do people think that succession just happens to be about fox news.... do people not know how themes work. what

Jeff Bezos Splurges $68 Million on Miami's Most Elite 'Billionaire Bunker' Mansion!

Jeff Bezos Buys $68 Million Mansion in Miami's Exclusive 'Billionaire Bunker'

According to Fox Business, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has purchased a $68 million mansion in Miami's exclusive 'Billionaire Bunker.' The property is located on Indian Creek Island, a private island off the coast of Miami Beach that is home to some of the world's wealthiest people. The mansion is the latest addition to Bezos' expansive real estate portfolio, which includes properties in Washington, California, Texas, and New York.

The mansion is located on a 2.5-acre lot and features seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a pool, a tennis court, and a private dock. It also includes a guest house and a separate staff house. The property is surrounded by lush landscaping and is located just a few blocks from the beach.

Bezos' new home is located in the same neighborhood as New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and his wife, Gisele Bundchen. The couple recently purchased a $17 million mansion on the island. Other famous residents of the island include singer Julio Iglesias and billionaire investor Carl Icahn.

The purchase of the mansion is the latest in a string of real estate acquisitions by Bezos. In 2019, he purchased a $165 million property in Beverly Hills, California, and a $90 million home in Washington, D.C. He also owns a $23 million home in Texas and a $27 million home in New York.

The purchase of the Miami mansion is a testament to the growing demand for luxury real estate in South Florida. The area has become an increasingly popular destination for wealthy individuals looking to purchase high-end homes. With its warm climate, beautiful beaches, and vibrant culture, South Florida is an attractive destination for luxury real estate buyers.

When it comes to finding the perfect ultra-luxury home in South Florida, it pays to have a trusted Real Estate advisor on your side. A Real Estate advisor can help you navigate the complex real estate market and find the perfect home for you. At Premiere Estate Properties, we specialize in helping our clients find their dream home. With our extensive knowledge of the South Florida market, we can help you find the perfect home for your needs. Click here to learn more about how we can help you find your perfect home.

Connect the dots

It’s the crime of the century, folks.

Who owns the news?

Comcast Corporation owns CNN, NBC, MSNBC, and other major news outlets

Sinclair Broadcast Group owns Fox, CBS, ABC, and hundreds of local television stations. The networks that Sinclair owns all follow a similar script. Please take 1 minute to watch this video, which demonstrates how media outlets are synchronized to push the same narrative.

Together, Comcast and Sinclair control the majority of mainstream media. Comcast appeals to a more liberal audience, while Sinclair leans conservative. Despite this, the two companies work together. They announced a multi-year content carriage agreement July this year.

To find this information, simply google “who owns CNN?” Then search for who owns “Turner Broadcasting Group” (the company that owns CNN) and follow the thread to the parent company. You can do this for any major news station.  

Let’s follow the money...

In 2018, Bill Gates invested 1 Billion dollars in Comcast and got a 400% return. Bill Gates has been routinely interviewed by the news outlets owned by Comcast since the start of this pandemic, despite his lack of a medical degree or lack of virology expertise.

Additionally, The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation donated $265.4 million dollars to Johns Hopkins university. Johns Hopkins is responsible for the Covid case/death count graphic that plays on CNN/possibly other news outlets. (Could this incentivize Johns Hopkins to put their thumb on the scale, skew the statistics to benefit a narrative their donors wish to promote?)

Since January 2020, Microsoft stock increased from $160 to $210 (most recent available data) which is more than a 30% increase. Microsoft is one of the many tech companies to benefit from pandemic lockdowns.

This crisis has increased the collective wealth of billionaires (~3000 people) by 10.2 TRILLION dollars in less than a year. For context, the GDP of the US in 2019 was about 20 trillion dollars. This means an amount comparable to half the wealth generated by the largest economy in the world, in one year, has been transferred to the ultra-wealthy in just a few months. 

Conflict of interest?

Comcast, Sinclair, and Microsoft are all run by billionaires who have gained and will continue to expand money, power, and control, through this pandemic. They all have deep long-standing connections to each other. They have worked together to control the narrative and promote policies that increase their collective wealth, while leading the rest of us to poverty, division, and destruction. Governments all over the world have used this pandemic in the same way; to expand their own power. 

The mainstream media is controlled by corporations that are interested in money, power, and control. Not objectivity. Not truth. Your news stations -even the local ones- can not be trusted to be objective. There is no trustworthy regulatory agency to ensure the news is factually accurate. In fact, news stations have been caught exaggerating or outright faking weather reports from the field. Here is a video of CNN staging a rescue.

The Cincher

Microsoft’s patent WO2020060606A1 (link goes to the google patents page) is for a device that uses human biometric data to mine cryptocurrency. This patent was published on March 26, 2020, shortly after the start of this pandemic, but had been submitted in back in 2018. 

Essentially, this technology would require access to people’s bodies all across the planet, and could be used to replace current monetary systems with a global currency. This may be why Bill Gates is pushing for billions of vaccines, multiple doses administered to everyone on the planet, though it is portrayed as an act of philanthropy. Vaccines are a means for corporations and governments to access and alter the human body. Eventually, the same distribution infrastructure created for Covid vaccines could be used to implant Microsoft’s patented technology.

Patent WO2020060606A1 would pave the way for a global currency system that uses human beings to create money. Inserting patented technology into billions of people, owning the technology that generates money, would make one immensely powerful, while opening the door to unimaginable levels of population control and potential abuses of power. 

So... What Now?

The global elite have simple goals (money, power, control) and transparent tactics. They understand the power of fear. They know that we outnumber them, which is why they will use any means to divide and conquer the masses, and exert influence however they can. Gender, race, politics, even the mask issue, have been used to turn people against potential allies, when we should be uniting against a common evil. 

There’s nothing left to do but to seek the truth for yourself using the tools at your disposal (finding all this information took 30 minutes on google) and spread that truth to whomever you can, however you can. 

Please don’t take anything you read here at face value; see the sources for yourself. Do your own research. Take back control of your own mind, your own narrative, your own life. This virus may be a problem, but it is not as deadly as the ‘solutions’ it’s being used to promote. 

A Piece of the Action/Batman’s Satisfaction (and a backdoor review of the Green Hornet)

[All images are owned by 20th Century Fox Disney. Batman is owned by DC Comics. The Green Hornet is owned by Green Hornet, Inc. (really) Please don’t sue me]

(Thanks to tvradiodude)

Like Batman, the Green Hornet began in the 1930s and is a wealthy man who moonlights as a masked vigilante. However, the Hornet started as a radio show and acts as a major player in the criminal underworld. Additionally, while Batman was pure camp, The Green Hornet was played (more or less) seriously. The other difference is who they have for a sidekick/partner. While Batman has an ex-acrobat as his sidekick, the Hornet has this man for a partner...

(Thanks to Looper)

In the 80s and in the 2Ks a Green Hornet comic was green-lit. The former was ended due to a liberty the writer took that Green Hornet, Inc (the company that holds the rights to the character...yes, I’m serious) didn’t agree with...

(Thanks to Jeff Butler)

...a female Kato (Mishi, youngest sister to the Kato in the 60s series). The company forced the writer to remove Mishi from the series, causing the writer to leave. (I had met the writer at a comics convention the year the comic was released. Somewhere there’s a picture of him and myself (dressed as the Hornet) Sadly, I don’t have a copy) The 2K version was a huge hit for Dynamite Comics until Seth Rogan decided that what the Hornet needed was a stoner attitude.

The Green Hornet may yet have a chance at redemption, as Kevin Smith is working on a new Green Hornet animated series. I have thus far enjoyed nearly everything Smith has done (sorry Bluntman & Kronik) so am looking forward to it.

You may ask what any of this has to do with Batman. As it turns out, both Batman and The Green Hornet were produced (and narrated) by William Dozier. With the two shows sharing a producer, cross-promotion was inevitable...

