politics
- Iowa Caucus Megapost!
I'm putting this up early since it's likely I won't have time tomorrow.
Monday, 1/15, is the date of the Iowa Caucus, please direct all comments, links, and replies involving that here!
Edit - 5:36 PM Pacific, 7:36 PM Iowa time, 8:36 PM Eastern - MSNBC declares Trump the winner (shock!)
8:23 PM Pacific, 10:23 PM Iowa time, 11:23 PM Eastern. MSNBC declares Desantis #2, Haley #3.
90% reporting: Trump - 51% - 52,912 Desantis - 21.3% - 22,140 Haley - 19% - 19,762
Edit Next Up - 1/23 - New Hampshire Primary!
For those unaware, a caucus is totally unlike a primary.
In a primary election, you show up to a polling place, you cast your ballot for your chosen candidate, the ballots get counted, and whoever wins is whoever wins. On to the next state!
A caucus is far, far more chaotic.
https://apnews.com/article/how-iowa-caucus-works-2024-democrats-republicans-592ab40b9b9b948c0540f2cf132bab5c
"The Republican caucuses will convene statewide at 7 p.m. local time (8 p.m. EST), and begin with the election of a caucus chair and secretary. Only registered Republicans may participate in the caucuses and only in their designated home precincts. However, Iowans may register or change their party affiliation on caucus day. Voters must turn 18 by the November general election in order to participate."
"There is no walking around the caucus room to form candidate preference groups. That voting method was a feature of Democratic caucuses from 1972 to 2020 but is no longer in use by either party in 2024."
"The binding presidential vote functions essentially like a party-run primary, only with very limited polling hours and no accommodation for absentee voting, except for a tiny handful of overseas and military voters. There are speeches on behalf of various candidates before the voting and a variety of party business after the vote. Individual caucus chairs are allowed to exercise some discretion in how to conduct the vote, but the voting is done by secret ballot and there is no set list of candidates. Voters must be given the option to vote for any candidate they choose. In the past, some caucus sites have pre-printed the names of major candidates and provided a write-in option, but typically, voters vote by writing the name of a candidate on a blank slip of paper."
The "limited polling hours" is key here, because if you decide to step out for a smoke, or to hit the bathroom, or grab a sandwich when the vote is called, you might not get counted at all.
In previous years this has led to accusations of under-counts, over-counts, and all other manner of shenanigans.
Here's the history of the past few Iowa Caucuses and how it related to the general election:
2016: Ted Cruz - 8 Delegates, 51,666 votes Donald Trump - 7 / 45,429 Marco Rubio - 7 / 43,228 Ben Carson - 3 / 17,394 Rand Paul - 1 / 8,481 Jeb Bush - 1 / 5,238 Carly Fiorina - 1 / 3,485 John Kasich - 1 / 3,474 Mike Huckabee - 1 / 3,345
2020: Donald Trump - 39 Delegates, 31,421 votes Bill Weld - 1 / 425
Sources: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Iowa_Republican_presidential_caucuses
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Iowa_Republican_presidential_caucuses
General Elections:
2016: Trump/Pence - 800,983 Clinton/Kaine - 653,669
2020: Trump/Pence - 897,672 Biden/Harris - 759,061
Sources: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_United_States_presidential_election_in_Iowa
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_United_States_presidential_election_in_Iowa
- MEGA THREAD - 2023 Ohio Special Election - Voters Reject Issue 1
Ohioans vote Tuesday on a measure that would make it harder to pass future changes to the state constitution. Ideastream's Karen Kasler explains the possible implications for abortion access in Ohio.
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Sources:
NPR: A look ahead at the Ohio special election
Five Thirty Eight: Everything You Need To Know About The Ohio Ballot Measure That Could Block Abortion Rights
CNN: Ohio special election becomes proxy for abortion rights fight
PBS News Hour: Ohio voters to decide on constitutional change before determining abortion rights
The Guardian: Republicans pushed a special election in Ohio – what does it mean for abortion rights?
