A.M. Links: Trump to Speak at FBI Graduation, Rubio 'No' Vote Casts Doubt on Fate of GOP Tax Bill, ABC Fires Mario Batali Over Sexual Misconduct Allegations

• 

  Gage Skidmore / Flickr.com

  President Donald Trump will speak to the graduating class at the FBI's National Academy today.

• Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) says he will vote "no" on the GOP tax bill. A Senate vote on the bill could come as early as Monday.
• Massive wildfires continue to wreak havoc in southern California.
• The Russian Parliament has set March 18, 2018, as the date for that country's presidential election.
• ABC has fired celebrity chef Mario Batali over allegations of sexual misconduct.
• The NYPD is reportedly investigating multiple sexual misconduct allegations, including rape, made against hip hop mogul Russell Simmons.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and don't forget to sign up for Reason's daily updates for more content.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) says he will vote "no" on the GOP tax bill.

Not enough free money.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Hello.

Yeh, I'm pretty sure Batali isn't the only celebrity chef that's going to be targeted. My Spidey senses is starting to induce a skeptical Bugs Bunny raised eyebrow.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

I'm more surprised that it was Batali and not Gordon Ramsey.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Or Bourdain.

[Zeb]

I'd be a little surprised if there is any chef that doesn't have something like that in their closet.

In the brief report I heard about Batali, his response was quoted as "yeah. that sounds like me". Which made me chuckle.

[Rufus The Monocled]

What annoys me is now people like Bourdain saying stupid shit like 'I didn't realize and should have done more'. Fuck off. Everyone knows what they sign up for - including women. Over the years I've been close enough to people in the industry and lemme tell ya, it wasn't always forced.

So guys like Bourdain probably enjoyed himself drinking like a fish and fucking like a rabbit. So spare me.

[Crusty Juggler]

Everyone knows what they sign up for - including women

ok.

[Citizen X - #6]

If Rufus had a loonie for every time he got molested in a walk-in, he'd be able to retire already.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Don't misread what I meant there.

[Illocust]

You're probably right. Celebrity chefs are easily replaceable from a network perspective. Their fans don't stan them enough to throw up a fuss if you toss them and replace.

[Curt]

What the hell is going on here?!?!?!!?!? How did all of you people get on here and comment? And, for that matter, how the hell are there morning links today? I read that the internet died yesterday.

[Crusty Juggler]

Curt, we aren't people.

[Curt]

In that case, I'll follow the white rabbit and take the red pill.

[Mike Laursen]

This isn't the Internet. How did you get in here?

[Domestic Dissident]

Trump pledges to whittle federal regulations back down to 1960 levels.

Do it Mr. TrumpMonster! Repeal them all, one by one, or a hundred by a hundred.

[MP]

And WaPo's response? The piles built for the PR shot's were not to the proper scale.

I mean, of all the "misrepresentations" to go after, that has to be the lamest attack of them all.

[Red Tony]

Reporter: Okay boss I have that story about how Trump wants to slash regulations.
Editor: Good, good...now what's he lying about that we can slam him on?
Reporter: Well he's not gonna cut regulations down to 1960 size, and he probably wants to keep a whole bunch of them, and we can always say that these regulations help the poor and minorities especially since the Civil Rights Act is arguably a bundle of post-1960 regulations, and?
Editor: Wait a second. I know what a bunch of paper looks like?how many pages did you say that stack was supposed to be?
Reporter: Um, something like uh, 185,000?
Editor: That's more than 185,000 pages. We got him now!
Reporter: ...um, sir, are you sure that's the best idea? I mean, I don't really think that an exaggeration in the image is?
Editor: We got him now!
Reporter: Well I mean if it has to be the paper we can point out that that's a huge amount of environmental waste just for a photo op and?
Editor: We got him now!
Reporter: ...yes sir.

[Palin's Buttplug]

He is lying again.

He promised a wall, a Muslim ban, the greatest health care in the world, blah blah blah lie.

[Rebel Scum]

wall, a Muslim ban, the greatest health care in the world

1) Needs funding from congress, not his fault.
2) Was never a promise.
3) Again, requires legislation. Also, I believe the promise was to repeal and replace the ppaca.

