crooksandliars--2020-08-08--Ted Cruz Ridiculously Claims Right-Wing ‘Boogaloo’ Killer Was ‘Antifa’

Republicans have long embraced Trumpian lies they call “ alternative facts , ” but Texas Sen. Ted Cruz this week reached new depths by outright falsifying the record about a domestic terrorist who killed a federal police officer ( as well as a sheriff ’ s deputy , eight days later ) —while promulgating a false narrative blaming “ antifa ” and “ the violent left ” for violence at the nationwide protests against police brutality .
At a Tuesday hearing titled “ The Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble : Protecting Speech by Stopping Anarchist Violence , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had been corrected—the terrorist who shot two federal officers , one fatally , with a rifle during a May 29 Black Lives Matter protest in Oakland ( along with a deputy who attempted to arrest him the next week ) as “ antifa ” and a pro-BLM terrorist .
In fact , the man was a fanatical “ Boogaloo ” extremist with a right-wing libertarian background , and was an active staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force .
The hearing—as its title suggested—was primarily a farce that completely obliterated the factual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10 times as many acts of domestic terrorism in the United States in the past three years ( 49 incidents to 5 ) with a concomitant difference in lethality ( 144 people killed to 4 ) .
Its main utility appears to have been to bolster the false narrative promoted by the Trump administration , right-wing media , and the white nationalist movement that the “ violent left ” poses an existential threat to the nation—and that Democrats are to blame for it .
Cruz opened by claiming that “ radical leftists ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ hijacked ” the protests over George Floyd ’ s murder : “ More and more we are seeing signs that this rioting is not random , it ’ s not spontaneous .
Rather , it is coordinated and inspired by leftist anarchist groups—groups like antifa , that will without shame exploit a national tragedy to attack American buildings , American homes , and American lives.
” Then he attacked “ local officials—mayors and governors ” for failing to stand up to these leftists , and whacked his Democratic colleagues for failing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono ’ s opening remarks—she pointedly noted : “ The hearing we should be having is one called ‘ The Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble Without Being Beaten Up by Unidentifiable Federal Agents ’ ” —Cruz attacked her statement : In reality , David Dorn—who was retired and not on any kind of official duty—was not killed in the protests but by looters when he tried to protect a friend ’ s shop during the protests ; his murder was not at the hands of “ leftists ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That dubious characterization , however , looks sterling compared to how Cruz described the murder of Patrick Underwood on May 29 in Oakland .
Underwood ’ s killer—a 32-year-old Air Force sergeant named Steven Carrillo with elite training stationed at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield—was described by people who knew him as a libertarian extremist who had become enamored of the far-right “ Boogaloo ” movement , which advocates for a second civil war .
Carrillo explained his strategy to a cohort in choosing the anti-police-brutality protest : “ Use their anger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mobs of angry people to use to our advantage.
” There have been multiple examples of these extremists using the police-brutality protests ( as well as COVID-19-related protests ) to attempt to amplify the violence so that it can be blamed on “ the violent left.
” Cruz was corrected on the false characterization by Democratic Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin : Cruz seemed not to notice .
Later in the hearing—despite having just heard expert witness Michael German of the Brennan Center for Justice similarly describe Carrillo as “ a member of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members , engaged in deadly violence against police ” —he repeated the falsehood : Heightening the farcical nature of the hearing was an appearance by Portland-based anti-antifa provocateur Andy Ngo , who was there to help spin the “ violent left ” narrative .
Ngo—who gained national notoriety by claiming martyrdom at the hand of “ concrete milkshakes ” —was described as a journalist , despite his frequent abandonment of the profession ’ s ethical standards , including his role in promulgating a Quillette smear piece that attempted to portray numerous journalists as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s remarks Tuesday were perfectly aligned with Cruz ’ s agenda : “ I come to you today with a message for senators from both parties .
Antifa ’ s goal is not only to abolish the criminal justice system , it is to bring down the republic itself.
” He called Portland “ the canary in the coal mine for America.
” There were several voices of sanity at the hearing , as Natasha Lennard at The Intercept observed , including Hirono—who gamely attempted to point out that white nationalists pose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largely imaginary dangers claimed by Cruz and his witnesses , but then was simply ignored—and German , a former FBI agent who tried to point out the realities of domestic terrorism in America .
“ We ’ re all concerned about protest violence , but framing the issue as a problem of anarchist violence only spreads misinformation that puts law-enforcement officers and the communities they serve at greater risk , ” German said .
“ It also distracts from the police accountability and anti-discrimination issues that millions of Black Lives Matter supporters come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noted that “ attributing violent acts to a particular group or movement without evidence is dangerous , because it misleads law enforcement about actual threats , ” adding that “ misinformation about antifa [ is ] spread by white supremacists ” and infected law enforcement accordingly .
This “ sensationalized ” focus on the far left has “ distracted from focus on the deadly threats ” posed by the far right , German said .
“ Unfortunately , as a matter of policy , far-right violence is deprioritized by the FBI and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This , in fact , was one of the main findings of a recent Reveal News/Type Investigations database of domestic terrorism that covered the Trump years through 2019—namely , that law enforcement authorities on the federal , state , and local levels all have skewed their enforcement priorities to emphasize Islamist radicals and leftists , in direct contravention of the significantly greater presence of right-wing-extremist terrorism : In stark contrast to the death toll at the hands of the far right during those years ( 144 ) is the toll attributed to “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a Department of Homeland Security bulletin on the violence at the current anti-police-brutality protests relegated “ antifa ” to a footnote , their role in these protests being relatively minor .
Moreover , the underlying thesis of Cruz ’ s hearing obliterated the painfully obvious role that hyper-reactive police forces have played in instigating the violence at the protests .
Yet to hear Trump , Attorney General William Barr , and Ted Cruz along with his witnesses , “ antifa ” is a major existential threat to free speech—even though these same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declaring people who espouse antifascist or anarchist ideas criminals : Free speech for me , none for thee .
The reality is that “ antifa ” is comprised largely of nonviolent ordinary people who are focused on opposing the rise of white-nationalist fascism in the USA , and are prepared to take on the job of opposing their hatred and violence , since they ( quite reasonably , for reasons seen above ) have no confidence in the ability or desire of the nation ’ s law-enforcement apparatus to do that job .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ movement ( particularly Black Bloc actors ) , but the movement ’ s leaders primarily remain devotedly nonviolent .
The threat of domestic terrorism—particularly at the hands of far-right “ Boogaloo Bois ” —is currently growing intense , and experts are warning that this will worsen around the time of the November election .
False narratives like this actually inflame the likelihood of this violence , as we have seen with the multiple instances of armed extremists taking to the streets of American small towns to counter the entirely fictitious threat of “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It would be a kindness to say that Cruz merely lied : In fact , he turned reality entirely on its head .
At a time when the nation is awash in the white-nationalist terrorism his lie sought to erase , this kind of disinformation is not just profoundly irresponsible but dangerous .

