Everything is Political

[Silga]

President Biden was here in Vilnius for a few days during the NATO summit and delivered a really good speech at Vilnius University today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KjbUnFKxe4

actual speech starts at 4:12

[rischka]

i hope he didn't fall down or anything xD

today house republicans interrogated trump-appointed fbi director and life long republican (LIKE EVERY FBI DIRECTOR EVER) christopher wray about his bias against republicans revealed by his investigation of crimes committed by republicans. the fbi director is insufficiently fascist!! what a turn of events..

he was asked about ray epps - the arizona man tucker carlson insisted for months was a govt agent inciting people on 1/6. ray epps sued fox news today.

“Fox engaged in purposeful avoidance of the truth, intentionally ignoring information and evidence that directly contradicted Fox’s outlandish lies about Epps,” the complaint charges. “Fox refused to retract, correct, or apologize for its demonstrably false and defamatory accusations against Epps well after Fox knew definitively that they were false, providing yet additional circumstantial evidence of actual malice. Fox thus broadcast its lies about Epps with a high degree of awareness of probable falsity.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/20 ... s-lawsuit/

oh also a sitting GOP senator insisted this week that white nationalists are just 'real americans'

and also also: we could see another federal indictment for the former president in first week of august. unknown if charges will include insurrection - which hasn't been charged since the civil war. evidence is overwhelming and no plausible defense forseen

[rischka]

hmm first i've heard of my new GOP district rep - sponsoring an anti-diversity amendment to the defense bill which, he claims, has 'nothing to do with colored people'

good lord, even my mother stopped saying that like 30 years ago

this guy is 43. just APPALLING

defense bill passed the house with anti-diversity and anti-abortion care amendments. it will die in the senate.

my representative maintained that diversity is "lowering the standards" of our military - but it's purely the same reasoning that led to banning affirmative action - they believe people of color are less qualified than white people. they still think that's how obama got into harvard

this clown is a former navy seal who was on shark tank pushing a bottle opener he invented made from a 50 caliber shell casing. perfect for the trump era and he won thanks to redistricting. LOL sorry i'm mad again people think less qualified women and POC are being promoted over white men. this is not true and it's never been true and it's based purely in racism and they're not even trying to hide it

[rischka]

https://youtu.be/P_NgLQxMV9c

hurray these idiots have been arrested. they're mostly in their 70s and facing a max 85 years in prison

well done michigan!!! hopefully more to come

https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press- ... e-electors

each defendant is charged with

One count of Conspiracy to Commit Forgery, a 14-year felony,
Two counts of Forgery, a 14-year felony,
One count of Conspiracy to Commit Uttering and Publishing, a 14-year felony,
One count of Uttering and Publishing, a 14-year felony,
One count of Conspiracy to Commit Election Law Forgery, a 5-year felony, and,
Two counts of Election Law Forgery, a 5-year felony.

there's the election fraud they're always screaming about ^ a bunch of white senior citizens who think their votes should outweigh the rest of michigan voters

https://youtu.be/FuwbYaBonjI

michigan AG:

“Undoubtedly, there will be those who will claim these charges are political in nature. But where there is overwhelming evidence of guilt in respect to multiple crimes, the most political act I could engage in as a prosecutor would be to take no action at all."

"Michele Lundgren, who was also charged, has told NBC affiliate WDIV of Detroit that she thought she was signing an attendance sheet for a meeting.
"I didn't even know what an elector was, let alone a fake elector," she told the station."

this lady is in the top video wearing a red trump beanie

https://youtu.be/KTpIRevl_Fc

one down and four to go. just a side note: i'm so pleased that, like michigan, we have a female D governor and attorney general. git er done!!

[rischka]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/florida-s ... ack-people

Meanwhile in florida

Middle school students in Florida will soon be taught that slavery gave Black people a “personal benefit” because they “developed skills.”

After the Florida Board of Education approved new standards for African American history on Wednesday, high school students will be taught an equally distorted message: that a deadly white mob attack against Black residents of Ocoee, Florida, in 1920 included “acts of violence perpetrated against and by African Americans.”

Dozens of Black residents were killed in the massacre, which was perpetrated to stop them from voting.

