theintercept--2020-08-05--Ted Cruz's Hearing on Anarchist Protest Violence Was a Total Farce

with Congress still failing to agree on an urgent pandemic relief package , Sen. Ted Cruz , R-Texas , brought together a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee to propagandize .
Instead of helping the pandemic-stricken , Cruz chaired an hourslong spectacle of a hearing designed to peddle misleading narratives about anarchists and anti-fascists .
If the propagandistic title of the hearing — “ The Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble : Protecting Speech by Stopping Anarchist Violence ” — wasn ’ t enough to show his aims , Cruz ’ s own comments made clear the proceedings ’ purpose as political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cruz twice chastised his Democratic colleagues for praising peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters while failing to condemn “ antifa ” and the “ terrorists ” who killed a federal security officer , Dave Patrick Underwood , during a May protest in Oakland .
Cruz ’ s implication was clear : The left killed Underwood .
Yet Underwood was killed by a member of the far right — one of 329 murders carried out by right-wing extremists since 1994 .
In the same period , a grand total of zero murders have been attributed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the man charged in Underwood ’ s murder have been public knowledge for nearly two months .
The alleged killer , Air Force Sgt .
Steve Carillo , who also killed another federal officer during the premeditated ambush , is an open adherent of the boogaloo movement , which is aimed at hastening a second civil war .
Sen. Dick Durbin , D-Ill. , pointed out Cruz ’ s error after the Texas Republican ’ s first mention of Underwood , noting that the killer was on the far right .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again later in the hearing , once again within the context of a blustering speech about antifa .
The hearing was just the latest stage for baseless overtures on the threat of the far left .
Sen. Mazie Hirono , D-Hawaii , made numerous attempts to change the afternoon ’ s focus onto a more worthy target — deadly white supremacist violence — to little avail .
to ignore white supremacist violence and focus instead on the far left is nothing new .
The Intercept reported last month , based on leaked law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration has sought to demonize and target antifa , reports amassed of deadly white supremacist violence and substantive threats — including to the police themselves .
Not that the police should be let off the hook for the right ’ s pernicious priorities .
U.S. law enforcement has an unbroken history of deprioritizing , if not outright aiding , white supremacist movements .
During Tuesday ’ s unnecessary hearing , U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox said that she was overseeing a task force to investigate current anti-government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ white supremacists .
One of the few voices of reason throughout the afternoon , Michael German , a former FBI agent specializing in domestic terrorism who is now a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice , noted the “ sensationalized ” focus on the far left has “ distracted from focus on the deadly threats ” posed by the far right .
“ As a matter of policy , far-right violence is deprioritized , ” German said .
In line with German ’ s criticism , the hearing proceeded with paranoiac speeches @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protesters .
Acting Deputy Secretary of of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli discussed protesters using laser pointers and small projectiles , like frozen water bottles , against brutal federal agents in Portland , Oregon .
He spoke as if he was describing weapons of mass destruction when he said that demonstrators were taking up “ the oldest weapon in history ” — rocks .
Meanwhile , as German previously told The Intercept , on the far right “ you have these heavily armed groups right there , who have a much more direct and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or anarchist-involved does.
” The only member of the media called to testify was right-wing provocateur Andy Ngo .
Ngo spoke of the long history of antifa organizing in Portland , but unsurprisingly omitted the most obvious reason for it : In recent years , Portland has become an epicenter of far-right violence , to which anti-fascist action is a rightful response .
Kyle Shideler of the Center for Security Policy also testified as an alleged expert on the nature of antifa as an organization of international terrorism , drawing comparisons to Al @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hearing , the Center for Security Policy is designated by the Southern Policy Law Center as an anti-Muslim hate group .
Only one witness identified as an anti-fascist and a participant in the ongoing anti-racist protests for Black lives , Nkenge Harmon Johnson of the Portland Urban League ; she was asked no questions by the committee after her brief statement in support of the movement .
