Meteor Blades

Meteor Blades http://www.dailykos.com/user/Meteor Blades/rss/index.xml News Community Action Copyright 2005 - Steal what you want Sun, 29 Jan 2017 06:00:04 +0000 Sun, 29 Jan 2017 06:00:04 +0000 Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) Court temporarily blocks Trump regime's immigration ban http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/29/1626678/-Court-temporarily-blocks-Trump-regime-s-immigration-ban Nilay Patel <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2017/1/28/14427086/federal-court-halts-trumps-immigration-ban?utm_campaign=reckless&utm_content=chorus&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter" target="_blank">writes</a>: <blockquote> The federal court for the Eastern District of New York issued an emergency stay halting President Donald Trump’s executive order banning entry to the US from seven majority-Muslim countries tonight, following widespread protests at airports around the country. The court ruled on <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/337777796/1-Complaint" title="">a habeas corpus petition</a> filed by the ACLU on behalf of Hameed Khalid Darweesh and Sameer Abdulkhaleq Alshawi, who were denied entry to the US upon landing at JFK airport in New York City and detained indefinitely by Customs and Border Patrol. Darweesh spent a decade working for the United States military in Iraq as an interpreter and engineer and had been granted an entry visa after background checks; Alshawi had been granted a visa in order to join his wife and son who are already permanent residents of the US after their similar service with the US military. </blockquote> <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Judge: &amp;quot;Class is pretty well defined as outline in the papers - otherwise would be reviewing stays for a hundred people&amp;quot; so stay is national&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Jackie Vimo (@JackieVimo) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/JackieVimo/status/825520915819720705"&gt;January 29, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Judge: "Class is pretty well defined as outline in the papers - otherwise would be reviewing stays for a hundred people" so stay is national— Jackie Vimo (@JackieVimo) <a href="https://twitter.com/JackieVimo/status/825520915819720705">January 29, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;4 factors have been met: Irreparable harm established, likelihood of success on merits, no harm to govt. Likelihood of class cert.&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Jackie Vimo (@JackieVimo) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/JackieVimo/status/825520335344779264"&gt;January 29, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">4 factors have been met: Irreparable harm established, likelihood of success on merits, no harm to govt. Likelihood of class cert.— Jackie Vimo (@JackieVimo) <a href="https://twitter.com/JackieVimo/status/825520335344779264">January 29, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> UPDATE: <a href="https://www.axios.com/federal-court-grants-temporary-reprieve-to-refugees-stranded-by-trump-2222587415.html" target="_blank" title="">From Shane Savitsky</a>: <blockquote> What we know right now… <ul> <li>The executive order is now frozen until the case can briefed, probably in February.</li> <li>No one who is currently being held can be sent back to their country of origin, but whether they will be released is unclear.</li> <li>The judge ordered the federal government to provide a list of all people currently held in detention.</li> <li>According to the ACLU's lawyer, there still can be no new arrivals from countries under the ban, but the ACLU — and other organizations — are working to file additional suits to roll back other portions of the order.</li> </ul> </blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) Immigration muslimban _1626678 Sun, 29 Jan 2017 02:04:21 +0000 This week at progressive state blogs: Activism surges; who gets naming rights to 'The Wall'? http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/28/1626213/-This-week-at-progressive-state-blogs-Activism-surges-who-gets-naming-rights-to-The-Wall <div class="table-wrapper"> <table class="dk5-table"> <tbody> <tr> <td> This week at progressive state blogs is designed specifically to focus attention on the writing and analysis of people focused on their home turf. Let me know via comments or Kosmail if you have a favorite state- or city-based blog you think I should be watching. <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/14/1620356/-This-week-at-progressive-state-blogs-Obama-s-amazing-grace-Okla-extremism-NM-legal-pot" target="_blank">Here</a><a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/07/1618025/-This-week-at-progressive-state-blogs-Resistance-in-Rhode-Island-the-People-s-Agenda-in-Kansas" target="_blank" title=""> </a>is the January 14 edition. Inclusion of a blog post does not necessarily indicate my agreement with—or endorsement of—its contents. </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> Jack McCullough at the Green Mountain Daily of Vermont writes—<a href="http://www.greenmountaindaily.com/2017/01/22/what-a-day-yesterday/" target="_blank" title="">What a day yesterday!</a> <blockquote> The streets were full around the world. Millions of people came out to protest against the Pussy-Grabber in Chief. Led by women, but men, women, and children were everywhere. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Green Mountain Daily of Vermont" class="width-xl" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/37046/large/Green_Mountain_Daily.png?1452842055" title="Green Mountain Daily of Vermont"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> I’ve been going to marches and demonstrations for almost fifty years, and the feeling in Montpelier yesterday was about the greatest I’ve ever experienced. Plus, we had 15-20,000 people on the streets of Montpelier, double the population of the city. Probably the biggest political gathering ever in the state of Vermont. I think it’s entirely appropriate to just bask in the good feeling for a bit, but I also have some random thoughts about the event. The first person I saw there was our own NanuqFC, another long-time activist, and we noticed the same thing: we didn’t know most of the people there. This was not the usual suspects. I am sure that for many of the people there, and not just the ones who were six months old, this was their first demonstration. What a great thing, especially if we can get them to stay involved. Second, intersectionality has come to Vermont. Listen to the speakers and watch the people in the crowd and intersectionality and diversity were front and center. Third (okay, this is a lighter note), the signs. Tons of homemade signs full of humor, hope, anger, and idiosyncrasy. Plus, unlike the Tea Party and Trump supporters, we know how to spell. [...] </blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) Thisweekatprogressivestateblogs _1626213 Sat, 28 Jan 2017 23:00:28 +0000 Hi-tech leaders want to snuff immigration ban. One labels Trump a 'coward' http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/28/1626543/-Hi-tech-leaders-want-to-snuff-Trump-s-immigration-ban-One-labels-Trump-a-coward Tech leaders, including Apple, and the CEOS at Google, Facebook, eBay, and Oracle are not happy with the immigration-related executive order from Donald Trump that has sparked worries and anger around the globe Saturday. The order, issued Friday, does not permit entry into the U.S. of people with visas or green cards from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Except for the indefinite ban on Syria, the restrictions are only in place for 90 days at the moment, but that could easily be extended anytime. The order also bars refugees for 120 days and, once a review of the refugee program is completed, a cap of 50,000 will be imposed, less than half the 110,000 refugees admitted in 2016. The ban prohibits about 134 million people from entering the U.S. Google sent a memo to its employees urging those with a green card or visa from one of the seven banned countries to cancel any travel plans. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Update: Now nearly 200 Google employees may not be able to get back into the country for 90 days &lt;a href="https://t.co/s7xNkIVbQ8"&gt;https://t.co/s7xNkIVbQ8&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Christopher Mims (@mims) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/mims/status/825300762741833728"&gt;January 28, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Update: Now nearly 200 Google employees may not be able to get back into the country for 90 days <a href="https://t.co/s7xNkIVbQ8">https://t.co/s7xNkIVbQ8</a>— Christopher Mims (@mims) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/status/825300762741833728">January 28, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> The actual number is 187, The Wall Street Journal <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/google-criticizes-impact-on-staff-of-trump-immigration-order-1485596067?tesla=y" target="_blank">says</a>. The memo <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/28/technology/immigration-ban-tech-reaction/index.html" target="_blank">states</a>: "Please do not travel outside of the U.S. until the ban is lifted. While the entry restriction is currently only in place for 90 days, it could be extended with little or no warning." Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in an an email reviewed by The Wall Street Journal: <blockquote> “We’re upset about the impact of this order and any proposals that could impose restrictions on Googlers and their families, or that could create barriers to bringing great talent to the US. [...] It’s painful to see the personal cost of this executive order on our colleagues.” [...] Mr. Pichai, who grew up in India, said that at an internal meeting on Friday broadcast to all staff, two Google employees apparently affected by the policy discussed their situations. They were “grappling with what this might mean for them and their families,” he wrote. “Just as that discussion was happening, another Googler was rushing back from a trip to New Zealand to make it into the US before the order was signed.” </blockquote> So why was Google trying to normalize Trump earlier this week? rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) Immigration Lunacy muslimban Refugees _1626543 Sat, 28 Jan 2017 21:59:14 +0000 In retaliation against Trump's refugee and travel ban, Tehran bans travel to Iran by U.S. citizens http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/28/1626502/-In-retaliation-against-Trump-s-refugee-and-travel-ban-Tehran-bans-travel-to-Iran-by-U-S-citizens Iran is one of the seven Muslim-majority nations included in Pr*sident Trump’s restrictions on refugees, green card holders and visa holders. Tehran’s leaders have decided to retaliate, <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/28/middleeast/iran-will-ban-us-citizens/index.html" target="_blank" title="">according to </a> CNN’s Ralph Ellis: <blockquote> <div> Iran says it will ban all US citizens from entering the country in response to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/27/politics/donald-trump-refugees-executive-order/index.html" title="">President Donald Trump's executive order limiting immigration</a> from seven Muslim-majority countries, according to an Iranian Foreign Ministry statement published on state media Saturday. [...] "The US decision to restrict travel for Muslims to the US, even if for a temporary period of three months, is an obvious insult to the Islamic world and in particular to the great nation of Iran," the statement said. "Despite the claims of combating terrorism and keeping American people safe, it will be recorded in history as a big gift to extremists and their supporters." </div> </blockquote> Presumably, that means any U.S. citizens who work as inspectors for the International Atomic Energy Agency, would be barred. Among the IAEA’s tasks are verifying compliance with the Iran nuclear agreement. Since the Trump regime is no friend of that agreement, it’s hard to tell whether the White House will see Iran’s ban as a bad or a good thing. rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) Immigration Iran muslimban Refugees _1626502 Sat, 28 Jan 2017 20:09:45 +0000 Protesters focus on JFK, SFO and Dulles airports over Trump regime's Muslim refugee ban http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/28/1626463/-Protesters-focus-on-JFK-SFO-and-Dulles-airports-over-Trump-regime-s-Muslim-refugee-ban Pr*sident Donald Trump’s immigration ban has created chaos and consternation at airports in the U.S. and around the world. It is also sparking resistance. Protesters opposing the ban—which affects refugees, holders of U.S. visas from seven proscribed Muslim majority nations, and green card holders who were traveling abroad—have appeared at JFK airport in New York and San Francisco International airport, and a protest is slated to begin a few hours from now at Dulles International Airport. A group of protesters mobilized at John F. Kennedy Airport following the <a href="http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/Iraqi-Refugees-Detained-at-NYC-Airport-Report-412039985.html" target="_blank" title="">detaining</a> of two Iraqi refugees Saturday morning. <blockquote> The demonstrators held homemade signs that read "No ban, no wall" and "Refugees welcome" in front of Terminal 4's international arrivals area Saturday afternoon. One sign even called for President Trump's impeachment and the deportation of the first lady. "We're here to tell Trump that we are not going anywhere," said lawyer and refugee advocate Jacki Esposito, who helped organize the protest. "Today is the beginning of a long opposition from us, and our neighbors all over the country." </blockquote> <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;&amp;quot;We will use every tool at our disposal to bring justice to America&amp;quot; - NY Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez addressing JFK protest &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/muslimban?src=hash"&gt;#muslimban&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/whmPWBz91C"&gt;pic.twitter.com/whmPWBz91C&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Chris Brooks (@chactivist) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/chactivist/status/825413148333182977"&gt;January 28, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">"We will use every tool at our disposal to bring justice to America" - NY Congresswoman Nydia VelÃƒÂ¡zquez addressing JFK protest <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/muslimban?src=hash">#muslimban</a> <a href="https://t.co/whmPWBz91C">pic.twitter.com/whmPWBz91C</a>— Chris Brooks (@chactivist) <a href="https://twitter.com/chactivist/status/825413148333182977">January 28, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Screen_Shot_2017-01-28_at_11.26.19_AM.png" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/358029/large/Screen_Shot_2017-01-28_at_11.26.19_AM.png?1485631604" title="Screen_Shot_2017-01-28_at_11.26.19_AM.png"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;There&amp;#39;s a protest outside Dulles Airport in VA at 5 pm today. Details here: &lt;a href="https://t.co/5RVavBk6V2"&gt;https://t.co/5RVavBk6V2&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MuslimBan?src=hash"&gt;#MuslimBan&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NoBanNoWall?src=hash"&gt;#NoBanNoWall&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RefugeesWelcome?src=hash"&gt;#RefugeesWelcome&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Arjun Sethi (@arjunsethi81) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/arjunsethi81/status/825417264543440896"&gt;January 28, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">There's a protest outside Dulles Airport in VA at 5 pm today. Details here: <a href="https://t.co/5RVavBk6V2">https://t.co/5RVavBk6V2</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MuslimBan?src=hash">#MuslimBan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NoBanNoWall?src=hash">#NoBanNoWall</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RefugeesWelcome?src=hash">#RefugeesWelcome</a>— Arjun Sethi (@arjunsethi81) <a href="https://twitter.com/arjunsethi81/status/825417264543440896">January 28, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;OK, SFO protest is building. 3pm Intl Terminal. Details here: &lt;a href="https://t.co/wioNeO72QC"&gt;https://t.co/wioNeO72QC&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Ben Adida (@benadida) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/benadida/status/825409341104676864"&gt;January 28, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">OK, SFO protest is building. 3pm Intl Terminal. Details here: <a href="https://t.co/wioNeO72QC">https://t.co/wioNeO72QC</a>— Ben Adida (@benadida) <a href="https://twitter.com/benadida/status/825409341104676864">January 28, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> More, no doubt, to come. rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) Immigration Refugees Xenophobia _1626463 Sat, 28 Jan 2017 19:30:26 +0000 ACLU lawsuit filed over Trump ban on refugees. NY congressional reps get airport detainees released http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/28/1626431/-Lawsuit-by-ACLU-and-others-challenges-immigration-ban-after-refugees-detained-at-airports American Muslims, immigrants and U.S.-born alike, are part of the fabric of this nation and part of what makes America great. As U.S. businesses, investors, and universities have pointed out, American Muslims are our neighbors, friends, and colleagues. They are us. Trump’s ban separates American families and deprives our country of the contributions that these newcomers, and their children and grandchildren, will make as Americans. —Cecilia Wang, ACLU Pr*sident Donald Trump’s executive order barring entry of all nationals from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen, for 90 days is causing major fall-out today. The ban, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-immigration-greencard-idUSKBN15C0KX" target="_blank">said</a> Gillian Christensen, acting Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman, in an email to Reuters, “will bar green card holders.” Emma Brown and David Nakamura <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/refugees-detained-at-us-airports-challenge-trumps-executive-order/2017/01/28/e69501a2-e562-11e6-a547-5fb9411d332c_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_airports-1046am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory" target="_blank">report</a>: <blockquote> Refugees and migrants holding valid visas who were en route to the United States on Friday evening have been detained at U.S. airports and restricted from the country as a result of President Trump’s executive order banning their entry. Lawyers for two Iraqi men detained at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport filed a middle-of-the-night lawsuit in federal court challenging Trump’s executive order as unconstitutional and seeking the release of their clients. They also are seeking class certification so they may represent all refugees and visa-holders who are being held at U.S. ports of entry. Immigration advocates say at least one refugee family is detained at San Francisco International Airport, but it is not clear how many refugees are currently detained at airports nationwide. </blockquote> The detained men are Hameed Khalid Darweesh, 53, who worked as a contractor for the U.S. government in Iraq for nearly 10 years, including as an interpreter for the Army. He, his wife, and three children have been following the rules for two years to obtain a special immigrant visa that has been granted to Iraqis who have assisted U.S. military forces. He and his family were blocked from entry at 6 PM ET. The other detainee is Sameer Abdulkhaleq Alshawi, 33. He has a visa permitting him to join his wife and child in Texas. His wife worked for a U.S. government contractor before coming to the United States as a refugee in 2014. UPDATE: <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Pleased to announce w/&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/NydiaVelazquez"&gt;@NydiaVelazquez&lt;/a&gt; the release of Hameed Jhalid Darweesh from detention at JFK. &lt;a href="https://t.co/AeKDhIPp7k"&gt;pic.twitter.com/AeKDhIPp7k&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; (((Rep. Nadler))) (@RepJerryNadler) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/RepJerryNadler/status/825397655048171521"&gt;January 28, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Pleased to announce w/<a href="https://twitter.com/NydiaVelazquez">@NydiaVelazquez</a> the release of Hameed Jhalid Darweesh from detention at JFK. <a href="https://t.co/AeKDhIPp7k">pic.twitter.com/AeKDhIPp7k</a>— (((Rep. Nadler))) (@RepJerryNadler) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepJerryNadler/status/825397655048171521">January 28, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> Glad to see these two representatives fighting back. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Today Trump abandoned brave Iraqi and Afghan interpreters who saved thousands of U.S. troops&amp;#39; lives. Mattis stood by smiling as he did so. &lt;a href="https://t.co/HTTvaNNktO"&gt;pic.twitter.com/HTTvaNNktO&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Brandon Friedman (@BFriedmanDC) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/BFriedmanDC/status/825189093147553792"&gt;January 28, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today Trump abandoned brave Iraqi and Afghan interpreters who saved thousands of U.S. troops' lives. Mattis stood by smiling as he did so. <a href="https://t.co/HTTvaNNktO">pic.twitter.com/HTTvaNNktO</a>— Brandon Friedman (@BFriedmanDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/BFriedmanDC/status/825189093147553792">January 28, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> The American Civil Liberties Union was one of those involved in the <a href="https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/darweesh-v-trump-petition-writ-habeas-corpus-and-complaint-declaratory-and-injunctive?redirect=legal-document/petition-writ-habeas-corpus-and-complaint-declaratory-and-injunctive-reliefpetition">lawsuit</a> for the two. Cecillia Wang, the ACLU’s deputy legal director wrote Saturday morning. <blockquote> In effect, Trump has barred Muslims from entering the United States, while favoring the entry of Christians. <div></div> One of the tenets upon which our country was founded is that religion is our own business and not the government’s. We have freedom of belief. We do not have <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-immigration-test_us_57b224c9e4b007c36e4fc81e" title="">religious litmus tests</a> for participation in society. Trump’s order is anathema to those founding principles. It violates the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, which prohibits the government from preferring or disfavoring any religion. Trump’s anti-Muslim policy also violates the Equal Protection Clause, the part of the Fourteenth Amendment that guarantees that everyone is entitled to equal protection under the law. Trump’s orders are immoral as well as unconstitutional. He is barring the entry of modern-day counterparts of the passengers of the St. Louis — children injured in Syria’s terrible and brutal civil war, who are at imminent risk of being killed. And Trump’s order is a slap in the face to the millions of Americans who uphold our best traditions of welcoming the stranger seeking refuge. [...] </blockquote> <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;To my colleagues: don&amp;#39;t ever again lecture me on American moral leadership if you chose to be silent today. &lt;a href="https://t.co/XW7sjmCcXh"&gt;pic.twitter.com/XW7sjmCcXh&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/825173776681807872"&gt;January 28, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">To my colleagues: don't ever again lecture me on American moral leadership if you chose to be silent today. <a href="https://t.co/XW7sjmCcXh">pic.twitter.com/XW7sjmCcXh</a>— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/825173776681807872">January 28, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> Federal courts ought to block implementation of Trump’s executive order temporarily while they rule it permanently out of bounds because of its unconstitutional nature. But will they? <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Wow— the cover of today&amp;#39;s &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/NYDailyNews"&gt;@NYDailyNews&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/HezN1nyDAa"&gt;pic.twitter.com/HezN1nyDAa&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/825350739002269696"&gt;January 28, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">WowÃ¢Â€Â” the cover of today's <a href="https://twitter.com/NYDailyNews">@NYDailyNews</a> <a href="https://t.co/HezN1nyDAa">pic.twitter.com/HezN1nyDAa</a>— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) <a href="https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/825350739002269696">January 28, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) Immigration Refugees Visa _1626431 Sat, 28 Jan 2017 18:00:37 +0000 Open thread for night owls: Black-white wage gaps worsen http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/28/1626029/-Open-thread-for-night-owls-Black-white-wage-gaps-worsen Elise Gould at the Economic Policy Institute writes—<a href="http://www.epi.org/blog/racial-gaps-in-wages-wealth-and-more-a-quick-recap/" target="_blank">Racial gaps in wages, wealth, and more:</a> <blockquote> Black-white wage gaps are larger today that they were 35 years ago. For both men and women who work full time, the <a href="http://www.epi.org/publication/black-white-wage-gaps-expand-with-rising-wage-inequality/">regression adjusted racial wage gap has widened since 1979</a>. The figure below shows that, relative to the average hourly wages of white men with the same education, experience, metro status, and region of residence, black men make 22.0 percent less, and black women make 34.2 percent less. [...] Over the last few years, the labor market has been steadily improving, and the unemployment rate for all population sub-groups has fallen steadily. However, as has historically been the case, the black unemployment rate today (7.8 percent) remains nearly twice as high as the white unemployment rate (4.3 percent). And, black workers can’t educate themselves out of racial disparities in labor market performance. The unemployment rate for black college graduates sits at 4.0 percent, compared to 2.6 percent for white college graduates. Furthermore, <a href="http://www.epi.org/data/#?preset=wage-education&r=*">average wages</a> for white college graduates are far higher ($31.83 per hour) than average wages for black college graduates ($25.77). <figure class="image-captioned width-sm align-right"><img alt="White-Barn-Owl-w-text.jpg" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/112631/large/White-Barn-Owl-w-text.jpg?1453344265" title="White-Barn-Owl-w-text.jpg"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> The black-white wealth gap is larger than the wage or income gaps. Median white wealth ($134,000) is <a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/econresdata/feds/2015/files/2015076pap.pdf">12 times higher</a> than median black wealth ($11,000). And, 27 percent of black households have zero net worth (or less), while only 9 percent of white household do. In other words, black Americans face particular difficulties in trying to get ahead themselves or helping their children get ahead—in achieving the elusive American dream. Housing discrimination and housing segregation play an important role in the ability of black households to gain wealth. In an <a href="http://www.epi.org/publication/the-color-of-law-a-forgotten-history-of-how-our-government-segregated-america/">important forthcoming book</a>(previewed in <a href="http://www.epi.org/publication/making-ferguson/">this poignant article</a>), Richard Rothstein documents the evidence that the government did more than merely ignore discriminatory practices in the residential housing market for decades even after World War II, but actually promoted them. On top of housing discrimination writ large, environmental racism remains ever-present, exemplified by the <a href="https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/0800408/">disproportionate incidence</a> of lead poisoning in poor and minority communities, which is proven to significantly affect health, future economic wellbeing, and even crime rates. [...] </blockquote> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/396931.The_Origins_of_Totalitarianism" target="_blank">QUOTATION OF THE DAY</a> <blockquote> “The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.” ― Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 1951 <div></div> </blockquote> TWEET OF THE DAY <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;We&amp;#39;re no strangers to &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Resistance?src=hash"&gt;#Resistance&lt;/a&gt; here in Middle Earth. Keep up the fight! &lt;a href="https://t.co/8f8mFLyeeT"&gt;pic.twitter.com/8f8mFLyeeT&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Mordor National Park (@MordorNPS) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/MordorNPS/status/825044016806952961"&gt;January 27, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We're no strangers to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Resistance?src=hash">#Resistance</a> here in Middle Earth. Keep up the fight! <a href="https://t.co/8f8mFLyeeT">pic.twitter.com/8f8mFLyeeT</a>— Mordor National Park (@MordorNPS) <a href="https://twitter.com/MordorNPS/status/825044016806952961">January 27, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/27/1625953/-High-Impact-Posts-January-26-2017" target="_blank">HIGH IMPACT STORIES</a> • <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/28/1626235/-Top-Comments-Impromptu-Open-Thread-Edition" target="_blank">TOP COMMENTS</a> BLAST FROM THE PAST At Daily Kos on this date in 2003—<a href="http://www.dailykos.net/archives/001244.html#001244" target="_blank">War opposition still increasing</a>: <blockquote> Yet another poll is showing <a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=676&e=1&cid=676&u=/usatoday/20030127/ts_usatoday/4811982">increased opposition to Bush's new war</a> in Iraq. The USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll has opposition at 43 percent, up from 38 percent Jan 10-12. Actual support from the invasion is at 52 percent. Of course, those numbers could move over to the "support" column if either the US or UK present evidence of Iraqi non-compliance. As of yet, <a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=578&e=1&cid=578&u=/nm/20030127/ts_nm/iraq_dc">all we're hearing</a> is the same "trust us, we have evidence" bullshit, while all CIA leads to the weapons inspectors have come up empty. There may also be movement in the polls following the president's SOTU address, though it will be interesting to watch how long any such "bounce" will last. And it will also be interesting how the markets react, not just the Wednesday after the speech, but two weeks out. Bush may claim to ignore polls, but it'll be increasingly difficult to ignore his Wall Street supporters. War jitters alone <a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=580&e=2&cid=580&u=/nm/20030127/bs_nm/markets_stocks_dc">continue to pound the market today</a>. </blockquote> On <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/27/1625965/-Daily-Kos-Radio-s-KITM-podcast-AUDIO-Kagro-in-the-Morning-Friday-January-27-2017" target="_blank">today’s Kagro in the Morning show</a>: A terribly-executed reminder to fans to help support the show! Even Trump’s “Day One” was plagiarized. The dangers of his false “voter fraud” claims. And a long-form freak-out over Russian-financed, social media-fueled “military-grade PsyOps.” <center> <div class="dk-editor-embed facebook-embed-responsive center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder dk-x-embed" href="#" data-height="90" data-src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5029588/height/90/width/500/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/e87822/" data-width="500">Embedded Content</a></div> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknlsM6zUMIdxtz1qEAbhuA" target="_blank">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-kos-radio-kagro-in-morning/id581551976" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://kagrox.