The Joy of Trump: June 2019

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Trump plays on the White backlash over changing racial mix of America

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Deadly Cobra Bites, Kills Its Defender

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Deadly Cobra Bites, Kills Its Defender

AP

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - A snake handler who founded a group to dispel the fear and misunderstanding of snakes was bitten by his Egyptian cobra and died as he pleaded for help, police said.

Larry Moor of suburban Langley ran screaming from the room where he kept his snakes shortly after he was bit Thursday.

"Take me to a hospital," the 45-year-old man pleaded to pedestrians before collapsing on the sidewalk.

He died within seconds, said Sgt. Lloyd Plante of the Maple Ridge Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Moor founded the B.C. Association of Reptile Owners to help dispel the fear and misunderstanding of snakes. He frequently visited schools to teach children about the proper care and handling of snakes.

He liked to point out that only a small percentage of snakes are truly dangerous - the dark, narrow-hooded Egyptian cobra native to Africa and the Middle East among them.

Fellow snake lovers were shocked to learn Moor had made a fatal error.

"He was always so careful," said Christine Schramm, who owns 200 of the reptiles.

Copyright (c) 1992 Seattle Times Company, All Rights Reserved.

Trump is a “Twitter tiger"

Trump is a “Twitter tiger whose threats cannot be taken seriously,” Max Boot

Thursday, June 13, 2019

Kellyanne Conway White House aide Kellyanne Conway should be fired for repeatedly violating Hatch Act

Federal watchdog agency recommends White House aide Kellyanne Conway be fired for repeatedly violating Hatch Act

Kellyanne Conway didn't just violate the Hatch Act once, she broke the law multiple times. @KellyannePolls needs to resign her government position. If she wants to be a partisan hack, she should be paid by the @realDonaldTrump campaign, not by taxpayers.

The Hatch Act of 1939, officially An Act to Prevent Pernicious Political Activities, is a United States federal law whose main provision prohibits employees in the executive branch of the federal government, except the president, vice-president, and certain designated high-level officials, from engaging in some forms of political activity. It went into law on August 2, 1939. The law was named for Senator Carl Hatch of New Mexico. It was most recently amended in 2012.

Current restrictions

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatch_Act_of_1939

The Washington Post‏Verified account @washingtonpost Feb 3

Because knowing empowers us.

Knowing helps us decide.

Knowing keeps us free.

#democracydiesindarkness https://wapo.st/democracydiesindarkness …

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Jon Stewart’s emotional testimony to Congress over inaction for 9/11 res...

Jon Stewart’s emotional testimony to Congress over inaction for 9/11 responders

Jon Stewart demands congress act for 9/11 responders: 'They did their jobs – do yours'

The former Daily Show host testified before the House judiciary committee on Tuesday alongside first responders and victims

Sabrina Siddiquiin Washington

@SabrinaSiddiqui

‘Shameful’: Jon Stewart’s emotional testimony to Congress over inaction for 9/11 responders – video

Jon Stewart has delivered a scathing rebuke of Congress and its handling of benefits for 9/11 first responders and victims, telling US lawmakers their “shameful” inaction is “an embarrassment to the country”.

Stewart, the comedian and former host of The Daily Show, has been a forceful proponent of legislation providing federal funding for medical treatment for survivors of the 9/11 terror attacks.

Stewart testified before the House judiciary committee on Tuesday alongside first responders and victims, but only a handful of lawmakers appeared at the hearing, prompting a visibly angry Stewart to condemn their treatment of survivors.

“As I sit here today, I can’t help but think what an incredible metaphor this room is for the entire process that getting healthcare and benefits for 9/11 first responders has come to,” Stewart said. “Behind me, a filled room of 9/11 first responders and in front of me a nearly empty Congress.”

“Shameful,” he said. “It’s an embarrassment to the country and it is a stain on this institution. You should be ashamed of yourselves, for those that aren’t here, but you won’t be. Because accountability doesn’t appear to be something that occurs in this chamber.”

September 11: nearly 10,000 people affected by 'cesspool of cancer'

Earlier this year, the US government slashed payments by more than half to those who were sick and dying from the toxins released during the attacks after US officials said the 9/11 victims compensation fund was running out of money.

Those who developed health issues or did not discover illnesses until a later stage saw even larger reductions in payouts for health benefits. More than 20,000 individuals have suffered or died from cancer, breathing problems and other ailments because of the trauma inflicted on 9/11.

Stewart told lawmakers it took only five seconds for first responders in New York to arrive at the scene of the terrorist attacks and that hundreds “died in an instant”.

“There is not a person here, there is not an empty chair on that stage, that didn’t tweet out ‘never forget the heroes of 9/11’,” he said, quoting how members of Congress annually mark that day. “Never forget their bravery, never forget what they did, what they gave to this country.”

