Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Celerity
Celerity's Journal
Celerity's Journal
July 14, 2019
CNN The Axe Files 7/13/19 w/ Pete (full video)
July 13, 2019
The House Democratic Caucus issued a rebuke of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-N.Y.) chief of staff Friday evening amid a public spat between House leadership and a small group of progressive members. The caucus hammered Saikat Chakrabarti for comments he made going after Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.), who is Native American. Chakrabarti said in the quoted tweet that Davids had taken votes that “enable a racist system.”
“Who is this guy and why is he explicitly singling out a Native American woman of color? Her name is Congresswoman Davids, not Sharice. She is a phenomenal new member who flipped a red seat blue. Keep Her Name Out Of Your Mouth,” the House Democratic Caucus tweeted Friday evening.
Who is this guy and why is he explicitly singling out a Native American woman of color?
Her name is Congresswoman Davids, not Sharice.
She is a phenomenal new member who flipped a red seat blue.
KeepHerNameOutOfYourMouth. pic.twitter.com/k4sV5hsbQl
— House Democrats (@HouseDemocrats) July 13, 2019
Chakrabarti pushed back, calling Davids a friend and emphasizing that his previous tweets were aimed at calling out a "terrible border funding bill that 90+ Dems opposed," saying it "gave Trump a blank check to continue caging people in horrendous conditions."
"Our Democracy is literally falling apart. I'm not interested in substance-less Twitter spats," he added.
Everything I tweeted 2 weeks ago was to call out the terrible border funding bill that 90+ Dems opposed. It gave Trump a blank check to continue caging people in horrendous conditions. Our Democracy is literally falling apart. I'm not interested in substance-less Twitter spats.
— Saikat Chakrabarti (@saikatc) July 13, 2019
snip
https://twitter.com/HouseDemocrats/status/1149856308801286148
https://twitter.com/saikatc/status/1149875641925492744
https://twitter.com/saikatc/status/1149875643280187394
House Democratic Caucus rebukes Ocasio-Cortez's chief of staff
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/452918-house-democratic-caucus-rebukes-ocasio-cortezs-chief-of-staffThe House Democratic Caucus issued a rebuke of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-N.Y.) chief of staff Friday evening amid a public spat between House leadership and a small group of progressive members. The caucus hammered Saikat Chakrabarti for comments he made going after Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.), who is Native American. Chakrabarti said in the quoted tweet that Davids had taken votes that “enable a racist system.”
“Who is this guy and why is he explicitly singling out a Native American woman of color? Her name is Congresswoman Davids, not Sharice. She is a phenomenal new member who flipped a red seat blue. Keep Her Name Out Of Your Mouth,” the House Democratic Caucus tweeted Friday evening.
Who is this guy and why is he explicitly singling out a Native American woman of color?
Her name is Congresswoman Davids, not Sharice.
She is a phenomenal new member who flipped a red seat blue.
KeepHerNameOutOfYourMouth. pic.twitter.com/k4sV5hsbQl
— House Democrats (@HouseDemocrats) July 13, 2019
Chakrabarti pushed back, calling Davids a friend and emphasizing that his previous tweets were aimed at calling out a "terrible border funding bill that 90+ Dems opposed," saying it "gave Trump a blank check to continue caging people in horrendous conditions."
"Our Democracy is literally falling apart. I'm not interested in substance-less Twitter spats," he added.
Everything I tweeted 2 weeks ago was to call out the terrible border funding bill that 90+ Dems opposed. It gave Trump a blank check to continue caging people in horrendous conditions. Our Democracy is literally falling apart. I'm not interested in substance-less Twitter spats.
— Saikat Chakrabarti (@saikatc) July 13, 2019
snip
https://twitter.com/HouseDemocrats/status/1149856308801286148
https://twitter.com/saikatc/status/1149875641925492744
https://twitter.com/saikatc/status/1149875643280187394
July 13, 2019
(CNN)A federal investigation into whether Trump Organization executives violated campaign-finance laws appears to be wrapping up without charges being filed, according to people familiar with the matter.
For months, federal prosecutors in New York have examined whether company officials broke the law, including in their effort to reimburse Michael Cohen for hush-money payments he made to women alleging affairs with his former boss, President Donald Trump.
In recent weeks, however, their investigation has quieted, the people familiar with the inquiry said, and prosecutors now don't appear poised to charge any Trump Organization executives in the probe that stemmed from the case against Cohen.
