#for both her and the rest of the Grassley girls

[sananaryon]

Two weeks after the Gwitch finale and I am getting Sabina Fardin brainrot

[nobleburn]

What a strange, and frankly boring stake. Nikolette never looked down on anyone! It wasn't looking down or being dismissive to acknowledge the natural order of things. Some people were made to lead, to make the begin decisions and to grab destiny with both hands and force it in the direction they desired. Others were followers and hangers-on meant to be ordered around by those with the appropriate vision. Without the strength and confidence projected by the elite, how would the common folk even survive at all?

But, it wasn't her role to argue with the other girl's stake. "Fine enough," she answered with a nod towards Sascha. "I don't take any issue with her stake, though I find it a missed opportunity." She supposed it didn't matter either way, not with the duel's outcome a foregone conclusion. The dark haired girl nodded to each of them in turn and took her step back. "Alea jacta est. The duel is approved." She clapped her hands and motioned to Aerial as well as NVB-002 Surtr, before departing up the stairs to the observation deck.

Before leaving for her mobile suit, Nikolette rested one hand on her cheek as she looked up at Aerial. Yes... She didn't understand a great deal about the GUND format, but Suletta's mobile suit certainly seemed quite Gundam-like to her. Not that she minded. What did it matter to her if a Gundam was dangerous? Fighting in general was dangerous, but so long as one emerged victorious, it wouldn't matter. If a Gundam provided some kind of edge, then it should be used to the fullest extent of its capabilities.

"Your Aerial is quite impressive up close, even more so than I'd imagined. It's a rather innovative design. I can see why you're so fond of it." In some ways, it was as if it had taken the Grassley style of more human-like suits and pushed them even further. Not that she preferred it to NVB-002 Surtr. Relentless testing and small iterations had led to the creation of a mobile suit perfectly suited to her style, and taking advantage of her natural talents. Besides... even if it wasn't her first suit, she still felt as though something about it symbolized her relationship with Tarin, wherever he was these days.

"It suits you." Nikolette nodded to herself. "I merely hope that you and Aerial don't disappoint me, Suletta Mercury. Putting this duel together under these conditions took quite a bit of work." She nodded again as she turned back towards her mobile suit, walking up the raised platform to climb inside. "I spoke only the truth earlier. I have been looking forward to this."

This was also a girl she didn't recognize, she must be part of her group as well.

"G-Good evening..." Suletta repeated, giving her a very slight bow as she watched the girl call her opponent over. Suletta expected the girl to simply walk outside on her own, instead she was met with the sight of her mobile suit.

It was...very impressive actually. Adorned in crimson, with a golden trim, and even a sleek looking outer shell. It for sure caught her attention right at first glance, already wondering what sort of weaponry it had and how Nikolette piloted.

Suletta finally looked away as Nikolette made her way down, even her entrance was elegant...and slightly dramatic. Like normal, the dueling motto was repeated but this time being only the three of them. When Nikolette repeated her same stake as before, Suletta knew that was her time to speak.

"O-Oh! U-Um...well..." Suletta looked to the side, avoiding eye contact with them both as she thought before looking directly at Nikolette.

"My stake in this...is...for you to b-be more considerate of those around you, to not l-look down on others." Which sounded like a weak proposal but if she managed to get Guel to apologize, then maybe this could happen too. Based on her first interaction with the girl, that's the air she strongly gave off.

"That's it."

[azveille]

Cogent adds SIFMA lobbyist

COGENT ADDS SIFMA LOBBYIST : Dave Oxner is leaving the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association for Cogent Strategies, the lobbying firm started by Kimberley Fritts, the Podesta Group’s former chief executive. He’s the first lobbyist to join Cogent who didn’t previously work for the Podesta Group, which came apart in 2017 right before Cogent got off the ground. Oxner was managing director and head of federal government relations for SIFMA and before that worked as a senior adviser to Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.). “His unique understanding of banking, tax, cybersecurity and business issues gained during his time on Capitol Hill and in the private sector will prove to be an invaluable asset to Cogent clients,” Fritts said in a statement. He’ll start March 18.

Cogent represents 20 lobbying clients, according to disclosure filings, including AdvaMed, the car-rental company Enterprise Holdings and Sotheby’s, the auction house. The firm also lobbies for the Democratic Party of Moldova, according a Justice Department filing.

