Watch 11 highlights from Joe Biden's Univision interview

Daily Kos Staff

Wednesday April 10, 2024 · 5:41 PM PDT

2024/04/10 · 17:41

President Joe BIden sat down with Univision reporter Enrique Acevedo in the Oval Office for an wide-ranging interview that ran Tuesday evening. The interview comes after months of well-deserved criticism over an “exclusive” puff-piece interview Acevedo did with Donald Trump last November.

Univision has become an unlikely Trump ally since its merger with the more conservative Televisa.

Biden focused on what he has accomplished so far, as well what he hopes to achieve in a second term.

Here are some highlights.

Walter Einenkel for Daily Kos

Daily Kos Staff

Thursday March 14, 2024 · 7:52 AM PDT

2024/03/14 · 07:52

no image description available — Missouri state Rep. Nick Schroer introduced a bill that would allow legislators to duel in the Senate chamber.

The far-right House Freedom Caucus crawled out of the tea party movement’s carcass in 2015 with the goal of obstructing every piece of legislation that could help Americans. The extremist bloc has mushroomed since, and now permeates state legislatures across the country.

Much like we’ve seen at the federal level, Freedom Caucus offshoots at the state level have resulted in the same infighting, ludicrous proposed legislation, and obstructionist tactics so loved by Congress members like Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz.

Walter Einenkel for Daily Kos

Daily Kos Staff

Friday March 08, 2024 · 5:06 PM PST

2024/03/08 · 17:06

President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday went well. It went so well that the Republican Party and its media propaganda machine have changed course to rewrite their attack script about the president.

Biden was forceful, energetic, and most importantly: nimble. He seemed to have fun while giving the speech and clearly capable of being a leader.

Here are some highlights:

Walter Einenkel for Daily Kos

Daily Kos Staff

Wednesday February 28, 2024 · 10:51 AM PST

2024/02/28 · 10:51

Missouri Democratic state Rep. Ashley Aune has put forward a bill that would close an “archaic loophole” in a law that prevents a judge from finalizing a divorce if the woman is pregnant. Aune was unable to get any traction through the Republican supermajority, though she has been able to collect two Republican co-sponsors for it and House Republicans seem open to the idea of closing it. However, even if it makes its way through the House, getting through the Missouri Senate may be too tall an order.

According to the Kansas City Star, Freedom Caucus member and state Sen. Denny Hoskins was interviewed about the law and said that while he would be open to creating a carve-out exception for cases involving domestic violence, there is no need to fully close the loophole because the cases where it is a problem are “very rare and infrequent.” According to Hoskins, “Just because the husband and wife are not getting along, or irreconcilable differences, I would not consider that that would be a good reason to get divorced during a pregnancy.”

Walter Einenkel for Daily Kos

Daily Kos Staff

Thursday February 22, 2024 · 1:12 PM PST

2024/02/22 · 13:12

NATIONAL HARBOR, MARYLAND - FEBRUARY 22: Country singer Natasha Owens sings during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at Gaylord National Resort Hotel And Convention Center on February 22, 2024 in National Harbor, Maryland. Attendees descended upon the hotel outside of Washington DC to hear from conservative speakers from around the world who range from journalists, U.S. lawmakers, international leaders and businessmen. Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump will deliver remarks to attendees on Saturday. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) — Country singer Natasha Owens sings during the Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 22, 2024, in National Harbor, Maryland.

The annual Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC, kicked off Thursday outside Washington, D.C. Here is a sampling of the many speakers on tap at this year’s gathering of right-wing operatives and officials:

Whether it's giving the GOP faithful access to far-right nationalist Hungarian leader Viktor Orban and his race-purity politics or right-wingers telling audiences that Democrats threatened to steal their grandparents' insulin, CPAC has always been a safe space for extremists. Even before the official events began Thursday, a very unsurprising video of Jan. 6 insurrection deniers chanting about “J6” political prisoners inside the conference halls circulated on social media.

How unsurprising is this tomfoolery? Here’s a Jan 6.-themed pinball machine on display at the conference this year.

There is a January 6 pinball game in the CPAC exhibition hall pic.twitter.com/7BGBRlYWBS
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) February 22, 2024

Walter Einenkel for Daily Kos

Daily Kos Staff

Monday February 19, 2024 · 7:37 AM PST

2024/02/19 · 07:37

FILE - Police investigate the scene where an officer was shot in the leg in a parking lot, April 29, 2021, in St Peters, Mo. A federal judge ruled Tuesday, March 7, 2023, that a Missouri law banning local police form enforcing federal gun laws is unconstitutional. (David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP, File)

Gun lovers in Missouri are sad face emoji today as conservative state lawmakers have decided to scrap two new gun laws they were planning on moving through the legislature. Unfortunately for Second Amendment fetishists, plans for moving to debate the bills have faltered after Wednesday’s mass shooting at a Super Bowl victory parade in Kansas City, which left one woman dead and at least 22 others injured.

