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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
April 24, 2024
( Detroit Metro Times) Racist and pro-Nazi messages appeared on at least three digital billboards in metro Detroit over the weekend to celebrate Adolf Hitler’s birthday.
A group dubbed “White Lives Matter Michigan” took credit for the signs in Hazel Park, Mount Clemens, and Brownstown.
“White Lives Matter Michigan permeated censorship to obtain three roadside billboards throughout Southeastern Michigan to dog-whistle morale boosting messages to pro-Whites for this 4/20 Day of Action!” the group tweeted Saturday. ...........(more)
https://www.metrotimes.com/news/racist-messages-splashed-across-billboards-in-metro-detroit-on-hitlers-birthday-36078810
Racist billboards appeared across metro Detroit on Hitler's birthday
( Detroit Metro Times) Racist and pro-Nazi messages appeared on at least three digital billboards in metro Detroit over the weekend to celebrate Adolf Hitler’s birthday.
A group dubbed “White Lives Matter Michigan” took credit for the signs in Hazel Park, Mount Clemens, and Brownstown.
“White Lives Matter Michigan permeated censorship to obtain three roadside billboards throughout Southeastern Michigan to dog-whistle morale boosting messages to pro-Whites for this 4/20 Day of Action!” the group tweeted Saturday. ...........(more)
https://www.metrotimes.com/news/racist-messages-splashed-across-billboards-in-metro-detroit-on-hitlers-birthday-36078810
April 24, 2024
(Michigan Advance) Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee on Friday announced a “100,000 person strong” program designed to harass election officials and their employees and discredit democracy in Nevada and a dozen other states.
In a statement announcing its Orwellian named “election integrity program,” the RNC said it is “establishing a robust network of monitoring, and protection against any violation or fraud.”
Neither the RNC, Trump, nor anyone else has ever provided any evidence of fraud that would have altered results of the 2020 election that Trump lost to Joe Biden.
....(snip)....
The RNC’s announcement issued Friday is loaded with hyperbole and innuendo about “voter fraud,” and a “rigged” election, but refers to no evidence of either. That’s not surprising. To reiterate, the courts and election officials in state after state, including Nevada’s then-Secretary of State, Republican Barbara Cegavske, found no evidence that the 2020 election was “rigged.” .............(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/04/23/trump-rnc-promise-aggressive-election-interference-in-battleground-states/
Trump, RNC promise 'aggressive' election interference in battleground states
(Michigan Advance) Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee on Friday announced a “100,000 person strong” program designed to harass election officials and their employees and discredit democracy in Nevada and a dozen other states.
In a statement announcing its Orwellian named “election integrity program,” the RNC said it is “establishing a robust network of monitoring, and protection against any violation or fraud.”
Neither the RNC, Trump, nor anyone else has ever provided any evidence of fraud that would have altered results of the 2020 election that Trump lost to Joe Biden.
....(snip)....
The RNC’s announcement issued Friday is loaded with hyperbole and innuendo about “voter fraud,” and a “rigged” election, but refers to no evidence of either. That’s not surprising. To reiterate, the courts and election officials in state after state, including Nevada’s then-Secretary of State, Republican Barbara Cegavske, found no evidence that the 2020 election was “rigged.” .............(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/04/23/trump-rnc-promise-aggressive-election-interference-in-battleground-states/
April 24, 2024
Donald Trump has neutered Republicans' power to sabotage Joe Biden
It also doesn't hurt that Democrats in Congress have held unprecedentedly united
By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
Columnist
PUBLISHED APRIL 24, 2024 9:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) While most of the country was riveted by recaps of Donald Trump's sordid hush-money trial on Tuesday, something amazing was happening in Washington: the Senate debated and then passed the national security package that's been consuming the Capitol for the last six months. With a lopsided vote of 79-18, the bills with aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan among some other things will soon be signed by the president and behind us. Notably, there is no increased funding for the border because Donald Trump ordered the Republicans to reject it so that he could keep demagoguing the issue during the campaign. Nevertheless, Tuesday's vote is a big win for President Joe Biden and the Democrats.
The GOP infighting has escalated in the wake of the House's months-long tantrum led by the far-right extremists who seemed to truly believe that they could hold their breath until they turned blue and they would eventually get everything they wanted. Leading MAGA rebel Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., left town without calling for Speaker Mike Johnson to vacate the chair, demanding instead that he resign, which isn't going to happen. Podcaster Steve Bannon and a couple of fellow right-wing sad sacks — Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Paul Gosar, R-Az. — joined the call but it's clear that however frustrated some of them might be there is no appetite in the House GOP for any more internecine fights, at least for the moment. And the rest of the party is obviously sick of the kooks.
....(snip)....
It's been a bad run for Trump and for Greene these past few weeks. But you know who's having a great run? President Joe Biden. His poll numbers are edging up but the general election still looks incomprehensibly tight considering how much policy success the president has had with a Congress that is so dysfunctional. Somehow he and the Democrats have made it work for them.
