25 November 19
Robert Reich | The Myth of Voter Fraud - and the Truth About What's Threatening Our Elections
Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Website
Reich writes: "Donald Trump and his enablers have been making claims of widespread voter fraud, alleging millions of people are voting illegally in order to rig our elections. Baloney."
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Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney in the Oval Office on Nov. 13. (photo: Oliver Contreras/WP)
Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Website
Reich writes: "Donald Trump and his enablers have been making claims of widespread voter fraud, alleging millions of people are voting illegally in order to rig our elections. Baloney."
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Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney in the Oval Office on Nov. 13. (photo: Oliver Contreras/WP)
Josh Dawsey, Carol D. Leonnig and Tom Hamburger, The Washington Post
Excerpt: "A confidential White House review of President Trump's decision to place a hold on military aid to Ukraine has turned up hundreds of documents that reveal extensive efforts to generate an after-the-fact justification for the decision and a debate over whether the delay was legal, according to three people familiar with the records."
Cipollone has told House impeachment investigators that the White House will not cooperate with the inquiry in any way, including by greenlighting witnesses or turning over documents.
Brett Kavanaugh. (photo: REX/Shutterstock)
Maxwell Tani and Andrew Kirell, The Daily Beast
Excerpt: "The Facebook senior executive in charge of the company's public-policy arm 'helped quarterback' his friend Brett Kavanaugh's nomination for the Supreme Court, a new book reveals."
EXCERPT:Facebook itself has come under plenty of political fire in recent years, largely stemming from its use as a notoriously unfiltered vessel for divisive Russian propaganda aimed at interfering in U.S. elections. The social-media company was further ensnared in charges of Russian election interference when it was revealed that Trump-connected data firm Cambridge Analytica had collected—without consent—the personal data of millions of Facebook users in order to target them for political advertising.
Simone Biles. (photo: Matthias Schrader/AP)
History Making Gymnast Simone Biles Learns Her Sexual Assault Claims Were Swept Under Rug by USA Gymnastics Officials
Karu F. Daniels, The Root
Daniels writes: "In another example that there are systems in place to protect evil power wielders, Simone Biles has expressed 'pain' in learning that her initial sexual abuse claim against team doctor Larry Nassar was basically ignored."
Karu F. Daniels, The Root
Daniels writes: "In another example that there are systems in place to protect evil power wielders, Simone Biles has expressed 'pain' in learning that her initial sexual abuse claim against team doctor Larry Nassar was basically ignored."
The 22-year old gymnast—who made history on Oct. 13 as the gymnast with the most medals earned at the world championship level—expressed anguish about learning that she was left out of USA Gymnastics’ initial investigation of Nassar.
Biles is one of the hundreds of gymnasts who publicly accused Nassar of sexual misconduct.
According to ESPN, a U.S. Senate investigation revealed Biles was one of several athletes who expressed concerns about Nassar to USA Gymnastics officials in June 2015, according to notes collected by the investigators.
Nassar is a convicted serial child molester serving life in prison for child porn possession and molesting young women and girls under the guise of medical treatment.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Biles learned of the investigations only after returning from her gold-medal performance at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where she was part of the team dubbed the “Final Five.”
The article states former USA Gymnastics chief Steve Penny allegedly knew about her concerns and intentionally did not include her in the investigation or mention her name to the FBI.
Through his lawyer, Penny has denied this claim.
In July 2015, USA Gymnastics hired someone to speak to several of its gymnasts about their concerns and subsequently passed that information on to the FBI, which opened its own investigation into Nassar.
Biles wasn’t informed about either investigation until more than a year later.
“Can’t tell you how this is to read and process,” Biles tweeted in response to the article. “The pain is real and doesn’t just go away... especially when new facts are still coming out. What’s it going to take for a complete and independent investigation of both USOPC and USAG???” (United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee)
Can’t tell you how hard this is to read and process. The pain is real and doesn’t just go away...especially when new facts are still coming out. What’s it going to take for a complete and independent investigation of both USOPC and USAG??? twitter.com/louiseradnofsk…
In August, Biles expressed frustration with how she and other survivors of sexual assault have been treated by USA Gymnastics as she continues to work toward another Olympic appearance in Tokyo next year.
