Posts Categorized: Politics

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RIP: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Dead at 87

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Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg has died. Ginsberg died of metastatic pancreatic cancer at her Washington, D.C. home on Friday, surrounded by members of her family. She was 87.

Ginsberg had twice been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and also underwent lung surgery in 2018 to remove cancerous growths.

Ginsberg revealed she was battling cancer again after she was discharged from Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. in July. She was admitted into a New York City hospital weeks later for a routine non-surgical procedure to correct a bile stent.

She was last seen in public in August when she officiated a friend's outdoor wedding.

Ginsberg was the first female Jewish Justice, and the second of four women to ever sit on the nation's highest court.

She was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton on June 14, 1993 and had served since August 10, 1993. Ginsburg became the second of four female justices to be confirmed to the Court after Sandra Day O'Connor, the two others being Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, both of whom are still serving in 2020.

Following O'Connor's retirement in 2006 and until Sotomayor joined the Court in 2009, Ginsberg was the only female justice on the Supreme Court.

During three separate interviews that were conducted in July 2016, Ginsburg criticized presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, telling The New York Times and the Associated Press that she did not want to think about the possibility of a Trump presidency.

She is survived by her daughter, Jane, and her son, James. Her husband of 56 years, Martin, died in 2010.

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Trump supporters say Biden’s coughing fits prove he will call out sick before debates

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Trump supporters are convinced that Joe Biden's coughing fits during campaign stops in Detroit means he will call out sick before debates.

On Wednesday, Sept. 9, Biden visited Detroit, Michigan -- one of the swing states he needs to defeat Trump in November.

While Trump holds massive rallies around the country, Biden prefers small intimate gatherings of five or six supporters and friendly journalists in attendance.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Biden spoke with members of the United Steelworkers union in a supporter's back yard on Wednesday. The 77-year-old Democratic presidential nominee began experiencing coughing fits.

Biden also coughed a dozen times while speaking at another campaign stop in Michigan.

He pulled down his black face mask down and touched his nose -- against the CDC's advice not to touch the face to avoid contracting the virus from contaminated hands.

Trump supporters believe Biden's coughing fits are proof that his team will say he is too sick to debate with Trump. The first debate is scheduled for the end of this month.
 

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Michelle Obama’s stylist curates vote-themed merchandise

Michelle Obama's longtime stylist Meredith Koop has collaborated on a collection of vote-themed clothing and merchandise by Black-owned brands in partnership with the former First Lady's non-profit organization When We All Vote.

In a new post on her Instagram page, Mrs. Obama dons a white T-shirt with the words: "Reimagine our future when we all vote."

She captioned the image: "There are so many ways for us to express ourselves and our views––and voting is one of our most powerful tools for doing just that. Excited for @WhenWeAllVote's launch of #Vote4everMerch, a collection of fun apparel and accessories to get us all geared up to vote this fall: vote4evermerch.com."

The T-shirt and other clothing imprinted with the phrase are on sale on Vote4EverMerch.com.

The Vote 4Ever collection features apparel and accessories such as face masks, makeup, candles, coffee mugs and home decor.

Each item is imprinted with the words "vote" to encourage young people to show up at the polls or vote by mail.

"The vision for this collection was to create unique covetable pieces in collaboration with talented creatives and business owners around the country," said Koop in a statement. "With so many 'vote' products on the market, we put a lot of energy and soul into curating high-quality products that are thoughtfully designed."

Koop has been dressing Michelle for 10 years.

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Woodward: Trump admitted on tape that he downplayed the seriousness of coronavirus

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Journalist Bob Woodward claims President Donald Trump downplayed the seriousness of the coronavirus during a phone call.

In February, Trump spoke to Woodward who was doing research for his latest book, Rage. Woodward claimed Trump downplayed the threat of the coronavirus at the time to prevent the public from panicking.

Democrats reacted with outrage to the leaked audio, saying Trump "intentionally" mislead the general public about the virus that originated in Wuhan, China in December.

AFP via Getty Images

On the campaign trail in Michigan, Joe Biden told auto workers that Trump "lied" about the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic, saying Trump's admission was "a life and death betrayal of the American people."

