Happy birthday, @DrBiden! You’re such a great friend—and even better wife, mom, and grandmother. Thank you for leading with such grace and empathy, and for being so authentically you.
Here’s to more laughing, more singing, and good times in the months and years ahead. 💕 pic.twitter.com/u7kuJ5zvhd
I replied before I read your next post. Thank you Dudette for doing the search and then sharing with us. You are so special! I count on you to keep us informed. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Why isn’t the new release of Woman In Motion featured on the @paramountplus Home page? I had to use the Search feature to find it. Do they want to people to actually watch it or… pic.twitter.com/EcjgCU5waJ
“And I knew the world would never be the same again. We would go on to great heights. And to think
that I had the slightest thing to do with it, makes me know that all good things are possible.”
-love
"In Woman in Motion, the story of Nichelle Nichols’ career as an entertainer only takes up the first thirty minutes, mere background for the real story: her campaign to diversify the pool of NASA’s astronaut candidates.” @DylanRothhttps://t.co/t8p7VIf4gopic.twitter.com/v9cND2gWwj
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro: "What's happening in Arizona is not an audit… this is a total sham. It wouldn't overturn anything. It certainly wouldn't reinstate Donald Trump." https://t.co/5nEiaQxgBfpic.twitter.com/GI2AF29zBq
It’s way beyond the sham audit, which is also about fund raising.
It’s more about what gop is setting up so the the outcome of the Vote won’t matter.
–They want to fix it so that Democratic wins will be over-ruled.
Heads Up everyone. I've begun to receive Spam on my ATT email account. Read the email address carefully before you click on it. If it looks unfamiliar, then delete and mark as Spam. Share this alert.
Thanks for letting us know Gail. Sorry I missed the Zoom on Saturday. My daughter Laura was having a major breakdown, post surgery stuff and I couldn’t just say gotta go. If you could spare a prayer for her, she is having a lot post surgical pain, among other things, and is in a dark place mentally. It’s very stressful as she lives in Boston, so I’m having to support her over the phone. Thanks.
I’m so glad @donlemon said this on @CNN today. We in the media give way too much coverage to Donald Trump. Yes, he’s a former president who says dangerous things that often need to be corrected. But beyond that, we need to stop covering him as much as we do and move on. pic.twitter.com/iXMxPlMLt9
Senator Kyrsten Sinema is going thru a "family crisis" that was so desperate it made her skip Jan 6th commission vote but not so important to miss her Texas tour defending the filibuster with her Republican buddies like John Cornyn. #morningjoe#Sinema#AbolishTheFilibusterpic.twitter.com/n0O3BcX5aS
Facebook to end exception made for politicians who break hate speech rules
“The change is part of a series of responses to the Facebook Oversight Board’s ruling on former president
Donald Trump and comes after years of criticism that the company was too deferential
to powerful figures during Trump’s time in the White House.”
It’s just incredible to hear Joe Manchin & Kyrsten Sinema say voting rights legislation needs bipartisan supermajority in Senate when GOP is unilaterally changing the rules in the states to prevent Dems from ever winning another fair election. Total asymmetric warfare
I am beginning to think that Manchin and Sinema are using the Filibuster as cover for not wanting to vote YES on these issues…i believe that they want to vote NO
Republicans have the best of both worlds in terms of the filibuster. The two things they care most about — tax cuts, and judges — only require 50 votes, and basically everything else needs a supermajority. It's a perfect status quo for them.
the Senate is evenly divided…with VP Harris breaking the Tie….The Filibuster is in the way…IMO…there are Senate DEMS who are NOT on board with Biden’s Agenda and are using the Filibuster as cover….
update— Louis DeJoy: under criminal investigation Matt Gaetz: under criminal investigation Rudy Giuliani: under criminal investigation Individual-1: under criminal investigation
Hillary: enjoying a nice walk in the woods, probably
Global food prices have jumped at their fastest monthly rate in over a decade, according to the United Nations.
The UN uses a broad index of global food costs, which have also climbed for 12 months in a row.
Suppliers have been affected by disruptions to production, labour and transport during the pandemic.
Concerns are growing about broader inflation and how higher grocery bills will impact the world’s economic recovery.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) food price index tracks prices around the world of a range of food including cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar.
According to the index, food prices in May were 4.8% higher than April – the biggest monthly rise since October 2010 – and 39.7% higher than this time last year (May 2020).
All five components of the index rose, led by the surging cost of vegetable oils, grain and sugar.
That pushed the index up to its highest overall level since September 2011.
Tom Hanks asks in a guest essay: "How different would perspectives be had we all been taught about Tulsa in 1921, even as early as the fifth grade? Today, I find the omission tragic, an opportunity missed, a teachable moment squandered."https://t.co/i7wdWMU0Qn
Maybe the slaughter at Tulsa would not have happened if there was not the so-called ‘Compromise of 1877’…
The Compromise of 1877 was an unwritten deal, informally arranged among United States Congressmen, that settled the intensely disputed 1876 presidential election. It resulted in the United States federal government pulling the last troops out of the South, and ending the Reconstruction Era. Through the Compromise, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was awarded the White House over Democrat Samuel J. Tilden on the understanding that Hayes would remove the federal troops whose support was essential for the survival of Republican state governments in South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana. Hayes received 185 electoral votes to Tilden’s 184 electoral votes. Despite losing the election, Tilden won the popular vote with 4,301,000 votes to 4,036,000 votes for Hayes.[1]
Under the compromise, Democrats who controlled the House of Representatives allowed the decision of the Electoral Commission to take effect.
