alternet--2020-12-18--Trump now has real reason to be worried

Trump now has real reason to be worried

I have been chronicling the atrocities of the Trump era almost daily for five years and I 'm exhausted .
I do n't think I 'm alone .
One of Trump 's most insidious talents is to dominate the spotlight to such an extent that you ca n't look away even if you want to .
He 's everywhere .
There is just so much , more than we can fully absorb , so we just keep watching , waiting for the spectacle to end , paralyzed and psychically drained .
And now it 's almost over .
Aside from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to declare himself the winner , a couple of desultory interviews with friendly cable news hosts , one low energy rally in Georgia and the extended , puerile whine of his Twitter account , Donald Trump has been blessedly out of sight for most of the past five weeks .
There 's been no chopper talk , no televised Cabinet meetings with sycophantic tributes to his greatness , no crude insults toward reporters , nothing .
If one did n't know better , one might assume that the president is ashamed because he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to face the public .
But that would be wrong .
If there 's one thing we know , it 's that Donald Trump has no shame .
We do n't know if Trump will fire more people , pardon himself and his family , start a war or simply continue to sit in the White House raging against his enemies and tweeting out lies about the election but the fact is that this long national acid trip is winding down at long last .
Unfortunately , the hangover is going to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quickly and takes action , we may never recover .
The good news is that we are seeing signs of life in the U.S. Congress in this regard .
Rep. Jerry Nadler , D-N.Y. , chairman of the House Judiciary Committee , gave notice this week that his committee intends to pursue the subpoena of former White House Counsel Don McGahn .
You will recall that McGahn was not allowed to testify before Congress on the basis of a novel legal concept called `` absolute immunity '' which , if allowed to stand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So while Democrats continue to pursue the subpoena as a means to push back against a legal principle that attempts to usurp their oversight powers , they will undoubtedly follow up on just what happened with all of that obstruction of justice Trump committed .
They may not be able to sanction Trump for it , but they need to build the record — after all , this guy may try to bust his way back into power in four years .
Meanwhile , we have also learned that the Manhattan District @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's cases are proceeding apace .
These cases are beyond the scope of any federal pardon , as you know , so Trump may be seeing the inside of a courtroom whether he pardons himself or not .
But is any of that enough ?
It ca n't be , particularly when the New York Times and Politico reported earlier in the week something so shocking that it would be a crime not to investigate it .
Two political appointees at the CDC admitted that they had been instructed to slant pandemic advice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ivanka Trump and Kellyanne Conway .
And it 's now quite clear that the administration did adopt a herd immunity strategy to deal with the pandemic and lied about it .
One incompetent adviser actually wrote `` we want them infected '' in an email .
We knew this , sort of .
Trump had been quoted early in the pandemic wondering why we did n't just let it `` wash over the country '' which Dr. Fauci , the head of infectious diseases at the National Institute of Health , explained would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Still , Trump clung to that notion and ended up hiring a radiologist he first saw on Fox News , Dr. Scott Atlas , who promoted the concept .
These new reports show the extent to which this policy filtered through the government and negatively affected the response .
It was a conscious decision .
Now over 300,000 people are dead and counting , many of whom might be alive today if Donald Trump were not the president of the United States when a pandemic hit our shores .
The Atlantic 's James @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of accountability for what 's happened and I think his ideas for how to deal with it make a lot of sense .
He suggests that the Biden White House steer clear of most of that work except for the important job of trying to make the executive branch work properly again .
Obviously , he should remain hands-off any criminal investigations that might come through the Department of Justice , his only obligation there would be to appoint someone with credibility and integrity to handle whatever cases may already be percolating .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ control the congressional committees in the House , to create a Good Cop—Bad Cop dynamic between Biden and Nadler which might just be effective if the Democrats stay strong and do n't react to bad faith caterwauling from the Republicans .
Fallows also believes that Biden should appoint three commissions , which I think are vital and I really hope that someone in the administration is listening .
The first would be a commission to look at the pandemic response .
This wo n't be the last time we face such a crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than it should have been .
The country needs to know how it happened and understand how to ensure it does n't happen again .
The second commission Fallows recommends would look into the cases of family separation at the border , with an immediate task to find the children and then document meticulously exactly how such a program came to be implemented .
As Fallows points out , this did n't happen by executive fiat .
There was complicity at all levels and it has to be exposed and dealt with .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the pandemic in terms of sheer cruelty .
And finally , Biden needs to appoint a commission to investigate the Trump administration 's assault on democracy itself .
He did n't invent it , of course , but he 's taken it to a level that is in danger of permanently damaging our election system and people 's faith in their democracy .
And he 's done so on the basis of crude lies and propaganda .
Biden does n't have to be personally involved in any of this .
He can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing the job he was hired to do .
But these commissions would go a long way toward reassuring the majority of Americans who are still shell-shocked by what has happened in these four years that at least there will be a public airing and permanent record of what went wrong .
Most people are hungry for the truth and while I doubt Trump 's followers will want to hear it , we need the truth for the history books .
At some point , their children or grandchildren may want to know @ @ @ @

I have been chronicling the atrocities of the Trump era almost daily for five years and I'm exhausted. I don't think I'm alone. One of Trump's most insidious talents is to dominate the spotlight to such an extent that you can't look away even if you want to. He's everywhere. There is just so much, more than we can fully absorb, so we just keep watching, waiting for the spectacle to end, paralyzed and psychically drained.
And now it's almost over.
Aside from some short appearances in the press room to declare himself the winner, a couple of desultory interviews with friendly cable news hosts, one low energy rally in Georgia and the extended, puerile whine of his Twitter account, Donald Trump has been blessedly out of sight for most of the past five weeks. There's been no chopper talk, no televised Cabinet meetings with sycophantic tributes to his greatness, no crude insults toward reporters, nothing.
If one didn't know better, one might assume that the president is ashamed because he lost the election and doesn't want to face the public. But that would be wrong. If there's one thing we know, it's that Donald Trump has no shame.
We don't know if Trump will fire more people, pardon himself and his family, start a war or simply continue to sit in the White House raging against his enemies and tweeting out lies about the election but the fact is that this long national acid trip is winding down at long last. Unfortunately, the hangover is going to be titanic. Unless the nation sobers up quickly and takes action, we may never recover.
The good news is that we are seeing signs of life in the U.S. Congress in this regard.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, gave notice this week that his committee intends to pursue the subpoena of former White House Counsel Don McGahn. You will recall that McGahn was not allowed to testify before Congress on the basis of a novel legal concept called "absolute immunity" which, if allowed to stand, would render congressional oversight practically impotent.
So while Democrats continue to pursue the subpoena as a means to push back against a legal principle that attempts to usurp their oversight powers, they will undoubtedly follow up on just what happened with all of that obstruction of justice Trump committed. They may not be able to sanction Trump for it, but they need to build the record — after all, this guy may try to bust his way back into power in four years.
Meanwhile, we have also learned that the Manhattan District Attorney and the New York Attorney General's cases are proceeding apace. These cases are beyond the scope of any federal pardon, as you know, so Trump may be seeing the inside of a courtroom whether he pardons himself or not.
But is any of that enough? It can't be, particularly when the New York Times and Politico reported earlier in the week something so shocking that it would be a crime not to investigate it.
Two political appointees at the CDC admitted that they had been instructed to slant pandemic advice according to guidance from people such as Ivanka Trump and Kellyanne Conway. And it's now quite clear that the administration did adopt a herd immunity strategy to deal with the pandemic and lied about it. One incompetent adviser actually wrote "we want them infected" in an email.
We knew this, sort of. Trump had been quoted early in the pandemic wondering why we didn't just let it "wash over the country" which Dr. Fauci, the head of infectious diseases at the National Institute of Health, explained would result in a horrible death toll. Still, Trump clung to that notion and ended up hiring a radiologist he first saw on Fox News, Dr. Scott Atlas, who promoted the concept. These new reports show the extent to which this policy filtered through the government and negatively affected the response. It was a conscious decision. Now over 300,000 people are dead and counting, many of whom might be alive today if Donald Trump were not the president of the United States when a pandemic hit our shores.
The Atlantic's James Fallows took a look at the problem of accountability for what's happened and I think his ideas for how to deal with it make a lot of sense. He suggests that the Biden White House steer clear of most of that work except for the important job of trying to make the executive branch work properly again. Obviously, he should remain hands-off any criminal investigations that might come through the Department of Justice, his only obligation there would be to appoint someone with credibility and integrity to handle whatever cases may already be percolating. So that leaves the Democrats, who control the congressional committees in the House, to create a Good Cop—Bad Cop dynamic between Biden and Nadler which might just be effective if the Democrats stay strong and don't react to bad faith caterwauling from the Republicans.
Fallows also believes that Biden should appoint three commissions, which I think are vital and I really hope that someone in the administration is listening.
The first would be a commission to look at the pandemic response. This won't be the last time we face such a crisis and this one was so much worse than it should have been. The country needs to know how it happened and understand how to ensure it doesn't happen again.
The second commission Fallows recommends would look into the cases of family separation at the border, with an immediate task to find the children and then document meticulously exactly how such a program came to be implemented. As Fallows points out, this didn't happen by executive fiat. There was complicity at all levels and it has to be exposed and dealt with. This grotesque policy is right up there with the pandemic in terms of sheer cruelty.
And finally, Biden needs to appoint a commission to investigate the Trump administration's assault on democracy itself. He didn't invent it, of course, but he's taken it to a level that is in danger of permanently damaging our election system and people's faith in their democracy. And he's done so on the basis of crude lies and propaganda.
Biden doesn't have to be personally involved in any of this. He can stay above the fray and concentrate on doing the job he was hired to do. But these commissions would go a long way toward reassuring the majority of Americans who are still shell-shocked by what has happened in these four years that at least there will be a public airing and permanent record of what went wrong. Most people are hungry for the truth and while I doubt Trump's followers will want to hear it, we need the truth for the history books. At some point, their children or grandchildren may want to know what really happened.


alternet--2020-12-18--Billionaire Sackler family refuses to apologize for fueling the devastating opioid epidemic

On Capitol Hill , members of the billionaire Sackler family refused to apologize Thursday as House lawmakers grilled them over @ @ @ @ @ devastating opioid epidemic .
The Sacklers own Purdue Pharma , the maker of OxyContin .
@ @ @ @ @ month to three criminal charges , including bribing doctors to write more prescriptions for the @ @ @ @ @ family members have not been criminally charged .
This is Massachusetts Congressmember Ayanna Pressley addressing @ @ @ @ @ hearing came as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the U.S. had more @ @ @ @ @ the past year — the highest number ever recorded and nearly 20,000 more than last @ @

Understand the importance of honest news ?
So do we.
The past year has been the most arduous of our lives. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to be catastrophic not only to our health - mental and physical - but also to the stability of millions of people. For all of us independent news organizations, it’s no exception.
We’ve covered everything thrown at us this past year and will continue to do so with your support. We’ve always understood the importance of calling out corruption, regardless of political affiliation.
We need your support in this difficult time. Every reader contribution, no matter the amount, makes a difference in allowing our newsroom to bring you the stories that matter, at a time when being informed is more important than ever. Invest with us.
Make a one-time contribution to Alternet All Access, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.
Click to donate by check.


alternet--2020-12-18--Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gets snubbed by fellow Democrats in secret-ballot vote

In an early indication of which ideological faction of the Democratic Party will control the policy agenda in the upcoming Congress , a House body tasked with deciding committee assignments overwhelmingly voted Thursday to deny progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a spot on the powerful Energy and Commerce panel , instead handing the seat to centrist Rep. Kathleen Rice .
The landslide 46-13 vote in favor of Rice by the House Steering and Policy Committee—which is chaired by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) —was viewed as establishment backlash against Ocasio-Cortez over her willingness to publicly break with the party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pelosi 's leadership , as she did in an interview with The Intercept released this week .
But Ocasio-Cortez , a supporter of the Green New Deal and Medicare for All , did receive significant support from the New York congressional delegation in her push for the coveted slot on Energy and Commerce , which has jurisdiction over a broad array of policy areas including climate and public health .
House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler ( D-N.Y. ) , dean of the New York delegation , signed a letter in support of Ocasio-Cortez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other members .
Rice—a New York Democrat who , unlike Ocasio-Cortez , voted against Pelosi for speaker last year—received some support from the state delegation as well .
Reporting on Thursday 's secret-ballot vote indicates that Ocasio-Cortez 's support for Medicare for All and the Green New Deal , both of which would come under the purview of the Energy and Commerce Committee , was a factor in the vote to hand the seat to Rice , who does not support either progressive policy .
`` Some senior Democrats , including on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voiced concerns about Ocasio-Cortez landing the seat , '' Politico reported .
`` Some feared that the firebrand Democrat , who backs progressive priorities like the 'Green New Deal ' and 'Medicare for All , ' could cause issues as Congress attempts to draft bipartisan health and climate policies next year . ''
Ocasio-Cortez was not the only progressive rejected by the Steering Committee in favor of a moderate , business-friendly Democrat .
In addition to Rice , the committee also gave Energy and Commerce spots to Reps. Lori Trahan ( D-Mass .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Kim Schrier ( D-Wash. ) , and Lizzie Fletcher ( D-Texas ) .
`` It is very clear the party leadership is working to shut out progressives and has no intention of working with the left to 'build back better , ' '' argued journalist Walker Bragman , a contributor to The Daily Poster .
As The Intercept 's Lee Fang pointed out on Twitter , all five of the Democrats chosen for Energy and Commerce seats `` are pro-business New Dem caucus members , all beating progressives vying for seats .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ are winning these early battles , '' noted Fang , `` which will set the legislative agenda for the next two years . ''

In an early indication of which ideological faction of the Democratic Party will control the policy agenda in the upcoming Congress, a House body tasked with deciding committee assignments overwhelmingly voted Thursday to deny progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a spot on the powerful Energy and Commerce panel, instead handing the seat to centrist Rep. Kathleen Rice.
The landslide 46-13 vote in favor of Rice by the House Steering and Policy Committee—which is chaired by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)—was viewed as establishment backlash against Ocasio-Cortez over her willingness to publicly break with the party brass on key policy matters and criticize Pelosi's leadership, as she did in an interview with The Intercept released this week.
But Ocasio-Cortez, a supporter of the Green New Deal and Medicare for All, did receive significant support from the New York congressional delegation in her push for the coveted slot on Energy and Commerce, which has jurisdiction over a broad array of policy areas including climate and public health. House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), dean of the New York delegation, signed a letter in support of Ocasio-Cortez, as did more than a dozen other members.
Rice—a New York Democrat who, unlike Ocasio-Cortez, voted against Pelosi for speaker last year—received some support from the state delegation as well.
Reporting on Thursday's secret-ballot vote indicates that Ocasio-Cortez's support for Medicare for All and the Green New Deal, both of which would come under the purview of the Energy and Commerce Committee, was a factor in the vote to hand the seat to Rice, who does not support either progressive policy.
"Some senior Democrats, including on the Energy and Commerce panel, had privately voiced concerns about Ocasio-Cortez landing the seat," Politicoreported. "Some feared that the firebrand Democrat, who backs progressive priorities like the 'Green New Deal' and 'Medicare for All,' could cause issues as Congress attempts to draft bipartisan health and climate policies next year."
As The American Prospect's Alexander Sammon wrote Friday:
Most vocal in his opposition to Ocasio-Cortez's candidacy was Texas' Henry Cuellar, the caucus's most conservative member. After Ocasio-Cortez was nominated and seconded, Cuellar opposed, commenting: "I'm taking into account who pays their dues and who doesn't work against other members whether in primaries or in other contexts," according to a source with knowledge of the meeting. After Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) called for a vote on the two candidates came an unusual outcome: Rice crushed AOC 46-13.
Ocasio-Cortez was not the only progressive rejected by the Steering Committee in favor of a moderate, business-friendly Democrat. In addition to Rice, the committee also gave Energy and Commerce spots to Reps. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Kim Schrier (D-Wash.), and Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas).
"It is very clear the party leadership is working to shut out progressives and has no intention of working with the left to 'build back better,'" argued journalist Walker Bragman, a contributor to The Daily Poster.
As The Intercept's Lee Fang pointed out on Twitter, all five of the Democrats chosen for Energy and Commerce seats "are pro-business New Dem caucus members, all beating progressives vying for seats."
"The moderate and conservative Dems are winning these early battles," noted Fang, "which will set the legislative agenda for the next two years."


alternet--2020-12-18--The right-wing fake outrage generator is ramping up again — just in time for Biden

Needless to say , 2020 was quite the year — and not just for people who believe in preserving democracy and containing deadly pandemics .
For Republican politicians and right-wing media , whose careers are centered around feeding silly victimization narratives to the right-wing base , there was all manner of made-up nonsense to get the rubes riled up .
For months , the right-wing narrative was focused on claims that the coronavirus pandemic and/or measures to contain it were all a giant conspiracy aimed at tanking Donald Trump 's re-election chances .
The fall was then consumed by similarly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' and Joe Biden somehow `` rigging '' the election .
And while both narratives are still being pushed by right-wing media — and Trump himself is still raving like a madman on Twitter with his election conspiracy theories — it 's becoming clear to many in the right-wing media that it 's time to move on .
There 's going to be a Democrat in the White House , and it 's time to put to bed the grievance narrative of `` deep state trying to take a good man down !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the strategy of the Barack Obama years , churning out a steady stream of fake outrage over supposed Democratic transgressions — remember how angry they were that Obama wore a tan suit ?
— all to feed their metanarrative that Democratic governance is inherently illegitimate .
And they know that the quickest way to stir the furies of right-wing America is to tell them stories about how all those Democratic women are out of control .
Who do those b*tches think they are ?
This past week saw a deeply unpleasant return to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the base by bashing Democratic women for supposed sacrileges against ladylike behavior .
First , the Wall Street Journal threw out bait by running an op-ed by Joseph Epstein in which he addressed Dr. Jill Biden , the incoming first lady , as `` kiddo '' and argued that it 's `` fraudulent , not to say a touch comic , '' for her to use the title of `` Dr. '' , even though , objectively , she has a doctorate .
Epstein has been playing this game as far back as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's that `` I would wish homosexuality off the face of the earth '' and other grotesqueries about gay people .
The op-ed was dumb and misogynist , so of course , Tucker Carlson of Fox News was drawn to it like ants to a puked-up Long Island Ice Tea .
For multiple nights this week , Carlson hosted unhinged segments full of maximum umbrage , screeching that Biden is `` borderline illiterate , '' dismissing her career as a high school and community college English teacher .
The rest of conservative media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these hysterics is n't mysterious .
It 's about triggering resentment in men who can not accept the idea that women might not only be smart , but smarter than they are .
It 's also sexist policing , insisting that it 's Biden 's duty to hide her intelligence and achievements to preserve the tender feelings of insecure men .
Barack Obama got the same kind of response from racists , including Trump , who spent years insisting that his many academic achievements ( a bachelor 's degree from Columbia and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ either fake or the result of cheating .
Also this week , another sexist storm of feigned offense swirled up after Jen O'Malley Dillon , Joe Biden 's campaign manager and incoming White House deputy chief of staff , correctly described Republicans in Congress as `` a bunch of f*ckers . ''
The quote was in a Glamour interview in which O'Malley Dillon actually defends her boss ' promise to make efforts towards bipartisan cooperation , but Republicans like Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida nonetheless erupted in feigned outrage , whining about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pouring out lies and accusing not just all Democrats but a big chunk of Republicans of stealing the election from him , causing material harm — such as in Houston , where a deranged conspiracy theorist held up an air conditioning repairman with a gun to accuse him of smuggling fake ballots — the fake indignation from Republicans is just further proof that O'Malley Dillon was , if anything , understated in her assessment of their collective characters .
Obviously , none of this faux pique was actually about the use of curse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flow like a river from Trump .
It 's just sexism .
Tantrum-throwing over women behaving in ways that would be treated as unremarkable from men is a way to signal that women do n't really belong in politics , that they are only being barely tolerated and can be ejected for the slightest , or in this case made up , offense .
Unfortunately , O'Malley Dillon gave into the pressure and apologized for her word choice .
That 's because , as it was when Hillary Clinton was being held up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2016 , the media is still controlled by sexist men .
Many of the worst offenders in 2016 — Matt Lauer , Charlie Rose , Mark Halperin — lost their jobs because their sexist coverage on-air was reportedly being matched by sexual harassing behaviors behind closed doors .
But we 're still saddled with the likes of Jonathan Swan and Hans Nichols at Axios , who were so eager to tame themselves a shrew that they shook the branches until they found some anonymous `` Democratic donors '' who they claimed wanted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million Americans donated to Biden 's campaign in 2020 .
Getting a couple of those four million people to say they do n't like ladies cursing is n't exactly hard to do .
But that 's why these sexist fake scandals have so much power — there are still so many men in high powered positions in the media who are willing to run with sexist narratives , even if the cost of doing so is wildly distorting the political realities .
They are the same types , after all , who made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scandal , even though the emails showed no real wrongdoing , and even though her opponent was an admitted sexual predator and serial fraudster who attempted to openly collude , on camera , with a Russian conspiracy to interfere with the election .
This is what we have to look forward to for the next four years : One fake `` scandal '' after another about women in Biden 's orbit who transgress against 19th-century ideas of what constitutes ladylike behavior .
As with everything else they do , Republicans and the media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they can to distract from their unpopular policies .
Male resentment over women 's growing power is and will remain a favorite go-to , because apparently that well is n't close to running dry yet .

Needless to say, 2020 was quite the year — and not just for people who believe in preserving democracy and containing deadly pandemics.
For Republican politicians and right-wing media, whose careers are centered around feeding silly victimization narratives to the right-wing base, there was all manner of made-up nonsense to get the rubes riled up. For months, the right-wing narrative was focused on claims that the coronavirus pandemic and/or measures to contain it were all a giant conspiracy aimed at tanking Donald Trump's re-election chances. The fall was then consumed by similarly bonkers conspiracy theories about "voter fraud" and Joe Biden somehow "rigging" the election.
And while both narratives are still being pushed by right-wing media — and Trump himself is still raving like a madman on Twitter with his election conspiracy theories — it's becoming clear to many in the right-wing media that it's time to move on. There's going to be a Democrat in the White House, and it's time to put to bed the grievance narrative of "deep state trying to take a good man down!"
So the right is returning to the strategy of the Barack Obama years, churning out a steady stream of fake outrage over supposed Democratic transgressions — remember how angry they were that Obama wore a tan suit? — all to feed their metanarrative that Democratic governance is inherently illegitimate. And they know that the quickest way to stir the furies of right-wing America is to tell them stories about how all those Democratic women are out of control. Who do those b*tches think they are?
This past week saw a deeply unpleasant return to the long-standing Republican practice of firing up the base by bashing Democratic women for supposed sacrileges against ladylike behavior.
First, the Wall Street Journal threw out bait by running an op-ed by Joseph Epstein in which he addressed Dr. Jill Biden, the incoming first lady, as "kiddo" and argued that it's "fraudulent, not to say a touch comic," for her to use the title of "Dr.", even though, objectively, she has a doctorate. Epstein has been playing this game as far back as 1970, when he wrote in Harper's that "I would wish homosexuality off the face of the earth" and other grotesqueries about gay people.
The op-ed was dumb and misogynist, so of course, Tucker Carlson of Fox News was drawn to it like ants to a puked-up Long Island Ice Tea. For multiple nights this week, Carlson hosted unhinged segments full of maximum umbrage, screeching that Biden is "borderline illiterate," dismissing her career as a high school and community college English teacher. The rest of conservative media is following suit:
The purpose of these hysterics isn't mysterious. It's about triggering resentment in men who cannot accept the idea that women might not only be smart, but smarter than they are. It's also sexist policing, insisting that it's Biden's duty to hide her intelligence and achievements to preserve the tender feelings of insecure men. Barack Obama got the same kind of response from racists, including Trump, who spent years insisting that his many academic achievements (a bachelor's degree from Columbia and a law degree from Harvard) must be either fake or the result of cheating.
Also this week, another sexist storm of feigned offense swirled up after Jen O'Malley Dillon, Joe Biden's campaign manager and incoming White House deputy chief of staff, correctly described Republicans in Congress as "a bunch of f*ckers."
The quote was in a Glamour interview in which O'Malley Dillon actually defends her boss' promise to make efforts towards bipartisan cooperation, but Republicans like Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida nonetheless erupted in feigned outrage, whining about the name-calling. While Trump is still actively pouring out lies and accusing not just all Democrats but a big chunk of Republicans of stealing the election from him, causing material harm — such as in Houston, where a deranged conspiracy theorist held up an air conditioning repairman with a gun to accuse him of smuggling fake ballots — the fake indignation from Republicans is just further proof that O'Malley Dillon was, if anything, understated in her assessment of their collective characters.
Obviously, none of this faux pique was actually about the use of curse words or insults, both of which flow like a river from Trump. It's just sexism. Tantrum-throwing over women behaving in ways that would be treated as unremarkable from men is a way to signal that women don't really belong in politics, that they are only being barely tolerated and can be ejected for the slightest, or in this case made up, offense.
Unfortunately, O'Malley Dillon gave into the pressure and apologized for her word choice. That's because, as it was when Hillary Clinton was being held up to these same ridiculous and impossible standards in 2016, the media is still controlled by sexist men. Many of the worst offenders in 2016 — Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose, Mark Halperin — lost their jobs because their sexist coverage on-air was reportedly being matched by sexual harassing behaviors behind closed doors. But we're still saddled with the likes of Jonathan Swan and Hans Nichols at Axios, who were so eager to tame themselves a shrew that they shook the branches until they found some anonymous "Democratic donors" who they claimed wanted an apology.
Note that over 4 million Americans donated to Biden's campaign in 2020. Getting a couple of those four million people to say they don't like ladies cursing isn't exactly hard to do. But that's why these sexist fake scandals have so much power — there are still so many men in high powered positions in the media who are willing to run with sexist narratives, even if the cost of doing so is wildly distorting the political realities. They are the same types, after all, who made "Hillary's emails" a major scandal, even though the emails showed no real wrongdoing, and even though her opponent was an admitted sexual predator and serial fraudster who attempted to openly collude, on camera, with a Russian conspiracy to interfere with the election.
This is what we have to look forward to for the next four years: One fake "scandal" after another about women in Biden's orbit who transgress against 19th-century ideas of what constitutes ladylike behavior. As with everything else they do, Republicans and the media enablers are focused on finding any way they can to distract from their unpopular policies. Male resentment over women's growing power is and will remain a favorite go-to, because apparently that well isn't close to running dry yet.


alternet--2020-12-18--Beware: Fake COVID-19 vaccines are already being sold online

It has been less than one full week since Pfizer began distribution of the COVID vaccine and scammers have already started marketing fake versions of the vaccine online , according to Business Insider .
To make matters worse , there has been an increase in the number of vaccine listings available .
A security firm named Check Point has discovered a number of dark web companies advertising COVID-19 vaccines for up to $ 300 per dosage .
While the security company noted that it had not ordered the product in order to test the content of the drug , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not authentic .
Oded Vanunu , who works as the head of Product Research at Check Point , recalled the timeline for when many of the vaccine-selling ads .
Prior to the FDA 's authorization of the Pfizer vaccine , there were very few ads but after the authorization was confirmed , more ads began circulating .
`` Right after the FDA approved the vaccine we started seeing between four to ten posts a day .
Some are from the same seller , all the posts are averaging $ 250/300 , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at INTERPOL , also released a statement to raise awareness about the existence of dark web entities and websites attempting to sell fake vaccinations that could potentially `` pose a significant risk to their health , even their lives , '' according to The Daily Beast .
`` Criminal networks will also be targeting unsuspecting members of the public via fake websites and false cures , which could pose a significant risk to their health , even their lives , '' Stock said in the statement .
`` It is essential that law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what will be an onslaught of all types of criminal activity linked to the COVID-19 vaccine . ''
The greatest concern is the wide margin of risk that comes with fraudulent vaccines .
According to the publication , side effects from fake vaccines could range from `` ineffective to lethal . ''
Authorities have also raised concerns about the possibility of contaminated vials being used to package fake vaccines .
Vials could be stolen from waste management bins and recycled for secondary usage .
Another concern centers on the rise of `` organized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic by `` trafficking personal protective equipment and fake tests and doctored test results to get around quarantines and other restrictions . ''
As the world continues its fight against the coronavirus , the United States is facing massive upticks in cases all across the country .
As of Friday , Dec. 18 , the U.S. has reported more than 17.7 milliovn coronavirus cases .
The country 's death toll has surpassed 315,000 .

It has been less than one full week since Pfizer began distribution of the COVID vaccine and scammers have already started marketing fake versions of the vaccine online, according to Business Insider. To make matters worse, there has been an increase in the number of vaccine listings available.
A security firm named Check Point has discovered a number of dark web companies advertising COVID-19 vaccines for up to $300 per dosage. While the security company noted that it had not ordered the product in order to test the content of the drug, there is a strong likelihood that the product is not authentic.
Oded Vanunu, who works as the head of Product Research at Check Point, recalled the timeline for when many of the vaccine-selling ads. Prior to the FDA's authorization of the Pfizer vaccine, there were very few ads but after the authorization was confirmed, more ads began circulating.
"Right after the FDA approved the vaccine we started seeing between four to ten posts a day. Some are from the same seller, all the posts are averaging $250/300," said Vanunu.
Jürgen Stock, Secretary-General at INTERPOL, also released a statement to raise awareness about the existence of dark web entities and websites attempting to sell fake vaccinations that could potentially "pose a significant risk to their health, even their lives," according to The Daily Beast.
"Criminal networks will also be targeting unsuspecting members of the public via fake websites and false cures, which could pose a significant risk to their health, even their lives," Stock said in the statement. "It is essential that law enforcement is as prepared as possible for what will be an onslaught of all types of criminal activity linked to the COVID-19 vaccine."
The greatest concern is the wide margin of risk that comes with fraudulent vaccines. According to the publication, side effects from fake vaccines could range from "ineffective to lethal." Authorities have also raised concerns about the possibility of contaminated vials being used to package fake vaccines. Vials could be stolen from waste management bins and recycled for secondary usage.
Another concern centers on the rise of "organized crime syndicates" taking advantage of the pandemic by "trafficking personal protective equipment and fake tests and doctored test results to get around quarantines and other restrictions."
As the world continues its fight against the coronavirus, the United States is facing massive upticks in cases all across the country. As of Friday, Dec. 18, the U.S. has reported more than 17.7 milliovn coronavirus cases. The country's death toll has surpassed 315,000.


alternet--2020-12-18--Bombshell report: Jared Kushner's shell company diverted campaign cash to the Trump family

Jared Kushner helped set up a shell company that secretly paid President Donald Trump 's family members and spent nearly half of his 2020 campaign 's funds .
The president 's son-in-law and White House senior adviser directed his sister-in-law Lara Trump , Vice President Mike Pence 's nephew John Pence and Trump campaign CFO Sean Dollman to sit on the shell company 's board , a source familiar with the operation told Business Insider .
The company , which was incorporated as American Made Media Consultants Corporation and American Made Media Consultants LLC , spent $ 617 million of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chest , according to campaign finance records .
Trump 's top advisers and campaign staff told Insider they were unaware of how the shell company operated , and campaign officials even conducted an internal audit of its operations under former campaign manager Brad Parscale but never reported those findings , and the next campaign manager Bill Stepien had little involvement with AMMC .
`` Nothing was done without Jared 's approval , '' said a former advisor to Trump 's 2016 campaign .
`` What Stepien does n't know is because Jared does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center filed a civil complaint in July with the Federal Election Commission accusing the campaign of disguising '' about $ 170 million in spending `` by laundering the funds '' through AMMC .
`` [ It 's a ] scheme to evade telling voters even the basics on where its money is really going [ and a ] shield to disguise the ultimate recipients of its spending , '' said Brendan Fischer , the center 's director of federal reform .
The Department of Justice may open a criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were a `` knowing and willful '' violation of election law .
Several sources from the Justice Department and FEC told Insider that investigators may already be looking into the campaign 's activity .
`` Lara Trump and John Pence resigned from the AMMC board in October 2019 to focus solely on their campaign activities , however , there was never any ethical or legal reason why they could not serve on the board in the first place , '' said Tim Murtaugh , the campaign 's communications director .
`` John and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their service as board members . ''

Jared Kushner helped set up a shell company that secretly paid President Donald Trump's family members and spent nearly half of his 2020 campaign's funds.
The president's son-in-law and White House senior adviser directed his sister-in-law Lara Trump, Vice President Mike Pence's nephew John Pence and Trump campaign CFO Sean Dollman to sit on the shell company's board, a source familiar with the operation told Business Insider.
The company, which was incorporated as American Made Media Consultants Corporation and American Made Media Consultants LLC, spent $617 million of the campaign's $1.26 billion war chest, according to campaign finance records.
Trump's top advisers and campaign staff told Insider they were unaware of how the shell company operated, and campaign officials even conducted an internal audit of its operations under former campaign manager Brad Parscale but never reported those findings, and the next campaign manager Bill Stepien had little involvement with AMMC.
"Nothing was done without Jared's approval," said a former advisor to Trump's 2016 campaign. "What Stepien doesn't know is because Jared doesn't want him to know."
The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center filed a civil complaint in July with the Federal Election Commission accusing the campaign of disguising" about $170 million in spending "by laundering the funds" through AMMC.
"[It's a] scheme to evade telling voters even the basics on where its money is really going [and a] shield to disguise the ultimate recipients of its spending," said Brendan Fischer, the center's director of federal reform.
The Department of Justice may open a criminal investigation if the government suspects the payments were a "knowing and willful" violation of election law.
Several sources from the Justice Department and FEC told Insider that investigators may already be looking into the campaign's activity.
"Lara Trump and John Pence resigned from the AMMC board in October 2019 to focus solely on their campaign activities, however, there was never any ethical or legal reason why they could not serve on the board in the first place," said Tim Murtaugh, the campaign's communications director. "John and Lara were not compensated by AMMC for their service as board members."


alternet--2020-12-18--Pro-QAnon congresswoman-elect urges House Republicans to defy Electoral College results

The QAnon cult will have an unofficial spokesperson in the U.S. House of Representatives after Rep.-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene , a Georgia Republican , is seated in January .
Since November , Greene has been claiming , without evidence , that President Donald Trump is the real winner of the 2020 presidential election — and in recent tweets , she has urged Republicans in the House and the U.S. Senate to reject the Electoral College results .
President-elect Biden enjoyed a decisive victory , winning 306 electoral votes and defeating Trump by more than 7 million in the popular vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conspiracy theory that the election was stolen from Trump through widespread voter fraud .
And she has been tweeting her support for Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama , Sen.-elect Tommy Tuberville and other Republicans who have expressed a willingness to oppose the Electoral College results during a joint session of Congress on January 6 , 2021 .
That day , Congress will count the electoral votes that Biden won .
Greene , in a 2017 video , voiced her support for the QAnon conspiracy theory .
Members of QAnon believe that the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by an international cabal of Satanists , pedophiles , child sex traffickers and cannibals and that Trump was put in the White House to lead the struggle against the cabal .
According to QAnon , R & B superstar Beyoncé is also part of the vast conspiracy and is really an Italian woman named Ann Marie Lastrassi and reports to billionaire Democrat George Soros .
QAnon supporters also believe that the COVID-19 pandemic is a hoax and that the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police on May 25 was faked with Soros @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Renée Stidhum mocked QAnon in a hilarious parody article published on July 6 .
In that piece , Stidhum conducted a Q & A interview with `` Lastrassi . ''
But to Greene , QAnon 's beliefs are not something to mock , but to take seriously .
In her 2017 video — which has been posted on YouTube — Greene described `` Q '' as `` someone that very much loves his country , and he 's on the same page as us — and he is very pro-Trump . ''
Greene @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'm very excited about that now there 's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take this global cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles out , and I think we have the president to do it . ''

The QAnon cult will have an unofficial spokesperson in the U.S. House of Representatives after Rep.-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, is seated in January. Since November, Greene has been claiming, without evidence, that President Donald Trump is the real winner of the 2020 presidential election — and in recent tweets, she has urged Republicans in the House and the U.S. Senate to reject the Electoral College results.
President-elect Biden enjoyed a decisive victory, winning 306 electoral votes and defeating Trump by more than 7 million in the popular vote. Regardless, Greene believes the baseless conspiracy theory that the election was stolen from Trump through widespread voter fraud. And she has been tweeting her support for Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama, Sen.-elect Tommy Tuberville and other Republicans who have expressed a willingness to oppose the Electoral College results during a joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021. That day, Congress will count the electoral votes that Biden won.
Greene tweeted:
Greene, in a 2017 video, voiced her support for the QAnon conspiracy theory. Members of QAnon believe that the United States' federal government has been infiltrated by an international cabal of Satanists, pedophiles, child sex traffickers and cannibals and that Trump was put in the White House to lead the struggle against the cabal. According to QAnon, R&B superstar Beyoncé is also part of the vast conspiracy and is really an Italian woman named Ann Marie Lastrassi and reports to billionaire Democrat George Soros. QAnon supporters also believe that the COVID-19 pandemic is a hoax and that the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police on May 25 was faked with Soros' help.
The Root's Tonja Renée Stidhum mocked QAnon in a hilarious parody article published on July 6. In that piece, Stidhum conducted a Q&A interview with "Lastrassi."
But to Greene, QAnon's beliefs are not something to mock, but to take seriously.
In her 2017 video — which has been posted on YouTube — Greene described "Q" as "someone that very much loves his country, and he's on the same page as us — and he is very pro-Trump." Greene went on to say, "I'm very excited about that now there's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take this global cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles out, and I think we have the president to do it."


alternet--2020-12-18--Florida group under fire for possible use of dark money to 'split the Democratic vote'

A Florida group is at the center of scrutiny for its alleged use of dark money to fund political expenses and campaigns for phantom candidates despite being categorized as a `` social welfare organization . ''
On Thursday , Dec. 17 , Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington ( CREW ) submitted a written complaint to Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) urging the department to launch an investigation into the group , Broken Promises .
CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder outlined a number of potential violations the group is responsible for as he explained why the group appears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a social welfare non-profit .
It was also reported that the group has spent a whopping 99.6 % of its funding on politically-linked endeavors .
Bookbinder also reiterated the legal requirements for tax-exempt organizations to receive tax breaks and benefits .
`` Broken Promises blatantly misled the IRS about its primary activities and exploited our federal tax laws to get the benefits nonprofits are entitled to while secretly acting as a political organization , '' said Bookbinder .
`` The law is clear that tax-exempt organizations that receive tax benefits and do not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their money on politics , but that is exactly what Broken Promises did . ''
The report also breaks down expenditures from the group 's 2018 tax documents highlighting : `` the dark money group spent a total of $ 161,010 , though it failed to disclose that $ 160,470 of it went towards political activity .
Most of the money was in-kind contributions of advertising or direct mail provided to the political committee Friends of Charles Goston , which supported an independent candidate whose state Senate race candidacy was directly backed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He also noted that the contributions raised speculation about the tactic being a way 'to split the Democratic vote to help Republicans . '
'' Instead of admitting to the IRS how the funds were actually used , the group denied any allegations of wrongdoing insisting any `` direct or indirect political campaign activities on behalf of or in opposition to candidates for public office . ''
Bookhinder concluded by expressing concern about the long history of dark money and its improper impact on American elections .
`` For far too long , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ influence to overshadow the voices and interests of the American public , and it is past time for the IRS to ensure that nonprofit groups do not abuse their tax status to improperly influence politics , '' said Bookbinder .
`` The IRS should open an investigation into Broken Promises ' behavior and should they be found in violation of the law , act swiftly to reconsider their tax status . ''

A Florida group is at the center of scrutiny for its alleged use of dark money to fund political expenses and campaigns for phantom candidates despite being categorized as a "social welfare organization."
On Thursday, Dec. 17, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) submitted a written complaint to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) urging the department to launch an investigation into the group, Broken Promises.
CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder outlined a number of potential violations the group is responsible for as he explained why the group appears to be a political organization masquerading as a social welfare non-profit. It was also reported that the group has spent a whopping 99.6% of its funding on politically-linked endeavors.
Bookbinder also reiterated the legal requirements for tax-exempt organizations to receive tax breaks and benefits.
"Broken Promises blatantly misled the IRS about its primary activities and exploited our federal tax laws to get the benefits nonprofits are entitled to while secretly acting as a political organization," said Bookbinder. "The law is clear that tax-exempt organizations that receive tax benefits and do not disclose donors cannot spend the majority of their money on politics, but that is exactly what Broken Promises did."
The report also breaks down expenditures from the group's 2018 tax documents highlighting: "the dark money group spent a total of $161,010, though it failed to disclose that $160,470 of it went towards political activity. Most of the money was in-kind contributions of advertising or direct mail provided to the political committee Friends of Charles Goston, which supported an independent candidate whose state Senate race candidacy was directly backed by donations from Republican lobbyists."
He also noted that the contributions raised speculation about the tactic being a way 'to split the Democratic vote to help Republicans.'"
Instead of admitting to the IRS how the funds were actually used, the group denied any allegations of wrongdoing insisting any "direct or indirect political campaign activities on behalf of or in opposition to candidates for public office."
Bookhinder concluded by expressing concern about the long history of dark money and its improper impact on American elections.
"For far too long, dark money groups have secretly wielded their influence to overshadow the voices and interests of the American public, and it is past time for the IRS to ensure that nonprofit groups do not abuse their tax status to improperly influence politics," said Bookbinder. "The IRS should open an investigation into Broken Promises' behavior and should they be found in violation of the law, act swiftly to reconsider their tax status."


alternet--2020-12-18--Conservative lays out how reporters can hold the GOP’s ‘feet to the fire’ in the Biden era

Far-right Republicans repeatedly claim that the `` mainstream liberal media '' are consistently unfair to the GOP , but conservative Washington Post opinion writer Jennifer Rubin disagrees .
In her December 18 column , the Never Trump journalist argues that reporters should fact-check Republicans as aggressively as possible in the Biden era and lays out some post-Trump recommendations for 2021 .
`` We are not off to a good start in the coverage of the Republican Party in the post-Trump era , '' Rubin warns .
`` Political pundits and reporters , especially those in the permanently aggrieved right-wing media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ length Jill Biden 's use of her earned doctorate in her title .
As is often the case , all they have done is give oxygen to a baseless spasm of misogyny . ''
Rubin also mentions the Republican `` phony outrage '' that followed a Glamour Magazine interview in which Jen O'Malley Dillon , President-elect Joe Biden 's campaign manager and his nominee for White House deputy chief of staff , used some profanity .
Dillon 's occasional use of profanity , Rubin stresses , is a `` nonstory '' promoted by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and rather than offering `` excessive media indulgence of Republican hypocrisy , '' the columnist adds , reporters will need to scrutinize them in 2021 when they behave badly .
`` It is time to stop giving air to Republicans ' phony outrage and to hold them accountable for their own language and conduct on race and gender , '' Rubin writes .
`` First , as a general rule , when Republicans say they are upset or outraged , they almost never are .
They do not care about foul language after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about deficits after four years of Republican government… .
The media should stop taking seriously politicians ' harping , especially from those who have lied about the election , about ( President Donald ) Trump 's record , about Trump 's own words and about their knowledge of Trump 's words . ''
Rubin goes on to say that after Biden is sworn in as president on January 20 , 2021 , journalists will need to call out sexist attacks on women in his administration .
`` It is no coincidence that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic women are almost always men , '' Rubin writes .
`` No one could have watched four years of Trump 's attacks on women 's intelligence and appearance or his demeaning language — e.g.
, 'suburban housewives , ' 'nasty , ' 'monster ' — without understanding that the strain of misogyny runs a mile wide in the GOP . ''
Rubin also recommends that journalists aggressively scrutinize Republicans for racism in 2021 .
`` Throughout the last four years , the media seemed to gloss over the appalling lack of diversity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` It would behoove reporters to start asking Republicans why they overwhelmingly favor White men in key roles .
Not a single African-American was appointed to a federal court of appeals under Trump . ''
Rubin wraps up her column by emphasizing that in the Biden era , reporters should avoiding indulging fake GOP grievances .
`` In short , the media routinely give far too much credence to Republicans ' complaints and far too much latitude in their rhetoric about race and gender , '' Rubin writes .
`` Rather than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would do well to start holding Republicans ' feet to the fire on the appalling lack of diversity and the toleration of the racism and misogyny that is endemic in their party . ''

Far-right Republicans repeatedly claim that the "mainstream liberal media" are consistently unfair to the GOP, but conservative Washington Post opinion writer Jennifer Rubin disagrees. In her December 18 column, the Never Trump journalist argues that reporters should fact-check Republicans as aggressively as possible in the Biden era and lays out some post-Trump recommendations for 2021.
"We are not off to a good start in the coverage of the Republican Party in the post-Trump era," Rubin warns. "Political pundits and reporters, especially those in the permanently aggrieved right-wing media, have seen fit to discuss at length Jill Biden's use of her earned doctorate in her title. As is often the case, all they have done is give oxygen to a baseless spasm of misogyny."
Rubin also mentions the Republican "phony outrage" that followed a Glamour Magazine interview in which Jen O'Malley Dillon, President-elect Joe Biden's campaign manager and his nominee for White House deputy chief of staff, used some profanity. Dillon's occasional use of profanity, Rubin stresses, is a "nonstory" promoted by Sen. Marco Rubio and other Republicans — and rather than offering "excessive media indulgence of Republican hypocrisy," the columnist adds, reporters will need to scrutinize them in 2021 when they behave badly.
"It is time to stop giving air to Republicans' phony outrage and to hold them accountable for their own language and conduct on race and gender," Rubin writes. "First, as a general rule, when Republicans say they are upset or outraged, they almost never are. They do not care about foul language after four years of President Trump, or about deficits after four years of Republican government…. The media should stop taking seriously politicians' harping, especially from those who have lied about the election, about (President Donald) Trump's record, about Trump's own words and about their knowledge of Trump's words."
Rubin goes on to say that after Biden is sworn in as president on January 20, 2021, journalists will need to call out sexist attacks on women in his administration.
"It is no coincidence that the Republican or right-wing columnists who complain about Democratic women are almost always men," Rubin writes. "No one could have watched four years of Trump's attacks on women's intelligence and appearance or his demeaning language — e.g., 'suburban housewives,' 'nasty,' 'monster' — without understanding that the strain of misogyny runs a mile wide in the GOP."
Rubin also recommends that journalists aggressively scrutinize Republicans for racism in 2021.
"Throughout the last four years, the media seemed to gloss over the appalling lack of diversity in Republican ranks," Rubin observes. "It would behoove reporters to start asking Republicans why they overwhelmingly favor White men in key roles. Not a single African-American was appointed to a federal court of appeals under Trump."
Rubin wraps up her column by emphasizing that in the Biden era, reporters should avoiding indulging fake GOP grievances.
"In short, the media routinely give far too much credence to Republicans' complaints and far too much latitude in their rhetoric about race and gender," Rubin writes. "Rather than taking faux complaints seriously, the media would do well to start holding Republicans' feet to the fire on the appalling lack of diversity and the toleration of the racism and misogyny that is endemic in their party."


alternet--2020-12-18--Trump's Pentagon just abruptly stopped working with the Biden transition — shocking officials

Christopher Miller , President Donald Trump 's new acting secretary for the U.S. Department of Defense , has announced a Pentagon-wide halt on daily briefings for President-elect Joe Biden 's transition team .
On Thursday evening , Miller sent out a notice to members of his staff instructing them to cancel meetings with the Biden transition team .
According to Axios ' Jonathan Swan department officials were shocked by the directive .
Biden administration officials were also taken aback by the latest development .
The Pentagon 's latest directive comes just weeks after the Trump administration made repeated attempts to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incoming Biden administration .
Initially , Trump refused to cooperate with the transition process and the White House had instructed its staff to follow suit , reported ABC News .
It took weeks for Trump to finally allow the transition to begin .
While the latest directive has alarmed many , one senior official with the U.S. Department of Defense has dismissed concern by insisting the temporary is only because of the upcoming holidays .
It has been reported that members of the DOD are overwhelmed by the number of meetings they have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
According to Washington Post reporter Dan Lamoth , sometimes there have been `` as many as 20 meetings per day . ''
`` We had fewer than two dozen remaining meetings on the schedule today and next week , '' that official said , also insisting `` the DoD staff working the meetings were overwhelmed by the number of meetings . ''
`` These same senior leaders needed to do their day jobs and were being consumed by transition activities ... With the holidays , we are taking a knee for two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a productive transition . ''
However , the decision likely raises eyebrows due to the Trump administration 's track record on transparency and its ongoing failure to acknowledge President-elect Joe Biden 's win .

Christopher Miller, President Donald Trump's new acting secretary for the U.S. Department of Defense, has announced a Pentagon-wide halt on daily briefings for President-elect Joe Biden's transition team.
On Thursday evening, Miller sent out a notice to members of his staff instructing them to cancel meetings with the Biden transition team. According to Axios' Jonathan Swan department officials were shocked by the directive. Biden administration officials were also taken aback by the latest development.
The publication reports:
Miller's move, which stunned officials throughout the Pentagon, was the biggest eruption yet of animus and mistrust toward the Biden team from the top level of the Trump administration.
The Pentagon's latest directive comes just weeks after the Trump administration made repeated attempts to delay the start of transition for the incoming Biden administration. Initially, Trump refused to cooperate with the transition process and the White House had instructed its staff to follow suit, reported ABC News. It took weeks for Trump to finally allow the transition to begin.
While the latest directive has alarmed many, one senior official with the U.S. Department of Defense has dismissed concern by insisting the temporary is only because of the upcoming holidays.
It has been reported that members of the DOD are overwhelmed by the number of meetings they have had to endure on a daily basis. According to Washington Post reporter Dan Lamoth, sometimes there have been "as many as 20 meetings per day."
"We had fewer than two dozen remaining meetings on the schedule today and next week," that official said, also insisting "the DoD staff working the meetings were overwhelmed by the number of meetings."
"These same senior leaders needed to do their day jobs and were being consumed by transition activities... With the holidays, we are taking a knee for two weeks. We are still committed to a productive transition."
However, the decision likely raises eyebrows due to the Trump administration's track record on transparency and its ongoing failure to acknowledge President-elect Joe Biden's win.
PBS NewsHour's Yamiche Alcindor reported:


alternet--2020-12-18--Far-right White evangelicals will miss Trump dearly — even though he knows next to nothing about the

Far-right White evangelicals will miss Trump dearly — even though he knows next to nothing about the Bible

The Christian Right is in mourning over President Donald Trump being voted out of office .
Pat Robertson , the far-right evangelical who founded the Christian Broadcasting Network , has declared that the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on January 20 , 2021 must be prevented , saying , `` We will not give up this great country .
And Satan , you can not have it . ''
But the irony is that the incoming president is much more religious than Trump , who has demonstrated how little he knows about Christianity and the Bible .
Although Trump was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high priority in his life .
But when he ran for president in 2016 , Trump realized that the Christian Right was a prominent voting bloc in the GOP and went out of his way to pander to the far-right White evangelicals he had no connection to in the past .
The Trump of the 1980s , 1990s and 2000s was more of a Blue Dog Democrat than a GOP culture warrior , and he spent a lot more time in casinos than in churches .
Journalist Ed Kilgore , in an article @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 17 , notes Trump 's history of butchering Biblical references during his speeches .
Kilgore explains , `` Before Donald Trump became the very favorite politician of White conservative evangelicals , he was regularly a figure of sport for displaying exceptional ignorance in all matters religious .
A particularly rich example of his clumsiness occurred when he was campaigning at evangelical stronghold Liberty University early in 2016 and tried to quote a Bible verse that was very familiar to the audience , since it 's etched on several buildings there . ''
Kilgore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ religious gaffes Trump committed while stumping for votes '' in 2016 .
`` On another occasion along the campaign trail , '' Kilgore recalls , `` Trump was asked about his favorite line of scripture .
He delivered a word salad for a while and finally tried to recall 'an eye for an eye , ' not the sort of thing Christians of any variety consider normative for the faith of the Prince of Peace… ... Just prior to the Iowa caucuses , Trump was in a Council Bluffs church when a plate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on it .
The billionaire misidentified it as a collection plate and put a couple of bills on it . ''
Kilgore also notes that in 2017 , Trump met with two Presbyterian minsters and was surprised to learn that they did n't consider themselves evangelicals but rather , described themselves as `` Mainline Protestants . ''
Of course , anyone with even a basic knowledge of Christianity realizes that Presbyterians are n't evangelicals any more than Episcopalians or Lutherans — two other examples of Mainline Protestants — are evangelicals .
And there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a devout Catholic , or former President Barack Obama , a Mainline Protestant , would have made that mistake or confused a communion plate with a collection plate .
Unlike Trump , Biden and Obama both have a long history of being churchgoing Christians and obviously have an extensive knowledge of the Bible .
If Pat Robertson were to sit down with Biden or Obama , they could have an in-depth conversation about scripture .
Yet Robertson , like much of the Christian Right , adores Trump while hating Biden and Obama — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Christian Right .
The Christian Right has long been a hate movement , and it is as much about White nationalism and far-right identity politics as it is about Protestant fundamentalism .
The late Rev .
Jerry Falwell , Sr. , founder of Liberty University and co-founder of the Moral Majority , was a notorious segregationist during the 1950s and 1960s , when he vigorously defended Jim Crow laws in the pulpit and argued that the Rev .
Martin Luther King , Jr. was a not a true Christian because of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Falwell defended the racist apartheid regime in South African and encouraged Christians to buy krugerrands to support it .
The late Republican Sen. Barry Goldwater , known for being an arch-conservative in his day , was vehemently critical of Falwell and the Christian Right during the 1980s — describing them as dangerous fanatics and warning that the GOP was making a huge mistake by allying itself with that movement .
But many Republicans ignored Goldwater , much to the GOP 's detriment .
To the Christian Right and far-right White evangelicals , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ religious than Trump is irrelevant .
Robertson , the Family Research Council 's Tony Perkins , James Dobson ( founder of Focus on the Family ) and other evangelical Trump supporters are extreme tribalists , and they view Trump as part of their tribe — which is why Trump got a pass when , according to his former personal attorney Michael Cohen , he had extramarital affairs with a porn star ( Stormy Daniels ) and a Playboy model ( Karen McDougal ) and paid them hush money to keep quiet .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 presidential campaign .
But in 2017 , Trump did n't even know the difference between Presbyterians and evangelicals .
The Christian Right will miss Trump dearly when he leaves off on January 20 , 2021 .
And no matter how much Biden goes to church or accurately quotes the Bible , it wo n't matter to the far-right evangelical extremists who value White identity politics above all else .

The Christian Right is in mourning over President Donald Trump being voted out of office. Pat Robertson, the far-right evangelical who founded the Christian Broadcasting Network, has declared that the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on January 20, 2021 must be prevented, saying, "We will not give up this great country. And Satan, you cannot have it." But the irony is that the incoming president is much more religious than Trump, who has demonstrated how little he knows about Christianity and the Bible.
Although Trump was raised Presbyterian, religion was never a high priority in his life. But when he ran for president in 2016, Trump realized that the Christian Right was a prominent voting bloc in the GOP and went out of his way to pander to the far-right White evangelicals he had no connection to in the past. The Trump of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s was more of a Blue Dog Democrat than a GOP culture warrior, and he spent a lot more time in casinos than in churches.
Journalist Ed Kilgore, in an article published by New York Magazine on December 17, notes Trump's history of butchering Biblical references during his speeches.
Kilgore explains, "Before Donald Trump became the very favorite politician of White conservative evangelicals, he was regularly a figure of sport for displaying exceptional ignorance in all matters religious. A particularly rich example of his clumsiness occurred when he was campaigning at evangelical stronghold Liberty University early in 2016 and tried to quote a Bible verse that was very familiar to the audience, since it's etched on several buildings there."
Kilgore adds that there were many other "religious gaffes Trump committed while stumping for votes" in 2016.
"On another occasion along the campaign trail," Kilgore recalls, "Trump was asked about his favorite line of scripture. He delivered a word salad for a while and finally tried to recall 'an eye for an eye,' not the sort of thing Christians of any variety consider normative for the faith of the Prince of Peace…... Just prior to the Iowa caucuses, Trump was in a Council Bluffs church when a plate came down the pews with communion bread on it. The billionaire misidentified it as a collection plate and put a couple of bills on it."
Kilgore also notes that in 2017, Trump met with two Presbyterian minsters and was surprised to learn that they didn't consider themselves evangelicals but rather, described themselves as "Mainline Protestants."
Of course, anyone with even a basic knowledge of Christianity realizes that Presbyterians aren't evangelicals any more than Episcopalians or Lutherans — two other examples of Mainline Protestants — are evangelicals. And there's no way that either Biden, a devout Catholic, or former President Barack Obama, a Mainline Protestant, would have made that mistake or confused a communion plate with a collection plate. Unlike Trump, Biden and Obama both have a long history of being churchgoing Christians and obviously have an extensive knowledge of the Bible.
If Pat Robertson were to sit down with Biden or Obama, they could have an in-depth conversation about scripture. Yet Robertson, like much of the Christian Right, adores Trump while hating Biden and Obama — which underscores the deeply tribalist nature of the Christian Right.
The Christian Right has long been a hate movement, and it is as much about White nationalism and far-right identity politics as it is about Protestant fundamentalism. The late Rev. Jerry Falwell, Sr., founder of Liberty University and co-founder of the Moral Majority, was a notorious segregationist during the 1950s and 1960s, when he vigorously defended Jim Crow laws in the pulpit and argued that the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a not a true Christian because of his anti-segregation views. During the 1980s, Falwell defended the racist apartheid regime in South African and encouraged Christians to buy krugerrands to support it.
The late Republican Sen. Barry Goldwater, known for being an arch-conservative in his day, was vehemently critical of Falwell and the Christian Right during the 1980s — describing them as dangerous fanatics and warning that the GOP was making a huge mistake by allying itself with that movement. But many Republicans ignored Goldwater, much to the GOP's detriment.
To the Christian Right and far-right White evangelicals, the fact that Biden and Obama are more religious than Trump is irrelevant. Robertson, the Family Research Council's Tony Perkins, James Dobson (founder of Focus on the Family) and other evangelical Trump supporters are extreme tribalists, and they view Trump as part of their tribe — which is why Trump got a pass when, according to his former personal attorney Michael Cohen, he had extramarital affairs with a porn star (Stormy Daniels) and a Playboy model (Karen McDougal) and paid them hush money to keep quiet.
Trump repeatedly attacked Biden as anti-Christian during his 2020 presidential campaign. But in 2017, Trump didn't even know the difference between Presbyterians and evangelicals.
The Christian Right will miss Trump dearly when he leaves off on January 20, 2021. And no matter how much Biden goes to church or accurately quotes the Bible, it won't matter to the far-right evangelical extremists who value White identity politics above all else.


alternet--2020-12-18--The last straw? Gov. Kemp snaps at GOP conspiracy theorists after they level attacks at his kids

Georgia Gov .
Brian Kemp ( R ) has been a target of President Donald Trump and Republicans ' ire due to his refusal to grant requests to overturn the election results in his state .
But , now conspiracy theorists have gone a step further by targeting the Republican governor 's children and he is not having it .
When Kemp spoke with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution , he weighed in on the ongoing attacks insisting it has `` gotten ridiculous '' He also had a clear message for those criticizing his decisions and targeting members of his family over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results .
`` If anybody has an issue with something I 've done , they need to come see me and I 'll talk to them about it , '' Kemp said .
`` They do n't need to bother my wife or my children or anybody .
He added , `` I can assure you I can handle myself .
And if they 're brave enough to come out from underneath that keyboard or behind it , we can have a little conversation if they would like to . ''
Kemp 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's repeated attempts to overturn the results of the election in Georgia .
Although they have worked around the clock to invalidate the election results , Tim Murtaugh , the Trump campaign communications manager , has condemned all threats made toward all state and local officials involved in Georgia 's election processes .
`` The campaign is focused on ensuring that all legal votes are counted and all illegal votes are not .
No one should engage in threats or violence , and if that has happened , we condemn that fully , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump has also attacked Kemp , Georgia 's Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger , and other state election officials for not intervening despite having no necessary evidence of voter fraud to do on his behalf .
In fact , Kemp has repeatedly stated that he does not have the power to overturn the results .

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) has been a target of President Donald Trump and Republicans' ire due to his refusal to grant requests to overturn the election results in his state. But, now conspiracy theorists have gone a step further by targeting the Republican governor's children and he is not having it.
When Kemp spoke with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he weighed in on the ongoing attacks insisting it has "gotten ridiculous" He also had a clear message for those criticizing his decisions and targeting members of his family over decisions he has made regarding the election results.
"If anybody has an issue with something I've done, they need to come see me and I'll talk to them about it," Kemp said. "They don't need to bother my wife or my children or anybody.
He added, "I can assure you I can handle myself. And if they're brave enough to come out from underneath that keyboard or behind it, we can have a little conversation if they would like to."
Kemp's latest remarks come after the Trump campaign's repeated attempts to overturn the results of the election in Georgia. Although they have worked around the clock to invalidate the election results, Tim Murtaugh, the Trump campaign communications manager, has condemned all threats made toward all state and local officials involved in Georgia's election processes.
"The campaign is focused on ensuring that all legal votes are counted and all illegal votes are not. No one should engage in threats or violence, and if that has happened, we condemn that fully," Murtaugh said.
On multiple occasions, Trump has also attacked Kemp, Georgia's Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, and other state election officials for not intervening despite having no necessary evidence of voter fraud to do on his behalf. In fact, Kemp has repeatedly stated that he does not have the power to overturn the results.


alternet--2020-12-18--Columnist brutally mocks Marco Rubio -- who has suddenly discovered a disdain for profanity

During a recent interview with Glamour Magazine , Jennifer O'Malley Dillon — President-elect Joe Biden 's nominee for deputy White House chief of staff — uses profanity more than once .
Dillon is hardly unique in that regard : President Donald Trump has a long history of using it .
Regardless , Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida has been traumatized by Dillon 's use of the words `` fuck '' and `` fuckers '' during that interview , which Washington Post columnist Karen Tumulty finds laughable in light of all the offensive things that Trump has said .
Tumulty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sen. Marco Rubio ( R-Fla. ) a cold compress and a place where he might lie down for a few minutes ?
The senator , whom you might recall from the time he implied during a presidential campaign that Donald Trump has a small penis , is feeling distressed by something in the latest issue of Glamour Magazine — a publication I would not have expected to be on his regular reading list . ''
Here 's what Dillon said that has triggered Rubio and inspired him to get in touch with his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ described far-right Republicans in Congress as `` a bunch of fuckers , '' and Dillon used the words `` fuck that '' more than once during the interview .
Rubio , in response , tweeted : Tumulty calls out the total hypocrisy of Rubio and other Trump enablers in her column , pointing out they were willing to look the other way when Trump used profanity — only to take offense when Dillon did it .
The Post columnist explains , `` Rubio was joined in his outrage by many other Republicans , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things that President Trump has achieved in his single term is bringing swearing into the mainstream .
On just one day in 2019 , this newspaper used the word 'bullshit '' five times in quoting Trump 's rants about his impeachment .
Trump cusses liberally at his rallies , knowing it brings cheers from his devoted supporters .
They see it as evidence of his toughness and willingness to call things the way he sees them . ''
Tumulty goes on to say that not only was Rubio being downright silly in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the context in which Dillon used the phrase `` a bunch of fuckers '' during the interview .
Dillon told Glamour , `` The president-elect was able to connect with people over this sense of unity .
In the primary , people would mock him , like , 'You think you can work with Republicans ? '
I 'm not saying they 're not a bunch of fuckers .
Mitch McConnell is terrible .
But this sense that you could n't wish for that , you could n't wish for this bipartisan ideal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to finish , he set out with this idea that unity was possible , that together we are stronger — that we , as a country , need healing , and our politics needs that too . ''
Dillon added , `` It is like a relationship .
You ca n't do politics alone .
If the other person is not willing to do the work , then that becomes really hard .
But I think , more than not , people want to see impact .
They want to see us moving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do their work , get paid a fair share , have time for themselves and their family , and see each other as neighbors .
And this overhang of this negative , polarized electorate that politics has created is the thing that I think we can break down . ''
In other words , Dillon was praising Biden 's desire to work with Republicans in Congress and get things done along bipartisan lines .
Indeed , Biden worked with a lot of Republicans during his decades in the U.S. Senate , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he thought highly of .
McCain 's widow , Cindy McCain , was among the Republicans who endorsed Biden over Trump .
Tumulty writes , `` Oh , the horror !
At a moment when the country faces a set of crises unlike any we have seen in many generations , Biden and his team want to get things done .
They also recognize that doing so will require some give-and-take , given today 's political environment . ''
The columnist adds that Republicans have also been hyperventilating over another Biden nominee : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ running for director of the Office of Management and Budget .
`` I can think of a few salty words that might apply here , '' Tumulty writes , `` but the most apt description is 'hypocrisy . '
''

During a recent interview with Glamour Magazine, Jennifer O'Malley Dillon — President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for deputy White House chief of staff — uses profanity more than once. Dillon is hardly unique in that regard: President Donald Trump has a long history of using it. Regardless, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida has been traumatized by Dillon's use of the words "fuck" and "fuckers" during that interview, which Washington Post columnist Karen Tumulty finds laughable in light of all the offensive things that Trump has said.
Tumulty writes, "Could someone please find Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) a cold compress and a place where he might lie down for a few minutes? The senator, whom you might recall from the time he implied during a presidential campaign that Donald Trump has a small penis, is feeling distressed by something in the latest issue of Glamour Magazine — a publication I would not have expected to be on his regular reading list."
Here's what Dillon said that has triggered Rubio and inspired him to get in touch with his inner snowflake. The Biden campaign manager described far-right Republicans in Congress as "a bunch of fuckers," and Dillon used the words "fuck that" more than once during the interview. Rubio, in response, tweeted:
Tumulty calls out the total hypocrisy of Rubio and other Trump enablers in her column, pointing out they were willing to look the other way when Trump used profanity — only to take offense when Dillon did it.
The Post columnist explains, "Rubio was joined in his outrage by many other Republicans, who apparently are unaware that among the things that President Trump has achieved in his single term is bringing swearing into the mainstream. On just one day in 2019, this newspaper used the word 'bullshit" five times in quoting Trump's rants about his impeachment. Trump cusses liberally at his rallies, knowing it brings cheers from his devoted supporters. They see it as evidence of his toughness and willingness to call things the way he sees them."
Tumulty goes on to say that not only was Rubio being downright silly in his nitpicking — he also failed to note the context in which Dillon used the phrase "a bunch of fuckers" during the interview.
Dillon told Glamour, "The president-elect was able to connect with people over this sense of unity. In the primary, people would mock him, like, 'You think you can work with Republicans?' I'm not saying they're not a bunch of fuckers. Mitch McConnell is terrible. But this sense that you couldn't wish for that, you couldn't wish for this bipartisan ideal? He rejected that. From start to finish, he set out with this idea that unity was possible, that together we are stronger — that we, as a country, need healing, and our politics needs that too."
Dillon added, "It is like a relationship. You can't do politics alone. If the other person is not willing to do the work, then that becomes really hard. But I think, more than not, people want to see impact. They want to see us moving in a path forward. They want to do their work, get paid a fair share, have time for themselves and their family, and see each other as neighbors. And this overhang of this negative, polarized electorate that politics has created is the thing that I think we can break down."
In other words, Dillon was praising Biden's desire to work with Republicans in Congress and get things done along bipartisan lines. Indeed, Biden worked with a lot of Republicans during his decades in the U.S. Senate, including the late Sen. John McCain — who he thought highly of. McCain's widow, Cindy McCain, was among the Republicans who endorsed Biden over Trump.
Tumulty writes, "Oh, the horror! At a moment when the country faces a set of crises unlike any we have seen in many generations, Biden and his team want to get things done. They also recognize that doing so will require some give-and-take, given today's political environment."
The columnist adds that Republicans have also been hyperventilating over another Biden nominee: Neera Tanden, who is in the running for director of the Office of Management and Budget.
"I can think of a few salty words that might apply here," Tumulty writes, "but the most apt description is 'hypocrisy.'"


alternet--2020-12-18--Michael Flynn suggested Trump use military to 're-run' the election in swing states

Michael Flynn , the former U.S. National Security adviser under the Trump administration , recently suggested that President Donald Trump deploy the military to `` re-run '' the 2020 presidential election in the swing states he lost .
On Thursday evening , Flynn appeared on Newsmax 's `` The Greg Kelly Show '' where Kelly asked about ways the president could once again challenge the outcome of the election despite the Electoral College already affirming Biden 's win .
According to Flynn , Trump could seize all voting machines across the United States and deploy the military to the swing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` He could order , within the swing states if he wanted to , he could take military capabilities and basically rerun an election each in those states , '' Flynn said .
He also falsely claimed military deployment is not as farfetched as it sounds given the number of times martial law has been instituted in American history .
`` Martial law has been instituted 64 times , '' he said .
`` So I 'm not calling for that .
We have a constitutional process , and that has to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to highlight the fact that martial law has not been called for an election loss .
Flynn 's latest wild remarks come just days after his speech at a recent `` Stop the Steal '' rally in Washington , D.C. , last Saturday .
According to The Hill , Flynn expressed support for Trump 's continued efforts to challenge the election despite more than 50 dismissed lawsuits in court and no substantial claims to support his voter fraud allegations .
`` In this crucible moment of our time , we have to pray @ @ @ @ @ @ @ triumphs over abuse and fraud , honesty triumphs over corruption , '' Flynn said .
`` Our sacred honor triumphs over infamy . ''
He added , `` Do n't get bent out of shape .
There are still avenues ... We 're fighting with faith , and we 're fighting with courage . ''
Although Trump is still obsessed over losing the election and attempting to find solid proof of voter fraud , the Electoral College has solidified President-elect Joe Biden 's win .

Michael Flynn, the former U.S. National Security adviser under the Trump administration, recently suggested that President Donald Trump deploy the military to "re-run" the 2020 presidential election in the swing states he lost.
On Thursday evening, Flynn appeared on Newsmax's "The Greg Kelly Show" where Kelly asked about ways the president could once again challenge the outcome of the election despite the Electoral College already affirming Biden's win. According to Flynn, Trump could seize all voting machines across the United States and deploy the military to the swing states Biden won during the election.
"He could order, within the swing states if he wanted to, he could take military capabilities and basically rerun an election each in those states," Flynn said.
He also falsely claimed military deployment is not as farfetched as it sounds given the number of times martial law has been instituted in American history. "Martial law has been instituted 64 times," he said. "So I'm not calling for that. We have a constitutional process, and that has to be followed."
However, he failed to highlight the fact that martial law has not been called for an election loss.
Flynn's latest wild remarks come just days after his speech at a recent "Stop the Steal" rally in Washington, D.C., last Saturday. According to The Hill, Flynn expressed support for Trump's continued efforts to challenge the election despite more than 50 dismissed lawsuits in court and no substantial claims to support his voter fraud allegations.
"In this crucible moment of our time, we have to pray that truth triumphs over lies, justice triumphs over abuse and fraud, honesty triumphs over corruption," Flynn said. "Our sacred honor triumphs over infamy."
He added, "Don't get bent out of shape. There are still avenues... We're fighting with faith, and we're fighting with courage."
Although Trump is still obsessed over losing the election and attempting to find solid proof of voter fraud, the Electoral College has solidified President-elect Joe Biden's win.


alternet--2020-12-18--Trump campaign attorney shares dangerous claim about SCOTUS Justice in bizarre Twitterstorm

Lin Wood , a QAnon backing attorney for the Trump campaign , tweeted a firestorm of tall allegations attacking U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts for allegedly conspiring to have President Donald Trump voted out of office .
On Thursday , Dec. 18 , Wood took to Twitter with details about an alleged call that took place sometime in August .
According to Wood , Roberts and Justice Stephen Breyer discussed ways to have Trump voted out , reports Law & Crime .
`` In discussing @ realDonaldTrump in phone conversation in 8/19 , Justice John Roberts stated that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # *ker would never be re-elected , '' the tweet said .
`` Roberts engaged in phone conversations with Justice Stephen Breyer discussing how to work to get Trump voted out . ''
To make matters worse , Wood 's allegations are no different than any of the Trump campaign 's other post-election claims and conspiracy theories as he had no evidence or proof to back the tweet .
However , he did attempt to do damage control by claiming that there is documentation `` in the hands of several third parties '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not attempt to provide the information .
`` The documentation of my claims about Justices Roberts & Breyer has been placed in hands of several third parties , '' Wood claimed .
`` When one can not attack message , all too often messenger is attacked , '' Wood said .
`` But TRUTH can not be denied .
It can not be destroyed .
I have made sure of that TRUTH . ''
At one point during his rant , Wood even attempted to accuse Roberts of being involved in Jeffrey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has already addressed this allegation .
In the wake of Wood 's latest Twitter storm , legal experts and law observers expressed deep concern about his words describing his defamatory remarks as an ethical violation .
Jan Wolfe , a lawyer and legal affairs journalist tweeted , `` If I wanted to win a pending case , I would n't call the judge a corrupt sexual predator .
But that 's just me .
And , yes , defaming Chief Justice Roberts is an ethical violation , if you were wondering . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ had more than 50 post-election lawsuits tossed out of courts across the country which suggests that maybe the Supreme Court is not the problem but rather .
Trump 's baseless election fraud claims .

Lin Wood, a QAnon backing attorney for the Trump campaign, tweeted a firestorm of tall allegations attacking U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts for allegedly conspiring to have President Donald Trump voted out of office.
On Thursday, Dec. 18, Wood took to Twitter with details about an alleged call that took place sometime in August. According to Wood, Roberts and Justice Stephen Breyer discussed ways to have Trump voted out, reports Law & Crime.
"In discussing @realDonaldTrump in phone conversation in 8/19, Justice John Roberts stated that he would make sure 'the mother f#*ker would never be re-elected," the tweet said. "Roberts engaged in phone conversations with Justice Stephen Breyer discussing how to work to get Trump voted out."
To make matters worse, Wood's allegations are no different than any of the Trump campaign's other post-election claims and conspiracy theories as he had no evidence or proof to back the tweet. However, he did attempt to do damage control by claiming that there is documentation "in the hands of several third parties" to support his claim even though he did not attempt to provide the information.
"The documentation of my claims about Justices Roberts & Breyer has been placed in hands of several third parties," Wood claimed. "When one cannot attack message, all too often messenger is attacked," Wood said. "But TRUTH cannot be denied. It cannot be destroyed. I have made sure of that TRUTH."
At one point during his rant, Wood even attempted to accuse Roberts of being involved in Jeffrey Epstein's entanglements although the chief justice has already addressed this allegation.
In the wake of Wood's latest Twitter storm, legal experts and law observers expressed deep concern about his words describing his defamatory remarks as an ethical violation.
Jan Wolfe, a lawyer and legal affairs journalist tweeted, "If I wanted to win a pending case, I wouldn't call the judge a corrupt sexual predator. But that's just me. And, yes, defaming Chief Justice Roberts is an ethical violation, if you were wondering."
So far, the Trump campaign has had more than 50 post-election lawsuits tossed out of courts across the country which suggests that maybe the Supreme Court is not the problem but rather. Trump's baseless election fraud claims.