Last week, the ACLU of New Mexico and the Southwest Women’s Law Center filed complaints against Walgreens, alleging sex discrimination after a pharmacist refused to fill one of a female patient’s medications. The complaints are in response to a 2016 Walgreens visit, Teen Vogue reports:
A 13-year-old in Albuquerque was prescribedan IUDto treat menstrual issues when other forms ofbirth controldidn't work,according toYahoo! Beauty. Her doctor also prescribed her an anxiety medication, a pain reliever, and the hormone misoprostol, which softens the cervix to make IUD insertion easier. But when her mom went to Walgreens to fill these three prescriptions, the pharmacist allegedly agreed to fill the first two but said he couldn't give her the misoprostol because of his "personal beliefs," telling her to try another Walgreens.
The pharmacist instructed them to go to another Walgreens and the pair headed to another branch. But the mother (called “Jane Doe” in the complaints to protect her daughter—who is a minor) was understandably still enraged that they had to do this—and went back to face the original pharmacist. From the Albuquerque Journal:
Doe says she turned around and went back to the first Walgreens, confronted an assistant manager and then the pharmacist.
“I told him he was discriminating against me, that he should be ashamed for judging us, that he didn’t know my daughter’s medical history or her complications or conversation with her doctor. That he didn’t know what the medication was for,” she says. “And he just looks at me and says, ‘Oh, I have a pretty good idea.’ ”
Honestly, it doesn’t really matter why Doe’s daughter needed the prescription. She still has a right to the medications chosen to be best for her by a trained medical professional. However, this is particularly egregious—the pharmacist literally profiled the teen and assumed what the drug in question is being used for. Misoprostol is a drug used to induce abortion, but it’s also used to treat stomach ulcers.
Yahoo! Beauty reportsthat under official Walgreens policy, the pharmacist is allowed to excuse their self from filling the script—but they also have to let another worker on duty complete the transaction there.
David Rank, the acting US ambassador to China has resigned in protest over Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Accord.
There isn’t a whole lot more to this story, which is on CNN and The Hill.
"Mr. Rank made a personal decision," a senior State Department official told CNN, stopping short of citing the climate deal developments as the reason. "We appreciate his years of dedicated service to the State Department."
But sources familiar with the decision indicated that Rank's departure is directly tied to Trump's controversial move to pull out of the accord.
CNN also reports that Rank, who has been a career foreign service officer since 1990, isn’t the only acting ambassador to break with Trump in the last few days.
Rank becomes the second US diplomat serving at one of the largest embassies in the world to publicly split with Trump in recent days.
The acting US ambassador to the United Kingdom, Lewis Lukens, issued a statement on Twitter singling out London Mayor Sadiq Khan for praise after Trump attacked him on Twitter in the wake of the terror attacks which killed at least seven people.
“When you interrupt a girl’s schools day to force her [to] change clothes, or send her home because her shorts are too short or her bra straps are visible, you are telling her that making sure boys have ‘distraction free’ learning environment is more important than her education.
Instead of shaming girls for their bodies, teach boys that girls are not sexual objects!”
As Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell spins away on his health care hamster wheel with visions of tax reform dancing through his head, other Republican lawmakers are a tad frustrated the GOP-controlled Congress isn't getting much of anything done. They're also uniquely worried about the budget deal that's coming due in September with zero preparation being done in advance.
Let's take a turn with Politico through the halls of Congress, shall we? Oh, there's Lindsey Graham. Wonder what he thinks.
“I’m very frustrated ... we’re going to do all these things by Sept. 30? Give me a break. We’re going to cut taxes, pass health care, set aside sequestration?” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). “We should have an agenda. We know we’re not going to pass a budget with sequestration caps. I’m not.”
Darn those sequestration spending caps House Republicans demanded back in 2011 as a condition of voting to raise the debt ceiling. Now it's gonna take actual leadership and forethought and negotiation—otherwise known as legislating—to change them.
