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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
April 7, 2021
Writing for the Washington Post on Tuesday, reporter Phil Bump noted that former President Donald Trump has gone out with more of a whimper than a bang.
Calling into Newsmax on Tuesday, the old president complained about whatever happened to be bothering him today. At one point, he complained that he doesn't even know what he's watching anymore when he turns on a baseball game. Trump played baseball in high school and even went so far as to claim that he was almost recruited into the pros, despite issues hitting the ball.
"There's still an audience for this, of course," wrote Bump. "There is still a large group of people eager to hear what he has to say, people who would have come across his Newsmax appearance with the same giddiness as Nelson Muntz stumbling upon an Andy Williams performance. It remains important that Trump is still pushing the same untrue claims about the election (Did you know that Georgians voted for Democratic Senate candidates in January because they were mad Trump lost?) and that there are still people hearing and believing them."
Bump said that after Trump announced he was running for president in 2015, he sucked all of the air out of the news. "But, five years later, we tend to lose sight of how remarkable that ascent was." ............(more)
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-low-ratings-newsmax-interview/
Trump's low-ratings Newsmax interview proves his 'grip on our attention has collapsed': columnist
Writing for the Washington Post on Tuesday, reporter Phil Bump noted that former President Donald Trump has gone out with more of a whimper than a bang.
Calling into Newsmax on Tuesday, the old president complained about whatever happened to be bothering him today. At one point, he complained that he doesn't even know what he's watching anymore when he turns on a baseball game. Trump played baseball in high school and even went so far as to claim that he was almost recruited into the pros, despite issues hitting the ball.
"There's still an audience for this, of course," wrote Bump. "There is still a large group of people eager to hear what he has to say, people who would have come across his Newsmax appearance with the same giddiness as Nelson Muntz stumbling upon an Andy Williams performance. It remains important that Trump is still pushing the same untrue claims about the election (Did you know that Georgians voted for Democratic Senate candidates in January because they were mad Trump lost?) and that there are still people hearing and believing them."
Bump said that after Trump announced he was running for president in 2015, he sucked all of the air out of the news. "But, five years later, we tend to lose sight of how remarkable that ascent was." ............(more)
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-low-ratings-newsmax-interview/
April 7, 2021
(Financial Times) The chief executives of British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Heathrow airport have called for a travel corridor with the US to be opened as soon as next month, in a push to restart the industry’s most lucrative routes following more than a year of disruption.
In a rare joint plea to UK prime minister Boris Johnson, the bosses of the three companies said rapid vaccination programmes meant restarting transatlantic flying should be a priority when borders open.
“There is a great opportunity here to focus on the corridor between the US and the UK?.?.?.?the US has a hugely successful vaccination programme,” said Shai Weiss, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic.
The prime minister this week outlined cautious plans to reopen international travel. This will include the introduction of a traffic light system to grade destinations on vaccination progress, Covid-19 infection rates and the prevalence of virus variants. .............(more)
https://www.ft.com/content/1d1e7e19-50ab-4d9b-8839-483eb897597d
UK aviation chiefs urge swift opening of travel corridor with US
(Financial Times) The chief executives of British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Heathrow airport have called for a travel corridor with the US to be opened as soon as next month, in a push to restart the industry’s most lucrative routes following more than a year of disruption.
In a rare joint plea to UK prime minister Boris Johnson, the bosses of the three companies said rapid vaccination programmes meant restarting transatlantic flying should be a priority when borders open.
“There is a great opportunity here to focus on the corridor between the US and the UK?.?.?.?the US has a hugely successful vaccination programme,” said Shai Weiss, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic.
The prime minister this week outlined cautious plans to reopen international travel. This will include the introduction of a traffic light system to grade destinations on vaccination progress, Covid-19 infection rates and the prevalence of virus variants. .............(more)
https://www.ft.com/content/1d1e7e19-50ab-4d9b-8839-483eb897597d
April 7, 2021
Republican supremacy: Inside the GOP's plot to hijack American democracy
Democrats are fighting the last battle in the GOP's continued war on voting
By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
APRIL 7, 2021 1:35PM
(Salon) Let's be honest, America has a long history of vote suppression going back to the founding of the republic. It tends to come in waves, usually following one of our regular paroxysms of racist hysteria. In the bad old days of Jim Crow, vote suppression was enforced by physical violence. Thankfully that hasn't happened in recent years. But our current surge of suppressive activity includes various forms of intimidation, from unscrupulous "poll watchers" to armed guards patrolling voting places as well as lots of propaganda and disinformation to confuse voters and try to frighten them out of voting. The most aggressive forms of vote suppression we face today, however, remain the same as they ever were: The law is still used to make it difficult for people of color to vote.
