U.S. Politics

[Richard Smith]

Says the anti mask and vaxx guy. You sure are desperate to post b.s. as Biden continues winning. 

More propaganda here. Trump was a Superspreader and killed his own supporters.

Trump's White House event in focus over Covid spread
https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54401186

Trump campaign rallies led to more than 30,000 coronavirus cases, Stanford researchers say
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/31/coronavirus-trump-campaign-rallies-led-to-30000-cases-stanford-researchers-say.html

This is a lie.  I'm neither anti-mask nor anti-vaxx.  I believe that the Trump vaccine is effective.  Like President Trump, I have been vaccinated.  I've never suggested that anyone not be vaccinated.  That is a product of your biased fantasy.  Retract this statement or be reported for an actual violation of forum rules.

[Richard Smith]

No, you depicted violence and you've been reported and the authorities might be interested in your violent post against Biden.

From the Merriman-Webster dictionary:

tighten the noose
: to make a situation more difficult for someone

 

Now retract your threats and slander or be sued.

[Rick Plant]

From the Merriman-Webster dictionary:

tighten the noose
: to make a situation more difficult for someone

 

Now retract your threats and slander or be sued.

No slander. Insurrectionists who have been arrested use the term "noose" as violence against Democrats. It's a symbol. And you've done the same twice. Those are your words. Retract your words. This isn't the first time you've talked about a "noose".

The noose is getting tighter and tighter around Hunter's neck. The media is trying to sacrifice him to save Old Joe.  Old Joe is up to his neck in Biden, Inc. along with his brother and Hunter.  DOJ will want to bring the hammer down well before the mid-term elections to avoid any implication that they are influencing the republican landslide in November.

You've used the word "noose" in more than one post. This is another time you've said it and it's disturbing.     

You've slandered me for months in this forum making outright false accusations and I'm getting tired of it.       

[Rick Plant]

History doesn't happen by accident. 81 million people voted for President Biden in a pandemic to make it possible for the first Black woman Vice President to preside over the confirmation of the first Black woman to serve on Supreme Court. This a great day in history.

"Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson made history today. Judge Jackson is a hero to so many Americans across our country. She will be the first Black woman on the highest court in the land."- Vice President Kamala Harris



https://twitter.com/VP/status/1512161287890952202

[Rick Plant]

Police were warned about Eric Greitens — before he allegedly assaulted his wife



New information is coming out about the latest Eric Greitens scandal to rock Missouri's GOP primary for the U.S. Senate.

"Missouri state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed grew concerned enough about Gov. Eric Greitens’ potential for violence in April 2018 that she sent a letter asking the Department of Public Safety to investigate rumors of an incident involving 'troubling behavior' at Greitens’ private home," The Kansas City Star reported Thursday. "DPS Director Charles “Drew” Juden wrote back the next day. He had contacted the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Capitol Police and law enforcement in Warren County, where the Greitens lived in the wealthy, largely gated community of Innsbrook. None of the agencies had received any similar information, he said."

In 2018, Greitens resigned as governor in disgrace following s*x and campaign finance scandals.

"In an affidavit filed last month, Sheena Greitens said in late April 2018 Eric Greitens knocked her down and confiscated her cell phone, wallet and keys so she couldn’t call for help or leave the Innsbrook home," the newspaper reported. "The letters demonstrate that at least once during that tumultuous period, concerns about Gov. Greitens’ at-home conduct were shared with state and local authorities. The former first lady’s recent statements raise questions about whether officials missed a chance to intervene before the former governor’s alleged abuse."

Greitens is in a contested primary to succeed retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO). He is competing against Attorney General Eric Schmidt, GOP Reps. Vicky Hatzer, Billy Long, and gun activist Mark McClowsky for the nomination.

Helen Wade, an attorney for Sheena Greitens, said the letter was sent before Eric Greitens allegedly knocked her down and that her client was not contacted by any law enforcement at the time.

“It’s just probably by the grace of God she’s still alive. Because someone should have intervened,” Nasheed told the newspaper.

