Tracker

Trump Says Biden 'Convinced' Putin To Bomb Ukraine In Mar-a-Lago Campaign Speech He also again insisted violent Capitol rioters were simply "protesting a dishonest election," despite a complete lack of evidence of anything but a legitimate Donald Trump claimed in a speech to a Mar-a-Lago audience over the weekend that President Joe Biden “convinced” Russian President Vladimir Putin to “go into Ukraine.” Trump, without evidence, said Biden told the Russian leader it would be “no problem” if he took “some parts of Ukraine” in the invasion Russia began in February 2022. Biden actually sought a peaceful solution to Russia’s warmongering and condemned the invasion. It was Trump who called Putin’s invasion “genius” at the time. The Mar-a-Lago event, a mini-campaign speech, reportedly was linked to the Conservative Political Action Conference. Trump also told his audience he invited professors to the White House to explain how horrible a nuclear war would be if it came up in the presidential debates. “The power is so destructive that we won’t talk about it,” he said. Trump claimed the experts urged him: “Sir, do the best you can to not talk about it ... It’s so destructive, it’s so powerful. The world will be gone.” Trump claimed Biden is increasing the risk of a nuclear war because he has “no mind left.” The former president, speaking from a podium, also insisted that a “lunatic” fatally shot Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt during the Jan. 6 violence in 2021. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-nuclear-war-ashli-babbitt-biden-mar-a-lago-campagin-speech_n_63bb6f3ae4b0d6724fc500b4

'Should not be given refuge': Lawmakers demand Jair Bolsonaro be sent back to Brazil Prominent U.S. lawmakers said Sunday that Jair Bolsonaro should not be given safe harbor in Florida after his supporters—animated by the far-right former president's election lies—launched a massive attack on Brazil's main government buildings, an assault that came a week after leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was inaugurated. "Two years ago our Capitol was attacked by fanatics, now we are watching it happen in Brazil," Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said Sunday evening after thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and ransacked Brazil's presidential palace, Congress, and Supreme Court. "Solidarity with Lula and the Brazilian people," Omar continued. "Democracies around the world must stand united to condemn this attack on democracy. Bolsonaro should not be given refuge in Florida." Just two days before his term ended and he was set to relinquish power to Lula following his failed bid to overturn the October election results, Bolsonaro flew to Orlando, Florida "with plans to stay for at least a month," The New York Times reported. According to the Times, Bolsonaro—an ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump—has been "living in a rented house owned by a professional mixed martial arts fighter a few miles from Disney World." The Washington Post reported last month that "days after Bolsonaro's loss, allies met with Trump aides in the United States to discuss next steps. His son Eduardo, a Brazilian congressman, met Trump at Mar-a-Lago [in November] in Palm Beach, Florida." https://www.alternet.org/should-not-be-given-refuge/

Does this mean he literally screwed his brains out?

A .50 caliber mounted on the teachers' desks, that ought to instill the proper amount of order in the classroom.

And I am at the point where I buy underwear one at a time rather than in a three-pack, because one might be enough.

Apparently one of the conditions he had to agree to was that he would resign as speaker if only ONE of the people who voted for him demanded that he do so. So...he gave up his spine and his gonads for this ephemeral position of power.

The family that loads together, explodes together. Americans gotta be Americans.

And I do not think they have plumbed the depths of their stupidity and arrogance.

