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Ebony Trumble

Sen. Mitch McConnell Exhibited a Freezing Spell for the Second Time

by Ebony Trumble

RepublicansSenate Republican Minority leader Mitch McConnell recently froze again for about 30 seconds while speaking at a press conference in Kentucky last Wednesday. The 81-year old Republican Senator exhibited the same freezing interlude in Washington that occurred nearly a month ago. It turned out that in March of this year, McConnell fell and hit his head during a hotel dinner event.

The Kentucky senator broke a rib and suffered a concussion and broke a rib after falling and hitting He was confined in a hospital for five nights and underwent physical therapy after his release from the hospital.

What Medical Experts are Saying about McConnell’s Freeze Episodes

Capitol-congressDr. Brian Monahan, the Congressional physician who evaluated Senator McConnell’s health condition, said he has consulted with the senator’s neurology team before giving the senator clearance to continue and carry on senate schedule. Dr. Monahan gave a brief statement on explaining that the senator’s freeze spells are likely connected to the injuries he suffered last March.

Other medical experts gave their opinion about freezing spells as one that could be connected to either Parkinson’s disease or a traumatic brain injury, such as the concussion suffered in March by the 81-year old senator.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s medical reporter who is a neurosurgeon by profession, also said that the freeze spells could be connected to the Senator’s falls. Dr. Gupta added that while there is a long list of possibilities, the freezing episodes are quite concerning. The Kentucky senator froze in the middle of a speech while his body was immobile but grasping tightly at the sides of the lectern.

3 GOP Senators Voted in Favor of Judge Jackson’s Installation as Justice of Supreme Court

by Ebony Trumble

GOP Senators Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine) and Mitt Romney (Utah) joined all 50 Democratic senators in confirming Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. The 53-47 tally gave the voting outcome a semblance of bipartisanship to what has been a traditionally polarized process in the past decades,

The confirmation of Judge Jackson is historical as it will see the transformation of the Supreme Court for having the first Black woman to bring diversity and new life experience in serving the highest court of the land.

The senate chamber erupted in cheers and applause after Vice President Kamala Harris announced the vote. Senators, their staff and visitors in support of Judge Jackson gave a lengthy standing ovation after surviving the concerted efforts of majority of the Republican senators to derail her nomination.

During the confirmation hearing, Republican senators attempted to depict Judge Jackson as a liberal extremist who sided and cosseted criminals. Nevertheless, the senators who backed Judge Jackson regard the historical confirmation an uplifting occasion for a group of people who has often been ignored or pushed into the background.

As of the moment, Judge Jackson’s status is “judge-in-waiting,” as she will officially assume position as one of the 9 Supreme Court justices, after Judge Stephen G. Breyer retires at the end of the summer court session.

Republicans View Judge Jackson’s Confirmation as Court Packing

Even if the three GOP senators did not vote in favor of Judge Jackson’s confirmation, the votes of all 50 Democratic Senators plus the tie-breaking vote of VP Kamala Harris would have sufficed to ensure the confirmation of Judge Jackson.

The Republicans have been accusing the Biden administration of court packing; but as it is, Congress has to put in place a new Judge as replacement for Judge Breyer who announced his retirement early this year. Breyer’s retirement presented an opportunity for Pres. Biden to make an unprecedented move of nominating a Black woman to fill in the position that Judge Breyer will leave open after the summer session.

As the applause and cheers echoed in the chamber, Republican Minority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) slowly walked out, followed by other Republicans remaining on the floor. According to Senator McConnell President Biden has allowed radicals run the show, after making a nomination that the Kentucky senator describes as putting in place an extremist who will control the Democratic Party.

Political Websites : What New Republican Candidates Should Understand About Promoting in the Digital Realm

by Ebony Trumble

Republicans are not leaving stones unturned in their bid to reclaim the House leadership they lost in 2018, with less than a year to go until the 2022 midterms, During the first 10 months of the Biden administration, an increasing number of potential GOP political figures have been showing intent to claim House seats currently occupied by Democrats. Although GOP’s super PAC donors are vowing to give their support in every red district, political candidate should not overlook the fact that there’s a new breed of voters today. Many will first find out about the policies every candidate supports before deciding on who to vote for as representative of their district.

