Influential Republican Bob Corker Sounds ‘World War III’ Alarm on Trump 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,Leave a comment

Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, charged in an interview on Sunday that …Trump was treating his office like ‘a reality show,’ with reckless threats toward other countries that could set the nation ‘on the path to World War III.’

…“‘I don’t know why the president tweets out things that are not true,’ [Corker] said. ‘You know he does it, everyone knows he does it, but he does.’”

So in the past week, we’ve learned that fellow Republicans and members of Trump’s cabinet have 1) referred to the president as a “moron” (Secretary of State Rex Tillerson); 2) called the White House “an adult day care center”(Corker); and 3) stated that Trump’s threats could set the nation “on the path to World War III” (Corker again).

These back-to-back-to-back rebukes aren’t coming from Never-Trumpers inside the party; they’re coming from the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the sitting secretary of state. 

Influential Republican Bob Corker Sounds ‘World War III’ Alarm on Trump – NBC News

hmmm

Google uncovered Russia-backed ads on YouTube, Gmail

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

Google has discovered that Russian operatives spent tens of thousands of dollars on ads on YouTube, Gmail, Google search and other products, The Washington Post reported on Monday.

The ads do not appear to be from the same Kremlin-affiliated entity that bought ads on Facebook Inc, which may indicate a broader Russian online disinformation effort, the paper reported.

Google uncovered Russia-backed ads on YouTube, Gmail: WashPost

hmmmm

Philippines Apologizes to China Over Wrong Taiwan Logo

On By peanutgallerynhIn East Asia,, Southern Central Asia,Leave a comment

The Philippine defense department has apologized to China for the “grievous but purely unintentional mistake” of using Taiwan’s defense ministry logo during a ceremony where the Chinese ambassador turned over assault rifles to the Filipino defense chief and top military commanders.

Philippines Apologizes to China Over Wrong Taiwan Logo – Bloomberg

That’s just hilarious

Rape victim’s attacker gets joint child custody

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Chick Stuff,Leave a comment

[Judge Gregory S.] Ross disclosed the rape victim’s address to [the rapist]and ordered [his] name to be added to the child’s birth certificate — all without the victim’s consent or a hearing, according to [Victim’s Attorney, Rebecca ] Kiessling.

“An assistant prosecutor on this, Eric Scott, told me she had granted her consent, which was a lie — she has never been asked to do this and certainly never signed anything,” Kiessling said.

…Kiessling said her client was notified she was “not allowed to move 100 miles from where she had been living when the case was filed, without court consent.”

Rape victim’s attacker gets joint child custody

Judge Ross needs to be removed from the bench.

Pence Flies to NFL Game to Stage Walkout Over Anthem Protest

On By peanutgallerynhIn Media and Culture,, Race,Leave a comment

Mike Pence attended an NFL game on Sunday in order to stage a dramatic walkout over players’ continued protests during the national anthem.

…Reporters traveling with the vice-president were told to stay in the press van beforehand because “there may be an early departure from the game.”

Pence promoted the stunt heavily on social media. 

…Pence was scheduled to fly to Los Angeles on Sunday after the game for an event in the early evening. This means that Pence traveled from Las Vegas to Indianapolis, walked out of a football game, then traveled back to the West Coast — all in the space of 24 hours, and all using taxpayer dollars, including for the extra security at the game because of his presence.

Pence Flies to NFL Game to Stage Walkout Over Anthem Protest

Grrrrrrrrr

Elizabeth Smart Is Standing Up for Rape Victims—And Tearing Down Purity Culture 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Chick Stuff,, Religion,Leave a comment

In writing and talking about sexual violence, people must make a linguistic choice in describing someone who has endured an assault: victim or survivor. Elizabeth uses both terms seemingly interchangeably, as in “rape victim” or “survivor of sexual assault.” Though she uses both words, Elizabeth maintains that they’re not synonymous. “I don’t think they’re the same thing; I think they are different stages, actually,” she says. “A victim is someone who is still going through the abuse, and a survivor is someone who survived it. I’m not saying that they don’t have hard moments still, or things to work through, but it’s more about making that choice: that they want to survive, that they no longer want to remain the victim and they’re taking the steps to move on in their life.”

