These are news article links and comments that were listed on our website, prior to the November 2024 election. For newer links on this topic visit our website: https://www.dalecodemocrats.com
Focus on Other Actions and Statements By Republicans (Not Covered Elsewhere) That are Either Outrageous or Otherwise Detrimental to the General Public:
The Associated Press: Musk PAC tells Philadelphia judge the $1 million sweepstakes winners are not chosen by chance
Comment: "The $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes that Elon Musk's political action committee is hosting in swing states can continue through Tuesday’s presidential election, a Pennsylvania judge ruled Monday."
"Common Pleas Court Judge Angelo Foglietta — ruling after Musk’s lawyers said the winners are paid spokespeople and not chosen by chance [Emphasis Added] — did not immediately explain his reasoning."
"District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat, had called the process a scam 'designed to actually influence a national election' and asked that it be shut down."
"Krasner believes the giveaways violates state election law and contradict what Musk promised when he announced them during an appearance with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's campaign in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 19: 'We’re going to be awarding a million dollars randomly [Emphasis Added] to people who have signed the petition every day from now until the election,' Musk vowed."
"In an Oct. 20 social media post shown in court, Musk said anyone signing the petition had 'a daily chance of winning $1M!' "
" 'This was all a political marketing masquerading as a lottery,' Krasner testified Monday. 'That’s what it is. A grift.' "
AL.com: ‘Racial dog whistle,’ ‘Fearmongering’: Mailers inflame Alabama congressional race
Comment: "The head of the Alabama GOP and Democratic congressional candidate Shomari Figures are blasting each other this week over two controversial mailers, paid for by the state political party, circulating through the district in the final week of the campaign."
" 'Alabama Republicans have been bad for health, bad for workers, bad for education, and bad on crime,' Figures said. 'They know they can’t win on these issues, so they put out race-baiting ads with pictures of a ‘scary Black man,’ and put out altered images of me and tell lies about my positions.' "
"The mailers first drew a rebuke on Sunday during a Figures campaign event in Montgomery, after Democratic Texas U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett called them 'nonsense,' and represented a party without a substantive policy platform. Crockett said Republican congressional candidate Caroleene Dobson was nothing more than a 'rubber stamp' for presidential candidate Donald Trump."
" 'We greatly appreciate Figures sticking to the issues that matter to the lives of everyday Alabamians and not getting caught up in the attempts by conservatives to throw transgender Alabamians into their manufactured culture war,' the statement reads."
" 'The Alabama Republican Party refuses to stand on actual issues Alabamians care about and instead grandstands with fear-mongering rhetoric like this,' Shaw said."
The 'Black Insurrectionist' was actually white. The deception did not stop there
https://www.yahoo.com/news/black-insurrectionist-actually-white-deception-163241294.html
Comment: " 'Black Insurrectionist,' the anonymous social media persona behind some of the most widely circulated conspiracy theories about the 2024 election, can be traced to a man from upstate New York."
"With a profile photo of a Black soldier and the tagline “I FOLLOW BACK TRUE PATRIOTS,” the account on the platform X amassed more than 300,000 followers while posting dubious claims about Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Some were amplified by former President Donald Trump, his running mate Ohio Sen. JD, and their Republican allies in Congress. The most salacious claims have come in the closing weeks of the campaign."
This is why you should not trust social media posts from the Maga maniacs (or Russian agents), and the Maga politicians who tout these ridiculous posts.
DeSantis Was Directly Behind Ominous Threats To TV Channels Over Pro-Choice Ads, Former Official Says
Comment: "The general counsel for Florida’s Department of Health, John Wilson, resigned earlier this month — and new court records show it was because he was uncomfortable sending threats on behalf of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to TV stations for airing pro-choice political advertisements."
"A sworn affidavit from Wilson revealed on Monday that DeSantis deputies personally wrote the threats to news channels and directed Wilson to send them out under his name. Wilson said he received the drafted cease-and-desist letters the morning of Oct. 3, 2024, and that he signed and sent them out later that day."
"Wilson hinted when he resigned that the threats to TV stations were part of his decision. 'A man is nothing without his conscience. It has become clear in recent days that I cannot join you on the road that lies before this Agency,' he wrote in his resignation letter."
