New Smokey Lies Eyeshadow!

Michelle Wolf, Last Night at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner (A Full Transcript)

She beings with:

Alright, this is long. This has been long. Good Evening, good evening. Here we are the White House Correspondents Dinner. Like a porn star says when she's about to have sex with a Trump, "Let's get this over with."

And ends with:

Flint still doesn't have clean water!

In between there was this (my transcript - apologies in advance for any errors):

Yep, kiddos. This is what you're getting tonight. I'm going to skip alot of the normal pleasantries. We're at a Hilton. It's not nice. This is on C-Span. No one watches that. Trump is president. It's not ideal.

White House Correspondents' Association, thank you for having me. The monkfish was fine.

And just a reminder to everyone: I'm here to make jokes. I have no agenda. I'm not trying to get anything accomplished. So everyone that's here from Congress, you should feel right at home.

Before we get too far, a little bit about me. A lot of you might not know who I am. I am 32 years old. Which is an odd age - 10 years too young to host this event and 20 years too old for Roy Moore. I know, he almost got elected, yea. It was fun. It was fun.

Honestly, I never really thought I would be a comedian, but I did take an aptitude test in seventh grade and this is 100% true. It said my best profession was a clown or a mime. At first it said clown and then it heard my voice and said, maybe mime.  This about mime.

And I know as much as some of you might want me to, it's 2018 and I'm a woman so you cannot shut me up -- unless you have Michael Cohen wire me $130,000. Michael, you can find me on Venmo under my pornstar name, Reince Priebus.   Reince just gave a thumbs up.

Now people are saying America is no more divided than ever. But I think, no matter what you support politically, we can all agree that this is a great time for craft stores. Because of all the protests, poster board has been flying off the shelves faster than Robert Mueller can say, "You've been subpoenaed."

Thanks to Trump, pink yarn sales are through the roof. After Trump got elected, women started knitting those pussy hats. When I first saw them I was like that is a pussy? I guess mine has more yarn on it.

You should have done more research before you got me to do this.

There is a lot to cover tonight. There is a lot to go over. I can't get to everything. I know there's a lot of people want me to talk about Russia and Putin and collusion, but I am not going to do that because there is also a lot of liberal media here. And I've never really wanted to know what any of you look like when you orgasm. Except for you, Jake Tapper. I bet it is something like this. Ok, that is all the time we have.

It is kind of crazy that the Trump campaign was in contact with Russia, when the Hillary campaign wasn't even in contact with Michigan.

Of course, Trump isn't here. If you haven't noticed, he is not here. And I know, I would drag him here myself but it turns out The President of the United States is the one pussy you are not allowed to grab. He said it first. Yea, he did. You remember. Good.

I know people really want me to go after Trump tonight, but i think we should give the president credit when he deserves it. Like, he pulled out of the Paris agreement. I think he should get credit for that because he said he was going to pull out and then he did and that is a refreshing quality in a man. Most of men are like, I forgot. I will get you next time. Oh, there is going to be a next time? And people say romance is dead.

People call Trump names all the time. Look, i could call Trump a racist or misogynist or incompetent or ustable or impotent, but he has heard all of those and he doesn't care. So tonight, I am going to try to make fun of the president in a new way, in a way that I think will really get him. Mr. President, I don't think you are very rich. Like, I think you might be rich in Idaho, but in New York you are doing fine.

Trump is the only person who still watches "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" And thinks, "Me!" Although I'm not sure you would get very far. He'd be like the third question and be like, "I have to call a Fox and Friend."

We're going to try a fun new thing, ok? I'm going to say "Trump is so broke" and you guys go "How broke is he?" Alright? Trump is so broke, [How broke is he?] he has to fly in failed business class. Trump is so broke, [How broke is he?] he looked for foreign oil in Don Jr's hair. Trump is so broke, [How broke is he?] Southwest used him as one of their engines. I know, it is so soon, it is so soon for that joke, why did she tell it?, it is so soon. Trump is so broke, [How broke is he?] he had to borrow money from the Russians and now he is compromised and now susceptible to blackmail and possibly responsible for the collapse of The Republic. Yay. It is a fun game. 

Trump is racist, though. He loves white nationalists, which is a weird term for a Nazi. Calling a Nazi a white nationalist is like calling a pedophile a kid friend, or Harvey Weinstein a ladies man. Which isn't really fair, he also likes plants. 

Trump is also an idea guy, he has got loads of ideas. You got to love him for that. He wants to give teachers guns, and I support that because then they can sell them for things they need, like supplies - a lot of protractors.

A lot of people want Trump to be impeached. I do not because just when you think Trump is awful you remember Mike Pence. Mike Pence is what happens when Anderson Cooper isn't gay. Mike Pence is the kind of guy that brushes his teeth and then drinks orange juice and thinks, "Mm!" Mike Pence is also very anti-choice. He thinks abortion is murder, which first of all, don't knock it until you try it. And when you do try it, really knock it, you have to get that baby out of there. You can groan all you want, I know a lot of you are very anti-abortion, you know, unless it is the when you got for your secret mistress. 

It is funny how values can waiver. But good for you.

Mike Pence is a weirdo, though, he is a where it little guy. He won't meet with other women without his wife without his wife present. People first heard that and thought, that's crazy, but now in the current climate they say, that is a good witness. 

Which of course, brings me to the me too movement, it's probably the reason why I'm here. They were like, a woman is not going to jerk off in front of anyone, right? And to that I say, "Don't count your chickens." 

Now, I worked in a lot of male dominated fields before comedy.  I worked at a tech company and before that I worked on Wall Street, and honestly I have never really been sexually harassed. That being said, I did work at Bear Stearns in 2008 so although I haven't in sexually harassed I have definitely been fucked . The whole company went down on me without my consent. And no man got in trouble for that either. 

Things are changing. Men are being held accountable. Al Franken was ousted, that one really hurt liberals but I believe it was the great Ted Kennedy who said, "that is crazy, I murdered a woman." Chappaquiddick, in theaters now. 

I did have a a lot of jokes about cabinet members but I had to scrap all of those because everyone has been fired. You guys are going through cabinet members quicker than Starbucks throws out black people. Don't worry, they are having an afternoon. That'll solve it. We just needed an afternoon. 

Mitch McConnell's isn't here tonight. He had a prior engagement. He is finally getting his neck circumcised. Mazel. Paul Ryan also couldn't make it. Of course, he's already been circumcised. Unfortunately, while they were down there they also took his balls. Yea, bye, Paul, great acting though in that video. 

Republicans are easy to make fun of. It is like shooting fish in a Chris Christie. 

But I also want to make fun of democrats. Democrats are harder to make fun of because you guys don't do anything. 

You think you might flip The House and Senate this November but you guys always find a way to mess it up. You are somehow going to lose by 12 points to a guy named Jeff Pedophile Nazi Doctor. Oh, he's a doctor? 

