Day 2 of Impeachment Trial Ends With Impassioned Dem Plea for Witness Testimony

Plus: Brexit is finally (for real!) going to happen, Bernie Sanders surges in the polls, and a peaceful Virginia gun rights rally was apparently violent all along

The second day of the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump concluded yesterday with calls for witnesses—and with tweets, so many tweets, from the commander-in-chief himself.

"More emails are going to come out. More witnesses are going to come forward. They're going to have more relevant information to share. And the only question is, do you want to hear it now? Do you want to know the full truth?" said Rep. Adam Schiff (D–Calif.), one of the House impeachment managers, in a plea for allowing witnesses to testify in the Senate trial.

The Senate rules for the impeachment trial, approved by a party-line vote Tuesday, put off the question of whether witnesses will be called, or White House documents demanded, until after House impeachment managers have completed their 24 hours of opening statements and Senators have had a chance to ask them questions.

The possibility that we might get to hear what key administration figures—such as former National Security Advisor John Bolton and acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney—knew about Trump's Ukraine dealings offers one of the few chances that the ongoing Senate trial will produce new information.

Private talks about allowing Democrats' requests for Bolton or Mulvaney to testify in exchange for allowing Republicans to call Hunter Biden as a witness have reportedly gotten nowhere. Senate Democrats are obviously concerned about giving GOP senators an opportunity to bloody Hunter's father, former vice president and current Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Absent additional testimony, the ongoing Senate trial is a re-run of arguments congressional Democrats and Republicans have been making for months.

Democrats spent yesterday reiterating their case that President Donald Trump abused his power by withholding military aid to Ukraine until the country announced an investigation into Hunter Biden's business dealings there. Republicans have stuck to their guns, pointing out that the aid was eventually released and arguing that Trump has every right to ask for investigations into possible corruption.

"Number one, temporarily delaying military aid is not illegal and it's not an impeachable offense," said Sen. Ted Cruz (R–Rexas) on his new daily Verdict podcast, where he gabs about the trial with Michael Knowles. "Number two, asking a foreign country to engage in an investigation is not illegal on its face and it's not an impeachable offense."

A party-line vote acquitting the president appears more likely by the day.

The president meanwhile spent yesterday setting social media records by tweeting a total of 131 times. Most of this consisted of retweeting Republican members of Congress either arguing against impeachment or praising Trump's success on the economy.

So again, more of the same.

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FREE MARKETS

Speaking of long-running political dramas that are drawing to a close, the British Parliament approved a Brexit deal Wednesday evening. The country will finally leave the E.U. by the end of the month.

"At times it felt like we would never cross the Brexit finish line, but we've done it. Now we can put the rancor and division of the past three years behind us and focus on delivering a bright, exciting future," said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The vote came after the House of Commons rejected a number of amendments to the Brexit deal offered by the House of Lords. The Wall Street Journal reports that European leaders are set to sign off on the deal by Friday.

The vote comes nearly four years after the contentious referendum in which Britain voted to leave the E.U.

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ELECTION 2020

The Democratic presidential primary is starting to look like a two-man race between Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I–Vt.). A new survey of likely New Hampshire primary voters conducted by WBUR, Boston's National Public Radio affiliate, put Sanders' support at 29 percent in the state.

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg fell to second place with 17 percent. Biden dropped all the way down to third place in the WBUR poll, earning support from just 14 percent of respondents.

The RealClearPolitics poll averages still have Biden in first place nationally. He's also top of the pack in the early voting states of Iowa, Nevada, and South Carolina. In each of those states except South Carolina, Sanders is coming in a close second place, making the idea of the Vermont socialist actually winning the nomination more plausible.

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QUICK HITS

• A GQ writer declares that Monday's Virginia gun right rally was really violent after all, even though the demonstrators were entirely peaceful.
• Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D–Hawaii) offers some more thoughts on her defamation lawsuit against Hillary Clinton.

My statement on defamation lawsuit against Hillary Clinton. https://t.co/HJ4x6OqXCN #StandWithTulsi pic.twitter.com/WQChk5gLgy

— Tulsi Gabbard ???? (@TulsiGabbard) January 23, 2020

• The dating app Tinder plans to spice things up by adding a panic button that will let people call the cops on their date.
• Chinese authorities have locked down three more cities in an effort to contain the spread of a deadly coronavirus.
• A California bill that would legalize more housing development near transit stops and job centers suffered a setback yesterday when a number of "equity groups" announced their opposition to the bill.

As the deadline to advance #SB50 nears, there's new opposition:
1. Sen. @HollyJMitchell told constituents over the weekend she was opposed.
2. A coalition of equity groups — @Western_Center, @All4Transit — that has been negotiating for more than year announced opposition today.

— Liam Dillon (@dillonliam) January 23, 2020

• One person is dead and seven others were injured following a shooting in downtown Seattle.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

...and with tweets, so many tweets, from the commander-in-chief himself.

Hashtag: #impeachykeen

[Rufus The Monocled]

Hello.

Talia Lavin gets to be published in GQ? Wow. What a shithole that rag has become. Arranging guns in a Nazi symbol is cute.

But she's not fooling us. Her flock are the real Nazis.

[Griffin3]

To my sorrow, I must admit having read the entire article. And despite the title, there is not a single example of actual violence. Just fear and superstitious belief in averted, imaginary possibilities.

The closest was a crowd so tightly packed, that a reporter was knocked in the chest with a gun barrel. Still not violence.

[Enjoy Every Sandwich]

Well, gee, you don't expect her to actually get to know any gun owners or have any idea what she's talking about? Hey, those gun owners are icky and stuff! Some of them even go to church!

[Fist of Etiquette]

"More emails are going to come out. More witnesses are going to come forward. They're going to have more relevant information to share. And the only question is, do you want to hear it now? Do you want to know the full truth?"

READ THE TRANSCRIPT.

[Conchfritters]

More emails are going to come out?? Does he mean more tweets are going to come out? Is the House Intelligence Chairperson even familiar with the President’s preferred communication medium?

[JesseAz]

Schiff will purposefully mislead on the new emails just like he did with the Parnas "mr Z" texts.

