#TaxScamBill: What You Need To Know Last night around 2 a.m., Senate passed a MAJOR tax bill that gives huge tax breaks to the wealthiest people in the United States and folks are pissed! The cornerstone of the reform guarantees a permanent corporate rate cut, from 35 percent to 20 percent. It also pulls money from Medicaid and Medicare and screws middle class homeowners. To top off the swindle, the house didn’t even get ample enough time to read through the 500 page reform before voting on it. On the Senate floor, @SenSchumer asked to adjourn until Monday so that senators & American ppl could read the 500 pg tax bill they just got 4 hrs ago. Republicans ALL VOTED NO. #NoVote #GOPTaxScam pic.twitter.com/EhOmopqRd5 — NARAL (@NARAL) December 2, 2017 “Not a single member of this chamber has read the bill,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on the Senate floor before the bill passed. “It would be impossible. He called the Republican approach “a process and a product that no one can be proud of and everyone should be ashamed of.” He went on to warn that changes made to the bill “under the cover of darkness” would “stuff even more money into the pockets of the wealthy and the biggest corporations while raising taxes on millions in the middle class.” Here are some seemingly positive parts of the Tax Bill, according to CNN money . Increases teacher deduction: Teachers who buy their own supplies for the classroom may deduct up to $250 today. The Senate bill doubles that amount to $500. Expands the child tax credit: The Senate GOP bill increases the child tax credit to $2,000 per child, up from $1,000 today, and above the $1,600 proposed in the House bill. Nearly doubles the standard deduction: The House and Senate bills nearly double the standard deduction. For single filers the Senate bill increases it to $12,000 from $6,350 currently; and it raises it for married couples filing jointly to $24,000 from $12,700. Now for the negatives: Since the tax bill already nearly doubles standard deductions, it eliminates all individual state and local income tax deductions. The bill also repeals Obamacare’s individual mandate, which is projected to leave millions uninsured . (via NY Mag ) Limits state and local income tax deductions to property taxes , with a cap of $10,000. Like we said, the bill was 500 pages and folks are still discovering shady parts, dubbing it the #TaxScamBill. Here’s why. Hit the flip.
“Thanksgiving Day is observed in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November” (above)—making this year the second earliest date on which it can fall. … read more
Source: Streeter Lecka / Getty For almost three decades the Georgia Dome has been a staple to the city of Atlanta, but come November 20th it will be no more. The Georgia Dome is set to be demolished to make more room for parking at the new Mercedes Benz stadium. With the lost of so many amazing memories, we decided to put together a list of some of the greatest moments in Georgia Dome history. Source: Focus On Sport / Getty JANUARY 30 1994: Emmitt Smith #22 of the Dallas Cowboys carries the ball against the Buffalo Bills during Super Bowl XXVIII on January 30, 1994 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The Cowboys won the Super Bowl 30 -13.
Trump has made some pretty obscene comments on Twitter—but his tweet about LiAngelo Ball , Jalen Hill , and Cody Riley has to be his pettiest comment yet. The three UCLA ballers were arrested and detained on suspicion of shoplifting at a Louis Vuitton store in China and could have been in serious trouble, according to Trump, had he not intervened. Before the public learned the players were to be sent home, Trump told reporters “I had a great conversation with President Xi. What they did was unfortunate. You know, you’re talking about very long prison sentences. They do not play games.” Now, upon their release, no. 45 would like a ‘Thank You’ and credit—and he let that be known via social media. Sadly, we aren’t making any of this up: Do you think the three UCLA Basketball Players will say thank you President Trump? They were headed for 10 years in jail! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 15, 2017 The failing @nytimes hates the fact that I have developed a great relationship with World leaders like Xi Jinping, President of China….. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 15, 2017 …They should realize that these relationships are a good thing, not a bad thing. The U.S. is being respected again. Watch Trade! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 15, 2017 College athletes Ball, Hill, and Riley were released and allowed to return home to the United States on Tuesday, November 15, and were bombarded by the media upon doing so. See the footage below. UCLA basketball players swarmed by reporters as they return to Los Angeles after spending a week under house arrest in China amid shoplifting allegations. https://t.co/RXAscxPWnP pic.twitter.com/OyQRGiYaJm — ABC News (@ABC) November 15, 2017 When you help three Black kids get home safely, then rub their noses in it and remind them they could’ve been in jail for a decade had you not decided to play nice—sure, not racist at all. Not even a little bit. [ione_media_gallery src=”https://globalgrind.cassiuslife.com” id=”4237872″ overlay=”true”]
