Idiocracy

White House: Shutdown Cost Is Double What We Said

ABC News reports: The broader impact of the shutdown on the U.S. economy may be double what was expected, White House economists confirmed on Wednesday, Day 26 of the political standoff. Meanwhile, thousands of employees have been called back to work without pay because of the risks posed for their agencies if, for example, airports continue to run with fewer …

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Air Traffic Controllers Union: Flying Is Now “Less Safe”

The Associated Press reports: A top member of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said Wednesday that flying is “less safe today than it was a month ago” due to the partial government shutdown. “I would say [flying] is less safe today than it was a month ago, absolutely,” Trish Gilbert, the executive vice president of the labor union, said …

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Right Wingers Go Nike On Their Gillette Products

The Independent reports: First they burned their Nike trainers. Now conservatives are taking their rage out on razors. Gillette has been bombarded with footage of angry men throwing away their shavers in response to an advert warning about toxic masculinity. The campaign, which references the #MeToo movement, workplace sexism and male violence, has been praised by many for its message. …

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Burger King Shade: Sorry, We’re All Out Of Hamberders

Raw Story reports: President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued an incoherent early-morning tweet in which he badly bungled the spelling of the word “hamburgers.” Trump on Tuesday morning boasted of having the champion college football team from Clemson over to the White House on Monday, where he served them piles of fast food that he had ordered. Burger King, whose …

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Air Traffic Controllers Union Warns There Won’t Be “Any Controllers Left” If Shutdown Goes On For Months

The Rising reports: A National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) official warned Tuesday that if the partial government shutdown continues for another few months, there won’t be any workers left, citing many cannot sustain working without due pay. “If this thing were to drag on for two months, three months, maybe even six; what would the effects be for the …

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Trump: Why Is Pelosi Being Paid When Workers Aren’t?

Reuters reports: President Trump on Tuesday questioned why Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) continues to receive a salary during a prolonged partial government shutdown, which has left hundreds of thousands of federal workers without pay. Pelosi’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but her spokesman, Drew Hammill, tweeted in response to Trump that the House has “repeatedly …

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Trump Boasts: I Paid For Over 1000 “Hamberders”

Glorious Leader is even lying about how many hamberders: The grand total? According to our count, Trump spent about $2,911.44 on feeding the team. A sixth of that is the fries alone, though, so take with a grain of salt. (The fries; also the estimate.) Half of the cost was incurred at McDonald’s alone. This total includes 319 sandwiches, 177 …

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Trump Boasts About Checking Gas Prices From His Motorcade: You Think Hillary Would Have Done That?

The Hill reports: President Trump on Monday credited his administration’s policies for the price of gas, and swiped at Hillary Clinton over the suggestion that she would not stop to admire low gas prices. “I’m riding in this incredible car, and I’m driving and I’m looking at gas stations to see how much is the gas,” Trump said. “You think …

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Trump’s Rasmussen Approval Rating Hits Year Low

LOL Rasmussen: The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 43% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty-five percent (55%) disapprove. The latest figures include 32% who Strongly Approve of the job Trump is doing and 46% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -14. The president’s overall …

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Trump Claims Shutdown Is Now “Fault” Of Democrats

The Hill reports: President Trump on Monday urged Democrats to “get to work now” on negotiations as a partial government shutdown enters its 24th day. Trump, who made the comment on Twitter, wrote in a second tweet that Democrats could “end the Shutdown in 15 minutes” and claimed that they are to blame for the funding lapse, which was sparked …

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Trump: Dems Are “Having Fun” As Workers Go Unpaid

Reuters reports: President Trump on Sunday hit Democrats for their hesitance to include protections for beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in talks to end a prolonged government shutdown, despite his own administration’s insistence that the program be left out of negotiations. The president’s tweet contradicts comments he and Vice President Pence have made in recent …

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2-1 Majority Blame Trump And GOP For Shutdown

ABC News reports: A majority of Americans hold Donald Trump and congressional Republicans mainly responsible for the partial federal shutdown, now the longest in history, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll. Fifty-three percent in the national survey said that Trump and the GOP are mainly responsible for the shutdown, while 29 percent blamed congressional Democrats, nearly a 2-1 …

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REPORT: Bolton Asked Pentagon About Bombing Iran

The Wall Street Journal reports: President Trump’s National Security Council asked the Pentagon to provide the White House with military options to strike Iran last year, generating concern at the Pentagon and State Department, current and former U.S. officials said. The request, which hasn’t been previously reported, came after militants fired three mortars into Baghdad’s sprawling diplomatic quarter, home to …

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Government Shutdown Now Longest In US History

CNBC reports: The partial government shutdown became the longest funding lapse in U.S. history Saturday, as it dragged into its 22nd day. Congress failed to break an impasse this week over President Donald Trump’s demand for more than $5 billion to build his proposed border wall, even as 800,000 federal workers started to miss paychecks Friday. The closure of nine …

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WH Chief Economic Adviser: Federal Workers Are Better Off Because They Didn’t Have To Use Any Vacation Days

The Hill reports: White House chief economic adviser Kevin Hassett said furloughed workers are “better off” because they didn’t have to use vacation days over the holidays due to the government shutdown. Hassett told PBS during an appearance on “NewsHour” that the timing of the shutdown coming during the holidays allowed furloughed workers to avoid having to use vacation days. …

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Shutdown Has Already Cost US Economy $3.6 Billion

CNBC reports: If the government shutdown lasts another two weeks, the total cost to the U.S. economy would exceed the price of building the proposed border wall. According to an estimate by S&P Global, it will only take another two weeks to cost the economy more than $6 billion, exceeding the $5.7 billion that President Donald Trump demanded to fund …

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White House Asks US Army Corps Of Engineers About Diverting Hurricane Relief Funding For Border Wall

The Wall Street Journal reports: The White House has asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to look into projects approved in a bill providing disaster relief for Puerto Rico, Texas, California and Florida to see where funding could be diverted to build a wall along the border with Mexico, according to a congressional aide familiar the discussions. Almost three …

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Trump Makes Wall Pitch From Mexico Border [VIDEO]

But first a fact check from the Associated Press: With the deceptive use of a video, President Donald Trump on Thursday heartily thanked his White House predecessor for supporting his policy at the Mexican border. Barack Obama has offered no such support; only criticism. Obama’s remarks in the short video clip do not support Trump’s proposal for a border wall …

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Graham Calls For Trump To Declare Wall “Emergency”

The Hill reports: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Thursday said President Trump should declare a national emergency so he could build the U.S.-Mexico border wall after last-ditch negotiations in the Senate fell apart. “It is time for President Trump to use emergency powers to fund the construction of a border wall/barrier. I hope it works,” Graham said in a statement. …

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Pence To Dems: “If There’s No Wall, There’s No Deal”

Axios reports: In a briefing with Capitol Hill reporters Thursday afternoon, Vice President Mike Pence made it clear that the Trump administration won’t give in on wall funding, but said that Trump “has made no decision” as to whether he’ll declare a national emergency. He also suggested that the administration does not want to trade DACA protections for wall funding. …

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