(Thanks to loomyaire)

However, the Hornet and Kato did share a screen with the Dynamic Duo for a two-part episode of Batman. If you would like to view the episode, it’s on Roku TV. And now for part 1...

We open on Gotham City at midnight, and for some reason the Black Beauty, the rolling arsenal of the Green Hornet, is on the city’s fair streets in front of the Pink Chip Stamp Factory. It turns out they intend to pay a visit to...

...now why does he look familiar?

Ah, that’s Roger Carmel, who played Harry Mudd on a few episodes of Star Trek. Carmel is playing the episode’s villain, Colonel Gumm (get it? Gumm... stamp)

Anyway, Hornet and Kato burst into the office and gas Gumm and his goons, then just as suddenly leave.

The next morning, Gumm is visited by...

...Pinkie Pinkston, owner of the factory (and Gumm’s boss), who immediately calls Commissioner Gordon about her factory being attacked, and Gordon immediately calls...

...well, who did you think was going to answer the Bat-Phone?

Once Bruce leaves for his study to talk to Gordon, Aunt Harriet gets a call from Britt Reid, who is in town for a newspaper publisher convention (HOW CONVENIENT!) and was hoping to talk to Bruce. It turns out he went to school with Bruce. Alfred tells Bruce, but Bruce brushes off Britt as he and Dick head for the Bat-Poles to deal with that notorious arch-criminal, the Green Hornet!

...despite what the credits say.

As the Batmobile speeds toward Gotham City in low-fps filming (how did you think the car seemed to move so fast?), Britt Reid is trying to make time with Pinkie, but she has a lunch date with Bruce Wayne (gee, everyone’s blowing off Britt!) She invites Britt to join them so she can watch two men squabble over her.

Meanwhile, in Commissioner Gordon’s office, Gordon is complaining that everyone is on his case due to rumors of the Green Hornet being in Gotham. Batman wonders what the Hornet would be doing at a stamp factory, while Robin thinks he was after something besides stamps. Suddenly, Batman remembers that Pinkie’s father owned the ultra-rare stamp known as the Gotham Gothic (which mysteriously disappeared after his death). Just as suddenly, everyone else conveniently remembers too. About that time, Gordon gets a visit from...

...newspaper publisher Britt Reid (who, just like everyone in Gotham, doesn’t recognize Batman’s voice as being remarkably similar to Bruce Wayne’s. At least Michael Keaton had the good sense to rasp when under the cowl) Gordon mentions that the Green Hornet (whose base of operations is in Britt’s city) is rumored to be in Gotham (what are the odds?) With that, the Dynamic Duo head back to the Batcave.

Meanwhile, at Pink Chip...

...Gumm monologues at his goon (you can usually tell who the goons are since they have their cheesily-themed names plastered to their shirts) about their scheme to counterfeit rare stamps, then swap them for the real deal at the International Stamps Exhibition the following night. However, it seems Pinkie is unaware of Gumm’s plan. What’s more, she informs Gumm that she has found out that the people who attacked her factory were the Green Hornet and his accomplice (in the series, Kato’s masked persona is never given an actual name) and wonders exactly why the Hornet would be interested in her factory.

Meanwhile, at the Batcave, the Bat-Computer can’t giver the identity of the Green Hornet because Batman didn’t install the right deus-ex-Batshit software to be able to do so. He also reminds Robin that no one has managed to figure out their own secret identities (of course, that’s due to everyone in Gotham being an idiot)

Suddenly, the Bat-Computer manages to Batshit a response to the Hornet’s identity: “I have no freakin’ Bat-Clue. Bat-Upgrade me!” (I may be taking a bit of dramatic license with its response, but you get the point) Then Batman remembers that Bruce Wayne has a lunch date and Dick Grayson has a tutoring session.

Later, at the luncheon-a-trois, Pinkie is trying to milk Britt for the scoop on the Green Hornet. Meanwhile...

...Britt and Bruce aren’t the only masters of disguise in the restaurant.

Pinkie excuses herself (after getting Bruce to speak to Batman and Britt to find out what the Hornet is up to), leaving the boys to fight over the check. It turns out Bruce is about to visit his stamp dealer; he thinks he was sold a bogus rare stamp. Britt seems to have had a similar issue (I didn’t know they were both such avid collectors. It was never mentioned before or since) so invites himself along.

Later, at the office of Bruce’s dealer (STAMP dealer! Bruce Wayne didn’t need that kind of dealer. Adam West, on the other hand...), Bruce is gently twisting the owner’s arm to get him to admit he had purchased, and then sold, a fake. He also asks about the Gotham Gothic.

However, the owner (a very stereotypical pre-Soviet Russian complete with horrible accent...and there’s something familiar about him) brushes them off and ushers them out.

Once Bruce and Britt are gone, Gummski calls the factory to yell at his goons to move to the next phase of their plan. Unfortunately, Pinkie had walked in during the conversation and heard everything.

Later, at Britt Reid’s hotel room, Britt tells Kato that Gumm isn’t as brilliant at disguise as he thinks. He also warns Kato that Batman may get involved as well (and no doubt buys the Hornet’s cover as a criminal mastermind)

Meanwhile, at Pink Chip, Pinkie confronts Gumm (not gonna lie; I thought Pinkie was in on it at the beginning) Unfortunately, she did so without backup, so Gumm’s goons grab her and lock her in Gumm’s office.

Meanwhile, the Batmobile has arrived outside Pink Chip. Batman hides the car in a nearby alley as the Black Beauty makes its arrival. The Hornet and Kato enter the factory as the Dynamic Duo leave the alley, spotting the car. The pair creep back to a conveniently open window to see...

The Green Hornet trying to horn(et) in on Gumm’s operation, but Gumm’s goons jump the pair and throw them into a stamp maker. Batman and Robin move in Cue the Bat-Brawl music and onomatopoetic graphics (but still no ZOWIE)! Unfortunately, the pair are eventually thrown against...

Holy flypaper! It was nice of Pinkie to label that pad, but why the hell is it on the wall? Meanwhile, Gumm’s machine produces...

...a Green Hornet stamp (OK, that is way cheesy, but kinda impressive. Better than anything the Joker came up with during the series) Gumm then declares that as soon as the Hornet’s henchman is done, it will be the Dynamic Duo’s turn to be *ahem* stamped out.

(Thanks to meme generator)

William Dozier tells to tune in tomorrow...same Bat-Time, same Bat-Channel!

However, I don’t want to wait that long, so on to Part 2...

Finally, one day later, Kato’s stamp emerges to join the Hornet on the wall. Gumm sprays a solvent to dissolve the glue holding Batman and Robin in place. Unfortunately for Gumm’s goons, the Caped Crusaders get the jump on them, stunning them long enough for Batman to open the machine, allowing the Hornet and Kato to get out (since Batman realized they were still inside the machine...which begs the question of why the hell they were thrown in there in the first place...and why Gumm had giant stamps of them) while Gumm and his goons make their getaway with the counterfeit stamps and Pinkie.

Eventually the Hornet and Kato escape...

...and rather than arrest them, Batman decides to show he’s more intelligent. Geez boys, just whip out the Bat-Tape Measure already! Then Batman just allows the Hornet and Kato to saunter out.

On the Dynamic Duo’s way out of the factory, Batman’s nose obviously has a deus-ex-Batshit gland as he smells in colors...specifically, pink. He surmises that Pinkie Pinkston has been kidnapped. Furthermore, his eyes have a similar feature as he sees the alphabet soup Pinkie left and that certain letters aren’t in the soup. placing the soup in his Bat-Thermos, they take it be the Batcave for dinner to be analyzed.

At the Batcave, Alfred tells Batman that Britt Reid has arrived and would like to speak to Bruce Wayne. It turns out Britt is looking for Pinkie, then starts fishing for info on Batman, then they continue measuring Bruce’s Bat-Pole and Britt’s “stinger”

Later, at the Batcave, the Caped Crusaders decide to try out their latest deux-ex-Batshit upgrade to the bat-Computer, the alphabet soup analyzer. It turns out Pinkie did leave a message in the soup and tells Batman that Gumm has her and that he’s planning something at the Stamp Exhibition that evening.