Each new political candidate of course puts up a website in which to put information that their voters need and want to know. Yet having a political website is not enough when promoting one’s self as the best candidate for a government position. Just like any space in the digital realm, political websites must use tools and the best digital marketing strategies; not only to reach their voters but to get closer to them as well,

Digital Marketing for Political Websites

Developing a digital marketing strategy for political purposes is similar to developing a marketing strategy for a brand or business.

Still, new Republican candidates should consider the fact that after the Capitol Riot last January 06, 2021, tens of thousands of voters dropped their Republican affiliation. Now here’s the thing, once the results of the Democratic House Committee hearing on the January 06 event come out, the findings could further influence more GOP voters to support candidates whose political behaviors are not questionable. It is important therefore for new Republican candidates to let voters in their district know what makes them different.

Just like developing digital marketing tactics for a brand or business, more emphasis should be made on what the product or business can do to solve a common problem to consumers, or to at least improve their way of living. As a potential lawmaker, knowing the needs or problems of the majority will provide the bases on what policies a candidate will propose or support to better the life of the constituents who will vote for them.

Yet as it is, some incumbent Republican House Representatives are blatantly vocal about giving priority to the interest of their political donors, which contradicts the populist approach.
Still, regardless of the strategies used to promote a political candidate, political websites and blogs must apply search engine optimization techniques to make their content visible to the voters in their district. The content of a political website, even if relevant to the search term, will not appear at the top pages of the search engine results if location-based targeting was not used to optimize the page for organic search.

What is a Location-Based SEO Strategy?

Also known as geo-location targeting, it is an SEO marketing approach used to increase the visibility of a website content to Internet users of a specific location. That way, organic searches for information specific to a geographic location will appear as the most relevant response to a search query.

Supposing, voters in an Arizona district want to find out the climate change actions being taken by officials in their district, an Arizona political candidate whose content made reference to climate change actions in Arizona, has increased chances of reaching these voters if the content was geo-location optimized.

SEO professionals who knows the political climate are in the best position to know the inclinations of voters in the region, and are therefore more competent to handle the digital marketing and promotional strategies of a political website.

Two Republicans Join Democrats in Censuring Rep. Gosar over Violent Anime Video Tweet

by Ebony Trumble

While majority of the House of Representatives in Congress voted for the censure of Rep. Paul Gosar, only two Republicans voted in favor of the measure. Consistent with their stance during the later part of the Trump administration, House of Representatives Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney did not join their fellow Republicans in opposing the measure that stripped Rep. Gosar of his committee memberships.

What Instigated the Resolution to Censure Rep. Gosar

Voting on the resolution came as a result of Gosar’s posting of an edited Attack on Titans anime video on Twitter. The animation depicted Gosar as the hero in the act of killing a monster, bearing the face of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger been opposing some of the Republican Party’s agenda, including the GOP’s opposition to the impeachment of ex-president Trump, to blocking Democratic President Biden’s infrastructure bill.

The two severely criticized Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who supports Donald Trump’s claim of being cheated in the November 2020 presidential election. The GOP House leader has in fact berated the censure as the Democratic Party’s abuse of power.

 

 

Representative Cheney specifically stated that the Republican Party needs to have a leader who does not engage in playing political games; but instead stand up for the truth and for what is right.
Another GOP representative David Joyce, opted to stay neutral by merely voting present, instead of casting either an ayer or nay vote.

Trump’s Deal Gave Talibans Absolute Legitimacy to Control Afghanistan

by Ebony Trumble

Pres. Biden responded to criticisms regarding his decision to order the withdrawal of US troops in Afghanistan by mentioning it was initiated by ex-POTUS Trump; after the latter made a deal with Taliban leaders sometime in the early months if year 2020, Apparently, the agreement gave the Taliban significant legitimacy in claiming absolute control over Afghanistan. .

