alternet--2020-11-19--Trump plans to continue his ‘futile’ post-election legal farce well into December: report

President Donald Trump 's legal team is working to continue his post-election legal challenges well into the month of December as White House officials continue to obstruct the Biden administration 's peaceful transfer of power .
`` The legal challenges are continuing , but those close to the president , and frankly the president , understand they 're futile , '' a senior administration official said .
Although Trump appears to have distanced from the role of the presidency , he is continuing to push baseless conspiracy theories about the election results .
As a result of Trump 's actions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a false sense of hope that he will overturn the results of the election .
His efforts have also inhibited the Biden administration 's ability to transition .
A new editorial published by NBC News also revealed that Trump 's advisers have made efforts to discuss wrapping up his presidency and moving forward with other political endeavors , but to no avail .
`` Trump 's advisers are talking to him about what the end looks like — using the word `` conclusion '' rather than `` concession . ''
One off-ramp being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he admits that Biden will enter the White House on Jan. 20 while continuing to allege the results are questionable and simultaneously announces that he 's running for president in 2024 , a senior administration official said . ''
It has also been reported that December 14 will likely be the cut-off date for Trump 's legal battle : the day the Electoral College formally votes .
While many Republican lawmakers have remained silent , publicly , behind closed doors they are already acknowledging that President-elect Joe Biden will be taking over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that date , Trump 's antics will continue and his campaign will be working to find any flaws in the election despite coming up short in the weeks since Election Day .
Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller said , `` we 're going to continue to explore all of the fraud and abuse that 's been reported to us from the more than 11,000 credible tips we 've received from our hotline and website . ''

President Donald Trump's legal team is working to continue his post-election legal challenges well into the month of December as White House officials continue to obstruct the Biden administration's peaceful transfer of power.
"The legal challenges are continuing, but those close to the president, and frankly the president, understand they're futile," a senior administration official said.
Although Trump appears to have distanced from the role of the presidency, he is continuing to push baseless conspiracy theories about the election results. As a result of Trump's actions, his supporters have been left with a false sense of hope that he will overturn the results of the election. His efforts have also inhibited the Biden administration's ability to transition.
A new editorial published by NBC News also revealed that Trump's advisers have made efforts to discuss wrapping up his presidency and moving forward with other political endeavors, but to no avail.
"Trump's advisers are talking to him about what the end looks like — using the word "conclusion" rather than "concession." One off-ramp being recommended as a "conclusion" is that he admits that Biden will enter the White House on Jan. 20 while continuing to allege the results are questionable and simultaneously announces that he's running for president in 2024, a senior administration official said."
It has also been reported that December 14 will likely be the cut-off date for Trump's legal battle: the day the Electoral College formally votes. While many Republican lawmakers have remained silent, publicly, behind closed doors they are already acknowledging that President-elect Joe Biden will be taking over in January 2021.
But, until that date, Trump's antics will continue and his campaign will be working to find any flaws in the election despite coming up short in the weeks since Election Day.
Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller said, "we're going to continue to explore all of the fraud and abuse that's been reported to us from the more than 11,000 credible tips we've received from our hotline and website."


alternet--2020-11-19--Here's why the GOP is worried about turning out the vote after Trump

Donald Trump 's attempts to steal the election are fruitless .
His legal theater is going nowhere , and it 's becoming apparent that this is more about shaking down credulous supporters for cash than about actually overturning the election results .
Michigan pounded another nail in Trump 's coffin Tuesday , when two Republicans who were blocking the vote certification in Wayne County , which includes Detroit , relented in the face of public outrage .
It 's all over but the grifting , which will likely continue as long as Trump keeps getting people to give him money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money that is being funneled through a PAC and likely straight into Trump 's pocket .
Yet the Republican establishment is still tiptoeing around Trump , coddling his fragile ego by refusing to admit he lost the election .
Some are going a step further , such as South Carolina 's Sen. Lindsey Graham , who has been exerting pressure on state officials to toss out legally-cast ballots .
Why are all these Republicans so afraid of Trump , who will no longer be president in 63 days ?
The main reason appears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about their electoral prospects after Trump .
The record Democratic turnout in the 2020 election — President-elect Joe Biden turned out 14 million more voters than Hillary Clinton in 2016 — caused many Republicans down-ballot from Trump to sweat their re-election prospects .
Luckily for them , however , Trump also turned out an eye-popping 10 million new voters , which was enough to save the skins of many GOP candidates , even as Trump lost by slender margins in swing states .
Trump is a turnout machine for Republicans , who have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a way to save their party despite demographic changes that make the Democrats more popular among voters .
The question of whether there will be Trumpism after Trump now dogs both Republicans who want to replicate their electoral successes under the reality TV president and Democrats who dearly hope this whole disaster was an anomaly .
`` [ S ] ome conservative opinion leaders are already looking forward to a post-Trump future where the viable things about the 45th president can be neatly separated from his troublesome persona , '' Ed Kilgore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` a representative fantasy '' by right-wing writer Kristin Tate at The Hill , who longs for a `` Republican with the political positions of Trump , but without decades of tabloid fodder , '' proposing that candidate might avoid `` the bandwagon effect of suburban voters eager to show their public disapproval of his latest action . ''
Kilgore explores the various hopes that Republicans have for a `` new Trump . ''
Will it be Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri , a Bible-thumper straight out of `` The Handmaid 's Tale @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his occasional swipes at corporate America ( though mostly for its perceived degeneracy ) ?
Or Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas , who brings the racism and militant neofascism of Trump , but without the gleeful sleaze of a shameless sexual assailant ?
These choices expose why Republicans fear that there may be no way to have Trumpism without Trump .
Those guys and other contenders are all missing the secret sauce that helped Trump recruit so heavily among non-voters and infrequent voters .
And no , it 's not his so-called charisma @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him is what I call the `` crackpot factor . ''
Trump speaks to voters who share the racism and sexism of typical GOP voters , but who often do n't vote because they think politics is boring and are awash in conspiracy theories about how the system is `` rigged . ''
Those voters saw a kindred spirit in Trump , a man who speaks fluent conspiracy theory and who got his start in politics by promoting claims that Barack Obama was n't a native-born U.S. citizen .
Before the 2020 election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deep dive on the views of people who vote infrequently or not at all .
There 's a lot of reasons for non-voting , such as a belief it does n't matter or the obstacles that make voting difficult , but one important factor was a lack of trust in the system .
For some voters , especially nonwhite voters or liberal-leaning voters , this is unfortunately a realistic assessment of the situation , where social progress often feels glacial and voting does n't seem to make much difference .
But for right-leaning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this distrust flows from a conspiratorial mindset , born from a steady diet of misinformation that has been made all too readily available by the internet .
These are the types that populate the audience for Joe Rogan and Alex Jones .
These are people who hate Democrats but also feel alienated by the religiosity and elitism of mainstream Republicans , and turn to `` alternative '' sources of information that are thick with paranoid conspiracy theories .
Trump , who indulged the same `` alternative facts '' that they enjoy , stirred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could n't .
In 2014 , Pew Research , using extensive data , developed a political typology that sorted Americans into six groups .
Two of the Republican-leaning ones are incredibly familiar to political observers , the `` steadfast conservatives '' and `` business conservatives , '' or , respectively , the religious right and the rich folks who are in it for the tax cuts .
But they also detected an emerging group , which they deemed `` young outsiders , '' who `` do not have a strong allegiance to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , `` tend to dislike both political parties . ''
These voters registered as `` socially liberal , '' insofar as they do n't support bans on abortion or gay marriage and , importantly , are n't especially religious .
But the `` young outsiders '' do share the racism of traditional conservatives .
They are easily riled up by the demonization of social spending programs like Obamacare or food stamps They approve of programs , like Medicare , that are viewed as benefiting white people .
They 're in favor legal marijuana @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote far less often than other conservatives .
I personally believe that the Pew research failed to capture how sexist this group is .
The usual proxy questions to measure sexism , such as attitudes towards abortion , simply are n't adequate in this context .
I suspect this group , while not as opposed to abortion as other conservatives , is angry about other feminist concerns such as the # MeToo movement , where men 's privilege to mistreat women are being attacked .
These are , I suspect , the Gamergaters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump in the years after this survey .
They gobble down internet conspiracy theories like QAnon , which creates engagement with right-wing politics for those who are n't religious conservatives or business elites .
They like to imagine that embracing more authoritarian attitudes is an `` edgy '' revolt against liberalism .
They are overwhelmingly white ( though 14 % are Hispanic ) , and under 50 years old .
While more than half of those defined as `` strong liberals '' are college graduates , three-quarters of the `` young outsiders '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got a whole lot of those people who do n't usually vote to do so , turning out more non-college-educated white voters in 2016 , for example , than Mitt Romney did in 2012 .
These voters overlooked his alliance with the religious right and were instead fixated on his playboy persona , his over-the-top sexism and racism and , of course , his sweeping embrace of nutbar conspiracy theories of all kinds .
Over the past four years , everything that Trump 's opponents hate about him — his grossness , his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , his rejection of the polite norms of D.C. politics and , of course , his conspiracy theories — likely generated even more enthusiasm from this subset of voters that other Republicans have had trouble capturing or motivating .
That 's why it 's reasonable to be skeptical about the likely success of the current crop of wannabe Trumps .
Hawley 's religiosity and culture-war rigidity wo n't play well with these Trump Republicans who are just fine with premarital sex and legal weed , even if they 're not fond of women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complaints .
Cotton may roll out fascist fantasies that appeal to the QAnoners and the alt-right , but he 's a stiff and , I suspect , wo n't appeal to those who enjoy Trump 's wrestling-heel gift for insulting and degrading people .
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas , who also wants to be the next Trump , has intense weenie energy that makes it hard for him to win these people over .
Trump speaks to the great American crackpot , especially the younger set that was otherwise more interested in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ artist '' forums than in voting .
These folks wo n't be moved by Hawley 's promise of a handmaid in every bed or Cotton 's promise of stormtroopers on the streets .
In the face of the growing Democratic majority , Republicans need this subset of crank voters , who do n't care about old-school culture-war fights over abortion or evolution , but sure do love QAnon .
Without Trump 's demented tweeting and his willingness to leave empirical reality behind , it 's not clear how the GOP can keep the @ @ @ @