The outgoing president, Republican Ulysses S. Grant, removed the soldiers from Florida, and as president, Hayes removed the remaining troops from South Carolina and Louisiana. As soon as the troops left, many white Republicans also left, and the “Redeemer” Democrats, who already dominated other state governments in the South, took control. The exact terms of the agreement are somewhat contested as the documentation is insufficient.[2]
Black Republicans felt betrayed as they lost power, being subject to domestic terrorism to suppress their voting, and by 1905, virtually all black men were effectively disenfranchised by state legislatures in every Southern state.[3]
State of NASA Address from Administrator Bill Nelson
“NASA Administrator Bill Nelson talks to the agency’s workforce during his first State of NASA event Wednesday, June 2, 2021, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington.”
“Nelson remarked on his long history with NASA, and among other topics, discussed the agency’s plans for future Earth-focused missions to address climate change and a robotic and human return to the Moon through the Artemis program, as well as announcing two new planetary science missions to Venus – VERITAS and DAVINCI+.”
Tom Hanks asks in a guest essay: "How different would perspectives be had we all been taught about Tulsa in 1921, even as early as the fifth grade? Today, I find the omission tragic, an opportunity missed, a teachable moment squandered."https://t.co/bTrZcD40te
— Val Brown (She/Her) (@ValeriaBrownEdu) June 4, 2021
Tom Hanks: that fact that Tulsa was not taught in our classrooms shows the dangers of censoring curriculum from a discussion of the history of race in America. https://t.co/fe9msps6Jupic.twitter.com/dZXsmnHUcw
VENUS
“NASA will send two new missions to Venus to learn more about how the planet’s hellish atmosphere turned so hostile over its history.”
“DAVINCI+ (short for Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble Gases, Chemistry and Imaging)
will plunge through the thick Venus atmosphere to learn more about it changes over time. Meanwhile, VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography and Spectroscopy) mission will use radar to map Venus’ surface in detail from orbit.”
(https://www.space.com/nasa-unveils-2-venus-missions-veritas-davinci)
“A spectacular firestorm of star birth
suddenly lit up the heavens
and populated the first galaxies
when the universe was less than five percent of its current age.
This fiery flurry—possibly the cosmos’ busiest star-forming period—occurred just a few hundred million years after the big bang.
Soon, through the power of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST),
astronomers will look back to that raucous, early period
in a deep-sky survey to trace the formation and evolution of the first galaxies.”
(https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/back-to-the-beginning-probing-the-first-galaxies-with-webb)
To capture the light.
Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator:
“And in just a few months, the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope,
which will see the light from the first galaxies that formed in the early universe after the Big Bang….
James Webb will capture the light from about 150 million years after the big bang.
So James Webb will be looking back 13,350,000,000 years to capture the light.”
(rev.com)
Pool report: Biden left the room to a shouted question regarding whether he has confidence in Dr. Fauci. Suddenly, POTUS's head peeked around the corner, and he answered:
“The Second”:
Carol Anderson on the Racist Roots of the Constitutional Right to Bear Arms
“Do African Americans have Second Amendment rights?
That’s the question Emory University professor Carol Anderson set out to answer in her new book, “The Second,” which looks at the constitutional right to bear arms and its uneven application throughout U.S. history. She says she was prompted to write the book after the 2016 police killing of Philando Castile, who was fatally shot during a traffic stop after he told the officer he had a legal firearm. Anderson says the Second Amendment was always intended to be a means of arming white people to control the Black population. “There was this massive fear about these slave revolts, Black people demanding their freedom, being willing to have an uprising to gain their freedom,” says Anderson. “What I saw was that it wasn’t about guns. It was about the fear of Black people.”
The ONLY reason California had a Ak47 ban since 1989 was due to the Black Panthers stood on the state capital with these weapons. It’s never about the 2nd It’s about not allowing AA with guns.
Gun Violence and COVID-19 in 2020
A Year of Colliding Crises
“The United States has seen the collision of two major public health crises over the past year:
COVID-19 and gun violence. We still don’t fully understand how damaging this collision has been, and we don’t yet fully know how it will continue to affect Americans. But what we do know is the effects have been far-ranging. For one, the pandemic has had a pronounced impact on gun violence in the United States as both homicides and unintentional shootings increased to record levels in 2020.”
(https://everytownresearch.org/report/gun-violence-and-covid-19-in-2020-a-year-of-colliding-crises/
“Missouri Gov. Mike Parson this week passed on the chance to free Kevin Strickland, a Kansas City man who prosecutors say has spent four decades in prison for a triple murder he did not commit.
On Memorial Day, Parson pardoned 36 people, and some Missourians hoped that Strickland, who turns 62 on Monday, would be among them. But the governor’s office released their names Thursday, and Strickland was not on the list.
(https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article251849288.html#storylink=cpy)
—-Imagine if you possibly can 40 years behind bars and you did nothing wrong. The guys who did do the crime have already been released, and confirm that you are innocent. Prosecutors say you are innocent and petition for your release. The governor releases 36 people this week, but not you. You are a Black man who lost 40 years.
(Maddow covered this extensively) You are 62 years old now.
–RELEASE KEVIN STRICKLAND TODAY.
–Give this victim a massive compensation and a public apology by this governor.
Congressman Clyburn, House Majority Whip,
speaks to Chris Hayes;
“I don’t think anybody in the country is doing enough right now. I think that this kind of situation is something the country has never been faced with. Nobody expected to ever be faced with anything like this. I applaud President Biden for doing the things necessary to try and reach out across the aisle. But it seems as if the other side has decided that they’re not going to reciprocate.
I applaud Nancy Pelosi for doing tremendous work when she put together this piece of legislation that Bennie Thompson and Mr. Katko in a bipartisan way sent out of the House over to the Senate. But Mitch McConnell said ‘do me a personal favor and don’t vote for this’. We need to get to the bottom of what this Insurrection was all about. More than 70% of American people want to find out exactly what this is all about, so that we can do the things that are necessary to safeguard this democracy.
Yes we are making a lot of attempts. But we aren’t accomplishing much because we cannot get ANY KIND of support on the other side of the aisle. I applaud those members of the Homeland Security Committee. We worked in a bipartisan way to produce a very good piece of legislation. And Mitch McConnell has decided that he is more loyal to Donald Trump, than he is to the Constitution that he was sworn to uphold.”
