ICYMI: Giuliani is broke

kos

Daily Kos Staff

Thursday December 21, 2023 · 1:43 PM PST

2023/12/21 · 13:43

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 28: Rudy Giuliani appears in support of his son, New York Republican gubernatorial primary candidate Andrew Giuliani, at an election night watch party in Manhattan on June 28, 2022 in New York City. Andrew Giuliani lost to Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), who will take on Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul this fall. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) — Rudy Giuliani

A federal judge ordered that Rudy Giuliani immediately begin paying the $148 million he owes Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Moss because the judge said that the former New York City mayor is likely to try to hide the assets. Ordinarily, plaintiffs have to wait 30 days before trying to seize any assets.

As a result, Giuliani declared bankruptcy on Thursday, claiming debts of as much as $500 million and assets of up to $10 million. Yet the judge noted that Giuliani owns properties in New York and Florida, and had enough money to pay a spokesman that follows him everywhere he goes. But it must be said that the appeals process and bankruptcy filing will likely delay any actual payments to the two women for some time.

This is our last ICYMI evening roundup of the year, so to everyone reading, we wish you lots of merriment this holiday season! Drink, eat, and be merry! And rest up—because next year, we fight to save our democracy.

kos

Daily Kos Staff

Thursday December 21, 2023 · 12:22 PM PST

2023/12/21 · 12:22

A supporter on phone during a Keep America Great rally at the Rupp Arena in Lexington. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images) — Yeah, liberal women, date THAT

It’s tough being an average guy, trying to find romantic connections online. While the incels have all sorts of dastardly theories about why this is so (most of them centering on evil women hoarding the hottest, most dominant men, which they call “chads”), the simple reality is that men dominate dating apps.

Tinder’s user base is 78% men, and 76% for Bumble. The numbers are similar for other popular apps. The odds don’t favor men.

But if you’re a conservative man? It’s a lot worse.

kos

Daily Kos Staff

Wednesday December 20, 2023 · 1:57 PM PST

2023/12/20 · 13:57

WATERLOO, IOWA - DECEMBER 19: Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he wraps up a campaign event on December 19, 2023 in Waterloo, Iowa. Iowa Republicans will be the first to select their party's nomination for the 2024 presidential race, when they go to caucus on January 15, 2024. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) — Former President Donald Trump

The 14th Amendment of the United States prohibits anyone from holding office if they have “have engaged in insurrection or rebellion.” And a handful of states are examining whether that clause applies to Donald Trump and his attempted coup on Jan. 6, 2021. Yesterday, the Colorado Supreme court ruled that yes, Trump engaged in an attempted insurrection and, as such, is barred from being on the Colorado ballot. President Joe Biden agreed that yup, Trump is an insurrectionist. (Of course, this shouldn’t be controversial.)

For Trump, the decision is a serious blow to his “electability” argument, claiming he is best positioned to defeat President Joe Biden. A surprisingly large bloc of Trump supporters aren’t MAGA, though; they just want to win. If the U.S. Supreme Court green-lights keeping Trump off the ticket (a big if, admittedly), it would energize similar efforts in other battleground states, like Michigan (which is currently litigating the issue) and Wisconsin, where Democrats recaptured the Supreme Court this year. In all, 14th Amendment challenges to Trump’s candidacy are percolating in 16 states.

Republicans are predictably losing their minds, and some, like those in Texas, are threatening to boot Biden from their ballots. Unfortunately for them, Biden hasn’t engaged in any insurrections or rebellions, but sound logic isn’t their strong suit, of course.

Meanwhile, pressure is mounting for Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from all Trump election-related cases, this one included (when it is inevitably appealed), given Thomas’ glaring conflicts of interests—after all, his wife, Ginni, was a major figure in Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

kos for Daily Kos

Daily Kos Staff

Wednesday December 20, 2023 · 9:30 AM PST

2023/12/20 · 09:30

Smoke rises from the Oak Fire near Mariposa, California, on July 24, 2022. - The fierce California wildfire expanded early Sunday burning several thousand acres and forcing evacuations, as tens of millions of Americans sweltered through scorching heat with already record-setting temperatures due to climb even further. More than 2,000 firefighters backed by 17 helicopters have been deployed against the Oak Fire, which broke out Friday near Yosemite National Park, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) said in a report. (Photo by DAVID MCNEW / AFP) (Photo by DAVID MCNEW/AFP via Getty Images) — Smoke rises from the Oak Fire near Mariposa, California, on July 24, 2022.

No one will ever accuse the regulars over at Reddit’s r/conspiracy community of, er, conspiracy theorists of being the brightest our society has to offer. But it finally dawned on one of them that weirdly, the climate has changed.

Most agreed that, sure, the seasons were hinky, and the salient question quickly became why. As you’d expect from a gaggle of conspiracists, the explanations were … something.

kos

Daily Kos Staff

Tuesday December 19, 2023 · 1:01 PM PST

2023/12/19 · 13:01

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 24: U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks alongside fellow House Republicans after he was elected as the Republican Speaker nominee during a conference meeting in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill on October 24, 2023 in Washington, DC. Members of the GOP conference met for a closed-door vote to select their nominee for Speaker of the House to succeed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who was ousted on October 4 in a move led by a small group of conservative members of his own party. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) — Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson celebrated winning the gavel ... and nothing else. Between him and ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy, these Republicans oversaw the least effective House in nearly a century

The GOP House did a whole lot of nothing this year

We can call it: This year’s House of Representatives, led by Republicans, was the most ineffective since 1933. It passed just 22 bills, compared with the 85 bills that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s House passed in 2021. Worse, most of the bills it did pass were fluff, such as one authorizing an anniversary coin for the Marine Corps. There is much more fail in this Congress detailed in this story. Check it out.

At the very least, they got rid of George Santos … though we don’t know whether to count that as a success that he’s gone, or a failure that he was a congressman in the first place.

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Daily Kos Staff

Saturday December 09, 2023 · 9:00 AM PST

2023/12/09 · 09:00

no image description available — US President Donald Trump waves upon arrival, alongside Attorney General of Texas Ken Paxton (L) in Dallas, Texas, on June 11, 2020

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is out of control

Only hours after a judge ruled to allow a Texas woman facing a nonviable, life-threatening pregnancy to seek an abortion, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton threatened hospitals and doctors with both civil and criminal penalties if they comply with the judge’s ruling.

When possible, Republicans have enacted some of the most extreme abortion bans, and Texas has among the worst. But cases like this one, which expose the GOP’s cruel and heartless attitudes toward women, have further galvanized national opposition to the bans. They’re also giving Democrats ammunition heaving into an election cycle with a generally favorable environment.

In fact, Paxton’s unhinged response is beyond absurd, and must be read to be believed.

This week’s most-read stories

Comic:

More comics.

Campaign Action

Yet another conservative meme fails basic logic

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Daily Kos Staff

Friday December 08, 2023 · 2:40 PM PST

2023/12/08 · 14:40

Ahh, nothing like right-wing Facebook memes. Especially ones that have a pronoun as the third word and then proudly proclaim their refusal to use any pronouns.

kos

Daily Kos Staff

Friday December 08, 2023 · 11:31 AM PST

2023/12/08 · 11:31

The Essequibo River flows through Kurupukari crossing in Guyana, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2023. Venezuela has long claimed Guyana’s Essequibo region, a territory larger than Greece and rich in oil and minerals. (AP Photo/Juan Pablo Arraez) — The Essequibo River flows through Kurupukari crossing in Guyana, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2023. Venezuela has long claimed Guyana’s Essequibo region, a territory larger than Greece and rich in oil and minerals

If it feels like the whole world is burning, that’s because it is. With hot conflicts in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, it sadly seems like South America wants to get in on some of that action.

In short, Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro is threatening war against neighboring Guyana. We’ll explore the root of that conflict, the chances of war, and what the tankies think about it.

kos

Daily Kos Staff

Tuesday December 05, 2023 · 1:47 PM PST

2023/12/05 · 13:47

President Donald Trump flanked by riot police in Lafayette Park after it was cleared using tear gas for the president's Monday press event outside St. John's Church across from the White House Monday, June 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) — President Donald Trump flanked by riot police in Lafayette Park in 2020.

Major newspapers may be leading media shift on Trump coverage

For far too long, we’ve bemoaned the national media for covering Donald Trump as if he were a conventional candidate and not who he actually is: a fascist threat to our nation’s democracy. Much of the media’s trepidation stems from its fear of invoking right-wing fury at coverage deemed “unfair.” This wariness leads to the frequent “both sides do it”-style coverage that is now a cliche.

But finally, two of the most influential national media outlets—The New York Times and The Washington Post—appear to be pivoting. If they can maintain this level of Trump scrutiny, it could spread through the broader media ecosystem, giving us hope that these outlets won’t abet Trump’s rise—again. At the very least, they can give their audiences a clear look at the nihilistic, bleak, dystopian future that Trump proudly promises his acolytes.

ICYMI: Republicans reveal the smoking (cap) gun in Biden impeachment inquiry

kos

Daily Kos Staff

Monday December 04, 2023 · 2:09 PM PST

2023/12/04 · 14:09

MANCHESTER, NH - FEBRUARY 10: A supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump wears an oversize "Make America Great Again Hat" as he waits for the start of a "Keep America Great" rally at Southern New Hampshire University Arena on February 10, 2020 in Manchester, New Hampshire. New Hampshire will hold its first in the national primary on Tuesday. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) — From fake news to deep fakes: buckle up for 2024.

Monday’s theme? Republican weakness

Republicans don’t seem to be trying very hard as we head into the December holidays.

The Republican effort in the House to impeach President Joe Biden took a new step forward before quickly taking two steps back. Rep. James Comer sure thought he’d found the smoking gun, but his latest claims were debunked in record time, and we could feel secondhand humiliation from here.

Meanwhile, Republicans are dipping their toes into the world of “deepfakes” and artificial intelligence with a new scare campaign aimed at America’s beloved national parks.

And finally, some Republicans are starting to recognize the sustained damage Donald Trump has done to the GOP over the past seven or so years.

These stories are all signs of the weakness of the Republican platform going into 2024. With no evidence of any crimes by Biden, Republicans are throwing anything and everything at the wall to see what sticks in order to keep their conspiracy-lovin' base happy.