riversedge
riversedge's JournalTrump administration issues rule to strip millions from Planned Parenthood
Source: Politico
Updated 02/22/2019 02:04 PM EST
The Trump administration issued a final rule on Friday that could effectively cut off tens of millions of federal family planning dollars to Planned Parenthood and steer some of that funding towards anti-abortion, faith-based care providers.
While the revamp of the Title X program does not accomplish the full defunding of Planned Parenthood that Republicans have called for, it is a major step in that direction, and marks another major policy win for social conservatives looking to prohibit access to abortion.
Under the rule, clinics would still have to provide an array of contraceptive services but could partner or subcontract with groups that stress abstinence only or natural family planning. It would also bar Planned Parenthood and other health care providers that accept the funding from making any abortion referrals or performing abortions — regardless of the funding source — at the same facilities where they provide Title X services like birth control, mammograms and cancer screenings.
If not put on hold by a court injunction, the rule will go into effect 60 days after it is published in the federal register in the coming days.
Critics of the new policy, which will almost certainly end up in federal court, say it will amount to a "domestic gag rule" that prohibits health care providers from fully counseling their patients on their reproductive choices without government interference. Abortion rights groups have already sued the Trump administration over the way grant funding under the program is being distributed, arguing the criteria improperly stress abstinence over access to all FDA-approved forms of contraception.
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Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/22/planned-parenthood-funding-trump-1164038
https://twitter.com/allinwithchris/status/1099033523569201153
https://twitter.com/AbbyDobby/status/1099034585805942784
Central Plains to Upper Midwest brace for blizzard set to unload nearly 2 feet of snow
Geeez, time to stock up AGAIN. Stay safe all affected-and stay off the roads!!
February 22, 2019
Central Plains to Upper Midwest brace for blizzard set to unload nearly 2 feet of snow
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/blizzard-to-unfold-from-central-plains-to-upper-midwest-this-weekend/70007501
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
The same storm set that brought feet of snow to Arizona will swing onto the Plains and evolve into a blizzard over part of the north-central United States this weekend.
The weekend storm, like the one at midweek, will track toward the Great Lakes. However, the storm this weekend will be significantly stronger.
As a result, the new storm will create heavier precipitation, including snow, and generate high winds.
US weekend 2/21 3am
"At this time, areas from Kansas to central Nebraska, northwestern Iowa, southeastern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and northern Michigan have the potential to receive a general 6-12 inches of snow with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 20 inches," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.
Snowfall central 2.22 AM
However, a shift in the storm track may occur depending on the storm's exact path as it dips into the Southwest states, prior to turning northeastward.
"The weekend storm is likely to produce blizzard conditions within and surrounding the heavy snow swath," according to AccuWeather Storm Warning Meteorologist Richard Schraeger.
Blizzard conditions may occur, even though precipitation in some parts of the southern Plains may start as rain or ice.
Cities at risk for blizzard conditions include Goodland, Kansas; Grand Island, Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska; Minneapolis; and Eau Claire, Wisconsin........................................
February 22, 2019
Weekend storm may seem like a hurricane as winds rip from central US to northeastern US
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/weekend-storm-may-seem-like-a-hurricane-as-winds-rip-from-central-us-to-northeastern-us/70007506
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
00:1301:00
A powerful storm, more typical of March, will cause winds to howl and may knock down trees, cut power and lead to travel problems from the Plains to the Midwest and Northeast this weekend.
For some, it may seem more like an inland hurricane, rather than a winter storm.
Gusts, in most cases, will fall short of that of a hurricane and fall within the range of 40-60 mph.
However, a few gusts may reach hurricane force, or 74 mph, over open areas of the Great Plains, along the shores of the Great Lakes and the ridges in the central Appalachians.
Weekend US
The strength of the storm itself and the alignment of winds near the ground and in many layers in the atmosphere above the ground will allow strong gusts from aloft to reach the surface.
From the lower Mississippi Valley to the Ohio Valley, strong wind gusts can precede, accompany and follow a severe weather and potential tornado outbreak on Saturday and Saturday night.
The same storm is forecast to bring blizzard conditions from the central Plains to the Upper Midwest this weekend.................................
House conservative cosponsors bill to block Trump's emergency declaration
Source: the hill
02/22/19 11:23 AM EST
Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich) is joining Democrats in cosponsoring a joint resolution to block President Trump's emergency declaration seeking additional funds to build physical barriers along the southern border.
Amash is the sole Republican to sign onto measure, according to Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), who is spearheading the efforts.