Congressman Clyburn:
“Well I agree with Senator Manchin that it’s better not to go it alone. But I cannot understand him feeling that if the only way to get this done is to go it alone – then you should not get it done. Because that’s what he is saying. Something is amiss with his thinking.
This country has massive needs! Bridges are crumbling all around us. This isn’t about “potholes” (Manchin referenced). This is about bridges. This is about broadband. We’ve got children who are about to lose a second year of school because they cannot get broadband in their homes. And so if you can’t get broadband in a bipartisan way, and we’ve got the Democrats to do it, then we ought to go it alone.
It’s not the first time that something is going to happen for the benefit of the country and did not get any Republicans to vote for it. He couldn’t get them to vote for the Affordable Care Act! Should we have just left that out because we couldn’t get bipartisan support? Come on, Joe Manchin. Let’s get real!!”
U.S. Postmaster General:
“DeJoy political fundraising draws eye of FBI investigators”
“Rachel Maddow reviews past reporting about questionable political fundraising tactics used by postmaster general Louis DeJoy with the employees of his company, and new reporting from the Washington Post that those practices are now under FBI investigation.”
Maddow: “Louis DeJoy is the man who took a wrecking ball to the U.S. Post Office in the run-up to last fall`s presidential election. He`s working now, even now, to slow down the mail even further.
The FBI is reportedly investigating what “The Post” described last year as a fairly blatant alleged scheme by DeJoy to funnel illegal donations to Republican politicians.”
Marc Elias, Democratic voting rights attorney, founder of Democracy Docket,
to Rachel Maddow
“You know Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn the former Soviet dissident wrote…that in the former Soviet Union, the Lie
had become not just a moral category but a pillar of the state.
And the Big Lie has moved from a political category,
something that Trump and his allies were saying for political purposes. And it is now turning into a pillar of the state. It is becoming a part of state policy. And that’s really dangerous…because it is giving the veneer of a official officialness….
And it is allowing the Big Lie to have the imprimatur of the state.
And what happens is when they do these processes – and by the way these are not audits, these aren’t recounts – I’ve been involved in more statewide audits and recounts probably than any other person alive or dead.
And I can tell you these are NOT genuine audits or recounts.
But what’s happening is they are spoiling the ballots.
They are ruining the equipment.
Literally the state of Arizona is going to have to throw away voting machines based on this.
And so yes, do I think it violates federal law? Yes I do.
BECAUSE FEDERAL LAW REQUIRES that the ballots of federal elections be kept for 22 months after the election. And these ballots have essentially been tainted.
Do I think it violates state law in some of these states? Yes I think it does.
And I wish the judges would view this with the seriousness of democracy being at threat, rather than just feeling like well if they humor these crazy people they’ll go away. Because we know when you humor these crazy people they don’t go away. They just keep repeating and making worse.”
Why are we humoring Logan and his ad hoc band of Cyber Ninjas?
We saw what was coming in the first hours of their theater performance.
Trump GOPQ throwing the kitchen sink at voting rights around the country. Making it their top priority when we have so many urgent needs to attend to.
We see what’s coming and where it came from – at least in this country.
My children are doomed to live in an Authoritarian state if we don’t act. Bizarrely, we’re snailing and stalled while the rabid opposition are in mad high gear.
Please give us some kind of feedback on imminent action by the DOJ. Let us know you’ve got this. Tell us the cavalry is coming.
There’s a federal law that says ballots cannot be touched until 22 months after federal elections.
Isn’t that enough?
“Supreme Court backs tribal sovereignty in law enforcement case”
by Acee Agoyo
“The nation’s highest court has unanimously sided with tribal sovereignty in one of two Indian law cases on the docket during an otherwise quiet session.
By a vote of 9 to 0, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday confirmed that tribal police officers can stop and search non-Indians who are suspected of violating the law. The decision was clear-cut, with the justices sending a message of support for the “inherent” sovereignty of Indian nations.
“Long ago we described Indian tribes as ‘distinct, independent political communities’ exercising sovereign authority,” Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote for the court.
And while the U.S. government has repeatedly restricted the ways in which tribes can exercise their sovereignty, the case in which a non-Indian was stopped by an officer from the Crow Tribe does not fall into one of those situations, according to the court. Joshua James Cooley was found with drugs, firearms and even a small child when he was pulled over on the Crow Reservation in Montana.
“Here, no treaty or statute has explicitly divested Indian tribes of the policing authority at issue,”
Breyer wrote in the nine-page opinion.”
(https://www.indianz.com/News/2021/06/01/supreme-court-backs-tribal-sovereignty-in-law-enforcement-case/)
“Our sacred land and sites will remain at peace”
“Court won’t force Fourth of July fireworks on treaty territory in Black Hills”
by Acee Agoyo
“The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe is declaring victory for treaty rights and sacred places in an ongoing war against the Republican governor of South Dakota.
Last summer, Gov. Kristi Noem (R) eagerly hosted then-president Donald Trump at Mount Rushmore for a fireworks display on the Fourth of July. The event drew strong protests from the tribe and its allies, who pointed out that the land where it took place was stolen from the Sioux Nation.
But if Noem were hoping for a return engagement under a new presidential administration, she is running out of options. In a 36-page decision on Wednesday, a federal judge blocked her efforts to force yet another display of American colonization on the tribe.”
Chairman Harold Frazier:
“This decision will greatly enhance the ability of all the people to gather medicine and pray without the intrusion of explosions or lights…Our sacred land and sites will remain at peace while still being the sanctuary for the animals that can still call the Black Hills home or rely on the sanctuary for their journeys.”