By the way... Schiff continues to dismiss any calls for Hunter Biden under the guise that even a valid investigation into political corruption is in reality an invalid one. It is a weird an desperate argument to make.

[JesseAz]

And hopefully these are the emails he was referring to:

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/laura-ingraham-shows-emails-tying-alleged-ukraine-whistleblower-to-obama-white-house-meeting-on-burisma

[loveconstitution1789]

I was just over at the NYT trying to comment on some stupid article about Trump giving up Alaska. It was all Lefty echo chamber as one could expect. I posted a comment with some Libertarian observations over 3 hours ago.

It was moderated and never approved.

I didnt think it was that bad over there but it is. They are literally, not approving dissenting comments.

Makes sense that NYT Propagandists are fully on board with protecting every Democrat and going after Trump as much as they can think of lies.

[JesseAz]

They and wapo both do it when Volokh was at wapo the moderation became very left oriented.

[loveconstitution1789]

Thanks for the heads up.

Lefties not seeing Trump beat Hillary all makes sense when you see those echo chambers. They don't even see what's coming.

[BigT]

That’s why we need our trolls. They are like canaries in the coal mine.....

.....

....bird brains!

[Fist of Etiquette]

A GQ writer declares that Monday's Virginia gun right rally was really violent after all, even though the demonstrators were entirely peaceful.

Delicate sensibilities were assaulted.

[Ra's al Gore]

Your speech is violence. Our violence is speech.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

The fatass who wrote that article is Talia Lavin, who's most notable achievement is resigning from the New Yorker after she chased a rumor and ended up sliming an ICE employee as having a Nazi tattoo, which ended up not being the case.

She's supposedly an "expert" in "right-wing extremism," so she has a clear interest in pushing narratives for clickbait.

[Sevo]

If you bother to waste time reading even it part of it, you'll recognize the theme immediately:
'We know they're conspiring since they've hidden the evidence of the conspiracy so well!'

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

I'm actually heartened that Lavin is aware enough to get the message that if she and her fellow leftists push too hard, they're going to reap what they sow. They SHOULD be absolutely terrified of the potential consequences of promoting their hoplophobia as government policy, the same way people should have pushed back hard against the Prohibitionists instead of passing a fucking amendment banning alcohol production and distribution.

[loveconstitution1789]

+1000

[loveconstitution1789]

NYU Cancels Former New Yorker Fact-Checker Talia Lavin’s Journalism Class

Ah, just like Robby Soave, she is a self-proclaimed 'expert' and nothing in the CV supports that claim.

[TrickyVic (old school)]

""New York University has canceled an undergraduate journalism class that former New Yorker fact-checker Talia Lavin was scheduled to teach this fall after only two students signed up.

The decision to hire Lavin to teach the elective, “Reporting on the Far Right,” had drawn criticism since she resigned her New Yorker position last June after falsely accusing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent of having a Nazi tattoo.""

So NYU has a class called Reporting on the Far Right? I'm sure they also have a class called Reporting on the Far Left, you know, for balance. Not.

It's good to known that only two people signed up for it.

[BigT]

Reporting on libertarians is standing room only!

[GroundTruth]

Their speech was violence. If I had written like that in 10th grade English, Mrs. Hodge would have returned a heavily marked up paper - and not good marks.

[Ra's al Gore]

The Democratic presidential primary is starting to look like a two-man race between Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I–Vt.).

So this is where Reason, which opposes socialism and gulags, talks about what the Bernie Bros have said on video?

[OpenBordersLiberal-tarian]

FAKE SCANDAL

[OpenBordersLiberal-tarian]

DECEPTIVELY EDITED VIDEOS

[JesseAz]

I can't wait for the end of the DNC race when Biden pulls off his mask to reveal it is really Hillary Clinton.

[loveconstitution1789]

He already has! HAHAHA.

They are both old white men who hate America's freedoms.

[BearOdinson]

"And I would have gotten away with it too. If it wasn't for those meddling kids! And their dumb dog!"

[LeaveTrumpAloneLibertarian]

Yeah, it’s too bad Dear Leader is so unpopular with members of the general public outside the Trumpian buttsuckers who post here that he’s running neck-and-neck with an old Jewish octogenarian and apologist for the Soviet Union. Don’t these sheeple know all the wonderful things Dear Leader has done to the children?

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Yeah, it’s too bad Dear Leader is so unpopular with members of the general public outside the Trumpian buttsuckers who post here that he’s running neck-and-neck with an old Jewish octogenarian and apologist for the Soviet Union.

Talking about Biden, you slack-jawed hicklib?

[loveconstitution1789]

HAHAHA. Poor Lefties.

Political processes have consequences!

Trump wont be removed from office. Trump will be reelected in 2020. The GOP will gain seats in the US Senate. Census 2020 will take House seats from Blue states and give them to Red states.

[Rev. Arthur L. Kirkland]

Just not enough bigoted slack-jaws left in America to keep Republicans in power. Cranky old clingers die off every day and are replaced in our electorate by younger, better Americans. The deplorable backwaters are emptying, with nothing more than a depleted human residue and a couple of revival meeting shacks left.

[Mickey Rat]

The Democratic House Managers: "The case we have against Trump is unassailable on his guilt!"

Also the Democratic House Managers: "We need more evidence to make our case against Trump"

[Bearded Spock]

Like the Kavanaugh hearings, it has been instructive to see Reason ignore the obvious holes in the Democrat's case because it might interfere with the precious "Orange Man Bad" narrative.

[loveconstitution1789]

+100

[BigT]

Yeah, the most recent Reazun Podcast had the crew praising Sullum’s writings! TDS is more deadly than SARS.

[MasterThief]

I listened to that today. Just kept saying "wtf." They are all deluded and Gillespie is at best skeptical of some of the insanity.

[Enjoy Every Sandwich]

Gee, I wonder why the Democrats sent the impeachment articles over if they don't have the evidence yet? Isn't gathering the evidence sorta "step one"?

[loveconstitution1789]

Even if you consider the House Articles of Impeachment as an Indictment, even indictments require some probable cause to back them up.