Oh wait, there's Georgia Sen. David Perdue. Wonder how he feels about all that advance work on the budget.
“When are we going to do the appropriations? We’re not talking about that,” moaned Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.). “It’s gonna go to a [continuing resolution] or an omnibus. We get an up-or-down vote on the whole thing, which is what I’m yelling about.”
Ok, so there's no GOP budget, no funding levels, no appropriations process—what could go wrong? The always upbeat GOP Sen. John McCain saw this whole budget disaster coming from a mile off.
Now it appears it’s possible that the Russians tried to hack into US elections systems, as well as using trolls to spread Fake News about Hillary on US social media sites.
RUSSIAN MILITARY INTELLIGENCEexecuted a cyberattack on at least one U.S. voting software supplier and sent spear-phishing emails to more than 100 local election officials just days before last November’s presidential election, according to a highly classified intelligence report obtained by The Intercept.
The top-secret National Security Agency document, which was provided anonymously to The Intercept and independently authenticated, analyzes intelligence very recently acquired by the agency about a months-long Russian intelligence cyber effort against elements of the U.S. election and voting infrastructure. The report, dated May 5, 2017, is the most detailed U.S. government account of Russian interference in the election that has yet come to light.
A U.S. intelligence officer who declined to be identified cautioned against drawing too big a conclusion from the document because a single analysis is not necessarily definitive.
The report indicates that Russian hacking may have penetrated further into U.S. voting systems than was previously understood. It states unequivocally in its summary statement that it was Russian military intelligence, specifically the Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate, or GRU, that conducted the cyber attacks described in the document:
“Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate actors … executed cyber espionage operations against a named U.S. company in August 2016, evidently to obtain information on elections-related software and hardware solutions. … The actors likely used data obtained from that operation to … launch a voter registration-themed spear-phishing campaign targeting U.S. local government organizations.”
Of course all of this contradicts Vladimir Putin’s repeated denials, now appearing on US media. But nobody really believes Putin or Trump on this matter do they?
“They look like me…white guys in mostly Red State counties who sit on their couch with the remote in their hand all day and night.”
“What do they want to see”
“They want to see YOU tear those smug condescending know-it-all East Coast liberals to pieces . . limb by limb . . . until they jump up out of their LaZ boy and scream “Way to go Toby…you KILLED that libtard!”
It was always and only about money.
But what mattered most at Fox was to create an entertainment product out of political/military/economic news and opinion that
By careful design and staging Fox News manipulated (and ultimately addicted) the most vulnerable people in America to the most powerful drug cocktail ever: Visceral gut feelings of outrage relieved by the most powerful emotions of all . . . the thrill of your tribe’s victory over its enemy and the ultimate triumph of good over evil.
In deed and effect, Fox News turned politics into performance art and efficiently sold the soul of America to the highest bidder in return for 2 minute ad sequences aired during the performance intermissions.
The fix was always in. Facts and Truth were the lowest priority.
But what the mostly older, trusting, small city/rural living Fox News fan never seem to understand about Fox’s partisan performance art programming was this:
The outcomes for Fox’s “panel debates” have ALWAYS been carefully fixed by the producers so that the home team (i.e, the conservative panelists like me) ALWAYS won.
MORE simply: The staged gladiatorial-like rhetorical fight to the death the Fox viewer loves to watch are ALWAYS fixed by the show producers for the conservative actor to win…always.
Any contributor with the least little bit of integrity found their contributing days were over.
Linda Chavez, a long time Fox conservative contributor, basically became a nonperson when she took the position in favor of more legal immigration — even though her position had been consistent for 30+ years and is based on her belief in markets over central planning.
As Linda tells the story “One producer basically told me that it was “confusing” to have me on to discuss the subject because conservatives were supposed to be for less immigration and liberals for more.
Fox practically guaranteed their high ratings because they were feeding an addiction.
