December 5, 2017


News and Views


I THINK I SAID THIS LAST WEEK, BUT I’LL SAY IT AGAIN. CONYERS IS 88 YEARS OLD AND IN MY VIEW, HE IS PROBABLY GETTING TOO OLD TO FUNCTION AS A LAWMAKER. I ALSO THINK THAT THE MALE PRIVILEGE TO VERBALLY OR PHYSICALLY “MOLEST” ANYONE AT ALL IS UNACCEPTABLE.

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/rep-conyers-wont-seek-election-current-term-family-104505874--abc-news-topstories.html?soc_trk=gcm&soc_src=dbb2094c-7d9a-37c0-96b9-7f844af62e78&.tsrc=notification-brknews
Rep. Conyers announces he's retiring today, endorses son to fill seat
Good Morning America
Karma Allen, Veronica Stracqualursi, and Alisa Wiersema
Good Morning AmericaDecember 5, 2017

The 88-year-old Conyers endorses his son, John Conyers III, to replace him in office

Currently facing multiple allegations of sexual harassment, veteran Congressman John Conyers, D-Mich., announced he is retiring today.
Conyers, 88, confirmed the news on the Mildred Gaddis radio show, calling in from a hospital in Detroit recovering for a stress-related illness.
“I am retiring today, and I want everyone to know how much I appreciate the support, the incredible, undiminished support I’ve received across the years,” Conyers said.
Conyers’ attorney, Arnold Reed, confirmed to ABC News that the lawmaker meant retiring effective immediately.

Conyers 'not going to be pressured' to resign, attorney says
Another former staffer accuses Rep. John Conyers of sexual misconduct
Conyers said his legacy will not be affected. He has denied any sexual misconduct.
“My legacy can't be compromised or diminished in any way by what we're going through now,” he said. “This, too, shall pass. I want you to know that my legacy will continue through my children.”

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D- Texas, read a statement from Conyers on the House floor after his radio interview that he'd notified House Speaker Paul Ryan, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Michigan Gov. Rick Synder of his retirement.
“Given the totality of the circumstance, of not being afforded the right of due process in conjunction with current health conditions, and to preserve my legacy and good name, I’m retiring. I hope my retirement will be viewed in the larger perspective of my record of service as I enter a new chapter,” Lee said the statement read.

The veteran lawmaker said that he is also endorsing his son, John Conyers III, to fill his seat.
Conyers, the longest-serving member of the House of Representatives and a civil rights icon, is the first high-profile national political figure to fall in this wave of public sexual harassment allegations to sweep the country. The congressman was the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee before he stepped down last week.
Conyers, who has been in the House since 1965, is a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

A dozen House Democrats have called on the representative to step down as Congress looks into sexual misconduct allegations levied against him. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said he should resign, calling the allegations against him "serious, disappointing and very credible."
Last week, his attorney, Arnold Reed, said the congressman refused to be "forced out of office."

At least five women have accused Conyers of sexual harassment and inappropriate touching.
In this Nov. 1, 2014, file photo, Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., speaks at Wayne State University in Detroit. (AP)
In this Nov. 1, 2014, file photo, Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., speaks at Wayne State University in Detroit. (AP)

Elisa Grubbs, a former staffer for Conyers from 2001 to 2013, alleged in an affidavit dated Dec. 3 released by her lawyer Monday that Conyers “inappropriately touched” her in church and personally witnessed Conyers sexually harassing other female staffers. Grubbs also accuses Conyers of “regularly” undressing in front of his staff.
The first allegation came to light after BuzzFeed News reported on Nov. 20 that Conyers’ office paid a female aide over $27,000 to quietly settle a wrongful dismissal complaint in 2015. The woman later identified herself as Marion Brown on NBC’s “Today Show”.
Conyers acknowledged that his office settled a harassment complaint involving a former staffer, but denies the allegations against him.
PHOTO: Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., walks down the House steps after a vote in the Capitol on Sept. 27, 2016. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images FILE)
PHOTO: Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., walks down the House steps after a vote in the Capitol on Sept. 27, 2016. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images FILE)
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A former scheduler alleged she suffered unwanted touching “repeated and daily” in 2015 and 2016, according to Buzzfeed, which first obtained the court documents. Buzzfeed did not include her name in their initial Nov. 21 report on the suit but reported that she voluntarily abandoned the case after the court denied her request to keep the case under seal.