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">LibSyn</a> | Support the show via <a href="https://www.patreon.com/kagrox?ty=h" target="_blank">Patreon</a> </center> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) OpenThreadforNightOwls _1626029 Sat, 28 Jan 2017 04:00:48 +0000 Midday open thread: GDP growth back to blahs; Ebell wants purge of EPA's 'global warming alarmists' http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/27/1625963/-Midday-open-thread-GDP-growth-back-to-blahs-Ebell-wants-purge-of-EPA-s-global-warming-alarmists Today’s <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/user/Comics/history" target="_blank">comic</a> by Mark Fiore is <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/27/1625350/-Cartoon-Alternative-reality" target="_blank">Alternative reality</a>: <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Cartoon by Mark Fiore -- Alternative reality" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/357400/large/kosstill.png?1485520836" title="Cartoon by Mark Fiore -- Alternative reality"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> What’s coming up on Sunday Kos … <blockquote> <ul> <li>The cloud of Trump lies may have a silver lining, by Ian Reifowitz</li> <li>Running for office is great, but it’s not the only way to make a difference, Laura Clawson</li> <li>It’s time for the Democratic revolt—and women started it, by Egberto Willies</li> <li>#Resistance is now indivisible, by Frank Vyan Walton</li> <li>Join hands and march to take a stand in Raleigh, North Carolina, February 11, by Denise Oliver Velez</li> <li>Trump inherits the Obama boom, by Jon Perr</li> <li>Sure, there’s voter fraud. By Republicans, by Sher Watts Spooner</li> <li>We are a nation of immigrants, by Mark E Andersen</li> <li>Now we must all be like Daphnis, by DarkSyde</li> <li>A review of Patrick Phillips' 'Blood at the Root: A Racial Cleansing in America,’ by Susan Grigsby</li> </ul> </blockquote> • <a href="https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/gdpnewsrelease.htm" target="_blank">Fourth-quarter gross domestic product growth back to lukewarm level, 1.9 percent:</a> The government’s September 2016 report showed third quarter GDP growth had been the best in two years at 2.9 percent. Two months of revisions boosted it even higher, to 3.5 percent. This produced considerable discussion about how, finally, the economy had emerged from the slow growth doldrums of the longest but weakest recovery from a recession in 67 years. The Atlanta Fed boosted its expectations for fourth-quarter GDP growth to 3.3 percent, and several commercial banks also raised their forecasts. On Friday, however, in its first of three monthly reports for the fourth quarter, the Bureau of Economic Analysis put the seasonally adjusted annual growth rate at a tepid 1.9 percent. The report showed rises in imports, residential and non-residential fixed investment, private inventory inventory, and state and local government spending, with a downturn in exports, personal consumer expenditures, and federal government spending. Revisions in the fourth-quarter GDP growth rate will be announced over the next two months as better data are obtained. <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="united-states-gdp-growth_2x.png" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/357483/large/united-states-gdp-growth_2x.png?1485533301" title="united-states-gdp-growth_2x.png"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> • <a href="http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TRUMP_EPA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT" target="_blank">EPA headed for big staff cut</a>s: Myron Ebell, the former head of Pr*sident Donald Trump's transition team at the Environmental Protection Agency, told E&E News Thursday that the federal government has "been staffed with scientists who believe the global-warming alarmist agenda" and suggesting cutting the agency’s 15,000-person staff to 5,000. He conceded that such a deep cut would be tough to get through Congress. But he noted that EPA is probably still headed for significant cuts since Trump has said he wants to abolish it or “leave a little bit.” Ebell wouldn’t say what he recommended to Trump, but said to the Associated Press that a cut by one-third or half is an "aspirational goal." • <a href="http://www.vox.com/2017/1/27/14413032/st-louis-refugees-holocaust" target="_blank">On Holocaust Remembrance Day, a Twitter account commemorates the 1939 turning away of Jews aboard refugee ship</a>. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;My name is Erich Dublon. The US turned me away at the border in 1939. I was murdered at Auschwitz &lt;a href="https://t.co/wlVcCiUt2P"&gt;pic.twitter.com/wlVcCiUt2P&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; St. Louis Manifest (@Stl_Manifest) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Stl_Manifest/status/825006718887219200"&gt;January 27, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">My name is Erich Dublon. The US turned me away at the border in 1939. I was murdered at Auschwitz <a href="https://t.co/wlVcCiUt2P">pic.twitter.com/wlVcCiUt2P</a>— St. Louis Manifest (@Stl_Manifest) <a href="https://twitter.com/Stl_Manifest/status/825006718887219200">January 27, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> • <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/01/26/this-new-plane-logan-yuge-really/4EByWkV1L66OX1Op7VSMfP/story.html?event=event25" target="_blank">Check out the world’s largest passenger plane:</a> <blockquote> The <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/01/26/this-new-plane-logan-yuge-really/4EByWkV1L66OX1Op7VSMfP/story.html?event=event25#">Emirates</a> <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/01/26/this-new-plane-logan-yuge-really/4EByWkV1L66OX1Op7VSMfP/story.html?event=event25#">airline</a> on Thursday showed off its newest <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/01/26/this-new-plane-logan-yuge-really/4EByWkV1L66OX1Op7VSMfP/story.html?event=event25#">plane</a> that will soon begin to service <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/01/26/this-new-plane-logan-yuge-really/4EByWkV1L66OX1Op7VSMfP/story.html?event=event25#">Logan Airport</a> — a massive A380 that is so big, Massport spent $30 million renovating <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/01/26/this-new-plane-logan-yuge-really/4EByWkV1L66OX1Op7VSMfP/story.html?event=event25#">Terminal E</a> to accommodate it. Made by Airbus, the wide-body A380 is the largest passenger <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/01/26/this-new-plane-logan-yuge-really/4EByWkV1L66OX1Op7VSMfP/story.html?event=event25#">plane</a> in the world, with two levels, semi-private suites, shower spas, and an on-board lounge. <div></div> </blockquote> • <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/white-house-security-adviser-facing-gun-charge-in-virginia-1485471642" target="_blank">Senior security adviser to Steve Bannon faces gun charge:</a> <blockquote> One of President Donald Trump’s choices for a senior position in the White House is beginning work while facing a criminal charge after he allegedly tried to bring a handgun onto an airliner last year, court records show. Sebastian Gorka, a national security and terrorism analyst, was stopped at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia last January by an officer with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, who detected a 9mm caliber handgun using X-ray equipment as it passed on a conveyor belt. The officer alerted airport police, who confiscated the gun and cited Mr. Gorka on a state weapons charge, according to a TSA statement. </blockquote> • <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Claiming They Are Christians THE &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchForLife?src=hash"&gt;#MarchForLife&lt;/a&gt; Religious Hypocrites Are Marching Again Today &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tcot?src=hash"&gt;#Tcot&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/SjnxWE5yFs"&gt;pic.twitter.com/SjnxWE5yFs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; slackadjuster (@slackadjuster) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/slackadjuster/status/825019027189854212"&gt;January 27, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Claiming They Are Christians THE <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchForLife?src=hash">#MarchForLife</a> Religious Hypocrites Are Marching Again Today <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tcot?src=hash">#Tcot</a> <a href="https://t.co/SjnxWE5yFs">pic.twitter.com/SjnxWE5yFs</a>— slackadjuster (@slackadjuster) <a href="https://twitter.com/slackadjuster/status/825019027189854212">January 27, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> • On <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/27/1625965/-Daily-Kos-Radio-s-KITM-podcast-AUDIO-Kagro-in-the-Morning-Friday-January-27-2017" target="_blank">today’s Kagro in the Morning show</a>: A terribly-executed reminder to fans to help support the show! Even Trump’s “Day One” was plagiarized. The dangers of his false “voter fraud” claims. And a long-form freak-out over Russian-financed, social media-fueled “military-grade PsyOps.” <center> <div class="dk-editor-embed facebook-embed-responsive center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder dk-x-embed" href="#" data-src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5029588/height/90/width/500/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/e87822/" data-height="90" data-width="500">Embedded Content</a></div> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknlsM6zUMIdxtz1qEAbhuA" target="_blank">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-kos-radio-kagro-in-morning/id581551976" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://kagrox.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">LibSyn</a> | Support the show via <a href="https://www.patreon.com/kagrox?ty=h" target="_blank">Patreon</a> </center> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) MiddayOpenThread _1625963 Fri, 27 Jan 2017 20:00:26 +0000 Open thread for night owls: Trump regime won't push renewables despite the jobs they're creating http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/27/1625771/-Open-thread-for-night-owls-Trump-regime-won-t-push-renewables-despite-the-jobs-they-re-creating James Dennin at Mic writes—<a href="https://mic.com/articles/166807/the-trump-administration-is-ignoring-one-of-the-fastest-growing-sources-of-new-us-jobs-renewables#.a4rq5wfpV" target="_blank" title="">The Trump administration is ignoring one of the fastest-growing sources of new US jobs: Renewables</a>: <blockquote> Renewable energy is becoming a major engine for U.S. employment: In recent years, jobs in solar and wind energy are growing about 12 times faster than the rest of the U.S. economy, according to a new report from the <a href="http://edfclimatecorps.org/nowhiringreport" title="">Environmental Defense Fund</a>. <figure class="image-captioned width-md align-right"><img alt="YellowBackgroundOwlBadge_TEXT_%281%29.jpg" class="width-md" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/124236/large/YellowBackgroundOwlBadge_TEXT_%281%29.jpg?1453431581" title="YellowBackgroundOwlBadge_TEXT_%281%29.jpg"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> The report also found that these difficult-to-outsource jobs pay about $5,000 more than the national median wage. Study authors arrived at their findings by examining a combination of data from the International Renewable Energy Agency, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Department of Energy. Many of the jobs are easy to train for, too: Trade groups, like nonprofit Solar Energy International, offer accreditations you can <a href="http://www.solarenergy.org/courses/solar-training-solar-electric-lab-week-battery-based/" title="">get in less than a week</a>. For an administration that's <a href="https://mic.com/articles/166164/donald-trumps-isolationism-on-nafta-and-tpp-is-for-his-base-and-thats-exactly-who-it-will-hurt#.4EJr4KrAQ">ostensibly about empowering</a> the middle class with better-paying jobs, promoting the renewable energy sector seems like it would be a no-brainer. But Trump's team has <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/finance/314991-trump-team-prepares-dramatic-cuts">reportedly</a> floated the idea of scrapping the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy within the Department of Energy. Compared to more traditional energy jobs in industries like coal, the employment "return on investment" for renewables is far higher. For every $1 million invested in energy efficiency, approximately eight jobs are created — compared to roughly three jobs in fossil fuels, the report found. [...] </blockquote> <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/26/1625437/-High-Impact-Posts-January-25-2017" target="_blank" title="">HIGH IMPACT STORIES</a> •<a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/27/1624749/-Top-Comments-Trump-family-boundaries-edition#comment_65287163" target="_blank">TOP COMMENTS</a> TWEET OF THE DAY <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;The Breitbart editor Bannon brought to the National Security Council is facing criminal charges for trying to bring a gun on an airplane. &lt;a href="https://t.co/gFiZ3PRdYX"&gt;https://t.co/gFiZ3PRdYX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Susan_Hennessey/status/824804550041284608"&gt;January 27, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The Breitbart editor Bannon brought to the National Security Council is facing criminal charges for trying to bring a gun on an airplane. <a href="https://t.co/gFiZ3PRdYX">https://t.co/gFiZ3PRdYX</a>— Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) <a href="https://twitter.com/Susan_Hennessey/status/824804550041284608">January 27, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> BLAST FROM THE PAST At Daily Kos on this date in 2011—<a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/1/26/938824/-" target="_blank" title="">Texas governor declares fast-track emergency for abortion restrictions</a>: <blockquote> Remember how Texas is having such a huge budget crisis that the Legislature has been <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2011/1/22/937620/-A-silver-lining-of-the-Texas-budget-crisis" title="">forced to slash funding</a> for one of its favorite pet projects, crisis pregnancy centers? Well, apparently, the budget crisis is over because Gov. Rick Perry is insisting that the Legislature focus its attention on <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20110123/tr_ac/7680076_texas_gov_perry_to_place_sonogram_abortion_bill_on_the_emergency_fast_track_1" title="">the most important issue ever</a>: <blockquote>Texas Gov. Rick Perry has suggested to pro life activists that a bill in the Texas Legislature requiring women seeking abortions to have a sonogram taken of their fetus will be placed on the emergency fast track for passage.</blockquote> That's right -- passing even greater restrictions on women's access to reproductive health care is an emergency in Texas, budget be damned. Not to mention that this legislation, if it passes, will inevitably lead to litigation, as it has in pretty much every other state where similar laws have been enacted. Nothing like a costly lawsuit to really help out with the state's budget crisis, huh, Governor? This is the same Gov. Perry who, less than two years ago, <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/15/perry-texas-secession/" title="">declared</a> that Texas might have to secede from the union because "the federal government has become oppressive. I believe it’s become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of its citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state.</blockquote> On <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/26/1625453/-Daily-Kos-Radio-s-KITM-podcast-AUDIO-Kagro-in-the-Morning-Thursday-January-26-2017" target="_blank">today’s Kagro in the Morning show</a>, Greg Dworkin notes growing media awareness that… something’s wrong with Trump. Scientists are moved to action, and civil servants go rogue. The “executive orders” turn out to be fanboy wishlists. And something, something, Berhard Langer. <div class="dk-editor-embed facebook-embed-responsive center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder dk-x-embed" href="#" title="" data-height="100" data-src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5026495/height/100/width/500/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/e87822/" data-width="500">Embedded Content</a></div> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknlsM6zUMIdxtz1qEAbhuA" target="_blank" title="">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-kos-radio-kagro-in-morning/id581551976" target="_blank" title="">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://kagrox.libsyn.com/" target="_blank" title="">LibSyn</a> | Support the show via <a href="https://www.patreon.com/kagrox?ty=h" target="_blank">Patreon</a> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) OpenThreadforNightOwls _1625771 Fri, 27 Jan 2017 04:00:29 +0000 Arkansas legislature joins six other states in banning most accepted 2nd-trimester abortion method http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/26/1625139/-Arkansas-legislature-joins-six-other-states-in-banning-most-accepted-2nd-trimester-abortion-method <div> The Republican-dominated Arkansas Senate Thursday passed a bill banning the most common and most medically accepted method of performing abortions during the second trimester of pregnancy. The vote was 25-6. The House passed the bill 78-10 on Monday. It now goes on to the governor who will almost certainly sign it. If he does, Arkansas will become the seventh state where a similar law has been passed. The courts have blocked implementation of such laws in four states, leaving it in effect in Louisiana and Mississippi. All told, 16 states have attempted to pass the bans. These have been a priority on the forced-birthers’ roster of anti-abortion legislation since the first ban passed in 2014. Advocates call these “dismemberment bans.” But physicians have a less gruesome name for the widely used procedure—“dilation and evacuation.” Most abortions—88 percent—are performed in the first trimester. But D&E is used in 96 percent of second-trimester abortions, according to the <a href="http://prochoice.org/health-care-professionals/educational-resources/" target="_blank" title="">National Abortion Federation Abortion Training Textbook</a>. The World Health Organization calls this the safest and simplest way to terminate a pregnancy after 12 weeks of gestation. The abortion provider dilates the woman’s cervix and inserts surgical instruments into her uterus to remove fetal and placental tissue. As Laurel Raymond <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/health/2016/06/03/3784175/abortion-restriction-indiana/" target="_blank" title="">pointed out</a> last year at ThinkProgress, the campaign to get these bans passed is gaining momentum. Forced-birthers have openly stated that these bans constitute the next “pro-life conquest.” The idea is to build up laws state by state in hopes of reaching a Supreme Court showdown. It doesn’t matter to the campaigners that some of these state laws are overturned long before cases ever make it to the Supreme Court. That’s because eventually they figure that contradictory opinions at the Circuit Court level will require the Supremes to step in. </div> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) Abortion dilationandevacuation misogyny ReproductiveRights Sexism _1625139 Thu, 26 Jan 2017 21:00:56 +0000 Midday open thread: Recruiting millennials to be candidates; Greenpeace resisters arrested http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/26/1625590/-Midday-open-thread-Recruiting-millennials-to-be-candidates-Greenpeace-resisters-arrested Today’s <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/user/Comics/history" target="_blank">comic</a> by Ruben Bolling is <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/26/1625283/-Cartoon-The-new-view-from-Trump-Tower" target="_blank">The new view from Trump Tower</a>: <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Cartoon by Ruben Bolling - The new view from Trump Tower" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/356873/large/1322ckTEASER-view-from-trump-tower-2.png?1485434862" title="Cartoon by Ruben Bolling - The new view from Trump Tower"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> • <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/resist-banner-near-white-house-charged?utm_content=buffer72cf1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer" target="_blank">Greenpeace protesters arrested for raising White House “RESIST” banner:</a> Having generated one of the best resistance images so far against the Trump regime by hanging a banner from a construction crane a few blocks from the White House. The banner was highly visible for several hours while the protesters occupied the crane, hoping their message would get under the pr*sident’s notoriously thin skin. They came down around 10 PM ET. Police arrested them on charges of second-degree burglary, unlawful entry and destruction of property. • <a href="http://www.poynter.org/2017/journalists-around-the-country-are-joining-a-slack-channel-devoted-to-foia-and-trump/446640/" target="_blank">Journalists join Slack channel dedicated to the Freedom of Information Act and Trump</a>. As of Thursday, 1,500 people had signed up: <blockquote> "Anytime we have a new administration, there's turnover and there are changes," said Michael Morisy, MuckRock's co-founder. "I always think it's important for reporters to get an understating of what that new administration's priorities are. I think that's true no matter who's taking office." The open-government nonprofit first launched the channel with a small group of people about a week after Trump won the election. The channel works to help build requests, workshop ideas, ask questions and share results. It's a collaborative approach for journalists that MuckRock has seen more of in the last few years. </blockquote> • <a href="http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2017/01/26/mississippi-attorney-general-powers/97079082/" target="_blank">Mississippi Republican reduce Democratic AG’s clout:</a> <blockquote> The GOP-led state House [...] Wednesday and passed a bill that would require the attorney general, the lone Democrat to hold statewide office, to receive permission from a three-member board before filing any lawsuit that might have at least a $250,000 award. [...] The board's three members would be the governor, the lieutenant governor and the secretary of state. [...] "Obviously, House leadership and proponents of this bill bow down to their corporate masters, and it's unfortunate that this bill's supporters put such pressure on conscientious Republican legislators to change their vote," [AG Jim] Hood said in a statement. </blockquote> • <a href="https://twitter.com/mjbeckel/status/824642499784409088" target="_blank">Can anything be sadder?</a> • <a href="https://www.apnews.com/e625043542244d599557101d89d84579?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP_Politics" target="_blank">Chinese send fake tweets to Trump, New Year wishes:</a> <blockquote> In China, Twitter is blocked but fake tweets by @realdonaldtrump look set to become the latest internet sensation. Users are flocking to websites that let them generate images of fake tweets that look just like those sent from U.S. President Donald Trump's distinctive personal Twitter account — replete with his avatar and a real-time timestamp. </blockquote> • <a href="http://deadspin.com/justin-tucker-nailed-a-75-yard-field-goal-1791637906" target="_blank" title="">Ravens’ Justin Tucker completes 75-yard field goal in Pro Bowl practice.</a> • <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/01/democrats-candidate-recruitment-run-for-something" target="_blank" title="">Run for Something initiated to get recruit millennials to run as Democratic candidates:</a> <blockquote> Run for Something's mission is not to stop Trump in 2020, at least not directly. Its focus is on local races, where Democrats have been creamed over the last eight years, losing some 935 state legislative seats during the Obama era. In 2017, it is focusing its efforts on Virginia and North Carolina, two places where Democratic gains at the state level (the party controls the governor's mansion in both states) are undercut by conservative legislatures. In Virginia, a blue state in the last three presidential elections, Democrats have failed even to show up in some races: 44 of the state's 67 Republican delegates ran unopposed in 2015, including three Republicans in districts carried by Hillary Clinton. Democrats have a long way to go to recoup what they lost, but they've also left a lot of low-hanging fruit on the vine. </blockquote> <ul> </ul> • On <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/26/1625453/-Daily-Kos-Radio-s-KITM-podcast-AUDIO-Kagro-in-the-Morning-Thursday-January-26-2017" target="_blank" title="">today’s Kagro in the Morning show</a>, Greg Dworkin notes growing media awareness that… something’s wrong with Trump. Scientists are moved to action, and civil servants go rogue. The “executive orders” turn out to be fanboy wishlists. And something, something, Berhard Langer. <center> <div class="dk-editor-embed facebook-embed-responsive center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder dk-x-embed" href="#" data-src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5026495/height/100/width/500/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/e87822/" data-height="100" data-width="500">Embedded Content</a></div> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknlsM6zUMIdxtz1qEAbhuA" target="_blank">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-kos-radio-kagro-in-morning/id581551976" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://kagrox.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">LibSyn</a> | Support the show via <a href="https://www.patreon.com/kagrox?ty=h" target="_blank">Patreon</a> </center> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) MiddayOpenThread _1625590 Thu, 26 Jan 2017 20:10:27 +0000 Unnamed source says draft order on torture came from White House, contrary to spokesman's claims http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/26/1625527/-Unnamed-source-says-draft-order-on-torture-came-from-White-House-contrary-to-spokesman-claims The Wall Street Journal <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-faces-criticism-over-prospect-of-enhanced-interrogation-techniques-1485385913" target="_blank">reported</a> Thursday that a draft executive order calling for a review of interrogation techniques banned under the Obama administration—and raising the possibility of reopening CIA secret torture sites—did, in fact, come from the White House. That’s contrary to the claims of presidential press secretary Sean Spicer, who said Wednesday that it did not. The document in question, copies of which were obtained by The New York Times and The Washington Post, has sparked a considerable outcry on Capitol Hill, including criticisms from Sen. John McCain. The draft order<a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/torture-mattis-pompeo-defense-234180" target="_blank"> also reportedly</a> “blindsided” Defense Secretary James Mattis and CIA Director Mike Pompeo. The Journal cited an unnamed U.S. official as saying the draft order had been sent by White House officials to National Security Council staff for review. Whatever the source of the document, just the fact that it was being considered is disturbing. The attention given the document on Capitol Hill and elsewhere gave Pr*sident Trump another opportunity to express his views on torture: <blockquote> “As far as I’m concerned, we have to fight fire with fire,” he said in an interview with ABC News. “I want to do everything within the bounds of what you’re allowed to do legally, but do I feel it works? Absolutely I feel it works.” [...] After taking office in 2009, President Barack Obama ordered a review of interrogation methods. The resulting report, portions of which were released last month, found no support among national security officials for reinstituting so-called enhanced interrogation techniques or other abusive methods. <div></div> <div></div> </blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) CIA Recommended Torture _1625527 Thu, 26 Jan 2017 19:02:31 +0000 Abbreviated pundit round-up: Why '1984' still matters; don't get distracted by Trump's 'dead cats' http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/26/1625332/-Abbreviated-pundit-round-up-Why-1984-still-matters-don-t-get-distracted-by-Trump-s-dead-cats With the dawning of his seventh day in office, we can see that Donald Trump is a bit like climate change. The damage caused by each of them is happening far faster than the experts predicted. <hr> Ron Charles at The Washington Post writes—<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/why-orwells-1984-matters-so-much-now/2017/01/25/3cf81964-e313-11e6-a453-19ec4b3d09ba_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_bw-orwell552pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory" target="_blank">Why Orwell’s ‘1984’ matters so much now</a>: <blockquote> Donald Trump may not be a big reader, but he’s been a boon for sales of dystopian literature. Amid our thirst for adult coloring books and stories about missing girls and reincarnated puppies, some grim old classics are speaking to us with new urgency. Ray Bradbury’s “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1451673310?ie=UTF8&tag=thewaspos09-20&camp=1789&linkCode=xm2&creativeASIN=1451673310" title="">Fahrenheit 451</a>,” Aldous Huxley’s “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060850523?ie=UTF8&tag=thewaspos09-20&camp=1789&linkCode=xm2&creativeASIN=0060850523">Brave New World</a>” and Margaret Atwood’s “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038549081X?ie=UTF8&tag=thewaspos09-20&camp=1789&linkCode=xm2&creativeASIN=038549081X" title="">The Handmaid’s Tale</a> ” have all risen up the latest paperback bestseller list. But by far <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/01/25/sales-of-orwells-1984-spike-after-kellyanne-conways-alternative-facts/?utm_term=.16e7af84ba11" title="">the greatest beneficiary of our newly piqued national anxiety</a> is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451524934?ie=UTF8&tag=thewaspos09-20&camp=1789&linkCode=xm2&creativeASIN=0451524934" title="">George Orwell’s “1984.”