Another interesting article about YouTube and fake, extremist, or violent content proliferating on the website. I see so many common themes in the article: YouTube's algorithms direct people to this content, YouTube's own employees point out the ethical problems, YouTube leaders decide to take no action because it comes at the cost of "engagement," which essentially means views and therefore advertising space and therefore YouTube's profit margins, YouTube tries to hide the problem, the problem grows until it can't be hidden, YouTube promises to address the problem, then deliberately creates an ineffective, underfunded solution by a small staff of people whom they know can't possibly address the problem, people find out that the "solution" is a total fraud, YouTube pretends to be increasing their efforts when in reality they're doing nothing, and then when people ask YouTube what exactly they're doing to solve the problem, they conveniently fail to offer any details.
YouTube's leaders don't want to curb conspiracy theories or fake news or violent content because they view it as a threat to their profit margins. Everything they've pledged to do to curb that content has been nothing more than a phony show put on to stave off criticism.
Another interesting article about YouTube and fake, extremist, or violent content proliferating on the website. I see so many common themes in the article: YouTube's algorithms direct people to this content, YouTube's own employees point out the ethical problems, YouTube leaders decide to take no action because it comes at the cost of "engagement," which essentially means views and therefore advertising space and therefore YouTube's profit margins, YouTube tries to hide the problem, the problem grows until it can't be hidden, YouTube promises to address the problem, then deliberately creates an ineffective, underfunded solution by a small staff of people whom they know can't possibly address the problem, people find out that the "solution" is a total fraud, YouTube pretends to be increasing their efforts when in reality they're doing nothing, and then when people ask YouTube what exactly they're doing to solve the problem, they conveniently fail to offer any details.
YouTube's leaders don't want to curb conspiracy theories or fake news or violent content because they view it as a threat to their profit margins. Everything they've pledged to do to curb that content has been nothing more than a phony show put on to stave off criticism.
Youtube's algorithms (and this is especially true of anything related to the so-called "anti-SJW" right) will send you into a black hole you will never get out of. Like radio, Youtube is, essentially, free. And it has functionally endless content that can reinforce beliefs at light speed.
Reading Youtube comments in this day and age, you almost can't even really discern what the video above it actually about, because it's all EXACTLY the same no matter what the content of the actual clip is. I go to watch a Dean Martin Roast, the comments are filled with people saying "god I miss the days when you could actually tell a joke without people getting offended" (as if people don't tell risque jokes at roasts now). If it's about an upcoming video game, half the comments are about how there is no way they are going to support this PC pile of crap (usually for no discernible or tangible reason whatsoever).
Point being, whether the it's a music video, a clip from a Scorsese movie, an old comedy special, and highlight reel of a basketball game, or something that is actually discussing politics, you can't escape this overwhelming avalanche of toxic nonsense about how liberals and the left have ruined everything and that if they had their way, none of these videos or forms of entertainment would exists. When the very fact that those same people commenting are at THAT MOMENT watching a clip that literally anyone else in the world can also watch completely invalidates their entire narrative. I swear to god I saw a comment when I pulled up a audio version of Steve Miller's "Jungle Love" that there was no way this song would ever get on the radio nowadays because we've become too politically correct, and I simply could not stop myself from pointing out that literally ANY classic rock station in the country probably plays that song 4 or 5 times a week (easily) to this day.
Mostly I watch gaming videos like Smash tournaments and speedruns, and occasionally random other stuff that pops up in my feed. I automatically assume that if I see a political video on YouTube, it's going to be partisan crap.
How Rick Scott keeps getting elected to the highest positions in Florida politics is beyond comprehension. That Trump would have such an obvious villain (yes, villain) in regards to healthcare to be the pointman on this is at once totally predictable and astonishing:
Rick Scott is a living avatar of what is wrong with our healthcare system. Nothing will change until people like him are actually held accountable legally and sent to prison. If the law doesn't currently allow for it, we need to change them so they do. These Executives need to start being held personally responsible for what happens on their watch.
Unfortunately, they can't be held liable for things that were legal at the time.
And ex post facto laws are literally unconstitutional. Explicitly federal (Article , Section 9), AND state (Article 1, Section 10).
And now we are finding out Barr is playing the EXACT role he was brought in the play. Now the Washington Post is confirming and going even farther than the Times:
Members of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s team have told associates they are frustrated with the limited information Attorney General William P. Barr has provided about their nearly two-year investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether President Trump sought to obstruct justice, according to people familiar with the matter.
The displeasure among some who worked on the closely held inquiry has quietly begun to surface in the days since Barr released a four-page letter to Congress on March 24 describing what he said were the principal conclusions of Mueller’s still-confidential, 400-page report.
In his letter, Barr said that the special counsel did not establish a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia. And he said that Mueller did not reach a conclusion “one way or the other” as to whether Trump’s conduct in office constituted obstruction of justice.
