September 2020 – Page 3

Trump says he could beat Oprah in 2020, doesn't think she'll run

Posted on September 28, 2020 by pirhi

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 said Tuesday he could beat entertainment mogul Oprah Winfrey in the 2020 presidential race, but doesn’t think she’ll make a run for the White House.

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“Yeah, I’ll beat Oprah. Oprah will be lots of fun,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with lawmakers about immigration. “I don’t think she’s going to run.”

Winfrey’s rousing speech at the Golden Globes started an avalanche of speculation that she could run for president. Her speech ignited a media frenzy over the possibility that Winfrey, a beloved television personality and business mogul, could take on Trump, himself a reality TV star and one of the most famous people in the world.

At the Oval Office meeting on Tuesday, Trump reminded reporters that he had been on one of Winfrey’s last shows.

“I like Oprah,” he said.

Trump has expressed his admiration for Winfrey in the past. In 1999, he mentioned her as a possible running mate should he ever run for president.

The possibility of a Winfrey candidacy has energized many Democrats, who view her as the perfect foil to Trump.

Winfrey, an African-American woman and rape survivor who grew up in poverty, is a self-made billionaire with the ability to emotionally connect with ordinary Americans through the media.

Still, some liberals have warned Democrats against becoming dazzled by Winfrey’s celebrity, arguing instead that the party has a deep bench of highly qualified women candidates that are already in office.

While initial reports seemed to indicate that Winfrey was seriously considering taking the plunge, her allies have since thrown some cold water on the notion that it is a sure thing.

Gayle King, who is close friends with Winfrey, said on “CBS This Morning” earlier Tuesday that Winfrey finds the idea “intriguing” but added that she doesn’t believe Winfrey is actually considering it right now.

And while Winfrey’s partner, Stedman Graham, was initially quoted as saying that she “absolutely” would run, he has since said his remarks were taken out of context and that he only meant to convey that she would “absolutely” make a great president if she did run.

–Jordan Fabian contributed to this report, which was updated at 1:07 p.m.

WWE SmackDown video highlights: Reigns & Uso face-to-face

Posted on September 28, 2020 by pirhi

Universal Champion Roman Reigns laid out his cousin Jey Uso on the final episode of SmackDown before their title match at Clash of Champions.

After tension between them following tag matches in back-to-back weeks, a face-to-face discussion with Reigns and Uso headlined SmackDown’s go-home show for Clash of Champions. Uso said earlier in the episode that he wanted to know what the look Reigns gave him last week was all about, but Paul Heyman told him they’d be doing things on Reigns’ time and not when Uso wanted it.

Reigns said he’d give Uso the Universal title if he could, but the truth is Uso wouldn’t even know what to do with it. Reigns said Uso doesn’t understand the responsibility and pressure that comes with being the face of WWE. For Uso’s entire life, he’s depended on his brother. Reigns said Uso has been one half of the greatest tag team of their generation and their family is so proud of him for that, but their family depends on Reigns and relies on him to be the tribal chief. Reigns said Uso will never be that. It’ll always be Reigns.

Uso responded by asking Reigns what if he’s wrong. Uso wanted to know why he can’t be the one to provide for their family, his wife, and his kids. Reigns has been on top for his whole life. But when people have seen Jey, they’ve just asked him which Uso he is. Uso promised that will change after Sunday and people will know him as the person who defeated Reigns for the Universal Championship.

As Uso was heading to the back, Reigns laid him out with a Superman punch. Reigns said their family relies on him to be Universal Champion and Uso won’t take that from him. Reigns told Uso that he can get his pay-per-view payday and the ass whooping that comes with it, but he’ll never take Reigns’ title or his place at the head of the table.

