TGIF, Everyone!! Today’s my Birthday, and I’m chilling.
It’s going to be 90 degrees in the Twin Cities today. Mid September, and it’ a week away from fall, UNBELIEVABLE!
I’m sharing one of my favorite Sly & the Family Stone songs with you.
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Black Girls Rock!
Flickr Photos
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Potus Takes Oath of Office
Flotus & Daughters at Great Wall of China
My Brothers Keeper
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AFRO PUFFS
Most Adorable Shoe Stealer
Six Little Babies
Fatherhood
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Even though 3Chics Politico is written and curated by three women: Ametia, Rikyrah, and SouthernGirl2, I must nominate this as one of the most engaging blogs I've found. Devoted to politics and culture, these three shine a light on contemporary life with humor and spirit.
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Kevonstage with Black Professional Sensibilities
https://youtu.be/-zQs5mIETws
Deregulated & Unaccountable: For-Profit Nursing Homes in Florida Face Scrutiny After Irma Deaths
STORY SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
GUESTS
Dale Ewart
vice president of 1199SEIU, the United Healthcare Workers East union.
Stephen Hobbs
reporter for the Sun Sentinel who has been covering the eight deaths.
Authorities in Florida have obtained a search warrant to investigate the deaths of eight elderly residents at a nursing home in Hollywood in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. The victims ranged in age from 71 to 99 years old. They died in the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills after a transformer was knocked out following the hurricane, causing the nursing home’s air conditioning unit to shut down. Authorities say that the administrators of the nursing home were aware that the air conditioning unit had failed, and that they installed fans and portable air coolers inside the facility. But the remedies did little to protect the residents from the sweltering heat. At 3 a.m. on Wednesday morning, one nursing home resident was rushed to the emergency room of Memorial Regional Hospital, a Level I trauma center just down the street. By 5 a.m., when the hospital received a third rescue call, some hospital workers went down the street to check on the nursing home. They found a situation so critical, the hospital sent in more than 50 medical workers under a mass casualty protocol. At least 150 people were evacuated, many with severe dehydration and other heat-related symptoms. We speak with Dale Ewart, vice president of 1199SEIU, the United Healthcare Workers East union. We also speak with Stephen Hobbs, a reporter for the Sun Sentinel who has been covering the eight deaths.
Video at link:
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/9/15/deregulated_unaccountable_for_profit_nursing_homes
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Hurricane Irma pictures are up to 593 on weather.com, most recent first. They’re all mixed in from the Caribbean, the Keys, and the Florida mainland. There is so much devastation in the islands. Who is going to help these people?
https://weather.com/safety/hurricane/news/hurricane-irma-images
https://twitter.com/tariqnasheed/status/908717960222597120
When I first heard it, it sounded premeditated to me.
Another cop got away with murder.
Protest can be watched at this link:
https://www.pscp.tv/Rebelutionary_Z/1YqJDRnBpRYKV?
Not only that, but he planted the gun..the victim’s DNA was NOT on the weapon
But the racist white supremacist judge said prosecutors didn’t prove their case? What in the actual living fuck?
These cop defendants learned from Freddie Gray’s murder that any judge will let them go no matter how heinous their crimes, no matter how obviously guilty they are, no matter what the evidence says, no matter what the witnesses say, no matter what the dead body tells them.
And the DOJ is currently worthless to prosecute civil rights violations by law enforcement.
https://youtu.be/bRDMqeSHIT4&rel=0
Trump’s FEC nominee has questioned the value of disclosing political donors https://t.co/iMWOmDWAK8
— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 15, 2017
ABOUT THE LATEST VERSION OF TRUMPCARE
Bill specifically penalizes Dem states:
California loses $28B; New York loses $19B.
Florida loses “only” $3B; Texas GAINS $8B. https://t.co/wMjpLZQcrD
— Pé Resists (@4everNeverTrump) September 15, 2017
NEW: Graham-Cassidy’s federal funding cuts BY STATE in 2026 (in millions)
Source: CBPP https://t.co/YjlVd1b0mn pic.twitter.com/QeOjeLqWSe
— Topher Spiro (@TopherSpiro) September 13, 2017
So so depressed after hearing the Jason Stockley verdict…………….