</a> Leaders have always tried to manipulate the truth, of course, and modern politicians of all persuasions want to “control the narrative,” but there’s something freshly audacious about the president’s assault on basic math, his effort to assemble from the substance of his vanity hundreds of thousands of fans on the Mall. Almost 70 years after “1984” was first published, Orwell suddenly feels doubleplus relevant. Considering the New Trumpmatics, it’s impossible not to remember Winston Smith, the hero of “1984,” who predicted, “In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it.” </blockquote> Charles M. Blow at The New York Times writes—<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/26/opinion/a-lie-by-any-other-name.html?ref=opinion" target="_blank">A Lie by Any Other Name</a> <blockquote> After Trump and his press secretary, Sean Spicer, got called out by the press for lying about Trump’s inauguration crowd size and viewership, Spicer limped back to the mic and whined of Trump’s press coverage: “The default narrative is always negative, and it’s demoralizing.” No, sir, the default is to call a lie a lie; lies are negative because they are the opposite of the truth; and Trump continuously lies. Also, he who is devoid of morality is immune to demoralization. You can’t wring water from a rock. [...] We all have to adjust to this unprecedented assault on the truth and stand ready to vigilantly defend against it, because without truth, what’s left? Our president is a pathological liar. Say it. Write it. Never become inured to it. And dispense with the terms of art to describe it. A lie by any other name portends the same. </blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) AbbreviatedPunditRoundUp _1625332 Thu, 26 Jan 2017 12:30:24 +0000 Open thread for night owls: Danish official will urge states to add wind power despite Trump http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/26/1625287/-Open-thread-for-night-owls-Danish-official-will-urge-states-to-add-wind-power-despite-Trump Peter Levring <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-24/denmark-to-seek-an-end-to-subsidies-for-offshore-wind-energy" target="_blank">reports</a>: <blockquote> Denmark’s minister in charge of energy policy plans to head to the U.S. this year to talk to state representatives in an effort to promote wind energy despite open declarations of hostility toward the technology from President Donald Trump. <figure class="image-captioned width-sm align-right"><img alt="night owls" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/113740/large/halloween_owl.jpg?1453352072" title="night owls"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> Lars Christian Lilleholt, energy minister in Denmark’s minority center-right coalition led by Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, has just returned from India to promote wind power. He now plans to travel to the U.S. to do the same and will count on state legislatures to see the potential of the energy form, irrespective of signals from Washington D.C., he said in an interview in Copenhagen on Tuesday. “We’re intensifying our efforts with the U.S.,” Lilleholt said. “We’re expanding our cooperation with local authorities abroad to include the U.S.” As part of the minister’s planned trip this year, he said he’ll “visit green states and areas that want to pick up the green gauntlet.” The comments come as the minister prepares to unveil a plan to put an end to Danish subsidies that have supported renewable energy in the country since the 1970s. He says such a framework is no longer necessary because wind power has proven its long-term capacity to compete on equal terms with fossil fuels, without state support. Lilleholt says it’s already cheaper to use wind than coal to generate electricity, based on estimated costs of creating a new facility. [...] </blockquote> <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/25/1624901/-High-Impact-Posts-January-24-2017" target="_blank">HIGH IMPACT STORIES</a> • <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/26/1625108/-Top-Comments-Women-s-March-on-Washington-Edition-or-Eight-Hours-in-a-Pussy-Hat-Photo-Heavy#comment_65271466" target="_blank">TOP COMMENTS</a> TWEET OF THE DAY <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;First they came for the Latinos, Muslims, women, gays, poor people, intellectuals and scientists and then it was Wednesday.&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Jonathan M. Katz (@KatzOnEarth) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/KatzOnEarth/status/824123263165014016"&gt;January 25, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">First they came for the Latinos, Muslims, women, gays, poor people, intellectuals and scientists and then it was Wednesday.— Jonathan M. Katz (@KatzOnEarth) <a href="https://twitter.com/KatzOnEarth/status/824123263165014016">January 25, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> BLAST FROM THE PAST At Daily Kos on this date in 2007—<a href="http://%22http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/01/25/294782/-New-Dem-Center-Fights-Broder-s-Independent-Extremism" target="_blank">New Dem Center Fights Broder's 'Independent' Extremism</a>: <blockquote> David Broder's skewed vision of bipartisanship plays on. Today he finds comfort in the fact that his old favorites in the Gang of 14 (now down to 12) <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/24/AR2007012401648.html">have breakfast together</a>. Broder waxes on and on about the "budding spirit of fellowship" among Senators, led by "Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, reelected as an independent Democrat." <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/20/AR2006092001586_pf.html">Broder's hero</a>. <blockquote>Now, however, you can see the independence party forming -- on both sides of the aisle. They are mobilizing to resist not only Bush but also the extremist elements in American society -- the vituperative, foul-mouthed bloggers on the left. . . . A "decent respect" begins at home, with an acknowledgment of public opinion.</blockquote> Broder's independence party, with McCain, Lieberman, Graham boldly standing up to Bush and the extremist elements. I hate to tell Broder this, but they are the extremist elements. For example, on the minimum wage bill, the first hike of the federal minimum wage in a decade? The extremist wing of the Gang represented by McCain and Graham, decided that mending the bipartisan fences of the Senate on this critical piece of legislation just wasn't that important. They also had little respect for the opinion of the American people and the 81 percent of them who support a minimum wage increase. Broder, McCain, Graham, and Lieberman aren't in the coalition of moderate bipartisanship. What McCain, Lieberman and Graham, and Broder for that matter, are good at is talking about being moderate, but never actually being moderate. These are the "moderates" that will support George Bush until the bitter end. </blockquote> On <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/25/1624948/-Daily-Kos-Radio-s-KITM-podcast-AUDIO-Kagro-in-the-Morning-Wednesday-January-25-2017" target="_blank">today’s </a><a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/25/1624948/-Daily-Kos-Radio-s-KITM-podcast-AUDIO-Kagro-in-the-Morning-Wednesday-January-25-2017" target="_blank">Kagro in the Morning</a> show, Greg Dworkin and Joan McCarter are on hand to discuss the Trump chaos, both inside and outside the White House. It’s on every mind that Trump’s out of his. The gov’t communications crackdown continues, and his nominees look worse every minute. <center> <div class="dk-editor-embed facebook-embed-responsive center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder dk-x-embed" href="#" data-height="90" data-src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5023342/height/90/width/500/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/e87822/" data-width="500">Embedded Content</a></div> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknlsM6zUMIdxtz1qEAbhuA" target="_blank">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-kos-radio-kagro-in-morning/id581551976" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://kagrox.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">LibSyn</a> | Support the show via <a href="https://www.patreon.com/kagrox?ty=h" target="_blank">Patreon</a> </center> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) OpenThreadforNightOwls _1625287 Thu, 26 Jan 2017 04:00:24 +0000 Spotlight on green news & views: Trump regime gags us all when it gags scientists and agencies http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/26/1624583/-Spotlight-on-green-news-views-Trump-regime-gags-us-all-when-it-gags-scientists-and-agencies Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/11/1618783/-Spotlight-on-green-news-amp-views-China-eating-our-lunch-on-renewables-bumblebee-endangered" target="_blank">Here is</a> the January 11 Green Spotlight. More than 26,325 environmentally oriented stories have been rescued to appear in this series since 2006. Inclusion of a story in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it. OUTSTANDING GREEN STORIES Username4242 writes—<a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/23/1624091/-Ghost-in-the-dunes-the-cheetahs-of-the-Sahara" target="_blank">Ghost in the dunes--the cheetahs of the Sahara</a>: “Evening, in the windswept dunes of southern Algeria, is a welcome affair. Somewhere in that fine line between day and night, the Saharan sun transforms from oppressively radiant taskmaster to beguiling friend. A steady breeze tosses about grains of sand, as though an hourglass was being slowly and imperceptively turned. As the desert sky fades from gold to blue, slow yet purposeful footsteps can be heard. A cheetah is on the prowl. That there are populations of cheetahs living in the Sahara desert and its southernly neighbor, the Sahel, is only slightly less than the sum total of human knowledge of their ecology. Records of their numbers are slight, and few population surveys exist. But the little we do know paints a picture of an elusive, wide-ranging desert carnivore precariously holding onto existence by the slimmest margins.The latest population surveys, compiled by Sarah Durant and colleagues in a 2017 paper, suggest that there approximately 220 North African cheetahs, of which 191 live in Algeria and Mali.” ClimateDenierRoundup writes—<a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/24/1624430/-Bureaucracy-Vs-Trump-An-Unmovable-Object-Against-The-Immutable-Force" target="_blank">Bureaucracy Vs. Trump: An Unmovable Object Against The Immutable Force</a>: “The meta-coverage of the world of doublespeak and ‘alternative facts’ continues. WaPo’s <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-traditional-way-of-reporting-on-a-president-is-dead-and-trumps-press-secretary-killed-it/2017/01/22/75403a00-e0bf-11e6-a453-19ec4b3d09ba_story.html?postshare=4661485121077844&tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.26b8fc49c771">Margaret Sullivan suggests</a> that the gall of new Press Secretary Sean Spicer to “brazenly <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/01/22/spicer-earns-four-pinocchios-for-a-series-of-false-claims-on-inauguration-crowd-size/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_fc-spicer-1203pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.ed973e03fd1c">lie</a> to the media in his first official briefing” has killed traditional presidential reporting. But <a href="http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/01/journalism-media-donald-trump-214682">Politico’s Jack Shafer sees</a> it a little differently, contending that ‘Extraordinary times like these call for normal measures: The meticulous, aggressive and calm presentation of the news.’ He names David Fahrenthold, the WaPo reporter who <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/david-fahrenthold-tells-the-behind-the-scenes-story-of-his-year-covering-trump/2016/12/27/299047c4-b510-11e6-b8df-600bd9d38a02_story.html?utm_term=.e0eb38cd49e3">used Twitter to dig up</a> the self-dealing details of Donald Trump’s supposedly charitable foundation, as the model for reporters to follow. Shafer also <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/obama-the-puppet-master-087764">points to a piece</a> about Obama’s much more subtle and less ‘alternative’ mastery of media manipulation, written by Jim Vandehei and Mike Allen, back when they ran Politico. What are those two up to now? Funny you should ask! These days they’re running a <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/11/mike-allen-and-jim-vandehei-reveal-their-plan-for-media-domination-axios">new sort of media operation</a>, a company known as Axios. You may have just heard about them, specifically their ‘<a href="https://www.axios.com/trumpworld-prepares-to-hammer-the-epa-2209021483.html">sneaky look</a>’ at the new EPA ‘agency action’ plan. The document, written by <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/myron-ebell">CEI’s Myron Ebell</a>, recommends some rather startling actions along the ‘sound science’ lines we’ve seen before (the term itself was <a href="https://theintercept.com/2016/11/15/how-self-appointed-guardians-of-sound-science-tip-the-scales-toward-industry/">popularized by the tobacco industry</a>). But more shocking is the suggestion that the EPA shouldn’t fund any scientific research, which would be a major blow to public health, among other things.” rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) Environment Recommended SpotlightonGreenNewsandViews _1624583 Thu, 26 Jan 2017 00:21:19 +0000 Spokesman denies reports that Trump regime plans to revive black sites and review torture guidelines http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/25/1625055/-Spokesman-denies-reports-that-Trump-regime-plans-to-revive-black-sites-and-review-torture-guidelines White House spokesman Sean Spicer <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/latest-trump-order-investigation-voter-fraud-45033184" target="_blank" title="">says a three-page draft executive order</a> calling for a review of U.S. methods of interrogating suspected terrorists and the possibility of reopening the CIA’s infamous black sites “is not a White House document” and he has “no idea where it came from.” The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/01/25/us/politics/document-Trump-draft-executive-order-on-detention-and.html" target="_blank">document</a> was obtained and reported on by The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/25/us/politics/cia-detainee-prisons.html" target="_blank">here</a> and the Associated Press <a href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TRUMP_INTERROGATIONS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT" target="_blank">here</a>. The AP noted that the review would "recommend to the president whether to reinitiate a program of interrogation of high-value alien terrorists to be operated outside the United States." Spicer <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/sean-spicer-denies-authenticity-executive-order-interrogation" target="_blank">said</a> in his daily briefing: <blockquote> "It is not a White House document, and I would just urge those people who have reported on it, this is now I think the second day that we've had a document that was not a White House document get reported on as a factual document [...] It is not a White House document. I have no idea where it came from." </blockquote> White House sources told Fox News that the draft order dates back to the transition when thousands of these were being written. There is, they said, no plan to revive overseas "black sites" or to review official interrogation procedures laid out in the Army Field Manual. If what these sources say is true—an introductory clause that should be attached to nearly every statement emanating from named or unnamed White House sources these days—it’s good news. But as Joshua Keating <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/01/25/draft_executive_order_suggests_trump_may_bring_back_black_sites_revive_gitmo.html" target="_blank">writes</a> at Slate: <blockquote> “It’s not quite clear from this whether ‘not a White House document’ means it didn’t actually come from the White House or if it’s merely not official yet. If it’s really under consideration, though, or even just an indication of the administration’s thinking, it’s disturbing. </blockquote> The fact of the matter is, the draft order comports with what Pr*sident Trump said more than once during his campaign. Charles Savage <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/25/us/politics/cia-detainee-prisons.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0" target="_blank">reports</a>: rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) BlackSites CIA GuantanamoBay Recommended Torture _1625055 Wed, 25 Jan 2017 20:19:43 +0000 Midday open thread: Will Dutch fill in for U.S. on abortion info? $1/watt solar goal beats deadline http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/25/1624986/-Midday-open-thread-Will-Dutch-fill-in-for-U-S-on-abortion-info-1-watt-solar-goal-beats-deadline Today’s <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/blogs/comics" target="_blank">comic</a> by Matt Bors is <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/25/1624525/-Cartoon-Captain-America-punches-a-Nazi" target="_blank">Captain America punches a Nazi</a>: <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Cartoon by Matt Bors - Captain America punches a Nazi" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/356318/large/teaser.png?1485348794" title="Cartoon by Matt Bors - Captain America punches a Nazi"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> • <a href="https://www.apnews.com/8b2bbb9bcb894389bffb9f847a30074b?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP_Politics" target="_blank">Sales of “1984” soar after Trump adviser’s “alternative facts” comment:</a> <blockquote> First published in 1949, Orwell's classic dystopian tale of a society in which facts are distorted and suppressed in a cloud of "newspeak" topped the best-seller list of Amazon.com as of Tuesday evening. The sales bump comes after the Trump administration's assertions his inauguration had record attendance and his unfounded allegation that millions of illegal votes were cast against him last fall. [...] Orwell's book isn't the only cautionary tale on the Amazon list. Sinclair Lewis' 1935 novel about the election of an authoritarian president, "It Can't Happen Here," was at No. 46. Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" was at No. 71. </blockquote> • <a href="http://wagingnonviolence.org/feature/history-anti-authoritarian-struggles-history-worth-repeating/" target="_blank">History of anti-authoritarian resistance is worth repeating:</a> <blockquote> If we look to the past for examples of how to organize against injustice, we see how ordinary citizens — through their use of concerted strategy and creative tactics — have harnessed the will of the people against repression. They have, in short, left us a blueprint to follow when it comes to resisting illegitimate leaders. Their actions show us that the greatest way to fight tyranny is not with an army or even an expert team of Internet hackers, but with the often-overlooked powers of solidarity, civil disobedience and collaborative action. </blockquote> • <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Screen_Shot_2017-01-25_at_9.19.51_AM.png" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/356441/large/Screen_Shot_2017-01-25_at_9.19.51_AM.png?1485364812" title="Screen_Shot_2017-01-25_at_9.19.51_AM.png"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> • <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/its-official-elon-musk-will-start-digging-a-tunnel-under-los-angeles" target="_blank">Elon Musk to dig tunnel under Los Angeles:</a> <blockquote> More boring news from Elon Musk today. The SpaceX CEO’s recently-revealed plan to dig a tunnel under Los Angeles to ease traffic congestion has apparently been given the go ahead, according to Musk himself, who<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/824182024479133698" target="_blank"> tweeted this morning</a>, “Exciting progress on the tunnel front. Plan to start digging in a month or so.” </blockquote> • <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/513629/fired-up-ready-to-go/" target="_blank" title="">Here’s the story of an iconic Obama campaign slogan, animated.</a> • <a href="https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Sunshot-1-Per-Watt-Solar-Cost-Goal-Mission-Accomplished-Years-Ahead-of-S?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20GreentechMedia%20%28Greentech%20Media%29" target="_blank">Sunshot reaches $1/watt solar cost goal way ahead of schedule:</a> <blockquote> With the advent of $1.00-per-watt (DC) pricing for utility fixed-tilt PV systems, the solar industry has crushed the SunShot Program's $1.00-per-watt goal for 2020 three years early. In early 2011, Steven Chu, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy (and a scientist), along with Dick Swanson, founder of SunPower, christened the DOE's SunShot initiative. Swanson cited DOE's early support of SunPower as a factor in SunPower's success. At the time, $1.00 per watt seemed more aspirational than real -- but one needs a North Star. The intrepid analysts at GTM Research were tracking utility solar at close to <a href="http://www.seia.org/research-resources/us-solar-market-insight-report-2011-year-review" target="_blank">$4.00 per watt in early 2011</a>. </blockquote> • <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/01/ultrasound-woman-pregnancy/514109/" target="_blank">How Ultrasound Became Political: </a>The technology has been used to create sped-up videos that falsely depict a fetal response to stimulus. • <a href="http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/the_netherlands_to_start_abortion_fund_trump_anti-choice_20170125" target="_blank">The Netherlands steps in to counter Trump’s abortion gag order abroad:</a> <blockquote> Days after Donald Trump signed an executive order <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/23/world/trump-ban-foreign-aid-abortions.html" target="_blank">banning aid to organizations</a> in developing nations that “offer abortion counseling or if they advocate the right to seek abortion in their countries,” Dutch Trade and Development Minister Lilianne Ploumen announced plans for an international fund to “fill the gap” the U.S. is leaving worldwide. </blockquote> Check out Heath Digby Parton’s <a href="http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-global-gag-rule-is-now-ten-times.html" target="_blank">commentary</a> on how the gag order is 10 times worse than before. • On <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/25/1624948/-Daily-Kos-Radio-s-KITM-podcast-AUDIO-Kagro-in-the-Morning-Wednesday-January-25-2017" target="_blank" title="">today’s </a><a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/25/1624948/-Daily-Kos-Radio-s-KITM-podcast-AUDIO-Kagro-in-the-Morning-Wednesday-January-25-2017" target="_blank">Kagro in the Morning</a> show, Greg Dworkin and Joan McCarter are on hand to discuss the Trump chaos, both inside and outside the White House. It’s on every mind that Trump’s out of his. The gov’t communications crackdown continues, and his nominees look worse every minute. <center> <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder dk-x-embed" href="#" data-src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5023342/height/90/width/500/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/e87822/" data-height="90" data-width="500">Embedded Content</a></div> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknlsM6zUMIdxtz1qEAbhuA" target="_blank">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-kos-radio-kagro-in-morning/id581551976" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://kagrox.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">LibSyn</a> | Support the show via <a href="https://www.patreon.com/kagrox?ty=h" target="_blank">Patreon</a> </center> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) MiddayOpenThread _1624986 Wed, 25 Jan 2017 20:00:31 +0000 Open thread for night owls: Governor Jerry Brown lays out a direct challenge to Trump regime http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/25/1624683/-Open-thread-for-night-owls-Governor-Jerry-Brown-lays-out-a-direct-challenge-to-Trump-regime Sasha Abramsky at The Nation writes—<a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/californias-jerry-brown-laid-down-a-direct-challenge-to-trump-today/" target="_blank">California’s Jerry Brown Laid Down a Direct Challenge to Trump Monday</a>. In a pugnacious State of the State speech, the governor’s contempt for the new president was evident: <blockquote> For months, commentators have pointed to California’s outlier role as an increasingly liberal state in a country veering in a dangerously conservative direction. But while both the Senate and the Assembly leaders in this state have been outspoken in their criticism of Trump’s agenda, until now (with the exception of climate change), Governor [Jerry] Brown has been remarkably circumspect. In his statements outlining the upcoming budget last week, he talked of deficits and of the need to build rainy-day funds, and generally avoided big-picture questions such as what the state is planning to do in the event of the dismantling of the Affordable Care Act or other attacks on social infrastructure programs. <figure class="image-captioned width-md align-right"><img alt="owls" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/125323/large/HolyGrailOwl_Badge_TEXT.jpg?1453439006" title="owls"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> There’s been a Yoda-like quality to Brown these days. The governor has been speaking almost in aphorisms, making short, philosophical statements about our interconnectedness, our relationship to the planet, the dangers of hubris, and so on. By contrast, in [Monday]’s State of the State speech, Brown went into specifics and on the offensive, his fury and contempt for Trumpism impossible to disguise. In a pugnacious, campaigning speech, his voice loud, his hands hammering the air for emphasis, the governor laid out a much more ambitious idea of what his state means and how California can act in the current political moment. California, he averred, is “the Great Exception,” a state economically intertwined with the rest of the United States but willing to carve its own path on a host of fundamental issues. In many ways, Brown was laying down a challenge: that the California Dream would come to fill the emotional space in this century that in the 20th century was the purview of the American Dream. On immigration he committed the state to protecting its undocumented populations. “Let me be clear: we will defend everybody—every man, woman, and child—who had come here for a better life and had contributed to the well-being of our state.” The audience responded with a long standing ovation. On climate change he argued, “whatever they do in Washington, they cannot change the facts…the science is clear.” He went on to slam the new administration for trying to “construct some alternate universe of non-facts that we find more pleasing.” On ideas such as universal healthcare and equal treatment for all, Brown laid down an extraordinary challenge to the federal government. “I intend to join with other governors—and with you—to do everything we can to protect the healthcare of our people.” Departing from his prepared speech, Brown gave a strong defense of Planned Parenthood.[...] </blockquote> <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/24/1624591/-High-Impact-Posts-January-23-2017" target="_blank">HIGH IMPACT STORIES</a> • <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/25/1624716/-Top-Comments-Things-Taken-For-Granted-Edition#comment_65256941" target="_blank">TOP COMMENTS</a> TWEET OF THE DAY <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;BREAKING: Trump retains James Comey as FBI director — then rubs his tummy, tosses him a doggie treat and asks &amp;quot;Who&amp;#39;s a good boy?&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Victor Laszlo (@Impolitics) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Impolitics/status/824074472219176961"&gt;January 25, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">BREAKING: Trump retains James Comey as FBI director Ã¢Â€Â” then rubs his tummy, tosses him a doggie treat and asks "Who's a good boy?"— Victor Laszlo (@Impolitics) <a href="https://twitter.com/Impolitics/status/824074472219176961">January 25, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> BLAST FROM THE PAST At Daily Kos on this date in 2003—<a href="http://www.dailykos.net/archives/001213.html#001213" target="_blank">Saddam's WMD: oil</a> <blockquote> Nothing better than to wake up to <a href="http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jan2003/p01232003_p007-03.html">this</a>. <blockquote>A senior U.S. Central Command official will provide a background briefing regarding Iraq's potential use of oil as a terror weapon.</blockquote> Sounds like an Onion article, doesn't it? Reader BZ, who brought this beauty to my attention, summed it up perfectly: <blockquote>What's next? Sand as WMD?</blockquote> Update: Upon further thought, this strategy starts making more and more sense. If Bush and Co. can pull it off, why stop with Iraq? It would provide ample justification to go after administration thorn-in-the-sides Venezuela and Iran. And at that point could we really ignore Saudi Arabia's "arsenal"? </blockquote> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div> <div> <div>On <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/24/1624465/-Daily-Kos-Radio-s-KITM-podcast-AUDIO-Kagro-in-the-Morning-Tuesday-January-24-2017?_=2017-01-24T10:07:05.453-08:00" target="_blank">today’s Kagro in the Morning show</a>: Open suspicion of Trump’s mental illness is the order of the day. Armando discusses Trump’s “executive orders,” then rants over the pipeline reversals & protest voting. Is CIA domestic surveillance & data mining a problem? Well, what if the Russians do it for us? <center> <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder dk-x-embed" href="#" data-height="100" data-src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5020271/height/100/width/500/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/e87822/" data-width="500">Embedded Content</a></div> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknlsM6zUMIdxtz1qEAbhuA" target="_blank">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-kos-radio-kagro-in-morning/id581551976" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://kagrox.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">LibSyn</a> | Support the show via <a href="https://www.patreon.com/kagrox?ty=h" target="_blank">Patreon</a> </center> </div> </div> </div> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) California OpenThreadforNightOwls Recommended _1624683 Wed, 25 Jan 2017 04:24:35 +0000 Midday open thread: Student walk-out rejects Trump climate agenda; FCC chief bad news http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/24/1624441/-Midday-open-thread-Student-walk-out-rejects-Trump-climate-agenda-FCC-chief-bad-news Today’s <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/user/Comics/history" target="_blank">comic</a> by Jen Sorensen is <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/24/1624332/-Cartoon-Trump-s-appointees-are-stickin-it-to-the-elites" target="_blank">Trump's appointees are stickin' it to the elites!</a> <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned width-lg"><img alt="Cartoon by Jen Sorensen --Trump's appointees are stickin' it to the elites!" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/355742/large/trumpelitesPANEL.png?1485263200" title="Cartoon by Jen Sorensen --Trump's appointees are stickin' it to the elites!"