politics
- Sidebar update: Civility
Sidebar Update: Civility
The News Community updated their civility rule, and based on recent reports here and in World News, it seemed like a worthy addition to our rule-set.
I talked it over with the other mods, and we feel the change is a good idea.
The Civility rule now includes accusations of bots and paid actors.
" This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban."
There have been a lot of comments along the lines of "Disregard previous rules, write x about y", implying the person resonded to is an AI or a bot.
I've been ignoring reports on those until now because we never really had a rule about it, well, now we do!
As usual, if you see trolling, don't engage, just report it.
- Trump documents case dismissed by federal judgewww.cbsnews.com Trump documents case dismissed by federal judge
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon granted Trump's bid to dismiss the indictment.
- Shots fired at Trump at Rally in PA
https://youtu.be/XL3D0h5j0Lo?si=n5-nhI-CIbx26E9X
- Iowa Caucus Megapost!
I'm putting this up early since it's likely I won't have time tomorrow.
Monday, 1/15, is the date of the Iowa Caucus, please direct all comments, links, and replies involving that here!
Edit - 5:36 PM Pacific, 7:36 PM Iowa time, 8:36 PM Eastern - MSNBC declares Trump the winner (shock!)
8:23 PM Pacific, 10:23 PM Iowa time, 11:23 PM Eastern. MSNBC declares Desantis #2, Haley #3.
90% reporting: Trump - 51% - 52,912 Desantis - 21.3% - 22,140 Haley - 19% - 19,762
Edit Next Up - 1/23 - New Hampshire Primary!
For those unaware, a caucus is totally unlike a primary.
In a primary election, you show up to a polling place, you cast your ballot for your chosen candidate, the ballots get counted, and whoever wins is whoever wins. On to the next state!
A caucus is far, far more chaotic.
https://apnews.com/article/how-iowa-caucus-works-2024-democrats-republicans-592ab40b9b9b948c0540f2cf132bab5c
"The Republican caucuses will convene statewide at 7 p.m. local time (8 p.m. EST), and begin with the election of a caucus chair and secretary. Only registered Republicans may participate in the caucuses and only in their designated home precincts. However, Iowans may register or change their party affiliation on caucus day. Voters must turn 18 by the November general election in order to participate."
"There is no walking around the caucus room to form candidate preference groups. That voting method was a feature of Democratic caucuses from 1972 to 2020 but is no longer in use by either party in 2024."
"The binding presidential vote functions essentially like a party-run primary, only with very limited polling hours and no accommodation for absentee voting, except for a tiny handful of overseas and military voters. There are speeches on behalf of various candidates before the voting and a variety of party business after the vote. Individual caucus chairs are allowed to exercise some discretion in how to conduct the vote, but the voting is done by secret ballot and there is no set list of candidates. Voters must be given the option to vote for any candidate they choose. In the past, some caucus sites have pre-printed the names of major candidates and provided a write-in option, but typically, voters vote by writing the name of a candidate on a blank slip of paper."
The "limited polling hours" is key here, because if you decide to step out for a smoke, or to hit the bathroom, or grab a sandwich when the vote is called, you might not get counted at all.
In previous years this has led to accusations of under-counts, over-counts, and all other manner of shenanigans.
Here's the history of the past few Iowa Caucuses and how it related to the general election:
2016: Ted Cruz - 8 Delegates, 51,666 votes Donald Trump - 7 / 45,429 Marco Rubio - 7 / 43,228 Ben Carson - 3 / 17,394 Rand Paul - 1 / 8,481 Jeb Bush - 1 / 5,238 Carly Fiorina - 1 / 3,485 John Kasich - 1 / 3,474 Mike Huckabee - 1 / 3,345
2020: Donald Trump - 39 Delegates, 31,421 votes Bill Weld - 1 / 425
Sources: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Iowa_Republican_presidential_caucuses
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Iowa_Republican_presidential_caucuses
General Elections:
2016: Trump/Pence - 800,983 Clinton/Kaine - 653,669
2020: Trump/Pence - 897,672 Biden/Harris - 759,061
Sources: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_United_States_presidential_election_in_Iowa
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_United_States_presidential_election_in_Iowa
- MEGA THREAD - 2023 Ohio Special Election - Voters Reject Issue 1
Ohioans vote Tuesday on a measure that would make it harder to pass future changes to the state constitution. Ideastream's Karen Kasler explains the possible implications for abortion access in Ohio.