This impeachment is purely political and it should have been immediately dismissed by the GOP for purely political reasons.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D–Hawaii) offers some more thoughts on her defamation lawsuit against Hillary Clinton.

The thoughts are that should anything happen to the congresswoman a letter will be sent with incriminating evidence.

[Conchfritters]

She can call Debbie Wasserman Schmutzhead as a hostile witness.

[Publius Decius Mus]

Tulsi Gabbard didn't kill herself

[Horatio Cornblower]

Ha!

[JFree]

Tulsi has proven that her campaign had nothing to do with the foreign policy principles she espouses. Or she's really dumb/lazy.

She didn't think there would be pushback from the establishment? An establishment that, by the very assumption of the policy she advocates, is so unethical that it will lie to get us involved in perpetual murder? And when that establishment does something remarkably tame, the only thing she can do is get distracted and make it about her instead?

Walter Russell Mead describes that non-interventionist impulse among Americans as 'Jeffersonian'. He decries its loss of influence over the past decades because that group USED TO be a)better at understanding the rest of the world cuz they didn't have the primary agenda of bombing them, selling them shit, or changing their values and b)had a positive clear focus about what transitioning from a foreign focus to a domestic focus would mean.

Course the reason they've lost influence is precisely because they (that goes for Ron Paul, GJ, and now Tulsi) no longer have either that skill or that diligence.

[BigT]

Now I realize that JFre is the Russkie agent. It all makes sense!

[Fist of Etiquette]

The dating app Tinder plans to spice things up by adding a panic button that will let people call the cops on their date.

My safe word is harder.

[Bearded Spock]

Pro tip: never, ever use "Oh yeah!" as a safe word.

[Jerryskids]

And make sure they understand the difference between "Don't. Stop." and "Don't stop." I can't tell you the number of times I've been embarrassed by that particular faux pas.

[ErictheRed]

Fox Paws.

Now there's a safe word.

[OpenBordersLiberal-tarian]

Major new Drumpf scandal!

We all know Orange Hitler literally started World War 3 in Iran to distract from impeachment. But did you know the beloved Iranian guy was the victim of HOMICIDE???

There's a federal law that specifically prohibits "murder or manslaughter of foreign officials." Former CIA lawyer Vicki Divoll says Trump broke that law when he authorized the killing of Soleimani. The Soleimani hit was a homicide, she argues.

This is even worse than when the US killed that ISIS guy without informing Pelosi beforehand.

#ImpeachAndRemove

[Idle Hands]

Why haven't they impeached him for this?

[Sevo]

They're too busy impeaching him for beating that hag in the election.

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

I love how she keeps reminding people why she lost just by opening her mouth and commenting on this election. God, she is insufferable.

[loveconstitution1789]

Goes to show how bad unreason staff are.

Trump beat Hillary because Hillary was the WORST. unreason still wanted Hillary over Trump.

[BigT]

And if she HAD gone to Wisconsin she would have lost thousands more Badger votes. Ditto Michigan, Pennsylvania, etc

[IceTrey]

Is there a federal law that prohibits the killing of US citizens vis a vis Obama?

[BigT]

No, but there are 50 state laws, one in DC, and all the territories.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

I'm surprised the irony of a CIA employee asserting the illegality of the assassination of foreign officials didn't throw the Earth off its axis.

[LeaveTrumpAloneLibertarian]

Yeah, now if only they suicide bomb Mike Pompeo everything will be hunky-dory.

[loveconstitution1789]

Union membership falls to record low of 10.3 percent

[Ryan (formally HTT)]

local news, and potentially orange man good, can't have that

[loveconstitution1789]

Seattle is the first area in the US where residents can vote via smartphones

If you cannot get off your ass and vote in person so we can make sure its 1 vote- one person, then fuck this experiment.

[Mickey Rat]

There is no possible way that is not a moral hazard for voter fraud.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

I suspect that's the point.

[Spiritus Mundi]

End of the secret ballot.

[mamabug]

I wonder what the remediation will be when someone's 4 year old accidentally votes thinking it's a new game.

[BigT]

Maybe some slick coder will develop such a game and get a million more votes for Donald.

I’ll start the gofundme page.

[mamabug]

Realistically, in King County, it will be someone getting a million more votes for Bernie. Or an epic write in campaign for AOC.

[Gray_Jay]

So Maria Cantwell's election in 2000, 2.0.

Voter fraud ought to be one of the very few capital federal crimes.

[ElvisIsReal]

We've been doing mail ballots for like a decade, so they aren't getting off their ass to vote regardless.

[loveconstitution1789]

The Miami Herald Cuts 70 Jobs and Closes Its Printing Plant

HAHAHA. Better learn to code.

[OpenBordersLiberal-tarian]

More bad economic news.

Drumpf's high-tariff / low-immigration policies have cost our benefactor Charles Koch $439,000,000 already this year.

This. Is. Not. Normal.

#HowLongMustCharlesKochSuffer?

[Fist of Etiquette]

A California bill that would legalize more housing development near transit stops and job centers suffered a setback yesterday when a number of "equity groups" announced their opposition to the bill.

Texas is California's housing black market.

[loveconstitution1789]

Architect Of CIA's Torture Program Says It Went Too Far

This guy is not even sorry that he not only violated International Law but that he tortured another human being.

THE USA DOESN'T TORTURE PEOPLE SO WHEN PEOPLE TORTURE AMERICANS WE TAKE THE MORAL HIGH GROUND.

[loveconstitution1789]

Biden flips out at reporter: ‘Why why why why why why why?!?’

HAHA. I cannot wait for unreason's Democrat endorsement of Joe 'Alzheimers' Biden or Bernie 'Heartattack' Sanders.

[OpenBordersLiberal-tarian]

I still prefer Elizabeth Warren to those two white male candidates. However Biden and Sanders would still be better than Putin's Puppet.

#VoteBlueNoMatterWho
#(UnlessItsTulsiGabbard)

[BigT]

Keep your sexual fantasies to yourself!

[Mickey Rat]

Senility does lead to anger issues.

