alternet--2020-11-23--Why Trump’s loss presents the perfect chance to blow up the GOP: conservative

Almost three weeks after Election Day — with President-elect Joe Biden having won 306 electoral votes and defeating President Donald Trump by more than 6 million in the popular vote — Trump has yet to concede and continues to claim , without evidence , that the election was stolen from him through widespread voter fraud .
Some prominent Republicans , including Sen. Mitt Romney , are urging Trump to acknowledge Biden 's victory , while others wo n't say a word against the president .
And conservative Washington Post opinion writer Jennifer Rubin , in a November 23 column , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to become a litmus test — and that Republicans who refuse to accept the election results should become pariahs .
Rubin explains , `` The Republican Party has split in two… .
In one half of the former GOP stand President Trump , his pathetic enablers in his campaign and in right-wing media , and the vast majority of Senate and House Republicans , including frequently discussed 2024 challengers : Sens .
Ted Cruz of Texas , Tom Cotton of Arkansas , Josh Hawley of Missouri , Marco Rubio of Florida .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ coup taking place in front of their eyes by the candidate they claimed just a few weeks ago was not so bad after all .
They refuse to acknowledge that President-elect Joe Biden is the legal , legitimate winner . ''
Rubin goes on to slam `` anti-democracy Trump loyalists '' who `` choose willful ignorance . ''
`` When Trump is actively trying to overturn an election and disenfranchise millions of voters , targeting heavily Black cities , silence is consent , '' Rubin notes .
`` In the other half of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ varying ideological backgrounds but who share a fundamental belief in democracy and the rule of law . ''
Republicans who are showing that they value the rule of law , according to Rubin , range from Romney to Maryland Gov .
Larry Hogan .
`` In the Senate , Ben Sasse ( Neb . )
, Susan Collins ( Maine ) , Lisa Murkowski ( Alaska ) and Mitt Romney ( Utah ) swiftly recognized the results of the election , '' Rubin observes .
`` Belatedly , Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reps. Fred Upton ( Mich. ) , Francis Rooney ( Fla. ) , Adam Kinzinger ( Ill. ) , John Shimkus ( Ill. ) , Paul Mitchell ( Mich. ) , Tom Reed ( N.Y. ) , Denver Riggleman ( Va. ) , Will Hurd ( Tex . )
, Don Bacon ( Neb . )
, Don Young ( Alaska ) and John Curtis ( R-Utah ) have acknowledged Biden is the winner .
Republican governors in Utah , Vermont , Massachusetts , Maryland , Arkansas , New Hampshire and Ohio have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Trump supporters have been quick to threaten those who acknowledge reality with GOP primary challenges , but Rubin has a different idea : use primary challenges to rid the GOP of Trump loyalists who do n't value the rule of law .
`` If pro-democracy Republicans want to recover their party , '' Rubin argues , `` they should consider primary challenges to pro-Trump authoritarians , independent runs for state and federal office , and even formation of a new party or movement .
They can use their leverage in state legislatures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caucus with Republicans . ''
Rubin wraps up her column by emphasizing that Democrats and non-Trumpian Republicans should come together and smash Trumpism .
`` We , in effect , have three parties now : the Democratic Party , the Anti-Democracy Trump Party and the Pro-Democracy Republican Party , '' Rubin argues .
`` Once the Anti-Democracy Trump Party is marginalized , we might have functional government again .
The Democratic Party and the Pro-Democracy Republican Party should put their heads together and devise a strategy to bring that about — quickly , @ @ @ @ @ @

Almost three weeks after Election Day — with President-elect Joe Biden having won 306 electoral votes and defeating President Donald Trump by more than 6 million in the popular vote — Trump has yet to concede and continues to claim, without evidence, that the election was stolen from him through widespread voter fraud. Some prominent Republicans, including Sen. Mitt Romney, are urging Trump to acknowledge Biden's victory, while others won't say a word against the president. And conservative Washington Post opinion writer Jennifer Rubin, in a November 23 column, argues that these divisions with the GOP need to become a litmus test — and that Republicans who refuse to accept the election results should become pariahs.
Rubin explains, "The Republican Party has split in two…. In one half of the former GOP stand President Trump, his pathetic enablers in his campaign and in right-wing media, and the vast majority of Senate and House Republicans, including frequently discussed 2024 challengers: Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Marco Rubio of Florida. These Republicans seem to ignore the attempted coup taking place in front of their eyes by the candidate they claimed just a few weeks ago was not so bad after all. They refuse to acknowledge that President-elect Joe Biden is the legal, legitimate winner."
Rubin goes on to slam "anti-democracy Trump loyalists" who "choose willful ignorance."
"When Trump is actively trying to overturn an election and disenfranchise millions of voters, targeting heavily Black cities, silence is consent," Rubin notes. "In the other half of the party, we see individuals from varying ideological backgrounds but who share a fundamental belief in democracy and the rule of law."
Republicans who are showing that they value the rule of law, according to Rubin, range from Romney to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.
"In the Senate, Ben Sasse (Neb.), Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Mitt Romney (Utah) swiftly recognized the results of the election," Rubin observes. "Belatedly, Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania joined them. In the House, Reps. Fred Upton (Mich.), Francis Rooney (Fla.), Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), John Shimkus (Ill.), Paul Mitchell (Mich.), Tom Reed (N.Y.), Denver Riggleman (Va.), Will Hurd (Tex.), Don Bacon (Neb.), Don Young (Alaska) and John Curtis (R-Utah) have acknowledged Biden is the winner. Republican governors in Utah, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maryland, Arkansas, New Hampshire and Ohio have affirmed Biden is the legitimate winner."
Trump supporters have been quick to threaten those who acknowledge reality with GOP primary challenges, but Rubin has a different idea: use primary challenges to rid the GOP of Trump loyalists who don't value the rule of law.
"If pro-democracy Republicans want to recover their party," Rubin argues, "they should consider primary challenges to pro-Trump authoritarians, independent runs for state and federal office, and even formation of a new party or movement. They can use their leverage in state legislatures and in Congress and refuse to automatically caucus with Republicans."
Rubin wraps up her column by emphasizing that Democrats and non-Trumpian Republicans should come together and smash Trumpism.
"We, in effect, have three parties now: the Democratic Party, the Anti-Democracy Trump Party and the Pro-Democracy Republican Party," Rubin argues. "Once the Anti-Democracy Trump Party is marginalized, we might have functional government again. The Democratic Party and the Pro-Democracy Republican Party should put their heads together and devise a strategy to bring that about — quickly, and certainly before 2024."


alternet--2020-11-23--Don Jr urges voters to turn out for Senate runoffs as Trump continues to push fraud claims in Georgi

Don Jr urges voters to turn out for Senate runoffs as Trump continues to push fraud claims in Georgia

As Donald Trump desperately seeks a third tabulation of Georgia 's votes to once again solidify his loser status , Republicans are beginning to fret over the toll his imaginary fraud claims will have on GOP turnout for the two critical Senate runoffs in January .
In fact , the threat level must be pretty All-CAPS epic because Don Jr. himself took to Twitter Monday morning to stem the fallout .
`` I 'm seeing a lot of talk from people that are supposed to be on our side telling GOP voters not to go out & vote for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jr. tweeted a day after the Trump campaign insisted on yet another recount of the state 's voting results , which have already been certified .
`` That is NONSENSE .
IGNORE those people .
We need ALL of our people coming out to vote for Kelly & David , '' he added .
Meanwhile , on Sunday , Team Trump issued a statement accusing Georgia election officials of delivering `` the People false results '' while providing zero evidence the count was somehow fraudulent .
`` There must be a time when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it said .
Biden ultimately won the state by about 13,000 votes—close , but not recount close .
But apparently the constant drumbeat of baseless claims from Team Trump that a bogus voting system massively disenfranchised Trump voters is n't such a great turnout message .

