A.M. Links: Trump on Syria, E.U. Fines Google $2.7 Billion, Republicans Fight Over Obamacare Repeal

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  Gage Skidmore / Flickr.com

  President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met yesterday at the White House.

• South Korean President Moon Jae-in will meet with President Trump at the White House later this week.
• "Syrian and Russian officials on Tuesday rejected an accusation from the White House that Syrian forces were preparing to launch a chemical weapons attack, calling the statement a provocation."
• Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is the latest Republican to voice opposition to the Senate Republican health care bill.
• Google has been fined $2.7 billion by the European Union for "anti-competitive practices."

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Google has been fined $2.7 billion by the European Union for "anti-competitive practices."

Don't Google's misdeeds have a right to be forgotten?

[Anomalous]

Don't be evil.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Hello.

"President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi"

He took the last piece of naan before offering it to someone!

WHY ISN'T CNN COVERING THIS?!?

[pan fried wylie]

You can have my cheese naan when you pry it from my greasy, dead hands.

[Conchfritters]

Anti-competitive? So Bing, Yahoo, and AOL suck, and somehow this is Google's fault? Fuck that action.

[PurityDiluting]

Google puts their shopping in front of other stores' shopping links, and we are collectively too lazy to scroll down to find the other links. So the govt gets to pick their pocket. For the children

[BearOdinson]

I have always gotten a kick out of the idea of "anti-competitive practices". Do they even know what competitive means?

[Citizen X - #6]

No, but they sure do understand how to shake down a wealthy business.

[Rhywun]

"The commission said it was leaving it to Google to determine what alterations should be made to its Shopping service rather than specifying a remedy."

LOL they're not even pretending to practice "justice" over there, are they.

[Citizen X - #6]

They practice social justice, which is the opposite of actual justice.

[Mickey Rat]

Yes they are, it is just that this form of justice is spelled "g-r-a-f-t".

[BYODB]

I find it pretty disgusting that Europe thinks that past misdeeds by people who can afford the most expensive lawyers on the planet should be deleted from the internet so that we little people won't realize how corrupt and full of shit those in power are over there. Or over here, too, I suppose but at least here it's usually a matter of public record.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is the latest Republican to voice opposition to the Senate Republican health care bill.

That's unbelievable. She's still considered Republican?

[Citizen X - #6]

She lives in a sort-of Republic, doesn't she?

[Conchfritters]

When you've lost Susan Collins....

[Citizen X - #6]

Google has been fined $2.7 billion by the European Union for "anti-competitive practices."

It's not their fault Bing is a piece of shit.

[Homple]

^^This.

[BYODB]

Google actually does have a pretty shitty track record of how it treats people that use their service to advertise, but at the same time no one is twisting people's arm to advertise with Google.

I get your point though, in that Bing and other services are a lot worse for a lot of reasons. It's one of the reasons Google is #1, in fact.

[Brandybuck]

People also tend to forget the world before Google. We had search engines, but they were utter crap. Google gave us search engines that worked. Advertisements that weren't in your face. And as far as I know, nothing is stopping anyone else from doing the same.

[Fist of Etiquette]

"Syrian and Russian officials on Tuesday rejected an accusation from the White House that Syrian forces were preparing to launch a chemical weapons attack, calling the statement a provocation."

Provoking a line of red.

[Citizen X - #6]

"Syrian and Russian officials on Tuesday rejected an accusation from the White House that Syrian forces were preparing to launch a chemical weapons attack, calling the statement a provocation."

What's point except baiting'n'inciting in Trump's ME

[BearOdinson]

This is the single most disappointing aspect of Trump so far. He seems to have jumped on the anti-Russia bandwagon. Yes the Syrian government is fucking evil. But ISIS is every bit as evil, and they have networks with connections to many other places. Assad has Russia. That is it.

[Tom Bombadil]

To be fair, Putin is a piece of shit even independent of Assad.

If Donnie's got intelligence about an imminent chem attack, why not expose it in advance to try to prevent it from happening? It's a lot cheaper than punitive missile attacks after the fact.

[David Sock]

Bear you should take a closer look at Syria and Assad. Assad isn't just allied with Russia. There's Iran, Hezbolah and the Iraqi shia militias. And Jeff Sessions is the worst part of Trump so far.

[John DeWitt]

It's like Russia, Syria, ISIS, Hezbollah, and Iran are all bad. My biggest complaint is that we're trying to limit them from killing each other.

[Fist of Etiquette]

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will meet with President Trump at the White House later this week.

One will become the other's spiritual advisor.

[Fist of Etiquette]

President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met yesterday at the White House.

