These Are Some Things That Have Happened Recently

This is a news blog.  I sift through the news that I read, fact check on as much as I can, and post things that have happened recently.

[t2h2r]

September 5, 2018

1. Today, a senior Trump Administration official published a letter anonymously through the New York Times. This letter details that, since "early on," there was an "internal resistance" to "[thwart] Mr. Trump’s more misguided impulses until he is out of office." The full letter can be found here: https://nyti.ms/2PCZCWv

1.5. There has been growing speculation, since the word "lodestar" appears in the letter, that the anonymous author could be Mike Pence. The true identity is known by the New York Times. The NYT has not commented about this implication. However, during a followup tweet, the NYT dropped a "he." You can read the tweet here: https://bit.ly/2NNJLUh

2. Bubbline is canon.

3. Donald Trump has renewed threats over a governmental shutdown if Congress does not provide funding for the Borderwall. For more information: https://reut.rs/2oJxm99

These are some things that have happened recently.

[t2h2r]

7/31/18

1. During the Department of Justice's Religious Liberty Summit, which was held on July 31, 2018. During this, he announced that the United States would be creating a Religious Liberty Task Force to defend instances when religious liberty is "challenged."

https://bit.ly/2KeMuDM

2. Guy Fieri- yes, that Guy Fiery- worked with the Salvation Army to provide food for those who gave been displaced by the Carr Fire in Northern California.

https://bit.ly/2LIF4y6

3. Scientists of Spain's University of Seville have discovered a new shape known as a "scutoid." To allow for living creatures to grow into the complex shapes that they are, the outermost cells of the body must grow a certain way and be able to move and bend in specific ways. These specific outermost cells have been given the name "scutoid."

https://go.nature.com/2NSpa0Z

These are some things that have happened recently.

[t2h2r]

July 16th 2018

1. The UK has begun a campaign to raise Green Day's "American Idiot" to #1 in charts as a peaceful protest ahead of Mr. Trump's visit to the UK. They succeeded.

https://bit.ly/2uABdru

2. There is a bill, S.3188, titled "Gay and Trans Panic Defense Prohibition Act of 2018" that is currently in Congress. For background, "gay panic" or "trans panic" is a defense one may plead in the court of law against an accusation of having aggressed -including, but not limited to murder and assault- a person of the LGBTQ community.

https://bit.ly/2uG7AFv

3. Robert Mueller has indicted 12 more people, all of whom were officers in the Russian Military at some point, in the investigation of meddling in the 2016 US Presidential Election.

You can read the full report here: https://bit.ly/2Nf2szw

4. The US Treasury recently moved to "no longer require certain tax-exempt organizations including politically active nonprofit groups ... to identify their financial donors to U.S. tax authorities."

https://reut.rs/2NQ6yQ1

5. Mr. Trump is receiving bipartisan criticism of his behavior at the UK summit, specifically when it came to his interactions with Mr. Putin.

https://fxn.ws/2NVtGg3 https://reut.rs/2LnyQjf

These are some things that have happened recently.

[t2h2r]

June 19th, 2018

1. Keep Families Together Act (S.3036), which was proposed by Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and prohibits separation of families at or near ports of entry, has been cosponsored by the remaining 46 Democratic Senators, both Independent Senators, and 0 Republican Senators. To read the Bill: https://bit.ly/2lhfocv 2. Scott Pruitt, the Chief of the EPA, contacted Chick-fil-A for a potential "business opportunity" while leading the EPA. It was later found out that this "opportunity" was to attempt to make his wife, Marlyn, a franchisee of Chick-fil-A.  According to The Office of Governmental Ethics, "An employee shall not use his public office... for the private gain of friends, relatives, or persons with whom the employee is affiliated in a nongovernmental capacity... including ... [seeking] employment or business relations." To read the FBI and DOJ letter calling for the criminal investigation of Scott Pruitt: https://bit.ly/2tjnlBu To read the Government Publishing Office ordnance referring to the quote: https://bit.ly/2krofKF (pgs. 601-602) 3. During the G7 Summit talks, Donald Trump stated that North Korea has committed to Denuclearize.  This is not the first time the People's Democratic Republic of Korea (PDRK) has done so.  In 1985, 1992, 1994, 2005, 2007, and 2012, the PDRK made similar agreements.   1985: https://bit.ly/1FrYvhh 1992: https://bit.ly/2lgZFKd 1994: https://bit.ly/2r8HDxU 2005: https://bit.ly/2vnCth3 2007: https://bit.ly/2M2j0ub 2012: https://nyti.ms/2to6AFd These are some things that have happened recently.

[t2h2r]

September 26th, 2017

1. Due to a lack of support, the Affordable Care Act reform that Senate and House Republicans were attempting to pass seems to have been been effectively subdued and retired. This move seems to have prompted a tax reform which increases the income taxation of the lowest bracket from 10% to 15% but also decreases the top tax rate from 39.5% to 35% and doubles the personal exemption.  