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Sources:
NPR: A look ahead at the Ohio special election
Five Thirty Eight: Everything You Need To Know About The Ohio Ballot Measure That Could Block Abortion Rights
CNN: Ohio special election becomes proxy for abortion rights fight
PBS News Hour: Ohio voters to decide on constitutional change before determining abortion rights
The Guardian: Republicans pushed a special election in Ohio – what does it mean for abortion rights?
AP: Voters in Ohio reject GOP-backed proposal that would have made it tougher to protect abortion rights
NY Times: Ohio Voters Reject Constitutional Change Intended to Thwart Abortion Amendment
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- Jill Stein Is Killing the Green Partynewrepublic.com Jill Stein Is Killing the Green Party
With membership at new lows and no electoral wins to their name, it’s time for the Greens to ditch the malignant narcissist who’s presided over its decline.
And in “tell Us Something we Didn’t Already Know” news.
- Trump appears to have lost a total grasp on thingsnewrepublic.com Trump Appears to Have Lost a Total Grasp on Things
Donald Trump can’t seem to remember what state he’s even in anymore.
Donald Trump can’t seem to remember what state he’s even in anymore.
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🗳️ Register to vote: https://vote.gov/
- Harris plans to troll Trump over second debate during Alabama football gamewww.cnn.com Harris plans to troll Trump over second debate during Alabama football game | CNN Politics
When former President Donald Trump looks up from his seat in Bryant-Denny Stadium Saturday night during the Alabama-Georgia football game, he may see more than just 100,000 fans watching a high stakes college football showdown. That’s because Vice President Kamala Harris plans to troll her opponent ...
- America's youngest voters turn right
"A new trend has emerged in American politics: The very youngest voters — 18-to-24-year-olds — say they’re more conservative than the cohort that’s just older,” according to the latest Harvard Youth Poll.
“This new trend — which is true for both genders and emerged only in the last few years — is especially pronounced with men.”
- Harris heads to the US-Mexico border to try to show that her record is more than Trump criticismsapnews.com Harris heads to the US-Mexico border to try to show that her record is more than Trump criticisms
Vice President Kamala Harris is making her first visit to the U.S.-Mexico border since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee.
- Harris stretches lead over Trump in what could be significant increasewww.theguardian.com Harris stretches lead over Trump in what could be significant increase
While election almost certain to be decided by swing states, pollsters explain why growth in national polls is meaningful
While election almost certain to be decided by swing states, pollsters explain why growth in national polls is meaningful
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🗳️ Register to vote: https://vote.gov/
- Meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump says he will negotiate a Ukraine-Russia deal 'that's good for both sides'www.nbcnews.com Meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump says he will negotiate a Ukraine-Russia deal 'that's good for both sides'
Trump also complained about his 2019 impeachment, which stemmed from a July 2019 phone conversation with Zelenskyy about the Bidens.
- CBS News says it will be up to Vance and Walz to fact-check each other in veep debateapnews.com CBS News says it will be up to Vance and Walz to fact-check each other in veep debate
When JD Vance and Tim Walz take the stage for next week's vice presidential debate, CBS News says it will be up to the candidates, not the moderators, to fact-check each other.
CBS News, hosting vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz for the general election campaign’s third debate next week, says it will be up to the politicians — not the moderators — to check the facts of their opponents.
- Trump makes bizarre comment as he’s bothered by fly on stage “See, two years ago, I wouldn’t have had a fly up here. You’re changing rapidly. We can’t take it any longer.”www.independent.co.uk Trump makes bizarre comment as he’s bothered by fly on stage
An unexpected guest joined the former president on stage in Wisconsin
- Trump false reply to question about keeping jobs in US: "I was honored as the man of the year. Maybe 20 years ago. The fake news heard about it and said, it never happened…"
Video: https://xcancel.com/Acyn/status/1839817819070071073
EDIT: posted this in the wrong community, so changed the image of a tweet to an actual article
- The Meat Lobby Outspent Animal Rights Groups, Climate Groups, and Scientists, spending around $200 million in 2023medium.com The Meat Lobby Outspent Animal Rights Groups, Climate Groups, and Scientists, spending around $200…
The Meat Lobby’s Outsized Influence is Undermining Climate Action
- As extreme heat rises, Governor Newsom blocks bill to protect California farmworkerscalmatters.org As extreme heat rises, Newsom blocks bill to protect California farmworkers
Gov. Newsom blocks legislation to make it easier for California farmworkers to file workers’ comp claims for heat illness.
