The GOP is combusting - but in cool, new ways!

Monday, Sept 18, 2023
BY JULIA CLAIRE & CROOKED MEDIA

- President Biden ([link removed]) when asked to respond to Republicans opening an impeachment inquiry into him.

The flank of the GOP that wanted to remake the Republican Party in Donald Trump’s image has largely gotten its wish, and now the bill’s come due.

* Disgraced former president Donald Trump said on Sunday that he did not respect lawyers and members of his campaign who told him he lost the 2020 presidential election ([link removed]) . Is everyone okay? We know this is shocking information. On “Meet the Press, Trump said it was his choice to ignore his lawyers and advisers and go two-feet-in on the lie that the election was “rigged.” NBC host Kristen Welker asked why Trump chose not to listen to his White House inner circle and instead called some of his outside lawyers, and pressed, “Why were you listening to them? Were you listening to them because they were telling you what you wanted to hear?” True to form, Trump responded with “You know who I listen to? Myself.” Lol, okay pal.

* Similarly, one of his longtime aides reportedly told federal investigators that the former president repeatedly wrote to-do lists for her on the backs of classified documents ([link removed]) . The aide, Molly Michael, told federal investigators who indicted Trump in the classified documents case that more than once she received requests from Trump written on the back of “note cards” that she later recognized as sensitive White House materials. We’re imagining requests like “Restock Diet Coke in Oval Office fridge,” on the back of nuclear-arms briefing materials. This guy simply did NOT give a shit about information security! Lock him up?

* It seems that history is repeating itself with the “Never Trump” cohort finding itself backing off its formerly-held positions for political expediency. Just over one month ago, Federalist Society cofounder and Northwestern University law professor Steven Calabresi endorsed an article in the University of Pennsylvania Law Review arguing that Trump was ineligible to even be on a presidential election ballot based on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. Last week, in a letter to the Wall Street Journal, Calabresi did a neck-straining about-face ([link removed]) , saying he had been persuaded by a WSJ op-ed (a section of the paper that has essentially become a MAGA bullhorn) that Section 3 did not, in fact, apply to Trump. Profiles in courage!

Moving on from Trump, let’s check in with Republicans in Congress.

* House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is running out of ideas in his efforts to avert a government shutdown, as even poison-pill border-security provisions have not been able to appease the far-right flank in his GOP caucus. McCarthy told his conference that they should be prepared to stay in session through this weekend to pass a continuing resolution ([link removed]) —that’s a stopgap measure to keep the government funded past the September 30 deadline. On a Sunday night call with his caucus, McCarthy pitched a Thursday vote on passing a one-month funding bill, which would include a one-percent cut in federal spending from last year with a slew of Freedom Caucus-minded (draconian) border-security proposals. House Democrats, the Senate, and the White House would likely reject being jammed with a partisan continuing resolution, in which case the government would shut down regardless.

* As if the dozen-or-so votes it took for him to become Speaker back in January didn’t tip us off, McCarthy is not good at his job. He has a slim majority of 222 GOP votes in the House, and with that has been able to pass almost nothing. (Say what you will about Nancy Pelosi, but she was able to pass dozens of major bills with the same number of votes.) In a floor speech, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called McCarthy’s House proposal “Slapdash, reckless.” ([link removed]) Even Karl Rove, whom you may remember from selling America the lie that led to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, said on Fox News Sunday ([link removed]) , “Republicans are responsible for the shutdowns, they seem to eagerly want it, so there’s a reason why they get blamed.” Cue the “Worst Person You Know Made A Great Point ([link removed]) ”
meme.

How does this party still have the confidence of half the country? We’ll never know.

6 decades ago, doctors achieved the impossible when they successfully replaced a human kidney with a machine. But since then, the story has turned into one of the nation’s worst healthcare catastrophes. On last week’s America Dissected, host Abdul El-Sayed sits down with Tom Mueller on his book, How to Make A Killing, where they talk about the corporate corruption of dialysis. Listen to this convo and more, only on America Dissected ([link removed]) . New episodes drop every Tuesday.
[link removed]

The United States and Iran freed 10 individuals on Monday in a prisoner swap marking a slight thaw in relations between the two longtime adversaries ([link removed]) . Five American citizens were released in exchange for five Iranians and the unfreezing of $6 billion in Iranian oil funds held by South Korea. The swap capped off several months of negotiations and marks a major turning point for the countries, which remain perpetual adversaries. It took place just hours after President Biden and Iranian President Ebrahimi Raisi arrived in New York for the United Nations General Assembly. The two men are not scheduled to meet.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday that “agents of the Indian government,” carried out the killing of a Sikh community leader on Canadian soil last June ([link removed]) , according to intelligence gathered by the nation’s government.


Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced on Monday that he will meet with Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week ([link removed]) .


The Southern Indian state of Kerala is battling its fourth deadly outbreak of the Nipah virus since 2018 ([link removed]) .


Kaiser Permanente workers in the Washington, DC, area have authorized a strike if contract negotiations are not resolved by the September 30 deadline ([link removed]) .


More than four months into the strike, Writers Guild of America negotiators and studio representatives will resume negotiations on Wednesday ([link removed]) .


Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) will not seek reelection after she was diagnosed this summer with a rare, incurable neurological condition ([link removed]) called progressive supranuclear palsy.


A bombshell investigation from The Times revealed that four women accuse British comedian Russell Brand of sexually assaulting them ([link removed]) . One of the women said she was assaulted by Brand when she was in a relationship with him when she was just 16 and he was 30. In a video statement released Friday, Brand said that his relationships were “always consensual.”


New security footage showed “anti-grooming” advocate Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) basically going to third base with her date at a performance of “Beetlejuice” ([link removed]) (a family musical!) before being asked to leave.

Rolling Stone magazine cofounder Jann Wenner was removed from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation board after a New York Times interview on Friday in which he spoke about his decision to not include interviews with women and Black artists in his forthcoming book ([link removed]) “The Masters.” Wenner said, “Insofar as the women, just none of them were as articulate enough on this intellectual level,” and made similar comments about Black musicians.

President Biden’s son Hunter sued the IRS on Monday ([link removed]) , alleging that agency investigators violated his right to privacy by disclosing details to Congress and the public about his taxes and the investigation into his personal conduct. The suit was filed just days after the Justice Department indicted him on separate charges related to his purchase and illegal possession of a firearm in 2018, when he failed to disclose his drug use on the requisite form.
[link removed]

This newsletter is sponsored by BetterHelp.

When you're at your best, you can do great things. But you can’t always be at the top of your game, and it’s normal to feel overwhelmed or like you aren’t showing up in the ways that you want to sometimes. Working with a therapist can help you get closer to the person you want to be. Because when you feel empowered, you can take on whatever life throws at you.

If you’re thinking of starting therapy, BetterHelp is a great option. It’s convenient, affordable, and entirely online.

Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist based on your unique needs and preferences. Then you can start communicating with your therapist in whatever format works for you – via video, phone, or live chat sessions. If your first match isn’t the perfect fit, switch therapists any time at no additional charge.

Life is unpredictable, and it’s impossible to know what’s around the corner. Consistency has to come from within. Find your empowerment, so you’re ready for anything that comes your way.

Visit BetterHelp.com/WAD to get ten percent off your first month. ([link removed])

Illinois will become the first state in the U.S. to abolish cash bail ([link removed]) .


A federal judge in New York rejected Starbucks’ request to dismiss a lawsuit ([link removed]) claiming that several of its Refresher fruit beverages were missing the key ingredient of…fruit.


Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer loosened the dress code in the upper chamber over the weekend ([link removed]) , and directed the sergeant at arms not to enforce the informal dress code. Schumer said in a statement that he will continue to wear a suit, but “senators are able to choose what they wear on the Senate floor.” It seems that the dress code hasn’t been enforced in quite some time anyways, but regardless, this is great news for female senators, who are more likely to be criticized or even reprimanded for breaking the dress code, and of course for hoodie enthusiast Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA). The rule change only applies to senators; staff will still be expected to adhere to a business-casual dress code.

After immense pushback from Writers Guild and Screen Actors Guild members, Drew Barrymore decided to delay the return of her daytime talk show until the strike is over ([link removed]) , and publicly apologized for her previous decision. We love to see it!
[link removed]

============================================================
** (http://)
. . . . . .
** ([link removed])

© Crooked Media 2023. All Rights Reserved.
If you want to manage which emails you receive from Crooked Media, ** update your preferences here ([link removed])
. If you prefer to opt out of all Crooked Media communications, you may ** unsubscribe ([link removed])
.
** Share this newsletter ([link removed])

7162 Beverly Blvd #212, Los Angeles, CA, 90036
** Powered by Mailchimp ([link removed])
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Link ([link removed])