.........
But members of Mueller’s team have complained to close associates that the evidence they gathered on obstruction was alarming and significant.
“It was much more acute than Barr suggested,” said one person, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the subject’s sensitivity.
..........
Summaries were prepared for different sections of the report, with a view that they could made public, the official said.
The report was prepared “so that the front matter from each section could have been released immediately — or very quickly,” the official said. “It was done in a way that minimum redactions, if any, would have been necessary, and the work would have spoken for itself.”
Mueller’s team assumed the information was going to be made available to the public, the official said, “and so they prepared their summaries to be shared in their own words — and not in the attorney general’s summary of their work, as turned out to be the case.”
A spokeswoman for the Justice Department declined to comment. A spokesman for the special counsel did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Attorneys for the president did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Frankly, I have to lay some blame on Mueller's team for being naive enough to think Barr was an above board player, and that handing this to him wasn't going to result in EXACTLY what happened. Now we will forever have these two weeks where the bullshit was allowed to pile up in Trump's favor, as if we should have EVER given the benefit of the doubt to this Administration on anything. As more of this comes out, the more Republicans will got to the bunkers to make sure this thing never sees the light of day. The entire way this was handled was a ruse meant to win the initial news cycles. This is the ONE reason Barr was brought in, and he did exactly what many of us expected him to do, because his previous history indicated that was the logical conclusion. What's in this report is bad. If it wasn't, we'd have all seen it by now.
And now we are finding out Barr is playing the EXACT role he was brought in the play. Now the Washington Post is confirming and going even farther than the Times:
Members of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s team have told associates they are frustrated with the limited information Attorney General William P. Barr has provided about their nearly two-year investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether President Trump sought to obstruct justice, according to people familiar with the matter.
The displeasure among some who worked on the closely held inquiry has quietly begun to surface in the days since Barr released a four-page letter to Congress on March 24 describing what he said were the principal conclusions of Mueller’s still-confidential, 400-page report.
In his letter, Barr said that the special counsel did not establish a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia. And he said that Mueller did not reach a conclusion “one way or the other” as to whether Trump’s conduct in office constituted obstruction of justice.
.........
But members of Mueller’s team have complained to close associates that the evidence they gathered on obstruction was alarming and significant.
“It was much more acute than Barr suggested,” said one person, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the subject’s sensitivity.
..........
Summaries were prepared for different sections of the report, with a view that they could made public, the official said.
The report was prepared “so that the front matter from each section could have been released immediately — or very quickly,” the official said. “It was done in a way that minimum redactions, if any, would have been necessary, and the work would have spoken for itself.”
Mueller’s team assumed the information was going to be made available to the public, the official said, “and so they prepared their summaries to be shared in their own words — and not in the attorney general’s summary of their work, as turned out to be the case.”
A spokeswoman for the Justice Department declined to comment. A spokesman for the special counsel did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Attorneys for the president did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Frankly, I have to lay some blame on Mueller's team for being naive enough to think Barr was an above board player, and that handing this to him wasn't going to result in EXACTLY what happened. Now we will forever have these two weeks where the bullshit was allowed to pile up in Trump's favor, as if we should have EVER given the benefit of the doubt to this Administration on anything. As more of this comes out, the more Republicans will got to the bunkers to make sure this thing never sees the light of day. The entire way this was handled was a ruse meant to win the initial news cycles. This is the ONE reason Barr was brought in, and he did exactly what many of us expected him to do, because his previous history indicated that was the logical conclusion. What's in this report is bad. If it wasn't, we'd have all seen it by now.
Two weeks and counting.
If Trump and his goons have their way the report that supposedly totally exonerates him will remain hidden forever (or released as 95% redacted neutered nothing.)
How Rick Scott keeps getting elected to the highest positions in Florida politics is beyond comprehension. That Trump would have such an obvious villain (yes, villain) in regards to healthcare to be the pointman on this is at once totally predictable and astonishing:
Rick Scott is a living avatar of what is wrong with our healthcare system. Nothing will change until people like him are actually held accountable legally and sent to prison. If the law doesn't currently allow for it, we need to change them so they do. These Executives need to start being held personally responsible for what happens on their watch.
Unfortunately, they can't be held liable for things that were legal at the time.
And ex post facto laws are literally unconstitutional. Explicitly federal (Article , Section 9), AND state (Article 1, Section 10).
I'm not suggesting he be retroactively charged. I'm saying things need to change. Simply limiting the penalties to monetary fines of "the company" has not and is not cutting it. People need to go to jail for this shit.
And now we are finding out Barr is playing the EXACT role he was brought in the play. Now the Washington Post is confirming and going even farther than the Times:
Members of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s team have told associates they are frustrated with the limited information Attorney General William P. Barr has provided about their nearly two-year investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether President Trump sought to obstruct justice, according to people familiar with the matter.
