@msbellows@c.im avatar

msbellows

@msbellows@c.im

Twitter diaspora. Agamemnon sucks: we do the fighting, he gets the girls. (Oregonian. Mediator/lawyer/writer; bylines in The Guardian, Alternet, HuffPost/OffTheBus, more.)

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

GottaLaff, to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

✔️

Via Julia Claire:

Putting a baby in a freezer would kill it, but freezing embryos keeps them alive. That's why an embryo isn't a baby. Hope that helps if you're very stupid <3

msbellows,
@msbellows@c.im avatar

@GottaLaff Also, if the most conservative Christian in America ordered "fried chicken" and was served a fried egg instead, I guarantee they'd ask for the manager, because even a fertilized egg is not a chicken.

msbellows,
@msbellows@c.im avatar

@David211 @GottaLaff Except no one pretends an eagle egg is an eagle. I have no problem with religious conservatives advocating for abortion restrictions to protect potential humans. That's a policy debate we could engage with in his faith. But over the last few decades they have moved from calling embryos "potential humans" to calling them full-fledged "humans," and THAT'S disingenuous.

GottaLaff, (edited ) to Michigan
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Lordy, more tapes.

"Kenneth , atty who helped devise campaign fake electors plot, concealed secret Twitter acct from prosecutors, hiding dozens of damning posts that undercut his statements to investigators about his role in election subversion scheme..

Chesebro denied using /#X, or having any “alternate IDs” when directly asked by MI investigators last year during his cooperation session, according to recordings" https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/26/politics/kenneth-chesebro-secret-twitter-account-kfile/index.html

msbellows, (edited )
@msbellows@c.im avatar

@GottaLaff Chesebro's SO screwed by this. It's not just that he lied about having the Twitter account; it also directly undercuts his other testimony (eg, that he didn't believe Pence could override voters; that he was unaware of the Atlantic article that apparently he might have been the source of).

And of COURSE "[o]ther biographical details...also matched Chesebro, including... investments in cryptocurrency."

Great investigative work by CNN and KFile!

Brandi_Buchman, to random
@Brandi_Buchman@mstdn.social avatar

Terror and hate were visited mercilessly upon two innocent Black women following Rudy Giuliani's defamation of their good names.

TODAY, a jury decided he must pay $148 million in compensatory and punitive damages to Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss.

https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/civil-equivalent-of-a-death-penalty-rudy-giuliani-must-pay-defamed-election-workers-148-million-jurors-find-in-unanimous-decision/

msbellows,
@msbellows@c.im avatar

@Brandi_Buchman
$148 million.

And the punitive damages (the part of the verdict most likely to be reduced on appeal) are only about half of it.

And Rudy's worth only about $50 million.

This ruins him. Two Southern Black women have ruined Rudy Giuliani.

Once again: thank you, Southern Black women!
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rudy-giuliani-net-worth/

GottaLaff, to legal
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Welp! 🧵

Via Kyle Cheney: 1/...

: Judge has indefinitely postponed Donald 's trial date in Florida.

It may be months before we know the new schedule.

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.648652/gov.uscourts.flsd.648652.530.0.pdf

msbellows,
@msbellows@c.im avatar

@GottaLaff Judge Cannon's move today is infuriating, but completely expected.

Now it's Smith's turn to start taking the fight to her. Here's a helpful explainer on how he can ask to have her replaced; the difficulty (but not impossibility!) he'll face in doing so; and why, in light of the Constitution's double jeopardy clause, it's absolutely vital that he move to DQ her now: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/what-it-would-look-like-to-remove-judge-cannon

msbellows, to random
@msbellows@c.im avatar

Holy shit. Yesterday, Liz Cheney suggested that the reason Tuberville filibustered all military promotions was so Trump could appoint their replacements, and within 24 hours he released almost all of his holds.

But not all of them.

It's an admission. They're really, truly planning a violent coup of U.S. democracy.

