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As the government shutdown enters its fourth week, the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are going to great lengths to avoid accountability. So much so that House Majority Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana is now attempting to lie to the public, claiming the Democratic Party is at fault in a press conference.
Johnson, flanked by other Republican members of the House of Representatives on Monday (Oct. 27), told reporters that the shutdown is the fault of Democrats despite President Donald Trump and Senate and House Republicans refusing to meet with them. “The Democrats are required to open the government,” Johnson began. “They keep saying Republicans are in charge of government. We aren’t. Not in the Senate. Sixty votes control the Senate. Not a bare majority. And so point number one, Democrat votes are required to open the government.”
The fact is, the Republicans control the White House, Senate and the House of Representatives. They also have the ability to bypass the filibuster, which is how they managed to install 48 nominees for the Trump administration, who were stalled by Democratic opposition, which was done in one simple majority vote in September.
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Johnson’s refusal to even meet for talks for a short-term government funding bill also means that he is not officially swearing in the newest member of the House, Adelita Grijalva of Arizona, after she won a special election. Her win brought the number of Democrats in the House to 214 – it also ensures the final signature on a petition to force the full release of government files on disgraced sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
The House Majority Speaker is also eagerly doing the bidding of President Trump on the issue of the administration’s refusal to provide funding for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP). “I got a summary of the whole legal analysis, and it certainly looks legitimate to me. The contingency funds are not legally available to cover the benefits right now,” he said in answer to a question on the issue.
Johnson’s move has reinforced ideas that he is subservient to President Trump, who has joked about it. “I’m the speaker and the president,” he recently said, according to sources who shared it with the New York Times. It has also shown some growing rifts in the GOP, with some vulnerable congresspeople like California Representative Kevin Kiley staging solo protests to get everyone back to work.
Source: Andrew Harnik / Getty
On Thursday (Oct. 16), Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell was in the basement of an office building in the United States Capitol when he fell, shortly after a verbal confrontation with a protester over the Trump administration’s treatment of immigrants. The moment was caught on video, showing the 83-year-old Republican being asked by the protester, “Do you support ICE taking working people off the street and kidnapping them?” At that point, McConnell teetered and fell forward while trying to round the corner of a desk.
The former Senate Majority Leader was helped up by an aide who had been walking with him prior to the fall and a Capitol Police officer. He grinned and waved to those around him. His secretary, Stephanie Penn, addressed press inquiries after the incident. “He’s all good,” she said, claiming that he “went on to vote and (was) ready to vote again at 1:30, to see if Dems decide to fund our nation’s defense priorities or not.” The vote was for the Senate to potentially advance a four-year defense appropriations bill apart from the current government shutdown.
The protester, who identified herself as Stella, was part of a group of progressive activists known as the Sunrise Movement who have been fixtures around the U.S. Capitol fighting to have politicians honestly combat the effects of climate change. A spokesperson for the group didn’t mince words when contacted by the press after the incident.“Mitch McConnell couldn’t even answer a simple question without falling down, and it’s certainly not the first time he hasn’t been able to answer young people,” said Sunrise Movement executive director Aru Shiney-Ajay. “Both parties are run by out-of-touch octogenarians who have been in politics for longer than we’ve been alive. Their incompetence and need to cling to power aren’t just embarrassing; they’re costly, and the American people are paying the price.McConnell’s health has been a topic of high scrutiny within the last few years. He’s notably had several episodes of being nonverbal and frozen when addressing reporters. He fell in a hotel in Washington, D.C., in 2023, suffering a fractured rib and a concussion. In February of this year, he fell twice, necessitating his leaving the Capitol in a wheelchair.
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Bud Light was once considered the beer of tough guys who love all things ‘Murrica, that is until the company worked with a trans influencer with MAGA and Kid Rock losing their marbles. Bud Light was trending on X once again after the House Judiciary Committee’s account on the social media platform called out Democrats for attempting to tank American businesses but failed to point the finger at the party’s previous callouts.
In a recent X post, the House Judiciary Committee’s X account shared a video of Gov. Tim Walz speaking about how the tumbling stock prices of Tesla brought him a little bit of joy considering how Elon Musk’s DOGE branch is gutting government spending without any foresight or methodology other than rampant and wanton destruction.
In the caption of the video, the @JudiciaryGOP account wrote, “Democrats are CHEERING for American companies to fail. Disgusting behavior.”
Elon Musk is a South African national with established businesses in America, in case anyone needs to keep count here.
