Democratic lawmakers are calling for Justice Clarence Thomas to resign, after it was revealed that he has accepted items from billionaires for many years in alternate for entry to the Supreme Court docket.
A brand new ProPublica report discovered that Thomas has fortunately accepted—and didn’t disclose—at the very least 38 luxurious holidays from 4 totally different billionaires: Harlan Crow, David Sokol, H. Wayne Huizenga, and Paul Novelly. In return, Thomas hosts an annual fundraiser on the Supreme Court docket for an unique society to which all of them belong. Specialists have referred to as Thomas’s conduct an “abuse of workplace” and “the peak of hypocrisy.”
Consultant Ted Lieu stated Thomas “has introduced disgrace upon himself and the US Supreme Court docket” and may resign “instantly.” Pramila Jayapal additionally stated Thomas ought to resign, calling his actions “disgusting.”
Invoice Pascrell Jr. referred to as Thomas “corrupt as hell,” and Gerry Connolly stated Thomas has “repeatedly introduced dishonor and moral malpractice to our highest Court docket.” Robert Garcia and Hank Johnson additionally referred to as for Thomas to resign.
They be part of 9 different Democratic representatives and two Democratic senators who’ve been calling for Thomas to both step down or be impeached. Representatives Alma Adams, Don Beyer, Cori Bush, Chuy Garcia, Ro Khanna, Summer time Lee, Ilhan Omar, and Nydia Velazquez, in addition to Senators Richard Blumenthal and Ed Markey started clamoring for Thomas to depart the courtroom after the information of his relationship with Crow first broke within the April.
Johnson and Pascrell additionally referred to as for Thomas’s resignation on the time. So did Consultant Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, however she had already been demanding Thomas resign for greater than a 12 months by then, in accordance to The New Republic’s Pablo Manríquez.
A few of the items Thomas has accepted from his billionaire buddies embrace a visit on Sokol’s personal jet to his personal ranch in Wyoming (valued within the low eight figures), a deep-sea fishing journey within the Caribbean on certainly one of Novelly’s yachts, and a standing invitation to Huizenga’s members-only golf membership. Huizenga bought the membership in 2010, and it presently has a $150,000 initiation payment.
Thomas was already below fireplace for failing to report the various items he acquired from Crow, which embrace island-hopping yacht holidays and tuition for Thomas’s nephew. The Nazi memorabilia collector Crow additionally purchased and renovated a Thomas household property, the place Thomas’s mom nonetheless lives.
Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen has determined that the perfect subsequent profession transfer is to run for Congress. Too unhealthy America hates him.
Cohen is a former private legal professional and longtime fixer for Donald Trump. Given the truth that Trump has now been impeached twice, indicted thrice, and located accountable for sexual abuse and defamation, it doesn’t look like Cohen was all that good at his job. Cohen has additionally develop into an outspoken Trump critic (which may have one thing to do together with his now-settled lawsuit alleging Trump owed him $1.3 million in unpaid authorized charges).
Now, Cohen desires to run as a Democrat. He informed Semafor Thursday evening that he’s contemplating difficult New York Consultant Jerry Nadler within the primaries.
“There’s a mess of parents encouraging me to run,” Cohen stated.
It’s unclear who these people are, although. A ballot performed in April by The Economist and YouGov discovered that simply 15 % of Democrats view Cohen very favorably. And switching tickets wouldn’t work, both, as a result of Cohen is even much less in style amongst independents and Republicans.
In all probability not value a lot, however Dems aren’t precisely enamored of Michael Cohen.
YouGov examined him nationally in April. About half of Dems have been favorable, 4 in 10 unfavorable.
Indies largely do not know who he’s, however they do not like him. pic.twitter.com/6DrleNNZLf
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) August 11, 2023
Nadler additionally has long-standing, strong help in his district. The 31-year-incumbent has title recognition and is backed by highly effective Jewish communities in his district. He handily defeated major challenger Carolyn Maloney in August 2022 with 55 % of the vote, in contrast to her 24 %.
Rupert Murdoch’s media empire is slowly however absolutely disintegrating, as his Information Company reported greater than a 75 % drop in revenue.
Information Corp on Thursday recorded simply $187 million in internet revenue for the 2023 monetary 12 months, down from $760 million the earlier 12 months. The corporate has arms in the US, the UK, and Australia, together with the Wall Avenue Journal writer Dow Jones & Firm, The Solar, and Information Corp Australia.