Cruz , meanwhile , gave Shideler extra speaking time to defend his hate group against criticism .
Cruz closed the proceedings with a frenzied tirade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — purported criticisms that bear no repeating .
Suffice it to say that Cruz , a racist police apologist , is no fan of Black liberation icons like Angela Davis and Assata Shakur .
Yet — and there ’ s no surprise here — Senate Democrats at the hearing did no favors to the ongoing uprisings either .
Hirono may have made welcome reference to the scourge of white supremacist violence , but she also dismissed the serious and reasonable demand to defund the police at the center of the protests .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , “ I certainly don ’ t. ” Such are the establishment powers against which anarchists , among many others , have good reason to act .

Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP
On Tuesday afternoon, with Congress still failing to agree on an urgent pandemic relief package, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, brought together a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee to propagandize. Instead of helping the pandemic-stricken, Cruz chaired an hourslong spectacle of a hearing designed to peddle misleading narratives about anarchists and anti-fascists.
If the propagandistic title of the hearing — “The Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble: Protecting Speech by Stopping Anarchist Violence” — wasn’t enough to show his aims, Cruz’s own comments made clear the proceedings’ purpose as political theater. In a telling moment, Cruz twice chastised his Democratic colleagues for praising peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters while failing to condemn “antifa” and the “terrorists” who killed a federal security officer, Dave Patrick Underwood, during a May protest in Oakland. Cruz’s implication was clear: The left killed Underwood.
Right-wing extremists have carried out 329 murders since 1994. In the same period, a grand total of zero murders have been attributed to antifa participants.
Yet Underwood was killed by a member of the far right — one of 329 murders carried out by right-wing extremists since 1994.
In the same period, a grand total of zero murders have been attributed to antifa participants.
The political affiliations of the man charged in Underwood’s murder have been public knowledge for nearly two months. The alleged killer, Air Force Sgt. Steve Carillo, who also killed another federal officer during the premeditated ambush, is an open adherent of the boogaloo movement, which is aimed at hastening a second civil war.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., pointed out Cruz’s error after the Texas Republican’s first mention of Underwood, noting that the killer was on the far right. This did not stop Cruz raising the killing again later in the hearing, once again within the context of a blustering speech about antifa.
The hearing was just the latest stage for baseless overtures on the threat of the far left. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, made numerous attempts to change the afternoon’s focus onto a more worthy target — deadly white supremacist violence — to little avail.
For the government to ignore white supremacist violence and focus instead on the far left is nothing new. The Intercept reported last month, based on leaked law enforcement documents, that while the Trump administration has sought to demonize and target antifa, reports amassed of deadly white supremacist violence and substantive threats — including to the police themselves.
Not that the police should be let off the hook for the right’s pernicious priorities. U.S. law enforcement has an unbroken history of deprioritizing, if not outright aiding, white supremacist movements. During Tuesday’s unnecessary hearing, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox said that she was overseeing a task force to investigate current anti-government threats, which was not focused on white supremacists.
One of the few voices of reason throughout the afternoon, Michael German, a former FBI agent specializing in domestic terrorism who is now a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, noted the “sensationalized” focus on the far left has “distracted from focus on the deadly threats” posed by the far right. “As a matter of policy, far-right violence is deprioritized,” German said.
In line with German’s criticism, the hearing proceeded with paranoiac speeches about the tactics of anti-racist, anti-fascist protesters. Acting Deputy Secretary of of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli discussed protesters using laser pointers and small projectiles, like frozen water bottles, against brutal federal agents in Portland, Oregon. He spoke as if he was describing weapons of mass destruction when he said that demonstrators were taking up “the oldest weapon in history” — rocks.
Meanwhile, as German previously told The Intercept, on the far right “you have these heavily armed groups right there, who have a much more direct and lengthy history of violence than anything antifa or anarchist-involved does.”
The only member of the media called to testify was right-wing provocateur Andy Ngo. Ngo spoke of the long history of antifa organizing in Portland, but unsurprisingly omitted the most obvious reason for it: In recent years, Portland has become an epicenter of far-right violence, to which anti-fascist action is a rightful response.