Details of the deal are contained in a peace agreement document signed by authorized leaders of the Taliban group and U.S. officials. Called the “Agreement to Bringing Peace to Afghanistan” the signing event is evidenced by a photo taken Feb. 29, 2020. The photograph shows Talbian’s top political leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad shaking hands after signing the agreement in Doha, Qatar.

The deal Trump made February last year led to the chaos that led to the death of 12 U.S. soldiers in Kabul when Talibans took control of the city. Trump’s State Secretary Mike Pompeo asserted that the Trump administration believed the agreement was the best opportunity for peace in the war-torn country.

However, the deal made the Afghanistan situation difficult for Biden to renegotiate based on his own terms,. Although Biden also wanted to withdraw the U.S. troops from Afghanistan, he was forced to choose between bringing thousands of soldiers home or back out from an agreement that was nearing a deadline stipulated as condition to the peace treaty.

Biden reiterated last Monday in a televised address from the White House that he will not be sending more American troops to Afghanistan while the U.S. military withdrawal was already predetermined by Trump. President Biden mentioned that while he has the choice, to either follow through the deal or to back out, it also meant preparing to fight the Talibans by sending more troops. .

 

Unfortunately, the Taliban takeover transpired at a much faster pace than was expected by officials from both the former and current administration. This raised questions. particularly on whether the conditions, terms and decisions related to the deal sought to protect Afghanistans once the U.S troops went home.

What Did the Trump Administration Agreed to as Peace Keeping Deal?

The “Agreement to Bringing Peace to Afghanistan” ordered to reduce the military forces of 13,000 to 8,600 in the span of three to four months, while the rest should leave by May 1. 2021. President Biden mentioned in an ABC interview that right after assuming office as POTUS, he was already facing a deadline for withdrawing the U.S. troops. Still, Pres. Biden admitted that even without Trump’s deal, he would have looked for a way to withdraw U.S, troops out of the country,

 

Furthermore, the agreement set down some commitments that many believe the Taliban cannot be expected to follow; such as stopping terrorism like preventing other countries from using Afghan land in attacking other territories or allies, and to renounce al-Qaida. Even though the agreement restrained the group from launching attacks on U.S and coalition forces, the agreement did not specifically obligate the Talibans to stop attacking the Afghan military bases or to expel members of the al-Qaeda group out of Afghan territory. .

GOP and Its Filibuster Strategy Vote Down Jan. 06 Capitol Siege Commission

by Ebony Trumble

GOP senators voted down a proposal of forming an independent commission that will look deeply into the circumstances related to the Jan. 06 Capitol siege. Only six Republican senators sided with the Democrats, which brought the final tally to 54-35, still needing 6 votes more in order to proceed with the independent investigation.

GOP’s Reason for Blocking the Proposed Commission

Prior to casting the final votes, the Republican Party led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, had already expressed skepticism over the Democrat’s desire to investigate the siege. The proposal was earlier brushed off by McConnell who called it a purely political exercise on the part of the Democrats.

McConnell contended that it’s enough that a couple of Senate committees are already examining the incident; doubting that an independent commission would be able to bring more light on the matter. The Kentucky Republican said that it is unlikely that the commission Democrats are pushing for, would even unearth significant facts or promote healing.

Senate Majority Leader Says Most GOP Senators Still Fear Trump

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., described the Republican minority’s refusal to let American citizens know the complete truth about the January 6 riot, is all about their loyalty or fear of Trump. Schumer added that the Republican Party should be ashamed for wanting to hide the atrocities just because they fear the former president and his supporters..

Questionable Uses of Trump’s Reelection Campaign Funds

by Ebony Trumble

Running for a government position is not the best way to use one’s money, but since political campaigns can raise funds, it helps see a politician through. In Donald Trump’s case, politics became a good source of money since he was able to convince millions that his business acumen is the key to making America great again. That being the case, Trump was able to raise hundreds of millions for his reelection political campaigns.