Amazingly, X’s community notes made sure to highlight that just under two years ago, the @JudiciaryGOP account wrote, “Bud Light. Disney. Target. Go WOKE. Go BROKE,” leaning heavily into the MAGA-fueled trope that any support for the LGBTQ community, or anything the includes Black people, and even centers women is some sort of “woke” agenda, which doesn’t even make sense.
Of course, folks who know that many GOP leaders are spineless cowards who throw rocks and then hide their hands because when the shoe is on the other foot, these GOP-friendly accounts, official or not, take great measures to dress down any type of pushback or opposition to their extreme ideologies and can’t take the heat when it comes back.
Tesla’s stock has indeed been in a rapid tumble since Musk and his DOGE operation have gutted the entire fabric of the American government. Worse, GOP members of Congress have applauded the haphazard cuts and President Donald Trump has fecklessly conceded to allowing Musk to do whatever he wants, which includes dressing like a sun-starved edge lord in the Oval Office.
On X, users are calling @JudiciaryGOP’s hypocrisy and mentioning how Bud Light and other American companies have been targets of the MAGA nuts in times past. Check out the reactions below.
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Photo: G Fiume / Getty
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A Republican congressman from New York was confronted with pictures of him wearing blackface as part of a Michael Jackson costume.
On Thursday (Oct. 3), Republican Congressman Mike Lawler found himself caught up in controversy when pictures of him in blackface for a Halloween portrayal of Michael Jackson were published. The publication of the photos by the New York Times, taken in October 2006, show Lawler at a gathering at Manhattan College striking a pose similar to a signature pose of Jackson’s, and another of him wearing a red jacket and black t-shirt with his face noticeably darkened. According to a former classmate who remained anonymous, Lawler used bronzer, which he borrowed from a female classmate.
In a statement, the representative for New York’s 17th district including the Hudson Valley said that his costume was “truly the sincerest form of flattery, a genuine homage to my musical hero since I was a little kid trying to moonwalk through my mom’s kitchen.” Lawler has been an avowed fan of the late superstar, with Jackson biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli having arranged for him to attend Jackson’s criminal trial in 2005 for the alleged molestation of a 13-year-old boy. Taraborrelli would later detail how Lawler was so upset “that he couldn’t help but mutter something derogatory under his breath.” He would then be kicked out of the courtroom.
Lawler appeared on CNN later in the evening on The Source with Kaitlan Collins. “I certainly understand why people would be upset or offended by it, and for that, I’m sorry,” he said, before remarking that he felt his photos weren’t what could be “construed as blackface.” “I think there is a stark difference between dressing up for Halloween and paying homage to somebody you like and respect, versus dressing up in blackface to demean and dehumanize Black people. That’s obviously not what I was doing there,” Lawler said. Collins would then go into the “ugly history” of the practice, noting that Lawler’s suburban district is home to 59,000 Black residents.
The controversy arises as Lawler is up for reelection against former congressman Mondaire Jones. Lawler has shifted to a more moderate position in recent months, being vague about his full support of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Jones, who is Black, has hammered him on that support in his campaign. The district is one observers are watching closely as a possible flip back to Democratic control in November.
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A Republican congressman called Kamala Harris a “DEI Vice President”, sending social media users into a fury.As Vice President Kamala Harris is securing the nomination to be the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Republican politicians have begun to make their attacks. Tennessee Representative Tim Burchett has become a more vivid example of this thanks to a post he made on X, formerly Twitter on Monday (July 22). “The incompetency level is at an all-time high in Washington. The media propped up this president, lied to the American people for three years, and then dumped him for our DEI vice president,” Burchett wrote in the post which included a video of his appearance on News Nation.
Burchett doubled down on statements that he made to CNN’s Manu Raju in an interview earlier. “Biden said, first off, he’s going to hire a Black female for Vice President, and he just skipped over – what about white females, what about any other group?” he said. When Raju followed up by asking if she was a “DEI hire”, Burchett replied “100%” before saying her record was “abysmal”. The interview took place during a House committee’s interview of now-former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle over the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
The congressman has been in hot water before, infamously claiming “We’re not gonna fix it” in response to a question about politicians preventing school shootings last year. Burchett is also a fervent supporter of Trump, who voted against certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election and refused to hold Trump accountable for his effect on the January 6 insurrection as well as refusing to vote for his impeachment. He’s also attacked Vice President Harris in a past interview with Newsmax, saying: When I hear her talk, I just scratch my head and think this is what DEI is really about. It clearly is. She checks all the boxes. She’ll say she’s of Indian descent one day, then she’ll say she’s of Black descent. It’s just box-checking.”