"Wilson’s statement is the first evidence that directly links DeSantis’ office to the attacks on the state’s pro-choice ballot initiative. The administration has been using taxpayer dollars to wage an all-out war against the state’s pro-choice measure, and state officials have spread misinformation about Amendment 4, which would repeal the governor’s six-week abortion ban and restore access to fetal viability. Until this point, however, the attacks have been made through DeSantis surrogates, many appointed as top administration officials."
The Guardian US: Montana park ranger says Senate candidate Tim Sheehy lied about combat wound
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/19/tim-sheehy-gunshot-wound-montana-park-ranger
Comment: Just what we need - another Republican liar in the United States Senate!
"A former Montana park ranger has now publicly accused Tim Sheehy – a Republican running for a US Senate seat in the state – of lying about getting shot while at war in Afghanistan."
"In an interview with the Washington Post published on Friday, 67-year-old Kim Peach went on the record about how Sheehy – a former US navy seal – actually shot himself on a family trip in 2015 at Glacier national park. Peach’s account explicitly contradicts Sheehy’s claim that he was shot in the arm during military combat, a story that the Republican candidate has shared throughout his US Senate campaign."
"Peach said that Sheehy’s allegedly self-inflicted wound left him with a bullet lodged in his right arm at Glacier national park in Montana’s Rocky Mountains. He told the Post that he first met Sheehy at a hospital in the area of the park during the aftermath of the 2015 episode."
" 'I remember Sheehy obviously being embarrassed by the situation but at the same time thankful that it wasn’t worse,' Peach said to the Post. There, Sheehy also confirmed to Peach that he had mistakenly shot himself after his firearm discharged in his car."
"Peach said he then inspected Sheehy’s gun and observed a bullet casing, confirming the firearm had discharged. That same day, Peach issued Sheehy a $525 fine for discharging a firearm in the national park, according to government records." [Emphasis added]
Miami Herald: DeSantis aligns with companies selling high-potency cannabis while fighting Amendment 3
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article294313734.html
Comment: No matter what one's position is regarding the legalization of recreational marijuana use, we can agree that this level of hypocrisy from the Republican Florida governor is outrageous.
"To defeat recreational marijuana at the ballot box, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Republican Party have aligned with companies that are already selling high-potency cannabis to Floridians over the counter and online, according to a Herald/Times investigation."
"In at least eight instances, the Republican Party of Florida and a political committee run by the governor’s chief of staff have accepted donations this summer from hemp companies whose products tested above the 0.3% legal limit in Florida for total THC, rendering them illegal marijuana in the eyes of state regulators. Some of the products — among 41 purchased by the Herald/Times and tested by a state-certified lab — also contained unauthorized or banned pesticides."
"The findings weren’t outliers, though they were disputed by the companies that manufactured and sold the products. Florida regulators say they 'regularly identify' products on the market illegally, and state lawmakers worried about psychoactive hemp passed a bill this year to limit its sale."
"But the governor, who is campaigning to stop Amendment 3, which would establish a recreational marijuana market in Florida, vetoed the legislation in June – after which campaign donations from hemp companies began to roll in."
The Associated Press: Judicial panel recommends suspending Montana’s AG from practicing law for 90 days
Comment: "A state judicial panel is recommending that Montana’s Republican attorney general be suspended from practicing law for 90 days for openly defying court orders and repeatedly attacking the integrity of justices in his defense of a law permitting the state’s Republican governor to directly fill judicial vacancies."
"The law at issue was part of a nationwide GOP effort to forge a more conservative judiciary and was eventually upheld by Montana’s Supreme Court."
"This isn’t the only controversy marking Knudsen’s nearly four years in office. He is seeking reelection."
"He was accused of pressuring a Helna hospital over its refusal to administer a parasite drug to a COVID-19 patient and his office also sided with a man who made an armed threat over a pandemic mask mandate. He tried to block three constitutional initiatives from the November ballot, recruited a token opponent for the June primary so he could raise more money, and was sued after forcing the head of the Montana Highway Patrol to resign."
