A senior legal advisor to Trump’s campaign purposely misgenders Dr. Rachel Levine, while a Dem state House candidate and Biden campaign surrogate apologizes after old racist and sexist tweets are reported on. All of that and more are in this week’s Ups and Downs.
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Pennsylvania Capital-Star. A report from the online news publication in December 2019 on several trips made by pension investment officers to Los Angeles, where the official stayed at five-star hotels for a meeting has resulted in the teachers’ pension fund adopting a new more transparent travel policy. Although all of the exact details of the new policy aren’t all known yet, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports that the chairman of Pennsylvania’s Public School Employees Retirement System, a $55 billion public pension fund, has to approve all out-of-state travel that costs more than $2,000.
Jenna Ellis. The senior legal advisor to President Donald Trump’s campaign purposely misgendered Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, a transgender woman, on Twitter this week by saying, “This guy is making decisions about your health.” Washington Post reporter, Dave Weigel, tweeted out a screenshot of Ellis’ tweet, next to an image of a “Trump Pride 2020” t-shirt. Ellis responded to Weigel’s tweet saying, “I have a lot of pride too that Donald Trump is your President! Great shirt!” Several members of Pennsylvania’s General Assembly responded to the tweet from Ellis, calling on her to take down the tweet. The original tweet from Ellis is still posted to her Twitter account.
Manny Guzman Jr. The Democratic candidate for the state House’s 127th District and Joe Biden’s state’s Deputy Coalitions Director for Latino Engagement apologized after online news outlets Inside Sources and Delaware Valley Journal reported on old racist and sexist tweets of his between 2011-2013. The old tweets included calling women “bitch” and “hoes,” plus suggesting that he “could hit a woman in retaliation and also reinforced the racist trope that Asians eat cats,” according to PA Post. Guzman has since apologized for these tweets and they have since-been deleted.
Theresa Lafer. The State College councilwoman allegedly called someone a “New Order Nazi” in an email exchange with an individual over a disagreement about the recently passed ordinance by council to mande the wearing of face masks in the borough, according to The Daily Collegian.
Mark V. Tranquilli. The Allegheny County Common Pleas judge was recommended to be suspended after formal charges were filed by the Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board against him for allegedly referring to a Black juror as “Aunt Jemima,” according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The board wrote that Tranquilli violated both the “Judicial Code of Conduct and the Pennsylvania Constitution following allegations of misconduct, including using a racist epithet and Ebonics in the courtroom.”
Pat Toomey. The GOP Senator was one of 11 U.S. citizens sanctioned by the Chinese government in response to “escalating geopolitical dispute over the status of Hong Kong,” according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Toomey issued a statement in response to the sanctions saying that his “response is simple: I stand with the people of Hong Kong.” Conservative groups have applauded Toomey and other GOP lawmakers sanctioned by China.
Post-Gazette Newsroom. The union members at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette voted 88-31 in favor of striking after “years of stalled contract negotiations and multiple complaints of labor law violations by Block Communications Inc.,” WESA reports.
Philly’s Columbus Statue Supporters/Opponents. The debate over the Christoper Columbus statue in Marconi Plaza continues in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Art Commission unanimously voted to approve the city’s request to remove the statue in South Philadelphia and place it in storage, at least temporarily, but a common pleas judge ordered a delay of the approval to move the statue, while a lawsuit brought by neighborhood group Friends of Marconi Plaza proceeds, according to KYW Newsradio.
Penn State. After facing backlash, the university is altering the legal agreement students must sign in regards to returning to campaign during the coronavirus pandemic. Spotlight PA and the Daily Collegian published stories about the original agreement that said students were required to “assume any and all risk” of COVID-19, which Spotlight PA reports “some said amounted to a liability waiver.” Just one day after the stories were published from both outlets, Penn State issued a statement saying, “it would provide an updated option.”
Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens had an earlier-than-expected exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they are doing something that Pennsylvania Sec. of State Kathy Boockvar said that no other NHL team has committed to-date. KDKA reports that the Pittsburgh Penguins are teaming up with the Department of State and Allegheny County to support voting initiatives that aims to “increase voter participation and assist election administration in November.” The story continues to report that the joint effort will also “explore initiatives like volunteering as and helping recruit poll workers, educating the public about voting and sponsoring get-out-the-vote campaigns.”
TWEET OF THE WEEK
???? pic.twitter.com/qHxphumCbH
— bill peduto (@billpeduto) August 13, 2020
In case you missed this week’s Rasmussen poll of Wisconsin….
55% approval for Tom Wolf in WI is pretty good if you think about how close his 2018 race was https://t.co/gKhkorJZkZ pic.twitter.com/vnCN4XT0ZR
— J. Miles Coleman (@JMilesColeman) August 13, 2020
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36 Responses
Make Doc Levine Richard Again
MAGA !
