week of May 15

[dc2london]

WHOA we won in Jacksonville too!!

www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/democrat-donna-deegan-flips-jacksonville-mayors-office-major-upset-rcna84791

[dc2london]

[dc2london]

[dc2london]

Bahahahaha

[dc2london]

Seriously, people?

[cakewench]

Seeing on Twitter that Lau.ra Ing.raham has been fired from Faux

[dc2london]

I saw the Ing.rah.am thing but not from anyone verified

[dc2london]

[athn64]

May 17, 2023 8:07:03 GMT -6 byjove said:

Would use. As it is, I use the software my mom buys since she gets five free files.

[PandaWatch]

May 16, 2023 18:12:24 GMT -6 jaygee said:

There’s a report in our local paper that Senator Feinstein seemed to deny / be confused that she has been gone from DC.

www.sfgate.com/politics/article/reporters-detail-concerning-feinstein-encounter-18103053.php

“"Oh, I’m feeling fine. I have a problem with the leg," she replied, according to Newell.

When another reporter waiting nearby asked her what was wrong with her leg, Newell said Feinstein responded by saying: "Well, nothing that’s anyone concern but mine." Then came the most notable part of the conversation: Newell recounted that when the other reporter asked Feinstein how her return to Washington had been received among her Capitol colleagues, she seemed to deny being gone.

"No, I haven’t been gone," she reportedly said, before adding: "You should follow the — I haven’t been gone, I’ve been working."

Newell said Feinstein "turned feisty" when she was asked to clarify whether she meant that she had been working from home. Her office had maintained that she was receiving updates about Senate business while she was recuperating in San Francisco.

“No, I’ve been here. I’ve been voting,” she reportedly said. “Please, you either know or don’t know.”“

This makes me really sad. I have two close family members experiencing dementia, and I cannot imagine putting them in the public eye and expecting them to work (as a senator no less!). Someone needs to get her to retire ASAP so she can get the care she needs.

[Sweetjane]

May 17, 2023 17:35:18 GMT -6 PandaWatch said:

May 16, 2023 18:12:24 GMT -6 jaygee said:

There’s a report in our local paper that Senator Feinstein seemed to deny / be confused that she has been gone from DC.

www.sfgate.com/politics/article/reporters-detail-concerning-feinstein-encounter-18103053.php

“"Oh, I’m feeling fine. I have a problem with the leg," she replied, according to Newell.

When another reporter waiting nearby asked her what was wrong with her leg, Newell said Feinstein responded by saying: "Well, nothing that’s anyone concern but mine." Then came the most notable part of the conversation: Newell recounted that when the other reporter asked Feinstein how her return to Washington had been received among her Capitol colleagues, she seemed to deny being gone.

"No, I haven’t been gone," she reportedly said, before adding: "You should follow the — I haven’t been gone, I’ve been working."

Newell said Feinstein "turned feisty" when she was asked to clarify whether she meant that she had been working from home. Her office had maintained that she was receiving updates about Senate business while she was recuperating in San Francisco.

“No, I’ve been here. I’ve been voting,” she reportedly said. “Please, you either know or don’t know.”“

This makes me really sad. I have two close family members experiencing dementia, and I cannot imagine putting them in the public eye and expecting them to work (as a senator no less!). Someone needs to get her to retire ASAP so she can get the care she needs.

Have lived with this as well. Where is her family? Her daughter?
She should be able to do something.
At some point the family had to take the keys to the car, grandpa can't be driving around falling asleep at red lights and side swiping parked cars anymore.

[enchanted]

Everything about DiFi makes me sad. No one is putting her first and taking care of her.

[mathlete]

May 17, 2023 16:13:40 GMT -6 athn64 said:

May 17, 2023 8:07:03 GMT -6 byjove said:

Would use. As it is, I use the software my mom buys since she gets five free files.

