Friday, October 5, 2018
THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION
- Nunes buried evidence on Russian meddling to protect Trump. I know because I’m on the committee
- Mueller moves for forfeiture order to seize Manafort assets
- Bungling Russian spies’ passports identify more than 300 GRU agents
COHEN, NEW YORK, EMOLUMENTS, AND OTHER LAWSUITS
SCOTUS & #METOO
- ‘You disgusting human being being’: People react to Donald Trump calling sexual assault survivors elevator screamers’
- ‘Willing to go to the mat’: How Trump and Republicans carried Kavanaugh to the cusp of confirmation
- 10 Kavanaugh Scandals That Have Nothing to Do With Sexual Assault
- 3 million raised for Senator Collins opponent amid Kavanaugh outcry.
- A Starr Report – Lawfare
- A viral confrontation with Sen. Flake made her ‘the woman in the elevator.’ She’s trying to make that matter.
- Activists Pledge $1.9 Million to Susan Collins’s Democratic Challenger If She Votes to Confirm Brett Kavanaugh
- Alyssa Milano: Just a reminder: Not one Republican has signed on to the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Not. One.
- American Bar Association reopens Kavanaugh evaluation
- Angry over Kavanaugh’s confirmation? This fight was worth having. And it continues.
- As Bush aide, Kavanaugh sent 227 emails about “surveillance,” raising questions about his role
- Avenatti declares war on Susan Collins
- Brett Kavanaugh and the Information Terrorists Trying to Reshape America
- Brett Kavanaugh Has ‘Energized’ Donald Trump Impeachment Petition As It Nears 6 Million Signatures
- Brett Kavanaugh Has Been Unmasked As A Partisan Zealot — Confirming Him Would Do Lasting Damage To The Court
- Brett Kavanaugh Lied Brazenly and Repeatedly Under Oath. Any Law Student Knows He Cannot Sit on the Supreme Court
- Brett Kavanaugh: Where Supreme Court nominee stands on guns, abortion
- Coons Had ‘Constructive’ Chat With Flake Friday Before Vote On Kavanaugh
- Dan Rather: Collins ‘misses her moment to be a hero’ by voting for Kavanaugh
- Dear Susan Collins: The Opposition to Brett Kavanaugh Includes Churches, Law Professors, and Conservatives – Even His Own Friends
- Either Sen. Collins VOTES NO on Kavanaugh OR we fund her future opponent | Crowdpac
- Elizabeth Warren’s new, tantalizing claim about Kavanaugh shows what utter madness this is
- F.B.I. Review of Kavanaugh Was Limited From the Start
- Facebook employees outraged over top exec’s public show of support for Brett Kavanaugh
- FBI Probe of Brett Kavanaugh Limited By Trump White House
- Fmr. Supreme Court Justice says Kavanaugh should be disqualified
- George W. Bush made several calls reassuring Collins about Kavanaugh
- GOP nervous ahead of Kavanaugh vote: “We don’t have 50 right now”
- Graham once thought Trump would pick Judge Judy instead of Kavanaugh: ‘I swear to God’
- Grassley Says Workload Discourages Women Senators From Joining Judiciary Panel, Then Walks Back Remark
- Human Rights Watch Opposes Nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court
- If Kavanaugh Is Confirmed, We Need to Mobilize Like Never Before
- J’accuse! America gets its own Dreyfus Affair | Spectator USA
- Kagan and Sotomayor call for impartial court as final Kavanaugh vote looms
- Kavanaugh: It’s your fault I got this angry
- Kavanaugh’s Partisanship Alone Disqualifies Him
- Lady Gaga Blasts Donald Trump and GOP for Mocking Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, “It’s one of the most upsetting things I’ve ever witnessed.”