I think we're all familiar with Biden's big legislative wins in the first two years: the American Rescue Plan, which set the table for a very positive economic recovery, a big infrastructure bill that is just now coming online all over the country, the first major gun safety bill in decades, capping prescription drug costs for seniors and much more. And it was all done with razor-thin majorities in both chambers. Most pieces of legislation passed with bipartisan votes despite what is arguably the most toxic political environment since the 1850s. It was a remarkable feat but I think most observers assumed that it was going to be the end of it when Republicans managed to eke out a tiny victory and flip control of the House in 2022. How could anything get done with Donald Trump pulling the strings and crazed right-wing extremists dominating the caucus? ..............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/24/donald-has-neutered-republicans-power-to-sabotage-joe-biden/
Trump fumes, GOP caves and Biden wins
Donald Trump has neutered Republicans' power to sabotage Joe Biden
It also doesn't hurt that Democrats in Congress have held unprecedentedly united
By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
Columnist
PUBLISHED APRIL 24, 2024 9:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) While most of the country was riveted by recaps of Donald Trump's sordid hush-money trial on Tuesday, something amazing was happening in Washington: the Senate debated and then passed the national security package that's been consuming the Capitol for the last six months. With a lopsided vote of 79-18, the bills with aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan among some other things will soon be signed by the president and behind us. Notably, there is no increased funding for the border because Donald Trump ordered the Republicans to reject it so that he could keep demagoguing the issue during the campaign. Nevertheless, Tuesday's vote is a big win for President Joe Biden and the Democrats.
The GOP infighting has escalated in the wake of the House's months-long tantrum led by the far-right extremists who seemed to truly believe that they could hold their breath until they turned blue and they would eventually get everything they wanted. Leading MAGA rebel Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., left town without calling for Speaker Mike Johnson to vacate the chair, demanding instead that he resign, which isn't going to happen. Podcaster Steve Bannon and a couple of fellow right-wing sad sacks — Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Paul Gosar, R-Az. — joined the call but it's clear that however frustrated some of them might be there is no appetite in the House GOP for any more internecine fights, at least for the moment. And the rest of the party is obviously sick of the kooks.
....(snip)....
It's been a bad run for Trump and for Greene these past few weeks. But you know who's having a great run? President Joe Biden. His poll numbers are edging up but the general election still looks incomprehensibly tight considering how much policy success the president has had with a Congress that is so dysfunctional. Somehow he and the Democrats have made it work for them.
I think we're all familiar with Biden's big legislative wins in the first two years: the American Rescue Plan, which set the table for a very positive economic recovery, a big infrastructure bill that is just now coming online all over the country, the first major gun safety bill in decades, capping prescription drug costs for seniors and much more. And it was all done with razor-thin majorities in both chambers. Most pieces of legislation passed with bipartisan votes despite what is arguably the most toxic political environment since the 1850s. It was a remarkable feat but I think most observers assumed that it was going to be the end of it when Republicans managed to eke out a tiny victory and flip control of the House in 2022. How could anything get done with Donald Trump pulling the strings and crazed right-wing extremists dominating the caucus? ..............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/24/donald-has-neutered-republicans-power-to-sabotage-joe-biden/
April 24, 2024
It's not just that Fox News told them entering New York results in instant murder
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 24, 2024 5:56AM (EDT)
(Salon) Donald Trump can't decide how he wants his supporters to feel about the scene outside of the Manhattan courtroom where he's being tried on 34 felony indictments for election interference and business fraud. He repeatedly argues that the city he travels through with a daily motorcade to his trial is a war zone. "Violent criminals that are murdering people, killing people" are free to "do whatever they want," he's falsely claimed, blasting District Attorney Alvin Bragg as "lazy on violent crime" because he's supposedly too focused on prosecuting Trump.
....(snip)....
On Monday, Trump begged his followers on Truth Social to "RALLY BEHIND MAGA" at courthouses, unsubtly suggesting that they model themselves after the mostly imaginary leftist rioters who "scream, shout, sit, block traffic, enter buildings, not get permits, and basically do whatever they want." When the MAGA hats failed to show, Trump tried to inspire them with a post complaining that it's "SO UNFAIR!!!" that he doesn't get throngs of people like the kind seen at the anti-war protest up the street at Columbia University. Outside of a few scattered people with pro-Trump signs, though, the mob he longed for never showed. So he took his pleas to the cameras outside of the courthouse Tuesday morning:
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1782764365629820951
What's especially funny about all this is Trump can't quite admit that his people just aren't showing up. So he keeps blaming the barricades and the police presence. His lies got to the level of childish make-believe on Tuesday afternoon, as he falsely claimed on Truth Social that "Thousands of people were turned away from the Courthouse" and denied he "was disappointed by the crowds." Of course, by fantasizing about a massive caravan rallied to his defense, he proved he is not satisfied with reality.