"Right now I believe that we're at about 226 or 227 cosponsors including one Republican, Justin Amash, and I look forward to getting more support as the days go on," Castro told reporters on a call Friday.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) noted the Dear Colleague letter that she sent Monday encouraged members of both parties to support the resolution, adding she believes Trump's decision is an "institutional assault" against Congress. ........................................
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/431141-house-conservative-cosponsors-bill-to-block-trumps-emergency-declaration
Getting the votes on record is a start.
https://twitter.com/justinamash/status/1096429639441043456
Pentagon asks DHS to justify moving funds for Trump's border wall
Source: The Hill
By Ellen Mitchell - 02/21/19 06:40 PM EST
The Pentagon signaled Thursday that it has asked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for a priorities list to justify using military funds to build President Trump's desired border wall.
“We’ve asked DHS for input facts, data, priorities; we are waiting to receive those,” Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told reporters at the Pentagon.
“When we do, we will then ... match that with our mission analysis and begin the process I think I've described to many of you.”
The Military Times first reported Thursday that the Pentagon asked DHS for such a list in a Feb. 18 memo. The document asks for locations where border wall construction would improve the “effectiveness" of military troops deployed there.
Shanahan also told reporters that Pentagon officials will brief lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Friday “on the way forward and to give people a sense of not just the activities we are going to undertake but [also] the timing.”
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Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/defense/431065-pentagon-asks-dhs-to-justify-moving-funds-for-trumps-border-wall
TX SOS apologized for inaccurate claim of 95,000 non-citizen voters that Trump tweeted as evidence o
Texas secretary of state apologized for inaccurate claim of 95,000 non-citizen voters that Trump tweeted as evidence of voter fraud
https://www.businessinsider.com/texas-secretary-of-state-retracts-figures-on-illegal-voters-2019-2
Feb. 16, 2019, 4:09 PM
David Whitley. Eric Gay/AP
The Texas secretary of state has apologized for misleading reports that said tens of thousands of people in the state had voted illegally.
David Whitley's apology comes nearly a month after his office released a report that suggested 58,000 non-US citizens may have voted illegally in past Texas elections.
Republican lawmakers, including President Donald Trump, seized on the figures, claiming they proved rampant voter fraud.
David Whitley, the Texas secretary of state, apologized for a misleading claim that tens of thousands of non-citizens were registered to vote.
Last month the secretary of state's office said it was investigating the legal status of 95,000 registered voters who had provided work visas or green cards as documents when they obtained a driver's license or ID, which may suggest they were not citizens.
Of these, according to the Texas Tribune, the secretary of state's office said about 58,000 individuals cast a ballot in one or more elections since 1996. Officials said the names identified are "WEAK" matches that counties may choose to investigate or not.
Those figures have proven to be invalid, as outlets including the Texas Tribune found that tens of thousands of those counted were US citizens.
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Roseanne Barr Calls Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez A 'B---h,' Slams Democratic Party In Profanity-Laced Yo
She looks horrible--which is reflection of her mind!!
https://twitter.com/jilevin/status/1098479823801012224
Roseanne Barr Calls Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez A 'B---h,' Slams Democratic Party In Profanity-Laced YouTube Video
By Donica Phifer On 2/21/19 at 12:59 AM
Comedienne Roseanne Barr took to YouTube on Wednesday in a video that minced no words as she discussed Democrats, socialism, and freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) was the first subject on Barr's mind in the almost-two minute clip, with the actress referring to the congresswoman as "that Farrakhan loving, bug-eyed b---h." While Barr did not refer to Ocasio-Cortez by name, she mentioned the Green New Deal, the New York congresswoman's signature bill.
"That Green New Deal, that, that Farrakhan loving, bug-eyed b----h, I don't even remember her name. The bug-eyed b---h that looks like a realtor. She got them realtor eyes," Barr said before widening her eyes and opening her mouth. "Bug-eyed, lying b---h. Farrakhan loving, Israel hater. Leftie."
Barr went on to add other names in reference to Ocasio-Cortez, before adding that she would "try to correct some of the mistakes she's made."
Barr then spoke about "costing people decent paying jobs," likely a reference to Ocasio-Cortez's stance on Amazon's intention to construct a second headquarters in Queens, New York. Though the congresswoman was not the only politician to speak out against the online retailer's decision, Ocasio-Cortez and New York City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer were blamed by an Amazon spokesman as one of the reasons that the company canceled its plans to move to Long Island City.
"She got paid to do that," Barr goes on to say. "Can you imagine? Paid to decimate communities. That's what the Dems have been doing. That's what socialism does."....................
