crooksandliars--2020-04-18--Incitement By Trump Gets Total Pass From Press At COVID Briefing

In today 's episode of `` Everything Old Is New Again , '' we tackle astroturfing , gaslighting , and media complicity .
The protests in mainly Democratically-led states ( Michigan , Minnesota , Virginia ) against stay-at-home orders are n't grassroots movements by your average Joe .
They 're bought and paid for by the wealthiest GOP , like organizations with close ties to Betsy DeVos .
It 's like 2000 and 2009 all over again .
( Oh , hi , Brooks Brothers riot , and Tea Party ! )
Of course , Trump supports it , because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his interminable briefings , `` I dunno , they seem to like ME ... '' Yes , there were MAGA flags aplenty at these protests wherein braindead GOP cultists demanded the right to go back to work before safety measures could be established , because dammit , they are willing to die for that paycheck , and who cares if they bring the COVID back home to Grammy and Pop-pop ?
MAGA flags , Confederate flags , and you guessed it — flags with swastikas , too .
The Tyrannical Turdtrail just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and in support of his suicidal and murderous fans , tweeted his encouragement on Friday : Well .
That seems alarming .
Probably most people in those states were n't aware that actions taken by governors , recommended by most in the medical field trying to save their lives was a form of oppression and/or persecution .
But Trump , who respects language about as much as he respects law and the dosing instructions on his Sudafed boxes , wants the citizens of these states to commit insurrection .
And use your guns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't need that encouragement - they 'd already arrived at their state capitols armed .
Just to make sure there was no ambiguity about whether or not Trump supported that use of weaponry , though , he added it in his tweet about liberating Virginia .
Mary McCord , legal director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection and a visiting professor at the Georgetown University Law Center , argues in The Washnigton Post that not only are these tweets dangerous , they 're illegal .
“ Liberate ” — particularly when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ executive of our republic — isn ’ t some sort of cheeky throwaway .
Its definition is “ to set at liberty , ” specifically “ to free ( something , such as a country ) from domination by a foreign power.
” [ ... ] In that context , it ’ s not at all unreasonable to consider Trump ’ s tweets about “ liberation ” as at least tacit encouragement to citizens to take up arms against duly elected state officials of the party opposite his own , in response to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
[ ... ] It ’ s an echo of the “ Second Amendment remedies ” rhetoric of the 2010 midterm election .
It ’ s clearly a violation of federalism principles , and it ’ s quite possibly a crime under federal law .
And insurrection or treason against state government is a crime in Virginia , Michigan and Minnesota , as well as most states .
Assembling with others to train or practice using firearms or other explosives for use during a civil disorder is also a crime in many states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for just that .
Regardless of whether the tweets are criminal on their own , more importantly , they are irresponsible and dangerous .
The press , though , has a daily opportunity to push back on such language and hold him accountable to their readers and viewers via Trump 's alleged `` briefings '' on the COVID-19 situation .
They 're really just several hours of him free-associating and saying a bunch of second-grade-level gibberish .
How did the reporters frame Trump 's declarations ?
REPORTER 1 : So earlier today , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Michigan , Minnesota and Virginia were fomenting rebellion .
I 'm wondering how that squares with the sober and methodical guidance that you issued yesterday .
`` Encouraging '' liberation ?
?
?
`` Fomenting rebellion ?
?
? ''
How does this square with your SOBER AND METHODICAL GUIDANCE ?
?
?
As if these words coming out the reporter 's own mouth described perfectly normal , every day things a president might encourage their citizens to do .
I ca n't help picturing the Nazi equivalent : '' So , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Schindler said your tweets encouraging eugenics and experimental surgeries on Jewish children without anesthesia were ( *air quotes* ) cruel and amounted to ( *air quotes* ) war crimes .
How do you square that with the sobering way you are able to sort out who goes directly to the gas chamber and who lives to work themselves to death and die of typhoid instead ? ''
Trump 's answer was completely devoid of substance .
Like , zero .
He basically shrugged and said , Yeah , well , Virginia sucks .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a sobering guidance , but I think some things are too tough .
If you look at some of the states you just mentioned , it is too tough .
Not only relative to this , but what they have done in Virginia with respect to the Second Amendment , it 's just a horrible thing , they did a horrible thing .
The governor , He is a governor under a cloud to start off with .
When you see what he said about the Second Amendment , when you see what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think I feel very comfortable .
The next reporter follows up , but not to say , `` Pardon me , Mr. President , but if I may , what the ever-loving f*ck do you think you 're doing inciting armed rebellion ? ''
Instead , it 's to ask if Trump thinks those three states should lift the stay-at-home order .
As in , should those governors give in to the armed mobs surrounding them , chanting `` Lock Her Up ! ''
about their governors , and defy all medical advice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and yon so that his cronies ' bank accounts can swell even more , yet all-but-ensuring more citizens would die ?
TRUMP : No , but I think elements of what they have done is just too much , because I have already said .
But certainly the second amendment having to do with the state of Virginia , what they have done in Virginia is just incredible .
A third reporter follows up in the gentlest possible terms , using the softest language he could : REPORTER 3 : Are you concerned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in protests are going to spread COVID to other people ?
They 're congregating in ways that health experts have said they should not ?
`` Concerned ? ''
`` Congregating in ways that health experts have said they should not ? ''
Oh , you mean does Trump care they 're carrying signs with swastikas while they potentially infect others with a deadly virus , and also bring weapons of mass destruction to these emotional rallies , too ?
Might those all be things adverse to one 's health ?
Come ON @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supposed to stay neutral , but they are also supposed to be accurate and call things what they are .
TRUMP : No , these are people expressing their views .
I have seen where they are , and I see the way they 're working .
They seem to be very responsible people to me .
But they 've been treated a little bit rough .
Verrrry responsible .
Killing themselves and others to own the libs .
We should n't treat them too rough .

In today's episode of "Everything Old Is New Again," we tackle astroturfing, gaslighting, and media complicity. The protests in mainly Democratically-led states (Michigan, Minnesota, Virginia) against stay-at-home orders aren't grassroots movements by your average Joe. They're bought and paid for by the wealthiest GOP, like organizations with close ties to Betsy DeVos. It's like 2000 and 2009 all over again. (Oh, hi, Brooks Brothers riot, and Tea Party!)
Of course, Trump supports it, because as he shrugged so eloquently in one of his interminable briefings, "I dunno, they seem to like ME..." Yes, there were MAGA flags aplenty at these protests wherein braindead GOP cultists demanded the right to go back to work before safety measures could be established, because dammit, they are willing to die for that paycheck, and who cares if they bring the COVID back home to Grammy and Pop-pop?
MAGA flags, Confederate flags, and you guessed it — flags with swastikas, too.
The Tyrannical Turdtrail just ate that up, of course, and in support of his suicidal and murderous fans, tweeted his encouragement on Friday:
LIBERATE MINNESOTA! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2020
LIBERATE MICHIGAN! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2020
LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2020
Well. That seems alarming.
Probably most people in those states weren't aware that actions taken by governors, recommended by most in the medical field trying to save their lives was a form of oppression and/or persecution. But Trump, who respects language about as much as he respects law and the dosing instructions on his Sudafed boxes, wants the citizens of these states to commit insurrection. And use your guns! Mind you, the protestors didn't need that encouragement - they'd already arrived at their state capitols armed. Just to make sure there was no ambiguity about whether or not Trump supported that use of weaponry, though, he added it in his tweet about liberating Virginia.
Mary McCord, legal director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection and a visiting professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, argues in The Washnigton Post that not only are these tweets dangerous, they're illegal.
“Liberate” — particularly when it’s declared by the chief executive of our republic — isn’t some sort of cheeky throwaway. Its definition is “to set at liberty,” specifically “to free (something, such as a country) from domination by a foreign power.”
[...]
In that context, it’s not at all unreasonable to consider Trump’s tweets about “liberation” as at least tacit encouragement to citizens to take up arms against duly elected state officials of the party opposite his own, in response to sometimes unpopular but legally issued stay-at-home orders.
[...]
It’s an echo of the “Second Amendment remedies” rhetoric of the 2010 midterm election. It’s clearly a violation of federalism principles, and it’s quite possibly a crime under federal law. And insurrection or treason against state government is a crime in Virginia, Michigan and Minnesota, as well as most states. Assembling with others to train or practice using firearms or other explosives for use during a civil disorder is also a crime in many states. But the president himself is calling for just that. Regardless of whether the tweets are criminal on their own, more importantly, they are irresponsible and dangerous.
The press, though, has a daily opportunity to push back on such language and hold him accountable to their readers and viewers via Trump's alleged "briefings" on the COVID-19 situation. They're really just several hours of him free-associating and saying a bunch of second-grade-level gibberish. How did the reporters frame Trump's declarations?
Here's the first reporter:
REPORTER 1: So earlier today, Jay Inslee said your tweet encouraging liberation in Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia were fomenting rebellion. I'm wondering how that squares with the sober and methodical guidance that you issued yesterday.
"Encouraging" liberation??? "Fomenting rebellion???" How does this square with your SOBER AND METHODICAL GUIDANCE??? As if these words coming out the reporter's own mouth described perfectly normal, every day things a president might encourage their citizens to do.
I can't help picturing the Nazi equivalent:
"So, Dr. Mengele, earlier today, Oskar Schindler said your tweets encouraging eugenics and experimental surgeries on Jewish children without anesthesia were (*air quotes*) cruel and amounted to (*air quotes*) war crimes. How do you square that with the sobering way you are able to sort out who goes directly to the gas chamber and who lives to work themselves to death and die of typhoid instead?"
Trump's answer was completely devoid of substance. Like, zero. He basically shrugged and said, Yeah, well, Virginia sucks.
TRUMP: I think we do have a sobering guidance, but I think some things are too tough. If you look at some of the states you just mentioned, it is too tough. Not only relative to this, but what they have done in Virginia with respect to the Second Amendment, it's just a horrible thing, they did a horrible thing. The governor, He is a governor under a cloud to start off with. When you see what he said about the Second Amendment, when you see what other states have done, no I think I feel very comfortable.
WHAT THE EVER-LOVING F*CK
The next reporter follows up, but not to say, "Pardon me, Mr. President, but if I may, what the ever-loving f*ck do you think you're doing inciting armed rebellion?" Instead, it's to ask if Trump thinks those three states should lift the stay-at-home order. As in, should those governors give in to the armed mobs surrounding them, chanting "Lock Her Up!" about their governors, and defy all medical advice, allowing the disease to spread hither and yon so that his cronies' bank accounts can swell even more, yet all-but-ensuring more citizens would die?
To which Trump responded:
TRUMP: No, but I think elements of what they have done is just too much, because I have already said. But certainly the second amendment having to do with the state of Virginia, what they have done in Virginia is just incredible.
Again, I...argh. I can't anymore.
A third reporter follows up in the gentlest possible terms, using the softest language he could:
REPORTER 3: Are you concerned, though, that people coming out in protests are going to spread COVID to other people? They're congregating in ways that health experts have said they should not?
"Concerned?" "Congregating in ways that health experts have said they should not?" Oh, you mean does Trump care they're carrying signs with swastikas while they potentially infect others with a deadly virus, and also bring weapons of mass destruction to these emotional rallies, too? Might those all be things adverse to one's health? Come ON, man, I know reporters are supposed to stay neutral, but they are also supposed to be accurate and call things what they are.
TRUMP: No, these are people expressing their views. I have seen where they are, and I see the way they're working. They seem to be very responsible people to me. But they've been treated a little bit rough.
Verrrry responsible. Killing themselves and others to own the libs. We shouldn't treat them too rough.