[loveconstitution1789]

Especially for Biden. He cannot even remember why he is running for President half the time.

[JesseAz]

To make his family rich.

[loveconstitution1789]

Cocaine is expensive.

[Fat Mike's Drug Habit]

I mean what is Hunter gonna do without a well-connected father?

I mean the obvious answer is hookers and cocaine, but I mean what's he going to do to make money?

[Echospinner]

It is a good question. From what I can find the Bidens have some money but not all that much by big money standards. Hunter has an estimated net worth of around $3mil. That is not going to last very long if he can’t get some income going especially if you have a fondness for hookers and blow.

All of this negative talk may make him damaged goods in the high finance easy money circuit. What a shocker if he had to get a real job. Would be interesting to see him in one of those “where are they now” articles in a couple decades with MC Hammer.

[Idle Hands]

don't make fun of his stutter. Also if Trump put his hands on a reporter like he did it would be called assault and they'd try to have him arrested.

[Jerryskids]

Well, Biden probably was just a little upset that there was a gang of Republicans right up the hall who were organizing a posse to go put black people back in chains and nobody was taking the threat seriously.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

God damn, but has Biden deteriorated fast in the last two years. Back in 2016, I thought he would have actually been a decent President if he had run, but he's gone completely around the bend and it's obvious that he's going senile. That he remains one of the Dem frontrunners is a pretty sad indictment of the state of the party.

[loveconstitution1789]

If the GOP still had as many RINOs as it had, Biden could have ran as a Republican. I mean look at Romney. That guy is a Lefty train wreck.

Imagine if we had McCain or Romney as President and they got everything they wanted passed by Congress? At least with Chocolate Jesus, the GOP majority as of 2011 mostly blocked much of what he wanted.

[Gray_Jay]

"...but he’s gone completely around the bend and it’s obvious that he’s going senile..."

He has. He's what? 77? They all can't age like Reagan, well first term anyway. Or Trump, for that matter.

The Party must be torn between hoping for Biden's version of the 'hustle him into the back of the van, and to hell with his shoes' clip to surface soon, and the realization that if Biden drops out, they're pretty much left with Sanders. Though Steyer seems to be climbing the polls for the moment.

I think Trump wins, handily, but a Sanders-Gabbard ticket might cause him to sweat.

[TrickyVic (old school)]

""“You’re getting nervous, man! Calm down, it’s okay,” Biden said, stroking the reporter’s chest.” ""

Candidate Touchy McFeely strikes again.

[Gaear Grimsrud]

Why not both? NYT just did a twofer.

[loveconstitution1789]

Bokhari: Leftists Are Learning that Big Tech Already Has a ‘Social Credit’ System

It's all about control and what better way then via something you setup, follow, and care about.

Its like YOU making it easy for government to track you via cell phones because companies dont need to follow the 4th Amendment and you voluntarily give companies your info. Thise companies then voluntarily give your info to government.

[TrickyVic (old school)]

It will also make the right against self incrimination disappear.

Why will they need to ask you anything when your electronic trail says pretty much everything.

[loveconstitution1789]

People outside the legal profession don't know this but a lot of people tell on themselves or give the police enough probable cause to charge you after you try to talk your way out of a police interrogation.

The 5th Amendment right to not be compelled to be a witness against oneself is a huge protected right. Even a conviction of treason in the USA can lie with a confession. Its why the British used to torture people to get confessions.

Confessions are just more airtight forms of justice than having a panel of judges, a single judge, or a jury determine guilt. Its the defendant admitting the crime.

Using Social Media to convict you with your own words, pictures, and postings is another way for government to get around the protections in the Constitution.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Honestly, people who remain stupid enough to make their personal diaries public, which is essentially all that social media is, in substance, after all this time of others getting crucified for relatively benign things, probably deserve the ass-reaming they get.

Get off social media entirely. It's nothing but screaming into the void, and something will eventually come back to haunt you at some point.

[Gray_Jay]

Why I post at places like this much less than I used to. It's just a waste of time, and it beguiles me into thinking that these posts matter a lot more than they do.

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

The dating app Tinder plans to spice things up by adding a panic button that will let people call the cops on their date.

Hopefully it isn't like the flag button on this site.

[lap83]

+1 Oops, didn't mean to call the cops on you just now!

[MasterThief]

I've stopped apologizing for hitting it so often. I accidentally hit it trying to scroll and attempting to close the videos and ads that pop up

[Ryan (formally HTT)]

"Senate Democrats are obviously concerned about giving GOP senators an opportunity to bloody Hunter's father, former vice president and current Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden"

It's all about your protecting your brown god Obama

[Idle Hands]

Why weren't these witnesses subpoenaed in the house? Are the Dems suggesting they don't have a bullet proof case and went forward with this anyway?

[Jerryskids]

I think you misunderstand their "plea for witnesses". They don't actually have any witnesses and they're pleading for a witness to come forward. Schiff's talk of more e-mails coming out, more witnesses coming forward, more evidence being presented is simply wishful thinking on his part - he's absolutely convinced that Trump's a crook and therefore there must be evidence out there somewhere that proves it. It's no different than me promising I can 100% guarantee you the 49ers are going to win the Superbowl. No I can't, but that's not going to stop me from claiming "see, I told you so" if they do wind up winning.

[Colossal Douchebag]

There must be a pony in there somewhere.

[Publius Decius Mus]

They are trying to beat a dead horse into a pony. The impeachment articles are completely bogus. From now on if a president vetoes a congressional bill will that be construed as abuse of power and obstruction of congress? If the senate refuse to confirm presidential appointees is that obstruction of the executive? The reason Trump was impeached is because the Dems had no evidence, so they charged him with "hiding evidence", they hope Americans are to dumb to understand the balance of powers between the three branches of government.

[loveconstitution1789]

+1000

[Echospinner]

“they hope Americans are to dumb to understand the balance of powers between the three branches of government.”

Pretty safe bet that.

