Sunday, November 24, 2019

Politics related links 112419



March organisers hail ‘one of the greatest protest marches in British history’: Led by mayor Sadiq Khan, around one million protesters gathered to demand a fresh referendum

The gravitational pull of Donald Trump’s downward spiral

Warren feels the heat in health care debate

If Elizabeth Warren surges, and economy stutters, she could win the presidency

Foreign governments are messing with our elections the old-fashioned way

Russian Media Cheers Trump’s Moves in Syria: ‘Putin Won the Lottery!’ For Russia, Trump’s presidency is a gift that keeps on giving. The Kremlin’s propagandists see no acceptable alternative among any viable presidential candidates in 2020.

All False statements involving Donald Trump – 13 pages

We’re Only Beginning to See the Consequences of the Bush-Era Assault on Civil Liberties: Like a number of “War on Terror” measures, the Terrorist Screening Database’s unconstitutionality was obvious from the jump

Qatar Refused to Invest in Kushner’s Firm. Weeks Later, Jared Backed a Blockade of Qatar.

World’s Least Self Aware Person, Donald Trump Jr., Attacks Bidens for Nepotism

Tulsi Gabbard Had a Very Strange Childhood

Comedian Gilbert Gottfried Says Trump Is ‘Hitler Without The Warmth’: Gottfried was surprised when the GOP candidate’s momentum didn’t peter out.

The President of the United States Just Called the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution ‘Phony’

Facebook: Russian trolls are back. And they're here to meddle with 2020

Supreme Court wipes out ruling on Michigan partisan gerrymander: The court had already declared in June that such challenges involve an essentially political issue, beyond the authority of federal courts to resolve.

Meet "Pierre Delecto": Mitt Romney has a secret Twitter account for lurking

The Hidden History of the Supreme Court and the Betrayal of America

The Hidden History Of The Supreme Court

THOM HARTMANN: HIDDEN HISTORY OF SUPREME COURT AND THE BETRAYAL OF AMERICA

A new high-powered super PAC is going to spend millions to back Andrew Yang: It’s a test for the candidate, who says he wants to eliminate super PACs.

Mick Mulvaney's bad week just got worse: The acting chief of staff, in a Sunday interview, didn't appear to help himself or the White House by following up on impeachment-related issues.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg says she never stopped working out during pancreatic cancer treatment

Evangelicals See Trump Impeachment as an Attack on Their Values

Dubious friends of Donald Trump: the Russians

DNC Bosses Contemplating a Superdelegate Coup if Bernie Sanders Leads in Delegates

Sanders and Warren Want To Dismantle Much Of The Taft-Hartley Act, Including ‘Right To Work’ Laws

Bill Taylor's opening statement on 102219

12 Republicans who stormed closed-door impeachment proceedings already had permission to attend

Rantin' Randy's Rant 10-24-19 Trumpty Dumpty

House GOP members storm secure room, delay testimony by Pentagon official: A group of House Republicans on Wednesday delayed the start of closed-door testimony by Laura Cooper, the top Pentagon official overseeing U.S. policy regarding Ukraine, after storming the secure room where the deposition was being held. Led by Rep. Matt Gaetz, the GOP members — who don’t sit on the committees that are questioning witnesses in the impeachment inquiry, are protesting the Democrats' handling of the probe. MSNBC's Garrett Haake and Chuck Rosenberg report.