crooksandliars--2020-04-18--Conservative Economist Equates Rabid MAGA Protestors To Civil Rights Icon Rosa Parks

In the past week there has been an uprising of angry Trump supporters , largely white men , who really want the economy to reopen and for stay at home orders to lift , even if it means they or their loved ones get sick or die .
For some reason they feel like reducing the spread of a highly contagious and deadly virus is a bad thing , and that it is infringing on their rights , just like gun control laws do .
I do n't understand it either , but the reasoning in Trump supporters ' minds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ photo from one of the protests , a photo that will surely be a Pulitzer Prize contender .
It was taken by photojournalist Joshua Bickel of the Columbus Dispatch : So , extreme right-wing economist and race-baiter Stephen Moore has a new description of the protesters .
He said they are like ROSA PARKS .
Yes , the same Rosa Parks who refused to sat in the back of the bus , and battled for racial equality .
His exact quote to the Washington Post was : No , Stephen .
These idiots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not have their liberties taken away .
They are being asked to stay home for a few weeks , or months , to prevent the spread of a contagious and deadly virus , for which we have no treatment or cure .
This is not meant to hurt anyone - it is meant to save lives .
Not remotely similar to Rosa Parks .
He added to his statement when speaking to the New York Times , saying : Just abhorrent race-baiting by a member of Trump 's `` Back To Work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group called “ Save Our Country , ” working to stop business shut-downs and force the lifting of stay-at-home measures .
Because who needs to be alive , as long as businesses are open and the economy comes back .
Right ?
Dead people can shop .
Wait ...
There is no bottom with these hateful , racist , evil people .
And Trump gladly surrounds himself with them .

In the past week there has been an uprising of angry Trump supporters, largely white men, who really want the economy to reopen and for stay at home orders to lift, even if it means they or their loved ones get sick or die. For some reason they feel like reducing the spread of a highly contagious and deadly virus is a bad thing, and that it is infringing on their rights, just like gun control laws do. I don't understand it either, but the reasoning in Trump supporters' minds is not logical.
Here is a photo from one of the protests, a photo that will surely be a Pulitzer Prize contender. It was taken by photojournalist Joshua Bickel of the Columbus Dispatch:
This image by photojournalist @joshuabickel of protestors in Ohio demanding the governor open businesses back up is haunting. It looks straight out of The Night of the Living Dead.
It should win a Pulitzer. The sharp contrast of the reflection of the man walking away is 👌. pic.twitter.com/lMtCyp7mBP — Toula Drimonis (@ToulasTake) April 16, 2020
So, extreme right-wing economist and race-baiter Stephen Moore has a new description of the protesters. He said they are like ROSA PARKS. Yes, the same Rosa Parks who refused to sat in the back of the bus, and battled for racial equality.
His exact quote to the Washington Post was:
I call these people modern-day Rosa Parks. They are protesting against injustice and a loss of liberties.
No, Stephen. These idiots are not protesting against injustice. They did not have their liberties taken away. They are being asked to stay home for a few weeks, or months, to prevent the spread of a contagious and deadly virus, for which we have no treatment or cure. This is not meant to hurt anyone - it is meant to save lives. Not remotely similar to Rosa Parks.
He added to his statement when speaking to the New York Times, saying:
It’s interesting to me that the right has become more the Rosa Parks of the world than the left is. We need to be the Rosa Parks here, and protest against these government injustices.
Just abhorrent race-baiting by a member of Trump's "Back To Work" council, and part of a group called “Save Our Country,” working to stop business shut-downs and force the lifting of stay-at-home measures. Because who needs to be alive, as long as businesses are open and the economy comes back. Right? Dead people can shop. Wait...
Twitter had thoughts:
Congratulations to Trump adviser Stephen Moore on a comment at once strikingly stupid and deeply offensive.
“I call these people the modern-day Rosa Parks — they are protesting against injustice and a loss of liberties.” https://t.co/2V1mhWFDC9 pic.twitter.com/TJIa4EZnap — Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) April 18, 2020
BREAKING: White House Adviser Stephen Moore just compared the COVID-19 protesters to "Rosa Parks."
Let's be clear: There's a huge difference between fighting for human lives, and fighting against saving human lives. #SaturdayThoughts — Ms. Krassenstein (@HKrassenstein) April 18, 2020
1/ What the FOX is wrong with @StephenMoore? — A Thread
Moore thinks stay-at-home protesters are "the modern-day Rosa Parks" https://t.co/l4b8U5EI7N pic.twitter.com/qUlQROrukq — Bad Fox Graphics (@BadFoxGraphics) April 18, 2020
White House economic advisor Stephen Moore says these Americans protesting stay-at-home orders are “modern-day Rosa Parks.” pic.twitter.com/DaryIO96RJ — Morgan J. Freeman (@mjfree) April 18, 2020
Trump advisor Stephen Moore compared the coronavirus protestors to Rosa Parks.
I could see it, if Rosa Parks were white, carried a big gun, waved confederate & nazi symbols, while protesting a non-discriminatory, temporary measure designed to stop people getting sick & dying. — Pitt Griffin (@pittgriffin) April 18, 2020
Rosa Parks was a Civil Rights icon who fought against racial injustice.
These @realDonaldTrump-supporting moronic slugs are White nationalists and White supremacists waving confederate and swastika flags. Stephen Moore is an ass. https://t.co/HneD8E2f7g — Scholarly Mama (@scholarlymama) April 18, 2020
Sums is up nicely:
This is Stephen Moore. He compared the Covid-19 protesters (who had Nazi flags, Confederate flags and assault weapons) to Rosa Parks. I thought you should know what the face of pure evil looks like. pic.twitter.com/oECIAIaEnz — Terry Blount (@TBlountSports) April 18, 2020
There is no bottom with these hateful, racist, evil people. And Trump gladly surrounds himself with them.


