APRIL 17, 2018

I APOLOGIZE TO THOSE WHO MAY HAVE TRIED TO READ MY BLOG SINCE APRIL 11TH. A HOSTILE ENTITY CALLED "DAILYMOTION" HAS TAKEN OVER MY MICROSOFT WORD FILE OPERATIONS AND POSSIBLY KNOCKED OUT YOUTUBE AS WELL -- EVERY WORD FILE THAT I HAVE -- WHICH IS WHAT I USE FOR THIS BLOG. FINALLY, TODAY, I DID "SYSTEM RESTORE," AND IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING NOW. THOSE STORIES NOT YET PUBLISHED ARE HERE. THERE IS A TIME GAP, TOO, BECAUSE I HAVE HAD A FLU BUG, BUT I'LL MOVE ALONG NOW.



APRIL 13 THRU 16, 2018

NEWS AND VIEWS

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/american-mainstream-rejects-trumps-condemnation-mueller-probe
American mainstream rejects Trump’s condemnation of Mueller probe
04/13/18 10:40 AM
By Steve Benen

LAUGH FOR THE DAY (RACHEL MADDOW)(COMMENTER)

MSNBC


The Rachel Maddow Show / The MaddowBlog

Image: File Photo: Betsy DeVos testifies before the Senate Health, Education and Labor Committee confirmation hearing
File Photo: Betsy DeVos testifies before the Senate Health, Education and Labor Committee confirmation hearing to be next Secretary of Education on Capitol... YURI GRIPAS
DeVos embarrasses herself (and the 50 senators who voted to confirm her)
03/12/18 01:00 PM—UPDATED 03/13/18 03:19 PM
By Steve Benen

Those who keep a close eye on Capitol Hill have seen some rough confirmation hearings, but after Donald Trump tapped Betsy DeVos – by most fair measures, an opponent of public education – to lead the Department of Education, she struggled in highly memorable ways.

One senator, for example, asked about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and DeVos seemed to have no idea it was current law. Another asked for her opinions on the difference between evaluating education proficiency and growth, one of the more common areas of debate in the field. DeVos made it clear she was clueless. Another senator asked about guns in schools, and the nominee raised the prospect of grizzly bears going after children in Wyoming.

The Washington Post put together a video at the time of “head-scratching moments” from DeVos’ hearing, and it wasn’t a short clip.

Soon after, two Senate Republicans said they simply couldn’t confirm DeVos to a post she was obviously unqualified to hold, but Vice President Mike Pence intervened to break a 50-50 tie and DeVos was confirmed.

We learned last night that the Education secretary has not spent the last year doing her homework. BuzzFeed explained:

Betsy DeVos, President Trump’s polarizing education secretary, gave a cringe-worthy interview Sunday on 60 Minutes, in which she fumbled through questions about school safety, sexual assault on campus, inequality, and school choice, the agenda she has fastened her reputation and expertise upon. […]

The education secretary stumbled through basically the entire thing and people watching were shocked and more than slightly concerned.

CBS published the clip and the transcript of the interview, which is worth checking out if you missed the segment, but if I were to try to summarize the problem in one sentence, I’d say DeVos struggled because she had no idea what she was talking about.

After making the case that public schools improve once systems are partially privatized through vouchers – a highly dubious claim, to be sure – CBS’s Lesley Stahl asked if Michigan’s public schools in DeVos’ home state of Michigan got better. “I don’t know,” the cabinet secretary said.

Asked if she’s visited really bad schools to see first-hand what’s going wrong, DeVos replied, “I have not, I have not, I have not intentionally visited schools that are underperforming.”

Asked if she believes the number of false accusations of sexual assault are as high as the number of actual rapes, DeVos said, “I don’t know. I don’t know. But I’m committed to a process that’s fair for everyone involved.”

When Stahl brought up disproportion in discipline for the same infraction as likely evidence of institutional racism, DeVos said, “We’re studying it carefully.”

At one point, the CBS reporter was forced to defend public education from the cabinet secretary who’s supposed to support public education.

DEVOS: We have invested billions and billions and billions of dollars from the federal level And we have seen zero results.

STAHL: But that really isn’t true. Test scores have gone up over the last 25 years. So why do you keep saying nothing’s been accomplished?

DEVOS: Well actually, test scores vis-à-vis the rest of the world have not gone up. And we have continued to be middle of the pack at best. That’s just not acceptable.

STAHL: No it’s not acceptable. But it’s better than it was. That’s the point. You don’t acknowledge that things have gotten better.

There’s a reason Betsy DeVos doesn’t sit down for a lot of interviews.

My question, however, is for the 51 Republicans who elevated her to her current post: any regrets?