Throwing this question out to TOD. I’ve been thinking about this for couple of weeks. This week, I have heard people ask it on a call in radio program. How likely is it that Sinema and Manchin are getting $$$$$ from GOP big money groups? Sinema more likely than Manchin maybe. What say y’all? Interested in your thoughts.
Today, President Obama joined @EconClubChi to discuss all things Chicago, the economy, and the future Obama Presidential Center. Watch as he recalls the first time he saw the memorable Chicago skyline and why building the Center on the South Side is so significant to him. pic.twitter.com/kqA8KwwGCI
— The Obama Foundation (@ObamaFoundation) June 4, 2021
The head of an American Legion post in Ohio has stepped down amid criticism over a Memorial Day ceremony in which a veteran's microphone was cut off while he was speaking about how freed Black slaves honored fallen soldiers just after the Civil War. https://t.co/4D2cZXeyY9
TGIF from New Mexico! It’s the 48th state. Really, I looked it up.
I probably don’t need to say this, but I want to. You know how something WRONG can be right in front of you, day in and day out and you never notice it, until suddenly: OMG, look at that. OMG! I had that experience a few months ago: Sh*t, magapie has disgusting MAGA in it!!! Yes, YES, it took me that long to realize it.
Magapie was an all purpose, silly name that came from playing and babbling with my son when he was a toddler in 2002 and beyond. Purge it from my life? I thought about it for a few days and decide OH HELL NO! Magapie belongs to me and my boy. It was born many, many years before the sick, demented cult of fear, hate and selfish ignorance. A-Hole #1 ruined so much in our lives. I won’t let them ruin my family’s familiar, silly little personal artifact.
Magapie has been on this site since it opened. Albeit, 99% lurking 😊 If any of you wince a little when you see Magapie, I understand!
Chairman Jerry Nadler: "Today is a great victory for congressional oversight. By securing Mr. McGahn's testimony, we have made clear that the executive branch must respect our subpoenas. There is no such thing as so-called 'absolute immunity' from congressional testimony."
Rather than asking Manchin/Sinema for the 100th time whether they support dumping the filibuster, maybe reporters should ask them *what they are doing* to win the Republican votes they need in a 60-vote Senate to pass things they say they support.
On National Gun Violence Awareness Day, we #wearorange to honor those we’ve lost. As we begin to emerge from the pandemic, let’s not forget the other epidemic killing far too many Americans—and keep working to pass commonsense gun safety laws that will protect our communities.
⚡ Coming up soon: @SpaceX’s cargo Dragon spacecraft will autonomously dock to the @Space_Station's Harmony module, carrying new solar arrays alongside other vital supplies & experiments!
Simone is simply AmaZing! The things she can make her body do in mid air is mind boggling. Watching it in slow motion, you just look in awe at her. WOW 💖🙏🏾🌟🌟
The G7 group of advanced economies has reached a “historic” deal on taxing multinational companies.
Finance ministers meeting in London agreed to battle tax avoidance through measures to make companies pay in the countries where they do business.
They also agreed in principle to a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15% to avoid countries undercutting each other.
Tech giants such as Amazon and Google could be among the companies affected.
The move could see billions of dollars flow to governments to pay off debts incurred during the Covid crisis.
The deal – from the US, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Japan – will put pressure on other countries to follow suit, including at a meeting of the G20 next month.
Pennsylvania AG Josh Shapiro: "Let me be very very clear, if they try to bring this nonsense, this sham election audit to Pennsylvania, they will have to go through me. And every time they've tried to take me on … they've lost and I've won." https://t.co/Ao5owru9jj
None of us are free until all of us are free. We’re thinking of #BreonnaTaylor on her 28th birthday—and continuing to stand with those calling for justice and accountability.
Traditionally, Memphis residents celebrate Juneteenth at Robert R. Church Park. But this year, they'll celebrate at another park nearby, where the remains of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general who owned enslaved workers, are being removed. https://t.co/8cjMpQYxxx
Yellen in a statement: "A significant, unprecedented commitment today that provides tremendous momentum towards achieving a robust global minimum tax at a rate of at least 15%" https://t.co/2uznuTsgVTpic.twitter.com/ASHgdI9O96
Gareth Southgate says England’s players will ignore any “adverse reaction” and take the knee during Euro 2020.
Boos circulated around the Riverside Stadium when players took the knee before England’s friendly win over Austria on Wednesday.
Southgate said at the time “some people aren’t understanding the message”.
Speaking on Saturday, before Sunday’s friendly with Romania, the England boss added: “We feel more determined than ever to take the knee.”
Players have been taking the knee to highlight racial injustice.
Southgate spent several minutes of his news conference before England’s final match leading into Euro 2020, talking about the decision to continue taking the knee.
“Those people should put themselves in the shoes of the young players,” he added.
“How would they feel if their kids were in that situation? We feel more than ever determined to take the knee during the tournament.”
I wanna know why this traitorous asshole isn’t in jail this minute! 😡
An insurrection loving traitor… @GOPChairwoman this is one of yours right?! Hawley, Cruz, & now this clown. How many lives did he put at risk that day? Instead of undermining our elections maybe you should train your folks on how not to betray our country & break their oaths. https://t.co/nbcUPx7C8l
— Jaime Harrison, DNC Chair (@harrisonjaime) June 5, 2021
NEW FOOTAGE: watch Oregon's @RepNearman tell people, step-by-step, how to breach the Oregon Capitol… with his assistance.
Focus on that other pandemic is getting a big push.
I’m thrilled to welcome Harold Phillips to lead the White House Office of National AIDS Policy.
Harold brings decades of experience in the battle against HIV/AIDS, and we're lucky to have him spearheading the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to defeat this epidemic.
Today marks the 40th anniversary of the first reported cases of AIDS. Some 32 million people—including 700,000 Americans, disproportionately LGBTQ+ and communities of color—have died of the virus. Many others are living with HIV.
Thanks to the tireless work of scientists and the fierce advocacy of countless individuals, we have turned the tide.