Same life! Except she used to pay for the extra state since she worked in Missouri and so does H, but she retired so we had to pay for the extra state 😂

[carmensandiego]

It's another chance for me to plug a wonderful Planet Money episode about tax preparation companies from a few years ago. "Today on the show, what happened when one mild-mannered professor took on the tax system and found himself up against a multibillion-dollar corporation and one of the most important power brokers in Washington."

www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/04/03/709656642/episode-760-tax-hero

[athn64]

May 17, 2023 20:22:05 GMT -6 mathlete said:

May 17, 2023 16:13:40 GMT -6 athn64 said:

Would use. As it is, I use the software my mom buys since she gets five free files.

Same life! Except she used to pay for the extra state since she worked in Missouri and so does H, but she retired so we had to pay for the extra state 😂

Lol. Thankfully we only file in IL, and they already have free online forms.

[dc2london]

This is.....not great, Dan

"Mr. Allen also sent an email linking to a website stating that “federal law enforcement had some degree of infiltration among the crowds gathered at the Capitol,” leading Mr. Allen to comment that this supposed fact raised “serious concerns” about the U.S. government’s participation in the riot.

F.B.I. investigators also found that Mr. Allen, who filed a lawsuit against Mr. Wray last year contesting the initial suspension of his clearance, failed to provide relevant information to fellow agents investigating the riot about people who allegedly took part in the attack, the letter said.

The letter noted that when another agent asked Mr. Allen to conduct open source research about a Jan. 6 suspect, he reported back that he had found no information that the person had engaged in any criminal activity or had any “nexus to terrorism.”

This is the whistle-blower Gym is holding up as evidence of weaponization of the federal government

[Minerva]

May 18, 2023 7:43:52 GMT -6 dc2london said:

This is.....not great, Dan

"Mr. Allen also sent an email linking to a website stating that “federal law enforcement had some degree of infiltration among the crowds gathered at the Capitol,” leading Mr. Allen to comment that this supposed fact raised “serious concerns” about the U.S. government’s participation in the riot.

F.B.I. investigators also found that Mr. Allen, who filed a lawsuit against Mr. Wray last year contesting the initial suspension of his clearance, failed to provide relevant information to fellow agents investigating the riot about people who allegedly took part in the attack, the letter said.

The letter noted that when another agent asked Mr. Allen to conduct open source research about a Jan. 6 suspect, he reported back that he had found no information that the person had engaged in any criminal activity or had any “nexus to terrorism.”

This is the whistle-blower Gym is holding up as evidence of weaponization of the federal government

I read this last night and my mouth was hanging open the whole time.

Of course, Gym Socks would get the dudes fired for sedition to testify and try to sell them as whistleblowers. The worst part is, the GOP base buys right into it.

[dc2london]

So did Lau.ra Ing.rah.am go on air last night?

[dc2london]

Proboards keeps logging me out. It's so annoying.

[PandaWatch]

This Politico story about Feinstein makes some troubling inferences about Pelosi and the CA Senate race ☹️

“But among some of those who are aware, it has also raised uncomfortable questions about whether Nancy Pelosi’s political interests are in conflict with Feinstein’s personal interests.”

***

“But if Feinstein were to bow to pressure and retire early, Schiff’s advantage could disappear. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) has pledged to appoint a Black woman to serve out her term, and one of Schiff’s declared opponents, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), would fit the bill.

“If DiFi resigns right now, there is an enormous probability that Barbara Lee gets appointed — thus, it makes it harder for Schiff,” one Pelosi family confidant told Playbook, adding that the relationship between Pelosi, her daughter and the senator is “being kept under wraps and very, very closely held.”

www.politico.com/news/2023/05/18/dianne-feinstein-senate-resign-retire-pelosi-schiff-lee-00097595

[byjove]

Can't read the full story, but this is not surprising at all.

