occupydemocrats--2020-08-12--Watchdog group demands punishment of Trump’s UK ambassador for sexist and bigoted remarks

Always trying to make sure that government employees behave lawfully and all that .
It ’ s such a bother for wealthy donors to Donald Trump who receive plum ambassadorships in exchange for their filthy lucre with expectations that their lives will be filled with gala dinners and swanky ceremonial occasions , not the fine examination of their personal peccadilloes as they interact with the diplomats of their host countries and embassy staff .
Unfortunately for Robert Wood “ Woody ” Johnson — the billionaire scion of the Johnson & Johnson fortune , an owner of the NFL ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the United States to the United Kingdom — the government watchdogs at the State Department ’ s Office of the Inspector General have his number now .
The Inspector General has released a report today confirming the accusations made by embassy staffers against Johnson and determining that he did indeed make inappropriate comments on religion , sex , and race , and threatened staff ’ s jobs if they disagreed with him .
Among the allegations made against the billionaire , Trump-supporting ambassador were accusations that Johnson questioned why African Americans need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comments about women , that they were cheaper labor who worked harder than men .
While the new Inspector General ’ s report doesn ’ t give any specifics of Johnson ’ s offensive behavior , it does clearly find that the ambassador “ sometimes made inappropriate or insensitive comments on topics generally considered Equal Employment Opportunity ( EEO ) -sensitive , such as religion , sex , or color.
” According to The Hill : While the Inspector General ’ s office recommended that “ the State Department ’ s Bureau of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the department ’ s Office of Civil Rights , assess the ambassador ’ s compliance with Equal Employment Opportunity laws and take appropriate action based on the review , ” the bureau disagreed with this specific recommendation , the only one of the 22 recommendations made that it rejected , saying that Johnson “ is well aware of his responsibility to set the right tone for his mission and we believe his actions demonstrate that.
” An embassy spokesperson , speaking to The Hill , said : Threats like The British Open not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , one imagines .
Original reporting by Brandon Conradis at The Hill .
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Oh, those pesky government watchdogs!
Always trying to make sure that government employees behave lawfully and all that.
It’s such a bother for wealthy donors to Donald Trump who receive plum ambassadorships in exchange for their filthy lucre with expectations that their lives will be filled with gala dinners and swanky ceremonial occasions, not the fine examination of their personal peccadilloes as they interact with the diplomats of their host countries and embassy staff.
Unfortunately for Robert Wood “Woody” Johnson — the billionaire scion of the Johnson & Johnson fortune, an owner of the NFL’s New York Jets, and the Ambassador of the United States to the United Kingdom — the government watchdogs at the State Department’s Office of the Inspector General have his number now.
The Inspector General has released a report today confirming the accusations made by embassy staffers against Johnson and determining that he did indeed make inappropriate comments on religion, sex, and race, and threatened staff’s jobs if they disagreed with him.
Among the allegations made against the billionaire, Trump-supporting ambassador were accusations that Johnson questioned why African Americans need a Black History Month and made disparaging comments about women, that they were cheaper labor who worked harder than men.
While the new Inspector General’s report doesn’t give any specifics of Johnson’s offensive behavior, it does clearly find that the ambassador “sometimes made inappropriate or insensitive comments on topics generally considered Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)-sensitive, such as religion, sex, or color.”
According to The Hill:
“Staff further said that Johnson was combative when he felt people were resistant to his suggestions, questioning staff intentions and implying that he might have them replaced. The OIG remarks staff held back their best judgement in fear of the ambassador.”
While the Inspector General’s office recommended that “the State Department’s Bureau of Europe and Eurasian Affairs, working with the department’s Office of Civil Rights, assess the ambassador’s compliance with Equal Employment Opportunity laws and take appropriate action based on the review,” the bureau disagreed with this specific recommendation, the only one of the 22 recommendations made that it rejected, saying that Johnson “is well aware of his responsibility to set the right tone for his mission and we believe his actions demonstrate that.”
An embassy spokesperson, speaking to The Hill, said:
“Ambassador Johnson is fully focused on the important foreign policy priorities that represent our Special Relationship with the United Kingdom, including negotiating an unprecedented free trade agreement, helping our economies emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic stronger than ever, and securing our countries against the full range of threats we face.”
Threats like The British Open not taking place at a Trump golf course, one imagines.
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Original reporting by Brandon Conradis at The Hill.
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Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-08-12--Trump’s minions launch vile smear campaign against Kamala Harris, claiming she isn’t really a Black

Trump’s minions launch vile smear campaign against Kamala Harris, claiming she isn’t really a Black woman

It hasn ’ t even been a full day since Democratic nominee Joe Biden announced that California Senator and former Attorney General Kamala Harris will be his vice-president , and Harris already endured a repulsive barrage of racism , misogyny , and outright lies from President Trump and his cronies .
Barely hours after the news broke , Trump was trashing her in a press conference as “ extraordinarily nasty ” and publishing ads smearing her as “ phony ” and a “ radical leftist.
” While that was to be expected , they turned the racism up to eleven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was turned into a punching bag by opportunistic right-wingers .
On today ’ s episode of FOX and Friends , the co-chair of “ Black Voices for Trump , ” Stacy Washington , attacked Kamala for being not black enough and accused her of being descended from slaveowners .
Recounting the infamous primary debate moment when Kamala criticized Biden for his opposition to school integration , Washington said that “ she peeled the skin off of him , roasted him and had him for lunch over the fact that he opposed busing back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a little girl who was bused to another school district….so she has really played up this idea that she ’ s a traditional Black American like myself and so many others who count ourselves among the millions of Black people who are descended from slaves…But she ’ s not descended from slaves .
She ’ s descended from slave owners… Joe Biden chose Kamala Harris because she ’ s a Black woman but to most Black Americans , she ’ s not.
” Washington ’ s words were only the latest in what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by notorious conspiracist and historical revisionist Dinesh D ’ Souza , from the unrepentantly racist Trump team in order to undermine her credibility with African-American voters , as the narrative has been ferociously pushed across right-wing social media spheres over the past twelve hours .
Add your name to demand Congress reject Trump ’ s dictatorial call to delay the election !
The gleeful racism that accompanies the narrative is repulsive to behold : A person ’ s racial and ethnic identity is a complex and very personal thing that rarely fits into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sort people into .
Senator Harris can be black and Indian and Jamaican and American all at the same time if she wants to be , and nobody — especially not the people who support the man who threw Hispanic children into concentration camps — can tell her otherwise .
But what the right-wing really misses in their attempts to undermine her “ Blackness ” is the almost certainty that Kamala Harris is “ descended ” from slave owners because that slave owner forced himself upon a woman that he owned as property @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many Black Americans can identify with .
So too can they empathize with their personal identities being policed in bad faith by politically motivated white people .
The speed with which Trumpworld has resorted to these kinds of smears is evidence that the prospect of Senator Harris on the campaign trail is very scary to them — and how little they have to throw at her .

It hasn’t even been a full day since Democratic nominee Joe Biden announced that California Senator and former Attorney General Kamala Harris will be his vice-president, and Harris already endured a repulsive barrage of racism, misogyny, and outright lies from President Trump and his cronies. Barely hours after the news broke, Trump was trashing her in a press conference as “extraordinarily nasty” and publishing ads smearing her as “phony” and a “radical leftist.”
While that was to be expected, they turned the racism up to eleven on Wednesday morning as her very identity was turned into a punching bag by opportunistic right-wingers. On today’s episode of FOX and Friends, the co-chair of “Black Voices for Trump,” Stacy Washington, attacked Kamala for being not black enough and accused her of being descended from slaveowners.
Recounting the infamous primary debate moment when Kamala criticized Biden for his opposition to school integration, Washington said that “she peeled the skin off of him, roasted him and had him for lunch over the fact that he opposed busing back in the day. And she was a little girl who was bused to another school district….so she has really played up this idea that she’s a traditional Black American like myself and so many others who count ourselves among the millions of Black people who are descended from slaves…But she’s not descended from slaves. She’s descended from slave owners… Joe Biden chose Kamala Harris because she’s a Black woman but to most Black Americans, she’s not.”
Washington’s words were only the latest in what is obviously a coordinated campaign, led by notorious conspiracist and historical revisionist Dinesh D’Souza, from the unrepentantly racist Trump team in order to undermine her credibility with African-American voters, as the narrative has been ferociously pushed across right-wing social media spheres over the past twelve hours.
Add your name to demand Congress reject Trump’s dictatorial call to delay the election!
Here are the names of the 200+ slaves owned by Kamala Harris’ ancestor Hamilton Brown in Jamaica in 1817. One of the largest planters in Jamaica, Brown now has a town named after him, Brown’s Town pic.twitter.com/6QnBpEQyez — Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) August 12, 2020
By what contortion of logic can one be
1/2 Indian,
1/2 Jamaican,
with two white great-grandmothers (at least one of whom descended from a prominent slave owner) …& call oneself “African-American?” #KamalaHarris https://t.co/k4wEAKkwix via @BreitbartNews — Dr. Gina – America’s Voice News (@RealDrGina) August 11, 2020
Fox News guest says Kamala Harris shouldn't be considered "African-American" because she "is from the legacy of" slave owners https://t.co/k1TiLEiVtp — Media Matters (@mmfa) August 12, 2020
The gleeful racism that accompanies the narrative is repulsive to behold:
.@KamalaHarris comes from a racist family of slave owners & slave traders from Jamaica. Her family only looks a little like African Americans, but they are Jamaican Indians who enslaved Africans for profit. Now, .@SenKamalaHarris wants to run the "Democrat Plantation". pic.twitter.com/HbZMP3wuVt — Glen Woodfin (@GlenWoodfin) August 11, 2020
A person’s racial and ethnic identity is a complex and very personal thing that rarely fits into the convenient categories that racists like to sort people into. Senator Harris can be black and Indian and Jamaican and American all at the same time if she wants to be, and nobody — especially not the people who support the man who threw Hispanic children into concentration camps — can tell her otherwise.
But what the right-wing really misses in their attempts to undermine her “Blackness” is the almost certainty that Kamala Harris is “descended” from slave owners because that slave owner forced himself upon a woman that he owned as property, a generational trauma that far too many Black Americans can identify with. So too can they empathize with their personal identities being policed in bad faith by politically motivated white people.
The speed with which Trumpworld has resorted to these kinds of smears is evidence that the prospect of Senator Harris on the campaign trail is very scary to them — and how little they have to throw at her.
Colin Taylor Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-08-13--Trump goes full birther on Kamala Harris during White House press briefing