Meanwhile, as a nondescript warehouse (what? It’s not Sticky’s Warehouse? The Postage Due Storage Company? Gotham Stamp Repository? The writers are slipping) Pinkie is goading Gumm to monologue. Then Gumm tells Pinkie that he has worked out what no one is Gotham has...that Bruce Wayne...is the Green Hornet! and that Britt Reid...is Batman! (ooo, so close!) Pinkie doesn’t believe it for a moment. With that, Gumm gloats his way out of the warehouse. As soon as he leaves, Pinkie tells her dog (I seriously hope whatever they used to dye that poor dog’s fur washes out!) to chew through her ropes.

Later, at Commissioner Gordon’s office, Pinkie has escaped and told Gordon about Bruce Wayne’s and Britt Reid’s double life (You would think Gordon would remember Batman and Reid were in his office together last episode). Gordon, Pinkie, and Chief O’Hara head for the Stamp Exhibition to see how events unfold.

Meanwhile, the Green Hornet, Kato, and the Caped Crusaders prepare their own trips to the Exhibition. Hornet asks Kato to exercise care with Batman and Robin, as they’re on the same side, no matter what the Hornet claims.

Meanwhile, inside...

(Thanks to Hall of Justice)

With Gumm apprehended, all that is left is the wrap-up. With a bit of duplicity, Pinkie receives a phone call from Batman while she’s having lunch with Britt, thereby disproving the theory that the two are the same person (but I notice no one tried disproving that Bruce in the Hornet...)

Hope you enjoyed this double review, and if anyone would like to see a review of any Green Hornet episodes, let me know!

hello! ive been interested in watching succession but im wondering if it has gay plot lines or not 👀

oh god tumblr what have u done aslsdfjkl

short answer is no, not at the moment! however i have many thoughts about succession so here is a longer answer if u are still interested in it!

succession really fascinated me with its popularity on tumblr specifically, bc on paper it seems like a mainstream show tumblr would love to take the piss out of (the drama of a self-serving family who owns the equivalent of fox news), but the show ends up working, even if the audience is rooting for most everyone to fail (which somehow at the end of it, you’re not)

pros:

the writing is fantastic and balances the line between absurd and real very easily, almost like aaron sorkin 

the acting is phenomenal!! i don’t even know how many emmy noms the show got for its acting but it was all deserved and probably under-awarded. it takes a lot to make the weird atmosphere of the show work and all of the acting is spot on

the drama and direction is great, i’ve seen some ppl compare it to a modern (early season) game of thrones

THE MUSIC

cons:

diversity, who is she? obviously very white, male, cis, het, etc

some ppl might not like to stomach the tongue-in-cheek, flippant way that the characters discuss real world issues (racism, sexism)

it really comes down to: can u stand to watch a bunch of ultra-wealthy, white people tear everything apart in a self-destructive way to claw theirselves to the top for no real reason apart from trauma. obviously u aren’t supposed to take anything at face value, it’s a very entertainment for entertainment’s sake — very 21st century bald “nothing off limits” approach. my personal opinion of why it is so popular on this platform is that the basic emotions of the show are very relatable (repression, childhood trauma, self-destruction). imo it has this air of being a  show with gay storylines partly because there are so many male businessmen staggering around in a big dick competition, but also because a lot of the repression onscreen is reminiscent of the way that closeted gay characters are coded sometimes

tldr — no “succession” doesn’t have any overtly gay plot lines atm, but it’s still a worthwhile show to check out if u can handle the kind of no-limits comedic approach it takes!

Reasons I hate Fat Donnie Trump (will update frequently)

