People with a brain know Trump's threat to close the Department of Education is idle

 Can Trump actually close the DOE?

Technically, yes.

However, “It would take an act of Congress to take it out,” Don Kettl, professor emeritus and former dean of the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, told Vox. “It would take an act of Congress to radically restructure it. And so the question is whether or not there’d be appetite on the Hill for abolishing the department.”

More.

That's because an act of Congress created it in the first place.

Trump is not a dictator, and never will be, although he plays one on TV, which is the real problem.

It's all just words.

 

Wow Anita Dunn drops a bomb on Nancy Pelosi and the donor class, says they bullied Joe Biden out of the race and ignored the primary process and the will of the voters

DUNN: ... I went to Wisconsin with him for an event, and people felt very strongly about the bullying. They didn’t like it and voters didn’t like it. They felt that it was unfair and that it was wrong. ... clearly there were leaders of the party who decided to go ahead and go very public. And that gave permission to other people to go public.

POLITICO: Are you talking about senators and House members? Or do you mean like when Nancy Pelosi goes on TV twice when things feel like they’re dying down and reopens the debate?

DUNN: Absolutely. ... you had this decision that the Democratic Party made to ignore their primary voters and ignore their primary process, and that was a very donor-driven thing.

Here. 

Nancy Pelosi has never given a damn about democracy.

Ew, so that's how we learned that in the 1980s

 Some NDAs include carve-ins allowing you to talk to a therapist or close friends; others include carve-outs for specific friends with loose lips. The terms can expire at the end of a project or on a specific date. David Bowie’s divorce NDA ended after ten years, at which point his ex-wife, Angela, went on TV and said she was now free to let the world know she had once walked in on Bowie in bed with Mick Jagger.

More. 

Now [2012], adding fuel to rumours that have for years abounded, a new book claims that Mick Jagger, 68, and David Bowie, 65, arguably the most dynamic and influential rock stars of their generation, were once lovers.

The incendiary claims, neatly timed with the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones' first gig, have been made by Christopher Andersen, author of Mick: The Wild Life and Mad Genius of Jagger.

Speaking with friends and family of the seemingly ageless rockers, at least four of the showmen's glamourous set have recalled stories of the men's antics. The two had a deep respect for each other, Mike (as Bowie knew Mick) admiring Bowie's creativity, and Bowie admiring Jagger's "financial genius" as the frontman of the Rolling Stones, writes Andersen. ...

The men frequently engaged in threesomes, but had a deeper emotional bond too, said Ava Cherry, a backing singer. She recalls some of their steamier moments together: "Even though I was in bed with them many times, I ended up just watching them have sex."

Bebe Buell, a Playboy model who had daughter Liv Tyler with Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, recalls being pursued by Jagger, and went on to sleep with both men. She too claims that bedroom activity was wild and far from monogamous. "I used to get some pretty strange phone calls from Mick and David at three in the morning," she told Andersen, "inviting me to join them in bed with four gorgeous black women ... or four gorgeous black men."

But it was the moment that Bowie's wife Angie caught the two men in bed together that seems to cement the rumours. The blonde, with whom the singer had a son in 1970, Zowie Bowie (now Duncan Jones), says she one day found the men curled up in bed together, asleep. She said she "felt absolutely dead certain that they’d been [having sex]. It was so obvious, in fact, that I never even considered the possibility that they hadn’t been".

The rest is here.

DNC chair Jaime Harrison and Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez gaslight DNC committee members in Saturday conference call, disable chat function and disallow questions

Here:

Multiple committee members on the call, most granted anonymity to talk about the private discussion, described feeling like they were being gaslighted — that they were being asked to ignore the dire nature of the party’s predicament. The call, they said, may have worsened a widespread sense of panic among elected officials, donors and other stakeholders.

Instead, the people said, Harrison offered what they described as a rosy assessment of Biden's path forward. The chat function was disabled and there were no questions allowed.

“I was hoping for more of a substantive conversation instead of, ‘Hey, let’s go out there and just be cheerleaders,’ without actually addressing a very serious issue that unfolded on American television for millions of people to see," said Joe Salazar, an elected DNC member from Colorado, who was on the call. “There were a number of things that could have been said in addressing the situation. But we didn’t get that. We were being gaslit.” ... “This should not be a close race,” Salazar said, pointing to Trump's criminal record and long history of falsehoods. “They’re the ones who should be looking for a new nominee, not us. And unfortunately for us, because of our president’s performance on Thursday night, that is now an open discussion.”

The National NAACP suspended Illinois' NAACP president in December for her intemperate remarks about illegal aliens displacing blacks

 

Haley suspended by NAACP

Calling immigrants 'savages' and rapists creates uproar

Dean Olsen

December 16, 2023

click to enlarge 

Springfield NAACP branch 

Springfield NAACP Branch President Teresa Haley 

The national NAACP has suspended Teresa Haley as president of the group’s Illinois State Conference after the Springfield resident was recorded on video in October calling immigrants “savages” and saying they are “raping people” and attracting more sympathy than Black people with similar needs.