AP: Voters in Ohio reject GOP-backed proposal that would have made it tougher to protect abortion rights
NY Times: Ohio Voters Reject Constitutional Change Intended to Thwart Abortion Amendment
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- Transgender activists flood Utah tip line with hoax reports to block bathroom law enforcementapnews.com Transgender activists flood Utah tip line with hoax reports to block bathroom law enforcement
Transgender activists have flooded a Utah tip line created to alert state officials to possible violations of a new bathroom law with thousands of hoax reports.
- House quickly rejects Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's effort to remove Speaker Johnson from officeapnews.com House quickly rejects Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's effort to remove Speaker Johnson from office
Hardline Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has called for a vote to oust Speaker Mike Johnson. Greene of Georgia is pressing ahead with her long-shot effort.
- They Used to Say Arabs Can’t Have Democracy Because It’d Be Bad for Israel. Now the U.S. Can’t Have It Either.theintercept.com They Used to Say Arabs Can’t Have Democracy Because It’d Be Bad for Israel. Now the U.S. Can’t Have It Either.
There’s a battle in Congress, the courts, and Washington to suppress American democratic freedoms by crushing dissent on Israel.
A serious red line has been crossed: America’s democratic freedoms, expansive on paper, will simply not tolerate serious dissent on the U.S.–Israel relationship. As criticisms of Israel have become more mainstream, the attempt to shut them down entirely has become more extreme.
In pursuit of this blank-check relationship with an Israeli government that is becoming ever-more intransigent with each passing year, pro-Israel forces in the U.S. are attacking our own democratic freedoms in order to suppress public outcry about apartheid and potential genocide 6,000 miles away. And, if the recent campus crackdowns are any indication, these forces are winning their battle.
With tens of thousands of Palestinians left dead and the Israeli assault on Gaza ongoing, the U.S. protests targeting university ties with Israel over the last month — voluble and outspoken — have been overwhelmingly nonviolent.
Yet these nonviolent protests have met with the full brutal force of the U.S. security state. Dispersing the protest encampments, police have viciously beaten protesters, fired rubber bullets, and enveloped students in dense clouds of tear gas.
- Biden says US won't supply weapons for Israel to attack Rafah, in warning to allyapnews.com Biden says US won't supply weapons for Israel to attack Rafah, in warning to ally
President Joe Biden says he will not supply offensive weapons that Israel can use to launch an all-out assault on Rafah — the last major Hamas stronghold in Gaza — over concern for the well-being of the more than 1 million civilians sheltering there.
- 'It's about time': Charlie Kirk defends frat boy who made monkey noises at Black womanwww.rawstory.com 'It's about time': Charlie Kirk defends frat boy who made monkey noises at Black woman
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story stated that Charlie Kirk praised the frat boy. It was changed to "defends" to more accurately portray what was said. Right-wing podcaster Charlie Kirk used his Monday program to defend a white fraternity member who was seen on video making monkey .....
- Marjorie Taylor Greene boed by Republicanswww.newsweek.com Marjorie Taylor Greene boed by Republicans
The Georgia congresswoman shot back at the heckling, saying, "This is the uniparty, for the American people watching."
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greenewas booed on the House floor Wednesday afternoon by Republicans and Democrats after bringing forward her motion to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson.
The Republican Georgia congresswoman has put pressure on Johnson in recent weeks, although many lawmakers in her own party have dismissed her efforts to vacate the speaker's chair.
It is unclear which House members booed Greene's motion on Wednesday, although Georgia congresswoman shot back at the heckling, saying, "This is the uniparty, for the American people watching."
A video of the moment was shared to X, formerly known as Twitter, by the liberal website MeidasTouch.
- Haley won 1 in 5 Indiana Republican voters in the presidential primary. She left the race in Marchapnews.com Haley won 1 in 5 Indiana Republican voters in the presidential primary. She left the race in March
It's been two months since Nikki Haley dropped out of the Republican race, but the former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor is ringing up significant support in state primaries.
