Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

Pence interviewed by grand jury investigating January 6 insurrection
TheGuardian | staff | 04/28/23

Mike Pence testified before a federal grand jury on Thursday in Washington about Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, according to a source familiar with the matter, a day after an appeals court rejected a last-ditch motion to block his appearance.

The former vice-president's testimony lasted for around seven hours and took place behind closed doors, meaning the details of what he told the prosecutors hearing evidence in the case remains uncertain.

His appearance is a moment of constitutional consequence and potential legal peril for the former president. Pence is considered a major witness in the criminal investigation led by special counsel Jack Smith, since Trump pressured him to unlawfully reject electoral college votes for Joe Biden at the joint session of Congress, and was at the White House meeting with Republican lawmakers who discussed objections to Biden's win. ... Read more

Key takeaways from E. Jean Carroll's civil rape trial against Trump
Axios | Jacob Knutson | 04/28/23

E. Jean Carroll's testimony continued Thursday in the writer's civil trial over her sexual assault and defamation lawsuits against former President Trump, whom she alleged raped her in the 1990s.

Why it matters: At least 26 women, including Carroll, have made public allegations of sexual misconduct or assault against Trump over the years, but only a few resulted in litigation and none have gone to trial. Trump has denied the allegations against him.

State of play: During the third day of the trial Thursday, Trump's defense lawyer Joe Tacopina pressed Carroll on why she couldn't provide a more precise date in 1995 to 1996 for when she alleges the rape occurred — as he cast doubt on her account during a cross examination that drew rebukes from the judge, according to the New York Times. ... Read more

Trump accidentally SCREWS himself in stunning courtroom update | btc | 04/27/23 | 11:31

Nuclear Fusion: Inside the breakthrough that could change our world | 60 Minutes | 01/26/23 | 13:10

Earth Day: Photographer capturing the beauty and fragility of nature | 60 Minutes | 01/22/23 | 12:10

Sudan crisis live: UK urges warring generals to extend ceasefire as deadline approaches amid scramble to evacuate
TheGuardian | many | 04/27/23

Britain's ambassador in Sudan is speaking to the warring parties in the country to urge them to extend a 72-hour ceasefire that is due to expire tonight, a spokesperson for the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, said on Thursday.

"The British ambassador continues to speak to the warring parties in Sudan," Reuters reports that the spokesperson told the media. "As part of that, we are obviously supporting an extension to the ceasefire and are lobbying for that." ... Read more

Sudan Crisis 2023 Explained | Military conflict | Amit Sengupta | 04/26/23 | 19:59

Ray Epps, a Jan. 6 protester now at the center of a far-right conspiracy
CBS News | Bill Whitaker | 04/23/23

For millions of consumers of conservative news, Ray Epps is a notorious villain - a provocateur responsible for turning peaceful protests on January 6th into a violent assault on the U.S. Capitol. The irony is that Epps was a passionate supporter of President Trump who went to Washington to protest the 2020 election. But his often contradictory behavior that day spawned a full-fledged conspiracy theory, casting him as a government agent who incited an insurrection. Today, Epps is in hiding, after death threats forced him to sell his home. So who is Ray Epps? Tonight, you'll hear from the government, and the man himself. ... Read more

Ray Epps: The 60 Minutes Interview | 60 Minutes | 04/27/23 | 13:22

The 401(k) generation enters a retirement minefield
Axios | Felix Salmon | 04/27/23

Americans retiring now are going it alone: They're the first generation to rely on private savings instead of pensions to navigate the financial vortex of retirement.

Why it matters: 401(k) plans and IRAs don't generate steady and predictable income like pensions or social security. The result is a feeling of perpetual insecurity, even among those who've amassed substantial savings.

Catch up quick: When your retirement relies on a fixed pool of money like a 401(k), it becomes almost impossible to answer a simple question: How much income do you have? ... Read more

The Most Populous Countries in the World | 04/27/23 | 1:00

U.S. moves to reassure South Korea of protection against nuclear attack
Axios | Dave Lawler | 04/26/23

President Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will sign a declaration on nuclear coordination during Yoon's visit to Washington this week in response to "provocations" from North Korea, senior U.S. officials briefed reporters.

