Will Mueller Charge Mike Pence or Donald Trump Jr. In Russia Investigation in 2018?

Here's to hoping:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/mueller-charge-mike-pence-donald-114002104.html

The NYT has published a bombshell report on George Papadopoulos—the biggest Trump-Russia news since Flynn's plea. This thread dissects the new revelations—as well as some major implications for the Trump-Russia collusion narrative.

This Seth Abramson tweet storm is a powerful argument for his conclusion:

"My estimation, as a legal expert, is that the chances Mueller refers an impeachable offense to DOJ in mid-2018 or thereafter are 90%+."

Here’s the thread:

https://mobile.twitter.com/sethabramson/status/947255216725987328?ref_src=twcamp%5Eshare%7Ctwsrc%5Eios%7Ctwgr%5Ecom.apple.UIKit.activity.Message

Abramson made 100 tweets in the thread, so be sure to click on the "more replies" option to expand the thread (several times).

Survey Predicts Huge Amount of Non-Religious Americans by 2035

Even the U.S. is trending in the right direction:

http://bigthink.com/stephen-johnson/the-us-is-losing-its-religion-and-faster-than-you-may-think

Incoherent, authoritarian, uninformed: Trump’s New York Times interview is a scary read

Once again, Rump’s own words show how unfit he is to be president...or even exist:

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/12/29/16829806/trump-interview-new-york-times

This Accountant's take: Tax Laws, Social Engineering, & the 3 Events that Destroyed our Economy

The study that shows trickle-down economics doesn't work:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/21/1726664/-This-Accountant-s-Perspective-A-Short-History-Lesson-on-Tax-Policy-as-Social-Engineering

A Solution to the Trump-Russia Problem

A simple, elegant solution to the Trump problem that should be no problem for him...if he's telling the truth:

https://mobile.twitter.com/sethabramson/status/944434839444492288?ref_src=twcamp%5Eshare%7Ctwsrc%5Eios%7Ctwgr%5Ecom.apple.UIKit.activity.Message

The GOP Revealed a Bill to Replace Net Neutrality, and It’s Not Good

Even more GOP bullshit:

https://futurism.com/gop-revealed-bill-replace-net-neutrality-not-good/

Tax-Cut Santa Is Coming to Town

If you are rich enough, you can game the new tax plan to save big:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/21/opinion/tax-cut-santa.html

American woman living in Sweden describes the 'socialist nanny-state' and it sounds amazing

Just because this makes a good point:

https://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/12/22/1726873/-American-woman-living-in-Sweden-describes-the-socialist-nanny-state-and-it-sounds-amazing

The GOP Knows The End Is Near

I so very much hope this is true:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gop-knows-end-is-near_us_5a3bb7f7e4b06d1621b2394b?share=4dd90170

Jim Clapper Just Nuked the Trump Presidency

Clapper's opinions carry weight, just adding to what is already greatly suspected:

http://observer.com/2017/12/james-clapper-tells-cnn-donald-trump-is-vladimir-putins-kremlin-asset/

If you wondered why Republicans never confronted Trump over his disgraceful behaviour, here's your answer

I really hope this comes back to bite them in the ass so hard they can never sit again. Trickle-down economics needs to die once and for all:

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/trump-tax-cuts-republicans-sexual-assault-claims-ignore-this-is-why-trickle-down-a8119086.html

Poisoning The Well: The View Of Sinclair Broadcast Group From Flint

More danger of the media being taken over by conservative wingnuts:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/flint-michigan-sinclair-broadcast-group_us_5a32ae87e4b0e41f9e042428

Fox News and Donald Trump are in a feedback loop that threatens to blow up the republic

This is essentially my reaction to Fucks News propaganda:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/18/1725468/-Fox-News-and-Donald-Trump-are-in-a-feedback-loop-that-threatens-to-blow-up-the-republic

The arrival of Limbaugh, O'Reilly and Fox News are what started this rapid descent into hyperpartisanship.

CDC Director: There Are No Banned Words at the CDC. Period.

