We Resist: Day 595

Posted by Melissa McEwan at Thursday, September 06, 2018
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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: Kavanaugh Open Thread and The Republicans Casually Announce Their Coup and Trump Regime Announces Expansion of "Family Residential Centers" to Detain Migrant Families.

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

In case you haven't been able to closely follow the Brett Kavanaugh hearing today, the Democrats are GOING FOR IT.

Andrew Desiderio at the Daily Beast: Democrats Go Nuclear for Kavanaugh Documents. "At the beginning of Thursday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) pledged to release some of those documents, saying he was knowingly committing an act of 'civil disobedience.' 'I openly invite and accept the consequences of my team releasing that email right now,' Booker said, which he says could include 'potential ousting from the Senate.' The senator later said he does not believe his action would constitute a violation of the Senate's rules, but Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) read a rule that states Booker could 'suffer expulsion from the body.' Booker, a potential Democratic presidential contender in 2020, swiftly responded: 'Bring it on.'"

He then turned on his mic and told Cornyn: "Then apply the rule and bring the charges." DAMN.


Senator Harris' question was actually late yesterday, but I felt like it deserved to be included!

Like I've said in comments here and on Twitter: There is a valid argument that the Democrats should have gotten up and walked out right at the start. There is a valid argument that it was the better option to stay and get their objections into the record. Pros and cons to both, in my estimation. But they did stay, and I value their palpable anger as they get this stuff into the official record.

And they can always get up and walk the fuck out anytime, after they drop the gavel on this guy.

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Alexander Bisley at Maclean's: Why 'Shadow President' Mike Pence Badly Wants the Oval Office. "He was saved from obscurity and failure by Donald Trump and his need to shore up the right-wing evangelical vote. Now, he owes his survival to Trump and that political base. People close to him tell us that he is aware of Trump's struggles — and he will be ready should Trump depart the scene. Meanwhile, he has his own political action committee, and campaigns around the country under the aegis of a dark money organization, America First Policies. AFP was founded by Brad Parscale, Trump's 2020 campaign manager, and Nick Ayers, Pence's chief of staff. The campaign tour is expected to solidify Trump's base, and introduce Pence to grassroots Republicans around the country. In the event of Trump's resignation or impeachment, Pence could quickly convert the effort to benefit himself."

Staff at CBS News: ICE Spurs Subpoenas of 44 North Carolina Elections Boards for Voting Records. "Immigration and Customs Enforcement has subpoenaed 44 North Carolina elections boards for voting records, CBS News' Jeff Pegues has confirmed. Sources tell CBS News 46 subpoenas went out in all, but of that 46, two went to state agencies, including the Department of Motor Vehicles. ICE is not providing a formal statement due to the ongoing federal investigation. ...A federal law enforcement official briefed on the details of the investigation said this is a local case, and denied that it has anything to do with [Donald] Trump's unsubstantiated claims that there was widespread illegal voting during the 2016 election. But ICE and government officials are expecting to field questions about whether this is an attempt to pick up where the president's now-disbanded 'Commission on Voter Fraud' left off."

Jon Swaine at the Guardian: Trump Inauguration Crowd Photos Were Edited After He Intervened. "A government photographer edited official pictures of Donald Trump's inauguration to make the crowd appear bigger following a personal intervention from the president, according to newly released documents. The photographer cropped out empty space 'where the crowd ended' for a new set of pictures requested by Trump on the first morning of his presidency, after he was angered by images showing his audience was smaller than Barack Obama's in 2009."

Andy Towle at Towleroad: Trump Thanks Dictator Kim Jong Un for 'Unwavering Faith' in Him. "Donald Trump thanked North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un on Twitter Thursday morning: 'Kim Jong Un of North Korea proclaims 'unwavering faith in [Donald] Trump.' Thank you to Chairman Kim. We will get it done together!' Morning Joe laughed: 'His friends are despots.'" They also aren't actually "friends," in any real sense of the word.

Betsy Woodruff at the Daily Beast: Putin's 'Friend' Had Early Access to Trump's Infamous Pro-Russia Speech. "It isn't unusual for a think-tank chief to preview drafts of a speech presented at their invitation. But [Center for the National Interest president Dimitri Simes'] proximity to the speech shows that a person Vladimir Putin once called a 'friend and colleague' had an early view into the crafting of a speech that would have historic significance for American foreign policy. Democrats on the House intelligence committee tried to investigate Simes' relationship to Trump's campaign, but Republican committee chairman Devin Nunes blocked their efforts."


Ally Boguhn at Rewire.News: Jon Kyl, McCain's Replacement, Notorious for Lying About Planned Parenthood. "Kyl, who retired from the Senate in 2013, in 2011 made the false claim that 'well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does' is related to abortion care, though in truth the procedure makes up about 3 percent of its services. His office later released a statement suggesting Kyl's claim was 'not intended to be a factual statement,' sparking a social media firestorm after comedian Stephen Colbert jumped into the matter on Twitter with a list of statements about Kyl using the hashtag #NotIntendedToBeAFactualStatement. The false claim was later stricken from the congressional record."

Michelle Kosinski and Jennifer Hansler at CNN: State Department's Top Candidate to Lead Efforts Countering Disinformation: A Fox News Reporter. "A Fox News correspondent is a leading candidate to head the State Department agency tasked with combating propaganda and disinformation from foreign adversaries, CNN has learned. Lea Gabrielle is being considered for special envoy and coordinator of the Global Engagement Center, multiple State Department sources and one former senior State official told CNN. Gabrielle is a general assignment reporter for 'Shepard Smith Reporting,' according to her Fox News biography." Yeah, that sounds about right.

Julia Kollewe and Graeme Wearden at the Guardian: China 'Will Retaliate' If U.S. Imposes New Tariffs on $200bn of Goods. "Beijing has laid the ground for another round of tit-for-tat tariffs in the U.S.-China trade war as it declared its readiness to retaliate if Washington imposes a fresh set of duties on $200bn of Chinese goods, which could happen as soon as this week. The proposed new tariffs from Washington — levied at 25% of the value of thousands of specific products — would come on top of existing 25% tariffs on $50bn of Chinese exports, most of which kicked in on 6 July. China was quick to strike back then, imposing tariffs on a similar amount of U.S. goods. Beijing's economic ministry spokesman, Gao Feng, repeated threats that it would retaliate if a new round of tariffs was imposed: 'If the United States, regardless of opposition, adopts any new tariff measures, China will be forced to roll out necessary retaliatory measures.'"

Ayana Byrd at Colorlines: High Lead Levels Force Detroit to Shut Off Water Fountains at All Public Schools. "[On September 4], the children of Detroit headed back to the city's public schools amid growing concern about water safety. In response to dangerous lead and copper levels, officials have turned off all water fountains district-wide. Last month, tests of all water sources in 16 school buildings, including sinks and fountains, showed elevated levels. ...In response, District Superintendent Nikolai Vitti announced last week, 'I am turning off all drinking water in our schools until a deeper and broad analysis can be conducted to determine the long-term solutions.' The decision affects about 50,000 students in 106 schools. The district will provide bottled water and coolers until fountains are turned back on." Fucking hell.

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