Forum: World Events
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07 Nov 20 5:59 am
+ Twitter permanently suspends Steve Bannon account after talk of beheading
By Curt Devine, Donie O'Sullivan and Kara Scannell, CNN
Updated 4:38 PM EST, Fri November 06, 2020
(CNN Business)Twitter permanently suspended an account belonging to former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon after he suggested Thursday morning that Dr. Anthony Fauci and FBI Director Christopher Wray should be beheaded. His comments were made in a video posted to his Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter accounts.
Bannon falsely claimed President Trump had won reelection, despite several key states still being too close to call, and said that he should fire both Fauci and Wray.
He then said he would go further: "I'd put the heads on pikes. Right. I'd put them at the two corners of the White House as a warning to federal bureaucrats. You either get with the program or you are gone."
On Friday, a high-powered attorney representing Bannon in a criminal fraud case, moved to withdraw from representing him and asked that hearing scheduled for Monday in the case be postponed while Bannon looks for a new lawyer.
The lawyer, William Burck, a highly-regarded Republican attorney who served in the George W Bush administration, had represented Bannon during former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's interference into the 2016 presidential election.
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06 Nov 20 6:37 pm
+ Report on disgraced ex U.S. cardinal McCarrick out Nov. 10: Vatican
Philip Pullella
Fri, November 6, 2020, 9:06 AM CST·1 min read
Pope Francis expelled McCarrick from the Roman Catholic priesthood last year after a Vatican investigation found him guilty of sexual crimes against minors and adults and abuse of power.
The report, which is several hundred pages long, is expected to show how McCarrick managed to rise through the ranks even though his history of sexual misconduct with adult male seminarians was an open secret.
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06 Nov 20 5:12 am
+ Kanye West Gets 60,000 Votes For U.S. President Across 12 States – Update
By Tom Tapp
November 4, 2020 10:00am
After a night of ballot counting, Kanye West passed 60,000 votes in the race for the presidency of the United States. West was on the ballot in 12 states. His exact count, as of 10:30 a.m. PT Wednesday, was 60,761.
Most of the states in question were above 90% counted, with the notable exceptions of Colorado, Utah, Mississippi and Vermont. Those were all above 70% counted.
Kanye’s updated state-by-state breakdown is as follows, according to the AP:
While the TV networks were laser-focused on the race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, a good number of social media users were focused on another candidate: Kanye West.
West’s name was trending on Twitter after the hip-hop superstar made a series of posts to his account chronicling what he said was the first time he had ever voted in his life. Kanye being Kanye, he cast his ballot for himself, of course.
It’s safe to say at least 60,000 Americans voted for West, who ran as an Independent. While a few states were still under 80% reported as of this writing, our count puts him at 59,781 total votes. Thus, it’s a pretty good guess he’ll go over 60,000 by the time all states are fully counted.
West’s biggest haul was in Tennessee, where he garnered 10,188 votes. While the rap mogul did rank 4th in some state races, his percentage of the vote was never more than .04%.
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06 Nov 20 2:58 am
+ I Can’t Befriend or Date Trump Supporters
Vena Moore
Jan 6
It’s a matter of life and death for me.
I will say off the bat that I have no Trump supporters in my social circle or on any of my social media platforms. I have become more vocal over the last few years about my political and social stances. I am pro-choice, Black Lives Matter, pro LGBTQIA and an intersectional feminist. I stand with anti racist and anti oppressive movements. Me and Trump supporters do not mix.
However, I inadvertently was talking to a white guy around this time last year who turned out to be a Trump supporter. After all this time, the thought still has me shaken.
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06 Nov 20 2:51 am
+ Eric Trump Busted For Fake Video Of Someone ‘Burning 80 Trump Ballots’
The City of Virginia Beach debunked the footage shared by Donald Trump’s son.
By Lee Moran
11/05/2020 02:42 AM ET
Updated 13 hours ago
Eric Trump was busted on Wednesday for tweeting a fake viral video of what he claimed was someone burning dozens of ballots cast in favor of his father, President Donald Trump.
As the final result of the 2020 election remained undecided, the president’s son retweeted a video that purported to show a man torching 80 ballots for Trump in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The city of Virginia Beach, however, debunked Eric Trump’s post.
“Those were sample ballots,” the city responded to Trump on Twitter.
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05 Nov 20 5:49 am
+ [Updated] Is the American Experiment Over?
Nov 04, 2020 10:57am Central Standard Time by Dan K
Back in 1787, as the Constitutional Convention ended, a woman came up to Ben Franklin and asked him what we got. He replied, "A republic, madam, if you can keep it.” After this election, it looks like we can’t.
It doesn’t matter whether Biden wins (as is looking more likely, Trump’s threats to sue notwithstanding). It doesn’t matter if we get the Senate (looking less likely, though still possible). What matters is that Trump and the Republicans, who ran a profoundly anti-democratic campaign, lied repeatedly, and openly cheated everywhere they could, were not severely punished for it.
What matters is that the lies worked.
