HOUSTON (CBSDFW.COM/AP) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to begin releasing water into Buffalo Bayou from two flood-control dams on the western outskirts of the city.
Col. Lars Zetterstrom is commander of the Galveston District of the Corps of Engineers. He says water will be released from the Barker Reservoir and Addicks Reservoir very slowly on Monday morning to prevent uncontrollable flooding of downtown Houston and the Houston Ship Channel.
Col. Lars Zetterstrom is commander of the Galveston District of the Corps of Engineers. He says water will be released from the Barker Reservoir and Addicks Reservoir very slowly on Monday morning to prevent uncontrollable flooding of downtown Houston and the Houston Ship Channel.
#BREAKING: US Army Corps of Engineers will release water overnight through 2 Houston-area dams due to flooding https://t.co/SwGyYSfTO6
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) August 28, 2017
CBS 11 Meteorologist Scott Padgett says that flooding in Houston could get worse before it gets better.
Zetterstrom told KPRC-TV in Houston that water could be released from the Addicks Reservoir beginning at 2 a.m. and from the Barker Reservoir at 11 a.m. He adds that some neighborhoods on the fringes of the reservoir are likely to see some floods — possibly by 2p.m. Monday.
Zetterstrom said the dams were performing as they were designed to perform in these conditions.
Downtown Houston is 17 miles downstream from the dams, which were built during the 1940s in response to a 1935 flood that inundated much of downtown area.
Zetterstrom says the water contained by the dams is “unparalleled in the dams’ history.” The waters are rising about 4 inches per hour.
Zetterstrom says the dams will impound water for one to three months as water is gradually released.
But, they can’t sign Kaep.
Uh huh
Uh huh
https://twitter.com/BSO/status/902232405733453825
https://twitter.com/cmclymer/status/902254954181775360
Facial Merkin @facialmerkin
Asked Joel Osteen why he won’t open his megachurch to Harvey victims he blocked me. Church reaps $77M tax free annually #HoustonStrong
https://twitter.com/davecatanese/status/902270199029788673
https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/902347588992675841
uh huh
The Secretary of Exxon at work
Tillerson Moves to Cut Special Envoys including Representative for Climate Change
August 28, 2017 at 4:01 pm EDT
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson “is moving to eliminate or downgrade special envoy positions at the State Department, including the representative for climate change, a step that is sure to ignite vociferous opposition from some members of Congress,” CNN reports.
In a letter obtained by CNN and written to Senator Bob Corker, the Tennessee Republican who heads the foreign relations committee, Tillerson said he would end or transfer as many as three dozen special envoy positions.
“I believe that the Department will be able to better execute its mission by integrating certain envoys and special representative offices within the regional and functional bureaus,” Tillerson wrote Corker, “and eliminating those that have accomplished or outlived their original purpose.”
Tillerson aide: Constitution, not Trump, ‘speaks for the country’
Special envoys for Syria, Sudan and South Sudan, and the Arctic will be eliminated.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/28/politics/tillerson-state-dept-envoys/index.html
TheAverageBlackMan™ @TheAvgBlackMan
Does it surprise me Joel Olsteen won’t help displaced flood victims??
NO…he’s a Trump supporter
https://twitter.com/TPM/status/902237183083515904
https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/902254983999041542
https://twitter.com/TDHCA/status/902239400112918529
https://twitter.com/CBSThisMorning/status/902269719880900608
https://twitter.com/donmsantana/status/775339653226520576
https://twitter.com/WhitneyonTV/status/902328255444897793
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/902295722653044737
More pics from the flooding in La Grange
uh huh
uh huh
Qasim Rashid, Esq.
✔
@MuslimIQ
3 different Houston mosques & 100+ members of @MuslimYouthUSA are out & serving Houstonians while Joel Osteen’s $50M megachurch sits closed.
https://twitter.com/MattMurph24/status/902341211150848000
yeah…this….
Sherrilyn Ifill ✔ @Sifill_LDF
What is this thing w/enthusiastically engaging in racial discrimination, but getting your feelings hurt when you’re called a racist?
