National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice briefs President Barack Obama during his Presidential Daily Briefing in Chilmark, Mass., August 12 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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Between the DOJ’s planned announcement on drug policy and the Stop and Frisk ruling, this has to rank high on my list of best Mondays
— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) August 12, 2025
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Here is the full text of Attorney General Eric Holder’s speech on prison reform: http://t.co/JzlHGkU8us
— Mother Jones (@MotherJones) August 12, 2025
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Tom Kludt: Obama To Continue Economic Tour In New York, Pennsylvania
President Barack Obama is expected to embark on a two-day bus tour next week to both New York and Pennsylvania where he’ll “discuss another cornerstone of his vision for a better bargain for the middle class,” a White House official told a pool reporter.
Obama will travel through the two states on Aug. 22-23. Politico’s Maggie Haberman, citing sources familiar with Obama’s plans, said the President will deliver the remarks in upstate New York.
More here
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BREAKING: U.S. budget gap shrinks in year through July on higher revenue
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Bloomberg News (@BloombergNews) August 12, 2025****
Adam Peck: Missouri State Fair Apologizes After Mocks, Threatens Rodeo Clown In An Obama Mask
Officials from the Missouri State Fair are busy putting out fires after the organizers of the fair’s bull riding exhibit brought a clown in an Obama mask into the ring and goaded the bull into chasing him around the enclosure.
Videos of the racially-charged incident began circulating across local news organizations shortly after it took place on Saturday evening, and public consternation was quickly followed by condemnations from Republican Party officials and lawmakers across the state. Officials from the state fair issued a public statement via its Facebook page on Sunday evening, calling the performance “inappropriate and disrespectful.”
More here
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Dwyane Wade and sons honor Travyon Martin on new Ebony cover thkpr.gs/17xTfpU http://t.co/ncQohn3pjd #bestoftheweek
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ThinkProgress (@thinkprogress) August 11, 2025****
TPM: Biden To Attend Harkin’s Annual Iowa Steak Fry
Vice President Joe Biden is expected to deliver the keynote address at Sen. Tom Harkin’s (D-IA) annual steak fry this year in Iowa, The Des Moines Register reported. A Biden spokesperson told the Register that Biden has intended to attend the event, one of the biggest fundraisers for the Democratic Party in the Hawkeye State, ever since he was unable to make it last year.
San Antonio, Texas Mayor Julian Castro, who delivered the keynote address at last year’s Democratic National Convention, is also expected to attend the steak fry, scheduled to be held Sept.15, in Indianola, Iowa.
More here
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Gravity exists. The Earth is round. Climate change is happening. #ScienceSaysSo
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Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 12, 2025****
OFA
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Becca Aaronson: New Abortion Limits, But More Money For Women’s Health
When Anastasia Tolmasoff went to a Planned Parenthood clinic in March to receive her quarterly injection of Depo-Provera, she discovered she could no longer afford to receive birth control there. “I’m living paycheck to paycheck, so getting pregnant and having another child is not an option for me,” said Tolmasoff, 33, who rehabilitates wildlife at a nonprofit organization. She and her husband cannot afford health insurance. Tolmasoff is one of thousands of women affected by the Texas Legislature’s 2011 decisions to drastically cut family planning financing and remove “abortion affiliated providers” — namely, Planned Parenthood — from state health programs.
In its 2013 session, the Legislature sought to mitigate the impact of those cuts with the largest financial package for women’s health services in state history, increasing spending to $214 million in the 2014-15 budget from $109 million. Still, women’s health advocates have raised concerns that the financing does not go far enough. Moreover, some advocates argue that strict abortion regulations approved during a special session will create additional burdens on women already struggling to access contraception……
More here
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Congrats to Maj. Gen. Michelle Johnson, @usairforce Academy's 1st woman superintendent. Thanks for your leadership & service to our country.
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Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) August 12, 2025****
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President Obama chats with former U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk while golfing at Vineyard Golf Club in Edgartown on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Aug. 12
White House.gov
howdy
:D
Holy mackerel UT You got a bunch of stuff here! Gotta go take a look - good job!
Thanks.
p.s. Thank you Chiparoo. You know why.
Hey Alice, Congrats
thankee! :-)
Congrats Alice!! :-)
Hey Dudette! :-)
Way to go Cali —
Yay a4alice!
w00t!