More coverage from last night —
WWE 205 Live results: Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott vs. Ariya Daivari
WWE SmackDown live results: Final build to Clash of Champions
WWE SmackDown video highlights —

Intercontinental title ascension ceremony

Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn

Otis refuses to give up his Money in the Bank contract without a fight

Bayley sends a message to Sasha Banks and Nikki Cross

Gran Metalik vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

WWE legends pay tribute to Road Warrior Animal on social media

Roman Reigns & Jey Uso’s family members comment on their title match

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Jey Uso wants to know what last week’s look from Roman Reigns was all about

Matt Riddle vs. Baron Corbin

SmackDown’s mystery woman is untouchable

Alexa Bliss vs. Lacey Evans

Roman Reigns lays out Jey Uso ahead of Clash of Champions

SmackDown fallout: AJ Styles is confident heading into Clash of Champions

SmackDown fallout: Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro vow to retain their titles on Sunday

SmackDown fallout: Communication is key for Lucha House Party

Planet Breaches 410 ppm as Back-to-Back Protests Demand Trump Wake Up

Posted on September 28, 2020 by pirhi

The amount of carbon in the Earth’s atmosphere is now officially off the charts as the planet last week breached the 410 parts per million (ppm) milestone for the first time in human history.

“It’s a new atmosphere that humanity will have to contend with, one that’s trapping more heat and causing the climate to change at a quickening rate,” wrote Climate Central‘s Brian Kahn. “Carbon dioxide hasn’t reached that height in millions of years.”

The milestone was recorded Tuesday at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii by the Keeling Curve, a program of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California San Diego. Since the planet reached the dangerous new normal of 400 ppm last year, scientists have warned that that the accelerated rate at which concentrations of CO2 are rising means that humanity is marching further and further past the symbolic red line towards climate chaos.

What’s more, as Aarne Granlund, a graduate student researching climate change at the University of the Arctic, pointed out, the recording was taken before carbon levels are expected to reach their annual peak, meaning they could soon notch even higher.

But despite the unprecedented threat, climate action has ground to a halt in the United States under the leadership of President Donald Trump and Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt, forcing campaigners and concerned citizens to take to the streets in droves to prompt the government to do something to address the threat of planetary devastation.

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Saturday’s March for Science saw tens of thousands of people rally in Washington, D.C. and across the world to send a message to the Trump administration that governance should be based on research and facts—not ideology.

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Speaking at the march in San Diego, Ralph Keeling, director of the CO2 program at Scripps whose father founded the Keeling Curve, gave an impassioned speech on why legislators need to abandon the partisan effort to stymie environmental legislation, declaring: “The climate change debate has been over for decades.”

Now, infused by the energy of the March for Science, campaigners are gearing up for next weekend’s Peoples Climate March with a week of action that centers on creating a just transition away from fossil fuels.

“The Peoples Climate March is the next step for the March for Science, a call to get more engaged in our political system, to confront power, and to demand solutions,” explained May Boeve, executive director of 350.org.

“The demands we will put forward—respect for Indigenous peoples, investments in communities on the front lines of the climate crisis, transitioning from fossil fuels to 100 percent clean energy economy that works for all, and more,” Boeve continued, “highlight the intersections between our different struggles, and the common solutions we can work for together.”

Dubbed “From Truth to Justice: Earth Day to May Day 2017,” the more than 50 events in the lead-up to Saturday will include strategy sessions, a massive youth convergence, the introduction of a 100 percent Clean Energy Bill in Congress, and non-violent direct actions.

On Friday, activists will form “Mother Earth’s red line” on the Capitol lawn to symbolize the multiple lines that must not be crossed by corporations and governments in the increasingly severe climate crisis, organizers said.

“This is about strength in unity; diverse groups of people are coming together like never before and are creating a red line of protection against capitalism, militarism, and racism,” said Kandi Mossett, Indigenous energy and climate campaign organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network, one of the group’s organizing the direct action. “We are here to push for solutions like Indigenous rights, divestment, and renewable energy as we continue to fight for a just transition away from a fossil fuel based economy.”

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Kushner Family Tells Wealthy Chinese: Invest With Us and You Can Immigrate

Posted on September 28, 2020 by pirhi

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner’s family business encouraged wealthy Chinese citizens to “invest $500,000″ in their real estate empire and then be allowed to immigrate to the United States.

That was the message for an event held Saturday in a ballroom full of wealthy Chinese investors at the Ritz-Carlton in Beijing, The Washington Post reported.

Kushner’s sister, Nicole Meyer, encouraged those in the ballroom to invest in her family’s New Jersey real estate project and get an investor visa in return.

The visa, known as the EB-5 immigrant investor visa program, gives foreign investors the opportunity to invest in projects in the U.S and then lets them apply to immigrate to the U.S. The program has been used by both the Trump and Kushner family businesses.

