We Resist: Day 427

One of the difficulties in resisting the Trump administration, the Republican Congressional majority, and Republican state legislatures (plus the occasional non-Republican who obliges us to resist their nonsense, too, like we don't have enough to worry about) is keeping on top of the sheer number of horrors, indignities, and normalization of the aggressively abnormal that they unleash every single day.

So here is a daily thread for all of us to share all the things that are going on, thus crowdsourcing a daily compendium of the onslaught of conservative erosion of our rights and our very democracy.

Stay engaged. Stay vigilant. Resist.

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Earlier today by Fannie: Cambridge Analytica Stirred the (Supposedly Non-Existent) Bigotries of White America. And by me: Another White Man Who Isn't Troubled Enough to Be Called a Terrorist and Trump Responds to Biden by Saying HE'D Beat HIM Up, Because This Is Our Politics Now.

Here are some more things in the news today...

[Content Note: Police brutality; racism; descriptions of violence. Covers entire section.]

In yesterday's thread, I wrote about the police execution of Stephon Clark, who shot at him at least 20 times because he was holding a cell phone they claimed they thought was a gun (an excuse that was always garbage but is exponentially intolerable given the current ubiquity of cell phones). Footage of the killing has now been released, and, as usual, the video reveals the official police account of the shooting to be a total lie.

Monique Judge at the Root: Stephon Clark Shooting Video Released by Police.

In the helicopter video, a deputy can be heard guiding the officers to Clark's location, behind his house on his block. The officers approach his location, see him around a corner, and begin firing within seconds. The helicopter video also shows the officers cowering behind a wall. Clark appears to be walking slowly through the yard, and not charging toward them as police said in their statement. Even as Clark lies on the ground after being shot, both officers continue firing their weapons. Each shot at Clark at least 10 times.

...The police officer body camera footage shows us what happened on the ground. As soon as the officers spot Clark from their hiding place around the wall, we hear one of them yell, 'Show me your hands! Gun! Gun! Gun!' and they both unload their weapons on him. They continue to yell for him to show his hands after he is down and no longer moving.

...Again, the video appears to refute what police said in their statement. At no point in either video can we see Clark charging at officers with anything in his hands."

I am so fucking angry. I am so fucking sad. I am so fucking tired of police killing unarmed people and then lying about the circumstances. This is intolerable.

My sincerest condolences to Stephon Clark's family, friends, colleagues, and community. I am so sorry.

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[CN: Guns; toxic masculinity. Covers entire section.]

In Tuesday's thread, I covered a school shooting in Maryland, in which one female student and one male student were injured, and the shooter shot himself as school officer shot at him. At the time, I wrote: "It sounds a lot like the shooter shot at a specific girl and boy before turning the gun on himself."

And indeed, it turns out that the shooter, 17-year-old Austin Rollins "had been in a relationship that recently ended" with the girl, 16-year-old Jaelynn Willey. (It's unclear whether the boy who was injured was deliberately targeted because of some connection to Willey.)

A number of media outlets have reported this news under headlines calling Rollins "lovesick."

Example, care of ABC News: Police: Maryland School Shooter Apparently Was Lovesick Teen. That's the headline they plopped on the AP wire story, the lede of which reads: "Tuesday's school shooting in southern Maryland that left the shooter dead and two students wounded increasingly appears to be the action of a lovesick teenager."

Incorrect. It was the action of an entitled, violent misogynist.

Fuck any news outlet that is promulgating this horrendous narrative that the attempted murder of a girl who refuses to be owned by a boy is somehow "romantic."

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Matt Shuham at TPM: Trump Defends Congratulating Putin: 'Getting Along...Is a Good Thing'. "In the wake of a report that he ignored his national security team's advice not to congratulate Russian president Vladimir Putin on Putin's recent re-election, [Donald] Trump defended the exchange [on Twitter] Wednesday: 'I called President Putin of Russia to congratulate him on his election victory (in past, Obama called him also). The Fake News Media is crazed because they wanted me to excoriate him. They are wrong! Getting along with Russia (and others) is a good thing, not a bad thing... They can help solve problems with North Korea, Syria, Ukraine, ISIS, Iran and even the coming Arms Race. Bush tried to get along, but didn't have the 'smarts.' Obama and Clinton tried, but didn't have the energy or chemistry (remember RESET). PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!'" This fucking guy.

Karen DeYoung, John Hudson, and Josh Dawsey at the Washington Post: Trump's Remark to Putin That They Could Meet Soon Caught White House Advisers by Surprise. "Trump's senior advisers were thrown when he told Russian President Vladi­mir Putin on Tuesday that he expected to meet with him soon, as briefings before the call to Moscow included no mention of a possible meeting, and aides have not been instructed to prepare for one, senior administration officials said. Although Trump told reporters that 'probably we'll be seeing President Putin in the not-too-distant future,' several officials said there are no plans for the two even to be in the same country until November, when both are expected to attend a Group of 20 summit in Argentina." No official plans, anyway.

.@SenSasse called @realDonaldTrump’s congratulatory call to Russian President Vladimir Putin “terribly ill-advised” and urged staffers who leaked Trump’s briefing materials to resign https://t.co/8Ds9MCqz90 via @burgessev pic.twitter.com/uvUJumy9Be

— POLITICO (@politico) March 22, 2018

But if the president is making "terribly ill-advised" foreign policy moves, shouldn't the public know about it, @SenSasse? https://t.co/n0MQMXDsyu

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) March 22, 2018

Ian Millhiser at ThinkProgress: Before Being Fired by Sessions, Andrew McCabe Reportedly Authorized a Criminal Probe into Sessions. "Former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who was fired by Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III less than two days before he became eligible for a federal pension, reportedly oversaw a criminal probe into Sessions himself. ...Sessions claimed that he fired McCabe last week due to the former FBI official's lack of candor regarding his conduct during an probe into former Democratic president candidate Hillary Clinton — in announcing the firing, Sessions said that 'the F.B.I. expects every employee to adhere to the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and accountability.' Ironically, the FBI's criminal probe into Sessions involves allegations that the attorney general was not honest under oath."