Ronald Reagan's shameful legacy: Violence, the homeless, mental illness: As president and governor of California, the GOP icon led the worst policies on mental illness in generations

Judge orders DOJ to turn over Mueller grand jury evidence: The judge also determined, despite arguments to the contrary from the White House, that the House had launched "an official impeachment inquiry"

KELLYANNE CONWAY UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR VIOLATING FEDERAL LAW AGAIN—THIS TIME OVER MIDTERM ELECTIONS

Trump is 'owned by Putin' and has been 'laundering money' for Russians, claims MSNBC's Donny Deutsch

DeVos held in contempt for violating judge's order on student loans

Thousands of witches to cast massive spell on Trump and his supporters: Instructed to call on 'demons of the infernal realms'

Screamin' Jay Hawkins- "I Put a Spell On You" (Merv Griffin Show 1966)

Rupert Murdoch’s son donates to Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 campaign

Rantin' Randy's Rant 10-26-19

Mike Pompeo and Jim Jordan’s Astounding Hypocrisy: When we were investigating Benghazi, we would have moved to impeach if armed with such clear evidence.

Republicans made a mistake in 2016.  They don’t have to repeat it in 2020

Andrew Yang’s witty, engaging citizens campaign: Yang is testament to the value of a citizen’s candidacy.

‘Quid pro quo’ is too polite — we’re talking here about a shakedown: “ ‘Quid pro quo’ has been misapplied in describing the current malfeasance in our nation’s relationship with Ukraine.”   Continue reading →

Why aren’t people taking to the streets for impeachment?

Will November 5th be Independents Day?

US President Greeted With Thunderous Boos and 'Impeach Trump' Banner at World Series: "After years of horrifying footage of people wildly cheering Trump's deranged rambling at his rallies, it's reassuring—restorative, even!—to know that the rest of the country hasn't forgotten how to greet tyrants."

Trump Met With Sustained Boos (Reaching "Almost 100 Decibels)," Jeers and Cries of "Lock Him Up" and "Impeach Him" When Introduced at Game 5 of the World Series in DC

Michael Moore lashes out at Democratic cowardice

We talked about impeachment....

Letters From the October 28-November 4, 2019, Issue, Shades of whitewashing…

Dan Rather, Sam Donaldson have dire warning about Trump

In the Ukraine Scandal, Trump Won’t Be Taking the Fall Alone: Administration stalwarts Mike Pence, Mick Mulvaney, William Barr, and Mike Pompeo are all implicated, too.

Trump Has Gone to War Against California: In his vengeful, mob-style way, Trump is attacking the Golden State both rhetorically and through policy measures. No matter where we live, we all have a dog in this fight.

Pretending Trump Is Like Other Presidents Is Dangerous: The contempt the president showers on journalists is unmatched in modern history.

On Trump Asking China to Investigate the Bidens

SCOTUS Is Back in Session and Cruelty Is on the Docket: As the term begins, the conservatives are sharpening their knives—and LGBTQ rights, abortion, and gun control are all on the chopping block.

Why Ilhan Omar Is the Optimist in the Room: The Minnesota representative is bringing an organizer’s mind-set to Congress.

Fear of a Female Wonk

Re-election runway: What U.S. airports can tell us about Trump's 2020 chances. Analysis: A high-altitude way of looking at America's political divide and what it means for Democrats.

Impeach Trump and Senate: Democrats should proceed with impeachment inquiries in House committees, whether or not the Trump administration continues to block the House’s access to White House documents and officials.

JIM HIGHTOWER: Kroger: Don’t lose local news

Who’s behind the increasing suppression of your right to protest?

Durst column: Blow that whistle

Letters to the Editor: Trade War with China is Only Part of the Story

Dispatches: TEAM TRUMP WANTS SUPREME COURT TO HOLD OFF DESTROYING ACA UNTIL AFTER ELECTION

Trump Impeachment Might Shake Up the Senate

If there’s one thing Americans understand, it’s a mob shakedown. Think about it: a president withholding military aid from a country under attack by Russia in order to force its government to launch a criminal investigation into his opponent’s family.

Why Does Trump Keep Doing This?  Either our system is going to break, or Trump’s finally going to fail. It’s an exhausting drama.

Look Who’s ‘Trying to Destroy the Republican Party’

The press has a Rudy Giuliani problem

What have we learned about sexual assault from the Kavanaugh case?