Now, @POTUS has called upon the nation to recommit ourselves to ending HIV/AIDS once and for all. I know Harold and ONAP will be instrumental to that effort.
We have made incredible progress getting Americans vaccinated quickly, efficiently, and equitably — but the data is clear. Unvaccinated people are still at risk of getting seriously ill, dying, or spreading the disease to others. Don't wait, visit https://t.co/S2DQV6MlBv today.
I was proud to work with @SenatorWarnock and @SenBooker to pass over $4 billion in @USDA relief to help minority farmers and ranchers pay off their FSA loans. This is a necessary step to recover from this pandemic while addressing the systemic barriers. https://t.co/Y3KAdtahuN
The Honorable Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States,
addressed The Economic Club of Chicago on June 4. Club Chair Debra A. Cafaro moderated the discussion. Following their conversation, Club President & CEO David Snyder posed questions from the audience.
44 and 46 talk ACA milestone: 31 million insured! (I’m one of them!)
Great news folks: we hit record-high health care enrollment. 31 million people now have coverage through the Affordable Care Act. Couldn’t think of a better person to celebrate this milestone with than President Obama, so I gave him a call. pic.twitter.com/QtLeskSNnY
It's always great catching up with @POTUS, and I'm grateful for everything he and his administration have done to protect and expand the Affordable Care Act. Let's keep working until every American has access to quality, affordable health care. https://t.co/WYCipaCeX4
The Obama Diary 
Happy Birthday FLOTUS! 🎂🎈
Thank you 👑Nerdy!
Look at you, Dudette! Well done.
Hi Judith! 😘
🖖🏾
I replied before I read your next post. Thank you Dudette for doing the search and then sharing with us. You are so special! I count on you to keep us informed. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
My pleasure mtmarilyn! 😘❤️❤️❤️
Arrgh! 😠
Woman In Motion (2021)
Clip: Nichelle’s First Class (HD)
“And I knew the world would never be the same again. We would go on to great heights. And to think
that I had the slightest thing to do with it, makes me know that all good things are possible.”
-love
❤️🖖🏾❤️
😎🚴🏼♂️🚴🏼😎
It’s way beyond the sham audit, which is also about fund raising.
It’s more about what gop is setting up so the the outcome of the Vote won’t matter.
–They want to fix it so that Democratic wins will be over-ruled.
thanks for sharing this
👍🏾💖
Thanks for letting us know Gail. Sorry I missed the Zoom on Saturday. My daughter Laura was having a major breakdown, post surgery stuff and I couldn’t just say gotta go. If you could spare a prayer for her, she is having a lot post surgical pain, among other things, and is in a dark place mentally. It’s very stressful as she lives in Boston, so I’m having to support her over the phone. Thanks.
🙏🏾
Sending prayers and love ❤️🙏🏾
Thanks Gail and Dudette.
She’s horrible. She must be primaried.
The cargo supply ship arrives at the space station early Saturday morning.
He’s evil. I wish we would stop ascribing evil behavior to mental illness.
Rethugs are a buncha cowardly fuckturds.
LOL! 😁
O.M.GOODNESS!!!!! 🤣🤣
LOL. So funny.
Ha!
LOL.
What a fucked up family of twerps.
Facebook to end exception made for politicians who break hate speech rules
“The change is part of a series of responses to the Facebook Oversight Board’s ruling on former president
Donald Trump and comes after years of criticism that the company was too deferential
to powerful figures during Trump’s time in the White House.”
Very Happy Birthday to First Lady Dr. Biden!!
–wishing you a lovely day and weekend!
Fixed terms, unlimited terms, dysfunctional senate, archaic & meaningless senate ‘rules’ – they are the bane of american political system.
I am beginning to think that Manchin and Sinema are using the Filibuster as cover for not wanting to vote YES on these issues…i believe that they want to vote NO
Exactly. Manchin and Sinema are okay with Republicans making it impossible for Democratic voters to exercise their civil rights. They’re DINOs.
dems suck at this.
i do not blame Dems for not being Republicans
This is not about dems being rethugs. This is about being smart to manipulate the system for good. Even when they had 60, they could do jackshit.
the Senate is evenly divided…with VP Harris breaking the Tie….The Filibuster is in the way…IMO…there are Senate DEMS who are NOT on board with Biden’s Agenda and are using the Filibuster as cover….
with his beady lil eyes, the cowardly thug can do jackshit let alone ‘thread the needle’.
Global food prices have jumped at their fastest monthly rate in over a decade, according to the United Nations.
The UN uses a broad index of global food costs, which have also climbed for 12 months in a row.
Suppliers have been affected by disruptions to production, labour and transport during the pandemic.
Concerns are growing about broader inflation and how higher grocery bills will impact the world’s economic recovery.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) food price index tracks prices around the world of a range of food including cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar.
According to the index, food prices in May were 4.8% higher than April – the biggest monthly rise since October 2010 – and 39.7% higher than this time last year (May 2020).
All five components of the index rose, led by the surging cost of vegetable oils, grain and sugar.
That pushed the index up to its highest overall level since September 2011.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57353624
Also: https://abcnews.go.com/live/video/special-live-3
tremendous news!
Press Briefing by White House
COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials
(https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/06/03/press-briefing-by-white-house-covid-19-response-team-and-public-health-officials-40/)
Remarks by President Biden on the COVID-19 Response and Vaccination Program
(https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/06/02/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-covid-19-response-and-vaccination-program/)
There are so many what ifs…Of American History….
