alternet--2020-12-17--Trump's broken promise shows how the American empire is rotting from within

It was the end of October 2001 .
Two friends , Max Elbaum and Bob Wing , had just dropped by .
( Yes , children , believe it or not , people used to drop in on each other , maskless , once upon a time . )
They had come to hang out with my partner Jan Adams and me .
Among other things , Max wanted to get some instructions from fellow-runner Jan about taping his foot to ease the pain of plantar fasciitis .
But it soon became clear that he and Bob had a bigger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eager to recruit us for a new project .
And so began War Times/Tiempo de Guerras , a free , bilingual , antiwar tabloid that , at its height , distributed 100,000 copies every six weeks to more than 700 antiwar organizations around the country .
It was already clear to the four of us that night -- as it was to millions around the world -- that the terrorist attacks of September 11th would provide the pretext for a major new projection of U.S. military power globally , opening the way to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' War Times was a project of its moment ( although the name would still be apt today , given that those wars have never ended ) .
It would be superseded in a few years by the explosive growth of the Internet and the 24-hour news cycle .
Still , it represented an early effort to fill the space where a peace movement would eventually develop .
All-War-All-the-Time -- For Some of Us We were certainly right that the United States had entered a period of all-war-all-the-time .
It 's probably hard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how much -- and how little -- things changed after September 2001 .
By the end of that month , this country had already launched a `` war '' on an enemy that then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld told us was `` not just in Afghanistan , '' but in `` 50 or 60 countries , and it simply has to be liquidated . ''
Five years and two never-ending wars later , he characterized what was then called the war on terror as `` a generational conflict akin to the Cold War @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last decades as allies work to root out terrorists across the globe and battle extremists who want to rule the world . ''
A generation later , it looks like Rumsfeld was right , if not about the desires of the global enemy , then about the duration of the struggle .
Here in the United States , however , we quickly got used to being `` at war . ''
In the first few months , interstate bus and train travelers often encountered ( and , in airports , still encounter ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security theater . ''
I 'm referring to those long , snaking lines in which people first learned to remove their belts and coats , later their hats and shoes , as ever newer articles of clothing were recognized as potential hiding places for explosives .
Fortunately , the arrest of the Underwear Bomber never led the Transportation Security Administration to the obvious conclusion about the clothing travelers should have to remove next .
We got used to putting our three-ounce containers of liquids ( No more ! )
into quart-sized baggies ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It was all-war-all-the-time , but mainly in those airports .
Once the shooting wars started dragging on , if you did n't travel by airplane much or were n't deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq , it was hard to remember that we were still in war time at all .
There were continuing clues for those who wanted to know , like the revelations of CIA torture practices at `` black sites '' around the world , the horrors of military prisons like the ones at Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the still-functioning prison complex at Guantánamo Bay , Cuba .
And soon enough , of course , there were the hundreds and then thousands of veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars taking their places among the unhoused veterans of earlier wars in cities across the United States , almost unremarked upon , except by service organizations .
So , yes , the wars dragged on at great expense , but with little apparent effect in this country .
They even gained new names like `` the long war '' ( as Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put it in 2017 ) or the `` forever wars , '' a phrase now so common that it appears all over the place .
But apart from devouring at least $ 6.4 trillion dollars through September 2020 that might otherwise have been invested domestically in healthcare , education , infrastructure , or addressing poverty and inequality , apart from creating increasingly militarized domestic police forces armed ever more lethally by the Pentagon , those forever wars had little obvious effect on the lives of most Americans .
Of course , if you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ places where this country has been fighting for the last 19 years , things are a little different .
A conservative estimate by Iraq Body Count puts violent deaths among civilians in that country alone at 185,454 to 208,493 and Brown University 's Costs of War project points out that even the larger figure is bound to be a significant undercount : And that 's just Iraq .
Again , according to the Costs of War Project , `` At least 800,000 people have been killed by direct war violence in Iraq , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pakistan . ''
Of course , many more people than that have been injured or disabled .
And America 's post-9/11 wars have driven an estimated 37 million people from their homes , creating the greatest human displacement since World War II .
People in this country are rightly concerned about the negative effects of online schooling on American children amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis ( especially poor children and those in communities of color ) .
Imagine , then , the effects on a child 's education of losing her home and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or both parents , and then growing up constantly on the move or in an overcrowded , under-resourced refugee camp .
The war on terror has truly become a war of generations .
Every one of the 2,977 lives lost on 9/11 was unique and invaluable .
But the U.S. response has been grotesquely disproportionate -- and worse than we War Times founders could have imagined that October night so many years ago .
Those wars of ours have gone on for almost two decades now .
Each new metastasis has been justified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barack Obama 's use of the now ancient 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force ( AUMF ) , which Congress passed in the days after 9/11 .
Its language actually limited presidential military action to a direct response to the 9/11 attacks and the prevention of future attacks by the same actors .
It stated that the president Despite that AUMF 's limited scope , successive presidents have used it to justify military action in at least 18 countries .
( To be fair , President Obama realized the absurdity of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Syria and tried to wring a new authorization out of Congress , only to be stymied by a Republican majority that would n't play along . )
In 2002 , in the run-up to the Iraq War , Congress passed a second AUMF , which permitted the president to use the armed forces as `` necessary and appropriate '' to `` defend U.S. national security against the continuing threat posed by Iraq . ''
In January 2020 , Donald Trump used that second authorization to justify the murder by drone of Qasem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with nine other people .
In 2016 , peace activists were preparing to confront a Hillary Clinton administration that we expected would continue Obama 's version of the forever wars -- the `` surge '' in Afghanistan , the drone assassination campaigns , the special ops in Africa .
But on Tuesday , November 8 , 2016 , something went `` Trump '' in the night and Donald J. Trump took over the presidency with a promise to end this country 's forever wars , which he had criticized relentlessly during his campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't mean we should have expected a peace dividend anytime soon .
He was also committed to rebuilding a supposedly `` depleted '' U.S. military .
As he said at a 2019 press conference , It 's highly unlikely that the military could n't afford to buy enough bullets when Trump entered the Oval Office , given that publicly acknowledged defense funding was then running at $ 580 billion a year .
He did , however , manage to push that figure to $ 713 billion by fiscal year 2020 .
That December @ @ @ @ @ @ @ larger appropriation for 2021 -- $ 740 billion -- but only because he wanted the military to continue to honor Confederate generals by keeping their names on military bases .
Oh , and because he thought the bill should also change liability rules for social media companies , an issue you do n't normally expect to see addressed in a defense appropriations bill .
And , in any case , Congress passed the bill with a veto-proof majority .
As Pentagon expert Michael Klare pointed out recently , while it might seem contradictory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the forever wars and to increase military spending , his actions actually made a certain sense .
The president , suggested Klare , had been persuaded to support the part of the U.S. military command that has favored a sharp pivot away from reigning post-9/11 Pentagon practices .
For 19 years , the military high command had hewed fairly closely to the strategy laid out by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld early in the Bush years : maintaining the capacity to fight ground wars against one or two regional powers ( think of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iraq , North Korea , and Iran ) , while deploying agile , technologically advanced forces in low-intensity ( and a couple of higher-intensity ) counterterrorism conflicts .
Nineteen years later , whatever its objectives may have been -- a more-stable Middle East ?
Fewer and weaker terrorist organizations ?
-- it 's clear that the Rumsfeld-Bush strategy has failed spectacularly .
Klare points out that , after almost two decades without a victory , the Pentagon has largely decided to demote international terrorism from rampaging monster to annoying mosquito cloud .
Instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confront the rise of China and Russia , even if China has only one overseas military base and Russia , economically speaking , is a rickety petro-state with imperial aspirations .
In other words , the U.S. must prepare to fight short but devastating wars in multiple domains ( including space and cyberspace ) , perhaps even involving the use of tactical nuclear weapons on the Eurasian continent .
To this end , the country has indeed begun a major renovation of its nuclear arsenal and announced a new 30-year plan to beef @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump rarely misses a chance to tout `` his '' creation of a new Space Force .
Meanwhile , did he actually keep his promise and at least end those forever wars ?
Not really .
He did promise to bring all U.S. troops home from Afghanistan by Christmas , but acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller only recently said that we 'd be leaving about 2,500 troops there and a similar number in Iraq , with the hope that they 'd all be out by May 2021 .
( In other words , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the future Biden administration . )
In the meantime in these years of `` ending '' those wars , the Trump administration actually loosened the rules of engagement for air strikes in Afghanistan , leading to a `` massive increase in civilian casualties , '' according to a new report from the Costs of War Project .
`` From the last year of the Obama administration to the last full year of recorded data during the Trump administration , '' writes its author , Neta Crawford , `` the number of civilians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by 330 percent . ''
In spite of his isolationist `` America First '' rhetoric , in other words , President Trump has presided over an enormous buildup of an institution , the military-industrial complex , that was hardly in need of major new investment .
And in spite of his anti-NATO rhetoric , his reduction by almost a third of U.S. troop strength Germany , and all the rest , he never really violated the post-World War II foreign policy pact between the Republican and Democratic parties .
Regardless of how they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they remain united in their commitment to using diplomacy when possible , but military force when necessary , to maintain and expand the imperial power that they believed to be the guarantor of that wealth .
And Now Comes Joe On January 20 , 2021 , Joe Biden will become the president of a country that spends as much on its armed forces , by some counts , as the next 10 countries combined .
He 'll inherit responsibility for a nation with a military presence in 150 countries and special-operations deployments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'll be left to oversee the still-unfinished , deeply unsuccessful , never-ending war on terror in Iraq , Syria , Afghanistan , Yemen , and Somalia and , as publicly reported by the Department of Defense , 187,000 troops stationed outside the United States .
Nothing in Joe Biden 's history suggests that he or any of the people he 's already appointed to his national security team have the slightest inclination to destabilize that Democratic-Republican imperial pact .
But empires are not sustained by inclination alone .
They do n't last forever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from within .
If you 're old enough , you may remember stories about the long lines for food in the crumbling Soviet Union , that other superpower of the Cold War .
You can see the same thing in the United States today .
Once a week , my partner delivers food boxes to hungry people in our city , those who have lost their jobs and homes , because the pandemic has only exacerbated this country 's already brutal version of economic inequality .
Another friend routinely sees a food line @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wait hours for a single free bag of groceries .
Perhaps the horrors of 2020 -- the fires and hurricanes , Trump 's vicious attacks on democracy , the death , sickness , and economic dislocation caused by Covid-19 -- can force a real conversation about national security in 2021 .
Maybe this time we can finally ask whether trying to prop up a dying empire actually makes us -- or indeed the world -- any safer .
This is the best chance in a generation to start that conversation .
The alternative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Rebecca Gordon , a TomDispatch regular , teaches at the University of San Francisco .
She is the author of American Nuremberg : The U.S. Officials Who Should Stand Trial for Post-9/11 War Crimes and is now at work on a new Dispatch book on the history of torture in the United States .
Follow TomDispatch on Twitter and join us on Facebook .
Check out the newest Dispatch Books , John Feffer 's new dystopian novel ( the second in the Splinterlands series ) Frostlands , Beverly Gologorsky 's novel Every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Engelhardt 's A Nation Unmade by War , as well as Alfred McCoy 's In the Shadows of the American Century : The Rise and Decline of U.S .
Global Power and John Dower 's The Violent American Century : War and Terror Since World WarII .

