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“Many of the former President’s fellow Republicans have quickly come to [Trump’s] defense, expressing varying levels of dismay at the indictment, with some even vowing to take official countermeasures however they can.” — TIME

Great. Just great. We’ve gone and set a big old precedent. Now every politician has to be super careful not to commit any crimes.

You’re telling me lawmakers are supposed to constantly make sure the stuff they’re doing is totally legal? What’s next, airline pilots need to know how to fly a plane? Gimme a break.

Congratulations. The floodgates have opened. Now anyone in an incredibly powerful position has to “have ethics” and “take responsibility” and “not commit fraud.” What else are you people gonna crack down on? Insurrections? Buzz off.

… for Trump Axios recognizes reality: Think about how topsy-turvy Republican politics has become for Trump’s top rivals to defend him after he’s indicted. If that’s the mood of the GOP electorate now, good luck getting past Trump for the nomination. The first poll conducted post-indictment, by Yahoo News/YouGov, shows Trump’s support skyrocketing among Republicans. Trump now holds a 26-point lead over Florida Gov. DeSantis (57%-31%) in the GOP primary — up from just eight points two weeks ago. What’s good for Trump in a primary is unlikely to translate into a general election. Trump had rock-bottom favorability ratings among all Americans before the indictment, and the specter of a presidential candidate facing the prospect of jail time isn’t likely to win over swing voters. The problem for Republicans is that their voters don’t care much about electability. Just look at their 2022 roster of statewide candidates, which was filled with deeply flawed nominees who nonetheless cruised through primaries in which the most extreme rhetoric resonated. Getting them to care about DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov.

There’s nothing magical about Bayes’ theorem. It boils down to the truism that your belief is only as valid as its evidence. If you have good evidence, Bayes’ theorem can yield good results. If your evidence is flimsy, Bayes’ theorem won’t be of much use. Garbage in, garbage out. The potential for Bayes abuse begins […]

Over the past few years there has been a lot of talk about the mainstream media “normalizing” and “mainstreaming” the white nationalist fringe that has risen to prominence under the Trump regime. They have been reasonably successful at providing context for stories about groups like the Proud Boys and have done a decent job of reporting on events like January 6. But they just can’t seem to wrap their minds around how to deal with the insurrectionist caucus in Congress. On Sunday, CBS News inexplicably decided to air Lesley Stahl’s interview with second-term Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia for the venerable “60 Minutes.” If you think it was a tough interview, take a look at this response from Greene and I think you’ll be able to guess how it went: “It was an honor to spend a few days with the legendary icon Leslie [sic] Stahl and talented crew [of 60 Minutes]. Leslie is a trailblazer for women in journalism.

Ferguson et al.'s revised INET working paper on Trump and the 2016 election is temporarily available on open access from the International Journal of Political Economy.

The Roots of Right-Wing Populism: Donald Trump in 2016

The Doctor Who news continues: Jinkx Monsoon (RuPaul’s Drag Race; Chicago on Broadway) has joined the cast, reportedly in a major role.

The Georgia congresswoman was photographed eating the Judaic sausage in Times Square while en route to having her picture taken with Elmo.

“When our financial system is under assault, that is a national security issue,” Senate Intelligence Chair Mark Warner told The Intercept.

The post Pentagon Tries to Cast Bank Runs as National Security Threat appeared first on The Intercept.

I rode the world's fastest train.

MAGites won’t stop until stopped Your regular reminder: State legislative races matter. The war MAGA Republicans are waging is not simply cultural, not simply rhetorical, but potentially deadly. Ruth Madievsky reminds Salon readers: The right’s escalating culture war — with vigorous attacks on abortion and gender-affirming care for minors — incurs ever-evolving collateral damage. In recent months, conservative lawmakers have introduced legislation centered on banning books with LGBTQ+ content, obstructing transgender care in both minors and adults, and removing nationwide access to mifepristone—one of the drugs used to manage both medical abortion and early miscarriage. Recent events suggest that the newest casualty in these battles may be access to HIV care. On Thursday, a federal judge appointed by George W. Bush struck down a key provision of the Affordable Care Act requiring health insurance companies to cover PrEP, the highly effective drugs used for HIV prevention.

Last week I wrote an article on the indictment of Trump in New York. I argued that charging trump had broken an elite norm: there is no question Trump broke the law, but ex-Presidents don’t get charged with crimes and senior politicians rarely do, though as a couple commenters pointed out, there’s already been some erosion of that norm.

The Home Secretary's comments about British Pakistanis and grooming gangs are contradicted by evidence uncovered by her own Department, reports Adam Bienkov

As the Government fans the flames of anti-immigration rhetoric, Dorothy Stein looks at the data that suggests the public is unimpressed

Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa wants Russell T. Davies to make that John Boyega cameo happen; Gatwa shares a look at how training's been going.

The illusion of a cohesive Israel, an Israel that is a miraculous success, exists only in the minds of privileged Israeli and some diaspora Jews. Some European politicians may also believe this to be the case, having been convinced by Jews in their countries. But it was never the case.

The post Netanyahu’s Power Grab Is Shattering the Myth of a United, Democratic Israel appeared first on MintPress News.

Wanting to “watch the world burn” is a type Speaking of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), I won’t this morning. Much. At The Garden of Forking Paths, however, Brian Klass offers study results that might address her type. Movie buffs know Alfred Pennyworth’s speech from The Dark Knight in which he offers Bruce Wayne an explanation of The Joker’s motivations: Some men just want to watch the world burn. Researchers find it is a type, actually. Alfred was right: The researchers—Michael Bang Petersen and Mathias Osmundsen from Aarhus University in Denmark, and Kevin Arceneaux from Sciences Po in Paris—focus on a specific behavior to create a typology of “Need for Chaos” individuals. Specifically, they focus on those who share “hostile political rumors,” which they note, “portray politicians and political groups negatively and possess low evidential value.” In plain speak, they like spreading malicious political lies. Jacob Wohl, for example.

Anonymous group paying for ads touting candidates supportive of general secretary accused of trying to destroy evidence in misogyny and bullying complaints against husband Unaccountable cash is at play in the elections for the executive of the Unite union. An anonymised page with no named administrators or followers has been ploughing cash into advertising to […]

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In today's BCTV Daily Dispatch: WrestleMania, Secret Invasion, The Boys, Yellowjackets, Stargirl/Titans, Doctor Who, SNL, The Orville & more!

A collaboration among workers in India showed the power of making and discussing films for sharing life’s inner challenges

- by Varun Kurtkoti

Read at Psyche