Donald Trump's attempts to steal the election are fruitless. His legal theater is going nowhere, and it's becoming apparent that this is more about shaking down credulous supporters for cash than about actually overturning the election results. Michigan pounded another nail in Trump's coffin Tuesday, when two Republicans who were blocking the vote certification in Wayne County, which includes Detroit, relented in the face of public outrage. It's all over but the grifting, which will likely continue as long as Trump keeps getting people to give him money for his "legal defense" — money that is being funneled through a PAC and likely straight into Trump's pocket.
Yet the Republican establishment is still tiptoeing around Trump, coddling his fragile ego by refusing to admit he lost the election. Some are going a step further, such as South Carolina's Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has been exerting pressure on state officials to toss out legally-cast ballots. Why are all these Republicans so afraid of Trump, who will no longer be president in 63 days?
The main reason appears to be that Republicans really are worried about their electoral prospects after Trump. The record Democratic turnout in the 2020 election — President-elect Joe Biden turned out 14 million more voters than Hillary Clinton in 2016 — caused many Republicans down-ballot from Trump to sweat their re-election prospects. Luckily for them, however, Trump also turned out an eye-popping 10 million new voters, which was enough to save the skins of many GOP candidates, even as Trump lost by slender margins in swing states.
Trump is a turnout machine for Republicans, who have been desperately casting around for years now for a way to save their party despite demographic changes that make the Democrats more popular among voters. The question of whether there will be Trumpism after Trump now dogs both Republicans who want to replicate their electoral successes under the reality TV president and Democrats who dearly hope this whole disaster was an anomaly.
"[S]ome conservative opinion leaders are already looking forward to a post-Trump future where the viable things about the 45th president can be neatly separated from his troublesome persona," Ed Kilgore writes for New York.
He cites "a representative fantasy" by right-wing writer Kristin Tate at The Hill, who longs for a "Republican with the political positions of Trump, but without decades of tabloid fodder," proposing that candidate might avoid "the bandwagon effect of suburban voters eager to show their public disapproval of his latest action."
Kilgore explores the various hopes that Republicans have for a "new Trump." Will it be Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, a Bible-thumper straight out of "The Handmaid's Tale" who has some crossover appeal for his occasional swipes at corporate America (though mostly for its perceived degeneracy)? Or Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who brings the racism and militant neofascism of Trump, but without the gleeful sleaze of a shameless sexual assailant?
These choices expose why Republicans fear that there may be no way to have Trumpism without Trump. Those guys and other contenders are all missing the secret sauce that helped Trump recruit so heavily among non-voters and infrequent voters. And no, it's not his so-called charisma.
What Trump really has going for him is what I call the "crackpot factor." Trump speaks to voters who share the racism and sexism of typical GOP voters, but who often don't vote because they think politics is boring and are awash in conspiracy theories about how the system is "rigged." Those voters saw a kindred spirit in Trump, a man who speaks fluent conspiracy theory and who got his start in politics by promoting claims that Barack Obama wasn't a native-born U.S. citizen.
Before the 2020 election, the team at FiveThirtyEight took a deep dive on the views of people who vote infrequently or not at all. There's a lot of reasons for non-voting, such as a belief it doesn't matter or the obstacles that make voting difficult, but one important factor was a lack of trust in the system. For some voters, especially nonwhite voters or liberal-leaning voters, this is unfortunately a realistic assessment of the situation, where social progress often feels glacial and voting doesn't seem to make much difference.
But for right-leaning voters, I suspect a lot of this distrust flows from a conspiratorial mindset, born from a steady diet of misinformation that has been made all too readily available by the internet. These are the types that populate the audience for Joe Rogan and Alex Jones. These are people who hate Democrats but also feel alienated by the religiosity and elitism of mainstream Republicans, and turn to "alternative" sources of information that are thick with paranoid conspiracy theories. Trump, who indulged the same "alternative facts" that they enjoy, stirred something in them that other Republicans simply couldn't.
In 2014, Pew Research, using extensive data, developed a political typology that sorted Americans into six groups. Two of the Republican-leaning ones are incredibly familiar to political observers, the "steadfast conservatives" and "business conservatives," or, respectively, the religious right and the rich folks who are in it for the tax cuts.
But they also detected an emerging group, which they deemed "young outsiders," who "do not have a strong allegiance to the Republican Party" and, in fact, "tend to dislike both political parties." These voters registered as "socially liberal," insofar as they don't support bans on abortion or gay marriage and, importantly, aren't especially religious.
But the "young outsiders" do share the racism of traditional conservatives. They are easily riled up by the demonization of social spending programs like Obamacare or food stamps They approve of programs, like Medicare, that are viewed as benefiting white people. They're in favor legal marijuana but oppose gun control. And they vote far less often than other conservatives.
I personally believe that the Pew research failed to capture how sexist this group is. The usual proxy questions to measure sexism, such as attitudes towards abortion, simply aren't adequate in this context. I suspect this group, while not as opposed to abortion as other conservatives, is angry about other feminist concerns such as the #MeToo movement, where men's privilege to mistreat women are being attacked.
These are, I suspect, the Gamergaters and the alt-right types who flocked to Trump in the years after this survey. They gobble down internet conspiracy theories like QAnon, which creates engagement with right-wing politics for those who aren't religious conservatives or business elites. They like to imagine that embracing more authoritarian attitudes is an "edgy" revolt against liberalism. They are overwhelmingly white (though 14% are Hispanic), and under 50 years old. While more than half of those defined as "strong liberals" are college graduates, three-quarters of the "young outsiders" don't have college diplomas.
Trump got a whole lot of those people who don't usually vote to do so, turning out more non-college-educated white voters in 2016, for example, than Mitt Romney did in 2012. These voters overlooked his alliance with the religious right and were instead fixated on his playboy persona, his over-the-top sexism and racism and, of course, his sweeping embrace of nutbar conspiracy theories of all kinds.
Over the past four years, everything that Trump's opponents hate about him — his grossness, his cruelty to women and people of color, his rejection of the polite norms of D.C. politics and, of course, his conspiracy theories — likely generated even more enthusiasm from this subset of voters that other Republicans have had trouble capturing or motivating.
That's why it's reasonable to be skeptical about the likely success of the current crop of wannabe Trumps. Hawley's religiosity and culture-war rigidity won't play well with these Trump Republicans who are just fine with premarital sex and legal weed, even if they're not fond of women having the right to file sexual harassment complaints. Cotton may roll out fascist fantasies that appeal to the QAnoners and the alt-right, but he's a stiff and, I suspect, won't appeal to those who enjoy Trump's wrestling-heel gift for insulting and degrading people. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who also wants to be the next Trump, has intense weenie energy that makes it hard for him to win these people over.
Trump speaks to the great American crackpot, especially the younger set that was otherwise more interested in perusing conspiracy theory websites or "pick-up artist" forums than in voting. These folks won't be moved by Hawley's promise of a handmaid in every bed or Cotton's promise of stormtroopers on the streets. In the face of the growing Democratic majority, Republicans need this subset of crank voters, who don't care about old-school culture-war fights over abortion or evolution, but sure do love QAnon. Without Trump's demented tweeting and his willingness to leave empirical reality behind, it's not clear how the GOP can keep the crank vote going.


alternet--2020-11-19--Dutiful civil servant are the true #Resistance leaders amid Trump's disastrous endgame