....(snip)....
https://twitter.com/VaughnHillyard/status/1782764091565617503
Perhaps the reason is they really are too scared to go into the city, after imbibing years of lies that New York is a war zone. I'd wager it is mostly because, despite the horror show on January 6, 2021, it turns out that most of MAGA is not actually as gung-ho to risk injury, prison or even death just because Dear Leader commands it. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/24/keeps-begging-for-a-rally-behind-maga--but-his-supporters-arent-showing-up-to/
Trump keeps begging for a "rally behind MAGA" -- but his supporters aren't showing up to court
Trump keeps begging for a "rally behind MAGA" — but his supporters aren't showing up to courtIt's not just that Fox News told them entering New York results in instant murder
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 24, 2024 5:56AM (EDT)
(Salon) Donald Trump can't decide how he wants his supporters to feel about the scene outside of the Manhattan courtroom where he's being tried on 34 felony indictments for election interference and business fraud. He repeatedly argues that the city he travels through with a daily motorcade to his trial is a war zone. "Violent criminals that are murdering people, killing people" are free to "do whatever they want," he's falsely claimed, blasting District Attorney Alvin Bragg as "lazy on violent crime" because he's supposedly too focused on prosecuting Trump.
....(snip)....
On Monday, Trump begged his followers on Truth Social to "RALLY BEHIND MAGA" at courthouses, unsubtly suggesting that they model themselves after the mostly imaginary leftist rioters who "scream, shout, sit, block traffic, enter buildings, not get permits, and basically do whatever they want." When the MAGA hats failed to show, Trump tried to inspire them with a post complaining that it's "SO UNFAIR!!!" that he doesn't get throngs of people like the kind seen at the anti-war protest up the street at Columbia University. Outside of a few scattered people with pro-Trump signs, though, the mob he longed for never showed. So he took his pleas to the cameras outside of the courthouse Tuesday morning:
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1782764365629820951
What's especially funny about all this is Trump can't quite admit that his people just aren't showing up. So he keeps blaming the barricades and the police presence. His lies got to the level of childish make-believe on Tuesday afternoon, as he falsely claimed on Truth Social that "Thousands of people were turned away from the Courthouse" and denied he "was disappointed by the crowds." Of course, by fantasizing about a massive caravan rallied to his defense, he proved he is not satisfied with reality.
....(snip)....
https://twitter.com/VaughnHillyard/status/1782764091565617503
Perhaps the reason is they really are too scared to go into the city, after imbibing years of lies that New York is a war zone. I'd wager it is mostly because, despite the horror show on January 6, 2021, it turns out that most of MAGA is not actually as gung-ho to risk injury, prison or even death just because Dear Leader commands it. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/24/keeps-begging-for-a-rally-behind-maga--but-his-supporters-arent-showing-up-to/
April 24, 2024
"Now's the time to cut your losses": Former Trump prosecutor outlines potential "win-win situation"
"All you have to do is agree to be a regular citizen from now on and concentrate on your businesses"
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 23, 2024 6:38AM (EDT)
(Salon) This is the second week of former president Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial in Manhattan for allegedly engaging in a hush-money scheme to conceal his adulterous relationship with adult film actress Stormy Daniels (legal scholar Norm Eisen has more accurately described this first trial as being about the crime of election interference).
....(snip)....
In an attempt to better understand what is likely to happen next in Donald Trump’s first criminal trial, the strategies the prosecution and defense will likely use, what would happen if a so-called “Trump sleeper agent” infiltrated the jury in order to rig the outcome, and why the corrupt ex-president should take a plea deal in exchange for agreeing to drop out of the 2024 election and leaving public life, I recently spoke with Kenneth McCallion. He is a former Justice Department prosecutor who also worked for the New York attorney general's office as a prosecutor on Trump-related racketeering cases. McCallion's books include the companion pieces "Profiles in Courage in the Trump Era" and "Profiles in Cowardice in the Trump Era," as well as "Treason & Betrayal: The Rise and Fall of Individual-1."
....(snip)....
One of the prospective jurors told reporters that seeing Donald Trump in court diminished him in her eyes. He didn’t have all the cameras and fanfare around him. He was just a regular person to her. Seeing him in that light surprised her. Is that a common response in your experience with organized crime figures for example?
I've had experiences where the head of organized crime families first walk into the courtroom with their chest outs and chin up like a mafia boss is supposed to act in real life or on TV. But when the evidence starts coming in, and the jurors know that the courtroom is quite secure, and there are marshals in the vicinity who are ready to pounce on anyone who might threaten the judge or jurors, then they start feeling more comfortable. The jurors focus on the evidence, not the man, and not the histrionics and theatrics of the courtroom. They have confidence in the system to keep them secure. The jurors also keep getting reminded of their obligations and the very unique position they are in to decide the facts of the case and render a guilty or not guilty verdict. As Trump's trial advances, the jurors are going to get much more comfortable and focused on their duties.
....(snip)....
How is the defense likely going to proceed?How is the defense likely going to proceed?
.....It's all very tough for Trump because he's in the middle of a presidential campaign. If this was just an organized crime case, there would come a point where he would clutch his chest like he was having a heart attack and needed to be rushed to the hospital. But that would hurt Trump's presidential campaign. The only way he can really save himself is to get a mistrial declared, or make a deal that Nixon’s vice president, Spiro Agnew, made to avoid doing prison time. He would have to agree to withdraw from politics and salvage what he can of his foundering businesses. But Trump is between a rock and a hard place, His ego will not let him to withdraw from the presidential campaign as part of a plea deal, and he can’t fake a health emergency would make him look old and feeble compared to President Biden. Trump really is in a tough spot. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/23/nows-the-time-to-cut-your-losses-former-prosecutor-outlines-potential-win-win-situation/
"Now's the time to cut your losses": Former Trump prosecutor outlines potential "win-win situation"
"Now's the time to cut your losses": Former Trump prosecutor outlines potential "win-win situation"
"All you have to do is agree to be a regular citizen from now on and concentrate on your businesses"
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 23, 2024 6:38AM (EDT)
(Salon) This is the second week of former president Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial in Manhattan for allegedly engaging in a hush-money scheme to conceal his adulterous relationship with adult film actress Stormy Daniels (legal scholar Norm Eisen has more accurately described this first trial as being about the crime of election interference).
