motherjones--2020-09-25--Republicans Decry Slow Ballot Counts While Hampering Efforts to Speed Them Up

President Donald Trump has repeatedly outlined an election night scenario where one candidate appears to be leading in early returns , but might not be the winner once all votes are counted .
It ’ s a way , he hopes , to wrap legally cast ballots that happen to be counted after election night in a shroud of illegitimacy .
“ What ’ s going to happen on November 3 when somebody ’ s leading and they say , ‘ Well , we haven ’ t counted the ballots , we have millions of ballots to count ’ ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the White House .
“ It ’ s a disaster.
” It ’ s true that some Americans should expect it to take weeks for their local election results to be finalized as record numbers of mail ballots trickle in .
But there ’ s a simple step that could greatly speed things along .
While many states allow ballots returned early to be opened or even counted as they arrive , a handful require officials to wait until Election Day .
In Michigan and Pennsylvania—two high-profile battlegrounds that this year will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to vote by mail during a presidential election—efforts to allow early processing or counting have been hamstrung by Republican state legislatures , even in the face of pleas from nonpartisan election officials .
Republican leaders in Pennsylvania are standing in the way of the change that county clerks say would speed things along at the same time they ’ ve said that post-election delays make it more likely the legislature will set aside the will of the state ’ s voters and step in to select an electoral college delegation .
While Michigan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to allow some processing before Election Day , the initiative , which only lets jurisdictions of over 25,000 residents open outer envelopes and sort ballots one day early so they can be counted more efficiently on Election Day , took nearly ten months to pass .
Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has called the bill “ a step in the right direction , ” but one that “ does not go nearly far enough to provide the relief that clerks have been seeking for more than a year.
” Michigan Gov .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ state , calling it a “ first step.
” In any other climate , such mundane election administration legislation would barely register notice , but this year , the Republican officials standing in the way of local officials advocating for such tweaks seem to be enlisting in Trump ’ s ongoing attacks on the legitimacy of mail voting , which some see as part of a broader strategy to hang on to power in the event he loses the election .
As part of the effort , the president has spread the false @ @ @ @ @ @ @ represent “ new ballots that show up out of nowhere ” and are a clear sign of a “ rigged election , ” while signalling that delays that are a natural part of ensuring all votes are counted are suspect .
Michigan ’ s bill was put forward in January by Sen. Ruth Johnson , a Republican and a former Michigan Secretary of State who now chairs the Senate Elections Committee , well before the coronavirus prompted unprecedented interest in mail voting .
While insisting the bill has “ very strong bipartisan support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she admitted that she ’ d faced opposition from her Republican colleagues , but argues it was due to a climate of mistrust that she said had been created by Benson .
Johnson cited a range of actions by Benson , from her response to a lawsuit by blind voters seeking accommodation in voting by mail , to her decision to send every registered Michigan voter a mail ballot application in May .
( Two courts have since affirmed Benson ’ s right to do so . )
Speaking to reporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early voting center housed at the University of Michigan Museum of Art , Benson warned that the days between Tuesday ’ s election and Friday , by when she expects to be able to produce meaningful results , present an opportunity for disinformation designed to undermine confidence in the election .
As mask-wearing students walked by , Benson said her office would be “ mindful of the space ” between the polls closing and results being publicized .
Asked if she was concerned about the potential for the president to spread false news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warned that if “ any actor , foreign or domestic ” sows doubt “ we ’ re not going to stand for it , ” outlining a plan to “ counter any attempts to confuse the public with facts and data and transparency.
” In Pennsylvania , the Republicans who control the legislature have signed onto a bill allowing some ballot pre-processing , but not counting , to begin the Saturday before Election Day .
But the move is part of a legislative package that would make it harder to vote by limiting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballot drop boxes—a key priority of the Trump campaign .
Tom Wolf , the state ’ s Democratic governor , had called for 21 days of pre-election processing—a provision originally included but stripped as it progressed through the House—and says that he will not support the bill in its current form .
On August 26 , Lisa Schaefer , the executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania , warned that “ time was quickly running out ” to enact changes like increased pre-processing or counting with enough runway for local election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As the experts in administering elections , counties urge prompt action by the General Assembly to prioritize a few simple changes to the law that will help them meet their goal of delivering timely and accurate results to Pennsylvania citizens , and make sure that every vote counts , ” she said at the time .
A month later , county elections officials are still waiting for relief , Schaefer says , adding to uncertainty about the election that “ really puts a lot of anxiety into a process that we really don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shaefer says the association originally supported up to a 21-days of pre-processing , at this point , any extra time would be welcome .
“ Quite frankly , given that under current law we can ’ t start till 7 am on Election Day—when we ’ re already trying to run an in-person election at the same time—those extra three days would certainly be very helpful , ” she says .
Rep. Dan Moul , a Republican state representative from south central Pennsylvania who sponsored the bill , says the governor should sign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contain everything he wants .
Moul says the period was shortened from 21 days over concerns that the move would be incompatible with laws allowing local officials to observe and challenge the opening of mail ballots—based on residency , a mismatched signature , or some voter error—up until the Friday before an election .
Moul admits that debate over his bill ’ s ban on drop boxes has been a key sticking point for Democrats .
Moul says the depositories aren ’ t needed because voters can mail ballots .
If they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s well-documented issues , Moul says the solution is for voters to mail ballots back as soon as possible , and remains firmly opposed to making drop boxes available .
“ You know why [ Democrats ] want it , I don ’ t need to tell you , ” he said .
“ I ’ ll put it to you this way .
I know why I don ’ t want them .
It has one more point where voter fraud can take place.
” Barb Byrum , the county clerk of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state legislature ’ s delay over making the fix “ unfathomable.
” But she remains convinced that the president ’ s decision to push a partisan fight over mail voting has only increased the odds the election could go south .
“ This is becoming beyond partisan , ” she said .
“ People are believing these stories they ’ re hearing from the national level , from the president of the United States saying our election results are rigged , or saying that mail elections are fake or fraudulent .
People are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s making election administration more difficult in a year that ’ s clearly going to be extraordinarily busy .
”