Expert details 4 ways Netanyahu’s new far-right government threatens Israeli democracy . Democracy is not just about holding elections. It is a set of institutions, ideas and practices that allow citizens a continuous, decisive voice in shaping their government and its policies. The new Israeli government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu and sworn in on Dec. 29, 2022, is a coalition of the most extreme right-wing and religious parties in the history of the state. This government presents a major threat to Israeli democracy, and it does so on multiple fronts. Here are the four ways that Israel's democratic institutions, customs and practices are endangered by the new government, based on policies and legislation that might be enacted or that are already in process. 1. Hostility to freedom of speech and dissent Prime Minister Netanyahu has been working for years to consolidate his grip on Israeli media. The new government plans to accelerate the privatization of media in the hands of friendly interests and brand as anti-Israeli and treasonous media outlets its leaders deem hostile. The signs of this delegitimization are already here. A dozen and a half people standing in three rows for a photo. Ministers of Israel's 37th government wait to have their group picture taken with the president and prime minister at the president's residence in Jerusalem on Dec. 29, 2022. Photo by Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP via Getty Images Even before the newly appointed minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, took office, the police briefly arrested and interrogated journalist Israel Frey after he posted a controversial tweet hinting that the Israeli military may be a legitimate target of Palestinian attacks. The police claimed the tweet incited terrorism, and the arrest showed journalists who favor an open and free press that they might face retaliation. Ben-Gvir, the head of the Jewish Power party and now overseer of the police, was convicted in the past for supporting Jewish terrorism and for racist incitement against Israel's Arab minority. In his inauguration speech on Jan. 1, the new minister branded "Jewish anarchists" – a code he often uses for leftists and human rights organizations – as threats that "needed to be dealt with." 2. Diminishing equal rights The Netanyahu government appears poised to allow discrimination against the LGBTQ community and women, thus undermining equality before the law, an important democratic principle. Incoming National Missions Minister Orit Strock said in an interview in late December, "If a doctor is asked to give any type of treatment to someone that violates his religious faith, if there is another doctor who can do it, then you can't force them to provide treatment." Netanyahu condemned Strock and other coalition members who stated that gay people could be denied service by businesses if serving them contradicts the business owner's religious beliefs. Yet, journalists report that Likud and other coalition partners agreed in writing to amend the law against discrimination to allow exactly such a policy. During early coalition negotiations, ultra-Orthodox parties demanded new legislation that would allow gender-based segregation in public spaces and events. Netanyahu has reportedly agreed, which means these laws are expected to pass the Knesset. Segregation in educational spheres, public transportation and public events is often translated into exclusion of women and weakening of women's voices, and hence contradicts basic democratic principles such as freedom and equality. 3. West Bank annexation and apartheid The new government's intention to de facto annex the West Bank will turn hollow Israel's claims of being the only democracy in the Middle East. In a Dec. 28 tweet, Netanyahu announced that his government's guidelines will include the principle that "the Jewish people have an exclusive and unquestionable right to all areas of the Land of Israel," including the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967 and populated by a Palestinian majority. These guidelines, combined with new nominations of far right politician Bezalel Smotrich as the minister responsible for Jewish settlements and Ben-Gvir as the minister in charge of the border police, could provide justification for annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories. Based on much of the rhetoric of right-wing leaders such as Smotrich, Palestinian residents of these lands will have neither equal rights nor voting rights. This means apartheid, not democracy. 4. Erasing the separation of powers In the Israeli system, the executive and legislative branches are always controlled by the same coalition. The courts are the only institution that can check the power of the ruling parties and uphold the country's Basic Laws, which provide rights in the absence of a formal constitution. But the new government wants to erase this separation of power and explicitly aims at weakening the courts. On Jan. 4, after less than a week in his role, new Minister of Justice Yariv Levin announced the government's plan for a radical judicial reform, which will include the "override clause." That clause will allow a simple majority in the Knesset to re-enact any law struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional.

