Over two weeks ago, a white terrorist shot and killed five people inside a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs. The city had many mass shootings in the past.
The city is relatively conservative.
Comedian and actor Mark Curry had an experience in the city. Curry records two men who he says approached him while he was sitting in a hotel lobby in The Mining Exchange A Wyndham Grand Hotel & Spa in Colorado Springs.
One of the men, who is white, was not displaying any identification but claimed he was an employee at the hotel and repeatedly asked Curry if he was a guest there. The other man, who was of color, claimed Curry was trying to pull “the race card” — a quip that prompted Curry to call that person an “Uncle Tom.”
Curry did not answer the question being repeatedly asked of him likely in an effort to make an example of what he called “racism.”
The video lasts 26 minutes and was filmed all because of a “Black man and a Hotel Lobby,” Curry wrote on his Instagram post, suggesting the purported hotel employees thought “it’s impossible that he has a room here.”
He expressed a similar sentiment in the video by saying to his hundreds of thousands of followers: “If you’re Black and you’re in Colorado Springs, you can’t be in the lobby. Wow! This is crazy, isn’t it?”
When Curry tried to use the restroom in the lobby, he was physically blocked from entering.
When the two men were joined by other employees, Curry said he felt “threatened.”
Later, the hotel manager issued a quasi-apology for the way hotel employees treated a patron and insisted employees would be retrained, presumably in the arena of implicit bias.
“We are committed to providing a safe and inclusive space for all guests and employees. We deeply regret this incident and have reached out to Mr. Curry to offer not only our sincere apologies but a full refund of his stay and an invitation to return, at no cost, anytime in the future,” Neil Cramm said in a statement to the Colorado Springs Indy, a local news outlet. “As a respected community partner, we are also using this opportunity to revisit training with our staff, helping to ensure all interactions are reflective of our company values. The Mining Exchange plays a special role in the Colorado Springs community and we will continue working each and every day to ensure that our hotel remains a space that is open and welcoming to all.”
Dave Chappelle, Kanye West and Elon Musk are being cancelled, whether they like it or not. It is the noise that they are screaming and promoting. It is a great ground game from activists tired of bullshit from folks who have power.
Washed Up 45, Ron DeSantis, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Tucker Carlson and far right extremists praise them for having "courage" to stand up against "wokeism."
Chappelle brought out Musk at a San Francisco show and he was roundly booed and heckled. Chappelle was booed as well for even thinking about bringing out Musk.
The comedian welcomed the tech billionaire and Twitter owner to the Chase Center stage Sunday night. Videos of Musk’s appearance have circulated online.
“Ladies and gentlemen, make some noise for the richest man in the world,” Chappelle said, according to one video shared online by an account that no longer exists as of Monday morning.
The crowd erupted in cheers, which was quickly overwhelmed with audible cries of “boo!” as Musk, sporting an "I love Twitter" shirt, waved to the arena.
“Cheers and boos, I see,” Chappelle said as Musk shrugged to the audience.
“Controversy, buddy. It sounds like some of the people you fired are in the audience,” the comedian said to the laughter of the crowd and Musk.
Shortly after taking over Twitter, Musk's team announced widespread layoffs at the company in November. He has faced intense scrutiny over his leadership and position over loose content moderation policies.
“Dave, what should I say?” Musk asked at one point on stage.
James Yu, who was in the audience, tweeted: “A good 80% of the stadium boos. 18k people. And he withers. Like absolutely turns into a corncob.”
Yu noted that Musk didn't say much during his time on stage.
"Dave gave him so many chances to speak but he just put his hands in his pockets," Yu wrote. "I actually felt bad for him. I’m by no means an Elon fanboy, more a centrist. I wanted to shake him: for the love of god man, say something and pretend it’s a tweet!!"
Musk's on Monday shared his recollection of the audience's reaction.
"Technically, it was 90% cheers & 10% boos (except during quiet periods), but, still, that’s a lot of boos, which is a first for me in real life (frequent on Twitter). It’s almost as if I’ve offended SF’s unhinged leftists … but nahhh," he tweeted.
