Good Day Good Newsies!
Whew, what a day. I have been home sick from work the past couple days, no worries more a mental health affecting some physical health but nothing serious, so today I had to watch a lot of the hearings as my husband, former Republican, thinks it is important to watch them. I, on the other hand am more than happy to read, watch some clips and read some more. So I watched Very Ralph on HBO and another movie on Netfilx on my computer but still could not escape the reality of the hearing playing on the TV. Then when the second round started I was stuck.
As much as this did not help my current health situation, it was a bit entertaining seeing the rethugs put in their place and some witnesses, I am talking to you Volker and Morrison, having their feet held to the fire by our amazing Democratic team.
Watching it live really gives you a clear window into the corruption and disregard for the Constitution the republicants put forth.
I am telling all of you though, come h*ll or high water, there will be individuals going to jail and there will be a Democrat in the White House.
Now this:
That sound you hear is 'Republican talking points disintegrating'
Longtime CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin scored what may be the line of the day, and it's early.
That sound you hear in the backgroud of the impeachment hearings is "Republican talking points disintegrating,” said Toobin midday on CNN.
Hearing room bursts into applause for Vindman’s refusal to be intimidated
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman’s testimony on Tuesday in the impeachment hearings into President Donald Trump was remarkable for a number of reasons, but one moment stood out when the audience in the room gave him a rare show of support.
Vindman took questions from Rep. Sean Maloney (D-NY), who asked him why he would choose to testify, despite knowing that he would face blowback and criticism from the president and his defenders. That criticism his indeed been fierce and vicious. Vindman had mentioned, in particular, that his father was fearful for him.
‘It’s Lieutenant Colonel Vindman, please’
During his public testimony in hearings on the impeachment of Donald Trump, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman corrected ranking Rep. Devin Nunes when Nunes incorrectly and mockingly referred to the military man as “Mr. Vindman.”
Nunes (R-CA) was throwing questions at Vindman and referred to him as “Mr. Vindman,” instead of his military title.
“Mr. Vindman, you testified in your deposition that you did not know the whistleblower,” said Nunes.
Vindman replied:
“Ranking member, it’s Lieutenant Colonel Vindman, please.”
Which leads me to this:
Why 'Devin Nunes Is An Idiot' Is Trending On Twitter
So Devin Nunes gave an opening statement at Tuesday's impeachment inquiry hearing, and he had three main points to make:
1. No one should watch these hearings. They're a "Democrat" Party (yeah) fraud.
2. This is the Liberal Media's fault! They hate Donald Trump!
3. Instead, everyone should check out this article in "The Hill" by John Solomon, which pushes Russia talking points on Ukraine.
Uh oh, I suppose baby Devin has another hash tag to sue.
7 takeaways from Tuesday’s impeachment hearings
1. A big correction from Volker
Volker, like European Union Gordon Sondland before him, was forced to correct his testimony after other witnesses called it into question.
The most important clarification came with regard to a July 10 meeting in which Sondland has now admitted he brought up investigations with Ukrainian leaders — after previously not disclosing that. Volker had previously testified that there was no mention of the investigations Trump and Rudolph W. Giuliani were seeking during that meeting. But other witnesses indicated then-National Security Adviser John Bolton shut down the meeting because Sondland broached them.
So on Tuesday, Volker confirmed it, saying Sondland made “a general comment about investigations” toward the end of the meeting -- but that he might not have been around for some of the fallout.
He added: “I think all of us thought it was inappropriate.”
Hmmm…read it all.
Well peeps Rep. Welch spoke my feelings but I cannot find it anywhere on the internets. Help me out below if you can.
Whistleblower lawyer lashes out at Jordan: 'I AM TIRED OF YOU LYING IN A HOUSE COMMITTEE ROOM'
An attorney representing a whistleblower in the intelligence community who filed an inspector general complaint at the center of the impeachment proceedings lashed out at Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Tuesday, accusing the congressman of lying and spreading conspiracy theories.