....(snip)....
In an attempt to better understand what is likely to happen next in Donald Trump’s first criminal trial, the strategies the prosecution and defense will likely use, what would happen if a so-called “Trump sleeper agent” infiltrated the jury in order to rig the outcome, and why the corrupt ex-president should take a plea deal in exchange for agreeing to drop out of the 2024 election and leaving public life, I recently spoke with Kenneth McCallion. He is a former Justice Department prosecutor who also worked for the New York attorney general's office as a prosecutor on Trump-related racketeering cases. McCallion's books include the companion pieces "Profiles in Courage in the Trump Era" and "Profiles in Cowardice in the Trump Era," as well as "Treason & Betrayal: The Rise and Fall of Individual-1."
....(snip)....
One of the prospective jurors told reporters that seeing Donald Trump in court diminished him in her eyes. He didn’t have all the cameras and fanfare around him. He was just a regular person to her. Seeing him in that light surprised her. Is that a common response in your experience with organized crime figures for example?
I've had experiences where the head of organized crime families first walk into the courtroom with their chest outs and chin up like a mafia boss is supposed to act in real life or on TV. But when the evidence starts coming in, and the jurors know that the courtroom is quite secure, and there are marshals in the vicinity who are ready to pounce on anyone who might threaten the judge or jurors, then they start feeling more comfortable. The jurors focus on the evidence, not the man, and not the histrionics and theatrics of the courtroom. They have confidence in the system to keep them secure. The jurors also keep getting reminded of their obligations and the very unique position they are in to decide the facts of the case and render a guilty or not guilty verdict. As Trump's trial advances, the jurors are going to get much more comfortable and focused on their duties.
....(snip)....
How is the defense likely going to proceed?How is the defense likely going to proceed?
.....It's all very tough for Trump because he's in the middle of a presidential campaign. If this was just an organized crime case, there would come a point where he would clutch his chest like he was having a heart attack and needed to be rushed to the hospital. But that would hurt Trump's presidential campaign. The only way he can really save himself is to get a mistrial declared, or make a deal that Nixon’s vice president, Spiro Agnew, made to avoid doing prison time. He would have to agree to withdraw from politics and salvage what he can of his foundering businesses. But Trump is between a rock and a hard place, His ego will not let him to withdraw from the presidential campaign as part of a plea deal, and he can’t fake a health emergency would make him look old and feeble compared to President Biden. Trump really is in a tough spot. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/23/nows-the-time-to-cut-your-losses-former-prosecutor-outlines-potential-win-win-situation/
April 23, 2024
"All you have to do is agree to be a regular citizen from now on and concentrate on your businesses"
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 23, 2024 6:38AM (EDT)
(Salon) This is the second week of former president Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial in Manhattan for allegedly engaging in a hush-money scheme to conceal his adulterous relationship with adult film actress Stormy Daniels (legal scholar Norm Eisen has more accurately described this first trial as being about the crime of election interference).
....(snip)....
In an attempt to better understand what is likely to happen next in Donald Trump’s first criminal trial, the strategies the prosecution and defense will likely use, what would happen if a so-called “Trump sleeper agent” infiltrated the jury in order to rig the outcome, and why the corrupt ex-president should take a plea deal in exchange for agreeing to drop out of the 2024 election and leaving public life, I recently spoke with Kenneth McCallion. He is a former Justice Department prosecutor who also worked for the New York attorney general's office as a prosecutor on Trump-related racketeering cases. McCallion's books include the companion pieces "Profiles in Courage in the Trump Era" and "Profiles in Cowardice in the Trump Era," as well as "Treason & Betrayal: The Rise and Fall of Individual-1."
....(snip)....
One of the prospective jurors told reporters that seeing Donald Trump in court diminished him in her eyes. He didn’t have all the cameras and fanfare around him. He was just a regular person to her. Seeing him in that light surprised her. Is that a common response in your experience with organized crime figures for example?
I've had experiences where the head of organized crime families first walk into the courtroom with their chest outs and chin up like a mafia boss is supposed to act in real life or on TV. But when the evidence starts coming in, and the jurors know that the courtroom is quite secure, and there are marshals in the vicinity who are ready to pounce on anyone who might threaten the judge or jurors, then they start feeling more comfortable. The jurors focus on the evidence, not the man, and not the histrionics and theatrics of the courtroom. They have confidence in the system to keep them secure. The jurors also keep getting reminded of their obligations and the very unique position they are in to decide the facts of the case and render a guilty or not guilty verdict. As Trump's trial advances, the jurors are going to get much more comfortable and focused on their duties.