Chappelle, like Musk, is no stranger to controversy. He faced fierce criticism over his comments about the transgender community in a Netflix special released last year. Hundreds of LGBTQ activists and Netflix workers marched outside the company’s Los Angeles headquarters to protest the special after its release.
The media mogul Sean "Puffy" Combs who goes by Puff Daddy or Diddy announced the birth of a child. The child was born in October for the 53 year old media mogul.
The mother of his child was not revealed. However, the name of the child was revealed.
"LOVE SEAN COMBS"
I’m so blessed to welcome my baby girl Love Sean Combs to the world. Mama Combs, Quincy, Justin, Christian, Chance, D’Lila, Jessie and myself all love you so much! God is the Greatest!
Diddy’s daughter, “Love,” joins his other six children; Quincy, Christian "King" Combs, and twins D’Lila Star Combs and Jessie James Combs with his late ex Kim Porter, Justin Dior Combs with Misa Hylton and Chance Combs with Sarah Chapman.
Combs is currently dating Yung Miami and numerous others. Who could be the mother?
Nonetheless, Combs is the founder of Bad Boy Records. The label was big in the 1990s.
Combs fired from Uptown Records launched the label and generated big music with Craig Mack and the Notorious B.I.G. joining the Bad Boy roster. Biggie Smalls released Ready to Die and went three times platinum.
His label had some good and hard times.
Biggie was gunned down leaving a big hole in the label.
He had signed numerous acts to his label. Diddy's only talents is Janelle Monae, Machine Gun Kelly and King Combs.
Mase, 112, Faith Evans, Total, Shyne, G Dep, French Montana, Mario Winans, Carl Thomas, The LOX, Cassie, Yung Joc and Loon have left the label.
French Montana will finish his deal with the label upon the release of next album slated for 2023.
Biggie Smalls Craig Mack and Black Rob who passed away. Heavy D, a frequent producer and rapper for Combs has passed away.
Growing up in Hampton Roads to becoming one of the country's most famous entertainers has netted a personal rewards for Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott.
She had the honor to speak to students at a HBCU.
She was a commencement speaker at Norfolk State University. She also earned an honorary degree.
Elliott was tasked with giving the keynote commencement speech to Norfolk State University’s Class of 2022. “I am proud of y’all, and y’all should be proud of [yourselves]. Now, I want y’all to look at each other and say, ‘You already won.’ Let ’em know. There ain’t no winning. You already won. Y’all could have been doing anything else these last few years. Y’all could have been wilding out, but y’all decided to finish the course, and that’s major,” Elliott said in her address.
During the ceremony, which saw 400 students mark the culmination of their school year, the “Trampoline” artist was presented with NSU’s Presidential Commencement Medallion and an honorary doctorate in humane letters, reaffirming her status as Dr. Elliott. The inspirational figure also donated $20,000 to the university to serve “areas of greatest need.”
Missy (Melissa Elliott) is an American rapper, singer, actress, media personality and record producer. She is close to her longtime producer and deejay Timbaland. She has ties to Norfolk, Virginia Beach and her former hometown of Portsmouth.
Her connection to Norfolk State University dates back to before she became a household name. In her speech, she recalled playing her music on campus back in the day — despite not being a student. NSU also had a hand in the street renaming ceremony that honored Elliott in October. The university’s band performed as a portion of McLean Street was changed to Missy Elliott Boulevard. “When we were asked to come perform, I thought it would be an honor to do that. [She] is one of the best artists [to] hit the hip hop scene,” NSU band director William Beathea told WTKR-TV at the time.
The city of Portsmouth has a population of 103,000 residents. It sits directly across the Elizabeth River and downtown Norfolk. It's a promodminetly Black city.
The Portsmouth City Council in August voted unanimously to approve the street’s renaming in honor of one of the the award-winning artist. As city manager Tonya Chapman noted on Monday in an official bulletin from the city, “We’re beyond proud of Missy’s accomplishments and so thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate her right here in her hometown of Portsmouth, Virginia. Missy’s trailblazing career is a testament that when you dream big, anything is possible. We’re excited to celebrate her and rename this street in her honor.”
Man, I want to punch this guy's eye out! He hits women and is a racist. This Black extremist is trash ass bully.