DeSantis' STOP WOKE act is a disgrace to our nation. i comfort myself that he'll never be president, if only because he has no personality

[rischka]

“The idea that this was a plan to somehow overthrow the government of the United States is not true,” DeSantis said, “and it’s something that the media had spun up just to try to basically get as much mileage out of it and use it for partisan and political aims.”

wow this gaslighting isn't going to work on more than 30% of the electorate. desantis is screwed anyway - he can't criticize trump
it seems plain that trump will be the GOP nominee - with multiple trials scheduled during the primary season

increasing desperation in the hunter investigation - MTG shared poster sized nudes of the president's son in a hearing. they're still unable to explain what any of that has to do with the president. but they're SURE that HUGE CRIMES are just around the corner (see: whitewater)

i'm gonna go out on a limb here and say if there was anything damaging to joe biden on that laptop we would've seen it by now. their purpose here is just to humiliate the president and his family

[rischka]

TRUMP INDICTMENT 2 - for Inciting Civil War 2 (electric boogaloo)

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap ... .1.0_1.pdf

trump of course continues to be heavily favorited for the GOP nomination 2024 as well as neck and neck in polls vs joe biden

it's been reported this week that trump's PAC is close to broke, having put out 40 mil for defense lawyers for trump and his miscreants

new indictments just in time to grift some more seniors. trump won't pay a single penny

oh! and earlier he was threatening to 'primary' GOP senators who won't push the biden impeachment investigation

i'd feel better if i knew how all this ends...

edit: co conspirators include Giuliani, Eastman, Sidney Powell and that Jeffrey guy who tried to make himself atty general

[rischka]

cmon this is a great movie

what a cliffhanger ! !

[flip]

yeah i just read the whole indictment, jack smith has a career writing thriller novels if he wants one.

it was funny reading the nyt bit about "what happens if trump is in prison and gets elected?" one suggestion was the 25th amendment could be invoked to remove him from office for being unable to discharge his duties, but half the cabinet would need to approve, and he wouldn't be able to even appoint a cabinet...

i guess it's a mystery who conspirator #6 is? lawyer kenneth chesebro is #5, it's hard to even find a picture of him, i had heard his name but he's obviously not as famous as the others.

[rischka]

i like how it's written simply and directly and gives examples. just in case any of trump's supporters actually try to read it

same with the previous indictment - even visual aids

highly suspect trump's last chief of staff mark meadows is a cooperating witness. he's been out of sight for quite awhile and his testimony could bury trump

predictably he's comparing his indictment to 'nazi germany.' he's drawn a tough judge - a jamaican immigrant so he'll be claiming racism again

i'm sure a major part of his campaign will be 'this guy's gonna die and then you'll get HER!!!!' (for the record i don't like kamala but i'll take her over every single one of the republican clown car plus the ensuing MAGA meltdown will be extraordinary)

fox news is saying the charges are laughable since no one can prove trump didn't believe in election fraud no matter how many people told him about it!!! so there!!!!

[flip]

i saw a giuliani clip where he was complaining about the indictment, and he does not seem well, looks like he's aged five years in a few months, and i don't think 79 year old alcoholics last all that long. i don't want him to die if only because i want him to live through what he's going to have to live through, but i'm worried he might before the election, and then he'll become a martyr and trump can say biden killed giuliani and who knows what happens then.

[rischka]

he's also being sued for sexual harassment by his former assistant- couldn't happen to a nicer guy

at least russia should be somewhat distracted during next year's campaign?

btw the 6th conspirator is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Epshteyn

when told invalidating the election would lead to riots in every major city, 'jeffrey' replied: "that's what the insurrection act is for"

reminds me meadows' assistant testified that Trump wanted the magnometers removed on 1/6

chilling stuff

i have to check myself from feeling a little sorry for mike pence, told by trump he was 'too honest' - he's the definition of lawful evil

[rischka]

trump being arraigned in the city of my birth couldn't be more proud. so there is a possibility he could be removed from the ballot in various states if he is the nominee (which looks like a lock atm) https://constitution.findlaw.com/amendm ... ion15.html

it's the disqualification clause that was used to keep confederate officers from running for election after civil war. it's incredibly obscure but worth a shot

[rischka]

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1687 ... 39456?s=20

not sure this one was hired for her brainpower as she just undercut his whole defense?


edit: not saying barbie can't be a lawyer! she 100% can!

lol thought of this while swimming

I really hope he insists on taking the stand and the trial is televised. MAGA= making attorneys get attorneys since 2016

