What's in the news?

[Sain]

Absolutely barbaric stuff, the second to last quote put it well: “A scientist performing important humanitarian work, gets sentenced without public trial and is looking at the death penalty.” Apparently it's just another name in the long list. How they're able to keep doing that without any proper international response is just crazy...

Who knows if it'll make any difference, but here's the open petition.

[Trigon]

So yeah, I think this article sums up quite nicely as to how seriously we should take the Republican Party moving forward: https://newrepublic.com/article/140430/never-believe-republicans-bs-ever

I've been saying it for years, but in this era of Trump, we don't have to pretend that they have any credibility anymore...

[TheGlyphstone]

The Republicans are way overdue for a cataclysmic meltdown and shattering into multiple parties. We almost saw it with the Tea Party movement before it got co-opted, and the chaos of the pre-Trump primaries was almost there too. The Democratic Party is a conglomerate, but one whose individual factions have mostly aligned interests. The GOP has become a chimera of the white nationalists, the religious reactionaries, the big-business heavyweights, the NRA gun nuts, and other smaller factions whose only common interest is that some aspect of the Democratic platform is a threat to them. They lack credibility because they've lost any sense of direction other than 'backwards'.

[Callie Del Noire]

The Republicans are way overdue for a cataclysmic meltdown and shattering into multiple parties. We almost saw it with the Tea Party movement before it got co-opted, and the chaos of the pre-Trump primaries was almost there too. The Democratic Party is a conglomerate, but one whose individual factions have mostly aligned interests. The GOP has become a chimera of the white nationalists, the religious reactionaries, the big-business heavyweights, the NRA gun nuts, and other smaller factions whose only common interest is that some aspect of the Democratic platform is a threat to them. They lack credibility because they've lost any sense of direction other than 'backwards'.

I don't think so.. the Kohn crowd is lurking in the shadows working around the White House to run their policies on the congression and state level. When the 'Donald' implodes.. the party will pull out the long knives and cut him up.. and then clump back together under the control of the old school neoconservatives.

[Anteros]

A White Frenchman Tried Opening A Bar Called The "Negro Ball" But People Were Having None Of It: https://www.buzzfeed.com/julesdarmanin/a-white-guy-tried-opening-a-bar-called-the-negro-ball-but-we?bftwnews&utm_term=.veZMjLq8n#.qmwGB3Rvz

Amnesty International Says Syria Is Secretly Executing Thousands Of Its People: https://www.buzzfeed.com/claudiakoerner/amnesty-international-says-syria-is-secretly-executing-thous?utm_term=.mt9rdbX7Q#.igwVMGEr9

Melania Trump reveals plan to leverage presidency to ink ‘multi-million dollar’ endorsement deals: https://thinkprogress.org/melania-trump-reveals-plan-to-leverage-presidency-to-ink-multi-million-dollar-endorsement-deals-1999314fb8f1#.ptyrddz93

Donald Trump Believes Barack Obama Likes Him: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-obama-likes-me_us_5899367de4b09bd304bd3dac?74s1giyvwozvndn29%3Futm_hp_ref=black-voices&ir=Black%2BVoices&section=black-voices&

This wild CNN exchange with a GOP congressman shows our double standards about terrorism: http://fusion.net/story/385206/white-house-list-terror-attacks-trump-muslim-ban/?utm_campaign=ThisIsFusion&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=social

[Lustful Bride]

More on the mass executions in Syria.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/amnesty-as-many-as-13000-hanged-in-syria-prison-since-2011/ar-AAmGqmE?ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

[Lustful Bride]

Well, this honestly surprised me.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/duterte-gives-%e2%80%98rotten%e2%80%99-officers-choice-go-to-terrorist-hotbed-or-go-home/ar-AAmHMWy?li=BBnb4R7&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

Don't even know what to say about it. :/

[Lilias]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/08/antelope-hunter-boko-haram-nigeria

#dressedlikeawoman

[Valerian]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/08/politics/elizabeth-warren-nevertheless-she-persisted-trnd/index.html?sr=twCNN020817elizabeth-warren-nevertheless-she-persisted-trnd1032AMStoryLink&linkId=34247510

"She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted."

That line, delivered by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to bar Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren from speaking, has become an instant classic and a powerful rallying cry for her supporters.

On Tuesday night, Warren had attempted to read a letter that Coretta Scott King, the widow of Martin Luther King Jr., had written 30 years ago opposing the nomination of Jeff Sessions for a federal judgeship. But Republicans accused Warren of violating Senate rules against impugning another senator and voted down party line to bar her from participating any further.

Unable to finish speaking on the Senate floor, Warren took to Facebook Live to read the letter, which had more than 3 million views by early Wednesday.

#ShePersists #LetLizSpeak

I'm a little surprised that McConnell reacted that way -- if he'd left it alone, she would have finished reading, everyone would have moved on, and that would be that.  Instead, he threw a fit that has made Warren a hero and him ridiculous.

[Lustful Bride]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/08/antelope-hunter-boko-haram-nigeria

#dressedlikeawoman

Wow...she deserves her own big Hollywood movie. 030

[Lustful Bride]

IS attack kills 6 Afghan Red Cross workers :(

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/islamic-state-suspected-of-killing-six-afghan-red-cross-workers-officials/ar-AAmJbDE?li=BBnbcA1&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

[Nachtmahr]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/08/politics/elizabeth-warren-nevertheless-she-persisted-trnd/index.html?sr=twCNN020817elizabeth-warren-nevertheless-she-persisted-trnd1032AMStoryLink&linkId=34247510

#ShePersists #LetLizSpeak

I'm a little surprised that McConnell reacted that way -- if he'd left it alone, she would have finished reading, everyone would have moved on, and that would be that.  Instead, he threw a fit that has made Warren a hero and him ridiculous.