[Idle Hands]

Does Schiff actually believe Trump is a crook or is he just using this for poitical hay? I guess in the end it doesn't matter. This proceeding has enlightened me into how mediocre the Dem congressional talent really is. Say what you want about Gingrich and that 1998 congressional republican class they were far more talented and competent than the likes of Nadler and Schiff.

[Idle Hands]

Jerry Nadler might be no joke mentally retarded.

[Nardz]

Fairly sure Ilhan Omar is

[loveconstitution1789]

Decades of drug use and being a Democrat likely affect his mental health.

[loveconstitution1789]

Schiff and all the Democrat politicians KNOW Trump is not a crook. They tried for 3 years to find evidence of a crime that Trump committed and nothing.

I guarantee that 99%+ of Congressmen could not withstand 3 years of investigations into every part of their lives and there not be a crime or something that would cause them to resign.

[loveconstitution1789]

US imposes visa rules for pregnant women on ‘birth tourism’

I bet Obama is crying that Trump's pen and phone is YUGER than Obama's.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

The irony is that this will probably end up affecting Chinese women more than Central Americans. Apparently there's a cottage industry there of women who travel to the US to have their babies so they can get access to a US passport.

[loveconstitution1789]

Birth tourism brings Russian baby boom to Miami

And Russia women too. There is some article about illegal Chinese being smuggled by yacht to Florida.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Shit like this is probably the best argument for ending birthright citizenship that I've seen.

[MasterThief]

Will Reason ever address that? No. It it all in on open borders. They refuse to even consider what benefits residency and citizenship confer while also ignoring the effects on the broader population as the rules are ignored or flexed

[Fist of Etiquette]

Now we can put the rancor and division of the past three years behind us...

How do you say LOL in Limey?

[$park¥ is the Worst]

LO, govna

[Fat Mike's Drug Habit]

I'd tell you, but the British government hasn't given me a license for laughing.

[loveconstitution1789]

And loneliness may be on the rise. The report, led by the health insurer Cigna, found a 7% rise in loneliness since 2018, when the survey was first conducted. (Cigna is a provider of health insurance for NPR employees.)

Social media use was tied to loneliness as well, with 72% of very heavy social media users considered lonely, as compared with 51% of light users.

But feelings of isolation were prevalent across generations. Gen Z — people who were 18 to 22 years old when surveyed — had the highest average loneliness score on the 80-point scale (about 50), and boomers had the lowest (about 43).

It's almost like face to face communications is important since most communication is body language.

[Colossal Douchebag]

Where's the study that shows whining is on the rise?

[Eddy]

Ha ha, people on social media are such...uh, I mean such winners.

[MikeT1986]

Also that lonely people are more likely to turn to social media a lot more.

[BigT]

See Pornhub.

[mamabug]

When's the time to point out that correlation is not causation?

The GenZ spike can best be explained as the fact that 18-22 is the time people typically leave their current social group (graduation), move out of their family home (and possibly out of the area they grew up in), and don't form new families through marriage.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Democratic presidential primary is starting to look like a two-man race between Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I–Vt.).

TWO OLD WHITE GUYS.

[loveconstitution1789]

Perfect for the Party of slavery, segregation, and the KKK.

[Fat Mike's Drug Habit]

Don't forget gulags, they even have a plan for where to send the undesirables.

[Jerryskids]

And Joe Biden is the "moderate" one because Sanders' candidacy moves the Overton Window so far to the left that you can't even see it from the middle. It's this constant ratcheting effect that explains how moderate Democrats like John McCain and Mitt Romney were somehow considered right-wing extremists.

[Ryan (formally HTT)]

I wonder is Reason, bastions of unlimited immigration, is ever going to cover the grooming gangs plaguing europe and the leftists that covered it up for decades.

I know it's local news, and white people are the victims, but eventually Shikha or some other feminists will cover this outrageous, systemic abuse of women, no?

[OpenBordersLiberal-tarian]

Nah.

Reason sticks to much more important issues. Like how hockey would have completely died out in Canada if Indian immigrants hadn't saved it.

#OpenBorders
#ImmigrationAboveAll

[loveconstitution1789]

Ralph Northam is demonizing gun owners to distract from his racist past

Yeah, what ever happened to #MeToo amd #BlackLivesMatter with the Virginia Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General?

[loveconstitution1789]

California’s AB5 Leaves Women Business Owners Reeling

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), the bill’s sponsor, tweeted yesterday that under the law “if you are a true independent proprietor, you can still operate as one.”

*We the government decide, of course. If you want your independent proprietorship, you can keep your independent proprietorship.*

[Eddy]

Women hardest hit!

[sarcasmic]

The dating app Tinder plans to spice things up by adding a panic button that will let people call the cops on their date.

How long before someone gets killed?

[Dillinger]

~~ we didn't know whether to shoot the dog or the chick first.

[$park¥ is the Worst]

No one was shot—a frankly extraordinary turn of events given the sheer amount of weaponry, the density of the crowd, and the weapons stuffed casually into backpacks or held loosely in the crooks of pale arms.

Everyone knows how much guns hate being stuffed in backpacks. It’s truly a wonder that they didn’t start blasting away killing people left and right.

[Jerryskids]

"Held loosely in the crooks of pale arms"? Don't the Klan robes and the Nazi uniforms have long sleeves? And why no mention of the ankle-deep slough of tobacco juice spat from toothless gums being stirred up by the dragging of the knuckles of the protestors? Or any expression of surprise at the number of Alabamians you can fit in one pick-up truck? So many missed opportunities.

[Ken Shultz]

"From 1 February, the UK will enter into an 11-month transition period in which it will continue to follow EU rules but without representation in the bloc's institutions.

This arrangement will come to an end on 1 January 2021, by which point the two sides hope to have completed negotiations on their future economic and security partnership, at the heart of which the government believes will be an ambitious free trade deal.

----BBC (ENB's Link)

That January 1, 2021 date will be interesting because it may be an exact reversal of the Brexit deadline in terms of who wants the date to stay fixed and who wants it to be delayed.

Boris Johnson may be the one saying, "We can give you a delay, EU, take all the time you want", with the EU saying, "No, you need to decide right now!"--but not really meaning it.

