Leslie Salzillo

Documentarian Ken Burns warned Trump's rise would be 'Hitler-esque.' Here's what else he predicted

“...He (Trump) represents the greatest threat to American democracy since the Second World War. He is so fundamentally un-American...” — Ken Burns on Donald Trump, 2016 Variety Interview

The above quote is by award-winning filmmaker and documentarian Ken Burns. Millions have enjoyed his many acclaimed films on PBS. Some of those documentaries include The Civil War, The Central Park Five, The Roosevelts, The Vietnam War, College Behind Bars, Jazz, , Baseball, Country Music, Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony and Unforgivable Blackness. To date, Burns, 66, has made over 30 historical films/documentaries.

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Former attorney general sums up Willam Barr with one tweet

Former Attorney General Eric Holder of the Obama Administration did not hold back on his tweet directed at the current AG Willam Barr, calling him “unfit.”

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Tennessee GOP House Speaker forced to resign over leaked 'locker room' texts

After being exposed for texting illicit and racist messages, Tennessee Republican House Speaker Glen Casada announced he will be stepping down. The leaked text messages were between him and his former chief of staff. NPR reports:

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Ocasio-Cortez slams abortion ban: 'Of course, no extra punishment for the rapists'

On Wednesday and early Thursday morning, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) took to Twitter to discuss the draconian abortion laws, which are being swiftly enacted in several states. Here are four tweets, in quote form, followed by the link to the tweets.

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This country superstar is giving back by opening a free grocery store in Nashville

Inspired after volunteering at a store in California, country musician Brad Paisley and his wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, donned their hard hats last week to break ground for a free grocery store in Nashville, Tenn. It’s simply called ”The Store,” and there’s a reason they chose that name.

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A green, leafy, biodegradable alternative to plastic has people going bananas

A supermarket was spotted opting out of using plastic to wrap their produce. Instead they are choosing to use something biodegradable, aesthetically beautiful, non-toxic, waterproof and much cheaper than plastic. They are bundling their fruits and vegetables with banana leaves, and people are loving it.

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These are Mitch McConnell's nefarious links to Putin, Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and Russian companies

There always seems to be more to the story when it comes to Trump and Russia, and this time it involves Senate Leader Mitch McConnell.

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GOP lawmaker who's now a Democrat: I no longer have 'that pit in my stomach'

When former Kansas City Republican Barbara Bollier endorsed a Democratic candidate, she was stripped of her committee leadership role. The Republican Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle said Boliler crossed the line. As it turned out, Wagler’s “line” became a good thing for Barbara Bollier, who is now the ranking Democrat on the health committee.

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Ruth Bader Ginsburg Says She’ll Serve at Least Another 5 Years - And Predicts the Pendulum Will Swing Back to Democrats

After going to see the production of “The Originalist” in New York City on Sunday night, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg stopped to chat with some of the press. CNN quotes Ginsburg as saying she intends to stay on the SCOTUS bench for another five years 

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'Blue Christian' Pastor Condemns 'Sinful Silence' from Evangelical Churches on White Supremacy

North Carolina veteran pastor John Pavlovitz has been calling out Trump and the policies of the controlling Conservative party, since before the 2016 presidential election. But he doesn’t stop there. He also calls out/condemns his peers and fellow Christians who remain silent during the creation of a pseudo Christian religion devoid of “compassion, love, and commitment to the poor and disenfranchised.” He calls this new religion “a bitter tribe of angry, white nationalists who have no need for the open-hearted Jesus of the Gospels, when it can live off the closed borders of America First.“

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Watching ICE Terrorize Kids, a Flight Attendant Risks 29-Year Career: ‘I Will No Longer Be Complicit’

On Tuesday afternoon, a Texas flight attendant who works for a major airline posted a stunning statement on his Facebook page. The post was then picked up by the Houston Chronicle. Hunt Palmquist’s statement may very well have led to today’s historical decision within the airline industry.