Donald Trump ’ s political career is littered with half-baked conspiracy theories but perhaps his ugliest to date is also one of his earliest .
Before he ever announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for president , Trump spent years spreading the right-wing lie that our first Black president was illegitimate because he allegedly wasn ’ t born in the United States .
Completely divorced from reality , the accusation took deep root in the parts of the country that believe on a primal level that only a white man should ever be President of the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not apologized for helping propagate the conspiracy and even discussed it behind the walls of the White House .
Now , Trump is repurposing birtherism to smear Senator Kamala Harris , the woman of Black and Indian descent who Joe Biden has selected as his vice-presidential running mate .
During the White House press conference today , Trump was asked for his thoughts on a recent disgraceful article written by John C. Eastman .
One Trump campaign aide has already boosted the article , indicating that it ’ s likely gaining traction inside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Add your name to demand Congress reject Trump ’ s dictatorial call to delay the election !
The article , entitled “ Some Questions for Kamala Harris about eligibility , ” concocts a convoluted Constitutional argument that Harris may not be able to serve as president or vice president because although she was born in Oakland , California her parents were allegedly not fully naturalized citizens at the time of her birth .
The article eschews the traditional law and logic that holds that anyone born on U.S. soil is a citizen .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ anchor baby ” to describe such people .
When asked about the eligibility claims about Harris , Trump dove right in .
“ So I just heard that .
I heard it today that she doesn ’ t meet the requirements .
Uh and by the way the lawyer that wrote that piece is a very highly qualified , very talented lawyer , ” Trump said , immediately leading credence to the idea by praising the writer .
“ I have no idea if that ’ s right , ” Trump went on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats would have checked that out before she gets chosen to run for vice president .
But that ’ s very serious , you ’ re saying that , they ’ re saying that she doesn ’ t qualify because she wasn ’ t born in this country.
” The final part misrepresnts the article , which never claims that Harris wasn ’ t born in California .
Here we see Trump adding his own spin on the idea , presumably in the hopes that the lie will catch on with his followers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but it ’ s also a clear indication that the Trump campaign has no idea how to attack Harris .
They ’ re desperate to build a negative narrative around her and lacking good ammunition they ’ re resorting as they often do to flirting with white nationalist canards .
We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

Donald Trump’s political career is littered with half-baked conspiracy theories but perhaps his ugliest to date is also one of his earliest. Before he ever announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for president, Trump spent years spreading the right-wing lie that our first Black president was illegitimate because he allegedly wasn’t born in the United States.
Completely divorced from reality, the accusation took deep root in the parts of the country that believe on a primal level that only a white man should ever be President of the United States. To this day, Trump has not apologized for helping propagate the conspiracy and even discussed it behind the walls of the White House.
Now, Trump is repurposing birtherism to smear Senator Kamala Harris, the woman of Black and Indian descent who Joe Biden has selected as his vice-presidential running mate. During the White House press conference today, Trump was asked for his thoughts on a recent disgraceful article written by John C. Eastman. One Trump campaign aide has already boosted the article, indicating that it’s likely gaining traction inside the president’s inner circle.
Add your name to demand Congress reject Trump’s dictatorial call to delay the election!
The article, entitled “Some Questions for Kamala Harris about eligibility,” concocts a convoluted Constitutional argument that Harris may not be able to serve as president or vice president because although she was born in Oakland, California her parents were allegedly not fully naturalized citizens at the time of her birth. The article eschews the traditional law and logic that holds that anyone born on U.S. soil is a citizen. Conservatives often use the dehumanizing term “anchor baby” to describe such people.
When asked about the eligibility claims about Harris, Trump dove right in.
“So I just heard that. I heard it today that she doesn’t meet the requirements. Uh and by the way the lawyer that wrote that piece is a very highly qualified, very talented lawyer,” Trump said, immediately leading credence to the idea by praising the writer.
“I have no idea if that’s right,” Trump went on. “I would have assumed the Democrats would have checked that out before she gets chosen to run for vice president. But that’s very serious, you’re saying that, they’re saying that she doesn’t qualify because she wasn’t born in this country.”
The final part misrepresnts the article, which never claims that Harris wasn’t born in California. Here we see Trump adding his own spin on the idea, presumably in the hopes that the lie will catch on with his followers.
This is naked racism in action but it’s also a clear indication that the Trump campaign has no idea how to attack Harris. They’re desperate to build a negative narrative around her and lacking good ammunition they’re resorting as they often do to flirting with white nationalist canards.
Holy shit. Trump pushes a baseless, birther-style theory about Kamala Harris that holds she’s not a citizen because birthright citizenship isn’t a thing. “I just heard it today that she doesn’t meet the requirements … I have no idea if that’s right.” pic.twitter.com/ZIXYrleuVf — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 13, 2020
Trump is now floating his racist birther conspiracy against Kamala Harris. Trump: "I heard it today that she doesn't meet the requirements. And, by the way, the lawyer that wrote that piece is a very qualified, very talented lawyer." Kamala Harris was born in California. — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 13, 2020
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occupydemocrats--2020-08-13--Video shows Wisconsin mother ranting about how COVID-19 prevention is “Satanic worship”

In addition to being a global tragedy of historic proportions , the COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a litmus test of sorts , revealing the most unhinged elements in American society .
Emboldened by President Trump ’ s conspiracy theory peddling , there are people who still refuse to wear masks , convinced that the entire virus is some kind of hoax cooked up by the mainstream media .
Years and years of consuming Fox News paranoia and misinformation has fried the brains of a non-negligible portion of this country ’ s citizenry and now we are reaping the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factions , ranging from people who simply think masks look stupid to those convinced that the masks are actively detrimental to one ’ s health .
Now we can add a new , truly deranged excuse for opposing masks : the belief that they ’ re the work of the Devil .
Ahead of its reopening , Elmbrook School District in Wisconsin held a Board of Education meeting on Tuesday .
At one point in the proceedings , a Christian mother voiced opposition to mask requirements for students in truly jaw-dropping fashion .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s dictatorial call to delay the election !
“ Six-foot distance and masks are a pagan ritual of satanic worshipers , ” said Heidi Anderson without a trace of irony .
“ Absorb that in .
Six feet .
Where did Six feet come from , people ?
Why is it not three ?
Why is it not five ?
Why is it not ten ?
Why is it not thirty ?
Why is it six ?
” she ranted to a room full of people .
In the Bible , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The woman was briefly interrupted from her ludicrous tirade but insisted she would soon be finished and continued on .
“ We are Christians .
Our children do not practice Satanic worship .
We don ’ t have them stand six feet apart from each other with facial coverings .
Facts and data have been suggested here but no logic , ” said Anderson .
“ These masks are not proven to stop the virus or any other and given the hygiene habits of children and teens it can cause them physical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and all sorts of other things that are already beginning to happen as these children have gone back to athletics , ” Anderson went on , spreading right-wing misinformation .
Again , someone interjected and again Anderson insisted that she be allowed to finish .
She went on to toss around conspiracy theories about medical organizations profiting off the pandemic and argued COVID-19 is not really worth worrying about because more people die in car crashes .
It was a truly ignorant , disturbing performance and a peek at the kind of nonsense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this country .
People like this are actively endangering the rest of us and their insane theories need to be mocked and confronted every time they pop up .
We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

