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    Trump's brief out-of-character anti-vaping stance was a mystery -- but he flip-flopped back to form

    Terry H. Schwadron, DCReport @ RawStory
    November 20, 2019

    Thanks for your support!

    This article was paid for by reader donations to Raw Story Investigates.

    (AFP/File / Brendan Smialowski)

    This article was paid for by Raw Story subscribers. Not a subscriber? Try us and go ad-free for $1. Prefer to give a one-time tip? Click here.

    Terry H. Schwadron, DCReport @ RawStory

    The momentary question upon hearing that Donald Trump’s plan to ban flavored vapes had gone up, well, in smoke was only under which category of Trump strangeness to file this new failed act of governance.


    Was it another example of Trump's hypocrisy of advocating one thing, only to do another? Was it another opportunity to suppress a move for public health in favor of perceived personal political advancement? Was it an actual defense of new jobs in the vaping industry over the effects that these jobs have on the vastly growing numbers of new young smokers? Was it another case of Trump surprising his own people by making the announcement on Twitter rather than actually talking to his own administrative staff?

    Unfortunately, it was all of the above.

    It had been odd enough that Trump had expressed interest at all in such a selfless proposal. Why should he be concerning himself with a public health issue at all?

    It had been odd enough that Trump had expressed interest at all in such a selfless proposal. Why should he be concerning himself with a public health issue at all? Word from the White House had been that Trump was pushed by wife Melania and daughter Ivanka to care and an acknowledgment that he and Melania had told their son, Barron, 13, not to vape.

    "We haven't told him anything, except 'don't vape'," Trump said. "Don't vape. We don't like vaping. I don't like vaping."

    Of course, that was eons ago, in September.

    Listening to protests?

    Since then, Trump said he has seen street protests among pro-vapers whose signs remind that they vote, and some pressuring both from the vaping industry and his own political re-election campaign, which noted that a good number of vapers live in states where the next election vote is expected to be close.

    First of all, what? He noticed street protests? There are lots more where those came from and on topics with wider issues at hand, from women’s rights to the future of the planet. If he can actually see a protest message, maybe we should be revisiting some of those topics. Women vote too, as well as people who believe in education and science, the environment and ethics in daily life.

    Up until the news that he was walking away from any vaping ban, I had understood that the issue was whether to include menthol among flavors like bubble-gum and strawberry meant to appeal to younger would-be smokers.

    Indeed, as the numbers of severe lung injuries have continued to build over the last few months, attributable to vaping THC elements, the acceptance of some kind of ban for vaping has been deepening as well. At last count, hospitals around the country have reported more than 2,000 people to be hospitalized, with more than 40 deaths, all being attributed to vaping.

    While awaiting federal action, several states have moved independently to ban flavored e-cigarettes, and Juul Labs, the largest seller of these products, has taken most flavors off the market in anticipation of regulation. Juul said mint-flavored pods made up about 70% of sales, menthol about 10%, and two sweet flavors the other 20%.

    The federal Department of Health and Human Services and Secretary Alex Azar were reported to be taking a leading role in the proposed ban out of public health concerns, but Trump canceled a press conference on the issue by Azar.

    It’s No Surprise

    Of course, this issue reversal smacks of the guns issue, which is a prime public health topic. After a few of the endless school shootings, Trump said he would back limited gun background checks and expanded mental health laws only to back off them as lobbyists like the National Rifle Association put on the pressure for the abandonment of such controls.

    And, even as Trump has the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid rolling out regular suggestions for cutting services or pressing for small changes in health care, the Trump Justice Department is a willing hand in the continuing Texas court case to eliminate Obamacare altogether.

    Trump talks of clean water achievements as more cities report problems with failing lead pipes dripping poison into drinking water, he fights with California about state regulations that are stronger than federal rules about air pollution, and his continuing anti-environment de-regulation campaign eliminates public protections to give industry more latitude in rule-setting.

    It is distressing to see, but now habitual. Trump’s view of government has little to do with public health or even public service unless it aligns with his personal political outlook.

    How about Make America Healthy Again rather than Let America Vape.

    This article was paid for by Raw Story subscribers. Not a subscriber? Try us and go ad-free for $1. Prefer to give a one-time tip? Click here.

    Enjoy good journalism?

