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hatari-translations · 3 years ago

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can you maybe tell us a bit more about the parties in icelandic politics? that is super interesting for me after reading your last post

Well, sure! Please bear in mind that as you may have gathered I am not unbiased, and I'm by no means the most knowledgeable person about this.

Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn (The Independence Party)

Originally founded in 1929, this party's name originally referred to independence from Denmark (achieved in 1944), but today it's just Iceland's dominant right-wing party. On other countries' scales they're fairly center-right in terms of policies; they want a strong welfare system, they're pro-immigration, they're not against LGBT rights, etc. However, they are very much the party of Iceland's rich elite establishment, and in particular have close ties to Iceland's largest corporations, and every other political scandal involves them being varying degrees of terrible, from "Independence Party minister breaking COVID restrictions" to "Independence Party minister in the Panama Papers" to "Independence Party minister's father signs a letter to 'restore the honor' of a convicted pedophile" (these three were all the same minister, who by the way still leads the party and is still finance minister) to "terrible corrupt fishing company Samherji introduced the Independence Party's health minister as 'our guy in the government' at meetings with the Namibian officials they were bribing".

The Independence Party opposes the new constitution, ostensibly because blah blah stability distractions about how changes to the constitution need to be approved through the appropriate process (yes, we know, we want that process to happen), but we all know it's really because the new constitution would have the fishing companies pay a fair price for their access to Iceland's natural resources, and that would be bad for their bottom line. They are also opposed to joining the EU.

The Independence Party has been the largest party in every single Icelandic election since it was founded except the 2009 one (which was right on the heels of another scandal - believe me, I barely scratched the surface above - as well as the 2008 financial crisis), where they managed to dip below the Social-Democratic Alliance with 23.7% of the vote, their lowest parliamentary election result ever. Historically they'd get upwards of 40% or even more of the vote; these days it's more like 25%, and this election's result of 24.4% is their second lowest ever. Even in polls days right after a huge scandal, the lowest I've ever seen the Independence Party poll at was something like 19%; that's why I've said here that 20% of the country will just vote for them no matter what. This means the Independence Party is always the most powerful party, and them not being in the government coalition is very much the exception.

Framsóknarflokkurinn (The Progressive Party)

Iceland's oldest political party, founded in 1916. Originally it was the farmers' party, and they've historically been most popular in rural areas, where they have longstanding loyalty. They're more or less center to center-right. Historically, they've formed coalitions with both the right and the left, but particularly in the past few decades they have been glued to the Independence Party in particular. They have occasional particular pet issues that they latch onto, but overall it doesn't really feel like they stand for much of anything in particular, other than wanting to maintain the status quo and be in government with (preferably) the Independence Party. They are also against the new constitution and the EU.

Vinstrihreyfingin - grænt framboð (The Left-Green Movement)

Founded in a 1999 split on the left, the Left-Greens are a left-wing party with a focus on equality and the environment, but with enough of a semi-conservative bent to have some common ground with Independence and Progressives on matters like opposing EU membership and being hesitant about the Constitutional Committee's draft constitution. A lot of their voters were very unhappy with them entering into the current coalition with the Independence Party and the Progressive Party (the former in particular); two of their MPs actually left the party after that decision, reducing but not destroying the government's majority.

Samfylkingin (The Social-Democratic Alliance)

Founded in 2000 as a fusion of two parties (hence the 'alliance'), the Social-Democratic Alliance is a center-left social democratic party. They were very popular in the early 2000s, almost rivaling the Independence Party for votes, and formed a coalition government with Independence in 2007, which oversaw the 2008 financial crisis; initially people mostly blamed the Independence Party, allowing the Alliance to become the biggest party in the 2009 election with 29.8% of the vote, but as the following coalition with the Left-Greens had to deal with the fallout of the recession, a lot of anger was directed at the Alliance too, and the party has never managed to recover since, instead hovering between 5-15% of the vote (but still stands strong in some municipal elections and currently leads the Reykjavík city council). They want to join the EU and ratify the new constitution.

Píratar (The Pirate Party of Iceland)

You may have heard of Pirate Parties before, originating with the Pirate Party of Sweden. Iceland is the only country where the Pirate Party has actually managed to get elected to the national parliament, and is an entirely serious political movement. At one point after the revelation of the Panama Papers, the Pirate Party was miraculously polling at 43%; sadly, by the time there was an actual election they'd gone down to 15%. Their primary concerns are transparency, democracy, privacy, human rights and freedoms, and "no bullshit", and among other things they want to establish a universal basic income. A lot of its founders were computer scientists and geeks of various stripes.

They refuse to be classified on the left-right scale, but in practice, their policies are strongly aligned with the leftier parties (one popular website comparing the parties on concrete policy questions for this election classed them as having 90% agreement with the Social-Democratic Alliance, 87% with the Socialists, and 83% with the Left-Greens). They are strongly in favor of ratifying the new constitution.

Miðflokkurinn (The Center Party)

After the 2008 financial crisis, the Progressive Party gained a more populist bent, led by Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, who was prime minister from 2013 until 2016 when he was implicated in the Panama Papers. He was reluctant to resign as prime minister and fully intended to stay as the leader of the party, until the party chose to boot him and replace him with current Progressive leader Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson; Sigmundur Davíð went off to form his own party instead, the Center Party, and took the populist arm of the Progressive Party with him. They're where most of the anti-immigration and anti-LGBTQ vote goes, and along with the People's Party, some of their MPs were implicated in "Klausturgate", a scandal where a disabled woman at a bar overheard and discreetly recorded several MPs (including Sigmundur Davíð) who were drinking together while making a variety of sexist, homophobic and ableist comments about named people including members of their own parties. The Center Party was perfectly happy to keep them on board, which really says all you need to know.

I am unendingly disappointed that the Center Party managed to scrape past the 5% threshold to get parliamentary seats this election; for a glorious moment the early numbers looked like they wouldn't. Last election they managed to get seven MPs, and then the two guys from the People's Party involved in Klausturgate joined up with the Center Party too, giving them nine, so seeing them reduced to almost nothing was still deeply pleasing.

Viðreisn (The Reform Party)

A center-right party that split off from the Independence Party in 2016, largely over the latter's opposition to the EU, while the Reform Party supports EU membership, but also because of the endless scandals, cronyism, etc. The Reform Party instead claim to be proponents of "ethical capitalism" and have so far avoided the major scandals and general douchebaggery of their parent party.

Flokkur fólksins (The People's Party)

A populist party with a primary emphasis on eradicating poverty, especially for the elderly and disabled, letting the nation reap the benefits of our fish instead of the few large fishing companies, funding health care to reduce wait times, and so on. All this is lovely in theory, but unfortunately their rhetoric then goes off into pitting the poor/elderly/disabled against immigrants, Muslims, etc. Chairperson Inga Sæland seems totally well-meaning to me off what I've seen of her (disclaimer: have not actually seen that much), but it also contains less savoury people and sentiments, as seen by two of their MPs being part of the aforementioned Klausturgate. To the party's credit, they did expel those guys, but it's not the only example of the party attracting questionable people.

Sósíalistaflokkur Íslands (The Icelandic Socialist Party)

A hardline democratic socialist party founded in 2017, with this as their first parliamentary election. It looked like they would get MPs in polls, but in the end they didn't. They're led by Gunnar Smári Egilsson, one of the original founders of free newspaper Fréttablaðið, and have a much more radical left rhetoric going on than the other lefty parties, focusing on economic equality, housing, free health care, and a shorter work week. They made some pretty controversial remarks campaigning for this election, such as suggesting replacing all the judges of the Supreme Court if they won't agree to changing the fishing quota system (the argument being that the Independence Party appointed all the judges in an organized bid to maintain the current system), but who knows if that dampened their following or something else. They also want to ratify the new constitution.

#iceland #politics #asks #asks: iceland

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byebecca · 4 years ago

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(KELSEY MERRITT, CIS-WOMAN) - Have you seen REBECCA STEVENS? BECCA is in her JUNIOR year. The POLITICAL SCIENCE MAJOR is 21 years old & is a GEMINI. People say SHE is AMBITIOUS, SOPHISTICATED, RECLUSE and MANIPULATIVE. Rumors say they’re a member of the CALLOWAY SOCIETY. I heard from the gossip blog that SHE’S COVERING UP HER FATHER’S AFFAIR FROM HER MOTHER AND THE REST OF THE WORLD.

statistics

general

full name: rebecca diana stevens

nicknames: becca, bec, b, stevens

age: twenty-one

date of birth: may 25th, 1999

hometown: hartford, connecticut

sexuality: bisexual

current residence: preaker, vermont

languages spoken: english, filipino, italian

personality

zodiac: gemini sun, aquarius moon, virgo rising

alignment: neutral evil

mbti: istj-a

appearance

hair color: brown

eye color: dark-brown

height: 5'8"

biography

rebecca diana stevens wasn’t born out of love or sincerity, she was born to fulfill a a status quo. althea and joseph stevens had but one child before becca, one conceived out of wedlock and to a different woman. joseph stevens hailed from a political dynasty, his past ancestors holding powerful positions in government, and a son born from a college relationship with a woman of much lower status would only tarnish the political standing of the future governor of connecticut, mr. joseph stevens himself. so the family did what they knew best, and threw the entire possibility of a scandal under the rug, paying off joseph’s girlfriend to grant sole custody to him. it was only within a few short months that joseph’s mother set him up with the daughter of a fortune 500 ceo, althea santos. the two were attending yates university at the time, both in their senior year of school. the manufactured relationship quickly became a marriage within the next few years, althea claiming her stepson as one of her own, at least in front of the public eye. and within a years, rebecca diana stevens was brought into the world, her middle name inspired by the late princess diana, who althea had been fond of.

in the public eye, the stevens were a loving, wholesome family, deplete of any controversy. it was what led joseph to his government title. but underneath it, the stevens mirrored any family with exorbitant wealth and a powerful status.

growing up, becca had often felt like a robot. she simply smiled and waved to the cameras whenever asked, which was perhaps the slightest bit of emotion anyone saw out of her from a young age. but beyond that, she felt completely, and utterly empty, even as a child. she didn’t have a naturally friendly or kind bone in her body, unless told to have one. she destroyed things, threw tantrums erratically, and refused to speak unless it was necessary. because once the cameras and watching eyes were gone, becca’s parents didn’t treat her like how they did in front of a camera. it wasn’t that she was abused, it was that her parents didn’t care about her. she could scream bloody murder in the middle of the night, and they’d only send a nanny to her in hopes of shutting her up. it was clearly possible that young becca had used anger as a tool to get the attention of her careless parents, but after a while, a part of her had realized that there was nothing that could be done to get there attention. and as more time past, the less she wanted any.

as becca grew into her teens, the easiest term used to describe her would’ve been ‘loner.’ she hated any attention, almost as much as she began to hate people. she’d continued to listen to her parents, smile for the cameras, wear something that wasn’t black when dinner party season began, but underneath it all, she despised her parents. she dreamt that she was a witch, able to cast a hex on them and for the world to see how awful they really were. the only emotion becca seemed to ever feel was anger, and even that faded away with the use of antidepressants.

to those who met her, she was cold, and blunt, and if there wasn’t a camera to her face or a public official to wow, she had absolutely no filter. in high school, more often than not, you’d find her in the library with a black hoodie on reading a book, not because she cared an awful lot at school (despite ironically excelling at it), but because she knew it was a place no one would bother her. she was rich, and beautiful, and had every chance of being the queen bee of her boarding school. but she didn’t care to, she didn’t care about anything. after graduating, she chose to go to yates, her parent’s alma mater, instead of yale university, in the town she’d grown up in.

she’d joined calloway, even if a part of her felt that she’d fit into any society at yates. and by fit in, she meant ignore everyone’s presence. but being in yates was different. at least in high school, everyone had already known to leave her alone. there wasn’t an opportunity for her to be liked, because she’d already spent years cultivating an awful reputation. somehow, somewhere along the way, becca found herself caring about a few select people, as awful and wrong as it felt at the time. she still hated the majority of her peers, but some had managed to crack her dead heart. and she definitely hated that.

despite never admitting it, becca had come to yates as a virgin. she hadn’t ever been in a relationship, or even a casual hookup before. she hadn’t done much in her freshman year, but just as her 2nd year started, the relationship that gave her everything, only to take it all away begun. he was easy on the eyes, and she remembered him saying all the right words. he hadn’t cared that she was a bit meaner than most, and that she mostly had the emotional capacity of a rock. he’d tried, and tried, and eventually, becca let him in. she let herself believe that someone was capable of caring about her. everything was perfect in the beginning. she smiled, and laughed, and acted like one of the lovesick people she’d silently judged at one point. she was truly, and hopelessly, in love. until he cheated on her, that is. and then it was as if everything came crashing down. maybe if she hadn’t caught him sitting a little too close to a girl, running from the door instead of asking questions, they’d still be together. she didn’t have proof, but at the same time, she didn’t need any for her heart to feel completely shattered.

after crying for an hour and a half in the parking lot of a taco bell, becca was reminded of what she went through as a child, regressing into an old mentality, that showing emotion was pointless, that she wasn’t capable of being loved. she ignored him, and everyone after that. people checked in on her, and she acted as if it never even happened, still caring about those few select people, but always keeping her guard up.

headcanons

comes off as mean, and standoffish. can’t stand majority of people but will fake it until she makes it just to get through the day. if she does care about you, she’s still kinda guarded and never lets people know what shes really thinking, but she does care (deep down)

always wears black, and for some odd reason, always has an ominous black book at her side that’s contents are unknown.

is a polysci major because it just makes sense though it isnt really what she wants to do with her life (tuition ain’t free), she’d love to be an author and write fiction novels

can be very odd and dark at times like you’d think shes a vampire

has major insomnia and will usually be found at 7/11 or roaming the streets at 2am

plays obnoxiously loud music in her wired earphones because she doesn’t care

wanted connections

okay obviously i really want becca’s ex connection. she’s only had one boyfriend and he’s the only man who could break her heart. i’d love to plot this out because maybe he wasn’t even cheating??? lets give men a few rights okay, but this is definitely my biggest one

a best friend!! someone who gets her, probably understands how she’s feeling without her saying anything. she’s not really like the girl gang kinda girl but whatever

her half-brother is one of my wcs on the main but yes <3 i’d love to see their dynamic and what he’d be like

honestly anything!! friends, enemies, acquaintances, hookups, fwb !!!

#yatesintro #ok #this looks a lot cleaner #its longer tho </3

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x1-drabbles · 5 years ago

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“It Will Be Okay” [pt. 4]

⇾ 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜: hangyul/reader

⇾ 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙩: you’re dating a member of the hyung line. the recent controversy has been difficult for them. you comfort them the best you can as they all deal in their own ways.

⇾ 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: none.

⇾ 𝙖/𝙣: part 1 (seungwoo/reader HERE.) ; part 2 (wooseok/reader HERE.) ; part 3 (seungyoun/reader HERE.) || this is long overdue! i’ve been spending most of my fictober writing time on my X1 zombie apocalypse AU HERE. this pairing concludes the series, but please feel free to drop any X1 x reader prompts in my ask box! thank you again for all the love. ♡♡♡

You’re getting some work done at the local cafe near your apartment, sitting at a table with your laptop and a hot cup of jasmine tea. It’s a nice change of scenery and being away from your small place helps you to focus and avoid distractions. You’re just opening up another spreadsheet file when your cell phone begins to vibrate, rattling quietly against the tabletop. You glance over at the screen to check the notification pop-up. It’s a text.

Can you come by? Practice room 3. I’ll leave the door open.

You rest your chin on your hand and stare down at your phone screen with a sigh. You’ve been patiently waiting for this, honestly.

It’s been obvious that Hangyul has been avoiding you, but you know from experience that it isn’t personal. He has a very difficult time showing his emotions and being vulnerable, and when he’s around you, he has a hard time keeping himself composed. He’s told you before how the floodgates just seem to pop open and all the feelings come rushing out when it comes to you. As such, you’ve gathered that he hasn’t been quite ready to face that yet and has been internalizing his hardships instead. You used to get frustrated by this, but after dating for so long, you understand that it’s simply his way of being able to deal with things. Eventually, he always comes around.

You quickly text back a ‘yes, of course’ and then pack up your things. You take a final sip of tea, hoist your bag over your shoulder, and then head out of the cafe. The Swing Entertainment building isn’t far and the weather is nice enough, so you decide to travel by foot.

When you reach the building, you make a wide arc towards the back. You expertly navigate between two tall bushes and climb over a decorative half-wall. It seems ridiculous and suspicious, but you’ve learned that sneaking in the back way is much easier than running into management in the lobby and potentially having them turn you away. Or worse, fangirls with cameras. You’d really rather not cause a scandal - for Hangyul or yourself.

As promised, he has left the side door leading into practice room 3 propped open by a crushed plastic water bottle. You glance around, doing a quick sweep of the area to ensure no dedicated fans or nosy photographers have caught sight of you. Satisfied you’re not being watched, you slip through the opening and then nudge the water bottle away with your foot, easing the door closed gently behind you.

Music echoes around the mostly empty room, punctuated by the occasional squeak of sneaker rubber scuffing against the wood floor. You lean against the back wall and watch silently. Hangyul is dancing, his shirt visibly soaked through with sweat. His hair is damp and matted; his bangs sticking flat against his forehead in piecey sections. There’s tension and intensity in the way he’s moving. It’s not fluid and natural like the way he usually dances. It’s forced and chaotic.

For a moment, he falters and his feet seem to get caught up beneath him. He goes down on one knee hard, his head hanging. Your breath automatically catches in your throat and you shake your head. You quickly cross the room, moving to the speaker that’s playing the music. You switch it off and then turn around, hands on your hips.

When the music suddenly stops, Hangyul looks up. At first his face is twisted into a grimace, but when his eyes find you, he breaks out into a grin and immediately pushes himself back up to his feet. He opens his arms wide, welcoming you for a hug, but you take a step back and squint at him.