Donald Trump keeps spiking the ball in celebration of some supposed avenue to overturning the election result , only to be reminded that the game ended two weeks ago — and he lost .
Late on Tuesday evening , the president tweeted : `` Wow !
Michigan just refused to certify the election results !
Having courage is a beautiful thing .
The USA stands proud ! ''
Trump was responding to an effort by the two Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers not to certify the election results in Detroit , home to a majority Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suburbs to be certified .
The two Republicans forced a deadlock on the four-person panel , blocking the county-level certification of election results in the area for the first time in more than 100 years .
By the time Trump sent his celebratory tweet , however , public pressure had already caused the pair to backtrack .
`` The Trump stain , the stain of racism that you , William Hartmann and Monica Palmer , have just covered yourself in , is going to follow you throughout history , '' said Ned Staebler @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Staebler was one of several dozen people who called out the Republican commissioners during a Zoom meeting initially scheduled for 100 people , but which quickly filled up with 300 attendees .
While Staebler 's speech went viral , the entire meeting is worth watching , not only to see citizens speak up for their community in the face of such blatant attempts at disenfranchisement , but because of the many first-hand accounts about Republican election observers in Michigan essentially spending the entire time trying to disrupt the election process and harass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no confirmation of anecdotes spread by the Trump campaign that Republican votes were altered .
Hartmann and Palmer reversed their votes and certified the election results before the meeting was adjourned after three hours .
Even the Republican Senate majority leader in Michigan , who has launched an investigation into the election , has already sworn off any suggestion that the state award its 16 electors to Trump , who lost the state to Joe Biden by more than 146,000 votes .
`` That 's not going to happen , '' Senate Majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Michigan episode exposes how loyal some Trump supporters are when faced with even the slightest bit of scrutiny .
To be sure , it 's beyond dismaying to watch one of only two major political parties in the nation use any means necessary to sow doubt about the integrity of our democracy .
And while there 's no question our political situation has radically shifted for the worse , it 's also worth noting that , as damaging as the Trump era has been , the last two weeks have reintroduced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have long gone extinct : Republicans in elected office , and even in the Trump administration , who act with integrity .
Things would be undoubtedly worse right now if not for a handful of honest Republican election officials and dutiful civil servants .
While the Trump campaign has relentlessly attempted to weaponize the government in a bid to stop Biden from receiving 270 certified Electoral College votes , a Republican like Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger stands as a lonely voice of integrity among elected leaders in the GOP .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ party for the sin of running a clean election .
Georgia 's two Republican U.S. senators , Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue , who both facing Jan. 5 runoffs against Democratic challengers , have demanded his resignation .
Both Raffensperger and his wife have received death threats .
Even after all of that , after Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina , a close Trump ally , pressured him to exclude legally cast absentee ballots in the middle of Georgia 's recount .
What Graham did would be a felony in Georgia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law , since it was done through an interstate communication .
Yet Graham took to Twitter to laugh about his attempted election interference , that he had also contacted officials in Arizona and Nevada .
Arizona 's secretary of state , Katie Hobbs , blamed the violent threats she and her family have received on Trump and his allies in the Republican Party .
The Trump campaign is attempting to throw out ballots cast in at least six states , often in the most populous counties where voters of color comprise the majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smear any votes not cast by rural and suburban voters as suspicious .
Of course , if the Trump campaign were serious they 'd also be seeking recounts in heavily red counties to scrounge up more votes .
That suggests this entire charade is n't intended to change the outcome of the election ; it is intended to sow fear , uncertainty and doubt about the integrity of our democracy — and to generate `` legal defense fund '' donations to line the pockets of the man identified in previous legal cases as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to undermine public confidence in the electoral process since 2012 , when he baselessly alleged that voting machines changed votes for Mitt Romney to Barack Obama — a claim he resurfaced on Wednesday .
The day before , he unceremoniously fired the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency at the Department of Homeland Security via tweet .
That was Chris Krebs , a highly regarded tech expert who had received bipartisan praise for his work in making sure the 2020 election was secure .
His `` `` website meticulously tracked false @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , no matter the source .
Hours before he was fired , Krebs spread this message on Twitter : `` Please do n't retweet wild and baseless claims about voting machines , even if they 're made by the president . ''
Do n't expect the usual suspects who decry `` cancel culture '' to utter a peep , even as Trump 's flunkies about Krebs ' job performance .
For every loyalist Trump has installed in the government — like GSA administrator Emily Miller , whose refusal to allow for the formal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the next administration 's COVID response plan , or , the Federal Elections Commission chairman who floats baseless election conspiracy theories contrived by a Trump lawyer who thinks the Federal Reserve is deliberately sabotaging the economy to enrich George Soros — there are noble public servants like Krebs , willing to sacrifice their positions to speak truth to power .
To sustain a functioning democracy , however , it takes more than a few voices of courage to fend off creeping authoritarianism .
Election after election , the most marginalized have shown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think it suffices to say , `` History will be ashamed of you ! ''
seemingly forgetting that history is written by the victors .
Democrats gave George W. Bush and his administration a pass and now the GOP is happy to broil the surplus population even as they 've wrested control of the judicial branch for the next 30 or 40 years .
Republicans need to be held accountable for their bad behavior , or they will go even further the next time .
It would be a grave mistake for Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his people in the interests of `` unity . ''
There must be real consequence for open racism and attempted disenfranchisement , if Democrats hope to hold onto the voters who delivered victories for Biden in so many crucial states .

Donald Trump keeps spiking the ball in celebration of some supposed avenue to overturning the election result, only to be reminded that the game ended two weeks ago — and he lost.
Late on Tuesday evening, the president tweeted: "Wow! Michigan just refused to certify the election results! Having courage is a beautiful thing. The USA stands proud!" Trump was responding to an effort by the two Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers not to certify the election results in Detroit, home to a majority Black population, while allowing votes from majority-white suburbs to be certified. The two Republicans forced a deadlock on the four-person panel, blocking the county-level certification of election results in the area for the first time in more than 100 years. By the time Trump sent his celebratory tweet, however, public pressure had already caused the pair to backtrack.
"The Trump stain, the stain of racism that you, William Hartmann and Monica Palmer, have just covered yourself in, is going to follow you throughout history," said Ned Staebler, CEO of Detroit business incubator TechTown.
Staebler was one of several dozen people who called out the Republican commissioners during a Zoom meeting initially scheduled for 100 people, but which quickly filled up with 300 attendees. While Staebler's speech went viral, the entire meeting is worth watching, not only to see citizens speak up for their community in the face of such blatant attempts at disenfranchisement, but because of the many first-hand accounts about Republican election observers in Michigan essentially spending the entire time trying to disrupt the election process and harass poll workers.
Curiously, there was no confirmation of anecdotes spread by the Trump campaign that Republican votes were altered. Hartmann and Palmer reversed their votes and certified the election results before the meeting was adjourned after three hours. Even the Republican Senate majority leader in Michigan, who has launched an investigation into the election, has already sworn off any suggestion that the state award its 16 electors to Trump, who lost the state to Joe Biden by more than 146,000 votes.
"That's not going to happen," Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey told Bridge Michigan on Tuesday.
The Michigan episode exposes how loyal some Trump supporters are when faced with even the slightest bit of scrutiny. To be sure, it's beyond dismaying to watch one of only two major political parties in the nation use any means necessary to sow doubt about the integrity of our democracy. And while there's no question our political situation has radically shifted for the worse, it's also worth noting that, as damaging as the Trump era has been, the last two weeks have reintroduced the nation to a species many believed to have long gone extinct: Republicans in elected office, and even in the Trump administration, who act with integrity.
Things would be undoubtedly worse right now if not for a handful of honest Republican election officials and dutiful civil servants. While the Trump campaign has relentlessly attempted to weaponize the government in a bid to stop Biden from receiving 270 certified Electoral College votes, a Republican like Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger stands as a lonely voice of integrity among elected leaders in the GOP.
Raffensperger is being attacked by his own party for the sin of running a clean election. Georgia's two Republican U.S. senators, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, who both facing Jan. 5 runoffs against Democratic challengers, have demanded his resignation. Both Raffensperger and his wife have received death threats. Even after all of that, Raffensperger went public after Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a close Trump ally, pressured him to exclude legally cast absentee ballots in the middle of Georgia's recount.
What Graham did would be a felony in Georgia , and likely also a felony under federal law, since it was done through an interstate communication. Yet Graham took to Twitter to laugh about his attempted election interference, admitting that he had also contacted officials in Arizona and Nevada. Arizona's secretary of state, Katie Hobbs, blamed the violent threats she and her family have received on Trump and his allies in the Republican Party.
The Trump campaign is attempting to throw out ballots cast in at least six states, often in the most populous counties where voters of color comprise the majority. It's a transparent attempt to smear any votes not cast by rural and suburban voters as suspicious. Of course, if the Trump campaign were serious they'd also be seeking recounts in heavily red counties to scrounge up more votes. That suggests this entire charade isn't intended to change the outcome of the election; it is intended to sow fear, uncertainty and doubt about the integrity of our democracy — and to generate "legal defense fund" donations to line the pockets of the man identified in previous legal cases as "Individual-1."
Trump has sought to undermine public confidence in the electoral process since 2012, when he baselessly alleged that voting machines changed votes for Mitt Romney to Barack Obama — a claim he resurfaced on Wednesday. The day before, he unceremoniously fired the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency at the Department of Homeland Security via tweet.
That was Chris Krebs, a highly regarded tech expert who had received bipartisan praise for his work in making sure the 2020 election was secure. His " Rumor Control " website meticulously tracked false claims undermining the elections and corrected them, no matter the source. Hours before he was fired, Krebs spread this message on Twitter: "Please don't retweet wild and baseless claims about voting machines, even if they're made by the president." Don't expect the usual suspects who decry "cancel culture" to utter a peep, even as Trump's flunkies spread lies about Krebs' job performance.
For every loyalist Trump has installed in the government — like GSA administrator Emily Miller, whose refusal to allow for the formal Biden transition to commence ma cause delays in the next administration's COVID response plan, or Trey Trainor , the Federal Elections Commission chairman who floats baseless election conspiracy theories contrived by a Trump lawyer who thinks the Federal Reserve is deliberately sabotaging the economy to enrich George Soros — there are noble public servants like Krebs, willing to sacrifice their positions to speak truth to power.
To sustain a functioning democracy, however, it takes more than a few voices of courage to fend off creeping authoritarianism. Election after election, the most marginalized have shown up to vote for Democrats, who think it suffices to say, "History will be ashamed of you!" seemingly forgetting that history is written by the victors. Democrats gave George W. Bush and his administration a pass and now the GOP is happy to broil the surplus population even as they've wrested control of the judicial branch for the next 30 or 40 years. Republicans need to be held accountable for their bad behavior, or they will go even further the next time. It would be a grave mistake for Joe Biden to discourage investigations into Trump and his people in the interests of "unity." There must be real consequence for open racism and attempted disenfranchisement, if Democrats hope to hold onto the voters who delivered victories for Biden in so many crucial states.