Democratic Officials' Homes, Offices Shot Up In New Mexico ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The homes or offices of five elected Democratic officials in New Mexico, including the new attorney general, have been hit by gunfire over the past month, and authorities are working to determine if the attacks are connected. Nobody was injured in the shootings, which are being investigated by local and federal authorities, said Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina. He called the investigation a top priority. Police initially reported four shooting incidents but then disclosed late Thursday that a shooting at the former campaign office of newly elected New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez is being re-examined. The attacks come amid a sharp rise in threats to members of Congress and two years after supporters of then-President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol and sent lawmakers running for their lives. Local school board members and election workers across the country have also endured harassment, intimidation and threats of violence. In New Mexico, the attacks began on Dec. 4, when someone shot eight rounds at the Albuquerque home of Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa, police said. Seven days later, someone fired more than a dozen times at the Albuquerque house of then-Bernalillo Commissioner Debbie O’Malley. ShotSpotter technology detected several gunshots in the area of Torrez’s former office on Dec. 10, police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said. But he said the attorney general and his staff had already moved out following his November election. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/new-mexico-democratic-gunfire-homes-offices_n_63b86fe7e4b0d6724fc3db8f Alex Jones’s Lawyer Has His Law License Suspended CNN reported: “At a basic level, attorneys must competently and appropriately handle the discovery of sensitive materials in civil cases,” Judge Barbara Bellis wrote in a court order that suspended attorney Norman Pattis’ license for six months. “Otherwise, our civil system, in which discovery of sensitive information is customary and routine, would simply collapse.” Bellis said she “flatly rejected” Pattis’ assertion that his release of the confidential records was an “inadvertent mistake,” writing that Pattis “failed to provide even the minimal amount of attention and care required when it came to handling the plaintiffs’ sensitive discovery materials.” The leak also included the medical records of some of the Sandy Hook plaintiffs and other sensitive materials. Jones’s text messages blew up his defense and were a contributing factor in judgment against the right-wing conspiracy theorist. The texts showed that Jones was lying about his financial situation, and have drawn the interest of 1/6 investigators because Jones has claimed to have had a role in planning the attack and coordinating with the Trump White House. The problems from his lawyer’s leak could be getting bigger for Alex Jones.

New questions raised about 'nefarious' gap in Trump’s day on Jan. 6 On Monday the now-shuttered House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6 insurrection released more documents to the Depart of Justice and the public and now new questions are being raised about Donald Trump's activities on that day. As the Daily Beast's Jose Pagliery wrote, a renewed focus is taking place on the 8-hour gap when the former president's phone calls were not logged --which could lead to a DOJ inquiry involving phone records people known to have been in contact with him based on their own testimony. As American University professor Chris Edelson, put it: "The first thing one thinks of is the [Richrad] Nixon tapes, the missing 18 minutes. It’s never been resolved,” with regard to the Watergate scandal that brought his presidency down. Adding that Trump "Is now in the same boat," Pagliery wrote, "The gap starts at 11:04 a.m. that day, when an incoming call was logged from then-Senator David Perdue (R-GA) with the attached note, 'Talked Ok.' The next item appears nearly eight hours later at 6:54 p.m., when Trump asked the switchboard operator to ring his social media director. 'POTUS instructed operator to call back with Mr. Dan Scavino,' it reads. For investigators, what is central to those missing calls is Trump's state of mind during the insurrection -- a key charge made by the Jan. 6 committee. https://www.alternet.org/Bank/trump-jan-6-2659080931/

New York Jets announced today that Flacco will start this weekend with Wilson backing him up.

I would have put Dickenson #2 in the fifth or sixth group.

Estate of Officer Brian Sicknick Suing Donald Trump for Wrongful Death “Estate of Officer Brian Sicknick, who died after the Jan 6 2021 Capitol attack, suing Donald Trump for wrongful death seeking monetary damages of $10 million and more,” Jake Tapper of CNN tweeted. Officer Sicknick died in the line of duty after suffering two strokes the day after he engaged with the terrorists attacking Congress and the U.S. Capitol. The medical examiner determined that he died from natural causes. Videos of that horrific day show a terrifying mob attacking outnumbered police officers.