“First of all, you’re gross right now,” you tease, gesturing at his sweat-stained shirt. “And second of all… are you trying to seriously injure yourself?”

You shake your head as he continues to approach, but then concede, leaning into his arms. He’s damp and he smells exactly as you’d expect, but you don’t really care. It feels good to have his warm body pressed against yours. It’s been too long. He hugs you tightly and kisses the top of your head. His arms are strong and muscular wrapped around your shoulders.

“I’m fine,” he says quietly. It’s what he always says, even when he’s not. “I just tripped.”

“Because you’re dancing like a maniac.”

“It’s a two-in-one choreo practice cardio workout! I’m multitasking.”

You pull away from his embrace and study his face. He’s smiling from ear to ear, but his color is off and there are dark circles under his eyes. They are tiny signs of his exhaustion that few would recognize. You do, of course.

“Here.” You pull your bag in front of you and fish out a bottle of iced barley tea and a pastry you’d purchased at the cafe. “Eat.”

You push them both into his hands and sit down, patting the floor next to you as an invitation. He sighs, but sinks down to the ground as well, opening up the tea drink.

“Ready to talk?” you ask, bumping your shoulder against his.

“About?”

You glare at him and reach for the tea, snatching it from his grip and taking a sip.

“How are things? How are the boys?” You hand him back the tea and rest your head against his shoulder.

“They’re okay, I guess? It’s hard to tell. A lot of us are still just getting to know each other.” He takes a bite of pastry and chews thoughtfully. “It’s difficult to separate normal debut stress from controversy stress.”

You nod because it’s all you can do. You can’t imagine juggling all the pressure.

“Exhaustion is a good distraction,” he adds, stretching his legs out and flexing his ankles. He laughs, but you can see his eyes are starting to glisten with wetness. He’s one of the most soft-hearted people you know, but he hides it incredibly well.

“Everyone’s really proud of you,” you say, pulling away to face him with a smile. “You worked hard and you deserve this. And I’m sure Dohyon is super relieved to have you by his side.”

Hangyul blinks rapidly and shoves a giant piece of pastry in his mouth. He washes it down with some tea and then leans against you.

“It’ll be okay?” he asks.

“It’ll be okay,” you repeat, with confidence. “Now teach me some new moves.”

He grins, genuinely, and immediately hops to his feet. He reaches down and takes your hand, pulling you up as well. For the next hour, he teaches you some of the choreo to ‘Like Always.’ Dancing together is something you used to do all the time, back when his schedule was more open and you felt like a normal couple. You laugh until your doubled over when he physically moves your hips into the correct positions, repeatedly. It feels really good and you can’t help your heart from swelling with affection for him. You hope that your support offers him even just a little bit of comfort as he tries to navigate this new chapter of his life. He’s already been through so much and survived it resiliently. Because of that, you don’t worry. Not really. He’ll be okay.

#X1 #X1 IMAGINES #thank you for reading!#x1 drabble #x1 fic #x1 scenarios #writing #reader x lee hangyul #hangyul #lee hangyul #hangyul imagines #mine

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lokisasylum · 5 years ago

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Why are Kpop Predictions so... negative?

I'm not one to humor people who do Kpop Predictions (and for free? really? ya'll out here "spilling info/tea" about celebrities for FREE? IN THIS ECONOMY?). I just find them laughable/amusing because of how inaccurate they are 95% of the times, while toying with the fandoms' emotions. Creating unnecessary drama and stress about things that anyone with a common sense and logic could've predicted all on their own. But to give you guys an idea, here are a few by category:

#1. Twitter based Kpop Predictions

I’ve always had this MAJOR feeling that the great majority of them are run by THE SAME person on different accounts (kinda like how on Tumblr we're allowed to "manage" different blogs for whatever we may need 'em). Cause if you pay close attention they ALL share the same pattern:

SAME moon/crystal ball Icons

SAME way of "predicting" events ( *coughCOPY/PASTEcoughcough* )

They ALL go on hiatus at the SAME TIME and when they finally return they give the SAME excuse that they were depressed, drained of energy, mental blockage/migraine from predicting so much.

They throw shade at other prediction accounts and accuse them of "copying" them since they're "the original one."

They throw random predictions per day that never come true and when they don't and get called out its always the same excuse of "you choose what you want to believe" or "I never said it was gonna happen NOW, it could still happen in the future." (even after saying they would during the current year lol).

The great majority of these accounts are BIASED AF and mostly run by delulu shippers who tease the followers with incomplete information to keep ‘em interested.

🐍 Note: The one thing that I heavily dislike about these is that it's been proven in previous years that these accounts either work with or buy information from Sasaengs or insiders within the companies. Which is a big NO-NO in the Kpop community since Sasaengs are disgustingly invasive and have zero disregard for the Idol’s personal life and safety.

#2. Youtube Kpop Predictions/Tarot Card Readers, or as I like to call them: the "super-tragic-always-negative-BTS-are-gonna-disband-this-year-or-the-next-under-super-tragic-circumstances" accounts.

These youtubers are known for spending and wasting 15-20 minutes of their videos (and viewers lives) doing self-promos and showing off the different card decks that they've just recently bought (as if the predictions change based on whether or not you're using a Classic Arcana or a Sailor Moon/Pokemon/YuGiOh with limited edition EXODIA & Shadow Realm included deck) And as mentioned above, ALL of them give super tragic/negative predictions, especially when it comes to BTS. Like I remember at the start of this year, there were around 10 (or more) of them saying that BTS would either disband in mid or near the end of 2019. 5 of them stated (in COPY/PASTE fashion) that 2 members would either abandon the group to pursue solo careers, or that 1 would leave and the other would be kicked out for either health issues or this super huge controversial scandal that would ruin BTS' or the member's image and something about "diva behavior" or that the same member was a huge bully towards the others (and annoyingly enough, all of them kept pointing to both Jin and Jimin for some strange reason). But as we've seen, 2019 came and practically went and BTS are still together, still thriving. Maybe one or two "dating rumors" here and there during their "time off" that died in a span of 1 month or so and everyone went on with their lives because it was found to be the product of antis wanting to start shit because everybody wants a BTS scandal (and of course, close to AWARD SEASON *LE GASP*). So now those same "psychics" are correcting themselves and making up excuses that "they didn't have all the info" or "misunderstood it when they first got it". 🐍🐍 Note: I found it both hilarious and ignorant how the great majority of them are using the "members will start to leave one by one" as a sign of the group disbanding, when we know that starting next year they'll start enlisting in the military which is MANDATORY FOR ALL MEN IN KOREA. Meaning that all Male Korean Idols go through this process and DOES NOT necessarily mean imminent disbandment.

🐍🐍🐍 Extra: Oh yeah, can't forget that one account who said that all Kpop groups are part of the illuminati and they’re using some MK-Ultra shit on the fans through their music which is why fans all over the world now like Kpop and made it famous. Can't forget about those or someone will fight me. (The person deleted their channel too)

#3. Tumblr Kpop Predictions

*SIGH* .... where to start with this one....?

The group in this category is a strange hybrid between Twitter, Youtube and Wattpad/AO3. 'Cause i swear that some of the stuff I've read in a few of these account posts. while browsing for BTS. look like they were taken straight out of a super Angsty, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Soulmate AU, 30 chapters summarized into a oneshot fic. So you'll be either heavily disturbed or highly entertained at how creative the person is with their "reading". Like there was this one person who alleged that Jimin had been a woman in like 3 of his past lives, but was always involved in very abusive relationships (in 1 of said lives his/her father had r*ped him/her and Jimin gave birth to a daughter and when the daughter grew up they both fell in love with the same man. And the daughter ends up killing Jimin to keep the man for herself LOL what kind of twisted A/B/O shit is this?!) and apparently its...affecting him in the present with how he treats others? And like... the only way for him to "break the cycle" is by "making peace" with his past selves? Or else he'll keep repeating it?

(y'know...like The Avatar).

This same person also said that the Maknae Line have a beef with the Hyung Line. And that Jimin was gonna kill himself this year or when BTS disbands next year, cause without the group he was useless/talent-less and it didnt matter if he did solo projects cause they wouldn't be as famous as the other members, plus his supposed "girlfriend" would leave him at the same time which is why he'll kill himself. Like....BITCH, WHICH IS IT? Do you want him to make peace with himself and live a long healthy life or do you want him dead?? MAKE UP YOUR MIND! Or better yet, just say you're a Jimin anti and go (cause she didnt have any probs with the other members, always targeted Jimin). Although there ARE exceptions, like another user who told this past-lives reading on how they all used to be 1 person who died and their soul got divided into 7, and the 7 of them always managed to find one another on each and every one of the lives they've lived through (like the HEARTBEAT mv). That one was nice.

In Conclusion....

I just feel bad because of how ignorant and gullible the Kpop fandom in general has become in the past years (Especially the newer fans who don’t understand how Korean culture works, much less the Korean Entertainment Industry). To the point of giving these people clout when in reality they’re just taking advantage of them because they know how thirsty and obsessed some fans can get in their need to know MORE about the artists/group they stan.

#Personal rant #bts #kpop #bangtan #bantansonyeondan #predictions #Army #bts army

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gg-inspo · 6 years ago

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𝓂𝑒𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝒹𝑜 𝒶𝓈𝓀 𝑔𝒶𝓂𝑒

𝓬𝓾𝓻𝓽𝓪 o post para receber asks, ou 𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓮 a url dos seus personagens!! ATENÇÃO: pedimos para vocês não reblogarem outros memes, usem os desse post <3 peçam para nós adicionarmos mais memes a esse, se vocês quiserem.

BOM JOGO!!

MEMES DE SÍMBOLOS/PALAVRAS

créditos | FORCE MY MUSE TO SPILL THEIR SECRETS

🌧- For a heavy, emotional secret

🙃- For a lighter, slightly embarrassing secret

🌟- For a secret wish or desire of theirs

🍏- For something they secretly wish didn’t exist

🍎- For something they secretly wish did exist

❤️- For a secret crush

📲- Talk about someone/something you dislike, but only pretend to like

👁‍🗨- Talk about someone/something you like, but pretend to dislike

🍻- For something bad/mischievous you did as a child or teen that your parents don’t know about

🌜- For a ‘weird’ habit or tic that no one knows about

💃- For a talent that they like to keep hidden from others

🏹- For a talent they wish they had

👻- For something that scares or disturbs them, but they refuse to tell anyone

☢️- For a controversy or scandal they have been able to keep mostly under wraps

🐇- For a secret item they keep (stuffed animal, comfort object, etc)

📒- For a secret journal/diary they keep (Bonus: Share an entry from it!)

📔- For a secret sketchbook they keep (Bonus: Share a sketch or doodle within it!)

🖤- For something they secretly wish they could do with your muse

❓- Free Space! Ask them about a specific secret!

créditos | mande uma música na minha ask para...

do me a favor: meu muse dar um soco no seu, ou vice versa our perfect disease: meu muse dizer coisas ruins para seu muse em um momento de raiva, ou vice versa bedroom hymns: meu muse dar um beijo agressivo no seu muse, ou vice versa higher: meu muse abandonar o seu muse, ou vice versa bad habit: nossos muses quebram regras juntos idfc: meu muse dizer que não se importa/ama o seu enquanto ele ama, ou vice versa i'm a ruin: meu muse ter um colapso nervoso na frente do seu, ou vice versa wicked games: nossos muses terminam o relacionamento de forma dolorosa terrible things: meu muse dizer uma verdade muito dolorosa (ou cruel) para seu muse, ou vice versa the cops: meu muse ficar com o seu enquanto pensa em outra pessoa, ou vice versa giver: meu muse ficar com outra pessoa e o seu muse descobre, ou vice versa high enough: nossos muses beberem/fumarem juntos e acabam fazendo errado false alarm: meu muse dar coisas para o seu (estilo sugar daddy/sugar mommy), ou vice versa heartbreak summer: meu muse largar o seu chorando sozinho na praia, ou vice versa angels: meu muse perceber que ama o seu quando não deveria, ou vice versa i wanna be yours: meu muse dizer que quer um relacionamento, mas o seu não quer, ou vice versa 505: nossos muses se pegarem depois de terminarem a relação/ter um flashback juntos strange love: meu muse ouvir fofocas sobre nossos muses e fica furioso, ou vice versa daddy issues: meu muse dar um soco no pai do seu muse em um momento de raiva, ou vice versa take me to church: nossos muses serem flagrados tendo atos sexuais íntimos em uma igreja ou lugar sagrado video games: nossos muses entrarem em joguinhos psicológicos onde só eles entendem honest: meu muse mentir para os outros sobre a relação deles, ou vice versa sinister kid: meu muse ouvir de alguém para não se envolver com o seu muse pois vai se machucar, ou vice versa

créditos | LET’S TAKE A PEEK AT THE FUTURE!

Send a symbol to see my muse in the future…

📸- Older Teenager (17-19)

🍻- Young Adult (20-29)

💐- Middle-Aged (30-49)

🏵- Older Adults (50-64)

🐋- Elderly (65+)

🕯- Too see the impact they would have on the world after their death

créditos | SEND “🔍“FOR AN OBSCURE FACT ABOUT MY MUSE

créditos | IF YOUR MUSE WAS A POKEMON, WHAT WOULD THEIR ABILITIES BE?

Send “Ability+A muse” and I’ll apply both their normal AND hidden abilities! List of Pokemon abilities

créditos | SEND “⚔” AND I’LL PICK A BATTLE THEME FOR A FIGHT BETWEEN OUR MUSES.

créditos | Send < + a word and my muse will tell you a memory related to it.

créditos | mensagens no celular

Mande “✆” para uma mensagem DE MANHÃ. Mande “✉” para uma mensagem que NÃO FOI ENVIADA. Mande “☎” para uma mensagem APRESSADA. Mande “⁇” para uma mensagem BÊBADA. Mande “✿” para uma mensagem SUGESTIVA. Mande “ø” para uma mensagem DE MADRUGADA. Mande “✘” para uma mensagem ODIOSA. Mande “#” para uma mensagem ALEATÓRIA. Mande “@” para uma mensagem ASSUSTADA. Mande “&” para uma mensagem AMOROSA. Mande “%” para uma mensagem CURIOSA. Mande “ツ” para uma mensagem ANIMADA. Mande “$” para uma mensagem ACIDENTAL. Mande “♀” para uma mensagem DE PARTIR O CORAÇÃO.

créditos | mande 📝 e minha muse revelará sobre sua muse:

Sua primeira impressão: Sua impressão atual: O que eles mais gostam da sua muse: O que eles odeiam da sua muse: O que sua muse é para ele (amigx, rival, crush, etc): Uma opinião geral sobre sua muse: (se plausível) Algo que eles gostariam de revelar a sua muse:

créditos | envie um símbolo para que seu muse receba uma sms logo após meu muse…

😔 … receber alguma notícia ruim 😃 … receber alguma notícia boa ✴️ … sofrer algum acidente grave ou não 🚼 … fazer um teste de gravidez 💓 … descobrir que tem pouco tempo de vida �� … ser atacado ❌ … receber uma ameaça ❗️ … ouvir alguma notícia/fofoca sobre seu muse 🍁 … pensar em seu muse ⬆️ … acordar ❤️ … sair de um encontro ♈ … ser preso ☄ … descobrir que seu muse esta desaparecido ℹ️ … perder alguma coisa importante ⚰ … perder um ente querido 💍 … ficar noivo 🙍 … ser traído ⚙ … perceber como se sente em relação ao seu muse ❓ … lembrar que tem algo para perguntar ao seu muse

créditos | fill my inbox ❣️

- fuck, marry, kill - would you rather - make me choose between two things - send me song & movie recs - ask me for advice - tell me about your day - talk to me about makeup - confess something to me on anon - ask me questions to get to know me - ask me about my fave things

créditos | send a symbol.

LEARN SOMETHING ⛈ - what is the muse like at their worst? 📖 - deadly sin that applies to them the most? 🍁 - favorite season? 🏹 - have they ever committed a murder? 💝 - have they ever been in love, and with who? ⚠️ - the worst deed they’ve done/crime they’ve committed? ⛔ - do they believe in revenge? 💫 - do they believe in fate/propecy/destiny? 🥀 - have they ever felt heartbreak? 🌵 - do they consider themselves dangerous? 🍀 - do they believe in luck? 🌙 - do they believe in magic? ☄️ - what is their biggest regret? 🍷 - do they drink? 🍹 - alcohol tolerance? 🍳 - do they know how to cook? ☀ - night or day?

DO SOMETHING 🙈 - muse is blind for [#] asks. 🙉 - muse can’t hear for [#] asks. 🙊 - muse can’t speak for [#] asks. 💥 - muse feels agonizing pain when they raise their voice for [#] asks. 🐔 - muse is uncontrollably afraid/paranoid for [#] asks. ⚡ - muse has unstable emotions for [#] asks. 🍺 - muse acts like they are when they’re drunk for [#] asks. 🍬 - muse is hyper as fuck for [#] asks. 🎭 - muse can only speak in cryptic phrases for [#] asks. 🎬 - any noise becomes deafening to the muse for [#] asks. 🌋 - the muse is unable to control their anger for [#] asks. 🔦 - muse becomes light-sensitive for [#] asks. 👁‍🗨 - muse feels like they’re being watched for [#] asks. gets worse as it continues. 🚫 - the muse hallucinates their worst fear for [#] asks. gets worse as it continues. ♾️ - the muse is in constant pain for [#] asks. gets worse at it goes along. (bonus if the pain is an old wound/scar.) ⛅ - the muse hides their emotions for [#] asks. emotions come spilling through when m!a ends. ✨ - muse is in a state of hypnosis for [#] asks. go wild.

