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Top 10 Conservative Idiots #15-12: Look At What You Made Me Do Edition
Top 10 Conservative Idiots #15-12: Look At What You Made Me Do Edition
Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! Yoooooooooooooooo! What’s up Nashivlle? How you guys doing? You doing fucking good? Great! Can you believe that we just have 4 more editions before we close out this batshit crazy year that was 2023? I know, it seems like once we hit October, things just started flying. You know we’ve been getting a lot of questions about the future of the Top 10 and we need to address that right now. As we’ve stated before, we don’t know what 2024 is going to bring as everything is up in the air. And I know it’s an election year. It may be one of the most important presidential elections this century because it will decide if America sides with freedom or they side with Fox News authoritarianism. But the truth is, we don’t know. We hope to stay on at least through the 2024 election, but other factors may determine our longevity. Don’t worry, we’ll keep you in the loop for when the time comes! For now, rest assured that we’re renewed for Season 17. Do we have time for the thing? Of course we do. First off, congratulations to the Texas Rangers for winning their first title in franchise history. Arizona Diamondbacks, you almost won and you can rest assured that your championship gear will go to clothe starving children in Tanzania. That never gets old. So if you grew up in the mid 90s / 00s, you are probably familiar with a band called Creed. You know that we love music, and we’ve featured Mark Tremonti’s other band Alter Bridge, a fan favorite of ours, on this program multiple times. But while some teams adopt songs, like the Angels have the Train song “Calling All Angels”, or the Ducks have the Pennywise classic “Bro Hymn”, or the Red Sox have Billy Joel’s “Sweet Caroline”, the Texas Rangers have adopted Creed’s song “Higher” as their anthem. That’s right – the Rangers have credited singing Higher before every game in the locker room as one of their inspirations for their World Series win. Like really? You picked a song by this guy as your theme song? That’s the inspiration. Well I guess it’s not Limp Bizkit’s Rollin’. Yeah I’ll just pull a random Nu-metal track out! Thank you sir! OK that’s enough of the intro, we have a lot of idiocy to get to this week. But first John Oliver is back and he outlines America’s abortion crisis and no matter how bad you think it is, it’s that much worse:
So where do we begin this week? Well after the last time we met, we selected a new Speaker Of The House for the United States. Since then we’re learning more about Louisiana’s Mike Johnson (1), the man who is now THIRD IN LINE to be President Of The United States. And he’s a MAGA fundamentalist nightmare… or is he Fox News’ test market to see how far they can go in bringing authoritarianism to the US? Little column A, little column B. In the second slot this week, yes, we have to talk about the terrible tragedy that unfolded in Maine right as we went to air last week. But the latest mass shooter, Robert Carn (2), is yet another right wing, white wing terrorist who was radicalized by Fox News and mutated on the dark corners of the internet. Absolutely shocking, I know. In the third slot this week is Donald Trump Jr (3). Yes, the Trump Trial Clusterfuck, as we’ve been calling it around our home offices in Santa Ana, is underway, and the latest developments are insane. In fact Trump Jr has been, unsurprisingly, throwing his own brother under the bus. Dowe really need these assholes running the country another four years? Hell no! In the number 4 slot, this week is Bud Light (4). Yes, the former favorite beer of the MAGA conservatives is attempting to pick up the pieces from the Kid Rock led MAGA boycott back in June by courting another MAGA favorite institution, UFC, but it’s having the opposite effect it was intended! MAGA really knows how to hold a grudge, if anything. In the number 5 slot this week is the return of our award winning investigative journalism segment, Top 10 Investigates (5), and this week we take a look at the world of Supercommuting. Living in the Zoom world has opened up whole new possibilities of employment opportunities. Can one live in Iowa and commute to San Francisco? It’s possible but it’s having horrible effects on the environment! In the number 6 slot this week is our weekly visit to the Holy Church Of The Top 10 in “Holy Shit” and this week, our resident pastor is going to take a good look at the efforts to scrub the more extremist beliefs of our new Fox News selected House speaker Mike Johnson (6) and it’s about as extreme as you could get! In the number 7 slot this week, is a new This Fucking Guy (7). And this week, we have to talk about the guy who could be Argentina’s next president, Javier Milei. Holy shit is this guy crazy. In fact he makes Trump seem normal by comparison! Oh how our standards for leaders have fallen significantly. In the number 8 slot this week is our weekly venture into the never-ending void of online tin foil hat nuttery in Conspiracy Corner (8) and this week, our old buddy Elon Musk was interviewed on the Joe Rogan podcast, and it is quite the stuff of insanity. Think Tracy Jordan’s interview on Larry King from 30 Rock level of crazy! In the number 9 (NEIN!!!!) slot this week is a new I Need A Drink (9), and we’ve talked a lot of shit about Florida over the years, but have you ever wondered what it’s like to live like Florida Man for the curious? Well, the Florida Man games are just the escape from reality we desperately need in these trying times! Finally this week, it’s time for the ongoing battle between red state governors and blue state governors in My Governor Is An Idiot (10)! And this week, we’re putting one of the reddest, MAGA, Fox News installed governors in the country, Texas’ Greg Abbott, against Illionis’ J.B. Pritzker, the governor of the state that gun toting conspiracy theorists love to shit on! Plus to close things out, we have the legendary Devo stopping by! Go catch them on their farewell tour or you are no friend of this program! Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!
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[font size="8"]Mike Johnson
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So the day before we went live last week, we finally learned who the next Speaker Of The House was going to be, after the MAGA toddlers, led by Matt Gaetz, threw a gargantuan sized temper tantrum and fired Kevin McCarthy – first time since the Civil War that that’s happened. And we call them toddlers because nobody throws shit fits and temper tantrums the way that the Trump loving MAGA crowd does, and they all sound like him too. But that’s neither here nor there. Now that we know more about the new speaker, MAGA Mike Johnson, yeah, it should be painfully obvious that the House is under the control of Fox News and MAGA extremists. And don’t worry, we’ll get to some of his more extremist views in a minute. But one thing is for certain – we know that MAGA Mike isn’t a fan of abortion by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, he sides with the cult on this one. And the absolutely scary thing about this is that this guy is THIRD IN LINE FOR THE PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES. Let that one sink in.
"He supported bans that would not only criminalize abortion, but ban IVF treatments and common forms of birth control and that you voted against access to contraception," Bream said, quoting EMILYs List, a political action committee aimed at electing women who support abortion rights. "Is that an accurate assessment of where you are? Because that's not in step with the American people."
Johnson then reiterated his stance in his response, "I'm pro-life. I've said very clearly I'm a Bible-believing Christian. I believe in the sanctity of every single human life."
However, when asked by Bream on whether he voted against fertility treatments and access to contraception, Johnson said, "I don't think so. I'm not sure what they're talking about. I really don't remember any of those."
Despite Johnson's response, his previous efforts in implementing anti-abortion laws and restricting access to contraception remain significant for critics as he voted against the Right to Contraception Act, which would protect access to birth control. It was passed in the House in July 2022.
Additionally, he co-sponsored the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2023, which would restrict federal funding for Planned Parenthood, its affiliates, or its clinics for one year. This bill was introduced in January 2023.
https://www.newsweek.com/shannon-bream-confronts-mike-johnson-birth-control-access-1840993
Johnson then reiterated his stance in his response, "I'm pro-life. I've said very clearly I'm a Bible-believing Christian. I believe in the sanctity of every single human life."
However, when asked by Bream on whether he voted against fertility treatments and access to contraception, Johnson said, "I don't think so. I'm not sure what they're talking about. I really don't remember any of those."
Despite Johnson's response, his previous efforts in implementing anti-abortion laws and restricting access to contraception remain significant for critics as he voted against the Right to Contraception Act, which would protect access to birth control. It was passed in the House in July 2022.
Additionally, he co-sponsored the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2023, which would restrict federal funding for Planned Parenthood, its affiliates, or its clinics for one year. This bill was introduced in January 2023.
https://www.newsweek.com/shannon-bream-confronts-mike-johnson-birth-control-access-1840993
Oh shut up! I mean come on, when MAGA people talk 24 hours a day, and sometimes I think they talk just to hear themselves talk, and when you do that, you tend to forget whatever batshit crazy thing you just said, and the thing before that too. Oh and you think his views on abortion were extreme? Just wait until you hear his views on social security and medicare. I mean come on, this guy is an authoritarian wet dream here. And like we keep saying here, he and the MAGA crowd don’t represent the United States. They represent their call-in talk shows. Trust us when we say that we went down the wormhole on MAGA Mike and it gets that much worse!
Mike Johnson, the new speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, is on record making bold and dramatic proposals to cut and reform Social Security and Medicare.
And his ideas are likely to have a key role in the coming political battle over both programs, which face major financial crises in the years ahead that may only be resolved by deep cuts to benefits or by higher taxes.
Johnson was the chair of the Republican Study Committee, a conservative House caucus, when it laid out a blueprint for reforming both programs in 2019. Since then he has publicly doubled down on the need for urgency in reforming both programs — although he has also significantly backtracked on one of his key proposals.
-snip-
In 2019, Johnson and his committee proposed sharply scaling back the future cost-of-living adjustments to Social Security benefits for higher-income and even middle-income people. He also proposed a total overhaul of Medicare, switching it over to private insurance companies and drastically cutting how much the federal government spends on better-off seniors. The proposals would move both programs more toward means-tested benefits, targeting them to the people who need them most, rather than to all seniors.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/retirement/what-house-speaker-mike-johnson-has-said-about-social-security-and-medicare/ar-AA1jlnJk
And his ideas are likely to have a key role in the coming political battle over both programs, which face major financial crises in the years ahead that may only be resolved by deep cuts to benefits or by higher taxes.
Johnson was the chair of the Republican Study Committee, a conservative House caucus, when it laid out a blueprint for reforming both programs in 2019. Since then he has publicly doubled down on the need for urgency in reforming both programs — although he has also significantly backtracked on one of his key proposals.
-snip-
In 2019, Johnson and his committee proposed sharply scaling back the future cost-of-living adjustments to Social Security benefits for higher-income and even middle-income people. He also proposed a total overhaul of Medicare, switching it over to private insurance companies and drastically cutting how much the federal government spends on better-off seniors. The proposals would move both programs more toward means-tested benefits, targeting them to the people who need them most, rather than to all seniors.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/retirement/what-house-speaker-mike-johnson-has-said-about-social-security-and-medicare/ar-AA1jlnJk
Yeah “suck” doesn’t even begin to describe it. This guy is an authoritarian nightmare, which makes him perfect to be Sean Hannity’s stooge. Hell we weren’t surprised in the least when it wasn’t even 24 hours after the selection was confirmed that he gave his first interview as Speaker where? On the Sean Hannity show. Fuck you Fox News, you don’t own the government no matter how much you like to think that you do! And it seems that Speaker Johnson has already forgotten some of the key parts of the Bible, which leads us to question whether or not he’s actually ready any of it in the first place. We’re guessing the answer is probably no.
New York Times opinion columnist David French accused House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) of forgoing the biblical value of honesty despite claiming last month the Bible dictates his entire worldview.
In a column published in the Times on Sunday, French, who describes himself as “a Never Trump evangelical conservative,” pointed to Johnson’s leadership of a legal effort behind former President Donald Trump’s bid to overturn the 2020 election.
“There is a reason that effort is called the Big Lie. It was one of the most comprehensively and transparently dishonest political movements in American history. And Johnson was in the middle of it,” French wrote.
The Bible does not contain guidance on immigration or foreign policy, French wrote, “but it does condemn dishonesty, it does condemn cruelty, and if there is a clear theme that echoes throughout its pages, it’s one that ‘MAGA Mike Johnson’ and his legion of evangelical supporters should take to heart: The ends do not justify the means.”
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mike-johnson-bible-david-french_n_6548fa08e4b01b2585849271
In a column published in the Times on Sunday, French, who describes himself as “a Never Trump evangelical conservative,” pointed to Johnson’s leadership of a legal effort behind former President Donald Trump’s bid to overturn the 2020 election.
“There is a reason that effort is called the Big Lie. It was one of the most comprehensively and transparently dishonest political movements in American history. And Johnson was in the middle of it,” French wrote.
The Bible does not contain guidance on immigration or foreign policy, French wrote, “but it does condemn dishonesty, it does condemn cruelty, and if there is a clear theme that echoes throughout its pages, it’s one that ‘MAGA Mike Johnson’ and his legion of evangelical supporters should take to heart: The ends do not justify the means.”