Key Point: the viewer’s rage set their brain’s pleasure giving dopamine delivery system into high gear . . .and when their fellow conservative protagonist tribal hero (aka me the hitman) turned the liberal’s own words against them and vanquished the sniveling apostate into living hell on live TV…WOW…the pleasure chemical rushed through the Fox viewer's brain like a deep hit of crack cocaine (btw its the dopamine system in the brain that cocaine stimulates and makes it so addictive).
I tried to save my own mother, but I could not break through. She pooh-poohed my facts,and told me that Bill O’Reilly was the only person she trusted. I was incredulous. “Even more than me, Mom?” Yes, because my “once excellent” critical thinking and judgement had been clouded by the media I chose to consume.
...one part of the Fox News strategy is the tried and true conservative media narrative to insulate their audiences from opposing views — in part, by continually denouncing the mainstream media(i.e., other news sources) 24/7/365 as “liberal, biased, and not to be trusted.”
I haven’t even begun to mention the exploitation of sex, and the demonizing of non-white people.
There’s a bit of buyer beware. Smith was fired in 2013 for promoting dubious and worthless stocks, but he says it was because he refused to obey O’Reilly’s commands.
Well…[O’Reilly] was dead wrong and I told him that and his answer was “Is this the Tobin Smith show? If it is, say what you want. But if this is the O’Reilly show you give what I want.”
OK Bill…and that was the last time I was on The Factor after 40+ appearances.
Conservatives cannot complain that Tobin Smith is an anonymous source. Even better, they and we can review old Fox News videos and see for ourselves the veracity of Smith’s claims.
Finally, a caution Kossacks should seriously consider before hitting the Rec button.
Neuroscience has known for years that “news junkies” or “political junkies” were in fact addicts…junkies…who got their addictive dopamine hit from the emotional roller coaster of unbridled outrage followed by the dopamine releasing experience derived from the thrill of watching the victory/denouement of the ideological apostate.
Trump "Tellin' it like it is," has descended to yet another sub-basement of classless-ness.
Trump "Tellin' it like it is," has descended to yet another sub-basement of classless-ness.
Donald Trump never misses an opportunity to capitalize on tragedy and co-opt it to further his political agenda. You may recall last August when basketball star Dwyane Wade's cousin was tragically shot while pushing a baby stroller in Chicago and Trump got on Twitter and said, “Dwayne Wade's cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago. Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP!" Wade subsequently told George Stephanopolous that Trump using his cousin's death for political gain left a bad taste in his mouth. If that episode left a "bad taste" recent events in London should be a cause for mass projectile vomiting.
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Trump's reaction to the London Bridge attack was over the top, even for Donald Trump. There were, at last count, seventeen different intelligence agencies at his beck and call, and moreover, Trump has a red telephone wired to Number Ten Downing Street and they will tell him what's what in London, if he would only ask. Did Trump avail himself of these resources? No way. What he did, as confusion reigned on London Bridge, was turn to that font of accuracy and journalistic integrity, Matt Drudge. As incredible as it seems, the POTUS actually retweeted an unconfirmed story from the Drudge Report, which informed lucky us that a "suspected terrorist attack" was taking place, while the jaws of leaders and citizens of the entire world, who were getting updates every few minutes from the BBC, dropped in stunned amazement. They'll get used to it though, God knows we have. John Cassidy of The New Yorker has more:
Shortly after that, at 7:17 P.M. on the East Coast, Trump issued a tweet, saying, “We need to be smart, vigilant and tough. We need the courts to give us back our rights. We need the Travel Ban as an extra level of safety!” There was no expression of concern for the dead and injured and their families; no expression of admiration for the bravery of the British police, who were rushing into a deadly situation; no expression of solidarity with the British people and the British government. Instead, there was only a blatant effort to make political capital out of an unfolding tragedy.
