Earlier today, I was sitting at my desk working when I heard a loud THUMP on the deck. I ran over to the back window to see what it was, and saw a huge groundhog just strolling around back there investigating.
Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me to get a picture, and, within seconds, s/he disappeared under the deck and who knows where after that.
I was naturally wondering what on earth would make a groundhog jump (?) onto our deck, and I realized it must be searching desperately for water to get so close to the house. So I quickly filled bowls and put them out in the front and the back for the wild beasties.
Normally I do that as soon as I hear that a heatwave is imminent, but I forgot this time, darn it.
Anyway! It's a good reminder that there are things we call do to help during a heatwave like the one engulfing much of the U.S. right now.
Put out water bowls for the critters. Share information about cooling centers near you. Inquire with local organizations serving people who are homeless what they may need right now.
Please feel welcome and encouraged to share additional ideas for how we can help each other and wildlife in comments.
How to Help During the Heatwave
An Entire Family of F#@king Grifters
Holy shit. "Since her husband took office Melania Trump has earned six figures from an unusual deal w/ [Getty Images] in which major media orgs have indirectly paid the Trump family despite a requirement that the photos be used only in positive coverage." https://t.co/GuG0bxGQ5n
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) July 2, 2018
To be clear, she has earned at least six figures in royalties, but possibly even more: "According to the revenue statement in [Donald] Trump's May financial disclosure, Melania Trump earned between $100,000 and $1,000,000 in photo royalties in 2017 from the Getty deal."
Akili Ramsess, executive director of the National Press Photographers Association, told NBC News that an agreement in which a photo agency would pay royalties to the Trumps for a set of photographs and then limit the use of those photos only to positive stories is "unusual." No kidding.
This, too, is not normal.
Most modern first ladies have launched books and other commercial products during their stints in the White House — and then donated the entire proceeds to charity. Laura Bush donated a book advance to education charities, and Michelle Obama gave the proceeds from her book American Grown to the National Park Foundation.And if they claim a dime of it has gone to charity, it is safe to assume that's a lie, unless and until there is public proof of claimed donation.
...The White House declined to comment on whether the Trumps have steered any of the proceeds from the Getty deal, which was consummated before Melania Trump became first lady, to a charity. Absent a public announcement, their annual tax returns might provide a hint — but unlike all other modern first families, the Trumps have not released them.
What a truly despicable family.
Daily Dose of Cute
Most nights we have to chase at least one of them (Zelda) and sometimes both of them out of the bed. And it's immensely adorable every. damn. time. Because they do it just so I will jump in the bed and snuggle with them and tell them what BAD DOGS they are as I plant kisses on their snouts.
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
We Resist: Day 529
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.
* * *
Earlier today by me: Patriots Protest Trump's Nativism; Trump Responds with Threat and Trump Seeks Authoritarian Trade Powers in FART Act.
Here are some more things in the news today...
Let us start today with the return of Mitt Romney, who continues to position himself as the moral leader of the Republican resistance (which advocates for nothing but a change in management), despite the fact that his morality includes the belief that people aren't entitled to food.
Having won Utah's Republican senate primary, Romney is now the belle of the ball, so of course MSNBC's Kasie Hunt immediately had to do a softball interview with him to give him free air time to broadcast his execrable views with zero pushback.
During the interview, she asked him if he was planning to support Donald Trump's 2020 reelection bid, and, if you know anything about the Great Politically Expedient Equivocator Mitt Romney, then I bet you can guess what he said!
Kasie Hunt: Will you vote for [Donald] Trump in 2020? You said you think he's going to get re-elected.
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) July 2, 2018
Mitt Romney: It’s too early to say who I will support.
Nah, dude. It is FAR too late to be saying there's a possibility you will still support Trump. https://t.co/FQmCPHJ85z
Let us never forget that, even after Donald Trump instituted a "zero tolerance" policy against refugees seeking asylum from violence, ripped apart families, and put children in cages, Mitt Romney said there was still a chance he could support Donald Trump.
Fuck this guy. Forever.
He is a perfect example of why Trump is where he is and as powerful as he is and as reckless as he is. Because he is the inevitable outgrowth of a craven, cruel party whose members can't take the easiest stand for decency even when lives literally depend on it.
* * *
[Content Note: Nativism; white supremacy; violence. Covers entire section.]
Today in this shit doesn't happen in a vacuum...
Melanie Schmitz at ThinkProgress: Stabbing Rampage at Idaho Apartment Complex Leaves 9 Refugees Injured. "Nine people, including six children, were injured after a man went on a stabbing rampage at an apartment complex housing refugee families Saturday night, police in Boise, Idaho said. Authorities responded to a call about a man with a knife at around 8:46 local time. Police say they arrested the suspect, a 30-year-old man just before 9 p.m., and are interviewing him to determine a motive. The man, a temporary resident at the complex, had been asked to leave the premises Friday. Police released no additional details, except to say that the suspect was not a refugee."
And, in a pointed juxtaposition highlighting the mendacity of "both sides are just as bad" rhetoric...
1. Rebekah Entralgo at ThinkProgress: Alt-Right Protesters Clash with Anti-Fascist Demonstrators in Portland, Oregon. "Bloody street fights erupted in downtown Portland, Oregon late Saturday, when more than 150 marchers with the right-wing protest group Patriot Prayer began beating antifascist protesters with flagpoles and other objects. Heavily armed police were called in to subdue the riot, which broke out after Patriot Prayer supporters arrived in Portland to attend a rally led by Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Washington state Joey Gibson. Gibson, far-right activist, has a track record of organizing political rallies that have attracted counter-protests from anti-fascist groups. ...He also refuses to disavow the Proud Boys, an alt-right fraternity, who are his most ardent supporters."
