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From Mary L. #Trump
Not only did Vice President #Kamala Harris expose my uncle’s #weakness on the #debate stage last night, which left him seething with rage and reduced to sputtering #incoherence, she also gave millions of us something we have needed for almost a decade — catharsis.
And Harris did it in a way that was not just masterful, it was almost surgical. She #dominated Donald from the outset, crossing the stage to his lectern and forcing him to do something he did not want to do—shake her hand. (I confess, I did not want her to shake his hand—not because I thought it was a tactical mistake, but because I didn’t want her to have to touch him.) And then, while addressing policy issues and giving us substantive answers to the moderator’s questions in a way that underscored how incapable Donald was of doing the same, she slid the knife in again and again. She told him to his face in front of the world that he is a #disgrace. She looked at him with bemused condescension, pity, and outright #contempt. She called out his lies and, worst of all for him, she #mocked his rallies:
“I'm going to invite you to attend one of Donald Trump's rallies because it's a really interesting thing to watch. You will see during the course of his rallies he talks about fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter. He will talk about windmills cause cancer. And what you will also notice is that people start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom.”
Donald never recovered from that accurate and damning assessment of one of the most important metrics by which he measures his worth This bit of rhetorical evisceration, which happened at about the 25-minute mark, undid him and he spent the next hour defensive, desperate, and flailing.
We needed someone to call out Donald’s lies in a context he did not control. We needed someone to set the record straight while he had to stand there and listen. Harris did that while laying out his decades’-long patterns of #racist, #corrupt, and #disturbing behaviors that are utterly disqualifying.
For over nine years, this country has been in thrall to a cruel and deranged man who cares only about himself. His constant war on truth and basic human decency has worn us down, #demoralizing those of us who care about other people, who want a better world, and who crave a leader who exhibits empathy and understanding.
We’ve been waiting for somebody in a position of authority to stand up to Donald in a way that would matter, that would loosen Donald’s grip on power and perhaps even undo him. Instead, we’ve watched helplessly as the entire Republican Party bent its knee to him; as corrupt judges give him a pass; and as the #illegitimate super-majority of the Supreme Court ripped up the Constitution in order to give him, this man who has earned nothing and deserves nothing, more power.
Exec at #Trump Media Jumped the Line for U.S. Visa After Company Lobbied #GOP Lawmaker
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A former aide to Rep. Don Bacon, a #Nebraska #Republican, said she intervened on the company’s behalf even though she thought it was inappropriate.
“It was specifically the congressman that suggested I needed to deal with it.”
#News #Immigration #Politics #Government #Business #TrumpMedia
Thinking again about the U.S. #Army employee who tried to stop Trump from breaking the law at #Arlington Natl Cemetery & declined to press charges against the staffer who assaulted her, as she feared retribution from Trump & his stochastic terrorists. My mind is stuck on this one.
Trump's #terrorism works. #Trump is not only a traitor, he's a terrorist leader.
A. Terrorist. Leader.
It's both sad & enraging to me that the #media, #DOJ, and Congress have all failed Americans so completely.
“Trump has allegedly been talking with PM Netanyahu to avert a cease-fire deal, fearing that doing so could help VP #KamalaHarris win in November.”
Doesn’t the Logan Act criminalize unauthorized negotiations by an Amer. citizen btwn the US & a foreign govt? #trump #press
tinyurl.com/4dvd8rf2
The Man Behind Project 2025’s Most Radical Plans
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As #Trump tried to disavow the politically toxic project, its director, Paul Dans, stepped down.
But the plans and massive staffing database that he prepared — to replace thousands of members of the “deep state” with #MAGA loyalists — remain.
#News #Government #election2024 #Election #project2025 #HeritageFoundation #Politics #Voting #GOP #PaulDans
propublica.org/article/project…
Paul Dans, the Man Behind Project 2025’s Most Radical Plans
As Donald Trump tried to disavow the politically toxic project, its director, Paul Dans, stepped down. But the plans and massive staffing database that he prepared — to replace thousands of members of the “deep state” with MAGA loyalists — remain.ProPublica
Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of decentralized blockchain Ethereum, has issued a warning to his fellow tech leaders against choosing a candidate purely based on whether they claim to be “pro-crypto.”
While he didn’t name any candidate specifically, his warning comes just one day after prominent venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz announced their support for Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
“In a blog post, Buterin said it’s more important to scrutinize a candidate’s broader policies to ensure they support cryptocurrency’s underlying goals, including internationalism and protection for private communications,” reports @Techcrunch. Here’s more.
Every single story about #Trump "doing well" or "getting a victory" (because a judge he appointed dismissed a case, for example) is intended to dissuade you from voting.
Ask yourself this question: "Does this story about Trump or Biden make me feel hopeless because it seems obvious Trump is going to win?"
Oh, it does? Who benefits from your hopelessness?