In addition to being a global tragedy of historic proportions, the COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a litmus test of sorts, revealing the most unhinged elements in American society.
Emboldened by President Trump’s conspiracy theory peddling, there are people who still refuse to wear masks, convinced that the entire virus is some kind of hoax cooked up by the mainstream media. Years and years of consuming Fox News paranoia and misinformation has fried the brains of a non-negligible portion of this country’s citizenry and now we are reaping the consequences.
The anti-masker movement has numerous factions, ranging from people who simply think masks look stupid to those convinced that the masks are actively detrimental to one’s health. Now we can add a new, truly deranged excuse for opposing masks: the belief that they’re the work of the Devil.
Ahead of its reopening, Elmbrook School District in Wisconsin held a Board of Education meeting on Tuesday. At one point in the proceedings, a Christian mother voiced opposition to mask requirements for students in truly jaw-dropping fashion.
Add your name to demand Congress reject Trump’s dictatorial call to delay the election!
“Six-foot distance and masks are a pagan ritual of satanic worshipers,” said Heidi Anderson without a trace of irony. “Absorb that in. Six feet. Where did Six feet come from, people? Why is it not three? Why is it not five? Why is it not ten? Why is it not thirty? Why is it six?” she ranted to a room full of people. In the Bible, the number of the Devil is 666.
The woman was briefly interrupted from her ludicrous tirade but insisted she would soon be finished and continued on.
“We are Christians. Our children do not practice Satanic worship. We don’t have them stand six feet apart from each other with facial coverings. Facts and data have been suggested here but no logic,” said Anderson.
“These masks are not proven to stop the virus or any other and given the hygiene habits of children and teens it can cause them physical harm including staph, shingles, MRSA and all sorts of other things that are already beginning to happen as these children have gone back to athletics,” Anderson went on, spreading right-wing misinformation.
Again, someone interjected and again Anderson insisted that she be allowed to finish. She went on to toss around conspiracy theories about medical organizations profiting off the pandemic and argued COVID-19 is not really worth worrying about because more people die in car crashes.
It was a truly ignorant, disturbing performance and a peek at the kind of nonsense that has taken root in some parts of this country. People like this are actively endangering the rest of us and their insane theories need to be mocked and confronted every time they pop up.
Watch below.
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occupydemocrats--2020-08-13--McConnell insults Dem efforts to help the 40 million facing eviction as Senate goes home without rel

McConnell insults Dem efforts to help the 40 million facing eviction as Senate goes home without relief bill

On Wednesday , the United States Senate adjourned for the month without passing a new coronavirus relief package .
Even by Republican standards , the display of callous disregard for the millions of Americans struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads in the middle of an unprecedented pandemic is simply stunning to behold .
30 million Americans are jobless and set to receive $ 0 in unemployment benefits and 40 million Americans are teetering on the verge of eviction as our Republican leaders refuse to compromise and extend the eviction moratorium and unemployment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the edge of an unprecedented national disaster that dwarfs the 2008 economic recession and the housing crisis .
Mitch McConnell rudely dismissed the Democratic efforts to reach a compromise as “ throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks ” before turning his heels and heading to his comfy mansion in Kentucky .
Democrats had offered to meet them halfway with a proposal to reduce their $ 3 trillion plan by $ 1 trillion if the Republicans would add $ 1 trillion to their proposal .
Treasury Secretary Mnuchin spat at this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ non-starter.
” The Senate does not return until September 8th — a whole week past when rents are due .
While the Senate could hold an emergency vote with 24 hours notice , it doesn ’ t look like the Republicans are willing to budge one bit and would rather see millions suffer than lift a finger to help anyone who makes less than a million dollars a year .
It is truly appalling — and from a political perspective , wildly counterproductive — for McConnell to have turned the livelihoods and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his incessant game of legislative chicken with the Democrats .

On Wednesday, the United States Senate adjourned for the month without passing a new coronavirus relief package. Even by Republican standards, the display of callous disregard for the millions of Americans struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads in the middle of an unprecedented pandemic is simply stunning to behold.
30 million Americans are jobless and set to receive $0 in unemployment benefits and 40 million Americans are teetering on the verge of eviction as our Republican leaders refuse to compromise and extend the eviction moratorium and unemployment benefit expansion, setting the nation on the edge of an unprecedented national disaster that dwarfs the 2008 economic recession and the housing crisis.
BREAKING: Senate adjourns until after Labor Day despite not reaching a deal on a new coronavirus aid package. https://t.co/jn8limUSe7 pic.twitter.com/eQe8gb9CSp — CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) August 13, 2020
Mitch McConnell rudely dismissed the Democratic efforts to reach a compromise as “throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks” before turning his heels and heading to his comfy mansion in Kentucky.
.@senatemajldr calls @SpeakerPelosi's offer "some heroic sacrifice to lower her demand from a made-up $3.5t marker that was never going to become law to an equally made up $2.5t She calls this meeting in the middle? That's throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks." — Julie Tsirkin (@JulieNBCNews) August 13, 2020
Democrats had offered to meet them halfway with a proposal to reduce their $3 trillion plan by $1 trillion if the Republicans would add $1 trillion to their proposal. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin spat at this gesture of goodwill, calling it a “non-starter.”
The Senate does not return until September 8th — a whole week past when rents are due.
While the Senate could hold an emergency vote with 24 hours notice, it doesn’t look like the Republicans are willing to budge one bit and would rather see millions suffer than lift a finger to help anyone who makes less than a million dollars a year. It is truly appalling — and from a political perspective, wildly counterproductive — for McConnell to have turned the livelihoods and homes of millions of people into part of his incessant game of legislative chicken with the Democrats.
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occupydemocrats--2020-08-13--Trump says Democrats want to rip down Empire State building and ban cows in wild interview

On Wednesday morning , President Trump called in to one of his many safe spaces , Maria Bartiromo ’ s show on FOX Business , to get some things off his chest .
What followed was one of the most bizarre series of ramblings that one will ever hear from a United States president , even from one who is already infamous for the nonsensical way that ideas get stuck in the decaying sludge of his brain and get translated into speech .
For instance , his obsession with the Green New Deal ’ s appeals for energy-efficient windows were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ windows at all , ” giving us the following emission of insanity : “ You have to rebuild cities because too much light gets through the window , so let ’ s make the windows nice and small .
Let ’ s rip down the Empire State Building and replace it with no windows , ” sputtered Trump .
Inevitably accompanying his mental collapse was the malevolence of his internalized misogyny , which came roaring out in full force against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-NY ) and Sen. Kamala Harris ( D-CA ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the 2020 Democratic Party ticket .
Trump insulted Rep. Ocasio-Cortez by questioning her academic credentials , saying that “ she was a poor student — I mean , I won ’ t say where she went to school , it doesn ’ t matter .
This is not even a smart person , other than she ’ s got a good line of stuff.
” Add your name to demand Congress reject Trump ’ s dictatorial call to delay the election !
Smearing Senator Harris as a “ madwoman , ” Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accused sexual assailant Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court and tried to paint her as a “ radical leftist.
” Right before he said this , however , he shared some thoughts about animals .
Apparently , the Democrats have endorsed a strong stance of anti-pastoralism that we were previously unaware of .
“ The cows — I don ’ t know if they actually put the cows in .
They ’ re getting hit very hard by the animal rights groups but they don ’ t want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to have any form of animals , ” complained Trump to Bartiromo .
Not content with that , Trump quickly fell back to his most pressing concern — his re-election — and appeared to signal to Attorney General William Barr that he should begin prosecuting President Obama and Joe Biden right before the election for their role in the imaginary “ Obamagate ” spying scandal , which is purely a figment of the expanded Trumpworld ’ s mythology .
The president ’ s mental capacity appears to be degenerating at an alarming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go to extreme measures to prevent himself from facing the humiliation of a defeat at the polls in November .
We must redouble our efforts to make sure he doesn ’ t get another four years to destroy everything that we hold dear .

On Wednesday morning, President Trump called in to one of his many safe spaces, Maria Bartiromo’s show on FOX Business, to get some things off his chest. What followed was one of the most bizarre series of ramblings that one will ever hear from a United States president, even from one who is already infamous for the nonsensical way that ideas get stuck in the decaying sludge of his brain and get translated into speech.
For instance, his obsession with the Green New Deal’s appeals for energy-efficient windows were translated into his head as “no windows at all,” giving us the following emission of insanity: “You have to rebuild cities because too much light gets through the window, so let’s make the windows nice and small. Let’s rip down the Empire State Building and replace it with no windows,” sputtered Trump.
Trump claims that if the Green New Deal became law you’d have to “rip down the Empire State Building and replace it with — no windows.” Not a single word of this is true or has any basis in fact. pic.twitter.com/mK3Ub3LRyc — The American Independent (@AmerIndependent) August 13, 2020
Inevitably accompanying his mental collapse was the malevolence of his internalized misogyny, which came roaring out in full force against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), the recently announced Vice Presidential candidate for the 2020 Democratic Party ticket. Trump insulted Rep. Ocasio-Cortez by questioning her academic credentials, saying that “she was a poor student — I mean, I won’t say where she went to school, it doesn’t matter. This is not even a smart person, other than she’s got a good line of stuff.”
Add your name to demand Congress reject Trump’s dictatorial call to delay the election!
Smearing Senator Harris as a “madwoman,” Trump groused about her deft dissection of credibly accused sexual assailant Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court and tried to paint her as a “radical leftist.”
Right before he said this, however, he shared some thoughts about animals. Apparently, the Democrats have endorsed a strong stance of anti-pastoralism that we were previously unaware of.
“The cows — I don’t know if they actually put the cows in. They’re getting hit very hard by the animal rights groups but they don’t want to have cows, they don’t want to have any form of animals,” complained Trump to Bartiromo.
On Maria Bartiromo's show for one of his public therapy sessions, Trump refers to Kamala Harris as "a mad woman" pic.twitter.com/kXfai20ODa — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 13, 2020
Not content with that, Trump quickly fell back to his most pressing concern — his re-election — and appeared to signal to Attorney General William Barr that he should begin prosecuting President Obama and Joe Biden right before the election for their role in the imaginary “Obamagate” spying scandal, which is purely a figment of the expanded Trumpworld’s mythology.
“Barr has a chance to be the greatest of all time. But if he wants to be politically correct, he’ll be just another guy. Because he knows all the answers… & it goes right to Obama, & it goes right to Biden.” – Trump suggests Barr should prosecute Obama/Biden before the election pic.twitter.com/t3iaIcSnV7 — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 13, 2020
The president’s mental capacity appears to be degenerating at an alarming rate, as is his willingness to go to extreme measures to prevent himself from facing the humiliation of a defeat at the polls in November. We must redouble our efforts to make sure he doesn’t get another four years to destroy everything that we hold dear.
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occupydemocrats--2020-08-13--Trump all but admits the Post Office is being sabotaged to mess with election