2. Katelyn Burns at Rewire.News: Hundreds Arrested During Direct Action Opposing ICE in D.C.
Hundreds of people — and at least one member of the U.S. Congress — were arrested on Thursday when as many as 2,500 people took part in a direct action organized by Women's March and the Center for Popular Democracy Action in Washington, D.C.Both sides are not just as bad. Both sides are not "the same." And anyone who espouses that shit as though they're some kind of neutral, objective observer in this moment is a piece of shit. There is no neutral in this battle. There is only complicity or resistance.
The protests, which began at Freedom Plaza before moving to the Hart Senate office building's atrium, called for an end to the Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" immigration policy that has caused a migrant family separation crisis, and for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Capitol Police told Rewire.News that 575 people were arrested and charged with "unlawfully demonstrating" during the protests. According to the Women's March, 630 people were arrested.
...Among those arrested were Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who spoke about her experience in a video posted to her Twitter account on Thursday. "This is far beyond politics — this is about right and wrong and we have to stand up and we have to put ourselves on the line," she said in the video. "I'm proud to have been arrested with them. To put myself in the camp of people who believe that the United States of America is better and as a member of Congress I refuse to let this president and this administration do what they are doing to children, to parents, to asylum seekers in my name."
Several other lawmakers were also on hand for the action, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who was not arrested. "I think it's amazing. This is what democracy looks like and women all across America are speaking out. They are not going to take this; they are going to be heard," said Gillibrand in an interview with Rewire.News prior to the arrests. "They're going to fight, they're going to speak out, they're going to speak back, and they're going to take a stand. That's what they're doing right now."
* * *
Joshua Berlinger at CNN: North Korea Satellite Images Show Missile Plant Construction, Analysts Say. "North Korea appears to be finalizing the expansion of a key ballistic missile manufacturing site, according to an analysis of satellite imagery by researchers in the United States. The images come as leaked reports from U.S. intelligence officials appear to cast doubt on North Korea's willingness abandon its nuclear weapons program, something Washington said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to when he met [Donald] Trump in Singapore last month." And no one with any sense at all is shocked in the slightest.
And in other terrible U.S. foreign policy news...
Did Putin mention this to John Bolton during their recent tête-à-tête, by any chance? https://t.co/iiG8e9co4l
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) June 29, 2018
Putin meets with the National Security Advisor and days later we've got a headline that Trump wants to withdraw troops from Germany? That's no goddamn coincidence. Christ.
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) June 29, 2018
While in Britain, it turns out that Russian interference before the Brexit referendum looks a hell of a lot like Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election...
Ursula Faw at DailyKos: The British Russian Collusion Scandal Is Breaking Wide Open.
There were so many extraordinary occurrences that took place with respect to the Brexit referendum in Great Britain and the United States presidential election, that, taken as a whole, simply cannot be coincidences.Ain't that the truth.
First and foremost both events ultimately were determined in a manner which was advantageous to Vladimir Putin. Second, both Brexit and the U.S. election featured Cambridge Analytica and its founders Robert and Rebekah Mercer as key players. Cambridge Analytica harvested over 50 million Facebook files and interfaced with members of the Trump campaign and Russian bots that showed up in crucial rust belt states masquerading as politically aware next door neighbors.
Now yet another piece in the puzzle of Russian dominion over the two elections is fitting into place. UK financier Aaron Banks financed Brexit with the largest donation in British history after he just happened to have been offered a "sweetheart" deal on Russian gold and diamond mining projects which were only offered to a "restricted number of investors."
...There's an old aphorism, first time is happenstance, second time is coincidence, third time is enemy action. There is no happenstance or coincidence with Vladimir Putin. He cuts straight to the chase all the time, every time. With respect to both Brexit and the US election, Occam's Razor is the only tool you need.
* * *
Martin Pengelly at the Guardian: Michael Cohen Hints at Flipping and Says 'First Loyalty' Is to Family — Not Trump. "Cohen has frequently been aggressive towards reporters working on stories about Trump. He said last September he was 'the guy who would take a bullet for the president' and would 'never walk away.' But speaking to George Stephanopoulos in the ABC interview, which was conducted on Saturday at a hotel in New York City, he said: 'My wife, my daughter, and my son have my first loyalty and always will. I put family and country first.' In answer to the question of whether he expected Trump to turn on him, Cohen said: 'I will not be a punching bag as part of anyone's defense strategy. I am not a villain of this story, and I will not allow others to try to depict me that way.'"
Okay, player.
As you may have already guessed, I don't believe this shit for a hot second!
I really don't GAF what Michael Cohen has to say, unless it's "Here is a comprehensive list of all the ways I have abetted Donald Trump, and I am so sorry, and I am ready to face the consequences for my despicable behavior."
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) July 2, 2018
Unless and until I see evidence to the contrary, I assume that whatever Cohen is doing is *still* in service to Trump, for reasons that might not yet be evident to the rest of us. Much like Giuliani's shenanigans were actually part of a long-term obfuscation strategy.
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) July 2, 2018
My gut instinct is not that Cohen has any plans at all to turn on Trump, but instead that he's already been promised a pardon from Trump as long as he plays along, and, in this case, playing along means giving people more futile hope that someone will "take down Trump" and stop this onslaught of aggressive indecency.
I suspect it's not a coincidence that Cohen provided the grist for precisely that narrative on the same weekend that people were out demonstrating en masse.
Just another coincidentally perfectly-timed message that a hero will emerge to rescue us, right as the idea that we must be the heroes we've been waiting for is once again gaining traction. Funny, that.
In related garbage Trump loyalists news, and news that is much more likely to signal that someone has abandoned the Trump ship:
If Elliott Broidy is calling the contract void, that presumably leaves Shera Bechard free to now say publicly whatever she wants. Like, for example, if "David Dennison" is really Donald Trump. https://t.co/qnD94QjM0s
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) July 2, 2018
Background, in case you need an introduction or a refresher: More on Paul Campos' Trump-Broidy Theory.