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mike-johnson-bible-david-french_n_6548fa08e4b01b2585849271
There is one hope though, is that since becoming speaker, is that MAGA Mike’s ultra extremist religious views are grossly unpopular. Hell, he’s practically given us enough material for the next 100 editions of Holy Shit. But we’ve got to work to start firing these extremist MAGA lunatics and send the message to Sean Hannity and Fox News that they are not the boss of the government, and that Congress isn’t entertainment fodder for the obviously entertainment deprived Fox News base. The sad thing though is that we may be in this for the long haul. We can only take things one election at a time though and hopefully we’ll get out of this mess for good.
Anew poll suggests that most American voters are decidedly opposed to House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-Louisiana) far right Christian nationalist viewpoints.
Johnson was voted into the speakership on October 25 after more than three weeks of the House of Representatives having no speaker at all. He was the third person Republicans nominated for the role, after Reps. Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) were unsuccessful at securing the support required from their GOP colleagues to take on the role.
Two days after Johnson became speaker, Data for Progress ran a two-day poll in which they asked American voters to describe their feelings on Johnson. A majority (56 percent) said they haven’t heard enough about him to formulate an opinion, while 21 percent said they had a favorable view and 23 percent said they had an unfavorable view. But while most voters said they didn’t know much about Johnson, the poll also found that, by large margins, voters disagree with a number of his viewpoints.
Johnson, for example, has said that states should be allowed to imprison doctors or sentence them to “hard labor” if they perform abortions, and that abortion should be banned in all U.S. states — an opinion that 66 percent of Americans disagree with, the Data for Progress poll found. Johnson also wanted to repeal the provision in the Affordable Care Act that protects people with pre-existing conditions from discrimination by insurance companies, which the poll found 58 percent of Americans disagree with. The poll also found that 88 percent of Americans are opposed to cutting Social Security and Medicare, a measure that Johnson has repeatedly called for.
https://truthout.org/articles/poll-most-americans-oppose-speaker-mike-johnsons-christian-nationalist-views/
Johnson was voted into the speakership on October 25 after more than three weeks of the House of Representatives having no speaker at all. He was the third person Republicans nominated for the role, after Reps. Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) were unsuccessful at securing the support required from their GOP colleagues to take on the role.
Two days after Johnson became speaker, Data for Progress ran a two-day poll in which they asked American voters to describe their feelings on Johnson. A majority (56 percent) said they haven’t heard enough about him to formulate an opinion, while 21 percent said they had a favorable view and 23 percent said they had an unfavorable view. But while most voters said they didn’t know much about Johnson, the poll also found that, by large margins, voters disagree with a number of his viewpoints.
Johnson, for example, has said that states should be allowed to imprison doctors or sentence them to “hard labor” if they perform abortions, and that abortion should be banned in all U.S. states — an opinion that 66 percent of Americans disagree with, the Data for Progress poll found. Johnson also wanted to repeal the provision in the Affordable Care Act that protects people with pre-existing conditions from discrimination by insurance companies, which the poll found 58 percent of Americans disagree with. The poll also found that 88 percent of Americans are opposed to cutting Social Security and Medicare, a measure that Johnson has repeatedly called for.
https://truthout.org/articles/poll-most-americans-oppose-speaker-mike-johnsons-christian-nationalist-views/
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[font size="8"]The Maine Shooter
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Sigh… another week, another mass shooting. I know that the Maine shooting is old news, but it happened as we went live for the last edition, and we took a week off after that. But we have to talk about it, because it’s been happening and it keeps happening, no matter how much the gun nuts and the NRA try to deny it. We’ve been in this vicious circle for 15 years now. However, last week’s terrible tragedy in Maine reminded us of one thing. Nearly all of the major mass shooters in the last 15 years have all had one thing in common. And that thing is that they were all radicalized by Fox News and radical far right wing internet propaganda. I will say that Alex Jones, even though he’s one of the biggest pieces of shit in America right now, may be the world’s greatest gun salesman. Every time there’s a mass shooting, he whips his base into a needless frenzy and sells more guns and helps get more gun laws passed so people who shouldn’t have guns in the first place are allowed easier access. I’m not even counting the upcoming SCOTUS trial NY Rifle & Pistol Assoc. vs Bruen, that would decide if domestic abusers can own firearms, we’ll get to that one when the ruling does happen. But for now we do have to point this out.
The person of interest in the Maine mass shooting on Wednesday evening liked a number of posts from right-wing and conservative figures, according to screen grabs from his social media accounts.
Maine State Police have published the identity of a person of interest in the major incident. Robert Card, 40, was described by police as a firearms instructor believed to be in the Army Reserve and assigned to a training facility in Saco, Maine. He remains at large and is said to be "armed and dangerous."
Card's Facebook and X, formerly Twitter, accounts have now been deactivated. It is unclear if Card was responsible or if they were suspended by X and Meta. According to screen grabs and videos from what is allegedly Card's Facebook page, he finished a 20-year career in the army earlier this year. Newsweek is unable to verify this information at this time.
https://www.newsweek.com/robert-card-maine-mass-shooting-social-media-posts-1838068
Maine State Police have published the identity of a person of interest in the major incident. Robert Card, 40, was described by police as a firearms instructor believed to be in the Army Reserve and assigned to a training facility in Saco, Maine. He remains at large and is said to be "armed and dangerous."
Card's Facebook and X, formerly Twitter, accounts have now been deactivated. It is unclear if Card was responsible or if they were suspended by X and Meta. According to screen grabs and videos from what is allegedly Card's Facebook page, he finished a 20-year career in the army earlier this year. Newsweek is unable to verify this information at this time.
https://www.newsweek.com/robert-card-maine-mass-shooting-social-media-posts-1838068
That’s just it – it’s not just a small sample size. It’s 100%. Every single mass shooter in the last five years have all had one thing in common: they were heavily brainwashed by right wing hate propaganda. it’s the one thing all these have in common. The shooter in Buffalo last year literally cited Tucker Carlson’s controversial and racist “great replacement theory” as a reason why he did it. Kyle Rittenhouse too, was radicalized by propaganda. You could name any one of them and chances are they were. Carn followed a whole bunch of right wing accounts on Twitter – that Elon let back on after he bought Twitter, and Elon deleted Carn’s account! Yeah BOOOOOOOOOO!!! Here’s the other thing all of these mass shootings have in common:
The Maine mass-shooter obtained several weapons legally, including some in the days immediately before the attack, according to the New York Times, citing local officials.
Robert Card, who shot and killed 18 people in Lewiston, Maine, during a rampage on Wednesday, bought guns in July, just before being hospitalized and ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, according to CNN.
New York State Police told the broadcaster that police were called to Camp Smith in July, where Card was serving in the National Guard, because he was acting “belligerent” and was potentially “intoxicated.” An unnamed federal law enforcement source told CNN that Card informed Army personnel he was “hearing voices” and having thoughts about “hurting other soldiers.”
Just ten days earlier, Card had purchased a high-powered Ruger SFAR rifle. Maine, where Card purchased the gun, does not require background checks on all gun sales. Twenty states currently enforce universal background checks on firearms purchases. .......................(more)
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/10/maine-shooter-lewsiton-guns-legally-purchased-manhunt/
Robert Card, who shot and killed 18 people in Lewiston, Maine, during a rampage on Wednesday, bought guns in July, just before being hospitalized and ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, according to CNN.
New York State Police told the broadcaster that police were called to Camp Smith in July, where Card was serving in the National Guard, because he was acting “belligerent” and was potentially “intoxicated.” An unnamed federal law enforcement source told CNN that Card informed Army personnel he was “hearing voices” and having thoughts about “hurting other soldiers.”
Just ten days earlier, Card had purchased a high-powered Ruger SFAR rifle. Maine, where Card purchased the gun, does not require background checks on all gun sales. Twenty states currently enforce universal background checks on firearms purchases. .......................(more)
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/10/maine-shooter-lewsiton-guns-legally-purchased-manhunt/
Yeah BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! That’s the other thing they have in common – the guns were all bought LEGALLY. People are legally allowed to own these killing machines. And every single time the 2A absolutionists make up bullshit as to why they shouldn’t be banned. The cycle goes like this: 1. Mass shooting happens. 2. Every finger is pointed at the reason why it happens but the obvious. 3. Right wing talk show hosts make up excuse after excuse as to why guns shouldn’t be banned. 4. Right wing legislators get into the classic circular firing squad argument and wind up loosening restrictions so the people who shouldn’t have guns can buy them. Lather, rinse, repeat. It’s the circle of death and it screws us all! So who are right wingers blaming for this one? The FBI. Fuck, this is why we can’t have nice things.
As the manhunt for the suspect in a mass shooting in Maine on Wednesday drags on, much of American public is wondering how he could have eluded authorities this long. But for right-wing commenters and influencers, his baffling disappearance is only further proof that the country’s top law enforcement agency is to blame for acts of domestic terror.
Contempt for the FBI among extremists dates back at least to the bureau’s 1990s-era deadly sieges on Ruby Ridge and Waco, which in turn motivated attacks including the Oklahoma City bombing. It has reached a new fever pitch, however, in the wake of the contested 2020 election, the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and criminal proceedings against Donald Trump, all of which have generated conspiracy theories about the supposed corruption or incompetence of the feds, who in MAGA circles are viewed as villainous agents of the so-called Deep State. Following the latest mass shooting, the right once again took the FBI to task, using them as a convenient and well-established scapegoat rather than entertain the perennial calls for gun control.
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/fbi-blamed-far-right-mass-shooting-1234864532/
Contempt for the FBI among extremists dates back at least to the bureau’s 1990s-era deadly sieges on Ruby Ridge and Waco, which in turn motivated attacks including the Oklahoma City bombing. It has reached a new fever pitch, however, in the wake of the contested 2020 election, the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and criminal proceedings against Donald Trump, all of which have generated conspiracy theories about the supposed corruption or incompetence of the feds, who in MAGA circles are viewed as villainous agents of the so-called Deep State. Following the latest mass shooting, the right once again took the FBI to task, using them as a convenient and well-established scapegoat rather than entertain the perennial calls for gun control.
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/fbi-blamed-far-right-mass-shooting-1234864532/
Yeah so the right wing conspiracy theory propaganda machine is going into overdrive because once again, the shooter is one of their own. And once again, they’re doing everything they can to protect their guns over the lives of the people who were shot with said guns. Look, we’re all upset by this latest tragedy that could have easily been prevented. I know that I am. But if you’re wondering if our new speaker is going to make things any better, oh I got news for you. He’s going to make things so much worse, because he works for right wing talk show hosts. Get ready for the next one - it’s been 8 0 days since a mass shooting. Thanks, NRA and right wing talk show hosts!
Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware warned in a CNN interview Thursday that new U.S. House speaker Mike Johnson would most likely obstruct gun safety reform, even in the wake of the mass shooting this week in Maine.
“That’s maddening to those of us here who think there is more for us to do,” Coons said during a morning segment on Thursday. “And frankly after several weeks of chaos, the house has settled on a new speaker, who I look forward to getting to know.”
He added: “But who by press accounts and what I’ve found online on his record is far more conservative than any speaker. That makes me more concerned that we’ll struggle to make gun progress on improving gun safety for our families, for our children.
Harlow asked him if he believed there was a path forward on factoring in mental health history when it comes to gun sales, noting that the Maine shooter had spent two weeks in mental health facility during the summer.
https://www.thewrap.com/house-speaker-mike-johnson-gun-safety-reform-maine-shooting-cnn/
“That’s maddening to those of us here who think there is more for us to do,” Coons said during a morning segment on Thursday. “And frankly after several weeks of chaos, the house has settled on a new speaker, who I look forward to getting to know.”
He added: “But who by press accounts and what I’ve found online on his record is far more conservative than any speaker. That makes me more concerned that we’ll struggle to make gun progress on improving gun safety for our families, for our children.
Harlow asked him if he believed there was a path forward on factoring in mental health history when it comes to gun sales, noting that the Maine shooter had spent two weeks in mental health facility during the summer.
https://www.thewrap.com/house-speaker-mike-johnson-gun-safety-reform-maine-shooting-cnn/
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[font size="8"]The Trump Trial Clusterfuck
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Does anyone remember that brief period after January 6th when Trump was banned from social media and we didn’t have to hear every stupid, shitty thing that came out of his hateful, spiteful, and certainly evil mouth? Oh man do I miss those times. We’ve been calling this the “Trump Trial Clusterfuck” because calling it a clusterfuck certainly doesn’t even begin to describe the insanity going on. In fact we’re titling today’s episode “Look What You Made Me Do”. That’s right, we had to use a Taylor Swift reference because that’s the only thing that might draw attention away from the insanity that’s been unfolding day after day! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha… yeah that’s a great way to ruin an album cover isn’t it? But this has to be my favorite part of the entire testimony – Ivanka Trump said that she couldn’t commit to testifying in the trial because it was – and I’m quoting – a school day. Come on, this is coming from a woman who hasn’t worked a real job in years, and Trump University doesn’t exactly count as a school.