The EU made it hard for the UK to leave because they didn't want the UK to leave, and they want integration with the UK (rather than the UK as a competitor) just as much now as they ever did, maybe even more if Germany's manufacturing sector continues to weaken or Trump follows through with threats of a trade war and hits Germany with tariffs on cars. Meanwhile, the next elections in Germany are scheduled for no later than October of 2021, and, last I heard, Merkel had already removed herself from contention.

Add in the possibility that Trump and Johnson's talk of a USA-UK trade deal isn't empty, and if I had to bet, I'd guess that the trade deal between the EU and the UK won't be finalized until the EU's new leadership is clear--sometime after the German elections in the fall of 2021.

[Eddy]

"We won't pull the football away this time, I promise!"

Sorry, that's a reference to American-style football.

How about "we won't put you in a sticky wicket this time, we promise!"

[I, Woodchipper]

Time to bet on UK economy.

[Ryan (formally HTT)]

I love watching Justin Amash complain about republicans on twitter. Watching woke losers back him up like they suddenly support him is hilarious.

He does know that the moment he says anything against the woke religion he's toast, right?

Get woke, go irrelevant

[Bearded Spock]

Amash's opposition to Trump is based largely on the fact Trump's trade policies have cost Amash's family dearly. He'd be more supportive if Trump had dropped tariffs on Rubber Dog Shit.

[Fat Mike's Drug Habit]

The moment he starts talking about economic liberty instead of REEEEEEE-ing about Trump he's gonna get labeled a racist and buried under the Capitol.

[Commenter_XY]

Absent additional testimony, the ongoing Senate trial is a re-run of arguments congressional Democrats and Republicans have been making for months.

Truer words never spoken. Yesterday's mind-numbing chronology marathon sprinkled with admonishments of the Senate (a decidedly stupid move) were unpersuasive, at best.

[John]

CBS went back to its afternoon soap operas. That tells you how boring it was.

[Commenter_XY]

I actually did watch the thing for the better part of 7 hours. My thought was: This is history in the making.

Let me tell you, the historians looking back are just going to shake their collective heads and say: W....T.....F !?!?

[LeaveTrumpAloneLibertarian]

That’s for sure. What on Earth were people doing voting for this total fucking fraud.

[mamabug]

Agree. Schiff never should have been elected.

[John]

http://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/the-morning-briefing-president-trumps-biggest-pro-life-move-yet/

It is shameful that Trump is the first Republican President to speak at the march for life. It shows what phonies the pre Trump GOP really was. Republicans spent decades pandering to evangelicals about the evils of abortion but were embarrassed to march with them or speak at their rallies. I mean who wants to be associated with those people? Take their votes sure. But associate with them like they are actual human beings? What would the neighbors think?

[Don't look at me!]

Hey, that’s not true! Some of my best friends are pro-life!

[lap83]

Of course, he's the first... no president in their right mind wants to go to a rally full of violent right wing terrorists /Buttplug

But seriously, I have a lot of respect for him for doing that.

[loveconstitution1789]

And the USA would be absolutely fine if some states allowed abortion and some states didn't.

Another fun fact is that A LOT of Blacks Americans are very religious. If the trend continues the GOP will be Socially Conservative Party, the Democrat Party will be SJWs and Socialists, and the Libertarians will have some political voice since we will likely be the only serious fiscal conservatives.

[Fat Mike's Drug Habit]

We've been the only serious fiscal conservatives for essentially 2 decades now and we still don't win shit.

Most people don't want fiscal conservatism because it means that they actually have to fend for themselves. That's scary, far more comforting to know that if you fuck up too badly (or just decide that working is overrated) someone else will pay for all your shit.

[Gray_Jay]

That's really interesting. I hadn't realized no other Republican President had ever spoken there. I wonder why Trump is picking now, an election year, in order to do such a base-corralling kind of move?

Trump hasn't shown a pro-life bone in his body in any public statement, going back to the 80s, that I've seen. Which made his victories over Cruz and Carson in what were thought to be evangelical-dominated states, all the more amusing. Trump paid more lip service to gun-rights people; I don't remember the equivalent of the 'Second Amendment Coalition' for pro-life in any of his campaign platform materials.

I wonder what's caused him to do this now?

[BigT]

Ivanka’s pregnant.

[Dillinger]

T rocks for exactly this kind of thing. He knows everyone deserves a shot at life. Good for him.

[MasterThief]

Really odd to me since I seem to recall him having been pro-choice in the past.

[Rich]

Reporter friends who planned to attend the event went in with a sense of dread, a war-zone fatalism at what might happen.

"Just the facts, Ma'am."

[JesseAz]

CNN analyst pulls a Schiff:

"Overheard convo between two Republican Senators who only watch Fox News. "is this stuff real? I haven't heard any of this before. I thought it was all about a server. If half the stuff Schiff is saying is true, we're up shit's creek. Hope the White House has exculpatory evidence"

Admits 10 minutes later he made it up. Defends himself for it the rest of the night. CNN no comment.

https://pjmedia.com/trending/cnn-analyst-fabricates-quotes-from-gop-senators-to-smear-trump-fox-news/

[Don't look at me!]

Procedures were followed.

[loveconstitution1789]

I am a bit surprised AT&T, who now owns CNN, has not changed format at CNN.

Clearly being Propagandists for the Lefties is not working for CNN bottom line.

[TrickyVic (old school)]

Is this the Bill Clinton WH Press secretary Joe Lockhart?

[JesseAz]

Yeap.

[TrickyVic (old school)]

Figures.

Is there anyone at CNN that hasn't worked for the Clintons or the dems?

[TrickyVic (old school)]

I would guess that those who say Huckabee is a lair will not admit that Lockhart is a liar even when caught in his lie.

Although I do agree that bullshitting is a part of a press secretary's job.

[JesseAz]

Noted conservative Jennifer Rubin on Schiff:

"This is the most brilliant legal presentation I have heard. None comes close. The tone, the facts, the anticipated defenses. I am in awe."

Up your game Reason.

[Eddy]

Yeah, Reason, Rubin upped her game, now up yours.