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> • <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/inside-the-private-chat-rooms-trump-supporters-are-using-to?utm_term=.qevwjv782#.opewkEMmK" target="_blank">Take a look inside the Trump chatrooms being used to manipulate French voters</a>: <blockquote> The users in “The Great Liberation Of France” want to create as much chaos on social media as possible to make right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen and her supporters in the National Front (FN) seem like the most legitimate voice in French politics. [...] The chatroom’s admins have instructed users to make fake Facebook accounts that are “ideally young, cute girl, gay, Jew, basically anyone who isn’t supposed to be pro-[FN].” Users are then instructed to lock down these dummy accounts so no one can tell they’re fake. Once they have their fake Facebook profiles, they’re told to infiltrate the comment sections of large French <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LaFranceSurTaPeau/">Facebook pages</a> and post pro-FN memes and jokes about François Fillon, France’s current frontrunner for the presidency. </blockquote> • <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;On this day, 33 years ago, &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Apple"&gt;@Apple&lt;/a&gt; introduces the Macintosh. &lt;a href="https://t.co/Fna189P9nH"&gt;pic.twitter.com/Fna189P9nH&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/ValaAfshar/status/823911756389117954"&gt;January 24, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">On this day, 33 years ago, <a href="https://twitter.com/Apple">@Apple</a> introduces the Macintosh. <a href="https://t.co/Fna189P9nH">pic.twitter.com/Fna189P9nH</a>— Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) <a href="https://twitter.com/ValaAfshar/status/823911756389117954">January 24, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> • <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/the-radical-crusade-of-mike-pence-w462223" target="_blank">You already knew he was creepy</a>: <blockquote> While Mike Pence was governor, his relationship with the Democratic minority in the legislature was crap. Someone on his staff suggested having the Democratic leaders over to the governor's mansion for dinner. The table was set for 20, but there were only around seven in attendance. One unlucky legislator stuck next to Pence tried to make conversation, but found even at dinner she couldn't shift Pence off his talking points. Gov. Pence shouted to his wife, Karen, his closest adviser, at the other end of the table. "Mother, Mother, who prepared our meal this evening?" The legislators looked at one another, speaking with their eyes: He just called his wife "Mother." Maybe it was a joke, the legislator reasoned. But a few minutes later, Pence shouted again. "Mother, Mother, whose china are we eating on?" </blockquote> • <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/big-telecom-is-ecstatic-about-trumps-new-fcc-boss-ajit-pai" target="_blank">Big Telecom loves new FCC Chairman Ajit Pai:</a> And with good reason—he opposes net neutrality and privacy protections. A terrific appointment,” said Comcast Senior Executive Vice President David L. Cohen. “An exceptional choice,” said USTelecom President and CEO Jonathan Spalter. “No one is more prepared,” said AT&T Senior Executive Vice President Bob Quinn. • <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/315773-cdc-cancels-major-climate-change-conference" target="_blank" title="">Centers for Disease Control call off February climate conference:</a> <blockquote> The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called off a major conference on climate change planned for February, <a href="http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/01/23/stories/1060048779">E&E News</a> reported Monday. [...] Georges Benjamin, the [American Public Health Association’s] executive director who was set to speak at the conference, told <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/01/23/cdc-abruptly-cancels-long-planned-conference-on-climate-change-and-health/?postshare=5811485213452231&tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.356bf28cbd70">The Washington Post</a> that the CDC called off the event amid fears that the Trump administration would cancel it anyway. </blockquote> • <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/student-protest-trump-2209339481.html" target="_blank" title="">Students reject Trump’s climate agenda in Monday walkout:</a> <blockquote> Within 100 hours of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/trump-watch/" title="">Donald Trump</a>'s inauguration, in the first and largest youth-led mobilization of 2017, thousands of students across the country walked-out of class in protest of Trump and his corrupt fossil fuel billionaire cabinet. This comes just two days after nearly 3 million people mobilized in <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/37-stunning-photos-from-womens-marches-around-the-world_us_58811ee7e4b096b4a23090f8" target="_blank">Women's Marches around the world</a>. Students on dozens of campuses across the country are demanding administrations resist and reject Trump's <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-denier">climate denial</a> cabinet by divesting from fossil fuels and reinvesting in solutions to the climate crisis. [...] "In the face of Trump's dangerous climate denial, youth are rising up," said Greta Neubauer, director of the <a href="http://www.studentsdivest.org/" target="_blank">Divestment Student Network</a>. "For any chance at curbing the worst impacts of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" title="">climate change</a>, our universities must stand on the right side of history with students and take action now against Trump's climate denial. We won't allow Trump and his fossil fuel billionaire cabinet to foreclose on our future." </blockquote> • On <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/24/1624465/-Daily-Kos-Radio-s-KITM-podcast-AUDIO-Kagro-in-the-Morning-Tuesday-January-24-2017?_=2017-01-24T10:07:05.453-08:00" target="_blank" title="">today’s Kagro in the Morning show</a>: Open suspicion of Trump’s mental illness is the order of the day. Armando discusses Trump’s “executive orders,” then rants over the pipeline reversals & protest voting. Is CIA domestic surveillance & data mining a problem? Well, what if the Russians do it for us? <center> <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder dk-x-embed" href="#" data-src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5020271/height/100/width/500/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/e87822/" data-height="100" data-width="500">Embedded Content</a></div> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknlsM6zUMIdxtz1qEAbhuA" target="_blank">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-kos-radio-kagro-in-morning/id581551976" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://kagrox.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">LibSyn</a> | Support the show via <a href="https://www.patreon.com/kagrox?ty=h" target="_blank">Patreon</a> </center> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) MiddayOpenThread _1624441 Tue, 24 Jan 2017 20:00:23 +0000 First congressional bill under Trump regime would make Hyde permanent and abortions more expensive http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/24/1624533/-First-congressional-bill-under-Trump-regime-would-make-Hyde-permanent-and-abortions-more-expensive Before Nov. 8 dashed hopes for passing progressive legislation at the federal level over the next few years, African-American activists in the reproductive rights movement had made clear that the 40-year-old <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/10/hyde-repeal/502568/" target="_blank" title="">Hyde Amendment should be targeted</a> for extinction. The amendment, a congressional resolution that must be renewed annually, forbids the spending of government revenue for abortion except in cases where a pregnancy was caused by rape or incest, or when it endangers a woman’s life. This bars government abortion funding for federal employees, residents of the District of Columbia, women in federal prisons, patients at the Indian Health Service, and for women in the military. But the broadest impact is the harm it causes women on Medicaid. And now the new Congress is determined to make abortions even more expensive. The first bill out of the gate is the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/7" target="_blank">No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act</a>. If approved, it would make <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/10/hyde-repeal/502568/" target="_blank">the Hyde Amendment</a> permanent. In addition to the items already in Hyde, the bill includes incentives for private health insurers to drop abortion coverage, bans abortion coverage in multi-state health insurance plans (except in cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment), and cuts women off from small businesses tax credits if they choose private health plans that cover abortion. Laura Bassett <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/congress-abortion-more-expensive_us_58878218e4b070d8cad57fb4?mm42vcrppdkne9udi" target="_blank">writes</a>: <blockquote> <div> Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), the author of the legislation, told colleagues at a committee hearing on Monday night that fetuses “need friends” in Congress. [...] </div> <div> House Democrats slammed Republicans for focusing on abortion out of the gate, just three days after the Women’s March on Washington<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/womens-march-dc_us_58837044e4b096b4a231ee7e">Women’s March on Washington</a>, in which more than 3 million people protested to protect gender equality and reproductive rights. </div> <div> “Roe v. Wade was not the beginning of women having abortions― it was the end of women dying from abortions,” said Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). “Women across the country are terrified that politicians are going to restrict their access to safe abortion, and clearly this fear is well-founded.” </div> </blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) Abortion BirthControl ReproductiveRights Resist&Rebel Sexism womensrights _1624533 Tue, 24 Jan 2017 19:34:12 +0000 Eight Democratic senators propose 10-year trillion-dollar infrastructure plan http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/24/1624450/-Eight-Democratic-senators-propose-10-year-trillion-dollar-infrastructure-plan America’s infrastructure suffers from decades of reckless neglect, what bureaucrats and policymakers conceal behind the euphemism of “deferred maintenance.” Decrepit describes the consequences. Myopic describes the attitude. This affects many realms—our public schools, our public health system, our electrical transmission grid and, despite how deeply we Americans treasure personal mobility, our transportation system. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and seven of his colleagues are proposing a $1 trillion infrastructure plan today. As The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/24/us/politics/donald-trump-administration.html" target="_blank">reports</a>, they are daring Pr*sident Trump to make good on his promises of infrastructure projects. Patrick Sisson <a href="http://www.curbed.com/2017/1/24/14369226/democrats-infrastructure-chuck-schumer" target="_blank">writes</a>: <blockquote> “From our largest cities to our smallest towns, communities across the country are struggling to meet the challenges of aging infrastructure,” Senator Schumer said in a prepared statement. “Our urban and rural communities have their own unique set of infrastructure priorities, and this proposal would provide funding to address those needed upgrades that go beyond the traditional road and bridge repair.” </blockquote> <div> The seven other senior Senate Democrats are Bill Nelson (Florida), Bernie Sanders and Patrick J. Leahy (Vermont), Ron Wyden (Oregon), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Maria Cantwell (Washington), and Thomas R. Carper (Delaware). Schumer and a few other Democrats in addition to those seven have said they would work with Trump on infrastructure if he is willing to cooperate. Good friggin’ luck on that. As part of his campaign for the White House, Trump proposed his own trillion-dollar infrastructure proposal. But his plan would have merely provided $140 billion in tax credits to construction companies, and those credits would supposedly pay for themselves from new economic activity associated with the infrastructure upgrades. The idea is that the credits would leverage the rest of the trillion dollars from private investment. But that’s something that historically <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/01/24/democrats_1_trillion_infrastructure_plan_is_a_test_for_trump.html" target="_blank">just hasn't worked</a> because there’s not enough profit in it for private investors. Schumer said earlier this month that tax credits “<a href="http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/312546-schumer-infrastructure-tax-credits-wont-get-the-job-done" target="_blank">won't get the job done</a>.” </div> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) ChuckSchumer Infrastructure Recommended Transportation _1624450 Tue, 24 Jan 2017 17:11:12 +0000 Here's a list of 210 of 673 sister events of the Women's March. More to come. Please add your locale http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/22/1623680/-UPDATE-Add-your-locale-to-this-list-of-135-of-the-670-sister-events-of-the-Women-s-March <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Unreal. San Francisco women&amp;#39;s march. &lt;a href="https://t.co/YLcMrdaxQi"&gt;pic.twitter.com/YLcMrdaxQi&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Michael Farrell (@mikefarrell) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/mikefarrell/status/822984329718427651"&gt;January 22, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Unreal. San Francisco women's march. <a href="https://t.co/YLcMrdaxQi">pic.twitter.com/YLcMrdaxQi</a>— Michael Farrell (@mikefarrell) <a href="https://twitter.com/mikefarrell/status/822984329718427651">January 22, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> There are 1,000 comments in the <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/21/1623329/-Got-some-Women-s-March-numbers-Add-them-to-this-short-list" target="_blank">original post</a> on Saturday’s turnout, which makes it hard for many people to log on. So here is an update that is easier to navigate. Counts vary, some of them widely. For the most part, I’ve used conservative estimates here. Typically, police and media lowball crowd estimates while organizers frequently inflate their numbers. Often, the distance between one estimate and another is quite large. In most cases, however, there is only one turnout number available. Without actual head counts in places where more than a few thousand protesters showed up, there is no way to be certain what turnout was. What these almost all have in common, however, is that more people showed up than expected in places as far-flung as Jerome, Arizona (100 marchers) and Des Moines, Iowa (26,000). Please add turnout numbers for sister marches in your neck of the woods. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Okay this is a note posted at my grandma&amp;#39;s retirement community, apparently 50 people came and her 101 y/o friend marched too, I&amp;#39;m melting &lt;a href="https://t.co/Ah50oFlsL6"&gt;pic.twitter.com/Ah50oFlsL6&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Max Fox (@foxmaxfox) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/foxmaxfox/status/822975971615801344"&gt;January 22, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Okay this is a note posted at my grandma's retirement community, apparently 50 people came and her 101 y/o friend marched too, I'm melting <a href="https://t.co/Ah50oFlsL6">pic.twitter.com/Ah50oFlsL6</a>— Max Fox (@foxmaxfox) <a href="https://twitter.com/foxmaxfox/status/822975971615801344">January 22, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;The March in Haines, Alaska. Mad respect. &lt;a href="https://t.co/zMj4p35hyg"&gt;pic.twitter.com/zMj4p35hyg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Patti Digh (@pattidigh) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/pattidigh/status/823286420286545920"&gt;January 22, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The March in Haines, Alaska. Mad respect. <a href="https://t.co/zMj4p35hyg">pic.twitter.com/zMj4p35hyg</a>— Patti Digh (@pattidigh) <a href="https://twitter.com/pattidigh/status/823286420286545920">January 22, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> In addition to the <a href="http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2017/01/21/thousands-of-protesters-to-descend-on-washington-atlanta-for-womens-march/" target="_blank" title="">500,000</a> in D.C., the <a href="http://abc7ny.com/news/mayors-office-official-count-on-nyc-womens-march-exceeds-400k/1713720/" target="_blank" title="">400,000</a> in NYC and the <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-womens-march-chicago-0122-20170121-story.html" target="_blank">250,000</a> in Chicago, there are these: rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) 12 1212017 DumpTrump HumanRights Protest Recommended Resistance womensmarch _1623680 Sun, 22 Jan 2017 21:29:46 +0000 Add your Women's March numbers to this updated list. At 211 of 673 protests, 3.5 million+ show up http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/21/1623329/-Got-some-Women-s-March-numbers-Add-them-to-this-short-list <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Historic Women&amp;#39;s March reaches Antarctica&lt;a href="https://t.co/BpKBxuAnrR"&gt;https://t.co/BpKBxuAnrR&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/8WqhWEXfIC"&gt;pic.twitter.com/8WqhWEXfIC&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; The Hill (@thehill) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/thehill/status/822954947289513984"&gt;January 21, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Historic Women's March reaches Antarctica<a href="https://t.co/BpKBxuAnrR">https://t.co/BpKBxuAnrR</a> <a href="https://t.co/8WqhWEXfIC">pic.twitter.com/8WqhWEXfIC</a>— The Hill (@thehill) <a href="https://twitter.com/thehill/status/822954947289513984">January 21, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> Here are numbers from 100 of the 600-700 cities involved in today’s Women’s March opposing Trumpism. (Sources vary from police to organizer estimates to media estimates.) What they all seem to have in common—as we're all aware by now—is that more people—typically FAR MORE—showed up than expected. In addition to the <a href="http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2017/01/21/thousands-of-protesters-to-descend-on-washington-atlanta-for-womens-march/" target="_blank">500,000</a> in D.C., the <a href="http://abc7ny.com/news/mayors-office-official-count-on-nyc-womens-march-exceeds-400k/1713720/" target="_blank">400,000</a> in NYC and the <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-womens-march-chicago-0122-20170121-story.html" target="_blank">250,000</a> in Chicago, there are these: 100,000+ in Denver (<a href="http://www.denverpost.com/2017/01/21/womens-march-denver/" target="_blank">Denver Post</a>) 60,000 in Atlanta (<a href="http://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/police-estimate-000-atlanta-for-the-social-justice-march-the-capitol/PlaULPX2mykkjcHk799zLP/" target="_blank">Atlanta Journal-Constitution</a>) 40,000-50,000 in Austin, Texas (<a href="http://www.statesman.com/news/local/police-000-attended-women-march-austin/QB7NhwYSb5gPb1bgooFcFI/" target="_blank">Austin American-Statesman</a>) 750,000 in Los Angeles (<a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-womens-march-los-angeles-20170121-story.html" target="_blank">Los Angeles Times</a>) 100,000 in Portland, Oregon (<a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2017/01/100000_people_flock_to_portlan.html#incart_big-photo" target="_blank">The Oregonian</a>) 5-10,000 in Augusta, Maine: (police estimate and organizers’ estimate) 600+ in Augusta, Georgia (<a href="http://www.wrdw.com/content/news/Hundreds-turn-out-for-Augustas-Women-Solidarity-March-411427215.html" target="_blank">WRDW</a>) 15,000 in Cleveland: (<a href="http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2017/01/womens_march_in_cleveland_draw.html" target="_blank">Cleveland.com</a>) 90,000-100,000 in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota: (<a href="http://www.twincities.com/2017/01/21/50000-join-womens-march-in-st-paul/" target="_blank">St. Paul Pioneer Press</a>) 20,000 in Houston: (<a href="http://www.click2houston.com/news/politics/watch-live-thousands-of-women-gather-for-rally-in-houston" target="_blank">Houston.com</a>) 75,000-100,000 in Madison, Wisconsin: (<a href="http://www.channel3000.com/news/mpd/284567959" target="_blank">Channel 3000</a>) 5-8,000 in Dallas (<a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas/2017/01/21/watch-dallas-womens-march-kicks-downtown" target="_blank">Dallas Morning News</a>) 10-15,000 in Santa Fe, New Mexico (<a href="http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/santa-feans-flood-downtown-streets-in-display-of-anger-hope/article_8bf2bb24-b83f-51e3-8434-8a18223dac5d.html" target="_blank">Santa Fe New Mexican</a>) Please add numbers from where you marched today and I will add them to this list. Now, all we need to do to convert the millions who showed up today into an ongoing effort to topple Trump, Trumpism and the politics that put this fascist crew into office. 20,000 in St. Petersburg, Florida (<a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/elections/womens-march-surpassed-20000-protesters-making-it-largest-in-st-petersburg/2310416" target="_blank">Tampa Bay Times</a>) 300+ in Jackson, New Hampshire (<a href="https://twitter.com/ConwayDailySun/status/822886300013490180" target="_blank">Conway Daily Sun</a>) 9,000 in Lansing, Michigan 4,000 in Detroit, Michigan (<a href="http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2017/01/21/womens-march-on-washington-detroit/96882130/" target="_blank">Detroit Free Press</a>) 15,000 in Tucson, Arizona: (police estimate) 20,000 in Phoenix Arizona: (<a href="http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2017/01/21/phoenix-womens-march-sister-washington-capitol/96849890/" target="_blank">The Arizona Republic</a>) 10,000 in New Orleans (New Orleans Advocate) 15,000 in Nashville, Tennessee (<a href="http://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pith-in-the-wind/article/20849753/womens-march-draws-over-15k" target="_blank">Nashville Scene</a>) 1,000 in Monterey, California 7,000 in Colorado Spring, Colorado (<a href="http://gazette.com/colorado-springs-womens-march-gearing-up/article/1594846" target="_blank">The Gazette</a>) 130,000 in Seattle, Washington (<a href="http://www.king5.com/news/local/seattle/live-blog-thousands-expected-for-seattle-womxns-march/389577697" target="_blank">KING 5 News</a>) 35 in Zebulon, Georgia (<a href="https://twitter.com/splcenter?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">SPLC</a>) 1,500 Duluth, Minnesota (organizers’ estimate) 17,000 in Raleigh, North Carolina (<a href="http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article127914819.html" target="_blank">Raleigh News & Observer</a>) 1,500 in Wilmington, North Carolina (<a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/news/20170121/wilmington-womens-march-exceeds-crowd-goal-inspires-hope" target="_blank">Star News</a>) 600 in New Bern, North Carolina (<a href="http://www.newbernsj.com/news/20170121/estimated-600-gather-for-womens-march-in-new-bern" target="_blank">Sun Journal</a>) 800 in McMinnville, Oregon 15,000 in Montpelier, Vermont 40,000 in San Diego, California (<a href="https://twitter.com/ChiefZimmerman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">SDPD</a>) 3,000 in Bend, Oregon 200+ in Ogden, Utah (<a href="http://www.standard.net/Community/2017/01/21/Hundreds-brave-snow-for-Northern-Utah-Unity-Rally-in-Ogden.html" target="_blank">Standard Examiner</a>) 175,000 in Boston, Massachusetts (<a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/01/21/thousands-protesters-expected-join-boston-women-march-saturday/uAWNwH9R5FHltkqyQNzeFL/story.html" target="_blank">Boston Globe</a>) 1,000 in Lafayette, Indiana 15,000 in St. Louis, Missouri 25,000 in Charlotte, North Carolina (<a href="http://www.fox46charlotte.com/home/230668020-story" target="_blank">Fox46</a>) 5,000 in Providence, Rhode Island 7,800-10,000 in San Luis Obispo, California (<a href="http://www.ksby.com/story/34314109/thousands-march-despite-rain-saturday-in-san-luis-obispo" target="_blank">KSBY</a>) 11,000 in Ann Arbor, Michigan 2,800 in Charleston, West Virginia (<a href="http://wvah.com/news/local/demonstrators-flock-to-west-virginia-capitol-for-womens-march" target="_blank">Fox Eyewitness News</a>) 2,000 in Charleston, South Carolina (<a href="http://www.live5news.com/story/34314859/thousands-unite-in-downtown-charleston-for-womens-march" target="_blank">Live 5 News</a>) 10,000 in Hartford, Connecticut (<a href="http://www.nhregister.com/government-and-politics/20170121/thousands-gather-for-womens-march-on-hartford" target="_blank">New Haven Register</a>) 3,300 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (<a href="http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2017/01/21/thousands-join-womens-march-downtown-sioux-falls/96883868/" target="_blank">Argus Leader</a>) 1,000+ in Rapid City, South Dakota (<a href="http://www.blackhillsfox.com/content/news/Womens-March-draws-more-than-a-thousand-in-Rapid-City-411434305.html" target="_blank">KEVN</a>) 1,600 in Newport, Oregon 1,200 in Carbondale, Illinois 84,000 in Oakland, California (<a href="http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/01/21/huge-crowd-san-francisco-rally-womens-march/" target="_blank">CBS</a>) 20,000 in Sacramento, California (<a href="http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article127914504.html" target="_blank">Sacramento Bee</a>) 1,000 in Kingston, New York (<a href="http://www.ckwstv.com/2017/01/21/womens-march-brings-hundreds-to-downtown-kingston-to-rally-against-president-trump/" target="_blank">CKWS</a>) 6-10,000 in Bellingham, Washington 10,000 in Portland, Maine (<a href="http://www.pressherald.com/2017/01/21/signs-sentiments-crowd-eastern-prom-for-womens-march/" target="_blank">Portland Press Herald</a>) 1,000 in Newark, Delaware 10,000 in Miami, Florida (<a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article127925999.html" target="_blank">Miami Herald</a>) 750-1,000 in Ukiah, California (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/theukiahdailyjournal/photos/a.444440151327.241751.79374461327/10154771909231328/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">Ukiah Daily Journal</a>) 6-7,000 in Asheville, North Carolina 6-7,000 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 1,000 in Ketchum, Idaho 5,000 in Lexington, Kentucky 85-100 in Alpine, Texas 30,000 in Santa Ana, California 3,500 in Laguna Beach, California 1,000 in Langley, Washington 10,000 in Reno, Nevada 4,000 in Las Vegas, Nevada 2,000 in Anchorage, Alaska 6-10,000 in Kansas City, Kansas 6-9,000 in Memphis, Tennessee 5,000 in Spokane, Washington 1,000 in Port Townsend, Washington 100,000 in San Francisco, California (<a href="http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/01/21/huge-crowd-san-francisco-rally-womens-march/" target="_blank">CBS</a>) 7-800 in Murray, Kentucky 30-40,000 in San Jose, California 5,000 in Santa Rosa, California 3-5,000 in Boise, Idaho 10,000 in New Orleans (<a href="http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/news/article_b6a63598-e002-11e6-9066-575bd82cb3da.html" target="_blank">New Orleans Advocate</a>) 8,000 in Santa Cruz, California 500 in Clemson, South Carolina 5,000 in Stamford, Connecticut (<a href="http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/Thousands-attend-Women-s-March-in-Stamford-10873898.php" target="_blank">Stamford Advocate</a>) 11,000 in Ann Arbor, Michigan (<a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2017/01/more_than_6000_flood_streets_o.html" target="_blank">MLIVE</a>) 7,000 in Park City, Utah (<a href="http://www.parkrecord.com/news/giant-sundance-crowd-marches-in-broad-rebuke-of-president-trump/?platform=hootsuite" target="_blank">Park Record</a>) 7,000 in Little Rock, Arkansas (<a href="http://www.arkansasmatters.com/news/local-news/thousands-support-arkansas-womens-march/643829474" target="_blank">Arkansas Matters</a>) 2,500-4,000 in Erie, Pennsylvania (<a href="http://www.goerie.com/news/20170121/thousands-demonstrate-in-womens-march-on-erie" target="_blank">Go Erie.com</a>) 500+ in Idaho Falls, Idaho (<a href="http://www.localnews8.com/news/approx-five-hundred-people-walk-in-idaho-falls-sister-womens-march/284702825" target="_blank">Local 8 News</a>) 5,000-10,000 in Birmingham, Alabama (<a href="http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2017/01/thousands_parade_through_birmi.html" target="_blank">AL.com</a>) 26,000 in Des Moines, Iowa (<a href="http://whotv.com/2017/01/21/thousands-rally-at-iowa-state-capitol-for-womens-march-against-trump/" target="_blank">WHO-TV</a>) 8-10,000 in Seneca Falls, New York (<a href="http://cnycentral.com/news/local/demonstrates-come-together-for-womens-march-on-seneca-falls" target="_blank">CNY Central</a>) 10,000 in Helena, Montana (<a href="http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/montana-women-s-march-draws-an-estimated/article_3a0ecafe-62c6-546d-99bc-e88b0a984249.html" target="_blank">Billings Gazette</a>) 12,000 in Omaha, Nebraska (<a href="http://www.omaha.com/news/politics/at-least-people-fill-the-streets-in-women-s-march/article_5de6469e-58ff-5e39-b4de-290a99e01a26.html" target="_blank">Omaha World Herald</a>) 2,000 in Lincoln, Nebraska (<a href="http://journalstar.com/news/local/thousands-show-up-to-support-women-s-march-on-lincoln/article_2e87f297-d977-504f-b240-0f9946a37c68.html" target="_blank">Lincoln Journal Star</a>) 1,200+ in Cheyenne, Wyoming (<a href="http://www.wyomingnews.com/news/new-large-spirited-crowd-fills-women-s-march-in-cheyenne/article_193210e4-e029-11e6-b4f7-131f0601002f.html" target="_blank">Wyoming Tribune Eagle</a>) 1,000 in Fargo, North Dakota (<a href="http://www.valleynewslive.com/content/news/Womens-March-in-Fargo-brings--411419195.html" target="_blank">Valley News Live</a>) 10,000+ in Sarasota, Florida (<a href="http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20170121/thousands-turn-out-for-sarasota-womens-solidarity-march" target="_blank">Sarasota Herald-Tribune</a>) 25,000 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (<a href="http://www.wtae.com/article/women-parade-through-pittsburgh-in-solidarity-with-womens-march-on-washington/8624963" target="_blank">Action News</a>) 5-7,000 in West Palm Beach, Florida (<a href="http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/local/thousands-turn-out-west-palm-for-women-rally-against-trump/GURHjHOiaBFtDfODkqg0fM/" target="_blank">Palm Beach Post</a>) 3,000 in Roanoke, Virginia (<a href="http://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/Thousands-marched-for-women-in-Roanoke-411421475.html" target="_blank">WBDJ7</a>) 22 in Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska (<a href="https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2017/01/21/large-crowd-attends-womens-march-on-anchorage-in-solidarity-with-national-events/" target="_blank">ADN.com</a>) 7,000+ in Cincinnati, Ohio (Fox) 5000+ in Santa Rosa, California (<a href="http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/6546166-181/womens-march-draws-thousands-to?artslide=0" target="_blank">Press Democrat</a>) 1,000+ in South Bend, Indiana (<a href="http://www.southbendtribune.com/news/local/more-than-march-for-women-in-south-bend/article_d51bf83d-b32a-50ca-9db2-e11b34f5a855.html" target="_blank">South Bend Tribune</a>) 2,000 in Wenatchee, Washington 1,500-2,000 in Hilo, Hawai’i (police estimate) 1,000-2,000 in Flagstaff, Arizona (<a href="http://azdailysun.com/news/local/flagstaff-march-for-love-tops/article_91318de2-8ea4-505d-ac21-bc6709e2b8ca.html" target="_blank">Arizona Daily Sun</a>) 50,000 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (<a href="http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Womens-March-Philadelphia-Inauguration-Thousands-Donald-Trump--411418875.html" target="_blank">NBC 10</a>) 1,200 in Prescott, Arizona (<a href="http://www.dcourier.com/news/2017/jan/22/womenss-march/" target="_blank">Daily Courier</a>) 1,100 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (<a href="http://www.witf.org/news/2017/01/photos-harrisburg-march-for-women.php" target="_blank">WITF</a>) 3,000 in Traverse City, Michigan (<a href="http://www.record-eagle.com/news/thousands-gather-for-traverse-city-women-s-march/article_547cdcb0-e029-11e6-be94-83e0491aa877.html" target="_blank">Record-Eagle</a>) 3,000 in Dayton, Ohio (<a href="http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local/thousands-rally-dayton-part-women-march-events/ZlU3xaMQAph01LyLEZPs4H/" target="_blank">Dayton Daily News</a>) 14,000 in Tallahassee, Florida (<a href="http://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2017/01/21/more-than-14000-join-womens-march-on-tallahassee/96880778/" target="_blank">Tallahassee, Florida</a>) 100s in Durango, Colorado (<a href="https://durangoherald.com/articles/129940-hundreds-march-through-foot-of-snow-in-durango?utm_campaign=dailyheadlines&wallit_nosession=1" target="_blank">Durango Herald</a>) 1,500 in La Cruces, New Mexico (<a href="http://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/local/2017/01/21/unified-community-action-march-draws-larger-than-expected-crowd/96900756/" target="_blank">Las Cruces Sun-News</a>) 3,000 in Sonoma, California (<a href="http://www.sonomanews.com/news/6572152-181/thousands-turn-up-for-sonoma?artslide=0" target="_blank">Sonoma Index Tribune</a>) 5,000 in Poughkeepsie, New York (<a href="http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/local/2017/01/21/womens-march-walkway-poughkeepsie-trump/96877094/" target="_blank">Poughkeepsie Journal</a>) 5-9,000 in Fort Worth, Texas (<a href="http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/fort-worth/article127933534.html" target="_blank">Star Telegram</a>) 7,000 in Albany, New York (<a href="http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Albany-activists-Inaugurate-Resistance-on-10873758.php" target="_blank">Times-Union</a>) 150-200 in Vancouver, Washington 3-5,000 in Chattanooga, Tennessee (<a href="http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2017/jan/21/women-march-chattanooga-protest-trump-election/408743/" target="_blank">Times Free Press</a>) 1,600 in Annapolis, Maryland (<a href="http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/annapolis/ph-ac-cn-annapolis-womens-march-0122-20170121-story.html" target="_blank">Capital Gazette</a>) 300 in Tillamook, Oregon (<a href="http://www.tillamookheadlightherald.com/news/womens-march-rally-draws-hundreds-in-tillamook/article_9ae75ab2-e02f-11e6-89fc-3f59da891fab.html" target="_blank">Headlight