- Lincoln’s Bible: And everyone who has fallen into the easily weaponized trap of “he said – she said” could have pulled themselves out, focused on all of Kavanaugh’s provable lies about his financials – when he was an ADULT SITTING JUDGE, and demanded the press cover that. Thread
- Manchin drowned out by protesters as he explains vote
- Montana Sen. Steve Daines will use private jet to make Kavanaugh vote, if needed
- More than 80 Maine writers, including Stephen King, to Sen. Collins: Vote ‘no’ on Kavanaugh
- Murkowski Votes No On Procedural Vote For Kavanaugh
- New evidence of a Kavanaugh cover up
- Please move to South Carolina’: Lindsey Graham shrugs off Kavanaugh protester who follows him to his car
- Post Editorial Board opposes Supreme Court nominee for first time since 1987
- President Trump implies — without evidence — that protesters who confronted Flake were ‘paid’
- Protesters Outside McConnell’s House Drinking PBR, Chanting ‘I Like Beer’
- RBG Plans to Serve Supreme Court Until She’s 90, Blocking Another Trump Pick
- Sen. Jeff Flake indicates he will vote yes to make Kavanaugh a Supreme Court justice
- Sen. Lisa Murkowski: Brett Kavanaugh is not ‘the right man for the court at this time’
- Sen. Manchin, a Democrat, will vote to confirm Kavanaugh
- Sen. Susan Collins and Brett Kavanaugh Are Both in the Bush Family Inner Circle. That Helps Explain Her Vote.
- Senator Susan Collins Betrays Women in Kavanaugh Vote Speech
- Senators take to the floor ahead of key vote in Kavanaugh confirmation
- Sens. Susan Collins and Jeff Flake Are Frauds, Plain and Simple. Their Kavanaugh Votes Show It.
- Shannon Watts: Just a reminder that Susan Collins called on Al Franken to resign without the so-called due process and presumption of innocence that she claimed to be defending today regarding Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
- Site Fundraising for Senator Collins’s Opponent Crashed by Too Many Donations
- So it’s true: Republicans really do hate women
- Steve Schmidt: The price of Brett Kavanaugh’s ascension to the the SC is incalculably high. It will shatter the institutional integrity of the Court and eviscerate standards and expectations for both honesty and non partisanship in Judicial nominees for many years.
- Susan Collins Just Raised $2 Million for Whoever Decides to Run Against Her
- Susan Collins Supports Kavanaugh, Putting Him in Reach of Supreme Court
- Susan Collins Will Be Judged By History
- Susan Collins’ Bad Faith Her pro-Cavanaugh Speech on the Senate floor was an insult to Americans’ intelligence
- Susan Collins’ Senate Speech Was a Cruel Attack on Christine Blasey Ford
- Susan Rice tweets ‘Me’ when asked who could challenge Sen. Collins in 2020
- Tea Pain: Trump abused the power of his office to prevent Kavanaugh from bein’ interviewed by the FBI and now Trump expects Kavanaugh to return the favor.
- Ted Lieu: Kavanaugh. Lied. Under. Oath. Repeatedly.
- Texas Woman’s Anti-Kavanaugh Yard Sign Confiscated by Cops after GOP Official Complains
- The American Bar Association is re-evaluating Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s ‘well-qualified’ rating ahead of the Senate vote to confirm him
- The battle over accusations goes on as Kavanaugh nomination advances
- The Kremlin’s For Kavanaugh: Russian State Media Back Trump’s Supreme Court Nominee
- The rise and reckoning of Brett Kavanaugh
- The Trump Administration Just Quietly Adopted An “Open Science” Policy That Limits Conservation Science
- Top Dem Super PAC Backs Away From Phil Bredenson for Backing Kavanaugh
- Trump Calls Kavanaugh Protesters ‘Elevator Screamers’ Paid By Soros
- Trump Campaign Calls for Kavanaugh to Be Approved to Senate Instead of Supreme Court
- Why is Lindsey Graham acting like this?
TRUMP THE RUSSIAN ASSET
- Donald Trump has turned America into a place where victims are mocked and being merciless is a virtue
- Trump Pushes Conspiracy Theory, Claims Sexual Assault Survivors Confronting Senators Are Paid Actors
- President Trump implies — without evidence — that protesters who confronted Flake were ‘paid’
- Trump reportedly got confused watching Fox News and thought North Korea was launching nukes
- Trump: Anti-Kavanaugh protesters ‘are paid professionals’
TRAITOR TOTS
- McConnell Received $3.5M In Campaign Donations From Russian Oligarch-Linked Firm
- Historian of Nazism explains why GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell is the ‘gravedigger of American Democracy’
- A leading Holocaust historian just seriously compared the US to Nazi Germany
FIGHTING BACK
- Trump opponents rejoice as US President is snubbed for Nobel peace prize in favour of campaigners against sexual violence
- Remember when Trump paid actors to cheer during his presidential campaign announcement?
