The pillars are wobbling--KEEP FIGHTING!!!!!

SPECIAL ELECTION NOW!!!!!


INVESTIGATE, IMPEACH, & PROSECUTE TRUMP AND HIS SO-CALLED ADMINISTRATION TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT OF THE LAW!!!!!

TRUMP'S ACTIONS ARE UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!

REPUBLICANS' RULE-BREAKING IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!

DEMOCRATS' CAVING IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!

SHUT IT ALL DOWN NOW!!!!!

THIS IS NOT NORMAL
NEVER LET IT BECOME NORMAL
EVER!

DON'T GIVE UP
DON'T GIVE IN
STAY ANGRY

trump voters stayed angry for eight years,

which is why we are having this conversation.

STAY WOKE!!!!!

     

NOW!!!!!

16 March 2017 update

Greetings, fellow Dot Calm Readers, Freedom Fighters, and Truth Crusaders! 

Happy St. Paddy's Day Eve--ho ho ho!

We have a lot of material to get through today, dear ones.

Before I check in with my outrage dial, which is set to 11, let me remind you about taxmarch.org, where you can sign up to march on Washington, DC, on Tax Day, 15 April 2017, to protest orange twAtler's hiding and lying about his taxes.

SHOW US YOUR TAXES, DONNIE, OR WE AIN'T PAYING OURS!!!!!

And now, the outrage dial...

Can you believe how heartless orange twAtler and the Teathuglikkkants are?!?? Paul Ryan was positively gleeful at the CBO report that trumpcare would throw 24 MILLION innocent Americans off their health insurance and thus off health care.

And you wonder why I call Republicanism "the culture of death."

But it-snot even enough for them to kill--they prefer to kill slowly, maximizing the amount of pain and suffering in their victims. Like their zeal to shutter Planned Parenthood and make sure that every poor rural or young woman squeezes out a constant stream of poor babies she can't afford until she dies of breast, uterine, ovarian, or cervical cancer she can't afford to see the doctor for--as if ERs treat cancer!! No Planned Parenthood means no birth control for these women--that means no condoms, which means more STIs...STDs...and AIDS.

They even want to repeal mandatory vaccination, which means we can kiss our herd immunity goodbye...which means that anyone who's immuno-compromised (e.g., with HIV+/AIDS) or allergic to the vaccines or their ingredients will be susceptible to polio, measles, mumps, rubella, human papilloma virus, and everything else floating around out there once it all comes roaring back.

Srsly--how heartless and cruel can you possibly get?!??

But wait--there's still moar!

Orange twAtler's budget is all about death.

He wants to ramp up our already bloated, wasteful "defense" budget--but not scientific research that could actually save lives in the long run, oh no--so that he can kill innocent people abroad just as soon as he decided whom to attack (Eye-ran? North Korea? Gina? Who cares--they all look the same to him).

And while he robs us of $3 MILLION every weekend he goes golfing at his fake plastic "resort" in Florida and $15 MILLION for every month his illegal immigrant fake plastic "wife" hides her ass from him in NYC, his budget defunds MEALS ON WHEELS!

You read that right: that asshole trump's budget includes ZERO dollars for Meals on Wheels!!

WhaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!??

chump's "ploy" is to fund everything he likes and to pretend everything he doesn't like--like programs that actually keep real, hardworking Americans alive and well--is "waste."

Well, TRUMP IS A WASTE--of oxygen, junk food, attention, adult diapers, and everything else he can get his grubby baby hands on to squander.

Srsly--what a piece of shit donald john trump is!!!!!

GRRRRR!!!!!

Friends, we HAVE to fight these sadistic, evil bastards. It's OUR lives on the line. Maybe they won't get you and me in particular on the first pass they make, but, I promise, if we sit idly by while others get the axe, they'll get US sooner or later.

Just ask the trumpanzees who voted for chump and who now stand to lose their health care.

On that crappy note, dear ones, let me slawg on with the blawg.

Don't forget that tomorrow is St. Paddy's Day...relax, have a potato! Oh, and let's all have a snort or three of Fireball...while we still can.

*hic*

My dad and I are going to enjoy our Fireball with a nice big serving of vegan corned tofu, cabbage, and vegetables (you can make a surprisingly convincing "corned beef" broth using prepared stoneground mustard, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, Pick-a-peppa, a crap-ton of freshly-cracked black pepper, generously-sprinkled garlic powder, and bay leaves) and nice dense, vegan gluten-free Irish soda bread (recipe courtesy of my bestie, who's Black Irish, like Barack O'Bama!)...warmed up and slathered with Earth Balance...yum!! 

Don't forget to wear green (or at least drink until you turn green!).

Also, don't forget that I lurves ya madleh! 

- Dot Calm's shadow

*****

orange twAtler is saving VA money

by deporting VETERANS

by the thousand

*****

From the Mailbag--outgoing, in this case

I wrote a pro-ACA, anti-trumpcare letter to my Republican asshole chickenshit Representative in Congress. Feel free to plagiarize!
-- Dot Calm's shadow

Hey, Republicans--first fix the ACA you broke; then transition to Medicare for all!

Republicans bear responsibility for the failure of the ACA to live up to its promises.

Specifically, Marco Rubio's poison pill in 2015, which reneged on the government's contract with insurers to compensate for losses in covering the high risk corridor, drove United Health, Aetna, and other insurers out of the exchanges; drove smaller insurers bankrupt (closing their doors forever); and drove premiums up by the 400% we saw in the news.

The Obama administration used a Republican idea straight out of the Heritage Foundation and validated by Republican Governor Mitt Romney to craft the ACA, the idea behind which was to have everyone buy insurance so that everyone's insurance prices would ultimately come down. The government's intent was to buffer the insurers against high-risk corridor losses until more healthy people could sign up.

So, Trumpcare cannot work without the highly unpopular individual mandate or the government subsidy for high-risk corridor losses until everyone signs up. It seems to me that the first way to improve the ACA is to implement it as originally intended--as designed by the Republican Heritage Foundation.

And there's another wrinkle.

America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) recently published an infographic illustrating how each insurance dollar is spent: it shows that 80% (the minimum mandated by ACA) is spent on health care, but the other 20% is spent on CEO compensation, profit, and advertising expenses that Medicare, which is our largest insurer, does NOT have. In fact, Medicare only spends 6.4% of its budget on overhead.

So, in trying to justify rising insurance costs, AHIP seems to have unwittingly made the case for Medicare for all.

Certain entities of our society must never be allowed to operate for profit, including insurance, health care, pharmaceuticals, education, and prisons. Profit drives these entities to provide the least possible service for the highest possible cost, and privatization denies Americans access to these entities' decision makers for recourse like we have at the voting booth.

If you really want to improve American health care--which costs more but provides less than any of the single-payer systems we see in Canada, Europe, and the rest of the industrialized world--please first implement the ACA as its Republican designers originally intended; then help the country transition to Medicare for all.

You will save not only money but millions of American lives as well.

I have yet to get a meaningful reply.
-- Dot Calm's shadow

*****

DEPORT MELANIA

THE CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIEN!!!!!

She worked here illegally

WHICH IS A CRIME!

DEPORT DONALD

FOR AIDING AND ABETTING!!!!!

DEPORT, DEPORT, DEPORT

those gang-banging thug bad hombres!

*****

Headlines
 
Choo choo time

Democratic Underground: The CBO's other bombshell: the Affordable Care Act isn't imploding
...Sux to be a Republican in Congress deze daze, don't it?!?? BTW, there's a Vox article with the same title.

Reuters: In challenge to Trump, 17 Republicans join fight against global warming

Reuters: Trump budget would slice domestic programs, foreign aid

Reuters: Conservative website only media on Tillerson plane to Asia
...Sounds legit...NOT.

RawStory: Republican senators criticize CBO, welcome health-care plan
...I originally saw the story on Reuters, but it ain't there now.

Reuters: U.S. gives Florida nightclub shooting victims nearly $8.5 million
...To help them and the community heal.

The Guardian: How to survive gaslighting: when manipulation erases your reality
...The author's mother sounds like a narcissist. My Tea Party Christian friend tried this bullshit on me the whole time I've known him, but all I ever did was laugh in his face. I'm kinda shocked at how strong I was in the face of all his bullshit, projection, and abuse, given that I never expected him to be anything but reasonable and that I had no idea I was dealing with a narcissist and what that entails.... The author mentions feeling powerless in the face of gaslighting, especially now that orange twAtler is trying to gaslight us all, but we're not powerless at all--we KNOW what reality is, and we KNOW what chump's bullshit lies are. Resources like this blawg are designed to help anyone who's in doubt keep their feet firmly planted on the ground of reality. Armed with knowledge and willingness to fight, we WILL prevail!

The Guardian: Trump's budget overhaul: domestic programs slashed to fund military
...Like I said, donald john trump and the Republicans live in a culture of death. They value death...for us.

The Guardian: Three women with eye disease blinded by unproven stem cell treatment
...But I'm sure that deregulating everything will fix the problem...NOT!!!!!!

BuzzFeed: Here's What Happens If You Take The Morning-After Pill All The Time
...Here's one take-away from the story, which is well worth reading: Plan B, which delays ovulation but does NOT cause abortions, is safe to take pretty much as often as you'd like. However, it will cause spotting and temporarily irregular cycles, and, at ~$50/dose, it costs a whole lot more than taking The Pill or getting an implant or an IUD. Thanks, BuzzFeed--I was wondering about that!

BuzzFeed: This Woman Refused To Let An Anti-Transgender Group Use Her Attack For Political Gain
...She was NOT attacked by a transgender person--she was attacked by a man who entered the ladies' bathroom with intent to do harm, which is already against the law.

The Guardian: Entire homelessness agency could be eliminated by Trump's budget cuts
...donald john trump is one sick, sadistic bastard.

The Guardian: Trump budget threatens nutrition services for poor women and children
...And you wonder why I call that inhuman monster the choice words I do. The answer? I'm being POLITE! Asshole pretends that taking care of our brothers and sisters in need is a waste--well, TRUMP IS A WASTE!!!!!

The Guardian: Trump budget would gut EPA programs tackling climate change and pollution
...If chump gets his way, we could go back to this:

The Guardian: Trump's budget: the dream of a paranoid strongman and a vicious Scrooge
...What I wouldn't give to subject that fat-assed, tiny-handed, addle-brained, ferret-headed orange piece of luggage to everything he wants to do to the poor, elderly, melanin-skinned Americans he hates so much...

***

DRUG TEST TRUMP

***

 

Daily Kos, AlterNet, and Democracy Now!

Daily Kos Recommended

• Tennessee woman dies after losing government benefits and medicine
  
  
• Trump's personal attorney attacks Joe Scarborough after MSNBC host says Trump leaked tax return
  
  
• Autoworkers paid to attend as Trump vows to make cars dirtier, less competitive, and more costly
  
  
• Daily Kos needs to raise $293,337.60 before the end of March. Can you chip in $1 to support the team that brings progressive news to your inbox every day?
  
  
• Trump White House is 'a pretty hostile environment to work in,' and staff are getting paranoid
  
  
• Oregon man's petition to strip Congress of their public health care plan goes viral
  
  
• Seth Meyers eviscerates Donald Trump and Paul Ryan on Trumpcare
  
  
• Did Donald Trump leak his own tax returns? Many pundits believe he did and here's why
  
  
• Thousands are showing up to welcome Trump to Tennessee with a 'Protect our care' rally
  
  
• Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham agrees with Trump on our current healthcare system: 'Let it collapse'
  
  
• Trump's Supreme Court pick has long history of siding with corporations over everyday Americans. We need a justice that will stand with the people. Add your name to help block him.
  
  
• Ignorant, unskilled, sick, hungry, cruel and violent—what Trump's budget would do for America
  
  
• Steubenville hacker gets more prison time than one of the rapists he exposed
  
  
• Canada's Girl Guides cancel U.S. trips, fearing we'd detain some of their children at our border
  
  
• Step back, big picture: Trump major initiatives blocked everywhere
  
  
• How much does Trump want to screw over those in need? His budget eliminates Meals on Wheels
  
  
• Free-for-all drone attacks

Daily Kos Recommended

• Trump's health secretary gets destroyed on healthcare by the Today show—pathetic
  
  
• After sexist Amal Clooney coverage, magazine shares two simple rules for reporting on women's bodies
  
  
• Biden's daughter says Uncle Joe loves the Obama/Biden bromance memes. This is his favorite one.
  
  
• Daily Kos is $377,695.68 away from our March goal. Can you chip in $1 to support the team that brings progressive news to your inbox every day?
  
  
• Town hall crowd turns frosty after a Texas congressman tells a constituent to 'shut up'
  
  
• The House 'investigation' of Russian election tampering has barely begun, but is already in trouble
  
  
• ZOMG! Fox News finds 'proof' of media bias against Donald Trump
  
  
• NY attorney general uncovers email alias used by Rex Tillerson to discuss climate change at Exxon
  
  
• Liberal redneck on Trumpcare: 'It wouldn't be a Trump thing without a backhanded FU to women'
  
  
• Hundreds of Paul Ryan's constituents brave winter storm to demand 'health care, not wealth care'
  
  
• Sign if you agree: We can’t afford to elevate Trump’s extreme agenda with a lifetime appointment to our nation’s highest court. Join us in blocking Gorsuch's confirmation.
  
  
• Trump's son-in-law's family just got a nice $400 million investment from China—how about that?
  
  
• Trump-supporting Buffalo School Board member emailed a March 'stop blaming white people month' meme
  
  
• Yes, this is really part the CBO report: Trumpcare will save Social Security $3 billion because people will die
  
  
• St. Louis mayoral race remind us that racism and sexism are alive and well in the electoral process
  
  
• How strong is the GOP House gerrymander? This metric explains it
  
  
• A Texas legislative effort to fund anti-abortion alternatives to Planned Parenthood fails miserably

 

Join a Daily Kos Obamacare stake-out!

When Congress returns home for a scheduled work period Thursday and Friday, we'll be gathered outside the district offices of lawmakers, especially 32 key Republicans, who hold the decisive votes needed to block Trumpcare.

Sign up now for a one-hour shift in "Stakeouts to Save Our Health Care" from 7:30am to 7:30pm on March 16 and 17. Enter your zip code to find an event near you.

Can't take a shift? Chip in $3 to help Daily Kos defend Obamacare.