It was the end of October 2001. Two friends, Max Elbaum and Bob Wing, had just dropped by. (Yes, children, believe it or not, people used to drop in on each other, maskless, once upon a time.) They had come to hang out with my partner Jan Adams and me. Among other things, Max wanted to get some instructions from fellow-runner Jan about taping his foot to ease the pain of plantar fasciitis. But it soon became clear that he and Bob had a bigger agenda for the evening. They were eager to recruit us for a new project.
And so began War Times/Tiempo de Guerras, a free, bilingual, antiwar tabloid that, at its height, distributed 100,000 copies every six weeks to more than 700 antiwar organizations around the country. It was already clear to the four of us that night -- as it was to millions around the world -- that the terrorist attacks of September 11th would provide the pretext for a major new projection of U.S. military power globally, opening the way to a new era of "all-war-all-the-time." War Times was a project of its moment (although the name would still be apt today, given that those wars have never ended). It would be superseded in a few years by the explosive growth of the Internet and the 24-hour news cycle. Still, it represented an early effort to fill the space where a peace movement would eventually develop.
All-War-All-the-Time -- For Some of Us
We were certainly right that the United States had entered a period of all-war-all-the-time. It's probably hard for people born since 9/11 to imagine how much -- and how little -- things changed after September 2001. By the end of that month, this country had already launched a "war" on an enemy that then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld told us was "not just in Afghanistan," but in "50 or 60 countries, and it simply has to be liquidated."
Five years and two never-ending wars later, he characterized what was then called the war on terror as "a generational conflict akin to the Cold War, the kind of struggle that might last decades as allies work to root out terrorists across the globe and battle extremists who want to rule the world." A generation later, it looks like Rumsfeld was right, if not about the desires of the global enemy, then about the duration of the struggle.
Here in the United States, however, we quickly got used to being "at war." In the first few months, interstate bus and train travelers often encountered (and, in airports, still encounter) a new and absurd kind of "security theater." I'm referring to those long, snaking lines in which people first learned to remove their belts and coats, later their hats and shoes, as ever newer articles of clothing were recognized as potential hiding places for explosives. Fortunately, the arrest of the Underwear Bomber never led the Transportation Security Administration to the obvious conclusion about the clothing travelers should have to remove next. We got used to putting our three-ounce containers of liquids (No more!) into quart-sized baggies (No bigger! No smaller!).
It was all-war-all-the-time, but mainly in those airports. Once the shooting wars started dragging on, if you didn't travel by airplane much or weren't deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq, it was hard to remember that we were still in war time at all. There were continuing clues for those who wanted to know, like the revelations of CIA torture practices at "black sites" around the world, the horrors of military prisons like the ones at Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan, Abu Ghraib in Baghdad, and the still-functioning prison complex at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. And soon enough, of course, there were the hundreds and then thousands of veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars taking their places among the unhoused veterans of earlier wars in cities across the United States, almost unremarked upon, except by service organizations.
So, yes, the wars dragged on at great expense, but with little apparent effect in this country. They even gained new names like "the long war" (as Donald Trump's Secretary of Defense James Mattis put it in 2017) or the "forever wars," a phrase now so common that it appearsall over the place. But apart from devouring at least $6.4 trillion dollars through September 2020that might otherwise have been invested domestically in healthcare, education, infrastructure, or addressing poverty and inequality, apart from creating increasingly militarized domestic police forces armed ever more lethally by the Pentagon, those forever wars had little obvious effect on the lives of most Americans.
Of course, if you happened to live in one of the places where this country has been fighting for the last 19 years, things are a little different. A conservative estimate by Iraq Body Count puts violent deaths among civilians in that country alone at 185,454 to 208,493 and Brown University's Costs of War project points out that even the larger figure is bound to be a significant undercount:
Several times as many Iraqi civilians may have died as an indirect result of the war, due to damage to the systems that provide food, health care, and clean drinking water, and as a result, illness, infectious diseases, and malnutrition that could otherwise have been avoided or treated.
And that's just Iraq. Again, according to the Costs of War Project, "At least 800,000 people have been killed by direct war violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and Pakistan."
Of course, many more people than that have been injured or disabled. And America's post-9/11 wars have driven an estimated 37 million people from their homes, creating the greatest human displacement since World War II. People in this country are rightly concerned about the negative effects of online schooling on American children amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis (especially poor children and those in communities of color). Imagine, then, the effects on a child's education of losing her home and her country, as well as one or both parents, and then growing up constantly on the move or in an overcrowded, under-resourced refugee camp. The war on terror has truly become a war of generations.
Every one of the 2,977 lives lost on 9/11 was unique and invaluable. But the U.S. response has been grotesquely disproportionate -- and worse than we War Times founders could have imagined that October night so many years ago.
Those wars of ours have gone on for almost two decades now. Each new metastasis has been justified by George W. Bush's and then Barack Obama's use of the now ancient 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), which Congress passed in the days after 9/11. Its language actually limited presidential military action to a direct response to the 9/11 attacks and the prevention of future attacks by the same actors. It stated that the president
...is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.
Despite that AUMF's limited scope, successive presidents have used it to justify military action in at least 18 countries. (To be fair, President Obama realized the absurdity of his situation when he sent U.S. troops to Syria and tried to wring a new authorization out of Congress, only to be stymied by a Republican majority that wouldn't play along.)
In 2002, in the run-up to the Iraq War, Congress passed a second AUMF, which permitted the president to use the armed forces as "necessary and appropriate" to "defend U.S. national security against the continuing threat posed by Iraq." In January 2020, Donald Trump used that second authorization to justify the murder by drone of Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian general, along with nine other people.
Trump Steps In
In 2016, peace activists were preparing to confront a Hillary Clinton administration that we expected would continue Obama's version of the forever wars -- the "surge" in Afghanistan, the drone assassination campaigns, the special ops in Africa. But on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, something went "Trump" in the night and Donald J. Trump took over the presidency with a promise to end this country's forever wars, which he had criticized relentlessly during his campaign. That, of course, didn't mean we should have expected a peace dividend anytime soon. He was also committed to rebuilding a supposedly "depleted" U.S. military. As he said at a 2019 press conference,
When I took over, it was a mess... One of our generals came in to see me and he said, 'Sir, we don't have ammunition.' I said, 'That's a terrible thing you just said.' He said, 'We don't have ammunition.' Now we have more ammunition than we've ever had.
It's highly unlikely that the military couldn't afford to buy enough bullets when Trump entered the Oval Office, given that publicly acknowledged defense funding was then running at $580 billion a year. He did, however, manage to push that figure to $713 billion by fiscal year 2020. That December, he threatened to veto an even larger appropriation for 2021 -- $740 billion -- but only because he wanted the military to continue to honor Confederate generals by keeping their names on military bases. Oh, and because he thought the bill should also change liability rules for social media companies, an issue you don't normally expect to see addressed in a defense appropriations bill. And, in any case, Congress passed the bill with a veto-proof majority.
As Pentagon expert Michael Klare pointed out recently, while it might seem contradictory that Trump would both want to end the forever wars and to increase military spending, his actions actually made a certain sense. The president, suggested Klare, had been persuaded to support the part of the U.S. military command that has favored a sharp pivot away from reigning post-9/11 Pentagon practices. For 19 years, the military high command had hewed fairly closely to the strategy laid out by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld early in the Bush years: maintaining the capacity to fight ground wars against one or two regional powers (think of that "Axis of Evil" of Iraq, North Korea, and Iran), while deploying agile, technologically advanced forces in low-intensity (and a couple of higher-intensity) counterterrorism conflicts. Nineteen years later, whatever its objectives may have been -- a more-stable Middle East? Fewer and weaker terrorist organizations? -- it's clear that the Rumsfeld-Bush strategy has failed spectacularly.
Klare points out that, after almost two decades without a victory, the Pentagon has largely decided to demote international terrorism from rampaging monster to annoying mosquito cloud. Instead, the U.S. must now prepare to confront the rise of China and Russia, even if China has only one overseas military base and Russia, economically speaking, is a rickety petro-state with imperial aspirations. In other words, the U.S. must prepare to fight short but devastating wars in multiple domains (including space and cyberspace), perhaps even involving the use of tactical nuclear weapons on the Eurasian continent. To this end, the country has indeed begun a major renovation of its nuclear arsenal and announced a new 30-year plan to beef up its naval capacity. And President Trump rarely misses a chance to tout "his" creation of a new Space Force.
Meanwhile, did he actually keep his promise and at least end those forever wars? Not really. He did promise to bring all U.S. troops home from Afghanistan by Christmas, but acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller only recently said that we'd be leaving about 2,500 troops there and a similar number in Iraq, with the hope that they'd all be out by May 2021. (In other words, he dumped those wars in the lap of the future Biden administration.)
In the meantime in these years of "ending" those wars, the Trump administration actually loosened the rules of engagement for air strikes in Afghanistan, leading to a "massive increase in civilian casualties," according to a new report from the Costs of War Project. "From the last year of the Obama administration to the last full year of recorded data during the Trump administration," writes its author, Neta Crawford, "the number of civilians killed by U.S.-led airstrikes in Afghanistan increased by 330 percent."
In spite of his isolationist "America First" rhetoric, in other words, President Trump has presided over an enormous buildup of an institution, the military-industrial complex, that was hardly in need of major new investment. And in spite of his anti-NATO rhetoric, his reduction by almost a third of U.S. troop strength Germany, and all the rest, he never really violated the post-World War II foreign policy pact between the Republican and Democratic parties. Regardless of how they might disagree about dividing the wealth domestically, they remain united in their commitment to using diplomacy when possible, but military force when necessary, to maintain and expand the imperial power that they believed to be the guarantor of that wealth.
And Now Comes Joe
On January 20, 2021, Joe Biden will become the president of a country that spends as much on its armed forces, by some counts, as the next 10 countries combined. He'll inherit responsibility for a nation with a military presence in 150 countries and special-operations deployments in 22 African nations alone. He'll be left to oversee the still-unfinished, deeply unsuccessful, never-ending war on terror in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia and, as publicly reported by the Department of Defense, 187,000 troops stationed outside the United States.
Nothing in Joe Biden's history suggests that he or any of the people he's already appointed to his national security team have the slightest inclination to destabilize that Democratic-Republican imperial pact. But empires are not sustained by inclination alone. They don't last forever. They overextend themselves. They rot from within.
If you're old enough, you may remember stories about the long lines for food in the crumbling Soviet Union, that other superpower of the Cold War. You can see the same thing in the United States today. Once a week, my partner delivers food boxes to hungry people in our city, those who have lost their jobs and homes, because the pandemic has only exacerbated this country's already brutal version of economic inequality. Another friend routinely sees a food line stretching over a mile, as people wait hours for a single free bag of groceries.
Perhaps the horrors of 2020 -- the fires and hurricanes, Trump's vicious attacks on democracy, the death, sickness, and economic dislocation caused by Covid-19 -- can force a real conversation about national security in 2021. Maybe this time we can finally ask whether trying to prop up a dying empire actually makes us -- or indeed the world -- any safer. This is the best chance in a generation to start that conversation. The alternative is to keep trudging mindlessly toward disaster.
Rebecca Gordon, a TomDispatch regular, teaches at the University of San Francisco. She is the author of American Nuremberg: The U.S. Officials Who Should Stand Trial for Post-9/11 War Crimesand is now at work on a new Dispatch book on the history of torture in the United States.
Follow TomDispatch on Twitter and join us on Facebook. Check out the newest Dispatch Books, John Feffer's new dystopian novel (the second in the Splinterlands series) Frostlands, Beverly Gologorsky's novel Every Body Has a Story, and Tom Engelhardt's A Nation Unmade by War, as well as Alfred McCoy's In the Shadows of the American Century: The Rise and Decline of U.S. Global Power and John Dower's The Violent American Century: War and Terror Since World WarII.
Copyright 2020 Rebecca Gordon