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President Donald Trump has repeatedly outlined an election night scenario where one candidate appears to be leading in early returns, but might not be the winner once all votes are counted. It’s a way, he hopes, to wrap legally cast ballots that happen to be counted after election night in a shroud of illegitimacy.
“What’s going to happen on November 3 when somebody’s leading and they say, ‘Well, we haven’t counted the ballots, we have millions of ballots to count’?” he said during a press conference at the White House. “It’s a disaster.”
The president has spread the false notion that ballots counted after Election Day “show up out of nowhere.”
It’s true that some Americans should expect it to take weeks for their local election results to be finalized as record numbers of mail ballots trickle in. But there’s a simple step that could greatly speed things along. While many states allow ballots returned early to be opened or even counted as they arrive, a handful require officials to wait until Election Day.
In Michigan and Pennsylvania—two high-profile battlegrounds that this year will both for the first time allow anyone to vote by mail during a presidential election—efforts to allow early processing or counting have been hamstrung by Republican state legislatures, even in the face of pleas from nonpartisan election officials. Republican leaders in Pennsylvania are standing in the way of the change that county clerks say would speed things along at the same time they’ve said that post-election delays make it more likely the legislature will set aside the will of the state’s voters and step in to select an electoral college delegation.
While Michigan’s Republican-controlled state legislature voted Friday to allow some processing before Election Day, the initiative, which only lets jurisdictions of over 25,000 residents open outer envelopes and sort ballots one day early so they can be counted more efficiently on Election Day, took nearly ten months to pass. Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has called the bill “a step in the right direction,” but one that “does not go nearly far enough to provide the relief that clerks have been seeking for more than a year.” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has echoed the secretary of state, calling it a “first step.”
In any other climate, such mundane election administration legislation would barely register notice, but this year, the Republican officials standing in the way of local officials advocating for such tweaks seem to be enlisting in Trump’s ongoing attacks on the legitimacy of mail voting, which some see as part of a broader strategy to hang on to power in the event he loses the election. As part of the effort, the president has spread the false notions that ballots counted after election day represent “new ballots that show up out of nowhere” and are a clear sign of a “rigged election,” while signalling that delays that are a natural part of ensuring all votes are counted are suspect.
Michigan’s bill was put forward in January by Sen. Ruth Johnson, a Republican and a former Michigan Secretary of State who now chairs the Senate Elections Committee, well before the coronavirus prompted unprecedented interest in mail voting. While insisting the bill has “very strong bipartisan support and it is not a partisan issue,” she admitted that she’d faced opposition from her Republican colleagues, but argues it was due to a climate of mistrust that she said had been created by Benson. Johnson cited a range of actions by Benson, from her response to a lawsuit by blind voters seeking accommodation in voting by mail, to her decision to send every registered Michigan voter a mail ballot application in May. (Two courts have since affirmed Benson’s right to do so.)
Speaking to reporters this week outside of an Ann Arbor early voting center housed at the University of Michigan Museum of Art, Benson warned that the days between Tuesday’s election and Friday, by when she expects to be able to produce meaningful results, present an opportunity for disinformation designed to undermine confidence in the election.
If “any actor, foreign or domestic” sows doubt “we’re not going to stand for it.”
As mask-wearing students walked by, Benson said her office would be “mindful of the space” between the polls closing and results being publicized. Asked if she was concerned about the potential for the president to spread false news about Michigan’s results, Benson warned that if “any actor, foreign or domestic” sows doubt “we’re not going to stand for it,” outlining a plan to “counter any attempts to confuse the public with facts and data and transparency.”
In Pennsylvania, the Republicans who control the legislature have signed onto a bill allowing some ballot pre-processing, but not counting, to begin the Saturday before Election Day. But the move is part of a legislative package that would make it harder to vote by limiting mail ballots access and getting rid of ballot drop boxes—a key priority of the Trump campaign. Tom Wolf, the state’s Democratic governor, had called for 21 days of pre-election processing—a provision originally included but stripped as it progressed through the House—and says that he will not support the bill in its current form.
On August 26, Lisa Schaefer, the executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, warned that “time was quickly running out” to enact changes like increased pre-processing or counting with enough runway for local election officials to implement new procedures. “As the experts in administering elections, counties urge prompt action by the General Assembly to prioritize a few simple changes to the law that will help them meet their goal of delivering timely and accurate results to Pennsylvania citizens, and make sure that every vote counts,” she said at the time.
A month later, county elections officials are still waiting for relief, Schaefer says, adding to uncertainty about the election that “really puts a lot of anxiety into a process that we really don’t want to have.”
While Shaefer says the association originally supported up to a 21-days of pre-processing, at this point, any extra time would be welcome. “Quite frankly, given that under current law we can’t start till 7 am on Election Day—when we’re already trying to run an in-person election at the same time—those extra three days would certainly be very helpful,” she says.
“A few simple changes to the law…will help them meet their goal of delivering timely and accurate results.”
Rep. Dan Moul, a Republican state representative from south central Pennsylvania who sponsored the bill, says the governor should sign it even if it doesn’t contain everything he wants. Moul says the period was shortened from 21 days over concerns that the move would be incompatible with laws allowing local officials to observe and challenge the opening of mail ballots—based on residency, a mismatched signature, or some voter error—up until the Friday before an election.
Moul admits that debate over his bill’s ban on drop boxes has been a key sticking point for Democrats. Moul says the depositories aren’t needed because voters can mail ballots. If they’re worried about the postal service’s well-documented issues, Moul says the solution is for voters to mail ballots back as soon as possible, and remains firmly opposed to making drop boxes available.
“You know why [Democrats] want it, I don’t need to tell you,” he said. “I’ll put it to you this way. I know why I don’t want them. It has one more point where voter fraud can take place.”
Barb Byrum, the county clerk of Ingham County, Michigan, found her state legislature’s delay over making the fix “unfathomable.” But she remains convinced that the president’s decision to push a partisan fight over mail voting has only increased the odds the election could go south.
“This is becoming beyond partisan,” she said. “People are believing these stories they’re hearing from the national level, from the president of the United States saying our election results are rigged, or saying that mail elections are fake or fraudulent. People are buying into these conspiracy theories and it’s making election administration more difficult in a year that’s clearly going to be extraordinarily busy.”


motherjones--2020-09-26--Democrats: Amy Coney Barrett Will Strip Millions of Health Insurance

On Saturday , Democrats quickly criticized President Donald Trump ’ s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court , arguing that her confirmation would put millions of Americans ’ health insurance in jeopardy .
In a statement , former Vice President Joe Biden focused on Coney Barrett ’ s “ written track record of disagreeing with the U.S. Supreme Court ’ s decision upholding the Affordable Care Act.
” Her criticism of the decision is particularly important because the court is scheduled to hear a major challenge to the healthcare law the week after the November election .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the stakes in stark terms .
“ If this nominee is confirmed , ” Pelosi said in a statement , “ millions of families ’ health care will be ripped away in the middle of a pandemic that has infected seven million Americans and killed over 200,000 people in our country.
” Beyond healthcare , Sen. Elizabeth Warren ( D-Mass . )
wrote on Twitter that Trump ’ s pick will cap off a decades-long effort to establish a conservative majority on the court that is favorable to corporate America .
Like other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be confirmed until the results of the election are known .
“ The United States Constitution was designed to give the voters one chance to have their voice heard on who serves on the Court , ” the former vice president said .
“ That moment is now and their voice should be heard.
” Sen. Patrick Leahy ( D-Vt. ) said in a statement Ruth Bader Ginsburg would have objected to her potential replacement .
“ Justice Ginsburg would have dissented against this transparent effort to dismantle Americans ’ hard-fought rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so should we all .
”

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On Saturday, Democrats quickly criticized President Donald Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, arguing that her confirmation would put millions of Americans’ health insurance in jeopardy.
In a statement, former Vice President Joe Biden focused on Coney Barrett’s “written track record of disagreeing with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding the Affordable Care Act.” Her criticism of the decision is particularly important because the court is scheduled to hear a major challenge to the healthcare law the week after the November election.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) put the stakes in stark terms. “If this nominee is confirmed,” Pelosi said in a statement, “millions of families’ health care will be ripped away in the middle of a pandemic that has infected seven million Americans and killed over 200,000 people in our country.”
Beyond healthcare, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote on Twitter that Trump’s pick will cap off a decades-long effort to establish a conservative majority on the court that is favorable to corporate America.
The name of Trump's illegitimate Supreme Court nominee in many ways doesn’t matter. We know exactly what that person is being picked to do: complete a decades-long assault on our judiciary by billionaires and giant corporations to tilt the courts for the rich and powerful. — Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) September 26, 2020
Like other Democrats, Biden stressed that no justice should be confirmed until the results of the election are known. “The United States Constitution was designed to give the voters one chance to have their voice heard on who serves on the Court,” the former vice president said. “That moment is now and their voice should be heard.”
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said in a statement Ruth Bader Ginsburg would have objected to her potential replacement. “Justice Ginsburg would have dissented against this transparent effort to dismantle Americans’ hard-fought rights,” Leahy said. “And so should we all.”


motherjones--2020-09-26--Trump Picks Amy Coney Barrett to Replace Ginsburg on the Supreme Court

President Trump announced today that he would nominate 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the seat on the Supreme Court vacated after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg last week .
Barrett , 48 , is a favorite of evangelicals who hope that she ’ ll join with the court ’ s other conservatives to overturn Roe v. Wade .
Trump appointed Barrett to the 7th Circuit in 2017 , in what court watchers believed was the first step to elevating her to the high court .
She had impeccable conservative credentials as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Scalia and an active member in the Federalist Society , which has effectively managed Trump ’ s judicial nominations .
But for a Supreme Court nominee , her resume was somewhat thin .
She spent only two years in private law practice and has never tried a case or argued an appeal .
Nor has she argued before the Supreme Court , as had another law professor , Justice Elena Kagan , before she was nominated to the high court .
Most of Barrett ’ s private legal work involved only civil cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ d spent 15 years as a law professor at Notre Dame , her alma mater , Barrett had never served as a judge until Trump tapped her for the 7th Circuit .
Barrett couldn ’ t be more different from the woman she might replace .
Her nomination is comparable to President George H.W .
Bush ’ s replacement of civil rights icon Justice Thurgood Marshall with arch-conservative Justice Clarence Thomas .
Barrett is popular with evangelicals and conservative Christians because she ’ s a devout Catholic with seven children , two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the youngest of whom has Down syndrome .
She is viewed as staunchly anti-abortion , thanks to her association with Faculty for Life at Notre Dame and her opposition to the birth-control coverage mandated in the Affordable Care Act , which she called “ a grave infringement on religious liberty.
” Barrett is also affiliated with a charismatic Christian group called People of Praise , in which female members were until recently assigned personal advisers called “ handmaids.
” Members of the group take a covenant pledging lifelong loyalty to each other and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the group , which teaches that men have authority over the family , including their wives .
They believe in prophecy , divine healing , and speaking in tongues , practices that could make for an interesting confirmation hearing .
Barrett did not disclose her membership in People of Praise before her 7th Circuit confirmation , but Sen. Diane Feinstein ( D-Calif. ) attempted to probe her religious beliefs during her hearing , saying that “ the dogma lives loudly within you , ” a comment that has led Republicans to accuse Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members of People of Praise have opposed Barrett ’ s nomination to the high court .
As I wrote this week : Two years ago , when Barrett ’ s name was floated as a potential candidate to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy , a post appeared in a Facebook group of ex-members of charismatic Christian communities .
“ I don ’ t want a current member of this cult to be sitting on the Supreme Court , ” the onetime People of Praise member wrote .
“ And it was not very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very much and was almost seduced into thinking they had something spiritually real and rich going for them.
” More recently , another ex-member wrote , “ I think we better start now fighting her nomination .
I can ’ t quite imagine People of Praise on the Supreme Court.
” Since joining the 7th Circuit , Barrett has been a reliable conservative vote on cases involving immigration and sex discrimination , and wrote a notable dissent in a gun case , in which she argued that a law banning people found guilty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Second Amendment .
Her reasoning was that the man in the case had been guilty of mail fraud , a nonviolent offense .
The case was an example of her originalist legal philosophy , as she based her argument on the fact that in the early days of the republic , legislatures took guns away only from people who were considered dangerous .
Hearings on Barrett ’ s nomination are likely to be scheduled as soon as possible , given Trump ’ s desire to have her installed on the court before @ @ @ @ @ @ @