***

By gutting desperately needed

domestic programs,

SCROTUS's "America First"

policy puts REAL America DEAD LAST

...REAL DEAD, REAL LAST.

***

The 5 Most Sickening Moments from Tom Price's Health Care Town Hall By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet Price hoped to defend the GOP's Obamacare replacement. He failed miserably. READ MORE» Far-Right Dutch Demagogue Geert Wilders Gains Influence in Elections with U.S. Pro-Israel Backing By Ben Norton, Max Blumenthal, AlterNet Branded as a fascist for his anti-Muslim crusading, Geert Wilders finished second in recent Dutch elections. READ MORE» 4 Wall Street Bonus Charts That May Make You Scream By Sarah Anderson, AlterNet The culture that led to the 2008 financial crisis continues to flourish.  READ MORE»

Samantha Bee Has Only One Question After Steve King's Racist Tweet By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet "Seriously, what does a loud and proud ethno-nationalist gotta do to get fired around here?" READ MORE» Republicans Rail Against President Trump's Budget, Call for Even Larger Increases in Military Spending By Sophia Tesfaye, Salon Lindsey Graham and others deride "disturbing" cuts to the State Department. READ MORE» Documents Support Fears of Muslim Surveillance by Obama-Era Program By Spencer Ackerman, The Guardian New study finds Countering Violent Extremism almost exclusively targets a single community. READ MORE» New Jersey Elementary School Asks Students to Design Their Own Slave Auction Posters By wagatwe, DailyKos We should be confronting the horrors of the past, not recreating them. READ MORE» Indoor or Outside: What's the Best Way to Grow Weed? By Sarah Russo, Project CBD Both sides have their fierce advocates. Let's look at the pluses and minuses.  READ MORE»

Maddow: The Most Important Part of Trump's Leaked Tax Return By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet Without the alternative minimum tax, which President Trump wants to end, he would have paid taxes at a lower rate than America's poor.  READ MORE» Robert Reich: 4 Big Warning Signs That Trump's Budget Is Bonkers By Robert Reich, RobertReich.org Cutting the EPA and Medicaid to pay for the military. READ MORE» MSNBC Floats the Theory That Donald Trump Leaked His Own Tax Return By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet Did President Trump leak the documents to distract?  READ MORE»

Is Donald Trump Intentionally Sowing Health Care Chaos? By Heather Digby Parton, Salon With the GOP's health care bill on the critical list, Trump's cynical fallback plan looks like his only option. READ MORE» AlterNet Comics: Jen Sorensen on Obamacare Versus Trumpcare By Jen Sorensen, AlterNet One insures millions, the other insures millions will lose insurance.  READ MORE» Leonardo DiCaprio Invests in Farmed Fish Company, Calls Ocean Exploitation a 'Crisis' By Lorraine Chow, EcoWatch Ninety percent of global fish stocks either fully fished or overfished. READ MORE» 3 Myths About How Party Drugs Affect the Body By Janice Williams, International Business Times You might be surprised.  READ MORE» Neil deGrasse Tyson Shares with Colbert His Coping Techniques for Dealing with a Climate Denier Running the EPA By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert asked his favorite guest about the new EPA head's remarks on climate change.  READ MORE»

Bannon and Trump Quietly Have Installed an Alt-National Security Council Operating Inside the White House By Jefferson Morley, AlterNet The Strategic Initiatives Group is the White House pipeline to the white nationalists of the European right. READ MORE» How Our Political System Has Cracked—and Why It Probably Can't Be Fixed By Neal Gabler, BillMoyers.com What ever happened to the separation of powers? READ MORE» The Political Scheming Behind Jeff Sessions' Massive Prosecutor Purge By Heather Digby Parton, Salon Was last week's mass firing of U.S. attorneys just Trump paranoia—or an attempt to shut down an investigation? READ MORE»

Republicans Are Determined to Destroy Health Safety Nets, Whether or Not Their Latest Effort Passes By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet New federal Medicaid and Medicare director penalized recipients and privatized programs in Indiana under VP Pence.  READ MORE» Sanders Slams Big Pharma for Pumping 780 Million Opioid Pills Into West Virginia 'Trump Country' By Tana Ganeva, Raw Story His progressive message struck a chord with West Virginians grappling with addiction and poverty.  READ MORE» Doctors and Nurses Are Increasingly Helping Criminalize Pregnant Women and Mothers By Linda C. Fentiman, AlterNet American law mistreats mothers and pregnant women in the name of protecting children. READ MORE» Noam Chomsky Makes a Prediction for the U.S. Economy No One Can Afford to Dismiss By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet The legendary linguist and philosopher warns the Trump bump won't last. READ MORE» Telling the Anti-Vaccine Community They're Wrong Has Been Tried for Years Now, and It Doesn't Work—Here's Another Approach By Noelle Sullivan, AlterNet If we want more people to vaccinate, we should try to understand the concerns anti-vaccine parents have. READ MORE» Can Humans Truly Connect With Nature by Eating a Big Mac? By Marc Bekoff, Psychology Today A recent essay titled "Toward a Moral Case for Meat Eating" has attracted a lot of attention. READ MORE» The Surprising Source of Improving Female Health and Well-Being in Developing Countries By Asi Burak, Laura Parker, St. Martin's Press The celebrity-adored "Half the Sky" movement went from book to video game to reach women and girls. READ MORE» A Look at How Trump Is Pushing Wholesale Corporate Takeover of the Government By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now! Welcome to the United States of America, Inc. READ MORE» This Dazzling Movie Captures the Suffering Palestinians Experience Every Day in Israel By Ben Norton, AlterNet Palestinian rapper Tamer Nafar and Israeli filmmaker Udi Aloni discuss their new film "Junction 48." READ MORE» How Effective a Weapon Is Satire Against Tyranny? By Ferne Pearlstein, Robert Edwards, AlterNet The chronology of resistance through political humor hits theaters this March.  READ MORE» Big Brother in the Bedroom: Vibrator Maker Ordered to Pay Damages for Tracking Customers' Sexual Behavior By Alex Hern, The Guardian Canadian manufacturer We-Vibe collected data about temperature and vibration intensity, revealing intimate information without customers’ knowledge. READ MORE»

***

Stories In Stinging Blow to President, Hawaii & Maryland Judges Block Trump's Second Muslim Ban On Wednesday, only hours before the Trump administration's new travel ban was set to go into effect, a federal judge in Hawaii issued a nationwide halt to the ... Read More → In Historic Report, U.N. Agency Says Israel Is Imposing an "Apartheid Regime" on Palestinian People For the first time, a United Nations agency has directly accused Israel of imposing an "apartheid regime" on the Palestinian people. The report also urges governments ... Read More → Rep. Gutiérrez Speaks Out After Being Handcuffed for Demanding Answers on ICE Raids & Deportations In Chicago, federal police handcuffed Democratic Congressmember Luis Gutiérrez along with activists and lawyers Monday, after they held a sit-in protest at a ... Read More → ACLU Lawyer Esha Bhandari on Your Rights If Border Agents Try to Seize Your Cellphone at the Border Border agents are increasingly seizing cellphones and demanding passwords of travelers, including U.S. citizens. The number of searches skyrocketed under ... Read More → Complete Idiocy: Rep. Gutiérrez Slams Rep. King's Racist Tweet About "Somebody Else's Babies" Iowa Republican Congressmember Steve King sparked outrage Sunday after publishing a racist tweet in support of far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who ... Read More →

Headlines → Hawaii Judge Blocks Trump's Muslim Travel Ban Trump Budget Slashes Funding for EPA, Education, Housing & State Dept. Top Republicans Reject Trump's Unsubstantiated Wiretapping Claims Trump's Visit to Honor Andrew Jackson Draws Criticism Senate Confirms Dan Coats as Director of National Intelligence Fmr. Goldman Executive Dina Powell Promoted to Deputy National Security Adviser Tillerson Travels to Asia with Only 1 Reporter from New Conservative Outlet DOJ Indicts 2 Russian Spies over 2014 Yahoo Hacking Dutch Voters Reject Xenophobic Right-Wing Politician Geert Wilders French Presidential Candidate François Fillon Charged with Embezzlement U.N. Agency Publishes Report Calling Israel an "Apartheid Regime" Cambodia Resisting U.S. Demands to Repay Loans Paid to Former Dictatorship Syria: 30 Killed in Bomb Attacks; Pentagon Considering Sending 1,000 U.S. Troops France: 1 Injured in Explosion at International Monetary Fund Headquarters Texas Senate Passes Anti-LGBT "Bathroom Bill" San Francisco Moves to Divest from Banks Financing Dakota Access Pipeline

Stories David Cay Johnston Speaks Out About Receiving & Revealing 2 Pages of Trump's 2005 Tax Returns Calls are growing for President Trump to release his full tax returns after part of his 2005 return was made public Tuesday. Two pages from Trump's tax return ... Read More → Trump Considers Slashing U.S. Funding to U.N. Amid Warnings of Worst Humanitarian Crisis Since WWII The Trump administration is seeking billions of dollars in cuts in funding to the United Nations, even as the United Nations warns that the world is facing its largest ... Read More → Aid Worker Decries U.S.-Backed "Relentless War" in Yemen Causing Widespread Threat of Starvation The United Nations has warned that the world is facing its largest humanitarian crisis since the end of the Second World War. Nearly 20 million people are at risk ... Read More → David Cay Johnston: How Trump Pays So Little in Taxes and Plans to Change Tax Law to Pay Even Less Two pages from Trump's tax return were obtained by Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist David Cay Johnston of DCReport, who appeared last night on The ... Read More → Arkansas Rushes to Execute 8 Men Using Drug Linked to Painful, Botched Executions The state of Arkansas is planning to execute eight men within a 10-day period in April—that's nearly a quarter of its entire death row population. Earlier this month, ... Read More →

Headlines → 2 Pages of Trump's 2005 Tax Return Leaked House Republicans Demand Changes to Party's Healthcare Plan Trump May Tap Marc Mukasey to Replace Preet Bharara as Manhattan AG Rep. Conyers Demands DOJ Reveal All Investigations into Trump Trump to Tap Goldman Sachs Banker James Donovan to Be Deputy Treasury Sec. Spicer: Trump Thinks He'll be Vindicated on Unsubstantiated Wiretapping Claims Breitbart Releases Audio of Paul Ryan Saying He'll Never Defend Trump Judges in Hawaii and Maryland Hear Arguments over New Travel Ban Trump Meets with Saudi Deputy Crown Prince at the White House White House Considering Slashing U.S. Funding to United Nations NYT: Neil Gorsuch Has Deep Ties to Colorado Billionaire Dutch Voters Head to Polls in Closely Watched Election EU Court Rules Companies Can Ban Headscarves Reuters: Russia May Have Deployed Troops to Egypt Near Libyan Border WSJ: Trump Has Given CIA Expanded Authority to Carry Out Drone Strikes 9 High-Ranking Navy Members Indicted in Bribery Scandal Marines Head Testifies to Senators over Facebook Group with Naked Photos of Female Marines Report: Hate Crimes Surged More Than 20 Percent in 2016 in 9 Major U.S. Cities

*****

Dump hates the environment so much

he'll outlaw public transportation next.

That way, his oil cronies can sell

even moar moar moar oil

to fry the planet even faster!

Got garlic?

*****

Moar M00bies!

Russia, Russia, Russia! All fishy roads in chump's world lead to Russia.

Here's Randi Rhodes's take on chump "leaking" two pages of his 2005 tax returns. I stayed up til 1:00 watching a video someone posted of Rachel Maddow's entire show on YouTube just after it aired (it got taken down shortly thereafter...ah well) and reached some of the same conclusions Randi did: chump himself leaked the returns; it's NOT illegal for David Cay Johnston OR MSNBC to publish them once they received them, since they didn't solicit them; they're "favorable" in the sense that they show him paying the Alternative Minimum Tax, which is closer to 25% (which is less than the 28% I pay, and I sure as fuck don't make a hundred million dollars a year), rather than the 4% he'd pay without the Alternative Minimum Tax--which he wants to repeal, BTW; they're favorable in the sense that they show him making over a hundred million that year; and the real scandal is that chump does want to repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax so that he can legally skip out on paying his taxes! I disagree that chump trolled Maddow (and you'll see why if you scroll down), but I do agree that Maddow primed the pump by mentioning so many of the other places where "client" copies of tax returns could turn up...which makes a nice, subtle reminder for any other concerned citizens who should, say, want to pass them over the transom to David Cay Johnston...

But wait--there's moar!

Here are links to Rachel Maddow's blog (http://www.msnbc.com/maddowblog) and to David Cay Johnston's DCReport (https://www.dcreport.org/).

But there's still moar!! Democratic Underground ran a great piece today saying that what Rachel Maddow did was "crafty AF" (link: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028795078):

From a friend and former Republican who changed parties when he could no longer reconcile his humanity with the GOP party line.

"HERE'S WHY RACHEL MADDOW HIT A HOME RUN TONIGHT.

For those who believe that Rachel Maddow's report this evening was a bust, I have to say that I couldn't disagree more. Consider this: her objective was not to break news, but to *shape* the news. Here's how she did do that...

1) She made the White House bark and roll over like a dog, forcing them to release the same tax return paperwork she had in advance of her show hoping to take the wind out of her sails. It did not. Instead, she made them do something they were never going to do until she made them do it. This made it a news story worthy of coverage by The Washington Post and others. In short, she has put the subject of Trump's tax returns back on the front burner. For the moment anyway, she is driving the news cycle.

2) She used what will probably be reported as her best ratings night in the history of her show to recap all the great reporting her team has done over the last week and a half about all of Trump's corrupt business dealings and connections to Russia and crooked banks. By doing so she has educated the public about the importance of making Trump's tax returns public and re-ignited the public's desire to see it. Don't think this won't have an impact on future polls when people are asked if they want to see Trump's taxes.

3) When the White House lied and said obtaining and publishing such documentation was illegal, she pointed out how such a lie underscores the probability that Trump has something to hide. She also correctly stated that the first amendment makes it is perfectly legal for her to publish such documents and legal for a journalist to obtain such documents provided s/he does not solicit that material. (See the Pentagon Papers case.)