You know when a Black person fucks up, the far-right expects every Black person, civil rights leader, Black Lives Matter, Barack Obama, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and every Democrat answer for this.
The Antioch, California Police confirmed that this Black extremist sucker punched a woman so hard it literally blinded her. The incident happened at a fast food restaurant and the suspect was arrested. It happened in November and the suspect was caught weeks later.
The Habit Burger Grill company condemned the attack.
Black terrorist attacks fast food manager defending a customer.
The 19-year old woman is blind in her right eye after the man hit her so hard, it blew her eye out.
Bianca Palomera confronted a man who was directly harassing a man with special disabilities. They had a brief argument and out of nowhere he served her.
When she recovered, she noticed blood covering from her eye and cheek. They rushed to the hospital to perform emergency surgery but could not save her right eye.
“He punched me once, and my headset and my glasses went flying off my face,” she told the local junk food media. “He was throwing threats and slurs saying that he was going to ‘beat him up,’ ‘why does he keep looking his way?’ That’s when I step in and I said ‘it’s not right what you’re doing.'”
Surveillance footage of the assault showed the initial punch knock Palomera back onto a bench. She tried to fight back and took a swing at the assailant, but the suspect appeared to land several more punches to the victim’s head before several onlookers and other employees stepped in. The suspect fled.
Bianca said that she regrets losing her eye but doesn't regret helping a person who was bullied.
“I don’t really know what to think. I think I’m still processing it,” she said. “This is probably the last thing that I would’ve expected out of anything, but I don’t fully regret, you know, helping, stepping in. It could’ve been worse for my coworker’s brother.”
He will be criminally charged with felonious assault and malicious mayhem with dangerous intent. The victim has defigurating injuries which require therapy and has post-traumatic stress from the situation.
The suspect pled not guilty. He will be facing up to 20 years in the iron college if convicted.
The suspect is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Stay beautiful. Bianca will get through this. I hope the suspect gets a lengthy bid in the iron college.
What pisses me off.... The fact, he hit a woman.
That right there is a permanent life of scrutiny. The Black extremist could find himself single for a long fucking time because of that. He will be tagged a woman-beater.
The guy is a fucking bully and I hate them more than I hate stupidity. I don't tolerate bullying by anyone.
Boosie BadAzz is best known for his old man rants.
Gabrielle Union is protective of Dwyane Wade and his children. The two have a daughter together. She is also step mom to Zaya (formerly Zion) Wade.
Zaya is a transgender teen who is transitioning into a woman when she turns 18.
She came out to her family when she was 11 and started dressing like a girl since 12.
Zaya is becoming a role model for trans kids and its riled up the far right and the homophobic Baton Rouge (now Atlanta-based) rapper Boosie BadAzz.
A year ago, Gabrielle had an interview with Jemele Hill and discussed the rapper's homophobic rants about Zaya.
The video that has reignited the drama was on November 7, 2021, during which the actress touched on supporting Zaya’s life as a transgender female.
Things were “so far so good,” she updated, before adding a diss, “sorry, Boosie” while acknowledging his comments about her child.
Gabrielle continued: “He’s so preoccupied. It’s almost like thou doth protest too much Lil Boose.” Gabrielle then appeared to question the rapper’s sexuality, by adding: “You got a lot of dick on your mind.”
LOL ‼️THE WHOLE WORLD KNOW I LOVE WOMEN N THE WORLD KNOW YOUR HUSBAND LOVE DICK‼️I HOPE U DONT THINK BLACKS LOOK AT YALL LIKE A POWER COUPLE😀THEY DONT‼️I HAD REFUSED TO TALK ABOUT YALL IN INTERVIEWS N HEAR YOU GO‼️GO BANG HIM WITH THAT DILDO N WAIT ON A SCRIPT U LIL WHITE GIRL💁♀️
WOMAN U BETTER LEAVE ME ALONE ‼️HOW DARE U A CHALLENGE A GHETTO HEROS MANHOOD ,U WRONG SMH I DONT HAVE THE TIME FOR THIS ,IM TRYIN TO HAVE PEACE N MY LIFE N STAY ALIVE‼️
“LOL the whole world know I love women n the world know your husband love d**k,” the 40-year-old tweeted on Sunday (Dec. 4). “I hope u dont think blacks look at yall like a power couple they dont I had refused to talk about yall in interviews n hear you go go band him with that dildo n wait on a script u lil white girl.”