crooksandliars--2020-04-18--The Republican Party Has Become A Death Cult

A decade ago , in my first public writing since leaving Capitol Hill , I warned that the Republican Party , in its evolution towards an extremist conservative movement allied with extremist Christian fundamentalism , was becoming like “ one of the intensely ideological authoritarian parties of 20th century Europe.
” After Donald Trump ’ s enthronement as the decider of our fate , I analyzed the GOP ’ s descent into a nihilism that belied every one of its supposed “ values.
” They value only absolute power or ruin .
It is now long past time to cast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Republicans and their religious and secular conservative allies what they are , and in unadorned English : a death cult .
As the country reels from the coronavirus pandemic , our national government might just as well be run by the infamous People ’ s Temple of Jonestown .
By now we are benumbed by the all-pervasive arguments over relaxing workplace shutdowns and stay-at-home orders due to coronavirus .
In any sane society , the issue would be how to institute the most efficient measures to defeat the pandemic in the shortest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life .
Instead , Trump and his merry band of lunatics have hijacked the national debate into a faux-serious discussion of when , oh , please , how soon , can we “ reopen the economy ?
” Naturally , the media gamely continue to play along with this calculated bit of dezinformatsiya .
This has led to extreme callousness , like that shown by Texas lieutenant governor Dan Patrick , who opined that grams and gramps should be eager to shuffle off this mortal coil for the sake of their grandchildren .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ notion : voters in Florida , known as “ God ’ s waiting room ” for its geriatric population , are notoriously averse to paying one cent in state income tax to fund education or child health , let alone lay down their lives .
In any case , the 69-year-old Patrick , who claims he ’ s willing to die for his proposition , did not relinquish the burdens of his office to volunteer as an emergency room orderly .
There ’ s also Congressman Trey Hollingsworth of Indiana , who put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decreeing that “ it is always the American government ’ s position to say , in the choice between the loss of our way of life as Americans and the loss of life , of American lives , we have to always choose the latter.
” Then , striking the pose of the Serious Adult in the Room correcting mischievous children , he intoned : “ It is policymakers ’ decision to put on our big boy and big girl pants and say it is the lesser of these two evils.
” This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Dickens ’ s Thomas Gradgrind , the rigid , condescending , and heartless pedagogue .
But some pronouncements from the Trump coalition offer more ethereal rationalizations than the mere pursuit of lucre .
The news is replete with stories about evangelical ministers packing their megachurches like sardine cans in defiance of state orders for social distancing , as well as contempt for common sense .
We all know about that harebrained medicine man in Louisiana , Tony Spell , already arrested for violating the state ’ s prohibition of large gatherings , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who sounds as socially responsible as a blood tick , is proclaiming his parishioners ought to choose death : “ Like any revolutionary , or like any zealot , or like any pure religious person , death looks to them like a welcome friend .
True Christians do not mind dying .
They fear living in fear.
” So much for fundamentalists ’ vaunted “ culture of life , ” a slogan which the prestige media never presume to critique .
For a more socially upscale version of this sentiment , let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pretentious journal of alleged theology that dresses up its non-stop shilling for the GOP with high-toned words like “ numinous ” and references to the philosopher Erasmus .
Last month , its editor , R.R .
Reno , wrote a piece called , “ Say No to Death ’ s Dominion.
” It is an extraordinary performance .
Contrary to the title , he actually argues that death should be embraced .
He does this by weaving an imbecilic theology that includes falsifying the history of the 1918 flu epidemic to make his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ picture of things , we imagine a powerful fear of death arises because of the brutal deeds of cruel dictators and bloodthirsty executioners .
But in truth , Satan prefers sentimental humanists .
We resent the hard boot of oppression on our necks , and given a chance , most will resist .
How much better , therefore , to spread fear of death under moralistic pretexts.
” Oh , I get it !
So Mother Teresa and Dorothy Day were more depraved than Josef Stalin !
Reno ends with this : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pervasive—stoked by a materialistic view of survival at any price and unchecked by Christian leaders who in all likelihood secretly accept the materialist assumptions of our age .
“ This insane rant against materialism would seem to contradict the crassly materialistic assumptions underlying economic conservatives ’ advocacy for letting a deadly virus “ wash over ” the population , as Trump would say .
But these views , at first sight blatantly opposed , can be reconciled .
And who better to reconcile God and Mammon than a grifter like Jerry Falwell , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testifier to Donald Trump ’ s status as an emissary of the Almighty ?
Not only has Falwell continued the school year , virtually alone among American universities , and despite pleading from students and parents to close , he has now been sued for failing to refund fees for student activities that have been suspended .
Fundamentalist preachers ’ love of money is no secret : it is only by packing churches that the collection plate will yield a bounteous harvest so that their missionary work can continue – perhaps logistically aided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gulfstream executive jet .
And why not ?
It would upstage Pat Robertson , who had a mere Learjet , and a rental at that .
Political observers often wonder about the bizarre conservative coalition of plutocrats and theocrats , believing it to be unstable .
But the intersection of the heartless pecuniary motives of religious and economic conservatives is no coincidence .
And beneath the Ebenezer Scrooge façade of economic conservatives is the same kind of perverted idealism that we see in Tony Spell or R.R .
Reno .
The most cost-efficient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fewest resource inputs .
Likewise , internal combustion engines have evolved to get better mileage even as they pollute less .
And electric motors are even more fuel efficient and less polluting .
So how do we explain conservatives ’ perverse hatred of the environment , even when there are no profits at stake , as well as their tenacious denial of climate change in the face of irrefutable data ?
Is it not much the same as the Bible thumper who bitterly condemns stewardship of the environment as Gaia worship ?
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oil shocks ( and coincident with the rise of the New Right ) , an abiding feature on the American scene has been the survivalist , hoping for the national Götterdämmerung that will vindicate his having stockpiled 10,000 rounds of ammunition and a horde of Krugerrands .
This dovetails with fundamentalists ’ weird enthusiasm for the prospect of world annihilation that animates belief in the Rapture , the only difference being the technique by which the elect avoid the mass slaughter .
Firearms fetishism and a fascination with violence , war , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ideology , hardly distinguishable from Jerry Falwell Sr. ’ s , proclamation that God is Pro-War .
And how about the Ultimate Fighting Jesus ?
The NRA neatly intersects with “ muscular Christianity , ” revealing both ideological kinship and some very embarrassing gender insecurities that frequently irrupt in misogyny and homosexual panic .
There is no longer the slightest doubt in any sane person ’ s mind that not only are the GOP ’ s fundamentalist-extremist religious allies a death cult disguised as 501 ( c ) 3 tax-exempt charitable organizations .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic conservatism ” is equally a death cult , worshiping Mammon so fervently that it is eager to make human sacrifice upon its altar , just like the Mayans and Carthaginians .
“ Long live death !
” That was the defiant cry of José Millán-Astray y Terreros , a general in Francisco Franco ’ s fascist army during the Spanish civil war .
It could just as well suit Trump ’ s foot soldiers .
Mike Lofgren is a former congressional staff member who served on both the House and Senate budget @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Deep State : The Fall of the Constitution and the Rise of a Shadow Government '' and `` The Party is Over : How Republicans Went Crazy , Democrats Became Useless , and the Middle Class Got Shafted . ''

By Mike Lofgren
A decade ago, in my first public writing since leaving Capitol Hill, I warned that the Republican Party, in its evolution towards an extremist conservative movement allied with extremist Christian fundamentalism, was becoming like “one of the intensely ideological authoritarian parties of 20th century Europe.” After Donald Trump’s enthronement as the decider of our fate, I analyzed the GOP’s descent into a nihilism that belied every one of its supposed “values.” They value only absolute power or ruin.
It is now long past time to cast off highfalutin’ Latinisms and simply call the Republicans and their religious and secular conservative allies what they are, and in unadorned English: a death cult. As the country reels from the coronavirus pandemic, our national government might just as well be run by the infamous People’s Temple of Jonestown.
By now we are benumbed by the all-pervasive arguments over relaxing workplace shutdowns and stay-at-home orders due to coronavirus. In any sane society, the issue would be how to institute the most efficient measures to defeat the pandemic in the shortest time and with the lowest loss of life. Instead, Trump and his merry band of lunatics have hijacked the national debate into a faux-serious discussion of when, oh, please, how soon, can we “reopen the economy?” Naturally, the media gamely continue to play along with this calculated bit of dezinformatsiya.
This has led to extreme callousness, like that shown by Texas lieutenant governor Dan Patrick, who opined that grams and gramps should be eager to shuffle off this mortal coil for the sake of their grandchildren.
There is abundant empirical evidence against this notion: voters in Florida, known as “God’s waiting room” for its geriatric population, are notoriously averse to paying one cent in state income tax to fund education or child health, let alone lay down their lives. In any case, the 69-year-old Patrick, who claims he’s willing to die for his proposition, did not relinquish the burdens of his office to volunteer as an emergency room orderly.
There’s also Congressman Trey Hollingsworth of Indiana, who put a patriotic gloss on his Malthusianism, decreeing that “it is always the American government’s position to say, in the choice between the loss of our way of life as Americans and the loss of life, of American lives, we have to always choose the latter.”
Then, striking the pose of the Serious Adult in the Room correcting mischievous children, he intoned: “It is policymakers’ decision to put on our big boy and big girl pants and say it is the lesser of these two evils.” This encapsulates the stereotype of the economic conservative: Dickens’s Thomas Gradgrind, the rigid, condescending, and heartless pedagogue.
But some pronouncements from the Trump coalition offer more ethereal rationalizations than the mere pursuit of lucre. The news is replete with stories about evangelical ministers packing their megachurches like sardine cans in defiance of state orders for social distancing, as well as contempt for common sense.
We all know about that harebrained medicine man in Louisiana, Tony Spell, already arrested for violating the state’s prohibition of large gatherings, who continues his antics nonstop. Spell, who sounds as socially responsible as a blood tick, is proclaiming his parishioners ought to choose death: “Like any revolutionary, or like any zealot, or like any pure religious person, death looks to them like a welcome friend. True Christians do not mind dying. They fear living in fear.”
So much for fundamentalists’ vaunted “culture of life,” a slogan which the prestige media never presume to critique.
For a more socially upscale version of this sentiment, let us turn to First Things, a pretentious journal of alleged theology that dresses up its non-stop shilling for the GOP with high-toned words like “numinous” and references to the philosopher Erasmus.
Last month, its editor, R.R. Reno, wrote a piece called, “Say No to Death’s Dominion.” It is an extraordinary performance. Contrary to the title, he actually argues that death should be embraced. He does this by weaving an imbecilic theology that includes falsifying the history of the 1918 flu epidemic to make his basic point:
“In our simple-minded picture of things, we imagine a powerful fear of death arises because of the brutal deeds of cruel dictators and bloodthirsty executioners. But in truth, Satan prefers sentimental humanists. We resent the hard boot of oppression on our necks, and given a chance, most will resist. How much better, therefore, to spread fear of death under moralistic pretexts.”
Oh, I get it! So Mother Teresa and Dorothy Day were more depraved than Josef Stalin! Reno ends with this:
“Fear of death and causing death is pervasive—stoked by a materialistic view of survival at any price and unchecked by Christian leaders who in all likelihood secretly accept the materialist assumptions of our age. “
This insane rant against materialism would seem to contradict the crassly materialistic assumptions underlying economic conservatives’ advocacy for letting a deadly virus “wash over” the population, as Trump would say. But these views, at first sight blatantly opposed, can be reconciled.
And who better to reconcile God and Mammon than a grifter like Jerry Falwell, Jr., ringmaster of Liberty University and testifier to Donald Trump’s status as an emissary of the Almighty? Not only has Falwell continued the school year, virtually alone among American universities, and despite pleading from students and parents to close, he has now been sued for failing to refund fees for student activities that have been suspended.
Fundamentalist preachers’ love of money is no secret: it is only by packing churches that the collection plate will yield a bounteous harvest so that their missionary work can continue – perhaps logistically aided by the purchase of a $65-million Gulfstream executive jet. And why not? It would upstage Pat Robertson, who had a mere Learjet, and a rental at that.
Political observers often wonder about the bizarre conservative coalition of plutocrats and theocrats, believing it to be unstable. But the intersection of the heartless pecuniary motives of religious and economic conservatives is no coincidence. And beneath the Ebenezer Scrooge façade of economic conservatives is the same kind of perverted idealism that we see in Tony Spell or R.R. Reno.
The most cost-efficient industrial process is one that wastes the fewest resource inputs. Likewise, internal combustion engines have evolved to get better mileage even as they pollute less. And electric motors are even more fuel efficient and less polluting.
So how do we explain conservatives’ perverse hatred of the environment, even when there are no profits at stake, as well as their tenacious denial of climate change in the face of irrefutable data? Is it not much the same as the Bible thumper who bitterly condemns stewardship of the environment as Gaia worship?
There are other similarities. Since the 1970s oil shocks (and coincident with the rise of the New Right), an abiding feature on the American scene has been the survivalist, hoping for the national Götterdämmerung that will vindicate his having stockpiled 10,000 rounds of ammunition and a horde of Krugerrands. This dovetails with fundamentalists’ weird enthusiasm for the prospect of world annihilation that animates belief in the Rapture, the only difference being the technique by which the elect avoid the mass slaughter.
Firearms fetishism and a fascination with violence, war, and armed insurrection are also mainstays of right-wing ideology, hardly distinguishable from Jerry Falwell Sr.’s, proclamation that God is Pro-War. And how about the Ultimate Fighting Jesus? The NRA neatly intersects with “muscular Christianity,” revealing both ideological kinship and some very embarrassing gender insecurities that frequently irrupt in misogyny and homosexual panic.
There is no longer the slightest doubt in any sane person’s mind that not only are the GOP’s fundamentalist-extremist religious allies a death cult disguised as 501(c)3 tax-exempt charitable organizations. The whole extremely well-funded edifice of “economic conservatism” is equally a death cult, worshiping Mammon so fervently that it is eager to make human sacrifice upon its altar, just like the Mayans and Carthaginians.
"¡Viva la Muerte!"
“Long live death!” That was the defiant cry of José Millán-Astray y Terreros, a general in Francisco Franco’s fascist army during the Spanish civil war. It could just as well suit Trump’s foot soldiers.
Republished from Common Dreams under a Creative Commons license.
Mike Lofgren is a former congressional staff member who served on both the House and Senate budget committees. His books include: "The Deep State: The Fall of the Constitution and the Rise of a Shadow Government" and "The Party is Over: How Republicans Went Crazy, Democrats Became Useless, and the Middle Class Got Shafted."