....(snip)....
How is the defense likely going to proceed?How is the defense likely going to proceed?
.....It's all very tough for Trump because he's in the middle of a presidential campaign. If this was just an organized crime case, there would come a point where he would clutch his chest like he was having a heart attack and needed to be rushed to the hospital. But that would hurt Trump's presidential campaign. The only way he can really save himself is to get a mistrial declared, or make a deal that Nixon’s vice president, Spiro Agnew, made to avoid doing prison time. He would have to agree to withdraw from politics and salvage what he can of his foundering businesses. But Trump is between a rock and a hard place, His ego will not let him to withdraw from the presidential campaign as part of a plea deal, and he can’t fake a health emergency would make him look old and feeble compared to President Biden. Trump really is in a tough spot. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/23/nows-the-time-to-cut-your-losses-former-prosecutor-outlines-potential-win-win-situation/
"Now's the time to cut your losses": Former Trump prosecutor outlines potential "win-win situation"
"Now's the time to cut your losses": Former Trump prosecutor outlines potential "win-win situation""All you have to do is agree to be a regular citizen from now on and concentrate on your businesses"
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 23, 2024 6:38AM (EDT)
(Salon) This is the second week of former president Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial in Manhattan for allegedly engaging in a hush-money scheme to conceal his adulterous relationship with adult film actress Stormy Daniels (legal scholar Norm Eisen has more accurately described this first trial as being about the crime of election interference).
....(snip)....
In an attempt to better understand what is likely to happen next in Donald Trump’s first criminal trial, the strategies the prosecution and defense will likely use, what would happen if a so-called “Trump sleeper agent” infiltrated the jury in order to rig the outcome, and why the corrupt ex-president should take a plea deal in exchange for agreeing to drop out of the 2024 election and leaving public life, I recently spoke with Kenneth McCallion. He is a former Justice Department prosecutor who also worked for the New York attorney general's office as a prosecutor on Trump-related racketeering cases. McCallion's books include the companion pieces "Profiles in Courage in the Trump Era" and "Profiles in Cowardice in the Trump Era," as well as "Treason & Betrayal: The Rise and Fall of Individual-1."
....(snip)....
One of the prospective jurors told reporters that seeing Donald Trump in court diminished him in her eyes. He didn’t have all the cameras and fanfare around him. He was just a regular person to her. Seeing him in that light surprised her. Is that a common response in your experience with organized crime figures for example?
I've had experiences where the head of organized crime families first walk into the courtroom with their chest outs and chin up like a mafia boss is supposed to act in real life or on TV. But when the evidence starts coming in, and the jurors know that the courtroom is quite secure, and there are marshals in the vicinity who are ready to pounce on anyone who might threaten the judge or jurors, then they start feeling more comfortable. The jurors focus on the evidence, not the man, and not the histrionics and theatrics of the courtroom. They have confidence in the system to keep them secure. The jurors also keep getting reminded of their obligations and the very unique position they are in to decide the facts of the case and render a guilty or not guilty verdict. As Trump's trial advances, the jurors are going to get much more comfortable and focused on their duties.
....(snip)....
How is the defense likely going to proceed?How is the defense likely going to proceed?
.....It's all very tough for Trump because he's in the middle of a presidential campaign. If this was just an organized crime case, there would come a point where he would clutch his chest like he was having a heart attack and needed to be rushed to the hospital. But that would hurt Trump's presidential campaign. The only way he can really save himself is to get a mistrial declared, or make a deal that Nixon’s vice president, Spiro Agnew, made to avoid doing prison time. He would have to agree to withdraw from politics and salvage what he can of his foundering businesses. But Trump is between a rock and a hard place, His ego will not let him to withdraw from the presidential campaign as part of a plea deal, and he can’t fake a health emergency would make him look old and feeble compared to President Biden. Trump really is in a tough spot. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/23/nows-the-time-to-cut-your-losses-former-prosecutor-outlines-potential-win-win-situation/
April 23, 2024
If there was a hell, Trump's punishment would be a trial where people tell the truth about him all day
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 23, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) While it falls far short of the punishment he deserves, there was no small amount of satisfaction from reports that Donald Trump had to spend much of the first week of his first criminal trial quietly taking it as mean tweets about him were read aloud in court. For hours at a time, potential jurors in his New York "hush-money" trial were interviewed to determine if they could judge Trump with an open mind. In the process, both past social media posts and in-the-moment honest opinions were made public. Trump is such a famous narcissist he literally has a woman who follows him around with a wireless printer to keep him in a steady supply of online praise. Hearing what people outside of the paid shills have to say was, all reports suggest, very upsetting for the former president. He glowered and eventually tried to leave the courtroom so quickly that he had to be told to sit down by the judge.
....(snip)....
While the outcome of the trial remains weeks away, the process of being a criminal defendant has already stripped Trump of most of the trappings he uses to prop up his delusions of nobility. He has to sit still and do what he's told, which he whines about ad nauseum when he's outside of court. He keeps reportedly falling asleep and believable rumors suggest the smell of him is hard to bear.
