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Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville found himself in a bind after trying to walk back some recent comments he made defending white nationalists.
The senator from Alabama was confronted over his comments that seemed to back white nationalists by members of the press on Thursday (May 11th) at the U.S. Capitol. After stating that “you can’t have racists” on any team, Tuberville went on to say that Democrats were the issue due to their painting all Trump supporters as white nationalists.
“The Democrats characterize all MAGA Republicans in the military as white nationalists, wrong. Wrong. OK?” Tuberville said.”We can’t get politics in the military. This has nothing to do with extremists.” He then asked the press to define the term, and one reporter responded with the definition as “someone who propagates Naziism.” Tuberville would go on to say, “Well I don’t look at it like that,” he said, adding, “I look at a white nationalist as a Trump Republican. That’s what we’re called all the time, a MAGA person.”
The politician and former college football coach had blasted President Joe Biden and his administration for excluding white nationalists from the U.S. military in an interview with WBHM, a National Public Radio station based in Birmingham, earlier in the week. Host Richard Banks asked, “Do you believe they should allow white nationalists in the military?”, Tuberville responded, “Well, they call them that. I call them Americans.”
He’d go on to add: “We are losing in the military so fast. Our readiness in terms of recruitment. And why? I’ll tell you why, because the Democrats are attacking our military, saying we need to get out the white extremists, the white nationalists, people that don’t believe in our agenda, as Joe Biden’s agenda.”
His office had out a statement on Wednesday to try to clarify what he meant. “Sen. Tuberville’s quote that is cited shows that he was being skeptical of the notion that there are white nationalists in the military, not that he believes they should be in the military,” the statement read. “He believes the men and women in uniform are patriots. (Defense) Secretary (Lloyd) Austin seems to think otherwise, subjecting them to extremism training as his very first act in office. That cost us four million man-hours.” Tuberville is currently under fire over his blocking of numerous military promotions requiring Senate committee confirmations. Observers note that it’s due to his objection to the Biden administration’s policies requiring that service members be reimbursed for abortion-related expenditures.
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Republican congressman George Santos has reportedly introduced a bill named for Nicki Minaj as part of his re-election announcement.
The controversial politician announced his intent to run for re-election for New York’s 3rd Congressional District based in Queens in 2024 on Monday (April 17th). On Tuesday (April 18th), he also introduced seven new bills – one of which has been named “The Minaj Act” after rapper Nicki Minaj. According to political reporter Kadia Goba, the purpose of the “Medical Information Nuanced Accountability Judgement Act” is to create “a development period for new vaccines in order to generate public confidence.”
According to a statement from Santos, the proposed bill also “seeks to prohibit any Federal Government from imposing any mandate requiring an individual to receive a vaccine that has not been authorized for marketing for at least ten years.”
The news of naming the bill after the Pinkprint rapper and Queens native raised some eyebrows. Minaj has been vocal in the past about the COVID-19 vaccine, expressing reluctance to take it through social media. “They want you to get vaccinated for the Met. if I get vaccinated it won’t for the Met. It’ll be once I feel I’ve done enough research. I’m working on that now. In the meantime my loves, be safe. Wear the mask with 2 strings that grips your head & face. Not that loose one”, she wrote in 2021.
She would continue in another tweet that her cousin declared that he would never get the COVID-19 vaccine, saying his friend took it and “became impotent,” and experienced “swollen testicles” as a result leading to his fiancée calling off their wedding. According to the Centers for Disease Control, testicular swelling is not a side effect of taking the COVID-19 vaccine. Minaj would then claim she had been invited to The White House to discuss her skepticism about the vaccines, but then-Press Secretary Jen Psaki would clarify that the artist was only offered an early-stage phone call. Representatives for Nicki Minaj didn’t respond to requests for comment.
The introduction of the bill is the latest head-scratching moment from Santos while he has been in office. The congressman, who has been accused of multiple fabrications about his background and career (which include lying about having Jewish roots and his mother dying in the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks), is now under investigation for allegedly stealing $3,000 from a GoFundMe set up through his charity meant to benefit a disabled veteran and his dying dog.
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Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife, Ginny Thomas, are accused of hiding a slate of luxury trips gifted to them by a wealthy GOP donor according to a new report. These trips took place several times over the past two decades but were never reported on tax filings.
Pro Publica published an in-depth report regarding the trips that Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife took on behalf of real estate magnate, Harlan Crow, who is from Dallas, Texas. Crow is a known GOP donor with deep pockets, having delivered millions in donations to several Republican Party and conservative campaigns.