#Republican, duh. #Narcissistic Personality Order #He lost the Popular vote. #No previous political experience #Has unrealistic ideas about how to solve America's problems, such as getting Mexico to pay for a wall to keep illegal immigrants out. #Vice President is a crazy fundamentalist Christian homophobic wackjob who thinks electroshock therapy cures homosexuality and can't be alone with a woman without his wife present. #Believes in unscientific ideas such as the idea that vaccines cause autism (I am autistic so this is a bit personal) #Has made comments alluding to sexual harassment. #Can't let any slight go. Even comments made about his sign. Jeez, Obama simply shrugged off the trolls and haters. #Won't stop bitch-tweeting. #Enacted the separation of children from their parents. #Tried to ban trans folks from the military. As long as they serve our country, who cares? #Suspended CNN's press pass after some tough questioning. #Is imposing insanely high tariffs on imported goods, mostly from China. #Supports unconstitutional profiling of Muslims. #Supports killing civilians in war. “We gotta take our their families” WHO THINKS LIKE THIS? #Posted troops on the border just for political advantage in the 2018 mid-terms. #Is a shameless self-promoter. #Can't admit his own faults. #Believes he's qualified for president because he's rich (said this in 2013) #Has passed insane tax cuts for the rich, which only increase America's budget deficit and national debt. TRICKLE-DOWN NEVER WORKS. #Had to be discouraged from invading Venezuela, who hasn't done anything to us and poses no threat to us. #Gets advice from Fox News. #Pulled out the Iran deal which was working. #Thinks that the way to show strength is by being a dick. #Cheated on every one of his wives and lied about it. We impeached Bill Clinton for it. #Has increased the military budget way too much. We spend $664 BILLION on the military. It doesn't need anymore. #Claimed Obama spied on him by wiretapping the Trump towers. Provided no evidence. #When he is criticized for something, he claims “Obama started it...” *facepalm* #LIES ON A CONSTANT BASIS. I think he lies just to see what his fans will believe... #He won't admit he lost the popular vote. He says "If you deduct the illegal voters." Oh please... #Is undoing everything Obama did just because it was Obama that did it. If he could bring back Osama bin Laden, he would. #WORLD LEADERS ARE LAUGHING AT HIM AND US #He has his cabinet kiss his ass on a constant basis. #He committed campaign finance violations during the election. #He fired FBI Director Jimmy the Giant Comey just because he wouldn't swear loyalty to him and was investigating him. That’s Obstruction of Justice. #Attacked former Attorney General Jeff Sessions for not closing the Mueller investigation. #He said he wanted to lower the minimum wage back in 2015. #The infamous "Mexicans are rapists" Comment. #Attacked the late John McCain for being a Prisoner-of-War. #Gave out a Senator's cellphone number out of spite. #Blamed Megyn Kelly's tough questioning on her period. #He said "Bring back torture EVEN IF IT DOESN'T WORK". (2015) ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! #Tried to have his political opponents locked up. #"Jokes" about being president-for-life. If Obama had "joked" about this, the right would've lost their shit. #Threatened martial law in Chicago. #Praised Protestant bigot Norman Peale, who only opposed JFK simply because he was Catholic. #He violated the Presidential Records Act. #One of his tax cuts gave the poor $40, the ultra-rich $940,000 #He appeals to insecure men. #He and Jeff Sessions said it is ok to discriminate against gay people. #Complains about people not respecting the flag, says the guy who molests it. #Wants North Korean-style Military Parades. #Started that Obama birth certificate bullshit... He only said Obama was born in America in 2016...when it was politically-convenient. (*cough* back-pedaling) #He believes women are beneath him. #Doesn't believe in Global Warming. #Wouldn't stop saying interrupting Clinton in the debates. #Has more in common with the criminal Richard Nixon than anyone else. (Edit: He called for an end to investigations like Tricky Dick did in ‘74) #3.2 MILLION Americans lost their health insurance in Trump's first year. #"A terror attack would help me politically bigly." or we could NOT have a terrorist attack, thank you. #Claimed he would've run into a school shooting to confront the shooter without a weapon. BULLSHIT. #His lawyers say "I can't let him testify because he can't stop lying." #His budget obliterated funding for Science, Education, EPA & labor. #He encourages Republicans to break the law. #Tweeted FAKE photos to convince his fans that the border wall is being built. #Has committed obstruction of justice. (Edit: Confirmed by Mueller) #Said he's in favor of bombing civilians. #He had the USAF bomb an antivenom medical facility in Syria. #He said he only received $1 Million from his father. HE GOT $400 Million. ANOTHER LIE. #He makes everything about himself. Even 9/11. Who makes 9/11 about himself? #Claims he's completely immune to lawsuits over constitutional violations. Nixon said that, but it didn't work for him. #He's driving us to another Great Depression. #He threatened to punish the media if they weren't nice to him. #He calls the press "The enemy of the people" when they don't kiss his ass. #He calls Sean Hannity every night. Sean Hannity is a partisan hack who wouldn't turn on a Republican president even if he found out he was using JFK's Eternal Flame to light farts. He’s so far up Trump’s ass he can taste his lunch. #He still uses his private NON-SECURE cell phone, creating HUGE National Security problems. #He admitted his attacks on the media are just to discredit negative stories. #He claims he has the power to pardon himself. NO THE HELL HE DOESN'T. #Giuliani said Trump can't testify because his memory keeps changing. #THE MOST THIN-SKINNED PRESIDENT. #He is against the protections for pre-existing conditions. HE is a pre-existing condition. #When told Kim Jong-Un is a murderer, he responded "He's a tough guy." #He says Americans should obey him like North Koreans are forced at gunpoint to obey Kim Jong-un. #He trusts brutal dictators, but not our closest allies. #He is jealous of Kim Jong-Un's absolute grip on power. #He lied about the German crime rate to justify his immigration policies. #He suggested destroying the Constitution so he can deport immigrants faster. #Authorized USING LETHAL FORCE ON UNARMED MIGRANTS!!! #Lied to the United Nations, saying poverty in America doesn't actually exist. I PERSONALLY know people who are living in poverty. #He issued a gag order to stop government employees from talking to reporters. #He said, on tape, that if Senator Elizabeth Warren proved she was Native American, he would donate $1 million to a charity of her choice. When she did, and someone pointed it out, he said "I didn't say that." Whether or not he’s obligated to pay, he said he would but now he’s saying he didn’t say it. #Says people who criticize him are a threat to America. #His trade wars have cost 100,000+ American jobs. #People who work for him tend to be convicted of crimes... #Makes slanderous lies about us Democrats. #Told German Chancellor she owes him $1 Trillion even though she doesn't him shit. #76% of the claims Trump makes during his rallies are LIES. #He has committed at least NINE impeachable offenses. #He said he believes Russian president Vladimir Putin over OUR OWN intelligence agencies. #He once said in December 2016, "Fuck the law! I don't give a fuck about the law! I want my fucking money!" #Claimed we've won the war on poverty, so let's cut food stamp programs. No we haven't. #He threatened to nuke the economy to spite China. #He said he'd drain the swamp, yet he was 86 lobbyists on his staff. #He thinks everyone else is as stupid as he is. #Corporations are PRAYING that Trump tweets us into a war. #He told a crowd "reality isn't real" so they should ignore it. #Wages have tanked after Trump's wealthy tax cut. #Nixon was guilty as hell and Trump sounds just like him. #He actually claimed you need a Picture ID to buy cereal....CEREAL...WHO IS THIS STUPID?!?! #He claimed people will die if we don't make cars less fuel efficient. #By August 2018 his lie count topped 4,200+. By May 2019, it’s now 10,000+. #His administration is now allowing more toxic asbestos into our daily lives. #His wife plagiarized Michelle Obama in a speech during the election. #He watches tapes of his rallies to marvel at his own "brilliance", if that's what you call it. More like jerking off to himself. #He said military might is more important that jobs. #He said violating ethics rules to meet with Fox news is in "the public's interest" #Discreetly called for Hillary Clinton's assassination by firearm (”Second Amendment people”) if she had won. #Claimed he would ONLY accept the results of the 2016 election IF HE WON. #Said "Let's fucking kill him" of Bashar al-Assad. Yes, Assad is a bad man, but WE DON'T ASSASSINATE PEOPLE. #He said he wants to separate migrants kids from parents INDEFINITELY. #He acted like a total ass on the 2018 9/11 anniversary. #He denies that 3,000+ Puerto Ricans died in Hurricane Maria. #Pentagon officials had to stop Trump from tweeting us into a war. #American taxpayers spent $77 MILLION on Trump's Golf trips. #Criticized Obama for golf trips...has taken more golf trips in 3 years than Obama did in 8. #Said the FBI is a "Cancer to the country". #His administration cut cancer research funding to pay for child prisons. #Puerto Rico won't get statehood simply because they were mean to him. *His administration said Planet is burning down, so let's just ruin it now. *Says he loves North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un. “We fell in love”. *Talked about his dick at the debates. *He is being investigated for tax evasion and fraud. *Hates immigrants, married two Eastern European immigrant, son of a Scottish immigrant and grandson of a German immigrant. *Claimed Iraq War was wrong, yet he has increased troop numbers there. *Compared sexual assault victims to arsonists. #He denied Saudi Arabia financial interests...AFTER bragging about them. #He hasn't condemned Saudi Arabia for their murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. #He mocked decorated Navy SEAL, saying they should've gotten Osama bin Laden sooner. WHAT? #He banned 2 Million Federal workers from discussing his impeachment at work. #He demanded that he leave the G20 during the climate change discussion. #He told about skyrocketing national debt: "I won't be here." when it explodes. #Called a US Senator "The Dick". #*His hush money payments were done ILLEGALLY, with campaign cash. #His cult sent bombs to everyone he criticized. Not saying he's directly responsible but that's how cultist his fans are. #He threatened to bring Saturday Night Live to court simply for making fun of him. Awww poor baby, is someone making fun of you? Good. #Never has a president been under so much investigations except Richard Nixon. #He pulled us out of the Paris agreements. #His 2018 government shutdown lasted 35 days and was over a stupid wall. #He only works 40% of the day. He's the laziest POTUS ever. #He pulled us out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. HE STARTED A NEW COLD WAR. #He won’t release his taxes. If he’s got nothing to hide, why HIDE EM? #He threatened us Democrats, saying he has the support of the police, the military and “Bikers for Trump.” Bikers for Trump=BrownShirts. #Claims that windmill causes cancer and kill birds...Are you fucking kidding me? #His son Donny Douchebag got a crowd to chant “AOC sucks” like the douchebag he is. #Claimed his father was born in Germany. Fred Trump was born in NYC, how stupid can you be to not know where your parents were born... #Claims he should get 2 more years added to his term because those 2 years were “stolen” by the Mueller report. *facepalm-cringe* #He told 4 Progressive non-white Congresswomen to “Go back to where you came from”. 3 of 4 were BORN HERE, YOU FUCKING RACIST #One-uped the “go back to your country” but viciously attacking Elijah Cummings and Baltimore in a racist Twitter tirade. #Extorted the Ukrainian President to investigate Joe Biden (finally being impeached) #He's always blaming everybody else, complaining, never taking responsibility. #"I inherited a mess." You inherited millions of dollars, you whiny...little...BITCH!

Take the time and check it out !

“ ... While Fox News did not air it, historian and author Rutger Bregman released his own amateur video of the interview, recorded in a Netherlands studio. (Rutger Bregman)  ... “

“ ... Ignoring the Davos panel moderator's questions, Bregman instead linked poverty to the fact that rich people don't pay enough in taxes, comparing the lack of discussion on the subject at the forum to attending a conference of firefighters where no one would talk about water.

"Just stop talking about philanthropy and start talking about taxes," he told the audience despite protests from one of the gathering of billionaires. "We can invite Bono once more, but we've got to be talking about taxes. That's it. Taxes, taxes, taxes. All the rest is bullshit, in my opinion."

At a panel titled The Cost of Inequality, Bregman sidestepped the Davos moderator's question, instead saying the solution was for rich people to pay more tax. (Twitter)

For Fox, the story was irresistible. An upstart chiding the Davos elite — U.S. President Donald Trump, a Fox favourite, did not attend this year — for flying in private jets to talk about climate change and ignoring the fact they didn't contribute their share.