YvonneWingettSanchezVerified account @yvonnewingett
NEW Arpaio’s team will put out statement asking media to stop saying he is racist; he’s been distressed by mischaracterization of reports
2:07 PM – 28 Aug 2017
Mueller Looks at Trump Role In Hiding Purpose of Don Jr. Meeting
August 28, 2017 at 6:48 pm EDT
Federal investigators working for special counsel Robert Mueller are keenly focused on President Trump’s role in crafting a response to a published article about a meeting between Russians and his son Donald Jr., three sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.
The sources told NBC News that prosecutors want to know what Trump knew about the meeting and whether he sought to conceal its purpose.
At the time, the White House confirmed that Trump had ‘weighed in’ as the response to the New York Times report was drafted aboard Air Force One on July 8 as the president returned to the U.S. from Germany. the Washington Post reported that Trump had ‘dictated’ the response.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mueller-team-asking-if-trump-tried-hide-purpose-trump-tower-n796746
https://twitter.com/cspan/status/902273443911041024
https://twitter.com/CNN/status/902320558750273537
https://twitter.com/Kaepernick7/status/902307073475710978
“Mapping the Devastation of Harvey In Houston”
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/28/us/houston-maps-hurricane-harvey.html
https://twitter.com/TheRoot/status/902265456546996224
La Grange flooding….
STRAIGHT UP PHUCKING EVIL!!!!!
Trump Has Been Lying About Russia and Felix Sater All Along
by Martin Longman
August 28, 2017
I wrote most comprehensively about Felix Sater in a piece we published in February called Trump’s SoHo Project, the Mob, and Russian Intelligence and in an April piece entitled Trump, Felix Sater, and the FBI. I also mentioned him and his relationship with Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen in How Did Alex Oronov Die and Why Does It Matter?, a piece I wrote in March. You might also be interested in the Mobbed Up article that Mike Lofgren published with us in February. In any case, if you’ve been following along, the name Felix Sater should be somewhat familiar to you. If you haven’t been keeping up with Sater here, perhaps you’ve been following the coverage at Talking Points Memo where Josh Marshall has been on the case like white on rice.
…………………………
Trump has been telling a lot of lies, and maybe foremost among them has been the lie that he has had no business deals in Russia or anything to do with Russia at all. Felix Sater’s testimony and his documents will prove otherwise.
……………………………………….
There’s a tremendous amount of stuff to unpack here, and the intelligence committees in Congress will have to pore over Sater’s documents and question him carefully. Special Counsel Bob Mueller will be looking, too, although we won’t hear anything from him unless and until someone gets indicted or there is an impeachment referral.
For now, let’s just try to remember why Trump denied having business deals in Russia. He denied it because he demonstrated an abnormal tendency to praise Vladimir Putin that was hard to understand absent some financial incentive for doing so. That he either had Russian deals that were vulnerable or wished to pursue Russian deals and didn’t want to jeopardize them was such an obvious inference that it didn’t need to be explained to anyone. He was asked if these were the explanations for his behavior and he said the whole idea was made up and ludicrous.
But people’s suspicions were 100 percent accurate. He was lying the entire time.
Can we say liar-in-chief?
Arpaio Pardon Reaffirms Trump’s Promotion of Police Brutality
by Nancy LeTourneau
August 28, 2017
When Trump announced his pardon of Joe Arpaio on Friday night, one of my immediate thoughts was to remember that it was only a month ago that he said this:
Marcy Wheeler points out that by pardoning Arpaio, Trump was sending an important signal to this part of his base.
Automatic voter registration keeps expanding, reaches 10th state
08/28/17 11:20 AM
By Steve Benen
As recently as early 2015, a grant total of zero states had automatic voter registration. As of this morning, however, AVR is now the law of the land in one-fifth of the states. The NBC affiliate in Chicago reports that Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner (R) signed his state’s measure this morning.
Death toll from Hurricane Harvey reaches eight, Texas officials say
Officials in Texas said Monday afternoon that at least eight people appear to have died as a result of the storm battering the state. That toll includes six people in Harris County, home to Houston; one person in Rockport, near where Harvey made landfall; and another person in La Marque, near Galveston.
Authorities expect the toll to rise as rescue efforts continue and more rain, rising rivers and surging floodwaters pummel the Gulf Coast.
https://twitter.com/CoreyGolanj/status/902217665703489536
My gosh, the water is at the rooftops.