    … then let us make a small request. The COVID crisis has slashed advertising rates, and we need your help. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and legal efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. And unlike other news outlets, we’ve decided to make our original content free. But we need your support to do what we do.

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    … then let us make a small request. The COVID crisis has slashed advertising rates, and we need your help. Like you, we believe in the power of progressive journalism — and we’re investing in investigative reporting as other publications give it the ax. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. We need your support to do what we do.

    Raw Story is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us in the future. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.

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    Should Trump be allowed back on social media?

    WATCH: 'Class war' sends Larry Kudlow from fear to denial -- in under 30 seconds

    Bob Brigham
    April 09, 2021

    Republicans are in a panic over Joe Biden's popular American Jobs Plan.

    A recent poll showed 59% of Republicans support corporations paying higher taxes to pay for Democrats' infrastructure plan.

    In response, former Trump advisor Larry Kudlow panicked over "class war" during a Fox News appearance with Pete Hegseth.

    "This is about class warfare, is it not?" Kudlow asked.

    "Yeah," Hegseth replied. "It's punitive."

    "Tax the rich, tax successful people -- this is class warfare, everybody knows that.

    Kudlow -- a Fox Business personality since losing his job after Joe Biden beat Trump -- then seemed to speak for the new administration, saying, "We don't like corporations in the new administration. We want to give all that money to social welfare programs that don't even have work requirements and we're going to turn everything over to the Green New Deal."

    Less than thirty seconds after voicing fear of class warfare, Kudlow was denying it exists.

    "There's no such thing as class warfare!" he exclaimed.

    But it apparently exists enough for Kudlow to keep talking about it, this time employing belittlement as his rhetorical approach.

    "Class warfare is a silly, socialist, Marxist view," Kudlow charged.

    Kudlow: This is about class warfare... Tax the rich. Tax successful people. This is class warfare... https://t.co/SefCNq4xDG
    — Acyn (@Acyn)1618021429.0

    Is political comedy dead in the Biden era?

    Sophia A. McClennen, Salon
    April 09, 2021

    In the days following the attacks of 9/11/200, no one wanted to laugh. Jon Stewart burst into tears as host of "The Daily Show" and Bill Maher got fired from ABC for suggesting that you could call the terrorist attackers many things, but "coward" wasn't one of them. Then on September 18, 2001, Graydon Carter, then editor of Vanity Fair, suggested that the attacks signaled "the end of irony."

    This article originally appeared at Salon.

    Carter's intervention was noteworthy, since he was the co-founder of one of the most significant U.S. satirical magazines, Spy Magazine. If one of the masters of satire thought satirical irony was dead, then, surely, we were doomed to live in an era of boorish, literal communication.

    Except Carter was wrong. As Michiko Kakutani explained in a piece for The New York Times, what Carter missed was the fact that irony always comes back, even if it is briefly held in abeyance during moments of extreme social upheaval. Sure, 9/11 led to a momentary pause in black humor, irony and cynicism, but those all-too-common forms of human expression popped back within weeks of the attack. By September 26, 2001 — a mere eight days after Carter suggested irony was dead — the satirical magazine The Onion ran the headline ''U.S. Vows to Defeat Whoever It Is We're at War With'' in a special edition called "Holy Fucking Shit: Attack on America." Some might have bristled that the issue was an example of "too soon" dark humor, but it was clear evidence that only days after the shocking events of 9/11, American irony was alive and kicking.

    This story is revealing because it reminds us that just as irony is a social constant, irony's critics are, too. In fact, we might take as the greatest sign of irony's social force the ironic reality that there will always be pundits out there signaling its demise. Isn't it ironic that the proof of irony's power is the never-ending parade of pundits suggesting it is dead?

    This ironic fact was never more apparent than during the Trump years, when we kept hearing how Trump was killing comedy at the exact same time that Trump comedy was peaking. Perhaps the best example of this doublespeak was Dan Brooks' piece for The New York Times, "How President Trump Ruined Political Comedy," which offers a sweeping overview of a wide range of Trump comedy at the same time that it suggests that none of it matters. What Brooks hints at in his piece — and what is much more accurate — is that irony adapts with each historical transition.

    Irony never dies; it just changes with the times.

