"Pelosi: ‘No regrets about anything’ as feud tests Dem unity" by Lisa Mascaro Associated Press, July 10, 2019
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez don’t talk to each other much, but lately they’re speaking at one another in a way that threatens Democratic unity and underscores broader tensions reshaping their party.
Pelosi chided AOC, as she’s called, in a newspaper interview, and the first-term New York congresswoman responded pointedly on Twitter. Their power struggle has spilled open in what could be a momentary blip or a foreshadowing of divisions to come.
‘‘I have no regrets about anything. Regrets is not what I do,’’ Pelosi told reporters Wednesday while leaving a closed-door meeting of House Democrats.
She makes no mistakes then?!
That passage is one of the few verbatim clips from print in this nearly entirely rewritten article?!! WTF?
Yet inside that lengthy session, Pelosi, also struck a more measured tone. The California Democrat reminded lawmakers that their unity as the House majority is their power, especially as they confront Republicans, particularly Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
How can that be when diversity is their strength?
‘‘Without that unity, we are playing completely into the hands of the other people,’’ Pelosi said, according to a person who was in the meeting room but was not authorized to talk publicly about the internal discussion.
‘‘We’re a family and we have our moments,’’ Pelosi told colleagues. ‘‘So, again, you got a complaint? You come and talk to me about it, but do not tweet about our members and expect us to think that that is just OK.’’
She runs the House like a dictatorship.
Pelosi added: ‘‘Make me the target ... because we have important fish to fry.’’
Ocasio-Cortez arrived late to the session and did not speak, according to a second person who attended the session.
Other lawmakers, including some first-term members who helped flip Republican seats to the Democratic column in 2018, also made the case for sticking on the same team and keeping the internal drama private.
They removed the reference to Abigail Spanberger, one of the Deep State Democrats that ran in the election.
It all started with the rare public rebuke between Pelosi and Ocasio-Cortez, played out in the media, that’s now challenging the House agenda and rippling into the 2020 presidential campaign. A test will come later this week on a must-pass defense bill that the White House has threatened to veto.
The tension between the most powerful Democrat in the country and one of the party’s newest, most liberal members embodies a debate over how best, in style and substance, to defeat President Trump. Each side think it’s right.
For Pelosi allies, her offhand dismissal of Ocasio-Cortez and three other liberal first-term lawmakers who opposed a border security package last month was a necessary comeuppance for ‘‘the squad’’ of newcomers who are trying to push the party leftward.
‘‘These people have their public whatever and their Twitter world,’’ Pelosi told The New York Times. ‘‘But they didn’t have any following.’’
In the speaker’s world, they lack what Pelosi often calls ‘‘the currency of the realm’’ — the power to turn their high-volume activism into a coalition of votes to pass legislation or, in their case, to stop it, but for fans of Ocasio-Cortez, including some of her millions of social media followers, Pelosi’s remarks were nothing short of a patronizing slap-back to four women of color who represent the future of the Democratic Party and a stark example of its generational and demographic transition. Their four lonely votes against the bill were portrayed as a principled stand, with more to come.
‘‘To dismiss any member’s force, and particularly these four members who do have a tremendous following in the progressive base, I think is not the best thing,’’ said Representative Pramila Jayapal, Democrat of Washington, the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
The ability to channel the influence of the newcomers into the currency of Congress may determine whether the speaker, six months into her new majority, continues her steady leadership or loses her firm grip — especially with former special counsel Robert Mueller’s expected testimony next week in a high-stakes hearing amid rising calls for Trump’s impeachment.
I wouldn't hold your breath on impeachment because:
Another nail in Russiagate coffin? Federal judge destroys key Mueller report claim
“Unsealed on July 1, and went largely unnoticed by the media until this week, not surprising, given the commitment of the US political establishment to the ‘Russiagate’ narrative, is that half of Mueller’s case doesn’t make any sense, it has no evidence to back it up.”
Turns out the Internet Research Agency put out “juvenile clickbait mostly unrelated to the election,” and is a private entity whose connection with the Kremlin Mueller never established while being “disingenuous in falsely trying to link it to Russian government, using qualified and vague language to describe key events.”
I wonder if any Republicans will ask him about it, or will the hearing ultimately be cancelled as I predict?
When White House adviser Kellyanne Conway on Tuesday mocked the ‘‘Major Meow Mashup’’ and ‘‘catfight’’ involving Pelosi and the foursome, several of them fired back.
‘‘Remember that time your boss tore babies from their mothers’ arms and threw them in cages?’’ Representative Ayanna Pressley, Democrat of Massachusetts, tweeted at Conway. ‘‘Yeah take a seat and keep my name out of your lying mouth.’’
Yeah, if only women ran the world!