Yes, it's this bad: Conspiracy-hunter Bill Barr is roaming the globe under Trump's orders.  Remember when Trump's AG had a reputation for rectitude? Now he's traveling the world hunting for loose nuts

Robert B. Reich: Integrity of the 2020 election must be protected

JESSE JACKSON: Republican Senate Stands in the Way of Moving America Forward

Ready or Not, Here Comes Impeachment

‘Moscow’ Mitch McConnell — A Hard Man To Like

Ladies First

Random Thoughts on Democratic Dissonance

Katrina vanden Heuvel: What the godfather of modern whistleblowing can teach us now: As we face two existential crises, Daniel Ellsberg's archives are finally being opened

MoveOn’s Phony New Campaign for ‘Protecting Whistleblowers’

Smearing Joe Biden, 2016 Style

Trump Knows: Beware the Power of Pelosi

Warren vs. Sanders: The progressive non-aggression pact won't hold much longer.  Two progressives are serious contenders for the Democratic nomination — but the peace treaty is starting to fray

Trump—Will He Implode with Lies Before He is Impeached?

Snowden Knows Exactly Why No One Wants to Be a Whistleblower: "NSA whistleblowers who did go through this process had their lives destroyed."

Dana Milbank: Trump’s impeachment defense is all alligators and snakes

Army Officer Who Heard Trump’s Ukraine Call Reported Concerns

Thank you for not running for president, George Clooney

Winner of the 2016 US presidential election? Putin

Susan Rice on Syria, Trump, and running for office

A quiet diplomatic hero ousted for doing her job

Episode 13: Terrorism Expert Malcolm Nance, Analyzing War with Iran, Real-Life Spy Stories, Racism in the Military, Megan Rapinoe vs Donald Trump

The Freshman Democrat Who’s Making Conservatives Squirm: California’s Katie Porter studied under Elizabeth Warren. Now she’s going viral by schooling Republicans on Capitol Hill.

Fox and Foes: Trump is accusing the network of disloyalty, but he's missing the point.

Everyday Trauma: Redesigning American schools in an age of mass shootings

Moments Without Truth: Making sense of online discourse in the age of Trump

State Under Siege: The American right's unyielding ardor for federal power

Fukuyama’s Inner Civic Republicanism (Part 1): The end of history, 30 years on

Election interference: 2016 paper trails suggest fraud in Democratic primarie

Let's talk about a baseball chant, a hashtag, Chicago, and Trump....

Political power follows economic power: The current crisis could see a decisive shift away from globalisation and towards economic nationalism

Where economic power goes, political power will follow: Less equal societies may become less democratic

What impact does economics have on government policy?

FASCISM: What It Is and How To Fight It

A slide toward fascism? It could happen here

Of Corporatism, Fascism and the First New Deal

Army Officer Who Heard Trump's Ukraine Call Voiced His Concerns To Superiors | The Last Word | MSNBC

Subliminal Advertising, Trumpian And Otherwise

The Voting Wars Come to Campus: Students face a growing maze of voting restrictions. Can they find their way through in time for 2020?

Democrats Need More Than Demographic Change to Win: Why the GOP’s inevitable demographic demise may not be so inevitable.

Drowning In Free Speech: In the age of Facebook and Google, can the marketplace of ideas be saved?

King of This World: Irreligious Trump Remains Popular with Evangelicals

Debunking 4 Viral Rumors About the Bidens and Ukraine

With damning testimony, the vote for the impeachment inquiry isn’t even a close call

An impeachment vote will test the GOP’s true loyalties

Dissent is democracy.  No wonder Trump hates it.

Coolidge and FDR were right about government workers and unions: Strikes in the public sector aren’t designed to get management to share its wealth. They’re designed to extract money from taxpayers who have no seat at the table.  [LDH comment: This is the most absurd statement I’ve read in a long time.  If the government is of, by, and for the people (i.e., the taxpayers), how is it that they are not at the table?]