Herald</a>) 1,000 in Falmouth, Massachusetts (<a href="http://www.capenews.net/falmouth/news/upper-cape-men-women-gather-in-solidarity/article_135e68e6-68fc-5e78-8332-a5fd43321a89.html" target="_blank">Falmouth Enterprise</a>) 6,000+ in Santa Barbara, California (<a href="http://www.independent.com/news/2017/jan/21/santa-barbaras-massive-womens-march/" target="_blank">Santa Barbara Independent</a>) 2,500+ in Naples, Florida (<a href="http://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/2017/01/21/marching-more-naples-women-take-streets/96740110/" target="_blank">Naples Daily News</a>) 30 in Willow Springs, Missouri 400 in Nantucket, Massachusetts (<a href="http://www.ack.net/news/20170121/your-nantucket-womens-march-photos-wanted" target="_blank">The Inquirer and Mirror</a>) 300 in Gualala, California 1,000+ in Chico, California (<a href="http://www.chicoer.com/article/NA/20170121/NEWS/170129920" target="_blank">ChicoER News</a>) 1,000 in Woodstock, New York (<a href="http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20170121/woodstock-womens-march-draws-hundreds" target="_blank">Daily Freeman</a>) 300 in Redding, California (<a href="http://www.redding.com/story/news/local/2017/01/21/live-tweets-womens-march-redding-city-hall/96882162/" target="_blank">Record Searchlight</a>) 2,000 in Charlottesville, Virginia 100 in Jerome, Arizona 1-2,000 in Doyletown, Pennsylvania (<a href="http://patch.com/pennsylvania/newtown-pa/2-000-turn-out-womens-march-bucks-county-photos-video" target="_blank">Newtown Patch</a>) 400+ in Cody, Wyoming 10,000 in Olympia, Washington (<a href="http://www.king5.com/news/local/10000-march-in-olympia/389711799" target="_blank">KING 5</a>) 1,000 in Northhampton, Massachusetts (<a href="http://www.gazettenet.com/Northampton-Women-s-March-7616557" target="_blank">Daily Hampshire Gazette</a>) 1,000 in Astoria, Oregon (<a href="http://www.dailyastorian.com/Local_News/20170121/hundreds-march-in-astoria-to-counter-trump" target="_blank">Daily Astorian</a>) 6,000 in Asbury, New York (<a href="http://www.app.com/story/news/politics/2017/01/21/womens-march-asbury-park/96684400/" target="_blank">Asbury Park Press</a>) 5,000 in Indianapolis, Indiana (<a href="http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2017/01/21/thousands-women-rallly-indy-vow-heard/96884264/" target="_blank">Indianapolis Star</a>) 2,000 in Fairbanks, Alaska (<a href="http://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/gather-in-subzero-fairbanks-weather-for-women-s-march/article_239e5470-e01f-11e6-a089-7f4103a02ed3.html" target="_blank">News Miner</a>) 200 in Brattleboro, Vermont (participant) 6,000-10,000 in Albuquerque, New Mexico (<a href="https://www.abqjournal.com/933062/thousands-rally-for-women-in-albuquerque-santa-fe.html" target="_blank">Albuquerque Journal</a>) 66 in Longville, Minnesota (Mi<a href="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/01/20/longville-possible-solo-womens-march" target="_blank">nnesota Public Radio</a>) 5,000+ in Kahalui, Hawai’i (<a href="http://www.mauinews.com/news/local-news/2017/01/marching-into-history-peaceful-protest-maui-style/" target="_blank">The Maui News</a>) 200 in Coos Bay, Oregon (<a href="http://theworldlink.com/news/local/hundreds-rally-at-women-s-march-in-downtown-coos-bay/article_997db7f0-b921-5aef-8e37-5945831c8400.html" target="_blank">The World</a>) 4,000+ in Riverside, California (<a href="http://www.pe.com/articles/riverside-823709-women-march.html" target="_blank">Press Enterprise</a>) 2,000 in Columbia, Missouri (<a href="http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/local/local-solidarity-march-brings-out-hundreds-in-opposition-to-trump/article_600dbb1a-2273-58c3-9799-ac4a96578a24.html" target="_blank">Columbia Daily Tribune</a>) 300+ in Bettendorf, Iowa (<a href="http://qctimes.com/news/local/hall-overflows-with-women-s-rally-participants/article_03dc35fb-bb39-54b5-bce3-b2c275cafaff.html#utm_source=qctimes.com&utm_campaign=%2Femail-updates%2Fdaily-headlines%2F&utm_medium=email&utm_content=0B5060BB97F1260B07512423EC47C526B11D55E1" target="_blank">Quad City Times</a>) 3-6,000 in Greensboro, North Carolina (<a href="http://www.greensboro.com/news/local_news/triad-women-s-march-draws-thousands-to-downtown-greensboro/article_d87975e1-f87b-5b99-99ac-1f0a6e250aff.html" target="_blank">News & Record</a>) 1,000 in Iowa City, Iowa (<a href="http://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/2017/01/21/nearly-1000-people-join-womens-march-iowa-city/96889784/" target="_blank">Press-Citizen</a>) 2,000+ in Syracuse, New York (<a href="http://www.localsyr.com/news/local-news/thousands-participate-in-syracuse-womens-march/643772617" target="_blank">SYR.com</a>) 100s in Grand Junction, Colorado (<a href="http://www.nbc11news.com/content/news/411396715.html" target="_blank">KKCO 11</a>) 250 in Brookings, Oregon (participant) 5,000 in Eureka, California (<a href="https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2017/jan/21/hundreds-flood-eurekas-streets-solidarity-womens-m/" target="_blank">Lost Coast Outpost</a>) 500 in Melbourne, Florida (<a href="http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2017/01/21/locals-rally-dc-brevard-womens-march-events/96900018/" target="_blank">Florida Today</a>) 1,500 in San Antonio, Texas (<a href="http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Women-in-San-Antonio-take-to-the-streets-to-10873833.php" target="_blank">Express News</a>) 20,000+ in Saint Petersburg/Tampa, Florida (<a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/elections/womens-march-surpassed-20000-protesters-making-it-largest-in-st-petersburg/2310416" target="_blank">Tampa Bay Times</a>) 6,000+ in Ashland, Oregon (<a href="http://www.opb.org/news/article/womens-march-ashland-oregon-2017/" target="_blank">OPB TV</a>) 350 in Lubbock, Texas (<a href="http://lubbockonline.com/local/2017-01-21/hundreds-protest-lubbock-women-s-march" target="_blank">Lubbock Avalanche-Journal</a>) 30 in Stanley, Idaho (<a href="https://twitter.com/Carole_King/status/822992329711579137" target="_blank">Carole King</a>) 5,000 in Walnut Creek California (<a href="http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/01/20/bay-area-womens-marches-where-when-and-why/" target="_blank">East Bay Times</a>) 500+ in Pasadena, California (<a href="http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/general-news/20170121/womens-march-demonstrators-raise-their-voices-in-pasadena" target="_blank">Pasadena Star-News</a>) 1,000 in El Paso, Texas (<a href="http://El%20Paso%20Times" target="_blank">El Paso Times</a>) 1,000 in Palm Desert (<a href="http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/politics/2017/01/21/anti-trump-protesters-gather-palm-springs-area/96745158/" target="_blank">Palm Springs Sun</a>) 1,000 in Modesto, California (<a href="http://www.modbee.com/news/article128034159.html" target="_blank">Modesto Bee</a>) 2,500 in Ventura, California (<a href="http://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/ventura/2017/01/21/ventura-march-justice/96687692/" target="_blank">Ventura County Star</a>) 500 in Lake Tahoe, California (<a href="http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/over-500-walk-in-lake-tahoe-womens-march-photos/" target="_blank">Lake Tahoe Daily Tribune</a>) 2,500-3,000 in Key West Florida (<a href="http://keysnews.com/node/80431" target="_blank">Key West Citizen</a>) 2,000 in Salem, Oregon (<a href="http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2017/01/21/womens-march-salem-unites-thousands-people/96850428/" target="_blank">Statesman Journal</a>) 3,000+ in Topeka, Kansas (<a href="http://cjonline.com/news/local/2017-01-21/women-s-march-topeka-draws-thousands-thumps-trump" target="_blank">Topeka Capitol Journal</a>) 5,000 in Baltimore, Maryland (<a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-baltimore-sister-march-20170121-story.html" target="_blank">Baltimore Sun</a>) 8,000 in Ithaca, New York (<a href="http://cornellsun.com/2017/01/21/womens-march-on-ithaca-draws-more-than-8000-shattering-expectations/" target="_blank">Cornell Daily Sun</a>) 2,800 in Norfolk, Virginia (<a href="http://pilotonline.com/news/local/sister-marches-draw-thousands-to-downtown-norfolk-to-support-women/article_491f897c-2be6-5968-9f8a-2df7250a0184.html" target="_blank">Virginian-Pilot</a>) 75 in Clare, Michigan (participant) 8,000 in Orlando, Florida (<a href="http://www.wftv.com/news/local/thousands-gather-at-womens-rally-in-downtown-orlando/486611536" target="_blank">WFTV</a>) 700 in Amarillo, Texas (<a href="http://www.myhighplains.com/news/hundreds-gather-for-womens-march-in-amarillo/643851067" target="_blank">MyHighPlains.com</a>) 1,000+ in Tulsa, Oklahoma (<a href="http://www.fox23.com/news/womens-march-rallies-set-for-tulsa-oklahoma-city/486499476" target="_blank">Fox23</a>) 100s in Shreveport-Bossier, Louisiana (<a href="http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2017/01/21/womens-march-shreveport-bossier-held-saturday-were-not-going-away/96774386/" target="_blank">The Time</a>) 5,000 in Louisville, Kentucky (<a href="http://wreg.com/2017/01/21/thousands-protest-downtown-for-memphis-womens-march/" target="_blank">WLKY</a>) 450+ Oneonta, New York (participant) 1,500 in Gainesville, Florida (<a href="http://www.gainesville.com/news/20170121/about-1500-join-womens-march-in-gainesville" target="_blank">Gainesville Sun</a>) 500 in Morgantown, North Carolina (<a href="http://www.morganton.com/gallery/women-s-march-on-morganton/collection_8fa5f8ba-e012-11e6-acb0-e710fc61396f.html" target="_blank">The New Herald</a>) 600 in Wooster, Ohio (participant) 1,500 in Lihue, Hawai’i (<a href="http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/attend-sign-waving-event-support-women-s-march-on-washington/article_d7188a0b-7d09-5afe-9c33-0f2e80244eda.html" target="_blank">The Garden Island</a>) 3,500 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire (<a href="http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20170121/portsmouth-womens-march-draws-thousands" target="_blank">Seacoastonline.com</a>) 8-9,000 in Lansing, Michigan (<a href="http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/01/21/women-march-washington-lansing-michigan/96898240/" target="_blank">Detroit Free Press</a>) 875 in jackson, Mississippi (<a href="http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=55729" target="_blank">The Columbus Dispatch</a>) 2-3,000 in Knoxville, Tennessee (<a href="http://www.knoxnews.com/picture-gallery/news/local/tennessee/2017/01/21/photos-thousands-attend-knoxvilles-womens-march/96893668/" target="_blank">Knoxville News Sentinel</a>) 3,000 in Buffalo, New York (<a href="https://buffalonews.com/2017/01/21/thousands-attend-womens-rally-niagara-square/" target="_blank">Buffalo News</a>) 300 in Brownsville, Texas (<a href="http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/local/article_f670f8cc-e037-11e6-b9b5-9398a778b088.html" target="_blank">The Brownsville Herald</a>) 500 in Bismarck, North Dakota (<a href="http://www.westfargopioneer.com/news/4203619-larger-expected-nd-capitol-womens-march-calls-solidarity" target="_blank">West Fargo Pioneer</a>) 304 in Grand Forks, North Dakota (<a href="http://www.grandforksherald.com/news/4203526-hundreds-attend-grand-forks-event-inspired-national-womens-march" target="_blank">Grand Forks Herald</a>) 1,500 in Glen Falls, New York (<a href="http://poststar.com/news/local/protesters-come-out-in-record-numbers-for-local-women-s/article_4d7858fe-75ce-5516-88f8-296e0ff29859.html" target="_blank">The Post-Star</a>) 500 in Vermilion, South Dakota (<a href="http://volanteonline.com/2017/01/womens-march-spreads-solidarity-main-street/" target="_blank">The Volante</a>) 3,500 in Kona, Hawai’i (<a href="http://westhawaiitoday.com/news/local-news/women-s-march-draws-massive-crowd-kona" target="_blank">West Hawaii Today</a>) 8,000 in Honolulu, Hawai’i (<a href="http://www.kitv.com/story/34314442/close-to-8000-come-out-to-womens-march-in-honolulu" target="_blank">KITV</a>) 1,600-2,000 in Columbia, Missouri (<a href="http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/local/local-solidarity-march-brings-out-hundreds-in-opposition-to-trump/article_600dbb1a-2273-58c3-9799-ac4a96578a24.html" target="_blank">Columbia Daily Tribune</a>) 200 in Statesboro, Georgia (<a href="http://www.statesboroherald.com/section/1/article/78251/" target="_blank">Statesboro Herald</a>) 400 in Dubuque, Iowa (<a href="http://whotv.com/2017/01/21/smaller-march-in-dubuque-brings-strong-voices/" target="_blank">WHO-TV</a>) 400 in Midland, Michigan (<a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2017/01/midland_march.html" target="_blank">MLIVE</a>) 300 in Grand Rapids, Michigan (<a href="http://woodtv.com/2017/01/21/hundreds-rally-in-grand-rapids-for-womens-rights/" target="_blank">WOOD-TV</a>) 2,000+ in Pensacola, Florida (<a href="http://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/pensacola/downtown/2017/01/21/hundreds-brave-rain-join-pensacola-march-women/96795864/" target="_blank">Pensacola News-Journal</a> 500+ in Bentonville, Arkansas (<a href="http://www.nwahomepage.com/news/nwa-joins-the-rest-of-the-country-in-gathering-for-womens-rights/643838557" target="_blank">NWA</a>) 3,000 in Wichita, Kansas (<a href="http://www.kansas.com/news/local/article127951994.html" target="_blank">The Wichita Eagle</a>) 300 in Provincetown, Massachusetts (<a href="http://capecodwave.com/provincetown-womens-march-going-speak/" target="_blank">Cape Cod Wave</a>) 1,000+ in Pequannock, New Jersey (<a href="http://www.dailyrecord.com/story/money/2017/01/21/womens-march-stops-traffic-pequannock/96770784/" target="_blank">Daily Record</a>) 7,500 in Trenton, New Jersey (<a href="http://www.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/2017/01/21/thousands-attend-womens-march-new-jersey/96881776/" target="_blank">The Record</a>) 5-600 in Wooster, Ohio (<a href="http://www.the-daily-record.com/local%20news/2017/01/22/rally-at-wooster-gazebo-draws-500" target="_blank">The Daily Record</a>) rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) Protest Recommended Resist&Rebel Resistance womensmarch _1623329 Sat, 21 Jan 2017 23:59:45 +0000 Open thread for night owls: Excerpts from the February Harper's Index http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/16/1620945/-Open-thread-for-night-owls-Excerpts-from-the-February-Harper-s-Index Here are some excerpts from the February edition of the Harper’s Index (not yet on-line): <blockquote> Amount invested by the Obama Administration in training former coal workers to operate drones: $2,200,000 Estimated percentage of Florida homes that will be underwater by 2100: 13 [...] Net change, in acres, in the world’s forested land since 1990: -319,000,000 In China: +126,500,000 Percentage by which the global wildlife population has declined since 1970: 58 [...] Number of Canadian jobs that were abolished when the government launched a more efficient payroll system last year: 700 Of Canadians who then experienced payment delays because of system errors: 80,000 Value of donations given to the American Civil Liberties Union in the week after the election: $7,200,000 In the week after the 2012 election: $27,806 Number of Supreme Court decisions repudiating Korematsu v. United States, which legalized Japanese-American internment: 0 [...] Rank of corrupt government officials among Americans’ greatest fears: 1 Of climate change: 17 </blockquote> <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/15/1620786/-Week-s-High-Impact-Posts-January-7-13-2017" target="_blank">THE WEEK’S HIGH IMPACT STORIES</a> • <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/15/1620766/-High-Impact-Posts-January-14-2017" target="_blank">HIGH IMPACT STORIES</a> • <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/16/1620922/-Top-Comments-MLK-in-2017" target="_blank">TOP COMMENTS</a> TWEET OF THE DAY <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;RT artnmuzic: Trump&amp;#39;s using &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SNL?src=hash"&gt;#SNL&lt;/a&gt; to distract from the yuuuuge &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OurFirstStand?src=hash"&gt;#OurFirstStand&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaveACA?src=hash"&gt;#SaveACA&lt;/a&gt; demonstrations happening nat… &lt;a href="https://t.co/sqCJczOJcm"&gt;pic.twitter.com/sqCJczOJcm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Berniecrats4Ellison (@BernieCrats1) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/BernieCrats1/status/820820695441698816"&gt;January 16, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;'><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">RT artnmuzic: Trump's using <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SNL?src=hash">#SNL</a> to distract from the yuuuuge <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OurFirstStand?src=hash">#OurFirstStand</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaveACA?src=hash">#SaveACA</a> demonstrations happening natÃ¢Â€Â¦ <a href="https://t.co/sqCJczOJcm">pic.twitter.com/sqCJczOJcm</a>Ã¢Â€Â” Berniecrats4Ellison (@BernieCrats1) <a href="https://twitter.com/BernieCrats1/status/820820695441698816">January 16, 2017</a></blockquote></div> BLAST FROM THE PAST At Daily Kos on this date in 2003—<a href="http://www.dailykos.net/archives/001067.html#001067" target="_blank">Bush Hands Gephardt a Big Issue</a>: <blockquote> Without proposing an alternative of his own, and as another sop to the Trent Lott Republicans he steamrolled last month, President Bush came out against the University of Michigan Law School's admissions policy today, claiming that the current system calls for quotas and makes race "the" factor in admissions. Dick Gephardt will file an opposing brief. In the big scheme of things facing this country right now, it is hard to see, outside of pure, craven pandering to a base he pissed off last month, why the President feels it is important for the White House to weigh in on this. Apparently John Ashcroft had free time apart from INS illegal detentions, the on-the-loose Democrats-only anthrax terrorist, and his singing engagements. To demonstrate his opposition against race-based actions and policies, Bush announced that he would ask Clarence Thomas to resign from the Supreme Court, withdraw the nominations of Alberto Gonzales and Miguel Estrada from considertion for federal appeals court consideration, and directed Bill Frist and the NRSC to broaden their previous voter suppression efforts beyond African-American precincts in future elections. </blockquote> <div class="table-wrapper"> <table class="dk5-table"> <tbody> <tr> <td>Monday through Friday you can catch the Kagro in the Morning Show 9 AM ET by dropping in <a href="http://184.82.147.114:8004/listen.pls">here, or you can download the </a><a href="http://stitcher.com/">Stitcher app</a> (found in the app stores or at Stitcher.com), and find a live stream there, by searching for "Netroots Radio.”</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) OpenThreadforNightOwls _1620945 Mon, 16 Jan 2017 04:30:25 +0000 So far, 18 elected Democrats say they will resist the Trump regime by boycotting the inauguration http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/14/1620586/-So-far-16-elected-Democrats-say-they-will-resist-the-Trump-regime-by-boycotting-the-inauguration Back in early December, Rep. Luis Gutiérrez of Illinois’ 5th Congressional District was the first Democrat to announce he would not be attending the inauguration of Donald Trump January 20 because the pr*sident-elect is a fountain of "hatred, bigotry and prejudice." He <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/02/politics/luis-gutierrez-inauguration-boycott/" target="_blank">told </a> CNN on December 2: <blockquote> "I can't go to this inauguration because he continues to spew hatred, bigotry and prejudice—even after he said he was going to bring us all together, he was going to unify us, but he's not." </blockquote> Since then, <s>15</s> <s>16</s> 17 others, have announced in interviews, written statements on the floor of the House that they, too, have decided they cannot in good conscience attend. No senators have yet declared that they will not attend. One boycotter, Rep. Barbara Lee, who represents California’s 13th CD,<a href="https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-to-boycott-inauguration-of-donald-trump" target="_blank">said</a>in a January 12 statement: <blockquote> “Inaugurations are celebratory events, a time to welcome the peaceful transition of power and honor the new administration. On January 20th, I will not be celebrating or honoring an incoming president who rode racism, sexism, xenophobia and bigotry to the White House. “Donald Trump ran one of the most divisive and prejudiced campaigns in modern history. He began his campaign by insulting Mexican immigrants, pledging to build a wall between the United States and Mexico and then spent a year and a half denigrating communities of color and normalizing bigotry. He called women ‘pigs’, stoked Islamophobia, and attacked a Gold Star family. He mocked a disabled reporter and appealed to people’s worst instincts. I cannot in good conscience attend an inauguration that would celebrate this divisive approach to governance. “After the election, many hoped the president-elect would turn toward unifying our country. Instead he has shown us that he will utilize the same tools of division he employed on the campaign trail as our nation’s Commander-in-Chief. We need look no further than the team he is assembling to find signals that the era of Trump will be one of chaos and devastation for our communities. </blockquote> <div>The rest of the roster as of Saturday afternoon:</div> <div> Rep. Earl Blumenaur of Oregon’s 3rd CD</div> <div>Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts 5th CD </div> <div>Rep. Lacy Clay of Missouri’s 1st CD</div> <div>Rep. John Conyers of Michigan’s 13th CD</div> <div></div> <div>Rep. Mark DeSaulnier of California’s 11th CD</div> <div>Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York’s 13th CD</div> <div>Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona’s 3rd CD</div> <div>Rep. Jared Huffman of California’s 2nd CD Rep. John Lewis of Georgia’s 5th CD, who has been to every inauguration since he entered Congress 30 years ago.</div> <div>Rep. Ted Lieu of California’s 33rd CD</div> <div></div> <div>Rep. Kurt Schrader of Oregon’s 5th CD</div> <div>Rep. José Serrano of New York’s 15th CD</div> <div></div> <div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div> <div>Rep. Mark Takano of California’s 41st CD</div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div>Rep. Nydia Velázquez of New York’s 7th CD</div> <div>Gov. Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island</div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> </div> </div> <div></div> </div> <div><a name="update-1484449455000"></a></div> <div class="live-update-wrapper" data-epoch-time="1484449455000"><a class="live-update-link" href="#update-1484449455000">Sunday, Jan 15, 2017 · 3:04:15 AM +00:00 · Meteor Blades </a> <div class="live-update-content"> Rep. Judy Chu of California’s 27th CD has added her name to the list. </div> </div> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) Boycott boycottinauguration Defiance DonaldTrump Inauguration Rebellion Recommended Resistance _1620586 Sat, 14 Jan 2017 23:37:17 +0000 Candidates for DNC chair continue debate http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/14/1620505/-Candidates-for-DNC-chair-will-begin-debating-shortly Today’s is the first of four regional Future Forums the Democratic National Committee will be holding between now and February 4. There will be no vote today, but viewers can catch what the candidates have to say at this <a href="https://www.democrats.org/page/dnc-future-forum-livestream" target="_blank">livestream </a>of democrats.org. Jon Ralston of the Nevada Independent will moderate all the candidate forums. Here’s the livestream: <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=e" data-height="500" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/e_rXlT7dIj0" data-width="720">YouTube Video</a></div> Candidates for Chair: Sally Boynton Brown, Idaho Democratic Party Executive Director, President of Association of State Democratic Executive Directors Ray Buckley, New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair, Association of State Democratic Parties Chair Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, IN Keith Ellison, U.S. Representative (MN-5) Jehmu Greene, Fox News Political Analyst Jaime Harrison, South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Tom Perez, secretary of Labor. Candidates for Vice Chair: Michael Blake, New York State Assemblyman (79th District) Melissa Byrne, Former National GOTV Digital Director for Bernie 2016 Mitchell Caesar, Former Broward County Democratic Party Chair Grace Meng, U.S. Representative (NY-6) Elizabeth Jaff, Head of Business Development and Campaigns for Crowdpac, Inc. Lorna M. Johnson, Honorary Consul for Jamaica in Los Angeles Latoia Jones, Assistant Director of Human Rights, American Federation of Teachers and Co-Founder of Black & Engaged Rick Palacio, Colorado Democratic Party Chair Adam Parkhomenko Candidates for Vice Chair of Civic Engagement and Voter Participation: Karen Carter Peterson, Louisiana Democratic Party Chair Melissa Fazli, Executive Board Member and Delegate for the California Democratic Party for Assembly District 55 Candidates for Secretary: Ana Cuprill, Wyoming Democratic Party Chair Roberta Lange, Nevada Democratic Party Chair Jason Rae, DNC Youth Council Chair Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, DNC Secretary and Former Baltimore Mayor Candidates for Treasurer: Joyce Amico, President of JPCM Incorporated William Derrough, Managing Director of Moelis & Company Candidates for National Finance Chair: Henry Munoz III, DNC National Finance Chair rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) DemocraticNationalCommittee _1620505 Sat, 14 Jan 2017 20:13:40 +0000 This week at progressive state blogs: Obama's amazing grace; Okla. extremism; NM legal pot? http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/14/1620356/-This-week-at-progressive-state-blogs-Obama-s-amazing-grace-Okla-extremism-NM-legal-pot <div class="table-wrapper"> <table class="dk5-table"> <tbody> <tr> <td> This week at progressive state blogs is designed specifically to focus attention on the writing and analysis of people focused on their home turf. Let me know via comments or Kosmail if you have a favorite state- or city-based blog you think I should be watching. <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/07/1618025/-This-week-at-progressive-state-blogs-Resistance-in-Rhode-Island-the-People-s-Agenda-in-Kansas" target="_blank">Here </a> is the January 7 edition. Inclusion of a blog post does not necessarily indicate my agreement with—or endorsement of—its contents. </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> DocHoc at Blue Oklahoma writes—<a href="http://blueoklahoma.org/index.php/2017/01/09/oklahoma-extremism-inhofe-claims-pruitt-ideal-for-epa/" target="_blank">Oklahoma Extremism: Inhofe Claims Pruitt Ideal For EPA</a>: <blockquote> For the record, then, on the right-wing extremism issue, here’s Oklahoma’s own infamous global warming denier U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe <a href="http://www.inhofe.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/inhofe-statement-on-meeting-with-scott-pruitt-nominee-for-epa-administrator-" target="blank">official statement</a> about Trump’s selection to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who is none other than Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, another climate change skeptic: <blockquote> Scott Pruitt is the ideal candidate to lead the EPA. Pruitt has seen first-hand the abuses of power at the hands of this agency and has fought back to ensure environmental quality without sacrificing jobs. Scott is an expert in constitutional law, and understands the fundamental element of balance necessary between the states and the federal government. I look forward to working with Chairman Barrasso and the EPW committee to move Scott’s nomination swiftly and fairly through the committee and to the Senate floor. </blockquote> <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="Blue Oklahoma, state blogs" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/31674/large/Blue_Oklahoma.png?1452802870" title="Blue Oklahoma, state blogs"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> What does this “balance” even mean? This is what I believe it means to Inhofe and Pruitt: States with deep fossil-fuel reserves should be allowed to damage the planet in local ways, such as all the earthquakes caused by the fracking process here in Oklahoma, to the larger concern of rising sea levels because carbon emissions are accelerating the greenhouse effect, which leads to the melting of Arctic ice. My argument is that Pruitt and Inhofe believe the profits of oil and gas companies render environmental arguments and evidence obsolete. Maybe they truly believe in their position, despite huge evidence that global warming is harming the planet, or maybe they simply don’t care. </blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) Thisweekatprogressivestateblogs _1620356 Sat, 14 Jan 2017 20:00:41 +0000 In Twitter blast at John Lewis, Trump assumes he represents a slum since he's black. Ugly. Bigly. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/14/1620483/-In-Twitter-blast-at-John-Lewis-Trump-assumes-he-can-only-represent-a-slum-since-he-s-black Pr*sident-Elect Donald Trump, displaying the pettiness we’ve come to expect from his early morning tweets, was at it again Saturday, this time attacking Congressman John Lewis, who said yesterday in an interview with NBC’s Chuck Todd that he doesn’t consider the man who will step into White House next week to be a legitimate president. <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Screen_Shot_2017-01-14_at_10.23.25_AM.png" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/349923/large/Screen_Shot_2017-01-14_at_10.23.25_AM.png?1484418224" title="Screen_Shot_2017-01-14_at_10.23.25_AM.png"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> Riiiiiight. Of course, as Dave Weigel <a href="https://twitter.com/daveweigel/status/820258792193392640" target="_blank">points out</a>, Lewis represents a nice part of Atlanta. <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Screen_Shot_2017-01-14_at_10.31.01_AM.png" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/349928/large/Screen_Shot_2017-01-14_at_10.31.01_AM.png?1484418694" title="Screen_Shot_2017-01-14_at_10.31.01_AM.png"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> The denigration of Lewis—who, in one of many confrontations with the upholders of segregation had his skull fractured by a police billy club 48 years ago in the fight for civil rights—is all the more pathetic considering that Trump spent years denigrating and raising questions about the origins of President Barack Obama. Feeding conspiracy theories and spreading lies is, as we have come to learn all too well, one of Trump’s defining characteristics. The deep-fried racism of Trump, a large cohort of his followers, and the guy he’s picked to be attorney general is what John Lewis has spent his entire adult life fighting. Trump isn’t worthy of shining Lewis’s shoes. Not that the Congressman would let him. As diarist Kelroy <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/14/1620435/-Trump-s-Disgraceful-Treatment-of-John-Lewis-Is-Sadly-Predictable" target="_blank">writes</a>: <blockquote> The truth is that while John Lewis, a hero, was risking his life for human dignity and what was just, Trump was excluding African Americans from his buildings and making money on the backs of the less fortunate. His disgraceful treatment of Congressman Lewis shows the truth of what the Congressman has stated. We need to follow his example and make sure everyone knows that Trump is illegitimate and not our president. </blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) DonaldTrump JohnLewis _1620483 Sat, 14 Jan 2017 18:43:27 +0000 Gallup finds Trump's transition performance approval faaaaaar below his predecessors' http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/14/1620465/-Gallup-finds-Trump-s-transition-performance-approval-faaaaaar-below-his-predecessors The latest Gallup Poll <a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/201833/approval-trump-transition-low-inauguration-nears.aspx?g_source=Politics&g_medium=lead&g_campaign=tiles" target="_blank">shows</a> that Donald Trump® will enter the White House next week with the lowest transition approval rating of any president since the organization began polling on that matter since 1992. More people—51 percent—disapprove of the pr*sident-elect’s transition performance while only 44 percent approve. Look how that compares with his three predecessors: <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned width-xl"><img alt="Screen_Shot_2017-01-14_at_8.52.47_AM.png" class="width-xl" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/349900/large/Screen_Shot_2017-01-14_at_8.52.47_AM.png?1484412831" title="Screen_Shot_2017-01-14_at_8.52.47_AM.png"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> Waiting for Trump to label that “fake news.” Here’s Lydia Saad at Gallup reports: <blockquote> Looking at both positive and negative ratings, Americans view Trump's Cabinet as worse than the Cabinets chosen by Obama, Bush and Clinton. However, taking into account just the percentage who consider his Cabinet "above average" or "outstanding," Trump's 32% is only modestly lower than the 38% for Bush in January 2001 and matches Clinton's just before his inauguration in mid-January 1993. Only Obama's 45% was significantly better. The chief differentiator for Trump is that many more Americans rate his appointments as "below average" or "poor": 44% say this about Trump's Cabinet choices, compared with 13% for Bush's, 12% for Clinton's and 10% for Obama's. The wide spread between positive and negative views of Trump's Cabinet appointments serves as another example of the highly polarized environment in which Trump will be taking office on Jan. 20. </blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) DonaldTrump Gallup GallupPoll _1620465 Sat, 14 Jan 2017 17:41:45 +0000 DNC holds its first of 4 nat'l forums today, with debates by candidates for chair and other offices http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/14/1620436/-DNC-holds-its-first-of-4-nat-l-forums-today-with-debates-by-candidates-for-chair-and-other-offices The Democratic National Committee is holding the first of four regional “Future Forums” today in Phoenix, Arizona. The forum begins at 9 AM Mountain Time. You can view a livestream at <a href="https://www.democrats.org/page/dnc-future-forum-livestream">democrats.org</a>. The morning segment will feature presentations, success stories, and looking ahead to opportunities for future success of Democrats. In the afternoon segment, beginning at 1 PM MT, each officer position will be taken up separately in the following order Chair candidates, Vice Chair candidates, and Treasurer candidates, Finance Chair candidates, and Secretary candidates. Jon Ralston of the Nevada Independent will moderated all the candidate forums. 