#nancy vy project

[lizalotts]

iroha & nancy create the "grown women who :3" club!!

[waffulaa]

A.I.Voice VY Nancy and VOCALOID3 KYO on e-Ride Tokyo Homepage.

[love-toxin]

yandere fruity four reverse harem??? 🥺

YOU'RE GONNA JUST SAY THAT??? KNOWING IT'S GONNA CHANGE MY LIFE???? fuck. yandere fruity four.

Steve is such a big protector, choosing to physically put himself between you and whatever danger you might be facing, whether that danger is a swarm of demo-bats or just some creep that's trying to ask you out. he would quite literally die for you, and you often have to remind him not to go that far with tears and wailing when he gets hurt or has to be dragged into the trailer to have his wounds looked at. but, while he's a bit reckless and can be overbearing at times, he's also so completely in love with you that's it's honestly sickening--he's the one that will dance with you in the living room to a song on the radio, and stroke your hair with your head in his lap and refuse to move you if you fall asleep there. you're comfy, therefore you shall not be awoken, and god rest Eddie's soul if he knocks something over or gets feedback on his amp. you'll hear his shrieks and panicked laughter when Steve storms in and throttles him--or just tickles him to death. he's a sweetheart deep down, and he just loves to please you and his best friends, so he's just the perfect guy to watch over you and make sure you're both comfortable and happy.

Nancy is always on the lookout for you, if you sneak out for a brief respite from the four to go do something they think is too risky, she's the one that finds you and gives you a lecture or two about your safety. but she also includes you in so much of her life, you get to come with her on her top-secret journalism projects and hold her camera for her, and she always takes you out for a treat when you stay up all night with her to work on her latest story to submit to the newspaper office. she's so doting, so gentle, and very in tune with what you need and when you need it, whether it be physically or emotionally or both. she can pick up on your emotions so effortlessly that it's like she can read your mind, and all she has to do is suggest something to do that she knows will lift your spirits and you'll be whisked away to go do it. she's on the possessive side though, so you might wake up to one of your partners kicked off the bed and sleeping on the floor while she takes their place. usually that only happens if they manage to piss her off, but it still happens. and don't be surprised by her joining in on any of those more intimate times she might accidentally walk in on--even if she has something to do or somewhere to be, you can bet she'll put it off just long enough to get her hands on you.

Eddie is so soft and sweet on you. he's definitely overprotective but not in the way the others are--he likes to see you with your own freedoms, as long as he can take part of them in some way. he has so many nicknames for you and genuinely does treat you like royalty, but he also can get so attached to you that he can't be shaken off no matter how hard you try. he'll be there in the shower with you and cuddled up as close as he can get against you when you're sleeping together, and if you need some space then you usually have to get one of the other three to drag him away and busy him while you do something personal or just have some alone time. that's just one of those quirks you just kinda have to deal with, but he more than makes up for it with the kind of adoration one rarely finds in anyone, much less a sweet man like him. plus, he wouldn't ever judge you for anything--you don't ever have to fear about being yourself with him, because if anything he'll just want to take part in it so he can get to know you better. that weird hobby or stupid dance or song you want to sing terribly is like gold to him, he wants to see it and treasure it because it's what makes you you.

Robin is the one constantly vying for your attention, always on your heels with that hopeful expression that you'll stop whatever you're doing to talk to her or just shoot her a smile. she swears you're her main source of happiness, her sunshine, her whole world--she would do anything to have your eyes on her, even if it means sneaking you out from under the other three's noses to go do something fun without their supervision. she's the queen of holding hands and giggling as you hurry out of the trailer and duck out of sight, before hijacking Eddie's van and peeling off to go get icecream or see a late-night movie. she's by far the easiest one to talk to about the real stuff, to complain about Steve's stubbornness or Nancy's mother henning or Eddie's barging in while you're trying to pee in peace. and while she has a talent for making you laugh those annoyances off until they don't feel so frustrating, she also listens so intently that you can't help but feel seen and understood even if she doesn't always have the right words to say so. plus, there's something about driving home after a little impromptu outing and seeing Nancy and Steve standing on the porch with their arms crossed like disappointed parents that just brings you even closer together.

[stonathans-stranger]

for the ask meme can i get 10 + stonathan except jonathan is the popular dude and steve is the nerd

ANON YOUR FUCKING MIIIIIIIND!!!!!!!! THIS IS TOO POWERFUL 

Jonathan Byers was the king of the hallways at Hawkins High. He didn’t participate in sports, but he was a drum major, and student class president, so maybe that made him claim the throne. 

And Steve couldn’t figure out if he was vying for the crown or the one wearing it. 

They had English together, and of course, Mr. Perry had to pair them together for their mixed media project. 

“You must create a series of works involving at least one of the following in them: Poetry, Photography, Illustrations, Color, Blackout Poetry, and Descriptive Writing. You must have at least 6 works and a visible theme. This project will be due by the end of the month.” 

It was September 3rd.

Steve turned to Jonathan first, tentatively. 

“You do photography, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, a little, but not much.” Steve nodded. 

“You write poetry?” Jonathan asked.

“What? No, I don’t-I don’t write poetry.” Steve stumbled over his words

“Oh, you write poetry, don’t you?” Jonathan teased. “Answer like that, and you most definitely write poetry.” Jonathan smirked, pinching at Steve’s fingers. Steve pulled away quickly, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets. 

“I don’t. Why are you such an asshole?”

“Hey, I’m not an asshole. Have you met Tommy?”

“Oh, so you’re Asshole Lite, I see.” Jonathan rolled his eyes at Steve.

“Whatever.” He sighed, sticking his pencil behind his ear. “When do you wanna start this fuckin project?”

“What about tomorrow?” 

“Are you kidding me?” Jonathan practically shot death glares at Steve. “We have a football game tomorrow night. It’s Friday night.”

“Oh. I didn’t realize.”

“Yeah. Whatever. This weekend then.” Jonathan tore a piece of paper off of a spare loose piece of paper and quickly scribbled something down, then thrust it into Steve’s hands. Steve glanced at the paper in his hands, then looked to Jonathan. “My number?” 

“Oh! Yeah. Okay. Okay. I’ll call you.” Steve stammered

The rest of the day, Steve’s mind couldn’t be dragged from the thought of Jonathan. Sure, Steve liked to look at him from afar, at lunch, while Steve sat by his best friend, Nancy Wheeler. But, being paired up with him for a project was a nightmare. How many chances would he get to be that close to Jonathan only to fuck it up on the first day?

That night, Steve called Jonathan, and they discussed logistics for the project.

“Mr. Perry said he’d buy the canvases, so we don’t have to worry about that.” Steve explained. 

“Alright. Just remind me to buy more film.” 

“O-Okay.”

“Do you always talk like that?” Jonathan said suddenly. 

“Like what?”

“With a stutter.” 

“What? N-no, I don’t have a fucking stutter.”

“You just did.” Jonathan pointed out.

“Listen, Byers, I don’t have time for your bullshit.”

“Gettin’ a little gutsy.” Jonathan laughed. “Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Whatever.” Steve muttered into the phone.

“Hey, wait,” Jonathan caught Steve has he was about to hang up. “Come to the game tomorrow. Bring that Wheeler girl, yeah? We can all go hang out after the game.”

“You don’t already have plans?”

“I can clear my schedule for one night and some beautiful people.” From behind the phone, Steve’s face went up in flames. 

“I’ll be there.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Steve could practically hear Jonathan smiling.”I gotta go.”

“See ya.”

“Yeah. See ya.” Steve hung up the phone and crawled into his bed, staring at his ceiling. Jonathan Byers was the king, and what was Steve? His jester? Steve rolled to his side restlessly, sighing. His kingdom’s structure was crumbling slowly. 

The next night, Steve persuaded Nancy to come to the football game with him. She was reluctant at first, but it wasn’t too hard to sway her mind. 

“It’s chilly out.” Steve muttered, his teeth chattering as he bought his ticket. 

“I told you to wear a sweater, but you told me I was just cold-blooded.” Nancy shot Steve a look as she got her change and they walked out to the bleachers.

As they seated themselves, Steve spotted Jonathan running around, preparing things for the National Anthem, and for the halftime show. Steve’s hardened look melted into a soft smile, rose coloring his cheeks, and this time, not because of the cold. Nancy followed his gaze, and after finding Byers, rolled her eyes mightily. 

“God, he has you wrapped around his finger.” She laughed. 

The game went ‘okay’, by Nancy and Steve’s standards, not knowing jack shit about the sport. Steve’s favorite part was when the marching band filed into the bleachers for their pep numbers, which meant Jonathan was able to talk up a storm with Nancy and Steve. At one point, Jonathan noticed Steve’s lip quivering due to the cold. 

“Why didn’t you bring a sweater?” Jonathan asked, already shedding his drum major jacket to put around Steve’s shoulders. “Jesus. There.” Jonathan rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Always so unprepared.” The director began calling Jonathan’s name, and he stood to leave. “Always Byers looking out for you.”

“Yeah.” Steve breathed. 

The halftime show was stunning, Steve was redfaced and shouting after each movement. The pit had invited him and Nancy to come stand on the track, where partners of the pit normally stood. 

After the halftime show was over and Jonathan and the other drum majors had lead their band back across the track, Jonathan came running to Steve and Nancy instead of his other friends. He grabbed Steve’s hands, and Steve didn’t pull away.

“That was amazing, Jonathan!” Nancy smiled.

“Yeah, absolutely breathtaking. You did fantastic.” 

“I’m so glad you guys were able to stand on the track, I hope you guys were at least a little impressed.” He laughed.

“It was great, to say the least. You rocked.” 

“Thanks, Harrington.” 

“Did you want your jacket back?” Steve asked, beginning to shrug the jacket off to give back to Jonathan. 

“No, no, no, it’s fine. I’m wearing a vest, after all. And it looks good on you. Suits you well.” 

Maybe Steve’s kingdom wasn’t crumbling. 

Maybe it was rebuilding.

[jeremystrele]

A Boarding House Turned Gorgeous, Rambling + Indestructible Family Home!

A Boarding House Turned Gorgeous, Rambling + Indestructible Family Home!

Homes

by Lucy Feagins, Editor

The warm and welcoming kitchen of Keryn + Stephen Nossal’s St Kilda West home. Handmade hanging basket lights made by a crayfish pot maker on Bruny Island. Pandanus mat from Maningrida, artist unknown. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Keryn is a KEEN op shopper and has collected hundreds of homewares over the years! Pictured here is a (very) small selection of her collection, including vintage Arabia pottery. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Photographic artwork by Thuy Vy. Oil painting by Thomas Gare. Smaller painting was gifted by an artist friend, Marise Maas. Stools from Luke Furniture (now closed). Sling dining chairs by Mary Featherston, found on eBay. Mark Tuckey dining table. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

The most basic kitchen is still serving us well 18 years later and is unchanged’, says Keryn. The original floor boards have been re-sanded and limed. Island bench by Susi Leeton. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Artwork by Angelina Ngale from Utopia Region, Mbunta Gallery. Far left: vintage Arabia salt cellar, which was a gift from friends. The other ceramics are op shop finds. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Light fitting was a junk shop find 20 years ago. Other artworks and trinkets collected over many years in flea markets on travels. Dining table by Mark Tuckey. Mary Featherston sling dining chairs from eBay. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Photograph by Kent Morris from Vivien Anderson Gallery. Smaller artwork by Louise Weaver from Avalanche Australian Print Workshop. Mark Tuckey dining table. Mary Featherston sling dining chairs. Vintage Arabia pottery collection on shelf. Chair from Graham Geddes. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Left: Artwork by Minnie Pwerle, bought from Flinders Lane Gallery in 2003. Grant Featherston chairs from Keryn’s childhood home gifted from her dad, recovered by Gordon Mather. Falcon chair from Angelucci. Right: Lightning/Mimi Spirit by Yidumduma Bill Harney bought in Kununurra. Iitalla glassware collection on trips to Finland. Minnie Pwerle artwork behind.  Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Artwork by Minnie Pwerle, bought from Flinders Lane Gallery in 2003 for Keryn + Stephen’s wedding anniversary. B&B Italia sofa from Space. Artwork on left by Marise Maas from Flinders Lane Gallery. Grant Featherston chairs from Keryn’s childhood home gifted from her dad, recovered by Gordon Mather. Falcon chair from Angelucci. On mantle: Lightning/Mimi Spirit by Yidumduma Bill Harney bought in Kununurra. Iitalla glassware collection on trips to Finland. Minnie Pwerle artwork behind.  Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Photograph by unknown artist from a 1970s advertising campiagn. Peruvian rug from Citizen Nomade in Byron Bay. 1960s coffee table has been with Keryn and Stephen ‘since the beginning’ from a secondhand shop. Side tables from eBay. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

West German ceramic vase found at Leonard Joel. Orefors bowl was Steve’s mums. Boab nut carving from Derby. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Artwork by Kent Morris from Vivien Anderson Gallery. Smaller artwork by Louise Weaver from Avalanche Australian Print Workshop. Photography by Hayley Millar Baker in collaboration with Melbourne Indigenous Transition School, from MUMA. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Lamp bought from vintage shop in Rosebud. Baskets bought in Maccau. Vintage glass vase from Helsinki. Chairs from vintage shops. The dresser is a family heirloom. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

‘Nickeisha’ photo by Christian Thompson AO collaboration ‘Deadly Brilliant’ with Melbourne Indigenous Transition School (MITS) student. Feathertson Numero Uno op shop chair from 15 years ago. Pandanus weaving from Injalak Arts. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Olivewood Mother of Pear crucifix and religious icons collected over many years. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Patterned cushion cover by North. Linen from Citizen Nomade in Byron Bay. Op shop lamps. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Looking out from the bedroom. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Collection of Mexican love heats bought over many years. Many are from Bauhaus on Keryn’s annual trip to The Garden of Unearthly Delights in Adelaide. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

‘The built-in verandah was there when we bought it. It’s our third white Victoria terrace house renovation, but this one is a keeper for 18 years’, says Keryn. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

White butterfly chairs from Angelucci. White cane and tile top table from the op shop. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

‘Steve took the iron roof off the back verandah and replaced it with clear laserlight from Bunnings’, says Keryn. ‘There was a step down to a red brick courtyard but about 10 years after we had the house Susi Leeton designed a huge deck outside, which was built by Martin Thorley’. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

‘Toby’s spot is on the cane furniture from eBay’, says Keryn. Concrete pots collected over the years. Casalla chair from a junk shop. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Design-lover and founder of Fancy Films Keryn (also known as Nancy!) Nossal! Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Annie Portelli.