COVID’s New Year’s Resolution Is to Infect Us All Again (and Again) In a recent survey of tens of thousands of American adults in all 50 states, about half reported experiencing a previous or ongoing COVID-19 infection. Those findings complement two reports from earlier last year that suggested between 42 and 58 percent of adults, respectively, had been infected with the virus at some point. But that’s accounting for at least one infection. The proportion of Americans getting COVID again is a tougher nut to crack, since we lack adequate public health surveillance and viral testing to deduce concrete numbers on reinfections. But even without the perfect epidemiological data, we know they are on the rise. What we haven’t figured out yet, however, is what reinfections mean for living with COVID in the long run. https://www.thedailybeast.com/covids-new-years-resolution-is-to-infect-us-all-again-and-again?ref=home

Matt Gaetz Threatens To Quit Congress On Fox News And Twitter Has Thoughts (More bovine excrement from Matt Gaetz) Rep. Matt Gaetz threatened to quit Congress Thursday if House Republicans make a deal with Democrats to elect a GOP speaker ― and his critics were hilariously eager for him to make good on that pledge. Fox News host Laura Ingraham asked Gaetz, one of the far-right holdouts blocking Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s election through 11 ballots, if he would be “OK” with a bipartisan deal with moderate Democrats to break the impasse. Gaetz said there was no way that would happen, because Democrats would not break ranks from voting for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). To prove his certainty, he declared: “If Democrats join up to elect a moderate Republican, I will resign from the House of Representatives.”

Oxford study warns of extreme heat and drought impacting 90 percent of Earth's population As interlinked extreme heat and drought events grow in intensity and frequency amid the ruling class' ongoing failure to adequately slash planet-heating fossil fuel pollution, over 90% of the global population is projected to suffer the consequences in the coming decades, according to peer-reviewed research published Thursday in Nature Sustainability. Compound drought-heatwave (CDHW) events are "one of the worst climatic stressors for global sustainable development," states the paper, but their "physical mechanisms" and "impacts on socio-ecosystem productivity remain poorly understood." "Using simulations from a large climate-hydrology model," nine scholars—working at universities in China, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan—found that "the frequency of extreme CDHWs is projected to increase by tenfold globally under the highest emissions scenario, along with a disproportionate negative impact on vegetation and socio-economic productivity by the late 21st century." According to the study: "Terrestrial water storage and temperature are negatively coupled, probably driven by similar atmospheric conditions (for example, water vapor deficit and energy demand). Limits on water availability are likely to play a more important role in constraining the terrestrial carbon sink than temperature extremes." Put plainly, drought and extreme heat are intertwined. Increasingly arid and hot conditions are undermining the capacity of land-based ecosystems to absorb carbon dioxide, with a lack of water considered even more consequential than higher temperatures. Not only are CDHWs hurting the ability of biodiverse regions to absorb a key greenhouse gas but these increasingly intense and frequent events also threaten to exacerbate socioeconomic inequalities. The study estimates that even under the lowest emission scenario, "over 90% of the global population and gross domestic product could be exposed to increasing CDHW risks in the future, with more severe impacts in poorer and more rural areas." https://www.alternet.org/oxford-study-heat-and-drought/

MAGA Meltdown As Ali Alexander Promises To Release Criminal Evidence That Will Get Marjorie Taylor Greene Expelled From Congress Ali Alexander claims that he has evidence that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) committed a crime that will get her expelled from Congress. Alexander said, “In the coming days, I am going to reveal in my summation and the summation of attorneys that Marjorie Taylor Greene committed a crime. That crime is going to be handed to the state of Georgia, and the state of Georgia will decide whether they adjudicate. that crime or not. The House Ethics Committee and House Rules must expel Marjorie Taylor Greene with this evidence comes to light.” https://www.politicususa.com/2023/01/05/maga-meltdown-as-ali-alexander-promises-to-release-criminal-evidence-that-will-get-marjorie-taylor-greene-expelled-from-congress.html

McCarthy loses 11th vote. Another new record!

Nor can he speak coherently

That ought to really confuse the eyewitnesses.