TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalRamos, ex-Philippine leader who helped oust dictator, dies
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Former Philippine President Fidel Valdez Ramos, a U.S.-trained ex-general who saw action in the Korean and Vietnam wars and played a key role in a 1986 pro-democracy uprising that ousted a dictator, has died. He was 94.
It was not immediately clear what caused his death but one of his longtime aides, Norman Legaspi, told The Associated Press that Ramos had been in and out of the hospital in recent years due to a heart condition and had suffered from dementia.
Some of Ramos's relatives were with him when he died on Sunday at the Makati Medical Center in metropolitan Manila, Legaspi said, adding the family would issue a statement on his death later Sunday.
“He was an icon. We lost a hero and I lost a father,” said Legaspi, a retired Philippine air force official, who served as a key staff to Ramos for about 15 years.
Read more: https://www.corsicanadailysun.com/national/ramos-ex-philippine-leader-who-helped-oust-dictator-dies/article_d10559cc-0e2f-5d59-bb16-fe16a7e9b273.html
'A really stupid idea': Carville criticizes Yang's new political party - CNN
Democratic strategist James Carville tells CNN's Jim Acosta what he thinks of new political party the Forward Party, proposed by Andrew Yang and other former Democratic and Republican officials.
First monkeypox deaths reported outside Africa - BBC News
Brazil and Spain have reported their first monkeypox deaths.
A 41-year-old man in Brazil became the first fatality from the virus outside Africa. Spain announced two deaths soon afterwards - the first in Europe.
Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency.
But infections are usually mild and the risk to the general population is low.
On Friday Brazil's health ministry said the victim there had suffered from lymphoma and a weakened immune system, and "comorbidities aggravated his condition".
Shortly afterwards, Spain's health ministry confirmed Europe's first death from the virus - a patient who suffered from encephalitis.
A second death linked to monkeypox was confirmed by Spanish authorities on Saturday.
If I Did It: Confessions of an Election Rigger
This week, we found the absentee ballot fraud in Wisconsin, and wouldn’t you know it, it was Republicans doing it. Admitted felon Harry Wait of Racine County fraudulently requested ballots for 10 or so people who were not him using Wisconsin’s amazing and helpful elections website, MyVote.wi.gov. This violated state law, as the Wisconsin Elections Commission pointed out.
Wait’s admitted lawbreaking method fits nicely within the utterly false “2000 Mules” fantasy that is the current fever dream of election deniers. That is, left-leaning nonprofit organizations (never named in the film) fraudulently obtained tens of thousands of ballots and paid thousands of “mules” (also never identified by name in the film, or apparently to authorities because no one has been arrested for this scheme) to stuff those ballots–all with votes for Joe Biden–into ballot dropboxes. Why the nonprofits didn’t just drop these postage-paid absentee ballots into the mail, I have no idea. But it apparently was very, very important to the organizations to have their mules stuff the ballots into many different drop boxes all over town in several places. One of those places was Milwaukee, and the team behind the film fed our Assembly Elections and Campaigns Committee a lot of lies about it back in March.
But for funsies, let’s play the If I Did It game–what are the steps I, your humble folkbum, and your not-so-humble Democratic Party Election Rigger, would have taken in order to steal the 2020 Wisconsin election from Donald Trump in the manner now-admitted felon Harry Wait suggests we did.
Read more: https://bloggingblue.com/2022/07/if-i-did-it-confessions-of-an-election-rigger/
Iraqi protesters storm parliament for second time in a week - Al Jazeera
Protesters have once again breached Iraq’s parliament in a show of support for influential Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr, leaving at least 125 people injured and escalating a political standoff.
Saturday’s demonstration comes days after protesters stormed the legislative body and suspended a session to nominate a new prime minister.
Thousands of supporters rallied by al-Sadr and his Sadrist Movement tore down concrete barriers on Saturday and entered the Green Zone, which houses government departments and foreign missions, before breaking into parliament.
The scenes followed similar protests on Wednesday, although this time at least 125 people – 100 civilians and 25 members of the security forces – were wounded, according to the Ministry of Health.
Al-Sadr’s supporters threw stones and police fired tear gas and stun grenades.
Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdelwahed reports from Baghdad.