Okay, so it's not a ban...but it's still wrong:

https://futurism.com/cdc-director-no-banned-words-cdc/

Ex-CIA director says Fox is 'on notice' for its Mueller hit jobs

I don't know what "on notice" would entail, but I really think Faux News needs to be held accountable for disseminating demonstrably false claims and deliberately sowing societal division:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/15/1724933/-Ex-CIA-director-says-Fox-is-on-notice-for-its-Mueller-hit-jobs

Trump invited LaPierre to the White House on the anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre

If there's any question Trump isn't pure evil...

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/16/1725134/-Donald-Trump-has-no-decency-That-is-not-a-recrimination-It-s-a-fact

The Trump administration transition emails may have set the Trump administration up for criminal prosecution

It appears that not only does Mueller have the right to the Trump administration transition emails, but he likely used them to catch various Trump administration members in lies:

https://mobile.twitter.com/hoarsewisperer/status/942221228483469312

Somewhere Hillary must be chuckling....

The Trump Organization sees fortunes fall

Now THIS is great to see:

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20171115/REAL_ESTATE/171119940/the-trump-organization-sees-fortunes-fall

A Guide To Why The Trump-Republican Tax Plan Is A Disgrace

Per usual, Robert Reich clearly explains exactly what's wrong:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/a-guide-to-why-the-trump-republican-tax-plan-is-a-disgrace_us_5a359006e4b0ff955ad37951

The Banned CDC List is Religious Right Terrorism

Who would have thought the Trump administration and the religious right would make science a thought crime? Oh, wait...

https://johnpavlovitz.com/2017/12/16/banned-cdc-list-religious-right-terrorism/

The Christian Faith Lost in Alabama’s Election, Says Christianity Today Editor

Cue the wailing and gnashing of teeth!

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2017/december-web-only/roy-moore-doug-jones-alabama-editorial.html

At least some conservative Christians are realizing how much they suck.

Trump’s Lies vs. Obama’s

This is what happened when Trump supporters asked the NYT to compare Trump's lies to Obama's:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/12/14/opinion/sunday/trump-lies-obama-who-is-worse.html

"We have used the word “lies” again here, as we did in our original piece. If anything, though, the word is unfair to Obama and Bush. When they became aware that they had been saying something untrue, they stopped doing it. Obama didn’t continue to claim that all Americans would be able to keep their existing health insurance under Obamacare, for example, and Bush changed the way he spoke about Iraq’s weapons capability.

Trump is different. When he is caught lying, he will often try to discredit people telling the truth, be they judges, scientists, F.B.I. or C.I.A. officials, journalists or members of Congress. Trump is trying to make truth irrelevant. It is extremely damaging to democracy, and it’s not an accident. It’s core to his political strategy."

"In all, we found 18 different bald untruths from Obama during his presidency. Trump told his 18th separate untruth in his third full week in office, and his list keeps growing."

Republicans Shouldn’t Assume Roy Moore Was An Outlier

It's helpful to see this broken down by statistics:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/republicans-shouldnt-assume-roy-moore-was-an-outlier/amp/

How Doug Jones Beat Roy Moore and Shocked the World

Here are a couple of very encouraging articles on the results of the Alabama Senate seat vote:

http://time.com/5062625/doug-jones-alabama-senate-results-upset/

and

"8 numbers out of Alabama that should terrify Republicans":

http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/13/politics/alabama-exit-poll-analysis/index.html

But one important thing to keep in mind...Roy Moore is an accused child molester. I think that influenced the vote more than anything.

Trump continues to be accused of dementia. Let’s administer the mini-mental state exam.

Listen to interviews of Trump from 20 years ago and you can hear a HUGE degradation in his ability to articulate.


http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2017/12/trump_continues_to_be_accused_of_dementia_let_s_administer_the_mini_mental.html

Here's what really scares Donald Trump

The only problem is that I think it would be as difficult for the media to not cover Trump as it is for him to not be covered by the media:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/11/politics/donald-trump-tv-analysis/index.html

‘Father Of The Internet’ Skewers FCC: ‘You Don’t Understand How The Internet Works’

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/internet-pioneers-fcc-net-neutrality_us_5a2f48a9e4b046175432ca2c

Study: The Worst-Case Climate Predictions Are the Most Accurate Ones.

