We Resist: Day 426

Posted by Melissa McEwan at Wednesday, March 21, 2018
a black bar with the word RESIST in white text

One of the difficulties in resisting the Trump administration, the Republican Congressional majority, and Republican state legislatures (plus the occasional non-Republican who obliges us to resist their nonsense, too, like we don't have enough to worry about) is keeping on top of the sheer number of horrors, indignities, and normalization of the aggressively abnormal that they unleash every single day.

So here is a daily thread for all of us to share all the things that are going on, thus crowdsourcing a daily compendium of the onslaught of conservative erosion of our rights and our very democracy.

Stay engaged. Stay vigilant. Resist.

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Earlier today by me: The Austin Bomber Has Been Stopped and Trump Disgorges More Contempt for the Rule of Law — and the Media Continues to Fail Us and Joe Biden, What Are You Even Doing?

Here are some more things in the news today...

[Content Note: Anti-Semitism.]


Alice Ollstein at TPM: House Dem: Plot to Oust Broadcast Board CEO 'Our Worst Nightmare'.
The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee says whistleblowers have detailed a plot by the Trump administration to oust the CEO of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) and replace him with someone favored by the White House.

Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) warned in a letter to the BBG, obtained by TPM, that that candidate, André Mendes, then plans to dismiss the existing Board of Governors, according to the whistleblowers.

In a statement to TPM, Engel called the alleged plot "our worst nightmare coming true."

"This action would violate current law and represent what these whistleblowers have described as 'a coup at the BBG,' presumably with the aim of pushing the BBG's journalism toward a viewpoint favorable of (sic) the Trump Administration," Engel wrote to the BBG. "I view these claims as credible and this scenario as outrageous and unacceptable."
This isn't creeping authoritarianism; it's stomping through the house and taking a huge shit in the middle of the living room.

Carol D. Leonnig, David Nakamura, and Josh Dawsey at the Washington Post: Trump's National Security Advisers Warned Him Not to Congratulate Putin; He Did It Anyway. "Trump did not follow specific warnings from his national security advisers Tuesday when he congratulated Russian President Vladi­mir Putin on his reelection — including a section in his briefing materials in all-capital letters stating 'DO NOT CONGRATULATE,' according to officials familiar with the call. Trump also chose not to heed talking points from aides instructing him to condemn the recent poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain with a powerful nerve agent, a case that both the British and U.S. governments have blamed on Moscow."

The collusion, said the brokenest of broken records, is and has always been right out in the open.

[CN: Video may autoplay at link] Kaitlan Collins and Jeff Zeleny at CNN: Trump Furious over Leak of Warning to Not Congratulate Putin. "Donald Trump was infuriated after it quickly leaked that he had been directly instructed by his national security advisers in briefing materials not to congratulate [Putin]. Trump was fuming Tuesday night, asking his allies and outside advisers who they thought had leaked the information... According to the source, the incident resurfaces his long-held belief there are individuals inside his administration — especially in the national security realm — who are actively working to undermine him. White House chief of staff John Kelly also is furious that a confidential presidential briefing became public knowledge, a White House official said, and intends to address the matter Wednesday as aides try to figure out who disclosed the warning."

Someone who cares about this country more than the president does. That's a long list. At least Kelly can rule out Mike Pence.

Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Carrie Dann at NBC News: Trump, Master of the Political Insult, Declines to Chide Putin. "In his nearly three years as president or a presidential candidate, Donald Trump has never been shy about openly criticizing others, including foreign leaders. He ripped into London's mayor. He fired back at British Prime Minister Theresa May (initially tweeting at the wrong Theresa May). And he's hurled insults at North Korea's Kim Jong-Un. Which all makes Trump's reluctance to forcefully criticize Vladimir Putin — after the election interference in 2016, after the poisoning in Britain, and after the voting irregularities in Russia — all the more striking. Even when the president is instructed NOT to congratulate Putin." Yup.

Greg Sargent at the Washington Post: A GOP Senator's Remarkable Admission about Trump and Mueller. (Emphases original.)
[Republicans'] stance is that of course Mueller should be allowed to finish his investigation, but they will not act legislatively to protect the probe, because this is not at all necessary, as Trump would never dream of taking action against it, since he would face severe consequences that Republicans will not enunciate in advance.

But a Republican lawmaker has just given away the real game behind this carefully crafted straddle. Sen. Bob Corker (Tenn.) was pressed by the Washington Examiner on why Republicans are hesitant to protect Mueller, and this is what happened:
Republicans in Congress are hesitant to antagonize [Donald] Trump ahead of ahead of difficult midterm elections, wary of sparking a backlash from a committed grassroots base more loyal to the White House.

Amid sky-high Democratic enthusiasm and a developing "blue wave," Republicans can't afford a war with Trump that depresses GOP turnout. Republicans might be worried about Trump's attacks on special counsel Robert Mueller, but they are reluctant to push back, much less support legislation to curtail the president's ability to fire Mueller and sideline the federal probe…

"The president is, as you know — you've seen his numbers among the Republican base — it's very strong. It's more than strong, it's tribal in nature," said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who decided to retire when his second term concludes at year's end, after periodically sparring with Trump.