Trump allies threaten Deloitte contracts after employee leaks Vance comments
https://share.newsbreak.com/96e4pxms
Comment: "Donald Trump's supporters have threatened the consultancy firm Deloitte with the loss of lucrative government contracts if he returns to the White House after the election in November because one of its employees leaked critical comments about his presidential performance made by his running mate, JD Vance."
"The Republican nominee’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, led the warnings of retribution after the Washington Post published correspondence that showed Vance expressing negative views about the Trump administration long after he claimed he had become a supporter. The correspondence also showed Vance forecasting – accurately – that the former president would lose the 2020 election to Joe Biden."
Donald Trump Goes Off the Rails With Claim That Some Races Have Murder Gene
https://share.newsbreak.com/96f7tip8
Comment: "Donald Trump revealed an unhinged eugenics theory Monday, claiming during a morning rant that some migrants have 'bad genes' that make them predisposed to committing murder."
Fact Check: Trump Donated $25M to Hurricane Relief?
https://share.newsbreak.com/99ihux51
Comment: "It's unclear where exactly this rumor originated, but we found no evidence it was accurate. None of the dozens of posts making this claim provided proof to back it up."
Despite Trump's claim of being ultra wealthy, "neither the Trump campaign nor Trump himself made an announcement about such a donation, rumors of which began spreading Sept. 29, 2024. We reached out to the Trump campaign and will update this story if we receive a response."
We interrupt our programming to inform you that Marjorie Taylor Greene believes Democrats are controlling the weather
https://share.newsbreak.com/96e2rzd9
Trump Made Crass Jokes About Death of Rally Attendee in Leaked Recording
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-made-crass-jokes-death-161131641.html
The Hill: GOP scrambles to contain Robinson fallout in North Carolina
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4891581-north-carolina-gubernatorial-candidate-mark-robinson/
Comment: "Republicans are scrambling to mitigate the fallout from North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson's latest scandal, fearful it could cost them more than just the governor’s mansion as the state becomes a critical battleground in the presidential race."
According to a CNN report, "Robinson made a litany of comments on a pornography website’s message board, including that he was a 'Black Nazi,' his wishing for slavery to come back, and his preference that Adolf Hitler be in charge of the country over former President Obama."
"Democrats, meanwhile, have sought to underscore Robinson’s ties to other candidates, including former President Trump, who has heaped praise on the North Carolina lieutenant governor in the past."
Mark Robinson, NC GOP nominee for governor, called himself a ‘black NAZI!,’ supported slavery in past comments made on porn forum | CNN Politics
The Guardian US: Republican Senate candidate’s hedge fund managed $415m in Russian debt
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/10/pennsylvania-senate-david-mccormick-investments
Comment: "David McCormick, the Republican candidate for US Senate in Pennsylvania, led the largest hedge fund in the world while it managed and advised funds holding hundreds of millions of dollars in Russian debt, documents obtained by the Guardian show."
"Filings with the US Department of Labor, known as form 5500s, show that from 2017 to 2021, Bridgewater Associates managed funds holding as much as $415m in Russian sovereign bonds. Since 2019 these types of investment have been subject to increasingly stringent US sanctions, in response to Russian aggression in Ukraine."
Oklahoma parents and teachers sue to stop top education official's classroom Bible mandate
https://www.yahoo.com/news/oklahoma-parents-teachers-sue-stop-204401870.html
Comment: The outrage is not the lawsuit from the parents ad teachers. The outrage is the mandate from the Oklahoma education officials.
"A group of Oklahoma parents of public school students, teachers and ministers filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to stop the state's top education official from forcing schools to incorporate the Bible into lesson plans for students in grades 5 through 12."
"The suit alleges that the mandate violates the Oklahoma Constitution because it involves spending public money to support religion and favors one religion over another by requiring the use of a Protestant version of the Bible. It also alleges that Walters and the state Board of Education don't have the authority to require the use of instructional materials."
"The plaintiffs are represented by several civil rights groups, including the Oklahoma chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice."
"The suit also notes that the initial “request for proposal” released by the State Department of Education to purchase the Bibles appears to have been carefully tailored to match Bibles endorsed by former President Donald Trump that sell for $59.99 each. [Emphasis added] The RFP was later amended at the request of state purchasing officials."
ProPublica: A Pair of Billionaire Preachers Built the Most Powerful Political Machine in Texas. That’s Just the Start.
