Democrat News

This post was originally published on this site

WASHINGTON —  Vice President Kamala Harris, in one of her last public appearances in the role, signed her ceremonial desk drawer at the White House on Thursday, a tradition that dates back nearly a century.

As a crush of current and prior staffers gathered in Harris’ formal office at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, she thanked them for their “extraordinary commitment” to public service and prioritizing the hopes and dreams of the American people.

“We have each taken on a life and a calling that is about doing work in the service of others, and doing it in a way that is fueled yes with ambition, yes with a sense of almost stubbornness about not hearing no and knowing we can make a difference,” Harris said.

Then, as Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff snapped pictures, Harris used a Sharpie to sign her desk drawer, a tradition that dates back to the 1940s and has been carried on continuously since the Ford administration. The vice president noted that she has met every one of her predecessors who signed the desk with the exception of Presidents Eisenhower and Truman.

As onlookers chanted, “MVP! MVP!” Harris, who unsuccessfully challenged President-elect Donald Trump for the White House in 2024, was asked what she planned to do next. Speculation about whether she would run for governor of California has been swirling.

“I’ll keep you posted,” she said, smiling.

This post was originally published on this site

On Fox News’ Outnumbered, host Gerri Willis defended the cadre of billionaires trying to rule the United States of America by sucking up to Trump.

I mean, they’ve created so many good things for us! Ugh.

Fox News is predictably in love with uber-rich tech broligarchs who support Demented Donald.

WILLIS: Where is the credit for these guys? Elon Musk, Zuckerberg, Bezos, you name it.

A number of CEOs who have made big differences for this country and have led us to be number one in technology.

These are the people who are gonna lead us in AI and we have to dominate AI because if we don’t, China will.

So kudos to these guys.

They’ve done a lot for us and the whole idea that the left is mad at Elon Musk makes me crazy because he’s the one who developed their favorite product in the world, the electric car.

So how can you be mad at him?

Let these gazillionaires keep creating new tech, but keep this as a country for the people, not the fucking rich.

Abraham Lincoln is a hero to the right, but they quickly ignore some of his most important words and beliefs.

Remember the Gettysburg Address, Gerri?

…and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Not a government for the Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg to rule.

PS Elmo didn’t “invent” the electric car. And his cybertrucks are ugly.

This post was originally published on this site

The man hoping Canada would become part of the USA because Trump spewed the idea, Kevin O’Leary, is a dumbass.

Appearing on CNN, O’Leary criticized Sen. Adam Schiff for questioning Pam Bondi during her Senate confirmation hearing, suggesting he should focus on the California wildfires.

Some US Senators can walk and chew gum, Kevin. They’re not ALL Marco Rubio.

These scumbags will defend, deflect, ignore, and cover up every all of Trump’s crimes and false statements.

Trump jailing his political rivals is fascist, you twit.

This is a doozy. Using the Pacific Palisades wildfires to deflect for Trump is reprehensible.

Sen. Schiff has a job to do during the AG confirmation hearings, and if he didn’t question Pam Bondi and instead came back to California for a photo-op as Trump does, he would have been pillared.

O’Leary purposely mispronounces Sen. Schiff’s name.

O’LEARY: But so, listen, Cheney was referenced also today being asked by, you know, Schiff, would you put her in jail as Trump has ordered?

And basically, who cares when Cheney is going to jail or if she should go to jail when he’s from California? This whole state’s burning down.

NAVARRO: You don’t care that Donald Trump might put somebody or is threatening to put somebody in jail because of doing her job on the January 6th committee?

NAVARRO: And you don’t think that’s a legitimate question?

O’LEARY: When his whole state’s burning down and people have no homes?

This guy can’t read the room.

NAVARRO: And the Attorney General is going to do what about the burning in California?

O’LEARY: Look, the point is, he did not read the room. What a heartless thing to pursue when his whole state’s on fire and being looted.

NAVARRO: Have you seen what Donald Trump tweeted out today?

He put out a tweet with his enemies list where he basically said, hey, to all of you who are recommending staffers to my administration, do not even try to recommend anybody who has worked for Liz Cheney or Mitt Romney.

It’s worse than that.

So he’s not he’s not just weeding out the leftist thugs.

WTF? Read the room? It’s a freaking Senate Confirmation hearing. These are legitimate questions. Trump whines he will “jail everybody” who held him accountable.