Congratulations a4alice. Where are the girls?
don’t think that’s very accurate though. reagan’s share is way more than that when adjusted for inflation, and doesn’t seem to take into account how president obama’s share is greatly affected by the the previous republican presidents, especially reagan, leaving him massive interest payments each year from their debt creation. clinton and president obama are by far the most fiscally responsible presidents in the past 30+ years, when all factors are weighed fairly.
Hello. Hello, Hello, Hello Is anybody out there ;)
Hey TODVille Township ;)
Hi Nena! Right here with you! :-)
Nice!
OFA National Day of Action on Climate Change tomorrow, Tuesday, August 13
This is awesome Judith! :-)
While the deniers in Congress get their unicorn awards, our strong environmentalists in the Oregon delegation will get some positive reinforcement. We are trying to help them change the conversation in Congress so legislation to protect President Obama’s progress and extend it will some sort of carbon fee may eventually pass.
Thank you Judith for all that you do. HZ
Ha! Love this one!
But, but, but!
Ha!
Standby for the “flat-land, mouth-breathing, cave dwellers.
omg Yardarm you are so right. We have science on our side and they’ll still deny it.
We know why, don’t we.
whhhaaaat? that’s crazy
So now we’re sentencing sick black kids to DEATH bcz they had bad grades and made poor choices before they reach adulthood.
No!!! Doctors should not be able to get away with this.
If this is not a case of #NeedingAHeartTransplantWhileBlack, all efforts must be made to ensure that Mr. Anthony Stokes gets a heart AND complies with the necessary medical follow.
Guide and mentor the kid, don’t punish them for their shortcomings;
Exactly! This is more than “just punishing” him — they’re gonna let him DIE!!
Cheney didn’t need what he never had.
This!
Yea but something like Dick Cheney can get another heart without any trouble. Where is the religous right fighting for this kid’s life. Once again proof that they only give a dam when you are a unborn baby, once you’re born who cares, they don’t.
As they’e proven time and time again.
This is outrageous! Especially when Micky Mantle and other high profile celebrities get organ transplants when they have abused their own bodies with alcohol, drugs and cigarettes. Are you telling me they made wise choices?
I have nothing perso ally against MM, but when you violate your own body why should your money and social staus entitle you?
I guess I know the answers to these questions. I just had to vent….
Thank you TODers for listening.
Hey Dudette,
When Darth Cheney received his heart transplant, at the time I said — so some young 15 year old who has a chance at a real life, won’t get a heart because this evil doer can afford to get to the front of the line and get a brand new transplant.
In my mind, THIS is the young face I saw!
GE Chips, TOD….. great round-up UT. Congrats on first a4alice! …… landed in Vegas…reserved a table…..not available for another 6 hrs :(
Congrats Alice, you were super fast. Way to go! :grin:
woohoo Carol!
Fun, huh!
I heard the jackass sign the bill. And they done away with straight ticket voting.
Greetings TOD family
Sorry for the long silence. Busy busy with Action August and school starting next week.
I will be on an OFA Leader call at 7 PST and we will be discussing how our efforts are already paying off.
Here is the info - OFA and all of you ROCK
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On Thursday, following a press event near his office in Tracy and OFA volunteers attending a Chamber of Commerce event in Modesto, CA10 Rep. Jeff Denham came out in support of the Senate immigration bill. He was one of five GOP congressmen to do so last week in the wake of Action August events everywhere in their districts. Just today, another came out in support, Joe Heck of Nevada. IT’S WORKING.
JEFF DENHAM ARTICLES:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/08/09/gop-rep-jeff-denham-voices-support-for-senate-immigration-bill/
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Find an OFA near you, charge up your phone and join in !!
Awesome!! This is how we prevent a repeat of 2010 in 2014!
THANKS Alice - now I can retweet - whew!!
testing
Testing you too LL. :) Good Evening everyone. If you watched Eric Holder today, he was really good and felt, this whole analysis has been in the works for a long long time. All of this takes time, but, same as the charges on the bankers it’s all coming down, watch & see.
Ok, what have I missed all these days? (No, not quite back yet. Work will still be a bear this week.)
Hiya LL! Good to see you!!
Hey hey my fellow science geek!
Sorry to hear about your heavy work load this week. Hang in there!
We miss you!