We should definitely talk about the women in the Trump Administration. There is Kelly Anne Conway. Man, she has the perfect last name for what she does. Conway. It is like if my name was Michelle Jokes Frizzy Hair Small Tits. You guys gotta stop putting Kelly Anne on your shows. All she does his lie. If you don't give her a platform she has nowhere to lie. It's like that old saying, "If a tree falls in the woods, how do we get Kelly Anne under that tree?" I'm not suggesting she gets hurt - just stuck. Stuck under a tree.

Incidentally, a tree falls in the woods is a Scott Pruitt's definition of porn. We all have our kinks. 

There's also of course Ivanka. She was supposed to be an advocate for women but it turns out she is about as helpful to women as an empty box of tampons. She has done nothing to satisfy women. So I guess, like father like daughter. Oh, you don't think he is good in bed. Come on. She does cleanup nice, though. Ivanka cleans up nice. She is the diaper genie of the administration. On the outside she looks sleek but the inside, it's still full of shit. 

Of course we have Sarah Huckabee Sanders. We are graced with Sarah's presence tonight. I have of to say I am a little starstruck. I loved you as Aunt Lydia in "The Handmaid's Tale." 

Mike Pence, if you haven't seen it, you would love it. 

Every time Sarah steps up to the podium, I get excited because I am really not sure what we are going to get. A press briefing, a bunch of lies or a divided into softball teams. It is shirts and skins and this time don't be such a little old bitch, Jim Acosta. I actually really like Sarah. I think she is very resourceful. Like, she burns facts and then she uses that ash to create a perfect smoky eye. Maybe she was born with it, it's probably lies. 

And I am never really sure what to call Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Is it Sarah Sanders? Is it Sarah Huckabee Sanders? Is it cousin Huckabee, is it Auntie Huckabee Sanders? Like what's "Uncle Tom" but for white women who disappoint other white women? I know - "Anne Coulter." 

We've got our friends at CNN here. Welcome guys. it is great to have you. You guys love breaking news, and you did it. You broke it. Good work. The most useful information on CNN is when Anthony Bourdain tells me where to eat noodles. 

Fox News is here, you know what that means, ladies? Cover your drink. Seriously.

People want me to make fun of Sean Hannity tonight but I cannot do that. This dinner is for journalists. 

We have MSNBC here. MSNBC's new slogan is, "This is who we are." Guys, this is not a good slogan. "This is who we are" is what your mom thinks the sad show on NBC is called. "Did you watch 'This is who we are' this week? Someone left on a on a crockpot and everybody died." 

I watch "Morning Joe" every morning. We now know that Mika and Joe are now engaged. Congratulations, you guys. It's like when a "me too" works out. 

We cannot forget about Rachel Maddow, she is the Peter Pan of MSNBC. But instead of never growing up she never gets to the point. Watching Rachel Maddow is like going to Target. You went in for mile but you left with shampoo, candles and the entire history of the Byzantine Empire. 

And of course, Megyn Kelly. What would I do without Megyn Kelly? I would probably be more proud of women. Megyn Kelly got paid $23 million by NBC. Then NBC didn't let Megyn go to the Winter Olympics. Why not? She's so white, cold and expensive she might as well be the Winter Olympics. And by the way, Megyn, Santa is black, the weird old white guy going through your chimney is Bill O'Reilly. You may want to put a flue on it or something.

There's a lot of print media here. There's a ton of you guys. But I am not going to go after print media tonight because it is illegal to I attack an endangered species. 

There's a ton of news right now, a lot is going on and we have all these 24 hour news networks. And we could be covering everything but instead we are covering like three topics. Every hour, it is Trump, Russia, Hillary, and a panel of four people that remind you why you don't go home for Thanksgiving. Milk comes from nuts now, all because of the gays!

You guys are obsessed with Trump. Did you used to date him? Because you pretend like you hate him but I think you love him. I think what no one in this room wants to admit is that Trump has helped all of you. He couldn't sell steaks or vodka or water or college or ties or Eric but he has helped you. He has helped you sell your papers and her books and your TV. You helped create this monster and now you are profiting off of him. And if you are going to profit off of Trump you should at least give him some money, because he doesn't have any. 

Trump is so broke [How broke is he?] he grabs pussies because he thinks there might be loose change in them. 

Alright, like an immigrant who was brought here by his parents and didn't do anything wrong, I have to get the fuck out of here, good night.

Trump has already tweeted on Wolf's smart-ass media intervention:

While Washington, Michigan, was a big success, Washington, D.C., just didn’t work. Everyone is talking about the fact that the White House Correspondents Dinner was a very big, boring bust...the so-called comedian really “bombed.” @greggutfeld should host next year! @PeteHegseth

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 29, 2018

No, she didn't.

You, on the other hand, are the one who had to borrow money from the Russians and now you're compromised and susceptible to blackmail and possibly responsible for the collapse of The Republic.

Yay. it's a great game.

Senator Toomey RESPONDS To Another Letter (With Another Example Of A Pivot and Deflect)

I was beginning to worry.

You see, it's been a month and half since I received any sort of response from Senator Pat Toomey (or his office). I'm not sure, but it feels like the response was longer than usual. I really should take the time to analyze the data, to ascertain the average response rate, average time between my letter to him and his response to me regarding those letters and so on.

But that's for another blog post.

This letter, which arrived via email, starts thusly:

Thank you for contacting me about recent reports of sexual harassment and misconduct by government officials. I appreciate hearing from you and share your concerns about these deeply troubling reports.

There have been a number of recent allegations of misconduct and harassment against current members of Congress. In the wake of these reports, each chamber's respective, nonpartisan Committees on Ethics confirmed that they had each opened investigations into several of these matters.

Ha! See that? I was worried about nothing. He says it right there: "I appreciate hearing from you..."

Whew.

So what letter is he referring to?  I searched for the keywords "Toomey" and "sexual harassment" in that the blog and found only one letter that even gets close - this one, from two months ago.

This is what I wrote:

Senator, I'd like to take a step back from the many Trump scandals now plaguing this nation and ask you about the direction of your political party, the G.O.P.

Recently at a CPAC conference, conservative columnist Mona Charen asked "How can conservative women hope to have any credibility on the subject of sexual harassment or relations between the sexes when they excuse the behavior of President Trump?" And for that she was booed by members of the audience and security had to escort her from the hall.

That was my frame. You may need to cast your eyes up a few degrees to see how differently Toomey framed his response. To my question regarding Charen's position regarding the lack of sexual harassment credibility in the GOP as seen in the light of Donald Trump's behavior, he responds with "recent reports of sexual harassment and misconduct by government officials" who are "current members of Congress" using "taxpayer dollars to settle claims of sexual harassment."