crooksandliars--2020-04-18--Florida Surgeon General Suspiciously Silenced After Contradicting DeSantis On Coronavirus

This morning , Joy Reid played a clip of Florida Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees predicting at a coronavirus press briefing that social distancing will need to continue “ probably a year , if not longer ” in order to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic until there is a vaccine .
Uh-oh , that is so not part of the DeSantis/Trump playbook !
So , like a true Trumper , DeSantis went with politics over science .
Right after those comments , we saw video of Rivkees “ suspiciously escorted out by the governor ’ s spokeswoman , ” as Reid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advocating for re-opening schools with dangerously false claims like this : “ This particular pandemic is one where I do n't think , nationwide , there 's been a single fatality under 25 .
For whatever reason , it just does n't seem to threaten , you know , kids.
” He re-opened some beaches in Florida , too .
Reid ’ s guest , Rep. Val Demings ( D-FL ) , pointed out that this was not the first time DeSantis ignored medical advice .
“ The same surgeon general declared a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1st .
Yet it was n't until April 3rd that our governor decided to issue a stay-at-home order , ” she said .
Demings said that one of the 24,000 coronavirus cases in Florida is an infant in her Orange County .
“ Children all over this nation ” have contracted it , too , she added .
“ We can get through this pandemic , I have no doubt about that , ” Demings said , “ But we have to have decisive , smart , strategic leaders who listen to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Florida 's surgeon general and other medical experts across this country .
”

This morning, Joy Reid played a clip of Florida Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees predicting at a coronavirus press briefing that social distancing will need to continue “probably a year, if not longer” in order to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic until there is a vaccine.
Uh-oh, that is so not part of the DeSantis/Trump playbook! So, like a true Trumper, DeSantis went with politics over science. Right after those comments, we saw video of Rivkees “suspiciously escorted out by the governor’s spokeswoman,” as Reid put it.
We also saw DeSantis advocating for re-opening schools with dangerously false claims like this: “This particular pandemic is one where I don't think, nationwide, there's been a single fatality under 25. For whatever reason, it just doesn't seem to threaten, you know, kids.” He re-opened some beaches in Florida, too.
Reid’s guest, Rep. Val Demings (D-FL), pointed out that this was not the first time DeSantis ignored medical advice. “The same surgeon general declared a public health emergency in Florida on March 1st. Yet it wasn't until April 3rd that our governor decided to issue a stay-at-home order,” she said.
Demings said that one of the 24,000 coronavirus cases in Florida is an infant in her Orange County. “Children all over this nation” have contracted it, too, she added.
“We can get through this pandemic, I have no doubt about that,” Demings said, “But we have to have decisive, smart, strategic leaders who listen to the experts and those experts are people like Florida's surgeon general and other medical experts across this country.”
Good luck with that, Florida!


crooksandliars--2020-04-18--Joy Reid: Those Re-Open Protests Are All About Helping Trump And Wall St., Not Main St.

Reid opened her show today with a blistering critique of the “ citizen protesters ” risking their own lives and those of everyone they come into contact with by defying stay-at-home orders .
She played a clip of Michigan ’ s Democratic governor , Gretchen Whitmer saying that the maskless protesters deliberately touching each other are “ precisely what makes this kind of a disease drag out and expose more people.
” What 's especially tragic is that the protesters are risking their lives and ours on behalf of fat cats like Trump and his cronies who are remaining safe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be clear .
These are organized political rallies .
This week after saying he had total authority to reopen the country , a claim that is categorically untrue based on the Constitution and federal law , Trump on Thursday reversed course and said oh , no , no , wait , it 's up to governors to make that call .
Only to take to Twitter on Friday to call for the quote , liberation of Minnesota , Michigan and Virginia .
In his tweet about liberating Virginia , he even threw in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's Second Amendment was quote , under siege .
I mean , what is he calling for ?
Armed MAGA supporters to defy their governors ' orders and storm back to their low paid jobs ?
Booming Wall Street or bust ?
It sounds a lot like the Brooks Brothers protest during the 2000 election or the Tea Party 's vow to stop the little people from getting health care and mortgage relief .
Full liberty .
Right ?
This thing about insta-protests about what really rich people want , but which are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all white , just happening to show up to defend their freedom , sometimes with their guns and always with their screaming rage , is kind of a Republican thing .
The upshot , Reid pointed out , is that the protests help Trump campaign during the coronavirus pandemic , but with his supporters taking ( and spreading ) all the risk .
“ This time , the banner cry of keeping American Great is against the backdrop of a horrific American death toll as outbreaks unfold across the country , ” Reid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Times about 33,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 so far .
Not surprisingly , many of the latest outbreaks are in Trump country where governors have resisted stay-at-home orders .
Trump and his cronies are fine with even more dying for the sake of his political fortunes .

Reid opened her show today with a blistering critique of the “citizen protesters” risking their own lives and those of everyone they come into contact with by defying stay-at-home orders. She played a clip of Michigan’s Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer saying that the maskless protesters deliberately touching each other are “precisely what makes this kind of a disease drag out and expose more people.”
What's especially tragic is that the protesters are risking their lives and ours on behalf of fat cats like Trump and his cronies who are remaining safe at home.
REID: Let's be clear. These are organized political rallies. … This week after saying he had total authority to reopen the country, a claim that is categorically untrue based on the Constitution and federal law, Trump on Thursday reversed course and said oh, no, no, wait, it's up to governors to make that call. Only to take to Twitter on Friday to call for the quote, liberation of Minnesota, Michigan and Virginia. In his tweet about liberating Virginia, he even threw in some gun-loving scare tactics saying the state's Second Amendment was quote, under siege. I mean, what is he calling for? Armed MAGA supporters to defy their governors' orders and storm back to their low paid jobs? Booming Wall Street or bust? It sounds a lot like the Brooks Brothers protest during the 2000 election or the Tea Party's vow to stop the little people from getting health care and mortgage relief. Full liberty. Right? This thing about insta-protests about what really rich people want, but which are cast at as regular folks, almost all white, just happening to show up to defend their freedom, sometimes with their guns and always with their screaming rage, is kind of a Republican thing.
The upshot, Reid pointed out, is that the protests help Trump campaign during the coronavirus pandemic, but with his supporters taking (and spreading) all the risk. “This time, the banner cry of keeping American Great is against the backdrop of a horrific American death toll as outbreaks unfold across the country,” Reid noted.
According to The New York Times about 33,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 so far. Not surprisingly, many of the latest outbreaks are in Trump country where governors have resisted stay-at-home orders. Trump and his cronies are fine with even more dying for the sake of his political fortunes.


crooksandliars--2020-04-18--Two-Thirds Of Americans Say Trump Acted 'Too Slow' In Addressing Pandemic

Nearly two-thirds of Americans say Donald Trump was `` too slow '' in taking major steps to address the threat of a coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. , according to a new Pew Research poll .
Overall , Americans also continue to be incredibly sober about the pandemic , with 73 % saying the `` worst is still to come '' in terms of problems facing the country due to the outbreak .
Two-thirds of Americans also say they fear lifting social distancing restrictions `` too quickly '' while just 32 % worry about not doing so quickly enough .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ terms of how poorly his actions are viewed .
Regardless of party , most Americans view the actions of their state and local elected officials and public health officials at the CDC , for instance , in a very positive light .
The news comes as Trump 's job approval rating is trending downward in most public opinion polls after he got a brief boost last month .
Gallup , for instance , which found Trump at a record-high 49 % last month , released a poll this week in which Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Nearly two-thirds of Americans say Donald Trump was "too slow" in taking major steps to address the threat of a coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., according to a new Pew Research poll.
Overall, Americans also continue to be incredibly sober about the pandemic, with 73% saying the "worst is still to come" in terms of problems facing the country due to the outbreak. Two-thirds of Americans also say they fear lifting social distancing restrictions "too quickly" while just 32% worry about not doing so quickly enough.
Trump stands apart from other officials in terms of how poorly his actions are viewed. Regardless of party, most Americans view the actions of their state and local elected officials and public health officials at the CDC, for instance, in a very positive light.
The news comes as Trump's job approval rating is trending downward in most public opinion polls after he got a brief boost last month. Gallup, for instance, which found Trump at a record-high 49% last month, released a poll this week in which Trump’s approvals slumped back to 43%.
Posted with permission from Daily Kos.


crooksandliars--2020-04-18--Jacksonville Beach Packed 30 Minutes After Opening

Florida 's brilliant Governor Ron DeSantis opened some beaches last night , despite one of the worst outbreaks in the @ @ @ @ @ and many other reasons , # FloridaMorons was soon trending on Twitter .
Beaches in @ @ @ @ @ of people just 30 minutes after reopening yesterday , despite the state recording its highest @ @ @ @ @ .
Florida Department of Health said confirmed cases in the state rose by 1,421 Friday @ @ @ @ @ so far , bringing the total number of cases to 24,753 .
The total number @ @ @ @ @ 726 .
Despite the increasingly worrying statistics , thousands of people returned to the beach @ @ @ @ @ officially reopened to the public with photos showing visitors walking , fishing and exercising their @ @ @ @ @ restrictions on its use , with beachgoers only allowed on the sand between 6am and @ @ @ @ @ for exercise such as walking or swimming – although they do so at their own @ @ @ @ @ no lifeguards on duty .