Right on the day of his inaugurations as the 45th president of the U.S., Trump filed the necessary paperwork needed in connection with his plan of running for reelection in year 2020. Why? Doing so gave him reason to continue soliciting donations to fund his future reelection campaign; to which his supporters gladly contributed regardless of the outcome of his performance during his 4-year term as U.S. president.

Yet during the November 2020 elections, an analysis of his campaign spending revealed that Trump never contributed money to the Republican Party to which he is affiliated. According to reports that analyzed how Trump’s reelection campaign money were disbursed while still serving office.

The 45th U.S. president was able to amass as much as $785 million for his reelection campaign, of which a total of $2.7 million went out as payment to numerous Trump-owned businesses. Payments were made, starting from the very first day he took office, up to the 2020 Election Day.

An Analysis of Federal Election Commission Filings Provided Details of the Money Trail

 

A non-profit democracy group called Campaign Legal Center conducted a study of how money flowed out of the Trump reelection campaign fund toward 100% Trump-owned companies. The 81-page report was filed with the Federal Election Commission as basis for complaints of illegal use of campaign funds.

The Trump Tower -A total of $1.6 million flowed here, after Trump Tower was named as the campaign’s headquarters during the 2016 election. This despite the fact that Trump’s campaign team opened and used a different headquarter in D.C. during the period of campaign.

Trump Corp. -Supposedly a management company owned by Trump, it received a total of $293,000 as payments for legal consulting for an unspecified reason, using the reelection campaign money,.

Trump Plaza LLC – This Trump-owned company collected as much as $84,000 as rent paid for by Trump’s reelection campaign fund. Based on the federal filings, there was no clear details on why the reelection campaign needed to rent any of the spaces inside the Trump Plaza. Residents and business owners at Trump Plaza reported that there were no signs of any campaign activities, while no storefronts nor brownstone houses were used as a campaign office.

Trump Restaurants and Hotels Other companies completely owned by the former president also charged rent amounting to $503,000 using reelection campaign funds.

Now that the November 2020 election is over, questions regarding the above payments to Trump-owned businesses remain unanswered. Representatives of the Trump Organization have not provided a statement in response to the complaint filed by the democratic nonprofit organization. .

Senate Leader Mitch McConnell Accepts Biden’s Electoral Win

by Ebony Trumble

Finally, exactly 38 days after Biden delivered his victory speech, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as winners. McConnell’s acknowledgment of Joe Biden as President-elect came after the Electoral College officially read the state-certified winners in their respective state, which officially sealed President-elect Biden’s designation as the new U.S. President come January 20, 2021.

According to The New York Times, the President-elect responded to Senator McConnell’s public acknowledgment through a phone call. Reports have it that Biden also extended a conciliatory message by saying that even though he and the Republican Senator do not agree on certain matters, there are a lot of things they can work on together.

Several Republican Senators Think Trump Can Still Overturn Election Results

 

The Electoral College finalized the total votes of all the 50 states in the country, which in a lot of ways are similar to counts projected last month by news media outlets. In the meantime, Trump continues to insist that he won the election and will overturn the election results through their lawsuits. Actually, Trump and his lawyers have already made two appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court and both have been denied due to lack of evidence.

The Republican lawmakers who support Trump’s baseless arguments of questioning the legality of the presidential election, preferred to remain tight-lipped even as Senator McConnel already made the acknowledgment. Playing safe as always and careful not to earn Trump’s ire, the silent Republicans asserted that Trump is only exerting his legal right to file lawsuits and ask for a recount.

Even Republican South Dakota Senator John Thune vaguely accepted Biden’s win while answering reporters last Monday. Thune stated that after Biden crosses the 270 vote count, there are still steps to be taken before Biden officially assumes office as POTUS.

Will There be Peace and Harmony After the November Election?

by Ebony Trumble

As the November election nears, Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans are not expecting calming results even if Joe Biden gets majority of the electoral votes.

