WASHINGTON — With hours left to spare, former president Donald Trump‘s lawyers concluded their arguments in defense of Trump on Friday afternoon. The defense’s case had a throw-everything-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks quality to it: Lawyers Michael van der Veen, David Schoen, and Bruce Castor contended that the charge leveled against Trump of inciting …
Read More »The Democrats Have Power. How Can They Keep It?
The following two statements stand in complete opposition to each other, and yet they are both true: The Democratic Party is dominant. The Democratic Party is screwed. Consider these facts. In 2020, Joe Biden received more votes than any other presidential candidate in U.S. history. He rebuilt the “blue wall” …
Read More »Boogaloo May Get Violent At Inauguration, Intelligence Agencies Warn
The attack on the U.S. Capitol may have been set the stage for more violence to come, U.S. intelligence agencies are warning in a new advisory. The joint bulletin distributed by the National Counterterrorism Center and the Justice and Homeland Security Departments — and first reported by the New York …
Read More »New Capitol Riot Footage Reveals an Even Darker Side of the MAGA Mob
The carnival-like atmosphere conveyed by images and video from the attack on the Capitol this week was deceptive. Not only did the mayhem lead to five deaths, including a police officer, but according to MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, “There was something way, way darker, more violent, more sinister, and more organized …
Read More »Government Watchdog Says White House Advisor Peter Navarro Violated the Hatch Act
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has continuously violated the Hatch Act, and on Monday the Office of Special Counsel called on President Trump to take “appropriate disciplinary action.” In the filing, the government watchdog said Navarro broke the law that forbids government employees from engaging in political activities. The …
Read More »Watch Trump's Stock Market Collapse Prediction Go Down in Flames
During his campaign, Trump told voters many times that the entire country would go to hell if Americans elected Joe Biden president. Among other nonsensical predictions, Trump spread a bizarre virus hoax conspiracy that Covid-19 would vanish following the election. But now weeks after the election cases continue to rise, …
Read More »'Useful Idiots': Glenn Greenwald on Lessons from the Election, Leaving the Intercept and More
In the latest socially distanced episode of our Useful Idiots podcast, hosts Matt Taibbi and Katie Halper are joined by none other than newly-freelance journalist Glenn Greenwald. [Editor’s note: This episode was taped on November 5th, the Thursday after Election Night.] Matt and Katie take a deep dive into how …
Read More »TikTok Is Becoming a Vector of Election Violence Rumors
In the lead-up to Election Night, most coverage has focused on how platforms like Facebook and Twitter are working to prevent election-related misinformation and disinformation, in an effort to avoid a repeat of what happened in 2016. One platform, however, has largely avoided scrutiny, despite already serving as host to …
Read More »'We Merely Need to Dampen Turnout': Leaked Docs Show Top Trump Allies' 2016 Plan to Suppress Black Voters
WASHINGTON — The disinformation operation was christened “Project Clintonson.” It brought together two notorious figures in Republican political circles, Blackwater founder Erik Prince and Trump adviser Roger Stone. Their objective couldn’t have been more explicit. “We do not need to make major gains among African American voters,” said a 13-page …
Read More »Can Herd Immunity Save Us?
Soon after the novel coronavirus emerged as a global threat this spring, certain terms usually confined to public health and epidemiology — like “flatten the curve” and “PPE” — became part of our everyday vocabulary. Among them is “herd immunity,” which some people, including Donald Trump, have said will eventually …
Read More »