But Dr. Anthony Fauci, who heads the White Task Force on the coronavirus, told Fox News: "I don't think [Trump] ever distorted things that I spoke to him about."

Fauci added: "I don't think he said much different than what we said [to him] when we were in the Oval Office."

The White House Task Force held daily press briefings and Fauci even predicted that "millions" of Americans would die from the virus.

On Jan. 30, Trump told his supporters at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, "We're working with China just so you know, and other countries very, very closely, so it doesn't get out of hand, but it's something that we have to be very, very careful with, right? We have to be very careful.

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One thousand Georgia residents caught double-voting in primaries may face felony charges

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1,000 Georgia residents who were caught double-voting in Georgia's primary could face felony charges and jail time.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Tuesday that his office would investigate and, if appropriate, bring charges against anyone who voted twice in June.

Residents who were caught double-voting had cast their vote by mail and then in person on the day of the election.

"A double voter knows exactly what they’re doing, diluting the votes of each and every voter that follows the law," Raffensperger told reporters on Tuesday. "Those that make the choice to game the system are breaking the law. And as secretary of state, I will not tolerate it."

Raffensperger, a Republican, said there weren't enough double-votes to change the outcome of the primary elections.

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President Trump and other Republicans warned of the potential for voter fraud with mail-in ballots. But Scott Hogan, executive director of the Democratic Party of Georgia, dismissed any suggestion of voter fraud.

Hogan said voter fraud is rare and he accused Raffensperger of wasting the taxpayer's time investigating double-voters.

"It is clear that rather than do his job of promoting the safety and security of our voting process, the secretary of state is instead pushing the GOP’s voting conspiracy theories and disinformation," Hogan said.

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Kim Kardashian calls for ‘sensible moderate’ police reform in the U.S.

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Kim Kardashian continues her criminal justice advocacy by demanding "sensible moderate" police reform in the United States.

While the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star's estranged husband Kanye West is running for President from his ranch in Wyoming, the reality star, who is raising two sons on her own in Calabasas, is urging her followers to vote yes for police reform on California Senate Bill 731.

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The 39-year-old tweeted: "Right now it's ok if a police officer in California breaks the law while on the job. They cannot be sued for breaking the law. Please vote YES on #SB731 for sensible moderate police reform."

She added. "This will just make police officers accountable if they break the law. Please we are calling for your leadership, @AssemblyDems and @Rendon63rd. #YesOnSB731."

The tweet comes days after police in Kenosha, Wisconsin shot a Black man, Jacob Blake, four times in the back as he leaned into his SUV. He is paralyzed from the waist down and may never walk again.

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Kim recently reached a critical point in her marriage to Kanye, after he revealed sensitive private details of their marriage at a campaign rally last month in South Carolina. Kanye told attendees the couple had planned to abort eldest child North West while also ranting about legendary civil rights figure Harriet Tubman.

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Kanye's campaign has been plagued with setbacks as he failed to get on the ballot in a majority of states, including his adoptive home of Wyoming as well as his native Illinois, and the key swing state of Wisconsin. He also missed filing deadlines or was rejected in states including California, Florida and Pennsylvania.

The "Gold Digger" rapper is suing Ohio's elections chief after he was denied a spot on the state's ballot.

Kim has asked for sympathy for his worrisome behavior, which she attributes to his battle with bipolar disorder.

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Kamala Harris says Joe Biden’s nationwide face mask plan is ‘standard’ and no one will be punished for not wearing one

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Kamala Harris clarified Joe Biden's national face mask mandate that he plans to put in place if he is elected president in November.

Biden, who is campaigning from his beach house in Delaware, has previously said he will order a nationwide mask mandate if he is elected.

But the former vice president's running mate says the Democrats' plan for a national mask mandate is "a standard" and no one will be punished for not wearing one.

"It's a standard," she said in a sit-down interview Today's Craig Melvin. "I mean nobody is going to be punished. Come on"

Harris admitted mask-wearing isn't fun, saying, "Nobody likes to wear a mask. This is a universal feeling, right? So that's not the point - 'hey, let's enjoy wearing masks,'" she said. "No, the point of this is that we are responsible people who love our neighbor, we have to just do that right now."

"God willing, it won't be forever," she added.