No, senator. We're just talking about one government official (who, by the way is not a member of Congress): Donald J Trump.

Let's get back to my letter. Charen followed up with an op-ed in the NYTimes where stated, after pointing to the hypocrisy in our great nation's once great conservative party:

There is nothing more freeing than telling the truth. And it must be done, again and again, by those of us who refuse to be absorbed into this brainless, sinister, clownish thing called Trumpism, by those of us who refuse to overlook the fools, frauds, and fascists attempting to glide along in his slipstream into respectability.

And in response to that I asked him a specific question:

So here's my question: Is she right about your party? And if you believe she is, when will you start to speak out against the brainless, sinister, clownish thing called Trumpism?

To that, Toomey sent a letter basically lauding himself for supporting legislation designed to deny taxpayer funds to settle sexual harassment claims and legislation mandating sexual harassment training for the Senate and the House of Representative. After which he adds:

I voted in favor of reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in the past.

(Except he also voted against reauthorizing it in the past as well.)

Don't mistake me - all those things he says are good things. They also have absolutely nothing to do with what I asked him about. It's almost as if he's looking to, oh I don't know, pivot and deflect away from the topic of my letter - which was about the "brainless, sinister, clownish thing called Trumpism" currently infecting his political party.

Toomey pivoted. Toomey deflected.

And Toomey did so to avoid confronting Charen's charge about Trumpism in the GOP.

As Charen wrote in her column:

For traditional conservatives, the past two years have felt like a Twilight Zone episode. Politicians, activists, and intellectuals have succumbed with numbing regularity, betraying every principle they once claimed to uphold.

Sad to say but if this letter is any indication, Pat Toomey is one of those who has succumbed.

Full text of Toomey's letter:

Dear David,

Thank you for contacting me about recent reports of sexual harassment and misconduct by government officials. I appreciate hearing from you and share your concerns about these deeply troubling reports.

There have been a number of recent allegations of misconduct and harassment against current members of Congress. In the wake of these reports, each chamber's respective, nonpartisan Committees on Ethics confirmed that they had each opened investigations into several of these matters.

Many Pennsylvanians have raised concerns, which I share, about the use of taxpayer dollars to settle claims of sexual harassment. The Congressional Office of Compliance (OOC) recently revealed that since 1997 it has paid out approximately $17 million in taxpayer funds to settle 264 claims of labor and employment law violations involving congressional employees. While the OOC did not break out the settlements based on the type of claim, some of them likely involved claims of sexual harassment.

The use of taxpayer money to settle sexual harassment claims is appalling and completely unacceptable. As I have said publicly, it is incumbent on Congress to prevent this from occurring, and I will vigorously support efforts that make it impossible for congressional offices to use public funds for such purposes.

On November 15, 2017, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced legislation - the Member and Employee Training and Oversight On (ME TOO) Congress Act (S. 2159) - that is intended to bring more transparency and accountability to the OOC's settlement process. Among its provisions, this bill would require a Member of Congress to repay the Treasury for any settlements paid if the Member is an alleged harasser. S. 2159 also requires the OOC to publish on its website the settlements paid by congressional offices. S. 2159 is currently pending before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, of which I am not a member. Please be assured, however, that I will continue to monitor the status of this legislation.

Recent reports of sexual misconduct and harassment have also understandably raised questions about the lack of mandatory anti-harassment training for House and Senate staff. As a result, on November 9, 2017, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution (S.Res. 330) mandating anti-harassment training for Senators, officers, employees, detailees, and interns of the Senate. On November 29, 2017, the House of Representatives passed similar legislation (H.Res. 630) mandating harassment prevention training.

Finally, as you know, sexual misconduct continues to persist in our society. During my congressional career, I have worked to prevent and redress the terrible crime of sexual violence. I voted in favor of reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in the past. Also, I have led the successful fight to dramatically increase funding for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse-specifically by stopping Congress from raiding the Crime Victims Fund. The Crime Victims Fund receives no taxpayer dollars; it is funded by criminal fines and penalties collected in federal court. Under law, money in the fund is supposed to go to assisting victims of crime. But, for over a decade, Congress diverted billions to fund unrelated discretionary spending projects.

I have been pleased to see my efforts yield success. Congress increased the amount disbursed to assist victims from $745 million in 2014 to over $2.6 billion in 2016. Pennsylvania groups that assist victims saw available funding more than quadruple, rising from $17.5 million in 2014 to $80 million in 2016. I was also pleased to see that the omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 244) passed on May 4, 2017 included a similar number, $2.57 billion.

Thank you again for your correspondence. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts on the recent reports of sexual harassment and misconduct, and I value your input. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of assistance.

My FIFTY-EIGHTH Open Letter To Senator Pat Toomey

I'll be dropping this letter to Senator Pat Toomey in the mail today:

Dear Senator Toomey:

It's me, again - the constituent who writes for the local Pittsburgh-based political blog, "2 Political Junkies."

Your colleague, Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, has said recently that "any Republican senator who hasn't been conflicted over this presidency is either comatose or is pretty useless in their blindness." I'm assuming he was speaking metaphorically about the comatose blindness.

So here are this week's questions, Senator: Are you among those senators "conflicted over this presidency"? And if not, then why not?

I await your response.

And I will be posting whatever response I get from him or his office.

Follow-up:

• Round-up Volume 1
• Round-up Volume 2
• Round-up Volume 3
• Round-up Volume 4
• Forty-eighth letter - no response so far 
• Forty-ninth letter - no response so far 
• Fiftieth letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-first letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-second letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-third letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-forth letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-fifth letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-sixth letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-seventh letter - no response so far

Meanwhile, Outside...

Let's take our monthly peek at the state of the global climate, shall we?

From the climate scientists at NOAA:

Overall, the combined global land and ocean temperature for March 2018 was 0.83°C (1.49°F) above the 20th century average of 12.7°C (54.9°F) and the fifth highest March temperature departure from average in the 139-year record. This value was also 0.40°C (0.72°F) cooler than the record high set in 2016 and was the smallest temperature departure from average in the last four years. The years 2015–17 are the three warmest Marches on record. March 2018 also marks the 42nd consecutive March and the 399th consecutive month with temperatures, at least nominally, above the 20th century average. March 2018 also had the highest monthly temperature departure from average since July 2017. The March global land and ocean surface temperature has increased 0.08°C (0.14°F) per decade since 1880. That rate is more than double since 1980.

Meanwhile over at another guv'ment cabal of science propagandists - NASA:

March 2018 was +0.89 °C warmer than the average March of the 1951-1980 period. This value is lower than the two hottest years of the record — March 2016 (+1.30 °C) and March 2017 (+1.12 °C) — and is comparable with the years 2002, 2010, and 2015, which cluster tightly around +0.9 °C. The corresponding number for all other years in our 138 years of modern record-keeping is at or below +0.77 °C.