Florida's brilliant Governor Ron DeSantis opened some beaches last night, despite one of the worst outbreaks in the country. For this, and many other reasons, #FloridaMorons was soon trending on Twitter.
Source: Daily Mirror
Beaches in Florida were crowded with thousands of people just 30 minutes after reopening yesterday, despite the state recording its highest one-day increase in coronavirus cases.
Florida Department of Health said confirmed cases in the state rose by 1,421 Friday, the highest daily increase so far, bringing the total number of cases to 24,753.
The total number of deaths has now reached 726.
Despite the increasingly worrying statistics, thousands of people returned to the beach at 5pm when it was officially reopened to the public with photos showing visitors walking, fishing and exercising their dogs.
But there are restrictions on its use, with beachgoers only allowed on the sand between 6am and 11am and 5pm to 8pm for exercise such as walking or swimming – although they do so at their own risk since there will be no lifeguards on duty.


crooksandliars--2020-04-18--Ron DeSantis Tries To Mask His Stupidity And Fails

And here we have the governor of the great state of Florida , Ron DeSantis , putting on his mask @ @ @ @ @ , honey .
Bless your heart .
That 's not how you do it .
@ @ @ @ @ .
Hey , with all this properly-worn PPE , it 's no wonder Ron DeSantis @ @ @ @ @ the beaches as of this weekend !
Way to go , Florida Man !

And here we have the governor of the great state of Florida, Ron DeSantis, putting on his mask on live TV:
And here’s Florida Governor Ron DeSantis putting on his mask... pic.twitter.com/YKLHu7nuBo — Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) April 18, 2020
Oh, honey. Bless your heart. That's not how you do it. Let Twitter set you straight.
If you had guessed that Ron DeSantis couldn’t put on a face mask if his life depended on it, you win. pic.twitter.com/x0drZLbs7u — Lauren Werner 🗽 (@LaurenWern) April 17, 2020
Well, this is one way to put on a mask. It’s not the right way, but it’s the @GovRonDeSantis way.
(h/t @TheWestipher)pic.twitter.com/mQ6rJbBVZq — Kevin Cate (@KevinCate) April 17, 2020
I was expecting him to stretch the bottom elastic down past his knees and step into it. — Procrastamom 🇨🇦 (@Procrastamom) April 17, 2020
Hey, with all this properly-worn PPE, it's no wonder Ron DeSantis feels so comfortable opening up the beaches as of this weekend! Way to go, Florida Man!


crooksandliars--2020-04-18--VICTORY:  Federal Court Deals Another Blow To Keystone XL

Indigenous rights groups and climate action campaigners credited their years-long effort to block the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline with securing the latest legal victory against TC Energy on Wednesday after a federal judge in Montana invalidated a water-crossing permit needed to build the pipeline .
Judge Brian Morris ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ( USACE ) issued the permit without conducting a thorough assessment of the harm the pipeline would cause to endangered species in waterways along the oil infrastructure 's planned route , which stretches 1,179 miles from Alberta , Canada to Nebraska .
Morris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ USACE was ordered to complete a formal analysis of the pipeline 's potential impact on endangered species .
If completed , the pipeline would carry 830,000 barrels of tar sands oil per day .
Groups including the Center for Biological Diversity , the Sierra Club , and the National Resources Defense Council joined indigenous groups in applauding the victory in their case against the Army Corps and TC Energy .
`` This is a tremendous victory for imperiled wildlife that rely on rivers , streams , and wetlands , '' said Jared Margolis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biological Diversity .
`` This ruling makes it clear that the Trump administration ca n't continue to push dirty fossil fuel pipelines while ignoring the devastating impacts they have on the environment . ''
`` We wish to recognize the tremendous work by our allies ! ''
said Dallas Goldtooth , an organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network .
`` This decision vindicates what we have always known .
We stand unified in this resistance , not only on the grounds of morality , but on the terms of our legal rights as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ latest victory for climate action groups in a series of ongoing litigation against the Keystone XL Pipeline .
President Donald Trump issued permits for its construction within days of taking office in 2017 , two years after President Barack Obama declined to grant permission for the project .
In 2018 , Morris temporarily blocked construction , saying the Trump administration failed to legally justify the project , and last December he ruled that lawsuits against the pipeline could move forward .
Campaigners called on TC Energy to finally give up its effort to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ latest legal blow .
Hearings on Trump 's attempt to unilaterally approve cross-border construction and on Indigenous tribes ' demand that the project be suspended in light of the coronavirus pandemic are planned for Thursday .
Despite the ongoing battle , 350.org called Wednesday 's decision `` a critical victory for tribes , rural communities , and all supporters of climate justice who have been fighting Keystone XL for more than a decade . ''
`` The court has rightfully ruled against the Trump administration 's efforts to fast track this nasty pipeline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Toles O'Laughlin , North America director for 350.org .
`` We wo n't allow fossil fuel corporations and backdoor politicians to violate the laws that protect people and the planet .
We will challenge any attempt to put our health and well-being at risk . ''
`` We can only hope that our organization 's ongoing litigation will receive a comparable decision as well , '' Goldtooth said of the continued fight .
`` In the meantime , we fight on in defense of the sacredness of Mother Earth ! ''

Indigenous rights groups and climate action campaigners credited their years-long effort to block the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline with securing the latest legal victory against TC Energy on Wednesday after a federal judge in Montana invalidated a water-crossing permit needed to build the pipeline.
Judge Brian Morris ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) issued the permit without conducting a thorough assessment of the harm the pipeline would cause to endangered species in waterways along the oil infrastructure's planned route, which stretches 1,179 miles from Alberta, Canada to Nebraska.
Morris ordered a suspension of construction and the USACE was ordered to complete a formal analysis of the pipeline's potential impact on endangered species. If completed, the pipeline would carry 830,000 barrels of tar sands oil per day.
Groups including the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club, and the National Resources Defense Council joined indigenous groups in applauding the victory in their case against the Army Corps and TC Energy.
"This is a tremendous victory for imperiled wildlife that rely on rivers, streams, and wetlands," said Jared Margolis, senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. "This ruling makes it clear that the Trump administration can't continue to push dirty fossil fuel pipelines while ignoring the devastating impacts they have on the environment."
HUGE news! As @nrdc's Anthony Swift said, this “creates another significant hurdle for the project…Keystone XL has basically lost all of its Clean Water Act permits for water crossings.” https://t.co/EjkHkMCBrX @BoldNebraska @CenterForBioDiv @friends_earth @Norplains @SierraClub — Gina McCarthy (@GinaNRDC) April 16, 2020
"We wish to recognize the tremendous work by our allies!" said Dallas Goldtooth, an organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network. "This decision vindicates what we have always known. We stand unified in this resistance, not only on the grounds of morality, but on the terms of our legal rights as well."
The ruling is the latest victory for climate action groups in a series of ongoing litigation against the Keystone XL Pipeline. President Donald Trump issued permits for its construction within days of taking office in 2017, two years after President Barack Obama declined to grant permission for the project.
In 2018, Morris temporarily blocked construction, saying the Trump administration failed to legally justify the project, and last December he ruled that lawsuits against the pipeline could move forward.
Campaigners called on TC Energy to finally give up its effort to build the pipeline in light of its latest legal blow.
"Take a hint, TC Energy," tweeted Sierra Club campaigner Ben Cushing.
You just never learn, @TCEnergy. How many times do we have to tell you? This. Pipeline. Is. Never. Getting. Built.#NoKXL https://t.co/9CYMR9MAYJ — Jamie Henn (@jamieclimate) April 15, 2020
Hearings on Trump's attempt to unilaterally approve cross-border construction and on Indigenous tribes' demand that the project be suspended in light of the coronavirus pandemic are planned for Thursday.
Despite the ongoing battle, 350.org called Wednesday's decision "a critical victory for tribes, rural communities, and all supporters of climate justice who have been fighting Keystone XL for more than a decade."
"The court has rightfully ruled against the Trump administration's efforts to fast track this nasty pipeline at any cost," said Tamara Toles O'Laughlin, North America director for 350.org. "We won't allow fossil fuel corporations and backdoor politicians to violate the laws that protect people and the planet. We will challenge any attempt to put our health and well-being at risk."
"We can only hope that our organization's ongoing litigation will receive a comparable decision as well," Goldtooth said of the continued fight. "In the meantime, we fight on in defense of the sacredness of Mother Earth!"
Republished from Common Dreams (Julia Conley, staff writer) under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.


crooksandliars--2020-04-18--Despite Federal Ban, Landlords Still Moving To Evict During Pandemic

