[News] Post a Political News Story

Ongoing discussion of the political news of the day. This thread is for 'smaller' stories that don't call for their own thread. If a story blows up, please start a new thread for it.

Presenting bad news in a good way is a time-honored tradition since Robin Hood: Men In Tights.

"We're all in an awful lot of trouble, hahaha!"

Rat Boy wrote:

Presenting bad news in a good way is a time-honored tradition since Robin Hood: Men In Tights.

IMAGE(https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--Y4F6XzJx--/c_scale,f_auto,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/mo5gkkfdf7wcczsqyqlo.jpg)

Rutger Bregman is on a super streak. I first heard about him a couple weeks ago from that terrific clip from Davos:

But now the un-aired Tucker Carlson interview gets leaked:

Bonus material:
Vox interview with him after the Davos incident.

His UBI Ted Talk: "Poverty isn't a lack of character; it's a lack of cash."

Today's justice news:

1. After reviewing the NC09 ballot fraud, the board unanimously votes for a new election. (Maybe instead of running out and hiring the guy who committed the fraud that lost you your last primary, you should pay attention when your lawyer son tells you that the guy looks like he's doing illegal stuff)
2. Roger Stone gets barred from speaking in public, judge isn't very convinced by his apology. (It would probably have helped him if he had been able to keep his story straight.)
3. The prosecutors who struck a secret plea deal with Jeffrey Epstein (without informing his victims) are ruled to have broken the law. (Epstein still won't be prosecuted...unless a previously unknown victim comes forward, which is certainly possible. One of those prosecutors is now the Secretary of Labor.)

RE: Jussie Smollett

During a meeting with the brothers, Smollett told them he wanted the attack to happen Jan. 28 near his apartment in the city’s Streeterville neighborhood, and that he wanted them to get his attention by calling out slurs, prosecutors said. He is accused of instructing them to put the rope around his neck, pour gasoline on him and yell the MAGA remark, an apparent reference to President Donald Trump’s slogan during the 2016 campaign.

Smollett then gave one of the brothers $100 to buy the rope, ski masks, gloves and red baseball caps that resemble those worn by Trump supporters, according to prosecutors. He drove them to the spot where he wanted the attack to take place, taking time to show them the camera that he said would capture it.

He drove them home, wrote a check to one of the brothers for $3,500 and flew to New York, prosecutors said.

Jussie, somehow, still maintains his innocence.

Wrote. A. Check.

Ok.

Remember the texts that came to light last week between Portland Police and altright hate group Patriot Prayer? This week the President of the police union demanded an apology from city leaders for anti-police bias and insisted that leftist protesters are the real threat for their blocking of traffic and minor vandalism.
For context, Patriot Prayer members have initiated violence on multiple occasions both in and out of protests, have sent numerous people to the hospital, and have been linked to random attacks on LGBT individuals over the last few months.

Well, sure, but at least they weren't committing minor vandalism.

BadKen wrote:

Well, sure, but at least they weren't committing minor vandalism.

Blocking traffic is the real crime! You can't give tickets if no one is driving.

We need some old testament style justice to deal with those cops. Like every time a Patriot Prayer member injures someone, a random cop has to have the same injury inflicted.

ruhk wrote:

Remember the texts that came to light last week between Portland Police and altright hate group Patriot Prayer? This week the President of the police union demanded an apology from city leaders for anti-police bias and insisted that leftist protesters are the real threat for their blocking of traffic and minor vandalism.
For context, Patriot Prayer members have initiated violence on multiple occasions both in and out of protests, have sent numerous people to the hospital, and have been linked to random attacks on LGBT individuals over the last few months.

Oh lovely. President of the Portland Police Union is a literal white supremacist. That's just greeeeat. Everything is fine, nothing to see here.

Dammit man, an actor faked being attacked! Which is more important? An individual acting badly or systemic racism at the highest levels of a major cities police force?