Gabrielle Union supports Zaya.
Boosie continued over an hour later, saying “Woman u better leave me alone how dare u challenge a ghetto heroes manhood ,u wrong smh i dont have the time for this ,im tryin to stay have peace n my life n stay alive.”
Wade's ex-wife, Siohvaughn Funches-Wade, over Zaya changing her legal name and gender. Funches is attempting to block the change, citing that her ex “may be pressuring our child to move forward with the name and gender change in order to capitalize on the financial opportunities that he has received from companies.”
Threats of violence shuts down a Kentucky city. The reason is the woman responsible for a 14 year old boy's death in Money, Mississippi back in the 1950s has residents angry and demanding she leave town or else.
The New Black Panthers, a Black extremist group have threatened to use its resources if the Bowling Green Police refuse to arrest Carolyn Bryant Donham, the white woman who accused Emmett Till of whistling at her. It led her husband Roy Bryant and his half brother J. W. Milam lynching him.
His death in 1955 launched the Civil Rights Movement. The two men were later acquitted of murder and went on to sell their story. The woman would end up going into hiding until recently. Someone revealed the woman lived in the southern Kentucky city.
Somebody wake up Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). He might want to keep his toupee on when they come knocking on his door demanding his racist ass do something.
A Christmas parade in Bowling Green, Kentucky, was canceled on Saturday after potential threats were made against planned protesters, according to law enforcement officials.
Civil rights organizations held a "Justice for Emmett Till" protest at the Justice Center and at an apartment at Shive Lane, where Bryant Donham lived, Warren County Sheriff Brett Hightower told ABC News.
The old woman finally was found to be living in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
The Bowling Green Police Department and the Warren County Sheriff's Office said in a video on Facebook on Saturday that they learned of threats made against the groups and are currently working alongside the FBI and Homeland Security to investigate the reported threats.
"The specific threat is threatening to shoot anyone who is protesting and anyone who is helping the protesters," Sheriff Hightower said in the video. "We have not been able to determine the validity of this threat."
Hightower said that around 20 to 25 people showed up, some armed, to protest at both sites around noon, local time. The protests were peaceful, the sheriff said.
Jaycee Christmas Parade organizers canceled their plans for the parade hours before its scheduled start.
Come and take it.
"Out of an abundance of caution, we are canceling today's parade. The safety of our participants and spectators is ALWAYS [our] main focus," organizers wrote on Facebook early Saturday morning. "We have been in constant communication with law enforcement and have felt, all week, that we could provide a safe, fun event. With this latest information, we knew that postponing was our best option."
SoKY Marketplace's Mistletoe Market, also in Bowling Green, was canceled because of the protests, it announced on Facebook.
The Bowling Green Police Department did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
The protests come months after a grand jury in Leflore County, Mississippi, decided not to indict Bryant Donham for her involvement in Till's death, citing insufficient evidence.
The American voter (I meant, partisan gerrymandering) gave the Republicans control of the House of Representatives. They have a ten seat majority and the party won on the noise of inflation, crime and border security. So as we approach January, we are reminded that the talk about the border has decreased on Fox. Crime is still happening in the country. Mass shootings are everywhere. Inflation is slowly declining.
The Ukrainians are driving Russian military forces out. Gas prices are back to their pro-Russian invasion prices. The hospitals are overwhelmed again by the coronavirus and the flu. Over 1.1 million Americans have died from the coronavirus and Republicans fought tooth and nail to rid the country of the vaccine mandates.
What the Republicans are screaming about?
The U.S. government negotiated the release of Brittney Griner for Viktor Bout, a former arms dealer who was convicted in American court a d spent a decade in federal time out.
The Republicans are calling for impeachment for getting an American out of a Russian penal colony and they traded it for what the junk food media called, "the merchant of death." They are throwing up their faux patriotism for Paul Whelan, a security specialist who was arrested for espionage. He was a discharged Marine who is spent five years in a Russian penal colony. Washed Up 45 was in charge then and not one Republican at the time was pushing for his release.