* * *
Marlow Stern at the Daily Beast: Hollywood Keeps Getting into Bed with Trump Pariahs. "Last week, The New York Times revealed that Spicer is developing a celebrity-driven talk show with the tentative title Sean Spicer's Common Ground. The series, billed as 'Washington Week meets Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,' is...said to feature Spicer interviewing one guest per episode over 'a drink and some lite conversation at a local pub or café.' ...Michael Avenatti, [Stormy Daniels' attorney], and Anthony Scaramucci, [former White House communications director for 11 days], were pitching a talk show to cable networks. 'The prominent television agent Jay Sures discussed with executives at CNN and MSNBC the concept of a program where the two men would square off, according to three people briefed on the issue. Both have become frequent cable network guests — Mr. Avenatti as one of Mr. Trump's greatest antagonists, and Mr. Scaramucci as a loyalist to the president even after flaming out after less than two weeks at the White House,' reported the Times."
[CN: Misogyny] Danielle Kurtzleben at NPR: Life as a Young Woman Candidate: Fending off 'Older Men' and Being an Outsider. "'I think when you're a young man and you're running for office, you're seen as this bright, energetic go-getter,' [Deborah Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University] said. 'And I think when you're a young woman there's some stereotypes there about, well, 'You're new; you don't know enough yet.'' That's one big drawback of being a young woman on the campaign trail. And there are several others... [Morgan Murtaugh, a 25-year-old Republican running in California's 53rd district] said she has not encountered voter concerns about the fact that she is unmarried and childless. But the question brought up another hurdle: 'No one cares about my personal life, except the older men,' she said. 'I've been hit on multiple times.'"
[CN: War on agency; Christian Supremacy] Amy Littlefield at Rewire.News: Catholic Hospitals Offer a Preview of Life Without Roe — and Bishops Just Tightened the Rules.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has tightened restrictions on reproductive health care for the one in six hospital beds nationwide that operate under its directives.[CN: Police brutality; racism] Blue Telusma at the Grio: Investigation Begins as Hundreds Rally to Protest Lancaster Police Using Taser on Unarmed Black Man Sitting Peaceably. "A crowd of over 200 people rallied on the steps of the Lancaster County Courthouse last Friday to protest a city police officer's use of a Taser on a 27-year-old man the day before, reports Lancaster Online. A video shot by a witness shows Officer Philip Bernot using the Taser on the back of Sean D. Williams as Williams sits on a city curb. Since the clip was released, it has gone viral and amassed over 2 million views on Facebook. ...Williams attended the rally on Friday accompanied by his family members. While he appreciated the support, he admitted, 'I really don't want to be here right now.'"
...The new language requires a Catholic institution that affiliates with another health-care entity to "ensure that neither its administrators nor its employees will manage, carry out, assist in carrying out, make its facilities available for, make referrals for, or benefit from the revenue generated by immoral procedures."
"In any kind of collaboration, whatever comes under the control of the Catholic institution — whether by acquisition, governance, or management — must be operated in full accord with the moral teaching of the Catholic Church, including these Directives," the document states.
This is particularly significant because Catholic hospitals have expanded their dominance of the health-care market through such acquisitions.
Whut. "Judge Stephen Murphy III agreed in his 40-page ruling that 'when a child who could be taught to read goes untaught, the child suffers a lasting injury — and so does society.' But he added it still doesn't follow that literacy is a right." https://t.co/BDcgWHXEY7
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) July 2, 2018
[CN: Environmental racism; class warfare] Anne Branigin at the Root: New York City Finally Admits That More Than 800 Kids Living in Public Housing Tested High for Lead. "For years, New York City has claimed that only 19 children living in New York City Public Housing in the last decade have registered for high lead levels in their blood. The number was considered by some advocates and the press to be dubious, especially given recent revelations that the city had fudged lead paint inspections in public housing units for years. Last Saturday, the city's Department of Health finally offered a realistic number — and it blows the previous count completely out of the water. ...[T]he city Department of Health admitted that between 2012 and 2016, 820 children under the age of 6 were found to have elevated levels of lead in their blood."
[CN: Class warfare] Peter Whoriskey at the Washington Post: 'A Way of Monetizing Poor People': How Private Equity Firms Make Money Offering Loans to Cash-Strapped Americans. "Mass-mailing checks to strangers might seem like risky business, but Mariner Finance occupies a fertile niche in the U.S. economy. The company enables some of the nation's wealthiest investors and investment funds to make money offering high-interest loans to cash-strapped Americans. Mariner Finance is owned and managed by a $11.2 billion private equity fund controlled by Warburg Pincus, a storied New York firm. The president of Warburg Pincus is Timothy F. Geithner, who, as treasury secretary in the Obama administration, condemned predatory lenders. ...'It's basically a way of monetizing poor people,' said John Lafferty, who was a manager trainee at a Mariner Finance branch for four months in 2015 in Nashville. His misgivings about the business echoed those of other former employees contacted by The Washington Post. 'Maybe at the beginning, people thought these loans could help people pay their electric bill. But it has become a cash cow.'"
What have you been reading that we need to resist today?
Discussion Thread: How Are You?
I'm feeling extremely grateful to Rep. Maxine Waters for her incredible speech this weekend; I'm feeling very moved by all the people who are showing up in whatever way(s) they are able to protest the Trump Regime's nativist policies; I'm feeling angry and scared about all the people who still aren't showing up in any way at all; I'm feeling full of piss and vingear and resistance; and I'm feeling tired.
And I am, as always, fucking glad for this community, in this moment. Anyone who wants to join me in another enormous virtual group hug is welcome.
How are you?
Trump Seeks Authoritarian Trade Powers in FART Act
Today in shit I couldn't possibly make up:
Axios has obtained a leaked draft of a Trump administration bill — ordered by the president himself — that would declare America's abandonment of fundamental World Trade Organization rules.So, this is quite terrible, in an increasingly familiar way; that is, Trump seeking to expand and consolidate his power and turn the presidency into an unchecked dictatorship.