The displeasure among some who worked on the closely held inquiry has quietly begun to surface in the days since Barr released a four-page letter to Congress on March 24 describing what he said were the principal conclusions of Mueller’s still-confidential, 400-page report.
In his letter, Barr said that the special counsel did not establish a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia. And he said that Mueller did not reach a conclusion “one way or the other” as to whether Trump’s conduct in office constituted obstruction of justice.
.........
But members of Mueller’s team have complained to close associates that the evidence they gathered on obstruction was alarming and significant.
“It was much more acute than Barr suggested,” said one person, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the subject’s sensitivity.
..........
Summaries were prepared for different sections of the report, with a view that they could made public, the official said.
The report was prepared “so that the front matter from each section could have been released immediately — or very quickly,” the official said. “It was done in a way that minimum redactions, if any, would have been necessary, and the work would have spoken for itself.”
Mueller’s team assumed the information was going to be made available to the public, the official said, “and so they prepared their summaries to be shared in their own words — and not in the attorney general’s summary of their work, as turned out to be the case.”
A spokeswoman for the Justice Department declined to comment. A spokesman for the special counsel did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Attorneys for the president did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Frankly, I have to lay some blame on Mueller's team for being naive enough to think Barr was an above board player, and that handing this to him wasn't going to result in EXACTLY what happened. Now we will forever have these two weeks where the bullshit was allowed to pile up in Trump's favor, as if we should have EVER given the benefit of the doubt to this Administration on anything. As more of this comes out, the more Republicans will got to the bunkers to make sure this thing never sees the light of day. The entire way this was handled was a ruse meant to win the initial news cycles. This is the ONE reason Barr was brought in, and he did exactly what many of us expected him to do, because his previous history indicated that was the logical conclusion. What's in this report is bad. If it wasn't, we'd have all seen it by now.
You have to remember Barr was brought in last minute once Whittaker didn’t pass the sniff test.
They might have been under the assumption that Rosenstien was the one who was going to release it when it was first being worked on.
Barr was picked because a.) he has done this before and b.) Iran-Contra has basically been forgotten (in no small part because of the first reason). And no one should forget. Or at the very least, we should examine just what Barr was involved in washing away (by way of pardon recommendations). In short, the Reagan Administration used money acquired from sending arms to Iran to placate Lebanese terrorists who had taken hostages to fund drug-dealing right-wing death squads in Nicaragua:
Where does Barr fit in?? He not only railed against the investigation into Iran-Contra (in that way, it's basically Groundhog Day) but supported and recommended Bush's preemptive pardoning of Casper Weinburger. The key word being "preemptive". As in, don't even have the dignity to let justice even ATTEMPT to take it's course before throwing it out the window.
You have to remember Barr was brought in last minute once Whittaker didn’t pass the sniff test.
They might have been under the assumption that Rosenstien was the one who was going to release it when it was first being worked on.
I'm not so sure that's how it worked. I think Whitaker came in and then we started hearing immediately about the probe ending soon. So he started the ball rolling on that. And Barr, of the unsolicited memo saying Presidents can't commit obstruction of justice, brought it home to a close.
Only way to know for sure is to get Mueller and Barr and Whitaker and maybe some investigators on the stand and see what they all say.
The guy Whatsapping with the Saudi prince and doing God-knows-what-else outside of diplomatic and national security protocol may have an issue with "foreign influence" that makes him unfit to see the massive volume of top secret intel to which he's got access. Is a coincidence that we're shoveling nuclear technology towards Saudi Arabia now or is it personal corruption? Reminder that while they are nominally an ally they committed state sanctioned murder on journalist Jamal Kashoggi and the 9/11 terrorists originated from there. They might not be the best ally to trust with nuclear secrets.
So congrats to Trump on making this an election issue to rile up his base come 2020. He is once again fabricating issues out of nothing to hide his own shortcomings.
But Internationally, he is pretty much saying any deals I sign (the new USMCA) means squat as he is threatening to put tariffs on a product that is protected by the agreement.
If you were China would you sign any deal with him if he issues these types of threats to what should be one of your closest neighbors and trading partners?
So congrats to Trump on making this an election issue to rile up his base come 2020. He is once again fabricating issues out of nothing to hide his own shortcomings.
If you were China would you sign any deal with him if he issues these types of threats to what should be one of your closest neighbors and trading partners?
So far, the GOP has blocked Senate resolutions to make the Mueller report public five times now.
Trump's been claiming the report totally exonerates the President yet we can't see it. Mueller's people said it could be released with minimal or no redactions. The Starr report was completed on a Friday and available on the following Monday.
On 3/14/19, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) voted to block a resolution to make the Mueller report public.
On 3/25/19, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) voted to block a resolution to make the Mueller report public.
On 3/27/19, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) voted to block a resolution to make the Mueller report public.