Republicans have long embraced Trumpian lies they call “alternative facts,” but Texas Sen. Ted Cruz this week reached new depths by outright falsifying the record about a domestic terrorist who killed a federal police officer (as well as a sheriff’s deputy, eight days later)—while promulgating a false narrative blaming “antifa” and “the violent left” for violence at the nationwide protests against police brutality.
At a Tuesday hearing titled “The Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble: Protecting Speech by Stopping Anarchist Violence,” Cruz twice described—the second time even after he had been corrected—the terrorist who shot two federal officers, one fatally, with a rifle during a May 29 Black Lives Matter protest in Oakland (along with a deputy who attempted to arrest him the next week) as “antifa” and a pro-BLM terrorist. In fact, the man was a fanatical “Boogaloo” extremist with a right-wing libertarian background, and was an active staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force.
The hearing—as its title suggested—was primarily a farce that completely obliterated the factual reality that right-wing extremists have committed about 10 times as many acts of domestic terrorism in the United States in the past three years (49 incidents to 5) with a concomitant difference in lethality (144 people killed to 4). Its main utility appears to have been to bolster the false narrative promoted by the Trump administration, right-wing media, and the white nationalist movement that the “violent left” poses an existential threat to the nation—and that Democrats are to blame for it.
Cruz opened by claiming that “radical leftists” whose motives were “evil” had “hijacked” the protests over George Floyd’s murder: “More and more we are seeing signs that this rioting is not random, it’s not spontaneous. Rather, it is coordinated and inspired by leftist anarchist groups—groups like antifa, that will without shame exploit a national tragedy to attack American buildings, American homes, and American lives.”
Then he attacked “local officials—mayors and governors” for failing to stand up to these leftists, and whacked his Democratic colleagues for failing to adequately denounce the violence. After Democratic Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono’s opening remarks—she pointedly noted: “The hearing we should be having is one called ‘The Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble Without Being Beaten Up by Unidentifiable Federal Agents’”—Cruz attacked her statement:
Not a word was said about the murder of federal law-enforcement officer Patrick Underwood. Not a word was said about the murder of retired St. Louis police officer David Dorn—both of whom are African-American! And both of whom were murdered. Oh, we won’t condone this, but we won’t say a negative word about this terrorism.
In reality, David Dorn—who was retired and not on any kind of official duty—was not killed in the protests but by looters when he tried to protect a friend’s shop during the protests; his murder was not at the hands of “leftists” or anyone with a political agenda. That dubious characterization, however, looks sterling compared to how Cruz described the murder of Patrick Underwood on May 29 in Oakland.
Underwood’s killer—a 32-year-old Air Force sergeant named Steven Carrillo with elite training stationed at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield—was described by people who knew him as a libertarian extremist who had become enamored of the far-right “Boogaloo” movement, which advocates for a second civil war. Carrillo explained his strategy to a cohort in choosing the anti-police-brutality protest: “Use their anger to fuel our fire and we have mobs of angry people to use to our advantage.”
There have been multiple examples of these extremists using the police-brutality protests (as well as COVID-19-related protests) to attempt to amplify the violence so that it can be blamed on “the violent left.”
Cruz was corrected on the false characterization by Democratic Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin:
Patrick Underwood, I regret his passing and his death. The chairman [Cruz] started this meeting by saying we are talking about the leftists. Patrick Underwood was not killed by a leftist. He was killed by a member of an organization known as “Boogaloo”—a right-wing extremist organization. At least the gentleman—I shouldn’t call him a gentleman—a person named Carrillo has been charged with that crime at this time. It ain’t just leftists.
Cruz seemed not to notice. Later in the hearing—despite having just heard expert witness Michael German of the Brennan Center for Justice similarly describe Carrillo as “a member of a far-right ‘Boogaloo’ group, or members, engaged in deadly violence against police”—he repeated the falsehood:
It’s fairly striking that elected Democrats want to ignore the violence of antifa. They want to ignore the violence on the left, and they just scream ‘white supremacist, white supremacist.’ Rather than condemn violence from wherever it is coming—the 277 injuries of federal law enforcement officers in Portland are coming from the left! And not a single Democrat on this committee acknowledges that. David Dorn—African-American police officer was murdered. A retired police officer in St. Louis, who is Black, was murdered. Not a single one of the seven Democratic senators who spoke at this hearing mentioned David Dorn’s name. Patrick Underwood—another officer! Senator Durbin was the one Democrat who mentioned Patrick Underwood’s name. Another black officer murdered.
Heightening the farcical nature of the hearing was an appearance by Portland-based anti-antifa provocateur Andy Ngo, who was there to help spin the “violent left” narrative. Ngo—who gained national notoriety by claiming martyrdom at the hand of “concrete milkshakes”—was described as a journalist, despite his frequent abandonment of the profession’s ethical standards, including his role in promulgating a Quillette smear piece that attempted to portray numerous journalists as secret agents of “antifa.”
Ngo’s remarks Tuesday were perfectly aligned with Cruz’s agenda: “I come to you today with a message for senators from both parties. Antifa’s goal is not only to abolish the criminal justice system, it is to bring down the republic itself.” He called Portland “the canary in the coal mine for America.”
There were several voices of sanity at the hearing, as Natasha Lennard at The Intercept observed, including Hirono—who gamely attempted to point out that white nationalists pose a significant threat, compared to the largely imaginary dangers claimed by Cruz and his witnesses, but then was simply ignored—and German, a former FBI agent who tried to point out the realities of domestic terrorism in America.
“We’re all concerned about protest violence, but framing the issue as a problem of anarchist violence only spreads misinformation that puts law-enforcement officers and the communities they serve at greater risk,” German said. “It also distracts from the police accountability and anti-discrimination issues that millions of Black Lives Matter supporters come into the streets to support.”
German noted that “attributing violent acts to a particular group or movement without evidence is dangerous, because it misleads law enforcement about actual threats,” adding that “misinformation about antifa [is] spread by white supremacists” and infected law enforcement accordingly.
This “sensationalized” focus on the far left has “distracted from focus on the deadly threats” posed by the far right, German said. “Unfortunately, as a matter of policy, far-right violence is deprioritized by the FBI and the Justice Department,” German said.
This, in fact, was one of the main findings of a recent Reveal News/Type Investigations database of domestic terrorism that covered the Trump years through 2019—namely, that law enforcement authorities on the federal, state, and local levels all have skewed their enforcement priorities to emphasize Islamist radicals and leftists, in direct contravention of the significantly greater presence of right-wing-extremist terrorism:
Yet law enforcement priorities remain skewed. The database shows that during the first three years of the Trump administration, cases involving Islamist extremists were preempted 18 times, compared with seven completed attacks, or 72%—a powerful indicator of the resources federal agencies poured into such probes. In contrast, a minority of right-wing extremist cases were preempted—18, compared with 30 realized attacks, or 37.5%. Other indicators suggest a continuing law enforcement fixation on Islamists. More than half of the 25 Islamist cases in the 2017-2019 database arose from sting operations. But sting ops were involved in only six of the 48 cases involving right-wing extremists, or 12.5%. Prosecutors also were far more likely to file terrorism charges against Islamist radicals (22 out of 28 cases, or 79%) than against right-wing extremists (12 out of 46 cases, or 26%), among cases with living suspects. Islamists also faced federal charges far more often—25 of 28 cases, or 89%, compared with a little over half—25 of 46—of right-wing extremist cases.
In stark contrast to the death toll at the hands of the far right during those years (144) is the toll attributed to “antifa” (0). Indeed, a Department of Homeland Security bulletin on the violence at the current anti-police-brutality protests relegated “antifa” to a footnote, their role in these protests being relatively minor. Moreover, the underlying thesis of Cruz’s hearing obliterated the painfully obvious role that hyper-reactive police forces have played in instigating the violence at the protests.
Yet to hear Trump, Attorney General William Barr, and Ted Cruz along with his witnesses, “antifa” is a major existential threat to free speech—even though these same figures seem comfortable with the idea of declaring people who espouse antifascist or anarchist ideas criminals: Free speech for me, none for thee.
The reality is that “antifa” is comprised largely of nonviolent ordinary people who are focused on opposing the rise of white-nationalist fascism in the USA, and are prepared to take on the job of opposing their hatred and violence, since they (quite reasonably, for reasons seen above) have no confidence in the ability or desire of the nation’s law-enforcement apparatus to do that job. There are always violent outliers within any movement (particularly Black Bloc actors), but the movement’s leaders primarily remain devotedly nonviolent.
The threat of domestic terrorism—particularly at the hands of far-right “Boogaloo Bois”—is currently growing intense, and experts are warning that this will worsen around the time of the November election. False narratives like this actually inflame the likelihood of this violence, as we have seen with the multiple instances of armed extremists taking to the streets of American small towns to counter the entirely fictitious threat of “antifa buses” coming to their neighborhoods.
It would be a kindness to say that Cruz merely lied: In fact, he turned reality entirely on its head. At a time when the nation is awash in the white-nationalist terrorism his lie sought to erase, this kind of disinformation is not just profoundly irresponsible but dangerous.
Posted with permission from Daily Kos.


crooksandliars--2020-08-08--Rep. Eric Swalwell Drags Sens Graham And Johnson For Attacking Biden On Russia's Cue

Nicolle Wallace welcomed Rep. Eric Swalwell to her show on Friday afternoon to discuss all things Russia , the Presidential election and how certain pro-Trump ( and pro-Russia ) allies in Congress are helping push Russian disinformation out to the American people .
To put it bluntly - this is DEFCON 1 , people .
Republicans in Congress are actively working to sow discord and to help steal the election for Donald Trump .
Again .
WALLACE : We welcome back to our broadcast Eric Swalwell .
I want to get to what looks like a standoff at a terrible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commercial breaks some breaking news came through .
U.S. intelligence officials confirming that Russia is actively working to denigrate Joe Biden and your first comments , let me read from what has been released about what Russia is up to as it relates to Joe Biden .
This is from , I believe the office ODNI .
`` We assess that Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President Biden in what it sees an anti-Russia establishment .
This is consistent with Moscow 's public criticism of him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Obama administration 's policies on Ukraine , and its support for the anti-Putin opposition inside Russia .
For example , pro-Russian parliamentarian Dirkok spreading claims about corruption through publicizing leaked phone calls to undermine former Vice President Biden 's candidacy and the Democratic party .
Some Kremlin linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trump 's candidacy on social media and Russian television . ''
Two-part question for you , one , with the assessment did any action plan get briefed to you whether classified , can you acknowledge whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two , with this specificity , does that call into greater question the goings on of Trump allies , like Senator Johnson , who I believe , has picked up and is running with some of this Kremlin-backed propaganda about Joe Biden ?
SWALWELL : Here we go again , Nicolle .
This sounds awfully familiar , but it 's the awareness that the American people need and we need an intelligence community that has directives from the President to counter this , that 's the real question , is , will the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I do not accept is that there 's an equivalence between or among what Russia is doing and China and Iran are also doing who are in that assessment as well .
Russia has a capability , a scope , an intent and a prior , as you would say in criminal law .
They did this before .
That is not articulated by those other countries .
They have a preference for Donald Trump to be re-elected , as is described in the statement , and they have a preference to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and they 're doing it through the U.S. Senate , laundering this information by this individual who 's described who has publicly said that he 's sending materials to Ron Johnson and Lindsey Graham so that they can try to tear down Joe Biden .
Members of the U.S. Senate are acting as Russian launderers of this information to bring down a U.S. candidate .
That's 's reprehensible , it should stop .
But finally , Nicolle , if you want to know why Donald Trump wo n't confront Vladimir Putin about these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there you go , Russia continues to support Donald Trump and he 's not going to do a single thing even if it means defending U.S. troops , if it means that it would hurt his chances to be reelected .
WALLACE : I have one more question about , you know , the action plan , because we now know 88 days before our election that under Donald Trump 's administration , the intelligence community has reached this conclusion that Russia is actively working to denigrate Joe Biden , Ron Johnson 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the U.S. Senate , what are you going to do ?
SWALWELL : Again , we have to make sure that the American people have as much awareness as possible and we have the majority in the House and again , couple of weeks ago that the American people did n't know this and Chairman Schiff was pushing for the whole Congress to know this , and a public statement to make it clear what Russia is doing .
Awareness is a great disinfectant , but it 's really incumbent on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and there 's - no U.S .
Senator should be working in concert with a Russian influence operation and that has essentially been potentially exposed with this statement .