Kyle Shideler of the Center for Security Policy also testified as an alleged expert on the nature of antifa as an organization of international terrorism, drawing comparisons to Al Qaeda. As Hirono pointed out at the hearing, the Center for Security Policy is designated by the Southern Policy Law Center as an anti-Muslim hate group. Only one witness identified as an anti-fascist and a participant in the ongoing anti-racist protests for Black lives, Nkenge Harmon Johnson of the Portland Urban League; she was asked no questions by the committee after her brief statement in support of the movement. Cruz, meanwhile, gave Shideler extra speaking time to defend his hate group against criticism.
Cruz closed the proceedings with a frenzied tirade about the dangers of Black Lives Matter — purported criticisms that bear no repeating. Suffice it to say that Cruz, a racist police apologist, is no fan of Black liberation icons like Angela Davis and Assata Shakur.
Yet — and there’s no surprise here — Senate Democrats at the hearing did no favors to the ongoing uprisings either. Hirono may have made welcome reference to the scourge of white supremacist violence, but she also dismissed the serious and reasonable demand to defund the police at the center of the protests. “Who takes that literally?” she said, “I certainly don’t.” Such are the establishment powers against which anarchists, among many others, have good reason to act.


theintercept--2020-08-05--Rashida Tlaib and Slate of Local Wins Signal Progressive Revival in Michigan

Tlaib ’ s seat was considered the most vulnerable among members of the so-called Squad , as the congresswoman faced off against a more or less unified Detroit political establishment and the ire of President Donald Trump .
Tlaib ’ s presumed win comes alongside a host of down-ballot wins by progressives , including Karen McDonald for Oakland County prosecutor .
Michigan progressives , crushed by the 2018 defeat of Abdul El-Sayed and the 2020 defeat of Bernie Sanders in the state ’ s critical March primary , could be seeing a revival of sorts .
Detroiters put Rashida Tlaib @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michigan ’ s 13th Congressional District on Tuesday night , as she beat back a rematch from Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones in the Democratic primary .
While it could be weeks before a final vote count is known , Tlaib ’ s margin with most precincts reporting was 66 percent to 34 percent of the vote on Wednesday morning .
This time around , all of Tlaib ’ s 2018 opponents united against her , a difficult proposition given that she had received just 31 percent of the vote in 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publicity around the Squad and dramatically out-raised Jones , $ 3 million to $ 270,000 .
Tlaib also had the support of organized labor , a blow to Jones , a former Communications Workers of America local president who had gained labor ’ s support in the previous election .
Tlaib additionally benefited from an independent expenditure by the Working Families Party in partnership with local group Detroit Action , which sent 234,000 texts to registered voters in the district , according to Detroit Action Director Branden Snyder .
In 2018 , after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was elected to serve out the remainder of his term , but lost by 600 votes to Tlaib for the much more important nomination for the full term .
Tlaib ’ s victory was driven by the presence of an additional candidate in the latter nomination race , state Sen. Coleman Young II , the son of legendary former five-term Detroit Mayor Coleman Young .
Headlines said I was the most vulnerable member of the Squad .
My community responded last night and said our Squad is big .
It includes all who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other and prioritize people over profits .
It ’ s here to stay , and it ’ s only getting bigger .
Along with Rep. Ilhan Omar , D-Minn. , Tlaib is one of two members of Congress who support the Boycott , Divestment , Sanctions movement against Israeli human rights abuses .
But Tlaib has not faced the same influx of pro-Israel money into the primary as Omar , whose opponent , Antone Melton-Meaux , has been attacking Omar with charges of anti-Semitism .
Jones ’ s previously vocal support for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ played a role in the decision of outside groups to stay put .
Other questions about Jones could have influenced the decision by outside groups to keep their powder dry .
The Intercept revealed in April that Jones had violated state campaign finance law and in May tracked the role of Quicken Loans in Jones ’ s political rise .