alternet--2020-12-17--Ex-adviser explains how Trump left the administration 'compromised by the Russian government'

When Joe Biden is sworn as president of the United States on January 20 , he will inherit a long list of major problems from the outgoing administration — and one of them , according to security expert Tom Bossert , is a massive security breach .
Bossert , who heads the security firm Trinity Cyber , served as a homeland security adviser under President Donald Trump .
He was pushed out of the government when Trump hired John Bolton as national security adviser .
In an op-ed published by the New York Times , Bossert details the disturbing outlines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal government that was recently uncovered .
Hackers were able to penetrate a private company known as SolarWinds , which happens to sell software to many different parts of the federal government .
With this breach , the hackers were able to potentially gain unprecedented access to U.S. government systems thought to be secure .
The extent of the espionage coup is only now being assessed , and the breach could leave vulnerabilities in the system that could persist indefinitely .
Sizing up and undoing the damage is a daunting undertaking .
According @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SolarWinds attack points to the Russian intelligence agency known as the SVR . ''
SVR is essentially the Russian equivalent of the CIA .
`` President Trump is on the verge of leaving behind a federal government , and perhaps a large number of major industries , compromised by the Russian government , '' Bossert says .
`` He must use whatever leverage he can muster to protect the United States and severely punish the Russians . ''
As of yet , though , Trump has n't even commented publicly on the breach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's been conspicuously reluctant to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin .
`` President Trump must get past his grievances about the election and govern for the remainder of his term , '' Bossert warns .
`` This moment requires unity , purpose and discipline .
An intrusion so brazen and of this size and scope can not be tolerated by any sovereign nation . ''
Bossert adds , `` President-elect Joe Biden must begin his planning to take charge of this crisis .
He has to assume that communications about this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assume that any government data or e-mail could be falsified . ''
An especially disturbing example of the United States ' security vulnerabilities was reported by journalist Natasha Bertrand in Politico on Thursday afternoon .
The investigative journalist reports that according to her sources , `` The Energy Department and National Nuclear Security Administration , which maintains the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile , have evidence that hackers accessed their networks as part of an extensive espionage operation that has affected at least half a dozen federal agencies . ''
Bertrand explains that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` the clearest sign yet '' that `` hackers were able to access the networks belonging to a core part of the U.S. national security enterprise . ''
`` Our adversaries should know that , as President , I will not stand idly by in the face of cyber assaults on our nation , '' Biden said in a statement on Thursday .
Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah , a frequent critic of the president , took Trump to task for failing to respond to the threat .
`` I think the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about what happened , '' Romney said , according to CNN 's Manu Raju .
`` This is almost as if you had a Russian bomber flying undetected over the country , including over the nation 's capital , and not to respond in a setting like that is really stunning . ''

When Joe Biden is sworn as president of the United States on January 20, he will inherit a long list of major problems from the outgoing administration — and one of them, according to security expert Tom Bossert, is a massive security breach.
Bossert, who heads the security firm Trinity Cyber, served as a homeland security adviser under President Donald Trump. He was pushed out of the government when Trump hired John Bolton as national security adviser.
In an op-ed published by the New York Times, Bossert details the disturbing outlines of a sprawling cybersecurity breach of the federal government that was recently uncovered. Hackers were able to penetrate a private company known as SolarWinds, which happens to sell software to many different parts of the federal government. With this breach, the hackers were able to potentially gain unprecedented access to U.S. government systems thought to be secure. The extent of the espionage coup is only now being assessed, and the breach could leave vulnerabilities in the system that could persist indefinitely. Sizing up and undoing the damage is a daunting undertaking.
According to Bossert, "Evidence in the SolarWinds attack points to the Russian intelligence agency known as the SVR." SVR is essentially the Russian equivalent of the CIA.
"President Trump is on the verge of leaving behind a federal government, and perhaps a large number of major industries, compromised by the Russian government," Bossert says. "He must use whatever leverage he can muster to protect the United States and severely punish the Russians."
As of yet, though, Trump hasn't even commented publicly on the breach. And throughout his presidency, he's been conspicuously reluctant to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"President Trump must get past his grievances about the election and govern for the remainder of his term," Bossert warns. "This moment requires unity, purpose and discipline. An intrusion so brazen and of this size and scope cannot be tolerated by any sovereign nation."
Bossert adds, "President-elect Joe Biden must begin his planning to take charge of this crisis. He has to assume that communications about this matter are being read by Russia and assume that any government data or e-mail could be falsified."
An especially disturbing example of the United States' security vulnerabilities was reported by journalist Natasha Bertrand in Politico on Thursday afternoon. The investigative journalist reports that according to her sources, "The Energy Department and National Nuclear Security Administration, which maintains the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, have evidence that hackers accessed their networks as part of an extensive espionage operation that has affected at least half a dozen federal agencies."
Bertrand explains that the attack on the Department of Energy is "the clearest sign yet" that "hackers were able to access the networks belonging to a core part of the U.S. national security enterprise."
"Our adversaries should know that, as President, I will not stand idly by in the face of cyber assaults on our nation," Biden said in a statement on Thursday.
Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, a frequent critic of the president, took Trump to task for failing to respond to the threat.
"I think the White House needs to say something aggressive about what happened," Romney said, according to CNN's Manu Raju. "This is almost as if you had a Russian bomber flying undetected over the country, including over the nation's capital, and not to respond in a setting like that is really stunning."