In the wake of Donald Trump's Big Lie about the 2020 election, Republicans have gone into overdrive, using his pathetic inability to admit he lost as an excuse to enact voting restrictions in the name of "restoring trust" in the electoral system. The Brennan Center reports that as of March 24, Republican legislators have introduced 361 bills with restrictive provisions in 47 states:
....(snip)....
The resulting decision by major Georgia corporations Delta and Coca-Cola to publicly protest these moves and Major League Baseball moving the All-Star game to Denver shows the highly controversial nature of the state's actions. It's 2021 not 1921, and a majority of the public does not approve of these actions. If corporations care about their brand and their bottom line they can't afford to not weigh in. These undemocratic, racist policies are being enacted after 60 years of public awareness of voting rights as a moral issue in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement and a majority of the country is appalled.
This seems to have confused the Republican party. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the man who believes so strongly that corporations have a right to spend as much money as they choose to influence politics he took a case all the way to the Supreme Court, said on Monday, "my warning to corporate America is to stay out of politics!" He quickly added, "I'm not talking about political contributions," which is absurd. Basically, he is saying that corporations may support Republicans but not oppose them. .............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/04/07/republican-supremacy-inside-the-gops-plot-to-hijack-american-democracy/
Republican supremacy: Inside the GOP's plot to hijack American democracy
Republican supremacy: Inside the GOP's plot to hijack American democracy
Democrats are fighting the last battle in the GOP's continued war on voting
By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
APRIL 7, 2021 1:35PM
(Salon) Let's be honest, America has a long history of vote suppression going back to the founding of the republic. It tends to come in waves, usually following one of our regular paroxysms of racist hysteria. In the bad old days of Jim Crow, vote suppression was enforced by physical violence. Thankfully that hasn't happened in recent years. But our current surge of suppressive activity includes various forms of intimidation, from unscrupulous "poll watchers" to armed guards patrolling voting places as well as lots of propaganda and disinformation to confuse voters and try to frighten them out of voting. The most aggressive forms of vote suppression we face today, however, remain the same as they ever were: The law is still used to make it difficult for people of color to vote.
In the wake of Donald Trump's Big Lie about the 2020 election, Republicans have gone into overdrive, using his pathetic inability to admit he lost as an excuse to enact voting restrictions in the name of "restoring trust" in the electoral system. The Brennan Center reports that as of March 24, Republican legislators have introduced 361 bills with restrictive provisions in 47 states:
Most restrictive bills take aim at absentee voting, while nearly a quarter seek stricter voter ID requirements. State lawmakers also aim to make voter registration harder, expand voter roll purges or adopt flawed practices that would risk improper purges, and cut back on early voting. The states that have seen the largest number of restrictive bills introduced are Texas (49 bills), Georgia (25 bills), and Arizona (23 bills). Bills are actively moving in the Texas and Arizona statehouses, and Georgia enacted an omnibus voter suppression bill last week.
....(snip)....
The resulting decision by major Georgia corporations Delta and Coca-Cola to publicly protest these moves and Major League Baseball moving the All-Star game to Denver shows the highly controversial nature of the state's actions. It's 2021 not 1921, and a majority of the public does not approve of these actions. If corporations care about their brand and their bottom line they can't afford to not weigh in. These undemocratic, racist policies are being enacted after 60 years of public awareness of voting rights as a moral issue in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement and a majority of the country is appalled.