4) She then, while talking with her guests, made it a point to underscore the fact that Trump would have had to release part or all of his tax returns to various financial institutions in order to apply for loans and such. By doing so, she was informing the public that aside from the IRS, there are others who have copies of Trump's taxes. And thus, she just sent an army of people who might have been connected with those institutions to go looking through their back files to see if they might actually be able to find some of that tax info and share it with the media.

5) She purposely asked questions of her guests that were designed to inform those who might have access to Trump's tax returns exactly what kind of additional tax documents the media would need in order to connect Trump to some of the allegations she has brought up in her reporting. She did this without literally soliciting the information, but by generally educating the public. Needless to say, a lot of journalists including Rachel will be keeping a close eye on their mailboxes in the coming days.

In the end, by cable news standards, The Rachel Maddow Show is a shoe-string operation. She does not have an unlimited budget and a large team. In fact, a close examination of her reports will show that she is, in large part, aggregating the work of other journalists who may not have the reach that her show has. Her recent ratings success can be attributed to her focus and her tenacity. Her strategy is simple. Stop letting Trump drive the conversation and focus on uncovering his corruption.

I tip my hat to Rachel tonight. She took what some people would have considered nothing and made something valuable out of it -- a stick in the eye to Donald Trump. Let's see if it bears fruit."

https://www.facebook.com/jerome.vivona/posts/10211727550606442

I agree--I think Rachel Maddow did a brilliant job of relentlessly tying the tax returns to chump's Russian connections and stoking the demand to see the rest of the chump's tax returns.

...We now return you to our regularly scheduled m00bies!

chump can't even watch teevee properly...

I mentioned chump's connection with the Russian Alfa Bank some time ago here on the blawg...

I love Seth. His pieces are so pithy...

Randy Rainbow will make you get up and DANCE! Dance--like the microwave is not watching you!

Dot Calm, this one's for you!
WAAAAAHHHHHH--I miss you, Dot Calm!!!!!
And I miss President O'Bama!!!!!

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

14 March 2017 entry

Greetings, fellow Dot Calm Readers, Freedom Fighters, and Truth Crusaders! 

Happy Pi Day--ho ho ho!

Here in the mid-Atlantic, winter storm STELLAAAAAAA!!!!! only dropped a few dainty inches of snow. However, since it was very wet, very heavy snow, it was a pissah to shoBel. Took me two hours to clear my own short driBeway and--with the help of another able-bodied neighbor--that of the lovely elderly lady across the street from me. Thing was, I heard the lady shoBeling as I was shoBeling...she was making a path to her mailbox...and when I saw her get close to that nasty pile of condensed sludge left by the plows at the base of her driveway apron, I waddled over as fast as my yellow Wellies could carry me (I walk like the Swamp Thing in them bootz). Her next-door neighbor spied us and came over and helped us, and the three of us made quick work of her driveway. Then we cleared his driveway apron. So, even though I was out there hard at it for two hours, it really wasn't two hours-worth of shoBeling.

In honor of Pi Day, my dad and I bought a bake-at-home apple pie--the kind with only the ingredients you'd use yourself if you were to bake a pie from itch (I don't because I apparently have a phobia for rolling out stuff like pie dough, cookie dough, etc.). So, by the time you read this, my dad will have chowed down on hot vegan apple pie a la mode (with So Delicious vanilla ice cream made from coconut milk--which is w-a-y better than any dairy ice cream I've ever had). Yum!

Before I slawg on with the blawg, let me talk about something extremely disturbing that's been sticking in my craw: orange twAtler's dismantling of the State Department.

If you've been tracking the story, you already know that trumPEWtin has fired ALL the truly non-partisan senior diplomats who have protected this country's best interests for the past 40+ years--and you know that he's going to replace them with moar moronic, ignorant, know-nothing right-wing partisan hacks who can't even spell "State Department."

Friends, once you flush that much institutional memory down the toilet, there is no way to get it back unless trump were impeached and removed from office tomorrow and we could get these people back on the job before they find other work or better things to do with their time.

Once they go, they're gone.

The implication?

Assuming we finally do defeat the orange menace and get a sane, rational, human back into the White House, it will take us another 40+ years to rebuild what chumpco is throwing away today.

Let that sink in for a while...I'll wait.

In firing Ambassador Daniel Fried and his colleagues, trumPEWtin has guaranteed that the State Department would have NO institutional memory and thus NO way to fight against Russia's agenda to weaken the United States in particular and the West in general.

Perhaps the trumpanzees think this is a good thing--perhaps they enjoy sucking PEWtin's ass--BUT I DON'T. 

One addition to the excellent interview: Ambassador Fried mentions "liberal democracy" more than once without defining it. Here's the definition from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/liberal_democracy:

In other words, "liberal" means "officially recognizing and protecting individual rights and limiting political power by rule of law."

THIS IS WHAT TRUMPEWTIN, THE REPUBLICANS, THE TEA PARTY, THE EVANGELICALS, THE WHITE NATIONALISTS, AND THE CORPORATIONS THEY REPRESENT ARE FIGHTING AGAINST!!!!!

Get it?

They ALL want America dismantled--our Constitution shredded and the shreds burned beyond recognition--and our government turned into a "Christian" theocratic, fascist dictatorship.

I'll say it again...

Where Ambassador Fried says that PEWtin "only" wants to take us down a notch, the Tea Party, Republicans, evangelicals, white nationalists, and corporations are already colluding--whether they realize or admit it or not--to dismantle our entire system of governance and replace it with a Christo-fascist dictatorship.

They were already vote-suppressing, gerrymandering, propagandizing, discrediting, and doing everything in their power--before PEWtin ever said "boo" to orange twAtler--to discourage participation in our elections.

They've already done everything in their power to hide or condone institutional abuses, deny accountability to the public, and transform private debt into public tax burden and public labor into private profit.

PEWtin's involvement only turns that dial to 11.

The last thing ANY of these tiny-minded, selfish little men can stand is INDIVIDUAL rights and freedoms--and the RULE OF LAW.

Why?

The Tea Party, evangelicals, and white nationalists can't stand individual rights and freedoms because recognizing and protecting individuals levels the playing fields and removes the unfair advantages that these sick, insecure, reality-denying greedy bastards arrogate to themselves.

If you recognize that women are not lesser humans than men, you have to treat women fairly. You have to recognize and enforce their right to bodily autonomy. You have to pay them equal work for equal pay. If you recognize that LGBTQ+ are not lesser humans than cis-males, then you have to grant them equal access to marriage, housing, and other societal benefits that cis-males take for granted. Same for Black and Brown Americans and immigrants--if you recognize them as equal to whites, then you can no longer murder them with impunity. If you uphold the First Amendment, you have to recognize that other Americans may have a different religion from you or no religion at all, and you do not have the right to force your religion on them or shut them down.

And so on.

The racists, bigots, and misogynists in this country--all those poor, fearful, insecure, petty men with penises as microscopic as their intellects and all those poor, fearful, insecure, petty women who would rather be "protected" by their predators than stand on their own two feet--would rather die than accept other Americans as being their equals. So, despite their populist rhetoric, they long ago climbed into bed with the very corporations and institutions that exploit these "others"--the enemy of my enemy is my friend. This is why all the ammosexuals who hate liberals with a seething passion because they think liberals are "commies" suddenly LURVE communist Russia and have bigger hard-ons for PEWtin than for Ivanka. They are too angry to know or to care that they themselves are next in line for the abattoir--they're happy as long as they can see these innocent "others" suffer. The rank-and-file trumpanzees have been brainwashed to think that the only way they themselves can have any rights is to deny those same rights to others. They are too consumed by hate to realize that we ALL can live better lives if we stop blaming innocent others and start fixing the system of capitalism and oligarchy that is harming us all. These poor useful idiots have no idea what "liberal" means...or why they themselves benefit from living in a "liberal democracy"...

The Tea Party, evangelicals, and white nationalists can't stand the rule of law because enforcing accountability and the rule of law sets hard limits on just how badly these heartless, greedy, cruel bastards can harm the rest of us. The rule of law stops them from oppressing the rest of us to their evil hearts' content. Regulations keep their beloved corporations from poisoning and killing us with their pollution and deadly products. The rank-and-file trumpanzees have been brainwashed into WANTING Wall Street and the corporations to impoverish and kill us all--trumpanzees included. Meanwhile, the rich and powerful--and the Republicans who represent them--are so consumed by greed that they want ALL the money NOW, just like the giant that tried to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs in Jack and the Beanstalk. They're over the moon that all their FOX News, Breitbart, and Infowars propaganda has worked so well to brainwash the trumanzees to hate themselves and other ordinary Americans so much that they'd rather dismantle everything that makes America truly great and hand over every dime to the rich because they're too brainwashed to realize that THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE DOING.

So, long before our electile dysfunction was a twinkle in PEWtin's eye, the right-wing fanatics and fascists--our very own countrymen whom I work my ass off to protect--have been equally hard at work discrediting and dismantling our institutions. Their goals are far-reaching and cross-cutting, touching every aspect of American life from religion to education to health care to economy. They won't stop until they've burned it all down and installed an American Saddam Hussein in its place. And PEWtin merely wanted to weaken the United States and the West.

With allies like the Tea Party, evangelicals, white nationalists, corporations, and fascist Republicans, PEWtin stands to succeed beyond his wildest dreams, just like Osama bin Laden did when the Twin Towers fell and Bush declared war on Islam and the truth--and when donald john trump became ISIS's top recruiter and crusader for alternative facts.

And with friends like the Tea Party, evangelicals, white nationalists, corporations, and fascist Republicans, who needs enemies?

RESIST!!!!!


...Whew!

I have some information for y'all today along with a few headlines and a bunch of m00bies, so sit down, strap on in, and get ready to roll...then get angry and GET BUSY!!! Oh, and don't forget to check out Conservative Clown Car today for n00z you can y00z!

*****

Hey, Kellyanne--smile!

*****

Remember Ike's 90% income tax rate

on our nation's highest earners?

THAT was how we built

the interstates,

public schools that were

the envy of the world,

the space program,

and a democracy

that was NOT for sale.

***

Remember unions?

THAT was how we had

decent salaries

where a family of four

could live on one income,

vacations,

weekends and holidays,

workplace safety,

and a fighting chance

for the individual

to have representation

against the rich and powerful.

***

Republicans want us to FORGET

how we could and SHOULD live...

They don't want us to have nice things.

They want to keep all the goodies

for their fat, bloated, greedy, rich

selves.

DON'T LET THEM!!!!!

*****

Headlines

Choo choo time

The Guardian: Don't let establishment opportunists ruin the resistance movement
...ICYMI. Friends, we would be diluted and derailed if we were to allow this. RESIST!!!!!

The Guardian: Fact check: how many lottery winners could lose access to Medicaid
...SIX PAGES they spent on this...SIX PAGES just to make sure that perhaps, at most, a few lousy hundred people who receive lottery winnings don't receive a benefit. Tell me these people's priorities aren't phuqued up...!

The Guardian: Jeff Sessions asks dozens of US attorneys appointed by Obama to resign
...46 by last count. They are flushing our institutional memory down the toilet so they can appoint idiot cronies and yes-men to execute their agenda of fleecing us while decimating our civil rights. Is America great again yet?

Reuters: White House welcomes strong jobs data in potentially rule-violating tweet
...These morons have no idea how to pull a sandwich out of a paper bag, let alone how to run our government. The irony? chumpco howled that Obama's unemployment rate was 40%, not the actual 4-6%...and now they're pretending that--before orange twAtler has even so much as introduced a piece of legislation--unemployment has magically dropped from 40% to 4-5% in 50 days...and the trumpanzees like my Tea Party Christian friend BELIEVE it!!!!!

HuffPo: Trump Nominates FDA Head With Deep Ties To Drug Companies
...HuffPo is reporting from Reuters, which apparently took the original article down. Gottlieb's allegiance to Big Pharma explains chump's New War On Marijuana, donchathink? Can't have people using something natural and harmless--less harmful than tobacco or alcohol--when you can charge them out the wazoo for fake shit that only exchanges one set of problems with another, benignly known as "side effects"...

Reuters: U.S. senators seek relaxed screening of border patrol applicants

...So, repukes want to vet immigrants but NOT immigration officers. Sounds legit.

 

The Guardian: Parents, unite against Betsy DeVos! Think of it as a bake sale to save the future

...Something like 80% of American families send their kids to public schools and are perfectly happy with the idea, even though Republicans have gutted their funding to criminally low levels in recent decades. I'm hoping that enough Americans understand the degree to which DeVos destroyed Detroit's public schools--just ask Michael Moore--and are willing to fight the stupid bitch before she rapes the rest of our schools.

 

The Guardian: Republican congressman: civilization threatened by 'somebody else's babies

...So. Steve King and the rest of the filthy racist cockroaches don't even have to put on their hoods any more before spewing hatred. Thanks, donnie, for making America great again...NOT!

 

The Guardian: Elizabeth Warren says Trump pushed out prosecutors to install cronies

...The prosecutors were investigating chumpco and apparently got too close.

 

The Guardian: Sarah Weddington, Roe v Wade attorney, on Trump's threat to abortion rights

 

The Guardian: Healthcare horror show: CBO dissects GOP plan

...If you ever wondered just how disgusting, inhuman, hateful, and cruel Republicans are, just look at trumpcare--their so-called health care bill--and listen to chump, Steve King, and the rest of the trumpanzees. Want moar irony? chump's White House numbers are even more dire, giving lie to chump's howls that the CBO is practicing partisanship...

 

The Guardian: Texas lawmaker ridicules anti-abortion measures by filing anti-masturbation bill

...Seems only fair: if your objective is for American women to squeeze out as many babies as physically possible before they croak, then you MUST outlaw male masturbation because male masturbation does not produce babies, duh. Just think of all those millions of sacred spermies being denied their chance to carry a gun and abuse someone weaker than them! If we don't outlaw male masturbation, how will poor, desperate, little Steve King get that lily-white, Wonderbread-pure America he so longingly lusts for, where every American looks exactly like every other American? Of course, the lie propaganda medical brochure that the doctors are enforced to brainwash counsel their male patients with has to tell those poor brainless men who can't think for themselves and who are too st00pit and ignorant to make their own decisions for their own bodies that, if they masturbate, they'll go blind and their hands will shrivel up and fall off...

 

The Guardian: Media ought to discover motives of WikiLeaks' Vault 7 whistleblower

...Yep--it's up to the media to save our democratic republic because we sure as phuque can't trust the Republican majority to do the right thing!