Evidently, someone around Trump alerted him to how this might be received. Or perhaps Trump cottoned onto it himself. At 7:24 P.M. he tweeted: “Whatever the United States can do to help out in London and the U. K., we will be there – WE ARE WITH YOU. GOD BLESS!”He might have left things there. But no. On Sunday morning, he was back on Twitter, making another political point: “We must stop being politically correct and get down to the business of security for our people. If we don’t get smart it will only get worse.” Twelve minutes later, he took a shot at Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London: “At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is ‘no reason to be alarmed!’ ”
It goes without saying that our British cousins are no fools. They're a plucky lot and after having survived any number of wars, they are not likely to take Trump's cattle-like boorishness lying down. Here's a sample of what the Brits shot back:
By then, though, many Britons had taken to Trump’s favorite medium and made perfectly clear their feelings about him and his unsolicited comments. “Cheap nasty & unbecoming of a national leader,” David Lammy, a former Labour minister of higher education, wrote. “Sort of thing that makes me want to quit politics on a day like this.” “Utterly horrid man,” Sam Baxter, a local Conservative councillor from Warrington, Lancashire, said.
“Wonder how he’d react if Theresa May put snarky tweets out during a mass shooting in the US?”Perhaps the most magisterial response came from the author J. K. Rowling. Referring to Trump’s jibe at Khan, she wrote: “It’s called ‘leadership’, Donald. The terrorists were dead 8 minutes after police got the call. If we need an alarmist blowhard, we’ll call.”
The criticism didn’t have any effect, of course. On Monday morning, Trump was back on Twitter. Instead of correcting his tweet about Khan, he fired off another fusillade of messages about his travel ban, saying that the Justice Department “should ask for an expedited hearing” before the Supreme Court and “seek much tougher version!”
Well, we said, "cattle-like insensitivity -- with apologies to a milk cow named Betsy that belonged to a farmer of my acquaintance in childhood. Seriously. Betsy was gentle and put something of value into the world, unlike Donald Trump. Clearly, of the two, she was the higher being. And this is what's running our government, ostensibly, a fool whose classless-ness and clue-lessness, were those qualities liquid, would fill the Atlantic.
John Cassidy's bottom line on this piece was this: “And the President of the United States is working hard to undermine what little favor and credibility he had left in the world.” Thank you, Mr. Cassidy, I could not have said it better myself. And remember, it's only the first week of June in this broken roller coaster ride. I can't even imagine what will fly off the rails next.
Deutsche Bank — Germany’s largest bank — has failed to respond to a request from Democrats on a U.S. House of Representatives panel for details about U.S. President Donald Trump’s possible ties to Russia, a Democratic staffer said on Sunday.
Several Democrats on the U.S. House Financial Services Committee sent a letter last month to John Cryan, Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Bank, seeking details that might show if Trump’s loans for his real estate business were backed by the Russian government.
The letter asked for details of internal reviews of Trump’s transactions and gave the prominent German bank until Friday to respond. The bank’s response did not address any of the numerous questions posed in the letter and its Frankfurt headquarters declined to comment, as it has in the past.
“Deutsche Bank’s outside counsel has confirmed receipt of our May 23, 2017, letter but did not provide substantive responses to our requests,” a Democratic member of the staff told Reuters in an email on condition of anonymity.
Not a good look for a bank. Deutsche Bank is a known money launderer, as well as an institution to which Trump owes some 300 million dollars. May Deutsche go down with the rest of this rotten cabal.
Morning Joe’s pop quiz this morning effectively covers Donald Trump’s failed and ignorant response to the London attack. Of course, I’m going with all of the above.
Compare this to our so-called President. There is no comparison.
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London Mayor Sadiq Khan: "I'm angry and furious that these 3 men are seeking to justify their actions by using the faith that I belong to." pic.twitter.com/5NI9RU2j0Z
For dear friends of mine — and of yours — what has passed for “home” has been a metal box filled with toxic vapors, and dangerous wiring that has already caught fire twice. A metal box that is blistering hot in summer, hopelessly arctic in winter. They suffer with propane fumes and mold, and pipes that freeze in winter. It has played havoc with their health: they both had pneumonia this year, in addition to Aji’s autoimmune issues and Wings’s battle with diabetes.