Why it matters: The draft legislation is stunning. The bill essentially provides Trump a license to raise U.S. tariffs at will, without congressional consent and international rules be damned.
The details: The bill, titled the "United States Fair and Reciprocal Tariff Act," would give Trump unilateral power to ignore the two most basic principles of the WTO and negotiate one-on-one with any country:
1. The "Most Favored Nation" (MFN) principle that countries can't set different tariff rates for different countries outside of free trade agreements;
2. "Bound tariff rates" — the tariff ceilings that each WTO country has already agreed to in previous negotiations.
"It would be the equivalent of walking away from the WTO and our commitments there without us actually notifying our withdrawal," said a source familiar with the bill.
And, again, doing so around an economic policy that would be disastrous for average working U.S. Americans.
Because our president is a disloyal scoundrel who doesn't GAF about We the People.
Which makes it perfect, I guess, that the "United States Fair and Reciprocal Tariff Act" abbreviates to the U.S. FART Act.
For fuck's sake.
Patriots Protest Trump's Nativism; Trump Responds with Threat
Chicago’s crowd size today was approximately 6 Trump inaugurations. pic.twitter.com/1yTvTK0HiR
— Michael Ⓜ️ (@michaelschweitz) July 1, 2018
Hundreds of thousands of patriots who love their country, democracy, and their fellow humans took to the streets all across the country over the weekend in protest of Donald Trump's vile nativist policies at the southern border.
The media coverage, from my perspective, was...lackluster. I'm curious to see what others thought, but I feel like there has been shockingly little sustained coverage, given the significant scale of the protests all over the nation.
There was, however, an entire article in the Washington Post dedicated to a single man who interrupted a protest in Alabama by brandishing a gun and screaming "Womp womp!" at protesters.
Trump himself, meanwhile, took to Fox News where, during a typically appalling interview, he warned critics of his regime to tread lightly.
Trump warns his critics to "take it easy." 👀
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 1, 2018
"I hope the other side realizes that they better just take it easy. They better just take it easy b/c some of the language used, some of the words used, even some of the radical ideas I really think they are very bad for the country" pic.twitter.com/1v5PzZQO6z
"I think they're actually very dangerous for the country, he added, without a trace of irony.
No. We are, however, dangerous for his ultimate objective. The refusal to capitulate and get in line with his authoritarian takeover will show the rest of the world that the entirety of the U.S. is not rolling over for Trump. We will invite their help, and we will force him to extremes that will oblige their help.
I sure hope so, anyway.
In the meantime, Rep. Maxine Waters continues to lead, in every sense of the word. She has been ahead of the curve in doing and saying what's necessary to effectively resist this toxic administration from Day One — and we will end with her fiery, righteous words.
We are not afraid of you; you should be ashamed. We want our children connected back to their parents. How dare you! How dare you take the babies from mothers' arms! How dare you take the children and send them all across the country into so-called detention centers. You are putting them in cages; you are putting them in jails; and you think we're going to stand by and allow you to do that? I don't think so!
Donald Trump, you think you can get away with everything, but you have gone too far when you're trying to break up families in the way that you do. I don't care whether you're Democrat or Republican; I don't care what nationality you are; I don't care what ethnic group you are; we all love the children, and we're going to stand by them!
Some of us know the history of those who have separated children from their parents. As an African American woman, I was raised on the stories about what happened on the auction block when they auctioned off Africans. They took the fathers and they sent them one place; they took the mothers and they sent them another place; they took the children, the boys to work in the farms and to work in the fields, and the girls to work on domestic matters in the big house. Well, we overcame that. We fought against that. We marched, we fought, and we won — and we're going to win again!
Donald Trump, we are sick and tired of you! We have no fear! You will not intimidate us! We're coming right at you, and we're saying to you — we're saying to you that the Constitution of the United States of America gives us the right to protest, and protest we will!
We're saying to you, Donald Trump, you may not understand the Constitution of the United States, you may not have respect for the Constitution of the United States, but we're going to teach you a lesson — and the lesson that we're going to teach you is this: We understand the Constitution, because we fought for it! We respect the Constitution, because it is what has held us in good stead, despite the people who act like you!
And so, because we know the Constitution, we understand the Constitution, we understand First Amendment rights, we're gonna be in these streets until the children are reconnected with their parents!
Now, we have some members of Congress who are intimidated. I have no fear. I'm in this fight! And I know that there are those who are talking about censuring me, talking about kicking me out of Congress, talking about shooting me, talking about hanging me. All I have to say is this: If you shoot me, you better shoot straight; there's nothing like a wounded animal.
I am prepared to make whatever sacrifices need to be made. I am not about to let this country go by the way of Donald Trump! We are sick and tired of him; he's been there too long. They dare me to say, "Impeach him." Today, I say, "IMPEACH 45!" Today I say: Donald Trump, this is not your country to do with whatever you want to do! This country belongs to all of us!
And because we know that, and we understand that, and we respect our families, we believe in keeping families together. We have great respect for the fact that people get up every day, going to work, doing everything that they can to provide a decent living and safety for their children and their parents — and I want you to know that we are not going to allow you to not understand that, to disrespect that.
We are up and we are strong! We are fighting and we know that we're right! We are going to keep up this fight; we're going to keep up this challenge; we're going to be in the faces of all of those who don't get it. Who don't understand it. We're gonna make them come to the moment when they will say, "My goodness, I guess those people really meant it. I guess they really fought for what they really believed in. And we're gonna have to get out of the way, because, if we don't, they're gonna push us right straight through, and they're gonna make sure — they're gonna make sure that this country lives up to its promise."
