May 8th, 2016 • 3h 28m
Shownotes
Every new episode of No Agenda is accompanied by a comprehensive list of shownotes curated by Adam while preparing for the show. Clips played by the hosts during the show can also be found here.
TODAY
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Happy Mothers Day
Rainstick's for Canada
We're not a laughing stock, we are feared by Trump candidacy
Paris Notes
Amazon echo tap on trip is very comforting
Female Muslims begging
Crêpes in Luxemburg Gardens
Kids No cell phones
Trump-FB-The world is laughing at us! Unlike when we bomb them
Maroccan uber driver about Trump. NOT laughing!
Tolerance index from French uber driver
Dutch rag mags
An elected Muslim ??????? In the bastion of democracy ! Libral tolerant !!!! No Booz ! No birds ? Siria law !! Conquer from within breed your way into governance! What does the queen think ! Having a Muslim in charge of her capital city ! What would richard the lion hart say to the moures governing England's capital city ! Washington next ! Or New York ! What happened to free speech the right to dislike things and express ? Or is that discrimination against our freedom to our opinion ?
Apple Watch
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elections 2016
FBI Confirms They Will Question Hillary Clinton
Fri, 06 May 2016 00:41
FBI officials have confirmed that Hillary Clinton will be interviewed about her use of a private email server, possibly before the California primary.
CNN reported Thursday evening that the Federal Bureau of Investigation interviewed top Clinton aide Huma Abedin over the server, along with other senior aides, some more than once. While investigators confirmed that Clinton herself would be interviewed, no official date has been announced.
Bryan Pagliano, who originally built Clinton's private server, has agreed to provide testimony to the Department of Justice in exchange for legal immunity.
FBI officials stated they had yet to procure sufficient evidence that any laws were willfully broken, though the investigation is still ongoing.
As of May 5, the investigation is still limited to Clinton's handling of classified information on her private email server, and the security of the server itself. While the former Secretary of State has cooperated with federal authorities in making thousands of emails public, 22 of the emails in her private server were classified as ''top secret'' and deemed too sensitive to national security to release to the general public.
The announcement of the upcoming interview comes just a day after NBC published its interview of Romanian hacker Marcel Lehel Lazar, who goes by the moniker ''Guccifer.'' He claimed that he not only successfully hacked into the former Secretary of State's server, but that as many as ten other hackers had penetrated its security as well.
Sources with the FBI, however, deny that any breach took place.
According to CNN, the FBI is expected to complete its year-long investigation within the next several weeks. The Department of Justice will then decide whether or not to issue indictments against Clinton or her senior staffers. Should the investigation result in any criminal charges for Clinton staffers before the Democratic National Convention in July, it could throw Clinton's perceived inevitability of securing the Democratic presidential nomination into question.
Tom Cahill is a writer for US Uncut based in the Pacific Northwest. He specializes in coverage of political, economic, and environmental news. You can contact Tom via email at tom.v.cahill@gmail.com.
Shut Up Slave!
DOJ Replaces 'Criminal' With 'Justice-Involved Individual' | MRCTV
Fri, 06 May 2016 06:23
In an instance where we all need to stop for a second, sit back and think about the government monster called ''political correctness'' that has been allowed to grow, this episode of PC Culture is being brought to you by the good people at the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Keep the word ''justice'' in mind.
Apparently the DOJ has been phasing out the use of the word ''criminal'' to describe well, criminals. On the DOJ website the newer term, ''justice-involved individual,'' can be traced back to 2009. However, the term has seen more and more daylight over the last couple of years.
This is from a DOJ release on April 25:
In an effort to help young people involved in the justice system find jobs and housing, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced $1.75 million for Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and nonprofit legal service organizations to address the challenges justice-involved individuals face when trying to find work and a place to call home.
Even U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch got in on the action:
The future of our nation depends upon the future of our young people '' including young people who have become involved with our justice system. By helping justice-involved youth find decent jobs and stable housing after they return home, these critical grants provide a foundation for a fresh start and offer a path towards productivity and purpose. In the months ahead, the Department of Justice will continue helping justice-involved youth enrich their lives and improve our country.
Lynch can't even say that youths have broken the law. Instead she uses the phrase, ''young people who have become involved with our justice system.''
Didn't being involved in the justice system used to mean something positive? Young people being involved used to mean that they were positively trying to affect society.
That is precisely what the PC Police want you to believe with their culture of sugarcoating everything. Despite someone breaking the law, no one should hold it against them, and they should be viewed in a positive light no matter what.
This directive coincides with President Obama's repeated loosening of the reigns concerning convicts. Just recently, Obama changed the term ''solitary confinement'' to ''restrictive housing'' when he directed ''the heads of executive departments and agencies'' to limit the use of the practice.
For the sake of mocking ''updated'' terms like ''justice-involved individuals" (because how could anyone not mock something like this?) here is a list of five possible ''PC'' phrases that MRCTV thinks would appease these ''social justice warriors.''
But if the government steals these phrases as alternatives to the original terminology, don't blame us.
Murderer: Life-Ending SpecialistBurglar/Thief: Need-Based BorrowingArsonist: Fire EnthusiastRioting: Spirited Block PartyVandal: Aspiring Artist
CLIPS AND DOCS
VIDEO-Trump: 'I don't want to say' if I've ever met with Vladimir Putin - YouTube
VIDEO-Hillary Yells That We Need To Stop Yelling At Each Other - YouTube
VIDEO-Michelle Obama Talks Dedication to Vets, Families in 'NCIS' Cameo | MRCTV
Sun, 08 May 2016 13:59
Michelle Obama made a special appearance on NCIS Tuesday night. The episode, titled 'Homefront,' centered on a military family that was being stalked, and had their house broken into. In her scene, Obama hosted a discussion at the White House about how much the Administration cares about veterans and their families:
Anne: I am so honored to have been a part of this. I still can't believe I'm here. Listening to everyone's stories, it made me feel like I'm not alone.
Obama: Because you're not alone, Anne. One of the reasons we hold these round tables is to stay connected to our military families. Special Agent Gibbs. I've been briefed on everything you've done for Anne's family, and from what I heard, you've gone above and beyond.
Gibbs: It's my job.
Anne: Both NCIS and Joining Forces, their support has been... I can't thank you enough.
Obama: Anne, we should be thanking you. I mean, we know the sacrifices our military families are making and it doesn't go unnoticed. Nor do the sacrifices of our veterans.
Gibbs: Honor to serve, ma'am.
Obama: Now, I understand that there's somewhere else you need to be. Isn't that right, Special Agent Gibbs?
Gibbs: Absolutely.
Of course, it would probably be more reassuring to America's veterans, and their families, if the Obama Administration had focused less on television drama cameos, and more on fixing the horrific crisis that occurred in Phoenix in 2014. Where veterans were forced to wait on phony waitlists, while denied the essential care to which they were entitled.
In addition, I'm sure the families of the 7 Phoenix-area veterans who died while waiting for care, nearly 18 months after the waitlist scandal broke, were equally impressed by the FLOTUS cameo. So other than running VA projects that are massively over budget, and having one of the worst VA scandals in American history under her husband's watch, Michelle Obama was a totally natural fit for CBS, in an episode about paying tribute to vets and their families.
But hey, government-run healthcare should work like a charm, right?
VIDEO-Irony: Hillary Uses Softball Interview to Demand Media Stop Giving Trump Softball Platforms | MRCTV
Sun, 08 May 2016 13:47
See more in the cross-post on the NewsBusters blog.
Hillary Clinton gave her first interview following Donald Trump being anointed as the presumptive 2016 Republican presidential nominee Wednesday afternoon and in the midst of a classic softball, scandal-free interview by CNN's Anderson Cooper, Clinton demanded her liberal media friends ''make the tough decisions'' and ''get serious'' in attacking Trump.
Cooper guided Clinton toward this lecture by informing her that Trump has been ''run[ning] a different kind of campaign than anyone else certainly on the GOP side'' by ''mak[ing] himself more available to reporters, he calls in.''
VIDEO-MSNBC's Scarborough Spars With Rob Reiner Over Trump's 'Racist' Base | MRCTV
Sun, 08 May 2016 13:35
[More in the cross-post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog.]
MSNBC's Joe Scarborough faced off with Rob Reiner on the 5 May 2016 edition of Morning Joe, after the liberal Hollywood producer/writer explained Donald Trump's base of support by underlining that "there are a lot of people who are racist in this country." Scarborough shot back, "Could this not be about working-class Americans being left behind by [the] Republican Party?" Reiner acknowledged that "they're not all racist," but contended that "there's racism in this country that has been submerged for a long, long time....He's unearthed a lot of it."
VIDEO-On CNBC, Rob Reiner Stands By 'Strain of Racism' Charge on Trump's Base | MRCTV
Sun, 08 May 2016 13:26
[More in the cross-post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog.]
On the 5 May 2016 edition of CNBC's Closing Bell, Rob Reiner repeated his charge that Donald Trump's supporters are "not all racists, but there is a strain there." Host Bill Griffeth wondered, "Don't you think just people are angry '-- they're angry at Washington; they're angry at their boss?" Instead of immediately pointing to "racism," Reiner admitted that "there is a big chunk of Trump supporters who are very upset at the income inequality." However, he added that "there is a strain of racism that's there '-- because when you go to the Sanders rallies, there are no racists at those rallies!"
VIDEO-Obama Tells Reporters How He Wants Them to Cover Campaign | MRCTV
Sun, 08 May 2016 13:02
More in the cross-post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog.
Throughout the friendly White House press conference on Friday, President Obama told reporters how he wanted them to cover the 2016 campaign. Specifically, he instructed them on how he wanted them to attack Republicans in their coverage: "And what that means is that every candidate, every nominee needs to be subject to exacting standards and genuine scrutiny. It means that you got to make sure that their budgets add up. It means that if they say they've got an answer to a problem that it is actually plausible and that they have details for how it would work. And if it's completely implausible and would not work, that needs to be reported on. The American people need to know that."
VIDEO-Leaked documents show ISIS and Syrian dictator Assad colluded over city of Palmyra | Daily Mail Online
Sun, 08 May 2016 12:12
The Islamic State and Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad have been colluding, according to leaked documents.
An investigation suggests there was co-operation between the regime and the terror group over the city of Palmyra, which was held by ISIS for nearly a year before it was retaken by Syrian forces in March.
They also appear to show ISIS and the Syrian government made a deal to trade oil for fertiliser.
Leaked documents: One letter, penned before the ancient city of Palmyra was recaptured, read: 'Withdraw all heavy artillery and anti-aircraft machine guns from in and around Palmyra to Raqqa province'
An ISIS defector confirmed ISIS was coordinating the movement of its fighters in coordination with the Syrian army and the Russian airforce
The ancient city of Palmyra was held by ISIS for nearly a year before it was retaken by Syrian forces in March
The information was revealed in letters - copies of documents sent from ISIS headquarters - which were among 22,000 files obtained by Sky News.
One letter, penned before the ancient city of Palmyra was recaptured, read: 'Withdraw all heavy artillery and anti-aircraft machine guns from in and around Palmyra to Raqqa province.'
Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site northeast of Damascus known as the 'Pearl of the Desert', was taken back by the Russian-backed Syrian army from ISIS fighters last month.
The city was a major tourist destination before the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, known for its ancient ruins, colonnaded streets and 2,000-year-old temples.
Jihadis seized Palmyra last year and beheaded its 82-year-old former antiquities chief three months later.
The jihadists destroyed some of the city's most striking monuments and used the ancient amphitheatre as a venue for public executions.
An ISIS defector confirmed to Sky News reporter Stuart Ramsay that the terror group was coordinating the movement of its fighters in coordination with the Syrian army and the Russian airforce.
Another asks for a driver to be able to travel through the terror group's checkpoints 'until he reaches the border with the Syrian regime to exchange oil for fertiliser'.
A letter asks for a driver to be able to travel through the terror group's checkpoints 'until he reaches the border with the Syrian regime to exchange oil for fertiliser'
The Islamic State and Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad have been colluding, according to leaked documents
The letters also show there were arrangements for ISIS to evacuate areas before Assad's forces attacked.
And they reveal ISIS has been training foreign fighters to attack targets in the West for longer than was originally thought - for years.
Professor Anthony Glees, director of the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at the the University of Buckingham, believes such a deal could be a game-changer.
'Deals between two mortal enemies invariably mean one side is winning - but not yet - and the other is losing but isn't defeated and is hoping to stabilise its position,' he said.
'Certainly ISIS has no genuine interest in safeguarding our common cultural heritage. It's about hanging on to weapons and territory. In this case it can only mean Assad and Putin think they are winning and ISIS knows it is losing. But not yet.
'For us in Europe any deal between these two is very bad news. First because both Assad and ISIS terrorise the people in Syria and that will lead to more suffering and more refugees.
'Second it could strengthen rather than weaken ISIS. We in Europe are far less safe if this story is true.
'We in the West are slowly squeezing IS. We should do all we can to prevent them from wriggling loose.'
MailOnline has been unable to verify the authenticity of the documents obtained by Sky News through the Free Syrian Army.
VIDEO-Prop 1 fails, marking defeat for Uber and Lyft in Austin | KXAN.com
Sun, 08 May 2016 11:55
Related CoverageAUSTIN (KXAN) '-- As Proposition 1 failed Saturday, in a major defeat for ridesharing companies, all eyes are turned to Uber and Lyft to see if they will follow through on their promise to leave Austin.
Uber says it will stop operations in the city starting at 8 a.m. Monday. Lyft says their company will ''pause operations'' the same day, after previously saying they would ''shut down'' at 5 a.m. on Monday.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, results show 56 percent voted against Prop 1 and 44 percent voted for the proposition. More than 55,000 people took part in early voting, while only 32,858 people voted on Election Day.
In total, 17 percent of registered voters in Travis County took part in the election.
The failure of the proposition Saturday means the city of Austin's plan to require fingerprinting for rideshare drivers' background checks will go ahead. A deadline for compliance has not been set.
Before the vote, a spokesperson with the city of Austin said they have not established penalties for rideshare companies that do not comply.
The result also means rideshare drivers will not be allowed to stop in lanes of traffic while they pick up or drop off passengers.
In a victorious moment for Austin Mayor Steve Adler, he said:
The people have spoken tonight loud and clear. Uber and Lyft are welcome to stay in Austin, and I invite them to the table regardless. Austin is an innovative and creative city, and we'll need to be at our most creative and innovative now.''
In an interview with KXAN's Kylie McGivern at an election night watch party at Scholz Garten, the mayor said, ''The people of the community have now spoken and what they said, I think, is that they want the decision to be made by their local government. And now it falls on the local government now to step in and now do its work.''
Council Member Don Zimmerman, a supporter of the proposition, said he was very disappointed in the election result and emphasized, ''This is not over.'' He said regardless of the outcome, the battle would have continued whether Prop 1 passed or failed.
The fingerprinting requirement was put forward by Mayor Adler and members of city council last year.
''I think what the community said is that public safety is important to them. Now we've heard and we believe that TNCs are important to the community, but what we have, what we've been saying all along, is that we don't have to sacrifice public safety for transportation,'' Council Member Ann Kitchen told KXAN Saturday night.
The companies argued the fingerprinting requirement would put an unnecessary burden on their drivers, as well as possibly hurt their bottom line.
One week before Saturday's election, Ridesharing Works for Austin, a political action committee asking voters to approve Proposition 1, took in close to $5 million in contributions.
A political action committee opposed to Prop 1, ''Our City, Our Safety, Our Choice,'' took in $88,000 during the same period.
''It had a lot of community support from organizations, as well as individuals who just stood up and said, 'We're not gonna allow multi-billion dollar corporations to write their own rules here in Austin, Texas. That's not the way Austin works,''' Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo told KXAN. ''As I talked to voters at the polls and on the phones, many of them like Uber's service and Lyft's, they use it, but they drew the line at allowing them to write their own rules. And that's really significant.''
A watch party in opposition to Prop 1 Saturday evening (KXAN Photo/Kylie McGivern)The group accused ridesharing companies of running an illegal campaign, arguing Uber and Lyft's offer of free or discounted rides to polling polices could be considered ''buying votes.''
Lyft released a statement Saturday after the result, saying, ''Lyft and Austin are a perfect match and we want to stay in the city. Unfortunately, the rules passed by City Council don't allow true ridesharing to operate.''
The company said voters' decision makes it harder for part-time drivers to get on the road and harder for passengers to get a ride. ''Because of this, we have to take a stand for a long-term path forward that lets ridesharing continue to grow across the country, and will pause operations in Austin on Monday, May 9.''
The statement continued, ''We took drunk drivers off the road, made it easier for residents and visitors to get around, and provided a flexible way to make ends meet. But we're not giving up. We will continue fighting for people in Austin to have modern options like Lyft,'' they said. ''For the tens of thousands of you who spoke up in support of ridesharing, we urge you to keep making your voices heard on this important issue.''
Uber followed Lyft with a statement saying, ''Disappointment does not begin to describe how we feel about shutting down operations in Austin.''
The company said they are ''incredibly grateful'' to their drivers and riders, as well as those who campaigned for them. ''We hope the city council will reconsider their ordinance so we can work together to make the streets of Austin a safer place for everyone.''
Uber plans to continue operating in the Austin suburbs, including Williamson and Hays counties, as well as Travis County outside the Austin city limits.
''Austin is an innovative and creative city. And now we need to be at our most innovative and creative. We welcome Uber and Lyft in the community and I hope and trust that I'll have the chance to be able to sit down and talk to them,'' Mayor Adler told KXAN.
On Thursday, unions representing Austin police, fire and EMS came out against Prop 1. The groups, including CLEAT, the largest law enforcement officers' union in Texas, cited safety concerns in their opposition, specifically the provision that would have allowed ridesharing drivers to stop in lanes of traffic while picking up or dropping off customers.
TNC drivers said Saturday they were worried about the result, one, saying driving for Uber and Lyft is her full-time job (KXAN Photo)Dr. Matthew Hersh, a statistician who lectures at the University of Texas, said the rideshare companies' claim that their services lowered DWI arrests in Austin is inaccurate.
''There is no relationship, no correlation between Uber and Lyft and DWI accidents or DWI arrests,'' Hersh said.
Former Mayor Lee Leffingwell, who called the Prop 1 ballot language ''intentionally confusing'' Saturday, had described ridesharing companies as a vital service for people with disabilities.
''We're disappointed in tonight's results,'' Leffingwell, who worked for Ridesharing Works for Austin, said. ''The benefits of ridesharing are clear: reduced drunk driving and economic opportunity. And we won't stop fighting to bring it back.''
A Lyft driver, seeing the preliminary numbers come in against Prop 1, said, ''These numbers are just really scary. There are thousands of us that do this full time'... I'm going to be looking for a full-time job competing with all the other full-timers.''
KXAN made the following video before the vote, explaining what a ''yes'' and ''no'' vote means:
VIDEO-What are B Corps? | B Corporation
Sun, 08 May 2016 11:40
B Corps are for-profit companies certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
Today, there is a growing community of more than 1,600 Certified B Corps from 42 countries and over 120 industries working together toward 1 unifying goal: to redefine success in business.
VIDEO-Vicente Fox agrees U.S., Mexico could work together on border fence | Washington Examiner
Sun, 08 May 2016 01:23
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox agreed Wednesday night with Fox News host Megyn Kelly that the U.S. and Mexico could work together on an effective border fence.
Fox told Kelly that he believes the countries could partner to install a secure barrier on the 2,000-mile southern border. The Mexican politician said both countries could benefit from less cartel activity and human trafficking.
"Yes ... I am with you. I'm not for open borders," Fox said.
The response was Fox's most welcoming yet after GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump said he would make Mexico pay for the wall because of how the country has hurt the U.S. in trade deals.
More from the Washington Examiner
"Hillary Clinton wants to abolish the Second Amendment, she wants to abolish it."
'05/07/16 8:52 PM
Fox repeatedly said he would prefer Congress pass comprehensive immigration reform and legalize millions of immigrants before approving the border fence.
Kelly responded to Fox by telling him voters have made it clear this election season that border security must come before any other immigration actions.
Top Story
"The women, they get it better than we do."
'05/07/16 5:10 PM
VIDEO-Obama Makes Case Against Donald Trump, Saying Presidency 'Is Not a Reality Show' - NYTimes.com
Sat, 07 May 2016 23:43
WASHINGTON '-- In a biting critique of the presumptive Republican nominee, President Obama said Friday that Donald J. Trump should be subjected to serious scrutiny and not be allowed to treat the presidential campaign like ''a reality show.''
''We are in serious times, and this is a really serious job,'' Mr. Obama said after being asked about Mr. Trump at a White House news conference. ''This is not entertainment. This is not a reality show. This is a contest for the presidency of the United States.''
The president suggested that Mr. Trump's statements and proposals would wither under ''exacting standards and genuine scrutiny,'' saying that particular attention must be paid to campaign promises made by Mr. Trump '-- or any other candidate '-- on issues like the budget, the economy and foreign policy.
''You know, if they take a position on international issues that could threaten war or has the potential of upending our critical relationships with other countries or would potentially break the financial system, that needs to be reported on,'' Mr. Obama said.
''What I'm concerned about is the degree to which reporting and information starts emphasizing the spectacle and the circus,'' he added, ''because that's not something we can afford.''
Taking questions from reporters at the White House for the first time since Mr. Trump became the presumptive nominee on Tuesday, the president chided the news media over its coverage of the campaign, saying it had not yet focused on serious issues.
''One thing that I'm going to really be looking for over the next six months is that the American people are effectively informed about where candidates stand on the issues, what they believe, making sure that their numbers add up, making sure that their policies have been vetted and that candidates are held to what they've said in the past,'' Mr. Obama said.
The comments, though restrained in tone, were a preview of what aides say will be a vigorous presence by Mr. Obama in the general election. Mr. Trump and Mr. Obama have a tense history that includes Mr. Trump's leading role in the ''birther'' movement, which falsely suggested that the president was not born in the United States.
Mr. Obama has so far held back from entering the fray on the Democratic side, in part because of the continuing contest between Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders. Asked whether it was time for Mr. Sanders to concede, the president once again demurred.
He said both Democratic candidates agreed on issues like raising the minimum wage, investing in infrastructure, improving the immigration system, using the military prudently and providing health care to all Americans.
''Let's let the process play itself out,'' he said.
But Mr. Obama seems increasingly impatient to weigh in on the Republican side, amid a contest in which millions of voters have rejected more than a dozen traditional candidates in favor of a hotel mogul and former reality TV star.
The president's comments came during what had been billed as a statement on the economy and financial corruption. But after making his remarks on those topics, the president took questions from reporters, knowing that he would undoubtedly be asked about Mr. Trump.
He said Republican voters must now confront the choice they have made.
''Their standard-bearer at the moment is Donald Trump,'' Mr. Obama said. ''Republican voters are going to have to make a decision about whether this is the guy who speaks for them and represents their values.''
In particular, he added, ''Republican women, voters, are going to have to decide, 'Is that the guy I feel comfortable with representing me and what I care about?' ''
He also suggested that reporters covering the campaign '-- including some sitting in the room '-- had not done enough to expose the weaknesses in Mr. Trump's policies.
''He has a long record that needs to be examined,'' the president said, adding that ''the American people, they've got good judgment, they've got good instincts, as long as they get good information.''
Echoing Mr. Obama, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., speaking on Friday to the CBS affiliate in Pittsburgh, expressed worry that Mr. Trump might ultimately persuade voters that he was fit to be president.
''He has beaten the odds; he's surprised everybody,'' Mr. Biden said. ''I think we all make a mistake when we don't take him seriously.''
The vice president said that Mr. Trump could hire some ''really significant'' advisers and propose policies that ''would make people think, 'Well, maybe this guy can actually be president.' ''
Mr. Obama, like many of his predecessors, has often criticized the news media for focusing on frivolous subjects that produce good images instead of the more weighty subjects that are central to governing.
As if on cue, a television reporter in the briefing room asked the president about a Twitter post by Mr. Trump in which he professed his love of Hispanics and was pictured eating a taco bowl. Mr. Obama seemed amused, if not surprised, by the question.
''I have no thoughts on Mr. Trump's tweets,'' the president said bluntly. ''As a general rule, I don't pay attention to Mr. Trump's tweets.''
VIDEO-HILARIOUS New Parody Video Nails Pandering Hillary Clinton
Sat, 07 May 2016 23:30
Courtney KirchoffFriday May 6 2016
Hillary Clinton. Not someone you'd say is ''funny.'' Not in a traditional, comedic sense anyway. But her stiffness, her coldness, her obvious need to consult with humans on how to interact with humans'... she lends herself well to mockery. Remember the time she couldn't use the subway card? Hillary Clinton, so old and robotic, her systems cannot interface with others.
If you can't beat her, poke fun at her until her system overheats in a rage. In this parody, we're deeming this operating version of Hillary ''Pandering Hillary.'' Yeah, we know. ''Pandering Hillary'' sounds like a Trump phrase and we're better than that.
But in this case, it's spot on accurate. Enjoy'...
A little campy and cheesy sure, but still funny. The Goldman Sachs joke was good, plus art wound up imitating real life when you compare the ''Hamilton'' portion of it to Hillary claiming to carry hot sauce in her purse.
More importantly, it goes to what we say about the importance of engaging pop culture. This is what people '' many of whom you'd think would be sympathetic to her policies '' actually think of Hillary Clinton and who she is. And if this is how she is being portrayed, this is what everyone in the center are going to think every time they see her. What she's saying or talking about won't matter.
Side note: if you think this portrayal is similar to Kate McKinnon's on SNL (see HILARIOUS: SNL Brilliantly Mocks Hillary and Bernie at #DemDebate and Even SNL Mocks Hillary Clinton's Brutal String of Losses'...), that might be because McKinnon has worked with the comedy troupe in the past.
Unfortunately Republicans chose the one person who couldn't capitalize on that and who Americans hate more. But don't say we didn't warn you'...
NOT SUBSCRIBED TO THE PODCAST? FIX THAT! IT'S COMPLETELY FREE ON BOTH ITUNES HERE AND SOUNDCLOUD HERE.
VIDEO-Sandusky Case Bombshell: Did 6 Penn State Coaches Witness Abuse? - NBC News
Sat, 07 May 2016 06:37
Former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, center, leaves the Centre County Courthouse after a hearing of arguments on his request for an evidentiary hearing in Bellefonte, Pa., Monday, May 2, 2016. Gene J. Puskar / AP
In addition to the four assistants detailed by sources, court papers made public this week point to two more coaches who allegedly witnessed what was described as "inappropriate" or "sexual" contact between Sandusky and children in 1987 and 1988.
Those same documents also revealed that a child allegedly told Joe Paterno he was molested by Sandusky in 1976 '-- 25 years earlier than Paterno acknowledged hearing about Sandusky in a shower with a child.
Those papers are tied to a legal dispute between Penn State and an insurance company over who should pay the university's share of $60 million in settlements to 26 victims, and the court was not required to verify the allegations.
Asked about the four coaches detailed by NBC's sources, Penn State released
a written statement."The university is facing and has faced a number of litigation matters and claims related to the Sandusky events. Allegations of various kinds have been made, and will likely continue to be made," it said.
"The university does not speculate publicly or hypothesize about individual allegations. These are sensitive matters, and we want to be respectful of the rights of all individuals involved. It would be inappropriate to do otherwise."
Sandusky, 72, recently petitioned for a new trial.
Paterno died of lung cancer in 2012, months after being fired as head coach amid allegations he knew about Sandusky's abuse and failed to act.
His family is hitting back at the claim that he knew about Sandusky's crimes back in 1976.
"Because of a single sentence in a court record of an insurance case, Joe Paterno's reputation has once again been smeared with an unsubstantiated, forty year old allegation," the family said in a written statement.
"Over the past four and a half years, numerous allegations that were taken as fact when they were initially communicated have been proven false. It is in this context that the latest claim should be viewed."
Penn State said it could not comment on the allegation that a child told Paterno he had been abused.
"The university has no records from the time to help evaluate the claims. More importantly, Coach Paterno is not here to defend himself. Penn State does not intend to comment further, out of concern for privacy, and due to the strict confidentiality commitments that govern our various settlement agreements."
VIDEO-KING: Trump-fan tow truck driver abandoned disabled Bernie voter - NY Daily News
Sat, 07 May 2016 06:04
This, ladies and gentlemen, is Donald Trump's America.
On Monday, a disabled woman's car broke down 45 minutes away from her home after she was in an accident in Asheville, North Carolina. When her family mechanic could not come to get her, he called a local tow truck driver '-- who also happens to be an evangelical Christian who voted for Donald Trump. What happened next defies common decency, the basic tenets of Christianity and good business practice.
Ken Shupe arrived on the scene to tow Cassy McWade's car and even began the process of hooking her car up to be towed. It was then that he noticed that she had a Bernie Sanders bumper sticker on her car.
TRUMP AND RYAN SET TO MEET WITH HELP FROM RNC CHAIRMAN
Tow truck driver Kenneth Shupe from North Carolina refused to tow the car of Cassy McWade because she supports Bernie Sanders and he is a Trump supporter."Something came over me, I think the Lord came to me, and he just said get in the truck and leave," said Shupe to local reporters. "And when I got in my truck, you know, I was so proud, because I felt like I finally drew a line in the sand and stood up for what I believed."
Yes, I give you full permission to put a pillow over your face and scream right now.
Ken Shupe believes God told him to leave a disabled woman stranded on the side of the road. Now, if by God, Shupe means he heard the voice of one Donald J. Trump speaking to him and telling him to leave, then I fully believe him. After all, it was Donald Trump who openly mocked the physical disability of a New York Times reporter last year and refused to apologize for it.
Cassy McWade, who suffers from psoriatic arthritis, fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and early-stage Crohns, was left on the side of the interstate after the accident.KING: BERNIE SANDERS WOULD BE DONALD TRUMP'S WORST NIGHTMARE
Otherwise, no, the God of Jesus, who compassionately served the sick and afflicted, would never tell you to abandon a disabled woman then reflect back on your abandonment of her with pride. That is absolutely a Trump thing to do.
Of course, Shupe didn't mention God to Cassy McWade when he bailed out on her. It was far more practical and political.
McWade's because she supports Bernie Sanders and he is a Trump supporter.DONALD TRUMP URGES WEST VIRGINIA VOTERS TO NOT VOTE
"He goes around back and comes back and says 'I can't tow you.' My first instinct was there must be something wrong with the car," McWade told News 13 on Wednesday. "And he says, 'No, you're a Bernie supporter.' And I was like wait, really? And he says, 'Yes ma'am,' and just walks away."
McWade, was understandably baffled by the abandonment, but for her it was more than just offensive. Her disabilities include "psoriatic arthritis, fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and early-stage Crohns," and left her feeling horrified that she was stranded with no restroom in sight. Her family mechanic told Shupe that she was disabled and she had a placard clearly displayed in her car.
KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/REUTERSDonald Trump's hate-filled speeches has led to people feeling like it's okay to discriminate.Knowing all of this, Shupe has repeatedly told every reporter that he wouldn't change a thing and that he would still refuse to tow her car if it happened again today.
KING: IF YOU SUPPORT DONALD TRUMP, THEN YOU ARE A BIGOT AS WELL
How sick is that? All of this is very much connected to the rise of Donald Trump and even the rise of new laws passing across the South permitting businesses to refuse service to people who aren't like them.
