July 27, 2017

Such an interesting story: Who Was She? A DNA Test Only Opened New Mysteries.

This is a bit long but I found the twists and turns in it fascinating perhaps more so since I just recently sent in my sample to 23andMe to find out more about my genetic background/health predispositions since I'm adopted and know only a little.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/lifestyle/she-thought-she-was-irish-until-a-dna-test-opened-a-100-year-old-mystery/?utm_term=.ab0893321bac&wpisrc=al_alert-national&wpmk=1

Five years ago, Alice Collins Plebuch made a decision that would alter her future — or really, her past.

She sent away for a “just-for-fun DNA test.” When the tube arrived, she spit and spit until she filled it up to the line, and then sent it off in the mail. She wanted to know what she was made of.

Plebuch, now 69, already had a rough idea of what she would find. Her parents, both deceased, were Irish American Catholics who raised her and her six siblings with church Sundays and ethnic pride. But Plebuch, who had a long-standing interest in science and DNA, wanted to know more about her dad’s side of the family. The son of Irish immigrants, Jim Collins had been raised in an orphanage from a young age, and his extended family tree was murky.

After a few weeks during which her saliva was analyzed, she got an email in the summer of 2012 with a link to her results. The report was confounding.

June 28, 2017

Immigrants (We Get The Job Done) - Hamilton Mixtape

June 28, 2017

A couple reasons... 1)Campaign funds can be used for legal defense...

if incurred as a result of their run for office.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-close-to-choosing-outside-counsel-for-russia-investigation/2017/05/22/8709f62e-3f22-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html?utm_term=.10c9ed33673f
>>But campaign finance lawyers said Trump could probably draw funds from his reelection committee to cover legal expenses related to the Russia inquiries, including money donated this year.

“When it comes to legal expenses, the test is whether the expenses would have been incurred irrespective of the campaign,” said Daniel Petalas, a Washington campaign-finance lawyer who served as the Federal Election Commission’s acting general counsel and head of enforcement. “So if the allegation is Trump — either as candidate or officeholder — is facing legal costs as a result of those statuses, then he is entitled to use his campaign funds to defray the legal expenses.” <<

Pence can use them too:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/politics/mike-pence-campaign-attorney/index.html
Vice President Mike Pence has hired a pricey personal defense lawyer amid the mounting Russia investigation -- but how exactly is he going to pay for it?
Pence, who unlike his boss is not independently wealthy, could possibly use funds from the Trump-Pence re-election campaign or from Pence's new PAC, which is hosting a fundraiser Friday, to pay Richard Cullen, the chairman of McGuireWoods LLP.

2) Trump has never stopped running for office he already has. These ongoing PR rallies could be covered by by campaign funds.

3) Leftover campaign funds can't be used for personal use BUT they can be donated to other political campaigns OR charities... like... oh say... Ivanka's or any other Trump non-profit and those non-profits can pay a salary to those that run it.
http://www.newsobserver.com/latest-news/article158526404.html

So... just because Trump has filed for re-election doesn't mean he's actually going to RUN in 2020. It could only be so he can keep the campaign funds he has, and is still raising, handy. For him it's a win-win.

June 26, 2017

Official White House Tweet About ACA With Alt Facts/Math

https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/879411199934443520

"FACT: when #Obamacare was signed, CBO estimated that 23M would be covered in 2017. They were off by 100%. Only 10.3M people are covered."

If you can see Twitter most of the replies to this are worth a read.

May 19, 2017

Timelines: Russia and Trump, etc

The ones at the link my eldest daughter just sent me seem to be quite extensive but please feel free to add other timelines, diagrams, etc that might help us keep things straight. Goodness knows my head is often spinning with the constant flood of info and I know others have mentioned feeling much the same.

http://billmoyers.com/story/the-trump-resistance-plan-a-timeline-russia-and-president-trump/

Investigative reporters have begun to flesh out the Trump/Russia timeline. To keep everything in one location, here’s an updated summary (so far).

May 16, 2017

Impeachment of the president, explained (Source: Vox)

This seems to match what I learned eons ago so I thought it might be interesting and perhaps helpful given all that's going on with Trump ATM.

Like so many others I'd love to see him and his whole cabal disappear like NOW but there's a process and unfortunately for us it's not normally a speedy one.

"The history and logistics of trying and removing the president from office."

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/5/12/15615066/impeachment-trump-process-history

President Donald Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey has raised questions about whether he was trying to obstruct an investigation into his campaign and associates. And this, not even four months into Trump’s term, has led to chatter about impeachment — the process by which a president can be charged with “high crimes and misdemeanors,” and removed from office if he is convicted of those charges.

For the moment, this chatter is just that. It’s quite difficult to impeach, convict, and remove a president from office — so much so that’s it’s never happened in US history. (Two presidents have been impeached but acquitted; another resigned to avoid near-certain impeachment.) So far, we are not even remotely close to this politically charged process getting started for Trump, let alone actually happening.

But if you’re interested in understanding how impeachment works, the important thing to know is that while it looks and feels a whole lot like a legal or judicial process, in practice it is dominated by politics from start to finish.

That’s because, rather than being run by any courts, impeachment and any ensuing presidential trial are carried out by the House of Representatives and the Senate, which are partisan bodies

.

Continue reading for more info at the link above.

May 16, 2017

The Russian Connection 🐸 - A new Randy Rainbow Song Parody

May 12, 2017

Delusional Trump says if election held now 'I would win by a lot more than I did on November 8'

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/12/trump-says-if-election-were-held-now-i-would-win-by-a-lot-more.html

President Donald Trump said he has seen new poll numbers that make clear if the presidential election were held now "I would win by a lot more than I did on November 8."

"And I think we're doing a great job," Trump said.

Trump's brash claims, which contradict recent public polls that show his already low approval ratings are falling even lower, came during an exclusive interview with NBC News at the White House.

"We had a group in the other day with poll numbers that were so good," Trump said in a clip that aired on the "TODAY" show Friday.

"That were so good, so strong, that if the election were held today, I would win by a lot more than I did on November 8," Trump told NBC's Lester Holt.

Umm... Wow... He really is totally delusional... unless... he knows Russia would 'help' him again.

May 5, 2017

FWIW - Info And The WHOLE Tumpcare Bill Passed By The House

Aka: H.R.1628 - American Health Care Act of 2017
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1628/text

ETA: Apparently the above doesn't include the MacArthor Amendment. Did the Upton Amendment pass too. It's here as well...
http://docs.house.gov/Committee/Calendar/ByEvent.aspx?EventID=105944

I wanted to see the exact wording on a few things and thought I'd share it here for others use, dissection and discussion.

April 23, 2017

Trump Delivering Keynote At Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony in DC Tues

https://www.ushmm.org/information/press/press-releases/president-trump-to-speak-at-days-of-remembrance

During DOR, the Museum leads the nation in remembering the victims of the Holocaust and honoring the survivors. Every president since the Museum opened in 1993 (President Clinton, 1993 at the Museum dedication ceremony; President Bush, 2001; and President Obama, 2009) has participated in DOR commemorations. (Presidents Carter, 1979, and Reagan, 1981 and 1982, also participated.)

During the ceremony, six candles are lit by a Holocaust survivor accompanied by a member of Congress in memory of the victims. The annual observance also recognizes the American troops who liberated the Nazi concentration camps by opening with a procession of flags from each of the US Army liberating divisions.