Where the president needled the prime minister about the Paki cricket upset.

[Crusty Juggler is bae.]

This is too perfect, so I assume it is a parody, but even if it is a parody I order each and every one of you to watch: Antifa Opens 'Self-Defense' Training Gym in Chicago (Floral Hats Not Provided)

Antifa says that this self-defense training is designed to provide an alternative to the "hetero-normative, masculine gym culture" that so often dominates physical fitness.

TW: The site is a nightmare.
TW: They look and sound and dress very similar to much loathed Reason commenter MJGreen.

[Citizen X - #6]

There is no way i'm clicking on that.

[Crusty Juggler is bae.]

But you must.

[John DeWitt]

No.

[Crusty Juggler - Sapiosexual]

I gave you an order, Dewitt.

[mad.casual]

I blame Crusty. When I clicked, there were at least three reasons not to read the story he linked;

1. Super Horny Preschool Teacher Chooses Losing Her Job Over Quitting Porn

2. These Are the 'Official Fake Nipples of the Resistance'

3. How glitter boobs became the summer's hottest festival trend

[Meh.]

So if you donate $25 to the cause, you get a magazine/booklet bundle... in addition to the expected Women of Color and Not Straight, Not White, Not Male, the titles pictured include Choose Your Own Consensual Adventure, Plump Up For Hibernation,and How To Talk To Your Cat About Evolution. This has to be some sort of satire.

[Crusty Juggler - Sapiosexual]

This has to be some sort of satire.

Yes, the Indiegogo page is hilarious.

[Meh.]

I do feel bad for laughing, because they seem so earnest about it. Although they have to know, or at least be somewhat aware, that they're not really intimidating. I mean, I had an almost identical hat to the guy in the video... it was my favorite hat, when I was a six-year-old girl.

[Crusty Juggler - Sapiosexual]

Don't feel bad for laughing - it's either a perfect satire, or absolutely ridiculous.

[Citizen X - #6]

NEVER feel bad for laughing at people who deserve it, because how else will they learn that they are ridiculous?

[mad.casual]

This has to be some sort of satire.

On the plus side, they don't seem to be engaged in anything remotely resembling actual violence.

[John DeWitt]

I'm not into the plus side. I don't get why fat asses are a thing...

[Libertarian]

I'm probably the last one here to discover it, but the Sean Spicier (notice the spelling) twitter account is a hilarious parody. It would be funny enough with just the original tweets, but the tweets of anger coming from the leftists who take it as the real thing put it over the top.

[Rhywun]

I'm game...

OK, I remember when 'antifa' overlapped 'skinhead'. When did it instead decide to overlap... whatever these people are?

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

I would never wear such shorts.

[Meh.]

But they're so refreshing!

[Glide]

The program is open to anyone willing to make a donation to the Haymaker cause?though they do say that they won't train anyone who is affiliated with the police, or who supports a right-wing cause.

Shit, not one single right-wing cause? That rules out the 85% of the country that wants to cut government waste.

But I suppose only bringing in the far left is kind of the point for antifas.

[yet another dave]

Google should just block all address' from Europe Bringland because the brexited...

[yet another dave]

...except....

[Crusty Juggler is bae.]

A FOURTH great white shark is found dead after its liver was removed 'with surgical precision' in latest sign that killer whales are targeting the fish for the nutrient-rich organ

Experts believe orcas are purely removing and feasting on the organ which is rich in a compound called squalene.

[BearOdinson]

This is unpossible! Humans are the only animals that hunt for sport and waste the flesh of prey! It is known.

[Conchfritters]

Did the orca wash it down with a nice chianti?

[John DeWitt]

Of course not. You just can't get a decent Chianti outside of Italy.

[Brandybuck]

I suspect they aren't using the term "surgical precision" in the manner the dictionary recommends.

[BYODB]

Indeed. I suspect the incision is more like a whale-sized chomp. If it isn't, I'm going with 'crazy shark hunting humans hired by George Soros to fuel his immortality machine'.

[Crusty Juggler is bae.]

Screw the Ritz! 'They Don't Like Black People'

Leslie Jones
?
@Lesdoggg

Wow was such a great night at the BET awards. But then had THE WORST STAY @RitzCarlton DO NOT STAY THERE!! THEY DONT LIKE BLACK PEOPLE!!
5:05 PM - 26 Jun 2017

She seems fun.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Did she reenact the scene in Beverly Hills Cop when Axel Foley went all racism in the hotel?

[David Sock]

Rufus, how much do you pay for health insurance in Canada?