Breaking News: President Trump’s lead lawyer for the special counsel’s inquiry has resigned after concluding Trump was increasingly ignoring his advice https://t.co/EWXBKJR8WG

— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 22, 2018

Whooooooooops!

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If anyone thought that Republicans only hate democracy outside the walls of Congress, what happened during the proceedings on the budget omnibus today should swiftly disabuse them of that notion:

This is rare. Majority usually gives the minority time to vote. Instead, knowing they may vote no, they pushed through before 11 Dems could cast their ballot.

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) March 22, 2018

This means the House can vote later today on the $1.3T spending bill (which should pass easily), and send it over to the Senate, where they hope to move quickly and pass it before tomorrow night’s deadline.

— Garrett Haake (@GarrettHaake) March 22, 2018

"Hardball politics" is one way to describe it. Cheating by authoritarian democracy-killers is another. Potato potahto.

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Pres. Trump is set to announce actions the U.S. will take against China to combat what the administration claims are unfair practices related to intellectual property. https://t.co/8inK5O9jpg pic.twitter.com/QZGkzJ3mam

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) March 22, 2018

Benjamin Haas at the Guardian: China Vows to Take 'All Legal Measures' to Protect Interests as U.S. Trade War Looms. "As the Trump administration prepared on Thursday to slap trade sanctions on China, perhaps including restrictions on investment and tariffs on as much as $60bn worth of products, fears of a trade war heightened. A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said her country would 'take all legal measures to protect our interest' if the U.S. took 'actions that will harm both China and itself.'" Everything is going great under the president who makes the best deals or whatever.

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Frank Bajak and Lise Olsen at the AP: Hurricane Harvey's Toxic Impact Deeper Than Public Was Told. "A toxic onslaught from the nation's petrochemical hub was largely overshadowed by the record-shattering deluge of Hurricane Harvey as residents and first responders struggled to save lives and property. More than a half-year after floodwaters swamped America's fourth-largest city, the extent of this environmental assault is beginning to surface, while questions about the long-term consequences for human health remain unanswered. County, state, and federal records pieced together by The Associated Press and The Houston Chronicle reveal a far more widespread toxic impact than authorities publicly reported after the storm slammed into the Texas coast in late August and then stalled over the Houston area."

George Dvorsky at Gizmodo: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Has Way More Trash Inside It Than We Thought. "For years, scientists have been tracking a large accumulation of floating trash, mostly bits of plastic, in the north Pacific ocean called the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch,' or the 'trash vortex.' This region, according to the latest research, has more lost and discarded plastic inside it than previous surveys suggested — like, a lot more. And it's still growing. The GPGP is filled with 79,000 metric tonnes (87,000 tons) of plastic, which is between 10 to 16 times higher than previous estimates, according to new research published today in Scientific Reports. Disturbingly, plastic pollution inside the GPGP 'is increasing exponentially and at a faster rate than in surrounding waters,' the authors state in the paper."

Damian Carrington at the Guardian: Paul Ehrlich: 'Collapse of Civilisation Is a Near Certainty within Decades'. "'Population growth, along with over-consumption per capita, is driving civilisation over the edge: billions of people are now hungry or micronutrient malnourished, and climate disruption is killing people.' ...Ehrlich is also concerned about chemical pollution, which has already reached the most remote corners of the globe. 'The evidence we have is that toxics reduce the intelligence of children, and members of the first heavily influenced generation are now adults.'"

I mention that last piece for two reasons: 1. Because Ehrlich's concerns are notable, given that it was research "published by Ehrlich and colleagues in 2017 [that] concluded that this is driving a sixth mass extinction of biodiversity, upon which civilisation depends for clean air, water, and food." 2. Paul and Anne Ehrlich's previous work has been (mis)used by white supremacists to argue in favor of some seriously gross population control strategies (and were able to do so because of failures in their work, which he admits), and it seems possible that their new work could be (mis)used in the same way, if they haven't made necessary corrections, especially given the current resurgence of white supremacist nationalism and nativism.

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Charles Pierce at Esquire: 15 Years. More Than 1 Million Dead. No One Held Responsible. "Except for Sinan Antoon's richly deserved jeremiad, the 15th anniversary of the worst foreign policy disaster in modern American history went sailing by largely unremarked, at least in this country. After all, over here, everyone was too busy keeping track of the latest news involving the vulgar talking yam the country had installed as president... But, overseas, particularly in that part of the world where ruined Iraq has been turned into little more than an occupied battlefield, the people living there marked the anniversary the same way they've marked every day since George W. Bush launched his war based on lies. They were trying to stay alive."

Congress is making the world less safe for sex workers while the president is trying to keep sex workers silent by forcing them into NDAs. https://t.co/O76Q6i9fiv

— BitchMedia (@BitchMedia) March 22, 2018

[CN: Video may autoplay at link] Related to the above item, via CBS News: "The 60 Minutes interview with Stormy Daniels, the adult-film star and director who says she had an affair with Donald Trump, will be broadcast on Sunday, March 25 at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS."

And finally, in case there was any lingering question that Facebook is anti-democratic in its mission:

Wow. Facebook gave Aleksandr Kogan (the guy who harvested FB data & provided it to Cambridge Analytica) a dataset of 57 billion Facebook friendships — and apparently trusted him enough that two Facebook employees co-authored a study with him. https://t.co/lOPculIFP5

— Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) March 22, 2018

Meanwhile... Andy Towle at Towleroad: Facebook Blocks Ad Targeting by Sexual Orientation. "As it wrestles with the controversy over Cambridge Analytica's improper harvesting of user data, news has emerged that Facebook has blocked ad targeting by sexual orientation, meaning that companies and organizations will no longer be able to target specific areas of the LGBTQ community. This has made it impossible for some organizations whose mission it is to reach at-risk individuals to reach those people." Goddammit.

What have you been reading that we need to resist today?

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Cambridge Analytica Stirred the (Supposedly Non-Existent) Bigotries of White America

It is March 2018 and the political class continues to be outraged that Hillary Clinton is not, in their esteemed opinions, being kind enough to the people who support Donald Trump.

Indeed, the media's fixation on this topic seems to be our post-2016-election dystopian version of "her emails," as even the slightest real or perceived critique Clinton renders of Trump voters is amplified as a human rights violations of the first order inflicted upon this vulnerable, protected class of citizen.