GottaLaff, (edited ) to legal
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

1/…

has been unable to get bond for $464 million judgment, his lawyers say

In a filing to an appeals court, Trump's attorneys said getting the bond needed to halt proceedings while they appeal is a "practical impossibility." https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-unable-get-bond-464-million-judgment-lawyers-say-rcna143860

msbellows,
@msbellows@c.im avatar

@GottaLaff
Note that Trump is asking an appeals court to excuse him from obtaining a bond pending appeal because he can't come up with the money --

-- and then his appeal will ask the same court to find there's no basis for the verdict finding that he lied when he said he was worth billions.

It's absolutely gorgeous.

msbellows, to random
@msbellows@c.im avatar

I'm blissing out on the fact that Trump will be prosecuted by a D.A....

... under a RICO statute that's extra-harsh because white racist legislators intended it for use against citizens...

... before a jury pool that's 42.5% because two centuries ago white racists there enslaved as many people as they could squeeze onto the fucking ships.

Enjoy the karma, you bigoted fuck.

GottaLaff, to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

E Jean’s lawyer is screengrabbing every one of them

Via Rude Pundit:

#Trump's unleashed another of stream of #EJeanCarroll's sexually suggestive tweets over on Truth Toilet. 44 of them in 20 minutes. The purpose is to discredit and degrade her, but, really, they read like a confession, like Trump is playing the "she was asking for it" card, like the repellent, sexist slug trail that he is.

msbellows,
@msbellows@c.im avatar

@1dalm @Lightfighter @GottaLaff People (validly) gripe that Trump is getting away with pretrial BS that most people would be jailed for – but don't forget: most people don't have five allies on the Supreme Court, watching carefully for any excuse to help Trump. With the exception of Cannon, the trial judges (civil and criminal) are bending over backwards not to protect Trump but to protect the trial calendar and to minimize the chances of verdicts being reversed on appeal.

Trump's not being treated differently because he's a former president. Trump is being treated differently because the judges know fascism has infiltrated the judicial system, and are doing their damndest to keep the system honest while they still can.

w7voa, to random
@w7voa@journa.host avatar

The door plug that blew off of an Alaska Airlines flight shortly after takeoff has been found. https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2024/01/door-that-fell-from-alaska-airlines-flight-found-in-a-backyard-officials-say.html

msbellows,
@msbellows@c.im avatar

@w7voa
Jesus H. Christ. "The airplane was a newly manufactured Boeing 737-9, delivered to Alaska Airlines on Oct. 31. On three occasions a light indicating pressurization problems had turned on, most recently Jan. 4 — the day before the accident, Homendy said.

Although Alaska Airlines characterized the warning issue as 'benign,' the airline decided to restrict the plane from flying over water, to Hawaii for example."
https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2024/01/door-that-fell-from-alaska-airlines-flight-found-in-a-backyard-officials-say.html

msbellows, to random
@msbellows@c.im avatar

🧵 A few thoughts before people freak out too much about SCOTUS refusing to fast-track a ruling on Trump's immunity claim:

  1. Fast-tracking is VERY VERY VERY unusual. This ruling is NORMAL. It's EXPECTED (albeit disappointing). SCOTUS likes having a lower court decision to respond to.

  2. One very possible outcome is for DC Circuit to rule against Trump in early Jan., deny rehearing en banc 14 days later (FRAP 40), & allow trial to proceed even as Trump moves to SCOTUS.
    ...

GottaLaff, to legal
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Wonder which fascist gave him the 💸…

💥 Via Lisa Rubin:💥

NEW: has filed a bond of $91.63 million in the
case.

The source of the bond as well as its terms have not been filed and are not expected to become public info. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.543790/gov.uscourts.nysd.543790.317.0.pdf

Kyle Cheney:

JUST IN: Trump formally appeals the judgment against him in the second Carroll trial.

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.543790/gov.uscourts.nysd.543790.316.0.pdf

msbellows,
@msbellows@c.im avatar

@JonChevreau @andytiedye @GottaLaff Interesting explainer on what legal costs can be paid by campaigns vs by SuperPACs. I'm guessing the bond fee in the Carroll case (±10%) was paid by his Save America PAC:
https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2024/03/yes-trumps-pacs-really-can-pay-his-legal-fees-the-conversation.html

"[T]he civil lawsuits brought by E. Jean Carroll... are different. They do not involve either an election or Trump’s use of office. So I would expect that his legal fees for those cases would be considered personal....