Why it matters: North Korea's nuclear breakthroughs and unprecedented increase in missile testing have inflamed debate in South Korea about whether the country can still entrust its security to its nuclear-armed ally in Washington. In the new "Washington Declaration," Biden will announce new measures to coordinate with Seoul and deter Pyongyang, while Yoon will re-commit to non-proliferation. ... Read more

Zelensky and Xi speak in first call since Russia invasion of Ukraine
Axios | Dave Lawler | 04/25/23

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that he'd had a "long and meaningful call" with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Why it matters: It was the first known call between Xi and Zelensky since Russia invaded Ukraine. Xi has offered himself as a mediator in the conflict, but he made a lengthy state visit to Moscow and has offered diplomatic cover for the invasion.

What they're saying: Xi appealed for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and plans to send an envoy to Kyiv to discuss that issue, according to Chinese state media, which also quoted the Chinese president as telling Zelensky, "there is no winner in a nuclear war."" ... Read more

Tucker Carlson's Last Address Before Leaving Fox News at #Heritage50 | The Heritage Foundation | 04/25/23 | 36:44

Tucker Carlson firing stuns conservatives
Axios | Zachary Basu | 04/25/23

Primetime host Tucker Carlson's abrupt firing from Fox News has sent shock waves throughout the political and media ecosystem, driving a wedge between the conservative movement and the biggest platform in cable news.

Why it matters: Carlson's massive influence is tied to the same populist, right-wing forces that former President Trump harnessed in his hostile takeover of the Republican Party. His voice will continue to play a role in the 2024 GOP primary - though it's unclear in what form.

"Tucker Carlson remade the right," conservative activist Charlie Kirk said on his radio show this morning. "He was more powerful than anybody else since the death of Rush Limbaugh in reshaping the right."

Donald Trump Jr. called Carlson a "once in a generation talent," arguing that - outside of his father - "no one understands the GOP base" better. "This changes things permanently," Trump Jr. predicted. ... Read more

Israel offers to host warring Sudanese generals for talks
Axios | Barak Ravid | 04/25/23

Israel in a proposal given to the warring generals in Sudan offered to host the two sides for Israeli-mediated talks aimed at reaching a cease-fire agreement, three Israeli Foreign Ministry officials told Axios.

Driving the news: Israeli officials presented the proposal to Army chief Gen. Abdul Fattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) head Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo - known as Hemedti - after several separate calls between Israeli officials and the two generals showed some progress, the Israeli officials said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and Ronen Levy, director general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, have been sending messages and directly speaking to al-Burhan and Hemedti since the fighting started more than a week ago, urging them to implement a cease-fire, according to the officials. ... Read more

Democratic anxiety emerges over Biden's debt ceiling stance
Axios | Andrew Solender | 04/24/23

Some House Democrats are beginning to question President Biden's refusal to sit down with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on the debt limit.

Why it matters: It signals that House Republicans' debt ceiling bill is, at least in part, having the intended effect of serving as the GOP's starting position in debt ceiling negotiations.

Biden, in a speech on Wednesday reacting to the proposal, dismissed Republicans as threatening to default "unless I agree to all these wacko notions they have" to cut spending in exchange for lifting the debt limit. ... Read more

Tucker Carlson leaves Fox News, network announces
TheGuardian | staff | 04/24/23

Tucker Carlson leaves Fox News

Fox News has cut ties with Tucker Carlson, the conservative commentator whose show was often rated as the most-watched cable news program, according to a statement from the network.

"FOX News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor," the network said, noting Carlson aired his final show last Friday.