Comment: "Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks, billionaires who have made their fortunes in the oil industry. Over the past decade, the pair have built the most powerful political machine in Texas — a network of think tanks, media organizations, political action committees and nonprofits that work in lock step to purge the Legislature of Republicans whose votes they can’t rely on. Cycle after cycle, their relentless maneuvering has pushed the statehouse so far to the right that consultants like to joke that Karl Rove couldn’t win a local race these days. Brandon Darby, the editor of Breitbart Texas, is one of several conservatives who has compared Dunn and Wilks to Russian oligarchs. 'They go into other communities and unseat people unwilling to do their bidding,' he says. 'You kiss the ring or you’re out.' "
"The duo’s ambitions extend beyond Texas. They’ve poured millions into 'dark money' groups, which do not have to disclose contributors; conservative-media juggernauts (Wilks provided $4.7 million in seed capital to The Daily Wire, which hosts 'The Ben Shapiro Show'); and federal races. Dunn’s $5 million gift to the Make America Great Again super PAC in December made him one of Donald Trump’s top supporters this election season, and he has quietly begun to invest in efforts to influence a possible second Trump administration, including several linked to Project 2025."
The Guardian US: Ron DeSantis accused of ‘intimidation campaign’ against abortion rights
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/29/desantis-abortion-election-florida
Comment: "Florida voters report law enforcement personnel visits that appear to be part of drive to block passage of Amendment 4."
"[R]egistered voters in Florida have recently reported unannounced visits from law enforcement personnel that appear to be part of an all-out drive by DeSantis to use state government agencies and public funds to block passage of Amendment 4, which would enshrine in the state constitution a woman’s right to an abortion."
"The experience of Isaac Menasche is a cautionary tale. In early September, Menasche received an unexpected visitor at his home in the Florida Gulf coast city of Fort Myers – a plainclothes detective with a badge and a folder stuffed with documents containing Menasche’s personal information."
"They included copies of his driver’s license and a petition form he had signed months ago at a local farmer’s market on behalf of a campaign to qualify a pro-choice referendum for the statewide ballot in this year’s general election."
"The detective who turned up on Menasche’s doorstep wanted to know why his signature on the petition form did not match the one on his driver’s license. The retired 71-year-old attorney conceded the point but explained that his signature can sometimes vary. The officer left shortly thereafter."
" 'The experience left me shaken,' wrote the New Jersey native on his Facebook page that same day. 'It was obvious to me that a significant effort was exerted to determine if indeed I had signed the petition. Troubling that so much resources were devoted to this.' "
CNN: Florida is threatening to prosecute TV stations over an abortion rights ad. The FCC chief calls it ‘dangerous’
https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/08/media/florida-tv-abortion-rights-ad-fcc-desantis/index.html
Comment: "In a move that critics are calling a flagrant abuse of power, Florida’s Department of Health is threatening to bring criminal charges against local TV stations airing a campaign ad to overturn the state’s six-week abortion ban signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis."
"The unusual warning from the Republican-controlled state agency prompted the Democratic chair of the Federal Communications Commission to step in on Tuesday."
"Jessica Rosenworcel, the FCC chair, said that stations should not be intimidated for airing political ads."
Trump's Unsettling New Message For Women Is Creeping People Out
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trumps-unsettling-message-women-creeping-080222263.html
Comment: "Former President Donald Trump is trying a new approach to winning over women voters by telling them that they are depressed, poor, anxious, unsafe and thinking about abortion ― but as their 'protector,' he will change all that.' "
" 'You will no longer be abandoned, lonely or scared. You will no longer be in danger, you’re not gonna be in danger any longer. You will no longer have anxiety from all of the problems our country has today. You will be protected and I will be your protector,' he added. 'Women will be happy, healthy, confident and free. You will no longer be thinking about abortion.' "
"Trump has a long history of misogynistic rhetoric, from his infamous 'grab them by the pussy' claim to his 'sexist attacks on Harris. He has also been accused of sexual misconduct, and last year a jury found him liable for sexual abuse against writer E. Jean Carroll."
"Given that background, many found his comments on Monday to be insincere and downright creepy."