I MUST SAY THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING NEWS SITUATIONS SINCE I’VE BEEN DOING THIS BLOG. I AM NOT GAY, BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT GAYS AND LESBIANS REALLY DO LOVE EACH OTHER. I ALSO KNOW THAT FORCING ONESELF TO PERFORM SEX ACTS, EVEN IN A MARRIAGE SETTING, IS SOMETHING THAT I REALLY DON’T WANT TO DO, SO I SYMPATHIZE WITH THE TWO MEN.

I ALSO DISAGREE WITH A BUSINESS OWNER WHO TRIES TO DENY SERVICE ON SUCH GROUNDS. YES. IT’S SIMPLE DISCRIMINATION, AND PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO GET AWAY WITH CLAIMING “FREEDOM OF RELIGION.” IT’S ALL DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE DENIAL OF SERVICE TO BLACK PEOPLE, AND THAT MUST NOT BE ALLOWED, AND ALLOWING A PRECEDENT FOR MORE TEST CASES ON THAT WOULD BE HIGHLY UNINTELLIGENT, I.E., "STOOPID!"

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/justices-take-up-dispute-over-wedding-cake-for-gay-couple/
CBS/AP December 5, 2017, 7:19 AM
Supreme Court hears dispute over wedding cake for gay couple

Last Updated Dec 5, 2017 12:44 PM EST

The Supreme Court heard the highly anticipated case of the Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. Tuesday's clash at the high court pitted baker Jack Phillips' First Amendment claims of artistic freedom against the anti-discrimination arguments of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, and the two men Phillips turned away in 2012.

The commission ruled that Phillips violated the state's anti-discrimination law when he refused to make a wedding cake for Charlie Craig and David Mullins. The argument is the first involving gay rights before the Supreme Court since it ruled in 2015 that states could not prevent same-sex couples from marrying.

The Trump administration is supporting Phillips in his argument that he can't be forced to create a cake that violates his religious beliefs. Phillips told CBS News' Jan Crawford that his cakes are personal artistic expressions -- the cake is the canvas, and he sees the icing as his paint. He's making both a religious liberty and a free speech argument before the court. This appears to be the first time the federal government has asked the justices to carve out an exception from an anti-discrimination law.

During the first half of oral argument on Tuesday the justices questioned an attorney for Phillips, who made the First Amendment argument.

But Justice Elena Kagan wanted to know "how do you draw a line?" about what counts as speech. Kagan wanted to know, "Why is there no speech in creating a wonderful hairdo?" and "Where would you put a tailor?"

Justice Sonia Sotomayor told Phillips' attorney: "The primary purpose of a food of any kind is to be eaten."

Meanwhile, during a riveting argument at the high court, Justice Anthony Kennedy, who is seen as the linchpin vote in the case, worried that a ruling for baker Jack Phillips might allow stores to post signs that say they "do not bake cakes for gay weddings."

But later in the argument, Kennedy said Colorado's human rights commission seemed "neither tolerant nor respectful of Mr. Phillips' religious beliefs" when it found his refusal to bake a cake for the gay couple violated the state's anti-discrimination law.

The 81-year-old Kennedy is the author of the 2015 gay marriage decision and all the court's major gay-rights rulings. At the same time, Kennedy has forcefully defended free-speech rights in his nearly 30 years as a justice.

Colorado native Neil Gorsuch also will be taking part in the most important gay rights case since he joined the Supreme Court in April.

The case's outcome also could affect photographers and florists who have voiced objections similar to those of Phillips.