* trump has now been quoted as saying his attorneys may not be the best but they are the best looking

https://twitter.com/kyledcheney/status/ ... 27744?s=20

[rischka]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1f2blKa ... bx2m_Rfsit

professor robert reich's course on wealth and poverty at UC berkely

[flip]

i think the biggest problem with most of trump's potential defenses (e.g. ones about what he believed and did not believe) is that he'll need to take the stand to assert them, and if he does that, he's fucked

and i've heard a lot of left media types discounting what pence did, saying he deserves no praise for performing the same constitutional function every vice president has performed for centuries. but when i read the indictment, and see the relentless pressure he was under, and when i see how many others gave up principles to support trump's autocratic schemes, i think there's something heroic, or at least noble, in what pence did. he deserves more credit than he gets imo. pence's politics are disgusting, otoh.

[rischka]

he's selling 'too honest' merch now here's something truly horrifying: the GOP climate plan 2024

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/04/clim ... t2025.html

The plan calls for shredding regulations to curb greenhouse gas pollution from cars, oil and gas wells and power plants, dismantling almost every clean energy program in the federal government and boosting the production of fossil fuels — the burning of which is the chief cause of planetary warming.

The New York Times asked the leading Republican presidential candidates whether they support the Project 2025 strategy but none of the campaigns responded. Still, several of the architects are veterans of the Trump administration, and their recommendations match positions held by former President Donald J. Trump, the current front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination.

The Heritage Foundation worked on the plan with dozens of conservative groups ranging from the Heartland Institute, which has denied climate science, to the Competitive Enterprise Institute, which says “climate change does not endanger the survival of civilization or the habitability of the planet.”

Asked what the country should do to combat climate change, Diana Furchtgott-Roth, director of the Heritage Foundation’s energy and climate center, said “I really hadn’t thought about it in those terms” and then offered that Americans should use more natural gas.

Natural gas produces half the carbon dioxide emissions of coal when burned. But gas facilities frequently leak methane, a greenhouse gas that is much more powerful than carbon dioxide in the short term and has emerged as a growing concern among climate scientists.

they want to repeal the inflation reduction act and dismantle the dept of energy. there's a heatwave in chile now - and it's winter!!

https://www.npr.org/2023/08/03/11916780 ... trump-poll
it's ok cuz musk is saving them a spot on the mars rocket

rumor has it biden will create a new national monument at the grand canyon to stop uranium mining. he's supposed to be here next week. i'll be in colorado, trying not to watch the news

[rischka]

i think there's something heroic, or at least noble, in what pence did. he deserves more credit than he gets imo. pence's politics are disgusting, otoh.

i think many more republicans would have gone along if it was only 1 or 2 states in play (like in 2000!!). 4-5 states was impossible and they knew it, the ones who weren't delusional anyway. we were lucky and the EC needs major reform or this will happen again (they're crafty)

i'm reading a rolling stone piece on how trump has a team preparing his revenge on his enemies, including a new section of the justice dept dedicated to 'election integrity'

https://archive.ph/ygw8u#selection-1509.0-1509.66

'jeffrey' could be attorney general (if he's not in prison?) apparently DoJ needs to be purged of 'marxist elements' -- roy cohn stirs in the grave

[rischka]

so last week a utah man was shot dead for threatening biden and the prosecuters charging trump, had multiple weapons and fired on fbi agents serving a search warrant. now a houston area woman has been arrested for leaving threatening racist messages for the judge in DC

we're going to see more of this but i'm pretty confident trump will be convicted of something and unlike hitler he'll be too old to make a comeback

[wba]

and unlike hitler he'll be too old to make a comeback

Actually, Hitler was pretty unknown back then (and the popularity of his party was in rapid decline - in 1928 they got a mere 2,8% of the votes for parliament, while for example the German communist party got 10,6%) - so technically his rise after the Great Depression from 1930 onwards wasn't really a comeback but the beginning of his success as a politician.
But I hope you're right of course and we will never have to see that despicable idiot again.