With issues and poll numbers keeping midterm races tight, Democrats should make Dan Patrick 'public
With issues and poll numbers keeping midterm races tight, Democrats should make Dan Patrick ‘public enemy number one A,’ expert saysMidterm elections typically focus on Congress, and give the opposition party a chance to make gain. But in the Texas of 2022, after the deadliest school shooting in the state’s history, restrictive new abortion laws, concerns about the power grid and much more, Gov. Greg Abbott may be in for the political fight of his career, while other Republican officeholders down the ballot could also face close races.
It’s too early to say, for certain, but the flashing lights for the governor’s re-election team include tighter polling margins between Abbott and his key challenger, Democrat Beto O’Rourke, plus a record financial haul by O’Rourke. These successes have, at least temporarily, put some wind in the sails of Texas Democrats’ hopes to win a statewide office for the first time in nearly 30 years.
Gromer Jeffers is a political writer for the Dallas Morning News. He told Texas Standard that the governor’s race is typically the driver of turnout in elections like this year’s midterm. But Jeffers says if Texas Democrats want to really have power in the statehouse, ousting Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick should be a top priority. Listen to the interview above or read the transcript below.
This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity:
Texas Standard: We’ve talked about some of the campaign cash pouring into the governor’s race and some of the tightening polls there. What about those down ballot races? Lieutenant governor, attorney general, ag commissioner? How are Democrats faring there?
Gromer Jeffers: Well, look, the governor’s race is the driver of turnout typically in these situations. But when you look at, say, the lieutenant governor’s race, Dan Patrick, the incumbent, the powerful president of the Senate – has basically been the prime motivator of most of the conservative legislation that has gone through Texas since he’s been there. He’s seeking a third term. And so it stands to reason that he would be, if not public enemy number one, public enemy number one A for Democrats. And the rematch with Mike Collier, I think will be interesting. It was a five-and-a-half point race in 2018. That’s pretty close. When you think about the powerful incumbent with O’Rourke at the top of the ticket. I think we’re looking at another race, at least less than seven or eight points, and who knows? So it’ll be another competitive race. I’m not saying Collier will win, but it’s one to watch.
Read more: https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/with-issues-and-poll-numbers-keeping-midterm-races-tight-democrats-should-make-dan-patrick-public-enemy-number-one-a-expert-says/
Hutchinson says he has no plans to add Democrats' teacher raise proposal to special session
Arkansas Democrats in the Legislature released a plan Thursday to raise Arkansas teacher salaries by $4,000 and raise the minimum teacher salary to $42,000, and urged Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson to include their proposal in the upcoming special session on tax cuts and school safety grant funding.
But the governor said Thursday there is no plan to add the proposal to the special session.
"The House and Senate leadership has indicated that there is insufficient support among the members for a teacher pay increase in a special session," Hutchinson said. "For that reason, there is no plan to add it to the call."
Earlier this month, Hutchinson said he wouldn't put a teacher salary increase on the agenda for the special session because of the lack of support in the Republican-dominated Legislature for a teacher pay increase in the session.
Read more: https://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/2022/jul/29/hutchinson-says-he-has-no-plans-to-add-democrats/
'Let's do big things': Democratic gubernatorial candidate O'Rourke stops in Longview
As “This Little Light of Mine” echoed through a packed Reo Starplex and Event Center in Longview, Jrmar Jefferson began to lead the crowd in a singalong.
As the song faded away, Jefferson, Democratic nominee for the 1st Congressional District, introduced Democratic nominee for governor, Beto O’Rourke.
O’Rourke made the stop Friday in Longview as part of his Drive for Texas tour and was set to visit Palestine and Lufkin later in the day. A former congressman from El Paso, he faces Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in November.
Outside of the venue on West Loop 281, some Abbott supporters held signs in the parking lot and along the road supporting the incumbent.
O’Rourke bemoaned Gregg County’s low voter turnout and said he understands why voters could feel apathetic, but they had to use their voices to incite change. He said Texas is the hardest state to register to vote in — something he said needs to change.
Read more: https://www.news-journal.com/news/local/lets-do-big-things-democratic-gubernatorial-candidate-orourke-stops-in-longview/article_a7465144-0f6a-11ed-9139-ebaaf8cadf79.html
(Longview News-Journal)
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Gender: MaleHometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
Home country: United States
Current location: Bryan, Texas
Member since: Sun Aug 14, 2011, 03:57 AM
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