Lovely.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/12/1723505/-The-Worst-Case-Climate-Predictions-Seem-To-Be-the-Most-Accurate-Ones

The Nazi-Puncher’s Dilemma

I had no idea there was this much to the Antifa movement:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nazi-punch-antifa_us_59e13ae9e4b03a7be580ce6f

This Nobel Laureate Is Worried U.S. Politics Could Endanger Scientific Research

And this is why I make my YouTube videos (https://www.youtube.com/user/Underlings/videos):

http://time.com/5058040/nobel-michael-rosbash-politics-science/

Roy Moore in 2011: Getting rid of amendments after 10th would 'eliminate many problems'

http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/10/politics/kfile-roy-moore-aroostook-watchmen/index.html

13th: Abolishes slavery, and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.
15th: Prohibits the denial of the right to vote based on race, color or previous condition of servitude.
19th: Prohibits the denial of the right to vote based on sex.
24th: Prohibits the revocation of voting rights due to the non-payment of a poll tax or any other tax.

Nice guy, that Moore fella....

Media Bias Ratings

This blog definitely has a strongly liberal bent, although I do hunt a lot of different sources for stories and articles. Here are a few interesting links that show the liberal vs. conservative leanings of various news sources and their audiences:

https://www.allsides.com/bias/bias-ratings

http://www.businessinsider.com/what-your-preferred-news-outlet-says-about-your-political-ideology-2014-10

http://www.journalism.org/2014/10/21/political-polarization-media-habits/

Wealth Inequality in America

A reminder of just how HUGE the wealth gap actually is:

https://www.quora.com/U-S-presidential-primary-candidate-Bernie-Sanders-says-It-is-profoundly-wrong-that-the-top-1-own-more-wealth-than-the-bottom-95-Why-is-that-wrong-Is-everyone-entitled-to-the-same-amount-of-wealth/answer/Jonah-Evans?srid=uBhZO

Psychiatrists Sound Alarm: Trump Deteriorating By the Day. We Are All In Danger.

Alarmist, almost certainly...but this is a legitimate fear about Trump:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/9/1721989/-Psychiatrists-Sound-Alarm-Trump-Deteriorating-By-the-Day-We-Are-All-In-Danger?

Inside Trump's Hour-by-Hour Battle for Self-Preservation

A wonderfully detailed description of Trump's neediness, incompetence and daily routine:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/09/us/politics/donald-trump-president.html?_r=0

God’s Plan for Mike Pence

This is a good detailing of Mike Pence and his evil ambitions:

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/01/gods-plan-for-mike-pence/546569/

Republicans Bet Tax Cuts Would Help Their Political Fortunes. They May Have Misread That

Here's to hoping:

http://time.com/5056851/republicans-tax-cuts-bill-paul-ryan/

Solar and Wind Power Face Serious Threats From the Trump Administration

This is fucking criminal:

http://time.com/5049849/solar-power-wind-power-trump-coal/

Republican House Members Think a $450k Salary is Middle Class

http://www.newsweek.com/tax-cuts-republicans-middle-class-trump-701094

6 Ideas For A Truly Radical Tax System Instead Of Trump's Tax Plan For The Wealthy

Some good ideas here:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/radical-tax-systems_us_5a158ea2e4b025f8e932ceb8

I study liars. I’ve never seen one like President Trump.

To quote Al Franken, "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them":

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/i-study-liars-ive-never-seen-one-like-president-trump/2017/12/07/4e529efe-da3f-11e7-a841-2066faf731ef_story.html

Watch: Roy Moore Claims Teaching Evolution Causes Crime

In case you think Roy Moore is "just" a child molester:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2017/12/watch-roy-moore-claims-teaching-evolution-causes-crime/

Fortunately, his lies are catching up with him:

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2017/12/roy_moore_s_story_is_unraveling.html

GOP Politician Wore Sexist Bible Shirt When Cops Found Him With Underage Boy

Only the GOP can generate this level of scandal:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2017/12/06/gop-politician-wore-sexist-bible-shirt-when-cops-found-him-with-underage-boy/#7GTAURTpI05MUPec.99