OTHER ♠️ - the muse’s ‘worse side’ shows for [#] asks. ♥️ - the muse’s ‘better side’ shows for [#] asks. ♦️ - the muse becomes emotionless for [#] asks. ♣️ - the muse feels temporarily free from doubt for [#] asks. ♈ - the muse has an ego boost for [#] asks. ♉ - the muse is unreasonably stubborn/bitter/petty for [#] asks. ♊ - the muse is split into two versions of themself for [#] asks. (emotion/logic, happy/sad, etc.) ♋ - muse becomes overwhelmingly pessimistic for [#] asks. ♌ - muse becomes incredibly fucking arrogant for [#] asks. ♍ - muse is shy as hell for [#] asks. ♎ - muse is obsessed with keeping things ‘stable’ or ‘balanced’ for [#] asks. ♏ - muse is unbearably rude/cruel/violent for [#] asks. ♐ - muse is more ‘pleasant’ than usual for [#] asks. ♑ - muse loses all self-control for [#] asks. ♒ - muse acts incredibly aloof for [#] asks. ♓ - muse is overwhelmed by sadness for [#] asks. ⛎ - wildcard. mun’s zodiac applies to the muse. (ex: i’m a cancer, so if i was sent ophiuchus, muse would get the effects of cancer.)

créditos | mande um elemento do espaço para perguntas

Mercúrio: Qual é seu nome completo? Vênus: Qual é sua língua materna? Terra: Onde está sua casa? Marte: Qual é sua opção sexual? Júpiter: Você tem irmãos? Saturno: Você tem animais de estimação? Urano: Qual é seu hobby? Netuno: Quando é seu aniversário? Plutão: Que horas são agora onde você está? Lua: O que você está estudando atualmente/quer estudar? Sol: Você já provou álcool? Sirius: Você já perdeu em alguma matéria? Rigel: Você já foi em uma montanha russa? Deneb: Você já saiu do seu país de origem? Arcturus: Você já chorou por algo que não seja tristeza? Betelgeuse: Algo que você nunca vai conseguir esquecer? Aldebaran: Algo que você se importa ou se preocupa desesperadamente? Canopus: Você já quebrou algum osso? Bellatrix: Você já foi forçadx a mentir ou manter um segredo? Alphard: Você já perdeu um amigo? Vega: Algo que você fez e deseja que nunca tivesse feito? Centaurus: Feriado favorito? Orion: Mês favorito? Cassiopeia: Livro favorito? Delphinus: Matéria/assunto favorito? Hercules: Instrumento favorito? Gemini: Música favorita? Pegasus: Lugar favorito para se estar? Libra: Cor favorita? Phoenix: Coisa favorita para vestir? Aries: Filme favorito? Cygnus: Clima favorito? Hydra: Som favorito? Milky Way: Quem é seu amigo mais antigo? Andromeda: Você se considera uma pessoa social? Black Eye Galaxy: Você acredita em amor à primeira vista? Cartwheel Galaxy: Quando foi seu primeiro beijo? Cigar Galaxy: Quão bem você flerta? Comet Galaxy: Você já precisou terminar um relacionamento porque um dos dois mudou demais? Pinwheel Galaxy: Você namoraria a última pessoa com quem falou? Sombrero Galaxy: Você tem crush em alguém agora? Bode’s Galaxy: Você já teve um admirador secreto? Sunflower Galaxy: Você namoraria/seria amigo de alguém por pena? Tadpole Galaxy: Você negaria uma amizade ou relacionamento? Whirlpool Galaxy: Você choraria por um término? Comet: Qual é seu maior sonho? Asteroid: Como é a vida dos seus sonhos? Meteor: Algo que você gostaria de dizer, mas não pode? Nebula: Se você pudesse desfazer algo na sua vida, o que seria isso? Shooting Star: Se você pudesse trazer de volta alguma coisa, o que seria? Pulsar: O que você espera fazer nos próximos 10 anos? Supernova: Algo que você quer fazer antes de morrer? Quasar: Se você pudesse passar o resto da sua vida com alguém, com quem seria? Wormhole: Algo que você gostaria que acontecesse, mas não vai? Black Hole: O que é a última coisa que você quer ver?

MEMES DE FRASES

créditos | gossip girl edition

“Three words. Eight letter. Say it and I’m yours.” “Only a masochist could ever love such a narcissist.” “Ooh, I love it when you talk dirty.” “ You are disgusting and I hate you.” “Do I smell pork… and cheese?” “Is that a bong? I didn’t take you for a stoner…” “Friends don’t steal other friends’ boyfriends” “Did you sleep with her huh? You son of a bitch, I ought to kill you!” “Where do you think you’re going?” “What happened? What’s wrong? Talk to me.” “I’m not anyone. I’m me, you can tell me anything.” “This is not a game!” “Did you sleep with someone else?” “You’re starting to scare even me. What did you do?” “I wasn’t aware that robots got jealous. Did they update your software while I was away?” “Good luck on your suicide mission!” “You really know how to hurt people. I admire you for it” “OH MY EFFING GOD!” “Watching you fail spectacularly gives me so much joy.” “This isn’t you!” “You don’t sound like yourself!” “Did he dump you because he found out you were satan?” “I’m surprised you didn’t shoot me yourself.” “Your world would be easier if i didn’t come back.” “You were the lightest thing that ever came into my life.” “Just because we can’t be together, doesn’t mean I won’t love you.” “Don’t marry him.” “I love you. I’m in love with you. I’ve tried to kill it, to run away from it, but I can’t… I don’t want to anymore.” “Stop whatever you’re doing. We need to shop.” “Once again the world has proven anything you can do, I can do better.” “I’ll never forgive you for what you’ve done.” “We’ll get through this together.” “I want to see all the parts of you, even the ones you are ashamed of.” “Well, if you’ll excuse me, there’s a tart in my room that I’d rather attend to.” “I kissed someone and it was a life-changing experience.” “Be careful walking down the primrose path. You may find hell instead of happily ever after.” “You’re smarter than you look.” “I have no time to care.” “We’re stuck in this meaningless, mind-blowing sex loop.” “You’d better not be selfish. A woman remembers.” “Well, you want to go somewhere and talk? Or not talk?” “Just because we can’t be friends doesn’t mean we aren’t.” “You’re worth more than a guest lecture fee, everyone knows that.” “This isn’t Congress. Accomplish something!” “So dramatic, you should be a writer.” “Champagne okay?” “By the way, sandals are not shoes.”

créditos | gossip girl edition

"You had someone who loved you unconditionally." "I'm sorry I gave up on us when you never did." "Can I kiss you before I kill you?" "Every time I try to move on, you're right there." "I'm not a stop along the way, I'm a destination." "Happiness does not seem to be on the menu." "You're not hot enough to be a high school cheerleader." "Excuse me if I don't fall for that, or you, ever again." "I'd ask how you are, but I really don't care." "You're completely unaware of your affect on me." "Who the hell is he not to want you?" "When are you gonna ask me on a real date?" "I'm gonna need another drink to forget I just heard that." "You'd really go out with some guy you don't know?" "I look forward to never seeing you again." "You have no idea who you're dealing with." "I'm glad that she's so fun and I'm sorry that I'm not." "A little bit of danger is what makes life worth living." "How would I ever believe anything you say again?" "Isn't there someone else you can torture?" "Do yourself a favor and stop talking right now." "Take a Xanax or a tequila shot or something." "Maybe I am a total bitch, did you ever think about that?" "Let me say, for the record, I like you. You and only you." "There's a reason I always come back to you." "I'm happy for you. I'm gonna go vomit now."

créditos | iconic vines sentence meme

❛ suck a motherfucking dick . ❜ ❛ i thought you were bae , turns out you were just fam . ❜

❛ i thought you were american . ❜

❛ is that a weed !? ❜

❛ i won’t hesitate bitch ! ❜

❛ chipotle is my life . ❜

❛ turn off the flash you fucking moron ! ❜

❛ kiss my ass bitch motherfucker ! ❜

❛ is that a police !? ❜

❛ i’m calling the weed ! ❜

❛ done & done , let me pull the table out of my ass . ❜

❛ merry crisis ! ❜

❛ i don’t have enough money for chicken nugget . ❜

❛ i’m ready to die anytime , any place , for any reason . ❜

❛ hey guys , we’re unboxing this cheese stick today . ❜

❛ i aint never gonna stop loving you , bitch . ❜

❛ this is the comedy police ! that joke’s too funny ! ❜

❛ i’m not going back to jail ! ❜

❛ what the fuck ? $599 for a fucking playground ? that looks like a piece of shit . ❜

❛ FUCK YOUR TEA ! ❜

❛ the feminists are taking over ! ❜

❛ I GOT TWO FREE TACOS ! ❜

❛ and they were roommates ! ❜

❛ i’m not your friend ! ❜

❛ there’s no saving this sweet piece of ass . ❜

❛ hi welcome to chili’s ! ❜

❛ yeah tip of the penis to you too . ❜

❛ this is why mom doesn’t FUCKING love you ! ❜

❛ welcome to bible study , we’re all children of jesus . ❜

❛ aw fuck , i can’t believe you’ve done this . ❜

❛ YO HOLY SHIT HE DEAD ! ❜

❛ this is the dollar store , how good can it be ? ❜

❛ step back , i think i’m gonna vomit ! ❜

❛ oh sorry , i didn’t see ya there , i was too busy blocking out the haters . ❜

❛ shut up ! your mother buys you mega blocks instead of legos ! ❜

❛ I’LL TAKE A NAP HERE ! ❜

❛ i hate to do this but i specifically asked for no mustard and you just brought me a bottle of mustard on a plate . ❜

❛ how are we gonna win if we fucking die ? ❜

❛ why the fuck would i say printer ? ❜

❛ the benefits of killing him would be that i’d be pushed way less . ❜

❛ but it pays off, because i dont even have time to think about dying . ❜

créditos | VERY SERIOUS RIP VINE SENTENCE STARTERS

‘ when will you learn? when will you learn that your actionS HAVE CONSEQUENCES! ’ ‘ can i get a waffle??? can i PLEASE get a waffle!!! ’ ‘ go suck a dick, suck a dick suck a motherfucking dick ’ ‘ you better stop! biTCH STOP ’ ‘ do you ever like wake up and do something and you’re just like what the hec– fuck is goin on ’ ‘ what’s good, brah you don’t know me! you don’t– WHAT IS GOOD! YOU DON’T KNOW! YOU DON’T KNOW ME! ’ ‘ it’s summer i got my hat on backwards and it’s time to fucking party ’ ‘ anyone ever tell you you look like beyonce? ’ ‘ I LOVE YOU, BITCH. I AIN’T EVER GONNA STOP LOVING YOU BITCH ’ ‘ BITCH I HOPE THE FUCK YOU DO YOU’LL BE A DEAD SON OF A BITCH, I TELL YOU THAT ’ ‘ and they were roommates! ’ ‘ oh my god, they were roommates ’ ‘ oh my god, i love chipotle chipotle is my liiiiife ’ ‘ this bitch empty YEET!!!! ’ ‘ WHERE ARE THOOOOOSE ’ ‘ THEY ARE MY CROCS ’ ‘ bitch disgusting ’ ‘ yeaaah. yeAAAAAH. ’ ‘ so no head? ’ ‘ THIS IS WHY MOM DOESN’T FUCKING LOVE YOU! ’ ‘ i’ll kill you. i’ll kill you. i’m not even worried about it. ’ ‘ ahh, fuck. i can’t believe you’ve done this ’ ‘ aHH STOP! i could’ve dropped my croissant! ’ ‘ what’s up me and my boys are going to see uncle kracker ’ ‘ give me my hat back, jordan! ’ ‘ do you wanna go see uncle kracker or no!? ’ ‘ i sneezed! oh, i’m not allowed to sneeze?! ’ ‘ look at all those chickens ’ ‘ i smell like beef ’ ‘ i gotta go home cause i forgot to… vacuum my room ’ ‘ actually, megan, i can’t sit anywhere. i have hemorrhoids. ’ ‘ is there anything better than pussy? yes! a really good book ’ ‘ mom, i’m peein on myself ’ ‘ sorry, i’m on the toilet. i hope the ice cream don’t melt, bitch ’ ‘ honestly i don’t remember, i was probably fucked up. yeah, i was crazy back then ’ ‘ I WON’T HESITATE, BITCH! ’ ‘ just shut up and die slowly, okay? ’ ‘ two bros chillin in a hot tub five feet apart cause they’re not gay! ’ ‘ mother trucker, dude! that hurt like a butt cheek on a stick! ’ ‘ i said WHOEVER THREW THAT PAPER, YOUR MOMS A HO ’ ‘ you remember one time i liked you? GOOD! cause it never happened ’ ‘ if your name is junior and you’re really handsome, come on raise your hand ’ ‘ i’M WASHIN ME AND MY CLOTHES, BITCH! I’M WASHING ME AND MY CLOTHES ’ ‘ waddup i’m jared, i’m nineteen, and i never fucking learned how to read ’ ‘ whAT THE FUCK IS UP, KYLE? NO WHAT’D YOU SAY? WHAT THE FUCK, DUDE! STEP THE FUCK UP KYLE ’ ‘ oh my god why can’t you just take the fricken compliMENT ’ ‘ is that a wEED? i’m callin the police!!! ’ ‘ yo, drink this vodka down the hatch c’mon ’ ‘ it is wednesday, my dudes. aaaaAAAAAAH ’ ‘ there is only one thing worst than a rapist… a child! ’ ‘ get to del taco, they got a new thing called fre shavocado ’ ‘ *to the tune of ghostbusters* i’m an adult virgin ’ ‘ hi my name is tre, i have a basketball game tomorrooooow ’ ‘ babeyou’reafuckingbitchiwantyoutogetthefuckoutofmycarcauseiwannabreakupwithyou i fucking hate you ’ ‘ todays forecast we can clearly see that somebody got me fucked up. FUCKED. UP. ’ ‘ whAT’S UP FUCKERS ’ ‘ FUCK YOU, THAT’S WHY ’ ‘ he needs some milk! ’ ‘ you are my dad. YOU’RE MY DAD! boogie woogie woogie ’ ‘ yEAH NO SHIT, HONEY ’ ‘ oooooh my boy going to prom. fuck it up! fuck it up! fuck it up! ’ ‘ hey, how you doin? i’m doing just fine. i lied. i’m dying inside ’ ‘ honey, you got a big storm comin ’ ‘ i wanna fucking DIE ’ ‘ road work ahead? uh yeah i sure hope it does ’ ‘ the yo-yo master did not answer, he just kept on yo-ing ’ ‘ welcome back to me screaming ’ ‘ you know sometimes i think to myself what are you waiting for you dumb stupid fuuuuuuck! ’ ‘ do you ever shut the fuck up? ’

#ask memes.#ask game

18 notes · View notes

joshuajacksonlyblog · 5 years ago

Text

US is About to Crackdown on Entire Bitcoin Industry: Mati Greenspan

The United States government is about to crack down on the entire bitcoin industry, according to Mati Greenspan of eToro.

The senior market analyst tweeted on Monday that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s remarks on Facebook’s controversial payment project, Libra, is alarming for the entire cryptocurrency sector. Mnuchin in his latest briefing at the White House called cryptocurrencies like bitcoin a “national security threat,” adding that the Trump administration is not comfortable with Facebook’s foray into the digital payment sector with Libra.

Greenspan interpreted Mnuchin’s statements as a signal of a broader breakdown on cryptocurrencies. The concerns about the “national security” give the US President more powers at state and federal levels. The additional privileges mean the president is not answerable to reporting or oversight from the state. That mainly creates trouble for the bitcoin industry, as it lands under the shadow of the National Security Council itself.

Some light reading. These are the implications of declaring something a "matter of national security," as the United States just called crypto.

TL;DR – The President has supreme power to act unilaterally to neutralize the threat.https://t.co/BDgkFOs0Um

— Mati Greenspan (@MatiGreenspan) July 16, 2019

Greenspan suggested that banning or putting additional control over bitcoin would yield nothing. The statement appeared in the wake of the cryptocurrency’s non-sovereign features. Soon after its launch in 2009, bitcoin became famous for envisioning a payment system that is free from the control of central banks and governments. Even China and India, which earlier imposed a blanket ban on bitcoin trading, could not do much in enforcing it since the entire crypto trading market had gone underground.

“Sorry Mr. President, you can’t build a wall around Bitcoin,” said Greenspan.

Beef against Facebook

On Monday, Mnuchin mentioned the use of bitcoin in facilitating illicit activities like terrorist financing, tax evasions, and human trafficking. Nevertheless, the Treasury Secretary’s focus remained mostly on Libra as he expressed similar concerns about its potential misuse.

“The Treasury Department has expressed very serious concerns that Libra could be misused by money launderers and terrorist financiers,” he said, adding that they “will not tolerate the use of the cryptocurrencies in support of illicit activities.”

youtube

Mnuchin primarily described cryptocurrencies as a consumer protection issue, not a threat to the financial system. The comments followed a much-publicized data scandal that originated at Facebook’s social media platform. The firm allegedly assisted Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting firm, in harvesting the personal data of millions of Facebook users without their consent. Co-founder Mark Zuckerburg had to appear before the US Congress to apologize. He later proposed to pay $5 billion in fine to the Federal Trade Commission.

Bitcoin a Collateral Damage

The Libra project came under the scrutiny for the very same reasons. Politicians don’t trust Facebook when it comes to securing financial data of its 2 billion users. Meanwhile, Libra borrows hugely from the bitcoin technology, the decentralized cryptocurrency also gains limelight, even for all the wrong reasons.

“This attack seems to be targeted at Libra and not at bitcoin, but there’s no doubt they’re about to crackdown on the entire industry,” explained Greenspan, adding that bitcoin trading on Wall Street is still on the table.

“Mnuchin confirms, bitcoin speculation is OK, they’re want to target the “illicit” use of crypto,” he said.

The post US is About to Crackdown on Entire Bitcoin Industry: Mati Greenspan appeared first on NewsBTC.

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0 notes

michaelbennettcrypto · 5 years ago

Text

US is About to Crackdown on Entire Bitcoin Industry: Mati Greenspan

The United States government is about to crack down on the entire bitcoin industry, according to Mati Greenspan of eToro.