Aaron Blake at The Washington Post, for instance, wrote an entire "analysis" of Clinton's recent commentary about how Trump's message looked backwards and stirred old bigotries, observations which, by the way, are demonstrably accurate given that this messaging was a literal part of Trump's campaign slogan which, by way of reminder, was Make America Great Again. Nonetheless, Blake calls Clinton's comments "incendiary," and if you're wondering how charitable the analysis as a whole is, it includes an embedded video titled, "Bitter Hillary Clinton Trashes America's Heartland," which should clue you in.

Christian Snyder, in an op-ed piece, snarked, "Since the 2016 campaign ended, Hillary Clinton has demonstrated herself to be a singularly extraordinary former presidential candidate — 'extraordinary' only in the sense that no ex-candidate has ever been worse." The gist of it is that Clinton doesn't coddle Trump voters, which is very mean and snobbish.

Democratic Senator Dick Durbin even joined in, stating, "My friend Hillary Clinton is wrong. Thirty percent of the people that voted for Donald Trump had voted for President Obama." (Which, in addition to being a strange, voting version of the "I have a black friend so I can't be a bigot" defense, echoes Bernie Sanders' ongoing claim that Trump supporters are not bigots.)

So, what I find utterly amazing is how if we were to believe folks like these, bigots in America are few and far between, and yet we now know that Cambridge Analytica was able to precisely micro-target the bigotries of white Americans with the aim of swaying US elections.

Via The Washington Post, from an article published two days ago (emphasis added):

The data and analyses that Cambridge Analytica generated in [2014] provided discoveries that would later form the emotionally charged core of Trump's presidential platform, said [data scientist Chris] Wylie, whose disclosures in news reports over the past several days have rocked both his onetime employer and Facebook.

"Trump wasn't in our consciousness at that moment; this was well before he became a thing," Wylie said. "He wasn't a client or anything."

The year before Trump announced his presidential bid, the data firm already had found a high level of alienation among young, white Americans with a conservative bent.

In focus groups arranged to test messages for the 2014 midterms, these voters responded to calls for building a new wall to block the entry of illegal immigrants, to reforms intended to 'drain the swamp' of Washington's entrenched political community, and to thinly veiled forms of racism toward African Americans called "race realism," he recounted.

I recognize it as a political reality that any defense of Hillary Clinton will, no matter how rational, be rejected on its face by a segment of the population. So, let's put that aside for a bigger picture.

What is critical to understand is that the notion that Trump supporters are largely not bigots is a political fiction that is primarily perpetuated by influential white men in the media and political establishment as a perverse form of political correctness.

It is a political fiction because the data suggests that, actually, "racial attitudes towards blacks and immigration are the key factors associated with support for Trump." And, via The Washington Post:

[W]hite millennial Trump voters were likely to believe in something we call "white vulnerability" — the perception that whites, through no fault of their own, are losing ground to other groups. Second, racial resentment was the primary driver of white vulnerability — even when accounting for income, education level, or employment.

This political fiction of non-existent bigotry of white America fits squarely within the mainstream narrative of American Exceptionalism that has barely even begun to reckon with its historical treatment of non-white, non-male people both within and outside of its borders.

This political fiction is, like misogyny, a national vulnerability. It is one that certain data scientists, foreign agents, and a handful of writers seem to understand far better than some of the most prominent members of the political class, including multiple Democratic politicians who, in typical fashion, internalize and overreact to the views of other prominent white men (and their attendant biases) as they rush to to their respective fainting couches about the prospect of bigotry existing in white people.

Unfortunately, though, a political class that is more outraged by a private citizen accurately naming bigotry than the fact that significantly large numbers of Americans hold bigoted views, and can have these views stoked and stirred and played by an unqualified authoritarian predator, is a political class that does not adequately grasp a very important issue at hand.

And that issue is this: While Donald Trump ran a campaign against the "political correctness" that was purportedly making our nation unsafe from external threats, it very well could be the political class's unwillingness to acknowledge white America's bigotry that plays a key role in the subversion of our political system.

After all, how do we defend against a vulnerability if we can't even admit that it's real?

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Trump Responds to Biden by Saying HE'D Beat HIM Up, Because This Is Our Politics Now

[Content Note: Threats of violence; toxic masculinity; white supremacy.]

Yesterday, with no shortage of disdain, I wrote about Joe Biden beating his chest and saying he would have "beat the hell out of" Donald Trump in high school because of his misogyny.

Naturally, Donald Trump responded to Biden's bullshit during his morning tweetshitz: "Crazy Joe Biden is trying to act like a tough guy. Actually, he is weak, both mentally and physically, and yet he threatens me, for the second time, with physical assault. He doesn't know me, but he would go down fast and hard, crying all the way. Don't threaten people Joe!"

We're going to set aside the fact that the President of the United States just said that a former Vice President "would go down fast and hard," because there are actually serious issues to be addressed here.

1. The fact that the president is tweeting this at all, and the fact that someone who fancies himself an elder statesman of this nation provoked it, knowing full well that Trump would escalate it. I can't think of anything this country needs less right now than more toxic masculinity.

2. The fact that the president, who is a white supremacist and Nazi apologist, is once again engaging in thinly veiled dogwhistles about his superior genes.

Listen, this is very stupid and embarrassing, but also it's another example of how vague (and overt) eugenics rhetoric peppers Trump's speech. Trump frequently talks about having "good genes," and calling Biden "weak, both mentally and physically" must be viewed in that context. https://t.co/oTBWI6fjya

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) March 22, 2018

If Joe Biden imagines that publicly challenging Donald Trump to a dick-measuring contest was a good idea, he is sorely mistaken. I have no earthly idea why Biden wants to try to out-Trump Trump, but it is a tremendous miscalculation and indicative of a profound character flaw.

This is totally fucking depressing. All of it.

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Another White Man Who Isn't Troubled Enough to Be Called a Terrorist

[Content Note: Bombing; terrorism; white male privilege.]

Last night, law enforcement discovered a 25-minute taped confession left behind by Austin bomber Mark Conditt. In the video recorded on his phone, he described each bomb in detail, as well as the differences between them.