Nicolle Wallace welcomed Rep. Eric Swalwell to her show on Friday afternoon to discuss all things Russia, the Presidential election and how certain pro-Trump (and pro-Russia) allies in Congress are helping push Russian disinformation out to the American people. To put it bluntly - this is DEFCON 1, people. Republicans in Congress are actively working to sow discord and to help steal the election for Donald Trump. Again.
WALLACE: We welcome back to our broadcast Eric Swalwell. I want to get to what looks like a standoff at a terrible time for the country but in the commercial breaks some breaking news came through. U.S. intelligence officials confirming that Russia is actively working to denigrate Joe Biden and your first comments, let me read from what has been released about what Russia is up to as it relates to Joe Biden. This is from, I believe the office ODNI. "We assess that Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President Biden in what it sees an anti-Russia establishment. This is consistent with Moscow's public criticism of him when he was vice-president for his role in the Obama administration's policies on Ukraine, and its support for the anti-Putin opposition inside Russia. For example, pro-Russian parliamentarian Dirkok spreading claims about corruption through publicizing leaked phone calls to undermine former Vice President Biden's candidacy and the Democratic party. Some Kremlin linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trump's candidacy on social media and Russian television." Two-part question for you, one, with the assessment did any action plan get briefed to you whether classified, can you acknowledge whether it did or not? And, two, with this specificity, does that call into greater question the goings on of Trump allies, like Senator Johnson, who I believe, has picked up and is running with some of this Kremlin-backed propaganda about Joe Biden?
SWALWELL: Here we go again, Nicolle. This sounds awfully familiar, but it's the awareness that the American people need and we need an intelligence community that has directives from the President to counter this, that's the real question, is, will the President counter this information? But what I do not accept is that there's an equivalence between or among what Russia is doing and China and Iran are also doing who are in that assessment as well. Russia has a capability, a scope, an intent and a prior, as you would say in criminal law. They did this before. That is not articulated by those other countries. They have a preference for Donald Trump to be re-elected, as is described in the statement, and they have a preference to use their resources to denigrate Joe Biden, and they're doing it through the U.S. Senate, laundering this information by this individual who's described who has publicly said that he's sending materials to Ron Johnson and Lindsey Graham so that they can try to tear down Joe Biden. Members of the U.S. Senate are acting as Russian launderers of this information to bring down a U.S. candidate. That's's reprehensible, it should stop. But finally, Nicolle, if you want to know why Donald Trump won't confront Vladimir Putin about these allegations of bounties on U.S. soldiers, there you go, Russia continues to support Donald Trump and he's not going to do a single thing even if it means defending U.S. troops, if it means that it would hurt his chances to be reelected.
[...]
WALLACE: I have one more question about, you know, the action plan, because we now know 88 days before our election that under Donald Trump's administration, the intelligence community has reached this conclusion that Russia is actively working to denigrate Joe Biden, Ron Johnson's committee seems to have taken the lead in the U.S. Senate, what are you going to do?
SWALWELL: Again, we have to make sure that the American people have as much awareness as possible and we have the majority in the House and again, couple of weeks ago that the American people didn't know this and Chairman Schiff was pushing for the whole Congress to know this, and a public statement to make it clear what Russia is doing. Awareness is a great disinfectant, but it's really incumbent on the American people to hold their Senators accountable, and there's - no U.S. Senator should be working in concert with a Russian influence operation and that has essentially been potentially exposed with this statement.


crooksandliars--2020-08-08--Mike's Blog Round Up

Mike's Blog Round Up

Off the Kuff : It ’ s almost as if Texas doesn ’ t want more members of Congress .
Welcome Back to Gotham City : It ’ s almost as if Coronavirus should hold a press conference to explain how it will save us from Trump .
Hackwhackers : It ’ s almost as if you could get a better understanding of the news from a bunch of cartoons .
EPI Blog : It ’ s almost as if record income inequality is the inevitable outcome of right-wing rule .
Speaking of which , your quote of the day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investors for 60 years and I have yet to see anyone -- not even when capital gains rates were 39.9 percent in 1976-77 -- shy away from a sensible investment because of the tax rate on the potential gain .
People invest to make money , and potential taxes have never scared them off . ''
( Warren Buffett , August 14 , 2011 . )
Guest blogging Mike 's Blog Round Up this week is Jon Perr from Perrspectives .
Send your tips , recommendations , comments and angst to mbru AT @ @ @ @

Off the Kuff: It’s almost as if Texas doesn’t want more members of Congress.
Welcome Back to Gotham City: It’s almost as if Coronavirus should hold a press conference to explain how it will save us from Trump.
Hackwhackers: It’s almost as if you could get a better understanding of the news from a bunch of cartoons.
EPI Blog: It’s almost as if record income inequality is the inevitable outcome of right-wing rule.
Speaking of which, your quote of the day:
""I have worked with investors for 60 years and I have yet to see anyone--not even when capital gains rates were 39.9 percent in 1976-77--shy away from a sensible investment because of the tax rate on the potential gain. People invest to make money, and potential taxes have never scared them off." (Warren Buffett, August 14, 2011.)
Guest blogging Mike's Blog Round Up this week is Jon Perr from Perrspectives. Send your tips, recommendations, comments and angst to mbru AT crooksandliars DOT com.


crooksandliars--2020-08-08--Jerry Falwell Jr. On ‘Indefinite Leave’ From Liberty After Unzipped-Fly Photo

Apparently , the Liberty University Board of Trustees does n't think Jerry Falwell Jr. ’ s Instagram of himself and a woman with their pants unzipped is the kind of “ just good fun ” that goes with its mission of training champions for Christ .
As I previously wrote , “ The photo would be tasteless coming from anybody but Falwell is the president of Liberty University , a school that promises a “ solid Christian foundation ” for “ training champions for Christ.
” As my colleague noted , Liberty “ bars students from drinking , fines them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they wear a 2-piece bathing suit.
” Falwell sounded drunk as he gave a meandering “ explanation ” for the photo : FALWELL : You know how it was weird , ‘ cause she couldn ’ t , ‘ cause she was , she ’ s pregnant .
So she couldn ’ t get her , she couldn ’ t get her pants up .
And I was , like , trying to , like – I had on a pair of jeans that I haven ’ t worn in a long time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ zipped , either .
And , uh , I just put my belly , I just put my belly out like hers .
...
Anyway , a long story short , it was just a , just a good fun .
That ’ s it .
Yesterday , Rep. Mark Walker ( R-NC ) , a Music Faculty Advisory Board member and former instructor at Liberty , called for Falwell ’ s resignation .
Yesterday , Falwell agreed to the Board of Trustees ’ request that he take an indefinite leave of absence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the university .
The only surprise is that it took the board so long to oust him .
This is the same guy who endangered his students by insisting on keeping the school open during the pandemic shutdown , promoted anti-COVID-19 propaganda and announced , in May , “ If I am ordered to wear a mask , I will reluctantly comply , but only if this picture of Governor Blackface himself is on it !
” That prompted some athletes to the university and at least one professor resigned .

Apparently, the Liberty University Board of Trustees doesn't think Jerry Falwell Jr.’s Instagram of himself and a woman with their pants unzipped is the kind of “just good fun” that goes with its mission of training champions for Christ.
As I previously wrote, “The photo would be tasteless coming from anybody but Falwell is the president of Liberty University, a school that promises a “solid Christian foundation” for “training champions for Christ.” As my colleague noted, Liberty “bars students from drinking, fines them for dancing, and fines women if they wear a 2-piece bathing suit.”
Falwell sounded drunk as he gave a meandering “explanation” for the photo:
FALWELL: You know how it was weird, ‘cause she couldn’t, ‘cause she was, she’s pregnant. So she couldn’t get her, she couldn’t get her pants up. And I was, like, trying to, like – I had on a pair of jeans that I haven’t worn in a long time so I couldn’t get mine zipped, either. And, uh, I just put my belly, I just put my belly out like hers. ... Anyway, a long story short, it was just a, just a good fun. That’s it.
Yesterday, Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC), a Music Faculty Advisory Board member and former instructor at Liberty, called for Falwell’s resignation.
Jerry Falwell Jr’s ongoing behavior is appalling.
As a Music Faculty Advisory Board Member and former instructor @LibertyU, I’m convinced Falwell should step down.
None of us are perfect, but students, faculty, alumni and @LUPraise deserve better. — Rep. Mark Walker (@RepMarkWalker) August 6, 2020
Yesterday, Falwell agreed to the Board of Trustees’ request that he take an indefinite leave of absence from his roles as president and chancellor of the university.
The only surprise is that it took the board so long to oust him. This is the same guy who endangered his students by insisting on keeping the school open during the pandemic shutdown, promoted anti-COVID-19 propaganda and announced, in May, “If I am ordered to wear a mask, I will reluctantly comply, but only if this picture of Governor Blackface himself is on it!”
That prompted some athletes to the university and at least one professor resigned.


crooksandliars--2020-08-09--'Keep Punching Each Other': Pro-police Group Beats Down Black Lives Matter Activists In Colorado Dit

'Keep Punching Each Other': Pro-police Group Beats Down Black Lives Matter Activists In Colorado Ditch

Members of a `` Back the Blue '' rally were seen fighting with Black Lives Matter counter-protesters in Fort Collins , Colorado over the weekend .
Video posted on social media shows members of the `` Back the Blue '' group advancing on Black Lives Matter activists .
The confrontation eventually becomes a fighting match in a neighborhood ditch .
`` Everybody keep their hands off their weapons ! ''
one man can be heard shouting .
`` Keep punching each other in the face .
Do n't shoot anybody . ''
Ciara Wilson posted video of the confrontation on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pro Police FCPD rally today , '' she wrote .
`` Counter protestors were violently beaten and had no signs of aggression or hostility .
Pro Police protestors forced them to the end of the block and then savagely assaulted them .
Afterwards the COUNTER PROTESTORS WERE DETAINED .
The officers did not tell them why they were being detained .
The pro police protestors who literally assaulted these people for no fucking reason other than being PSYCHOPATHS got away with it .
I am so sick and tired of this . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Rocky Mountain Collegian that the actions of the pro-police group were `` disgusting . ''
“ I value that these people want to have a rally and they want to hold the line , but what I saw was women and as well as some gentlemen being forced , pushed , not only off the sidewalk into the street and then basically chased for two blocks into a trail , ” Loma said .
In a statement , the Fort Collins Police Service said that officers issued three arrests and one citation @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Members of a "Back the Blue" rally were seen fighting with Black Lives Matter counter-protesters in Fort Collins, Colorado over the weekend.
Video posted on social media shows members of the "Back the Blue" group advancing on Black Lives Matter activists. The confrontation eventually becomes a fighting match in a neighborhood ditch.
"Everybody keep their hands off their weapons!" one man can be heard shouting. "Keep punching each other in the face. Don't shoot anybody."
Ciara Wilson posted video of the confrontation on Instagram.
"I was at the Pro Police FCPD rally today," she wrote. "Counter protestors were violently beaten and had no signs of aggression or hostility. Pro Police protestors forced them to the end of the block and then savagely assaulted them. Afterwards the COUNTER PROTESTORS WERE DETAINED. The officers did not tell them why they were being detained. The pro police protestors who literally assaulted these people for no fucking reason other than being PSYCHOPATHS got away with it. I am so sick and tired of this."
Black Lives Matter activist Brian Loma told The Rocky Mountain Collegian that the actions of the pro-police group were "disgusting."
“I value that these people want to have a rally and they want to hold the line, but what I saw was women and as well as some gentlemen being forced, pushed, not only off the sidewalk into the street and then basically chased for two blocks into a trail,” Loma said.
In a statement, the Fort Collins Police Service said that officers issued three arrests and one citation due to “physical disturbances.”