Helen Wade, an attorney for Sheena Greitens, said the letter was sent before Eric Greitens allegedly knocked her down and that her client was not contacted by any law enforcement at the time.

https://www.rawstory.com/eric-greitens-wife/

[Rick Plant]

US ends normal trade ties with Russia over Putin's Ukraine invasion

The US Congress voted Thursday to end normal trade relations with Moscow and codify the ban on Russian oil, as the White House ratchets up pressure on President Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine.

The legislation -- which also applies to Russia's ally Belarus -- enables President Joe Biden to inflict steep tariff hikes on imports from both countries.

Biden announced the steps in a speech last month arguing that Russia must "pay the price" for the bloodshed in its ex-Soviet neighbor, where it has denied accusations of committing atrocities.

"Putin must absolutely be held accountable for the detestable, despicable war crimes he is committing against Ukraine: the images we have seen coming out of that country... are just pure evil," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

"It reminds us of the worst moments in human history, caused by the evil man, Putin: hundreds of civilians murdered in cold blood."

A key principle of the World Trade Organization, the so-called most favored nation status known in the United States as permanent normal trade relations (PNTR), requires countries to guarantee one another equal tariff and regulatory treatment.

The latest trade sanction, which passed the House with support from every Democrat and just a handful of Republicans voting no, caps several rounds of measures intended primarily to sever Moscow's economic and financial ties with the rest of the world.

They have included banning Russian oil imports -- a measure Biden already implemented by executive decree -- seizing the assets of billionaires tied to Putin, and freezing the nation's stockpile of cash.

Unwavering support

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hailed the latest action as a sign that the United States was "unwavering" in its commitment to support Ukraine and hold Russia to account.

"Putin's aggression and barbaric war crimes have horrified the world and demand a strong response," she said in a statement.

Together, the moves have already pushed Moscow to the brink of a debt default.

They have also caused prices for key commodities like gasoline and wheat to soar, harming US consumers already facing the highest inflation in four decades.

The United States imported just under $30 billion in goods from Russia last year, including $17.5 billion in crude oil.

The legislation includes a measure to reauthorize Magnitsky Act sanctions that target human rights violations and corruption with visa bans, asset freezes and other penalties.

The United States moved Wednesday to block foreign investment in Russia and state-owned enterprises and levied further sanctions on the country's banks and senior officials.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC News that global punishments had put the Russian economy into a "deep recession."

"And what we're seeing is a likely contraction of the Russian economy by about 15 percent," he said.

"That is dramatic... We've seen an exodus from Russia of virtually every major company in the world. And Putin, in the space of a matter of weeks, has basically shut down Russia to the world."

© Agence France-Presse

[Rick Plant]

Jobless claims fall to 166K, lowest level since 1968

New weekly claims for unemployment insurance fell to the lowest level since 1968 at the end of March, according to data released Thursday by the Labor Department.

In the week ending April 2, the seasonally adjusted total of new claims for jobless benefits fell to 166,000, a decline of 5,000 from the previous week. Seasonally adjusted weekly jobless claims have fallen to the lowest level since the week ending Nov. 30, 1968, when 162,000 Americans filed to start a new cycle of unemployment insurance.

The Labor Department also revised the previous week’s seasonally adjusted total of jobless claims down by 31,000 to 171,000 from an initially reported level of 202,000. The size of the revision may be due in part to new seasonal adjustments used by the Labor Department this week to better account for the effects of the pandemic.

Without seasonal adjustments, weekly jobless claims fell 3,674 to a total of 193,137, a decline of 1.9 percent from the previous week.

After briefly rising in mid-January during the peak of the omicron wave, jobless claims have fallen steadily through 2022 as businesses seek to hire and retain as many workers as possible amid historic demand for labor.

Companies have avoided laying off workers, even those initially hired for seasonal roles, as job openings outnumber jobseekers nearly 2 to 1. While firms are still hiring from a smaller pool of workers than before the pandemic, the U.S. added almost 1.8 million jobs in the first three months of March and pushed the unemployment rate to 3.6 percent, 0.1 percentage points higher than in February 2020.

AFP