Facebook Is Threatening Our Elections—Again: A new policy gives politicians free rein to spread misinformation and inflame racial tensions.

What breaking up big tech companies would look like: As Facebook and other big tech companies face growing antitrust pressure from Congress, NBC News’ Alexa Liautaud examines what it would mean to break these companies up.

Ageism is not just creeping into political discourse — it’s being shouted: “Racism, sexism, and homophobia are correctly and understandably taboo. How is it that obvious bias against older people is perfectly acceptable?”  

The Importance of Organized Secularism in Politics

Converting the Nones: Why an Aware Homo Secularis Is Paramount

The Case Against Free Speech: The First Amendment, Fascism, and the Future of Dissent

Abortion decriminalized in Sydney after Australian lawmakers overturn 119-year-old law

Supreme Court to hear abortion regulation case

VICTORY: APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS BLOCK ON UNCONSTITUTIONAL ABORTION RESTRICTIONS

Federal judge: Michigan taxpayer-funded adoption agency can discriminate against same-sex couples

FEDERAL COURT BLOCKS SOUTH DAKOTA LAWS SUPPRESSING PIPELINE PROTESTS

Rantin' Randy's Rant 10-29-19

The Trump Administration Isn’t Finished Unraveling Protections for Survivors: The nomination of Steven Menashi to the Second Circuit says to students that it doesn’t matter if you were sexually assaulted—this administration cares more about protecting rapists than ending sexual violence.


13th District Strong

National Security Council staffers uneasy, fear Trump backlash

Trump Will Be Impeached: Ambassador William Taylor’s testimony sealed the deal.

The smoking gun has already been revealed

A True Public Servant Deals Trump a Crushing Blow: William Taylor demonstrates how to stand up for integrity and national purpose.

Ignoring irony, McConnell accuses Dems of taking a ‘one-year vacation’

The one weird court case linking Trump, Clinton, and a billionaire pedophile: A woman suing in connection with Jeffrey Epstein’s underage sex ring claims she was first approached while working as a towel girl at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.

House passes resolution that lays out formal rules of the Trump impeachment inquiry

Paula White, Newest White House Aide, Is a Uniquely Trumpian Pastor: Ms. White, a Florida televangelist, is being brought into the Trump administration to help shore up his evangelical base — even though some Christians consider her beliefs heretical.

What Happens When Trump Ventures Outside The Bubble | All In | MSNBC

Will Crimes & Evidence be enough? Our Constitution over Defiance? It's Friday, relax B/B time.

‘It’s like nothing we have come across before’: UK intelligence officials shaken by Trump administration’s requests for help with counter-impeachment inquiry: As impeachment inquiries heat up, president’s people are busy pursuing a counter offensive aimed at discrediting Mueller’s findings that Russia interfered in 2016 election

Elizabeth Warren's BRILLIANT Medicare For All Plan

Trump calls Beto O’Rourke a “poor bastard” and “pathetic” during crude campaign rally

Overtime: Ronan Farrow, Rick Stengel, Christina Bellantoni, Dennis Prager, Dr. Jay Gordon (HBO)

Rantin' Randy's Rant 10-31-19 Happy Halloween !

Almost 16 million voters were removed from the rolls: we should be alarmed

Russia is tightening its grip on Africa; but Moscow doesn’t want to admit it.

'Our task was to set Americans against their own government': New details emerge about Russia's trolling operation

Trump gets avalanche of boos at UFC fight in Madison Square Garden

Trump Blows Up And Says He’s Getting “F*cking Killed” On Impeachment

TRUMP IS COMMITTING 'FELONY BRIBERY' BY GIVING FUNDRAISING CASH TO GOP SENATORS AHEAD OF IMPEACHMENT TRIAL: EX-BUSH ETHICS LAWYER

What Is Propaganda?