I know that for me, at the end of a harrowing day, there is no greater comfort than coming home. Home, where my animals wait for me. Home, where my bed is safe and warm and comfortable. Home, where my joys are all around me. There are many times when it’s truly the only thing that keeps me going. In fact, my very screen name reflects my home: “Yasuragi” means a place (or person) that is comfortable, relaxed, safe.
Aji and Wings haven’t known those calm comforts, that security, that safety. Over a year ago, Aji knew that she and Wings wouldn’t survive another year in the RV they’ve been forced to call home. “We’re not getting any younger,” she said. “This is about six years too long for two aging people with chronic health conditions.”
Aji knew that she and Wings would have to make a herculean effort to build a new home. They knew they would have to work tirelessly, and that she would have to reach out for help. Numerous communities have come together to support their efforts, including this one. We know what home means.
With yourkindhelp, so far — since the project started just under a year ago, their new home — home — looks like this:
Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.
Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.
They have a crew of brilliant local craftsmen who have done fantastic work raising this structure from the bare earth, which your help has made possible. You’ve been there every step of the way, making contributions, sharing links, and urging friends to check out Wings’s astonishingly beautiful jewelry and photos. Wings’s work has funded most of the construction, and you’ve bolstered that effort beautifully.
Here are some examples of Wings’s superb craftsmanship:
We need to keep up our support. We need our beloved friends to come home to a safe and happy place to lay their heads. Onomastic said this to me:
In the midst of all the horror that’s happening around us, we’ve been helping create something beautiful. Aji and Wings’s new home symbolizes hope in the midst of all this insanity. It shows what is possible when a community comes together, and that together there is nothing we can’t do. That, in itself, is a miracle. We need to be reminded of that in every way possible, and this house — this home — is hope. Not just for them, but for all of us. It’s proof — in wood, plaster, stucco, and paint — that together we make miracles happen.
We started this journey toward a safe home for Aji and Wings a year ago:
Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.
And just look where we are. Ono’s right: that’s a miracle if ever I saw one, rising right out of Wings’s tribal land. We can’t stop now: we’ve come so far, but there’s so much yet to do.
We’re looking for another $6000 to help them through the next few weeks of finishing up the interior and exterior plaster-work, wiring, and more. As always, labor costs for their wonderful crew are the largest expense. Aji wrote a few days ago:
The guys keep telling us that everyone runs into the wall of constant expense at this point, but "everyone" else builds with a home construction loan to cover this stuff, and the stress of trying to do it as we go is really grinding us both down.
Then there are all the materials. You can help with direct contributions through PayPal, or by filling up their Amazon Wishlist and Loew’s cards (see below).
Home really is where the heart is (I can’t believe I actually used such a tired old cliche, but… y’know), and you won’t find two bigger, better hearts than those of Aji and Wings. They have always stepped up when someone needs help: they frequently put their own needs on hold so that help may go to others. They rescue animals, they support their community (and this one), they watch over their neighbors who need help.
Let’s keep the miracle going, okay? Ono is fond of quoting Samwise Gamgee: “There are some things worth fighting for.” A home for people we love is at the top of my list. By putting our hearts into helping these two remarkably caring and generous souls, we bolster our own. Hope lives.
Matching funds:
We’ve got $500 in matching funds available. When we raise $500, the contributions jump to $1000. Cool kinda double vision, huh?
Here’s how to help:
Wings’ Paypal Account— and by the way, since that’s a PayPal.me link, you can copy/paste it into twitter for easy sharing there (or if it’s easier for you to type, it’s www.paypal.me/DiegoWings). If for some reason the link doesn't work, it's tied to his e-mail address: wingsoftaos [at] newmex [dot] com.
Their Amazon Wishlist— the Lowe’s gift cards in particular are extremely useful, as that is where they have to buy many of the materials for the house — they will really be needing these in the days to come, for flooring, fixtures, interior doors.