alternet--2020-11-19--'No vaccine for climate change': COVID is disastrous — but Red Cross says eco collapse poses greater

'No vaccine for climate change': COVID is disastrous — but Red Cross says eco collapse poses greater threat

`` The Covid-19 pandemic has shown how vulnerable the world is to a truly global catastrophe .
But another , bigger , catastrophe has been building for many decades , and humanity is still lagging far behind in efforts to address it . ''
So begins Come Heat or High Water , the 2020 World Disasters Report ( pdf ) published Tuesday by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies ( IFRC ) .
While `` Covid-19 has demonstrated that humanity has the capacity to recognize and respond to a global crisis , '' the authors wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more significant challenge to humanity ... one which literally threatens our long-term survival . ''
Indeed , `` the impacts of global warming are already killing people and devastating lives and livelihoods every year , '' including in 2020 , the report noted .
`` Climate change is not waiting for Covid-19 to be brought under control . ''
The analysis showed that more than 100 climate change-related disasters occurred in just the first six months of the pandemic , affecting over 50 million people .
`` Many people are being directly affected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at once , '' the report said , drawing attention to what researchers called `` compounding shocks . ''
`` And the world 's poorest and most at-risk people are being hit first and hardest , '' which is consistent with `` trends in vulnerability and exposure '' that have led scholars to describe climate as a `` risk multiplier . ''
While there is hope that one or more vaccines will soon provide protection against the coronavirus , IFRC Secretary-General Jagan Chapagain told reporters that `` unfortunately , there is no vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contrary , the report stressed that climate-driven disasters `` will only get worse without immediate and determined action . ''
According to the IFRC : • In the past 10 years , 83 % of all disasters triggered by natural hazards were caused by extreme weather- and climate-related events , such as floods , storms and heatwaves ; • The number of climate- and weather-related disasters has been increasing since the 1960s , and has risen almost 35 % since the 1990s ; • The proportion of all disasters attributable to climate and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during this time , from 76 % of all disasters during the 2000s to 83 % in the 2010s ; • These extreme weather- and climate-related disasters have killed more than 410,000 people in the past 10 years , the vast majority in low and lower middle-income countries ; and • Heatwaves , then storms , have been the biggest killers .
A further 1.7 billion people around the world have been affected by climate and weather-related disasters during the past decade .
Governments `` may well be 'busy ' with the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acknowledged , but the climate crisis is getting worse—not taking a break—meaning `` there 's still never been a more urgent time to ... adapt to its realities . ''
`` We must work to limit the deaths and damage that climate-driven disasters are already '' causing , the report noted , while also `` taking action to reverse climate change . ''
The good news , the authors wrote , is that `` the massive stimulus packages that are being developed around the world in response to Covid-19 are an opportunity to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the climate crisis is much more dangerous to human life on Earth than the pandemic , the $ 10 trillion spent on the global response to the economic effects of the coronavirus crisis is far more than the amount of money the Red Cross said is necessary to `` adapt to current and imminent climate-driven disaster risks . ''
According to the IFRC , `` it would take an estimated $ 50 billion annually to meet the adaptation requirements set out by 50 developing countries for the coming decade . ''
The report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in ] a green recovery , but an adaptive one , using funds to ... create jobs [ while ] making communities safer and more resilient . ''
Using `` resources well '' is crucial , the authors argued , given the `` uneven geographic impacts of ... hazards between regions , '' as well as how land-use patterns and socio-economic inequalities `` affect who is at greatest risk ... within countries . ''
The Red Cross pointed out that `` funding for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction does not seem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk and with the lowest ability to adapt and cope with these risks . ''
`` Many highly vulnerable countries are left behind , receiving little climate change adaptation support , '' the analysis showed .
`` None of the 20 countries most vulnerable to climate change and to climate- and weather-related disasters were among the 20 highest per person recipients of climate change adaptation funding . ''
`` An additional challenge is ensuring that funding reaches the most at-risk people within these countries , '' the report continued .
`` Many communities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , from people affected by conflict whose capacity to manage shocks is already strained , to migrants and displaced people who may struggle to access the services and assistance they need , to urban poor people and other marginalized communities . ''
We must `` get the priorities right , '' the authors added , and ensure that support reaches the `` communities that are most exposed and vulnerable to climate risks . ''
`` Let 's not miss our chance , '' the report said , calling on society to `` act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ''

"The Covid-19 pandemic has shown how vulnerable the world is to a truly global catastrophe. But another, bigger, catastrophe has been building for many decades, and humanity is still lagging far behind in efforts to address it."
So begins Come Heat or High Water, the 2020 World Disasters Report (pdf) published Tuesday by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
While "Covid-19 has demonstrated that humanity has the capacity to recognize and respond to a global crisis," the authors wrote, "climate change is an even more significant challenge to humanity... one which literally threatens our long-term survival."
Indeed, "the impacts of global warming are already killing people and devastating lives and livelihoods every year," including in 2020, the report noted. "Climate change is not waiting for Covid-19 to be brought under control."
The analysis showed that more than 100 climate change-related disasters occurred in just the first six months of the pandemic, affecting over 50 million people.
"Many people are being directly affected by the pandemic and climate-driven disasters all at once," the report said, drawing attention to what researchers called "compounding shocks."
"And the world's poorest and most at-risk people are being hit first and hardest," which is consistent with "trends in vulnerability and exposure" that have led scholars to describe climate as a "risk multiplier."
While there is hope that one or more vaccines will soon provide protection against the coronavirus, IFRC Secretary-General Jagan Chapagain told reporters that "unfortunately, there is no vaccine for climate change."
To the contrary, the report stressed that climate-driven disasters "will only get worse without immediate and determined action."
According to the IFRC:
In the past 10 years, 83% of all disasters triggered by natural hazards were caused by extreme weather- and climate-related events, such as floods, storms and heatwaves;
The number of climate- and weather-related disasters has been increasing since the 1960s, and has risen almost 35% since the 1990s;
The proportion of all disasters attributable to climate and extreme weather events has also increased significantly during this time, from 76% of all disasters during the 2000s to 83% in the 2010s;
These extreme weather- and climate-related disasters have killed more than 410,000 people in the past 10 years, the vast majority in low and lower middle-income countries; and
Heatwaves, then storms, have been the biggest killers. A further 1.7 billion people around the world have been affected by climate and weather-related disasters during the past decade.
Governments "may well be 'busy' with the pandemic" right now, the Red Cross acknowledged, but the climate crisis is getting worse—not taking a break—meaning "there's still never been a more urgent time to... adapt to its realities."
"We must work to limit the deaths and damage that climate-driven disasters are already" causing, the report noted, while also "taking action to reverse climate change."
The good news, the authors wrote, is that "the massive stimulus packages that are being developed around the world in response to Covid-19 are an opportunity to build back better."
Even though the climate crisis is much more dangerous to human life on Earth than the pandemic, the $10 trillion spent on the global response to the economic effects of the coronavirus crisis is far more than the amount of money the Red Cross said is necessary to "adapt to current and imminent climate-driven disaster risks."
According to the IFRC, "it would take an estimated $50 billion annually to meet the adaptation requirements set out by 50 developing countries for the coming decade."
The report advocated for investing "not only [in] a green recovery, but an adaptive one, using funds to... create jobs [while] making communities safer and more resilient."
Using "resources well" is crucial, the authors argued, given the "uneven geographic impacts of... hazards between regions," as well as how land-use patterns and socio-economic inequalities "affect who is at greatest risk... within countries."
The Red Cross pointed out that "funding for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction does not seem to consistently prioritize the countries at highest risk and with the lowest ability to adapt and cope with these risks."
"Many highly vulnerable countries are left behind, receiving little climate change adaptation support," the analysis showed. "None of the 20 countries most vulnerable to climate change and to climate- and weather-related disasters were among the 20 highest per person recipients of climate change adaptation funding."
"An additional challenge is ensuring that funding reaches the most at-risk people within these countries," the report continued. "Many communities may be particularly vulnerable to climate-related risks, from people affected by conflict whose capacity to manage shocks is already strained, to migrants and displaced people who may struggle to access the services and assistance they need, to urban poor people and other marginalized communities."
We must "get the priorities right," the authors added, and ensure that support reaches the "communities that are most exposed and vulnerable to climate risks."
"Let's not miss our chance," the report said, calling on society to "act effectively before it's too late."


alternet--2020-11-19--Georgia runoffs: Robert Reich breaks down how you can help flip the Senate