How is Schiff’s question heartless? To whom? I don’t need a fucking conservative blowhard to tell me how to feel during the Wildfires.

This post was originally published on this site

Former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush declined to attend Donald’s traditional inaugural lunch. All three will be present for the swearing-in ceremony, but former First Lady Michelle Obama will be a no-show for that birther trash’s big day.

And this is a big deal for Yam Tits, who, in 2017, gushed over the Clintons’ presence at the luncheon and even encouraged a standing ovation for the woman he demeaned and threatened with imprisonment at his ego rallies.

NBC News reports:

Obama received an invitation but declined to attend, according to a source familiar with the matter. Clinton also was invited but does not plan to attend, according to a second source familiar with the matter, while Bush’s office said it was not tracking an invitation to the luncheon.

Former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton also received an invitation to the inaugural luncheon but will not attend, according to a third source familiar with the matter.

A spokesperson for Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the absences.

…
Inauguration Day is one of the only occasions when all former living presidents usually congregate to usher in the next administration. Trump, however, declined to attend President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021.

Why would any former U.S. President want to celebrate the ushering in of an oligarchy? Hey, at least he has Carrie Underwood.

This post was originally published on this site

As expected, Caldwell has now been terminated. It’s interesting how the rightwing tabloids like the UK’s Daily Mail and the New York Post concentrate so much attention on the irony of Caldwell’s employment contrasting with the reality of his behaviour. It took BCT Partners less than 24 hours to conclude their investigation and fire him.

Source: Daily Mail

A Philadelphia Eagles fan who was caught in on video verbally abusing a female fan has been fired from his job after he was outed as a business analyst working for a management consultancy that focuses on implementing DEI strategies.

Ryan Caldwell – who used the pronouns ‘they/them’ to describe his employment background – was seen on viral video referring to a female Packers fan as an ‘ugly, dumb c***’.

The 45-year-old worked for BCT Partners based in East Brunswick, New Jersey. The company boasts on their site they ‘harness the power of diversity, insights and innovation to transform lives’.

The firm has since denounced the behavior caught on camera at the NFL payoff game.

After an investigation was launched, the company concluded that they ‘decided to part company with the employee.’

In a statement released on Tuesday night, the company condemned Caldwell’s actions ‘without condemning the individual.’

BCT Partners said: ‘This individual’s conduct and language were vile, disgusting, unacceptable, and horrific and have no place in our workplace and society. Such conduct is not who we are and not what we stand for.’

Monday night.

Tuesday night.

This post was originally published on this site

UPDATE: Mike Johnson gets a whew.

Ron DeSantis is considering picking off another House Republican to fill Rubio’s Senate seat. I’m kind of surprised that he didn’t pick Lara Trump! Via The Daily Beast:

DeSantis spoke this week with Florida Reps. Kat Cammack, a rising star and Trump ally who is also close with DeSantis, and Cory Mills, a MAGA firebrand, sources told the Daily Beast. And he acknowledged on Monday that he’s well aware of the practical implications at play for advancing Trump’s agenda.

”Are you going to go from 217 to 216? That’s a tough, tough thing,” DeSantis said at a news conference.

The discussions between DeSantis and the two House lawmakers he is eyeing to fill Rubio’s Senate seat come as Speaker Johnson walks a tightrope trying to not to lose more than two votes on any one bill to advance Trump’s agenda.

This post was originally published on this site

Donald Trump has such nice things to say about John Fetterman after he came to Mar-a-Lago to visit him over the weekend. Via the New Republic:

The Pennsylvania senator and Democrat said last week that Trump invited him for a meeting, and apparently the president-elect was impressed after an hour-long conversation with the man he once accused of abusing heroin, cocaine, crystal meth, and fentanyl.

“It was a totally fascinating meeting. He’s a fascinating man, and his wife is lovely. They were both up, and I couldn’t be more impressed,” Trump said to the Washington Examiner, referring to Fetterman and his wife, Gisele. “He’s a commonsense person. He’s not liberal or conservative. He’s just a commonsense person, which is beautiful.”

Fetterman has taken a major shift in his political ideology to the right in the last two years, particularly with his full-throated support for Israel’s ongoing massacre in Gaza. He’s lost a lot of Democratic support as a result, and even seemed OK with Trump’s crazy idea to annex Greenland, recently comparing it to the Louisiana Purchase.