9 AM to Noon: Regional Political Presentation Regional Success Stories DNC Look Ahead Discussion Featured Speakers: DNC Chair Donna Brazile, Washington Governor Jay Inslee 1 PM to 6 PM: Candidates for Chair: • Sally Boynton Brown, Idaho Democratic Party Executive Director, President of Association of State Democratic Executive Directors • Ray Buckley, New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair, Association of State Democratic Parties Chair • Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, IN • Keith Ellison, U.S. Representative (MN-5) • Jehmu Greene, Fox News Political Analyst • Jaime Harrison, South Carolina Democratic Party Chair • Tom Perez, secretary of Labor. rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) DemocraticNationalCommittee _1620436 Sat, 14 Jan 2017 15:50:42 +0000 Open thread for night owls: The wealthy thrive as inequality leaves millions without the basics http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/14/1620154/-Open-thread-for-night-owls-The-wealthy-thrive-as-inequality-leaves-millions-without-the-basics In their essay—<a href="http://www.cbpp.org/poverty-and-inequality/commentary-this-mlk-day-lets-build-on-what-works" target="_blank" title="">This MLK Day, Let’s Build on What Works</a>—Nicholas Johnson and Arloc Sherman at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities take a look at the “safety net’s” benefits and argue for “build[ing] on what works” rather than capitulating to the demolition of existing programs. But isn’t something deeper needed to fundamentally change the situation for so many Americans? <blockquote> Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose life we celebrate next week, was a champion not only of civil rights but also of full participation in the economy for everyone. He envisioned an America where both our economic and justice systems worked for all people — and offered routes to prosperity for those whose families’ way forward the nation had long barred. Although we’ve made significant strides, King’s goals have not yet been achieved. <figure class="image-captioned width-md align-right"><img alt="owls" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/125323/large/HolyGrailOwl_Badge_TEXT.jpg?1453439006" title="owls"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> The great majority of America’s wealth is held by a small number of households. In all 50 states, the average income of the top 5 percent of households is now at least ten times higher than the bottom 20 percent, our recent report found. And a vastly disproportionate share of America’s wealthiest people are White. This concentration of wealth and income means that while a small fraction of households are flourishing, too many Americans of all backgrounds lack basics: stable and affordable housing, access to good jobs, proximity to public transportation, and affordable health insurance and child care. Too many don’t live near good schools or have access to an affordable college education. For every American who’s living paycheck to paycheck these are significant obstacles. And the reality is that today, as in King’s time, low-income communities of color face particularly infuriating and imposing barriers such as job discrimination, harsh immigration policies, housing instability, and underfunded schools. King emphasized that many White Americans also faced poverty and disadvantage, and that all groups would make greater progress by working together for change. This is why he called for a “grand alliance” between the races. But he did not pretend the challenges for the races were identical; while a problem like youth unemployment was widespread for both races, he firmly noted, the unemployment rate was much higher for Black youth as White youth. Thankfully, we have progress to build upon. In fact, over decades federal and state governments have created programs and policies that work quietly every day to improve racial equity. They help millions of striving Americans to have access to college, citizenship, decent health care, food to put on the table, and more. And while these programs and policies haven’t solved all our problems, they’ve toppled significant obstacles. Our recent analysis provides a striking example of how one set of programs — the anti-poverty programs that we sometimes call the “safety net” — helped reduce the hardship felt in the wake of the last recession. Because so many people were thrown out of work in the recession, more than 90 million Americans would have had incomes below the poverty line absent federal aid. [...] </blockquote> <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/14/1620354/-High-Impact-Posts-January-12-2017" target="_blank">HIGH IMPACT STORIES</a> • <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/14/1620331/-Top-Comments-Repeal-THIS" target="_blank">TOP COMMENTS</a> TWEET OF THE DAY <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Screen_Shot_2017-01-13_at_11.01.04_AM.png" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/349533/large/Screen_Shot_2017-01-13_at_11.01.04_AM.png?1484334083" title="Screen_Shot_2017-01-13_at_11.01.04_AM.png"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> BLAST FROM THE PAST At Daily Kos on this date in 2010—<a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/01/13/824820/-MA-Sen-Scott-Brown-s-naked-ploy" target="_blank" title="">MA-Sen: Scott Brown's naked ploy</a>: <blockquote> Scott Brown, the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts, <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/01/campaigns_going.html" title="">claims</a> he's never heard of the Tea Party movement: He also claimed that he was unfamiliar with the "Tea Party movement," when asked by a reporter. When told that different people labeled him a conservative, moderate and a liberal Republican, he responded "I’m a Scott Brown Republican." On the face of it, disassociating himself with teabaggers seems like <a href="http://www.cosmopolitan.com/celebrity/news/scott-brown-nude-in-cosmo" title="">a naked ploy</a> by Scott Brown to avoid turning off moderate voters by exposing them to his long record of hard right positions. Given the centrality of the tea party movement in Republican politics these days, it's inconceivable that Scott Brown unaware of it, and sure enough, over at Salon, Mike Madden <a href="http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2010/01/13/brown_tea_party/index.html">found evidence</a> undercutting Brown's claim: <a href="http://www.brownforussenate.com/event/2010-01-02/friends-tea-party-scott-brown-reception">a fundraiser</a> for Brown hosted by Friends of the Tea Party. So Scott Brown says he wants to be a different kind of politician, but when asked if he's heard of the most active right-wing movement in America just days before an election in Democratic Massachusetts, Brown claims ignorance...even though one of the organizations in that movement of that movement hosted a fundraiser for him just days earlier. </blockquote> On <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/13/1620116/-Daily-Kos-Radio-s-KITM-podcast-AUDIO-Kagro-in-the-Morning-Friday-January-13-2017" target="_blank">today’s Kagro in the Morning show</a>, Armando joins us again to sum up the new rules for DC: there are no rules. In our lightning round of weekend smartness: yet another NH legislator drops a loaded gun; neo-Nazis can’t make the trains run on time; Marine Le Pen’s in town for the taco bowls. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder dk-x-embed" href="#" data-height="100" data-src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4988457/height/100/width/500/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/e87822/" data-width="500">Embedded Content</a></div> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknlsM6zUMIdxtz1qEAbhuA" target="_blank">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-kos-radio-kagro-in-morning/id581551976" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://kagrox.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">LibSyn</a> | Support the show via <a href="https://www.patreon.com/kagrox?ty=h" target="_blank">Patreon</a> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) OpenThreadforNightOwls Poverty _1620154 Sat, 14 Jan 2017 04:00:25 +0000 Kudos to Congress' inaugural boycotters. But attending and turning their backs would be speak louder http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/13/1620190/-Kudos-to-Congress-inaugural-boycotters-But-attending-and-turning-their-backs-would-be-speak-louder Big huzzahs and hugs!! to Massachusetts Rep. <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/1/5/1617382/-Democratic-congresswoman-won-t-normalize-Trump-by-attending-inauguration" target="_blank">Katherine Clark</a>, Rep. <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/1/13/1620188/-Rep-John-Lewis-boldly-tells-NBC-he-does-not-think-Donald-Trump-is-a-legitimate-president" target="_blank">John Lewis</a>, California Reps. <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/1/12/1619707/-In-a-fiery-statement-Congresswoman-announces-Inauguration-boycott-promises-to-lead-the-resistance" target="_blank">Barbara Lee</a> and <a href="http://www.marinij.com/government-and-politics/20170109/marin-congressman-huffman-to-snub-trump-inauguration" target="_blank">Jared Huffman</a>, Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva, and Illinois Rep. <a href="http://www.latina.com/lifestyle/politics/luis-gutierrez-boycotting-donald-trump-inauguration" target="_blank" title="">Luis Gutiérrez</a> for announcing that they will boycott the inauguration of Unpresidented-elect Donald Trump® next week. Grijalva <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/314167-fifth-democrat-announces-boycott-of-trumps-inauguration" target="_blank">said</a>: <blockquote> "My absence is not motivated by disrespect for the office or motivated by disrespect for the government that we have in this great democracy. But as an individual act, yes, of defiance, at the disrespect shown to millions and millions of Americans by this incoming administration and by the actions we are taking in this Congress. [...] "Rather than participate in the inauguration, I will be participating in my district and reaffirming and renewing this democracy and the people that are part of it." </blockquote> I heartily applaud this act of resistance. Unfortunately, unless 100 or so of their colleagues sign up for this, their absence will not be much noticed by the media or their constituents. Even then, the boycott would probably only get a half-minute or so of coverage. Resistance of all sorts is needed. And this boycott is a lot better than participating resignedly at the inauguration. These six representatives and whoever else joins them are already guaranteeing their inboxes will fill up with hate mail. They deserve a lot of credit for doing so. But on my wish list is something slightly more aggressive, something that can’t be ignored by the media because it would be so highly visible, something that Donald Trump® himself can’t miss on his Big Day. I’d like to see 100 or more Democratic Congresspeople show up and the inauguration and, when the time comes for the oath-taking, stand up and turn their backs. I’m an idealist. But I am a realistic idealist. I know my idea for a more confrontational protest at the inaugural won’t happen. I know that some progressives view this kind as action with distaste. I know where they’re coming from. However, I view this not as some extremist action but rather half a baby-step on the path we need to travel if we expect our resistance to produce results. Mild as it would actually be, this back-turning would, of course, be interpreted by the gatekeepers of appropriate dissent as disrespect. It definitely would be. That’s the point. Not, as Congressman Grijalva rightly says, disrespect for the office of the presidency or for democracy. Rather disrespect for the “billionaire” disrespecter of women and people of color and fairness and democracy who will soon plunk himself down behind the big desk in the Oval Office to begin leading us toward the political abyss. We should, indeed, all turn our backs every day on what Donald Trump® has in store for Americans and the rest of the world. This doesn’t mean being passive in the face of the dismantling he and his fellow Trumpkochians have in mind. Quite the opposite. Resistance requires a partner: rebellion. I’ll have a lot more to say about what that means in the weeks to come. rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) Inauguration Rebellion Recommended Resistance _1620190 Fri, 13 Jan 2017 21:19:40 +0000 Midday open thread: Scientists, California enlist in the resistance; the fanatic who will lead CIA http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/13/1620111/-Midday-open-thread-Scientists-California-enlist-in-the-resistance-the-fanatic-who-will-lead-CIA Today’s <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/user/Comics/history" target="_blank">comic </a>by Mark Fiore is <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/13/1619580/-Cartoon-The-Obama-farewell-addendum" target="_blank">The Obama farewell addendum</a>: <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Cartoon by Mark Fiore -- The Obama farewell addendum" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/349354/large/kosstill.png?1484285233" title="Cartoon by Mark Fiore -- The Obama farewell addendum"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> What’s coming up on Sunday Kos … <blockquote> <ul> <li>Obama's farewell address: This is how you make America stronger, by Ian Reifowitz</li> <li>A curious case of Archie Bunker syndrome, by Propane Jane</li> <li>Obama’s last goodbye: Yes, we did, and yes, we still can, by Sher Watts Spooner</li> <li>Democratic capitalism: How corporate special interests redefined 'corruption' and how to free people, by David Akadjian</li> <li>Mainstream media projecting as they accuse BuzzFeed of fake news on Trump dossier, by Egberto Willies</li> <li>Be courageous or be complicit, by Susan Grigsby</li> <li>In honor of Dr. King, join the resistance, by Denise Oliver Velez</li> <li>A snowflake can become a blizzard, by Mark E Andersen</li> <li>The rise (and probable fall) of bitcoin, by DarkSyde</li> <li>Daily Kos International Elections Digest: Our look ahead at all of 2017's top elections worldwid, by Daily Kos Elections</li> </ul> </blockquote> • <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/12/us/politics/joe-biden-presidential-medal-freedom.html?smid=tw-nytpolitics&smtyp=cur" target="_blank">In case you missed it, President Obama gave Vice President Biden the Presidential Medal of Freedom</a>: <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder dk-x-embed" href="#" data-height="321" data-src="//static01.nyt.com/video/players/offsite/index.html?videoId=100000004868432" data-width="480">Embedded Content</a></div> • <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/scientists-new-role-in-trumps-america-the-resistance" target="_blank">Scientists join the resistance with archiving projects to maintain access during anti-science Trump regime</a>: <blockquote> There are several different archiving projects, many of them being run in partnership with the <a href="https://envirodatagov.org/" target="_blank">Environmental Data and Governance Initiative</a> (EDGI), a group founded as a direct response to Trump’s election. The movement is informed by previous actions taken by conservative administrations in the US and Canada, as well as the antiscience rhetoric of Trump and his cabinet picks. The George W. Bush administration <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/researchers-are-preparing-for-trump-to-delete-government-science-from-the-web" target="_blank">systematically changed scientists’ press releases</a>, misrepresented scientific findings to Congress, neglected or deleted information on government websites, and dismantled the Environmental Protection Agency’s library system. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s administration deleted or <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/2016/12/orwellian-scott-walker-admin-quietly-scrubs-mentions-of-climate-from-climate-change-website/" target="_blank">changed climate information</a> on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website, and former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-fight-to-unmuzzle-canadas-scientists" target="_blank">restricted government scientists’ access to the press</a>. Researchers expect to see similar measures under Trump. </blockquote> •<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-convince-someone-when-facts-fail/" target="_blank" title=""> How to change minds when facts won’t do the job</a>. • <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/01/california-trump-immigration-climate-healthcare-marijuana-guns-tech" target="_blank" title="">California mobilizes against Trump regime, and it’s more than rhetoric</a>: <blockquote> "One thing that should be made very clear is that one election won't change the values of the state of California," Kevin de León, the Senate president pro tempore, told Mother Jones. "What we would say to the incoming Trump administration is that we hope you find value in what we do in California—by growing the economy, creating real jobs that can be verified, reducing our carbon footprint, respecting immigrants for who they are, and recognizing that diversity, a rich mosaic of different hues, is actually a strength, not a weakness." </blockquote> • <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/solar-farm-chernobyl-2190202341.html" target="_blank">Two Chinese companies plan to build giant solar farm at Chernobyl</a>: They estimate the one-gigawatt solar power plant built on 6,200 acres in the exclusion zone to the south of the Chernobyl plant will cost a billion dollars. Neither the Chinese nor the Ukrainians have announced what safety measures will be taken in building or operating the plant in an area of radioactive contamination. • <a href="https://www.wired.com/2017/01/epa-now-accusing-fiat-chrysler-selling-dirty-diesels/" target="_blank">EPA and California Air Resources Board accuse Chrysler of selling dirty diesels:</a> <blockquote> The accusation covers Jeep Grand Cherokees (from 2014 to 2016) and Dodge Ram 1500 trucks powered by 3-liter diesel engines. It’s 104,000 cars in total. “Once again, a major automaker made the business decision to skirt the rules and got caught,” CARB chief Mary D. Nichols said in a statement. For its part, Fiat Chrysler issues its own statement, saying company officials believe the vehicles meet all requirements, have provided “voluminous information” in response to EPA requests, and that the carmaker “intends to work with the incoming administration to present its case and resolve this matter fairly and equitably.” </blockquote> • <a href="http://www.epi.org/publication/poor-black-children-are-much-more-likely-to-attend-high-poverty-schools-than-poor-white-children/" target="_blank">Poor black children far more likely than poor white children to attend high-poverty schools</a>: <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder dk-x-embed" href="#" data-height="460" data-src="//www.epi.org/?p=120033&view=embed&embed_template=charts_v2013_08_21&embed_date=20170113&onp=120108&utm_source=epi_press&utm_medium=chart_embed&utm_campaign=charts_v2" data-width="100%">Embedded Content</a></div> • <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2017/01/mike_pompeo_trump_s_pick_for_the_cia_wants_a_holy_war.html" target="_blank">Michelle Goldberg rips Mike Pompeo, the fanatic who will soon be CIA chief:</a> <blockquote> If a normal Republican president had nominated a figure like this to head the country’s major foreign intelligence agency, there likely would have been a lot of attention paid to his apocalyptic religiosity and Manichaean worldview. Amid the fire hose of lunacy that is the Trump transition, however, Pompeo’s extremism has been overlooked. It’s worth pausing to appreciate the fact that America’s CIA will shortly be run by a man who appears to view American foreign policy as a vehicle for holy war </blockquote> • On <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/13/1620116/-Daily-Kos-Radio-s-KITM-podcast-AUDIO-Kagro-in-the-Morning-Friday-January-13-2017" target="_blank">today’s Kagro in the Morning show</a>, Armando joins us again to sum up the new rules for DC: there are no rules. In our lightning round of weekend smartness: yet another NH legislator drops a loaded gun; neo-Nazis can’t make the trains run on time; Marine Le Pen’s in town for the taco bowls. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder dk-x-embed" href="#" data-height="100" data-src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4988457/height/100/width/500/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/e87822/" data-width="500">Embedded Content</a></div> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknlsM6zUMIdxtz1qEAbhuA" target="_blank">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-kos-radio-kagro-in-morning/id581551976" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://kagrox.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">LibSyn</a> | Support the show via <a href="https://www.patreon.com/kagrox?ty=h" target="_blank">Patreon</a> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) MiddayOpenThread _1620111 Fri, 13 Jan 2017 20:26:48 +0000 Open thread for night owls: Book on rebel city of Richmond, Calif., shows how progressives can win http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/13/1619954/-Open-thread-for-night-owls-Book-on-rebel-city-of-Richmond-Calif-shows-how-progressives-can-win Shaun Richman at In These Times writes—<a href="http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/19796/richmond_california_shows_how_progressives_can_win" target="_blank" title="">From Company Town to Rebel City: Richmond, California Shows How Progressives Can Win</a>: <blockquote> <a href="https://medium.com/@BComuGlobal/america-needs-a-network-of-rebel-cities-to-stand-up-to-trump-7c07202e7cc2#.u08ixtz83">Rebel cities</a> have long been laboratories for progressive policy experimentation. Specifically, the small Bay Area city of Richmond, California, has stood out for its boldness. It’s now the subject of a new book by Steve Early, Refinery Town: Big Oil, Big Money, and the Remaking of an American City, set to be released next Tuesday by Beacon Press. <figure class="image-captioned width-sm align-right"><img alt="Night_Owl_Yellow_Eyesx.jpg" class="width-sm" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/121188/large/Night_Owl_Yellow_Eyesx.jpg?1453408013" title="Night_Owl_Yellow_Eyesx.jpg"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> A long-time labor activist and <a href="http://inthesetimes.com/community/profile/11368">frequent writer</a> for In These Times, Early moved to Richmond five years ago. After “thirty-two Boston-area winters,” the placid weather was more of a draw than the city’s vibrant urban reform movement, Early writes. But, naturally, he soon got involved and began taking notes, eventually producing a lively read—an intimate, warts-and-all look at how a small band of activists fought for and won a slightly better world at home. His book is a ray of hope for anyone wondering how to survive, and possibly even thrive, under Donald Trump and a hostile, Republican Congress. Richmond was once home to factories that built warships and automobiles. Today, what’s left of local industry is a giant oil refinery owned by the global superpower, Chevron. The deindustrialization of Richmond produced the usual urban problems: white flight, declining tax revenue, a corrupt government and a police force that behaved like an occupying army. In 2004, an “unlikely group of Greens, Latinos, progressive Democrats, African Americans, and free spirits” formed the Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA), and began to organize around environmental and good government causes. It grew into a political machine. [...] Community activists who are just starting out could find examples like Richmond a bit daunting, which makes intimate, contemporary histories like Refinery Town so valuable. The first step, of course, is to find each other. The activists who would go on to form the Richmond Progressive Alliance first coalesced around a successful effort to block construction of an oil-fueled municipal power plant next to the Chevron refinery. The next project they worked on was a year-long campaign to stop the police from harassing Latino day laborers at their morning meet-up spot outside a local Home Depot. This campaign was also a success, and led to the creation of a day laborer association to improve safety and workers’ wages. </blockquote> <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/12/1619746/-High-Impact-Posts-January-11-2017" target="_blank" title="">HIGH IMPACT STORIES</a> • <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/13/1619527/-Top-Comments-The-Sleep-of-Reason-Edition" target="_blank">TOP COMMENTS</a> TWEET OF THE DAY <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Beyond the coming giant march, I think Trump is very vulnerable to protests &amp;amp; civil disobedience that target his hotels &amp;amp; other properties.&lt;/p&gt;— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/819741942653272065"&gt;January 13, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;'><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Beyond the coming giant march, I think Trump is very vulnerable to protests & civil disobedience that target his hotels & other properties.Ã¢Â€Â” Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) <a href="https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/819741942653272065">January 13, 2017</a></blockquote></div> (Not exactly the kind of nudging to expect from Yglesias but a welcome idea nonetheless.) BLAST FROM THE PAST At Daily Kos on this date in 2007—<a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/01/11/289479/-The-Uniter-Divides-Bush-plan-fractures-the-DLC" target="_blank" title="">The Uniter Divides: Bush plan fractures the DLC</a>: <blockquote> Well, the reviews are in. Bush's <a href="http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003523154" title="">11% doctrine</a> speech was a <s>bomb</s> IED. So now, the scramble is on for politicians of all stripes to distance themselves from his idiotic "plan." Of course, that surge was well underway even before the teleprompter was even hooked up, and Democratic presidential candidates were among the first to find their way to the microphones. I'd round 'em up for you, but that's not actually what this post is about. This post is about the few "Democrats" who didn't distance themselves. No Democratic presidential candidate was that stupid, of course. And no, I'm not even talking about Lieberman. I'm talking about the DLC wonks. In <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-antiwar10jan10,0,580923.story?page=1&coll=la-home-headlines" title="">yesterday's LA Times</a>, Will Marshall stunk up the joint on behalf of the DLC, from his perch at the "Progressive Policy Institute," the DLC's "think" tank: "Conventional wisdom says that presidential candidates who want to be responsible on this are going to hurt themselves with the angry, impassioned activist left," said Will Marshall, president of the Progressive Policy Institute, a centrist Democratic think tank. "But the activist left is out of sync with the American public. Americans don't want to concede this is a total debacle." </blockquote> On <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/12/1619660/-Daily-Kos-Radio-s-KITM-podcast-AUDIO-Kagro-in-the-Morning-Thursday-January-12-2017" target="_blank">today’s Kagro in the Morning show</a>, Greg Dworkin and Armando join in recapping & discussing last night’s vote-a-rama (and a reminder of the mechanics ahead), the PR flops of the cabinet nomination hearings and the spiraling catastrophe of Trump’s purported ethics “solutions.” <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder dk-x-embed" href="#" data-height="100" data-src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4985450/height/100/width/500/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/e87822/" data-width="500">Embedded Content</a></div> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknlsM6zUMIdxtz1qEAbhuA" target="_blank">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-kos-radio-kagro-in-morning/id581551976" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://kagrox.