As Donald Trump desperately seeks a third tabulation of Georgia's votes to once again solidify his loser status, Republicans are beginning to fret over the toll his imaginary fraud claims will have on GOP turnout for the two critical Senate runoffs in January. In fact, the threat level must be pretty All-CAPS epic because Don Jr. himself took to Twitter Monday morning to stem the fallout.
"I'm seeing a lot of talk from people that are supposed to be on our side telling GOP voters not to go out & vote for @KLoeffler and @PerdueSenate," Don Jr. tweeted a day after the Trump campaign insisted on yet another recount of the state's voting results, which have already been certified. "That is NONSENSE. IGNORE those people. We need ALL of our people coming out to vote for Kelly & David," he added.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Team Trump issued a statement accusing Georgia election officials of delivering "the People false results" while providing zero evidence the count was somehow fraudulent. "There must be a time when we stop counting illegal ballots," it said. Biden ultimately won the state by about 13,000 votes—close, but not recount close.
But apparently the constant drumbeat of baseless claims from Team Trump that a bogus voting system massively disenfranchised Trump voters isn't such a great turnout message.


alternet--2020-11-23--AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine shows up to 90% effectiveness in early data

Preliminary results on a third coronavirus vaccine , this one from AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford , show promise .
This is no less exciting for being the third , behind Pfizer and Moderna : The coronavirus pandemic is a challenge too big to be quickly ended by one effective vaccine .
We need every possible tool against it , and AstraZeneca 's has some key benefits .
The vaccine showed average 70 % effectiveness across trials of two different dosages .
Interestingly , the less effective regimen , at 62 % , used two full doses a month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , at 90 % , was a half dose followed by a full dose a month later .
If that result holds , it could mean more people being vaccinated .
Importantly , it 's much cheaper than either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines , and can be stored at normal refrigerator temperatures , while the others can only be stored at refrigerator temperature for a limited time .
`` We 're not thinking about vaccinations working in terms of one person at a time .
We have to think about vaccinating communities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ populations , so that we really get on top of this pandemic , ″ said Sarah Gilbert , one of the Oxford researchers .
`` And that 's what it now looks like we 're going to have the ability to contribute to in a really big way . ''
In Great Britain , the vaccine trial included weekly COVID-19 testing for participants , which Pfizer and Moderna did not do , instead testing people who developed possible COVID-19 symptoms .
That means AstraZeneca is more likely to have uncovered asymptomatic cases .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ new vaccine and did develop COVID-19 were hospitalized .
This is excellent , excellent news .
Now we just need to try to keep from spreading the virus until these vaccines can get through to authorization and distribution .

Preliminary results on a third coronavirus vaccine, this one from AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, show promise. This is no less exciting for being the third, behind Pfizer and Moderna: The coronavirus pandemic is a challenge too big to be quickly ended by one effective vaccine. We need every possible tool against it, and AstraZeneca's has some key benefits.
The vaccine showed average 70% effectiveness across trials of two different dosages. Interestingly, the less effective regimen, at 62%, used two full doses a month apart, while the more effective option, at 90%, was a half dose followed by a full dose a month later. If that result holds, it could mean more people being vaccinated. Importantly, it's much cheaper than either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, and can be stored at normal refrigerator temperatures, while the others can only be stored at refrigerator temperature for a limited time.
"We're not thinking about vaccinations working in terms of one person at a time. We have to think about vaccinating communities, populations, reducing transmission within those populations, so that we really get on top of this pandemic,″ said Sarah Gilbert, one of the Oxford researchers. "And that's what it now looks like we're going to have the ability to contribute to in a really big way."
In Great Britain, the vaccine trial included weekly COVID-19 testing for participants, which Pfizer and Moderna did not do, instead testing people who developed possible COVID-19 symptoms. That means AstraZeneca is more likely to have uncovered asymptomatic cases. None of the people who received the new vaccine and did develop COVID-19 were hospitalized.
This is excellent, excellent news. Now we just need to try to keep from spreading the virus until these vaccines can get through to authorization and distribution.


alternet--2020-11-23--The widening disconnect from reality by ruling elite is masking their complicity —  here's how

