Showing posts with label MICHAEL AVENATTI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MICHAEL AVENATTI. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 6, 2022

Trump's call to shred Constitution backfires bigly


OD Action:

It's Our Democracy!

Expel the GOP congressmen who won’t condemn Trump’s call to terminate the Constitution!

Today’s Action: Phone bank for Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock!

Today's Top Stories:

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Trump tries to backtrack after calling for the termination of the US Constitution
The disgraced ex-president trashed America's founding document in a preposterous call for the restoration of his powers and now wants us to believe that he would never ever do or demand such a thing, even though we can see that he in fact did since he posted it on the internet.

Take Action: Indict Ivanka Trump!

Herschel Walker's closing message: "I don't even know what the heck is a pronoun"
True to form, the bumbling GOP Senate candidate punctuated his impressively incoherent campaign with a head-scratcher of a closing — uh, okay, why not — "argument." Herschel Walker isn't qualified to operate an electric toothbrush, let alone take a seat in the US Senate. Dear gods above, let today be the last day we speak of this Republican puppet.

Take Action: Reject and disqualify Trump from running for President!

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Trump screws over GOP responding to Hunter Biden laptop saga
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: Not a smart move.

9 million Americans were prematurely told they were approved for student debt forgiveness
In November, 16 million debt relief applicants were sent messages informing them that they had been approved to have up to $20,000 in student loans forgiven. Unfortunately, an additional nine million people also received emails saying they too had received loan forgiveness when in fact, the process had been shuttered entirely thanks to Donald Trump's planted minions in the federal judiciary, who will stop at nothing to obstruct the Biden administration and keep the American people from seeing any relief from a predatory and exploitative system.

Take Action: Don't let Republicans starve critical investments in children and healthcare!

Tampa police chief quits after trying to avoid golf cart ticket
The top cop in Tampa, Florida, went viral after body-cam footage showed her being stopped by a Pinellas County sheriff's deputy and trying to exploit her badge to wiggle out of trouble. Now, she's stepped down, proving that public pressure can get results and it IS possible to, ya know, occasionally hold law enforcement accountable.

Take Action: Protect renters from unfair evictions!

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Supreme Court Justice Alito jokes about Black Santa and kids in KKK costumes during arguments in same-sex weddings case
The frivolous, performative lawsuit brought by a "Christian" computer company seeking to deny gay people service that — and we cannot stress this enough — has not actually had any gay people request its services, was treated as an opportunity by far-right extremist Samuel Alito as a chance to work on his standup bits, which included a deeply offensive hypothetical about white children wearing KKK costumes during a visit with "Black Santa." Alito, who has recently come under scrutiny for his appalling lack of anything resembling judicical ethics, has made it clear that he sees the rights of LGBTQ Americans as a joke and is eager to use his position to disenfranchise and discriminate against them.

Take Action: Tell Congress to break up Big Tech's monopolies!

Elon Musk’s Neuralink faces federal probe, employee backlash over animal tests
The tech bozo billionaire is now responsible for killing at least 1,500 animals, including sheep, pigs, and monkeys, as part of his nightmarish mission to transform the Earth into a dystopia where the most annoying men in the world have a direct plug into your brain. Thankfully, the feds are taking a look.

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Right-wing billionaires are destroying America's newsrooms
Courier Newsroom: With our small-town newsrooms being turned into Trump's propaganda outlets by Sinclair Broadcasting, it's harder than ever to find factual, value-based news coverage at the local level. Courier Newsroom is leading the fight against right-wing misinformation and conspiracies by building the largest left-leaning local news network in the country. Can you chip in to help keep our democracy healthy and put a stop to Trump's dangerous conspiracies?

Michael Avenatti sentenced to 14 years in prison for stealing millions from clients
The crooked lawyer shot to fame for representing Stormy Daniels in her hush-money scandal involving serial cheater Donald Trump. At one point, Avenatti was even delusionally considering pursuing the Democratic nomination for president. In the end, it turns out he was just another white collar criminal scumbag. Maybe they should save the cell next to him for Donnie.

Florida deputy killed after officer roommate "jokingly" fires gun he thought was unloaded, officials say
It appears that cops cannot be trusted to not shoot each other, let alone other people.

Biden administration broadens immigration program for Haitian migrants, citing humanitarian crisis
The broadening program will allow certain Haitian immigrants to live and work in the country without fear of deportation due to the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in the destitute Caribbean nation, which has been beset by an outbreak of violence in recent months. It's a welcome respite from the Biden administration, which had previously deported as many Haitians in one year (20,000+) as the US had in the past twenty years.