On 3/28/19, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voted to block a resolution to make the Mueller report public.
On 4/2/19, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voted to block a resolution to make the Mueller report public.
Also, as a reminder, the GOP Senate blocked a bill to protect Mueller from being fired three times and installed Barr as the AG despite his ethical issues (Iran contra he was called the cover-up General and he wrote a 19 page unsolicited memo saying Presidents can't obstruct justice no matter what).
Who knows what the future of US healthcare is at this point. However, for whatever reason that article reminded me of this, which was making the rounds on Twitter in the last few days:
Now, on one hand, of course this is going to be seen and framed as a heartwarming story, because on many levels it is. But it's also just one of many examples of what many people have called "perseverance porn" where the media frames this as a "good" thing because people overcame a bankrupt capitalistic system, which only serves to mask the main problem, which is that this child isn't covered for his wheelchair by an insurance company in the first place, or that we as a society REQUIRE some gold-plated healthcare plan so he can live a decent life. As wonderful as the act is, disabled children and parents should not be turning to high school science students for their medical needs. And these kind of stories further ingrain the idea that everything is fine, when it isn't. There is a story here about human kindness. But there is a much BIGGER story here about a morally bankrupt society, which CBS chooses not to even address.
How in god's name is a motorized wheelchair for a kid supposed to cost $20,000?
I was driving a brand new SUV (It had 26 miles on it when I got it) on loan from the dealer while mine gets repaired until this Tuesday when the plate expired in it and the dealer took it back and switched me out in a different loaner.
The sales placard was left in the car. It cost $36,000.
Heck my son needed a helmet to correct a deforemed skull. He never got it. It cost $10,000 and even Medicaid wouldn't cover it. Its a single formed piece of plastic.
@ThacoBell I did my B.Sc. thesis about 3D printing that kind of stuff. I don't think a custom one specifically made for his skull would cost that much... without profit margins.
Heck my son needed a helmet to correct a deforemed skull. He never got it. It cost $10,000 and even Medicaid wouldn't cover it. Its a single formed piece of plastic.
Love you TB, but I think you know it is more that a single formed piece of plastic.
These helmets aren’t one size fits all and I bet you needed a specialist to size it properly, another specialist to create it properly. It’s the same reason why an electric wheelchair for a 2 year old cost as much as an used car. They aren’t assembled on an assembly line to reduce the cost of production. They are made individually to fit each individual’s needs.
Now granted, 10,000 is extreme (they cost roughly $2000 in Ontario) and is probably that price because people (or insurance companies) would pay that price for it, but Medicaid shouldn’t cover something that is cosmetic in nature. They’re not covered in Ontario. They are also slowly proving to not working.https://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g2741
I will also say, things like wheelchairs aren’t covered through Canada’s healthcare system and is up to the provinces to determine how much (if at all) these devices would be covered. In Ontario, 75% is covered through another government program.
And that is the issue when American’s hear “Free Healthcare;” they think everything is covered, when it isn’t. Majority of specialized treatment is not covered as well as other things like medication, hospital stays, ambulance rides, even eye exams.
For Free Healthcare to actually take off, these types of discussions need to be had first to determine what should be covered and what shouldn’t.
Heck my son needed a helmet to correct a deforemed skull. He never got it. It cost $10,000 and even Medicaid wouldn't cover it. Its a single formed piece of plastic.
This just goes hand in hand with $20 aspirin that cost pennies elsewhere and $100 pregnancy test kits that can be bought at your average dollar store. These things individually cost the health care provider essentially NOTHING, yet are billed in this way. When you combine this with insurance that is useless til meeting an extraordinarily high deductible in most situations, and it starts to reveal itself more as extortion or outright theft when taken in totality. The providers themselves are engaging (in some cases) in what seems to be a nearly infinite mark-up on certain things, and if you are lucky enough to even have insurance in case the shit really hits the fan, you still might be denied or put through the ringer to get what you are entitled to. It's a sick system. If there is a legitimate plan to wipe health insurance companies off the face of the earth and force providers to charge prices that aren't certifiably insane, I'm all ears. I just don't think this country has the stomach to actually tackle this problem the way it needs to be. Look at the fight that had to take place to pass the ACA, which was a very incremental and modest set of changes.
Thankfully, the BARE minimum acceptable position in the Democratic primary is now a public option. The Republican plan remains (at best) nothing, and (at worst) actively working to make the situation as bad as humanly possible. The GOP has has TEN YEARS to come up with a plan on healthcare, and what they have settled on is "it's gonna be really awesome but we aren't going to tell you what it is".
@deltago No, it IS a single formed piece of plastic. I've held one. All you need to do is get the ehad measurements and adjust the mold. $10000 is beyond exhorbitant.
@deltago No, it IS a single formed piece of plastic. I've held one. All you need to do is get the ehad measurements and adjust the mold. $10000 is beyond exhorbitant.