Some light reading. These are the implications of declaring something a "matter of national security," as the United States just called crypto.

TL;DR – The President has supreme power to act unilaterally to neutralize the threat.https://t.co/BDgkFOs0Um

— Mati Greenspan (@MatiGreenspan) July 16, 2019

“Sorry Mr. President, you can’t build a wall around Bitcoin,” said Greenspan.

Beef against Facebook

youtube

Bitcoin a Collateral Damage

“Mnuchin confirms, bitcoin speculation is OK, they’re want to target the “illicit” use of crypto,” he said.

The post US is About to Crackdown on Entire Bitcoin Industry: Mati Greenspan appeared first on NewsBTC.

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#IFTTT #Cryptocracken WP

0 notes

brettzjacksonblog · 5 years ago

Text

US is About to Crackdown on Entire Bitcoin Industry: Mati Greenspan

The United States government is about to crack down on the entire bitcoin industry, according to Mati Greenspan of eToro.

Some light reading. These are the implications of declaring something a "matter of national security," as the United States just called crypto.

TL;DR – The President has supreme power to act unilaterally to neutralize the threat.https://t.co/BDgkFOs0Um

— Mati Greenspan (@MatiGreenspan) July 16, 2019

“Sorry Mr. President, you can’t build a wall around Bitcoin,” said Greenspan.

Beef against Facebook

youtube

Bitcoin a Collateral Damage

“Mnuchin confirms, bitcoin speculation is OK, they’re want to target the “illicit” use of crypto,” he said.

The post US is About to Crackdown on Entire Bitcoin Industry: Mati Greenspan appeared first on NewsBTC.

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marcinthelotus · 8 years ago

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On PewDieGate

I just need to get this out and I swear it’s going to be my last post. And it’s going to be hella long so I don’t care if no one reads it tbh.

But I am really irritated about hypocrisy going on (especially concerning jacksepticeye’s video) with all the reactions, support, condemnation, outrage, and general discourse.

Like summarizing the far “sides” of the scandal:

There’s the for lack of a better term anti-Pewdiepie side calling for accountability, apologies, consequences.

And there’s the pro-Pewdiepie side talking about protecting comedy, freedom of speech, and condemning misframing/unethical practices in the media.

And some in between.

So, the issue with what Felix (Pewdiepie) did was make the antisemitic jokes. (the “Death To All Jews” sign, “Hitler did nothing wrong” commissions (which I’m still unclear if he actually commissioned), the “it’s a little bit ironic that Jews somehow found another way to fuck over Jesus” comment about fiverr Jesus getting banned. etc.) And his subsequent defenses, half apologies, etc. before his full apology video. And then him having a history with making insensitive jokes.

The outrage towards the mainstream media, mainly The Wall Street journal, was some context issues, misattribution, misframing, twisting words, some lies, and the process the WSJ went about with investigating/reporting the story. And this is something that gets brought up every time a public figure gets bad press over something controversial they do. I can’t reference much since I can’t get to the WSJ article anymore but I saw a bit of this, not as much as some have been saying, but enough that when I was initially reading it that I was cringing.

The thing that has bothered me the most about the discourse over this is how instead of having two separate discussions about Felix’s jokes and offensive humor/dark humor in general and it’s impact and then issues with some bad journalism trends it became reduced down to “Were the jokes bad? or is mainstream media unethical and out to get “new media” “influencers” and public figures.” Thus... the current “sides”. Which... is a pretty common sort of cycle anymore.

So on the anti-Pewdiepie side of things there’s a pretty big spectrum of people saying simply that what he did was ignorant and wrong up to that he’s an actual Nazi and fascist. The latter bit I think is a bit much and I’ve already explained why in other posts.

There have been a lot of calls for accountability and content over him losing big contracts with Disney and YouTube. The calls for accountability to call him out and condemn his actions extended to his friends and fellow YTers including Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, Cinnamontoastken, Lordminion777, and others who tweeted Felix support after his latest apology video. (this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwk1DogcPmU)

On the other “side” there’s a bunch of folks, headed by mainly YouTubers, decrying the media and it’s use of “strong labels” like racist and antisemite as well as condemning media for twisting words and being a bit of an echochamber without checking Felix’s videos to see what was referenced in context to check validity. And then there’s the “anything can be joked about” debate and the “it’s just a joke, there are more pressing issues in the world.” comments.

So seeing as I’m a jacksepticeye stan, I’m going to use his video and the backlash and ill support for it to illustrate what is going so god damned wrong.

First off the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLE_za2YWsQ

Seán’s pretty firm in condemning Felix’s jokes and criticizes the way he handled apologizing. But he says he still supports his friend. He states that he’s adding onto what others have said and he didn’t want to focus on the media issues (though he does lightly criticize the WSJ). He focuses instead on what was wrong with the jokes in or out of context, how they have impact, and why they’re especially bad in the current climate with rising antisemitism.

At first he got quite a bit of support from his fans. I personally found it to be by far the best video I had seen on the subject, though I didn’t think it was perfect.

Then twitter exploded with outrage from KEEMSTAR, Andy Milonakis and others about how Seán was a backstabber and supported the mainstream media and was threatening comedy. Response videos (headed by keemstar) started popping up about how his video was made to cover his own ass and for attention, how he was horrible for “betraying” his friend who “made him”, how he was selfish and was only mad that YouTube cancelled Felix’s show which he was part of but wasn’t mad at Disney, etc. etc.

Anyways this has gone on for 2 days now. Here’s some “jacksepticeye” search results from youtube I pulled from earlier today:

The “secretly evil persona one” isn’t part of it, it just fell in between others in the screencap.

So he posted an addendum on tumblr http://therealjacksepticeye.tumblr.com/post/157418913013/a-follow-up

As this is going on there is only a trickle of support that comes in from other YouTubers. A trickle. And mostly the next morning after he tweeted this:

So what I find... really frustrating. Is that almost the entire argument on the anti mainstream media side of this is the mainstream media twists words, tells lies, pressures people to apologize over things “they shouldn’t apologize for”, repeat each other uncritically, use unnecessary strong labels, don’t respect free speech/opinions, and make targeted malicious “hits”.

Yet... it’s ok to do this to “your own”? So many “new media” content creators jumped in right away to support Felix and defend him from the WSJ when he makes bad antisemitic jokes, but barely anyone jumps in to defend Seán when the onslaught of sensationalism and “hits” is coming from within YouTube and Twitter (which are also media btw). Didn’t even see a comment from Felix until later today in which he states that he found things in Seán’s video unnecessary but they’re friends and can disagree and are cool with each other so people needed to stop defending him. And that comment is buried somewhere on Seán’s video and not on twitter where the outrage built up from.

And I’m not letting my “side” on this off so easily either. People called out strongly for accountability from Felix’s friends. Seán and Ken (cinnamontoastken) delivered. They may not have been 100% perfect but they both firmly condemned the jokes, recognized that the whole media debate was obscuring the core issue of antisemitism and it’s impact on the Jewish community, and agreed that Felix’s consequences were expected and made sense.

Yet the only post I’ve seen referencing their videos is this one:

It’s been deleted but is still crossing my dashboard. Not a big fan of Ken’s thumbnail but anyways...

If we call for accountability why are we not supporting people who make gutsy videos condemning actions of their friends and condemning the harmful trends in their community? Because we’re just that sure that no one ever will? I’m not saying that neither of them can be criticized, I still criticized some of the stuff in both of their videos. I’m not saying they need to be endlessly praised either.

But calling for them to be accountable and then either passing this around without watching the videos or discrediting the good parts because they weren’t perfect is really not helpful.

And now Seán’s apparently bowing out of social media for a bit. He’s usually very active and on Tumblr and Twitter a lot. And worse, he’s been commenting on those outrage videos apologizing. He thinks he really messed up and is doubting most everything he said in it. Which... really troubles me because it was one of the most balanced and well thought out videos/thoughts I’ve seen on it.

I’m glad a lot of fans in his community are showing support but the lack of public support I’ve seen from outside his fanbase is really disappointing.

#jacksepticeye #markiplier #lordminion777 #pewdiepie #antisemitism #antisemitism cw #antisemitism tw

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theconservativebrief · 6 years ago

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On Wednesday, a jury in Virginia convicted former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort on eight federal felony charges, including five tax fraud charges, two bank fraud charges, and one charge of hiding foreign bank accounts, related to his work for pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine. The combined charges carry a sentence of up to 240 years, with more to come if special counsel Robert Mueller tries Manafort again on the ten counts on which the jury deadlocked.

Manafort will likely appeal the verdict, but the case might not even get that far. Even before Manafort’s initial indictment, observers have speculated that President Donald Trump might pardon Manafort.

Indeed, the idea of a pardon helps makes sense of Manafort’s decision not to cooperate with investigators, even though cooperation could save him years or decades of prison time.

It wouldn’t be Trump’s first contentious pardon; previously he gave ones to conservative conspiracy theorist Dinesh D’Souza and former Bush administration official Scooter Libby. But pardoning Manafort would be especially controversial given Manafort’s place at the center of investigations into what Trump did or did not know about Russian intelligence’s efforts to influence the 2016 election, and whether Trump himself was involved in those efforts. Pardoning Manafort would look like, and perhaps be, an effort to use presidential power to cover up Trump’s own wrongdoing.

Those optics mean it might make political sense for Trump to hold off on pardons, as Vox’s Andrew Prokop explains here. What’s more, as multiple law professors told my colleague Sean Illing, pardoning Manafort might deprive him of his Fifth Amendment right not to testify when subpoenaed, potentially putting Trump in more legal jeopardy.

But whether or not pardoning Manafort is a good idea for Trump personally, Trump certainly can do it. The presidential pardon power is basically unlimited. It can be used to obstruct justice, yes, and in that case, Congress would have the power to impeach and/or remove Trump if it so chooses. But it cannot undo Trump’s pardons, or limit them in any way, once they’ve been granted.

So Trump could pardon aides like Manafort after they’re convicted, as a reward for loyalty, or he could pardon others before their trial. He could even deliver a blanket pardon for Jared Kushner, Michael Cohen, Donald Trump Jr., and any other people he worries could be charged in the future but have not been yet.

This is not just hypothetical. Former Trump lawyer John Dowd reportedly floated the option of pardons to attorneys for both Manafort and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn last year. (Such a deal appears not to have occurred with Flynn, who cut a deal with prosecutors in December.)

“He can definitely pardon people who haven’t been charged yet,” Brian Kalt, a law professor at Michigan State University and author of Constitutional Cliffhangers: A Legal Guide for Presidents and Their Enemies, told me last July. “And, contrary to a common misconception, it doesn’t require as a legal matter that he say they are guilty.”

By eliminating whatever advantage his staffers and family members would gain through cooperation with special counsel Mueller, Trump would protect himself and other aides against incrimination. But he would also deny the people he pardons the ability to invoke the Fifth Amendment, which allows possible future defendants to decline to answer questions under oath that they feel might incriminate them. Because they would be immune from prosecution, they by definition couldn’t incriminate themselves and thus couldn’t plead the Fifth. They would have to testify if subpoenaed.

That said, they could always lie, and if proven to be lying and charged with perjury — well, Trump could just pardon them again. It would be a grotesque abuse of power, but it would be completely legal.

There is one important limit to Trump’s powers, however. The New York state attorney general and Manhattan district attorney are also investigating Manafort, with cooperation from Mueller’s team. And, tellingly, Mueller declined to indict Manafort for a number of offenses that are also crimes in New York, suggesting he wants to make such prosecutions possible.

Should Manafort or any other Trump loyalists face state-level charges, they could not be pardoned by President Trump, offering one possible avenue through which prosecutors can target aides without running afoul of the pardon power.

The Supreme Court actually ruled on the pardon power in the 1866 case of Ex parte Garland. That decision concerned a law Congress passed disbarring former members of the Confederate government, which was challenged by former Confederate Sen. Augustus Hill Garland.

President Andrew Johnson had pardoned Garland, and Garland argued that this shielded him from disbarment under the law. The Supreme Court agreed, and in doing so clarified that the pardon power is basically unlimited and can be applied to any crime, whether the pardoned person has been charged or not.

“By the second section of the second article of the Constitution, power is given to the President ‘to grant reprieves and pardons for offences against the United States, except in cases of impeachment,’” Justice Stephen Field wrote. “With that exception the power is unlimited. It extends to every offence, and is intended to relieve the party who may have committed it or who may be charged with its commission, from all the punishments of every description that the law, at the time of the pardon, imposes.”

Presidents have since taken advantage of this latitude. Ford’s pardon of Nixon occurred before Nixon could be charged with anything, so he gave Nixon a sweeping pardon covering every federal offense during his presidency:

Now, Therefore, I, Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States, pursuant to the pardon power conferred upon me by Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974.

Trump could, similarly, offer any number of his aides “a full, free, and absolute pardon … for all offenses against the United States … [they] committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2016 through July 21, 2017,” or earlier or later, as he sees fit.

This might cause problems for Trump himself, however. Just as selling pardons would run afoul of the bribery statute, University of Chicago’s Daniel Hemel and Eric Posner argue that using the pardon power to obstruct the Russia investigation could constitute obstruction of justice. “In Trump’s case, the question would be whether he was acting out of the goodness of his heart, or covering up for his family, his associates and himself,” Hemel and Posner write.

Eleven legal experts contacted by Vox’s Sean Illing agreed. “While the pardon power is quite broad under the Constitution, that does not mean that exercises of the pardon power — or promises to grant pardons — cannot be obstructive,” Lisa Kern Griffin of Duke said. “Like any other lawful act, such as terminating executive branch employees, a pardon could be unlawful if done with the corrupt intent to impede an investigation or influence a witness.”

That being said, because most observers believe the president cannot be indicted while in office (and certainly not by federal prosecutors for obstructing a federal investigation), the question of whether the pardons constitute obstruction of justice mostly matters inasmuch as it changes House and Senate leadership’s attitudes toward impeachment.

If it is indeed obstruction but House Speaker Paul Ryan and most Republicans disagree, it’s doubtful Trump will face any concrete consequences as a result.

While there’s no federal precedent for Trump pardoning his aides, there is one at the state level. Some state governors have pardon powers mirroring that of the president, and in 2005, Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R) offered blanket pardons to current and former aides in his administration who did or could face charges from a grand jury investigating the administration’s violations of merit-based hiring laws. Later, a Kentucky Supreme Court ruling affirmed that the grand jury could not indict anyone to whom Fletcher’s pardon applied.

Eventually, Fletcher himself was indicted on three misdemeanor charges. He quickly lost popularity due to the scandal and lost his 2007 bid for reelection by a wide margin.

Kentucky is an unusual state in that it imposes relatively few limitations on the pardon power. Several states, including Connecticut, Georgia, South Carolina, and Utah, have independent boards that offer pardons in most cases, in place of the governor. In Minnesota, the governor and other top officials sit as a board and determine pardons.

“A number including Pennsylvania and Delaware, and Texas, have gatekeeper boards that put limits on what the governor can do,” Margaret Love, who served as US pardon attorney from 1990 to 1997, explains. “You can’t do anything without an affirmative recommendation from the board.” All told, she estimates that only 15 to 16 states have pardon powers as unrestricted as that at the federal level.

Changing the federal pardon power would require a constitutional amendment. But given the potential for abuse illustrated in the Fletcher case and by Trump’s situation, an amendment might be in order.

While Trump could pardon Manafort, Michael Cohen, Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, and really anyone he wants, what’s less clear is whether he can pardon himself.

Presidents definitely can’t use the pardon power to impede impeachment proceedings against themselves or any other officials. But there’s disagreement among legal experts about whether the president can use a pardon to defend himself against future prosecution upon leaving office.

The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel ruled in 1974 that Nixon could not pardon himself, but most legal experts consulted by Vox’s Illing concluded the opposite, that Trump probably could pardon himself. There’s also a question of whether courts would be willing to step in and disrupt a self-pardon, even if it’s not constitutionally permissible.

“It’s a ‘how many troops has the pope’ sort of thing,” Love told me in July.

Original Source -> Trump can absolutely pardon Paul Manafort

via The Conservative Brief

#IFTTT #The Conservative Brief

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idolizerp · 7 years ago

Note

i’m kind of blanking on how to make my muse ‘stick out’ as an idol, so i was wondering if you had any mw personalities or character tropes?

Hey! We’ll give you a few ideas that came to the admins. But really, we’re mostly looking for muses that are well-thought out, that aren’t perfect and have flaws (like all real people), and aren’t always happy/cheerful/bright/perfect just since that isn’t realistic.

An idol that is known for having a bad personality could be interesting. Maybe they have a few attitude controversies and the company is trying to keep it under wraps? (Think those pann posts with a bunch of ‘evidence,’ only this time it could be true.) An interesting reason could be that the idol got into acting and was actually praised for it and caught ‘actor’s disease’ and now thinks they’re above their members.

An idol that didn’t necessarily plan on becoming one. Maybe they were into more classically trained music but went with their friend to their audition and was asked to audition as well and made it. Now wishes they’d have gone into what they were doing originally and feels like they aren’t making meaningful music (singing on broadway, opera, etc.).

Other miscellaneous ideas: an idol that actual did something bad pre-debut (bullying) but changed as a person, grew, and feels bad for what happened in the past. But as is the way of life in the spotlight, netizens will never let them forget it. An idol that got pushed into a fake controversy that was eventually disproven (but people don’t read as much about the follow up, so it still follows them around and their popularity took a massive hit) anything from a dating scandal to an attitude controversy toward staff, an old classmate, etc.

It’d be really nice to have some more characters that had hidden agendas, were scheming or trying to fight their way to the top. Characters that aren’t necessarily nice and sweet in their everyday life! If any members have a good idea for anon feel free to reply to this!