[BigT]

Yeah? Well...UP YOURS!!

[Rufus The Monocled]

Of course she's in awe. Lint would leave her in awe.

[Eddy]

"Private talks about allowing Democrats' requests for Bolton or Mulvaney to testify in exchange for allowing Republicans to call Hunter Biden as a witness have reportedly gotten nowhere."

Predictable, but why do they need Democratic permission? Let them call Bolton *and* one of the Bidens (or both Bidens).

[loveconstitution1789]

^^This.

The GOP has control of the US Senate 53-47.

That means that 5 GOP Senator can not vote and the Republicans still control the US Senate.

[Commenter_XY]

Yo, they haven't figured that one out yet. Don't tell them. Let them be shocked.

[lap83]

"The dating app Tinder plans to spice things up by adding a panic button that will let people call the cops on their date."

"These guys are pros, Michael. They're gonna push the tension 'til the last possible moment before they strip."

[JesseAz]

California couldn't locate a single bill/check it sent out in the form of payment last year when requested by someone seeking information under FOIA.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2020/01/23/suing_california_to_produce_a_state_checkbook_142216.html

[TrickyVic (old school)]

Couldn't? No. Wouldn't.

[Jerryskids]

Chinese authorities have locked down three more cities in an effort to contain the spread of a deadly coronavirus.

At least we don't have to worry about that.

Unless by "totally under control" Trump actually means "I have no idea what you're talking about so I'll just say some random shit that makes it look like I know what you're talking about because I know everything."

[TrickyVic (old school)]

Perhaps he overhead a phone conversation.

[Dillinger]

oh well if it's an *impassioned* plea then ...

[loveconstitution1789]

Poor unreason.

Trump said Mexico would pay for the Wall and now Mexico is building their own Wall and paying for our Wall.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

A GQ writer

LOL

[darkflame]

so, I'm not seeing any reporting of this, but apparently Virginia's updated their speech codes so that anyone talking shit online about the Governor or his buddies is guilty of a misdemeanor in the city of Richmond... regardless of where you live.

http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB1627

The italicized sentences are the updated changes. I guess Governor Blackface was tired of hearing what America really thought of him

[Gray_Jay]

If that is as you say, it should be grounds for immediate removal from office.

What a tawdry little wannabe dictator.

[TrickyVic (old school)]

§ 18.2-152.7:1. Harassment by computer; penalty.

If any person, with the intent to coerce, intimidate, or harass any person, shall use a computer or computer network to communicate obscene, vulgar, profane, lewd, lascivious, or indecent language, or make any suggestion or proposal of an obscene nature, or threaten any illegal or immoral act, he shall be is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. A violation of this section may be prosecuted in the jurisdiction in which the communication was made or received or in the City of Richmond if the person subjected to the act is one of the following officials or employees of the Commonwealth: the Governor, Governor-elect, Lieutenant Governor, Lieutenant Governor-elect, Attorney General, or Attorney General-elect, a member or employee of the General Assembly, a justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, or a judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia.

§ 18.2-430. Venue for offenses under this article.

Any person violating any of the provisions of this article may be prosecuted either in the county or city from which he called or in the county or city in which the call was received, or in the City of Richmond if the person subjected to the act is one of the following officials or employees of the Commonwealth: the Governor, Governor-elect, Lieutenant Governor, Lieutenant Governor-elect, Attorney General, or Attorney General-elect, a member or employee of the General Assembly, a justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia or a judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia.

[darkflame]

I was under the impression that obscene/lewd wasn't against the first amendment, I guess that's only if you vote correctly.

[BigT]

Ralph Northam, I suggest you come here and fuck my goat....again.

[darkflame]

They also just passed red flag laws yesterday, and I'm hearing (unconfirmed) reports from a few folks on the Being Libertarian facebook group that there's cops going to people's houses based on their attendance at the rally.

[BigT]

Let’s hope a few of the Kings men get proper receptions.

[darkflame]

Amen.

[Cyto]

Schiff used the tactic of playing press clippings of Trump joking that Russia can get Hillary's emails and saying he'd listen to foreign sources that had dirt on his opponents.

Team D is wound up and says this is proof that he should be impeached. Foreign interference is the worst thing that can ever happen, and just considering listening to foreign sources of dirt disqualifies you from office.

I really, really hope that Trump's team plays the tape of Schiff talking to the fake FSB agent about all the dirt he can get from the Kremlin on Trump. Back to back with Schiff's kvetching about Trump joking about emails, put Schiff eagerly wanting to see naked pictures of Trump sourced from Putin.

[Nardz]

"And what is the source of this kompromat?
"Umm, pictures of naked Trump"

It doesn't really translate to text, but I've heard few things more hilarious than when they said "naked Trump"

[Gray_Jay]

In news that should surprise absolutely no one, the two suspects in the Seattle shooting incident last night, have been claimed by police to have a bunch of arrests and convictions for crimes like drive-bys and robberies between the two of them:
https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/crime_and_courts/police-identify-downtown-seattle-shooting-suspects-who-remain-at-large/article_3945a1a0-1732-50ef-b273-924a79e7c782.html
In other words, these two career criminals, out of jail and shooting each other with guns it's a felony for them to have, should be stopped by more restrictions on the law abiding. Total Clown World.

[darkflame]

Looks like I just won a self-bet. Article from this morning had the suspects described as "males in their 20s", and that the cops would be releasing sketches shortly. The lack of any mention of the race made it pretty clear what it would be. If they were evil white people they would have been called out as such.

[Gray_Jay]

Behold, another example of Coulter's Law.

It's not always true, of course, but it is the way to bet.

[Gray_Jay]

Money quote from the news article:

Both were arrested in 2018 and charged with drive-by shootings and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to court documents filed in King County Superior Court.

Prosecutors asked at the time that bail be set at $100,000 for each of them, saying in charging documents that Tolbert had been previously charged with second-degree robbery, attempting to elude and theft. Tolbert "committed a series of crimes and continues to do so in spite of being arrested and charged with crimes," prosecutors said in court documents at the time.