Arizona certifies 2022 election despite GOP complaints
Sore losers and conspiracy theorists in the Arizona Republican Party have five days to file frivolous lawsuits challenging their stinging losses to Democrats in the midterms, which they almost assuredly will now do.

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Livin' in America

The daily planet

Hope...

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Today’s Action: Phone bank for Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock!

Today’s the day. The incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and the observably awful, scandal-plagued GOP nominee, Herschel Walker, are finally facing off in Georgia’s long-awaited runoff election. Even though Democrats have already secured control of the Senate, one more seat in the upper chamber could mean the difference between advancing and safeguarding our progressive agenda or watching Republicans — set to take control of the House in a few weeks — roll back our hard-fought wins over the next two years.

It’s the final stretch, and we still need all hands on deck to keep Georgia blue! We need as many progressives in office as possible to preserve the rights we’ve been fighting so hard for — reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, gun-safety initiatives, justice reform, etc. Today is the last day to help identify supporters of Sen. Warnock, talk to on-the-fence voters, and help get them to the polls!

Georgia Votes is still hosting phone-banking parties for Raphael Warnock all day today until the polls close! Don’t wake up tomorrow wishing you had done more — commit to a final shift today and help keep Georgia blue!

PS — Please don't forget to sign the petition to expel the GOP congressmen who won’t condemn Trump’s call to terminate the Constitution, and be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

@advocacy | 1002 Hull St., Louisville, KY 40204   





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Friday, June 3, 2022

Kushner under investigation for shady Saudi deal

 


OD Action:

It's Our Democracy!
Stop McConnell’s ploy to deny school meals to millions of hungry kids!
Today’s Action: Get out the vote in the primaries!

Today's Top Stories:

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House committee investigating deeply suspicious $2 billion Saudi investment in Jared Kushner’s firm
Congress is determined to ascertain whether or not Trump's odious son-in-law exploited his White House position to line his pockets. Spoiler alert: he did.

Take Action: Demand the Justice Department investigate Jared Kushner for shady investments from the Saudis!

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VIDEO OF THE DAY: Republican lawmaker makes humiliating misstep during live hearing
Rep. Louie Gohmert came out swinging to defend his title as the most ignorant member of Congress.

Take Action: Tell Congress: Ban assault rifles!

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Republicans pull HORRIFIC stunt after Texas shooting
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: Unbelievable.

President Biden delivers emotional speech on gun law reform
Addressing the nation from the White House, President Biden called for reimposing the assault weapons ban, universalizing background checks, and instituting red flag laws.

Take Action: Tell Congress to end US support for Saudi Arabia's murderous war in Yemen!

More than 40% of Earth's land surface must be conserved to stop the biodiversity crisis, report warns
We should probably just ignore this report and continue doing nothing to course-correct the coming climate catastrophe.

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DeSantis moves to ban transition care for transgender youths, trans adults on Medicaid
The bigoted Florida governor asked the state board regulating doctors to essentially ban transition-related care for transgender minors and adults on Medicaid — marking a vile escalation in the Republican war on the LGBTQ+ community.

Take Action: Tell Trump's Postmaster general to stop slowing down the mail and raising prices!

Louisiana House passes bill to criminalize abortion with no exceptions for rape, incest
Disgracefully, this assault on reproductive rights passed in a bipartisan fashion.

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Game-changer Tim Ryan turns heads with new strategy to win in red America
OD Action partner: The trail blazing Democrat has a real shot at flipping Ohio's open Senate seat and keeping the Democrats in the majority! United Rural Democrats makes it easier for candidates like Tim to share this workers-first message in rural America. For Democrats to win, we must compete and win in hard areas.

Michael Avenatti gets 4 years in prison for defrauding Stormy Daniels
Michael Avenatti, the brash California lawyer who took on Donald Trump, was sentenced on Thursday to four years in prison for defrauding his best-known former client, the adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

US intel alleges that Putin is undergoing cancer treatment and survived an assassination attempt
Couldn't happen to a nicer guy...

Michigan prisons ban Spanish and Swahili dictionaries to keep prisoners from communicating
Surely this violates the ban on cruel and unusual punishment?

New York passes bill raising age to buy, own semi-automatic rifles
Finally, some truly good news.

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Living in America

A world gone mad

Hope...

Today’s Action: Get out the vote in the primaries!