Isn't that how it always goes with these types of situations? A knee-jerk reaction to any kind of opposition leads to an attempted shutdown of the opposing party, and then (Thanks to the internet more than anything) the Streisand effect kicks into gear - Not so much because of the message she was trying to deliver, but because of the fact that her opponents were apparently so scared of it that they tried to shut her down, which makes one wonder why they're being so sensitive.

All in all it's kind of hilarious how self-destructive some people are. Whether it's a video game developer trying to censor negative criticism, or a politician trying to shut down the opposition.

[Sara Nilsson]

Isn't that how it always goes with these types of situations? A knee-jerk reaction to any kind of opposition leads to an attempted shutdown of the opposing party, and then (Thanks to the internet more than anything) the Streisand effect kicks into gear - Not so much because of the message she was trying to deliver, but because of the fact that her opponents were apparently so scared of it that they tried to shut her down, which makes one wonder why they're being so sensitive.

All in all it's kind of hilarious how self-destructive some people are. Whether it's a video game developer trying to censor negative criticism, or a politician trying to shut down the opposition.

Let us hope they go the same way that Digital Homicide did ^^

[Lustful Bride]

White House says that John Mccain owes an apology to the dead navy seal for criticizing the Yemen Raid.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/white-house-mccain-owes-apology-to-dead-seal-for-criticizing-yemen-raid/ar-AAmK0jH?li=BBnbcA1&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

Oh the white house is in no position to talk. Especially after they called that Clusterfuck of a mission a 'success'

I think Mccain actually said it best.

"When you lose a $75 million airplane and, more importantly, an American life is lost … I don't believe you can call it a success,"

[Trigon]

Well folks, the Department of Justice has now fallen: http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_589b8c9de4b0c1284f2a7051?

Jeff Sessions has been confirmed as its Attorney General.

[AmberStarfire]

This is worrying and it's really not all that far away (at least they're saying there's no contamination):

http://www.news.com.au/world/europe/flamanville-plant-in-northern-france-has-been-hit-by-a-massive-explosion/news-story/28f0f083f4850f3289939ed489f56c95

[RedRose]

Not sure how much I believe them given how they handled Tchernobyl. I try not to think about it.

[TheGlyphstone]

Not sure how much I believe them given how they handled Tchernobyl. I try not to think about it.

What does the (mis)handling of a Soviet-Ukranian reactor accident 30 years ago have to do with the handling of a French accident? They're not even in the same country, there's zero chance that the same people are involved, so 'they' seems disingenuous.

[Trigon]

Trump's travel ban has just been officially shot down in court: http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_589b49cfe4b09bd304bf279e?

We will see how long it lasts, but for now a much needed victory for immigration rights.

[Lustful Bride]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/trumps-new-fcc-boss-has-already-set-the-stage-for-a-less-open-internet/ar-AAmLPdb?li=BBnbcA1&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

I honestly sometimes forget the FCC still exists.

[Anteros]

In call with Putin, Trump denounced Obama-era nuclear arms treaty: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-putin-idUSKBN15O2A5?il=0&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social
He didn't even know what it was!

Construction resumes on Dakota pipeline despite tribe's challenge: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-north-dakota-pipeline-idUSKBN15O1Z3
The struggle continue.

Kellyanne Conway Promotes Ivanka Trump Brand, Raising Ethics Concerns: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/09/us/politics/kellyanne-conway-ivanka-trump-ethics.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0

Russian newspaper tells women to be 'proud of their bruises' as state partially decriminalises domestic violence: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russian-newspaper-proud-bruises-vladimir-putin-domestic-abuse-violence-signs-controversial-law-a7570351.html

[Lustful Bride]

People rush to save a stranding of Whales on a beach in New Zealand.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/rescuers-fight-save-hundreds-pilot-whales-beached-new-zealand-n719206


French Police arrest 4 on terror charges and uncover an explosives lab with improvised bombs and materials.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/france-thwarts-suspected-new-terror-attack/ar-AAmNMD1?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15


Oscar Lopez returns to Puerto Rico to live out the rest of his sentence.

http://wgntv.com/2017/02/09/puerto-rico-nationalist-oscar-lopez-rivera-returns-to-serve-term-cut-by-obama/

[Valerian]

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2017/02/americans-now-evenly-divided-on-impeaching-trump.html

There are some interesting statistics there, and some reassuring ones.  But then there's this one:

66% of Americans consider the United States to be a safe country, to only 23% who consider it unsafe. Perhaps as an outgrowth of that sentiment only 45% of voters support Trump's Executive Order on immigration, to 49% who are opposed to it. Among those who do support it you have to wonder how well thought out their position is- by a 51/23 margin Trump voters say that the Bowling Green Massacre shows why Trump's immigration policy is needed.

*facepalm*

[Cassandra LeMay]

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2017/02/americans-now-evenly-divided-on-impeaching-trump.html

There are some interesting statistics there, and some reassuring ones.  But then there's this one:

*facepalm*

See! And that's what foreigners do! They divide the country with things they didn't even do. That's how dangerous they are! Even their inactions divide the country.

 

[Lustful Bride]

Human Ken Doll's surgeries seem to be cascading and negatively affecting his ability to breathe.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/after-50-plastic-surgeries-the-human-ken-doll-cant-breathe-properly-anymore/ar-AAmJyMZ?li=BBnba9O&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15