- "You remind me of my daughter": Stormy Daniels testifies that Trump compared her to Ivankawww.salon.com "You remind me of my daughter": Stormy Daniels testifies that Trump compared her to Ivanka
Trump also assured Daniels that he and Melania didn't “even sleep in the same room," she testified.
Trump also assured Daniels that he and Melania didn't “even sleep in the same room," she testified
After meeting the future president of the United States at a golf tournament in 2006, adult film star Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday that Donald Trump's personal bodyguard asked if she would like to have dinner with the once-and-future Republican nominee.
"No, with an expletive in front," Daniels said she told the aide in response, per NBC News. But she reconsidered after meeting with her publicist, she said, recalling their words: "If nothing else, you'll get a great story" and "what's the worst that could happen?"
But, according to Daniels, dinner never happened. When she got to Trump's hotel room, she found him in pajamas -- he later changed -- and eager to discuss her work in the adult film industry, where she had risen from performer to director, and whether she had ever contracted and STD ("I've never tested positive for anything," Daniels said).
- Michigan Republican unseated after losing to Democrat by 20 pointswww.newsweek.com Michigan Republican unseated after losing to Democrat by 20 points
The ousted Republican incumbent Lucy Ebel had previously described Ottawa County as "very conservative."
Republican county commissioner has been unseated in Michigan after losing to her Democratic challenger by 20 percentage points.
Chris Kleinjans won an Ottawa County election on Tuesday with 60 percent of the vote share, while the Republican incumbent Lucy Ebel lost, having received 40 percent.
Michigan is a battleground state that will be key to November's presidential election. Donald Trump won the county with 61 percent of the vote in 2020.
- Biden Says Trump Will Not Accept 2024 Result: ‘I Promise You He Won’t’www.huffpost.com Biden Says Trump Will Not Accept 2024 Result: ‘I Promise You He Won’t’
“The guy is not a democrat with a small d,” the president told CNN's Erin Burnett.
“The guy is not a democrat with a small d,” the president told CNN's Erin Burnett.
President Joe Biden said in an interview Wednesday he is all but certain Donald Trump, his predecessor and presumptive 2024 rival, will reject the results of the November election and called Trump “dangerous” for the nation.
“The guy is not a democrat with a small d,” Biden told CNN’s Erin Burnett during a visit to Wisconsin this week.
“How many court cases do they have, Supreme Court cases? They’ve all said this is a totally legitimate election. ... He may not accept the outcome of the election? I promise you he won’t. Which is dangerous.”
The president went on to say other world leaders had expressed to him their fear of a second Trump presidency and pointed to Trump’s pledge to prosecute his political opponents if he enters the Oval Office once more.
- Republican defends child marriage: I'm "pro-choice"www.newsweek.com Republican defends child marriage: I'm "pro-choice"
The New Hampshire GOP lawmaker also said that he would not "apologize to the haters" for describing 16-year-old girls as "ripe."
A New Hampshire Republican lawmaker who has been under fire for defending child marriage has lashed out at his "haters" while insisting that his stance is "pro-choice."
State Representative Jess Edwards inspired outrage last week after describing underage teenage girls as "ripe" and "fertile" while arguing against a bill to raise the age of marriage in the Granite State from 16 to 18. The bill passed by a vote of 192-174 despite objections from Edwards and others.
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Edwards described critics of his underage marriage stance as "an army of control freaks that want to entice a pregnant woman into an abortion rather than allow a marriage" in a Facebook post on Monday.
- RFK Jr. Says Doctors Found a Dead Worm in His Brain: Reportwww.thedailybeast.com RFK Jr. Says Doctors Found a Dead Worm in His Brain: Report
He said in a deposition that clinicians believed the parasite “got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died.”
- Molly Cook just became the first out LGBTQ+ person elected to the Texas Senatewww.lgbtqnation.com Molly Cook just became the first out LGBTQ+ person elected to the Texas Senate
Molly Cook says her job as an ER nurse has made her all too aware of how bad policy can threaten people's lives.
