Monthly Archives: May 2018

CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Playbill reports: As part of his press tour for Deadpool 2, Hollywood heartthrob Ryan Reynolds appeared on the South Korean TV show King of Masked Singer May 13th. The show features celebrities singing while disguised, and is one of the country’s most popular programs. Reynolds, dressed as a masked unicorn, chose to sing “Tomorrow” from the musical Annie. Reynolds marks …

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State Television Assholery: The Tomi Lahren Edition

The Wrap reports: Fox News contributor Tomi Lahren was slammed over the weekend for remarks she made about immigrants. “You don’t just come into this country with low skills, low education, not understanding the language and come into our country because someone says it makes them feel nice,” she said during a segment on “Watters’ World” Saturday. “That’s not what …

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Ukrainian Politician To Testify Before Mueller Grand Jury On Meeting With Michael Cohen About Crimean Plan

Politico reports: A Ukrainian politician who communicated with Trump associates about a controversial plan to resolve Ukraine’s conflict with Kremlin-backed rebels said Monday that he has been called to testify before a grand jury connected to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. Andrii Artemenko said he could not provide details of his upcoming appearance before the grand jury, which he said …

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Lewandowski Joins Pence PAC, Will Travel With VP Team

Fox News reports: Corey Lewandowski, who helped Donald Trump win the Republican nomination, is getting back in the campaign game. He is joining Vice President Pence’s political action committee, which will enable him to travel with the VP and puts him firmly back in the president’s 2020 reelection orbit, say sources familiar with the move. Lewandowski discussed the move with …

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South Africa Recalls Ambassador To Israel Over Gaza

Via press release: The South African government condemns in the strongest terms possible the latest act of violent aggression carried out by Israeli armed forces along the Gaza border, which has led to the deaths of over 40 civilians. The victims were taking part in a peaceful protest against the provocative inauguration of the US embassy in Jerusalem. This latest …

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Trump Rages: My White House Leakers Are Traitors

Mediaite reports: Trump’s tweet comes as the White House continues to face major criticism because Sadler said that McCain’s opposition to CIA Director nominee Gina Haspel is irrelevant because he’s “dying anyway.” Critics are demanding an apology from the over those insensitive remarks, and yet, the White House has dug in with their position that the leak of Sadler’s comments …

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TURKEY: Erdogan Recalls Ambassadors To US And Israel, Will Hold Rally To Protest Gaza “Genocide”

Eurasia Future reports: The Republic of Turkey has formally recalled the Ambassadors of the United States and “Israel” to Ankara over today’s regime instigated massacre of over 55 Palestinian protesters and the wounding of nearly 2,000, many of whom will likely die due to the severity of their wounds and a lack of adequate medical supplies in Gaza. Protests began …

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Jared Kushner Blames Palestinians For Gaza Bloodshed

The New York Daily News reports: The opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem turned into a major diplomatic fiasco Monday when Israeli forces killed more than 50 protesters and injured 1200 more in the disputed territory. The Trump administration laid the blame for the violence at the feet of Hamas, the fundamentalist Islamic group, but the international community condemned …

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BREAKING: Melania Hospitalized With Kidney Ailment

Just in from the White House: This morning, First Lady Melania Trump underwent an embolization procedure to treat a benign kidney condition. The procedure was successful and there were no complications. Mrs. Trump is at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and will likely remain there for the duration of the week. The First Lady looks forward to a full …

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Former Sen. Harry Reid Treated For Pancreatic Cancer

Politico reports: Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is receiving treatment for pancreatic cancer, a person close to Reid said. Reid underwent surgery on Monday at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, the person said. “His doctors caught the problem early during a routine screening, and his surgeons are confident that the surgery was a success and that the prognosis for …

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ILLINOIS: GOP Gov Proposes Reinstating Death Penalty For Mass Shootings And Killing Of Police Officers

The Chicago Tribune reports: Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday proposed reinstating the death penalty in Illinois for mass killers and people who slay law enforcement officers as part of his rewrite of a gun control bill. The death penalty provision would create a new category of homicide called “death penalty murder,” which could apply to adults who kill police …

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LIVE VIDEO: White House Press Briefing

PBS reports: White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah is expected to hold a briefing at 1:30 p.m. ET today. Addressing the opening ceremony of the new American Embassy in Jerusalem, Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “glorious” day. Netanyahu thanked President Donald Trump for showing the “courage” to keep a key campaign promise and says relations with the U.S. have …

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Blankenship To “Cocaine Mitch”: This Isn’t Over [VIDEO]

Talking Points Memo reports: Despite finishing last place in the West Virginia Republican primaries last week, Don Blankenship is still releasing advertisements attacking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who funneled thousands of dollars into that race to oppose him. In a new 60-second spot shared on Blankenship’s Facebook page over the weekend, the failed Senate candidate attacked McConnell for …

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Superman Actress Margot Kidder Dies At Age 69

NBC News reports: Margot Kidder, the actress perhaps best known as the colleague and love interest of mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent in the “Superman” movies of the late 1970s and early 1980s, has died. She was 69. Born Margaret Ruth Kidder in Yellowknife, Canada, her breakout role was the hard-nosed reporter Lois Lane in 1978’s “Superman,” alongside Christopher Reeve as …

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Supercut Clip: Fawning Right Wingers Interview Trump

Media Matters reports: Ever since President Donald Trump’s disastrous interview with NBC’s Lester Holt on May 11 2017 — in which he may have admitted to obstructing justice — Trump has given in-person TV interviews to only friendly journalists who mostly avoid asking tough questions. Over the past year, Trump has appeared on television for in-person interviews 14 times and …

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Secretary Betsy DeVos Dismantles Fraud Probes Of For-Profit Colleges Where Her Top Staffers Used To Work

The New York Times reports: Members of a special team at the Education Department that had been investigating widespread abuses by for-profit colleges have been marginalized, reassigned or instructed to focus on other matters, according to current and former employees. The unwinding of the team has effectively killed investigations into possibly fraudulent activities at several large for-profit colleges where top …

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Southern Baptist Convention To Consider Dallas Annual Meeting Resolution Denouncing “Social Justice Activism”

Via press release: A pastor in Texas is calling Southern Baptists to be alarmed about promotion of social justice within the Southern Baptist Convention. Pastor Arnold, a lifelong Southern Baptist, declares that “most Southern Baptist churches have no idea how wide or deeply rooted that social justice is in the Convention.” As a result, pastor Arnold has submitted a resolution …

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Facebook Suspends 200 Apps For “Misusing Data”

From Facebook’s corporate blog: The investigation process is in full swing, and it has two phases. First, a comprehensive review to identify every app that had access to this amount of Facebook data. And second, where we have concerns, we will conduct interviews, make requests for information (RFI) — which ask a series of detailed questions about the app and …

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Senate Dems Force Wednesday Vote On Net Neutrality

The Hill reports: Democrats will force a Senate vote on Wednesday on a bill that would save the Federal Communication Commission’s net neutrality rules from repeal. Senate Democrats filed a discharge petition on the bill last week, starting the clock on the long-shot effort to preserve the Obama-era consumer protections. The legislation, introduced by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), would use …

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SCOTUS Strikes Down Ban On Legal Sports Betting

NBC News reports: The U.S. Supreme Court acted Monday to bust Nevada’s monopoly on legal sports betting, allowing more states to get in on the action and reap the tax benefits. The court struck down a federal law that required states to ban gambling on the outcome of sporting events. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was highly unusual: …

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