Which should come as a surprise to the newly installed head of NASA.

Newly installed? What on Earth do you mean, Dayvoe?

Take a look:

The following are statements from Rep. Jim Bridenstine and acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot on Thursday’s U.S. Senate confirmation of Bridenstine as the 13th Administrator for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration:

"It is an honor to be confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as NASA Administrator,” said Bridenstine. “I am humbled by this opportunity, and I once again thank President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for their confidence. I look forward to working with the outstanding team at NASA to achieve the President’s vision for American leadership in space.”

“I’m very pleased to welcome Jim Bridenstine to NASA,” said Lightfoot. "He joins our great agency at a time when we are poised to accomplish historic milestones across the full spectrum of our work. Jim now takes the reins of this agency and its talented and dedicated workforce. I'm looking forward to him building on our great momentum and sharing our many strengths to help us make the next giants leaps on behalf of humanity. I also want to express my heartfelt appreciation to the NASA team for all they accomplished during my time leading the agency."

You can read Bridenstine's bio here.

You'll note a complete lack of any sort of scientific degree. He has undergraduate degrees in Economics, Psychology, Business and an MBA from Cornell.

Imagine that. The head of a scientific organization having no actual science degrees in his education.

But wait, there's more.

On June 11, 2013 the then-Representative from Oklahoma and now current head of NASA said this:

Mr. Speaker, global temperatures stopped rising 10 years ago. Global temperature changes, when they exist, correlate with Sun output and ocean cycles.

During the Medieval Warm Period from 800 to 1300 A.D.—long before cars, power plants, or the Industrial Revolution—temperatures were warmer than today. During the Little Ice Age from 1300 to 1900 A.D., temperatures were cooler. Neither of these periods were caused by any human activity.

 None of which is actually scientifically true.  Let's take them one at a time.

He's speaking in 2013 - so if "global temperatures stopped rising 10 years ago" that would mean they peaked about 2003. Usually the climate deniers are counting back to 1998 (a strong el Nino year) perhaps Bridenstine made (another) mistake by only canting back to 2003.

In any event, what he said about how "global temperatures stopped rising" is simply not true. Even according to NASA at the time:

Scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) say 2012 was the ninth warmest year since 1880, continuing a long-term trend of rising global temperatures. The ten warmest years in the 132-year record have all occurred since 1998. The last year that was cooler than average was 1976.

They even have a chart:

And and explanation:

The line plot above shows yearly temperature anomalies from 1880 to 2011 as recorded by NASA GISS, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Climatic Data Center, the Japanese Meteorological Agency, and the Met Office Hadley Centre in the United Kingdom. All four institutions tally temperature data from stations around the world and make independent judgments about whether the year was warm or cool compared to other years. Though there are minor variations from year to year, all four records show peaks and valleys in sync with each other. All show rapid warming in the past few decades, and all show the last decade as the warmest.

Then there's the part about how the "Medieval Warm Period" was warmer today. Also not true.

From the peer-reviewed journal Nature Geoscience in 2013:

Past global climate changes had strong regional expression. To elucidate their spatio-temporal pattern, we reconstructed past temperatures for seven continental-scale regions during the past one to two millennia. The most coherent feature in nearly all of the regional temperature reconstructions is a long-term cooling trend, which ended late in the nineteenth century. At multi-decadal to centennial scales, temperature variability shows distinctly different regional patterns, with more similarity within each hemisphere than between them. There were no globally synchronous multi-decadal warm or cold intervals that define a worldwide Medieval Warm Period or Little Ice Age, but all reconstructions show generally cold conditions between ad 1580 and 1880, punctuated in some regions by warm decades during the eighteenth century. The transition to these colder conditions occurred earlier in the Arctic, Europe and Asia than in North America or the Southern Hemisphere regions. Recent warming reversed the long-term cooling; during the period ad 1971–2000, the area-weighted average reconstructed temperature was higher than any other time in nearly 1,400 years. [Emphases added.]

But yes, the period between 1300 and 1900 was colder than it is today. But that's because the planet's warming up due to human intervention. So Bridenstine's last sentence is also not true.

This is the guy who'll be heading NASA.

Meanwhile it's still getting warmer outside. The science says so.

April Is STILL "National Sexual Assault Awareness And Prevention Month"

Yep, that's what Donald J. Trump proclaimed.

One of the responses, recently was this:

From The Hill:

A social network company projected “There is a rapist in the White House” on the side of President Trump’s Washington, D.C., hotel on Monday night.

Care2, a company that describes itself as "the world's largest social network for good," went after the sexual misconduct allegations made against Trump in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Here's another:

From the statement issued by Care2:

Tonight during the third week of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Care2 is honoring the survivors of Trump's predatory behavior by reminding everyone with this projection that there is a morally unfit rapist in the White House. And it's time to evict him once and for all.

Morally unfit. Accused rapist. Donald J. Trump.

My FIFTY-SEVENTH Open Letter To Senator Pat Toomey

I'll be dropping this letter to Senator Pat Toomey in the mail today:

Dear Senator Toomey:

It's me, again - the constituent who writes for the local Pittsburgh-based political blog, "2 Political Junkies."

I am sorry to ask you about this subject again but considering the times in which we both live, I think it's important to do so. Your colleague, Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) recently introduced S.2644, The Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act in order to "ensure independent investigations and judicial review of the removal of a special counsel" - in this case Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

The bill states that a special counsel "may be removed only for misconduct, dereliction of duty, incapacity, conflict of interest, or other good cause, including violation of policies of the Department of Justice" and then it provides for an appeal process should that counsel believe that the removal violated the act.

So here's my question: Do you support this legislation? If not, then why not?

I await your response.

And I will be posting whatever response I get from him or his office.

Follow-up:

• Round-up Volume 1
• Round-up Volume 2
• Round-up Volume 3
• Round-up Volume 4
• Forty-eighth letter - no response so far 
• Forty-ninth letter - no response so far 
• Fiftieth letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-first letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-second letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-third letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-forth letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-fifth letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-sixth letter - no response so far

More On Daryl Metcalfe - A Follow-up To Yesterday

Yesterday, when State Rep Daryl Metcalfe was showing exactly the level of legislative transparency he's willing to offer when defending his right to gerrymander, his legislation was protested (an act, I am told, is still protected by the First Amendment).

Well, Brother Daryl had a reaction to one of those protests:

This desecration of our flag is another blatant example of the intolerant left’s disrespect toward our nation, our flag, and our veterans! pic.twitter.com/Rz6pblTLw8

— Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (@RepMetcalfe) April 11, 2018

This is the flag that so offended him:

Despite the fact that the above is obviously First Amendment protected political speech, it's just as obvious that Metcalfe is taking 36 U.S.C.§176 very seriously:

(g) The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.