MSNBC: Home state paper: Hawley is possibly ‘the worst sitting senator’
Comment: "The editorial board of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch said Republican Josh Hawley is 'quite possibly the worst sitting senator in America.' Will voters care?"
"As 2021 got underway, Sen. Josh Hawley did not find himself in a good position. After the Missouri Republican helped take the lead in trying to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory, Hawley was briefly seen as a political 'pariah.' "
"As regular readers know, the GOP senator was denounced by former allies; prominent businesses distanced themselves from him; several independent media outlets called on Hawley to resign in disgrace; and several of his Senate colleagues filed an ethics complaint against him."
"The Republican incumbent, of course, is seeking a second term anyway, and he’s very likely to win in spite of his record. But the Post-Dispatch’s editorial board isn't just eager to remind local voters about Hawley’s on-the-job performance, it’s also urging Missouri’s electorate to vote for his opponent."
Newsweek: Thousands Sign Christian Petition Against Teaching Bible in Public Schools
https://www.newsweek.com/christian-petition-against-texas-teaching-bible-public-schools-1960742
Comment: The outrage is not the petition. The outrage is the Texas proposal to give taxpayer money to elementary schools to teach the Bible in class.
"Faithful America, an organization of Christians supporting social justice causes while opposing 'Christian nationalism,' posted a petition on September 13 opposing a proposal from the Texas Education Agency for elementary school teachers to include the Bible in their state reading and language arts lessons."
"The new curriculum, which the Texas Board of Education will either approve or reject in November, would give school districts the option to use the Bible-infused materials for up to $60 per student in additional funding."
‘Morning Joe’ Mocks $100,000 Watch Trump’s Selling to Fans: ‘Can You Imagine if the Democrats Were Doing Something Like This?’ | Video
https://www.yahoo.com/news/morning-joe-mocks-100-000-221528105.html
Comment: "The pricey timepiece is the latest in a long list of items adorned with Trump’s name, face or both that he’s selling to his base. There have also been digital trading cards, coins, sneakers and more. The watch likely takes the prize for most expensive, though, which earned the jabs from MSNBC’s hosts and guests."
The Hill: GOP senator insults Arab American witness at hate crimes hearing
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4885035-senator-kennedy-arab-american-witness/
Comment: "Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) told an Arab American witness that she should 'hide [her] head in a bag' after repeatedly asking her if she supported Hamas and Hezbollah during a Tuesday congressional hearing."
"'Hamas is a foreign terrorist organization that I do not support,' Berry said. 'But you asking the executive director of the Arab American Institute that question very much puts the focus on the issue of hate in our country,' she said."
The Hill: Cotton: Harris ‘is the Ayatollah’s handpicked candidate’
Comment: Ridiculous and outrageous statement from Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR). Can you believe a United States Senator would make such statement on a network television program?
CBS News: Florida's new COVID booster guidance is straight-up misinformation
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-new-covid-booster-guidance-misinformation-ladapo/
Comment: "In what has become a pattern of spreading vaccine misinformation, the Florida health department is telling older Floridians and others at highest risk from COVID-19 to avoid most booster shots, saying they are potentially dangerous."
ProPublica: In an Unprecedented Move, Ohio Is Funding the Construction of Private Religious Schools
https://www.propublica.org/article/ohio-taxpayer-money-funding-private-religious-schools
Comment: "While many states have recently enacted sweeping school voucher programs that give parents taxpayer money to spend on private school tuition for their kids, Ohio has cut out the middleman. Under a bill passed by its Legislature this summer, the state is now providing millions of dollars in grants directly to religious schools, most of them Catholic, to renovate buildings, build classrooms, improve playgrounds and more."
Pro-Trump Georgia Election Board Invites Chaos With Last-Minute Change
https://share.newsbreak.com/8vtb60vq
Comment: "A 3-2 Republican majority on Georgia’s State Election Board voted Friday to require local election offices to hand count the state’s millions of ballots, inviting chaos as experts warned the task would prove impossible in the state’s largest counties, which lean Democratic."
"The rule was just the latest in a string of partisan votes from the board, members of which Donald Trump praised by name at a rally in Georgia last month. A few weeks ago, the board empowered county election officials - many of whom have challenged election results in the past - to personally investigate election results and demand reams of election-related documentation, potentially delaying the certification of the state’s results."