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President Trump announced today that he would nominate 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the seat on the Supreme Court vacated after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg last week.
Barrett, 48, is a favorite of evangelicals who hope that she’ll join with the court’s other conservatives to overturn Roe v. Wade. Trump appointed Barrett to the 7th Circuit in 2017, in what court watchers believed was the first step to elevating her to the high court. She had impeccable conservative credentials as a former clerk to the late Justice Antonin Scalia and an active member in the Federalist Society, which has effectively managed Trump’s judicial nominations. But for a Supreme Court nominee, her resume was somewhat thin.
She spent only two years in private law practice and has never tried a case or argued an appeal. Nor has she argued before the Supreme Court, as had another law professor, Justice Elena Kagan, before she was nominated to the high court. Most of Barrett’s private legal work involved only civil cases, not criminal ones. While she’d spent 15 years as a law professor at Notre Dame, her alma mater, Barrett had never served as a judge until Trump tapped her for the 7th Circuit.
Barrett couldn’t be more different from the woman she might replace. Her nomination is comparable to President George H.W. Bush’s replacement of civil rights icon Justice Thurgood Marshall with arch-conservative Justice Clarence Thomas.
Barrett is popular with evangelicals and conservative Christians because she’s a devout Catholic with seven children, two of whom were adopted from Haiti and the youngest of whom has Down syndrome. She is viewed as staunchly anti-abortion, thanks to her association with Faculty for Life at Notre Dame and her opposition to the birth-control coverage mandated in the Affordable Care Act, which she called “a grave infringement on religious liberty.” Barrett is also affiliated with a charismatic Christian group called People of Praise, in which female members were until recently assigned personal advisers called “handmaids.”
Members of the group take a covenant pledging lifelong loyalty to each other and donate five percent of their income to the group, which teaches that men have authority over the family, including their wives. They believe in prophecy, divine healing, and speaking in tongues, practices that could make for an interesting confirmation hearing. Barrett did not disclose her membership in People of Praise before her 7th Circuit confirmation, but Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) attempted to probe her religious beliefs during her hearing, saying that “the dogma lives loudly within you,” a comment that has led Republicans to accuse Democrats of anti-Catholic bias.
But even former members of People of Praise have opposed Barrett’s nomination to the high court. As I wrote this week:
Two years ago, when Barrett’s name was floated as a potential candidate to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy, a post appeared in a Facebook group of ex-members of charismatic Christian communities. “I don’t want a current member of this cult to be sitting on the Supreme Court,” the onetime People of Praise member wrote. “And it was not very many years ago that I admired them very much and was almost seduced into thinking they had something spiritually real and rich going for them.” More recently, another ex-member wrote, “I think we better start now fighting her nomination. I can’t quite imagine People of Praise on the Supreme Court.”
Since joining the 7th Circuit, Barrett has been a reliable conservative vote on cases involving immigration and sex discrimination, and wrote a notable dissent in a gun case, in which she argued that a law banning people found guilty of a felony from owning guns violated the Second Amendment. Her reasoning was that the man in the case had been guilty of mail fraud, a nonviolent offense. The case was an example of her originalist legal philosophy, as she based her argument on the fact that in the early days of the republic, legislatures took guns away only from people who were considered dangerous.
Hearings on Barrett’s nomination are likely to be scheduled as soon as possible, given Trump’s desire to have her installed on the court before the presidential election on November 3.


motherjones--2020-09-26--Federal Prosecutor: William Barr Has “Brought Shame” on the Justice Department

In a rare move , a federal prosecutor is denouncing Attorney General William Barr for abusing the Justice Department ’ s authority to support President Donald Trump .
“ The attorney general acts as though his job is to serve only the political interests of Donald J. Trump , ” Assistant US Attorney James D. Herbert wrote in a letter to the Boston Globe .
“ This is a dangerous abuse of power.
” He added that Barr “ has done the president ’ s bidding at every turn.
” Herbert said he was compelled to speak out after Barr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during a speech this month at Hillsdale College in Michigan .
Barr referred to some prosecutors as “ headhunters ” in the speech and criticized them for pursuing “ ill-conceived charges against prominent political figures.
” While many former prosecutors have spoken out against Trump , it ’ s highly unusual for current federal prosecutors to express their political views .
A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed to ABC News that Herbert is still a US attorney in Massachusetts .
Herbert explained at the end of his letter that , “ For 30 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work for the Department of Justice , but the current attorney general has brought shame on the department he purports to lead .
”

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motherjones--2020-09-27--New York Times Reveals That Trump Paid $750 in Federal Income Tax in 2016

President Donald Trump is not that rich , he ’ s losing millions of dollars a year , and he barely pays any income tax , according to a new investigation by the New York Times .
The Times just revealed that it has obtained decades of Trump ’ s federal tax return data , which reveals that he paid a scant $ 750 income taxes in 2016 and the same amount in 2017 , while paying no income taxes at all in 10 of the previous 15 years .
Trump paid so little income tax because , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money hand over fist .
In 2018 , “ Trump announced in his [ annual financial ] disclosure that he had made at least $ 434.9 million , ” the Times reports .
“ The tax records deliver a very different portrait of his bottom line : $ 47.4 million in losses.
” “ Ultimately , Mr. Trump has been more successful playing a business mogul than being one in real life , ” the report says .
It found that that Trump has been strikingly unsuccessful in business since the 1990s , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fabulously rich dealmaker .
His appearance on the reality show The Apprentice netted him $ 427.4 million in licensing and endorsement deals .
But Trump “ invested much of that in a collection of businesses , mostly golf courses , that in the years since have steadily devoured cash—much as the money he secretly received from his father financed a spree of quixotic overspending that led to his collapse in the early 1990s , ” the Times reports .
The report also noted that Trump has hundreds in millions of loans coming due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mother Jones ‘ Russ Choma has reported , this $ 500 million in debt could threaten his personal assets and pose a ethical minefield if he is reelected .
The story also details Trump ’ s efforts to write off his family ’ s 50,000-square-foot mansion as an investment property , paying questionable consulting fees to Ivanka Trump , and claiming deductions for expenses such as $ 70,000 worth of hairstyling .
Trump disputed the Times scoop at a news conference Sunday , but provided no specifics .
“ It ’ s fake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s totally fake news.
” He refused to answer a question about how much federal income tax he ’ s paid .
“ I ’ ve paid a lot and I ’ ve paid a lot of state income taxes too , ” he said .
Trump claimed , as he has continuously since 2016 , that he has not released his taxes because he is under IRS audit .
“ It will all be revealed , ” he promised .
“ It ’ s gon na come out after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Garten , a Trump Organization lawyer , requested the documents on which the newspaper based its report .
After the paper declined , Garten disputed the amount of taxes Trump had paid .
Garten claimed that Trump had paid “ tens of millions of dollars in personal taxes to the federal government , ” though the Times reported that Garten was conflating income taxes and other federal taxes and was mischaracterizing Trump ’ s use of tax credits .
The Times says it will be publishing additional articles on Trump ’ s taxes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Times says that the Trump ’ s Organization ’ s losses “ lend credence to the notion ” that his presidential campaign , launched in 2015 , “ was at least in part a gambit to reanimate the marketability of his name.
“