Steven Seagal might seem like too much of a caricature to actually exist, but we regret to remind you that he is all too real. The actor, who has openly pondered a political run and shared some of his truly frightening political views, is only the latest to be accused of sexual harassment. But newly revealed audio of Steven Seagal has him ranting angrily about female journalists in what has been characterized as a misogynistic rant. You can listen below for yourself. What's the most recent news that we've heard from this guy? Probably when Steven Seagal slammed the NFL for “disrespecting the flag.” There were a couple of problems with his complaints. One, that's not what the NFL protests are about — they're not sticking up their middle finger at America, they're using the opportunity to protest the killing of unarmed black men by the very police who are supposed to protect them and enforce the law. At this point, we feel like anyone who honestly wants to understand the situation already knows that. Two, if Steven Seagal loves America so much, why does he live in Russia? Russia isn't just another country — it's a hostile foreign power that has actively worked against the United States time after time. And yet Steven Seagal seems to absolutely adore Russia's shameless despot, Vladimir Putin. We don't really need to rehash the election interference that almost no one is denying, right? Or the habit of Vladimir Putin's political enemies have of being poisoned or otherwise dying? (The same happens to journalists investigating Putin and his interests) So Steven Seagal has some pretty controversial opinions, to say the least. That is not, however, the most recent thing that we've heard about Steven Seagal. In the aftermath of the Weinstein sexual harassment scandal , more and more actresses (and actors!) have been coming forward with their #MeToo stories . In many cases, they've revealed instances of sexual harassment and sexual assault. Some women have come forward to add their names to the lists of Harvey Weinstein's accusers. Others have, for a host of reasons, declined to name the men who harassed or assaulted them. Actress Jenny McCarthy, perhaps best known for her ludicrous “medical” beliefs that have mad her name synonymous with the anti-vaxx movement, recently came forward in a podcast. She alleges that Steven Seagal told her to take off her dress during a casting call for one of his films. Just so that you know, folks, that is not appropriate. And Lisa Guerrero, who is now a journalist but was once an actress, told The Hollywood Reporter of her own Steven Seagal encounter . She alleges that in the '90s, Steven Seagal summoned her to his Beverly Hills home for an audition. That's a little weird, so she insisted upon the casting director also being present, so it should be fine, right? Well … Steven Seagal not only seemed surprised to see that casting director with her, but he answered the door in a silk kimono. Now, we're sure that kimonos are very comfy, but if you're not a college student, you should probably put on something other than a robe when people come over. Especially if it's a work thing. Instead, she describes how Steven Seagal sat on a throne-like chair in his robe and watched her audition for 10 minutes. It was fine — he didn't touch her or expose himself. But … what would have happened if she hadn't brought the casting director? While the brief audio clip, which you can listen to below, doesn't provide a whole lot of context, it's pretty damning on its own. You hear Steven Seagal's own voice as he speaks to a male interviewer. “The few times that I had a hard time was usually with women.” That's not a great way to talk about … anything. “When somebody is on tour, a promotional tour, he’s there to talk about his film, not about who he’s f—ing or who he would like to f— or who his wife was with ten years ago.” Those are the explicit versions of normal questions to ask celebrities. “They should go into pornography or something else instead of journalism if they want to hear that s–t. They're a bunch of a—-.” They should “go into pornography” … what?! Does he mean that they should be porn stars or interview porn stars? Both suggestions are absurd. He has some lovely things to say about some unnamed woman. “I won't even dare tell you what I think it is. It was just some dumb b–ch that is a liar and wanted to be sensational.” If someone is saying “some dumb b–ch” and not jokingly referring to themselves or making a totally okay inside joke with a friend … that tells you a lot about their opinions of women. Steven Seagal's decision to style his home and much of his clothing in an Asian manner is fine. He's a little eccentric, sure. But it's fine. As we all learned in 2016, an audio recording of a man with extensive Russian ties saying offensive things about women doesn't necessarily mean that he'll be negatively impacted. Of course … what exactly is Steven Seagal's career these days? So whatever fallout this audio recording might have had during his heyday probably won't amount to anything in 2017. Listen for yourself:
I gnited by the sexual abuse allegations against film executive Harvey Weinstein , the #MeToo hashtag recently exploded on social media as women recounted their personal experiences with sexual assault to show their solidarity with the victims who came forward. Although the hashtag gained a lot of traction in recent weeks, what many people may not know is that the #MeToo movement was birthed by a Black woman nearly a decade ago, reports the Huffington Post . The 'Me Too' campaign was created by a black woman 10 years ago https://t.co/4V8b5jwv7L pic.twitter.com/08IecCqBYe — HuffPost BlackVoices (@blackvoices) October 17, 2017 Tarana Burke , the founder of a youth organization called Just Be Inc., started the “Me Too” campaign in 2007 as an avenue to provide support for those who have experienced sexual assault in underserved communities. Burke, 44, is a survivor of sexual abuse herself and says she launched the campaign to connect with women of color who have been through similar experiences. “It was a catchphrase to be used from survivor to survivor to let folks know that they were not alone and that a movement for radical healing was happening and possible,” she said in an interview, according to the source. According to the University of Kansas , studies show that nearly one in five Black women are the victims of sexual assault in the United States and only one woman of color out of 15 will report her rape. Last week, after tweeting out a call to action for women to share their stories of sexual assault using the #MeToo hashtag, several media outlets credited actress Alyssa Milano for starting the movement, the Huffington Post reports. Many people accused the outlets of appropriating the movement which sparked conversations about race, gender, and intersectionality within feminism. After it was brought to her attention that Burke was the originator, Milano took to Twitter on Monday to share information about the original project with her followers. I was just made aware of an earlier #MeToo movement, and the origin story is equal parts heartbreaking and inspiring https://t.co/tABQBODscE — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) October 16, 2017 Burke said that she was humbled by the fact that her idea connected and empowered so many women on social media. In a series of tweets, she delved into why she initially created the grassroots campaign. “The point of the work we’ve done over the last decade with the ‘me too movement’ is to let women, particularly young women of color know that they are not alone – it’s a movement,” Burke tweeted. “It’s beyond a hashtag. It’s the start of a larger conversation and a movement for radical community healing.” Black women have been at the forefront of social movements for centuries and its good to see them getting the credit that they deserve. What are your thoughts about the #MeToo movement? Sound off in the comments. SOURCE: Huffington Post , University of Kansas SEE ALSO: Blessing In Disguise: Sophie Okonedo Failed Harvey Weinstein’s ‘Fu**ability’ Test Terry Crews Reveals Sex Assault Amid Hollywood Controversy [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3478918″ overlay=”true”]
I gnited by the sexual abuse allegations against film executive Harvey Weinstein , the #MeToo hashtag recently exploded on social media as women recounted their personal experiences with sexual assault to show their solidarity with the victims who came forward. Although the hashtag gained a lot of traction in recent weeks, what many people may not know is that the #MeToo movement was birthed by a Black woman nearly a decade ago, reports the Huffington Post . The 'Me Too' campaign was created by a black woman 10 years ago https://t.co/4V8b5jwv7L pic.twitter.com/08IecCqBYe — HuffPost BlackVoices (@blackvoices) October 17, 2017 Tarana Burke , the founder of a youth organization called Just Be Inc., started the “Me Too” campaign in 2007 as an avenue to provide support for those who have experienced sexual assault in underserved communities. Burke, 44, is a survivor of sexual abuse herself and says she launched the campaign to connect with women of color who have been through similar experiences. “It was a catchphrase to be used from survivor to survivor to let folks know that they were not alone and that a movement for radical healing was happening and possible,” she said in an interview, according to the source. According to the University of Kansas , studies show that nearly one in five Black women are the victims of sexual assault in the United States and only one woman of color out of 15 will report her rape. Last week, after tweeting out a call to action for women to share their stories of sexual assault using the #MeToo hashtag, several media outlets credited actress Alyssa Milano for starting the movement, the Huffington Post reports. Many people accused the outlets of appropriating the movement which sparked conversations about race, gender, and intersectionality within feminism. After it was brought to her attention that Burke was the originator, Milano took to Twitter on Monday to share information about the original project with her followers. I was just made aware of an earlier #MeToo movement, and the origin story is equal parts heartbreaking and inspiring https://t.co/tABQBODscE — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) October 16, 2017 Burke said that she was humbled by the fact that her idea connected and empowered so many women on social media. In a series of tweets, she delved into why she initially created the grassroots campaign. “The point of the work we’ve done over the last decade with the ‘me too movement’ is to let women, particularly young women of color know that they are not alone – it’s a movement,” Burke tweeted. “It’s beyond a hashtag. It’s the start of a larger conversation and a movement for radical community healing.” Black women have been at the forefront of social movements for centuries and its good to see them getting the credit that they deserve. What are your thoughts about the #MeToo movement? Sound off in the comments. SOURCE: Huffington Post , University of Kansas SEE ALSO: Blessing In Disguise: Sophie Okonedo Failed Harvey Weinstein’s ‘Fu**ability’ Test Terry Crews Reveals Sex Assault Amid Hollywood Controversy [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3478918″ overlay=”true”]
