US Politics

[HardCoreBlue]

1 hour ago, wanna-b-fanboy said:

I love the Cruz dunking...

 

 

Now that’s Gold.

[Tracker]

Trump intelligence chiefs hid evidence of Russian election interference
   
Lost in the news on the day of Trump's Insurrection was a devastating new watchdog report to Congress on the politicizing and distorting of intelligence during Donald Trump's time in office.

The analytic ombudsman, career intelligence community veteran Barry A. Zulauf, determined that under Trump national intelligence reports had become highly politicized. Important findings were suppressed to appease Trump's refusal to acknowledge Russian interference in American elections.

Zulauf's unclassified report paints a frightening picture of just how much the Trump administration skewed intelligence to suppress knowledge of interference by Russia in our 2020 elections.

From March 2020, in the critical months leading up to the elections, Zulauf "identified a long story arc of—at the very least—perceived politicization of intelligence."

Zulauf works in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), a Cabinet-level position created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks to oversee all U.S. intelligence operations. Zulauf's job within the ODNI was created by Congress to assist analysts throughout the intelligence community with complaints and concerns about politicization, biased reporting or lack of objectivity in intelligence analysis.

This is the first of a two-part series. Coming in Part 2: The intelligence community under Trump was not alone in diverting focus from Russian interference.
Zulauf determined that Trump's ODNI took "willful actions that… had the effect of politicizing intelligence, hindering objective analysis or injecting bias into the intelligence process."

While Zulauf tried to avoid specifically naming individuals responsible for much of the political heavy-handed rewriting, he repeatedly calls out actions taken by two recent Trump appointees, neither of whom had any chops as intelligence experts.

One is former an acting director, Richard Grenell. He had been a Fox News commentator and Trump-appointed ambassador to Germany, and took over the ODNI in February 2020 then relinquished the post the following May.

The second was the Texas congressman Trump appointed to replace Grenell, John Ratcliffe, best known as a fervent defender of the ex-president in his first impeachment.

Trump intelligence chiefs hid evidence of Russian election interference - Alternet.org

[Tracker]

6 Capitol Police Officers Suspended, 35 Under Investigation After Insurrection

Six Capitol Police officers have been suspended with pay and 35 others are under investigation following the Jan. 6 riot in the U.S. Capitol, a spokesperson for the department said Thursday. The police force has received criticism for allowing the rioters to breach the Capitol amid the Electoral College certification of President Biden’s victory over former President Trump. Five people died in the riot, including a Capitol Police officer, Brian Sicknick; another officer, Howard Liebengood, died by suicide days later. Steven Sund, then the chief of Capitol Police, resigned the day after the riot. “Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman has directed that any member of her department whose behavior is not in keeping with the Department’s Rules of Conduct will face appropriate discipline,” the statement read.

6 Capitol Police Officers Suspended, 35 Under Investigation After Insurrection (thedailybeast.com)

[Mark F]

north carolina gopmresolution passed.

 

Therefore, be it resolved, the Executive Committee of Orange County, North Carolina Republican Party formally and irrevocably censures U.S. Senator Richard Burr for gross impropriety in a position of trust and honor for disloyalty to President Trump 

 

 

this **** is hard  to fathom.

Edited February 19, 2021 by Mark F

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

10 hours ago, Mark F said:

north carolina gopmresolution passed.

 

Therefore, be it resolved, the Executive Committee of Orange County, North Carolina Republican Party formally and irrevocably censures U.S. Senator Richard Burr for gross impropriety in a position of trust and honor for disloyalty to President Trump 

 

 

this **** is hard  to fathom.

Is it though? It's the GQP- its expected. It ******* unacceptable, but expected.

Edited February 19, 2021 by wanna-b-fanboy

[TrueBlue4ever]

7 hours ago, iHeart said:

What he said via TMZ

 

10:21 AM PT -- Sen. Cruz just issued a statement about his Cancun trip, and says ... "With school canceled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends. Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon."

