Social Media Mocks Joe Rogan's Reason Why Kamala Harris Interview Hasn't Happened

David Moye

Tue, October 29, 2024

Podcaster Joe Rogan was mocked on social media Tuesday after offering his explanation for why his proposed interview with Kamala Harris hasn’t taken place.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Rogan said he’d like to “just have a nice conversation and get to know her as a human being,” but prefers the vice president do a full three hours in his studio in Austin, Texas.

Donald Trump agreed to those terms when he did Rogan’s show last week, and CNN reports that his running mate, JD Vance, is scheduled to tape an episode tomorrow. But the Harris campaign, citing a busy schedule in the last week before the election, asked Rogan to come to Harris and to limit the interview to an hour. So Rogan demurred.

Political commentators on social media thought Rogan’s request a little bit out of line for a variety of reasons ― including his own ego.

Rogan’s reluctance to travel to Harris was the subject of much snark.

One fellow podcaster found it strange that Rogan was willing to fly to interview comedian Artie Lange, but is skittish about traveling to interview a world leader.

But “Inside Edition” correspondent Lisa Guerrero suggested the real reason for Rogan’s reluctance to interview Harris is that it would require actual work on his part.

“I think Joe Rogan is afraid to interview Kamala Harris because that would require a great deal of research and preparation that he is not equipped to do,” she said.

Georgia and Moldova votes show challenges of EU enlargement push

THESE ARE  NEXT PUTIN TARGETS AFTER UKRAINE

Reuters
Tue, October 29, 2024 

FILE PHOTO: Protesters gather outside Georgian parliament after disputed election

FILE PHOTO: Moldovan President Maia Sandu meets with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in Chisinau

FILE PHOTO: A participant holds a European Union flag during a procession in support of Georgia's membership of the EU in Tbilisi

(Reuters) - Elections in Georgia and Moldova have shown the European Union just how tough a task it faces in trying to expand to countries that Moscow considers in its sphere of influence.

The EU has been making a renewed push to bring in new members since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, saying the outbreak of war has shown the danger of having "grey zones" just outside the bloc that are not firmly part of the West.

In Georgia, a governing party seen by most EU countries as increasingly Moscow-friendly won a parliamentary election on Saturday that was marred by reports of voting violations.

In Moldova, which like Georgia has been granted EU candidate status, only a slim majority of voters backed anchoring the goal of EU accession in the constitution in a referendum this month and pro-Western President Maia Sandu faces a runoff vote after falling short of outright victory in a presidential election.

Pro-EU politicians in the two former Soviet states said Russia had engaged in widespread disinformation and other forms of interference to sway the vote. Moscow denies the accusations.

"It was a wake-up call for us. Of course, we have to see it," Reinhold Lopatka, an Austrian member of the European Parliament who was an observer in Georgia’s election, said of the votes in both countries.

Lopatka said he still saw "good chances" of Moldova progressing on its path to the EU, but added: "In Georgia, I'm not sure."



Enlargement, mainly into eastern Europe, was a big EU geopolitical goal after the Cold War ended. Would-be members saw joining the wealthy, democratic bloc as a glittering prize.

The EU added 10 new members in 2004 and later three more, but enthusiasm waned as EU governments voiced concerns about east-to-west migration and democratic backsliding in some newer members. Then Russia's war in Ukraine prompted a rethink.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday the EU would pay a price in terms of "war and instability at our borders" if it did not enlarge. Pro-EU leaders in candidate countries say joining the bloc would bring more prosperity and strengthen democracy in their countries.

David McAllister, chair of the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said the Moldovan and Georgian elections underlined "the tense and polarised political situation" in both countries but that the EU must stick to its course.



"The European Union should be ready to continue in its support of the democratic forces in both countries, in order to facilitate their long-term European integration," he said.

LACK OF UNITY

The EU’s approach to Georgia and Moldova is complicated by a lack of unity among its member countries.