The company gave no reason for Carlson's departure. Last week, Fox agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $787.5mn to settle its lawsuit alleging the network defamed it by repeatedly promoting Donald Trump's baseless lies about the 2020 election. ... Read more

BOMBSHELL: Tucker Carlson FIRED from Fox News | btc | 04/24/23 | 9:42

California's marijuana fields; Weed in Colorado; A new direction on drugs | 60 Minutes | 04/23/23 | 40:20

Normal America
Axios | Jim VandeHei | 04/21/23

After two speeches I gave this week, several audience members told me they struggled to understand why they felt like strangers in their own land.

They described feeling like a normal person: They work hard, volunteer, and hang out at neighborhood parties, not on Twitter. But they also felt trapped in the abnormal, toxic political and media world surrounding them.

Why it matters: New Gallup polling suggests they're hardly alone in feeling estranged. Turns out, 49% now call themselves independents - the same amount as self-described Republicans and Democrats combined.

Most Americans never touch Twitter, tune into cable TV, or light themselves on fire on social media to express daily outrage. ... Read more

Democratic anxiety emerges over Biden's debt ceiling stance
Axios | Andrew Solender | 04/21/23

Some House Democrats are beginning to question President Biden's refusal to sit down with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on the debt limit.

Why it matters: It signals that House Republicans' debt ceiling bill is, at least in part, having the intended effect of serving as the GOP's starting position in debt ceiling negotiations.

Biden, in a speech on Wednesday reacting to the proposal, dismissed Republicans as threatening to default "unless I agree to all these wacko notions they have" to cut spending in exchange for lifting the debt limit. ... Read more

Gun Country: Gun Capitalism, Culture, and Control in Cold War America by Andrew C. McKevitt

Just as World War II transformed the United States into a global military and economic superpower, so too did it forge the gun country America is today. After 1945, war-ravaged European nations possessed large surpluses of mass-produced weapons, and American entrepreneurs seized the opportunity to buy used munitions for pennies on the dollar and resell them stateside. A booming consumer market made cheap guns accessible to millions of Americans, and rates of gun ownership and violence began to climb. Andrew C. McKevitt tells the history of this gun boom through the dynamics of consumer capitalism and Cold War ideology, the combination of which resulted in a vast number of Americans arming themselves to the teeth and centering their political identity on their guns.

When gun control legislation emerged in the 1960s, many Americans, accustomed to the unregulated postwar bounty of cheap guns and fearful of Soviet invasion, domestic subversion, and urban uprisings, fiercely challenged it. Meanwhile, gun control groups were diverted from their abolitionist roots toward a conciliatory, fundraising-focused strategy that struggled to limit the stockpiling of firearms. Gun Country recasts the story of guns in postwar America as one of Cold War and racial anxieties, unfettered capitalism, and exceptional violence that continues to haunt us to this day.

A U.S. arms race with Russia and China could spin out of control
Axios | Dave Lawler | 04/20/23

The U.S. suddenly faces a new arms race that could be more dangerous than the Cold War: This time there will be three nuclear superpowers.

The big picture: China is on track to become a nuclear peer with the U.S. and Russia - and Moscow and Beijing have shown signs they could align against Washington.

Driving the news: Beijing's arsenal is still a fraction of the size of Moscow's or Washington's, but a new reactor that's expected to come online this year could allow China to accelerate its already rapid build-up, the NYT reports. ...

China is already on track to roughly quadruple its stockpile of nuclear warheads to around 1,500 by 2035, according to the Pentagon.

Breaking it down: While that's still less than half of what the U.S. and Russia each possess, China is also reportedly building new nuclear silos, mobile missile launchers and more advanced nuclear submarines. ... Read more

Weathering the Future | PBS NOVA | 04/12/23 | 53:29

Tax Me If You Can | PBS Frontline | 04/19/23 | 54:35

Artificial Intelligence Revolution; Unlikely Adventures of David Grann | 60 Minutes | 04/19/23 | 43:08

Tornado kills at least 2 in Oklahoma as storms strike Central U.S.
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 04/20/23

A severe storm system was unleashing strong winds and hail over the Central U.S. and spawning several tornadoes over Wednesday night - including one in Oklahoma that authorities said killed at least two people.