The plunge in revenue was primarily due to decrease print and digital promoting at Information Corp Australia, in addition to low print promoting within the U.Okay. Information Corp stated it was assured it may use AI going ahead to create new content material whereas additionally decreasing general prices.
Information Corp is separate from Murdoch’s different infamous conglomerate Fox Corp, the father or mother firm of Fox Information. Murdoch break up the businesses in 2013. He briefly thought of re-merging them in late 2022, however he deserted the plan firstly of the next 12 months as a result of, in accordance to The Economist, “some Information Corp buyers [were] sad on the prospect of being lumped along with Fox Information, which they take into account a poisonous model.”
Not like the remainder of Information Corp, Fox income appear to be surpassing expectations put up–Tucker Carlson. However each of Murdoch’s information companies, although, have been embroiled in pricey authorized battles. Prince Harry is suing Information Corp’s British arm for a number of illegal acts allegedly dedicated over a number of a long time, together with hacking his cellphone. And within the U.S., Fox Corp is heading off a number of lawsuits for spreading falsehoods in regards to the 2020 election and defamation. Earlier this 12 months, the corporate reported a $54 million loss thanks to the pricey Dominion settlement.
Republican Consultant Nick Langworthy tried to defend the GOP investigation into Joe Biden’s alleged corruption—solely to find yourself admitting that they nonetheless don’t have any proof.
Republicans have insisted for months that Biden is responsible of corruption and affect peddling abroad, regardless of producing no precise proof. However they proceed to declare they’ve proof that he and his son Hunter Biden accepted hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in bribes.
However Langworthy fumbled that time large time on Thursday throughout an interview with Fox Information. Fox correspondent Gillian Turner identified that Republicans have but to produce “a smoking gun: clear-cut, plain proof of the president’s involvement.”
“Nicely, we’ve by no means claimed that we now have direct cash going to the president, however many members of his household have acquired cash from international governments,” Langworthy stated.
Turner interrupted to right him: “That’s exactly the declare that the chairman of your committee, James Comer, and in addition Jim Jordan have made many instances,” she stated, referring to Home Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, who alongside Comer has spearheaded the cost in opposition to Biden.
“We’re placing an investigation collectively laying out the info on the enterprise dealings of this household,” Langworthy stated awkwardly, making an attempt to get better.
GILLIAN TURNER: A smoking gun hasn’t been produced. What do you say to that?
LANGWORTHY: Nicely, we have by no means claimed that we now have direct cash going to POTUS
TURNER: However that is exactly what Jordan & Comer have stated many instances
L: We’re placing an investigation collectively pic.twitter.com/BxW8T9n9Cf
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 10, 2023
Langworthy didn’t fare significantly better in the remainder of the interview. He additionally stated that Hunter Biden’s former enterprise accomplice Devon Archer had testified to the Oversight Committee below oath, which Turner once more identified was not true. (And no matter how he testified, Archer additionally refuted a lot of Republicans’ speaking factors in opposition to Joe Biden.)
Republicans’ essential justification for persevering with to examine Biden is that they have already got proof of his wrongdoing and at the moment are simply making an attempt to expose the breadth of his crimes. Many Republicans, together with Home Speaker Kevin McCarthy, are beginning to recommend opening an impeachment inquiry into Biden in order that they will entry extra info and witnesses that can lead them to the reality.
However Langworthy’s stumble reveals the precise reality: Republicans don’t have anything on Biden. The explanation they hold pushing ahead is as a result of they’re on the lookout for one thing to truly substantiate their allegations.
One other day, one other traditional meals model gone woke. This time, it’s Pop-Tarts.
Former Trump adviser and present white nationalist Stephen Miller has filed a criticism with the Equal Employment Alternative Fee accusing Kellogg’s of concentrating on kids by advertising campaigns that “politicize and sexualize its merchandise.” Miller’s right-wing nonprofit America First Authorized tweeted an inventory of such merchandise, together with a 2022 collaboration with GLAAD to make pink lemonade Pop-Tarts with neon pink filling.
There’s nothing remotely sexual in regards to the advert.
We’re past proud to accomplice with NEON powered by @GLAAD to create the limited-edition “NEON Pink Block Celebration Lemonade” Pleasure Field, that includes the loopy good and loopy joyful designs of queer illustrator Thaddeus Coates. pic.twitter.com/fs7bk8ABls
— Pop-Tarts (@PopTartsUS) June 2, 2022
AFL additionally highlights Kellogg’s Pleasure cereal, a limited-edition cereal launched in October 2022, which was simply rainbow heart-shaped cereal however with all of the cereal mascots on the field. The criticism additionally cites drag queen RuPaul’s look on the Cheez-Its field in September and Tony the Tiger posing with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney on the Tony awards in June.