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Internet Cheers Rob Reiner's Dead-On Tweet About Comedian Michelle Wolf, Trump and the White House Correspondents Dinner

Filmmaker, actor, producer, and staunch liberal activist Rob Reiner attended the 2018 White House Correspondents Dinner (WHCD) in Washington DC on Saturday night. Early Sunday morning, like many, Reiner took to Twitter to comment on Michelle Wolf’s live roast of the Republican Party. Here’s the tweet.

Good evening. Good evening. Here we are, the White House correspondents' dinner: Like a porn star says when she's about to have sex with a Trump, let's get this over with.

Yup, kiddos, this is who you're getting tonight. I'm going to skip a lot of the normal pleasantries. We're at a Hilton; it's not nice. This is on C-SPAN; no one watches that. Trump is president; it's not ideal.The White House Correspondents' Association, thank you for having me. The monkfish was fine.And just a reminder to everyone, I'm here to make jokes. I have no agenda. I'm not trying to get anything accomplished. So everyone that's here from Congress, you should feel right at home.Yeah, before we get too far, a little bit about me. A lot of you might not know who I am. I'm 32 years old, which is an odd age: 10 years too young to host this event and 20 years too old for Roy Moore. I know, he almost got elected, yeah. It was fun. It was fun.Honestly, I never really thought I'd be a comedian. But I did take an aptitude test in seventh grade — and this is 100 percent true — I took an aptitude test in seventh grade, and it said in my best profession was a clown or a mime.Well, at first it said clown, and then it heard my voice and then was like, “Or maybe mime. Think about mime.”

And I know as much as some of you might want me to, it's 2018 and I am a woman, so you cannot shut me up — unless you have Michael Cohen wire me $130,000. Michael, you can find me on Venmo under my porn star name, Reince Priebus.Reince just gave a thumbs up. OK.

Now, people are saying America is more divided than ever, but I think no matter what you support politically, we can all agree that this is a great time for craft stores. Because of all the protests, poster board has been flying off the shelves faster than Robert Mueller can say, “You've been subpoenaed.”

Thanks to Trump, pink yarn sales are through the roof. After Trump got elected, women started knitting those pussy hats. When I first saw them, I was like, “That's a pussy?” I guess mine just has a lot more yarn on it.Yeah, shoulda done more research before you got me to do this.

Now, there is a lot to cover tonight. There's a lot to go over. I can't get to everything. I know there's a lot of people that want me to talk about Russia and Putin and collusion, but I'm not going to do that because there's also a lot of liberal media here. And I've never really wanted to know what any of you look like when you orgasm.

Except for maybe you, Jake Tapper. I bet it's something like this: “OK, that's all the time we have.”

It is kind of crazy that the Trump campaign was in contact with Russia when the Hillary campaign wasn't even in contact with Michigan. It's a direct flight; it's so close.

Of course, Trump isn't here, if you haven't noticed. He's not here. And I know, I know, I would drag him here myself. But it turns out the president of the United States is the one pussy you're not allowed to grab.He said it first. Yeah, he did. Do you remember? Good.

Now, I know people really want me to go after Trump tonight, but I think we should give the president credit when he deserves it. Like, he pulled out the Paris agreement, and I think he should get credit for that because he said he was going to pull out and then he did. And that's a refreshing quality in a man. Most men are like, “I forgot. I'll get you next time.” Oh, there's going to be a next time? People say romance is dead.People call Trump names all the time. And, look, I could call Trump a racist, a misogynist or xenophobic or unstable or incompetent or impotent. But he's heard all of those, and he doesn't care. So, tonight, I'm going to try to make fun of the president in a new way — in a way that I think will really get him. Mr. President, I don't think you're very rich.