crooksandliars--2020-08-09--'Sick And Tired Of Being Sick And Tired':  Black Lives Matter Reflects Long Battle

Protesters remain on the streets demanding equality and justice for Black Americans .
What they ’ re feeling , I believe , is something I call “ intolerance fatigue.
” As a race scholar , examining the history of social justice movements , the phrase is new , but the concept isn ’ t .
In 1962 , during the civil rights movement , activist Fannie Lou Hamer sought to register to vote in her home state of Mississippi .
When she was allowed to address the Democratic National Convention in 1964 [ video above ] , Hamer told how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at , fined , arrested and brutally beaten in jail simply for trying “ to register to become first-class citizens.
” She spoke for millions in another speech that year , in which she declared she was “ sick and tired of being sick and tired.
” This exhaustion is not the sort that lays people out on their beds and couches , unable to move .
Rather , it ’ s a frustration and anger about systemic racism that drives people to act , to demand change and become part of creating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civil rights movement was sparked in 1955 by the murder of Emmett Till – a Black 14-year-old from Chicago who was beaten , shot and drowned in a Mississippi river for allegedly offending a white woman in a store .
In 1963 , John Lewis , a young man who would become a civil rights icon and congressman , made a clear , and eloquent demand : “ We do not want our freedom gradually , but we want to be free now !
” Similarly , the 2020 protests arose in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in police custody in Minneapolis .
Taking a stand against injustice , people again – still – are tired of being discriminated against , profiled and murdered because of the color of their skin .
Marchers are tired of intolerance , worn out by racism and refusing to be silent in the face of unjust treatment and inequality .
Just as their elders were , today ’ s protesters and those they support are “ sick and tired of being sick and tired.
” [ Deep knowledge , daily .
Sign up for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .

Bev-Freda Jackson, American University School of Public Affairs
Protesters remain on the streets demanding equality and justice for Black Americans. What they’re feeling, I believe, is something I call “intolerance fatigue.”
As a race scholar, examining the history of social justice movements, the phrase is new, but the concept isn’t.
In 1962, during the civil rights movement, activist Fannie Lou Hamer sought to register to vote in her home state of Mississippi. When she was allowed to address the Democratic National Convention in 1964 [video above], Hamer told how she and her fellow activists were shot at, fined, arrested and brutally beaten in jail simply for trying “to register to become first-class citizens.”
She spoke for millions in another speech that year, in which she declared she was “sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
This exhaustion is not the sort that lays people out on their beds and couches, unable to move. Rather, it’s a frustration and anger about systemic racism that drives people to act, to demand change and become part of creating the social change they want.
The civil rights movement was sparked in 1955 by the murder of Emmett Till – a Black 14-year-old from Chicago who was beaten, shot and drowned in a Mississippi river for allegedly offending a white woman in a store. In 1963, John Lewis, a young man who would become a civil rights icon and congressman, made a clear, and eloquent demand: “We do not want our freedom gradually, but we want to be free now!”
Similarly, the 2020 protests arose in the wake of George Floyd’s death in police custody in Minneapolis. Taking a stand against injustice, people again – still – are tired of being discriminated against, profiled and murdered because of the color of their skin.
Marchers are tired of intolerance, worn out by racism and refusing to be silent in the face of unjust treatment and inequality.
Just as their elders were, today’s protesters and those they support are “sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.]
Bev-Freda Jackson, Adjunct Professorial Lecturer, American University School of Public Affairs
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


crooksandliars--2020-08-09--CBS Host Grills Trump Aide After His COVID Recovery: ‘Not All Americans Receive That Kind Of Elite C

CBS Host Grills Trump Aide After His COVID Recovery: ‘Not All Americans Receive That Kind Of Elite Care’

National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien called COVID-19 testing in the United States a `` miracle '' even though the Trump administration has not been able to deliver the 5 million tests per day that it has promised .
After recovering from a COVID-19 infection , O'Brien told CBS host Margaret Brennan that he feels lucky to be alive .
`` I was blessed and had a light case , '' O'Brien explained .
`` I want to thank the White House medical team for their great care while I suffered through this virus . ''
`` It 's a nasty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to our country , '' he continued .
`` And my heart goes out to the folks who did n't make it .
I was fortunate .
But there are a lot of people who did n't make it and there are a lot of people who are suffering greatly . ''
`` Not all Americans receive the kind of elite care that you were able to , '' Brennan noted .
`` Unless you work in Major League Baseball or at the White House , you do n't have access to regular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where we are as a country . ''
`` How long before the average American can get that ? ''
the CBS host wondered .
`` What 's happening with testing in America is really a miracle , '' O'Brien insisted .
`` There 's no country in the world that comes close to what America is doing on testing .
But we 're working on getting more testing out there . ''
`` We were supposed to be at 5 million tests a day at this point , '' Brennan interrupted .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ In fact , we 're now at 5 million infections as a country . ''
O'Brien deflected : `` This came out of China and we 've been fighting it ever since . ''

National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien called COVID-19 testing in the United States a "miracle" even though the Trump administration has not been able to deliver the 5 million tests per day that it has promised.
After recovering from a COVID-19 infection, O'Brien told CBS host Margaret Brennan that he feels lucky to be alive.
"I was blessed and had a light case," O'Brien explained. "I want to thank the White House medical team for their great care while I suffered through this virus."
"It's a nasty virus and it's done great damage to our country," he continued. "And my heart goes out to the folks who didn't make it. I was fortunate. But there are a lot of people who didn't make it and there are a lot of people who are suffering greatly."
"Not all Americans receive the kind of elite care that you were able to," Brennan noted. "Unless you work in Major League Baseball or at the White House, you don't have access to regular asymptomatic testing. That's just not where we are as a country."
"How long before the average American can get that?" the CBS host wondered.
"What's happening with testing in America is really a miracle," O'Brien insisted. "There's no country in the world that comes close to what America is doing on testing. But we're working on getting more testing out there."
"We were supposed to be at 5 million tests a day at this point," Brennan interrupted. "We're not nearly that. In fact, we're now at 5 million infections as a country."
O'Brien deflected: "This came out of China and we've been fighting it ever since."


crooksandliars--2020-08-09--Trump Trade Adviser Laughably Insists His Boss Is The 'Hardest-Working President In History'

Trump has been conspicuously absent from all of the coronavirus relief package negotiations , instead choosing to have Steve Mnuchin and Mark Meadows out there to do his dirty work for him , with no sign whatsoever that Meadows was there for anything more than political theater and sabotaging the talks , rather than actually negotiating in good faith .
After their mission was accomplished and the talks broke down again this week , Trump made yet another appearance at his golf club in New Jersey yesterday and signed some supposed `` executive orders , '' most of which , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually executive orders , all of which are legally dubious , and none of which are actually going to do much for working Americans in crisis across the country .
Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro made an appearance on this Sunday 's Meet the Press , and was asked about whether they still need to work with the Congress to get something more substantial passed , the fact that the orders Trump signed are legally dubious at best , and where the negotiations go from here , and Navarro used the occasion to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , before berating her for supposedly being `` cruel '' to them : PETER NAVARRO : And then what you do is you trade off , go back and forth across the table what you want , respecting each other 's red lines .
You do n't make the Republicans pay for Planned Parenthood or pot farms , for example .
This should be easy .
The question we 've had watching this unfold , the question the president has is whether the Democrats really are sincere when they come to the table @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it does n't help when Speaker Pelosi goes out after every day with her scarfs flying and just beats the heck out of us for being cruel people when in fact you have a president -- Todd followed up by actually pointing out that Trump has been AWOL from the negotiations , choosing to run off to his club and play golf all weekend instead , which was met with this bit of ridiculous gaslighting by Navarro : CHUCK TODD : Well , let me follow .
But , Dr. Navarro -- PETER @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yeah , go ahead .
CHUCK TODD : Yeah .
No , let me ask you this .
Where is the president ?
Why was he at his golf club all weekend ?
Why is n't he negotiating ?
Look , I understand -- PETER NAVARRO : Hang on .
Let me , let me respond -- CHUCK TODD : -- you guys do n't like each other .
PETER NAVARRO : -- to that .
That is not -- CHUCK TODD : That Nancy Pelosi and the president -- PETER NAVARRO : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the hardest working president in history .
He works 24/7 .
He can be in Bedminster , Mar-a-Lago , the Oval Office , or anywhere in between .
He can be at the Whirlpool factory , like we were on Thursday , celebrating working men and women benefiting from tariffs .
He 's working 24/7 .
The problem here , the problem here is Capitol Hill , the swamp , two houses that are too far apart .
I mean , the Lord and the founding fathers created executive orders because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's what we have here .
But the president 's taken action .
His constituency -- let 's be clear .
His constituency is mainstream Republicans , blue collar Democrats , and independents who are sick and tired of the swamp .
And he reached out and he took action .
You know , he did n't have to -- CHUCK TODD : Let me ask you this -- PETER NAVARRO : -- sign those executive orders .
He could have just let this keep going , but he did not do that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- CHUCK TODD : Okay .
You outline what a -- how a negotiation works .
And you did something very interesting .
You said , `` Okay , the Democrats are at $ 3 trillion .
The Republicans are at $ 1 trillion .
You 've got to figure out where to meet in the middle . ''
That 's what the Democrats proposed .
PETER NAVARRO : No , no , no -- CHUCK TODD : -- '' let 's meet in the middle on a number -- '' CHUCK TODD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said no .
Which is exactly what happened .
Trump cares about one thing ... getting reelected and keeping himself out of prison by staying in power .
Back in June The Washington Post reported that Trump was `` bored with coronavirus . ''
He 's still in denial , and has n't gotten any better since .