The St Kilda West house of Keryn Nossal (aka Nancy, owner of Fancy Films and St Andrew’s Beach accommodation Coastal Luxe) and Stephen Nossal (director of CRE green hydrogen development) feels like a real family home. But it hasn’t always been this way. 

The couple first came across the house in 2003, when a real estate agent recommended they check it out. Four days later, they bought it. ‘We owe a lot to that agent for pushing us and are still in touch with him to this day,’ says Keryn. 

It’s hard to imagine now, but 18 years ago the house was incredibly rundown, after operating as a boarding house for decades, then being separated into flats. 

‘It was divided into two properties… it had something like 11 bedrooms upstairs, five kitchens, and six bathrooms all designed to maximise the boarding house accommodation in the ‘60s,’ says Keryn. ‘There were leaking roofs, buckets in the hallways, exposed wiring, and it was very dark… the agent’s name for it was Bohemian Rhapsody – and our friends thought we were mad.’

Keryn says it’s taken minor renovations almost every year to get the property to where it is today, with the help of friend and architect Susi Leeton. ‘Susi did countless drawings and was really patient with us,’  Keryn says. ‘It turned out that the temporary kitchen (that she popped into the middle of the house while we decided where to put it) has been so good that it stayed!’

Letting go of a ‘big shebang reno’, as Keryn calls it, was perhaps the most challenging element of the project, but ultimately worth it. ‘The result is the house is made for living in the way we like it, not the way a potential buyer would like it, or anyone else for that matter,’ Keryn says. ‘It’s us.’

Today, the home is a warm and inviting space, filled with out of the ordinary items. The grand Victorian bones (with many quirks – something their kids didn’t always appreciate growing up!) now serve as the perfect backdrop for Keryn and Steve’s beautiful collection of contemporary and Indigenous art, ceramics, and eclectic furniture mostly bought from junk stores or op shops.  

‘Our adult kids and their friends appreciate it more now than they did when they were little; understanding that the imperfections are what generate the relaxed atmosphere and that the kitchen is the heart of the home,’ Keryn says.

Dulux Vivid White has been used on the walls throughout – the perfect light-reflecting backdrop for the family’s art, collected mostly from Monash Museum of Contemporary Art and Centre for Contemporary Photography. Keryn is also a KEEN op-shopper who has collected hundreds of homewares pieces over the years! ‘I collect all sorts of things that make complete sense to me’, she says. ‘I’ll never tire of collection special, meaningful pieces – nothing that’s in fashion – and surrounding our lives with things that have a story to pass on’. 

Making this home even more special is the fact Keryn’s best friend moved in next door 10 years ago! ‘It’s pretty special sharing a fence with them,’ she says.  What a dream!

‘There’s always something to fix, but we love it, and feel very happy here,’ says Keryn. ‘It’s been a gorgeous, rambling, indestructible place to bring up three kids, and continues to be.’ 

[astridthevalkyrie]

Axe to the Heart: Chapter 2

Astrid Hofferson/Steve Harrington. “Maybe I hate a lot of things here in Hawkins but I suppose you’re not one of them.”

Chapter 1

Edit: Thank you very much to @warrior-of-httyd and @ashleybenlove for giving this trash pair a chance and for the lovely reviews. :D

The next few days became worse and worse. She did nothing but paperwork at the station, the only one who really acknowledged her there was Florence (who said to call her Flo), school was getting tougher by the day (what could she expect, it was senior year), and for some Thorforsaken fucking reason, Steve Harrington was still walking around like someone killed his cat (honestly, what a drama queen).

And Astrid hated the gut feeling she had that paperwork was all she’d ever do in her life, her grades would find a way to mess up eventually, and that she was the one who murdered the fucking kitten.

She was working her ass off to try to get past the first two problems. She could not let her grades slip, or her parents would take an interest in her, but not in a good way. And maybe, just maybe, she’d get Chief Hopper’s seal of approval.

The Steve Harrington thing she could just forget. Right? Right?

Wrong. Apparently, fate was working against her.

“Byers and Campbell, Harrington and Hofferson, Jackson and Brown…”

Everything, Astrid decided as she saw Harrington coming towards her, was shit. Her teacher, and this project in general were part of that everything.

Harrington dropped his bag and slumped in the chair next to her, before looking at her expectantly. She bit back a grimace and shifted her seat closer.

“I hope you know what we’re doing, Hofferson, because I have no clue what the hell she just said.”

Astrid snorted despite herself. Typical.

“We need to choose any Shakespearean work and act out a five minute scene of something we believed should have happened. That was the basic stuff. Everything else was her telling us in fancy terms how much she’d love to fail us if we screwed this up.”

“Wow, I didn’t know you spoke Shakespeare.” He flashed a grin at her, and Astrid bit her lip to stop a sigh of relief from escaping her.

He didn’t hold hard feelings - whatever he was upset about had nothing to do with her.

But then, maybe that was worse. Now she felt even more guilty, because he didn’t hold a grudge. Couldn't he just hate her and get on with it?

“So, when do you want to meet up to plan this thing?”

Astrid thought about what she had remembered last night. For someone who was dubbed a king, he sure didn't have that many friends. Since she'd been here she’d only seen him sitting with Nancy Wheeler, but yesterday, Nancy had sat with Jonathan, and Astrid had seen Harrington sitting by himself. There wasn't any need for him to - half the girls in the school would be more than willing to help him move on.

But what the hell. They might as well just spend the period together. She certainly didn't have anyone vying for her attention.

“Why don't we do it at lunch?” Then, to clear it up lest he think she watched him while she ate, she quickly said, “If you're not too busy.”

“Nah. I'm not. You know...too busy dreaming about girls who like photography nerds.” He shot her a smirk. Asshole. “I’ll find you there, then?” Harrington extended a hand.

He still looked like a fucking wreck. Astrid shook his hand and they didn’t say anymore to each other for the last five minutes of class.

They could have planned right then, but honestly...Astrid was looking forward to not sitting alone at lunch, and when she threw a quick glance to Harrington who was smiling at his phone, she thought he might be too.

“So…”

“So.”

“Why don’t we choose a book?” Astrid suggested, taking out her notebook and pencil. “We’ve read - well, I’ve read - most of them.”

“Hey,” Harrington cut in, looking affronted, “I’ve read them too. I’ve read...Romeo and Juliet. Oh, and Macbeth.”

“Hamlet? Midsummer Night’s Dream? Julius Caesar?” Astrid raised a brow at him as she listed some of her favorites (there was a reason she was in Shakespearean Literature and it wasn’t because she needed the credits).

“Maybe we could stick to Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth?” he asked, looking hopeful. Astrid nearly laughed - but she caught herself.

“Fine. Any ideas?” She bent down, ready to write. They could probably jot down notes and maybe even start a script by the end of the period.

“Not a one.”

Astrid snapped her head up and blew her bangs out of her face as she stared at him. “Okay, so I’ll be doing the work. Whatever. Just practice your lines when I give you them.” She stood up with her tray, taking her things in the other hand (and realized she really should have put her things in her bag before she stood up. She blamed Harrington and his floofy hair for distracting her).

“Hey, hey, no, I’ll help!” He stood up so quickly and with such wide eyes that Astrid relented (she relented? She relented? Just when the fuck was the last time she relented to anyone?) and sat down. Harrington sat back down as well, looking satisfied. “Okay, so I think we should do Romeo and Juliet. It’s everyone’s favorite.”

“But if it’s everyone’s favorite, everyone will be doing it. Maybe we should go with Macbeth.” She leaned back before realizing there was no wall behind her.

Okay, whatever this new idiotic side of her was, it needed to stop popping up in front of Steve fucking Harrington. First she had the gall to feel guilty, and now she was doing dumb stuff like relenting - if she didn’t look out she might start joking around with him.

“What scene could we add to Macbeth?”

“What scene could we add to Romeo and Juliet?” Astrid shot back. If he said that they should show the sex scene in greater detail then Thor help him, she would murder him.

“Maybe a scene with the parents mourning. You could be Lady Capulet and I’d be Lord Montague since Lady Montague died.”

It...wasn’t a bad idea. It was okay. More than she expected.

“Okay…” She wrote the idea down. “Mourning parents. I can work with that.”

“We can work with that,” Harrington insisted, leaning forward and reading her notes upside down. “You know, Lady Capulet really suits you.”

Astrid looked up at him. There was a small smile on his face and testily she asked, “Why do you say that?”

He shook his head, seemingly holding back a laugh. “Lady Capulet was stuffy as hell, you’d play her really well.”

Astrid glared at him, stuffed her notebook and pencil in her bag (ha, she thought ahead this time), and stood up, storming away from him.

Five people. Five people in the whole world were allowed to make fun of her about her personality...her “stuffiness.” And Harrington wasn’t one of those five people. So he could go screw himself.

“Hey...hey!”

She ignored him, leaving the lunch room even though she heard whispers. Astrid didn’t want anyone whispering about her, but if she turned around and snapped at him in front of everyone, whispers would be the least of her problems.

It was when she stopped at her locker that Harrington caught up with her. “Okay. I’m sorry. Be Montague. Lady Montague, that is. We can bring her back from the dead. Sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Astrid snarled - could he let her be irritated with him in piece? - as she shoved her bag in the locker and took out what she would need for the next period. “Tell me I’m being a drama queen and go away.”

“Hey, I’m the queen of drama queens.” He peered at her and gave her a charming grin (which, damn it all to hell, was pretty charming). “Just don’t stop talk - uh, brainstorming with me. Please? I just...really wanna work hard to get this grade.”

What the hell was wrong with him? Usually guys called her out for being a bitch or being dramatic, which she usually was. On purpose. The only guy who hadn’t done that who she’d been romantically involved with was Hiccup, and no one was like him. Certainly not King Steve.

Astrid slammed her locker shut and looked up at him (she blamed his hair for the extra foot he had on her). “Don’t call me stuffy again.”

“Won’t.” He looked completely serious. “Definitely...will not. At all. Um...I don’t think we should go back to the cafeteria because there are people who saw us leave -”

“Yeah, thanks for that, Romeo.”

“ - Welcome, Lady Montague. Hey, maybe we should have that instead! A scene between Romeo and his mom where they talk some stuff out.”

Astrid shook her head, hiding her smile as she hugged her books close to her chest. Well, that was strange. All the anger had evaporated. But he had called her stuffy. And he wasn’t allowed to.

But it wasn’t as though she was suddenly close to him, it was just nice to...talk to someone like this again. Like a friend.

“Next.”

“A scene between Nurse and some random cook and we just make it pure comedy.”

“Next!”

“Secretly Paris was having an affair with Paris from the Iliad.”

“Next!”

I have never written a second chapter this quickly, do you need any more proof that this ship owns my body and soul now?

[bountyofbeads]

Assured of Impeachment Acquittal, Trump Makes Case for Second Term in State of the Union https://nyti.ms/37ZlqFr

Speaker Pelosi: "The manifesto of mistruths presented in page after page of the address tonight should be a call to action for everyone who expects truth from the President and policies worthy of his office and the American people."

Hitler awarded Joseph Goebbels the Iron Cross, so it's fitting that Trump would hang a Medal of Freedom on Rush Limbaugh for comparable hateful screeds against minorities, women, LGBTQ, and the disabled

"Trump to award Rush Limbaugh with Medal of Freedom"

Trump paints strong economy as vindication as he tries to move past impeachment

By David Nakamura | Published Feb. 05 at 12:30 AM EST | Washington Post | Posted February 05, 2020 |

President Trump on Tuesday made a theatrical prime-time appeal for the success of his divisive and turbulent stewardship after three years, projecting confidence that a strong economy and a reset of U.S. standing in the world has put the nation on the right path despite the historic impeachment that has marred his term.