We will work, work, work until we bring the children back and connect them with their parents! And I thank all of you for being out here today. I thank you for being so motivated. I thank you for being so energized. I thank you for caring so much about the children and the parents.
But, in all of this, I thank you for knowing that you have a right to protect not only these children and their families, but also to send a message across the world that we are America. We are America! We are America!
We don't separate children. We don't tear up families. We are America! And we're gonna fight for what we believe in! Thank you so very much!
The Virtual Pub Is Open
Belly up to the bar,
and be in this space together.
Friday Links!
This list o' links brought to you by the sound of lawnmowers.
Recommended Reading:
Ayana Byrd at Colorlines: Puerto Rico's Water System Is Almost Fully Operational
Maddie Stone at Earther: The First Awful Heat Wave of the Summer Is Here
Tori Preston at Pajiba: [CN: Moving GIFs at link] Tessa Thompson on Janelle Monáe: 'We Vibrate on the Same Frequency' (SWOON)
Peter Hess at Inverse: Man, Crows Are Even Smarter and Scarier Than We Thought
David Robson at the BBC: Why Athletes Need a 'Quiet Eye'
AJ Caulfield at Looper: [CN: Spoilers for the films Unbreakable and Split] First Glass Poster Teases M. Night Shyamalan's Long-Awaited Superhero Thriller
Hidreley at Bored Panda: 30+ Dogs That Had the Makeovers of Their Lives Done by Japanese Dog Groomer
Leave your links and recommendations in comments. Self-promotion welcome and encouraged!
Texting with Liss and Deeky
Deeky: Buttholes.
Liss: Obvs.
Deeky: I mean.
Liss: Totes.
Deeky: You know! You know.
Liss: You're darn tootin'.
Deeky: Lol. I can't log into Disqus. I forgot my password.
Liss: Reset it!
Deeky: I don't know what email under!
Liss: Probably your old one. [email]
Deeky: That one is dead though. Whoops!
Liss: Lol did you try your new one and it didn't work?
Deeky: Nope.
Liss: Well, try that, and if it doesn't work, just set up a new account with it! Cuz it's almost def [old email], so if that's dead, welp!
Deeky: Ha! I'm in! #thatswhathesaid
Liss: Woot!!! What did you even want to comment on, lol?
Deeky: I don't even remember.
Liss: The photo of two cool cats on a pizza run?
Deeky: Oh yeah!
Liss: [sends below image]
Deeky: OMFG
Liss: Lolololol I should post that as a Texting with Liss and Deeky, shouldn't I?
Deeky: Obviously.
A Prankster Reached Trump on Air Force One, and Trump Was Expectedly Indiscreet
Alexi McCammond at Axios: Prank Caller Patched Through to Trump on Air Force One.
The host of "The Stuttering John" podcast, John Melendez, got [Donald] Trump on the phone yesterday by pretending he was New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez. "This is how easy it is to infiltrate the administration," Melendez said in the episode.Axios' "Why It Matters" section is always amazing (not necessarily in a good way), but that is some terrific understatement, right there. It does indeed call into question White House security, as well as calling into question the judgment of the President of the United States, since he ended up discussing with a prankster his immigration policy and his timeline for making a decision about his SCOTUS nominee. Twelve to fourteen days, if you were curious.
Why it matters: This calls into question White House security.
White House staff members are freaking out today trying to figure out how the podcast host was so easily transferred from the White House switchboard to Air Force One, per a source familiar with the call.Good fucking gourd.
The whole thing is ridiculous. Melendez, the host, had three different interactions with two White House operators and got through two call screens before Jared Kushner called him from Air Force One. According to Melendez, Kushner asked if he wanted to talk to the president then or have them call him back later, which is what he did.
...The White House didn't respond to requests for comment.
Daily Dose of Cute
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
We Resist: Day 526
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.
* * *
Earlier today by me: Five Dead in Shooting at Capital Gazette in Annapolis and Donald Trump, Justice Kennedy, and Deutsche Bank and The Collusion Is Right out in the Open: Syria + the European Union Edition.
Here are some more things in the news today...
#BREAKING Key US inflation indicator hits 6-year high pic.twitter.com/YMMI50VFt3
— AFP news agency (@AFP) June 29, 2018
Relatedly, three days ago, Shaker Adam Jones dropped into comments the link to this New York Times piece, about the "powerful signal of recessions" that "has Wall Street's attention." In response, I commented: "A recession, inflation, and a trade war. Anyone who needs big-ticket items in the near future, especially anything with steel or aluminum — a new car, major repairs, replacement windows, new kitchen or laundry appliances — and can afford to get them now might want to do it. I fear prices are going to go through the roof very soon." For whatever that's worth.
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Jessica Mason Pieklo at Rewire.News: Why I Believe Donald Trump Will Choose a Woman to Kill Roe v. Wade.
I think there's a better chance that Trump nominates a woman to cast the deciding vote to overturn Roe, if and when the time comes.I can't remember a time I disagreed with Jessica, and, unfortunately, this time is no different. I also fully expect Trump to nominate a woman to kill Roe. Among all the other damage his nominee is anticipated to do.
This works in Trump's favor in several ways. First, he'll preen about how much he loves women. I can already hear him: "Look at me! I love women so much I just appointed one to replace a man at the Supreme Court! Nobody loves women more than me."
Second, it'll put Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), who are both pro-choice, in the position of possibly voting against only the fifth woman ever appointed to the high court. I know Democrats, who need Collins' and Murkowski's help to block a Trump nominee, plan to push them from the left. It's safe to assume they're getting even more pressure from the right.
And finally, what could be more perfect from an evangelical standpoint than to have a woman kill abortion rights? They'll even call it feminism.