[carmensandiego]

Extremism in law enforcement and the military (a significant hiring pipeline for us) has been a recognized problem since at least the 90s. We know some extremism groups have a plan to send their members to law enforcement. Some of it is related to policing culture and some of it is our hiring standards. Our training is sometimes done by borderline extremist groups. There's a systemic unwillingness to address it. It's a huge problem. Once hired, it also raises constitutional concerns when we move to discipline folks. It's a fine line to walk. We can do it but the skill needed can scare off departments (which is wrong in itself).

www.nytimes.com/2022/11/13/opinion/us-police-military-extremism.html

www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-police-extremism/

[dc2london]

From the NYT story

'Characterized by swelling of the brain, post-shingles encephalitis can leave patients with lasting memory or language problems, sleep disorders, bouts of confusion, mood disorders, headaches and difficulties walking. Older patients tend to have the most trouble recovering. And even before this latest illness, Ms. Feinstein had already suffered substantial memory issues that had raised questions about her mental capacity.'

[Sweetjane]

May 17, 2023 18:04:33 GMT -6 Sweetjane said:

May 17, 2023 17:35:18 GMT -6 PandaWatch said:

This makes me really sad. I have two close family members experiencing dementia, and I cannot imagine putting them in the public eye and expecting them to work (as a senator no less!). Someone needs to get her to retire ASAP so she can get the care she needs.

Have lived with this as well. Where is her family? Her daughter?
She should be able to do something.
At some point the family had to take the keys to the car, grandpa can't be driving around falling asleep at red lights and side swiping parked cars anymore.

I am quoting myself to point out the troubling answer to my questions.
Nancy Pelosi's daughter is the one pushing DiFi around the Capitol, she is her caretaker!
It's laughable and almost ironic.
The optics are so bad and they don't even care.

[dc2london]

The Politico article sets up a false choice,though (shocker).
Newsom doesn't have to choose Barbara Lee. He absolutely can, and should, appoint a Black woman to hold the seat while the voters decide. When he made that pledge, there wasn't an active primary yet.
I think Barbara Lee would be great, I love her, but Gavin Newsom is not stupid, French Laundry parties aside. He is not going to jump into a hot primary and tip the scales. And the Beltway media needs to stop pretending like he has to.

[dc2london]

[dc2london]

I am phonebanking the craziest damn list right now. Every Brenda and Karen wants to tell me every problem they have with Joe Biden. Like, at length. Is this a strategy to waste volunteer time or exhaust us?
It's not going to work, Cheryl.

[jaygee]

May 18, 2023 16:50:57 GMT -6 dc2london said:

The Politico article sets up a false choice,though (shocker).
Newsom doesn't have to choose Barbara Lee. He absolutely can, and should, appoint a Black woman to hold the seat while the voters decide. When he made that pledge, there wasn't an active primary yet.
I think Barbara Lee would be great, I love her, but Gavin Newsom is not stupid, French Laundry parties aside. He is not going to jump into a hot primary and tip the scales. And the Beltway media needs to stop pretending like he has to.

I know this will come as a shock to Politico but we have other qualified Black women in our state of 40M people. He can do both - appoint someone and not interfere with an upcoming election.

[jaygee]

May 18, 2023 16:58:19 GMT -6 dc2london said:

I am phonebanking the craziest damn list right now. Every Brenda and Karen wants to tell me every problem they have with Joe Biden. Like, at length. Is this a strategy to waste volunteer time or exhaust us?
It's not going to work, Cheryl.

You have all my sorries.

[dc2london]

May 18, 2023 17:48:24 GMT -6 jaygee said:

May 18, 2023 16:50:57 GMT -6 dc2london said:

The Politico article sets up a false choice,though (shocker).
Newsom doesn't have to choose Barbara Lee. He absolutely can, and should, appoint a Black woman to hold the seat while the voters decide. When he made that pledge, there wasn't an active primary yet.
I think Barbara Lee would be great, I love her, but Gavin Newsom is not stupid, French Laundry parties aside. He is not going to jump into a hot primary and tip the scales. And the Beltway media needs to stop pretending like he has to.

I know this will come as a shock to Politico but we have other qualified Black women in our state of 40M people. He can do both - appoint someone and not interfere with an upcoming election.

Exactly