So I take it he'll be denouncing this soon (if he hasn't already):

Or this:

That last image pivots to another section of 36 U.S.C.§176:

(d) The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery.

So I suppose Rep Metcalfe will be denouncing this disrespect for the flag:

Look at the shawl! It's an American Flag and SHE CUT TWO HOLES THROUGH IT. Furthermore, the above mentioned flag code clearly states:

(b) The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as...water....

Wouldn't her shoulders count? Her hair? And what if she beings to sweat? Isn't sweat mostly water? She slashed an American flag (twice!) and has put it in a position to soak up her armpit sweat.

How can that possibly be acceptable to a proud defender of the flag like State Rep Daryl Metcalfe? When can we expect him to denounce these violations of the flag code?

More On Daryl Metcalfe - He's Fighting For The Freedom To Gerrymander!

From The Tribune-Review:

State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, led an effort Wednesday to gut a bill that would have created an independent commission of citizens to draw electoral maps instead of leaving the process to legislators.

Metcalfe, chairman of the House State Government Committee, called a surprise morning meeting and introduced an amendment to the proposal that completely changed what the legislation would do.

But wait, there's more. From the Lehigh Valley Live, a letter:

Talk about a blatant power grab by the Republicans in the Pennsylvania State House. At 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, without prior notice of what was going to be voted upon by House State Government Committee, state Rep. Daryl Metcalf, the committee chairman, handed out an amendment to House Bill 722. There were no discussion, no hearings and no testimony by the sponsors of HB 722. It was passed on a strict party-line vote.

Wanna talk legislative transparency? We'll start here.

So what does this Metcalfian-fiasco do?

From The Morning Call - current law:

Under current law, the state’s mapmaking commission consists of five members. The Legislature picks four and the Supreme Court one. The governor has veto authority over the congressional map, not the state legislative map. Either map could be appealed to the state courts.

But then the State Supreme Court ruled the current set of Congressional districts unconstitutional because it unfairly favored the GOP.

HB 722 proposed a new 11 member commission. Again from the Morning Call:

Four of the members would come from the state’s largest political party, which current voter registration records show is Democratic. Another four would come from the party with the second highest number of registered voters, Republicans. The remaining three members would come from minor parties.

Adding that no one on the commission "could not be related to any statewide or congressional official or lobbyist."

Of those who qualify, a random sampling of 40 names is made. The legislature's top caucus officials could veto up to 6 names each.

Sounds like a good idea. No one is beholden to the current unbalanced process. The legislative districts would be fair(er).

So what did Daryl Metcalfe propose in its place? This:

You'll note that instead of 11 people unconnected to "any statewide or congressional official or lobbyist" the commission will be made up of already elected Senators and House Representatives chosen in such a way as to unerringly favor a party that controls both houses (and in this case by a complete and utter coincidence, of course, that just happens to be Metcalfe's GOP).

And if the committee can't agree on a map then the whole Assembly votes on the draft. And who controls both houses at this time?

What a coincidence: Again, it's Metcalfe's GOP!

With no discussion, hearings or input from the authors of the original legislation, it passed by on a party-line vote (meaning Metcalfe's GOP).

And this is considered "neutral" to Daryl Metcalfe - and something not at all a tyrannical subversion of the process to favor some "partisan agenda."

From The Trib:

“The amended House Bill 722 would ensure that neutral, locally focused criteria would remain the only standard by which a map could be judged, preventing any activist Supreme court from tyrannically subverting these criteria to its own preferred partisan agenda,” Metcalfe said in a statement.

See?

Trump's Sexual Assault Awareness And Prevention Month. Day Seven - Trump The Peeping Creep

Late last month, Donald Trump proclaimed April "National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month."

This is the seventh in a series of blog posts about Donald Trump's past as a sexual harasser/assaulter.

Here's Trump in his own words (from CNN):

"Well, I'll tell you the funniest is that before a show, I'll go backstage and everyone's getting dressed, and everything else, and you know, no men are anywhere, and I'm allowed to go in because I'm the owner of the pageant and therefore I'm inspecting it," Trump said. "You know, I'm inspecting because I want to make sure that everything is good."

"You know, the dresses. 'Is everyone okay?' You know, they're standing there with no clothes. 'Is everybody okay?' And you see these incredible looking women, and so, I sort of get away with things like that. But no, I've been very good," he added.

This was 2005 when Trump would have been...59 years old.

What sort of mature man brags about peeking in "incredible looking women" who are "standing there with no clothes" (and who probably can't leave)? For the Miss Universe pageant, the youngest woman would have been 18 - or about 40 years younger than the creepy peeping Trump.

For the Miss Teen USA, the minimum age is 15.

What, you say? Why bring this up??

Because Buzzfeed had this a couple of years ago:

Four women who competed in the 1997 Miss Teen USA beauty pageant said Donald Trump walked into the dressing room while contestants — some as young as 15 — were changing.

“I remember putting on my dress really quick because I was like, ‘Oh my god, there’s a man in here,’” said Mariah Billado, the former Miss Vermont Teen USA.

Trump, she recalled, said something like, “Don’t worry, ladies, I’ve seen it all before.”

Three other women, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of getting engulfed in a media firestorm, also remembered Trump entering the dressing room while girls were changing. Two of them said the girls rushed to cover their bodies, with one calling it “shocking” and “creepy.” The third said she was clothed and introduced herself to Trump.

By the way, the Miss Teen USA pageant took place on August 20, 1997. When the creepy peeping Donald would have been about 51 years old - or 36 years older than our hypothetical 15 year old or 33 years older than the above quoted Mariah Billado, who was 18 at the time.

And also by the way, Ivanka Trump provided "color commentary" for the broadcast that year. She was also 15.

Donald Trump, creepy peeper of teen age women everywhere (or at least at the pageants he owned).

My FIFTY-SIXTH Open Letter To Senator Pat Toomey

I'll be dropping this letter to Senator Pat Toomey in the mail today:

Dear Senator Toomey:

It's me, again - the constituent who writes for the local Pittsburgh-based political blog, "2 Political Junkies."

I was going to ask you about recent news coverage describing how the Congressional Budget Office now says that the tax cuts you championed this past December will expand the deficit to $800 billion in fiscal 2018 (up from $655 billion in fiscal 2017). 

However, considering the events of the past day or so (the FBI raiding Donald Trump's attorney's offices) I'm afraid we have to change the subject. Trump characterized the raid as a break in and as "an attack on our country in a true sense." Given that the FBI went in with a search warrant (one that had to be approved by the highest levels of the Department of Justice as well as a Federal Judge) Trump is completely wrong to call it a break-in as well as "an attack on our country" and "what we all stand for."