SNEAD HEADS TO ADFERO: Amos Snead is jumping to the public relations firm Adfero, where he’ll be executive vice president. He was previously a founding partner of the public affairs arm of the S-3 Group, which was created in 2016 when Snead’s Bryant Row Public Affairs merged with S-3. The rest of the public affairs team will remain at S-3. Jeff Mascott, Adfero’s chief executive, described Snead this morning as “an important catalyst for our continued growth as we explore expanding our services and opening offices in other cities” in a note to the firm’s clients.

INTERNET ASSOCIATION ADDS SUBJECT MATTER: The Internet Association has hired Steve Elmendorf, Jimmy Ryan and seven otherSubject Matter lobbyists to advocate on consumer privacy and data protection issues, according to a disclosure filing. The Internet Association, which counts Airbnb, Amazon, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Lyft, Microsoft, Twitterand Uber among its members, spent $2.6 million on Washington lobbyists last year but only retains one other lobbying firm: the S-3 Group. Both firms are bipartisan, but Subject Matter gives the trade group some additional Democratic firepower with the party in control of the House.

The 2020 Election. The new Congress. The Mueller investigation. … Keep up with POLITICO Playbook. Be in the know. Sign up today here.

Good afternoon, and welcome to PI. Tear yourself away from Michael Cohen’s testimony and send me some lobbying tips: tmeyer@politico.com. You can also follow me on Twitter: @theodoricmeyer.

Join the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues at the State Department on March 6-7, 2019, for the 9th annual International Women’s Day Forum. As part of the day’s programming, Anna Palmer, co-author of POLITICO’s Playbook, will lead a fireside chat with actress, singer, dancer and activist Keke Palmer, who has dedicated her life to philanthropy and activism for young girls. The full agenda and registration are available here.

WHAT HAPPENED AT TUESDAY’S HEARINGS: “The drug industry may no longer be able to take congressional Republicans' support for granted after the Senate Finance Committee grilled seven company executives on their pricing practices on Tuesday,” POLITICO’s Sarah Karlin-Smith reports. “The roughly four-hour Senate Finance Committee hearing didn't yield many fiery confrontations, and Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley indicated he will go slow pursuing pricing legislation.”

— “But the companies took hits from Republican lawmakers like Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who accused AbbVie of abusing the patent system by obtaining 247 patents to protect its multibillion-dollar arthritis drug Humira from competition for more than 30 years. … The tone was a marked change from past debates, in which drug companies largely avoided blame from Republicans for surging health costs and warned lawmakers against imposing regulations that the industry said would threaten research on cures.” Executives from Sanofi, Merck, Pfizer,AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Pharmaceuticals arm also testified. Full story.

— Companies also faced bipartisan criticism on the House side. "Indignation toward the credit reporting industry united the top Democrat and Republican on the House Financial Services Committee," as both called "for the shakeup of a business dominated by three giants: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion," POLITICO's Zachary Warmbrodt reports. "Financial Services ChairwomanMaxine Waters (D-Calif.) told executives for the firms at a hearing that they treated consumers like commodities and that the credit reporting system needed to be rebuilt 'from the ground.' The hearing was a showcase for a sweeping credit reporting overhaul drafted by Waters. The committee's top Republican, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), echoed Waters, saying the credit reporting system was 'broken' and needed 'major repair.'" Full story.

FLYING IN: Members of the American Association of Orthodontists are in town this week. Reps. Brian Babin (R-Texas), Jeff Van Drew (D-N.J.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) and Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) showed up to a reception on Tuesday evening at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer’s office, which will be followed by meetings on the Hill today.

— Members of the Submarine Industrial Base Council, which represents suppliers of parts for submarines, are in town, too. They hosted their annual congressional breakfast this morning, which drew more than a dozen members of Congress.

NEW CONSULTING FIRM WILL WORK TO INFLUENCE STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL: “The former executive director of the Republican Attorneys General Association and a top adviser for the Democratic Attorneys General Association are teaming up to form a new consulting firm focused on engaging top state law enforcement officials around the country,” POLITICO’s Daniel Strauss reports. “Scott Will, who previously ran RAGA, and Steve Jewett, a Democratic consultant who served as DAGA's national campaign director, are forming Attorney General Strategies, a bipartisan firm.”

