Tracker

Gonna make the Crown's job very very easy.

Trump’s Justice Department Secretly Got CNN Reporter’s Phone, Email Records, Network Says The Trump administration secretly obtained the phone and email records of CNN’s Pentagon correspondent, the news network reported Thursday, the latest evidence of the former president’s efforts to target journalists who reported government leaks during his tenure. CNN said Thursday that the Justice Department sought and obtained the records of Barbara Starr for a two-month period between June 1, 2017, and July 31, 2017. The DOJ informed Starr earlier this month that it had targeted her Pentagon extension, the CNN phone booth in the building and her home and cellphones, as well as her personal and professional email accounts. Starr is a veteran journalist who has worked at CNN since 2001. During the time covered as part of the records seizure, Starr had been working on stories about the U.S. military’s options in North Korea and stories about Syria and Afghanistan. She was never the target of an investigation, CNN added. She confirmed the news on Twitter later Thursday. It’s unclear why her phone and email activity were targeted, but The Washington Post later reported that the effort to obtain the records was approved in 2020, citing a Justice Department spokesperson. Trump's Justice Department Secretly Got CNN Reporter’s Phone, Email Records, Network Says | HuffPost

These newly released text messages could spell big trouble for Matt Gaetz The investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz's (R-Fla.) alleged involvement with a minor may be taking a different turn due to the discovery of potentially incriminating text messages sent between the Florida lawmaker and his associate, former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg. According to The Daily Beast, the text messages "reveal how people with key information about an alleged underage sex ring were scrambling as the feds closed in—and they bolster the evidence in a growing scandal that could take down the congressman." The conversations are said to have taken place between Greenberg and radio host "Big Joe" Ellicott over the encrypted messaging network, Signal. In their discussion, the two men Ellicott admitted that he was concerned about others in their group facing the possibility of "legal jeopardy for having sex with a 17-year-old girl." Although messages in the app are set to disappear after 30 seconds due to the app's encrypted design, Greenberg screenshotted the conversation which preserved the conversations. The publication notes that Ellicott "wrote that a mutual friend, a woman who figures prominently in Greenberg's Venmo transactions, 'knew [the minor] was underage the whole time, had sex with her, and they both went [to] see other guys.'" The latest report on the incriminating text messages shared between Greenberg and Ellicott comes just one day after Politico reported on a grand jury subpoena that included the radio host's name. These newly released text messages could spell big trouble for Matt Gaetz - Alternet.org Filed on Dec. 28, 2020, the subpoena stated that "the grand jury is investigating alleged crimes 'involving commercial sex acts with adult and minor women, as well as obstruction of justice' and seeks any communications, documents, recordings, and payments the individual had with Ellicott, Gaetz, and Greenberg from January 2016 until now." Since Gaetz is under investigation for his alleged involvement with a minor, there is speculation about the damning text message conversations could impact his case and link him to the underaged girl. Politico reports: "The grand jury subpoena provides new information on who federal investigators are looking into, as well as additional details on the kinds of information authorities, are seeking — documents, video recordings, and communications — as they looked into the Republican lawmaker earlier this year. The subpoena, as well as Greenberg's cooperation with prosecutors, appears to increase the legal peril the congressman is facing."

You are not alone. Somehow the arrival of spring (such as it is at the moment) when we would normally be released from the icy clutches of winter has emphasized how restricted we still are. The selfish behaviours of a relative few has caused this and there is little we the public can do.