Howdy LL (& the missus)! You peeked in in time to hear that the big birthday bash for you-know-who is tomorrow. Enough time for you to stop on the way home from work to pick up a unique gift and a card! I’ll be looking out for you. :razz:
I just had a tough time posting I took out one of the articles in case that as the issue
http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/08/2853449/denham-talks-about-the-house-immigration.html
Would love it if someone could make the news a tweet.
Thank you for the link, Linda, and the opportunity to stick it to Boehner …
Yes We Can
*Thank you for … the opportunity to stick it to Boehner … ”
Now THAT made me laugh, Bob! Keep doing THAT!
thankyou bob you said that so much better!
Done!
I’m with George Takei, just move the thing to Canada
But isn’t Putin gay? I mean, my gaydar is very strong with that one. He should come out of the closet, and then maybe to prove how tough and exceptional he is, he can ride bareback with Snowy
In the meantime, the International Olympic Committee is coming under pressure to take a tougher line and demand that Russia respect the Olympic Charter’s rules against discrimination.One senior IOC member even suggested taking the games away from Russia if no solution is found.
“They have accepted the words of the Olympic Charter and the host city contract, so either they respect it or we have to say goodbye to them,” said Gerhard Heiberg of Norway. Heiberg, who organized the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer and is chairman of the IOC marketing commission, said the IOC should stay out of domestic Russian politics, but must be firm on what happens during the Sochi Games.
I sure hope it’s more than one IOC member who thinks this way.
So, in honor of the Willie Nelson concert to which I went at the Hollywood Bowl, my new theme song.
:-D :-D :-D
Interesting—-study of induced or accelerated labor links to autism. (Duke U.) Results seem hazy and require further study but the pediatrics publication did state there was an increased risk of autism for children born to these moms, especially affecting boys.
I have not read this link but the title reminds me of when the ‘favored’ link to autism was baby immunization, which TMK has since been debunked.
Both my boys were induced, not because I wanted them to be but because of emergency reasons and they are fine.
Meanwhile, in a blue state…
Love it!
Hey LL, great to see you back! As the blue states continue to move forward….
Well, here’s “something”
yowzer shes kinda late to the party.- on voter laws.
Uh hunh!
ok, I am tots in love with the actor who plays Loki in Thor and The Avengers movies. Tom Hiddleston is him name. He’s a cutey patootey!
He’s def on my young British hotties list …lol. Notice I said YOUNG, cause ya’ll already know who my boo is…lol!!
http://watch.accesshollywood.com/video/tom-hiddleston-having-fun-on-the-avengers/1565610904001#
Hiddleston even appeared dressed as Loki for Comic Con this year!
Well I certainly know who your boo is, especially since he’s my boo too! :-D :-D :-D
My goal is to visit London next summer, “if the Lord says the same” (it’s an old saying from NOLA meaning if I still alive or still able). I’ll be sure to have my stalking map designed for Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth and Michael Fassbender…lol
AWESOME!! Take your camera!! :-D
Forget the “still able” - if you are alive - visit - there is no town like London Town - it is everything you ever wanted it to be. Only time I ever regretted my ancestors emigrating was when I spent a year in London. :)
LOL! Do I see a little passive-aggressive reporting going on here? :-)
Ha Dudette I found this go by on my timeline. He is such a #LOSER
:-)
Mega fab newsie round-up UT, thank yoooooooou legend!
Thank yooooooooooooou; you bundle of cheese puffness.
:-)
You two are a magnificent team, for sure!!! Thank you UT for yet another exceptional thread.
Ooooooh, you say the nicest things!!!
yes!
It’s pretty awesome! http://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/default.htm
100 years and we are STILL fighting this war on women! Disgusting.
Photo of First Couple leaving Sweet Life Cafe last night! And more.
http://mvgazette.com/news/2013/08/12/obama-embraces-familiar-vineyard-vacation
well that was a lovely read Dotster… so nicely written. THIS is how one ought to write an article, imo. And loved FLOTUS’ red/orange top.
My beloved Pop-Pop (grandfather) would always say it never rains on the golf course — I’m so happy to see our POTUS feels the same!
WOW! That doesn’t even look real!
Admittedly I’m def a movie person especially in the summer. During the fall/spring though, I still see a number of movies, but it’s Fall television season.
So far I have a pretty full slate of returning shows I plan to watch: Luther (of course!!), Person of Interest, Elementary, coupla sitcoms, Body of Proof and others.