[Palin's Buttplug]

No. Wrong.

Real deregulation requires legislation>

Here is an example from a real deregulation president:

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=30038

(Senate bill 2493)

[Domestic Dissident]

He was telling the truth when he humiliated your dumb ass by pointing out that the photo you tweeted out was a misrepresentation and fake news, and he's telling the truth that he's going to repeal a lot more regulations.

You lose again, cuntface.

[Red Tony]

Did it really take you almost an hour to come up with that one?

[Fist of Etiquette]

President Donald Trump will speak to the graduating class at the FBI's National Academy today.

Well, only Nixon could go to China.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Massive wildfires continue to wreak havoc in southern California.

The fire's pension fund is benefit defined.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Russian Parliament has set March 18, 2018, as the date for that country's presidential election.

So start your fake news assault on Russian Facebook now. #revenge

[Conchfritters]

I would start spamming Russian message boards, but I don't speak ???????.

[Bee Tagger]

Guy Pierce thinks my comment was first.

[Fist of Etiquette]

ABC has fired celebrity chef Mario Batali over allegations of sexual misconduct.

He groped a chicken breast.

[Roger the Shrubber]

He tea-bagged a suitcase: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DQxq4qmV4AA0iML.jpg

What happened to Reasonable?

[Citizen X - #6]

It is gone where the woodbine twineth.

[Roger the Shrubber]

Well, that makes this comment board about impossible to follow.

[Fist of Etiquette]

You're forced to see my comments now!

[Roger the Shrubber]

I considered filtering you so I could get first comment, but I decided it wasn't that important to me.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Important enough to consider. You're down in the muck with the rest of us, whether you'll admit it to yourself or not.

[Roger the Shrubber]

12.15.17 @ 9:17AM was the exact moment when I first considered it and by then, it was too late.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The NYPD is reportedly investigating multiple sexual misconduct allegations, including rape, made against hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons.

Well, now we know truly no one is safe.

[Libertarian]

I thought that was one of the bennies of being a hip-hop mogul. Who's going to want to be one now?

[Conchfritters]

"Hey all you bitches, yeah I'm talking to you"

"We want to fuck you Eazy!"

"I want to fuck you too!"

Clearly no one associated with NWA. (RIP Eazy E)

[Bee Tagger]

The Russian Parliament has set March 18, 2018, as the date for that country's presidential election.

What's their facebook? I'm gonna have some ad-buyin' money to spend after Christmas this year.

[Bee Tagger]

President Donald Trump will speak to the graduating class at the FBI's National Academy today.

For an extra 14.99/minute the FCC will let you stream this online

[Timrekgrun]

Dude haven't you read the hashtag? The Internet is dead now.

[Libertarian]

"President Donald Trump will speak to the graduating class at the FBI's National Academy today."

The joke's on him. They already have a copy of his speech.

[Citizen X - #6]

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) says he will vote "no" on the GOP tax bill. A Senate vote on the bill could come as early as Monday.

Not enough Aquafina subsidies?

[Mickey Rat]

He is trying to get in his quota of grandstanding for 2017.

[Domestic Dissident]

This "sexual harassment" crusade is rapidly turning into the biggest witch hunt in two generations.

Pretty soon, every guy who ever sent a naughty text to a woman at any point in his life is going to be in danger of having his life ruined. It's as though Elizabeth Nolan Brown somehow became supreme empress of the world or something.

[Libertarian]

"Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) says he will vote "no" on the GOP tax bill. A Senate vote on the bill could come as early as Monday."

Unlike Flake and Corker, he's threatening to vote "no" because he wants more tax credits. Flake and Corker are worried about the bill adding to the deficit. This, after voting for a budget that adds about a trillion to the debt.

[sarcasmic]

PICTURED: Drugs 'Queenpin' behind multi-million dollar weed 'fortress' is busted 'netting a fortune and using it to fund lavish lifestyle' as a respected mom in upscale California neighborhood

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....ation.html

And here I thought Weeds was fiction.