#Anonymous #id.wanted

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michaelwalshblog-blog · 7 years ago

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Millennial focus shifted to civil rights after Trump's victory: Report

Counterprotesters of an “alt-right”-organized free-speech event chant and hold up signs on the Boston Common on Nov. 18, 201, in Boston. (Yahoo News photo-illustration; photos: Scott Eisen/Getty Images/AP)

The U.S. presidential election inspired millennials to shift their focus toward civil rights and helping to improve the lives of others, according to a new report.

The 2017 Millennial Impact Report, released on Thursday morning, marks the 10th year of research into the millennial generation’s attitudes and behaviors toward social issues and cause engagement. The report defines millennials as those born between 1980 and 2000. Last year’s report found that the presidential campaign had little impact on the level of millennial involvement in social issues. But the researchers found that the election of a new president had the exact opposite result.

In short, the year-in-review depicts young Americans using nontraditional avenues to fix problems they see — largely out of frustration with the Trump administration and the status quo. Overall, there was a rise in cause engagement stemming from the belief that the country was moving in the wrong direction.

Amy Thayer, the director of research for the Millennial Impact Report, said they were interested in whether this generation’s priorities shifted as the overall environment changed since the 2016 elections. After all, Trump’s ascent had been riddled with allegations of racism and sexism, and his erratic behavior and rhetoric have resulted in a steady stream of controversies.

“The issue that most concerned [millennials] before the 2016 election was education, and interestingly the issue that most concerned nine months postelection was social justice,” Thayer said during a conference call on Tuesday. “We definitely saw that a lot of the issues remained constant. They may have shifted — whether they were in the top three or top four — but the larger, greater-good ones really started to elevate toward the top.”

Civil rights/racial discrimination beat out job creation and health care for the most important issue to millennials in aggregate. This is likely a reflection of the attention given to women’s rights and immigration during Trump’s first year in office.

Hundreds of people march through downtown Denver in protest of Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2017. (Photo: Shutterstock)

According to Thayer, millennials have been acting on issues of general concern on a national level, whereas causes that affect their lives personally result in more local engagement. It’s been a mix: About 41 percent said they stay local, and 41 percent said they combine their time between local and national.

Research and marketing agency Achieve researches and compiles the report with support from the Case Foundation, a civic-engagement nonprofit. Neither endorses any political candidates or their organizations.

Derrick Feldmann, the founder and lead researcher for the Millennial Impact Project, said though previous years showed millennials being more engaged with politics overall, last year demonstrated a shift in one’s motivation for getting involved in any particular social issue. Previously, he said, millennials would be more likely to take action if they were personally affected by something, but now they are more likely to act if they see other people in pain or facing challenges.

“They are supporting a social issue. They don’t take formal roles from their perspective, but they are spending more of their energies trying to shoot for another milestone in that social issue with their peers and colleagues and friends,” Feldmann said during the webinar.

He added that those wishing to engage with millennials on social issues should look at them as having a “supporter” mentality.

Among the report’s other findings are that 39 percent of millennials think the nation is heading in the wrong direction. Only 29 percent think it’s going in the right direction, and 32 percent are unsure.

But it’s not just that millennials don’t like Trump. Many don’t even think he’s addressing the issues that matter to them. Forty-three percent said he had not addressed causes they care about, 8 percent said he addressed them well and 21 percent were not sure.

In aggregate, the millennials said they use social media only to share information but try to refrain from “uncivil public discourse.” They mostly consider petitions and protests more effective than social media.

“Sort of a stereotypical view of millennials is that they’re always on social media — they’re using social media to do everything. But in fact, they actually use social media to share about causes and provide posts to other people about causes,” Thayer said.

Millennials also generally place importance on voting. Just 66 percent think that voting will lead to changes they want, but 77 percent believe it is the duty of every citizen.

Feldmann said their findings were the result of several surveys conducted with a representative sample of roughly 3,000 millennials. The researchers investigated and analyzed the views presented in the report from November 2016 to January 2018.

Read more from Yahoo News:

Democrat reiterates doubts about Jared Kushner’s loyalty to the U.S.

A new generation of antigentrification radicals are on the march in Los Angeles — and around the country

In exile with Bill Kristol, the Republican resister-in-chief

Seven days in Trumpland: Confusion, scandals and indictments

Photos: Nor’easter slams East Coast

#_author:Michael Walsh #_uuid:a460c8e2-8cf6-3598-a6cd-df114be30653 #_revsp:Yahoo! News #_lmsid:a077000000CFoGyAAL #_draft:true

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thedeadshotnetwork · 7 years ago

Link

Five Reasons to Hate the Republican Tax Plan The Republican tax reform plan is advancing with surprising speed. Sure, it’s wildly unpopular , probably because it benefits mainly the rich and corporations while hurting some middle- and working-class people. But the GOP’s desperate need to score a major legislative win by year’s end, combined with a procedurally greased path and political scandals diverting popular attention, are driving the plan forward. This trajectory makes it seem the GOP could— contrary to experts’ expectations when tax work started in earnest—get something passed, perhaps by year’s end. “This does seem to be moving towards an actual enactment,” said Chris Edwards, a tax policy expert at the libertarian Cato Institute. “I’d give it 70-30 at this point, maybe.” But though a bill passed out of the House last week, the apparent Republican unity and progress on the tax plan to this point is deceptive. There is wide agreement within the GOP on permanently chopping corporate taxes. When it comes to individual cuts, though, there are vast differences between the House and Senate bills , even on the number of tax brackets there should be. As negotiations between Republicans approach and the public pays more attention to the proposals, there are many provisions that could trigger internal debates or cause a swell of disruptive grassroots outrage. As William Gale, the co-director of the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center told me, “the Republicans are trying to push so much, so fast, that it’s just hard to keep track of it all.” To prepare for the fights that will almost inevitably break out as Republicans try to reconcile their scattered positions after the Thanksgiving break, here’s a quick rundown of the five most controversial elements of the current House and Senate bills. These are far from the only arguments taking place in DC over taxes, but they are probably the most important: Cutting State and Local Tax (SALT) Deductions Republicans are paying for their tax cuts in large part by slashing deductions people can take on their taxes. Edwards referred to this as “chair shuffling” that will leave most in roughly the same shape as they are now, albeit with a simpler tax form. But if you rely on these deductions you will likely end up worse off, especially when it comes to SALT. Currently, residents of states and cities with high taxes—these are mostly blue states like New York and California—can reduce their tax burden by writing off a portion of what they pay for local services on their federal filings. The Senate bill eliminates this deduction entirely, while the House bill still lets people deduct up to $10,000 in local property taxes (this obviously doesn’t help those who don’t own property). Gale argued this move is anti-growth “since it would raise marginal tax rates, by up to 4 percentage points, on the highest earners in many of the most productive states and areas in the country.” It’s also regressive, he added, because states may feel pressured to lower their own tax rates to limit those effects, in turn making it harder for them to fund public services, which “is going to hurt low- and middle-income families, not to mention the economy as a whole.” Republicans in states that rely on SALT deductions are faced with the tough choice of having to vote against the bill or vote to effectively raise taxes on some constituents. Granted, there was less dissent in the House than many expected . But two Republican senators , Susan Collins and Rand Paul, have expressed their concerns about killing SALT deductions, and more House members may defect as the plan moves forward. Killing the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Individual Mandate The mandate that everyone must buy insurance or else face a tax penalty has always been the most unpopular element of the ACA. The Senate bill eliminates it, which Republicans are selling to the public as working-class tax relief because most people who get hit with the penalty make under $50,000 a year. It also frees up $300 billion to use on other cuts. However those savings come because millions will likely drop or lose their coverage if the mandate is axed, reducing the amount the government pays in subsidies. It will also likely lead to thousands of preventable deaths per year and an increase in premiums as those will opt to drop their coverage will probably be the young and healthy, leaving the remaining pool sicker, older, and costlier. Though this piece wasn’t included in the House bill, surprisingly the provision triggered almost no outcry in the Senate , despite that chamber’s yearlong reputation as the graveyard for anti-ACA legislation. But Collins, who has voted against previous ACA repeal measures, has come out hard against ditching the mandate. Most analysts expect this to become a larger flashpoint as liberal activists play up the coverage loss and premium increases and as Republicans debate the issue among themselves. Cutting Taxes on “Pass-Through” Businesses This bit has received far less attention than others in large part because it’s esoteric. “ My eyes sometimes glaze over when people start talking” about it, said Gale. But it’s one of the clearest and biggest intra-Republican fault lines. “Pass-throughs” are any businesses whose profits are processed as personal income for their owners. Because some tax brackets are higher than the current 35 percent corporate tax rate, and many are much higher than the average 18.6 percent effective post-deduction corporate tax rate , pass-through owners, who run most of the businesses in America today , often protest that they shoulder an unfair and uneven tax burden. So cutting corporate rates functionally required Republicans to cut pass through-rates as well. The House bill chops the highest pass-through rates by 25 to 30 percent on a certain amount of business income, and stipulates that only some types of firms should get that lower rate. The Senate offers a deduction of up to 17 percent of business income from overall individual taxes. Pass-through reforms get sticky fast. They triggered the first Republican public “no” on the Senate plan, from Ron Johnson , a pass-through owner himself. He and his allies, including some small business organizations, argue that these are paltry cuts that actually widen the tax gap between big corporations and small businesses. They’re also outraged that cuts to the corporate rate are permanent, unlike the pass-through cuts. Republicans sell pass-through cuts as a break for small businesses, said T.J. Helmstetter of Americans for Tax Fairness, because we think of them as sole proprietors like handymen or tiny mom and pop shops. But pass-throughs include firms like hedge funds, law offices, and real estate companies. Actual small businesses already pay lower-than-corporate income tax rates, Helmstetter argued; critics on the other end of the spectrum also make the case that most pass-through cuts just benefit the wealthy. Most observers also agree that special pass-through cuts can be abused. The wealthy may try to “reclassify themselves as pass through entities to lower their individual tax rate,” said Helmstetter. Senator Johnson has made it clear that this is a hill some in the GOP are willing to let tax reform die on. Even White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney had to admit on Sunday that “Johnson has sort of honed in on one thing that we knew was sort of the last big substantive piece of the puzzle and that’s how do you deal with these pass through entities.” He offered no solutions. Peeling Back the Alternative Minimum and Estate Taxes The estate tax takes a one-sixth cut out of an individual’s wealth after they die—but only if they have over $5.49 million in assets The alternative minimum tax (AMT) prevents people making over $130,000 a year from using tax engineering to cut their rates to next to nothing. Neither makes up a huge chunk of federal revenue, and there are cases to be made against both taxes. But cutting them benefits, by definition, only the wealthy, which Donald Trump and his legislative allies have promised their tax plan would not do. Both bills double the amount of wealth you would need to have to be affected by the estate tax, and the House plan phases it out entirely over time. Both kill the AMT. These cuts, like all the bills’ individual cuts, would be temporary . Republicans seem to all agree that these cuts should be part of tax reform, but the optics are terrible—it looks like a giveaway to the Trump children and other wealthy heirs. This move, said Gale, “is obscene, given our need for revenue and given the widening distribution of wealth and income over the past 40 years.” “Without the AMT,” Helmstetter said, “Trump would have paid a 4 percent tax rate on the $153 million in income that we know about for the one year that we have his taxes. Thanks to the AMT, he paid about $38 million… Without the AMT, he’s giving himself a huge tax cut.” Raising the Tax Burden on Students For decades, tuition waivers have not been taxed as income . Though you may not think about them if you aren’t a grad student, these waivers allow many to pursue otherwise unaffordable degrees in research-heavy fields, particularly science, technology, engineering, and math. Waived tuition can be in the tens of thousands of dollars, and were it taxed as income a lot of grad students simply couldn’t afford to stay in their fields. The House bill would do exactly that, though, raising tax burdens on some grad students by up to 400 percent . It would also axe deductions for student loan interest and lifetime learning expenses. And both bills slap a new 1.4 percent tax on large university endowments, claiming they want to see the institutions spend on students rather than stockpile cash. However, observers argue that this will just undermine the security of programs like need-based financial assistance. These policies aren’t just controversial, they’re asinine. They are an effective block on the upward mobility of low-income individuals and on the development skills employers say they need the most in today’s American workforce. As Vox pointed out last week , they only really make sense if Republicans want to stick it to “elite” institutions, which many of them view with increasing ideological suspicion. Public outrage over this has been mounting in recent weeks. And it will only grow as the bills move forward. Follow Mark Hay on Twitter . November 23, 2017 at 02:49AM

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RUSSIAN-OWNED MEGAYACHT makes its way to Palm Beach as Trump readies for Florida — WHAT AMERICA IS READING — WH aides give up on trying to control Trump’s Twitter — TOM RICKS: Why I left Washington

WHAT AMERICA IS READING — ANNISTON STAR (Alabama): “Moore’s poll numbers down in allegations’ wake” http://bit.ly/2iuF2cA … DENVER POST: “Tax bill’s winners, losers: Ultra-wealthy do well under plan passed by House this week” http://bit.ly/2jD90i1 … DETROIT FREE PRESS: “Rep. Dingell: I was also harassed … She says ‘prominent’ person touched her as allegations mount in D.C.” http://bit.ly/2hJiPdZ …

… CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER: “‘Trickle-down’ idea floats back up: GOP says corporate tax cuts would speed growth despite spotty record” http://bit.ly/2mFjjTS … AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN: “White House relief plan gets panned: Abbot, other Texas leaders blast $44 billion disaster aid proposal” http://bit.ly/2itI40E … PALM BEACH POST: “Russian oligarch’s huge yacht docks at Port of Palm Beach: No word on whether Roman Abramovich will meet with Trump” http://bit.ly/2lXAawG

Story Continued Below

— FASCINATING, via today’s Palm Beach Post’s front page: “Days before President Trump flies into town for Thanksgiving, one of the world’s most expensive yachts, owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, sailed into the Port of Palm Beach Friday afternoon.

“The 533-foot Eclipse, valued at $400 million to $500 million, comes equipped with a pool, helipad, submarine and room for a crew of 92, according to marine websites. It made its way past The Bahamas and docked at 1:15 p.m, taking the slip normally reserved for the Grand Celebration, a cruise ship currently on hurricane-relief duty in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Originally booked to stay through Dec. 5, the Eclipse may have to leave Dec. 1, as it is being followed by the 644-foot World, billed as ‘the largest private residential ship on the planet,’ which is scheduled to arrive that day.

“Where will the Eclipse go? According to the MarineTraffic app, she plans to head south on the Intracoastal Waterway, toward downtown West Palm Beach. Note to Transportation Security Administration: That would put a Russian submarine within a mile or so of the winter White House.” http://bit.ly/2AbRhp1

**SUBSCRIBE to Playbook: http://politi.co/2ARWrD3

TALKER — TOM RICKS in FOREIGN POLICY: “Babylon Revisited: Melancholy Thoughts After a Short Trip to Washington, D.C.: As a young reporter in political Washington in the late 1980s, I noticed that there was a type of person who thrived in the driven, transactional environment of the capital.” http://atfp.co/2yXIIKh

HARDSHIP ASSIGNMENT — JONATHAN MARTIN and ALEX BURNS in Austin: “Republican Governors’ 2018 Dilemma: What to Do About Trump?” http://nyti.ms/2zNR8HS

Good Saturday morning. REALITY FINALLY SETS IN — “Aides give up on trying to control Trump’s tweets,” by Annie Karni: “When candidate Donald Trump waged a Twitter war against Khizr Khan, the Gold Star father who rebuked him from the stage of the Democratic National Convention, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were sent in for a ‘tough love talk’ about the efficacy of the tweets, two former campaign officials recalled. Controlling potentially damaging tweets was a job left mostly to the legal team in the early days of the administration. Former attorneys Marc Kasowitz and Jay Sekulow gave Trump one simple rule to guide his tweeting habit: don’t comment online about the Russia investigation.

“‘The message was, tweet about policy, tweet about politics, but don’t attack the special counsel,’ recalled another former aide. None of the advice seemed to have any lasting effect on a president who views his own impulses as a virtue. And these days, the staff has basically stopped trying: there is no character inhabiting the West Wing who is dispatched to counsel the president when he aims the powerful weapon of his Twitter feed at himself.” http://politi.co/2AYJPdQ

NYT’S PETER BAKER — “In Mocking Franken Over Claims of Sexual Misconduct, Trump Joins a Debate He Started”: “[T]he notion that Mr. Trump himself would weigh in given his own history of crude talk about women and the multiple allegations against him surprised many in Washington who thought he could not surprise them anymore. A typical politician with Mr. Trump’s history would stay far away from discussing someone else’s behavior lest it dredge his own back into the spotlight. But as Mr. Trump has shown repeatedly during his 10-month presidency, he is rarely deterred by conventional political wisdom even as he leaves it to his staff to fend off the cries of hypocrisy.

“‘Like everything else Trump touches, he hijacks it with his chronic dishonesty and childishness,’ said Mark Salter, a longtime adviser to Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona. ‘The intense, angry and largely ignorant tribalism afflicting our politics predates Trump’s arrival on the scene. But he has infused it with a psychopath’s inability to accept that social norms apply to him.’” http://nyti.ms/2hJ8PkX

CLINTON WEIGHS IN ON FRANKEN, MOORE — “Clinton blasts Trump and Moore over sexual misconduct allegations,” by Cristiano Lima: “Hillary Clinton slammed President Donald Trump and Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore on Friday over their alleged sexual misconduct, criticizing them for not ‘accepting responsibility’ and ‘apologizing’ for their reported transgressions as Sen. Al Franken did. Clinton said that Franken, who was accused this week of groping a female broadcaster in 2006, acted responsibly by owning up to his actions and publicly apologizing for them — a far cry from the response given by Trump and Moore, she said.