Conditt started with package bombs left at residences; moved on to a roadside bomb with a tripwire; then to package delivery via a professional delivery service. The effect of his constantly shifting M.O. was to doubly terrorize a community, who were (1) fearful of the explosives themselves; and (2) fearful of not knowing what iteration of explosive they may encounter next.

Conditt killed two people and wounded five more. He would have kept up his spree of terror and injury and murder if he had not been stopped.

And yet.

Here is how interim Austin Police Chief Brian Manley described Conditt after watching the recording last night: "He does not at all mention anything about terrorism nor does he mention anything about hate. But instead it is the outcry of a very challenged young man talking about challenges in his personal life that led him to this point."

Oh.

As a human being who is not a white man, I can't imagine getting this much good faith, ever. And I've never tried to murder people with bombs. https://t.co/GJQw3ZMiH8

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) March 22, 2018

That is neither humor nor hyperbole. I am angry that I have spent nearly 14 years as a public feminist activist with everything I've done being audited by critics and found to be nefarious, sinister. Never do they afford me the space to just be an average, earnest person who really likes and cares about other people and also makes mistakes; it's always that I'm a manipulative, Machiavellian monster with ulterior motives who hurts people for fun.

See also: Every other woman with a public career, including and especially the last Democratic presidential nominee.

And I am keenly aware that marginalized men, especially men of color, are not afforded anything like the aggressively undeserved good faith given to Mark Conditt, either. There is no way on this planet or any other that United States law enforcement would have expressed anything resembling empathy or sympathy for a Black man or a Muslim man who terrorized an American city with bombs.

There is no way that any person who isn't a cishet white man would have been allowed to define whether they were a terrorist based on what they said in their videotaped confession.

Our voices don't matter that much when we're alive and haven't killed anyone. We are rarely afforded the gift of being able to define ourselves.

But THIS FUCKING GUY was just a poor little chap who had challenges in his life that made him KILL PEOPLE WITH BOMBS. And he didn't say anything about terrorism, so I guess we'll never know his motive!

Yes, that is something else Manley actually said: "We are never going to able to put a [rationale] behind these acts."

And we'll just have to take his word for it, since police have "no plans to release the video."

Another bit of kindness given to Mark Conditt and his family that would not be given to anyone who did not share his privilege.

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Holler at Me, Philly

Are there any Shakers in the Philadelphia / South Jersey area? Let me know in comments, or, if you'd rather not announce your location publicly, fire me an email.

I'm just curious who's local to me now that I'm here!

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Open Thread

Hosted by a yellow sofa. Have a seat and chat.

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Question of the Day

Suggested by Shaker IrishUp: "What's a word or phrase that is archaic or outdated, that you use now or wish were in common use?"

I can't even remember what it was now, but Deeks and I were watching something last weekend in which someone referred to a group of people as "a bunch of yo-yos," and I turned to Deeks, laughing, and said, "We need to bring 'yo-yo' back," with which he obviously agreed.

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Wednesday Links!

This list o' links brought to you by snow. So much snow.

Recommended Reading:

Lauren Gambino at the Guardian: Carmen Yulín Cruz, Six Months After Hurricane Maria: 'I Did What Had to Be Done'

Sung Yeon Choimorrow at Reappropriate: Why NIFLA v. Becerra Is a Watershed Moment for Women of Color

Fannie Wolfe at Fannie's Room: What Is Cambridge Analytica's Impact on Mental Health?

Kenrya Rankin at Colorlines: Advocacy Groups Push FBI, DHS to Release Full Info on Surveillance of Black Activists

Kashmira Gander at Towleroad: [Content Note: Transphobia] Ben Carson: Homeless Transgender People Make Others Uncomfortable

Sue Kerr at Pgh Lesbian Correspondents: [CN: Transphobia; misogyny] IUP Assigns First Amendment Hawk to Female Led Religious Studies Class

Rachel Hoge at Dame: [CN: Disablism; misogyny] What Do You Call a Woman with a Speech Disability? Invisible.

Anne Branigin at the Root: Meet the Trailblazing Black Scientist Twitter Helped Identify from a Single Photograph

Princess Weekes at the Mary Sue: [CN: Racism] Hollywood Should Embrace, Not Fear Black Panther's Success

Sarah Sloat at Inverse: Newly Named 'Coral Reef Twilight Zone' Is Full of Fish Nobody Has Ever Seen

Mike Shanahan at Nautilus: Why Forests Give You Awe

Grown and Curvy Woman: 4 Trends to Try This Spring

Leave your links and recommendations in comments. Self-promotion welcome and encouraged!

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Discussion Thread: Good Things

One of the ways we resist the demoralization and despair in which exploiters of fear like Trump thrive is to keep talking about the good things in our lives.

Because, even though it feels very much (and rightly so) like we are losing so many things we value, there are still daily moments of joy or achievement or love or empowering ferocity or other kinds of fulfillment.

Maybe you've experienced something big worth celebrating; maybe you've just had a precious moment of contentment; maybe getting out of bed this morning was a success worthy of mention.

News items worth celebrating are also welcome.

So, whatever you have to share that's good, here's a place to do it.

* * *

I had a good swim last night, followed by a lingering float on my back, during which I stretched my arms and legs and neck to their lengths and breathed deeply, in and out and in and out, and allowed my habitually whirling mind to think about nothing at all; to be at peace for precious, lingering moments.

On the way home, I had a good conversation with Iain about swimming, during which I had a good insight about why swimming is so special to me; why it is that I feel so markedly better after a swim than I do after a workout on a treadmill or elliptical machine.

Partly, of course, it's that I can swim far longer and work my body far harder in water than I can anywhere else, because of the hypohidrosis that makes it nigh impossible for me to cool myself sufficiently to exercise vigorously, unless I'm in cool water. But, especially with my spritzing water bottle, I can move long enough to benefit from the release of endorphins.

But swimming gives me something of even greater value; I feel exponentially better after a swim — and, as I talked to Iain last night, I realized that the difference for me is that moving my body in water is psychologically different than moving my body against a machine. There is resistance in water which makes me stronger, but it is not adversarial. I am not trying to defeat the water like I am trying to defeat a machine, or overcome the challenge it presents.