Those who saw his statement on social media were thoroughly incensed and made it known in their responses defending the country’s first Black, Asian, and woman vice president. One response to Burchett’s post from X user Richard Slaney listed Harris’ previous posts, ending with “She’s very, very qualified.” Another user flatly responded, “If you’ve got a second and want to explain to us how this isn’t racist, go ahead.”
Take a look at the more withering responses to Burchett’s post below.
1. W Kamau Bell
2. Tan01234
3. Neeners777
4. Renegade Cowboy
5. IrishDem
7. Brian Angelle
9. ABPrice PsyD
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Van Jones saw himself trending on X this Thursday (December 7) after an appearance on CNN in the wake of the fourth Republican Party presidential debate. Vivek Ramaswamy made mention of a fringe right-wing conspiracy angle known as “the great replacement theory” which Van Jones said left. him “shaking.”
Van Jones, 55, appeared last night on CNN as the network analyzed the GOP debate featuring Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Chris Christie. The presidential hopefuls all trail Donald Trump by a wide distance but that hasn’t stopped the quartet from doing their best to angle for the Republican Party’s nomination to take on President Joe Biden in 2024.
Ramaswamy, 38, said during his time at the podium that, “great replacement theory is not some grand right-wing conspiracy theory, but a basic statement of the Democratic Party’s platform.”
For those unaware, the great replacement theory has captured the feeble minds within the political sphere, which explains a plot to replace white people via illegal immigration and other related nonsense.
Naturally, Ramaswamy’s comment caught the eye of several right-wing pundits and media figures who embrace some of the zanier theories as they relate to politics in the post-Trump era. Ramaswamy is also an election denier and was openly critical of former Vice President Mike Pence for not certifying the election results in Trump’s favor and said he would have done so.
Jones said the following of Ramaswamy’s comments, courtesy of Mediaite:
[T]he smug, condescending way that [Ramaswamy] just spews his poison out is very, very dangerous, because he won’t stop Trump, but he’s gonna outlive Trump by about 50 years, and you’re watching the rise of an American demagogue that is a very, very despicable person.
Literally, I was shaking listening to him talk because a lot of people don’t know that is one step away from Nazi propaganda coming out of his mouth.
Naturally, the MAGA nuts are celebrating this as Ramaswamy “PWNING THE LIBS” and that the reaction from Jones should be a point of celebration.
We decided not to platform any of that chatter because while Van Jones has often played himself when it comes to political opinions, it isn’t hard to see where he’s going with this thought.
Check out the clip on Mediaite.
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Photo: Pacific Press / Getty
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Source: The Washington Post / Getty
Senator Tim Scott announced that he would be ending his campaign to be the Republican presidential nominee over the weekend, surprising many.
Republican Senator Tim Scott appeared on Fox News for an interview with former GOP politician and friend Trey Gowdy on Sunday (November 12) “I love America more today than I did on May 22. But when I go back to Iowa, it will not be as a presidential candidate. I am suspending my campaign,” he said while taking part in the interview from his home. “I think the voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet, have been really clear that they’re telling me, ‘Not now, Tim,’” Scott continued. “I don’t think they’re saying, Trey, ‘No.’ But I do think they’re saying, ‘Not now.’”
When asked by Gowdy if he would lend his support to any of the remaining candidates for the Republican primary, the lone Black candidate demurred and expressed that “the best way for me to be helpful” would be not to offer an endorsement. He also ruled out becoming a vice-presidential nominee. “I ran for president to be president,” he said. “I think I was called to run. I was not called to win, but I certainly was called to run. … Being vice president has never been on my to-do list for this campaign, and it’s certainly not there now.”
The news came as a surprise to many – including members of Scott’s own presidential campaign team and his donors who tuned in to Gowdy’s program. Scott did call his campaign aides after the interview to confirm his decision, sources close to the campaign said. One donor, metal mogul Andy Sabin said to reporters that he was “disappointed but not surprised” at Scott’s choice.
Scott’s decision comes after the last Republican debate, where he offered up a paltry showing in comparison to the other candidates. His campaign message which was imbued with positivity and an emphasis on conservative Christian values wasn’t going over well with voters who are still fixated on former President Donald Trump. Major donors had already been pulling ads for him at the beginning of October. “Tim ran an optimistic, hopeful message — but that’s not where the Republican base is right now,” an unnamed GOP official said. It also comes after Scott’s reported girlfriend attended the Miami debate, causing a flurry of questions over her identity.
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Source: The Washington Post / Getty
GOP Congressman George Santos has survived a vote to expel him from the House of Representatives over allegations of criminal actions.