So here are my questions, Senator: How concerned are you over these events (both the raid and Trump's response to it)? What will you do if Trump decides to fire Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller given that you're on the record saying that you have "every confidence" that Mueller will do the job with "integrity and professionalism"? Or do you now agree with Trump that the raid is "a disgrace" and that Mueller's investigation is "a witch hunt"?

I await your response.

And I will be posting whatever response I get from him or his office.


Follow-up:

• Round-up Volume 1
• Round-up Volume 2
• Round-up Volume 3
• Round-up Volume 4
• Forty-eighth letter - no response so far 
• Forty-ninth letter - no response so far 
• Fiftieth letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-first letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-second letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-third letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-forth letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-fifth letter - no response so far

Trump's Sexual Assault Awareness And Prevention Month. Day Six - Jessica Leeds

Late last month, Donald Trump proclaimed April "National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month."

This is the sixth in a series of blog posts about Donald Trump's past as a sexual harasser/assaulter.

From NPR:

As she initially recounted to the New York Times in a story published Wednesday, she says Trump groped and kissed her as the two sat next to each other in first class.

"Whether it was 15 minutes or not, it seemed like forever," she said.

The encounter had begun as a "cordial" conversation over an in-flight dinner. Leeds said she had been escorted by a flight attendant from coach to first class, where she found herself seated next to Trump.

"They served a dinner. After the dinner was cleared he began encroaching on my side of the seat," Leeds told NPR's Audie Cornish. "Mr. Trump started coming over to me and groping me and trying to embrace me. And then his hands started going up my skirt."

Leeds said the assault continued for several minutes, though, as she recalls, neither she nor Trump ever said anything.

"I don't recall saying no, I don't recall saying stop," she said. "I don't recall saying anything. It was like a silent pantomime. I remember at one point looking over at the guy in the seat across the aisle, and his eyes were like bugging out of his head."

Leeds said she eventually stood up and walked back to her initial seat in coach, where she remained for the rest of the flight.

"It really rattled me," she said, to the point where after the flight landed, she remained in her seat until everyone else had exited the airplane, so that she wouldn't have to confront Trump a second time.

Trump's defense is familiar. According to NPR, Trump at a campaign stop in North Carolina just after the Leeds assault story broke. he said this in his defense:

"Oh, I was with Donald Trump in 1980," Trump said, mimicking Leeds' accusation. "I was sitting with him on an airplane, and he went after me on the plane."

"Yeah, I'm going to go after you," Trump said dismissively, waving his arms. "Believe me – she would not be my first choice. That I can tell you."

Not that he would never have groped a woman on a plane but that he would have never groped her - but only because she's not good looking enough. Classy guy, that Donald. Very classy.

As he said in his proclamation, "We must respond to sexual assault by identifying and holding perpetrators accountable."

Donald Trump, assaulter of Jessica Leeds.

A Changed Headline Illuminates

This morning, the Post-Gazette published this piece by Christine Emba of the Washington Post.

It's about the need for biblical literacy. The column's headline at the P-G reads:

Which was kinda weird because the column really doesn't say much about atheists specifically. After reading and re-reading the column a few times, the only possibly reference to "atheists" I could find was the last sentence of this paragraph:

According to a survey last year by LifeWay Research, more than half of Americans have read little or none of the Bible. Theologian Albert Mohler has noted, aghast, that more than 10 percent of Americans think that Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife. In 2010, the Pew Research Center revealed that only half of self-identified Christians could identify the four Gospels. (In case you’re wondering, they’re Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.) And as the number of religious “nones” in the United States continues to rise, the amount of even cursory religious knowledge we share seems sure to fall.

And we should note that "Nones" is not necessarily a synomyn for "atheist" as seen in this discussion by the Pew Research Center In a piece titled "'Nones' on the Rise" they say:

The number of Americans who do not identify with any religion continues to grow at a rapid pace. One-fifth of the U.S. public – and a third of adults under 30 – are religiously unaffiliated today, the highest percentages ever in Pew Research Center polling.

"Nones" means "unaffiliated" and Pew further explains:

However, a new survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, conducted jointly with the PBS television program Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, finds that many of the country’s 46 million unaffiliated adults are religious or spiritual in some way. Two-thirds of them say they believe in God (68%). More than half say they often feel a deep connection with nature and the earth (58%), while more than a third classify themselves as “spiritual” but not “religious” (37%), and one-in-five (21%) say they pray every day.

I do also want to take a moment to point out something else from the headline: "atheist" is not a synonym for "non-Christian" as any discussion with any rabbi or imam would surely reveal. 

And in any event, Emba says nothing about the biblical literacy of the "nones." So why the poke at atheists?

When I went looking for the original piece this is what I found this morning. The headline now showing at the Washington Post (where the column first appeared on two Fridays ago on March 30) reads:

So when was the change from "Even atheists" to "You" made? Was it a P-G decision?

Apparently not as the URL of the Washington Post piece still includes this bit fragment:

.../even-atheists-should-read-the-bible/2018/03/30/...
The next day, Hemant Metha of Patheos did a good job at analyzing Emba's piece for some of it's rhetorical inconsistencies. Perhaps that's what triggered the headline writers at the Post to change it's title to something a little more correct.

But that's no excuse for the P-G to revert to the original headline.

Especially since the Pew Research Center (remember them?) has published data saying:

Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons are among the highest-scoring groups on a new survey of religious knowledge, outperforming evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants and Catholics on questions about the core teachings, history and leading figures of major world religions.

On average, Americans correctly answer 16 of the 32 religious knowledge questions on the survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life. Atheists and agnostics average 20.9 correct answers. Jews and Mormons do about as well, averaging 20.5 and 20.3 correct answers, respectively. Protestants as a whole average 16 correct answers; Catholics as a whole, 14.7. Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons perform better than other groups on the survey even after controlling for differing levels of education.

So if there's a "splintered public consciousness" due, at least in part, to a widespread biblical illiteracy in the population, that illiteracy is to be found less in the non-believers than in, say, mainstream Protestants and Catholics. So the proposed solution for atheists to improve their biblical literacy (as the Post originally said and the P-G more recently echoed) is insultingly absurd.

Shouldn't the P-G have checked this before using the column's original (and obviously incorrect) headline?

Trump's Sexual Assault Awareness And Prevention Month. Day Five - Summer Zervos

Late last month, Donald Trump proclaimed April "National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month."

It seems that I'm not the only one thinking Trump's trumpeting of his "National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month" is anything but absurd.

From The Hill:

Former CIA Chief of Staff Jeremy Bash said on Thursday that President Trump should not try to raise awareness of sexual assault after Trump said women crossing the U.S.-Mexico border are facing rape.

"Just on this issue about rape or whatever point he was trying to make, maybe he was trying to raise awareness about sexual assault. He is about the last person on earth who is positioned morally to raise awareness about sexual assault," Bash told MSNBC.

