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‘Everybody Was Just Astonished’: Tenn. Republican’s Comments on Slavery Leave His Colleagues Stunned

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During a discussion on a resolution to remove a statue of a Confederate general and early leader of the KKK that stands inside the Tennessee State Capitol, Rep. Jerry Sexton (R) made some comments that sparked a backlash, News 4 Nashville reports.

A Tennessee House Committee voted down the resolution on Tuesday, which suggested replacing the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest with a less controversial figure. During the lead up the vote, Sexton, who argued against the resolution, said that memorials to Confederate figures should get a pass because slavery was once the norm and people simply didn’t know any better.

“It was not against the law to own slaves back then,” Sexton said. “Who knows, maybe some of us will be slaves one of these days. Laws change.”

Unsurprisingly, Sexton was met with considerable pushback from his colleagues.

“I think everybody was just astonished because it just was totally at odds with the very poignant testimony by the sponsor of the bill about how burdensome the legacy of slavery is,” Rep. Mike Stewart (D) said. “The remark is more broadly reflective of the attitude that has left that bust in place.”

“African-American people and minorities always know that it’s dormant,” Rep. Joe Towns Jr. (D) said. “So it’s been here and now people are emboldened.”

Read more on the story at News 4 Nashville.

 

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Trump to Slip Away on Six-Day Florida Vacation as Americans Struggle With Soaring Costs

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President Donald Trump is heading to his Florida estate on Tuesday to get a jump on the Thanksgiving holiday. The president and First Lady will be staying at Mar-a-Lago for an extended break, returning to the White House early Sunday evening.

As the First Family enjoys their six-day trip, Americans are increasingly dismayed at the state of the Trump economy, which is producing near-record-low consumer sentiment, rising and record prices at the grocery store, increasing unemployment, persistent inflation, and — as the president recently declared — tariff payments that are about to “skyrocket.”

Inflation remains strong at 3.0%. The unemployment rate is now the highest it’s been in nearly four years. Prices for items like beef, coffee, and bananas have increased by double-digit percentages. Major corporations have announced plans to lay off thousands or tens of thousands of workers. Millions of Americans are seeing their health care premiums for next year in some cases double or even triple. And according to one economist, there is a possibility that some parts of the country may already be in a recession. Another economist last week sounded the stagflation alarm.

READ MORE: Family Food Costs Hit Record High Despite Trump Touting Cheaper Holiday Dinner

According to guidance from the White House, published by Roll Call, the president and First Lady will head to Palm Beach, Florida, at 6 PM on Tuesday, after pardoning the presidential turkeys.

The president has no public events scheduled on Wednesday. The only event scheduled for Thursday, Thanksgiving, is a 6 PM call with service members.

On other Thanksgivings, some presidents have visited troops in person, even overseas, or volunteered at food banks.

For Friday and Saturday, the president has no public events scheduled. On Sunday, the president and First Lady leave Palm Beach at 3 PM, headed for the White House.

Last month, President Trump was sharply criticized as “tone deaf” for hosting a Great Gatsby-themed party as millions of Americans were poised to lose their SNAP benefits.

READ MORE: Trump: Nearly All of Biden’s Pardons — Including the Turkeys — Are ‘Invalid’

 

Image via Reuters

 

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Trump: Nearly All of Biden’s Pardons — Including the Turkeys — Are ‘Invalid’

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A jovial President Donald Trump, set to jet off to Florida for the Thanksgiving holiday, took time on Tuesday to participate in the annual presidential pardoning of two turkeys, but told attendees at the White House that nearly all of the pardons then-President Joe Biden had performed are “invalid.”

“You remember last year,” Trump said, “after a thorough and very rigorous investigation, by Pam Bondi and all of the people, at Department of Justice, the FBI, the CIA, the White House Counsel’s Office, and the Department of Everything —we have a Department of Everything. You know what that is? I think that’s called the White House — into a terrible situation caused by a man named Sleepy Joe Biden.”

“He used an autopen, last year for the turkeys’ pardon.”

READ MORE: Layoffs Surge and Consumer Confidence Tumbles Under Trump as Holidays Approach

“So I have the official duty to determine, and I have determined, that last year’s turkey pardons are totally invalid,” the president, apparently joking, told onlookers.

“As are the pardons of about every other person that was pardoned, other than, uh, where’s Hunter?” Trump continued, referring to the former president’s son.

“No, Hunter’s was good,” Trump said. “That was the one pardon Pam that was good, right? The rest of them are all invalid.”

READ MORE: ‘Theater of the Absurd’: Trump’s Attacks Cast Doubt on Bipartisan Funding Deals

The president then appeared to stop joking.

“I don’t know what the h – – you’re gonna do about that, but that’s, now we’re gonna take a little of the joke, and that is a mess,” he said of the pardons.

Presidents, including President Trump, for at least decades have used autopens to sign documents. But Trump has strongly suggested that at least some of President Biden’s autopen-signed documents are invalid.

READ MORE: Republicans Scuttled Trump Health Care Fix Because They Felt ‘Left Out’: Report

 

Image via Reuters 

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Layoffs Surge and Consumer Confidence Tumbles Under Trump as Holidays Approach

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The Consumer Confidence Index dropped sharply in November, as disillusioned Americans indicated unease in the Trump economy amid rising prices, steady inflation, tariffs, increasing unemployment, and surging layoffs that are making finding a job more difficult.

The Consumer Confidence Index dropped 6.8 points to its lowest level since April, and consumer expectations “tumbled,” CNBC reported on Tuesday.

“Consumers were notably more pessimistic about business conditions six months from now,” said Dana Peterson, the Conference Board’s chief economist. “Mid-2026 expectations for labor market conditions remained decidedly negative, and expectations for increased household incomes shrunk dramatically, after six months of strongly positive readings.”

READ MORE: ‘Theater of the Absurd’: Trump’s Attacks Cast Doubt on Bipartisan Funding Deals

Now, just six percent of workers say that jobs are “plentiful,” down from 28.6% one month ago.

“Consumers’ write-in responses pertaining to factors affecting the economy continued to be led by references to prices and inflation, tariffs and trade, and politics, with increased mentions of the federal government shutdown,” Peterson also said in a statement, according to Bloomberg News.

The news comes just as another indicator of a weakening jobs market shows that “private companies shed an average 13,500 jobs over the past four weeks,” CNBC noted, citing data from payrolls processing firm ADP.

“That’s an acceleration from the 2,500 jobs a week lost in the last update a week ago,” CNBC also reported.

Other data also suggest a troubled economy.

READ MORE: Republicans Scuttled Trump Health Care Fix Because They Felt ‘Left Out’: Report

“Government figures out earlier on Tuesday showed retail sales moderated in September after several robust months,” Bloomberg added.

“As for November, the Conference Board’s report showed buying plans for big-ticket items, including cars and major appliances, declined. Home-buying plans also fell.”

Alex Jacquez, Chief of Policy and Advocacy at Groundwork Collaborative and a former Biden White House official, summed up his thoughts on the current situation:

“Good news: fewer people think we’re headed toward a recession. Bad news: more people think we’re already in one.”

READ MORE: GOP Lawmaker Suggests US ‘About to Go In’ to Venezuela for Oil

 

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