This seems to have confused the Republican party. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the man who believes so strongly that corporations have a right to spend as much money as they choose to influence politics he took a case all the way to the Supreme Court, said on Monday, "my warning to corporate America is to stay out of politics!" He quickly added, "I'm not talking about political contributions," which is absurd. Basically, he is saying that corporations may support Republicans but not oppose them. .............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/04/07/republican-supremacy-inside-the-gops-plot-to-hijack-american-democracy/
April 7, 2021
Republican delusion — not disinformation — is the bigger danger to American democracy
Republicans voters aren't just delusional — even more frightening is how they've turned on democracy
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
APRIL 6, 2021 4:59PM
(Salon) Perhaps it was inevitable, but now it's certain: Three months out from the violent insurrection Donald Trump incited at the U.S. Capitol, the majority of Republican voters have settled on a story that they can use to justify supporting what Trump and the rioters did. According to a poll released this week by Reuters and Ipsos, belief in conspiracy theories about the insurrection is widespread among Republican voters, with 55% claiming to "agree" or "somewhat agree" that the rioters were really "antifa" in disguise. Another 51% of Republican respondents agree or somewhat agree that the rioters — who look to have killed one police officer, violently assaulted hundreds of others, and were chanting "hang Mike Pence" as they ransacked the Capitol — "were mostly peaceful, law-abiding Americans." And a full 60% agree or somewhat agree with Trump's utterly false claim that Joe Biden stole the 2020 election.
These numbers are, needless to say, terrifying, precisely because they capture a level of delusion that is truly hard to imagine.
It's not clear how much overlap there is among adherents to the various conspiracy theories. It could be a situation where half of Republicans have thrown in with the "antifa hoax" lie and another half with the "not that violent" lie. Or it could be that a lot of Republicans believe both at the same time, even though the conspiracy theories contradict each other, as there's no point in screaming that "antifa did it" if you're also denying the well-documented violence of the insurrection. But research has long shown that conspiracy theorists don't care if their theories contradict each other. For instance, people who believe Princess Diana was murdered are also more likely to believe that she's still secretly alive. Conspiracy theories are rarely about a literal, sincere understanding of the facts, but closer to religious fables or myths — comforting narratives that a person tells themselves in order to justify an underlying belief system.
....(snip)....
In a sense, then, it's questionable whether Republican voters really "believe" that Trump really won the election, or that antifa was behind the insurrection, or that the insurrection wasn't really violent. At least, they may not believe it in the usual sense that we use the word "believe" to mean a conviction that a thing is true, such as believing the sun will rise in the east or that Prince wrote "When Doves Cry" in one night. Many of them likely are asserting it more as a show of tribal loyalty and, of course, as cover for their more unspeakable but truer beliefs, like the belief that white people are the only people whose votes should really count. As David Graham argued in February at the Atlantic, "Republicans are backing Trump not in spite of the insurrection but because of it." But they know that saying out loud that they want to overthrow democracy is bad. Instead, they cling to conspiracy theories, many of which contradict each other, that are proxies for their real but unspeakable anti-democratic beliefs. ...........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/04/06/republican-delusion--not-disinformation--is-the-bigger-danger-to-american-democracy/
Republican delusion -- not disinformation -- is the bigger danger to American democracy
Republican delusion — not disinformation — is the bigger danger to American democracy
Republicans voters aren't just delusional — even more frightening is how they've turned on democracy
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
APRIL 6, 2021 4:59PM
(Salon) Perhaps it was inevitable, but now it's certain: Three months out from the violent insurrection Donald Trump incited at the U.S. Capitol, the majority of Republican voters have settled on a story that they can use to justify supporting what Trump and the rioters did. According to a poll released this week by Reuters and Ipsos, belief in conspiracy theories about the insurrection is widespread among Republican voters, with 55% claiming to "agree" or "somewhat agree" that the rioters were really "antifa" in disguise. Another 51% of Republican respondents agree or somewhat agree that the rioters — who look to have killed one police officer, violently assaulted hundreds of others, and were chanting "hang Mike Pence" as they ransacked the Capitol — "were mostly peaceful, law-abiding Americans." And a full 60% agree or somewhat agree with Trump's utterly false claim that Joe Biden stole the 2020 election.
These numbers are, needless to say, terrifying, precisely because they capture a level of delusion that is truly hard to imagine.