Who is Laura Loomer? Her relationship with Trump and the GOP : NPR
Comment: "A former Republican congressional candidate, Loomer is known for promoting conspiracy theories as well as anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim views. Though she had previously been banned by some social media platforms, she was reinstated to Twitter — now known as X — under Elon Musk’s ownership, and has amassed over a million followers."
"Loomer has been spreading a stream of misleading content to her followers, including false claims that President Biden was near death this summer, that Vice President Kamala Harris is not Black, and conspiracy theories about school shootings. Last year, she shared a video on X which claimed that the 9/11 attacks were an 'inside job.'"
"Trump has publicly praised her and shared her posts. According to media reports, he wanted to give her a role in his campaign last year, bu The New York Times reported the plan crumbled after there was immediate backlash from some of his key supporters who thought she would be a liability."
Laura Loomer Toasting 'Hostile Takeover of the Republican Party' Resurfaces - Newsweek
https://www.newsweek.com/laura-loomer-hostile-takeover-republican-party-video-1953640
Comment: "Footage of conservative activist Laura Loomer has resurfaced, showing her with white supremacist Nick Fuentes celebrating a 'hostile takeover of the Republican Party.'"
"Loomer, who has propagated the false claim that Haitian migrants have been eating pets in Springfield, is thought to have Donald Trump's ear, having been seen on the former president's trips to New York and Pennsylvania on September 11."
The Hill: Donald Trump pals around with some truly awful people
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4904145-donald-trump-pals-around-with-some-truly-awful-people/
OPINION: Trump, Vance lean into racist lies. Are they trying to lose?
Comment: This is a bit of satire illustrating some of the outrageous things recently said by the Trump campaign and its surrogates.
The Jan. 6 'Awards Gala' at Trump's golf course has been postponed indefinitely
https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/jan-6-awards-gala-trump-bedminster-fundraiser-rcna169320
Comment: Apparently, this level of MAGA insanity was determined to be just a little too much. Please see next article description.
The New Republic: Trump’s Outrageous January 6 Gala Is a Giant Flashing Warning Sign
https://newrepublic.com/post/185199/trump-january-6-gala-fundraiser
Comment: "Donald Trump has taken January 6 denialism to a new level: He’s going to be hosting an awards ceremony dedicated to the Capitol riot."
"On September 5, a 'J6 Awards Gala' will be held at Trump’s golf club in Bedminister, New Jersey. The event will include a raffle to win a plaque recognizing the 'Justice For All' song performed by Trump and the 'J6 Prison Choir,' which briefly reached the Billboard Music Chart. The choir is made up of defendants serving prison sentences for their actions in the Capitol in 2021."
"Trump is scheduled as a guest speaker, as is his former lawyer and indicted co-defendant Rudy Giuliani. A separate flier for the event notes that tickets range from $2,500 for an individual to $50,000 for a table for 12."
SERIOUSLY, THIS IS NOT MADE UP!
Republican group cites notorious Dred Scott ruling as reason Kamala Harris can’t be president | The Independent
Comment: This group claims that because Kamala Harris' parents were not both U.S. citizens at the time of her birth, she is ineligible to be President of the United States. Even though I think this is a fringe group, it's been around for 90 years and Ronald Reagan was reportedly a member.
Statement of group: "'An originalist and strict constructionist understanding of the Constitution in the Scalia and Thomas tradition [emphasis added], as well as precedent-setting U.S. Supreme Court cases ... have found that a ‘Natural Born Citizen’ is defined as a person born on American soil of parents who are both citizens of the United States at the time of the child’s birth,' the document states."
"The group then cites six cases including Dred Scott v Sandford. The 1857 ruling came a few years before the 1861 outbreak of the US Civil War over the issue of slavery, stating that enslaved people could not be citizens, meaning that they couldn’t expect to receive any protection from the courts or the federal government. The ruling also said that Congress did not have the power to ban slavery from a federal territory."
Of course, "The NFRA’s interpretation of the Constitution would have made several US presidents ineligible to hold office, such as George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. Their parents were born in what was then the British colonies in what would later become the US, meaning that those commanders in chief would not meet the strict standards of the NFRA."
