Politapocalypse (U.S. Politics Megathread)

People believe in unicorns, Santa Clause, reincarnation, and whatever they can imagine. So, because I don't believe in their creations it makes me a believer??? No, those things don't exist until proven otherwise. The same applies to the thousands of gods people believe in.

But, to most religious people faith/religion is something out of bounds. I can accept that. I don't want to insult people of faith. But, if a religion/belief has a negative impact on other people (anti femism, anti gay, kill the infidel) I will speak against that belief. Bill Maher is a comedian, so he exaggerates. And, like I said before, his religious guests were comfortable with him. He is no bigot.

In the wake of the Brussels attacks, European leaders said the entire continent is at war with ISIS. French journalist Nicolas Henin wrote in The Guardian, "If we adopt a militaristic, warlike vocabulary, there will be no way back from that. We will strengthen our enemies." And he should know. Henin was held hostage by ISIS for nearly a year in 2013.

He speaks with Brooke about his experiences in Syria (where he was held with Jim Foley, John Cantlie, and others), and what he sees as our deadly misperceptions of ISIS.

Henin is also the author of Jihad Academy: The Rise of Islamic State.

A ruling in the teachers’ favor would have affected millions of government workers and weakened public-sector unions, which stood to lose fees from both workers who objected to the positions the unions take and those who simply chose not to join while benefiting from the unions’ efforts on their behalf.

Under California law, public employees who choose not to join unions must pay a “fair share service fee,” also known as an “agency fee,” typically equivalent to members’ dues. The fees, the law says, are meant to pay for collective bargaining activities, including “the cost of lobbying activities.” More than 20 states have similar laws.

Trump campaign manager Lewandowski charged with battery

Florida police have charged Donald Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski with simple assault in connection with an incident earlier in the month involving a reporter.

Police in Jupiter, Florida, said Lewandowski surrendered Tuesday morning to face a misdemeanor charge of battery, NBC News reported. He is scheduled to appear before a judge on May 4.

A surveillance video released by the police appears to show Lewandowski grabbing Breitbart News reporter Michelle Field as she tried to ask Trump a question during a March 8 campaign event.

The police report stated: "Lewandowski grabbed (Michelle) Fields' left arm with his right hand causing her to turn and step back." Fields showed police her left forearm which "appeared to show a grabbing-type injury," according to the investigating officer.
"Mr. Lewandowski is absolutely innocent of this charge," Trump said in a statement. "He will enter a plea of not guilty and looks forward to his day in court. He is completely confident that he will be exonerated."

"He was not arrested," campaign communications manager Hope Hicks said.

No Guns Allowed at Republican Convention, Secret Service Says

The Secret Service said it would forbid attendees to carry firearms at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July, neutralizing a debate that had put pressure on the candidates to take a side on the issue.

“Only authorized law enforcement personnel working in conjunction with the Secret Service for a particular event may carry a firearm inside of the protected site,” Kevin Dye, a spokesman for the agency, said in a statement Tuesday.

The debate over whether to permit guns at the Quicken Loans Arena in the second-largest city in Ohio flared in the past week after an online petition appeared on Change.org, taking issue with the arena’s anti-weapons policy in a state that allows “open carry” of firearms.

“This is a direct affront to the Second Amendment and puts all attendees at risk,” said the petition, which had gathered more than 50,000 signatures by Tuesday morning.

It makes sense that Ted Cruz will be on the banned Washington Madam's customer list.