On Thursday, Biles also wrote that “numb is becoming a normal feeling.”
In a statement, her parents, Ron and Nellie Biles, also spoke out about the investigation being kept a secret from her.
“We continue to struggle with how and why this happened, and every time we hear something new like this, it feels like the harshest of betrayals and it is just too painful for our family to talk about openly,” the statement reads. “To this day, we still do not know why Simone’s abuse was concealed by Steve Penny, USAG and USOPC.”
In January 2018, Biles first publicly revealed that she was sexually abused by Nassar in a statement on Twitter.
“I too am one of the many survivors that was sexually abused by Larry Nassar,” her statement read. “I’ve felt a bit broken and the more I try to shut off the voice in my head the louder it screams. I am not afraid to tell my story anymore.”
Engelhardt: 'Americans have generally done a remarkable job of ignoring those grim wars.' (photo: Getty Images)
Andrea Mazzarino | A Military Spouse Bearing Witness to the Costs of War
Andrea Mazzarino, TomDispatch
Mazzarino writes: "There is some incongruity between my role as an editor of a book about the costs of America's wars and my identity as a military spouse. I'm deeply disturbed at the scale of human suffering caused by those conflicts and yet I've unintentionally contributed to the war effort through the life I've chosen."
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Andrea Mazzarino, TomDispatch
Mazzarino writes: "There is some incongruity between my role as an editor of a book about the costs of America's wars and my identity as a military spouse. I'm deeply disturbed at the scale of human suffering caused by those conflicts and yet I've unintentionally contributed to the war effort through the life I've chosen."
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Migrants rest on a rescue boat in the Mediterranean Sea. (photo: Juan Medina/Reuters)
Spanish Rescue Ship Stranded Off Italy With 62 African Migrants on Board
Juan Medina, Reuters
Medina writes: "Italian authorities have agreed to grant the Open Arms ship access to a port to disembark 62 African migrants it has been carrying since Wednesday, the founder of the Spanish rescue mission said on Sunday."
Juan Medina, Reuters
Medina writes: "Italian authorities have agreed to grant the Open Arms ship access to a port to disembark 62 African migrants it has been carrying since Wednesday, the founder of the Spanish rescue mission said on Sunday."
EXCERPT:
Oscar Camps said the vessel is set to dock at the southern Italian port of Taranto on Tuesday afternoon, although the eventual destination may change.
Italy initially refused entry for the group of 73 African migrants which the Open Arms crew plucked out of a packed rubber dinghy drifting about 50 miles off Libya, suggesting that the vessel should instead put them ashore at Tripoli.
However, earlier today the coastguard evacuated 11 of the group who required medical attention to the port of Augusta and Italy’s Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese signaled the country might be softening its position.
Conditions aboard the vessels have been deteriorating as a powerful storm hit the Mediterranean, creating waves of up to 3 meters (10 feet).
A Reuters cameraman on the ship saw migrants huddled under a makeshift shelter on deck as the ship rolled through choppy waters and lightning flashed overhead.
Among the group of mostly Central and West Africans are three women, two toddlers and 24 unaccompanied minors who braved the dangerous crossing in search of a better life in Europe.
The Italian government has taken a hard line against immigration and has previously resisted attempts by rescue ships to land migrants in its territory.
A prolonged standoff with the Open Arms this summer was only resolved after a court ordered authorities to open a port, allowing 100 migrants to disembark.
A cement truck. (photo: Avalon Studio/Getty Images)
Cement Has a Carbon Problem. Here Are Some Concrete Solutions.
Maddie Stone, Grist
Stone writes: "One of the industries with the worst climate impact is all but ignored, even though its product literally supports our existence."
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Maddie Stone, Grist
Stone writes: "One of the industries with the worst climate impact is all but ignored, even though its product literally supports our existence."
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