Category: Uncategorized

Former Trump official: President will face legal jeopardy for campaign cash that went to his businesses

AlterNet logo

On MSNBC Saturday, former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci predicted that President Donald Trump will face legal and political consequences for the newly reported scheme in which he and his son-in-law Jared Kushner allegedly skimmed money from the campaign through a shell company to enrich the family businesses.

“Of course he knows he’s lost,” said Scaramucci, who famously served in the Trump administration only ten days before being fired. “He’s already planning possibly a television show, a network. Lots of things to do when he leaves. And he’s bundled a tremendous amount of money, over $250 million bundled. He’s going to have to answer for the shell companies inside the campaign, and the disappearance of some of that money.”

“I don’t see him as a political force going forward,” continued Scaramucci. “I think he’ll have too many things to do. There’ll be legal consequences to some of his actions. There’s ongoing investigations in New York. And I think he’s going to be distracted, as his political power wanes, distracted. Remember, whether Secretary Pompeo or others, ten or so younger men and women that look in the mirror every morning and see a future president in his party. They’re going to come after him very hard once he leaves power.” Continue reading.

How Trump waged war on his own government

Washington Post logo

The 45th President: One in a series looking back at the Trump presidency

Early in the new administration, the White House wanted a big win for President Trump on one of his top campaign promises — getting rid of poor performers at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Scott Foster got the order from his boss, a senior political appointee: Draw up a list of underachievers and give “your best 10” so the president could announce their firing at a signing ceremony for a law allowing fast dismissals at VA.

Foster, a seasoned personnel official, balked. The employees still had the right to due process, he argued. Within weeks, his boss tried to sack him. Continue reading.

The 2020 ‘October Surprise’ Is The Virus Surging

Every election cycle, political journalists and observers wait in anticipation for the “October Surprise” — the unexpected news event that has the potential to shake up the race. In 2016, it was FBI Director James Comey’s announcement of a new development in the investigation of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server as secretary of state, driving negative coverage that cost her the election. Four years later, President Donald Trump and his media and congressional allies have been trying to recreate that magic to boost his reelection odds against former Vice President Joe Biden.

But this year’s October Surprise isn’t about a candidate’s adherence to the Presidential Records Act or debunked allegations of public corruption. It’s something far more consequential and visceral to the public — a third wave of COVID-19 cases bearing down on the country on Trump’s watch, in part because he’s been taking advice from his Fox News cabinet rather than listening to public health experts. 

Coronavirus cases are rising in virtually every state. The U.S. set a single-day high of 77,640 cases on Thursday, 12 days out from the election, according to NBC News. There were also more than 1,000 recorded deaths that day due to the virus, and given the expanding case load we are likely to see that tragic figure matched in the coming days. This “could become the largest coronavirus outbreak of the pandemic so far,” The Atlantic warns, with the virus now “found in every kind of American community, from tiny farm towns to affluent suburbs to bustling border cities.” Continue reading.

‘I don’t think he plans to leave the White House’: Rep. Clyburn warns Americans to ‘wake up’

AlterNet logoAppearing on State of the Union on CNN this Sunday morning, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn talked about former Vice President Joe Biden’s VP pick options, misinformation about voting by mail, and whether or not he thinks Donald Trump actually intends to leave office if he loses in November. “I don’t think he plans to leave the White House. He doesn’t plan to have fair and unfettered elections,” Clyburn said in a now-viral clip. He continued that he thinks Trump “plans to install himself in some kind of emergency way to continue to hold onto office.”

Here is that clip.

“I know a little bit about history,” he continued, “and I know how countries find their demise. It is when we fail to let democracy, and the fundamentals of which is a fair unfettered election, and that’s why he is trying to put a cloud over this election, floating the idea of postponing the elections.” He also warned that the American people “had better wake up.” Continue reading.

Five takeaways from Attorney General Barr’s contentious congressional hearing

Washington Post logoAttorney General William P. Barr testified Tuesday for the first time in his tenure in front of a critical congressional audience — a House Judiciary Committee with a Democratic majority — as the Justice Department faces questions from critics who say it is helping President Trump politically in ways ranging from policing and protests to intervening in criminal investigations of Trump allies.

