alternet--2020-11-18--How America must move on from Trump

How America must move on from Trump

Yet he still won strong majorities in the South and Mountain West while dominating once more with white evangelicals .
As in 2016 , he cleaned up in places like southwestern Pennsylvania , where factory jobs are long gone , and in upscale zip codes like St. Johns County in Florida , where you can play 18 holes and then sip martinis on the beach .
But the most striking part of Trump 's showing was his strength in places where the pandemic is raging .
According to an analysis by National Public Radio , nearly seven in 10 counties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more strongly this year than they did in 2016 .
Those votes speaks volumes about what Americans have come to expect — or not to expect — from their government .
The government 's responsibility for public safety and well-being — Salus Populi , in its original Latin — is among the most venerable ideas of the western political tradition .
America is no exception .
Most of the state-level constitutions written during the American Revolution described the “ happiness and safety '' of the people , no less than their freedom , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Federal Constitution of 1787 also named “ general welfare '' as one of its main goals .
And why not ?
The very word , republic , means the “ public thing . ''
Throughout the 19th century , courts and legislatures cited Salus Populi as the supreme law of the land , something that overruled the private interests of the greedy or careless .
As a Massachusetts judge summarized while defending regulations on food markets in the 1840s , the public had “ a right to control [ those markets ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of all citizens . ''
These were n't just words .
City ordinances actually prevented merchants from selling spoiled meat .
Town governments repeatedly enforced quarantines .
Judges routinely ordered the destruction of buildings that contained flammable materials .
To be sure , 19th-century America also had a libertarian streak .
Amid the social upheavals of industrialization and urbanization , various anti-government and hyper-individualistic ideas grew into predatory ideologies such as social Darwinism .
By the early 20th century , however , the federal government had assumed responsibility for basic hygiene in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ During the New Deal in the 1930s , the government devised Social Security for retirees and invested in everything from highways and bridges to hospitals .
Governments of all levels fought the polio outbreaks of the early post-war years , and both public and private donors enabled Jonas Salk 's wondrous polio vaccine in 1955 .
Everything changed in the U.S. with the election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980 .
“ The nine most terrifying words in the English language , '' the affable Reagan chortled , “ are : I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'm here to help . ''
In his America , the only role for government was to punish evildoers and promote dog-eat-dog capitalism in the name of “ freedom . ''
The Gipper , as Reagan was nicknamed ( after a movie role ) , delivered these right-wing economic dogmas with a B-actor 's smile , initiating a 40-year assault on Salus Populi .
This has worked out very well for the wealthy .
High net-worth individuals saw their income taxes plummet under Reagan and again under George W. Bush .
They reinvested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bill Clinton .
Especially since the Great Recession of 2008 , the super wealthy have pulled away from everyone else , with the richest five per cent of U.S. families increasing their net worth by an astonishing 88 per cent .
No wonder people making over $ 100,000 swung strongly two weeks ago to Trump , a shady billionaire who nonetheless delivered another tax cut in 2017 .
The puzzle is why so many working people seem to support an economic project that often harms working people .
Perhaps the question presupposes a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't have .
In a world of closing factories and shrinking unions , employees are in no position to demand better job security .
Flooded by well-crafted slogans about the evils of government , voters have little hope for competent leaders , to say nothing of caring ones .
Indeed , the most obvious choice within the privatized hellscape of contemporary America is to hang on to what you 've got , the public be damned .
If no one will help you in times of need , why vote for someone who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for himself , why not admire a snake-oil tycoon like Donald Trump ?
In Trump 's America , the deaths of so many fellow citizens simply “ is what it is . ''
The only way to fight these dismal convictions is to create tangible evidence to the contrary .
Building more hospitals would be a good place to start .
More than 150 of these have closed in rural areas of the U.S. since 2015 .
Strengthening Social Security and the Affordable Care Act should also be priorities .
Mandating better nutritional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ labour practices would also work .
Act first , talk later .
Then perhaps Americans like me can once again see each other as part of a civil and coherent society , as proud members of a decent and well-run republic .
J.M .
Opal , Associate Professor of History and Chair , History and Classical Studies , McGill University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .

by J.M. Opal, McGill University
Donald Trump lost. Period.
Yet he still won strong majorities in the South and Mountain West while dominating once more with white evangelicals. As in 2016, he cleaned up in places like southwestern Pennsylvania, where factory jobs are long gone, and in upscale zip codes like St. Johns County in Florida, where you can play 18 holes and then sip martinis on the beach.
But the most striking part of Trump's showing was his strength in places where the pandemic is raging. According to an analysis by National Public Radio, nearly seven in 10 counties with high COVID-19 death rates backed Trump more strongly this year than they did in 2016.
Those votes speaks volumes about what Americans have come to expect — or not to expect — from their government.
'Salus Populi'
The government's responsibility for public safety and well-being — Salus Populi, in its original Latin — is among the most venerable ideas of the western political tradition. America is no exception.
Most of the state-level constitutions written during the American Revolution described the “happiness and safety" of the people, no less than their freedom, as the governments' primary concern. The Federal Constitution of 1787 also named “general welfare" as one of its main goals. And why not? The very word, republic, means the “public thing."
Throughout the 19th century, courts and legislatures cited Salus Populi as the supreme law of the land, something that overruled the private interests of the greedy or careless. As a Massachusetts judge summarized while defending regulations on food markets in the 1840s, the public had “a right to control [those markets], as best to promote the welfare of all citizens."
These weren't just words. City ordinances actually prevented merchants from selling spoiled meat. Town governments repeatedly enforced quarantines. Judges routinely ordered the destruction of buildings that contained flammable materials.
To be sure, 19th-century America also had a libertarian streak. Amid the social upheavals of industrialization and urbanization, various anti-government and hyper-individualistic ideas grew into predatory ideologies such as social Darwinism.
By the early 20th century, however, the federal government had assumed responsibility for basic hygiene in the nation's food and water supplies. During the New Deal in the 1930s, the government devised Social Security for retirees and invested in everything from highways and bridges to hospitals.
Governments of all levels fought the polio outbreaks of the early post-war years, and both public and private donors enabled Jonas Salk's wondrous polio vaccine in 1955.
The private revolution
Everything changed in the U.S. with the election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980.
“The nine most terrifying words in the English language," the affable Reagan chortled, “are: I'm from the government, and I'm here to help." In his America, the only role for government was to punish evildoers and promote dog-eat-dog capitalism in the name of “freedom."
The Gipper, as Reagan was nicknamed (after a movie role), delivered these right-wing economic dogmas with a B-actor's smile, initiating a 40-year assault on Salus Populi.
This has worked out very well for the wealthy. High net-worth individuals saw their income taxes plummet under Reagan and again under George W. Bush. They reinvested the windfall in capital markets liberalized by Bill Clinton. Especially since the Great Recession of 2008, the super wealthy have pulled away from everyone else, with the richest five per cent of U.S. families increasing their net worth by an astonishing 88 per cent.
No wonder people making over $100,000 swung strongly two weeks ago to Trump, a shady billionaire who nonetheless delivered another tax cut in 2017. The puzzle is why so many working people seem to support an economic project that often harms working people.
Perhaps the question presupposes a level of choice that most people don't have. In a world of closing factories and shrinking unions, employees are in no position to demand better job security. Flooded by well-crafted slogans about the evils of government, voters have little hope for competent leaders, to say nothing of caring ones.
Indeed, the most obvious choice within the privatized hellscape of contemporary America is to hang on to what you've got, the public be damned.
Fellow citizens
If no one will help you in times of need, why vote for someone who pretends otherwise? If everyone is out for himself, why not admire a snake-oil tycoon like Donald Trump? In Trump's America, the deaths of so many fellow citizens simply “is what it is."
The only way to fight these dismal convictions is to create tangible evidence to the contrary. Building more hospitals would be a good place to start. More than 150 of these have closed in rural areas of the U.S. since 2015.
Strengthening Social Security and the Affordable Care Act should also be priorities. Mandating better nutritional content for school cafeterias and enforcing fair labour practices would also work.
Act first, talk later. Then perhaps Americans like me can once again see each other as part of a civil and coherent society, as proud members of a decent and well-run republic.
J.M. Opal, Associate Professor of History and Chair, History and Classical Studies, McGill University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


alternet--2020-11-18--'Grow up': Georgia elections chief accuses GOP politicians of 'emotional abuse' with bogus voter fra

'Grow up': Georgia elections chief accuses GOP politicians of 'emotional abuse' with bogus voter fraud claims

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger accused Republican politicians of emotionally abusing the American public with ongoing , misleading claims of voter fraud .
On Tuesday , Raffensperger expressed concern about the election-related falsehoods Trump , his allies and Republican politicians are circulating on social media .
According to Raffensperger , the unfounded claims are `` playing with people 's emotions . ''
He described the behavior as emotional abuse as he advised them all to `` grow up and start acting with integrity . ''
`` There 's just people who are really angry and they 're being spun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , `` It 's really the spinners that should be ashamed for playing with people 's emotions .
Politicians of both sides should never play with people 's emotions .
It 's one thing to motivate people , I get that .
But to spin people up and play with their emotions , it 's emotional abuse and they ought to grow up and start acting with integrity . ''
Raffensperger 's remarks come as a recount takes place in the state of Georgia .
Over the last two weeks , Trump has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the baseless claims on social media but he has also attacked those who accurately say former Vice President Joe Biden won the election .
In fact , he also attacked Raffensperger as he described him as a `` Republican in name only ( RINO ) . ''
However , Raffensperger made it clear that his political affiliation has nothing to do with Trump 's spread of misinformation or the outcome of the election .
His role is to ensure that all legal votes are included in the official count .
`` I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conservative one , and I do n't like the idea that President Trump is not going to win , '' Raffensperger said .
`` But at the end of the day , I want every voter to know we 're going to do our job and make sure every legal vote is counted . ''

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger accused Republican politicians of emotionally abusing the American public with ongoing, misleading claims of voter fraud.
On Tuesday, Raffensperger expressed concern about the election-related falsehoods Trump, his allies and Republican politicians are circulating on social media. According to Raffensperger, the unfounded claims are "playing with people's emotions." He described the behavior as emotional abuse as he advised them all to "grow up and start acting with integrity."
"There's just people who are really angry and they're being spun up," Raffensperger said, adding, "It's really the spinners that should be ashamed for playing with people's emotions. Politicians of both sides should never play with people's emotions. It's one thing to motivate people, I get that. But to spin people up and play with their emotions, it's emotional abuse and they ought to grow up and start acting with integrity."
Raffensperger's remarks come as a recount takes place in the state of Georgia. Over the last two weeks, Trump has not only been responsible for circulating many of the baseless claims on social media but he has also attacked those who accurately say former Vice President Joe Biden won the election. In fact, he also attacked Raffensperger as he described him as a "Republican in name only (RINO)."
However, Raffensperger made it clear that his political affiliation has nothing to do with Trump's spread of misinformation or the outcome of the election. His role is to ensure that all legal votes are included in the official count.
"I'm a Republican, I'm a conservative one, and I don't like the idea that President Trump is not going to win," Raffensperger said. "But at the end of the day, I want every voter to know we're going to do our job and make sure every legal vote is counted."


alternet--2020-11-18--Pennsylvania judge has heard enough from Rudy Giuliani — cancels scheduled evidentiary hearing

A federal judge based in Pennsylvania has heard enough from Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani .
Judge Matthew Brann of the @ @ @ @ @ the Middle District of Pennsylvania on Wednesday announced ( PDF ) that he was formally @ @ @ @ @ had been scheduled to take place on Thursday .
`` The evidentiary hearing previously scheduled @ @ @ @ @ , 2020 is CANCELLED , '' the judge wrote in his order , which also @ @ @ @ @ attorney Linda Kerns to sanction opposing counsel for a supposedly `` threatening '' phone call @ @ @ @ @ News reporter Adam Klasfeld notes , Judge Brann telegraphed this move in court on Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ did n't see the need to hold an evidentiary hearing based on the claims being @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Context : Rudy Giuliani admitted in court yesterday , 'This is not a @ @ @ @ @ writes Klasfeld in explaining why the judge saw no need to hold a hearing on @ @ @ @ @ that the case did n't actually involve fraud allegations .

A federal judge based in Pennsylvania has heard enough from Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.
Judge Matthew Brann of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on Wednesday announced (PDF) that he was formally canceling an evidentiary hearing that had been scheduled to take place on Thursday.
"The evidentiary hearing previously scheduled for Thursday, November 19, 2020 is CANCELLED," the judge wrote in his order, which also denied a motion by Trump attorney Linda Kerns to sanction opposing counsel for a supposedly "threatening" phone call.
As Law and Crime News reporter Adam Klasfeld notes, Judge Brann telegraphed this move in court on Tuesday when he said that he didn't see the need to hold an evidentiary hearing based on the claims being made by the Trump campaign.
"Context: Rudy Giuliani admitted in court yesterday, 'This is not a fraud case,'" writes Klasfeld in explaining why the judge saw no need to hold a hearing on fraud evidence when Giuliani said that the case didn't actually involve fraud allegations.


alternet--2020-11-18--Angus King warns Trump's firing of cybersecurity czar could lead to ‘severe damage’ for the country

Sen. Angus King ( I-VA ) is not pleased with President Donald Trump 's decision to fire Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency director , Chris Krebs .
Trump opted to fire Krebs just two days after he pushed back against the president 's claims of widespread voter fraud .
Krebs made it clear that the election was likely the `` most secure in American history . ''
The president claims he fired Krebs because the statement was `` highly inaccurate , '' or rather , it did not align with his perspective on the election outcome .
Now , King @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump 's behavior .
On Tuesday , he expressed concern about the president 's actions and how his handling of the post-election period could ultimately be damaging for `` all Americans . ''
By firing Krebs , Trump subsequently created a vulnerability within the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency .
`` By firing Mr. Krebs for simply doing his job , President Trump is inflicting severe damage on all Americans – who rely on CISA 's defenses , even if they do n't know it , '' King said .
King 's remarks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president 's voter fraud claims .
At the time , Krebs and election law expert David Becker made it clear that Trump 's claims were misinformation .
Becker tweeted , `` Please do n't retweet wild and baseless claims about voting machines , even if they 're made by the president .
These fantasies have been debunked many times , including by [ DHSgov ] [ CISAgov ] on this excellent site/resource , Rumor Control . ''
Krebs also urged the American public to disregard `` wild and baseless claims ... even if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' After Trump announced Krebs ' departure , the former CISA director took to Twitter with a response .
He tweeted , `` Honored to serve .
We did it right .
Defend Today , Secure Tomorrow .
# Protect2020 '' With the actions Trump has taken over the last two weeks firing multiple top officials , there is speculation more officials could be fired in the coming weeks .

Sen. Angus King (I-VA) is not pleased with President Donald Trump's decision to fire Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency director, Chris Krebs.
Trump opted to fire Krebs just two days after he pushed back against the president's claims of widespread voter fraud. Krebs made it clear that the election was likely the "most secure in American history." The president claims he fired Krebs because the statement was "highly inaccurate," or rather, it did not align with his perspective on the election outcome.
Now, King has weighed in with his take on Trump's behavior. On Tuesday, he expressed concern about the president's actions and how his handling of the post-election period could ultimately be damaging for "all Americans." By firing Krebs, Trump subsequently created a vulnerability within the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
"By firing Mr. Krebs for simply doing his job, President Trump is inflicting severe damage on all Americans – who rely on CISA's defenses, even if they don't know it," King said.
King's remarks come just days after Krebs dismissed the president's voter fraud claims. At the time, Krebs and election law expert David Becker made it clear that Trump's claims were misinformation.
Becker tweeted, "Please don't retweet wild and baseless claims about voting machines, even if they're made by the president. These fantasies have been debunked many times, including by [DHSgov] [CISAgov] on this excellent site/resource, Rumor Control."
Krebs also urged the American public to disregard "wild and baseless claims...even if they're made by the president." After Trump announced Krebs' departure, the former CISA director took to Twitter with a response. He tweeted, "Honored to serve. We did it right. Defend Today, Secure Tomorrow. #Protect2020"
With the actions Trump has taken over the last two weeks firing multiple top officials, there is speculation more officials could be fired in the coming weeks.


alternet--2020-11-18--'Lindsey Graham must resign': Outrage mounts over GOP senator's alleged assault on election integrit

'Lindsey Graham must resign': Outrage mounts over GOP senator's alleged assault on election integrity

As President Donald Trump on Wednesday continued to call his loss to President-elect Joe Biden the result of a `` rigged election '' without a shred of evidence to support his mounting claims of voter fraud , demands kept piling up for probes—and even the resignation—of Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham , in light of his election interference efforts in Georgia .
Graham , a South Carolina Republican who held onto his key seat in this cycle , has faced an onslaught of criticism this week after Georgia 's GOP Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told the Washington Post that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suggest finding a way to toss out legally cast ballots in a state narrowly lost by Trump .
The senator has dismissed allegations that he tried to interfere in Georgia 's election process as `` ridiculous , '' while admitting he 's also been in touch with officials in Arizona and Nevada—which both have been called for Biden— '' as a United States senator who is worried about the integrity of the election process nationally , when it comes to vote by mail . ''
Amid Graham 's denials of improper interference and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Raffensperger ahead of the November 20 certification deadline—which is not expected to alter Biden 's projected 306 electoral votes to Trump 's 232—civil rights advocates and Democratic lawmakers have demanded that Graham be held accountable for his actions .
Rep. Pramila Jayapal ( D-Was . )
, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus , has repeatedly demanded this week that he resign in the name of accountability and justice : In a televised interview Tuesday , Rep. Hakeem Jeffries ( D-N.Y. ) told MSNBC 's Ari Melber , `` It appears that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into illegality as part of an effort to rip away Joe Biden 's victory in Georgia , and perhaps this is part of a scheme to try to steal this election in other places . ''
While calling for accountability if the senator 's actions are deemed illegal , Jeffries added more broadly that the Trump campaign , Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani , and Graham are all `` out of control '' and they seem to be suggesting that their efforts to `` poison '' U.S. democracy are `` just not going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights ' Voting Rights Task Force—the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund , MALDEF , and Lawyers ' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law—said in a joint statement Wednesday that they `` are deeply disturbed by the allegations '' against Graham—which , `` if true , are of the same character as the myriad voter suppression tactics witnessed in this election and are focused on the same objective of denying the right to vote . ''
`` To suggest , directly or indirectly , that any election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an affront to the democratic process and may violate the law , '' the statement continued .
`` Our democracy hinges on one fundamental principle—counting every vote .
It is an obligation , a moral imperative , and a duty that upholds our sacred right to choose our leaders . ''
The groups urged the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics , the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration , and the Committee on House Administration `` to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation '' into Graham 's recent interactions with election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar calls for investigations and encouraged Graham to step down from his committee appointment : Kristen Clarke , president and executive director for the Lawyers ' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law , on Tuesday called for the Justice Department to open an investigation into any potential federal criminal election law offenses by Graham .
Clarke also called for a probe by the Senate Select Committee on Ethics , and said that `` a public official using his office to potentially pressure a state official to discard ballots cast by eligible voters is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tolerated in our democracy . ''
`` Voters across Georgia , Nevada , and Arizona overcame tremendous obstacles in order to have their voices heard this season , '' she added .
`` A potential attempt made by one of our nation 's most senior officials to disenfranchise them after the fact should not be taken lightly . ''

As President Donald Trump on Wednesday continued to call his loss to President-elect Joe Biden the result of a "rigged election" without a shred of evidence to support his mounting claims of voter fraud, demands kept piling up for probes—and even the resignation—of Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, in light of his election interference efforts in Georgia.
Graham, a South Carolina Republican who held onto his key seat in this cycle, has faced an onslaught of criticism this week after Georgia's GOP Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told the Washington Post that the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman had appeared to suggest finding a way to toss out legally cast ballots in a state narrowly lost by Trump.
The senator has dismissed allegations that he tried to interfere in Georgia's election process as "ridiculous," while admitting he's also been in touch with officials in Arizona and Nevada—which both have been called for Biden—"as a United States senator who is worried about the integrity of the election process nationally, when it comes to vote by mail."
Amid Graham's denials of improper interference and a statewide hand recount in Georgia ordered by Raffensperger ahead of the November 20 certification deadline—which is not expected to alter Biden's projected 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232—civil rights advocates and Democratic lawmakers have demanded that Graham be held accountable for his actions.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Was.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has repeatedly demanded this week that he resign in the name of accountability and justice:
In a televised interview Tuesday, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) toldMSNBC's Ari Melber, "It appears that Lindsey Graham may have crossed the line into illegality as part of an effort to rip away Joe Biden's victory in Georgia, and perhaps this is part of a scheme to try to steal this election in other places."
While calling for accountability if the senator's actions are deemed illegal, Jeffries added more broadly that the Trump campaign, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, and Graham are all "out of control" and they seem to be suggesting that their efforts to "poison" U.S. democracy are "just not going to stop."
The co-chairs of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights' Voting Rights Task Force—the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, MALDEF, and Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law—said in a joint statement Wednesday that they "are deeply disturbed by the allegations" against Graham—which, "if true, are of the same character as the myriad voter suppression tactics witnessed in this election and are focused on the same objective of denying the right to vote."
"To suggest, directly or indirectly, that any election official act in such a manner is an affront to the democratic process and may violate the law," the statement continued. "Our democracy hinges on one fundamental principle—counting every vote. It is an obligation, a moral imperative, and a duty that upholds our sacred right to choose our leaders."
The groups urged the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics, the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and the Committee on House Administration "to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation" into Graham's recent interactions with election officials across the country.
Others issued similar calls for investigations and encouraged Graham to step down from his committee appointment:
Kristen Clarke, president and executive director for the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, on Tuesday called for the Justice Department to open an investigation into any potential federal criminal election law offenses by Graham.
Clarke also called for a probe by the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, and said that "a public official using his office to potentially pressure a state official to discard ballots cast by eligible voters is deeply troubling conduct that should not be tolerated in our democracy."
"Voters across Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona overcame tremendous obstacles in order to have their voices heard this season," she added. "A potential attempt made by one of our nation's most senior officials to disenfranchise them after the fact should not be taken lightly."


alternet--2020-11-18--Right-wing grifters launch Stop the Steal PAC to cash in on election lies

The right-wing trolls behind the baseless `` Stop the Steal '' election fraud movement have launched a political action committee ( PAC ) to cash in on the false claim that the election was rigged against President Donald Trump , according to a filing posted this weekend on the Federal Elections Commission ( FEC ) website .
The organization , called Stop the Steal PAC , shows signs of being what campaign finance watchdogs know as a `` scam PAC '' — a for-profit fundraising vehicle that professes to support a cause but in reality ends up pocketing most of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shuffles it off to contracted firms .
Stop the Steal PAC 's treasurer , Patrick Krason , and his wife Crystal are affiliated with a number of these small-time PACs .
For instance , Krason also launched the Draft Sarah Huckabee Sanders for Arkansas PAC , but lives in West Virginia , had never visited Arkansas and had no connection to the former White House press secretary or her family .
Former Arkansas Gov .
Mike Huckabee , Sanders ' father , warned prospective donors away from Krason in 2019 .
`` [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her has ANYTHING to do with it , '' Huckabee told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette .
`` The person who launched it is unknown to everyone in Sarah 's family , her political orbit , or her circle of friends . ''
Earlier this year a conservative watchdog group filed an FEC complaint against a Krason-led `` social welfare '' charity called the Stronger America Fund , alleging that he had unlawfully coordinated with a congressional campaign he was working on at the time .
Several of Krason 's other PACs say they aim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as Make Virginia Great Again and MAGA Coalition — draw on familiar-sounding Trump-world phraseology .
He also appears to have chiefly paid his own firms through campaigns , FEC filings show .
While Stop the Steal 's FEC filing lists an address in Washington , D.C. , it 's only a drop box — Krason 's actual office is in Charleston , West Virginia .
The group 's phone number is different from the one listed on Krason 's own website , and directs calls to a Google subscriber mailbox after one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phone interview that while he had handled federal compliance for Stop the Steal , it was not his PAC , but would not disclose the client .
In addition to Krason , the PAC 's registration with the FEC lists a man named Daniel Bostic as a designated agent .
Bostic 's 54,000-follower verified Twitter profile says he is a former model and congressional staffer , a reference to his `` full-time '' work as a homeschooled South Carolina 17-year-old in the Washington office of then-Rep. Tim Scott , R-S.C. ( Scott is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The 20-something activist also claims a producer credit on a recent documentary about the widely-mocked efforts of Rep. Devin Nunes , R-Calif. , to discredit the Russia investigation .
Bostic is an active member of the Stop the Steal movement , which he heavily promotes on social media .
But Bostic is just one of a number of MAGA-world second-stringers who appear to see Stop the Steal as a way to ride the fantasy of a stolen election into a future of relevance , influence and income after Trump departs the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suggest a reaction to the 2020 election , its roots trace to the 2018 midterms — and specifically Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott 's 2018 narrow victory over then-incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson .
That was when Roger Stone launched the group as a coda to the `` Brooks Brothers riot '' of 2000 .
At the time , Stone had the help of a far-right operative and conspiracy theorist named Ali Alexander , an itinerant provocateur who signed on to recruit for the `` Stop the Steal '' campaign and appears to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post-Trump iteration .
Alexander 's current approach echoes the eclectic appeal he envisioned in a Periscope video in 2018 , as reported in Right Wing Watch , where he hoped to motivate not just Republicans , but QAnon followers , Democrats and `` homeless people in all the adjacent counties '' to keep an eye on the vote count .
But Alexander , formerly known as Ali Akbar , has a checkered history even by the loose standards of the alt-right movement , and today he does not have the full confidence of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of being a disingenuous grifter .
As Ali Akbar , he was convicted of theft and credit card fraud in 2007 and 2008 .
He entered national politics as a John McCain campaign staffer in 2007 , when he was apparently reprimanded — ironically enough — for discussing opportunities to committing voter fraud during the Republican primary campaign .
( Former McCain campaign officials contacted by Salon did not recall him , or the alleged incident . )
More recently , in the final weeks of the 2016 campaign , a PAC affiliated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from billionaire far-right financier Robert Mercer .
The next year he popped up amid the Unite the Right controversy , and in 2018 tried to help kickstart a short-lived Trump-centric alternative to the annual Conservative Political Action Conference ( CPAC ) , called the American Priority Conference .
He followed that up with an ill-fated joint troll operation in Minneapolis with right-wing personality Laura Loomer and indicted felon Jacob Wohl .
Today , Alexander is the organizing force behind Stop the Steal , which last weekend organized demonstrations in several U.S. cities to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demonstrations served a dual role as promotional platforms for a hodgepodge of conservative and alt-right media personalities — e.g.
, Jack Posobiec , Mike Cernovich , Scott Presler and Amy Kremer — described in a Mother Jones profile of the event as `` a collection of disgraced right-wing internet figures . ''
Their rhetoric and messaging has been amplified by Trump himself and his high-profile allies , who have repeatedly peddled baseless claims that Democrats have `` stolen '' the election , making unfounded allegations about `` missing '' military ballots , `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sites in multiple key battleground states .
The Stop the Steal PAC was born on Saturday , the day of the scheduled protests .
That also coincided with a change to the group 's website , which appears to have removed its `` donate '' button after it was revealed that contributions went straight to Alexander 's personal accounts , including his PayPal , CashApp and Amazon Wishlist .
Given the warring factions within TrumpWorld , Stop the Steal 's future as a cohesive movement appears tenuous , especially without the bonding agent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politics .
Alexander 's apparent cash grab has already begun to draw fire from inside the tent .
While the movement may now have the imprimatur of an officially FEC-registered PAC , the name defines the mission , and there are two full years ahead with no steal to stop .
Bostic and Alexander did not respond to multiple requests for comment .

The right-wing trolls behind the baseless "Stop the Steal" election fraud movement have launched a political action committee (PAC) to cash in on the false claim that the election was rigged against President Donald Trump, according to a filing posted this weekend on the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) website.
The organization, called Stop the Steal PAC, shows signs of being what campaign finance watchdogs know as a "scam PAC" — a for-profit fundraising vehicle that professes to support a cause but in reality ends up pocketing most of the money for its members, or shuffles it off to contracted firms.
Stop the Steal PAC's treasurer, Patrick Krason, and his wife Crystal are affiliated with a number of these small-time PACs. For instance, Krason also launched the Draft Sarah Huckabee Sanders for Arkansas PAC, but lives in West Virginia, had never visited Arkansas and had no connection to the former White House press secretary or her family.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sanders' father, warned prospective donors away from Krason in 2019.
"[Neither] Sarah nor anyone connected to her has ANYTHING to do with it," Huckabee told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. "The person who launched it is unknown to everyone in Sarah's family, her political orbit, or her circle of friends."
Earlier this year a conservative watchdog group filed an FEC complaint against a Krason-led "social welfare" charity called the Stronger America Fund, alleging that he had unlawfully coordinated with a congressional campaign he was working on at the time.
Several of Krason's other PACs say they aim to legalize marijuana, and others — such as Make Virginia Great Again and MAGA Coalition — draw on familiar-sounding Trump-world phraseology. He also appears to have chiefly paid his own firms through campaigns, FEC filings show.
While Stop the Steal's FEC filing lists an address in Washington, D.C., it's only a drop box — Krason's actual office is in Charleston, West Virginia. The group's phone number is different from the one listed on Krason's own website, and directs calls to a Google subscriber mailbox after one ring.
Krason told Salon in a phone interview that while he had handled federal compliance for Stop the Steal, it was not his PAC, but would not disclose the client.
In addition to Krason, the PAC's registration with the FEC lists a man named Daniel Bostic as a designated agent.
Bostic's 54,000-follower verified Twitter profile says he is a former model and congressional staffer, a reference to his "full-time" work as a homeschooled South Carolina 17-year-old in the Washington office of then-Rep. Tim Scott, R-S.C. (Scott is now a U.S. senator.) The 20-something activist also claims a producer credit on a recent documentary about the widely-mocked efforts of Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., to discredit the Russia investigation. Bostic is an active member of the Stop the Steal movement, which he heavily promotes on social media.
But Bostic is just one of a number of MAGA-world second-stringers who appear to see Stop the Steal as a way to ride the fantasy of a stolen election into a future of relevance, influence and income after Trump departs the White House.
While the movement's name may suggest a reaction to the 2020 election, its roots trace to the 2018 midterms — and specifically Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott's 2018 narrow victory over then-incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson. That was when Roger Stone launched the group as a coda to the "Brooks Brothers riot" of 2000.
At the time, Stone had the help of a far-right operative and conspiracy theorist named Ali Alexander, an itinerant provocateur who signed on to recruit for the "Stop the Steal" campaign and appears to be the organizing force behind this year's post-Trump iteration.
Alexander's current approach echoes the eclectic appeal he envisioned in a Periscope video in 2018, as reported in Right Wing Watch, where he hoped to motivate not just Republicans, but QAnon followers, Democrats and "homeless people in all the adjacent counties" to keep an eye on the vote count.
But Alexander, formerly known as Ali Akbar, has a checkered history even by the loose standards of the alt-right movement, and today he does not have the full confidence of MAGA-world, some of whom suspect him of being a disingenuous grifter.
As Ali Akbar, he was convicted of theft and credit card fraud in 2007 and 2008. He entered national politics as a John McCain campaign staffer in 2007, when he was apparently reprimanded — ironically enough — for discussing opportunities to committing voter fraud during the Republican primary campaign. (Former McCain campaign officials contacted by Salon did not recall him, or the alleged incident.)
More recently, in the final weeks of the 2016 campaign, a PAC affiliated with Alexander got a $60,000 injection from billionaire far-right financier Robert Mercer. The next year he popped up amid the Unite the Right controversy, and in 2018 tried to help kickstart a short-lived Trump-centric alternative to the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), called the American Priority Conference. He followed that up with an ill-fated joint troll operation in Minneapolis with right-wing personality Laura Loomer and indicted felon Jacob Wohl.
Today, Alexander is the organizing force behind Stop the Steal, which last weekend organized demonstrations in several U.S. cities to protest President Trump's defeat. The demonstrations served a dual role as promotional platforms for a hodgepodge of conservative and alt-right media personalities — e.g., Jack Posobiec, Mike Cernovich, Scott Presler and Amy Kremer — described in a Mother Jones profile of the event as "a collection of disgraced right-wing internet figures."
Their rhetoric and messaging has been amplified by Trump himself and his high-profile allies, who have repeatedly peddled baseless claims that Democrats have "stolen" the election, making unfounded allegations about "missing" military ballots, "illegal ballots" and chicanery in vote-counting sites in multiple key battleground states.
The Stop the Steal PAC was born on Saturday, the day of the scheduled protests. That also coincided with a change to the group's website, which appears to have removed its "donate" button after it was revealed that contributions went straight to Alexander's personal accounts, including his PayPal, CashApp and Amazon Wishlist.
Given the warring factions within TrumpWorld, Stop the Steal's future as a cohesive movement appears tenuous, especially without the bonding agent of Trump at the top of U.S. politics. Alexander's apparent cash grab has already begun to draw fire from inside the tent. While the movement may now have the imprimatur of an officially FEC-registered PAC, the name defines the mission, and there are two full years ahead with no steal to stop.
Bostic and Alexander did not respond to multiple requests for comment.


alternet--2020-11-18--Trump campaign coughs up $3 million for partial Wisconsin recount

The Trump campaign parted with $ 3 million Wednesday morning for a partial recount of Wisconsin .
Predictably , the recount the campaign is requesting is focused on heavily Democratic Dane County and Milwaukee County , since Team Trump regards Democratic votes as inherently suspicious .
President-elect Joe Biden got 577,455 votes in those counties , and won Wisconsin as a whole by 20,608 votes .
A recount of the entire state would have cost $ 7.9 million , to be paid up front .
A recount would start this week and needs to be completed by Dec. 1 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ even a statewide recount would net Trump more than 20,000 votes .
A 2016 recount of the state got him an additional 131 votes .
In Georgia 's recount this year , Trump did chip away at Biden 's lead when 2,600 uncounted ballots were found in a heavily Republican county , but even then he did n't come close to overturning Georgia 's results .
And the Georgia margin was closer than the Wisconsin one .
Trump 's recount demand in Wisconsin comes as the state recorded its highest single day of @ @ @

The Trump campaign parted with $3 million Wednesday morning for a partial recount of Wisconsin. Predictably, the recount the campaign is requesting is focused on heavily Democratic Dane County and Milwaukee County, since Team Trump regards Democratic votes as inherently suspicious.
President-elect Joe Biden got 577,455 votes in those counties, and won Wisconsin as a whole by 20,608 votes. A recount of the entire state would have cost $7.9 million, to be paid up front.
A recount would start this week and needs to be completed by Dec. 1. It's extremely unlikely—virtually impossible, even—that even a statewide recount would net Trump more than 20,000 votes. A 2016 recount of the state got him an additional 131 votes. In Georgia's recount this year, Trump did chip away at Biden's lead when 2,600 uncounted ballots were found in a heavily Republican county, but even then he didn't come close to overturning Georgia's results. And the Georgia margin was closer than the Wisconsin one.
Trump's recount demand in Wisconsin comes as the state recorded its highest single day of COVID-19 deaths.


alternet--2020-11-18--DHS cybersecurity expert fired by Trump set up a ‘line of succession’ the president can't undermine:

DHS cybersecurity expert fired by Trump set up a ‘line of succession’ the president can't undermine: reports

In the minds of President Donald Trump 's supporters , cybersecurity expect Christopher Krebs committed an unpardonable sin when he said that President-elect Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election fair and square and that there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud — and on Tuesday , November 17 , Trump announced on Twitter that Krebs had been fired from his position as director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security 's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency .
But The Week , in an article published the following day , notes that Krebs had set up a line of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be `` Trump-proof . ''
`` Krebs was the rare Trump Administration official almost universally regarded as competent , apolitical and effective in a crucial area that needed such leadership , '' The Week explains .
`` And he apparently found a way to make sure his agency continued without too much political inference in the event he was fired . ''
Trump 's tweets about the firing of Krebs , meanwhile , received warnings from Twitter that `` this claim about election fraud is disputed '' : Matthew Travis , The Week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at CISA .
But according to Washington Post reporters Ellen Nakashima and Nick Miroff , `` Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf called Krebs ' deputy , Matthew Travis , to inform him that the White House had overruled CISA 's succession plan that named him acting director , essentially forcing him to resign , Travis said . ''
Because Travis is gone from CISA as well , Politico 's Eric Geller reports , leadership at CISA `` goes to Brandon Wales '' — who Geller describes as `` a career employee whom Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Wall Street Journal , `` Mr. Krebs specifically created Mr. Wales ' position as executive director to make it more difficult for the White House to install partisan replacements atop the agency . ''
Krebs leaves CISA with a long resumé in the public and private sectors .
During the 2000s , he worked at DHS under President George W. Bush — and after that , he worked as a lobbyist for Microsoft .
Then , in the Trump era , Krebs joined what is now CISA and was heavily focused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election , Trump repeatedly claimed , without evidence , that mail-in voting was a recipe for widespread voter fraud — and after Biden defeated Trump , the outgoing president and his supporters claimed that the election had been stolen .
Krebs stressed , however , that at CISA , he thoroughly examined the United States ' election systems .
And according to CISA , Biden won the most secure presidential election in U.S. history .

In the minds of President Donald Trump's supporters, cybersecurity expect Christopher Krebs committed an unpardonable sin when he said that President-elect Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election fair and square and that there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud — and on Tuesday, November 17, Trump announced on Twitter that Krebs had been fired from his position as director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. But The Week, in an article published the following day, notes that Krebs had set up a line of succession at CISA that was designed to be "Trump-proof."
"Krebs was the rare Trump Administration official almost universally regarded as competent, apolitical and effective in a crucial area that needed such leadership," The Week explains. "And he apparently found a way to make sure his agency continued without too much political inference in the event he was fired."
Krebs tweeted:
Trump's tweets about the firing of Krebs, meanwhile, received warnings from Twitter that "this claim about election fraud is disputed":
Matthew Travis, The Week notes, served as Krebs' deputy at CISA. But according to Washington Post reporters Ellen Nakashima and Nick Miroff, "Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf called Krebs' deputy, Matthew Travis, to inform him that the White House had overruled CISA's succession plan that named him acting director, essentially forcing him to resign, Travis said."
Because Travis is gone from CISA as well, Politico's Eric Geller reports, leadership at CISA "goes to Brandon Wales" — who Geller describes as "a career employee whom Trump cannot fire." And according to the Wall Street Journal, "Mr. Krebs specifically created Mr. Wales' position as executive director to make it more difficult for the White House to install partisan replacements atop the agency."
Krebs leaves CISA with a long resumé in the public and private sectors. During the 2000s, he worked at DHS under President George W. Bush — and after that, he worked as a lobbyist for Microsoft. Then, in the Trump era, Krebs joined what is now CISA and was heavily focused on cybersecurity.
During the 2020 presidential election, Trump repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that mail-in voting was a recipe for widespread voter fraud — and after Biden defeated Trump, the outgoing president and his supporters claimed that the election had been stolen. Krebs stressed, however, that at CISA, he thoroughly examined the United States' election systems. And according to CISA, Biden won the most secure presidential election in U.S. history.


alternet--2020-11-18--How this AI tool distinguishes between a conspiracy theory and a true conspiracy

The audio on the otherwise shaky body camera footage is unusually clear .
As police officers search a handcuffed man who moments before had fired a shot inside a pizza parlor , an officer asks him why he was there .
The man says to investigate a pedophile ring .
Incredulous , the officer asks again .
Another officer chimes in , “ Pizzagate .
He 's talking about Pizzagate . ''
In that brief , chilling interaction in 2016 , it becomes clear that conspiracy theories , long relegated to the fringes of society , had moved into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Conspiracy theories , which have the potential to cause significant harm , have found a welcome home on social media , where forums free from moderation allow like-minded individuals to converse .
There they can develop their theories and propose actions to counteract the threats they “ uncover . ''
But how can you tell if an emerging narrative on social media is an unfounded conspiracy theory ?
It turns out that it 's possible to distinguish between conspiracy theories and true conspiracies by using machine learning tools to graph the elements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tools could form the basis of an early warning system to alert authorities to online narratives that pose a threat in the real world .
The culture analytics group at the University of California , which I and Vwani Roychowdhury lead , has developed an automated approach to determining when conversations on social media reflect the telltale signs of conspiracy theorizing .
We have applied these methods successfully to the study of Pizzagate , the COVID-19 pandemic and anti-vaccination movements .
We 're currently using these methods to study QAnon .
Actual conspiracies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people working together for their own malign purposes .
In contrast , conspiracy theories are collaboratively constructed and develop in the open .
Conspiracy theories are deliberately complex and reflect an all-encompassing worldview .
Instead of trying to explain one thing , a conspiracy theory tries to explain everything , discovering connections across domains of human interaction that are otherwise hidden – mostly because they do not exist .
People are susceptible to conspiracy theories by nature , and periods of uncertainty and heightened anxiety increase that susceptibility .
While the popular image @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lone wolf piecing together puzzling connections with photographs and red string , that image no longer applies in the age of social media .
Conspiracy theorizing has moved online and is now the end-product of a collective storytelling .
The participants work out the parameters of a narrative framework : the people , places and things of a story and their relationships .
The online nature of conspiracy theorizing provides an opportunity for researchers to trace the development of these theories from their origins as a series of often disjointed rumors and story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our work , Pizzagate presented the perfect subject .
Pizzagate began to develop in late October 2016 during the runup to the presidential election .
Within a month , it was fully formed , with a complete cast of characters drawn from a series of otherwise unlinked domains : Democratic politics , the private lives of the Podesta brothers , casual family dining and satanic pedophilic trafficking .
The connecting narrative thread among these otherwise disparate domains was the fanciful interpretation of the leaked emails of the Democratic National Committee dumped by WikiLeaks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We developed a model – a set of machine learning tools – that can identify narratives based on sets of people , places and things and their relationships .
Machine learning algorithms process large amounts of data to determine the categories of things in the data and then identify which categories particular things belong to .
We analyzed 17,498 posts from April 2016 through February 2018 on the Reddit and 4chan forums where Pizzagate was discussed .
The model treats each post as a fragment of a hidden story and sets about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identifies the people , places and things in the posts and determines which are major elements , which are minor elements and how they 're all connected .
The model determines the main layers of the narrative – in the case of Pizzagate , Democratic politics , the Podesta brothers , casual dining , satanism and WikiLeaks – and how the layers come together to form the narrative as a whole .
To ensure that our methods produced accurate output , we compared the narrative framework graph produced by our model with illustrations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our graph aligned with those illustrations , and also offered finer levels of detail about the people , places and things and their relationships .
To see if we could distinguish between a conspiracy theory and an actual conspiracy , we examined Bridgegate , a political payback operation launched by staff members of Republican Gov .
Chris Christie 's administration against the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee , New Jersey .
As we compared the results of our machine learning system using the two separate collections , two distinguishing features of a conspiracy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ First , while the narrative graph for Bridgegate took from 2013 to 2020 to develop , Pizzagate 's graph was fully formed and stable within a month .
Second , Bridgegate 's graph survived having elements removed , implying that New Jersey politics would continue as a single , connected network even if key figures and relationships from the scandal were deleted .
The Pizzagate graph , in contrast , was easily fractured into smaller subgraphs .
When we removed the people , places , things and relationships that came directly from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ graph fell apart into what in reality were the unconnected domains of politics , casual dining , the private lives of the Podestas and the odd world of satanism .
In the illustration below , the green planes are the major layers of the narrative , the dots are the major elements of the narrative , the blue lines are connections among elements within a layer and the red lines are connections among elements across the layers .
The purple plane shows all the layers combined , showing how the dots are all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a purple plane with dots connected only in small groups .
The layers of the Pizzagate conspiracy theory combine to form a narrative , top right .
Remove one layer , the fanciful interpretations of emails released by WikiLeaks , and the whole story falls apart , bottom right .
There are clear ethical challenges that our work raises .
Our methods , for instance , could be used to generate additional posts to a conspiracy theory discussion that fit the narrative framework at the root of the discussion .
Similarly , given @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use the tool to develop an entirely new conspiracy theory .
[ Deep knowledge , daily .
Sign up for The Conversation 's newsletter . ]
However , this weaponization of storytelling is already occurring without automatic methods , as our study of social media forums makes clear .
There is a role for the research community to help others understand how that weaponization occurs and to develop tools for people and organizations who protect public safety and democratic institutions .
Developing an early warning system that tracks the emergence and alignment of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and authorities – to real-world actions people might take based on these narratives .
Perhaps with such a system in place , the arresting officer in the Pizzagate case would not have been baffled by the gunman 's response when asked why he 'd shown up at a pizza parlor armed with an AR-15 rifle .
Timothy R. Tangherlini , Professor of Danish Literature and Culture , University of California , Berkeley This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .

Timothy R. Tangherlini, University of California, Berkeley
The audio on the otherwise shaky body camera footage is unusually clear. As police officers search a handcuffed man who moments before had fired a shot inside a pizza parlor, an officer asks him why he was there. The man says to investigate a pedophile ring. Incredulous, the officer asks again. Another officer chimes in, “Pizzagate. He's talking about Pizzagate."
In that brief, chilling interaction in 2016, it becomes clear that conspiracy theories, long relegated to the fringes of society, had moved into the real world in a very dangerous way.
Conspiracy theories, which have the potential to cause significant harm, have found a welcome home on social media, where forums free from moderation allow like-minded individuals to converse. There they can develop their theories and propose actions to counteract the threats they “uncover."
But how can you tell if an emerging narrative on social media is an unfounded conspiracy theory? It turns out that it's possible to distinguish between conspiracy theories and true conspiracies by using machine learning tools to graph the elements and connections of a narrative. These tools could form the basis of an early warning system to alert authorities to online narratives that pose a threat in the real world.
The culture analytics group at the University of California, which I and Vwani Roychowdhury lead, has developed an automated approach to determining when conversations on social media reflect the telltale signs of conspiracy theorizing. We have applied these methods successfully to the study of Pizzagate, the COVID-19 pandemic and anti-vaccination movements. We're currently using these methods to study QAnon.
Collaboratively constructed, fast to form
Actual conspiracies are deliberately hidden, real-life actions of people working together for their own malign purposes. In contrast, conspiracy theories are collaboratively constructed and develop in the open.
Conspiracy theories are deliberately complex and reflect an all-encompassing worldview. Instead of trying to explain one thing, a conspiracy theory tries to explain everything, discovering connections across domains of human interaction that are otherwise hidden – mostly because they do not exist.
People are susceptible to conspiracy theories by nature, and periods of uncertainty and heightened anxiety increase that susceptibility.
While the popular image of the conspiracy theorist is of a lone wolf piecing together puzzling connections with photographs and red string, that image no longer applies in the age of social media. Conspiracy theorizing has moved online and is now the end-product of a collective storytelling. The participants work out the parameters of a narrative framework: the people, places and things of a story and their relationships.
The online nature of conspiracy theorizing provides an opportunity for researchers to trace the development of these theories from their origins as a series of often disjointed rumors and story pieces to a comprehensive narrative. For our work, Pizzagate presented the perfect subject.
Pizzagate began to develop in late October 2016 during the runup to the presidential election. Within a month, it was fully formed, with a complete cast of characters drawn from a series of otherwise unlinked domains: Democratic politics, the private lives of the Podesta brothers, casual family dining and satanic pedophilic trafficking. The connecting narrative thread among these otherwise disparate domains was the fanciful interpretation of the leaked emails of the Democratic National Committee dumped by WikiLeaks in the final week of October 2016.
AI narrative analysis
We developed a model – a set of machine learning tools – that can identify narratives based on sets of people, places and things and their relationships. Machine learning algorithms process large amounts of data to determine the categories of things in the data and then identify which categories particular things belong to.
We analyzed 17,498 posts from April 2016 through February 2018 on the Reddit and 4chan forums where Pizzagate was discussed. The model treats each post as a fragment of a hidden story and sets about to uncover the narrative. The software identifies the people, places and things in the posts and determines which are major elements, which are minor elements and how they're all connected.
The model determines the main layers of the narrative – in the case of Pizzagate, Democratic politics, the Podesta brothers, casual dining, satanism and WikiLeaks – and how the layers come together to form the narrative as a whole.
To ensure that our methods produced accurate output, we compared the narrative framework graph produced by our model with illustrations published in The New York Times. Our graph aligned with those illustrations, and also offered finer levels of detail about the people, places and things and their relationships.
Sturdy truth, fragile fiction
To see if we could distinguish between a conspiracy theory and an actual conspiracy, we examined Bridgegate, a political payback operation launched by staff members of Republican Gov. Chris Christie's administration against the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey.
As we compared the results of our machine learning system using the two separate collections, two distinguishing features of a conspiracy theory's narrative framework stood out.
First, while the narrative graph for Bridgegate took from 2013 to 2020 to develop, Pizzagate's graph was fully formed and stable within a month. Second, Bridgegate's graph survived having elements removed, implying that New Jersey politics would continue as a single, connected network even if key figures and relationships from the scandal were deleted.
The Pizzagate graph, in contrast, was easily fractured into smaller subgraphs. When we removed the people, places, things and relationships that came directly from the interpretations of the WikiLeaks emails, the graph fell apart into what in reality were the unconnected domains of politics, casual dining, the private lives of the Podestas and the odd world of satanism.
In the illustration below, the green planes are the major layers of the narrative, the dots are the major elements of the narrative, the blue lines are connections among elements within a layer and the red lines are connections among elements across the layers. The purple plane shows all the layers combined, showing how the dots are all connected. Removing the WikiLeaks plane yields a purple plane with dots connected only in small groups.
The layers of the Pizzagate conspiracy theory combine to form a narrative, top right. Remove one layer, the fanciful interpretations of emails released by WikiLeaks, and the whole story falls apart, bottom right.
Tangherlini, et al., CC BY
Early warning system?
There are clear ethical challenges that our work raises. Our methods, for instance, could be used to generate additional posts to a conspiracy theory discussion that fit the narrative framework at the root of the discussion. Similarly, given any set of domains, someone could use the tool to develop an entirely new conspiracy theory.
[Deep knowledge, daily.Sign up for The Conversation's newsletter.]
However, this weaponization of storytelling is already occurring without automatic methods, as our study of social media forums makes clear. There is a role for the research community to help others understand how that weaponization occurs and to develop tools for people and organizations who protect public safety and democratic institutions.
Developing an early warning system that tracks the emergence and alignment of conspiracy theory narratives could alert researchers – and authorities – to real-world actions people might take based on these narratives. Perhaps with such a system in place, the arresting officer in the Pizzagate case would not have been baffled by the gunman's response when asked why he'd shown up at a pizza parlor armed with an AR-15 rifle.
Timothy R. Tangherlini, Professor of Danish Literature and Culture, University of California, Berkeley
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


alternet--2020-11-18--Mulvaney slams Rudy Giuliani's involvement in Trump's legal battle: Election 'is not a television pr

Mulvaney slams Rudy Giuliani's involvement in Trump's legal battle: Election 'is not a television program'

Former acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney criticized Rudy Giuliani 's handling of President Donald Trump 's post-election legal challenges as he claimed the effort to overturn the election result `` is not a television program . ''
On Wednesday , Mulvaney appeared on `` Fox Business '' where he discussed the current legal battle over the election .
He expressed concern about Giuliani 's involvement in the legal proceedings .
Mulvaney , who now serves as the Office of Management and Budget Director , admitted he does not understand why the president 's campaign team would incorporate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most experienced election attorneys .
`` I 'm still a little concerned about the use of Rudy Giuliani .
It strikes me that this is the most important lawsuit in the history of the country , and they 're not using the most well-noted election lawyers , '' Mulvaney said .
Mulvaney went on to stress that the legal battle is a real despite what Guliani 's rants may indicate .
`` There are folks who do this all of the time .
This is a specialty .
This is not a television @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Mulvaney said .
`` And I was struck by a couple things that Rudy said in court yesterday .
So on one hand , I think it needs to go forward .
It absolutely does .
I wish that it was being prosecuted a little more efficiently . ''
So far , the vast majority of Trump 's lawsuits have led to unfavorable outcomes .
While Trump may be out of the public eye at the moment , he has not refrained from circulating misinformation .
Despite having no evidence of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still tweeting falsehoods and claiming he won the election .
His administration is still refusing to cooperate with the incoming Biden administration .

Former acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney criticized Rudy Giuliani's handling of President Donald Trump's post-election legal challenges as he claimed the effort to overturn the election result "is not a television program."
On Wednesday, Mulvaney appeared on "Fox Business" where he discussed the current legal battle over the election. He expressed concern about Giuliani's involvement in the legal proceedings. Mulvaney, who now serves as the Office of Management and Budget Director, admitted he does not understand why the president's campaign team would incorporate Giuliani instead of hiring the nation's most experienced election attorneys.
"I'm still a little concerned about the use of Rudy Giuliani. It strikes me that this is the most important lawsuit in the history of the country, and they're not using the most well-noted election lawyers," Mulvaney said.
Mulvaney went on to stress that the legal battle is a real despite what Guliani's rants may indicate.
"There are folks who do this all of the time. This is a specialty. This is not a television program. This is the real thing," Mulvaney said. "And I was struck by a couple things that Rudy said in court yesterday. So on one hand, I think it needs to go forward. It absolutely does. I wish that it was being prosecuted a little more efficiently."
So far, the vast majority of Trump's lawsuits have led to unfavorable outcomes. While Trump may be out of the public eye at the moment, he has not refrained from circulating misinformation. Despite having no evidence of widespread voter fraud, the president is still tweeting falsehoods and claiming he won the election.
His administration is still refusing to cooperate with the incoming Biden administration.


alternet--2020-11-18--Climate crisis is the primary cause of 98% of dead Florida coral reef: NOAA research

A first-of-its-kind federal report on the health of the United States ' coral reefs finds that in Florida , the coastal area with the most severe degradation , up to 98 % of coral reefs have been lost due mainly to the climate crisis .
The study painted `` an alarming picture , '' tweeted Jim Howe , director of The Nature Conservancy in Central and Western New York .
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency ( NOAA ) worked with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science ( UMCES ) to assess reefs all over the coastal U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American Samoa , the U.S. Virgin Islands , Puerto Rico , and Guam .
The report , which was released last week , is the first to use standardized monitoring data across the country 's coastal regions .
Jennifer Koss , director of NOAA 's coral reef conservation program , told The Guardian Wednesday that while the degradation of reefs has in the past been blamed on ocean pollution and water quality , `` now it 's pretty well accepted that it 's predominantly climate change . ''
The researchers used data collected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health of reefs across coastal areas as `` very good , '' `` good , '' `` fair , '' `` impaired , '' and `` critical , '' with the majority of U.S. reefs falling into the `` fair '' category .
Florida 's reefs were classified as `` impaired . ''
Ocean warming , overexposure to sunlight , and acidification , brought on by the climate crisis and the continued release of carbon dioxide into the environment , were named as primary threats to reef health , along with coral disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clearly show the impacts people are having on coral reef ecosystems , '' said Heath Kelsey , director of UMCES 's Integration and Application Network , in a statement .
`` Our work in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans shows a dire outlook for coral reef ecosystem health , from warming ocean waters , fishing , disease , and pollution from the land .
Of all of these , climate change is the single biggest threat to shallow water coral reefs in the U.S. , and worldwide . ''
The loss of coral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world 's oceans as well as coastal infrastructure and safety and the economic health of coastal areas .
Reefs support more than 25 % of marine life , providing a habitat for sponges , oysters , clams , crabs , sea urchins , and other species .
Florida 's reefs are estimated to be worth $ 8 billion to the state 's economy , supporting over 70,000 local jobs in the tourism , commercial fishing , and recreation industries .
Researchers involved in the study said their findings should serve as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a year after lawmakers from Florida and Hawaii introduced the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act .
The legislation would direct NOAA and the Interior Department to provide grants to states to support reef management and restoration .
The report by NOAA and UMCES calls for far-reaching climate action to help restore reefs throughout U.S. coastal regions as well .
`` Local efforts to enhance reef resilience and restore reefs are important to help reefs survive the impacts of human-induced climate change , '' the report reads .
`` However , those efforts must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fuels towards more renewable sources of energy . ''

A first-of-its-kind federal report on the health of the United States' coral reefs finds that in Florida, the coastal area with the most severe degradation, up to 98% of coral reefs have been lost due mainly to the climate crisis.
The study painted "an alarming picture," tweeted Jim Howe, director of The Nature Conservancy in Central and Western New York.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) worked with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) to assess reefs all over the coastal U.S. and the country's territories, including American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Guam. The report, which was released last week, is the first to use standardized monitoring data across the country's coastal regions.
Jennifer Koss, director of NOAA's coral reef conservation program, toldThe Guardian Wednesday that while the degradation of reefs has in the past been blamed on ocean pollution and water quality, "now it's pretty well accepted that it's predominantly climate change."
The researchers used data collected from 2012 to 2018 and graded the health of reefs across coastal areas as "very good," "good," "fair," "impaired," and "critical," with the majority of U.S. reefs falling into the "fair" category. Florida's reefs were classified as "impaired."
Ocean warming, overexposure to sunlight, and acidification, brought on by the climate crisis and the continued release of carbon dioxide into the environment, were named as primary threats to reef health, along with coral disease and fishing.
"These status reports clearly show the impacts people are having on coral reef ecosystems," said Heath Kelsey, director of UMCES's Integration and Application Network, in a statement. "Our work in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans shows a dire outlook for coral reef ecosystem health, from warming ocean waters, fishing, disease, and pollution from the land. Of all of these, climate change is the single biggest threat to shallow water coral reefs in the U.S., and worldwide."
The loss of coral reefs has grave implications for biodiversity in the world's oceans as well as coastal infrastructure and safety and the economic health of coastal areas. Reefs support more than 25% of marine life, providing a habitat for sponges, oysters, clams, crabs, sea urchins, and other species. Florida's reefs are estimated to be worth $8 billion to the state's economy, supporting over 70,000 local jobs in the tourism, commercial fishing, and recreation industries.
Researchers involved in the study said their findings should serve as a call to arms for the federal government, a year after lawmakers from Florida and Hawaii introduced the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act. The legislation would direct NOAA and the Interior Department to provide grants to states to support reef management and restoration.
The report by NOAA and UMCES calls for far-reaching climate action to help restore reefs throughout U.S. coastal regions as well.
"Local efforts to enhance reef resilience and restore reefs are important to help reefs survive the impacts of human-induced climate change," the report reads. "However, those efforts must be coupled with transitioning away from fossil fuels towards more renewable sources of energy."


alternet--2020-11-18--Ex-Lindsey Graham campaign staffer: GOP senator is a ‘man of low character’ who embodies ‘everything

Ex-Lindsey Graham campaign staffer: GOP senator is a ‘man of low character’ who embodies ‘everything wrong with our political system’

When conservative activist Nicholas Connors was working on Sen. Lindsey Graham 's presidential campaign in 2016 , the South Carolina Republican made no secret of how vile he considered Donald Trump to be ; now , Graham is one of Trump 's most devoted supporters .
Connors , founder of NSC Strategies , discusses Graham 's flip-flopping in an article published in The Bulwark on November 18 — and slams him as a glaring example of everything that is appalling about politics in the United States .
`` I worked for Lindsey Graham 's 2016 presidential campaign as his national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Connors explains .
`` As part of his senior staff , I spent one-on-one time with Graham advising him on different political initiatives related to getting him on every primary ballot and securing delegates for the Republican convention .
I worked for him because I saw him , at the time , as a man of moral clout who was unafraid to speak his mind and who would be a good guide for the American people .
Needless to say , I was wrong . ''
Graham had nothing good to say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him in the 2016 GOP presidential primary .
But the senator , Connors notes , went from telling Americans they should `` tell Donald Trump to go to hell '' to `` licking Trump 's boots on command '' — and someone who once described Trump as a `` race-baiting , xenophobic , religious bigot '' became `` one of the most fawning Trump sycophants in the entire GOP herd . ''
Connors acknowledges that Graham is hardly the only U.S. politician who has flip-flopped when it was convenient , but he stresses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flip-flopping has been especially appalling .
`` Every politician moves and shakes in some way — it 's the nature of the beast , '' Connors explains .
`` But for Graham , his song and dance has been more aggressive than most .
It includes lies , over-the-top rhetoric , immoral conduct , and a direct assault on our democratic institutions .
Some of the highlights : aggressively encouraging Trump to subvert the Constitution by redirecting congressionally appointed money ; allowing his campaign team to go unpunished for using a racist dog-whistle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against Trump 's attacks on John McCain when his old friend passed away ; reneging on his word that he would n't support a SCOTUS appointment in the last year of a presidential campaign ; mocking the juror oath he took for Trump 's impeachment hearing . ''
Connors adds that following Trump 's loss to President-elect Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election , Graham has become even more shameless and sunk to `` a new low . ''
`` Lindsey Graham has sought to have legally cast ballots excluded from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ observes .
`` This goes beyond indulging Trump 's conspiracy theories and into the realm of actively trying to undermine the democratic process . ''
Many of Trump 's Republican supporters are furious with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger , a Republican , for saying that Biden won the state fair and square — and Raffensperger has been receiving death threats from some Trump voters .
Graham , Connors points out , `` has been on the phone with Secretary Raffensperger asking him if he has the power to exclude all mail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ non-matching signatures . ''
`` Graham is not just dabbling in illegal behavior — he is seeking to undermine the bedrock of our republic : free and fair elections , '' Connors argues .
`` If Lindsey Graham had any sense of shame , he would resign from the chairmanship of the ( Senate ) Judiciary Committee .
And since he obviously does not , there should be a Senate ethics inquiry into this conduct .
But of course , that wo n't happen , either . ''
Time and time again , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be `` a man of low character . ''
`` For Graham , being a United States senator is n't about helping Americans or advancing principles , '' Connors writes .
`` It 's about swimming in the pool of power and feeding off the scraps the big fish leave behind .
In short : Lindsey Graham is everything that 's wrong with our political system . ''

When conservative activist Nicholas Connors was working on Sen. Lindsey Graham's presidential campaign in 2016, the South Carolina Republican made no secret of how vile he considered Donald Trump to be; now, Graham is one of Trump's most devoted supporters. Connors, founder of NSC Strategies, discusses Graham's flip-flopping in an article published in The Bulwark on November 18 — and slams him as a glaring example of everything that is appalling about politics in the United States.
"I worked for Lindsey Graham's 2016 presidential campaign as his national director of ballot access and delegates," Connors explains. "As part of his senior staff, I spent one-on-one time with Graham advising him on different political initiatives related to getting him on every primary ballot and securing delegates for the Republican convention. I worked for him because I saw him, at the time, as a man of moral clout who was unafraid to speak his mind and who would be a good guide for the American people. Needless to say, I was wrong."
Graham had nothing good to say about Trump when he was running against him in the 2016 GOP presidential primary. But the senator, Connors notes, went from telling Americans they should "tell Donald Trump to go to hell" to "licking Trump's boots on command" — and someone who once described Trump as a "race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot" became "one of the most fawning Trump sycophants in the entire GOP herd."
Connors acknowledges that Graham is hardly the only U.S. politician who has flip-flopped when it was convenient, but he stresses that in Graham's case, the flip-flopping has been especially appalling.
"Every politician moves and shakes in some way — it's the nature of the beast," Connors explains. "But for Graham, his song and dance has been more aggressive than most. It includes lies, over-the-top rhetoric, immoral conduct, and a direct assault on our democratic institutions. Some of the highlights: aggressively encouraging Trump to subvert the Constitution by redirecting congressionally appointed money; allowing his campaign team to go unpunished for using a racist dog-whistle against Jamie Harrison; failing to stand against Trump's attacks on John McCain when his old friend passed away; reneging on his word that he wouldn't support a SCOTUS appointment in the last year of a presidential campaign; mocking the juror oath he took for Trump's impeachment hearing."
Connors adds that following Trump's loss to President-elect Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, Graham has become even more shameless and sunk to "a new low."
"Lindsey Graham has sought to have legally cast ballots excluded from the vote count in Georgia," Connors observes. "This goes beyond indulging Trump's conspiracy theories and into the realm of actively trying to undermine the democratic process."
Many of Trump's Republican supporters are furious with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, for saying that Biden won the state fair and square — and Raffensperger has been receiving death threats from some Trump voters. Graham, Connors points out, "has been on the phone with Secretary Raffensperger asking him if he has the power to exclude all mail ballots in counties with higher rates of non-matching signatures."
"Graham is not just dabbling in illegal behavior — he is seeking to undermine the bedrock of our republic: free and fair elections," Connors argues. "If Lindsey Graham had any sense of shame, he would resign from the chairmanship of the (Senate) Judiciary Committee. And since he obviously does not, there should be a Senate ethics inquiry into this conduct. But of course, that won't happen, either."
Time and time again, Connors laments, Graham has shown himself to be "a man of low character."
"For Graham, being a United States senator isn't about helping Americans or advancing principles," Connors writes. "It's about swimming in the pool of power and feeding off the scraps the big fish leave behind. In short: Lindsey Graham is everything that's wrong with our political system."


alternet--2020-11-18--Cruz called a Dem senator 'a complete ass' for asking GOP colleague to wear a mask. Then Chuck Grass

Cruz called a Dem senator 'a complete ass' for asking GOP colleague to wear a mask. Then Chuck Grassley tested COVID-positive

Sen. Ted Cruz , R-Tx.
, on Monday called Sen. Sherrod Brown , D-Ohio , a `` complete ass '' who wears a mask `` as an ostentatious sign of fake virtue . ''
Cruz fired off the heated rhetoric after Brown asked another Republican colleague to put on a face covering .
`` I 'd start by asking the presiding officer to please wear a mask as he speaks , '' Brown told Sen. Dan Sullivan , R-Alaska.
, who was presiding over the Senate floor at the time of the incident .
`` I do n't wear a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senators , '' Sullivan shot back .
`` I do n't need your instruction . ''
`` I know you do n't need my instruction , but there clearly is n't much interest in this body in public health , '' Brown responded , adding that senators who refuse to take public health precautions were `` exposing '' staffers in the building .
`` We have a majority leader that calls us back here to vote on an unqualified nominee , and at the same time , to vote for judge after judge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Exposing all the people who ca n't say anything , I understand .
The people in front of you , and the presiding officer and expose all the staff here — and the majority leader just does n't seem to care . ''
A CSPAN video of the exchange , which showed a staffer directly in front of Sullivan , went viral on Monday , accruing more than 836,000 views by Tuesday afternoon .
Cruz tweeted his response alongside the video : `` This is idiotic .
Sherrod Brown is being a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to speak — when nobody is remotely near him — as an ostentatious sign of fake virtue .
Dan Sullivan was over 50 feet away , presiding .
Last I checked 50 feet is more than 6 feet . ''
Sen. Chuck Grassley , R-Iowa , who at 87 years old is the second oldest U.S. senator , announced the following day that he had tested positive for COVID-19 .
He had also been on the Senate floor on Monday .
Cruz was called out in July for not wearing a mask on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of company policy .
Marc Perrone , president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union , called it a `` horrifying disregard of the lives of others . ''
COVID-19 cases were surging at the time in the Republican 's home state of Texas , and deaths in the state hit a high a few weeks after the flight .
After a White House ceremony for the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett in late September , three Republican senators tested positive : Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mike Lee of Utah .
The New York Times noted that `` many top Republicans attended '' that ceremony `` without masks or social distancing , raising concerns that others might have contracted the virus but had not yet been diagnosed . ''
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines advise Americans to keep a distance of at least 6 feet between themselves and others in order to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 .
Cases continue to surge across the country , with one million added over the last seven days .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University .
That surpasses the high estimate that White House task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx gave Fox News host Chris Wallace in early May .
`` Our projections have always been between 100,000 and 240,000 American lives lost , '' Birx said at the time .
`` And that 's with full mitigation and us learning from each other of how to social distance . ''

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tx., on Monday called Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, a "complete ass" who wears a mask "as an ostentatious sign of fake virtue." Cruz fired off the heated rhetoric after Brown asked another Republican colleague to put on a face covering.
"I'd start by asking the presiding officer to please wear a mask as he speaks," Brown told Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska., who was presiding over the Senate floor at the time of the incident.
"I don't wear a mask when I'm speaking like most senators," Sullivan shot back. "I don't need your instruction."
"I know you don't need my instruction, but there clearly isn't much interest in this body in public health," Brown responded, adding that senators who refuse to take public health precautions were "exposing" staffers in the building.
"We have a majority leader that calls us back here to vote on an unqualified nominee, and at the same time, to vote for judge after judge after judge," Brown added. "Exposing all the people who can't say anything, I understand. The people in front of you, and the presiding officer and expose all the staff here — and the majority leader just doesn't seem to care."
A CSPAN video of the exchange, which showed a staffer directly in front of Sullivan, went viral on Monday, accruing more than 836,000 views by Tuesday afternoon.
Cruz tweeted his response alongside the video: "This is idiotic. Sherrod Brown is being a complete ass. He wears a mask to speak — when nobody is remotely near him — as an ostentatious sign of fake virtue. Dan Sullivan was over 50 feet away, presiding. Last I checked 50 feet is more than 6 feet."
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who at 87 years old is the second oldest U.S. senator, announced the following day that he had tested positive for COVID-19. He had also been on the Senate floor on Monday.
Cruz was called out in July for not wearing a mask on an American Airlines flight, in violation of company policy. Marc Perrone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, called it a "horrifying disregard of the lives of others." COVID-19 cases were surging at the time in the Republican's home state of Texas, and deaths in the state hit a high a few weeks after the flight.
After a White House ceremony for the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett in late September, three Republican senators tested positive: Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Sen. Mike Lee of Utah.
The New York Times noted that "many top Republicans attended" that ceremony "without masks or social distancing, raising concerns that others might have contracted the virus but had not yet been diagnosed."
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines advise Americans to keep a distance of at least 6 feet between themselves and others in order to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Cases continue to surge across the country, with one million added over the last seven days.
COVID-19 has killed more than 247,000 Americans, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. That surpasses the high estimate that White House task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx gave Fox News host Chris Wallace in early May.
"Our projections have always been between 100,000 and 240,000 American lives lost," Birx said at the time. "And that's with full mitigation and us learning from each other of how to social distance."


alternet--2020-11-19--Republicans in key Michigan county try to rescind election certification under pressure from GOP

The two Republicans on an election board for Michigan 's Wayne County want to take back their votes to certify the election results .
The pair agreed to a last-minute compromise Tuesday night after seeking an audit for the vote count in the Detroit area , where they said the results were out of balance , but they complained later they felt threatened into backing the certification , reported the Washington Post .
`` I rescind my prior vote , '' wrote Monica Palmer , the board 's chairwoman , in an affidavit .
`` I fully believe the Wayne @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' The other GOP board member , William Hartmann , signed a similar affidavit , according to the Post .
The board 's Democratic vice chairman Jonathan Kinlock said the certified results had already been sent to the secretary of state , so he said it was too late for the Republicans to change their minds .
`` Do they understand how they are making us look as a body ? ''
Kinloch said .
`` We have such an amazing and important role in the democratic process , and they 're turning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Hartmann complained in their affidavits they believed they had a firm commitment to an audit , but Palmer said she felt `` misled '' because Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson did n't view their resolution asking for the audit as binding .
But Kinloch said the board had n't even formally asked for the audit , and he said the two GOP member were aware the resolution was n't binding when they agreed to it .
He told the Post that he had been texting Palmer about the request , saying he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to directly reach Benson 's office yet .
Kinloch accused the pair of bowing to pressure from the Republican Party , the White House and Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel , who complained Palmer and Hartmann had been subjected to `` mob rule . ''

The two Republicans on an election board for Michigan's Wayne County want to take back their votes to certify the election results.
The pair agreed to a last-minute compromise Tuesday night after seeking an audit for the vote count in the Detroit area, where they said the results were out of balance, but they complained later they felt threatened into backing the certification, reported the Washington Post.
"I rescind my prior vote," wrote Monica Palmer, the board's chairwoman, in an affidavit. "I fully believe the Wayne County vote should not be certified."
The other GOP board member, William Hartmann, signed a similar affidavit, according to the Post.
The board's Democratic vice chairman Jonathan Kinlock said the certified results had already been sent to the secretary of state, so he said it was too late for the Republicans to change their minds.
"Do they understand how they are making us look as a body?" Kinloch said. "We have such an amazing and important role in the democratic process, and they're turning it on its head."
Palmer and Hartmann complained in their affidavits they believed they had a firm commitment to an audit, but Palmer said she felt "misled" because Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson didn't view their resolution asking for the audit as binding.
But Kinloch said the board hadn't even formally asked for the audit, and he said the two GOP member were aware the resolution wasn't binding when they agreed to it.
He told the Post that he had been texting Palmer about the request, saying he had explained that he hand't been able to directly reach Benson's office yet.
Kinloch accused the pair of bowing to pressure from the Republican Party, the White House and Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel, who complained Palmer and Hartmann had been subjected to "mob rule."