“I’m not saying it’s easy,” she adds, careful not to minimize anyone’s path to recovery.

[An] editor of a journal on Mormonism …says of Elizabeth, “She’s entirely faithful. And while she’s not part of the feminist ferment in Mormonism, and I doubt she’d call herself a feminist, she is strong in a way that feminists can admire.”

…”The church explicitly considers feminists to be enemies.”

This puts Elizabeth Smart in a very strange position. She is a champion of victims of sexual violence, a hero for so many survivors, and an outspoken critic of religious purity culture. By all accounts, she is a feminist in the truest sense of the term.

…Later, I ask Elizabeth whether she identifies with the term or rejects it, as the New Yorker piece would suggest. At first, she equivocates. “I think there are so many different kinds of feminism—some good, some maybe too extreme—it’s a wonderful thing for women to come together, to be strong, to be independent, to have equal rights as human beings… There shouldn’t be a glass ceiling,” she says, sort of talking around the question. “At the same time, I like it when a man holds the door open for me, and I like it when I’m treated like a lady. I mean… I’m married, I have a husband, I have a family.”

Given the Mormon church’s antagonistic view of the movement, her discomfort with the label makes sense; still, believing in—and actively campaigning for—equality between men and women is pretty much the definition of feminism. When I tell her this, Elizabeth seems to casually change her position. “I’ve never thought of myself as a feminist before… Sure, call me a feminist,” she says.

Elizabeth Smart Is Standing Up for Rape Victims—And Tearing Down Purity Culture – Broadly

Bad. Ass.

Trump’s Interior chief ‘hopping around from campaign event to campaign event’ 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

Republican donors paid up to $5,000 per couple for a photo with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke at a fundraiser held during a taxpayer-funded trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to documents reviewed by POLITICO — raising questions about his habit of mixing official government business with political activism.

The new details about Zinke’s March trip to the Caribbean, including the previously undisclosed invitation to the Virgin Islands Republican Party fundraiser, emerged after weeks of scrutiny of the former Montana GOP congressman’s travels. The nearly two-hour event was one of more than a half-dozen times Zinke has met with big donors or political groups while on department-paid trips, Interior travel records and other documents show.

…The secretary is already under investigation by his department’s inspector general over his use of taxpayer-funded private planes for some of the trips, and the Justice Department’s Office of Special Counsel is looking into an activist group’s allegations that he violated the Hatch Act, the law limiting political activism by federal employees. 

Zinke visited the Virgin Islands from March 30 to April 1 on an official trip related to the Interior Department’s role overseeing the U.S. territory. On his first day, following a “veterans meet and greet” and a reception with Gov. Kenneth Mapp, he appeared in his personal capacity at a March fundraiser for the local Republican Party at the patio bar of the Club Comanche Hotel St. Croix, department records show.

Tickets for the fundraiser ranged from $75 per person to as much as $5,000 per couple to be an event “Patron,” according to Zinke’s official calendar and a copy of the invitation. 

The following day, Zinke took a $3,150 flight on a private plane, paid for by the department, from St. Croix to official functions on St. Thomas and returned later that evening.

Zinke is allowed to engage in partisan political activity in a “purely personal (not official) capacity,” so long as he does not use government resources, according to Interior Department guidelines on the Hatch Act and other federal laws.

…All told, Zinke has spent around $20,000 for three charter flights as secretary, nowhere near the $1 million tab Price racked up on non-commercial trips. But he has on numerous occasions attended political receptions, spoken to influential conservative groups or appeared alongside past campaign donors during trips he takes outside of Washington, D.C., for official department business.

In one instance, Zinke gave a motivational speech for a professional hockey team owned by a major campaign contributor that he said was official business — and which required him to charter a $12,000 flight to Montana for an appearance at the Western Governors Association the next day.

…Swift did not respond to questions about whether the department had gotten reimbursement for the political portion of Zinke’s three-day Virgin Islands trip, as the head of one watchdog group says it should have.