In the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd , activists in Detroit have lasered in on the Detroit Police Department ’ s use of controversial facial recognition technology , which the Detroit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leadership , approved in 2017 .
In June , a car caravan protested outside of the homes of members of the Detroit City Council , but not Jones ’ s , though she called the protest “ totally disrespectful ” and told the Detroit Free Press that she would request that the police ticket protesters for violating the city ’ s noise ordinance if they do so again .
Tlaib , on the other hand , has been a vocal critic of the racially discriminatory aspects of the technology , saying in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ technology will have racist results and relying on human analysts for intervention is inadequate .
We need to ban facial recognition.
” in the Detroit suburbs , incumbent County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper is losing to criminal justice reformer Karen McDonald , who earned 65.7 percent of the vote with all but three precincts reporting .
McDonald , a Michigan circuit court judge , had gradually come to realize that the real power in the criminal justice system rested with prosecutors .
So she stepped down and challenged Cooper , the hard-line incumbent .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ recently attracted attention for incarcerating a 15-year-old girl for not doing her homework .
The girl has since been released .
McDonald had the backing of the Working Families Party and won the endorsement of the Detroit Free Press , which had previously backed Cooper in each of her elections .
“ Times change — and Cooper , 74 , has changed little , ” the paper editorialized .
“ The incumbent prosecutor is the wrong person to take on the challenges confronting law enforcement in 2020.
” Voters agreed , and now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Oakland County Prosecutor ’ s Office .
She has seen the way that the justice system fails people and families from nearly every systemic angle .
Her platform calls for an end to cash bail , pressure on prosecutors to amend and reduce charges , a commitment to revisit old convictions , an end to marijuana possession prosecutions , and an array of diversionary programs .
In Washtenaw County , home to Ann Arbor , reformer Eli Savit won in a close race .
Savit has pledged to eliminate cash bail , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and set up a wrongful conviction unit .
There was at least one notable exception to this streak of wins : In Wayne County , Victoria Burton-Harris , the progressive challenger to incumbent Kym Worthy , came up short .
Two progressive candidates running for state representative also jumped to early leads : Abraham Aiyash , who would be one of the nation ’ s first Yemeni-American elected officials , running to replace Isaac Robinson , a Sanders campaign vice chair who died of Covid-19 in March ; and Helena Scott , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday morning , Roslyn Ogburn , a housing organizer backed by Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren is trailing Karen Whitsett , an ally of pro-developer Mayor Mike Duggan who has cozied up to President Donald Trump .
Also leading in his race is controversial former gubernatorial candidate Shri Thanedar , who is running for a state representative seat as well .

Detroiters put Rashida Tlaib in a strong position for reelection in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District on Tuesday night, as she beat back a rematch from Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones in the Democratic primary. While it could be weeks before a final vote count is known, Tlaib’s margin with most precincts reporting was 66 percent to 34 percent of the vote on Wednesday morning.
Tlaib’s seat was considered the most vulnerable among members of the so-called Squad, as the congresswoman faced off against a more or less unified Detroit political establishment and the ire of President Donald Trump. Tlaib’s presumed win comes alongside a host of down-ballot wins by progressives, including Karen McDonald for Oakland County prosecutor. Michigan progressives, crushed by the 2018 defeat of Abdul El-Sayed and the 2020 defeat of Bernie Sanders in the state’s critical March primary, could be seeing a revival of sorts.
In 2018, after former Rep. John Conyers resigned, Jones was elected to serve out the remainder of his term, but lost by 600 votes to Tlaib for the much more important nomination for the full term. Tlaib’s victory was driven by the presence of an additional candidate in the latter nomination race, state Sen. Coleman Young II, the son of legendary former five-term Detroit Mayor Coleman Young.