Donald Trump seems to have realized that his chances of winning reelection fairly are shrinking by the day but rather than accept that and respect our democratic processes he ’ s determined to tilt the odds in his favor through underhanded means .
One of his chief strategies right now is undermining faith in the mail-in voting process .
Despite all of the evidence to the contrary , he has repeatedly insisted that mail-in voting leads to widespread voter fraud .
It ’ s a particularly cynical lie to propagate in the midst of a deadly pandemic but by now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump cares little about the lives of Americans .
There will be people who feel obligated to vote in person and there will be people who contract COVID-19 and die because of it .
In order to strengthen the president ’ s war on mail-in voting , Trump ’ s Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has been working to destroy the Postal Service from the inside .
DeJoy has been cutting back on overtime for postal workers , delaying delivery times , and even facilitating the removal of crucial mail sorting equipment from post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ massive stress on the entire postal system so that it becomes incapable of efficiently processing mail-in votes .
If such a concept seemed farfetched or conspiratorial yesterday , Trump himself all but confirmed it as fact this morning .
During a call-in appearance on Fox News , Trump complained about the emergency funding requested by Democrats to save the Postal Service from the pandemic downturn as well as the money requested to help with mail-in voting .
It must be noted that despite Trump ’ s constant implications to the contrary , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taxpayers and relies entirely “ on the sale of postage , products and services to fund its operations.
” Add your name to demand Congress reject Trump ’ s dictatorial call to delay the election !
“ Three and a half-billion dollars for something that ’ ll turn out to be fraudulent .
That ’ s election money basically .
They want three and a half-billion dollars for the mail-in votes .
Okay ?
Univeral mail-in ballots .
They want twenty-five billion dollars .
Billion !
For the Post Office , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to care one bit about federal spending when it comes in the form of massive tax cuts for the rich or nearly $ 140,000,000 for him to golf .
“ Now they need that money in order to have the Post Service work so it can take in all of these millions and millions of ballots , ” Trump said , tacitly admitting that his opposition to the funding requests stems from a desire to block mail-in votes .
“ Now in the meantime , they aren ’ t getting there .
By @ @ @ @ @ @ @ items but if they don ’ t get those two items that you mean you can ’ t have universal mail-in voting.
” It ’ s frankly stunning that a sitting president would admit something like this on live television , but it shows how comfortable in his own corruption Trump has grown after four years of Republican enabling .
We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

Donald Trump seems to have realized that his chances of winning reelection fairly are shrinking by the day but rather than accept that and respect our democratic processes he’s determined to tilt the odds in his favor through underhanded means.
One of his chief strategies right now is undermining faith in the mail-in voting process. Despite all of the evidence to the contrary, he has repeatedly insisted that mail-in voting leads to widespread voter fraud. It’s a particularly cynical lie to propagate in the midst of a deadly pandemic but by now we know beyond any reasonable doubt that Trump cares little about the lives of Americans. There will be people who feel obligated to vote in person and there will be people who contract COVID-19 and die because of it.
In order to strengthen the president’s war on mail-in voting, Trump’s Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has been working to destroy the Postal Service from the inside. DeJoy has been cutting back on overtime for postal workers, delaying delivery times, and even facilitating the removal of crucial mail sorting equipment from post offices. The goal is to put massive stress on the entire postal system so that it becomes incapable of efficiently processing mail-in votes.
If such a concept seemed farfetched or conspiratorial yesterday, Trump himself all but confirmed it as fact this morning. During a call-in appearance on Fox News, Trump complained about the emergency funding requested by Democrats to save the Postal Service from the pandemic downturn as well as the money requested to help with mail-in voting. It must be noted that despite Trump’s constant implications to the contrary, the Postal Service is normally not funded by taxpayers and relies entirely “on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.”
Add your name to demand Congress reject Trump’s dictatorial call to delay the election!
“Three and a half-billion dollars for something that’ll turn out to be fraudulent. That’s election money basically. They want three and a half-billion dollars for the mail-in votes. Okay? Univeral mail-in ballots. They want twenty-five billion dollars. Billion! For the Post Office,” said Trump, who doesn’t seem to care one bit about federal spending when it comes in the form of massive tax cuts for the rich or nearly $140,000,000 for him to golf.
“Now they need that money in order to have the Post Service work so it can take in all of these millions and millions of ballots,” Trump said, tacitly admitting that his opposition to the funding requests stems from a desire to block mail-in votes. “Now in the meantime, they aren’t getting there. By the way, those are just two items but if they don’t get those two items that you mean you can’t have universal mail-in voting.”
It’s frankly stunning that a sitting president would admit something like this on live television, but it shows how comfortable in his own corruption Trump has grown after four years of Republican enabling.
Watch the disturbing admission below.
Trump admits he’s sabotaging the Postal Service so universal mail voting will be impossible during an election that will be conducted amid a pandemic this November pic.twitter.com/epmxcgwLjK — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 13, 2020
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occupydemocrats--2020-08-13--Ocasio-Cortez claps back at Trump after he calls her a “poor student” who “yaps”

President Trump always reserves his most insulting and demeaning insults for women who challenge him , his sense of personal misogyny simply aghast at the idea that a woman would dare to have ideas contrary to his own or criticisms of his appalling administration .
That urge was put on full display this morning during a call to FOX Business in which he took aim at the right-wing ’ s favorite bogeywoman , Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-NY ) .
Echoing the baseless but perpetually repeated right-wing trope that AOC is somehow “ dumb , ” Trump claimed that Rep. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and “ not even a smart person ” who “ goes out and yaps.
” Ever projecting his own insecurities , Ocasio-Cortez is almost certainly a better student than he was , graduating cum laude with a double major in political science and economics from Boston University — as opposed to Trump , who has lied profusely about his academic achievements .
Brushing off the appalling misogyny in the phrase “ goes out and yaps , ” Ocasio-Cortez immediately took to Twitter to respond — and challenged him to put his money where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s new Postmaster General , Louis DeJoy , has quietly been sabotaging the USPS from the inside to both push for privatization and to make it easier to interfere with the 2020 election , making Trump ’ s warnings that mail-in ballots are unsafe a reality .
The USPS is a beloved institution that millions of Americans rely on and its preservation is vital to the health of our democracy , and Ocasio-Cortez is making sure that the whole nation knows who ’ s at fault for its abrupt decline .
We can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get away with dismantling yet another historic American institution .

President Trump always reserves his most insulting and demeaning insults for women who challenge him, his sense of personal misogyny simply aghast at the idea that a woman would dare to have ideas contrary to his own or criticisms of his appalling administration. That urge was put on full display this morning during a call to FOX Business in which he took aim at the right-wing’s favorite bogeywoman, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
Echoing the baseless but perpetually repeated right-wing trope that AOC is somehow “dumb,” Trump claimed that Rep. Ocasio-Cortez was a “poor student” and “not even a smart person” who “goes out and yaps.” Ever projecting his own insecurities, Ocasio-Cortez is almost certainly a better student than he was, graduating cum laude with a double major in political science and economics from Boston University — as opposed to Trump, who has lied profusely about his academic achievements.
Brushing off the appalling misogyny in the phrase “goes out and yaps,” Ocasio-Cortez immediately took to Twitter to respond — and challenged him to put his money where his mouth is.
Let’s make a deal, Mr. President: You release your college transcript, I’ll release mine, and we’ll see who was the better student. Loser has to fund the Post Office. https://t.co/OXnmJxufIw — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) August 13, 2020
The President’s new Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, has quietly been sabotaging the USPS from the inside to both push for privatization and to make it easier to interfere with the 2020 election, making Trump’s warnings that mail-in ballots are unsafe a reality.
The USPS is a beloved institution that millions of Americans rely on and its preservation is vital to the health of our democracy, and Ocasio-Cortez is making sure that the whole nation knows who’s at fault for its abrupt decline. We cannot allow Trump and his wealthy goons to get away with dismantling yet another historic American institution.
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occupydemocrats--2020-08-14--Trump admin pummels Somalia with bombs in the middle of a pandemic, killing innocents