Wings’ Website— Shares thereof or purchases from help fund their day to day living expenses and the major portion of their home construction.
Even if you can’t contribute, shares are a huge help. Share Wings’s website. Share Aji’s. Share this post. Call your grandma and tell her you want a piece of Wing’s work. (You know you want to.) Father’s Day is coming. So is your kid’s/nephew’s/mother’s graduation. That anniversary you forgot last year? Comin’ up!
Works made by Wings will be cherished for generations. Please share.
Well, that was fast. When news broke about Phil Stair, the now former sales manager for the Genesee County Land Bank, blaming the Flint, Michigan water crisis on its predominantly Black residents, the response was strong and swift. Stair, who was recorded saying the contaminated water problem is due to “fucking n----rs” who “just don’t pay their bills,” was urged to resign with even Congressman Dan Kildee (D) publicly condemning Stair’s hateful rhetoric.
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This behavior is awful and indefensible. Phil Stair should be fired or resign immediately. https://t.co/A7R6QjzlEP
The audio footage, captured undercover by a local activist, shows Stair shamelessly using racist words and attitudes to blame the victim.
“Flint has the same problems as Detroit—fucking ni**ers don’t pay their bills, believe me, I deal with them,” Phil Stair7, sales manager for the Genesee County Land Bank said on May 26th during a conversation with Truth Against the Machine reporter and environmental activist Chelsea Lyons in Flint.
He was driving to a restaurant with Lyons and another individual, who he’d met that night, when he made the comments, which were recorded and later obtained by TATM.
Stair did go on to try and clarify: “I don’t want to call them ni**ers, shit I just went to Myrtle Beach, 24 guys, and I was the only white guy; I got friends, I mean, there’s trash and there’s people that do this shit. They just don’t pay their bills. Well, Detroit, didn’t collect on their bills, so they charged everybody else, but- Flint- Flint had to pay their bill to Detroit.”
The evidence was just too damning for Stair to deny. News of his resignation broke this morning on MLive.com after his boss, Michele M. Wildman, accepted his resignation:
Wildman addressed the county Board of Commissioners Monday morning, saying she accepted Stair's resignation and apologized for his remarks.
"I am deeply troubled by (the statements)," she said. "The citizens of Flint deserve to have trust in their public officials."
Good riddance.
You can listen to the record of Stair’s statements below:
Interesting times. A debt default may be right around the corner.
Top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi says GOP leaders shouldn’t take for granted that Democrats will vote to increase the government’s borrowing cap.
Pelosi told reporters Friday that she has no “intention of supporting lifting the debt ceiling to enable the Republicans to give another tax break to the wealthy.”
snip
An aide to Schumer said the New York Democrat had in fact proposed to Pelosi the idea to condition voting for the debt ceiling on keeping any tax overhaul deficit neutral, but Schumer still needs to discuss it with fellow Senate Democrats.
Meanwhile, Rs plan on demanding spending cuts to raise debt ceiling.
Already, some House Republicans and some key White House officials say they plan to insist on their own menu of spending cuts and other provisions as part of any deal.
snip
Already, members of the House Freedom Caucus have said they will push for spending cuts in this year’s debt-ceiling debate in exchange for their support. On Friday, President Donald Trump’s chief economic adviser, Gary Cohn, said the White House would consider spending cuts or policy changes favored by Republicans in order to avert an unprecedented default. That appears to align him with White House budget director Mick Mulvaney, but against Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who has called on Congress to pass a “clean” debt-ceiling hike.
Odds of debt default and crisis increasing. The train is raising down the track.
Why should we raise the debt ceiling for trillions of dollar of tax cuts?
Interesting times indeed.
Update I: More Pelosi:
“When we say a clean debt limit, we mean not one that enables the Republicans to have a giant tax cut for the rich. That’s not why we’re lifting the debt limit.”
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