As it is Donald Trump continues to hold indoor political rallies to prove that America is doing well as far as the coronavirus crisis is concerned. At the same time, he is calling his supporters “warriors” and giving them reason to doubt election results that will not declare him as the winner.

Moreover, Trump is not making any commitment to step down if he loses to Joe Biden, as his response to such question is a non-committal “We will see.” A response that can be taken to mean that it all depends on how his warrior-supporters will react and respond. After all, in all his political rallies, he has constantly fed them with lies to precondition his supporters into believing that the Democrats are cheating; and that the result of voting by mail can be manipulated.

What if Trump Gets Re-elected?

Yet it’s not just a question of whether Trump will relinquish his presidential position without resistance, because the scenario will be different if Trump wins. Apparently, the Democrats and all those who have been marching out in protests will not readily accept a Trump re-election.

Majority of the American people particularly the underprivileged colored members of the society are looking forward to a Joe Biden win, which at the least, gives them a glimmer hope that changes for the better will soon come.

We have seen white Americans coming from all status of life, walking, standing and singing as one with their colored brothers and sisters at rallies. Another four-years of Trump’s lies, racism, ineptitude, corruption and alienation of the U.S. from allied countries, is a scenario that could be difficult to accept in stride.

 

What lies ahead is not hard to imagine as we’ve had several months of previews of how vindictive Trump is against those who oppose or challenge him. Trump and his Republican lawmakers will simply use their supporters as pawns by letting them do the dirty work.

Democratic leaders on the other hand, will be emboldened because they have the backing of grassroots followers who have lost their jobs, their homes, their health care benefits and most of all, their right to live in peace and security borne by fair and equal policies.

Animal Activists Seeking to Abolish Horse Racing

by Ebony Trumble

Animal welfare activists in America are now focused on the country’s horse racing meets, as they are seeking political support to have the sport abolished. The movement began in California last year when a significant number of horse deaths transpired at the Santa Anita Park.

 

Horse Racing and Horse Deaths as a Result of Racing Injury

Horseracing Wrong a New-York based animal rights group has started calling for a nationwide ban on horse racing sport. The calls began when they started looking into the 2018-2019 6-months winter meet in Santa Anita Park, which resulted in the deaths of 30 horses. The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) said it already had the Santa Anita race track in its radars, because at an average, 50 horse deaths per year has been occurring at the track since 2008 to 2018.

Immediately when “American Currency” the 30th race horse was euthanized after suffering a leg injury in Santa Anita’s race track, the CHRB called for an inspection of the race course. Events during the first 3 weeks of March had to be suspended in order to make way for renovations. In addition, several safety protocols were introduced at the park in order to address the increasing number of equine fatalities.

In reacting to the series of horse deaths at the Santa Anita Park, California Governor Gavin Newsom directed the Santa Anita owners and the CHRB to create a 5-member “safety review team.” The team comprises veterinarians and stewards tasked to evaluate all horses participating in Santa Anita’s races. The review team has been conferred with the authority to exclude or scratch a horse from a race event, in case concerns arise over the animal’s conditions and fitness to participate.

Yet Horseracing Wrong said that they have their sight set on the abolition of the sport, and not only in the races being held by the Santa Anita Park. Animal activist April Montgomery said they intend to end horse racing, starting with California. The plan is to bring the issue to the ballot box, which suggests convincing Californians to give their votes to public officials and lawmakers who will legislate laws that will abolish horse racing sport.

It Might Take Long for the Advocacy to Gain Traction

Many opine that the abolition of horse racing in California or throughout the country has far reaching effects, which will make it difficult for the movement to garner support and gain traction. Shutting down the industry will leave many race track workers without jobs, while state governments will have to deal with diminished sources of tax revenues. More so now that state governments are reeling from the devastating economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The publisher of the article BloodHorse – From Print to Digital Masterpiece – Past The Wire, which also sponsored this guest post, had recently reported that Santa Anita Park has already been cleared by the LA Dept. of Public Health, as testing of workers and jockeys have yielded negative results.