Maybe the slaughter at Tulsa would not have happened if there was not the so-called ‘Compromise of 1877’…
The Compromise of 1877 was an unwritten deal, informally arranged among United States Congressmen, that settled the intensely disputed 1876 presidential election. It resulted in the United States federal government pulling the last troops out of the South, and ending the Reconstruction Era. Through the Compromise, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was awarded the White House over Democrat Samuel J. Tilden on the understanding that Hayes would remove the federal troops whose support was essential for the survival of Republican state governments in South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana. Hayes received 185 electoral votes to Tilden’s 184 electoral votes. Despite losing the election, Tilden won the popular vote with 4,301,000 votes to 4,036,000 votes for Hayes.[1]
Under the compromise, Democrats who controlled the House of Representatives allowed the decision of the Electoral Commission to take effect.
The outgoing president, Republican Ulysses S. Grant, removed the soldiers from Florida, and as president, Hayes removed the remaining troops from South Carolina and Louisiana. As soon as the troops left, many white Republicans also left, and the “Redeemer” Democrats, who already dominated other state governments in the South, took control. The exact terms of the agreement are somewhat contested as the documentation is insufficient.[2]
Black Republicans felt betrayed as they lost power, being subject to domestic terrorism to suppress their voting, and by 1905, virtually all black men were effectively disenfranchised by state legislatures in every Southern state.[3]
State of NASA Address from Administrator Bill Nelson
“NASA Administrator Bill Nelson talks to the agency’s workforce during his first State of NASA event Wednesday, June 2, 2021, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington.”
“Nelson remarked on his long history with NASA, and among other topics, discussed the agency’s plans for future Earth-focused missions to address climate change and a robotic and human return to the Moon through the Artemis program, as well as announcing two new planetary science missions to Venus – VERITAS and DAVINCI+.”
Here: ((https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDem528iNF0))
VENUS
“NASA will send two new missions to Venus to learn more about how the planet’s hellish atmosphere turned so hostile over its history.”
“DAVINCI+ (short for Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble Gases, Chemistry and Imaging)
will plunge through the thick Venus atmosphere to learn more about it changes over time. Meanwhile, VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography and Spectroscopy) mission will use radar to map Venus’ surface in detail from orbit.”
(https://www.space.com/nasa-unveils-2-venus-missions-veritas-davinci)
“A spectacular firestorm of star birth
suddenly lit up the heavens
and populated the first galaxies
when the universe was less than five percent of its current age.
This fiery flurry—possibly the cosmos’ busiest star-forming period—occurred just a few hundred million years after the big bang.
Soon, through the power of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST),
astronomers will look back to that raucous, early period
in a deep-sky survey to trace the formation and evolution of the first galaxies.”
(https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/back-to-the-beginning-probing-the-first-galaxies-with-webb)
To capture the light.
Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator:
“And in just a few months, the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope,
which will see the light from the first galaxies that formed in the early universe after the Big Bang….
James Webb will capture the light from about 150 million years after the big bang.
So James Webb will be looking back 13,350,000,000 years to capture the light.”
(rev.com)
Top 3 seeds out. Serena into 4th round.
fuck the 3rd rate 4th estate.
Why wouldn’t he?
Yup. Fuck the msm hacks who still spout gop talking points.
{{{NW}}}
{{{TOD}}}
🕊🕯💞💙💞🕯🕊
((((( pamela )))))
“The Second”:
Carol Anderson on the Racist Roots of the Constitutional Right to Bear Arms
“Do African Americans have Second Amendment rights?
That’s the question Emory University professor Carol Anderson set out to answer in her new book, “The Second,” which looks at the constitutional right to bear arms and its uneven application throughout U.S. history. She says she was prompted to write the book after the 2016 police killing of Philando Castile, who was fatally shot during a traffic stop after he told the officer he had a legal firearm. Anderson says the Second Amendment was always intended to be a means of arming white people to control the Black population. “There was this massive fear about these slave revolts, Black people demanding their freedom, being willing to have an uprising to gain their freedom,” says Anderson. “What I saw was that it wasn’t about guns. It was about the fear of Black people.”
Full interview: (https://www.democracynow.org/2021/6/3/carol_anderson_second_amendment)
The ONLY reason California had a Ak47 ban since 1989 was due to the Black Panthers stood on the state capital with these weapons. It’s never about the 2nd It’s about not allowing AA with guns.
Gun Violence and COVID-19 in 2020
A Year of Colliding Crises
“The United States has seen the collision of two major public health crises over the past year:
COVID-19 and gun violence. We still don’t fully understand how damaging this collision has been, and we don’t yet fully know how it will continue to affect Americans. But what we do know is the effects have been far-ranging. For one, the pandemic has had a pronounced impact on gun violence in the United States as both homicides and unintentional shootings increased to record levels in 2020.”
(https://everytownresearch.org/report/gun-violence-and-covid-19-in-2020-a-year-of-colliding-crises/
RELEASE KEVIN STRICKLAND IMMEDIATELY!!!
“Missouri Gov. Mike Parson this week passed on the chance to free Kevin Strickland, a Kansas City man who prosecutors say has spent four decades in prison for a triple murder he did not commit.
On Memorial Day, Parson pardoned 36 people, and some Missourians hoped that Strickland, who turns 62 on Monday, would be among them. But the governor’s office released their names Thursday, and Strickland was not on the list.
(https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article251849288.html#storylink=cpy)
—-Imagine if you possibly can 40 years behind bars and you did nothing wrong. The guys who did do the crime have already been released, and confirm that you are innocent. Prosecutors say you are innocent and petition for your release. The governor releases 36 people this week, but not you. You are a Black man who lost 40 years.
(Maddow covered this extensively) You are 62 years old now.
–RELEASE KEVIN STRICKLAND TODAY.
–Give this victim a massive compensation and a public apology by this governor.
Because the missorable governor and his state will get sued.
Congressman Clyburn, House Majority Whip,
speaks to Chris Hayes;
“I don’t think anybody in the country is doing enough right now. I think that this kind of situation is something the country has never been faced with. Nobody expected to ever be faced with anything like this. I applaud President Biden for doing the things necessary to try and reach out across the aisle. But it seems as if the other side has decided that they’re not going to reciprocate.