So many people are going to lose their homes in this catastrophic flooding.
La Grange flooding. The insurance company is among the ones flooded…
https://twitter.com/tscott_elliott/status/902228399191666688
https://twitter.com/LauraTrevelyan/status/902233458243772417
Josh’s Aunt Liza’s house in Sugarland….
https://twitter.com/TXTenantsUnion/status/902212382835003392
https://twitter.com/JoaquinCastrotx/status/902195746119831552
https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/902228843200700416
https://twitter.com/abc13houston/status/902228600409214980
Lawd have mercy!!
https://twitter.com/spara/status/902217512523370497
https://twitter.com/lmcgaughy/status/902164405038837761
https://twitter.com/statesman/status/902209644587880449
https://twitter.com/JMilesKHOU/status/902216739332784129
Man with the boat: “I’m gonna try to save some lives”
https://twitter.com/funder/status/901957492644728832
https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/902218226226122753
https://twitter.com/KXAN_News/status/902210443330105345
https://twitter.com/KPRC2/status/902210414846541824
Hurricane Harvey ain’t NO JOKE, ya’ll
https://www.facebook.com/620025383/videos/vb.620025383/10159207839855384/?type=2&theater
IMPORTANT: If you are awaiting rescue, hang a towel or sheet prominently so we can find you. Adresses are hard to spot. #harvey #hounews
— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) August 28, 2017
Trump, isolated & alone with a blank notepad, while other gov’t officials manage the crisis in the Situation Room sums up his presidency. pic.twitter.com/88WsauL9Fm
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) August 28, 2017
If you were wondering why @realDonaldTrump is wearing those baseball caps, HE’S MARKETING/SELLING THEM.https://t.co/sXCYI7yteR
By @owillis
— Shareblue Media (@Shareblue) August 28, 2017
Exiles on Pennsylvania Avenue: How Jared and Ivanka Were Repelled by Washington’s Elite
” What is off-putting about them”, one political veteran told me, ” is they do not grasp their essential irrelevance. They think they are special.”
excerpt:
The couple does enjoy some perks that come from their relarionship as ‘ first among equals’ in the White House, according to the Washington veteran-although West Wing advisers reportedly mock Ivanka as “princess royal” behind her back.
” Trump is emotionally dependent on his son-in-law and his daughter, ” said the Washington veteran. ” But they can’t do anything for him. All they can do is make him feel better about what his life has come to.”
The couple has been surprised and disappointed by their reception in Washington, and have lost friends back in elite circles in New York City.
https://twitter.com/BojorquezCBS/status/902148690877571075
https://twitter.com/TrumpEra_2017/status/902189180637380608
A rare sight: minimum wage shrinks in a major U.S. city
08/28/17 10:40 AM
By Steve Benen
We’re accustomed to seeing the minimum wage move in either a progressive direction or remaining stagnant and not moving at all. What we don’t generally see is a minimum wage shrinking.
Welcome to St. Louis, Missouri, where locals have benefited from a $10 minimum wage for several months – until today. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported over the weekend:
To be sure, we’ve seen some instances in which Republican-led state governments have intervened to block city-wide minimum wage increases before they took effect – see Birmingham and Cleveland, for example – but what makes St. Louis unusual is that the city’s increase, following a lengthy court fight, already took effect earlier this year.
In other words, the GOP-imposed preemption law will take away an increase that locals have already enjoyed. And while it’s not yet clear how many employers will take advantage of the change, roughly 35,000 local workers could be affected.
Evil. Just evil.
https://twitter.com/TaniaonFox7/status/902192888007753729
Remember how EVERYTHING was ‘ Obama’s Katrina’?