Not even a global pandemic can slow the incessant death toll of innocents at the hand of America ’ s insatiable military machine .
While the world ’ s attention has been preoccupied with the coronavirus crisis , the United States has quietly been raining death and destruction upon some of the world ’ s poorest people .
Despite the UN Secretary-General ’ s call for a global coronavirus armistice , the Trump administration has conducted more airstrikes on Somalia this year than the administrations of Bush and Obama combined , according to TIME ’ s Nick Turse , killing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been conducted so far this year and 63 were launched last year .
The bombings are part of the interminable fight against the al-Shabaab terror group , which still controls large swathes of the Somali countryside in spite of years of airstrikes and billions of taxpayer dollars in military assistance to the Somali government .
A State Department report admits that despite everything we ’ ve thrown at them , al-Shabab has “ maintained its capability to conduct hit-and-run attacks , ambushes , and improvised explosive device ( IED ) operations and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capable of attacking U.S. partner interests in Somalia and East Africa . '
” How many civilians have been killed in those bombings is unknown , because Trump ’ s U.S. Africa Command ( AFRICOM ) hasn ’ t lifted a finger to find out .
Apparently sharing the President ’ s utter contempt for the civilians they are ostensibly fighting to protect , AFRICOM hasn ’ t conducted a single interview with civilian witnesses of their bombings , which occur every two to three days , nor have they paid any compensation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ airstrike victims .
“ We have not interviewed any witnesses or victims , ” said an AFRICOM spokesman to TIME .
In 13 years of war , AFRICOM has only admitted to killing five civilians , but monitoring agency AirWars contends that as many as 15 people have been killed this year alone and that up to 145 Somali civilians have died in US airstrikes since 2007 .
The current commander of AFRICOM , Stephen Townshend , previously commanded Operation Inherent Resolve-Joint Task Force , the bombing campaign against ISIS in Iraq and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coalition conducted the most “ precise ” bombing campaign in history , it is believed to have killed a staggering 13,000 innocent civilians , though the United States has only admitted to 1,400 deaths .
That is likely because Townsend ’ s coalition didn ’ t bother to keep track , like his forces are again doing in Somalia .
New York Times Magazine reporters discovered “ a consistent failure by the [ OIH-JTF ] coalition to investigate claims [ of civilian death ] properly or to keep records that make it possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Under President Donald Trump , the U.S. military ’ s approach of performative regret towards civilian casualties has become one of open hostility and indiscriminate murder .
The administration ’ s loose rules of engagement and aggressive bombing campaigns has earned us the appalling distinction of having killed more civilians in Afghanistan last year than the Taliban did .
While it ’ s understandable that the nation ’ s attention is fixated on the COVID-19 crisis and the president ’ s efforts to sabotage the Post Office , it is imperative that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to what the President and the Pentagon are doing with our tax dollars on foreign battlefields — and hold them accountable for the endless reaping of innocent lives that accompany it .
If we are serious about making sure that Black lives matter , then we must value the lives of Somalis living in terrorist-controlled countryside as much as we value the lives of Black Americans here at home .
Given that we have been conducting these bombing campaigns in Somalia and Afghanistan for over a decade with almost nothing to show for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next president reconsider whether exorbitantly expensive and deadly airstrikes are really the best approach to counterterrorism .

Not even a global pandemic can slow the incessant death toll of innocents at the hand of America’s insatiable military machine.
While the world’s attention has been preoccupied with the coronavirus crisis, the United States has quietly been raining death and destruction upon some of the world’s poorest people. Despite the UN Secretary-General’s call for a global coronavirus armistice, the Trump administration has conducted more airstrikes on Somalia this year than the administrations of Bush and Obama combined, according to TIME’s Nick Turse, killing dozens of innocent civilians. 43 airstrikes have been conducted so far this year and 63 were launched last year.
The bombings are part of the interminable fight against the al-Shabaab terror group, which still controls large swathes of the Somali countryside in spite of years of airstrikes and billions of taxpayer dollars in military assistance to the Somali government. A State Department report admits that despite everything we’ve thrown at them, al-Shabab has “maintained its capability to conduct hit-and-run attacks, ambushes, and improvised explosive device (IED) operations and ‘remains adaptive, resilient, and capable of attacking U.S. partner interests in Somalia and East Africa.'”
How many civilians have been killed in those bombings is unknown, because Trump’s U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) hasn’t lifted a finger to find out. Apparently sharing the President’s utter contempt for the civilians they are ostensibly fighting to protect, AFRICOM hasn’t conducted a single interview with civilian witnesses of their bombings, which occur every two to three days, nor have they paid any compensation at all to the surviving families of airstrike victims. “We have not interviewed any witnesses or victims,” said an AFRICOM spokesman to TIME.
In 13 years of war, AFRICOM has only admitted to killing five civilians, but monitoring agency AirWars contends that as many as 15 people have been killed this year alone and that up to 145 Somali civilians have died in US airstrikes since 2007.
The current commander of AFRICOM, Stephen Townshend, previously commanded Operation Inherent Resolve-Joint Task Force, the bombing campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. While Townshend bragged that the coalition conducted the most “precise” bombing campaign in history, it is believed to have killed a staggering 13,000 innocent civilians, though the United States has only admitted to 1,400 deaths.
That is likely because Townsend’s coalition didn’t bother to keep track, like his forces are again doing in Somalia. New York Times Magazine reporters discovered “a consistent failure by the [OIH-JTF] coalition to investigate claims [of civilian death] properly or to keep records that make it possible to investigate the claims at all.”
Under President Donald Trump, the U.S. military’s approach of performative regret towards civilian casualties has become one of open hostility and indiscriminate murder. The administration’s loose rules of engagement and aggressive bombing campaigns has earned us the appalling distinction of having killed more civilians in Afghanistan last year than the Taliban did.
While it’s understandable that the nation’s attention is fixated on the COVID-19 crisis and the president’s efforts to sabotage the Post Office, it is imperative that we as a nation keep ourselves informed as to what the President and the Pentagon are doing with our tax dollars on foreign battlefields — and hold them accountable for the endless reaping of innocent lives that accompany it. If we are serious about making sure that Black lives matter, then we must value the lives of Somalis living in terrorist-controlled countryside as much as we value the lives of Black Americans here at home.
Given that we have been conducting these bombing campaigns in Somalia and Afghanistan for over a decade with almost nothing to show for it, we must demand that our next president reconsider whether exorbitantly expensive and deadly airstrikes are really the best approach to counterterrorism.
Original reporting by Nick Turse at TIME.
Colin Taylor Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-08-14--Stunned Twitter users react to Trump claiming he’s done more for women than any President

Donald Trump has a long history of offensively ridiculous claims but today he may have spewed his worst yet .
Our sexual predator president , the man who bragged about assaulting women and who has been accused by numerous women of rape and sexual assault , took to Twitter and claimed that he has “ done more for WOMEN than just about any President in history.
” The tweet is especially ludicrous when you review Trump ’ s far-right legislative record and see that it is largely devoid of any bills that directly help women .
Conversely , President Obama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act , which made it easier for women to file lawsuits over unequal pay .
Trump has no comparable accomplishments .
Sign the petition to tell Congress to stop Trump ’ s sabotage of the post office !
It ’ s unclear who exactly Trump ’ s message is geared towards beyond the most gullible of MAGAheads .
Even if you don ’ t believe the credible assault and rape allegations for some reason , Trump has a public record of belittling , objectifying , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same misogynist who has regularly referred to women as “ pigs ” and “ dogs.
” No reasonable person could look at him and see a champion of women .
Trump proposing to build a statue in honor of women is a bad joke that does nothing to alleviate all the suffering he has inflicted on women over the years .
If he really wanted to honor women he ’ d shift his draconian positions on reproductive rights and endorse a woman ’ s right to choose .
Of course , the odds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ zero because he has a reactionary voting base to pander to .
So instead he ’ s giving lip service to women ’ s issues in the hopes that it ’ ll earn him a few more votes in November .
He ’ s mistaken .
Twitter users quickly swarmed the president ’ s tweet , with responses ranging from understandable and justified outrage to brutal mockery .
One thing was clear : nobody is buying Trump ’ s claim .
We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comment section !