The battle for the Senate is far from over .
Both of Georgia 's Senate races are going into runoffs , as no candidate in either race received more than 50 percent of the vote .
Reverend Raphael Warnock is facing off against Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler .
And Jon Ossoff is challenging Republican David Perdue .
The winners of the races , and – therefore – control of the Senate , will be decided on January 5th .
If both Warnock and Ossoff win their races , the Senate is tied 50-50 .
And with Kamala Harris as Vice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote .
Here 's what you need to know about the Republicans defending their seats .
Kelly Loeffler has used her brief tenure in Congress to praise Trump at every turn , ignore the needs of her constituents , and protect her own bottom line .
In April , it was reported that she made millions of dollars worth of stock trades before the public knew about the severity of the coronavirus pandemic and the likelihood of a stock market crash .
She began making trades the same day Congress received a classified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four days later she accused Democrats of fearmongering about the virus and parroted Trump 's line that everything was under control .
She has denied knowing anything about the trades , but the whole saga reeks of corruption .
Senator David Perdue also began making suspicious stock trades on January 24th , the day of the classified briefing .
That same day , he bought stock in DuPont , a chemical company that produces personal protective equipment .
Throughout the pandemic , he joined Loeffler in praising Trump 's deadly response and downplayed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Loeffler represent one of the worst tenets of today 's GOP : governing for personal gain while ignoring the needs of their constituents .
They 're also emblematic of the party 's overt racism : Loeffler called the movement for Black lives and racial justice `` divisive '' and claimed it `` seeks to destroy American principles '' , and Perdue recently went viral for intentionally mispronouncing Kamala Harris ' name at a Trump rally .
Loeffler has even been endorsed by right-wing extremist Marjorie Taylor Greene , a QAnon promoter with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oh , and they 're happy to parrot Trump 's baseless claims about voter fraud , even calling on Georgia 's Republican Secretary of State to resign because of supposed `` failures in Georgia elections this year '' – without providing any evidence of what those failures were .
Georgians deserve better .
They deserve senators who will fight for them in Washington – they deserve the leadership of Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff .
Warnock 's platform is all about serving the people of Georgia – unlike his opponent Loeffler , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Warnock serves as Senior Pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta , the former pulpit of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King , Jr .
He supports Medicaid expansion , instituting a living wage , restoring the Voting Rights Act , and overhauling our cruel system of mass incarceration .
Jon Ossoff has dedicated his career to taking on corruption – a fitting replacement for David Perdue .
Ossoff supports campaign finance reform ; making massive investments in environmental protection to save our climate ; protecting Roe v. Wade ; and common sense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can do to make the biggest impact in this make-or-break fight , which will determine whether we take back the Senate from Mitch McConnell : — Georgians have until December 7th to register to vote in the runoffs .
You can make calls to Georgia voters to help them get registered before the deadline .
17-year-old Georgians who turn 18 by January 5 , 2021 are eligible to vote in the run-off election that will be held on that date .
Please spread the word .
— Let locals lead .
Donate directly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grassroots organizations led by communities of color , who worked tirelessly to register new voters and mobilize the state for Joe Biden .
FairFight Action , New Georgia Project , and Black Voters Matter Fund are a few of the organizations to support in this moment and beyond .
You can split a donation between FairFight and the two campaigns by going to GASenate.com , and donate to New Georgia Project ( newgeorgiaproject.org ) and Black Voters Matter Fund ( blackvotersmatterfund.org ) at their websites .
— Volunteer with the Warnock and Ossoff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information you need by heading to mobilize.us/fairfightaction , mobilize.us/electjon , or mobilize.us/warnockforgeorgia .
Georgia , home to John Lewis , is now the ultimate battlefield , thanks to years of grassroots organizing by Black leaders like Lewis , Stacey Abrams , Nse Ufot , Helen Butler , Deborah Scott , Tamieka Atkins , and countless others .
Their hard work has gotten Georgia to this crucial junction , and now it 's up to the rest of us to support them in every way possible .
The stakes could n't be higher .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Senate , and usher in the transformative change this nation requires .
Georgia Runoffs : How You Can Help Flip the Senate | Robert Reich

The battle for the Senate is far from over.
Both of Georgia's Senate races are going into runoffs, as no candidate in either race received more than 50 percent of the vote.
Reverend Raphael Warnock is facing off against Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler. And Jon Ossoff is challenging Republican David Perdue.
The winners of the races, and – therefore – control of the Senate, will be decided on January 5th. If both Warnock and Ossoff win their races, the Senate is tied 50-50. And with Kamala Harris as Vice President, she'll have the tie-breaking vote.
Here's what you need to know about the Republicans defending their seats.
Kelly Loeffler has used her brief tenure in Congress to praise Trump at every turn, ignore the needs of her constituents, and protect her own bottom line.
In April, it was reported that she made millions of dollars worth of stock trades before the public knew about the severity of the coronavirus pandemic and the likelihood of a stock market crash. She began making trades the same day Congress received a classified briefing about the virus, and just four days later she accused Democrats of fearmongering about the virus and parroted Trump's line that everything was under control. She has denied knowing anything about the trades, but the whole saga reeks of corruption.
Senator David Perdue also began making suspicious stock trades on January 24th, the day of the classified briefing. That same day, he bought stock in DuPont, a chemical company that produces personal protective equipment. Throughout the pandemic, he joined Loeffler in praising Trump's deadly response and downplayed the virus to the public.
Perdue and Loeffler represent one of the worst tenets of today's GOP: governing for personal gain while ignoring the needs of their constituents.
They're also emblematic of the party's overt racism: Loeffler called the movement for Black lives and racial justice "divisive" and claimed it "seeks to destroy American principles", and Perdue recently went viral for intentionally mispronouncing Kamala Harris' name at a Trump rally.
Loeffler has even been endorsed by right-wing extremist Marjorie Taylor Greene, a QAnon promoter with a history of making racist comments.
Oh, and they're happy to parrot Trump's baseless claims about voter fraud, even calling on Georgia's Republican Secretary of State to resign because of supposed "failures in Georgia elections this year" – without providing any evidence of what those failures were.
Georgians deserve better. They deserve senators who will fight for them in Washington – they deserve the leadership of Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff.
Warnock's platform is all about serving the people of Georgia – unlike his opponent Loeffler, who only serves herself and her rich friends. Warnock serves as Senior Pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, the former pulpit of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He supports Medicaid expansion, instituting a living wage, restoring the Voting Rights Act, and overhauling our cruel system of mass incarceration.
Jon Ossoff has dedicated his career to taking on corruption – a fitting replacement for David Perdue. Ossoff supports campaign finance reform; making massive investments in environmental protection to save our climate; protecting Roe v. Wade; and common sense gun reform.
Here's what you can do to make the biggest impact in this make-or-break fight, which will determine whether we take back the Senate from Mitch McConnell:
— Georgians have until December 7th to register to vote in the runoffs. You can make calls to Georgia voters to help them get registered before the deadline. 17-year-old Georgians who turn 18 by January 5, 2021 are eligible to vote in the run-off election that will be held on that date. Please spread the word.
— Let locals lead. Donate directly to the candidates' campaigns and to grassroots organizations led by communities of color, who worked tirelessly to register new voters and mobilize the state for Joe Biden. FairFight Action, New Georgia Project, and Black Voters Matter Fund are a few of the organizations to support in this moment and beyond. You can split a donation between FairFight and the two campaigns by going to GASenate.com, and donate to New Georgia Project (newgeorgiaproject.org) and Black Voters Matter Fund (blackvotersmatterfund.org) at their websites.
— Volunteer with the Warnock and Ossoff campaigns. You can find all the information you need by heading to mobilize.us/fairfightaction, mobilize.us/electjon, or mobilize.us/warnockforgeorgia.
Georgia, home to John Lewis, is now the ultimate battlefield, thanks to years of grassroots organizing by Black leaders like Lewis, Stacey Abrams, Nse Ufot, Helen Butler, Deborah Scott, Tamieka Atkins, and countless others. Their hard work has gotten Georgia to this crucial junction, and now it's up to the rest of us to support them in every way possible.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Let's bring this home, flip the Senate, and usher in the transformative change this nation requires.
Watch:


alternet--2020-11-19--'Substantial evidence': Mueller prosecutor explains why Biden could be forced to prosecute Trump

When President Barack Obama came into office , he wanted to `` move on '' from the previous administration 's scandals and ultimately ignored President George W. Bush 's administration 's use of torture on prisoners of war taken during the Iraq and Afghanistan battles .
President-elect Joe Biden has privately told campaign allies that he does n't want to spend his entire administration dealing with the crimes of President Donald Trump .
But with things reaching such an egregious level of lawlessness , he may have no choice .
Former senior prosecutor for special counsel Robert Mueller , Andrew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Velshi that Trump 's situation is very different from any other president in history .
`` We 're going to be , as of January 20th , 2021 , in the situation where we no longer are talking about indicting the president but , rather , a former president , somebody who is a civilian , '' Weissmann explained .
`` And the question 's going to be : Does the rule of law apply to that person ?
And it 's very hard to see an argument if it is shown , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ District Attorney 's office that the president has committed tens of millions of dollars of tax fraud or bank fraud or both .
Any other person would normally be prosecuted , then it really should n't be the case that just because he becomes president , that he should n't have the day in court where a jury decides whether or not he committed those crimes prior to becoming president . ''
As for his conduct during the Mueller investigation , Weissmann explained that not prosecuting Trump for the ten examples of obstruction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counsel investigations in the future pointless .
`` You have to remember in the Mueller report , there is substantial evidence that the president obstructed justice , in other words , obstructed the special counsel investigation , '' he continued .
`` And to me , that 's even more important to vindicate .
If you are not going to hold a president accountable for a special counsel investigation obstruction , then there 's no reason to actually have a special counsel in the future .
In other words , the precedent that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do n't bother appointing a special counsel because there is n't going to be any accountability to a president who obstructs that investigation . ''
A New York Times column suggested that putting Trump on trial for obstruction of justice will be perceived as Biden putting 72 million Americans who voted for Trump on trial .
`` You know , I think that 's looking at it the wrong way , '' Weissmann explained .
`` Remember , a jury is going to have to make the decision and is going to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the same way any other defendant is entitled to all of the due process rights that we have in this country .
And Donald Trump , if he were to be indicted , whether federally or by the Manhattan District Attorney 's office , would enjoy all of those same rights in the same way , for instance , that Paul Manafort went to trial and a jury made up of citizens from a cross-section of the community made a decision regardless of politics , whether someone 's a Democrat or a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the law .
And Donald Trump would face the same kind of jury making that determination . ''
Trump , like every other American , deserves his day in court and deserves an opportunity to be vindicated by a jury of his peers .
Biden could appoint a special counsel , he could delegate any Trump charges to district prosecutors , and have nothing to do with any of Trump 's impending legal troubles .
Trump will be facing a number of suits when he leaves office on the state level and civil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department indictments .
If it happens early enough in his presidency , Biden has an option to get it out of the way , and all of the suits can meld into each other in the public 's mind .
Given that Biden was elected by many Americans voting against Trump , he could be hurting any reelection chances by ignoring the president 's lawlessness .
See the video of Weissmann below : Mueller prosecutor explains why Biden will have to indict Trump whether he wants to or not