Facing ethics violation, Wilbur Ross says he didn't mean to file inaccurate financial disclosures
The man must have lawyers to do his disclosures. Why lie??
Facing ethics violation, Wilbur Ross says he didn’t mean to file inaccurate financial disclosures
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/02/20/facing-ethics-violation-wilbur-ross-says-he-didnt-mean-file-inaccurate-financial-disclosures/?utm_term=.00177a13ce2c
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross meets with Chinese officials at the White House on Jan. 30. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
By Reis Thebault
February 19 at 10:51 PM
The U.S. government’s top ethics watchdog has ruled that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross violated his ethics agreement by inaccurately reporting stock holdings in his 2018 financial disclosure form.
Ross — one of the wealthiest members of President Trump’s Cabinet — did not sell stock he held in a bank despite reporting otherwise, said Emory Rounds, director of the Office of Government Ethics.
“Therefore, OGE is declining to certify Secretary Ross’s 2018 financial disclosure report,” Rounds wrote in a letter dated Feb. 15, “because that report was not accurate and he was not in compliance with his ethics agreement at the time of the report.”
Observers called the move highly unusual, and one told CNN that the office’s decision amounted to “a pretty giant red flag.” Richard Painter, an ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush, told the outlet that he has never seen a Cabinet member’s disclosure form rejected in this way...........................................
GRAPH/Map of EACH Day TRump Attacked the INvestigations from @NYTimes....
Great graphs for the number of times Trump has attacked different people or issues:
Image is from front web page of NYTimes:
?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=1620
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/02/19/us/politics/trump-attacks-obstruction-investigation.html
Trump Has Publicly Attacked the Russia Investigation More Than 1,100 Times
By LARRY BUCHANAN and KAREN YOURISH FEB. 19, 2019
President Trump has publicly criticized dozens of people and groups related to federal inquiries into contacts between his campaign and Russia, according to a New York Times analysis of nearly every public statement or Twitter post that he has made while in office.
Hillary Clinton and her 2016 campaign
James B. Comey
Obama administration
News media
The attacks, which number nearly 1,200, are part of a strategy to beat back the investigations. They have also opened him to possible obstruction of justice charges. They include statements made on Twitter, in official speeches, at rallies and during news media interviews and other press events.
While it is highly unusual for anyone — let alone the president of the United States — to comment on continuing criminal investigations, Mr. Trump has done so at least once on 330 days, or more than 43 percent of his time in office as of Feb. 14.
Each day that Trump attacked the investigations
Mr. Trump has employed a wide range of attacks in what appears to be an attempt to discredit the people and organizations associated with the investigations.
According to the president, the inquiry by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, into Russian interference in the 2016 election is the “single greatest witch hunt in political history.”
Special counsel investigation
Attacked 361 times
Mr. Trump has said that Russian meddling was fabricated “as an excuse by the Democrats as to why Crooked Hillary Clinton” lost.
Hillary Clinton and her campaign
News media
James B. Comey
F.B.I., Justice Dept. and intelligence agencies
Jeff Sessions
Mr. Trump, however, does not disparage everyone involved.
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Intimidation, Pressure and Humiliation: Inside Trump’s Two-Year War on the Investigations Encircling
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/19/us/politics/trump-investigations.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
President Trump’s efforts have exposed him to accusations of obstruction of justice as Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, finishes his work.
President Trump entering the House chamber to deliver his State of the Union speech this month. Mr. Trump has attacked the law enforcement apparatus of his own government like no other president in history.CreditCreditDoug Mills/The New York Times
By Mark Mazzetti, Maggie Haberman, Nicholas Fandos and Michael S. Schmidt
Feb. 19, 2019
WASHINGTON — As federal prosecutors in Manhattan gathered evidence late last year about President Trump’s role in silencing women with hush payments during the 2016 campaign, Mr. Trump called Matthew G. Whitaker, his newly installed attorney general, with a question. He asked whether Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York and a Trump ally, could be put in charge of the widening investigation, according to several American officials with direct knowledge of the call.
Mr. Whitaker, who had privately told associates that part of his role at the Justice Department was to “jump on a grenade” for the president, knew he could not put Mr. Berman in charge because Mr. Berman had already recused himself from the investigation. The president soon soured on Mr. Whitaker, as he often does with his aides, and complained about his inability to pull levers at the Justice Department that could make the president’s many legal problems go away.