Donald Trump has a long history of offensively ridiculous claims but today he may have spewed his worst yet. Our sexual predator president, the man who bragged about assaulting women and who has been accused by numerous women of rape and sexual assault, took to Twitter and claimed that he has “done more for WOMEN than just about any President in history.”
The tweet is especially ludicrous when you review Trump’s far-right legislative record and see that it is largely devoid of any bills that directly help women. Conversely, President Obama’s first piece of legislation signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which made it easier for women to file lawsuits over unequal pay. Trump has no comparable accomplishments.
Sign the petition to tell Congress to stop Trump’s sabotage of the post office!
It’s unclear who exactly Trump’s message is geared towards beyond the most gullible of MAGAheads. Even if you don’t believe the credible assault and rape allegations for some reason, Trump has a public record of belittling, objectifying, and terrorizing women. This is the same misogynist who has regularly referred to women as “pigs” and “dogs.” No reasonable person could look at him and see a champion of women.
Trump proposing to build a statue in honor of women is a bad joke that does nothing to alleviate all the suffering he has inflicted on women over the years. If he really wanted to honor women he’d shift his draconian positions on reproductive rights and endorse a woman’s right to choose. Of course, the odds of him doing that are less than zero because he has a reactionary voting base to pander to. So instead he’s giving lip service to women’s issues in the hopes that it’ll earn him a few more votes in November. He’s mistaken.
…Congress should send me H.R.473 ASAP and make this happen! It will INSPIRE all women to continue being bold and brave in achieving their DREAMS! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2020
Twitter users quickly swarmed the president’s tweet, with responses ranging from understandable and justified outrage to brutal mockery. One thing was clear: nobody is buying Trump’s claim.
https://twitter.com/GodcallsBS/status/1294311081100234753?s=20
You bragged being a sexual predator. — Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) August 14, 2020
Dude, you’re a sexual predator who put an accused sexual predator on our nation’s highest court of law in hopes that he will cast the fifth vote to erode our reproductive freedom and in turn economic opportunity. — Miranda Yaver (@mirandayaver) August 14, 2020
You should stop being so demeaning to women in public, and stop sexually assaulting women in private. — David Rothschild (@DavMicRot) August 14, 2020
RIDICULOUS LIE Trump doesn't even try to keeps his lies within the realm of possibilities. Trump has done NOTHING for women apart from subject them to his sexist attitudes & behavior. Trump's insecurity is such that women, especially intelligent & strong women, terrify him! — MURRAY (@murray_nyc) August 14, 2020
https://twitter.com/roxiqt/status/1294329010680410115?s=20
loving this message of concern for your hospitalized brother Robert, mister president sir, I don't understand why everyone is calling you an unfeeling ghoul. so unfair — Jeff Tiedrich (@itsJeffTiedrich) August 14, 2020
https://twitter.com/scientificrealm/status/1294309050478465024?s=20
President “grab them by the” says what? — Chris B (@ChrisBEsq) August 14, 2020
Speaking on behalf of most women… you're full of shit. — Angela Belcamino (@AngelaBelcamino) August 14, 2020
Indeed – here’s that time when Trump directed his Vic President in 2017 to discuss changes to women’s maternity care, getting advice from a room full of experts. pic.twitter.com/hMqrbSZ2Y9 — pwthm11 (@pwtham11) August 14, 2020
ANYONE….ANYONE PLEASE….. Please explain to us mere European mortals how anyone can (still) support this man after watching this and the overall mess he is making? What is the appeal? Who are the people who support him? We want to understand…we really do. — Hubert Linssen (@HubertLinssen1) August 14, 2020
We don’t need a statue to be inspired, we need equal pay and to be given opportunities to be in executive positions. That’d be swell. — Jentucky Fried Chicken (@TheEstrojen) August 14, 2020
Will you still call them nasty if they are bold and brave in achieving their dreams? Kamala Harris is bold and brave and look at how you treat her. Same with Elizabeth Warren. — BClark (@bclarksandiego) August 14, 2020
We already have a statue of an inspiring woman. Her name is Liberty, and she is going to crush you under her heel on November 3. — LolaInSF (@LolaInSF1) August 14, 2020
https://twitter.com/lmbuzzard/status/1294333404641521664?s=20
Ummm, name one thing you have done for women besides treat them with disrespect and as objects for your pleasure. I’ll wait… — Maryann (6 feet) Maturo (@MaryannMaturo) August 14, 2020
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occupydemocrats--2020-08-14--Mika tears into Trump for his “utter stupidity” in fiery Morning Joe segment

It ’ s getting harder by the day for many people , including some in the media , to tolerate President Trump ’ s constant lying and incompetency .
Over 165,000 people are dead from COVID-19 and the man leading our country , the man who initially dismissed concerns about the pandemic as unfounded and a hoax , refuses to take one iota of responsibility .
Instead , he continues to insist that everything is fine , that he is doing a stupendous job despite all the evidence to the contrary .
It ’ s exhausting .
This morning on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brzezinski lost her patience with Trump ’ s rhetoric .
While playing a clip of the president rambling about on the virus and smearing Joe Biden , she decided to suddenly cut off the video .
“ The president just lied four times in a row and I just cut it short because we don ’ t need to hear him lying , ” said Brzezinski .
“ He says Joe Biden has been wrong every step of the way ?
Was he wrong in January when he penned an opinion piece for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Warning that many lives would be lost if the president doesn ’ t get his CDC and build teams around this to combat a virus ?
” she said .
Sign the petition to tell Congress to stop Trump ’ s sabotage of the post office !
“ Was he wrong or were you wrong when you went to the CDC spewing your germs all over the place saying if you can get a test , or you want a test , you can get a test when no one could get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrong when you said it would just go away miraculously ?
Maybe , were you wrong when you said it was one person coming from China ?
Maybe , were you wrong when you said perhaps you don ’ t want to use the Defense Production Act to mobilize a nationalized response to testing and contact tracing ?
” she went on .
After unleashing her initial tirade , Brzezinski further fine-tuned her criticism and shredded Trump for intentionally slowing down testing to artificially keep cases low , calling it “ utter stupidity.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus deaths , accused him of failing to show leadership , and attacked his seeming inability to listen to medical professionals .
The entire fiery segment is worth a watch and more of our media personalities need to be this blunt and brutal in their segments about Trump .
The time for treating him with kid gloves is over .
People are dying and he must be held accountable .
We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

It’s getting harder by the day for many people, including some in the media, to tolerate President Trump’s constant lying and incompetency. Over 165,000 people are dead from COVID-19 and the man leading our country, the man who initially dismissed concerns about the pandemic as unfounded and a hoax, refuses to take one iota of responsibility. Instead, he continues to insist that everything is fine, that he is doing a stupendous job despite all the evidence to the contrary. It’s exhausting.
This morning on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Mike Brzezinski lost her patience with Trump’s rhetoric. While playing a clip of the president rambling about on the virus and smearing Joe Biden, she decided to suddenly cut off the video.
“The president just lied four times in a row and I just cut it short because we don’t need to hear him lying,” said Brzezinski. “He says Joe Biden has been wrong every step of the way? Was he wrong in January when he penned an opinion piece for USA Today warning of a coming pandemic? Warning that many lives would be lost if the president doesn’t get his CDC and build teams around this to combat a virus?” she said.
Sign the petition to tell Congress to stop Trump’s sabotage of the post office!
“Was he wrong or were you wrong when you went to the CDC spewing your germs all over the place saying if you can get a test, or you want a test, you can get a test when no one could get a test? Or maybe were you wrong when you said it would just go away miraculously? Maybe, were you wrong when you said it was one person coming from China? Maybe, were you wrong when you said perhaps you don’t want to use the Defense Production Act to mobilize a nationalized response to testing and contact tracing?” she went on.
After unleashing her initial tirade, Brzezinski further fine-tuned her criticism and shredded Trump for intentionally slowing down testing to artificially keep cases low, calling it “utter stupidity.” She blamed him for many of the coronavirus deaths, accused him of failing to show leadership, and attacked his seeming inability to listen to medical professionals.
The entire fiery segment is worth a watch and more of our media personalities need to be this blunt and brutal in their segments about Trump. The time for treating him with kid gloves is over. People are dying and he must be held accountable.
We want to hear what YOU have to say. Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section!
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occupydemocrats--2020-08-14--“How much does your life matter to you?” Disturbing video shows man screaming slurs and threatening

“How much does your life matter to you?” Disturbing video shows man screaming slurs and threatening Black driver

It is extraordinarily depressing to know that in the United States of America , white supremacy is so deeply ingrained in the minds of many that the simple demand by Black Americans to have their lives recognized and valued and protected is responded to with hatred and death threats by white Americans .
Some white Americans , particularly in the south , are so offended by the notion that it inspires them to threaten their countrymen in the most pedestrian of situations , like a man from Naples , Florida did to Twitter user @ mishou_charleus yesterday .
The incident @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shows a crazed man in a red hat screaming at a Black woman , holding up some sort of object , and then yelling “ How much does your life matter ?
Show me how much your life matters to you right now…F**K YOU N*****R !
That ’ s how much your life matters !
NOTHING .
F**CK YOU N*****R !
” Add your name to demand Congress reject Trump ’ s dictatorial call to delay the election !
He continues to scream slurs and expletives at the woman as she films .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ time this racist monster has verbally assaulted Black drivers : This kind of disgusting behavior is unfortunately all too common these days , as the president and his Republican allies have been working overtime to deliberately delegitimize and demonize the valid and morally righteous demands of the Black Lives Matter movement .
Every race-baiting tweet that he sends out is more fuel on the fire , and he appears poised to double down on stoking the flames of racial animosity as he slips further and further in the polls .
Incidents like this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movement and its goals are so important .
If you have any information about this man , please contact the authorities .

It is extraordinarily depressing to know that in the United States of America, white supremacy is so deeply ingrained in the minds of many that the simple demand by Black Americans to have their lives recognized and valued and protected is responded to with hatred and death threats by white Americans.
Some white Americans, particularly in the south, are so offended by the notion that it inspires them to threaten their countrymen in the most pedestrian of situations, like a man from Naples, Florida did to Twitter user @mishou_charleus yesterday.
The incident, which was recorded on video, shows a crazed man in a red hat screaming at a Black woman, holding up some sort of object, and then yelling “How much does your life matter? Show me how much your life matters to you right now…F**K YOU N*****R! That’s how much your life matters! NOTHING. F**CK YOU N*****R!”
Add your name to demand Congress reject Trump’s dictatorial call to delay the election!
He continues to scream slurs and expletives at the woman as she films.
It appears this is not the first time this racist monster has verbally assaulted Black drivers:
This is the same man I posted about aug 6 🙏🏽 he will be stopped and charged soon! pic.twitter.com/0bcwfVh9C6 — Yaya Gary (@SheTraps) August 14, 2020
This kind of disgusting behavior is unfortunately all too common these days, as the president and his Republican allies have been working overtime to deliberately delegitimize and demonize the valid and morally righteous demands of the Black Lives Matter movement. Every race-baiting tweet that he sends out is more fuel on the fire, and he appears poised to double down on stoking the flames of racial animosity as he slips further and further in the polls.
Incidents like this show us why the Black Lives Matter movement and its goals are so important.
If you have any information about this man, please contact the authorities.
Colin Taylor Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-08-15--Senate Intel committee asked DOJ to investigate Trump ally Steve Bannon for lying to Congress

