Here’s an interesting little insight into the workings of the FBI. You know, the agency that the Republicans want to de-fund? Maybe they need to rethink that seeing as it’s filled with MAGA insurrectionists: Hi, it’s Jason Leopold with the second installment of my new weekly newsletter, FOIA Files. If you haven’t yet, sign up now to get it delivered to your inbox every Friday. As news of the Mar-a-Lago raid unfolded on the morning of Aug. 8, 2022, it unsurprisingly drew fierce reaction from Trump, his biggest backers, and many Republican members of Congress. But a cache of documents I recently obtained from the FBI shows just how much the historic event roiled some of the bureau’s rank and file, forcing FBI Director Christopher Wray to engage in damage control. “Did this really just happen? Am I dreaming? The FBI served a Search Warrant on a former president?” wrote an incredulous bureau employee in an email that was sent to the FBI’s acting ombudsman, Chauncenette Morey, shortly after the Mar-a-Lago search. “If he took documents, give him a call and ask for them back. Like … Seriously? My own agency ….
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I just read Barb McQuade’s new book. Attack from Within. How Disinformation is Sabotaging America. I had planned to go see her in person at the Commonwealth Club and ask her some questions, but it was sold out, plus I knew what would happen, the first person at the mic would say, “I don’t have a question so much as a 3 part comment ” and talk for 5 minutes.” (I’m guilty of that myself, I even used that phrasing as a joke line with my friend Cory Doctorow and Annalee Newitz at his book reading for Red Team Blues. ) My goal when asking book authors questions is to help them amplify the parts I see as important in a memorable way. Especially for an audience that needs to hear it, but will likely never read the book. So when I heard Barb was going to be on the Nicole Sandler show I wrote Nicole and said, “I think the most important point Barb makes in the book is that with social media our old metaphors of speech & debate are out of date and they are being used against us. Please get Barb to repeat this, with examples!
He claims that Trump isn’t planning to follow the “conservative agenda” he followed during their first term but that’s obviously nonsense. He’s gotten more fascist but he was fascist to begin with. But Pence not endorsing is a real rebuke to some of the other cowards like McConnell and Sununu who have decided to keep boot licking for no good reason. He was Trump’s adoring VP for four long years and he’s found the courage to just say no. Congratulations Mike. After much soul searching and attempts to rationalize helping with the coup attempt, you finally did the right thing. And I guess you liked how that felt. Or maybe you just understand that your political life as a MAGA cultist is over so you might as well let your normal flag fly. Either way, welcome to the Resistance, You may find that it feels good to be able to look yourself in the mirror every morning.
The New Yorker’s Susan Glasser watched Trump’s rally last weekend and her mind was blown. If only we could get everyone to do this at least once: [L]ike so much about Trump’s 2024 campaign, this insane oration was largely overlooked and under-covered, the flood of lies and B.S. seen as old news from a candidate whose greatest political success has been to acclimate a large swath of the population to his ever more dangerous alternate reality. No wonder Biden, trapped in a real world of real problems that defy easy solutions, is struggling to defeat him. This is partly a category error. Though we persist in treating the 2024 election as a race between an incumbent and a challenger, it is not that so much as a contest between two incumbents: Biden, the actual President, and Trump, the forever-President of Red America’s fever dreams. But Trump, while he presents himself as the country’s rightful leader, gets nothing like the intense scrutiny for his speeches that is now focussed on the current occupant of the Oval Office. The norms and traditions that Trump is intent on smashing are, once again, benefitting him.
The sloth: This made my day!❤️ pic.twitter.com/4vwuuGmtGA — Nature is Amazing ☘️ (@AMAZlNGNATURE) March 15, 2024 Just snoozing… Mama sloth holding on to a tree with her legs for a nap pic.twitter.com/ByLxS3dDk3 — Apurv Anand (@apurv_anand) March 15, 2024 Sloths—the sluggish tree-dwellers of Central and South America—spend their lives in the tropical rain forests. They move through the canopy at a rate of about 40 yards per day, munching on leaves, twigs and buds. Sloths have an exceptionally low metabolic rate and spend 15 to 20 hours per day sleeping. And surprisingly enough, the long-armed animals are excellent swimmers. They occasionally drop from their treetop perches into water for a paddle. It is my spirit animal.
It’s that time again Considering I just filed my taxes for free using an IRS-approved vendor (and I’m not in one of the pilot states AOC mentions), if you have not yet filed, Turbo Tax refugee, check this out. Post by @democrascene View on Threads Of course, free filing is a crime against capitalism and must be stopped. So by all means, pay an exorbitant amount to file your taxes. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● For The Win, 5th Edition is ready for download. Request a copy of my free countywide GOTV planning guide at ForTheWin.us.
Fact: the majority of the people who worked for Trump now say he’s utterly unfit for office.
It’s just MAGA now These interviews with former Republican operatives and pundits in Politico about why the Never Trump movement in the GOP primaries failed says it all: The Never Trump movement is a big tent, to be sure. For years, Republicans held on to the belief that Trumpism could be beaten in a battle of ideas. The ideological keystone the movement held at its core was the idea of fighting — in truly small-c conservative fashion — to return the party to its pre-Trump dogma of internationalism abroad and a rising-tide-lifts-all-boats economic policy at home. Haley’s campaign was its last flagship, if imperfect, vessel. Here, in their own words, influential Never Trump strategists and former GOP operatives answer what went wrong and grapple with where their faction lands in 2024 — and beyond. Tim Miller, host of The Bulwark Podcast and former adviser to Our Principles PAC Haley’s exit was kind of the end. It’s been in hospice for a while. It’s the official end of the Bush, neocon, compassionate conservative-Republican Party, and there’s no going back to it.
Are you better off now? Yes you are. Four years ago today, Trump bragged that only “50” Americans had died from COVID because of his “good decisions” Over 1 million Americans would go on to die from COVID pic.twitter.com/Bc9vWM7zCf — Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) March 14, 2024 I can’t even believe we have to have this conversation. The idea that the MAGA dunces would actually be asking it says everything about their bizarre confidence that the majority of Americans have forgotten everything.
That he’s managed to convince so many people that it was the greatest they’ve ever experienced is a testament to the power of lying repeatedly I know that the media is hooked on telling the “vibes story” but maybe if more of them would tell the “facts story” like the following, the vibes would be different: .@SteveRattner: Trump’s tax cuts increased the deficit, even before COVID. Biden brought it down. Trump added more debt than any other president in history. The idea that he was going to attack the deficit and debt problem is actually completely false pic.twitter.com/Jwe1CoxL0d — Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) March 14, 2024 Trump’s tax cuts increased the deficit, even before COVID. Biden brought it down. Trump added more debt than any other president in history. Also: Chris Hayes has been doing this all week and it’s excellent too. And more of this please: Democrats’ newest trick is introducing hilarious montages of Trump, but here at #LNSM we’ve gotten it down to an art form.