Andrew Bakaj tweeted Tuesday that Jordan had lied about who the unnamed whistleblower had contacted before filing a report with the intelligence community's inspector general.
"Congressman @Jim_Jordan - I AM TIRED OF YOU LYING IN A HOUSE COMMITTEE ROOM IN FRONT OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. My client hired ME - no one else in leading up to filing the disclosure with the ICIG," Bakaj tweeted, referring to the intelligence community inspector general.
"I have made that clear TIME AND TIME AGAIN - and you ignore the FACTS!" he added.
He sounds just a bit ticked. As well he should be.
Mark Sumner summed it up:
Schiff is killing it in this closing. Bottle this. Ship it. Pin it up on … things.
And now Onward!
Judge Clears Way For Trump Deposition In Summer Zervos Defamation Suit
President Donald Trump lost his latest bid Monday to delay a former “Apprentice” contestant’s defamation suit as he faces a Jan. 31 deadline to undergo pretrial questioning in the case, which involves claims of unwanted kissing and groping.
A New York appellate judge rejected Trump’s request, meaning that Summer Zervos’ case can continue, at least for now.
Zervos is seeking a retraction, an apology and damages.
The two sides have agreed to a Jan. 31 deadline for the president to undergo a deposition, a legal term for sworn questioning conducted out of court. His lawyers can take a bit longer to depose Zervos.
I do like that this is coming for him at all sides.
Let it be so:
Democrats ask judge for quick ruling on McGahn subpoena
House Democrats on Tuesday asked a federal judge for an expedited ruling on whether former White House counsel Don McGahn should abide by their subpoena to testify, citing the ongoing impeachment inquiry.
Lawyers for the House Judiciary Committee filed a motion arguing that there’s an urgent need for McGahn’s testimony as the impeachment inquiry also looks into whether President Trump lied to former special counsel Robert Mueller.
"As part of the House’s impeachment inquiry, the Committee is continuing to investigate instances of misconduct recounted in the Mueller Report, including episodes in which McGahn was involved," the panel’s lawyers wrote in the filing.
Some other good news.
Welcome Back, Christine Blasey Ford
It’s been a little over one year since the Brett Kavanaugh hearings took place, which seems nearly impossible to believe: the dread lingers. But this isn’t about accused men playing victim in some fabricated 21st century witch hunt, as my colleague Emily Alford wrote at the time. It is about Christine Blasey Ford, who on Sunday made a rare public appearance at the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California in Beverly Hills to accept the Rodger Baldwin Courage Award. It’s nice to see such a familiar and trusted face, and I don’t mean Judd Apatow who, for whatever reason, presented her with the award.
“I did one thing,” she began in her acceptance speech, “and when I came forward last September, I did not feel courageous. I was simply doing my duty as a citizen, providing information to the Senate that I believed would be relevant to the Supreme Court nomination process. I thought anyone in my position would, of course, do the same thing.”
This is why our reps are the best.
Rep. Ilhan Omar Asks Judge to 'Show Compassion' for Hateful Man Who Threatened to Put Bullet in Her Head
After a man accused of threatening her life pled guilty to the crime in a U.S. District Court, Rep. Ilhan Omar on Tuesday released publicly a letter she wrote asking the federal judge presiding over the case to "show compassion" in his sentencing.
Patrick W. Carlineo Jr., a 55-year-old man from upstate New York, pled guilty on Monday on gun charges and for threatening to murder Omar in phone calls he made to her congressional office in March of this year. But in her letter to Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr., Omar said that while the charges were quite serious she did not think that an overly punitive sentence was the answer.
"The answer to hate is not more hate; it is compassion," Omar wrote.
"Who are we as a nation," her letter asks, "if we respond to threats of political retribution with retribution ourselves?"
