Monthly Archives: June 2018

NIH Reports Advance In Search For HIV Vaccine

Via press release from the National Institutes for Health: An experimental vaccine regimen based on the structure of a vulnerable site on HIV elicited antibodies in mice, guinea pigs and monkeys that neutralize dozens of HIV strains from around the world. The findings were reported today in the journal Nature Medicine by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and …

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DNC Chair Tom Perez: This Case Was Never About Cake

“This case was never just about a wedding cake. It was about all people– no matter who they are – having the right to celebrate their love without facing discrimination. The Democratic Party believes that no individual has a license to discriminate. We believe in the dignity of every human being. And we will continue to fight for equality for …

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Pruitt Asked Aide To Find Used Trump Hotel Mattress

Talking Points Memo reports: Among a slew of odd and unprofessional personal requests that Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt asked his top aide Millan Hupp to undertake for him, Democratic lawmakers revealed in a letter on Monday that Pruitt asked Hupp to secure a “used mattress” from the Trump International Hotel for him. According to a letter Reps. Elijah …

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Lambda Legal: We’ll Continue To Fight Establishment Of Evangelical Christianity As Our Official State Religion

Via press release from Lambda Legal: “The Court today has offered dangerous encouragement to those who would deny civil rights to LGBT people and people living with HIV. Religious freedom under our Constitution has always meant the right to believe whatever you wish but not to act on your beliefs in ways that harm others. The Court today alarmingly fails …

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ACLU: SCOTUS Ruling Leaves LGBT Protections Intact

Via press release from the ACLU: The Supreme Court today reaffirmed the core principle that businesses open to the public must be open to all in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The court did not accept arguments that would have turned back the clock on equality by making our basic civil rights protections unenforceable, but reversed this case …

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BREAKING: Supreme Court Rules For Anti-Gay Baker

The Associated Press reports: The Supreme Court ruled Monday that a Lakewood baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple because of religious beliefs did not violate Colorado’s anti-discrimination law. The case pitted Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, and the couple, Charlie Craig and David Mullins. The court ruled that the Colorado …

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REVEALED: Laura Ingraham’s Shoplifting Conviction

The Smoking Gun reports: The next time Laura Ingraham decides to taunt a teenager like David Hogg, the Parkland shooting survivor now helping to lead a nationwide gun control campaign, perhaps the Fox News host will recall what she was doing when she was Hogg’s age. Which was getting arrested and convicted for being a thief. A search of court …

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Clinton Defends His Handling Of Lewinsky Scandal

NBC News reports: Former President Bill Clinton says that, even in light of the #MeToo movement, he would not have approached how he dealt with Monica Lewinsky any differently and acknowledged that — 20 years after their relationship made headlines — he’s still never apologized privately to the former intern. “I don’t think it would be an issue,” the ex-president …

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Trump: I Have The Absolute Right To Pardon Myself

The panicking continues: President Trump on Monday asserted his right to provide himself with a pardon, but insisted he won’t need to do so because he has not done anything that would warrant one. New talk emerged over the weekend as to whether or not Trump could or would give himself a pardon after The New York Times obtained and …

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Dancing FBI Agent Accidentally Shoots Man [VIDEO]

Denver’s Fox affiliate reports: An FBI agent allegedly dropped his gun at a bar and another patron was shot in the leg early Saturday. Investigators said it appeared to be an accidental shooting. The Denver Police Department said they were called to a report of a shooting at 2201 Lawrence St. at 12:45 a.m. A woman who said she witnessed …

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Glorious Leader: I’m The Greatest President Ever

Trump is reacting, as usual, to a Fox & Friends piece that aired this morning. A fact check from the Washington Post: In the 497 days since he took the oath of office, President Trump has made 3,251 false or misleading claims, according to The Fact Checker’s database that analyzes, categorizes and tracks every suspect statement uttered by the president.  …

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Giuliani: Trump Can Shoot Comey And Not Be Charged

The Huffington Post reports: Candidate Donald Trump bragged that he could shoot someone on New York’s Fifth Avenue and not lose any support, and now President Donald Trump’s lawyer says Trump could shoot the FBI director in the Oval Office and still not be prosecuted for it. “In no case can he be subpoenaed or indicted,” Rudy Giuliani told HuffPost …

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Melania To Resurface Today At Gold Star Family Event

The Hill reports: First lady Melania Trump is expected to host a reception for Gold Star families alongside her husband on Monday, marking her first public appearance in weeks. The White House schedule for Monday lists the Gold Star Families Memorial Day Reception as a closed-press event and says the first lady will be in attendance alongside President Trump. The …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

The Raleigh News & Observer reports: Google has apologized to Republican North Carolina state Sen. Trudy Wade for an old photo of her with the superimposed word ‘bigot’ in red capital letters that appeared on the search engine’s results related to the senator’s name. A knowledge panel is the box that populates on the right-hand side of the screen of …

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Homocon US Ambassador To Germany Wants To “Empower” Local Far-Right Leaders Who Back Trump

Via Breitbart: Trumpian U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell has expressed great excitement over the wave of anti-establishment conservatism in Europe, saying he wants to “empower” leaders of the movement. At a sit-down interview at his official residence in Berlin with Breitbart London, Ambassador Grenell said: “There are a lot of conservatives throughout Europe who have contacted me to say …

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CBS News Battleground Tracker: House Is A Toss-up

CBS News reports: In the race for Congress, most polls report one national percentage for Democrats and Republicans. But that’s not very helpful – because this is a race for seats. 435 of them, in fact. So the CBS News/YouGov Battleground Tracker will report seats: how many districts the Democrats would get, and how many the Republicans would get, as …

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Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy Flails And Diverts, Won’t Comment On Trump Tower Letter Lies [VIDEO]

Under repeated direct questioning from CNN’s Dana Bash, GOP House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy dodged, weaved, and diverted but ultimately refused to comment on the revelation that Trump dictated Junior’s lying letter about the Trump Tower meeting with Russians. McCarthy’s flailing came after Bash rolled clips of multiple Trump officials denying that Glorious Leader had dictated the letter. More from …

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Trump Whines: I Wouldn’t Have Hired Paul Manafort If Only The DOJ Had Told Me About The Investigation

It feels like Glorious Leader is really panicking: President Trump on Sunday blasted the FBI and Department of Justice for not telling him that agents were “secretly investigating” his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, during the 2016 election. He added that Manafort “came into the campaign very late and was with us for a short period of time,” but said …

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KANSAS: GOP Gov Candidate Kris Kobach Rides In Parade With Jeep-Mounted “Replica” Machine Gun

The Kansas City Star reports: Kris Kobach made his way through a parade in Johnson County Saturday morning, waving from an American flag colored jeep with a large gun mounted in back. The city of Shawnee later issued an apology for Kobach’s display. The sight of Kobach, a Republican candidate for Kansas governor, in the vehicle at the Old Shawnee …

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Giuliani: Trump Can “Probably” Pardon Himself [VIDEO]

The Hill reports: Rudy Giuliani said early Sunday that President Trump “probably” has the power to pardon himself, but has no plans to do so. “He’s not, but he probably does,” Giuliani, who recently joined Trump’s legal team, said on ABC’s “This Week.” “He has no intention of pardoning himself,” Giuliani said. “That’s another really interesting constitutional question: Can the …

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