You Rascal! George Santos Crashes Biden's Big Speech - The Friday AM Quickie 3/8/24
Congratulations to Rupert Murdoch, 92, on his 6th wedding engagement (at least)! If all goes well, retired molecular biologist Elena Zhukova, 67, who he met through his 3rd wife, Wendi Deng, will be the 5th Mrs. Murodch. Invitations have reportedly gone out for the wedding at Murdoch's vineyard in California. Mine must still be in the mail! - Corey
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THE BIG NEWS
That's Joe: Biden Can't Bring Himself to Say 'Abortion' and Can't Stop Himself from Calling Migrant 'an Illegal'
Wearing black T-shirts with anti-war slogans and holding a sign that read "BIDEN'S LEGACY IS GENOCIDE," protesters locked arms and blocked traffic on Pennsylvania Avenue route last night, forcing President Joe Biden's motorcade to take a longer route to his state of the union speech to Congress. But Biden chose not to mention Gaza until he was four-fifths of the way through his one-hour-and-eight-minute-long speech. "Israel has a right to go after Hamas," he said. "But Israel also has a fundamental responsibility to protect innocent civilians in Gaza."
Acknowledging that Israel's assault "has taken a greater toll on innocent civilians than all previous wars in Gaza combined," leaving "homes destroyed, neighborhoods in rubble, cities in ruin" and "families without food, water, medicine," Biden claimed he has "been working non-stop to establish an immediate ceasefire that would last for at least six weeks." He also announced the construction of a "temporary pier" off the coast of Gaza to "enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance" reaching displaced civilians. "But Israel must also do its part," Biden went on. "Israel must allow more aid into Gaza and ensure that humanitarian workers aren't caught in the cross fire."
That last point, aid groups say, speaks to the core problem that Biden's planned workaround to deliver aid to Palestinians fails to address. "Who is going to distribute it?" asks Refugees International president Jeremy Konyndyk, speaking to the Guardian. "The aid organisations' presence in northern Gaza is pretty close to zero because the Israelis have wanted everyone out... You need drivers that don't exist, trucks that don't exist feeding into a distribution system that doesn't exist."
Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft calls the floating port plan "pathetic," noting that Biden's efforts to mitigate Israel's overwhelming assault on civilians consistently "avoid what actually matters: Stopping the war." Biden appears to be budging on this issue, but far too slowly. During last night's speech, Democratic 'Squad' Reps. Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib remained seated while others stood to applaud Biden's comments on Israel on Gaza, and held up small signs that read "LASTING CEASEFIRE NOW" and "STOP SENDING BOMBS." Bush invited a Palestinian from her district, Intimaa Salama, to attend Biden's speech; she says Biden has "the power and responsibility to save lives."
In his speech last night, Biden also:
- Didn't obviously screw up or suffer any pronounced memory lapses. "Nobody is going to talk about cognitive impairment now," New York Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler told Biden immediately after the speech, prompting Biden to respond, "I kind of wish sometimes I was cognitively impaired."
- Never mentioned Sick F*ck Donald Trump by name, instead referring to him as "my predecessor," and describing him and his Republican allies as appeasers of Aspiring Tsar Vladimir Putin who "seek to bury the truth about Jan. 6."
- Barely mentioned climate change though he did call it a "crisis."
- Referred to an undocumented immigrant accused of a crime as "an illegal" despite promising not to "demonize immigrants." He also promised not to "separate families" or "ban people from America because of their faith" and to "provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers," which is not included in the immigration bill he urged Congress to send him. Biden still needs to "do better," immigrants' advocates say.
- Failed to say the word "abortion" even though it appeared in his prepared remarks. More than a Dozen House Democratic women wore "head-to-toe suffragette white" in order "to symbolize our joint commitment to women's rights," as Illinois Rep. Robin Kelly put it.
- Appealed to "millions of renters" by saying "we're cracking down on big landlords who break antitrust laws by price-fixing and driving up rents," and promised to take on "shrinkflation," saying "the snack companies think you won't notice when they charge you just as much for the same size bag but with fewer chips in it."
- Did not stop to say hi to the fabulist, federally indicted, and finally expelled New York Republican Rep. George Santos, who took advantage of his lifetime House floor privileges to attend Biden's speech, to which he wore an undeniably fabulous "crystal-encrusted collar" – and to announce that he's running for Congress again, this time from a different Long Island district currently held by a Republican. Say what you will about Santos, the man knows how to steal... the show!
MORE STORIES TO WATCH
Trumpdates: He Makes Neville Chamberlain Look Good
- Biden Plans to Share Classified Intel with Candidate Trump 'No Matter the Outcome' of His Flrorida Trial for Stealing Secret Documents Though they are not required by law, the intelligence briefings for major party presidential nominees have been a White House tradition since 1952, and officials worry that denying them to Trump despite his record of spilling state secrets would bolster his claims that the Deep State is out to get him. via Politico and NBC News.
- Fearing for Their Safety, New York Judge Orders Trump Not to Reveal Names of Jurors in His First Criminal Trial Next Month Meanwhile, a federal judge yesterday rejected the Sick F*ck's request to delay payment of the $83 million judgment he owes to a woman he raped and then repeatedly defamed, the writer E. Jean Carroll. via the New York Times and the Washington Post.
- Trump's White House Dr. Feelgood Was Demoted By the Navy for Abusing Pills and Alcohol Texas Republican Rep. and former White House doctor Ronny Jackson, who has praised Trump's "incredibly good genes" and predicted that he could "live to be 200 years old" if only he gave up McDonald's, continues to call himself a retired admiral even though he was busted down to captain for his less-than-exemplary official conduct. via the Post and NBC News.
- Trump-Endorsed Former GOP House Candidate Turns Himself in to Las Vegas Police for Beating a Man to Death Former WWE wrestler Dan Rodimer, who won Trump's "Complete and Total Endorsement" when he ran for Congress in 2020, allegedly killed Christoper Tapp on Oct. 29 after Tapp offered his stepdaughter cocaine in a Resorts World hotel room on the Strip. via KLAS 8 News Now and the Guardian.
House Democrats Are Investigating Russia's Illegal Use of SpaceX Satellites Over Ukraine
Democratic Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Robert Garcia of California sent a letter Wednesday night to SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell demanding answers on Ukraine's allegation that Russian forces have coopted the company's Starlink satellite network and are using it for military purposes in violation of U.S. sanctions and export controls. "'We are concerned that you may not have appropriate guardrails and policies in place,' Raskin and Garcia wrote in a letter exclusively obtained by The Washington Post. ... 'It remains critical that Russia be deprived of any trade that empowers its military.'" Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces, running short on supplies, are struggling to respond to probing attacks by Russian troops along the 600-mile front line in preparation for a likely spring offensive, according to the Wall Street Journal. Also yesterday, formerly neutral Sweden officially joined NATO as the 32nd member of the military alliance.
QUICKEST QUICKIES
- TikTok Tells U.S. Users to Call Their Reps as Bill to Ban the Platform Passes House Committee 50-0 "The American Civil Liberties Union and other free speech advocacy groups urged lawmakers to reject the TikTok bill, saying in a letter to the Energy and Commerce Committee's leadership that 'passing this legislation would trample on the constitutional right to freedom of speech of millions of people in the United States.'" via the AP and Politico.
- 'Cowards!' Uvalde Families Shout as City Council Absolves Police of Misconduct in 2022 School Massacre The Texas city's hired investigator, former police detective Jesse Prado, "said his review showed that officers showed 'immeasurable strength' and 'level-headed thinking' as they faced fire from the [Robb Elementary school] shooter and refrained from shooting into a darkened classroom"; Prado left council chambers before yesterday's public hearing on his report rather than face angry victims' families. via the AP and the Texas Tribune.
- Sunshine Week 2024: Florida City Officials Call the Cops on Reporter Seeking Public Records Tampa Fire Chief Barbara Tripp claimed reporter Justin Garcia was being "argumentative" when she summoned police rather than acknowledge his request under state open records laws; the mayor's office says "it was a misunderstanding." via the Tampa Bay Times.
- 'Godfather of Progressive Prosecutors' Advances to Runoff in Los Angeles District Attorney Race DA George Gascón came out first in a crowded field in Tuesday's elections, and will face former Republican federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman in the November runoff. via Politico and the Los Angeles Times.
SOME NUMBER
0.72 percent
That's the share of public commenters who dared to register opposition to Hong Kong's new national security bill, which includes life prison sentences for treason and other offenses, according to the government. "The bill is expected to pass easily, possibly in weeks, in a legislature packed with Beijing loyalists following an electoral overhaul," the Associated Press reports.
ON THE SHOW TODAY
1/26: It's Casual Friday! Pump up the jam.
DON'T MISS MR CLIPS
RFK Unloads TMI Avalanche on Brocaster
You just can't script stuff this good!
DeSantis Replaces Cruz as Most Pathetic Trump Bootlicker
Why is he still bothering to do Newsmax interviews? Especially when he can't fake a smile without wincing as though in great pain.
PARTING WORDS
"Everything has stopped. Medical supplies, food cannot come to Port-au-Prince. Right now nothing can enter by sea, by air, or by road. It's a disaster. Hunger will be the next step."
-- A manager in the shipping industry in Haiti, speaking to the Washington Post about yesterday's takeover of the capital's main port by heavily armed gangs, who have already encircled the airport and blocked inbound roads to the city. Haiti imports most of its food and other goods, and aid groups warn the gang blockade will also force hospitals to shut down soon.
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