But all indications are that the mandate will go into effect if Biden is elected president. The Democrats' are pushing face mask mandates at least until vaccines are available, which is expected to be in the 1st quarter of 2021.

Harris also explained she and Biden plan to campaign together during the weakening pandemic.

"You know, Joe, that's one of the things that he and I have in common. We love to interact with people," she said.

AFP via Getty Images

Harris said she and Biden plan to campaign "in every way that we can in a way that will be safe for the people we are meeting with, right?"

"It would be irresponsible of us to try and pack people into a situation where they cannot safely social distance," she said.

She seemed to be referring to President Donald Trump's packed RNC speech on Thursday night, where 1,500 invited guests mingled on the White House's South Lawn.

Very few RNC attendees wore face masks or social distanced.

"And that's one of the problems, frankly, with the way Donald Trump conducts himself," Harris continued. "Because it really, it appears to be more about the people around him and himself, doing what is necessary to feed his ego, as opposed to what is necessary to feed the needs of the American people."

Biden also commented on Trump's packed RNC speeches on a fundraising call from the comfort of his beach home on Thursday evening.

Biden said the Democratic ticket wants to campaign in-person in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Arizona after Labor Day, which is next weekend.

AFP via Getty Images

Biden, who has been dubbed "The Manchurian candidate" by some on social media, said if he and Harris do travel, there would not be "irresponsible rallies" like Trump's well-attended events.

"I'm a tactile politician," he said. "I really miss being able to, you know, grab hands, shake hands, you can't do that now."

"We're going to do it in a way that is totally consistent with being responsible, unlike what this guy's doing," Biden said of Trump. "He's on the White House lawn tonight, first of all, violating the Hatch Act, virtually throwing every major rule in the dustbin."

"So what we're working on is how I get out. I'm going to be traveling throughout the country where I can do it consistent with the state rules about how many people can be assembled," Biden said.

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Nancy Pelosi: ‘I Don’t Think There Should Be Any Debates’

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Nancy Pelosi added her voice to the chorus of Democrats who express concern about Joe Biden debating President Donald Trump next month.

Former Vice President Biden, the 77-year-old Democratic nominee, and Trump, 74, will meet for their first presidential debate on Sept. 29.

Democrats are extremely concerned after President Trump demanded Biden take a drug test before they face off.

Speaker of the House Pelosi is desperately trying to cancel the debates altogether.

"I don't think that there should be any debates," Pelosi said on Thursday.

"I wouldn't legitimize a conversation with [Trump] - nor a debate in terms of the presidency of the United States," she added.

Pelosi said Trump was "disgraceful" when he "stalked" Hillary Clinton all over the stage during the 2016 debate, and that he will probably "act in a way that is beneath the dignity of the presidency."

Drew Angerer/Getty Image

Pelosi fears Trump will dominate Biden and make him look weak in front of 300 million Americans.

"I think he will also belittle what the debates are supposed to be about," she said. "And they're not to be about skulduggery on the part of somebody who has no respect for the office he holds, much less the democratic process. I don't think that he should dignify that conversation with Donald Trump."

Pelosi suggested eliminating the debates in favor of each candidate holding separate "conversations" with voters, saying: "Let that be a conversation with the American people, not an exercise in skulduggery."

Democrats around the country are pressuring the Biden campaign to call off all debates with Trump due to the coronavirus pandemic. They don’t think Biden has the stamina to go toe-to-toe with Trump for an hour and a half.

Former White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart warned Biden, "whatever you do, don't debate Trump."

Biden has said he will campaign from his basement until November amid the coronavirus pandemic -- leaving his running mate, Kamala Harris, to do his campaigning for him.

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Kanye West fails to get his name on ballot in home state of Wyoming

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Kanye West's chances of challenging President Donald Trump and Joe Biden in the November elections are fading fast.

The mega producer failed to get on the ballot for the U.S. presidential election in his adopted home state of Wyoming.

The rapper missed a Monday deadline to submit signatures for the ballot in Wyoming, USA Today reports. He previously failed to get on the ballot in his native Illinois. But he is willing to spend $500,000 to get his name on the ballot in Arizona.