 

BuzzFeed: Democrats Will Reintroduce A Major LGBT Bill As A Wedge Issue In Congress

...Everyone who didn't vote for Hillary voted to oppress LGBTQ+, women, Black and Brown Americans, immigrants, non-Christians, non-rich Americans...

 

VICE: What It Feels Like to Give Your Partner Herpes - Tonic

...This couple was honest about the risks, but that didn't relieve the stigma much.

 

VICE: Remember the People America's Healthcare System Has Already Killed

...Love it or hate it, Obamacare saved a lot of lives. Did you know that cystic fibrosis patients live 10 years longer in Canada than they do here? Did you know that lack of health insurance kills some 45,000 Americans annually? That's more than the 30,000+ killed by guns. WHY the actual FUCK are we debating IF we should take care of our sick or give even more money to the already-rich no matter who dies in the process?!?? In 2015, the brilliant, beautiful, and too-good Dot Calm was killed by shitty medical care. We can't ask her--or anyone else murdered by American medicine--for an opinion.

 

BuzzFeed: There's No Way You Won't Laugh At One Of These 100 Tumblr Posts

...Too funny not to share!

  

***
TRUMP WAS PUT IN
***

Daily Kos, AlterNet, and Democracy Now!

Daily Kos Recommended

• Trump is not happy that the media put Kellyanne Conway's words on his TV
  
  
• Trump surrogate attacks Sandy Hook parents and gets the stuffing taken out of him online
  
  
• Onlookers gasp as a 'Wall Street Bro' humps the acclaimed 'Defiant Girl' statue on Wall Street
  
  
• Daily Kos needs to raise $398,492.16 before the end of March. Can you chip in $1 to support the team that brings progressive news to your inbox every day?
  
  
• Congressman delivers the cold, hard truth about Paul Ryan: He's 'one of the best liars in the world'
  
  
• U.S. citizens now being forced to provide their social media passwords upon return to U.S.
  
  
• Rachel Maddow beats CNN and Fox in ratings, symbolizing left-leaning rise generally
  
  
• U.S. Attorney fired by Trump was banned from Russia after he prosecuted a Russian arms dealer
  
  
• Well, that's one way for Paul Ryan to spin the CBO score on Trumpcare—the sociopath's way, that is
  
  
• New York attorney general: Tillerson used an email alias for climate messages while CEO of ExxonMobil
  
  
• Sign the petition: Stop Donald Trump from starting a nuclear war
  
  
• Texas state rep introduces bill to fine men for masturbating as 'act against an unborn child'
  
  
• Pelosi's office: Steve King's call for racial purity 'met with deafening silence from Speaker Ryan'
  
  
• Internal White House analysis of Trumpcare shows it's even worse than CBO predicted
  
  
• Steve King is perfectly okay with his racism and wants you to know it
  
  
• Trumpcare will be a disaster, but the GOP doesn't care
  
  
• Know what makes Nebraskans confrontational? Threaten to take away their Obamacare

Daily Kos Recommended

• New Hampshire Republicans scuttle bill that would ban child brides
  
  
• Donald Trump calls reporting facts 'fake news.' We call it doing our job. Can you chip in $1 to support independent, progressive media?
  
  
• 'I can’t wait for the liberal genocide to begin' and other things recorded at Arizona Trump rally
  
  
• Republican Rep. Steve King openly peddles white nationalism: 'Demographics are our destiny.'
  
  
• Republican support for Trump's multi-billion dollar border wall is crumbling
  
  
• To strike or not to strike: Reflections on 'A Day Without a Woman'
  
  
• What did Russia get in exchange for hacking our electorate?
  
  
• Dominionist pastor prays for the destruction of Trump's enemies
  
  
• Kellyanne Conway defends wiretapping claim, saying there are 'microwaves that turn into cameras'
  
  
• Why hasn't anyone asked Donald Trump this one question?
  
  
• Covering pregnancy and birth through insurance? Not part of the Republican agenda
  
  
• Sign the petition: I am not a reporter, and I want to see Donald Trump’s tax returns
  
  
• Democrat pounces Paul Ryan & GOP on healthcare hypocrisy—every American should see this
  
  
• Rep. 'iPhone' Chaffetz spent $3,000 of his campaign funds at Apple store in Utah
  
  
• Republican on GOP health care plan: It is declaring war on their own voters
  
  
• Imagine you are Vladimir Putin
  
  
• Trump on board with killing Medicaid in Trumpcare sooner, losing the 2018 midterms

Daily Kos Recommended

• 'Obamacare saved my life:' GOP could lose life-long voters thanks to Trumpcare
  
  
• Rachel Maddow calls out Mike Pence for lying that he knew nothing of Flynn's Turkish connection
  
  
• Contractor sues for $2 million in unpaid bills on Trump's D.C. hotel
  
  
• Bernie expertly trolls Trump on "stupid deal" forcing Americans to pay twice for Zika vaccine.
  
  
• House GOP pushes bill letting companies force workers to undergo genetic testing
  
  
• What the U.S. becoming a paranoid nation will mean for Americans traveling abroad
  
  
• Steve Bannon under active criminal investigation for... get this... residency fraud.
  
  
• Why the BBC interview of the Dad interrupted by his kids is both hysterical and sad
  
  
• Why are Republicans scared about Virginia?
  
  
• BRILLIANT: The 'No TRUMP Act' was just introduced in Congress in response to presidential corruption
  
  
• Opposition to Trump continues to grow—and from some unlikely sources
  
  
• Trump supporters' reaction to Amazon's Resistance Radio is both sad and hilarious
  
  
• Quick Hit: No words for this! Muhammad Ali, Jr. detained for a second time
  
  
• BOOM! The confirmed connection of Roger Stone
  
  
• Daily Kos is prepared to resist Trump every single day for the next four years and beyond. Can you chip in $1 to support independent, progressive media?
  
  
• Huge: Court strikes down Texas' Republican-drawn congressional map for illegal racial gerrymandering
  
  
• Most of rural white America will stick with Trump till the last dog dies
  

Daily Kos Recommended

• Biracial twins are the universe's beautiful answer to white supremacists
  
  
• Cartoon: Why Obama wiretapped Trump
  
  
• Mom pulls gun on another mom at Texas elementary school's drop-off line
  
  
• Daily Kos is prepared to resist Trump every single day for the next four years and beyond. Can you chip in $1 to support independent, progressive media?
  
  
• Cartoon: A Calvinist and Hobbesian look at Trump
  
  
• Ryan: Covering more people is just a 'beauty contest'
  
  
• Republican congressman claims Obama stays in Washington to run 'shadow government'
  
  
• Oh really, Donald? Obama wiretapped you? Maybe you committed a crime. Sign to investigate Trump’s ties to Russia.
  
  
• Donald Trump called the economy 'a mess' and the unemployment rate 'a hoax'—then a miracle occurred
  
  
• Unaware? Trump and Pence were aware of Flynn's foreign lobbying. They simply lied about it.
  
  
• Cartoon: Twitter on the brain
  
  
• Trump and Pence were warned about Michael Flynn's lobbying, but now claim they never knew
  
  
• Trumpcare's biggest losers: Trump voters
  
  
• Trump supporters are ready to destroy the CIA and absolve Russia by adopting crazy conspiracy theory
  
  
• In memory of 10 dead opossums: Checking a roadkill opossum could save the babies
  
  
• NJ grandfather of three is spared from deportation—but his fight isn't over yet
  

Daily Kos Recommended

• First-time voter who voted for Trump is double sad that her insurance looks like a nightmare now

• Former Trump adviser tells Senate Intel Committee he spent 'many hours' at Trump campaign HQ
  
  
• The White House shuts out the press for remainder of the week as President Coward goes into hiding
  
     
• Busted: NC Senate leader's staff changed real news headlines to fake ones on his Facebook page
  
  
• White House loyalty tests continue to sabotage their own hiring efforts
  
  
• Ivanka's new D.C. landlord is a foreign billionaire who is suing the U.S. for mining rights in Minnesota
  
  
• Trump claims he had no idea Flynn was a foreign lobbyist when he tapped him as top security advisor
  
  
• The White House shuts out the press for remainder of the week as President Coward goes into hiding
  
  
• Watch Joe Kennedy educate the GOP—on what defunding Planned Parenthood would look like
  
  
• GOP tries to defend horrible health insurance bill
  
  
• Top Medicaid doctor breaks from his Trump-appointed boss and comes out against Republican plan
  
  
• Bloomberg credits Trump for new jobs numbers
  
  
• Trumpcare would rip healthcare away from millions of Americans. Please chip in $1 to the Daily Kos activism team to support our work defending Obamacare.
  
  
• Sign if you agree: Trump’s wiretap allegations means we need a full-blown investigation of his Russia ties.
  
  
• Anti-Semitic flyers posted at Texas State; university president refuses to issue statement
  
  
• Rep. Maxine Waters warns Trump: 'Get ready for impeachment. Because we’re going there.'
  
  
• Sean Spicer is not aware of anything—and he's not the only one
  
  
• Former Trump adviser tells Senate Intel Committee he spent 'many hours' at Trump campaign HQ
  
  
• Missouri's tourism community discovers big problems with Trump's Immigration plan
  

***

KEEP the immigrants

DEPORT TRUMP

and the rest of the

Republican fascist

CRIMINALS

***

HuffPost Hill Headline:

Americans to save millions on health care by being dead

***

5 Remarkable Moments from Bernie Sanders' Town Hall in the Heart of Coal Country By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet The Vermont senator succeeded where many Democrats have failed of late—by connecting with red-state voters. READ MORE» Americans Are Getting More Secular All the Time—Which Is One Reason Why Trump Voters Are So Angry By Amanda Marcotte, Salon A new poll finds white evangelicals are out of step with the rest of the country. READ MORE» Why Is the Media Laughing Off the Trump Administration's Brazen Lies? By Eric Boehlert, Media Matters There's nothing funny about Sean Spicer calling past U.S. employment numbers rigged and phony. READ MORE»

'Real Americans' Have Always Been Rebels: A Guide for Progressive Patriotism By Micah White, The Guardian Former Occupy Wall Street leader Micah White sounds off on the future of the resistance movement. READ MORE» U.S. Citizens Now Being Forced to Provide Their Social Media Passwords Upon Return to U.S. By Dartagnan, DailyKos The practice is government-sanctioned Islamophobia. READ MORE» 'Morning Joe' Has Had It with Trump's Wiretapping Farce—and His Idiocy By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet Mika Brzezinski asks the president to call off Congress' senseless investigation. READ MORE» Why Trump Is a Far Greater Threat to the EPA than Bush or Reagan By Walter Rosenbaum, The Conversation Previous presidents have tried to pare the agency down but never quite like this. READ MORE» AlterNet Comics: Matt Bors on What Donald Trump Does in His Free Time By Matt Bors, AlterNet When he's not stripping Americans of their health care, the president likes climbing the White House.  READ MORE»

10 Big Media Realities in the Trump Era By Don Hazen, Jan Frel, Steven Rosenfeld, Kali Holloway, Ivy Olesen, AlterNet There are new media monopolies, fake news, vampire news and bigger audiences for right-wing, progressive and investigative media, not to mention Twitter. READ MORE» As Many as 24 Million People Could Lose Their Health Care Coverage If GOP Gets Away with Repealing Obamacare By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet The GOP bill also will raise premiums for older Americans. READ MORE» GOP Rep. Steve King's Statements Are Outrageous, but His White Nationalist Policies Are Even More of a Threat By Sarah Lazare, AlterNet The Iowa congressman is a mascot for the Trumpists now running the country. READ MORE»

Why a Constitutional Convention Is the Last Thing We Need to Fix Our Democracy Right Now By Paul Rosenberg, Salon Right-wingers are tiptoeing toward calling a constitutional convention—and that could turn into an epic disaster. READ MORE» Exposing the Audacious Project to Make Christian Converts in America's Prisons By Tanya Erzen, Beacon Press With a higher incarceration rate than anywhere in the world, the United States prison system has placed its faith in Christian prisoners. READ MORE» Donald Trump Expands Troops in Syria, Angering Turkey and Sacrificing Civilian Lives By Vijay Prashad, AlterNet This latest move will do nothing to fight ISIS. READ MORE» 6 Things Paul Ryan Doesn’t Understand About Poverty (But I Didn’t, Either) By Karen Weese, Salon We need to change the conversation about poverty and inequality. It starts with compassion and kindness. READ MORE» Trump Cites Fake FBI Terror Plots to Justify Muslim Ban By Chip Gibbons, Portside In each case, the “terrorism” in question was concocted by the FBI, as part of a sting operation. READ MORE» Nashville Cops Still Use Training Book That Warns About Minorities and Children Who Go to Daycare By Brad Reed, Raw Story It's not just a few bad apples; racism is baked into the DNA of the police department. READ MORE» How to Build Democracy in Hardcore 'Trump Country' By Ben Fink, BillMoyers.com Ben Fink works at Kentucky's Appalshop, a grass-roots multimedia arts center, where he and his community have been working with each other in the aftermath of the presidential election. READ MORE» How America Ignores Its Appalling History of Racism By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet A classic study on American race relations is the subject of a new documentary. READ MORE» Watch: Go on an Acid Trip Without Having to Take LSD By Phillip Smith, AlterNet This artist's rendition is as real as it gets. READ MORE» New Jersey School Board Offers Obscene Justification for Dismissal of Palestinian Teacher's Discrimination Lawsuit By Ben Norton, AlterNet Sireen Hashem alleges she was told not to mention Islam or the Middle East in her classroom. READ MORE»

Paul Krugman Explains Why You Should Be Deeply Unnerved by Sean Spicer's Jobs Report 'Joke' By Ilana Novick, AlterNet Our president would like Americans to believe that reality is whatever he says it is.  READ MORE» John Oliver Rips GOP's 'Sh*tty' Health Care Replacement in Scathing New Takedown By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet "Try and think of it as the legislative equivalent of 'Pirates of the Caribbean 5.'" READ MORE» One Reason Trump May Have Fired U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara By Zachary Pleat, Media Matters A rash of sexual harassment charges had put Fox News in the Justice Department's crosshairs. READ MORE»