alternet--2020-12-17--'Doesn't give a damn about you': McConnell made a revealing admission in the COVID relief debates

After opposing another round of stimulus checks for months in the face of deteriorating economic conditions and widespread suffering , Republican congressional leaders have finally agreed to include direct payments in a coronavirus relief package that could be approved by the end of the week .
During a private GOP conference call Wednesday , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) provided a straightforward and revealing reason for the sudden change of heart : `` Kelly and David are getting hammered . ''
McConnell was , of course , referring to Republican Sens .
Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against Democratic challengers Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in runoff elections that conclude on January 5 and will determine control of the Senate .
The outcome of the two Georgia races—which are already driving record-shattering early voter turnout—could also determine whether Congress and the Biden administration are able to approve a relief package beyond the likely soon-to-be-finalized $ 900 billion measure , which progressive lawmakers and experts are criticizing as woefully inadequate .
As it stands , the relief bill would provide one-time direct payments of $ 600 per adult and $ 600 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per adult and $ 500 per child under the CARES Act .
The new package would also only extend emergency unemployment programs for 10 weeks as layoffs surge , setting the stage for another potential benefit lapse in the beginning of President-elect Joe Biden 's first term .
In a column on Wednesday , the Washington Post 's Greg Sargent noted that `` 'Kelly and David ' have indeed been getting hammered on [ coronavirus relief ] .
Their Democratic opponents , Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff , have run numerous ads—see here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the failure to pass more economic assistance . ''
Ossoff , as Common Dreams reported last week , has repeatedly hit Perdue over his opposition to the $ 1,200 checks provided under the CARES Act .
`` It 's plainly obvious that this pressure is a key reason that Senate Republicans are now moving towards supporting the economic relief package ( which is already far less than the country needs ) , '' argued Sargent , who stressed that Democrats have been demanding another round of direct payments for months .
`` The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is this : What would continued Republican control mean , and what would it mean if Democrats took control instead ? ''
`` We have long known the answer : Continued Republican control means almost no chance at anything close to what we 'll need in new stimulus spending and economic assistance next year , when the economic damage and resulting misery could , if anything , spiral into something much worse , '' Sargent wrote .
`` McConnell is now plainly hoping that passing this compromise proposal will obscure this basic truth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only came after 'Kelly and David got hammered , ' no one should be fooled—or let him get away with it . ''
As The American Prospect 's David Dayen pointed out Thursday , McConnell 's remark also appears to indicate that if either Perdue or Loeffler had averted a runoff by winning outright in November—thus cementing GOP control of the Senate—there likely `` would n't be a relief package at all . ''
Rep. Bill Pascrell , Jr. ( D-N.J. ) also had harsh words for McConnell and his fellow Republicans : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behind the new relief bill is fear of losing the Georgia runoffs underscored the enormous stakes of the pair of races , which will come amid rising coronavirus infections and deaths , mass job loss , widespread hunger , and a looming eviction crisis .
`` The fact that the Senate has obstructed direct economic relief now for going on eight months demonstrates how little they care about the economic plight of working people in this country . ''
—Jon Ossoff Observers have long feared that if he is allowed to keep control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impose austerity on the U.S. economy in the hopes of damaging Biden and boosting the GOP 's prospects in future elections .
Sawyer Hackett , a senior adviser to former presidential candidate Julián Castro , warned that McConnell 's comments Wednesday suggest he `` is only playing ball on Covid relief because of the races in Georgia , '' echoing other critics .
`` If Dems do n't win there , '' Hackett said , it `` seems unlikely he comes to the table on future relief or other legislation . ''
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ win the Senate runoffs in Georgia , Ossoff and Warnock should make their support for $ 1,200 stimulus checks—and Republicans ' repeated obstruction of direct payments—a central component of their messaging .
`` This strategy would give Democrats something they have n't had in years : a clear message about something tangible that Democrats will do for you , communicating how voting for Democratic candidates will make your life better , '' reads a memo ( pdf ) released last month by a coalition of progressive organizations .
`` It would make the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ directly tying votes for Warnock and Ossoff to something concrete that Democrats can and will deliver—actual results that people can see and feel . ''
The two Democrats appear to be taking the groups ' advice .
As The Hill reported earlier this week , `` Both Ossoff and Warnock in recent days have been calling on Congress to pass a coronavirus relief package this year that includes direct payments to Americans . ''
Responding to news Wednesday that congressional leaders are now planning to include direct payments in the next stimulus package @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CBS News , `` The fact that the Senate has obstructed direct economic relief now for going on eight months demonstrates how little they care about the economic plight of working people in this country . ''
`` I wan na call upon Sen. Perdue to reverse his opposition '' to direct payments , Ossoff continued .
In a new ad released Thursday on behalf of Ossoff and Warnock , Biden explicitly connects the Georgia runoff races to the prospect of future economic relief , warning that `` there are folks in Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to block our efforts . ''
`` Georgia , I know things are tough right now .
But I want you to know help is on the way .
My administration is preparing to beat Covid-19 and get economic relief to the American people , '' says the president-elect .
`` Let me be clear : I need Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in the United States Senate to get this done . ''
`` Asking You '' | Jon Ossoff for Senate Brian Beutler , editor-in-chief at Crooked Media , argued Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may be a necessary condition '' to avert prolonged public health , economic , and political crises , `` it 's not a sufficient one . ''
`` Upon winning Dems need to have unified resolve to do whatever they must to avoid a lost decade , including abolish the filibuster , '' Beutler tweeted .
`` So , yes , win Georgia .
But then apply the lessons of the past to save the country . ''
Economists have argued that , at the very least , Congress must approve around $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. economy out of crisis and ensure a speedy recovery .
`` The Senate 's failure to provide crucial relief and recovery aid has left families without a lifeline and will severely damage prospects for recovery , '' Economic Policy Institute research director Josh Bivens said in a statement last month .
`` Policymakers should not phase out funding too quickly and must continue fiscal support through the end of 2024 . ''

