Asking then FBI director James Comey to flat-out drop the investigation might be the most obvious attempt by Donald Trump to obstruct the Trump–Russia investigation. But it’s far from the only move he’s made to block the truth from coming out.
The White House is telling federal agencies to blow off Democratic lawmakers' oversight requests, as Republicans fear the information could be weaponized against President Donald Trump.
At meetings with top officials for various government departments this spring, Uttam Dhillon, a White House lawyer, told agencies not to cooperate with such requests from Democrats, according to Republican sources inside and outside the administration.
In another example of how institutions won’t save you from encroaching autocracy, it took just that much for the oversight authority of Congress to be surrendered. And this usurpation of Congress’s traditional role passed with barely a whisper.
The declaration amounts to a new level of partisanship in Washington, where the president and his administration already feels besieged by media reports and attacks from Democrats. The idea, Republicans said, is to choke off the Democratic congressional minorities from gaining new information that could be used to attack the president.
With Devin Nunes already breaking his recusal and House rules to keep the investigation on that side of Capitol Hill firmly in the ditch, Republicans are now cooperating with Trump to simply smother the investigation in the Senate. And Trump–Russia is far from the only investigation this order from Trump kills. This is simply omnipotence by decree.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is officially keeping an eye on controversial Trump Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. Through her Senate office, Warren launched "DeVos Watch," which will "seek information about the Department's actions and inactions around federal student loans and grants" and publicize it so people can track the department's initiatives and submit oversight suggestions.
After noting that two of DeVos's first hires at the department were Robert Eitel and Taylor Hansen, Warren wrote on CNN:
One of Secretary DeVos' first actions on higher education was to delay a critical rule preventing fly-by-night colleges from loading students up with gigantic debts for worthless degrees, a move that directly benefited those same colleges that have paid Eitel and Hansen for years. [...]
Next, DeVos reversed a policy preventing student loan debt collectors from charging sky-high fees to students desperately trying to catch up on their student loans -- a policy whose loudest opponent was a major student loan debt collector that was headed by Hansen's father.
As news stories exposed these relationships, I wrote to Secretary DeVos, citing Hansen's and Eitel's conflicts and the Department's recent actions, asking for information about their roles. The day my letter arrived, Hansen resigned.
Warren hopes to provide people with student loans a way to monitor the department, hold it accountable, and provide feedback about how the department is affecting them. But the move also fueled speculation that Warren is an eyeing a 2020 bid for president.
The salvos targeting DeVos are just the latest attempt by Warren to branch out from her expertise on financial matters — a pattern that has fueled speculation she is eyeing a presidential bid in 2020.
After the 2016 election, Warren joined the Senate Armed Services Committee, giving her a chance to gain experience on the military matters that are crucial for the commander in chief.
The best part about this is mom was like “we can both wear this” so this will be the communal outfit of our household the way god clearly intended
where can i get one (seriously. i love it so much)
From TJ Maxx where clothes like this manifests on the shelves, the natural offspring off the jumpsuit on one side and the discount poncho on the other
I feel like the original of this was some sort of sewing accident - DON’T ASK WHY - but then after cackling and playing around, the original creator went….HEEEEEEEEEEY.
In which Holt surprises Jake with a visit at the VA, and introduces him to some family… (headcanon that Sam and Ray are related is based on this magnificent fanfic that you all need to read)
Bring back the phase of society where having your tiddies all the way out was fine but showing ankle flesh was scandalous
i know this is aiming at 17. and 18. and 19. century fashion, but i really wanna bring back those dresses that only basically start under the boobs, like that little number Minoan snake goddess figurine is wearing
that was actually what i was thinking of! ive been obsessed with that figure since i was her in a history book as a kid lmao
the ultimate look!!! 2 titties out 2 snakes in hand
titties out, snakes up, she’s ready 2 go
ankles: covered
snakes: up
titties: out
I am forcibly removed from the historical narrative
CHILDBIRTH COSTS MONEY IN THE USA??????? YOU HAVE TO PAY TO PUSH A BABY OUT OF YOU ?????
dafuk
wait its free everywhere else what the fuck?????
MY MOM CAME HOME WITH ME IN HER ARMS TO A HOSPITAL BILL FOR OVER THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN ITS FREE EVERYWHERE ELSE
What happens if you can’t pay the bills, do they take the baby back or something?
Nahh they take the house you bought for your family to protect that baby..
U S A!