In his third State of the Union address — and final one before voters will cast their verdict on his presidency this fall — Trump made no mention of the impeachment battle that has consumed him for months, even as he faced down his Democratic adversaries in the House chamber where they had voted to charge him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress less than two months ago.

But Washington’s poisonous political atmosphere was palpable throughout the evening. Several prominent Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), chose to boycott the address, and a handful of others walked out as the president was speaking. As Trump basked in applause after concluding his 77-minute speech, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), standing behind him on the dais, tore up a printed copy of the remarks in four separate piles.

Though Trump avoided the kind of personal attacks and inflammatory rhetoric that have defined his fierce fight for political survival on impeachment, his speech was laced with inaccuracies and heightened partisanship as he offered an implicit argument that Americans have prospered and would be foolhardy to remove him from office.

“In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American decline, and we have rejected the downsizing of America’s destiny,” Trump said. “We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back.”

The extraordinary scene punctuated months of severe acrimony and accusations between Trump and Democratic lawmakers who made him just the third president to be impeached in U.S. history. Trump has burned with anger over the House investigation into his efforts to persuade Ukraine’s president to conduct an investigation into former vice president Joe Biden, a ­Democratic presidential contender.

Aides said the theme of the speech was “The Great American Comeback,” which could be read as an allusion to Trump’s own political fortunes.

Trump took the dais buoyed by a poll showing a 49 percent job approval rating, his strongest since taking office, and radiating a sense of vindication that the Republican-controlled Senate is expected to vote Wednesday to acquit him of the House articles that he abused his powers and sought to obstruct Congress.

Wearing his trademark solid-red tie and a dark-blue suit, the president entered the chamber just after 9 p.m. and took his place at the dais in front of Vice President Pence and Pelosi, who along with dozens of Democratic women was dressed in white, the color of the suffragist movement.

As Trump handed them printed copies of his remarks, Pelosi offered her hand to shake, but Trump did not reciprocate, and Pelosi awkwardly withdrew it. It was not clear whether the president had seen her gesture, but the lack of coordination seemed appropriate: The nation’s two most powerful political leaders reportedly have not spoken in four months, since Pelosi confronted Trump during a White House meeting on Syria and stormed out with other Democratic leaders.

The president, who had railed on Twitter earlier in the day against “phony Witch Hunts and Hoaxes,” sought to convince the public that he had made good on his promises to improve the economy, tighten border controls, toughen the nation’s image abroad and disrupt establishment Washington.

In doing so, Trump sought to portray his presidency as a success for more than his hardcore conservative base, on which he has focused extensively for three years. Though he has consistently sown and exploited divisions along lines of race, ethnicity and gender, the president peppered his remarks with nods to prosperity among minority groups and women. His guests seated in first lady Melania Trump’s viewing box featured broad diversity.

“The vision I will lay out this evening demonstrates how we are building the world’s most prosperous and inclusive society,” said Trump, who has attacked African American lawmakers and sports stars and demonized undocumented immigrants, “one where every citizen can join in America’s unparalleled success, and where every community can take part in America’s extraordinary rise.”

And the former reality television star produced moments of pronounced theatrics, including having the first lady drape the Presidential Medal of Freedom around the neck of conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh, who announced this week that he is suffering from pronounced lung cancer, and staging the surprise reunion of a U.S. service member back from a tour in Afghanistan with his family, including two young children.

In a rare moment of bipartisanship on policy, Democrats and Republicans stood to applaud as Trump introduced Juan Guaidó, Venezuela’s opposition leader whom the United States has recognized as that nation’s rightful president over the authoritarian regime of Nicolás Maduro.

For Trump’s adversaries, the evening offered a reminder that he remains in a strong position for reelection with nine months to go. After months of testimony from former Trump administration officials who sketched a picture of a president working with a team of outside advisers, including his personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, to pressure a foreign leader for his own political gain, Democrats had hoped to win the battle of public opinion even if the president’s GOP allies ultimately protect him in the Senate trial.

Trump did not mention the Democratic presidential contenders vying for the nomination to challenge him in November. But ahead of the speech, he sought to create a sense of momentum for his presidency and reelection campaign, offering it as a contrast to the Democrats, who were reeling in the wake of their botched Iowa presidential caucuses, the results of which were still not fully known nearly 24 hours after polls closed Monday evening.

The president and his surrogates touted his own easy victory in the GOP caucuses in Iowa, a result that is expected of an incumbent, promoting it as a sign of Republican Party unity. Trump gloated in a series of tweets, mockingly suggesting Democrats would blame “RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA, instead of their own incompetence” — a reference to the 17-month special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russian operatives.

“The Democrat Party in Iowa really messed up, but the Republican Party did not,” Trump declared.

Trump touted the low unemployment rate and spiking stock market, new trade deals with Mexico, Canada and China, progress on construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, and the killing of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.

The Gallup poll released Tuesday puts Trump’s approval at 94 percent among Republicans, where it has held steady, and 42 percent among independents, up five points since early January. The survey highlighted the stark partisan divide — just 7 percent of Democrats approve, making the 87-point gap between the parties the largest in Gallup’s history — but it also laid bare how low unemployment and strong economic growth have powered Trump’s standing recently: 63 percent of Americans approve of his handling of the economy, up six points since November.

In his speech, Trump highlighted successful legislation to provide federal workers with paid family leave, his administration’s investment in a new Space Force branch of the military and efforts to slash “job-killing regulations.”

Twice he railed against the ills of socialism, possibly intended as a dig at Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a self-described “democratic socialist” who is a leading contender for the Democratic nomination.

In an apparent attempt to clean up a recent suggestion that he would consider cutting entitlement spending, Trump said: “I have also made an ironclad pledge to American families: We will always protect patients with preexisting conditions. And we will always protect your Medicare and your Social Security.” Trump and Republicans, however, are asking the courts to toss out the Affordable Care Act, which guarantees protections for preexisting conditions, and have not offered any replacement.

With the president commanding a national audience in the tens of millions, the Democrats faced an uphill task in countering his message. The party tapped a young female governor from a Midwestern swing state, Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer (D), 48, to offer their rebuttal, in an address that traditionally reaches a far smaller television audience.

Like the president, she did not mention impeachment, focusing on health care and pocketbook issues, a message that helped Democrats take control of the House and win several key statewide elections in the 2018 midterms.

“It doesn’t matter what the president says about the stock market,” Whitmer said. “What matters is that millions of people struggle to get by or don’t have enough money at the end of the month after paying for transportation, student loans or prescription drugs.”

But the policy talk was promptly overshadowed after the formal remarks were over as the vicious political combat resumed. Asked by a reporter what she thought of Trump’s speech, Pelosi responded bluntly: “I tore it up.”

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Assured of Acquittal, Trump Makes Case for a Second Term

But his speech had the surreal quality of a president on trial for high crimes and misdemeanors addressing lawmakers in the chamber where he was impeached just seven weeks ago.

By Peter Baker | Published Feb. 5, 2020 Updated 2:27 AM ET | New York Times | Posted February 05, 2020 |

WASHINGTON — The defendant finally showed up to have his say. President Trump never uttered the word impeachment, but in a 78-minute speech to the nation that combined a celebration of the American economy, hard-edge policy pronouncements and reality show-style surprises for the audience, he made the case for his presidency as only he could.

It was not a case that persuaded Democrats, who remained seated stonily during the applause lines, shaking their heads and rolling their eyes, but it was not meant to. Assured of acquittal in the Senate trial on Wednesday, Mr. Trump moved past preserving his first term and focused on securing a second with an argument aimed at both his political base and dubious suburban voters.

It had a surreal quality, a president on trial for high crimes and misdemeanors addressing lawmakers in the same House chamber where he was impeached just seven weeks ago. While Mr. Trump resisted the impulse to show up at the Senate trial to reject the charges against him over the last couple of weeks, he used his State of the Union address to present a different sort of defense without the burden of cross-examination, in effect arguing that the “great American comeback” he claimed credit for outweighed the allegations against him.

If Democrats were unmoved, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi ostentatiously ripped up her copy of his speech once it was done, making sure the cameras would catch the moment, Republicans embraced the president many of them once scorned. They welcomed him with hearty applause and even chanted, “Four more years! Four more years!” as if it were a campaign rally rather than an affair of state.

On its surface, the speech presented an optimistic assessment of the country and its progress, perhaps reflecting his sense of his own. “America’s enemies are on the run, America’s fortunes are on the rise, and America’s future is blazing bright,” Mr. Trump said.

But he also laid out a darker view of an America still plagued by “criminal aliens,” terrorized by Islamic radicals and threatened by budding socialists eager to take over the health care system.

Throughout his time in the chamber, the president seemed sullen, even gloomy, barely cracking a smile and making no attempts at humor. He refused to shake Ms. Pelosi’s hand when he handed her his speech and she refused to say it was a “distinct honor” to present him when she announced him, both abandoning custom.

All around Mr. Trump were reminders of his ordeal over the last several months. One of the members of the escort committee that brought him in, Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, is part of the team of House Democrats prosecuting him. The president encountered Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who is presiding over the Senate trial and seemed intent on maintaining a studious neutral expression during their brief exchange.

While he made no mention of impeachment, Mr. Trump did single out Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader who has single-handedly ensured he would survive the trial without witnesses testifying against him. “Thank you, Mitch,” Mr. Trump said at one point, referring to the senator’s help confirming judges, but it would not be surprising if he were grateful for other reasons.

The president’s grim mood belied what was otherwise a good day for him. Aside from his coming acquittal and the chance to address the largest television audience of the year uninterrupted, Mr. Trump earlier in the day reveled in the Democratic dysfunction in the Iowa caucus and avidly sought to exploit it to promote suspicion among his rivals.

He and his sons and allies pumped out Twitter messages suggesting the botched Iowa count was an effort to rig the election for former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., and against Senator Bernie Sanders, the candidate the president would rather face in the fall.

“It’s a fiasco that just plays right into us,” the president told television network anchors during an off-the-record lunch earlier in the day, according to people in the room.

“What other people would look at as a moment of completely political meltdown for this president, it all appears to accrue to his benefit,” said Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union. “He actually looks like the adult in the room.”

Democrats acknowledged that the Iowa breakdown played to Mr. Trump’s advantage, at least in the short term.

“A fractious, divisive, and chaotic process inevitably takes focus away from Trump’s own failures, at least in the short term, and Trump obviously believes he has the opportunity to stir the pot against the Democrats in these circumstances,” said Geoff Garin, a prominent Democratic pollster. “All of this heightens the importance for Democrats to have a confident and united front as soon as possible.”

The Iowa debacle played out even as Gallup reported that Mr. Trump’s approval rating had climbed to 49 percent, its highest in that survey since his presidency began. While not a strong number historically, it is higher than either Barack Obama or Bill Clinton had going into their State of the Union speeches in the years they ultimately won re-election, though not as high as George W. Bush or Ronald Reagan had in theirs.

Not that he can necessarily count on any of this to last. The economy, while healthy, has slowed its growth and could take a hit from the China travel restrictions imposed to fight the coronavirus outbreak. At some point, the Democrats will anoint a nominee who could unify the party against Mr. Trump. And John R. Bolton, the former national security adviser, plans to publish a book next month that is expected to offer revelations about the president’s use of his office to further his own political interests.

Mr. Trump has shown a remarkable capacity for crossing lines and creating political problems for himself just when things appear to be better for him. Indeed, he placed the phone call to Ukraine’s president that got him impeached the day after testimony by the special counsel Robert S. Mueller III made clear that he was out of political jeopardy as a result of the Russia investigation.

But for one night, at least, the president had the stage to himself and he made the most of it. With a mix of schmaltz and showmanship, he pulled one surprise after another on the audience.

At one point, he introduced Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio host who just announced that he has advanced lung cancer, and seemed to stun the broadcaster by announcing that he would bestow on him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Rather than wait, the president then had Melania Trump pull the medal out and drape it around Mr. Limbaugh’s neck right there in the first lady’s box, surely the first time that has happened at a State of the Union address.

In another uplifting moment, he gave a scholarship to a fourth-grade girl also sitting in the box. At the same time, he introduced a variety of figures with tragic stories, the parents of a woman killed by the Islamic State, the widow and son of a soldier killed in Iraq, the brother of a man shot by an undocumented immigrant.

But he saved the most tear-jerking moment for the end, when he thanked the wife of an Army soldier deployed to Afghanistan — then announced that her husband in fact had returned to the country, as the soldier suddenly appeared in the box to her great surprise.

The president’s address took place just across the Capitol and hours after senators took to the floor to announce their vote in his trial — Republicans steadfastly pledging to acquit, Democrats resolutely vowing to convict, the two-thirds required by the Constitution for removal clearly nowhere in sight.