Ivanka Trump asked a New York appeals court to pause the $250 million fraud trial of her family and its business empire as she appeals a judge's order requiring her to testify in the case next week.
The request to stay the entire trial came at the tail end of a Thursday court filing arguing that Ivanka Trump will face "undue hardship" if forced to testify — in part because she is scheduled to appear "in the middle of a school week."
New York Attorney General Letitia James urged the appeals court to reject that request, calling it a "drastic" and baseless move that "would upend an ongoing trial."
Ivanka Trump's filing in the First Judicial Department of the New York Supreme Court's Appellate Division mainly sought a temporary stay of the order for her testimony while she pursues an appeal.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/02/trump-fraud-trial-ivanka-seeks-pause-in-appeal-of-order-to-testify.html
The request to stay the entire trial came at the tail end of a Thursday court filing arguing that Ivanka Trump will face "undue hardship" if forced to testify — in part because she is scheduled to appear "in the middle of a school week."
New York Attorney General Letitia James urged the appeals court to reject that request, calling it a "drastic" and baseless move that "would upend an ongoing trial."
Ivanka Trump's filing in the First Judicial Department of the New York Supreme Court's Appellate Division mainly sought a temporary stay of the order for her testimony while she pursues an appeal.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/02/trump-fraud-trial-ivanka-seeks-pause-in-appeal-of-order-to-testify.html
Gee… ya think? Like anyone with the last name Trump would ever know the meaning of the word “hardship” or having to deal with the kids on a school night… in an actual school in an actual district, not in millionaire fantasy land. Shut the fuck up! The Trump trial has been going on the last two years and it’s not ending anytime soon. And the longer it goes on, the weirder it gets! Hell, last week, we brought you the story of Eric and Trump Jr basically shit-talking each other ON THE STAND. And like we keep saying, there is ALWAYS an excuse with these fuckers. ALWAYS. Like whatever you think the answer is going to be, they always come up with the opposite.
Ivanka Trump has said she cannot recall details of property deals she worked on at her father's company as she gave evidence in a civil fraud case that threatens his business empire.
A judge has already found Donald Trump and two adult sons, Eric and Donald Jr liable for fraud, ruling they inflated assets to secure favourable loans.
Ivanka Trump, 42, was initially a co-defendant, too, until an appeals court ruling in her favour this year.
She fought hard to avoid testifying.
The mother-of-three had argued that she could not leave her children in Florida during a school week
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67359901
A judge has already found Donald Trump and two adult sons, Eric and Donald Jr liable for fraud, ruling they inflated assets to secure favourable loans.
Ivanka Trump, 42, was initially a co-defendant, too, until an appeals court ruling in her favour this year.
She fought hard to avoid testifying.
The mother-of-three had argued that she could not leave her children in Florida during a school week
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67359901
Oh fuck off, Ivanka, like you’ve ever had to lift a finger raising your kids. Wake me up when you put them on a school bus and they have to attend a school like Springfield Elementary like the rest of us have had to. But this is what I’m loving about watching the trainwreck and clusterfuck unfold, and it is a trainwreck, because you don’t want to watch, but you can’t look away. The thing you have to know about Trump is two things. The first is that he does not shut the fuck up. The second thing is, he’s producing clones and copycats, like Marjorie Shit For Brains, for instance. So the fact that he’s not shutting up during a gag order doesn’t surprise us in the least.
Former President Donald Trump’s rambling testimony at his New York fraud trial on Monday bodes poorly for his chances of appealing the judge’s ruling, legal experts say.
Trump testified for hours at the trial, which is set to determine the scope of punishment he, his two oldest sons and his company should face after Judge Arthur Engoron issued a partial summary judgment prior to the trial finding them liable of persistent fraud. Trump’s lawyers appealed the ruling and have sought to lay the groundwork for additional motions throughout the trial.
Even Trump’s antics in court on Monday appeared to be an effort to try to “goad” Engoron into “some sort of mistake” or say something that could help his team on appeal, former U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg told MSNBC.
“Judge Engoron is an experienced jurist, I don’t think that has happened yet and I don’t see that happening,” he said. “From a theatrical perspective, maybe this plays in some other venue. From a legal perspective, this does not play in court,” he added.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/astonishing-admission-experts-trump-train-140024240.html
Trump testified for hours at the trial, which is set to determine the scope of punishment he, his two oldest sons and his company should face after Judge Arthur Engoron issued a partial summary judgment prior to the trial finding them liable of persistent fraud. Trump’s lawyers appealed the ruling and have sought to lay the groundwork for additional motions throughout the trial.
Even Trump’s antics in court on Monday appeared to be an effort to try to “goad” Engoron into “some sort of mistake” or say something that could help his team on appeal, former U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg told MSNBC.
“Judge Engoron is an experienced jurist, I don’t think that has happened yet and I don’t see that happening,” he said. “From a theatrical perspective, maybe this plays in some other venue. From a legal perspective, this does not play in court,” he added.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/astonishing-admission-experts-trump-train-140024240.html
Yes, that is a good point sir! Us, personally, we’ve been following this shit show for 7 years now and quite frankly, we will be celebrating like our team just won the World Series if he ever winds up setting foot in a jail cell. And come on, at the very least, take away his social media accounts. Shit, at this point, I’d even settle for someone turning off his caps lock key. Yeah seriously, it’s like he’s yelling at us through the screen. But, my fair audience, the one thing is perfectly clear – the longer this trial goes on, the longer it paints a party that’s out for blood and absolute power. And we cannot under any circumstances, allow them to worm their way back into the White House.
Donald Trump "just yelled at the judge for a several minute stretch" while testifying on the stand at his New York civil fraud trial, Politico's Erica Orden reported. Though the former president's outburst led New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron to furrow his brow, he otherwise did not react.
Trump's fury erupted after Engoron interrupted his tangent about a disclaimer clause included in his financial statements, which the former president has previously argued were intended to advise reviewers against trusting the accuracy of the listed asset valuations.
"No, no, no. We’re not going to hear about the disclaimer clause," Engoron interjected. "If you want to hear about the disclaimer clause, read my opinion again, or for the first time, perhaps."
https://www.salon.com/2023/11/06/just-yelled-at-the-judge-for-several-minutes--and-has-been-screaming-insults-at-ny-ag/
Trump's fury erupted after Engoron interrupted his tangent about a disclaimer clause included in his financial statements, which the former president has previously argued were intended to advise reviewers against trusting the accuracy of the listed asset valuations.
"No, no, no. We’re not going to hear about the disclaimer clause," Engoron interjected. "If you want to hear about the disclaimer clause, read my opinion again, or for the first time, perhaps."
https://www.salon.com/2023/11/06/just-yelled-at-the-judge-for-several-minutes--and-has-been-screaming-insults-at-ny-ag/
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[font size="8"]Bud Light
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You know…. You know, is this really the way that you want to pick up pieces after one of the biggest corporate PR blunders in American history? I’m of course talking about the Bud Light boycott back in June that was instigated by Kid Rock over Bud Light’s decision to simply expand their customer base and extend an olive branch to the trans community by partnering with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney. And for those of you who were following, it backfired on them spectacularly, and other corporations are going out of their way to not double cross the MAGA world, like this Ford F-350 commercial:
So yeah you’re the most hard working manliest man who’s ever manned and you want to come home after a hard day of moving rocks… or whatever you do with a Ford F-350, and you want to crack open a couple of cold ones after a hard day. What do you reach for? Well, so Bud Light is attempting to pick up the pieces from that failed PR disaster and partner with… UFC. Come on, do we really need to point out what huge pieces of shit Joe Rogan and Dana White are? Yeah well… this happened. And if there’s one thing that the MAGAs know, it’s how to hold a grudge.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president and CEO Dana White has defended his company's decision to strike a sponsorship deal with Bud Light, following boycott calls from detractors.
On Tuesday, Bud Light's parent company Anheuser-Busch and the UFC, an American mixed-martial arts organization that holds more than 40 live events annually around the world, announced a new "multi-year marketing partnership," according to a statement shared online by the beer brand.
Starting January 1, Anheuser-Busch will become the exclusive "Official Beer Partner of UFC," and as part of the sponsorship, beleaguered brand Bud Light will become the official beer in the U.S., per the statement. As such, the beer brand will replace Modelo as the official beer of the championship.
News of the deal triggered a storm of criticism for the UFC and reignited boycott calls for the brewer, which has been plagued by criticism for months after partnering with transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney for a small promotion in April.
https://www.newsweek.com/dana-white-defends-ufc-bud-light-deal-anger-grows-1838075
On Tuesday, Bud Light's parent company Anheuser-Busch and the UFC, an American mixed-martial arts organization that holds more than 40 live events annually around the world, announced a new "multi-year marketing partnership," according to a statement shared online by the beer brand.
Starting January 1, Anheuser-Busch will become the exclusive "Official Beer Partner of UFC," and as part of the sponsorship, beleaguered brand Bud Light will become the official beer in the U.S., per the statement. As such, the beer brand will replace Modelo as the official beer of the championship.
News of the deal triggered a storm of criticism for the UFC and reignited boycott calls for the brewer, which has been plagued by criticism for months after partnering with transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney for a small promotion in April.
https://www.newsweek.com/dana-white-defends-ufc-bud-light-deal-anger-grows-1838075
Yeah so if there’s one thing we’ve learned about boycotts over the years – and the boycotts instigated from MAGA / Fox News viewers, is that if you don’t want your brand to be tanked, don’t partner with a brand that’s already been tanked. Bud Light already has a lot of negative clout in the MAGA community, so partnering with them isn’t going to exactly change anyone’s minds on the subject. These people’s minds have already been warped. So the question on the table is – can UFC be the saving grace that Bud Light needs to get back into the minds and wallets of the MAGA community or will it just lead to further disaster? We’re guessing it will be the latter.
Bud Light is set to return as the official beer of the UFC in the U.S. next year as the brand tries to recover from a conservative backlash to a promotion with a transgender influencer.
Under a new multiyear marketing deal between the promoter of mixed martial arts fights and Bud Light maker Anheuser-Busch, the brewer will become the UFC’s “Official Beer Partner” in the U.S. starting Jan. 1, the two companies announced.
Outside the U.S., AB InBev, the parent of Anheuser-Busch, will be UFC’s official global partner.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed — but, citing a person familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported that the global agreement marks the UFC’s largest sponsorship ever, surpassing a $175 million fight-kit deal signed with Crypto.com back in 2021.
https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/bud-light-return-ufcs-official-beer-recovers-conservative-backlash-rcna122307
Under a new multiyear marketing deal between the promoter of mixed martial arts fights and Bud Light maker Anheuser-Busch, the brewer will become the UFC’s “Official Beer Partner” in the U.S. starting Jan. 1, the two companies announced.
Outside the U.S., AB InBev, the parent of Anheuser-Busch, will be UFC’s official global partner.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed — but, citing a person familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported that the global agreement marks the UFC’s largest sponsorship ever, surpassing a $175 million fight-kit deal signed with Crypto.com back in 2021.
https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/bud-light-return-ufcs-official-beer-recovers-conservative-backlash-rcna122307
Yeah so the deal is worth a lot of money, but can they actually convert the non-believers to their cause this time around? The answer is probably going to be NO. And in fact, let’s not point out that Bud Light was replaced with another In Bev brand – Modelo, so In Bev really isn’t losing any money and/or sleep over the MAGA boycott. It’s pretty much like any other boycott – you just replace one vice with another vice. And even actual MMA fighters are frothing at the mouth angry over the deal. So yeah once again, this is an example of a boycott within a boycott within a boycott – Boycott-ception? And can one really boycott their own employers? Eh no.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Sean Strickland has spoken out in support of Bud Light after its brand partnership with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was announced.
Strickland, 32, has been a professional competitor since 2008 and is the UFC middleweight champion. He often speaks out about topics he is passionate about.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that the beer brand was returning as the official beer of the championship. As part of the partnership, Bud Light will become the official UFC beer in the United States, and Anheuser-Busch will become the sole "Official Beer Partner of UFC," starting on January 1.
This decision means Bud Light will replace Modelo as the official beer—and while livid fans online have said they will be canceling their UFC subscriptions, Strickland approves of the partnership.
https://www.newsweek.com/sean-strickland-speaks-out-ufc-bud-light-1838495
Strickland, 32, has been a professional competitor since 2008 and is the UFC middleweight champion. He often speaks out about topics he is passionate about.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that the beer brand was returning as the official beer of the championship. As part of the partnership, Bud Light will become the official UFC beer in the United States, and Anheuser-Busch will become the sole "Official Beer Partner of UFC," starting on January 1.