I applaud Nancy Pelosi for doing tremendous work when she put together this piece of legislation that Bennie Thompson and Mr. Katko in a bipartisan way sent out of the House over to the Senate. But Mitch McConnell said ‘do me a personal favor and don’t vote for this’. We need to get to the bottom of what this Insurrection was all about. More than 70% of American people want to find out exactly what this is all about, so that we can do the things that are necessary to safeguard this democracy.
Yes we are making a lot of attempts. But we aren’t accomplishing much because we cannot get ANY KIND of support on the other side of the aisle. I applaud those members of the Homeland Security Committee. We worked in a bipartisan way to produce a very good piece of legislation. And Mitch McConnell has decided that he is more loyal to Donald Trump, than he is to the Constitution that he was sworn to uphold.”
Congressman Clyburn:
“Well I agree with Senator Manchin that it’s better not to go it alone. But I cannot understand him feeling that if the only way to get this done is to go it alone – then you should not get it done. Because that’s what he is saying. Something is amiss with his thinking.
This country has massive needs! Bridges are crumbling all around us. This isn’t about “potholes” (Manchin referenced). This is about bridges. This is about broadband. We’ve got children who are about to lose a second year of school because they cannot get broadband in their homes. And so if you can’t get broadband in a bipartisan way, and we’ve got the Democrats to do it, then we ought to go it alone.
It’s not the first time that something is going to happen for the benefit of the country and did not get any Republicans to vote for it. He couldn’t get them to vote for the Affordable Care Act! Should we have just left that out because we couldn’t get bipartisan support? Come on, Joe Manchin. Let’s get real!!”
U.S. Postmaster General:
“DeJoy political fundraising draws eye of FBI investigators”
“Rachel Maddow reviews past reporting about questionable political fundraising tactics used by postmaster general Louis DeJoy with the employees of his company, and new reporting from the Washington Post that those practices are now under FBI investigation.”
Here: (https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/postmaster-general-louis-dejoy-political-fundraising-draws-eye-of-fbi-investigators-114313797590)
Maddow: “Louis DeJoy is the man who took a wrecking ball to the U.S. Post Office in the run-up to last fall`s presidential election. He`s working now, even now, to slow down the mail even further.
The FBI is reportedly investigating what “The Post” described last year as a fairly blatant alleged scheme by DeJoy to funnel illegal donations to Republican politicians.”
“FBI investigation Postmaster General Louis DeJoy in connection with past political fundraising”
by Matt Zapotosky and Jacob Bogage
(https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/louis-dejoy-fbi-investigation/2021/06/03/4e24e122-c3d3-11eb-93f5-ee9558eecf4b_story.html)
Marc Elias, Democratic voting rights attorney, founder of Democracy Docket,
to Rachel Maddow
“You know Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn the former Soviet dissident wrote…that in the former Soviet Union, the Lie
had become not just a moral category but a pillar of the state.
And the Big Lie has moved from a political category,
something that Trump and his allies were saying for political purposes. And it is now turning into a pillar of the state. It is becoming a part of state policy. And that’s really dangerous…because it is giving the veneer of a official officialness….
And it is allowing the Big Lie to have the imprimatur of the state.
And what happens is when they do these processes – and by the way these are not audits, these aren’t recounts – I’ve been involved in more statewide audits and recounts probably than any other person alive or dead.
And I can tell you these are NOT genuine audits or recounts.
But what’s happening is they are spoiling the ballots.
They are ruining the equipment.
Literally the state of Arizona is going to have to throw away voting machines based on this.
And so yes, do I think it violates federal law? Yes I do.
BECAUSE FEDERAL LAW REQUIRES that the ballots of federal elections be kept for 22 months after the election. And these ballots have essentially been tainted.
Do I think it violates state law in some of these states? Yes I think it does.
And I wish the judges would view this with the seriousness of democracy being at threat, rather than just feeling like well if they humor these crazy people they’ll go away. Because we know when you humor these crazy people they don’t go away. They just keep repeating and making worse.”
Why are we humoring Logan and his ad hoc band of Cyber Ninjas?
We saw what was coming in the first hours of their theater performance.
Trump GOPQ throwing the kitchen sink at voting rights around the country. Making it their top priority when we have so many urgent needs to attend to.
We see what’s coming and where it came from – at least in this country.
My children are doomed to live in an Authoritarian state if we don’t act. Bizarrely, we’re snailing and stalled while the rabid opposition are in mad high gear.
Please give us some kind of feedback on imminent action by the DOJ. Let us know you’ve got this. Tell us the cavalry is coming.
There’s a federal law that says ballots cannot be touched until 22 months after federal elections.
Isn’t that enough?
“Supreme Court backs tribal sovereignty in law enforcement case”
by Acee Agoyo
“The nation’s highest court has unanimously sided with tribal sovereignty in one of two Indian law cases on the docket during an otherwise quiet session.
By a vote of 9 to 0, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday confirmed that tribal police officers can stop and search non-Indians who are suspected of violating the law. The decision was clear-cut, with the justices sending a message of support for the “inherent” sovereignty of Indian nations.
“Long ago we described Indian tribes as ‘distinct, independent political communities’ exercising sovereign authority,” Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote for the court.
And while the U.S. government has repeatedly restricted the ways in which tribes can exercise their sovereignty, the case in which a non-Indian was stopped by an officer from the Crow Tribe does not fall into one of those situations, according to the court. Joshua James Cooley was found with drugs, firearms and even a small child when he was pulled over on the Crow Reservation in Montana.
“Here, no treaty or statute has explicitly divested Indian tribes of the policing authority at issue,”
Breyer wrote in the nine-page opinion.”
(https://www.indianz.com/News/2021/06/01/supreme-court-backs-tribal-sovereignty-in-law-enforcement-case/)
“Our sacred land and sites will remain at peace”
“Court won’t force Fourth of July fireworks on treaty territory in Black Hills”
by Acee Agoyo
“The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe is declaring victory for treaty rights and sacred places in an ongoing war against the Republican governor of South Dakota.