Now, we have something WORSE than Katrina, yet….nada.. peanuts from the gallery…
OSHA has erased data on worker deaths from its home page, changed its policy to disclose fewer fatal accidents. https://t.co/OEYNj1Uhma
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 28, 2017
Here’s the list of military weapons Trump will now allow police departments to receive, virtually free of charge. https://t.co/jAfWbq9ezI pic.twitter.com/5fD5nXQ67o
— Samuel Sinyangwe (@samswey) August 28, 2017
“Dad, I love you.”: This man found his father for the first time since Harvey hit after his interview on CNN https://t.co/ktQWIxEg13 pic.twitter.com/hhJoONNzO5
— CNN (@CNN) August 28, 2017
Surrounding yourself with generals, militarizing the police, and pardoning criminal allies are all steps in the direction of…something. https://t.co/Opr9jeM3ht
— Bearded Stoner (@beardedstoner) August 28, 2017
WaPo: The new details “point to the likelihood of additional contacts between Russia-connected individuals and Trump associates.” https://t.co/Z2SJigw2ID
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 28, 2017
BREAKING: Illinois just became to 10th state to enact automatic voter registration! https://t.co/lwnz3y6wOA pic.twitter.com/VLTKZyN1aV
— Common Cause (@CommonCause) August 28, 2017
AVR is signed into law in Illinois, estimated to add 1 million new eligible voters to the rolls. https://t.co/sMDcBxPn9a
— flippable (@flippable_org) August 28, 2017
White House photos show Trump sitting alone at Camp David while Pence runs hurricane Situation Room https://t.co/ZeZR6yfo03
— Michael F Ozaki MD (@brontyman) August 28, 2017
Fire ants form a protective island as they float out the #Houston flood pic.twitter.com/UBORwAzA4R
— Omar Villafranca (@OmarVillafranca) August 27, 2017
All About The Base: Why Open Primaries and Caucuses Are a Terrible Idea
Trevor LaFauci
August 28, 2017
………………………………………………..
As bad as caucuses are, open primaries may be even less democratic. Because open primaries allow for ratfucking to the nth degree. By having someone show up on primary day and choose a party, there’s no guarantee that this person has noble intentions in mind. He or she can be voting for their chosen candidate or can be voting against a candidate for a party that they are not even a member of. Take Michigan for example. During the state’s March Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton had a 99% chance of winning according to all polling projections. Yet due to 7% of Democrats crossing over to vote on the Republican side and 4% of Republicans voting on the Democratic side, she ended up losing a close race that nobody saw coming. It’s hard to claim open primaries can lead to a transparent voting process when that system allows for an 11-point swing by people who voted solely with nefarious intentions.
Yet since both of these systems helped Bernie Sanders, his supporters seemingly approve of the idea of replicating them nationwide. And they want to do this because these systems would help them and nobody else. The typical Bernie Sanders supporter has time to give up on a Saturday afternoon. He can afford childcare. He doesn’t have to work weekends. He can be loud and proud of his candidate and not worry about what his neighbors might think of his pervasive political beliefs. He can also decide, late in the game, that he wants to show up on primary day and register for a political party that he’s never been a part of. In either of these cases, this Bernie Sanders supporter will feel right at home, being among his fellow supporters in a safe and secure environment.
But while both of these systems help Bernie Sanders supporters, they do not help the Democratic base. You know, the ones who actually voted for Hillary Clinton. The 94% of African-American women who voted for Hillary. The 82% of African-American men who voted for Hillary. The 75% of Asian-Americans. The 66% of Latinos. The reliable voting bloc of the Democratic Party that has now overwhelmingly become people of color and not White men and women, who failed to support Hillary Clinton at the levels needed. In fact, 53% of White women voted for Donald Trump and 63% of White men did the same. The base, the all-important and necessary supporters of the Democratic Party no matter what, has officially become people of color and these are the people who represent the present and future of the Democratic Party.
Which is why it is absolutely asinine to even consider making it more difficult for these people to vote, which is exactly what moving toward an open primary and caucus system would do. The nominating process should be simple and should be open to as many people as possible. But at the same thing, there need to be rules. You cannot simply roll out of bed one morning and decide to cast a vote in a Democratic Party primary. It is not a particular inconvenience to find a candidate you like and to register to become a member of his or her political party 30 days before the primary. It is; however, an inconvenience to force every single registered voter to give up multiple hours on a weekend to participate in an antiquated and awkward nominating process where bullying and intimidation can impact your sacred right to vote. As both Washington and Nebraska showed us, closed primaries greatly increase both participation and faith in the democratic process and are more representative of a state’s true political leanings.