2. As of Tuesday, September 26th, Homeland Security allegedly began construction of eight boarder wall prototypes. Four of them were tested using a cement base, the other four were not. 

3. On Monday, September 25th , North Korean Foreign Minister, Ri Yong Ho, accused the United States of declaring war on North Korea:    

"Last weekend Trump claimed that our leadership wouldn't be around much longer and declared a war on our country... Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make all self-defensive counter measures, including the right to shoot down the United States strategic bombers at any time even when they are not yet inside the aerospace border of our country."

4. Betsy DeVos has begun rolling back the Obama-era policy of Title IX which officially states the requirements and procedures that Colleges and Universities are to followed when a sexual harassment or assault is reported. 

These are some things that have happened recently.

[t2h2r]

September 19, 2017

1. Republican-Controlled Michigan State Senate (Senators Hertel, Knezek and Ananich, specifically) issued a resolution condemning various anti-LGBTQA+ hate groups as “domestic terrorists.” They explicitly name Neo-Nazis and the Alt-right.  This resolution is the Michigan State Senate’s response to the events that occurred in Charlottesville.

2. 22-year-old Morris May was arrested after arriving at a peaceful Stand Against Hate Rally and pepper spraying a Transgender Individual.  May was wearing a T-Shirt which bore the image of Pepe the frog, had brought his younger brother.

3. Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emmanuel, declared that the city is a “Trump-Free” zone. This move is a response to the threat of Trump’s declaration to eliminate the DACA immigration programme.

4.  Polk County Florida Sheriff, Grady Judd recently threatened that anyone who was seeking shelter from Hurricane Irma would be arrested and thrown into the Polk County Jail. He later reinforced this threat with a hard confirmation and reminder of intent.

5. Hurricane Jose is expected to make landfall in New England along Massachusetts’ coast sometime this week.  Currently Jose is a Category 1 Hurricane and is expected dissipate towards the end of the week. 

6. Hurricane Maria is currently over the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico and is expected to make its way up towards the Bahamas before the end of the week.  Hurricane Maria is currently a Category 5 Hurricane, and will maintain its status as a Hurricane until at least Saturday.

For the record, The primary evaluation of hurricanes and storm winds is by using the Saffir-Simpson Scale.  According to the National Hurricane Center:

Tropical Depression: Winds less than 39 mph (62 Km/h) Tropical Storm: Winds between 39 mph and  73 mph (63 - 117 Km/h) (Cat. 1/ Cat. 2) “Hurricane”: Winds between 74 and 110 mph (117 - 177 Km/h) (Cat. 3): Major Hurricane: Winds between 111 and  129 mph (178–208 km/h)   (Cat. 4): Winds between 130 and 156 mph (209 251 km/h) (Cat. 5): Winds greater than >156 mph (252 km/h)

7. Kim Jong-Un has launched another missile over Japan. This has prompted Japan to begin its nuclear cover drills.  

8. Trumpcare has been revived for the third time.  It has been called the “Trumpcare Zombie.” This bill was crafted by Lindey Graham (R-NC) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA)  “It slashes Medicaid,” according to the Rolling Stone. It is estimated that this bill will affect 23 million Americans, and will adversely affect at least 13.5 million American Women.

9. Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has released his official plan for the Universal Healthcare Bill.  It has grown from no support from Senators or Representatives to roughly 20 Senators within 10 days.

These are some things that have happened recently.

[t2h2r]

August 31, 2017

Some more things that have happened recently: 1.Fox News’ parent company, 21st Century Fox, announced this week, that it planned to cease all broadcasting to the United Kingdom. In the statement given, Fox News stated that its primary purpose for the move was to focus on the U.S. market and that the outlet itself was designed for U.S. Consumers.

2.Illinois has become the second state to ban “panic defense” as excuse for killing LGBT people. “Panic defense” is a defense please that an accused person can plead in defense of killing a person of LGBT individual in legal court. It can be used to say that the person was LGBT and “made a pass” at the killer. The other state that has banned panic defense is California.

3. “On August 29th, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) informed the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)…that it is initiating a review and immediate stay of effectiveness of the pay data collection aspects of the EEO-1. This particular clause of EEO-1, which was introduced by President Obama in January of 2016, requires companies to submit the date on worker pay on race, ethnicity, and gender. This ruling of the OMB comes after this regulation was deemed "too burdensome to business.”

These have been some more things that have happened recently.

[t2h2r]

August 28,2017

1. Donald Trump has pardoned Joe Arpaio, the former Arizona Sheriff who was convicted on contempt of court charges after being repeatedly told to cease arrests based on racial profiling. This comes after a letter that Doug Ducey, the current governor of Arizona, allegedly wrote to Mr. Trump urging him to not come to Arizona if the purpose of the trip was to pardon Mr. Arpaio. Many have accused Mr. Trump of using coverage of Hurricane Harvey to mask the pardon.

2. Donald Trump has begun reversing the Obama-era policy regarding a ban on surplus military equipment for police officers.

3. Two organizations, Lambda Legal and Outfront-SLDN (Servicemembers Legal Defense Network) have filed lawsuits against Donald Trump over the transgender military ban.