The big picture: The National Weather Service issued severe thunderstorm warnings across the region on Wednesday night, along with tornado watches and warnings for six states: Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Texas and Oklahoma. Tornado warnings were in effect for Iowa through midnight local time. ... Read more

Dominion Was Never Going to Save Our Democracy From Fox News
TheIntercept | Peter Maass | 04/18/23

With a $787.5 million settlement for its election lies, Fox News has avoided the legal and moral punishment of a court verdict.

That question, which has lurked behind the defamation lawsuit Dominion Voting Systems filed against Fox News, was answered today in an unsurprising fashion: no.

Fox and Dominion reached a $787.5 million settlement just moments before opening arguments were set to begin in the Delaware trial. A jury had been selected, and everyone was preparing for what seemed likely to be a six-week trial that would scrutinize Fox’s broadcasting of false conspiracy theories that Dominion machines stole votes from then-President Donald Trump in 2020. Dominion was seeking $1.6 billion in damages from Fox. ... Read more

Fox News paying $787.5 million after Murdoch, Hannity admissions | MSNBC | 04/19/23 | 12:27

Rapidly developing El Nino set to boost global warming
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 04/19/23

A double whammy of natural climate cycles and human-caused climate change will likely make next year Earth's warmest on record, climate experts tell Axios.

The big picture: Forecasters now expect that a moderate El Nino, the climate pattern characterized by warmer-than-usual sea surface temperatures, will develop this summer, bringing sweeping shifts to weather patterns worldwide.

El Nino teams up with human-caused climate change and pushes global average surface temperatures higher.

What's happening: Three straight years of La Nina, which features cooler-than-usual sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific, have given way to a rapid transition to an El Nino state. ... Read more

"It's a very sad day for us": Texas cheerleaders shot after accidentally getting into wrong car
Salon | author | 04/19/23

Ahigh school cheerleader is in critical condition after she and a teammate were shot early Tuesday morning after an altercation with a man in a grocery store parking lot in Texas, police say.

Payton Washington, an 18-year-old all-star cheerleader, was airlifted to a hospital following the shooting. She was one of four cheerleaders gathered in the carpool meeting spot on Monday following practice with the Woodlands Elite Cheer competitive program that they participate in.

Another cheerleader injured in the shooting, Heather Roth, told media that, thinking she was entering her own vehicle after hopping out of her friend's, she mistakenly opened the door to a different person's car and got in ... Read more

House Republicans won't commit to McCarthy's debt ceiling plan
Axios | Juliegrace Brufke | 04/18/23

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) faces a steep challenge in cobbling together the 218 votes he needs to pass a proposed debt ceiling increase by his new self-imposed deadline.

Why it matters: Top Republicans say they want the bill on the floor by next week, but members across the GOP conference have a range of reservations about a proposal that's still incomplete.

Driving the news: GOP leadership unveiled their proposal to raise the debt ceiling into 2024 while slashing spending - but a half dozen House Republicans, more than enough to sink the bill, said they are still not sold. ... Read more

The Danger of AI | Scary Technology | Artificial Intelligence | 03/17/23 | 52:01

Michael Moore Presents: Planet of the Humans | Michael Moore | | 1:39:56

4 killed and 28 injured in Alabama birthday party shooting
Axios | Donica Phifer | 04/17/23

A shooting at a birthday party in an eastern Alabama town on Saturday left at least four people dead and 28 others injured — some critically, police said Sunday evening.

The big picture: The mass shooting in Dadeville, some 57 miles northeast of Montgomery, is the 32nd to occur this month in the U.S., and the seventh of nine of the weekend, according to statistics compiled by the Gun Violence Archive.

Of note: Authorities had yet to publicly identify the victims, but Dadeville High School principal Chris Hand told AL.com he believed students from the school were among those shot. "I am so devastated right now. We have a really good school and these were great students," he said. ... Read more

The AI revolution: Google's developers on the future of artificial intelligence | 60 Minutes | 04/16/23 | 27:20

Judge says trial for Dominion case against Fox will proceed Tuesday
Axios | Sara Fischer | 04/17/23

A Delaware judge presiding over the landmark defamation case between Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News said Monday that the delayed trial will now begin Tuesday at 9am ET.