This decision means Bud Light will replace Modelo as the official beer—and while livid fans online have said they will be canceling their UFC subscriptions, Strickland approves of the partnership.
https://www.newsweek.com/sean-strickland-speaks-out-ufc-bud-light-1838495
Yes, MAGAs! Let the hate flow through you! Your hate has made you powerful. Except it hasn’t, that only works in Star Wars. The funny thing about all of this is conservatives say we’re the triggered ones in this equation. Hell no! We’re not the ones destroying property and looting stores because a brand partnered with a trans woman to… *checks notes*… sell more beer. Saying that the MAGAs expressed classy , adult behavior in these boycotts is… well, it’s the opposite of what they actually did. Shit, if I was a brand and they did this to me, I wouldn’t want to try and win back these people as customers. But it’s all about that sweet, sweet profit.
Dana White recently announced that the UFC would be dropping Modelo and bringing on Bud Light, manufactured by Anheuser-Busch, to be the premier mixed martial arts promotion's official beer partner.
This, however, proved to be a controversial move. Bud Light recently launched a new campaign centered around the trans star, Dylan Mulvaney. The campaign's core messaging was that Bud Light was easy to carry around, and using Mulvaney's platforms on social media, Bud Light put out a contest.
The contest gave users a chance to win $15,000 for uploading videos of themselves carrying around as many cans as possible. That, however, wasn't the issue - it was Dylan Mulvaney who was at the core of the problems.
Mulvaney, who is a social media sensation, has been repeatedly smeared by far-right conservatives. As a result, Bud Light's decision to drive a campaign centered around the controversial personality has upset some of its supporters, who have since expressed their disappointment with the company. The UFC, who share a target demographic with Bud Light, have, as a result, been caught in the crossfire.
For this reason, some fans have voiced their disappointment with the UFC and some have also urged a boycott of the UFC.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/mma/news-ufc-boycott-bud-light-why-dana-white-facing-backlash-sponsorship-deal-beer-brand
This, however, proved to be a controversial move. Bud Light recently launched a new campaign centered around the trans star, Dylan Mulvaney. The campaign's core messaging was that Bud Light was easy to carry around, and using Mulvaney's platforms on social media, Bud Light put out a contest.
The contest gave users a chance to win $15,000 for uploading videos of themselves carrying around as many cans as possible. That, however, wasn't the issue - it was Dylan Mulvaney who was at the core of the problems.
Mulvaney, who is a social media sensation, has been repeatedly smeared by far-right conservatives. As a result, Bud Light's decision to drive a campaign centered around the controversial personality has upset some of its supporters, who have since expressed their disappointment with the company. The UFC, who share a target demographic with Bud Light, have, as a result, been caught in the crossfire.
For this reason, some fans have voiced their disappointment with the UFC and some have also urged a boycott of the UFC.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/mma/news-ufc-boycott-bud-light-why-dana-white-facing-backlash-sponsorship-deal-beer-brand
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[font size="8"]Top 10 Investigates: What Is Supercommuting?
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It's time to investigate beyond the headlines! This is Top 10 Investigates!
Before COVID-19, people used to complain about the day-in, day-out banal minutiae of commuting to and from a job. You’d get in your car, truck or SUV and spend hours upon hours stuck on the freeways in the downtown areas. You’d probably even throw on your local morning zoo crew radio show just to make the time go faster. Now that’s all changed. Living in the Zoom world has opened up a whole new can of beans in the world of commuting: Super Commuting! Yes, is it possible for one to live in low-rent Des Moine, Iowa and commute to high rent San Francisco once a week? Well, the answer is yes. In fact, here’s a perfect example of what we are talking about. A summer intern living in Charleston, South Carolina, commutes to New York City once a week to attend mandatory in-person meetings and spends the rest of the time in Charleston on Zoom. Is it worth it to save that much money? Well , the answer is yes, but with a trade-off.
Sophia Celentano’s work commute starts in the middle of the night.
Her alarm goes off at 3:30 am, reminding the 21-year-old that she has less than an hour to start driving to Charleston International Airport — otherwise, she’ll miss her flight to the office.
Since early June, Celentano has commuted by plane once a week to her summer internship at Ogilvy Health in Parsippany, New Jersey, from her parent’s house in Charleston, South Carolina.
Celentano didn’t want to join the legions of summer interns fighting for affordable housing in and around New York City. And her job only requires her to be in the office — about a 45-minute drive from downtown Manhattan — once, sometimes twice, per week.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/15/21-year-old-super-commutes-for-summer-internship-how-she-saves-money.html
Her alarm goes off at 3:30 am, reminding the 21-year-old that she has less than an hour to start driving to Charleston International Airport — otherwise, she’ll miss her flight to the office.
Since early June, Celentano has commuted by plane once a week to her summer internship at Ogilvy Health in Parsippany, New Jersey, from her parent’s house in Charleston, South Carolina.
Celentano didn’t want to join the legions of summer interns fighting for affordable housing in and around New York City. And her job only requires her to be in the office — about a 45-minute drive from downtown Manhattan — once, sometimes twice, per week.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/15/21-year-old-super-commutes-for-summer-internship-how-she-saves-money.html
Ah yes, Homer Simpson was most definitely ahead of his time! So yes, you save a ton of money and a ton of time wasted being spent on the road. But the question is… is it worth it? Despite the enormous cost to the environment… the answer is a big… maybe. So if you were to do a poll of some of the biggest super commuters in the country, some would probably tell you that it’s worth it, and others would tell you that it’s not. But even the police and fire fighters of San Francisco are engaging in the act of super commuting because living in San Francisco and paying some of the highest rent in the country – and possibly the world - that definitely isn’t worth it.
A few dozen San Francisco police and firefighters are commuting from hundreds or thousands of miles away, taking flights from as far away as Texas or the East Coast, raising questions about their commitment to San Francisco and their ability to serve the city in case of an emergency.
City records show that at least 30 police department employees live outside of California, including 16 sworn officers. The same number of sworn firefighters, 16, live outside of the state.
Technically, the fire and police departments have no residency requirement mandating employees live within the city or region. The San Francisco Fire Department’s union contract, however, has an “emergency recall” clause requiring employees to “respond” within four hours. But the meaning of this clause is up for interpretation.
“It’s nothing enforceable,” said a longtime firefighter who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “I do think it’s ridiculous, people living out of state and that far away.”
https://missionlocal.org/2023/07/sf-police-firefighters-super-commute-out-of-state/
City records show that at least 30 police department employees live outside of California, including 16 sworn officers. The same number of sworn firefighters, 16, live outside of the state.
Technically, the fire and police departments have no residency requirement mandating employees live within the city or region. The San Francisco Fire Department’s union contract, however, has an “emergency recall” clause requiring employees to “respond” within four hours. But the meaning of this clause is up for interpretation.
“It’s nothing enforceable,” said a longtime firefighter who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “I do think it’s ridiculous, people living out of state and that far away.”
https://missionlocal.org/2023/07/sf-police-firefighters-super-commute-out-of-state/
Now with the worst part of COVID behind us, and most of the world’s major corporations are demanding a return to full time in-person work, is long term super commuting sustainable? It is a very complicated question, and one with very few answers. Most of it is to avoid the skyrocketing cost of rent in cities like Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, and San Francisco. In fact, one of the more extreme examples of super commuting is Boeing’s CEO David Calhoun. Who works at Boeing’s headquarters in Virginia, but commutes from two homes, one based in New Hampshire, and the other in South Carolina, and even he has his doubts about sustainability.
Brian West, Boeing's CFO, also did not relocate — instead, the company opened an office five minutes away from West's home in Connecticut.
Meanwhile, just 30% of Boeing's job postings allow for remote working. Unlike Calhoun and West, few workers have the privilege of taking a private jet to work or getting their company to bring the office to them.
Frank Croasdale commutes two to three times a month to his physical therapy practice in California from his family's home in Austin, Texas, he told the Wall Street Journal. He sees patients during his trips, stays at a rented studio apartment, and oversees the practice from home the rest of the time. He told the Journal that the arrangement saves him and his family $1,500 a month — the family pays lower taxes in Texas, and Croasdale estimates that he earns significantly more as a physical therapist in California than he would in Austin.
https://www.businessinsider.com/workers-commute-plane-hybrid-work-rto-2023-9
Meanwhile, just 30% of Boeing's job postings allow for remote working. Unlike Calhoun and West, few workers have the privilege of taking a private jet to work or getting their company to bring the office to them.
Frank Croasdale commutes two to three times a month to his physical therapy practice in California from his family's home in Austin, Texas, he told the Wall Street Journal. He sees patients during his trips, stays at a rented studio apartment, and oversees the practice from home the rest of the time. He told the Journal that the arrangement saves him and his family $1,500 a month — the family pays lower taxes in Texas, and Croasdale estimates that he earns significantly more as a physical therapist in California than he would in Austin.
https://www.businessinsider.com/workers-commute-plane-hybrid-work-rto-2023-9
OK not all of us have billionaire CEO money and multiple homes in different states. OK that’s a bad example. But there is a warning. So the choices become – work from home or do you do the super commute or do you do just the regular boring commute that you knew in the pre-COVID times? So yes, vehicles may change, but the logic behind commutes hasn’t. So is the idea of commuting to the office via airlines and airports actually worth it? That entirely depends on what you do for a living, and it also entirely depends on how much you want to pay in rent.
A video of an intern who says she commutes to work by plane from South Carolina to New Jersey has gone viral on TikTok, where it received over 582,000 views at the time of writing.
The clip was posted by TikToker Sophia Celentano (@sophiacelentano48), who filmed herself getting ready for her commute on the first day of her marketing internship. A caption shared with the video read: "super commuting slay."
Celentano said in the clip: "You might be wondering 'Sophia, if you're working 9 to 5, why the hell are you up at 3 a.m.?' I am actually going to be commuting into my job one day a week. I'm going to be a corporate marketing intern for an advertising agency. The office I'm working for is based in the New York/New Jersey area."
"Because I only have to be in the office one day a week, it honestly is cheaper for me to stay in Charleston [South Carolina] for the summer with my parents and just pay for plane tickets one day a week than to live in New York full time," she explained.
https://www.newsweek.com/woman-commutes-plane-new-york-job-cheaper-rent-1806250
The clip was posted by TikToker Sophia Celentano (@sophiacelentano48), who filmed herself getting ready for her commute on the first day of her marketing internship. A caption shared with the video read: "super commuting slay."
Celentano said in the clip: "You might be wondering 'Sophia, if you're working 9 to 5, why the hell are you up at 3 a.m.?' I am actually going to be commuting into my job one day a week. I'm going to be a corporate marketing intern for an advertising agency. The office I'm working for is based in the New York/New Jersey area."
"Because I only have to be in the office one day a week, it honestly is cheaper for me to stay in Charleston [South Carolina] for the summer with my parents and just pay for plane tickets one day a week than to live in New York full time," she explained.
https://www.newsweek.com/woman-commutes-plane-new-york-job-cheaper-rent-1806250
That’s it for Top 10 Investigates. Good day!
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[font size="8"]Holy Shit
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Gather around my fair brothers and sisters! It’s time to take a seat in the pew and pass the collection plate, for the Holy Church Of The Top 10 has convened and it’s time to remind you that the holiest among us are the most full of:
My fair congregation! Please be seated! You know we live in some very trying times. Especially when there’s a hostile news network with authoritarian interests trying to take over every single branch of the US government. And last week, they got the hard lined Speaker Of The House that they always wanted after 19 days of not having one, the largest period in US history since the Civil War! Well we come now to our new hard lined authoritarian speaker Mike Johnson. And just like you, last week, I had the same question as everyone else: who the fuck is this guy? Well he’s now third in line for the presidency of the United States. And he’s a MAGA loyalist who unequivocally supports the unholy, ungodly Dark One! I of course speak of a man so foul, so depraved and disgusting that his name DARE NOT be spoken in my church! But here’s the thing – you know you done fucked up when even members of your own religion say that you don’t represent them! Yes, there’s been a petition of over 12,000 American Christians that have said that MAGA Mike Johnson doesn’t represent them.
Newly elected Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has been extremely vocal about his strict Christian beliefs, going so far as to say that reading the Bible will teach you everything there is to know about his world view. But an online Christian group called Faithful America isn't buying it, launching a petition to condemn him as a false prophet.
According to Newsweek, the group is in the midst of their second-annual "False Prophets Don't Speak for Me" campaign, which aims to show that false prophets "will never speak for Jesus" for the Christian community.
Alongside Johnson — for whom they've collected over 12,000 signatures in favor of condemnation — they've listed other Christian-nationalist leaders such as Donald Trump, Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Ohio Representative Jim Jordan and co-founder of Moms for Liberty, Bridget Ziegler.