These are some things that have happened recently.

[t2h2r]

July 21, 2017

1. Three Rivers Independent School District has allegedly voted and passed (6-0) in favor of school-based corporal punishment using paddling, because of "more immediate results" than suspension or detention.

2. Sean Spicer has allegedly resigned from his position a the White House Press Secretary.

3. The Chinese Government has officially banned Justin Bieber from performing China in order to "purify" the nation.

4. A Baltimore Police officer has been caught, on body-cam, tampering with a crime scene by planting drugs, presumably to convict a man who was part of a drug arrest in January.  This new evidence has prompted a review of about 100 previous drug-related arrests associated with the Officers involved. These are some things that have happened recently.

[t2h2r]

July 12th, 2017

1. Some things that have happened recently:1. Several companies including Google, Netflix, and Pornhub came together today to organize a Day of Action (for today), in an attempt to protest the anti-net-neutrality repeals that Mr. Trump is claiming negatively affect American businesses.

2. An Iceberg the size of Delaware, reportedly snapped off Antarctica. It was one of the largest ever recorded, to date.  

3. Donald Trump Jr. is under investigation for his connections to Russian Lawyers via emails allegedly containing new and incriminating evidence on Hillary Clinton as well as evidence that clearly states that Russia was willing to monetarily assist Mr. Trump during his campaign. These are some things that have happened recently.

[t2h2r]

July 6th, 2017

1) Massachusetts, California, Connecticut, Delaware, DC, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Washington (18 locations) have filed a lawsuit against Betsy Devos for "breaking federal law and giving free rein to for-profit colleges by rescinding the Borrower Defense Rule. (NPR)

2) According to the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) and the OMB (Office of Management and Budget), Federal Spending will be above 4 Trillion dollars for the first time this year. (CNSNews)

3) An 38-year-old Black male off-duty officer with 11 years of service was shot in the arm by a 36-year-old White male on-duty officer with 8 years of service. (NY Times)

These are some things that have happened recently.

[t2h2r]

July 5th, 2017

These are some things that have happened recently:

1) NPR tweeted the entire Declaration of Independence and Trump supporters appeared visibly upset. It appears that the interpretation of this string of tweets was that NPR was calling for a full on anti-government revolution.

2) German Parliament recently voted in favour of nationally recognizing and allowing same-sex marriage. All of Germany's Muslim members of parliament voted in favour of passing it. Angela Merkel was not supportive.

3) North Korea has successfully launched an ICBM (Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile). It flew roughly 1741 miles (2800 Km) before landing somewhere in the Sea of Japan. The missile was in the air for almost 40 minutes. As a result, Japan has increased it evacuation drills. It was the longest airtime a North Korea Ballistic Missile has had to date.

4) Donald Trump's Twitter account tweeted out a video of him from when he challenged Vince McMahon on WWE with the CNN logo imposed over McMahon's face.

Those are some things that have happened recently.

[t2h2r]

May 19th, 2017

Things that have happened recently: 1. In a 2-1 vote, the Federal Communications Committee has allegedly voted to replace the Open Internet Order with a policy that allows Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to prioritize a user and their experience based on how much money said user gives to the ISP. What this means is that an ISP can slow or block any content for any reason. 2. Allegedly, Federal Judge Joseph Leeson ruled that transgender people are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) because gender dysphoria- “the presence of clinically significant distress associated with the condition”- is considered a disability in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. Additionally, the American Psychiatric Association has stated that “gender nonconformity is not in itself a mental disorder.” 3. In Time Square, a car pulls a U-turn at 42nd street and begins to run over pedestrians for three blocks before crashing and coming to a stop just past 45th. Reportedly, there has been one dead and 22 injured. These are some things that have happened recently.

[t2h2r]

4: Hackers have allegedly stolen the fifth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series from Disney and have been holding it for ransom.

[t2h2r]

May 19th, 2017

Things that have happened recently: 1. In a 2-1 vote, the Federal Communications Committee has allegedly voted to replace the Open Internet Order with a policy that allows Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to prioritize a user and their experience based on how much money said user gives to the ISP. What this means is that an ISP can slow or block any content for any reason. 2. Allegedly, Federal Judge Joseph Leeson ruled that transgender people are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) because gender dysphoria- "the presence of clinically significant distress associated with the condition"- is considered a disability in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. Additionally, the American Psychiatric Association has stated that "gender nonconformity is not in itself a mental disorder." 3. In Time Square, a car pulls a U-turn at 42nd street and begins to run over pedestrians for three blocks before crashing and coming to a stop just past 45th. Reportedly, there has been one dead and 22 injured. These are some things that have happened recently.

[t2h2r]

May 17th, 2017

1. Democratic Representative, Al Green, has called for the Impeachment of the current President of the United States, Mr. Donald J. Trump.

2. A New York Single-Payer Healthcare Bill called the "New York Health Act" has passed through the State Assembly.

3. Astronomers have found "cold spots" which they may be able to use to prove that the multiverse exists.