It's not clear how much overlap there is among adherents to the various conspiracy theories. It could be a situation where half of Republicans have thrown in with the "antifa hoax" lie and another half with the "not that violent" lie. Or it could be that a lot of Republicans believe both at the same time, even though the conspiracy theories contradict each other, as there's no point in screaming that "antifa did it" if you're also denying the well-documented violence of the insurrection. But research has long shown that conspiracy theorists don't care if their theories contradict each other. For instance, people who believe Princess Diana was murdered are also more likely to believe that she's still secretly alive. Conspiracy theories are rarely about a literal, sincere understanding of the facts, but closer to religious fables or myths — comforting narratives that a person tells themselves in order to justify an underlying belief system.
....(snip)....
In a sense, then, it's questionable whether Republican voters really "believe" that Trump really won the election, or that antifa was behind the insurrection, or that the insurrection wasn't really violent. At least, they may not believe it in the usual sense that we use the word "believe" to mean a conviction that a thing is true, such as believing the sun will rise in the east or that Prince wrote "When Doves Cry" in one night. Many of them likely are asserting it more as a show of tribal loyalty and, of course, as cover for their more unspeakable but truer beliefs, like the belief that white people are the only people whose votes should really count. As David Graham argued in February at the Atlantic, "Republicans are backing Trump not in spite of the insurrection but because of it." But they know that saying out loud that they want to overthrow democracy is bad. Instead, they cling to conspiracy theories, many of which contradict each other, that are proxies for their real but unspeakable anti-democratic beliefs. ...........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/04/06/republican-delusion--not-disinformation--is-the-bigger-danger-to-american-democracy/
April 6, 2021
Aman attempted to strangle a female employee at a New Jersey Burger King after arguing with staff over the company's face mask policy, police have said.
David Siversten, 47, allegedly strangled the employee when he returned to the Route 23 South restaurant at around 4.10 p.m. on March 27, after she complained that he was not wearing a face mask.
In a statement on the Wayne Police Department (WPD) Facebook page, Detective Captain Dan Daly said: "The female employee, who was outweighed by the male assailant by 80 pounds, stated that the suspect entered the restaurant, approached her and wrapped both hands around her neck and began strangling her. .............(more)
https://www.newsweek.com/burger-king-worker-strangled-customer-following-mask-dispute-police-say-1581191
NJ: Man attempts to strangle Burger King employee in mask dispute
Aman attempted to strangle a female employee at a New Jersey Burger King after arguing with staff over the company's face mask policy, police have said.
David Siversten, 47, allegedly strangled the employee when he returned to the Route 23 South restaurant at around 4.10 p.m. on March 27, after she complained that he was not wearing a face mask.
In a statement on the Wayne Police Department (WPD) Facebook page, Detective Captain Dan Daly said: "The female employee, who was outweighed by the male assailant by 80 pounds, stated that the suspect entered the restaurant, approached her and wrapped both hands around her neck and began strangling her. .............(more)
https://www.newsweek.com/burger-king-worker-strangled-customer-following-mask-dispute-police-say-1581191
April 6, 2021
How the pandemic ruined sex
A study finds that mostly everyone's sex lives got worse — and scientists say it could constitute a health crisis
By MATTHEW ROZSA
APRIL 6, 2021 9:40AM
(Salon) If you think that the COVID-19 lockdowns hindered your sex life, you're not alone. In fact, a recent scientific study examining the sexual habits of nearly 500 British adults between the ages of 18 and 32 found that, as social restrictions were increased, there was an overall decrease in sexual behaviors.
The study, which was published last month in The Journal of Sex Research, found that men tended to report higher levels of sexual desire than woman both before and during the pandemic lockdowns. Both groups also admitted to decreased levels of sexual desire during the lockdown — but the drop was only statistically significant (meaning the data reveals it did not happen by chance) for women.
"Decreases in desire often happen during times of heightened anxiety and stress, so it isn't surprising," Dr. Liam Wignall, a lecturer in psychology at Bournemouth University, told Salon by email. "We can only speculate about the gender difference, and one reason could be that lockdown disproportionately impacted women because research shows women are more likely to take on domestic chores and childcare even when both partners have jobs."
Wignall also emphasized to Salon that when the scholars analyzed sexual activity, they were not only talking about literal intercourse. Other sexual behaviors were also included in their analysis including watching pornography, masturbating and participating in online sexual relationships. ..........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/04/06/how-the-pandemic-ruined-sex/
How the pandemic ruined sex
How the pandemic ruined sex
A study finds that mostly everyone's sex lives got worse — and scientists say it could constitute a health crisis
By MATTHEW ROZSA
APRIL 6, 2021 9:40AM
(Salon) If you think that the COVID-19 lockdowns hindered your sex life, you're not alone. In fact, a recent scientific study examining the sexual habits of nearly 500 British adults between the ages of 18 and 32 found that, as social restrictions were increased, there was an overall decrease in sexual behaviors.