Like, I think you might be rich in Idaho, but in New York, you're doing fine. Trump is the only person that still watches “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” and thinks, “Me.”Although, I'm not sure you'd get very far. He'd get to, like, the third question and be, like, “I have to phone a 'Fox & Friend.'”We're going to try a fun new thing, OK? I'm going to say, “Trump is so broke,” and you guys go, “How broke is he?” All right?

Trump is so broke.[AUDIENCE: How broke is he?]He has to fly failed business class.Trump is so broke.[AUDIENCE: How broke is he?]He looked for foreign oil in Don Jr.'s hair.Trump is so broke.[AUDIENCE: How broke is he?]He — Southwest used him as one of their engines.I know, it's so soon. It's so soon for that joke. Why did she tell it? It's so soon.Trump is so broke.[AUDIENCE: How broke is he?]He had to borrow money from the Russians, and now he's compromised and not susceptible to blackmail and possibly responsible for the collapse of the republic.Yay! It's a fun game.

Trump is racist, though. He loves white nationalists, which is a weird term for a Nazi. Calling a Nazi a white nationalist is like calling a pedophile a kid friend or Harvey Weinstein a ladies' man — which isn't really fair; he also likes plants.Trump's also an idea guy. He's got loads of ideas. You gotta love him for that. He wants to give teachers guns, and I support that, 'cause then they can sell them for things they need, like supplies. A lot of protractors.A lot of people want Trump to be impeached. I do not. Because just when you think Trump is awful, you remember Mike Pence. Mike Pence is what happens when Anderson Cooper isn't gay.

Mike Pence is the kind of guy that brushes his teeth and then drinks orange juice and thinks, “Mmm.” Mike Pence is also very anti-choice. He thinks abortion is murder, which, first of all, don't knock it till you try it. And when you do try it, really knock it. You know, you got to get that baby out of there.And, yes, sure, you can groan all you want. I know a lot of you are very antiabortion. You know, unless it's the one you got for your secret mistress. It's fun how values can waiver. But good for you. Mike Pence is a weirdo, though. He's a weird little guy. He won't meet with other women without his wife present. When people first heard this, they were like, “That's crazy.” But now, in this current climate, they're like, “That's a good witness.”Which, of course, brings me to the Me Too movement; it's probably the reason I'm here. They were like, “A woman's probably not going to jerk off in front of anyone, right?” And to that, I say, “Don't count your chickens.” There's a lot of party.

Now, I've worked in a lot of male-dominated fields. Before comedy, I worked at a tech company and, before that, I worked on Wall Street. And, honestly, I've never really been sexually harassed. That being said, I did work at Bear Stearns in 2008. So, although I haven't been sexually harassed, I've definitely been fucked. Yeah, that whole company went down on me without my consent. And no men got in trouble for that one either.

No, things are changing. Men are being held accountable. You know, Al Franken was ousted. That one really hurt liberals. But I believe it was the great Ted Kennedy who said, “Wow, that's crazy; I murdered a woman.”
Chappaquiddick – in theaters now.

I did have a lot of jokes — I had a lot of jokes about Cabinet members, but I had to scrap all of those because everyone has been fired. You guys are going through Cabinet members quicker than Starbucks throws out black people.No, don't worry, they're having an afternoon. That'll solve it. We just needed an afternoon.Mitch McConnell isn't here. He had a prior engagement. He's finally getting his neck circumcised. Mazel.