And that should be the ultimate goal of the Democratic Unity Commission. The name implies the desire to bring the party together. To do that, the commission needs to listen to its supporters, and specifically, its base. Bernie Sanders and his supporters are not the base. When 10% of them chose to vote for a Nazi rather than support the Democratic nominee, they officially forfeited their ability to influence Democratic Party policy. They are not the base and 1 in 10 of them aren’t even Democrats, as demonstrated by their vote. They are a minority of voters who want to shape the Democratic Party in the image of a man who lost the nomination by 3.5 million votes and 900 delegates. Their desire to move toward an open primary and caucus system would benefit only their supporters and would disadvantage the vast majority of the Democratic Party base.
A base that doesn’t want or need any of their help.
https://twitter.com/nuestoyou/status/902184629817434116
https://twitter.com/TXColoradoRiver/status/902180334229442560
On Thursday, Bob Bauer explained how pardoning Arpaio, while expedient in the moment, may come back to haunt Trump. https://t.co/MMz2ToIq1u pic.twitter.com/hFoPhPUIlC
— Shane Harris (@shaneharris) August 27, 2017
Elizabeth Warren’s GOP Challengers Have No Credentials and No Credibility
by D.R. Tucker
August 27, 2017
Like a championship team whose top rivals are nowhere in their class, it appears that US Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) will be facing off against a member of the GOP B-team next year. Apparently, the days of Republicans recruiting main-event players (Mitt Romney in 1994, Bill Weld in 1996) to challenge the Bay State’s senators are over.
Romney loyalist Beth Lindstrom has now officially launched her effort to unseat Warren, and hilariously, her campaign is trying to promote the idea that she’s an “independent-minded Republican.” Of course, “independent-minded Republicans,” like unicorns and fairies, don’t actually exist, so who the hell is Lindstrom trying to fool?
https://twitter.com/LauraTrevelyan/status/902161579369738240
https://twitter.com/NWSSanAntonio/status/902179997061918720
https://twitter.com/KVUE/status/902122073421733890
https://twitter.com/KXAN_News/status/902173939685879809
https://twitter.com/QuitaC_KVUE/status/901881867011534849
https://twitter.com/MrAndySevilla/status/902025539719921664
Today in 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech.
Today in 2008, Obama became the 1st black presidential nominee. pic.twitter.com/fMgjdZJo5Z
— Eric Wolfson (@EricWolfson) August 28, 2017
Well, those were better days to be sure.
Sad today, really sad.
#JoeBiden just wrote Everything We’ve Wanted to say About Trump,& It’s BRUTAL https://t.co/WkmD1WNhUP#TheResistance pic.twitter.com/lV5TIt6OsC
— Brook Bufa (@jupiter896) August 28, 2017
Joe Biden’s article in The Atlantic is excellent.
Hm. WH referring questions about the Trump Tower Moscow deal to Michael Cohen’s attorney.
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) August 28, 2017
This, from June, seems newly relevant. Trump Org renewed trademarks for hotels/branding in Russia in April 2016. https://t.co/Okg00DRYp0
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) August 28, 2017
Widening #USCG communications for #Harvey rescue ops in #Houston: Call 281-464-(4851)(4852)(4853)(4854)(4855). Get on roofs. Mark locl w/SOS
— U.S. Coast Guard (@uscoastguard) August 27, 2017
SG2,
Please check in.
Good morning. Still raining here but not much. The winds were high all night with blowing rain.
https://twitter.com/TaniaonFox7/status/902175044272627719
My thoughts and prayers are with everyone suffering from Hurricane Harvey.
This article provides a long list of ways (under each category) we can help, from donating money to sheltering victims, to volunteering, to donating blood, to rescuing animals:
“How you can help Hurricane Harvey victims”
http://www.theadvertiser.com/story/weather/hurricanes/2017/08/27/how-you-can-help-hurricane-harvey-victims/606674001/
Prayers for everyone in Texas dealing with Harvey🙏🙏🙏
And your sister too, Rikyrah. I hope she is home or almost home and feeling better.
My sister is home.
That’s really good news! I’m sure she’s glad to be home.
Good Morning, Everyone 😐😐😐
Good Morning, # Chics Family & Friends.
SG2, you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.
Keeping y’all in my prayers.
Hi GST! Lovely to see your fonts.
Good morning, Granny. Nice to see you.