Category: News

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Trump Is 1st President To Be Impeached Twice

House of Representatives votes 232-197 to impeach Donald Trump a second time

House of Representatives votes 232-197 to impeach Donald Trump a second time Donald Trump has become the first president in the history of the U.S. to face impeachment charges twice. In a bipartisan vote of 232 to 197, the House of Representatives approved a single article of impeachment against Trump charging him with “inciting violence against the government of the United States” in regard to last week’s insurrection at the Capitol. So. Much. Winning. From the New York Times:

The House on Wednesday impeached President Trump for inciting a violent insurrection against the United States government, as 10 members of the president’s party joined Democrats to charge him with high crimes and misdemeanors for an unprecedented second time.

Reconvening under the threat of continued violence and the protection of thousands of National Guard troops, the House was determined to hold Mr. Trump to account just one week before he was to leave office.

At issue was his role in encouraging a mob that attacked the Capitol one week ago while Congress met to affirm President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory, forcing lawmakers to flee for their lives in a deadly rampage.

Ten House Republicans joined with Democrats in passing the measure. The Senate will now face holding impeachment proceedings once the House transmits the article of impeachment. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has reportedly been ‘pleased’ by the impeachment development but says he won’t bring the Senate back into session before its scheduled session on January 19.

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GOPer Blames Madonna, Kathy Griffin For Capitol Attack

Madonna was blamed by a member of Congress for the attack on the U.S. Capitol last week
Madonna was blamed by a member of Congress for the attack on the U.S. Capitol last week
Madonna (image via Depositphotos)

Republican Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado raised eyebrows today when he attempted to blame international pop-star Madonna and comedian Kathy Griffin for the attack on the U.S. Capitol last week.

The statement came during hours of debate today on whether to approve an article of impeachment against Donald Trump for inciting a violent mob that invaded the U.S. Capitol building as Congress was certifying the Electoral College votes.

Buck told his colleagues that Americans were ‘frustrated’ by a laundry list of things including the Special Counsel investigation into the Trump campaign’s links to Russia, efforts by Congress to impeach Trump (the first time), and more.

“They were frustrated when members of this House spoke over and over about impeaching the President days into his administration,” Buck said. “And then the socialists in Hollywood joined their allies in Congress.” 

The socialists in Hollywood…here we go…

“Robert De Niro said that he wanted to punch the president in the face,” continued the Colorado lawmaker. “Madonna thought about blowing up the White House. Kathy Lee Griffin held up a likeness of the President’s beheaded head, and nothing was heard and nothing was said by my colleagues at that point in time.”

That’s not accurate, of course.

Griffin received considerable pushback from members of both political parties at the time of her ‘severed head’ stunt. 

According to Newsweek she was investigated by the Secret Service and the FBI, placed on the no-fly list for months and lost her New Year’s Eve CNN gig with Anderson Cooper. She also found it difficult to book stand-up comedy appearances for a long period of time.

And while it’s true that Madonna did allude to ‘blowing up the White House,’ Buck takes her comment totally out of context.

Her statement occurred at the women’s march on Washington in January 2017 opposing the inauguration of Donald Trump.

Here’s the remark in full:

“Yes, I’m angry. Yes, I am outraged. Yes, I have thought an awful lot of blowing up the White House, but I know that this won’t change anything. We cannot fall into despair. As the poet W.H. Auden once wrote on the eve of World War II: ‘We must love one another or die.’ I choose love. Are you with me? Say this with me: We choose love…”

Madge clarified her comments on Instagram the very next day writing, “I am not a violent person, I do not promote violence and it’s important people hear and understand my speech in it’s entirety rather than one phrase taken wildly out of context.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Madonna (@madonna)

Madonna and Kathy Griffin were soon trending on Twitter for this very surprising reason.

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CYA: Trump Urges ‘No Violence, No Lawbreaking’

Trump issues a statement calling for no violence
Donald Trump
Lacking his social media platforms, Donald Trump issued a statement ‘old-school’ today discouraging any further violence. “In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind,” read the statement from the White House Press Secretary. “That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for.” “I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers. Thank you.” As the House is currently debating an article of impeachment at this very moment, this seems like Trump probably got advice from his lawyers that he needs to at least ‘appear’ to discourage violence like the hideous insurrection that occurred at the U.S. Capitol building last week. Trump calls for no violence as House debates impeachment

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Mitch McConnell Won’t Bring Senate Back Early

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
While the House of Representatives debates approving an article of impeachment against Donald Trump for last week’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building, The Hill reports Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has informed Democrats he will not be bringing the Senate back into session before its currently scheduled date of January 19.

McConnell said in a memo circulated to colleagues last week that the Senate will not be able to handle business on the floor until senators are scheduled to return to Washington on Jan. 19 unless all 100 senators agree to reconvene sooner.