After opposing another round of stimulus checks for months in the face of deteriorating economic conditions and widespread suffering, Republican congressional leaders have finally agreed to include direct payments in a coronavirus relief package that could be approved by the end of the week.
During a private GOP conference call Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) provided a straightforward and revealing reason for the sudden change of heart: "Kelly and David are getting hammered."
McConnell was, of course, referring to Republican Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, the Georgia incumbents now facing off against Democratic challengers Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in runoff elections that conclude on January 5 and will determine control of the Senate.
The outcome of the two Georgia races—which are already driving record-shattering early voter turnout—could also determine whether Congress and the Biden administration are able to approve a relief package beyond the likely soon-to-be-finalized $900 billion measure, which progressive lawmakers and experts are criticizing as woefully inadequate.
As it stands, the relief bill would provide one-time direct payments of $600 per adult and $600 per child—significantly less than the $1,200 per adult and $500 per child under the CARES Act. The new package would also only extend emergency unemployment programs for 10 weeks as layoffs surge, setting the stage for another potential benefit lapse in the beginning of President-elect Joe Biden's first term.
In a column on Wednesday, the Washington Post's Greg Sargent noted that "'Kelly and David' have indeed been getting hammered on [coronavirus relief]. Their Democratic opponents, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, have run numerous ads—see here, here, and here—hitting Republicans over the failure to pass more economic assistance." Ossoff, as Common Dreamsreported last week, has repeatedly hit Perdue over his opposition to the $1,200 checks provided under the CARES Act.
"It's plainly obvious that this pressure is a key reason that Senate Republicans are now moving towards supporting the economic relief package (which is already far less than the country needs)," argued Sargent, who stressed that Democrats have been demanding another round of direct payments for months. "The basic question before us right now... is this: What would continued Republican control mean, and what would it mean if Democrats took control instead?"
"We have long known the answer: Continued Republican control means almost no chance at anything close to what we'll need in new stimulus spending and economic assistance next year, when the economic damage and resulting misery could, if anything, spiral into something much worse," Sargent wrote. "McConnell is now plainly hoping that passing this compromise proposal will obscure this basic truth. But, given that this conversion only came after 'Kelly and David got hammered,' no one should be fooled—or let him get away with it."
As The American Prospect's David Dayen pointed out Thursday, McConnell's remark also appears to indicate that if either Perdue or Loeffler had averted a runoff by winning outright in November—thus cementing GOP control of the Senate—there likely "wouldn't be a relief package at all."
Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-N.J.) also had harsh words for McConnell and his fellow Republicans:
McConnell's admission that a major impetus behind the new relief bill is fear of losing the Georgia runoffs underscored the enormous stakes of the pair of races, which will come amid rising coronavirus infections and deaths, mass job loss, widespread hunger, and a looming eviction crisis.
"The fact that the Senate has obstructed direct economic relief now for going on eight months demonstrates how little they care about the economic plight of working people in this country."
—Jon Ossoff
Observers have long feared that if he is allowed to keep control of the Senate, McConnell will deliberately impose austerity on the U.S. economy in the hopes of damaging Biden and boosting the GOP's prospects in future elections.
Sawyer Hackett, a senior adviser to former presidential candidate Julián Castro, warned that McConnell's comments Wednesday suggest he "is only playing ball on Covid relief because of the races in Georgia," echoing other critics.
"If Dems don't win there," Hackett said, it "seems unlikely he comes to the table on future relief or other legislation."
For weeks, progressives have argued that to win the Senate runoffs in Georgia, Ossoff and Warnock should make their support for $1,200 stimulus checks—and Republicans' repeated obstruction of direct payments—a central component of their messaging.
"This strategy would give Democrats something they haven't had in years: a clear message about something tangible that Democrats will do for you, communicating how voting for Democratic candidates will make your life better," reads a memo (pdf) released last month by a coalition of progressive organizations. "It would make the stakes of the runoffs crystal clear, directly tying votes for Warnock and Ossoff to something concrete that Democrats can and will deliver—actual results that people can see and feel."
The two Democrats appear to be taking the groups' advice. As The Hillreported earlier this week, "Both Ossoff and Warnock in recent days have been calling on Congress to pass a coronavirus relief package this year that includes direct payments to Americans."
Responding to news Wednesday that congressional leaders are now planning to include direct payments in the next stimulus package, Ossoff said in an interview with CBS News, "The fact that the Senate has obstructed direct economic relief now for going on eight months demonstrates how little they care about the economic plight of working people in this country."
"I wanna call upon Sen. Perdue to reverse his opposition" to direct payments, Ossoff continued.
In a new ad released Thursday on behalf of Ossoff and Warnock, Biden explicitly connects the Georgia runoff races to the prospect of future economic relief, warning that "there are folks in Congress threatening to do everything in their power to block our efforts."
"Georgia, I know things are tough right now. But I want you to know help is on the way. My administration is preparing to beat Covid-19 and get economic relief to the American people," says the president-elect. "Let me be clear: I need Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in the United States Senate to get this done."
"Asking You" | Jon Ossoff for Senate www.youtube.com
Brian Beutler, editor-in-chief at Crooked Media, argued Wednesday that while winning the Georgia runoffs "may be a necessary condition" to avert prolonged public health, economic, and political crises, "it's not a sufficient one."
"Upon winning Dems need to have unified resolve to do whatever they must to avoid a lost decade, including abolish the filibuster," Beutler tweeted. "So, yes, win Georgia. But then apply the lessons of the past to save the country."
Economists have argued that, at the very least, Congress must approve around $3-4.5 trillion in spending to lift the U.S. economy out of crisis and ensure a speedy recovery.
"The Senate's failure to provide crucial relief and recovery aid has left families without a lifeline and will severely damage prospects for recovery," Economic Policy Institute research director Josh Bivens said in a statement last month. "Policymakers should not phase out funding too quickly and must continue fiscal support through the end of 2024."


alternet--2020-12-17--Foreign government reveals embarrassing details of how Trump’s Twitter account was hacked

The Trump White House and Twitter have both denied that President Donald Trump 's Twitter account , @ RealDonaldTrump , was hacked on October 16 .
But prosecutors in the Netherlands , according to Agence-France Presse , have confirmed that the hacking occurred — although the hacker , security specialist Victor Gevers , will not be prosecuted .
In the Netherlands , Gevers is a security researcher for the GDI Foundation and chairman for the Dutch Institute for Vulnerability Disclosure .
And Dutch prosecutors , according to AFP , believe that Gevers was an `` ethical hacker '' who hacked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than to hurt the U.S. president .
The 44-year-old Gevers confessed to the hack immediately , and his confession was investigated by cybercrime specialists in Dutch law enforcement .
That investigation , AFP reports , verified that Gevers was telling the truth .
In an official statement , the Dutch prosecution office , Openbaar Ministeri , said , `` We believe the hacker has actually penetrated Trump 's Twitter account , but has met the criteria that have been developed in case law to go free as an ethical hacker . ''
Although @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Netherlands , Openbaar Ministeri believes there are `` special circumstances '' in Gevers ' case and that he did not act maliciously .
`` Both the hacker and the American authorities have been informed of the outcome of the investigation , '' Openbaar Ministeri announced .
Gevers told Dutch media that he figured out the password for @ RealDonaldTrump , which was `` maga2020 ! ''
when he hacked it .
In an interview with the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant , Gevers said that Trump was not using adequate security measures online — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Secret Service thanked the Netherlands resident for bringing the security breach to its attention .
`` I expected to be blocked after four failed attempts , or at least would be asked to provide additional information , '' Gevers told De Volkskrant .
This was n't the first time Gevers hacked Trump 's Twitter account .
In 2014 , according to the Washington Post , Gevers hacked @ RealDonaldTrump by guessing that Trump 's password was `` yourefired . ''
That was n't a difficult password to guess , as Trump was famous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' to contestants when he hosted the popular reality show , `` The Apprentice . ''
Trump , who has no doubt changed his password since the October 16 hack , has 88.6 million followers on Twitter .

The Trump White House and Twitter have both denied that President Donald Trump's Twitter account, @RealDonaldTrump, was hacked on October 16. But prosecutors in the Netherlands, according to Agence-France Presse, have confirmed that the hacking occurred — although the hacker, security specialist Victor Gevers, will not be prosecuted.
In the Netherlands, Gevers is a security researcher for the GDI Foundation and chairman for the Dutch Institute for Vulnerability Disclosure. And Dutch prosecutors, according to AFP, believe that Gevers was an "ethical hacker" who hacked @RealDonaldTrump as a cybersecurity test rather than to hurt the U.S. president.
The 44-year-old Gevers confessed to the hack immediately, and his confession was investigated by cybercrime specialists in Dutch law enforcement. That investigation, AFP reports, verified that Gevers was telling the truth.
In an official statement, the Dutch prosecution office, Openbaar Ministeri, said, "We believe the hacker has actually penetrated Trump's Twitter account, but has met the criteria that have been developed in case law to go free as an ethical hacker."
Although hacking is a criminal offense in the Netherlands, Openbaar Ministeri believes there are "special circumstances" in Gevers' case and that he did not act maliciously.
"Both the hacker and the American authorities have been informed of the outcome of the investigation," Openbaar Ministeri announced.
Gevers told Dutch media that he figured out the password for @RealDonaldTrump, which was "maga2020!" when he hacked it.
In an interview with the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, Gevers said that Trump was not using adequate security measures online — and according to Gevers, the U.S. Secret Service thanked the Netherlands resident for bringing the security breach to its attention.
"I expected to be blocked after four failed attempts, or at least would be asked to provide additional information," Gevers told De Volkskrant.
This wasn't the first time Gevers hacked Trump's Twitter account. In 2014, according to the Washington Post, Gevers hacked @RealDonaldTrump by guessing that Trump's password was "yourefired." That wasn't a difficult password to guess, as Trump was famous for saying, "You're fired" to contestants when he hosted the popular reality show, "The Apprentice."
Trump, who has no doubt changed his password since the October 16 hack, has 88.6 million followers on Twitter.


alternet--2020-12-17--Disturbing factions of Trump supporters are joining forces to defend his false claims of election th

Disturbing factions of Trump supporters are joining forces to defend his false claims of election theft

In Carson City , Nevada , a variety of far-right extremists and conspiracy theorists — including the Proud Boys , armed militia members and supporters of the QAnon cult — have been joining forces and protesting in the hope of overturning the 2020 presidential election results .
And at least one more `` Stop the Steal '' event is planned , according to Sierra Nevada Ally reporter Quest Lakes .
The `` Stop the Steal '' movement is built on the debunked l President Donald Trump , not President-elect Joe Biden , is the real winner of the election and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voter fraud .
Although the Trump campaign 's legal challenges to the election results have been rejected by one court after another and Biden 's victory has been certified by the Electoral College , the `` Stop the Steal '' movement persists .
A `` Stop the Steal '' rally was held in Carson City over the weekend , and Lakes reports that members of the Proud Boys , QAnon supporters and members of militia groups were all in attendance protesting together .
One of the extremists carried a sign that read , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an election to win , I 'm OK with POTUS imposing martial law to stop you . ''
Another `` Stop the Steal '' rally is planned for this Saturday , December 19 in Carson City .
QAnon is a movement of conspiracy theorists known for their bizarre and outrageous beliefs .
According to QAnon , the federal U.S. government has been infiltrated by an international cabal of Satanists , pedophiles , cannibals and child sex traffickers and that Trump was put in the White House to lead the struggle against the cabal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believes , is an anonymous figure who is providing updates on that struggle .
A video of the December 12 demonstration has been posted online .
Watch the video below :