Definition of propaganda

“The Left Can’t Meme”: How Right-Wing Groups Are Training the Next Generation of Social Media Warriors.  Memes helped elect Donald Trump. Now well-funded conservative groups are using them to proselytize.

Bombshell Leaked Footage: ABC Silenced Epstein Story 3 Years Ago - 'We Had Clinton, We Had Everything'

Amy Goodman Is Facing Jail Time for Reporting on the Dakota Access Pipeline. That Should Scare Us All.  The charges against Goodman are a clear attack on journalism and freedom of the press.

Every nation gets the government it deserves.

A Bitter Fight For Governor Could Bring Kentucky Democrats Back From The Dead: Beating Republican Gov. Matt Bevin on Tuesday won’t turn Kentucky blue. But it might help revive a Democratic Party the GOP thought it had killed.

Court Orders Trump Accounting Firm To Turn Over Tax Returns To New York Prosecutors: Trump’s lawyers had argued that, as president, he was immune from criminal investigation.

In stunner, Democrats flip both houses of Virginia’s state legislature

Joe Biden rips Elizabeth Warren’s ‘my way or the highway’ politics

Revealed: Russian donors have stepped up Tory funding.  As Johnson accused of ‘cover-up’ over Kremlin interference, major new Russian donations to Conservatives revealed – despite previous Tory pledge to distance themselves from Russian money.

Trump wanted Barr to hold news conference saying the president broke no laws in call with Ukrainian leader

READ: Former Ukraine Ambassador Yovanovitch's Testimony To Congress

Robert Mueller sets his sights on the Republican Congress

A GOP lawmaker crashed Fiona Hill's impeachment deposition and was immediately booted out, newly released transcript shows

Soviet Cold War Maps Reveal Plans For Occupied Britain: The map would have been used by Warsaw Pact troops if the Soviets and their allies had invaded and occupied UK shores...

The Red Atlas: How the Soviet Union Secretly Mapped the World Hardcover – October 17, 2017

Russia using UK politicians and former spies to go after its enemies, dossier claims

Trump Follows in Reagan’s Footsteps in Confronting Communism

Democrats, You’re About to Go to Trial. This Is How You Win.  Any hope of getting Republicans to break ranks depends on persuading the public first.

Another Term For Trump’s Quid Pro Quo? Extortion.  Former federal prosecutors say the president’s interactions with Ukraine also amount to extortion, as defined by the Hobbs Act.

Michelle Obama aims to increase voter turnout: 'When We All Vote' is a national nonpartisan organization aimed at increasing participation in every election, and it has just launched the new 'Voting Squads' initiative. Valerie Jarrett joins Morning Joe to discuss.

Rantin' Randy's Rant 11-9-19

By all means, House should proceed — toward censure: “Censure would allow the House to return to political issues more useful to Democrats and could help protect the seats of those elected in 2018 in districts that had been won by the president.” 

Facebook should vet political ads or stop running them: Until Facebook can find a way to vet the truthfulness of the political ads on its platform, it should stop running them altogether.

At critical Iowa dinner, Buttigieg and Harris deliver a punch: The presidential candidates tried to recreate the magic that spurred Barack Obama to the White House.

Republicans won't concede: They react to sweeping losses by attacking democracy.  Matt Bevin hopes the Kentucky legislature will just appoint him governor: One more sign Republicans hate democracy

Schiff calls whistleblower testimony "redundant and unnecessary"

'Will you come and help?' Father of Julian Assange on campaign to free his son: John Shipton, father of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, inset, was in Dublin recently trying to garner support for his son’s release. Picture: Moya Nolan.

US Whistleblowers First Got Government Protection in 1777: The Founding Fathers passed the country’s first whistleblower protection law just seven months after signing the Declaration of Independence. The government even footed the legal bills.

Bill Barr’s screw-up on the whistleblower complaint set the stage for Trump’s impeachment – here’s how

UFC’s Joe Rogan slaps down Trump Jr’s denials: 18,000 people booed the president at Madison Square Garden

Christianity and the Cult of Trump: The president’s following originates from a problematic heritage.