- Judge rejects Trump demand for a "mistrial" after embarrassing testimony from Stormy Danielswww.salon.com Judge rejects Trump demand for a "mistrial" after embarassing testimony from Stormy Daniels | Salon.com
Award-winning news and culture, features breaking news, in-depth reporting and criticism on politics, science, food and entertainment.
- Abortion bans drive away up to half of young talent, new CNBC/Generation Lab youth survey findswww.cnbc.com Abortion bans drive away up to half of young talent, new CNBC/Generation Lab youth survey finds
Nearly half of younger workers say they would turn down a job offer if it meant moving to a state that bans abortion, a new NBC/Generation Lab survey finds.
- Donald Trump to attend fundraiser on day of Barron's graduationwww.newsweek.com Donald Trump to attend fundraiser on day of Barron's graduation
Former president was given day off court for his son's high school event, he might need his private jet to get to the dinner later.
- What Trump promised oil CEOs as he asked them to steer $1 billion to his campaign
Trump’s response stunned several of the executives in the room overlooking the ocean: You all are wealthy enough, he said, that you should raise $1 billion to return me to the White House. At the dinner, he vowed to immediately reverse dozens of President Biden’s environmental rules and policies and stop new ones from being enacted, according to people with knowledge of the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a private conversation.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/09/trump-oil-industry-campaign-money/
https://archive.is/BquYY
- Why Ukraine Should Keep Striking Russian Oil Refinerieswww.foreignaffairs.com Why Ukraine Should Keep Striking Russian Oil Refineries
Washington’s fears about energy markets are misplaced.
>Washington’s criticism is misplaced: attacks on oil refineries will not have the effect on global energy markets that U.S. officials fear. These strikes reduce Russia’s ability to turn its oil into usable products; they do not affect the volume of oil it can extract or export. In fact, with less domestic refining capacity, Russia will be forced to export more of its crude oil, not less, pushing global prices down rather than up. Indeed, Russian firms have already started selling more unrefined oil overseas. As long as they remain restricted to Russian refineries, the attacks are unlikely to raise the price of oil for Western consumers.
- Why aren’t we talking more about Trump’s business with the Saudis?www.washingtonpost.com Analysis | Why aren’t we talking more about Trump’s business with the Saudis?
The Republican front-runner is earning money from and promoting the Saudi crown prince's business.
- Mockery, low tactics, sexist tropes: gloriously, Stormy Daniels is repaying Donald Trump in kindwww.theguardian.com Mockery, low tactics, sexist tropes: gloriously, Stormy Daniels is repaying Donald Trump in kind
At some deep level, the former adult film star clearly has his number and knows how to hit him where it hurts, says Guardian columnist Emma Brockes
At some deep level, the former adult film star clearly has his number and knows how to hit him where it hurts
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This impression is extrajudicial. Daniels, who has already been rebuked by the judge for straying off topic, may prove too wayward a witness to achieve what Carroll did: the civil case equivalent of a guilty verdict against a man almost supernaturally able to avoid them. If we are looking beyond verdicts to the public image, however, Daniels is in some ways by far the more menacing foe for Trump. You couldn’t make up the details of her testimony this week, which sent court reporters scrambling to find sober ways to present her account of spanking Trump with a rolled up magazine and insisting on having sex with her without a condom. This is a woman willing to meet Trump at his preferred site of conflict – public humiliation – and on the evidence so far, he isn’t weathering it well.
Last year, during the Carroll hearing, the former president defaulted to the standard tittering, smirking, mocking performance he reserves for critical women – be they accusing him of rape or running against him for president. Accounts from the courtroom this week suggest this persona was no match for Daniels. The Associated Press reported that Trump “squirmed and scowled” during Daniels’ testimony. The Washington Post recorded him in the act of “angry, profane muttering”, which won Trump his own rebuke from the judge. “I understand your client is upset but he is cursing audibly,” said Judge Merchan to Trump’s lawyers. Upset! Go Stormy.