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Landlords in at least four states have violated the eviction ban passed by Congress last month , a review of records shows , moving to throw more than a hundred people out of their homes .
In an effort to help renters amid the coronavirus pandemic and skyrocketing unemployment , the March 27 CARES Act banned eviction filings for all federally backed rental units nationwide , more than a quarter of the total .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not following the law , with no apparent consequence , filing to evict tenants from properties in Georgia , Oklahoma , Texas and Florida .
The scores of cases ProPublica found represent only a small slice of the true total because there ’ s no nationwide — or , in many cases , even statewide — database of eviction filings .
Four landlords said they were reversing eviction filings after being contacted by ProPublica and informed the filings were illegal .
National real estate trade groups , however , are already lobbying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At The Life at Pine Village , a development outside Atlanta where one-bedroom apartments rent for around $ 850 per month , seven tenants were hit with eviction filings last week .
“ Thank you for bringing this to our attention .
The evictions at The Life at Pine Village were done in error and have been halted .
Our team has been working today to contact all tenants who originally received notices , ” said Mark Braykovich , a spokesman for Manhattan-based owner Olive Tree Holdings .
Olive Tree has a portfolio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than $ 500 million .
Braykovich said staff had been confused about what is covered by the eviction ban , noting the “ unusual and quick implementation of changes in the law.
” At the Laurel Pointe Apartments in Forest Park , Georgia , the landlord filed for eviction against 25 households several days after the federal ban passed .
The building is owned by Seattle-based Stonemark Housing Partners and managed by Cushman & Wakefield , a $ 2.5 billion publicly traded real estate services firm .
A Laurel Pointe spokesperson said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for comment : “ We began a thorough investigation and determined we did unknowingly and wrongfully begin the eviction process for several residents .
No residents were served or removed from their homes and first thing this morning we filed for dismissal of all evictions.
” The recent eviction filings underscore Congress ’ failure to include an enforcement mechanism in the law , as well as the complexity of the ban , which only applies to certain categories of properties .
“ There ’ s nothing in the bill that seems to create @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law , ” said Dan Immergluck , an urban studies professor at Georgia State University in Atlanta .
He added it ’ s not clear that landlords even know about the ban .
It ’ s impossible to know how widespread the violations are .
Eviction filings are notoriously difficult to track around the country because they are typically handled in city or county courts , only some of which post cases online , even during normal times .
The roughly 120 eviction filings ProPublica found represents a review of records in just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the entire state of Oklahoma .
These places were chosen based on their population , ease of access to online records and because they had a substantial number of new cases in the past month .
Several other county courts where ProPublica tried to review records have stopped posting case information altogether because of the pandemic .
Landlords are still allowed to file some kinds of evictions at covered properties , including when a tenant is a threat to others .
They are prohibited from evicting tenants for failing to pay rent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases that ProPublica was able to obtain showed landlords filed specifically for nonpayment of rent , in violation of the law .
Landlords are already lobbying to roll back the more than two-week old federal ban .
In a letter to the White House and Congress this month , several national trade groups pressed for the eviction ban to be narrowed to cover only tenants “ adversely affected by the outbreak , but also require residents to officially notify the property owner , ” The Real Deal reported .
An eviction filing does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the curb .
Tenants are sometimes protected by state and local laws as well .
The procedure is different in every state , but under normal circumstances , it could be several weeks from the time a tenant misses the rent before a sheriff makes it to their door .
Tenants facing eviction often don ’ t know their legal rights , advocates say , and the notice alone could cause them to leave their homes , posing public health risks in the face of an ongoing pandemic .
Even if tenants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filings can have other serious consequences .
It often carries significant fees for tenants and can get them added to blacklists used by many landlords to screen potential renters .
“ It immediately impairs your ability to get out of the situation that you ’ re in , and it ’ s that much harder to find a landlord that will rent to you , ” said Erin Willoughby , a lawyer with the Atlanta Legal Aid Society .
The CARES act prohibits landlords from charging tenants fees as well , but most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that landlords sought late fees and legal costs from their tenants .
The fees vary , but typically amount to 20 % to 30 % of the tenant ’ s monthly rent .
In some cases reviewed by ProPublica , attorneys ’ fees alone were as high as $ 300 .
Housing advocates around the country are struggling even to identify which buildings fall under the eviction ban , which lasts until July 25 .
The CARES Act lays out several categories , including buildings with federally backed mortgages and others that receive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ programs .
That covers more than 25 % of all rentals in the country , according to estimates by the Urban Institute , or about 12.3 million units .
There is no single tool or data source that tells renters , advocates or landlords if their building is covered by the ban .
That makes it difficult for tenants to know if their eviction case was filed illegally or not .
Even as some landlords are violating the ban , overall evictions have dropped substantially in the regions ProPublica reviewed .
In addition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states have issued their own eviction bans , and many physical court locations are currently closed to nonessential business , making it difficult to file in places where there is no online portal .
While many of the illegal filings ProPublica found came days after the ban was passed March 27 , records show landlords have continued to file for evictions in the past two weeks .
Most of the landlords filing evictions since the ban went into effect did not respond to requests for comment .
They include Emerald Equity Group , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ best known in the industry for purchasing a portfolio of East Harlem rental buildings for more than $ 350 million in 2016 .
Emerald ’ s CEO , Isaac Kassirer , is the subject of frequent stories in the business press , including for investing in rent-regulated buildings with an eye to increasing rents , tenant lawsuits and allegations of poor building upkeep .
Kassirer has said that Emerald ’ s apartments are affordable and that he never harasses tenants .
Between March 30 and April 1 , Emerald filed eviction papers on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complex in a low-income , largely black part of DeKalb County outside of Atlanta .
But Kassirer ’ s firm took out a $ 47 million government-backed loan on the property in 2019 , which puts it under the eviction ban in the CARES act .
ProPublica was able to identify illegal eviction filings by cross-referencing the court filings in Houston , Tampa , metro Atlanta and Oklahoma against mortgage documents and databases from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac .
The two government-sponsored agencies support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lenders and reselling them to investors .
Legal experts say that , in the absence of federal penalties , landlords are unlikely to face any consequences for bringing the illegal cases in local courts .
“ There ’ s not a lot at stake if the landlord loses the case , or if it gets dismissed , ” said Eric Dunn , director of litigation at the National Housing Law Project .
Many tenants don ’ t have the resources to challenge their cases , and the bar is high for establishing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It ’ s very uncommon that courts levy sanctions against landlords , ” Dunn said .
Because there is no legislation relieving tenants from rent payments during the pandemic , renters who are currently protected from eviction will still be responsible for paying any back-rent when the federal and local bans are lifted .
In the absence of rental assistance , housing advocates are bracing for the worst when the eviction process returns .
“ We don ’ t want there to be a cliff that low-income renters fall off of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Diane Yentel , president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition .
Yentel ’ s group is advocating for additional legislation to provide funding for short-term rental assistance to ensure that tenants and landlords can continue to pay their bills .
Are you having trouble with your rent , mortgage or debts ?
Or do you work in the housing or debt industries and have something you think we should know about ?
Let us know here .

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Landlords in at least four states have violated the eviction ban passed by Congress last month, a review of records shows, moving to throw more than a hundred people out of their homes.
In an effort to help renters amid the coronavirus pandemic and skyrocketing unemployment, the March 27 CARES Act banned eviction filings for all federally backed rental units nationwide, more than a quarter of the total.
But ProPublica found building owners who are simply not following the law, with no apparent consequence, filing to evict tenants from properties in Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas and Florida. The scores of cases ProPublica found represent only a small slice of the true total because there’s no nationwide — or, in many cases, even statewide — database of eviction filings.
Four landlords said they were reversing eviction filings after being contacted by ProPublica and informed the filings were illegal. National real estate trade groups, however, are already lobbying to limit the scope of the ban.
At The Life at Pine Village, a development outside Atlanta where one-bedroom apartments rent for around $850 per month, seven tenants were hit with eviction filings last week.
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. The evictions at The Life at Pine Village were done in error and have been halted. Our team has been working today to contact all tenants who originally received notices,” said Mark Braykovich, a spokesman for Manhattan-based owner Olive Tree Holdings.
Olive Tree has a portfolio of buildings in Texas and Georgia worth more than $500 million. Braykovich said staff had been confused about what is covered by the eviction ban, noting the “unusual and quick implementation of changes in the law.”
At the Laurel Pointe Apartments in Forest Park, Georgia, the landlord filed for eviction against 25 households several days after the federal ban passed. The building is owned by Seattle-based Stonemark Housing Partners and managed by Cushman & Wakefield, a $2.5 billion publicly traded real estate services firm.
A Laurel Pointe spokesperson said that after receiving ProPublica’s request for comment: “We began a thorough investigation and determined we did unknowingly and wrongfully begin the eviction process for several residents. No residents were served or removed from their homes and first thing this morning we filed for dismissal of all evictions.”
The recent eviction filings underscore Congress’ failure to include an enforcement mechanism in the law, as well as the complexity of the ban, which only applies to certain categories of properties.
“There’s nothing in the bill that seems to create a clear penalty for violating the new law,” said Dan Immergluck, an urban studies professor at Georgia State University in Atlanta. He added it’s not clear that landlords even know about the ban.
It’s impossible to know how widespread the violations are. Eviction filings are notoriously difficult to track around the country because they are typically handled in city or county courts, only some of which post cases online, even during normal times. The roughly 120 eviction filings ProPublica found represents a review of records in just seven counties in three states, along with the entire state of Oklahoma. These places were chosen based on their population, ease of access to online records and because they had a substantial number of new cases in the past month. Several other county courts where ProPublica tried to review records have stopped posting case information altogether because of the pandemic.
Landlords are still allowed to file some kinds of evictions at covered properties, including when a tenant is a threat to others. They are prohibited from evicting tenants for failing to pay rent. But documents for the roughly 70 cases that ProPublica was able to obtain showed landlords filed specifically for nonpayment of rent, in violation of the law.
Landlords are already lobbying to roll back the more than two-week old federal ban. In a letter to the White House and Congress this month, several national trade groups pressed for the eviction ban to be narrowed to cover only tenants “adversely affected by the outbreak, but also require residents to officially notify the property owner,” The Real Deal reported.
An eviction filing does not mean a tenant is immediately kicked to the curb. Tenants are sometimes protected by state and local laws as well. The procedure is different in every state, but under normal circumstances, it could be several weeks from the time a tenant misses the rent before a sheriff makes it to their door. Tenants facing eviction often don’t know their legal rights, advocates say, and the notice alone could cause them to leave their homes, posing public health risks in the face of an ongoing pandemic.
Even if tenants see the eviction process through, the filings can have other serious consequences. It often carries significant fees for tenants and can get them added to blacklists used by many landlords to screen potential renters. “It immediately impairs your ability to get out of the situation that you’re in, and it’s that much harder to find a landlord that will rent to you,” said Erin Willoughby, a lawyer with the Atlanta Legal Aid Society.
The CARES act prohibits landlords from charging tenants fees as well, but most of the eviction filings ProPublica reviewed show that landlords sought late fees and legal costs from their tenants. The fees vary, but typically amount to 20% to 30% of the tenant’s monthly rent. In some cases reviewed by ProPublica, attorneys’ fees alone were as high as $300.
Housing advocates around the country are struggling even to identify which buildings fall under the eviction ban, which lasts until July 25. The CARES Act lays out several categories, including buildings with federally backed mortgages and others that receive certain tax credits or participate in voucher programs. That covers more than 25% of all rentals in the country, according to estimates by the Urban Institute, or about 12.3 million units. There is no single tool or data source that tells renters, advocates or landlords if their building is covered by the ban. That makes it difficult for tenants to know if their eviction case was filed illegally or not.
Even as some landlords are violating the ban, overall evictions have dropped substantially in the regions ProPublica reviewed. In addition to the CARES Act moratorium, some states have issued their own eviction bans, and many physical court locations are currently closed to nonessential business, making it difficult to file in places where there is no online portal. While many of the illegal filings ProPublica found came days after the ban was passed March 27, records show landlords have continued to file for evictions in the past two weeks.
Most of the landlords filing evictions since the ban went into effect did not respond to requests for comment. They include Emerald Equity Group, a New York City-based firm that is best known in the industry for purchasing a portfolio of East Harlem rental buildings for more than $350 million in 2016.
Emerald’s CEO, Isaac Kassirer, is the subject of frequent stories in the business press, including for investing in rent-regulated buildings with an eye to increasing rents, tenant lawsuits and allegations of poor building upkeep. Kassirer has said that Emerald’s apartments are affordable and that he never harasses tenants.
Between March 30 and April 1, Emerald filed eviction papers on nine tenants at 13Ten Apartments, a complex in a low-income, largely black part of DeKalb County outside of Atlanta. But Kassirer’s firm took out a $47 million government-backed loan on the property in 2019, which puts it under the eviction ban in the CARES act.
ProPublica was able to identify illegal eviction filings by cross-referencing the court filings in Houston, Tampa, metro Atlanta and Oklahoma against mortgage documents and databases from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The two government-sponsored agencies support the housing market by buying loans from lenders and reselling them to investors.
Legal experts say that, in the absence of federal penalties, landlords are unlikely to face any consequences for bringing the illegal cases in local courts.
“There’s not a lot at stake if the landlord loses the case, or if it gets dismissed,” said Eric Dunn, director of litigation at the National Housing Law Project. Many tenants don’t have the resources to challenge their cases, and the bar is high for establishing a pattern of frivolous lawsuits before a judge.
“It’s very uncommon that courts levy sanctions against landlords,” Dunn said.
Because there is no legislation relieving tenants from rent payments during the pandemic, renters who are currently protected from eviction will still be responsible for paying any back-rent when the federal and local bans are lifted.
In the absence of rental assistance, housing advocates are bracing for the worst when the eviction process returns. “We don’t want there to be a cliff that low-income renters fall off of once the moratoria are lifted,” said Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
Yentel’s group is advocating for additional legislation to provide funding for short-term rental assistance to ensure that tenants and landlords can continue to pay their bills.
Are you having trouble with your rent, mortgage or debts? Or do you work in the housing or debt industries and have something you think we should know about? Let us know here.