On Monday, the humiliations continued to pile on Trump with opening arguments and the first witness, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker. Even in this truncated day of court, the picture painted of Trump was not the regal leader of his fantasies, but who he actually is: A sleazy poseur who belongs to the world of trashy tabloids and scheming hucksters. The whole thing is a harsh reminder, to his face, that Trump is more suited to wallowing in the gutter than sitting on a throne.
....(snip)....
Despite Trump trying to tell reporters this trial is going "very well," reports from inside the courtroom are that he was seething. No surprise there. Prior to this, Trump spent all day, every day inside a bubble, surrounded by flatterers and sycophants, always ready to tell him that he's a mighty man who definitely doesn't weigh an ounce over 215 and wins every golf game with ease. Now he's spending his days in a dingy courtroom, staying silent while other people talk about his real self: A pathetic figure who pressures reluctant women into sex, and then runs to his seedy friends and barrel-scraping employees to bail him out of trouble. If there was a hell, Trump's punishment would be to look into a mirror for all of eternity. Having to hear people tell the truth about him for hours a day is as close as we're going to get on the mortal plane. .............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/23/humiliation-deepens-in-court-he-cant-hide-from-his-tabloid-roots/
Trump's humiliation deepens: In court, he can't hide from his tabloid roots
Trump's humiliation deepens: In court, he can't hide from his tabloid rootsIf there was a hell, Trump's punishment would be a trial where people tell the truth about him all day
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 23, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) While it falls far short of the punishment he deserves, there was no small amount of satisfaction from reports that Donald Trump had to spend much of the first week of his first criminal trial quietly taking it as mean tweets about him were read aloud in court. For hours at a time, potential jurors in his New York "hush-money" trial were interviewed to determine if they could judge Trump with an open mind. In the process, both past social media posts and in-the-moment honest opinions were made public. Trump is such a famous narcissist he literally has a woman who follows him around with a wireless printer to keep him in a steady supply of online praise. Hearing what people outside of the paid shills have to say was, all reports suggest, very upsetting for the former president. He glowered and eventually tried to leave the courtroom so quickly that he had to be told to sit down by the judge.
....(snip)....
While the outcome of the trial remains weeks away, the process of being a criminal defendant has already stripped Trump of most of the trappings he uses to prop up his delusions of nobility. He has to sit still and do what he's told, which he whines about ad nauseum when he's outside of court. He keeps reportedly falling asleep and believable rumors suggest the smell of him is hard to bear.
On Monday, the humiliations continued to pile on Trump with opening arguments and the first witness, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker. Even in this truncated day of court, the picture painted of Trump was not the regal leader of his fantasies, but who he actually is: A sleazy poseur who belongs to the world of trashy tabloids and scheming hucksters. The whole thing is a harsh reminder, to his face, that Trump is more suited to wallowing in the gutter than sitting on a throne.
....(snip)....
Despite Trump trying to tell reporters this trial is going "very well," reports from inside the courtroom are that he was seething. No surprise there. Prior to this, Trump spent all day, every day inside a bubble, surrounded by flatterers and sycophants, always ready to tell him that he's a mighty man who definitely doesn't weigh an ounce over 215 and wins every golf game with ease. Now he's spending his days in a dingy courtroom, staying silent while other people talk about his real self: A pathetic figure who pressures reluctant women into sex, and then runs to his seedy friends and barrel-scraping employees to bail him out of trouble. If there was a hell, Trump's punishment would be to look into a mirror for all of eternity. Having to hear people tell the truth about him for hours a day is as close as we're going to get on the mortal plane. .............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/23/humiliation-deepens-in-court-he-cant-hide-from-his-tabloid-roots/
April 22, 2024
Your guide to 2024 NFL draft in Detroit: Registration, map, parking, things to do and more
Are you going to the 2024 NFL draft on April 25-27 in downtown Detroit? Here's everything to know, including registration, parking, transportation, draft parties and things to do in Detroit.
Jalen Williams
Christina Hall
Andrea May Sahouri
(Detroit Free Press) The NFL world descends up Detroit this week, just months after the Detroit Lions earned their first playoff wins in decades and made an incredible run to the NFC championship game.
The 2024 NFL draft is in downtown Detroit this Thursday through Saturday. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to be there, with fans of all 32 teams looking to celebrate their teams' draft picks near the stage at Campus Martius and checking out the NFL Fan Experience at Hart Plaza.
....(snip)....
Where is the 2024 NFL draft?
The 2024 NFL draft is in Detroit, spanning from Campus Martius to Hart Plaza in downtown with additional events in Beacon Park, Capitol Park, Grand Circus Park, Harmonie Park, and along Woodward Avenue. Here's how Detroit got the NFL draft.
....(snip)....
2024 NFL draft schedule of events, parties
.....Activities include a Pro Football Hall of Fame exhibit and an autograph signing opportunity with current and former NFL players, as well as a 40-yard dash, vertical jump, deep throw accuracy challenges, and more. There will also be a collection of Detroit-based food trucks for participants who attend. ..............(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2024/04/22/nfl-draft-detroit-2024-sign-up-tickets-parking-parties/73409313007/
Your guide to 2024 NFL draft in Detroit: Registration, map, parking, things to do and more
Your guide to 2024 NFL draft in Detroit: Registration, map, parking, things to do and more
Are you going to the 2024 NFL draft on April 25-27 in downtown Detroit? Here's everything to know, including registration, parking, transportation, draft parties and things to do in Detroit.