Alright, I will take your word for it and I agreed it was expensive and the exact same thing could be had in Ontario for $2000, which might still be exhorbitant.
Who knows what the future of US healthcare is at this point. However, for whatever reason that article reminded me of this, which was making the rounds on Twitter in the last few days:
Now, on one hand, of course this is going to be seen and framed as a heartwarming story, because on many levels it is. But it's also just one of many examples of what many people have called "perseverance porn" where the media frames this as a "good" thing because people overcame a bankrupt capitalistic system, which only serves to mask the main problem, which is that this child isn't covered for his wheelchair by an insurance company in the first place, or that we as a society REQUIRE some gold-plated healthcare plan so he can live a decent life. As wonderful as the act is, disabled children and parents should not be turning to high school science students for their medical needs. And these kind of stories further ingrain the idea that everything is fine, when it isn't. There is a story here about human kindness. But there is a much BIGGER story here about a morally bankrupt society, which CBS chooses not to even address.
What about the morally bankrupt fact that a bunch of high school students can build a "$20,000" wheelchair for free. I gauranfrickintee that it doesn't cost anywhere near $20,000 to make a wheelchair that size.
Insurance company / healthcare provider / pharmaceutical company logic: Why not overcharge for everything so everybody 'thinks' healthcare is super-expensive? That way the unholy trio can keep draining us like vampires while we thank them for their services.
Seriously, news organizations and or people should be calling out this BS the minute he utters it before people believe it.
Is the influx of asylum seekers a stain on the system? Yes, but fix the system, do not blame the seekers.
I don't know what kind of metrics one would use to make such an absurd claim, but there are at least two I can think of. For one thing, there are vast swaths of land in this country that have no population whatsoever. But, if we are just going to get practical about it, another metric might be this: if there is a single apartment or house rental vacancy anywhere in the country, then this can't possibly be the case. And there are at least a handful of vacancies on JUST my street. So, no, we aren't "full". But, again, this is just such a monumentally stupid thing to come out of someone's mouth.
And look, let's not pretend the words of the President of the United States don't have an effect on people. His messages are amplified by virtue of his position more than anyone on Earth. And in just the last 5 days, we have had "noise causes cancer" and "the United States is full". This is a pretty stupid country anyway. This man is turning it into Idiocracy. There is no way to move forward on a single issue when the national conversation is being dictated by someone who is making statements that would make someone sniffing glue out of a paper bag in a subway look cogent.
So there's a law saying the IRS shall provide tax returns of any taxpayer when requested by appropriate Congressional committees for private viewing. Trump's lawyers have come out to say no because uh reasons. And they prepared to go to the rigged Supreme Court about this issue. Their reasoning against Congressional oversight is classic distraction - like hey man it's not about taxes it's about liberty or something.
It's ridiculous and embarrassing watching this guy. Every President since Nixon has released their taxes and divested into a blind trust because they are supposed to be working for America not their own greedy interests. Not so for corrupt Trump, that's too much to ask.
He says he is a stable genius but he has his lawyer threaten schools to conceal his grades. He claims to be a master dealmaker who went bankrupt 6 times. He lies all the time about things great and small but pretends everyone else is lying. He's so petty that he cheats at golf, caddies call him Pele because he kicks the golf ball so much. He says he's rich but won't let people see his tax returns. He says he's innocent and exonerated but won't let people see the Mueller report.
I can't imagine what people are thinking while being that sold on the bs this obvious conman is selling.
So there's a law saying the IRS shall provide tax returns of any taxpayer when requested by appropriate Congressional committees for private viewing. Trump's lawyers have come out to say no because uh reasons. And they prepared to go to the rigged Supreme Court about this issue. Their reasoning against Congressional oversight is classic distraction - like hey man it's not about taxes it's about liberty or something.
It's ridiculous and embarrassing watching this guy. Every President since Nixon has released their taxes and divested into a blind trust because they are supposed to be working for America not their own greedy interests. Not so for corrupt Trump, that's too much to ask.
He says he is a stable genius but he has his lawyer threaten schools to conceal his grades. He claims to be a master dealmaker who went bankrupt 6 times. He lies all the time about things great and small but pretends everyone else is lying. He's so petty that he cheats at golf, caddies call him Pele because he kicks the golf ball so much. He says he's rich but won't let people see his tax returns. He says he's innocent and exonerated but won't let people see the Mueller report.
I can't imagine what people are thinking while being that sold on the bs this obvious conman is selling.
Is it private viewing if they take information from those tax returns and make them public which they are bound to do if and when they find something discriminating?
Now Republicans don’t play by the rules so why should the Democrats, but I agree with the lawyers that this will “weaponize” tax returns. Democrats might only want to do this to Trump (and future elected officials) but Republicans will do it to everyone and that is a extremely dangerous.