A spokesman for the Manhattan US Attorney's office declined to comment. An attorney for the Trump Organization declined to comment. In January, one month after Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison, prosecutors requested interviews with executives at the company, CNN reported. But prosecutors never followed up on their initial request, people familiar with the matter said, and the interviews never took place.
Meanwhile, there has been no contact between the Manhattan US Attorney's office and officials at the Trump Organization in more than five months, one person familiar with the matter said. There is no indication that the case has been formally closed, and former federal prosecutors cautioned that it is always possible that new information could revive the inquiry. The Manhattan US Attorney's office continues to have at least one other ongoing Trump-connected investigation, a probe concerning the President's inaugural committee.
snip
the fix is in, ffs
https://twitter.com/renato_mariotti/status/1149817859687768064
Prosecutors unlikely to charge Trump Org executives, sources say (SDNY getting Barred)
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/12/politics/trump-organization-federal-prosecutors/index.html(CNN)A federal investigation into whether Trump Organization executives violated campaign-finance laws appears to be wrapping up without charges being filed, according to people familiar with the matter.
For months, federal prosecutors in New York have examined whether company officials broke the law, including in their effort to reimburse Michael Cohen for hush-money payments he made to women alleging affairs with his former boss, President Donald Trump.
In recent weeks, however, their investigation has quieted, the people familiar with the inquiry said, and prosecutors now don't appear poised to charge any Trump Organization executives in the probe that stemmed from the case against Cohen.
A spokesman for the Manhattan US Attorney's office declined to comment. An attorney for the Trump Organization declined to comment. In January, one month after Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison, prosecutors requested interviews with executives at the company, CNN reported. But prosecutors never followed up on their initial request, people familiar with the matter said, and the interviews never took place.
Meanwhile, there has been no contact between the Manhattan US Attorney's office and officials at the Trump Organization in more than five months, one person familiar with the matter said. There is no indication that the case has been formally closed, and former federal prosecutors cautioned that it is always possible that new information could revive the inquiry. The Manhattan US Attorney's office continues to have at least one other ongoing Trump-connected investigation, a probe concerning the President's inaugural committee.
snip
the fix is in, ffs
https://twitter.com/renato_mariotti/status/1149817859687768064
July 12, 2019
In a little over 30 years, Londoners will swelter in the summer much like Barcelona does today. Edinburgh’s climate will resemble Paris’s, while Cardiff’s will align with conditions currently commonplace in Uraguay’s capital, Montevideo. Barcelona, meanwhile will experience the aridity of Adeleide, Madrid will feel like Marrakesh, and Milan like Dallas, Texas.
This is the near-future world of a study authored by Zurich's Crowther Lab, and published this week in science journal PLOS One. The work seeks to illuminate the reality of global climate shifts by aligning the projected future conditions of a city with the current climate of another elsewhere in the world. The study authors hope the result is a scenario easier to visualise than ‘data and facts alone’.
“By focussing the outputs of this research on ‘major’ (highly populated) cities, we hope that it enables people to visualise their own climate future," says Thomas Elliott, one of the study's authors, in an email. "Our aim is to make this research more tangible, and by doing so, inspire people to act.”
And however much the residents of London or Cardiff might initially welcome the prospect of a Mediterranean or South American climate, the implications make for a grim reality – with drought, the discomfort of frequent heatwaves such as those experienced across Europe already this summer, turbulent weather systems and the ecological impact of rising temperatures. At the extremes, the predicted conditions bring with them issues as yet unseen by the cities in question, such as acute water shortages.
snip
Stockholm will be as warm as Budapest by 2050, study warns
https://www.thelocal.se/20190712/stockholm-will-be-as-warm-as-budapest-by-2050-study-warns
In 30 years, Stockholm is on course to be as warm as Budapest is today, according to a new study which looked at predicted climate and weather changes in cities across the world over the near future. The researchers from Zürich Technical University analyzed the climate in 520 cities using the so-called RCP 4.5 scenario which assumes a significant reduction in emissions, although not as significant as required by the Paris Agreement.
They found that 77 percent of the world's cities will see a drastically changed climate over the next 30 years, according to the study published in scientific journal Plus One. That means cities in the northern hemisphere will see a climate similar to the current climate of cities more than 1,000 kilometres further south, with London becoming as warm as today's Barcelona, Seattle as warm as San Francisco, and Stockholm as warm as Budapest.
The study could be a way to create a picture of how Stockholm might look in the future, said SMHI climate researcher Markku Rummukainen, but he added that it wasn't a comprehensive overview.