"Artists shouldn't be forced to express what the government dictates. The commission ordered Jack to celebrate what his faith prohibits or to stop doing the work he loves. The Supreme Court has never compelled artistic expression, and doing so here would lead to less civility, diversity, and freedom for everyone, no matter their views on marriage," Kristen Waggoner, the Alliance Defending Freedom who is representing Phillips, said in an email.

But the American Civil Liberties Union and other rights groups that have sided with the gay couple said they fear a ruling for Phillips could allow for discrimination by a range of business owners. They said the court has never recognized what they call a constitutional right to discriminate.

"The question is whether a shop like Masterpiece Cakeshop can put up a sign in its window saying, 'Wedding cakes for heterosexual couples only,'" ACLU deputy legal director Louise Melling said. The ACLU is representing Craig and Mullins. The couple told Crawford they see the case as a straight-up issue of discrimination.

Colorado is among only 21 states that have statewide laws barring discrimination against gays and lesbians in public accommodations.

The case, Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, 16-111, will be decided by late June.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.


WILL THE SUPREME COURT SAY, “LET THEM EAT CAKE?”

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-discrimination-case-gay-wedding-cake-baker-couple-speak-out/
CBS NEWS December 5, 2017, 7:19 AM
Christian baker, same-sex couple speak out on Supreme Court case

Photograph -- Jack Phillips CBS NEWS
CBS News' Jan Crawford speaks with Dave Mullins, Charlie Craig and his mother, Debbie Munn CBS NEWS

The Supreme Court will hear arguments in one of the biggest cases of its term: a battle that pits the right to free speech and religion against a right to be free from discrimination. Justices will hear arguments from a Colorado Christian baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple in 2012. Lines started forming Monday for a seat inside the court.

The court ruled in 2015 that the Constitution protects same-sex marriage nationwide. Now it will decide just how far that protection goes, reports CBS News correspondent Jan Crawford.

Jack Phillips had been making wedding cakes for nearly 20 years when Dave Mullins, Charlie Craig, and his mother, Debbie Munn, walked into Masterpiece Cakeshop outside Denver.

"He asked us who the cake was for, and when we said it was for us, he said he would not make a cake for a same-sex wedding," Mullins said.

ctm-1205-scotus-discrimination-2.jpg
CBS News' Jan Crawford speaks with Dave Mullins, Charlie Craig and his mother, Debbie Munn CBS NEWS

Mullins and Craig were getting married in Massachusetts while planning a celebration back home in Colorado.

ctm-1205-scotus-discrimination-3.jpg
Jack Phillips CBS NEWS

"We went in so happy and left broken," Munn said.

"I was embarrassed that my mom had to see me go through that. And you know, I have to be honest, I started to break down and I cried," Craig said.

"I tried to respectfully apologize that I couldn't create this thing," Phillips said.

Phillips, who grew up drawing and painting, said his cakes are personal artistic expressions.

"I serve everybody who comes into my shop…So in this case I would gladly sell you anything in my shop but this is just an event that I can't create a cake for," Phillips said.

But to Mullins and Craig, it was discrimination. They filed a complaint against Phillips and won.

"What we went through was humiliating and painful and degrading and we didn't want another loving couple to have to go through that," Mullins said.

But for Phillips the ordeal was also painful.

"Phone calls were coming, harassing, swearing at you, to where my wife was afraid to come into the shop at points. There were tears, it was like – 'What's going on? What do we do?'" Phillips said, choking up.

Phillips stopped making wedding cakes so he wouldn't be forced to violate his beliefs.

"And what if the Supreme Court rules against you?" Crawford asked him.

"If we got to close our business in order to stand for our faith then that's what we'll do," Phillips said.

