Tweets support
Following the appearance of posters on Columbia campus calling both Dunham and and Sulkowicz liars, Dunham tweets her support:
Dear Emma, anyone who wants can call us anything they want, but you helped me to stand in my skin & I am so grateful: http://t.co/2H6dBzN6BX
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) May 21, 2015
Criticizes Fox News debate rules
Santorum denounces the rules set by Fox News for its Republican presidential primary debate to allow participation of only ten candidates polling the highest in national surveys.
I’m someone who believes that we should have an inclusive process. If you’re a United States senator, if you’re a governor, if you’re a woman who ran a Fortune 500 company and you’re running a legitimate campaign for president, then you should have the right to be on stage with everyone else.
He also questions the legitimacy of national polls.
The idea that someone at 1.15% is in and someone at 1.14% is out, that to me is not a rational way, particularly given the fact that they’re using national polls, which isn’t a legitimate way in my opinion to determine the viability of the candidate.
Criticizes brother’s spending
Jeb Bush says that while he agrees with his brother George W. Bush on many things, he disagrees with his brother on other policies:
I want to share a little about my life, because apparently there’s a little confusion that all family members are supposed to be clones of one another
On budgeting and controlling spending, Jeb:
I think that, in Washington during my brother’s time, Republicans spent too much money. I think he could have used the veto power. He didn’t have line-item veto power, but he could have brought budget discipline to Washington, D.C.
On the Patriot Act:
There is not a shred of evidence that anybody’s civil liberties have been violated by it. t’s already been proven constitutional, and there is ample evidence that it has protected us
Proud of middle class focus
At a Center for American Progress event Biden says that he’s proud that he’s spent his career focused on the middle class.
In this town, being referred to as ‘Middle Class Joe’ is meant as an insult. No, I really mean it. Because you’re not sophisticated if you’re middle class. Because even among some of we Democrats, we’re sophisticated jerks lots of times.
He stands by the straightforward comments that have gotten him into trouble:
I got criticized for saying LaGuardia was like a Third World airport. Guess what? The governor and everybody else, including The New York Times, calls it a Third World airport. And they’re changing it. We have to invest.
He advises Democrats making a White House bid:
We should run on what we’ve done. Whoever’s running should also talk about what the resurgence in place in the future is, and talk about in 2016 what we’ve done. Some say this amounts to a third term for President Obama. I call it sticking to what works and expanding on it to restore the middle class.
Demands media apology
Christie demands an apology from media over the Bridgegate scandal.
I do believe there’s an absolute bias and a rush to judgment. You all know this, you saw the coverage of me 15 months ago. I was guilty, I had done it…Now we’re 15 months later, where are the apologies pouring in? Not one thing I said the day after the bridge situation has been proven wrong.
Nungesser parents criticize ‘public witch-hunt’
Nungesser’s parents make a statement about their son’s graduation.
Our son’s graduation should have been a joyous moment for our whole family. We are extremely proud of Paul for graduating, even more so because of the harassment campaign he was subjected to. For over two years, he had to fight false accusations and a public witch-hunt, even though Columbia and the NYPD exonerated him. At graduation, Columbia University again broke its own rules and afforded Emma Sulkowicz a special exception. It was the second devastating experience in just a few days: Last week, Columbia exhibited Emma Sulkowicz’s highly disturbing and extremely graphic drawings of our son publicly on campus…A university that bows to a public witch-hunt no longer deserves to be called a place of enlightenment, of intellectual and academic freedom. By failing to intervene in this injustice, Columbia ceases to be a place where critical thinking, courage and democratic practice are taught, learned and lived.
Removes wage negotiations
In an attempt to reduce the possibility of a wage gap existing within Reddit, Interim CEO Pao removes the ability of employees to negotiate for their wages at reddit. Instead employees are offered a salary on a take it or leave it basis. This is due to findings that men are better at negotiating their salaries and as such usually end up with a slightly better salary than their female counterparts. Pao urges other companies to do the same, claiming that it is an important step in gender equality.
When somebody comes in we figure out what role they’re applying for, what band they’re in and we give them what we think is a fair salary in that band. It takes a lot of tension out of the process, we’ve had people apply to Reddit just because of that policy.
Recommends breaking up big banks
Sanders wants to require the Financial Stability Oversight Council to make up a list of banks considered ‘too big to fail’ due to the devastating potential consequences, and then break up those banks.
If an institution is too big to fail, it is too big to exist.
Patriot Act filibuster
Paul speaks for more than 10 hours on the Senate floor to filibuster a Patriot Act provision used to legally justify the bulk collection of telephone data. Congress must reauthorize or change the law by June 1, and its Memorial Day recess starting at week’s end.
I will not let the Patriot Act, the most unpatriotic of acts, go unchallenged. At the very least, we should debate. We should debate whether or not we are going to relinquish our rights, or whether or not we are going to have a full and able debate over whether or not we can live within the Constitution, or whether or not we have to go around the Constitution.
I think we’ve made the [collection] haystack so big, no one’s ever getting through the haystack to find the needle. What we really need to do is isolate the haystack into a group of suspicious people and spend enormous resources looking at suspicious people, people who we have probable cause.