"Comparisons can give a sense of what changes to the climate mean. But at the same time, you should keep in mind that the changes are more complex than just the temperature. If you just think that Stockholm is getting a Budapest climate, you might think 'that doesn't sound so awful'. But in reality the problem is much more serious," warned Rummukainen.
snip
London's climate 'will resemble Barcelona's by 2050,' study reveals
https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/environment-and-conservation201907londons-climate-will-resemble-barcelonas-2050-study-revealsIn a little over 30 years, Londoners will swelter in the summer much like Barcelona does today. Edinburgh’s climate will resemble Paris’s, while Cardiff’s will align with conditions currently commonplace in Uraguay’s capital, Montevideo. Barcelona, meanwhile will experience the aridity of Adeleide, Madrid will feel like Marrakesh, and Milan like Dallas, Texas.
This is the near-future world of a study authored by Zurich's Crowther Lab, and published this week in science journal PLOS One. The work seeks to illuminate the reality of global climate shifts by aligning the projected future conditions of a city with the current climate of another elsewhere in the world. The study authors hope the result is a scenario easier to visualise than ‘data and facts alone’.
“By focussing the outputs of this research on ‘major’ (highly populated) cities, we hope that it enables people to visualise their own climate future," says Thomas Elliott, one of the study's authors, in an email. "Our aim is to make this research more tangible, and by doing so, inspire people to act.”
And however much the residents of London or Cardiff might initially welcome the prospect of a Mediterranean or South American climate, the implications make for a grim reality – with drought, the discomfort of frequent heatwaves such as those experienced across Europe already this summer, turbulent weather systems and the ecological impact of rising temperatures. At the extremes, the predicted conditions bring with them issues as yet unseen by the cities in question, such as acute water shortages.
snip
Stockholm will be as warm as Budapest by 2050, study warns
https://www.thelocal.se/20190712/stockholm-will-be-as-warm-as-budapest-by-2050-study-warns
In 30 years, Stockholm is on course to be as warm as Budapest is today, according to a new study which looked at predicted climate and weather changes in cities across the world over the near future. The researchers from Zürich Technical University analyzed the climate in 520 cities using the so-called RCP 4.5 scenario which assumes a significant reduction in emissions, although not as significant as required by the Paris Agreement.
They found that 77 percent of the world's cities will see a drastically changed climate over the next 30 years, according to the study published in scientific journal Plus One. That means cities in the northern hemisphere will see a climate similar to the current climate of cities more than 1,000 kilometres further south, with London becoming as warm as today's Barcelona, Seattle as warm as San Francisco, and Stockholm as warm as Budapest.
The study could be a way to create a picture of how Stockholm might look in the future, said SMHI climate researcher Markku Rummukainen, but he added that it wasn't a comprehensive overview.
"Comparisons can give a sense of what changes to the climate mean. But at the same time, you should keep in mind that the changes are more complex than just the temperature. If you just think that Stockholm is getting a Budapest climate, you might think 'that doesn't sound so awful'. But in reality the problem is much more serious," warned Rummukainen.
snip
July 12, 2019
Incoming acting Labor Secretary Patrick Pizzella will take the helm of the department following the resignation Friday of Alex Acosta, who faced scrutiny over his role in prosecuting alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein more than a decade ago.
But Pizzella, currently deputy Labor secretary, has his own controversial past that will likely come to the fore. Democratic senators and civil rights groups have expressed concern about Pizzella’s prior work with disgraced Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff in the late 1990s and early 2000s to hamper worker protections in the Northern Mariana Islands.
When Pizzella worked on Abramoff’s team at Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds, the lobbying firm was pushing to prevent Congress from imposing minimum wage laws on the Northern Mariana Islands. At the time, there were “maximum” wage restrictions on the islands of $3.05 per hour for foreign workers, according to the Center for Investigative Reporting.
“Foreign workers pay up to $7,000 to employers or middlemen for the right to a job in the CNMI. When they finally reach the Commonwealth, they are assigned to tedious, low paying work for long hours with little or no time off. At night they are locked in prison-like barracks,” one government report found. Abramoff was sentenced to six years in prison on fraud-related charges in 2006. He served four years and was released in 2010.
snip
Incoming acting Labor Sec Patrick Pizzella under scrutiny for work with disgraced lobbyist Abramoff
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/12/acosta-replacement-pizzella-faces-scrutiny-for-work-with-jack-abramoff.htmlIncoming acting Labor Secretary Patrick Pizzella will take the helm of the department following the resignation Friday of Alex Acosta, who faced scrutiny over his role in prosecuting alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein more than a decade ago.