[Rufus The Monocled]

The system pays for it. Single payer and all that.

I *can* get additional health plans for a bunch of other stuff not related to the surgeries etc.

My wife gets hers (shitty plan) through her work as a teacher. I've been shopping around for my place of business. It can be expensive. In the neighborhood of $1100 (minus dental) a month for 10 employees. Something like that. I forget the details.

[David Sock]

1100 for 10 employees doesn't seem bad. My wife is now insured through her employer but her premium was $400 or so a month when she wasn't employed. She's got a preexisting condition (bipoloar manic depression) and needs pretty expensive prescription medications or she would fall into psychosis. One of her medications for depression isn't covered so she buys it from India. It's $150 for three months worth from India but was $1000 a month to buy the same medicine here in America. She is so much better since taking this medicine from India for the depression.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Ouch. Good luck!

Medication is pretty cheap here - ironically stuff made in the USA/EU.

[Citizen X - #6]

I saw one of her standup specials once. The audience seemed mostly terrified.

[John DeWitt]

They kept referring to her sequoia-esque size in Masterminds. Bleh movie, but calling her `sir` a lot was pretty humorous.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I never realized it before, but on the Twitters, does everyone write like Trump?

[Citizen X - #6]

No. Many are worse.

[Juice]

Sad.

[John DeWitt]

Didn't realize Trump owned Ritz, too.

[Citizen X - #6]

Trump LOVES Ritz. He likes to eat them on the side with his well-done steak.

[John DeWitt]

I thought he only ate them if sprinkled on top of his taco bowl...

[Citizen X - #6]

The Ritz are topped with store-brand spray cheese and the steak is dipped in ketchup. Hunt's, not Heinz.

[Conchfritters]

Not my President

[Crusty Juggler - Sapiosexual]

Trump LOVES Ritz.

I thought he was a Cheeto man.

[Rhywun]

Did she bother to elaborate? Ah f--k it, I don't care.

[Tom Bombadil]

"THEY DONT LIKE BLACK PEOPLE!!"

No, they don't like you, and you happen to be black. They would dislike you even more if you pulled your lame schtick and you were white.

[Azathoth!!]

It's because they expect you to sleep in a bed--instead of on a tire swing.

[Crusty Juggler is bae.]

Substitute teacher, 24, arrested for 'having sex with 17-year-old student multiple times in a car and his home'

Loryn Barclay of Washburn, Missouri, allegedly had oral sex with the teen in his car and on multiple occasions between November 2016 and January 2017 at his home in while she worked as a substitute teacher at Monett High School in Lawrence County, reported The Monett Times.

She also reportedly admitted having intercourse with him twice at his home, said the outlet.

On Sunday, she was charged with six counts of sexual contact with a student in two counties

[Rufus The Monocled]

Wow. I would hardly consider that a crime. Seven years difference at 24-17? Even 24 year-olds are immature. My front door neighbour is immature and she's 28!

Ruin a life and career over that? Sad.

[BearOdinson]

Seriously. Putting aside the inanity of ages of consent in some states, why should teachers who have "consensual" sex with students be facing worse criminal charges than any other adult? (I realize that the whole thing of age of consent defines that students under this age can't legally consent.) And it was the school resource officer who got tipped off. Another reason to get the fucking cops out of schools!

BTW: The age of consent in Missouri is 17. Perhaps she should be fired. But put in jail?? Does a camp counselor get the same treatment?

And WOULD!!

[BearOdinson]

I just found MRS Section 566.086.1

There are already laws in Missouri for adults having sexual contact with children and those under the age of consent. The only reason this law exists would be to prosecute teachers who screw around with 17 and 18 year olds. And the law specifically states that student consent is not a defense for this law. So anyone employed by the school (even a secretary, a volunteer cafeteria worker, student teacher, etc.) cannot touch an adult high school student or its a FELONY.

I expect this prudishness in my state of KS (it is one of the few things I dislike about it here). But I thought Missouri was the "show-me" state?

[Conchfritters]

I have a feeling a cell phone was involved. I'm sure the "victim" was told he was full of shit when he told his buddies he tapped the smoking hot teachers aide, and then he probably whipped out his iPhone and showed everyone the evidence.

[John DeWitt]

When's the medal ceremony for the kid?

[Citizen X - #6]

His hand is getting sore from all the high fives from other kids.

[PurityDiluting]

It's nice that the UK has someone covering this beat, but the story should have been on page 3

[Crusty Juggler - Sapiosexual]

Sex behind bars: Unsupervised visits at Rikers Island prompt new questions

Remember, it's the private prisons - and only the private prisons - that are a problem.