ProPublica: Gun Companies Gave Customers’ Sensitive Personal Information to Political Operatives
Comment: "FOR YEARS, America’s most iconic gun-makers turned over sensitive personal information on hundreds of thousands of customers to political operatives."
"Those operatives, in turn, secretly employed the details to rally firearm owners to elect pro-gun politicians running for Congress and the White House, a ProPublica investigation has found."
"As a group, gun owners are fiercely protective about their personal information. Many have good reasons. Their ranks include police officers, judges, domestic violence victims and others who have faced serious threats of harm."
" 'The hypocrisy of warning about a governmental registry and at the same time establishing a private registry for political purposes is stunning,' Blumenthal said after learning about the program from ProPublica. 'Absolutely staggering.' "
POLITICO: The man quietly rewriting American privacy law
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/17/andrew-kingman-data-privacy-lobbying-00179630
Comment: "His playbook illustrates an irony of modern American policymaking: As energy shifts to state legislatures — which have often been called 'laboratories of democracy' — a sophisticated lobbying operation can create a default national standard by pushing a consistent message, one state at a time."
"As a result of Kingman’s work, most states have passed data-privacy laws that are relatively friendly to business compared with the tougher provisions that have been enacted in Europe and California. Though they vary in their specifics, all of the laws influenced by Kingman protect companies from being sued directly by citizens for privacy violations. They also chip away at protections through long battles over definitions, like what it means for a company to 'sell' data and what should be considered 'sensitive' information."
The Guardian US: US public schools banned 10,000 books in most recent academic year
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/23/pen-book-bans
Comment: "More than 10,000 books were banned in US public schools from 2023 to 2024, according to a report, marking a stark increase over the year before as Republican-led states pass new censorship laws."
"At least 13 titles were banned for the first time, including Alex Haley’s Roots: The Saga of an American Family, which describes the journey of an enslaved person from Africa to the US, and James Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountain, the acclaimed semi-autographical work set in Harlem, New York."
"PEN America, a non-profit organization dedicated to freedom of expression, said that approximately 8,000 instances of book bans took place in Florida and Iowa, as both states enforced sweeping laws targeting classroom material."
"Six prominent book publishers are also suing Florida over its 'unconstitutional' book ban after hundreds of their titles were pulled from school libraries."
Stephen King Reacts As Florida Bans 23 of His Books
https://www.newsweek.com/stephen-king-florida-book-ban-viral-post-1947396
Comment: This is what happens when states start to ban books,
"Numerous books, including Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls, Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl, have been pulled from school libraries since the book ban went into effect in July 2023. According to the publishers, popular contemporary novels by writers like Margaret Atwood, Judy Blume and King have also been removed."
Top Trump Aide Sexually Harassed Teenagers, Says Disturbing Report
https://www.yahoo.com/news/top-trump-aide-sexually-harassed-210105662.html
Comment: "A former aide in Donald Trump’s presidential administration and a senior adviser to Project 2025 is in trouble for sending creepy internet messages to teenagers."
"John McEntee, who also co-founded the conservative dating app The Right Stuff, sent messages to multiple young women offering in some cases to give them free trips to Los Angeles and making sexual advances, Wired reports. The app’s sole investor is right-wing billionaire Peter Thiel, and it has been criticized for its mostly male user base."
POLITICO: Inside Jim Justice’s alleged attendance problems; they could be a problem for a GOP Senate
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/13/jim-justices-attendance-problems-00183523
Comment: "Jim Justice will almost certainly be West Virginia’s next senator. Whether he shows up to work is another question.
"The current governor is rarely seen at the state capitol in Charleston, according to interviews with almost a dozen people involved in West Virginia politics on both sides of the political aisle. Some said it was difficult to get in touch with him when they sought guidance on his policy positions. That differed starkly from previous governors or other officials in state government."
" 'If Democrats keep the Senate, Republicans take it, the majority is going to be slim regardless,' said Republican West Virginia state Del. Elias Coop-Gonzalez. 'That means that a lot of those votes are going to really depend on him having to be there every single time. And my personal opinion is I don’t really have a lot of faith that he will be there for that.' "