“The red supergiant star Betelgeuse is getting ready to go supernova, and when it does Earth will have a front-row seat. The explosion will be so bright that Earth will briefly seem to have two suns in the sky.
The star is located in the Orion constellation, about 640 light-years away from Earth. It’s one of the brightest and biggest stars in our galactic neighborhood – if you dropped it in our Solar System, it would extend all the way out to Jupiter, leaving Earth completely engulfed.
Someday soon (astronomically speaking), it will run out of fuel, collapse under its own weight, and then rebound in a spectacular supernova explosion. When this happens, Betelgeuse will brighten enormously for a few weeks or months, perhaps as bright as the full moon and visible in broad daylight.
When will it happen? Probably not in our lifetimes. But, in fact, no one really knows. It could be tomorrow or a million years in the future.”
01) The EPA Just FIRED Dozens Of Scientists Responsible For Monitoring Air Pollution
“The Trump Administration, once again within the last week has proven that they don’t care about the public. They don’t care about our health, and they sure as hell do not care about the environment.
Last week, Andrew Wheeler, the acting head of the EPA, decided that they didn’t need the opinions of scientists when it comes to, you know, getting advice on what to do about all of the pollution in the air.
So, he sent memos and emails to dozens of scientists, who were currently serving as advisors, outside advisors to the EPA. Telling them that their services are no longer needed.
So, to put it in simplest terms. Andrew Wheeler, head of the EPA last week, fired a bunch of scientists, whose job it was to advise the agency on how to control air pollution.
People who know what they’re talking about. People who understand both the environmental damage that air pollution could do, as well as the damage that it could cause to human health.
The EPA just said, “Thanks, but no thanks. We’re gonna go with our panel of corporate executives because we think they know a little bit more about it, than you do.”
That is literally what is happening in this country right now.
Scientists, and this has been happening for months now. Are being kicked out of the EPA, locked out of the decision-making process, told, “Your services are no longer needed.” Just so that we can lock them out. And, instead of getting informed scientific opinions, we’re gonna go to these corporate executives that we’ve now packed the agency with on our advisory boards, and they’re gonna tell us what’s best for this country.
No, what’s gonna happen is they’re gonna tell you what’s best for the industries that they represent. And what’s best for those industries, excuse me, is to make sure that we continue just spewing as much carbon and other pollutants, mercury and other toxins into the atmosphere, regardless of the effects on human health or the environment. That’s what’s happening today.
Scientists are being kicked out of the conversation, and replaced with people who have a financial interest in poisoning us. Because that’s what’s gonna happen.
We know that some of the rules that this EPA has scaled back here. You know, the mercury and air toxic standards rule, it’s gonna put more mercury and other toxic heavy metals out into the atmosphere, it’s gonna cause brain damage in children, it’s gonna cause other long-term health effects for people of all ages. We’re gonna have thousands more people die early each year because of the rules they’ve repealed.
Those are all things that this EPA has actually admitted when repealing these regulations. They don’t care about human health.
I mean the environment, obviously they don’t care about, that’s out of the question at this point. But, we can’t even get them to care about the fact that their admittedly going to be killing people each year because of this.
01) The Top 1% Are Officially Making More Money Than Ever
“According to the latest round of data, the top one percent in the United States have never had it better than they have it right now. The latest numbers show us that the average income for the top one percent of earners here in the United States, has increased by 3.7% just this year, reaching an all time high of $719,000 per year.
So that’s great, and so when you see these Republicans out there telling us how great the economy is, and how much wages have gone up, keep in mind, they’re only talking about for the top one percent. Because the same set of data that’s just been released, and you can actually find a link to it in the description of this video in case you’re curious, the same set of data shows that average income for the rest of the country, the 99%, it’s pretty much stayed stagnate now for decades. Not just over the last year or so. For decades.
And that’s on average because we actually know that for the last 12 month period, real wages for American workers have actually gone down a little, while inflation has increased, reducing our overall buying power by about three percent. Coincidentally, that’s even less than the margin by which the top one percent’s income increased over the last 12 months. So the income gap is now growing at an even faster rate. The rich are making more money, we’re making less money, and the gap gets bigger every year.