Trump has been conspicuously absent from all of the coronavirus relief package negotiations, instead choosing to have Steve Mnuchin and Mark Meadows out there to do his dirty work for him, with no sign whatsoever that Meadows was there for anything more than political theater and sabotaging the talks, rather than actually negotiating in good faith.
After their mission was accomplished and the talks broke down again this week, Trump made yet another appearance at his golf club in New Jersey yesterday and signed some supposed "executive orders," most of which, as we discussed here, weren't actually executive orders, all of which are legally dubious, and none of which are actually going to do much for working Americans in crisis across the country.
Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro made an appearance on this Sunday's Meet the Press, and was asked about whether they still need to work with the Congress to get something more substantial passed, the fact that the orders Trump signed are legally dubious at best, and where the negotiations go from here, and Navarro used the occasion to immediately take a cheap swipe at Pelosi, before berating her for supposedly being "cruel" to them:
PETER NAVARRO: And then what you do is you trade off, go back and forth across the table what you want, respecting each other's red lines. You don't make the Republicans pay for Planned Parenthood or pot farms, for example. This should be easy. The question we've had watching this unfold, the question the president has is whether the Democrats really are sincere when they come to the table. And I'm not sure, it doesn't help when Speaker Pelosi goes out after every day with her scarfs flying and just beats the heck out of us for being cruel people when in fact you have a president --
Todd followed up by actually pointing out that Trump has been AWOL from the negotiations, choosing to run off to his club and play golf all weekend instead, which was met with this bit of ridiculous gaslighting by Navarro:
CHUCK TODD: Well, let me follow. But, Dr. Navarro-- PETER NAVARRO: Let me say one -- yeah, go ahead. CHUCK TODD: Yeah. No, let me ask you this. Where is the president? Why was he at his golf club all weekend? Why isn't he negotiating? Look, I understand -- PETER NAVARRO: Hang on. Let me, let me respond -- CHUCK TODD: -- you guys don't like each other. PETER NAVARRO: -- to that. That is not -- CHUCK TODD: That Nancy Pelosi and the president -- PETER NAVARRO: Hang on. CHUCK TODD: Where is he? PETER NAVARRO: Well, he -- CHUCK TODD: Why isn't he involved? PETER NAVARRO: Look, you have to understand this is the hardest working president in history. He works 24/7. He can be in Bedminster, Mar-a-Lago, the Oval Office, or anywhere in between. He can be at the Whirlpool factory, like we were on Thursday, celebrating working men and women benefiting from tariffs. He's working 24/7. The problem here, the problem here is Capitol Hill, the swamp, two houses that are too far apart. I mean, the Lord and the founding fathers created executive orders because of partisan bickering and divided government. That's what we have here. But the president's taken action. His constituency -- let's be clear. His constituency is mainstream Republicans, blue collar Democrats, and independents who are sick and tired of the swamp. And he reached out and he took action. You know, he didn't have to -- CHUCK TODD: Let me ask you this -- PETER NAVARRO: -- sign those executive orders. He could have just let this keep going, but he did not do that-- CHUCK TODD: But you just -- PETER NAVARRO: He took action, action, action-- CHUCK TODD: All right. PETER NAVARRO: --and action. CHUCK TODD: Okay. You outline what a -- how a negotiation works. And you did something very interesting. You said, "Okay, the Democrats are at $3 trillion. The Republicans are at $1 trillion. You've got to figure out where to meet in the middle." That's what the Democrats proposed. PETER NAVARRO: No, no, no -- CHUCK TODD: They said, "Hey--" PETER NAVARRO: Hey Chuck. CHUCK TODD: --"let's meet in the middle on a number --" PETER NAVARRO: Chuck. Let's be clear. CHUCK TODD: -- and it looks Mark Meadows said no.
Which is exactly what happened. Trump cares about one thing... getting reelected and keeping himself out of prison by staying in power. Back in June The Washington Post reported that Trump was "bored with coronavirus." He's still in denial, and hasn't gotten any better since.


crooksandliars--2020-08-09--Nancy Pelosi To Chris Wallace: 'You Don't Have An Understanding Of What Is Happening Here'

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) faced off against Fox News host Chris Wallace on Sunday over the failure to negotiate a COVID-19 financial relief bill .
In an interview on Fox News Sunday , Wallace suggested that there is an upside to executive actions taken by President Donald Trump in lieu of a financial relief bill because some people will get protections from evictions `` rather than getting nothing at all . ''
For her part , Pelosi quoted a Republican senator who said that the president 's executive action is `` constitutional slop . ''
`` While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a moratorium on evictions , he 's going to ask the folks in charge to study if that 's feasible , '' Pelosi explained before noting that the president 's payroll tax holiday serves to `` undermine Social Security and Medicare . ''
`` These are illusions , '' she said .
`` But , Speaker , '' Wallace pressed , `` I understand the president 's executive action does n't do all the things you want .
But having no bill at all , not coming to any agreement was n't going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you want either . ''
`` You 're known as a master negotiator , '' the Fox News host continued .
`` But did n't you mess this one up ?
Because you talk about all the things that the president 's bill ... cities and states wo n't get any money , there 's no money for the Post Office , there 's no money for hospitals , there 's no money for states boards of elections .
You knew that the president was threatening to take this executive action . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ? ''
Wallace wondered .
`` And are you ready to go back into talks to try to come up with a fuller package . ''
`` Clearly , you do n't have an understanding of what is happening here , '' Pelosi shot back , `` both in the weakness of the president 's executive orders , which do n't give the money — the enhanced benefits , but puts a complicated formula there which will take a while — if at all — to accomplish , to put money in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pelosi reiterated the need to support health care workers but Wallace interrupted .
`` I allowed you to finish , '' the Speaker said .
`` You allow me to finish . ''

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) faced off against Fox News host Chris Wallace on Sunday over the failure to negotiate a COVID-19 financial relief bill.
In an interview on Fox News Sunday, Wallace suggested that there is an upside to executive actions taken by President Donald Trump in lieu of a financial relief bill because some people will get protections from evictions "rather than getting nothing at all."
For her part, Pelosi quoted a Republican senator who said that the president's executive action is "constitutional slop."
"While he says he's going to have a moratorium on evictions, he's going to ask the folks in charge to study if that's feasible," Pelosi explained before noting that the president's payroll tax holiday serves to "undermine Social Security and Medicare."
"These are illusions," she said.
"But, Speaker," Wallace pressed, "I understand the president's executive action doesn't do all the things you want. But having no bill at all, not coming to any agreement wasn't going to provide any of the things that you want either."
"You're known as a master negotiator," the Fox News host continued. "But didn't you mess this one up? Because you talk about all the things that the president's bill... cities and states won't get any money, there's no money for the Post Office, there's no money for hospitals, there's no money for states boards of elections. You knew that the president was threatening to take this executive action."
"Should you have cut a deal?" Wallace wondered. "And are you ready to go back into talks to try to come up with a fuller package."
"Clearly, you don't have an understanding of what is happening here," Pelosi shot back, "both in the weakness of the president's executive orders, which don't give the money — the enhanced benefits, but puts a complicated formula there which will take a while — if at all — to accomplish, to put money in the pockets of the American people."
Pelosi reiterated the need to support health care workers but Wallace interrupted.
"I allowed you to finish," the Speaker said. "You allow me to finish."


crooksandliars--2020-08-09--Hillary Clinton Puts Maureen Dowd Erasure In Perspective

Zerlina Maxwell went there in her interview with Sec .
HIllary Clinton on AM Joy this morning .
She asked about the Maureen Dowd opinion piece , and the New York Times tweet in which Dowd and The Times claimed it has been 36 years since a man and a woman ran together at the top of the ticket .
Dowd 's piece did n't even bother to mention Sec .
Clinton and her VP choice , Senator Tim Kaine , or Sen. John McCain and Gov .
Sarah Palin , and she and The Times were roundly pilloried for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ press .
They eventually deleted the tweet and issued a correction , which did little to fix the mistake , frankly .
Sec .
Clinton , though , as usual , had the best and shadiest response , making reference to Dowd 's infamous column on her simply tragically awful experience with a pot brownie , winning the day .
On AM Joy , though , when Maxwell asked her about the tweet and the shade , Sec .
Clinton managed to gracefully avoid mentioning Dowd 's name , or dignify the column @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's part of a more systemic problem .
SEC .
CLINTON : Well , look , I think it 's part of the larger challenge .
This is something that I think about for whichever woman Joe puts on the ticket with him .
There still is just so many filters that stand between women seeking public office , particularly at the highest level , and the press and the public .
We just have to keep ripping them away and making it absolutely clear that women are ready to serve .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serve .
I think that any of us in the press or who have any kind of platform should be ready to really speak out and defend the woman that Vice President Biden picks , because I can tell you the Trump campaign has not been successful in the many absurd attacks that they have made on Joe Biden .
They have tried just about everything they could think of , not that they are going to stop , because that 's the only way they think they can win .
But they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ puts on the ticket , whichever woman , no matter how accomplished .
I think all of us should learn from the past that there are these biases and attitudes about women seeking power .
My gosh , there 's never been an ambitious man apparently , at least I do n't hear that word applied to a man .
So we 've got to defend the right of women to seek and hold power .
I think we 're going to have a lot of practice on that as soon as Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think that 's a good point .
I am ready to get in formation .
I do n't know about you .
To stand up for whoever Joe Biden picks as his vice president .
I hope we are ALL ready to get in formation , because three months may not seem like a long time , but in Trump time ?
It 's forever .
And as Sec .
Clinton said , we are going to get a lot of practice fending off the attacks .