Samantha Allen at the Daily Beast: Will Trump's New SCOTUS Judge Mean the End of My Gay Marriage — and So Many Others? "With the near certainty of a far-right replacement for Kennedy, the sort of tangible rights that same-sex couples like mine have only begun to taste could be yanked away. Our marriages — if we still have marriages in every state — might be relegated to some sort of second-class status that would allow basically anyone to turn us away. At the very worst, the United States could become the second country in the world after Bermuda to repeal same-sex marriage rights after previously recognizing them."
Kyla Mandel at ThinkProgress: Here's What Environmental Law Experts Think About Justice Kennedy's Retirement. "Kennedy's retirement is 'terrible news for environmental law and the protection of public health and the environment,' Patrick Parenteau, law professor and senior counsel in the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic at Vermont Law School, told ThinkProgress. As most experts agree, Kennedy will almost certainly be replaced with a more conservative judge, tipping the balance further to the right and leaving key environmental protection rulings vulnerable."
Basically, there isn't a single progressive advocacy community that isn't fear-shitting about what Kennedy's departure from the Supreme Court means for our future.
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[Content Note: Nativism; child abuse. Covers entire section.]
Lisa Riordan Seville and Hannah Rappleye at NBC News: Trump Administration Ran 'Pilot Program' for Separating Migrant Families in 2017.
The government was separating migrant parents from their kids for months prior to the official introduction of zero tolerance, running what a U.S. official called a "pilot program" for widespread prosecutions in Texas, but apparently did not create a clear system for parents to track or reunite with their kids.Emphases mine.
Officials have said that at least 2,342 children were separated from their parents after being apprehended crossing the border unlawfully since May 5, when the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy towards migrants went into effect.
But numbers provided to NBC News by the Department of Homeland Security show that another 1,768 were separated from their parents between October 2016 and February 2018, bringing the total number of separated kids to more than 4,100.
..."This was happening in El Paso before it was news," said Linda Rivas, executive director of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center. "People didn't believe it."
Michael E. Miller at the Washington Post: Inside a U.S. Immigration Jail, Mothers Count the Days Since They've Seen Their Children. "'It's been four months since I saw my son,' one woman wrote next to her nine-digit alien registration number. 'He's three years old.' 'I haven't even spoken to her,' wrote a mother separated from her 5-year-old for weeks. 'I'm desperate.' 'I'm destroyed,' added another. ...[Trump] signed an executive order halting the separations last week. But even as immigrant rights activists hailed the ruling, it was not clear what it would mean for parents such as Veliz who are locked up thousands of miles from their children, awaiting asylum or immigration hearings in courts. 'We are hoping the government doesn't create mass family immigration prisons,' said Lee Gelernt, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the San Diego lawsuit. 'The administration has been floating that idea. We are not deluding ourselves.'"
Rebekah Entralgo at ThinkProgress: Trump Administration Is Drafting a Plan to Dramatically Change the U.S. Asylum System. "The plan, created under the watchful eye of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, would effectively bar people from receiving asylum if they entered the country between ports of entry. Additionally, the regulation would codify an opinion written by Sessions in June that sought to restrict asylum for victims of domestic and gang violence. ...Penalizing asylum-seekers for entering the country 'the wrong way' is consequential for a number reasons — most importantly because it is becoming increasingly complicated for immigrants to enter 'the right way.' Immigrants arriving at ports of entry are being repeatedly turned away and asked to come back at a later date. Under the Trump administration's new 'zero-tolerance' policy, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have employed a new strategy of staking out international bridges to tell Central American asylum seekers they cannot proceed to the port because they are at capacity."
.@HillaryClinton y'all: "What is more uncivil and cruel than taking children away? It should be met with resolve. And if some of that comes across as a little uncivil, well, children’s lives are at stake. That is that ridiculous concept of bothsideism." https://t.co/ghV51mkfsM
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) June 29, 2018
"She tells me she has raised $1.5m in the days before we meet, to 'flood the border with lawyers, interpreters, experienced social workers, psychologists. We just have to get as much expertise down there to force the federal government to give us everything.'"
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) June 29, 2018
Marissa J. Lang at the WaPo/Chicago Tribune: More Than 500 Arrested as Women Rally in D.C. to Protest Trump's Immigration Policy. "Capitol Police said 575 protesters were arrested and escorted out of the Hart Senate Office Building in a mass demonstration that called for the abolishment of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, and an end to migrant family detentions and the Trump administration's 'zero tolerance' immigration policy. They were charged with unlawfully demonstrating, a misdemeanor. ...As police continued to clear the area, several senators greeted demonstrators, including Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. 'I join them in calling on the Trump administration to reunite these families and give these kids back to their parents,' Duckworth said."
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[CN: Nazism; homophobia]
This is not getting any national attention, but it should: A man arrested on suspicion of setting off multiple bombs in his community had drawn swastikas, liked Nazis, and hated gays. https://t.co/TiW4ZXtCTD
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) June 29, 2018
Like the killer in the Capital Gazette shooting, this bomber was said to have been acting on a grievance: "Surman, who sells chemicals and chemical blends through eBay, Amazon, and other websites, has been in a zoning dispute with Milford Township over the company for some time."
But, again, like Ramos, Surman didn't choose to act on that long-running grudge with public violence until now. And I don't believe for a moment that's a coincidence.
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[CN: Violence]
Trump's BFF Kim Jong Un executed one of his generals for, among other "crimes," giving extra fuel, rice, and corn to fellow officers and their families. https://t.co/T4tSWA205V
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) June 29, 2018
By way of reminder, it was exactly two weeks ago today that Trump joked about Kim killing his generals.
Ken Dilanian at NBC News: Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein, FBI Director Wray Face Angry House Republicans. "Angry House Republicans" is one way of putting it. Another, more accurate way of putting it might be "House Republicans who are feigning righteous anger to conceal their attempt to obstruct justice on behalf of their corrupt and disloyal president."
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that "White House Chief of Staff John Kelly could depart in coming weeks." Great job with all that "moderating," pal. Seeya.
