David Corn investigated for inappropriate workplace behavior

Troubling news from my doc about new FDA/DEA guidelines.

Sorry in advance for the length of this post...

The basics about my situation: Bad depression. Hospitalized once for it. Full-on panic attacks and many trips to the ER thinking I was dying. That was about 12 years ago. It took me a couple of years to get the right balance of Zoloft and Xanax that have made me live a fairly normal life, and I have been for a little over a decade now.

So today I go to my doc for the routine med check and new prescriptions for a few months.

She tells me I’m taking too much Xanax. (For the record it is a low dose: .25mg up to 3x daily as needed - I sometimes don’t even take that much - and 1mg when I go to bed.)

New FDA/DEA guidelines, she tells me, and gives me the form pictured below. She explains this is practice-wide and anyone taking opioids or benzodiazepines is getting this. (I later confirm this when a nurse tells me it’s been hard dealing with patients who are stressed about it, and then I hear another patient at checkout expressing concern.)

So after ten years of living a fairly normal life, the new plan is to get me off the Xanax. Right.

I wonder how the FDA and DEA are going to deal with the doctor shopping, pharmacy jumping, and illegal market they’re going to create with this?

The fill-in-the-blanks nature of the form is suspicious to me, as well as the blanket “should not be used for more than four weeks” statement.

I kind of wonder whether this practice is under some kind of scrutiny.

Anyone else getting this news, specifically about benzodiazepines? Has this already BEEN news and I just missed it?

Who had Dustin Hoffman next?

Dustin Hoffman Sexually Harassed Me When I Was 17

The author, who slapped away the star's butt grabs and laughed off his vulgar language on the set of 1985 TV film 'Death of a Salesman,' still feels conflicted: "I loved the attention. Until I didn't."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/dustin-hoffman-sexually-harassed-me-i-was-17-guest-column-1053466

I kept asking myself why Carter Page keeps talking.

I mean, he’s right in the middle of this. It would be insane to go all over tv running your mouth.

Unless you’re Carter Page, who never answers a question and can talk for two minutes without saying a damn thing.

Apparently he spent five hours before the House committee. They probably only covered two questions, both of which had to be asked 175 different ways until Page said something vaguely coherent.

Chris Hayes tried. I’ll give him that.

But that’s the last time I watch Carter Page. Just absolutely worthless.

Remember this about potential pardons.

If Trump pardons someone, they no longer face the threat of prosecution so they can’t claim risk of self-incrimination as a reason not to answer questions. In other words, Trump would be removing their right to remain silent on these matters. They’d still have exposure to a perjury charge.

So pardoning might not be the smartest move here for Trump, which makes it all the more likely he’ll do it.

Look at all the companies listed in the indictment

that Manafort used for laundering money.

Now we need to find out if the Trump Organization has/had any association with any of those. Even just one, and down he goes.

https://www.justice.gov/file/1007271/download

The timing of the Manafort indictment is really bad

for Trump and his circle of officials/advisors.

I know it seems like we’ve been waiting forever, but this is actually an early indictment in what will likely be a long investigation.

So why the “rush” and why is the timing particularly bad for Trump?

Usually indictments come down at the end of an investigation, especially one that by all accounts seems to be limited to white collar crimes.

We know about the raid on Manafort, so there’s probably very little (maybe even no) concern that evidence will be destroyed. So that can’t be the reason to move on Manafort this early.

We’re talking white collar crimes and a guy who has no history of involvement with violent crime, so there’s likely no concern that anyone’s safety or life is in danger.

Mueller grabbed Manafort now because he has Manafort dead to rights. He wouldn’t do this otherwise. And I think this means Mueller also knows Manafort has the goods on people bigger than him. Maybe Kushner, maybe Don Jr., maybe Donald himself. Maybe all of them.

Amusing aside: count on hearing Trump defenders downplaying this with comments like, “This is all Mueller has? After all this time? After all this money?” Just remind them that the investigation is ongoing, so no, this isn’t all Mueller has.

Disclaimer: I may be stating the obvious in my post but over the weekend I succeeded at lowering my expectations and this morning I’m really thrilled to see Manafort in the hot seat.

Actor: Kevin Spacey Made A Sexual Advance Toward Me When I Was 14

The Star Trek: Discovery actor says women speaking out about sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry has compelled him to come forward about the Oscar winner.

In an interview with BuzzFeed News, Rapp is publicly alleging for the first time that in 1986, Spacey befriended Rapp while they both performed on Broadway shows, invited Rapp over to his apartment for a party, and, at the end of the night, picked Rapp up, placed him on his bed, and climbed on top of him, making a sexual advance. According to public records, Spacey was 26. Rapp was 14.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/adambvary/anthony-rapp-kevin-spacey-made-sexual-advance-when-i-was-14?utm_term=.pfJejq5ZrY#.jgmOLRmJPv

One mans take on the atheletes protesting

Trump plays his base again.

Aside from getting Gorsuch confirmed, Trump has accomplished nothing the right-wingers voted for.

He’s about to fail for a second time at repealing the ACA.

So, how to get the right-wing base to stand solidly with him? Make a huge deal out of the national Anthem and the flag.

These people are easily manipulated by hot-button emotional issues over symbolism. Trump knows it. That’s why he’s doing this.

Does anyone believe he gives a crap about those things? The guy has NO core principles outside of self-promotion and “winning.”