This post was originally published on this site

Normally, a chair of a House committee is not removed by the Speaker unless something extraordinary occurs. “The Ohio Republican has been an outspoken advocate for Ukraine funding and other hawkish national security stances,” wrote Politico. I’m inclined to see this as bad news for Ukraine, but other factors may have been at play.

Source: Politico

Speaker Mike Johnson removed Rep. Mike Turner as chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Wednesday, saying he wanted to give the panel a “fresh start” in a new Congress and with a new president.

But conservative hard-liners in the House and other Republicans loyal to President-elect Donald Trump had been pressing Johnson for months to remove the Ohio Republican. And Johnson cited Trump as a reason for the ouster when the speaker met with Turner Wednesday night, according to a person familiar with the conversation who was granted anonymity to describe it.

Turner told CBS News’ Margaret Brennan that Johnson had cited “concerns from Mar-a-Lago” as the reason for the decision.

Mike Johnson told a different story, of course.

Commenting to reporters, Johnson deflected blame away from the returning president, saying, “This is not a President Trump decision; this is a House decision.” He also said the decision was “no slight” to Turner, who had “performed valiantly in a difficult time under difficult circumstances.”

Since Mike Johnson is a lying little weasel and only serves as Speaker by professing his undying fealty to Trump, I’m inclined to believe Mike Turner’s version of events rather than Johnson’s fairytale.

Speaker Johnson on removing Mike Turner as intel chair: “This is not a President Trump decision. This is a House decision, and this is no slight whatsoever to our outgoing chairman. He did a great job.” pic.twitter.com/lFparUcxnA

— Kit Maher (@KitMaherCNN) January 16, 2025

I spoke with House intel chair Mike Turner (R-OH) who told me that Speaker Johnson has fired him as chair of the committee overseeing the intelligence community. Johnson cited “concerns from Mar a Lago” as justification for the removal.
Rep Jim Himes (D-CT) tells CBS that this…

— Margaret Brennan (@margbrennan) January 15, 2025

This post was originally published on this site

According to Politico, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is considering appointing Vivek Ramaswamy to the state’s U.S. Senate seat about to be vacated by J.D. Vance.

At first glance, it seems odd given that Ramaswamy is so darned unpopular in MAGA world right now. Also, Ramaswamy has already gotten to work with President-Unelect Musk on their non-existent Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In reality, it’s a plan to slash government services for regular folks in order to give Musk and Puppet Trump’s billionaire bros a tax cut.

Politico says Ramaswamy’s interest in the job “has sparked speculation in GOP circles that he is looking for a lifeline” after defending H-1B visas by saying, essentially, that American culture doesn’t provide good enough workers.

But I suspect President Musk and his boy Trump see it as a way of making the Senate more friendly to destroying the government.

More from Politico:

Billionaire Musk, co-director of DOGE, Ramaswamy and Trump are all said to be in agreement that the group needs an advocate in the Senate.

…

A Senate appointment would allow Ramaswamy, 39, to work on efforts to cut federal spending from inside Congress while Musk pursues it from the outside, the second person familiar with Ramaswamy’s thinking told POLITICO. It would also provide Ramaswamy a chance to go fight for DOGE priorities against expected pushback from Senate Democrats, given his penchant for debating.

There are other benefits, according to Politico. “Appointing Ramaswamy to the Senate would offer Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted a cleaner shot to succeed DeWine by eliminating a potential competitor,” Politico noted.

The problem is that whomever DeWine appoints has to run in a special election in 2026 and then again in 2028. Ramaswamy is a uniquely obnoxious person who dropped out of the 2024 presidential primary after winning only a single-digit vote share in the Iowa caucuses.

But maybe Musk and his Project 2025 bros think they can destroy the government for everyone but the billionaires by the time Ramaswamy has to run.

This post was originally published on this site

On this day in 1988, Tina Turner proved her enduring appeal when she performed in front of 182,000 people in Rio De Janeiro, setting the world record for the largest audience ever for a single artist. Tina Turner, What’s Love Got To Do With It.

The Rude Pundit: Informing Ourselves to Death: Another Explanation of Why Harris Lost (Part 1)

Show Me Progress: Have your papers ready.

Lawyers, Guns & Money: The party of evil.

Attention space nerds! Amazing level of visible detail of the remnants of a long-ago supernova. Thanks again, James Webb Space Telescope!

Round Up by driftglass of the Professional Left Podcast and Science Fiction University

Send tips to mbru (AT) crooksandliars (DOT) com