And if that's where the interview had stopped it is very possible that Fox would have aired it.

But just as he did at the World Economic Forum, Bregman had a surprise in store for his host. Clearly a smart cookie who had done his research, Bregman turned the tables, perhaps because he knew he had his own recording, and refused the self-censorship that would have increased the chances his interview would make it to air.

Making Fox the news

Bregman, author of the bestseller Utopia for Realists and How We Can Get There, lit into not just the Davos elite but Fox, its billionaire owner Rupert Murdoch and the Fox hosts, who he described as millionaires in the pay of billionaires.

In the interview the news channel decided not to run, the historian and author repeated his comments that Davos billionaires had studiously ignored the obvious question of the importance of higher taxes on the rich. But he extended those observations to include Fox itself.

"I'm just saying what everyone around the world is thinking," said Bregman in the recording he released, pointing out that polls show a majority of Americans, including Fox viewers, want higher taxes on the rich. "But no one is saying that at Davos just as no one's saying it on Fox News."

1/ Here’s the interview that @TuckerCarlson and Fox News didn’t want you to see. I chose to release it, because I think we should keep talking about the corrupting influence of money in politics. It also shows how angry elites can get if you do that. https://twitter.com/i/status/1098282209834950657 …

Watch Fox News host Tucker Carlson call one of his guests a 'tiny brain...moron' during an interview. NowThis has obtained the full segment with historian Rutger Bregman that Fox News is refusing to air.

38.5K people are talking about this

The reason, he said, is simple, that the people at Davos and Fox have been bought by the billionaires.

"What the Murdochs want you to do is scapegoat immigrants instead of talking about tax avoidance," said Bregman in a comment that seemed clearly intended to make the Fox host blow his stack.

Raising taxes for the ultra-rich can save capitalism, argues author

"And I'm taking orders from the Murdochs? Is that what you're saying?" asked the Fox host.

But of course that's not the way media owners exert their influence. What they do instead is hire like-minded publishers who hire like-minded editors, and so on.

As Bregman points out, the host didn't need to be Rupert Murdoch's finger puppet. He came ready-made from his association with the anti-tax, anti-government Cato Institute, which is itself funded by wealthy donors..

the little guy strikes back

Part of the fun of Bregman's release of the Fox interview is that it felt like the little guy striking back using social media.

But it was also a reminder of an issue many of us may have forgotten, that despite the supposed clout of social media, it is the surviving media giants controlled by rich people that still have the power to set the news agenda.

From the Wall Street Journal controlled by Murdoch, Bloomberg controlled by Michael Bloomberg, the Washington Post controlled by Amazon's Jeff Bezos, and Canada's richest family, the Thomsons that controls both the Globe and Mail and Reuters, is it any wonder we don't get front pages filled with stories outraged that billionaires don't pay enough tax. ...”

Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin rockets getting ‘very close’ to flying passengers for space tourism

Blue Origin, the stealthy company founded by Amazon’s billionaire founder Jeff Bezos, just launched another test flight of its tourism rocket as it steadily inches toward sending paying customers into space.

WEST TEXAS — Blue Origin, the stealthy company founded by Amazon’s billionaire founder Jeff Bezos, just launched another test flight of its tourism rocket as it steadily inches toward sending paying customers into space.

The rocket took off from a test site in rural West Texas on Wednesday and soared more than 60 miles into the upper atmosphere, across the boundary that is widely considered the edge of space.

It marked the 12th uncrewed test flight for Blue Origin’s fully autonomous rocket and spacecraft system, called New Shepard. And it could be one of the last before the company is ready to start flying paying customers, though it’s not clear exactly when the company will reach that milestone.

Earlier this year, Ariane Cornell, Blue Origin’s director of sales, said the company was looking to fly passengers in 2019. But those plans changed. During the webcast of Wednesday’s launch, she said only that the company is getting ��very close.”

CEO Bob Smith told CNBC in a recent interview that tourism flights will “probably” start next year.

The New Shepard capsule, which will house passengers and is equipped with large windows for panoramic views, detaches from the rocket near the top of its flight path. During Wednesday’s test flight, it climbed about 343,000 feet, or 65 miles. Future passengers will be able to experience a few minutes of weightlessness before the descent.

Three parachutes are used to slow the capsule as it falls back to Earth, and it was traveling about 16 miles per hour before hitting the ground on Wednesday and kicking up a puff of sand. The trip lasted just over 10 minutes from takeoff to landing.

After the rocket detached from the capsule, it reignited its engine to execute a pinpoint landing back on the launch site. Blue Origin says New Shepard can land and fly again with “minimal refurbishment,” which is key to bringing down the cost per launch. It was the sixth flight for the rocket and capsule that flew on Wednesday. Its most recent trip before that was in May.

This launch was also the ninth test fight that involved research payloads. One project, called OSCAR, will test a “mixture of gasses” that could help NASA understand how to convert common waste to “propulsion or life support” on deep-space exploration missions, according to a press release.

Also on board New Shepard were thousands of postcards from kids around the world who are part of Blue Origin’s Club for the Future, a nonprofit designed to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Space tourism as a business

Blue Origin’s New Shepard is slated to compete directly with Virgin Galactic, the space tourism company founded by British entrepreneur Richard Branson, by flying wealthy passengers on scenic trips to suborbital space.

Both companies have been developing their hardware since the early 2000s. And they were expected to finally begin commercial operations this year.

Galactic, which recently made its stock market debut, is now planning to launch the first paying customers on its supersonic space plane by mid-2020. It already has more than 600 customers lined up, most of whom agreed to pay between $200,000 and $250,000 per seat.

Blue Origin has not publicly confirmed how much its tickets cost. The company has tended to keep its cards much closer to the chest by only confirming test flights after their plans are made public in regulatory records.

The company is funded solely by Jeff Bezos, whose $100 billion-plus fortune makes him one of the richest people in the world.

Some in the space industry are bullish on space tourism, suggesting it can become a major revenue maker. But critics question whether there’s enough demand among the world’s ultra-rich to make it a sustainable business.

Blue Origin has several other business plays in the works: A massive rocket under development called New Glenn that is competing with established companies SpaceX and United Launch Alliance for military launch contracts. And Blue Origin is working with established aerospace companies to compete for NASA contracts to build a moon lander.

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2019/12/11/jeff-bezoss-blue-origin-rockets-getting-very-close-to-flying-passengers-for-space-tourism/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2019/12/11/jeff-bezoss-blue-origin-rockets-getting-very-close-to-flying-passengers-for-space-tourism/

These 15 Billionaires Own America's News Media Companies

News that billionaire Peter Thiel is funding Hulk Hogan's trial against news website Gawker set the media and technology worlds on fire last week, sparking a conversation about the ultra-wealthy's role in controlling the news. 

While a billionaire secretly funding a lawsuit to take down a news outlet may be a new way of using money to influence the media business, billionaires have long exerted influence on the news simply by owning U.S. media outlets.

Some billionaires, like Rupert Murdoch and  Michael Bloomberg are longtime media moguls who made their fortunes in the news business. Others, like Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, bought publications as a side investment after building a substantial fortune in another industry. Billionaires own part or all of several of America's influential national newspapers, including The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and the  New York Times , in addition to magazines, local papers and online publications.

Several other billionaires, including Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and Liberty Media Chairman John Malone, own or control cable TV networks that are powerful but not primarily news focused.

Here's a look at some of the billionaires who own news media in the United States:

Michael Bloomberg - Bloomberg  LP and Bloomberg Media

Michael Bloomberg, the richest billionaire in the media business, returned to his eponymous media company in September 2014, eight months after stepping down as mayor of New York City. One notable sign of his influence on the publication: Michael Bloomberg doesn't appear on Bloomberg's Billionaires Index.