Pence and Pompeo headline launch of think tank founded by Korean 'cultist' whose church Says 'Christian era has ended." Mike Pence, the former Trump vice president, and Mike Pompeo, the former Trump secretary of state, headlined an event called the "Rally of Hope" to celebrate the launch of a Korean cultist's alleged "think tank" earlier this month. That event was encapsulated in a just-released propaganda-like video. Hak Ja Han Moon is the head of what was once called the Unification Church, a Christian offshoot "cult" (according to some who say they "escaped" it,) best known for mass weddings and for its founding and ownership of the right wing newspaper The Washington Times. The church, now called the Unification Movement, was founded by her late husband, Rev. Sun Myung Moon. Their acolytes believe the Moons are the Messiahs and the "True Parents" of humanity. "Though American conservatives have long made common cause with the Unification Church," Mother Jones' David Corn reports, "the head of the outfit that pulled together this event declared not too long ago that the 'Christian era has ended' —which means Pence and Pompeo, whose self-professed religious devotion is a prominent part of their respective political profiles, were (knowingly or not) collaborating with and bolstering a group that says it is supplanting the Christianity they embrace." Also speaking were former Trump Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, and Trump ally Newt Gingrich. "During his videotaped speech," Corn reports, "Pence claimed that Think Tank 2022 is 'bringing the wisdom of leaders in government, business, religion, civil society' and that thanks to this new endeavor, 'the dream of peaceful cooperation and unity will be closer to reality than ever before.' (Pence spoke at a previous and similar Rally of Hope in March.) Pompeo, who was introduced as a 'devout Christian,' hailed former President Donald Trump's assorted engagements with Kim Jong Un, the tyrannical and murderous leader of North Korea." Pence and Pompeo headline launch of think tank founded by Korean 'cultist' whose church Says 'Christian era has ended’ - Alternet.org

QAnon believers see Trump's mounting legal troubles as part of 'the plan' As Donald Trump's legal problems continue to mount, some would think that his dire straits would be a refutation to the predictions and conspiracy theories disseminated by the QAnon movement, but true to QAnon form, adherents to the movement are saying it's all part of "the plan." As VICE News points out, this claim is popping up on pro-Trump message boards where QAnon adherents are claiming the news is meant to distract from Arizona's audit of votes from the 2020 election and derail Trump's chances at winning in 2024. "Do you think they realize how much MOAR powerful Trump will be after being falsely arrested?" a Telegram user called TruthHammer wrote. "You don't think Trump left office without enough classified dirt on every one of his enemies, do you?" a Patriots.win user called queenicarius wrote. According to VICE, the perceived continuous persecution of Trump is causing some within the QAnon movement to increasingly call for violence. "Honestly if [New York Attorney General Letitia James] ever even seriously tried to put Trump in prison on any bullsh*t I am pretty sure there would be at least a million Patriots marching on that prison and tearing it apart," wrote Patriots.win user EvilGuy. QAnon believers see Trump's mounting legal troubles as part of 'the plan' | Salon.com

I like the Opera browser.

The government under Pallister ought to have mandated a severe crackdown with harsh penalties a month ago when this was predicted. Pallister did not want to alienate his base of fundamentalists and right-wingers. So he and the provincial Tories prayed for a miracle and here we are. Ever wonder why these "faith healers" are not in hospitals casting out the demons and healing people left and right?

This one is a shining example of stupidity and fawning obedience.. Gonna set back women's rights for decades.

Sounds like a perfect Stepford wife GOP'er.

It was inevitable. As the really vulnerable seniors either die or get vaccinated, their fatality numbers fall, so the younger people rise in numbers.

Didn't see ED anywhere there, dammit! 1

Texas Governor Greg Abbott Signs Extreme 6-Week Abortion Ban Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has signed a piece of anti-abortion legislation that effectively bans the procedure at six weeks, which is before many patients even know they’re pregnant, and allows anyone to enforce the ban through lawsuits. Like several similar bills that have moved through conservative legislatures across the country this year, the legislation requires abortion providers to check for a “fetal heartbeat” ― a term medical professionals say is misleading ― when a patient comes in for an abortion, and outlaws the procedure if one is detected. Notably, the Texas legislation also allows any private citizen to enforce the ban through civil lawsuits ― an element that reproductive rights groups say is especially ruthless. “This egregious abortion ban will not only push access to care entirely out of reach for millions of Texans, but adds a vicious layer of intimidation to those seeking abortion care and to those who provide it: civil lawsuits,” Andrea Miller, president of the National Institute for Reproductive Health, said in a statement. “The anti-abortion legislators behind this bill have made their intent clear: to harass, frighten, or bankrupt people who seek care and those who provide it.” Texas Governor Greg Abbott Signs Extreme 6-Week Abortion Ban | HuffPost

A thorough investigation would expose the complicity of many high-profile GOP members and these should recuse themselves from voting as to whether there ought to be a commission and the terms of that commission.

Can't recall where I read this, but someone said that in all civilizations there is a race between the developing of a social conscience and the developing of the means to destroy themselves. This is a sort of bottleneck where civilizations live and thrive or die out, and it seem we are near or at that point now.