“Kellogg’s is one more large company that can break the legislation and harm its shareholders’ pursuits to serve the twisted woke ideology of its officers and administrators,” AFL charged.
Miller stumbled throughout these advertising campaigns whereas investigating Kellogg’s for having an excessive amount of range in its ranks. AFL on Wednesday requested that the U.S. Equal Employment Alternative Fee examine the carbohydrates producer for racial discrimination … in opposition to white individuals, particularly white males.
AFL accused Kellogg’s of selling individuals “based mostly on pores and skin shade on the expense of others due to their pores and skin shade,” and complained that the corporate had particular packages for underrepresented and underserved demographics equivalent to Black individuals and ladies.
With Kellogg’s apparently misplaced to the wokeness rabbit gap, conservatives have to cross one more firm off a quickly shrinking checklist of locations they will comfortably eat, drink, and store. Individuals are additionally boycotting Chick-fil-A as a result of it has an H.R. division. They’re refusing to eat at Cracker Barrel after the chain posted favorably about Pleasure on social media.
Goal, Walmart, and Kohl’s are all being boycotted for promoting Pleasure merchandise. Nike and Adidas are promoting trans-inclusive athletic put on, in order that they’re off the desk too. The North Face and Patagonia did campaigns that includes a drag queen named Pattie Gonia.
Individuals on the far proper will most likely even have to drop Ruger, Black Rifle Espresso, Residence Depot, and Molson Coors, all of which have groups devoted to range, fairness, and inclusion initiatives.
The editor in chief of Christianity At this time is warning that evangelical Christianity is transferring too far to the precise, to the purpose that even Jesus’s teachings are thought of “weak” now.
Russell Moore resigned from the Southern Baptist Conference in 2021, after years of being at odds with different evangelical leaders. Particularly, Moore brazenly criticized Donald Trump, whom many evangelical Christians embraced. Moore additionally criticized the Southern Baptist Conference’s response to a sexual abuse disaster and rising tolerance for white nationalism locally.
Now he thinks his faith is in disaster.
Moore informed NPR in an interview launched Tuesday that a number of pastors had informed him they’d quote the Sermon on the Mount, particularly the half that claims to “flip the opposite cheek,” when preaching. Somebody would come up after the service and ask, “The place did you get these liberal speaking factors?”
“What was alarming to me is that in most of those situations, when the pastor would say, ‘I’m actually quoting Jesus Christ,’ the response wouldn’t be, ‘I apologize.’ The response can be, ‘Sure, however that doesn’t work anymore. That’s weak,’” Moore stated. “Once we get to the purpose the place the teachings of Jesus himself are seen as subversive to us, then we’re in a disaster.”
Moore stated he thinks a big a part of the problem is how divisive U.S. politics are, which is now spilling over into the church. He pointed to how a number of points are “packaged by way of existential menace,” main to the assumption amongst everybody, not simply evangelical Christians, that “determined instances name for determined measures.”
It is sensible, then, that evangelical Christians would embrace Trump, who portrayed himself as the reply to a lot of these supposed existential threats. Trump each campaigned and ruled on a largely evangelical Christian platform. He moved the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem; he cracked down on immigration from majority-Muslim international locations; and he appointed a number of conservative judges, together with to the Supreme Court docket, which has swung sharply proper.
He made good on his anti-abortion guarantees when the excessive courtroom eliminated the nationwide proper to the process in June. Many LGBTQ protections have been rolled again below his watch, and throughout the June 2020 protests over George Floyd’s homicide by police, he tear-gassed demonstrators so he may take a closely posed image with a Bible in entrance of St. John’s Church close to the White Home.
And as Trump swings ever additional proper, it is sensible that individuals who imagine he’ll remedy their issues will observe blindly.
Clarence Thomas has for years hosted charity fundraisers within the Supreme Court docket constructing for his Republican billionaire buddies. In return, they’ve taken the justice on dozens of luxurious holidays value hundreds of thousands of {dollars}, in accordance to a surprising new ProPublica report.
“To make use of the Supreme Court docket to fundraise for someone’s charity is, to me, an abuse of workplace,” Virginia Canter, a former authorities ethics lawyer who served in each Republican and Democratic administrations, informed ProPublica. “It’s pay to play, isn’t it?”