The study, which was published last month in The Journal of Sex Research, found that men tended to report higher levels of sexual desire than woman both before and during the pandemic lockdowns. Both groups also admitted to decreased levels of sexual desire during the lockdown — but the drop was only statistically significant (meaning the data reveals it did not happen by chance) for women.
"Decreases in desire often happen during times of heightened anxiety and stress, so it isn't surprising," Dr. Liam Wignall, a lecturer in psychology at Bournemouth University, told Salon by email. "We can only speculate about the gender difference, and one reason could be that lockdown disproportionately impacted women because research shows women are more likely to take on domestic chores and childcare even when both partners have jobs."
Wignall also emphasized to Salon that when the scholars analyzed sexual activity, they were not only talking about literal intercourse. Other sexual behaviors were also included in their analysis including watching pornography, masturbating and participating in online sexual relationships. ..........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/04/06/how-the-pandemic-ruined-sex/
April 5, 2021
A Florida man was arrested on Sunday after he stole an ambulance but got it stuck in mud a few miles away.
According to a press release from the Hernando County Sheriff's Office in Florida, on Sunday, authorities responded to a call of a stolen ambulance near the area of Port Court in Spring Hill.
The ambulance is owned by the Hernando County Fire Rescue and Emergency Services, according to the release. At around 12:27 p.m. local time, the ambulance was parked in the ambulance bay of the Oak Hill Hospital in Brooksville, Florida, when it was taken.
The ambulance was left unsupervised while parked in the ambulance bay as the operating crew was in the process of transporting a patient from the ambulance to inside the hospital. ................(more)
https://www.newsweek.com/florida-man-steals-ambulance-gets-it-stuck-mud-few-miles-away-1581011
Florida Man Steals Ambulance, Gets It Stuck in Mud a Few Miles Away
A Florida man was arrested on Sunday after he stole an ambulance but got it stuck in mud a few miles away.
According to a press release from the Hernando County Sheriff's Office in Florida, on Sunday, authorities responded to a call of a stolen ambulance near the area of Port Court in Spring Hill.
The ambulance is owned by the Hernando County Fire Rescue and Emergency Services, according to the release. At around 12:27 p.m. local time, the ambulance was parked in the ambulance bay of the Oak Hill Hospital in Brooksville, Florida, when it was taken.
The ambulance was left unsupervised while parked in the ambulance bay as the operating crew was in the process of transporting a patient from the ambulance to inside the hospital. ................(more)
https://www.newsweek.com/florida-man-steals-ambulance-gets-it-stuck-mud-few-miles-away-1581011
April 5, 2021
The newly discovered dinosaur has a number of qualities that lead scientists to believe it was a terrifying beast
By MATTHEW ROZSA
APRIL 5, 2021 1:00PM
(Salon) When a dinosaur is named after the fact that it is terrifying, you know that the discovery is massive — in this case, literally.
The freshly discovered carnivore is an abelisaurid, meaning that it stood on two stocky legs and had a massive head with an ornamented skull. (They looked similar to the famous Tyrannosaurus rex, although T-rexes were not abelisaurids.) In a study published Tuesday for the peer-reviewed publication Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, paleontologists revealed that they had found a well-preserved skull of an abelisaurid so big that it has been dubbed llukalkan aliocranianus. The second part of its name is Latin for "different skull," but the first part is striking: It is from the language of the Mapuche, who live in the region of Argentina (Patagonia) where the skull was found, and translates as "one who causes fear."
It is easy to see why the llukalkan aliocranianus would be considered fearsome. When it thrived in the Southern Hemisphere roughly 80 million years, llukalkan aliocranianus was up to 16 feet long and had very sharp teeth with powerful jaws that could bite down hard on its prey. Based on the structure of its skull, scientists believe that it had an excellent sense of smell and a hearing ability that surpassed even that of other abelisaurids. Its skull had protuberances similar to those you might find today on a Gila monster or certain types of iguanas; its hind legs were strong enough to enable it to dart forward at great speeds; and its feet had large, razor-sharp claws perfect for slicing open its unlucky victims as it crushed them under its weight.