Unfortunately, this tribalism seems to be a core characteristic of many humans. It is far easier to blame someone else for the sorry state of your life than actually do something to lift yourself out of it. On the other hand, there are the obscenely wealthy and powerful who choose to make it difficult for the poorer to reach a decent quality of life.

Sex is not necessarily good for your health. I knew of a guy who was beaten up by a jealous boyfriend of the woman he was sleeping with.

Someone said that things change only grave by grave. As in many other parts of the world, old grievances continue to poison the futures of the children.

The UN has identified the seizure of Palestinian homes and communities as illegal and racially-based. That sounds like ethnic cleansing to me, and the Zionists (Israel for Jews only) have agitated for the eviction of Palestinians for decades. These hard-right activists have the ear of Netanyahu who has stated that the Golan Heights and the West Bank should be permanently part of Jewish Israel. There can be no peace until there is a just and lasting peace that respects the rights of both. The extremism on both sides benefits a few who have vested interests in keeping the bloodshed going.

It seems that the Democrats are oblivious to the fact that the GOP is stacking the deck against them. If the Dems do not stop this avalanche of vote suppression and the individual state governors claiming the right to void any electoral outcome they do not like even if that outcome is provably legitimate, the GOP could govern indefinitely regardless of the will of the majority. This is a naked, unapologetic planned seizure of power.

It appears, upon further research, that I was wrong and you are correct. However ,the actions of the Israeli government in the past 20 years is still nothing short of ethnic cleansing: 1948 Palestinian exodus - Wikipedia

You are correct in describing the current situation, but it bears noting that for over 600 years, Arabs had total control over Palestine and the Jews had freedom of religious expression and there was peace for the most part. The change came when the UN at the urging of the US and Britain mandated a Jewish homeland. The British gave massive amounts of military equipment to the Israelis when they left and the ethnic cleansing began, continuing to this day. During the centuries that the Arabs held power in Palestine, they could have easily wiped out the Jews with little effort, but chose not to. The ethnic cleansing has provoked retaliation from the Palestinians and justified Israeli actions. The situation could easily be resolved. All the US would have to do is stop the massive subsidies of Israel and the Arabs nation could properly fund Palestinian infrastructure.

Leaked video lays bare right-wing dark money's 'ugly' role in crafting voter suppression bills All over the United States — from Georgia to Arizona to Iowa to Texas — Republicans in state legislatures have been pushing voter suppression bills that are designed to make it harder to vote. And CNN has obtained a copy of a leaked video showing the role that "dark money" in the form of Heritage Action for America (the Heritage Foundation's sister organization) has played in crafting these bills, some of which have already been signed into law by Republican governors who include Georgia's Brian Kemp and Florida's Ron DeSantis. In the leaked video aired by CNN and previously reported by Mother Jones, Heritage Action Executive Director Jessica Anderson can be seen bragging about the group's influence on those bills. Anderson, in the video, declares, "We're working with these state legislatures to make sure they have all of the information they need to draft the bills. In some cases, we actually draft them for them. Or, we have a sentinel, on our behalf, give them the model legislation so it has that grass roots, you known, from the bottom up, type of vibe." CNN host Chris Cuomo, before airing the video, explained, "We're going to show just how ugly the game has gotten when it comes to the effort to suppress the vote." And he went on to explain why Anderson's use of the word "sentinel" is important. Cuomo, the brother of Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, told viewers, "I want you to remember the word sentinel and the phrase, 'You know, they pass it along so it has that grass roots vibe.' This is the game…. Money matters." The CNN host noted how deceptive Heritage Action's claims are. Heritage, in a statement to CNN, claimed that its intention is to make voting more transparent; Cuomo disagrees. Cuomo said of Heritage, "You want to cheat. You want to limit how many people can vote — for minority groups and big urban areas, and those local officials you want cut out of the process. That's what you want because that is the far-right sale of White fright. These suppression advocates organize and then weaponize, many selling White fright and false notions that the election was stolen by big groups."

A few years ago, according to an article in Israel's Ha'artez newspaper, researchers took DNA samples from Jewish bodies over a thousand years old and compared them to current Israelis as well as Palestinians. Turned out that ancient inhabitants were more closely related to the Palestinians than the Israelis.

Sunday afternoon, there were dozens of people lined up at Sargent Sundae on Portage Avenue. Social distancing was theoretical at best and masks were mostly optional.