I’m routinely mortified by the way things are in America.
buh…whuh…I…I knew about the whole insurance thing but I thought like…maybe there was some basic thing that made sure you…y’know stuff like having kids was covered…cancer treatment…stuff like that I thought…
All that I thought was wrong?
*makes muffled squeaky noises whilst tears come to their eyes*
Yeah no… it’s a fucking mess here, like people lose their homes paying for cancer treatment… Before Obamacare banned it there were lifetime maximums where once your treatments cost a certain amount the insurance companies didn’t have to pay for them anymore, people with serious illness would be cut off mid-treatment. Again pre-ACA (Affordable Care Act = Obamacare), you could be denied insurance at all for pre-existing conditions. Healthcare here is horrible if you don’t have money.
To really grasp the difference fully, I know of folks who have traveled to like England, Canada, Australia, and the like, had a medical problem come up while visiting, had everything taken care of with no problems and no money owed, and come home no worse for their trip. Meanwhile, a pregnant woman from Canada was in the US for a visit, even bought supplemental insurance to cover her during the trip, went into labor, had a complication that the Insurance company deemed “pre-existing”, and got billed for almost a million dollars.
We’re so fucking backwards here it’s not even fucking funny. With shit like this, the routine murder of black folks by cops (like, I think we’re over 400 for the year already), states constantly looking for more ways to fuck over people who need abortions or queer and trans people, the US is a dystopia.
All of this
Yeah, my parents couldn’t pay my dad’s fuckton of medical debt after he was hospitalized and treated for listeria, so now the government owns their house.
They can still live in it, but if one of my parents (I forgot which) dies, the other will get kicked out.
Aaaand Trumpcare has ruined this
Yeah, I had a co-worker, back in the 80’s when health-care was actually a lot cheaper than now, whose baby was born pre-mature with multiple health problems and the kid hit his lifetime maximum before he was 6 months old. No insurance for you, kid!
A friend developed heart issues in her 30’s when they had no insurance and little cash. She and her husband were told that her choices were to have a certain operation costing hundreds of thousands, or go home and wait to die in a few days or maybe a few weeks. HOWEVER, the hospital would not perform the operation unless her husband (the only one working) signed paperwork absolutely promising he would pay the bill, no fooling! He said, “Of course!” and signed the paper knowing that he could never pay the bill, because what else are you going to do? The bill was never paid, eventually was sold to a collector, and stayed on their record for years. But his income was too low to garnish, they didn’t have any property to seize, and after 7 years it went away. These days, though, I have heard of people getting sent to jail for fraud in similar circumstances. (But of course we don’t have debtor’s prison anymore!)
Well, Trumpcare hasn'tpassed the Senate yet, and might not, if enough Senators get a hard enough time in their states this week. But Trump is hobbling and doing his utmost to break Obamacare, then claiming it’s broken to justify defunding it.
My husband has teeth rotting in his head because it costs WITH insurance $400 just to PULL the teeth. They won’t replace them or fix them unless he pays even more money.
He went for YEARS without getting help because he couldn’t afford medical care, and now he’s suffering because of it.
We found out his friend in Taiwan could get all of his teeth fixed, implants/dentures put in, you name it for the cost to pull a single tooth over here.
When I had my daughter, I got a bill for myself AND one for my daughter! Because there were two people involved in the birth they got to charge us twice! If I hadn’t had really good insurance at the time, I would STILL be in debt! (The bill was over $100k for my end due to the emergency c section and over $50k for my daughter for “routine natal care”)
My medical bills every month and my prescriptions cost me over $2k a month, and without medicaid I would be unable to afford the care I need just to survive. I lost my job, and I’m truly frightened about what might happen if Trumpcare passes.
Bruised after a crushing defeat in November, Democrats are uniting under a cause they believe could pay off in 2018: the $15 federal minimum wage. On Thursday, Senate Democrats introduced legislation that would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024, reflecting local laws that have raised the minimum wage in 19 states earlier this year.
The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 an hour since taking effect in July 2009, an eight-year stagnation that evinces the broader trend of stalled wages across the U.S. economy.
The Raise the Wage Act would be the biggest federal minimum wage increase in history, and it would additionally peg future minimum wage increases to inflation. The bill would also eliminate the tipped minimum wage, the separate minimum standard of $2.13 an hour that is paid to workers, like those in restaurants or bars, who earn at least $30 a month in tips.
Though the legislation has virtually no chance of getting through a GOP-controlled Congress and White House, it marks a sharp turn to the left for Democratic economic policies. It also reflects the lasting impact of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ upstart 2016 campaign for the presidency, and the activism of groups like the nationwide Fight for $15 movement.