Phillips' attorney argues that the court's decision could impact all sorts of creative professionals, forcing them to produce work that violates their beliefs. But Mullins and Craig argue it's a simple issue of discrimination.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



WHICH OF THE TWO WORST TINDERBOXES AROUND THE WORLD IS THE MOST DANGEROUS – THE NORTH KOREA WAR OF IMMATURE WORDS, OR THE VERY REAL RELIGIOUSLY BASED HATRED THAT THE MIDDLE EAST REPRESENTS? I THINK IT’S THE PALESTINIAN/ISRAELI ISSUES. IN ADDITION, HE SHOULD REALLY BE CAREFUL ABOUT DISSING BOTH OF THEM AT THE SAME TIME. WE'RE STRONG, BUT ARE WE THAT STRONG?

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-has-scheduled-calls-with-netanyahu-mahmoud-abbas-ahead-of-jerusalem-decision/
By REBECCA SHABAD CBS NEWS December 5, 2017, 10:50 AM
Palestinian Authority says Trump told Abbas he intends to move embassy to Jerusalem

In advance of a pending decision on whether to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, President Trump scheduled phone calls Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and King Abdullah of Jordan, according to the White House. According to the PLO, Mr. Trump told Abbas of his decision about moving the U.S. embassy in Israel.

The White House had been finalizing a plan for Mr. Trump to announce on Wednesday that the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel for the first time in history -- a move that would roil the Middle East and Arab world.

According to the Palestinian Liberation Organization, Abbas received a call from Trump Tuesday in which he informed Abbas of his intention to transfer the embassy to Jerusalem. Abbas warned Mr. Trump of the dangerous consequences that could result from the decision on the peace process, stability and security in the Middle East, Abbas presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said.

Mr. Trump made repeated promises during the 2016 campaign and throughout his administration to move the embassy to Jerusalem. The deadline to sign the waiver was Monday, but the White House has not yet said whether he signed it.

On Sunday, the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who's been tasked with reviving efforts for Israeli-Palestinian peace, said that Mr. Trump had not yet decided whether to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"The president is going to make his decision and he's still looking at a lot of different facts and when he makes his decision he'll be the one to want to tell you, not me. He'll makes sure he does that at the right time," Kushner said at the Saban Forum in Washington, D.C.

Arab and Muslim leaders, as well as experts have warned that recognizing Jerusalem could lead to violence in the Middle East and kill any possibility of peace negotiations. Last week, U.S. diplomatic posts were put on high alert as the president considered the decision.

For 70 years, the U.S. embassy has been based in Tel Aviv -- along with embassies of almost all other countries with relations to Israel -- because the U.S. has wanted Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations to determine the final status of Jerusalem. The United Nations' original partition plan from 1947 on Palestine called for Jerusalem to be an international city. The U.S. government, as a result, does not officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Efforts to move the embassy from the coast of Tel Aviv to the holy city have surfaced periodically since at least the early 1980s. President Reagan and his secretary of state, George Shultz, were against the move. Lawmakers later passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act in 1995, signed into law by President Clinton, which authorized the U.S. to move the embassy to Jerusalem by 1999 with one caveat -- the president could indefinitely delay the move by signing a waiver, citing national security concerns. In June, Mr. Trump signed the waiver for the first time in his presidency, delaying a move of the embassy to Jerusalem.

Standing beside Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Brussels Tuesday, the European Union's top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, publicly voiced opposition to Mr. Trump's expected announcement on Jerusalem.

"During our bilateral meeting we discussed mainly four issues; first of all, the Middle East peace process, the European Union support, the resumption of a meaningful peace process towards a two-state solution. We believe that any action that would undermine these efforts must absolutely be avoided. A way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states so that the aspiration of both parties can be fulfilled."

CBS News' Margaret Brennan contributed to this report.


I THINK MOORE’S PROBLEM IS THAT MOST AMERICANS THINK THAT A 14 YEAR-OLD “DATING” A 30 YEAR OLD MAN IS PEDOPHILIA AND NOT SIMPLY THAT “HE LIKES THEM YOUNG.” SOME SINS ARE MORE SHOCKING THAN OTHERS.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/doug-jones-out-fundraises-roy-moore-by-6-1-since-october/
By KATHRYN WATSON CBS NEWS December 5, 2017, 2:16 PM
Doug Jones out-fundraises Roy Moore

Democrat Doug Jones in recent weeks has far out-raised Republican Roy Moore — accused of sexual misconduct with teenage girls when he was in his 30s — in Alabama's special U.S. Senate race, according to new Federal Election Commission filings.