Chief Justice Roberts, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Jeffries and the rest will return to the Senate chamber at 4 p.m. on Wednesday to tally those votes, inevitable as they now seem, and to wrap up the third presidential impeachment trial in American history.

Mr. Trump presumably will not show up in person. But he told the anchors in their lunch that he wanted to make a speech after the vote, another kind of speech, not so much a state of the union but a valedictory after months of battle — in his view, a comeback of a different sort.

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Maggie Haberman and Annie Karni contributed reporting from Washington, and Michael M. Grynbaum from New York.

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Trump and Pelosi Exchange Snubs at the State of the Union Address

He declined to shake her outstretched hand. She omitted his ceremonial introduction and ripped up her copy of his speech.

By Sheryl Gay Solberg | Published Feb. 4, 2020 Updated Feb. 5, 2020, 5:43 a.m. ET | New York Times | Posted February 05, 2020 |

WASHINGTON — For President Trump and Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday night, the State of the Union was hostile.

The mutual snubbing began the moment Mr. Trump walked into the House chamber and continued until he finished speaking, when Ms. Pelosi stood, an expression of vague disgust on her face, and tore up her printed copy of his speech — in full view of the television cameras, while Mr. Trump had his back turned.

The interaction between Mr. Trump and Ms. Pelosi, who had led the drive to impeach him, was one of the most anticipated moments of the president’s appearance at the Capitol the night before the Senate is expected to acquit him in his impeachment trial. The two had not seen each other since October, when Ms. Pelosi abruptly left a White House meeting after lecturing a scowling Mr. Trump.

On Tuesday night, the sour dynamic was on display from the start. When Mr. Trump stepped up to the rostrum in the House of Representatives and handed her his speech, Ms. Pelosi rose and extended her hand to shake his. Mr. Trump turned his back, and the speaker quickly withdrew her hand, appearing to shrug slightly and raise her eyebrows as if to say, “Well, I tried.”

Then Ms. Pelosi dealt Mr. Trump a slight of her own by omitting the customary laudatory words in her introduction of the president. Normally, she would have said, “I have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the president of the United States.”

Instead, she said simply, “Members of Congress, the president of the United States.”

But it was the flourish at the end — when Ms. Pelosi made a point of picking up her copy of the speech, ripping it in half and throwing the pieces on the table in front of her — that grabbed the attention of the public and drew the ire of Republicans. The gesture was particularly out of character for the speaker, who prides herself on exhibiting proper decorum.

Republicans seized on the speech-ripping as beyond the pale.

“@SpeakerPelosi had a tantrum, disgraced herself and dishonored the House,” Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the No. 3 House Republican, wrote on Twitter. “She is an embarrassment and unfit for office.”

Brad Parscale, Mr. Trump’s campaign manager, sounded almost gleeful. “Nancy & the Dems couldn’t stand what they were hearing because it was all good news for Americans!” he wrote on Twitter. “Rip up the speech, Nancy! You’ll want to rip up the election results in November too!”

Predictably, there were deep partisan divisions over who was behaving poorly to whom. Democrats were focused on Mr. Trump’s handshake snub, which Ms. Pelosi later spotlighted on Twitter, along with a photograph of the president turning his back.

“Democrats will never stop extending the hand of friendship to get the job done #ForThePeople,” she wrote, using the party’s campaign slogan. “We will work to find common ground where we can, but will stand our ground where we cannot. #SOTU”

During the address, as Mr. Trump read from the teleprompter, Ms. Pelosi, dressed in white — the color of the suffragists, worn by many of the Democratic women in the chamber — could be seen behind him, paging through his speech. Practiced at maintaining a stone face (she served as House speaker alongside another Republican president, George W. Bush), she kept her lips pursed and her eyes down, mostly remaining seated as Republicans rose to give Mr. Trump one standing ovation after another.

But when Mr. Trump made mention of the First Step Act, the bipartisan legislation that overhauled criminal justice reforms, Ms. Pelosi clapped and rose to her feet.

The relationship between Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Trump has long been one of the most closely watched in Washington — and it began going downhill even before Ms. Pelosi became House speaker. Mr. Trump tried to undercut her during an Oval Office meeting shortly after Democrats swept to the majority in 2018. Ms. Pelosi would have none of it.

“Mr. President,” she shot back, “please don’t characterize the strength that I bring to this meeting as the leader of the House Democrats, who just won a big victory.” When the meeting was over, images of Ms. Pelosi leaving the White House in a swingy red coat  quickly went viral.

From there, their interactions seemed defined by a series of memes and public spats. Ms. Pelosi called off last year’s State of the Union address because of the government shutdown, enraging Mr. Trump and prompting him to cancel a flight she had scheduled overseas. When his speech was rescheduled, Ms. Pelosi was captured smirking and clapping at the president. When they met in October, a White House photographer snapped an image of the speaker standing up and wagging her finger at the seated president while she lectured him.

But none of that came close to the spectacle in the House chamber Tuesday night, on the eve of the president’s expected acquittal in the Republican-led Senate on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in connection with his campaign to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.

Ms. Pelosi has said that regardless of the Senate outcome, Mr. Trump will be “impeached forever,” as she said in an interview on Monday. She also made a point of saying that she planned to treat the president at the State of the Union address “with the respect that he deserves,” though she added that she did not necessarily expect the same from him.

“We will treat him as a guest in our House — and we hope he will behave as a guest in our House,” she said. “But we never have that expectation.”

After her display of disdain on Tuesday, Ms. Pelosi told reporters that she had ripped up the speech “because it was a manifesto of mistruths.” Earlier, she had said that it was the “courteous thing to do, considering the alternatives.” She did not elaborate on what else she had considered.

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Emily Cochrane contributed reporting.

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Trump Claims End of ‘American Decline’ While Avoiding Mention of Impeachment

The interactions between President Trump and Speaker Nancy Pelosi during the State of the Union address underscored the bitterness the move to remove him from office has caused.

By Michael D. Shear | Published Feb. 5, 2020Updated 2:24 a.m. ET | New York Times |Posted February 05, 2020 |

WASHINGTON — President Trump claimed credit for a “great American comeback” in a speech to Congress on Tuesday night, boasting of a robust economy, contrasting his successes with the records of his predecessors and projecting optimism in the face of a monthslong Democratic effort to force him from office.

Mr. Trump, who lamented what he called “American carnage” when he was inaugurated in January 2017, described a different country today, declaring in his third State of the Union address that the nation’s future was once again “blazing bright.”

“In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American Decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America’s destiny,” Mr. Trump said in a speech that lasted 78 minutes. “We have totally rejected the downsizing. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never, ever going back!”

“The state of our union,” Mr. Trump declared, “is stronger than ever before.”

Welcomed by enthusiastic applause from Republican lawmakers, the president marched confidently into the same historic chamber where he was impeached 49 days earlier. Mr. Trump described the nation as enjoying what he called a “blue-collar boom,” fueled by trade agreements and his success in “restoring our nation’s manufacturing might.”

On the eve of a Senate vote expected to acquit him, Mr. Trump never mentioned the impeachment inquiry that has threatened his presidency and consumed Washington. But his interactions on Tuesday night with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who started the investigation by Democrats that has forever stained his legacy, underscored the deep bitterness between them.

As he arrived at the rostrum, Mr. Trump turned to hand copies of his speech to Ms. Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence. But when Ms. Pelosi offered her hand to shake, the president pointedly turned away without taking it.

Seated just behind the president, Ms. Pelosi grimaced and shook her head several times during his address. Moments after Mr. Trump finished and was basking in applause from Republicans, the speaker ripped up the pages of his speech, holding them high for the cameras to catch her unmistakable statement of scorn.

With the theatrical touches of a showman-turned-president, Mr. Trump surprised the wife of an Army soldier with the soldier’s return home from battle, highlighted the story of a 100-year-old Tuskegee airman and his 13-year-old great-grandson, and — in a remarkable moment — awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Rush Limbaugh, the combative conservative talk radio host and for decades a villain to the left.

Standing next to Mr. Limbaugh, who recently learned he has advanced lung cancer, Melania Trump, the first lady, draped the medal around his neck as Mr. Trump thanked him for “decades of tireless devotion to our country.”

As the president fights for a second term in an election that will require him to broaden his appeal, he boasted of increasing funding for historically black colleges and singled out several African-Americans in the House chamber for praise, a striking departure for a president who derided African nations as “shithole countries” and repeatedly criticized the city of Baltimore, represented at the time by one of the nation’s leading black politicians, Representative Elijah E. Cummings, who died last year.

At the same time, Mr. Trump used the speech as a clarion call to his most conservative supporters, prompting some Republicans in the chamber to chant, “Four more years.” The president also boasted that he was building “a long, tall and very powerful wall” across the southwestern border and vowed to oppose what he called a “socialist takeover” of the health care system by Democrats in Washington and those running to replace him in the White House.

“To those watching at home tonight, I want you to know: We will never let socialism destroy American health care!” Mr. Trump declared.

Even as he delivered his remarks, it was Democrats who were in disarray, still unable to declare a final winner in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses. State officials said they expected to release more results later Tuesday evening in a botched election process that Mr. Trump was quick to mock online.

“The Democrat Caucus is an unmitigated disaster,” the president crowed on Twitter earlier in the day. “Nothing works, just like they ran the Country. Remember the 5 Billion Dollar Obamacare website, that should have cost 2% of that. The only person that can claim a very big victory in Iowa last night is ‘Trump.’”

Mr. Trump was not the first president to face his accusers even as they try to remove him from office. In 1999, President Bill Clinton delivered his State of the Union address to Congress in the middle of his impeachment trial on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice stemming from a sexual harassment lawsuit. Mr. Clinton did not mention the Senate trial, then still underway.

Like Mr. Clinton, Mr. Trump did not use the nationally televised address to reprise his daily rants about impeachment, his made on Twitter. Instead, Mr. Trump — who is infamous for his rambling, invective-filled speeches at his rallies — largely stuck to an optimistic, if not always bipartisan, script.

The president did not unveil any major new initiatives, but called on Congress to pass bills to encourage school choice, lower prescription drug prices, provide a small amount of funding for neonatal research, ban late-term abortions and work toward improving the nation’s roads, bridges and tunnels.

As he has done each year, Mr. Trump focused a large part of the speech on immigration. He called on Congress to ban “free government health care for illegal aliens” and to pass legislation allowing the victims of crimes by undocumented immigrants to sue so-called sanctuary cities.

The president described a “gruesome spree of deadly violence” by an undocumented immigrant in California and introduced the brother of one of the victims, Rocky Jones, who was shot eight times.

“Our hearts weep for your loss,” Mr. Trump told the victim’s brother, Jody Jones, “and we will not rest until you have justice.”

The title of the president’s speech was “The Great American Comeback,” a more formal slogan that combines the sentiments of “Make America Great Again,” the president’s viral phrase from the 2016 campaign, and the more recent “Keep America Great” mantra that he has used to fire up crowds at rallies.

In his speech, he bragged about significant economic successes, even “though predictions were that this could never be done.” But his boast to have added 12,000 new factories overstated his claim to delivering an economic miracle to white working-class voters in the industrial Midwest.

Employment in construction, manufacturing and mining combined grew more slowly last year than at almost any other point in the current expansion. Manufacturing employment growth slowed to less than 50,000 jobs for the year in 2019, the worst rate of his presidency and the second-worst of the long recovery from recession.

Turning to trade, he said he had succeed in revising the North American Free Trade Agreement, something supported by many Democrats as well as Republicans.

“Many politicians came and went, pledging to change or replace NAFTA, only to do absolutely nothing,” Mr. Trump said, asserting the successes without acknowledging the more nuanced reality. “But unlike so many who came before me, I keep my promises.”

In the official Democratic response to Mr. Trump’s speech, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan challenged the president’s boasts about the economy.

“It doesn’t matter what the president says about the stock market,” Ms. Whitmer said. “What matters is that millions of people struggle to get by or don’t have enough money at the end of the month after paying for transportation, student loans or prescription drugs.”

Many of the female Democratic lawmakers attending the speech were dressed in white, symbolizing the suffragist movement and women’s rights. Several Democratic lawmakers, including Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna S. Pressley of Massachusetts, were not in attendance after announcing they were boycotting it.

“I will not use my presence at a state ceremony to normalize Trump’s lawless conduct & subversion of the Constitution,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

While discussing national security, Mr. Trump celebrated in macabre terms two targeted killings he had ordered in recent months.

He hailed the October raid leading to the death of the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, whom Mr. Trump called “a bloodthirsty killer” and whose demise he cast as justice for the murder of Kayla Mueller, a young American humanitarian worker kidnapped in Syria in 2013. Mr. Trump said that Ms. Mueller, whose parents he introduced, was “tortured and enslaved by ISIS” after “more than 500 horrifying days of captivity.”

The president also recalled with relish the Jan. 3 missile strike that killed the Iranian commander Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, a “ruthless butcher” who Mr. Trump said had “orchestrated the deaths of countless men, women and children.”

He cast Mr. Suleimani’s death as another act of patriotic vengeance, recalling the Iranian’s role in supplying bombs believed to have killed hundreds of American soldiers during the Iraq war, and telling the story of an American soldier, Christopher Hake, “who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country” when his Bradley vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb.