Marc Piasecki/GC Images

Kanye moved to Wyoming in 2018, allegedly to put distance between himself and the negative influence of the Kardashian Klan. His estranged wife, Kim Kardashian-West, remained at home in Calabasas, Calif. with their four children.

Kanye announced his decision to run for president on July 4, 2020, Independence Day in America.

After failing to get on the ballot in numerous states, he is pulling out all the stops to get on the ballot in a crucial swing state of Arizona.

According to TMZ, the 3rd-party petitioning group, Let the Voters Decide, is sending upwards of 100 people into Arizona over the next week to try and gather 37,769 names -- the required number to get on the ballot.

According to TheHill.com, Kanye has secured a spot in the key swing state of Minnesota, as well as pop singer Taylor Swift's home state of Tennessee.

He will also be on the ballots in Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah and Vermont, but failed to make it in Missouri after submitting just 6,557 of the 10,000 signatures required.

As a third-party candidate who will not appear on the ballot in many states, West has no realistic path to winning the 270 electoral college votes that would send him to The White House - leading to accusations he is running a spoiler campaign to help Trump defeat his opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden.

The hip-hop star said in an interview with Forbes earlier this month he is "not denying" that his campaign was meant to divert Democratic votes away from Biden, who helped author the 1994 crime bill that sent thousands of Black men to prison.

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Kim Klacik: ‘Biden believes Black people can’t think for ourselves’

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Screengrab: YouTube

Kim Klacik is on a short list of renowned Black speakers at the 2020 Republican National Convention, that kicked off on Monday.

Klacik, 38, made history by winning the Republican nomination in Maryland's 7th Congressional District special primary on February 4, 2020. She was the first Black female Republican candidate ever to run for a Maryland Congressional seat.

She spoke on Day 1 of the RNC in Charlotte, NC, saying, "The Democrats still assume that Black people will vote for them, no matter how much they let us down and take us for granted. Nope! We're sick of it and not going to take it anymore. The days of blindly supporting the Democrats are coming to an end."

The married mother-of-one continued: "In Baltimore, we have the highest number of Black Republicans in the entire country running for office this election cycle.

"Joe Biden believes we can't think for ourselves -- that the color of someone's skin dictates their political views. We're not buying the lies anymore -- you and your party have ignored us for too long."

Watch Kim Klacik's full speech at the RNC below.
 

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Candace Owens Mocked On Twitter After Epic Snub by the RNC

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When the Republican Party released its list of speakers at their 2020 National Convention, one high-profile name was suspiciously missing: Candace Owens.

The list included such conservative stars as Kimberly Guilfoyle, Kim Klacik, Diamond and Silk, Charlie Kirk, Scott Baio, and Alice Marie Johnson.

But Owens, who has arguably done more to lead Blacks off the Democrat plantation, was not on the list.

Many wondered if Owens and the Republican Party split because they thought she was too outspoken about George Floyd.

One follower commented: "@realCandaceOwens didn't make the grade even after spending the last 4 yrs. kissing @realDonaldTrump's fat ass. How sad is that?"

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White Nationalist Richard Spencer Endorses Joe Biden for President

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Richard Spencer made headlines when he announced he's voting the Democratic ticket in November.

Spencer (center) and his supporters clashed with Virginia State Police in Emancipation Park at the "Unite the Right" rally on August 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Spencer famously endorsed President Donald Trump in the 2016 elections. But he says he's switching tickets because he believes Biden is a bigger racist than Trump.

"I plan to vote for Biden and a straight democratic ticket. It's not based on "accelerationism" or anything like that; the liberals are clearly more competent people," Spencer tweeted on Sunday.

Biden's camp hastily rejected Spencer's endorsement.

"When Joe Biden says we are in a battle for the soul of our nation against vile forces of hate who have come crawling out from under rocks, you are the epitome of what he means. What you stand for is absolutely repugnant. Your support is 10,000% percent unwelcome here," Biden's campaign tweeted.

Biden, 77, helped author the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act that later became known as the 1994 crime bill.

Biden oversaw the Senate Judiciary Committee at the time. The bill was signed into law by former President Bill Clinton in 1994.

Many Black males were incarcerated under the 1994 crime bill. Biden's running mate, California Senator Kamala Harris, was a prosecutor who locked up more Black males than her predecessor.