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President Donald Trump is not that rich, he’s losing millions of dollars a year, and he barely pays any income tax, according to a new investigation by the New York Times.
The Times just revealed that it has obtained decades of Trump’s federal tax return data, which reveals that he paid a scant $750 income taxes in 2016 and the same amount in 2017, while paying no income taxes at all in 10 of the previous 15 years.
Trump paid so little income tax because, according to his tax returns, he was losing money hand over fist. In 2018, “Trump announced in his [annual financial] disclosure that he had made at least $434.9 million,” the Times reports. “The tax records deliver a very different portrait of his bottom line: $47.4 million in losses.”
“Ultimately, Mr. Trump has been more successful playing a business mogul than being one in real life,” the report says. It found that that Trump has been strikingly unsuccessful in business since the 1990s, even as he sold himself as a fabulously rich dealmaker. His appearance on the reality show The Apprentice netted him $427.4 million in licensing and endorsement deals. But Trump “invested much of that in a collection of businesses, mostly golf courses, that in the years since have steadily devoured cash—much as the money he secretly received from his father financed a spree of quixotic overspending that led to his collapse in the early 1990s,” the Times reports.
The report also noted that Trump has hundreds of millions in loans coming due in the next few years. As Mother Jones‘ Russ Choma has reported, this $500 million in debt could threaten his personal assets and pose a ethical minefield if he is reelected. The story also details Trump’s efforts to write off his family’s 50,000-square-foot mansion as an investment property, paying questionable consulting fees to Ivanka Trump, and claiming deductions for expenses such as $70,000 worth of hairstyling.
Trump disputed the Times scoop at a news conference Sunday, but provided no specifics. “It’s fake news,” he said. “It’s totally fake news.” He refused to answer a question about how much federal income tax he’s paid. “I’ve paid a lot and I’ve paid a lot of state income taxes too,” he said. Trump claimed, as he has continuously since 2016, that he has not released his taxes because he is under IRS audit. “It will all be revealed,” he promised. “It’s gonna come out after the audit.“
The Times reported that Alan Garten, a Trump Organization lawyer, requested the documents on which the newspaper based its report. After the paper declined, Garten disputed the amount of taxes Trump had paid. Garten claimed that Trump had paid “tens of millions of dollars in personal taxes to the federal government,” though the Times reported that Garten was conflating income taxes and other federal taxes and was mischaracterizing Trump’s use of tax credits. The Times says it will be publishing additional articles on Trump’s taxes and finances in the coming weeks.
The Times says that the Trump’s Organization’s losses “lend credence to the notion” that his presidential campaign, launched in 2015, “was at least in part a gambit to reanimate the marketability of his name.“


motherjones--2020-09-27--Biden Warns Republicans, “Voters Are Not Going Stand for This Abuse of Power”

Joe Biden said Sunday that Republican senators should refuse to consider President Donald Trump ’ s Supreme Court nominee , Amy Coney Barrett , until after Election Day , warning that voters “ are not going stand for this abuse of power.
“ “ Never before in our nation ’ s history has a Supreme Court Justice been nominated and installed while a presidential election is already underway , ” Biden said in a speech in Wilmington , Delaware .
“ It defies every precedent and every expectation of a nation where the people are sovereign and the rule of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the former vice president faulted Trump for nominating Barrett to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the late justice “ could be laid to rest.
” And while Biden made what is likely to be a fruitless appeal to Republican senators to defy a push by the president and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) to confirm Barrett before Election Day , his real audience was voters , whom he urged to punish the GOP for its bid to “ subvert ” democracy .
Speaking shortly after Trump tweeted his hope that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Biden echoed Democrats ’ preferred line of attack on Barrett , accusing the GOP of rushing to “ overturn the Affordable Care Act on their way out the door.
” “ It doesn ’ t matter what the American people want , ” Biden said .
“ President Trump sees a chance to fulfill his explicit mission to steal away the vital protections of the ACA from countless families who have come to rely on them for their health , their financial security , and the lives of those they love.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporters , appearing confident and , in contrast to Trump , offering pointed answers .
Asked about calls that Democrats should respond to the efforts to ram through Barrett ’ s confirmation by attempting to add more justices to the Supreme Court if they regain control of the chamber , Biden stayed on message .
“ I ’ m focused on making sure the American people understand that they ’ re being cut out of this process they ’ re entitled to be a part of and the cut out is designed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your health care in the midst of a pandemic , ” he said .
Trump and his allies regularly charge that Biden , who is 77 , is senile and unable to respond coherently to questions .
Trump , who is 74 , has also taken to baselessly charging that Biden is using some unknown medication .
On Sunday morning he tweeted that Biden should take a drug test before their first debate on Tuesday .
Biden ’ s competent if unremarkable address on Sunday highlights a problem with Trump ’ s line @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump , at least among his supporters , has managed to lower the expectations for Biden so much that if Biden delivers a decent debate performance , and “ does not appear weak , the tactic will have backfired , ” as the New York Times noted .
Asked Sunday what he needs to do to succeed in this week ’ s debate , Biden was brief .
“ Just tell the truth , ” he said .

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Joe Biden said Sunday that Republican senators should refuse to consider President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, until after Election Day, warning that voters “are not going stand for this abuse of power.“
“Never before in our nation’s history has a Supreme Court Justice been nominated and installed while a presidential election is already underway,” Biden said in a speech in Wilmington, Delaware. “It defies every precedent and every expectation of a nation where the people are sovereign and the rule of law reigns.”
In his short remarks, the former vice president faulted Trump for nominating Barrett to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the late justice “could be laid to rest.” And while Biden made what is likely to be a fruitless appeal to Republican senators to defy a push by the president and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to confirm Barrett before Election Day, his real audience was voters, whom he urged to punish the GOP for its bid to “subvert” democracy.
Speaking shortly after Trump tweeted his hope that the Supreme Court would strike down Obamacare, Biden echoed Democrats’ preferred line of attack on Barrett, accusing the GOP of rushing to “overturn the Affordable Care Act on their way out the door.” “It doesn’t matter what the American people want,” Biden said. “President Trump sees a chance to fulfill his explicit mission to steal away the vital protections of the ACA from countless families who have come to rely on them for their health, their financial security, and the lives of those they love.”
Biden took a handful of questions from reporters, appearing confident and, in contrast to Trump, offering pointed answers. Asked about calls that Democrats should respond to the efforts to ram through Barrett’s confirmation by attempting to add more justices to the Supreme Court if they regain control of the chamber, Biden stayed on message. “I’m focused on making sure the American people understand that they’re being cut out of this process they’re entitled to be a part of and the cut out is designed in order to take away the ACA and your health care in the midst of a pandemic,” he said.
Biden on possibly expanding SCOTUS: "I'm focused on making sure the American people understand that they're being cut out of this process they're entitled to be a part of, and they're cut out of a design in order to take away the ACA & your health care in the midst of a pandemic" pic.twitter.com/WVOGwmJedm — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 27, 2020
Trump and his allies regularly charge that Biden, who is 77, is senile and unable to respond coherently to questions. Trump, who is 74, has also taken to baselessly charging that Biden is using some unknown medication. On Sunday morning he tweeted that Biden should take a drug test before their first debate on Tuesday.
Biden’s competent if unremarkable address on Sunday highlights a problem with Trump’s line of attack heading into a debate. Trump, at least among his supporters, has managed to lower the expectations for Biden so much that if Biden delivers a decent debate performance, and “does not appear weak, the tactic will have backfired,” as the New York Times noted.
Asked Sunday what he needs to do to succeed in this week’s debate, Biden was brief. “Just tell the truth,” he said.


motherjones--2020-09-27--Amy Coney Barrett Isn’t Even Confirmed Yet and Trump is Cheering the End of Obamacare

President Donald Trump kicked off his Sunday by tweeting out a call for Joe Biden to take a drug test before their debate next week , adding that he ’ d take one too .
But that wasn ’ t his dumbest tweet of the morning .
Trump also celebrated the prospect that the Supreme Court will throw out the Affordable Care Act , a.k.a .
Obamacare .
“ Would be a big WIN For the USA !
” he tweeted .
The Trump administration is enthusiastically supporting a lawsuit filed by Republican attorneys general that would throw out the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 20 million people could lose their health insurance and protections for the more than 130 million Americans with preexisting conditions could disappear—in the midst of a pandemic .
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the case just after the election in November .
If the Republican-run Senate can get Amy Coney Barrett confirmed to take Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’ s seat by Election Day , she may be seated in time to hear the case .
In his tweet , Trump once again promised to replace Obamacare with something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to produce this unseen plan for replacing the Affordable Care Act .
He has asserted that he wants to maintain protections for people with preexisting conditions , but beyond issuing legally meaningless executive orders that reiterate that view , he has offered no specific proposal to keep those people from being kicked off their health plans .
Trump ’ s tweet plays into Democrats ’ criticisms of Barrett ‘ s record on health care .
In 2012 , she ripped the Supreme Court for upholding Obamacare in a 2012 ruling , calling the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to use the fight over Ginsburg ’ s seat to highlight the threat that Trump ’ s reelection would pose to Obamacare .
Polls consistently show Democrats enjoy a decisive advantage on this issue .
A new New York Times poll finds that 57 percent of Americans support the ACA .
In a letter sent to Democratic senators on Saturday , Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged them to focus on healthcare while discussing Barrett .
“ All the data show that with COVID raging , the number one priority for the American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and quality , ” Schumer wrote in the letter , as reported by Politico .
“ We must focus like a laser on health care because Judge Barrett ’ s record is so clear on this issue.
” Democratic lawmakers took up this argument on the Sunday talk shows .
“ It defies comprehension why President Trump would continue in his efforts to strip away from the American people pre-existing discrimination protection , ” Sen. Chris Coons ( D-Del . )
said on CBS ’ Face the Nation .
“ President Trump is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barrett to be on the Supreme Court is a vote to repeal the ACA and take away health care protection from a majority of Americans during a pandemic.
” Speaking to reporters on Sunday , Joe Biden said , “ This is about your healthcare .
This is about whether or not the Affordable Care Act still exists .
This is about whether or not preexisting conditions will continue to be covered .
This about whether a women will be able to be charged more than for the same procedure as a man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the middle of a pandemic.
” The effort to confirm Barrett before the election , Biden continued , “ is designed to take away the ACA and your healthcare in midst of a pandemic .
”

