alternet--2020-11-20--'Certify the results!': GOP Michigan officials blasted for meeting Trump during his 'fascist coup at

'Certify the results!': GOP Michigan officials blasted for meeting Trump during his 'fascist coup attempt'

Two Republican lawmakers in the Michigan legislature were reprimanded on Friday as they made their way to the White House for a meeting with President Donald Trump , who has endeavored to overturn the election results in key battleground states won by President-elect Joe Biden .
Rep. Debbie Dingell ( D-Mich. ) called the meeting between State Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey , Speaker of the State House of Representatives Lee Chatfield , and the president `` an attempt to subvert our democracy and undermine the will of Michigan voters . ''
Shirkey was greeted with ridicule when he landed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D.C. '' Certify the results ! ''
and `` Shame on you ! ''
activists chanted , as reporters asked questions , such as `` Where is the evidence of fraud ? ''
and `` What did Trump promise you ? ''
Meanwhile , on Twitter , Chatfield was mocked for his attempt to justify his meeting with Trump .
Lonnie Scott , executive director of Progress Michigan , one of the progressive advocacy groups behind the Friday protests , said the behavior of GOP members in his state is appalling .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been able to hide behind gerrymandered districts and their lack of a moral compass to avoid any kind of accountability—but not anymore , '' said Scott .
`` We will not sit idly by and watch them attack our democracy and steal our votes . ''
Friday 's protests are a `` small taste of what 's to come if they attempt to subvert the will of the people , '' Scott warned .
`` If Chatfield and Shirkey insist on seeing Trump today , it should be to tell him in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over , voters have decided , and it 's time to move forward together . ''
Shirkey and Chatfield `` have been mum about what specifically they will discuss , '' The Hill reported , but defenders of democracy have characterized the `` meeting itself as inappropriate and part of a broader effort to subvert the will of the voters . ''
Bob Bauer , a legal adviser to the Biden campaign , described Trump 's Thursday invitation as `` an open attempt to intimidate election officials , '' which is `` an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Hill , `` Dingell and others have expressed cautious optimism that state lawmakers will not cave if Trump urges them to reverse the results in Michigan , citing Shirkey 's comments earlier this week that an electoral coup in the state is 'not going to happen . '
'' When asked if Shirkey and Chatfield should be subject to investigation , Dingell explained that , while opposed to the meeting , `` she would reserve further judgment until seeing what the state lawmakers do . ''
`` It is telling that Michigan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chatfield are jetting off to Washington , D.C. this week to meet with President Trump , '' the Michigan Democratic Party said in a statement on Thursday .
`` They are more focused on continuing the GOP smoke and mirrors show designed to hide Trump 's humiliating defeat than taking care of the actual problems impacting Michiganders . ''
As The Hill reported , `` Trump and members of his legal team have zeroed in on a long-shot bid to overturn the election results in Michigan and other states ... [ by ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas like Detroit , Philadelphia , Pittsburgh , and Milwaukee . ''
`` On Tuesday we witnessed a racist attempt by the GOP to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters , '' Rep. Rashida Tlaib ( D-Mich. ) tweeted on Thursday in reference to the initial decision , later reversed , of two Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers to vote against certifying the results in a Democratic stronghold that includes a majority Black city .
Now , Trump wants Shirkey and Chatfield `` to kiss the ring and steal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` He lost , period .
Stop being spineless .
Focus on the pandemic .
People are dying . ''
According to NBC News , the Michigan lawmakers `` could be risking legal exposure back home depending on what actions they take in regards to the state 's election results . ''
`` Michigan law is clear , '' the news outlet continued .
`` According to the secretary of state : The state 's 16 representatives to the Electoral College must go to the candidate who won the popular vote .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly 150,000 votes in Michigan . ''
Richard Primus , a constitutional law professor at the University of Michigan , cautioned Shirkey and Chatfield , writing that they `` are being visibly invited to a meeting where the likely agenda involves the felony of attempting to bribe a public official . ''

Two Republican lawmakers in the Michigan legislature were reprimanded on Friday as they made their way to the White House for a meeting with President Donald Trump, who has endeavored to overturn the election results in key battleground states won by President-elect Joe Biden.
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) called the meeting between State Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, Speaker of the State House of Representatives Lee Chatfield, and the president "an attempt to subvert our democracy and undermine the will of Michigan voters."
Shirkey was greeted with ridicule when he landed at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
"Certify the results!" and "Shame on you!" activists chanted, as reporters asked questions, such as "Where is the evidence of fraud?" and "What did Trump promise you?"
Meanwhile, on Twitter, Chatfield was mocked for his attempt to justify his meeting with Trump.
"Yeah, legitimizing a fascist coup attempt makes a lot of sense," journalist Alex Kotch remarked sarcastically.
Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan, one of the progressive advocacy groups behind the Friday protests, said the behavior of GOP members in his state is appalling.
"For too long, Republicans in Michigan have been able to hide behind gerrymandered districts and their lack of a moral compass to avoid any kind of accountability—but not anymore," said Scott. "We will not sit idly by and watch them attack our democracy and steal our votes."
Friday's protests are a "small taste of what's to come if they attempt to subvert the will of the people," Scott warned. "If Chatfield and Shirkey insist on seeing Trump today, it should be to tell him in no uncertain terms that this election is over, voters have decided, and it's time to move forward together."
Shirkey and Chatfield "have been mum about what specifically they will discuss," The Hillreported, but defenders of democracy have characterized the "meeting itself as inappropriate and part of a broader effort to subvert the will of the voters."
Bob Bauer, a legal adviser to the Biden campaign, described Trump's Thursday invitation as "an open attempt to intimidate election officials," which is "an abuse of office."
According toThe Hill, "Dingell and others have expressed cautious optimism that state lawmakers will not cave if Trump urges them to reverse the results in Michigan, citing Shirkey's comments earlier this week that an electoral coup in the state is 'not going to happen.'"
When asked if Shirkey and Chatfield should be subject to investigation, Dingell explained that, while opposed to the meeting, "she would reserve further judgment until seeing what the state lawmakers do."
"It is telling that Michigan GOP legislative leaders Mike Shirkey and Lee Chatfield are jetting off to Washington, D.C. this week to meet with President Trump," the Michigan Democratic Party said in a statement on Thursday. "They are more focused on continuing the GOP smoke and mirrors show designed to hide Trump's humiliating defeat than taking care of the actual problems impacting Michiganders."
As The Hillreported, "Trump and members of his legal team have zeroed in on a long-shot bid to overturn the election results in Michigan and other states... [by] discounting large numbers of votes in urban areas like Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Milwaukee."
"On Tuesday we witnessed a racist attempt by the GOP to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters," Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) tweeted on Thursday in reference to the initial decision, later reversed, of two Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers to vote against certifying the results in a Democratic stronghold that includes a majority Black city.
Now, Trump wants Shirkey and Chatfield "to kiss the ring and steal the election," Tlaib added. "He lost, period. Stop being spineless. Focus on the pandemic. People are dying."
According toNBC News, the Michigan lawmakers "could be risking legal exposure back home depending on what actions they take in regards to the state's election results."
"Michigan law is clear," the news outlet continued. "According to the secretary of state: The state's 16 representatives to the Electoral College must go to the candidate who won the popular vote. Trump lost the popular vote to Biden by nearly 150,000 votes in Michigan."
Richard Primus, a constitutional law professor at the University of Michigan, cautioned Shirkey and Chatfield, writing that they "are being visibly invited to a meeting where the likely agenda involves the felony of attempting to bribe a public official."


alternet--2020-11-20--Trump's childhood fear of humiliation is inspiring a petty fit of vengeance on the entire country