If Cruz is saying he went down to chaperone his kids for the flight, he didn't mention his wife was with them, and she could have done it. BTW, he was carrying a suitcase.

So he felt the need to chaperone them on a plane flight because they are incapable of flying by themselves, but then he was prepared to leave them unsupervised in Mexico for a week? I hear that place doesn’t have the best people, drug dealers, rapists, and some who I am sure are nice people. 

[17to85]

41 minutes ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

So he felt the need to chaperone them on a plane flight because they are incapable of flying by themselves, but then he was prepared to leave them unsupervised in Mexico for a week? I hear that place doesn’t have the best people, drug dealers, rapists, and some who I am sure are nice people. 

plus he booked his return flight at 6AM after he got there when he was originally booked to return on the Saturday. 

Guy is straight up trash. 

[Tracker]

The link between Trumpland, QAnon, evangelical culture, and child-sex predators
   
Ben Gibson, a failed Republican congressional candidate who shared QAnon content on social media, was arrested in December on four counts of child pornography. A few months earlier, Joshua Jennings was arrested on first-degree murder charges for allegedly killing his girlfriend's 10-month-old daughter. Investigators found that Jennings had plastered the QAnon associated #savethechildren hashtag all over his Facebook wall, interspersed with rants about killing pedophiles.

The link between Trumpland, QAnon, evangelical culture, and child-sex predators - Alternet.org

[TrueBlue4ever]

1 hour ago, 17to85 said:

plus he booked his return flight at 6AM after he got there when he was originally booked to return on the Saturday. 

Guy is straight up trash. 

Yeah, the sheer number of different ways his lie was exposed is comical. 

[do or die]

 #LyinFlyinCanCruz

[tacklewasher]

https://www.thebeaverton.com/2021/02/ted-cruz-latest-canadian-politician-caught-fleeing-to-mexico/

[Tracker]

Josh Hawley dipped into campaign funds to help bankroll family trip to Universal Studios.  On a lobbyist retreat to Orlando, the Missouri Republican billed nearly $200 in junk food to his Senate campaign
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-MO, is facing new scrutiny for billing $197 in food expenses for his family during a "lobbyist retreat" in Orlando after his fellow Republican senator and purveyor of the election fraud myths that lead to the deadly Jan 6. attack on the U.S. Capitol Ted Cruz received widespread condemnation after fleeing Texas for Cancun during a winter storm crisis in his state. 

Federal Election Commission filings show that Hawley's campaign footed the bill in seven separate charges paid to Voodoo Doughnut, Seuss Popcorn, Lard Lad, Lagoon Popcorn, Hopping Pot, Bumblebee Taco, and Margaritaville during a personal vacation last March. The New York Post reports that the event was organized in conjunction with fellow Missouri Senator Roy Blunt's Rely on Your Belief PAC, which spent $4,680.65 on admission to the theme park. 

Because politicians are strictly prohibited from using campaign money for personal expenditures, Hawley's splurge sounded alarms amongst campaign finance experts. "It appears to not be a legal use of campaign funds," said Ann Ravel, the former F.E.C. chairwoman under Obama. Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, echoed her, arguing that Hawley's charges "warrant some scrutiny."

Josh Hawley dipped into campaign funds to help bankroll family trip to Universal Studios | Salon.com

[do or die]

Turns out that Ted Cruz and his family left their poodle Snowflake behind when they jetted off to Mexico, with the dog remaining in the unheated Houston house .  

Poodle Lives Matter
 

[JCon]

Only in the ****ing US of A can a Red State, like Texas, not on the national power grid, blame a Democrat from NY for their power issues. What a pathetic lot. 

[Bigblue204]

42 minutes ago, JCon said:

Only in the ****ing US of A can a Red State, like Texas, not on the national power grid, blame a Democrat from NY for their power issues. What a pathetic lot. 

It's not only NY being blamed. Dan Crenshaw has been blaming California for it too. Saying that they brought in California like policies when it came to Renewables and that's why they didn't work when the weather hit. Even saying "Renewables don't work in extreme weather". Which is blatantly false and a quick internet search you can find all kinds of renewable energy sources working in much harsher conditions.