What have you been reading that we need to resist today?
The Collusion Is Right out in the Open: Syria + the European Union Edition
As I've been saying for a very long time, the collusion between the Trump Regime and the Kremlin has always happened right out in the open. Despite whatever else may be going on behind closed doors, there's been plenty of evidence right before our eyes, ever since then-candidate Donald Trump, at a speaking engagement on the campaign trail, publicly invited Russia to hack the State Department to access Hillary Clinton's emails.
That was two years ago next month, and, in the interim, the open collusion has continued as Trump has obstructed justice to derail the Russia investigation; has denied Russia intervened in the election; has unilaterally overruled the legislative branch to Russia's benefit; has removed staff that don't toe his line on Russia; has refused to enforce sanctions on Russia; has called for Russia to be reinstated to the G-7/8; has blamed Obama for Russia's annexation of Crimea, but not Putin; has repeatedly praised Putin and sought a meeting with him, which has now been officially scheduled; and in countless other ways generally downplayed Russian aggression and pursued foreign policy that benefits the Kremlin, while domestically trying to stymie any attempt at accountability for his disloyal actions.
All while we wait interminably for "proof" of his collusion from investigators.
Today, there are two more important stories demonstrating the collusion that continues to happen right out in the open.
1. [Content Note: Video may autoplay at link] Michelle Kosinski and Zachary Cohen at CNN: Trump Privately Floats Plan to Make a Deal with Putin on Syria.
One source told CNN that Trump believes he can strike a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin on a so-called exclusion zone in southwest Syria that will allow the US to "get out ASAP."At the Washington Post, David Ignatius further notes: "Trump's willingness to accede to Russian power in Syria — and to give up hard-won U.S. gains — troubles many Pentagon officials, but they seem to be losing the argument. ...Putin has taken a decisive position in Syria at minimal cost — with a deferential Trump now seeming ready to confirm his victory."
...Now Trump appears intent on reviving the issue and will have an opportunity to discuss the topic with Putin when the two meet in Helsinki, Finland, next month. US officials have said Syria is on the agenda for the summit, but they have offered few specifics as to what the two leaders will talk about.
According to these sources, Trump's plan would allow the Russians to help Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad take back an area along the Jordanian border where the US-led coalition and its military partners are experiencing increased opposition from "an unidentified hostile force" in recent days despite a previous ceasefire.
...The President's desire to exit Syria as soon as possible has raised concerns among US allies in the region, particularly the rebel Syrian Democratic Forces, and could embolden the forces of the Syrian regime, Iran, and Turkey, all of which have mostly resisted attacking US allies in Syria due to concerns about US retaliation.
I have previously noted that the 2016 presential campaigns of every one of Hillary Clinton's chief rivals advocated a policy of working with Russia in Syria that did not make sense then and does not make sense still. Trump is now president, and here we are.
2. Josh Rogin at the Washington Post: Trump Is Trying to Destabilize the European Union.
During a private meeting at the White House in late April, Trump was discussing trade with French President Emmanuel Macron. At one point, he asked Macron, "Why don't you leave the E.U.?" and said that if France exited the union, Trump would offer it a bilateral trade deal with better terms than the E.U. as a whole gets from the United States, according to two European officials. The White House did not dispute the officials' account, but declined to comment.Emphases mine.
Let's set aside for a moment the point that Trump's proposal reveals a basic lack of understanding of Macron's views and those of the people who elected him. This is an instance of the president of the United States offering an incentive to dismantle an organization of America's allies, against stated U.S. government policy.
...Trump has been publicly trashing the E.U. and NATO since his campaign, but the pace and viciousness of his attacks have increased.
...Of course, Trump's opinions closely track those of Putin, including on the status of Crimea, aid to Ukraine, and Russia's interference in the U.S. elections. Overall, Trump's attack on the E.U. and the U.S.-Europe relationship is a huge strategic windfall for Russia.
To pretend this is not collusion with Russia is to inexplicably believe that Trump continually makes decisions that coincidentally are also exactly what Putin wants and coincidentally serve Putin's agenda, and that's just a lucky break for the guy who intervened in the election which landed Trump in the very position to make those decisions.
Imagining this is mere serendipity beggars belief.
None of this is an accident. It's collusion. And it is happening right out in the open, so brazenly that reasonable people are convincing themselves that they can't possible be witnessing what they actually are.
Donald Trump, Justice Kennedy, and Deutsche Bank
Yesterday, Adam Liptak and Maggie Haberman penned a piece for the New York Times headlined: "Inside the White House's Quiet Campaign to Create a Supreme Court Opening." Buried 15 paragraphs into the piece comes this passage:
But they had a connection, one Mr. Trump was quick to note in the moments after his first address to Congress in February 2017. As he made his way out of the chamber, Mr. Trump paused to chat with the justice.Deutsche Bank didn't just do regular old business with Trump. As I noted in February of 2017, it appears that Deutsche Bank was helping Trump play a real estate shell game:
"Say hello to your boy," Mr. Trump said. "Special guy."
Mr. Trump was apparently referring to Justice Kennedy's son, Justin. The younger Mr. Kennedy spent more than a decade at Deutsche Bank, eventually rising to become the bank's global head of real estate capital markets, and he worked closely with Mr. Trump when he was a real estate developer, according to two people with knowledge of his role.
During Mr. Kennedy's tenure, Deutsche Bank became Mr. Trump's most important lender, dispensing well over $1 billion in loans to him for the renovation and construction of skyscrapers in New York and Chicago at a time other mainstream banks were wary of doing business with him because of his troubled business history.
