Current polling data has Cruz trailing by 1 point, and Scott's lead has fallen to within the margin of error. If either seat is flipped, that changes this article's projected 51/49 Republican senate to a 50/50 senate with the vice president breaking the tie.
The one part of the argument against the death penalty that I have to object to is the expense. It's more expensive because of the appeals process. There is a lot more opportunity to fight a death penalty case on appeal than there is if you just get a lengthy prison sentence.
Of course, that's less of a reason to keep the death penalty, and more of a reason to address some of the huge flaws in the appeals process (not to mention the rest of the system, but that applies either way).
He'll say the opposite thing in the next sentence. Fuck, he'll say it in the same sentence. Though I suppose that's easier when you ramble incoherently and jump from topic to topic without ever finding the end of a sentence.
Babylon 5 has a pretty weak pilot movie, a somewhat shaky first season, and then gradually becomes the greatest thing in human history.
Farscape is basically Guardians of the Galaxy if it were a show on sci-fi a decade earlier, with muppets. Mostly very fun, occasionally hits a lot harder than you'd expect.
We should laugh. It's better for our mental health. It deflates their image in the eyes of those who share our laughter. And it drives these shit heads even more nuts, making them act even weirder, and making us laugh even louder
What we mustn't do is get complacent. We need to push hard no matter how we think it's going. If it's a tight race, we fight to take the lead. If it's looking like a victory, we fight to make it a blowout. The bigger the margin, the harder it will be for Trump to fight it after, and the more likely it will be that we won't have to deal with an impossibly divided and obstructionist legislature.
Gotta love how he completely ignores her answers and asks follow up questions that imply she said the opposite of what she actually said. And how he repeatedly criticizes her for unequivocally stating her position in complete sentences instead of just saying yes or no, which would be less clear and easier to take out of context.
While it is far too close for comfort, Harris has at least a small lead in the polls in enough states to carry the election. This has been true for quite a while. And Trump's lead is slipping in several more states.
We must not get complacent, but we also shouldn't be discouraged.
The "locust" bit is getting far too little attention. The history of comparing undesirable populations with vermin is long and filled with horrific violence.
I really wish Star Trek was more consistent with its world building when it comes to stuff like this. There's a variety of spaceborn life forms out there, but no larger ecosystem, and usually no lifecycle. I get that exploration and discovery means not having all the answers, but shit like the pitcher plant just doesn't make sense. They are basically just monsters that exist outside the natural order of things. In fact, the many omnipotent beings in Star Trek are often the best explanation for how these things came to be, pretty much just "a wizard did it" but pretending that it's still somehow sciencey if we don't call it magic.
I like the idea that the galaxy could be populated by a complex web of gigafauna. I want to see pods of spacewhales navigating between worlds, filter feeding on gigantic space bugs, and evading ambush predators that phase in and out of reality. I want areas on the star chart that say "here there be dragons" because while we're pretty sure there aren't actual dragons, we know something dangerous is lurking there. I want to see spores from a silicon fungus that spread solar sails and infect neighboring worlds. And I want the show to remember that it exists instead of just being gone forever as soon as the credits roll.
First, I wouldn’t assume that there isn't anyone planning to assassinate Harris.
Second, let's not pretend that there hasn't been political violence coming from Trump's side of the aisle. For example, does the phrase "where's Nancy" ring a bell?
Third, Trump has positioned himself as an authoritarian strong man who will not be restrained by laws, facts, institutions or norms. He has embraced extremism and excused violence. He promotes hatred, division and conspiracy theories. He attacks law enforcement and courts when they apply the law to him, while simultaneously threatening to wield them as a political tool to persecute his enemies. He has managed to get the Supreme Court to declare the president to be above the law up to and including being able to order the assassination of political rivals. He has rejected democracy, attempted to steal the last election, and incited a riot at at the capital in order to coerce congress into going along with his coup attempt. When that failed, he called for the constitution to be thrown out, and stated that members of his own administration that didn't support him should be executed. He's wielded his influence in the Republican party to undermine the defense of Ukraine and support for NATO, and has single-handedly weakened NATO by threatening to withdraw and sowing doubt as to whether the US can be counted on to honor the defensive pact at the heart of the alliance. He encouraged opposition to basic public health protections during a pandemic simply because they looked bad politically, fanning the flames of an anti-science and anti-health movement that significantly increased the death toll. He has promised to be a dictator, and wants to purge the federal government of anyone who is not loyal to him and his agenda. He has a base full of rabid nutcases who routinely threaten violence and intimidate those that get in the way or try to enforce the law. He uses Nazi rhetoric and is supported by neo nazis, white supremacists, and other militant groups. He also has the backing of numerous billionaires that wield disgusting amounts of power and influence, and he's made no secret that he is willing to sell policy in exchange for contributions.
And that's not even an exhaustive list, just the first things that come to mind. Quite frankly, Trump is so toxic and such a clear threat to basically everything that America and liberal democracy is supposed to be about that it's not a surprise that someone would take a shot at him.
Not exactly in this case. The title is framing his comments as being about making it hard to vote. While that's absolutely what the bill he's talking about will do, he isn't presenting it that way. He's saying that the SAVE act will "secure" the election and that the strategy of forcing it through by tying it to government funding will be a winning one for Republicans. Both these statements are false (voters don't like government shut downs), but that's still his argument.
The quiet part is still quiet here, because you have to already know that the bill he's pushing is about voter suppression, not election integrity.
So, Trump is "God's Chosen" and has divine backing. But despite God being on his side, a little witchcraft can completely overpower him. I would have thought God's power would be stronger than whatever dark sorcery the Demoncraft party could invoke, but apparently I was wrong.
Yeah, it must be that. It can't be that their orange messiah is just an elderly narcissist with no discipline or self-awareness, a rambling imbecile who can be easily manipulated by anyone that threatens his fragile ego. That would be crazy.
Obviously it must be God's will that Trump become President again, why else would He have told a small minority of believers to follow some rich asshole who embodies all of their most extreme political views? I mean, if he wasn't specifically chosen by God, he wouldn't have a divine mandate that negates the need to be moral or abide by any of that "love your neighbor" shit, and his deeply religious followers would have to choose between their faith and owning the libs.
Since they don't feel bad about their politics overriding the teachings of Jesus, it must be OK, which means it has God's blessing. Therefore, God is on their side and endorses their political views, and their preferred presidential candidate. Which also means that the other side must be working for the devil.
Current polling data has Cruz trailing by 1 point, and Scott's lead has fallen to within the margin of error. If either seat is flipped, that changes this article's projected 51/49 Republican senate to a 50/50 senate with the vice president breaking the tie.