    Nevertheless, that truism isn't stopping a new wave of comedy pundits from suggesting that with the election of Joe Biden, U.S. political satire is now on its way to being truly dead. Given the penchant for old man Biden jokes, such a view could be wickedly ironic, except it's wrong.

    First to come under fire was "Saturday Night Live" (SNL), which Lorraine Ali described as "remarkably weak" now that Trump was out of office. Much has been made, as well, over whether or not anyone will want to make fun of Biden. Fox News, unsurprisingly, claims that "liberal" comics are "scared" to make fun of Biden, but others have suggested that our new president will get a pass. Richard Zoglin noted that Biden has so far "been impregnable" to satire because his mannerisms and policies simply don't give comedians much material to work with.

    But just because Biden comedy has faltered in these early days doesn't mean it's doomed to failure.

    In fact, it makes sense that the shift to Biden from a bombastic and absurd blowhard like Trump would send comedy through an adjustment phase. That does not mean, however, that we won't see plenty of political comedy under Biden. In fact, we can count on it for the simple reason that political comedy is a staple of American expression.

    There are a number of reasons you don't need to worry that Biden's win means comedy's loss.

    Trump isn't in office, but he still offers good material

    When George W. Bush left office, political jokes about him quickly abated. Not so with Trump. Trump jokes have not stopped, even if they have stopped taking center stage. From Trump leaving the White House memes, to jokes over his farewell note to Biden, to jokes over the bizarre Trump statue at CPAC to political cartoons that mock Trump there are plenty of signs that Trump is still on the comedy radar.

    The good news is that he is no longer the center of comedic attention and that variety is a welcome development. In a study done by Robert Lichter, communications professor at George Mason, he found that a whopping 97 percent of the jokes Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon told about the candidates in September 2020 targeted President Donald Trump. Thankfully, Trump isn't getting that degree of bandwidth today, allowing comedians a wider range of targets for their material.

    Trump may be gone, but he has plenty of allies still in government

    What we also have to remember is that Trump may have been the cherry on top of the absurd sundae, but he was never alone. The only reason why Trump political comedy got to take such center stage is because much of it focused on more than the man himself. The bluster, braggadocio and bullying of Trump are emblematic of a wide range of right wing politicians. When we bundle that with an aversion to the truth and the egocentric policy platform at the center of the Republican party, it is easy to see how there is no shortage of things to mock.

    Think, for example, of the Ted Cruz jokes that emerged in the wake of his trip to Cancún as Texas faced a weather emergency. And who could forget the roasting Mitch McConnell got on Twitter during the second impeachment proceedings?

    Probably one of the best recent Trump ally sources of satire has been the story of Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, a notorious supporter of the former president and who is under investigation over allegations of sex trafficking of a minor. Gaetz was often referred to as part of the "warrior class" that pledged to defend Trump, making his fall from grace even more spectacular, thereby offering satirists an irresistible target. Andy Borowitz, who has a regular column with The New Yorker, has taken to just posting his Gaetz satire straight to Facebook with mock headlines like "Gaetz Blames Liberal Media for Getting his Girlfriend Grounded," "Gaetz Fears that if He is Arrested He Will Miss Prom" and "CDC Urge Social Distancing to Stop the Spread of Matt Gaetz."

    Comedians will eventually make fun of Biden

    The sea change from Trump to Biden has clearly caught the comedians a bit off guard, but that hiccough doesn't mean they won't eventually find their comedic footing. It is worth remembering, too, that when Biden served as vice president under Barack Obama he was regularly roasted. In one example, a viral piece from The Onion held the headline "Shirtless Biden Washes Trans Am In White House Driveway." It got folks so riled up that there was even an effort to try to buy Biden a Trans Am.

    The easy jokes about Biden's age, or the jabs mocking his stutter, may feel like punching down these days. And that's all for the good, since such jokes are just mockery and not satire. Soon enough, though, comedians will find ways to satirize his policies. Remember that even Obama came under fire from comedians like Stephen Colbert, who, on "The Colbert Report" liked to target Obama's hypocrisies. He delivered an especially scathing take-down in 2012 of Obama's drone program, for example.

