NPR

troglodiet wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 6:10 pm

Who could've predicted that Russell Brand will become the voice of reason in 2023?

Rhubarb & Custard wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 6:57 pm

troglodiet wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 6:10 pm

Who could've predicted that Russell Brand will become the voice of reason in 2023?

Nobody sane. I wouldn't as this point willingly listen to him again so there's some chance it has happened and I'll never know, but it seems far more likely he remains a piece of shit grifting off right wing grievances. If you only care about the money then fair play, he's certainly coining it in as the English Alex Jones

troglodiet wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 8:36 pm

Rhubarb & Custard wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 6:57 pm

troglodiet wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 6:10 pm

Who could've predicted that Russell Brand will become the voice of reason in 2023?

Nobody sane. I wouldn't as this point willingly listen to him again so there's some chance it has happened and I'll never know, but it seems far more likely he remains a piece of shit grifting off right wing grievances. If you only care about the money then fair play, he's certainly coining it in as the English Alex Jones

Okay. So you don't like RB, definitely fair enough as I never liked him in his younger years. I started watching his videos on spirituality and especially his sobriety, which I admit is something personal for me.

Now watch the video and comment only on the clips played in the video; comment on the issue, not the person.

troglodiet wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 8:36 pm

Rhubarb & Custard wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 6:57 pm

troglodiet wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 6:10 pm

Who could've predicted that Russell Brand will become the voice of reason in 2023?

Nobody sane. I wouldn't as this point willingly listen to him again so there's some chance it has happened and I'll never know, but it seems far more likely he remains a piece of shit grifting off right wing grievances. If you only care about the money then fair play, he's certainly coining it in as the English Alex Jones

Okay. So you don't like RB, definitely fair enough as I never liked him in his younger years. I started watching his videos on spirituality and especially his sobriety, which I admit is something personal for me.

Now watch the video and comment only on the clips played in the video; comment on the issue, not the person.

Kiwias wrote: ↑Tue May 02, 2023 4:54 am There has been a lot of criticism of the Democrats for being too woke and focusing on issues that the vast majority of Americans find peripheral and unnecessarily divisive, while the GOP focused on core issues such as the economy, the border, and national security, with a special focus on crime.

But there seems to have been a change in recent months, with the GOP going overboard on legislation regarding transgender healthcare, on top of their nationwide attacks on abortion, an issue that hits to the heart of many female voters. All the while, the Democrats are aiming at passing bills to benefit the economy and workers.

Next year's elections will be interesting.

TB63 wrote: ↑Tue May 02, 2023 9:06 amLoved one of the comments..

I’d shake my fist in the air out anger but it’s kinda busy right now.

Gumboot wrote: ↑Tue May 02, 2023 8:50 am

Kiwias wrote: ↑Tue May 02, 2023 4:54 am There has been a lot of criticism of the Democrats for being too woke and focusing on issues that the vast majority of Americans find peripheral and unnecessarily divisive, while the GOP focused on core issues such as the economy, the border, and national security, with a special focus on crime.

But there seems to have been a change in recent months, with the GOP going overboard on legislation regarding transgender healthcare, on top of their nationwide attacks on abortion, an issue that hits to the heart of many female voters. All the while, the Democrats are aiming at passing bills to benefit the economy and workers.

Next year's elections will be interesting.

Yep, the choice has never been clearer on so many issues. Sadly, the folks who could actually make a big difference if they voted probably won't vote, again. Or the GOP will just find a new way to silence their voices, like more underqualified xtian judges.

Rhubarb & Custard wrote: ↑Tue May 02, 2023 8:25 am

troglodiet wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 8:36 pm

Rhubarb & Custard wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 6:57 pm

Nobody sane. I wouldn't as this point willingly listen to him again so there's some chance it has happened and I'll never know, but it seems far more likely he remains a piece of shit grifting off right wing grievances. If you only care about the money then fair play, he's certainly coining it in as the English Alex Jones

Okay. So you don't like RB, definitely fair enough as I never liked him in his younger years. I started watching his videos on spirituality and especially his sobriety, which I admit is something personal for me.

Now watch the video and comment only on the clips played in the video; comment on the issue, not the person.