‘Nobody expected it to be this bad’: Conservatives panic as campaign donations flood in to defeat vulnerable GOP candidates

‘You’re going to remove yourself, Mr. Gaetz’: New transcript reveals drama after GOP lawmaker crashed impeachment hearing

‘Be quiet! Be quiet! Quiet! Quiet!’ Trump just went nuts in front of reporters — here are the highlights

John Bolton’s lawyer sends signal to House Dems that his client wants to testify

Trump made GOP senator ‘super uncomfortable’ after asking him to ‘admit you like me’ at fundraiser: NYT reporter

Retired Commander reveals how Trump’s random tweets sowed chaos in the Pentagon

Calls grow for Jim Jordan to resign over refusal to confront sexual misconduct as #JimJordanKnew trends

Leaked chats reveal the bizarre violent fantasies of GOP lawmaker and his lieutenant

THE STATE OF THE RACE (PART 2) – TRUMP IS IN BETTER SHAPE IN CRUCIAL SWING STATES THAN YOU THINK

The Student Vote Is Surging. So Are Efforts to Suppress It.  The share of college students casting ballots doubled from 2014 to 2018, a potential boon to Democrats. But in Texas and elsewhere, Republicans are erecting roadblocks to the

NYC Bids Adieu To Donald Trump (In Song)

Republican: You Can’t Impeach Trump for a Crime He Does ‘All the Time’

Bolton slams Trump, suggests some foreign policy decisions guided by personal interest: Former national security adviser John Bolton derided President Donald Trump’s daughter and son-in-law during a private speech last week and suggested his former boss’ approach to U.S. policy on Turkey is motivated by personal or financial interests, several people who were present for the remarks told NBC News.

Russian news sites are claiming an American civil war will erupt during the 2020 presidential election

Devin Nunes' embarrassing performance is going viral on Twitter

Rep. Peter Welch called Rep. Jim Jordan's bluff on 'Hearsay!' at impeachment hearing

This 22-second clip is all you need to know about how the impeachment proceedings went for the GOP

Bill Taylor's testimony contains potential bombshell information on call between Trump and Sondland

Taylor testifies Sondland acknowledged 'everything' hinged on a Ukrainian Biden investigation

Adam Schiff explains the stakes of impeachment in a few short sentences

Marcy Wheeler (emptywheel) catalogs the 9 lies of Devin Nunes in his opening impeachment statement

NO DEFENSE AT ALL: Impeachable Offenses Are Not Necessarily Crimes.  Two things are true: Trump’s defenders are disingenuous when they talk about criminality when arguing against impeachment. And our society’s sense of what is properly criminal has been severely degraded in recent times.

Trump official stationed in Ukraine set to give new deposition — along with another White House official

Trump reduced to panicky all-caps tweets and quoting Fox & Friends ahead of impeachment hearings

Florida student president facing impeachment for handing over $50K for Donald Trump Jr speech

Key Trump impeachment witness George Kent doesn’t care who ‘he might offend’: report

Panicky Trump campaign has been flooding Facebook with ads as impeachment becomes a reality: report

‘Preposterously corrupt’: MSNBC’s Morning Joe laughs out loud at Trump’s ‘stupid’ threats to fire inspector general

Rick Wilson claims Jim Jordan will take extreme measures to derail impeachment hearings

Republicans asked for a witness to undermine impeachment — but she wants to call their ‘bluff’

How Trump supporters justify supporting the president in the full knowledge that he’s a criminal

GOP hopes ‘idiot’ Jim Jordan will smear Lt. Col. Vindman in order to save Trump: report

Schiff kicks off impeachment hearing with smackdown of Jim Jordan: ‘That’s a false statement’

‘You should be ashamed’: Devin Nunes ripped for attacking impeachment witnesses in ‘lie-filled opening statement’

Adam Schiff tosses Mulvaney’s ‘get over it’ remark back in his face as he makes the case for Trump’s impeachment

Taylor staffer overheard Trump impatiently asking Sondland about ‘the investigations’ one day after infamous July 25 call

Republican mocked for attacking MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace amid impeachment hearing: ‘Shouldn’t you be paying attention?’