Tolliver had six prior criminal convictions on charges including theft, driving while under the influence of intoxicants, and assault, according to the 2018 charging documents.

Tolliver's case was dismissed, according to court documents, while Tolbert plead guilty to a lesser, non-felony, charge.

They aren't unique. Career criminals are who commit the vast majority of violent crime in this country. Most of the time, they're let out early to keep on doing it, until they screw up so bad even the criminal justice system has to face it.

[John]

And thanks to bail reform, guys like Tolliver get out even quicker and more often. Bail reform has been a disaster. I was actually supportive of it. But, I was wrong and the critics of it were right. It has done nothing but turn career criminals back out to victimize the public.

If reason were an honest publication, it would report the problems that have arisen with bail report and reevaluate their position in light of the facts. They don't seem very interested in doing that, however. Instead, they have just stopped talking about the issue.

[BigT]

John, has bail reform reduced the bail for people accused of violent crimes? If so, it was a mistake.

[Gray_Jay]

Not John, but bail reform in NY hasn't just reduced it, it eliminated it. For a slew of crimes you wouldn't think of as nonviolent, including several varieties of robbery and arson.

There have been cases of guys robbing banks, getting caught, cited, booked, and released, and going right back to robbing banks the same day. The Daily Mail had one egregious example a week ago.

It is an absolute disaster, and it will only get worse.

That said, bail reform, I don't think, was the reason these two clowns were out of jail. Plea bargaining, and the justice system usually just not giving a shit, are better reasons. One of them had a 100k bond for a charge, until the charges got dismissed. Nonetheless, he had priors for DUI, assault, and theft. At some point, the key should have been tossed, yet he was still able to run around on the outside and get into trouble.

John had an interesting remark either yesterday or the day before about our government letting criminals within it get off without punishment, and eventually the people were going to get pissed off enough to violently seek political change themselves. I think the same thing will be true in a lot of these places when it comes to violent crime and its perpetrators.

If you know that the guy you catch burglarizing your house, or assaulting your kid/family member/friend, or breaking into your car, is just going to be let out to do it again---and now they and their friends know you have great stuff!---the temptation to take care of the problem yourself and not let the police get involved is going to soon take over. Vigilantism is a Bad Thing. For one thing, they get the wrong guy a lot of the time.

[Don't look at me!]

Not if you catch them red handed.

[Echospinner]

Since this is a roundup.

New theory is that the Wuhan virus came through a bat-snake-human transmission. Apparently those are popular food items there.

https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/chinese-coronavirus-snake-market-23012020/

Looks like the Chinese are severely restricting travel at this point although WHO is not calling it an emergency.

[Gray_Jay]

WHO may not be calling it an emergency, and indeed, it probably isn't one. That said...

China is doing a variety of things that I've never seen before, at least not since I've read they did them in 1918:
1) The quarantine has now encompassed seven cities, with a total population over 20 million, and a perimeter of about 500 square miles.
2) China has cancelled their New Year celebrations in Beijing. AIUI, that is something they've NEVER done since Deng. I guess it's a big propaganda showpiece like Arirang is for the Norks.
3) They moved in the Army to convince people not to try and breach the roadblocks. I don't speak Mandarin, and this is going to depend on the translation, but the translations I've seen of PRC statements to the troops, are awfully similar to the statements they were making to the guys who eventually stormed Tiananmen.
4) And this is just cosmically funny. China made a big deal about getting their first BSL-4 lab on the mainland in 2017. Big article in Nature about it and everything. They wanted several, but this one was going to be the first. They built it in Wuhan.

Now, I think this is just going to be a souped-up case of the flu for the West. Hopefully. For whatever reason, person-to-person transmission rates are way easier for this in China, as they were for SARS, than they are in the West. That said, China is way overreacting for something that, allegedly, only has less than a 1,000 cases, and less than 20 deaths.

[Echospinner]

Depends on the transmission rate. Say you do nothing and on average each case infects 10 people a week. So you have 1000 now. Doesn’t take long to get to a million.

In a short time your medical services are overwhelmed and the death rate climbs.

Now those are zombie apocalypse numbers but maybe not so far off. It seems like it started only about a month ago presumably with only 1 or maybe a few cases and you are already up to 1000.

The other reason to worry is this is a new strain of virus. Nobody has immunity and this type of virus is known to cause a poor immune response in humans. It basically ‘hides’ in the host cell pumping out virions. Despite many years of effort no vaccine or antiviral has been developed against Coronavirus.

I don’t think this is the big one. SARS and MERS are under control and those took much longer before anyone did anything. It probably is overreacting. I think they are deliberately trying to scare the public to get them to take precautions. From what I read people were acting as if nothing was going on.

[Gray_Jay]

The thought is the R0 is somewhere between 1.6 and 2.3, assuming person to person transmission in Chinese urban or medical environments. There is a dearth of good data on the bug. You might like this brief look at the epidemiology so far from an EU journal: https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.3.2000044?emailalert=true

14% mortality---more or less in line with SARS in an unhealthy population---and an early start if the hints are true the Chinese weren't all that forthcoming with outbreak data at the outset...it's cause for concern if you're China.

I don't think it's the Big One either. We'll know more in 8-10 days or so. The Chinese certainly seem scared shitless about it.

[Gray_Jay]

And of course, the Chinese didn't do anything in 1918 that I'm aware of; I was referring to US efforts to combat the Spanish Flu.

[jagjr]

"Absent additional testimony, the ongoing Senate trial is a re-run of arguments congressional Democrats and Republicans have been making for months."

delete "absent additional testimony". even with additional testimony, we'll still have nothing but the same arguments.

[wreckinball]

There’s overwhelming evidence but we need more witnesses?
Which is it?

[JesseAz]

Literally the only asshole o flag due to this spam.

[Sarah Palin's Buttplug]

At least he had the good sense to flee like a scalded dog when he realized he was beaten.

[JesseAz]

You can't temper arguments in an echo chamber, especially one like Quora known for banning counter thought or discussion. They allow a few never trumpers and D.C. based "conservatives" to give it the appearance of neutrality, but it is such a leftist mob echo chamber as to be hilarious.