So far, I haven’t heard of any new shows that I’m thinking I should give a try this upcoming season, but it is still kinda early, but with school starting and next month being September, it’s almost time.
So any new Fall television shows anybody looking forward to checking out.
Or what returning shows are ya’ll waiting for that ya’ll think I should try to catch up on.
I’m a fan of Luther and Elementary… also Criminal Minds- love that show. Vampire Diaries is fun too.
Confessing I’d never heard of this playwright before I stumbled across this link on twitter….
Historic Tribute to August Wilson
An all-star cast will record the acclaimed playwright’s 10-play “Century Cycle” for the first time ever.
By: Julia Chance | Posted: August 12, 2025 at 12:38 AM
By the time August Wilson passed away in 2005, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright had completed a profound body of work that has left an indelible mark on black culture, American literature and Broadway. Now in a historic event, his series of 10 plays, each chronicling a decade of the African-American experience during the 20th century, will be recorded for the first time ever.
Titled August Wilson’s American Century Cycle, the groundbreaking series brings together a stellar group of actors, directors and other talents — many of whom worked with Wilson — for live staged readings and recordings of the playwright’s dramas at New York Public Radio’s the Greene Space. They include actors Phylicia Rashad, Leslie Uggams, Keith David, S. Epatha Merkerson, Wendell Pierce and Taraji P. Henson (in her Wilson debut) as well as theater directors Michele Shay and Kenny Leon, artistic director Ruben Santiago-Hudson and associate director Stephen McKinley Henderson. The readings will be scored with original music by Grammy-nominated composer Bill Sims Jr. and other composers who worked with Wilson, and the plays will appear in the order in which they premiered, starting with Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and ending with Radio Golf. There will also be a talk series, giving audiences a deeper look at Wilson’s plays, the themes he explored in his works and the historic relationships he formed with his artistic collaborators.
…//
http://www.theroot.com/views/historic-tribute-august-wilson
he lived right here in st paul mn!
Here’s a little rememberence from a colleague
http://saintpaulalmanac.org/saint-paul-stories/history/august-wilsons-early-days-in-saint-paul/
Thank you, Alice. I read it too. I can tell it’s going to be once of those experiences where I’ve never heard of someone before, then suddenly every time I turn around they are ‘in my face’. :grin:
Oh this will be WONDERFUL! Here’s a list of the plays in the Century Cycle:
1900s - Gem of the Ocean (2003)
1910s - Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (1988)
1920s - Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (1984) - set in Chicago
1930s - The Piano Lesson (1990) - Pulitzer Prize[6]
1940s - Seven Guitars (1995)
1950s - Fences (1987) - Pulitzer Prize[6]
1960s - Two Trains Running (1991)
1970s - Jitney (1982)
1980s - King Hedley II (1999)
1990s - Radio Golf (2005)
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I’ve been lucky enough to see productions of all except: King Hedley, Seven Guitars, Joe Turner’s Come & Gone, and Gem of the Ocean. I got to see Fences with James Earl Jones & Mary Alice back in the day (oh, I’m just squealing with excitement from the memory of that)! Viola Davis & Denzel won Tony awards for their performances in the 2010 revival on Broadway. Gosh, I wish I could’ve seen them. Wow, I can’t wait to see/hear the recordings!! Wooooot!!!
Lucky indeed, D-ette! Of course, I haven’t seen any of the plays but I’m going to be on the alert to spot the recordings if they come in my direction. The idea of each play representing a decade sounds interesting.
Please do not forget to acknowledge the role that AG Holder’s DOJ and PBO played in the events leading to the Stop and Frisk unconstitutional ruling announced today.
At the time, the DOJ intervention on the side of the victims did not get as much press as it should.
please take some time and show that the DOJ actions were noticed and appreciated.
Justice Department steps into NYC stop-and-frisk lawsuit
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/13/us-usa-newyork-stopandfrisk-idUSBRE95C15X20130613
Justice Department weighs in on New York City stop and frisk case
Thursday, June 13, 2025
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/new_york&id=9137256
Feds Oppose NYPD Over Stop and Frisk
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2013/06/12/feds-back-plaintiffs-suing-nypd-over-stop-and-frisk.html
Thank you for that reminder, Linda, that so many good things flow from the Obama administration, directly or with an assist!
New post.
http://theobamadiary.com/2013/08/12/what-does-he-like-golf/