    "SNL" is not a barometer for the state of political comedy today

    It is worth noting that many of those who fret over the current state of political comedy may overemphasize the role of "SNL." There is little doubt that the show plays a central and significant role in the history of U.S. satire, but it has historically had an uneven status as a source of U.S. political comedy. During the George W. Bush years, for example, "SNL" offered little in the way of biting political comedy. And, while it is true that a lot of powerful Trump material came out on Saturday nights, it is a mistake to think that if Jim Carrey's impersonation of Biden was uninspiring that that means political comedy for the nation as a whole is in decline.

    In fact, late night comedy overall is not really the source of the most innovative political satire today. For many, the real source of cutting-edge political comedy this last election cycle was TikTok. For those of us older than our teens, we may have first stumbled onto TikTok thanks to Sarah Cooper's brilliant Trump impersonations. But Cooper is just one small example of the massive amount of political satire on the platform.

    TikTok has offered a unique space for a very particular type of political comedy, one that is radically different from the style of late-night comedy. As Hannah Giorgis explains in The Atlantic, "Young people on TikTok don't need to supplement their short videos with lengthy explanations of the sociopolitical ideas they're poking at, nor do they justify their own antics by fitting them into an established format."

    What makes the satire on TikTok so powerful and so edgy is the fact that some miss the irony. In one example, the teenage owners of a TikTok account called POCRepublicans found themselves being criticized by both the right and the left when their videos went viral on Twitter and were interpreted un-ironically. When your satire confuses people, it can be a promising sign that it is smart, creative and subtle.

    The best political comedy isn't personality-driven anyway

    One of the truisms of satire is that it isn't interested in balance or covering "both sides" of an issue. Instead it focuses on BS, abuses of power, human folly, and hubris. This gives satirists a never-ending supply of material, regardless of who is in the White House.

    If we look back on the comedy of a number of on-air satirists over the past four years, we see that there are quite a few who were never Trump-obsessed. Sure, Trump was a staple on both "The Late Show" hosted by Stephen Colbert and "Late Night" hosted by Seth Meyers, but a number of late-night comedians made a point of not letting Trump dominate their material.

    Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show, is one of the few late-night comedians to regularly satirize race relations on his show. One of his most viewed segments is "White People Unnecessarily Calling the Cops on Black People," which has been viewed over 11 million times. Noah also likes to cover a range of topics, especially global politics, that aren't personality-driven. In fact, only two Trump-related segments even show up in his top ten most-viewed segments.

    In contrast, Trump is featured as the top-viewed segment of Samantha Bee, host of "Full Frontal." Her Full Frontal Investigation, "Trump Can't Read" was seen over 5 million times. Still, a number of her best segments are issue-driven, especially when she takes up gun violence or women's rights. Her second-most viewed segment, "Sam Has Had Enough of the Thoughts and Prayers for Gun Violence," has been seen over 3.6 million times.

    For a satirist like HBO's John Oliver, who tends to investigate complex issues and package them in ironic comedy, the question of who occupies the White House is of even less consequence. Segments on televangelists, multilevel marketing, sex education, tobacco and FIFA are perfect examples of how his work isn't going to change under Biden.

    So, while it is true that we now have an administration in office that can speak English, name the branches of government, do basic math, and understand science, it doesn't mean that our nation's satirists won't have plenty of chances to mock what they find stupid, absurd, and unjust. Biden may have a new job in the White House, but that doesn't mean that the satirists will be out of work.

    Republican threatened congressman on the floor of Congress -- and the victim served as his best man

    Bob Brigham
    April 09, 2021

    After Republicans won back the House of Representatives during the 2010 midterms, Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) was elevated to Speaker of the House.

    One of his biggest moves was putting a moratorium on earmarks, the process by which individual members could insert discretionary spending into appropriation bills.

    Rep. Don Young (R-AK), the longest serving member of the House -- who has served in various political offices since 1964 -- was livid over the move.

    In his forthcoming memoir, Boehner reportedly says Young threatened him with a 10-inch knife on the floor of House.

    The Alaska Republican responded to the story on Twitter.

    "'Every time he tells that story the knife gets a bit bigger and a little closer. But the best Don Young/John Boehner story of all is how he ended up being the best man at my wedding," Young wrote.

    Young's second marriage occurred in 2015, years after the incident reportedly took place.

    Boehner writes that, after he excoriated earmarks, the Pride of Ft. Yukon put a 10-inch blade against his throat… https://t.co/4u5QQkwf7m
    — Jonathan Martin (@Jonathan Martin)1618019066.0
     
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