In Mary L. Trump 's book about her family , Too Much and Never Enough , there 's a moment referred to in the index as the `` mashed potatoes incident . ''
Apparently , young Donald was a major pill almost from birth , undisciplined , rude and nasty to his siblings and his mother .
One night at dinner , he was , as usual , picking on his younger brother Robert .
He had the boy in tears .
Older brother Fred , Jr. , then 14 , intervened .
`` Robert 's crying and Donald 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump writes , `` and in a moment of improvised expedience that would become family legend , Freddy picked up the first thing at hand that would n't cause any real damage : the bowl of mashed potatoes .
On November 3 , a majority of voters dumped mashed potatoes on Donald Trump 's head and he 's still screaming from the injustice of it all .
Despite overwhelming evidence that he lost the election , he continues to falsely bellow `` Fraud ! ''
via his Twitter feed and pursues one frivolous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , all to no avail .
So far .
( As of this writing , he and the Republican Party were 0-25 . )
Meanwhile , he fired Secretary of Defense Mark Esper , installed Trump loyalists at the Pentagon , and terminated Chris Krebs , director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency ( CISA ) , who had the audacity to do an exemplary job keeping this year 's voting free and clear of hacking and other interference .
`` In every case of which we are aware , '' Krebs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been unsubstantiated or are technically incoherent '' — flying in the face of Trump 's post-election attempts to flood the zone and work the refs with wild-eyed lies and conspiracy theories .
Judges are viewing his legal team 's frantic fantasies with derision and contempt and lawyers have been dropping the Trump campaign like the proverbial hot un-mashed potato it is to the extent that clown prince Rudy Giuliani is now heading up the legal effort .
I 'm hard-pressed to immediately come up with someone who needs to be twelve-stepped more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rudy , who has not argued before a federal court in 28 years , appeared in one on Tuesday to argue on behalf of a case claiming voting irregularities in four Pennsylvania counties .
`` The Trump campaign came in through Mr. Giuliani asserting a fantasy world , '' Mark Aronchick , attorney for the counties , told MSNBC 's Chris Hayes .
`` It was a case that somehow involves 11 different states in a gigantic conspiracy with the biggest cities in the United States all joining in to somehow manufacture votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ throw the election to Joe Biden .
And I sat there dumbfounded because the story that was presented by Mr. Giuliani bore no relationship to the actual complaint in the case… Nothing that they said actually makes sense . ''
To which the perplexed judge replied , `` At bottom , you 're asking this court to invalidate some 6.8 million votes thereby disenfranchising every single voter in the commonwealth .
Can you tell me how this result could possibly be justified ? ''
None of this has deterred the Trump campaign and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters and in particular , voters of color .
Republican interest in protecting the vote or preserving democracy is virtually non-existent .
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham in particular seems to have shown a willingness to subvert the democratic process , allegedly approaching Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger to suggest that he `` look hard and see how many ballots you could throw out . ''
That much of their focus seems to be on voters in Black communities tells you all you need to know .
As reported in The Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's latest ploys , with the help of Giuliani , is to convince Republican legislators in key states to stall certification of the election and have GOP-chosen electors disrupt the Electoral College come December .
`` But that outcome appears impossible , '' the Post notes .
`` It is against the law in Pennsylvania , Wisconsin law gives no role to the legislature in choosing presidential electors , and there is little public will in other states to pursue such a path .
Further , the Associated Press reported Thursday morning , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Donald Trump 's scattershot effort to overturn President-elect Joe Biden 's victory is shifting toward obscure election boards that certify the vote as Trump and his allies seek to upend the electoral process , sow chaos and perpetuate unsubstantiated doubts about the count . ''
Hence the craziness among Republican canvassers in Wayne County ( Detroit ) , Michigan and in Arizona and other states .
Ugh on about 16 different levels .
It 's painfully clear that the next two months before Joe Biden 's swearing-in will be all about Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on resentments .
Given what Trump 's been up to since Election Day ( and his sordid history embracing birtherism and other canards ) , it feels as if these eight weeks will be a concentrated Reader 's Digest version of his entire administration , fueled with spittle , bile , ignorance and cupidity .
As insane and silly as it all seems , we can not drop our guard for an instant .
We 'll need to remain vigilant ; they are doing everything they can , no matter how illegal and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When they finally are forced to vacate , they 'll leave behind a scorched earth the new Biden administration will struggle to coax back to life .
Trump never has been what you 'd call a hands-on president—unless it served his self-interest or desire to create havoc .
But now , as a result of his monumental , post-election petulance , even less than usual is getting done—except for his election chicanery ( and the announcement of major troop withdrawals in Afghanistan and Iraq with more anticipated in Germany and South Korea , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is hamstrung , unable to pass a new Covid-19 relief bill , and with a fully tested vaccine still weeks away , the deadly virus has exploded across the country more severely and widely than ever before , further proof of just how badly Trump has handled this disaster from the start .
Now he peevishly refuses to allow the Biden transition team to work with the White House coronavirus task force—while simultaneously denying the president-elect access to national security briefings .
This is graceless and stupid , verging on the traitorous .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the White House and on Capitol Hill continue to coddle the infantile behavior of the president , perhaps hopeful that his legal eagles accidentally will stumble into some mass plot that upturns the results .
Keep in mind that there are motives behind this effort that go beyond Trump 's whining Baby Herman act—he and the party are raising significant amounts of money for his so-called defense fund .
And Republicans leaders continue to placate their nutty boss , hoping he 'll campaign for the two GOP U.S. Senate candidates in Georgia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hold onto the Senate majority .
As childish as Trumps ' tantrums are , as mentioned , he 's also hard at work using the attacks to keep his base in line for a 2024 candidacy—all ( gulp ) 73 million of them .
There will be a huge advance for a memoir for sure , and his own TV network , maybe a radio talk show .
Perhaps his pal Mark Burnett will come up with a new reality game show , a cross between `` The Apprentice '' and `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will serve as sole judge , kneecapping with a baseball bat the contestants he just does n't like .
Also part of his rage , of course , is the knowledge that even if he pardons himself or a freshly sworn-in temporary President Pence does it for him right before Biden 's inauguration , state and local lawsuits are out there waiting for Trump , and no presidential pardon can protect him unless , foolishly , prosecutors decide to drop charges in the name of Americans ' purported need for harmony , peace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ford fell for that trick when he pardoned Nixon in 1974 ; this is no time for Mister Nice Guy .
In the end , Republicans , all you 're doing is delaying the inevitable while grievously damaging the country and its democracy .
This is n't governing , it 's thuggish stalling , damaging the transition by choosing malignant selfishness over patriotism and truth .
And for what ?
Face it , you 're covering for a psychopath , a petty tyrant with the scruples of a scorpion .
You 'll look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hem of your two-bit Caligula .
Please pass the mashed potatoes , there 's a job to be done .
Michael Winship is the Schumann Senior Writing Fellow for Common Dreams .
Previously , he was the Emmy Award-winning senior writer for Moyers & Company and BillMoyers.com , a past senior writing fellow at the policy and advocacy group Demos , and former president of the Writers Guild of America East .
Follow him on Twitter : @ MichaelWinship

In Mary L. Trump's book about her family, Too Much and Never Enough, there's a moment referred to in the index as the "mashed potatoes incident."
Apparently, young Donald was a major pill almost from birth, undisciplined, rude and nasty to his siblings and his mother. One night at dinner, he was, as usual, picking on his younger brother Robert. He had the boy in tears. Older brother Fred, Jr., then 14, intervened.
"Robert's crying and Donald's needling became too much," Mary Trump writes, "and in a moment of improvised expedience that would become family legend, Freddy picked up the first thing at hand that wouldn't cause any real damage: the bowl of mashed potatoes.
Everybody laughed and they couldn't stop laughing. And they were laughing at Donald. It was the first time Donald had been humiliated by someone he even then believed to be beneath him… From then on, he would wield the weapon, never be at the sharp end of it.
On November 3, a majority of voters dumped mashed potatoes on Donald Trump's head and he's still screaming from the injustice of it all. Despite overwhelming evidence that he lost the election, he continues to falsely bellow "Fraud!" via his Twitter feed and pursues one frivolous lawsuit after another to challenge the result, all to no avail. So far. (As of this writing, he and the Republican Party were 0-25.)
Meanwhile, he fired Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, installed Trump loyalists at the Pentagon, and terminated Chris Krebs, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), who had the audacity to do an exemplary job keeping this year's voting free and clear of hacking and other interference. "In every case of which we are aware," Krebs had announced, "these claims either have been unsubstantiated or are technically incoherent"— flying in the face of Trump's post-election attempts to flood the zone and work the refs with wild-eyed lies and conspiracy theories.
Judges are viewing his legal team's frantic fantasies with derision and contempt and lawyers have been dropping the Trump campaign like the proverbial hot un-mashed potato it is to the extent that clown prince Rudy Giuliani is now heading up the legal effort.
I'm hard-pressed to immediately come up with someone who needs to be twelve-stepped more than our city's former mayor. Rudy, who has not argued before a federal court in 28 years, appeared in one on Tuesday to argue on behalf of a case claiming voting irregularities in four Pennsylvania counties.
"The Trump campaign came in through Mr. Giuliani asserting a fantasy world," Mark Aronchick, attorney for the counties, told MSNBC's Chris Hayes. "It was a case that somehow involves 11 different states in a gigantic conspiracy with the biggest cities in the United States all joining in to somehow manufacture votes and change mail-in ballots, and somehow throw the election to Joe Biden. And I sat there dumbfounded because the story that was presented by Mr. Giuliani bore no relationship to the actual complaint in the case… Nothing that they said actually makes sense."
To which the perplexed judge replied, "At bottom, you're asking this court to invalidate some 6.8 million votes thereby disenfranchising every single voter in the commonwealth. Can you tell me how this result could possibly be justified?"
None of this has deterred the Trump campaign and the GOP itself from trying to disenfranchise voters and in particular, voters of color. Republican interest in protecting the vote or preserving democracy is virtually non-existent. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham in particular seems to have shown a willingness to subvert the democratic process, allegedly approaching Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger to suggest that he "look hard and see how many ballots you could throw out." That much of their focus seems to be on voters in Black communities tells you all you need to know.
As reported in The Washington PostWednesday night, one of Trump's latest ploys, with the help of Giuliani, is to convince Republican legislators in key states to stall certification of the election and have GOP-chosen electors disrupt the Electoral College come December.
"But that outcome appears impossible," the Post notes. "It is against the law in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin law gives no role to the legislature in choosing presidential electors, and there is little public will in other states to pursue such a path.
Behind the thin legal gambit is what several Trump advisers say is his real goal: sowing doubt in Biden's victory with the president's most ardent supporters and keeping alive his prospects for another presidential run in 2024.
Further, the Associated Press reported Thursday morning, "Getting nowhere in the courts, President Donald Trump's scattershot effort to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's victory is shifting toward obscure election boards that certify the vote as Trump and his allies seek to upend the electoral process, sow chaos and perpetuate unsubstantiated doubts about the count." Hence the craziness among Republican canvassers in Wayne County (Detroit), Michigan and in Arizona and other states.
Ugh on about 16 different levels. It's painfully clear that the next two months before Joe Biden's swearing-in will be all about Trump's petty vengeance and the Republicans building on resentments. Given what Trump's been up to since Election Day (and his sordid history embracing birtherism and other canards), it feels as if these eight weeks will be a concentrated Reader's Digest version of his entire administration, fueled with spittle, bile, ignorance and cupidity.
As insane and silly as it all seems, we cannot drop our guard for an instant. We'll need to remain vigilant; they are doing everything they can, no matter how illegal and repugnant, to stay in power. When they finally are forced to vacate, they'll leave behind a scorched earth the new Biden administration will struggle to coax back to life.
Trump never has been what you'd call a hands-on president—unless it served his self-interest or desire to create havoc. But now, as a result of his monumental, post-election petulance, even less than usual is getting done—except for his election chicanery (and the announcement of major troop withdrawals in Afghanistan and Iraq with more anticipated in Germany and South Korea, a potentially disastrous move).
Congress is hamstrung, unable to pass a new Covid-19 relief bill, and with a fully tested vaccine still weeks away, the deadly virus has exploded across the country more severely and widely than ever before, further proof of just how badly Trump has handled this disaster from the start. Now he peevishly refuses to allow the Biden transition team to work with the White House coronavirus task force—while simultaneously denying the president-elect access to national security briefings. This is graceless and stupid, verging on the traitorous.
So far, most of his colleagues at the White House and on Capitol Hill continue to coddle the infantile behavior of the president, perhaps hopeful that his legal eagles accidentally will stumble into some mass plot that upturns the results. Keep in mind that there are motives behind this effort that go beyond Trump's whining Baby Herman act—he and the party are raising significant amounts of money for his so-called defense fund. And Republicans leaders continue to placate their nutty boss, hoping he'll campaign for the two GOP U.S. Senate candidates in Georgia's January 5 runoff and allow them to hold onto the Senate majority.
As childish as Trumps' tantrums are, as mentioned, he's also hard at work using the attacks to keep his base in line for a 2024 candidacy—all (gulp) 73 million of them. There will be a huge advance for a memoir for sure, and his own TV network, maybe a radio talk show. Perhaps his pal Mark Burnett will come up with a new reality game show, a cross between "The Apprentice" and "Dancing with the Stars." Trump will serve as sole judge, kneecapping with a baseball bat the contestants he just doesn't like.
Also part of his rage, of course, is the knowledge that even if he pardons himself or a freshly sworn-in temporary President Pence does it for him right before Biden's inauguration, state and local lawsuits are out there waiting for Trump, and no presidential pardon can protect him unless, foolishly, prosecutors decide to drop charges in the name of Americans' purported need for harmony, peace and a return to normal. Gerald Ford fell for that trick when he pardoned Nixon in 1974; this is no time for Mister Nice Guy.
In the end, Republicans, all you're doing is delaying the inevitable while grievously damaging the country and its democracy. This isn't governing, it's thuggish stalling, damaging the transition by choosing malignant selfishness over patriotism and truth.
And for what? Face it, you're covering for a psychopath, a petty tyrant with the scruples of a scorpion. You'll look swell in the history books kissing the hem of your two-bit Caligula. Please pass the mashed potatoes, there's a job to be done.
Michael Winship is the Schumann Senior Writing Fellow for Common Dreams. Previously, he was the Emmy Award-winning senior writer for Moyers & Company and BillMoyers.com, a past senior writing fellow at the policy and advocacy group Demos, and former president of the Writers Guild of America East. Follow him on Twitter: @MichaelWinship