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President Donald Trump kicked off his Sunday by tweeting out a call for Joe Biden to take a drug test before their debate next week, adding that he’d take one too. But that wasn’t his dumbest tweet of the morning.
Trump also celebrated the prospect that the Supreme Court will throw out the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare. “Would be a big WIN For the USA!” he tweeted.
Obamacare will be replaced with a MUCH better, and FAR cheaper, alternative if it is terminated in the Supreme Court. Would be a big WIN for the USA! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 27, 2020
The Trump administration is enthusiastically supporting a lawsuit filed by Republican attorneys general that would throw out the entire ACA. If it succeeds, more than 20 million people could lose their health insurance and protections for the more than 130 million Americans with preexisting conditions could disappear—in the midst of a pandemic.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the case just after the election in November. If the Republican-run Senate can get Amy Coney Barrett confirmed to take Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat by Election Day, she may be seated in time to hear the case.
In his tweet, Trump once again promised to replace Obamacare with something bigger and better. He has yet to produce this unseen plan for replacing the Affordable Care Act. He has asserted that he wants to maintain protections for people with preexisting conditions, but beyond issuing legally meaningless executive orders that reiterate that view, he has offered no specific proposal to keep those people from being kicked off their health plans.
Trump’s tweet plays into Democrats’ criticisms of Barrett‘s record on health care. In 2012, she ripped the Supreme Court for upholding Obamacare in a 2012 ruling, calling the decision “illegitimate.” Democrats also want to use the fight over Ginsburg’s seat to highlight the threat that Trump’s reelection would pose to Obamacare. Polls consistently show Democrats enjoy a decisive advantage on this issue. A new New York Times poll finds that 57 percent of Americans support the ACA.
In a letter sent to Democratic senators on Saturday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged them to focus on healthcare while discussing Barrett. “All the data show that with COVID raging, the number one priority for the American people is health care—its affordability, accessibility and quality,” Schumer wrote in the letter, as reported by Politico. “We must focus like a laser on health care because Judge Barrett’s record is so clear on this issue.”
Democratic lawmakers took up this argument on the Sunday talk shows. “It defies comprehension why President Trump would continue in his efforts to strip away from the American people pre-existing discrimination protection,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said on CBS’ Face the Nation. “President Trump is making it clear a vote for Judge Barrett to be on the Supreme Court is a vote to repeal the ACA and take away health care protection from a majority of Americans during a pandemic.”
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Joe Biden said, “This is about your health care. This is about whether or not the Affordable Care Act still exists. This is about whether or not preexisting conditions will continue to be covered. This about whether a women will be able to be charged more than for the same procedure as a man, This is about Americans’ health care in the middle of a pandemic.” The effort to confirm Barrett before the election, Biden continued, “is designed to take away the ACA and your health care in midst of a pandemic.”


motherjones--2020-09-28--QAnon Is Attracting Cops

QAnon Is Attracting Cops

Chances are , you already don ’ t trust the police .
Polls show that most Americans don ’ t .
But what if the cop patrolling your neighborhood held bizarre and unsubstantiated views ?
What if there was a chance that officer in the patrol car idling down the block was watching videos about a conspiracy holding that a satanic cabal of high-profile liberal pedophiles is running the world ’ s most insidious sex ring .
Or was swiping through memes popularizing a made-up plot about kidnapped children kept in underground tunnels so their blood can be harvested to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what if they sincerely believed it all ?
In a small , but growing number of places across the country , that ’ s just what is happening , as police officers have endorsed QAnon , the overarching conspiracy theory comprising these beliefs .
Nico Roche , an officer in Bellevue , Washington was put on administrative leave early this summer after it was found that he violated the department ’ s social media policies for , among other things , posting a picture of himself in riot gear labeled with the QAnon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the popular Q slogan “ Where We Go One , We Go All.
” Up until he retired from the New Haven Police Department in early September , Jason Bandy was perhaps the policing world ’ s most aggressive supporter of QAnon .
Bandy , who owns a pre-workout vape business , sometimes wears basketball jerseys that show off the full-sleeve tattoos the cover both his arms and his neck while recording episodes of his podcast For The Love , which covers QAnon among a range of other conspiracies .
Many of Bandy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adlibs as he and his guests , do hazy , freeform opining anything from adrenochrome—a therapeutic compound that the hoax baselessly holds is acquired from children ’ blood—to liberal financier George Soros controlling society , a thinly-veiled anti-semitic conspiracy .
“ These elites are torturing these kids , ” Bandy said in a March episode of For The Love , as reported by the New Haven Independent .
“ Yes , there ’ s sex involved .
They ’ re trafficking these children and all these other rituals that they do .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , deep state , all this.
” Matthew Kunkel and Mark Manicki , both police officers in La Salle , Illinois , had their support for QAnon become known after one of them posted pictures of the duo wearing vests emblazoned with “ Q ” at a rally to end coronavirus lockdowns and reopen the economy .
La Salle Mayor Jeff Grove told The Times , a local paper , that the city would investigate the incident , but that in his view , “ what you do on your own time is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your right.
” Manicki was even more nonplussed by having his support of QAnon become a topic of controversy .
“ I , like millions of other people on this planet , enjoy the challenge of attempting to decode the information contained within the Q drops .
It ’ s called ‘ Q Research ’ for a reason , it requires research to obtain the information encoded within the posts , ” Manicki explained to The Times .
“ I ’ m merely someone who sits on my couch late at night with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in hand , while seeking the truth .
Last time I checked , there was nothing wrong with that !
” ( La Salle police did not return a Mother Jones request for comment . )
Like LaSalle ’ s mayor , some people in power who have been asked to answer for QAnon supporters in their proximity have acted as if the conspiracy is ultimately harmless .
But this is a dangerous misconception , especially when it comes to government agents empowered to use force .
The logic of the conspiracy theory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acts of violence : If you actually believe that elites are harboring scores of children in underground tunnels to rape and steal blood from , taking action to liberate them would be a moral imperative .
QAnon supporters at least partially motivated by their belief in the conspiracy theory have plotted to carry out fatal violence acts , or actually done so .
In a deep irony , QAnon supporters have actually kidnapped children .
The FBI has warned about the potential dangers of QAnon adherents carrying out violence in a document that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distributed to local law enforcement agencies .
QAnon supporters committing outright crimes , while concerning , is rare .
What ’ s more common and still destructive is QAnon ’ s adherents ’ tendency to target and relentlessly harass people .
Terrorizing people online is a way for QAnon supporter to feel like they ’ ve done their part without physical risk or likely breaking the law .
“ What ’ s a lot more concerning than targeted harassment though , ” warns Travis View “ is someone with of the power of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” View produces the podcast QAnon Anonymous which recently featured an episode on “ QAnon Cops.
” I spoke to him on Zoom call along with his co-host Jake Rockatansky .
“ The danger , ” Rockatansky added , “ is that you ’ ve got law enforcement who have a tremendous amount of responsibility who are showing complete disconnect from reality .
They carry weapons .
What happens if a police officer thinks that they ’ ve uncovered a pedophile ring ?
” It might have been inevitable that QAnon would find @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conspiracy ’ s adherents , like cops , decidedly skew Republican .
In June , Jesselyn Cook and Nick Robins-Early wrote for the Huffington Post about how Law Enforcement Today , a website and podcast platform that claims to be the largest law enforcement-owned and operated media outlet , has pushed authoritarian politics and far-right conspiracy theories to its audience .
Though the site hasn ’ t explicitly backed QAnon , it has endorsed the pro-QAnon politician Marjorie Taylor Green , and has embedded tweets bearing QAnon hashtags in at least a dozen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of believing lurid conspiracy theories about child endangerment—conspiracies that have repeatedly arisen on the right at times of progressive gains .
In 1991 , Robert D. Hicks , an academic working as a law enforcement specialist with the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services , published his research detailing how cops bought into some of the most farcical allegations of the Satanic panic of the 1980s .
His book , “ In Pursuit of Satan : The Police and the Occult , ” documents how law enforcement put credence in elaborate tales purporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one story spread by a Virginia investigator , children were supposedly bussed to an airfield , flown to a ceremonial site for ritual abuse , then put on a return flight and bussed back to the daycare in time for unsuspecting parents to pick them up .
In another , police arrested two brothers that had supposedly got a voodoo priest to cast a death spell on a judge .
The brothers were charged with conspiracy to commit murder , on the basis of the hex .
Jamie Longazel , an associate professor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice , is at work on a book on the Blue Lives Matter movement , and the police culture undergirding it .
He thinks one reason QAnon may be particularly alluring to cops now is that they face growing criticism from the left—which QAnon labels as evil pedophile enablers—while being embraced by the right .
Aside from that , Longazel says police are generally likelier to believe in conspiracies , pointing to the santanic panic era , and to a study he recently came across from 1964 that found exceptionally high police membership @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the influential far-right conspiracy group .
As many as three percent of all members were police officers , according to the study .
Longazel says the the beliefs embedded within policing encourage such thinking .
“ They sort of operate on myth and fantasy on a day to day basis , ” he explains .
“ At any minute someone is going to do some harm .
And there ’ s this myth that police are the one way to control crime.
” More broadly , police officers and departments , who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a history of spreading information that comports with their world views , but not necessarily reality .
In just the past several years , police have pushed multiple fabricated stories just about dairy products , spreading false stories about how milkshakes and frappucinos were involved in nonexistent plots to injure them—a milk-based mini-conspiracy of sorts .
Some police have also pushed lactose-free misinformation about Antifa supposedly traveling to suburban communities to riot , which is a full-blown conspiracy theory .
QAnon Anonymous has documented other cops falling into QAnon .
One is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Moore , Oklahoma police department and a prolific Tik-Toker who has posted at least two videos in support of QAnon that include hashtags like # WWG1WGA .
In one , Schultz wonders why he hasn ’ t seen “ celebs and some powerful people ” speaking out on Q dispite the conspiracy ’ s popularity on Tik-Tok , as he floridly loweris sunglasses and raises his eyebrows at the camera , over notes of the Eurythmics ’ “ Sweet Dreams.
” Another officer in Jacksonville ’ s Sheriff ’ s office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s been preserved by QAnon Anonymous showing herself crying in uniform , in her police car , seemingly on duty , saying she ’ s just watched a QAnon YouTube video that falsely claims to unveil the secrets of the liberal cabal ’ s child pedophile ring .
QAnon believers can also be found on Thee Rant , a web forum that requires members to verify they are current or former New York Police Department officers before posting .
“ This Q posts anonymously on web boards and has been proven right on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crazy wacko , ” one poster explained back in 2018 .
“ He is just a source like any other but he is accurate and consistent.
” “ I ’ ve posted here before about the counter-coup that petitioned Trump to run to counter the Obama/Clinton/Globalist takeover , ” another Thee Rant user with a history of posting on QAnon and Q-adjacent conspiracies wrote in 2020 thread .
Others responded with pro-QAnon posts .
NYPD appreciation of QAnon goes beyond the rank-and-file .
In July , the head of the NYPD sergeants union @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News with a QAnon mug in the background , which he had apparently done multiple times before .
These public expressions could just be the visible tip of a larger iceberg of less visible support for QAnon from law enforcement contingent , including from officers worried about repercussions and savvy enough to keep their conspiratorial politics to themselves .
In what served as a relatively early sign of police warming to QAnon , in 2018 , Mike Pence ’ s social media team shared a photograph showing him greeting Florida SWAT team members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Broward County Sheriff ’ s office , who was wearing a QAnon patch .
After the photo came to attention , the department said he was disciplined .
“ For every QAnon cop who is dumb enough to just post ‘ Yes , I love Q .
Where we go one , we go all , ’ there ’ s got to be many more who are better at hiding their power level , ” View said on his podcast .
“ Who perhaps understand how this might potentially put their career @ @ @ @ @ @ @ open about this shit .
”