Explore:
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Greeley Miklashek
MAR 12, 2018

Let's be honest here. If it weren't for crony Capitalism, Trump wouldn't have a cabinet. If it weren't for nepotism, he wouldn't have any advisers. If it weren't for grifters, he wouldn't have any business partners. If it weren't for prostitutes, he wouldn't have any sex. If it...

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AlexineIL
MAR 12, 2018

So De Voss embarrassed herself during an interview? Seriously? This is a surprise? She comes from a wealthy family, has never had to know anything, doesn't know anything and doesn't intend on learning anything. Your job De Voss, as education cabinet officer, is to improve the poorly...

user
MsNyx
MAR 12, 2018

OMG! I watched her last night and she is f*ing clueless about anything but her "spiel." [Language!!]
"Maybe I should visit schools that aren't doing well?"

Just another inept idiot in Trump's swamp of an administration!

Education Policy
DeVos embarrasses herself (and the 50 senators who voted to confirm her)
03/12/18 01:00 PM—UPDATED 03/13/18 03:19 PM
Add your comment

comment author avatar ClemensghostMAR 12, 2018
Bunkum and hoakum. You don't know what a Union is: you're too precious to need one. The term "these inner cities" is meaningless. You don't know what the NEA is concerned with. You don't have any kids and have no skin in the game. You don't know what "left" means. Liberals and school... >

comment author avatar Sal SantamauraMAR 12, 2018
Let's not do what inner cities have been doing for decades and, changing that approach, expect a much better result. In other words, let's stop starving public education of necessary resources, and actually provide what it needs to effectively educate. >
comment author avatar BeregondMAR 12, 2018
Isn't that how Republicans approach the War on Drugs(tm)? They keep following the same policies that have been failing for four decades? In fact, the War on Drugs(tm) has been a major contributor to the problems of urban areas -- though mass incarcerations of dark-skinned people, making... >

comment author avatar Barry BMAR 12, 2018
I have a great idea. Lets continue to do what big cities (Detroit, Baltimore, etc.) have been doing for decades and hope for a better result. The current inner city liberal controlled way of educating our children has failed. The only thing they are producing are uneducated, uninformed,... >

comment author avatar Barry BMAR 13, 2018
I am. Looking forward to another six year term. >
see allDulce First Read
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comment author avatar MsNyxMAR 12, 2018
OMG! I watched her last night and she is f*ing clueless about anything but her "spiel." "Maybe I should visit schools that aren't doing well?" Just another inept idiot in Trump's swamp of an administration! >
see allProgressive State of Mind

comment author avatar Franklin EliasMAR 13, 2018
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Furious about her treatment on the CBS news-magazine program on Sunday night, Betsy DeVos spoke to reporters on Monday, and called "60 Minutes" a "total waste of a half hour." "I had never watched '60 Minutes' before, but I can tell you this, I will never watch... >

comment author avatar scottsdalebubbe2MAR 12, 2018
Betsy-poo sounds so empty-minded that it occurs to me that perhaps she is just the front and the rest of her family - her nefarious brother and her husband's pyramid scheming relatives -- are pulling her strings. "Now, Betsy, here is what you say to any question you are asked ..." It sounded... >

comment author avatar Yes Siree BobbyMAR 12, 2018
Cruella DeVille 's mission is to destroy public education. She wants to use taxpayer money intended for education of all of our kids and hijack it into non-regulated schools for profit. The privatization of all of our public assets to line the pockets of the oligarchs.

{Much like the GOP tax... >
see allThe People's Nation

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comment author avatar Franklin EliasMAR 13, 2018
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Furious about her treatment on the CBS news-magazine program on Sunday night, Betsy DeVos spoke to reporters on Monday, and called "60 Minutes" a "total waste of a half hour." "I had never watched '60 Minutes' before, but I can tell you this, I will never watch... >
see allTotally Freaking Amazed

comment author avatar Franklin EliasMAR 13, 2018
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Furious about her treatment on the CBS news-magazine program on Sunday night, Betsy DeVos spoke to reporters on Monday, and called "60 Minutes" a "total waste of a half hour." "I had never watched '60 Minutes' before, but I can tell you this, I will never watch... >
see allMaster of Disaster
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MAR 13, 2018
DeVos is scary! To look at and otherwise! >

Let's be honest here. If it weren't for crony Capitalism, Trump wouldn't have a cabinet. If it weren't for nepotism, he wouldn't have any advisers. If it weren't for grifters, he wouldn't have any business partners. If it weren't for prostitutes, he wouldn't have any sex. If it weren't for ignorant followers and free tickets, he wouldn't have an audience for his theatrical productions. I have never felt more American, or read the Constitution more often, and I have the Great Showman and Grifter-in-Chief to thank for it!