Lithuania said the widespread reports of election irregularities called the results of the Georgian election into "serious question". Another Baltic state, Latvia, voiced serious concern about the reports of voting irregularities and urged Georgian authorities to investigate.

By contrast, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban congratulated the governing Georgian Dream party before official results were announced. Orban, who is Europe’s most Kremlin-friendly prime minister and holds the EU’s rotating presidency, arrived in Georgia on Monday.

"Instead of useless lecturing, they need our support on their European path," he said.

Senior EU officials sought some middle ground. Foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and the executive European Commission said observers had found an "uneven" electoral playing field in Georgia and called on authorities to investigate irregularities.

They avoided saying whether they considered the election free and fair enough to accept the result.

The EU will face decisions on how to proceed with both Georgia and Moldova. Until now, the Baltic countries of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia are the only former Soviet republics that have joined the EU, and Moscow has signalled fierce resistance to the accession of any more ex-Soviet states.

Georgia's EU accession process is frozen over legislation that requires organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as agents of foreign influence.

If Georgian Dream's victory is not overturned, the EU will have to decide whether to try to re-engage with Tbilisi. The party says it wants Georgia to join the EU despite taking steps away from the EU mainstream.

In Moldova, much will depend on whether the Nov. 3 runoff vote is won by Sandu or challenger Alexandr Stoianoglo, who is backed by a traditionally pro-Russian party.

Some current and former Moldovan officials say the EU should double down on its support for the country's EU aspirations.

"European integration should be continuously used as an instrument to help countries which are problematic become safer, more democratic and stable and secure," said Nicu Popescu, a former Moldovan foreign minister now with the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank.

(Reporting by Lili Bayer and Andrew Gray, Editing by Timothy Heritage)

Thousands Protest Over Georgia Vote as EU, US Signal Worry

Helena Bedwell

BLOOMBERG
Mon, October 28, 2024 




(Bloomberg) -- Thousands gathered in the Georgian capital Tbilisi late Monday to protest the results of parliamentary elections after the country’s president denounced them as rigged in favor of Moscow.

The showdown marks the latest alleged effort by the Kremlin to expand its influence in countries once in its orbit. It follows a closely fought referendum in Moldova that saw the government’s plan to seek EU membership approved by a slim margin amid claims of Russian meddling. In Bulgaria, a pro-Kremlin party scored a strong finish in an election Sunday.

The US called for an investigation and the European Union was critical of the vote in Georgia, where the ruling Georgian Dream party, which advocates closer ties with Russia, claimed victory. Pro-European opposition parties denounced the outcome as falsified.

They drew support from Salome Zourabichvili, who holds the largely ceremonial post of president and appealed to backers to protest in the capital.

“Your voice was stolen, and they attempted to steal your future as well, but no one has the right to do that,” Zourabichvili told people gathered outside the parliament building. Organizers estimated the crowd in the tens of thousands, while police didn’t give numbers.

The rally, which lasted just over 90 minutes, had blocked off traffic on the city’s main avenue and remained peaceful. Members of the opposition declined their parliament mandates and demanded a new election overseen by international authorities.

The Georgian Dream party, which has ruled since 2012, won 54% support for another four years in power, according to the Central Election Commission. Four opposition parties backing a pro-European charter drawn up by Zourabichvili got a combined 38%, the commission said.

Zourabichvili urged Georgians to join protests against what she called a “Russian special operation” aimed at restoring Moscow’s influence and thwarting Georgia’s goal of membership in the European Union and NATO.

The speaker of Georgia’s parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, accused the president of spreading “disinformation” aimed at “destabilizing the country alongside the opposition,” as he defended the result at a news briefing Monday.

The government got a boost from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who arrived in Tbilisi and was quick to congratulate the ruling party on its victory. Orban has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, but was jeered by demonstrators outside his hotel in Tbilisi, according to video posted on social media.



Orban’s visit also drew criticism from his EU allies as premature.