The Los Angeles Times is reporting the Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee “ sent a bipartisan letter to the Justice Department asking federal prosecutors to investigate Stephen K. Bannon , a former Trump confidant , for potentially lying to lawmakers during its investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
” The previously unpublicized letter , which was signed by then-Intel Committee Chairman Senator Richard Burr ( R-NC ) and the ranking Democrat on the panel , Senator Mark Warner ( D-VA ) , was sent last July and also cited concerns about the testimony provided by the president ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump Jr. , Jared Kushner , convicted former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort , and the former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks , as having been contradicted by the sworn testimony that a former deputy campaign chairman gave to Special Counsel Robert Mueller .
Although the letter was sent to Deborah Curtis , a top prosecutor in the U.S. attorney ’ s office in Washington , it does not appear as if the Justice Department has taken any action on account of the assumedly criminal referral .
In addition to Steve Bannon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a co-chairman of Trump ’ s 2016 campaign , and Blackwater founder Erik Prince , the brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos .
Senator Marco Rubio ( R-FL ) , the current acting chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee since Senator Burr stepped down temporarily while accusations of his COVID-19-related insider trading are investigated , refused to comment on the leak of the previously unknown criminal referral .
While Senator Warner also refused to comment on the leak , The Los Angeles Times has seen the letter and disclosed that it indicates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may have lied about his interactions with Erik Prince , a private security contractor ; Rick Gerson , a hedge fund manager ; and Kirill Dmitriev , the head of a Russian sovereign fund.
” Bannon , Prince , Gerson , and Dmitriev were all alleged to have been involved with a secretive meeting in the Seychelles before Trump ’ s inauguration .
Prince is also alleged to have lied about his relationship and interactions with Dmitriev , and both his and Bannon ’ s accounts of the Seychelles meetings apparently contained details @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s story with Prince claiming that he updated Bannon on his conversations after returning to the U.S. , while Bannon swore that no such update ever took place .
Someone is clearly either lying or failing to recollect the circumstances properly .
For his part , Sam Clovis was mentioned in the letter for possibly lying about his interactions with Peter W. Smith , a Republican donor who led a secret effort to obtain former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ’ s missing emails .
The questions about the testimony of Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hicks are all related to discrepancies in their sworn declarations regarding the infamous meeting with a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower in June of 2016 .
Apparently , the dates that they gave as to when they were first aware of the meeting conflicted with the information provided to the committee by Manafort associate Rick Gates .
In addition , they each denied to the committee knowing about the content of the meeting in advance despite the fact that Gates testified that Don Jr. had announced at a “ regular morning meeting of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he had a lead on negative information about the Clinton Foundation , ” according to The Los Angeles Times account .
With both former Trump Organization attorney Michale Cohen and the president ’ s political dirty trickster Roger Stone each having been convicted of lying in their testimony to Congress about the Trump campaign , the new allegations are not very surprising .
Nor is any lack of action on the criminal referrals by the Justice Department now led by the Trump-protecting crony Attorney General William Barr out of character with his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on his boss , Donald Trump .
What is astonishing is that a Republican-controlled Senate committee could make a criminal referral for so many of the president ’ s family and close associates and that it hasn ’ t leaked until over a year after it was initially sent .
Now that the letter is out in the open , the public must demand action on the referrals immediately .
Or perhaps the GOP would rather wait until an Attorney General appointed by our next president digs into the backlog of corruption cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s criminal enterprise ?
We ’ ve waited this long for action , what ’ s another six months at this point ?
Original reporting by Del Quentin Wilber , Chris Megerian , Sarah D. Wire , and Jennifer Hanerkorn at The Los Angeles Times .
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The Los Angeles Times is reporting the Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee “sent a bipartisan letter to the Justice Department asking federal prosecutors to investigate Stephen K. Bannon, a former Trump confidant, for potentially lying to lawmakers during its investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.”
The previously unpublicized letter, which was signed by then-Intel Committee Chairman Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) and the ranking Democrat on the panel, Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), was sent last July and also cited concerns about the testimony provided by the president’s family and associates, including Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, convicted former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and the former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks, as having been contradicted by the sworn testimony that a former deputy campaign chairman gave to Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Although the letter was sent to Deborah Curtis, a top prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, it does not appear as if the Justice Department has taken any action on account of the assumedly criminal referral.
“As you are aware, the Committee is conducting an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election,” the Intel Committee letter states. “As part of that inquiry, and as a result of witness interviews and document production, we now have reason to believe that the following individuals may have committed a criminal act.”
In addition to Steve Bannon, the letter also names Sam Clovis, a co-chairman of Trump’s 2016 campaign, and Blackwater founder Erik Prince, the brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), the current acting chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee since Senator Burr stepped down temporarily while accusations of his COVID-19-related insider trading are investigated, refused to comment on the leak of the previously unknown criminal referral.
“The Committee will not discuss referrals,” said a spokesman for Rubio. “And those who in order to score cheap political points are speculating on or claim to know the identities of those referred are committing a grotesque injustice.”
While Senator Warner also refused to comment on the leak, The Los Angeles Times has seen the letter and disclosed that it indicates that the committee believes that “Bannon may have lied about his interactions with Erik Prince, a private security contractor; Rick Gerson, a hedge fund manager; and Kirill Dmitriev, the head of a Russian sovereign fund.”
Bannon, Prince, Gerson, and Dmitriev were all alleged to have been involved with a secretive meeting in the Seychelles before Trump’s inauguration.
Prince is also alleged to have lied about his relationship and interactions with Dmitriev, and both his and Bannon’s accounts of the Seychelles meetings apparently contained details not in alignment with each other’s story with Prince claiming that he updated Bannon on his conversations after returning to the U.S., while Bannon swore that no such update ever took place.
Someone is clearly either lying or failing to recollect the circumstances properly.
For his part, Sam Clovis was mentioned in the letter for possibly lying about his interactions with Peter W. Smith, a Republican donor who led a secret effort to obtain former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s missing emails.
The questions about the testimony of Donald Trump Jr., Kushner, Manafort, and Hicks are all related to discrepancies in their sworn declarations regarding the infamous meeting with a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower in June of 2016.
Apparently, the dates that they gave as to when they were first aware of the meeting conflicted with the information provided to the committee by Manafort associate Rick Gates. In addition, they each denied to the committee knowing about the content of the meeting in advance despite the fact that Gates testified that Don Jr. had announced at a “regular morning meeting of senior campaign staff and Trump family members that he had a lead on negative information about the Clinton Foundation,” according to The Los Angeles Times account.
With both former Trump Organization attorney Michale Cohen and the president’s political dirty trickster Roger Stone each having been convicted of lying in their testimony to Congress about the Trump campaign, the new allegations are not very surprising.
Nor is any lack of action on the criminal referrals by the Justice Department now led by the Trump-protecting crony Attorney General William Barr out of character with his reflex dismissal of anything that reflects negatively on his boss, Donald Trump.
What is astonishing is that a Republican-controlled Senate committee could make a criminal referral for so many of the president’s family and close associates and that it hasn’t leaked until over a year after it was initially sent.
Now that the letter is out in the open, the public must demand action on the referrals immediately.
Or perhaps the GOP would rather wait until an Attorney General appointed by our next president digs into the backlog of corruption cases and goes after the defeated Trump’s criminal enterprise?
We’ve waited this long for action, what’s another six months at this point?
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Del Quentin Wilber, Chris Megerian, Sarah D. Wire, and Jennifer Hanerkorn at The Los Angeles Times.
DEL QUENTIN WILBER, CHRIS MEGERIAN, SARAH D. WIRE, JENNIFER HABERKORN
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Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-08-15--Small victories: Trump administration to back down on controversial Land Management Bureau nominee

Putting the chickens in charge of the hen house has been a long-time strategy of the Trump administration and his Republican enablers in the Senate who have blithely confirmed every former energy industry lobbyist and unqualified right-wing ideologue who ’ ve been nominated to oversee the destruction and dismantling of the departments that they ’ ve been tasked with leading .
From the anti-public education beliefs of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to the multiple energy industry veterans that have served in the Interior and Energy Departments , Donald Trump has consistently found willing participants on his efforts to weaken America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while stuffing the pockets of corporate oligarchs with plentiful profit potential .
In a smidgeon of good news to emerge from the White House this week , one of the latest Trump nominees who has faced charges that they are particularly ill-suited for the job they ’ ve been appointed to do , William Perry Pendley who was picked by the president to head up the Department of Interior ’ s Bureau of Land Management , will have his nomination withdrawn after it became apparent that he would not reach the required number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were appalled that Pendley has been working as the acting head of the BLM — the BLM that is less directly involved in Black lives — for the past year , way past the amount of time an acting head can legally hold the job without Senate confirmation .
Among the reasons for the objections made by the environmentally aware over Pendley ’ s confirmation is the fact that he has openly advocated for the sale of public lands in the past , has expressed doubt about the reality of climate change , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , about the BLM that does advocate for Black Americans , and about undocumented immigrants .
Sign the petition to tell Congress to stop Trump ’ s sabotage of the post office !
Unfortunately , despite bowing to the reality of the impossibility of obtaining Senate confirmation for Pendley ’ s permanent appointment to the post of Bureau of Land Management head , he will remain as acting head of the agency for the time being .
With vulnerable Republican senators from states with copious acreage of federal public lands fearful of angering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ withholding their approval of Pendley ’ s permanent appointment as a consequence , the nation has dodged a longer-term bullet when it comes to the proper management and administration of federal lands .
Until the president and the party — the ones who have allowed this corrupt swinging door between greedy private stakeholders and people with powerful positions in the government that can help their former colleagues reap beaucoup bucks from their actions — are removed from office , we will have to stay constantly vigilant to prevent the thieves from giving away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sure that you are registered to vote and cast your ballot anyway that you can !
Original reporting by Rachel Frazin at The Hill .
We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