In Carson City, Nevada, a variety of far-right extremists and conspiracy theorists — including the Proud Boys, armed militia members and supporters of the QAnon cult — have been joining forces and protesting in the hope of overturning the 2020 presidential election results. And at least one more "Stop the Steal" event is planned, according to Sierra Nevada Ally reporter Quest Lakes.
The "Stop the Steal" movement is built on the debunked l President Donald Trump, not President-elect Joe Biden, is the real winner of the election and that Trump was the victim of widespread voter fraud. Although the Trump campaign's legal challenges to the election results have been rejected by one court after another and Biden's victory has been certified by the Electoral College, the "Stop the Steal" movement persists.
A "Stop the Steal" rally was held in Carson City over the weekend, and Lakes reports that members of the Proud Boys, QAnon supporters and members of militia groups were all in attendance protesting together. One of the extremists carried a sign that read, "If you're OK with rigging an election to win, I'm OK with POTUS imposing martial law to stop you."
Another "Stop the Steal" rally is planned for this Saturday, December 19 in Carson City.
QAnon is a movement of conspiracy theorists known for their bizarre and outrageous beliefs. According to QAnon, the federal U.S. government has been infiltrated by an international cabal of Satanists, pedophiles, cannibals and child sex traffickers and that Trump was put in the White House to lead the struggle against the cabal. "Q," the movement believes, is an anonymous figure who is providing updates on that struggle.
A video of the December 12 demonstration has been posted online. Watch the video below:


alternet--2020-12-17--'The ultimate flashpoint': Former officials address fears Trump will refuse to leave the White House

The presidential election is over and the Electoral College has affirmed President-elect Joe Biden 's win .
However , President Donald Trump still refuses to acknowledge the results of the election and , to make matters worse , the latest reports suggest that he is even considering refusing to leave the White House on Inauguration Day .
So how might the Biden administration proceed if this happens ?
According to Business Insider , it is a gray area that former Secret Service agents have been discussing .
Since no United States president has ever had to be escorted out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questions about how this might be done if the situation presents itself .
According to a former DHS official who served under the Obama administration , this particular discussion has been a hot topic among former officials for the U.S. Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security .
While Biden 's transition team has made it clear that trespassers would be removed , how does that work when the former president of the United States is the trespasser ?
The seemingly bizarre encounter would , no doubt , place many agents in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when you really get to the ultimate flashpoint , '' said a former senior official for DHS .
`` I ca n't imagine it ever getting to that point , but in this environment , there 's a lot of firsts . ''
Since the government agency typically focuses on the protection of the president , there is also a strong possibility the agents may not want to be involved in the uncomfortable transfer of power .
One former Secret Service agent , who worked during previous presidential transitions , spoke from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over how such an encounter might happen as he raised questions about whether or not the president would be physically removed from the White House .
`` We 're not there to evict people ; we 're there to protect people , '' the former serviceman said .
`` I do n't see the Secret Service going in there and knocking on the door and saying , 'Time to leave , sir .
Checkout is at 11 o'clock . '
Are they going to physically pick him up and do it ? ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Security assistant secretary under the Obama administration , also touched on the role of the Secret Service with an example of how evictions work .
`` If you 're renting your apartment in DC , and you do n't pay your rent , do n't pay your rent , do n't pay your rent , and they finally get a judgment against you , you 're evicted , '' Smith said .
`` It wo n't be the Secret Service 's responsibility to prevent him from being evicted .
That 's not their @ @ @

The presidential election is over and the Electoral College has affirmed President-elect Joe Biden's win. However, President Donald Trump still refuses to acknowledge the results of the election and, to make matters worse, the latest reports suggest that he is even considering refusing to leave the White House on Inauguration Day. So how might the Biden administration proceed if this happens?
According to Business Insider, it is a gray area that former Secret Service agents have been discussing. Since no United States president has ever had to be escorted out of the White House, there are many questions about how this might be done if the situation presents itself. According to a former DHS official who served under the Obama administration, this particular discussion has been a hot topic among former officials for the U.S. Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security.
While Biden's transition team has made it clear that trespassers would be removed, how does that work when the former president of the United States is the trespasser? The seemingly bizarre encounter would, no doubt, place many agents in a very awkward position.
"That's when you really get to the ultimate flashpoint," said a former senior official for DHS. "I can't imagine it ever getting to that point, but in this environment, there's a lot of firsts."
Since the government agency typically focuses on the protection of the president, there is also a strong possibility the agents may not want to be involved in the uncomfortable transfer of power.
One former Secret Service agent, who worked during previous presidential transitions, spoke from the perspective of agents. He also mulled over how such an encounter might happen as he raised questions about whether or not the president would be physically removed from the White House.
"We're not there to evict people; we're there to protect people," the former serviceman said. "I don't see the Secret Service going in there and knocking on the door and saying, 'Time to leave, sir. Checkout is at 11 o'clock.' Are they going to physically pick him up and do it?"
Douglas Smith, former Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary under the Obama administration, also touched on the role of the Secret Service with an example of how evictions work.
"If you're renting your apartment in DC, and you don't pay your rent, don't pay your rent, don't pay your rent, and they finally get a judgment against you, you're evicted," Smith said. "It won't be the Secret Service's responsibility to prevent him from being evicted. That's not their job."


alternet--2020-12-17--Dominion Voting Systems fires back with legal action against Sidney Powell

Dominion Voting Systems is now taking steps toward legal action against Sidney Powell .
Dominion and its voting machines have been at the center of several conspiracy theories and falsehoods surrounding the 2020 presidential election .
Although President Donald Trump initially spread misinformation about mail-in voting , he and his allies began circulating falsehoods targeting Dominion voting machines as election results proved favorable for Biden .
Since then , Dominion Voting Systems claims it has been subjected to a `` 'relentless and reckless disinformation ' campaign , led by Powell , Rudy Giuliani , other allies of President Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Law & Crime .
The election technology company Smartmatic has also released a similar demand letter seeking a retraction from Powell .
On multiple occasions , she has insisted the company has ties to Dominion .
Powell also claimed conspiracy insisting a ploy to rig the election was funded by `` communist money . ''
`` The Dominion Voting Systems , the Smartmatic technology software , and the software that goes in other computerized voting systems here as well , not just Dominion , were created in Venezuela at the direction of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost an election after one constitutional referendum came out the way he did not want it to come out , '' Powell claimed .
Despite Powell 's claims and the long string of conspiracy theories and falsehoods circulating on social media , Dominion has adamantly insisted that the claims are false .
In fact , Trump managed to win the vast majority of the counties that used Dominion technology in various swing states .
A review of 10 key states ( Arizona , Colorado , Florida , Georgia , Michigan , Minnesota , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wisconsin ) finds that Dominion systems were used in 351 of 731 counties .
Trump won 283 of those counties , 81 percent of the total .
He won 79 percent of the counties that did n't use Dominion systems .
In counties that used Dominion systems , Biden got 888,259 votes to Trump 's 851,069 .
In counties that did n't use Dominion systems , Biden got 1.54 million votes to Trump 's 1.52 million .
In other words , if you eliminated every county that used Dominion systems , Biden still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counties by about two points overall compared with his 0.5-point margin in non-Dominion counties .
On Monday , Dec. 14 , the Electoral College affirmed President-elect Joe Biden 's win as Trump continues to insist he won the election .

Dominion Voting Systems is now taking steps toward legal action against Sidney Powell.
Dominion and its voting machines have been at the center of several conspiracy theories and falsehoods surrounding the 2020 presidential election. Although President Donald Trump initially spread misinformation about mail-in voting, he and his allies began circulating falsehoods targeting Dominion voting machines as election results proved favorable for Biden.
Since then, Dominion Voting Systems claims it has been subjected to a "'relentless and reckless disinformation' campaign, led by Powell, Rudy Giuliani, other allies of President Donald Trump, and Trump himself," according to Law & Crime.
The election technology company Smartmatic has also released a similar demand letter seeking a retraction from Powell. On multiple occasions, she has insisted the company has ties to Dominion. Powell also claimed conspiracy insisting a ploy to rig the election was funded by "communist money."
"The Dominion Voting Systems, the Smartmatic technology software, and the software that goes in other computerized voting systems here as well, not just Dominion, were created in Venezuela at the direction of Hugo Chavez to make sure he never lost an election after one constitutional referendum came out the way he did not want it to come out," Powell claimed.
Despite Powell's claims and the long string of conspiracy theories and falsehoods circulating on social media, Dominion has adamantly insisted that the claims are false. In fact, Trump managed to win the vast majority of the counties that used Dominion technology in various swing states.
A review of 10 key states (Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) finds that Dominion systems were used in 351 of 731 counties. Trump won 283 of those counties, 81 percent of the total. He won 79 percent of the counties that didn't use Dominion systems.
In counties that used Dominion systems, Biden got 888,259 votes to Trump's 851,069. In counties that didn't use Dominion systems, Biden got 1.54 million votes to Trump's 1.52 million. In other words, if you eliminated every county that used Dominion systems, Biden still got more votes. Biden won Dominion-using counties by about two points overall compared with his 0.5-point margin in non-Dominion counties.
On Monday, Dec. 14, the Electoral College affirmed President-elect Joe Biden's win as Trump continues to insist he won the election.