But Pizzella, currently deputy Labor secretary, has his own controversial past that will likely come to the fore. Democratic senators and civil rights groups have expressed concern about Pizzella’s prior work with disgraced Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff in the late 1990s and early 2000s to hamper worker protections in the Northern Mariana Islands.
When Pizzella worked on Abramoff’s team at Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds, the lobbying firm was pushing to prevent Congress from imposing minimum wage laws on the Northern Mariana Islands. At the time, there were “maximum” wage restrictions on the islands of $3.05 per hour for foreign workers, according to the Center for Investigative Reporting.
“Foreign workers pay up to $7,000 to employers or middlemen for the right to a job in the CNMI. When they finally reach the Commonwealth, they are assigned to tedious, low paying work for long hours with little or no time off. At night they are locked in prison-like barracks,” one government report found. Abramoff was sentenced to six years in prison on fraud-related charges in 2006. He served four years and was released in 2010.
snip
July 12, 2019
How did Virginia manage to snag the biggest economic development prize in recent memory?
Amazon says its abrupt decision in February to pull out of a deal to build part of its giant second headquarters in Long Island City, Queens, was not about politics, despite speculation to the contrary. But when opposition in New York grew, Chairman Jeff Bezos and his team decided it only made sense to focus their efforts on the other victor in the HQ2 sweepstakes: Northern Virginia.
The location emerges as the big winner, as HQ2 will add 25,000 jobs and upward of 6 million square feet of office space by the mid-2030s.
Amazon filed the initial development plans for its second headquarters in the Crystal City section of Arlington in May. They call for some redevelopment of a group of vacant warehouses into two office towers, as well as retail and open space, as part of an urban campus concept at a 16-acre, mixed-use development site called Metropolitan Park.
A member of the core site selection team offered CNBC an inside look at how Virginia won — and New York lost.
Among the external sources the team looked at was the CNBC America’s Top States for Business rankings. The annual study scores all states on 64 metrics across 10 categories of competitiveness, including Workforce, Cost of Doing Business, Quality of Life, Infrastructure and Economy.
But the biggest motivator for Amazon: a state committed to developing a technology talent pipeline for the future. Virginia is the Top State for Business in 2019, and it offers the best workforce in the nation, according to the CNBC study, with the nation’s largest concentration of science, technology, engineering and math employees.
snip
and they still are building out in NYC, just not in Queens, and it will be a smaller amount of jobs, plus zero in tax breaks extracted from NY
https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1149348204045094912
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
?Verified account
@AOC
Well, just as we said, Amazon quietly came to NYC without needing a dime of public money or special tax treatment.
The jobs came without the cost.
NYC is an attractive place to locate on its own (incl. public infra!), w/o billions of dollars in corporate giveaway “incentives.” https://twitter.com/mkink/status/1149287266046676993 …
Michael Kink
@mkink
Google, Facebook, Uber, and Amazon — yes, Amazon — accelerate NYC expansions, adding jobs with NO public subsidies or tax giveaways
https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-city-real-estate-savors-a-tech-boom-11562760760?shareToken=ste2a897e466444a5ea419de5ce3c6b9d6&reflink=share_mobilewebshare …
32.9K
6:02 PM - Jul 11, 2019
9,469 people are talking about this
Amazon reveals the truth on why it nixed New York and chose Virginia for its HQ2
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/10/amazon-reveals-the-truth-on-why-it-nixed-ny-and-chose-virginia-for-hq2.htmlHow did Virginia manage to snag the biggest economic development prize in recent memory?
Amazon says its abrupt decision in February to pull out of a deal to build part of its giant second headquarters in Long Island City, Queens, was not about politics, despite speculation to the contrary. But when opposition in New York grew, Chairman Jeff Bezos and his team decided it only made sense to focus their efforts on the other victor in the HQ2 sweepstakes: Northern Virginia.
The location emerges as the big winner, as HQ2 will add 25,000 jobs and upward of 6 million square feet of office space by the mid-2030s.
Amazon filed the initial development plans for its second headquarters in the Crystal City section of Arlington in May. They call for some redevelopment of a group of vacant warehouses into two office towers, as well as retail and open space, as part of an urban campus concept at a 16-acre, mixed-use development site called Metropolitan Park.
A member of the core site selection team offered CNBC an inside look at how Virginia won — and New York lost.