Bernie Sanders took a lot of heat when he was running for president. People would say, “He’s just a one-trick pony. He only knows how to talk about that one thing, the income inequality, the income inequality, the income inequality.” Well, guess what, folks? It’s actually becoming a major issue now because it’s getting worse. And there doesn’t seem to be any other politicians out there willing to talk about it or even do anything about it. And that’s the problem.
We have one political party that is actively been working since they regained power, to give that same top one percent that’s doing better than ever, to give them more money. Big banks right now, thanks in part to the Republican deregulation over the last year and a half, they’re more profitable than ever, right now. And if all of this sounds familiar, it’s because it is. These are exactly the same scenarios, the same datasets, that we saw come out shortly before the economic crash that started in 2007.
We’re headed in the same direction because, apparently, our elected officials were too stupid to learn any of the lessons that they should have learned 11 years ago. So the cycle’s going to complete itself, it’s going to continue until we get politicians who are smart enough to understand that maybe some of that money from the wealthy elite, from the top one percent, from corporations and big banks, maybe all that money for my campaign isn’t worth putting our country through another economic disaster. But I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for a group of politicians to come out and say that.
01) Sad Mitch McConnell Gets Yelled At In Kentucky Diner
“Well, you can go ahead and add Senate Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to the growing list of Republicans who probably just need to eat a good meal at home every now and then. This past week, on Friday, Mitch McConnell and his wife were out at a diner in Kentucky, where Mitch McConnell is their senator, and they were shouted at by the patrons in that diner over McConnell’s plans to destroy healthcare and social security.
Now, immediately and obviously, this re-sparked the debate about civility and how we should be treating one another and is this or is this not appropriate behavior. The answer to that is hell yeah, this is appropriate behavior. You know if Mitch McConnell doesn’t want to have to deal with the consequences of his actions as a US Senator when he’s out there with his constituents, then he probably needs to find another line of work.
Because that’s what’s happening in this country right now, and it’s not just McConnell or Jeff Flake or even Nancy Pelosi, Joe Manchin. It’s happening to Democrats and Republicans. But these people, for far too long, these hugely wealthy people who’ve been serving in Congress for way, way, way too long, have become used to the fact that they never have to deal with the consequences of any of the actions that they take in the United States Congress.
Those days are over. They can’t go out in public anymore without somebody walking up to them and saying, “Hey, remember that horrible thing you said you wanted to do? Remember the horrible thing you did? Could you explain to us why that was a good idea?” And they don’t know what to do. They don’t know how to react. They’re terrified of their own constituents who are coming up to them wanting answers.
I mean that’s what this is about. People want answers. You’re trying to take away our social security. Could you tell us why? You want to destroy healthcare here in the United States. Do you mind giving us a little more information on that? What’s your motive behind this? Now, you may not always agree with the tactics of some of these people with the profanities or the shouting and getting in their faces, but as long as they are not violent, as long as they do not cause any physical harm to any of these elected officials, there is absolutely no reason why we should tell people to hold back.
It’s hard to be civil to these elected officials, especially people like Mitch McConnell when they are the ones doing all of the uncivil things in Congress. Trying to make it more difficult for the least among us here in the United States, the struggling class, to survive. Is that civil? Is that something we should just sit back and accept and think that that’s okay to do to these people? Or can we stand up, go up to these elected officials, Mitch McConnells, whoever they may be? Even the pundits like Tucker Carlson who says he can’t go out to eat anymore because people yell at him, can we not ask these people why they’re pushing these horrible policies? Can we not say, “Hey, I’m a voter in your district or in your state, and I’ve got a few questions for you”? Because after all, you, as my representative, as my senator, you actually work for me. That’s how it’s supposed to work.
01) Another Wealthy Mar-A-Lago Member Gets Rewarded By Trump Administration
“Well, pretty soon we’re likely to end up with the fourth wealthy member or Mar-a-Lago to be nominated by the president, or actually should I said, chosen by the president to be an ambassador from the United States to another country. According to the Palm Beach Daily News, woman by the name of Lana Marks, who happens to be a paying Mar-a-Lago member, is next in line. The president is actually considering appointing this woman to be the new ambassador to South Africa.