The investor visa program is extremely popular among very rich Chinese eager to get their families — and their wealth — out of China.

The event was hosted by the Qiaowai Group, the leading brand of China’s immigration industry, which is working to get funding for Kushner 1, a family project in New Jersey which includes two towers, 1,476 luxury apartments and a medical center for pets. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2018. Chinese investors are already major funders of Kushner projects in New Jersey and around New York City.

The New York Times reports that Ms. Meyer said the project “means a lot to me and my entire family.” She also mentioned her brother’s service as chief executive of Kushner Companies.

“This project has stable funding, creates sufficient jobs and guarantees the safety of investors’ money,” the description of the project said. The tagline on a brochure for the event: “Invest $500,000 and immigrate to the United States.” The brochure made note of the Kushner family’s “celebrity” status, but did not mention the president specifically.

Not all attendees were convinced. One Chinese investor who attended the event, Wang Yun, told The Post: “Even though this is the project of the son-in-law’s family, of course it is still affiliated. We heard that there are rumors that he is the most likely to be impeached president in American history. That’s why I doubt this project.”

The Washington Post reporter was then asked to leave because the presence of foreign reporters threatened the “stability” of the event.

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Javier Hernández, China correspondent for the New York Times, reported that he tried to ask Nicole Kushner whether $150 million in Chinese investment posed a conflict of interest and was told to “Leave us alone!”

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Pruitt Offers 'Incoherent Distortions of Reality' in Defense of Paris Exit

Posted on September 28, 2020 by pirhi

Scott Pruitt, head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), tried on Friday to defend President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement by selectively quoting from “the environmental left,” which at times criticized the deal for not going far enough.

Mentioning both the Sierra Club and noted former NASA climate scientist James Hansen by name, Pruitt falsely claimed that they opposed the deal “largely because it didn’t hold nations like China and India accountable.”

Responding to the press conference as it unfolded, the Sierra Club tweeted: “The Sierra Club fully supports the Paris Agreement. Scott Pruitt is a liar.”

Others chimed in:

Meanwhile, Pruitt, who has publicly questioned the science of global warming and who since taking office has systemically deconstructed many of the United States’ environmental regulations and protections, took pains to frame Trump’s withdrawal from the global accord as something done in the interest of the environment.

“Truly,” Pruitt said, “Paris at its core was a bunch of words committed to very minimal environmental benefits.”

After, when asked by a reporter if Trump believes that “climate change is real and a threat to the United States,” Pruitt said that his personal beliefs were not germane to the discussions he had with the president about the accord.

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He said that the president was “focused on” whether the agreement “impacted us economically and whether good environmental objectives were achieved as a result of Paris. His decision was no, and that was our discussion.”

Pruitt also took fire from critics for citing the much-derided New York Times columnist Bret Stephens, a known “climate-change  denier and an incendiary Islamophobe,” in defense of the Paris withdrawal.

In a statement following the press briefing, Sierra Club’s Global Climate Policy director John Coequyt said that Pruitt is “clearly scrambling to explain the unexplainable” amid the “firestorm of criticism about Trump’s historic mistake to pull out of the Paris Agreement.”

“Pruitt’s incoherent distortions of reality offer no good reasons why the Trump Administration would turn its back on the vast majorities of the public that support the Paris Agreement because there are no good reasons. Pruitt is learning that the hard way,” Coequyt said, adding that he and Trump are now “complicit in endangering our families and our future by making this historic mistake just to boost the profits of a few corporate polluters.”

Taking the podium after Pruitt, White House press secretary Sean Spicer also dodged questions about Trump’s beliefs regarding climate change. “You say you haven’t discussed climate change with the president,” one reporter asked. “Can you have that discussion?” Spicer responded: “I will try.”

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GOP Proposes 'Draconian' Bills to Criminalize Millions of Immigrants

Posted on September 28, 2020 by pirhi

The Republican Party is proposing three draconian bills that critics say will turn millions of immigrants into criminals overnight, and also empower Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to enact mass deportations.

The proposed legislation comes as ICE reports that President Donald Trump’s executive orders cracking down on immigration resulted in a 40 percent increase in arrests and detentions—and a 158 percent increase in arrests of immigrants with no criminal history—when compared to the same time period last year.