Among the external sources the team looked at was the CNBC America’s Top States for Business rankings. The annual study scores all states on 64 metrics across 10 categories of competitiveness, including Workforce, Cost of Doing Business, Quality of Life, Infrastructure and Economy.
But the biggest motivator for Amazon: a state committed to developing a technology talent pipeline for the future. Virginia is the Top State for Business in 2019, and it offers the best workforce in the nation, according to the CNBC study, with the nation’s largest concentration of science, technology, engineering and math employees.
snip
and they still are building out in NYC, just not in Queens, and it will be a smaller amount of jobs, plus zero in tax breaks extracted from NY
https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1149348204045094912
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
?Verified account
@AOC
Well, just as we said, Amazon quietly came to NYC without needing a dime of public money or special tax treatment.
The jobs came without the cost.
NYC is an attractive place to locate on its own (incl. public infra!), w/o billions of dollars in corporate giveaway “incentives.” https://twitter.com/mkink/status/1149287266046676993 …
Michael Kink
@mkink
Google, Facebook, Uber, and Amazon — yes, Amazon — accelerate NYC expansions, adding jobs with NO public subsidies or tax giveaways
https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-city-real-estate-savors-a-tech-boom-11562760760?shareToken=ste2a897e466444a5ea419de5ce3c6b9d6&reflink=share_mobilewebshare …
32.9K
6:02 PM - Jul 11, 2019
9,469 people are talking about this
July 11, 2019
It took not one, not two, but three Starbucks baristas to assemble my Tie Dye Frappuccino. Not just because I was the first person at the location to order it—Elise Taylor, culinary pioneer!—but because this thing was complicated. It involved multiple powders, syrups, and nozzles. It involved tilting the cup ever so slightly forward and dusting the inside rim with what looked like the crumbs from the bottom of a Fruit Loops box. After several minutes, an affable barista put the neon concoction on the counter. It glowed.
“It’s gotten mixed reviews,” she said with a shrug.
Today, Starbucks launched their newest, limited-edition offering—full name Tie-Dye Frappuccino Blended Beverage Crème—with a bang. (Really, though, the Instagram features a trippy explosion. In six hours, it got over 1 million views.) It’s just the latest example of the tie dye craze, which is popping up on the runways, the streets, and now in drinks.
“It’s bright and colorful and fun and should bring a smile to your face,” drink designer Paloma Carrington-Bataller said in a statement. “Perfect for the heydays of summer.” As I walked out of the coffee shop, I did not get any smiles. I did however, get some quizzical stares and a “holy shit” from a man in a suit. Yet nothing could deter me from my mission: to find out what tie-dye tastes like.
The main ingredients of a Tie-Dye Frappuccino are thus: tropical Crème Frappuccino syrup, plus yellow, red, and blue powder, all topped off with whipped cream.
Starbucks says all of this tastes like summer in a cup. Since summer is a season, not a flavor, here’s my best shot at a comparison: It tastes like liquefied Laffy-Taffy. There are hints of banana, and on a good sip, pina colada. On a bad sip, it’s got a medicinal vibe. It’s as if Princess Lolly ditched Candyland, pivoted to bartending, and whipped up a signature cocktail.
snip
What Does Tie-Dye Taste Like? I Tried Starbucks' New Frappuccino So You Don't Have To
https://www.vogue.com/article/starbucks-tie-dye-frappuccino-what-does-it-taste-like?verso=trueIt took not one, not two, but three Starbucks baristas to assemble my Tie Dye Frappuccino. Not just because I was the first person at the location to order it—Elise Taylor, culinary pioneer!—but because this thing was complicated. It involved multiple powders, syrups, and nozzles. It involved tilting the cup ever so slightly forward and dusting the inside rim with what looked like the crumbs from the bottom of a Fruit Loops box. After several minutes, an affable barista put the neon concoction on the counter. It glowed.
“It’s gotten mixed reviews,” she said with a shrug.
Today, Starbucks launched their newest, limited-edition offering—full name Tie-Dye Frappuccino Blended Beverage Crème—with a bang. (Really, though, the Instagram features a trippy explosion. In six hours, it got over 1 million views.) It’s just the latest example of the tie dye craze, which is popping up on the runways, the streets, and now in drinks.
“It’s bright and colorful and fun and should bring a smile to your face,” drink designer Paloma Carrington-Bataller said in a statement. “Perfect for the heydays of summer.” As I walked out of the coffee shop, I did not get any smiles. I did however, get some quizzical stares and a “holy shit” from a man in a suit. Yet nothing could deter me from my mission: to find out what tie-dye tastes like.