Zerlina Maxwell went there in her interview with Sec. HIllary Clinton on AM Joy this morning.
She asked about the Maureen Dowd opinion piece, and the New York Times tweet in which Dowd and The Times claimed it has been 36 years since a man and a woman ran together at the top of the ticket. Dowd's piece didn't even bother to mention Sec. Clinton and her VP choice, Senator Tim Kaine, or Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin, and she and The Times were roundly pilloried for it on social media and in the press. They eventually deleted the tweet and issued a correction, which did little to fix the mistake, frankly. Sec. Clinton, though, as usual, had the best and shadiest response, making reference to Dowd's infamous column on her simply tragically awful experience with a pot brownie, winning the day.
On AM Joy, though, when Maxwell asked her about the tweet and the shade, Sec. Clinton managed to gracefully avoid mentioning Dowd's name, or dignify the column with a specific response, saying it's part of a more systemic problem.
SEC. CLINTON: Well, look, I think it's part of the larger challenge. This is something that I think about for whichever woman Joe puts on the ticket with him. There still is just so many filters that stand between women seeking public office, particularly at the highest level, and the press and the public. We just have to keep ripping them away and making it absolutely clear that women are ready to serve. We have served. We are prepared to serve. I think that any of us in the press or who have any kind of platform should be ready to really speak out and defend the woman that Vice President Biden picks, because I can tell you the Trump campaign has not been successful in the many absurd attacks that they have made on Joe Biden. They have tried just about everything they could think of, not that they are going to stop, because that's the only way they think they can win. But they're going to go after whoever he puts on the ticket, whichever woman, no matter how accomplished. I think all of us should learn from the past that there are these biases and attitudes about women seeking power. My gosh, there's never been an ambitious man apparently, at least I don't hear that word applied to a man. So we've got to defend the right of women to seek and hold power. I think we're going to have a lot of practice on that as soon as Joe names his choice. MAXWELL: I think that's a good point. I am ready to get in formation. I don't know about you. To stand up for whoever Joe Biden picks as his vice president.
I hope we are ALL ready to get in formation, because three months may not seem like a long time, but in Trump time? It's forever. And as Sec. Clinton said, we are going to get a lot of practice fending off the attacks.


crooksandliars--2020-08-09--Mark Levin Compares Teachers Wanting COVID Safety To Segregationist George Wallace

Fox News host Mark Levin on Sunday accused teachers who want COVID-19 safety measures of re-enacting Jim Crow-era segregation rules .
Levin made the remarks during a rant about President Donald Trump 's executive action on COVID-19 financial relief .
`` Democrat governors have shut down this economy from sea to shining sea , '' Levin opined .
`` And they like it both ways , the Democrats .
They want to lock up everybody like we 're lamb in cages and then they want to complain about the economic consequences . ''
`` And then they say , this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' he continued .
`` Let me tell you , payback is a bitch .
You remember Obama with his phone and his pen .
Well , apparently he left his phone and his pen and President Trump picked it up . ''
`` And Nancy Pelosi , what was their priority ? ''
Levin ranted .
`` They want to destroy the electoral system , they want open borders for illegal aliens , they want benefits for illegal aliens and they want all of American to bail out New York , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pension systems . ''
Levin went on to compare teachers unions to Alabama 's segregationist governor : `` George Wallace standing in the school doorways , not allowing our little kids to go to school because they wo n't follow the science . ''

Fox News host Mark Levin on Sunday accused teachers who want COVID-19 safety measures of re-enacting Jim Crow-era segregation rules.
Levin made the remarks during a rant about President Donald Trump's executive action on COVID-19 financial relief.
"Democrat governors have shut down this economy from sea to shining sea," Levin opined. "And they like it both ways, the Democrats. They want to lock up everybody like we're lamb in cages and then they want to complain about the economic consequences."
"And then they say, this president, look what he's doing," he continued. "Let me tell you, payback is a bitch. You remember Obama with his phone and his pen. Well, apparently he left his phone and his pen and President Trump picked it up."
"And Nancy Pelosi, what was their priority?" Levin ranted. "They want to destroy the electoral system, they want open borders for illegal aliens, they want benefits for illegal aliens and they want all of American to bail out New York, New Jersey, Illinois and California's pension systems."
Levin went on to compare teachers unions to Alabama's segregationist governor: "George Wallace standing in the school doorways, not allowing our little kids to go to school because they won't follow the science."


crooksandliars--2020-08-09--3 Of The 4 'Executive Orders' Trump Signed Weren't Actually Executive Orders

If you didn ’ t know , Donald Trump is golfing and hanging out with rich people in New Jersey this weekend , so of course , high on flattery , he ’ s holding media events .
Saturday ’ s press conference took Trump away from the links for less than half an hour , ending abruptly when a CBS News reporter challenged the impeached president on one of his favorite falsehoods .
The event centered around the signing of several sweeping “ executive orders ” which aim to bypass Congress and bankrupt Social Security , all under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prolonged COVID pandemic … while also , predictably , benefiting the wealthiest of Americans .
Trump was sure to repeatedly blame Democrats for just about everything , and promised a dark future for a United States that fails to re-elect him to a second term .
It was an incoherent shitshow .
Trump , of course , is his most stunning when he ’ s off-book , and not in the “ my eldest daughter is stunning ” kind of way .
Sure , the scripts that Trump ’ s handlers and yes-people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ excellence in speechwriting , but there ’ s nothing like the rambling we hear when the gold-plated Republican is given a chance to freestyle .
As Axios ’ Jonathan Swan so deftly showed the world , the current chief executive is unable to mask that he has no clue what he ’ s doing or what he ’ s done .
What he does know is that he hates Democrats and loves himself , and that he wants to stay president .
With such a sparse foundation , it ’ s no wonder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appearances , even when he ’ s speaking to a mostly-friendly crowd , like the one in red hats and golf shirts at Bedminster Country Club on Saturday .
Again , the “ point ” of this presser , at least on the surface , was to sign four “ executive orders , ” Trumps latest idea to address the seemingly endless suffering the coronavirus continues to inflict .
But , as The Washington Post notes , the EOs are basically just pretty books Trump got to write on with a big marker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefits said one of the actions would not increase federal unemployment benefits at all .
Instead , the expert said it would instead create a new program that could take “ months ” to set up .
And Trump ’ s directive to halt evictions primarily calls for federal agencies to “ consider ” if they should be stopped .
Trump also mischaracterized the legal stature of the measures , referring to them as “ bills.
” Congress writes and votes on bills , not the White House .
The documents Trump signed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and an executive order .
As Politico notes , the EO to enhance unemployment isn ’ t all that it seems .
Trump also announced a $ 400-per-week supplemental payment for those who have lost their jobs , a decrease from the extra $ 600 unemployed Americans were receiving weekly before the benefit expired at the end of July .
States would be on the hook for covering 25 percent of the extra payments if they decided to extend them , Trump said .
But those who opted in could use federal coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump also signed a pretty promise to defer student loan payments until December .
Experts seem certain most of Trump ’ s Saturday Sharpie Show was just that : for show .
In fact , most of the “ executive orders ” weren ’ t even executive orders .
“ The President can not create new money with an executive order .
These EOs simply show the limitations of the President ’ s legal authority , ” Jack Smalligan , a former official at the Office of Management and Budget ( OMB @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s performance was so much more than signing his name and showing the cameras .
Politico described the rest of the event to be “ akin to a campaign-style diatribe against his political opponents.
” When he wasn ’ t bashing Biden for being “ sleepy , ” or lying about Veterans Choice , or blaming Democratic congressional leaders for holding “ vital aid hostage , ” or reframing the progressive left as extremists , or mocking the press , Trump was making vague promises and threats of what might happen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The most disturbing part ?
The applause he received from those rich guys in golf shirts , even as he ran away like a coward .
If you ’ re not having a bad enough day , you can watch the entire press conference here .