"It's hard to overstate the threat that anti-democracy, anti-freedom Christian nationalism poses to both democracy and the church today, especially now that Rep. Mike Johnson has become the most Christian-nationalist speaker in U.S. history,"
Read more: https://www.salon.com/2023/11/05/online-christian-group-petitions-to-condemn-mike-johnson-as-a-false-prophet/?in_brief=true
According to Newsweek, the group is in the midst of their second-annual "False Prophets Don't Speak for Me" campaign, which aims to show that false prophets "will never speak for Jesus" for the Christian community.
Alongside Johnson — for whom they've collected over 12,000 signatures in favor of condemnation — they've listed other Christian-nationalist leaders such as Donald Trump, Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Ohio Representative Jim Jordan and co-founder of Moms for Liberty, Bridget Ziegler.
"It's hard to overstate the threat that anti-democracy, anti-freedom Christian nationalism poses to both democracy and the church today, especially now that Rep. Mike Johnson has become the most Christian-nationalist speaker in U.S. history,"
Read more: https://www.salon.com/2023/11/05/online-christian-group-petitions-to-condemn-mike-johnson-as-a-false-prophet/?in_brief=true
Ah, there in lies the conundrum, my fair congregation! See, you know the old saying is that the Devil is in the details, but in our Good Book, it says that JAYSUS once said that you should be NOT like the hypocrites who preach on street corners! Because the good LAWRD would not want that now would he, and in the eyes of GAWD, Mike Johnson is yet another in the long list of Christian hypocrites who claim to worship GAWD, but really they worship the unholy Dark One. Now here’s where it gets weird, and you knew that it was going to. Apparently Mrs. Johnson runs her own religious “consulting” firm, and you know the kind of religion that is. You all know, it’s the “do as I say, not as I do” variety. You know very well that your religion cannot coerce someone into making “the right choice”, we all know that’s 100% grade A, FDA certified bullshit!
Kelly Johnson, the wife of the newly elected House speaker, ran a Christian counseling service that is affiliated with an organization that advocates against abortion and homosexuality and whose practices are built on the teachings of the Greek physician Hippocrates.
It is not clear if Kelly Johnson will continue her practice. Not long after Rep. Mike Johnson became House speaker last week, Kelly Johnson's website became inaccessible. Johnson, her husband of more than 24 years, rose overnight from a virtually obscure House lawmaker to the position that is second in line to the presidency. The couple is deeply religious; both Kelly and Mike Johnson previously worked with religious organizations and causes the religious right advocates for. Along with her counseling, Johnson is also listed as an advisor to the Louisiana Right for Life, an anti-abortion organization.
Kelly Johnson's website listed a specialty in Temperament counseling, a specialty that she received training for from an organization founded in the 1980s by a Christian couple. According to the materials the organization provides, the National Christian Counselor's Association is adamant that its offerings take place outside of more traditional state-licensed settings so that counselors and clients can be fully engaged through their faith.
https://news.yahoo.com/kelly-johnson-married-house-speaker-154047595.html
It is not clear if Kelly Johnson will continue her practice. Not long after Rep. Mike Johnson became House speaker last week, Kelly Johnson's website became inaccessible. Johnson, her husband of more than 24 years, rose overnight from a virtually obscure House lawmaker to the position that is second in line to the presidency. The couple is deeply religious; both Kelly and Mike Johnson previously worked with religious organizations and causes the religious right advocates for. Along with her counseling, Johnson is also listed as an advisor to the Louisiana Right for Life, an anti-abortion organization.
Kelly Johnson's website listed a specialty in Temperament counseling, a specialty that she received training for from an organization founded in the 1980s by a Christian couple. According to the materials the organization provides, the National Christian Counselor's Association is adamant that its offerings take place outside of more traditional state-licensed settings so that counselors and clients can be fully engaged through their faith.
https://news.yahoo.com/kelly-johnson-married-house-speaker-154047595.html
Which that, I can assure you, my friends, it is most definitely NOT! But this hypocrisy surrounding our new Speaker is massively insane. And here’s the thing, Speaker Johnson, if you’re not prepared to be in the spotlight for any length of time, you’d better get used to it. You’re third in line for the presidency of the United States now! People are going to find out about your affairs and when they do, it’s not going to be pretty by any stretch of the imagination, no sir! In fact here’s one of his more extreme beliefs that could potentially backfire on him big time if enacted. Remember – NOWHERE in the United States Constitution does it say any of this!
The elevation of Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) to House speaker was a shocker. Not since John McCain picked Sarah Palin to be his running mate has a heretofore little-known politician been lifted so quickly to a position of prominence and importance. Though Johnson now is second in the line of presidential succession, we’re still finding out basic and important facts about him and how he sees the world. This includes his alarming record as a hardcore conservative cultural warrior, motivated by a Christian fundamentalist belief, who has fiercely opposed gay rights (comparing homosexuality to pedophilia), called for a total nationwide ban on abortion, proposed the end of no-fault divorce, and urged a return to “18th century values.” One more significant thing I’ve discovered is that Johnson appears to believe in a religious litmus test for politicians.
This weekend I broke the news that Johnson and his wife, Kelly Johnson, a self-described Christian counselor, a few years ago created a seminar that promoted the premise that the United States has been a “Christian nation.” I found a video of one of these sessions they held in 2019 at the Baptist church they belong to in Bossier City, Louisiana. At that event, from the pulpit, Kelly declared that “biblical Christianity”—that is, a literal reading of the Bible as fundamentalists interpret it—is the only “valid worldview,” and nothing else makes sense. (This worldview includes creationism—believing that the Earth was created by God in six days 6,000 years ago—and the denial of evolution.) Mike Johnson called for “biblically sanctioned government.” In this venue and many others, including a podcast they have hosted together, the pair have contended that there is only one truth: “Jesus’ truth.”
The Johnsons are diehard fundamentalists who believe every religion other than their brand of Christianity is false and that whatever is written in the Bible should dictate all conduct, rules, policies, and laws. As I reported earlier, Mike Johnson in 2016 exclaimed, “We’re living in a completely amoral society.” The only way out, according to him and Kelly, is to abide by the Bible.
https://link.motherjones.com/public/33196514
This weekend I broke the news that Johnson and his wife, Kelly Johnson, a self-described Christian counselor, a few years ago created a seminar that promoted the premise that the United States has been a “Christian nation.” I found a video of one of these sessions they held in 2019 at the Baptist church they belong to in Bossier City, Louisiana. At that event, from the pulpit, Kelly declared that “biblical Christianity”—that is, a literal reading of the Bible as fundamentalists interpret it—is the only “valid worldview,” and nothing else makes sense. (This worldview includes creationism—believing that the Earth was created by God in six days 6,000 years ago—and the denial of evolution.) Mike Johnson called for “biblically sanctioned government.” In this venue and many others, including a podcast they have hosted together, the pair have contended that there is only one truth: “Jesus’ truth.”
The Johnsons are diehard fundamentalists who believe every religion other than their brand of Christianity is false and that whatever is written in the Bible should dictate all conduct, rules, policies, and laws. As I reported earlier, Mike Johnson in 2016 exclaimed, “We’re living in a completely amoral society.” The only way out, according to him and Kelly, is to abide by the Bible.
https://link.motherjones.com/public/33196514
Now we haven’t even got to the worst of it, yet! Oh no, not by a long shot, my fair congregation! So we’ve established that Mike Johnson is a MAGA religious bigot of the highest order. He does not abide by the Constitution or the Bible. In fact, he only serves his masters at News Corporation. But here’s the thing, you can’t defend extremism no matter how hard you try. It’s impossible. Even the MAGA Taliban extremists who put him into office are having a hard time defending the old school fire and brimstone version of Christianity that they so practice. The kind that made Speaker Johnson say those evil and horrible things! So yeah this is the internet, guys! There are no take backs!
The sudden elevation of Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., to House speaker pushed his record's vetting to after his election. So it was only once he became second in line to the presidency that most people learned Johnson played a key role in the House’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, is virulently anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ Americans, and has promoted teaching the Bible as a history book in public schools.
Now Johnson and his allies are hitting back against his critics. Remarkably, their response to the exposure of Johnson’s turbocharged theo-politics is not to argue that media reports exaggerate or misapprehend his record as a lawyer or legislator, or his intentions as speaker. Instead, Johnson’s closest allies are amplifying his extreme views, and recasting them as mainstream “truths” that are beyond challenge.
This week Johnson gave an interview to the Daily Signal, the news site of the Heritage Foundation, an agenda-setting hub for the right, and particularly the religious right. Johnson was able to “open up,” as the Daily Signal’s Mary Margaret Olohan put it, about how his Christian faith “informs his politics.” While he’s hardly been tight-lipped about that topic, this fresh clarification of his central political philosophy makes his rapid, uninterrogated ascension even more worrisome.
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/mike-johnson-christian-speaker-rcna123249
Now Johnson and his allies are hitting back against his critics. Remarkably, their response to the exposure of Johnson’s turbocharged theo-politics is not to argue that media reports exaggerate or misapprehend his record as a lawyer or legislator, or his intentions as speaker. Instead, Johnson’s closest allies are amplifying his extreme views, and recasting them as mainstream “truths” that are beyond challenge.
This week Johnson gave an interview to the Daily Signal, the news site of the Heritage Foundation, an agenda-setting hub for the right, and particularly the religious right. Johnson was able to “open up,” as the Daily Signal’s Mary Margaret Olohan put it, about how his Christian faith “informs his politics.” While he’s hardly been tight-lipped about that topic, this fresh clarification of his central political philosophy makes his rapid, uninterrogated ascension even more worrisome.
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/mike-johnson-christian-speaker-rcna123249
Oh our quest to find out more hasn’t even begun, my friends! It’s just getting started! In fact we hope you’ll come back next week when we present you with a deep dive into the anti-porn spyware app that he and his son sue. It’s insane! Mass has ended, may you go in peace! That’s it this week for:
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[font size="8"]This Fucking Guy: Javier Milei
https://www.democraticunderground.com/top10/icons/batshit_crazy. [br] [/font] [br]
This week’s This Fucking Guy is Javier Milei. Now what’s our official mission statement around here? it’s not that conservative idiocy is a uniquely American problem. No, it’s a global problem, and conservatives ruin everything that they touch, everywhere. In case you haven’t heard, the country of Argentina is in a colossal, truly gargantuan mess. Like on the verge of a Great Depression mess. And who is the man who could potentially be Argentina’s next president? Javier Milei. Now in case you haven’t seen last week’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, you absolutely should. But here’s the thing, Argentina – you want real change in your country? And this is the guy you’re going with? A guy who wields chainsaws and own an army of cloned pugs? That’s your guy. Seriously, we really do live in the stupid timeline right now. We also can’t quite put our finger on it, but this election reeks of Steve Bannon meddling. But one thing we learned on our World Tour last year – when countries turn populist, that’s usually a sign that something really terrible is on the horizon.
Javier Milei, a right-wing populist who admires Donald Trump and made a name for himself by shouting against Argentina’s “political caste” on television, finds himself the front-runner for this month’s presidential election.
If he emerges as Argentina’s next president, it will be in large part thanks to support from people like Paola Aguirre, a mother of two young girls who lives in a makeshift wooden shack near a landfill in the northern province of Salta.
Like many Argentines, Aguirre has been overwhelmed by years of ever worsening economic woes that has her struggling to feed her family and made it impossible to afford the room they used to rent. Just over 40% of the country’s 46 million people live in poverty, a big jump from a little more than 30% in the second half of 2016, according to Argentina’s INDEC statistics agency.
Aguirre sees hope in Milei, a firebrand economist-turned-lawmaker who describes himself as an anarcho-capitalist and says the answer to reining in annual inflation now running around 140% is to get rid of the Central Bank and dollarize the economy. He also vows to privatize state companies, get rid of public infrastructure programs, change labor rules to make it easier to fire employees and carry out a big overhaul of the government to decrease spending.
https://apnews.com/article/milei-argentina-elections-massa-bullrich-cb2de60c5f9bc1ae52c216a8863b8b41
If he emerges as Argentina’s next president, it will be in large part thanks to support from people like Paola Aguirre, a mother of two young girls who lives in a makeshift wooden shack near a landfill in the northern province of Salta.
Like many Argentines, Aguirre has been overwhelmed by years of ever worsening economic woes that has her struggling to feed her family and made it impossible to afford the room they used to rent. Just over 40% of the country’s 46 million people live in poverty, a big jump from a little more than 30% in the second half of 2016, according to Argentina’s INDEC statistics agency.