You don’t know who the next group is that’s unpopular. The Bill of Rights isn’t for the prom queen. The Bill of Rights isn’t for the high school quarterback. The Bill of Rights is for the least among us. The bill of rights is for minorities. The bill of rights is for those who have minority opinions
https://youtu.be/JcBe3cwOH0c
Only 10 candidates for GOP’s first debate
Fox News says only ten Republican candidates will make the cut for the first GOP presidential primary debate of the 2016 campaign. The debate, which will be held August 6, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio, is being organized by Fox and Facebook along with the Ohio Republican Party. According to Fox, the top ten candidates will be selected by their average in the five most recent national polls, as recognized by FOX News leading up to August 4th at 5 PM/ET. Candidates must also meet the constitutional requirements, file papers with the Federal Election Commission paperwork, and pay the necessary federal and state filing fees to qualify. Fox News’ Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly, and Chris Wallace will moderate.
‘Special announcement’ coming
On Twitter and in a Snapchat video O’Malley’s hints that his presidential launch will occur on the morning of May 30 at 10:00 a.m. in Baltimore’s Federal Hill Park. The short video, which does not have any audio, shows various scenes of downtown Baltimore and ends with a sign at Federal Hill Park.
Join me on May 30th at 10am on Federal Hill in Baltimore, MD for a special announcement. http://t.co/fX2b4u0hok pic.twitter.com/kUYSB8Bh3D
— Martin O'Malley (@MartinOMalley) May 19, 2015
Defends gay marriage views, criticizes Clinton
While meeting with local leaders Cruz defends his views on same-sex marriage, saying he does not think his opposition to gay marriage will hurt his chances with moderate voters.
Is there something about the left — and I am going to put the media in this category — that is obsessed with sex? ISIS is executing homosexuals — you want to talk about gay rights? This week was a very bad week for gay rights because the expansion of ISIS, the expansion of radical, theocratic, Islamic zealots that crucify Christians, that behead children and that murder homosexuals — that ought to be concerning you far more than asking six questions all on the same topic.
On Hillary Clinton’s use of a personal e-mail while she was the secretary of state.
Unfortunately this pattern of deception is what we’ve come to expect from the Clintons. I think what’s most surprising is how unsurprising this is.
Cruz again declined to say whether he would participate in the Iowa Straw Poll.
I am spending a great deal of time in Iowa, and I intend to spend a great deal of time in Iowa and participate vigorously in the Iowa caucus. A number of candidates and a number of campaigns are making decisions on the straw poll right now and we’re certainly making those decisions at the same time.
Iraq war vote ‘a mistake’
On the subject of her vote in favor of the Iraq war Clinton states:
I made it very clear that I made a mistake, plain and simple. And I have written about it in my book, I have talked about it in the past. What we now see is a very different and very dangerous situation.
Nissan on track for 2020
Ghosn says the Company will be ready with a self-driving car by 2020. Vehicles will be equipped with autonomous driving technology, however, self-driving features would be used to enhance the driving experience, not necessarily replace the driver.
Our cars will be ready
Blames Obama for current Iraq problems
Graham says that he does not think the Iraq war was a mistake, but blames Obama for the current difficulties in Iraq due to leaving too soon without a strategy to further help Iraqi development.
At the end of the day I blame President Obama for the mess in Iraq and Syria not President Bush. . . The Iraqi people were making progress on the security front, the economic front and the political front, that is an undeniable fact. Leaving Iraq too soon, not leaving a residual force has resulted in what you see today.
‘More soldiers will die’
Graham says he believes that due to the destabilization in the middle east more American soldiers will be killed while protecting the interests of the U.S.
The destabilization of Iraq, continued strife in Syria, Iranian influence in the region and the proliferation of the Islamic State militant group combine to pose a grave threat to Americans. . . More American soldiers will die in Iraq and eventually in Syria to protect our homeland.
Arrest report: mental health issues
Apperson’s arrest record says he has been dealing with mental health issues, with a police officer saying:
During the investigation, I learned that Apperson has exhibited unusual behavior in which he had recently been admitted to a mental institution. It appears that Apperson has a fixation on Zimmerman and has displayed some signs of paranoia, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.
Zimmerman’s attorney:
There wasn’t much explanation of Mr. Apperson’s conduct that made sense, the way that Mr. Zimmerman described. If he [Apperson] does have some mental issues I think that might very well go a long way in explaining what was otherwise very bizarre yet very violent behavior.
Service resumes
Amtrak service resumes, almost a week since the accident. Since the train crash, Amtrak officials have been working around the clock to make repairs that would allow full service to resume through Philadelphia. The FBI examines the wreckage at the accident scene and try to determine what may have hit the train.
We’re just in the fact-finding stage of the investigation. We’re just slowly starting to gather the information and then slowly start ruling things out.
LGBT progress ‘incomplete’
On the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia Biden promotes equality for homosexuals. He says progress in America:
remains incomplete, but the momentum has shifted in the right direction.
He equates “religious condemnation” of homosexuality with “violence with impunity, mistreatment by police, the denial of health care … and social isolation.”
Progress has also been made in many places around the world. But in too many places, life for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals is actually getting worse. In too many places, LGBT community members face violence with impunity, mistreatment by police, the denial of health care, or religious condemnation and social isolation.
‘I like Hillary Clinton’
Sanders denies that he would be a “spoiler” for the electoral chances of the establishment favorite:
Maybe I shouldn’t say this: I like Hillary Clinton.
Sanders asks if the media would “allow us to have a serious debate?”
Or is the only way you get media attention by ripping apart somebody else?