Next Tuesday there are SEVEN primaries taking place — California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota. We all know the biggest enemies of progress in America are Republicans, but it’s also been painfully clear that just a few bad Democrats can muck a LOT of things up for all of us. This is our chance to do something about it — to not just elect any Democrats, but to reshape the party with real progressives to advance our legislative priorities!

If you live in one of the seven states voting next week and don’t yet have a plan to vote, make yours now. If you have friends in those states, call them and cajole them to the polls! Find out when your own state’s primaries will be held, and identify your current polling place here. It is absolutely critical to show up this year — and every year — to build a truly progressive future.

Every. Vote. Matters. Check your voter registration status and polling place to ensure you’re prepared for upcoming primaries and the midterms — and tell your network of like-minded friends and family to do the same on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, at the park, in the bleachers, in the pews, at the dinner table, and anywhere else you can!

No matter how unpopular Trump and the GOP seem to be, Americans are still dealing with extreme income inequality, incessant voter suppression schemes, relentless attacks on reproductive care, and the demonization of marginalized communities, because corrupt Republicans are regularly joined by a few bad-faith Democrats. Fortunately, we have some amazing progressives running for office this year. But they can’t win if we don’t show up.

Every meaningful electoral victory shares a common thread: progressives turning out in full force on Election Day.

Check your voter registration status at odaction.com/vote and make sure you’re ready to do your part in upcoming primaries and the midterms to win Congress and more. Then, share away on social media!

PS — Please don't forget to sign the petition to stop McConnell’s ploy to deny school meals to millions of hungry kids, and be sure to follow OD Action on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.





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POLITICO NIGHTLY: A midterm alarm for Dems in California

 


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BY DAVID SIDERS

With help from Lauren Gardner

A sign reading 'I Voted' stands outside a voting center in Los Angeles, California.

A sign reading 'I Voted' stands outside a voting center in Los Angeles, California. | Mario Tama/Getty Images


EARLY WARNING SYSTEM — After this week’s break in the primary calendar, seven states will hold elections on Tuesday. In the biggest of them, California, Democrats are already looking at some troubling early turnout numbers: So far, only about 2.2 million Californians have returned ballots. That’s less than a third of the total early vote at this point in California’s recall election last year.

Primary turnout is traditionally apoor indicator of general election turnout. But Paul Mitchell, a leading political data expert in California, says Democrats have reason to be concerned this year.

Nightly spoke with Mitchell, vice president of Political Data Inc., which works with Democrats and in nonpartisan races, about what turnout can — and can’t — tell us about the state of the electorate nearly halfway through this midterm election year. This conversation has been edited.

Why is early turnout so low in California?

Voter registration is at a record high in California going back to like the 1910s. Mailing everybody a ballot is now statewide, post-Covid. All ballots can be mailed without even having a postage stamp.

You don’t even have to mail your ballot. In a lot of areas, you’ll have campaigns calling supporters and offering to pick up their ballots.

So, all the mechanical pieces are there to make voting easier. And we would expect that to either create higher turnout or at least create a higher floor, so that no matter how boring an election is, at least X percent of voters are going to vote.

Why aren’t they?

The election is just so damn boring. You’ve got statewide elections for governor on down that have a lot of candidates nobody’s ever heard of, outside of the obvious winners that we’re going see like Gavin Newsom. There’s not a lot of attention being paid to those races. It’s just not that interesting.

There are no ballot measures. Locally, we would expect more enthusiasm because redistricting has kind of shook up the ant farm, and now we have new districts, new open seats. We’ve had this exodus from the Assembly where there are more open Assembly seats than we’ve seen in over a decade. So, there are some things afoot that would make you think, Hey, this is going to be an interesting election, but the voters just aren't buying it.

Should Democrats be worried?

At the top of the ticket, it probably doesn’t matter. I would expect the Democrats to be the top vote getters in all these statewide primary elections. And unless something goes awry, they’re probably all going to have easily beatable Republican opponents, and those races are not going to be competitive.

Where Democrats do need to worry is those competitive congressional districts.

California has a number of congressional districts that could be considered swing districts. If Democrats aren’t successful in reelecting Katie Porter and Mike Levin and Josh Harder and then maybe even picking up the Mike Garcia seat in North L.A. County or pushing Michelle Steel and that district to potentially either pick it up or maybe pick that up 2024 — that’s where macro-level turnout can make a big difference.

If there’s nothing interesting on the statewide ballot in the 2022 general and voters aren’t enthusiastic, just like they are here now in this primary, then, in those kinds of elections, Republicans could win some of these seats.