A functioning democracy (Franklin’s republic) depends on an educated citizenry who understand reality and work within it. What we saw last night is that close to half of the votes were cast by people who denied reality. The reality of the pandemic and Trump’s totally incompetent handling of it. The reality of climate change. The reality of GOP corruption and authoritarianism.
Too many people believed the lies. Too many people voted for what they were deliberately misled into believing was their own self-interest. Too many people wanted an authoritarian ruler who would bring back their fantasy world where N---— knew their place, where Jews faced quotas, where women were obedient to the men in their life, where gays and lesbians hid for shame, where the Bible was the moral and legal rule.
This was an election where a determined minority tried and largely succeeded in imposing its will on a majority that sees the world as it really is. It was an election where fantasy beat out reality, where greed defeated compassion, where patriotism was defined by religion and skin color, and by loyalty to a man, not to an idea.
Reactionary forces from Republicans to the oil interests to fundamentalists have been working hard for the last half-century to kill public education in this country. Education teaches people how to think rationally, how to examine issues critically, how to appreciate facts and to apply reason, how to debate properly, how to respect diversity of opinion, of culture, of belief. In short, how to deal with reality. Education is the means by which the less fortunate in life can achieve equal standing in the world. It is the guarantor of a true democratic republic.
A true democratic republic depends on rational debate, on acknowledging facts, on respecting other points of view, on following conventions that have the majesty though not the force of law, on sharing power and on the peaceful transfer of power. All of that was on the ballot last night, and lost. Regardless of the outcome in the next few days, the fact that it was even close means that far too many citizens have not been educated, and will not be educated, in their responsibilities as custodians of the American experiment.
You are welcome to talk me out of this. I hope you succeed.
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03 Nov 20 11:09 pm
+ 22 artists who have spoken out against President Trump playing their music at his events
Jennifer Hussein
Oct 26, 2020, 4:09 PM
Many musicians have spoken up about not wanting their music played at President Trump's rallies or events. Reuters/James Glover II
Many famous musicians and their families have spoken out against President Donald Trump using their music for his rallies and other events.
Some artists, like Rihanna, Steven Tyler, and Pharrell Williams, reportedly had their teams issue cease-and-desist notices to the Trump campaign.
Artists like Elton John, Adele, and Dee Snider have spoken about not wanting President Trump to use their music for his events.
From his presidential campaign to his current presidency, President Donald Trump has received disapproval from many musicians who don't want their music played at his events.
Many artists and their teams have even sent cease-and-desist notices, which are essentially warnings that demand a specific action be stopped or else legal action will be pursued.
From Neil Young to Rihanna, here are the artists — or their representatives — who have spoken out against President Trump using their music at his events and rallies:
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03 Nov 20 9:23 pm
+ Headstones in Jewish cemetery spray-painted with ‘Trump’ graffiti, Michigan photos show
Dawson White
Tue, November 3, 2020, 8:36 AM CST
Headstones in a Jewish cemetery in Michigan were discovered vandalized with red “Trump” graffiti Monday, the day before Election Day, police say.
Photos show several headstones at the cemetery owned by the Congregation Ahavas Israel in Grand Rapids spray-painted “with the letters TRUMP and MAGA,” Rabbi David J.B. Krishef, the synagogue’s leader, said in a statement to The Detroit News.
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03 Nov 20 7:57 am
+ People are calling to boycott Home Depot after its co-founder said he was voting for Trump and encouraged others to do the same
Shoshy Ciment
Sun, November 1, 2020, 8:39 AM CST
People on social media are calling for a boycott of Home Depot after its co-founder pledged his support for President Trump in the upcoming 2020 election.
In a Friday opinion article in Fox News, Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus explained why he was supporting a second term for President Trump and why other Americans should do similarly.
Marcus donated $7 million to Trump during the 2016 campaign, data from the Center for Responsive Politics showed.
Angry shoppers are once again calling for a boycott of Home Depot after its co-founder announced his support for President Trump in the 2020 election.
In a Friday opinion article in Fox News, Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus explained why he was supporting a second term for President Trump and why other Americans should do similarly. In the wake of the article, people took to Twitter to voice their disapproval using the hashtag #boycotthomedepot.
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03 Nov 20 3:46 am
+ Cruz in heated exchange with Twitter's Dorsey: 'Who the hell elected you?'
BY REBECCA KLAR
Sen. Ted Cruz during a hearing on Wednesday accused Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey of censoring content with an anti-conservative bias, with the Texas Republican focusing his argument around a policy the tech company has since changed.
Cruz slammed Dorsey during the Senate Commerce Committee hearing over the company's decision earlier this month to limit the spread of a New York Post report that included allegations about Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden that have been disputed by the former vice president's campaign.
The company initially blocked users, including the New York Post, from tweeting links to the article, citing Twitter's hacked material policy. The company later amended the policy and allowed users to share the links.
"Mr. Dorsey, who the hell elected you and put you in charge of what the media are allowed to report and what the American people are allowed to hear, and why do you persist in behaving as a Democratic super PAC silencing views to the contrary of your political beliefs?" Cruz asked Dorsey during a heated exchange on Wednesday.
"We're not doing that," Dorsey responded. "This is why I opened this hearing with calls for more transparency. We realized we need to earn trust more, we realized that more accountability is needed to show our intentions and to show the outcomes. So I hear the concerns and acknowledge them, but we want to fix it with more transparency."