‘This is Congress’s authority and responsibility’: National security lawyer fires back at Stephanie Grisham for saying impeachment hearings are ‘boring’

Ex-Russian ambassador astonished by Bill Taylor’s revelation about ‘extraordinary’ Trump-Sondland call

George Kent destroys right-wing conspiracy theory Ukraine interfered in 2016 election: ‘No factual basis’

Mark Meadows tries to dismiss new bombshell during frantic press gaggle: ‘Everybody has their impression of what truth is’

Russians have flocked to Donald Trump’s Florida: Our correspondent lounges on the beach in Sunny Isles

Nicolle Wallace tells Colbert why she cursed at Fox News host Laura Ingraham — and that she left the GOP

Impeachment Day One: Republicans weaponized nihilism by trying to defend Trump and destroy reality

A Trump tax break to help the poor went to a rich GOP donor’s superyacht marina

Kellyanne Conway denies Trump asked Ukraine to investigate Biden right after clip shows Trump asking for Biden probe

Democrats believe they left GOP reeling after first day of impeachment hearings: They ‘were grasping at straws’

NBC News torched for complaint that impeachment hearings lacked ‘pizzazz’: ‘Were they expecting a wardrobe malfunction?’

Trump reveals the moment he thinks went best for him in impeachment’s first day

‘Comically incompetent’ Jim Jordan and Devin Nunes crashed and burned after just one impeachment hearing: Rick Wilson

Fox & Friends hosts deflated after legal analyst drops the hammer on Trump: ‘The law is not on the president’s side’

Combative Kellyanne Conway melts down on CNN’s Blitzer after she’s asked about husband George’s impeachment observations

Rantin' Randy's Rant 11-14-19

Impeachable offenses: ‘Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors’.  Impeachment, Alexander Hamilton wrote 230 years ago, is an inherently political decision. When the House of Representatives considers impeaching a president, it does not ask whether he’s guilty of a crime. Rather, it asks whether his “abuse or violation” of the public trust is so egregious that he must be removed from office in order to protect the integrity of the people’s government.  

The impeachment inquiry: Untangling the GOP’s spin.  As Congress begins impeachment hearings, the president and his defenders have been trotting out one disingenuous argument after the next to deflect from the president’s misconduct. Here’s a brief guide.

Warren puts her cards on the table — is it a safe bet?  Readers weigh in now that Elizabeth Warren has released details about her Medicare for All plan.

An absurd demand: President Trump’s claim that he has a right to face the Ukrainegate whistle-blower is absurd.

The impeachment process unfolds before the public: Readers take aim at Donald Trump's presidency as public impeachment hearings begin.

After Taylor and Kent, more truth-tellers are needed: The usual partisan bonfires will consume Wednesday’s testimony from William Taylor, the US chief envoy to Ukraine, and George Kent, a deputy assistant secretary of state. But that reality says more about the country and where it is today than it does about their credibility as witnesses. 

The marketplace of delusion: On crucial issue after crucial issue, staggering numbers of Americans have views of reality that are wildly at odds with the facts.

“IT’S ALL HEARSAY” – THE HEIGHT OF REPUBLICAN HYPOCRISY

State Department Freed Ukraine Money Before Trump Says He Did

Whoopi Goldberg Fires Back at Donald Trump Jr. After He Tries to Flip The View Interview on Her: "I guess this is the fight you wanted," Goldberg told the president's oldest son on Thursday

Mike Pompeo: Last in His Class at West Point in Integrity

Jef Beal Comedy & Station 22 - I Should've Known Better (Official Video)

Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president.