[rischka]

can't help but enjoy these stories of giuliani begging to be paid for all his work on behalf of trump - and trump refusing to pay because rudy lost all of the cases. it's not even coming out of trump's pocket, his PAC is covering everything!

https://youtu.be/uEK9oK02D1M

rudes' law license has been suspended so he can't represent himself. too bad cuz that would be hilarious. and trump world seems totally unconcerned that rudes would ever turn on them... that would be even more hilarious. four seasons landscaping 4ever

[flip]

one thing i'm wondering about -- in the first half of the year, trump's super pac spent $40m on legal fees, and took in only $15m. they're losing $25m in six months, or $4m per month. they have about $4m cash on hand. so what happens a month from now?

i'm also interested in these articles by constitutional law authorities (conservative ones, too) that conclude trump is not eligible to hold office ever again. that will presumably reach the supreme court, and i might think the right wing appointees would disfavour the argument, but it's based as far as i can tell on constitutional originalism, the exact legal philosophy most of those conservative supreme court justices subscribe to. so the ones who are principled, which is at least one or two of them imo, might actually agree with the argument.

[rischka]

the 14th would have to be used to remove trump from state ballots i think - and then head to the supreme court. it's a long shot but interesting that arch conservatives are getting very nervous about this situation. trump looks like a lock for the primary - his voters don't think he's committed any crimes! see the power of right wing media! the courts don't understand the presidential records act - is what one trump voter claimed another said he's sure they have much worse stuff on biden (which they've failed to produce for 5 years count em)

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/202 ... group.html

(lock HER up, it just doesn't work the other way)

i want to watch the debates to see what the also-rans have to say about all this

trump says he will surrender thursday. can you believe he'll have to enter that nasty jail in atlanta to be booked like a common criminal!! they're gonna be big mad for a long time



latest polls of random voters show 62/35 - somewhat/very unfavorable toward former president cheeto

[rischka]

couldn't handle too much of the debate. vivek looks like the new favorite as he's the least boring. he flatly stated that climate change is a hoax. there was a question about ufos.

only christie and hutchinson said they wouldn't support trump if he's convicted of crimes - mike pence, profile in courage, will support him

meanwhile, over on X, trump predicted increasing political violence (if he doesn't get his way)

nikki haley (the only woman onstage) came out against a nationwide abortion ban (mainly because it would never pass the senate)

audtions are over, who will trump choose for vp??????????????? tim scott, niki haley or vivek are all suitable fig leaves against 'racism'

it won't be de santis or pence or christie or hutchinson and i forgot that other guy's name

trump probably chuckling to himself after prigozhin's plane crash - biden is 'too weak' to try this. tucker prompted him several times about 'assassination threats' - if the court cases don't work 'they'll' have to kill him!! so if he drops dead, i guess civil war 2 is back on...

[rischka]

orange is his color... yes i know this isn't the real mugshot - it's updated from 2016 we waited a long time for this and i'm going to enjoy it



is this the guy that had a pigeon living on his head


https://twitter.com/acnewsitics/status/ ... 88776?s=20


https://twitter.com/RepMTG/status/16948 ... 77177?s=20

LMAO

[rischka]

the cheesebro guy is an interesting character! he was a clerk for laurence tribe in 2000 when he represented al gore!! he's been thinking about this a long time. awhile ago he became a bitcoin millionaire and went to 'the dark side' and was the main architect of the false electors scheme

he's filed a motion for speedy trial, trying to get out ahead of everyone - just last week, cnn revealed that cheesebro was at the capitol on jan 6th, filming alex jones. stay tuned

https://statuskuo.substack.com/p/kennet ... -dark-side

[rischka]

AWWW trumpie's attempt to have his election interference case delayed for TWO YEARS didn't go well! his trial is set for march 4, 2024

of course he's calling THIS election interference

meanwhile gym jordan is going after atlanta AG fani willis for supposed 'coordination' with jack smith and/or the justice dept in an attempt to prove biden is behind all of this - you know, the senile old guy who doesn't remember his own name - going after the very slightly younger deranged maniac who tried to depose him. meadows will try to sever his case today, claiming he was only performing his duties as white house chief of staff. uh huh

meadows is one of five defendants now seeking to have his case moved to federal court - the idea being to get a better (less urban) jury pool. meadows will seek to have his charges DISMISSED

also state AG coordinating with the justice dept is commonplace and not criminal, these are just ongoing efforts to taint the jury

please forgive updates; it's all so fascinating to me

[rischka]

lordy. trump's lawyer cited the scottsboro boys in his argument to delay trump's DC trial. the black judge didn't take it too well. why would they even try this?? has everyone forgotten trump's full page ad seeking the death penalty for the central park 5??