On Wednesday (November 1), Congressman George Santos from New York faced a vote of expulsion from the House of Representatives as a House Ethics Committee investigation into his affairs along with a criminal trial of Santos allegedly defrauding donors’ credit cards and inflating campaign finance reports in his home state. Santos faces 23 federal charges. The vote’s final tally was 179 for expulsion and 213 against, with 19 stating they were “present” and 22 not voting, making it short of the two-thirds needed to kick Santos out.
The vote was the second time that George Santos faced expulsion. The previous vote resolution was introduced by Democrats, and Republicans had all voted unanimously against it. This time, the resolution to expel was brought by New York GOP Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, along with Reps. Nick LaLota and Mike Lawler. They stood with D’Esposito as he forced the vote on the House Floor. “New Yorkers from Queens and Nassau Counties deserve better than George Santos — a total fraud and serial liar representing them in Congress,” LaLota stated.
31 Democrats sided with Republicans against Santos’ expulsion. Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland cited that the House of Representatives has only done so five times in its history for those criminally convicted as the reason behind his vote. “This would be a terrible precedent to set, expelling people who have not been convicted of a crime and without internal due process,” he said after the vote. “It’s a very risky road to go down and we have to stick by due process and the rule of law, as obvious as the eventual result seems.” Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut explained his vote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, writing: “Neither the Ethics Committee nor the courts have finished adjudicating this. In this country, one is presumed innocent until PROVEN guilty. No exceptions.”
https://x.com/jahimes/status/1719865741611262075?s=20
Santos issued a statement on Thursday (November 2) defending himself. “Despite facing opposition and calls for my expulsion, I remain steadfast in my commitment to serving my constituents and upholding conservative ideals.” he wrote. Another House member, Rep. Marc Molinaro of New York suggested Santos is not out of the woods. “I suspect the report is going to come public soon, and it’s going to be clear that he should be removed from Congress,” he said afterward.
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Rep. George Santos was hit with 10 new charges in addition to a series of charges he faced back in May. The new charges for the New York congressman are all felonies with statements regarding the matter going wide on Tuesday (October 10).
As reported by NPR, Rep. George Santos faces 10 charges that range from conspiracy, wire fraud, false statements, and identity theft among other charges. Back in May, Santos faced a 13-count indictment. Just under a week ago, Santos’ campaign treasurer Nancy Marks pleaded guilty to felony charges and faces up to five years in prison.
The new charges were unveiled by the office of the U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York where prosecutors state that Santos orchestrated a credit card fraud ploy by using credit card information from his donors list.
“As alleged, Santos is charged with stealing people’s identities and making charges on his own donors’ credit cards without their authorization, lying to the FEC and, by extension, the public about the financial state of his campaign.” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace shared in a statement Tuesday.
More from the office of the U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York:
“Santos allegedly led multiple additional fraudulent criminal schemes, lying to the American public in the process. The FBI is committed to upholding the laws of our electoral process. Anyone who attempts to violate the law as part of a political campaign will face punishment in the criminal justice system,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Smith.
“The defendant – a Congressman – allegedly stole the identities of family members and used the credit card information of political contributors to fraudulently inflate his campaign coffers,” stated District Attorney Donnelly. “We thank our partners in the US Attorney’s Office and the FBI as we work together to root out public corruption on Long Island.”
Rep. George Santos still maintains his elected seat for now but is no longer assigned to any committees in the House chamber. He is due in court on October 27 after pleading not guilty previously back in May and intends to run for reelection.
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Photo: Getty
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Rep. Kevin McCarthy found himself on the wrong side of history after he was voted out of his Speaker of the House position, the first time that has ever happened in congressional history. While Kevin McCarthy says he will not seek reelection, a mad scramble is underway by the Republic Party to vote for his replacement.
The Washington Post and its political reporting team have been following the ordeal of Kevin McCarthy and the motion to vacate launched by Rep. Matt Gaetz, which adds to a growing instance of infighting between the GOP.
Gaetz filed the motion on October 2 to force a vote on McCarthy’s removal from the Speaker post. McCarthy may have saved the role had he worked with House Democrats to secure their support but he was unwilling to do so for political concessions. After an hour of debate between Gaetz and Rep. Tom Cole, voting commenced with the motion leading to oust the speaker at a vote count of 216-210.
In McCarthy’s stead, Rep. Patrick McHenry, reportedly an ally of McCarthy, was named as speaker pro tempore in an interim role.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy has maintained that Rep. Gaetz launched the motion to take attention away from the ethics probe against him and that the action was “personal.”
“It had nothing to do about spending,” McCarthy said. “It all was about getting attention. I mean, we’re getting email fundraisers from him.”
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Photo: Getty