The memo stated that unless there is unanimous consent from senators, Trump’s impeachment trial would not be allowed to begin until 1 p.m. on Jan. 20, at which time Joe Bidenwill have been sworn in as president. 

In that case, any trial against Trump would not begin until around the time of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. CBS News reports that McConnell supports the impeachment maneuver but doesn’t want to address it until the article of impeachment is approved and sent to the Senate.

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Geraldo Rivera: Trump Should Be Impeached

Geraldo Rivera with Donald Trump

Geraldo Rivera with Donald Trump
L-R Geraldo Rivera, Donald Trump (image via Facebook)
File this under ‘More rats leaving the ship.’ Fox News personality Geraldo Rivera, a longtime ally of Donald Trump, now says the Donald should be impeached as the House of Representatives debates the issue today. In a tweet posted today Rivera says he had a “eureka moment,” saying that “my loyalty toward Donald Trump, my old friend, was misplaced when it comes to what happened last Wednesday.” “Shame on him. He should be impeached,” continued Rivera. “If the Senate wants to acquit him, that’s their business, but he should know that history is judging him.”

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News Round-Up: January 12, 2021

Real-life couple featured in new Cadbury chocolate ad

Real-life couple featured in new Cadbury chocolate ad
(screen capture via Cadbury)
Some news items you might have missed: • OUT: One half of the real-life gay couple in that Cadbury ad (above) clapped back at critics of the spot – “I’m sure there would be half as many complaints if it was two ‘beautiful’ cisgendered hetero-looking Caucasian women. Get your act together world: y’all are as hypocritical and uneducated and bizarre as Donald Trump.” • The Advocate: Hillsborough has become the first town in North Carolina to adopt LGBTQ-inclusive antidiscrimination protections since the state’s ban on doing so expired. • NowThis News: “Knock the crap out of ’em, would you? I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees” — Watch this report on how Donald Trump has been inciting violence from his supporters for years.

• LGBTQ Nation: An 18-year-old lesbian who says she has been kicked out of her home for being gay has outed her Trump-loving family members who participated in the violent altercation in D.C. last week. • New York Times: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has told associates that he believes Donald Trump committed impeachable offenses and that he is pleased that Democrats are moving to impeach him, believing that it will make it easier to purge him from the party, according to people familiar with his thinking. • NBC News: Michael Sherwin, the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, and Steven D’Antuono, head of the FBI’s Washington field office, briefed reporters on the sprawling criminal investigation designed to catch those who took part in the violent Capitol insurrection last week. They said that the FBI had opened 160 case files, and that “this is only the beginning.”

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Tonight: Trans Storyline On The CW’s ‘Two Sentence Horror Stories’

James Goldman stars in trans storyline on Two Sentence Horror Stories
James Goldman as ‘Elliott’ in Two Sentence Horror Stories (screen capture via The CW)
On the season premiere of The CW’s Two Sentence Horror Stories, a transmasculine student endures merciless bullying in his high school until a mysterious janitor offers the teen a way to take care of his bullies once and for all. Inspired by the viral fan fiction, Two Sentence Horror Stories is an award-winning, original scripted horror anthology series. Similar to early horror/anthology predecessor The Twilight Zone, each episode features a standalone story. Each story taps into the expansive world of the horror genre, pressing universal primal fears filtered through the anxieties of a connected and racially diverse generation. This particular episode was created by a wholly LGBTQ creative team including trans actor James Goldman as ‘Elliott,’ director Chase Joynt, and writer Stephanie Adams-Santos.
James Goldman as 'Elliott' in Two Sentence Horror Stories
James Goldman as trans student ‘Elliott’ in Two Sentence Horror Stories
The episode tonight, a riff on the “troll under the bridge” fairy tale, handles having a trans male lead figure very well. Without being heavy-handed, several artful choices were made to communicate aspects of transgender people’s lives throughout the episode. For instance, Elliott doesn’t speak for a lengthy amount of time in the beginning of the episode. During a Q&A with the creative team I attended on Sunday, the director shared that was intentional to underscore how Elliott (and trans people) feel silenced and otherwise diminished. Point of view camera angles were also chosen specifically to emphasize how Elliott feels he’s always being watched in public – a common thread for trans folks. And the writer shared that while trans people often look at themselves in the mirror, the only person in this episode seen in a mirror is the evil principal. “Elliot” airs tonight on The CW’s Two Sentence Horror Stories tonight at 8:30 pm ET. And encore presentation will air on February 9.