Since May 15, horse racing events have already resumed after the LA County Dept. of Public Health shut race tracks down last March 27, 2020. However, the resumed race events took place without spectators. That alone already reduced the pool of prizes at stake, which also meant the government will get to collect reduced taxes.

Former Candidates Unite to Support Biden

by Ebony Trumble

Former Democratic presidential candidates in the likes of Mayor Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Beto O’Rourke, now support Joe Biden.

Bloomberg, Buttigieg and Klobuchar announced their Biden-endorsement after withdrawing their bid for presidential nomination a day or two before this week’s Super Tuesdays. O’Rourke, who withdrew his candidacy early in the race, appeared at Biden’s rally in Dallas, Texas.

The unanimous endorsements in favor of Biden, were reportedly part of the Democratic Party’s concerted efforts to consolidate votes that will nominate a moderate presidential candidate who they deem has better chances of beating Donald Trump

The endorsements of the four dropouts have given Joe Biden’s bid a boost, enabling the former vice president to capture the nominations 9 states.Biden even won in Massachusetts, Senator Warren’s own home state and in states that he did not spend time campaigning..So far, Joe Biden has won 573 delegates.

In fact many perceive that Senator Sanders’ biggest opposition is the Democratic Party itself. More so now that the former independent has demonstrated great chances of winning not only the nomination but also the U.S. presidency without the machineries of the Democratic Party.

Democratic Party Never Gave Its Support to a Bernie Sanders Candidacy

Actually, even at the start of Bernie’s campaign, there were already reports that the Democratic Party does not support Senator Sanders’ candidacy. Mainly because of his so-called radical views and stance, which the Democratic Party says will not sit well with moderate or progressives Democratic voters.

Nonetheless, despite the endorsements of the four former Democratic contenders, Sanders still won the nominations in Vermont (as expected), Colorado and Utah. The most recent, according to the Associated Press, is in the state of California, touted as the most delegate-rich region. Senator Sanders’ delegate count to date is 501,

Will Senator Sanders Ask Senator Elizabeth Warren to Drop Out and Endorse Him?

The contest for the presidential election is now, clearly between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders’ since Elizabeth Warren’s bid dimmed with the most recent Super Tuesday results. Senator Sanders, though, has no plan to ask Senator Warren to drop her candidacy; saying she must have time to make her own decisions.

Although the two were known to be friends, their relationship was marred by the hatefulness spread against Warren, by some of Sanders’ supporters. To which the senator from Vermont said, was disgusting.

Still, the two Senators share the same visions and more or less, the same policies; both relying on grassroots support and both fighting for the rights and welfare of the low-income and middle class people.

As for Mayor Bloomberg’s endorsement, the potential impact is not as heavy-hitting as that of Buttigieg’s and Klobuchar’s. After all, with the former New York mayor’s late start, and his not so impressive debate performances, the billionaire failed to attract, if not capture votes he needed to topple Sanders or Biden out of the Democratic nomination race.

“Read The Transcripts” – Graham Does Otherwise, Not Read the Transcripts of Testimonies Given by Impeachment Inquiry Witnesses

by Ebony Trumble

The House impeachment proceedings led by Representative Adam Schiff has advanced to the stage of releasing transcripts of testimonies provided by witnesses via closed-door hearings; setting the stage for a public hearing in which Republicans will have a chance to question witnesses.

Trump’s “Read the Transcript” call could backfire against him, since his message may very well apply to the witness transcripts freshly released by the Schiff-led House Intelligence Committee.

Now Senator Lindsey Graham is trying to correct the potential damage that the “Read the Transcript” slogan could create on their attempt to defend Donald Trump. Senator Graham is now insisting that the transcripts are products of an illegal impeachment proceeding, and therefore not worth reading.

