Thread for obviously newsworthy stuff

[rah]

After 2016, I think I'll wait till after the election before making any comments.

[Giancarlo]

Definitely.
People not going to voting booths is, why the Britains now have Brexit, despite a majority (and especially young people) not actually wanting it.
(the non voters (Anti-Brexiters) unfortunately thought it would be a waste of time, because they didn't think anyone in their right mind would vote pro Brexit)

Regarding the US-Election:
Hell, even Democrats in districts gerrymandered for the advantage of a republican should go to the booths ...
yes, maybe that the gerrymandering in your district gives the GOP candidate an advantage ...
but by nevertheless going to the election you may have the chance to give the GOP a nasty surprise ...
winning the district for the Dems by just being the group with the larger voter turnout

Conor Lamb won in a heavily gerrymandered district that now no longer exists. But the point is he had no business winning in that district and he did. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has since struck down the GOP favorable gerrymandered map and he now has a chance of winning in the new district by an even bigger percentage.

My point is this... Democrats are either coming very close or winning in conservative districts that they traditionally lost by double digits.

The signs are there this won't be pretty for republicans. I think republicans will especially do horribly in the midterms in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin and Michigan. Think of it as buyers remorse.

edit: https://www.realclearpolitics.com/ep...lamb-6512.html

Conor Lamb is running now in the new 17th district. He has a +12% lead according to a recent poll. In the prior district, he won by barely +1%.

[OneFootInTheRave]

President Vladimir Putin hailed new missiles in Russia's military arsenals but emphasized Thursday that the country would only use its nuclear weapons in response to an incoming missile attack.

He voiced confidence that Russia could resist Western pressure and expressed hope that U.S. President Donald Trump eventually would move to repair fractured ties with Russia.

Speaking at an international policy forum in Sochi, Putin noted that Russia's military doctrine doesn't envisage a preventative nuclear strike.

He said Moscow only would tap its nuclear arsenal if early warning systems spotted missiles heading toward Russia.

'Only when we become convinced that there is an incoming attack on the territory of Russia, and that happens within seconds, only after that we would launch a retaliatory strike,' he said during a panel discussion at the forum.

'It would naturally mean a global catastrophe, but I want to emphasize that we can't be those who initiate it because we don't foresee a preventive strike,' Putin said.

'The aggressor should know that retaliation is inevitable, and he will be destroyed.'

'We would be victims of an aggression and would get to heaven as martyrs,' while those who initiated the aggression would 'just die and not even have time to repent,' he added.

The Russian leader also warned that new hypersonic missiles his country developed give it a military edge.

'We have run ahead of the competition. No one has precision hypersonic weapons,' he said.

'Others are planning to start testing them within the next 1 to 2 years, and we already have them on duty.'

Russia has already deployed the Kinzhal hypersonic missile. Putin said that another new weapon, the Avangard, is set to enter service in the next few months.

Earlier this year, Putin said the Avangard has an intercontinental range and can fly in the atmosphere at a speed 20 times the speed of sound, making it capable of piercing any missile defense system.

His blunt talk Thursday comes as Russia-West relations remain frosty over the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and the allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential vote.

Putin said he still hoped Trump would be able to improve the ties between their countries. He thinks Trump wants 'some sort of stabilization and improvement of U.S.-Russian ties' and said Moscow is ready for that 'at any moment.'

Putin said his meeting with Trump in Helsinki in July was positive and they had a 'normal, professional dialogue' even though their exchange brought strong criticism for Trump. He dismissed the dynamic as the result of 'the internal political struggle.'

'Some people think that playing the Russian card is a very convenient instrument for solving internal political problems,' Putin said.

'I hope it will go away. I don't know if it happens after the congressional elections, but it might.

'Or it may happen after the 2020 U.S. presidential election, when he will no longer have to constantly look back at those who engage in anti-Russian rhetoric.'

At the same time, the Russian president sharply criticized Washington's reliance on sanctions against Russia and others, saying the instrument of punishment 'undermines trust in the dollar as a universal payment instrument and the main reserve currency.'

'It's a typical mistake made by an empire,' Putin said. 'An empire always thinks that it's so powerful that it can afford some mistakes and extra costs.

But mistakes and costs multiply, and a moment comes when they become overwhelming in both security and economic spheres.'

Building on his defiance and boasts, Putin said Russia had nothing to fear given its resources, defense capability and 'people ready to defend our sovereignty and independence.'