ProPublica discovered that Thomas has fortunately accepted at the very least 38 luxurious holidays from 4 totally different billionaires: Harlan Crow, David Sokol, H. Wayne Huizenga, and Paul Novelly. The items embrace yacht journeys around the globe, tickets to sporting occasions, transport on personal jets, and stays at their unique resorts and personal properties.
— Jesse Eisinger (@eisingerj) August 10, 2023
Thomas has disclosed none of those items on his monetary statements, however ProPublica estimates the overall worth to be within the hundreds of thousands. And that is doubtless simply the tip of the iceberg.
“It’s simply the peak of hypocrisy to put on the robes and stay the life-style of a billionaire,” Don Fox, the previous common counsel of the U.S. Workplace of Authorities Ethics and the senior ethics official within the government department, informed ProPublica.
Thomas doubtless met all of his billionaire sugar daddies by the Horatio Alger Affiliation, which prices $200,000 to be part of. Thomas was inducted into the society in 1992, a 12 months after he joined the Supreme Court docket bench. He now hosts an annual fundraiser for the affiliation within the Supreme Court docket’s Nice Corridor. Attendance prices $1,500 for members (5 instances that for nonmembers).
The Supreme Court docket doesn’t have an official code of ethics, however the justices say they seek the advice of the judiciary’s code of conduct. That code explicitly discourages federal judges from utilizing their place to fundraise for outdoor organizations.
A few of the items Thomas has accepted from his Horatio Alger buddies embrace a visit on Sokol’s personal jet to his personal ranch in Wyoming (valued within the low eight figures), a deep-sea fishing journey within the Caribbean on certainly one of Novelly’s yachts, and a standing invitation to Huizenga’s members-only golf membership. Huizenga bought the membership in 2010, and it presently has a $150,000 initiation payment.
Thomas was already below fireplace for failing to report the various items he acquired from Crow, which embrace island-hopping yacht holidays and tuition for Thomas’s nephew. The Nazi memorabilia collector Crow additionally purchased and renovated a Thomas household property, the place Thomas’s mom nonetheless lives.
The justice’s conduct prompted elevated scrutiny on the Supreme Court docket, and the Senate Judiciary Committee superior a invoice that may require the justices to undertake a code of ethics. The measure would create rigorous new monetary disclosure guidelines, in addition to set up a course of for submitting and investigating ethics complaints in opposition to the justices.
Learn ProPublica’s full story right here.
Joe Biden dragged Consultant Lauren Boebert on Wednesday for celebrating the advantages of his clear power initiatives after voting in opposition to them in Congress.
Biden spoke on the groundbreaking ceremony for a wind tower manufacturing facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He hailed developments in clear power and the way addressing local weather change was additionally creating new jobs. Biden additionally famous {that a} wind power plant for CS Wind is being inbuilt Pueblo, Colorado. Each initiatives acquired funding from the Inflation Discount Act, which just about each single Republican in Congress voted in opposition to.
“Coincidentally, CS Wind is Congresswoman Lauren Boebert—you realize, the very quiet Republican woman?—it’s in her district,” Biden stated. “Who, together with each different Republican, voted in opposition to this invoice. And it’s making all this potential. And he or she railed in opposition to its passage. However, that’s OK, she’s welcoming it now.”
Biden: Coincidentally, a congresswoman, Lauren Boebert, the very quiet Republican woman? It’s in her district. She railed in opposition to the passage. That’s okay, she is welcoming it now. pic.twitter.com/YagEsWey4R
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 9, 2023
This isn’t the primary time Biden has referred to as out Republicans for making an attempt to declare wins from insurance policies they voted in opposition to. In June, Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville celebrated a $1.4 billion funding to increase broadband entry in his state, a serious tenet of Biden’s Infrastructure Funding and Jobs Act.
Biden roasted Tuberville for it, tweeting he would see the senator “at groundbreaking” and later commenting that “to nobody’s shock, [the act is] bringing alongside some converts. Individuals strenuously opposed, voting in opposition to it after we had this going on.”
A Florida state legal professional branded Ron DeSantis a “weak dictator” on Wednesday after he suspended her, making her the second elected, Democratic state legal professional that the Florida governor has faraway from responsibility.
In an government order, DeSantis stated Monique Worrell had failed to prosecute crimes together with violent crime, drug trafficking, and pedophilia. He nominated former decide Andrew Bain, a member of the conservative group the Federalist Society, to serve throughout her suspension. DeSantis appointed Bain to the bench in 2020.