“The former secretary of state and Democratic presidential nominee said that Franken’s request to have the Senate ethics panel investigate his sexual misconduct ‘is the kind of accountability I’m talking about.’ ‘I don’t hear that from Roy Moore or Donald Trump,’ she added during an interview with New York’s WABC radio. ‘Look at the contrast between Al Franken, accepting responsibility, apologizing, and Roy Moore and Donald Trump, who have done neither.’” http://politi.co/2hzuE2m

— CLINTON ON TRUMP’S PRESIDENCY: “Trump ‘has disgraced the office’ … Asked whether there was anything she admired about the Trump’s tenure in office thus far, Clinton replied: ‘No. The answer is absolutely no.’ ‘I didn’t think he’d be as bad as he turned out to be,’ she added.”

TRUMP RESPONDS — @realDonaldTrump at 8:31 a.m.: “Crooked Hillary Clinton is the worst (and biggest) loser of all time. She just can’t stop, which is so good for the Republican Party. Hillary, get on with your life and give it another try in three years!”

ABOUT THOSE GILLIBRAND-CLINTON COMMENTS — “Gillibrand remark on Clinton resignation shocks Democrats,” by Gabe Debenedetti in New York: “Kirsten Gillibrand is having a moment, whether she meant to or not. Going where no other prominent Democrat had before on Thursday evening by declaring that Bill Clinton should have resigned the presidency during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, the New York senator and potential 2020 presidential contender yet again found herself the face of a national conversation with the potential to dominate headlines and divide her party. …

“The longtime Clinton ally’s answer to the New York Times question neatly encapsulated how Gillibrand has placed herself front-and-center on the dominant issue of the day, even if it forces a debate her own party is uncomfortable confronting. And it highlighted the political dexterity that her critics and rivals often deride as opportunism: A former conservative Blue Dog House member, Gillibrand has reinvented herself as a leading progressive and face of the Trump resistance ahead of a potential presidential run.” http://politi.co/2hzVmIj

****** A message from Chevron: We’re piloting a program that uses drones to keep an eye on Chevron wells, tanks, and pipelines—all to keep DOERS and what they’re doin’ safer. Watch the video: http://politi.co/2zOnTVE ******

SHOW ME THE MONEY — “Roy Moore scandal ignites fundraising explosion for Democratic challenger Doug Jones,” by NBC News’ Alex Seitz-Wald: “The Roy Moore scandal has unleashed a torrent of online donations to Democrat Doug Jones, who was collecting around $250,000 per day in its immediate aftermath … Democrats may end up in the unlikely situation of dramatically outspending the GOP in the Senate contest in deep red Alabama now that national Republicans have abandoned Moore.” http://nbcnews.to/2zSy4FM

PRESIDENT TRUMP WEIGHS IN ON BIG GAME CONTROVERSY — @realDonaldTrump at 7:47 p.m.: “Put big game trophy decision on hold until such time as I review all conservation facts. Under study for years. Will update soon with Secretary Zinke. Thank you!” Trump also retweeted Greta Van Susteren and Piers Morgan this morning supporting his decision on trophy hunting.

— STATEMENT FROM INTERIOR SECRETARY RYAN ZINKE: “President Trump and I have talked and both believe that conservation and healthy herds are critical. As a result, in a manner compliant with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, the issuing of permits is being put on hold as the decision is being reversed.”

IT’S ALL ABOUT THAT BASE — “Trump adds five conservatives to list of possible Supreme Court picks,” by Reuters’ Jim Oliphant and Andrew Chung: “In a move certain to please conservatives, President Donald Trump on Friday added five names to his list of candidates for a prospective U.S. Supreme Court vacancy as he presses ahead with a campaign to move the federal judiciary to the right. Two of them are appellate judges who were nominated by Trump earlier this year and confirmed by the Senate: Amy Coney Barrett and Kevin Newsom. Another, Brett Kavanaugh, sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, long viewed as a stepping-stone to the high court. The others were Britt Grant, a Georgia Supreme Court justice, and Patrick Wyrick, a Oklahoma Supreme Court justice.” http://reut.rs/2yVce3h

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE — “Trump still loves polls,” by Josh Dawsey and Steven Shepard: “As a TV host, Donald Trump loved ratings. As president, he loves polls—as long as they show him on the upswing. He crowed on Twitter hours after landing back in Washington from his 12-day Asia tour about his Rasmussen number—46 percent—noting it was ‘one of the most accurate’ in 2016, and decried ‘fake news’ polls showing his approval in the 30s while also suggesting, with no evidence, that ‘some people’ think his numbers could be in the 50s. (The Rasmussen poll sank to 42 percent on Friday.)

“Aides in the White House often show Trump polls designed to make him feel good, according to aides and advisers. Usually they’re the ones that focus just on voters who cast ballots for him in 2016 or are potential Trump supporters —Trump’s base—but occasionally include public polls like Rasmussen, depending on what the numbers say. ‘You know, I thought that he’d be a little less in campaign mode than he’s been. I think he’s never really kind of gotten out of campaign mode and I thought he might,’ said New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Trump adviser. ‘I guess it’s his judgment that that’s what he has to do but that’s surprised me a little bit.’” http://politi.co/2jAobZp

A PROBLEM FOR REPUBLICANS — “In towns and cities nationwide, fears of trickle-down effects of federal tax legislation,” by WaPo’s Renae Merle and Peter Jamison: “[I]n small towns and thriving cities, in Republican- and Democratic-leaning states, local leaders are warning that the $1.5 trillion tax legislation moving through Congress threatens to undermine their ability to raise money for government services, including police and schools. The Republican measures would eliminate or severely curtail taxpayers’ ability to lower their federal tax bill by deducting the cost of their state and local taxes. Without that offset, local leaders say, taxpayers will begin to seek relief closer to home, potentially making it more difficult to provide basic services.” http://wapo.st/2j6vAeX

FOR YOUR RADAR — AP at 9:01 a.m.: “PARIS (AP) – Lebanon’s Hariri says he is returning to his country, confirms he is resigning amid political tensions.”

ANOTHER TWIST IN THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION — “Congressional aides may have answers on pro-Russia GOP platform change,” by Kyle Cheney: “As U.S. investigators probe whether President Donald Trump’s campaign orchestrated a Russia-friendly change to the Republican Party platform last summer, three senior Capitol Hill aides — including Speaker Paul Ryan’s chief of staff — may have answers about how the episode unfolded. The three staffers, who have not been accused of any wrongdoing, advised the GOP convention’s platform committee on foreign policy matters and had front-row seats when a low-profile group of delegates, acting in conjunction with Trump campaign officials, spiked a proposal urging a tougher U.S. policy against Russian aggression in Ukraine.

“That change has drawn scrutiny from the House and Senate intelligence committees as they investigate whether any Trump campaign officials cooperated with Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Some witnesses say they expect it to become a topic of interest in special counsel Robert Mueller’s parallel criminal probe. Spokespeople for the offices of two of the staffers told POLITICO they have not been in contact with Mueller or his team. But Ryan’s top aide, Jonathan Burks, would neither confirm nor deny whether he had heard from the special counsel: ‘I’m not going to have any comment,’ he said.” http://politi.co/2A7atUM

— “Moscow meeting in June 2017 under scrutiny in Trump probe,” by AP’s Desmond Butler, Mary Clare Jalonick and Eric Tucker: “Earlier this year, a Russian-American lobbyist and another businessman discussed over coffee in Moscow an extraordinary meeting they had attended 12 months earlier: a gathering at Trump Tower with President Donald Trump’s son, his son-in-law and his then-campaign chairman. The Moscow meeting in June, which has not been previously disclosed, is now under scrutiny by investigators who want to know why the two men met in the first place and whether there was some effort to get their stories straight about the Trump Tower meeting just weeks before it would become public … Congressional investigators have questioned both men — lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin and Ike Kaveladze, a business associate of a Moscow-based developer and former Trump business partner — and obtained their text message communications.” http://bit.ly/2hKpTqC

KEEPING HIS SENSE OF HUMOR — @charlie_savage: “At Mayflower Hotel, Sessions jokes: ‘Is Ambassador Kislyak in the room before I get started? Any Russians? Anybody been to Russia? Got a cousin in Russia?’ #FedSoc2017”. 30-second video http://bit.ly/2A9Cvz7

HMM — “U.S. Flagged Russian Firm Kaspersky as Potential Threat as Early as 2004,” by WSJ’s Paul Sonne: “A Russian cybersecurity firm whose products current and former U.S. officials suspect Moscow has used as a tool for spying was flagged by U.S. military intelligence as a potential security threat as early as 2004, according to new information the Defense Department provided to Congress. … The DIA ‘began producing threat reporting referencing Kaspersky Lab as a threat actor as early as 2004,’ according to the email, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, raising questions about why other federal agencies continued to use the firm’s products.” http://on.wsj.com/2mCiHyl

JARED WATCH — “Kushner failed to disclose outreach from Putin ally to Trump campaign,” by NBC News’ Ken Dilanian and Carol E. Lee: “President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, failed to disclose what lawmakers called a ‘Russian backdoor overture and dinner invite’ involving a banker who has been accused of links to Russian organized crime, three sources familiar with the matter told NBC News. An email chain described Aleksander Torshin, a former senator and deputy head of Russia’s central bank who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as wanting Trump to attend an event on the sidelines of a National Rifle Association convention in Louisville, Kentucky, in May 2016 … The email also suggests Torshin was seeking to meet with a high-level Trump campaign official during the convention, and that he may have had a message for Trump from Putin …

“Kushner rebuffed the request after receiving a lengthy email exchange about it between a West Virginia man and Trump campaign aide Rick Dearborn … Kushner responded to the email by telling Dearborn and the handful of other Trump campaign officials on the email that they should not accept requests from people who pretend to have contacts with foreign officials to aggrandize themselves … ‘Pass on this,’ Kushner responded … ‘A lot of people come claiming to carry messages. Very few we are able to verify. For now I think we decline such meetings.’” http://nbcnews.to/2AamRDs

— “Kushner attorney fires back at Senate Judiciary Committee,” by CNN’s Jeremy Herb and Evan Perez: “In a letter Friday to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa and ranking Democrat Dianne Feinstein of California, attorney Abbe Lowell wrote that there were no ‘missing documents’ as the committee has alleged, while criticizing the panel’s leaders for going to the media on Thursday with their accusations ‘I would have assumed that, if there were any questions about our productions or exchanges, that would have been communicated to me directly before you made this a media event,’ Lowell wrote.” http://cnn.it/2isWU7A

PUTTING THE SQUEEZE ON MIDDLE EAST PEACE — “U.S. puts Palestinians on notice: D.C. office may be shuttered,” by AP’s Josh Lederman and Matt Lee: “The Trump administration put the Palestinians on notice Friday that it will shutter their office in Washington unless they’ve entered serious peace talks with Israel, U.S. officials said, potentially giving President Donald Trump more leverage as he seeks an elusive Mideast peace deal. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has determined that the Palestinians ran afoul of an obscure provision in a U.S. law that says the Palestine Liberation Organization’s mission must close if the Palestinians try to get the International Criminal Court to prosecute Israelis for crimes against Palestinians. A State Department official said that in September, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas crossed that line by calling on the ICC to investigate and prosecute Israelis.

“But the law leaves the president a way out, so Tillerson’s declaration doesn’t necessarily mean the office will close. Trump now has 90 days to consider whether the Palestinians are in ‘direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel.’ If Trump determines they are, the Palestinians can keep the office. The official said it was unclear whether the U.S. might close the office before the 90-day period expires, but said the mission remains open at least for now.” http://bit.ly/2yTYzcS

— “The Mooch is headed to Israel just weeks after ‘tone-deaf’ Holocaust poll,” by Page Six’s Kevin Dugan: “A month after Anthony Scaramucci’s ‘media venture’ posted a tasteless poll on the Holocaust, the short-lived White House communications director is taking a four-day trip to Israel, The Post has learned. ‘I’ll meet everybody,’ he told The Post on Friday, hours before he was to take off. ‘I’m having dinner with Dave Friedman, the ambassador, who’s a great friend of mine.’ The one-time hedgie is also heading to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial site in Jerusalem, he said.” http://pge.sx/2j6XJCy

CLICKER – “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker, whose birthday is today — 17 keepers http://politi.co/2AQIdlU

PHOTO DU JOUR: Maryland lacrosse player Dylan Maltz (right) of Ashburn, Va., shows off his pro-Trump tie to President Donald Trump as the president meets with NCAA championship teams at the White House on Nov. 17. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo

THE GRINCH — “CIA nixes holiday party invites for media,” by Ali Watkins: “CIA Director Mike Pompeo has opted not to invite reporters to the CIA’s annual holiday party this year, ending a years-long streak of inviting the intelligence press corps to the upscale event. The event has historically provided a rare opportunity for reporters to mingle with agency officials who typically shun or avoid them — but that the idea has been nixed by Pompeo, who has been openly critical of the news media, was hardly surprising. … The party, held in the agency’s iconic headquarters lobby, is also a famously bizarre Washington exercise. Reporters, closely minded by the CIA’s press staff, are able to mingle in the hors d’oeuvres line with station chiefs, foreign partners and occupants of the CIA’s executive offices.” http://politi.co/2zPqD48

BRETT TALLEY PROFILE – “Law clerk by day, ghost hunter by night, now Trump’s judiciary nominee,” by WaPo’s Robert O’Harrow Jr.: “Few in memory have been nominated with credentials quite like those of [Brett] Talley, 36, an Alabama native, a political speechwriter, an author of horror books and a fledgling lawyer who has never tried a case. In 2009 and 2010, he was a member of the Tuscaloosa Paranormal Research Group, a volunteer operation that since the early 2000s has held all-night vigils and used infrared cameras, handheld sensors and other devices to search for spectral entities in plantation mansions, abandoned hospitals and other buildings. … In 2014, when he was a speechwriter on Capitol Hill, Talley took a Post reporter ghost hunting in a District cemetery.” http://wapo.st/2ze5jGK

NOT THE ONION – “Candidate for Ohio governor reveals sexual past on Facebook,” by AP’s Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus: “A state Supreme Court justice running for governor volunteered candid details of his sexual past on Facebook on Friday, saying he was taking a swipe at the ‘media frenzy’ over sexual misconduct. Democrat William O’Neill’s post was immediately attacked as inappropriate and led to calls for his ouster. In it, he wrote that he has been ‘sexually intimate with approximately 50 very attractive females,” including ‘a gorgeous blonde’ with whom he ‘made passionate love’ in a hay loft and a ‘drop dead gorgeous red head’ from Cleveland.” http://bit.ly/2zPfuAH

WES GOODMAN UPDATE — “How a conservative group dealt with a fondling charge against a rising GOP star,” by WaPo’s Kimberly Kindy and Elise Viebeck: “On a fall evening two years ago, donors gathered during a conference at a Ritz-Carlton hotel near Washington to raise funds for a 31-year-old candidate for the Ohio legislature who was a rising star in evangelical politics. Hours later, upstairs in a hotel guest room, an 18-year-old college student who had come to the event with his parents said the candidate unzipped his pants and fondled him in the middle of the night.

“The frightened teenager fled the room and told his mother and stepfather, who demanded action from the head of the organization hosting the conference … Tony Perkins, president of the Council for National Policy [and head of the Family Research Council] … Goodman, 33, abruptly resigned this week after state legislative leaders learned of what the House speaker called ‘inappropriate behavior related to his state office.’ Local media outlets have reported the behavior involved a consensual sexual encounter with a male visitor in his legislative office.” http://wapo.st/2AYMkgf

DRIP, DRIP, DRIP — “Rep. Gianforte’s account to police on assault of reporter appears to contradict his later apology,” by WaPo’s Ellie Silverman: “Documents released by law enforcement officials in Montana on Friday show that Greg Gianforte, then the Republican candidate in the state’s special congressional election, told police in May that a reporter from the Guardian had grabbed his wrist during a physical altercation at his campaign headquarters, blaming the ‘liberal media’ for ‘trying to make a story.’ His statement appears to contradict the apology he later issued to Ben Jacobs, saying the reporter ‘did not initiate any physical contact with me,’ raising questions about whether the congressman was truthful with authorities. Travis Hall, a spokesperson for Gianforte, referred The Washington Post to a statement given to the Associated Press, in which he said the information in the documents was ‘nothing new.’” http://wapo.st/2jyIgPE

****** A message from Chevron: This is a story about energy, safety, and some truly high-flyin’ doin’. We’re piloting a program that uses drones, HD imaging, and thermal mapping to help keep a close eye on Chevron wells, tanks, and pipelines—all to keep DOERS and what they’re doin’ safer. Watch the video: http://politi.co/2zOnTVE ******

VALLEY TALK — “The TED talks empire has been grappling with sexual harassment, interviews and internal emails show,” by WaPo’s Elizabeth Dwoskin and Danielle Paquette: “[B]ehind the scenes, TED owner Chris Anderson and other senior officials [has] been grappling with accusations for much of the year that their own conferences, famed for turning short speeches by leading figures into viral videos, had not been a safe place for women — and that the atmosphere of predatory male behavior was getting worse. At least five people, including a past main stage speaker, told TED officials that they were harassed or groped during the organization’s flagship conference in Vancouver in April.” http://wapo.st/2iu1DWJ

— “Y Combinator Cuts Ties With Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program,” by BuzzFeed’s Ryan Mac: “Billionaire venture capitalist and Facebook board member Peter Thiel is no longer affiliated with startup accelerator Y Combinator, according to an edited company blog post. Thiel was formerly a part-time partner with the accelerator.” http://bzfd.it/2zNwd7C

CHRIS FRATES talks to former Obama WH ethics czar and Amb. Norm Eisen about “suing Trump, returning to his mother’s homeland as ambassador after she was driven out and sent to Auschwitz by the Nazis, and being the inspiration for a Jeff Goldblum character.” “Politics Inside Out with Chris Frates” airs today at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., Sunday at 1 p.m., and Monday at 2 p.m. on SiriusXM channel 124 and on demand on the SiriusXM app. Clips for Playbookers: Eisen on resisting Trump https://goo.gl/vhTdtd … Finding Nazi artifacts in the U.S. ambassador’s house in Prague https://goo.gl/BnchFU … Goldblum https://goo.gl/HF8J8A