Now there a controversy started by Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL).
Today’s rescue mission: saving Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s American flag from the garbage can. @JacksonLeeTX18, anytime you’d like a lesson on flag etiquette, let me know. It’s one of the first things we’re taught in basic training. pic.twitter.com/dZljLi41GA
The white nationalist decided to troll Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) by making a claim she literally threw away the American flag in the trash can. The noise immediately went into bonkers mode. She is one of the longest serving Black lawmakers in Congress.
She is a progressive and advocate for women's rights and civil rights.
How can she disrespect the American flag?
As you voted against certifying the 2020 election results *after* January 6th, it is not surprising that you would take to Twitter to parrot yet another big lie. Let’s talk about it:
If the only information you had at the time was the view of a flag in a bin labeled “trash”, this was a mistake by the house movers that should have been kindly pointed out to them to be corrected.
I am grateful for the men and women of the AOC who do the heavy lifting to move members to new office spaces in a matter of days. They are hard working people and deserve the utmost respect.
If you are interested in a solution, a solution of actual substance, I look forward to engaging with you to develop proper flag etiquette with the AOC to prevent this from happening to any flag in our Capitol in the future.
She said that it was "moving day for lawmakers" and the Architect of the Capitol that has sole responsibility for all lawmakers.
She immediately said thar folks like Mast, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) spend way too much time on social media than working with their constituents. She said that he would tweet factless misinformation.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) and Rep. Al Green (D-TX) greet veterans.
She also called out his hypocrisy. He was one of 121 members who voted against the certification of Joe Biden for president hours after the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Mast lives Port St. Lucie, Florida. He is a double amputee military veteran. He lost his legs after a failed bomb disposal. He served in the Afghanistan war from 2004 until 2011.
Dr. Jill Biden invited him and wife Brianna Mast to the 2011 State of the Union when she was then the Second Lady of the United States. She is the current First Lady of the United States.
He is the guy who shared jokes about raping 15 year old girls and Black people being called hood rats and interns of the iron college.
The hypocrisy is unnerving.
These lawmakers like Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) are going through some things.
I am guessing the release of Brittney Griner was not a victory for President Joe Biden says the far right extremists. Hint, they already expose themselves as hypocrites, racists, homophobes and arm chair diplomats.
Griner was released on Thursday and is expected to be in San Antonio, Texas as of Friday.
She was sentenced to 10 years in a Russian penal colony for having canibus oils in her travel luggage. Brittney’s wife Cherrelle, the WNBA, Black women and Democrats were celebrating her release.
The noise on the other hand.... well!
Meet Brittney Griner & Marine Paul Whelan. Both Americans. Both were convicted in Russian courts on dubious charges. Both serving multi-year sentences in Russian prison. Brittney hates America Paul served America
The President of the United States traded Russian terrorist arms dealer, Viktor Bout, left a U.S. Marine in Russian jail, and brought home a professional basketball player.
How many people will Viktor Bout now kill bc Biden set him free?
My last tweet was no shot at Brittney Griner. I’m super happy she’s back home as she should be. I just have family who have served and it’s crazy to me the President wouldn’t bring him home too. I’m the furthest thing from a trump supporter but I’m not a fan of Biden either.
No one cuts better deals than Biden. We get an awful America hating WNBA player, while Russia gets an INTERNATIONAL ARMS DEALER!!! The adults are back! https://t.co/zPMKzuB2SA
The Russian Federation confirmed that the release of Griner was one for one deal. The government stated that releasing Griner came at a price. The U.S. government released Viktor Bout, an arms deal the junk food media called the "merchant of death."
Bout spent over 10 years in federal time out before his expected release in 2029. The Russian Federation protested the sentencing of Bout since his arrest in Thailand.
Bout and Griner briefly greeted each other as Russian and American forces brief one another in Abu Dhabi.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), a controversial lawmaker who does nothing but troll the internet and podcasting for click bait is calling for impeachment of the president.
Biden celebrated Brittney Griner's release with her wife Cherrelle.