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Chances are, you already don’t trust the police. Polls show that most Americans don’t.
But what if the cop patrolling your neighborhood held bizarre and unsubstantiated views? What if there was a chance that officer in the patrol car idling down the block was watching videos about a conspiracy holding that a satanic cabal of high-profile liberal pedophiles is running the world’s most insidious sex ring? Or was swiping through memes popularizing a made-up plot about kidnapped children kept in underground tunnels so their blood can be harvested to help keep wealthy people alive? And what if they sincerely believed it all?
In a small but growing number of places across the country, that’s just what is happening, as police officers have endorsed QAnon, the overarching conspiracy theory comprising these beliefs.
“I’m merely someone who sits on my couch late at night with my dog on my lap, iPhone in hand, while seeking the truth.”
Nico Roche, an officer in Bellevue, Washington, was put on administrative leave early this summer after it was found that he violated the department’s social media policies for, among other things, posting a picture of himself in riot gear labeled with the QAnon hashtag #WWG1WGA, an abbreviation of the popular Q slogan “Where We Go One, We Go All.”
Up until he retired from the New Haven Police Department in early September, Jason Bandy was perhaps the policing world’s most aggressive supporter of QAnon. Bandy, who owns a pre-workout vape business, sometimes wears basketball jerseys that show off the full-sleeve tattoos the cover both his arms and his neck while recording episodes of his podcast For The Love, which covers QAnon among a range of other conspiracies.
Many of Bandy’s recordings sound like far-out internet ad-libs as he and his guests, do hazy, freeform opining anything from adrenochrome—a therapeutic compound that the hoax baselessly holds is acquired from children’s blood—to liberal financier George Soros controlling society, a thinly veiled anti-Semitic conspiracy.
“These elites are torturing these kids,” Bandy said in a March episode of For The Love, as reported by the New Haven Independent. “Yes, there’s sex involved. They’re trafficking these children and all these other rituals that they do. They are Satanic worshipers. They are Illuminati, deep state, all this.”
Matthew Kunkel and Mark Manicki, both police officers in La Salle, Illinois, had their support for QAnon become known after one of them posted pictures of the duo wearing vests emblazoned with “Q” at a rally to end coronavirus lockdowns and reopen the economy. La Salle Mayor Jeff Grove told the Times, a local paper, that the city would investigate the incident, but that in his view, “what you do on your own time is your choice, and that’s your right.”
Manicki was even more nonplussed by having his support of QAnon become a topic of controversy. “I, like millions of other people on this planet, enjoy the challenge of attempting to decode the information contained within the Q drops. It’s called ‘Q Research’ for a reason, it requires research to obtain the information encoded within the posts,” Manicki explained to the Times. “I’m merely someone who sits on my couch late at night with my dog on my lap, iPhone in hand, while seeking the truth. Last time I checked, there was nothing wrong with that!” (La Salle police did not return a Mother Jones request for comment.)
Like LaSalle’s mayor, some people in power who have been asked to answer for QAnon supporters in their proximity have acted as if the conspiracy is ultimately harmless. But this is a dangerous misconception, especially when it comes to government agents empowered to use force. The logic of the conspiracy theory almost requires its adherents to carry out acts of violence: If you actually believe that elites are harboring scores of children in underground tunnels to rape and steal blood from, taking action to liberate them would be a moral imperative.
QAnon supporters at least partially motivated by their belief in the conspiracy theory have plotted to carry out fatal, violent acts, or actually done so. In a deep irony, QAnon supporters have actually kidnapped children. The FBI has warned about the potential dangers of QAnon adherents carrying out violence in a document that is designed to be distributed to local law enforcement agencies.
QAnon supporters committing outright crimes, while concerning, is rare. What’s more common and still destructive is QAnon adherents’ tendency to target and relentlessly harass people. Terrorizing people online is a way for QAnon supporters to feel like they’ve done their part without physical risk or likely breaking the law.
“You’ve got law enforcement who have a tremendous amount of responsibility who are showing complete disconnect from reality. They carry weapons.”
“What’s a lot more concerning than targeted harassment though,” warns Travis View, “is someone with of the power of a police officer taking action on someone.”
View produces the podcast QAnon Anonymous, which recently featured an episode on “QAnon Cops.” I spoke to him on Zoom call along with his co-host Jake Rockatansky.
“The danger,” Rockatansky added, “is that you’ve got law enforcement who have a tremendous amount of responsibility who are showing complete disconnect from reality. They carry weapons. What happens if a police officer thinks that they’ve uncovered a pedophile ring?”
It might have been inevitable that QAnon would find an audience among police officers; the conspiracy’s adherents, like cops, decidedly skew Republican. In June, Jesselyn Cook and Nick Robins-Early wrote for the Huffington Post about how Law Enforcement Today, a website and podcast platform that claims to be the largest law enforcement-owned and operated media outlet, has pushed authoritarian politics and far-right conspiracy theories to its audience. Though the site hasn’t explicitly backed QAnon, it has endorsed the pro-QAnon politician Marjorie Taylor Green, and has embedded tweets bearing QAnon hashtags in at least a dozen stories.
Police officers have a history of believing lurid conspiracy theories about child endangerment—conspiracies that have repeatedly arisen on the right at times of progressive gains. In 1991, Robert D. Hicks, an academic working as a law enforcement specialist with the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, published his research detailing how cops bought into some of the most farcical allegations of the satanic panic of the 1980s. His book, In Pursuit of Satan: The Police and the Occult, documents how law enforcement put credence in elaborate tales purporting satanic abuse at daycare centers. In one story spread by a Virginia investigator, children were supposedly bussed to an airfield, flown to a ceremonial site for ritual abuse, then put on a return flight and bussed back to the daycare in time for unsuspecting parents to pick them up. In another, police arrested two brothers that had supposedly got a voodoo priest to cast a death spell on a judge. The brothers were charged with conspiracy to commit murder, on the basis of the hex.
Jamie Longazel, an associate professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, is at work on a book on the Blue Lives Matter movement, and the police culture undergirding it. He thinks one reason QAnon may be particularly alluring to cops now is that they face growing criticism from the left—which QAnon labels as evil pedophile enablers—while being embraced by the right.
Aside from that, Longazel says police are generally likelier to believe in conspiracies, pointing to the santanic panic era, and to a study he recently came across from 1964 that found exceptionally high police membership in the the John Birch Society, the influential far-right conspiracy group. As many as three percent of all members were police officers, according to the study.
“They sort of operate on myth and fantasy on a day to day basis.”
Longazel says the the beliefs embedded within policing encourage such thinking. “They sort of operate on myth and fantasy on a day to day basis,” he explains. “At any minute someone is going to do some harm. And there’s this myth that police are the one way to control crime.”
More broadly, police officers and departments, who are used to operating with unchecked power, have a history of spreading information that comports with their world views, but not necessarily reality. In just the past several years, police have pushed multiple fabricated stories just about dairy products, spreading false stories about how milkshakes and frappucinos were involved in nonexistent plots to injure them—a milk-based mini-conspiracy of sorts. Some police have also pushed lactose-free misinformation about antifa supposedly traveling to suburban communities to riot, which is a full-blown conspiracy theory.
QAnon Anonymous has documented other cops falling into QAnon. One is Sgt. Dustin Schultz, an officer in the Moore, Oklahoma, police department and a prolific Tik-Toker who has posted at least two videos in support of QAnon that include hashtags like #WWG1WGA.
In one, Schultz wonders why he hasn’t seen “celebs and some powerful people” speaking out on Q dispite the conspiracy’s popularity on Tik-Tok, as he floridly lowers sunglasses and raises his eyebrows at the camera, over notes of the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams.”
Another officer in Jacksonville’s sheriff’s office posted a now-deleted Tik-Tok video that’s been preserved by QAnon Anonymous showing herself crying in uniform, in her police car, seemingly on duty, saying she’s just watched a QAnon YouTube video that falsely claims to unveil the secrets of the liberal cabal’s child pedophile ring.
QAnon believers can also be found on Thee Rant, a web forum that requires members to verify they are current or former New York Police Department officers before posting. “This Q posts anonymously on web boards and has been proven right on many posts yet he is considered some crazy wacko,” one poster explained back in 2018. “He is just a source like any other but he is accurate and consistent.”
“I’ve posted here before about the counter-coup that petitioned Trump to run to counter the Obama/Clinton/Globalist takeover,” another Thee Rant user with a history of posting on QAnon and Q-adjacent conspiracies wrote in 2020 thread. Others responded with pro-QAnon posts.
NYPD appreciation of QAnon goes beyond the rank-and-file. In July, the head of the NYPD sergeants union, Ed Mullins, appeared on Fox News with a QAnon mug in the background, which he had apparently done multiple times before.
These public expressions could just be the visible tip of a larger iceberg of less visible support for QAnon from law enforcement contingent, including from officers worried about repercussions and savvy enough to keep their conspiratorial politics to themselves. In what served as a relatively early sign of police warming to QAnon, in 2018, Mike Pence’s social media team shared a photograph showing him greeting Florida SWAT team members including Matt Patten, an officer in the Broward County sheriff’s office, who was wearing a QAnon patch. After the photo came to attention, the department said he was disciplined.
“For every QAnon cop who is dumb enough to just post ‘Yes, I love Q. Where we go one, we go all,’ there’s got to be many more who are better at hiding their power level,” View said on his podcast. “Who perhaps understand how this might potentially put their career in jeopardy if they’re totally open about this shit.”


