of our country ensued, 2017 to 2020, and the first few days of 2021. We all lived through it and i don't need to explain it now. My goal is to make sure that Chump NEVER gets elected to ANYTHING again. Not even Dogcatcher of West Palm Beach FL. Whether he goes to prison is not up to me - but he must be CONVICTED of his crimes and PREVENTED from running for office again. Better yet - he should be in prison or six-feet-under. You get me? I love the cooperation, optimism and can-do spirit of Democratic Underground. We're a community of liberal-minded Americans and we know how to share our stories constructively and pro-actively. Let's all pitch in and get this job done. There has never been a more important election that right now, this year. Democrats everywhere MUST WIN. Joe Biden must win FOUR MORE YEARS!
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