 FORBES pegs his net worth at $45.7 billion. Bloomberg cofounded his financial data company in 1981 with Charles Zegar and Thomas Secunda, both of whom are now billionaires as well thanks to their minority equity stakes in Bloomberg LP. The company expanded into business news coverage and has more than 2,000 reporters around the world. In 2009, Bloomberg LP bought Business Week magazine from McGraw Hill for a reported $5 million plus assumption of debt.

Rupert Murdoch - News Corp

Rupert Murdoch, former CEO of 21st Century Fox , the parent of powerhouse cable TV channel Fox News, may well be the world's most powerful media tycoon. He is executive co-chairman of 21st Century Fox with his son Lachlan and is also chairman of News Corp, which owns The Wall Street Journal and other publications. Altogether, his family controls 120 newspapers across five countries. Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal also owns 1% of News Corp, after cutting down his holdings from 6% in early 2015.

Donald and Samuel "Si" Newhouse -  Advance Publications

Donald Newhouse and his brother Samuel "Si" Newhouse inherited Advance Publications, a privately-held media company that controls a plethora of newspapers, magazine, cable TV and entertainment assets, from their father. Advance owns newspapers in 25 cities and towns across America and is the country's largest privately-held newspaper chain. Conde Nast, a unit of Advance Publications, publishes magazines including Wired, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and Vogue. Si stepped down as chairman of Conde Nast in 2015.

Cox Family - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Cox Enterprises , owned by the billionaire Cox family, counts The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and a number of other daily papers among its many media investments. James Cox, the company founder and grandfather of current chairman Jim Kennedy, bought his first newspaper, the Dayton Ohio Evening News, in 1898. The Cox Media Group Division today owns the Journal-Constitution and six other daily newspapers, more than a dozen non-daily publications, 14 broadcast television stations, one local cable channel and 59 radio stations.

Jeff Bezos - The Washington Post

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post for $250 million in 2013. Since beginning his run for president, Trump has accused Bezos of using the Post to get tax breaks for Amazon and sending reporters after Trump. Bezos denied the allegations at a tech conference at the Washington Post in May. The Post's reporters also defended themselves, saying that the paper has covered Amazon's tax problems and that the Post's editorial board's stance on taxing online retailers hasn't changed since Bezos bought the paper.

John Henry - The Boston Globe

Billionaire Red Sox owner John Henry purchased the Boston Globe in October 2013 for $70 million. Henry agreed to purchase the Globe just days after Bezos acquired the Washington Post. The Globe was previously owned by the New York Times for twenty years. At the time of his purchase, Henry said he didn't plan to influence the paper's sports coverage.

Sheldon Adelson - The Las Vegas Review-Journal

In December 2014, Las Vegas casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson secretly bought the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The newspaper's own reporting outed the billionaire buyer, who reportedly arranged the $140 million deal through his son-in-law. Since then, there have been reports of Adelson influencing coverage of himself at a newspaper that in the past was often critical of the billionaire.

Joe Mansueto - Inc. and Fast Company magazines

Morningstar CEO Joe Mansueto made his $2.3 billion fortune at the investment and research firm he founded in 1984. One month after taking Morningstar public in 2005, Mansueto bought Inc. and Fast Company magazine from G&J USA. In a statement at the time, he wrote, "I wasn't looking to buy a magazine. Or two, for that matter....I bought them because I'm passionate about their missions. Their past, present, and future contributions."

Mortimer Zuckerman - US News & World Report, New York Daily News

Real estate billionaire Mortimer Zuckerman is the owner of both US News & World Report and the New York Daily News. Zuckerman serves as chairman and editor-in-chief of U.S. News & World Report, which he bought in 1984. In the years since, US News & World Report has made a name for itself with its lucrative rankings, including Best Colleges, Best Graduate School and Best Hospitals lists. Zuckerman bought the Daily News out of bankruptcy in 1993 and unsuccessfully tried to sell the tabloid newspaper for six months in 2015.

Barbey family - Village Voice

In October 2015, investor Peter Barbey bought the Village Voice, a New York City alternative weekly, through his investment company Black Walnut Holdings LLC for an undisclosed price. Barbey is a member of the billionaire Barbey family, which made its fortune in textiles and manufacturing. In 1989, John Barbey started the Reading Globe and Mitten Manufacturing Company in Pennsylvania. His son J.E. Barbey took the company, which was then known as Vanity Fair Silk Mills, public in 1951 and the family still owns nearly 20% of the company. The family has also owned a local Pennsylvania paper, The Reading Eagle, for generations.

Stanley Hubbard – Hubbard Broadcasting

Media mogul Stanley Hubbard is CEO of Hubbard Broadcasting, which has 13 TV stations, including a number of ABC and NBC news affiliates in the Midwest, and 48 radio stations. In August, Hubbard bought a stake in PodcastOne, a one-stop shop app for podcasts, through Hubbard Broadcasting. Media runs in Hubbard's family; his father started Minnesota's first commercial TV station in 1923.

Patrick Soon-Shiong - Tribune Publishing Co.

On May 23, Tribune Publishing Co. announced that L.A. doctor and pharmaceutical billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong's Nant Capital was investing $70.5 million into the media company, making Soon-Shiong the second-largest shareholder. He is now the vice chairman of the media company, which owns papers like The Los Angeles Times and The Chicago Tribune. In an interview with CNBC, Soon-Shiong described his investment as an "opportunity to actually transform this newspaper world into this next generation." In 2014, Tribune Publishing Co. was spun out of Tribune Company , which changed its name to Tribune Media Co. Tribune Co. had previously been owned by billionaire real estate investor Sam Zell, who took control of Tribune Co. in 2007. Less than a year later, the company went bankrupt. Four years later, Tribune Co. emerged from bankruptcy after being bought by Oaktree Capital Management, Angelo, Gordon & Co and JPMorgan Chase .

Carlos Slim Helu - The New York Times

The New York Times published an article last Friday criticizing the power that billionaires wield over media companies. One ultra-wealthy media investor not mentioned in the story: Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helu, who owns the largest individual stake in the Times. Slim more than doubled his stake in The New York Times in June 2015 to approximately 17% of the media company.

Warren Buffett - regional daily papers

Warren Buffett, as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway , has invested in a number of small newspapers and owns about 70 dailies today. In 2012, Berkshire Hathaway acquired 63 daily newspapers and weeklies in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama from Media General for $142 million.

Viktor Vekselberg - Gawker

Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg's investment arm, Columbus Nova Technology Partners, bought a minority stake in Gawker in January 2016 for an undisclosed amount. The online media company took outside funding for the first time in anticipation of legal fees incurred by a lawsuit brought by wrestler Hulk Hogan, according to a leaked memo from Gawker founder Nick Denton. Hogan sued Gawker after it published a sex tape. In March a jury awarded Hogan $140 million in damages. Gawker aims to appeal the ruling.

Warren’s $52T ‘Medicare-for-all’ plan revealed

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Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren’s long-awaited “Medicare-for-all” funding plan projects the government-run health care system would cost a staggering sum of “just under $52 trillion” over the next decade, with the campaign proposing a host of new tax increases to pay for it while still claiming the middle class would not face any additional burden.

“We don’t need to raise taxes on the middle class by one penny to finance Medicare for All,” Sen. Warren, D-Mass., said in her plan — a copy of which was obtained by Fox News.

FUNDING MEDICARE-FOR-ALL WITH TAXES ONLY ON RICH IS ‘IMPOSSIBLE,’ STUDY SAYS

Some of Warren’s rivals for the nomination are unlikely to buy that claim, after having repeatedly challenged her assertions that the middle class would not be hit by tax hikes and suggesting she has not been upfront with voters.

The campaign’s detailed Medicare-for-all proposal, however, insists that the costs can be covered by a combination of existing federal and state spending on Medicare and other health care, as well as roughly $20 trillion in taxes on employers, financial transactions, the ultra-wealthy and large corporations and some savings elsewhere. This includes what is essentially a payroll tax increase on employers, something economists generally say can hit workers in the form of reduced wages.