Sometimes, you read something that a celebrity said or did and you say that it kills your faith in humanity … but really, celebrities aren't usually representative of the average person. This story, however, might crush your faith in humanity … and in this next generation of young people. Just a little. Because the heinous video that went viral, which we have below, was made by teenagers . (Of course, it was also brought to light and condemned by teenagers before anyone else got involved, so … keep that in mind) It is sadly not new information that racism is alive and well in the United States of America. If you were somehow able to ignore that before, the last couple of years have made it truly impossible to miss. Hate crimes have spiked, and we've seen Nazis marching on American streets more than once this year. A particularly infamous Nazi, Richard Spencer, is speaking in Florida this afternoon, and everyone in the local community is afraid of what might happen if his supporters show up and go after his protesters. Some worry that, some time tonight, Florida could see its very own Charlottesville. Hopefully not, but the fact that people are worried about it at all tells you a lot about how prevalent and emboldened racists are feeling now in 2017. MWhile many racists — Nazis and others — come to feel that way because they feel marginalized or threatened that other people exist and have decided to blame their own shortcomings on, for example, people of color. Others are taught racism — not just institutional and cultural racism that we all have to unlearn — but explicit, unapologetic racism from a young age. These people tend to grow up thinking that everyone's family “talks like that” behind closed doors. (Then, thinking that everyone thinks and acts the way that they do, they assume that “political correctness” and not common decency is responsible for racists getting shamed) We don't know if these girls all learned it at home, but a group of teenage cheerleaders made a very, very disturbing video. A group of Ogden Weber High School cheerleaders appeared to be gleefully chanting a racial slur in a bizarre, soul-crushing video. The Utah school district is investigating after the video surfaced on Twitter and gained a lot of attention. The girls appear to be saying (and we say “appear to” for good reason) “f–k” followed by the N-word. Gleefully, they yell again and again and again into the camera. Yes, they recorded this themselves. It's widely believed that the video is a reversal of what they may have been originally chanting: “Serggin Cuff.” “Serggin Cuff” might sound like the name of a Star Wars character, but unfortunately it's meaning is not nearly so whimsical. Pronounced backwards, “cuff” sounds like “f–k” and “serggin” sounds like the N-word. While someone could conceivably be tricked into saying or even repeating that word on video, which could then be reversed in order to defame the poor dupe … that wouldn't explain their glee as they chant it. The video was shared privately at first, but then discovered and posted to Twitter by an understandably distraught black Weber High student. Along with the video, he included this message: “I thought people were better than this especially my so called ‘friends.’” Outrageously, he has reportedly been contacted by the families of the girls shouting slurs in the video, who are said to have demanded that he apologize for posting the video. That is … well, that tells you about what sorts of families that at least some of these girls come from, doesn't it? While this video was reportedly recorded some time ago before being circulated around the student body. Lane Findlay, spokesperson for the school district, has spoken about the video. “Right now the focus is on the investigation and trying to answer all the questions that have come up.” Findlay's initial response, mentioning that the video was old and that it had not been recorded on school grounds, did not receive a warm reception. (Schools have never before hesitated to take disciplinary action over events happening off of campus) It sounds like Findlay understands that the public needs assurances. “It’s being taken very seriously. We realize it’s affected many students at the school, but we want to be fair and thorough and ask for everyone’s patience.” While a resolution is expected to be reached early next week, the cheerleaders might receive counseling (which we'd say that they clearly need), removal from the cheerleading squad, or even expulsion. We would say that expulsion is the wrong course. One, they are teenagers and this inexcusable behavior was certainly a learned behavior. Two, more importantly, the student who posted the video on Twitter could face reprisals if they are expelled. High school students can be brilliant, but they can also be not brilliant, and they don't always have a great sense of perspective. But these girls definitely need counseling. And it would be very appropriate for them to be removed from the cheerleading squad. How they behave in the next few months could determine whether any colleges or universities will even accept them. Here is the video and be warned: obviously, the language used is absolutely monstrous.