motherjones--2020-09-27--Amy Coney Barrett Isn’t Even Confirmed Yet and Trump Is Cheering the End of Obamacare

President Donald Trump kicked off his Sunday by tweeting out a call for Joe Biden to take a drug test before their debate next week , adding that he ’ d take one too .
But that wasn ’ t his dumbest tweet of the morning .
Trump also celebrated the prospect that the Supreme Court will throw out the Affordable Care Act , a.k.a .
Obamacare .
“ Would be a big WIN For the USA !
” he tweeted .
The Trump administration is enthusiastically supporting a lawsuit filed by Republican attorneys general that would throw out the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 20 million people could lose their health insurance and protections for the more than 130 million Americans with preexisting conditions could disappear—in the midst of a pandemic .
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the case just after the election in November .
If the Republican-run Senate can get Amy Coney Barrett confirmed to take Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’ s seat by Election Day , she may be seated in time to hear the case .
In his tweet , Trump once again promised to replace Obamacare with something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to produce this unseen plan for replacing the Affordable Care Act .
He has asserted that he wants to maintain protections for people with preexisting conditions , but beyond issuing legally meaningless executive orders that reiterate that view , he has offered no specific proposal to keep those people from being kicked off their health plans .
Trump ’ s tweet plays into Democrats ’ criticisms of Barrett ‘ s record on health care .
In 2012 , she ripped the Supreme Court for upholding Obamacare in a 2012 ruling , calling the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to use the fight over Ginsburg ’ s seat to highlight the threat that Trump ’ s reelection would pose to Obamacare .
Polls consistently show Democrats enjoy a decisive advantage on this issue .
A new New York Times poll finds that 57 percent of Americans support the ACA .
In a letter sent to Democratic senators on Saturday , Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged them to focus on healthcare while discussing Barrett .
“ All the data show that with COVID raging , the number one priority for the American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and quality , ” Schumer wrote in the letter , as reported by Politico .
“ We must focus like a laser on health care because Judge Barrett ’ s record is so clear on this issue.
” Democratic lawmakers took up this argument on the Sunday talk shows .
“ It defies comprehension why President Trump would continue in his efforts to strip away from the American people pre-existing discrimination protection , ” Sen. Chris Coons ( D-Del . )
said on CBS ’ Face the Nation .
“ President Trump is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barrett to be on the Supreme Court is a vote to repeal the ACA and take away health care protection from a majority of Americans during a pandemic.
” Speaking to reporters on Sunday , Joe Biden said , “ This is about your health care .
This is about whether or not the Affordable Care Act still exists .
This is about whether or not preexisting conditions will continue to be covered .
This about whether a women will be able to be charged more than for the same procedure as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health care in the middle of a pandemic.
” The effort to confirm Barrett before the election , Biden continued , “ is designed to take away the ACA and your health care in midst of a pandemic .
”


motherjones--2020-09-28--The Wealthy Are the Real Welfare Queens and Donald Trump Is Their King