Joe Biden 's victory instantly obliterated the Democratic Party 's longstanding charge that Russia was hijacking and compromising US elections .
The Biden victory , the Democratic Party leaders and their courtiers in the media now insist , is evidence that the democratic process is strong and untainted , that the system works .
The elections ratified the will of the people .
But imagine if Donald Trump had been reelected .
Would the Democrats and pundits at The New York Times , CNN and MSNBC pay homage to a fair electoral process ?
Or , having spent four years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 presidential race , would they once again haul out the blunt instrument of Russian interference to paint Trump as Vladimir Putin 's Manchurian candidate ?
Trump and Giuliani are vulgar and buffoonish , but they play the same slimy game as their Democratic opponents .
The Republicans scapegoat the deep state , communists and now , bizarrely , Venezuela ; the Democrats scapegoat Russia .
The widening disconnect from reality by the ruling elite is intended to mask their complicity in the seizure of power by predatory global corporations and billionaires .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was done in this country , '' Giuliani said at his recent bad-hair-day press conference .
`` Probably not much more disgraceful than the things these people did in office , which you did n't and do n't bother to cover and you conceal from the American people , but we let this happen , we use largely a Venezuelan voting machine in essence to count our vote .
We let this happen .
We 're going to become Venezuela .
We can not let this happen to us .
We can not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what they are , to steal an election from the American people .
They elected Donald Trump .
They did n't elect Joe Biden .
Joe Biden is in the lead because of the fraudulent ballots , the illegal ballots , that were produced and that were allowed to be used , after the election was over . ''
Giuliani 's rant was topped by those of Sidney Powell , until yesterday another of Trump 's lawyers , who blamed software designed for Hugo Chavez , who died in 2013 , for Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the massive influence of Communist money . ''
The software `` was created so Hugo Chavez would never lose another election , and he did not after that software was created , '' Powell said .
`` He won every single election and then they exported it to Argentina and other countries in South America , and then they brought it here . ''
Compare this to how Hillary Clinton , during the recent primary campaign , warned that the Russians were `` grooming '' a female candidate , widely assumed to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a third-party candidate to serve Russian interests .
Previously , Clinton called the 2016 Green Party candidate Jill Stein a `` Russian asset . ''
She insisted , although the Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his prosecutors found no evidence to support her charge , that the Trump campaign worked closely in 2016 with Moscow and WikiLeaks — which she insists is a Russian front — to defeat her .
Hillary 's staff put together a `` hit list '' in the final days of her 2008 campaign , according to the book @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's Doomed Campaign '' by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes , listing those who were loyal to the Clintons those who were not .
They used a scale of 1 to 7 .
`` Step back and think about it , '' Clinton wrote in her book , `` What Happened , '' about the 2016 election .
`` The Russians hacked our election systems .
They got inside .
They tried to delete or alter voter information .
This should send a shiver down the spine of every American . ''
Never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the massive interference in our elections by Israel , which uses its lobbying groups to lavishly fund political candidates in both parties and flies members of Congress and their families to Israel for junkets at seaside resorts .
Israel 's intrusion in our political process , including when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress in 2015 , without informing then President Barack Obama , to attack the president 's Iran nuclear deal , dwarfs that of any other country , including Russia .
The two warring factions within the ruling elite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of power while abjectly serving corporate interests , peddle alternative realities .
If the deep state and Venezuelan socialists or Russia intelligence operatives are pulling the strings no one in power is accountable for the rage and alienation caused by the social inequality , the unassailability of corporate power , the legalized bribery that defines our political process , the endless wars , austerity and de-industrialization .
The social breakdown is , instead , the fault of shadowy phantom enemies manipulating groups such as Black Lives Matters or the Green Party .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run out of workable myths with which to distract the public , and in a moment of extreme crisis have chosen to stoke civil war and defame the rest of us – black and white – rather than admit to a generation of corruption , betrayal , and mismanagement , '' Matt Taibbi writes .
These fictional narratives are dangerous .
They erode the credibility of democratic institutions and electoral politics .
They posit that news and facts are no longer true or false .
Information is accepted or discarded based on whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another .
While outlets such as Fox News have always existed as an arm of the Republican Party , this partisanship has now infected nearly all news organizations , including publications such as The New York Times and The Washington Post , along with the major tech platforms that disseminate information and news .
A fragmented public with no common narrative believes whatever it wants to believe .
I first assumed this job posting from The New York Times for a Moscow correspondent was a parody posted by the Onion .
It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ self-immolation of The New York Times and the press .
JOB DESCRIPTION : Vladimir Putin 's Russia remains one of the biggest stories in the world .
It sends out hit squads armed with nerve agents against its enemies , most recently the opposition leader Aleksei Navalny .
It has its cyber agents sow chaos and disharmony in the West to tarnish its democratic systems , while promoting its faux version of democracy .
It has deployed private military contractors around the globe to secretly spread its influence .
At home , its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients as its president hides out in his villa .
If that sounds like a place you want to cover , then we have good news : We will have an opening for a new correspondent as Andy Higgins takes over as our next Eastern Europe Bureau Chief early next year .
Of course , every charge leveled here against Russia regarding foreign interference can be leveled in spades against the United States , both in the present and past , and even the implied criticism of its pandemic response seems like a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the point , why should the Times even send someone to Moscow to report on what Russians think , feel and how they view themselves and the world if they have already decided they are a cartoon villain ?
Why have a Moscow bureau at all ?
A parody response circulating on the internet imagined a parallel posting by Pravda for a U.S. correspondent : JOB DESCRIPTION : Donald Trump 's America remains one of the biggest stories in the world .
It sends out its armies , its drones , and its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enemies .
It has its cyber agents sow chaos and disharmony , undermining and overthrowing regimes , while promoting its faux version of democracy .
It has deployed private military contractors around the globe to secretly spread its influence .
At home , its hospitals are filling up fast with Covid patients as its president hides out on the golf course .
If that sounds like a place you want to cover , then we have good news .
We will have an opening for a new correspondent .
I was a foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them with The New York Times .
My job was to become bicultural , which requires hundreds of hours of language classes , to see the world from the perspective of those I covered and reflect it back to an American audience .
But this type of reporting is now anachronistic .
The paper might as well rehire the con artist Jayson Blair to sit in his apartment and snort coke while filing fictional variants on the preordained narrative the paper demands .
Or maybe computer algorithms can do the job .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After all , it was the Times that produced a ten-part podcast by its reporter Rukmini Callimachi based on interviews with a Muslim identified as Abu Huzayfah al-Kanadi who claimed to have been a member of ISIS in the Middle East .
He provided lurid accounts of murders and crucifixions he supposedly carried out .
His stories , catering to the rampant Islamophobia that poisons American society , were the audio version of snuff films .
They were also a lie .
The Canadian `` Abu Huzayfah , '' whose real name was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 by Royal Canadian Mounted Police ( RCMP ) and charged under Canadian hoax laws for fabricating his story .
The flagrant partisanship and discrediting of truth across the political spectrum are swiftly fueling the rise of an authoritarian state .
The credibility of democratic institutions and electoral politics , already deeply corrupted by PACs , the electoral college , lobbyists , the disenfranchisement of third-party candidates , gerrymandering and voter suppression , is being eviscerated .
Silicon Valley billionaires , including Facebook cofounder Dustin Moskovitz and ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt , donated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic super PAC that created a torrent of anti-Trump TV ads in the final weeks of the campaign to elect Biden .
The heavy infusion of corporate money to support Biden was n't done to protect democracy .
It was done because these corporations and billionaires know a Biden administration will serve their interests .
The press , meanwhile , has largely given up on journalism .
It has retreated into competing echo chambers that only speak to true believers .
This catering exclusively to one demographic , which it sets against another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it also guarantees the balkanization of the United States and edges us closer and closer to fratricide .
When Trump leaves the White House millions of his enraged supports , hermetically sealed inside hyperventilating media platforms that feed back to them their rage and hate , will see the vote as fraudulent , the political system as rigged , and the establishment press as propaganda .
They will target , I fear , through violence , the Democratic Party politicians , mainstream media outlets and those they demonize as conspiratorial members of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fauci .
The Democratic Party is as much to blame for this disintegration as Trump and the Republican Party .
The election of Biden is also very bad news for journalists such as Matt Taibbi , Glen Ford , Margaret Kimberley , Glenn Greenwald , Jeffrey St. Clair or Robert Scheer who refuse to be courtiers to the ruling elites .
Journalists that do not spew the approved narrative of the right-wing , or , alternatively , the approved narrative of the Democratic Party , have a credibility the ruling elite fears .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ will get worse as the pandemic leaves hundreds of thousands dead and thrusts millions of Americans into severe economic distress –the more those who seek to hold the ruling elites , and in particular the Democratic Party , accountable will be targeted and censored in ways familiar to WikiLeaks and Julian Assange , now in a London prison and facing possible extradition to the United States and life imprisonment .
Barack Obama 's assault on civil liberties , which included the repeated misuse of the Espionage Act to prosecute whistleblowers , the passage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Authorization Act ( NDAA ) to permit the military to act as a domestic police force and the ordering of the assassination of U.S. citizens deemed to be terrorists in Yemen , was far worse than those of George W. Bush .
Biden 's assault on civil liberties , I suspect , will surpass those of the Obama administration .
The censorship was heavy handed during the campaign .
Digital media platforms , including Google , Twitter , YouTube and Facebook , along with the establishment press worked shamelessly as propaganda arms for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to make the `` mistake '' they made in 2016 when they reported on the damaging emails , released by WikiLeaks , from Hillary Clinton 's campaign chairman John Podesta .
Although the emails were genuine , papers such as The New York Times routinely refer to the Podesta emails as `` disinformation . ''
This , no doubt , pleases its readership , 91 percent of whom identify as Democrats according to the Pew Research Center .
But it is another example of journalistic malfeasance .
Following the election of Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Democratic Party readership made amends .
The New York Times was one of the principal platforms that amplified Russiagate conspiracies , most of which turned out to be false .
At the same time , the paper largely ignored the plight of the disposed working class that supported Trump .
When the Russiagate story collapsed , the paper pivoted to focus on race , embodied in the 1619 Project .
The root cause of social disintegration — the neoliberal order , austerity and deindustrialization — was ignored since naming it would alienate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elites on whom the paper depends for access .
Once the 2020 election started , The New York Times and other mainstream outlets censored and discredited information that could hurt Biden , including a tape of Joe Biden speaking with former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko , which appears to be authentic .
They gave credibility to any rumor , however spurious , which was unfavorable to Trump .
Twitter and Facebook blocked access to a New York Post story about the emails allegedly found on Hunter Biden 's discarded laptop .
Twitter locked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own account for over a week .
Glenn Greenwald , whose article on Hunter Biden was censored by his editors at The Intercept , which he helped found , resigned .
He released the email exchanges with his editors over his article .
Ignoring the textual evidence of censorship , editors and writers at The Intercept engaged in a public campaign of character assassination against Greenwald .
This sordid behavior by self-identified progressive journalists is a page out of the Trump playbook and a sad commentary on the collapse of journalistic integrity .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ honed and perfected against WikiLeaks .
When WikiLeaks tries to release information , it is hit with botnets or distributed denial of service attacks .
Malware attacks WikiLeaks ' domain and website .
The WikiLeaks site is routinely shut down or unable to serve its content to its readers .
Attempts by WikiLeaks to hold press conferences see the audio distorted and the visual images corrupted .
Links to WikiLeaks events are delayed or cut .
Algorithms block the dissemination of WikiLeaks content .
Hosting services , including Amazon , removed WikiLeaks from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ releasing the Iraqi war logs , saw his bank accounts and credit cards frozen .
WikiLeaks ' PayPal accounts were disabled to cut off donations .
The Freedom of the Press Foundation in December 2017 closed down the anonymous funding channel to WikiLeaks which was set up to protect the anonymity of donors .
A well-orchestrated smear campaign against Assange was amplified and given credibility by the mass media and filmmakers such as Alex Gibney .
Assange and WikiLeaks were first .
We are next .
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy told CNN during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` more problematic '' than in 2016 .
He warned that `` this time around , the Russians have decided to cultivate U.S. citizens as assets .
They are attempting to try to spread their propaganda in the mainstream media . ''
This will be the official mantra of the Democratic Party , a vicious redbaiting campaign without actual reds , especially as the country spirals out of control .
The reason I have a show on Russia-funded RT America is the same reason Vaclav Havel could only be heard on the US-funded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Czechoslovakia .
I did not choose to leave the mainstream media .
I was pushed out .
And once anyone is pushed out , the ruling elite is relentless about discrediting the few platforms left willing to give them , and the issues they raise , a hearing .
`` If the problem is 'American citizens ' being cultivated as 'assets ' trying to put 'interference ' in the mainstream media , the logical next step is to start asking Internet platforms to shut down accounts belonging to any American journalist with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreigners ( the wrong foreigners , of course – it will continue to be okay to report things like the 'black ledger ' ) , '' writes Taibbi , who has done some of the best reporting on the emerging censorship .
`` From Fox or the Daily Caller on the right , to left-leaning outlets like Consortium or the World Socialist Web Site , to writers like me even – we 're all now clearly in range of new speech restrictions , even if we stick to long-ago-established factual standards . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ censorship took place when the major digital platforms – Facebook , Twitter , Google , Spotify , YouTube – in a coordinated move blacklisted the right-wing talk show host Alex Jones .
`` Liberal America cheered , '' Taibbi told me when I interviewed him for my show , `` On Contact '' : In the Soviet Union the truth was passed , often hand to hand , in underground samizdat documents , clandestine copies of news and literature banned by the state .
The truth will endure .
It will be heard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It will expose the mendacity of the powerful , however hard it will be to obtain .
Despotisms fear the truth .
They know it is a mortal threat .
If we remain determined to live in truth , no matter the cost , we have a chance .
Chris Hedges writes a regular original column for ScheerPost every two weeks .
Click here to sign up for email alerts .