Deval Patrick takes a step into the scrum: Readers view the former Massachusetts governor's candidacy for president through a variety of lenses.

Parenting discrimination: The way our society perceives and treats mothers and motherhood plays a central role in preserving sex inequality.

House hearings show foreign policy gone wrong: Last week, nonpartisan career diplomats painted a picture of a president who puts personal gain over American interests.  

More US school-age children die from guns than on-duty US police or global military fatalities, study finds

COLD WAR COMING BACK? RUSSIA 'ASSESSING' MILITARY BASE IN CUBA AS U.S. SET TO LEAVE NUCLEAR MISSILE DEAL

Trump rewards Erdogan for bad behavior: Turkey's president gets to thumb his nose at NATO, continue his assault on Kurds in Syria, and still gets a warm White House welcome.

Daniel Ellsberg, the original whistle-blower, looks back — and forward: Daniels Ellsberg says people whistleblowing is risky — but worth it.

The impeachment process unfolds before the public: Readers take aim at Donald Trump's presidency as public impeachment hearings begin.

Philadelphia's Left Needs To Get Government Right

English policemen have a good sense of humor as they escort Trump

Highlights from Fiona Hill and David Holmes' impeachment testimony

‘A Proud Day’: Ex-Felons Clear Final Hurdle to Vote. 

Oklahoma Republican Is Cool With Stoning Gay People To Death

Christian Lawmaker Ralph Shortey Sentenced To 15 Years For Child Sex Trafficking

Watch Lindsey Graham Take Off After Marine Corps Vet Asks Him About Trump’s Failure To Uphold The Constitution:  This is sickening.

Rantin' Randy's Rant 11-21-19 Donnie tweets attack on Holmes today

Ice Cube Taunts Trump With Explicit New Track ‘Arrest The President'

Trump team reportedly helped Saudi Arabia cover up murder of US journalist

Is Lindsey Graham gay?  Seven Minutes in Gay Hell: Is Lindsey Graham in S.C.'s airtight closet?

White House officials are buttering up Republicans ahead of the impeachment vote by bringing them to Camp David to make s'mores and shoot clay pigeons

Study finds an epidemic of suicide among LGBTQ youth. Most blame “recent politics.”  54% of young trans people had considered suicide in the last year. 76% said "recent politics" impacted their mental health.

China attacks U.S. at G20 as the world's biggest source of instability

Dirty Devin Nunes Isn't Investigating Ukraine Scandal, He's A Key Part Of It: On Friday, CNN reported that the ranking Republic member of the House Intelligence Committee traveled to Vienna in 2018 to meet with disgraced Ukrainian prosecutor Victor Shokin.

PETE BUTTIGIEG FACES BACKLASH AFTER SPEECH AT TEA PARTY EVENT RESURFACES ONLINE: 'HE'S DONE. ABSOLUTELY DONE'

‘Everything Is Connected’: Ukrainian Gas Company’s CEO Willing to Testify Against Rudy Giuliani

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospitalized: The justice was admitted after experiencing chills and a fever and expects to be released as early as Sunday morning, a Supreme Court spokeswoman said.

The George Soros Conspiracy Theory at the Heart of the Ukraine Scandal: “Some of the worst anti-Semitic tropes.”

State Department Releases Ukraine Documents to American Oversight

PAT TOOMEY WANTS IT BOTH WAYS ON IMPEACHMENT

Pat Toomey vowed to be an ‘independent voice.’ Trump’s impeachment could raise the stakes.

Trump's grandfather was a pimp and tax evader; his father a member of the KKK.  As they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree; Donald Trump's racism can easily be traced through his lineage.

Warren raises "corruption" alarm after Trump, Zuckerberg, and Thiel hold secret White House meeting: "This is how the government keeps working for giant corporations and the wealthy and well-connected."

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