Instead, I am in the water; I move with it and through it; it moves with me and around me. The water is my partner, literally buoying me — which is a rare gift for a woman with a fat and disabled body in this world.

Being able to articulate how meaningful that is to me felt very good indeed.

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Shaker Gourmet

Whatcha been cooking up in your kitchen lately, Shakers?

Share your favorite recipes, solicit good recipes, share recipes you've recently tried, want to try, are trying to perfect, whatever! Whether they're your own creation, or something you found elsewhere, share away.

Also welcome: Recipes you've seen recently that you'd love to try, but haven't yet!

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You throw another nor'easter at me, I make another pot of tortellini soup!

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Daily Dose of Cute

We are currently having our fourth nor'easter in as many weeks. Zelda, who is half husky, loves the snow. Dudley, who is more of a "get me the fuck outta this snow" kind of guy, occasionally likes to RUNNNNNNNNNNNN!!! IN THE SNOWWWWWWWW!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Today was one of those days, and luckily I had the camera ready.

As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.

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We Resist: Day 426

One of the difficulties in resisting the Trump administration, the Republican Congressional majority, and Republican state legislatures (plus the occasional non-Republican who obliges us to resist their nonsense, too, like we don't have enough to worry about) is keeping on top of the sheer number of horrors, indignities, and normalization of the aggressively abnormal that they unleash every single day.

So here is a daily thread for all of us to share all the things that are going on, thus crowdsourcing a daily compendium of the onslaught of conservative erosion of our rights and our very democracy.

Stay engaged. Stay vigilant. Resist.

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Earlier today by me: The Austin Bomber Has Been Stopped and Trump Disgorges More Contempt for the Rule of Law — and the Media Continues to Fail Us and Joe Biden, What Are You Even Doing?

Here are some more things in the news today...

[Content Note: Anti-Semitism.]

The @GOP "denounced" pro-Nazi Arthur Jones, but couldn't be bothered to find a primary candidate to challenge him, so now he's their candidate. And they don't get to say he's not a "real" Republican when their president said some Nazis are "fine people." https://t.co/uUNirjtCRm

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) March 21, 2018

Alice Ollstein at TPM: House Dem: Plot to Oust Broadcast Board CEO 'Our Worst Nightmare'.

The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee says whistleblowers have detailed a plot by the Trump administration to oust the CEO of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) and replace him with someone favored by the White House.

Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) warned in a letter to the BBG, obtained by TPM, that that candidate, André Mendes, then plans to dismiss the existing Board of Governors, according to the whistleblowers.

In a statement to TPM, Engel called the alleged plot "our worst nightmare coming true."

"This action would violate current law and represent what these whistleblowers have described as 'a coup at the BBG,' presumably with the aim of pushing the BBG's journalism toward a viewpoint favorable of (sic) the Trump Administration," Engel wrote to the BBG. "I view these claims as credible and this scenario as outrageous and unacceptable."

This isn't creeping authoritarianism; it's stomping through the house and taking a huge shit in the middle of the living room.

Carol D. Leonnig, David Nakamura, and Josh Dawsey at the Washington Post: Trump's National Security Advisers Warned Him Not to Congratulate Putin; He Did It Anyway. "Trump did not follow specific warnings from his national security advisers Tuesday when he congratulated Russian President Vladi­mir Putin on his reelection — including a section in his briefing materials in all-capital letters stating 'DO NOT CONGRATULATE,' according to officials familiar with the call. Trump also chose not to heed talking points from aides instructing him to condemn the recent poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain with a powerful nerve agent, a case that both the British and U.S. governments have blamed on Moscow."

The collusion, said the brokenest of broken records, is and has always been right out in the open.

[CN: Video may autoplay at link] Kaitlan Collins and Jeff Zeleny at CNN: Trump Furious over Leak of Warning to Not Congratulate Putin. "Donald Trump was infuriated after it quickly leaked that he had been directly instructed by his national security advisers in briefing materials not to congratulate [Putin]. Trump was fuming Tuesday night, asking his allies and outside advisers who they thought had leaked the information... According to the source, the incident resurfaces his long-held belief there are individuals inside his administration — especially in the national security realm — who are actively working to undermine him. White House chief of staff John Kelly also is furious that a confidential presidential briefing became public knowledge, a White House official said, and intends to address the matter Wednesday as aides try to figure out who disclosed the warning."

Someone who cares about this country more than the president does. That's a long list. At least Kelly can rule out Mike Pence.

Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Carrie Dann at NBC News: Trump, Master of the Political Insult, Declines to Chide Putin. "In his nearly three years as president or a presidential candidate, Donald Trump has never been shy about openly criticizing others, including foreign leaders. He ripped into London's mayor. He fired back at British Prime Minister Theresa May (initially tweeting at the wrong Theresa May). And he's hurled insults at North Korea's Kim Jong-Un. Which all makes Trump's reluctance to forcefully criticize Vladimir Putin — after the election interference in 2016, after the poisoning in Britain, and after the voting irregularities in Russia — all the more striking. Even when the president is instructed NOT to congratulate Putin." Yup.

Greg Sargent at the Washington Post: A GOP Senator's Remarkable Admission about Trump and Mueller. (Emphases original.)

[Republicans'] stance is that of course Mueller should be allowed to finish his investigation, but they will not act legislatively to protect the probe, because this is not at all necessary, as Trump would never dream of taking action against it, since he would face severe consequences that Republicans will not enunciate in advance.

But a Republican lawmaker has just given away the real game behind this carefully crafted straddle. Sen. Bob Corker (Tenn.) was pressed by the Washington Examiner on why Republicans are hesitant to protect Mueller, and this is what happened:

Republicans in Congress are hesitant to antagonize [Donald] Trump ahead of ahead of difficult midterm elections, wary of sparking a backlash from a committed grassroots base more loyal to the White House.