I'm not interested in his videos period, and still less if he's going to bang on about spirituality and/or sobriety. He's a piece of merde as a person and I've no interest in helping him monetise his content, I accept if he ever improves as a person I'll miss out, and I'm okay with that

Judge Tosses Trump’s Lawsuit Against NY Times, Orders Him to Pay All Legal Fees

A New York judge has tossed out Donald Trump’s lawsuit against The New York Times, and ordered the former president to pay all attorneys fees, legal expenses, and associated costs.

Trump filed the lawsuit in 2021, alleging that the newspaper, three of its reporters and his niece Mary Trump engaged in an “insidious plot” to obtain his private records for a Pulitzer-winning story about his tax issues.

While the court tossed out Trump’s claims against the newspaper and its reporters, the claims against the ex-president’s niece have yet to be ruled upon.

“The New York Times is pleased with the judge’s decision today,” a paper spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Daily Beast. “It is an important precedent reaffirming that the press is protected when it engages in routine newsgathering to obtain information of vital importance to the public.”

The twice-impeached former president’s claims against the defendants “fail as a matter of constitutional law,” New York Supreme Court Justice Robert R. Reed wrote in his ruling filed on Wednesday afternoon, deeming the paper’s newsgathering as being at “the very core of protected First Amendment activity.”
....

Hal Jordan wrote: ↑Thu May 04, 2023 7:09 am If he pays at all, it will be from grifted donations from the cretins who hurl money at him.

Four members of the far-right Proud Boys have been found guilty of seditious conspiracy by a jury in Washington, DC, for their roles to forcibly prevent the peaceful transfer of power from then-President Donald Trump to Joe Biden after the 2020 election.

Proud Boys were 'Donald Trump's army,' prosecutor says in closing arguments of seditious conspiracy trial



The guilty verdict marks the third time that prosecutors have secured convictions for seditious conspiracy in the Justice Department’s historic prosecution of those who breached the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

A fifth defendant, Dominic Pezzola, was found not guilty of seditious conspiracy after the jury returned for several more hours of deliberation on Thursday. Unlike the other defendants in this trial, Pezzola is not alleged to have a leadership position in the organization and was inactive in Proud Boys group chats.

All five defendants were found guilty of other charges related to January 6, including: obstruction of an official proceeding; conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging any duties; obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder; and destruction of government property and aiding and abetting.

Each of the defendants were convicted of at least one charge that carries a 20-year maximum prison sentence, and could face a lengthy amount of time behind bars. A sentencing date for the five defendants has not yet been scheduled. District Judge Timothy Kelly said it is likely to happen in late July.

President Trump Arrives in Scotland, Greeted In Royal Manner (Video)

President Trump has just touched down in Scotland where he is set to open up a new golf course at the Menie Estate near the city of Aberdeen.

Trump arrived in Scotland around 11:30 am and was greeted in a royal manner by several bagpipers.

According to CBS, after walking down the red carpet President Trump shared, “It’s great to be home,” before he entered his vehicle

TB63 wrote: ↑Fri May 05, 2023 7:59 am

President Trump Arrives in Scotland, Greeted In Royal Manner (Video)

President Trump has just touched down in Scotland where he is set to open up a new golf course at the Menie Estate near the city of Aberdeen.

Trump arrived in Scotland around 11:30 am and was greeted in a royal manner by several bagpipers.

According to CBS, after walking down the red carpet President Trump shared, “It’s great to be home,” before he entered his vehicle

Chump! The 2 pipers were hired by Chump, as was the red bath mat...And those in the know have been posting something about what was played on the bagpipes as not being entirely respectful...

Among the biggest relevant regulatory rollbacks Trump has conveniently remained mum over is the 2018 scrapping of a 2015 Obama-era rule requiring advanced braking technology on trains transporting particularly hazardous materials. That rule would have required compliance by certain trains by 2021 and others by 2023, but as Fortune reported at the time, Trump’s Department of Transportation decided that “the cost of installing these more sophisticated brakes outweigh[ed] the benefit.”

During former President Barack Obama’s administration, the Department of Transportation enacted a rule requiring high-hazard cargo trains to be equipped with electronically controlled pneumatic brakes by 2023, allowing them to brake faster.

The Trump administration repealed this rule, citing government reports that found the cost of requiring these kinds of brakes was not economically justified.