South Africa has not had an ambassador from the United States since 2016, and according to reports, Donald Trump thinks Mrs. Marks is the perfect person to fill that position because she was actually born in South Africa. Aside from that, she literally has no credentials whatsoever that would qualify her for this position. In fact, she actually has quite a few legal problems in the country of South Africa right now, as there is a bitter feud over the estate of her mother, between her and her siblings, and things aren’t looking so good for Miss. Marks.
Nonetheless, this woman whose made a fortune designing designer handbags that go for about six figures a piece, could be the fourth person from Mar-a-Lago to be nominated or appointed, whatever, for an ambassadorship from the US. Now so far, we already have one, that is Robin Bernstein, ambassador to the Dominican Republic. He’s actually one of the people who helped found Mar-a-Lago with Donald Trump. He got rewarded with an ambassadorship. Two others were chosen for ambassadorships, but ended up withdrawing their names and declining the opportunity to do it.
But if Miss. Marks does get this appointment, that would be the fourth from Mar-a-Lago chosen to go and represent the United States in another country. And the only thing any of these people have in common, other than having no experience or credentials to serve in these positions, is that they’re all paying members of Mar-a-Lago.
So for all those Republicans out there who say that Donald Trump is draining the swamp, or that he’s making America great again, please, please, start looking at what’s actually happening in this country. If you don’t have a butt load of money, Donald Trump doesn’t care about you. If he cannot use you or your money to his own advantage, he doesn’t care about you. If you’ve been a good, loyal customer of Donald Trump, even being a member of one of his clubs, he’s going to reward you in the best way he knows possible, which unfortunately also includes helping to destroy the reputation that the United States currently has.
That’s what’s happening with these Mar-a-Lago picks. That’s what’s happening with Donald Trump going down to Mar-a-Lago and asking people that show up there, how he should run the VA. I mean, that is actually an ongoing investigation as to why Donald Trump is asking Mar-a-Lago members how to run the VA, and getting their input on it. We did a story about that a few months ago. But nonetheless, Trump has made it clear, he has no interest in running this government the way that it should be run. And instead, he wants to uses his current position of power to repay some of his friends. And in fact, pay them more so that he can guarantee that they will continue paying him once he lives office.
That is what this entire presidency has been about from day one, and all those Republicans out there still saying that he’s draining the swamp, or that he’s making America great again, you’re living in an alternative reality and you need to wake up and see what’s actually happening with this administration.
01) Dozens More Brett Kavanaughs Are Getting Confirmed To Lifetime Appointments Each Month
“Now that Brett Kavanaugh’s name has disappeared from the headlines, at least for the moment, Democrats have stopped caring about the entire court system here, in the United States.
I say that because, just last week, we had Democrats in the Senate cut yet another deal with Mitch McConnell to send 15 more Trump-picked judges to the benches throughout the country for a lifetime. A couple weeks before that, they sent another 11 on a fast track because of a deal they made with Mitch McConnell.
Both instances were due to the fact that Democrats just wanted to get home for the weekend so they could go campaign if they were running for reelection. The rest of them, I guess, just wanted a little bit more time of. So, they fast tracked these horrible corporate judges, and now they all have lifetime appointments to benches throughout this country.
Here’s the thing: They’re all Brett Kavanaughs. Maybe they don’t have the allegations against them that Kavanaugh had of sexual assault, but in terms of their beliefs of what they will do to the judiciary, all of these people are Brett Kavanaugh. Every single one of them.
Here’s a good one that Esquire recently just did a little piece on. Her name is Allison Jones Rushing. Ms. Rushing was a part of a group, it’s an anti-LGBTQ group, called the Alliance Defending Freedom. If you’re not familiar with them, go take a look at the Southern Poverty Law Center’s profile of them, because they have been listed as a hate group because of their animosity and bigotry towards the LGBTQ community.
This woman was right there with them, and she’s gonna be on the bench for a lifetime. Oh, and here’s the kicker: She’s 36 years old. This woman could be on a federal bench for, what, 40 years? 50, maybe, depending on her lifestyle. 50 possible years for one person, and the Democrats already fast tracked 26 on top of the more than 25 that Trump had already put forward earlier this year that made it through.