Like Medicare-for-all’s chief Senate champion, fellow candidate Bernie Sanders, the Warren campaign argues that many of these costs already are being spent in the existing health care system by governments, employers and individuals in the form of premiums, deductibles and other expenses.

The Warren campaign claims those individual costs would drop to “practically zero,” while the plan maintains and boosts a funding pipeline from other sources. However, unlike Sanders’ plan, Warren’s projects no burden for the middle class and a price tag of “just under $52 trillion” over the next 10 years, or slightly less than cost projections for the current system. Sanders’ plan has been estimated to cost roughly $32 trillion, though that price tag reflects additional spending while Warren’s seems to factor in current spending as well.

So how would she pay for it?

Among other proposals, Warren calls for bringing in nearly $9 trillion in new Medicare taxes on employers over the next 10 years, arguing this would essentially replace what they’re already paying for employee health insurance. Further, Warren’s campaign says if they are at risk of falling short of the revenue target, they could impose a “Supplemental Employer Medicare Contribution” for big companies with “extremely high executive compensation and stock buyback rates.”

Whether some of those costs, however, still could be passed on to middle-class employees – as economists argue payroll tax costs often are – remains to be seen. As the Tax Policy Center has noted, it is assumed the “employee bears the burden of both the employer and employee portions of payroll taxes.”

Warren also proposes even more taxes on the ultra-rich, expanding on her previously announced signature wealth tax, to tax more of anyone’s net worth over $1 billion (estimated to raise another $1 trillion). Warren also calls for raising capital gains tax rates for the wealthy, taxing more foreign earnings and imposing a tax on financial transactions to generate $800 billion in revenue.

Aside from those and other taxes, the campaign claims they can scrounge up $2.3 trillion with better tax enforcement and policies, as well as additional funds by reining in defense spending.

“When fully implemented, my approach to Medicare for All would mark one of the greatest federal expansions of middle class wealth in our history,” Warren said in her plan. “And if Medicare for All can be financed without any new taxes on the middle class, and instead by asking giant corporations, the wealthy, and the well-connected to pay their fair share, that’s exactly what we should do.”

Warren has been teasing this plan for weeks, especially after some of her rivals hammered her campaign on the financing issue during the last primary debate.

“Your signature, senator, is to have a plan for everything except this,” South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg memorably said during last month’s Democratic primary debate.

“No plan has been laid out to explain how a multitrillion-dollar hole in this Medicare-for-all plan that Senator Warren is putting forward is supposed to get filled in,” he charged.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., also slammed Warren during that debate, saying “at least Bernie’s being honest here in saying how he’s going to pay for this and that taxes will go up. And I’m sorry, Elizabeth, but you have not said that and I think we owe it to the American people to tell them where we’re going to send the invoice.”

Sanders has openly said taxes will increase “for virtually everybody” but argued the system will ultimately cost less than what workers currently pay for premiums and other expenses.

The Warren campaign’s insistence that the middle class will be spared any such costs is likely to face sustained skepticism in the Democratic primary field.

BUTTIGIEG SLAMS WARREN OVER MEDICARE-FOR-ALL

Buttigieg reprised his criticism this week, telling Fox News that his concern about Warren’s plan “is not just the multi-trillion-dollar hole, but also the fact that most Americans would prefer not to be told that they have to abandon their private plan.”

One Emory University health care expert recently told The Washington Post “there’s no question” a Medicare-for-all plan “hits the middle class” in some way. A new study released by the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget also noted it would be “impossible” to finance any such plan using only taxes on the wealthiest Americans.

Aside from the cost issues, Warren did appear to acknowledge this week that Medicare-for-all could result in substantial job losses, calling it “part of the cost issue” when confronted with an estimate that nearly 2 million jobs could be shed.

During that same interview with New Hampshire Public Radio, Warren vowed that she would “not sign any legislation into law for which costs for middle-class families do not go down.”

Brooke Singman is a Politics Reporter for Fox News. Follow her on Twitter at @brookefoxnews.

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Small, well-funded LGBT group to challenge Catholic teaching at World Youth Day

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Small, well-funded LGBT group to challenge Catholic teaching at World Youth Day

Panama City, Panama, Jan 16, 2019 / 04:06 pm (CNA).- A U.S.-based coalition of dissenting Catholics, whose backers include wealthy non-Catholic funders, is sending a small group of LGBT activists to World Youth Day in Panama to engage with media and pilgrims and to challenge Catholic teaching and practice they say is “harmful.”

The six pilgrims are backed by the Equally Blessed Coalition, currently composed of the groups Call to Action, Dignity USA and New Ways Ministry. The group Fortunate Families had belonged to the coalition for several years but left it in 2018.

This year’s World Youth Day, a major international Catholic young adult event, will take place in the Panama City area Jan. 22-27. It is expected to draw 3 million people, including 200,000 Panamanians, according to local papers. Pope Francis will take part in the events and celebrate a penitential liturgy with juvenile detention center detainees, a Way of the Cross with young people, a prayer vigil with youth, and a Mass for World Youth Day participants.

The Equally Blessed Coalition’s November 13, 2018 announcement cited Pew Research Center and Public Religion Research Institute polling that they said showed two-thirds of American Catholics backed “gay marriage” and a majority oppose “so-called ‘religious freedom’ laws that allow businesses and other public service providers to discriminate against individuals on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.”

“While we raise awareness about issues of gender and sexuality in the lives of Catholics, we will challenge harmful teachings and pastoral practices that dehumanize us rather than celebrate the gifts that we LGBTQI people bring to the church and to the world,” said the coalition on its website. “While our church has repeatedly villainized LGBTQI people as ‘disordered,’ our pilgrims will counter this with a message of love and radical inclusion.”

The Equally Blessed Coalition previously sponsored pilgrims to World Youth Day in 2011 and 2013 and to the World Meeting of Families in 2015 and 2018. Its website says it has raised around $ 6,000 from about 60 donors for this year’s group visit.

The Arcus Foundation, an LGBT advocacy funder launched by billionaire heir Jon Stryker, is among the coalition’s major backers.

In 2014 the foundation gave a $ 200,000 grant to Dignity USA for the Equally Blessed Coalition “to support pro-LGBT faith advocates to influence and counter the narrative of the Catholic Church and its ultra-conservative affiliates.” The effort was linked to both the Church’s Synod on the Family and World Youth Day and aimed to “amplify pro-LGBT voices within the Catholic Church.”

According to the foundation, the funding was part of an effort to engage “open-minded religious leaders who can use their influence to shift public views away from prejudice.”

In 2016 the foundation gave a $ 250,000, two-year grant to Dignity USA to fund the Equally Blessed Coalition, in order to “support and give voice to the growing majority of Roman Catholics who support full acceptance and equality for LGBT people.”

Another grant of $ 125,000 to Dignity USA for the Equally Blessed Coalition was earmarked for “advocating for LGBTQ acceptance and for an end to harmful religious exemption policies within Catholic communities,” according to the June 2018 grant announcement.

Dignity USA was among the backers of a messaging effort called the Equal Future project, which sought to influence the Catholic Church’s 2018 youth synod. The project contended that the “rules” of the Catholic Church are causing “damage” to those who self-identify as LGBT.

Ann Schneible, communications director for the Courage apostolate, commented on Equal Future last year. She told CNA that Catholic teaching insists that everyone has the fundamental identity “to be the creature of God, and by grace, his child and heir to eternal life.”

“Seen from this perspective, it becomes clear that the Church’s approach provides the most compassionate response to people, including youth and young adults, who experience same sex attractions,” Schneible said. “Far from being a misfortune or a disappointment, their identity as sons and daughters of God – who are made in his image and likeness, and have received divine grace and a call to holiness – is a profound and life-giving joy.”

Those who experience same-sex attraction deserve compassionate outreach from Catholics, she said, adding, “we do so in the belief and hope that following God’s plan will always lead one to happiness and ultimate fulfillment.”