“Quoting the case, the defense argues that scheduling a too speedy trial is ‘not to proceed promptly in the calm spirit of regulated justice but to go forward with the haste of the mob,’” Chutkan said Monday, referring to the 1932 Supreme Court opinion in Powell v. Alabama.

“This timeline does not move the case forward with the haste of the mob,” Chutkan said. “The trial will start three years, one month, and 27 days after the events of January 6, 2021.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-cited- ... 52921.html

meanwhile trump jr says the mugshot will boost trump with black voters who can relate to his claims of a weaponized justice system. sounds like CRT? the fucking nerve of these people

and vivek "mini-trump" ramaswamy - of the climate 'hoax' - feels that racism is exaggerated in the US. no comment from him on the neo-nazi attack in florida a day later

gonna be one hell of a ride. i know i get carried away but it feels like the battle that's been coming all of my life

edit: just drove by walmart and there's a truck outside selling all kinds of trump merch is it bad i want a mugshot t-shirt

anyway, children deserve a future DEATH TO THE DEATH CULT : stealing elections since nixon.

too bad roger stone escapes punishment. hopefully he'll be dead soon too

edit edit: ramaswamy blames the attack on mental illness and says we need to start institutionalizing people again *eyeroll*
and that making white people feel bad about their history is the cause of such attacks (for shame you asshole)

they won't even fund basic healthcare or try to keep guns out of the hands of these people. god forbid it gets out that white supremacy is a 'mental illness' now

/RANT OVER

[rischka]

14th amendment rumblings have risen to the level of lawsuits filed (at least in michigan). getting trump off the ballot in a few key states would help everyone breathe easier - but i can't see SCOTUS agreeing unless trump is convicted first. and the clock is running

smith was careful NOT to charge trump with insurrection because his voters already assume this is the goal

also it would set a bad precedent as they'll immediately accuse biden of insurrection lol

for myself i feel that fascists who oppose democracy shouldn't be allowed to participate in it

two more proud boys were sentenced yesterday to terms of 15 and 17 years. enrique tarrio and dominic pezzola still to come.

prosecuters are asking for a 33 year sentence for tarrio. stewart rhodes, oath keepers leader recieved a sentence of 18 years

giuliani is found liable in the civil suit filed by two election workers in atlanta ('the riggers' as trump likes to call them) - the trial has been avoided since rudes admits he lied and defamed the women and failed to produce discovery materials. rudes was a US attorney and he knew he wouldn't get away with this -- implication being the evidence he was asked to produce was so incriminating that he needed to hide it because of pending case in georgia. so that's not looking good....

and trump produced a ten minute video of dems questioning the 2000 election that he thinks absolves him

also what's going on with the turtle??? if biden had such an episode they would move to impeach him immediately. it seems kentucky governor (D) andy bashear is refusing to commit to appointing a republican if mitch resigns HAHAHAHA go gov

edit: ten years for pezzola, enrique will be sentenced tuesday, i expect he'll get at least 20 years. was it worth it enrique??

[rischka]

consensus is meadows was an idiot for testifying, admitted to crimes and may have perjured himself - no way he gets his case removed or dismissed

john eastman gave an interview to fox -- in which he ALSO admitted to crimes. how are they all so stupid

https://www.salon.com/2023/09/01/legal- ... -interview

and now several fbi whistleblowers are contending rudy was a 'useful idiot' for russia-linked oligarchs while digging into this burisma business and they were prevented from investigating it. totally unsurprising as it seemed obvious at the time

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/20 ... elligence/

this is why the laptop story was suspect from the beginning. he's going to have to pay damages in the civil trial in georgia, his new york apartment is for sale and he's going to plead poverty -- but still managed to make his arraignment via private jet. these fucking people

in other news, alabama and texas are passing laws to prevent women from travelling to other states to get abortions - anyone helping them can be charged with a 'criminal conspiracy' in alabama and both states are encouraging people to inform on each other if they suspect this is happening. so now they're trying to keep free citizens from travelling freely

more dystopian by the day

shout out to brian kemp who refused to back an effort to remove fani willis from her office. proud of georgia. maybe there's hope for the south

the georgia trial will be live streamed and televised (federal trials probably won't be)