"This is a particularly important discovery because it suggests that the diversity and abundance of abelisaurids were remarkable, not only across Patagonia, but also in more local areas during the dinosaurs' twilight period," Dr. Federico Gianechini, a paleontologist at the National University of San Luis, Argentina who served as lead author on the paper, explained in a statement. ..........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/04/05/scientists-just-discovered-a-dinosaur-so-massive-it-is-literally-named-one-who-causes-fear/
Scientists just discovered a dinosaur so massive it is literally named "one who causes fear"
Scientists just discovered a dinosaur so massive it is literally named "one who causes fear"The newly discovered dinosaur has a number of qualities that lead scientists to believe it was a terrifying beast
By MATTHEW ROZSA
APRIL 5, 2021 1:00PM
(Salon) When a dinosaur is named after the fact that it is terrifying, you know that the discovery is massive — in this case, literally.
The freshly discovered carnivore is an abelisaurid, meaning that it stood on two stocky legs and had a massive head with an ornamented skull. (They looked similar to the famous Tyrannosaurus rex, although T-rexes were not abelisaurids.) In a study published Tuesday for the peer-reviewed publication Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, paleontologists revealed that they had found a well-preserved skull of an abelisaurid so big that it has been dubbed llukalkan aliocranianus. The second part of its name is Latin for "different skull," but the first part is striking: It is from the language of the Mapuche, who live in the region of Argentina (Patagonia) where the skull was found, and translates as "one who causes fear."
It is easy to see why the llukalkan aliocranianus would be considered fearsome. When it thrived in the Southern Hemisphere roughly 80 million years, llukalkan aliocranianus was up to 16 feet long and had very sharp teeth with powerful jaws that could bite down hard on its prey. Based on the structure of its skull, scientists believe that it had an excellent sense of smell and a hearing ability that surpassed even that of other abelisaurids. Its skull had protuberances similar to those you might find today on a Gila monster or certain types of iguanas; its hind legs were strong enough to enable it to dart forward at great speeds; and its feet had large, razor-sharp claws perfect for slicing open its unlucky victims as it crushed them under its weight.
"This is a particularly important discovery because it suggests that the diversity and abundance of abelisaurids were remarkable, not only across Patagonia, but also in more local areas during the dinosaurs' twilight period," Dr. Federico Gianechini, a paleontologist at the National University of San Luis, Argentina who served as lead author on the paper, explained in a statement. ..........(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/04/05/scientists-just-discovered-a-dinosaur-so-massive-it-is-literally-named-one-who-causes-fear/
April 5, 2021
The entire Trump campaign was a scam — and it is not over
The New York Times reports that Trump's issued $122 million in donation refunds. How could so many be duped again?
By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
APRIL 5, 2021 1:42PM
(Salon) During the 2016 presidential campaign, candidate Donald Trump happened to be in the middle of a major federal class-action lawsuit spanning several states over an allegedly fraudulent operation called Trump University. You may recall that one of his first racist scandals during the 2015 primary campaign came about after he claimed the judge in that federal fraud case was biased against Trump because of his Hispanic heritage. The Trump University suit was a big story during that campaign but, as always, there was so much chaos surrounding Trump that I'm not sure people really understood what it was all about. It should have been the biggest story because it was unfolding during the campaign and illustrated everything the people needed to know about Donald Trump. It showed, in living color, that Trump was a real, bonafide con artist, in the literal sense of the word.
The grift was pretty simple. It started off as an online operation that quickly morphed into one of those bait and switch operations where they entice you to come to listen to a free lecture from some "expert" to teach you the tricks of the trade (or tell you the secret of life) which turns out to be nothing more than a sales pitch to buy more expert lessons in the same subject — which also turn out to be sales pitches. It's what a lot of multi-level marketing schemes and frankly, cults, do to bilk people out of their savings. A 2017 report from the Center for American Progress explains further:
Trump, of course, had a TV show in which he pretended to be a genius businessman and that was enough to get a lot of naive fans to sign on, apparently believing the lies in the brochures, which said that Trump had personally chosen the instructors and the so-called courses were credentialed by major universities like Stanford and Northwestern. The court case showed that none of that was true. And according to the Washington Post, Trump was personally involved in all the advertising that made those claims.