[sarcasmic]

'You're hurting me!' Pensioner is dragged to jail by police after 'falling behind on her rent' ? just days before her 94th birthday

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....amera.html

Heroes *swoon*

[MP]

I wouldn't be a good libertarian if I had sympathy for a squatter. At least they didn't shoot her cat.

[sarcasmic]

I wouldn't be a good libertarian if I had sympathy for a squatter. At least they didn't shoot her cat.

ftfy

[Rebel Scum]

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) says he will vote "no" on the GOP tax bill. A Senate vote on the bill could come as early as Monday.

Team Stupid is determined to be a perpetual minority party that gets to pretend to believe in small gov't.

[Ken Shultz]

I suspect he's just angling for influence ahead of the last round of negotiations.

Threats are something chicks and politicians do when they realize they aren't going to get their way.

[I am the 0.000000013%]

:O

[Ken Shultz]

Chalk another libertarian accomplishment up for Donald Trump:

"Trump Job Cuts at Education Department Worry Civil-Rights Advocates"

"The government office that responds to such issues as sexual harassment and racial discrimination is losing significant numbers of employees"

----Wall Street Journal

https://tinyurl.com/y8t775c3

P.S. I'm sure there are people here who would think that smaller government was a libertarian thing--if only Donald Trump weren't responsible for it. There are stupid people everywhere.

[Mickey Rat]

These things do get in the way of the narrative that Trump is an inveterate authoritarian.

[Rebel Scum]

People keep calling him a fascist, but he keeps doing the opposite of what fascists do. Strange world we are living in.

[Palin's Buttplug]

No. Fascists promote ethnic/racial superiority via government authoritarians. He fits the mold.

Although on a fascist scale he is on the low end compared to the European ones of 20th century.

[Rebel Scum]

Fascism
often capitalized : a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition

1) Trump is not a racist or racial supremacist. You do a great disservice to your side by trying to perpetuate that myth. Not that I care. I'm just tired of baseless accusations.
2) Dismantling the regulatory state and deferring to the legislative body is the opposite of fascism. In fact, it is your Team Blue cohorts that fit the mold of fascism.

[Palin's Buttplug]

a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual

What is it about "white nationalism" that you do not understand?

[Rebel Scum]

What is it about words that you do not understand? Trump is not a white nationalist.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Trump is not a white nationalist.

There is no point debating you when you deny the obvious.

[Rebel Scum]

There is no point in debating you when you make evidence-free accusations.

[Palin's Buttplug]

In fact, the name of Trump/Bannon's movement "White Nationalism" is pure fascism.

[Will M.]

It's sad that you lie so effortlessly.

[eyeroller]

Jobs come and jobs go, but the government keeps on growin'.

[Hank Stamper]

The Russian Parliament has set March 18, 2018, as the date for that country's presidential election.

- You misspelled coronation.

[Crusty Juggler]

ABC has fired celebrity chef Mario Batali over allegations of sexual misconduct.

I swear I just told her to suck my croc!

[Stormy Dragon]

Trump announces the purges are beginning:

Trump Says People Are 'Angry' About FBI, He'll 'Rebuild' It

[Palin's Buttplug]

Trump won't rule out Flynn pardon

http://thehill.com/homenews/ad.....ynn-pardon

Fire Mueller, pardon admitted felon Flynn,,,,

This shit will blow up on his fat mug.

[Palin's Buttplug]

btw, I remember when Charles Barkley was a Republican considering a run for governor in Alabama.

that was before the GOP went batshit crazy.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Brazen (hot) mom made millions growing pot in guarded warehouse near police headquarters, cops say

http://www.miamiherald.com/new.....86049.html

"free" country? What bullshit.

[Citizen X - #6]

I see shreek is off his meds again.

[Kivlor]

Andrea Ramsey to quit bid for US House Seat in Kansas due to sexual harassment suit.

Andrea Ramsey, a Democratic candidate for Congress, will drop out of the race after The Kansas City Star asked her about accusations in a 2005 lawsuit that she sexually harassed and retaliated against a male subordinate who said he had rejected her advances.

A few more of these and the feminists will start to sing a different tune about "Listen and believe". If they actually get national attention that is.

[Citizen X - #6]

True gender equality at last!