This time around, all of Tlaib’s 2018 opponents united against her, a difficult proposition given that she had received just 31 percent of the vote in 2018. But Tlaib gained greatly from national publicity around the Squad and dramatically outraised Jones, $3 million to $270,000. Tlaib also had the support of organized labor, a blow to Jones, a former Communications Workers of America local president who had gained labor’s support in the previous election. Tlaib additionally benefited from an independent expenditure by the Working Families Party in partnership with local group Detroit Action, which sent 234,000 texts to registered voters in the district, according to Detroit Action Director Branden Snyder.
Headlines said I was the most vulnerable member of the Squad. My community responded last night and said our Squad is big. It includes all who believe we must show up for each other and prioritize people over profits. It’s here to stay, and it’s only getting bigger. — Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) August 5, 2020
Along with Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Tlaib is one of two members of Congress who support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement against Israeli human rights abuses. But Tlaib has not faced the same influx of pro-Israel money into the primary as Omar, whose opponent, Antone Melton-Meaux, has been attacking Omar with charges of anti-Semitism. Jones’s previously vocal support for the Nation of Islam and Louis Farrakhan likely played a role in the decision of outside groups to stay put. Other questions about Jones could have influenced the decision by outside groups to keep their powder dry. The Intercept revealed in April that Jones had violated state campaign finance law and in May tracked the role of Quicken Loans in Jones’s political rise.
In the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, activists in Detroit have lasered in on the Detroit Police Department’s use of controversial facial recognition technology, which the Detroit City Council, under Jones’s leadership, approved in 2017. In June, a car caravan protested outside of the homes of members of the Detroit City Council, but not Jones’s, though she called the protest “totally disrespectful” and told the Detroit Free Press that she would request that the police ticket protesters for violating the city’s noise ordinance if they do so again.
Tlaib, on the other hand, has been a vocal critic of the racially discriminatory aspects of the technology, saying in an October 2019 op-ed that “facial recognition technology will have racist results and relying on human analysts for intervention is inadequate. We need to ban facial recognition.”
In Oakland County in the Detroit suburbs, incumbent County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper is losing to criminal justice reformer Karen McDonald, who earned 65.7 percent of the vote with all but three precincts reporting.
McDonald, a Michigan circuit court judge, had gradually come to realize that the real power in the criminal justice system rested with prosecutors. So she stepped down and challenged Cooper, the hard-line incumbent. Oakland County’s criminal justice system recently attracted attention for incarcerating a 15-year-old girl for not doing her homework. The girl has since been released.
McDonald had the backing of the Working Families Party and won the endorsement of the Detroit Free Press, which had previously backed Cooper in each of her elections. “Times change — and Cooper, 74, has changed little,” the paper editorialized. “The incumbent prosecutor is the wrong person to take on the challenges confronting law enforcement in 2020.”
Voters agreed, and now McDonald is perhaps uniquely well-positioned to reform the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office. She has seen the way that the justice system fails people and families from nearly every systemic angle. Her platform calls for an end to cash bail, pressure on prosecutors to amend and reduce charges, a commitment to revisit old convictions, an end to marijuana possession prosecutions, and an array of diversionary programs.
In Washtenaw County, home to Ann Arbor, reformer Eli Savit won in a close race. Savit has pledged to eliminate cash bail, prioritize violent crime and corporate prosecution, and set up a wrongful conviction unit. There was at least one notable exception to this streak of wins: In Wayne County, Victoria Burton-Harris, the progressive challenger to incumbent Kym Worthy, came up short.
Two progressive candidates running for state representative also jumped to early leads: Abraham Aiyash, who would be one of the nation’s first Yemeni-American elected officials, running to replace Isaac Robinson, a Sanders campaign vice chair who died of Covid-19 in March; and Helena Scott, a Jobs With Justice organizer. As of Wednesday morning, Roslyn Ogburn, a housing organizer backed by Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren is trailing Karen Whitsett, an ally of pro-developer Mayor Mike Duggan who has cozied up to President Donald Trump. Also leading in his race is controversial former gubernatorial candidate Shri Thanedar, who is running for a state representative seat as well.