crooksandliars--2020-04-20--Trump's Approval Ratings Plummet In New Gallup Poll

In all natural and unnatural national disasters the American public always rallies around the sitting president , no matter what party he 's from .
Trump 's approval ratings shot up past 50 % as the coronavirus began to spread throughout the country , which is a normal reaction history tells us .
Unfortunately for Donald , all his past crazy conspiracy theory laden reelection rallies and golf outings during the month of February are coming back to bite him .
In a new Gallup poll , the news is damning for the narcissist in charge .
Even in Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump getting buried for his horrendous response to COVID-19 .
Many Americans are now seeing right through these moronic 2020 presidential reelection press briefing/rallies .
Instead of letting the virus task force lead the way and inform the American people , Trump ca n't stay away from the microphone and turns these briefings that are supposed to help the American people keep informed on the state of the nation into his personal whine-fest .
The amount of lies , mistruths and backstabbing attacks on former politicians and media outlets has not been helpful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now it 's coming back to bite him .

In all natural and unnatural national disasters the American public always rallies around the sitting president, no matter what party he's from.
Trump's approval ratings shot up past 50% as the coronavirus began to spread throughout the country, which is a normal reaction history tells us.
Unfortunately for Donald, all his past crazy conspiracy theory laden reelection rallies and golf outings during the month of February are coming back to bite him.
In a new Gallup poll, the news is damning for the narcissist in charge.
A new Gallup poll finds President Donald Trump's approval stands at 43%. His disapproval rating is at 54%. Trump's approval rating is down significantly from 49% in March, while his disapproval rating is up 9 points from 45%.
Even in Trump's favorite poll, Rasmussen has found Trump getting buried for his horrendous response to COVID-19.
Many Americans are now seeing right through these moronic 2020 presidential reelection press briefing/rallies.
Instead of letting the virus task force lead the way and inform the American people, Trump can't stay away from the microphone and turns these briefings that are supposed to help the American people keep informed on the state of the nation into his personal whine-fest.
The amount of lies, mistruths and backstabbing attacks on former politicians and media outlets has not been helpful to him or anyone else.
And now it's coming back to bite him.


crooksandliars--2020-04-19--VA Gov. Blasts Trump For 'Delusional' Statement On Covid-19 Testing Capacity

Trump has been doing his best to push governors across the country to lift stay-at-home restrictions , consequences be damned .
Virginia Gov .
Ralph Northam gave CNN 's Jake Tapper a dose of reality on what will be necessary for governors to safely start to open up their economies , and threw cold water on Trump 's happy talk about the states having adequate testing capacity for that to happen any time soon : TAPPER : This week , you said your state -- or , rather , your commonwealth was slowing the spread of the virus , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until the end of the month .
With coronavirus cases continuing to climb in Virginia , when do you think that the economy could potentially start to open back up ?
NORTHAM : Well , it 's a great question , Jake .
And I think it 's something that governors wrestle with every day .
Today , just as an example , we had close to 500 new cases , close to 20 new deaths .
And while we 're not seeing a significant increase , it looks like it 's flattening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would like to see at least two weeks of trending numbers going down .
We want to make sure that we have the PPE that we need in our hospitals and our penitentiaries and our nursing homes .
We want to ramp up our testing capabilities .
And , as soon as we see all these things coming together , we will open up our businesses just as soon as we can .
But we want to make sure that we do it responsibly , and we want to do it safely .

Trump has been doing his best to push governors across the country to lift stay-at-home restrictions, consequences be damned. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam gave CNN's Jake Tapper a dose of reality on what will be necessary for governors to safely start to open up their economies, and threw cold water on Trump's happy talk about the states having adequate testing capacity for that to happen any time soon:
TAPPER: This week, you said your state -- or, rather, your commonwealth was slowing the spread of the virus, but that the peak would likely not happen until the end of the month.
With coronavirus cases continuing to climb in Virginia, when do you think that the economy could potentially start to open back up?
NORTHAM: Well, it's a great question, Jake. And I think it's something that governors wrestle with every day.
Today, just as an example, we had close to 500 new cases, close to 20 new deaths. And while we're not seeing a significant increase, it looks like it's flattening out a bit. And so we would like to see at least two weeks of trending numbers going down.
We want to make sure that we have the PPE that we need in our hospitals and our penitentiaries and our nursing homes. We want to ramp up our testing capabilities. And, as soon as we see all these things coming together, we will open up our businesses just as soon as we can.
But we want to make sure that we do it responsibly, and we want to do it safely.


crooksandliars--2020-04-19--Trump Lashes Out At 'Dumb Person' Nancy Pelosi After She Calls Him A 'Weak Leader' On Fox

President Donald Trump on Sunday complained that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is a “ dumb ” person after she called @ @ @ @ @ ” in an interview on Fox News .
The remarks were made by Pelosi to @ @ @ @ @ Wallace .
“ Name anybody , blame the governors , blame me , blame the @ @ @ @ @ the Speaker said of Trump .
“ Leaders take responsibility .
So I said he @ @ @ @ @ .
He doesn ’ t take responsibility .
He places blame on others.
” The @ @ @ @ @ one of Trump ’ s beloved conservative platforms seemed to penetrate the president ’ s @ @ @ @ @ is an inherently ‘ dumb ’ person , ” Trump wrote on Twitter .
“ @ @ @ @ @ time on the Impeachment Hoax.
” “ She will be overthrown , either by inside @ @ @ @ @ her last time as ‘ Speaker , ' ” he said before adding , “ @ @ @ @ @ on a bad path , watch !
”

President Donald Trump on Sunday complained that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is a “dumb” person after she called him a “weak leader” in an interview on Fox News.
The remarks were made by Pelosi to Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace.
“Name anybody, blame the governors, blame me, blame the World Health Organization,” the Speaker said of Trump. “Leaders take responsibility. So I said he’s a weak leader. He doesn’t take responsibility. He places blame on others.”
The interview which took place on one of Trump’s beloved conservative platforms seemed to penetrate the president’s bubble.
“Nervous Nancy is an inherently ‘dumb’ person,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “She wasted all of her time on the Impeachment Hoax.”
“She will be overthrown, either by inside or out, just like her last time as ‘Speaker,'” he said before adding, “Wallace & @FoxNews are on a bad path, watch!”


crooksandliars--2020-04-19--'Useless Propaganda': Chuck Todd Faces Backlash After He Admits Giving Mike Pence 'A Lot Of Leeway'

NBC host Chuck Todd on Sunday accused Vice President Mike Pence of failing to answer his questions about the Trump administration 's reaction to the novel coronavirus .
In an interview on Meet the Press , Todd asked the vice president why President Donald Trump had contradicted his own CDC guidelines by tweeting a call to `` liberate '' certain states from stay-at-home policies .
But the vice president declined to give a straight answer as he had throughout the 20 minute interview .
`` But what 's he tweeting ? ''
Todd wondered .
`` I 've given you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 've not been wanting to interrupt you .
Well , that 's not true , I always want to jump in on some things .
I 've given you a lot of leeway . ''
`` Why is the president trying to undermine the guidance you 've been laying out ? ''
the NBC host continued .
`` He laid out this guidance on Thursday and undermined it on Friday . ''
`` Chuck , I do n't except your premise , '' Pence replied .
`` And I do n't think most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earned Todd scorn on Twitter , where many argued that trying to get answers out of Pence is a waste of time .