Maybe not the last but he's certainly close.

This is the fifth in a series of blog posts detailing the sexual assault/harassment allegations against Donald J Trump.

From Rolling Stone:

Summer Zervos, a contestant on the fifth season of The Apprentice, came forward on Friday afternoon to accuse Republican nominee Donald Trump of kissing, groping and thrusting his genitals on her during a business meeting. She is the sixth accuser to come forward alleging sexual misconduct by Trump this week alone. At least four other women, including two former beauty pageant queens, one business associate and his ex-wife Ivana, have made accusations in the past.

Zervos, the first contestant fired from her season Trump's reality TV show, said she approached the businessman about a job at his company in 2007, after she appeared on the show. They met first in Trump Tower to discuss the opportunity, where she says he kissed her twice on the mouth and asked for her phone number. Weeks later, she says he arranged to meet with her at a hotel in Los Angeles, where Zervos says he kissed, groped and thrust his genitals on her.

This was October 14, 2016. By that evening, Trump was calling Zervos a liar. For example that night he said:

It’s not hard to find a small handful of people willing to make false smears for personal fame.

So Zervos sued him for defamation. From the complaint:

Ms. Zervos was ambushed by Mr. Trump on more than one occasion. Mr. Trump suddenly, and without her consent, kissed her on her mouth repeatedly; he touched her breast; and he pressed his genitals up against her. Ms. Zervos never consented to any of this disgusting touching. Instead, she repeatedly expressed that he should stop his inappropriate sexual behavior, including by shoving him away from her forcefully, and telling him to “get real.” Mr. Trump did not care, he kept touching her anyway.

As he said in his proclamation, "We must respond to sexual assault by identifying and holding perpetrators accountable."

Donald Trump, assaulter of Summer Zervos.

Trump's Sexual Assault Awareness And Prevention Month. Day Four - Temple Taggart McDowell

Late last month, Donald Trump proclaimed April "National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month."

I thought I'd take the month and look at many women who've accused him of Sexual Assault/Harassment.

This is the fourth in a series of blog posts detailing the sexual assault/harassment allegations against Donald J Trump.

From NBC News:

Temple Taggart McDowell, who represented Utah as a 21-year-old in the 1997 Miss USA pageant in Shreveport, La., said Wednesday night that she was introduced to Trump during a rehearsal by her father, who was a fan of Trump's.

"It was at that time that he turned to me and embraced me and gave me a kiss on the lips," McDowell said.

Temple Taggart, now Temple Taggart McDowell, with Donald Trump in an undated photo. Temple Taggart McDowell

Later, McDowell said, Trump offered to help her get contracts with elite modeling agencies, and during a visit to Trump Tower in Manhattan at Trump's invitation, he again embraced and kissed her on the lips, this time in front of two pageant chaperones and a receptionist.

The New York encounter made one of the chaperones so "uncomfortable" that she advised McDowell not to go into any rooms with Trump alone, McDowell said. The other chaperone accompanied her into Trump's office, she said.

Trump, who was married to Marla Maples at the time of the alleged encounters, strongly disputed McDowell's claim Wednesday night, telling NBC News that he couldn't remember her.

What was it that he said to Billy Bush on the "grab them by the pussy" tape? Oh, yea. this:

Yeah that's her in the gold. I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know, I'm automatically attracted to beautiful... I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait.

Which of Donald's stories rings truer? The "my-dick-is-bigger-because" boast or the "Nope. Nope. I didn't do it" denial uttered only after being caught?

As he said in his proclamation, "We must respond to sexual assault by identifying and holding perpetrators accountable."

Donald Trump, creepy forcible-kisser of Temple Taggart McDowell.

Trump's Sexual Assault Awareness And Prevention Month. Day Three - Jessica Drake

Late last month, Donald Trump proclaimed April "National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month." I kid you not.

I thought I'd take the month and look at many women who've accused him of Sexual Assault/Harassment.

This is the third in a series of blog posts detailing the sexual assault/harassment allegations against Donald Trump.

From CBS News:

Add Jessica Drake, an adult film star, to the growing list of women who have come out alleging that she has been a victim of unwanted sexual advances by Donald Trump, the Republican Party’s presidential nominee.

Drake, speaking to reporters in Los Angeles and accompanied by feminist attorney Gloria Allred, detailed the encounter with Trump 10 years ago, when she met him at a golf tournament in Lake Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe? Really? Hmm.

Then:

“He flirted with me and invited me to walk along the golf course with him,” Drake said. After he asked for her number, Trump invited her to his room later that night.

“Two other women came with me,” Drake said, because she was uncomfortable going alone to Trump’s penthouse suite. When they arrived at his room, she said, “he grabbed each of us tightly in a hug and kissed each one of us without asking permission.” A security guard was present.

Trump was reportedly dressed in pajamas. After 45 minutes of what Drake characterized as "an interview" they left.

And then finally:

After she returned to her own accommodations, Drake said that she received a call from a man. “Donald wanted me to come back upstairs to Donald’s suite,” Drake said.

“I indicated that I did not wish to return,” she said. “Then Donald called. He asked me to return to his suite and have dinner with him. He also invited me to a party. I declined. Donald then asked me, ‘What do you want? How much?’”

There was one last call offering her $10,000 and the use of his private jet. Classy, classy guy.

Trump, of course, has denied the allegations - but in the classy classy way we've come to expect. From CNN:

Donald Trump on Monday addressed the latest accusations of inappropriate sexual contact made against him, saying of the accuser, an adult film performer, "Oh, I'm sure she's never been grabbed before."

But let's get back to Lake Tahoe, shall we? When have we read about Trump and Lake Tahoe?

That's where he met Stephanie Clifford.

But take a look at this from Ronan Farrow at The New Yorker:

In July, 2006, McDougal joined Trump at the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship, at the Edgewood Resort, on Lake Tahoe.

There it is!  And by the way, Trump had been having an affair with Playboy playmate Karen McDougal for sometime at that point. You know where we're going with this, right?  Right here:

During the Lake Tahoe tournament, McDougal and Trump had sex, she wrote. He also allegedly began a sexual relationship with Clifford at the event. (A representative for Clifford did not respond to requests for comment.) In the 2011 interview with In Touch Weekly, Clifford said that Trump didn’t use a condom and didn’t mention sleeping with anyone else. Another adult-film actress, whose screen name is Alana Evans, claimed that Trump invited her to join them in his hotel room that weekend. A third adult-film performer, known as Jessica Drake, alleged that Trump asked her to his hotel room, met her and two women she brought with her in pajamas, and then “grabbed each of us tightly in a hug and kissed each one of us without asking for permission.” He then offered Drake ten thousand dollars in exchange for her company.