Drawing attention once more to the lack of urgency among lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Stewart said: “It would be one thing if their callous indifference and rank hypocrisy were benign, but it’s not.

“Your indifference cost these men and women their most valuable commodity — time. It’s the one thing they’re running out of … This hearing should be flipped. These men and women should be up on that stage, and Congress should be down here answering their questions as to why this is so hard and takes so damn long.”

Stewart, who often grew emotional in his remarks, has repeatedly traveled to Washington with 9/11 victims and first responders to lobby for legislation to codify the health benefits into law. Congress authorized $7.3bn in 2015 to cover claims through the end of 2020, but funds have quickly been depleted across 20,000 people enrolled in the program.

Data released by the 9/11 fund in January showed a 235% surge in death claims compared with the end of 2015. The number of individuals suffering from cancer and filing eligible claims has also ballooned.

Stewart also took aim at those who dismiss 9/11 funding as a “New York issue”.

“Al-Qaida didn’t shout ‘death to Tribeca,’” he said. “They attacked America.

“I’m sorry if I sound angry and undiplomatic, but I am angry and you should be too,” added Stewart, who received a standing ovation at the conclusion of his statement.

“They responded in five seconds. They did their jobs [with] courage, grace, tenacity, humility. Eighteen years later, do yours.”

Topics

Jon Stewart

September 11 2001

Link: https://youtu.be/oplNm4Qt0pQ

Friday, June 7, 2019

Nile is running dry

The lifeblood of Egypt is running dry

The clock strikes five on a hot and dry fall morning when 60-something Ali al-Faqi makes his way through the darkness to meet up with four other farmers at the mosque of his Nile Delta village. By the dim glow of the flickering streetlights, the anxious group sets off on the mile-long trek to their fields just north of Cairo. Holding their breath, they peer into the 8-foot-deep irrigat

“The water situation in Egypt is critical,” said Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel Ati. “We have reached a point where the available water quantities set the limits for economic development. We have become one of the driest countries in the world.”

Reporter Ayah Aman joins Al-Monitor's Off The Hookah podcast to talk about her experience reporting this story.

Egyptian civilization emerged more than 5,000 years ago as heavy summer rains in the highlands of East Africa carried vast amounts of high-quality silt to the lower reaches of the Nile. The resulting soil proved particularly fertile, giving birth to a lush green ribbon that snakes through some of the world's driest lands. In a country that receives less than 8 inches of rain along the coast — and almost none at all south of Cairo — the Nile continues to fulfill 90% of Egypt's water needs.

But surging population growth along the Nile compounded by the devastating impact of climate change threatens disaster as more and more people compete for a dwindling resource. Today, Egypt faces an annual water deficit of more than 20 billion cubic meters (5.3 trillion gallons). That's the difference between the amount of water that people, crops and industry need and what’s available from the Nile in addition to limited quantities of groundwater, treated wastewater and desalinated water.

Despite being a national priority, the agricultural sector is one of the hardest-hit victims as Egypt runs out of water.

Thursday, June 6, 2019

The objective truth that Donald Trump lies,

Links: https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/president-trump-has-made-more-than-10000-false-or-misleading-claims--fact-checker/2018/05/04/fd0e2190-4fb3-11e8-85c1-9326c4511033_video.html

"Here are some of my(D.Dale) thoughts in WaPo about:

- The objective truth that Donald Trump lies,

- why med ia outlets don't need to dance around that truth to be objective...and

- why the terminology - dancing isn't the #1 failure here:"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/lies-the-news-media-is-starting-to-describe-trumps-falsehoods-that-way/2019/06/05/413cc2a0-8626-11e9-a491-25df61c78dc4_story.html?utm_term=.45c833ed36bb …

Daniel Dale Verified account
@ddale8

Washington correspondent for the Toronto Star. Joining CNN soon.
Washington DC

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Bill Nye's profanity-laced video goes viral

Bill Nye's profanity-laced video goes viral

Science educator Bill Nye talks climate change with CNN's Brian Stelter and explains why he thinks climate change deniers will be a thing of the past. #CNN #News

LINK: https://youtu.be/AIGHCx5IX-8

Nancy Pelosi On Impeachment Process: 'We Know Exactly What Path We’re On

Nancy Pelosi On Impeachment Process:

'We Know Exactly What Path We’re On'

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dismissed the criticism that Democrats haven't started the impeachment process yet, explaining that House members "know exactly what actions" they need to take.

Nancy Pelosi On Impeachment Process: 'We Know Exactly What Path We’re On'

Link: https://youtu.be/47ci0ma1GmQ