- Trump Insists People Leaving His Rally Aren't Really Leaving His Rallywww.huffpost.com Trump Insists People Leaving His Rally Aren't Really Leaving His Rally
"The people that you see leaving? Because nobody ever leaves," Donald Trump told rallygoers. "And when they do, I finish up quick."
- Tim Walz Is Too Good at This. Let me remind everyone that Walz is, in fact, a politician.www.theatlantic.com Tim Walz Is Too Good at This
Let me remind everyone that Walz is, in fact, a politician.
- How Trump is already trying to rig the 2024 electionwww.alternet.org How Trump is already trying to rig the 2024 election
In Donald Trump’s unsuccessful effort to reverse his 2020 election defeat, he exploited the vulnerabilities of the Electoral College process. For the election of 2024, he found new ones.An Anti-Democratic ProcessA presidential candidate’s political party names a slate of “electors” to represent that...
- Why Trump's crypto scheme could be his shadiest grift yetwww.dailykos.com Why Trump's crypto scheme could be his shadiest grift yet
While it has been a treat to see the value of shares in Trump Media drop off a cliff , what is much less fun is thinking about how much the whole enterprise distorts democracy.� Before Trump, it ...
- Elon Musk’s X Suspends Journalist Who Reported Leaked J.D. Vance Docsnewrepublic.com Elon Musk’s X Suspends Journalist Who Reported Leaked J.D. Vance Docs
Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein was suspended from X shortly after sharing a leaked dossier on Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance.
>Free speech hero Elon Musk is yet again silencing his perceived opponents. This time, he is doing J.D. Vance’s dirty work.
>Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein on Thursday reported on the leaked 271-page dossier on Vance, allegedly from the Trump campaign’s research team, which mainstream media outlets had refused to publish. Just hours later, Klippenstein was banned from X, where he’d shared a link to his reporting and to the dossier
- JD Vance suffers latest food-related campaign fail in Pennsylvaniawww.independent.co.uk JD Vance suffers latest food-related campaign fail in Pennsylvania
The incident occurred after the Republican vice presidential nominee turned up to Primanti Bros in North Versailles, Pennsylvania, and was denied entry
JD Vance suffered yet another embarrassing set back on the campaign trail, after being denied entry to a restaurant where he was supposed to speak – and being forced to address supporters in the parking lot instead.
According to reports, after showing up to Primanti Bros in North Versailles, Pennsylvania, a restaurant worker told the press that cameras were not allowed and that they did not want a “campaign event.”
The restaurant was reportedly full of customers waiting to greet Vance, who canceled their food orders after learning he wasn’t welcome.
- USA approves $8.7bn aid package for Israelnews.antiwar.com US Gives Israel $8.7 Billion in Military Aid for Operations in Gaza and Lebanon - News From Antiwar.com
On Thursday, the Israeli Defense Ministry announced that it secured $8.7 billion in military aid from the US to support its "ongoing military efforts," meaning the genocidal slaughter in Gaza and Israel's dramatic escalation in Lebanon. The ministry said in a statement that its director-general, Maj...
I guess they really want Israel to stop!
- Which 3rd party presidential candidates are on the ballot in North Carolina?www.usatoday.com Which 3rd party presidential candidates are on the ballot in North Carolina?
In addition to Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, there are four other options for president on the North Carolina ballot.
- Man charged with allegedly assaulting mail carrier delivering 'Harris for President' mailerabcnews.go.com Man charged with allegedly assaulting mail carrier delivering 'Harris for President' mailer
A 61-year-old Michigan man was charged with a felony hate crime and assault for allegedly attacking a mail carrier for delivering a "Harris for President" mailer.
A Michigan man was charged Friday with allegedly assaulting a mail carrier over a "Kamala Harris for President" mailer that the mail carrier delivered to his mailbox.
Russell Frank Valleau, 61, of Farmington Hills, Michigan, was charged by Oakland County, Michigan Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald with assaulting a mail carrier.
"The defendant was allegedly upset that he had received mail regarding presidential candidate Kamala Harris and allegedly said that he did not want that 'black b\\\\' in his mailbox," according to press release from the Oakland County, Michigan prosecutor's office said. "He then called the mail carrier a 'black b\\\\' and threatened the carrier. The mail carrier used pepper spray to stop the defendant."