Hillbilly Sellout: The Politics of J. D. Vance's 'Hillbilly Elegy' Are Already Being Used to Gut the Working Poor By Jared Yates Sexton, Salon Conservatives and the media treated the memoir like "Poor People for Dummies." Watch its damaging rhetoric work. READ MORE» 'Morning Joe' Goes Off on Kellyanne Conway: Her Lust for Power Is 'Demented' By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet Mika Brzezinski weighs in on the Trump spokeswoman's fantastical new wiretapping allegations. READ MORE» 'How Does It Feel to Work for a Fascist?' Watch Sean Spicer Get Jeered at an Apple Store By David Ferguson, Raw Story A woman shopper gets in the White House press secretary's face. READ MORE» Do Marijuana Suppositories Really Work? New Research Gets to the Bottom of It By Melissa Matthews, Medical Daily Smoking might be the most common way to get high, but it's not the best. READ MORE» AlterNet Comics: Brian McFadden on Paul Ryan's Health Insurance Handouts By Brian McFadden, AlterNet You and your pre-existing condition can get the hell out.  READ MORE»

The Depressing Trendlines That Are Driving America's Decline in Life Expectancy By Larry Schwartz, AlterNet All the big indicators and areas of progress are going backward. READ MORE» The Trump Dystopian Nightmare: Nuclear War, Climate Change and a Clash of Civilizations Are All on the Horizon By John Feffer, Tom Dispatch With Trump unable to distinguish fact from fiction, worries about a dangerous future are becoming more pronounced  READ MORE» Investors, Oligarchs, Mobsters and Capital Flight: Inside the Shadowy World of Trump’s Private Russian Connections By James S. Henry, The American Interest Trump's fondness for Russia is all about grabbing money and ignoring almost everything else. READ MORE»

Have We Been Denying Our Human Nature for Four Hundred Years? By Lynn Stuart Parramore, AlterNet A devil called Eurocentric modernism unhinged us from our real wants and needs. READ MORE» Democrat Congressman Introduces 'No TRUMP Act' to Prevent Taxpayer Spending at Trump Properties By Sophia Tesfaye, Salon Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer's No TRUMP Act stands for "No Taxpayer Revenue Used to Monetize the Presidency" Act. READ MORE» Chicago Teachers Are Trying to Organize the Biggest Charter School Union in the U.S. By Jeff Schuhrke, In These Times Workers announced the creation of the Union of Noble Educators on March 3. READ MORE» How Uber Could End Up As Silicon Valley's Most Spectacular Crash By Kevin Maney, Newsweek Lately, the curtain is being pulled back to reveal a rotten culture and troubled CEO. READ MORE» The Hilarious Joke Of Blaming DudeBros for Everything By Andrew O'Hehir, Salon Irritating left-wing guys have ruined democracy, apparently. Which might suggest it wasn't doing so great before. READ MORE» Alternative History: The Dangerous Byproduct of Fake Facts By Jill Abramson, The Guardian From Ben Carson claiming slaves came over as ‘immigrants’ to Betsy DeVos ignoring Jim Crow – history is a new frontline in the battle for truth. READ MORE» Medical Marijuana for PTSD? Here Are the 23 States Where You Can Get It By Phillip Smith, AlterNet There are a lot of PTSD sufferers--and not just veterans--out there. The good news is that access to medical marijuana to treat it is spreading. READ MORE» Why We Should Not Know Our Own Passwords By Megan Squire, The Conversation As searches of smartphones and other digital devices at US borders become more common, can research and computer science help protect travelers' privacy? READ MORE» US Attorney Fired by Trump Was Banned from Entering Russia by Vladimir Putin By David Edwards, Raw Story The president fired Preet Bharara over the weekend. READ MORE»

One of the Worst Trends in Red-State Politics Is Coming to a Blue State Near You By Alex Henderson, AlterNet The more states approve so-called right-to-work laws, the worse conditions will become for U.S. workers.  READ MORE» Trump Has Given the Mainstream Media a Gift—Why Are They Blowing It? By Sophia A. McClennen, Salon Trump's offering the press a chance to step up and be the Cronkite to his Nixon. So far, they're dropping the ball. READ MORE» Bernie Sanders on Trump and the Resistance: 'Despair Is Not an Option' By Ed Pilkington, The Guardian The senator talks about taking progressive populism to the heartland in order to topple Trump. READ MORE»

If We Don't Act Now, Fascism Will Be on Our Doorstep, Says Yale Historian By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet Timothy Snyder warns: History gives us a bunch of cases where democratic republics became authoritarian—sometimes fascist--regimes. READ MORE» Intolerant War Mongering: Why Trump (and Bannon) Mirror ISIS By Joe Conason, Creators Syndicate What if the true aim of the Trump administration's anti-Muslim rhetoric is to provoke Muslims? READ MORE» How America's Right-Wing Fell in Love with Putin and Moscow By Casey Michel, Right Wing Watch To them, Russia is the “most powerful white power in the world.” READ MORE» Lab-Grown Diamonds Are More Ethical Than Blood Diamonds, but Will People Buy Them? By Lucy Goodchild Van Hilten, AlterNet Diamonds grown in a lab are conflict-free in terms of human rights and have a much smaller environmental impact. READ MORE» WATCH: 'Disaster Capitalism'— How Corporations Make a Killing Out of Catastrophe By Ben Norton, AlterNet Journalist Antony Loewenstein joins AlterNet's Ben Norton to discuss his global travels reporting on the disaster capitalist profiteers. READ MORE» A Sad Tale for Representative Democracy in India By Teesta Setalvad, AlterNet Facing a lackluster electorate, Modi's BJP flexes its muscle in Uttar Pradesh.  READ MORE» The Anti-Trump Resistance Is Much Bigger than the Tea Party—And It Has to Be By Paul Rosenberg, Salon Pundits compare the anti-Trump movement to the Tea Party—but this resistance is much bigger and more organic. READ MORE» Can I Fly With My Legal Weed? By Phillip Smith, AlterNet The skies are surprisingly friendly for marijuana users who want to fly with their stashes.  READ MORE» Why Not 'A Global Anthem,' Donald Trump? Who Does 'Represent the World,' Steve Bannon? By Tad Daley, AlterNet In his speeches before both CPAC and the U.S. Congress, President Trump described with pinpoint accuracy the sovereign state system of today. But might we see a global anthem tomorrow, and a world flag, and even a United Earth? READ MORE» Why Losing a Dog Can Be Harder Than Losing a Relative or Friend By Frank T. McAndrew, The Conversation Many are embarrassed to publicly show too much grief over the death of a dog. But research has shown just how devastating the loss can be. READ MORE»

Right-Wing Billionaires Have a Project Going to Rewrite Our Constitution, and They Are Shockingly Close to Pulling It Off By Thom Hartmann, AlterNet A few years ago, it would have been a thought experiment; now it's nearly reality.  READ MORE» FBI Director James Comey's 'October Surprise' Doomed Hillary Clinton's Candidacy: Analysis By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet A firm tracking sentiments that underlie consumer attitudes saw a massive shift not spotted by political polls. READ MORE» Trump's Plan to Gut HUD Threatens the Very Survival of America's Poor By Sarah Lazare, AlterNet A budget cut of up to $7.7 billion guarantees mass homelessness and premature death. READ MORE»

Where Is Reality, as Fundamentalist Christians Think They Are More Discriminated Against Than Muslims? By Taylor Link, Salon White evangelicals comprise the only major religious group to think that Christians are discriminated against. READ MORE» These For-Profit Schools Are ‘Like a Prison’ By Sarah Carr, Francesca Berardi, Zoe Kirsch, Stephen Smiley, ProPublica Camelot Education takes the students that public schools have given up on. But some current and former students say its discipline goes too far. READ MORE» How the Bail System Really Screws You If You Are Poor By Robert Greenwald, Brave New Films A new short from Brave New Films on one of the criminal justice system's most predatory features. READ MORE» Are Bad Diets Causing a Bowel Cancer Crisis Among Millennials? By Robin Scher, AlterNet Heavy alcohol consumption and smoking may also contribute to the increase in colorectal cancer among young people. READ MORE» Radicals Claim That American Liberals Cling to the Past, and to Privilege, to Avoid Facing the Reality of Creeping Fascism By Matthew Sheffield, Salon To the "antifa" movement, cowardly liberals are a big problem in fighting Donald Trump and the white nationalist right. READ MORE» The Challenge of Defending Free Speech in the Age of Trump By Jefferson Morley, AlterNet Thwarting students who want to learn from public debate is no way to fight intolerance. READ MORE» The ACLU's New Rallying Cry: 'See You in Court, and See You in the Streets' By Lauren Blommel, The American Prospect The day after Donald Trump’s election, the American Civil Liberties Union posted the words, “See you in court” on its homepage next to an image of the incoming president. Now, the ACLU has a slightly longer message for Trump. READ MORE» A Soldier's View: The Great Myth of the 'Surge' and the Ultimate Failure in Iraq By Danny Sjursen, TomDispatch Lessons never learned: Soon Iraq will replace Vietnam as the military’s most basic failure to hopefully learn from. READ MORE» Harsh Sentence for Racist Georgia Couple Has White Supremacists Across the Country Freaking Out: Report By Erin Corbett, Raw Story The defendants threatened to kill people, including children. READ MORE» Hezbollah, Israel Brace for All-Out Conflict By Nicholas Blanford, The Arab Weekly Both parties know that the scale of a new war will dwarf the 2006 conflict, a reality that has helped ensure a mutual deterrence. READ MORE» These 4 Arguments for Legal Pot Are Swaying American Voters By Melissa Osgood-Cornell, Futurity Pro-legalization arguments are pragmatic, researchers found, while anti-legalization arguments tend to be more ideological. READ MORE» Is Health Care Doomed? By Bill Moyers, Sen. John Marty, BillMoyers.com The Republicans' new plan to replace the Affordable Care Act is worse than many expected. John Marty has a better idea. READ MORE» A Half-Real Fake News Scoop About Wikileaks and JFK By Jefferson Morley, AlterNet The "Conservative Tribune" serves up a bogus story with a grain of truth. READ MORE»

The CIA's Newest Attack on Trump Is Just Brutal By Jefferson Morley, AlterNet Former director Michael Hayden calls the president's latest comments "outrageous," "troubling" and "partisan." READ MORE» Paul Krugman Has the Perfect Analogy for Republicans' Obamacare Replacement By Jacob Sugarman, AlterNet The New York Times columnist is floored by the bill's "surreal" awfulness.  READ MORE» Republicans Loot the Palace: GOP's Plan to Govern Looks a Lot Like the Way It 'Rebuilt' Iraq By Heather Digby Parton, Salon We've seen this combination of shameless greed and incompetence before. READ MORE»

EPA Head Scott Pruitt Outs Himself As a CO2 Truther By Jessica Firger, Newsweek In the same interview, he calls the Paris Agreement a bad deal. READ MORE» 'Morning Joe' Is Positively Seething Over the Latest Michael Flynn Revelations By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet Joe Scarborough calls the Trump hire an "extraordinary failure of vetting." READ MORE» Anti-Semitic Flyers Posted at Texas State, University President Refuses to Issue Statement By David Nir, DailyKos Students say their complaints have fallen on deaf ears. READ MORE» Trump Tweeted Obama Wiretap Claims After Aide Slipped a Breitbart Article into His Reading Pile: Report By Travis Gettys, Raw Story The White House has yet to provide any evidence for the president's claim. READ MORE» AlterNet Comics: Brian McFadden on Town Hall Exit Strategies By Brian McFadden, AlterNet A guide to running away from big, bad voters.  READ MORE»

Julian Assange Attempts to Partner with Silicon Valley's Big Tech Firms Against the CIA By Jefferson Morley, AlterNet After iPhone spying revelations, Wikileaks endorses Microsoft’s call for a digital Geneva convention. READ MORE» Private Prison Execs Are Gloating Over Soaring Profits from Trump's Mass Deportation Agenda By Sarah Lazare, AlterNet In a call with investors, GEO Group executives boast of a new boon to business. READ MORE» Trump Supporters Call For 'Liberal Genocide' and Deportation of Jews at Arizona Rally By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet Things get ugly fast at a "March for Trump" in Phoenix, Arizona.  READ MORE»

Bernie Sanders Unveils Plan to Flip Red States as He Travels Through Trump's America By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet The Democrats desperately need a new model.  READ MORE» The Soap Opera Star's Guide to Donald Trump By Jocelyn Seagrave, Salon Donald Trump and I got into TV around the same time in the '90s. I recognize the drama he's selling. READ MORE» It Would Be a Lot Easier to Protect Important 'Regulations' from Trump's Onslaught If We Stopped Calling Them That By George Lakoff, AlterNet Trump said he wants to eliminate 75 percent of government regulations. Imagine if he said he wanted to eliminate 75 percent of public protections. READ MORE» Shocking ‘Future Internment Camp’ Signs Pop Up in Artist’s Very Believable Installation By Ilana Novick, AlterNet Passersby get a hair-raising taste of the future with a glimpse into the past. READ MORE» Jim Hightower: What Should We Do About a Mentally Ill President? By Jim Hightower, AlterNet It's obvious that the guy is not well and is unable to handle the stressful demands of being president. READ MORE» When a Woman Deletes a Man's Comment Online By Ijeoma Oluo, The Establishment I’m not debating those who show up wedded to bigotry.  READ MORE» How the U.S. Is Getting an Economic Pounding from the World Trade Organization By Leo Gerard, AlterNet The WTO treats the United States like a punching bag. READ MORE» 'I Might as Well Have Not Voted': Details of GOP Health Plan Leave Trump Voter Appalled By Brad Reed, Raw Story Phase one of political buyer's remorse. READ MORE» Why It Will Take a Lot More Than a Smartphone to Get the Sharing Economy Started By Steven Gorelick, AlterNet The sharing economy has grown rapidly, but the egalitarian effects that were predicted have failed to materialize. READ MORE» Secretive Council for National Policy Pushing Trump to Sign 'Religious Liberty' Order By Peter Montgomery, Right Wing Watch Legal experts said the executive order was of “sweeping” and “staggering” scope.  READ MORE» Attorney General Sessions Won't Rule Out Using Mafia Law to Go After Legal Marijuana By Phillip Smith, AlterNet Yet another ominous sound-bite from the nation's leading law enforcement officer.  READ MORE» Why Blockbuster Movie 'Logan' Is a Superhero Saga for Our Times By Dorothy Woodend, The Tyee Latest X-Men is worn-out, roughed up, and totally fitting for its age. READ MORE»

***

trump has already deported 1,400

VETERANS

...WTF?!??