I know…I know….
https://twitter.com/JamilSmith/status/908744978138107904
1: RE-FOCUSING ON THE THREAT OF REPEAL: Here’s where things stand. Bottom line: A non-zero threat is a serious threat.
— Topher Spiro (@TopherSpiro) September 15, 2017
2: They do not currently have the votes. All that follows is based on public reports.
3: MCCAIN is still insisting on regular order. COLLINS is a hard no; she objects in particular to the Medicaid per capita cap.
4: RAND PAUL is a no (for different reasons but who cares?) pic.twitter.com/5b2fTe4cp5
5: MIKE LEE sounds like a no.https://t.co/QVXbGaO7sk
6: They’ve always had 45-48 votes. The challenge has always been the last 2-5. Press should be skeptical of whip counts by Graham, Cassidy.
7: A media narrative that this is gaining momentum can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s *exactly* what Graham and Cassidy are up to.
8: All this said, be very vigilant. Do not rest or lose focus before Sept. 30. The stakes are too high.
9: On the House front next week, GO TO TOWN HALLS. VISIT LOCAL OFFICES. https://t.co/rrZ6U0NNg4
The House is now going home until Sept. 25. When they come back, they may vote on ACA repeal. You know what to do this recess, right? https://t.co/O8rQmMmyJC
10: On the Senate front, CALL THESE OFFICES. https://t.co/wFGg38Q3Oy
Senators to target because their states will lose big: CAPITO, COTTON, FLAKE, GARDNER, MCCAIN, MURKOWSKI, PORTMAN https://t.co/O8rQmMmyJC
11: Upcoming town halls. The CA and CO ones are really important; those states get screwed under Graham-Cassidy. pic.twitter.com/3Od55sIuVM
https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/908739815604195328
That is so wrong, so very wrong.
https://twitter.com/TheRoot/status/908707750745595905
I was 8 year old, when those evil monsters murdered those precious girls. I can still remember my parents and other elders, fear, and sadness.
8 years old… Oh my.
Sending you a big caring hug.
I shudder today as I recall the horror of that day. Four innocent, precious girls taken away from ALL of us. My heart trembles.
Ballad of Birmingham:
https://youtu.be/LgtvwqqeEKc&rel=0
https://twitter.com/3ChicsPolitico/status/908727003225845760
Evil. Oh the IRONY of labeling black men urban heroin dealers.
What are doctors & Big phama considered when they push prescription OPIODS to rural white communities?
Black folks and drugs;= criminals-apathy =jailed & murdered
White folks and drug= epidemics & addictions= sympathy
… and FUNDS for treatment for addictions!
SPEAK THE TRUTH!
TELL IT ALL!!!
Exactly right.
And to think this racist piece of sh!t is a judge.
Good Lord, we have so far to go and we’re going backwards right now.
from Mayhew at BJ:
Call the Senate
by David Andersonat12:00 pm on September 15, 2017. It has 5 Comments.
BREAKING: Sorry to say I just heard Graham Cassidy now has a plan to get to the floor for a vote this month. 1/
— Andy Slavitt (@ASlavitt) September 15, 2017
You know what to do. Here are the highlights to argue.
1) Need to cover more people not less
2) Don’t punish states for taking care of their own citizens
3) Blows up state budgets
4) Medicaid covers people at less cost and same satisfaction as private insurance
And once you call your Senators, call your governor. If this bill passes, thirty five governors will be handed massive problems that they cannot solve.
Another calling hint:
No one told Trump his Susan Rice smear has already unraveled
09/15/17 09:20 AM
By Steve Benen
It started, oddly enough, with Donald Trump accusing Barack Obama of illegally tapping his phones ahead of the election. In time, the Republican president’s attack inexplicably shifted into an attack on former National Security Advisor Susan Rice for “unmasking” Trump associates caught up in a surveillance operation.