Haley’s comments, made during an online monthly video call with NAACP leaders throughout Illinois, drew criticism from Gov. JB Pritzker, state and local groups advocating on behalf of immigrants and a call for her resignation from a former suburban Chicago NAACP leader.

Haley, who received the "activist of the year" award at the 2020 NAACP Image Awards, issued a written apology in a Dec. 14 news release from the Illinois NAACP.

The news release also said NAACP branch presidents from throughout Illinois met Dec. 13 and “unanimously supported Haley’s quintessential leadership skills.”

But the national NAACP, based in Baltimore, said in a statement Dec. 15 that it suspended Haley Dec. 13.

It’s unclear whether national NAACP officials had communicated with Illinois branch presidents before the Illinois NAACP meeting. Champaign’s NAACP branch president, Minnie Pearson, told Illinois Times on Dec. 15 that the suspension was a surprise to her. She declined further comment.

Haley initially scheduled a news conference Dec. 16 in Springfield, where she is president of the Springfield NAACP branch, but an emailed statement to the news media said the news conference was canceled “in accordance with the recent request from the national NAACP office. Ms. Haley stands by her heartfelt apology and will not provide any further comments at this juncture.”

The Dec. 15 statement from the national NAACP, the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, said the nonprofit “stands firm in our commitment to advancing racial justice and cultivating a society where human dignity is respected.”

The NAACP didn’t respond to requests for more information or clarification, didn’t say how long the suspension will last, whether the group will consider permanently removing Haley as statewide president or whether the suspension also applies to Haley’s position as president of the Springfield NAACP branch.

“As an internal matter, there will be no additional comment at this time,” the statement said, adding, “The NAACP will continue to foster an environment that is reflective of our mission and respective of our membership.”

Haley, 58, a retired state employee who was elected to her first two-year term as president of the Illinois NAACP in 2015, hasn’t responded to Illinois Times’ requests for an interview.

Television station ABC7 Chicago reported that Haley told one of its reporters in early December, in a phone call while she was on vacation in Dubai, that she didn’t make the comments and that the video was fake and was created with artificial intelligence.

"With AI, anything is possible," Haley told the Chicago reporter.

Then, in the Dec. 14 Illinois State Conference news release, Haley reversed course without explanation.

“First and foremost,” she said, “I express my sincere apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or offended by my comments. I love and value all members of our communities – including immigrants. I have worked tirelessly to advocate for the underserved and the voiceless. I remain focused on denouncing injustices, racism and discrimination. 

“I am empathetic to the plight of all people, and I proudly serve as a beacon of hope to the hopeless. I embrace the mission of the NAACP, which is to ‘Achieve equity, political rights and social inclusion by advancing policies and practices that expand human and civil rights, eliminate discrimination and accelerate the well-being, education and economic security of Black people and all persons of color.”

Elbert Betts, 82, a retired principal of Southeast High School who is a member of the Springfield NAACP’s executive committee, said Haley “has my support 100%.”

Regarding Haley’s comments on the video, Betts said, “I don’t think she was lashing out at anybody.”

Betts said he doesn’t think Haley’s critics misinterpreted her comments. He said he hopes the national NAACP “gives her due process” before making any final decision about her status.

click to enlarge 

Former DuPage County NAACP branch president Patrick Watson 

Patrick Watson, 40, a small business owner in the Chicago suburb of Lisle, said he recorded the October statements by Haley when he was president of the NAACP’s DuPage County branch. The branch also covers the counties of Kane, Kendall and Will, and part of northwest suburban Cook County.

Watson told Illinois Times he had complained to the national NAACP for months about what he called Haley’s disregard for NAACP bylaws on acceptable business practices.

“She tends to create her own facts and creates her own reality,” he said.

Watson also said Haley has engaged in “hate speech against the LGBTQ community.”

He said Haley, in a November monthly video meeting with Illinois NAACP officials, questioned national NAACP officials’ use of “they” and “them” pronouns preferred by certain staff members. According to Watson, Haley said, “What the hell is that?”

Watson said he resigned from his post on Dec. 12 in protest of Haley’s conduct and requested her resignation. That same day, he notified the media about Haley’s October comments and provided an approximately two-minute section of a recording of the two-hour-long video meeting.

“I could no longer be a part of the organization,” he said. “Hate has no home in the organization.”

Watson said he also notified the national NAACP and the media because Haley is campaigning to be named to the NAACP’s national board of directors in an internal election taking place in December and culminating at the end of the month.

In the video clip, Haley talked about immigrants who have been bused to Chicago and other Northern cities from the U.S. border with Mexico.

Apparently in response to comments made by other people on the call, Haley said Peoria, Springfield and other cities should prepare for immigrants wanting services and noted that cities are being more eager and generous about finding immigrants safe housing than they have in serving low-income Black people.

“But Black people have been on the streets for ever and ever, and nobody cares because they say that we’re drug addicts, we’ve got mental health issues. But these immigrants who come over here, they’ve been raping people, they’ve been breaking into homes, they’re like savages as well. They don’t speak the language, and they look at us like we were crazy because we were the only people in America who were brought over here against our wills and were slaves, sold into slavery.