Amid sky-high Democratic enthusiasm and a developing "blue wave," Republicans can't afford a war with Trump that depresses GOP turnout. Republicans might be worried about Trump's attacks on special counsel Robert Mueller, but they are reluctant to push back, much less support legislation to curtail the president's ability to fire Mueller and sideline the federal probe…

"The president is, as you know — you've seen his numbers among the Republican base — it's very strong. It's more than strong, it's tribal in nature," said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who decided to retire when his second term concludes at year's end, after periodically sparring with Trump.

"People who tell me, who are out on trail, say, look, people don't ask about issues anymore. They don't care about issues. They want to know if you're with Trump or not," Corker added.

This is a candid glimpse from a leading GOP lawmaker into what’s really driving the Republican straddle on Mueller.

Authoritarians love their authoritarian god-king.

Rep. Adam Schiff at USA Today: Republicans Leading Russia Probe Ignored Every Lesson I Learned as a Prosecutor. "Investigations have a certain rhythm: You begin with solid leads, use subpoenas to compel testimony or documents from reticent witnesses, interview lower-level witnesses first, and then move on to higher-level targets. Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee did none of these things before shutting down their Russia investigation last week."

Of course not. And see the preceding item as to why. See also: Many of them are probably compromised, too.

* * *

Craig Timberg, Karla Adam, and Michael Kranish at the Washington Post: Bannon Oversaw Cambridge Analytica's Collection of Facebook Data, According to Former Employee. "Conservative strategist Stephen K. Bannon oversaw Cambridge Analytica's early efforts to collect troves of Facebook data as part of an ambitious program to build detailed profiles of millions of American voters, a former employee of the data-science firm said Tuesday. ...Wylie said that Bannon — while he was a top executive at Cambridge Analytica and head of Breitbart News — was deeply involved in the company's strategy and approved spending nearly $1 million to acquire data, including Facebook profiles, in 2014. ...It is unclear whether Bannon knew how Cambridge Analytica was obtaining the data, which allegedly was collected through an app that was portrayed as a tool for psychological research but was then transferred to the company." I can guess.

Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie says the company tested Trump slogans such as "drain the swamp" and "deep state" as early as 2014, before Trump announced a presidential run. https://t.co/4AuSYCBYwA

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) March 20, 2018

Aaron Rupar at ThinkProgress: Trump Accidentally Touts Key Role of Cambridge Analytica in 2016 Campaign. "They had this expression 'drain the swamp.' And I hated it, I thought it was so hokey. I said, 'That is the hokiest, give me a break, I am embarrassed to say it.' [But] every time I said it I got the biggest applause. And after four or five times, I said, 'Boy, what a great expression, I love saying it, it's amazing.'" Coincidentally, Trump's remarks about his infamous catchphrase came on the same night the Washington Post provided more detail than ever before about how it originated with Cambridge Analytica and Steve Bannon, who became Trump's campaign chairman two months before he debuted 'drain the swamp.'"

Betsy Woodruff at the Daily Beast: Cambridge Analytica Looked to Pounce on Russian Hacks, Email Shows. "Cambridge Analytica hoped to capitalize on Russian hacking of Hillary Clinton and her ally, an email written by one of its employees indicates. Emily Cornell, the employee, sent the email on July 29, 2016. It went out to people working with Make America Number One, the pro-Trump super PAC funded by Republican super-donors Robert and Rebekah Mercer. After noting some of the firm's work for the super PAC, Cornell wrote: 'With her campaign getting hacked, I can only imagine what a new swatch [sic] of emails will do to her already fractured base!' ...On July 22, seven days before Cornell's email, WikiLeaks had published almost 20,000 emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee."

Which were stolen by Russian hackers allegedly working on behalf of the Kremlin. Bear that in mind as you consider the information in the following two tweets:

.@HillaryClinton: "How did the Russians know how to target their messages so precisely?"

Last year the former presidential candidate questioned whether Cambridge Analytica were involved in Russia's alleged attempt to influence the U.S. election. #CambridgeAnalyticaUSA pic.twitter.com/8varOIJRfB

— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) March 20, 2018

Just before the election Manafort seemed confident in Russia's key state Facebook ads. He even predicted Trump would win electoral college: pic.twitter.com/BUb7KX6hnD

— Andrea Chalupa (@AndreaChalupa) October 4, 2017

Yeah.

* * *

Kris Kobach really, really did not want you to see this deposition. Read it here: https://t.co/Dyd1UurnTi

— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) March 20, 2018

[CN: Nativism; video may autoplay at link] Rebecca Savransky at the Hill: GOP Lawmaker: 'We Might Need to Build a Wall Between California and Arizona'. "Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) proposed building a border wall between California and Arizona to protect the state. 'As we look in Arizona, we often look into the dangers of the southern border,' McSally said during a round-table discussion about 'sanctuary cities' Tuesday at the White House. ...'But if these dangerous policies continue out of California, we might need to build a wall between California and Arizona as well to keep these dangerous criminals out of our state,' she said, smiling."

The #US Senate voted 55-44 Tuesday afternoon against taking up a resolution to end U.S. military support for a #Saudi-led coalition that has killed thousands of civilians in #Yemen - @AkbarSAhmed https://t.co/sYK9h0o3t7

— Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) March 20, 2018

[CN: Police brutality; white supremacy] Melanie Schmitz at ThinkProgress: Unarmed Black Man Shot by Sacramento Police Officers Because He Was Holding a Cell Phone.

A unarmed Black man was shot by two police officers in Sacramento, California this weekend, after officers said they believed their lives were in danger because the man was holding a cell phone they thought was a gun.

Stephan Clark, 22, was in the backyard of his grandparents' house, where he had been living, when officers approached him on Sunday. Police said they were responding to reports that a man had been breaking into cars with a 'toolbar'; deputies in a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department helicopter had informed them that the suspect was allegedly hiding in a backyard and pointed them in Clark's direction.

When officers confronted Clark, they saw the cellphone in his hand and opened fire, discharging their weapons at least 20 times.

"The officers believed the suspect was pointing a firearm at them," Sacramento police said in a statement afterward. "Fearing for their safety, the officers fired their duty weapons striking the suspect multiple times."

Clark was pronounced dead at the scene. Police found a pair of headphones and a iPhone 6 Plus with a rose gold case and black card holder adhered to the back — which reportedly belonged to his girlfriend — but no gun.