Aguirre sees hope in Milei, a firebrand economist-turned-lawmaker who describes himself as an anarcho-capitalist and says the answer to reining in annual inflation now running around 140% is to get rid of the Central Bank and dollarize the economy. He also vows to privatize state companies, get rid of public infrastructure programs, change labor rules to make it easier to fire employees and carry out a big overhaul of the government to decrease spending.
https://apnews.com/article/milei-argentina-elections-massa-bullrich-cb2de60c5f9bc1ae52c216a8863b8b41
Look, Argentina, we get your frustrations with inflation, OK? But it’s bad in Argentina, it’s bad in South America. It’s bad in the United States. It’s bad all over the world. Let’s think about this for a minute, though – it’s a simple supply and demand concept. Money is in extremely high demand there’s a short supply of it. And that’s mainly because a handful of people own most of the world’s wealth, and their wealth is only increasing. It’s the Elon Musks and Jeff Bezos and Richard Bransons of the world that are causing the trouble, and the sooner they all fuck off in their penis shaped rockets to deep space, the better off we’ll be. But until then, don’t fall for fascism, OK? We’ve been down that road here in the US and it’s not pretty.
The hairstylist responsible for Argentina’s most famous sideburns believes people don’t always vote based on what they hear: “They vote with what they see.”
With that in mind, Lilia Lemoine used her scissors to turn the man she wants as the country’s next president – wild-haired celebrity economist Javier Milei – into what she considers an irresistible proposition: a South American fusion of Elvis Presley and the adamantium-clawed mutant Wolverine.
“He looks like Wolverine. He acts like Wolverine. He’s like an anti-hero,” explained Lemoine, a professional cosplayer who is the image consultant for the eccentric hard-right libertarian seemingly poised to lead the region’s second largest economy.
Lemoine, whose stage name is Lady Lemon, saw striking similarities between Milei and the volatile Marvel character who inspired his unconventional side-whiskers.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/14/who-is-javier-milei-argentina-presidential-election-frontrunner
With that in mind, Lilia Lemoine used her scissors to turn the man she wants as the country’s next president – wild-haired celebrity economist Javier Milei – into what she considers an irresistible proposition: a South American fusion of Elvis Presley and the adamantium-clawed mutant Wolverine.
“He looks like Wolverine. He acts like Wolverine. He’s like an anti-hero,” explained Lemoine, a professional cosplayer who is the image consultant for the eccentric hard-right libertarian seemingly poised to lead the region’s second largest economy.
Lemoine, whose stage name is Lady Lemon, saw striking similarities between Milei and the volatile Marvel character who inspired his unconventional side-whiskers.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/14/who-is-javier-milei-argentina-presidential-election-frontrunner
Look, Argentina, we’ve been there! You don’t want an anti-hero to lead your country. We tried that, it didn’t work, and he tried to kill us when he didn’t get re-elected. You don’t want that in your country, not by a long shot! But if you really want to understand Milei’s hard-lined brand of fascist authoritarianism, don’t look to Miami. Look to Budapest instead. Another country that flipped populist because of economic problems and the rise of right wing and far right wing propaganda on social media, which is why we say this whole thing reeks of Steve Bannon meddling. There’s no doubt that all of this rise in authoritarianism around the world is connected.
One should look towards Central Europe and the Baltics to draw global parallels, especially post the Soviet Union's implosion. In these regions, reformists did not aim just to amend the preceding system. They wanted to replace it, prioritizing a free market economy and individual rights.
Two emblematic figures that come to mind are Leszek Balcerowicz and Mart Laar.
Professor Balcerowicz's transformative efforts led Poland out of the clutches of state-owned socialism into the thriving world of free-market capitalism. His strategic “Balcerowicz Plan” reforms ushered in an era of flourishing businesses and a thriving economy.
Then there is Mart Laar, the leader who took the helm of Estonia at the tender age of 32 in 1992. Guided by Milton Friedman's Free to Choose and inspired by Balcerowicz's transformative work in Poland, Laar embarked on an ambitious journey of sweeping institutional reforms. With a spirited cry of "Just do it!" he emphasized reviving the rule of law, reaffirming private property rights, liberalizing trade, and waging a relentless war against corruption.
https://fee.org/articles/to-understand-javier-milei-turn-your-eyes-to-central-europe-and-the-baltics-not-trump-tower/
Two emblematic figures that come to mind are Leszek Balcerowicz and Mart Laar.
Professor Balcerowicz's transformative efforts led Poland out of the clutches of state-owned socialism into the thriving world of free-market capitalism. His strategic “Balcerowicz Plan” reforms ushered in an era of flourishing businesses and a thriving economy.
Then there is Mart Laar, the leader who took the helm of Estonia at the tender age of 32 in 1992. Guided by Milton Friedman's Free to Choose and inspired by Balcerowicz's transformative work in Poland, Laar embarked on an ambitious journey of sweeping institutional reforms. With a spirited cry of "Just do it!" he emphasized reviving the rule of law, reaffirming private property rights, liberalizing trade, and waging a relentless war against corruption.
https://fee.org/articles/to-understand-javier-milei-turn-your-eyes-to-central-europe-and-the-baltics-not-trump-tower/
Ha ha ha ha ha… that’s the appropriate reaction for this! But there is hope. Hope that can stop the authoritarian virus from spreading around the world. And it’s in the place that you’d lest expect to find it – Taylor Swift fans. And K-Pop fans. Yes, they have fans all over the world. You know what, we’ve been giving Taylor Swift a hard time lately because it seems like she’s constantly in the news. But she’s got the upper hand in our fight against fascism. And you know what? We take back everything that we said, because if we can stop fascism in Argentina and the US, we can stop it all around the world. This shit isn’t anything to fuck with!
Weeks before Argentina’s run-off election, far-right populist Javier Milei and his running mate, Victoria Villaruel, have found themselves under pressure from an unexpected quarter: an alliance of Taylor Swift supporters and K-pop fans.
Milei, a radical libertarian who has proposed dollarizing Argentina’s economy and even legalizing the organ trade, topped the polls ahead of Sunday’s first round, but was beaten into second place by the centrist finance minister, Sergio Massa.
Massa, 51, and Milei, 53, are now scrambling to pick up votes ahead of a second round on 19 November.
But on Thursday, a new front on the electoral battlefield opened, when a group of Argentinian Taylor Swift fans described Milei and his Freedom Advances party as representatives of “the anti-democratic right”, saying “Milei is Trump.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/26/argentina-bts-k-pop-victoria-villarruel-javier-milei
Milei, a radical libertarian who has proposed dollarizing Argentina’s economy and even legalizing the organ trade, topped the polls ahead of Sunday’s first round, but was beaten into second place by the centrist finance minister, Sergio Massa.
Massa, 51, and Milei, 53, are now scrambling to pick up votes ahead of a second round on 19 November.
But on Thursday, a new front on the electoral battlefield opened, when a group of Argentinian Taylor Swift fans described Milei and his Freedom Advances party as representatives of “the anti-democratic right”, saying “Milei is Trump.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/26/argentina-bts-k-pop-victoria-villarruel-javier-milei
That’s Argentina’s batshit crazy, chainsaw wielding, Trump loving, pug clone owning, authoritarian psychopath who could be the country’s next president, Javier Milei, this week’s:
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[font size="8"]Conspiracy Corner
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Welcome back to our segment that attempts to explain the unexplainable, Conspiracy Corner! Of course conspiracies exist when people simply don’t want to read the article past the headlines and just flat out make shit up. We of course are coming to you live from our underground doomsday shelter from deep within the New Mexico badlands. Undisclosed location, of course! Let me just adjust my trusty tin foil hat for maximum government interference. Ah, there we go! They are trying to read yours and my thoughts after all! I honestly don’t know what to think when we see interviews like this. I mean is it a cry for help or are they really that deranged and insane? I’m of course talking about the fact that our old buddy Elon Musk was interviewed on Joe Rogan for nearly 3 hours and it was quite the stuff of pure, unaltered insanity. But for the life of me, I can’t comprehend why someone would actually sit around and watch these two for that length of time. Especially in the day and age when it seems like everyone is on some kind of ADD medication. One of the biggest claims made in this clusterfuck of an interview is that Elon claims that he made the Twitter acquisition to save people from the “woke mind virus”. Well, Elon, it isn’t the Woke Mind Virus that’s eating your brain. But something definitely is.
Elon Musk bought Twitter to save it from the “mind virus,” a phrase he has used to refer to so-called “woke” or left-wing thinking, the billionaire CEO of Tesla
and SpaceX said in a podcast appearance with Joe Rogan.
“This is going to sound somewhat melodramatic, but I was worried it was having a corrosive effect on civilization,” Musk said Tuesday on the Joe Rogan Experience.
Rogan had asked him whether Musk ever dreamed that he hadn’t made a bid on Twitter. Musk then criticized the leadership of the city of San Francisco, telling Rogan that the city’s downtown was like “a zombie apocalypse.”
“So now you have to say, what philosophy led to that outcome?” Musk asked rhetorically.
“A philosophy that would normally be quite niche and geographically constrained,” Musk said, “was given an information technology weapon to propagate what is essentially a mind virus to the rest of the Earth. And the outcome of that mind virus is very clear if you walk around the streets of downtown San Francisco.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/02/elon-musk-told-joe-rogan-he-bought-twitter-to-stop-extinctionist-mind-virus.html
and SpaceX said in a podcast appearance with Joe Rogan.
“This is going to sound somewhat melodramatic, but I was worried it was having a corrosive effect on civilization,” Musk said Tuesday on the Joe Rogan Experience.
Rogan had asked him whether Musk ever dreamed that he hadn’t made a bid on Twitter. Musk then criticized the leadership of the city of San Francisco, telling Rogan that the city’s downtown was like “a zombie apocalypse.”
“So now you have to say, what philosophy led to that outcome?” Musk asked rhetorically.
“A philosophy that would normally be quite niche and geographically constrained,” Musk said, “was given an information technology weapon to propagate what is essentially a mind virus to the rest of the Earth. And the outcome of that mind virus is very clear if you walk around the streets of downtown San Francisco.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/02/elon-musk-told-joe-rogan-he-bought-twitter-to-stop-extinctionist-mind-virus.html
Uh……. Fucking what??? I’ve been to San Fransisco, it’s a city that I visit very frequently. I have never heard or seen anything like this. Oh and this interview gets weirder and nuttier the more that you dig into it. Like remember that episode of 30 Rock where Tracy Jordan is being interviewed on the Larry King show and he just dives into straight conspiracy theories? Well it’s kind of like that. But this might be my favorite part of the interview – he made the absurd claim that the ventilators that people hooked up to during COVID were killing people. No, people were DYING because the virus was that strong. There’s a big, huge difference, there, E.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has once again gone on dude-bro legend Joe Rogan’s podcast to drink whisky, spout outlandish conspiracy theories about the world around him and lie about the definitely-upcoming Cybertruck.
Amidst his rants about the “woke mind virus,” saying George Soros hates humanity and claiming that people put on ventilators for Covid 19 were actually killed by the ventilators and not the virus, Musk found time in the two-hour and 41-minute interview to talk about the Cybertruck, according to the Daily Mail. No, there was no way I’d be listening to this whole thing. Specifically, he brought up just how many Tesla intends to build.
During the interview, Rogan actually got a chance to fire arrows at a Cybertruck to show how invincible it is. To be fair, the truck did beat the arrow, but I feel like some more — let’s say — modern ammunition would probably fair a bit better.
If you feel like you need to listen to the 2:41 long interview, then go ahead, but be warned, your brain will be a bit more dead than it was before.
Oh, and just to go back to the ventilator thing for a second. Back in 2020, Musk said he would supply over 1,000 ventilators to California. As you may have guessed, it never happened. This dude is something else.
https://autos.yahoo.com/elon-musk-tells-joe-rogan-154500844.html
Amidst his rants about the “woke mind virus,” saying George Soros hates humanity and claiming that people put on ventilators for Covid 19 were actually killed by the ventilators and not the virus, Musk found time in the two-hour and 41-minute interview to talk about the Cybertruck, according to the Daily Mail. No, there was no way I’d be listening to this whole thing. Specifically, he brought up just how many Tesla intends to build.
During the interview, Rogan actually got a chance to fire arrows at a Cybertruck to show how invincible it is. To be fair, the truck did beat the arrow, but I feel like some more — let’s say — modern ammunition would probably fair a bit better.
If you feel like you need to listen to the 2:41 long interview, then go ahead, but be warned, your brain will be a bit more dead than it was before.
Oh, and just to go back to the ventilator thing for a second. Back in 2020, Musk said he would supply over 1,000 ventilators to California. As you may have guessed, it never happened. This dude is something else.
https://autos.yahoo.com/elon-musk-tells-joe-rogan-154500844.html
Then the subject went to NFTs. Which were something that the bitcoin / blockchain bros have been trying to force on us, and failed miserably at. So what went wrong there? Well of course if you’re listening to the Joe Rogan show, you probably figure that everything is a conspiracy. So why would anyone actually want to own something you can just right click and save to your hard drive? Well, again, they made the whole thing up. They set the rules. How are we supposed to say what’s coming to bite them back in the ass? Well, of course Elon goes there.