— The firm's creation is the latest sign of the arms race for more money and firepower in both [attorney general] campaigns and efforts to influence attorneys general once they are in office.” The New York Times’ Eric Lipton in 2015 detailed the burgeoning business of lobbying state attorneys general, including Pam Bondi of Florida, who is now a lobbyist herself. Full story.

[etalablog]

Et Al a Blog: Presumption of Innocence, Presumption of Truth.

Let’s be clear, I am not a lawyer. I am neither bragging nor complaining, just stating a fact. And being of an age from those halcyon days of jurisprudence when we learned law collectively at the hands of Perry Mason,  Atticus Finch and Thurgood Marshall, in roughly that order, I have an admittedly imperfect sense of the legal standards to be had in our Country.

But I have long known, and as we have heard a lot of recently, there is a Presumption of Innocence in criminal proceedings. Of course, there were certain exceptions, such as skin color, national origin, etcetera but in general, your average white guy could get a fair trial in which the burden of proof was on the prosecution.

Until the advent of almost universal video recordings, this “burden of proof” could be fulfilled by any number of pieces of evidence. There is forensic evidence, foot prints, finger prints, blood type and such of course, but the most persuasive evidence was when the witness dramatically points across the room at the defendant and says… “He did it!  That guy! I saw him do it!”.

At which point there was only the sentence left to be determined.

But see? I was wrong. We now have it on the highest authority, that the mere fact of a victim’s identification of the perpetrator is not (are you ready for it?) “proof of guilt”.  Obviously, times have changed. Well, except for, if there is a choice in the matter, the white guy is still innocent.

“But wait! There’s more!” as the Vegamatic guy used to say. You see the reason for the tsunami of “Presumption of Innocence” roiling through Trumpian Media Silos, was NOT a criminal trial, but a confirmation hearing to determine if someone is sufficiently beyond reproach to become a Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States.

And here, there is a different standard. That is, a “Presumption of Truth” of testimony by witnesses resulting from the very real penalty for “Perjury”. But in this case, and by now you know I am talking about the Brett (aka “Bart”) Kavanaugh confirmation hearings, there was conflicting testimony.

Or was there?

Well, I and many of my non-Trumpian silomates, would suggest not.

One witness, Dr. Ford has a very specific and credible memory of a sexual assault which occurred one evening some 36 years ago when she was a vulnerable 15-year-old girl. She had shared this memory some six years prior with her therapist and husband, naming him specifically.

She spoke in a trembling voice with such credibility and conviction that even the Bully in Chief could not help but gush “She was very compelling”. Yes, she was Donald, you got it right the first time.

The other, an angry, unrepentant Judge Brett Kavanaugh, his face alternately wet with tears and spittle, lashed out at the temerity of those to even suggest he, a lifelong, hard working model of cleanliness, godliness and selfless sacrifice on behalf of our Great Nation would do such a thing! This was an “orchestrated hit by … Democrats… angry over the election …. And seeking revenge for the Clintons.”

Implied, if not precisely spoken, was the assertion that he could not have done because he did not remember doing it.

Unfortunately, Judge Kavanaugh, there is, as we like to say, “compelling” evidence that it was distinctly possible there was another reason for your perhaps not remembering it. You were drunk. You didn’t actually penetrate her, so there was nothing memorable about it for you. It was just one night in a summer of numerous such episodes. That this is so, is amply established through your own words. Brett, both in the yearbook and the letter you wrote (signed “Bart”) arranging for a beach rental for “obnoxious drunks and prolific pukers”.

And, of course, your running mate and named accomplice Mark Judge wrote a thinly disguised biography of your days  at Georgetown Prep, comprehensively described in its title, “Wasted”.

So where does the “Presumption of Truth” lay here?  There is little doubt it resides solidly with Dr. Ford. And for the confirmation for a life time appointment, THIS is the only standard that need apply.

So, if this so clear cut, how can so many of our fellow Americans have a view of Judge Kavanaugh and his beautiful (white) family as the victim here? “Where is the proof of this?” “Where is the Presumption of Innocence?”.

I have an answer for you.

It is this place. It is the news media and social media silos you share with me.