In a joint statement released on the German Foreign Ministry’s website on Monday, a group of EU states condemned “all violation of international norms for free and fair elections” — and said Orban doesn’t speak on behalf of the 27-nation bloc. The letter was signed by ministers from 13 member states including Germany, France, Poland and the Netherlands.

The political uncertainty has rattled investors, with two of the country’s biggest stocks falling in London. Bank of Georgia, which has tumbled from a record high in May, declined as much as 9.9% and TBC Bank fell as much as 15% before paring some of the losses on Monday. The lari was little changed after the central bank sold $60 million last week to counter pre-election volatility.

Going Eastward



Tensions have surged in the Caucasus republic of 4 million after Georgian Dream passed a “foreign agent” law targeting non-governmental organizations and media earlier this year that the US and the EU labeled as “Kremlin-inspired.” The EU suspended membership talks with Georgia in response — and the US began a review of relations with the government.

One protester, Gia Ubilava, said he’d been driven out of his home in the breakaway region of Abkhazia by Russian forces.

“And now they want me to go back to them and live together in a Russian-run state?” he said. “I don’t think so.”

Georgian Dream’s billionaire founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, who built his fortune in Russia, has accused a “global war party” in the West of plotting to oust his government and to push Georgia into a conflict with the Kremlin. The party insists it’s still committed to European integration even as it has improved ties with Moscow in recent months.



International observers led by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe criticized “highly divisive campaign rhetoric and widespread reports of pressure on voters” during the election.

While they didn’t challenge the overall result, their election report noted “the many advantages taken by the ruling party contributed to an already uneven playing field.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for a “full investigation” of election violations in a statement that refrained from questioning the result.

--With assistance from Ewa Krukowska and Michael Nienaber.


Moldovan presidential challenger Stoianoglo seeks measured movement to Europe, prepared to meet Putin

Alexander Tanas
Tue, October 29, 2024 

FILE PHOTO: Moldova's presidential candidate Alexandr Stoianoglo attends a press conference in Chisinau



By Alexander Tanas

CHISINAU (Reuters) - The candidate challenging pro-European incumbent Maia Sandu in Moldova's presidential election rejected suggestions that he was beholden to Russia, calling for European integration while avoiding the divisions he said the president had created.

Alexandr Stoianoglo is backed in Sunday's run-off vote by a party traditionally linked to Russia.

He told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday that if elected to lead the ex-Soviet state he would seek to bridge differences with Moldova's separatist Transdniestria enclave and was prepared to meet Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin if it was in the interests of a majority of his compatriots.

"I have had no contacts for years with officials in Russia. Not by telephone, not in secret, not in meetings, not anywhere,"Stoianoglo said in response to Sandu's allegation that he was a "Trojan horse" and "Moscow's man".

Sandu, who scored 42% in the election's first round last month to 26% for Stoianoglo, has made European integration the focus of her four years in office and denounces Russia as one of the greatest evils facing the country, which lies between Ukraine and Romania. Relations with Moscow have plummeted.

In the aftermath of the first round - and a razor-thin "yes" vote in a referendum on joining the European Union - Sandu cited "clear evidence" that criminal groups backed by "foreign forces" had tried to bribe 300,000 voters.

Stoianoglo, answering questions in writing, said he had no links with Ilan Shor, the fugitive pro-Russian businessman who acknowledges paying voters to cast "no" ballots in the referendum.

He restated his call for a "reset" of relations with Moscow despite criticism from opponents.

"I will keep maintaining that the priority must be what benefits the majority of Moldovan society," he said. "And that means toning down the escalation. We should be the ones offering constructive solutions. Particularly, for our own citizens."

MEETING WITH PUTIN POSSIBLE

Stoianoglo, who Sandu said she sacked as prosecutor general for failing to tackle corruption, made no condemnation of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He called it "a continuing tragedy" and said he could envisage meeting Putin under certain conditions.

"If the (agenda) is of sufficient interest to the majority of Moldovans that a meeting between the two leaders is needed, I will meet the president of Russia," he said.

European integration, he said, had to focus on meeting EU standards and legislation.