alternet--2020-11-20--Paul Krugman slams the Trump administration plot to 'sabotage' the economy and hurt Biden

When President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated on January 20 , he will inherit not only the worst health crisis in over 100 years , but also , the economic crisis it has unleashed on the United States .
Unfortunately , a decision made by outgoing Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin , according to the New York Times , wo n't make it any easier for Biden to handle the economy — and columnist Paul Krugman is slamming Mnuchin for it on Twitter .
Journalists Jeanna Smialek and Alan Rappeport , in the Times , report that Mnuchin has `` said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emergency lending programs beyond the end of the year and asked the Federal Reserve to return the money supporting them — a decision that could hinder President-elect Joseph R. Biden , Jr. 's ability to use the central bank 's vast powers to cushion the economic fallout from the virus . ''
Mnuchin , according to Smialek and Alan Rappeport , `` said he would not continue Fed programs , including ones that support the markets for corporate bonds and municipal debt and one that extends loans to midsize businesses . ''
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporters note , `` could leave significant corners of the financial world vulnerable to the type of volatility that cascaded through the system as virus fears mounted in the spring . ''
In a letter , Mnuchin wrote , `` I am requesting that the Federal Reserve return the unused funds to the Treasury . ''
Krugman 's response to the Smialek/Rappeport article has been vehement .
The liberal economist/Times columnist , in a Twitter thread , explains why he believes that Mnuchin is making a terrible decision .
According to Krugman , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a financial crisis , or at least make one more likely . ''
Krugman notes that `` emergency lending programs can have a stabilizing effect even when they do n't end up being used .
And he slams Mnuchin 's decision as `` more sabotage by an administration on its way out . ''
The Biden camp , unsurprisingly , is likewise outraged at the move .
`` The Treasury Department 's attempt to prematurely end support that could be used for small businesses across the country when they are facing the prospect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Kate Bedingfield , a spokeswoman for Biden told the Washington Post .
`` At this fragile moment , as the COVID and economic crises are re-accelerating , we should be reinforcing the government 's ability to respond and support the economy . ''

When President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated on January 20, he will inherit not only the worst health crisis in over 100 years, but also, the economic crisis it has unleashed on the United States. Unfortunately, a decision made by outgoing Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, according to the New York Times, won't make it any easier for Biden to handle the economy — and columnist Paul Krugman is slamming Mnuchin for it on Twitter.
Journalists Jeanna Smialek and Alan Rappeport, in the Times, report that Mnuchin has "said he does not plan to extend several key emergency lending programs beyond the end of the year and asked the Federal Reserve to return the money supporting them — a decision that could hinder President-elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr.'s ability to use the central bank's vast powers to cushion the economic fallout from the virus."
Mnuchin, according to Smialek and Alan Rappeport, "said he would not continue Fed programs, including ones that support the markets for corporate bonds and municipal debt and one that extends loans to midsize businesses." And not renewing that funding, the Times reporters note, "could leave significant corners of the financial world vulnerable to the type of volatility that cascaded through the system as virus fears mounted in the spring."
In a letter, Mnuchin wrote, "I am requesting that the Federal Reserve return the unused funds to the Treasury."
Krugman's response to the Smialek/Rappeport article has been vehement. The liberal economist/Times columnist, in a Twitter thread, explains why he believes that Mnuchin is making a terrible decision.
According to Krugman, "Mnuchin is effectively trying to create a financial crisis, or at least make one more likely."
Krugman notes that "emergency lending programs can have a stabilizing effect even when they don't end up being used. And he slams Mnuchin's decision as "more sabotage by an administration on its way out."
The Biden camp, unsurprisingly, is likewise outraged at the move.
"The Treasury Department's attempt to prematurely end support that could be used for small businesses across the country when they are facing the prospect of new shutdowns is deeply irresponsible," Kate Bedingfield, a spokeswoman for Biden told the Washington Post. "At this fragile moment, as the COVID and economic crises are re-accelerating, we should be reinforcing the government's ability to respond and support the economy."


alternet--2020-11-20--Watch: A distraught Trump supporter tells Rush Limbaugh says he 'will die for my president'

Although President Donald Trump has been decisively voted out office — President-elect Joe Biden won 306 electoral votes and is ahead of him by at least 5.8 million in the popular vote — he still has plenty of unwavering devotees .
Many Trump critics have described his MAGA base as cult-like , and a Trump supporter who called Rush Limbaugh 's radio show this week certainly fits that description .
The male caller , who was deeply upset over the election results , declared that he would be willing to die for the president .
Sounding like he was almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans are n't doing enough for Trump in Georgia — which Biden won , according to the original vote count as well a statewide audit of the ballots .
The caller told Limbaugh , `` Trump and you are all we have left , Rush… .
We have a Republican-controlled state , and they wo n't do an audit of the vote .
They wo n't .
They just basically told every Georgian that they do n't care . ''
The caller went on to say that he attended a large MAGA event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dismayed to see that there were `` no Republicans '' there .
Limbaugh asked him to clarify , saying , `` You mean , no elected Republicans ?
Is that what you mean ? ''
And the caller responded , `` Yes , I do .
Our party 'leadership , ' quote unquote .
If this were a Democrat rally , they would all be there . ''
The caller grew even more emotional when he added , `` No one stands for us , Rush .
Only you and Donald Trump .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ left ?
I love my president .
I am not a revolutionary , Rush .
But I will die for my president .
This man has given more to this country than anybody , and he has no need to .
None .
He 's a billionaire .
He does n't need this . ''
Limbaugh added , `` That 's exactly right . ''
Here are some Twitter reactions to the caller :

Although President Donald Trump has been decisively voted out office — President-elect Joe Biden won 306 electoral votes and is ahead of him by at least 5.8 million in the popular vote — he still has plenty of unwavering devotees. Many Trump critics have described his MAGA base as cult-like, and a Trump supporter who called Rush Limbaugh's radio show this week certainly fits that description. The male caller, who was deeply upset over the election results, declared that he would be willing to die for the president.
Sounding like he was almost in tears, the caller argued that Republicans aren't doing enough for Trump in Georgia — which Biden won, according to the original vote count as well a statewide audit of the ballots. The caller told Limbaugh, "Trump and you are all we have left, Rush…. We have a Republican-controlled state, and they won't do an audit of the vote. They won't. They just basically told every Georgian that they don't care."
The caller went on to say that he attended a large MAGA event in Washington, D.C. recently and was dismayed to see that there were "no Republicans" there. Limbaugh asked him to clarify, saying, "You mean, no elected Republicans? Is that what you mean?" And the caller responded, "Yes, I do. Our party 'leadership,' quote unquote. If this were a Democrat rally, they would all be there."
The caller grew even more emotional when he added, "No one stands for us, Rush. Only you and Donald Trump. God forbid, what do we have left? I love my president. I am not a revolutionary, Rush. But I will die for my president. This man has given more to this country than anybody, and he has no need to. None. He's a billionaire. He doesn't need this."
Limbaugh added, "That's exactly right."
Here are some Twitter reactions to the caller:


alternet--2020-11-20--Here's the real reason Republicans are all in on Trump's attempted coup