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“[T]he vast majority—91 percent—of the arrests of immigrants with criminal histories—more than 27,700 people arrested over three months—had only a non-violent offense on their records, which could include offenses like simple drug possession, driving without a license, and entering the U.S. illegally,” notes Human Rights Watch.

“For every arrest of an immigrant with a violent conviction, ICE arrested four immigrants with no criminal history and 10 with a previous non-violent conviction,” the advocacy group continues. “This means that every single day, ICE arrested 112 people with no criminal history, 286 people with a previous non-violent criminal conviction, and only 28 people with a previous violent conviction.”

But it appears that detaining and deporting tens of thousands for nonviolent offenses isn’t enough for the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans.

The Intercept‘s Ryan Deveraeux reports on the frightening new legislation, which would further ramp up the government’s crackdown on immigrants:

Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) told Deveraux that the proposed laws would also turn so-called Dreamers—young people protected by former President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program—into criminals. “This draconian bill is absolutely wrong,” Schneider said. “DACA recipients are not criminals.”

The Davis-Oliver act would turn into law Trump’s promises to cut funding to sanctuary states and cities. “Under the law, states would also be required to provide [the Department of Homeland Security] a wide range of details on all immigrants who are apprehended and ‘believed to be inadmissible or deportable,’ including that individual’s name, address, photo, and license plate number, as well as other identifying information,” writes Devereaux.

The law would also empower ICE agents to arrest people without a warrant, and arm those agents with military-grade equipment.

“Under the bill,” notes Devereaux, “those deportation officers would be heavily armed, with each officer issued ‘high-quality body armor’ and ‘at a minimum, standard-issue handguns, M–4 (or equivalent) rifles, and Tasers.'”

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Arrests of Trumpcare Protesters, Some in Wheelchairs, Outside McConnell's Office

Posted on September 28, 2020 by pirhi

Soon after a draft version of the Republican’s Senate version of their Trumpcare care bill was released Thursday morning, Capitol Hill Police were systematically arresting people who staged a dramatic sit-in outside of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office.

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“Our lives and liberty shouldn’t be stolen to give a tax break to the wealthy. That’s truly un-American.” —Bruce Darling, ADAPT

Amid chants of “Don’t Touch Medicaid!” and signs suggesting the same, many of those protesting the Senate bill were either elderly or in wheelchairs, offering a stunning visual as police tried to remove them from the hallway.

ADAPT, the national disability rights group behind the protest, said the Senate’s bill is a direct threat to the future of people with pre-existing conditions and disabilities.

The proposed caps and cuts to Medicaid contained in the Republican bill, said ADAPT organizer Bruce Darling, would “greatly reduce access to medical care and home and community based service for elderly and disabled Americans who will either die or be forecd into institutions. Our lives and liberty shouldn’t be stolen to give a tax break to the wealthy. That’s truly un-American.”

The Washington Post provided this footage via Facebook Live:

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Warning of Sixth Mass Extinction, Scientists Implore Global Action

Posted on September 28, 2020 by pirhi

“The serious warning in our paper needs to be heeded because civilization depends utterly on the plants, animals, and microorganisms of Earth that supply it with essential ecosystem services.”
—Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday argues based on “current trends of population declines and extinctions” that we are currently witnessing Earth’s “sixth mass extinction.”

“Population extinctions today are orders of magnitude more frequent than species extinctions,” the study’s authors—scientists Gerardo Ceballos, Paul Ehrlich, and Rodolfo Dirzo—argue.

They continue:

The scientists suggest that while multiple factors have contributed to the “biological annihilation” that has accelerated rapidly in recent decades, “the ultimate drivers” are “human overpopulation and continued population growth, and overconsumption, especially by the rich.”

Given that “the sixth mass extinction is already here” and not merely a dire possibility to be guarded against in the distant future, “the window for effective action is very short, probably two or three decades at most,” the scientists write.

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“All signs point to ever more powerful assaults on biodiversity in the next two decades, painting a dismal picture of the future of life, including human life,” they conclude.

Acknowledging the warnings of researchers wary of “overstating the science in a way that presents the problem as unsolvable,” Ceballos, Ehrlich, and Dirzo insist that their dire message is an urgent call to action, not an expression of doom-and-gloom defeatism.