And it made no sense without tackling differences with pro-Moscow separatists in Transdniestria, who split from Moldova in the 1990s, and whose separation is backed by the presence of 1,500 Russian "peacekeepers". Sandu has suggested dealing with the separatist issue after first joining the EU.

"Every step approaching Brussels must be done together with (Transdniestria leaders)," he said. "I realise how difficult this is, but the effects must also be significant."

Stoianoglo said it was unclear in the run-off whether he would win over voters who backed nine candidates eliminated in the first round, some of them unsympathetic to Sandu.

"Our voters are sophisticated and their behaviour is sometimes unpredictable. Nothing is certain," he said.

Opinion

Tucker Carlson Called Kamala Harris Samoan As An Insult, And As A Samoan Woman, I'm Yelling, "WTF"

Morgan Sloss

BUZZFEED
Tue, October 29, 2024 

By now, you've probably heard all about theracist remarksat Sunday's Madison Square Garden Trump rally. But I want to focus on one statement in particular from Tucker Carlson.

Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images

During his speech, the former Fox News talk show hostsaid, "It’s gonna be pretty hard to look at us and say, 'You know what? Kamala Harris, she got 85 million votes because she’s just so impressive as the first Samoan-Malaysian, low-IQ, former California prosecutor ever to be elected president.' It was just a groundswell of popular support, and anyone who thinks otherwise is just a freak or a criminal."

CSPAN /Twitter: @primediscussion

As a Samoan woman, I am absolutely livid that a political commentator would use my race as an insult. And combining it with Malaysian? Was this supposed to be funny?

It's not okay to misidentify Kamala as Malaysian either, but I'm focusing on the Samoan aspect of his comments since I can speak to that experience.

We're all aware of Kamala's background: Her father is from Jamaica, and her mother is from India. Despite Trump questioning her biracial identity and infamouslysayingthat she "happened to turn Black," everyone knows that she's Black and Indian. Tucker intentionally misidentified her as a Pacific Islander with a "low IQ."

Drew Hallowell / Getty Images

This perpetuates the harmful stereotype that PIs aren't as intelligent as other races. And to joke about Kamala becoming the first Samoan president is such a slap in the face when we have so little representation — both in the media and at the government level. It's also offensive to Black and Indian folks who are so excited to finally see themselves represented in the highest office in the country.

BTW, calling Kamala "low-IQ" is just nonsense. She is a former San Francisco District Attorney, former Attorney General of California, and current Vice President. Obviously, she's an intelligent woman.

So I'd like to ask Tucker directly: What's so bad about being Samoan? In my experience, we are a family-focused people with great pride in our culture. Passed down for thousands of years, our beautiful traditions are still alive and well, from dance...

TheCoconetTV / Viayoutube.com

...to food...

PolynesianCulturalCenter / Viayoutube.com

...to tattoos...

TheCoconetTV / Viayoutube.com

...and so much more! We respect our elders. We care about the land and ocean. We measure success not by your job title or what kind of car you drive but by how well you serve your family and community. What's so bad about all that?!

Unsurprisingly, I wasn't the only one upset by Tucker's statement. This person called it "the second most racist thing" they'd ever heard on a US political stage:

Twitter: @whstancil

This person asked why "people like Tucker Carlson always resort to racism":

CSPAN / Twitter: @tweetraychang

Some called Tucker's comments "anti-AAPI and anti-Black and anti-woman"...

Twitter: @DrJenHo

...while others called it a "shockingly juvenile insult":

Twitter: @IvanMoore1

This person said Tucker is trying to pull off "the racist trifecta":

CPSAN / Twitter: @DanteAtkins

And finally, this person said, "If you're a Pacific Islander, know that disdain/disgust for AAPIs is clearly a MAGA position."

Twitter: @tomabernathy

Bernie Sanders makes the case for Kamala Harris to pro-Palestinian critics

Gregory Krieg, CNN
Tue, October 29, 2024

Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 20, 2024.