Why it matters: The unexpected delay Sunday evening spurred rumors that the two parties may be trying to work out a settlement ahead of the six-week planned trial. The judge did not mention anything about a potential settlement Monday morning.

Details: Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis did not offer further explanation for delaying the trial, which had been expected to begin Monday, saying such a move for trials of this length are "not unusual." ... Read more

Farmworkers: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | 04/17/23 | 25:00

Historic rainfall slams Florida, flooding Ft. Lauderdale Airport
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 04/14/23

Heavy rain slammed South Florida Wednesday, flooding cars and buildings including Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, which reopened Friday morning but with extensive delays.

The big picture: Broward County Public Schools said the sixth-largest district in the U.S. would be closed Thursday and Friday as roads were inundated with floodwaters after over two feet of rainfall fell in some areas over Wednesday night.

The National Weather Service warned Wednesday evening in a rare "flash flood emergency" that was later lifted for areas near Hollywood, Dania Beach and Fort Lauderdale: "This is a life-threatening situation." ... Read more

Pentagon leak was decades in the making
TheGuardian | Peter Beaumont | 04/14/23

The US Department of Defense is moving to tighten rules over who is allowed to access the most sensitive intelligence, amid mounting criticism of the Pentagon’s policies for access to sensitive material in the wake of the arrest of a 21-year-old air national guardsman suspected of leaking dozens of highly classified documents.

The US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, who has been convening daily meetings to manage the fallout from the leak, ordered a review of "intelligence access, accountability and control procedures... to prevent this kind of incident from happening again".

On Thursday, just hours after the arrest of Jack Teixeira, the man suspected of leaking the classified material on an internet chatroom, the defence spokesperson Pat Ryder confirmed reports that the Pentagon was tightening criteria for who was allowed to see secret material. ... Read more

America and the Taliban: Part One | PBS Frontline | 04/03/23 | 53:48

Federal Reserve staff projects "mild recession" after banking sector turmoil
Axios | Courtenay Brown | 04/13/23

Federal Reserve officials anticipated that the recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank was likely to weigh on inflation and the broader U.S. economy, with central bank staff forecasting a "mild recession" later this year, according to minutes of their last policy meeting in late March released on Wednesday.

Why it matters: The minutes offer the most detailed accounting yet of deliberations to push ahead with another rate hike in the wake of bank failures that spooked the financial system — and the risks they viewed for the economy.

The intrigue: According to the minutes from the March 21-22 meeting, "several" Fed officials considered whether to hold rates steady after the banking turmoil to assess further fallout.

But ultimately those officials, who are not named in the minutes, voted to move forward with another increase. They noted that extraordinary government actions to backstop the banking system had "helped calm conditions in the banking sector and lessen the near-term risks to economic activity and inflation." ... Read more

Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 414 of the invasion
TheGuardian | Martin Belam | 04/13/23

... Read more

The Long Haul: Solving the Puzzle of the Pandemic's Long Haulers and How They Are Changing Healthcare Forever by Ryan Orior

To the world's public health authorities, Covid-19 would either be a deadly disease for some, or it would be a simple respiratory illness for most—cleared up in a couple of weeks.

But then tens of millions around the world got sick and stayed sick. With scientists and doctors caught off guard, these patients often found solace only in themselves, organizing support groups across continents while ill in bed. An innovative band of patients researched the disease themselves, flipping the script and illustrating a new paradigm for research. In these unprecedented times, the CDC and the WHO came to them.

Covid "long haulers" found their new illness wasn't so new. It resembled a number of post-viral syndromes, hard to treat and neglected by science for decades. CNN journalist Ryan Prior weaves in his own life, the stories of activist patients, and the latest science into a captivating tale of regular people crying out for care that actually works. The stakes are high: As Covid continues to circulate, its long-term effects could grow as well, weighing on the health system for decades to come. But getting Long Covid treatments right could help revolutionize care for all complex, chronic illness.

