In the midst of a flailing war with Iran that has caused U.S. sailors to literally jump ship, gas prices to skyrocket, and President Trump\u2019s approval rating to plummet, the U.S. Navy is now reviewing plans to give its Ford-class aircraft carrier fleet a makeover.<\/p>\n
The Washington Post reported over the weekend that the Navy is conducting an internal review on the viability of moving command towers from the starboard side of the aircraft carriers to the middle, in an attempt to mimic the older warships from World War II that Trump likes. The decision was spurred directly by Trump\u2019s aesthetic preferences, with a Navy official telling The Hill that the president requested the Navy \u201cimplement design changes to our future aircraft carriers.\u201d The review is due in \u201cseveral weeks,\u201d another former official said.<\/p>\n
Trump has also ordered the Navy to switch from electromagnetic catapult systems to steam-powered ones, another aesthetic decision that would force the military to spend time and taxpayer funds on making its ships look more antiquated, all so that they can keep sitting around in the Persian Gulf while the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe placement of the island on the Ford class was chosen to support the ship\u2019s design purpose of maximizing aircraft sortie generation\u2014which for an aircraft carrier, directly translates to combat power. A good-faith exploration of future carrier design based on real-world operational requirements is one thing,\u201d Naval maritime strategist Hunter Stires told The Hill. \u201cExpending millions of taxpayer dollars and the time and energy of the Navy\u2019s engineering organizations redesigning the nation\u2019s premier capital ship to indulge the president\u2019s aesthetic whims is not only wasteful and abusive, it exemplifies President Trump\u2019s evident contempt for America\u2019s fighting sailors.\u201d<\/p>\n
This news comes as Trump\u2019s upcoming class of 10 new aircraft carriers is estimated to cost $275 billion over the next 30 years.<\/p>\n
Left-wing Twitch streamer Hasan Piker appears to be gearing up to sue conservative commentator Scott Jennings for defamation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jennings, a CNN contributor, went viral last week after posting a heavily edited, intentionally misleading video of what looked like Piker expressing extreme hostility towards Black voters and calling for lynchings. With the full context, it is obvious that Piker was being sarcastic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBlack voters have been voting against the socialists, only to be ruled in many cases by privileged white commies,\u201d Jennings claimed, using Black identity as a bludgeon against the Democratic left. \u201cDid you ever notice, by the way, how violent these people are? \u2026 Now [Abdul] El-Sayed\u2019s best friend is out there calling for Black voters to be lynched. Beneath all the smiles and dancing videos, there\u2019s nothing but hate and violence in the heart of these Communists.\u201d<\/p>\n
Abdul El-Sayed\u2019s best pal and campaign partner says the USA should resume lynchings against black people. Listen for yourself and understand what the socialists have in store for the black community pic.twitter.com\/N3ntbIHefw<\/p>\n
As Snopes reported, Jennings lied when he claimed that Piker wanted to bringing back lynchings, as \u201cPiker\u2019s remarks on lynchings were sarcastic reactions to a user\u2019s chat comment and opinions expressed by someone else in a separate video.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jennings\u2019s video was widely panned, with many calling for Piker to sue. The streamer called Jennings\u2019s video \u201cthe worst instance of defamation\u201d he\u2019d seen. On Sunday, Piker confirmed that his team is preparing a defamation lawsuit, saying it seemed \u201cunavoidable,\u201d and that it might include Fox News.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis kind of defamation is completely unacceptable,\u201d Piker told Status. \u201cIt\u2019s exactly how normal people perceive mainstream media to operate, and it\u2019s a real crisis of credibility. I think someone has to push back against it at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Trump 2.0, we now traffic in lies all the time. Just because the Republicans are trafficking in lies with regular frequency doesn\u2019t mean that you can\u2019t uphold some kind of editorial standard,\u201d he continued. \u201cCNN can put whoever they want to on a panel at the end of the day, but it just signals to me, and I think a lot of other people, that some of their panelists are just going to be liars.\u201d<\/p>\n
Piker has been a boogeyman for right-wingers like Jennings and centrist liberals for some time, as they choose to focus their slander on him rather than constructing any kind of tangible, positive political message. And Jennings is perhaps the last person anyone should be listening to in regards to Black politics in America.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Surprise! President Donald Trump is the real National Mall vandal.<\/p>\n