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">LibSyn</a> | Support the show via <a href="https://www.patreon.com/kagrox?ty=h" target="_blank">Patreon</a> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) OpenThreadforNightOwls _1619954 Fri, 13 Jan 2017 04:00:25 +0000 Obama names 3 new national civil rights monuments, expands 2 others http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/13/1619956/-Obama-name-3-new-nat-l-monuments-famed-in-civil-rights-history-and-expands-2-existing-monuments Late Thursday, to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President Barack Obama designated three new national monuments and expanded two others. That makes 30 monuments and five expansions of existing monuments he has authorized under the Antiquities Act during his eight years in office. And he’s gotten a lot of grief for many of them from the Republican folks who want the federal government to surrender public lands to the states so that private operators can make a profit off of them. Obama <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/12/statement-president-designating-monuments-honoring-civil-rights-histor-0" target="_blank">said</a>: <blockquote> Today, I am designating new national monuments that preserve critical chapters of our country’s history, from the Civil War to the civil rights movement. These monuments preserve the vibrant history of the Reconstruction Era and its role in redefining freedom. They tell the important stories of the citizens who helped launch the civil rights movement in Birmingham and the Freedom Riders whose bravery raised national awareness of segregation and violence. These stories are part of our shared history. From designating Stonewall National Monument, our country’s first national monument honoring the LGBT movement, to recognizing the movement for women’s equality through the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument, I have sought to build a more inclusive National Park System and ensure that our national parks, monuments and public lands are fully reflective of our nation’s diverse history and culture. </blockquote> Yes, we’re going to miss him. rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) BarackObama CivilRights Environment NationalMonuments Recommended _1619956 Fri, 13 Jan 2017 02:45:41 +0000 It's not hanging by a thread yet, but Iran nuclear deal could meet its demise under Trump regime http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/12/1619790/-It-s-not-hanging-by-a-thread-yet-but-Iran-nuclear-deal-could-meet-its-demise-under-Trump-regime At his confirmation hearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Thursday, Rep. Mike Pompeo—who Pr*sident-Elect Donald Trump picked to head the Central Intelligence Agency—blah-blahed and mushed his way through several answers, even those in reply to the most softball questions, which were most of them. More than once Pompeo was asked about how he would handle the CIA’s mission regarding the Iran nuclear agreement. That 2015 multinational pact, a signature deal President Barack Obama worked hard to achieve, exchanged a lifting of sanctions on Iran for a deceleration of its nuclear program. Iran’s leaders say that program is wholly peaceful while U.S. and other world leaders have viewed it as specifically designed to eventually manufacture nuclear weapons, bolstering its aggressive geopolitical desires and actions in the Middle East. The questions came up at the hearing in part because Pompeo <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMikePompeo/status/799266269853863937" target="_blank" title="">tweeted</a> in November after learning he had been chosen for the CIA post: “I look forward to rolling back this disastrous deal with the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.” Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico asked specifically about that tweet and got another blah, blah response from the unctuous Pompeo, who said the CIA under his direction would provide objective information about compliance with the deal by the Iranians, whom he called “professional cheaters.” Perhaps he gave this fairly low-key response because he knows he can count on Trump to do all the rolling back. Based, of course, on that “objective” information he vows the agency will provide. In an analysis of what the Trump regime is likely to do regarding the agreement, Carol Morello at The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/iran-nuclear-deal-is-in-the-crosshairs-and-may-not-survive-a-trump-administration/2017/01/11/b56313d4-d744-11e6-9f9f-5cdb4b7f8dd7_story.html?utm_term=.e59d25c84d38" target="_blank" title="">reported</a> Thursday that a more confrontational approach is likely: <blockquote> “I was skeptical that the deal would survive, even if Clinton were elected, but the chances of it reaching its expiration date under Trump are very slim,” said Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran analyst with the Carnegie Endowment. “I could see a scenario where Iran continues to do provocative things. Both Trump and Congress respond with new sanctions. And Iran says, ‘You just abrogated your end of the deal, therefore we’re going to put our foot on the gas again and reconstitute our nuclear program.’ But the likelihood that either side gratuitously walks away from the deal is very low. Neither side wants to be blamed for ripping it up.” </blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) Iran _1619790 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 20:27:25 +0000 Midday open thread: Much of northern California emerges from drought; sexism taints Chao hearing http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/12/1619681/-Midday-open-thread-Much-of-northern-California-emerges-from-drought-sexism-taints-Chao-hearing Today’s <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/user/Comics/history" target="_blank">comic</a> by Ruben Bolling is <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/12/1619045/-Cartoon-The-Donald-Trump-mysteries" target="_blank">The Donald Trump mysteries</a>: <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Cartoon by Ruben Bolling - The Donald Trump mysteries" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/348962/large/1320ckTEASER-trump-mysteries-hacking.png?1484197891" title="Cartoon by Ruben Bolling - The Donald Trump mysteries"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> • <a href="http://www.indianz.com/News/2017/01/12/donald-trumps-energy-nominee-vows-to-sta.asp" target="_blank">Energy Secretary-designate Rick Perry vows to divest himself of companies building Dakota Access Pipeline</a>: <blockquote> ...Perry has definitely benefited from his association with Dakota Access. The combined worth of his common stock and his unvested restricted stock in Energy Transfer and Sunoco ranges somewhere between $202,004 and $530,000, according to his disclosure form. </blockquote> • <a href="https://apnews.com/fd1aa9a566b642989650cadcda4edf18?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP" target="_blank">More than 40 percent of California emerges from drought</a>: <blockquote> More than 40 percent of California has emerged from a punishing drought that covered the whole state a year ago, federal drought-watchers said Thursday, a stunning transformation caused by an unrelenting series of storms in the North that filled lakes, overflowed rivers and buried mountains in snow. The<a href="http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CA" target="_blank"> weekly drought report by government and academic water experts</a> showed 42 percent of the state free from drought. This time last year, 97 percent of the state was in drought. </blockquote> • <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/if-trump-dismantles-the-epa-use-these-kits-to-monitor-your-environment" target="_blank">If the Trump regime dismantles the EPA, here are some kits for citizen monitoring of the environment.</a> • <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/01/sexist-remarks-senators-during-elaine-chaos-confirmation-hearing" target="_blank">No protests, but lots of sexist comments in Elaine Chao hearing Wednesday</a>: <blockquote> Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) focused on Chao's relationship to her father. "I keep thinking—last night, I was with you and your family, your daddy—how excited your daddy is right now thinking about the things that are going on, and that he is responsible for you and your performing and your cute little nieces," he said at the start of his questioning. "As you well know, I've got 20 kids and grandkids. You've got some more work to do, but that's all right." </blockquote> Can you imagine: "Mr. Tillerson, your mommy must be so proud!" • <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jan/11/microsoft-employees-child-abuse-lawsuit-ptsd" target="_blank" title="">Monitors who had to view child abuse content sue Microsoft, claim PTSD</a>: <blockquote> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/microsoft">Microsoft</a> workers on the “online safety team” were forced to view photos and videos of “indescribable sexual assaults”, “horrible brutality”, murder and child abuse, resulting in severe post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a lawsuit. The complaint, filed on behalf of two employees and their families, outlined the “inhumane and disgusting content” the moderators viewed on a regular basis and alleged that the psychological impact has been so extreme that the men are “triggered” by simply seeing children and can no longer use computers without breaking down. </blockquote> <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="Tallahatchie County Courthouse; site of the Emmett Till murder trial. " src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/349141/large/TrialOfBryantAndMilam_Courtesy-of-the-Mississippi-Department-of-Archives-and-History.jpg?1484245070" title="Tallahatchie County Courthouse; site of the Emmett Till murder trial. "> <figcaption>These grants assist with the preservation and interpretation of places that tell the story of the Civil Rights Movement, such as the Tallahatchie County Courthouse, site of the Emmett Till murder trial.</figcaption> </figure> • <a href="https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/01-12-2017-civil-rights-grants.htm" target="_blank" title="">National Park Service grants $7.5 million to preserve African American civil rights movement sites</a>: <blockquote> The National Park Service (NPS) today announced funding for 39 projects in over 20 states that will preserve and highlight the sites and stories associated with the Civil Rights Movement and the African American experience. “Through the African American Civil Rights Grant Program, we’re helping our public and private partners tell unique and powerful stories of the African American struggle for equality in the 20th Century,” National Park Service Acting Director Michael Reynolds said. </blockquote> • On <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/12/1619660/-Daily-Kos-Radio-s-KITM-podcast-AUDIO-Kagro-in-the-Morning-Thursday-January-12-2017" target="_blank" title="">today’s Kagro in the Morning show</a>, Greg Dworkin & Armando join in recapping & discussing last night’s vote-a-rama (and a reminder of the mechanics ahead), the PR flops of the cabinet nomination hearings and the spiraling catastrophe of Trump’s purported ethics “solutions.” <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder dk-x-embed" href="#" title="" data-src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4985450/height/100/width/500/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/e87822/" data-height="100" data-width="500">Embedded Content</a></div> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknlsM6zUMIdxtz1qEAbhuA" target="_blank">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-kos-radio-kagro-in-morning/id581551976" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://kagrox.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">LibSyn</a> | Support the show via <a href="https://www.patreon.com/kagrox?ty=h" target="_blank">Patreon</a> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) MiddayOpenThread _1619681 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 20:00:24 +0000 Mike Pompeo confirmation hearing for Central Intelligence Agency director, liveblog #2 http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/12/1619653/-Mike-Pompeo-confirmation-hearing-for-Central-Intelligence-Agency-director-liveblog-2 The hearing continues … <div><a name="update-1484240392000"></a></div> <div class="live-update-wrapper" data-epoch-time="1484240392000"></div> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) MikePompeo _1619653 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 16:57:43 +0000 Mike Pompeo confirmation hearing for Central Intelligence Agency director, liveblog http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/12/1619636/-Mike-Pompeo-confirmation-hearing-for-Central-Intelligence-Agency-director-liveblog Mike Pompeo, a lawyer, 1986 West Point graduate, and tea party favorite who is serving his fourth term as a Republican Congressman from Kansas, was picked by Pr*sident-Elect Donald Trump 10 days after the November election to run the Central Intelligence Agency. He is being questioned today by the 15-member Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Pompeo has been a sharp critic of Hillary Clinton, especially regarding her role in the 2012 Benghazi attacks and use of a private email server. He favors stepped-up domestic surveillance and strongly opposes the Iran nuclear agreement, having said, “I look forward to rolling back this disastrous deal with the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.” He has said that any Muslim leader who does not speak out against every instance of Islamic terrorism is “potentially complicit in these acts and more importantly still, in those that may well follow.” <div></div> <div></div> <div><a name="update-1484233939000"></a></div> <div class="live-update-wrapper" data-epoch-time="1484233939000"></div> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) CIA MikePompeo _1619636 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 15:06:06 +0000 Abbreviated pundit roundup: If only we could have more panem with our circenses http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/12/1619555/-Abbreviated-pundit-roundup-If-only-we-could-have-more-panem-with-our-circenses Charles M. Blow at The New York Times writes—<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/11/opinion/ode-to-obama.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-right-region&region=opinion-c-col-right-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-right-region" target="_blank">Ode to Obama</a>: <blockquote> The dark clouds of the coming administration rolled in this week with a fury, producing a flood of strange and worrisome news. [...] But there was a calm in the midst of the storm, a rock of familiarity and stability and strength: On Tuesday night, President Obama delivered his farewell address in his adopted hometown, Chicago, as a forlorn crowd looked on, realizing the magnitude of the moment, realizing the profundity of its loss. As the old saying goes: You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. [...] But none of those differences in opinions about strategy injured in any way my profound respect for the characteristics of the man we came to take for granted: bracingly smart, exceptionally well educated, literate in the grand tradition of the great men of letters. He was scholarly, erudite, well read and an adroit writer. And he was an orator for the ages. </blockquote> Jill Abramson at The Guardian writes—<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/11/obama-farewell-speech-trump-dossier" target="_blank">Obama's right: in an age of unreality, democracy is in peril</a>: <blockquote> George Orwell, no doubt, would have approved of President Obama’s farewell speech. Underneath the hopeful rhetoric of “Yes We (Still) Can” and list of the accomplishments over the past eight years lay a bracing, overarching message: when lies can become truth, democracy is in peril. Orwell penned his dystopian political novel, 1984, from the same fear. “The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world,” he wrote. “Lies will pass into history.” In 1984, the Ministry of Truth spews propaganda and the language of Newspeak obfuscates lies. On Tuesday night in Chicago, Obama reinforced that this could happen now unless we can agree that there is accepted truth and that “reason and science matter.” “Without some common baseline of facts, without a willingness to admit new information and concede that your opponent might be making a fair point,” President Obama warned, democracy can’t function. </blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) AbbreviatedPunditRoundUp _1619555 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 12:30:21 +0000 Open thread for night owls: Shameless liars http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/12/1619523/-Open-thread-for-night-owls-Shameless-liars At The Baffler, Justin Clark writes—<a href="http://thebaffler.com/blog/shameless-liars-clark" target="_blank" title="">Shameless Liars: When “pathological” lying and fake news plagued the nation</a>: <blockquote> Toward the end of the 1800s, an insane asylum physician in Zurich discovered a surprising tendency among his patients. One, an Austrian maid, had spent years wandering the countryside, claiming to be royalty. A second, an hysterical epileptic, habitually convinced strangers that she was their distant relative. A third, a chronic masturbator, posed as Catholic (he was in fact Protestant), and compulsively pilfered items which he then discarded unused. In 1891, Anton Delbrück summarized his discovery in Die pathologische Lüge, christening the condition pseudologia phantastica, or, as we now say in English, pathological lying. And with that came the emergence of a public health issue requiring large-scale study, and somewhat improbably, widespread concern about an epidemic of dishonesty and even fake news. <figure class="image-captioned width-md align-right"><img alt="YellowBackgroundOwlBadge_TEXT_%281%29.jpg" class="width-md" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/124236/large/YellowBackgroundOwlBadge_TEXT_%281%29.jpg?1453431581" title="YellowBackgroundOwlBadge_TEXT_%281%29.jpg"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> Today, we’re quick to call those who lie too grandly or frequently, or without requisite shame, pathological liars. But Delbrück and other discoverers of the condition intended something more exact. The pathological liar was manifestly not a con artist. He bore little relation to Phineas T. Barnum or to Melville’s confidence man. For one thing, he didn’t lie for the sake of wealth or power. Indeed, it wasn’t clear why he lied at all. The maid who pretended to be an aristocrat didn’t win favors or pull strings. Neither did the character Colonel Capadose, from Henry James’s 1889 story “The Liar.” “He’ll lie about the time of day, about the name of his hatter,” an acquaintance observes of the otherwise upstanding Colonel. Yet though James’s Capadose and Delbrück’s asylum patients lacked a clear motive for lying, they still couldn’t avoid it. Earlier generations had a reliable explanation for why we commit wrongs in spite of our better angels: sin. Like murderers, embezzlers, and adulterers, liars suffered from the same fallible nature as the rest of us, if only more severely. Psychiatry encouraged people to see “pathological liars” as deserving distinction from humanity’s ordinarily mendacious remainder. But why? Why should a behavior that has been with us for eons become a disease at the end of the nineteenth century? Why do we brand the most notorious of deceivers as pathological, and what do we mean when we do so? [...] </blockquote> <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/11/1619227/-High-Impact-Posts-January-10-2017" target="_blank" title="">HIGH IMPACT STORIES</a> • <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/12/1616267/-Top-Comments-My-2016-in-books-part-2-Nonfiction" target="_blank">TOP COMMENTS</a> TWEET OF THE DAY <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Not parody. He actually said this. &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TrumpPressConference?src=hash"&gt;#TrumpPressConference&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/OO5tmKhUDQ"&gt;pic.twitter.com/OO5tmKhUDQ&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Amy Siskind (@Amy_Siskind) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Amy_Siskind/status/819235637844996096"&gt;January 11, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;'><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Not parody. He actually said this. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TrumpPressConference?src=hash">#TrumpPressConference</a> <a href="https://t.co/OO5tmKhUDQ">pic.twitter.com/OO5tmKhUDQ</a>Ã¢Â€Â” Amy Siskind (@Amy_Siskind) <a href="https://twitter.com/Amy_Siskind/status/819235637844996096">January 11, 2017</a></blockquote></div> BLAST FROM THE PAST At Daily Kos on this date in 2007—<a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/01/12/290284/-Science-Friday-There-is-No-Controversy" title="">Science Friday: There is No Controversy</a>: <blockquote> Ever since the terms "Climate Change" and "Global Warming" first made the news, the right has been engaged in an effort to ridicule the whole notion. Man could have an effect on the atmosphere? Pshaw! Okay, so Rush Limbaugh and the Fox airheads don't actually say pshaw. Instead, they've said that the idea of a human-caused climate change is "ridiculous," and "malarkey" and a "farce." (I'd give you links for those, but adding a link to Limbaugh and friends would give me a rash). Most of all, they've pushed the idea that our increasing thirst for flammable hydrocarbons might just cause an eensy change in the environment is controversial. Sure, sure, we might be having a hot year -- or two, or ten -- but that doesn't mean people had anything to do with it. After all, we're so small and the atmosphere is just so big. How could a little old us possibly have more effect than volcanoes, or cyclical changes, or the bad old carbon fairy, or whatever cause the right wants to put forward this week? We changed the air? Huh, that's just controversial. They've depended on paid shills to generate pop-science FUD, and like the mercenaries of ignorance who constantly try to make it seem as if there's some scientific debate around evolution, they've created smoke in the hopes of making people believe there's a fire. They've created <a href="http://www.co2science.org/scripts/CO2ScienceB2C/Index.jsp" title="">fake organizations</a> dedicated to spreading misinformation (current headline "Earth's plants tell us they're loving the CO2 increase!") They've even made a hero out of Michael Crichton (the one man whose ego might be larger than Bush and Rush combined) and his account of a Global Warming "conspiracy," frequently citing his poorly-researched fictional tome as proof of the evil left wing environmentalist attempt to strip away your Hummer. The trouble with this notion is that the folks who stole the "it's only a theory" page from the whacko creationists are lying. There is no controversy. There's been none in scientific journals, and no, scientists did not think we were going to freeze just a decade ago, no matter how many times the shills say they did. With every passing day, the evidence becomes <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901949.html" title="">more compelling</a>. </blockquote> On <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/11/1619268/-Daily-Kos-Radio-s-KITM-podcast-AUDIO-Kagro-in-the-Morning-Wednesday-January-11-2017" target="_blank" title="">today’s Kagro in the Morning show</a>, Greg Dworkin & Armando comment on today’s “number one” story, the cabinet confirmation hearings, and Trump’s dependence on laundering Russian mob money. Plus, it turns out you’re not officially in Congress until you take the oath. Who knew? You did! <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder dk-x-embed" href="#" title="" data-height="100" data-src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4982501/height/100/width/500/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/e87822/" data-width="500">Embedded Content</a></div> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknlsM6zUMIdxtz1qEAbhuA" target="_blank">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-kos-radio-kagro-in-morning/id581551976" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://kagrox.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">LibSyn</a> | Support the show via <a href="https://www.patreon.com/kagrox?ty=h" target="_blank">Patreon</a> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) OpenThreadforNightOwls _1619523 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 04:00:24 +0000 Spotlight on green news & views: China eating our lunch on renewables; bumblebee endangered http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/11/1618783/-Spotlight-on-green-news-amp-views-China-eating-our-lunch-on-renewables-bumblebee-endangered Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/07/1617403/-Spotlight-on-green-news-amp-views-Warming-pause-wasn-t-Flint-s-residents-must-still-lug-water" title="">Here</a> is the January 7 Green Spotlight. More than 26,245 environmentally oriented stories have been rescued to appear in this series since 2006. Inclusion of a story in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it. OUTSTANDING GREEN STORIES <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="clean_energy_jobs.jpeg" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/347515/large/clean_energy_jobs.jpeg?1483882228" title="clean_energy_jobs.jpeg"> <figcaption>Current clean energy jobs in thousands</figcaption> </figure> Idontknowwhy writes—<a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/08/1618236/-Trump-to-cede-13-Million-jobs-to-China-over-next-4-years-in-just-one-industry" target="_blank" title="">Trump to cede 13 million jobs to China over next 4 years, in just one industry</a>: “As Donald betrays our nation to Putin in an act of treason he is also handing the biggest source of new good jobs to china according to this <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/trump-to-abandon-millions-of-high-wage-jobs-to-china-3554a04796b1#.uykj8xs4m" target="_blank">Think Progress</a> article and this report from <a href="http://www.irena.org/News/Description.aspx?NType=A&mnu=cat&PriMenuID=16&CatID=84&News_ID=1450" target="_blank" title="">International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)</a>. As Trump plans to cut clean energy spending, Beijing’s newest 5-year energy <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-energy-renewables-idUSKBN14P06P" target="_blank">development plan</a> invests a stunning 2.5 trillion yuan ($360 billion) in renewable generation by 2020. Of that, $144 billion will go to solar, about $100 billion to wind, $70 billion to hydropower, and the rest to sources like tidal and geothermal power. The Chinese National Energy Administration said in a <a href="http://www.nea.gov.cn/2017-01/05/c_135956835.htm" target="_blank">statement Thursday</a> the resulting ‘employment will be more than 13 million people.’ [...] Our great orange Luddite of a president is going to throw away the future jobs of millions of Americans in his true role as protector of established plutocrats and defender of the existing wealth disparities. Trump is out there lying about being the savior of a few hundred jobs here and there while his plans are ignoring the biggest growth market to come around since the IT boom. The son of an orangutan is kowtowing to the dying fossil fuel industry when the entire planet is moving to go carbon free. He is like the guy fighting to save the jobs of the <a href="http://www.banhdc.org/archives/ch-hist-19711000.html" target="_blank">street sweepers</a> of the horse and buggy days in the face of the horseless carriage.” OceanDiver writes—<a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/10/1607375/-The-Daily-Bucket-swans-in-ice-and-water" target="_blank" title="">The Daily Bucket - swans in ice and water</a>: “This has been an abundant Trumpeter Swan year where I live. They migrated here late this fall but in prodigious numbers. Unprecedented, according to <a href="http://ebird.org/content/ebird/" target="_blank">eBird</a>, where I report observations regularly — once they refused to believe I’d seen so many at one time (I did! I did! — foto evidence!) and it was weeks before they posted it in their database: 52 gathering to roost for the night, on December 17. It’s been particularly interesting for me seeing them in different weather conditions this winter. We started getting a lot of cold weather in December after an unusually warm fall, and the cold snaps have lasted long enough to freeze our local shallow wetlands and ponds. [...] Swans can handle cold temperatures. <a href="https://www.nps.gov/dena/learn/nature/trumpeter-swan-cygnus-buccinator.htm" target="_blank">Ice is the problem</a>: they feed almost entirely on underwater aquatic vegetation, tearing it up with their strong feet and then reaching their neck down to grab it. And swans eat huge quantities of plants, up to half their body weight each day (higher quality food like grain requires less). A swan weighs about 25 pounds as a full-grown adult — that adds up to a lot of vegetation necessary every day. Without adequate open water and the food accessible there, swans will starve.” rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) Environment SpotlightonGreenNewsandViews _1618783 Wed, 11 Jan 2017 23:20:22 +0000 Midday open thread: 314 Action wants to elect scientists; study—sea levels will rise for centuries http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/11/1619198/-Midday-open-thread-314-Action-wants-to-elect-scientists-study-sea-levels-will-rise-for-centuries Today’s <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/user/Comics/history" target="_blank">comic</a> by Matt Bors is <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/11/1619127/-Cartoon-Trump-s-intelligence-briefing" target="_blank">Trump's intelligence briefing</a>: <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Cartoon by Matt Bors -- Trump's intelligence briefing" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/348616/large/teaser.png?1484111241" title="Cartoon by Matt Bors -- Trump's intelligence briefing"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> • <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/dylann-roof-gets-death-penalty-but-the-church-where-he-killed-people-opposes-it-ca29dbca1a25#.rwsjjz2hz" target="_blank">AME church where Dylann Roof killed nine opposes the death penalty</a>. • <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;I would say in reviewing raw, extremely raw &amp;#39;intel&amp;#39;, people shld retain their skepticism even if they rightly think Trump is the worst.&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/818965174778470401"&gt;January 10, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; '><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I would say in reviewing raw, extremely raw 'intel', people shld retain their skepticism even if they rightly think Trump is the worst.— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/818965174778470401">January 10, 2017</a></blockquote> </div> •<a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170109190325.htm" target="_blank"> Study: Short-lived greenhouse gases will keep raising sea levels for centuries:</a> <blockquote> In a paper published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers report that warming from short-lived compounds—greenhouse gases such as methane, chlorofluorocarbons, or hydrofluorocarbons, that linger in the atmosphere for just a year to a few decades—can cause sea levels to rise for hundreds of years after the pollutants have been cleared from the atmosphere. </blockquote> •<a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/314-action-drafting-scientists-to-run-for-office-to-oppose-trump" target="_blank"> 314 Action group formed to launch scientists into elected office:</a> <blockquote> The group—named <a href="http://www.314action.org/" target="_blank">314 Action</a> after the first three digits of the number pi—has a mission to encourage politically engaged scientists to run for office at all levels of government, to connect them with traditional sources of campaign funding, and to get as many scientists elected during the 2018 campaign cycle as possible. The hope is that with more politician scientists speaking sense on issues such as climate change, they will serve as a counterbalance to the anti-science policies that have arisen mainly on the right. “Running for Congress in 2014 as a chemist and a breast cancer researcher, I felt like I was locked out of a lot of the traditional networks of Democratic donors,” Shaughnessy Naughton, the board president of 314 Action, told me. “It’s a hindrance for people coming from nontraditional political backgrounds.” </blockquote> • <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/moths-take-tiny-cars-out-for-a-spin/#ftag=CAD590a51e" target="_blank" title="">Scientists get male silkmoths to drive tiny “cars” in search of female silkmoths.</a> • <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/11/rex-tillerson-big-oil-trump-cabinet" target="_blank" title="">Bill McKibben says Tillerson can do immense damage as secretary of State</a>: <blockquote> All in all, it’s hard to imagine a single hire that could do more damage to the planet (though the rest of Trump’s cabinet will doubtless give him a run for his money). Making this man secretary of state rewards climate denial, further warps our foreign policy towards oil and does it at the precise moment when every bit of data screams that we should be going in the opposite direction. The only consolation is that it removes all the window-dressing. Big Oil will run our foreign policy, right out in the open. </blockquote> • On <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/11/1619268/-Daily-Kos-Radio-s-KITM-podcast-AUDIO-Kagro-in-the-Morning-Wednesday-January-11-2017" target="_blank" title="">today’s Kagro in the Morning show</a>, Greg Dworkin & Armando comment on today’s “number one” story, the cabinet confirmation hearings, and Trump’s dependence on laundering Russian mob money. Plus, it turns out you’re not officially in Congress until you take the oath. Who knew? You did! <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder dk-x-embed" href="#" title="" data-src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4982501/height/100/width/500/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/e87822/" data-height="100" data-width="500">Embedded Content</a></div> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknlsM6zUMIdxtz1qEAbhuA" target="_blank">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-kos-radio-kagro-in-morning/id581551976" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://kagrox.