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| Photo by Ewa Krasucka |
Wow. Just, wow. What gorgeous lines. The fab Rubinald Pronk.
Daily Dance: Rubinald Pronk
Jill Stein Blames Democrats For DeVos Confirmation
Former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein embarrassed herself today when she took to Twitter to blame Senate Democrats for the confirmation of billionaire Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary.
“Why would we have a tie on such an egregious nominee? Because Democrats serve corporate interests.”
I’m not sure how hard this is to understand but: the Democrats are the minority party in the U.S. Senate. All 48 members of the Democratic caucus voted AGAINST DeVos. That’s all the Dems we got there.
The vote required a simple majority. With two Republican senators joining the Dems, the 50-50 tie was broken by Vice-president Pence, who was definitely going to vote for his boss’ nominee.
It’s staggering that people voted for this woman to be president. Just so you know, Stein is officially the Ralph Nader of 2016.
Here are the votes Stein received in three swing states and Donald Trump’s margin of victory in those states:
Michigan: Stein received 51,463/Trump won by 10,704
Pennsylvania: Stein received 49,678/Trump won by 46,765
Wisconsin: Stein received 31,006/Trump won by 22,177
President Obama Hits The Waves In Post-White House Days
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| (images by Jack Brockway) |
While President Trump tangles with pushback on executive orders and insulting the media, Barack Obama is riding waves with billionaire, Sir Richard Branson, of the Virgin business group:
One of the first stories Barack told me when he and Michelle arrived on Moskito Island was how, just before he became President, he had been surfing on a dangerous break in Hawaii. When he came in from an exhilarating session, the new head of his security team turned to him and said: “This will be the last time you surf for eight years.” For the next eight years he didn’t have the chance to surf, enjoy watersports or do many of the things he loved.
So it was tremendous to offer him the chance to learn to kitesurf. The sport has really taken off in the past decade and we have the perfect conditions and team to help anyone learn. I have also wanted to learn foilboard surfing. So we decided to set up a friendly challenge: could Barack learn to kitesurf before I learned to foilboard? We agreed to have a final day battle to see who could stay up the longest.
Kellyanne Conway: “I Felt Badly About Bowling Green Massacre Mixup”
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper today, says she “felt badly about the Bowling Green massacre mixup.”
You’ll recall last week, Conway told MSNBC host Chris Matthews, “I bet it’s brand-new information to people that President Obama had a six-month ban on the Iraqi refugee program after two Iraqis came here to this country, were radicalized and were the masterminds behind the Bowling Green massacre,” she said. “Most people don’t know that because it didn’t get covered.”
The comment went viral in light of the fact that there was no “Bowling Green massacre.”
Kellyanne Conway: I felt really badly about the Bowling Green “massacre” mix up https://t.co/5icnGfi3Tf https://t.co/ZRgZ7ZTFrF— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) February 7, 2017
Out Music: JoLivi “Love Who You Wanna Love”
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| JoLivi |
Out singer/songwriter JoLivi, who excels in a moody, sexy electro-pop music space, recently dropped her latest single, “Love Who You Wanna Love.”
The upbeat track, inspired by the singer’s first same-sex romance, features JoLivi’s sensual vocals coupled with lyrics rooted in empowerment that reflect her independent spirit.
Be who you wanna be,
Love who you wanna love,
Change want you wanna change
The Hawaiian born singer/songwriter shared with The Randy Report her approach and inspirations for songwriting.
TRR: You recently came out as bisexual. Did you write “Love Who You Wanna Love” with the idea of coming out in mind? How did that feel to be public? Freeing? Nervous?
J: “Love Who You Wanna Love” is about more than just loving a gender. It’s about loving yourself and not judging others for whoever they love. It’s about you as an individual not being afraid of going against the norm. We live one life… I’ve loved both genders… I wasn’t nervous, and it wasn’t exactly freeing because I never thought I needed to “come out.” I am able to relate to more that just one idea of what love is and also be a voice for those unheard.