When I was attending college in a small conservative town in Iowa , a “ friend ” asked me if my mom paid taxes .
Taken aback by the question , I quickly muttered , “ Yes… ” and moved on .
Only later that day did I realize the implication .
At the time , my mother was a green card holder , and this person assumed that because my mom is an immigrant , she must be living off the government for free .
Of course mom pays taxes , I fumed , doesn ’ t everyone ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that not only did Donald Trump pay just $ 750 in federal income tax in 2016 and 2017 , but for 11 of 18 years of tax records he paid no income tax at all .
And , to twist the knife a little deeper , he received a $ 72.9 million dollar refund that is currently being audited by the Internal Revenue Service .
Aside from the important revelations about Trump—who has refused to release his taxes for years—the investigation offered another glimpse into the world of the super-wealthy .
While teachers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers dutifully pay a portion of their salaries into federal coffers , the tax code allows for millionaires and billionaires to pay very little or nothing at all .
Rich people are the real welfare queens and Donald Trump is their king .
American culture reveres wealth and blames poor people for their own misfortune .
The idea of makers and takers is decades old .
Mitt Romney ’ s 2012 presidential campaign was derailed after Mother Jones reported that he ’ d been caught on tape claiming that 47 percent of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 , Trump tried to use the tape to criticize Romney , despite making similar comments himself in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News , as my colleague David Corn reported : This was a routine conservative contention : Assistance programs cause people not to work .
And Hannity pressed Trump : Would he insist that recipients of food stamps , welfare , and other government assistance “ have to work for it ?
” Trump replied that this could be necessary , and he remarked that Bill Clinton had pushed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Then Trump made a broader point : “ The problem we have right now—we have a society that sits back and says we don ’ t have to do anything .
Eventually , the 50 percent can not carry—and it ’ s unfair to them—but can not carry the other 50 percent.
” Their talking points come from none other than Ronald Reagan who helped usher in the era of the welfare queen ; the Black woman who doesn ’ t work , pays no taxes , and lives a lavish life—the cars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government welfare .
Forty years later , this vision of the lazy and self-indulgent Black woman still resonates .
How many complaints do we hear about food stamp beneficiaries daring to buy steak or brand name cereal ?
If my tax dollars are paying for their meals , the line of thinking goes , they should obviously be eating gruel .
But low-income Americans pay taxes—and a lot more than the current president—as Twitter demonstrated after the Times story broke .
In 2016 , the average middle-income household earned $ 60,000 .
According @ @ @ @ @ @ @ average household paid $ 2,200 in federal taxes that year .
The biggest talking point of Trump ’ s campaign has been his obsession with the notion that undocumented immigrants are criminals and racists coming to exploit and destroy our country .
One key component of that message is his assertion that undocumented immigrants are costing the federal government billions of dollars a year .
But , in fact , the latest data from the IRS found that undocumented immigrants paid $ 23.6 billion in federal income tax in 2015 .
They also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are not eligible to receive .
When it comes to being tax burdens , immigrants have nothing on the president of the United States .
The irony of the welfare queen myth is not only that the American public benefits system is a disgrace ( the average food stamp recipient receives than $ 2 per meal ) , but a big reason it is that way is because wealthy people like the president don ’ t pay their fair share .
According to Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-Vt. ) the top 1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unpaid taxes .
To make matters worse , the Trump administration is taking what ’ s left of our social safety net and fraying it still more .
As my former colleague Jessica Washington and I reported in January , the Trump administration has been quietly waging a war on the poor : While wealthy people dodge paying taxes , they freely cast the blame on our crumbling system as the fault of Other People—whether poor people too lazy to work or immigrants flooding the border—thereby leaving working people busy accusing each other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump scammed the government into giving him nearly $ 73 million .
Who is more of a financial drain ?
Surely , it ’ s not the homeless man receiving $ 194 in food stamps each month or the single parent receiving less than $ 300 in cash assistance .
Or the unemployed who are now deprived of the additional $ 600 a week in essential aid .
A system that rewards the rich at the expense of the poor is nothing new , but the Trump era has provided an additional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only as the savviest of savvy billionaires but also as the unlikely hero of the working class .
Yes , on its face , this is ridiculous .
But much of his fan base supports him for this very reason .
These new financial revelations may not convince millions of his supporters to turn their backs on him , but it offers yet another data point in this era when cherished truths about the United States are being unmasked—with nearly 205,000 dead from coronavirus , millions facing economic ruin , record-breaking climate calamities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over racial inequality .
Everything we once believed would carry us through this era—unity , democracy , and exceptionalism—turned out to be lies , often most passionately sold to us by grifters .

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.
When I was attending college in a small conservative town in Iowa, a “friend” asked me if my mom paid taxes. Taken aback by the question, I quickly muttered, “Yes…” and moved on. Only later that day did I realize the implication. At the time, my mother was a green card holder, and this person assumed that because my mom is an immigrant, she must be living off the government for free. Of course mom pays taxes, I fumed, doesn’t everyone?
Apparently not.
A sweeping New York Times report found that not only did Donald Trump pay just $750 in federal income tax in 2016 and 2017, but for 11 of 18 years of tax records he paid no income tax at all. And, to twist the knife a little deeper, he received a $72.9 million dollar refund that is currently being audited by the Internal Revenue Service. Aside from the important revelations about Trump—who has refused to release his taxes for years—the investigation offered another glimpse into the world of the super-wealthy. While teachers, nurses, plumbers, and restaurant workers dutifully pay a portion of their salaries into federal coffers, the tax code allows for millionaires and billionaires to pay very little or nothing at all. Rich people are the real welfare queens and Donald Trump is their king.
American culture reveres wealth and blames poor people for their own misfortune. The idea of makers and takers is decades old. Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign was derailed after Mother Jones reported that he’d been caught on tape claiming that 47 percent of the American people were “takers.” In 2016, Trump tried to use the tape to criticize Romney, despite making similar comments himself in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, as my colleague David Corn reported:
This was a routine conservative contention: Assistance programs cause people not to work. And Hannity pressed Trump: Would he insist that recipients of food stamps, welfare, and other government assistance “have to work for it?” Trump replied that this could be necessary, and he remarked that Bill Clinton had pushed such an approach with welfare reform. Then Trump made a broader point: “The problem we have right now—we have a society that sits back and says we don’t have to do anything. Eventually, the 50 percent cannot carry—and it’s unfair to them—but cannot carry the other 50 percent.”
Their talking points come from none other than Ronald Reagan who helped usher in the era of the welfare queen; the Black woman who doesn’t work, pays no taxes, and lives a lavish life—the cars! the television sets!—off of government welfare. Forty years later, this vision of the lazy and self-indulgent Black woman still resonates. How many complaints do we hear about food stamp beneficiaries daring to buy steak or brand name cereal? If my tax dollars are paying for their meals, the line of thinking goes, they should obviously be eating gruel. But low-income Americans pay taxes—and a lot more than the current president—as Twitter demonstrated after the Times story broke.
I am a 16-year-old part-time minimum wage worker and I pay more income taxes than the billionaire President of the United States — Calla (@CallaWalsh) September 27, 2020
As an undocumented immigrant, I can now say that I've paid more in taxes than the President. According to NYT, @realDonaldTrump paid only "$750 in federal income taxes the year he won the presidency." Meanwhile, I paid $1,559.85 in *quarterly taxes* for Q4 '19.#TrumpTaxReturns pic.twitter.com/6D3m9qPhK0 — Rodrigo P. Pimentel (@rdrigopimentel) September 27, 2020
I’m a teacher. I pay more in taxes than @realDonaldTrump. Can someone explain how this is OK? — She Sounds Hideous (@megc1977) September 27, 2020
In 2016, the average middle-income household earned $60,000. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the average household paid $2,200 in federal taxes that year. The biggest talking point of Trump’s campaign has been his obsession with the notion that undocumented immigrants are criminals and racists coming to exploit and destroy our country. One key component of that message is his assertion that undocumented immigrants are costing the federal government billions of dollars a year. But, in fact, the latest data from the IRS found that undocumented immigrants paid $23.6 billion in federal income tax in 2015. They also pay Social Security and Medicare, benefits they are not eligible to receive. When it comes to being tax burdens, immigrants have nothing on the president of the United States.
When it comes to being tax burdens, immigrants have nothing on the president of the United States.
The irony of the welfare queen myth is not only that the American public benefits system is a disgrace (the average food stamp recipient receives less than $2 per meal), but a big reason it is that way is because wealthy people like the president don’t pay their fair share. According to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) the top 1 percent is responsible for 70 percent of unpaid taxes.
Trump’s tax returns tell us that he's either a very bad businessman or a tax cheat—likely both. But more importantly, it shows how the wealthy, unlike most Americans, are able to avoid paying taxes. The top 1% is responsible for 70% of unpaid taxes. It's time to tax the rich. — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) September 28, 2020
To make matters worse, the Trump administration is taking what’s left of our social safety net and fraying it still more. As my former colleague Jessica Washington and I reported in January, the Trump administration has been quietly waging a war on the poor:
The once-robust social safety net has been steadily dismantled by Republican and Democratic administrations alike. A series of actions, from Ronald Reagan’s fear-mongering about the government subsidizing luxurious lifestyles for welfare recipients to Bill Clinton’s welfare reform that imposed strict work requirement for benefit recipients, have made it tougher than ever to be poor in America. Now Trump is making it even harder. “There’s been an emphasis on attacking the most vulnerable people in our nation,” says Alexandra Cawthorne Gaines, vice president of the Poverty to Prosperity Program at the Center for American Progress. “It’s just continuous attacks and the creation of additional barriers for people seeking assistance.
While wealthy people dodge paying taxes, they freely cast the blame on our crumbling system as the fault of Other People—whether poor people too lazy to work or immigrants flooding the border—thereby leaving working people busy accusing each other of consuming unearned resources. Meanwhile, Donald Trump scammed the government into giving him nearly $73 million. Who is more of a financial drain? Surely, it’s not the homeless man receiving $194 in food stamps each month or the single parent receiving less than $300 in cash assistance. Or the unemployed who are now deprived of the additional $600 a week in essential aid.
A system that rewards the rich at the expense of the poor is nothing new, but the Trump era has provided an additional dimension. Trump has portrayed himself not only as the savviest of savvy billionaires but also as the unlikely hero of the working class. Yes, on its face, this is ridiculous. But much of his fan base supports him for this very reason. These new financial revelations may not convince millions of his supporters to turn their backs on him, but it offers yet another data point in this era when cherished truths about the United States are being unmasked—with nearly 205,000 dead from coronavirus, millions facing economic ruin, record-breaking climate calamities, and massive protests in the streets over racial inequality. Everything we once believed would carry us through this era—unity, democracy, and exceptionalism—turned out to be lies, often most passionately sold to us by grifters.