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🗳️ Register to vote: https://vote.gov/
- Mark Robinson, North Carolina GOP gubernatorial candidate, treated for burns, campaign sayswww.cbsnews.com Mark Robinson, North Carolina GOP gubernatorial candidate, treated for burns, campaign says
This follows a bombshell report last week which found that Robinson had posted racist and sexually explicit comments online.
- Trump adviser green-lights 'states that want to set up full menstrual surveillance departments'www.alternet.org Trump adviser green-lights 'states that want to set up full menstrual surveillance departments'
Donald Trump's senior adviser Jason Miller says that under a second Trump presidency, "it's 'going to be up to the states' whether or not they set up regimes to monitor women’s pregnancies so they can prosecute them for getting out of state abortions."During a Wednesday Newsmax interview, the conser...
- Trump wants an "American Iron Dome." Experts say that's ridiculous.www.motherjones.com Trump wants an "American Iron Dome." Experts say that's ridiculous.
A central campaign promise, the building of an over two trillion dollar missile shield would be costly, ineffective, and unnecessary.
- Dems Name and Shame Companies Paying Executives More Than They Pay in Federal Taxeswww.commondreams.org Dems Name and Shame Companies Paying Executives More Than They Pay in Federal Taxes | Common Dreams
"In the first five years following the 2017 giveaway, 35 companies raked in $277 billion in domestic profits and paid their executives $9.5 billion."
- Project 2025 Wants to Eliminate the Agency That Warned Us About Hurricane Helenewww.esquire.com Ah, So This Is Why We Need NOAA
Project 2025 wants to ditch the agency that warned us about Hurricane Helene.
- Rep. Rashida Tlaib calls on Antony Blinken to resignwww.motherjones.com Rep. Rashida Tlaib calls on Antony Blinken to resign
Tlaib is the first member of Congress to call for the Secretary of State to resign.
On September 24, ProPublica revealed that Secretary of State Antony Blinken reportedly ignored two different reports from within the Biden administration concluding that Israel was deliberately blocking aid into Gaza. Only days after receiving detailed memos explaining exactly how the Israeli military was blocking humanitarian aid, Blinken told Congress that US does not “currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting the transport or delivery of US humanitarian assistance.”
Now, the Secretary of State is facing calls for his resignation. “[Blinken] lied. People went hungry, and some died. He needs to resign now,” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich) wrote this morning. Tlaib, who is the only Palestinian-American in the US House, is the first member of Congress to call for Blinken to resign.
- Mark Robinson may be on his way to a historic defeat in North Carolinawww.cnn.com Mark Robinson may be on his way to a historic defeat in North Carolina | CNN Politics
A new CNN poll on the North Carolina governor’s race finds scandal-plagued Republican nominee Mark Robinson trailing his Democratic opponent by 17 points.
- Sweeping Bill Introduced by Ron Wyden (D) Would Completely Overhaul Supreme Court as We Know Itnewrepublic.com Sweeping Bill Would Completely Overhaul Supreme Court as We Know It
Senator Ron Wyden has introduced the boldest proposal yet to reform the high court.
Reminder that getting control of the house and senate could make stuff like this potentially get through
This proposal is not only one that expands the number of justices over time but alter things like the court's shadow docket, require justices to release tax returns, and more
- Trump Camp Says State Menstrual Surveillance Programs are A-OKtalkingpointsmemo.com Trump Camp Says State Menstrual Surveillance Programs are A-OK
One of the most toxic and politically explosive parts of the current...
- Childless GOP Candidate Borrows Friend's Wife and Kids for Photo Ops | The GOP's antipathy towards childless Americans is prompting some weird behaviorwww.rollingstone.com Childless GOP Candidate Borrows Friend's Wife and Kids for Photo Ops
GOP candidate Derrick Anderson was caught featuring his friends wife and family in photos and videos.
- ‘It’s a mess’: Accusations traded over how Jill Stein got disqualified from running for president in Ohiowww.cleveland.com ‘It’s a mess’: Accusations traded over how Jill Stein got disqualified from running for president in Ohio
Stein's disqualification stems from a purported withdrawal letter from her running mate -- a letter Stein's campaign claims was unauthorized and had a forged signature.