Paul Ryan couldn't make it. Of course, he's already been circumcised. Unfortunately, while they were down there, they also took his bitches.Yeah, bye, Paul. Great acting, though, in that video.Republicans are easy to make fun of. It's like shooting fish in a Chris Christie. But I also want to make fun of Democrats. Democrats are harder to make fun of because you guys don't do anything.People think you might flip the House and Senate this November, but you guys always find a way to mess it up. You're somehow going to lose by 12 points to a guy named Jeff Pedophile Nazi Doctor. Oh, he's a doctor?We should definitely talk about the women in the Trump administration. There's Kellyanne Conway. Man, she has the perfect last name for what she does: Conway. It's like if my name was Michelle Jokes Frizzy Hair Small Tits.You guys gotta stop putting Kellyanne on your shows. All she does is lie. If you don't give her a platform, she has nowhere to lie. It's like that old saying: If a tree falls in the woods, how do we get Kellyanne under that tree?I'm not suggesting she gets hurt; just stuck. Stuck under a tree.Incidentally, a tree falls in the woods is Scott Pruitt's definition of porn. Yeah, we all have our kinks.There's also, of course, Ivanka. She was supposed to be an advocate for women, but it turns out she's about as helpful to women as an empty box of tampons. She's done nothing to satisfy women. So, I guess, like father, like daughter.Oh, you don't think he's good in bed. Come on.

She does clean up nice, though. Ivanka cleans up nice. She's the Diaper Genie of the administration. On the outside, she looks sleek but the inside — it's still full of shit.

And, of course, we have Sarah Huckabee Sanders. We're graced with Sarah's presence tonight. I have to say I'm a little star-struck. I love you as Aunt Lydia in “The Handmaid's Tale.”Mike Pence, if you haven't seen it, you would love it.

Every time Sarah steps up to the podium, I get excited because I'm not really sure what we're going to get: you know, a press briefing, a bunch of lies or divided into softball teams. “It's shirts and skins, and this time, don't be such a little bitch, Jim Acosta.”I actually really like Sarah. I think she's very resourceful. Like, she burns facts, and then she uses the ash to create a perfect smoky eye. Like, maybe she's born with it; maybe it's lies.It's probably lies.

And I'm never really sure what to call Sarah Huckabee Sanders. You know, is it Sarah Sanders? Is Sarah Huckabee Sanders? Is it Cousin Huckabee? Is it Auntie Huckabee Sanders? Like, what's Uncle Tom but for white women who disappoint other white women? Oh, I know: Aunt Coulter.

We've got our friends at CNN here. Welcome, guys, it's great to have you. You guys love breaking news, and you did it. You broke it. Good work.The most useful information on CNN is when Anthony Bourdain tells me where to eat noodles.Fox News is here. So, you know what that means, ladies: Cover your drinks. Seriously.People want me to make fun of Sean Hannity tonight, but I cannot do that; this dinner is for journalists.

We've got MSNBC here. MSNBC's news slogan is, “This is who we are.” Guys, it's not a good slogan. “This is who we are” is what your mom thinks the sad show on NBC is called. “Did you watch 'This Is Who We Are' this week? Someone left on a Crockpot, and everyone died.”I watch “Morning Joe” every morning. We now know that Mika and Joe are engaged. Congratulations, you guys. It's like when a Me Too works out.

We also have Rachel Maddow. We cannot forget about Rachel Maddow. She is the Peter Pan of MSNBC. But instead of never growing up, she never gets to the point. Watching Rachel Maddow is like going to Target. You went in for milk, but you left with shampoo, candles and the entire history of the Byzantine Empire. “I didn't need this.”And, of course, Megyn Kelly. What would I do without Megyn Kelly? You know, probably be more proud of women.Megyn Kelly got paid $23 million by NBC, then NBC didn't let Megyn go to the Winter Olympics. Why not? She's so white, cold and expensive, she might as well be the Winter Olympics.

And, by the way, Megyn, Santa's black. The weird old guy going through your chimney was Bill O'Reilly. You might want to put a flue on it or something.There's a lot of print media here. There's a ton of you guys, but I'm not going to go after print media tonight because it's illegal to attack an endangered species.Buy newspapers.There's a ton of news right now; a lot is going on, and we have all these 24-hour news networks, and we could be covering everything. But, instead, we're covering like three topics. Every hour, it's Trump, Russia, Hillary and a panel of four people who remind you why you don't go home for Thanksgiving.