Behind the scenes, though, some on Capitol Hill were quietly appreciative of Pelosi’s tough-love approach to Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley, and Representatives Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan.
Lawmakers and freshmen from more centrist-leaning districts than those of the four, including regions Trump won in 2018, don’t want the House majority to be defined by the liberal flank as they face voters for reelection next year. They prefer the party hew to Pelosi’s center-left approach.
Although those more moderate views may have helped Democrats win the majority, liberal activists fear they won’t necessarily motivate or energize the party ahead of the 2020 election.
Brian Fallon, a former top aide to Hillary Clinton and Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, said Pelosi’s comments have riled the party’s left flank, and activists question why she’s fighting with the newcomers when she should be confronting, if not impeaching, Trump.
Pelosi’s background runs strong in the liberal community, he said, so ‘‘it’s not enough to undo the relationship because she has deep ties, she knows how to count votes and is a bad ass, but there is frustration.’’
--more--"
Better delete the tweet:
"Ocasio-Cortez is sued for blocking critics on Twitter" by Jeffery C. Mays New York Times, July 10, 2019
President Donald Trump and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are diametrical opposites in nearly every way, except perhaps for their shared home state of New York and their social media dominance, but now there may be another thing that binds the two: a federal appeals panel ruling Tuesday that Trump, a Republican, has been violating the Constitution by blocking people from following him on Twitter because they criticized or mocked him.
That ruling is now the basis of two lawsuits filed against Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat, accusing her of blocking people because of their opposing political stances.
Dov Hikind, a former assemblyman from Brooklyn, New York, who is the founder of Americans Against Anti-Semitism, said he regularly replies to Ocasio-Cortez’s tweets, but was blocked Monday.
AOC just rose in my eyes!
Joseph Saladino, a YouTube personality known as “Joey Salads” who is running for a congressional seat representing Brooklyn and Staten Island, said he was blocked May 9, but because Ocasio-Cortez uses the account to discuss policies that affect them, she cannot use the account to “suppress contrary views” and violate his First Amendment rights to free speech, Hikind said in his lawsuit, filed in US District Court in Brooklyn.
“It’s very clear based on the court’s ruling that AOC is violating my constitutional rights to free speech by excluding me,” Hikind said in an interview, using the congresswoman’s initials. “She doesn’t want me to be a part of the discussion and conversation.”
Actually, that only applies when it is the government. You have no free speech in the workplace, and an individual user can shut off anything they want.
Hikind said he was blocked after criticizing Ocasio-Cortez for her assertion that the camps holding children and other migrants seeking asylum at the Texas border are “concentration camps.”
Hit a nerve with him.
“She has a right to have that position. That’s not the issue. The question is why is she afraid of other people’s positions?” he added.
Saladino, whose pranks have been criticized as racist, filed a separate lawsuit in US District Court in Manhattan. He said that as a practical matter, he does not care if Ocasio-Cortez blocked him because he can still access her Twitter comments from an anonymous account.
Then what is this really all about, more censorship in favor of the chosen ones?
He said his complaint is a test of whether there is a double standard in the courts for liberals and conservatives. “At the end of the day, it’s like a social experiment to see if the standards will apply equally,” Saladino said. “Will the courts rule the same way against AOC as Trump?”
Oh, we know there is, and there is one supremacism that must go unspoken.
Jacob Weinstein, Hikind’s lawyer, noted that the court ruling concerned the @realDonaldTrump personal account, followed by 61.8 million users, that Trump uses most often to comment on Twitter, not his official presidential Twitter account. “It comes down to the First Amendment,” Weinstein said. “Twitter is a public forum. Imagine a politician is giving a town hall. Imagine if they only select people they like.”
They already do seed the crowd and script the questions!
Hikind said he was confident that he would prevail because of the ruling against Trump and the words of Judge Barrington D. Parker in the decision. “In resolving this appeal, we remind the litigants and the public that if the First Amendment means anything, it means that the best response to disfavored speech on matters of public concern is more speech, not less,” the judge wrote.
As Facebook and JouTube purge their sites.
From a legal standpoint, “I know she can’t win,” said Hikind, who is seeking a ruling that would compel Ocasio-Cortez to unblock him and anyone else blocked for partisan reasons.
“Why is she afraid to read my comments about her policies? She only wants people who agree with her,” Hikind said. “I find it pathetic.”
The Jew finds the echo chamber pathetic.
How pathetic.
--more--"
Nothing but elite talk anyway.
The Epstein scandal has now morphed into a call for Acosta's head:
"Acosta defends wealthy sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s plea deal" by Kimberly Kindy, Felicia Sonmez, Ashley Parker and Seung Min Kim The Washington Post, July 10, 2019
WASHINGTON - Spencer Kuvin, a Florida-based attorney for the 14-year-old girl who first alerted police to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s conduct, said embattled Labor Secretary Alex Acosta stopped investigating before he should have, giving up on the case and settling for less than he should have.