***

So, repukes want to vet immigrants but NOT immigration officers.

Sounds legit.

***

The need for independent media has never been greater.

With your help, Democracy Now! is training the next generation of independent journalists through our internship and fellowship programs. Our LEED Platinum studio—the greenest in the country—serves as a classroom for more than 1,000 students who visit each year to view live broadcasts and participate in media workshops. Our daily news hour—airing on more than 1,400 television and radio stations in 46 countries and to millions online—is only possible with your financial support. You can click here to donate right now or mail your contribution to: Democracy Now! Attn: Development 207 West 25th Street, 11th Floor New York, NY 10001 Or call us at 1-888-999-3877 (toll free in U.S.) or +1-212-431-9090. DONATE TODAY! Thank you for making Democracy Now! what it is today—and what it can be tomorrow.   Democracy Now! Amy Goodman P.S. Don't forget, your donation will be doubled today! And if you donate $95 or more and you can select one of our great thank you gifts, like a signed copy of my my new book, Democracy Now!: Twenty Years Covering the Movements Changing America, written with Denis Moynihan and David Goodman.

Stories Healthcare or Wealthcare? 24 Million to Lose Insurance Under GOP Plan While Rich Get Big Tax Breaks A startling new report from the Congressional Budget Office is projecting 24 million people will lose health insurance coverage by 2026 under the Republican plan ... Read More → Was Firing of U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara Done to Cover Up Probes of Trump & Fox News? Attorney General Jeff Sessions asked for the resignations of 46 U.S. attorneys on Friday, angering the prosecutors, who say they weren't warned in advance. ... Read More → ALEC & For-Profit Health Industry Embrace GOP Bill Despite Opposition from Doctors & Nurses As the Congressional Budget Office projects 24 million people will lose health insurance coverage by 2026 under the Republican plan to replace the Affordable ... Read More → Is Jared Kushner Breaking the Law with $400M Real Estate Deal with Firm Tied to Chinese Gov't? A company owned by President Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner will receive more than $400 million from a Chinese firm in a real estate deal ... Read More → From Lobbyists to Reality Show Stars, Meet the Hundreds of Officials Trump Has Quietly Installed ProPublica's Justin Elliott has been looking into the hundreds of officials Trump has quietly installed across the government. He describes the backgrounds of these ... Read More →

Headlines → CBO on Republican Health Plan: 24 Million to Lose Health Insurance States File Federal Lawsuit to Halt Trump's "Muslim Ban 2.0" Fearing Travel Ban, Girl Guides of Canada to End U.S. Travel Oregon Man Shouts "Go Back to Your Country, Terrorist!" During Assault Rep. Luis Gutiérrez Among Activists Handcuffed at ICE Sit-in Protest Trump Administration Walks Back Wiretap Claims as DOJ Misses Deadline Jared Kushner's Family to Get $400 Million Payout from Chinese Firm Former Exxon CEO Tillerson Used Alias to Discuss Climate Change Yemen: Aid Officials in "Race Against Time" to Prevent Famine 20 Million at Risk of Famine In U.N.'s "Largest Humanitarian Crisis" Far-Right Dutch Politician Surging Ahead of National Election Israeli-American Activist Jeff Halper Detained over BDS Materials

Stories How to Remove a President: Mass Protests Force Out South Korean Leader Amid Corruption Scandal On Sunday, ousted South Korean leader Park Geun-hye left the Blue House presidential compound and returned to her private residence in southern Seoul two days after ... Read More → Mustafa Ali: Meet the Top EPA Environmental Justice Official Who Quit to Protest Pruitt & Trump A top official at the Environmental Protection Agency has resigned in protest of a Trump administration proposal to scale back severely the size and work of the ... Read More → China Warns U.S. & North Korea Are Set for "Head-On" Collision Amid Rising Tensions & Provocations The political upheaval in South Korea comes shortly after North Korea test-fired several ballistic missiles. In response, the Trump administration announced it would ... Read More → Bruce Cumings: North Korea Timed Recent Missile Test to Take Place During Trump-Abe Dinner North Korea tested a ballistic missile last month, sparking widespread international condemnation. The test was a violation of a United Nations Security Council ... Read More →

Headlines → Attorney General Orders 46 U.S. Attorneys to Resign U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara Fired After Refusing Order to Resign CBO to Score Republican Healthcare Bill as Early as Today House Intelligence Panel Sets Monday Deadline for Wiretap Claims Native American Actions in D.C. Target Trump Administration More Bomb Threats Target Jewish Community Centers Florida Arsonist Sought to "Run Arabs Out of Our Country" Rep. Steve King (R–IA) Tweets Racist Anti-Muslim Comment South Dakota Governor Signs Anti-LGBTQ Foster Care & Adoption Bill New Orleans Church Service Attacked Amid Anti-Transgender Violence Federal Court Rules 3 Texas Congressional Districts Drawn Illegally Documentary Reveals New Details About Michael Brown's Last Night Iraq: Civilians Fleeing Mosul Assault Dodge Sniper Fire Syria: Suicide Bomb Blasts Hit Iraqi Pilgrims in Damascus, Killing 74 Ethiopia: Collapse at Garbage Landfill Kills 46 Haiti: Bus Driver Rams Crowds, Killing 38 Before Escaping California Environmental Protesters Carve Message in Trump Golf Green

Stories Immigrant Rights Leader Released After Hundreds Rally Outside His Check-in with Deportation Officer We begin with an update on the case of prominent immigrant rights advocate Ravi Ragbir, whom we interviewed Thursday on Democracy Now! right before ... Read More → Palestinian Hip-Hop Star Tamer Nafar Fights Racist Israeli Policies in New Film, Junction 48 We continue our conversation about Israel by looking at a film that's just been released titled Junction 48. The film centers on Kareem, an aspiring Palestinian rap ... Read More → Activists Defiant on Israel's Travel Ban Targeting BDS Supporters: "It's a Sign We're Winning" While President Trump has made international headlines for his attempt to temporarily ban refugees and residents of some Muslim-majority nations, one of ... Read More → EFF Director: WikiLeaks Move to Share CIA Hacking Tools with Tech Giants Could "Make Us All Safer" We speak with Electronic Frontier Foundation Executive Director Cindy Cohn about thousands of documents WikiLeaks published this week, dubbed "Vault 7," that ... Read More →

Headlines → South Korean President Park Geun-hye Removed from Office House Republicans Rush Efforts to Pass Healthcare Bill EPA Chief Scott Pruitt: Carbon Dioxide Not a Factor in Global Warming EPA Official Resigns Amid Push to Defund Environmental Justice Office Trump Administration Seeks End to Youth Climate Lawsuit Ambassador to Israel Nominee David Friedman Wins Senate Committee Backing CENTCOM Commander Wants "A Few Thousand" More Troops for Afghanistan Michael Flynn an Undisclosed Foreign Agent During Trump Campaign FBI Director Meets Top Senators Amid Russia Probe and Wiretap Charges WikiLeaks Offers to Help Tech Companies Protect Against CIA Hacking Washington, D.C., Restaurateurs Sue Trump Hotel over Unfair Practices Fox News Contributor Wins Sexual Assault Settlement Against Executive Izzy Awards Honor Journalism on Prisons, Voting, Inequality

    

*****

SCROTUS and TURDleman
agree:

NO SCOTUS for SCROTUS

because 
SCROTUS IS CAMPAIGNING! 

*****

M00bies

Here's the Baku hotel story I mentioned last time. Friends, this shit is straight-up ILLEGAL! DAMN, I wanna see these criminals land up in PRISON!!!!!

ICYMI, here's a second chance to hear Randi explain Michael Flynn's role as a foreign agent. Conjecture: Flynn was pissed that he got fired, so his contracting company dumped all the CIA stuff onto WikiLeaks. Friends, it's neither impossible nor even improbable...

...and here's what Randi means when she says that the Flynn Intel Group website is...questionable (as in, DON'T visit it unless you want malware installed on your computer!):

...the gray "?" means DO NOT visit this site!

GAWD, I lurve me some Kate McKinnon!!!!!

Please watch this video, friends--you'll understand exactly what's at stake. You'll be shocked--shocked, I tell you.

Even with the fake plastic Ivanka wig, ScarJo is just...stunning

 

*****

Still reading?

Try this for moar n00z:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/

if you haven't already.

Try this for fun:

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/law-order-congressional-republicans-unit

*****

Hey, Republicans!

Carving us up into little bits

and feeding our carcasses

to the rich and the corporations

is NOT what we have in mind

when we remind you

to SERVE your constituents!!!

-- Dot Calm's shadow

*****

Don't forget to read Dot Calm's shadow's favorite independent sources of news and information:
  
Michael Moore's FB page -- go here first and do whatever activism he suggests
Daily Kos
AlterNet
Democracy Now!
Democratic Underground
Boing Boing
Vox
Conservatives are Destroying our Future
Conservative Clown Car
God, the Good Lord Above
...skip the media outlets in the boycott list unless you want trump propaganda. And TELL their advertisers WHY you are boycotting those media outlets!

On the lighter side:
McSweeney's Internet Tendency
      
And check out these great channels:

Randi Rhodes Air Force
Keith Olbermann: The Resistance
Thom Hartmann
Late Night with Seth Meyers
LastWeekTonight
Secular Talk
The Young Turks
The Thinking Atheist
MisterDeity
NonStampCollector

...or, if you just want something mindless and fun, try Tested

Peas, friends. Take care of yourselves for me. Trust me--you're worth it! And go have a Fireball and some chocolate while you still can, will ya? Time is short now that the mouth of trump hell has opened...
  

- Dot Calm's shadow

Consider the preemptive Blogger phuqued-up phormatting disclaimer to be in effect. Grrr.
-- Dot Calm's shadow
    

       

*****

 

 

******************************************** 

SOPROUD: TDL

(Save Our Planet--Resist Orange Ugly donald: To-Do List)

    
Until further notice, the purpose of this blog is to provide tools to help protect and preserve our rights, our liberties, and our country from the wrinkled fat orange clusterfuck that is Donald "dickless LOSER" trump. As I track down more information, I will continue to refine these tools.

If you value my work, please support me on Patreon: just point your browser to https://www.patreon.com/ and type "Dot Calm's shadow" into the search box at the top--thank you! Even a dollar a month from 20 people would really help right now--it would cover part of my Internet. Show me that there's more out there than just a lonely chorus of crickets!
    
Action List

PROTECT yourself financially, reproductively, and medically.

1. If you need a loan, get it NOW--rates have already gone up; they went up at least three times the first week or two after the election. MOVE your retirement out of the stock market and into a stable fund that is guaranteed NOT to lose your principal--if you're not risk averse, keep your money in stocks until after the inauguration...but move it out ASAP afterward because, once chump and the teathuglikkkants deregulate Wall Street, we are in for a bust that makes chimp's Great Recession look like O'Bama's recovery. Thom Hartmann, Randi Rhodes, and their guest speakers agree that the Rethugs and chump will crash the economy by deregulating the stock market so quickly our haids will spin. The boom-bust cycle repeats every 80 years or so--as long as it takes for the last people who remember what a depression was like and fight the greedsters to die off. We're phuqued.

2. If you're a woman of reproductive age or a man who knows and loves women of reproductive age, stock up on as much "Plan B" (the "morning after" pill) as you can afford NOW. Plan to take one pill either immediately after unprotected sex or the morning after unprotected sex, and plan to take another pill 24 hours later. No matter what else you do, STOCK UP NOW on Plan B because even the best contraceptives fail, and you won't be able to get an abortion once chump and the teathuglikkkants take over. Men, get yourself snipped while you still can, too.

3. If you're a woman of reproductive age and don't already have an IUD or contraceptive implant, get yours NOW. Mirena has progestin, not estrogen, and can reduce your period; the copper ones without hormones (like Paragard) can cause cramping and heavy bleeding that doesn't go away until the device is removed (think having the second day of your period for a year at a clip). Of these two IUDs, women seem to prefer Mirena, but the device can still fall out. Cosmopolitan has a great discussion on these and other IUDs, what's involved with getting one (not a big deal, but you'll bleed for at least a week afterward), what's involved with having one removed (also not a big deal, but you'll bleed for at least a week after). "Managing Contraception" has an article on Mirena (not scary). If I were you, I'd skip the Skyla--it only lasts 3 years, so you wouldn't even be done with the orange fuckwad's first term if you get one. Planned Parenthood has a video about contraceptive implants and great information about all forms of contraception. And if you think you might need a do-it-yourself abortion some time in the future, go talk to Planned Parenthood NOW and see if you can stock up on mifepristone now--the options for DIY abortions at home using substances like vitamin C seem promising to desperate women but don't have any scientific backing. You can also try womenonwaves.org and womenonweb.org.

4. Don't take any new drugs approved after 2016 without doing your own research into whether they're safe and effective. Republicans are weakening the FDA to the point that it will no longer be able to verify that new drugs will work and not harm us.

Now, do your daily actions, make your daily calls, and do the rest...

DAILY ACTIONS!

Go to Michael Moore's FaceBook page and do whatever is on his to-do list:
https://www.facebook.com/mmflint/


Here's a list of short-term actions you can take right now!

1. If you can, sign up for the 29 April 2017 People's Climate March. I called into the telecon Monday evening and found it very useful. Two things stuck out: People's Climate Movement is rather new, so it's small and not yet well funded. However, they're working with the other climate organizations to build the movement and fight trump's disastrous Big Oil, Big Destruction, Big Money, Big Death agenda.

2. If you can't make the climate march but can come out a week earlier--Earch Day, 22 April 2017--then please sign up for the March for Science. The climate telecon had nearly a thousand callers-in, some of whom lamented that it would be really difficult to attend both marches. I know it took me a week to recover from the Women's March, and I'm local. PCM suggested combining with the science march, but the science march wasn't interested, seeing the protection of science as a separate issue. I disagree in the sense that we have trump's disastrous Big Oil, Big Destruction, Big Money, Big Death agenda BECAUSE of all the climate SCIENCE DENIAL. So, I'll be one of the many PCM callers-in contacting the science march people to try to get them to combine with the climate march.