At one golf tournament, he has sex with (or otherwise hits on) four different women (or is it six? As Drake had two friends with her) - none of whom is his newlywed wife. As I said, what a classy classy guy!

Where is the outrage from the family values crowd?

As he said in his proclamation, "We must respond to sexual assault by identifying and holding perpetrators accountable."

Donald Trump, creepy forcible-kisser of Jessica Drake.

My FIFTY-FIFTH Open Letter To Senator Pat Toomey

I'll be dropping this letter to Senator Pat Toomey in the mail today:

Dear Senator Toomey:

It's me, again - the constituent who writes for the local Pittsburgh-based political blog, "2 Political Junkies."

I'd like to ask you about HR 1 (the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act), specifically its impact on the economy. At your website, you that "This bill will spur significant new investment, business expansion, and new business startups, leading to more jobs, higher wages, a better standard of living for more Pennsylvanians."

A few months back a survey done by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta found something very different. Three researchers, writing at the Atlanta Fed blog, Macroblog, in January found that even after HR 1, "The typical firm isn't planning on a whole lot of additional capital spending or hiring" and that "roughly two-thirds of respondents indicated that the tax reform hasn't enticed them into changing their investment plans for 2018." They added that as for new hiring, roughly the same goes: a typical firm has not changed its hiring plans due to HR 1.

They produced a follow-up three months later. In that survey of the results they found that, "if anything, these firms have revised down their expectations for this year."

Senator, given your rather enthusiastic support of the legislation, can you explain to your constituents its rather disappointing results so far?

I await your response.

And I will be posting whatever response I get from him or his office.


Follow-up:

• Round-up Volume 1
• Round-up Volume 2
• Round-up Volume 3
• Round-up Volume 4
• Forty-eighth letter - no response so far 
• Forty-ninth letter - no response so far 
• Fiftieth letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-first letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-second letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-third letter - no response so far 
• Fifty-forth letter - no response so far

Trump's Sexual Assault Awareness And Prevention Month. Day Two - Natasha Stoynoff

Late last month, Donald Trump proclaimed April "National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month."

This is the second in a series of blog posts detailing the sexual assault/harassment allegations against Donald Trump.

From writer Natasha Stoynoff:

In the early 2000s, I was assigned the Trump beat for PEOPLE magazine. For years I reported on all things Donald.

I tracked his hit show The Apprentice, attended his wedding to Melania Knauss and roamed the halls of his lavish Trump Tower abode. Melania was kind and sweet during our many chats, and Donald was as bombastic and entertaining as you would expect. We had a very friendly, professional relationship.

Then, in December 2005, around the time Trump had his now infamous conversation with Billy Bush, I traveled to Mar-a-Lago to interview the couple for a first-wedding-anniversary feature story.

Our photo team shot the Trumps on the lush grounds of their Florida estate, and I interviewed them about how happy their first year of marriage had been. When we took a break for the then-very-pregnant Melania to go upstairs and change wardrobe for more photos, Donald wanted to show me around the mansion. There was one “tremendous” room in particular, he said, that I just had to see.

...

We walked into that room alone, and Trump shut the door behind us. I turned around, and within seconds he was pushing me against the wall and forcing his tongue down my throat.

Trump denied the assault. The reason? Take a look at this from the Daily Caller:

“Think of it,” he said. “She’s doing a story on Melania, who’s pregnant at the time, and Donald Trump — our one year anniversary. And she said I made inappropriate advances, and by the way, the area was a public area — people all over the place.”

“Take a look, you take a look, look at her — look at her words — you tell me what you think. I don’t think so. I don’t think so.”

So his explanation was NOT that he'd never force himself on anyone but that's simply unacceptable behavior but that he didn't do anything with her simply because she wasn't attractive enough for him to bother with.

What did he say about attractive women to Billy Bush? This:

You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. I just kiss. I don’t even wait.

As he said in his proclamation, "We must respond to sexual assault by identifying and holding perpetrators accountable."

Donald Trump, assaulter of Natasha Stoynoff.

Trump's Sexual Assault Awareness And Prevention Month. Day One - His First Wife, Ivana.

Late last month, Donald Trump proclaimed April "National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month."

No, this is not an April Fools Joke. It's the truth.

Now I'm curious. What's Trump's own history when it comes to issues of sexual assault and sexual harassment?

Let's spend the month of April investigating. There are certainly enough women making allegations.

So let's go take a look

First up - his first wife, Ivana.  Harry Hurt III in his book Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump describes a rather violent encounter she had with Donald a few decades ago. He'd had a scalp reduction surgery that didn't go well:

Suddenly, according to Ivana, The Donald storms into the room. He is looking very angry, and he is cursing out loud.

“Your fucking doctor has ruined me!” he screams.

The Donald flings Ivana down onto the bed. Then he pins back her arms and grabs her by the hair. The part of her head he is grabbing corresponds to the spot on his head where the scalp reduction operation has been done. The Donald starts ripping out Ivana’s hair by the handful, as if he is trying to make her feel the same kind of pain that he is feeling.

Ivana starts crying and screaming. The entire bed is being covered with strands of her golden locks. But The Donald is not finished. He rips off her clothes and unzips his pants. Then he jams his penis inside her for the first time in more than sixteen months.

Ivana is terrified. This is not lovemaking. This is not romantic sex. It is a violent assault. She later describes what The Donald is doing to her in no uncertain terms. According to the versions she repeats to some of her closest confidantes, “He raped me.”

When The Donald finally pulls out, Ivana jumps up from the bed. Then she runs upstairs to her mother’s room. She locks the door and stays there crying for the rest of the night.

The next morning Ivana musters up the courage to return to the master bedroom. The Donald is there waiting for her. He leaves no doubt that he knows exactly what he did to her the night before. As she looks in horror at the ripped-out hair scattered all over the bed, he glares at her and asks with menacing casualness: “Does it hurt?

Prior to the publication of the book, the author received this statement from Ivana Trump regarding the incident:

During a deposition given by me in connection with my matrimonial case, I stated that my husband had raped me.

I wish to say that on one occasion during 1989, Mr Trump and I had marital relations in which he behaved very differently toward me than he had during our marriage.

As a woman, I felt violated, as the love and tenderness which he normally exhibited toward me, was absent. I referred to this as a ‘rape,’ but I do not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense.

Any contrary conclusion would be an incorrect and most unfortunate interpretation of my statement which I do not want to be interpreted in a speculative fashion and I do not want the press or media to misconstrue any of the facts set forth above.

All I wish is for this matter to be put to rest.

You'll note that she does not deny the incident took place nor does she deny feeling "violated" afterward. She just does not wish to call it rape "in a literal or criminal sense."

He violated her and ripped out handfuls of her hair.

As he said in his proclamation, "We must respond to sexual assault by identifying and holding perpetrators accountable."

Donald Trump, violator of Ivana Trump.