- Bernie Sanders and Ro Khanna reveal bill to ‘cancel all medical debt’www.theguardian.com Bernie Sanders and Ro Khanna reveal bill to ‘cancel all medical debt’
Exclusive: legislation creates a program to cancel all existing patient debt and block creditors from collecting past medical bills
- The NYPD's new sizzle reels aren't just dumb. They're dangerous.www.motherjones.com The NYPD's new sizzle reels aren't just dumb. They're dangerous.
"This is copaganda, designed primarily to provide the mayor with political cover, but then also to show off the military might and alleged professionalism of the NYPD."
- DOJ ‘Stonewalling’ House Ethics Committee Probe of Matt Gaetzwww.thedailybeast.com DOJ ‘Stonewalling’ House Ethics Committee Probe of Matt Gaetz
The feds are refusing to turn over relevant information to lawmakers as they investigate the Florida congressman, according to two sources.
- GOP lawmaker claims KKK is ‘the military wing of the Democratic Party’ in closed door meeting ahead of antisemitism hearingwww.cnn.com GOP lawmaker claims KKK is ‘the military wing of the Democratic Party’ in closed door meeting ahead of antisemitism hearing | CNN Politics
GOP Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania said in a closed door briefing with lawmakers on Tuesday that the Ku Klux Klan is the “the military wing of the Democratic party” and that migrants coming to the US “have no interest in being Americans,” according to audio of Perry’s comments shared with CNN.
- Trump’s attacks on justice system are causing real damage, experts saywww.theguardian.com Trump’s attacks on justice system are causing real damage, experts say
Prosecutors, witnesses and jurors in ex-president’s sights, and it could lead to violence, former federal prosecutors and judges say
- YouTube accused of censoring Macklemore's "Hind's Hall"www.newsweek.com YouTube accused of censoring Macklemore's "Hind's Hall"
On May 6, Macklemore shared his new song, which supports a free Palestine and student protests, on his social media platforms.
- Robert F Kennedy Jr says health issue caused by dead worm in his brainwww.theguardian.com Robert F Kennedy Jr says health issue caused by dead worm in his brain
Third-party US presidential candidate says 2010 issue ‘caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died’
Robert F Kennedy Jr, the third-party candidate for US president, said a health problem he experienced in 2010 “was caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died”
- 'Not from me': Former House Speaker Paul Ryan reaffirms claim he'll vote against Trumpwww.jsonline.com 'Not from me': Former House Speaker Paul Ryan reaffirms claim he'll vote against Trump
Former House Speaker Paul Ryan this week doubled down on his claim that he will not vote for Donald Trump this November
- Trump’s valet says they chose ‘at random’ which classified documents to returnwww.independent.co.uk Trump’s valet says they chose ‘at random’ which classified documents to return
Mar-a-Lago valet describes turbulent disorganisation in final days of Trump presidency
- Vermont legislature passes bill to charge fossil fuel companies for damage from climate changewww.nbcnews.com Vermont passes bill to charge fossil fuel companies for damage from climate change
The legislation — the first of its kind in the U.S. — would require companies with high emissions to help pay for destruction caused by climate-fueled extreme weather.
cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/9342183
> I'll note that it hasn't yet been signed by the Republican governor, but it passed the legislature with a margin large enough to override his veto.
- Louisiana lawmakers reject adding exceptions of rape and incest to abortion banapnews.com Louisiana lawmakers reject adding exceptions of rape and incest to abortion ban
Despite pleas from Democrats and gut-wrenching testimony from doctors and rape survivors, a GOP-controlled legislative committee rejected a bill that would have added cases of rape and incest as exceptions to Louisiana’s abortion ban.
- Macklemore Attacks Joe Biden On Pro-Palestine Song "Hind's Hall"www.hotnewhiphop.com Macklemore Attacks Joe Biden On Pro-Palestine Song "Hind's Hall"
Macklemore came out swinging against the President on his hard-hitting Pro-Palestine anthem "Hind's Hall."
He hasn't released on streaming yet or YouTube only insta and Twitter. Once it's up on streaming he said all proceeds will go to The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Full song: https://x.com/macklemore/status/1787616471738368099
Full song: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6o4830yMvE/