Does your dating status affect your songwriting very much? Do you find your songwriting more inspired by a happy place or break ups?
LOL! You nailed it! My last EP was written about a three year relationship…specific moments and as a whole. I’ve never been inspired really by the happy moments in my life when it comes to songwriting, but I do like to write about other people’s happiness or as a collective society. Something about writing when you’re unhappy is therapeutic. Also, listeners can relate more and believe that you as an artist are still just as human as they are.
How do you think being “out” may play out in future music?
It isn’t even a thought. I think everything in my career will follow it’s right path regardless of who I love. If you’re humble and kind… 🙂
What’s next/on the horizon for you?
TOURING … I can’t wait to go on tour… write another album … and keep inspiring anyone I can!
Check out “Love Who You Wanna Love” below, JoLivi’s official website here, and more music on Soundcloud.
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| JoLivi |
Billionaire Betsy DeVos Confirmed As Education Secretary By Vote Of 51-50
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| Vice-president Mike Pence |
For the first time in history, the vice-president was required to cast a tie breaking vote in order to confirm a president’s cabinet nominee.
Billionaire Betsy DeVos, who has spent many years promoting a voucher system for America’s schools but has no formal experience or training in education, was approved today in the U.S. Senate by a vote of 51-50.
The New York Times reports:
Two Republicans voted against Ms. DeVos’s confirmation, a sign that some members of President Trump’s party are willing to go against him, possibly foreshadowing difficulty on some of the president’s more contentious legislative priorities. It was the first time that a vice president has been summoned to the Capitol to break a tie on a cabinet nomination, according to the Senate historian.
The two Republicans who voted against the nominee, Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, announced their opposition to her last week. In back-to-back floor speeches, the lawmakers said Ms. DeVos was unqualified because of a lack of familiarity with public schools and with laws meant to protect students, despite her passion for helping them.
Meme Of The Day
Just Because…
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| (Pietro Boselli for Bench Body) |
Trump’s Pre-Super Bowl Interview Falls Far Short Of Obama’s Ratings
The Donald will not be pleased to hear that, once again, he got beat in the ratings by President Obama.
According to Variety, President Trump’s pre-Super Bowl interview with Bill O’Reilly drew 12.2 million viewers.
President Obama’s first pre-Super Bowl interview, back in 2009 with NBC’s Matt Lauer, garnered 21.9 million viewers. That’s 9.7 million more than Trump.
In 2011, fresh off his re-election win, Obama’s 2011 pre-game chat with Bill O’Reilly drew 17.3 million. That’s still more than 5 million more than Trump.
Even during non-election years, Obama pulled better numbers than the Trumpster. In 2016, Obama’s interview drew 14.9 million; in 2015, 16.4 million; in 2014, 18 million.
Cue the Twitter rant in 3, 2, 1…
Trump Releases List Of Terrorist Attacks He Says Media Didn’t Cover (Including Attacks The Media Covered)
Above is the list the White House released of terrorist attacks they feel “did not receive adequate attention from Western media sources.”
The White House list includes attacks covered extensively by CNN and others: Paris, Nice, San Bernardino, Brussels, Istanbul.
May I point out they include “Orlando June 2016.” I’m guessing that’s referencing the Pulse Nightclub shooting that killed 49 people. And was covered extensively for days and days and days.
And then there’s the “Paris, France November 2015” – no one ever heard about that one, amiright?
I’m wondering why the Dylan Roof shooting in South Carolina wasn’t listed. Nine people dead in a church wasn’t “terrorist” enough for this White House?
They assembled this list from news sources. The same news sources they claim didn’t cover these events.
#Irony
p.s. This was sent out by the White House. The White House. With typos and formatting errors. Denmark is not spelled “Denmakr,” and after listing city followed by country, the staffer who typed this list wrote “Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.”