Joe Biden's victory instantly obliterated the Democratic Party's longstanding charge that Russia was hijacking and compromising US elections. The Biden victory, the Democratic Party leaders and their courtiers in the media now insist, is evidence that the democratic process is strong and untainted, that the system works. The elections ratified the will of the people.
But imagine if Donald Trump had been reelected. Would the Democrats and pundits at The New York Times, CNN and MSNBC pay homage to a fair electoral process? Or, having spent four years trying to impugn the integrity of the 2016 presidential race, would they once again haul out the blunt instrument of Russian interference to paint Trump as Vladimir Putin's Manchurian candidate?
Trump and Giuliani are vulgar and buffoonish, but they play the same slimy game as their Democratic opponents. The Republicans scapegoat the deep state, communists and now, bizarrely, Venezuela; the Democrats scapegoat Russia. The widening disconnect from reality by the ruling elite is intended to mask their complicity in the seizure of power by predatory global corporations and billionaires.
"This is a disgraceful thing that was done in this country," Giuliani said at his recent bad-hair-day press conference. "Probably not much more disgraceful than the things these people did in office, which you didn't and don't bother to cover and you conceal from the American people, but we let this happen, we use largely a Venezuelan voting machine in essence to count our vote. We let this happen. We're going to become Venezuela. We cannot let this happen to us. We cannot allow these crooks, because that's what they are, to steal an election from the American people. They elected Donald Trump. They didn't elect Joe Biden. Joe Biden is in the lead because of the fraudulent ballots, the illegal ballots, that were produced and that were allowed to be used, after the election was over."
Giuliani's rant was topped by those of Sidney Powell, until yesterday another of Trump's lawyers, who blamed software designed for Hugo Chavez, who died in 2013, for Trump's loss, as well as "the massive influence of Communist money." The software "was created so Hugo Chavez would never lose another election, and he did not after that software was created," Powell said. "He won every single election and then they exported it to Argentina and other countries in South America, and then they brought it here."
Compare this to how Hillary Clinton, during the recent primary campaign, warned that the Russians were "grooming" a female candidate, widely assumed to be Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, to run as a third-party candidate to serve Russian interests. Previously, Clinton called the 2016 Green Party candidate Jill Stein a "Russian asset." She insisted, although the Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his prosecutors found no evidence to support her charge, that the Trump campaign worked closely in 2016 with Moscow and WikiLeaks — which she insists is a Russian front — to defeat her. Hillary's staff put together a "hit list" in the final days of her 2008 campaign, according to the book, "Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign" by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes, listing those who were loyal to the Clintons those who were not. They used a scale of 1 to 7.
"Step back and think about it," Clinton wrote in her book, "What Happened," about the 2016 election. "The Russians hacked our election systems. They got inside. They tried to delete or alter voter information. This should send a shiver down the spine of every American."
Never mind that both ruling parties are silent about the massive interference in our elections by Israel, which uses its lobbying groups to lavishly fund political candidates in both parties and flies members of Congress and their families to Israel for junkets at seaside resorts. Israel's intrusion in our political process, including when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress in 2015, without informing then President Barack Obama, to attack the president's Iran nuclear deal, dwarfs that of any other country, including Russia.
The two warring factions within the ruling elite, which fight primarily over the spoils of power while abjectly serving corporate interests, peddle alternative realities. If the deep state and Venezuelan socialists or Russia intelligence operatives are pulling the strings no one in power is accountable for the rage and alienation caused by the social inequality, the unassailability of corporate power, the legalized bribery that defines our political process, the endless wars, austerity and de-industrialization. The social breakdown is, instead, the fault of shadowy phantom enemies manipulating groups such as Black Lives Matters or the Green Party.
"The people who run this country have run out of workable myths with which to distract the public, and in a moment of extreme crisis have chosen to stoke civil war and defame the rest of us – black and white – rather than admit to a generation of corruption, betrayal, and mismanagement," Matt Taibbi writes.
These fictional narratives are dangerous. They erode the credibility of democratic institutions and electoral politics. They posit that news and facts are no longer true or false. Information is accepted or discarded based on whether it hurts or promotes one faction over another. While outlets such as Fox News have always existed as an arm of the Republican Party, this partisanship has now infected nearly all news organizations, including publications such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, along with the major tech platforms that disseminate information and news. A fragmented public with no common narrative believes whatever it wants to believe.
I first assumed this job posting from The New York Times for a Moscow correspondent was a parody posted by the Onion. It wasn't. It speaks volumes about the self-immolation of The New York Times and the press.
JOB DESCRIPTION: Vladimir Putin's Russia remains one of the biggest stories in the world. It sends out hit squads armed with nerve agents against its enemies, most recently the opposition leader Aleksei Navalny. It has its cyber agents sow chaos and disharmony in the West to tarnish its democratic systems, while promoting its faux version of democracy. It has deployed private military contractors around the globe to secretly spread its influence. At home, its hospitals are filling up fast with Covid patients as its president hides out in his villa. If that sounds like a place you want to cover, then we have good news: We will have an opening for a new correspondent as Andy Higgins takes over as our next Eastern Europe Bureau Chief early next year.
Of course, every charge leveled here against Russia regarding foreign interference can be leveled in spades against the United States, both in the present and past, and even the implied criticism of its pandemic response seems like a textbook case of projection. More to the point, why should the Times even send someone to Moscow to report on what Russians think, feel and how they view themselves and the world if they have already decided they are a cartoon villain? Why have a Moscow bureau at all?
A parody response circulating on the internet imagined a parallel posting by Pravda for a U.S. correspondent:
JOB DESCRIPTION: Donald Trump's America remains one of the biggest stories in the world. It sends out its armies, its drones, and its agents around the world to kill its enemies. It has its cyber agents sow chaos and disharmony, undermining and overthrowing regimes, while promoting its faux version of democracy. It has deployed private military contractors around the globe to secretly spread its influence. At home, its hospitals are filling up fast with Covid patients as its president hides out on the golf course. If that sounds like a place you want to cover, then we have good news. We will have an opening for a new correspondent.
I was a foreign correspondent for twenty years, fifteen of them with The New York Times. My job was to become bicultural, which requires hundreds of hours of language classes, to see the world from the perspective of those I covered and reflect it back to an American audience. But this type of reporting is now anachronistic. The paper might as well rehire the con artist Jayson Blair to sit in his apartment and snort coke while filing fictional variants on the preordained narrative the paper demands. Or maybe computer algorithms can do the job.
I guess I should not be surprised. After all, it was the Times that produced a ten-part podcast by its reporter Rukmini Callimachi based on interviews with a Muslim identified as Abu Huzayfah al-Kanadi who claimed to have been a member of ISIS in the Middle East. He provided lurid accounts of murders and crucifixions he supposedly carried out. His stories, catering to the rampant Islamophobia that poisons American society, were the audio version of snuff films. They were also a lie. The Canadian "Abu Huzayfah," whose real name was Shehroze Chaudhry, was arrested in September 2020 by Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and charged under Canadian hoax laws for fabricating his story.
The flagrant partisanship and discrediting of truth across the political spectrum are swiftly fueling the rise of an authoritarian state. The credibility of democratic institutions and electoral politics, already deeply corrupted by PACs, the electoral college, lobbyists, the disenfranchisement of third-party candidates, gerrymandering and voter suppression, is being eviscerated.
Silicon Valley billionaires, including Facebook cofounder Dustin Moskovitz and ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt, donated more than $100 million to a Democratic super PAC that created a torrent of anti-Trump TV ads in the final weeks of the campaign to elect Biden. The heavy infusion of corporate money to support Biden wasn't done to protect democracy. It was done because these corporations and billionaires know a Biden administration will serve their interests.
The press, meanwhile, has largely given up on journalism. It has retreated into competing echo chambers that only speak to true believers. This catering exclusively to one demographic, which it sets against another demographic, is commercially profitable. But it also guarantees the balkanization of the United States and edges us closer and closer to fratricide.
When Trump leaves the White House millions of his enraged supports, hermetically sealed inside hyperventilating media platforms that feed back to them their rage and hate, will see the vote as fraudulent, the political system as rigged, and the establishment press as propaganda. They will target, I fear, through violence, the Democratic Party politicians, mainstream media outlets and those they demonize as conspiratorial members of the deep state, such as Dr. Anthony Fauci. The Democratic Party is as much to blame for this disintegration as Trump and the Republican Party.
The election of Biden is also very bad news for journalists such as Matt Taibbi, Glen Ford, Margaret Kimberley, Glenn Greenwald, Jeffrey St. Clair or Robert Scheer who refuse to be courtiers to the ruling elites. Journalists that do not spew the approved narrative of the right-wing, or, alternatively, the approved narrative of the Democratic Party, have a credibility the ruling elite fears. The worse things get – and they will get worse as the pandemic leaves hundreds of thousands dead and thrusts millions of Americans into severe economic distress –the more those who seek to hold the ruling elites, and in particular the Democratic Party, accountable will be targeted and censored in ways familiar to WikiLeaks and Julian Assange, now in a London prison and facing possible extradition to the United States and life imprisonment.
Barack Obama's assault on civil liberties, which included the repeated misuse of the Espionage Act to prosecute whistleblowers, the passage of Section 1021 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to permit the military to act as a domestic police force and the ordering of the assassination of U.S. citizens deemed to be terrorists in Yemen, was far worse than those of George W. Bush. Biden's assault on civil liberties, I suspect, will surpass those of the Obama administration.
The censorship was heavy handed during the campaign. Digital media platforms, including Google, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, along with the establishment press worked shamelessly as propaganda arms for the Biden campaign. They were determined not to make the "mistake" they made in 2016 when they reported on the damaging emails, released by WikiLeaks, from Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta. Although the emails were genuine, papers such as The New York Times routinely refer to the Podesta emails as "disinformation." This, no doubt, pleases its readership, 91 percent of whom identify as Democrats according to the Pew Research Center. But it is another example of journalistic malfeasance.
Following the election of Trump, the media outlets that cater to a Democratic Party readership made amends. The New York Times was one of the principal platforms that amplified Russiagate conspiracies, most of which turned out to be false. At the same time, the paper largely ignored the plight of the disposed working class that supported Trump. When the Russiagate story collapsed, the paper pivoted to focus on race, embodied in the 1619 Project. The root cause of social disintegration — the neoliberal order, austerity and deindustrialization — was ignored since naming it would alienate the paper's corporate advertisers and the elites on whom the paper depends for access.
Once the 2020 election started, The New York Times and other mainstream outlets censored and discredited information that could hurt Biden, including a tape of Joe Biden speaking with former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, which appears to be authentic. They gave credibility to any rumor, however spurious, which was unfavorable to Trump. Twitter and Facebook blocked access to a New York Post story about the emails allegedly found on Hunter Biden's discarded laptop. Twitter locked the New York Post out of its own account for over a week. Glenn Greenwald, whose article on Hunter Biden was censored by his editors at The Intercept, which he helped found, resigned. He released the email exchanges with his editors over his article. Ignoring the textual evidence of censorship, editors and writers at The Intercept engaged in a public campaign of character assassination against Greenwald. This sordid behavior by self-identified progressive journalists is a page out of the Trump playbook and a sad commentary on the collapse of journalistic integrity.
The censorship and manipulation of information was honed and perfected against WikiLeaks. When WikiLeaks tries to release information, it is hit with botnets or distributed denial of service attacks. Malware attacks WikiLeaks' domain and website. The WikiLeaks site is routinely shut down or unable to serve its content to its readers. Attempts by WikiLeaks to hold press conferences see the audio distorted and the visual images corrupted. Links to WikiLeaks events are delayed or cut. Algorithms block the dissemination of WikiLeaks content. Hosting services, including Amazon, removed WikiLeaks from its servers. Julian Assange, after releasing the Iraqi war logs, saw his bank accounts and credit cards frozen. WikiLeaks' PayPal accounts were disabled to cut off donations. The Freedom of the Press Foundation in December 2017 closed down the anonymous funding channel to WikiLeaks which was set up to protect the anonymity of donors. A well-orchestrated smear campaign against Assange was amplified and given credibility by the mass media and filmmakers such as Alex Gibney. Assange and WikiLeaks were first. We are next.
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy told CNN during this campaign that Russian disinformation efforts are "more problematic" than in 2016. He warned that "this time around, the Russians have decided to cultivate U.S. citizens as assets. They are attempting to try to spread their propaganda in the mainstream media."
This will be the official mantra of the Democratic Party, a vicious redbaiting campaign without actual reds, especially as the country spirals out of control. The reason I have a show on Russia-funded RT America is the same reason Vaclav Havel could only be heard on the US-funded Voice of America during the communist control of Czechoslovakia. I did not choose to leave the mainstream media. I was pushed out. And once anyone is pushed out, the ruling elite is relentless about discrediting the few platforms left willing to give them, and the issues they raise, a hearing.
"If the problem is 'American citizens' being cultivated as 'assets' trying to put 'interference' in the mainstream media, the logical next step is to start asking Internet platforms to shut down accounts belonging to any American journalist with the temerity to report material leaked by foreigners (the wrong foreigners, of course – it will continue to be okay to report things like the 'black ledger')," writes Taibbi, who has done some of the best reporting on the emerging censorship. "From Fox or the Daily Caller on the right, to left-leaning outlets like Consortium or the World Socialist Web Site, to writers like me even – we're all now clearly in range of new speech restrictions, even if we stick to long-ago-established factual standards."
Taibbi argues that the precedent for overt censorship took place when the major digital platforms – Facebook, Twitter, Google, Spotify, YouTube – in a coordinated move blacklisted the right-wing talk show host Alex Jones.
"Liberal America cheered," Taibbi told me when I interviewed him for my show, "On Contact":
They said 'Well this is a noxious figure. This is a great thing. Finally, someone's taking action.' What they didn't realize is that we were trading an old system of speech regulation for a new one without any public discussion. You and I were raised in a system where you got punished for speech if you committed libel or slander or if there was imminent incitement to lawless action, right? That was the standard that the Supreme Court set, but that was done through litigation. There was an open process where you had a chance to rebut charges. That is all gone now. Now, basically there's a handful of these tech distribution platforms that control how people get their media. They've been pressured by the Senate, which has called all of their CEOs in, and basically ordered them, 'We need you to come up with a plan to prevent the sowing of discord and spreading of misinformation.' This has finally come into fruition. You see a major reputable news organization like the New York Post — with a 200-year history — locked out of its own Twitter account. The story [Hunter Biden's emails] has not been disproven. It's not disinformation or misinformation. It's been suppressed as it would be suppressed in a Third World country. It's a remarkable historic moment. The danger is that we end up with a one-party informational system. There's going to be approved dialogue and unapproved dialogue that you can only get through certain fringe avenues. That's the problem. We let these companies get this monopolistic share of the distribution system. Now they're exercising that power.
In the Soviet Union the truth was passed, often hand to hand, in underground samizdat documents, clandestine copies of news and literature banned by the state. The truth will endure. It will be heard by those who seek it out. It will expose the mendacity of the powerful, however hard it will be to obtain. Despotisms fear the truth. They know it is a mortal threat. If we remain determined to live in truth, no matter the cost, we have a chance.
Chris Hedges writes a regular original column for ScheerPost every two weeks. Click here to sign up for email alerts.