Further, the Guardian piece reveals: "According to an analysis by Bloomberg, Trump now owes Deutsche around $300m. He has four large mortgages, all issued by Deutsche's private bank. The loans are guaranteed against the president's properties: a new deluxe hotel in Washington DC's old Post Office building, just round the corner from the White House; his Chicago tower hotel; and the Trump National Doral Miami resort."And it's a shell game that may have been part of a larger scheme that involved Russian money laundering via real estate, which is partly why Deutsche Bank was being scrutinized by Special Counsel Bob Mueller. I wrote in December of 2017:
Except: There's a mistake there. Trump leases the Post Office. He cannot take out a mortgage on it. What he has is a loan that he "personally guaranteed."
A personal guarantee means no collateral. And if the loan goes south, then the lender can seize assets. But if Trump's got mortgages against his other assets, that means he's got nothing. No equity to seize. It's a shell game.
First, a brief history of Donald Trump and Deutsche Bank: After a series of bankruptcies and other bad financial decisions made the Trump Organization toxic to lenders, Deutsche Bank, who inexplicably continued to do business with Trump, became his biggest financer.And at that point, Deutsche Bank complied with Mueller's investigation. Of course we don't yet know what the outcome of that is, since Mueller hasn't disclosed his findings.
In February, a report in the Guardian, about Deutsche Bank doing an "internal investigation" for any potential ties between Trump's accounts in Russia, noted that Trump owed Deutsche Bank around $300 million in loan repayments.
He has a long history and a lot of debt with Deutsche Bank, who themselves have a history of shady dealings in the U.S., which has prompted a number of federal investigations. In January, they were fined $630 million by the U.S. Department of Justice for helping Russian oligarchs launder their money.
Trump isn't the only member of his administration with deep ties to Deutsche Bank. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross also has a complex and troubling relationship to the bank. And Jared Kushner's real estate company had finalized a $285 million loan with Deutsche Bank right before the election, which he subsequently failed to disclose. Caroline O. has even more in a Twitter thread beginning here.
In May, House Democrats asked Deutsche Bank "to hand over its findings on two politically charged matters — its banking on behalf of [Donald] Trump and trades from the bank's Moscow operation that helped move some $10 billion out of Russia." They refused, citing client confidentiality.
But now Special Counsel Robert Mueller has issued a subpoena requesting "information on certain money and credit transactions" regarding "accounts held by [Trump] and his family."
It's important to note that Mueller's subpeona and Deutsche Bank's compliance happened in December, because we learned in April that Trump had moved to fire Mueller in December — and that it was specifically because he was subpoenaing Deutsche Bank for records regarding Trump and his family.
So Trump is very tetchy regarding his relationship with Deutsche Bank, and now, in an article about how Trump orchestrated a campaign to get Kennedy to retire from the Supreme Court, we learn that Kennedy's son was working for Deutsche Bank in the capacity of lending Trump enormous sums of money in a possibly illegal scheme connected to Russian money laundering.
Meanwhile, as Rep. Maxine Waters has to cancel public appearances because she's getting death threats ostensibly in response to her advocacy of publicly protesting members of the Trump Regime, it's probably worth recalling that Waters has been connecting the dots on Trump, Deutsche Bank, and Russia since March of 2017.
What does all of this mean? That's uncertain. What is clear, however, is that there is deep and extensive corruption at the heart of this administration, and the son of the Supreme Court justice who just abruptly retired is directly connected to it.
Five Dead in Shooting at Capital Gazette in Annapolis
[Content Note: Gun violence; death and injury; misogynistic violence.]
Yesterday, a man with a "long-standing grudge against the paper," a history of misogynistic abuse, and access to a shotgun killed five people at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland.
Journalists dived under their desks and pleaded for help on social media. One reporter described the scene as a "war zone." A photographer said he jumped over a dead colleague and fled for his life.The Baltimore Sun has obituarities for each of the victims: Gerald Fischman; Rob Hiaasen; John McNamara; Rebecca Smith; and Wendi Winters. My condolences to their families, friends, and colleagues. I am so sorry.
The victims were identified as Rob Hiaasen, 59, a former feature writer for The Baltimore Sun who joined the Capital Gazette in 2010 as an assistant editor and columnist; Wendi Winters, 65, a community correspondent who headed special publications; Gerald Fischman, 61, the editorial page editor; John McNamara, 56, a staff writer who had covered high school, college, and professional sports for decades; and Rebecca Smith, 34, a sales assistant hired in November.
Two others were injured in the attack that began about 2:40 p.m. at the Capital Gazette offices at 888 Bestgate Road in Annapolis.
Police took a suspect into custody soon after the shootings. He was identified as Jarrod W. Ramos, a 38-year-old Laurel man with a long-standing grudge against the paper.
Ramos was charged with five counts of first-degree murder, according to online court records.
Ramos' motive may have been his grievance with the paper, but the deadly action he decided to take only now did not happen in a vacuum. It happened two days after a prominent rightwing provocateur said: "I can't wait for the vigilante squads to start gunning journalists down on sight." It happened in the midst of the sitting president's years-long war on the press.
Thoughts and prayers aren't going to cut it. Accountability for and a willingness to change a culture of violence is where we have to start.
Maybe Ramos was not directly influenced by anything he heard from Trump, M1lo, or other press-demonizing endorsers of violence, but the incendiary trash they disgorge creates a toxic culture in which we all swim.
Conservatives can't keep pretending that the only culture which exists is the progressive culture they want to attack and destroy.
Related Reading: Their Bootstraps Made Them Do It and Every. Damn. Time.
Question of the Day
What's for dinner?
Probably a garden salad with turkey.
[Got a good suggestion for a future Question of the Day? Let me know here!]
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.
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I went out to dinner with Iain and good friends last night, and we laughed a lot and took pictures under an exquisite moon, and I ate delicious gumbo and got a compliment on my top from our waitress, who is a lovely person studying to be a healthcare provider, and then I came home to two adorable dogs and two adorable cats, and curled up with them and my love to watch Marcos Rojo, who plays for Manchester United, score a winner for Argentina in the World Cup, and all of that was very good.