....(snip)....
How in the world could an advanced democracy ever elect someone who was so blatantly a con man? It wasn't as if it was far in the past or there was some serious dispute as to whether or not it was really a scam. It was obvious to anyone who looked at the case that there was no "university" and Donald Trump was running a grift. It wasn't the first or the only one but it was being litigated right in the middle of the campaign. ............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/04/05/the-entire-trump-campaign-was-a-scam---and-it-is-not-over/
The entire Trump campaign was a scam -- and it is not over
The entire Trump campaign was a scam — and it is not over
The New York Times reports that Trump's issued $122 million in donation refunds. How could so many be duped again?
By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
APRIL 5, 2021 1:42PM
(Salon) During the 2016 presidential campaign, candidate Donald Trump happened to be in the middle of a major federal class-action lawsuit spanning several states over an allegedly fraudulent operation called Trump University. You may recall that one of his first racist scandals during the 2015 primary campaign came about after he claimed the judge in that federal fraud case was biased against Trump because of his Hispanic heritage. The Trump University suit was a big story during that campaign but, as always, there was so much chaos surrounding Trump that I'm not sure people really understood what it was all about. It should have been the biggest story because it was unfolding during the campaign and illustrated everything the people needed to know about Donald Trump. It showed, in living color, that Trump was a real, bonafide con artist, in the literal sense of the word.
The grift was pretty simple. It started off as an online operation that quickly morphed into one of those bait and switch operations where they entice you to come to listen to a free lecture from some "expert" to teach you the tricks of the trade (or tell you the secret of life) which turns out to be nothing more than a sales pitch to buy more expert lessons in the same subject — which also turn out to be sales pitches. It's what a lot of multi-level marketing schemes and frankly, cults, do to bilk people out of their savings. A 2017 report from the Center for American Progress explains further:
Near the end, Trump University focused almost exclusively on the seminars, both running them and licensing the brand name out to an organization called Business Strategies Group. These seminars often began with a free session to get people in the door. Once individuals arrived, salespeople often tried to upsell them the "Trump Elite Packages," ranging from the Bronze Elite Package for $9,995 up to the Gold Elite Package for $34,995.
Trump, of course, had a TV show in which he pretended to be a genius businessman and that was enough to get a lot of naive fans to sign on, apparently believing the lies in the brochures, which said that Trump had personally chosen the instructors and the so-called courses were credentialed by major universities like Stanford and Northwestern. The court case showed that none of that was true. And according to the Washington Post, Trump was personally involved in all the advertising that made those claims.
....(snip)....
How in the world could an advanced democracy ever elect someone who was so blatantly a con man? It wasn't as if it was far in the past or there was some serious dispute as to whether or not it was really a scam. It was obvious to anyone who looked at the case that there was no "university" and Donald Trump was running a grift. It wasn't the first or the only one but it was being litigated right in the middle of the campaign. ............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2021/04/05/the-entire-trump-campaign-was-a-scam---and-it-is-not-over/
April 4, 2021
Despite it being over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, still not everyone is on board with mask guidelines—literally speaking.
In a viral TikTok post, an anti-mask couple is removed from a flight for refusing to comply with the airline's safety protocols.
The video, posted by user @b_edler56 and discreetly filmed from a few rows back, shows the couple arguing with a flight attendant.
Since the footage starts mid-conflict, the context for the argument is unknown—but when the video starts, the woman is already heated. ............(more)
https://www.newsweek.com/entire-plane-claps-after-anti-maskers-get-thrown-off-flight-1580676
Entire Plane Claps After Anti-Maskers Get Thrown off Flight
Despite it being over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, still not everyone is on board with mask guidelines—literally speaking.
In a viral TikTok post, an anti-mask couple is removed from a flight for refusing to comply with the airline's safety protocols.
The video, posted by user @b_edler56 and discreetly filmed from a few rows back, shows the couple arguing with a flight attendant.
Since the footage starts mid-conflict, the context for the argument is unknown—but when the video starts, the woman is already heated. ............(more)
https://www.newsweek.com/entire-plane-claps-after-anti-maskers-get-thrown-off-flight-1580676
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