‘‘Mr. Acosta’s office did not take this matter seriously back in 2008 and still refuses to accept responsibility for his failed leadership, which led to a sweetheart deal for a pedophile,’’ Kuvin said.
The former state’s attorney for Palm Beach County at the time of the Epstein plea deal released a statement disputing Acosta’s account.
‘‘I can emphatically state that Mr. Acosta’s recollection of this matter is completely wrong,’’ wrote Barry Krischer. ‘‘Federal prosecutors do not take a back seat to state prosecutors.’’
Pressure mounted from Democrats for his resignation and for him to offer a better explanation for the plea deal.
Before the news conference, House Oversight Committee chairman Elijah Cummings, of Maryland, joined by four of his Democratic colleagues, sent a letter to Acosta demanding he appear before the powerful investigative panel to testify July 23 on the Epstein plea deal.
I guess it's safe to say that they won't be asking him about the great job he is doing on unemployment.
Epstein is facing a new raft of federal child sex trafficking charges. Federal prosecutors on Monday unsealed sex trafficking charges against him, alleging that the politically connected multimillionaire had abused dozens of young girls at his New York and Palm Beach homes and enlisted his victims to bring him others.....
He kept it all in a little black book.
--more--"
Related:
"Nonprofit pulls out of strip-club-sponsored golf tournament at Trump resort" by David A. Fahrenthold Washington Post, July 10, 2019
The Miami nonprofit that was supposed to benefit from a strip club’s golf tournament at President Trump’s resort in Doral, Fla., has pulled out of the event, the nonprofit’s director said Wednesday.
Look at the WaComPo smear Trump by insinuation!
In a phone interview, Carlos Alamilla of the Miami Allstars Foundation said he had paid little attention to the planned event and had not seen its advertisements. That changed when The Washington Post called him Tuesday.
They sure do have an axe to grind!
On Wednesday morning, after the Post’s story was published, Alamilla said, he called the Shadow Cabaret and said his organization was backing out.
‘‘We’re not participating, and I think you should cancel the event,’’ Alamilla said he told the tournament’s organizers.
Alamilla said his group is a nonprofit, though it is not registered as a charity in Florida — he said he missed a registration deadline. He said the group provides mentoring, tutoring, and basketball lessons to about 40 young people.
???????
I hope it isn't a child procurement ring for pedophiles like Epstein!
He said he had been approached by the organizers and offered an unspecified payment as a result of the tournament. He said he did not realize that his group’s logo was being used in advertisements for the tournament, which also offered golfers the chance to pay for a dancer to serve as a ‘‘caddy girl’’ at Trump’s course.
Organizers say there will be no nudity at the golf course, but there could be some at an after-party at the Shadow Cabaret itself.
(Blog editor simply shakes his head at how this advocacy journali$m has become mud-slinging gutter trash complete with innuendo. No wonder no one believes not a word they say anymore)
The nonprofit’s withdrawal was first reported Wednesday by the website Talking Points Memo.
The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On Tuesday, the president’s company defended the event by saying that it was for a good cause - Alamilla’s group.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the tournament was still being advertised online to take place on Saturday.
Well, keep an eye on it, will you?
Matter of vital importance to the people and the nation.
--more--"
I wonder if the Democrats will investigate this:
"Puerto Rico’s former secretary of education and five other people were arrested Wednesday on charges of steering federal money to unqualified, politically connected contractors, federal officials said. Federal officials said that former education secretary Julia Keleher; former Puerto Rico health insurance administration head Ángela Ávila-Marrero; businessmen Fernando Scherrer-Caillet and Alberto Velázquez-Piñol; and education contractors Glenda E. Ponce-Mendoza and Mayra Ponce-Mendoza, who are sisters, were arrested by the FBI on 32 counts of fraud and related charges. The alleged fraud involves a total of $15.5 million in federal funding between 2017 and 2019. US Attorney for Puerto Rico Rosa Emilia Rodríguez said Velázquez Piñol had improperly taken advantage of contacts in the education and health insurance agencies to win federal contracts and illegally used federal money to pay for lobbying."
Also see:
MS-13 gang member sentenced to 17 years in prison for crimes including slayings of two teens
Migrant mother speaks to House panel about daughter’s death
US begins returning asylum seekers to one of Mexico’s most dangerous states
The first 12 have been sent back after being told they couldn't stay at the Trump Hotel:
"Appeals court dismisses ‘emoluments’ lawsuit involving Trump’s D.C. hotel" by Ann E. Marimow and Jonathan O’Connell Washington Post, July 10, 2019
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court Wednesday sided with President Trump, dismissing a lawsuit asserting the president is illegally profiting from foreign and state government visitors at his luxury hotel in downtown Washington.