"People who tell me, who are out on trail, say, look, people don't ask about issues anymore. They don't care about issues. They want to know if you're with Trump or not," Corker added.
This is a candid glimpse from a leading GOP lawmaker into what’s really driving the Republican straddle on Mueller.
Authoritarians love their authoritarian god-king.

Rep. Adam Schiff at USA Today: Republicans Leading Russia Probe Ignored Every Lesson I Learned as a Prosecutor. "Investigations have a certain rhythm: You begin with solid leads, use subpoenas to compel testimony or documents from reticent witnesses, interview lower-level witnesses first, and then move on to higher-level targets. Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee did none of these things before shutting down their Russia investigation last week."

Of course not. And see the preceding item as to why. See also: Many of them are probably compromised, too.

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Craig Timberg, Karla Adam, and Michael Kranish at the Washington Post: Bannon Oversaw Cambridge Analytica's Collection of Facebook Data, According to Former Employee. "Conservative strategist Stephen K. Bannon oversaw Cambridge Analytica's early efforts to collect troves of Facebook data as part of an ambitious program to build detailed profiles of millions of American voters, a former employee of the data-science firm said Tuesday. ...Wylie said that Bannon — while he was a top executive at Cambridge Analytica and head of Breitbart News — was deeply involved in the company's strategy and approved spending nearly $1 million to acquire data, including Facebook profiles, in 2014. ...It is unclear whether Bannon knew how Cambridge Analytica was obtaining the data, which allegedly was collected through an app that was portrayed as a tool for psychological research but was then transferred to the company." I can guess.


Aaron Rupar at ThinkProgress: Trump Accidentally Touts Key Role of Cambridge Analytica in 2016 Campaign. "They had this expression 'drain the swamp.' And I hated it, I thought it was so hokey. I said, 'That is the hokiest, give me a break, I am embarrassed to say it.' [But] every time I said it I got the biggest applause. And after four or five times, I said, 'Boy, what a great expression, I love saying it, it's amazing.'" Coincidentally, Trump's remarks about his infamous catchphrase came on the same night the Washington Post provided more detail than ever before about how it originated with Cambridge Analytica and Steve Bannon, who became Trump's campaign chairman two months before he debuted 'drain the swamp.'"

Betsy Woodruff at the Daily Beast: Cambridge Analytica Looked to Pounce on Russian Hacks, Email Shows. "Cambridge Analytica hoped to capitalize on Russian hacking of Hillary Clinton and her ally, an email written by one of its employees indicates. Emily Cornell, the employee, sent the email on July 29, 2016. It went out to people working with Make America Number One, the pro-Trump super PAC funded by Republican super-donors Robert and Rebekah Mercer. After noting some of the firm's work for the super PAC, Cornell wrote: 'With her campaign getting hacked, I can only imagine what a new swatch [sic] of emails will do to her already fractured base!' ...On July 22, seven days before Cornell's email, WikiLeaks had published almost 20,000 emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee."

Which were stolen by Russian hackers allegedly working on behalf of the Kremlin. Bear that in mind as you consider the information in the following two tweets:


Yeah.

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[CN: Nativism; video may autoplay at link] Rebecca Savransky at the Hill: GOP Lawmaker: 'We Might Need to Build a Wall Between California and Arizona'. "Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) proposed building a border wall between California and Arizona to protect the state. 'As we look in Arizona, we often look into the dangers of the southern border,' McSally said during a round-table discussion about 'sanctuary cities' Tuesday at the White House. ...'But if these dangerous policies continue out of California, we might need to build a wall between California and Arizona as well to keep these dangerous criminals out of our state,' she said, smiling."


[CN: Police brutality; white supremacy] Melanie Schmitz at ThinkProgress: Unarmed Black Man Shot by Sacramento Police Officers Because He Was Holding a Cell Phone.
A unarmed Black man was shot by two police officers in Sacramento, California this weekend, after officers said they believed their lives were in danger because the man was holding a cell phone they thought was a gun.

Stephan Clark, 22, was in the backyard of his grandparents' house, where he had been living, when officers approached him on Sunday. Police said they were responding to reports that a man had been breaking into cars with a 'toolbar'; deputies in a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department helicopter had informed them that the suspect was allegedly hiding in a backyard and pointed them in Clark's direction.

When officers confronted Clark, they saw the cellphone in his hand and opened fire, discharging their weapons at least 20 times.

"The officers believed the suspect was pointing a firearm at them," Sacramento police said in a statement afterward. "Fearing for their safety, the officers fired their duty weapons striking the suspect multiple times."

Clark was pronounced dead at the scene. Police found a pair of headphones and a iPhone 6 Plus with a rose gold case and black card holder adhered to the back — which reportedly belonged to his girlfriend — but no gun.

"He was at the wrong place at the wrong time in his own backyard?" said Clark's grandmother, Sequita Thompson, speaking with the Sacramento Bee.
Fucking hell. Rage seethe boil.

What have you been reading that we need to resist today?
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