Někdo by poté co přežil #atentát, začal děkovat bohu za každý nádech a kát se ze svých hříchů aby naplnil vyšším významem každý ze zbývajících dnů jež mu zázrakem byly dány, né však Donald #Trump. Ten i kdyby jím otřásl nějaký záchvěv sebereflexe, tak se rychle oklepe, a ještě víc se utvrdí ve své výjimečnosti, protože je příliš hloupý a úlisný na to aby se mohl změnit.
Jestli tohle nedonutí Demokraty vybrat jiného kandidáta než je stávající zmatený děda, tak to projedou na celý čáře ...
#Politika #SiTakŘíkám ... #AtentátJeNejReklama
WATCH: ProPublica's Andy Kroll discusses his new investigation into Ziklag, the secretive Christian-right charity trying to sway the #election2024 for the #GOP and #Trump:
youtube.com/watch?v=PbUWYeVKXO…
Inside Ziklag, the Christian-Right Group Trying to Sway the 2024 Election
Ziklag, a secret charity funded by wealthy conservative donors, whose members include the families behind Hobby Lobby and Jockey apparel, is spending million...YouTube
More from #Sotomayor's dissent, this ruling dramatically expands presidential #power — not just for #Trump but for all presidents.
“The Court effectively creates a law-free zone around the President, upsetting the status quo that has existed since the Founding. This new official-acts #immunity now 'lies about like a loaded weapon' for any President that wishes to place his own interests, his own political survival, or his own financial gain, above the interests of the Nation.”
Chief #JusticeRoberts's ruling expresses skepticism that #Trump could be prosecuted for the speech he gave on #Jan6 or any of his tweets that day. Roberts notes that “most of a president’s public communications are likely to fall comfortably within the outer perimeter of his official responsibilities.” But he leaves open the possibility that Trump could face charges for his words if they were delivered as “a candidate for office.”
#SCOTUS’ decision finds not only that a president can’t be charged for any official acts, but also that evidence involving officials can’t be introduced to bolster accusations made about unofficial acts. If I’m reading this right, Chief #JusticeRoberts has reversed himself from his position during oral arguments.
#SCOTUS grants fmr presidents an expansive amount of protection against #criminal prosecution by ruling that there is “presumption of #immunity” for acts that fall within “the outer perimeter” of a president’s official duties. That’s the same broad standard that protects presidents & fmr presidents against #civil lawsuits. Whether the “outer perimeter” test holds up in #Trump’s case remains to be seen.
#law
Here is the 119 page on #Trump #immunity
static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/…
The #SCOTUS has remanded the case to the Federal District Court judge overseeing the matter, Tanya #Chutkan, to determine the nature of the acts for which Trump has been charged — which are unofficial ones he undertook in his personal capacity & which are official ones he undertook as president.
#law
#Trump #immunity #SCOTUS ruling 6-3 liberals in dissent.
“entitled to presumptive immunity for official acts”
“A former president is entitled to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his ‘conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority,’ the ruling says. “There is no immunity for unofficial acts.”
#law
“The #credibility of the court is on the line, & they risk looking very #partisan, depending on not just what they do but how they do it,” Waldman said.
“What made the Court’s 1974 ruling in the #Nixon …case so profound was not its reasoning, but the fact that it was an 8-0 repudiation of Nixon by a Chief Justice he had appointed. I certainly hope that the Court finds a way to present a united front in whatever it decides in #Trump’s case. But…I’m not optimistic,” Vladeck wrote.
If the trial doesn’t start by Election Day, the fate of Smith’s case might depend on the election’s outcome. #Trump could tell his AG to drop the case if he wins. Waldman is watching whether #SCOTUS rules unanimously — as it did in 1974 when it ordered President Richard #Nixon to hand over the #Watergate tapes, another important case on the limits of presidential #power — or the ruling is divided along ideological lines.
Michael Waldman, a fmr speechwriter in Pres Bill Clinton’s WH who is president & chief exec of the @BrennanCenter for #Justice, said the timing of the ruling might be more important than the decision.
“The court has already given #Trump what he craved, which is de facto #immunity before the #election,” Waldman said. By deciding the case on the final day of the term, the court has made it “very, very, very, very, very unlikely” it will go to trial before Election Day.
#JackSmith might also decide to revise the charges against #Trump to move the case forward — a possibility that #SCOTUS Justice #AmyConeyBarrett raised during oral argument.
If the court rules that Trump cannot be prosecuted for official conduct as president but his private conduct is fair game, Barrett asked, “Is another option for the special counsel to just proceed based on the private conduct & drop the official conduct?”
#law
If #SCOTUS devises a test: Do they apply it themselves? (Doubtful) Or do they return the case to District Court Judge Tanya #Chutkan & instruct her to apply it? (More likely) If the justices apply the test themselves & allow some of the charges against #Trump to stand, the case could proceed. But if the court asks Chutkan to apply a test & she finds Trump is not #immune from prosecution, then Trump would undoubtedly appeal which would further delay a trial.
#law
Instead, the justices will likely split the difference.
They could rule that Trump can be prosecuted for some charges & not others — or they could outline a test to determine what conduct Trump & other former presidents can be prosecuted for & what they can’t.