Cruz, one of the Senate's most vocal critics of Big Tech, said Google, Facebook and Twitter pose "the single greatest threat to free speech in America." He took particular aim at Twitter, calling the company's conduct the "most egregious."
Dorsey defended the platform's policies against Cruz's accusations of censorship. Rather, he said, Twitter wants to make sure that "more voices on the platform are possible."
"We see a lot of abuse and harassment, which ends up silencing people and having them leave from the platform," Dorsey said.
He also said that the Post would be able to share its article if it deletes its initial tweet, under the company's amended policy.
Dorsey noted that every person or organization that signs up to have an account on Twitter agrees to its terms and services.
Republicans' accusations of an anti-conservative bias were amplified in the wake of actions taken to limit the spread of the Post's article, which instantly drew scrutiny over its sourcing. Conservative content, however, is often amplified on social media platforms and is dominant on Facebook, based on publicly available data about post interactions.
President Trump has also criticized the companies' decisions to limit the spread of the Post's report and add warning labels to his own posts with baseless claims that mail-in ballots lead to widespread voter fraud.
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02 Nov 20 7:34 pm
+ Yet Again, Trump Rally Attendees Stranded On-Site For Hours After Trump Leaves
Ja'han Jones
Mon, November 2, 2020, 1:04 PM CST·2 mins read
On Sunday night ― and for the second time in one week ― hundreds of Trump supporters leaving a rally were forced to wait hours in the cold for buses meant to drive them back to their cars.
In footage first shared by NBC News, hundreds of rally attendees in Rome, Georgia, could be seen huddled together long after President Donald Trump had ended his remarks and taken off for Florida, his next campaign stop.
As the temperature hovered around 46 degrees, some among the stranded sat and lay on the ground as they waited, and others tried to hitch rides from strangers.
Hundreds of Trump supporters at a rally in Omaha, Nebraska, last Tuesday also found themselves stranded for hours after Trump left, waiting on buses to take them back to their cars.
Throughout his campaign, Trump’s choice to hold large, in-person rallies ― in defiance of public health guidelines and with coronavirus cases and deaths spiking in states across the country ― has not been without consequence.
According to a recent study out of Stanford University, a series of Trump rallies from June to September effectively served as superspreader events, resulting in 30,000 new cases of the coronavirus and at least 700 deaths in communities he visited.
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02 Nov 20 1:52 pm
+ 'A global conspiracy against God and humanity': Controversial Catholic archbishop pushes QAnon themes in letter to Trump
Caitlin Dickson
Sat, October 31, 2020, 8:40 AM CDT
A controversial figure within the Roman Catholic Church made waves in the online world of QAnon Friday, after his open letter to President Trump was quoted in a post from the anonymous leader of the cultlike conspiracy movement.
The letter by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, a former Vatican ambassador to the United States and outspoken adversary of Pope Francis, hit many of the favorite themes of the pro-Trump conspiracy theory, attacking its familiar villains, from the ominous “global elite” to Bill Gates and “the mainstream media.”
“The fate of the whole world is being threatened by a global conspiracy against God and humanity,” Viganò wrote, emphasizing the “epochal importance of the imminent election,” casting Trump as “the final garrison against the world dictatorship” and his Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, as “a person who is manipulated by the deep state.”
Not long after “Q” posted the letter to the fringe message board 8kun early Friday morning, it was tweeted by former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn. Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials, has publicly embraced QAnon rhetoric in the past, and his tweet quickly generated tens of thousands of retweets and even more likes.
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02 Nov 20 9:55 am
+ Dishonesty Has Defined the Trump Presidency. The Consequences Could Be Lasting.
Peter Baker
Sun, November 1, 2020, 12:20 PM CST
WASHINGTON — Born amid made-up crowd size claims and “alternative facts,” the Trump presidency has been a factory of falsehood from the start, churning out distortions, conspiracy theories and brazen lies at an assembly-line pace that has challenged fact-checkers and defied historical analogy.
But now, with the election two days away, the consequences of four years of fabulism are coming into focus as President Donald Trump argues that the vote itself is inherently “rigged,” tearing at the credibility of the system. Should the contest go into extra innings through legal challenges after Tuesday, it may leave a public with little faith in the outcome — and in its own democracy.
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02 Nov 20 5:36 am
+ “I was doing press with somebody in the mid-'90s,” Reznor told The New York Times in a new interview, “and they made an argument that stayed with me: that I have influence, and that it’s my job to call out whatever needs to be called out, because there are people who feel the same way but need someone to articulate it. And I think about that today, because it seemed like it was a lot easier to just keep your mouth shut and let it go back then. You don’t hear a lot from the Taylor Swifts of the world, and top-tier, needle-moving cultural youth, because they are concerned about their brand, their demographic and their success and career and whatnot.”
Asked if he thought the modern environment felt different, he agreed. “I know how I feel, and I have let it get to me in ways I wish it hadn’t," he said. "My worrying about it isn’t helping anything. But what Donald Trump is doing is concerning and infuriating..."