Hopes for changing US policy in Israel and Gaza, the fight against climate change, the battle for abortion rights – all of it, Sen. Bernie Sanders said on Monday night, would be dashed or defeated if Donald Trump wins reelection in November.

Vice President Kamala Harris, since becoming the Democratic nominee, has been challenged by pro-Palestinian, anti-war activists to either publicly advocate for conditioning military aid to Israel or, at a minimum, signal that she would break from President Joe Biden’s robust support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government.

On Monday night, Sanders placed himself among those critics as he made an impassioned case for Harris in a video posted to social media.

“I understand that there are millions of Americans who disagree with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on the terrible war in Gaza. I am one of them,” the Vermont independent said, speaking directly to camera, before stating again that “Israel had a right to defend itself against a horrific Hamas terrorist attack of October 7.”

Sanders was one of the first federal lawmakers to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and, though he moved more cautiously than many left-wing activists hoped for, soon emerged as one of the most vocal critics of Netanyahu on Capitol Hill and a relentless advocate for a change in US policy. In September, he announced plans to file a Senate resolution blocking the sale of offensive weaponry to Israel.

“Some of you are saying, how can I vote for Kamala Harris if she is supporting this terrible war? And that is a very fair question,” Sanders said in the video, after recounting the bloody toll the conflict has taken on Palestinians in Gaza.

Harris, who first called for a temporary ceasefire during a speech at the annual commemoration of “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Alabama, in March, and who backs a two-state solution in the region, has been under pressure for months from activists pleading with her to break from Biden.

During a brief meeting three weeks ago in Flint, Michigan, a group of Arab American advocates and leaders pressed Harris, as Wa’el Alzayat, the CEO of Muslim American advocacy group Emgage Action, told CNN afterward, “to show distance between how she would govern on this matter with the current administration policies, which we don’t agree with.”

Though she often reiterates her desire for an end to the war, occasionally in response to protesters interrupting her campaign speeches, Harris has stayed tight with Biden administration policy and talking points.

Making his case for Harris, Sanders argued – in short – that she can be convinced.

“I promise you, after Kamala wins, we will together do everything that we can to change US policy toward Netanyahu,” Sanders beseeched his viewers. “An immediate ceasefire, the return of all hostages, a surge of massive humanitarian aid, the stopping of settler attacks on the West Bank, and the rebuilding of Gaza for the Palestinian people.”



Before he spoke about Harris, though, Sanders asked voters to consider their options – starting with Trump.

“Donald Trump and his right-wing friends are worse,” Sanders said. “Trump has said Netanyahu is doing a good job and has said Biden is ‘holding him back.’ He has suggested that the Gaza Strip would make excellent beachfront property for development. And it is no wonder Netanyahu prefers to have Donald Trump in office.”

In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on the first anniversary of Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack, Trump mused about real estate prospects in Gaza, home to roughly 2 million Palestinians before the war began.

“You know, as a developer, it could be the most beautiful place – the weather, the water, the whole thing, the climate,” Trump said. “It could be so beautiful.”



Gaza dominated the message, but Sanders also pointed to Trump’s opposition to abortion rights, support for additional tax cuts for the rich and refusal to directly answer a question about whether he supports a rise in the minimum wage.

“If Trump wins, to be honest with you, the struggle against climate change is over,” Sanders said. “While virtually every scientist who has studied the issue understands that climate change is real and an existential threat to our country and the world, Trump believes it is a hoax.”

Released about 24 hours after Trump’s controversial Madison Square Garden rally finished, Sanders in the video talks about watching the event on television.

“We have tried (for years) to fight against bigotry, but that is exactly what we saw on display at that unbelievable Trump rally,” Sanders said, recalling progressive fights against institutional bigotry.




“It was not a question of speeches, getting up there, disagreeing with Kamala Harris on the issues. That wasn’t the issue at all. They were attacking her simply because she was a woman and a woman of color. Extreme vulgar sexism and racism.

“Is that,” Sanders asked, “really the kind of America that we can allow?”

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