[Crusty Juggler - Sapiosexual]

This is old news, but new to me: This law would require stylists to look for signs of domestic abuse

State legislators have introduced a bill that would mandate that hair stylists, nail technicians and skin-care specialists receive training to help them identify the signs of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

Modeled on a new Illinois law, the measure would encourage beauticians to offer guidance to victimized customers without ?being invasive.

[Meh.]

This is brilliant, just like training flight attendants to look for sex traffickers. What could possibly go wrong?

[Crusty Juggler - Sapiosexual]

Report on your fellow citizens - it's the law!

[Crusty Juggler - Sapiosexual]

Under the proposal, hairdressers, nail-salon workers, skin-care specialists and other beauticians would not be able to renew their state licenses or apply for a new one without the domestic-violence training. To obtain a state cosmetology license, stylists and nail specialists must complete a 1,000-hour course, pass written and practice tests approved by the state and pay $80 in fees.

[Rhywun]

1000 hours?! That's like a four-year college degree.

[Necron 99]

Only takes 700 hours to become a police officer in Texas, just saying...

[BearOdinson]

And that is why stylists (and nail techs, etc.) need to be trained for so long and licensed by the state!

QED

[Rhywun]

Why not go the extra step and just make them all state employees.

[John DeWitt]

At the very least, we should just pay the state for the service and the state can take care of the stylists.

[Troy muy grande boner]

So when is Reason gonna throw Shika under the bus for fake news? McMinn CNN did it. And u have more integrity than them?

[Tom Bombadil]

Getting "thrown under the bus" implies the person getting thrown is getting a raw deal. I think "getting the ax" fits better.

[Stormy Dragon]

Short Circuit: A roundup of recent federal court decisions

Veteran coal miner believes biometric hand scanning, a newly introduced measure to track miners' work hours, puts him in league with the Antichrist. He retires rather than submit to such scans. EEOC: The company failed to accommodate his sincere religious beliefs. Fourth Circuit: Pay him back wages but no need for punitive damages.

I'm sure all the anti gay cake people are going to be outraged by this violation of the mining company's freedom of association.

[Stormy Dragon]

Also, the Eight Circuit ruling is wrong, but I'm a terrible person, so this made me laugh:

Rancher tells officer looking for missing cattle that "if you can step foot on [my] property, mister, you're not going to be walking away." North Dakota jury: Which was not a true threat but protected free speech. Eighth Circuit: The officer's subsequent tasing of the rancher did not constitute excessive force.

[Stormy Dragon]

This made me laugh too, but not because I'm a terrible person:

Peoria, Ill., police officer interviewing for specialty assignment (pursuing asset forfeitures) declines to answer any questions until she has read aloud a "nine-page manifesto." She does not get the gig. Seventh Circuit: She may not press her sex-discrimination or other claims.

[mad.casual]

all the anti gay cake people

You mean The Gay Lobby?

[Citizen X - #6]

The Gay Lobby would be a pretty good name for a certain type of bar.

[Stormy Dragon]

Steakhouse or Gay Bar?

[Citizen X - #6]

Damn, i did not do well on that quiz. But i am hungry for steak now.

[Zeb]

Yeah, "steak".

[Zeb]

I got bored and didn't finish the quiz. How they hell are you supposed to have a clue what "Charlie's" is?

[Stormy Dragon]

How they hell are you supposed to have a clue what "Charlie's" is?

I think that is the whole point.

[Citizen X - #6]

"The Gothic Castle, please."

"The Gothic Asshole?"

"Yes, that's what i said."

[mad.casual]

I got 'The Boiler Room'. I know the 'boiler room' restaurants in Chicago and they may be hipster-gay, but they aren't gay bars. I strongly suspect there is no wrong/right answer for several of these. I can't imagine 'Room', 'Roast', and 'La Cabana' aren't both Steakhouse *and* Gay Bar (and Mexican restaurant and...).

Are two types of jokes. One sort goes on being funny forever. Other sort is funny once.
Second time it's dull. This joke is second sort. Use it once, you're a wit. Use twice, you're a halfwit. -Mannie

I'd assume 'impliment it as a webpage' is worse than using it a second time.

[Dillinger]

>>>Google has been fined $2.7 billion by the European Union

Nothin' shakin' on Shakedown Street...

[Conchfritters]

You've just gotta poke around.

[Glide]

Can someone put on their European socialist hat for a moment, pretend that it makes sense to regulate search engines, and explain to me why it is fine for a search engine to take money to feature others' search results but totally evil for a search engine to feature search results that make their own company money?