“Milk comes from nuts now, all 'cause of the gays.”You guys are obsessed with Trump. Did you used to date him? Because you pretend like you hate him, but I think you love him. I think what no one in this room wants to admit is that Trump has helped all of you. He couldn't sell steaks or vodka or water or college or ties or Eric, but he has helped you.

He's helped you sell your papers and your books and your TV. You helped create this monster, and now you're profiting off of him. And if you're gonna profit off of Trump, you should at least give him some money because he doesn't have any.

Trump is so broke.

AUDIENCE: How broke is he?]

He grabs pussies 'cause he thinks there might be loose change in them. All right, like an immigrant who was brought here by his parents and didn't do anything wrong, I gotta get the fuck out of here. Good night.

 

Flint still doesn't have clean water.

 

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Jimmy Carter Fears America's Transformation From Democracy to Oligarchy Is All but Complete

At 93, former President Jimmy Carter is out promoting his 32nd book titled Faith: A Journey For All while taking interviews with various news groups along the way. This week, Judy Woodruff with PBS interviewed Carter in a two-part series. Here are excerpts from the first and second discussions.

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Parkland Student Sarah Chadwick Creates a Fearless Parody Mocking the Threatening NRA Ad

This past week, NRA spokesmodel Dana Loesch put out a threatening video ad against pretty much anyone who isn't supportive of the National Rifle Association and Trumpism. In response, Parkland high school student Sara Chadwick created a word-for-word parody of Loesh’s ad.

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17 Jewish Organizations Demand Stephen Miller's Dismissal in Powerful Open Letter

Last week, 17 Jewish organizations penned an open letter and sent it to the White House calling for the dismissal of the far-right Senior Policy Advisor Stephen Miller. The letter claims Miller is guilty of “extreme viewpoints and advocacy of racist policies.” The protest was led by the National Council of Jewish Women. Here are excerpts:

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NFL Player Chris Long Refuses to Visit White House if Eagles Win Super Bowl

One of the most esteemed honors for Super Bowl winners is an invitation to the White House. NFL’s Chris Long, who is one of America’s most popular players turned down his invitation last year in protest against the policies and behavior of Donald Trump. At the time, Long was with the New England Patriots. He’s now with the Philadelphia Eagles—who are 2018 Super Bowl contenders. So Long just may get another invitation to the White House.

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Alyssa Milano's Scorching Response to Ivanka Trump's #TimesUp Tweet Might Be the Best Yet

Following Sunday night’s Golden Globe Awards, Ivanka Trump received a barrage of negative backlash across the country after weighing in on Oprah Winfrey’s stunning speech while accepting the esteemed Cecil B. DeMille award. Winfrey made a rallying cry to end sexual discrimination, harassment and abuse against women, and referred to the past year’s #MeToo movement, which encourages and supports victims to bravely speak out against their sexual perpetrators, regardless of how far back the incident(s) occurred. Winfrey also brought attention to an offspring of the #MeToo campaign called #TimesUp. This newer campaign sends out a strong message to sexual predators letting them know their time of “getting away with it” is up. 

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Can Ben Carson Really Be This Inept and Incompetent?

In this video by Now This, via CSPAN, Democratic Rep Al Green lights a fire under the feet of Housing Secretary Ben Carson, but it would seem even with his feet on fire, Carson opts to walk to the lake.  

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This David Letterman Quote About Trump Is Going Viral, and with Good Reason

Legendary talk show host veteran David Letterman made a point in July 2017 that continues to circulate social media. In essence, Letterman alludes we all know what the problem is—what (and where) are the solutions? Here is one of the more popular David Letterman memes including an excerpt from his original quote:

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Dan Rather Hammers Trump and His Enablers in Facebook Screed That's Not to Be Missed

Another great post by the respected newsman Dan Rather. On Sunday, Rather discusses Donald Trump’s incredible lack of leadership skills and the “understanding of the burdens of freedom.” Then Rather asks how far will Trump be allowed to go, how much damage will he do—before his enablers and accomplices in his administration and Republican-led Congress see the danger the rest of the world now sees and say, “Enough is enough?”