Donald Trump and his , uh , lawyer Rudy Giuliani are moving into the next phase of Trump 's attempted coup , which entertainingly involves Giuliani sweating out the previous day 's martinis into his hair dye while barking incomprehensible conspiracy theories at bewildered reporters .
Unfortunately , the less amusing and more worrisome aspect of the whole ordeal involves Trump 's efforts to lean on Republican-run state legislatures to appoint pro-Trump electors in states where Joe Biden clearly won .
Like most people reading this , I , too , wish I had a crystal ball and could look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2021 , to see how this all shakes out .
In the meantime , the main point of concern is that nearly all Republican politicians are , to one degree or another , supporting Trump 's efforts .
Some , like Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina , are flirting with openly seditious behavior by actively trying to get legal ballots thrown in the trash .
Most , including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , are playing word games to avoid saying who they think will be or should be sworn as president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senator to speak out so far is Mitt Romney of Utah , who was also the only Republican senator who voted to convict Trump after his impeachment trial earlier this year .
The common theory in the political class is that this silence is borne out of fear of Trump and his tweeting fingers .
Former President Barack Obama , who has been blunt in his concerns about the threat Trump represents to our democracy , characterized the GOP 's passive consent to this coup exactly this way .
`` I 'm more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Republican officials go along with it , not because they actually believe it , but because they feel intimidated by it , '' Obama told MSNBC 's Jonathan Capehart on Thursday .
Obama is right on two out of three counts .
It 's true that Republican officials do n't believe a word of Giuliani 's sweaty conspiracy theories , which Heather Digby Parton has described as `` going full Infowars . ''
It 's also true that this GOP compliance is the real problem here .
As I explain in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coups rely on various bureaucrats and lower level politicians who go along .
If Trump pulls this off , it will be entirely because he has the tacit support of both state and congressional Republicans all along the way .
But Obama is wrong on the third front : Republicans are n't doing this because they 're scared of Trump .
They 're doing this because most of them , on one level or another , want him to succeed .
And even if he fails , they appreciate him advancing the idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , cities where Black people outnumber white people — should n't really have the right to vote .
Let 's face it : The reason Trump has gotten this far is that he 's building on decades of Republican antipathy to democracy , an antipathy borne out of resentment that people they deem as `` less '' American than themselves — people of color , urban people , people who know what `` tempeh '' is — have the right to vote at all .
For instance , look at this 2016 article @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who argued that Hillary Clinton 's popular-vote lead in that election did n't really matter , because if `` you take California out of the popular vote equation , then Trump wins the rest of the country . ''
Breitbart writer Joel Pollak made a similar argument regarding this year 's election , claiming on Twitter , `` Biden won the popular vote — unless you exclude California . ''
He went on to say that `` you should n't '' exclude California , but implied that this alleged fact is `` worth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if you believe California voters are somehow less American than other voters .
( For the record , this is n't even true .
Biden 's overall popular-vote lead now exceeds his 5 million-vote lead in the Golden State . )
This belief of Republicans that some voters should n't really be voters is especially evident in their enthusiasm for voter suppression , which has kicked into high gear ever since 2013 , when Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts , a George W. Bush appointee , gutted the Voting Rights Act of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of GOP-sponsored efforts clearly aimed at stopping as many people of color as possible from exercising their right to vote .
While it 's become routine these days for pundits to lament Giuliani 's supposed fall from grace , the reality is the man was always a virulent racist .
As Radley Balko reminded readers of the Washington Post in 2016 , Giuliani kicked off his 1993 New York mayoral campaign by helping to incite a racist police riot aimed at denying that elected Black leaders should have any authority over the NYPD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crowd of cops as they blocked traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge , waving signs with racist cartoons of then-Mayor David Dinkins , and calling Black elected officials the n-word .
The cops also physically terrorized two Black city council members .
Trump and Giuliani 's official arguments for why Trump deserves to invalidate the election are a bunch of incoherent and baseless conspiracy theories .
The actual argument underlying all that , however , is simple : The coalition Joe Biden built is composed of people who do n't deserve the right to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Party is n't pushing back is that they largely agree with this underlying argument .
Whatever personal distaste many Republicans may have for Trump 's gauche behavior or the alcohol content of Giuliani 's shoe polish sweat , they 're inclined to see only upside for themselves in letting this play out .
Maybe Trump pulls off a miracle and succeeds in his coup , which means their party captures the White House for four years — or more .
But even in the far likelier event that the Trump coup fails , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : He has done an immense amount to advance the goal of delegitimizing huge swaths of the American electorate that prefer Democrats .
Besides , `` establishment '' Republicans do n't have to go out to dinner with Trump anymore and listen to his vainglorious monologues .
So of course Republicans are n't standing up to him .
Why mess with a good thing ?

Donald Trump and his, uh, lawyer Rudy Giuliani are moving into the next phase of Trump's attempted coup, which entertainingly involves Giuliani sweating out the previous day's martinis into his hair dye while barking incomprehensible conspiracy theories at bewildered reporters.
Unfortunately, the less amusing and more worrisome aspect of the whole ordeal involves Trump's efforts to lean on Republican-run state legislatures to appoint pro-Trump electors in states where Joe Biden clearly won.
Like most people reading this, I, too, wish I had a crystal ball and could look into the future at Jan. 20, 2021, to see how this all shakes out. In the meantime, the main point of concern is that nearly all Republican politicians are, to one degree or another, supporting Trump's efforts. Some, like Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, are flirting with openly seditious behavior by actively trying to get legal ballots thrown in the trash. Most, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, are playing word games to avoid saying who they think will be or should be sworn as president in two months. The only Republican senator to speak out so far is Mitt Romney of Utah, who was also the only Republican senator who voted to convict Trump after his impeachment trial earlier this year.
The common theory in the political class is that this silence is borne out of fear of Trump and his tweeting fingers. Former President Barack Obama, who has been blunt in his concerns about the threat Trump represents to our democracy, characterized the GOP's passive consent to this coup exactly this way.
"I'm more troubled that you're seeing a lot of Republican officials go along with it, not because they actually believe it, but because they feel intimidated by it," Obama told MSNBC's Jonathan Capehart on Thursday.
Obama is right on two out of three counts. It's true that Republican officials don't believe a word of Giuliani's sweaty conspiracy theories, which Heather Digby Parton has described as "going full Infowars." It's also true that this GOP compliance is the real problem here. As I explain in the latest Standing Room Only newsletter, successful coups rely on various bureaucrats and lower level politicians who go along. If Trump pulls this off, it will be entirely because he has the tacit support of both state and congressional Republicans all along the way.
But Obama is wrong on the third front: Republicans aren't doing this because they're scared of Trump. They're doing this because most of them, on one level or another, want him to succeed. And even if he fails, they appreciate him advancing the idea that voters in certain areas — notably, cities where Black people outnumber white people — shouldn't really have the right to vote.
Let's face it: The reason Trump has gotten this far is that he's building on decades of Republican antipathy to democracy, an antipathy borne out of resentment that people they deem as "less" American than themselves — people of color, urban people, people who know what "tempeh" is — have the right to vote at all.
For instance, look at this 2016 article from Heritage Foundation writer John Merline, who argued that Hillary Clinton's popular-vote lead in that election didn't really matter, because if "you take California out of the popular vote equation, then Trump wins the rest of the country."
Breitbart writer Joel Pollak made a similar argument regarding this year's election, claiming on Twitter, "Biden won the popular vote — unless you exclude California." He went on to say that "you shouldn't" exclude California, but implied that this alleged fact is "worth noting," which is only true if you believe California voters are somehow less American than other voters. (For the record, this isn't even true. Biden's overall popular-vote lead now exceeds his 5 million-vote lead in the Golden State.)
This belief of Republicans that some voters shouldn't really be voters is especially evident in their enthusiasm for voter suppression, which has kicked into high gear ever since 2013, when Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, a George W. Bush appointee, gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This kicked off a flood of GOP-sponsored efforts clearly aimed at stopping as many people of color as possible from exercising their right to vote.
While it's become routine these days for pundits to lament Giuliani's supposed fall from grace, the reality is the man was always a virulent racist. As Radley Balko reminded readers of the Washington Post in 2016, Giuliani kicked off his 1993 New York mayoral campaign by helping to incite a racist police riot aimed at denying that elected Black leaders should have any authority over the NYPD. Giuliani led the drunken and armed crowd of cops as they blocked traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge, waving signs with racist cartoons of then-Mayor David Dinkins, and calling Black elected officials the n-word. The cops also physically terrorized two Black city council members.
Trump and Giuliani's official arguments for why Trump deserves to invalidate the election are a bunch of incoherent and baseless conspiracy theories. The actual argument underlying all that, however, is simple: The coalition Joe Biden built is composed of people who don't deserve the right to vote.
The reason the larger Republican Party isn't pushing back is that they largely agree with this underlying argument. Whatever personal distaste many Republicans may have for Trump's gauche behavior or the alcohol content of Giuliani's shoe polish sweat, they're inclined to see only upside for themselves in letting this play out.
Maybe Trump pulls off a miracle and succeeds in his coup, which means their party captures the White House for four years — or more.
But even in the far likelier event that the Trump coup fails, it's a win-win for most Republicans: He has done an immense amount to advance the goal of delegitimizing huge swaths of the American electorate that prefer Democrats. Besides, "establishment" Republicans don't have to go out to dinner with Trump anymore and listen to his vainglorious monologues. So of course Republicans aren't standing up to him. Why mess with a good thing?


alternet--2020-11-20--This Trump-supporting writer just admitted that his post-election fight is crashing and burning