So, we’re over 50 for the year, not including Brett Kavanaugh. More than 50 Brett Kavanaughs serving lifetime appointments in federal courts, district courts, appellate courts, everywhere. They may not be as high profile as the US Supreme Court. They may not be as powerful most of the time, but at the end of the day, that’s where most of the laws in this country are finalized.
That’s where most of the court decisions are finalized, at that appellate level, the federal court level. Most cases don’t go to the Supreme Court; most cases are gonna end with people like Allison Jones Rushing or any of the other people that have been put on federal benches for the next 30, 40, possibly 50 or more years.
Where’s the Democratic outrage on this? That’s what’s making me so angry here. Our entire judiciary, not just the Supreme Court, has been remade under Donald Trump, who is appointing and getting judges approved at a rate faster than any other president really has.
I know we’ve set a lot, “Trump hasn’t accomplished anything,” but that sure as hell is something he did accomplish, and it’s not anything that any of us should be happy about. He has remade the entire court system here, in the United States, and he still has 100 plus more seats to fill.
01) Twitter Purges 1,500 Pro-Trump Accounts For Spreading Wrong Election Date
“Twitter recently purged more than 1,500 fake accounts that were set up by a pro-Trump group in order to confuse liberals about election day this year. These accounts had been spreading information that included the wrong date for the election hoping to prevent liberals from showing up on the correct day. This is a good move by Twitter, and the company needs to continue to purge fake accounts spreading false information, as Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins explains.
Last weekend Twitter suspended more than 1,500 fake accounts on their website. Because those accounts were actually spreading incorrect information about when election day actually is this year. They were out there saying that election day was November 7th, which is Wednesday. When in reality it’s November 6th, the Tuesday.
Twitter linked these fake accounts back to a pro-Trump group that they believe started on Reddit. And they came up with the idea, allegedly as a joke, to create these fake twitter accounts and go out there and try to confuse the liberals and tell them that they’re supposed to vote on Wednesday instead of on Tuesday.
Now we have seen this kind of stupid propaganda propping up on social media for years now. Usually it is meant as a joke. You’ll see the thing, don’t forget, Democrats vote on Wednesday. Republicans vote on Tuesday. Or sometimes vise versa. We’ve seen it go the other way as well. But here’s the thing good on Twitter for actually doing something about this and stopping the spread of this nonsensical propaganda.
You know, we have enough problems in this country as it is. Without having to deal with these little proud boys on the internet who think they’re so funny trying to trick liberals and making them try to vote on Wednesday after the polls have closed and the elections over.
Here’s the thing Republicans, Democrats aren’t as stupid as you are. I mean, not all of them are the brightest out there but as a whole really not as dumb as Republicans. So your little trick probably wasn’t gonna work to begin with.
But this is what social media outlets need to be working on, you know, they need to stop banning these groups out there trying to showcase police brutality which is happening at an alarming rate on Facebook. And they need to focus more on the propaganda that’s coming out because most of it is coming from right here in the United States. It’s misinformation and it’s damaging information that actually does threaten the vitality of our election process.
So, again, kudos to Twitter for taking the correct step here. You’ve got a lot more work to do though. There’s a lot of fake accounts spreading fake information trying to disrupt the political discourse in this country. And I’m not talking about other countries coming in and doing this creating fake accounts. I’m talking about the ones right here in the United States on both sides of the aisle. We see this happening too much. It’s poisoning the political discourse. It’s creating havoc in an area where there shouldn’t be havoc. Misinformation. The real fake news out there. Not the stuff the president talks about but the actual fake news being spread by these little idiots online. That needs to be put to rest. And these social media outlets are the only ones who can do that. But in order to do it, they actually have to put forth a little bit of effort to help clean up the platforms that they created. That they’ve also allowed to grow completely out of control.”
01) Bernie Sanders FURIOUS Speech Against President Trump at Rally in Michigan for Gretchen Whitmer
“Senator Bernie Sanders Explodes at President Trumnp at rally campaigns with Gretchen Whitmer and other Democrats Friday night at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor”
01) Betelgeuse is Getting Ready to Go Supernova