Monthly Archives: January 2020

Watchdogs File Ethics Complaint Against McConnell

Common Dreams reports: The advocacy group Public Citizen on Monday filed a formal ethics complaint against Senate Majority Mitch McConnell, accusing the powerful Republican of betraying his oath of office by signaling overt bias in favor of President Donald Trump even before his looming impeachment trial begins. “The public declarations by Senator McConnell that his role in the impeachment process …

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WH Expects GOP Defections Over Trial Witnesses

CBS News reports: The White House is preparing for some Republican senators to join Democrats in voting to call witnesses in President Trump’s impeachment trial, which could get underway in the coming days. Senior White House officials tell CBS News they increasingly believe that at least four Republicans, and likely more, will vote to call witnesses. In addition to Senators …

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Barr Demands Apple Unlock Phones Used By Terrorist

The New York Times reports: Attorney General William P. Barr declared on Monday that a deadly shooting last month at a naval air station in Pensacola, Fla., was an act of terrorism, and he asked Apple in an unusually high-profile request to provide access to two phones used by the gunman. Mr. Barr’s appeal was an escalation of an ongoing …

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Trump: Doesn’t Matter If Iran Attack Was “Imminent”

The Washington Post reports: President Trump added to the controversy over his administration’s justification for the killing of an Iranian general, saying Monday that “it doesn’t really matter” whether it was in response to an imminent threat to the United States. In a tweet, Trump criticized Democrats for trying to determine whether Iranian attacks the administration has said were planned …

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Grindr Cannibal Pleads Insanity, More Victims Sought

The Detroit Free Press reports: Police now are seeking other men Mark Latunski met on Grindr. They know of two. A New York man born in 1973 fled Latunski’s home, jumped a fence and called police after becoming frightened during a consensual sexual encounter on Oct. 10. Then a 29-year-old Lansing man wearing only a kilt got “spooked” during a …

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Astros Fire Managers After MLB Ruling On Cheating

The Associated Press reports: Astros manager AJ Hinch [photo] and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired Monday after the pair were suspended by Major League Baseball for the team’s sign-stealing during Houston’s run to the 2017 World Series title and during the 2018 season. In the sport’s largest scandal since the Biogenesis drug suspensions in 2013, Commissioner Rob Manfred announced …

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POLL: 17% Of Republicans Support Trump’s Removal

The Rising reports: Seventeen percent of Republican voters support President Trump’s impeachment and say he should be removed from office, according to a Hill-HarrisX poll released Monday. The figure in the Jan. 8-9 survey marks a 3 percentage point increase from a similar poll conducted in late October. The share of Democratic voters who favor impeachment stood at 80 percent, …

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Bloomberg Lands First Endorsement From Congress

Reuters reports: Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg won his first endorsement from a member of Congress on Monday with the backing of fellow New Yorker U.S. Representative Max Rose. Rose is a veteran who was elected in 2018 to represent parts of NYC including Staten Island, typically a Republican stronghold . Rose said Bloomberg took over as mayor of New …

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Big Penalties For Houston Astros In Cheating Scandal

CBS Sports reports: Major League Baseball issued harsh penalties against the Houston Astros on Monday after a lengthy investigation into the team’s use of technology to steal signs. The sanctions include one-year suspensions for Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow [photo] as well as a $5 million fine and the loss of future draft picks. In a …

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White House Defends Trump’s Anti-Muslim Tweet

“I think the president is making clear that the Democrats are and have been parroting Iranian talking points and almost taking the side of terrorists and those who were out to kill the Americans. I think the president was making the point that the Democrats seem to hate him so much that they’re willing to be on the side of …

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Republicans Seek Leniency For Felon Ex-House Rep

Roll Call reports: Former Speaker John A. Boehner is among a robust contingent of Republicans who want a judge to give convicted former Rep. Chris Collins a break on prison time. The requests for leniency say the New York Republican is a dedicated public servant, father and friend. But the attempt from current and former GOP lawmakers runs contrary to …

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IOWA: Biden +6 Over Sanders In New Monmouth Poll

The Hill reports: A new poll finds former Vice President Joe Biden alone at the top in Iowa, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), former South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) bunched together and vying for second place. The latest Monmouth University survey of Iowa finds Biden at 24 percent, followed by Sanders at 18, Buttigieg …

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Assange Appears In UK Court To Fight US Extradition

Courthouse News reports: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange made a brief court appearance Monday in his bid to prevent extradition to the United States to face serious espionage charges. He and his lawyers complained they weren’t being given enough time to meet to plan their battle against U.S. prosecutors seeking to put him on trial for WikiLeaks’ publication of hundreds of …

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Sanders: Supreme Court Shortlist “Not A Bad Idea”

Politico reports: Sen. Bernie Sanders is not ruling out releasing a shortlist of his potential Supreme Court nominees, seemingly following in the precedent-breaking footsteps of President Donald Trump during his 2016 run. Sanders agreed last month in a lengthy interview with The New York Times editorial board that releasing a list of potential nominees even before securing the Democratic nomination …

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Trump Tweets Image Of Top Democrats As Muslims

Mediaite reports: President Donald Trump took his attacks on Speaker Nancy Pelosi Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to a whole new level Monday morning, by retweeting a photoshopped image of the two in traditional Muslim garb before an Iranian flag. The tweet came in a flurry of frenzied presidential tweets (and retweets) critical of Speaker Pelosi’s criticism of the Trump …

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Guilty Plea In Craigslist Gay “Sextortion” Scheme

The Santa Monica Mirror reports: A man has pleaded guilty to using Craigslist, among other sites, to extort hundreds of thousands of dollars from Santa Monica and Los Angeles men who responded to ads offering gay sex services. 28-year-old Tyler Buchanan pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal felony charges using an interstate facility to facilitate an unlawful activity, transmitting threatening communications …

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BREAKING: Sen. Cory Booker Exits Presidential Race

Insider New Jersey reports: Cory Booker this morning formally opted out of the 2020 presidential race. The junior senator from New Jersey and former mayor of Newark ran up against the money factor and had to take a knee prior to what he hoped would be a competitive showing in early primary states despite what the polls showed. “Nearly one …

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Gay Man Kills Himself After Protesting Drag Queens

Buzzfeed News reports: A young man has died in an apparent suicide the day after footage of him leading a protest against drag queens, alongside members of a right-wing student group, went viral. Wilson Gavin, who was president of the University of Queensland’s conservative Liberal National Club, was heavily criticised for his part in the protest after the footage was …

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Same-Sex Marriage Now Legal In Northern Ireland

The BBC reports: From Monday, same-sex couples will be able to register to marry, meaning the first ceremonies will take place in February. For couples who are already married, their marriage will now be legally recognised in Northern Ireland. However, those who are already in a civil partnership will not be able to convert it to a marriage at this …

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PolitiFact Rates Bernie Sanders “False” On Biden Claim

PolitiFact reports: Sen. Bernie Sanders argues that former Vice President Joe Biden sided with a Republican effort to cut Social Security. “In 2018, Biden lauded Paul Ryan for proposing cuts to Social Security and Medicare,” wrote the Sanders campaign in a Jan. 7 newsletter. The night before on CNN, Sanders had attacked Biden’s record on Social Security and Medicare. The …

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