To substantiate his refusal to read the witness transcripts, Graham introduced a resolution stating that the ongoing impeachment proceeding is a witch hunt being carried out by Democrats to remove Trump from the Oval Office.

GOP Senators’ Backing of Lindsey Graham’s Resolution May Have Given Trump the Jitters

Graham’s resolution could have put Trump’s mind at rest, if all 53 Republican Senators signed the resolution, in the same way all Republican Representatives voted against the House’s impeachment resolution. However, it was not the case, since only 44 affixed their signature to Graham’s resolution.

The outcome means nine (9) Republican Senators are starting to “Read the Transcripts” of the impeachment witnesses rather than make final judgments based mainly on blind obedience to Donald Trump.

What Constitutional Scholars are Saying about Graham’s Resolution

As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asserts, the impeachment proceeding was launched to defend the United States Constitution, which Donald Trump undermines by trying to legalize his abuse of presidential powers.

It is of interest therefore, to know what Constitutional Scholars are saying about Senator Graham’s resolution, to understand why nine GOP Senators refused to support it.

Laurence Tribe, a Professor of Constitutional Law and the Carl M. Loeb Professor of Harvard University told Newsweek that he has carefully examined the resolution to assess if any of Graham’s process complaints made historical, legal or moral sense. Yet he could not find anything in it that indicates defense of what the incumbent U.S. President has done; therefore, not worth being taken seriously

“Senator Graham’s resolution has absolutely no substance”

Harold Hongju Koh, Yale University’s Sterling Professor of International Law also told Newsweek that the due process protection being demanded by Graham, is attached only to the imminent Senate impeachment trial. Professor Koh continued by saying that since everyone knows that president Trump and his GOP loyalists will have ample opportunity to rebut the information gathered during the closed door hearings, he called Graham’s resolution

“A legally ignorant red herring.”

Frank Bowman, University of Missouri’s Floyd R. Gibson Endowed Professor of Law refuted in the Newsweek interview, Graham’s claim that the impeachment inquiry is not valid because the hearings are being carried out in secret. In truth, 40 Republican House members were in attendance during the hearings, all entitled to ask questions, all given equal time and allowed to bring along their staff members to assist them in asking questions.

“What Trump and the concurring Republican Senators are asking for, are procedural rights that are beyond those given to a defendant facing lengthy incarceration

Democrats thru AOC, Announce the Launch of Impeachment Proceedings as a “Call of Duty

by Ebony Trumble

After returning from the August recess, House Democrats through New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) immediately announced that impeachment proceedings will start rolling not as a political move but as a “Call of Duty”.

About 134 Democrats, more than half of the caucus will be throwing votes favoring the start of the impeachment process, with House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler and other Democratic leaders, throwing in their support for the move.

 

There are those who are still not in favor of doing so; arguing that even if the lower house succeeds in passing a resolution that seeks to impeach and remove Donald Trump from office, the Republican majority at the Senate will only vote it down.

The feisty New York Representative was unperturbed, as she dared Republican Senators to block the move once the ball is at their end. That way, they will go on record and down in history with the stain of having a hand in protecting a corrupt and lawless presidency.

Apparently, Republican congressmen and senators are now in that precarious position of getting their political careers tarnished under Trump’s leadership, whichever way they vote. It is not just about Trump’s less than 40% approval rating during the past months that can hurt their political future. .

Impeachment Actions Will be for a Multitude of Malfeasance; Not Purely Based on the Mueller Report

Decisions to proceed with impeachment measures are no longer centered on the multiple obstruction cases cited by special counsel Mueller in his report. As more evidence of Trump’s past and present transgressions pile up, it has become necessary for the House of Representative to carry out their duty to file impeachment charges.

After all, the House of Representatives has a constitutional mandate to stop endless cases of high crimes and misdemeanors that include abuse of authority</strong<, bribery, dereliction of duty, intimidation, failure to supervise, perjury of oath, misuse of assets, tax evasion and unbecoming conduct.