And the reason is that when turnout drops, it doesn’t drop evenly for all groups. It drops most precipitously for lower income, minorities, younger people. And suburban white affluent voters who are homeowners always stay relatively high turnout. And so, when the floor falls out on a low turnout election and you have those critical Democratic core groups voting at 18 percent turnout and core Republican groups voting at 70 percent turnout, then you have a recipe for disaster in those competitive congressional districts.

So, should Democrats in Washington and elsewhere be freaking out?

I think the question Democrats nationally need to be asking about California is, How do we make that election interesting to our voters? You look at Georgia — right now, Georgia’s having primary election turnout that’s through the roof. They don’t have the mechanical pieces that make voting easy in Georgia. But what they have is an enthusiasm around elections that are polarizing the electorate, getting them excited and getting them to turn out and vote. Democrats nationally need to be looking at California and saying, How do we kind of jolt the electorate into caring about this election cycle and turning out?

All of this, for Democrats — going back to the last redistricting, to Republican control of the House, going to the Donald Trump success, all this stuff — it all started by Democrats not turning out in 2010. And Democrats not turning out in 2022 would be potentially just as catastrophic for the next decade. So 2022 could be a redux of 2010 and 2014 in terms of having these huge impacts.

It’s one of these things where Democrats win an election in a presidential year, and then they sit on the couch in a gubernatorial and go, “Oh, you know, voting? I already did that.”

Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at dsiders@politico.com on Twitter at @davidsiders.

 

DON'T MISS DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED:  Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today.

 
 
WHAT'D I MISS?

— In a rare prime-time address, Biden demands action on guns: It was, at once, a call for action and the first true attempt by President Joe Biden to outline the specific proposals that he wanted to see enacted . Biden called for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and, if such policies couldn’t be passed, the raising of the age that one could purchase an assault weapon from 18 to 21. He called for strengthening background checks, repealing the legal immunity that gun manufacturers enjoy, and codifying a ban on so-called ghost guns. And he called for addressing what he deemed the “mental health crisis” in America while expanding “red flag” laws.

— Covid vaccination for kids under 5 expected to start June 21: States can start ordering children’s vaccines on Friday, White House coronavirus response coordinator Ashish Jha said during a White House press briefing, but orders won’t ship until the Food and Drug Administration authorizes the shots for kids between 6 months and 5 years old. The FDA’s vaccine advisory committee is set to discuss Pfizer’s and Moderna’s applications — both of which call for a smaller dose than adults receive — in two weeks.

— Economic recovery buoys Social Security, Medicare: The financial health of Social Security improved slightly over the past year, though the program’s trust fund remains on track to be depleted by the mid-2030s, according to the annual trustee report released today. The report projects that the program’s combined reserves will be depleted by 2035, one year later than was projected last August. A key Medicare fund also had an improved outlook, with a two-year solvency extension.

— Florida Supreme Court locks in DeSantis-backed redistricting map: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push to redraw the state’s congressional map and give a substantial advantage to Republicans will likely remain in place for this year’s elections. The state Supreme Court — in a 4-1 divided ruling in which two justices recused themselves — declined to wade into an ongoing legal dispute over the map. Voting and civil rights groups opposed to the GOP-approved redistricting map asked the state high court to block it in late May.

— Trump to meet with House Freedom Caucus: A group of House Freedom Caucus members are slated to meet with Donald Trump next week to discuss the group’s “strategy” heading into the next Congress, two Republicans familiar with the matter tell POLITICO. The meeting is expected to address how GOP primary season has played out so far, and what the party’s base voters are looking for heading toward November.

— Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial nominee shares documents with Jan. 6 panel, agrees to interview: The Jan. 6 select committee received materials this week from Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano — and with them, perhaps, a new dilemma. Mastriano’s previously unreported cooperation with the Capitol attack probe came in the form of a submission, obtained by POLITICO, that includes documents about his work to arrange buses that carried pro-Trump protesters to Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.

— Avenatti gets 4 years in prison for cheating Stormy Daniels: Michael Avenatti was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison for cheating client Stormy Daniels, the porn actor who catapulted him to fame, of hundreds of thousands of dollars in book proceeds. The California lawyer, currently incarcerated, learned his fate in Manhattan federal court, where Judge Jesse M. Furman said the sentence will mean that Avenatti will spend another 2 1/2 years in prison on top of the 2 1/2 years he is already serving after another fraud conviction.