The actor! Duh. So we need to get back to focusing on what is really important.

thrawn82 wrote:
ruhk wrote:

Remember the texts that came to light last week between Portland Police and altright hate group Patriot Prayer? This week the President of the police union demanded an apology from city leaders for anti-police bias and insisted that leftist protesters are the real threat for their blocking of traffic and minor vandalism.
For context, Patriot Prayer members have initiated violence on multiple occasions both in and out of protests, have sent numerous people to the hospital, and have been linked to random attacks on LGBT individuals over the last few months.

Oh lovely. President of the Portland Police Union is a literal white supremacist. That's just greeeeat. Everything is fine, nothing to see here.

In a more fair and just world the Feds would immediately swoop in and begin a thorough investigation of the state of the police and their union.

TheGameguru wrote:

In a more fair and just world the Feds would immediately swoop in and begin a thorough investigation of the state of the police and their union.

True but I can already hear the screams of racists about federal government overreach over states. It has been a time honored way to keep institutional racism going.

farley3k wrote:
TheGameguru wrote:

In a more fair and just world the Feds would immediately swoop in and begin a thorough investigation of the state of the police and their union.

True but I can already hear the screams of racists about federal government overreach over states. It has been a time honored way to keep institutional racism going.

LOok everyone knows federal overrach is only appropriate if it supports racism, not when it opposes it. Yadda yadda states rights Mah freedums.

Noted dirtbag billionaire and Trump BFF Robert Kraft was charged with soliciting prostitution in the state of Florida today.

I would love it for someone to find the one Trump associate that is not a crook. (if it exists...)

The tremor you feel is the entirety of the American press suddenly shifting from Chicago to New England en masse.

You paint a picture a la South Park with the crowds chanting:
"Rudrud rudrudrudrud"

Reaper81 wrote:

Noted dirtbag billionaire and Trump BFF Robert Kraft was charged with soliciting prostitution in the state of Florida today.

A couple interesting bullets from the NBC news story:

The 77-year-old billionaire is among more than two dozen people accused in a police sting as part of a human trafficking probe, authorities say.

Kraft is a friend of President Donald Trump, who last month touted his administration's efforts to eradicate human trafficking.

It really is “every accusation is a confession” isn’t it...?

Wink_and_the_Gun wrote:

It really is “every accusation is a confession” isn’t it...?

Yes. However, this issue, like sexual assault, is apolitical.

Wink_and_the_Gun wrote:

It really is “every accusation is a confession” isn’t it...?

I have a lot of theories about projection these days.

Prederick wrote:
Wink_and_the_Gun wrote:

It really is “every accusation is a confession” isn’t it...?

I have a lot of theories about projection these days.

does this mean that at Lego, everything is in fact awesome?

Everything IS cool when you're part of a team. So I don't see why not?

Wink_and_the_Gun wrote:

It really is “every accusation is a confession” isn’t it...?

I wonder...

The dirt it seems Russia has on people like Trump and Graham...

Dr.Ghastly wrote:
Wink_and_the_Gun wrote:

It really is “every accusation is a confession” isn’t it...?

I wonder...

The dirt it seems Russia has on people like Trump and Graham...

Makes you wonder about Trump's oddly specific fantasies of trafficked women tied up with blue tape over their mouths.

ClockworkHouse wrote:
Dr.Ghastly wrote:
Wink_and_the_Gun wrote:

It really is “every accusation is a confession” isn’t it...?

I wonder...

The dirt it seems Russia has on people like Trump and Graham...

Makes you wonder about Trump's oddly specific fantasies of trafficked women tied up with blue tape over their mouths.

I'm also generally pretty skeptical when police conduct street level prostitution stings and claim to be "combating human trafficking," I'm really interested in what this sting actually involved.

ClockworkHouse wrote:
Dr.Ghastly wrote:
Wink_and_the_Gun wrote:

It really is “every accusation is a confession” isn’t it...?

I wonder...

The dirt it seems Russia has on people like Trump and Graham...

Makes you wonder about Trump's oddly specific fantasies of trafficked women tied up with blue tape over their mouths.

That and I was thinking about the "pee tapes" and child sex trafficking etc.