Some justices suggested during oral arguments that they were taking a sweeping approach to the case. “We are writing a rule for the ages,” Justice #Gorsuch said.
#Trump is facing 4 charges stemming from his attempts to overturn #Biden’s victory in the #2020election, the most serious of which carries a max of 20 yrs in #prison. The case has been on hold while #SCOTUS *considers* Trump’s argument that presidents are immune from prosecution for *official* acts they take while in office.
#law
#SCOTUS is supposed to rule this morning on #Trump’s claim that he is immune from prosecution on charges of trying to overturn the 2020 election.
The decision will determine whether & how special counsel #JackSmith’s case against Trump can proceed — although it’s unlikely a trial would happen before #Election Day. But the ruling could also set an important #precedent for how to prosecute presidents for their actions in office.
#law #TrumpCoupAttempt #immunity #Jan6 #autocracy #authoritarianism
More from Justice #Sotomayor:
“The President of the United States is the most powerful person in the country, & possibly the world. When he uses his official powers in any way, under the majority's reasoning, he now will be insulated from criminal prosecution. Orders the Navy's Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune.”
“The White House press corps would be in wolf pack mode if Biden were in the middle of a speech and suddenly veered into gibberish about boats and sharks. There would be front-page stories questioning whether the president, at 81, was suffering from dementia; and the op-ed pages would be filled with thumb-suckers about whether Vice President Harris and the Cabinet should invoke the 25th Amendment."
~ Eugene Robinson
#Trump #dementia #Biden #media #MediaFail
/1
washingtonpost.com/opinions/20…
Is Donald Trump okay?
His story about hypothetically being electrocuted is another glimpse into a mind that is, evidently, unwell.Eugene Robinson (The Washington Post)
Sidebar via Ron Filipkowski:
#Trump just violated his #GagOrder again by posting a video on Truth Social of Steve Bannon attacking the judge’s daughter. meidastouch.com/news/trump-vio…
#KeithDavidson stressed that #KarenMcDougal did not want to go public in telling her story, & he said that the competing deal w/ABC would have forced her to tell it.
Her goals were to rejuvenate her career, make money, & avoid becoming “the scarlet letter,”.
“Was AMI attractive because she would not actually have to tell her story?” Steinglass asked.
Davidson said, “That was one of her stated goals.”
#Trump #TrumpTrial #criminal #law
Howard to Davison, "Talk 1st thing, I will get you more than ANYONE for it. You know why..."
Davidson said he didn't know if he had a "clear understanding at the time" of Howard's text.
"But I knew that Dylan’s boss #DavidPecker & Mr. #Trump were longtime friends & had a former business relationship," Davison continued.
"Mr. Pecker published Trump magazine, & at the time, AMI had announced, …that they had endorsed Mr. Trump’s candidacy," Davidson continued.
In texts between #DylanHoward, the editor of The #NationalEnquirer, & #KeithDavidson, Davidson tells Howard, that #KarenMcDougal’s story “should be told” & Howard responds “I agree.” The NE, as the jurors know, had no intention of telling the story — instead it sought to bury it. So not only does this evidence remind us of David Pecker’s testimony last week, it also helps prosecutors double down on the idea that The NE was involved in a secret plot to help #Trump.
The text messages are damning. Jurors already know the basics of #KarenMcDougal’s account of an affair w/ #Trump. But now they are seeing it corroborated in texts, right after they were reminded Trump was married to Melania at the time.
Prosecutors are stitching their case together w/lots of different types of evidence.
Prosecutors are walking #KeithDavidson through his text messages w/ #DylanHoward, who was editor of The #NationalEnquirer, in which Davidson tells Howard: “I have blockbuster #Trump story.” In his reply, Howard asked, "did he cheat" on Melania.
Davidson is testifying about his agreement w/ #KarenMcDougal, a fmr Playboy model.
Davidson’s contract w/McDougal consisted of an agreement to either make a claim against #Trump, negotiate a confidentiality agreement w/ Trump, sell her life rights as related to her story of an affair w/ Trump, promote herself in an “exclusive” press opportunity, or some or all of the above.
#Trump has been sitting w/his eyes closed for significant portions of testimony this morning. It is unclear how the jurors, who have to sit through this same testimony, will feel about a defendant closing their eyes so much.
Joshua Steinglass asks #KeithDavidson if he knows 2 key witnesses: #DavidPecker, who the jurors already have heard from, & #MichaelCohen, who they’ve heard a lot about. Steinglass is tying Davidson into the case, helping the courtroom understand where he’s situated. Davidson just said that he represented #StormyDaniels as her lawyer — Daniels, whose name has been dangled in front of jurors several times, is of course another key player & potential witness.
#Trump #TrumpTrial #law #criminal
Joshua Steinglass, the prosecutor, asks #KeithDavidson if he was given immunity from prosecution in this case. Davidson says, despite not having wanted to be here, that he did not seek immunity. This is a way for prosecutors to show that he is not simply cooperating to avoid prosecution himself.
#Trump #TrumpTrial #law #criminal