In the aforementioned report, the publication reveals that the Thomases traveled to faraway destinations such as Indonesia on Crow’s dime, which included island-hopping on a superyacht. Pro Publica said of one 2019 trip the couple took, the costs would’ve gone just north of $500,000.
It appears that Thomas has taken annual trips with Crow but failed to disclose details according to the investigative report. Along with the yacht trips, Thomas has flown on Crow’s Bombardier Global 5000, an aircraft that costs range between $26 to as high as $50 million. Thomas has also traveled to the all-male exclusive retreat, the Bohemian Grove alongside Crow and spent time at Crow’s East Texas ranch. Further, Thomas takes an annual week-long summer trip to Crow’s private resort in the Adirondacks.
The failure to disclose the gifts might be a violation of a law passed after the Watergate scandal in the 1970s which requires justices, judges, federal officials, and members of Congress to disclose large financial gifts and expensive trips under the guise of gifts.
Pro Publica obtained a statement from Crow explaining the nature of the gifts. A portion of it can be read below:
On a number of occasions, we have made contributions to projects celebrating the life and legacy of Justice Thomas, just as we have done with other great leaders and historically significant figures. He and Ginni never asked us to do any of this. We did so because we believe Justice Thomas to be one of the greatest Americans of our time, and we believe it is important to make sure as many people as possible learn about him, remember him, and understand the ideals for which he stands. We will continue to support projects that advance this goal.
This report comes as Thomas’ wife, Ginny, is under heavy scrutiny due to her ties to conservative groups and her position as an activist among her political contemporaries. Crow has also donated to an organization helmed by Mrs. Thomas.
Justice Clarence Thomas did not respond to the publication’s questions.
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Donald Trump defiantly alerted his legion of supporters last weekend that the Manhattan DA’s investigation will ultimately lead to his arrest today (March 21) and called for protests in his honor. On Twitter, the former president’s name is trending with high-ranking GOP members and conservative pundits making a mad scramble to defend the beleaguered business mogul.
Donald Trump, 76, still holds massive sway among Republican Party voters and many of his supporters in elected positions continue to revere him. The seemingly blind support for Trump by GOP and talking heads suggest that they believe in his chances to win back the White House in 2024 despite the mounting allegations of wrongdoing and general image mismanagement.
Over the weekend, Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social and predicted his Tuesday arrest while using some of the charged wording that eventually got him elected and transformed the political fabric of the country in just one presidential term. If indicted, Trump would be the first former U.S. president to have a criminal case brought against them.
The Manhattan DA’s case is centered on Trump and his handlers paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Previous investigations into Trump’s alleged wrongdoings, including impeachment. conspiring with Russia, and tampering with election results, galvanized his supporters to rally around him at a higher clip than expected.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other GOP officials believe that the Manhattan DA’s case is politically motivated and is an attempt to bring Trump down to size as he’s reportedly leading in polls according to their side. Trump is seen to be the GOP frontrunner for the presidential nomination alongside Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
On Twitter, we’ve managed to collect opinions from all sides of the debate and we should state that Donald Trump has not been charged as of yet. When details emerge, we’ll be sure to report on the matter.
Check out the reactions below.
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Photo: Shane Bevel / Getty
3. Gotta Move That Goalpost
4. Hard To Make Goals When The Post Keeps Moving
6. Oh, Kevin
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez condemned her Republican colleagues in a fiery speech on the House of Representatives floor over their hypocrisy and racism.
On Thursday (February 2nd), the Republican majority prepared to vote to remove Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from the Foreign Affairs Committee. Their reasoning was tied to claims that Ms. Omar was over comments that she made in the past that they deemed antisemitic.
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez took to the House floor to call out the GOP members’ hypocrisy as she defended her Democratic colleague. “Now as also as a fellow New Yorker, I think one of the things we should talk about here is also one of the disgusting legacies of 9/11 has been the targeting and racism against Muslim Americans throughout the United States of America. And this is an extension of that legacy,” she began.
Her voice rising, Ocasio-Cortez referenced her treatment by far-right Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), who had previously attacked her with an offensive tweet. “I had a member of the Republican caucus threaten my life,” she said. “And the Republican caucus rewarded him with one of the most prestigious committee assignments. Don’t tell me this is about consistency.”