Tech tycoon Elon Musk recently waded into a long-simmering debate about non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the Joe Rogan podcast, criticizing NFTs for not being completely "on chain," or natively built on a blockchain.
“The funny thing is NFTs are not even on the blockchain — its just a URL to a JPEG,” Musk said this week on "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast. “You should at least encode the JPEG in the blockchain. ‘Cause like... if the company housing the image goes out of business, you don’t have the business anymore."
Advocates of blockchain-based NFT technology would quibble with Musk's characterization, arguing that many projects do inscribe data onto an immutable blockchain ledger.
Nonetheless, one crypto group delighted in Musk’s barbed criticism: Bitcoin maximalists who trumpet Bitcoin Ordinals, a protocol launched this January that allows users to inscribe digital content — including NFT-like artwork — on the Bitcoin blockchain network. Unlike Ethereum, which uses smart contracts to mint NFTs, Bitcoin Ordinals is a protocol that links NFT-like artwork to a satoshi, the smallest unit of a bitcoin, and issues an inscription number. For ardent supporters of Ordinals, Musk’s words only bolstered their argument that Ordinals might be superior to Ethereum-based NFTs.
https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/innovation/elon-musk-dunks-on-nfts-with-joe-rogan-opening-the-door-to-bitcoin-ordinals
“The funny thing is NFTs are not even on the blockchain — its just a URL to a JPEG,” Musk said this week on "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast. “You should at least encode the JPEG in the blockchain. ‘Cause like... if the company housing the image goes out of business, you don’t have the business anymore."
Advocates of blockchain-based NFT technology would quibble with Musk's characterization, arguing that many projects do inscribe data onto an immutable blockchain ledger.
Nonetheless, one crypto group delighted in Musk’s barbed criticism: Bitcoin maximalists who trumpet Bitcoin Ordinals, a protocol launched this January that allows users to inscribe digital content — including NFT-like artwork — on the Bitcoin blockchain network. Unlike Ethereum, which uses smart contracts to mint NFTs, Bitcoin Ordinals is a protocol that links NFT-like artwork to a satoshi, the smallest unit of a bitcoin, and issues an inscription number. For ardent supporters of Ordinals, Musk’s words only bolstered their argument that Ordinals might be superior to Ethereum-based NFTs.
https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/innovation/elon-musk-dunks-on-nfts-with-joe-rogan-opening-the-door-to-bitcoin-ordinals
Look I’m a tech guy, but even I have no fucking clue what the hell they are talking about. Now here’s where the interview just goes off into batshit crazy, off the wall ridiculous territory. You know how Elon has been touting his ridiculous Cybertruck? Well, during the interview, he asked Joe Rogan to fire a bow and arrow at a prototype of the Cybertruck in order to prove that the armor on it is bulletproof. Wait, now I’m confused – what era is Elon living in? Some sort of weird post-apocalyptic sci fi world where people fire bows and arrows at each other in addition to sub machine guns? Where does that world even exist? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha… no, seriously, what the actual fuck?
Amidst the many topics explored during the latest episode of comedian Joe Rogan’s titular podcast, guest Elon Musk made a small bet involving the Tesla Cybertruck.
In a conversation about the performance, weight and all-metal construction of the long-awaited electric truck, the Tesla (TSLA) - Get Free Report CEO mentioned certain demonstrations that show the truck's supposed bulletproofing, which triggered a curious Rogan about its limits.
“Can I try it with an arrow?” Rogan asked Musk.
“Yeah, it’ll be fine,” Musk replied.
Rogan perked up Musk’s curiosity by describing at length the various archery setups he had for hunting various large game. However, Musk felt very confident that arrows would not damage the Cybertruck.
“Maybe I’ll drive back with an arrow sticking out of my car,” Musk coyly said.
https://www.thestreet.com/electric-vehicles/watch-the-results-of-elon-musks-bet-with-joe-rogan
In a conversation about the performance, weight and all-metal construction of the long-awaited electric truck, the Tesla (TSLA) - Get Free Report CEO mentioned certain demonstrations that show the truck's supposed bulletproofing, which triggered a curious Rogan about its limits.
“Can I try it with an arrow?” Rogan asked Musk.
“Yeah, it’ll be fine,” Musk replied.
Rogan perked up Musk’s curiosity by describing at length the various archery setups he had for hunting various large game. However, Musk felt very confident that arrows would not damage the Cybertruck.
“Maybe I’ll drive back with an arrow sticking out of my car,” Musk coyly said.
https://www.thestreet.com/electric-vehicles/watch-the-results-of-elon-musks-bet-with-joe-rogan
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[font size="8"]I Need A Drink: The Florida Man Games
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Hey everyone, I don’t know about you, but I could really use a drink!
So of course you know by now that the idea behind this segment is that we have some drinks, and while we are drinking, we talk about literally anything in the news as long as it doesn’t relate to politics. There is a lot of really dark shit in the news right now, so the best thing to do is belly up to the bar, crack open a couple of cold ones, and escape from reality for a bit. Only rules we got in this bar – no fighting, no cussing, and no politics! Some mild cussing is allowed, as long as it’s never at someone. Only with. And don’t worry, my sober brothers and sisters, we got you covered too! Just grab a glass of your favorite coffee, tea, or energy drink and come get wired with us! This week, you know, we make fun of the Sunshine State a lot on this program. But you ever wonder what it’s like to actually live like a Floridian Man Or Woman? Well, now’s your chance! Tell me bartender, what goes well with a story about Florida Man? The Florida Man Cocktail? So what’s in that? It’s just a big jug of vodka, beer and fruit juices? With a side of meth? Are you trying to kill us or something? How about instead I’ll just take a giant mug of Stone IPA? I’ll change it up a bit! So the First Annual Florida Man Games are officially a thing, and it’s the weird, ultra redneck, escape from reality that we so desperately need right now!
A one-of-a-kind event in the nation's oldest city is quickly approaching, featuring mullet competitions to beer belly sumo wrestling.
The Florida Man Games, scheduled for February 24 in St. Augustine, will feature bizarre games, eye-catching entertainment and BBQ competition with award-winning pit masters. Tickets for the uniquely Floridian event are available now through the website, where you can also see more information.
The founder of the games, Pete Melfi, said 5,000 to 10,000 thrill-seekers are expected to be in attendance for the Florida-style, muddy day.
"Big trucks, wild folks, crazy challenges, live gators, and a whole lot of belly laughs is the least you can expect," Melfi said.
A number of different wild and unconventional games are planned and will be judged by former American Gladiators Dan "Nitro" Clark and Lori "Ice" Fetrick.
https://cbs12.com/news/local/florida-man-games-mullet-beer-belly-sumo-wrestling-police-chase-cooking-events-food-competitions-tickets-november-1-2023
The Florida Man Games, scheduled for February 24 in St. Augustine, will feature bizarre games, eye-catching entertainment and BBQ competition with award-winning pit masters. Tickets for the uniquely Floridian event are available now through the website, where you can also see more information.
The founder of the games, Pete Melfi, said 5,000 to 10,000 thrill-seekers are expected to be in attendance for the Florida-style, muddy day.
"Big trucks, wild folks, crazy challenges, live gators, and a whole lot of belly laughs is the least you can expect," Melfi said.
A number of different wild and unconventional games are planned and will be judged by former American Gladiators Dan "Nitro" Clark and Lori "Ice" Fetrick.
https://cbs12.com/news/local/florida-man-games-mullet-beer-belly-sumo-wrestling-police-chase-cooking-events-food-competitions-tickets-november-1-2023
Yeah so if you’re interested in participating in the First Annual Florida Man Games, head on over to your nearest Greyhound Bus station, pay $25, wait 12.5 hours, sit through about 15 stops, and you’ll eventually wind up in St. Augustine, the home of the Florida Gators, and come on, what Florida city is more appropriate than that, and you’ll be at the Florida Man Games! So what kind of games can you look forward to participating in? Well, as you can imagine, they’re exactly what you would expect and they’re ripped right out of today’s headlines!
It ain’t the Olympics, but a group of Floridians plan to host competitions themed according to the collective antics of the beer-loving, gator-possessing, rap-sheet heavy, mullet-wearing social media phenomenon known as “Florida Man.”
Organizers of the “Florida Man Games” describe the competition as “the most insane athletic showdown on Earth.” The games will poke fun at Florida’s reputation for producing strange news stories involving guns, drugs, booze and reptiles — or some combination of the four.
Among the contests planned for next February in St. Augustine, Florida, according to organizers, are the Evading Arrest Obstacle Course in which contestants jump over fences and through yards while being chased by real police officers; the Category 5 Cash Grab in which participants try to grab as much money in a wind-blowing booth; and the self-explanatory beer-belly wrestling.
“This isn’t just a competition; it’s a one-of-a-kind Floridian spectacle!” organizers said on the games’ website.
https://apnews.com/article/florida-man-games-social-media-st-augustine-baba548edfa25a963b823ae0023fb227
Organizers of the “Florida Man Games” describe the competition as “the most insane athletic showdown on Earth.” The games will poke fun at Florida’s reputation for producing strange news stories involving guns, drugs, booze and reptiles — or some combination of the four.
Among the contests planned for next February in St. Augustine, Florida, according to organizers, are the Evading Arrest Obstacle Course in which contestants jump over fences and through yards while being chased by real police officers; the Category 5 Cash Grab in which participants try to grab as much money in a wind-blowing booth; and the self-explanatory beer-belly wrestling.
“This isn’t just a competition; it’s a one-of-a-kind Floridian spectacle!” organizers said on the games’ website.
https://apnews.com/article/florida-man-games-social-media-st-augustine-baba548edfa25a963b823ae0023fb227
Now that is a guy who knows how to chug a beer! So if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to evade the cops during a high speed pursuit, or ‘rassle a gator, or see who has the biggest beer belly, or steal a catalytic converter off your neighbor’s Prius, then look no further because this is your dream competition! So you might be wondering, why have a contest like this? Well, I answer you with another question – why not? According to the founder of the games themselves, it’s so average Americans who are curious about the Florida Man lifestyle can live like Florida Man for a day without the fear of being arrested. Which is usually what happens in most Florida Man cases.
A Florida man’s quest to make fun of “Florida Man” headlines will culminate in the first-ever Florida Man Games — and police officers and firefighters are in on the joke!
Founder Pete Melfi decided to create the “insane athletic showdown” after covering weird, only-in-Florida news for nearly a decade while working in radio and podcasting.
“I wanted to throw an event that gave people the chance to experience a day in the life of a Florida Man, without the fear of being arrested,” he tells PEOPLE.
For Melfi’s part, that meant creating games that let participants seemingly get an adrenaline rush minus any jail time.
The St. Augustine native knew that getting Florida first responders to buy in would be critical to make the concept come together.
https://people.com/evading-arrest-among-events-at-florida-man-games-cops-volunteered-as-chasers-8383726
Founder Pete Melfi decided to create the “insane athletic showdown” after covering weird, only-in-Florida news for nearly a decade while working in radio and podcasting.
“I wanted to throw an event that gave people the chance to experience a day in the life of a Florida Man, without the fear of being arrested,” he tells PEOPLE.
For Melfi’s part, that meant creating games that let participants seemingly get an adrenaline rush minus any jail time.
The St. Augustine native knew that getting Florida first responders to buy in would be critical to make the concept come together.
https://people.com/evading-arrest-among-events-at-florida-man-games-cops-volunteered-as-chasers-8383726
So now the question is – what’s the response been to the first annual Florida Man Games? Well the response has been absolutely overwhelming. Even real Florida police officers are doing their part to take in the fun of the Florida Man Games. And don’t worry, when the event actually happens in St. Augustine next February, you can guarantee that we’ll be there to cover it! Either way, this is a really great idea and we wish we were the ones who thought of it first! But we can’t wait to see the turn out and we can only imagine that the event itself is going to be as crazy as the headlines that we’ve all seen for years that made Florida Man the meme sensation we all know and love!
The St. Augustine native knew that getting Florida first responders to buy in would be critical to make the concept come together.
“I have a great relationship with our local St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick, who was rolling on the floor laughing at the concept of the Florida Man Games,” Melfi tells PEOPLE. “I asked him if he thought any officers would be interested, and to my surprise, we had a ton of volunteers in the sheriff's office who stepped up to chase down some Florida men!”
Melfi is referring to one of the marquee events — the "Evading Arrest Obstacle Course" — where competitors jump over fences, through back yards and away from actual police officers.