The unanimous ruling from the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit came in a novel case brought by the attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia involving anticorruption provisions in the emoluments clauses of the US Constitution.
In its ruling, the three-judge panel said the attorneys general lacked legal grounds to bring the lawsuit alleging the president is violating the Constitution when his business accepts payments from state and foreign governments. The decision — from Judges Paul Niemeyer, Dennis Shedd, and Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. — also stops dozens of subpoenas to federal government agencies and Trump’s private business entities for financial records related to the Washington hotel.
An impeachment avenue closed as state and city Gas waste valuable time and taxpayer loot.
Trump quickly took to Twitter to celebrate the ruling, referring to the lawsuit as ‘‘ridiculous’’ and ‘‘a big part of the Deep State and Democrat induced Witch Hunt.’’
He can't block you know!
‘‘I don’t make money, but lose a fortune for the honor of serving and doing a great job as your President (including accepting Zero salary!),’’ he wrote.
The president has stepped back from day-to-day management of the Trump International Hotel and his other businesses, but he maintains ownership.
Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, both Democrats, said in a joint statement after the ruling that the three-judge panel ‘‘got it wrong.’’
‘‘Although the court described a litany of ways in which this case is unique, it failed to acknowledge the most extraordinary circumstance of all: President Trump is brazenly profiting from the office of the president in ways that no other president in history ever imagined and that the founders expressly sought — in the Constitution — to prohibit,’’ they said. ‘‘We will continue to pursue our legal options to hold him accountable.’’
That's odd because the same Washington ComPost also told us his resorts are steep decline and his business problems are mounting just a couple of months ago.
You guys gotta get your stories straight; otherwise, the propaganda doesn't work.
The three judges on the panel, which heard oral arguments in March, were nominated to the bench by Republican presidents — Niemeyer by President George H.W. Bush, Shedd by President George W. Bush, and Quattlebaum by Trump. Frosh and Racine have said they would consider appealing for a rehearing by a full panel of the Fourth Circuit and would not be surprised to see the case reach the Supreme Court.
The president is facing series of legal challenges related to his private business.
A federal appeals court in Washington is considering a separate ‘‘emoluments’’ lawsuit brought by congressional Democrats, who this week began issuing dozens of subpoenas for financial records from the president’s private entities.
The case extends beyond the D.C. hotel and is based on a different theory of standing. The Democratic lawmakers say the president is violating the Constitution because it gives Congress the right to approve — or withhold — consent before the president accepts payments or benefits from foreign governments.
Were did they come up with that one after more than 200 years?
All of a sudden they are to exercise their powers and they choose this?
How about ending a war once in a while?
Despite the legal challenges his company faces, to this point Trump has been able to prevent the release of any private business information to the courts, leaving Democrats to wonder if Trump will be affected by any of the inquiries before he faces reelection next year.
Well, they just admitted that THIS IS ALL POLITICAL!
All the subpoenas and the entire focus of the pre$$ is POLITICAL!
At least six foreign governments have booked large blocks of rooms or meeting space at Trump’s D.C. hotel, among them Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Malaysia, and Georgia. Three years in a row, the Kuwaiti government held its National Day celebration there.....
--more--"
Related:
"Marriott International was hit by legal consequences related to its online reservations for guests from both the District of Columbia and Britain on Tuesday. The District’s attorney general filed a complaint accusing the Bethesda, Md.-based hotel and resort company of deceiving guests making online reservations of room prices. ‘‘For at least the last decade, Marriott has used an unlawful trade practice called ‘drip pricing’ in advertising its hotel rooms whereby Marriott initially hides a portion of a hotel room’s daily rate from consumers,’’ the complaint read. The complaint said Marriott refers to these additional mandatory fees ranging from $9 to $95 per day, which aren’t advertised as included in the room price on the company’s website or other third-party sites such as Expedia and Priceline, as a ‘‘resort fee,’’ ‘‘amenity fee’’ or destination fee.’’ Because of that, the complaint says, customers booking rooms online are misled into thinking the room is cheaper than it actually is. Marriott was also notified by the United Kingdom Information Commissioner’s Office on Tuesday that it plans to fine the company more than 99 million pounds ($123 million), after investigating a data breach of guest reservations for Starwood hotels."
Tell you what, let's find another place to stay.
"President Trump’s July Fourth event and weekend protests bankrupted Washington security fund, mayor says" by Peter Jamison Washington Post, July 10, 2019
WASHINGTON — President Trump’s new Independence Day celebration, called ‘‘A Salute to America,’’ included a speech by Trump at the Lincoln Memorial, flyovers by military aircraft, and a display of armored vehicles on the Mall. The changes stoked protests of the president at what is typically an apolitical event.
