Think of the CREW lawsuit as a lawsuit on behalf, essentially, of every private entity that will lose money to Trump over the years—restaurant owners, hotel bookers, hotel owners, wedding planners, and so on. Trump has already made clear he’s happy to promote his businesses generally by linking them to his presidency. Look at Mar-a-Lago: An official State Department website praised the virtues of Mar-a-Lago as the Winter White House. Trump doubled the cost of Mar-a-Lago membership (to a cool $200K) right after he took office. Actual people are losing actual money when foreign government personnel book with Trump instead of the competition.
Bigoted Homophobe Steve Scalise’s Life Was Saved by a Queer Black Woman
Scalise has also been described as one of the most anti-LGBTQ politicians in Washington. He’s voted against LBGTQ rights over and over again. He also authored Louisiana’s ban on same-sex marriage. Like many of his ilk, he said he was only trying to protect “traditional” marriage. So it is a point of especially delicious irony that Scalise, who survived the attack (and is reportedly in critical condition), may owe his life to a queer black woman.Crystal Griner, a Capitol Police officer, was one of two special agents on Scalise’s security detail yesterday who helped take down shooter John Hodgkinson. People at the scene said that the two officers prevented an all-out “massacre” on the field that day, engaging in a firefight with Hodgkinson before killing him.
Source: Bigoted Homophobe Steve Scalise’s Life Was Saved by a Queer Black Woman
Inoreader – Thursday Open Thread | Russian Cyber Hacks on U.S. Electoral System Far Wider Than Previously Known
The scope and sophistication so concerned Obama administration officials that they took an unprecedented step — complaining directly to Moscow over a modern-day “red phone.” In October, two of the people said, the White House contacted the Kremlin on the back channel to offer detailed documents of what it said was Russia’s role in election meddling and to warn that the attacks risked setting off a broader conflict.The new details, buttressed by a classified National Security Agency document recently disclosed by the Intercept, show the scope of alleged hacking that federal investigators are scrutinizing as they look into whether Trump campaign officials may have colluded in the efforts. But they also paint a worrisome picture for future elections: The newest portrayal of potentially deep vulnerabilities in the U.S.’s patchwork of voting technologies comes less than a week after former FBI Director James Comey warned Congress that Moscow isn’t done meddling.“They’re coming after America,” Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee investigating Russian interference in the election. “They will be back.”
Death of Brexit at the Hands of Theresa May – SPIEGEL ONLINE
Great Britain may be an island, but economically it is the most interconnected country in Europe: The financial center in London, the country’s carmakers, what’s left of British industry and even the country’s infrastructure. France delivers electricity, water sanitation facilities in southern England belong to Germans and large airports such as Heathrow are owned by Spaniards. One quarter of the doctors who keep afloat the NHS — Britain’s comparatively deficient health care system — come from the Continent.The promise of Brexit was steeped in ideology from the very beginning, a fairy tale based on dark chauvinism. The Spanish Armada, Napoleon, Hitler and now the Polish plumbers who allegedly push down wages — when in reality they ensured that, after decades of lukewarmly dripping showers, the country’s bathrooms gradually returned to functionality. Brexit was never a particularly good idea. Now, following the most recent election, Brexit is defunct. That, at least, is what a member of Theresa May’s cabinet intimated last weekend. “In practical terms, Brexit is dead,” an unnamed minister told the Financial Times.
Source: Death of Brexit at the Hands of Theresa May – SPIEGEL ONLINE
Inoreader – Netanyahu considers closing Al Jazeera offices in Jerusalem – All hail Saudi royal dictators!
As the Gulf crisis intensifies and Qatar continues to be besieged by Saudi Arabia and several other countries Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering closing down Al Jazeera’s offices in occupied Jerusalem.The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth (Ynetnews) revealed today that Netanyahu, a team coordinating with the state press office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Shin Bet have begun studying the details of the closure, which will be similar to the punitive measures taken by Saudi Arabia and Jordan against the Qatar-based network.Netanyahu’s move coincides with calls by a number of leaders on the Israeli right – led by the settler Baruch Marzel – to close down Al Jazeera’s Jerusalem office. Marzel stormed the office and posted a banner demanding the Israeli authorities close the office in occupied Jerusalem.
Source: Inoreader – Netanyahu considers closing Al Jazeera offices in Jerusalem
Activist Leader Freed from Detention Facility | La Prensa San Diego
A federal judge in a San Diego County immigration court has ordered the release of an activist who people believe was a target for law enforcement officers in Los Angeles County.Claudia Rueda, an immigrant rights leader and a student at CSU Los Angeles, was arrested by immigration agents on May 18 outside her residence in the East Los Angeles community of Boyle Heights.At the time of her arrest, Rueda was moving her family’s car.
Source: Activist Leader Freed from Detention Facility | La Prensa San Diego
Trump granted approval for nine more trademarks in China that had previously been rejected: Shanghaiist AKA: Chinese Bribe #TraitorTrump; US workers – “forget you!” #LoserTrump
After struggling in Chinese courts for years to defend his brand, Trump has had dozens of trademarks granted approval since he took office in January. Thanks to this winning streak, the president’s company has the legal rights in China to sell Trump-branded hotels, gold clubs, real estate services and, most intriguingly, Trump escort services.
Qatar’s crisis is about freedom of expression – IFEX
It is not only a diplomatic crisis, but a crisis for free expression in an already restrictive region. As some analysts have pointed out, the singling out of Qatar has as much to do with the country’s alleged support of terrorism as it does with neighboring countries’ desire to shutter Al Jazeera, Qatar’s flagship media organization. Al Jazeera, a comprehensive media outlet funded by the Qatari government with several international satellite television channels, websites, and online video operations, is not exactly a beacon of free expression – it rarely reports negatively on Qatar or other Gulf countries, for example – but it has stood strong in its reporting on the Arab region and much of the world, covering topics that other outlets often ignore.
Source: Qatar’s crisis is about freedom of expression – IFEX
EXCLUSIVE: Director Comey Legally Taped Calls, Meetings With Trump – patribotics
Sources with links to the Justice Department confirm that U.S. intelligence has legal copies of all Donald Trump’s “tapes” of his meetings with Director Comey – and that Comey had his own phone legally hacked in order to record suspects, including Trump, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr, for over a year.
Source: EXCLUSIVE: Director Comey Legally Taped Calls, Meetings With Trump – patribotics
Uber Board Member Makes Sexist Joke During All-Hands Meeting | Hollywood Reporter AKA: A jerk is a jerk, is a jerk, is a jerk – even when he says he is sorry he was caught being a jerk!
Fellow board member David Bonderman, who founded TPG Capital and currently serves on a number of board, then interjected, “Actually what it shows is it’s much likely to be more talking.” Huffington responded by saying, “Oh, come on David. Don’t worry, David will have a lot of talking to do as well.”Bonderman, whose TPG owns a majority stake in CAA, later sent an email apologizing for the remarks, which New York Times reporter Mike Isaac first tweeted. The statement reads, “I want to apologize to my fellow board member for a disrespectful comment that was directed at her during today’s discussion. It was inappropriate. I also want to apologize to all Uber employees who were offended by the remark. I deeply regret it.”
Source: Uber Board Member Makes Sexist Joke During All-Hands Meeting | Hollywood Reporter





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