[JCon]

2 minutes ago, Bigblue204 said:

It's not only NY being blamed. Dan Crenshaw has been blaming California for it too. Saying that they brought in California like policies when it came to Renewables and that's why they didn't work when the weather hit. Even saying "Renewables don't work in extreme weather". Which is blatantly false and a quick internet search you can find all kinds of renewable energy sources working in much harsher conditions.

Yes, Dan is a tool too. I forgot about him blaming California. As usual, the red states are a disaster and the blue states will have to bail them out. 

 

Loved that Cruz voted against support after Hurricane Sandy and yet has his hands out for himself. Typical conservative. 

[Tracker]

16 minutes ago, Bigblue204 said:

It's not only NY being blamed. Dan Crenshaw has been blaming California for it too. Saying that they brought in California like policies when it came to Renewables and that's why they didn't work when the weather hit. Even saying "Renewables don't work in extreme weather". Which is blatantly false and a quick internet search you can find all kinds of renewable energy sources working in much harsher conditions.

Ironically, the only power generation that is allowed now are wind turbines and this has been the case for some 20 years- they work fine there.

[Mark F]

1 hour ago, JCon said:

Only in the ****ing US of A can a Red State, like Texas, not on the national power grid, blame a Democrat from NY for their power issues. What a pathetic lot. 

Albertans?

[JCon]

2 minutes ago, Mark F said:

Albertans?

Yes, Northern Texas included. 

[Mark F]

28 minutes ago, Bigblue204 said:

Renewables don't work in extreme weather". Which is blatantly false and a quick internet search you can find all kinds of renewable energy sources working in much harsher conditions.

when puerto rico was destroyed by hurricane a few years ago, renewables were the only energy source that worked reliably. all else fa iled.

there, the energy system is being converted to mainly renewable now. cause of that, and cause renewable is cheapest to build and run.

[JCon]

 

[Tracker]

This should probably go in another thread, but there is every indication that the gravy train is never gonna come back to Alberta again. The day of petro-power is over, and the day may be coming when Alberta will have to go to Ottawa hat in hand for help. Many do not know this, but in the 30's Alberta was bankrupt and had to ask for a financial bailout.

[JCon]

4 minutes ago, Tracker said:

This should probably go in another thread, but there is every indication that the gravy train is never gonna come back to Alberta again. The day of petro-power is over, and the day may be coming when Alberta will have to go to Ottawa hat in hand for help. Many do not know this, but in the 30's Alberta was bankrupt and had to ask for a financial bailout.

Until they planted oil, the West was sort of ignored by Ottawa. 

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

4 minutes ago, Tracker said:

Many do not know this, but in the 30's Alberta was bankrupt and had to ask for a financial bailout.

Huh- just like the riders...

[Mark F]

evildo nothing  new york hispanicblood sucking liebrul bit-h

 

Announced on Twitter early Thursday evening by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), the grassroots fundraising campaign brought in more than $1 million in a matter of hours—all of which, according to the New York Democrat, will go to The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center, Ending Community Homeless Coalition (ECHO), Family Eldercare, Houston Food Bank, Feeding Texas, and other local groups assisting Texans during the ongoing emergency.

"Wow. We officially raised $1 million for Texas relief at 9:17 pm," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Thursday night. "Thank you all so much. I'm at a loss for words. Always in awe of movement work. 100% of this relief is going straight to Texan food assistance, homelessness relief, elder care, and more."

 

song for ted

Tonight my bag is packed
Tomorrow I'll board that plane
That will lead me across the border
Tomorrow my loves and I

Will sleep beneath auburn skies
Somewhere across the border
We'll leave behind my dear
The pain and sadness and lack of heat and frozen people we found here
And we'll drink from the cabo bar martinis
Where the sky grows gray and wide
We'll meet on the other side
There, across the border

spgringstein

Edited February 19, 2021 by Mark F
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