Republican Majority Leader Jonathan Patterson told the Kansas City Star that House Republicans would not be pursuing the two pieces of legislation this session. And while Patterson thought the bills were “worthy of debate,” the shooting really put a damper on their chances of passing and therefore, “[n]ow is not the appropriate time” to talk about loosening gun laws.

Walter Einenkel

Daily Kos Staff

Tuesday February 13, 2024 · 12:59 PM PST

2024/02/13 · 12:59

FILE - Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff, speaks at a Save America Rally prior to former president Donald Trump speaking on Jan. 15, 2022, in Florence, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File) — Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rogers speaks at a "Save America" rally on Jan. 15, 2022, in Florence, Arizona.

Arizona Republicans are trying to revive a bill that would force colleges to allow anyone with a concealed carry permit to bring a weapon on campus. Senate Bill 1198 “[p]rohibits the governing board of any university, college or community college from prohibiting the possession of a concealed weapon by a concealed weapon permit holder, or the lawful transportation or storage of a firearm.”

Current state law bans all weapons from campuses, according to the Arizona Mirror.

Republican state Sen. Wendy Rogers introduced the latest bill at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week by saying, “This is a rerun. This is important. It's seminal and it speaks to us being able to protect ourselves in an increasingly dangerous environment, especially college campuses.”

After an audience member pointed out how even trained law enforcement officers have proven to be ineffective against shooters when under duress, committee chairman Anthony Kern opted to make boastful statements about his gun fetish.

”If somebody came in here right now and started shooting, what would you expect everybody to do? Run? Hide? Scream? You know, I mean, you're not prepared. I'm carrying right now. And I can tell you, if somebody came in here shooting, they would be my first target.”

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Walter Einenkel

Daily Kos Staff

Friday February 02, 2024 · 12:57 PM PST

2024/02/02 · 12:57

Entertainer Ted Nugent spoke at length to the crowd about defying government authority; his hat reads 'I will not comply.' About a thousand people rallied, listened to talks about border security, and campaigned for conservative talking-points at the One Shot Distillery in Dripping Spring, Texas on Feb. 1, 2024. This was the first large gathering of the "Take Our Border Back" convoy which began approximately Jan 29, 2024 and plans to go to the border of Texas and Mexico. (Photo by John Rudoff/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images) — Who needs Taylor Swift when you have Ted Nugent on your side?

Ted Nugent and Sarah Palin showed up Thursday at a rally in Dripping Springs, Texas, for the “Take Our Border Back” trucker convoy that’s en route to the U.S.-Mexico border, whose participants have dubbed themselves “God’s army.” NBC affiliate KXAN reports there were “mixed messages” among the speakers about the convoy’s goal—and Nugent and Palin didn’t help clear anything up in that department.

The former Alaska governor went on a classic Palin run, babbling about “every violation of our charters of liberty that’s going on right now. Article 1, Article 4, different clauses in our charters of liberty.” While there is no way to know exactly what Palin was referring to, it’s important to note that the New York Charter of Liberties, written in 1683, isn’t a part of our Constitution: It’s a predecessor document with some similarities. But wow—does she live in Alaska or 17th-century England?

After describing Nugent as “ridiculously patriotic,” Palin ceded the stage to the racist rocker, who played a loud note on his guitar and then launched into Second Amendment schtick, saying America’s problems can be blamed on “compromise bullshit” and letting “the snakes take over our country.”

He cursed a lot as well, and called President Joe Biden a “devil scum snake.”

#NOW Sarah Palin and Ted Nugent speaking at “Take Our Border Back” convoy rally in Dripping Springs ahead of planned events near Eagle Pass. Group refer to themselves as “We the People” and “God’s Army.” #protest #borderconvoy pic.twitter.com/Bqq8OmV0K9
— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) February 2, 2024

As bizarre insurrectionist apologist and children’s book author Jack Posobiec said recently on a stage somewhere, “We don’t have Taylor Swift on our side, but you know who we have? We have Kid Rock. We have Ted Nugent. We have influencers. We have all these people—Jon Voight.”