The Washington Examiner 's Byron York will never be mistaken for a Never Trump conservative ; he has been an outspoken defender of President Donald Trump throughout his time in office .
But in his Friday newsletter , even York admits that the post-election tactics of Trump 's legal team are going too far .
York 's column discusses a news conference that was held on Thursday and featured Trump campaign attorneys Rudy Giuliani , Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis , all of whom have been claiming , without evidence , that Trump , not President-elect Joe Biden , really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign was a victim of widespread voter fraud .
According to York , the conference `` marked a turning point of sorts in the way some Republicans view the president 's challenge to election results around the country .
Among those Republicans , Trump supporters all , there is concern that the attorneys ' sensational theories of election fraud are hurting the president 's cause rather than helping it . ''
York finds `` Powell 's presentation '' to be `` the most worrisome . ''
Powell , York notes , `` told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some key states was the result of 'the massive influence of communist money through Venezuela , Cuba and likely China in the interference with our elections here in the United States . '
The Dominion voting system and Smartmatic software used in the interference , Powell continued , was 'created in Venezuela at the direction of Hugo Chavez ' to corrupt elections there . ''
Powell insisted , `` President Trump won by a landslide .
We are going to prove it . ''
But York emphasizes that `` Powell offered nothing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case appeared to be that it could have happened .
Nor has Powell or the rest of the Trump team filed a lawsuit alleging that it actually occurred . ''
Even Fox News ' Tucker Carlson , York points out , said that Powell `` never sent us any evidence , despite a lot of requests , polite requests .
Not a page….. ( She ) never demonstrated that a single actual vote was moved illegitimately by software from one candidate to another . ''
Giuliani , during the news conference , claimed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that [ Trump ] won Pennsylvania by 300,000 votes .
I can prove to you that he won Michigan by probably 50,000 votes . ''
But Powell notes that the former New York City mayor offered no evidence to back up those claims .
And he says that Ellis `` essentially pleaded for more time to make the case… .
But the Trump team needs to be fast .
Time is passing . ''
York wraps up his newsletter by saying that Thursday 's news conference did nothing to convince skeptics that Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential race .
`` Without actually making the case , they are talking about a vast conspiracy , directed 'from a centralized place , ' in Giuliani 's words , to change hundreds of thousands , or millions of votes , '' he wrote .
`` By doing so , in the way they are doing it , they are losing support rather than making gains . ''

The Washington Examiner's Byron York will never be mistaken for a Never Trump conservative; he has been an outspoken defender of President Donald Trump throughout his time in office. But in his Friday newsletter, even York admits that the post-election tactics of Trump's legal team are going too far.
York's column discusses a news conference that was held on Thursday and featured Trump campaign attorneys Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis, all of whom have been claiming, without evidence, that Trump, not President-elect Joe Biden, really won the election and that Trump's campaign was a victim of widespread voter fraud.
According to York, the conference "marked a turning point of sorts in the way some Republicans view the president's challenge to election results around the country. Among those Republicans, Trump supporters all, there is concern that the attorneys' sensational theories of election fraud are hurting the president's cause rather than helping it."
York finds "Powell's presentation" to be "the most worrisome." Powell, York notes, "told reporters that Joe Biden's wins in some key states was the result of 'the massive influence of communist money through Venezuela, Cuba and likely China in the interference with our elections here in the United States.' The Dominion voting system and Smartmatic software used in the interference, Powell continued, was 'created in Venezuela at the direction of Hugo Chavez' to corrupt elections there."
Powell insisted, "President Trump won by a landslide. We are going to prove it." But York emphasizes that "Powell offered nothing to prove what she said happened. Her case appeared to be that it could have happened. Nor has Powell or the rest of the Trump team filed a lawsuit alleging that it actually occurred."
Even Fox News' Tucker Carlson, York points out, said that Powell "never sent us any evidence, despite a lot of requests, polite requests. Not a page….. (She) never demonstrated that a single actual vote was moved illegitimately by software from one candidate to another."
Giuliani, during the news conference, claimed, "I can prove to you that [Trump] won Pennsylvania by 300,000 votes. I can prove to you that he won Michigan by probably 50,000 votes." But Powell notes that the former New York City mayor offered no evidence to back up those claims. And he says that Ellis "essentially pleaded for more time to make the case…. But the Trump team needs to be fast. Time is passing."
York wraps up his newsletter by saying that Thursday's news conference did nothing to convince skeptics that Trump is the real winner of the 2020 presidential race.
"Without actually making the case, they are talking about a vast conspiracy, directed 'from a centralized place,' in Giuliani's words, to change hundreds of thousands, or millions of votes," he wrote. "By doing so, in the way they are doing it, they are losing support rather than making gains."


alternet--2020-11-20--Critics slam Trump judges for ruling against bans on anti-LGBTQ ‘conversion therapy’ to minors

In South Florida , Palm Beach County and the City of Boca Raton have had a ban on anti-LGBTQ `` conversion therapy '' for minors when administered by a licensed professional therapist .
Many such bans exist in jurisdictions across the country and elsewhere in the world .
But two judges for the 11th Circuit , both appointed by President Donald Trump , have ruled that the bans are a violation of the 1st Amendment .
And critics of the ruling , including attorney Luppe Luppen and journalist Mark Joseph Stern , are explaining why the decision is so disturbing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can `` cure '' homosexuality or bisexuality through conversion therapy , opponents argue that their therapy is not only ineffective , but also , can inflict psychological damage on gay youths who would be much better off accepting themselves .
Critics of the South Florida bans on anti-LGBTQ conversion therapy , if administered by professional therapists , view the restrictions as an attack on freedom of religion .
But a legal document in the case explains , `` The City 's ordinance applies to 'any person who is licensed by the State of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ except for clergy .
The ordinance bars covered providers from treating minors with any counseling , practice or treatment performed with the goal of changing an individual 's sexual orientation or gender identity , including , but not limited to , efforts to change behaviors , gender identity , or gender expression , or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same gender or sex . ''
The document adds , `` The County ordinance bans the practice of seeking to change an individual 's sexual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not limited to efforts to change behaviors , gender identity , or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same gender or sex .
But both ordinances contain a significant carveout : they expressly allow 'counseling that provides support and assistance to a person undergoing gender transition . '
'' Luppen , in a Twitter thread , stresses that the case is n't about freedom of religion .
Rather , Luppen , under the Twitter handle @ nycsouthpaw , notes , `` It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Raton attempting to change their minor patients ' sexual orientations .
That 's the speech interest at stake . ''
According to Luppen , a licensed therapist who tries to change the sexual orientations of minors is equivalent to `` a licensed driving instructor… .
teaching 15 year olds to drive into walls at 40mph . ''
Similarly , Stern , known for his writing for Slate , notes that restrictions on anti-LGBTQ conversation therapy like the ones in Palm Beach County and Boca Raton `` only apply to minors and licensed counselors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Stern cites the ruling as a glaring example of the type of decisions that are made by Trump-appointed judges .
The journalist argues that when `` rule by Trump '' prevails in the courts , `` LGBTQ youth '' can not even be protected from `` discredited 'conversion therapy ' '' that `` increases risk of suicide . ''
The 11th Circuit ruling was a 2-1 decision ; Judge Lagoa and Judge Grant , were the majority .
And the dissenter , Judge Martin , explained , `` The majority is correct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about when and how government bodies may regulate speech .
Instances in which a speech restriction is narrowly tailored to serve a compelling interest are deservedly rare .
But they do exist… .
I believe the Localities ' narrow regulation of a harmful medical practice affecting vulnerable minors falls within the narrow band of permissibility . ''

In South Florida, Palm Beach County and the City of Boca Raton have had a ban on anti-LGBTQ "conversion therapy" for minors when administered by a licensed professional therapist. Many such bans exist in jurisdictions across the country and elsewhere in the world. But two judges for the 11th Circuit, both appointed by President Donald Trump, have ruled that the bans are a violation of the 1st Amendment. And critics of the ruling, including attorney Luppe Luppen and journalist Mark Joseph Stern, are explaining why the decision is so disturbing.
While some Christian fundamentalists believe they can "cure" homosexuality or bisexuality through conversion therapy, opponents argue that their therapy is not only ineffective, but also, can inflict psychological damage on gay youths who would be much better off accepting themselves.
Critics of the South Florida bans on anti-LGBTQ conversion therapy, if administered by professional therapists, view the restrictions as an attack on freedom of religion. But a legal document in the case explains, "The City's ordinance applies to 'any person who is licensed by the State of Florida to provide professional counseling,' except for clergy. The ordinance bars covered providers from treating minors with any counseling, practice or treatment performed with the goal of changing an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity, including, but not limited to, efforts to change behaviors, gender identity, or gender expression, or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same gender or sex."
The document adds, "The County ordinance bans the practice of seeking to change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity, including but not limited to efforts to change behaviors, gender identity, or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same gender or sex. But both ordinances contain a significant carveout: they expressly allow 'counseling that provides support and assistance to a person undergoing gender transition.'"
Luppen, in a Twitter thread, stresses that the case isn't about freedom of religion. Rather, Luppen, under the Twitter handle @nycsouthpaw, notes, "It's about a licensed therapist in Boca Raton attempting to change their minor patients' sexual orientations. That's the speech interest at stake."
According to Luppen, a licensed therapist who tries to change the sexual orientations of minors is equivalent to "a licensed driving instructor…. teaching 15 year olds to drive into walls at 40mph."
Similarly, Stern, known for his writing for Slate, notes that restrictions on anti-LGBTQ conversation therapy like the ones in Palm Beach County and Boca Raton "only apply to minors and licensed counselors, not clergy or private citizens."
Stern cites the ruling as a glaring example of the type of decisions that are made by Trump-appointed judges. The journalist argues that when "rule by Trump" prevails in the courts, "LGBTQ youth" cannot even be protected from "discredited 'conversion therapy'" that "increases risk of suicide."
The 11th Circuit ruling was a 2-1 decision; Judge Lagoa and Judge Grant, were the majority. And the dissenter, Judge Martin, explained, "The majority is correct to say this case implicates sensitive considerations about when and how government bodies may regulate speech. Instances in which a speech restriction is narrowly tailored to serve a compelling interest are deservedly rare. But they do exist…. I believe the Localities' narrow regulation of a harmful medical practice affecting vulnerable minors falls within the narrow band of permissibility."