If you didn’t know, Donald Trump is golfing and hanging out with rich people in New Jersey this weekend, so of course, high on flattery, he’s holding media events. Saturday’s press conference took Trump away from the links for less than half an hour, ending abruptly when a CBS News reporter challenged the impeached president on one of his favorite falsehoods. The event centered around the signing of several sweeping “executive orders” which aim to bypass Congress and bankrupt Social Security, all under the guise of helping the nation navigate the prolonged COVID pandemic … while also, predictably, benefiting the wealthiest of Americans. Trump was sure to repeatedly blame Democrats for just about everything, and promised a dark future for a United States that fails to re-elect him to a second term.
It was an incoherent shitshow.
Trump, of course, is his most stunning when he’s off-book, and not in the “my eldest daughter is stunning” kind of way. Sure, the scripts that Trump’s handlers and yes-people write for him are not heralded for excellence in speechwriting, but there’s nothing like the rambling we hear when the gold-plated Republican is given a chance to freestyle. As Axios’ Jonathan Swan so deftly showed the world, the current chief executive is unable to mask that he has no clue what he’s doing or what he’s done. What he does know is that he hates Democrats and loves himself, and that he wants to stay president. With such a sparse foundation, it’s no wonder that Trump continues to stumble through his appearances, even when he’s speaking to a mostly-friendly crowd, like the one in red hats and golf shirts at Bedminster Country Club on Saturday.
Again, the “point” of this presser, at least on the surface, was to sign four “executive orders,” Trumps latest idea to address the seemingly endless suffering the coronavirus continues to inflict.
Trump said the actions would provide economic relief to millions of Americans by deferring taxes and, he said, providing temporary unemployment benefits. The measures would attempt to wrest away some of Congress’s most fundamental, constitutionally mandated powers — tax and spending policy. Trump acknowledged that some of the actions could be challenged in court but indicated he would persevere.
But, as The Washington Post notes, the EOs are basically just pretty books Trump got to write on with a big marker.
A leading national expert on unemployment benefits said one of the actions would not increase federal unemployment benefits at all. Instead, the expert said it would instead create a new program that could take “months” to set up. And Trump’s directive to halt evictions primarily calls for federal agencies to “consider” if they should be stopped. Trump also mischaracterized the legal stature of the measures, referring to them as “bills.” Congress writes and votes on bills, not the White House. The documents Trump signed on Saturday were a combination of memorandums and an executive order.
As Politico notes, the EO to enhance unemployment isn’t all that it seems.
Trump also announced a $400-per-week supplemental payment for those who have lost their jobs, a decrease from the extra $600 unemployed Americans were receiving weekly before the benefit expired at the end of July. States would be on the hook for covering 25 percent of the extra payments if they decided to extend them, Trump said. But those who opted in could use federal coronavirus relief funds to help offset the costs.
To reiterate:
To recap:
1/ Evictions: No eviction moratorium or new rental $, asks HUD to "consider" if evictions should stop
2/ Unemployment: Uses $44B from FEMA to cover $300/week benefit for ~5 more weeks
3/ Taxes: Option to defer payroll tax payment, but w/o new law they'll still be due — Jeff Stein (@JStein_WaPo) August 9, 2020
Trump also signed a pretty promise to defer student loan payments until December.
Why is @BarackObama constantly issuing executive orders that are major power grabs of authority? This is the latest
http://t.co/4IVBckTE — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 10, 2012
Experts seem certain most of Trump’s Saturday Sharpie Show was just that: for show. In fact, most of the “executive orders” weren’t even executive orders.
Just in : Trump appears to have tonight actually only signed one Executive Order that extends rental evictions during the coronavirus pandemic. Other three documents were memoranda, per White House release. — Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) August 8, 2020
“The President cannot create new money with an executive order. These EOs simply show the limitations of the President’s legal authority,” Jack Smalligan, a former official at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) told The Washington Post.
But Trump’s performance was so much more than signing his name and showing the cameras. Politico described the rest of the event to be “akin to a campaign-style diatribe against his political opponents.” When he wasn’t bashing Biden for being “sleepy,” or lying about Veterans Choice, or blaming Democratic congressional leaders for holding “vital aid hostage,” or reframing the progressive left as extremists, or mocking the press, Trump was making vague promises and threats of what might happen if he loses on November 3.
The most disturbing part? The applause he received from those rich guys in golf shirts, even as he ran away like a coward.
Wait... Trump did a press conference with a live studio audience? https://t.co/yV6VcgRccI — Matt Murchison 💛🐝 (@MattMurchison) August 8, 2020
If you’re not having a bad enough day, you can watch the entire press conference here.
Posted with permission from Daily Kos.


crooksandliars--2020-08-09--Sturgis Biker Rally Has Potential To Become Super-Spreader Event

Health officials across the country have warned that the biker rally in Sturgis , SD has the potential to become a super-spreader event , but that 's did n't stop thousands of bikers from flooding the small town and packing into bars and concerts without masks .
They rumbled through the streets and crowded the sidewalks , often without masks , for the start of a 10-day extravaganza so deeply rooted that Sturgis calls itself the City of Riders .
WCVB reported that vendors at hundreds of tents sold motorcycle gear , food and T-shirts — one of which said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Sturgis.
” “ I don ’ t want to die , but I don ’ t want to be cooped up all my life either , ” 66-year-old Stephen Sample told the Associated Press , explaining that he ’ d driven his Harley up from Arizona .
He worries about getting coronavirus , he said , and was trying to steer clear of bars but ate breakfast that morning inside a diner .
Although this year ’ s rally was expected to draw half the number of attendees as prior years , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the AP that the only difference he noticed from past events was “ a few people wearing masks.
” People were still filling bars and nightclubs , he said .
And , as TMZ reported , hundreds of maskless people packed into a saloon to watch a ZZ Top tribute band play : A ZZ Top tribute band , called ZZ3 , took the stage at the Full Throttle Saloon and filled the room with Texas blues-rock .
The rally , which will draw an estimated 250,000 people , always draws big-named performers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of folks showed up .
Willie Nelson and Lynyrd Skynard were also scheduled to perform at the 9-day event but canceled because of the pandemic .
Other artists who performed Saturday include Molly Hatchet and the Guess Who ... Night Ranger , Bone Thugs-N-Harmony , .38 Special , Quiet Riot , Smash Mouth and others are expected to perform in the coming days .
The bar was packed and there was almost no social distancing , and lots of medical folks are worried this will become a super-spreading event .
That clearly was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ audience .
Here 's more reaction to and coverage of the event from Twitter :

Health officials across the country have warned that the biker rally in Sturgis, SD has the potential to become a super-spreader event, but that's didn't stop thousands of bikers from flooding the small town and packing into bars and concerts without masks.
They rumbled through the streets and crowded the sidewalks, often without masks, for the start of a 10-day extravaganza so deeply rooted that Sturgis calls itself the City of Riders. WCVB reported that vendors at hundreds of tents sold motorcycle gear, food and T-shirts — one of which said, “Screw COVID. I went to Sturgis.” “I don’t want to die, but I don’t want to be cooped up all my life either,” 66-year-old Stephen Sample told the Associated Press, explaining that he’d driven his Harley up from Arizona. He worries about getting coronavirus, he said, and was trying to steer clear of bars but ate breakfast that morning inside a diner. Although this year’s rally was expected to draw half the number of attendees as prior years, motorcyclist Kevin Lunsmann, 63, told the AP that the only difference he noticed from past events was “a few people wearing masks.” People were still filling bars and nightclubs, he said.
And, as TMZ reported, hundreds of maskless people packed into a saloon to watch a ZZ Top tribute band play:
A ZZ Top tribute band, called ZZ3, took the stage at the Full Throttle Saloon and filled the room with Texas blues-rock. The rally, which will draw an estimated 250,000 people, always draws big-named performers, so it's no surprise hundreds of folks showed up. Willie Nelson and Lynyrd Skynard were also scheduled to perform at the 9-day event but canceled because of the pandemic. Other artists who performed Saturday include Molly Hatchet and the Guess Who ... Night Ranger, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, .38 Special, Quiet Riot, Smash Mouth and others are expected to perform in the coming days. The bar was packed and there was almost no social distancing, and lots of medical folks are worried this will become a super-spreading event. That clearly was not on the minds of the saloon audience.
Here's more reaction to and coverage of the event from Twitter:
Sturgis
Lots and lots of dead people .. pic.twitter.com/QW3FbToj4z — Trump'sPissingMeOff 🌊😘👠🦸♀.❣TriggeringMagats (@RetiredMaybe) August 8, 2020
The #SturgisRally2020 is getting underway today in South Dakota. Not a mask in sight. It's shaping up to be a Super Spreader. When the COVID-19 deaths start piling up in a few weeks, this will turn out to be a catastrophic mistake by the leaders of Sturgis and South Dakota. pic.twitter.com/jUGDQNeGMB — 🇺🇸🌊 Kal-El of Krypton 🏳🌈🌽 (@MadeOnKrypton) August 7, 2020
“In downtown Sturgis it’s just madness,” Christian added. “People not socially distancing, everybody touching each other. It’ll be interesting to see how that turns out.”https://t.co/Mxv1JrTjm3#ONEV1 — Sarah W (@Ask__me__why) August 9, 2020
And then we chose to go home and become links in new chains of community infections because we are fucking idiots, and also incredibly selfish pricks.
“‘If We Get It, We Chose to Be Here’: Despite Virus, Thousands Converge on Sturgis for Huge Rally” https://t.co/bePFTLLm23 — Joshua Holland 🔥 (@JoshuaHol) August 8, 2020
"No, we didn't take any precautions." Hear from some of the thousands of bikers who came to Sturgis, South Dakota, for the annual motorcycle rally, despite concerns about spreading the coronavirus and over the objections of some residents.
Read more. https://t.co/yLLxisusiD pic.twitter.com/UU107zJ1fi — The New York Times (@nytimes) August 8, 2020
The problem is that your dumb asses will go back to where you came from and, like blowing the seedhead of mature dandelion, will spread COVID19 to your far-flung communities.
Thousands defy coronavirus to attend annual motorcycle rally in SD's Sturgis https://t.co/FMI1QJYC0f — Holly Figueroa O'Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) August 8, 2020
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Draws Huge Crowd at Local Bar https://t.co/4B1dzMCmB0 — TMZ (@TMZ) August 9, 2020
Too bad we can’t build a wall around Sturgis to keep all those asshole bikers from infecting the rest of the country. Tulsa death rally on anabolic steroids. — waltb31 (@waltb31) August 9, 2020
#Sturgis sponsor Harley-Davidson refused to send employees to annual rally over COVID-19 fears: reporthttps://t.co/fjsQ5AuplA — Raw Story (@RawStory) August 9, 2020


crooksandliars--2020-08-09--Mnuchin Threatens Taxpayers: Reelect Trump Or You'll Have To Pay Back The COVID Relief Money

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin suggested on Sunday that Americans will have to pay the government back for any payroll tax reduction unless President Donald Trump is reelected .
In an interview on FOX , host Chris Wallace noted that the president 's latest executive action on COVID-19 financial relief is `` not a tax cut . ''
`` It 's a payroll tax suspension , '' Wallace explained .
`` Is n't there a danger that a lot of businesses wo n't pass these saving through to workers because they 're going to hold on to the money because at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ action by the end of the year , those payroll taxes are going to be have to be paid anyway ? ''
`` Well , the president wanted to do a payroll tax cut , '' Mnuchin replied .
`` We could do the payroll tax deferral .
He 's going to go to the American people and tell them that when he 's reelected , he will push through legislation to forgive that so , in essence , it will turn into a payroll tax cut . ''
Wallace also wondered if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Social Security and Medicare benefits .
`` That 's not the case , '' Mnuchin said without evidence .
`` There would be an automatic contribution from the general fund to those trusts funds .
The president in no way wants to harm those trust funds . ''
`` We 're already running huge deficits , '' Wallace observed .
`` So how are you going to pay for it from the general fund ? ''
`` You just have a transfer from the general fund , '' Mnuchin insisted .
`` We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we get the economy back to where it was before . ''