Walter Einenkel

Daily Kos Staff

Wednesday January 31, 2024 · 5:27 PM PST

2024/01/31 · 17:27

FILE - Indiana Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, listens during the start of the General Assembly session at the Statehouse, Jan. 3, 2018, in Indianapolis. A judge has cut short the probation for Lucas who pleaded guilty to drunken driving charges after police say he crashed his pickup truck through an interstate highway guardrail and drove away. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File) — Indiana state Rep. Jim Lucas

On Tuesday, Indiana state Rep. Jim Lucas flashed his holstered handgun while discussing gun violence with teenagers at the Statehouse, according to a video of the incident. The video, obtained by TheStatehouseFile.com, was filmed by one of the teenagers, who were there as members of Students Demand Action, a pro-gun-control organization.

In the video, after one teenager refers to Australia’s stringent gun laws, Lucas responds by saying that Australians “are not free” and then opens his jacket to reveal a handgun in a holster. “I’m carrying right now,” he said.

“See, and nothing about that makes me feel safe, though,” replies another teenager. Lucas asks for clarification of what the teenager said, and they respond, “Nothing about someone carrying a gun makes me feel safe. It makes me feel threatened.”

“Okay, those are feelings,” Lucas responded. “I’m talking facts, I’m talking facts.”

Indiana Rep. Jim Lucas shows high school students his gun during a conversation Tuesday at the Moms Demand Action Advocacy Day.
Video provided by a student who recorded the interaction. See the full 10 minute video and our story at https://t.co/aWhc3I9yNr pic.twitter.com/iW0h0pWEN2
— TheStatehouseFile.com (@StatehouseFile) January 31, 2024

Walter Einenkel

Daily Kos Staff

Monday January 29, 2024 · 10:35 AM PST

2024/01/29 · 10:35

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 12: U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CA) arrives to a House Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on October 12, 2023 in Washington, The House Republicans continue to debate their pick for Speaker after their initial nominee, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), failed to secure the number of votes needed. The full House of Representatives is expected to vote on a replacement for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) after he was ousted last week. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Rep. Lauren Boebert has received underwhelming reviews after her first debate for Colorado’s 4th Congressional District seat last week. A straw poll conducted at the event put her in fifth place out of the nine Republicans on the stage that night.

Over the weekend, Boebert’s poor showing trended on social media, and was capped off by rising Democratic star Rep. Jasmine Crockett writing on the site formerly known as Twitter, “Before I go to bed, I thought it would only be fitting to send ‘thoughts & prayers’ to my colleague, Lauren Boebert. It’s my understanding that she placed 5th in her first straw poll of the election cycle. Now how many of y’all think BoBo gonna try to convince us that polls don’t matter… of course unless they are trash for Biden & great for Trump!”

Crockett has made news for her substantive attacks on Republican hypocrisy, showing herself to be more than up to the task of governing. Even Boebert’s lightest forays into grandstanding in recent months have exposed her as being not only ignorant, but lacking even the most basic rhetorical skills.

Walter Einenkel for Daily Kos

Daily Kos Staff

Friday January 26, 2024 · 1:23 PM PST

2024/01/26 · 13:23

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 18: Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) walks out from the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on January 18, 2024 in Washington, DC. Congress has passed a stop gap bill to fund the federal government through early March and avert a partial government shutdown(Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images) — Rep. Lauren Boebert

On Thursday night, nine Republicans seeking their party’s nomination in Colorado’s 4th District debated each other, and at one point, someone in the audience asked “by a show of hands” how many of the candidates had been arrested before—and the response was … telling.

Among the six candidates who raised their hands were Rep. Lauren Boebert, who recently moved across the state rather than face a primary challenge, and state Rep. Mike Lynch, who recently resigned as House minority leader after his 2022 arrest for driving under the influence and posession of a gun was made public, causing days of Republican infighting.

YouTube Video

Walter Einenkel

Daily Kos Staff

Thursday January 11, 2024 · 2:34 PM PST

2024/01/11 · 14:34

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a campaign stop, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appeared on right-wing gun fetishist Dana Loesch’s “The Dana Show,” recently to talk about his inhumane border policies.

When Loesch asked about the “maximum amount of pressure” he could apply in his border policy, Abbott responded, “We are using every tool that can be used from building a border wall to building these border barriers” to passing a law that makes it illegal for undocumented immigrants to enter the state. Abbott did note that the latter move was now the subject of a federal lawsuit from the Biden administration questioning a state’s right to make up immigration law.

Then the Texas governor added, “The only thing that we're not doing is we're not shooting people who come across the border because, of course, the Biden administration would charge us with murder.”

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