“Some of this travel is clearly political and that part of the travel should have been paid for by the RNC, NRCC, state political parties, a campaign committee or Zinke personally,” said Daniel Stevens, executive director of the Campaign for Accountability.

No payments to the department are listed in the Virgin Islands Republican Party’s FEC records.

Trump’s Interior chief ‘hopping around from campaign event to campaign event’ – POLITICO

hmmmm

Ivanka Trump rebrands — again

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,Leave a comment

With few exceptions, Trump’s family-centric social media habits have been curbed. Amid a barrage of negative press in recent weeks, Trump has shifted her strategy, instead portraying herself through the lens of her White House position. 

….The abrupt switchover from documenting all aspects of her lifestyle to almost all White House-centric posts is a curious move for Trump, for years a savvy entrepreneur and businesswoman who knows about the importance of marketing a brand.

…Trump’s image rebranding comes amid an intensifying barrage of negative headlines. Paparazzi are a near-constant presence outside her home in Northwest Washington.

Her husband Jared Kushner’s involvement in the 2016 campaign is part of ongoing investigations into Russian interference in the election, and the scrutiny only intensified over the summer.

Politico reported earlier this week that White House accounts sent internal White House documents to an email address shared by Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and their household staff. The couple had previously exchanged emails with White House officials about government business using their personal email addresses. The Politico report revealed that they also used a third email address on their private domain to communicate with White House officials.

Ivanka Trump rebrands — again – CNNPolitics

hmmmm

Authorities confirm armed suspect Lowell Ambler, former sheriff’s deputy, taken into custody

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,Leave a comment

LaSalle County authorities confirm that Lowell Ambler has been taken in to custody in Earlville, Ill. The suspect has been on the run since Sunday.

“We have charges in Lee County for home invasion and aggravated kidnapping,” Lee County Sheriff John Simonton said. “On those bond conditions, he was not supposed to have any contact with family members that were affiliated with this alleged crime. And he did.”

Last month, Ambler was arrested for allegedly holding a Lee County teenager against her will by duct-taping her hands and head. He was released on bond days later but police said he drove to Plainfield, where that victim and her family was staying.

Authorities confirm armed suspect Lowell Ambler, former sheriff’s deputy, taken into custody | abc7chicago.com

hmmm

Russian Hackers Stole U.S. Cyber Secrets From NSA

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,Leave a comment

Russian government-backed hackers stole highly classified U.S. cyber secrets in 2015 from the National Security Agency after a contractor put information on his home computer, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources.

The theft included information on penetrating foreign computer networks and protecting against cyber attacks and is likely to be viewed as one of the most significant security breaches to date, the newspaper reported.

Russian Hackers Stole U.S. Cyber Secrets From NSA: WSJ | World News | US News

hmmmm

112 Degrees With No Water: Puerto Rican Hospitals Battle Life And Death Daily 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,Leave a comment

Every day across Puerto Rico, with its shattered power grid, hospitals are waging a life-and-death battle to keep their patients from getting sicker in the tropical heat. Now two weeks after the storm, about three-quarters of Puerto Rico’s hospitals remain on emergency power. This creates dangerous conditions for critically ill patients.

…An American disaster medical team is now setting up cooling tents to help some patients. “When they transferred me here … they rescued me from the dragon’s mouth,” one patient said.

112 Degrees With No Water: Puerto Rican Hospitals Battle Life And Death Daily : NPR

sigh….

Bob Corker just told the world what he really thinks of Donald Trump

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,Leave a comment

Corker’s comments Wednesday are rightly read as a continuation of his August remarks. Then, he openly questioned Trump’s stability and competence. Now he is making clear that if not for Tillerson, Mattis and Kelly, Trump would be leading the nation — and the world — into chaos.

There’s no question that Corker feels freer to speak his mind without the worry of angering the President and potentially stirring up a serious primary challenge. But what’s even more important/scary to contemplate: If this is Corker saying what he really thinks about Trump, what must the rest of Republicans in the Senate and House think of their President? And when will they speak out?

Bob Corker just told the world what he really thinks of Donald Trump – CNNPolitics

hmmmm