Our knowledge base, our “facts”, our sense of what is important, of course comes from thenews media at large. You and I, we have conditioned ourselves to believe only what we read and see in rational and independent sources of information with journalistic integrity. The Free Press is our First Right. And this is our silo.

And, well, we should believe this, of course. You know that. I know that. But “they” do not.

“They” get their news from Fox News, Hannity, and even InfoWars.  

In social media, Facebook, Twitter and the rest, our newsfeeds are populated by things we are pre-disposed to agree with. This creates a much more satisfying experience. Every visit, we are rewarded for our wit and keen insight. People, quite literally, like us. And we like people like us.

Sometime ago, after I had digested what had happened to us in the 2016 elections, it became obvious that silo’d nature of social media had created massive echo chambers.

I realized there was little benefit to sharing my keen insights while “preaching to the choir” and ceased political posts on my FB page, limiting them, instead, to my blog, which, if I shared it on FB, seemed a more appropriate place, at least both of my followers assure me it is.

But Facebook, more than any other media, is one of those places where the silos occasionally occur together. It is in this place we “cross the streams” in Ghostbuster parlance. Our Social Media connections can be found in myriad ways not necessarily related to politics such as family, hometown, etc. who may find their “news” in a different silo. 

Unfortunately, “crossing the streams” on Facebook does simply result in the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man, but rather in memes and shared posts (never an original thought or opinion) such as flooded our newsfeeds in the 2016 Russian attack on our democracy.  Typically, we find somewhere between annoying and appalling and generally ignore them.

Alas, being human, I find myself, on occasion,  taking exception to the more ludicrous (obviously, in my opinion) ones and commenting on them. Inevitably, because I am now in an alternate reality silo, someone responds accordingly.

So, it was recently on a “story” shared by the new fiancé of a dear, and utterly apolitical, friend concerning the cultural war prompted by the Kavanaugh nomination, to wit: the plague of unfounded assertions of sexual assaults by women upon fine and honorable men.

I am sure you appreciate just why I felt compelled to comment and you can well guess the nature of those comments.

Consider this response from a random “tin hat” poster on my new friend’s shared story:

RESEARCH. The privileged girls of her school proudly documented that they were hard partying drunks who PREYED on younger boys at the all male prep schools. Go look it up. The school and Ford both scrubbed their social media but NOT fast enough. No, we call her a liar with overwhelming proof. She LIED about her remodel that happened in 2008 not 2012. She put in a second door for the RENTAL unit she added to her home that she was renting to interns at Google. She deliberately obfuscated what her REAL job is: She works with the CIA's program at STANFORD. Her grandfather and father both are LONG TERM employees of the CIA. She LIED about not know that she could have had the Judiciary come to her. When Grassley stated that she did not react in shock at all or look at her attorneys with the appropriate "What didn't you tell me this!" response. Some of us have actually done our due diligence and care about the FACTS. The last bimbo worked for Ford's father for TWELVE YEARS. There is no such thing as a coincidence in Washington, D.C. She also LIED under oath about never coaching anyone on how to beat a polygraph. One of her attorneys was the very person that she DID teach how to beat the polygraph.

Funny you should mention a phone// I had opined that, unfortunately the assault was not captured on a cell phone// as that is one of the statements she made that CLEARLY PROVES she is a liar. Cell phones were not available until 1986. She claims this happened in 1982. NO ONE HAD A CELL PHONE IN 1982. The grocery store she claimed to go to wasn't opened until 1986 as well. FACTS MATTER.

Where does one even start with crap like this? When confronted with the assertions of a flat earth, attempting to describe the Spring Equinox is rather pointless.

We are being asked to not believe our “lying” eyes.

This is where the “Presumption of Truth” is in 2018. I have no solution, no answer but this:

Vote Blue and encourage your friends to do so too.

Truth and reality are under attack by this President and the Alternative Fact media silo. Help me defend them.

[todaynewsstories]

Crucial hearing opens for Trump’s court nominee and accuser

WASHINGTON: A momentous hearing began on Thursday in which a woman who has accused Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, of sexually assaulting her will testify, a session that could determine whether he will be confirmed to the lifetime job after a pitched battle between Republicans and Democrats.

The hearing, which has riveted Americans and intensified the political polarization in the United States, occurs against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault.