Among other scheduled games at the competition — slated for Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024 in St. Augustine — is the Weaponized Pool Noodle Mud Duel, where teams will face off in a “massive above-ground pool,” as well as the "Beer Belly Florida Sumo."
Other oddities include a mullet contest, a “Florida Ma’am” contest, and a boxing match where police officers and firefighters will duke it out in the “Brawl of the Badges.”
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/evading-arrest-among-events-florida-201207522.html
“I have a great relationship with our local St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick, who was rolling on the floor laughing at the concept of the Florida Man Games,” Melfi tells PEOPLE. “I asked him if he thought any officers would be interested, and to my surprise, we had a ton of volunteers in the sheriff's office who stepped up to chase down some Florida men!”
Melfi is referring to one of the marquee events — the "Evading Arrest Obstacle Course" — where competitors jump over fences, through back yards and away from actual police officers.
Among other scheduled games at the competition — slated for Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024 in St. Augustine — is the Weaponized Pool Noodle Mud Duel, where teams will face off in a “massive above-ground pool,” as well as the "Beer Belly Florida Sumo."
Other oddities include a mullet contest, a “Florida Ma’am” contest, and a boxing match where police officers and firefighters will duke it out in the “Brawl of the Badges.”
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/evading-arrest-among-events-florida-201207522.html
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[font size="8"]My Governor Is An Idiot Round 5: Abbott V. Pritzker
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Welcome back to our segment that pits red state governors against blue state governors in a match to find out who has the best and worst policies in My Governor Is An Idiot! Last time, it was a battle for the soul of Arizona as real governor Katie Hobbs took on election denying conspiracy theorist and wannabe governor of Arizona, Kari Lake, and Lake lost again! This week, we’re pitting one of the most well known governors in America, Greg Abbott, against the governor of the state that right wing conspiracy theorists love to shit on, Illinois’ JB Pritzker! And we’re pitting the reddest of the red against the bluest of the blue because these two particular states are constantly at odds with each other over, well, bullshit. We’re gonna settle this feud once and for all! So who will come out on top? There’s only one way to find out!
[font size="4"]Abbott :[/font]
Longtime viewers of the Top 10 will know that Greg Abbott is a very frequent contributor to our fine little program. And you know how when you make fun of someone so much, you wish you could thank them for all the good times you’ve had? Well guess what? Here, we’re going to! More or less we’ve featured Gov. Abbott on this program for his ridiculous views on mass shootings {see: Idiots #4-19 ) or his insane decisions on COVID (see: Idiots #9-3 ) or his plans with the Texas Energy Grid crisis (see: Idiots #12-9 ). But no, this week, we’re focusing on his continuing and utterly grotesque crimes against humanity, aided and abetted by Fox News and Sean Hannity, on the US – Mexico border. Remember his terrible and cruel death traps on the border a few months ago? Well it’s gonna get worse!
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered the state’s National Guard to install a barrier in some parts along the Texas/New Mexico state line. Officials say guard members have been placing concertina wire in an area close to Sunland Park, New Mexico, which shares a border with El Paso, Texas.
Footage shot by KVIA shows some of the fencing running along the Rio Grande.
ABC News has reached out to Texas officials, who have not yet provided an estimate of how much fencing is being installed.
Abbott says the barrier is meant to deter migrants who cross from Mexico into New Mexico before heading to El Paso.
“Texas installs fencing along NEW Mexico border. Our barriers around El Paso forced the migrants crossing illegally to enter into New Mexico. They then entered into El Paso from there. To end that, we are building a barrier on the New Mexico border,” the governor posted Sunday on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/texas-installing-concertina-wire-new-mexico-border/story?id=104056805
Footage shot by KVIA shows some of the fencing running along the Rio Grande.
ABC News has reached out to Texas officials, who have not yet provided an estimate of how much fencing is being installed.
Abbott says the barrier is meant to deter migrants who cross from Mexico into New Mexico before heading to El Paso.
“Texas installs fencing along NEW Mexico border. Our barriers around El Paso forced the migrants crossing illegally to enter into New Mexico. They then entered into El Paso from there. To end that, we are building a barrier on the New Mexico border,” the governor posted Sunday on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/texas-installing-concertina-wire-new-mexico-border/story?id=104056805
So in case you’re wondering if Greg Abbott is a sadistic, bloodthirsty psychopath or not, the answer is a big, fat yes. And he continues to get elected because he courts the Fox News vote and the religious megachurch vote. And his policies time and time again are proven to be grossly unpopular outside of the Fox News talk show church bubble. In fact, he even had to call in his minions for their quarterly performance evaluation in the Texas State Senate, and as you can imagine, that did not go over exactly what one would call “well”.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has called for a fourth special session after school vouchers and tougher border security failed to pass in the last one.
Rice University political science professor Mark Jones says the Texas legislature is only supposed to meet for a few months every other year - so having this many special sessions is unusual.
Some Republicans are opposing the Governor's school voucher plan but Abbott has called them back to work to try again.
"The Texas Legislature made progress over the past month protecting Texans from forced COVID-19 vaccinations and increasing penalties for human smuggling,” said Abbott in a release, “However, there is more work to be done."
In addition to a school voucher proposal, Governor Abbott also wants lawmakers to approve more money for building a wall along the Texas-Mexico border.
https://www.audacy.com/krld/news/local/governor-abbott-calls-another-special-session-after-school
Rice University political science professor Mark Jones says the Texas legislature is only supposed to meet for a few months every other year - so having this many special sessions is unusual.
Some Republicans are opposing the Governor's school voucher plan but Abbott has called them back to work to try again.
"The Texas Legislature made progress over the past month protecting Texans from forced COVID-19 vaccinations and increasing penalties for human smuggling,” said Abbott in a release, “However, there is more work to be done."
In addition to a school voucher proposal, Governor Abbott also wants lawmakers to approve more money for building a wall along the Texas-Mexico border.
https://www.audacy.com/krld/news/local/governor-abbott-calls-another-special-session-after-school
[font size="4"]Pritzker “ [/font]
So why put Texas against Illinois, you might ask? To which we answer: Why not? Well the reason we talk about Illinois is because of the city of Chicago. And white supremacist conspiracy theorists love to shit on Chicago as the city with the most rampant gun violence, so therefore liberal gun control laws don’t work. Well I got news for you: large cities are where people live, so more people get shot in large cities, it doesn’t take a population scientist to figure that out! But we’re not here to find out which states have better gun laws or not. There’s far more to Illinois than just Chicago, which is one of the most populous major cities in the country. So how do Pritzker’s views on abortion compare with Abbott’s? Well it’s total night and day on this one.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is taking his abortion-rights advocacy nationwide, introducing on Wednesday a political organization to fund similar efforts outside Illinois, a state that legalized abortion by statute even before the Supreme Court invalidated the right to undergo the procedure.
Think Big America has already funded support for constitutional amendments favoring abortion access in Ohio, Arizona and Nevada. The effort also enhances the profile of the Democratic governor and multibillionaire equity investor and philanthropist. Pritzker has said he’s focused on serving as a Midwest governor, but speculation is rampant that he harbors presidential ambitions.
Fourteen states now ban abortion and debate elsewhere rages since the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision to upend the 50-year-old Roe v. Wade opinion that legalized abortion.
“My commitment to protecting and expanding reproductive rights has been lifelong,” Pritzker, who has often recalled attending abortion-rights rallies with his mother as a child, said in a prepared statement. “Think Big America is dedicated to ensuring the fundamental right of reproductive choice for individuals everywhere — regardless of their state of residence, religion, race, or socioeconomic status.”
Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/gov-pritzker-takes-abortion-rights-fight-national-with-self-funded-group_n_653404fee4b011a9cf79bd51
Think Big America has already funded support for constitutional amendments favoring abortion access in Ohio, Arizona and Nevada. The effort also enhances the profile of the Democratic governor and multibillionaire equity investor and philanthropist. Pritzker has said he’s focused on serving as a Midwest governor, but speculation is rampant that he harbors presidential ambitions.
Fourteen states now ban abortion and debate elsewhere rages since the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision to upend the 50-year-old Roe v. Wade opinion that legalized abortion.
“My commitment to protecting and expanding reproductive rights has been lifelong,” Pritzker, who has often recalled attending abortion-rights rallies with his mother as a child, said in a prepared statement. “Think Big America is dedicated to ensuring the fundamental right of reproductive choice for individuals everywhere — regardless of their state of residence, religion, race, or socioeconomic status.”
Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/gov-pritzker-takes-abortion-rights-fight-national-with-self-funded-group_n_653404fee4b011a9cf79bd51
Sometimes, when our country is held hostage by extremists, you got to do things yourself. So Gov. Pritzker is taking this show on the road and he’s coming to your state. To the MAGAs, this is called “diplomacy”. It’s the same on the national level as it is on the international level. When states like each other, they help each other out. This is how we get nice things in this country. When states hate each other, this is how we get nice things in this country taken away. So yeah despite our differences, we’re all in this together. It’s all about the greater good! The greater good!
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker recently established the nonprofit organization, Think Big America, to safeguard and broaden abortion rights. The group has donated $1.5 million to support reproductive rights in Virginia, Ohio, and Nevada where legislation related to these crucial issues is currently under the spotlight. The Chicago Sun-Times has provided more in-depth coverage on this matter available here.
Virginia's upcoming state election on November 7 could impact its existing abortion laws significantly. Current Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin vowed to endorse an abortion ban after 15 weeks if the Republicans gain complete control of the state's legislature. In response, Think Big America has donated to four Democratic Senate candidates and to the state's Democratic party, contributing $25,000 and $150,000 respectively according to The Messenger.
Think Big America spokesperson, Christina Amestoy, emphasizes the organization's dedication in combating extremism at every level enlarging on the delicate situation of abortion rights in Virginia. She issues a warning about the dangers posed by radical anti-choice campaigners and their far-right supporters, who yearn to drastically reduce reproductive freedoms within the remaining Southern state where such rights still exist.
Pritzker, a longtime advocate for reproductive rights, collaborated with Illinois's Democratic-led General Assembly to broaden access to abortion services in the state. After Roe v. Wade got overturned last year, Pritzker further committed himself to the cause by founding Think Big America, a tax-exempt nonprofit devoted to protecting and enhancing abortion rights throughout the U.S.
https://hoodline.com/2023/11/gov-pritzker-s-think-big-america-injects-1-5m-into-abortion-rights-battles-in-virginia-ohio-and-nevada/
Virginia's upcoming state election on November 7 could impact its existing abortion laws significantly. Current Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin vowed to endorse an abortion ban after 15 weeks if the Republicans gain complete control of the state's legislature. In response, Think Big America has donated to four Democratic Senate candidates and to the state's Democratic party, contributing $25,000 and $150,000 respectively according to The Messenger.
Think Big America spokesperson, Christina Amestoy, emphasizes the organization's dedication in combating extremism at every level enlarging on the delicate situation of abortion rights in Virginia. She issues a warning about the dangers posed by radical anti-choice campaigners and their far-right supporters, who yearn to drastically reduce reproductive freedoms within the remaining Southern state where such rights still exist.
Pritzker, a longtime advocate for reproductive rights, collaborated with Illinois's Democratic-led General Assembly to broaden access to abortion services in the state. After Roe v. Wade got overturned last year, Pritzker further committed himself to the cause by founding Think Big America, a tax-exempt nonprofit devoted to protecting and enhancing abortion rights throughout the U.S.
https://hoodline.com/2023/11/gov-pritzker-s-think-big-america-injects-1-5m-into-abortion-rights-battles-in-virginia-ohio-and-nevada/
[font size="4"]And The Idiot Is: [/font]
Oh you know it’s going to be Greg Abbott by the longest of shots! Trump may be insane, but Greg Abbott is off the rails, batshit crazy, pure unaltered evil.
[font size="4"]Next Week: [/font]
For Round 6, this is going to be a fun one as we’re pitting newly reelected Kentucky governor Andy Beshear against Alabama’s Kay Ivey!
[font size="4"]And Now This: [/font]
[font size="4"]Devo[/font]
Folks, my next guest is one of the pioneers of 80s new wave music. This is their new comp: “50 Years Of Deevolution”, you can see them on their farewell tour in Del Mar, CA on 11/11 and 11/12, the Youtube Theater in Los Angeles on 11/16 and at the Darker Waves Festival Nov. 18th. Playing their classic song Freedom Of Choice, give it up for the legendary Devo!
Thank you Nashville! We’re in Las Vegas next! See you next week!
Credits
Host: Initech
Top 10 Conservative Idiots Recorded In Front Of A Live Audience At: Zanies Comedy Club, Nashville, TN
Devo Appears Courtesy Of: Rhino Entertainment Company
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