3. Go help NASA archive their data--wiki wiki! (Read about it here and click through to the links if you're too lazy to check the archive of this blawg for a direct link.)

4. Go call trump's businesses and make them pass along your comments to him! Here's the link: https://whitehouseinc.org/...have fun, kidz!

5. Contact Nordstrom's and Neiman Marcus and THANK them for dumping trump! Amazon may be caving, too, to pressure to ditch Breitbart, so keep bugging Amazon and the rest of 'em to do what's in EVERYONE's best interests--not just in the best interests of white supremacists, haters, bigots, and racists--by signing this petition and boycotting the offending advertisers:  https://actions.sumofus.org/a/amazon-stop-investing-in-hate/?source=taf

6. If you haven't already, go check out the Indivisible guide: https://www.indivisibleguide.com/. As always, the very best thing you can do is GO IN PERSON to your elected officials' offices and TALK to them. Failing that, PHONE them. If you can do neither, then FAX them--better, if it-snot urgent, then WRITE them a personal, signed letter. Failing all of those, then e-mail them. The guide has moar ways to get involved and stop trump the chump!

DAILY CALLS!

CALL your U.S. Senators and Representatives DAILY at their LOCAL offices. SHOW UP in person if you can. Call each day with ONE issue--and KEEP CALLING. The staffers track your calls by issue, so don't give in to the temptation of giving them the whole laundry list all at once. Here is our list of demands:

0. Call your members of Congress now and demand they block trump's cabinet of swamp monsters in its entirety (from The New York Times):

D.N.I.

Dan Coats

U.S. Trade Rep.

Robert Lighthizer

State

Rex W. Tillerson

Interior

Ryan Zinke

Energy

Rick Perry

Labor

Andrew F. Puzder

Small Business

Linda McMahon

E.P.A.

Scott Pruitt

Homeland Security

John F. Kelly

Defense

James N. Mattis

Treasury

Steven Mnuchin

Transportation

Elaine L. Chao

Health

Tom Price

Commerce

Wilbur Ross

Education

Betsy DeVos

U.N.

Nikki R. Haley

Housing

Ben Carson

C.I.A.

Mike Pompeo

Attorney General

Jeff Sessions

Do not require Senate confirmation

Senior Adviser

Jared Kushner

Appointed

Homeland Security Adviser

Thomas P. Bossert

Appointed

Counselor

Kellyanne Conway

Appointed

Trade Czar

Peter Navarro

Appointed

Regulatory Czar

Carl Icahn

Appointed

Press Secretary

Sean Spicer

Appointed

White House Counsel

Donald F. McGahn II

Appointed

Nat. Sec. Adviser

Michael T. Flynn

Appointed

Chief of Staff

Reince Priebus

Appointed

Chief Strategist

Stephen K. Bannon

Appointed

Senior Adviser to the President

Appointed

A senior member of the White House staff who serves as a confidant in the president’s inner circle.

Jared Kushner Mr. Trump has named his son-in-law to a senior White House role. The appointment of Mr. Kushner, a major real estate developer in New York who is married to Mr. Trump’s daughter Ivanka, could test anti-nepotism laws. He's being/been pushed out by Alcoholic Steve Ban'em, and we hear he's pretty pissed about being denied the reins of power....       

Director of National Intelligence

Requires Senate confirmation

The person who holds this post is the president’s principal adviser on intelligence and oversees the entire military and civilian intelligence apparatus. The coordination between the intelligence agencies of the military and civilian wings will be vital for the war on the Islamic State.

Dan Coats Mr. Trump has picked the former Indiana senator. Mr. Coats, who served on the Senate intelligence and armed services committees, would be stepping into a position that some in Mr. Trump’s orbit believe is superfluous.

U.S. Trade Representative

Requires Senate confirmation

The president’s chief trade negotiator will have the odd role of opposing new trade deals, trying to rewrite old ones and bolstering the enforcement of what Mr. Trump sees as unfair trade, especially with China.

Robert Lighthizer Mr. Trump has chosen the international lawyer who served as a trade official under President Ronald Reagan. Mr. Lighthizer has been harshly critical of China, and in a 2010 Op-Ed article in The New York Times, he presaged some of Mr. Trump’s talk on trade.

Homeland Security Adviser

Appointed

A position that will be equal in status to national security adviser, it will focus on homeland security and counterterrorism.

Thomas P. Bossert Mr. Trump’s choice was a top national security aide to President George W. Bush. Mr. Bossert runs a risk management consulting firm in Washington and is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council research institution, working on its Cyber Statecraft Initiative.

Counselor

Appointed

A close adviser who will help set the president’s agenda and formulate his message.

Kellyanne Conway Mr. Trump’s choice is his former campaign manager, confidante and spokeswoman. Ms. Conway also has a pollster background and therefore may rely on this skill set to keep tabs on public sentiment. --Sewer Rat Propaganda Barbie looks like a barely-revived corpse lately...all that lying must be taking a toll on what little is left of her dying humanity....       

Director of Trade and Industrial Policy

Appointed

A new position that will oversee trade and industrial policy in the White House and direct an internal council that will run alongside the National Security Council, the National Economic Council and the Domestic Policy Council.

Peter Navarro Mr. Trump’s choice is a professor at the University of California, Irvine, who holds a doctorate from Harvard and is the only credentialed economist in Mr. Trump’s inner circle. Mr. Navarro has been a staunch critic of current Chinese economic policies.

Special Adviser on Regulatory Reform

Appointed

This new position will oversee the president’s promised effort to unwind as many regulations on business as he can.

Carl Icahn Mr. Trump has appointed Mr. Icahn, a billionaire investor and famed “corporate raider” who buys large stakes in companies and then forces policy changes to benefit shareholders. Mr. Icahn, who was an economic adviser during the campaign, is a longtime friend of Mr. Trump.

Press Secretary and Special Assistant to the President

Appointed

The press secretary is the face of the White House and representative for the president, framing messaging, responding to stories of the day and briefing the press.

Sean Spicer Mr. Trump chose the longtime spokesman for the Republican National Committee and top aide to Reince Priebus, who is the incoming chief of staff and pressed for his selection. While Mr. Spicer will be the face of the communications team, he will work with Jason Miller, director of communications, and Hope Hicks, director of strategic communications. --Spicey Sphincter (owie!) will never live down the fact that we'll only ever think of Melissa McCarthy whenever we see his mug, hehe!     

Secretary of State

Requires Senate confirmation

Whether Mr. Trump picks an ideologue or a seasoned foreign policy hand from past Republican administrations, his challenge will be that the State Department is the centerpiece of the post-1945 experiment of alliance-building and globalism, which Mr. Trump said he would dismantle.

Rex W. Tillerson Mr. Trump’s choice is the president and chief executive of Exxon Mobil, whose ties with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin may draw scrutiny during the confirmation process. --We MUST PRIMARY Senator Mark Warner and all the other fascist DINOs who voted TO CONFIRM this fascist piece of shit!       

Interior Secretary

Requires Senate confirmation

The Interior Department manages the nation’s public lands and waters. The next secretary will decide the fate of Obama-era rules that stop public land development; curb the exploration of oil, coal and gas; and promote wind and solar power on public lands.

Ryan Zinke Mr. Trump has selected Montana’s freshman representative, a former Navy SEAL commander who was an early supporter of the president-elect and ran for office largely on a national security platform.

Energy Secretary

Requires Senate confirmation

Despite its name, the primary purview of the Energy Department is to protect and manage the nation’s arsenal of nuclear weapons.

Rick Perry Mr. Trump has selected the former Texas governor, who in 2011 proposed scrapping the Energy Department while he was seeking the Republican nomination for president. --What a mor00n! Will someone please tell this jerk that glasses do NOT make him c-a-t smart?!?? If you're not abjectly terrified that THIS gormless buffoon is in charge of the nuclear arsenal, you should be!!!!!       

Labor Secretary

Requires Senate confirmation

The Labor Department enforces rules that protect the nation’s workers, distributes benefits to the unemployed and publishes economic data like the monthly jobs report. The new secretary will be in charge of keeping Mr. Trump’s promise to dismantle many Obama-era rules covering the vast work force of federal contractors.

Andrew F. Puzder Mr. Trump’s expected choice is the chief executive of CKE Restaurants — and a donor to his campaign — who has criticized the Obama administration’s labor policies. HAHA, PUZDER YOU LOSER! We won, you lost! You DON'T get to fuck with American workers and give OUR hard-earned money to your richie-rich asshole buds, Puzder you gutter slime! Too bad you're such a hateful abuser. I'm glad for your ex-wife that she kicked your sorry ass to the curb, asshole. I'm only sorry you felt the need to be such an abusive bully about it, you stinking asswipe shitstain. Good riddance!!!       

Small Business Administration

Requires Senate confirmation

The agency guarantees loans for small businesses, helps them get government contracts and supports their interests on Capitol Hill.

Linda McMahon Mr. Trump has selected the former chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment to lead the agency. Ms. McMahon, a failed Senate candidate from Connecticut, was with her husband, Vince, one of Mr. Trump’s biggest donors.

E.P.A. Administrator

Requires Senate confirmation

The Environmental Protection Agency, which issues and oversees environmental regulations, is under threat from the president-elect, who has vowed to dismantle the agency “in almost every form.”

Scott Pruitt Mr. Trump has selected the Oklahoma attorney general, who is a close ally of the fossil fuel industry. --These greedy fucking idiots think that their money will somehow protect them from the wrath of a hurting, angry planet trying to get itself back into balance... 

Homeland Security Secretary

Requires Senate confirmation

The hodgepodge agency, formed after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has one key role in the Trump administration: guarding the United States’ borders. If Mr. Trump makes good on his promises of widespread deportations and building a wall, this secretary will have to carry them out.

John F. Kelly Mr. Trump has named the retired four-star Marine general, whose son was killed in combat in Afghanistan.

Defense Secretary

Requires Senate confirmation

The incoming secretary will shape the fight against the Islamic State while overseeing a military that is struggling to put in place two Obama-era initiatives: integrating women into combat roles and allowing transgender people to serve openly. Both could be rolled back.

James N. Mattis Mr. Trump announced at a rally that he had selected General Mattis, who led a Marine division to Baghdad during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and led the United States Central Command from 2010-13. General Mattis, now retired, has been a critic of the Obama administration. He would need a waiver from Congress to lead the Pentagon because he has been out of uniform for less than seven years. --Being arguably the best of a bad lot isn't saying much. Mattis committed WAR CRIMES. They call him "mad dog" for a reason, duh.     

Treasury Secretary

Requires Senate confirmation

The secretary will be responsible for government borrowing in financial markets, assisting in any rewrite of the tax code and overseeing the Internal Revenue Service. The Treasury Department also carries out or lifts financial sanctions against foreign enemies — which are crucial to President Obama’s Iran deal and rapprochement with Cuba.

Steven Mnuchin Mr. Trump has selected Mr. Mnuchin, who served as his campaign finance chairman. Mr. Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs executive, has deep roots in Hollywood but no government experience. --Hey, trumpkins--how's that swampy drainy thing working for ya?       

Transportation Secretary

Requires Senate confirmation

The next transportation secretary will oversee Mr. Trump’s campaign pledge to increase infrastructure funding to rebuild America's roads, bridges, airports and transit systems.

Elaine L. Chao Mr. Trump has selected Ms. Chao, the labor secretary under President George W. Bush. Ms. Chao, who is married to the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, has been a fixture of the Republican establishment in Washington. --Way to bribe/blackmail TURDleman, preznit ban'em--just give his wifey a plum job!       

Health and Human Services Secretary

Requires Senate confirmation

The secretary will help Mr. Trump achieve one of his central campaign promises: to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The department approves new drugs, regulates the food supply, operates biomedical research, and runs Medicare and Medicaid, which insure more than 100 million people.

Tom Price Mr. Trump has selected Mr. Price, a six-term Republican congressman from Georgia and orthopedic surgeon who has led opposition to the Affordable Care Act. Mr. Price has said the law interferes with the ability of patients and doctors to make medical decisions. --If you ever had any doubt that orange twAtler hates women, sick people, and poor people, Tom Price is your answer. Friends, we MUST PRIMARY ANY Democratic senator who voted to confirm this--or any other of orange twAtler's--piece of shit nominee!       

White House Counsel

Appointed

As the president’s adviser on legal matters, the White House counsel may have an unusually daunting job in the Trump administration, given Mr. Trump’s far-reaching business empire and potential conflicts of interest.

Donald F. McGahn II Mr. Trump has chosen Mr. McGahn, who served as general counsel for the Trump campaign. Mr. McGahn, a Washington lawyer who pushed to deregulate campaign finance and election laws, served on the Federal Election Commission for five years.

Commerce Secretary

Requires Senate confirmation

The Commerce Department has been a perennial target for budget cuts, but the secretary oversees a diverse portfolio, including the census, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Wilbur Ross Mr. Trump has selected Mr. Ross, an investor whose fortune is estimated by Forbes to be $2.9 billion. Mr. Ross has said the United States must free itself from the “bondage” of “bad trade agreements,” and has advocated threats to impose steep tariffs on China. --PRIMARY Senator Mark Warner and all the other fascist DINOs who voted TO CONFIRM this fascist piece of shit!       

Education Secretary

Requires Senate confirmation

Mr. Trump has said he wants to drastically shrink the Education Department and shift responsibilities for curriculum research, development and educational aid to state and local governments.

Betsy DeVos Mr. Trump has selected Ms. DeVos, a former chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party and an education activist who is a passionate believer in school choice, as his nominee. --If you ever doubted that the BEST way to get a job in cheeto benito's so-called administration is to BUY it and all the Republican senators on the committee, this mor00n is proof. There's a rumor that chump, spicy sphincter, and the rest of the blithering idiots were all home schooled by this brainless god-botherer.No wonder they're all inarticulate and illiterate...no wonder chump can't read! (Hehe!)  For some humor that's almost too true to be funny, go check out...this: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/betsy-devos-delivers-the-morning-announcements

U.N. Ambassador

Requires Senate confirmation

Second to the secretary of state, the United States ambassador to the United Nations will be the primary face of America to the world, representing the country’s interests at the Security Council on a host of issues, from Middle East peace to nuclear proliferation.

Nikki R. Haley Mr. Trump has selected Ms. Haley, the governor of South Carolina, as his nominee. The daughter of immigrants from India, she was a prominent and frequent critic of Mr. Trump early in his run.