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Christine Blasey Ford, a university professor, and Kavanaugh, a conservative federal appeals court judge picked by Trump in July for a lifetime job on the high court, are the only two witnesses scheduled for the Judiciary Committee.

Ford, to testify first, was seated at a table in the packed hearing room flanked by her lawyers, facing a bank of senators. Cameras from news photographers clicked as she entered the room and took her seat, smiling nervously.

Ford, who before the hearing had not spoken or appeared publicly, will give her account of an alleged incident in which she has said Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in 1982 at a gathering of teenagers in Maryland when both of them were in high school.

Kavanaugh has denied the allegations by Ford and two other women who have come forward.

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Asked by reporters what he was hoping for from the closely watched proceedings, Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley responded, “A fair hearing for everybody.” Republican Senator John Kennedy added, “Right now I have an open mind and a closed mouth.”

Supporters of Ford were spotted throughout the Senate office building where the hearing was being held, including a group of about 50 women who attended the same school that Ford did at the time of the alleged incident.

The all-male Republican majority on the Senate Judiciary Committee has hired a female lawyer with experience prosecuting sex crimes, Rachel Mitchell, to question Ford. Democratic senators are set to ask their own questions.

“My motivation in coming forward was to provide the facts about how Mr. Kavanaugh’s actions have damaged my life, so that you can take that into serious consideration as you make your decision about how to proceed,” Ford said in prepared testimony to the committee.

‘TELL THE TRUTH’

“It is not my responsibility to determine whether Mr. Kavanaugh deserves to sit on the Supreme Court. My responsibility is to tell the truth,” she added, adding that she was “terrified” to testify but that she considered it her “civic duty” to relate the details of the incident.

In his prepared testimony, Kavanaugh again “unequivocally and categorically” denied her allegation, as well as “other false and uncorroborated accusations” by his other accusers.

“Sexual assault is horrific. It is morally wrong. It is illegal. It is contrary to my religious faith. And it contradicts the core promise of this nation that all people are created equal and entitled to be treated with dignity and respect,” Kavanaugh said.

Ford, a psychology professor at Palo Alto University in California, has said a drunk Kavanaugh attacked her and tried to remove her clothing at a gathering of teenagers in Maryland when he was 17 years old and she was 15.

“Brett groped me and tried to take off my clothes. He had a hard time because he was so drunk, and because I was wearing a one-piece bathing suit under my clothes. I believed he was going to rape me,” Ford said, adding that Kavanaugh and a friend of his were “drunkenly laughing during the attack.”

Supreme Court appointments must be confirmed by the Senate, and Trump’s fellow Republicans control the chamber by a narrow 51-49 margin. That means that a handful of moderate Republican senators who have not announced whether or not they support Kavanaugh could determine his fate. Committee member Jeff Flake is among these.

The committee could vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation on Friday, with a final Senate vote early next week.

Some Democrats have called on Kavanaugh to withdraw in light of the allegations.

The controversy has unfolded just weeks ahead of the Nov. 6 congressional elections in which Democrats are trying to seize control of Congress from Trump’s fellow Republicans. Kavanaugh’s confirmation would cement conservative control of the high court as Trump moves to shift it and the broader federal judiciary to the right.

Two other women, Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick, have also accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct in the 1980s.

Ramirez accused Kavanaugh of exposing himself during a drunken dormitory party during the 1983-84 academic year when both attended Yale University.

Swetnick, whose allegations emerged on Wednesday, said she witnessed efforts by Kavanaugh and others to get girls drunk at parties so that they could be raped. She also said Kavanaugh was present at a 1982 party at which she was raped.

Trump and some other Republicans described the allegations as part of a last-minute “smear” campaign, though the president indicated that he will be paying close attention to the hearing. “I can always be convinced,” Trump said on Wednesday.

Swetnick, in an interview on MSNBC, said she had not planned to air her allegations one day before the hearing.

“Kavanaugh is going for a seat where he’s going to have that seat on the Supreme Court for the rest of his life. And, if he’s going to have that seat legitimately, all of these things should be investigated,” Swetnick said.

Trump chose Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy, who retired effective in July.

(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Additional reporting by Andrew Chung and Susan Heavey; Editing by Will Dunham and Kevin Drawbaugh)

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