Together, Biden and Harris have locked up more Black people than any presidential candidates in history.

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Alice Marie Johnson to speak at RNC convention; Biden confirms he will campaign from his basement – and win

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Alice Marie Johnson, who was granted clemency by President Donald Trump, will be one of the guest speakers at the Republican National Convention.

Trump commuted Johnson's life sentence in 2018 after she served 21 years for a nonviolent drug crime.

Johnson hopes her message of redemption and freedom will resonate with the RNC audience.

"I'll be there talking about criminal justice reform, that is my main mission," Jonson tells The Daily Beast.

"I'm there because I've been affected by our criminal justice system," she added.

Trump, 74, clinched the Republican nomination for a second term on the first day of the Republican National Convention on Monday. Aug. 24.

The president spoke for nearly an hour at the Charlotte Convention Center. "This is the most important election in the history of our country," Trump told the audience. "This is the biggest."

The crowd chanted "four more years" as Trump arrived at the convention center. "If you really want to drive them crazy, say 12 more years," Trump joked.

Democrats believe Trump has no plans to leave the White House if he loses the 2020 election to Joe Biden.

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Meanwhile, the 77-year-old Democratic nominee confirmed he will campaign from his basement in Delaware over the next three months.

In a rare interview with ABC's World News Tonight, Biden responded to anchor David Muir questioning whether he can win an election from his home.

"We will," Biden said. "We're gonna follow the science, what the scientists tell us. We've been able to travel to places when we've been able to do it in a way that we don't cause the congregation of large numbers of people."

Biden's campaign say he will campaign from his basement until November due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Trump Sr. adviser Kellyanne Conway resigns; Daughter Claudia brags on TikTok: ‘Look what I did!’

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Senior White House adviser to President Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway announced she is leaving the White House to spend more quality time with her children.

Conway announced her decision on Sunday. She said she informed Trump on Sunday night, the Washington Post reported.

In a statement, Conway said she is transitioning out of her role as counselor to Trump at the end of this month.

Her husband, attorney and frequent Trump critic George Conway will be stepping down from his position at the Lincoln Project, a group of anti-Trump Republicans that teamed up to help defeat Trump in November.

Sources say the Conways and their teenage daughter, Claudia, had become too much of a distraction to the president.

In response to her parents' announcement, Claudia took to TikTok to boast about her role in her parents' decisions to quit their jobs.

"Look what I did! Look at what I did, ladies and gentlemen," the 15-year-old said in a series of TikTok videos on Sunday night.

Claudia was forced to delete her TikTok earlier this year only to return in July.

She captioned her reaction video: "the power that i hold. i - they think this is gonna stop me from getting emancipated? NANSHAJAB BYE."

She also made a video detailing the mental and physical abuse she claims to have suffered at home in the family's multi-million dollar New Jersey mansion.

The Conways have four children: twins Claudia and George IV, Charlotte, and Vanessa.
 

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Open Post: Trump Reacts to Obama’s DNC Speech

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Former President Barack Obama slammed current U.S. President Donald Trump as unfit to hold office. The Hawaiian-born multi-millionaire ended Day 3 of the DNC convention with a 19-minute speech attacking his successor, Trump.

Obama, 59, claimed America's democracy was at risk as long as Trump remained in office. He said Trump's presidency was like a "reality show" to get "the attention he craves."

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Screengrab: YouTube

Obama suggested Trump had not risen to the role of president and he was incapable of doing so.

Trump, 74, watched Obama's speech with interest while tweeting his reactions.

In one tweet, Trump wrote in all caps: "HE SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN, AND GOT CAUGHT!"

"WHY DID HE REFUSE TO ENDORSE SLOW JOE UNTIL IT WAS ALL OVER, AND EVEN THEN WAS VERY LATE? WHY DID HE TRY TO GET HIM NOT TO RUN?"

Trump also tweeted a video that showed him criticizing Obama and his former VP Joe Biden. "Now President Obama did not do a good job. And the reason I'm here is because of President Obama and Joe Biden - because if they did a good job, I wouldn't be here."

Watch Obama's full DNC speech below.
 

 

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