Trump told the New York Times in April, “I think the Susan Rice thing is a massive story. I think it’s a massive, massive story…. Yeah, it’s a bigger story than you know…. I think that it’s going to be the biggest story.”
It did not become the biggest story. In fact, it quickly became clear that the badly confused president had no idea what he was saying. And yet, there was Trump yesterday aboard Air Force One, once again telling journalists about the imagined controversy surrounding Susan Rice.
Either no one at the White House has explained the basics of this story to Trump, or the president’s aides did explain it and he didn’t understand. Either way, let’s do him a favor and set the record straight.
As Rachel explained on Wednesday’s show, a very senior member of the Emirati royal family, the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates, came to the United States in December in secret – which was a very odd break with diplomatic protocol. He didn’t notify the State Department or the White House, which in turn raised concerns among U.S. officials who were curious why.
And so, the U.S. intelligence community took note when Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahya traveled specifically to New York City and went to a meeting in Trump Tower. More specifically, the Emirati crown prince, without coordination with the State Department, decided to have a chat with Mike Flynn, Steve Bannon, and Jared Kushner during the presidential transition process.
Back in D.C., White House National Security Advisor Susan Rice received an intelligence intercept trying to figure out what the Emirati crown prince was doing in the United States as part of a visit that he explicitly did not declare with the U.S. government. And so, Rice unmasked the names so the administration would know with whom the crown prince was visiting.
Hard to understand why evangelicals wd lose faith in a guy who lies a lot & bragged re committing sexual assault? https://t.co/Q7NW1N6X96
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) September 15, 2017
Read then-AJC editor Eugene Patterson’s column after the Birmingham church bombing. 54 years later, still timely https://t.co/tdIpsqscmd pic.twitter.com/DBSgPkzUn7
— Wesley Lowery (@WesleyLowery) September 15, 2017
you can’t make this shit up
https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/908703585420169216
https://twitter.com/JacobLong_KSDK/status/908698076516356096
I.CAN.NOT
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMETIA😄😄😎😘🙆🛀👏💖🌹🍦🎂🍸🎆🎈🎉🎁
Happy Birthday, Ametia! 🎂🎈🎁
Ivanka Trump says liberals have ‘unrealistic expectations’ of her
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/14/ivanka-trump-father-donald-presidency
Nobody had any expectations of her. She wants to have it both ways, and nobody is here for the bullshyt. You were always as big a liar as your lying, grifting Daddy, and you expected the rest of us to fall for your nonsense. Nobody told you and your unqualified husband to take jobs in the West Wing. Once you did that, STFU, you piece of garbage.
God help us.
https://www.facebook.com/NowThisNews/videos/1595175613905890/?hc_ref=ARTyqtanf1sC8O3blQofxgXYaL00Q0B0NjrTwxaFaCEBobRiOPOh86JAXIC6Vy0UPSA
Shocking.
It never fucking ends.
Graham-Cassidy might be the worst plan yet. Good explainer from @sarahkliff here: https://t.co/WLlHqOISJ5 https://t.co/pIbWHW9ZZH
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) September 15, 2017
Good morning, Everyone. And Happy Birthday to Ametia. I hope you plan to celebrate all weekend!
Albright: Trump should focus on himself instead of ‘always blaming Obama’
BY JOSH DELK – 09/15/17 09:34 AM EDT
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on Friday suggested that President Trump think “about what he was doing” in office instead of targeting former President Obama on Twitter.
“The Obama administration worked very hard on dealing with the terrorist issues. It would be really nice if President Trump actually thought about what he was doing rather than always blaming president Obama,” Albright said on CNN.
Tillerson reveals State Dept. reform plan
BY JOSH DELK – 09/14/17 09:30 PM EDT
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson released the first installment of a State Department reform plan on Thursday that may merge the department with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), CNN reports.
The “employee-led” plan was developed through a survey sent to employees of the State Department and USAID, which Tillerson said would be “the most important thing” he would accomplish as head of the department.