Sometimes, you read something that a celebrity said or did and you say that it kills your faith in humanity … but really, celebrities aren't usually representative of the average person. This story, however, might crush your faith in humanity … and in this next generation of young people. Just a little. Because the heinous video that went viral, which we have below, was made by teenagers . (Of course, it was also brought to light and condemned by teenagers before anyone else got involved, so … keep that in mind) It is sadly not new information that racism is alive and well in the United States of America. If you were somehow able to ignore that before, the last couple of years have made it truly impossible to miss. Hate crimes have spiked, and we've seen Nazis marching on American streets more than once this year. A particularly infamous Nazi, Richard Spencer, is speaking in Florida this afternoon, and everyone in the local community is afraid of what might happen if his supporters show up and go after his protesters. Some worry that, some time tonight, Florida could see its very own Charlottesville. Hopefully not, but the fact that people are worried about it at all tells you a lot about how prevalent and emboldened racists are feeling now in 2017. MWhile many racists — Nazis and others — come to feel that way because they feel marginalized or threatened that other people exist and have decided to blame their own shortcomings on, for example, people of color. Others are taught racism — not just institutional and cultural racism that we all have to unlearn — but explicit, unapologetic racism from a young age. These people tend to grow up thinking that everyone's family “talks like that” behind closed doors. (Then, thinking that everyone thinks and acts the way that they do, they assume that “political correctness” and not common decency is responsible for racists getting shamed) We don't know if these girls all learned it at home, but a group of teenage cheerleaders made a very, very disturbing video. A group of Ogden Weber High School cheerleaders appeared to be gleefully chanting a racial slur in a bizarre, soul-crushing video. The Utah school district is investigating after the video surfaced on Twitter and gained a lot of attention. The girls appear to be saying (and we say “appear to” for good reason) “f–k” followed by the N-word. Gleefully, they yell again and again and again into the camera. Yes, they recorded this themselves. It's widely believed that the video is a reversal of what they may have been originally chanting: “Serggin Cuff.” “Serggin Cuff” might sound like the name of a Star Wars character, but unfortunately it's meaning is not nearly so whimsical. Pronounced backwards, “cuff” sounds like “f–k” and “serggin” sounds like the N-word. While someone could conceivably be tricked into saying or even repeating that word on video, which could then be reversed in order to defame the poor dupe … that wouldn't explain their glee as they chant it. The video was shared privately at first, but then discovered and posted to Twitter by an understandably distraught black Weber High student. Along with the video, he included this message: “I thought people were better than this especially my so called ‘friends.’” Outrageously, he has reportedly been contacted by the families of the girls shouting slurs in the video, who are said to have demanded that he apologize for posting the video. That is … well, that tells you about what sorts of families that at least some of these girls come from, doesn't it? While this video was reportedly recorded some time ago before being circulated around the student body. Lane Findlay, spokesperson for the school district, has spoken about the video. “Right now the focus is on the investigation and trying to answer all the questions that have come up.” Findlay's initial response, mentioning that the video was old and that it had not been recorded on school grounds, did not receive a warm reception. (Schools have never before hesitated to take disciplinary action over events happening off of campus) It sounds like Findlay understands that the public needs assurances. “It’s being taken very seriously. We realize it’s affected many students at the school, but we want to be fair and thorough and ask for everyone’s patience.” While a resolution is expected to be reached early next week, the cheerleaders might receive counseling (which we'd say that they clearly need), removal from the cheerleading squad, or even expulsion. We would say that expulsion is the wrong course. One, they are teenagers and this inexcusable behavior was certainly a learned behavior. Two, more importantly, the student who posted the video on Twitter could face reprisals if they are expelled. High school students can be brilliant, but they can also be not brilliant, and they don't always have a great sense of perspective. But these girls definitely need counseling. And it would be very appropriate for them to be removed from the cheerleading squad. How they behave in the next few months could determine whether any colleges or universities will even accept them. Here is the video and be warned: obviously, the language used is absolutely monstrous.