MEDIAWATCH — “The Kochs Are Inching Closer to Becoming Media Moguls,” by NYT’s Sydney Ember and Ken Vogel: http://nyti.ms/2mACNsE

— “Daily Beast among digital sites eyeing sale,” by CNN’s Dylan Byers: “Digital media is facing a reckoning. The start-ups that were once the darlings of the industry are facing budget shortfalls and revenue declines as they struggle to survive in an over-saturated market where Google and Facebook lay claim to the vast majority of ad dollars. Now, the bubble is bursting and many of these companies are looking to sell. In the latest evidence of volatility, CNN has learned that IAC is entertaining potential buyers for The Daily Beast, the news and opinion site launched nearly a decade ago by former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown.” http://cnnmon.ie/2ze19yu

— CHRIS WALLACE in WaPo, “The media is giving up its place in our democracy”: http://wapo.st/2jzPyTf

— TYLER BRULE’s final FT column http://on.ft.com/2zRvgZy

LATE-NIGHT BEST — BILL MAHER’s segment last night pushing back against efforts to conflate Al Franken’s action with the sexual abuse allegations facing Roy Moore, Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Donald Trump and others. 7-min. video http://bit.ly/2AWQ7Lc

GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman, filing from Middleburg, Virginia:

— “Your Reckoning. And Mine,” by Rebecca Traister in NYMag: “As stories about abuse, assault, and complicity come flooding out, how do we think about the culprits in our lives? Including, sometimes, ourselves.” http://bit.ly/2zMLsOp

— “The Tech Industry’s Gender-Discrimination Problem,” by the New Yorker’s Sheelah Kolhatkar: “The dramatic imbalance in pay and power has created the conditions for abuse. More and more, women are pushing for change.” http://bit.ly/2A7pcyZ

— “How One Woman’s Digital Life Was Weaponized Against Her,” by Brooke Jarvis in Wired – per Longform.org’s description: “After the relationship ended, the harassment began.” http://bit.ly/2hJ1uBT

— “The Meaning of Sharp Power,” by Christopher Walker and Jessica Ludwig in Foreign Affairs: “Over the past decade, China has spent tens of billions of dollars to shape public opinion and perceptions around the world, employing a diverse toolkit that includes thousands of people-to-people exchanges, wide-ranging cultural activities, the development of media enterprises with global reach, and educational programs. The most notable of these is the ever-expanding network of Confucius Institutes.” http://fam.ag/2zOSvWc

— “The Lost Genocide,” by Doug Bock Clark in Longreads: “Why the United Nations may never be able to prosecute the Rohingya genocide.” http://bit.ly/2yTOcWw

— “On Being Midwestern: The Burden of Normality,” by Phil Christman in the Hedgehog Review — per ALDaily.com’s description: “What’s it like to be from “an abstract nowhere”? Midwesterners have a regional identity built on the idea of unqualified normality. But that isn’t as simple as it sounds.” http://bit.ly/2AXOnRW

— “Avengers in Wrath: Moral Agency and Trauma Prevention for Remote Warriors,” by Dave Blair and Karen House on Lawfare – per TheBrowser.com’s description: “We think of remote drone pilots as somewhat akin to high-powered video-gamers, wreaking havoc on a screen. And perhaps they are. But they experience their role as something much closer to real-world combat and killing. The imperative is not ‘kill or be killed’, as it would be in localised combat, but rather, ‘kill or someone else will be killed’ — and the stress is almost as great. ‘A world without your fire support could easily become a world without your comrades.’” http://bit.ly/2zSat8e

— “Iraq’s Surprise: The Persistence of Democracy,” by Yaroslav Trofimov on the cover of WSJ’s Review section: “Long fractured, the country stands out in the Middle East for maintaining free elections and a robust press.” http://on.wsj.com/2hJP2Sk

— “The Brothers Who Bought South Africa,” by Matthew Campbell and Franz Wild in Bloomberg Businessweek: “The continent’s most important economy now appears to function for the benefit of one powerful family.” https://bloom.bg/2j37KAO

— “Two Murder Convictions for One Fatal Shot,” by Ken Armstrong in The New Yorker: “In dozens of criminal trials, prosecutors have put the same gun in the hands of more than one defendant.” http://bit.ly/2zcvmhe

— “The myth of the male bumbler,” by Lili Loofbourow in The Week: “Allow me to make a controversial proposition: Men are every bit as sneaky and calculating and venomous as women are widely suspected to be.” http://bit.ly/2zPE4Br

— “Rug Money,” by the Weekly Standard’s Alice B. Lloyd: “Paul Manafort ruined a solid scam, says former middleman for Iranian regime, as well as IRS and Treasury agents.” http://tws.io/2jyDbHd

— “How Did Two All-Americans Fall In With ISIS?” by Mike Mariani in Psychology Today – per Longform.org’s description: “In 2015, two bright Mississippi State college students started dating. Months later, they were planning their life together—alongside ISIS.” http://bit.ly/2j3W695

–“How an Atlanta power couple’s business has heightened Hollywood and Silicon Valley’s piracy anxieties,” by LATimes’ Ryan Faughnder: http://lat.ms/2jBOf6m

— “Spurned by ESPN, Barstool Sports Is Staying on Offense,” by Jay Caspian Kang in tomorrow’s NYT Magazine: “There exists a swarm of angry sports fans who maintain that they do not want to talk about Colin Kaepernick or the national anthem, and Barstool has cleared a space for them to gather and talk, mostly, about just how much they don’t want to talk about politics. They claim to be an overlooked majority — the vast market inefficiency that will richly reward anyone who will let them watch their games, memes and funny videos without having to feel bad about themselves. Barstool is their safe space.” http://nyti.ms/2hHvY7k

SPOTTED: Stephen Miller dining at DBGB last night in City Center … Larry Rasky, Dick Keil and Mark Paustenbach at the Dead & Co. show last night at the TD Garden in Boston … Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) on an early Friday morning United flight to Cleveland from DCA

REMEMBERING BOBBY BAKER – WaPo’s Jon Thurber: “Bobby Baker, a protege of future president Lyndon B. Johnson whose career of wealth and privilege came crashing down in an influence-peddling scandal, died Nov. 12 — his 89th birthday — in St. Augustine, Fla. Mr. Baker [was] once the most influential staffer in the U.S. Senate … ‘Mr. Baker, I understand you know where the bodies are buried in the Senate. I’d appreciate it if you’d come to my office and talk with me,’ the newly elected Sen. Johnson (D-Tex.) said in his first telephone conversation with Mr. Baker in late 1948. Mr. Baker was just 20 at the time and a staffer for the Senate leadership … His vast knowledge of the operations of the Senate and his facility in the art of accommodation — moving pet legislative projects ahead for some senators or helping fulfill the proclivities of others for drink, sex or cash — would make him an invaluable asset to Johnson.” http://wapo.st/2zNz94k

HAPPENING TODAY — The Clinton School and Clinton Foundation are hosting a conversation in Little Rock with Bill and Hillary Clinton, moderated by James Carville at 3:30 p.m. Livestream http://bit.ly/2Aasphn

— SPOTTED at the Capital Hotel Bar and Grill in Little Rock last night for the 25th Clinton campaign: DeeDee Myers, Gene Sperling, Mary Streett, Stephanie Streett, John Podesta, Tamera Luzzatto, Jim Kennedy, JoDee Winterhof, Jill Alper, David Beaubaire, Kris Balderston, Adrienne Elrod, James Carville, Amanda Crumley, Patrick Mellody, James Greelish, Catherine Cornelius

BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Jeff Watters, director of government Relations at the Ocean Conservancy (hat tip: Samantha Bisogno)

BIRTHDAYS: NYT’s Sheryl Stolberg … Megyn Kelly is 47 … Politico cartoonist Matt Wuerker … USA Today’s Heidi Przybyla … Margaret Capehart … ABC News’ Gregory Simmons … Brian Forest, who is joining NAM on Monday as director of strategic messaging and most recently served as McConnell’s chief speechwriter … Carrie Matthews of Hamilton Place Strategies … Dan Sadlosky, policy adviser to House Majority Whip Steve Scalise … Politico’s Theo Meyer and Patricia Kolby … Tom Namako, deputy news director at BuzzFeed and a WSJ and N.Y. Post alum … Andrea Stone, director of career services at CUNY’s Graduate School of Journalism … Cassi Gritzmacher, head of executive comms at Away … Robert Dougherty, Rep. Julia Brownley’s senior LA and the pride of Syracuse, NY (h/t Samantha Greene) …

… Cornyn comms. director Drew Brandewie is 33 … Teddie Norton, director of government affairs operations at the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (h/t Mike Reilly) … Abby Tinsley … Trisha Farr … Brian Knapp … Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) is 46 … Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) is 5-0 … former Rep. J.C. Watts (R-Okla.) is 6-0 … Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) is 53 … Nick Ragone … Nima Faz … Arshad Hasan … Waldo Tibbetts … Nicole Ianucci … Gregory Kallenberg … David Frank … Noelia Rodriguez … Hanna Skandera … Richard Maopolski … Gregg Holman … Erica DeVos … Jon Kaplan … Meg Gage … Ace Smith (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

THE SHOWS by @MattMackowiak, filing from Austin:

—“Fox News Sunday”: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Panel: Jason Chaffetz, Jessica Tarlov, Jason Riley and Juan Williams … “Power Player of the Week” with Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.)

–CBS’s “Face the Nation”: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) … Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) … OMB Director Mick Mulvaney. Panel: David French, Jennifer Jacobs, Ruth Marcus and Ed O’Keefe

–NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich) … OMB Director Mick Mulvaney. Panel: Bob Costa, Rich Lowry, Joy Reid and Amy Walter

–CNN’s “State of the Union”: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) … OMB Director Mick Mulvaney … Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Panel: Amanda Carpenter, Neera Tanden, Michael Caputo and Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.)

–ABC’s “This Week”: Marc Short … Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) … Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) … Rep. Mary Bono (R-Calif.) … Carly Fiorina … Ronan Farrow. Panel: Matthew Dowd, Cecilia Vega, Lanhee Chen, Stephanie Cutter and Megan Murphy

–CNN’s “Inside Politics” with John King: Karoun Demirjian, Michael Shear, Eliana Johnson and Rachael Bade (substitute anchor: CNN’s Nia-Malika Henderson)

–CNN’s “Reliable Sources”: Panel: Birmingham News’ Anna Claire Vollers, Washingtonian Magazine’s Elaina Plott, Michelle Ciulla Lipkin and Marc Fisher … Bill Carter … Angelo Carusone … Jacquelyn Martin … Anthony Atamanuik

–Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures”: Eric Trump … Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) … Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) … Bud Cummins. Panel: Ed Rollins and Mary Kissel

–Fox News’ “MediaBuzz”: Emily Jashinsky … Francesca Chambers … Michael Tomasky … Susan Ferrechio … Lynn Sherr … Leslie Marshall … Amy Holmes … Mara Liasson

–CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS”: Niall Ferguson, The Economist’s Anne McElvoy and author and former Polish Defense Minister Radoslaw Sikorski … Ray Dalio … Salman Rushdie

–Univision’s “Al Punto”: Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) … undocumented immigrants and former sanctuary church refugees Jeanette Vizguerra, Jaime Flores and Amanda Morales … Isabel Allende … Univision Investiga director Gerardo Reyes and Univision News investigative journalist Peniley Ramírez … musician Alejandro Sanz

–C-SPAN: “The Communicators”: Adam Alter … “Newsmakers”: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, questioned by the Houston Chronicle’s Kevin Diaz and Politico’s Josh Gerstein … “Q&A”: Musician and author Daryl Davis

–PBS’ “To the Contrary”: Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio)

–Washington Times’ “Mack on Politics” weekly politics podcast with Matt Mackowiak (download on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher or listen at http://bit.ly/2mCW4tB). Syndicated columnist and American Commitment president Phil Kerpen.

SUBSCRIBE to the Playbook family: POLITICO Playbook http://politi.co/2lQswbh … Playbook Power Briefing http://politi.co/2xuOiqh … New York Playbook http://politi.co/1ON8bqW … Florida Playbook http://politi.co/1OypFe9 … New Jersey Playbook http://politi.co/1HLKltF … Massachusetts Playbook http://politi.co/1Nhtq5v … Illinois Playbook http://politi.co/1N7u5sb … California Playbook http://politi.co/2bLvcPl … London Playbook http://politi.co/2xfDPuK … Brussels Playbook http://politi.co/1FZeLcw … All our political and policy tipsheets http://politi.co/1M75UbX

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bejaermi · 7 years ago

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Two Mondays ago Jemele Hill from ESPN was suspended for asking fans to boycott the advertisers of the Dallas Cowboys. Her tweet was in response to a new rule made by the Cowboys and Jerry Jones, who two weeks before kneeled with his team in solidarity and then did a reversal and announced he’d fire/suspend any player who kneeled during the National Anthem. Jones’s actions have now spurred a debate between owners who are conflicted over what rules to place on a league that is almost 80 percent black. [1] Like many others Jemele was upset the owner of the richest franchise in the NFL would respond so harshly to his players exercising their first amendment rights. So she went to Twitter and told people to stop buying Dallas Cowboys merchandise.

Then in response to another tweet she said fans should go further and boycott the advertisers and sponsors of the Cowboys.

For this ESPN suspended her citing that she had violated their social media policy. Seeing that they were fine with (mostly) men attacking her on her Twitter feed and saying nothing, so it seems suspect to many that now ESPN is concerned about Hill’s social media account. Unless you remember that ESPN is an actual company, and Jemele Hill is only an employee. Oh and she’s a black woman.

Hill did not start this war, she’s merely a casualty, along with Colin Kaepernick. The title of shitstarter belongs to our 45th president who, has not passed any major legislation in the last 9 months, and decided to stir up an imaginary controversy to accost the NFL and its players. The outward reasons for this war are unclear, and are only a blip in the line of idiotic things this president has done in the last year. #45 loves conflict. Whether it’s John McCain, a Gold Star Family, or little Marco Rubio, Donald J. Trump likes to stir the pot. And now that he’s commander-in-chief he owns the big spoon. As for definitive reasons on why Trump talked about Kaepernick and called him a son-of-a-bitch is anyone’s guess. Only #45 really knows why he did it. Critics have speculated that as president he’s getting back at his enemies in a way he never could before. (Trump’s hatred and/or jealously of the NFL goes all the way back to the 1980s when he was the owner of the USFL New Jersey Generals and sued the NFL for anti-trust violations.)[2] Maybe he said what he said because he needed a diversion when he spoke to the great people of Alabama, (where he was campaigning for Luther Strange, but instead campaigned for himself and possibly the 2020 election),would love to hear. Or he was just his usual Queens, NY self [3] and used a person of color as a shield so his constituency wouldn’t see that he’s clueless when it comes to how to run the country.

Again, no one knows for sure, but the fact is that on September 23rd, Trump declared war on the players of the NFL, especially Colin Kaepernick, whom though he didn’t mention directly, the implication was crystal clear. Trump then went further and distorted what Kaepernick and other players were doing. Telling the audience that they were disrespecting the flag and shitting on America.

“That’s a total disrespect of our heritage. That’s a total disrespect of everything that we stand for…Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, you’d say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now Out! He’s fired!’ “[4]

The roar of the crowd is deafening, then the chants of “USA! USA! USA!”, start. Trump, in his candy cane colored tie and his dark untailored suit smiles like a triumphant svengali. He walks back and forth, throwing his hands in the air, as though telling imaginary political aides, “See, I told you, they’re like putty in my hands.” Trump then walks back to the podium ready to sort of help Luther Strange. Whom everyone knows has taken a huge backseat to the omnibus that is Donald Trump and a Trump rally. [5] He was never there to help Luther anyway, he barely knew who Luther was. He just wanted the roaring cheers from the crowd and the soundbites that he knew would make the Evening News. Trump took a small issue that was really only discussed by sports journalists, black folks, and stalwart football fans and made it a national story filled with angst and hate against players who are just demonstrating their first amendment rights.

President Trump may understand that there is a constitution, but he doesn’t like the parts that give citizens rights, except for the 2nd amendment. Protests are and will always be part of the American fabric. But protests are meant to be confrontational, they are meant to disturb and disrupt. See the Civil Rights Movement, the Women’s Movement, and the Black Lives Matter Movements. As a citizen, Trump, like Jemele Hill and Colin Kaepernick, has the right to speak his mind on the NFL. But why would a president insert himself into what is simply a labor matter. No one asked him a question like they did President Obama when Skip Gates was arrested outside his home and what eventually lead to the “Beer Summit”,[6] Trump decided to get his constituents riled up against some black boys, albeit rich black boys, but black boys none the less. While we can all agree that Trump should be more worried about North Korea, we also have to concede, that he’s not the first person to suggest that Kaepernick be ostracized, nor is he even the first to suggest that kneeling should be prohibited. [7] But unlike Hue Jackson (coach of the Cleveland Browns) who has some skin in the game, Trump’s has no skin that is remotely near the game. What he does have is a mind filled with bile and vitriol, and his words tend to infect anyone who believes them.

After the president spoke and the Dallas Cowboys knelt during the anthem, while their fans booed, and the Pittsburgh Steelers (except for Alejandro Villenueva) stayed in their tunnel instead of standing up for the anthem and Ray Lewis did his “half protest prayer.” Fans took to their social media sites and burned Kaepernick jerseys, Steelers paraphernalia and any item that had anything to with any player that dared to exert their first amendment rights. Yells of , “Protest on your on time!” or “I will never support anyone who doesn’t support our troops or our flag!” were pasted on websites, Twitter and broadcast on the Evening News. These same “patriots”, also went online and added Mike Tomlin to an imaginary lists of “no-good niggers”.[8] This is what a few moments of our president’s speech moves citizens to do, not only deny their fellow citizens their constitutional rights but creates hate tsunamis.