alternet--2020-12-17--The battle against ‘authoritarian’ Trumpism won’t end with Trump’s presidency: conservative

The Lincoln Project and other Never Trump conservatives were hoping that the 2020 election would bring a blue tsunami so massive that Trumpism would be repudiated across the board , but it did n't work out that way .
Although President-elect Joe Biden enjoyed a decisive victory — winning 306 electoral votes and defeating Trump by more than 7 million in the popular vote — the Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives will be smaller in 2021 .
And it remains to be seen whether Democrats or Republicans will be the majority in the U.S. Senate in 2021 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is still fired up .
Reed Galen , co-founder of the Lincoln Project , discusses the future of Trumpism in an op-ed published by the Washington Post this week — and he warns that the battle against Trumpism will not end when Trump leaves the White House on January 20 .
`` While President Trump will leave office as a failed , one-term president , the fight against Trumpism is just beginning , '' Galen explains .
`` A year ago , The Lincoln Project launched with two stated goals .
First , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Second , ensure Trumpism failed alongside him .
We are proud to have been a part of the broad and deep coalition that helped elect Joe Biden and Kamala D. Harris to the White House .
Trumpism , however , is far from extinction . ''
Galen adds that since the election , `` much of the Republican Party '' has decided to `` turn fully against American democracy '' and keep Trump in the White House even though he clearly lost the election .
`` Trump 's allies and abettors , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican state attorneys general , tried to poison our political system in the service of a personality cult , '' Galen writes .
`` Theirs is a veneration driven not by high ideals but by fear , resentment and a transparent desire to maintain power for its own sake .
Even now , many Republicans in Congress continue to try , by ludicrous and quixotic means , to overturn the will of more than 80 million voters .
This week , Sen. Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) privately warned Republicans not to disrupt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January 6 . ''
Trumpism , Galen laments , is alive and well `` despite Biden 's clear and overwhelming victory '' —and that was evident when the Proud Boys recently `` rampaged in Downtown Washington , reminding us that violence is their next iteration . ''
`` Trump 's camp followers , such as Stephen K. Bannon , Alex Jones , Fox News , OAN , Newsmax and many others , will not stop actively injecting disinformation into the country 's air supply , '' Galen stresses .
`` They are highly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their ability to pull us apart and keep us divided .
Trump 's helpmates have called for honorable public officials to be beheaded , drawn and quartered and taken outside to be shot .
They are living proof of what former President Ronald Reagan said : 'Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction . ''
A wide variety of Trump critics rallied around Biden this year , from veteran conservatives like George Will , Carly Fiorina , Bill Kristol , Mona Charen and Cindy McCain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — all of whom agreed that Trump 's presidency has been a disaster .
And Galen wraps up his op-ed by emphasizing that in 2021 , Democrats and Never Trumpers will need to join forces and remain vigilant against Trumpism , policy differences and all .
`` Those of us who voted for Biden and Harris must remember that our coalition is our best offense and defense , '' Galen writes .
`` Though we will not agree on everything , we must march forward together @ @ @ @ @ @ @

The Lincoln Project and other Never Trump conservatives were hoping that the 2020 election would bring a blue tsunami so massive that Trumpism would be repudiated across the board, but it didn't work out that way. Although President-elect Joe Biden enjoyed a decisive victory — winning 306 electoral votes and defeating Trump by more than 7 million in the popular vote — the Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives will be smaller in 2021. And it remains to be seen whether Democrats or Republicans will be the majority in the U.S. Senate in 2021. Moreover, Trump's MAGA base is still fired up. Reed Galen, co-founder of the Lincoln Project, discusses the future of Trumpism in an op-ed published by the Washington Post this week — and he warns that the battle against Trumpism will not end when Trump leaves the White House on January 20.
"While President Trump will leave office as a failed, one-term president, the fight against Trumpism is just beginning," Galen explains. "A year ago, The Lincoln Project launched with two stated goals. First, Defeat Donald Trump at the ballot box. Second, ensure Trumpism failed alongside him. We are proud to have been a part of the broad and deep coalition that helped elect Joe Biden and Kamala D. Harris to the White House. Trumpism, however, is far from extinction."
Galen adds that since the election, "much of the Republican Party" has decided to "turn fully against American democracy" and keep Trump in the White House even though he clearly lost the election.
"Trump's allies and abettors, including more than 100 lawmakers and 18 Republican state attorneys general, tried to poison our political system in the service of a personality cult," Galen writes. "Theirs is a veneration driven not by high ideals but by fear, resentment and a transparent desire to maintain power for its own sake. Even now, many Republicans in Congress continue to try, by ludicrous and quixotic means, to overturn the will of more than 80 million voters. This week, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) privately warned Republicans not to disrupt the official opening of electoral votes on January 6."
Trumpism, Galen laments, is alive and well "despite Biden's clear and overwhelming victory"—and that was evident when the Proud Boys recently "rampaged in Downtown Washington, reminding us that violence is their next iteration."
"Trump's camp followers, such as Stephen K. Bannon, Alex Jones, Fox News, OAN, Newsmax and many others, will not stop actively injecting disinformation into the country's air supply," Galen stresses. "They are highly skilled, and we must not underestimate their ability to pull us apart and keep us divided. Trump's helpmates have called for honorable public officials to be beheaded, drawn and quartered and taken outside to be shot. They are living proof of what former President Ronald Reagan said: 'Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction."
A wide variety of Trump critics rallied around Biden this year, from veteran conservatives like George Will, Carly Fiorina, Bill Kristol, Mona Charen and Cindy McCain to self-described "democratic socialists" like Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — all of whom agreed that Trump's presidency has been a disaster. And Galen wraps up his op-ed by emphasizing that in 2021, Democrats and Never Trumpers will need to join forces and remain vigilant against Trumpism, policy differences and all.
"Those of us who voted for Biden and Harris must remember that our coalition is our best offense and defense," Galen writes. "Though we will not agree on everything, we must march forward together against the forces of authoritarianism."


alternet--2020-12-17--Tucker Carlson draws Twitter's ire with more relentless insults on Dr. Jill Biden

Twitter users are not pleased with Fox News ' Tucker Carlson 's relentless mocking of Dr. Jill Biden and now they 've fired back with trolling posts about the controversial conservative host .
An overwhelming number of Twitter users are now slamming Carlson as they highlight the flaws in his own educational background .
Some even went a step further comparing Biden to current First Lady Melania Trump as they highlighted her sordid past .
`` Tucker Carlson is a pathetic human being .
He is a hateful fear-mongering , misogynistic small-minded man , '' one Twitter said .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with zero respect .
He and Fox News owe Dr. Jill Biden an apology .
Classy , educated woman intimidate him .
He prefers stripper , porn star 3rd lady . ''
`` Conservative `` pundits '' are going crazy with `` Dr. Jill Biden '' but ignored advice from virologists , immunologists , and epidemiologists when it came to Covid-19 .
Hypocrites , one and all , '' another Twitter user said .
`` [ Tucker Carlson ] with his BA degree is jealous of Dr. Jill Biden .
Poor little rich @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carlson has a Doctorate in what ? ''
another Twitter user asked Carlson .
`` A Master 's perhaps ?
Anything ?
I 'm sure he got into Trinity on his own merit .
No , you say .
Help from his ( now ) Father-in-Law !
Hmm , jealous perhaps .
Congrats DR. Jill Biden , accomplished in her own right .
Tucker 's dissertation is where ? ''
The latest mocking tweets follow Carlson 's insulting remarks questioning the soon-to-be first lady 's intelligence .
During a recent segment of `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nitpicked about Biden 's degree from doctoral dissertation from the University of Delaware describing it as a `` national shame , '' according to The Hill .
`` Dr. Jill needs reading glasses .
Either that or she 's borderline illiterate , '' Carlson said .
`` There are typos everywhere including in the first graph of the introduction .
Dr. Jill ca n't write .
She ca n't really think clearly either . ''
Carlson added , `` The whole thing is just incredibly embarrassing and not simply to poor illiterate Jill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this crap scholarship , embarrassing in fact to our entire system of higher education , to the nation itself . ''

