NEWS ALERT: Gun violence on Long Island, NY

Six people were shot at a house party on Long Island, New York, early Sunday morning. Read more...

YOUR SUNDAY'S LATE BREAKING NEWS...For Liberals Only

PROGRESSIVE STREET...Where Liberals Walk


Don't count Bernie out is the word from John Atcheson of Progressive Common Dreams News comparing the Bern to Joe Biden in the recent uncloseted war on Sanders by the Democrats. Biden stumbled in the first debate with attacks from newbie Kamala Harris, but the Vermont Senator continued to hammer away with his crusade to get Wall Street and the wealthy. Bernie still doesn't seem to fear the Socialist label, and polls as well as Biden against Trump. Next debate?

In a move that defies the term "I don't believe it," the Republicans are working in collusion with "a GOP operative whose goal was to create maps advantageous to Republicans and non-Hispanic Whites.” (ie. the recent question added to the Census asking for citizenship, which is currently in the courts.) With the question in jeopardy, Donald Trump has now even asked for a delay of the census. Just further proof that the Republicans will do anything to block Democratic voters.

Democrats took a hit when SCOTUS ruled that federal courts cannot block lawmakers in individual states from partisan gerrymandering in political districts. Whether or not this is illegal, but certainly unethical, "Justice Elena Kagan was among the dissenters in the ruling, quoting her as saying that “partisan gerrymanders” have 'debased and dishonored our democracy.'” It seems pretty clear that, also based on the Census question issue above, the GOP is hell-bent on controlling the 2020 election.

My opinion is that most folks have a large amount of respect for the Dalai Lama, except for Trump supporters, especially after seeing this article. The religious oracle described the U.S. president as scatterbrained, that Trump suffers from a “lack of moral principle.” The Tibetan spiritual leader said, “One day, he says something,” the Dalai Lama said of Trump. “Another day, he says something.” Thus, the premise by many, including well-known psychiatrists, that Donald Trump is mentally unbalanced.

Donald Trump is a fabricated president. Fake, counterfeit, bogus, the list goes on endlessly. Like the phony cover of TIME Magazine that was found hanging in his golf clubs back in 2017. Today the fraudulent "TIME magazine graphic showing himself running for office for the next 1,000 years." A campaign yard sign said, “Trump 2020, Trump 2024, 2028,” well into the year 3,000 to 40,000 and beyond. Carried further, president for life? Something must be done about this lunatic in 2020...or before.

YOUR SATURDAY'S LATE BREAKING NEWS...For Liberals Only

PROGRESSIVE STREET...Where Liberals Walk

Google believes its search engine might be instrumental in predicting the outcome of the 2020 election. The Democratic Primary candidates are lined up and the ranked starting with December 30, 2018 through June 16, 2019. It is a constantly changing competition for positioning for best ranking arriving at an expected conclusion, except for number two. Elizabeth Warren replaced Bernie Sanders at second moving him to third. Joe Biden remains first.

The chief of the White House’s Office of Special Counsel has the evidence for ousting White House counselor Kellyanne Conway by documenting her “complete disregard” for the law. Trump appointed Henry Kerner, who leads the Office of Special Counsel in testimony submitted to Congress...

"accuses Conway of going out of her way to knowingly flout the Hatch Act, which bars most executive branch employees from engaging in political activity."

 Republicans claim the Bible says they don’t have to help the poor, but "former National Republican Committee head Michael Steele slammed GOP lawmakers who have attempted to use the Bible as a defense for ignoring the needs of the poor and the helpless." Steele added...

“Anyone who’s quoting a Bible that says they’re not supposed to care for the poor, that should tell you everything about them and the Bible that they’re reading.”

Paul Krugman says Republicans deserting constituents by taking away their health care benefits. To illustrate, there is a desperate need for medical services for the poor in red-state Tennessee. These are Americans in rural communities that voted heavily for Donald Trump in a state that refuses to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. "Republicans who run Tennessee and other ‘non-expansion’ states have chosen to inflict misery on many of their constituents, rural residents in particular.” Tragic but clear where the blame resides.

Current news on the NRA's sinking ship is the shutting down production of its online propaganda machine, the streaming network, NRATV. This dumps Dana Loesch from live programming, something the educated of this country won't miss. Head gun nut Wayne LaPierre is trying to hold this band of demented soldiers of gun violence together but both questionable finances and the discovery of the NRA's real reputation spells doom in the near future. So good! 

The most despicable U.S. politician ever: Mitch McConnell

PROGRESSIVE STREET...Where Liberals Walk

And no less a U.S. Senator. Who would re-elect this sleazebag repeatedly? Could only be the same morons who vote for Donald Trump. Raw Story says, "Gallons of ink have been spilled about how he [Mitch McConnell] is a worse threat to democratic institutions than Trump." This pariah of politics has served as a concrete wall against anything the left has tried to accomplish, dating back to before the Obama administration.

One of my passions is reasonable gun control. In June of 2018, McConnell used his power to prevent legislation to prevent terrorists from buying guns. (It should be noted that he is one of the largest recipients of donations from the National Rifle Assn.) and as The Hill put it...

"provided cover for vulnerable Republicans who wanted to be seen as supporting the effort but did not want to cross the National Rifle Association."

It is all about power and that is what the man demands, no matter its expense to the American public and the country.

In an opinion piece for The Guardian this past April, Robert Reich wrote...

"No person has done more in living memory to undermine the functioning of the US government than the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell."

The sooner, the better

Now that's a pretty strong statement when you have Donald Trump in the White House in the process of using his corrupt administration to line his and his minions' pockets. "But McConnell is actively and willfully destroying the Senate," Reich says, resulting in the following...

"Last Wednesday he used his Republican majority to cut the time for debating Trump’s court appointees from 30 hours to two – thereby enabling Republicans to ram through even more Trump judges."

There's more from Reich...

"McConnell doesn’t give a fig about the Senate, or about democracy. He cares only about winning. On the eve of the 2010 midterm elections he famously declared that his top priority was for Barack Obama 'to be a one-term president.'”

Mitch McConnell, who was almost a single force in stonewalling anything Obama did in his two terms, is a confirmed racist who hated Barack Obama because he was black, and also since he was a Democrat. McConnell even vowed to make Obama a one-term president. He failed. Mitch McConnell is a complete fraud but as long as he gets things done for the GOP he'll stay head of the Senate. Unless...the people of Kentucky wise up and blow him away in 2020.

Here's an example of McConnell's stupidity, punctuated by racism...

Here's a headline that every Kentuckian should take into consideration before voting in 2020: "Mitch McConnell Will Not Act in Good Faith, Even When the Security of the Country Is at Stake." It refers to McConnell's blaming of Barack Obama for the Russians meddling in the 2016 election, thus prompting the Mueller Report. Although Obama may have been negligent in handling the intelligence, Mueller's Report clearly holds Donald Trump guilty of collusion.

And finally Mitch McConnell's dark side, in my estimation, the only side he has. Politico calls him,  “Cocaine Mitch,” “Nuclear Mitch” or the steward of the “legislative graveyard.” Would anyone question why Congress has such a low rating with the American public with a mad man like this in control of the Senate? I think not, and according to Raw Story, the Democrats should be able to use Mitch McConnell to sweep the 2020 elections. One can only hope!

NO to guns-Madonna's latest video

PROGRESSIVE STREET...Where Liberals Walk

You may ask what does it matter that some celebrity comes out against the massive gun violence in the United States. Well, the answer is that it simply reemphasizes the significance of the issue, since the person has nothing to gain but the satisfaction of having spoken out against something that is killing this country's innocent people. Madonna did it in her new video that is available free, and something everyone should look at.

Madonna

It is graphic! Madonna is actually shot dead in the course of a mass shooting that appears to be taking place in a dance hall where it seems that everyone has been killed by an assault rifle. Madonna has a message: "We need to wake up," with the name of her video "God Control." No matter what you might think of her as a person and as a performer, she should be enshrined for putting her career on line with such a controversial issue. Just watch the video and you'll see...

Donald Trump spawns corruption

PROGRESSIVE STREET...Where liberals Walk

Robert Reich talks about Donald Trump's "deep state," (ie. Steve Bannon) but concludes the Oval Office has now progressed to Trump’s Corrupt State. He adds...

"Not since Warren G. Harding’s sordid administration have as many grifters, crooks and cronies occupied high positions in Washington."

 Just look at the resignations of do many top people in the administration; Scott Pruitt, Ryan Zinke, Tom Price, and Michael Flynn. It was recently reported that "a real estate company partly owned by Trump son-in-law and foreign policy advisor, Jared Kushner, has raked in $90 million from foreign investors since Kushner entered the White House." Thus signifying the fact that Donald Trump bought the presidency for the purpose of establishing a money machine.

The corruption is compounded by the conclusions by the media, private sector, and some in government that, "this is a White House out of control, with a Commander-in-Chief not in charge." Here's a shocking example from CNN’s Alexander Marquardt, a Senior National Correspondent focusing on National Security...

"He makes clear Trump’s not the one calling the shots, and is only making decisions to fend off internal bickering and power plays in his administration."

Bob Cesca of Salon says...

"Worse yet, there are millions of Americans who will do anything to circulate Trumpism until it becomes fact and therefore the basis for governing the country from now on. In the face of all this, too many news outlets refuse to act in accordance with the challenges of this existential crisis."

He points to a recent interview by Chuck Todd of NBC's “Meet the Press” with Donald Trump Cesca termed, "another example of the perpetually nauseating confluence of Trump’s gratuitous lies and a TV news reporter too timid to treat him like the despot he is." Cesca comments that Trump voters simply believe "Trump’s worthless word" and "repeated as truth the following whopper lies told to Todd the other day."

Want a laugh? Watch Chuck Todd, Donald Trump interview...

Typical of Trump's lies in perpetuity, still using former President Barack Obama as his customary whipping post, Trump tells Todd...

"'Congress never approved Obama’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, aka the “Iran Deal.' Since it wasn’t a treaty, Congress didn’t have to approve. But Congress passed legislation, signed by Obama, allowing legislators to evaluate the terms of the deal. To his credit, Todd caught that lie."

 What is so pathetic, and also fearful, is that Chuck Todd treated Donald Trump in such a way to legitimize the Oval Office lunatic who is far from earning it. Cesca says...

"Let’s put it this way: When Trump starts to act like a president, then maybe he’ll earn the right to be treated like one."

I think most of us will agree that will never happen.

Democratic debates interrupted

I am watching the Democratic debates streaming live online because my local provider Cox Communications can't seem to correct interference that makes watching the debates almost impossible. I am in Arizona, which is heavily Republican, many radical to the right. I am not saying this is Republican political terrorism nor am I saying it is not.

Now, there is a problem with the microphones at the debate, and they had to take an unexpected break to try and fix it. Very suspicious since Donald Trump had threatened to be vocal on Twitter during the debates. Hmmmmm...