“But everybody else who comes over here? We’re so kind, we’re so friendly. You need some clothes, you need a place to stay? We’re gonna make it happen. So brother, I feel your pain. I’m right there with you. I’m trying not to be a (N-word), but you know I’m pro-Black.”

Pritzker called Haley’s comments on the video “reprehensible” and told the news media he hoped she would apologize.

The governor said “people should recognize that immigrants in this country are all around us” and “virtually all of us came here from somewhere else. So remarks like that are commentary on our entire society.”

Pritzker’s press office didn’t respond when asked what the Democratic governor thought about Haley’s apology.

Watson said he doubted the sincerity of Haley’s apology because she directed it to “anyone who may have been hurt or offended.”

Watson called the national NAACP’s suspension of Haley “a great first step to begin the healing of the community to show there’s no hate in the organization.”

The Dec. 14 statement from the Illinois NAACP said Watson received “an unprecedented and embarrassing ‘vote of no confidence’ by his branch members on Nov. 14.”

But Watson said such votes are not provided for in NAACP bylaws. He said the alleged vote apparently was conducted by a handful of people supporting Haley and didn’t represent a majority of branch members.

Veronica Espina, founder and president of the Springfield Immigrant Advocacy Network, didn’t comment on Haley’s apology or suspension but said she was “sad and upset” after hearing Haley’s taped comments.

“It’s not just disappointing. It’s hurtful,” Espina said.

“The NAACP has a history of supporting immigrants and refugees in this country,” she said, adding that low-income Black people and immigrants often live in the same neighborhoods and share the same concerns and challenges.

“We need to stop using the lens of ‘them vs. us,’” Espina said, adding that those who oppress marginalized groups benefit when those groups criticize each other.

“They divide and conquer,” Espina said. “It’s a way of thinking we need to reject. There are resources out there.”

A joint statement from the network and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights said the groups rejected Haley’s comments on the video:

“Divisive rhetoric damages communities. It reinforced harmful stereotypes, which, in turn, hurt entire groups of people. Apologies must include strategies to begin dialogue, deliberate actions to repair relationships and commitment to share accurate information.”

Dean Olsen is a senior staff writer at Illinois Times. He can be reached at dolsen@illinoistimes.com, 217-679-7810 or twitter.com/DeanOlsenIT.

https://www.illinoistimes.com/news-opinion/haley-suspended-by-naacp-17819921

Yesterday Joe Biden claimed he was at Ground Zero the day after 911, plagiarizing Hillary Clinton 2021, when he was actually speaking in the well of the US Senate on September 12, 2001

 Biden Falsely Claims He Was at Ground Zero the Day After 9/11

I remember standing there the next day, and looking at the building. And I felt like I was looking through the gates of hell, it looked so devastating . . ..

Clinton 2021:

Clinton visited ground zero in Manhattan one day after the attacks, flying in with Senator Chuck Schumer. She described to "CBS Mornings" co-host Tony Dokoupil the level of catastrophic damage she saw. "We landed at LaGuardia, we took a helicopter, and we circled over ground zero. And I cannot imagine anything that looked more like the gates of hell. I thought I'd be prepared because I'd seen it on TV, but the TV screen contained it. And circling over it was something that I think about and will never forget," Clinton said.

More. 

Clinton 2016:

"it was as close to depiction of hell that I’ve ever personally seen.”

More.

Quest for money overwhelms hypocritical PGA Tour as it merges with Saudi LIV Golf

 As usual that lyin' blue scumbelly Donald Trump is at the heart of this:

The agreement — the second stunning sports deal in just months, following World Wrestling Entertainment’s merger with Endeavor Group’s UFC — will require the approval of the PGA Tour policy board, Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a memo to players that was obtained by CNBC. ...

Family members of those who perished in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have protested the league, including outside of events. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers on Sept. 11 were from Saudi Arabia, and Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind the attacks, was born in the country. It has been concluded by U.S. officials that Saudi nationals helped fund the terrorist group al-Qaeda, although investigations didn’t find that the Saudi officials were complicit in the attacks.

The group 9/11 Families United said they were “shocked and deeply offended” by the merger in a statement on Tuesday.

“Mr. Monahan talked last summer about knowing people who lost loved ones on 9/11, then wondered aloud on national television whether LIV Golfers ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour. They do now – as does he,” said 9/11 Families United Chair Terry Strada, whose husband Tom died in the World Trade Center’s North Tower. “PGA Tour leaders should be ashamed of their hypocrisy and greed. Our entire 9/11 community has been betrayed by Commissioner Monahan and the PGA as it appears their concern for our loved ones was merely window-dressing in their quest for money – it was never to honor the great game of golf.” ...

Former President Donald Trump, who has hosted a number of LIV Golf events at his golf courses, has defended those events, falsely claiming that “nobody’s gotten to the bottom of 9/11.” Last year, Trump also said on Truth Social that a merger between LIV and The PGA Tour was inevitable.

On Tuesday, Trump weighed in on the merger on his Truth Social platform: “Great news from LIV Golf. A big, beautiful, and glamorous deal for the wonderful world of golf. Congrats to all!!!”

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