So there's a law saying the IRS shall provide tax returns of any taxpayer when requested by appropriate Congressional committees for private viewing. Trump's lawyers have come out to say no because uh reasons. And they prepared to go to the rigged Supreme Court about this issue. Their reasoning against Congressional oversight is classic distraction - like hey man it's not about taxes it's about liberty or something.
It's ridiculous and embarrassing watching this guy. Every President since Nixon has released their taxes and divested into a blind trust because they are supposed to be working for America not their own greedy interests. Not so for corrupt Trump, that's too much to ask.
He says he is a stable genius but he has his lawyer threaten schools to conceal his grades. He claims to be a master dealmaker who went bankrupt 6 times. He lies all the time about things great and small but pretends everyone else is lying. He's so petty that he cheats at golf, caddies call him Pele because he kicks the golf ball so much. He says he's rich but won't let people see his tax returns. He says he's innocent and exonerated but won't let people see the Mueller report.
I can't imagine what people are thinking while being that sold on the bs this obvious conman is selling.
Is it private viewing if they take information from those tax returns and make them public which they are bound to do if and when they find something discriminating?
Now Republicans don’t play by the rules so why should the Democrats, but I agree with the lawyers that this will “weaponize” tax returns. Democrats might only want to do this to Trump (and future elected officials) but Republicans will do it to everyone and that is a extremely dangerous.
Is it really that dangerous? Personally I think the nordic countries are right on this one - that making this information publicly available for everyone would solve far more problems than it causes.
Comments
YouTube's leaders don't want to curb conspiracy theories or fake news or violent content because they view it as a threat to their profit margins. Everything they've pledged to do to curb that content has been nothing more than a phony show put on to stave off criticism.
Youtube's algorithms (and this is especially true of anything related to the so-called "anti-SJW" right) will send you into a black hole you will never get out of. Like radio, Youtube is, essentially, free. And it has functionally endless content that can reinforce beliefs at light speed.
Reading Youtube comments in this day and age, you almost can't even really discern what the video above it actually about, because it's all EXACTLY the same no matter what the content of the actual clip is. I go to watch a Dean Martin Roast, the comments are filled with people saying "god I miss the days when you could actually tell a joke without people getting offended" (as if people don't tell risque jokes at roasts now). If it's about an upcoming video game, half the comments are about how there is no way they are going to support this PC pile of crap (usually for no discernible or tangible reason whatsoever).
Point being, whether the it's a music video, a clip from a Scorsese movie, an old comedy special, and highlight reel of a basketball game, or something that is actually discussing politics, you can't escape this overwhelming avalanche of toxic nonsense about how liberals and the left have ruined everything and that if they had their way, none of these videos or forms of entertainment would exists. When the very fact that those same people commenting are at THAT MOMENT watching a clip that literally anyone else in the world can also watch completely invalidates their entire narrative. I swear to god I saw a comment when I pulled up a audio version of Steve Miller's "Jungle Love" that there was no way this song would ever get on the radio nowadays because we've become too politically correct, and I simply could not stop myself from pointing out that literally ANY classic rock station in the country probably plays that song 4 or 5 times a week (easily) to this day.
Unfortunately, they can't be held liable for things that were legal at the time.
And ex post facto laws are literally unconstitutional. Explicitly federal (Article , Section 9), AND state (Article 1, Section 10).
Members of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s team have told associates they are frustrated with the limited information Attorney General William P. Barr has provided about their nearly two-year investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether President Trump sought to obstruct justice, according to people familiar with the matter.
The displeasure among some who worked on the closely held inquiry has quietly begun to surface in the days since Barr released a four-page letter to Congress on March 24 describing what he said were the principal conclusions of Mueller’s still-confidential, 400-page report.
In his letter, Barr said that the special counsel did not establish a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia. And he said that Mueller did not reach a conclusion “one way or the other” as to whether Trump’s conduct in office constituted obstruction of justice.
.........
But members of Mueller’s team have complained to close associates that the evidence they gathered on obstruction was alarming and significant.
“It was much more acute than Barr suggested,” said one person, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the subject’s sensitivity.
..........
Summaries were prepared for different sections of the report, with a view that they could made public, the official said.
The report was prepared “so that the front matter from each section could have been released immediately — or very quickly,” the official said. “It was done in a way that minimum redactions, if any, would have been necessary, and the work would have spoken for itself.”
Mueller’s team assumed the information was going to be made available to the public, the official said, “and so they prepared their summaries to be shared in their own words — and not in the attorney general’s summary of their work, as turned out to be the case.”