The Minnesota Democrat posted the letter in its entirety on social media:
5-Year-Old Drumming Prodigy Receives Scholarship Offer From HBCU Alcorn State University: 'It's Mind-Blowing Every Day'
Musical prodigies showcase their otherworldly abilities at a young age, but Jeremiah Travis is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. And the historically black Alcorn State University apparently feels the same way, as it has offered the 5-year-old wunderkind a full band scholarship well over a decade before he even graduates high school.
USA Today reports that when he does finally graduate high school in 2032, he’ll have a home in the school’s Sounds of Dyn-O-Mite Band.
Regardless of Party, Poll Shows 66% of Key Early State Voters Support 'Ending Production of Fossil Fuels'
Two-thirds of likely voters in the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina support "ending the production of fossil fuels," according to a survey released Tuesday by Greenpeace.
The poll also found that of the voters who favor ending fossil fuel production, 50 percent support ceasing production "immediately."
Fifty-five percent of early primary state voters, regardless of party affiliation, support a government jobs guarantee for those displaced by the transition to a fossil fuel-free economy, according to the survey.
"We already know that climate change is a key issue for voters in this race," Greenpeace USA climate campaigner Jack Shapiro said in a statement on the poll, which was conducted by Civis Analytics on behalf of Greenpeace.
In Most Wholesome Facebook Post Ever, Thousands of Dog Lovers Describe Their Pups for a Blind Man
It’s not uncommon for doting pet owners to show off pictures of their pups on the internet—but this community of dog lovers has been going one step further in order to include a blind man who was missing out on the pictures.
The Dogspotting Society is a public Facebook group for people to post photos of dogs, discuss different breeds, swap stories, and share in the general joy of canines.
Earlier this week, a blind man named Stephen William Dale Shkuratoff posted in the group asking people to describe their dogs so he could picture them in his mind.
“I love being a member of this group!” wrote Shkuratoff. “I am blind and was hoping to ask for more dog descriptions. Personality traits are more helpful than colors. Like how soft the dog is, for example. Bonus as always for dogs full of kisses and snuggles.
After the post had racked up roughly 2,000 comments, Shkuratoff simply said: “All these descriptions are so lovely and I am very thankful.”
Not on my top game tonight, not feeling well, sorry but i will leave you with these.
A song for you and me.
Your 4 weekly to-dos
- Sign up to make some calls connecting voters to senators to demand a complete and fair impeachment trial. We’ve said this already, but we’re halfway to our goal of calling one million constituents of the 13 senators who really need to hear from them (senators who are vulnerable because they’re up for reelection next year and folks who are retiring and worrying a lot about their legacies). We're asking you to call voters in those states to turn up the pressure on their elected officials. It’s a simple four-part process:
- You call a progressive voter in a key state with one of these 13 Republicans. These folks are your friends—they attended the Women’s March and/or fight for progressive causes.
- You explain how they have power now. You’ll remind them why the continued fight for impeachment is so important—and why they have particular power in this moment.
- You ask them to use their power. Then, you’ll ask them to call their senator and make their voices heard on why we’re demanding courage in this moment.
- You push a button and connect them to their senator’s office. The call tool will allow you to automatically patch them through to the senator’s local office.
- Register or find a Trump is Not Above the Law Impeachment Eve event now. The night before the House of Representatives takes a historic vote to impeach Trump, we'll head to every congressional office and public square to declare that Nobody Is Above the Law as representatives finalize their positions and senators look on. There are more than 265 events on the map as of now with more being added every day. Take a look to find (or host) one near you.
- Tell Congress to #DefundHate in the November funding bill. There are only a few days left for Congress to fund the government before it could shut down, and the situation is still up in the air. Make sure to call your Representative and Senators to tell them not to give ICE or CBP any special increases in funding -- dial 1-844-778-3056 to be connected.
- Order your Indivisible book today. As a reminder, 100% of the proceeds from We Are Indivisible: A Blueprint for Democracy After Trump are going to Indivisible’s Save Democracy Fund, which supports projects related to democracy reform and our vision for what happens after we take back the Senate and the White House in 2021.
Peace!