- Protesters Outside McConnell’s House Drinking PBR, Chanting ‘I Like Beer’
- Melania Trump Greeted With ‘Not a Shithole’ Sign as a ‘Welcome to Malawi’
- Facebook employees outraged over top exec’s public show of support for Brett Kavanaugh
- A Former Obama Operative Built a New Anti-Republican Attack Machine – Bloomberg
IMMIGRATION
- Immigrant Girl Will Be Deported Because Adoptive Father Missed Deadline While Serving in Afghanistan
- Families unite to search for remains of missing loved ones in Mexico
COLD WAR 2.0
- Dutch to host EU talks on new-model human rights sanctions
- Bill Browder: Dutch government to formally introduce EU wide Magnitsky Act proposal to other EU foreign ministers at the EU Council (but strangely refuse to call it a Magnitsky Act). They hope the have the EU law in place within 12 months.
- Danske Bank memo shows how Russians moved money
- Pentagon considering an insect army
- Interpol chief vanishes on Chinese trip
- Israeli police question PM again on corruption allegations
- 17 years of war in Afghanistan: Stories of fallen U.S. service members
#NEVERAGAIN
- Shannon Watts: I MEAN THANK GOD THERE’S NO HOT AIR BALLOON LOBBY BECAUSE OTHERWISE TED CRUZ WOULD BE SAYING THE ONLY THING TO STOP HOT AIR BALLOON ACCIDENTS IS MORE HOT AIR BALLOONS AND FEWER REGULATIONS… Vote @BetoORourke. Hot air balloon deaths in the US in the last decade: 19 Gun violence deaths during same period: About 350,000 Ted Cruz voted against universal background checks after Sandy Hook and still hasn’t acted in the wake of horrific mass shootings like Sutherland Springs and Santa Fe.
- David Hogg: On November 6th at 10 am we #WalkOutToVote at colleges and high schools -To end gun violence -End family separation -Elect men that believe victims of sexual assault. -Save our environment -End mass incarceration -To save our generation when our elected officials won’t.
THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE
- Why the furious NFL anthem controversy has receded
- The Kremlin’s For Kavanaugh: Russian State Media Back Trump’s Supreme Court Nominee
- Russia Is Exploiting American White Supremacy Over and Over Again
- Right-Wing Media’s Love Affair With ‘Lindsey Graham 2.0’
- Rep. Khanna Releases Internet Bill of Rights
- Laura Ingraham Thinks Maybe She Should Run For Senate After Murkowski’s ‘No’ Vote
- Fox News is turning Brett Kavanaugh into a symbol of white grievance
TRADE WAR AND ECONOMY
- Unemployment rate falls to 3.7 percent, lowest since 1969
- NYAG: Last month, we received a disturbing letter from a corporate-backed group called the Liberty Justice Center. They are threatening to sue us if we don’t undermine the rights of public employees in New York. We will do no such thing. Thread
- Canceling Student Debt Would Stimulate the Economy—and Voter Turnout
RACE TALK
- White parents teach their children to be colorblind. That’s bad for everyone.
- White People Are Divided Over Kavanaugh. Black People Aren’t.
- ‘The Hate U Give’ is a powerful, essential movie for 2018
- Conservatives’ Self-Delusion on Race
Americans are at an impasse in their understanding of racism today. The activist slogan “Black Lives Matter” is met by the rejoinder “All Lives Matter” or “Blue Lives Matter.” Colin Kaepernick’s NFL protest about racial injustice is perceived only as an anti-American blast. President Trump tells reporters he is “the least racist person” they will ever interview. In each of these cases, conservatives feel deeply that they are not the bigots they are made out to be, declaring wide-eyed innocence in the face of any charge of racial animus.
This claim to racial innocence is not a new feature of the conservative movement, but rather one woven into the development of modern conservatism, part of an effort on the right to cleanse itself of its support for segregation and other racist policies, while heaping the blame for any racist outcomes in American society on their opponents on the left.
GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD
- Utah Spent Half-a-Million in Taxpayer Cash to Sue a Movie Theater for Showing Deadpool
- Steve Schmidt: The price of Brett Kavanaugh’s ascension to the the SC is incalculably high. It will shatter the institutional integrity of the Court and eviscerate standards and expectations for both honesty and non partisanship in Judicial nominees for many years.
- So it’s true: Republicans really do hate women
- Conservatives Threaten Destroy GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowskis Career After Kavanaugh Vote
- Bishop Talbert Swan: In my state, sexual predators must register with the sexual offender registry to be easily identified. In Washington, they register with the Republican Party.
- Ahmed Baba: The barometer for party affiliation is no longer policy preference. It’s basic human decency.
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
- Officer Jason Van Dyke found guilty of second-degree murder in Laquan McDonald killing
- Jury convicts Chicago police officer of second-degree murder in the 2014 shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald
- Four Louisiana Businessmen Charged with Conspiracy and Bribery of Former Mississippi Corrections Commissioner and Kemper County Sheriff | USAO-SDMS | Department of Justice
ELECTION 2018
- Top Dem Super PAC Backs Away From Phil Bredenson for Backing Kavanaugh
- Many voters abroad are being blocked from states’ election websites amid security concerns
- Jenny Cohn: What can we stil do to protect the midterms against hacking? Thread
- In deep-red Tennessee, Republicans are anxious about the U.S. Senate race
- Minutes after Sen. Susan Collins announced her support for Brett Kavanaugh, the site to fund her opponent was so overwhelmed that it crashed
- 3 million raised for Senator Collins opponent amid Kavanaugh outcry.
- Either Sen. Collins VOTES NO on Kavanaugh OR we fund her future opponent | Crowdpac
- David Hogg: On November 6th at 10 am we #WalkOutToVote at colleges and high schools -To end gun violence -End family separation -Elect men that believe victims of sexual assault. -Save our environment -End mass incarceration -To save our generation when our elected officials won’t.
- Ahmed Baba: The barometer for party affiliation is no longer policy preference. It’s basic human decency.
- All that stands between American democracy and the abyss is your vote in November
- A Former Obama Operative Built a New Anti-Republican Attack Machine – Bloomberg
PROGRESS IS PROGRESS
RUMOR MILL
- Tea Pain: Any man votin’ Republican tells the world, “Women don’t matter.” Any women votin’ Republican tells the world those men are right.
- Ming: why GOP so jittery? why worry about wat come out bout Kavanaugh? why concerns about blackouts? #JudgeBlackout
- Lincoln’s Bible: And everyone who has fallen into the easily weaponized trap of “he said – she said” could have pulled themselves out, focused on all of Kavanaugh’s provable lies about his financials – when he was an ADULT SITTING JUDGE, and demanded the press cover that. Thread
- Jenny Cohn: What can we stil do to protect the midterms against hacking? Thread
- Charlotte Clymer: Don’t for one second doubt your anger in this moment. Your anger is worthy and real and rational. Be angry. Stay angry. Vote angry. Let them know your anger in November.
- Chris “Cal” Carnahan: 1. I’m not a member of @dnc. I’m a registered independent. I usually vote a split ticket depending on the various local/national candidates. Brett Kavanaugh’s horrific performance and @SenatorCollins tin foil hat speech are seared in my conscience. I will never vote GOP again. Thread
That’s it for Friday. It’s a light entry because Saturday sucked. I’ll cover it on the Monday and Weekend post, but Kavanaugh was confirmed in a very narrow vote. It’s been rough. I’m writing this on Sunday night, and just opened Twitter for the first time since Saturday Morning. It’s a hard battle to lose, but it’s just that: a battle.
We are at war to save the Republic from corruption and criminals that would abuse, pervert, and destroy the very system that they claim to love, all to further their own personal gains. In war, there are casualties. Battles are won and lost. Some battles are harder than others. However, victory can sometimes secured for the war by losing a battle.
I honestly feel that long term the Kavanaugh confirmation will become a Pyrrhic victory for the Republicans. We’re not stopping the effort to expose his corruption with him taking the bench. Oh, fuck no. We’ll continue the fight to make sure that his finances and statements are investigated. We’ll continue the fight until he, like the rest of the corrupt and traitorous, are removed from power and receive the punishment their crimes demand.
The first part of this plan is vote, and vote Democrat in November. None of this split ticket bullshit. Vote every Republican out of office for the foreseeable future. The Republican Party no longer stands for law and order, but abuse and corruption. It no longer stands for the protection of this country, but for selling it out to the highest bidder. It no longer protects the weakest in our society, but tries to exploit them them make a buck.
I’ll be back likely Monday night or Tuesday with the update for this past weekend. See you then.
Thank you, and have a good one.
“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”
– Katy Tur
None of this is Normal 