Jalen Williams
Christina Hall
Andrea May Sahouri
(Detroit Free Press) The NFL world descends up Detroit this week, just months after the Detroit Lions earned their first playoff wins in decades and made an incredible run to the NFC championship game.
The 2024 NFL draft is in downtown Detroit this Thursday through Saturday. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to be there, with fans of all 32 teams looking to celebrate their teams' draft picks near the stage at Campus Martius and checking out the NFL Fan Experience at Hart Plaza.
....(snip)....
Where is the 2024 NFL draft?
The 2024 NFL draft is in Detroit, spanning from Campus Martius to Hart Plaza in downtown with additional events in Beacon Park, Capitol Park, Grand Circus Park, Harmonie Park, and along Woodward Avenue. Here's how Detroit got the NFL draft.
....(snip)....
2024 NFL draft schedule of events, parties
.....Activities include a Pro Football Hall of Fame exhibit and an autograph signing opportunity with current and former NFL players, as well as a 40-yard dash, vertical jump, deep throw accuracy challenges, and more. There will also be a collection of Detroit-based food trucks for participants who attend. ..............(more)
https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2024/04/22/nfl-draft-detroit-2024-sign-up-tickets-parking-parties/73409313007/
April 22, 2024
"I think that Donald Trump is probably trying to get himself thrown into prison"
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 22, 2024 6:42AM (EDT)
(Salon) With a jury now impaneled, Donald Trump’s hush-money trial can finally begin in earnest. The outcome of the trial will impact not just Trump’s freedom but the outcome of the 2024 election and the future of the country’s democracy.
....(snip)....
In an attempt to better understand what is likely to happen next in Trump’s first criminal trial such as how the prosecution and defense are going to proceed and what the larger strategy may be behind Trump’s acting out in court (Trump is likely attempting to get thrown in prison as a way of rallying his followers as a fake martyr), I recently spoke with Kenneth McCallion. He is a former Justice Department prosecutor who also worked for the New York attorney general's office as a prosecutor on Trump-related racketeering cases.
Trump’s first criminal trial has finally begun. Where are we with the so-called “walls closing in” on Donald Trump?
The alternate reality Trump lives in is crumbling. You can see it in his facial expressions and behavior. Donald Trump has been forced to partially subdue himself, which is not his natural instinct. He is not wired in such a way as to be able to remain quiet as a litany of accusations and evidence against him are presented. For example, the Sandoval hearing, which reviewed the numerous areas where the prosecution will seek to cross-examine Trump if he takes the stand, was very damning. It laid out not only the criminal and ethics charges against him in this case, but also the charges against him over the span of the last decade or two.
How does someone like a mobster or politician or businessman like Donald Trump – who is also of course a former president – react to hearing the charges read against them in court?
.....Donald Trump is in a different psychological space, and a much more tenuous one. Trump is presenting himself to his followers as a victim, someone being persecuted. He obviously wants the world to remember and think of him as strong and resolute, and basically a good guy despite his personal peccadilloes. So, that self-image and definition of himself, which has been the basis for his popularity among many millions of Americans, is now being challenged. Moreover, Trump is in a setting that he cannot control. The judge and the legal process now have control over him. That is extremely frustrating for Trump. He's been stripped of his power. His diehard MAGA followers are still with him. But the optics of Trump in court are not playing well outside that die-hard group. To those people who are not in the MAGA movement, Trump looks like a mighty man who has fallen hard and will continue in a downward spiral. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/22/the-alternate-reality-lives-in-is-crumbling-with-first-criminal-trial-ex-prosecutor/
"The alternate reality Trump lives in is crumbling" with first criminal trial: ex federal prosecutor
"The alternate reality Trump lives in is crumbling" with first criminal trial: ex federal prosecutor"I think that Donald Trump is probably trying to get himself thrown into prison"
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 22, 2024 6:42AM (EDT)
(Salon) With a jury now impaneled, Donald Trump’s hush-money trial can finally begin in earnest. The outcome of the trial will impact not just Trump’s freedom but the outcome of the 2024 election and the future of the country’s democracy.
....(snip)....
In an attempt to better understand what is likely to happen next in Trump’s first criminal trial such as how the prosecution and defense are going to proceed and what the larger strategy may be behind Trump’s acting out in court (Trump is likely attempting to get thrown in prison as a way of rallying his followers as a fake martyr), I recently spoke with Kenneth McCallion. He is a former Justice Department prosecutor who also worked for the New York attorney general's office as a prosecutor on Trump-related racketeering cases.
Trump’s first criminal trial has finally begun. Where are we with the so-called “walls closing in” on Donald Trump?
The alternate reality Trump lives in is crumbling. You can see it in his facial expressions and behavior. Donald Trump has been forced to partially subdue himself, which is not his natural instinct. He is not wired in such a way as to be able to remain quiet as a litany of accusations and evidence against him are presented. For example, the Sandoval hearing, which reviewed the numerous areas where the prosecution will seek to cross-examine Trump if he takes the stand, was very damning. It laid out not only the criminal and ethics charges against him in this case, but also the charges against him over the span of the last decade or two.