"He was at the wrong place at the wrong time in his own backyard?" said Clark's grandmother, Sequita Thompson, speaking with the Sacramento Bee.

Fucking hell. Rage seethe boil.

What have you been reading that we need to resist today?

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Joe Biden, What Are You Even Doing?

[Content Note: Toxic masculinity; victim-blaming; rape culture; fat hatred. Video may autoplay at link.]

Joe Biden was never my favorite politician, to put it politely. But Maude Almighty is the former veep working overtime to make me loathe him even more than I already did.

To wit, via Karma Allen at ABC News: Biden Says He Would Have 'Beat the Hell out' of Trump in High School for Disrespecting Women.

Whut.

Leaving aside the cringe-inducing absurdity of a 75-year-old man talking about beating up a 71-year-old man when they were in high school six decades ago, this is toxic masculinity in its chivalrous iteration: Using violence to defend women's "honor" is not feminist and it's not heroic. It's chauvinist trash.

Former Vice President Joe Biden took fresh jabs at [Donald] Trump on Tuesday while speaking at an anti-sexual assault rally, telling students at the University of Miami that he probably would have "beat the hell out" of Trump if they'd attended school together.

"A guy who ended up becoming our national leader said, 'I can grab a woman anywhere and she likes it,'" Biden said. "They asked me if I'd like to debate this gentleman, and I said 'no.' I said, 'If we were in high school, I'd take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him.'"

First of all, the solution to abuse is never more abuse. Secondly, Joe Biden was once face-to-face with a man who abused multiple women, and not only did he not "beat the hell out of" Clarence Thomas, but he was shitty to Anita Hill and refused to call three other witnesses who were prepared to make their own allegations against Thomas.

Women don't need men to beat up other men to defend us. We do, however, need powerful legislators to hold abusive men to account and ensure they don't, for instance, get a lifetime appointment to a court which empowers them to make decisions about our lives.

Biden failed that test. Big time. And he doesn't appear to have learned any lessons from that spectacular failure.

He went on to make what appears to be a defense of the narrative that popular guys beating up creepy losers is a workable rape prevention strategy, as if attractive athletes don't abuse women, and naturally threw in some fat hatred to boot:

"I've been in a lot of locker rooms my whole life," Biden continued. "I'm a pretty damn good athlete. Any guy that talked that way was usually the fattest, ugliest S.O.B. in the room."

Cool.

And if that weren't enough, Biden went on to admonish survivors that we have a responsibility to report being raped, as part of rape prevention:

"It's not just on the men. It's on you women, as well, on campus," Biden said. "All the studies show that 95 percent of young women who are abused — the first person they tell is their roommate, their friend, someone on campus. You've got to inform yourself as to what facilities are available, what help is available, not just empathize, hug and say, 'I'm so sorry.' You have an obligation to be informed."

Nope. Let me say that again: NOOOOOOOOOPE.

There are a lot of things that discourage survivors from reporting. Among them is men publicly fantasizing about violent retribution against rapists, which can leave survivors reluctant to report for fear of furthering a cycle of violence. Many, many survivors neither appreciate nor value men threatening other men ostensibly on our behalf.

That Biden doesn't understand that makes him untrustworthy. That he failed to hold a sexual harasser accountable when it mattered makes him unreliable. And that he thinks it's hip to wax tough about traveling back in time to beat up Donald Trump in high school makes him a fucking joke.

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Trump Disgorges More Contempt for the Rule of Law — and the Media Continues to Fail Us

Another day; another gross display of contempt for the rule of law from the President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/RhhLpoLyzP

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) March 21, 2018

If you can't view the embedded screencapped tweets authored by Donald Trump, they read: (1) "'Special Council is told to find crimes, whether a crime exists or not. I was opposed to the selection of Mueller to be Special Council. I am still opposed to it. I think President Trump was right when he said there never should have been a Special Council appointed because..... (2) ...there was no probable cause for believing that there was any crime, collusion or otherwise, or obstruction of justice!' So stated by Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz."

* * *

This is the President of the United States, who is under investigation for collusion with a foreign adversary, showing undiluted contempt for the rule of law and suggesting that he is, in fact, above the law. These are the words of an unapologetic authoritarian.

And yet, it will not be covered that way. It will be reported by the political press as Trump "going on the offense against Mueller" or "taking on Mueller" or some variation thereof, as if he isn't the president and this is all happening in a vacuum where the power differential between a president and literally everyone else in the country, including a special counsel, doesn't matter; as if Trump isn't under investigation for trying to obstruct this very investigation; as if the very future of our democracy isn't at stake, specifically because Trump has repeatedly indicating he's willing to cause a Constitutional crisis if he's cornered; as if it isn't manifestly apparent by now, as it has always been, that Trump cares about himself more than he cares about the entire nation.

Meanwhile, here is CNN anchor Jake Tapper responding to Trump calling Vladimir Putin to congratulate him on his victory by engaging in some breathtakingly mendacious bothsiderism:

Flashback: “Obama congratulates Putin for election ‘win’” by @joshrogin

https://t.co/LHnZO0hDVv

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) March 21, 2018

Did Obama make this call the week after Putin ordered a spy killed within the borders of our closest ally? After Putin helped deliver an election to him? While under investigation for possibly colluding with Putin?

No? Then it's a profoundly mendacious comparison. https://t.co/XFnCgt9wes

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) March 21, 2018

We can have a good faith debate about whether Obama should have made that call. But, either way, it's not the same thing by a country mile.

And pretending that it is the same, even remotely, is to normalize Trump's presidency and thus to abet his authoritarianism. On a day, like every day, in which he endeavors to undermine our laws, norms, and very democracy.

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The Austin Bomber Has Been Stopped

[Content Note: Terrorism; eliminationist violence; self-harm.]

After five bombings around or destined for Austin, the suspect in the bombings was identified by federal agents from surveillance footage at FedEx, who then obtained a search warrant which in turn led them to receipts for bombmaking supplies and a suspicious Google search history. The suspect was located using cell phone data, was pursued by police, and then detonated an explosive inside his vehicle on the shoulder of a highway, killing himself and causing minor injuries to a SWAT team officer.