Which brings us back to Jemele Hill. Jemele[9] is no stranger to bringing her experiences and speaking her mind on issues that intersect social and sports issues. A lot of her writing and reporting is similar to that of Robin Givhan of the Washington Post, who interposes fashion with social issues and the feminist gaze, giving the reader a more nuanced and fuller look at what the fashion world really is. Jemele does the same thing. In 2005 she was the only black woman sports journalist working for a major newspaper. She’s paid her dues, she spent six years at the Detroit Free Press covering Michigan State sports, where she is also an alumni. Her opinion on Sheryl Swoopes coming out as lesbian was clearly based in a feminist gaze that analyzed sports while making room for a critique about rampant over masculinity,

“Sorry, but Swoopes’s coming-out doesn’t have enough shock value to make us learn anything. Lesbians don’t pose a threat and have a certain appreciation in a male-dominated culture. And sadly, the prevailing stereotypes of female athletes as lesbians will probably reduce Swoopes’s emotional admission to a raunchy, tasteless joke by the end of the week. The only way we’re going to address homophobia in sports is if Peyton Manning, the NFL’s MVP last season, makes a similar disclosure. Or Brett Favre. Or Michael Jordan.”[10]

She also compared the Barry Bonds drugging scandal with the invisible case against Lance Armstrong in 2006. She claimed that race was instrumental in the investigation, when it was clear there was as much circumstantial evidence against Armstrong as there was against Bonds.[11] (In an Oprah Winfrey 2013 interview, Lance Armstrong admitted to doping and had his tour de France championships taken from him. )[12] You only have to look at her Twitter feed every day especially the hour before she anchors ESPNs main Sportscenter at 6p every weeknight (with her co-host Michael Smith.) Many of the tweets are vulgar, misogynistic, and openly racist in nature, and most have almost nothing to do with her on-air performance.

Many of the purveyors of “ill will” to Jemele are white men of all ages and from all across the country. Jemele answers almost of all of the “well wishers” individually in order to let them know their ignorance and their vileness will not and has not deterred her from spreading her what she knows is right.[13] And like many women of color, Jemele learned what was right by learning from other women in her family. In Jemele’s case her grandmother.[14]

The vein of doing what was right and continuing to speak truth to power, last month Jemele called the president, “A White Supremacist.”

She pissed off a lot of people. She also energized a lot of folks, especially black women.

But is Jemele’s statement true? The President and his Press Secretary don’t agree. And as a result they were the first to call for Jemele’s dismissal from ESPN.

…but I think that’s one of the more outrageous comments anyone could make and certainly something that I think is a fireable offense by ESPN.

-Sarah Huckabee Sanders 9/15/17[15]

Why is the President worried about a sports journalist? The easy answer, because she dared to say anything negative against the President. This president has the thinnest skin of any president in modern history. Which is especially astounding since president #44 was the first black president, and #43 was the president who was in office when 9/11 happened. If those presidents took the criticism that was doled out to them, why can’t Trump. The only obvious reason is that Jemele is a black woman in a very white male profession. Like racism, misogyny is a problem that America doesn’t want to acknowledge exists. Yet if the Harvey Weinstein story is any indication, we’ll have to address it sooner than later. The critics, the media, even Trump’s aides are afraid to dig further into what Trump’s racial ideology is. They can’t stomach that their fellow citizens, maybe even family members, elected a bigot. Even his own aides don’t know. In Charlottesville when he waited until his third press conference to condemn white supremacists, no one was sure whether he was just ignorant, a white supremacist or white supremacist adjacent.

In the meantime Jemele kept being Jemele. She continued to tweet about Insecure, defend herself against trolls, and comment on social issues that intersected with her job, covering sports. Her comments regarding the president only reiterated what much of the President’s own cabinet is saying about him. (Rex Tillerson thinks his boss is a fucking moron like many of us do. A statement that Tillerson later refused to dignify with an answer, which means of course that he said it.)[16] After she called the president a white supremacist and she went to the president of ESPN and cried in his office explaining that she never meant to bring shame to the company or to her colleagues. She wasn’t admitting she existed wrong (because she’s entitled to her opinion, especially when it’s right), but she was doing what so many women of color do, recognizing an error in her delivery, but not in the substance. The way you know that your ex-husband is an asshole, you will continue to treat him like one, but you probably shouldn’t call him an asshole in front of your children.

But as her tweeting continued, NFL players had started kneeling in larger

numbers. Where her first tweets had been born in response to Trump’s actions regarding Charlottesville, Trump’s tweets were now targeted at Jemele and how she had single handedly brought down ESPN rating. The ball was now in Jemele’s court, repsonding was never a question. The question was would her bosses have her back this time? Trump was making statements about sports and how sports management should be carried out. How could she resist taking him on? She’s a journalist, who has written for ESPN.com, was a sports journalist with “His and Hers,” has battled with many of the best sports writers and reporters and has held her own. She’s not merely eye candy, the way some women sportcasters are displayed though she is incredibly attractive, has a fabulous hair/makeup team and dresses fiercely when she’s on the screen, she is the real deal. A Michigan State alumni who is a fierce Spartan fan, she can hang with the “boys” on predictions, fantasy football rankings, what an injury report can mean, and what a football formation looks like. (Yes, Cam Newton, there are actually women who know football, can wear a knee high boot, and win the sports pool.) [17] Jemele is the culmination of what happens when a young black woman decides to combine the social realities of the US with sports. She sees and understand the juncture of both and as a result she takes the mantle from male journalists like Mike Lupica, Jimmy Breslin, and William Rhoden and puts a spin on sports stories that show that the political is always personal. Trump had just made his quips and nonsense political statements personal.

After his infamous Alabama speech, the NFL showed a rare and swift sense of brotherhood and solidarity; by protesting against a micromanaging president who had no business trying to control them. The shows of owners and their teams kneeling, linking arms, and some not showing up at all were remarkable, if not exactly authentic. It wasn’t as if any of the owners were going to hire Kaerpernick while giving the president the proverbial middle finger. In fact, CK was almost forgotten in the two weeks after the president’s comment. Instead message became, “either honor the flag the right way or take your privileged ass somewhere else.” The term that was on many of my threads were “Oppressed Millionaires.” As though black millionaires were immune to the brutalism and microagressions that occur in America. Ask the Seattle Seahawks, at least four of their players have been stopped, detained or arrested by police for no reason.[18]

While Charlottesville was the impetus for Jemele’s first tweet, her second tweet to boycott the Cowboy’s sponsors was tied to the backpedaling of the NFL. As of a week ago rumors were flying that the NFL was going to suspend or fine those who didn’t stand for the Star Spangled Banner. Then Jerry Jones not only backpedaled he did a somersault and said he would fire anyone who did not honor the flag or the fans. Is anyone really surprised that Jerry Jones did that? (I was more surprised he was kneeling.) Dallas Cowboys merchandise is the number one merchandise sold in the NFL shop. The Steelers, Patriots, Raiders, and 49ers are some of the other the other teams that bring millions of dollars to the owners who receive amlost all of the proceeds from those sales. Jones also backslided because the viewership and the attendance for NFL games have slipped significantly. And the lukewarm response from owners, Roger Goddell and the NFL towards scandals like the CTE coverup, deflated footballs and explicit cheating, domestic abuse, and Colin Kaepernick have made the public leary of the NFL. The public is choosing to watch repeats of Everyone Loves Raymond and the Golden Girls over the boring games that come on every Sunday night with Al Michaels and Chris Collinsworth. Jones and his fellow owners are worried. They have huge stadiums paid by taxpayers, they are their own economic tsunamis and if they lose public approval they are dead. What to do? Well take the side of the president of course.

ESPN is a company that has chosen not to examine Trump’s ideology beliefs, but instead to take the middle ground. Instead they decided to take the pussy way out and stand by their money. Specifically they supported their advertisers and sponsors more than they did the anchor of their flagship show. a sponsor stance. There was no way that they could lose their major sponsors on their main sportscast of the day. Men came home from work to just sit in front of Sportscenter, possibly with their hands down the front of the their pants, but we can’t know for sure. The last thing that these Bud drinking, Stihl having, John Deere mowing, and Ford F-150 driving would tolerate seeing is a black woman talking about politics with their sports. They still haven’t accepted that Jemele Hill has the job she has, now she wants them to think too? And the sponsors jumped at the chance to not take a side and instead threatened to pull their ads unless action was taken. But one of the tipping points were the ESPN employees themselves.

If there were many ESPN employees in agreement with Jemele, it was hard to find one in the tweets and emails that were “leaked” to the press. Many of Jemele’s colleagues were upset about what Jemele said and wanted some kind of discipline put on her. Many referred to other journalists who had been fired or “phased out” after they used words and references that were out of bounds and none of them were to the president. But ESPN has never been consistent when disciplining their journalists, Bill Simmons was disciplined when he spoke out against Roger Goddell, but Colin Cowherd wasn’t disciplined when he spoke out against Sean Taylor.[19] I’m not sure how ESPN can continue to keep up the façade of neutrality when they pay their journalist to also be commentators and opinion makers. What do you think the NFL Insiders on NFL countdown are? They may know the game, but they (Chris Mortensen, Louis Riddick, and Adam Schefter) get their information from the various NFL Deep Throats and reporting that “news” as fact. They are like the Hot Topics bunch on Wendy Williams.

And while ESPN has suspended Jemele, the NBA has not suspended Greg Popovitch, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry for their free speech about the President. Nor has the NFL (and now according to Roger Goddell they won’t) fine/suspend any of the players (current or former) who have kneeled in the past or will kneel in the future. (That’s good news for Ray Lewis, he won’t have to pretend kneel this time.) Other men have also come out for Jemele, black male sportcasters of the NABJ have come out in support of Jemele. Mike Lupica wrote that Jemele has the right to speak her truth at ESPN. Dave Zirin has been a staunch supporter of Jemele’s writing pieces and arguing on Twitter about Jemele’s right to free speech.

Jemele felt that was inexcusable and said so. ESPN had already changed face and suspended her, for what they felt was insubordination. Yet other white male sportscasters had also called for a boycott and decried the stomping of players rights.[20]In fact many journalists had called for a boycott of the entire season, citing all the problems the NFL had including Kaepernick. But none of those writers were fired, suspended or disciplined. Again, what does Jemele have that many of the sports journalists don’t?

Let me say it loud so those in the cheap seats can hear it.

She’s a black woman.

Jemele is a persecuted woman of color, more specifically she is a black woman speaking truth to power. US history is clear about what happens to black women when they choose to speak truth to power, they are continually tormented and abused until they bend, and sometimes then break. Look up Ida B. Wells, Fannie Lou Hamer. Shirley Chisolm. Look at the women who started and continue to maintain the Black Lives Matter movement. And of course they tried to make our former first lady bend as well.

Michelle[21] was supposed to sit behind Barack and say nothing. The last first lady who had an agenda and didn’t know how to bake cookies was Hilary Clinton, and that ended very badly. Go Google, “Michelle Obama insults,” and the results are horrifying. Make sure your children aren’t in the room, because it won’t be pretty. The mild insults are about her wearing shorts, going on long trips, or wearing fancy clothes. The worse ones are when the white men of the senate told her to put her arms in some sleeves for the formal portrait. Or when governors, city directors and other “government officials” around the country sent pictures of an ape and in one instance called it “A ape in heels.” Or when a washed up television star posted a picture that said, “He (President Obama) wakes up to this?[22] This rage and hate was aimed at a first lady whose national agenda was for children to eat well, and the Republicans said, “Bring back the French fries and chicken nuggets!”

Michelle, Serena, Viola, and Jemele also have to navigate gender. What I haven’t seen is feminist groups come out in support of Jemele and her right to free speech. Where are the white women, besides Samantha Bee? Why aren’t prominent white women standing up for Jemele? In recent years white women have done some dumb things and have advernnatly or inadvertently scrubbed women of color (in this case black women) from spaces because they feel ignored and devalued. With Sophia Vergara being the highest paid television actress at the moement, white women may be feeling very vulnerable. Remember Patricia Arquette’s speech (that Jennifer Lopez inexpicably stood up for) that spoke of how ungrateful other folks were for the work white women did for them and how now white women have to look out for themselves?[23] Or the dismissal of Viola’s speech at the 2015 Emmys about inequality and lack of roles for women that a soap opera actress with no accolades even close to Viola’s felt was silly and hallucinatory. Or Maria Sharapova’s recent story of Serena Williams calling her a bitch and how terrible Serena was (during the time the story had been about Serena’s new baby), when she conveniently for the terrible drag impression she did of Serena with padding that gave her a huge butt and enormous breasts. Or the idea that Ellen would create a Halloween costume of Nicki Minaj and her cotume consisted of a large ass and a bad wig. Is this solidarity? Or the silence from groups like NOW during the 2008 presidential campaign when right-wingers were calling Michelle Obama a radical black panther because of a fist bump with her husband and her Princeton senior thesis that was pro-black in nature. Or the criticism that came when Michelle said she was going to be “Mom-in-Chief” for a while in order to get her children acclimated to the white house and their new school. White women excoriated her for choosing to be a mother first, forgetting that the whole purpose of feminism is to give women choices, whether those choices are popular or not are inconsequential. And forgetting or ignoring the intersectionality that shows that for black women, staying home and not going into bankruptcy while doing it,was a radical event.

So why shouldn’t the Michelle Obamas, Serena Williamses, Viola Davises and Jemele Hills shout out loud about the inequality they see in their nation? And again why would the President of the United States care?

ESPN’s slow response to suspend Jemele was not because they were feeling benevolent or because they see Jemele Hill as irreplaceable. They were slow to make a decision because they were in a quandary. How to discipline Jemele without looking like racists and a misogynists. Could they do what they had done to Sage Steele the year before[24] and make her disappear into a vortex? No, she had spoken about the president. ESPN hoped all of it would just disappear. It didn’t. This is Donald Trump, the most thin skinned President in modern history the White House couldn’t let it go. So they had to wait and see what happened. And Jemele kept being Jemele and ESPN finally had their opening to suspend her and if all reports are correct her contract won’t be renewed.

So who will talk about what’s right in the sportworld? Jason Whitlock, Stephen A Smith, Bomani Jones? Their columns and on air responses have run from super conservative and misogynist (Whitlock) to non committal and dismissive (Smith). What will we as sports fan lose if we lose Jemele? What will black women lose? But the person who has truly been lost in all of this is Colin Kaepernick. Remember him? How will any of this get him his job back? Can he afford to wait on others to help him or does he have to take the owners and the NFL on and fight for himself. We’ll find out, on October 16, 2017, Kaepernick filed a lawsuit against the NFL and its owners. Claiming that the owners colluded to keep him out of the NFL and without a job because he used his 1st amendment right.

It seems Kaepernick has decided to use his 7th amendment right, the right to have a jury of your peers in a civil case over 20.00.

It’s about time.

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[1] https://theundefeated.com/features/the-nfls-racial-divide/

[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/donald-trumps-long-stormy-and-unrequited-romance-with-the-nfl/2017/09/23/979264a4-a093-11e7-8ea1-ed975285475e_story.html?utm_term=.d7a4b6cd0b0e Trump won the case against the NFL, but the court determined that the USFL was imploded on it’s own. Trump won $1.00. But since you earn triple earnings in anti-trust proceedings, he received, $3.00.

[3] No offense to Queens, NY

[4] https://youtu.be/vrW-GI_9IL8

[5] Luther Strange loses his bid to be re-elected despite Trump coming to save him. Trump later tells the media, “I guess I backed the wrong guy.”

[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Louis_Gates_arrest_controversy

[7] Hue Jackson, the coach of the Cleveland Browns isn’t a fan of NFL players protesting, http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/browns-coach-hue-jackson-against-national-anthem-protest-patriotism/1lrihp1r2yv7710y7olb8equrs

[8] http://www.theroot.com/fire-chief-says-pittsburgh-nfl-coach-mike-tomlin-added-1818808004

[9] From this point, I’m just going to refer to Jemele Hill as Jemele. That’s how us black folks do. She’s in distress and I don’t have time to be formal.

[10] http://archives.cjr.org/behind_the_news/jemele_hill_on_being_black_fem.php

[11] http://archives.cjr.org/behind_the_news/jemele_hill_on_being_black_fem.php

[12] http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/15/health/armstrong-ped-explainer/index.html

[13] https://theundefeated.com/features/jemele-hill-on-doing-the-right-thing/

[14] I too learned from the women in my family and have heard this same refrain from may of the women of color who are successful and speak truth to power.

[15] https://ww.si.com/tech-media/2017/09/13/sarah-huckabee-sanders-tells-press-jemele-hill-should-lose-job-over

[16] http://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/15/tillerson-trump-moron-castration-243785

[17] http://time.com/4970126/cam-newton-jourdan-rodrigue-routes/

[18] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/seahawks-michael-bennett-says-police-officer-held-gun-to-his-head/

[19] In 2011 Colin Cowherd made a statement about the recently deceased Washington Redskins player that not on besmirsched his character, but insinuated that because he was black and was in trouble with the law it’s no surprise that he’s dead. Cowherd made a small non-apology but was not disciplined.

In 2014, Bill Simmons one of ESPNs biggest sports journalists was suspended because of his remarks against Roger Goddell during the Ray Rice tape incident. Simmons called Goddell a liar and was suspended for 3 weeks.

[20] https://www.thenation.com/article/nfl-owners-and-espn-bosses-are-showing-which-side-they-are-on/

[21] I was going to say Shelly, but she was the FLOTUS. So I’ll just keep it to first names. Just like Jemele. They’re all my besties in my head.

[22] http://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-37985967

[23] http://variety.com/2015/film/news/patricia-arquette-comments-oscars-2015-controversy-1201439814/

[24] Steele lost her coveted post for ESPN’s NBA Countdown when she made derogatory statements about the protesters fighting the president’s travel and how it was forcing her to be late for her flights. She has since been moved to Sportscenter on the Road one of ESPN level B shows. )

Sistahs, Brothas, and Presidents Two Mondays ago Jemele Hill from ESPN was suspended for asking fans to boycott the advertisers of the Dallas Cowboys.

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