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Chrissy Teigen Unloads on Fox News with Both Barrels: 'Words Cannot Explain How Much I Detest You'

Poor Fox News. They were just minding their own business putting out false and hate-filled propaganda like any other day, when Sports Illustrated model, writer and cooking show host Chrissy Teigen rocked their boat. Hard to believe anyone would not be just thrilled to get a tag/mention on Twitter from Fox News. That's far from the case for Teigen who respectfully and unabashedly blasted the organization.

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Fox Host to Rep. Maxine Waters: 'Step Away From the Crack Pipe' - Her Reply to Women Is Stunning

Soon after Fox host Bill O’Reilly said he wouldn’t listen to California lawmaker Maxine Waters because of her hair, another insanely racist and derogatory Fox clip emerges showing Eric Bolling telling the Congresswoman, on air, to “step away from the crack pipe.” It gets worse.

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Bannon Makes Stunning Threat to Media: We're Going to Make It Worse for You Every Day

On Thursday, during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon shockingly admitted Donald Trump’s goal (Bannon’s goal) in appointing new precarious cabinet members to head protective government agencies like the EPA — is to dismantle and “deconstruct” those organizations altogether. You can read that Daily Kos story by Dartagnan here.

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Journalist Asks Trump Supporters: The F*ck Is Wrong With You? Have You Heard Him Speak?

Deadspin columnist, author, and GQ correspondent Drew Magary “wants a word with anyone who's about to be on the wrong side of history.” In his opinion piece published Wednesday, Magary speaks the inner thoughts of many when it comes to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump—the guy who brings most to the brink of implosion. Magary personifies those thoughts in a powerful compilation of verbiage directed in anger and frustration at Trump supporters.

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Facing a Massive Boycott, Target CEO Doubles Down on Support of LGBTQ Rights (Video)

CNBC interviewed Target’s CEO Brian Cornell on Wednesday and discussed the company’s liberal stance against discriminatory laws like North Carolina’s HB2. Target now is experiencing a massive backlash and boycott by an anti LGBTQ conservative organization called American Family Association. It’s reported that AFA has 1.2 million signatures on its petition — people pledging to not shop at Target stores because of the retail chain’s pro-LGBTQ position.

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Charter School of 11,000 Students Drops Foreign Language - What They Offer Instead May Stun Many

A little over a year ago, Sonali Kohli with The Atlantic reported a disturbing change in American schools. She focused on one particular educational group called Success Academy Charter Schools. They are self-proclaimed as being “the largest and highest-performing free, public charter school network in New York City,” and they are responsible for approximately 11,000 students in 34 schools. 

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25 of America's Worst Charities - Plus Tips on How to Avoid Getting Scammed

In 2014, Americans donated an estimated $350 billion to charities. A generous country we are, but how much of those funds actually went to the advertised causes? You might not want to know. There are good charities and there are bad charities—and there are the worst charities.

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Ohio Woman Forced to Drive 300 Miles for Abortion - or Have a Stillborn Baby

Every day, we hear of Republican lawmakers introducing and pushing forward misogynistic bills that are not only an embarrassment to government and a huge waste of taxpayer money, they are also physically, emotionally and financially damaging to the women they attack. Jessie Balmert with USA Today reports:

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Why the True Definition of 'Pro-Life' Makes Anti-Abortion Republican Heads Explode

In one simple quote, Sister Joan Chittister, O.S.B. sums up the hypocrisy in the 'pro-life' movement:

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Mark Ruffalo on Mother's Abortion and Why It's Wrong to Say 'I Am Not A Feminist'

Actor, director, husband, father and activist, Mark Ruffalo has been outspoken on many social issues, including but not limited to; climate change, clean energy, water preservation, and women's issues.

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