Ehrlich, speaking with the Guardian, argued that the use of “strong language” is in this case warranted by the science.

“The time to act is very short,” Ceballos added.

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House GOP campaign groups post record hauls

Posted on September 27, 2020 by pirhi

Two prominent outside groups aligned with Speaker Paul RyanPaul Davis RyanBush, Romney won’t support Trump reelection: NYT Twitter joins Democrats to boost mail-in voting — here’s why Lobbying world MORE (R-Wis.) combined to raise $66 million in 2017, record hauls that Republicans will need as they seek to maintain a majority in the House amid stiff political headwinds.

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The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), which raised less than $500,000 in the last off-year, pulled in $26 million in 2017 and has $15 million in cash-on-hand. An affiliated group, the American Action Network (AAN), brought in another $40 million.

“CLF’s record-setting off-year fundraising is a testament to Speaker Ryan’s leadership and House Republicans’ conservative agenda,” CLF and AAN Executive Director Corry Bliss said in a statement. “Knowing history is against us, CLF’s field program has laid the groundwork to protect the Republican House majority well ahead of Election Day, opening 27 field offices and making over 5 million voter contacts to date. AAN is well-prepared to continue to promote the conservative policies of House leadership, and CLF is ready to ensure Republicans maintain the majority in 2018.” 

The party that controls the White House has historically struggled to maintain seats in Congress in midterm elections.

Democrats need to pick up 24 seats to take control of the House in 2018 and 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’s low approval rating, coupled with the Democrats’ double-digit lead in generic ballot polling, has some predicting a wave election in which Republicans could lose the House.

The GOP’s efforts to hold on to the House have been complicated by a string of retirements. On Monday, House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ed RoyceEdward (Ed) Randall RoyceGil Cisneros to face Young Kim in rematch of 2018 House race in California The most expensive congressional races of the last decade Mystery surrounds elusive sanctions on Russia MORE (R-Calif.) became the eighth panel chairman to announce he would not seek reelection.

House Republicans will have to defend at least 30 open seats in 2018 due to retirements, resignations or lawmakers seeking other offices, while Democrats will only have to contend with about half as many open seats.

The CLF and AAN have been putting their money to use by setting up shop in competitive districts.

The groups have offices in more than two-dozen congressional districts that are currently held by Republicans and claim that staffers there have already made more than 5 million voter contacts in the last year.

Conyers's son launches campaign for his House seat: report

Posted on September 27, 2020 by pirhi

The son of former Rep. John ConyersJohn James ConyersFormer impeachment managers clash over surveillance bill VA could lead way for nation on lower drug pricing The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Dems release first transcripts from impeachment probe witnesses MORE Jr. (D-Mich.) is running for his father’s old seat, a decision that sets him up to square off against one of his family members in the Democratic primary.

John Conyers III, 27, filed paperwork on Wednesday for the seat vacated by his father, who resigned in December amid sexual misconduct allegations, according to The Detroit News.

He will now face off against his cousin, state Sen. Ian Conyers (D), who has already jumped into the race.

When Conyers resigned from his seat — which he held for five decades — he endorsed his son. That decision surprised many in Michigan politics, including Conyers III, who has never run for office. His online bio says he currently works for a partner at a hedge fund.

The Detroit News said that Conyers III lives in both Detroit and Los Angeles and that in his filing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) he used his parents’ address in Detroit as his own.

Political observers in Michigan believe Ian Conyers, 29, who won a special election last year for his state Senate seat, would likely have an advantage over his cousin. He also worked as a regional field director for former President Obama in 2012.

The negative headlines about Conyers III will prove a tough hurdle of him in his House bid.

He was arrested in February by Los Angeles police on suspicion of domestic violence, which he’s denied. Prosecutors declined to charge him due to a lack of third-party witnesses. In 2010, Conyers III was cited for speeding in his father’s government-leased car. The former congressman had to repay more than $5,000 to the U.S. Treasury over his son’s use of the car.

But the two Conyers won’t be the only ones vying for the deep-blue, Detroit-area seat. The Democratic field is expected to keep growing and already includes state Sen. Coleman Young II and Detroit attorney Michael Gilmore.

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