Although I never hope for or celebrate anyone's death, I am hugely relieved for the residents of Austin that this horrific period of terror is (presumably) over. Authorities have cautioned more packages may yet be undetonated, and naturally investigators will have to determine if the deceased suspect was working alone.

As most of us probably assumed, given the nature of the attacks and the intended victims of the early bombings, the suspect was a white man, whose identity has not been disclosed.

Authorities had tracked the suspect — a 24-year-old white man — to a hotel in Round Rock, a city in the Austin metropolitan area, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said at a news conference.

They tracked his vehicle until he pulled over on Interstate 35 and "the suspect detonated a bomb inside the vehicle, knocking one of our SWAT officers back," Manley said, adding that the officer sustained minor injuries.

Another member of the SWAT team fired and, as is standard practice, has been placed on administrative duty while the investigation continues, Manley said.

"The suspect is deceased and has significant injuries from a blast that occurred from detonating a bomb inside his vehicle," he added.

...Even though the suspect is dead, officials warned locals to keep on the lookout for other possible explosives.

"This is the culmination of three very long weeks for our community," Manley said. "We don't know where the suspect has spent his last 24 hours, and therefore we still need to remain vigilant to ensure no other packages or devices have been left in the community."

ATF Special Agent in Charge Fred Milanowski told reporters that officials were "concerned that there may still be other devices out there."

I'm sure the investigation will tell us something more about the motive of this terrorist, who will almost certainly continue to not be called a terrorist by the Trump administration.

UPDATE: Authorities have released the identity of the deceased bombing suspect: Pflugerville resident Mark A. Conditt, who was 23, not 24 as originally reported.

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Open Thread

Hosted by a red sofa. Have a seat and chat.

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Question of the Day

Suggested by Shaker Dreadful Invalid: "What is your real-life mundane super power (for instance, some people rarely get sick, others have perfect pitch, and other small-and-unsual-but-handy things like that)?"

I can float straight up and down in water like a cork, without moving.

It's just because I have giant boobs and the calm to trust that I won't sink no matter how still I am, but it's still pretty neat.

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I Write Letters

[Content Note: Tone policing; rape culture.]

Dear Drew Barrymore:

I hope you appreciate the rich, rich irony that your vile tone policing of survivors of sexual harassment and assault for being too angry made me quite angry.

Have a terrible fucking day.

No Love,
Liss

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Cambridge Analytica: Killing Global Democracy for Fun and Profit, Part 2

Yesterday, I shared part one of Channel 4's appalling exposé on Cambridge Analytica, which included undercover footage of Cambridge executives bragging about their complex strategies for subverting democracy around the world.

Channel 4 has now released part two of their investigation, which reveals that Cambridge Analytica claims to have run the entirety of Donald Trump's digital campaign, and, as noted in today's We Resist thread, may have broken U.S. election law in the process.

Again, the entire 17-minute video is worth your time to watch. If I am able to locate a transcript, I will post the link. In the meantime, you can read Channel 4's summary here: "Exposed: Undercover Secrets of Trump's Data Firm."

At the link, Channel 4 notes: "As the report went on air, the firm announced it has suspended chief executive Alexander Nix, pending a full investigation."

Like this is news to them. Good grief. What deeply mendacious scoundrels.

Two additional notes:

1. Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff wants Nix to testify to the House Intelligence Committee about all of this.

2. Nix has already testified once before:

Last year, the House Intelligence Committee spoke with Wylie's former boss Alexander Nix — the chief executive of Cambridge Analytica — by videoconference, as Nix is located in London.

Schiff stressed in his invitation to Wylie that his accounts of Cambridge Analytica's data operations "raise serious questions about the veracity of the testimony" Nix gave to the committee.

So, to be clear: The whistleblower Wylie has raised new questions about Cambridge Analytica's role in the 2016 election, and whether the firm broke U.S. election law while working for Donald Trump's campaign, which has prompted Schiff to want to question Nix for a second time, given concerns that he might have lied to the committee.

Fucking hell.

It's still considered bad taste to say plainly that the sitting United States president is an enemy of democracy, but he sure had a lot of help from people who hate democracy: Cambridge Analytica, whose entire business is based on subverting the democratic process; Vladimir Putin, whose hostility toward democracy is legendary (which is as succinctly as I can sum his vast autocratic resume); and, of course, the entire Republican Party, who have been endeavoring to undermine U.S. democracy for decades, as they can't win nationally on the merits of their garbage policies, so have had to resort to cheating.

Donald Trump keeps bad company for a person who claims to value democracy.

I suspect, friends, that's because he doesn't.

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Fat Fashion

This is your semi-regular thread in which fat women can share pix, make recommendations for clothes they love, ask questions of other fat women about where to locate certain plus-size items, share info about sales, talk about what jeans cut at what retailer best fits their body shapes, discuss how to accessorize neutral colored suits, share stories of going bare-armed for the first time, brag about a cool fashion moment, whatever.

* * *

In one of my selfies from the past two weeks, I was wearing Eloquii's Opposing Striped Knit Dress, which has quickly become one of my favorite pieces. In the photo below, which Iain took, you can see the colored stripes a bit better than in my selfie.

The colors of the Miz Mooz boots with which I paired the dress still aren't really visible in that shot, either, so below is a pic of just the boots.

I adore the dress so much — and since I work at home, I will literally wear it anywhere, lol. In the past three weeks, I've worn it to dinner twice, to therapy, and to the gym!

I have been on a major WEAR ALL THE COLORS kick lately, which I don't see ending anytime soon, and this dress has been absolutely perfect for my sudden mega-colorful phase.

Anyway! As always, all subjects related to fat fashion are on topic, but if you want a topic for discussion: What do you wear when you want to feel bright and colorful, or is that how you always dress, or is that instinct completely foreign to you altogether?

Have at it in comments! Please remember to make fat women of all sizes, especially women who find themselves regularly sizing out of standard plus-size lines, welcome in this conversation, and pass no judgment on fat women who want to and/or feel obliged, for any reason, to conform to beauty standards. And please make sure if you're soliciting advice, you make it clear you're seeking suggestions—and please be considerate not to offer unsolicited advice. Sometimes people just need to complain and want solidarity, not solutions.

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