Making Life Worse, Every Day In Every Way

What are the science- phobic Trump swamp people up to now?  No good, of course:

The Trump administration is limiting scientific input to the 2020 dietary guidelines, raising concerns among nutrition advocates and independent experts about industry influence over healthy eating recommendations for all Americans.

For the first time, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture, which oversee the committee giving recommendations for the guidelines, have predetermined the topics that will be addressed. They have narrowed the research that can be used only to studies vetted by agency officials, potentially leaving key studies out of the mix.

The 80 questions the committee has been asked to answer do not cover several pressing issues the panel explored five years ago. This includes the consumption of red and processed meat, as well as the dramatic proliferation of ultraprocessed foods, which account for a growing percentage of calories consumed by Americans. Nor will the committee explore appropriate sodium levels for different populations.  (our emphasis)

The interests being served?  Not the public's, of course:

A wide range of experts say these are among the most critical questions as the nation faces an epidemic of lifestyle diseases such as atherosclerosis, heart disease, stroke, obesity and Type 2 diabetes. They also represent the issues that large food companies find most objectionable because they would probably cast high-sodium, high-sugar, high-saturated fat and highly processed foods in a poor light.  [snip]

“The dietary guidelines are under assault from multiple directions,” David Katz, author and founding director of Yale University’s Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, said in an email. “This time around, veiled organizations representing the interests of beef, dairy and Big Food are pretending to use science to argue against the actual science and to expunge key recommendations. Of course sustainability should be included. Of course we need to eat less meat.”  (our emphasis)

The Trump regime is barely 2/3 through it's first (and, hopefully, only term), and we defy anyone to point to a more damaging, corrupt, venal administration in all of American history.  Whether it's the despicable treatment of immigrants (including the latest outrage: deporting children getting treatment for life- threatening conditions), global climate change denialism, beggaring workers and farmers in a trade war, rolling back environmental regulations and propping up the fossil fuel industry, etc., etc., this is a regime whose sole purpose seems to be to drag us back to the dark ages, inflicting maximum pain to the maximum number of people along the way.

Acosta Acted Illegally In Sex Trafficking Case

Federal Judge Kenneth Marra ruled yesterday that the Federal prosecutorial team led by now-Labor Secretary Alex Acosta broke the law in concealing a plea agreement from 30 juvenile victims of sex trafficker and hedge fund mogul Jeffrey Epstein. The judge ordered prosecutors to confer with the victims and their attorneys within 15 days to determine whether they want to pursue a settlement. From the Miami Herald's excellent and detailed report:

"Marra, in a 33-page opinion, said prosecutors not only violated the Crime Victims’ Rights Act by not informing the victims, they also misled the girls into believing that the FBI’s sex trafficking case against Epstein was still ongoing — when in fact, prosecutors had secretly closed it after sealing the plea bargain from the public record. [snip] 

Instead of prosecuting Epstein under federal sex trafficking laws, Acosta allowed Epstein to quietly plead guilty in state court to two prostitution charges and he served just 13 months in the Palm Beach County jail. His accomplices, some of whom have never been identified, were not charged." (our emphasis)

The role of Acosta is particularly disgusting. He essentially acted as a lawyer for the defense in concealing information that would have helped the victims of Epstein.  The matter has come to the attention of Congress, three dozen of whom have convinced the Justice Department to open an investigation of how Epstein's case was handled by Acosta and his team.

Epstein skated on more serious felony charges because of the influence wielded by his great wealth and his friendships with the likes of serial assaulter and pathological liar Donald "Rump" Trump, his defender Alan Dershowitz, bonnie Prince Andrew, man-who-never-learns-his-lesson Bill Clinton, and many prominent world leaders and celebrities. Can anyone doubt that Acosta's elevation to Secretary of Labor was Rump's way of thanking him for protecting a friend...and a procurer?

(photo: Acosta, left, and Epstein)

Swamp Creature Suspends Campaign

New York congresscritter and corrupt inside trader Rep. Chris Collins, who was the first Congressman to back fellow crook Donald "Rump" Trump, announced this morning that he was suspending his re-election campaign, and seeking to remove his name from the November ballot. Collins, who was charged on August 8 with insider trading on a company's stock that he dumped before information could leak out about the company's failed product, had aggressively promised to fight the charges against him. The U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York brought the charges against Collins, and is considered the premier office for financial crimes and fraud, so the case against him has to be open and shut.

Collins represents another deep red district, but one that is now somewhat more competitive with Dem Nate McMurray facing an undesignated Rethuglican opponent, who will have to raise money to defend the seat with 87 days left before the election.

BONUS: Charles Pierce has the right take on Collins.

Chris Collins suspends campaign in order to spend more time with his lawyers.

— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) August 11, 2018

(photo: Collins' perp walk. Mary Altaffor/AP)

Swamp King

The cover of the latest New Yorker magazine, illustration by John Cuneo (click to enlarge):

The multiple, swamp-filling scandals of the corrupt administration of thug Donald "Rump" Trump are churning away with something added seemingly every day. If it's not him or his grifter family, it's one or more of his incompetent, corrupt appointees. Sad!