alternet--2020-11-20--'That's not doing your job': Kayleigh McEnany storms out of press conference as reporters shout ques

'That's not doing your job': Kayleigh McEnany storms out of press conference as reporters shout questions

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany abruptly exited today 's press conference as she was criticized about her refusal to answer questions .
One reporter also concluded with a few words of advice for the embattled press secretary .
On Friday McEnany appeared before a group of reporters in the White House press room to take questions for the first time in over a month .
At one point during the press conference , McEnany was asked about the Federal Bureau of Investigations ' ( FBI ) involvement , or lack thereof , in President Donald Trump 's voter fraud @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an opportunity to rant about the presumed lack of assistance the Trump campaign is faced with in its efforts to challenge the outcome of the election .
Then , she abruptly ended the press conference and headed for the exit .
At that point , CNN White House Correspondent Kaitlin Collins confronted McEnany for repeatedly refusing to take any of her questions .
McEnany responded by saying , `` I do n't call on activists , '' and Collins quickly fired back as she insisted the press secretary has not done her job @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'm not an activist and you have n't taken questions since 1 October and you just took about five , Kayleigh , '' Collins fired back .
That 's not doing your job ... your taxpayer-funded job . ''
McEnany and Collins ' heated exchange comes amid heightened criticism of the press secretary .
Days after President-elect Joe Biden was declared the winner of the presidential election , McEnany appeared for a press conference alongside Republican National Committee ( RNC ) chairwoman Ronna McDaniel on behalf of the Trump campaign .
McEnany 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not she had violated the Hatch Act due to her employment at the White House .
Amid backlash , McEnany tweeted to defend her actions .
`` When you enter government , you do not lose First Amendment rights .
Hatch Act says to separate govt & political activity , which I diligently work to do , '' she tweeted .
`` Reporters ( who ironically have freedom of press embedded in the 1st Amendment ) , are complaining about my 1A right to speech ! ''
Although McEnany claimed she attended the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` personal capacity , '' the action still raised questions considering her role at the White House .

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany abruptly exited today's press conference as she was criticized about her refusal to answer questions. One reporter also concluded with a few words of advice for the embattled press secretary.
On Friday McEnany appeared before a group of reporters in the White House press room to take questions for the first time in over a month. At one point during the press conference, McEnany was asked about the Federal Bureau of Investigations' (FBI) involvement, or lack thereof, in President Donald Trump's voter fraud case.
McEnany used the moment as an opportunity to rant about the presumed lack of assistance the Trump campaign is faced with in its efforts to challenge the outcome of the election. Then, she abruptly ended the press conference and headed for the exit. At that point, CNN White House Correspondent Kaitlin Collins confronted McEnany for repeatedly refusing to take any of her questions.
McEnany responded by saying, "I don't call on activists," and Collins quickly fired back as she insisted the press secretary has not done her job in over a month.
White House Holds Press Briefing: November 20 | NBC News www.youtube.com
"I'm not an activist and you haven't taken questions since 1 October and you just took about five, Kayleigh," Collins fired back. That's not doing your job... your taxpayer-funded job."
McEnany and Collins' heated exchange comes amid heightened criticism of the press secretary. Days after President-elect Joe Biden was declared the winner of the presidential election, McEnany appeared for a press conference alongside Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman Ronna McDaniel on behalf of the Trump campaign. McEnany's involvement immediately raised questions about whether or not she had violated the Hatch Act due to her employment at the White House.
Amid backlash, McEnany tweeted to defend her actions. "When you enter government, you do not lose First Amendment rights. Hatch Act says to separate govt & political activity, which I diligently work to do," she tweeted. "Reporters (who ironically have freedom of press embedded in the 1st Amendment), are complaining about my 1A right to speech!"
Although McEnany claimed she attended the conference as a campaign advisor in her "personal capacity," the action still raised questions considering her role at the White House.


alternet--2020-11-20--IT manager at NC State fingered in lawsuit as a Proud Boy who doxed thousands of left-wing activists

Dressed in a burgundy dress shirt , with a full beard and shoulder-length brown hair , and wearing a black felt hat , Chadwick Seagraves cut a striking figure as he stood on the steps of the Chapel Hill Courthouse in North Carolina in June 2017 and gave a hearty introduction to Augustus Sol Invictus .
Seagraves ' guest was a failed Florida US Senate candidate who was a rising star of the alt-right in the run-up to the violent Unite the Right rally .
The Chapel Hill gathering , billed as a free speech rally , was in reality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Fraternity of the Alt-Knight , a short-lived street-fighting formation that bridged the Proud Boys to the more ideologically extreme components of Unite the Right coalition .
Seagraves , as allegedly revealed through his `` Elias McMahone ; A Heathen . ''
Twitter account , was an active member of the Proud Boys since the early days when the group got active in North Carolina in 2017 .
What was n't known then was that he was also a team manager in the technology support services office at NC State University in nearby @ @ @ @ @ @ @ digitally harassing at least one student activist through his anonymous Twitter account .
Earlier this week , the Anonymous Comrade Collective — a left-wing Twitter account that is , as its name indicates , anonymous — identified Seagraves as the instigator of a much more ambitious , if clumsy project .
Files containing names and personal information for thousands of left-wing activists , primarily in Portland , Ore. and Asheville , NC , were published on social media and then circulated on far-right platforms on Nov. 10 .
The meta data for 1,446 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Seagraves , according to Anonymous Comrade Collective .
After some of the data was dribbled out on the /pol/ — Politically Incorrect channel on 4chan — a notorious forum for white supremacists — the boards lit up with messages from anonymous users fantasizing about violence .
`` Good .
Give us the list , '' one user wrote .
`` We will assemble a squad and start eliminating antifa one by one . ''
`` Just dump the fucking list of names and addresses , '' another wrote .
`` It 's time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ user issued a challenge : `` Anons , hypothetically , if you lived in or around Portland , what would you do to help deal with the degenerate scum posted in this thread ? ''
And another bragged that an operation was already underway : `` Active measures are being taken in both civic nationalist and national socialist and white nationalist groups .
Buckle up . ''
Among those targeted by the data dump of personal information — commonly known as doxing — is Olivia Katbi Smith , co-chair of the Portland chapter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filed a lawsuit against Seagraves in Multnomah County for invasion of privacy on Thursday .
Smith said in an email to Raw Story that Seagraves intentionally shared information that he methodically collected on herself , friends , family and other Portland activists `` in a way to incite emotional and physical harm .
`` He also used my social media connections to fabricate a 'chart of antifa ' that paints me as a high-value target , '' she added .
`` I have always been public about my involvement in the Democratic Socialists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that to make me a target .
Since this information was posted , it has spread like wildfire across the most dangerous far-right corners of the internet , where anonymous cowards are saying unspeakable things and making horrific threats . ''
A separate tranche of personal information compiled in two PDFs entitled `` Asheville NC Auntie Fa '' parts 1 and 2 totaling 85 pages compiles social media screenshots and crude commentary on individuals in the western North Carolina city .
`` It 's kind of a dragnet , '' said Libertie Valance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cooperative and one of the primary targets .
`` It 's pretty clear that Chadwick got obsessed with a handful of people in Asheville , and mapped their social networks .
It seems like he was looking for people who might be 'antifa ' or anarchists .
It seems like that means anyone who looks queer , trans or punk .
It 's clear there was particular vitriol for queer and trans people . ''
Valance said the leftist activist community in Asheville has been dealing with doxing since at least 2018 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ these doxes and zero in on things like gender identity to try to emotionally destroy their targets in a way that some of us can brush off , '' they said , `` but for others those are difficult issues .
It 's been pretty devastating . ''
Seagraves could not be reached for comment on this story .
NC State 's non-discrimination policy prohibits harassment on the basis of race , color , religion , sexual orientation , actual or perceived gender , and other protected categories .
Seagraves earns a salary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information available through the UNC System .
Mick Kulikowski , a spokesperson for NC State University , told Raw Story : `` We 've received multiple reports about his online behavior , and we 're reviewing it . ''
The personal data allegedly assembled by Seagraves was shared on Twitter by a user named @ Oto666Yamaguchi that is believed to be a different person .
The bio for the @ Oto666Yamaguchi account , which is now suspended , identified them as `` pro NSDAP , '' an acronym for the German Nazi Party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The tweet sent by @ Oto666Yamaguchi on Nov. 10 suggested the activists ' personal information was gleaned through a sophisticated interception .
`` For the last two months , '' the tweet says , `` we 've been wardriving antifa rioters , letting them associate with mobile honeypots to access the internet . ''
Contradicting that claim , a document entitled `` Research Disclaimer '' that is tucked into a zip file that includes the personal data states that the information was `` gained from my mad OSINT skills '' — a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their inept use of social media . ''
The note also describes the targeted individuals as `` a completely unorganized conglomeration of people who Joe Biden has assured the American people are not a threat and not an organization . ''
The note implausibly suggests , `` This information is shared with other citizen journalists , and absolutely no harm should come to the subjects of this research from participating in lawful peaceful protests and free speech events . ''
The layer of separation between Seagraves and the person responsible for publishing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Proud Boys ' arms-length relationship with white supremacy .
The all-male Proud Boys describe themselves as a `` western chauvinist '' fraternal organization , eschewing language promoting white or European identity .
The organization accepts men of all races , and along with gays , and its chairman is a person of color .
The Proud Boys ' most pronounced stance is its hostility towards `` antifa '' and Black Lives Matter .
The Proud Boys ' mish-mash politics of civic nationalism and libertarianism has given the organization more room to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defined groups that emerged around the time of Trump 's 2016 election .
But the fluid relationship between the Proud Boys and its more ideological counterparts was on full display at the June 2017 `` free speech '' event in Chapel Hill .
A video obtained by antifascists in the Triangle area shows Seagraves introducing Invictus , a lawyer who espouses thinly veiled white supremacy and legally changed his name to the Latin phrase for `` majestic unconquered son . ''
`` If you 've followed conservative politics at all , you 've @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Seagraves said .
He went to say he had n't `` planned on having someone like him come today because I did n't expect all these folks to come in from all over . ''
Taking the podium , Invictus said , `` What 's up , Chapel Hill ?
They call me 'the commie slayer , ' and for good fucking reason . ''
Invictus ended his short speech by encouraging the small group of right-wingers in attendance to network with each other .
`` So , meet people here , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ names and numbers , '' Invictus said .
`` Join each other 's organizations .
Join the Alt-Knights of the Proud Boys , who are here with us today… .
I 'm one of the national organizers .
So , if you want to sign up with us , please come on down . ''
The Fraternal Order of Alt-Knights was founded in 2017 by Kyle Chapman , who became a folk hero of the far-right after he armed himself with a stick and homemade shield and attacked leftists during a melee in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gavin McInnes reached out to Chapman after a Proud Boy launched a fundraiser to help cover Chapman 's bail , according to the Southern Poverty Law Center .
McInnes hosted Chapman on his show , and later Chapman announced that he was founding the Fraternal Order of the Alt-Knights , which would be partnering with the Proud Boys with McInnes ' `` full approval . ''
Invictus became the Fraternal Order of the Alt-Knight 's second in command until his resignation in September 2017 .
The Proud Boys publicly distanced themselves from Unite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the legal troubles and reputational damage experienced by explicitly white nationalist groups like League of the South and the now-defunct Traditionalist Worker Party .
But the notorious gathering of white nationalists was organized by a former Proud Boy , Jason Kessler , and Invictus — a marquee name at the event — received a security escort by a Proud Boy named Shane Reeves .
Invictus currently faces criminal charges of domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature and possessing a weapon during a violent crime in York County , in South Carolina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his far-right activism a secret to his colleagues , some of whom expressed shock on Twitter when his doxing activities came to light earlier this week , he attended a Second Amendment rally with other North Carolina Proud Boys in Raleigh in April 2018 .
Under the cloak of anonymity of his `` Elias McMahone '' Twitter account , he was more forthcoming , writing in October 2018 : `` My mother knows I 'm a Proud Boy .
She thanks me for standing up for America .
She 's old school and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , using the `` Elias McMahone '' Twitter account , Seagraves allegedly called out an NC State student on Twitter .
He wrote , `` This young man supports # jihadists & affiliates with # Antifa .
He is a student at # NCState .
Here you will see him posting an intimidating message insinuating violence to a conservative student while also claiming to be a victim . ''
The post that attracted Seagraves ' attention said , `` These posts are dedicated to the brave Mujahideen fighters of Afghanistan . ''
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on condition of anonymity , said the statement was a reference to Rambo III , adding that he assumed everyone would get the joke .
He said the tweet was in reference to an incident in which a conservative student named Jack Bishop accused a friend of assault during an altercation in the Free Expression Tunnel .
Bishop , who is the son of Republican US Rep. Dan Bishop , and other members of Turning Point USA were spray-painting advertisements for an upcoming `` Culture Wars '' event with founder Charlie Kirk and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` I was pissed off at the conservatives , '' the student said .
`` So , of course I was going to fight TPUSA coming to campus . ''
An internecine feud on the far right made Culture Wars events a magnet for extremists .
Nick Fuentes and his America First group , also known as the `` groypers , '' stalked the events with the intent of flummoxing the organizers with embarrassing questions and radicalizing their audience to a more nationalistic position .
Some members of Patriot Front , an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the component organizations at Unite the Right , admired Fuentes ' success at undercutting the more moderate flank of the right-wing , and they saw Fuentes as a potential pipeline for recruitment .
Patriot Front members discussed leaving their propaganda at campuses in advance of the Culture Wars events , and one member showed up at an event in Florida , according to private chats from the group that were recently leaked .
After seeing the `` Elias McMahone '' account tweet about him , the student direct-messaged him to try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The message in response gave him pause .
`` Good , '' `` McMahone '' wrote , `` because the pic you posted from the window in East Village above the roundabout gave away a location .
That 's why I 'm trying to help you see that getting involved in direct action is n't good for a smart guy like you .
Just be careful what online stuff you get into when everyone 's all excited about a protest and wearing black It 's a serious thing .
I 'm just trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The student also noticed that the `` McMahone '' account had added him to a list of Twitter accounts entitled `` Proud AuntieFah Commies , '' and saw that he was identified on his own account as a member of the Proud Boys .
`` Did I realize he had tweeted that and painted a target on my back ?
Oh yeah , '' the student said .
`` I just did n't realize I was dealing with the president of the Proud Boys until I DM-ed him a couple days later .
@

Dressed in a burgundy dress shirt, with a full beard and shoulder-length brown hair, and wearing a black felt hat, Chadwick Seagraves cut a striking figure as he stood on the steps of the Chapel Hill Courthouse in North Carolina in June 2017 and gave a hearty introduction to Augustus Sol Invictus. Seagraves' guest was a failed Florida US Senate candidate who was a rising star of the alt-right in the run-up to the violent Unite the Right rally.
The Chapel Hill gathering, billed as a free speech rally, was in reality a recruitment event for the Proud Boys and Fraternity of the Alt-Knight, a short-lived street-fighting formation that bridged the Proud Boys to the more ideologically extreme components of Unite the Right coalition. Seagraves, as allegedly revealed through his "Elias McMahone; A Heathen." Twitter account, was an active member of the Proud Boys since the early days when the group got active in North Carolina in 2017. What wasn't known then was that he was also a team manager in the technology support services office at NC State University in nearby Raleigh, where he is accused of digitally harassing at least one student activist through his anonymous Twitter account.
Earlier this week, the Anonymous Comrade Collective — a left-wing Twitter account that is, as its name indicates, anonymous — identified Seagraves as the instigator of a much more ambitious, if clumsy project. Files containing names and personal information for thousands of left-wing activists, primarily in Portland, Ore. and Asheville, NC, were published on social media and then circulated on far-right platforms on Nov. 10. The meta data for 1,446 out of 2,141 files pointed back to Seagraves, according to Anonymous Comrade Collective.
After some of the data was dribbled out on the /pol/ — Politically Incorrect channel on 4chan — a notorious forum for white supremacists — the boards lit up with messages from anonymous users fantasizing about violence.
"Good. Give us the list," one user wrote. "We will assemble a squad and start eliminating antifa one by one."
"Just dump the fucking list of names and addresses," another wrote. "It's time to go to war."
Another user issued a challenge: "Anons, hypothetically, if you lived in or around Portland, what would you do to help deal with the degenerate scum posted in this thread?"
And another bragged that an operation was already underway: "Active measures are being taken in both civic nationalist and national socialist and white nationalist groups. Buckle up."
Among those targeted by the data dump of personal information — commonly known as doxing — is Olivia Katbi Smith, co-chair of the Portland chapter of Democratic Socialists of America. Smith filed a lawsuit against Seagraves in Multnomah County for invasion of privacy on Thursday.
Smith said in an email to Raw Story that Seagraves intentionally shared information that he methodically collected on herself, friends, family and other Portland activists "in a way to incite emotional and physical harm.
"He also used my social media connections to fabricate a 'chart of antifa' that paints me as a high-value target," she added. "I have always been public about my involvement in the Democratic Socialists of America, and this person sensationalized that to make me a target. Since this information was posted, it has spread like wildfire across the most dangerous far-right corners of the internet, where anonymous cowards are saying unspeakable things and making horrific threats."
A separate tranche of personal information compiled in two PDFs entitled "Asheville NC Auntie Fa" parts 1 and 2 totaling 85 pages compiles social media screenshots and crude commentary on individuals in the western North Carolina city.
"It's kind of a dragnet," said Libertie Valance, a member of the Firestorm Book cooperative and one of the primary targets. "It's pretty clear that Chadwick got obsessed with a handful of people in Asheville, and mapped their social networks. It seems like he was looking for people who might be 'antifa' or anarchists. It seems like that means anyone who looks queer, trans or punk. It's clear there was particular vitriol for queer and trans people."
Valance said the leftist activist community in Asheville has been dealing with doxing since at least 2018.
"The way Chadwick's peers utilize these doxes and zero in on things like gender identity to try to emotionally destroy their targets in a way that some of us can brush off," they said, "but for others those are difficult issues. It's been pretty devastating."
Seagraves could not be reached for comment on this story.
NC State's non-discrimination policy prohibits harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, actual or perceived gender, and other protected categories. Seagraves earns a salary of $92,820, according to public information available through the UNC System. Mick Kulikowski, a spokesperson for NC State University, told Raw Story: "We've received multiple reports about his online behavior, and we're reviewing it."
The personal data allegedly assembled by Seagraves was shared on Twitter by a user named @Oto666Yamaguchi that is believed to be a different person. The bio for the @Oto666Yamaguchi account, which is now suspended, identified them as "pro NSDAP," an acronym for the German Nazi Party that was active from 1920 to 1945.
The tweet sent by @Oto666Yamaguchi on Nov. 10 suggested the activists' personal information was gleaned through a sophisticated interception. "For the last two months," the tweet says, "we've been wardriving antifa rioters, letting them associate with mobile honeypots to access the internet."
Contradicting that claim, a document entitled "Research Disclaimer" that is tucked into a zip file that includes the personal data states that the information was "gained from my mad OSINT skills" — a reference to open-source intelligence — "and their inept use of social media."
The note also describes the targeted individuals as "a completely unorganized conglomeration of people who Joe Biden has assured the American people are not a threat and not an organization." The note implausibly suggests, "This information is shared with other citizen journalists, and absolutely no harm should come to the subjects of this research from participating in lawful peaceful protests and free speech events."
The layer of separation between Seagraves and the person responsible for publishing the personal data on the internet is emblematic of the Proud Boys' arms-length relationship with white supremacy. The all-male Proud Boys describe themselves as a "western chauvinist" fraternal organization, eschewing language promoting white or European identity. The organization accepts men of all races, and along with gays, and its chairman is a person of color. The Proud Boys' most pronounced stance is its hostility towards "antifa" and Black Lives Matter.
The Proud Boys' mish-mash politics of civic nationalism and libertarianism has given the organization more room to maneuver than many of the more ideologically defined groups that emerged around the time of Trump's 2016 election. But the fluid relationship between the Proud Boys and its more ideological counterparts was on full display at the June 2017 "free speech" event in Chapel Hill.
A video obtained by antifascists in the Triangle area shows Seagraves introducing Invictus, a lawyer who espouses thinly veiled white supremacy and legally changed his name to the Latin phrase for "majestic unconquered son."
"If you've followed conservative politics at all, you've heard something about Augustus Sol Invictus," Seagraves said. He went to say he hadn't "planned on having someone like him come today because I didn't expect all these folks to come in from all over."
Taking the podium, Invictus said, "What's up, Chapel Hill? They call me 'the commie slayer,' and for good fucking reason."
Invictus ended his short speech by encouraging the small group of right-wingers in attendance to network with each other.
"So, meet people here, shake hands with each other, exchange names and numbers," Invictus said. "Join each other's organizations. Join the Alt-Knights of the Proud Boys, who are here with us today…. I'm one of the national organizers. So, if you want to sign up with us, please come on down."
The Fraternal Order of Alt-Knights was founded in 2017 by Kyle Chapman, who became a folk hero of the far-right after he armed himself with a stick and homemade shield and attacked leftists during a melee in Berkeley, Calif.
Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes reached out to Chapman after a Proud Boy launched a fundraiser to help cover Chapman's bail, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. McInnes hosted Chapman on his show, and later Chapman announced that he was founding the Fraternal Order of the Alt-Knights, which would be partnering with the Proud Boys with McInnes' "full approval."
Invictus became the Fraternal Order of the Alt-Knight's second in command until his resignation in September 2017.
The Proud Boys publicly distanced themselves from Unite the Right, and managed to avoid the legal troubles and reputational damage experienced by explicitly white nationalist groups like League of the South and the now-defunct Traditionalist Worker Party. But the notorious gathering of white nationalists was organized by a former Proud Boy, Jason Kessler, and Invictus — a marquee name at the event — received a security escort by a Proud Boy named Shane Reeves. Invictus currently faces criminal charges of domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature and possessing a weapon during a violent crime in York County, in South Carolina.
Although Seagraves appears to have kept his far-right activism a secret to his colleagues, some of whom expressed shock on Twitter when his doxing activities came to light earlier this week, he attended a Second Amendment rally with other North Carolina Proud Boys in Raleigh in April 2018. Under the cloak of anonymity of his "Elias McMahone" Twitter account, he was more forthcoming, writing in October 2018: "My mother knows I'm a Proud Boy. She thanks me for standing up for America. She's old school and appreciates masculinity."
In November 2019, using the "Elias McMahone" Twitter account, Seagraves allegedly called out an NC State student on Twitter. He wrote, "This young man supports #jihadists & affiliates with #Antifa. He is a student at #NCState. Here you will see him posting an intimidating message insinuating violence to a conservative student while also claiming to be a victim."
The post that attracted Seagraves' attention said, "These posts are dedicated to the brave Mujahideen fighters of Afghanistan."
The student, who spoke to Raw Story on condition of anonymity, said the statement was a reference to Rambo III, adding that he assumed everyone would get the joke. He said the tweet was in reference to an incident in which a conservative student named Jack Bishop accused a friend of assault during an altercation in the Free Expression Tunnel. Bishop, who is the son of Republican US Rep. Dan Bishop, and other members of Turning Point USA were spray-painting advertisements for an upcoming "Culture Wars" event with founder Charlie Kirk and Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law.
"I was pissed off at the conservatives," the student said. "So, of course I was going to fight TPUSA coming to campus."
An internecine feud on the far right made Culture Wars events a magnet for extremists. Nick Fuentes and his America First group, also known as the "groypers," stalked the events with the intent of flummoxing the organizers with embarrassing questions and radicalizing their audience to a more nationalistic position. Some members of Patriot Front, an avowedly fascist group that spun out of one of the component organizations at Unite the Right, admired Fuentes' success at undercutting the more moderate flank of the right-wing, and they saw Fuentes as a potential pipeline for recruitment. Patriot Front members discussed leaving their propaganda at campuses in advance of the Culture Wars events, and one member showed up at an event in Florida, according to private chats from the group that were recently leaked.
After seeing the "Elias McMahone" account tweet about him, the student direct-messaged him to try to figure out who he was. The message in response gave him pause.
"Good," "McMahone" wrote, "because the pic you posted from the window in East Village above the roundabout gave away a location. That's why I'm trying to help you see that getting involved in direct action isn't good for a smart guy like you. Just be careful what online stuff you get into when everyone's all excited about a protest and wearing black It's a serious thing. I'm just trying to look out for you."
The student also noticed that the "McMahone" account had added him to a list of Twitter accounts entitled "Proud AuntieFah Commies," and saw that he was identified on his own account as a member of the Proud Boys.
"Did I realize he had tweeted that and painted a target on my back? Oh yeah," the student said. "I just didn't realize I was dealing with the president of the Proud Boys until I DM-ed him a couple days later."