From Oct. 1 through Nov. 22, Jones raised $10,101,243, compared to Moore's $1,767,365, according to a report ahead of the Dec. 12 special election. The first allegations against Moore, published by The Washington Post, emerged Nov. 9, in the middle of that reporting period. Jones has more than $2.5 million on hand one week out, compared to Moore's more than $600,000, according to those same FEC filings.

Shortly after the allegations against Moore emerged, the National Republican Senatorial Committee pulled its financial support, followed by the Republican National Committee. But the RNC quietly resumed its financial support for Moore, after President Trump gave Moore a full-throated endorsement on Monday.

"Democrats refusal to give even one vote for massive Tax Cuts is why we need Republican Roy Moore to win in Alabama," Mr. Trump tweeted early Monday morning.

Jones has outspent Moore 10-1 on media, according to an independent analysis from Advertising Analytics LLC. According to that data, Jones has spent $6.7 million on media like TV and radio ads, compared to the at least $600,000 Moore and pro-Moore groups have spent on TV and radio advertising.

Moore leads Jones among likely Alabama voters, 49 percent to 43 percent, according to a CBS News poll released Sunday. According to the same poll 71 percent of Alabama Republicans say the allegations leveled against Moore are false, while only 17 percent believe they are true.

CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris contributed to this report.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


YES, HE DID, BUT IT WILL HAVE TO BE PROVEN TO DO ANY GOOD. SO, LET'S JUST LET MUELLER DO HIS JOB.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/did-trump-obstruct-justice-timing-is-everything/
CBS NEWS December 5, 2017, 7:11 AM
Did Trump obstruct justice? Timing is everything

The newest White House comments about the firing of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn are raising obstruction of justice questions. Now, President Trump's lawyer is trying to separate him from that talk, saying it's impossible for a president to obstruct justice.

Sources tell CBS News that President Trump was informed in late January by the White House counsel of inconsistencies in Flynn's statements about his Russia contacts, but they insist that at that point, it was not clear whether Flynn had lied to the FBI – a distinction that may determine whether the president himself committed a crime, reports CBS News correspondent Margaret Brennan.

Trump says he feels badly for Michael Flynn
The president may have obstructed justice if in fact he knew that Gen. Flynn had lied to the FBI at the same time he urged former director James Comey to stop investigating him.

But Mr. Trump's personal lawyer John Dowd strongly disputed that, telling CBS News the president "cannot obstruct himself" because he's the country's top law enforcement officer. Yet past U.S. presidents have faced obstruction of justice charges during impeachment proceedings.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions was an Alabama Senator in 1999 when he argued Clinton had obstructed justice during the investigation into his affair with intern Monica Lewinsky.

"This matter involving this impeachment is not about sexual conduct, it's about perjury and obstruction of justice," Sessions said at the time.

The Trump White House has spent the past several days distancing the president from a tweet sent from his account this weekend, which suggested he knew early on that Flynn had committed a crime.


Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!
12:14 PM - Dec 2, 2017
71,749 71,749 Replies 31,364 31,364 Retweets 114,448 114,448 likes
Twitter Ads info and privacy

Dowd claimed he was the wordsmith who crafted it. Yet Monday, the White House adviser Kellyanne Conway suggested it was someone else who typed it.

"I know that what Mr. Dowd says is correct. What he says is that he put it together and sent it to our director of social media," Conway said on Fox News.

Whether the crafting of that post was the result of sloppy wording -- or revealed the president's prior knowledge -- is now in question.

Sources tell CBS News that prior to Flynn's plea, the president had been informed by White House counsel that Flynn's statements were similarly misleading when he gave them to both the vice president and the FBI. It was not until the White House was presented with a transcript of Flynn's calls with the Russian ambassador that it became clear he had lied.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.