Even if this safety rule had still been in effect, it would not have applied to the Norfolk Southern train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, because it was not categorized as a high-hazard cargo train.

Rhubarb & Custard wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 8:49 am The Obama regs required the train companies to be be less antiquated by some small measure. There would be quite some distance to go before the regs would have been advanced/progressive

So Obama deservers criticism for his piss poor requirements of the train companies. Trump deserves more criticism still for rolling back even the piss poor requirements Obama, and reasonably one can also pile in on Biden for doing nothing about the situation whatsoever

I applaud the bipartisan group of senators for proposing rail safety legislation that provides many of the solutions that my administration has been calling for. This legislation provides us with tools to hold companies accountable to prevent terrible tragedies like the Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine and to make those communities whole.

This legislation strengthens safety requirements for all trains carrying hazardous materials, and phases in newer, safer tank cars over the next two years, not over the next decade. It will increase safety by requiring hotbox detectors every 10 miles to prevent derailments like the one that we saw in East Palestine. It increases HAZMAT fees for railroads to pay for grants to train state and local firefighters and other first responders to respond to hazmat incidents. The legislation will also dramatically increase fines for safety violations from the current cap of $225,000 to the greater of $1 million or 1% of a railroad’s annual operating income, which for the largest carriers like Norfolk Southern could be more than $50 million.

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 9:02 pm Except no, he specifically wasn't found guilty of that.

No one was expecting an apology and in fact Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch applauded “the highest journalistic standards” displayed at Fox News, saying the near $800 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems was a business decision made to resolve the dispute and “avoid the acrimony of multi-year litigation.”
....

Asked about upcoming litigation with Smartmatic, another manufacturer of electronic voting systems that says if was defamed by Fox News, Murdoch called the two cases very different – implying Fox would have a better chance the second time around. He anticipated a trial wouldn’t start until 2025**.

“I am obviously limited about what I can say about any ongoing litigation, but I can make the following comment, in regard to Dominion,” he said. “We always acted as a news organization reporting on the newsworthy events of the day, which certainly included allegations being made by the president of the United States and his lawyers.”
...

What are the counts Santos faces?

The Republican congressman has been charged with 13 counts. Here's what each of them alleges:

Counts one through five: wire fraud - Santos allegedly sent emails and texts falsely claiming that money raised would be used for his House campaign
Counts six through eight: unlawful monetary transactions over $10,000 - on three separate occasions, Santos allegedly electronically transferred more than $20,000 of funds into his bank account
Count nine: theft of public money - between June 2020 and April 2021, Santos allegedly stole public funds from the government
Counts 10 and 11: fraudulent unemployment benefits - between June 2020 and April 2021, Santos "knowingly and intentionally devise[d] a scheme" to defraud the New York State Department of Labor, prosecutors say
Counts 12 and 13: prosecutors allege he made false statements to Congress on income disclosure forms

"At the most basic level, the news you consume is a lie — a lie of the stealthiest and most insidious kind. Facts have been withheld on purpose along with proportion and perspective. You are being manipulated."

Kiwias wrote: ↑Wed May 10, 2023 11:16 pm A comment from Tucker Carlson regarding the launch of his new whatever it is going to be called.

"At the most basic level, the news you consume is a lie — a lie of the stealthiest and most insidious kind. Facts have been withheld on purpose along with proportion and perspective. You are being manipulated."

Uncle fester wrote: ↑Thu May 11, 2023 7:12 am

Kiwias wrote: ↑Wed May 10, 2023 11:16 pm A comment from Tucker Carlson regarding the launch of his new whatever it is going to be called.

"At the most basic level, the news you consume is a lie — a lie of the stealthiest and most insidious kind. Facts have been withheld on purpose along with proportion and perspective. You are being manipulated."

Eerily accurate description of his own show on faux.

Uncle fester wrote: ↑Thu May 11, 2023 7:12 am

Kiwias wrote: ↑Wed May 10, 2023 11:16 pm A comment from Tucker Carlson regarding the launch of his new whatever it is going to be called.

"At the most basic level, the news you consume is a lie — a lie of the stealthiest and most insidious kind. Facts have been withheld on purpose along with proportion and perspective. You are being manipulated."

Eerily accurate description of his own show on faux.