'Not in every country are people so eager to sacrifice their lives for the Motherland,' he said.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6292049/Putin-says-Russians-Heaven-martyrs-event-nuclear-war.html

[OneFootInTheRave]

"only in response to an incoming missile attack"

So if they used suitcase nukes, you're cool?

[Proteus_MST]

US health insurance:


https://twitter.com/BetsyGervasi/sta...71941919936513

And republicans want to make it even worse, by getting rid of Obamacare and returning health insurances to a state 1 decade or more ago
(together with giving health insures back their ability to turn away (or charge way more) people with preexisting conditions (with preexisting conditions, as the past has shown, can also be "has been pregnant in the past"))

[OneFootInTheRave]

https://www.timesofisrael.com/terrorist-leader-tells-gazans-to-keep-border-protests-nonviolent-after-flareup/

One of the main organizers of the “March of Return” protests along the Gaza border called on participants on Thursday nightto behave nonviolently in the demonstration planned for the next day, following a flareup between Israel and the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group that threatened to spark all-out war.

“The most important message tomorrow is the masses gathering in a peaceful manner,” Khaled al-Batsh, a senior leader of the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group and an organizer of the march, wrote in a statement.

“The March of Return is continuing until its goals are attained, with an emphasis on the importance of holding marches that will be non-violent and led by the people,” he wrote.
Al-Batsh also called on participants not to give Israeli snipers a reason to open fire at them.

Daoud Shehab, another member of the organizing committee of the marches, said officials were encouraging protesters to stay away from the border fence. But he said he was not sure to what extent they would succeed in “restraining the public mood.”
[...]

[rah]

More like restraining the plants placed to agitate the situation.

[Broken_Erika]

Trump hails body slamming Congressman Greg Gianforte in Montana


US President Donald Trump has praised a Republican congressman who assaulted a journalist last year with a "body slam", referring to him as "my guy".

"Greg is smart," Mr Trump said of Montana Congressman Greg Gianforte, adding "By the way, never wrestle him".

"Any guy that can do a body slam... he's my guy," he said to cheers and laughter at a rally in Montana.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the Guardian newspaper have called on Mr Trump to apologise.

This latest praise from Mr Trump is unlikely to improve his relationship with the media, which he has previously labelled the "enemy of the people".

He said he had feared that the 2017 assault could have hindered Mr Gianforte's chances of winning the special congressional election that followed. Mr Trump told supporters: "I said wait a minute, I know Montana pretty well, I think it might help him - and it did".

After praising Mr Gianforte, Mr Trump also mimicked a person being thrown forcefully to the ground.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45913921

[Giancarlo]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...clear-war.html

Russia what a country... Nobody would need to go to war with it. Its demographic crisis is already happening. Why bother? It will be down to 20-30 million people by 2040.

Spend a bunch on ****ty outdated weaponry (like its crappy new tank that is already obsolete -armata?) And spend nothing on civil services

[spambot]

I'd like to hear more about the T-14 Armata and why it's already obsolete.

[spambot]

The T-14 Armata is probably a better tank than the M1A2, although I guess we'd have to see a war involving both tanks to know for sure

[Proteus_MST]

I'd like to hear more about the T-14 Armata and why it's already obsolete.

Same here ... while I dislike russia for its human rights record and its annexation of Crimea, I surely haven't found anything negative about the T-14 Armata.

It seems to be a nice modular concept and will require EU and US tank builders to react
The only possible negative thing (at least for russia) may be, that russia will be able to field way fewer T-14 than they planned/told the public (due to the costs of the T-14 and possible problems to acquire the microelectronics for its components)

[Ben Kenobi]

If he wants to do a dick waving contest, it won't work with me.

Christ. the only one who's got his pants off and his dick out is you. I've never said a thing about your credentials, but you've challenged me, what, 4 times now?

What are you insecure that my dick is bigger?

[Broken_Erika]

Same here ... while I dislike russia for its human rights record and its annexation of Crimea, I surely haven't found anything negative about the T-14 Armata.

It seems to be a nice modular concept and will require EU and US tank builders to react
The only possible negative thing (at least for russia) may be, that russia will be able to field way fewer T-14 than they planned/told the public (due to the costs of the T-14 and possible problems to acquire the microelectronics for its components)

The main thing about the Armata is that it's a completely new platform, whereas most other Russian tanks(T-80 and T-90 series) are based off the old T-64 and T-72 platforms.

[Ben Kenobi]

Republican chances of holding the House are literally disintegrating. At about October 8th, republican chances of holding the House hit a high of around 26.2%. Now they are around 15%. This may seem like a feeble chance either way, but the lower the percentage, the more seats democrats are likely to capture.