IT ALSO ELIMINATES THE TIPPED MINIMUM WAGE (CURRENTLY $2.15 AN HOUR) Please support this
please respect people who are mentally ill and disabled who cannot work. please respect people who look like they’re just relaxing all day when really they’re waging an internal war just to stay alive or fight their pain. please respect people who could not finish school, people who had big plans and could not see them through because of disability. people who look from the outside like they’ve “given up” or “aren’t doing anything.” people who are hospitalized repeatedly or permanently, and people who are grown adults who are still dependent on others. please respect disabled and mentally ill people.
this is not a polite suggestion, by the way. it’s an angry demand. we are people, and we deserve the same respect as anyone else.
•Only 1328 days left in Donald Trump’s term of office—assuming he completes it.
• Mr. Mets was a very bad mascot: The New York Mets lost to the Brewers Wednesday by six runs. Not much to report otherwise. Mr. Met put himself in the spotlight, however, by flipping off a fan who was videotaping their interaction. The Mets officialdom apologized, and Mr. Met could find himself in trouble with management. The employee in the Mr. Met costume was not identified.
• Thirty-seven years ago today, 24/7 television news got started. CNN launched its operations with a husband and wife anchor team on June 1, 1980—David Walker and Lois Hart. The story line-up: An exclusive interview with President Jimmy Carter, a report on stirrings of Mount St. Helens, speculation on the future of oil prices, and reports on civil rights activist Vernon Jordan, who was recuperating from an assassination attempt, and Yankees' star Reggie Jackson had ducked gunshots in an argument over a parking spot.
• Duterte blasts Chelsea Clinton over her response to his rape “joke”:Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte says he was being sarcastic when he said he would take responsibility for any crimes they commit, even if they rape three women in the southern part of the country under martial law. Clinton responded with a tweet: “Not funny. Ever.” On Wednesday and Thursday, in public speeches, Duterte responded by attacking Chelsea with a statement laced with falsehoods: “When your father was screwing Lewinsky and the rest of the young girls there in the office of the president, on the table, on the floor, on the sofa, did you raise any” criticism?
A bizarre, double-bodied airplane with the largest wingspan of any aircraft in the world just rolled out of its hangar for the first time.
The Stratolaunch aircraft is designed to carry satellites into low-Earth orbit. The aircraft will carry satellites and their launch vehicles to a cruising altitude of 36,000 feet (11,000 meters) or so, according to Paul G. Allen, the founder of Stratolaunch. From there, the aircraft becomes something like a mobile launch pad, releasing the satellites and their launchers into orbit before returning to the runway. The advantage, according to Allen, is that getting satellites into orbit would become easier and faster. No longer would scientists or governments have to wait for a rocket launch from the ground; the Stratolaunch plane could take off from many runways and fly for hundreds of miles to find good weather conditions.
• Rhett Allain explainsthe physics of ramming an imperial star cruiser in “Rogue One”:
Altogether, the budget proposes $4.3 trillion in non-defense cuts through 2027. This means its $2.5 trillion in cuts to programs assisting low- and moderate-income people would constitute about 59 percent of the total non-defense cuts (see Figure 1), even though these programs account for just 29 percent of non-defense spending and just 24 percent of total program spending. No other modern President (including President Reagan when he proposed deep cuts to low-income programs in his first budget) has proposed a budget with cuts of this magnitude to programs assisting struggling families, even if the cuts are adjusted for inflation or measured as a percent of the economy.
On today’s Kagro in the Morning show, Greg Dworkin on Trump’s abdication of US world leadership, and who’ll pay for it politically at home. Armando on Trump’s power to stop Comey’s testimony. Grifters target families at the heart of Trump’s immigration rhetoric. 1%ers move the debt ceiling up.
here’s the deal friends your trans woman friends who bemoan drag aren’t looking back through the lens of history and seeing drag’s significance in the trans and greater lgbt community, specifically in communities of color, they’re looking right in front of their fucking faces at the racist and transmisogynist drag queens that dominate the scenes today and the legions of str8 girls on facebook who are sharing RPDR reaction gifs and looking the other way while trans women die
yes thank you.
Like, ok, i get it. Drag is a huge part of trans and LGBT history. We shouldn’t ignore that, and we shouldn’t forget it.
But i do feel that sometimes people might be viewing the continuation of drag, and its racist, transmisogynistic performers, and its apparent inability to evolve past these problems, though some seriously strong rose tinted glasses.