So that is the fallout, huh, even though he made it a completely apolitical event and was given raves for it?
On Saturday, some of the president’s supporters gathered at a rally on Freedom Plaza organized by right-wing activists. That event also drew a large counterprotest, and hundreds of police officers were deployed to prevent violence between the two sides.
That protest fizzled out quick.
The district’s Emergency Planning and Security Fund is filled by federal money that reimburses the city for its unique public safety costs as the nation’s capital. Those include providing security at presidential inaugurations, visits by foreign dignitaries, and the massive rallies that periodically come to the city.
While it once carried large balances from year to year, the fund has dwindled in the Trump era. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, warned that the fund has now been depleted and Bowser said in her letter to Trump Tuesday that the December funeral of President George H.W. Bush had also contributed to the fund’s depletion.
I didn't hear any Democrats complaining when that war criminal was eulogized.
Chris Rodriguez, director of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, said in an interview that the estimated costs for July Fourth were six times as much as in years past and were likely to grow as the city continues to tally expenses.
Now this is looking like plain and $imple extortion.
Last month Delagate Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat and the district’s nonvoting representative in Congress, and Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, wrote a letter to leaders of the House and Senate appropriations committees urging that an additional $6 million be put into the emergency fund.....
If that's what it costs to pay 'em off and shut 'em up, fine.
--more--"
I'll bet they are wishing he would go take a jump in the lake:
"The report came in before sunrise, sending members of the Niagara Parks Police scrambling to get to the thundering waterfalls early Tuesday. Park police said they saw the man climb over the retaining wall, a sturdy barrier made of rough-hewn stone blocks interspersed with decorative metal railings, and enter the raging waters of the Niagara River. Within moments, he was swept over the enormous waterfall, vanishing into the impenetrable cloud of mist rising from the gorge. With no protective covering and facing a roughly 188-foot drop into a roiling pool of water filled with large rocks, the man was unlikely to survive, history suggested. Scores have died taking the plunge either by accident or, in most cases, intentionally. According to the Buffalo News, it is estimated that 25 people annually kill themselves by going over the falls. Tuesday’s events unfolded on the 59th anniversary of another miraculous story of survival at Niagara Falls. On July 9, 1960, 7-year-old Roger Woodward was rescued after going over Horseshoe Falls in only a life jacket following a boating accident on the upper portion of the river....."
Remember Commander McBragg!
The 25 suicides each YEAR contrasts with the 22 vets that commit suicide each DAY, and the water level is only getting higher, even on a sunny day(?!!?):
"The federal government is warning Americans to brace for a ‘‘floodier’’ future. Government scientists predict 40 places in the country will experience higher than normal rates of so-called sunny-day flooding this year because of rising sea levels and an abnormal El Nino weather system. The report released Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that sunny-day flooding will continue to increase....."
The agency forecasts sunny-day flooding this year in Boston, New York, Norfolk, Charleston, Pensacola, Texas, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Seattle, and with any luck they will kill a bunch of old people.
I guess there is no end to the flood of bull$hit proffered by my pre$$:
"A State Department intelligence official who was blocked by the White House from submitting written congressional testimony on climate change last month is resigning from his post. Rod Schoonover, who worked in the Office of the Geographer and Global Issues’ Bureau of Intelligence and Research, spoke about the security risks the country faces due to climate change before the House Intelligence Committee on June 5, but White House officials would not let him submit the bureau’s written statement that climate impacts could be ‘‘possibly catastrophic.’’ Individuals familiar with the matter, who asked for anonymity, said that Schoonover chose to leave voluntarily, but the incident that helped lead to his departure underscores the extent to which climate science has become contested terrain under the current administration. President Trump has repeatedly questioned the scientific consensus that human activity is driving climate change...."
More WAPO crapo, with terms like "possible catastrophe," and he is not the only one with doubts about the $cienti$ts these days, especially with the agenda-pu$hing pre$$ citing the consensus!
That means ground all the airplanes, right?
"Woman required to cover up on American Airlines flight says race was a factor" by Neil Vigdor New York Times, July 10, 2019
NEW YORK — Dr. Tisha Rowe, a Texas doctor who identifies as African American and Caribbean American, posted a widely shared tweet about the episode, including a selfie of the romper she was wearing on the June 30 American Airlines flight from Jamaica to Miami.
Rowe, 37, is a family physician in Houston and founded a telemedicine company in 2014.
The day of the encounter, June 30, was a hot one: The temperature in Kingston, Jamaica, had a high of 94 degrees, and the high in Miami was 89 degrees, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Rowe said she was walking to her seat when a male flight attendant, whom she described as black, asked her to return to the front of the plane. Another flight attendant, who was also black, then spoke to her about her appearance while she stood on the jet bridge, Rowe said.