Putting the wolfs in charge of the hen house has been a long-time strategy of the Trump administration and his Republican enablers in the Senate who have blithely confirmed every former energy industry lobbyist and unqualified right-wing ideologue who’ve been nominated to oversee the destruction and dismantling of the departments that they’ve been tasked with leading.
From the anti-public education beliefs of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to the multiple energy industry veterans that have served in the Interior and Energy Departments, Donald Trump has consistently found willing participants on his efforts to weaken America by enacting policies harmful to its citizens while stuffing the pockets of corporate oligarchs with plentiful profit potential.
In a smidgeon of good news to emerge from the White House this week, one of the latest Trump nominees who has faced charges that they are particularly ill-suited for the job they’ve been appointed to do, William Perry Pendley who was picked by the president to head up the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, will have his nomination withdrawn after it became apparent that he would not reach the required number of votes to reach confirmation.
Conservationists were appalled that Pendley has been working as the acting head of the BLM — the BLM that is less directly involved in Black lives — for the past year, way past the amount of time an acting head can legally hold the job without Senate confirmation.
Among the reasons for the objections made by the environmentally aware over Pendley’s confirmation is the fact that he has openly advocated for the sale of public lands in the past, has expressed doubt about the reality of climate change, and has made dubious comments about Islam, about the BLM that does advocate for Black Americans, and about undocumented immigrants.
Sign the petition to tell Congress to stop Trump’s sabotage of the post office!
Unfortunately, despite bowing to the reality of the impossibility of obtaining Senate confirmation for Pendley’s permanent appointment to the post of Bureau of Land Management head, he will remain as acting head of the agency for the time being.
“The President makes staffing decisions. Mr. Pendley continues to lead the Bureau of Land Management as Deputy Director for Programs and Policy,” Interior spokesman Nicholas Goodwin told The Hill on Saturday.
With vulnerable Republican senators from states with copious acreage of federal public lands fearful of angering their constituents in an election year and withholding their approval of Pendley’s permanent appointment as a consequence, the nation has dodged a longer-term bullet when it comes to the proper management and administration of federal lands.
Until the president and the party — the ones who have allowed this corrupt swinging door between greedy private stakeholders and people with powerful positions in the government that can help their former colleagues reap beaucoup bucks from their actions — are removed from office, we will have to stay constantly vigilant to prevent the thieves from giving away our most precious public resources.
Make sure that you are registered to vote and cast your ballot anyway that you can!
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Rachel Frazin at The Hill.
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Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-08-15--How bogus social media fact checks undermine public trust in the media

With Donald Trump constantly spouting off about the “ FAKE NEWS ” media reporting stories that aren ’ t true — despite his own verified torrent of purposeful lies that total over 20,005 as of July 9th according to The Washington Post , dwarfed only by the number of COVID-19 deaths he ’ s presided over — the role of fact-checkers in watching over the distribution of news stories on social media has become increasingly important in determining which stories get circulated on your news feed and which are banished from ever seeing any significant light of day .
While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the social media giants in an effort to prevent their feeds from becoming cesspools of misinformation and conspiracy theories , they have done little to actually prevent the rise of such insidious sources of paranoid insanity as the QAnon movement .
While right-wing propaganda spreaders have been the most vocal complainers accusing social media platforms of censorship through fact-checking , the fact that Facebook employs organizations such as the Daily Caller , the arch-conservative website founded by Fox New ’ s host Tucker Carlson , to carry out its fact-checking duties means that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often targeted with harrassment over minor and insignificant details of stories that are rated “ Partially False ” over parts of the story that have little to do with its actual underlying truth but nevertheless reduces the distribution of the article and subsequently the ability of a news organization to recoup its costs .
When an article or meme is cited as “ Partially False ” because , for instance , the data it gives on rising coronavirus cases was from the three weeks ago instead of two weeks ago — even though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even worse and make the point of the meme more forcefully rather than undermining its intent — it prevents the truth of the content from being seen by the audience for which it was intended and silences that truth .
One fact-checking organization demonstrated the fragility of the truth they were supposedly protecting when they had to issue a retraction for a premature determination that “ Joe Biden , the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee , claimed without evidence that President Donald Trump ‘ wants to cut off money for the post office so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” FactCheck.org , a project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center , was forced to sheepishly admit that Biden was actually correct and amend their post from June 26th entitled “ Biden Floats Baseless Election Conspiracy ” to include the regrettable information that the Democratic nominee ’ s claims were actually confirmed by Donald Trump himself .
Sign the petition to tell Congress to stop Trump ’ s sabotage of the post office !
The organization was also motivated to post an updated story entitled “ Trump Proves Biden Right on USPS Funding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most current information about the scandal .
There is a reason that social media platforms outsource the responsibility of verifying the truthfulness of the posts on their platforms .
By placing the responsibility — and the blame — for any disputed interpretations of the facts on others it avoids bearing any of that responsibility on its own shoulders while signaling to Congress that it is working steadily on self-regulation to prevent them from passing more restrictive regulations on their lucrative platforms .
Meanwhile , the poor quality of many of the fact-checks winds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s clarion call of “ FAKE NEWS , ” to the erosion of public trust in the media , allowing the truthfulness of the verification of the president ’ s own lies to be called into question .
In the end , the question becomes who can you trust to fact-check the fact-checkers ?
Who can you trust at all in government and the media ?
In these days of media bubbles and extreme polarization , the answer may include fewer people than we really need right now .
We want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

With Donald Trump constantly spouting off about the “FAKE NEWS” media reporting stories that aren’t true — despite his own verified torrent of purposeful lies that total over 20,005 as of July 9th according to The Washington Post, dwarfed only by the number of COVID-19 deaths he’s presided over — the role of fact-checkers in watching over the distribution of news stories on social media has become increasingly important in determining which stories get circulated on your news feed and which are banished from ever seeing any significant light of day.
While such fact-checkers are employed by each of the social media giants in an effort to prevent their feeds from becoming cesspools of misinformation and conspiracy theories, they have done little to actually prevent the rise of such insidious sources of paranoid insanity as the QAnon movement.
While right-wing propaganda spreaders have been the most vocal complainers accusing social media platforms of censorship through fact-checking, the fact that Facebook employs organizations such as the Daily Caller, the arch-conservative website founded by Fox New’s host Tucker Carlson, to carry out its fact-checking duties means that progressive news organizations like Occupy Democrats are often targeted with harrassment over minor and insignificant details of stories that are rated “Partially False” over parts of the story that have little to do with its actual underlying truth but nevertheless reduces the distribution of the article and subsequently the ability of a news organization to recoup its costs.
When an article or meme is cited as “Partially False” because, for instance, the data it gives on rising coronavirus cases was from the three weeks ago instead of two weeks ago — even though the figures for the later week were even worse and make the point of the meme more forcefully rather than undermining its intent — it prevents the truth of the content from being seen by the audience for which it was intended and silences that truth.
One fact-checking organization demonstrated the fragility of the truth they were supposedly protecting when they had to issue a retraction for a premature determination that “Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, claimed without evidence that President Donald Trump ‘wants to cut off money for the post office so they cannot deliver mail-in ballots.’”
FactCheck.org, a project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center, was forced to sheepishly admit that Biden was actually correct and amend their post from June 26th entitled “Biden Floats Baseless Election Conspiracy” to include the regrettable information that the Democratic nominee’s claims were actually confirmed by Donald Trump himself.
“In an Aug. 13 interview, Trump admitted that he opposes a coronavirus pandemic relief bill crafted by the House Democrats because it includes funding for the U.S. Postal Service and state election officials — money that Trump said is needed to allow the Postal Service to handle an expected surge in mail-in voting.” FactCheck.org inserted at the top of their original post.
Sign the petition to tell Congress to stop Trump’s sabotage of the post office!
The organization was also motivated to post an updated story entitled “Trump Proves Biden Right on USPS Funding, Mail-In Ballots” to clarify the most current information about the scandal.
There is a reason that social media platforms outsource the responsibility of verifying the truthfulness of the posts on their platforms.
By placing the responsibility — and the blame — for any disputed interpretations of the facts on others it avoids bearing any of that responsibility on its own shoulders while signaling to Congress that it is working steadily on self-regulation to prevent them from passing more restrictive regulations on their lucrative platforms.
Meanwhile, the poor quality of many of the fact-checks winds up further contributing, along with Trump’s clarion call of “FAKE NEWS,” to the erosion of public trust in the media, allowing the truthfulness of the verification of the president’s own lies to be called into question.
In the end, the question becomes who can you trust to fact-check the fact-checkers? Who can you trust at all in government and the media?
In these days of media bubbles and extreme polarization, the answer may include fewer people than we really need right now.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
We want to hear what YOU have to say. Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section!
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts