Month: September 2020

Trump properties around the world are facing blowback this weekend following President Trump’s racist “Shithole Countries” comments to members of Congress this past week. Thousands of Yelp users are rating Trump properties—leaving one–star reviews and describing the facilities as shitholes. The effort caused the luxury Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC, to drop to a two–star rating, down from its average of four or five stars. Multimedia artist Robin Bell, of Bell Visuals, projected the…

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For months, President Donald Trump has fervently denied every suggestion that he has considered firing special counsel Robert Mueller, but a new report on Thursday revealed that Trump hasn’t merely pondered firing Mueller—he actually ordered the termination last June, only to back down after chief White House lawyer Donald McGahn threatened to quit rather than comply. “This revelation shows us just how close we were, and still are, to a true constitutional crisis that could…

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Highlighting the degree to which the Trump administration is reshaping the judiciary, the Senate on Tuesday confirmed Kyle Duncan—”a darling of right-wing social crusaders”—to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The confirmation, said The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, “should send shockwaves across the nation.” Among those “sounding alarm” on Duncan—ultimately confirmed 50-47 by the Republican majority, with one Democratic vote coming from Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.)—was Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). Though…

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Rihanna has taken to Instagram to announce the second fashion show of her Savage x Fenty lingerie brand, which will be shown exclusively on Amazon Prime on 2 October. The singer-turned-designer took to Instagram with a video clip teasing the show, starting off with a video of her in a mask and visor walking, followed by the phrases“Y’all ain’t ready” and “Sorry is savage”. The clip also revealed that the show will feature performances from…

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Illinois Democratic gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker is leading incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) by more than 18 points, according to a new Victory Research poll. The survey found that 49.4 percent of Illinois voters said they would vote for Pritzker, while 31.2 percent of those polled backed Rauner in the so-called “Battle of the Billionaires.” ADVERTISEMENT Rauner only narrowly beat out his primary opponent, conservative state Rep. Jeanne Ives (R) last month, despite outspending her by a margin over…

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President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE on Wednesday touted Republican wins in primary elections across the country and predicted victory for the GOP in November’s midterm elections.  “The Republican Party had a great night. Tremendous voter energy and excitement, and all candidates are those who have a great…

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A battle over the future role of superdelegates within the Democratic Party is overshadowing a more subtle transition that will have a significant impact on the 2020 presidential campaign, as several states move toward dropping their traditional party caucuses in favor of primary elections that would draw tens or hundreds of thousands of new voters. The changes reflect a recognition that state Democratic parties may be ill-equipped to handle a massive spike in turnout to…

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After examining more than 40 common climate change myths pushed by those who are hell-bent on discrediting scientific conclusions about the global crisis, three researchers teamed up to create a six-step critical thinking tool that helps people combat misinformation by “neutralizing” the lies. John Cook, Peter Ellerton, and David Kinkead detailed their strategy in “Deconstructing climate misinformation to identify reasoning errors,” published Tuesday by Environmental Research Letters. The researchers also released a video that demonstrates…

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While advocates for peace and diplomacy remain anxious over incendiary rhetoric from U.S. war hawks, the North Korean government responded on Saturday to recent calls for talks as well as upcoming joint military drills by the United States and South Korea by rejecting U.S. preconditions for negotiations and threatenting to “counter” the military exercises. In anticipation of joint drills planned for early next month, North Korea’s state news agency reported Saturday: “If the U.S. finally holds joint…

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Shortly after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Monday issued a new congressional map that eliminates the state GOP’s partisan gerrymander, President Donald Trump implored Republicans to challenge the new district lines, arguing that the original map—which the state’s highest court said “clearly” violates the constitution—”was correct.” Many commentators were quick to observe that Trump’s tweet effectively undercuts the Pennsylvania GOP’s argument that their maps were not drawn to gain partisan advantage. “‘Don’t let the Dems…

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