A spokeswoman for the Justice Department declined to comment. A spokesman for the special counsel did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Attorneys for the president did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Frankly, I have to lay some blame on Mueller's team for being naive enough to think Barr was an above board player, and that handing this to him wasn't going to result in EXACTLY what happened. Now we will forever have these two weeks where the bullshit was allowed to pile up in Trump's favor, as if we should have EVER given the benefit of the doubt to this Administration on anything. As more of this comes out, the more Republicans will got to the bunkers to make sure this thing never sees the light of day. The entire way this was handled was a ruse meant to win the initial news cycles. This is the ONE reason Barr was brought in, and he did exactly what many of us expected him to do, because his previous history indicated that was the logical conclusion. What's in this report is bad. If it wasn't, we'd have all seen it by now.
Two weeks and counting.
If Trump and his goons have their way the report that supposedly totally exonerates him will remain hidden forever (or released as 95% redacted neutered nothing.)
There is a slow moving coup and obstruction of justice happening by Republicans. Not for nothing today Mitch McConnell decided he's going to pack the courts with as many more 30 year old heritage foundation lunatic activist judges as quickly as he can.
https://www.npr.org/2019/04/03/709489797/senate-rewrites-rules-to-speed-confirmations-for-some-trump-nominees
I'm not suggesting he be retroactively charged. I'm saying things need to change. Simply limiting the penalties to monetary fines of "the company" has not and is not cutting it. People need to go to jail for this shit.
You have to remember Barr was brought in last minute once Whittaker didn’t pass the sniff test.
They might have been under the assumption that Rosenstien was the one who was going to release it when it was first being worked on.
https://www.history.com/topics/1980s/iran-contra-affair
Where does Barr fit in?? He not only railed against the investigation into Iran-Contra (in that way, it's basically Groundhog Day) but supported and recommended Bush's preemptive pardoning of Casper Weinburger. The key word being "preemptive". As in, don't even have the dignity to let justice even ATTEMPT to take it's course before throwing it out the window.
The guy Whatsapping with the Saudi prince and doing God-knows-what-else outside of diplomatic and national security protocol may have an issue with "foreign influence" that makes him unfit to see the massive volume of top secret intel to which he's got access. Is a coincidence that we're shoveling nuclear technology towards Saudi Arabia now or is it personal corruption? Reminder that while they are nominally an ally they committed state sanctioned murder on journalist Jamal Kashoggi and the 9/11 terrorists originated from there. They might not be the best ally to trust with nuclear secrets.
So congrats to Trump on making this an election issue to rile up his base come 2020. He is once again fabricating issues out of nothing to hide his own shortcomings.
But Internationally, he is pretty much saying any deals I sign (the new USMCA) means squat as he is threatening to put tariffs on a product that is protected by the agreement.
If you were China would you sign any deal with him if he issues these types of threats to what should be one of your closest neighbors and trading partners?
It's Caravan 2
No he's unhinged, unstable and corrupt.
Trump's been claiming the report totally exonerates the President yet we can't see it. Mueller's people said it could be released with minimal or no redactions. The Starr report was completed on a Friday and available on the following Monday.
On 3/14/19, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) voted to block a resolution to make the Mueller report public.
On 3/25/19, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) voted to block a resolution to make the Mueller report public.
On 3/27/19, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) voted to block a resolution to make the Mueller report public.
On 3/28/19, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voted to block a resolution to make the Mueller report public.
On 4/2/19, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voted to block a resolution to make the Mueller report public.
Also, as a reminder, the GOP Senate blocked a bill to protect Mueller from being fired three times and installed Barr as the AG despite his ethical issues (Iran contra he was called the cover-up General and he wrote a 19 page unsolicited memo saying Presidents can't obstruct justice no matter what).
https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/59xxkd/nigeria-hospital-detention-folake-oduyoye
Now, on one hand, of course this is going to be seen and framed as a heartwarming story, because on many levels it is. But it's also just one of many examples of what many people have called "perseverance porn" where the media frames this as a "good" thing because people overcame a bankrupt capitalistic system, which only serves to mask the main problem, which is that this child isn't covered for his wheelchair by an insurance company in the first place, or that we as a society REQUIRE some gold-plated healthcare plan so he can live a decent life. As wonderful as the act is, disabled children and parents should not be turning to high school science students for their medical needs. And these kind of stories further ingrain the idea that everything is fine, when it isn't. There is a story here about human kindness. But there is a much BIGGER story here about a morally bankrupt society, which CBS chooses not to even address.
I was driving a brand new SUV (It had 26 miles on it when I got it) on loan from the dealer while mine gets repaired until this Tuesday when the plate expired in it and the dealer took it back and switched me out in a different loaner.
The sales placard was left in the car. It cost $36,000.
Love you TB, but I think you know it is more that a single formed piece of plastic.
These helmets aren’t one size fits all and I bet you needed a specialist to size it properly, another specialist to create it properly. It’s the same reason why an electric wheelchair for a 2 year old cost as much as an used car. They aren’t assembled on an assembly line to reduce the cost of production. They are made individually to fit each individual’s needs.