Equally Blessed claims World Youth Day typically “includes sessions sponsored by organizations that oppose any advancement of civil rights for LGBTQI people.” It said the pilgrimage aims to “create the space now for LGBTQI people within the Catholic Church.”

Its objections included the recent synod on young people discussion about LGBT issues “where only (mostly older) cisgender men were allowed to vote.” It objected to what it said was “a recurrence of rhetoric that blames child sexual abuse on homosexuality” and protested what it said was the “attempted erasure of LGBTQI Catholics and same sex couples from the church.”

Equally Blessed objected to “unjust treatment of LGBTQI church workers, “including violence and threats of violence,” citing the case of a pastoral worker at San Diego’s St. John the Evangelist Parish who resigned from his position after he became the focus of strongly critical internet coverage from fringe Catholic blogs and news sites, which said he was in a same-sex union and backed LGBT advocacy. The pastoral worker said he had endured “physical and emotional violence” due to the internet sites and their readers. Extreme harassment, including death threats placed on the man’s car, were reported to police and the FBI, an associate pastor at the parish told Fox 5 San Diego.

Equally Blessed claimed that Pope Francis had shown “public silence” after all these developments.

The Equally Blessed contingent to World Youth Day includes Melissa Barber, who quit her job as a religious education director in Indianapolis to contract a same-sex union; Catherine Buck, an adjunct professor from New Jersey who writes for New Ways Ministry’s blog; and Keith Hall, a federal employee from Washington, D.C. who co-chairs the Dignity Young Adult Caucus.

The self-described Catholic groups in the coalition reject Catholic teaching on the immorality of homosexual acts and have called for same-sex unions to be recognized as sacramental.

In a February 12, 2010 statement, then-U.S. bishops’ conference president Cardinal Francis George of Chicago said New Ways Ministry’s claim to be Catholic “only confuses the faithful regarding the authentic teaching and ministry of the Church with respect to persons with a homosexual inclination.” He rejected claims that it provides “an authentic interpretation of Catholic teaching and an authentic Catholic pastoral practice.” The group has no approval from the Church and “they cannot speak on behalf of the Catholic faithful in the United States,” he said.

In 2016 New Ways Ministry awarded its Bridge Building Award to media commentator and America magazine editor Father James Martin, S.J., who based his book on LGBT outreach on his acceptance speech.

In 2012 the Equally Blessed Coalition issued a report attacking the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Knights of Columbus for their work to maintain the legal definition of marriage as a union of one man and one woman.

The report’s funders included the Human Rights Campaign and the report acknowledged Arcus Foundation funding for the Equally Blessed Coalition.

The Arcus Foundation is also a grant maker to the Catholics United Education Fund and the pro-abortion rights group Catholics for Choice. It has funded groups in other Christian communities, including Episcopalian groups ahead of the breakup of the Anglican Communion over issues such as ecclesial authority and homosexuality.

It has been a partner of the U.S. State Department’s Global Equality Fund.

CNA Daily News – Americas

TOP 12 BEST PRODUCTS FOR MEN'S SKIN CARE

Despite the fact that excellence is more than shallow, dealing with your skin doesn't hurt with regards to feeling solid and certain. With such a large number of items available, be that as it may, endeavoring to locate the correct things to build up a strong skincare routine can prompt pressure and dissatisfaction. As none of these negative feelings are useful for your skin, enable us to act the hero. To enable you to explore the convoluted universe of chemicals, scours, serums, and the sky is the limit from there, we're here to uncover the best skincare items for men. _____________________________ Drawing upon Mother Nature's organic products, phloretin has been recognized by researchers as a particle with powerful cell reinforcement properties. Made from the bark of apple, grapefruit and pear trees, it has the ability to quicken cell reestablishment, counteract cell transformation and ensure against photograph harm. Over the surface, this supernatural occurrence serum likewise decreases age spots, enhances and firms the composition and restores the skin's flexibility. _____________________________ BUY Battle the indications of maturing and brace your skin's ecological protections with RESIST's Super-Light Wrinkle Defense SPF 30. Containing a rich mix of cell reinforcements, this unadulterated mineral zinc oxide sunscreen will shield your skin from nature's harsher components. At last, a delicate matte complete and sheer tinted base will abandon you looking new and rejuvenated for the duration of the day.

BUY _____________________________ Created by the International Dermal Institute, Dermalogica's Special Cleansing Gel gets our gold star of endorsement. Treat your skin to the immaculateness of this frothing gel that will wash away any debasements while alleviating the skin with quieting analgesic mint and lavender. As this ponder item contains no fake scent, shading or cleanser, it is reasonable for all skin writes.

_____________________________ BUY Reward your skin with a purging sprinkle of dampness with Baxter of California's Invigorating Body Wash. Unwind and loosen up as the rich mix of Vitamin E, Aloe Vera and Jojoba Oil attempts to evacuate earth and polluting influences. Before the finish of your shower, your skin will be left inclination delicate, hydrated and excitedly foreseeing its next Baxter wash. With three aromas accessible including 'Citrus and Herbal Musk', 'Italian Lime and Pomegranate' and 'Pear and Bergamot', this item is custom-made to suit all assortment of men.

____________________________  BUY 5. Peter Thomas Roth Firmx Peeling Gel For men trying to purge, shed and refine the skin's surface, we prescribe attempting Peter Thomas Roth's Firmx Peeling Gel. Prescribed to be utilized one to three times each week, this gel targets dead skin cells to unclog pores and light up the appearance. What's more, glycerin and hyaluronic corrosive re-infuse dampness again into the skin, after the polluting influences have been stripped away.

_____________________________ BUY In case you're a man who appreciates a spotless, close facial shave, Clinique for Men Face Scrub will guarantee the skin is appropriately prepared before you get that razor. This champion scour smoothes out the skin by evacuating dead skin cells and oil manufacture ups. It likewise diminishes the presence of in-developed hairs, bringing about an effective shave without fail. ______________________  BUY Tired of living with harsh, broke skin? Look to former days with MenScience's Androceuticals Advanced Face Lotion. Reestablish the skin's versatility and expel barely recognizable differences with this ultra-light, sans oil recipe. Wealthy in cancer prevention agents, vitamins, and skin guardian angel acids, for example, alpha and beta hydroxy, this salve will sustain and rejuvenate your appearance.

 __________________________ BUY Over the long haul, the fragile skin around our eyes turns out to be more vulnerable to harm and maturing. While, without a doubt, most men are glad to be a silver fox, nobody needs wrinkles around their eyes. ELEMIS Pro-Collagen Skin Care System, along these lines, restores dampness in the most profound layers of this skin. With only two drops day by day, this treatment smoothes out scarcely discernible differences to restore the substance of your childhood.

 ______________________ BUY The key to incredible skin is at last a smooth, clear appearance and the minimisation of scarcely discernible differences and wrinkles. Because of a high-fixation retinol equation, Obagi360 Retinol 1.0 ticks these containers and that's just the beginning. Intended to secure and save solid skin, it therefore sets the client up for a lifetime of brilliant skin. Subsequently, this negligibly aggravating equation is basically focused towards men in their 20's and 30's.

 ______________________ BUY 10. Lab Series Maximum Comfort Shave Gel For a smooth, smooth shave, you can't go past Lab Series' accuracy shave gel. Eminent for giving greatest solace and least rubbing, the name, in this way says everything. This gel-to-froth item relaxes the facial hair as well as hydrate the skin underneath. Therefore, dealing with that 5'o clock shadow will feel more like a rich facial.

_______________________ BUY Is it true that you are hoping to release your internal Viking however would prefer not to squander hours preparing a fight commendable whiskers? Smooth Viking's Beard Oil is here to help. Containing every regular fixing, for example, avocado oil, argan oil, vitamin E and that's just the beginning, this treatment will tame the most out of control of boisterous whiskers. By softening and supporting the hairs, it will keep both your whiskers and skin beneath sound. Thus, your whiskers will be anything but difficult to prepare, abandoning you more opportunity to flaunt your imposing facial hair. https://ift.tt/2OE0k5j

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