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‘Disturbing’: Johnson Scorched for Saying He’s Starving SNAP to ‘Pressure’ Democrats

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As Republican leaders appear to grow increasingly frustrated with the shutdown of the federal government, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson admitted on Thursday that he is refusing to allow legislation to fund food stamps because he wants to keep “pressure” on the Democratic Party.

The federal government has been shut down for 30 days, with little end in sight. Republicans continue to block Democratic attempts to reinstate funding for the Obamacare health insurance premium subsidies and programs like SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Democrats refuse to vote to open the government without the Obamacare subsidies funding.

CNN’s Dana Bash told Speaker Johnson on Thursday afternoon that the “reality is that this has been a stalemate for 30 days, and it’s not just Democrats — you also have one of the most conservative Republican senators, Josh Hawley, who says, at least, please, move money around to feed people.”

READ MORE: Americans Turn Against Trump’s Crime Crackdowns: Report

Asked why he would not consider funding SNAP, Johnson replied: “Because if you deviate from the goal of reopening the entire government, Chuck Schumer and the radicals over there will continue to play games with people’s paychecks, their livelihoods.”

He added, “if you do just part of this, it will reduce the pressure for them to do all of it, to do their basic job, and that is reopen the government.”

“This is very real and very serious, and they can end it today,” Johnson insisted. “They can do it right now. All they have to do is, we just need five more Democrats in the Senate to help us reach the 60 vote threshold.”

“We don’t have enough Republicans to do the right thing on our own. We need them to do the right thing,” he said.

Critics say that Senate Republican Majority Leader John Thune could go “nuclear” and drop the threshold from 60 votes to 50 votes to pass a clean continuing resolution and reopen the government.

Others criticized Johnson for using programs that aid low-income Americans as political leverage.

READ MORE: ‘How Authoritarians Rule’: National Security Experts Blast Trump’s New Nuclear ‘Fear Show’

U.S. Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA), responding to Johnson’s remarks, posted what he said is the law establishing the contingency fund that experts say should be used during the shutdown to fund SNAP.

“At least Johnson made clear that it is Republicans who want people to go hungry from their shutdown,” remarked Dean Baker, senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

“Mike Johnson now admitting that Republicans [are] using SNAP as leverage and to ‘pressure’ Democrats!” commented Matt Rein, director of influencer and creative partnerships at the DNC.

“This is the Speaker of the House making two things clear: They could feed poor children if they chose. They are choosing to starve poor children as a tactic,” wrote Bill Prady, co-creator of “The Big Bang Theory.”

“Mike Johnson f– up on CNN just now and admitted they’re defunding SNAP as leverage to get Democrats to fold on the shutdown. Letting 40 million Americans go hungry just to try to win a political fight is disturbing—I can’t believe he said it out loud,” remarked Democratic strategist Mike Nellis.

READ MORE: Public Turns on GOP as Shutdown Fallout Deepens: Report

 

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CNN’s Tapper Flags ‘Killed’ Trump-Related Link in Epstein Dump — Access Restored Fast

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Access to a document originally released as part of Friday’s Epstein files document dump that included language related to accusations against President Donald Trump and others allegedly had been removed, according to Jake Tapper. In just under an hour access was restored after the CNN anchor’s social media post.

The page Tapper linked to had read: “We are sorry, the page you’re looking for can’t be found on the Department of Justice website.”

“DOJ has since killed this link,” Tapper wrote. “This is what was there.”

Access was restored about 48 minutes later, according to Tapper’s posts.

According to the screenshot the CNN journalist posted on social media, the document included complaint summaries alleging minors engaging in sexual acts with Trump and others. The complaints are allegations and not proof or evidence of wrongdoing. Donald Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

Part of one accusation alleged, “Caller named other individuals involved in ‘big orgy parties’ with her, other young girls, and older Victoria’s Secret models, including Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.”

“Online complainant reported she was a victim and witness to a sex trafficking ring at the Trump Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes. CA between 1995- 1996,” that same allegation continued. “Complainant reported Ghislaine Maxwell as the madam and broker for sex parties, clients of whom included Epstein, Robin Leach, and Donald Trump.”

The screenshot stated that the “Response” to those complaints was that “Complainant was spoken to and deemed not credible.”

Other complaints in the screenshotted document read: “One of complainant’s ex-girlfriend’s daughters told complainant Trump raped her, as did Epstein.”

The screenshot of the document included multiple allegations that are graphic and include references to rape and murder.

Image via Reuters 

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‘We Did Not Protect President Trump’ DOJ Says Upon Releasing Millions More Epstein Files

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More than forty days after federal law required the release of the Epstein files, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it will post about three million additional documents from its trove on Friday.

In addition to the documents, 2,000 videos and about 180,000 images will also be released, according to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who “said the files included images taken by Epstein and others that were on his devices but he didn’t take,” NBC News reported.

“Blanche said that the public should not find within the files the names of any men who abused women in connection with Epstein,” NBC added. “His comments affirm an unsigned statement from the DOJ and the FBI last year that sparked an avalanche of criticism and calls for more transparency.”

When asked by reporters if he had updated the White House on the release of the files, Blanche said, “My team has certain communications with the White House — let me just be clear, they had nothing to do with this review. They had no oversight with this review, they did not tell this department how to do our review, what to look for, what to redact, what not to redact. They absolutely knew that I was doing this press conference today and I was releasing the materials today.”

Blanche insisted there was no “oversight by the White House” in the process.

Asked if the DOJ is releasing all documents related to President Donald Trump from the files, Blanche told reporters, “I can assure that we complied with the statute.”

“We complied with the act,” he said, “We did not protect President Trump.”

“We didn’t protect or not protect anybody,” he added, while declaring that “that there’s a hunger, a thirst for information that I do not think will be satisfied by the review of these documents.”

Blanche insisted that President Trump has had the “same consistent message about Jeffrey Epstein.” He also insisted that “there’s not been a change, of course, or anything, and certainly his direction to … the Department of Justice was to release the files, be as transparent as we can.”

 

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‘We’re Not Going Back’: Outrage Mounts Over New Push to Overturn Gay Marriage

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The newly launched effort to overturn same-sex marriage — backed by nearly 50 right-wing groups — is drawing outrage after the coalition posted a video featuring controversial rhetoric. The group argues that Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that recognized same-sex couples’ right to marry nationwide, harmed children — and aims to roll those rights back.

The Greater Than campaign’s website promotes claims such as:

“A woman who identifies as a lesbian can be a loving mother, but she cannot be a father. A gay man can be a loving father, but he cannot be a mother. Children need, deserve, and have a right to both.”

“No adult has a right to a non-biologically related child. No child should lose their mother or father so an adult- gay, straight, single or married- can create a baby.”

They also claim that the “legal existence of same-sex marriage requires the redefinition of legal parenthood in a way that makes a child’s mother or father optional in their life.”

READ MORE: ‘All Tools Necessary’: GOP Hardliners Press Trump on Insurrection Act

In the video, anti-same-sex marriage activists including Tony Perkins, the head of the Family Research Council, said: “It’s a mother and a father that bring forth children into the world, and that’s by design, because children need a mother and a father.”

Lila Rose of Live Action said, “Redefining marriage robs children of the natural right to their mother and father.”

And Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Al Mohler said in the video that same-sex marriage “harms children in virtually every way imaginable.”

Critics blasted the group’ efforts to overturn marriage rights.

Jill Filipovic, who writes about women’s rights, U.S. politics, and foreign affairs, noted, “These are many of the same people who successfully overturned Roe v. Wade. We told you they’d come for same-sex marriage next. They’re coming. The only question is whether they succeed.”

READ MORE: Trump: ‘We’re Bringing Back God’

The Bulwark’s Bill Kristol, director of Defending Democracy Together, wrote: “Honestly glad to see all the cards out on the table. 1. People can stop being surprised by how radical and thorough-going the reactionary agenda is. 2) This is a chance to cause some rifts and wedges in Trump/MAGA world.”

Tim Miller of MS NOW and The Bulwark added, “I find it encouraging that these people are coming out of the shadows. Best to know who wants to nullify your family unit.”

“If these people had their way, my sister and I—and millions of other children of LGBTQ parents—wouldn’t exist,” wrote Iowa State Senator Zach Wahls. “Every child deserves a family as loving as the one I grew up in. And those are the same values that Chloe and I are passing on to our son. We’re not going back.”

Jessica Riedl of the Brookings Institution observed, “This video is nonsense on stilts. They are ranting about gay adoption as a reason to ban to gay marriage (separate issues) – and assuming that if gays cannot marry, they will instead raise kids within heterosexual marriages.”

The Bulwark’s Catherine Rampell, an MS NOW anchor, warned simply: “They’re coming for gay marriage.”

READ MORE: GOP Instability Deepens as Another Republican Candidate Calls It Quits

 

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