Tillerson suggested the State Department may merge with USAID, saying that the plan would aim to “align” the agencies’ resources, and improve the department’s efficiency across the board as well as its technology infrastructure and human resources.
The secretary’s proposed plan comes as the Trump administration faces a series of international challenges, including over North Korea’s advancing nuclear program.
Tillerson backed President Trump’s plan to slash the department’s budget by roughly a third, which was met by resistance from Congress.
The secretary said that his reorganization plan would work to slash over $10 billion from the department’s budget over the next five years, according to CNN.
The plan unveiled Thursday seeks to shave nearly 2,000 jobs through reforms over the next two and a half years.
It’s Time to Regulate the Hell Out of Credit Reporting Agencies
Kevin DrumSep. 13, 2017 12:28 AM
Yesterday I wrote about freezing your credit records, so I guess I should stay up on the latest news. Via the New York Times, here it is:
You howled in protest, and Equifax had no choice but to respond.
On Tuesday, the company said it would waive all fees until Nov. 21 for people who want to freeze their Equifax credit files. It will also refund any fees that anyone has paid since Thursday, though the company would not say whether this would be automatic.
Why do I hate credit reporting agencies? Let me count the ways. It’s beyond unbelievable that Equifax didn’t do this immediately, since there’s certainly no reason that anyone should have to pay for a freeze that they need only because of Equifax’s own negligence. But this level of imperiousness is par for the course for these guys.
For any normal company, a fee like this would have been lifted instantly. They’d understand immediately that anything else would be an epic PR disaster. But the thing is, you aren’t a customer of Equifax. They don’t give a rat’s ass about you. Nor do they care about a PR disaster. It’s not as though they’ll lose your business, after all, since they never did any business with you in the first place. All they do is collect all your financial data without your permission and then sell it to other people.
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/09/its-time-to-regulate-the-hell-out-of-credit-reporting-agencies/
Lips pursed.
Trump on hurricanes: ‘I never even knew a Category 5 existed’
09/15/17 08:40 AM
By Steve Benen
At a White House reception last night, Donald Trump reflected on the severity of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, respectively, and referring to the latter, the president said, “I never even know a Category 5 existed.”
And as strange as this was – a 71-year-old man who watches a lot of television had never heard of a Category 5 hurricane? – it wasn’t the most surprising thing Trump said yesterday in reference to the deadly storms. Consider this exchange aboard Air Force One yesterday between the president and reporters:
……………………..
Soon after, as Irma approached land, he tweeted, “Hurricane looks like largest ever recorded in the Atlantic!” It was followed by, “Hurricane Irma is of epic proportion, perhaps bigger than we have ever seen.”
But the moment climate change came up, Trump turned on a dime. “We’ve had storms over the years that have been bigger than this” is the new line.
As The New Republic’s Emily Atkin put it, “This is a near-perfect example of how climate deniers will bury their heads in the sand to keep pretending climate change doesn’t exist. Harvey inundated Houston with more than 50 inches of rain – there has never been a bigger rain event in America. Irma, at its peak, reached sustained winds of 185 miles per hour, making it the strongest storm recorded in the Atlantic Ocean outside of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. Trump knew all these things a week ago – but now, suddenly, he doesn’t.”
When confronted with an opportunity for self-aggrandizement, Trump is eager to hype hurricanes. When confronted with a question about the climate crisis, he’s eager to do the opposite.
Trump’s Pivot Is a Retreat From a Blind Alley
by Martin Longman
September 14, 2017
It’s admittedly hard to read a man like Donald Trump. He isn’t consistent. His word is not good. His comprehension of some of the basics of our system of government is shockingly low. His understanding of history, both recent and distant, is horribly flawed. His grasp of what is easy and difficult doesn’t appear to exist. He beat all his political opponents without seeming to have a realistic and overarching strategy, but more through a series of tactical battles that involved as many big losses as big wins. He lives in the moment and doesn’t follow even a basic script. He’s driven by lower emotions and is blinded to larger concerns.