Teacher-turned-congressman hilariously grades Mitch McConnell's tax scam pitch to voters: FAIL

Amusing and depressing at the same time:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/7/1722131/-Teacher-turned-Congressman-hilariously-grades-Mitch-McConnell-s-tax-scam-pitch-to-voters-FAIL

Voucher Schools Championed By Betsy DeVos Can Teach Whatever They Want. Turns Out They Teach Lies

I wonder how many thousands of "lost" kids there are because of this:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/school-voucher-evangelical-education-betsy-devos_us_5a021962e4b04e96f0c6093c

The three ultra-rich families battling for control of the Republican party

This is a very interesting breakdown of the three competing empires:

"Each family is closely tied to the Republican leader of one branch of government: Robert, Diana, and Rebekah Mercer helped propel Trump’s bombastic rise to the White House. Industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch funded the Tea Party and its protege, House speaker Paul Ryan. And while casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and his wife Miriam Ochsorn are on the party’s more moderate wing, they have long stood behind the calculating, conservative Senate leader, McConnell, who even before the Tea Party’s rise was known as an extreme obstructionist, dedicated to stomping out the bipartisan compromises that historically made the US government work."

https://qz.com/1085077/mercers-vs-kochs-vs-adelsons-the-three-ultra-rich-families-battling-for-control-of-the-republican-party/

Besides money, the one thing they all have in common? What they support is reprehensible.

While Defending Roy Moore, Steve Bannon Slams Mitt Romney For Not Serving In Vietnam

How can he be so stupid as to make this claim without realizing that his ex-boss and favorite prez is guilty of the same claim?

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bannon-moore-roy-moore_us_5a274f98e4b0c2117626acd6

Hypocrisy, thy name is Republican....

“Kick Him Where It Counts”: Conservative Appeals to Violence as a Distraction Technique

More Christian hypocrisy:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/lovejoyfeminism/2017/12/kick-him-where-it-counts.html

Trump Will Recognize Jerusalem As Israel's Capital And Announce U.S. Embassy Move

Trump is not just about petty attempts to destroy Obama's legacy, but also about causing chaos and division wherever he can:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-jerusalem-israel-capital_us_5a21450ce4b0a02abe9065ca

RNC Brings Back Support for Roy Moore

Moore GOP party of evil:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gop-brings-back-support-for-roy-moore_us_5a26da57e4b0c8496fdc389b

Top Pennsylvania Republicans Are Fighting Like Hell To Keep Gerrymandering Secret

The GOP has become the party of evil:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pennsylvania-gerrymandering-lawsuits_us_5a26fb91e4b0ee6f9637e7a4

5 Places Where the State Department Is Desperately Needed

Weakening our relationships and influence overseas isn't exactly a smart idea:

http://time.com/5043528/rex-tillerson-secretary-of-state-diplomats-needed/

Polling trends for Trump and Roy Moore are starting to look remarkably similar

For the "Duh" file: Republicans have no shame:

https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/12/04/polling-trends-for-trump-and-roy-moore-are-starting-to-look-remarkably-similar/23296778/

How Robert Mueller’s Deal With Michael Flynn Neutralizes Trump’s Pardon Power

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2017/12/robert_mueller_s_deal_with_michael_flynn_neutralizes_trump_s_pardon_power.html

Not only that, but pardoning Flynn now would be like closing the barn doors after the horses are gone...because the FBI wouldn’t have offered Flynn a deal if he hadn’t already given up all he knows.

Michael Flynn’s Guilty Plea: 10 Key Takeaways

Christmas comes early:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/01/opinion/michael-flynn-guilty-plea-takeaways.html

Trump is in trouble. Yeah, baby!

I’m a Depression historian. The GOP tax bill is straight out of 1929.

This is a good explanation of the failures of "trickle down" economics:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/11/30/im-a-depression-historian-the-gop-tax-bill-is-straight-out-of-1929/

Christian Group That Endorses Roy Moore Wants Congress to Eject Sexual Harassers

AGAIN with the fucking hypocrites....

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2017/11/30/christian-group-that-endorses-roy-moore-wants-congress-to-eject-sexual-harassers/