Tax evasion schemes, insurance fraud, money laundering, and Trump’s use of his presidency to boost his businesses, are only some of the issues that Republican Senators will have to support and defend once they go on the floor to officially vote against impeachment.

In doing so, Republicans should take into consideration that even if Trump is no longer in office, charges can still be filed against him in judicial courts. Now if a court finds Trump guilty, Republican Congressmen and Senators who voted against the impeachment actions, will go down in history as politicians who gave more value to their political careers over their constitutional duty to end a corrupt presidency.

Trump’s Renegade GOP Justin Amash Explains the Real Reason for Republican Departure

U.S. president Donald Trump branded Republican Representative Justin Amash (R-Mi) as the “dumbest and most disloyal man in Congress” Amash is the only GOP member calling for Trump’s impeachment after the Mueller Report was made public. In being aware that his stance has hurt his chances of being nominated as Republican Congressional Representative for Michigan, in the 2020 Presidential Election, Rep. Amash did what was expected —announced his resignation from the Republican Party.

Trump of course rejoiced and made it clear that Rep. Amash’s seat as Republican representative is already up for grabs to those who want it, whilst further branding Amash as a “total loser.”

Now that his breakaway from GOP is official, Representative Amash has given the real reason why he was perceived as “disloyal° to the party, particularly to the Republican U.S. president.

Discorded GOP and Trump’s Demand for Personal Loyalty

According to Rep. Amash, discord among GOP members and Trump’s unwarranted demand for personal loyalty, made him him reach a final decsion to leave the party. Still, he reasons that he would have cut ties with the Republican Party, even if Trump is not the president.

Now an independent from Michigan, Amash said he held hopes that he could change things while serving as a member. Yet the disagreements have been ongoing for years, and had worsened in recent years under Donald Trump’s leadership, who fueled the discord and made it difficult for people to maintain independence in Congress.

In an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union” host, Jake Tapper, the 5-term legislator voiced his opinion, saying

“Over the years, I have seen people just falling in line behind leaders, including people in my own caucus.””So much so, it has gotten worse and worse …I think this term in Congress really broke it for me.”

In an op-ed he wrote, the Michigan lawmaker said the thing that bothered him the most about Trump, is that the latter expects every Republican to be loyal to him and not the Republican Party. He asserts that

“People are elected to Congress with an oath to defend and support the Constitution, and not an oath to defend and support and defend just one person, particularly the president, just because he happens to be a member of your own party.”

Vermont Fortifies Women’s Right to Abortion by Passing Bill H.57

by Ebony Trumble

Last May 13, 2019, Vermont state legislators approved and passed Bill H.57, a law seeking to make abortion a constitutional right that gives women of reproductive age the freedom of choice, as well as bar public entities from interfering or limiting the right to terminate pregnancy any time and for any reason.

Republican Vermont Governor. Phil Scott supports the legislation of comprehensive abortion rights law and is expected to affix his signature of approval in order to fully enact Bill H 57.

Vermont’s passing of Bill H 57, is regarded as a proactive measure against movements seeking to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that made abortion legal throughout the country. Other Republican-led states across the nation have recently introduced, if not passed legislation aimed at restricting abortion procedures.

Alabama recently enacted a controversial abortion law that could imprison for life, doctors found to have performed abortions. Earlier this month, the state of Georgia enacted a law that prohibits abortion once fetal heartbeats have been detected — a condition that may take place by as early as six weeks, when most women are still unaware of their pregnancy.

About the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Ruling

The Roe v. Wade is  ruling handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court in January 22, 1973, stating that

”Unduly restrictive state regulation of abortion is unconstitutional.”

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Justice Harry A. Blackmun cited and wrote a majority opinion that a set of Texas state laws that criminalize abortion in most instances is a violation of a woman’s constitutional right of privacy;a right that is found implicit in the liberty guarantee of giving every person the right to seek due process as stated in the Fourteenth Amendment.

In the event that the Roe v. Wade is overturned or eroded, women of reproductive age in America stand to lose the ability to resort to abortion in their state.

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