alternet--2020-11-23--Supreme Court declines to take action on Trump’s Pennsylvania appeal prior to certification of Biden

Supreme Court declines to take action on Trump’s Pennsylvania appeal prior to certification of Biden win

The Supreme Court of the United States on Monday took no action to overturn a lower court decision that allowed @ @ @ @ @ ballots in Pennsylvania .
President Donald Trump 's campaign had sought to exclude mail-in ballots @ @ @ @ @ .
In 4-4 decision in October , the high court upheld the Pennsylvania Supreme Court @ @ @ @ @ postmarked by election day can arrive up to three days after the election .
The @ @ @ @ @ campaign a victory with an order saying that late-arriving ballots must be segregated before being @ @ @ @ @ had hoped that the Supreme Court would hear the case prior to Pennsylvania 's certification @ @ @ @ @ But on Monday , the court 's regular order list for its November 20 conference @ @ @ @ @ on the case .
The court could take action at its December 4 conference , @ @ @ @ @ November 23 deadline for counties to certify the election .

The Supreme Court of the United States on Monday took no action to overturn a lower court decision that allowed the counting of late-arriving mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania.
President Donald Trump's campaign had sought to exclude mail-in ballots that arrived after election day.
In 4-4 decision in October, the high court upheld the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's ruling that said ballots postmarked by election day can arrive up to three days after the election.
The court later handed the Trump campaign a victory with an order saying that late-arriving ballots must be segregated before being counted.
The Trump campaign had hoped that the Supreme Court would hear the case prior to Pennsylvania's certification of the 2020 election.
But on Monday, the court's regular order list for its November 20 conference did not include any action on the case.
The court could take action at its December 4 conference, which is after Pennsylvania's November 23 deadline for counties to certify the election.


alternet--2020-11-24--Melania Trump mocked for 'pretending to like Christmas' after recorded 'give me a break' tirade

First Lady Melania Trump , sans a face mask , on Monday participated in the receiving of the White House Christmas tree , an annual event going back to the 19th century .
Many wondered if she would appear , after being exposed by her former staffer and friend , using foul language to complain about having to decorate the White House last year .
In a series of damning conversations in which she also used profanity to complain about the children her husband separated from their families , the First Lady had said , `` who gives a f**k @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In one segment from 2019 the First Lady also complained , `` they said , 'Oh , what about the children that they were separated ? '
Give me a f**king break . ''
She went on to conflate the two topics .
`` They say I 'm complicit .
I 'm the same like him , I support him .
I do n't say enough .
I do n't do enough , '' she told Stephanie Winston Wolkoff , who recorded the First Lady 's profane complaints .
`` I 'm working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — Christmas stuff that you know , who gives a f*** about Christmas stuff and decoration ?
But I need to do it , right ?
Correct ?
Okay , and then I do it .
And I say that I 'm working on Christmas planning for the Christmas .
And they said , 'Oh , what about the children that they were separated ? '
Give me a f***ing break .
Where they were saying anything when Obama did that ? ''
Mrs. Trump was far less conversational Monday , refusing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how some are reacting :

First Lady Melania Trump, sans a face mask, on Monday participated in the receiving of the White House Christmas tree, an annual event going back to the 19th century. Many wondered if she would appear, after being exposed by her former staffer and friend, using foul language to complain about having to decorate the White House last year.
In a series of damning conversations in which she also used profanity to complain about the children her husband separated from their families, the First Lady had said, "who gives a f**k about Christmas stuff and decoration?"
In one segment from 2019 the First Lady also complained, "they said, 'Oh, what about the children that they were separated?' Give me a f**king break."
She went on to conflate the two topics.
"They say I'm complicit. I'm the same like him, I support him. I don't say enough. I don't do enough," she told Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, who recorded the First Lady's profane complaints. "I'm working like a — my ass off at — Christmas stuff that you know, who gives a f*** about Christmas stuff and decoration? But I need to do it, right? Correct? Okay, and then I do it. And I say that I'm working on Christmas planning for the Christmas. And they said, 'Oh, what about the children that they were separated?' Give me a f***ing break. Where they were saying anything when Obama did that?"
Mrs. Trump was far less conversational Monday, refusing to answer reporters' questions.
Here's how some are reacting:


alternet--2020-11-24--Dianne Feinstein expected to step down from Senate Judiciary Committee

Sen. Dianne Feinstein ( D-Calif. ) , the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee , is expected to step down in the next Congressional session following stark criticism from progressive lawmakers due to her handling of U.S Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett 's nomination hearings .
Multiple people close to the situation confirmed Feinstein 's plans to Politico , and she later released a statement confirming her intent .
Although she will be stepping away from the judiciary committee , she did note that she will be working with the Biden administration and will continue to serve on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lead Democrat on the Judiciary Committee for four years , I will not seek the chairmanship or ranking member position in the next Congress , '' the California Democrat said in a statement .
`` I look forward to continuing to serve as a senior Democrat on the Judiciary , Intelligence , Appropriations and Rules committees as we work with the Biden administration . ''
The California Democrat also noted that she will be focusing her efforts on combatting the coronavirus pandemic .
Feinstein 's decision comes amid heightened scrutiny over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she step down after the hearings .
Now , they are applauding her for her decision .
Brian Fallon , executive director of the group Demand Justice , called it `` a necessary step if Democrats are ever going to meaningfully confront the damage Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell have done to the federal judiciary . ''
`` Going forward , Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee must be led by someone who will not wishfully cling to a bygone era of civility and decorum that Republicans abandoned long ago , '' Fallon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( D-N.Y. ) also revealed he had a `` long and serious '' talk with the California Democrat prior to her decision to step down .
The top-ranking Senate Democrat said he was `` deeply grateful '' for Feinstein and her leadership .
`` I know Senator Feinstein will continue her work as one of the nation 's leading advocates for women 's and voting rights , gun safety reform , civil liberties , health care , and the rights of immigrants who are yearning to become citizens of this great country , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dick Durbin ( D-Ill. ) has announced his interest in the judiciary committee post .
`` I intend to seek the top Democratic position on the Judiciary Committee in the 117th Congress , '' Durbin said .
`` We have to roll up our sleeves and get to work on undoing the damage of the last four years and protecting fundamental civil and human rights . ''

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is expected to step down in the next Congressional session following stark criticism from progressive lawmakers due to her handling of U.S Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett's nomination hearings.
Multiple people close to the situation confirmed Feinstein's plans to Politico, and she later released a statement confirming her intent. Although she will be stepping away from the judiciary committee, she did note that she will be working with the Biden administration and will continue to serve on other committees.
"After serving as the lead Democrat on the Judiciary Committee for four years, I will not seek the chairmanship or ranking member position in the next Congress," the California Democrat said in a statement. "I look forward to continuing to serve as a senior Democrat on the Judiciary, Intelligence, Appropriations and Rules committees as we work with the Biden administration."
The California Democrat also noted that she will be focusing her efforts on combatting the coronavirus pandemic.
Feinstein's decision comes amid heightened scrutiny over the Barrett hearings. Several liberal groups suggested she step down after the hearings. Now, they are applauding her for her decision. Brian Fallon, executive director of the group Demand Justice, called it "a necessary step if Democrats are ever going to meaningfully confront the damage Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell have done to the federal judiciary."
"Going forward, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee must be led by someone who will not wishfully cling to a bygone era of civility and decorum that Republicans abandoned long ago," Fallon said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also revealed he had a "long and serious" talk with the California Democrat prior to her decision to step down.
The top-ranking Senate Democrat said he was "deeply grateful" for Feinstein and her leadership.
"I know Senator Feinstein will continue her work as one of the nation's leading advocates for women's and voting rights, gun safety reform, civil liberties, health care, and the rights of immigrants who are yearning to become citizens of this great country," Schumer said.
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has announced his interest in the judiciary committee post.
"I intend to seek the top Democratic position on the Judiciary Committee in the 117th Congress," Durbin said. "We have to roll up our sleeves and get to work on undoing the damage of the last four years and protecting fundamental civil and human rights."


alternet--2020-11-24--Federal judge dismisses Trump suit argued by Rudy Giuliani as 'Frankenstein's Monster'

President Donald Trump 's last-ditch crusade to litigate his way to an electoral win continues to fail with judges , as the campaign and its Republican allies have now lost or withdrawn from more than 30 lawsuits challenging President-elect Joe Biden 's victory .
Election officials in every state have said there is no evidence of voter fraud in the presidential election , which Biden won with a record-setting 80 million votes , or nearly six million more than Trump .
In one particularly cutting opinion , U.S. District Judge Matthew W. Brann in Pennsylvania wrote that the prosecution , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Giuliani , had stitched its evidence together like `` Frankenstein 's monster . ''
Giuliani alleged , in his first federal courtroom arguments in 28 years last week , that Republican voters in the state had their rights violated under the equal protection clause after counties allowed voters to correct errors on mail-in ballots .
It was the campaign 's only effort to challenge the state 's results .
Brann blasted the campaign 's case in a 37-page opinion , writing that not only did the campaign lack standing to bring the case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it did he would dismiss the effort based on its `` strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations . ''
Giuliani 's case , Brann wrote , would not rectify any votes but `` simply deny more than 6.8 million people their right to vote . ''
`` In the United States of America , this can not justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter , let alone all the voters of its sixth most populated state , '' wrote Brann .
Giuliani and campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis responded that they did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they believed the Supreme Court would grant their appeal .
`` We are disappointed we did not at least get the opportunity to present our evidence at a hearing , '' they said in a press statement .
The statement also pointed out that Brann was an `` Obama-appointed judge , '' despite the fact that he is a registered Republican and former member of the ultra-conservative Federalist Society .
Sen. Patrick Toomey , R-Pa. , defended Brann in a statement as `` a longtime conservative Republican whom I know to be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the campaign had `` exhausted all plausible legal options , and along with court defeats in Michigan and Georgia , the rulings `` confirm that Joe Biden won the 2020 election and will become the 46th President of the United States . ''
`` I congratulate President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris on their victory , '' Toomey said .
Biden holds an 81,000-vote lead over Trump in Pennsylvania , which certifies its election results on Monday .
The state will by joined by Michigan and Nevada , which have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Overall , the campaign and its allies have lost or withdrawn more than 30 lawsuits , many of which have been dismissed with prejudice .
One of the plaintiffs in Giuliani 's Pennsylvania suit was himself once fined for violating election laws , and other plaintiffs embrace fringe conspiracy theories .
Giuliani , a former U.S. attorney , took over that case on Wednesday , the same day which he made his arguments .
Five other campaign attorneys withdrew in advance .
The next day , Giuliani led a 90-minute Trump campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where he and Sidney Powell , the top lawyer for Michael Flynn 's defense , promulgated outright lies and fringe conspiracy theories high-powered media lights until brown-tinged hair coloring sweated down Giuliani 's cheeks .
During the conference , Powell — who had earlier pledged that she would `` release the Kraken '' in court — linked Dominion voting machines to long-dead former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and repeated a false conspiracy theory circulating in right-wing internet crawlspaces that the machines had somehow sent American votes to Germany which were in turn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the far-right cable network Newsmax two days later , Powell accused Gov .
Brian Kemp , R-Ga. , of taking bribes from Dominion .
On Sunday , Giuliani and Ellis released a statement distancing themselves and Trump from Powell .
`` Sidney Powell is practicing law on her own .
She is not a member of the Trump legal team , '' the statement said .
`` She is also not a lawyer for the president in his personal capacity . ''