A year ago this week, the Republican National Committee issued a press release that, at the time, seemed entirely forgettable. It read in part:

Today Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and RNC Finance Chairman Steve Wynn announced additional members of the RNC’s Finance leadership team:

“I am delighted to announce the addition of these longtime friends of the Party and supporters of this administration to our Finance leadership team,” said Chairwoman McDaniel. “Elliott Broidy, Michael Cohen, and Louis DeJoy will serve as National Deputy Finance Chairmen….”

In hindsight, however, that’s quite a collection of individuals.

Steve Wynn, for example, was forced to resign from his RNC post earlier this year following sexual misconduct allegations. (The RNC refused to return his money.)

Elliott Broidy, meanwhile, has become quite a controversial figure in his own right. As Rachel noted on the show two weeks ago, Broidy is at the center of multiple, ongoing controversies, including allegations that he pitched himself, shortly before Trump’s inauguration last year, as someone who could help Russian companies get off the U.S. sanctions list for a fee.

And then there’s Michael Cohen, whose office and hotel room were raided by the FBI yesterday, and who’s at the center of multiple Trump-related scandals. By some accounts, Cohen is under investigation for, among other things, possible bank fraud.

Taken together, the RNC’s finance chair, and two of its three deputy finance chairs, have been embroiled in some rather serious controversies. One has resigned in disgrace, and another appears to be facing a criminal investigation.

Don’t be surprised if the RNC’s opponents start asking the party to start returning some of the money it received from its scandal-plagued finance team.



THANK YOU, STARBUCKS. CLEARLY, SOMEBODY UP THERE IN YOUR TOP MANAGEMENT LEVELS IS HONEST, INTELLIGENT, DECENT, CARING, AND A GOOD CITIZEN. GOD BLESS AMERICA!!

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/04/17/starbucks-closing-u-s-stores-may-29-racial-bias-training/524908002/?csp=chromepush
Starbucks closing U.S. stores on May 29 for racial-bias training
Zlati Meyer, USA TODAY Published 2:30 p.m. ET April 17, 2018

Protesters gather outside a Starbucks in Philadelphia, Sunday, April 15, 2018, where two black men were arrested Thursday after Starbucks employees called police to say the men were trespassing. The arrest prompted accusations of racism on social media. Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson posted a lengthy statement Saturday night, calling the situation "disheartening" and that it led to a "reprehensible" outcome. (AP Photo/Ron Todt) ORG XMIT: PART701
(Photo: Ron Todt, AP)

Starbucks will close all its company-owned stores in the U.S. during the afternoon of May 29 in order to give racial-bias training to employees, an outgrowth of the incident involving two African-American men at one of its coffee shops in Philadelphia last week.

The anti-discrimination instruction is "designed to address implicit bias, promote conscious inclusion, prevent discrimination and ensure everyone inside a Starbucks store feels safe and welcome," according to the company announcement made on Tuesday.

The Seattle-based chain has come under fire after staff at one of its Philadelphia locations called the police on two African-American men when they didn't buy anything and asked to use the restrooms. The men were told restrooms were only for paying customers only and they explained they were waiting for a friend, who later arrived. Police arrested them, though Starbucks didn't press charges.

The CEO apologized for Thursday's incident and on Monday, the coffee giant confirmed that the Philadelphia employee who called the police is no longer with the company.


There are more than 8,000 company-owned Starbucks restaurants in the country, employing close to 175,000 people, the company said.

"While this is not limited to Starbucks, we’re committed to being a part of the solution," CEO Kevin Johnson said in a statement. "Closing our stores for racial bias training is just one step in a journey that requires dedication from every level of our company and partnerships in our local communities."

The curriculum will be developed with help from national and local experts, including former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder; Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund; Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative; Heather McGhee, president of the public-policy public policy organization Demos; and Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League.

More: Black man videotapes Starbucks' refusal to let him use restroom

More: Applebee's apologizes for racial profiling at restaurant, fires 3 employees

More: Russian soccer faces racism scandal over monkey chants toward French players

According to Starbucks, the panel will also help review "the effectiveness of the measures" the company undertakes.

"Earlier this week, Starbucks began a review of its training and practices to make important reforms where necessary to ensure our stores always represent our mission and values by providing a safe and inclusive environment for our customers and partners," the company said.

According to Starbucks, the racial-bias training materials will be made available to other companies to use.

The chain has more 25,000 stores around the world.


Starbucks customers around the country are boycotting the coffee chain after two black men were arrested in a Philadelphia store after an employee called police on them. USA TODAY