The main ingredients of a Tie-Dye Frappuccino are thus: tropical Crème Frappuccino syrup, plus yellow, red, and blue powder, all topped off with whipped cream.
Starbucks says all of this tastes like summer in a cup. Since summer is a season, not a flavor, here’s my best shot at a comparison: It tastes like liquefied Laffy-Taffy. There are hints of banana, and on a good sip, pina colada. On a bad sip, it’s got a medicinal vibe. It’s as if Princess Lolly ditched Candyland, pivoted to bartending, and whipped up a signature cocktail.
snip
July 10, 2019
Say the name George Soros to any die-hard Republican and they’ll probably recoil in disgust. The Hungarian-born billionaire has donated billions to progressive causes throughout his life and is the subject of wide-ranging, unfounded conspiracies spread by conservatives. Soros has been falsely accused by the right of everything from paying people to participate in the 2017 Women’s March to trying to bring down the global currency market.
Charles Koch is one half of the controversial billionaire libertarian-minded Koch Brothers, a partnership that has given hundreds of millions to right-wing political causes. The Koch’s have a long history of using their money to support tax cuts and the rollback of environmental protections. Their company, Koch Industries, is the third-largest polluter in the U.S.
Koch and Soros have teamed up for a cause that sadly has too few champions in America these days: peace. While this partnership seems shocking to some, there is an overlap in the progressive and libertarian Venn diagram of beliefs. Libertarians and progressives tend to agree on LGBT rights, immigration, abortion, criminal justice reform, drug decriminalization, and U.S. military intervention overseas.
Koch and Soros’ new endeavor is the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a tribute to former president John Quincy Adams. On Independence Day in 1821, Quincy declared that the United States “goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.”
“The Quincy Institute is an action-oriented think tank that will lay the foundation for a new foreign policy centered on diplomatic engagement and military restraint,” the institution’s website reads. “The current moment presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring together like-minded progressives and conservatives and set U.S. foreign policy on a sensible and humane footing. Our country’s current circumstances demand it.” According to The Boston Globe, the institute will likely advocate for deep cuts in military spending, a withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and Syria, a return to the nuclear deal with Iran, and an end to regime-change campaigns in Venezuela and Cuba.
snip
George Soros and right-wing billionaire Charles Koch have teamed up to stop 'endless wars'
https://www.good.is/articles/soros-koch-stop-warSay the name George Soros to any die-hard Republican and they’ll probably recoil in disgust. The Hungarian-born billionaire has donated billions to progressive causes throughout his life and is the subject of wide-ranging, unfounded conspiracies spread by conservatives. Soros has been falsely accused by the right of everything from paying people to participate in the 2017 Women’s March to trying to bring down the global currency market.
Charles Koch is one half of the controversial billionaire libertarian-minded Koch Brothers, a partnership that has given hundreds of millions to right-wing political causes. The Koch’s have a long history of using their money to support tax cuts and the rollback of environmental protections. Their company, Koch Industries, is the third-largest polluter in the U.S.
Koch and Soros have teamed up for a cause that sadly has too few champions in America these days: peace. While this partnership seems shocking to some, there is an overlap in the progressive and libertarian Venn diagram of beliefs. Libertarians and progressives tend to agree on LGBT rights, immigration, abortion, criminal justice reform, drug decriminalization, and U.S. military intervention overseas.
Koch and Soros’ new endeavor is the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a tribute to former president John Quincy Adams. On Independence Day in 1821, Quincy declared that the United States “goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.”
“The Quincy Institute is an action-oriented think tank that will lay the foundation for a new foreign policy centered on diplomatic engagement and military restraint,” the institution’s website reads. “The current moment presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring together like-minded progressives and conservatives and set U.S. foreign policy on a sensible and humane footing. Our country’s current circumstances demand it.” According to The Boston Globe, the institute will likely advocate for deep cuts in military spending, a withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and Syria, a return to the nuclear deal with Iran, and an end to regime-change campaigns in Venezuela and Cuba.
snip
July 9, 2019
Whoever wins, our next Prime Minister will be a privately educated millionaire 'man of the people'.
Jonathan Pie - Hunt vs Johnson Great Rant
Whoever wins, our next Prime Minister will be a privately educated millionaire 'man of the people'.
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: London
Home country: US/UK/Sweden
Current location: Stockholm, Sweden
Member since: Sun Jul 1, 2018, 07:25 PM
Number of posts: 43,299