Fox is referring her as a professional athlete and celebrity instead of being regarded as an American. Tucker Carlson claimed that Biden chose Griner over Paul Whalen because she was a Black lesbian.
Some are calling her anti-American because she kneeled during WNBA games and she called for accountability when it comes to police brutality.
Washed Up 45 also got into the mix. He called Griner anti-American and stated that Whalen should have been the first in line. Whalen was arrested in 2018 during the former president's term. He claims he done more to release political prisoners before Biden.
It was under his watch and his own refusal to get Whalen (a supporter of Washed Up 45 at one time) out of Russian custody.
The embattled Federation president Vladimir Putin said he is willing to negotiate more prison swaps. He has not hinted the capture of Edward Snowden, the former NSA official who stole and leaked classified documents to the junk food media. He sought asylum in Russia and later granted citizenship.
Griner is back in the United States and is expect to be home with her wife.
The far right and many of the so called "Never" ones are beyotching about a Canadian American security official being held in a Russian penal colony. He was charged with espionage. It is a far more serious crime than Brittney Griner having a few vape cartridges with CBD oils.
The noise is whining about how the president failed to get am American out of Russia.
President Joe Biden vowed that he will get Paul Whalen released.
A little bit about Whalen. He is a Canadian-American security specialist who served in the U.S. Marines until his discharge. He enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1994. He took military leave from Kelly Services to serve with the Marine Corps Reserve from 2003 to 2008, including service in Iraq. He held the rank of staff sergeant with Marine Air Control Group 38 working as an administrative clerk and administrative chief, and he was part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. After a court-martial conviction in January 2008 on multiple counts "related to larceny", he was sentenced to 60 days restriction, reduction to pay grade E-4, and a bad conduct discharge. The specific charges against him included "attempted larceny, three specifications of dereliction of duty, making a false official statement, wrongfully using another’s social security number, and ten specifications of making and uttering checks without having sufficient funds in his account for payment."
He was arrested in 2018 at his hotel on allegations of espionage.
Whelan was arrested in the Moscow area by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), which later confirmed his arrest. Whelan's twin brother David said Whelan arrived in Moscow on December 22 to attend the wedding of a former fellow Marine at the Hotel Metropol Moscow and to assist the groom's family members on their first visit to Russia, a country he had visited many times. He said his brother planned to return to Michigan on January 6, 2019, via Saint Petersburg.
Per MBK News, an outlet run by Putin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Whelan had $80,000 in cash "temporarily confiscated" during a customs inspection at Domodedovo Airport. David said his brother entered Russia using his U.S. passport. He said his brother had not been in contact with his family. He was formally charged on January 3, 2019.
According to the Russian news agency Rosbalt [ru], Whelan was apprehended in his hotel room at the Metropol while concluding a long outing with a Russian citizen, who handed him a USB drive containing "a list of all the employees at a classified security agency". The independent Latvian-based publication Meduza reported that the wedding attendees all banded close together for the duration of the holiday, and were taken aback by Whelan's decision to spend the day alone.
The BBC cited family members of Whelan, who said Whelan previously bragged about knowing an agent of the FSB, and was privy to an unusual cache of personal details about his friend, including which intelligence training school he attended (biographical information typically reserved for a very close circle).
As Whelan said about the arrest, his long-time friend had appeared suddenly in the hotel, followed by authorities, who later arrested him.
According to the lawyers, they could not provide the name of the Russian long-time friend due to Russian secrecy rules, but Whelan's family identified the person as Ilya Yatsenko, whom the Russian newspaper Kommersant described as a major in the FSB's Department "K", which monitors Russian economic crimes.
Former Obama and later Washed Up 45 ambassador Jon Huntsman failed to get him out.
Washed Up 45 did not do anything. Mike Pompeo did nothing.
Arizona senator announces she will be an independent. She is the first openly bisexual senator elected to office.
Democrats have not commented on her decision but I am guessing she will be getting death threats and relentless heckling by protesters from this point.
So there will be 48 Democrats and three independents.
Democrats won control of the Senate only to have two distractions ruin it. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) have been thorns in the side of President Joe Biden and they will continue this noise for the next two years.