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin suggested on Sunday that Americans will have to pay the government back for any payroll tax reduction unless President Donald Trump is reelected.
In an interview on FOX, host Chris Wallace noted that the president's latest executive action on COVID-19 financial relief is "not a tax cut."
"It's a payroll tax suspension," Wallace explained. "Isn't there a danger that a lot of businesses won't pass these saving through to workers because they're going to hold on to the money because at some point, according to this executive action by the end of the year, those payroll taxes are going to be have to be paid anyway?"
"Well, the president wanted to do a payroll tax cut," Mnuchin replied. "We could do the payroll tax deferral. He's going to go to the American people and tell them that when he's reelected, he will push through legislation to forgive that so, in essence, it will turn into a payroll tax cut."
Wallace also wondered if executive action would cause a reduction in Social Security and Medicare benefits.
"That's not the case," Mnuchin said without evidence. "There would be an automatic contribution from the general fund to those trusts funds. The president in no way wants to harm those trust funds."
"We're already running huge deficits," Wallace observed. "So how are you going to pay for it from the general fund?"
"You just have a transfer from the general fund," Mnuchin insisted. "We'll deal with the budget deficit when we get the economy back to where it was before."


crooksandliars--2020-08-10--Dear Sweet Jeebus, Trump Really Does Want His Face On Mt. Rushmore

South Dakota Gov .
Kristi Noem worked to entice Trump to come to Mount Rushmore for her July 4 fireworks extravaganza ever since she got elected .
Via the NY TImes : After all , the president had told her in the Oval Office that he aspired to have his image etched on the monument .
And last year , a White House aide reached out to the governor ’ s office with a question , according to a Republican official familiar with the conversation : What ’ s the process to add additional presidents to Mount Rushmore ?
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Black Hills for the star-spangled spectacle he had pined for , Ms. Noem made the most of it .
Introducing Mr. Trump against the floodlit backdrop of his carved predecessors , the governor played to the president ’ s craving for adulation by noting that in just three days more than 125,000 people had signed up for only 7,500 seats ; she likened him to Theodore Roosevelt , a leader who “ braves the dangers of the arena ” ; and she mimicked the president ’ s rhetoric by scorning protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country ’ s founders .

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem worked to entice Trump to come to Mount Rushmore for her July 4 fireworks extravaganza ever since she got elected. Via the NY TImes:
After all, the president had told her in the Oval Office that he aspired to have his image etched on the monument. And last year, a White House aide reached out to the governor’s office with a question, according to a Republican official familiar with the conversation: What’s the process to add additional presidents to Mount Rushmore?
So last month, when the president arrived in the Black Hills for the star-spangled spectacle he had pined for, Ms. Noem made the most of it.
Introducing Mr. Trump against the floodlit backdrop of his carved predecessors, the governor played to the president’s craving for adulation by noting that in just three days more than 125,000 people had signed up for only 7,500 seats; she likened him to Theodore Roosevelt, a leader who “braves the dangers of the arena”; and she mimicked the president’s rhetoric by scorning protesters who she said were seeking to discredit the country’s founders.


crooksandliars--2020-08-10--Here's Why New York Is Suing The NRA

Here's Why New York Is Suing The NRA

Editor ’ s note : New York state Attorney General Letitia James is suing the National Rifle Association and four of its current and former officials .
Brian Mittendorf , an Ohio State University accounting scholar who researches nonprofits , explains what the repercussions might be for the gun group and its leaders .
1. Who is accused of what , exactly ?
Though the NRA , the preeminent gun advocacy group , has been a political flashpoint over the years , this lawsuit revolves around its internal operations and whether they comply with the nonprofit laws in New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
New York ’ s top legal authorities allege that the NRA improperly made millions of dollars in payments to benefit executives , disguising compensation as business expenses .
The alleged improprieties involve Wayne LaPierre , the NRA ’ s longtime leader ; John Frazer , the group ’ s general counsel ; Wilson “ Woody ” Phillips , its retired treasurer and chief financial officer ; and Joshua Powell , who formerly served as LaPierre ’ s chief of staff .
The allegations fall into three primary categories : First , NRA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its executives .
Second , its executives also received personal benefits from organizations doing business with the NRA .
Third , the group failed to properly disclose these and other transactions in its annual regulatory filings .
Separately , District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine is suing the NRA Foundation , a charity tied to the group , for allegedly diverting donations to the NRA itself , which then used them for non-charitable purposes .
While the NRA Foundation is a charity focused on public outreach to promote marksmanship and gun safety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lifeline to the larger , but more cash-strapped , NRA – which engages in lobbying on gun issues .
That lawsuit alleges that the foundation improperly supported the NRA .
There are restrictions on what charities can do in terms of political activities that don ’ t apply to what are called social welfare nonprofits like the NRA .
A primary responsibility of nonprofit officers and directors is the duty of loyalty , which stipulates that they must always act in the best interest of the organization and not their own personal interest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instances of LaPierre and other executives being reimbursed for luxurious personal travel and even travel and employment perks for family members .
If these costs – paid by the NRA , which is funded by millions of dues-paying members – were truly for personal and family benefit and without sufficient business purpose , it would constitute a misuse of nonprofit funds .
Most notably , the lawsuit alleges that LaPierre and others routed improper payments for travel that didn ’ t comply with NRA policies through an outside vendor .
This process effectively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as from the Internal Revenue Service and New York ’ s nonprofit watchdogs .
3 .
How is the NRA responding ?
The NRA has dismissed the allegations as a “ baseless premeditated attack ” while accusing James of staging a political assault on the organization ’ s defense of gun use and ownership .
It did not immediately address any of the specifics cited in the lawsuit .
Some observers – including President Trump – have suggested the NRA flee New York to another state in response to the suit .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ however .
Though NRA headquarters is already outside of New York , in Northern Virginia , its charter remains in New York state .
And , any attempt to change this status would require the New York attorney general ’ s support – which currently seems unlikely .
4 .
What are the potential consequences ?
A primary goal of the New York lawsuit is to dissolve the NRA completely .
Recent history suggests that the Attorney General can be successful in such efforts – after her office filed suit against the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laws , it had to shut down .
But given the NRA ’ s much larger size , in my view , it could be a far less likely outcome this time .
The NRA lawsuit also seeks to remove LaPierre from his role as well as to seek fines and reimbursement from him and the other three men who stand accused of wrongdoing .
Finally , the allegations could get the individual defendants into tax trouble down the line .
If the NRA is found to have reimbursed them for expenditures that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and they did not report them as such on their own returns , the IRS may have something to say about it .
[ Get our best science , health and technology stories .
Sign up for The Conversation ’ s science newsletter . ]
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .

Brian Mittendorf, The Ohio State University
Editor’s note: New York state Attorney General Letitia James is suing the National Rifle Association and four of its current and former officials. Brian Mittendorf, an Ohio State University accounting scholar who researches nonprofits, explains what the repercussions might be for the gun group and its leaders.
1. Who is accused of what, exactly?
Though the NRA, the preeminent gun advocacy group, has been a political flashpoint over the years, this lawsuit revolves around its internal operations and whether they comply with the nonprofit laws in New York state, where the organization is chartered. New York’s top legal authorities allege that the NRA improperly made millions of dollars in payments to benefit executives, disguising compensation as business expenses.
The alleged improprieties involve Wayne LaPierre, the NRA’s longtime leader; John Frazer, the group’s general counsel; Wilson “Woody” Phillips, its retired treasurer and chief financial officer; and Joshua Powell, who formerly served as LaPierre’s chief of staff.
The allegations fall into three primary categories: First, NRA funds were improperly spent to personally benefit its executives. Second, its executives also received personal benefits from organizations doing business with the NRA. Third, the group failed to properly disclose these and other transactions in its annual regulatory filings.
Separately, District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine is suing the NRA Foundation, a charity tied to the group, for allegedly diverting donations to the NRA itself, which then used them for non-charitable purposes.
While the NRA Foundation is a charity focused on public outreach to promote marksmanship and gun safety, it has also been a financial lifeline to the larger, but more cash-strapped, NRA – which engages in lobbying on gun issues. That lawsuit alleges that the foundation improperly supported the NRA.
There are restrictions on what charities can do in terms of political activities that don’t apply to what are called social welfare nonprofits like the NRA.
2. What’s the big deal?
A primary responsibility of nonprofit officers and directors is the duty of loyalty, which stipulates that they must always act in the best interest of the organization and not their own personal interest.
The New York suit alleges several instances of LaPierre and other executives being reimbursed for luxurious personal travel and even travel and employment perks for family members.
If these costs – paid by the NRA, which is funded by millions of dues-paying members – were truly for personal and family benefit and without sufficient business purpose, it would constitute a misuse of nonprofit funds.
Most notably, the lawsuit alleges that LaPierre and others routed improper payments for travel that didn’t comply with NRA policies through an outside vendor. This process effectively hid the expenses from NRA oversight as well as from the Internal Revenue Service and New York’s nonprofit watchdogs.
3. How is the NRA responding?
The NRA has dismissed the allegations as a “baseless premeditated attack” while accusing James of staging a political assault on the organization’s defense of gun use and ownership. It did not immediately address any of the specifics cited in the lawsuit.
Some observers – including President Trump – have suggested the NRA flee New York to another state in response to the suit. It’s not that simple, however. Though NRA headquarters is already outside of New York, in Northern Virginia, its charter remains in New York state. And, any attempt to change this status would require the New York attorney general’s support – which currently seems unlikely.
4. What are the potential consequences?
A primary goal of the New York lawsuit is to dissolve the NRA completely. Recent history suggests that the Attorney General can be successful in such efforts – after her office filed suit against the Trump Foundation for its pattern of violating charity laws, it had to shut down. But given the NRA’s much larger size, in my view, it could be a far less likely outcome this time.
The NRA lawsuit also seeks to remove LaPierre from his role as well as to seek fines and reimbursement from him and the other three men who stand accused of wrongdoing.
Finally, the allegations could get the individual defendants into tax trouble down the line. If the NRA is found to have reimbursed them for expenditures that were personal rather than professional in nature, and they did not report them as such on their own returns, the IRS may have something to say about it.
[Get our best science, health and technology stories. Sign up for The Conversation’s science newsletter.]
Brian Mittendorf, Fisher Designated Professor of Accounting, The Ohio State University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.