So, it wasn’t really possible to confidently predict that he would not want to deport the Dreamers. His reaction to Charlottesville and his pardon of Joe Arpaio could have legitimately led people to conclude that his racial animosity would outweigh his compassion, and that his strategic vision was focused on shoring up the support of his racist base.
I perhaps am willing to give him too much credit for strategic thinking, although I’m wary of underestimating him after having done so for too long. But, I saw some of racial misbehavior in August as a potential prophylactic against the backlash he knew was coming in September when he would have to back down on DACA and the border wall to strike a deal with the Democrats on the budget.
……………………..
Nonetheless, the man does not learn or change easily. His blind spots are so huge that he will continue to wander into dead-end alleys. That he found himself in the position he was at in the beginning of September is a testament to his colossal lack of imagination and foresight. And, honestly, he only became somewhat easy to predict when his options had narrowed to a pinpoint.
He’s also a callous and unfeeling man. His approach on DACA is unconscionable because he is so concerned to preserve some face that he’s willing to leave all the Dreamers hanging in a suspended state, with all the fear and anxiety that creates for them and their friends and loved ones. Even if he’s committed to doing the right thing in the end, he’s going about it in such an awful and immoral way that he can’t be given much credit for it.
Trump reignites racial controversy over Charlottesville violence
09/15/17 08:00 AM
By Steve Benen
A month later, it’s still hard to believe the controversy even happened. In the aftermath of violence in Charlottesville, Donald Trump created an international firestorm by arguing that “both sides” – racist protesters and anti-racism protesters – bore equal responsibility for what transpired, adding that there were many “fine people” among the bigots.
In the days that followed, members of several White House advisory boards resigned in disgust; organizations started cancelling events at Mar-a-Lago; and even some congressional Republicans and members Team Trump were publicly critical of the president’s bizarre remarks.
Yesterday, talking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump apparently thought it’d be a good idea to bring all of this up again.
Hillary Clinton: “Trump admires authoritarians. He doesn’t just like Putin – he wants to be like Putin” https://t.co/atIrARErlI
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 15, 2017
The Sessions outburst, like the Comey firing, was all about controlling the investigation. There’s a word for that. https://t.co/jN6h6MyWHd
— Will Saletan (@saletan) September 15, 2017
Terror Attack On London Tube, 18 Minor Injuries – https://t.co/rFpCL6bPUq pic.twitter.com/1lUOHTUs2L
— JoeMyGod (@JoeMyGod) September 15, 2017
Man-child Don will never recover from the PTSD of your CRUSHING HIM by MILLIONS OF VOTES.
Please continue to KICK HIS ASS, DAILY.
— Bobfr (@Our4thEstate) September 15, 2017
I’m #TheBestCommsOfficerInTheGalaxy, and a black woman, from The Future.
The #PrimeDirective allows me to say; Trump is a White Supremacist. https://t.co/fSfGXpNi1a
— Lt. Uhura 2017 (@LtUhura2017) September 15, 2017
One Promise Trump Is Not Allowed to Break
by Nancy LeTourneau
September 14, 2017
I have to admit that it was difficult pulling myself away from Twitter to write this. Things are busting loose since Trump’s meeting with Pelosi and Schumer last night, and the ensuing conflict about the terms of their agreement about the DREAM act. Part of what is so entertaining is to watch both Trump and his spokespeople try to explain the reality that the president has no idea what he’s talking about.
WH spox: Trump ‘will not be discussing amnesty’ but will discuss ‘legal citizenship over a period of time’
— Dan Merica (@danmericaCNN) September 14, 2017
“We’re not looking at citizenship. We’re not looking at amnesty. We’re looking at allowing people to stay here.” Trump to reporters in Fla.
— Robert Costa (@costareports) September 14, 2017
Trump today: “I’m very capable of changing to anything I want to change to.” Oh great.
— Brit Hume (@brithume) February 11, 2016
Harvard professor George Franklin Grant was born on this day, September 15, in 1846 in Orange, New York.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3e/George_Franklin_Grant_%281870%29.jpg
Excerpt from Wikipedia:
Good Morning, Everyone 😐😐😐