“I’ve registered as an Arizona independent. I know some people might be a little bit surprised by this, but actually, I think it makes a lot of sense,” Sinema said in a Thursday interview with Tapper in her Senate office.
“I’ve never fit neatly into any party box. I’ve never really tried. I don’t want to,” she added. “Removing myself from the partisan structure – not only is it true to who I am and how I operate, I also think it’ll provide a place of belonging for many folks across the state and the country, who also are tired of the partisanship.”
It clears a path for Rep. Ruben Gellego (D-AZ) to be the sacrificial lamb and official nominee.
Sinema announced on Friday, that she will remain caucused with the Democrats.
Had she flipped to the Republicans, there would be punishment.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) would strip her of her committee assignments had she decided to become a Republican and join their conference.
Both Manchin and Sinema also opposed changes to the Senate’s filibuster rules despite pressure from their Senate colleagues and Biden to change them. After a vote against filibuster changes in January, the Arizona Democratic Party’s executive board censured Sinema.
Hiding from reality.
Sinema has been in the middle of several significant bipartisan bills that were passed since Biden took office. She pointed to that record as evidence that her approach has been an effective one.
“I’ve been honored to lead historic efforts, from infrastructure, to gun violence prevention, to protecting religious liberty and helping LGBT families feel secure, to the CHIPs and science bill to the work we’ve done on veterans’ issues,” she told CNN. “The list is really long. And so I think that the results speak for themselves. It’s OK if some people aren’t comfortable with that approach.”
Sinema’s announcement comes just days after Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock won reelection in Georgia, securing Democrats a 51st Senate seat that frees them from reliance on Vice President Kamala Harris’ tiebreaking vote.
Sinema has a feud with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). He vows to defeat her in 2024 if a strong challenger comes forth.
Sinema, Sanders and Manchin are considered headaches to the Democrats. They have often been opposing the mainstream platforms of the Schumer and Biden agenda.
Biden has also vented about them in private.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is the first openly lesbian in the Senate. She and Sinema did vote for the Respect for Marriage Act.
Sinema did vote for Kentaji Brown Jackson, the CHIPS Act, the Inflation Reduction Act and the Biden Infrastructure Spending. She opposed raising the minimum wage and extending the child credit for working families.
President Joe Biden delivers once again a promise to the voters who supported him in 2020.
For gay couples and interracial couples, a sigh of relief.
The Respect for Marriage Act passed the House of Representatives and now heads to the president's desk for signature. The bill passed 258 to 169. The law codifies protections for same sex marriages and interracial marriage. Every Democrat and 39 Republicans voted for the bill. The Black extremist, Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT) voted present.
The measure passed the Senate with 61-36. Only 12 Republican senators joined the 48 Democrats and two independents in passing this.
The Republicans who voted against this show how they're completely out of touch with reality, their constituents and pretty much are losing a base of voters who could help them win in 2024.
But who ever said Republicans were ever popular with ideas?
They are not popular!
In a statement after the vote, Biden called the legislation a “critical step to ensure that Americans have the right to marry the person they love.” He said the legislation provides “hope and dignity to millions of young people across this country who can grow up knowing that their government will recognize and respect the families they build.”
Republican led states will try to sue the government but it will be somewhat difficult now that Biden signed a law that codifies marriage protection for straight and gay couples. This will also eliminate discrimination based on sexual preference and ensure a spouse will be entitled to loved ones properties in case of death.
Democrats moved the bill quickly through the House and Senate after the Supreme Court’s decision in June that overturned the federal right to an abortion — including a concurring opinion from Justice Clarence Thomas that suggested the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalizing same-sex marriage could also be reconsidered.
While many Republicans predicted that was unlikely to happen, and said the bill was unnecessary, Democrats and GOP supporters of the bill said it shouldn’t be left to chance.
“We need it,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who presided over the vote as one of her last acts in leadership before stepping aside in January. “It is magic.”
The bill is “a glorious triumph of love and freedom,” Pelosi said, tearing up as she celebrated its passage.
In debate before the vote, several gay members of Congress talked about what a federal law would mean for them and their families. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) said he and his husband should be able to visit each other in the hospital just like any other married couple and receive spousal benefits “regardless of if your spouse’s name is Samuel or Samantha.”
Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) said he was set to marry “the love of my life” next year and it is “unthinkable” that his marriage might not be recognized in some states if Obergefell were to be overturned.
“The idea of marriage equality used to be a far-fetched idea,” said Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) “Now it’s the law of the land and supported by the vast majority of Americans.”
The legislation lost some Republican support since July, when 47 Republicans voted for it — a robust and unexpected show of support that kick-started serious negotiations in the Senate. But most of those lawmakers held firm, with a cross section of the party, from conservatives to moderates, voting for the bill. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) voted against it.
“To me this is really just standing with the Constitution,” said Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) who voted for the bill both times. She pushed back on GOP arguments that it would affect the religious rights of those who don’t believe in same-sex marriage.
“No one’s religious liberties are affected in any way, shape or form,” Wagner said.
Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) said he was “proud to once again vote in favor of protecting our LGBTQ and religious friends and neighbors.” He praised Senate changes to the bill ensuring that it would not affect current rights of religious institutions and groups.
“Civil rights are not a finite resource, we do not have to take from one group to give to another,” Stewart said.
The legislation would not require states to allow same-sex couples to marry, as Obergefell now does. But it would require states to recognize all marriages that were legal where they were performed and protect current same-sex unions if the Supreme Court decision were overturned.
While it’s not everything advocates may have wanted, passage of the legislation represents a watershed moment. Just a decade ago, many Republicans openly campaigned on blocking same-sex marriages; today more than two-thirds of the public support them.
Still, most Republicans opposed the legislation and some conservative advocacy groups lobbied aggressively against it in recent weeks, arguing that it doesn’t do enough to protect those who want to refuse services for same-sex couples.
“God’s perfect design is indeed marriage between one man and one woman for life,” said Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) before the vote. “And it doesn’t matter what you think or what I think, that’s what the Bible says.”
Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) choked up as she begged colleagues to vote against the bill, which she said undermines “natural marriage” between a man and a woman.
“I’ll tell you my priorities,” Hartzler said. “Protect religious liberty, protect people of faith and protect Americans who believe in the true meaning of marriage.”
Democrats in the Senate, led by Wisconsin’s Tammy Baldwin and Arizona’s Kyrsten Sinema, worked with supportive Republican senators to address those GOP concerns by negotiating changes to clarify that the legislation does not impair the rights of private individuals or businesses. The amended bill would also make clear that a marriage is between two people, an effort to ward off some far-right criticism that the legislation could endorse polygamy.
In the end, several religious groups, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, came out in support of the bill. The Mormon church said it would support rights for same-sex couples as long as they didn’t infringe upon religious groups’ right to believe as they choose.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who led negotiations with Baldwin and Sinema in the Senate, attended a ceremony after the House vote with Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
“When I think about this bill, I think about how much it matters to people in each of our lives, our family members, our coworkers, our neighbors, our friends,” Collins said.
Thursday’s vote came as the LGBTQ community has faced violent attacks, such as the shooting this month at a gay nightclub in Colorado that killed five people and injured at least 17.
“We have been through a lot,” said Kelley Robinson, incoming president of the advocacy group Human Rights Campaign. But Robinson says the votes show “in such an important way” that the country values LBGTQ people.
“We are part of the full story of what it means to be an American,” said Robinson, who was inside the Senate chamber for last week’s vote with her wife and young son. “It really speaks to them validating our love.”
The vote was personal for many senators, too. Schumer said after the House vote that his daughter and her wife are expecting their first child next year.
“My grandchild will live in a world that will respect and honor their mothers’ marriage,” Schumer said.
Baldwin, the first openly gay senator, has been working on gay rights issues for almost four decades. She also attended the House ceremony.
“We are giving these loving couples the certainty that their marriages are legal, and that they will continue to have the same rights and responsibilities and benefits of every other married couple,” Baldwin said. “We are telling these Americans that we see them and we respect them.”
By the way, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) is a certified coon. He is married to a white woman and his dumb ass voted against it. What the fuck is wrong with this party? Even a coon ass Donalds would vote against interracial marriage. Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT) coon ass did at least vote "present."