I’m the real Joe Biden Hiden and I apologize to Dr. Levine. I lash out because my step dad would touch me at night. I don’t like sports , I’ve never been to a bar and I would have all of us stay inside for years in our own basements ! Real men and woman don’t vote at all ! MAGA is for snowflakes.
Take the dress off son. I ordered a BigMac and fries and you gave me a hamburger with no fries . Back to work sonny , the drive thru is backing up . BigMac now !
No, I like wearing dresses with pretty pink flowers. It makes me feel special, not like when my step dad would touch me.
I link pink too and a matching pink mask . Trump will probably win but don’t tell anyone . I had a few drinks , put my teeth in and I’m all set to go on live TV with Chucky baby . Trump is cute and has big hands , I know …
I like pink too and a matching pink mask. biden will probably win so go ahead and tell everyone. I say Pence had a few drinks, put his teeth in and he’s all set to go on live TV with his mother. Trump is morbidly obese and has tiny hands, we all know …
I’m the real Joe Biden Hiden and Levine is a man in a dress . He doesn’t like sports , never been to a bar and would have all of us stay inside for years ! Real men and woman vote Republican ! MAGA baby .
I love dresses, I wear them often
Please defeat the serial liar and denier in the White House. Vote the fraud out
^^^^Fake poster . Lives with mommy
^^^^^ Stop stealing my name you fake poster loser who lives in mommys basement
Beg to differ: The PA “Health’ Secretary misgendered himself years ago. The “Y” chromosomes don’t lie. Levine can pretend all he wants, but he’s a dude — and not a very attractive one.
yerkidden-
Why the f*ck do you care.. unless you have gender insecurities or other identity issues yourself? Are you afraid that if Dr. Levine is accepted that you will be pressured to come clean about your own years of denial? Or are you secretly attracted to Dr. Levine, but fear rejection, so you attack before you can be rejected?
You may be the only person in the Commonwealth who hasn’t grown weary of being lectured about “science” by a biological science denier.
You a tranny, too?
Real classy. I guess you learned about spewing hate unto your neighbor from those Christian values. The vile disgust you would have for own sibling or child if they were LGBQT is truly sad. Hate thy own child, I must have missed that in the Gospels.
For the record, Saul Alinsky’s Rule #4 doesn’t apply to anyone who didn’t quote scripture.
You saying Levine doesn’t deny biological science? Doesn’t Levine’s professed field list “gender dysphoria” as a pathology?
Explain…
I apologize, my father repeatedly beat me as a child
That bright orange morbidly obese blob in the White House is a disgustingly racist prick. We need to come together to defeat the orange monster
Fake Joe Biden Hiden. I’m the real deal faggot .
I lash out because I’m in the closet about my sexuality
You gotta love the pathetic, lonely, closeted individual hiding behind an alias in his mommy’s basement with all the false machismo throwing out slurs. Such a tough guy. Don’t worry, mommy will put the nightlight on for you.
biden is a lowlife HATER and FRAUD
I’m sorry but you could only be referring to trump as proven on multiple occasions
The Biden campaign should apologize to Trump. The comments regarding Trump’s gender are a throw back to a more narrow minded time. Whatever happened to live and let live? People need to insult someone and they are in a position of prestige? Shameful. What about human decency and kindness. Who knows what it is like to walk in another’s shoes? My parents always taught us to make fun of others. As for the travel costs for the pension fund, a lot of conferences in major cities are at bigger hotels due to meeting space and location. Immediately jumping to conclusions about travel costs to major cities is wrong.
Oh please trump would be spending years issuing apologies before biden would ever even have to sniff issuing one himself.
Richard Levine is a man . Stop sugarcoating this . I don’t want this freak telling my kids how to grow up . We need strong leaders !
I’m a woman hear me roar
Funny how folks can make fun of President Trump by calling him the Orange Thing
, Baby Man , White National and other terrible names .
Yet calling out a man who dresses up like a woman is off
limits . I call BS ! Richard Levine is a man , stop sugarcoating this .
Also, I hate myself
Go back to your cave.
The Trump Administration should apologize to Dr. Levine. The comments regarding her gender are a throw back to a more narrow minded time. Whatever happened to live and let live? People need to insult someone and they are in a position of prestige? Shameful. What about human decency and kindness. Who knows what it is like to walk in another’s shoes? My parents always taught us to live and let live. As for the travel costs for the pension fund, a lot of conferences in major cities are at bigger hotels due to meeting space and location. Immediately jumping to conclusions about travel costs to major cities is wrong.
Tell that to the Democrats who started this mess ! Maxine Waters and Al Greene along with Kathy Griffin called Trump terrible things. Even the Witch , Hillary stared with the word deplorables ! The Republicans are just giving back what you’all started . Deal with it .
I was molested as a little boy and that’s why I hate everyone and everything
But everything about asshole mouth Trump was literally true.
I think your problem is you choke chicken too much.
That must be something you know too well from your night time adventures in the coop.