FROM THE HEALTH DESK

GOVERNMENT BY TWEET — The FDA’s Twitter account has been an unexpected pandemic star. In one memorable instance, which racked up 51,000 retweets, it reminded sentient Americans thatthey're not, in fact, horses . “Seriously, y’all,” the agency instructed. “Stop it.”

The account uses humor to raise awareness — like riffing off an SNL skit to warn bodybuilders about the unknowns of supplements — while taking more serious approaches to some issues. FDA reporter Lauren Gardner chatted with Brad Kimberly, the agency's social media director, how his content strategy and why he likes amplifying former wrestlers so much. This conversation has been edited.

OK, so you are responsible for "you are not a horse"?

Yes. I did make those words happen.

When you took over the Twitter account in 2018, why did you decide to mix humor with the serious stuff? Did your approach change during the pandemic, or have you been this meme-y all along?

The pandemic has given us an opportunity to talk a little more directly to people. In the last year, we've really focused on speaking in first person from the FDA account -- the FDA account is a personality -- and we want to be able to communicate with people in a way that they can understand.

We're pretty science heavy; there's a lot of complicated messages that we're trying to get across, and not everybody out there has an M.D. or a PhD. So how can I communicate these complicated ideas to the masses? How can I get my mom to understand them? Things like "you're not a horse, you're not a cow” are little moments of experimentation where we're like, Well, let's change our tone a little bit and our voice and see what happens.

Who is your target audience? You mentioned making sure that your mom can understand this. Twitter users, you would think, generally skew a bit younger. But at the same time, my mom and dad are on Twitter to complain about Philadelphia sports and to vote on “The Voice.” 

I want to be able to communicate clearly in a way, and sometimes maybe cleverly in a way, that when people share it among their friends — who are people who don't necessarily follow us — that it is useful information. As much as I want to make a pun about a peanut butter recall being a sticky situation, should I put that on social media?

I want us to sound like we're just another friend that you're talking to about the news of the day. In our case, it's news about the Food and Drug Administration and the amazing work that a lot of people here do.

We want to bring some attention to a lot of issues — using humor to maybe poke a little fun at the use of veterinary-grade ivermectin in an effort to get people to maybe stop doing that. That is certainly not the way we would normally speak. But it made a huge difference.

You seem to have an affinity for former wrestlers — retweeting when they've gotten their boosters and such. 

We want people to go out and get vaccinated if they're eligible and go get boosted if they're eligible. And so sometimes we'll engage with celebrities or even amplify celebrities.

We did something with Lucy Lawless. I engaged with Conan O'Brien at one point last year, where he was talking about the milk crate challenge. Mark Hamill, Mr. T. And if somebody sees a tweet from Mr. T, and he's getting his booster and says, Hey, maybe I want to do that, that’s great.

Read Friday’s Prescription Pulse for more of this interview.

AROUND THE WORLD

OPEC BOOSTS OUTPUT — OPEC+ announced today that members of the oil cartel agreed to a larger-than-expected hike in output , signaling a potential thaw in relations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia ahead of a potential trip by Biden’s trip to the Middle East.

A derek pumps in a oil field in Kuwait near the Saudi Arabian border.

A derek pumps in a oil field in Kuwait near the Saudi Arabian border. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images


The White House offered measured praise for the move, giving credit to Riyadh for acknowledging tight market conditions and pushing OPEC members to boost their production.

“We welcome the important decision from OPEC+ today to increase supply in July and August based on new market conditions,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Twitter after OPEC+’s announcement. “We recognize the role of Saudi Arabia as the chair of OPEC+ and its largest producer in achieving this consensus amongst the group members.”

Members of the oil-producing group said they would increase collective production by 648,000 barrels a day in July and August rather than the 400,000 barrels a day they had originally planned to add. The announcement, made after representatives of OPEC and Russia met, comes as Biden is considering visiting with leaders of Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries.

 

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.

 
 
NIGHTLY NUMBER

550

The number of confirmed monkeypox cases the World Health Organization has reported since May 13 in 30 countries where the virus isn’t endemic.

PARTING IMAGE

Elise Schering displays a simple message during a National Gun Violence Awareness Day rally at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif.

Elise Schering displays a simple message during a National Gun Violence Awareness Day rally at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. | Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo


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Top News | 'He’s Not Going to Run Unopposed': Sanders Rejects Schumer for Majority Leader

                                                               LOTS OF POSTS IGNORED BY BLOGGER..... OR REMOVED ON THEIR WHIM! ALL POSTS ARE...