My gut tells me that instead of this ruining Ken Shupe's business, it will make him a conservative hero. After all, he's never been more like their presidential nominee than he is right now.
Way to go America!
VIDEO-Facebook Employees Asked Mark Zuckerberg If They Should Try to Stop a Donald Trump Presidency
Sat, 07 May 2016 06:02
Image: APThis week, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared to publicly denounce the political positions of Donald Trump's presidential campaign during the keynote speech of the company's annual F8 developer conference.
''I hear fearful voices calling for building walls and distancing people they label as 'others,''' Zuckerberg said, never referring to Trump by name. ''I hear them calling for blocking free expression, for slowing immigration, for reducing trade, and in some cases, even for cutting access to the internet.''
For a developer's conference, the comments were unprecedented'--a signal that the 31-year-old billionaire is quite willing to publicly mix politics and business. Zuckerberg has donated to campaigns in the past, but has been vague about which candidates he and his company's political action committee support.
Inside Facebook, the political discussion has been more explicit. Last month, some Facebook employees used a company poll to ask Zuckerberg whether the company should try ''to help prevent President Trump in 2017.''
image: GizmodoEvery week, Facebook employees vote in an internal poll on what they want to ask Zuckerberg in an upcoming Q&A session. A question from the March 4 poll was: ''What responsibility does Facebook have to help prevent President Trump in 2017?''
A screenshot of the poll, given to Gizmodo, shows the question as the fifth most popular.
It's not particularly surprising the question was asked, or that some Facebook employees are anti-Trump. The question and Zuckerberg's statements on Tuesday align with the consensus politics of Silicon Valley: pro-immigration, pro-trade, pro-expansion of the internet.
But what's exceedingly important about this question being raised'--and Zuckerberg's answer, if there is one'--is how Facebook now treats the powerful place it holds in the world. It's unprecedented. More than 1.04 billion people use Facebook. It's where we get our news, share our political views, and interact with politicians. It's also where those politicians are spending a greater share of their budgets.
And Facebook has no legal responsibility to give an unfiltered view of what's happening on their network.
''Facebook can promote or block any material that it wants,'' UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh told Gizmodo. ''Facebook has the same First Amendment right as the New York Times. They can completely block Trump if they want. They can block him or promote him.'' But the New York Times isn't hosting pages like Donald Trump for President or Donald Trump for President 2016, the way Facebook is.
''Facebook can promote or block any material that it wants.''Most people don't see Facebook as a media company'--an outlet designed to inform us. It doesn't look like a newspaper, magazine, or news website. But if Facebook decides to tamper with its algorithm'--altering what we see'--it's akin to an editor deciding what to run big with on the front page, or what to take a stand on. The difference is that readers of traditional media (including the web) can educate themselves about a media company's political leanings. Media outlets often publish op-eds and editorials, and have a history of how they treat particular stories. Not to mention that Facebook has the potential to reach vastly, vastly more readers than any given publication.
With Facebook, we don't know what we're not seeing. We don't know what the bias is or how that might be affecting how we see the world.
Facebook has toyed with skewing news in the past. During the 2012 presidential election, Facebook secretly tampered with 1.9 million user's news feeds. The company also tampered with news feeds in 2010 during a 61-million-person experiment to see how Facebook could impact the real-world voting behavior of millions of people. An academic paper was published about the secret experiment, claiming that Facebook increased voter turnout by more than 340,000 people. In 2012, Facebook also deliberately experimented on its users' emotions. The company, again, secretly tampered with the news feeds of 700,000 people and concluded that Facebook can basically make you feel whatever it wants you to.
If Facebook decided to, it could gradually remove any pro-Trump stories or media off its site'--devastating for a campaign that runs on memes and publicity. Facebook wouldn't have to disclose it was doing this, and would be protected by the First Amendment.
But would it be ethical?
''I'm inclined to say Facebook has the same responsibility of any legacy media company,'' said Robert Drechsel, a professor of journalism ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He thinks Facebook should provide coverage that is thorough, fair, accurate, complete, and contextual. ''There is no legal issue.''
The only way that Facebook could legally overstep, experts say, is by colluding with a given candidate. ''If Facebook was actively coordinating with the Sanders or Clinton campaign, and suppressing Donald Trump news, it would turn an independent expenditure (protected by the First Amendment) into a campaign contribution because it would be coordinated'--and that could be restricted,'' Volokh said.
''But if they're just saying, 'We don't want Trump material on our site,' they have every right to do that. It's protected by the First Amendment.''
We've reached out to Facebook for comment and will update if we receive one.
Update:Facebook says it doesn't try to influence how people vote.