The airline’s conditions of carriage, which are posted on its website, make a brief reference to a dress code: “Dress appropriately; bare feet or offensive clothing aren’t allowed.”
“We are policed for being black,” Rowe posted on Facebook during the flight. “I’ve seen white women with much shorter shorts board a plane without a blink of an eye.”
--more--"
The Senate will soon investigate:
"Senate committee approves FAA nominee over Democrats objections" by Tom Krisher and David Koenig Associated Press, July 10, 2019
President Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration won approval from a Senate committee Wednesday, despite objections from Democrats who questioned the actions of the former Delta Air Lines executive in a case involving a pilot who raised safety issues.
The opposition fizzled out.
The Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee voted, 14-12, along party lines to send the nomination of Stephen Dickson to the full Senate.
Democrats faulted Dickson for failing to disclose his involvement in the case of Karlene Petitt, a pilot who charges that Delta retaliated against her after she raised safety concerns to Dickson and other executives.
If approved, Dickson would head an agency that is investigating one of Petitt’s allegations, that Delta failed to implement required safety procedures.
Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington state, the highest-ranking Democrat on the committee, said Petitt reported several concerns to Delta, including pilots relying too much on automation to fly.
I was just going to say, what is he going to do about Boeing?
Delta ordered Petitt to undergo a psychiatric evaluation that declared her unfit to fly. That finding was later overturned by other psychiatrists. Last fall, Dickson gave a lengthy deposition in Petitt’s pending whistleblower claim against Delta in which he said he agreed with the decision to order a psychiatric examination.....
There ought to be a law.
--more--"
I guess you will have to stay on the ground then:
Tesla to increase production at California plant
Mazda recalling more than 262,000 cars and SUVs over stalling problem
Damn thing won't turn over now!
NEXT DAY UPDATE
"Pelosi defends handling of ‘Squad’ as Democrats fume about Ocasio-Cortez’s top aide" by Mike DeBonis and Paul Kane Washington Post, July 11, 2019
WASHINGTON — Saikat Chakrabarti, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff, referred to moderate Democratic groups in a tweet last month as ‘‘New Southern Democrats’’ who are ‘‘hell bent to do to black and brown people today what the old Southern Democrats did in the ’40s.’’
The tweet has emerged as a key flash point in a simmering feud between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, and ‘‘the Squad’’ — freshman Democratic Representatives Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Ocasio-Cortez of New York — one that burst into a full boil this week after simmering for months when Pelosi told The New York Times that the four ‘‘didn’t have any following,’’ citing their lonely votes last month against a Democratic-crafted bill to address the southern border crisis.
Ocasio-Cortez responded in an interview with The Washington Post: ‘‘When these comments first started, I kind of thought that she was keeping the progressive flank at more of an arm’s distance in order to protect more moderate members, which I understood,’’ she said. ‘‘But the persistent singling out . . . it got to a point where it was just outright disrespectful . . . the explicit singling out of newly elected women of color.’’
Ocasio-Cortez is of Puerto Rican descent, Pressley is African-American, Omar is an African immigrant, and Tlaib is Palestinian American.
Said Pelosi Thursday in response, ‘‘We respect the value of every member of our caucus. The diversity of it all is a wonderful thing. Diversity is our strength. Unity is our power. And we have a big fight, and we’re in the arena and that’s all I’m going to say on the subject.’’
Those comments came as other minority members of Pelosi’s caucus spoke up in her defense. Leaving a private member meeting Thursday morning, Representative Gregory Meeks, Democrat of New York, said members were buzzing about both Chakrabarti’s tweet and Ocasio-Cortez’s remark.
Some Democrats are looking for more than an apology from Ocasio-Cortez and Chakrabarti, a former leader of the Justice Democrats, a liberal activist group that has supported primary challenges against several veteran lawmakers.
‘‘They want him out,’’ said a senior Democratic aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal conversations, noting the Justice Democrats’ continuing advocacy for the ouster of several minority Democrats. Chakrabarti recently tweeted support for Jessica Cisneros, who is challenging Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas.
They are proving his point!
Pelosi did not respond to a question about whether Chakrabarti should be sanctioned for his tweet.
They can't do that, so the web kept tweeting:
A spokesman for Ocasio-Cortez did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday on the criticism of Chakrabarti.
Said House majority leader Steny Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland, ‘‘I think all staffers ought to allow their members to speak.’’
At a Wednesday evening meeting in Pelosi’s office, Democratic Representative Derek Kilmer of Washington, chairman of the New Democratic Coalition, told Pelosi in stark terms that moderates were irate about Chakrabarti’s tweet — specifically citing Representative Terri Sewell, Democrat of Alabama, a New Democrats cochair who is one of several moderate African-Americans representing a southern district.