"But it appears that Save America has been paying legal fees in those cases, too. Those payments may be legal under a different provision of federal campaign law....

"FEC regulations are relatively relaxed about payments of personal expenses by these sorts of independent groups. Third-party funds can be for the personal use of the candidate...."

Next Q: if a PAC paid a $9 million or so bond fee, is that taxable to him as income?

pvonhellermannn, to random
@pvonhellermannn@mastodon.green avatar

It is just unbelievably awful. All supported by the liberal world order.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/09/civilian-toll-israeli-airstrikes-gaza-unprecedented-killing-study?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

msbellows,
@msbellows@c.im avatar

@pvonhellermannn
In WW2, the Allies' battle against fascists – including all the bombings, invasions, endless battles up the Italian peninsula and across France, and nukes dropped on Japan – less than 25% of Axis causalities were civilian.

Israel has smart bombs, one of the world's greatest intelligence networks, and AI-assisted targeting, and yet nearly 2/3 of the people they're killing are civilian.

Civilian casualties on this scale are not just an unavoidable side effect of making war. This is intentional.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties

image/png

msbellows, to random
@msbellows@c.im avatar

Go to hell, Rupert Murdoch. Go to hell, once-great Wall Street Journal. Go to hell, Rory Satran and whatever editor wrote this headline. Just: go to hell.

blogdiva, to random
@blogdiva@mastodon.social avatar

i want to see this fucker dragged out of Washington DC kicking and screaming and thrown into prison not only as a co-conspirator but as an accessory to the rapes of more than 100+ Ohio University students he was supposed to protect and defend and didn't.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/14/us/house-speaker-republicans-jordan.html

msbellows,
@msbellows@c.im avatar

@blogdiva Deep down, every liberal believes that if all their policies were fully implemented then people's lives would become marginally better and the world would be a little more just.

And deep down, every conservative believes that if all their policies were fully implemented there would be a magical transformation and all of a sudden it would be 1880 again, and they would be the biggest rancher in the valley and they would have both a docile underage wife and the ability to have erections again.

GottaLaff, to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

’s Truth Social is now a public company. Experts warn its multibillion-dollar valuation defies logic

“Despite the late-day slide, Wall Street is still assigning Trump Media an eye-popping valuation of nearly $11 billion — a price tag that experts warn is untethered to reality.”
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/26/markets/trump-media-stock-truth-social?cid=ios_app

msbellows,
@msbellows@c.im avatar

@randmbits @GottaLaff He's not allowed to sell his shares for six months. That's what makes this so funny: his fans are ensuring that this bubble will pop with Trump still trapped inside. He'll lose a billion dollars, and he knows it.

GottaLaff, to legal
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

REMINDER: I can’t always reply/answer questions. Use NFL (Not For Laffy)

🧵Starts HERE 1/…

#TrumpTrial #Trump #legal

Pagliery:

Trump is sitting at the defense table, with Todd Blanche at his right and Emil Bove at his left, plus Susan Necheles at the far left.

Blanche is explaining something, waving his right hand around while Trump nods in approval.

Dozens called for jury duty are downstairs and going through metal detectors.

The judge just sat down. We begin.

msbellows,
@msbellows@c.im avatar

@GottaLaff It's Manhattan. The jury pool is disproportionately lawyers, financiers, or the workers that serve them – and workers can't afford to take six weeks off.

AxiosNews, to random
@AxiosNews@flipboard.com avatar

Scoop: U.S. put a hold on an ammunition shipment to Israel
https://www.axios.com/2024/05/05/israel-us-ammunition-shipment-hold?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub

Posted into Israel @israel

msbellows,
@msbellows@c.im avatar

@AxiosNews @israel
"The Biden administration last week put a hold on a shipment of U.S.-made ammunition to Israel"

msbellows, to random
@msbellows@c.im avatar

Short(ish)🧵:
The D.C. Circuit opinion rejecting Trump's immunity claims clearly was written for an audience of six: the Supreme Court's conservative justices. Much of its reasoning is originalist or historical, and it relies almost exclusively on caselaw, historical precedents, and conservative authorities that even Thomas, Alito and Barrett will have difficulty ignoring (quoting opinions by Scalia, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh; the Federalist Papers; even Dr. freaking Johnson's "A Dictionary of the English Language"). PDF: https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/1AC5A0E7090A350785258ABB0052D942/$file/23-3228-2039001.pdf
1/

msbellows, to random
@msbellows@c.im avatar

You (trying to find hope in the face of climate change, mass extinction, and the rise of fascism): "Yes, things seem really bad, but we humans eventually will rally and do the right and sensible thing!"

Me:

msbellows, to random
@msbellows@c.im avatar

CIV PRO EXPLAINER: REMOVAL TO FEDERAL COURT:

I love you people and don't want principled outrage to cause you apoplectic strokes, so I'm giving you a heads-up:

Trump almost certainly will remove the Georgia case to federal court under a federal statute (28 USC §1442) that basically says federal officers who arguably were acting within the scope of their duties must be tried in federal court. And removal is a weird, counterintuitive process: a defendant doesn't need to ask first, but can remove a case by simply filling a notice of removal, and THEN the FEDERAL judge decides whether to leave it there or send it back.

It will irritate the shit out of you, but it's not unusual. When it happens, just breathe, remember that removal isn't necessarily permanent, and watch how it develops.

Good discussion of removal in this excellent Just Security post by Norm Eisen et al: https://www.justsecurity.org/87598/what-to-expect-when-youre-expecting-a-georgia-indictment-of-trump/ (However, I disagree with their statement that "State proceedings continue pending a removal ruling." I could be wrong, but my understanding is that the state proceeding is suspended the moment the notice is filed.)

(I'll address the question of whether the action will STAY removed a little later, below.)

Gif of man saying "You Can Remove It"

msbellows, to random
@msbellows@c.im avatar

Movie recommendation: "Baby Face" (1933), a pre-Code classic in which Barbara Stanwyck (yes, the mom from "The Big Valley") is forced into prostitution by her father at 14, then (at the urging of a kindly, avuncular proto-Nazi with a boner for Nietsche) escapes to the big city with her Black maid/lesbian lover, where she then very openly fucks her way to the top of a big corporation, with every new affair illustrated by an exterior shot panning up to a higher floor in the office building.

The Hays Code is why people mistakenly believe film isn't literature. It WAS literature, radical transgressive literature, until it was censored.

Gif of a braless young Barbara Stanwyck, downing a beer while slouching sexily. Grrrr!

msbellows, to random
@msbellows@c.im avatar

So while I've been doing actual, you know, "work" today, it appears that the Supreme Court has plotted to...

... wait for it...

... ensure that Trump won't be convicted and imprisoned until AFTER the Republican National Convention, enduring that the GOP won't have time to reconsolidate behind a new candidate.

Yay?

Gif of a man saying, "He's a bit of a contrarian, but I like him."

msbellows,
@msbellows@c.im avatar

A day when the Supreme Court has abandoned even the pretense of intellectual honesty probably is a good day to re-up a toot commenting on the way the Supreme Court has, you know, abandoned even the pretense of intellectual honesty: https://c.im/@msbellows/112000932459271440

msbellows, to random
@msbellows@c.im avatar

Trump's lawyer arguing for additional proceedings in the lower court, and Gorsuch apparently liking the idea.

This case is all and only about delaying the Jan. 6 trial until after the election.

msbellows,
@msbellows@c.im avatar

Kavanaugh just called Ford's pardon of Nixon "one of the better decisions in Presidential history" and (a) I consider that statement a per se proof of Kav's mental incapacity so let's impeach and also (b) nice try Brett but I don't think Biden is taking advice from you.

w7voa, to random
@w7voa@journa.host avatar

Washington Post - The senator who presented the Republican rebuttal to the SOTU address falsely linked President Biden to a notorious sex trafficking case. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/09/fact-check-katie-britt-sex-trafficking/

msbellows,
@msbellows@c.im avatar

@w7voa It gets worse. https://c.im/@msbellows/112067976804407813

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