“In your time at the department,” Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold E. Nadler (D-N.Y.) said in his opening statement, “you have aided and abetted the worst failings of this president.”

Barr came ready to defend himself from such accusations, an opportunity Republicans on the committee repeatedly gave him. Continue reading.

Education Dept.’s Civil Rights Chief Steps Down Amid Controversy

New York Times logoKenneth L. Marcus was nominated as the head of the Office of Civil Rights in the face of a chorus of opposition. He leaves after a tenure marked by dissension and disputes.

WASHINGTON — The Education Department’s civil rights chief has for 40 years labored to enforce civil rights protections in the nation’s schools and universities, but few have attracted as much attention as Kenneth L. Marcus, who will leave the post this week after two years marked by dissension, disputes — and significant accomplishments.

Mr. Marcus, who came to the job as a fierce champion for Israel and a critic of anti-Zionist movements on college campuses, is credited with overseeing the completion of sexual misconduct rules and expanding civil rights for Jewish students amid rising anti-Semitism. In announcing his departure, he said he had restored the office’s status “as a neutral, impartial civil rights law enforcement agency that faithfully executes the laws as written and in full, no more and no less.”

But in recent months, two separate complaints that have been filed accuse Mr. Marcus of abusing his authority by forcing through cases that furthered his personal and political agenda. In January, a former lawyer in the Office for Civil Rights said Mr. Marcus forced employees to investigate a policy that allowed transgender athletes in Connecticut to compete on female sports teams, even though the lawyers questioned the merits of the case. Continue reading.

Star Trek’s George Takei one-ups Fox Nation’s Tomi Lahren

AlterNet logoGeorge Takei’s wit and intelligence were the winners over a Tomi Lahren tweet Friday.

The Fox Nation host has been on a tear against “cancel culture” and the left wing “mob” recently, posting angry tweets to her 1.6 million followers that just expose her own ignorance and lack of thought. Continue reading tweets and Mr. Takei’s response here.

Jason Lewis Falsely Claims Children Can’t Transmit Coronavirus

Lewis continues to downplay seriousness of COVID-19 and spread misinformation

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – As Minnesota sees its first COVID-19-related death of a child, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis continues to spread misinformation about the coronavirus that has taken over 140,000 lives.

On Monday, July 20, Lewis took to the radio show “Justice & Drew,” once again, to peddle misinformation about the transmission of COVID-19, saying that children “don’t transmit [the coronavirus], and certainly don’t transmit asymptomatically.” 

This claim is refuted by a new study that shows children do in fact transmit the virus. Continue reading “Jason Lewis Falsely Claims Children Can’t Transmit Coronavirus”

Fox News peddled misinformation about the coronavirus 253 times in five days: study

AlterNet logoA new study finds that Fox News peddled misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic 253 times in only five days. The documented instances included claims which undermined science and faith in experts, as well as demands that schools and businesses reopen at the risk of public health.

Primetime host Laura Ingraham, who has no medical or scientific background whatsoever, led the pack with about a quarter of the claims — 63 total, or just more than 12 per show. Additionally, the network’s “straight news” programs contributed about 35% of the misinformation.

The study, published Thursday by media watchdog Media Matters for America, was conducted from July 6 to 10 — the week after a Yahoo News report proclaimed that Fox’s coronavirus coverage had taken a “remarkable turn” for the better. Continue reading.

Tucker Carlson whitewashes the racism of his show and his former top writer

Washington Post logoTucker Carlson took out the old Fox News playbook on Monday night: When bad news surfaces, attack the people who broke it, and brush aside the unflattering substance.

In a brief segment on “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” the host said this:

Over the weekend you may have seen stories about a writer on this show called Blake Neff. For years, since he was in college, Blake posted anonymously on an Internet message board for law school students. On Friday, many of those posts became public. Blake was horrified by the story, and he was ashamed. Friday afternoon, he resigned from his job. We want to say a couple of things about this.