truthout--2020-12-22--People Incarcerated in Alabama Are Pushing for a New Year’s Prison Strike

The Free Alabama Movement ( FAM ) , a group of incarcerated people and supporters who were involved in organizing the famed prison strikes of 2016 and 2018 , plans to start off the new year right .
For these activists , that means a statewide “ 30-day blackout ” prison strike and boycott that will begin on or around the New Year , incarcerated FAM member Swift Justice told Truthout .
He says he hopes the push will inspire actions on a national scale to reduce prison populations and improve desolate prison conditions .
“ Nobody is going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said , referring to injustice and abuse behind bars .
“ So the simple fact is , we got to care and if we don ’ t care , nobody else is going to care.
” In a press release , Free Alabama Movement called for a statewide work strike on all prison labor , which it wrote “ amounts to slavery.
” It also called for a boycott of prison services companies that profit off the exploitation of incarcerated peoples ’ families through price gouging , “ made possible through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ An average full-time worker incarcerated in Alabama prisons may make $ 40 per month , according to Swift , then the funds often quickly circulate back into the Alabama Department of Corrections ( ADOC ) price-gouging commissary .
A pack of Newport cigarettes costs just over $ 5 in Alabama outside of prison ; the same product costs over $ 11 behind bars .
While the scope of the upcoming actions is unclear , Swift said some people incarcerated on Alabama ’ s death row and in administrative segregation — known as solitary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in response to FAM ’ s call .
According to FAM , the ADOC is in “ the midst of a full-fledged humanitarian crisis , ” and it claims state leaders aren ’ t doing enough to preserve and protect incarcerated people ’ s lives .
As of December 18 , there were nearly 1,800 COVID-19 infections and 50 deaths within the Alabama prison system , likely an underestimation due to low testing rates .
More than 250,000 incarcerated people in the United States have contracted the virus , higher than the number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Japan , Venezuela and Norway .
Accordingly , FAM demands that the ADOC immediately reduce its population from around 15,300 to its intended capacity level , which the Department of Justice ( DOJ ) estimates is 9,882 , to prevent the spread of the virus .
Other strike demands — such as the creation of an excessive force database of employees , an overturning of the statewide legal loophole that allows for slavery and the implementation of rehabilitative programs — seek to ameliorate longstanding grievances .
This strike will follow a lawsuit that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ State of Alabama and ADOC on December 10 , which alleged violations of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments by “ … failing to prevent prisoner-on-prisoner violence and sexual abuse , by failing to protect prisoners from the use of excessive force by security staff , and by failing to provide safe conditions of confinement… ” The DOJ reported a culture of retaliation against incarcerated people , echoing allegations voiced in a lawsuit filed in September by incarcerated activist Kinetik Justice , who claimed he faced prolonged solitary confinement for speaking out against gambling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facility .
In 2015 , following an investigation by Equal Justice Initiative , the DOJ reached a settlement with Alabama over allegations of systemic sexual abuse by correctional officers at Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women .
The DOJ began its investigation into men ’ s prisons a year later , after two riots and a separate FAM-led strike .
In 2019 , the DOJ released a damning report that documented a pattern of unconstitutional practices at Alabama facilities for men .
The DOJ ’ s recent lawsuit claims that ADOC facilities are more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remain the highest in the country ’ s prison system and staffing levels are still dangerously low .
In short , little has improved in four years .
Swift Justice credits the Free Alabama Movement and other organizations led by incarcerated people , like Unheard Voices OTCJ and Convicts for Peace , with shining a spotlight on horrific conditions in Alabama .
“ All the claims that have been going on and are being exposed by the Department of Justice in this lawsuit are actually allegations that we ’ ve been bringing long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said .
“ Without these organizations and without these brothers on the inside who have been doing their work to actually , you know , expose it , I don ’ t believe the Department of Justice actually would have gotten a clear picture of what ’ s going on.
” In a response to the DOJ ’ s lawsuit , the ADOC said it will “ fervently defend ” itself , accused the agency of “ public posturing ” and doubled down on its plan to construct three additional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women and women with family behind bars have spoken out and organized car rallies against Alabama ’ s construction plans .
Building new prisons runs counter to the rising public demands to defund and abolish the U.S. carceral system , the largest system of confinement in the world .
It also runs counter to ongoing demands to dramatically decrease prison populations amid the pandemic .
Within the first several months of the pandemic , incarcerated people across the country organized over 100 rebellions behind bars , many of which demanded mass releases to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While FAM ’ s strike outlines concrete demands , Swift Justice wants to see a larger cultural shift of compassion toward incarcerated people , too , and ultimately for the country to cease its dependency on a prison system that targets poor , Black and Brown people .
“ We are human and we need to be seen that way , ” he said .

The Free Alabama Movement (FAM), a group of incarcerated people and supporters who were involved in organizing the famed prison strikes of 2016 and 2018, plans to start off the new year right. For these activists, that means a statewide “30-day blackout” prison strike and boycott that will begin on or around the New Year, incarcerated FAM member Swift Justice told Truthout. He says he hopes the push will inspire actions on a national scale to reduce prison populations and improve desolate prison conditions.
“Nobody is going to come and save us from this,” he said, referring to injustice and abuse behind bars. “So the simple fact is, we got to care and if we don’t care, nobody else is going to care.”
In a press release, Free Alabama Movement called for a statewide work strike on all prison labor, which it wrote “amounts to slavery.” It also called for a boycott of prison services companies that profit off the exploitation of incarcerated peoples’ families through price gouging, “made possible through their monopoly contracts with the government.”
An average full-time worker incarcerated in Alabama prisons may make $40 per month, according to Swift, then the funds often quickly circulate back into the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) price-gouging commissary. A pack of Newport cigarettes costs just over $5 in Alabama outside of prison; the same product costs over $11 behind bars.
While the scope of the upcoming actions is unclear, Swift said some people incarcerated on Alabama’s death row and in administrative segregation — known as solitary confinement — will go on hunger strike in response to FAM’s call.
According to FAM, the ADOC is in “the midst of a full-fledged humanitarian crisis,” and it claims state leaders aren’t doing enough to preserve and protect incarcerated people’s lives. As of December 18, there were nearly 1,800 COVID-19 infections and 50 deaths within the Alabama prison system, likely an underestimation due to low testing rates. More than 250,000 incarcerated people in the United States have contracted the virus, higher than the number of infections in entire countries, including Japan, Venezuela and Norway.
Accordingly, FAM demands that the ADOC immediately reduce its population from around 15,300 to its intended capacity level, which the Department of Justice (DOJ) estimates is 9,882, to prevent the spread of the virus. Other strike demands — such as the creation of an excessive force database of employees, an overturning of the statewide legal loophole that allows for slavery and the implementation of rehabilitative programs — seek to ameliorate longstanding grievances.
According to FAM, the Alabama Department of Corrections is in “the midst of a full-fledged humanitarian crisis,” and state leaders aren’t doing enough to preserve and protect incarcerated people’s lives.
This strike will follow a lawsuit that was filed by the DOJ against the State of Alabama and ADOC on December 10, which alleged violations of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments by “… failing to prevent prisoner-on-prisoner violence and sexual abuse, by failing to protect prisoners from the use of excessive force by security staff, and by failing to provide safe conditions of confinement…” The DOJ reported a culture of retaliation against incarcerated people, echoing allegations voiced in a lawsuit filed in September by incarcerated activist Kinetik Justice, who claimed he faced prolonged solitary confinement for speaking out against gambling rings run by staff at Limestone Correctional Facility.
In 2015, following an investigation by Equal Justice Initiative, the DOJ reached a settlement with Alabama over allegations of systemic sexual abuse by correctional officers at Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women. The DOJ began its investigation into men’s prisons a year later, after two riots and a separate FAM-led strike. In 2019, the DOJ released a damning report that documented a pattern of unconstitutional practices at Alabama facilities for men. The DOJ’s recent lawsuit claims that ADOC facilities are more crowded today than in 2016, homicides remain the highest in the country’s prison system and staffing levels are still dangerously low. In short, little has improved in four years.
Swift Justice credits the Free Alabama Movement and other organizations led by incarcerated people, like Unheard Voices OTCJ and Convicts for Peace, with shining a spotlight on horrific conditions in Alabama.
“All the claims that have been going on and are being exposed by the Department of Justice in this lawsuit are actually allegations that we’ve been bringing long before the Department of Justice came in,” he said. “Without these organizations and without these brothers on the inside who have been doing their work to actually, you know, expose it, I don’t believe the Department of Justice actually would have gotten a clear picture of what’s going on.”
In a response to the DOJ’s lawsuit, the ADOC said it will “fervently defend” itself, accused the agency of “public posturing” and doubled down on its plan to construct three additional men’s facilities.
Formerly incarcerated women and women with family behind bars have spoken out and organized car rallies against Alabama’s construction plans. Building new prisons runs counter to the rising public demands to defund and abolish the U.S. carceral system, the largest system of confinement in the world. It also runs counter to ongoing demands to dramatically decrease prison populations amid the pandemic. Within the first several months of the pandemic, incarcerated people across the country organized over 100 rebellions behind bars, many of which demanded mass releases to prevent the spread of the virus.
While FAM’s strike outlines concrete demands, Swift Justice wants to see a larger cultural shift of compassion toward incarcerated people, too, and ultimately for the country to cease its dependency on a prison system that targets poor, Black and Brown people.
“We are human and we need to be seen that way,” he said.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
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truthout--2020-12-23--The Trump Admin Is Trying to Build the Border Wall on Land It Doesn’t Own

A new investigation has found that the Trump administration has awarded contracts to build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico on land that it does not yet own .
This tactic has led to millions of dollars in delay costs .
The investigation , produced jointly by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune , finds that , in many places where the government does not yet own the land , “ the agency has used the argument , often successfully , to convince even dubious federal judges to immediately seize land from property owners fighting their eminent domain cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases have caused some frustration among the judges hearing them , the publications report , with the U.S. government forcing timelines unnecessarily .
“ The Court has repeatedly expressed its dissatisfaction with the United States ’ s requests for expedited relief , ” one district judge wrote .
“ The United States is not entitled to expedited relief , and should cease requesting such relief without good cause.
” Former senior counsel for President Barack Obama ’ s State Department Austin Evers told ProPublica and The Texas Tribune that , because of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for land it can ’ t yet contract out , “ American taxpayers are seeing their money thrown away for no purpose because the government signed the contract before it could execute the project.
” In some places , delays have been adding costs of as much as $ 100,000 per day .
As the Texas Civil Rights Project points out on Twitter , at least one family may have their property built on before they receive just compensation under eminent domain .
The government filed to have a judge grant them the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they continue as they have , they may start building even before the property has been granted , the organization pointed out .
The border wall has cost billions more than initially anticipated .
Republicans fought for even more funding in the latest COVID stimulus package and got $ 1.4 billion , down from the $ 2 billion Trump had requested .
And yet , while the stimulus was delayed for several months due to many back-and-forth negotiations , a part of many Republican objections to the package was how much the bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky , voted against the stimulus for that reason , though economists say that it ’ s normal for the government to engage in deficit spending when there ’ s an economic emergency such as the COVID-induced recession .
On the other hand , if President-elect Joe Biden halts construction on the border wall as he has vowed to do — “ not another foot , ” he promised in August — the government would save an estimated $ 2.6 billion , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of expenditure , there has been about $ 15 billion tied up in building 738 miles , which comes out to about $ 20 million a mile .

The government is prematurely granting contracts to build on land it doesn’t yet own, costing millions in delays.
A new investigation has found that the Trump administration has awarded contracts to build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico on land that it does not yet own. This tactic has led to millions of dollars in delay costs.
The investigation, produced jointly by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, finds that, in many places where the government does not yet own the land, “the agency has used the argument, often successfully, to convince even dubious federal judges to immediately seize land from property owners fighting their eminent domain cases” at least 24 times. These cases have caused some frustration among the judges hearing them, the publications report, with the U.S. government forcing timelines unnecessarily.
“The Court has repeatedly expressed its dissatisfaction with the United States’s requests for expedited relief,” one district judge wrote. “The United States is not entitled to expedited relief, and should cease requesting such relief without good cause.”
Former senior counsel for President Barack Obama’s State Department Austin Evers told ProPublica and The Texas Tribune that, because of the Trump administration receiving penalties over signing contracts for land it can’t yet contract out, “American taxpayers are seeing their money thrown away for no purpose because the government signed the contract before it could execute the project.” In some places, delays have been adding costs of as much as $100,000 per day.
As the Texas Civil Rights Project points out on Twitter, at least one family may have their property built on before they receive just compensation under eminent domain. The government filed to have a judge grant them the property immediately on Tuesday, but if they continue as they have, they may start building even before the property has been granted, the organization pointed out.
The border wall has cost billions more than initially anticipated. Republicans fought for even more funding in the latest COVID stimulus package and got $1.4 billion, down from the $2 billion Trump had requested. And yet, while the stimulus was delayed for several months due to many back-and-forth negotiations, a part of many Republican objections to the package was how much the bill would cost. Several Republicans, such as Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky, voted against the stimulus for that reason, though economists say that it’s normal for the government to engage in deficit spending when there’s an economic emergency such as the COVID-induced recession.
On the other hand, if President-elect Joe Biden halts construction on the border wall as he has vowed to do — “not another foot,” he promised in August — the government would save an estimated $2.6 billion, according to the Pentagon. At current rates of expenditure, there has been about $15 billion tied up in building 738 miles, which comes out to about $20 million a mile.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
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truthout--2020-12-23--As Georgia Senate Runoffs Near, Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s Scandals Are Piling Up

The Daily Beast came out with a new report on Wednesday uncovering a quiet push that Senator Kelly Loeffler , a Republican candidate in the Georgia Senate runoffs , made in May that may have paid off for her , literally , in August .
This latest report is just another in a pile of scandals that have been uncovered involving Loeffler in the past month or so .
Loeffler , as the Daily Beast ’ s Sam Brodey reports , signed a letter this spring that was aimed at stopping Democrats from issuing a moratorium on negative credit score @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as part of a COVID assistance program .
The letter , along with heavy lobbying from the three major credit agencies , was eventually successful , and the cause was dropped .
Then in August , Loeffler ’ s husband ’ s company , Intercontinental Exchange ( NYSE : ICE ) , where Loeffler formerly worked as an executive , bought one of the companies that would have been negatively affected by a credit reporting moratorium — mortgage application processing software company Ellie Mae — in a $ 10 billion deal .
Loeffler @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the timing and motivation is suspect , especially considering the fact that she is not typically involved in financial regulation , as Brodey points out .
A representative from an ethics watchdog group told the Daily Beast that , while her motive isn ’ t clear , “ we should not need to wonder whether it could have been an instance of her selling out the interests of constituents who were in economic distress in order to maintain the value of her stock portfolio.
” The ordeal wouldn ’ t be nearly as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Loeffler ’ s involvement in shady self-dealing activities .
But the Senator has racked up multiple scandals , many uncovered just recently , both in and out of Congress .
Early in the pandemic , and before the pandemic even hit the U.S. full force , Loeffler and her husband , Jeffrey Sprecher , were busy engineering ways to glean financial benefits from the crisis .
After Senators learned about the potential economic effects of the coronavirus at a confidential meeting in January , Loeffler was one of the first Senators to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between January and February , well before the stock market faced direct hits .
This move , worth at least $ 18 million , was potentially insider trading .
Meanwhile , Sprecher had been overseeing Intercontinental Exchange ’ s slow dominance over online mortgage services , which were growing rapidly in value as the pandemic hit .
“ All at once , COVID hits , and we see everyone from lenders to lawyers to title insurers flocking to go to our digital platforms , ” Sprecher told Fortune .
“ In part , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us the confidence to buy Ellie Mae.
” And , perhaps , the fact that Ellie Mae was not under threat of a financial hit because of a moratorium on negative credit reporting .
There have also been numerous other questionable ( though not overtly illegal ) actions by Loeffler over the course of the past year .
On the campaign trail earlier this fall she claimed that she had voted for a foreign stock trading bill that her family ’ s company lobbied against , when in fact she had not done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including a subcommittee on commodities and trade , which governed issues that would partially affect her husband ’ s business and presented a potential conflict of interest .
Loeffler ’ s conflicts of interest were so brazen and common that a spokesperson for her opponent in the Senate primary quipped , “ she has five conflicts of interest before her first chai latte every day.
” Prior to her appointment to the U.S. Senate by Georgia Gov .
Brian Kemp in December 2019 to the seat held by Johnny Isakson ( who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and her husband were accused of facilitating an Enron-like scheme that ended up “ costing residents of Georgia millions of dollars ” , according to Mother Jones magazine .
Media watchdogs have speculated that such schemes are a large part of how Loeffler and her husband accumulated their net worth of an estimated $ 800 million .
Loeffler is up for reelection on January 5 in Georgia ’ s run-off race along with incumbent Sen. David Perdue , a fellow Republican who has himself been accused of insider trading following secret coronavirus briefings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party ends up controlling the Senate .

The Daily Beast came out with a new report on Wednesday uncovering a quiet push that Senator Kelly Loeffler, a Republican candidate in the Georgia Senate runoffs, made in May that may have paid off for her, literally, in August. This latest report is just another in a pile of scandals that have been uncovered involving Loeffler in the past month or so.
Loeffler, as the Daily Beast’s Sam Brodey reports, signed a letter this spring that was aimed at stopping Democrats from issuing a moratorium on negative credit score reporting, which they had pushed for as part of a COVID assistance program. The letter, along with heavy lobbying from the three major credit agencies, was eventually successful, and the cause was dropped. Then in August, Loeffler’s husband’s company, Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE), where Loeffler formerly worked as an executive, bought one of the companies that would have been negatively affected by a credit reporting moratorium — mortgage application processing software company Ellie Mae — in a $10 billion deal.
Loeffler did not publicize the letter, and the timing and motivation is suspect, especially considering the fact that she is not typically involved in financial regulation, as Brodey points out. A representative from an ethics watchdog group told the Daily Beast that, while her motive isn’t clear, “we should not need to wonder whether it could have been an instance of her selling out the interests of constituents who were in economic distress in order to maintain the value of her stock portfolio.”
The ordeal wouldn’t be nearly as suspicious if this were the first report on Loeffler’s involvement in shady self-dealing activities. But the Senator has racked up multiple scandals, many uncovered just recently, both in and out of Congress.
Early in the pandemic, and before the pandemic even hit the U.S. full force, Loeffler and her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, were busy engineering ways to glean financial benefits from the crisis. After Senators learned about the potential economic effects of the coronavirus at a confidential meeting in January, Loeffler was one of the first Senators to dump millions of dollars worth of stock between January and February, well before the stock market faced direct hits. This move, worth at least $18 million, was potentially insider trading. Meanwhile, Sprecher had been overseeing Intercontinental Exchange’s slow dominance over online mortgage services, which were growing rapidly in value as the pandemic hit.
“All at once, COVID hits, and we see everyone from lenders to lawyers to title insurers flocking to go to our digital platforms,” Sprecher told Fortune. “In part, it was that sea change that gave us the confidence to buy Ellie Mae.” And, perhaps, the fact that Ellie Mae was not under threat of a financial hit because of a moratorium on negative credit reporting.
There have also been numerous other questionable (though not overtly illegal) actions by Loeffler over the course of the past year. On the campaign trail earlier this fall she claimed that she had voted for a foreign stock trading bill that her family’s company lobbied against, when in fact she had not done so. She held several committee positions, including a subcommittee on commodities and trade, which governed issues that would partially affect her husband’s business and presented a potential conflict of interest. Loeffler’s conflicts of interest were so brazen and common that a spokesperson for her opponent in the Senate primary quipped, “she has five conflicts of interest before her first chai latte every day.”
Prior to her appointment to the U.S. Senate by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in December 2019 to the seat held by Johnny Isakson (who retired for health reasons), Loeffler and her husband were accused of facilitating an Enron-like scheme that ended up “costing residents of Georgia millions of dollars”, according to Mother Jones magazine. Media watchdogs have speculated that such schemes are a large part of how Loeffler and her husband accumulated their net worth of an estimated $800 million.
Loeffler is up for reelection on January 5 in Georgia’s run-off race along with incumbent Sen. David Perdue, a fellow Republican who has himself been accused of insider trading following secret coronavirus briefings. The election results could determine which party ends up controlling the Senate.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.


truthout--2020-12-23--Biden’s Education Secretary Pick Must Overturn DeVos’s Attack on Public Schools

President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Connecticut public schools commissioner Miguel Cardona for secretary of education , tapping a third Latinx person to join his Cabinet .
Cardona is a former teacher who represents a sharp break from outgoing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos , who urged career employees at the Education Department earlier this month to “ be the resistance ” to the incoming administration .
He is Puerto Rican and began his career as a fourth grade teacher , becoming the state ’ s top schools official just last August , the first Latinx person to hold the position .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and every educator in America , or almost every educator , will be thrilled about that , ” says Diane Ravitch , a writer and historian of education who served as assistant secretary of education under President George H.W .
Bush .
“ He ’ s been in public schools throughout his career , and that ’ s a big plus for many people who ’ ve been watching the attacks on public education , on teachers , for the past four and more years.
” This is a rush transcript .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
, democracynow.org , The Quarantine Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González , as we look at President-elect Joe Biden ’ s nomination of Connecticut public schools commissioner Miguel Cardona as the next secretary of education , tapping a third Latinx person to join his Cabinet — the first time ever .
Cardona is a Puerto Rican , grew up in public housing , spoke Spanish only when he first entered public schools .
He began his career in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rose to be Connecticut ’ s youngest school principal at age 28 , then assistant superintendent of a school district with just 9,000 students in his hometown of Meriden , Connecticut .
He became the state ’ s top schools official just last August and its first Latinx person to hold the position .
During the pandemic , Cardona has advocated for the reopening of schools , though only about one-third of Connecticut ’ s public school students are currently able to attend in-person classes .
He ’ s also pushed to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for teachers and classrooms .
And his administration allocated federal funds to purchase laptops and internet access for students who remain at home .
If confirmed , Cardona will replace Trump ’ s Education Secretary Betsy DeVos , who urged career employees at the Education Department earlier this month to , quote , “ be the resistance ” when the Biden administration comes into power next month , according to a recording of her meeting obtained by Politico .
Well , for more , we ’ re joined by Diane Ravitch , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President George H.W .
Bush .
She ’ s a historian of education , best-selling author .
Her most recent book is Slaying Goliath : The Passionate Resistance to Privatization and the Fight to Save America ’ s Public Schools .
She blogs at DianeRavitch.net .
Welcome back to Democracy Now !
, Diane Ravitch .
We ’ re going to talk about DeVos ’ s record , but we want to start off by talking about the significance of what , for many , was a surprise pick to be the education @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yes , it was a surprise pick , because Dr. Cardona is not known outside of Connecticut .
And in the early discussions about who might be selected as commissioner , his name was not mentioned .
The good thing is , first of all , he ’ s not Betsy DeVos , and every educator in America , or almost every educator , will be thrilled about that .
But , secondly , he ’ s a public school person .
He went to public schools .
His children go to public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public schools throughout his career .
And that ’ s a big plus for many people who have been watching the attacks on public education and on teachers for the past four and more years .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Diane Ravitch , I ’ m wondering — as you were saying , it was a surprise , the Miguel Cardona pick .
Many , of course , progressives for years have been pushing for Democratic presidents to name Linda Darling-Hammond , the California educator , as secretary of education , but she was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apparently , pushed for Cardona .
And I believe — I believe Cardona may be — he ’ s not the first Latino to be named secretary of education .
Back when you were in the White House administration , there was Lauro Cavazos , who was President H.W .
Bush ’ s secretary of education .
But I believe that Cardona may be the first Puerto Rican , person of Puerto Rican ancestry , ever to serve on a U.S .
Cabinet , on a president ’ s Cabinet .
So that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Latino representation in federal government , but especially in light of the reality that so much of the public school system in the United States is increasingly Latino .
Fifty-five percent of all the public school pupils in California today are Hispanic ; 53 % in Texas , of the entire state ; 40 % of New York ’ s public school population ; and even North Carolina , 16 % of the entire public school population of North Carolina is Latino .
So , really , the problem of solving the education @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are really at the heart of improving public education .
So , in this sense , do you think that there might be a real potential for progress with Cardona running the Education Department ?
DIANE RAVITCH : Well , Dr. Cardona took his bachelor ’ s degree in bilingual and bicultural education , so he certainly knows the problems very well .
He has worked on them in his role as the superintendent , then for the period of time that he ’ s been commissioner in Connecticut .
So , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pluses in terms of his experience with the Latino and Hispanic population .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And in terms of the whole issue of charter schools , you and I have talked often , and we agree on a lot of the errors in the drastic turn that the country has taken to charter schools .
Do you get any sense of where Cardona stands on the issue of federal impetus or underwriting of the development of more charter schools ?
DIANE RAVITCH : Well , here ’ s the thing , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Cardona was chosen because he ’ s noncontroversial .
In the end , as I understand it , the choice came down to between Dr. Cardona and Dr. Leslie Fenwick , who is the dean emeritus of Howard University .
Dr. Fenwick is an outspoken critic of Teach for America , of charter schools and of , basically , the federal policy of the past 20 years .
And I happen to agree — she is a progressive .
I publicly supported her on my blog , because I think she would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t think the Biden administration wanted to upset the so-called reformers by choosing someone who was so unspoken .
Dr. Cardona , on the other hand , has been very low-profile .
It ’ s hard to know if he ’ s for or against charters .
He has said , in Connecticut , that he wants the testing to go forward this spring .
And I think progressives understand that the testing has gotten completely out of control and that the mandated — the annual mandated federal testing is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Child Left Behind era .
So , for 20 years , we have been following the No Child Left Behind Texas miracle , which was a hoax .
There was no Texas miracle .
And yet the federal government , year after year , continues to require every child , from third grade to eighth grade , to take the same standardized test , or their own — in most cases , their state test or a test designed by Pearson or some other big manufacturer .
Dr. Cardona thinks — from what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and public comments , he thinks that testing has been too much , which is certainly right , but he has said nothing about suspending it for this spring .
Even Betsy DeVos suspended it last year , but she said she wouldn ’ t suspend it if she were in office this year , which , thank goodness , she ’ s not .
And I think that , on day one , the Biden administration should announce that there will be no mandated testing this spring , because the inequality of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months has been dramatic .
And I can save the country hundreds of millions of dollars by telling you what the results will be .
I already know what the results will be : The rich kids will have high scores , and the poor kids will have low scores .
And the kids who have the least access through technology or in-person learning will have the lowest scores .
So , there , I just saved hundreds of millions of dollars .
We really don ’ t need to do these tests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ravitch , for people who don ’ t know who you are , a former assistant secretary of education under President George H.W .
Bush , you then took a very different turn after the data started coming in on charter schools , and fiercely opposed them .
You wrote on your blog that Connecticut , where Dr. Cardona is from , experienced some of its worst charter scandals in the nation .
I was wondering if you could tell us that history .
And then let ’ s pivot to Betsy DeVos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prince , his company ’ s four people , mercenaries , just pardoned by President Trump for the murder of Iraqis at the Nisoor Square massacre , but Betsy DeVos , the education secretary , talking about people having to join “ the resistance ” against Biden when he comes in , inside the Education Department .
But start with Connecticut and what happened there .
DIANE RAVITCH : OK. Back in about 2014 , Connecticut had a massive scandal .
The governor at that time , whose name I can ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was a Democrat , he was very supportive of charters , and he encouraged charters to open .
Connecticut doesn ’ t have a lot of charters .
I think they have 21 , which is a small number compared to a state , for example , like California , which has over a thousand , or even New York state , which has hundreds of charters .
But Connecticut had a huge scandal .
There was something called the FUSE — F-U-S-E — charters and the Jumoke charters .
They were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were being run by someone who was a convicted felon , and his record was never reviewed by the state .
There were also charges of nepotism .
And basically , a chunk of that charter chain closed down , but it ’ s still there , and it had to clean up its act .
But having experienced that scandal , Connecticut should have looked very closely at the whole charter idea .
Instead , they ’ ve contained it .
Connecticut happens to be home to one of the earliest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No excuses ” means that kids are disciplined in a very harsh manner .
They look to me not like innovation , but rather like a school from a hundred years ago , where school was almost like , in many respects , a penal institution .
Kids are not allowed to talk to each other in the hallways .
They ’ re disciplined for the smallest things .
And that chain is called Achievement First .
It ’ s since spread into Rhode Island .
And three of the Achievement First charter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They were put there last spring because of their — they have high test scores because they kick out the kids who don ’ t get high test scores , but they have very harsh discipline .
And the state said that they really had to act more like public schools .
So , he was the commissioner at that time the state Board of Education took a strong stand against the Achievement First disciplinary practices .
And so I ’ m hoping that he will — as he comes into the position @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more of charter schools .
To me , the big issue with charter schools is this : There ’ s very little the federal government can do about them .
I mean , Arne Duncan , who was Obama ’ s secretary of education , required states to open more and more charter schools , if they wanted access to a huge pot of federal money , $ 5 billion in the Race to the Top Fund .
And what the secretary does now is to hand out $ 440 million every year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of that money , under Betsy DeVos , has gone to corporate chains , and it ’ s gone to states that didn ’ t want the money and don ’ t want new charter schools .
And then they open anyway because the money is there .
So , I think that the first priority for the — in terms of charters , is to defund that $ 440 million slush fund , which DeVos used for her own private passion , which is undermining public schools and advancing privatization .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the career staff at the Department of Education , I can tell you , having worked there , that the career staff is committed to the mission of providing support for public education , that with the exception of the people that she brought with her , who I hope will all be gone with her , the career staff does not share her goals and will not be resisting .
I expect , if anything , that they will identify Trumpers who have been embedded into what appear to be career jobs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And they know the difference , and they ’ ll share that with the incoming Biden team .
They do not share her mission of undermining public education .
AMY GOODMAN : Diane Ravitch , we want to thank you for being with us , education historian , author , former assistant secretary of education under President George H.W .
Bush .
When we come back , the appointment to the Senate seat in California , the first Latinx U.S. senator from California .
Stay with us .

President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Connecticut public schools commissioner Miguel Cardona for secretary of education, tapping a third Latinx person to join his Cabinet. Cardona is a former teacher who represents a sharp break from outgoing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who urged career employees at the Education Department earlier this month to “be the resistance” to the incoming administration. He is Puerto Rican and began his career as a fourth grade teacher, becoming the state’s top schools official just last August, the first Latinx person to hold the position. “He’s not Betsy DeVos, and every educator in America, or almost every educator, will be thrilled about that,” says Diane Ravitch, a writer and historian of education who served as assistant secretary of education under President George H.W. Bush. “He’s been in public schools throughout his career, and that’s a big plus for many people who’ve been watching the attacks on public education, on teachers, for the past four and more years.”
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The Quarantine Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González, as we look at President-elect Joe Biden’s nomination of Connecticut public schools commissioner Miguel Cardona as the next secretary of education, tapping a third Latinx person to join his Cabinet — the first time ever.
Cardona is a Puerto Rican, grew up in public housing, spoke Spanish only when he first entered public schools. He began his career in education as a fourth grade teacher, rose to be Connecticut’s youngest school principal at age 28, then assistant superintendent of a school district with just 9,000 students in his hometown of Meriden, Connecticut. He became the state’s top schools official just last August and its first Latinx person to hold the position.
During the pandemic, Cardona has advocated for the reopening of schools, though only about one-third of Connecticut’s public school students are currently able to attend in-person classes. He’s also pushed to use federal aid to buy personal protective equipment for teachers and classrooms. And his administration allocated federal funds to purchase laptops and internet access for students who remain at home.
If confirmed, Cardona will replace Trump’s Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who urged career employees at the Education Department earlier this month to, quote, “be the resistance” when the Biden administration comes into power next month, according to a recording of her meeting obtained by Politico.
Well, for more, we’re joined by Diane Ravitch, who served as assistant secretary of education under President George H.W. Bush. She’s a historian of education, best-selling author. Her most recent book is Slaying Goliath: The Passionate Resistance to Privatization and the Fight to Save America’s Public Schools. She blogs at DianeRavitch.net.
Welcome back to Democracy Now!, Diane Ravitch. We’re going to talk about DeVos’s record, but we want to start off by talking about the significance of what, for many, was a surprise pick to be the education secretary.
DIANE RAVITCH: Well, yes, it was a surprise pick, because Dr. Cardona is not known outside of Connecticut. And in the early discussions about who might be selected as commissioner, his name was not mentioned.
The good thing is, first of all, he’s not Betsy DeVos, and every educator in America, or almost every educator, will be thrilled about that. But, secondly, he’s a public school person. He went to public schools. His children go to public schools. He’s been in public schools throughout his career. And that’s a big plus for many people who have been watching the attacks on public education and on teachers for the past four and more years.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Diane Ravitch, I’m wondering — as you were saying, it was a surprise, the Miguel Cardona pick. Many, of course, progressives for years have been pushing for Democratic presidents to name Linda Darling-Hammond, the California educator, as secretary of education, but she was on the transition group that eventually, apparently, pushed for Cardona. And I believe — I believe Cardona may be — he’s not the first Latino to be named secretary of education. Back when you were in the White House administration, there was Lauro Cavazos, who was President H.W. Bush’s secretary of education. But I believe that Cardona may be the first Puerto Rican, person of Puerto Rican ancestry, ever to serve on a U.S. Cabinet, on a president’s Cabinet. So that is certainly a breakthrough in terms of Latino representation in federal government, but especially in light of the reality that so much of the public school system in the United States is increasingly Latino. Fifty-five percent of all the public school pupils in California today are Hispanic; 53% in Texas, of the entire state; 40% of New York’s public school population; and even North Carolina, 16% of the entire public school population of North Carolina is Latino. So, really, the problem of solving the education obstacles to Latino children in public schools are really at the heart of improving public education. So, in this sense, do you think that there might be a real potential for progress with Cardona running the Education Department?
DIANE RAVITCH: Well, Dr. Cardona took his bachelor’s degree in bilingual and bicultural education, so he certainly knows the problems very well. He has worked on them in his role as the superintendent, then for the period of time that he’s been commissioner in Connecticut. So, you know, he has a lot of pluses in terms of his experience with the Latino and Hispanic population.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And in terms of the whole issue of charter schools, you and I have talked often, and we agree on a lot of the errors in the drastic turn that the country has taken to charter schools. Do you get any sense of where Cardona stands on the issue of federal impetus or underwriting of the development of more charter schools?
DIANE RAVITCH: Well, here’s the thing, is that I think that, in part, Cardona was chosen because he’s noncontroversial. In the end, as I understand it, the choice came down to between Dr. Cardona and Dr. Leslie Fenwick, who is the dean emeritus of Howard University. Dr. Fenwick is an outspoken critic of Teach for America, of charter schools and of, basically, the federal policy of the past 20 years. And I happen to agree — she is a progressive. I publicly supported her on my blog, because I think she would have upended federal policy. And I don’t think the Biden administration wanted to upset the so-called reformers by choosing someone who was so unspoken. Dr. Cardona, on the other hand, has been very low-profile. It’s hard to know if he’s for or against charters.
He has said, in Connecticut, that he wants the testing to go forward this spring. And I think progressives understand that the testing has gotten completely out of control and that the mandated — the annual mandated federal testing is a leftover from the George W. Bush No Child Left Behind era. So, for 20 years, we have been following the No Child Left Behind Texas miracle, which was a hoax. There was no Texas miracle. And yet the federal government, year after year, continues to require every child, from third grade to eighth grade, to take the same standardized test, or their own — in most cases, their state test or a test designed by Pearson or some other big manufacturer. Dr. Cardona thinks — from what I’ve seen of his tweets and public comments, he thinks that testing has been too much, which is certainly right, but he has said nothing about suspending it for this spring. Even Betsy DeVos suspended it last year, but she said she wouldn’t suspend it if she were in office this year, which, thank goodness, she’s not.
And I think that, on day one, the Biden administration should announce that there will be no mandated testing this spring, because the inequality of access to education over this past several months has been dramatic. And I can save the country hundreds of millions of dollars by telling you what the results will be. I already know what the results will be: The rich kids will have high scores, and the poor kids will have low scores. And the kids who have the least access through technology or in-person learning will have the lowest scores. So, there, I just saved hundreds of millions of dollars. We really don’t need to do these tests.
AMY GOODMAN: So, Diane Ravitch, for people who don’t know who you are, a former assistant secretary of education under President George H.W. Bush, you then took a very different turn after the data started coming in on charter schools, and fiercely opposed them. You wrote on your blog that Connecticut, where Dr. Cardona is from, experienced some of its worst charter scandals in the nation. I was wondering if you could tell us that history. And then let’s pivot to Betsy DeVos — right? — sister of Erik Prince, his company’s four people, mercenaries, just pardoned by President Trump for the murder of Iraqis at the Nisoor Square massacre, but Betsy DeVos, the education secretary, talking about people having to join “the resistance” against Biden when he comes in, inside the Education Department. But start with Connecticut and what happened there.
DIANE RAVITCH: OK. Back in about 2014, Connecticut had a massive scandal. The governor at that time, whose name I can’t recall, was a huge — although he was a Democrat, he was very supportive of charters, and he encouraged charters to open. Connecticut doesn’t have a lot of charters. I think they have 21, which is a small number compared to a state, for example, like California, which has over a thousand, or even New York state, which has hundreds of charters. But Connecticut had a huge scandal. There was something called the FUSE — F-U-S-E — charters and the Jumoke charters. They were interconnected. And it turned out that they were being run by someone who was a convicted felon, and his record was never reviewed by the state. There were also charges of nepotism. And basically, a chunk of that charter chain closed down, but it’s still there, and it had to clean up its act.
But having experienced that scandal, Connecticut should have looked very closely at the whole charter idea. Instead, they’ve contained it. Connecticut happens to be home to one of the earliest of the no-excuses charter chains. “No excuses” means that kids are disciplined in a very harsh manner. They look to me not like innovation, but rather like a school from a hundred years ago, where school was almost like, in many respects, a penal institution. Kids are not allowed to talk to each other in the hallways. They’re disciplined for the smallest things. And that chain is called Achievement First. It’s since spread into Rhode Island. And three of the Achievement First charter schools right now are on probation. They were put there last spring because of their — they have high test scores because they kick out the kids who don’t get high test scores, but they have very harsh discipline. And the state said that they really had to act more like public schools.
So, he was the commissioner at that time the state Board of Education took a strong stand against the Achievement First disciplinary practices. And so I’m hoping that he will — as he comes into the position of secretary of education, will expect more of charter schools. To me, the big issue with charter schools is this: There’s very little the federal government can do about them. I mean, Arne Duncan, who was Obama’s secretary of education, required states to open more and more charter schools, if they wanted access to a huge pot of federal money, $5 billion in the Race to the Top Fund. And what the secretary does now is to hand out $440 million every year to open new charter schools. Most of that money, under Betsy DeVos, has gone to corporate chains, and it’s gone to states that didn’t want the money and don’t want new charter schools. And then they open anyway because the money is there. So, I think that the first priority for the — in terms of charters, is to defund that $440 million slush fund, which DeVos used for her own private passion, which is undermining public schools and advancing privatization.
As for Betsy DeVos’s statement to the career staff at the Department of Education, I can tell you, having worked there, that the career staff is committed to the mission of providing support for public education, that with the exception of the people that she brought with her, who I hope will all be gone with her, the career staff does not share her goals and will not be resisting. I expect, if anything, that they will identify Trumpers who have been embedded into what appear to be career jobs but in fact are political people. And they know the difference, and they’ll share that with the incoming Biden team. They do not share her mission of undermining public education.
AMY GOODMAN: Diane Ravitch, we want to thank you for being with us, education historian, author, former assistant secretary of education under President George H.W. Bush.
When we come back, the appointment to the Senate seat in California, the first Latinx U.S. senator from California. Stay with us.


truthout--2020-12-23--Bill Barr Accused of Arresting Impeachment Witnesses to Shield Trump

Lev Parnas , a former business associate of Rudy Giuliani , made explosive allegations against outgoing Attorney General Bill Barr in a federal court filing on Tuesday .
Parnas , who is under indictment for campaign finance violations and fraud charges , has accused Barr of timing his arrest last fall in order to prevent him from testifying at House impeachment hearings last fall .
The motion was filed in the Southern District of New York by attorneys for Parnas , a Ukrainian-born businessman who in 2018 and 2019 ran political errands in Ukraine on behalf of Giuliani and Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ October was part of an intervention by Barr “ to protect the President and thwart [ Parnas ’ ] potential testimony in the impeachment inquiry.
” Parnas filed his complaint as reports broke that federal prosecutors in New York have discussed with Justice Department officials in Washington seeking a warrant for Giuliani ’ s electronic communications , and , according to a person familiar with the case , at least one of the former New York mayor ’ s cell phones .
Approval from higher-ups at Justice is required before prosecutors may request @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may be protected by attorney-client privilege .
It is unclear whether such approval has been granted in this case .
According to multiple reports and individuals familiar with the case , Giuliani ’ s business dealings abroad have been part of a federal probe led by the FBI and the Southern District of New York — the very office Giuliani once led as U.S. attorney .
Those investigations grew out of the arrest last October of Parnas and business partner Igor Fruman , who were detained at Dulles International Airport outside Washington as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The two men were arrested just hours after meeting with Giuliani at the Trump International Hotel in Washington .
According to the court filing , Giuliani was originally supposed to join Parnas and Fruman on their trip to Ukraine , but canceled earlier that day .
Two other Giuliani associates also slated to make the trip had canceled a few days earlier , according to the document .
Prosecutors charged Parnas and Fruman , along with two other associates , with conspiring to make campaign donations on someone else ’ s behalf @ @ @ @ @ @ @ donations from foreign sources .
A superseding indictment this September added fraud charges in connection with their company , Fraud Guarantee , which contracted with Giuliani to do promotional work .
Giuliani has not been charged in connection with any aspect of the case .
Parnas and Fruman have both pleaded not guilty .
In the new filing , Parnas lays out a series of events that he believes Barr helped engineer to secure his silence .
In late September , Parnas received a letter from House investigators asking him to preserve documents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Parnas told Giuliani about this , he was directed to attorney John Dowd , who had previously represented President Trump in connection with Robert Mueller ’ s investigation of Paul Manafort , the former Trump campaign chair now serving time in prison .
After securing the president ’ s personal approval , Dowd took Parnas as a client .
On Oct. 8 , a Tuesday , Dowd sent an email to a number of attorneys affiliated with Trump ’ s defense team , calling the president “ Boss ” and promising that Dowd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Parnas and Fruman would answer questions before Congress .
Dowd then sent a letter to House investigators informing them that Parnas and Fruman would not appear for their scheduled deposition on Thursday , Oct. 10 .
The next day , Parnas and Fruman were arrested .
Two of the attorneys copied on Dowd ’ s email were the same people who had been scheduled to fly with them to Europe .
That night , Barr , who had been informed about the indictment in advance , met Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ general visited the Southern District offices the following morning on what aides described as a “ routine ” visit .
At the time of the arrest , however , the federal investigation into Parnas was not over , and did not in fact conclude for 11 more months , until a grand jury returned the fraud charges .
It is not entirely clear why an immediate arrest was deemed necessary , although Parnas was described as a flight risk — on a trip the president ’ s personal attorney was supposed to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Giuliani parted ways with his own attorney , Jon Sale , a prominent Miami lawyer Giuliani said he had retained for impeachment defense .
Giuliani previously told Salon that Sale had been the person who first connected him with Parnas in 2018 .
He and Sale also shared a significant client : Venezuelan financier Alejandro Betancourt , who was under investigation in a multibillion-dollar money laundering probe and also knew Parnas .
Within a few weeks of these events , Parnas fired Dowd , after what he later described in a TV @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I called Dowd to come there .
And I started seeing in the process of the bail stuff , the way things were going on … I didn ’ t feel they were trying to get me out , ” Parnas told MSNBC ’ s Rachel Maddow in January .
“ John Dowd , instead of comforting me and trying to calm me down and telling me I ’ m going to be OK , he started talking to me like a drill sergeant.
” “ Were they telling you to sacrifice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maddow asked .
“ That ’ s the way I felt , ” Parnas replied .
He dismissed Dowd along with Kevin Downing , another former Manafort attorney .
In subsequent months , Parnas apparently turned over evidence to House impeachment investigators , but was never called to testify , likely because of his tarnished reputation following the arrest .
Parnas ’ motion seeks to convince the court to turn over numerous documents about the circumstances surrounding his investigation and arrest , as well as the investigation ( or lack thereof ) of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
To make his case , Parnas must show that Barr improperly intervened in the indictment .
His filing cites numerous instances of the attorney general improperly inserting himself on Trump ’ s behalf in other legal matters , such as the cases of former national security adviser Michael Flynn , longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone and Trump sexual-assault accuser E. Jean Carroll .
Parnas must also show that he and his associates were singled out for these campaign finance violations where others involved , such as the people who actually made the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filing quotes a voicemail Giuliani left with Parnas ’ attorney , the second half of which was apparently captured accidentally after Giuliani forgot to hang up .
In the message , Giuliani asks whether it ’ s possible to speak with or about Parnas , and leaves his number .
After a pause , according to the transcript , Giuliani can be heard telling his attorney , who apparently was also present , “ That ’ s the soon-to-be-gotten-rid-of number.
” The two carry on a short conversation , then the voicemail ends @

Lev Parnas, a former business associate of Rudy Giuliani, made explosive allegations against outgoing Attorney General Bill Barr in a federal court filing on Tuesday. Parnas, who is under indictment for campaign finance violations and fraud charges, has accused Barr of timing his arrest last fall in order to prevent him from testifying at House impeachment hearings last fall.
The motion was filed in the Southern District of New York by attorneys for Parnas, a Ukrainian-born businessman who in 2018 and 2019 ran political errands in Ukraine on behalf of Giuliani and Trump. Parnas argues that his indictment last October was part of an intervention by Barr “to protect the President and thwart [Parnas’] potential testimony in the impeachment inquiry.”
Parnas filed his complaint as reports broke that federal prosecutors in New York have discussed with Justice Department officials in Washington seeking a warrant for Giuliani’s electronic communications, and, according to a person familiar with the case, at least one of the former New York mayor’s cell phones. Approval from higher-ups at Justice is required before prosecutors may request a search warrant for any materials that may be protected by attorney-client privilege. It is unclear whether such approval has been granted in this case.
According to multiple reports and individuals familiar with the case, Giuliani’s business dealings abroad have been part of a federal probe led by the FBI and the Southern District of New York — the very office Giuliani once led as U.S. attorney. Those investigations grew out of the arrest last October of Parnas and business partner Igor Fruman, who were detained at Dulles International Airport outside Washington as they waited to board an overseas flight. The two men were arrested just hours after meeting with Giuliani at the Trump International Hotel in Washington. According to the court filing, Giuliani was originally supposed to join Parnas and Fruman on their trip to Ukraine, but canceled earlier that day. Two other Giuliani associates also slated to make the trip had canceled a few days earlier, according to the document.
Prosecutors charged Parnas and Fruman, along with two other associates, with conspiring to make campaign donations on someone else’s behalf and violating the federal prohibition on soliciting donations from foreign sources. A superseding indictment this September added fraud charges in connection with their company, Fraud Guarantee, which contracted with Giuliani to do promotional work. Giuliani has not been charged in connection with any aspect of the case. Parnas and Fruman have both pleaded not guilty.
In the new filing, Parnas lays out a series of events that he believes Barr helped engineer to secure his silence.
In late September, Parnas received a letter from House investigators asking him to preserve documents and prepare for a deposition. When Parnas told Giuliani about this, he was directed to attorney John Dowd, who had previously represented President Trump in connection with Robert Mueller’s investigation of Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chair now serving time in prison. After securing the president’s personal approval, Dowd took Parnas as a client.
On Oct. 8, a Tuesday, Dowd sent an email to a number of attorneys affiliated with Trump’s defense team, calling the president “Boss” and promising that Dowd would “eliminate any doubt” that Parnas and Fruman would answer questions before Congress. Dowd then sent a letter to House investigators informing them that Parnas and Fruman would not appear for their scheduled deposition on Thursday, Oct. 10.
The next day, Parnas and Fruman were arrested. Two of the attorneys copied on Dowd’s email were the same people who had been scheduled to fly with them to Europe. That night, Barr, who had been informed about the indictment in advance, met Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch for dinner in New York. The attorney general visited the Southern District offices the following morning on what aides described as a “routine” visit.
At the time of the arrest, however, the federal investigation into Parnas was not over, and did not in fact conclude for 11 more months, until a grand jury returned the fraud charges. It is not entirely clear why an immediate arrest was deemed necessary, although Parnas was described as a flight risk — on a trip the president’s personal attorney was supposed to make with him.
Days after the arrest, Giuliani parted ways with his own attorney, Jon Sale, a prominent Miami lawyer Giuliani said he had retained for impeachment defense. Giuliani previously told Salon that Sale had been the person who first connected him with Parnas in 2018. He and Sale also shared a significant client: Venezuelan financier Alejandro Betancourt, who was under investigation in a multibillion-dollar money laundering probe and also knew Parnas.
Within a few weeks of these events, Parnas fired Dowd, after what he later described in a TV interview as a jailhouse loyalty shakedown.
“I called Dowd to come there. And I started seeing in the process of the bail stuff, the way things were going on … I didn’t feel they were trying to get me out,” Parnas told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow in January. “John Dowd, instead of comforting me and trying to calm me down and telling me I’m going to be OK, he started talking to me like a drill sergeant.”
“Were they telling you to sacrifice yourself to protect the president?” Maddow asked.
“That’s the way I felt,” Parnas replied. He dismissed Dowd along with Kevin Downing, another former Manafort attorney. In subsequent months, Parnas apparently turned over evidence to House impeachment investigators, but was never called to testify, likely because of his tarnished reputation following the arrest.
Parnas’ motion seeks to convince the court to turn over numerous documents about the circumstances surrounding his investigation and arrest, as well as the investigation (or lack thereof) of other people associated with the Ukraine affair.
To make his case, Parnas must show that Barr improperly intervened in the indictment. His filing cites numerous instances of the attorney general improperly inserting himself on Trump’s behalf in other legal matters, such as the cases of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone and Trump sexual-assault accuser E. Jean Carroll. Parnas must also show that he and his associates were singled out for these campaign finance violations where others involved, such as the people who actually made the donations, were not.
The court filing quotes a voicemail Giuliani left with Parnas’ attorney, the second half of which was apparently captured accidentally after Giuliani forgot to hang up. In the message, Giuliani asks whether it’s possible to speak with or about Parnas, and leaves his number. After a pause, according to the transcript, Giuliani can be heard telling his attorney, who apparently was also present, “That’s the soon-to-be-gotten-rid-of number.” The two carry on a short conversation, then the voicemail ends.
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truthout--2020-12-23--Trump Pardons Blackwater Guards Jailed for War Crimes Against Iraqi Civilians

President Donald Trump late Tuesday unveiled a slate of pardons and commutations that includes four Blackwater military contractors jailed for massacring more than a dozen Iraqi civilians — including two children — in Baghdad in 2007 .
Absent from Trump ’ s wave of 15 pardons was Julian Assange , the WikiLeaks founder who helped bring to light war crimes committed by the U.S. in Iraq and elsewhere .
Observers decried as “ grotesque ” Trump ’ s full pardon of Blackwater guards Paul Slough , Evan Liberty , Dustin Heard , and Nicholas Slatten and failure to pardon Assange @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a notorious British jail ahead of an expected extradition ruling on January 4 .
If extradited to the U.S. , Assange could spend the rest of his life in prison for the “ crime ” of obtaining and publishing classified documents — an act of journalism .
In a statement accompanying the new pardons and commutations — a list that also included former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos and former Rep. Duncan Hunter ( R-Calif. ) — the White House described the former Blackwater mercenaries as veterans with “ a long history of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could still pardon Assange before leaving office next month , and he is being urged to do so by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden , the U.N. ’ s top anti-torture official , and many others .
“ While U.S. Army contractors convicted of massacring civilians in Iraq are pardoned , the man who exposed such crimes against humanity , Julian Assange , rots in Britain ’ s Guantanamo , ” tweeted Yanis Varoufakis , a Greek economist and parliamentarian .
Journalist Glenn Greenwald also weighed in on Twitter : As The Guardian reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Slatten “ were part of an armored convoy that opened fire indiscriminately with machine-guns , grenade launcher , and a sniper on a crowd of unarmed people in a square in the Iraqi capital.
” “ The Nisour Square massacre was one of the lowest episodes of the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq , ” The Guardian noted .
“ Slough , Liberty , and Heard were convicted on multiple charges of voluntary and attempted manslaughter in 2014 , while Slatten , who was the first to start shooting , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was sentenced to life and the others to 30 years in prison each.
” Medea Benjamin , co-founder of anti-war group CodePink , tweeted Tuesday that “ Trump could have pardoned whistleblowers Julian Assange , Chelsea Manning , and Edward Snowden.
” “ Instead he chose to pardon four Blackwater mercenaries who murdered 17 Iraqi civilians , including two boys [ aged ] eight and 11 , in an unprovoked attack on a crowd of unarmed people , ” Benjamin wrote .
“ Disgusting.
” In a statement Wednesday morning , CodePink said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long tradition of Americans evading accountability for their crimes in Iraq , from policymakers in the Bush administration who gave the orders to invade that country on the basis of lies to politicians like then-Senator Joe Biden who supported this decision to U.S. soldiers , bombers , and private mercenaries who committed reprehensible acts against the Iraqi people and paved the way for the creation of ISIS.
” “ This pardon gives the world just one more example of the disregard that the U.S. government has towards the lives of the Iraq people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the group added .
This story has been updated to include a statement from CodePink .

The White House described the former Blackwater mercenaries as veterans with “a long history of service to the nation.”
President Donald Trump late Tuesday unveiled a slate of pardons and commutations that includes four Blackwater military contractors jailed for massacring more than a dozen Iraqi civilians — including two children — in Baghdad in 2007.
Absent from Trump’s wave of 15 pardons was Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder who helped bring to light war crimes committed by the U.S. in Iraq and elsewhere.
Observers decried as “grotesque” Trump’s full pardon of Blackwater guards Paul Slough, Evan Liberty, Dustin Heard, and Nicholas Slatten and failure to pardon Assange as the publisher struggles to survive in a notorious British jail ahead of an expected extradition ruling on January 4. If extradited to the U.S., Assange could spend the rest of his life in prison for the “crime” of obtaining and publishing classified documents — an act of journalism.
In a statement accompanying the new pardons and commutations — a list that also included former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos and former Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) — the White House described the former Blackwater mercenaries as veterans with “a long history of service to the nation.”
The president could still pardon Assange before leaving office next month, and he is being urged to do so by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, the U.N.’s top anti-torture official, and many others.
“While U.S. Army contractors convicted of massacring civilians in Iraq are pardoned, the man who exposed such crimes against humanity, Julian Assange, rots in Britain’s Guantanamo,” tweeted Yanis Varoufakis, a Greek economist and parliamentarian.
Journalist Glenn Greenwald also weighed in on Twitter:
This is a grotesque pardon: Blackwater contractors who indiscriminately shot into an Iraqi crowd, killing 14 (2 kids):https://t.co/L3qa52NuKc. Meanwhile, 2 people who exposed war crimes rather than committied them – Snowden & Assange – wait to see if Trump can find the courage https://t.co/7GBBRu5Ooy — Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) December 23, 2020
As The Guardian reported Tuesday, Slough, Liberty, Heard, and Slatten “were part of an armored convoy that opened fire indiscriminately with machine-guns, grenade launcher, and a sniper on a crowd of unarmed people in a square in the Iraqi capital.”
“The Nisour Square massacre was one of the lowest episodes of the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq,” The Guardian noted. “Slough, Liberty, and Heard were convicted on multiple charges of voluntary and attempted manslaughter in 2014, while Slatten, who was the first to start shooting, was convicted of first-degree murder. Slattern was sentenced to life and the others to 30 years in prison each.”
This is what the four Blackwater mercenaries Trump just pardoned did in Iraq. A cold blooded massacre of men, women and children. https://t.co/QSBMoB8MQV — jeremy scahill (@jeremyscahill) December 23, 2020
Medea Benjamin, co-founder of anti-war group CodePink, tweeted Tuesday that “Trump could have pardoned whistleblowers Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning, and Edward Snowden.”
“Instead he chose to pardon four Blackwater mercenaries who murdered 17 Iraqi civilians, including two boys [aged] eight and 11, in an unprovoked attack on a crowd of unarmed people,” Benjamin wrote. “Disgusting.”
In a statement Wednesday morning, CodePink said Trump’s pardons continue “a long tradition of Americans evading accountability for their crimes in Iraq, from policymakers in the Bush administration who gave the orders to invade that country on the basis of lies to politicians like then-Senator Joe Biden who supported this decision to U.S. soldiers, bombers, and private mercenaries who committed reprehensible acts against the Iraqi people and paved the way for the creation of ISIS.”
“This pardon gives the world just one more example of the disregard that the U.S. government has towards the lives of the Iraq people, whose country we destroyed,” the group added.
This story has been updated to include a statement from CodePink.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
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truthout--2020-12-23--Some Republican Senators Are Clinging to Election Denial, Fearful of Losing Base

With less than a month to go until Joe Biden is slated to be inaugurated the country ’ s 46th president , Trump and his coterie of post-election advisers appear to be working overtime to find ways to prevent a peaceful transfer of power .
These are people outside the official government — from Steve Bannon and Rudy Giuliani to Sidney Powell and Michael Flynn — who are scheming in ever-more dangerous ways to use executive powers to bypass the actual election results and constitutional processes in order to keep their mafia-like regime alive .
Many of them have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ convicted , of a myriad of crimes .
Flynn has already received Trump ’ s presidential pardon ; and Bannon ( already indicted ) and Giuliani ( likely to be indicted ) would also clearly benefit from such largesse .
But , it ’ s not only this rogue ’ s gallery that is going all-in with Trump ’ s fascistic efforts to set aside an election that he lost by 7 million votes .
Despite the fact that Mitch McConnell and other senior GOP senators have , at long last , acknowledged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did in delaying their acceptance of the election result until the Electoral College met on December 14 is immense .
It has , in short , made space for lower-ranking GOP senators , House members , and state-level GOP politicians to opportunistically throw their lot in with the seditionists who are so actively trying to undermine the American democratic system of governance .
Part of this is simply theatrics : conservative politicians , in hock to a Trump-infatuated base , doing obeisance simply to protect their right flanks .
For some politicians , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for ways to reverse the election result and preserve Trumpian power .
And part of it , I suspect , is about staking out their own far-right positions in a post-Trump GOP as a new generation vies for the allegiance of the conspiracists and the white supremacists who now make up such a large part of the Republican Party ’ s grassroots .
Whatever the exact potpourri of motivations , the result is the same : A large part of the GOP , including a significant number of senators , is sticking with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fascist , coup-plotting — and thus treasonous — route .
In fact , when Forbes polled GOP members of Congress after the Electoral College vote , the vast majority still wouldn ’ t publicly accept Biden ’ s win .
The fact that senators are bucking Mitch McConnell on this issue is , given McConnell ’ s iron hold on his caucus these past many years , particularly extraordinary .
One of the U.S. senators still refusing to accept the election result , and still plotting ways to use the provisions of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a single senator to demand a full debate and vote on individual states ’ electors — to disrupt Congress ’ s January 6 certification of the Electoral College vote , is newly elected Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville .
He shares with Trump a performative , demagogic ability to rile up the mob , and has been telling GOP crowds that he won ’ t accept the election results — which he says are the result of Democratic operatives ’ lying , cheating and stealing — and will likely challenge them in Congress on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic Sen. Doug Jones in November , is a rising star in the MAGA constellation .
Setting off a food fight in the Senate a mere three days after he is seated would be as powerful a message as he could craft that he ’ s a natural heir to Trump ’ s extremist , irrationalist mantle .
Georgia ’ s two senators , Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue , both of whom are in tight election runoffs , have also repeatedly refused to say whether they accept Biden ’ s victory .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ rule out the possibility of joining Tuberville and others in challenging state results , including her home state ’ s , in Congress .
Both the senators are in dead-heat races , according to polling , and both fear breaking with a Trumpian base that has , in recent weeks , begun calling for a boycott of the run-off elections in protest of what they say are Georgia ’ s fraudulent presidential election results .
Loeffler and Perdue have both joined Trump in the past month in attacking Georgia ’ s secretary of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going so far as to demand the secretary of state resign for not managing to ensure a Trump victory .
McConnell ’ s junior colleague from Kentucky , Rand Paul , has continued to claim , without producing evidence , that the election was “ stolen , ” and has intimated that he , too , may force a Senate vote on whether or not to accept the electoral college result .
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson , who has in recent weeks been particularly sycophantic in his pro-Trump activities , going so far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has hinted that he might also push to reject the Electoral College results .
Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ted Cruz of Texas , both of whom clearly have presidential ambitions of their own , have also suggested they are concerned enough about the results that they might consider challenging them in the Senate .
While the Constitution provides for such challenges , it is extremely rare for senators to actually force a debate and vote on the Electoral College results .
In 2000 , when George W. Bush won the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end to recounts in Florida , not a single senator challenged the results — despite Gore having won the popular vote , and despite all the controversy surrounding the outcome in Florida .
To the contrary , Gore actually urged his party ’ s senators to forego challenging the results , reasoning it would only further fracture an already damaged polity and country .
Four years later , California Sen. Barbara Boxer did raise objections to the result in Ohio — which was dogged by allegations of voting irregularities — following Bush ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential candidate John Kerry didn ’ t back her challenges , no colleagues supported Boxer in her actions , and her efforts died a quick death .
In fact , since 1887 , when the Electoral Count Act was passed , there have been no truly contested elections where the result was seriously cast into doubt by congressional intervention and by meaningful Senate opposition to certifying the Electoral College tally .
And there have certainly been no losing presidential candidates prior to Trump who have themselves spearheaded efforts to build a congressional coalition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s willingness to go down this road in order to , in practice , destroy the democracy to maintain his hold on power arguably represents the most dangerous moment of political schism in the U.S. since the civil war .
At such a moment , every person in a position of power owes it to the American people — not to mention the oath of office they took , swearing to uphold the constitutional order — to mightily push back against the plotters and the saboteurs operating out of the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leading up to the inauguration , Tuberville and his co-conspirators have leapt into bed with the would-be-tyrant .
What a chilling warning about the fragility of the American democratic experiment .

With less than a month to go until Joe Biden is slated to be inaugurated the country’s 46th president, Trump and his coterie of post-election advisers appear to be working overtime to find ways to prevent a peaceful transfer of power. These are people outside the official government — from Steve Bannon and Rudy Giuliani to Sidney Powell and Michael Flynn — who are scheming in ever-more dangerous ways to use executive powers to bypass the actual election results and constitutional processes in order to keep their mafia-like regime alive. Many of them have been indicted, and in some cases, convicted, of a myriad of crimes. Flynn has already received Trump’s presidential pardon; and Bannon (already indicted) and Giuliani (likely to be indicted) would also clearly benefit from such largesse.
But, it’s not only this rogue’s gallery that is going all-in with Trump’s fascistic efforts to set aside an election that he lost by 7 million votes. Despite the fact that Mitch McConnell and other senior GOP senators have, at long last, acknowledged Biden as president-elect, the damage they did in delaying their acceptance of the election result until the Electoral College met on December 14 is immense. It has, in short, made space for lower-ranking GOP senators, House members, and state-level GOP politicians to opportunistically throw their lot in with the seditionists who are so actively trying to undermine the American democratic system of governance.
Part of this is simply theatrics: conservative politicians, in hock to a Trump-infatuated base, doing obeisance simply to protect their right flanks. For some politicians, part of it is about genuinely looking for ways to reverse the election result and preserve Trumpian power. And part of it, I suspect, is about staking out their own far-right positions in a post-Trump GOP as a new generation vies for the allegiance of the conspiracists and the white supremacists who now make up such a large part of the Republican Party’s grassroots.
Whatever the exact potpourri of motivations, the result is the same: A large part of the GOP, including a significant number of senators, is sticking with Trump as he goes down an overtly fascist, coup-plotting — and thus treasonous — route. In fact, when Forbes polled GOP members of Congress after the Electoral College vote, the vast majority still wouldn’t publicly accept Biden’s win.
The fact that senators are bucking Mitch McConnell on this issue is, given McConnell’s iron hold on his caucus these past many years, particularly extraordinary.
One of the U.S. senators still refusing to accept the election result, and still plotting ways to use the provisions of the 1887 Electoral Count Act — which allows a single senator to demand a full debate and vote on individual states’ electors — to disrupt Congress’s January 6 certification of the Electoral College vote, is newly elected Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville. He shares with Trump a performative, demagogic ability to rile up the mob, and has been telling GOP crowds that he won’t accept the election results — which he says are the result of Democratic operatives’ lying, cheating and stealing — and will likely challenge them in Congress on January 6.
Tuberville, who defeated Democratic Sen. Doug Jones in November, is a rising star in the MAGA constellation. Setting off a food fight in the Senate a mere three days after he is seated would be as powerful a message as he could craft that he’s a natural heir to Trump’s extremist, irrationalist mantle.
Georgia’s two senators, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, both of whom are in tight election runoffs, have also repeatedly refused to say whether they accept Biden’s victory. And Loeffler has repeatedly refused to explicitly rule out the possibility of joining Tuberville and others in challenging state results, including her home state’s, in Congress.
Both the senators are in dead-heat races, according to polling, and both fear breaking with a Trumpian base that has, in recent weeks, begun calling for a boycott of the run-off elections in protest of what they say are Georgia’s fraudulent presidential election results. Loeffler and Perdue have both joined Trump in the past month in attacking Georgia’s secretary of state and governor — both Republicans — going so far as to demand the secretary of state resign for not managing to ensure a Trump victory.
McConnell’s junior colleague from Kentucky, Rand Paul, has continued to claim, without producing evidence, that the election was “stolen,” and has intimated that he, too, may force a Senate vote on whether or not to accept the electoral college result.
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, who has in recent weeks been particularly sycophantic in his pro-Trump activities, going so far as to convene hearings on election fraud, has hinted that he might also push to reject the Electoral College results.
Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ted Cruz of Texas, both of whom clearly have presidential ambitions of their own, have also suggested they are concerned enough about the results that they might consider challenging them in the Senate.
While the Constitution provides for such challenges, it is extremely rare for senators to actually force a debate and vote on the Electoral College results. In 2000, when George W. Bush won the presidency after the Supreme Court ordered an end to recounts in Florida, not a single senator challenged the results — despite Gore having won the popular vote, and despite all the controversy surrounding the outcome in Florida. To the contrary, Gore actually urged his party’s senators to forego challenging the results, reasoning it would only further fracture an already damaged polity and country.
Four years later, California Sen. Barbara Boxer did raise objections to the result in Ohio — which was dogged by allegations of voting irregularities — following Bush’s re-election in 2004; but defeated presidential candidate John Kerry didn’t back her challenges, no colleagues supported Boxer in her actions, and her efforts died a quick death.
In fact, since 1887, when the Electoral Count Act was passed, there have been no truly contested elections where the result was seriously cast into doubt by congressional intervention and by meaningful Senate opposition to certifying the Electoral College tally. And there have certainly been no losing presidential candidates prior to Trump who have themselves spearheaded efforts to build a congressional coalition to overturn an election result.
Trump’s willingness to go down this road in order to, in practice, destroy the democracy to maintain his hold on power arguably represents the most dangerous moment of political schism in the U.S. since the civil war. At such a moment, every person in a position of power owes it to the American people — not to mention the oath of office they took, swearing to uphold the constitutional order — to mightily push back against the plotters and the saboteurs operating out of the White House. Instead, in the final weeks leading up to the inauguration, Tuberville and his co-conspirators have leapt into bed with the would-be-tyrant. What a chilling warning about the fragility of the American democratic experiment.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.