Last summer, Gov. Kristi Noem (R) eagerly hosted then-president Donald Trump at Mount Rushmore for a fireworks display on the Fourth of July. The event drew strong protests from the tribe and its allies, who pointed out that the land where it took place was stolen from the Sioux Nation.
But if Noem were hoping for a return engagement under a new presidential administration, she is running out of options. In a 36-page decision on Wednesday, a federal judge blocked her efforts to force yet another display of American colonization on the tribe.”
Chairman Harold Frazier:
“This decision will greatly enhance the ability of all the people to gather medicine and pray without the intrusion of explosions or lights…Our sacred land and sites will remain at peace while still being the sanctuary for the animals that can still call the Black Hills home or rely on the sanctuary for their journeys.”
(https://www.indianz.com/News/2021/06/03/our-sacred-land-and-sites-will-remain-at-peace-court-wont-force-fourth-of-july-fireworks-in-black-hills/)
—thank you.
Stardate:
June 4, 2021
Fab happy friday to all..!!
-with love.
Happy Friday, brp!
Throwing this question out to TOD. I’ve been thinking about this for couple of weeks. This week, I have heard people ask it on a call in radio program. How likely is it that Sinema and Manchin are getting $$$$$ from GOP big money groups? Sinema more likely than Manchin maybe. What say y’all? Interested in your thoughts.
The way she’s all buddied-up with Cornyn it certainly seems likely. Maybe she was a sleeper all along.
It’s possible. Manchin’s finances are shady. I remember when his daughter tried to jack up the costs of epi-pens. Nothing would surprise me.
Hi Everyone! Happy Friday!
Space is fun! 🤩
Good
TGIF from New Mexico! It’s the 48th state. Really, I looked it up.
I probably don’t need to say this, but I want to. You know how something WRONG can be right in front of you, day in and day out and you never notice it, until suddenly: OMG, look at that. OMG! I had that experience a few months ago: Sh*t, magapie has disgusting MAGA in it!!! Yes, YES, it took me that long to realize it.
Magapie was an all purpose, silly name that came from playing and babbling with my son when he was a toddler in 2002 and beyond. Purge it from my life? I thought about it for a few days and decide OH HELL NO! Magapie belongs to me and my boy. It was born many, many years before the sick, demented cult of fear, hate and selfish ignorance. A-Hole #1 ruined so much in our lives. I won’t let them ruin my family’s familiar, silly little personal artifact.
Magapie has been on this site since it opened. Albeit, 99% lurking 😊 If any of you wince a little when you see Magapie, I understand!
Never even thought about it…… until now. 🙂
😍
Like amk, never thought about it until you brought it up. No wincing here. Just hugs and love! 😘❤️🤗
Same with others ………. until now. You be YOU and your memories. 😍❤️
😍
🥰
We really only think of you when we see your name. You have made it yours so keep it. We love you here and know your no maga.
Magapie your username is delightful and so r u!
nadler should look up Pyrrhic victory. he sucks as a dem spox.
Good thread!
Useless snark from an useless lefty lawyer.
Find ways to prosecute the traitorous thug or get the the fuck out, preet.
SpaceX cargo ship docking soon!
Gravity : I don’t know her.
Just magnificent! This is the pictorial definition of perfection.
Simone is simply AmaZing! The things she can make her body do in mid air is mind boggling. Watching it in slow motion, you just look in awe at her. WOW 💖🙏🏾🌟🌟
This is one of the comments to this tweet 💖
G7: Rich nations back deal to tax multinationals
The G7 group of advanced economies has reached a “historic” deal on taxing multinational companies.
Finance ministers meeting in London agreed to battle tax avoidance through measures to make companies pay in the countries where they do business.
They also agreed in principle to a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15% to avoid countries undercutting each other.
Tech giants such as Amazon and Google could be among the companies affected.
The move could see billions of dollars flow to governments to pay off debts incurred during the Covid crisis.
The deal – from the US, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Japan – will put pressure on other countries to follow suit, including at a meeting of the G20 next month.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-57368247
Good, high time these super super super rich fucks paid their dues.
Facts
a million thanks AG Josh Shapiro for your clarity and protection.
Justice for Breonna Taylor 😔
G7 finance ministers doing things
Gareth Southgate says England’s players will ignore any “adverse reaction” and take the knee during Euro 2020.
Boos circulated around the Riverside Stadium when players took the knee before England’s friendly win over Austria on Wednesday.
Southgate said at the time “some people aren’t understanding the message”.
Speaking on Saturday, before Sunday’s friendly with Romania, the England boss added: “We feel more determined than ever to take the knee.”
Players have been taking the knee to highlight racial injustice.
Southgate spent several minutes of his news conference before England’s final match leading into Euro 2020, talking about the decision to continue taking the knee.
“Those people should put themselves in the shoes of the young players,” he added.
“How would they feel if their kids were in that situation? We feel more than ever determined to take the knee during the tournament.”
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/57370117
kudos to limeys.
I wanna know why this traitorous asshole isn’t in jail this minute! 😡
Focus on that other pandemic is getting a big push.
Help for minority farmers 👏🏾
Yes! 👍🏾👏🏾👏🏾
The Honorable Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States,
addressed The Economic Club of Chicago on June 4. Club Chair Debra A. Cafaro moderated the discussion. Following their conversation, Club President & CEO David Snyder posed questions from the audience.
Good West Coast morning Nerdy & TOD family.
Beauty Break
44 and 46 talk ACA milestone: 31 million insured! (I’m one of them!)
Proud ACA Papa 44
the good guys who sooth your heart.
… and save lives.
A traitorous thug’s brother, who did jacksquat to stop his seditious insurrection, now commanding the army.
The right wing gets to get the cake and eat it too.
Yet again.
New post.