Now granted, 10,000 is extreme (they cost roughly $2000 in Ontario) and is probably that price because people (or insurance companies) would pay that price for it, but Medicaid shouldn’t cover something that is cosmetic in nature. They’re not covered in Ontario. They are also slowly proving to not working.https://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g2741
I will also say, things like wheelchairs aren’t covered through Canada’s healthcare system and is up to the provinces to determine how much (if at all) these devices would be covered. In Ontario, 75% is covered through another government program.
And that is the issue when American’s hear “Free Healthcare;” they think everything is covered, when it isn’t. Majority of specialized treatment is not covered as well as other things like medication, hospital stays, ambulance rides, even eye exams.
For Free Healthcare to actually take off, these types of discussions need to be had first to determine what should be covered and what shouldn’t.
This just goes hand in hand with $20 aspirin that cost pennies elsewhere and $100 pregnancy test kits that can be bought at your average dollar store. These things individually cost the health care provider essentially NOTHING, yet are billed in this way. When you combine this with insurance that is useless til meeting an extraordinarily high deductible in most situations, and it starts to reveal itself more as extortion or outright theft when taken in totality. The providers themselves are engaging (in some cases) in what seems to be a nearly infinite mark-up on certain things, and if you are lucky enough to even have insurance in case the shit really hits the fan, you still might be denied or put through the ringer to get what you are entitled to. It's a sick system. If there is a legitimate plan to wipe health insurance companies off the face of the earth and force providers to charge prices that aren't certifiably insane, I'm all ears. I just don't think this country has the stomach to actually tackle this problem the way it needs to be. Look at the fight that had to take place to pass the ACA, which was a very incremental and modest set of changes.
Thankfully, the BARE minimum acceptable position in the Democratic primary is now a public option. The Republican plan remains (at best) nothing, and (at worst) actively working to make the situation as bad as humanly possible. The GOP has has TEN YEARS to come up with a plan on healthcare, and what they have settled on is "it's gonna be really awesome but we aren't going to tell you what it is".
Alright, I will take your word for it and I agreed it was expensive and the exact same thing could be had in Ontario for $2000, which might still be exhorbitant.
What about the morally bankrupt fact that a bunch of high school students can build a "$20,000" wheelchair for free. I gauranfrickintee that it doesn't cost anywhere near $20,000 to make a wheelchair that size.
Insurance company / healthcare provider / pharmaceutical company logic: Why not overcharge for everything so everybody 'thinks' healthcare is super-expensive? That way the unholy trio can keep draining us like vampires while we thank them for their services.
What a joke...
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/least-densely-populated-u-s-states.html
Seriously, news organizations and or people should be calling out this BS the minute he utters it before people believe it.
Is the influx of asylum seekers a stain on the system? Yes, but fix the system, do not blame the seekers.
I don't know what kind of metrics one would use to make such an absurd claim, but there are at least two I can think of. For one thing, there are vast swaths of land in this country that have no population whatsoever. But, if we are just going to get practical about it, another metric might be this: if there is a single apartment or house rental vacancy anywhere in the country, then this can't possibly be the case. And there are at least a handful of vacancies on JUST my street. So, no, we aren't "full". But, again, this is just such a monumentally stupid thing to come out of someone's mouth.
And look, let's not pretend the words of the President of the United States don't have an effect on people. His messages are amplified by virtue of his position more than anyone on Earth. And in just the last 5 days, we have had "noise causes cancer" and "the United States is full". This is a pretty stupid country anyway. This man is turning it into Idiocracy. There is no way to move forward on a single issue when the national conversation is being dictated by someone who is making statements that would make someone sniffing glue out of a paper bag in a subway look cogent.
It's ridiculous and embarrassing watching this guy. Every President since Nixon has released their taxes and divested into a blind trust because they are supposed to be working for America not their own greedy interests. Not so for corrupt Trump, that's too much to ask.
He says he is a stable genius but he has his lawyer threaten schools to conceal his grades. He claims to be a master dealmaker who went bankrupt 6 times. He lies all the time about things great and small but pretends everyone else is lying. He's so petty that he cheats at golf, caddies call him Pele because he kicks the golf ball so much. He says he's rich but won't let people see his tax returns. He says he's innocent and exonerated but won't let people see the Mueller report.
I can't imagine what people are thinking while being that sold on the bs this obvious conman is selling.
Is it private viewing if they take information from those tax returns and make them public which they are bound to do if and when they find something discriminating?
Now Republicans don’t play by the rules so why should the Democrats, but I agree with the lawyers that this will “weaponize” tax returns. Democrats might only want to do this to Trump (and future elected officials) but Republicans will do it to everyone and that is a extremely dangerous.
Is it really that dangerous? Personally I think the nordic countries are right on this one - that making this information publicly available for everyone would solve far more problems than it causes.