And in a brief passage noting his desire to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, Mr. Trump assured that he was “not looking to kill hundreds of thousands of people” in the country, “many of them innocent.”

The president introduced a parade of guests during his speech, including a 13-year-old boy with aspirations to join the Space Force and Charles McGee, his 100-year-old great-grandfather, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. Mr. Trump said he promoted Mr. McGee to brigadier general in a ceremony at the White House before the speech.

In addition to Mr. McGee, the president highlighted the story of Tony Rankins, an Army veteran who fought back from drug addiction, and Stephanie Davis, to whom he granted an Opportunity Scholarship for her fourth-grade daughter, Janiyah, to go to the school of her choice. All were African-American.

Mr. Trump also introduced the wife and son of an Army staff sergeant who died in Iraq by a roadside bomb supplied by General Suleimani.

At another point, the president singled out Juan Guaidó, the leader of Venezuela’s opposition movement, who received his most visible show of support yet from Mr. Trump: a seat in the president’s guest box for the State of the Union.

Many White House aides had hoped to have the impeachment trial behind them before Mr. Trump’s speech. But as it turned out, his third State of the Union address was part of a remarkable political collision on the calendar: He delivered the speech a day before the final impeachment vote and a day after Iowans participated in the first voting of the 2020 campaign season.

There is no question that the president will be acquitted on Wednesday by the Republican-controlled Senate, giving him the chance to claim vindication in what he views as an attempted political assassination by his enemies. But he will forever be the third impeached president in American history and only the first to ask voters for re-election after being charged with committing high crimes and misdemeanors.

Set in motion last year by Ms. Pelosi after Democrats took control of the House in 2018, the move to impeachment was directed by House managers during a two-week Senate trial. It was built on damning evidence that the president withheld security aid for Ukraine and a coveted Oval Office meeting as leverage for investigations that could damage the political fortunes of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son, Hunter Biden.

Tuesday was the second day that senators announced their judgments on the president’s behavior, delivering speeches on the Senate floor. Notable among them were the condemnations of Republicans who accepted the truth of the accusations against Mr. Trump even as they said they planned to vote to acquit him.

“The president’s behavior was shameful and wrong,” Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, said Monday night on the Senate floor even as she denounced an unfair, fiercely partisan process and announced, “I cannot vote to convict.”

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Reporting was contributed by Peter Baker, Jim Tankersley, Lara Jakes, Michael Crowley and Maggie Haberman.

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[fullspectrum-cbd-oil]

Democrat Warren: Medicare for All Would Not Raise U.S. Middle-Class Taxes ‘One Penny’

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren on Friday proposed a $20.5 trillion Medicare for All plan that she said would not require raising middle-class taxes “one penny,” answering critics who had attacked her for failing to explain how she would pay for the sweeping healthcare system overhaul.

Warren said her plan would save American households $11 trillion in out-of-pocket healthcare spending over the next decade while imposing significant new taxes on corporations and the wealthy to help finance it.

“Healthcare is a human right, and we need a system that reflects our values,” Warren wrote in a 20-page essay outlining her plan. “That system is Medicare for All.”

The proposal to remake the U.S. healthcare system will face scrutiny from Warren’s more moderate Democratic opponents, who have questioned Medicare for All’s practicality.

Warren’s proposal also calls for cuts in defense spending and passing immigration reform to increase tax revenue from newly legal Americans, two steps that would face an uphill battle in Congress. The $20.5 trillion in new spending over 10 years would increase the entire federal budget by a third.

Warren, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, is one of 17 Democrats vying for the party’s nomination to take on Republican President Donald Trump in the November 2020 election. She is near the front of the pack in opinion polls, having closed in on former Vice President Joe Biden, the early front-runner.

Medicare for All would replace private health insurance, including employer-sponsored plans, with full government-sponsored coverage, and individuals would no longer have to pay premiums, deductibles, co-pays or other out-of-pocket costs.

It would extend Medicare, the U.S. government’s health insurance program for people 65 years and older and the disabled, to cover all Americans, including the roughly 27.5 million – 8.5% of the population – who are currently uninsured.

Warren, a former law professor, has become known for a bevy of detailed policy proposals. But she had faced criticism for not detailing how she would pay for a Medicare for All plan she backs, which was introduced in the Senate by rival Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

At recent debates, Warren had refused to answer directly when asked whether she would be forced to raise middle-class taxes to cover the costs, even as Sanders acknowledged he would.

More moderate 2020 candidates such as Biden and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg have said Medicare for All would be too disruptive and favor a more incremental approach.

‘MATHEMATICAL GYMNASTICS’

On Friday, Biden’s campaign questioned Warren’s calculations, calling them “double talk” and “mathematical gymnastics” and asserting that middle-class taxes would rise despite her vow.

“It’s impossible to pay for Medicare for All without middle-class tax increases,” said Kate Bedingfield, Biden’s deputy campaign manager. “To accomplish this sleight of hand, her proposal dramatically understates its cost, overstates its savings, inflates the revenue, and pretends that an employer payroll tax increase is something else.”

Warren, speaking to reporters in Iowa on Friday, said she was “just not sure where he (Biden) is going,” adding that her proposal and its costs were authenticated by outside experts.

“Democrats are not going to win by repeating Republican talking points and by dusting off the points of view of the giant drug companies and the giant insurance companies,” Warren said.

House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi also questioned the feasibility of enacting Medicare for All, saying in an interview with Bloomberg on Friday that Democrats should focus on expanding the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare.

Critics like Warren note that the current U.S. healthcare system – a patchwork of private insurance often provided by employers or obtained through Obamacare marketplaces and public programs covering the poor, elderly and disabled – is the most costly in the world despite leaving tens of millions uncovered.

Medicare for All legislation stands little chance of passing Congress, where Democrats control the House and Republicans control the Senate.

The plan relies on aggressive ways of lowering healthcare costs, including major cuts in prescription drug prices and significant reductions in administrative costs by eliminating private insurers.

“She makes some assumptions about how effectively healthcare costs could be contained that may not pan out,” said Larry Levitt, a health policy expert at the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Employers would be asked to repurpose the money they currently spend on workers’ healthcare into Medicare contributions, while billionaires, high-earning investors and corporations would face trillions of dollars in higher taxes.

In an effort to appease union leaders, some of whom have expressed skepticism about giving up hard-fought healthcare plans, Warren said employers that already offer benefits under a collective bargaining agreement could reduce their contributions if they pass the savings along to workers.

Warren released two letters supporting her calculations from several experts, including Simon Johnson, the former chief economist for the International Monetary Fund; Donald Berwick, who oversaw Medicare in the Obama administration; and Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody’s Analytics.

An online calculator launched by Warren’s campaign showed an average family of four with employer-provided insurance would save $12,378 per year.

Warren said with her Medicare for All plan in place, projected total healthcare costs in the United States over 10 years would be just under $52 trillion – slightly less than maintaining the current system.

(Reporting by Amanda Becker and Joseph Ax; Additional reporting by John Whitesides in Iowa; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Will Dunham and Jonathan Oatis)

from IJR https://ift.tt/2JIcE4q via IFTTT

[waffulaa]

Character Portraits for e-Ride Tokyo. Characters listed below.

From left to right:

ZOLA Project YUU

GUMI from Megpoid

Yuzuki Yukari

Kotohana Akane

Kotohana Aoi

VY2 Yuuma/VY T-02

VY1 MIZKI/VY T-01

VY Nancy

Camui Gackpo from Gackpoid

galaco

Unity-chan (Otori Kohaku)

Otomachi Una

Kizuna Akari

Iori Yuzuru

Maron Kurita

Komachi Mirai

ZOLA Project KYO

ZOLA Project WIL

[wetrumpfeed]

Afternoon MAGAthread: YOUR WEEKLY PRESIDENTIAL RECAP!

HAPPY SUNDAY GUNDAY DEPLORABLES!

This is u/IvaginaryFriend here to deliver all things spicy and dank from the past week! Before we get into that, if you guys haven't noticed already we have a BRAND NEW super dank Christmas header designed by one of our very own 'pedes!!! So I'd like to give a special shout out to u/rocky_smiles for not only being the winner of the header contest, but for helping us deck out our DOM in the best way possible!

As always, if you happened to miss any past recaps you can check those out here!

Sunday, December 9th:

🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:

On 245 occasions, former FBI Director James Comey told House investigators he didn’t know, didn’t recall, or couldn’t remember things when asked. Opened investigations on 4 Americans (not 2) - didn’t know who signed off and didn’t know Christopher Steele. All lies!

Leakin’ James Comey must have set a record for who lied the most to Congress in one day. His Friday testimony was so untruthful! This whole deal is a Rigged Fraud headed up by dishonest people who would do anything so that I could not become President. They are now exposed!

The Trump Administration has accomplished more than any other U.S. Administration in its first two (not even) years of existence, & we are having a great time doing it! All of this despite the Fake News Media, which has gone totally out of its mind-truly the Enemy of the People!

I am in the process of interviewing some really great people for the position of White House Chief of Staff. Fake News has been saying with certainty it was Nick Ayers, a spectacular person who will always be with our #MAGA agenda. I will be making a decision soon!

SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:

I’m surprised worldnews allowed that top comment to stay

Depends on the situation

Interesting...

Reddit is unbelievably petty.

🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:

The Left

You guys, I just found a 10-year old homophobic tweet from Elizabeth Warren!!!

They really need to start teaching basic logical thinking in schools.

Every time a Mueller announcement hits the Front Page of Reddit.

Monday, December 10th:

🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:

“Democrats can’t find a Smocking Gun tying the Trump campaign to Russia after James Comey’s testimony. No Smocking Gun...No Collusion.” @FoxNews That’s because there was NO COLLUSION. So now the Dems go to a simple private transaction, wrongly call it a campaign contribution,... ... ....which it was not (but even if it was, it is only a CIVIL CASE, like Obama’s - but it was done correctly by a lawyer and there would not even be a fine. Lawyer’s liability if he made a mistake, not me). Cohen just trying to get his sentence reduced. WITCH HUNT!

James Comey’s behind closed doors testimony reveals that “there was not evidence of Campaign Collusion” with Russia when he left the FBI. In other words, the Witch Hunt is illegal and should never have been started!

“Former FBI Director James Comey under fire for his testimony acknowledging he knew that the Democrats paid for that phony Trump Dossier.” @LouDobbs Details on Tuesday night.

SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:

3.5 Million People Drop Off Food Stamps Under Trump

There’s a reason the MSM and entertainment industry don’t celebrate real heroes anymore: it would expose the shallowness and vacuousness of the icons they parade in front of us.

US steel industry booming after Trump's tariffs

Italy Walks Out on UN Migration Meeting Saying National Borders are No Business of the UN

FITTON: MASSIVE. Benghazi scandal is back. Court questions whether Benghazi motivated Clinton email cover-up.

Veritas Lawsuit Makes First Amendment HISTORY: Changes MA. Recording Law

🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:

Dirty Cop

This right here could easily fund the wall.

Ben Garrison is a National Treasure!!!! HAHAAHAHAAAA!!!!

Bring back these deplatformed nationalists!

Tuesday, December 11th:

TODAY'S ACTION:

Two Nominations Sent to the Senate

President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint Individuals to Key Administration Posts

President Trump Speaks to the Project Safe Neighborhoods National Conference

President Trump signs H.R. 390

President Trump Meets with the Senate Minority Leader and the House Speaker-Designate

🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:

Despite the large Caravans that WERE forming and heading to our Country, people have not been able to get through our newly built Walls, makeshift Walls & Fences, or Border Patrol Officers & Military. They are now staying in Mexico or going back to their original countries....... ... .....Ice, Border Patrol and our Military have done a FANTASTIC job of securing our Southern Border. A Great Wall would be, however, a far easier & less expensive solution. We have already built large new sections & fully renovated others, making them like new. The Democrats,..... ... ....however, for strictly political reasons and because they have been pulled so far left, do NOT want Border Security. They want Open Borders for anyone to come in. This brings large scale crime and disease. Our Southern Border is now Secure and will remain that way....... ... .....I look forward to my meeting with Chuck Schumer & Nancy Pelosi. In 2006, Democrats voted for a Wall, and they were right to do so. Today, they no longer want Border Security. They will fight it at all cost, and Nancy must get votes for Speaker. But the Wall will get built... ... ....People do not yet realize how much of the Wall, including really effective renovation, has already been built. If the Democrats do not give us the votes to secure our Country, the Military will build the remaining sections of the Wall. They know how important it is!

Great job by Michael Anton on @foxandfriends. A true National Security expert!

Very productive conversations going on with China! Watch for some important announcements!

Fake News has it purposely wrong. Many, over ten, are vying for and wanting the White House Chief of Staff position. Why wouldn’t someone want one of the truly great and meaningful jobs in Washington. Please report news correctly. Thank you!

James Comey just totally exposed his partisan stance by urging his fellow Democrats to take back the White House in 2020. In other words, he is and has been a Democrat. Comey had no right heading the FBI at any time, but especially after his mind exploded!