How does someone like a mobster or politician or businessman like Donald Trump – who is also of course a former president – react to hearing the charges read against them in court?
.....Donald Trump is in a different psychological space, and a much more tenuous one. Trump is presenting himself to his followers as a victim, someone being persecuted. He obviously wants the world to remember and think of him as strong and resolute, and basically a good guy despite his personal peccadilloes. So, that self-image and definition of himself, which has been the basis for his popularity among many millions of Americans, is now being challenged. Moreover, Trump is in a setting that he cannot control. The judge and the legal process now have control over him. That is extremely frustrating for Trump. He's been stripped of his power. His diehard MAGA followers are still with him. But the optics of Trump in court are not playing well outside that die-hard group. To those people who are not in the MAGA movement, Trump looks like a mighty man who has fallen hard and will continue in a downward spiral. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/22/the-alternate-reality-lives-in-is-crumbling-with-first-criminal-trial-ex-prosecutor/
April 22, 2024
From Kari Lake's "strap on a Glock" to the Supreme Court coddling Capitol rioters, GOP threat levels are growing
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 22, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene sure knows how to get the attention she craves by saying something incredibly stupid.
"I’ve previously voted to fund space lasers for Israel’s defense," she tweeted Wednesday, demanding that the U.S. put this imaginary tech up for "defense for our border."
....(snip)....
Greene can be touchy when mocked about "Jewish space lasers." But she also knows that the best way to get her message out is to frame it in the dumbest terms possible. That ensures that the press covers it and liberals re-post it, while also engaging the MAGA audience that rushes forward to defend her from liberal "elites" making fun of her. (I call this the "stupid-victim cycle." ) Most of the time, this is a win-win situation. Her followers get to feel victimized, news websites get some easy traffic, and liberals get more evidence to build the case that the GOP is beyond redemption. But in this case, what got overlooked was deeply troubling: Greene is encouraging the cold-blooded killing of asylum seekers, many of whom are children.
In case that's not obvious, let me spell it out: Setting aside the factual errors, what Greene is saying is that tech used to shoot down drones and missiles should now be aimed at refugees who are entering the United States, to make use of their legal right to seek asylum. Now, the U.S. government will not do this, at least under President Joe Biden. It's both evil and violates all sorts of international law. But Greene's rhetoric is still dangerous. She's normalizing the idea of mass murdering unarmed civilians, and encouraging her supporters to enact the violence if the government won't.
....(snip)....
But of course, it is a threat. It's not even a subtle one. Whether it's the due process of the justice system or the ballot-counting process of elections, Lake is consistent: If MAGA gets an outcome they don't like, they should try to force their will through violence. As these above examples show, she's not an outlier in the Republican Party. It's become routine in the GOP to speak positively of violence against innocent and unarmed people, for the "crime" of simply not bending to their will. ................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/22/marjorie-taylor-greenes-space-lasers-show-how-the-gets-away-with-escalating-violence/
Marjorie Taylor Greene's "space lasers" show how the GOP gets away with escalating violence
Marjorie Taylor Greene's "space lasers" show how the GOP gets away with escalating violenceFrom Kari Lake's "strap on a Glock" to the Supreme Court coddling Capitol rioters, GOP threat levels are growing
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 22, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene sure knows how to get the attention she craves by saying something incredibly stupid.
"I’ve previously voted to fund space lasers for Israel’s defense," she tweeted Wednesday, demanding that the U.S. put this imaginary tech up for "defense for our border."
....(snip)....
Greene can be touchy when mocked about "Jewish space lasers." But she also knows that the best way to get her message out is to frame it in the dumbest terms possible. That ensures that the press covers it and liberals re-post it, while also engaging the MAGA audience that rushes forward to defend her from liberal "elites" making fun of her. (I call this the "stupid-victim cycle." ) Most of the time, this is a win-win situation. Her followers get to feel victimized, news websites get some easy traffic, and liberals get more evidence to build the case that the GOP is beyond redemption. But in this case, what got overlooked was deeply troubling: Greene is encouraging the cold-blooded killing of asylum seekers, many of whom are children.
In case that's not obvious, let me spell it out: Setting aside the factual errors, what Greene is saying is that tech used to shoot down drones and missiles should now be aimed at refugees who are entering the United States, to make use of their legal right to seek asylum. Now, the U.S. government will not do this, at least under President Joe Biden. It's both evil and violates all sorts of international law. But Greene's rhetoric is still dangerous. She's normalizing the idea of mass murdering unarmed civilians, and encouraging her supporters to enact the violence if the government won't.
....(snip)....
But of course, it is a threat. It's not even a subtle one. Whether it's the due process of the justice system or the ballot-counting process of elections, Lake is consistent: If MAGA gets an outcome they don't like, they should try to force their will through violence. As these above examples show, she's not an outlier in the Republican Party. It's become routine in the GOP to speak positively of violence against innocent and unarmed people, for the "crime" of simply not bending to their will. ................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/22/marjorie-taylor-greenes-space-lasers-show-how-the-gets-away-with-escalating-violence/
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