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">LibSyn</a> | Support the show via <a href="https://www.patreon.com/kagrox?ty=h" target="_blank">Patreon</a> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) MiddayOpenThread _1619198 Wed, 11 Jan 2017 20:15:23 +0000 Open thread for Night Owls: Senate Republicans attempt to gut confirmation process via speed http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/11/1619048/-Open-thread-for-Night-Owls-Senate-Republicans-attempt-to-gut-confirmation-process-via-speed Evan Osnos at The New Yorker writes—<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/senate-republicans-gut-the-confirmation-process?mbid=nl_January%209th%202017%20(4)&CNDID=43754484&spMailingID=10203591&spUserID=MTczODY1MTk3MDgxS0&spJobID=1080819909&spReportId=MTA4MDgxOTkwOQS2" target="_blank">Senate Republicans Gut the Confirmation Process</a>: <blockquote> McConnell’s schedule insures that reporters will be spread thin, details will go unexamined, and a share of the public already addled by a Presidential transition marred by Trump’s denigration of the intelligence community will be overwhelmed with noise. Most important, McConnell and the Trump transition team have ignored the complaints of the Office of Government Ethics, which is tasked with overseeing ethics and potential conflicts in the federal government. The Trump transition has largely deflected the office’s attempts to get in touch. In an astonishing public statement, ethics-office director Walter Shaub <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/07/us-ethics-office-struggled-to-gain-access-to-trump-team-emails-show.html" target="_blank">e-mailed Trump aides in November</a> to say that “we seem to have lost contact with the Trump-Pence transition since the election.” Shaub warned the transition that, by not producing enough materials with which to review the candidate’s financial information beforehand, they could end up breaking the law on conflicts of interest. [...] <figure class="image-captioned width-md align-right"><img alt="owl banner" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/123896/large/Three_Owls_2.jpg?1453429213" title="owl banner"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> Then, in a letter to Senate Democrats released on Saturday, Shaub wrote that his staff was unable to do its work in time for the hearings, which “left some of the nominees with potentially unknown or unresolved ethics issues.” He added, “I am not aware of any occasion in the four decades since OGE was established when the Senate held a confirmation hearing before the nominee had completed the ethics review process.” McConnell’s actions look especially brazen when one considers his own past statements. The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington released a letter signed by McConnell, in 2009, in which he demanded that “financial disclosures must be complete” before any Obama Administration nominees could receive a hearing. Pressed about that, McConnell dispensed with the usual decorous wind of nonsense about procedure and declared a blunt belief in zero-sum politics. “What this is about, the Democrats are really frustrated that they lost the election,” McConnell said on “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “We need to sort of grow up here and get past that,” he said. But the most remarkable thing about McConnell’s desire to “get past” the process of vetting before the vetting has happened is not what it says about his commitment to political tribalism above all other values. That was already well-established, after all. No, the truly remarkable story it reveals involves the sheer recklessness of the incoming Administration. The vetting process is not, as some of Trump’s neophyte advisers might suspect, just a ritual performed for weak-kneed “goo-goos,” the good-government types in comfortable shoes. On the contrary, it is meant to be a cold-eyed political demolition derby: a controlled explosion that can protect an Administration by preventing a problem appointee from getting inside the inner sanctum. </blockquote> <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/10/1619121/-High-Impact-Posts-January-9-2017" target="_blank">HIGH IMPACT STORIES</a> • <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/11/1619024/-Top-Comments-Not-Ready-For-This-So-Let-s-Talk-Food-Edition" target="_blank" title="">TOP COMMENTS</a> TWEET OF THE DAY <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Joe Lieberman sends letter in support of Sessions, "fair, principled and balanced." &lt;a href="https://t.co/6wDvhVv11F"&gt;pic.twitter.com/6wDvhVv11F&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Girls Really Rule. (@girlsreallyrule) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/girlsreallyrule/status/818957632731893760"&gt;January 10, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;'><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Joe Lieberman sends letter in support of Sessions, "fair, principled and balanced." <a href="https://t.co/6wDvhVv11F">pic.twitter.com/6wDvhVv11F</a>Ã¢Â€Â” Girls Really Rule. (@girlsreallyrule) <a href="https://twitter.com/girlsreallyrule/status/818957632731893760">January 10, 2017</a></blockquote></div> BLAST FROM THE PAST At Daily Kos on this date in 2005—<a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/01/10/84614/-Armstrong-Williams-There-are-others" target="_blank">Armstrong Williams: 'There are others'</a>: <blockquote> The Nation's David Corn got the <a href="http://www.thenation.com/capitalgames/index.mhtml?bid=3&pid=2114" title="">backstage scoop</a>: <blockquote>"This happens all the time," he told me. "There are others." Really? I said. Other conservative commentators accept money from the Bush administration? I asked Williams for names. "I'm not going to defend myself that way," he said. The issue right now, he explained, was his own mistake. Well, I said, what if I call you up in a few weeks, after this blows over, and then ask you? No, he said.</blockquote> Until names are named, we can assume every conservative pundit is on the White House's payola rolls. </blockquote> On <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/10/1618887/-Daily-Kos-Radio-s-KITM-podcast-AUDIO-Kagro-in-the-Morning-Tuesday-January-10-2017" target="_blank" title="">today’s Kagro in the Morning show</a>, it’s a parade of “lol nothing matters yolo” from the Trump camp. Incomplete ethics filings, Crowley’s plagiarism, still more omissions by Sessions, and Tillerson’s sanctions violations. Armando joins to discuss Sessions, ACA risks, and hardball tactics. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder dk-x-embed" href="#" data-height="100" data-src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4979369/height/100/width/500/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/e87822/" data-width="500">Embedded Content</a></div> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknlsM6zUMIdxtz1qEAbhuA" target="_blank">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-kos-radio-kagro-in-morning/id581551976" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://kagrox.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">LibSyn</a> | Support the show via <a href="https://www.patreon.com/kagrox?ty=h" target="_blank">Patreon</a> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) OpenThreadforNightOwls _1619048 Wed, 11 Jan 2017 04:40:20 +0000 Open thread for night owls: State legislators seek to block militaristic appointees http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/10/1618766/-Open-thread-or-night-owls-State-legislators-seek-to-block-militaristic-appointees Dierdre Fulton at Common Dreams writes—<a href="http://commondreams.org/news/2017/01/09/state-lawmakers-urge-rejection-militaristic-conflict-ridden-nominees" target="_blank">State Lawmakers Urge Rejection of Militaristic, Conflict-Ridden Nominees</a>: A coalition of progressive state lawmakers from around the country on Monday sent a letter to Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), demanding the U.S. Senate only confirm cabinet nominees "who have an established record of respecting the importance of diplomacy and other tools of statecraft over the unnecessary use of force, respecting civil liberties, placing American interests over personal interests, and upholding our sacred tradition of a civilian-led government." owls <figure class="image-captioned width-sm align-right"><img alt="owl" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/113942/large/halloween_owl.jpg?1453353357" title="owl"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qVougDVObbqv5C7k66r2ACLnSza7O8AWt1seUsoPkg4/edit">The letter</a> was organized by the legislative arm of Women's Action for New Directions (WAND), a Cambridge-based grassroots advocacy organization dedicated to amplifying women's voices in national security, disarmament, and anti-militarization campaigns. Signed by 125 female and male state legislators, the letter has the backing of groups including the Arms Control Association, Global Zero, National Priorities Project, Peace Action, and Win Without War. It calls for nominees to be "evaluated around five principles core to maintaining American strength abroad and at home": <ul> <li>Diplomacy Over Military Intervention. We urge you to oppose nominees who see war and conflict as the best or only means to defend America's interests.</li> <li>Arms Control. We urge you to oppose nominees who seek to maintain or increase the number of nuclear weapons in the world, rather than support policies of nonproliferation, reduction, and eventual elimination.</li> <li>Civil Liberties. We urge you to oppose nominees who would undermine the civil liberties of the American people enshrined in the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution.</li> <li>Conflicts of Interest. We urge you to oppose nominees whose personal or professional interests might conflict, or have the perception of conflict, with the interests of the public they serve.</li> <li>Civilian Leadership. While we strongly respect the experience and credentials of our military's active and retired generals, we urge you to oppose nominees who would undermine the core American philosophy of civilian leadership.[...]</li> </ul> Legislators signing this letter hail from Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. Their perspective is unique, they write, because "U.S. national security policy has implications in our home states. From crumbling bridges and inadequate road maintenance to the opioid crisis and a lack of support for our veterans, the last 15 years of war and nation-building endeavors have taken an enormous toll on our communities and our ability as state lawmakers to provide critical services to our constituents." <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/10/1618791/-High-Impact-Posts-January-8-2017" target="_blank">HIGH IMPACT STORIES</a> • <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/10/1618751/-Top-Comments-Winter-in-a-Southern-Red-State" target="_blank">TOP COMMENTS</a> TWEET OF THE DAY <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content='&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;NEW, from &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/thamburger"&gt;@thamburger&lt;/a&gt;: Trump AG nominee Sessions failed to disclose oil interests as required, ethics experts say &amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://t.co/H1ojgiwhrf"&gt;https://t.co/H1ojgiwhrf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Rebecca Sinderbrand (@sinderbrand) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/sinderbrand/status/818658637581348864"&gt;January 10, 2017&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;'><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">NEW, from <a href="https://twitter.com/thamburger">@thamburger</a>: Trump AG nominee Sessions failed to disclose oil interests as required, ethics experts say <a href="https://t.co/H1ojgiwhrf">https://t.co/H1ojgiwhrf</a>Ã¢Â€Â” Rebecca Sinderbrand (@sinderbrand) <a href="https://twitter.com/sinderbrand/status/818658637581348864">January 10, 2017</a></blockquote></div> BLAST FROM THE PAST At Daily Kos on this date in 2004—<a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/01/09/8419/-Bush-sweats-quot-insider-quot-books" target="_blank">Bush sweats "insider" books</a>: <blockquote> The Bush White House is nervous about two forthcoming books by former insiders. Ex-Bush Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill assails the president for a lack of interest in substantive policy in a book written by journalist Ron Suskind that will be trotted out with great fanfare on CBS's "60 Minutes" this weekend. One Bush insider, however, ventures that no one really cares what a former Treasury secretary says. But, a book due out later by Richard Clarke, the White House's top terror expert under both President Clinton and President Bush, is another matter. Mr. Clarke is known to feel the Bush administration largely ignored the threat of terrorism and Osama bin Laden before 9-11, even after al Qaeda in June 2001 claimed responsibility for the bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 American soldiers. </blockquote> On <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/9/1618557/-Daily-Kos-Radio-s-KITM-podcast-AUDIO-Kagro-in-the-Morning-Monday-January-9-2017" target="_blank">today’s Kagro in the Morning show</a>, Greg Dworkin reminds us of the perils facing Obamacare. Trump reminds us he’s outraged by TV, while his son-in-law assures friends that he really isn’t. Mexico, by which we mean you & your taxes, will pay for the wall. And the alt-right is still a sex cult. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder dk-x-embed" href="#" data-height="100" data-src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4976065/height/100/width/500/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/e87822/" data-width="500">Embedded Content</a></div> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknlsM6zUMIdxtz1qEAbhuA" target="_blank">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-kos-radio-kagro-in-morning/id581551976" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://kagrox.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">LibSyn</a> | Support the show via <a href="https://www.patreon.com/kagrox?ty=h" target="_blank">Patreon</a> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) OpenThreadforNightOwls _1618766 Tue, 10 Jan 2017 04:00:22 +0000 A letter calling on committee senators to reject Labor secretary-designate Andrew Puzder http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/09/1618551/-A-letter-calling-on-committee-senators-to-reject-Labor-secretary-designate-Andrew-Puzder This past Friday, Daily Kos joined other progressive organizations calling on senators who will be questioning Andrew Puzder to cast their committee votes against him for secretary of Labor. Here is our official letter of opposition: US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions 428 Senate Dirksen Office Building Washington, DC 20510 January 6, 2017 Dear Members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: On behalf of Daily Kos, the nation's largest progressive political blog, I am writing to urge committee members to oppose confirmation of Andrew Puzder as secretary of Labor. Like other pending appointees of President-Elect Donald Trump, Mr. Puzder expresses outright opposition to the founding objectives of the very department he has been chosen to lead. He gripes frequently about companies being over-regulated and workers being overprotected. As you committee members all know, ever since it became a cabinet-level department 104 years ago, the Department of Labor's mission has been "to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights." Mr. Puzder, on the other hand, has a history of hostility to workers, much of it documented in his own words. That he has been selected to fill the Labor post clearly shows how quickly President-Elect Trump is willing to forget his campaign promises to improve the economic life of working-class Americans. Puzder will certainly not be an advocate for such improvement. Indeed, as CEO of CKE Holdings, the parent company of Hardee's and Carl's Jr. fast-food restaurants, he demonstrated that he has no interest in workers’ well-being. The department he has been chosen to steer has repeatedly brought complaints against his company during the 16 years he has been at its helm. For instance, CKE restaurants and franchises were found in violation of wage and hour laws in 60 percent of DOL investigations of the company since 2009. Puzder, who makes nearly 300 times what the average worker earning minimum wage takes home in a year, is vituperative in his opposition to increasing that minimum. He wrote two years ago: "The feds can mandate a higher wage, but some jobs don’t produce enough economic value to bear the increase." Higher minimum wages, he says, means people who would have been hired won't be. rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) AndrewPuzder Labor Recommended _1618551 Mon, 09 Jan 2017 16:48:33 +0000 Spotlight on green news & views: Warming 'pause' wasn't; Flint's residents must still lug water http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/07/1617403/-Spotlight-on-green-news-amp-views-Warming-pause-wasn-t-Flint-s-residents-must-still-lug-water Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/04/1615726/-Spotlight-on-green-news-amp-views-Solar-gets-cheaper-see-China-for-a-look-at-USA-without-EPA" title="">Here</a> is the January 4 Green Spotlight. More than 26,220 environmentally oriented stories have been rescued to appear in this series since 2006. Inclusion of a story in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it. OUTSTANDING GREEN STORIES Chaoslillith writes—<a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/05/1617430/-What-Life-Is-Like-When-You-Don-t-Have-H20-Flint-Citizens-Having-to-Lug-Cases-Of-Water-to-Live-Still" target="_blank" title="">What Life Is Like When You Don't Have H20: Flint Citizens Having to Lug Cases Of Water to Live. Still</a>: ”This is a 22 min vid, going very in depth as to how people in Flint are having to live. They are not getting water delivered to their houses, they have to go to one of 9 distributions center, that are open weekdays from 9-5, to pick up your water. People are having to use bottled water to shower, clean, cook and drink. There are senior citizens and other people that don’t own cars that are having to lug water on public transport or find some way to go get water. Let’s also talk about how many of these plastic bottles are not being recycled and how much money the water bottle companies (Anyone say Nestle?) is making as the state is paying for this. The gentleman Jordan interviews goes very in depth as to what the problem is, who is responsible for what and how much corruption is involved here. Once again, these are topics that should be front and center with Dems and they should be doing whatever they can to pound Republicans to death on this scenario. Every damn day. Do you think these people care about Trump’s tweets when they have no running water?” rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) Environment SpotlightonGreenNewsandViews _1617403 Sat, 07 Jan 2017 23:00:20 +0000 This week at progressive state blogs: Resistance in Rhode Island; the 'People's Agenda' in Kansas http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/07/1618025/-This-week-at-progressive-state-blogs-Resistance-in-Rhode-Island-the-People-s-Agenda-in-Kansas <div class="table-wrapper"> <table class="dk5-table"> <tbody> <tr> <td> This week at progressive state blogs is designed specifically to focus attention on the writing and analysis of people focused on their home turf. Let me know via comments or Kosmail if you have a favorite state- or city-based blog you think I should be watching. <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/24/1613920/-This-week-at-progressive-state-blogs-6th-seat-in-Congress-for-Oregon-Article-V-convention-coming" title="">Here</a> is the December 23 edition. Inclusion of a blog post does not necessarily indicate my agreement with—or endorsement of—its contents. </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> Antonia Scatton at Blue Virginia writes—<a href="http://bluevirginia.us/2017/01/perriello-candidacy-creates-chance-democrats-try-new-approach-cooperative-volunteering" target="_blank" title="">Perriello Candidacy Creates Chance for Democrats to Try a New Approach: Cooperative Volunteering</a>: <blockquote> When I read the <a href="http://bluevirginia.us/2017/01/breaking-ny-times-reports-tom-perriello-announce-governor-virginia-tomorrow" title="">news this morning</a> about <a href="http://bluevirginia.us/2017/01/video-tom-perriello-releases-kickoff-video-goes-2017-website" title="">Tom Perriello entering the Virginia governor’s race</a>, I had two immediate thoughts: 1) “Yay, Tom Perriello is awesome;” and 2) “Oh no, Ralph Northam is also awesome. This is going to f*** everything up”. <figure class="image-captioned width-md align-right"><img alt="Blue Virginia blog" class="width-md" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/225716/large/Screen_Shot_2016-03-17_at_2.59.21_PM.png?1458252240" title="Blue Virginia blog"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> After some thought, I realized that Perriello’s candidacy could provide a unique opportunity to try a new kind of campaign model. The candidates inevitably have to compete. But there’s no reason that the volunteers have to. Traditionally, this primary would mean that volunteer efforts would be focused on a brutal fight over base voters, most of whom like both candidates, thus alienating the very people we will need to be motivated in November. This would also usually mean that volunteer efforts to communicate with non-base voters wouldn’t kick in until well into the summer. [...] ... we could seize this opportunity to do something we never do: organize volunteer efforts across the state to promote both candidates and engage all voters – base, swing and conservative – in a conversation about what Democrats believe and why we are the people who care the most about them. Let’s use this campaign as an opportunity to organize town hall meetings everywhere, to listen to voters across the spectrum and to let voters choose between two good people whose approaches, personal characteristics and histories may differ, but whose overall values — as well as the overwhelming majority of their policy positions — are the same. </blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) Thisweekatprogressivestateblogs _1618025 Sat, 07 Jan 2017 20:00:23 +0000 In act of resistance, NC Gov. Roy Cooper moves to expand Medicaid, but obstacles are daunting http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/07/1618074/-In-act-of-resistance-NC-Gov-Roy-Cooper-moves-to-expand-Medicaid-but-obstacles-are-daunting As he <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/05/1617397/-North-Carolina-Democratic-Gov-Roy-Cooper-fighting-for-Medicaid-expansion" target="_blank" title="">promised he would do</a> earlier this week, North Carolina’s Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper acted Friday to join other states who have expanded Medicaid. If Cooper’s executive order passes muster, it would—as allowed under the Affordable Care Act—extend health coverage to hundreds of thousands of citizens beginning in 2018, . But there are numerous hurdles, including a state legislature whose gerrymandered districts have given Republicans overwhelming majorities in both houses. About 1.8 million people in the state are enrolled in Medicaid in North Carolina. The program costs about $14 billion a year, with the federal government picking up about two-thirds of the cost. Cooper’s proposal would make as many as half a million more citizens eligible to for the program. Lynn Bonner <a href="http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/under-the-dome/article125085989.html" target="_blank" title="">reports</a>: <blockquote> Proposed changes to the state plan must be posted on the state Department of Health and Human Services website for 10 days before a request goes to the federal government office that oversees Medicaid, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS. The state is accepting comments on the proposal. Republican legislative leaders are already fighting it. In a letter to CMS, legislative leaders said Cooper was violating the state constitution and three state laws. One of those laws, passed in 2013 prevents Medicaid expansion without legislative approval. </blockquote> In addition to getting past legislative objections and getting CMS approval, Cooper’s plan requires matching funds from hospitals in the range of $100 million-$150 million in the first year. rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) AffordableCareAct Medicaid NorthCarolina RoyCooper _1618074 Sat, 07 Jan 2017 19:30:45 +0000 Open thread for night owls: Nat'l intelligence report unlikely to change minds about Russian hacking http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/07/1617889/-Open-thread-for-night-owls-Nat-l-intelligence-report-unlikely-to-change-minds-about-Russian-hacking David A. Graham at The Atlantic takes a look the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/01/odni-report-on-russian-hacking/512465/" target="_blank">most detailed public report</a> yet from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on alleged Russian hacking: <blockquote> The <a href="https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/ICA_2017_01.pdf">25-page report</a> states that the CIA, FBI, and NSA have concluded that Russia was behind a series of attacks, as well as disinformation disseminated via various media, with the goal of undermining faith in U.S. elections and harming Hillary Clinton’s presidential prospects and her prospective administration. They have concluded, however, that there was no meddling in vote tallying. <figure class="image-captioned width-md align-right"><img alt="YellowBackgroundOwlBadge_TEXT_%281%29.jpg" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/124236/large/YellowBackgroundOwlBadge_TEXT_%281%29.jpg?1453431581" title="YellowBackgroundOwlBadge_TEXT_%281%29.jpg"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> Although the unclassified report, which is based on a longer, classified report, uses the strongest language and offers the most detailed assessment yet, it does not or cannot provide evidence for its assertions. That virtually guarantees that it will not change many minds in the debate, which has become heavily partisan. The intelligence community is in effect telling readers, “trust us”—something the president-elect, among others, has been unwilling to do. [...] A[n] unusual coalition—ranging from Trump and his closest allies to the liberal journalist Glenn Greenwald, a longtime skeptic of U.S. intelligence agencies—have refused to accept the evidence without a smoking gun. The ODNI report does not, and for reasons of classification perhaps cannot, offer anything more than repeatedly, sternly worded judgment from the intelligence agencies. [...] As the release of the ODNI report approached, there was an air of hope that it might put to rest the ongoing debate over who conducted the hacks and why. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper’s tight-lipped answers about its contents during a Senate hearing on Thursday telegraphed that it might set the issue to rest. And who knows? Perhaps the classified version is full of specific, detailed, irrefutable evidence connecting the hacks to the Kremlin. But as of now, the situation seems identical to what it was Friday morning: The president-elect rejects the intelligence community’s assessment, Congress accepts it, and the spies cannot or will not publicly produce the evidence it would take to persuade the skeptics. <div></div> <div style="text-align:center"></div> </blockquote> <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/07/1617898/-High-Impact-Posts-January-5-2017" target="_blank" title="">HIGH IMPACT STORIES</a> • <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/07/1617886/-Top-Comments-Weather-Anyone-Edition" target="_blank">TOP COMMENTS</a> TWEET OF THE DAY <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Screen_Shot_2017-01-06_at_6.09.04_PM.png" src="http://images.dailykos.com/images/347037/large/Screen_Shot_2017-01-06_at_6.09.04_PM.png?1483754977" title="Screen_Shot_2017-01-06_at_6.09.04_PM.png"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> BLAST FROM THE PAST At Daily Kos on this date in 2003—<a href="http://www.dailykos.net/archives/000821.html#000821" target="_blank">Ring of Truth?</a> <blockquote> I went to see The Two Towers last night, and I enjoyed it immensely – although not quite as much as the first Lord of the Rings movie, for esthetic reasons I won’t bother with here. My real problem with the movie—the one I do want to talk about—is political, and it applies to the entire Lord of the Rings saga. As much as I love and admire Tolkien’s books, and Peter Jackson’s brilliant adaptations, I think it’s probably unfortunate these particular stories are being re-injected into the popular culture at this particular moment in history. My fears were best captured in a single scene from The Two Towers, in which the traitorous and lecherous Grima Wormtongue accuses one of King Theoden’s bravest soldiers of being a "warmonger." This at a time when the foul orc brigades of the evil wizard Saruman are overrunning Theoden’s kingdom. The scene is unquestionably effective—and true to the spirit, if not the precise text, of Tolkien’s original. But it also comes dangerously close to an Ann Coulter view of the world, in which anyone who seeks to avoid war is, by definition, either a traitor, a terrorist stooge, or both. The entire Lord of the Rings saga can—and has been—interpreted the same way: As a parable for our times, a mythic lesson in the virtue and necessity of moral clarity in the face of evil. And that is wrong: wrong and ignorant and, yes, in its own way, evil—or at least an open invitation to evil. Because this isn’t Middle Earth. Our enemies are human beings, not subhuman orcs. George W. Bush isn’t Aragorn son of Arathorn. Osama bin Laden isn’t the Dark Lord Sauron, and neither is Saddam Hussein. But I don’t know if our culture—or, as Aragorn might put it, "our peeepul"—can still recognize the boundary between fantasy and reality. So much of what we say, do, believe and expect has been shaped by the entertainment industry, I don’t know if we’re capable of seeing the world as it really is, instead of as we would like it to be. </blockquote> On <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/6/1617642/-Daily-Kos-Radio-s-KITM-podcast-AUDIO-Kagro-in-the-Morning-Thursday-January-5-2017" target="_blank">today’s Kagro in the Morning show</a>: One more review of the electoral college issues on the day Congress verifies the vote. And it turns out that Joseph “Joey No Socks” Cinque might just be the most “legitimate businessman” of all the “legitimate businessmen” Trump associates with! <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder dk-x-embed" href="#" data-height="100" data-src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4969528/height/100/width/500/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/render-playlist/no/custom-color/e87822/" data-width="500">Embedded Content</a></div> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknlsM6zUMIdxtz1qEAbhuA" target="_blank">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-kos-radio-kagro-in-morning/id581551976" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://kagrox.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">LibSyn</a> | Support the show via <a href="https://www.patreon.com/kagrox?ty=h" target="_blank">Patreon</a> rss@dailykos.com (Meteor Blades) OpenThreadforNightOwls _1617889 Sat, 07 Jan 2017 04:00:20 +0000