Sewell has tried multiple times to discuss the matter with Ocasio-Cortez, Kilmer said in the meeting, but has not gotten her calls returned. Two people present described the exchange on the condition of anonymity due to the private nature of the meeting.
‘‘As the speaker says, ‘Our diversity is our strength and our unity is our power, and I think that’s true,’ ’’ Kilmer said as he left Pelosi’s office Wednesday, declining further comment.
Earlier that day, Pelosi told fellow Democrats in a closed-door meeting not to air their grievances with other Democrats. Members or staff who feel inclined to publicly criticize a Democratic colleague should ‘‘think twice,’’ she said, before adding: ‘‘Actually, don’t do that: Think once.’’
‘‘You got a complaint? You come and talk to me about it,’’ she continued, according to two people present for the remarks. ‘‘But do not tweet about our members and expect us to think that that is just OK.’’
Hoyer, who made a similar call for unity in Wednesday’s caucus meeting, declined to respond Thursday to Ocasio-Cortez’s remark.
‘‘I don’t really want to get in this back and forth,’’ he said. ‘‘I would hope it would stop.’’
--more--"
Related:
Trump accuses social media companies of ‘terrible bias’ at White House summit decried by critics
Another twist in Sandy Hook families’ defamation case against Alex Jones
The Washington Post reports that "The Connecticut Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal of a lower court’s decision sanctioning broadcaster Alex Jones, a sudden turn in a case pitting families whose relatives were killed at a Newtown, Conn., school against conspiracy theorists. Jones and other defendants — including several corporate entities, a conspiracy theorist who has been a guest on Infowars and his associate — have defended their right to ask questions and speak freely."
That's all I do because so much of what is presented in the pre$$ doesn't make sense, and Sandy Hook is approaching the Holocaust™ in terms of unquestioned acceptance without question.
Nevertheless, the brave court's decision ‘‘is extremely good news for all who care about freedom of expression,’’ even if you disagree, because ‘‘silencing speech is never a good idea.’’
Look who is back on the front page today:
How Jeffrey Epstein made himself into a ‘Harvard man’
Zoe Greenberg of the Globe Staff tells us "a close associate was Lawrence Summers, and Epstein contributed millions to the university, reportedly funding the construction of Harvard Hillel’s building, helped to establish the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, frequented an office blocks from campus, and flew up in his private plane to host seminars there with some of Harvard’s most prominent professors. He seems to have simply chosen Harvard to be his, adding it to a collection of prized objects that would reflect glory back upon him, like the photographs of famous people displayed in his New York home, the lavish properties he amassed from Manhattan to the Caribbean, and the young girls he allegedly hunted down. Some have likened him to a sinister Jay Gatsby, whose stories about himself don’t always line up with the truth, while The New York Times reported in 1991 that four donors, including Epstein and his close friend Leslie Wexner, pledged to raise $2 million to fund a center for Hillel, the Jewish student organization at Harvard. A plaque inside the center listed Epstein, Wexner, and Wexner’s wife as donors of the Rosovsky Naming Gift. Today, the plaque is no longer there, according to a person familiar with Harvard’s Hillel."
I wonder if he ever ran into Jared.
Related:
Epstein offers mansion and jet as bond to avoid jail before trial
It's called a FLEE DEAL!
BREAKING NEWS: Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigns
What a shame because the Dow crossed 27,000 points for first time and consumer prices barely rose in June while unemployment filings at a three-month low, underscoring the Federal Reserve’s view that a robust labor market is underpinning economic expansion and allowing them to leave interest rates largely the same.
I guess they will need to find a Labor secretary who is a bit more charming.
"With one lawyer bolting amid public backlash and another saying he and his client just couldn’t get along, a judge on Thursday approved a request to recast Harvey Weinstein’s defense team yet again, this time a mere 60 days before the disgraced movie mogul is due to stand trial in New York on sexual assault charges. Lawyer Jose Baez, who’s known for representing high-profile clients such as Casey Anthony, asked for permission to leave Weinstein’s sexual assault case. The judge asked Weinstein if that was OK with him. Weinstein replied, ‘‘Yes’’ and the court gave the green light. Weinstein, who ignored journalists’ questions outside the Manhattan courtroom, is adding two new lawyers, Donna Rotunno and Damon Cheronis, both of Chicago. The lawyers have promised the judge that they won’t seek to postpone the trial from its scheduled Sept. 9 start. Rotunno has espoused a philosophy that the #metoo movement, spurred by revelations about Weinstein’s alleged behavior, is overblown and that women are ‘‘responsible for the choices they make.’’