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Requires Senate confirmation

The secretary oversees fair-housing laws, the development of affordable housing and access to mortgage insurance. As a real estate developer, Mr. Trump is attuned to the tax breaks for housing development.

Ben Carson Mr. Trump has selected the former neurosurgeon and presidential candidate to be his nominee to lead HUD. Mr. Carson had previously said he did not want to work in government. --Good ol' Indiana Carson, who thinks that the biblical Joseph built the pyramids to store grain during the famine and who said himself that he's NOT qualified for a cabinet post! What on FSM's green earth made him think he'd be qualified to be PRESIDENT if he knows he's too st00pit to run a lowly cabinet?!?? Not to mention...Carson's a total hypocrite for denying his JEEzus by acting as if the brain is the seat of thinking and emotion when the bible CLEARLY says that it's the HEART. At least Carson's not a hypocrite in one sense: he's a true Republican in that, once he got HIS help from the system, he now wants to burn the ladder behind him so that no one else who needs such help can get it. Friends, these people are cruel, hateful pieces of shit...no matter how pious they pretend to be.       

C.I.A. Director

Requires Senate confirmation

Mr. Trump takes over at a time of diverse and complex threats to American security. The new C.I.A. director will have to decide whether to undo a C.I.A. “modernization” plan put in place this year by Director John O. Brennan, and how to proceed if the president-elect orders a resumption of harsh interrogation tactics — critics have described the tactics as torture — for terrorism suspects.

Mike Pompeo Mr. Trump has selected Mr. Pompeo, representative of Kansas and a former Army officer, as his nominee. Mr. Pompeo is a member of the House Intelligence Committee and was a sharp critic of Hillary Clinton during the congressional investigation into the 2012 attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya.

Attorney General

Requires Senate confirmation

The nation's top law enforcement official will have the authority for carrying out Mr. Trump's “law and order” platform. The nominee can change how civil rights laws are enforced.

Jeff Sessions Mr. Trump has selected Senator Sessions, of Alabama, as his nominee. Mr. Sessions is a strong proponent of strict immigration enforcement, reduced spending and tough-on-crime measures. His nomination for a federal judgeship in 1986 was rejected because of racially charged comments and actions, which are very likely to become an issue as he faces another set of Senate confirmation hearings. --I wonder what all the actual Blacks who voted for chump think about this. Are they glad that chump was the last vote they'd ever be allowed to make? 

National Security Adviser

Appointed

The national security adviser, although not a member of the cabinet, is a critical gatekeeper for policy proposals from the State Department, the Pentagon and other agencies, a function that takes on more importance given Mr. Trump's lack of experience in elective office.

Michael T. Flynn Mr. Trump has selected the retired Army lieutenant general and former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. General Flynn has been outspoken about his view of the threat posed by Islamist militancy and was an ardent supporter of Mr. Trump during the campaign. This TRAITOR, who sold America out to PEWtin, was fired/resigned IN SCANDAL and DISGRACE, February 2017!!!       

White House Chief of Staff

Appointed

The chief of staff manages the work and personnel of the West Wing, steering the president's agenda and tending to important relationships. The role will take on outsize importance in a White House run by Mr. Trump, who has no experience in policy making and little in the way of connections to critical players in Washington.

Reince Priebus Mr. Trump announced on Nov. 13 that he had chosen Mr. Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee. --Some call him "rancid penis." That works. If you're in a more polite mewd, you can call him "blather, reince, repeat."       

Chief Strategist

Appointed

Stephen K. Bannon was also considered for chief of staff, but Mr. Trump instead named him chief strategist and senior counselor in the White House, saying that he and Mr. Priebus would be “working as equal partners” in the administration.

Stephen K. Bannon Also on Nov. 13, Mr. Trump announced the appointment of Mr. Bannon, a right-wing media executive and the chairman of the president-elect’s campaign. Many have denounced the move, warning that Mr. Bannon represents racist views. --Ah, yes...alcoholic voldemort himself. Many people are saying that ban'em, as the actual acting president, is PEWtin's American puppet master pulling the strings of the fat-assed, loofah-faced orange marionette.       

Just call and tell your elected representatives to denounce and block ALL of trump's appointments because they're all reality-denying bigots who hate so many actual Americans that they are unfit to serve all Americans.

1. DEMAND they support Barbara Boxer's bill to ABOLISH the Electoral College--popular vote only. DEMAND paper ballots only, and DEMAND audit trails be published in local papers. DEMAND they LET ALL Americans vote (undo voter roll purges and other Black voter suppression) and MAKE Election Day a national holiday for all. And STOP gerrymandering.

2. Demand that your elected officials FILIBUSTER ALL trump's SCOTUS appointments. Supporting Citizens United or opposing the rights of women, immigrants, non-whites, non-Christians, LGBTQ+, and the poor are UNACCEPTABLE. This is NON-NEGOTIABLE.

3. DEMAND trump's impeachment--DEMAND he be investigated NOW for corruption and conflict of interest. DEMAND to see his taxes. trump has already committed impeachable offenses, so DEMAND that he be held accountable NOW.

4. REMIND them THEY'RE FIRED if they don't obstruct, obstruct, obstruct trump and the Republicans from Day 1. If they resist, REMIND them that Hillary WON the popular vote by nearly 3 million.

5. DEMAND restoration of the Fairness Doctrine--DEMAND fair, fact-based, accurate media free from the false equivalencies and unchecked free coverage that foisted trump on us.
    
6. DEMAND that they UPHOLD AND EXPAND on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Dodd-Frank legislation. BRING BACK Glass-Steagall!
 
7. DEMAND that trump undergo psychological evaluation for fitness for office. Known narcissist, Dr. Sam Vaknin, explains that trump is a narcissist--and that DISQUALIFIES him for the presidency--in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5he5hXp-rU.
    
8. DEMAND a SPECIAL PROSECUTOR to investigate FBI director James Comey and Donald trump for interfering with the election.
 
9. DEMAND the Army Corps of Engineers go to Flint to dig up and replace all the poisoned pipes.

10. PRIMARY ANY AND ALL fascist Democratic DINOs who vote FOR ANY of chump's nominees. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!!

AND THE REST!!

SIGN UP for daily headlines from Daily Kos, AlterNet, and "Democracy Now!" SIGN petitions. ATTEND town halls and protests. The Guardian is independent news you can use; Jeremy Scahill's publication "The Intercept" is another high-quality resource of investigative reporting you'd be hard pressed to find elsewhere. GET INFORMED and GET INVOLVED!

If or when trump really does set up his Muslim registry, SIGN UP! Trevor Noah suggested this to be funny, but it's gone viral because the racist bigoted assholes can't deport us all, now can they? If I can do it as a proud anti-theist atheist, then so can you as whatever religion or lack thereof that you are. Keystone Progress has a page where you can pledge to sign up: Pledge to register as a Muslim if Trump creates a registry.

VOLUNTEER for and DONATE to all the organizations that D. LOSER trump is targeting. Get on their mailing lists and donate as much time and money as you can to Planned Parenthood, NRDC, American Civil Liberties Union, and causes that matter to you. Change your cell phone carrier to CREDO, which is a Sprint re-seller that supports blue causes. Planned Parenthood is especially important to support right now--women will die if we don't. You can also donate to WomenOnWeb, who help women get safe abortions online.

ORGANIZE to TAKE OVER the Democratic Party: FIGHT trump and the Republicans, CLEAN UP Democratic Party failures, WIN the midterms, and apologize to Bernie and America for failing. Today, that means signing up for the JUSTICE DEMOCRATS and volunteering and donating whatever time and money you can!

PROTEST all media that inflicted trump on us--BOYCOTT their advertisers and TELL them why. This includes FUX Noise.

GRAB the pussy-in-thief by the wallet: BOYCOTT businesses that sell trump products and TELL them why.
   
JOIN SOPROUD by joining organizations working to protect our future! SIGN UP at http://workingfamilies.org/ and find an emergency meeting near you! DOWNLOAD and FOLLOW the Indivisible Guide for instructions how best to resist trump by interacting with your elected officials in ways that will get their attention.

And don't forget to SUPPORT those in The Resistance who support YOU (like me)! If we all chip in a buck o' five, WE CAN DO THIS THING!!!!!
    

*****

    
Boycott List

Boycott media!

Don't bother with these media outlets any more unless you want trump propaganda--these media outlets have whored themselves out to trump for access for the low, low price of "fancy" cocktails and a "fancy" dinner, consisting of Donald's shriveled orange acorn dick, at chump's "fancy" (aka FAKE PLASTIC, just like everything else about trump and his FAKE PLASTIC family) "resort" in Florida. What an upstanding, responsible response to trump's denying press conferences since 27 July 2016...retch. So much for comforting the afflicted, afflicting the comfortable, and speaking truth to power to keep that power reined in and in check...!

• Axios
• Bloomberg
• Breitbart because duh--according to AlterNet, Howard Dean Lends Voice to Consumer Activist Group Hitting Breitbart in the Wallet—And It's Working
• CNN
• FOX because of course
• MSNBC (includes Joe Scarborough, but Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes may still be OK as long as their corporate overlords allow it)
• NBC (they also have the reality TV show conflict of interest--and they just hired a couple of FUX Noise escapees, so beware a hard swing to the far, far right)
• POLITICO--their top editor(s) went and paid to party with trump, so now more and more trump propaganda has been showing up there, to my infinite disgust

Don't forget to contact these media outlets and their ADVERTISERS and TELL them all why you're boycotting them! So what if we spend a little less money overall? The money we save now may give us enough breathing room to jump ship before trump crashes the economy.

Boycott vendors that support trump, sell trump shit, and otherwise pander to hate!

Boycott Victoria's Secret--they kick out shoppers who are guilty of shopping while Black!
   
Here's a twofer: let's save our money for when dump tanks the economy and grab the trumpussy grabber-in-thief where it hurts most--by his wallet!

Want to boycott trump? There's an app for that!

And here's a list of trump companies.

There's also a spreadsheet of trump supporters and vendors that carry trump merch that includes the vendors below.
Don't forget New Balance, who praised and supported trump: 1 (800) 595-9138.

Here's the list from Mindy Fischer, featuring 28 vendors that sell trump merchandise. BOYCOTT them all and TELL them why!

6pm
Contact info: (888) 676-2660, HQ- (702) 943-7777
cs@6pm.com

Amazon--pressure them to DUMP BREITBART, while you're at it!
Contact info: (888) 280-4331 HQ- (206) 266-1000
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/contact-us/general-questions.html?skip=true

Belk
Contact info: (866) 235-5443 HQ- (704) 357-1000
http://www.belkfeedback.com/(X(1)S(sbbxm3z11e1guxbtctk2wdkc))/Index.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

Bloomingdale's
Contact info: (800) 777-0000 HQ- (212) 705-2000
http://survey.medallia.com/?blm-tuwyt-com

Bluefly
Contact info: (877) 258-3359 HQ- (212) 944-8000
flyrep@bluefly.com

The Bon-Ton
Contact info: (800) 233-7626 HQ- (800) 937-5449
http://investors.bonton.com/contactus.cfm

Bed Bath and Beyond
Contact info: (800) 462-3966 HQ- (908) 688-0888
https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/selfservice/ContactUs?…

Burlington Coat Factory
Contact info: (855) 355-2875 HQ- (609) 387-7800
http://www.burlingtoncoatfactory.com/contactus.aspx

Carson's
Contact info: (800) 945-4438 HQ- (317) 971-6200
http://investors.bonton.com/contactus.cfm

Century 21 department store
Contact info: (877) 350-2121 HQ- (888) 221-2551
https://www.c21stores.com/contact

Dillard's
Contact info: (800) 345-5273 HQ- (501) 376-5200
http://www.dillards.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContactUs

DSW Shoes
Contact info: (866) 379-7463 HQ- (614) 237-7100
http://www.dsw.com/dsw_shoes/customer_service/send_email.jsp

Hudson’s Bay
Contact info: (800) 521-2364 HQ- (800) 521-2364
https://www.thebay.com/webapp/wcs/stores…

HSN
Contact info: (800) 284-3900 HQ- (727) 872-1000
https://www.hsn.com/cs/email_us/default.aspx

Jet
Contact Info: (855) 538-4323 HQ- (844) 538-2255
help@jet.com

Joss & Main
Contact info: (866) 263-8325 HQ- (617) 532-6100
https://www.wayfair.com/help/faq.php

Lord & Taylor
Contact info: (800) 223-7440 HQ- (212) 391-3344
https://www.lordandtaylor.com/webapp/wcs/stores…

Macy’s
Contact info: (800) 289-6229 HQ- (513) 579-7000
http://survey.medallia.com/?mcy-tuwyt-com

Marshalls and TJ Maxx
Contact info: (888) 627-7425 HQ- (508) 390-1000
https://www.marshallsonline.com/contact-us

Neiman Marcus WE WON! Needless Mark-up DUMPED TRUMP, w00t!
Contact info: (888) 888-4757 HQ- (562) 463-9333
https://www.neimanmarcus.com/assistance/contactUs.jsp

Nordstrom WE WON! Nordstrom DUMPED TRUMP, w00t!
Contact info: (888) 282-6060 HQ- (206) 628-2111
https://nordstrom.custhelp.com/app/ask/incidents.c$sent_queueid/12

Overstock.com
Contact info: (800) 843-2446 HQ- (801) 947-3100
https://help.overstock.com/app/ask

Perfumania
Contact info: (866) 557-2368 HQ- (800) 228-3489
http://perfumaniaholdings.com/contact

Saks Off Fifth
Contact info: (877) 551-7257 HQ- (212) 320-4700
https://www.saksoff5th.com/contactus

Stein Mart
Contact info: (888) 783-4662 HQ- (904) 346-1500
http://ir.steinmart.com/contactus.cfm

Wayfair
Contact info: (866) 263-8325 HQ- (617) 532-6100
https://www.wayfair.com/help/faq.php

Winners
Contact info: (514) 788 4949 HQ- (905) 405-8000
https://www.winners.ca/en/contact

Zappos
Contact info: (800) 927-7671 HQ- (702) 943-7777
https://secure-www.zappos.com/contact

Zulily
Contact info: (877) 779-5615 HQ- (206) 724-0500
http://www.zulily.com/contacts

OK, friends--let's get busy!