NBC host Chuck Todd on Sunday accused Vice President Mike Pence of failing to answer his questions about the Trump administration's reaction to the novel coronavirus.
In an interview on Meet the Press, Todd asked the vice president why President Donald Trump had contradicted his own CDC guidelines by tweeting a call to "liberate" certain states from stay-at-home policies.
But the vice president declined to give a straight answer as he had throughout the 20 minute interview.
"But what's he tweeting?" Todd wondered. "I've given you a lot of leeway here. I've not been wanting to interrupt you. Well, that's not true, I always want to jump in on some things. I've given you a lot of leeway."
"Why is the president trying to undermine the guidance you've been laying out?" the NBC host continued. "He laid out this guidance on Thursday and undermined it on Friday."
"Chuck, I don't except your premise," Pence replied. "And I don't think most Americans do either."
The interview earned Todd scorn on Twitter, where many argued that trying to get answers out of Pence is a waste of time.
#ChuckTodd having #MikePence on is like using a pencil with no lead. USELESS! — Robert Aursby (@SkinsFan35) April 19, 2020
Predictably, @chucktodd is letting @vp lie, unchecked, refuse to answer questions and not holding him accountable on facts established in the opener. Soooo many @NBC/@MSNBC personalities could do this better. @MeetThePress — Woke Up EXACTLY Like This (@FTWTMPS) April 19, 2020
#chucktodd is doing a miserable job of interviewing #pence. No accountability. — Christine Sharp (@christinesharp) April 19, 2020
You know I'd consider watching @MeetThePress this morning because @chucktodd is supposed to talk with @VP Mike Pence. But nah, Chuck will just cowtow to him and allow him to spew the WH propaganda. He won't stop him when he starts lying like his Moronic boss. FACTS CHUCK — 2019 still VOTE BLUE!! (@MichaelBourdea5) April 19, 2020
Stop the farce interview w @VP @chucktodd Make vp defend this admins lack of caring. — Joyce Black (@joyce_black) April 19, 2020
Tim Russert would NEVER allow Pence to spew his Trumpaganda like Chuck Todd is allowing right now — Cheryl Ackerman (@ScarvesbyCheryl) April 19, 2020
Holy hell @chucktodd stop letting #pence filibuster his horseshit. Why do I ever turn on @MeetThePress ? — Chad Vanek (@chad_vanek) April 19, 2020
Chuck Todd sucks at his job , Pence pissed all over him this morning. — Vik (@vjvnam) April 19, 2020
Come on @chucktodd ! You’re a door mat! Trump has no mandate of the people! He lost the election and calls for revolt. Pence shat on you! You barely have a grasp of facts. — Jerry Aulik (@goombar3) April 19, 2020
Chuck Todd is a horrible interviewer — Rob De Luca (@rjd1267) April 19, 2020
Chuck Todd should have cut him off. Be tougher on these guys or don't give them free time to spread more lies.#CoronavirusLiar — Louise Krueger (@krueg_) April 19, 2020
Chuck Todd's ability to stop Trump from spreading false information is as useful as a paper umbrella in a shit storm. No bueno Chuck. You let them lie too much. — RedResistance 🇺🇸💯 (@aandbz) April 19, 2020
the ghost of Tim Russert should come back and smack the ever loving shit out of @chucktodd hes not even a pimple on tims butt
wheres your balls chuck hold these folks feet to the fire
we deserve better — Kanyes buthole (@kanyesbuthole) April 19, 2020
Hey @chucktodd how come you haven’t made @VP answer any question? You just let him ramble and spread his BS the whole time. #meetthepress @MeetThePress — Trish (@theschmidts78) April 19, 2020
Seriously @chucktodd? What the hell was that? You need to get a set of cojones. — notwhatisignedupfor (@notwhatisigned1) April 19, 2020
Pence blatantly lying thru his teeth and purposely rambling on and on so as to not be asked another question - Chuck Todd he is using you and USA needs yo to stand up to such lies - you dont THANK a guest when he lies to the viewers ! — Go Bonas ! (@scorpio6262) April 19, 2020
Listening to @chucktodd give unfettered time to @VP on @MeetThePress is like sitting through a second grade violin concert. Yammmmmmmering obsequiousness like liquified white bread. Then a gentle landing from the always disappointing Todd. — jubilee (@midwestjulie) April 19, 2020
Chuck Todd did the worst interview ever with VP. No balls. — Kerouacky (@madiliz) April 19, 2020
Chuck Todd needs to grow a pair. He has allowed pence on, Meet the Press, to speak but not answer one question. Judy Woodruff on PBS, Friday, at least tried very hard to make pence answer the questions. Shame on Todd — Ktrav002 (@ktrav002) April 19, 2020
Chuck Todd interviewed VP Pence today. Dear Chuck. You were unable to get this idiot to answer a single question! So sorry you are no Tim Russet!! — Owner (@EyaknhojOwner) April 19, 2020
Pence steamrolled @chucktodd. Filibustered him good, over & over. Chuck, you feebly tried to break in, but grow a pair. Yell to cut him off, fercrissake. — Rusty Weise (@RustyWeise) April 19, 2020
Dear @MeetThePress: The next time you have Mike Pence on (Or, really, anyone from the regime), there's no point in having @chucktodd there. Just give the guest 15 minutes for an uninterrupted soliloquy. You'll get the same result. — George Colombo (@GeorgeColombo) April 19, 2020
My god @chucktodd is the worst interviewer in the history of the world. It’s absolutely inarguable. #MeetThePress — Matt Vogt (@MatthewWVogt) April 19, 2020
JFC, CHUCK TODD, YOU ARE ALLOWED TO INTERRUPT PENCE WHEN HE’S MONOLOGUING TO AVOID ANSWEING YOUR QUESTIONS!!! IT’S YOUR SHOW!!! — Jamie 😷’Grady ⚡ (@JamieOGrady) April 19, 2020
Well, that was an extremely bullshit filled interview @chucktodd had with the VP. Sorry Chuck, he owned you. — RTracey (@rtracey1) April 19, 2020
Chuck Todd is letting Pence completely control this interview and not getting any real questions in. His interview skills are terrible & this interview is pathetic. #MeetThePress — Kristen Stay Inside Save Lives Parisi (@Kris10Parisi) April 19, 2020
Fucking Chuck Todd ! Goddamn it. He just lets Pence drone on and on. — Michelle (@ihazquestionz) April 19, 2020
.@chucktodd needs to learn how to rein in the lies of Pence instead of just letting him go on and on with lie after lie. @MeetThePress — GencoPuraUSA (@UsaGenco) April 19, 2020
Watching Meet the Press. Pence is on. Chuck Todd doesn’t know how to conduct an interview that shuts down the lying and surface the truth — Eliot Howard (@eliothoward2) April 19, 2020
Hey @chucktodd, why are so bad and your job? Grow a spine and stop allowing @mikepence to steamroll you with propaganda, lies, and ridiculous fealty for @realDonaldTrump.#MeetThePress — 39 WEST PRESS (@39WestPress) April 19, 2020
OMG @chucktodd - you can interrupt someone, even the VP, when they’re spewing endless, useless propaganda! Do your job! — ggindaltx (@ggindaltx) April 19, 2020
Chuck Todd needs to go! STFU Pence. Another rally speech and Todd does nothing! — Theresa (@trekan913) April 19, 2020
Normally, I find @chucktodd's propensity for talking over guests infuriating. But his allowing Vice President for Business Pence to bloviate today on @MeetThePress was disgusting. — Milton Kent (@SportsAtLarge) April 19, 2020
We’ll isn’t that special Chuck Todd gives the Vice President a lot of leeway. — Becky Atchison (@coffeebeaniest) April 19, 2020
“I’ve given you a lot of leeway here...”
What were you waiting for...?!?! @chucktodd #MeetThePress — jason (shark) (@jasonlk24) April 19, 2020
FFS @NBCNews what more do you need to move on from @chucktodd "hosting" @MeetThePress ??? He just let Mike Pence gaslight America with 20 minutes of bullshit. Why not just put Brian Williams in the seat if you want lying liars to lie and call it news. — CM (@LosTrains) April 19, 2020


crooksandliars--2020-04-19--Idaho Lawmaker: Stay-at-home Orders Are 'No Different' Than Nazi Germany Death Camps

A Republican state lawmaker compared Idaho Gov .
Brad Little ( R ) to Adolf Hitler because she said that stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic are akin to Nazi extermination camps .
During an interview with a Texas podcaster last week , Idaho state Rep. Heather Scott called the economic shutdown `` no different than Nazi Germany . ''
`` And when you have government telling you that your business is essential or non-essential , yours is non-essential and someone else 's is essential , we have a problem there , '' Scott explained .
`` I mean , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where you had government telling people either you were an essential worker or a non-essential worker , and non-essential workers got put on a train . ''
“ You can ’ t take away people ’ s lives and property without compensation , and that ’ s exactly what he would be doing , '' she later added .
`` I mean , they are already calling him Little Hitler — Gov .
Little Hitler . ''
“ And so I think people will start educating others , and people will be more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ‘ Enough of this , ’ and put the pressure — hopefully political pressure — on him , '' Scott added .
`` That ’ s what I would hope for .
”

A Republican state lawmaker compared Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) to Adolf Hitler because she said that stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic are akin to Nazi extermination camps.
During an interview with a Texas podcaster last week, Idaho state Rep. Heather Scott called the economic shutdown "no different than Nazi Germany."
"And when you have government telling you that your business is essential or non-essential, yours is non-essential and someone else's is essential, we have a problem there," Scott explained. "I mean, that's no different than Nazi Germany where you had government telling people either you were an essential worker or a non-essential worker, and non-essential workers got put on a train."
“You can’t take away people’s lives and property without compensation, and that’s exactly what he would be doing," she later added. "I mean, they are already calling him Little Hitler — Gov. Little Hitler."
“And so I think people will start educating others, and people will be more and more vocal until they will say, ‘Enough of this,’ and put the pressure — hopefully political pressure — on him," Scott added. "That’s what I would hope for.”