Trying to install a perceived loyalist atop a widening inquiry is a familiar tactic for Mr. Trump, who has been struggling to beat back the investigations that have consumed his presidency. His efforts have exposed him to accusations of obstruction of justice as Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, finishes his work investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Mr. Trump’s public war on the inquiry has gone on long enough that it is no longer shocking. Mr. Trump rages almost daily to his 58 million Twitter followers that Mr. Mueller is on a “witch hunt” and has adopted the language of Mafia bosses by calling those who cooperate with the special counsel “rats.” His lawyer talks openly about a strategy to smear and discredit the special counsel investigation. The president’s allies in Congress and the conservative news media warn of an insidious plot inside the Justice Department and the F.B.I. to subvert a democratically elected president.
An examination by The New York Times reveals the extent of an even more sustained, more secretive assault by Mr. Trump on the machinery of federal law enforcement. Interviews with dozens of current and former government officials and others close to Mr. Trump, as well as a review of confidential White House documents, reveal numerous unreported episodes in a two-year drama.
Matthew G. Whitaker, the former acting attorney general, is now under scrutiny by the House for possible perjury.CreditTom Brenner for The New York Times
Image
Matthew G. Whitaker, the former acting attorney general, is now under scrutiny by the House for possible perjury.CreditTom Brenner for The New York Times
White House lawyers wrote a confidential memo expressing concern about the president’s staff peddling misleading information in public about the firing of Michael T. Flynn, the Trump administration’s first national security adviser. Mr. Trump had private conversations with Republican lawmakers about a campaign to attack the Mueller investigation. And there was the episode when he asked his attorney general about putting Mr. Berman in charge of the Manhattan investigation.
Guerrilla Art Anti-Trump Ad Takeover of New York City - A Presidential Parody #apresidentialparody
Ah--good on #NYC
https://twitter.com/MioMaia/status/1097853337112846336
https://twitter.com/MioMaia/status/1097853337112846336
Guerrilla Art Anti-Trump Ad Takeover of New York City - A Presidential Parody #apresidentialparody #maialorian #abelincolnjr #presidentialparody #adtakeover #streetart #publicart
https://twitter.com/MioMaia/status/1067237067535589377
https://twitter.com/LunaPark/status/1067785629453434882
No one embodies the incoherence of the modern digital age quite like Trump does
Interesting article. We see this Trump everyday (as described below)--the babbling idiot.
https://twitter.com/Truthdig/status/1097929368721149952
Truthdig
?Verified account @Truthdig
No one embodies the incoherence of the modern digital age quite like Trump does
12:42 PM - 19 Feb 2019
Feb 18, 2019
Worshipping the Electronic Image
Mr. Fish / Truthdig
Donald Trump, like much of the American public, is entranced by electronic images. He interprets reality through the distortions of digital media. His decisions, opinions, political positions, prejudices and sense of self are reflected back to him on screens. He views himself and the world around him as a vast television show with himself as the star. His primary concerns as president are his ratings, his popularity and his image. He is a creature—maybe the poster child—of the modern, post-literate culture, a culture that critics such as Marshall McLuhan, Daniel Boorstin, James W. Carey and Neil Postman warned us about.
It is not, as some have suggested, merely that Trump speaks at the level of a seventh-grader or that he harkens back to a preliterate oral culture. He embodies the incoherence of the modern digital age, filled with sudden shifts from subject to subject, a roller-coaster ride of emotional highs and lows punctuated with commercials. There is nonstop stimulation. Seldom does anything occupy our attention for more than a few seconds. Nothing has context. Images overwhelm words. We are perpetually confused, but always entertained. We barely remember what we saw or heard a few minutes earlier. This is by design of the elites who manipulate us.
“It is not merely that on the television screen entertainment is the metaphor for all discourse,” Postman points out. “It is that off the screen the same metaphor prevails.” Americans, because television stages their world, “no longer talk to each other, they entertain each other.” Trump is what is produced when a society severs itself from print, when it pushes art, ethics, classics, philosophy, history and the humanities to the margins of the universities and culture, when its members spend hours sitting inert in front of a screen. Information, ideas and epistemology are, as Postman writes, given form today by electronic images.
It is a mistake to see what is happening as cultural regression. It is worse than that. Oral cultures prized memorization and cultivated the high art of rhetoric. Leaders, playwrights and poets in oral cultures did not speak to their publics in Trump’s crude vernacular. More ominous than the president’s impoverished vocabulary is that he cannot string together sentences that make sense. This replicates not only the shoddy vocabulary of television, but more importantly the incoherence of television. Trump is able to communicate with tens of millions of Americans, also raised in front of screens, because they too have been linguistically and intellectually mutated by digital images. They lack the ability to detect lies or think rationally. They are part of our post-truth culture.......................................................
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