When President Barack Obama came into office, he wanted to "move on" from the previous administration's scandals and ultimately ignored President George W. Bush's administration's use of torture on prisoners of war taken during the Iraq and Afghanistan battles.
President-elect Joe Biden has privately told campaign allies that he doesn't want to spend his entire administration dealing with the crimes of President Donald Trump. But with things reaching such an egregious level of lawlessness, he may have no choice.
Former senior prosecutor for special counsel Robert Mueller, Andrew Weissmann, explained to MSNBC's Ali Velshi that Trump's situation is very different from any other president in history.
"We're going to be, as of January 20th, 2021, in the situation where we no longer are talking about indicting the president but, rather, a former president, somebody who is a civilian," Weissmann explained. "And the question's going to be: Does the rule of law apply to that person? And it's very hard to see an argument if it is shown, for instance, that in the Manhattan District Attorney's office that the president has committed tens of millions of dollars of tax fraud or bank fraud or both. Any other person would normally be prosecuted, then it really shouldn't be the case that just because he becomes president, that he shouldn't have the day in court where a jury decides whether or not he committed those crimes prior to becoming president."
As for his conduct during the Mueller investigation, Weissmann explained that not prosecuting Trump for the ten examples of obstruction of justice would essentially make all special counsel investigations in the future pointless.
"You have to remember in the Mueller report, there is substantial evidence that the president obstructed justice, in other words, obstructed the special counsel investigation," he continued. "And to me, that's even more important to vindicate. If you are not going to hold a president accountable for a special counsel investigation obstruction, then there's no reason to actually have a special counsel in the future. In other words, the precedent that you're setting in the future is don't bother appointing a special counsel because there isn't going to be any accountability to a president who obstructs that investigation."
A New York Times column suggested that putting Trump on trial for obstruction of justice will be perceived as Biden putting 72 million Americans who voted for Trump on trial.
"You know, I think that's looking at it the wrong way," Weissmann explained. "Remember, a jury is going to have to make the decision and is going to have to find proof beyond a reasonable doubt in the same way any other defendant is entitled to all of the due process rights that we have in this country. And Donald Trump, if he were to be indicted, whether federally or by the Manhattan District Attorney's office, would enjoy all of those same rights in the same way, for instance, that Paul Manafort went to trial and a jury made up of citizens from a cross-section of the community made a decision regardless of politics, whether someone's a Democrat or a Republican, just on the facts and the law. And Donald Trump would face the same kind of jury making that determination."
Trump, like every other American, deserves his day in court and deserves an opportunity to be vindicated by a jury of his peers. Biden could appoint a special counsel, he could delegate any Trump charges to district prosecutors, and have nothing to do with any of Trump's impending legal troubles. Trump will be facing a number of suits when he leaves office on the state level and civil level, even without any Biden Justice Department indictments. If it happens early enough in his presidency, Biden has an option to get it out of the way, and all of the suits can meld into each other in the public's mind. Given that Biden was elected by many Americans voting against Trump, he could be hurting any reelection chances by ignoring the president's lawlessness.
See the video of Weissmann below:


alternet--2020-11-19--The coming Thanksgiving massacre

The coming Thanksgiving massacre

Though doctors are significantly more prepared to fight COVID-19 and save patients ' lives from the coronavirus than they were when the pandemic first spread across the world in early 2019 , the infection remains a deadly and devastating assault on the human body .
And just as experts predicted , the cold fall weather has facilitated a resurgence in the virus , with well over 100,000 Americans being diagnosed with the illness each day , a rate that was once unimaginable .
On Wednesday , the COVID Tracking Project reported that there were 1,869 deaths from the virus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and hospitalizations reached a record-high of 79,000 .
We 're in a horrifying time of unmitigated community spread in much of the country .
Hospitals are once again getting overwhelmed , and health care workers are at their wits ' ends .
And on top of all that , Thanksgiving is around the corner .
With so much of the country desperate to reclaim their lives and disregard worries about the virus , many families are expected to gather in large numbers , perhaps for the first time all year , under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The tragic and predictable result of such gatherings will almost certainly be an even greater increase in the chilling levels of mass death that we 're already seeing .
How can we be confident about this ?
It 's already happened in Canada , which celebrates its Thanksgiving on the same day as Americans recognize Columbus Day .
Dr. Laura Rosella explained that there is evidence that Thanksgiving gatherings are partly to blame for the increase in cases the country has seen .
`` We were seeing an increase of cases leading up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the University of Toronto told CBS News .
`` Cases were indeed increasing already , but we definitely saw an increase in the rate of transmission after Thanksgiving .
And we know that Thanksgiving is important for a couple of reasons .
One is through contact tracing data . ''
She continued : `` We 've seen quite a big acceleration in the two weeks following Thanksgiving , and it 's not the only reason the cases are increasing , it 's not the only setting in which transmission is occurring , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transmit COVID . ''
As I said at the start , the case-mortality rate has significantly decreased since the beginning of the pandemic , largely because we understand the disease much better .
But one of the biggest fears about virus has always been that , because it spreads so rapidly , it can easily overwhelm health care systems .
And when a hospital is overwhelmed , patients may not be able to get the same level of care as they otherwise would , and the mortality rate will increase .
Since we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of infection in the United States , particularly in regions such as North Dakota , South Dakota , and south Texas , we may be approaching those limits .
A new surge in the level of infection could push the limits even further .
When the country was first hit hard with the virus in the spring , the worst outbreak was concentrated in New York City , and it was brutal .
But because it was so localized , support from much of the rest of the country , including health care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in and buoy the stressed system .
With surges taking place all over , though , it seems less likely this support will be available for hardest-hit areas .
We know many people are planning to travel for Thanksgiving , despite the risks .
United Airlines has added over 1,400 extra flights for the holiday due to a surge in demand .
We also know there are ways to spend time together that greatly mitigate the risks of viral spread .
Spending time together outside , limiting cross-household interactions , wearing masks while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make everyone much safer .
And be particularly cautious about people who are elderly or are otherwise in a significant risk group for the virus .
The CDC has put out helpful guidance for celebrating Thanksgiving safely .
But much of the country , unfortunately , has followed President Donald Trump 's lead in dismissing the risks posed by the virus .
Right-wing commentator Dave Rubin , for example , openly mocked safety guidelines for Thanksgiving in a video : And Trump 's favorite medical adviser , Dr. Scott Atlas , sparked blowback @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that family events should be limited to reduce the risk of spreading the virus to vulnerable people .
`` This kind of isolation is one of the unspoken tragedies of the elderly , who are now being told 'do n't see your family at Thanksgiving , ' '' Atlas said on Fox News .
`` For many people , this is their final Thanksgiving believe it or not . ''
Of course , if the country had done a better job controlling the spread of the virus before now , as many other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much freedom to safely spend time with our families .
Instead , people like Atlas pushed an approach to the virus that guaranteed that Thanksgiving gatherings would be a cruel form of gambling with families ' healths .
And because there has been so much positive news recently about the possibility that we 'll have several highly effective vaccines to choose from by next spring , there 's an even stronger case for embracing restrictive countermeasures to the virus now .
If we can keep infection rates down now and until the vaccines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to save tens of thousands , if not more .
Accepting the real costs of foregoing a favorite holiday now may mean that some people will survive for many more holidays that they would otherwise not be alive to enjoy .
But we know much of the country will reject any insistence that we curtail our desires now so that many more of us can live to see the future .
That 's just reality , and it means we 'll see even more widespread and unnecessary death .
Some people have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of course , and take it more seriously than they once did .
But far too often , this change of heart comes far too late .
Consider the case of Eli Saslow , who told his story in the Washington Post : I used to call it the `` scamdemic . ''
I thought it was an overblown media hoax .
I made fun of people for wearing masks .
I went all the way down the rabbit hole and fell hard on my own sword , so if you want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's fine .
I 'm doing plenty of that myself .
The party was my idea .
That 's what I ca n't get over .
Well , I mean , it was n't even a party — more like a get-together .
There were just six of us , okay ?
My parents , my partner , and my partner 's parents .
We 'd been locked down for months at that point in Texas , and the governor had just come out and said small gatherings were probably okay .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had n't been together in forever .
It was finally summer .
I thought the worst was behind us .
I was like : `` Hell , let 's get on with our lives .
What are we so afraid of ? ''
I woke up Sunday morning feeling a little iffy .
I have a lot of issues with sleeping , and I thought that 's probably what it was .
I let everyone know : `` I do n't feel right , but I 'm guessing it might be exhaustion .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ There was a weird vibration inside .
I had a bug-eye feeling .
A few hours later , my partner was feeling a little bad , too .
Then my parents .
Then my father-in-law got sick the next day , after he 'd already left and gone to Austin to witness the birth of his first grandchild .
I have no idea which one of us brought the virus into the house , but all six of us left with it .
It kept spreading from there .
Six infections turned into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It spread from one family member to the next , and it was like each person caught a different strain .
My mother-in-law got it and never had any real symptoms .
My father is 78 , and he went to get checked out at the hospital , but for whatever reasons , he seemed to recover really fast .
My father-in-law nearly died in his living room and then ended up in the same hospital as me on the exact same day .
His mother was in the room right next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ breathing .
They were lying there on both sides of the wall , fighting the same virus , and neither of them ever knew the other one was there .
She died after a few weeks .
On the day of her funeral , five more family members tested positive .
It 's difficult to avoid the conclusion that this kind of story will be far more common within in a couple weeks .
It 's avoidable , but we wo n't avoid it .
The virus will carry out a Thanksgiving massacre @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Though doctors are significantly more prepared to fight COVID-19 and save patients' lives from the coronavirus than they were when the pandemic first spread across the world in early 2019, the infection remains a deadly and devastating assault on the human body. And just as experts predicted, the cold fall weather has facilitated a resurgence in the virus, with well over 100,000 Americans being diagnosed with the illness each day, a rate that was once unimaginable. On Wednesday, the COVID Tracking Project reported that there were 1,869 deaths from the virus, a level not seen since May, and hospitalizations reached a record-high of 79,000.
We're in a horrifying time of unmitigated community spread in much of the country. Hospitals are once again getting overwhelmed, and health care workers are at their wits' ends.
And on top of all that, Thanksgiving is around the corner. With so much of the country desperate to reclaim their lives and disregard worries about the virus, many families are expected to gather in large numbers, perhaps for the first time all year, under the same roof and with no masks. The tragic and predictable result of such gatherings will almost certainly be an even greater increase in the chilling levels of mass death that we're already seeing.
How can we be confident about this? It's already happened in Canada, which celebrates its Thanksgiving on the same day as Americans recognize Columbus Day. Dr. Laura Rosella explained that there is evidence that Thanksgiving gatherings are partly to blame for the increase in cases the country has seen.
"We were seeing an increase of cases leading up to Thanksgiving," the epidemiologist at the University of Toronto told CBS News. "Cases were indeed increasing already, but we definitely saw an increase in the rate of transmission after Thanksgiving. And we know that Thanksgiving is important for a couple of reasons. One is through contact tracing data."
She continued: "We've seen quite a big acceleration in the two weeks following Thanksgiving, and it's not the only reason the cases are increasing, it's not the only setting in which transmission is occurring, but definitely when people gathered indoors it did transmit COVID."
As I said at the start, the case-mortality rate has significantly decreased since the beginning of the pandemic, largely because we understand the disease much better. But one of the biggest fears about virus has always been that, because it spreads so rapidly, it can easily overwhelm health care systems. And when a hospital is overwhelmed, patients may not be able to get the same level of care as they otherwise would, and the mortality rate will increase. Since we're already at an exceptionally high level of infection in the United States, particularly in regions such as North Dakota, South Dakota, and south Texas, we may be approaching those limits. A new surge in the level of infection could push the limits even further.
When the country was first hit hard with the virus in the spring, the worst outbreak was concentrated in New York City, and it was brutal. But because it was so localized, support from much of the rest of the country, including health care relief workers, were able to flood in and buoy the stressed system. With surges taking place all over, though, it seems less likely this support will be available for hardest-hit areas.
We know many people are planning to travel for Thanksgiving, despite the risks. United Airlines has added over 1,400 extra flights for the holiday due to a surge in demand.
We also know there are ways to spend time together that greatly mitigate the risks of viral spread. Spending time together outside, limiting cross-household interactions, wearing masks while in the company of others, can make everyone much safer. And be particularly cautious about people who are elderly or are otherwise in a significant risk group for the virus. The CDC has put out helpful guidance for celebrating Thanksgiving safely.
But much of the country, unfortunately, has followed President Donald Trump's lead in dismissing the risks posed by the virus. Right-wing commentator Dave Rubin, for example, openly mocked safety guidelines for Thanksgiving in a video:
(It's worth considering how people would react to a similar open disregard for health guidelines related to sexually transmitted infections.)
And Trump's favorite medical adviser, Dr. Scott Atlas, sparked blowback when he spoke out against the idea that family events should be limited to reduce the risk of spreading the virus to vulnerable people.
"This kind of isolation is one of the unspoken tragedies of the elderly, who are now being told 'don't see your family at Thanksgiving,'" Atlas said on Fox News. "For many people, this is their final Thanksgiving believe it or not."
Of course, if the country had done a better job controlling the spread of the virus before now, as many other countries have done, we'd have much freedom to safely spend time with our families. Instead, people like Atlas pushed an approach to the virus that guaranteed that Thanksgiving gatherings would be a cruel form of gambling with families' healths.
And because there has been so much positive news recently about the possibility that we'll have several highly effective vaccines to choose from by next spring, there's an even stronger case for embracing restrictive countermeasures to the virus now. If we can keep infection rates down now and until the vaccines are widely available, we may be able to save tens of thousands, if not more. Accepting the real costs of foregoing a favorite holiday now may mean that some people will survive for many more holidays that they would otherwise not be alive to enjoy.
But we know much of the country will reject any insistence that we curtail our desires now so that many more of us can live to see the future. That's just reality, and it means we'll see even more widespread and unnecessary death.
Some people have changed their minds about the pandemic, of course, and take it more seriously than they once did. But far too often, this change of heart comes far too late. Consider the case of Eli Saslow, who told his story in the Washington Post:
I used to call it the "scamdemic." I thought it was an overblown media hoax. I made fun of people for wearing masks. I went all the way down the rabbit hole and fell hard on my own sword, so if you want to hate me or blame me, that's fine. I'm doing plenty of that myself.
The party was my idea. That's what I can't get over. Well, I mean, it wasn't even a party — more like a get-together. There were just six of us, okay? My parents, my partner, and my partner's parents. We'd been locked down for months at that point in Texas, and the governor had just come out and said small gatherings were probably okay. We're a close family, and we hadn't been together in forever. It was finally summer. I thought the worst was behind us. I was like: "Hell, let's get on with our lives. What are we so afraid of?"
...
I woke up Sunday morning feeling a little iffy. I have a lot of issues with sleeping, and I thought that's probably what it was. I let everyone know: "I don't feel right, but I'm guessing it might be exhaustion." I was kind of achy. There was a weird vibration inside. I had a bug-eye feeling.
A few hours later, my partner was feeling a little bad, too. Then my parents. Then my father-in-law got sick the next day, after he'd already left and gone to Austin to witness the birth of his first grandchild. I have no idea which one of us brought the virus into the house, but all six of us left with it. It kept spreading from there.
...
Six infections turned into nine. Nine went up to 14. It spread from one family member to the next, and it was like each person caught a different strain. My mother-in-law got it and never had any real symptoms. My father is 78, and he went to get checked out at the hospital, but for whatever reasons, he seemed to recover really fast. My father-in-law nearly died in his living room and then ended up in the same hospital as me on the exact same day. His mother was in the room right next to him because she was having trouble breathing. They were lying there on both sides of the wall, fighting the same virus, and neither of them ever knew the other one was there. She died after a few weeks. On the day of her funeral, five more family members tested positive.
It's difficult to avoid the conclusion that this kind of story will be far more common within in a couple weeks. It's avoidable, but we won't avoid it. The virus will carry out a Thanksgiving massacre, and we'll let it happen.


alternet--2020-11-20--'She got angry': Tucker Carlson just exposed a Trump lawyer's sketchy charade in the most bizarre wa

'She got angry': Tucker Carlson just exposed a Trump lawyer's sketchy charade in the most bizarre way