President Donald Trump's last-ditch crusade to litigate his way to an electoral win continues to fail with judges, as the campaign and its Republican allies have now lost or withdrawn from more than 30 lawsuits challenging President-elect Joe Biden's victory.
Election officials in every state have said there is no evidence of voter fraud in the presidential election, which Biden won with a record-setting 80 million votes, or nearly six million more than Trump.
In one particularly cutting opinion, U.S. District Judge Matthew W. Brann in Pennsylvania wrote that the prosecution, led by erstwhile LifeLock spokesperson-turned-Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, had stitched its evidence together like "Frankenstein's monster."
Giuliani alleged, in his first federal courtroom arguments in 28 years last week, that Republican voters in the state had their rights violated under the equal protection clause after counties allowed voters to correct errors on mail-in ballots. It was the campaign's only effort to challenge the state's results.
Brann blasted the campaign's case in a 37-page opinion, writing that not only did the campaign lack standing to bring the case in the first place but even if it did he would dismiss the effort based on its "strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations."
Giuliani's case, Brann wrote, would not rectify any votes but "simply deny more than 6.8 million peopletheir right to vote."
"In the United States of America, this cannot justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter, let alone all the voters of its sixth most populated state," wrote Brann.
Giuliani and campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis responded that they did not get a fair shot, and they believed the Supreme Court would grant their appeal.
"We are disappointed we did not at least get the opportunity to present our evidence at a hearing," they said in a press statement.
The statement also pointed out that Brann was an "Obama-appointed judge," despite the fact that he is a registered Republican and former member of the ultra-conservative Federalist Society.
Sen. Patrick Toomey, R-Pa., defended Brann in a statement as "a longtime conservative Republican whom I know to be a fair and unbiased jurist." He said the campaign had "exhausted all plausible legal options, and along with court defeats in Michigan and Georgia, the rulings "confirm that Joe Biden won the 2020 election and will become the 46th President of the United States."
"I congratulate President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris on their victory," Toomey said.
Biden holds an 81,000-vote lead over Trump in Pennsylvania, which certifies its election results on Monday. The state will by joined by Michigan and Nevada, which have also recently rejected lawsuits challenging the election.
Overall, the campaign and its allies have lost or withdrawn more than 30 lawsuits, many of which have been dismissed with prejudice. One of the plaintiffs in Giuliani's Pennsylvania suit was himself once fined for violating election laws, and other plaintiffs embrace fringe conspiracy theories.
Giuliani, a former U.S. attorney, took over that case on Wednesday, the same day which he made his arguments. Five other campaign attorneys withdrew in advance.
The next day, Giuliani led a 90-minute Trump campaign press conference at Republican National Committee headquarters, where he and Sidney Powell, the top lawyer for Michael Flynn's defense, promulgated outright lies and fringe conspiracy theories high-powered media lights until brown-tinged hair coloring sweated down Giuliani's cheeks.
During the conference, Powell — who had earlier pledged that she would "release the Kraken" in court — linked Dominion voting machines to long-dead former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and repeated a false conspiracy theory circulating in right-wing internet crawlspaces that the machines had somehow sent American votes to Germany which were in turn counted in Spain. In an interview with the far-right cable network Newsmax two days later, Powell accused Gov. Brian Kemp, R-Ga., of taking bribes from Dominion.
On Sunday, Giuliani and Ellis released a statement distancing themselves and Trump from Powell.
"Sidney Powell is practicing law on her own. She is not a member of the Trump legal team," the statement said. "She is also not a lawyer for the president in his personal capacity."


alternet--2020-11-24--Gang of young Marines and an ex-porn star moved to Idaho to create Nazi 'death squad' and plot attac

Gang of young Marines and an ex-porn star moved to Idaho to create Nazi 'death squad' and plot attacks

Three Marine Corps veterans and their porn-star neo-Nazi guru , arrested last month on charges that they engaged in an interstate gun-running scheme , comprised a band of violent fascists who had recently moved to Idaho with the intent of making it a base of operations for their plans to engage in acts of domestic terrorism , federal prosecutors revealed this week .
According to the grand-jury indictment filed this week by prosecutors in North Carolina , the men 's schemes went well beyond those with which they have been charged—namely , buying semiautomatic rifles , altering them into automatics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ North Carolina .
The foursome not only engaged in paramilitary training in the Idaho desert , they surveilled two separate Black Lives Matters marches in Boise this summer and discussed killing participants .
They also plotted to assassinate BLM founder Alicia Garza .
Three of the four men—Justin Hermanson , 21 , who used the code name `` Sandman '' ; Liam Collins , 21 , aka `` Disciple '' ; and Jordan Duncan , 25 , aka `` Soldier '' —had met while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps .
The fourth—Paul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plume was `` Deacon '' —was a porn star ( under the stage name `` Pauly Harker '' ) who had lived most of his life on Long Island , New York .
He met the other men online in the now-defunct neo-Nazi message board Iron March , and was the group 's general leader , though all they identified as members of the terrorist organization Atomwaffen Division .
Back in 2017 , when Iron March was still active , the men had discussed among themselves how to create `` a modern day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put it , referencing the Nazi paramilitary organization Schutzstaffel , the indictment says .
Kryscuk outlined the group 's long-range plan then : Kryscuk bought a home in the Boise area in February 2020 and moved there , and Duncan and Collins gradually followed suit .
Hermanson—who was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and remains an active member of the Marine Corps—joined them in July for a training exercise in the Idaho desert .
The participants in compiled a video of the live footage from that training , showing Kryscuk and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
At the end , the four men—all outfitted in Atomwaffen masks—are seen giving the Nazi salute beneath a Sonnenrad , an occult Nazi symbol .
The final frame reads : `` Come home white man . ''
Prosecutors say the purpose of the gun-running scheme was `` to regularly and repetitively manufacture and transport firearms and firearm parts , to include suppressors , in a manner that the government would not know the recipients had them , for criminal purposes '' —namely `` in furtherance of a civil disorder . ''
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black Lives Matter movement , including its leadership .
Garza reported in a tweet last week that the FBI had informed her that her name had appeared on a list of targets found in one of the men 's homes in Boise .
`` This is why this President is so dangerous , '' she added .
`` He is stoking fires he has no intention of controlling .
I 'm ok y'all , but this shit is not ok. '' The neo-Nazi gang had twice conducted surveillance on BLM events in Boise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a rally on the campus of Boise State University , Kryscuk was observed within visual range of the event , first sitting in a parked vehicle and driving around the gathering slowly .
Then , on August 18 , Kryscuk was observed lurking in the vicinity of a BLM rally/protest at a park in downtown Boise .
Kryscuk and Duncan just last month discussed in a text chat how things would go down after their group—which they called `` the BSN '' ( a prosecutors office spokesman declined to explain the meaning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as they envisioned : '' How the BSNs finna be pulling up to chipotle after hitting legs , '' Duncan asked .