alternet--2020-11-20--How Trump and Giuliani devoured the GOP

How Trump and Giuliani devoured the GOP

President Donald Trump and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani have become the dominant faces of the Republican Party , and it may have a lasting impact on the future of the political party .
Although Trump has spent most of his post-election time outside of the public eye , Giuliani has replaced him with countless public appearances of his own .
With Trump 's conspiracy theory tweets and Giuliani 's baffling television appearances which often consist of more baseless claims , the two are speaking out far more than Republican lawmakers .
With error-laden claims of widespread voter fraud and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential election , Trump has abused his presidential authority for his personal agenda .
Despite simple math making it clear that Trump 's margins of defeat were nowhere near contestable , he is still insisting that votes `` magically '' appeared and some of his votes were voided out .
Even in states where Republican officials are in leadership , Trump has insisted the election results are rigged .
A Washington Post editorial highlights the dangers that may arise from what is not being said .
For example , a recent poll shows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do not believe President-elect Joe Biden won the presidential election : Republicans , with help from cynical right-wing propaganda outlets , have convinced a great many Republicans that their delusional poppycock is true .
Polls now show a high percentage of Republicans do not believe President-elect Joe Biden won the election , even though he garnered 306 electoral votes and beat Trump by almost 6 million votes .
As a result , Republicans have undermined the essence of democracy and made a mockery of our international commitment to free and fair elections .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has moved forward with a 2021 budget deadline for February although Trump will no longer be in office after the presidential inauguration in January .
With all of Trump and Giuliani 's alarming behavior and actions , Republicans have still remained mum .
As more Republican leaders fail to uphold democracy , the truth is being overshadowed by the misconstrued theories Trump and his allies are spewing .
What is clear is that this is the level of sheer insanity and irrational propaganda that passes for Republican `` thinking . ''
Plainly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and because the vast majority of Republicans say Trump should be allowed to exhaust his legal claims , his performance has , in effect , been endorsed by Republican House and Senate leadership , much of right-wing media and the Republican National Committee .
At this point , Republican leaders and lawmakers have one side to choose : the party or Trump .
But unfortunately , it may already be too late to distinguish the difference between the two .

President Donald Trump and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani have become the dominant faces of the Republican Party, and it may have a lasting impact on the future of the political party.
Although Trump has spent most of his post-election time outside of the public eye, Giuliani has replaced him with countless public appearances of his own. With Trump's conspiracy theory tweets and Giuliani's baffling television appearances which often consist of more baseless claims, the two are speaking out far more than Republican lawmakers. With error-laden claims of widespread voter fraud and fact-free declarations that he has won the presidential election, Trump has abused his presidential authority for his personal agenda.
Despite simple math making it clear that Trump's margins of defeat were nowhere near contestable, he is still insisting that votes "magically" appeared and some of his votes were voided out. Even in states where Republican officials are in leadership, Trump has insisted the election results are rigged. A Washington Post editorial highlights the dangers that may arise from what is not being said. For example, a recent poll shows that an alarmingly high number of Republicans do not believe President-elect Joe Biden won the presidential election:
Republicans, with help from cynical right-wing propaganda outlets, have convinced a great many Republicans that their delusional poppycock is true. Polls now show a high percentage of Republicans do not believe President-elect Joe Biden won the election, even though he garnered 306 electoral votes and beat Trump by almost 6 million votes. As a result, Republicans have undermined the essence of democracy and made a mockery of our international commitment to free and fair elections.
Another report also revealed the White House has moved forward with a 2021 budget deadline for February although Trump will no longer be in office after the presidential inauguration in January. With all of Trump and Giuliani's alarming behavior and actions, Republicans have still remained mum.
As more Republican leaders fail to uphold democracy, the truth is being overshadowed by the misconstrued theories Trump and his allies are spewing.
What is clear is that this is the level of sheer insanity and irrational propaganda that passes for Republican "thinking." Plainly, Giuliani is representing the president's views, and because the vast majority of Republicans say Trump should be allowed to exhaust his legal claims, his performance has, in effect, been endorsed by Republican House and Senate leadership, much of right-wing media and the Republican National Committee.
At this point, Republican leaders and lawmakers have one side to choose: the party or Trump. But unfortunately, it may already be too late to distinguish the difference between the two.