I guess the deal fell through, and the problem was he answered his hotel room door in high-end yoga pants that were see-through.
Singer R. Kelly arrested on 13 federal charges, including child pornography
Busted!
"A House panel voted Thursday to subpoena 12 people with connections to President Trump, including his son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, and former attorney general Jeff Sessions, as part of an ongoing investigation into whether Trump obstructed justice or otherwise abused his office. The vote along party lines by the House Judiciary Committee was the latest escalation in a battle between the Democratic-led chamber and the White House over multiple probes of Trump and his administration, including whether the president sought to obstruct the investigation of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller. In addition to seeking subpoenas for Kushner and Sessions, the committee voted to authorize Nadler to summon former White House chief of staff John Kelly, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, former deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, former White House deputy chief of staff Rick Dearborn, assistant attorney general Jody Hunt, and former White House staff secretary Rob Porter."
I'm stunned, and that's where the print copy ended.
"The committee is also seeking to compel testimony related to payments before the 2016 election to women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump years ago. To that end, the committee voted to authorize subpoenas of Keith Davidson, a former attorney for adult-film star Stormy Daniels, National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard, and American Media Inc. chief executive David Pecker. Prosecutors allege that Howard and Pecker were involved in deals to silence Daniels and former Playboy playmate Karen McDougal. ‘‘We will not rest until we obtain their testimony and documents so this committee and Congress can do the work the Constitution and the American people expect of us,’’ Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat, said at the outset of Thursday’s hearing. Trump lashed out at Democrats ahead of the planned vote, suggesting that they should focus on immigration issues instead. ‘‘Now the Democrats have asked to see 12 more people who have already spent hours with Robert Mueller, and spent a fortune on lawyers in so doing,’’ Trump wrote on Twitter. ‘‘How many bites at the apple do they get before working on Border Loopholes and Asylum.’’ Trump also chided Democrats for plans to hear testimony from Mueller next week about his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible obstruction of the probe by Trump. ‘‘Enough already, go back to work!’’ Trump said. Representative Douglas Collins, a Republican from Georgia and the ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, accused Nadler of being on a ‘‘subpoena binge.’’ ‘‘Today is the chairman’s chance to show he has what it takes and will not wilt when the spotlight is brightest,’’ Collins said. ‘‘That’s all today’s episode is about. It sure isn’t about oversight. It’s simply about politics.’’ The Judiciary panel also voted Thursday to subpoena documents related to the Trump administration’s ‘‘zero-tolerance’’ policy on migrants entering the country illegally, which led to the separation of thousands of children from their parents in 2018. The quest for information comes amid an intensified outcry over the treatment of children held in migrant detention centers and a debate over the humanitarian crisis caused by an influx of Central Americans seeking asylum in the United States. A little more than four months ago, Nadler’s committee cast a wide net for documents from an array of 80 individuals and entities, seeking information on a range of inquiries into Trump’s administration, campaign, business, and personal finances. Trump has decried House Democrats’ probes as ‘‘harassment,’’ has largely refused to comply with their requests, and has urged associates to ignore subpoenas. Last month, Democrats voted to allow committees to file lawsuits against those who defy congressional subpoenas. Thursday’s vote would allow Nadler to issue the subpoenas at his discretion to try to compel testimony and handing over of documents. He has said he is willing to hold off if information is voluntarily provided."
He just provided Kushner an out, and isn't it amazing how the reports focus quickly turned to the sex scandals and migrant children?
See:
Trump abandons bid to include citizenship question on 2020 Census
Another backpedal in face of pressure over his failure to attack Iran.
Elizabeth Warren unveils sweeping immigration plan to reverse Trump’s ‘policy of cruelty and division’
Yeah, "the issue took on new resonance Thursday amid reports that nationwide immigration raids, which Trump initially called for last month and then abruptly canceled, are scheduled to begin Sunday," meaning the advocacy journali$m that has become the Globe decided to blow the whistle on it after someone leaked it.
US prepares to arrest thousands of immigrant family members
The New York Times tells us "agents have expressed apprehension about arresting babies and young children, but the operation is not unprecedented. The Obama administration targeted families in previous operations" -- but no one was complain then!
Democrats need an immigration policy that blends compassion with pragmatism
So says Stein.
Advocates say Boston’s policies don’t do enough to keep police out of immigration matters
They say it is time for the Staties to adopt the same policies.
White House abandons plan to eliminate hidden rebates in order to lower drug prices
They are backpedaling on all fronts and better watch out for pitfalls.
Price tag for Trump’s July 4 event hits $5.4m
TSA screened record number of airport travelers at end of Fourth of July weekend
Buttigieg releases plan to address racial inequities
He's struggling with black voters, and is looking to businesses to increase voter turnout (why would they want to do that?).