Three Marine Corps veterans and their porn-star neo-Nazi guru, arrested last month on charges that they engaged in an interstate gun-running scheme, comprised a band of violent fascists who had recently moved to Idaho with the intent of making it a base of operations for their plans to engage in acts of domestic terrorism, federal prosecutors revealed this week.
According to the grand-jury indictment filed this week by prosecutors in North Carolina, the men's schemes went well beyond those with which they have been charged—namely, buying semiautomatic rifles, altering them into automatics, then shipping them from Idaho to North Carolina. The foursome not only engaged in paramilitary training in the Idaho desert, they surveilled two separate Black Lives Matters marches in Boise this summer and discussed killing participants. They also plotted to assassinate BLM founder Alicia Garza.
Three of the four men—Justin Hermanson, 21, who used the code name "Sandman"; Liam Collins, 21, aka "Disciple"; and Jordan Duncan, 25, aka "Soldier"—had met while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. The fourth—Paul Kryscuk, 35, whose nom de plume was "Deacon"—was a porn star (under the stage name "Pauly Harker") who had lived most of his life on Long Island, New York. He met the other men online in the now-defunct neo-Nazi message board Iron March, and was the group's general leader, though all they identified as members of the terrorist organization Atomwaffen Division.
Back in 2017, when Iron March was still active, the men had discussed among themselves how to create "a modern day SS," as one of them put it, referencing the Nazi paramilitary organization Schutzstaffel, the indictment says. Kryscuk outlined the group's long-range plan then:
"First order of business is knocking down The System, mounting it and smashing it's face until it has been beaten past the point of death … eventually we will have to bring the rifles out and go to work."
"Second order of business ... is the seizing of territory and the Balkanization of North America. Buying property in remote areas that are already predominantly white and right leaning, networking with locals, training, farming, and stockpiling."
"Start buying property now in the types of regions mentioned above and get to work on building your own group. …As time goes on in this conflict, we will expand our territories and slowly take back the land that is rightfully ours. ... As we build our forces and our numbers, we will move into the urban areas and clear them out. This will be a ground war very reminiscent of Iraq as we will essentially be facing an insurgent force made up of criminals and gang members."
Kryscuk bought a home in the Boise area in February 2020 and moved there, and Duncan and Collins gradually followed suit. Hermanson—who was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and remains an active member of the Marine Corps—joined them in July for a training exercise in the Idaho desert. The participants in compiled a video of the live footage from that training, showing Kryscuk and another person firing a variety of rifles. At the end, the four men—all outfitted in Atomwaffen masks—are seen giving the Nazi salute beneath a Sonnenrad, an occult Nazi symbol. The final frame reads: "Come home white man."
Prosecutors say the purpose of the gun-running scheme was "to regularly and repetitively manufacture and transport firearms and firearm parts, to include suppressors, in a manner that the government would not know the recipients had them, for criminal purposes"—namely "in furtherance of a civil disorder."
The "civil disorder" included attacking the Black Lives Matter movement, including its leadership. Garza reported in a tweet last week that the FBI had informed her that her name had appeared on a list of targets found in one of the men's homes in Boise.
"This is why this President is so dangerous," she added. "He is stoking fires he has no intention of controlling. I'm ok y'all, but this shit is not ok."
The neo-Nazi gang had twice conducted surveillance on BLM events in Boise: First, on July 21, at a rally on the campus of Boise State University, Kryscuk was observed within visual range of the event, first sitting in a parked vehicle and driving around the gathering slowly.
Then, on August 18, Kryscuk was observed lurking in the vicinity of a BLM rally/protest at a park in downtown Boise.
Kryscuk and Duncan just last month discussed in a text chat how things would go down after their group—which they called "the BSN" (a prosecutors office spokesman declined to explain the meaning of the acronym)—attacked BLM marchers as they envisioned:
"How the BSNs finna be pulling up to chipotle after hitting legs," Duncan asked.
"Death squad," Kryscuk answered, adding: "Assassins creed hoodies and suppressed 22 pistols."
"People freaking tf out," Duncan replied.
"About what," Kryscuk asked.
"'The end of democracy'," Duncan wrote.
"One can hope," Kryscuk answered.


alternet--2020-11-24--Donald Trump vows to ‘never concede’ in late night conspiracy-filled rant

Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential to President-elect Joe Biden , but is still refusing to concede .
White House @ @ @ @ @ allow Biden to begin his transition by telling him he did not need to use @ @ @ @ @ '' But that word appeared to be on his mind late Monday night .
`` @ @ @ @ @ to preliminarily work with the Dems have to do with continuing to pursue our various @ @ @ @ @ down as the most corrupt election in American political history ? ''
Trump asked while @ @ @ @ @ election being corrupt .

Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential to President-elect Joe Biden, but is still refusing to concede.
White House aides reportedly convinced him to allow Biden to begin his transition by telling him he did not need to use the word "concede."
But that word appeared to be on his mind late Monday night.
"What does GSA being allowed to preliminarily work with the Dems have to do with continuing to pursue our various cases on what will go down as the most corrupt election in American political history?" Trump asked while continuing to lie about the election being corrupt.


alternet--2020-11-24--Trump supporters are slowly coming to grips with his miserable defeat

This Monday was a reassuring day for democracy , but a devastating blow for supporters of President Donald Trump still holding out hope that he 'll stay in office past January 2021 .
Michigan certified the results of Joe Biden 's victory , thwarting Trump 's hope to overturn the outcome .
And the General Services Administrator Emily Murphy finally provided Biden 's team with the resources to fund his transition , a move even approved of by Trump himself , though he vowed to keep fighting : With the announcement on Sunday disavowing Sidney Powell , one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president 's legal team , Trump made clear that his path forward in challenging the election is in tatters .
His bungled , anti-democratic , and preposterous election lawsuits have been a disaster thus far , with more than 30 losses and only one modest win over a procedural matter .
His team has n't demonstrated a single instance of voter fraud yet , let alone the vast web of conspiracy they 've alleged .
`` It 's been a pretty disastrous weekend for the Trump legal team , '' said Byron York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who writes for the Washington Examiner , in a Fox News appearance on Monday .
`` So the big picture here is this legal effort is winding down .
They 've exhausted most of their possibilities . ''
Rush Limbaugh , an even more fervent defender of the president , also admitted that the situation looks grim .
And he frankly aired his disappointment thus far after the Trump campaign 's absurd press conference last week .
`` You call a gigantic press conference like that — one that lasts an hour — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you better have some bombshells .
There better be something at that press conference other than what we got , '' he said .
`` I talked to so many people who were blown away by it , by the very nature of the press conference .
They promised blockbuster stuff and then nothing happened , and that 's just , it 's not good . ''
He also commented on the absurdity of the Trump team denying any connection to Powell : `` It 's a tough thing to deny she was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ introduced her as part of it . ''
George Papadopoulos , a 2016 Trump campaign aide who was prosecuted as part of the Russia probe , expressed more hope that Trump will hold on , but he admitted that the `` optics '' of the campaign 's current chaos are bad .
Many of the replies to his tweet came from supporters of the president who are increasingly dismayed by reality .
But some insisted that Trump has a plan that should n't be doubted .
Trump may be facing even swifter retreat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy declared on Monday that Trump had hit the end of the road : GOP Sens .
Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Rob Portman of Ohio have made similar , if not quite as definitive remarks about the election , while Sens .
Mitt Romney of Utah , Ben Sasse of Nebraska , Susan Collins of Maine , and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska have all clearly acknowledged Biden 's win .
They 're starting to see the writing on the wall .
Many of these revelations are coming far later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sooner the GOP accepts reality , the sooner the country will be able to move on to address the serious issues it faces .
The after-effects of Trump and his allies ' efforts to delegitimize this election will unfortunately continue , though , with potentially dire and certainly unpredictable consequences .
But that 's all the more reason that this charade should wrap up as soon as possible .

This Monday was a reassuring day for democracy, but a devastating blow for supporters of President Donald Trump still holding out hope that he'll stay in office past January 2021.
Michigan certified the results of Joe Biden's victory, thwarting Trump's hope to overturn the outcome. And the General Services Administrator Emily Murphy finally provided Biden's team with the resources to fund his transition, a move even approved of by Trump himself, though he vowed to keep fighting:
With the announcement on Sunday disavowing Sidney Powell, one of the crank lawyers who had been on the president's legal team, Trump made clear that his path forward in challenging the election is in tatters. His bungled, anti-democratic, and preposterous election lawsuits have been a disaster thus far, with more than 30 losses and only one modest win over a procedural matter. His team hasn't demonstrated a single instance of voter fraud yet, let alone the vast web of conspiracy they've alleged.
"It's been a pretty disastrous weekend for the Trump legal team," said Byron York, a longtime defender of the president who writes for the Washington Examiner, in a Fox News appearance on Monday. "So the big picture here is this legal effort is winding down. They've exhausted most of their possibilities."
Rush Limbaugh, an even more fervent defender of the president, also admitted that the situation looks grim. And he frankly aired his disappointment thus far after the Trump campaign's absurd press conference last week.
"You call a gigantic press conference like that — one that lasts an hour — and you announce massive bombshells, then you better have some bombshells. There better be something at that press conference other than what we got," he said. "I talked to so many people who were blown away by it, by the very nature of the press conference. They promised blockbuster stuff and then nothing happened, and that's just, it's not good."
He also commented on the absurdity of the Trump team denying any connection to Powell: "It's a tough thing to deny she was ever a part of it because they introduced her as part of it."
George Papadopoulos, a 2016 Trump campaign aide who was prosecuted as part of the Russia probe, expressed more hope that Trump will hold on, but he admitted that the "optics" of the campaign's current chaos are bad.
Many of the replies to his tweet came from supporters of the president who are increasingly dismayed by reality. But some insisted that Trump has a plan that shouldn't be doubted.
Trump may be facing even swifter retreat from his allies in Congress. Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy declared on Monday that Trump had hit the end of the road:
GOP Sens. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Rob Portman of Ohio have made similar, if not quite as definitive remarks about the election, while Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska have all clearly acknowledged Biden's win.
They're starting to see the writing on the wall. Many of these revelations are coming far later than they should have, but the sooner the GOP accepts reality, the sooner the country will be able to move on to address the serious issues it faces. The after-effects of Trump and his allies' efforts to delegitimize this election will unfortunately continue, though, with potentially dire and certainly unpredictable consequences. But that's all the more reason that this charade should wrap up as soon as possible.