She would go on to attack Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for her racism & conspiracy theories including “Jewish space lasers”, remarking that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has already rewarded her with plum committee assignments for her support of his speakership. Ocasio-Cortez finished her speech, punctuating it by slapping her book on the podium: “This is about targeting women of color in the United States of America. Don’t tell me, because I didn’t get a single apology when my life was threatened. Thank you.”
Rep. Omar, who is one of two women Muslim representatives elected to the House along with Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) in 2018, has been a constant target of right-wingers. Before the 218-211 vote to remove her, she spoke on the floor, saying: “I am Muslim. I am an immigrant. And interestingly, from Africa,” Ms. Omar said. “Is anyone surprised that I am being targeted?” She concluded amid the applause of her Democratic colleagues: “Take your vote or not — I am here to stay.”
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Maxine Waters, a battle-tested member of Congress, has long been a fierce champion for the American people while representing California and other members of the Democratic Party. During a House Rules Committee hearing, Waters handled the false accusations from Republican Party opponents that she embraces socialism, doing so with expert ease.
Rep. Maxine Waters of California was present at the Tuesday (Jan. 31) hearing for a debate to sign a resolution against socialism, a long-running crusade for conservative members of Congress still worshipping at the feet of McCarthyism and threats of the “Red Scare.”
Waters, who sits as a ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee, pushed back at the charges of socialism levied against her by Rep. Nick Langworthy of New York, after the congressman asked Waters to address a 2019 declaration issued by former President Doandl Trump that America will never fall under socialist rule.
“One of the problems I have with this resolution is, I don’t know everything that you’re talking about when you talk about socialism,” Water fired back. “There are things that you embrace that fall within that so-called socialism definition.”
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler of Pennsylvania then went on a half-baked attack against Waters in demanding she condemns socialism, but it failed spectacularly.
“The American public is going to wonder why Republicans are wasting our time today with this divisive resolution instead of focusing on the real threats to our economy and democracy,” Waters said. “What is this all about? Is it about saying you want to cut Social Security? You want to cut Medicare? You don’t care about the debt ceiling? Please.”
Rep. Reschenthaler then stepped in a steaming pile of horse puckey of his party’s own doing.
“You can’t condemn socialism?” Reschenthaler asked. “In your opening remarks, you were talking about Putin, Kim Jong Un and Xi. You know what they all have in common, right?”
Waters simply fired back, “Trump.”
Classic Auntie Maxine.
Check out some of the reactions of Rep. Maxine Waters expertly PWNING the GOP MAGA Cultist Crew below from Twitter.
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Embattled congressman George Santos has broken his silence to insist he will not resign over growing calls to step down over his growing history of lying about his past.
On Wednesday afternoon (Jan. 11), as the freshman Republican congressman was leaving his office, he was asked about the calls to resign from local officials of his party by ABC reporter Rachel Scott. “Will you step down?”, she asked. Santos swiftly answered, “I will not.” As he stepped onto the elevator, he refused to answer further questions from other reporters.
Santos would later take a more defiant tone on social media. “I was elected to serve the people of #NY03, not the party & politicians, I remain committed to doing that and regret to hear that local officials refuse to work with my office to deliver results to keep our community safe and lower the cost of living. I will NOT resign!”, he wrote.
Earlier on, leaders from the Nassau County Republican Party had held a press conference to publicly call on Santos to resign. “Today, on behalf of the Nassau County Republican Committee, I’m calling for his immediate resignation,” committee chairman Joseph G. Cairo said to the press. Saying he “deceived voters”, Cairo continued: “His lies were not mere fibs. He disgraced the House of Representatives. … He’s not welcome here at Republican headquarters.”
Cairo was joined by more than 20 prominent Republicans at the conference and remotely from Washington D.C., including four of Santos’ fellow members of the House – New York Representative Anthony D’Esposito along with Reps. Nick LaLota, Nick Langworthy, and Brandon Williams, as well as South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace. It was the strongest condemnation of the controversial politician from his own party to date, marking a sharp contrast to their full support of him during his campaigns in 2020 and 2022. Bruce Blakeman, Nassau County GOP executive, stated that Santos’ lies about being Jewish were particularly offensive. “He is a stain on the House of Representatives. He is a stain on the 3rd Congressional District,” he said.
The senior Republicans in the House – Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer – have remained mum about the latest calls for Santos to resign. McCarthy said on Wednesday “the voters have a voice in the decisions, not where people pick and choose based upon what somebody’s press has.” The GOP currently has a slender majority in the House, thanks to Santos’ flipping of the district in the midterms.