Twitter users are not pleased with Fox News' Tucker Carlson's relentless mocking of Dr. Jill Biden and now they've fired back with trolling posts about the controversial conservative host.
An overwhelming number of Twitter users are now slamming Carlson as they highlight the flaws in his own educational background. Some even went a step further comparing Biden to current First Lady Melania Trump as they highlighted her sordid past.
"Tucker Carlson is a pathetic human being. He is a hateful fear-mongering, misogynistic small-minded man," one Twitter said. "He his a whinny tiny, man with zero respect. He and Fox News owe Dr. Jill Biden an apology. Classy, educated woman intimidate him. He prefers stripper, porn star 3rd lady."
"Conservative "pundits" are going crazy with "Dr. Jill Biden" but ignored advice from virologists, immunologists, and epidemiologists when it came to Covid-19. Hypocrites, one and all," another Twitter user said. "[Tucker Carlson] with his BA degree is jealous of Dr. Jill Biden. Poor little rich guy.""
"And Mr. Carlson has a Doctorate in what?" another Twitter user asked Carlson. "A Master's perhaps? Anything? I'm sure he got into Trinity on his own merit. No, you say. Help from his (now) Father-in-Law! Hmm, jealous perhaps. Congrats DR. Jill Biden, accomplished in her own right. Tucker's dissertation is where?"
The latest mocking tweets follow Carlson's insulting remarks questioning the soon-to-be first lady's intelligence. During a recent segment of "The Tucker Carlson Show, " he nitpicked about Biden's degree from doctoral dissertation from the University of Delaware describing it as a "national shame," according to The Hill.
"Dr. Jill needs reading glasses. Either that or she's borderline illiterate," Carlson said. "There are typos everywhere including in the first graph of the introduction. Dr. Jill can't write. She can't really think clearly either."
Carlson added, "The whole thing is just incredibly embarrassing and not simply to poor illiterate Jill Biden but to the college that considered this crap scholarship, embarrassing in fact to our entire system of higher education, to the nation itself."


alternet--2020-12-17--Here's how AG Barr’s departure could pave the way for 'Trump cases' to move forward: report

Attorney General William Barr has been one of President Donald Trump 's most aggressive defenders , from the Mueller Report to the Ukraine scandal and the president 's impeachment trial .
But when the 70-year-old Barr acknowledged Joe Biden as president-elect during a recent interview with the Associated Press and said that there was no evidence that widespread voter fraud occurred in the 2020 presidential election , many diehard Trumpistas felt betrayed — and Barr has resigned , effective December 23 .
Journalist Chris Smith discusses the possible ramifications of Barr 's departure in an article published by Vanity Fair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prosecutors will feel empowered to go after Trump and his associates more aggressively .
Smith is referring specifically to the federal prosecutors for the Southern District of New York .
Although Trump lives in the White House — which he will be have to depart on January 20 , 2021 — and lists Florida as his official state of residence , it was in his home town , New York City , that Trump led his company , the Trump Organization .
An anonymously quoted source , described by Smith as a `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vanity Fair , `` Everything depends on the facts and witnesses in those ( Trump-related ) cases .
But certainly , they are more likely to proceed without Barr in there , who was just a disgrace in every way . ''
Smith points out that Barr , as attorney general under the Trump Administration , `` politicized nearly every corner of the Justice Department . ''
`` Bill Barr will not be missed by most of the hundreds of nonpartisan career prosecutors inside the Department of Justice , '' Smith explains .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the lawyers working for the Southern District of New York , whose jurisdiction covers most of Donald Trump 's hometown — and whose continuing probes of the president 's associates , including an investigation of Rudy Giuliani , are far less likely to be squashed . ''
One former Southern District prosecutor who has been vehemently critical of Trump and Barr is Mimi Rocah , who was often featured as a legal analyst at MSNBC during the Russia investigation and is now district attorney-elect for Westchester County , New York .
Rocah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years , we 've had an administration where politics was so injected into DOJ .
The only way out of that is to stop making decisions with political concerns in mind . ''
It remains to be seen who Biden will choose as his attorney general .
But whoever it is , an anonymous interviewee described by Smith as a `` former top New York federal prosecutor , '' told Vanity Fair , `` Look , whoever comes in as AG , things are gon na change pretty damn quickly .
A new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restoring the integrity of the department . ''
Glen Kopp , a former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District , also predicts changes at DOJ following Barr 's departure .
Kopp told Vanity Fair , `` I have no doubt that facts have driven the office 's investigations and its decisions the past four years .
But if there are Trump cases , is it more likely they go forward ?
Yeah .
And I think SDNY 's confidence in leadership at the top levels of Main Justice backing up whatever they @ @ @ @ @

Attorney General William Barr has been one of President Donald Trump's most aggressive defenders, from the Mueller Report to the Ukraine scandal and the president's impeachment trial. But when the 70-year-old Barr acknowledged Joe Biden as president-elect during a recent interview with the Associated Press and said that there was no evidence that widespread voter fraud occurred in the 2020 presidential election, many diehard Trumpistas felt betrayed — and Barr has resigned, effective December 23. Journalist Chris Smith discusses the possible ramifications of Barr's departure in an article published by Vanity Fair on December 16, wondering if federal prosecutors will feel empowered to go after Trump and his associates more aggressively.
Smith is referring specifically to the federal prosecutors for the Southern District of New York. Although Trump lives in the White House — which he will be have to depart on January 20, 2021 — and lists Florida as his official state of residence, it was in his home town, New York City, that Trump led his company, the Trump Organization.
An anonymously quoted source, described by Smith as a "former senior SDNY official," told Vanity Fair, "Everything depends on the facts and witnesses in those (Trump-related) cases. But certainly, they are more likely to proceed without Barr in there, who was just a disgrace in every way."
Smith points out that Barr, as attorney general under the Trump Administration, "politicized nearly every corner of the Justice Department."
"Bill Barr will not be missed by most of the hundreds of nonpartisan career prosecutors inside the Department of Justice," Smith explains. "Least of all, though, by the lawyers working for the Southern District of New York, whose jurisdiction covers most of Donald Trump's hometown — and whose continuing probes of the president's associates, including an investigation of Rudy Giuliani, are far less likely to be squashed."
One former Southern District prosecutor who has been vehemently critical of Trump and Barr is Mimi Rocah, who was often featured as a legal analyst at MSNBC during the Russia investigation and is now district attorney-elect for Westchester County, New York.
Rocah told Vanity Fair, "For four years, we've had an administration where politics was so injected into DOJ. The only way out of that is to stop making decisions with political concerns in mind."
It remains to be seen who Biden will choose as his attorney general. But whoever it is, an anonymous interviewee described by Smith as a "former top New York federal prosecutor," told Vanity Fair, "Look, whoever comes in as AG, things are gonna change pretty damn quickly. A new leader will be half the battle in restoring the integrity of the department."
Glen Kopp, a former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District, also predicts changes at DOJ following Barr's departure. Kopp told Vanity Fair, "I have no doubt that facts have driven the office's investigations and its decisions the past four years. But if there are Trump cases, is it more likely they go forward? Yeah. And I think SDNY's confidence in leadership at the top levels of Main Justice backing up whatever they do will change."


alternet--2020-12-17--Pence will literally flee town immediately after certifying election results for Biden: report

In the coming weeks , Vice President Mike Pence will be faced with the one task no Republican lawmaker wants at this point : confirming President-elect Joe Biden 's election victory .
With Pence overseeing the Congressional session to formalize the Electoral College vote in Biden 's favor , it is likely that the vice president and other Republican lawmakers will face opposition from an overwhelming number of Republican voters who still say , incorrecltly , that President Donald Trump won the election .
Most Republican lawmakers and officials who have publicly acknowledged Biden 's win have been met with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , U.S. officials aware of Pence 's travel plans have revealed the vice president is tentatively expected to leave for the Middle East and Europe almost immediately after the confirmation hearing .
The overseas trip would have Pence out of the country for nearly a week beginning on Jan. 6 .
During his time abroad , the vice president is expected to travel to `` Bahrain , Israel , and Poland '' with the possibility of more locations being added to his itinerary .
On the surface , the trip is part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's role in brokering a series of diplomatic agreements to normalize relations between Israel and a handful of Arab countries , including Bahrain .
But for Pence , visiting these countries is also a way to bolster already-strong credentials with the Christian right , which strongly supports Israel .
And it allows Pence — once again — to put distance between himself and Trump 's complaints about the election outcome that are likely to intensify after Congress affirms Biden 's win .
Despite the Electoral College cementing Biden '' s win , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fraud and has even mulled refusing to leave the White House when the time comes , according to MSNBC .

In the coming weeks, Vice President Mike Pence will be faced with the one task no Republican lawmaker wants at this point: confirming President-elect Joe Biden's election victory.
With Pence overseeing the Congressional session to formalize the Electoral College vote in Biden's favor, it is likely that the vice president and other Republican lawmakers will face opposition from an overwhelming number of Republican voters who still say, incorrecltly, that President Donald Trump won the election.
Most Republican lawmakers and officials who have publicly acknowledged Biden's win have been met with Trump's wrath. According to Politico, U.S. officials aware of Pence's travel plans have revealed the vice president is tentatively expected to leave for the Middle East and Europe almost immediately after the confirmation hearing.
The overseas trip would have Pence out of the country for nearly a week beginning on Jan. 6. During his time abroad, the vice president is expected to travel to "Bahrain, Israel, and Poland" with the possibility of more locations being added to his itinerary.
Politico reports:
On the surface, the trip is part of a push to underscore the Trump administration's role in brokering a series of diplomatic agreements to normalize relations between Israel and a handful of Arab countries, including Bahrain. But for Pence, visiting these countries is also a way to bolster already-strong credentials with the Christian right, which strongly supports Israel. And it allows Pence — once again — to put distance between himself and Trump's complaints about the election outcome that are likely to intensify after Congress affirms Biden's win.
Despite the Electoral College cementing Biden''s win, Trump is still pushing baseless claims of voter fraud and has even mulled refusing to leave the White House when the time comes, according to MSNBC.