Worrell, for her half, hit again onerous, accusing DeSantis of utilizing her to distract from his “failing and disastrous” presidential marketing campaign. Suspending her was only a means to throw a bone to his supporters and get extra media consideration.
“If we’re mourning something this morning, it’s the lack of democracy,” Worrell informed reporters. “I’m your duly elected state legal professional for the ninth judicial circuit, and nothing carried out by a weak dictator can change that. That is an outrage.”
“If we’re mourning something … it’s the lack of democracy. I’m your duly elected state legal professional … and nothing carried out by a weak dictator can change that. That is an outrage.”
— State Legal professional Monique Worrell (D) reacts to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) suspending her from workplace pic.twitter.com/lUbNx7FX2Q
— The Recount (@therecount) August 9, 2023
Worrell introduced she would nonetheless run for reelection. She is now the second state legal professional that DeSantis has suspended for arguing with him.
State Legal professional Andrew Warren sued DeSantis in August, two weeks after the governor suspended him for alleged “willful defiance of his responsibility.” DeSantis justified the suspension by pointing to a joint assertion Warren signed with different elected prosecutors the day Roe v. Wade was overturned, which codified their “agency perception that prosecutors have a duty to chorus from utilizing restricted prison authorized system assets to criminalize private medical selections,” equivalent to abortion or transgender well being care.
Warren denied explicitly refusing to implement legal guidelines and argued his suspension was political retaliation and a violation of his First Modification proper to free speech. A federal decide sided with him in January—however stated he was unable to restore Warren to workplace as a result of that may be an overreach of the courtroom’s authority.
Worrell alluded to Warren in her feedback Wednesday. “Elected officers are being taken out of workplace solely for political functions,” she stated. “Below this tyranny, elected officers will be eliminated merely for political functions and by a whim of the governor and regardless of how you are feeling about me, you shouldn’t be OK with that.”
It’s deeply regarding that DeSantis feels he has the precise to take away elected officers at will, and it ought to elevate main crimson flags about what he may do as president. However given his efficiency to date, he might by no means get there, anyway.
Elon Musk’s Twitter refused to adjust to a federal search warrant for Donald Trump’s Twitter account, leading to a whole bunch of 1000’s of {dollars} in fines for the social media firm, in accordance to courtroom paperwork launched Wednesday.
Particular counsel Jack Smith obtained the warrant in mid-January and served the warrant to Twitter, now referred to as “X,” alongside a “nondisclosure order.” The order barred the social media platform from informing Trump that his account can be searched.
After being served the warrant, nonetheless, the corporate took a number of days to reply. Twitter then filed a movement to vacate the nondisclosure order on February 2, arguing the order violated the First Modification, and refused to comply. The corporate demanded that U.S. District Court docket Decide Beryl Howell, who was overseeing the case on the time, block enforcement of the search warrant till the matter was resolved.
As a substitute, Howell discovered Twitter in contempt and fined the platform $50,000 a day, doubling for every day of noncompliance. Twitter nonetheless didn’t adjust to the warrant till February 9, leading to a complete of $350,000 in fines.
Twitter appealed the ruling, however in July, an appeals courtroom upheld Howell’s choice, the paperwork launched Wednesday present.
“The district courtroom discovered possible trigger to search the Twitter account for proof of prison offenses,” the three-judge panel stated in its ruling. “Furthermore, the district courtroom discovered that there have been ‘cheap grounds to imagine’ that disclosing the warrant to former President Trump ‘would significantly jeopardize the continued investigation’ by giving him ‘a chance to destroy proof, change patterns of conduct, [or] notify confederates.”
It’s not but clear what Smith was on the lookout for on Trump’s account. The previous president favored Twitter over each different type of communication, and used the platform to push his election fraud conspiracies and encourage his followers to come to Washington on January 6, 2021. Many individuals arrested in reference to the January 6 rebellion stated they felt that Trump’s tweets have been a direct name to arms.
Smith may strive to use Trump’s tweets to exhibit a sample of conduct, a part of proving one of many conspiracy prices in opposition to the previous president. Trump was charged final week with making an attempt to overturn the 2020 election and faces 4 counts of conspiracy to defraud the US, conspiracy to corruptly hinder an official continuing, obstruction of and try to hinder an official continuing, and conspiracy in opposition to the precise to vote.