I have worked with 1) high school and college educated millennials and 2) college and graduate school educated baby boomers (and some gen-x'ers. Since the mid-nineties, I have moved from teaching people (without a strong background in personal computing) to use computers, to training computers to work with people.
When will a piece of software be better at your job than you are? While it’s hard to scientifically quantify things that haven’t happened yet, experts in machine learning predict that in the next 200 years or so, computers or robots will be able to beat humans at our jobs and even most of our hobbies.
The methods of this study [PDF] were not very scientific. Instead, the author asked experts in the field attending a major conference in a survey when they thought certain jobs or tasks would be performed better by AI than people. These ranged from mobile phone games to robots winning bicycle races to jobs like “AI researcher.”
Here’s a chart from the article spanning the next 40 years. The horizontal lines on the graph show the ranges that experts predicted. For example, the chart shows that experts expected machines to be able to fold laundry between two and 14 years from now, with the answer in the middle being six years.
At the time the survey was taken, in 2015, the participants expected that AI might be better than humans at playing the mobile game Angry Birds in one to nine years, and better at the strategy game Go in five to 37 years, with a median of 12 years. Instead, Google’s DeepMind learned how to beat even the best humans at the game within only two years.
Naturally, the AI researchers also predict that their own jobs won’t be performed better for another median 87 years, the longest time frame of any job in the survey.
What humans really need to worry about is when our bosses will decide that artificial intelligence does a “good enough” job, not a better job. Interactive voice agents and chat bots are generally inferior to live people, but they do a good enough job and are significantly cheaper than humans.
In summary, perhaps our college-age readers should consider going into AI research so the robots will keep them gainfully employed a little longer than the rest of us.
Here we go again… reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it reblog it Tumblr Gets Deep: Next Page–>
"[Trump] has an unparalleled ability to communicate with people" Well, they're not LYING.
There's no room for nuance let alone reality for anyone hoping to keep a job in Donald Trump’s White House anymore. Sean Spicer, whose head has been on the chopping block since his first rocky debut back in January, simply abandoned any shred of realism Tuesday for a fairytale version of Trump's overseas trip that was nauseatingly, indeed laughably, gushy. Jenna Johnson writes:
Spicer channeled his boss as he declared that Trump’s speech to leaders of more than 50 Arab and Muslim nations “was a historic turning point that people will be talking about for years to come” and “was met with nearly universal praise.” He claimed that the president single-handedly “united the civilized world in the fight against terrorism and extremism” and that his meetings at the Group of Seven summit in Sicily “were marked by outstanding success.” [...]
But Spicer isn’t the only White House staffer lavishing praise on Trump.
Over the weekend, White House National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn — who was the second-in-command at Goldman Sachs before joining the White House — declared the president’s economic development deal with Saudi Arabia to be unlike anything he had seen in his 30 years in business. And Hope Hicks defended the president against accusations that he demeans his staff, issuing a lengthy statement for The Washington Post that read, in part: “President Trump has a magnetic personality and exudes positive energy, which is infectious to those around him. He has an unparalleled ability to communicate with people. . . . He is brilliant with a great sense of humor.”
None of this is really “spin” in the proper sense of the word because, frankly, it's not clever enough and it's directed at an audience of one.
Tommy Vietor, who was a spokesman for President Barack Obama, said former Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs once gave him this advice: “The first rule of spin is that it has to be believable.”
That's quaint, Tommy, but so 2008.
At Tuesday's briefing, Spicer finally just admitted what everyone knows Trump believes: "Ultimately, the best messenger is the president himself."
So Spicer likely keeps his job for another day and everyone around Trump scrambles to keep theirs while Trump's 35 percenters keep marveling at how Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious their Dear Leader is and the rest of America laughs, cringes or weeps. Take your pick.
One of the most powerful examples comes from Michael Varnum, a neuroscientist at Arizona State University. In a 2015 paper on empathy, he and his colleagues recruited 58 participants for a brain-imaging study: First, the participants filled out a self-report on their social class (level of parents’ education, family income, and the like) before sitting down for an EEG session. In the brain-imaging task, participants were shown neutral and pained faces while they were told to look for something else (the faces were a “distractor,” in the psych argot, so hopefully the participants wouldn’t know they were being tested for empathy).
In something of a dark irony, the respondents of higher socioeconomic status rated themselves as more empathic — a “better-than-average effect” that Varnum followed up on in a separate study — when in reality the opposite was true. The results “show that people who are higher in socioeconomic status have diminished neural responses to others’ pain,” the authors write. “These findings suggest that empathy, at least some early component of it, is reduced among those who are higher in status.”