On Thursday night , Fox News ' Tucker Carlson got an impressive scoop .
Unfortunately for him , it did n't fit with his ideological agenda .
So instead of presenting it in the most straightforward and direct way possible , he skewed the news in such a warped fashion that an observer who was n't paying close attention might not realize what the real bombshell was .
Here 's what happened : Sidney Powell , an extreme right-wing lawyer , has joined the Trump campaign 's efforts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 election .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deliver a litany of wacky talking points and absurd conspiracy theories , all aimed at supporting that idea that President Donald Trump won a second term ( he did n't ) .
For her part , Powell alleged a massive conspiracy involving vote-counting software that manufactured votes for Joe Biden to prevent a Trump win .
To be clear , there 's no reason to believe this is true , and it 's hard to believe it could even possibly be true .
States use different systems for their elections , and they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Recounts and audits can check electronic counts by hand and verify their accuracy .
And trying to mess with the voter tallies in a plausible way would be incredibly challenging to pull off , given the complexity of the system and the amount of scrutiny the process gets from all sides .
( And apparently Democrats who were rigging the election , in her delusional account , apparently forgot to rig several key Senate elections that they lost . )
But conservatives , of course , are inclined believe it 's true because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stolen .
So on Thursday , Carlson revealed on his nightly show that his team looked into her claims .
And she is completely unwilling to back them up .
`` We took Sidney Powell seriously , '' he said .
`` We 've no intention of fighting with her .
We 've always respected her work .
We simply wanted to see the details .
How could you not want to see them ?
So we invited Sidney Powell on this show .
We would have given her the whole hour .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , actually !
And listened quietly the whole time at rapt attention .
That 's a big story ! ''
He continued : `` But she never sent us any evidence , despite a lot of requests .
Polite requests .
Not a page .
When we kept pressing , she got angry and told us to stop contacting .
When we checked with others around the Trump campaign , people in positions of authority , they told us Powell has never given them any evidence either .
Nor did she provide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Powell did say that electronic voting is dangerous , and she 's right — we 're with her there .
But she never demonstrated that a single actual vote was moved illegitimately by software from one candidate to another . ''
Like Carlson said — this is a big story !
But clearly , it 's not the one he wanted to tell .
It 's not the story he wanted to be true .
He refused to tell his viewers the straightforward take : One of the president 's lead attorneys @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but refusing to show even a friendly news outlet any evidence for it .
She wo n't even provide evidence to her own allies on the Trump campaign .
The only reasonable inference is that she has little or no basis for her claims at all , which is what we should have assumed in the first place , because the theory itself is so absurd .
This is a massive scandal .
The president 's lawyer is in all likelihood completely fabricating a fanciful story about electoral fraud as he tries to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wants viewers to take away from the story is nothing about presidential scandal at all .
He even strained to avoid even mentioning Trump in the discussion .
( Carlson often does this when covering topics that reflect badly on Trump . )
Instead , Carlson focused on the fact that he took the story very seriously , even though Powell was unable to support it .
`` So why are we telling you this ? ''
he said .
`` We 're telling you this because it 's true .
And in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matters : The truth .
It 's our only hope .
It 's our best defense .
And it 's how we 're different from them .
We care what 's true , and we know you care too .
That 's why we told you .
Maybe Sidney Powell will come through with details on exactly how this happened and precisely who did it .
Maybe she will .
We are certainly hopeful that she will .
What happened with the vote-counting this month , and at the polling places in Detroit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Philadelphia , and so much else , actually matters .
It matters no matter who you voted for , it matters whether or not you think this election is already over .
Until we can answer those questions conclusively , and we can agree on them , this country will not be united . ''
It may strike some as odd that Carlson said he is `` certainly hopeful '' that Powell can prove that a massive , world-historical fraud took place to steal the presidential election .
Why would he be hopeful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the whole segment is that Carlson is delivering a bitter pill to his audience : It certainly looks like Powell is lying .
To make that pill go down easier , and to avoid turning off his fans who love the president , Carlson carefully reassures them that he 's on their side .
He does this by saying he wanted Powell to be true , because that would mean Trump could remain president , as both he and most of his viewers surely want .
And he also tries to show he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying to claim the mantle of righteousness — `` We care what 's true . ''
He does n't , actually .
He lies to and misleads his audience all the time .
But when someone goes so far over the line , as Powell has with her absurd statements , Carlson can use countering them to shore up his own credibility with viewers .
But he does n't dwell on the fact that her claims do n't add up — he focused on who the real enemy should be , in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` It 's how we 're different from them , '' he says .
`` Them , '' of course , is Democrats and all non-conservative media .
He wants viewers to remember that he hates the same people they hate , so they 'll believe him when he says something they 're inclined to believe may be false .
`` They '' do n't take Powell 's claims seriously at all because , unlike me , he 's essentially saying , they hate Trump .
And Carlson also gestures towards other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the Trump campaign and its supporters have put forward to undermine the election .
That reminds viewers that , even if Powell 's claim is false , they can be comforted that there are many more reasons doubt the election of Biden , which is of course what people tune in to Fox to hear .
The last sentence in the segment , too , is key .
Carlson says the country can not be `` united '' unless all `` questions '' he and others have raised about the election have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the claims put forward by the Trump campaign have been tested in court , and they 've been promptly thrown out or dismissed as irrelevant .
Other insinuations are so unclear and unsupported that they 'll never even make it to court .
But Carlson wants viewers to believe they 're important anyway , even though he knows these kinds of questions will never be fully answered , and he 's happy to raise them and spread doubt about the election regardless .
It 's all fine with him , though , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country to be united .
He wants it to be about us and them .

On Thursday night, Fox News' Tucker Carlson got an impressive scoop. Unfortunately for him, it didn't fit with his ideological agenda. So instead of presenting it in the most straightforward and direct way possible, he skewed the news in such a warped fashion that an observer who wasn't paying close attention might not realize what the real bombshell was.
Here's what happened: Sidney Powell, an extreme right-wing lawyer, has joined the Trump campaign's efforts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 election. She appeared Thursday afternoon alongside Rudy Giuliani to deliver a litany of wacky talking points and absurd conspiracy theories, all aimed at supporting that idea that President Donald Trump won a second term (he didn't). For her part, Powell alleged a massive conspiracy involving vote-counting software that manufactured votes for Joe Biden to prevent a Trump win.
To be clear, there's no reason to believe this is true, and it's hard to believe it could even possibly be true. States use different systems for their elections, and they typically use paper ballots as backups. Recounts and audits can check electronic counts by hand and verify their accuracy. And trying to mess with the voter tallies in a plausible way would be incredibly challenging to pull off, given the complexity of the system and the amount of scrutiny the process gets from all sides. (And apparently Democrats who were rigging the election, in her delusional account, apparently forgot to rig several key Senate elections that they lost.)
But conservatives, of course, are inclined believe it's true because Trump has told them the election was stolen. So on Thursday, Carlson revealed on his nightly show that his team looked into her claims. And she is completely unwilling to back them up.
"We took Sidney Powell seriously," he said. "We've no intention of fighting with her. We've always respected her work. We simply wanted to see the details. How could you not want to see them? So we invited Sidney Powell on this show. We would have given her the whole hour. We would have given her the entire week, actually! And listened quietly the whole time at rapt attention. That's a big story!"
He continued: "But she never sent us any evidence, despite a lot of requests. Polite requests. Not a page. When we kept pressing, she got angry and told us to stop contacting. When we checked with others around the Trump campaign, people in positions of authority, they told us Powell has never given them any evidence either. Nor did she provide any today, at the press conference. Powell did say that electronic voting is dangerous, and she's right — we're with her there. But she never demonstrated that a single actual vote was moved illegitimately by software from one candidate to another."
Like Carlson said — this is a big story! But clearly, it's not the one he wanted to tell. It's not the story he wanted to be true.
He refused to tell his viewers the straightforward take: One of the president's lead attorneys is positing an absolutely gargantuan conspiracy theory but refusing to show even a friendly news outlet any evidence for it. She won't even provide evidence to her own allies on the Trump campaign. The only reasonable inference is that she has little or no basis for her claims at all, which is what we should have assumed in the first place, because the theory itself is so absurd.
This is a massive scandal. The president's lawyer is in all likelihood completely fabricating a fanciful story about electoral fraud as he tries to cling to power.
But what Carlson wants viewers to take away from the story is nothing about presidential scandal at all. He even strained to avoid even mentioning Trump in the discussion. (Carlson often does this when covering topics that reflect badly on Trump.) Instead, Carlson focused on the fact that he took the story very seriously, even though Powell was unable to support it.
"So why are we telling you this?" he said. "We're telling you this because it's true. And in the end, that's all that matters: The truth. It's our only hope. It's our best defense. And it's how we're different from them. We care what's true, and we know you care too. That's why we told you. Maybe Sidney Powell will come through with details on exactly how this happened and precisely who did it. Maybe she will. We are certainly hopeful that she will. What happened with the vote-counting this month, and at the polling places in Detroit, and at the polling places in Philadelphia, and so much else, actually matters. It matters no matter who you voted for, it matters whether or not you think this election is already over. Until we can answer those questions conclusively, and we can agree on them, this country will not be united."
It may strike some as odd that Carlson said he is "certainly hopeful" that Powell can prove that a massive, world-historical fraud took place to steal the presidential election. Why would he be hopeful for that? But the point of the whole segment is that Carlson is delivering a bitter pill to his audience: It certainly looks like Powell is lying.
To make that pill go down easier, and to avoid turning off his fans who love the president, Carlson carefully reassures them that he's on their side. He does this by saying he wanted Powell to be true, because that would mean Trump could remain president, as both he and most of his viewers surely want. And he also tries to show he's on his viewers' side by trying to claim the mantle of righteousness — "We care what's true." He doesn't, actually. He lies to and misleads his audience all the time. But when someone goes so far over the line, as Powell has with her absurd statements, Carlson can use countering them to shore up his own credibility with viewers.
But he doesn't dwell on the fact that her claims don't add up — he focused on who the real enemy should be, in his eyes and the eye of his viewers. "It's how we're different from them," he says. "Them," of course, is Democrats and all non-conservative media. He wants viewers to remember that he hates the same people they hate, so they'll believe him when he says something they're inclined to believe may be false. "They" don't take Powell's claims seriously at all because, unlike me, he's essentially saying, they hate Trump.
And Carlson also gestures towards other vague, unsupported, and irrelevant claims that the Trump campaign and its supporters have put forward to undermine the election. That reminds viewers that, even if Powell's claim is false, they can be comforted that there are many more reasons doubt the election of Biden, which is of course what people tune in to Fox to hear.
The last sentence in the segment, too, is key. Carlson says the country cannot be "united" unless all "questions" he and others have raised about the election have been answered. Of course, many of the claims put forward by the Trump campaign have been tested in court, and they've been promptly thrown out or dismissed as irrelevant. Other insinuations are so unclear and unsupported that they'll never even make it to court. But Carlson wants viewers to believe they're important anyway, even though he knows these kinds of questions will never be fully answered, and he's happy to raise them and spread doubt about the election regardless. It's all fine with him, though, because he's doesn't want the country to be united. He wants it to be about us and them.
Watch the clip below: