thenation--2020-08-13--Would Trump Go to War With Iran to Get Reelected?

Was Donald Trump ’ s January 3 drone assassination of Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani the first step in turning the simmering cold war between the United States and Iran into a hot war in the weeks before an American presidential election ?
Of course , there ’ s no way to know , but behind by double digits in most national polls and flanked by ultra-hawkish Secretary of State Mike Pompeo , Trump is a notoriously impetuous and erratic figure .
In recent weeks , for instance , he didn ’ t hesitate to dispatch federal paramilitary forces to American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration also seems to have launched a series of covert actions against Tehran that look increasingly overt and have Iran watchers concerned about whether an October surprise could be in the cards .
Much of that concern arises from the fact that , across Iran , things have been blowing up or catching fire in ways that have seemed both mysterious and threatening .
Early last month , for instance , a suspicious explosion at an Iranian nuclear research facility at Natanz , which is also the site of its centrifuge production , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ site was severely damaged by a bomb smuggled into the building or some kind of airstrike remains unknown .
“ A Middle Eastern intelligence official said Israel planted a bomb in a building where advanced centrifuges were being developed , ” reported The New York Times .
Similar fiery events have been plaguing the country for weeks .
On June 26 , for instance , there was “ a huge explosion in the area of a major Iranian military and weapons development base east of Tehran.
” On July 15 , seven ships @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Other mysterious fires and explosions have hit industrial facilities , a power plant , a missile production factory , a medical complex , a petrochemical plant , and other sites as well .
“ Some officials say that a joint American-Israeli strategy is evolving—some might argue regressing—to a series of short-of-war clandestine strikes , ” concluded another report in the Times .
Some of this sabotage has been conducted against the backdrop of a two-year-old “ very aggressive ” CIA action plan to engage in offensive cyber attacks against that country .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it : “ The Central Intelligence Agency has conducted a series of covert cyber operations against Iran and other targets since winning a secret victory in 2018 when President Trump signed what amounts to a sweeping authorization for such activities , according to former US officials with direct knowledge of the matter… The finding has made it easier for the CIA to damage adversaries ’ critical infrastructure , such as petrochemical plants.
” Meanwhile , on July 23 , two US fighter jets buzzed an Iranian civilian airliner in Syrian airspace , causing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suddenly , injuring a number of the plane ’ s passengers .
For many in Iran , the drone assassination of Soleimani—and the campaign of sabotage that followed—has amounted to a virtual declaration of war .
The equivalent to the Iranian major general ’ s presidentially ordered murder , according to some analysts , would have been Iran assassinating Secretary of State Pompeo or Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley , although such analogies actually understate Soleimani ’ s stature in the Iranian firmament .
In its aftermath , Iran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response being a limited , telegraphed strike at a pair of American military bases in Iraq .
If Soleimani ’ s murder was intended to draw Iran into a tit-for-tat military escalation in an election year , it failed .
So perhaps the United States and Israel designed the drumbeat of attacks against critical Iranian targets this summer as escalating provocations meant to goad Iran into retaliating in ways that might provide an excuse for a far larger US response .
Such a conflict-to-come would be unlikely to involve US ground forces against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ powerful than Iraq .
Instead , it would perhaps involve a sustained campaign of airstrikes against dozens of Iranian air defense installations and other military targets , along with the widespread network of facilities that the United States has identified as being part of that country ’ s nuclear research program .
The “ Art ” of the Deal in 2020 In addition to military pressure and fierce sanctions against the Iranian economy , Washington has been cynically trying to take advantage of the fact that Iran , already in a weakened state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Covid-19 pandemic .
Those American sanctions have , for instance , made it far harder for that country to get the economic support and medical and humanitarian supplies it so desperately needs , given its soaring death count .
According to a report by the European Leadership Network , To no avail did Human Rights Watch call on the United States in April to ease its sanctions in order to facilitate Iran ’ s ability to grapple with the deadly pandemic , which has officially killed nearly 17,000 people since February ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the government ’ s actual death figures is accurate , nearly 42,000 ) .
Iran has every reason to feel aggrieved .
At great political risk , President Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei agreed in 2015 to a deal with the United States and five other world powers over Iran ’ s nuclear research program .
That accord , the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ( JCPOA ) , accomplished exactly what it was supposed to do : It led Iran to make significant concessions , cutting back both on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ program in exchange for an easing of economic sanctions by the United States and other trade partners .
Though the JCPOA worked well , in 2018 President Trump unilaterally withdrew from it , reimposed far tougher sanctions on Iran , began what the administration called a campaign of “ maximum pressure ” against Tehran , and since assassinating Soleimani has apparently launched military actions just short of actual war .
Inside Iran , Trump ’ s confrontational stance has helped tilt politics to the right , undermining Rouhani , a relative moderate , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In elections for parliament in February , ultraconservatives and hardliners swept to a major victory .
But the Iranian leadership can read a calendar , too .
Like voters in the United States , they know that the Trump administration is probably going to be voted out of office in three months .
And they know that , in the event of war , it ’ s more likely than not that many Americans—including , sadly , some hawkish Democrats in Congress , and influential analysts at middle-of-the-road Washington think tanks—will rally to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign of covert warfare against targets in Iran were to intensify dramatically , the Iranian leadership isn ’ t likely to give Trump , Pompeo , and crew the excuse they ’ re looking for .
As evidence that Iran ’ s leadership is paying close attention to the president ’ s electoral difficulties , Khamenei only recently rejected in the most explicit terms possible what most observers believe is yet another cynical ploy by the American president , when he suddenly asked Iran to reengage in direct leader-to-leader talks .
In a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ replied that Iran is well aware Trump is seeking only sham talks to help him in November .
( In June , Trump tweeted Iran : “ Don ’ t wait until after the U.S. Election to make the Big deal !
I ’ m going to win !
” ) Indeed , proving that Washington has no intention of negotiating with Iran in good faith , after wrecking the JCPOA and ratcheting up sanctions , the Trump administration announced an onerous list of 12 conditions that would have to precede the start @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they amounted to a demand for a wholesale , humiliating Iranian surrender .
So much for the art of the deal in 2020 .
October Surprises , Then and Now Meanwhile , the United States isn ’ t getting much support from the rest of the world for its thinly disguised effort to create chaos , a possible uprising , and the conditions to force regime change on Iran before November 3 .
At the United Nations , when Secretary of State Pompeo called on the Security Council to extend an onerous arms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia and China promise to veto any such resolution but America ’ s European allies opposed it , too .
They were particularly offended by Pompeo ’ s threat to impose “ snapback ” economic sanctions on Iran as laid out in the JCPOA if the arms embargo wasn ’ t endorsed by the council .
Not lost on the participants was the fact that , in justifying his demand for such new UN sanctions , the American secretary of state was invoking the very agreement that Washington had unilaterally abandoned .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is no longer a participant and has no right to trigger a snapback at the U.N. , ” was the way China ’ s UN ambassador put it .
That other emerging great power has , in fact , become a major spoiler and Iranian ally against the Trump administration ’ s regime-change strategy , even as its own relations with Washington grow grimmer by the week .
Last month , the The New York Times reported that Iran and China had inked “ a sweeping economic and security partnership that would clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chinese investments in energy and other sectors , undercutting the Trump administration ’ s efforts to isolate the Iranian government.
” The 18-page document reportedly calls for closer military cooperation and a $ 400 billion Chinese investment and trade accord that , among other things , takes direct aim at the Trump-Pompeo effort to cripple Iran ’ s economy and its oil exports .
According to Shireen Hunter , a veteran Middle Eastern analyst at Georgetown University , that accord should be considered a world-changing one , as it potentially gives China “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undermines “ U.S .
strategic supremacy in the [ Persian ] Gulf.
” It is , she noted with some alarm , a direct result of Trump ’ s anti-Iranian obsession and Europe ’ s reluctance to confront Washington ’ s harsh sanctions policy .
On June 20 , in a scathing editorial , The Washington Post agreed , ridiculing the administration ’ s “ maximum pressure ” strategy against Iran .
Not only had the president failed to bring down Iran ’ s government or compelled it to change its behavior in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but now , in a powerful blow to US interests , “ an Iranian partnership with China…could rescue Iran ’ s economy while giving Beijing a powerful new place in the region.
” If , however , the traditional Washington foreign policy establishment believes that Trump ’ s policy toward Iran is backfiring and so working against US hegemony in the Persian Gulf , his administration seems not to care .
As evidence mounts that its approach to Iran isn ’ t having the intended effect , the White House continues apace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its effort to fight Covid-19 , threatening it militarily , appointing an extra-hard-liner as its “ special envoy ” for Iran , and apparently ( along with Israel ) carrying out a covert campaign of terrorism inside the country .
Over the past four decades , “ October surprise ” has evolved into a catch-all phrase meaning any unexpected action by a presidential campaign just before an election designed to give one of the candidates a surprise advantage .
Ironically , its origins lay in Iran .
In 1980 , during the contest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governor Ronald Reagan , rumors surfaced that Carter might stage a raid to rescue scores of American diplomats then held captive in Tehran .
( He didn ’ t . )
According to other reports , the Reagan campaign had made clandestine contact with Tehran aimed at persuading that country not to release its American hostages until after the election .
( Two books , October Surprise by Gary Sick , a senior national security adviser to Carter , and Trick or Treason by investigative journalist Bob Parry delved into the possibility that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Casey , and others had engaged in a conspiracy with Iran to win that election . )
Consider it beyond irony if , this October , the latest election “ surprise ” were to take us back to the very origins of the term in the form of some kind of armed conflict that could only end terribly for everyone involved .
It ’ s a formula for disaster and like so many other things , when it comes to Donald J. Trump , it can ’ t be ruled out .

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To stay on top of important articles like these, sign up to receive the latest updates from TomDispatch.
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Was Donald Trump’s January 3 drone assassination of Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani the first step in turning the simmering cold war between the United States and Iran into a hot war in the weeks before an American presidential election? Of course, there’s no way to know, but behind by double digits in most national polls and flanked by ultra-hawkish Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Trump is a notoriously impetuous and erratic figure. In recent weeks, for instance, he didn’t hesitate to dispatch federal paramilitary forces to American cities run by Democratic mayors and his administration also seems to have launched a series of covert actions against Tehran that look increasingly overt and have Iran watchers concerned about whether an October surprise could be in the cards.
Much of that concern arises from the fact that, across Iran, things have been blowing up or catching fire in ways that have seemed both mysterious and threatening. Early last month, for instance, a suspicious explosion at an Iranian nuclear research facility at Natanz, which is also the site of its centrifuge production, briefly grabbed the headlines. Whether the site was severely damaged by a bomb smuggled into the building or some kind of airstrike remains unknown. “A Middle Eastern intelligence official said Israel planted a bomb in a building where advanced centrifuges were being developed,” reported The New York Times. Similar fiery events have been plaguing the country for weeks. On June 26, for instance, there was “a huge explosion in the area of a major Iranian military and weapons development base east of Tehran.” On July 15, seven ships caught fire at an Iranian shipyard. Other mysterious fires and explosions have hit industrial facilities, a power plant, a missile production factory, a medical complex, a petrochemical plant, and other sites as well.
“Some officials say that a joint American-Israeli strategy is evolving—some might argue regressing—to a series of short-of-war clandestine strikes,” concluded another report in the Times.
Some of this sabotage has been conducted against the backdrop of a two-year-old “very aggressive” CIA action plan to engage in offensive cyber attacks against that country. As a Yahoo! News investigative report put it: “The Central Intelligence Agency has conducted a series of covert cyber operations against Iran and other targets since winning a secret victory in 2018 when President Trump signed what amounts to a sweeping authorization for such activities, according to former US officials with direct knowledge of the matter… The finding has made it easier for the CIA to damage adversaries’ critical infrastructure, such as petrochemical plants.” Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin A Grim Chronicle of Trump’s Corrupt Public Life A Grim Chronicle of Trump’s Corrupt Public Life Chris Lehmann Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin A Grim Chronicle of Trump’s Corrupt Public Life A Grim Chronicle of Trump’s Corrupt Public Life Chris Lehmann
Meanwhile, on July 23, two US fighter jets buzzed an Iranian civilian airliner in Syrian airspace, causing its pilot to swerve and drop altitude suddenly, injuring a number of the plane’s passengers.
For many in Iran, the drone assassination of Soleimani—and the campaign of sabotage that followed—has amounted to a virtual declaration of war. The equivalent to the Iranian major general’s presidentially ordered murder, according to some analysts, would have been Iran assassinating Secretary of State Pompeo or Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, although such analogies actually understate Soleimani’s stature in the Iranian firmament.
In its aftermath, Iran largely held its fire, its only response being a limited, telegraphed strike at a pair of American military bases in Iraq. If Soleimani’s murder was intended to draw Iran into a tit-for-tat military escalation in an election year, it failed. So perhaps the United States and Israel designed the drumbeat of attacks against critical Iranian targets this summer as escalating provocations meant to goad Iran into retaliating in ways that might provide an excuse for a far larger US response. Current Issue View our current issue
Such a conflict-to-come would be unlikely to involve US ground forces against a nation several times larger and more powerful than Iraq. Instead, it would perhaps involve a sustained campaign of airstrikes against dozens of Iranian air defense installations and other military targets, along with the widespread network of facilities that the United States has identified as being part of that country’s nuclear research program.
The “Art” of the Deal in 2020
In addition to military pressure and fierce sanctions against the Iranian economy, Washington has been cynically trying to take advantage of the fact that Iran, already in a weakened state, has been especially hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Those American sanctions have, for instance, made it far harder for that country to get the economic support and medical and humanitarian supplies it so desperately needs, given its soaring death count.
According to a report by the European Leadership Network,
Rather than easing the pressure during the crisis, the United States has applied four more rounds of sanctions since February and contributed to the derailing of Iran’s application for an IMF [International Monetary Fund] loan. The three special financial instruments designed to facilitate the transfer of humanitarian aid to Iran in the face of secondary sanctions on international banking transactions…have proven so far to have been one-shot channels, stymied by US regulatory red tape.
To no avail did Human Rights Watch call on the United States in April to ease its sanctions in order to facilitate Iran’s ability to grapple with the deadly pandemic, which has officially killed nearly 17,000 people since February (or possibly, if a leaked account of the government’s actual death figures is accurate, nearly 42,000).
Iran has every reason to feel aggrieved. At great political risk, President Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei agreed in 2015 to a deal with the United States and five other world powers over Iran’s nuclear research program. That accord, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), accomplished exactly what it was supposed to do: It led Iran to make significant concessions, cutting back both on its nuclear research and its uranium enrichment program in exchange for an easing of economic sanctions by the United States and other trade partners.
Though the JCPOA worked well, in 2018 President Trump unilaterally withdrew from it, reimposed far tougher sanctions on Iran, began what the administration called a campaign of “maximum pressure” against Tehran, and since assassinating Soleimani has apparently launched military actions just short of actual war. Inside Iran, Trump’s confrontational stance has helped tilt politics to the right, undermining Rouhani, a relative moderate, and eviscerating the reformist movement there. In elections for parliament in February, ultraconservatives and hardliners swept to a major victory.
But the Iranian leadership can read a calendar, too. Like voters in the United States, they know that the Trump administration is probably going to be voted out of office in three months. And they know that, in the event of war, it’s more likely than not that many Americans—including, sadly, some hawkish Democrats in Congress, and influential analysts at middle-of-the-road Washington think tanks—will rally to the White House. So unless the campaign of covert warfare against targets in Iran were to intensify dramatically, the Iranian leadership isn’t likely to give Trump, Pompeo, and crew the excuse they’re looking for.
As evidence that Iran’s leadership is paying close attention to the president’s electoral difficulties, Khamenei only recently rejected in the most explicit terms possible what most observers believe is yet another cynical ploy by the American president, when he suddenly asked Iran to reengage in direct leader-to-leader talks. In a July 31 speech, the Iranian leader replied that Iran is well aware Trump is seeking only sham talks to help him in November. (In June, Trump tweeted Iran: “Don’t wait until after the U.S. Election to make the Big deal! I’m going to win!”) Indeed, proving that Washington has no intention of negotiating with Iran in good faith, after wrecking the JCPOA and ratcheting up sanctions, the Trump administration announced an onerous list of 12 conditions that would have to precede the start of such talks. In sum, they amounted to a demand for a wholesale, humiliating Iranian surrender. So much for the art of the deal in 2020.
October Surprises, Then and Now
Meanwhile, the United States isn’t getting much support from the rest of the world for its thinly disguised effort to create chaos, a possible uprising, and the conditions to force regime change on Iran before November 3. At the United Nations, when Secretary of State Pompeo called on the Security Council to extend an onerous arms embargo on Iran, not only did Russia and China promise to veto any such resolution but America’s European allies opposed it, too. They were particularly offended by Pompeo’s threat to impose “snapback” economic sanctions on Iran as laid out in the JCPOA if the arms embargo wasn’t endorsed by the council. Not lost on the participants was the fact that, in justifying his demand for such new UN sanctions, the American secretary of state was invoking the very agreement that Washington had unilaterally abandoned. “Having quit the JCPOA, the U.S. is no longer a participant and has no right to trigger a snapback at the U.N.,” was the way China’s UN ambassador put it.
That other emerging great power has, in fact, become a major spoiler and Iranian ally against the Trump administration’s regime-change strategy, even as its own relations with Washington grow grimmer by the week. Last month, the The New York Times reported that Iran and China had inked “a sweeping economic and security partnership that would clear the way for billions of dollars of Chinese investments in energy and other sectors, undercutting the Trump administration’s efforts to isolate the Iranian government.” The 18-page document reportedly calls for closer military cooperation and a $400 billion Chinese investment and trade accord that, among other things, takes direct aim at the Trump-Pompeo effort to cripple Iran’s economy and its oil exports.
According to Shireen Hunter, a veteran Middle Eastern analyst at Georgetown University, that accord should be considered a world-changing one, as it potentially gives China “a permanent foothold in Iran” and undermines “U.S. strategic supremacy in the [Persian] Gulf.” It is, she noted with some alarm, a direct result of Trump’s anti-Iranian obsession and Europe’s reluctance to confront Washington’s harsh sanctions policy.
On June 20, in a scathing editorial, The Washington Post agreed, ridiculing the administration’s “maximum pressure” strategy against Iran. Not only had the president failed to bring down Iran’s government or compelled it to change its behavior in conflicts in places like Syria and Yemen, but now, in a powerful blow to US interests, “an Iranian partnership with China…could rescue Iran’s economy while giving Beijing a powerful new place in the region.”
If, however, the traditional Washington foreign policy establishment believes that Trump’s policy toward Iran is backfiring and so working against US hegemony in the Persian Gulf, his administration seems not to care. As evidence mounts that its approach to Iran isn’t having the intended effect, the White House continues apace: squeezing that country economically, undermining its effort to fight Covid-19, threatening it militarily, appointing an extra-hard-liner as its “special envoy” for Iran, and apparently (along with Israel) carrying out a covert campaign of terrorism inside the country.
Over the past four decades, “October surprise” has evolved into a catch-all phrase meaning any unexpected action by a presidential campaign just before an election designed to give one of the candidates a surprise advantage. Ironically, its origins lay in Iran. In 1980, during the contest between President Jimmy Carter and former California governor Ronald Reagan, rumors surfaced that Carter might stage a raid to rescue scores of American diplomats then held captive in Tehran. (He didn’t.) According to other reports, the Reagan campaign had made clandestine contact with Tehran aimed at persuading that country not to release its American hostages until after the election. (Two books, October Surprise by Gary Sick, a senior national security adviser to Carter, and Trick or Treason by investigative journalist Bob Parry delved into the possibility that candidate Reagan, former CIA director Bill Casey, and others had engaged in a conspiracy with Iran to win that election.)
Consider it beyond irony if, this October, the latest election “surprise” were to take us back to the very origins of the term in the form of some kind of armed conflict that could only end terribly for everyone involved. It’s a formula for disaster and like so many other things, when it comes to Donald J. Trump, it can’t be ruled out.


We Live Here!

Detroit Eviction Defense and the Battle for Housing Justice ( an excerpt from a forthcoming graphic novel ) .

We Live Here!
We Live Here!
Detroit Eviction Defense and the Battle for Housing Justice (an excerpt from a forthcoming graphic novel).


thenation--2020-08-14--Forget the Nasty Insults. Trump Plans to Sabotage the Election.

The Noise ?
After Biden picked Kamala Harris as his running mate , Trump resorted to one of his favorite insults against female opponents : “ nasty.
” What an extraordinarily worn soundtrack he ’ s falling back on .
In 2016 , when Trump called Hillary Clinton “ nasty , ” he was an outsider , a mold-breaker , a shock-jock-style entertainer , an alt-right punk , and didn ’ t yet have the responsibilities that come with political power .
In 2020 , Trump is president , the man who is , at least ostensibly , in charge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to craft grand coalitions , alliances , and brain trusts to beat back a pandemic and bring economic relief to the tens of millions of families at risk of destitution in the face of Covid-19 .
Trump Ramps Up His Assault on Democracy The US Chamber of Commerce Says Trump Is Bad for Business At a Wednesday afternoon campaign event with Biden , Harris issued a full-throttle call to conscience against the Trump administration .
She used her prosecutorial skills to construct what sounded almost like the introduction to a legal case against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and cruel administration .
It was succinct and powerful—and , I suspect , an opening shot in a campaign that will use Harris to brutal effect to concisely and clearly detail Trump ’ s failings .
It strikes me that calling Harris “ nasty ” will neither get under her skin nor scare off potential Biden-Harris voters .
Which brings me to the Signal : Trump isn ’ t just going to lob juvenile insults and then retreat .
The insults may get the attention , but the actions behind the scenes will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s going to resort to every dirty trick under the sun in the next 11 weeks to retain his hold on power .
Hence his campaign ’ s ludicrous efforts to help Kanye West get on the ballot in swing states , in the hope that he will siphon votes away from Biden .
Jared Kushner has met with the rap star , and the two reportedly talk frequently to discuss strategy .
Hence the ratcheting up of Trump ’ s rhetoric against voting by mail .
He has recently threatened to withhold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easier to vote by mail , and on Thursday he openly admitted that he refused to sign off on desperately needed funding to shore up the US Postal Service because he knew it would inhibit voting by mail .
Trump has even alleged that household pets are being sent ballots in a nefarious animal-Democrat alliance to rob him of power .
Hence Ted Cruz and Donald Trump Jr. ’ s recycling of Russian-troll-generated misinformation about alleged Bible-burning episodes among Portland protesters .
Hence Trump ’ s overtly racist appeals to “ suburban housewives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scared into supporting him if he tells them often enough that Biden wants poor Blacks to move into their neighborhoods .
He ’ s upped the ante by averring that Senator Cory Booker ( yes , a Black man , horrors ! )
might be put in charge of these alleged efforts to eviscerate the suburbs .
Meanwhile , as Trump fiddles and faffs , Rome continues to burn .
Last week marked the 20th week in a row that more than 1 million Americans filed new unemployment claims .
Trump has no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or desire to force the GOP-led Senate to negotiate with House Democrats to forge a relief package .
What he does have , in abundance , is animus .
In addition to the funding crisis afflicting the Postal Service , an even bigger funding crisis is about to swamp USCIS , the agency responsible for passport , visa , and naturalization services .
At month ’ s end , absent an injection of cash that the Senate and White House are in no hurry to grant , the agency is going to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staff .
Analysts predict the entire immigration system will grind to a halt—which would suit Trump , Stephen Miller , and the other anti-immigration hard-liners in their orbit just fine .
Want to renew that passport ?
Prepare for a months-long wait .
Want to get that visa processed so you can visit loved ones or arrive in time to start work at your new job ?
Don ’ t hold your breath .
Want to naturalize in time to vote in the election ?
That ’ s almost certainly not going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mulling something extraordinary even by its debased standards : It wants to allow border officials discretion to deny entry into the country to any US citizen who officials believe might have been exposed to Covid-19 .
Not surprisingly , their efforts are reportedly focused on the border with Mexico .
As a result , hundreds of thousands of US citizens who live south of the border could find themselves at the mercy of officers at ports of entry .
Don ’ t get distracted by all the Noise .
With the election barely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pushing the legal limits , looking for any and every way to sabotage the election , and any and every way to both constrict the rights of immigrants and weaken the protections afforded US citizens .

The Noise? After Biden picked Kamala Harris as his running mate, Trump resorted to one of his favorite insults against female opponents: “nasty.”
What an extraordinarily worn soundtrack he’s falling back on.
In 2016, when Trump called Hillary Clinton “nasty,” he was an outsider, a mold-breaker, a shock-jock-style entertainer, an alt-right punk, and didn’t yet have the responsibilities that come with political power.
In 2020, Trump is president, the man who is, at least ostensibly, in charge of this country—the leader who is supposed to craft grand coalitions, alliances, and brain trusts to beat back a pandemic and bring economic relief to the tens of millions of families at risk of destitution in the face of Covid-19. More Signal:Noise Trump Ramps Up His Assault on Democracy Sasha Abramsky The US Chamber of Commerce Says Trump Is Bad for Business Sasha Abramsky
At a Wednesday afternoon campaign event with Biden, Harris issued a full-throttle call to conscience against the Trump administration. She used her prosecutorial skills to construct what sounded almost like the introduction to a legal case against this corrupt, nepotistic, incompetent, and cruel administration. It was succinct and powerful—and, I suspect, an opening shot in a campaign that will use Harris to brutal effect to concisely and clearly detail Trump’s failings.
It strikes me that calling Harris “nasty” will neither get under her skin nor scare off potential Biden-Harris voters.
Which brings me to the Signal: Trump isn’t just going to lob juvenile insults and then retreat. The insults may get the attention, but the actions behind the scenes will be far more consequential. He’s going to resort to every dirty trick under the sun in the next 11 weeks to retain his hold on power. Current Issue View our current issue
Hence his campaign’s ludicrous efforts to help Kanye West get on the ballot in swing states, in the hope that he will siphon votes away from Biden. Jared Kushner has met with the rap star, and the two reportedly talk frequently to discuss strategy.
Hence the ratcheting up of Trump’s rhetoric against voting by mail. He has recently threatened to withhold federal funds from states that make it easier to vote by mail, and on Thursday he openly admitted that he refused to sign off on desperately needed funding to shore up the US Postal Service because he knew it would inhibit voting by mail. Trump has even alleged that household pets are being sent ballots in a nefarious animal-Democrat alliance to rob him of power. Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin A Grim Chronicle of Trump’s Corrupt Public Life A Grim Chronicle of Trump’s Corrupt Public Life Chris Lehmann Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin A Grim Chronicle of Trump’s Corrupt Public Life A Grim Chronicle of Trump’s Corrupt Public Life Chris Lehmann
Hence Ted Cruz and Donald Trump Jr.’s recycling of Russian-troll-generated misinformation about alleged Bible-burning episodes among Portland protesters.
Hence Trump’s overtly racist appeals to “suburban housewives,” whom he believes can be scared into supporting him if he tells them often enough that Biden wants poor Blacks to move into their neighborhoods. He’s upped the ante by averring that Senator Cory Booker (yes, a Black man, horrors!) might be put in charge of these alleged efforts to eviscerate the suburbs.
Meanwhile, as Trump fiddles and faffs, Rome continues to burn. Last week marked the 20th week in a row that more than 1 million Americans filed new unemployment claims. Trump has no coherent anti-poverty strategy, and no ability or desire to force the GOP-led Senate to negotiate with House Democrats to forge a relief package. What he does have, in abundance, is animus.
In addition to the funding crisis afflicting the Postal Service, an even bigger funding crisis is about to swamp USCIS, the agency responsible for passport, visa, and naturalization services. At month’s end, absent an injection of cash that the Senate and White House are in no hurry to grant, the agency is going to have to furlough more than half of its staff. Analysts predict the entire immigration system will grind to a halt—which would suit Trump, Stephen Miller, and the other anti-immigration hard-liners in their orbit just fine.
Want to renew that passport? Prepare for a months-long wait. Want to get that visa processed so you can visit loved ones or arrive in time to start work at your new job? Don’t hold your breath. Want to naturalize in time to vote in the election? That’s almost certainly not going to happen.
Meanwhile, the administration is mulling something extraordinary even by its debased standards: It wants to allow border officials discretion to deny entry into the country to any US citizen who officials believe might have been exposed to Covid-19.
Not surprisingly, their efforts are reportedly focused on the border with Mexico. As a result, hundreds of thousands of US citizens who live south of the border could find themselves at the mercy of officers at ports of entry.
Don’t get distracted by all the Noise. With the election barely 80 days away, this administration is pushing the legal limits, looking for any and every way to sabotage the election, and any and every way to both constrict the rights of immigrants and weaken the protections afforded US citizens.


thenation--2020-08-14--Kamala Harris’s Presence on the Ticket Could Help Usher in a Third Reconstruction

“ This is a historic moment in American political life .
Historic for myself , for my people .
For the first time in the history of this nation , a political party has chosen a Negro woman for the second highest office in the land.
” Charlotta Bass , an activist and the first Black woman to own and operate a newspaper in the United States , spoke these words in 1952 .
She was the first Black woman to be nominated as vice president of the United States .
As a nominee with the Progressive Party , her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we win by raising the issues.
” The issues , as she saw them , included housing rights , labor rights , voting rights , and addressing police brutality and harassment .
The recent announcement that Senator Kamala Harris will serve as the Democratic nominee for vice president alongside Joe Biden highlights how Senator Harris stands on the shoulders of women from Sojourner Truth and Fannie Lou Hamer to Amelia Boynton , Shirley Chisolm , and Charlotta Bass .
Harris is one link in a very long chain of Black women , women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who have pushed this nation toward a more perfect union .
This struggle has been a matter of survival and preservation , both for ourselves and our communities , in the face of racist , patriarchal power structures that have made every attempt to threaten and invalidate our very existence .
Regardless of political party , we who are the heirs of these witnesses must always stand first on the issues .
But the issues that matter to our communities are not separate from questions of representation .
As Alicia Garza wrote in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Kamala Harris for vice president is “ incredibly significant , as a woman , much less a Black woman , has never served in this role in the 244 years since the country was established.
” Many of us have our voting rights today largely because of Black women .
From the Black women who marched in the suffrage parade in the early 20th century to Black women like Amelia Boynton Robinson , who helped initiate the Voting Rights Campaign in Selma in 1965 , the demographic Kamala Harris represents has consistently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and marginalized communities .
Just this week , we marked Black Women ’ s Equal Pay Day , passing the number of days into the year that a Black woman must work to make what her white counterpart made last year .
Black women , who disproportionately serve as caregivers and frontline workers , know that representation and occupying a space are not enough .
For every Black woman who will make it into the halls of Congress or the White House , there are many others who will be left to struggle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be heard too .
Whether this will be a truly transformative political moment depends to a large degree on the 74 million women who were poor or low-income before the Covid-19 crisis and the millions more who have joined them since March of this year .
If these women see not only a face but also a focus on issues that directly impact them , they could create a turnout that fundamentally changes what is possible in our politics .
If a new governing coalition in Washington is compelled to honor the hard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are being treated as expendable , the majority of whom are women and women of color , then we will know that this moment is about more than representation .
If we extend free health care to the 80 to 100 million people who were uninsured or underinsured before Covid-19 and the 27 million-plus who have joined them , a majority of whom are women , then we will make this a moment of transformative change .
If we fully restore and expand the Voting Rights Act , which has left millions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suppression disenfranchised and without a voice in the political process , then this will be a moment to reconstruct democracy .
If we enact policies to protect and preserve our environment , redress the years of environmental racism , and prepare for a climate crisis that is already wreaking havoc on poor communities and communities of color , then we will know that this moment is not just about representation .
The choice of Kamala Harris can turn into the kind of public policy that raises these issues and addresses these inequities , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If this happens , then this ticket is more than unbeatable .
It will turn the mourning in the streets into the kind of public policy that can push America into a Third Reconstruction , as transformative as the Reconstruction that followed after the end of slavery and the Second Reconstruction that transformed American society through the civil rights movement .
But if we don ’ t see the transformative change that Black women and women of conscience have always pushed toward , it will be a disappointment not only to this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of matriarchs in our family and Senator Harris ’ s family .
We believe that deep down inside , Senator Harris knows this and will continue the tradition of the courageous women who came before her to fight for all of us .
The question is whether the Democratic Party can resist being defined by the labels of left or right and instead embrace the moral center of our deepest religious values and constitutional values , which demand that in every policy and decision we establish justice .
With the assaults on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the resurgence of overt police and policy racism , and a public health crisis that is disproportionately claiming the lives of poor communities and communities of color , this moment requires nothing less than the radical reimagining of America that Black women have always championed .
True transformation , a radical restructuring of our society , and a genuine democracy inclusive of all of us is what our country needs now , more than ever .
The blood , sweat , and tears of those who struggled before us demands it and our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under God , indivisible with liberty and justice for all ” depends on it .

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, Dr. Sharrelle Barber, Rebekah Barber

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“This is a historic moment in American political life. Historic for myself, for my people. For the first time in the history of this nation, a political party has chosen a Negro woman for the second highest office in the land.” Charlotta Bass, an activist and the first Black woman to own and operate a newspaper in the United States, spoke these words in 1952. She was the first Black woman to be nominated as vice president of the United States. As a nominee with the Progressive Party, her slogan was “Win or lose, we win by raising the issues.” The issues, as she saw them, included housing rights, labor rights, voting rights, and addressing police brutality and harassment.
The recent announcement that Senator Kamala Harris will serve as the Democratic nominee for vice president alongside Joe Biden highlights how Senator Harris stands on the shoulders of women from Sojourner Truth and Fannie Lou Hamer to Amelia Boynton, Shirley Chisolm, and Charlotta Bass. Harris is one link in a very long chain of Black women, women of color, and women of conscience who have pushed this nation toward a more perfect union. This struggle has been a matter of survival and preservation, both for ourselves and our communities, in the face of racist, patriarchal power structures that have made every attempt to threaten and invalidate our very existence.
Regardless of political party, we who are the heirs of these witnesses must always stand first on the issues. But the issues that matter to our communities are not separate from questions of representation. As Alicia Garza wrote in a recent Glamour article, the nomination of Kamala Harris for vice president is “incredibly significant, as a woman, much less a Black woman, has never served in this role in the 244 years since the country was established.” Many of us have our voting rights today largely because of Black women. From the Black women who marched in the suffrage parade in the early 20th century to Black women like Amelia Boynton Robinson, who helped initiate the Voting Rights Campaign in Selma in 1965, the demographic Kamala Harris represents has consistently led on issues that matter to poor and marginalized communities.
Just this week, we marked Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, passing the number of days into the year that a Black woman must work to make what her white counterpart made last year. Black women, who disproportionately serve as caregivers and frontline workers, know that representation and occupying a space are not enough. For every Black woman who will make it into the halls of Congress or the White House, there are many others who will be left to struggle in the streets, and they must be heard too. The First Kamala Harris Makes History, Many Times Over Joan Walsh
Whether this will be a truly transformative political moment depends to a large degree on the 74 million women who were poor or low-income before the Covid-19 crisis and the millions more who have joined them since March of this year. If these women see not only a face but also a focus on issues that directly impact them, they could create a turnout that fundamentally changes what is possible in our politics. If a new governing coalition in Washington is compelled to honor the hard work of the low-wage and essential workers who are being treated as expendable, the majority of whom are women and women of color, then we will know that this moment is about more than representation. Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin A Grim Chronicle of Trump’s Corrupt Public Life A Grim Chronicle of Trump’s Corrupt Public Life Chris Lehmann Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin A Grim Chronicle of Trump’s Corrupt Public Life A Grim Chronicle of Trump’s Corrupt Public Life Chris Lehmann
If we extend free health care to the 80 to 100 million people who were uninsured or underinsured before Covid-19 and the 27 million-plus who have joined them, a majority of whom are women, then we will make this a moment of transformative change. If we fully restore and expand the Voting Rights Act, which has left millions of women who suffer from racist voter suppression disenfranchised and without a voice in the political process, then this will be a moment to reconstruct democracy. If we enact policies to protect and preserve our environment, redress the years of environmental racism, and prepare for a climate crisis that is already wreaking havoc on poor communities and communities of color, then we will know that this moment is not just about representation.
The choice of Kamala Harris can turn into the kind of public policy that raises these issues and addresses these inequities, as women of conscience have always demanded. If this happens, then this ticket is more than unbeatable. It will turn the mourning in the streets into the kind of public policy that can push America into a Third Reconstruction, as transformative as the Reconstruction that followed after the end of slavery and the Second Reconstruction that transformed American society through the civil rights movement. But if we don’t see the transformative change that Black women and women of conscience have always pushed toward, it will be a disappointment not only to this generation but also to all the generations of matriarchs in our family and Senator Harris’s family. We believe that deep down inside, Senator Harris knows this and will continue the tradition of the courageous women who came before her to fight for all of us. The question is whether the Democratic Party can resist being defined by the labels of left or right and instead embrace the moral center of our deepest religious values and constitutional values, which demand that in every policy and decision we establish justice.
With the assaults on the very foundation of our democratic institutions, the resurgence of overt police and policy racism, and a public health crisis that is disproportionately claiming the lives of poor communities and communities of color, this moment requires nothing less than the radical reimagining of America that Black women have always championed. True transformation, a radical restructuring of our society, and a genuine democracy inclusive of all of us is what our country needs now, more than ever. The blood, sweat, and tears of those who struggled before us demands it and our collective lives as “one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all” depends on it.