“I don’t care what you think of the President...it cannot bleed over to the FBI...Comey is confirming there is bias in the FBI...” -Chris Swecker

Thanks to Leader McConnell for agreeing to bring a Senate vote on Criminal Justice this week! These historic changes will make communities SAFER and SAVE tremendous taxpayers dollars. It brings much needed hope to many families during the Holiday Season.

SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:

Caught in the wild!

LIVE: Alex Jones and Roger Stone make their stand in Congress

Trump clashes with Pelosi, Schumer on border security in explosive Oval Office meeting | Fox News

Google CEO Admits: After an exhaustive study - they found only $4,700 that was spent by Russian firms to advertise with Google. Thats right - less than 5k is the "Russian Collusion"

FITTON: MASSIVE. Benghazi scandal is back. Court questions whether Benghazi motivated Clinton email cover-up.

🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:

Learn the difference.

Cuck Schumer has been a career politician. Today he was forced to actually have a discussion..ON LIVE TV! It went badly for him. If he’s not standing at the podium speaking to a captive audience he’s a FUCKING JOKE!!!!

Future prediction

Wednesday, December 12th:

TODAY'S ACTION:

President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts

Executive Order on Establishing the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council

President Trump Participates in a Signing Event for an Executive Order

🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:

Another very bad terror attack in France. We are going to strengthen our borders even more. Chuck and Nancy must give us the votes to get additional Border Security!

The Democrats and President Obama gave Iran 150 Billion Dollars and got nothing, but they can’t give 5 Billion Dollars for National Security and a Wall?

.@FLOTUS Melania will be interviewed by @SeanHannity tonight on @FoxNews at 9:00pmE!

SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:

EXCUSE THE F*CK OUT OF YOU! NO! NOT YOURS! WE DEFINITELY DON'T WANT ANY OF YOU EXTORTIONISTS NOW! Migrant group demands President Trump either let them into US or pay them each $50G to turn around.

Capitol Police arrest 138 far-leftists outside Nancy Pelosi’s office , , , BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Flynn says FBI pushed him not to have lawyer present during interview

Secret Service hand delivers letter, signed photo from President Trump to Ohio 10-year-old with brain tumor. The president signed the photo, “I love you, President Trump.”

Low IQ Mika apologizes for calling Mike Pompeo a "wannabe dictator’s buttboy." Kevin Hart lost his Oscar gig over an old comedy routine where he used a "gay slur." Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murphy is being attacked for calling a friend "queer"when he was 14. And this bitch is just going to walk?

🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:

I couldn't be there in person, so my wife asked FLOTUS for a picture with a photo of me.

FLOTUS is Rockin' It!

LOOK AT IT, CHUCK!

It really do be like that sometimes

😡 Democrat Priorities 😡

Thursday, December 13th:

TODAY'S ACTION:

Three Nominations Sent to the Senate

President Trump's Message on Border Security

First Lady Melania Trump Participates in a Toys for Tots Event

🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:

I often stated, “One way or the other, Mexico is going to pay for the Wall.” This has never changed. Our new deal with Mexico (and Canada), the USMCA, is so much better than the old, very costly & anti-USA NAFTA deal, that just by the money we save, MEXICO IS PAYING FOR THE WALL!

I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law. He was a lawyer and he is supposed to know the law. It is called “advice of counsel,” and a lawyer has great liability if a mistake is made. That is why they get paid. Despite that many campaign finance lawyers have strongly...... ... ....stated that I did nothing wrong with respect to campaign finance laws, if they even apply, because this was not campaign finance. Cohen was guilty on many charges unrelated to me, but he plead to two campaign charges which were not criminal and of which he probably was not... ... ....guilty even on a civil basis. Those charges were just agreed to by him in order to embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence, which he did-including the fact that his family was temporarily let off the hook. As a lawyer, Michael has great liability to me!

They gave General Flynn a great deal because they were embarrassed by the way he was treated - the FBI said he didn’t lie and they overrode the FBI. They want to scare everybody into making up stories that are not true by catching them in the smallest of misstatements. Sad!...... ... WITCH HUNT!

If it was a Conservative that said what “crazed” Mika Brzezinski stated on her show yesterday, using a certain horrible term, that person would be banned permanently from television.... ... ....She will probably be given a pass, despite their terrible ratings. Congratulations to @RichardGrenell, our great Ambassador to Germany, for having the courage to take this horrible issue on!

Just did an interview with @HARRISFAULKNER on @FoxNews, airing now (1pmE.) Enjoy!

Happy 382nd Birthday @USNationalGuard. Our entire Nation is forever grateful for all you do 24/7/365. We love you! #Guard382

Today, it was my honor to welcome our Nation’s newly elected Governors to the @WhiteHouse!

Let’s not do a shutdown, Democrats - do what’s right for the American People!

SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:

OP of the 'Reddit is full of gullible left wing people who think they are morally superior' here

Trump Shares Old Videos Of Schumer, Hillary, Obama Supporting Border Security

Clinton Foundation was never a charity

REPORT: DOJ Inspector General Discovers 19,000 Missing Strzok-Page Text Messages

CLINTON FOUNDATION INVESTIGATION - HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE - LIVE

🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:

Trump cancels White House Christmas party for the press.

TFW someone calls the Clinton Foundation a charitable foundation

When your wife complains you've been sitting in the bathroom browsing T_D for way too long...

Can we show some love to the Heros at Judicial Watch? May God bless Them and their Families

Friday, December 14th:

TODAY'S ACTION:

President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint Individuals to Key Administration Posts

Presidential Proclamation on Wright Brothers Day, 2018

🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:

China just announced that their economy is growing much slower than anticipated because of our Trade War with them. They have just suspended U.S. Tariff Hikes. U.S. is doing very well. China wants to make a big and very comprehensive deal. It could happen, and rather soon!

Many people have asked how we are doing in our negotiations with North Korea - I always reply by saying we are in no hurry, there is wonderful potential for great economic success for that country.... ... ....Kim Jong Un sees it better than anyone and will fully take advantage of it for his people. We are doing just fine!

Thank you to @tim_cook for agreeing to expand operations in the U.S. and thereby creating thousands of jobs!

I am pleased to announce that Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management & Budget, will be named Acting White House Chief of Staff, replacing General John Kelly, who has served our Country with distinction. Mick has done an outstanding job while in the Administration.... ... For the record, there were MANY people who wanted to be the White House Chief of Staff. Mick M will do a GREAT job!

As I predicted all along, Obamacare has been struck down as an UNCONSTITUTIONAL disaster! Now Congress must pass a STRONG law that provides GREAT healthcare and protects pre-existing conditions. Mitch and Nancy, get it done!

Wow, but not surprisingly, ObamaCare was just ruled UNCONSTITUTIONAL by a highly respected judge in Texas. Great news for America!

SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:

OUCH! CNN bitch slapped!

Sarah Sanders: ‘Democrats Have to Decide if They Love Our Country More Than They Hate This President

In response to order from a federal judge, Mueller is forced to release key documents on FBI interview with Michael Flynn, saying FBI agents “did not think Flynn was lying”, despite being unjustly charged

Judge Emmet G. Sullivan ordered DOJ to produce the FBI 302 of the FBI interview of Flynn. There is no 302 of the interview. Instead, there's a 302 of an interview of Strzok talking about the interview 6 months later.

r/Redacted Mods Remove Top Comment With 2,831 Points... Because It Does Not Fit Narrative

🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:

Pillars of Peace!

President Trump and the First Lady make their entrance to the White House Christmas party

Today I became a US Citizen. I am so proud!!! 2020, I am ready!

“but muh child is suffering.. ! I demand 50,000 dollars or else..”

Mr President...I Can't!!!

Saturday, December 15th:

TODAY'S ACTION:

President Trump Delivers a Statement at Arlington National Cemetery

President Trump and the First Lady Deliver Remarks at the Congressional Ball

🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:

Secretary of the Interior @RyanZinke will be leaving the Administration at the end of the year after having served for a period of almost two years. Ryan has accomplished much during his tenure and I want to thank him for his service to our Nation....... ... .......The Trump Administration will be announcing the new Secretary of the Interior next week.

Never in the history of our Country has the “press” been more dishonest than it is today. Stories that should be good, are bad. Stories that should be bad, are horrible. Many stories, like with the REAL story on Russia, Clinton & the DNC, seldom get reported. Too bad!

The pathetic and dishonest Weekly Standard, run by failed prognosticator Bill Kristol (who, like many others, never had a clue), is flat broke and out of business. Too bad. May it rest in peace!

Wow, 19,000 Texts between Lisa Page and her lover, Peter S of the FBI, in charge of the Russia Hoax, were just reported as being wiped clean and gone. Such a big story that will never be covered by the Fake News. Witch Hunt!

SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:

Media Blackout After Trump Launches Urban Council To Invest $100 Billion in Black Communities

Since Kanye West is not on the plantation, MSM doesn;t want to hear what he has to say RE:"Mental Health" so Joe Rogan reaches out.

President Trump made an unannounced visit to Arlington National Cemetery today (photo 2/2)

"They marched into hell so that America could know the blessings of peace. They died so that freedom could live"

🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:

Wild redpill in r/Jokes

B E N G A R R I S O N: Fake News, the Walls Are Closing In..

Flashback! This Tweet Deserves to be Framed and Hung in the Smithsonian.

President Trump, joined by Melania Trump, VP Mike Pence and Karen Pence, delivers remarks at the Congressional Ball, in the Grand Foyer of the White House.

Never change America.

WEEW LAD!

Of course, no recap would be complete without a few tunes to get you jamming through all this winning:

Baby It's Cold Outside

Last Christmas

Let It Snow!

Santa Baby

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Blue Christmas

MAGA ON PATRIOTS!

submitted by /u/Ivaginaryfriend [link] [comments]

[democratsunited-blog]

Gas tax repeal lures California Democrats in key House races

https://uniteddemocrats.net/?p=8630

Gas tax repeal lures California Democrats in key House races

Democratic congressional candidate Katie Porter surprised political watchers last week when she launched a cable television ad declaring she opposed higher gas taxes.

The controversial $52 billion tax and fee increase was the result of a signature effort by Gov. Jerry Brown, also a Democrat, to pay for the largest road funding plan in California in more than a quarter century. Most Democratic state lawmakers supported the effort.

But Porter is not the only Democrat in a hotly contested House race taking a public stand against the measure as it faces an expensive repeal campaign.

“The gas tax is not the way to fix (California’s infrastructure) problems,” Josh Harder wrote in an Aug. 17 Turlock Journal op-ed, arguing that funding for infrastructure improvements, which the tax raises money for, ought to come from the federal government. The 31-year-old Democrat is challenging Republican Rep. Jeff Denham in a Central Valley district that includes Modesto, Turlock and Tracy.

In a statement provided to McClatchy, Harder was even more explicit: “I support Proposition 6,” he said, referring to the ballot initiative that would reverse California’s 12 cent gas tax increase.

“We all agree that we need to fix our roads and bridges, especially here in the Valley, but it should be through a thoughtful, cost-effective national plan,” he said, “not through another tax we can’t afford.” Harder has also been sending out campaign fundraising e-mails emphasizing the issue.

Democratic candidates’ efforts to distance themselves from the tax increase are a sign of the measure’s unpopularity with voters, particularly in regions with lots of commuters. But it also shows how Democrats running in swing districts can potentially neutralize the issue, while demonstrating their independence from the party bigwigs in Sacramento.

Harder has been the most explicit in his support of the gas tax repeal initiative, which puts Denham in a difficult position. The fourth-term congressman has deep ties with the construction and transportation industries, who support the gas tax increase and the road projects it is funding. Denham has received more funds than any other congressman from the air transport, airlines, trucking and railroad sectors, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. And he is vying to be chairman of the influential House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where infrastructure funding is a major issue.

Denham is also one of a few House Republicans from California who has not spoken out nor donated money to support the gas tax repeal, a fact that is likely tied to his relationships. But in a statement provided to McClatchy, Denham said that he did, in fact, support Proposition 6. “ I am committed to lowering taxes on hard working American families,” Denham said. “My opponent sides with Nancy Pelosi in support of raising taxes on middle class families and small businesses.”

Curious about what’s happening at the Capitol?

So are we. Every day, reporters at The Sacramento Bee are investigating and researching the business of politics in California, breaking down the stories, the constituencies and the impacts of these decisions so you don’t have to.

We explain how Capitol dealmaking affects your pocketbook, your job and your family.

We hold California politicians and state agencies accountable with in-depth watchdog reporting.

We deliver crystal clear, vital information to help inform how you might vote on specific issues or candidates.

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Related stories from Sacramento Bee

Porter’s opponent, Orange County Republican Rep. Mimi Walters, is one of the repeal effort’s most vocal champions and donating more than $300,000 to the repeal effort.

The Congressional Leadership Fund, a Super PAC aligned with Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, began airing a television ad in mid-August that claimed Porter “refuses to oppose Sacramento’s gas tax increase even though California is paying the highest gas prices in America.” The group is also running an ad against another Democratic congressional candidate, Katie Hill, saying she is “backed by Sacramento liberals who raised the gas tax.” Hill is running against Republican Rep. Steve Knight in Los Angeles County.

In response, Porter cut her own ad declaring that was a “straight-up lie.”

A third Democrat, Jessica Morse, also criticized the gas tax increase in a statement, calling it “double taxation” and arguing, like Harder, that Congress needed to provide more infrastructure funding.

“If the people of 4th District had a Representative who fought to address the needs of this community, like alleviating traffic at the 80-65 interchange and fixing the roads our businesses rely upon, there would be no increase to the gas tax,” said Morse, who is running against Republican Rep. Tom McClintock in a district that is a longer shot for Democrats.

Morse did not say she supported repealing the tax, however.

Ultimately, state tax and budget decisions are not up to members of Congress, and a number of political operatives McClatchy spoke with were not convinced the issue would swing the 2018 House races one way or another. But it certainly won’t help those fighting to preserve the law, including Brown, the construction industry and labor groups.

““Shame on any politician who wants to play politics with public safety,” State Building and Construction Trades Council of California President Robbie Hunter said. “Eliminating funding for 6,500 local projects that are already underway to repair our transportation infrastructure is beyond reckless, and voters will hold those politicians accountable who gamble with our safety.”

Hunter and others argue the money raised by the tax is needed to address a $130 billion backlog in state infrastructure repairs and maintenance. That’s also the argument made by Democratic candidates who say they oppose Proposition 6, including Gil Cisneros and Mike Levin, who are running for open seats in Southern California. Both Cisneros and Levin said in statements that repealing the gas tax increase would hurt local projects already under way, like improvements to State Route 57 and efforts to reduce congestion on the I-5 corridor.

Robert Shrum, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California, told McClatchy the tax’s defenders face “an uphill climb” to convince voters that it’s worth the extra cost at the pump. Polling conducted in recent months shows the repeal effort enjoyed a double digit edge among voters.

Many were still undecided, however, and supporters of the tax are building up a substantial cash advantage as the campaign gears up for the general election.

Those seeking repeal, meanwhile, aren’t exactly welcoming these professed Democratic allies.

“Not only are they not helping repeal to the gas tax but now they are lying to their constituents,” said Carl DeMaio, a former San Diego City Councilman who is leading the “Yes on 6” campaign. DeMaio noted that the group reached out to campaigns across the state, asking for their support in organizing rallies, joining press conferences, raising money and promoting their talking points.

The “Yes on 6” web site lists “Gas Tax Repeal Heroes” who have done so — an all-Republican roster of politicians that includes gubernatorial candidate John Cox, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, and vulnerable Republican Reps. Walters, David Valadao of Hanford and Steve Knight of Palmdale.

But DeMaio said Democrats running for Congress, including Porter and Harder, “have flatly refused or not responded whatsoever” to his requests.

State Republicans clearly believe the gas tax is one of their strongest campaign talking points in a state where the cost of living is top of mind for many voters. They’re also emboldened by the wide margin with which Southern California voters recalled former Sen. Josh Newman in June, a campaign centered on Newman’s vote for the gas tax increase.

Assembly Republican Leader Brian Dahle said his caucus is primarily targeting three seats that flipped to Democrats in 2016 and plans to hit those lawmakers on their gas tax votes as part of a broader message about how unaffordable it is to live in California.

“We know what the people are frustrated about,” Dahle said. “The voters are still impacted by all these things.”

It’s unlikely the gas tax will be the focal point of congressional campaigns the way it was for Newman’s recall, however. While Newman was a deciding vote for the legislation that increased the tax, members of Congress “don’t have anything to do with this,” noted Shrum.

And while Republicans hoped the issue will motivate their base to show up at the polls in an election year where Democrats have a decided edge in voter enthusiasm. The issue doesn’t cut neatly along partisan lines, however. Hispanics, a traditional Democratic constituency, were strongly against the gas tax increase in polling conducted by USC and the Los Angeles Times.

That helps explain why Democrats like Harder and Porter have decided to come out in opposition to the policy, as well. “The gas tax is in trouble,” Shrum said. “And it’s in even deeper trouble in [those] districts.”

Read full story here

[newssplashy]

Evan Casalino, a senior at Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale, New Jersey, always dreamed about going to Harvard Medical School.

But in his freshman year of high school, his father died of sudden cardiac arrest, and in his junior year, his mother died of ovarian cancer, leaving him devastated and overwhelmed.

Determined to fulfill his academic dream, he needed help. So, he hired a coaching firm, Acceptance Ahead, to guide him through the college application process.

“After everything that my family and I had been through, I wanted to honor my parents and make them proud, but also for my grandparents who were taking care of us and trying to fill the shoes of my parents,” said Casalino, whose brother, Tyler, is 14. He landed a spot at Harvard and will attend this fall.

Casalino is among a growing number of students who are turning to college prep coaches to navigate them through the fiercely competitive and time-consuming college application process.

“There’s definitely growing demand; people are coming to us earlier and earlier,” said Nancy Stuzin, partner and co-founder of Acceptance Ahead. Another coaching firm, Sylvan Learning, has seen a 15 percent increase in its college prep business in the last year, said Emily Levitt, the firm’s vice president of education.

The reason? Getting into college is much more daunting than it was 10 or 20 years ago, because of a host of factors: more international students seeking admission to colleges in the United States, greater access for people of all economic and geographical backgrounds to information about colleges, more early-decision opportunities and an increase in “need blind” applications, in which colleges do not consider an applicant’s financial status in admission decisions.

Good grades alone are no guarantee of acceptance, and the personal essay and interview can often make the difference — either way. “While grades are important, extracurricular activities are just as important, if not more, and will really help you stand out,” said Christopher Rim, president and chief executive of Command Education Group.

It’s particularly cutthroat for those vying to get into Ivy League schools.

“The most exclusive places are 4 percent or 5 percent acceptance, so 1 in 25 will get in among a pool of really highly qualified people,” said Hafeez Lakhani, founder of Lakhani Coaching. “There are heartbreaking stories every year of a student with a near-perfect SAT score and perfect grades rejected from every Ivy.”

When is the best time to bring in a coach?

“My favorite story is about parents wanting to set up an education plan for their daughter,” said Carol Gill, founder of Carol Gill Associates, a college counseling and placement firm. “When I met with them, their daughter was 17 months old. They wanted the right prenursery and prekindergarten to get into the Ivys. But that’s New York City. It’s kind of crazy out there.”

Ideally, students should start consulting coaches in their sophomore year of high school, or junior year at the latest. The earlier they bring in a coach, the more time they’ll have to turn around weak grades through extra tutoring, add extracurricular activities that will make their college application statement stand out, do practice runs for the college interview and ensure they get high scores in the standardized tests.

Deciding on the right personal essay is also key.

Alissa Fogelson, 18, of Purchase, New York, wanted to study nutrition and hired Stuzin in her junior year to help her college application stand out.

“I had no idea what I wanted to write about” in the essay, Fogelson said. When Stuzin learned that Fogelson had a passion for dance and was part of a dance company, she arranged for an internship with a nutritionist and then suggested she develop a nutritional program for fellow dancers and use the experience as part of her personal statement. Today, Fogelson is a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania

Coaches caution students to present their achievements and goals in a confident but not arrogant way.

Nikki Geula, president of Arete Educational Consulting, recalled one client, who earned top grades, was involved in volunteer work at his church and had aced his ACT test but had been rejected by many of the top colleges.

Once she read his personal statement, the problem became crystal clear. “He came across as a jerk,” she said, as his words portrayed a know-it-all who planned to single-handedly fix the gap between the tech world and business on Wall Street — not at all reflective of his personality. And he didn’t mention all of the charitable acts he had done for his community, she said.

“There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance,” said Geula, who helped him rewrite his essay.

Sometimes, students are misguided when they try to grab a committee’s attention.

Geula recounted the case of another gifted student who consulted her after being wait-listed at Harvard. The student had devoted his entire essay to writing about how he came up with his best ideas while sitting on the toilet. “It was incredibly graphic and completely inappropriate,” she said. “He told me he wanted to get their attention.” She helped him rewrite his personal statement.

Then there’s the interview. “If they go in there totally unprepared and bomb the interview, it could hurt them,” Stuzin said.

Coaches often prepare students using mock interviews where they ask common — and not so common — questions students may face. They also offer tips, such as keeping good eye contact, engaging in conversations with personal anecdotes and, of course, practicing good etiquette, such as showing up on time and turning cellphones off.

“I had a kid take out his phone and say ‘Oh, excuse me, I just have to return this text’ in the middle of the interview,” said Adam Exline, who worked in the admissions department at Sarah Lawrence College and is now co-director of college counseling at Trevor Day School in New York.

Geula recalled one student from China, who was soft-spoken and shy. So, Geula brought in acting and theatrical specialists and had her do improv exercises to get her to project her voice.

The uptick in college coaching has not escaped the attention of college admissions officials.

“We do know that more and more people out there are turning to coaches,” said Jonathan Williams, associate dean and director of admissions at New York University. “It is a much more competitive process than it was five years ago, and people are looking for an edge.”

He said the quality of applications had escalated in recent years. “SAT scores or ACT scores, for example, have increased at NYU over the past five years pretty significantly,” he said, although he could not say whether coaches were the reason.

Not everyone believes coaches are necessary.

“We actually discourage them from being overly coached or overly prepared for those interviews,” Exline said. “The kids who speak off the cuff or from the heart often come through much better than kids who are scripted.”

And coaching doesn’t come cheap. A coach can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars for a one-hour consultation session to tens of thousands of dollars for mentoring over a couple of years. Some firms offer lower rates or even pro bono work for low-income students.

“It’s obviously a huge decision” Lakhani said. “This is the door that you’re seeking to the rest of your life. It’s one of the greatest investments of our lives.”

—How to Write a Good College Application Essay

Here are some tips compiled from experts for writing that all-important application essay, which can often mean the difference between getting accepted — or rejected — by the school of your choice.

— The essay is your megaphone — your view of the world and your ambitions. It’s not just a résumé or a regurgitation of everything you’ve done. It needs to tell a story with passion, using personal, entertaining anecdotes that showcase your character, your interests, your values, your life experiences, your views of the world, your ambitions and even your sense of humor.

— Emphasize volunteer work or other ways you’ve helped people or made your community a better place. It helps if the activity is related to the subject you want to study. For example, Christopher Rim of Command Education Group, which coaches students, remembers that one student who wanted to become a dentist set up a nonprofit and held fundraisers to distribute toothbrushes, toothpaste and other dental products to homeless shelters. Admissions staff members want to know how your presence will make the college a better place.

— Mention internships, summer courses, extracurricular activities or lab work that show steps you’ve taken to learn and understand your field of interest. That will help show you know the field you’ve chosen to study and are passionate about it.

— Explain with knowledge and passion why you want to study at this particular college rather than at others. Tell why the school’s size, curriculum, social atmosphere, location, professors or history influenced your choice.

— Correct spelling, grammar and punctuation are critical. Use grammar, syntax and writing with a level of sophistication that shows you’re ready for college. Never use text-style abbreviations or rude or profane language.

— After the essay is submitted, check your email and voicemail daily to make sure you see and respond promptly to messages from admissions staff members. Many students check only texts and sometimes miss emails asking follow-up questions or requesting an interview.

— Hafeez Lakhani of Lakhani Coaching summed up the essay this way: “Every college is like a dinner table. What will make you the most interesting contributor to that dinner table conversation? What will make you help everyone else have a more interesting experience?” A good essay, rich with anecdotes and personality, will answer those questions and stand out from the pile.

— Janet Morissey

Janet Morissey © 2018 The New York Times

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Democrats rising? Early statehouse wins test new faces

http://ryanguillory.com/democrats-rising-early-statehouse-wins-test-new-faces/

Democrats rising? Early statehouse wins test new faces

(Reuters) – Democrats desperate to rebuild after losing the White House last year have scored a string of election victories for statehouse seats, testing a new generation of candidates and activists eager to resist President Donald Trump’s conservative agenda.

From New Hampshire to Oklahoma, Democrats have flipped eight Republican-held seats in special legislative elections, having spent millions of dollars on low-turnout contests mostly being fought over local issues. The wins showcase how Democrats want to fight back after losing to Trump and hitting historic lows in statehouses.

But the party faces challenges carrying this momentum into the 2018 midterm elections when thousands of seats are at stake, interviews with nearly two dozen Democratic leaders, campaigns and other political experts show.

“Can we recruit enough capable candidates, and can we run enough modern races?” asked Simon Rosenberg, a Democratic political strategist. He said the party must test its future leaders in real time. “Are they ready? The answer is: We don’t know.”

In November, Democrats will get an early read.

One critical test is in Washington state, where first-time candidate Manka Dhingra is running for an up-for-grabs senate seat in Seattle’s suburbs. A victory on Nov. 7 would give Democrats full control of the state.

    A prosecutor and school parent volunteer, Dhingra is a Sikh Indian American whose political awakening began with businessman Trump’s surprise election victory over experienced politician Hillary Clinton. Still, Dhingra steers clear of mentioning the president in her pitch to swing voters.

“The Trump reaction, the way it works is by invigorating volunteers,” Dhingra said. “There are a lot of people, like myself, who decided we cannot be bystanders.”

Nearly 2,000 volunteers have signed up through her campaign website alone, evidence of what the party calls unprecedented interest in legislative contests.

An August primary, where Dhingra finished 10 points ahead of her Republican competitor, had a relatively robust turnout, including nearly 6,000 voters who normally skip primaries.

Outside of Washington state, however, a few Democratic wins will do little to change the political map going into the 2018 midterm elections.

Republicans control 26 state governments and two-thirds of legislative chambers. Democrats hemorrhaged power at the state level during President Barack Obama’s eight years in office with their attention on national elections.

Now Democrats see the states as critical for rebuilding, and an opportunity to advance legislation pushing back against Trump’s agenda of gutting Democratic health care reforms and environmental protections and cracking down on immigration.

VOTER OUTREACH

The party plans to recruit hundreds of thousands of volunteers to contact more than 30 million voters – double their outreach in statehouse contests in the 2016 presidential cycle.

“Because of the gridlock in Washington, people are turning to statehouses for security from Donald Trump,” said Jessica Post, executive director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.

But the party’s many inexperienced candidates must beat battle-tested incumbents in elections next year with greater voter turnout.

    “If the Democrats have every bit of momentum and the wildest day they could think of, they may take us from super majorities to majorities,” said David Avella, chairman of the Republican group GOPAC. “But we will still have majorities.”

Democrats have flipped legislative seats in Florida, Oklahoma, New Hampshire and New York in 2017. Republicans picked up an uncontested seat in Louisiana.

In Oklahoma, where Trump won 65 percent of the vote in the 2016 general election, the Democrats flipped three seats in districts he carried. Candidates doubled down on local issues, such as a budget crisis forcing four-day school weeks.

They had a chance to “represent themselves as real people that weren’t actually attached to Nancy Pelosi, or Hillary Clinton, or Barack Obama,” said Anna Langthorn, Oklahoma Democratic Party chairwoman.

Some of the special elections success reflects startup progressive groups rallying voters. But they have yet to figure out how to expand their scope for 2018.

Chris Walsh, a cofounder of Flippable, which is working to win back state governments, went to Florida last month to help Democrat Annette Taddeo beat a Republican former legislator who once competed on Trump’s reality TV show, “The Apprentice.”

“There is a lot of knowledge out there that is siloed,” Walsh said, adding the party could help by sharing information such as district voting data with new groups.

This year’s most revealing contests will come in a statewide election in Virginia, where Democrats face a long-shot bid in November to pick up 17 seats and take back the House of Delegates.

In a show of enthusiasm to rebuild, the party is fielding a ticket that is more than 50 percent larger than two years ago. Yet fewer than one in four of the mostly women vying for Republican-held seats have raised more money than their competitors, Virginia Public Access Project data showed.

Republicans are also ramping up in defense. They anticipate state contests will be central to Democratic efforts in 2018, given their longer odds of reclaiming the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress.

    “The Democrats are trying to probe for the weakest link, and they are looking for that at the state level,” said Matt Walter, president of the Republican State Leadership Committee. “It is our job to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Reporting by Letitia Stein; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Grant McCool

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2020 Democrats Think They Can Unite America by Making Young Americans Battle Climate Change

Some 2020 Democrats have a plan to heal the divisions in the United States by pushing young Americans to battle climate change — an issue that has divided Americans for decades.

Both South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.) have proposed expanding opportunities for national service programs in the United States. National service programs are government-funded service opportunities for young Americans. The U.S. already has AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps, which offer service opportunities to serve low-income areas throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Delaney and Buttigieg would like to see national service programs drastically expanded in order to address issues of failing infrastructure and to battle climate change.

While their plans differ, they both see national service programs as serving two main goals: unifying Americans and rebuilding the U.S. to battle climate change.

Delaney’s Plan

In his recent interview with IJR, Delaney explained that an expansion of national service programs would be a priority he would tackle in his first 100 days if he became president.

The former congressman’s plan would provide four pathways for young Americans to choose: military service, community service, infrastructure apprenticeships, and a new service opportunity he would call the “Climate Corps.”

Programs like AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps would still be housed under the banner of community service, and military service would continue as is.

Infrastructure Apprenticeships

To address the infrastructure failures in the U.S., Delaney would like to put young Americans to work to rebuild the streets and bridges that are crumbling. The former congressman’s plan would be to award private companies contracts to rebuild the U.S. with a stipulation that they hire apprentices participating in the national program.

Those who choose to obtain an infrastructure apprenticeship would be trained by the trade unions and would receive a professional certificate upon completion.

Climate Corps

As Delaney told IJR, he sees climate change as an issue that requires all hands on deck. His plan is to create a national service program that would tackle environmental projects like retrofitting buildings with eco-friendly technology and manage sustainability efforts:

“To deal with climate change, we’ve got to do many, many, many, many things; that’s not the only thing I’m proposing for climate change. But I think as part of national service, it would be really great if young people — the way they serve their country is to go around and help build sustainable infrastructure and help people, maybe seniors, retrofit their homes for energy efficiency, that kind of stuff.”

Delaney has not signaled that the national service project would be required of all young Americans. Instead, he noted that he believes young people will be incentivized to join because it creates an opportunity for high school graduates to “serve their country, travel, and get paid while learning a skill.”

Buttigieg’s Plan

Although Buttigieg’s national service plan is far less detailed than Delaney’s proposals — he’s only committed to three paragraphs to the issue — he often references the issue as one of his main plans to unify America.

Buttigieg — who served as a Navy Reserves officer — wants to expand national service opportunities to tackle “climate adaptation” issues in the U.S., as well as serving low-income areas.

In a break from Delaney, Buttigieg was much more forward about his intention to make service mandated.

“Military service, Peace Corps service, and domestic service-year opportunities through efforts like AmeriCorps should be expanded until service becomes a universal expectation for every American youth,” he wrote on his website.

The mayor explained that he sees national service as a key way of unifying the country because people from different backgrounds will be forced to cooperate.

“We need to grow our national service programs to give more opportunities for young Americans to serve,” his website says. “Service provides a deeper sense of community, tackles critical national and global challenges, and can help heal our divided nation.”

The Problems with National Service

While these national service programs are being marketed as a unifying way to rebuild America, nothing in American politics is ever that simple, and a lot of questions remain as to the effectiveness of the idea.

What Are They Fixing? 

Both Delaney and Buttigieg see national service programs as a unifying endeavor that could help to rebuild America or prepare for a changing climate, but these projects would need to be approved by Congress.

The Green New Deal — which Buttigieg supports — contains provisions for an environmental jobs guarantee, similar to Delaney’s Climate Corps, but that proposal has been so toxic that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) won’t even allow a vote on the issue.

As far as infrastructure goes, recent bills have been dead on arrival because of President Donald Trump‘s insistence that funding is included for a border wall.

Congress would have to decide what national service projects get funded, and the experience would likely be less than unifying.

Who’s Going to Pay for It?

Even if Congress miraculously agreed to a set of projects for the national service program to address, it would still need to be funded.

Delaney’s public-private partnership for his infrastructure plan could be an affordable method for a small-scale program because it would be a requirement on a government contract signed by a private company for an infrastructure project that would presumably be happening either way. The expense would land on the private companies vying for federal contracts.

When it comes to the Climate Corps or Buttigieg’s plan, however, the total costs aren��t clear. Delaney recently announced that his entire climate plan would cost $4 trillion, but it isn’t clear how much of that is designated for Climate Corps.

Buttigieg’s plan lacks details, but his intention to make national service an expectation of all 18-year-olds would likely mean American taxpayers would be footing the bill for the living expenses of young adults in addition to the project work itself.

Using the current funding for AmeriCorps, an expansion that mandated high school graduates to join would cost $25 billion per year.

Can Young Americans Be Forced to Work for the Government?

Delaney already conceded that a mandate on national service is “probably unconstitutional” and hasn’t shown interest in making it so.

Buttigieg, on the other hand, didn’t hit on the constitutionality of the proposal but did note other ways to coerce young Americans into joining, including mandated questions about service on a “college application or when you apply for a job,” as he told MSNBC.

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Democrats rising? Early statehouse wins test new faces

http://ryanguillory.com/democrats-rising-early-statehouse-wins-test-new-faces/

Democrats rising? Early statehouse wins test new faces

(Reuters) – Democrats desperate to rebuild after losing the White House last year have scored a string of election victories for statehouse seats, testing a new generation of candidates and activists eager to resist President Donald Trump’s conservative agenda.

From New Hampshire to Oklahoma, Democrats have flipped eight Republican-held seats in special legislative elections, having spent millions of dollars on low-turnout contests mostly being fought over local issues. The wins showcase how Democrats want to fight back after losing to Trump and hitting historic lows in statehouses.

But the party faces challenges carrying this momentum into the 2018 midterm elections when thousands of seats are at stake, interviews with nearly two dozen Democratic leaders, campaigns and other political experts show.

“Can we recruit enough capable candidates, and can we run enough modern races?” asked Simon Rosenberg, a Democratic political strategist. He said the party must test its future leaders in real time. “Are they ready? The answer is: We don’t know.”

In November, Democrats will get an early read.

One critical test is in Washington state, where first-time candidate Manka Dhingra is running for an up-for-grabs senate seat in Seattle’s suburbs. A victory on Nov. 7 would give Democrats full control of the state.

    A prosecutor and school parent volunteer, Dhingra is a Sikh Indian American whose political awakening began with businessman Trump’s surprise election victory over experienced politician Hillary Clinton. Still, Dhingra steers clear of mentioning the president in her pitch to swing voters.

“The Trump reaction, the way it works is by invigorating volunteers,” Dhingra said. “There are a lot of people, like myself, who decided we cannot be bystanders.”

Nearly 2,000 volunteers have signed up through her campaign website alone, evidence of what the party calls unprecedented interest in legislative contests.

An August primary, where Dhingra finished 10 points ahead of her Republican competitor, had a relatively robust turnout, including nearly 6,000 voters who normally skip primaries.

Outside of Washington state, however, a few Democratic wins will do little to change the political map going into the 2018 midterm elections.

Republicans control 26 state governments and two-thirds of legislative chambers. Democrats hemorrhaged power at the state level during President Barack Obama’s eight years in office with their attention on national elections.

Now Democrats see the states as critical for rebuilding, and an opportunity to advance legislation pushing back against Trump’s agenda of gutting Democratic health care reforms and environmental protections and cracking down on immigration.

VOTER OUTREACH

The party plans to recruit hundreds of thousands of volunteers to contact more than 30 million voters – double their outreach in statehouse contests in the 2016 presidential cycle.

“Because of the gridlock in Washington, people are turning to statehouses for security from Donald Trump,” said Jessica Post, executive director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.

But the party’s many inexperienced candidates must beat battle-tested incumbents in elections next year with greater voter turnout.

    “If the Democrats have every bit of momentum and the wildest day they could think of, they may take us from super majorities to majorities,” said David Avella, chairman of the Republican group GOPAC. “But we will still have majorities.”

Democrats have flipped legislative seats in Florida, Oklahoma, New Hampshire and New York in 2017. Republicans picked up an uncontested seat in Louisiana.

In Oklahoma, where Trump won 65 percent of the vote in the 2016 general election, the Democrats flipped three seats in districts he carried. Candidates doubled down on local issues, such as a budget crisis forcing four-day school weeks.

They had a chance to “represent themselves as real people that weren’t actually attached to Nancy Pelosi, or Hillary Clinton, or Barack Obama,” said Anna Langthorn, Oklahoma Democratic Party chairwoman.

Some of the special elections success reflects startup progressive groups rallying voters. But they have yet to figure out how to expand their scope for 2018.

Chris Walsh, a cofounder of Flippable, which is working to win back state governments, went to Florida last month to help Democrat Annette Taddeo beat a Republican former legislator who once competed on Trump’s reality TV show, “The Apprentice.”

“There is a lot of knowledge out there that is siloed,” Walsh said, adding the party could help by sharing information such as district voting data with new groups.

This year’s most revealing contests will come in a statewide election in Virginia, where Democrats face a long-shot bid in November to pick up 17 seats and take back the House of Delegates.

In a show of enthusiasm to rebuild, the party is fielding a ticket that is more than 50 percent larger than two years ago. Yet fewer than one in four of the mostly women vying for Republican-held seats have raised more money than their competitors, Virginia Public Access Project data showed.

Republicans are also ramping up in defense. They anticipate state contests will be central to Democratic efforts in 2018, given their longer odds of reclaiming the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress.

    “The Democrats are trying to probe for the weakest link, and they are looking for that at the state level,” said Matt Walter, president of the Republican State Leadership Committee. “It is our job to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Reporting by Letitia Stein; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Grant McCool

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