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QAnon Shaman Demands Organic Diet In Jail

Jacob Chansley, aka the QAnon Shaman, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in the Jan 6 Capitol Building invasion

QAnon Shaman has demanded only organic food while in jail for participating in the invasion of the U.S. Capitol
Jake Angeli (screen capture)
The public defender for the QAnon Shaman, aka Jake Angeli, informed a judge today that his client hasn’t eaten since last Friday because he only eats organic food. This was his first court appearance since being arrested for his part in the invasion of the U.S. Capitol building last week. From Newsweek:

During his first appearance at a federal courtroom in Phoenix, Angeli’s public defender Gerald Williams told the judge that he had not eaten since he was taken into custody because he is on an extremely restrictive diet consisting solely of organic food, believed to be for religious reasons.

Judge Deborah Fine said the claims were “deeply concerning” and ordered Williams to find a way to accommodate the 33-year-old’s demands.

“We will abide by the judge’s order,” David Gonzales, U.S. Marshal for the District of Arizona, later confirmed to ABC 15 Monday, adding Angeli will be provided food to meet his organic diet.

Angeli’s mother, Martha Chansley, told the local ABC News affiliate the QAnon Shaman “gets very sick if he doesn’t eat organic food — literally will get physically sick.”

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Gay Trump Supporter Fears Arrest After Capitol Invasion

Gay Trump supporter says he fears for his life after taking part in violent riots at U.S. Capitol
Gay Trump supporter says he fears for his life after taking part in violent riots at U.S. Capitol
Kristopher Dreww (screen capture via Twitter)

Gay Trump supporter Kristopher Dreww (with two ‘w’s) says he now fears for his life as law enforcement officials are arresting those who took part in the violent invasion of the U.S. Capitol last week.

Dreww, who was a proud participant in the insurrection, took to social media during the melee on Wednesday to boast about being a part of the mob that stormed the Capitol building.

“I just got back from storming the Capitol,” said an energized Dreww. “It was successful. For all you bitches on Facebook going crazy talking about it was Antifa, f*cking being infiltrated, saying it wasn’t us, it was us. We proudly took back our Capitol.”

“They brought the National Guard out for us. We had the (expletive) cops running from us. Not because they are bitches but because they are smart.”

“God we did it today!” added Dreww. “We did it! It was exhilarating and it felt so f*cking good!”

But that was then, this is now and the authorities are now charging the insurrectionists for their actions.

In an interview with the Orange County Register, the self-described ‘Adorable Deplorable’ says “I’m scared, I fear for my life.”

Described as ‘choking back tears,’ he told the Register he drove home from Washington D.C. to Huntington Beach all while receiving ‘death threats from both Trump supporters and detractors.’

The gay Trump supporter says he arrived in Washington on Wednesday morning in time to catch some of Donald Trump Jr.’s address to the mob outside the White House. Following that, he went to his hotel and while waiting for his car to parked by a valet he became aware of the burgeoning insurrection.

The hairdresser says he raced to the Capitol building but instead of going “storming the Capitol,” now he says he sat outside under a tree eating sandwiches with a nurse and a teacher.

Fearing arrest by the FBI, the ‘Adorable Deplorable’ denies actually taking part in the invasion.

Absent the swagger of his earlier messages, Dreww now says, “I never went inside the Capitol.” Today, he explains the ‘we’ he referred to in his initial video message in regard to taking back the Capitol was a collective ‘we’ and not ‘he.’

“I am a waste of time (for authorities to investigate), but there are other people who did terrible things and should be arrested,” said the 32-year-old in what the Register describes as ‘subdued.’ “I didn’t go to Washington for Donald Trump. I went there for everyone’s vote to count.”

“I do regret not doing my research and not knowing what people were in there,” adds Dreww. “I am proud we took back our house, but I thought we took it back peacefully.” Dreww also expressed concern for his beauty salon business as his Yelp page is now receiving 1-star reviews from people calling him out as a domestic terrorist.

(Source: Orange County Register)

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Donald Trump Denies Responsibility For Capitol Invasion

Donald Trump denies any responsibility for invasion of U.S. Capitol building

Donald Trump denies any responsibility for invasion of U.S. Capitol building
Donald Trump (screen capture via CNN)
In his first remarks to the press since the invasion of the U.S. Capitol building last week, Donald Trump took no responsibility for the violence and chaos that took place after he encouraged his followers to “march up to the Capitol” and “fight like hell.” From CNN:

A defiant President Donald Trump insisted Tuesday his speech inciting the riot at the US Capitol was “totally appropriate” while at the same time calling for “no violence” in his first public remarks to reporters after the insurrection last week.

Trump assumed no responsibility for what happened last Wednesday, despite telling his supporters in the hour beforehand to “fight like hell.” And he did not specifically decry attempts to find and kill political leaders, including his own vice president.

Before leaving the White House earlier in the day, the Donald also denounced the current impeachment proceedings developing in Congress calling it a “continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics.” He also insinuated that those actions could lead to more violence. “This impeachment is causing tremendous anger, and you’re doing it and it’s really a terrible thing that they’re doing,” he told reporters.