Trump says he'd "never drop out" of 2024 race, even if convicted
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 03/12/23

Former President Trump made clear Tuesday evening he won't drop out of the 2024 presidential race if convicted of charges related to a 2016 illegal hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Driving the news: Fox News host Tucker Carlson asked Trump if there's anything legal that could make the 2024 Republican presidential candidate drop out of the race. "No, I'd never drop out," Trump said.

"That's not my thing. I wouldn't do it," he added. ... Read more

Trump vows criminal conviction won't stop him from 2024 presidential run | Fox | 04/12/23 | 9:17

'Top of the line': Trump praises 'brilliant' Xi, Kim Jong-Un, Putin | 04/12/23 | 10:14

Trump warns biggest threat is 'nuclear warming' | Fox | 04/12/23 | 9:37

Louisville Mass Shooter Is the Seventh in 11 Months to Open Fire With an AR-15
MotherJones | Mark Follman | 04/11/23

With Nashville still reeling from a devastating mass shooting two weeks ago at an elementary school, the latest such carnage in America, unleashed inside a Louisville bank on Monday, featured the same type of highly lethal weapon. A source familiar with the ongoing investigation into Monday's attack confirmed to me that the gunman used an AR-15 rifle, a popular firearm that was originally developed for use in war.

The Louisville attack is the latest in a troubling trend: It is the seventh mass shooting in the past 11 months alone to be carried out with an AR-15. ... Read more

U.S. tries to reassure Israel about security relationship after Pentagon leak: Officials
Axios | Barak Ravid | 03/11/23

The Biden administration tried to reassure Israeli officials in recent days that Washington is committed to its security relationship with Israel after details contained in a trove of purported secret Pentagon documents leaked on social media appeared to suggest that the U.S. had spied on some of its closest allies, including Israel, two Israeli officials said.

Why it matters: The leak, which also included sensitive details from U.S.-Israeli consultations, could have major implications for the vast intelligence sharing between Israel and the U.S., especially if Israeli secrets are at risk of being shared due to any kind of security breach.

U.S. officials have acknowledged that at least some of the documents appear to be authentic intelligence assessments put together by the Pentagon, but officials have also cautioned that some of the information in documents also appears to “have been doctored.” The Justice Department has opened an investigation into the leak. ... Read more

Leaked Documents and Accusations of U.S. Spying Spark Outrage in Seoul
NYT| Choe Sang-Hun | 04/11/23

Opposition lawmakers in South Korea criticized the leaked Pentagon documents as a major security breach and possible evidence of U.S. spying as the government of President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday sought to downplay the disclosures and defend Seoul's alliance with Washington.

The highly classified leaked documents suggest that the United States has been spying on top national security officials in Mr. Yoon’s administration, which opposition lawmakers described as "a super-scale security breach" while accusing Washington of "violating the sovereignty" of a key ally. ... Read more

Homeowners Associations: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | John Oliver | 04/11/23 | 25:23

Sorry California, Melting Snowpacks to Unleash More Epic Floods
MotherJones | Tom Philpot | 04/10/23

Sometime in January, as a string of "atmospheric rivers" from deep in the South Pacific pummeled California, that query began hitting my phone in the form of texts, emails, and tweets. In a chapter of my 2020 book Perilous Bounty (excerpted here) I had written about a Biblical-scale flood that had submerged much of the state after the ferociously wet winter of 1861-62, turning the entire Central Valley—a 50 mile-wide flatland that runs about 400 miles between the coastal mountain ranges and the Sierra Nevada—into an inland sea. After the waters receded, I noted, the valley gradually emerged as one of the global epicenters of agriculture, now providing about a quarter of our food supply, including 40 percent of the nation's fruits and nuts as well as more milk than Wisconsin. ... Read more

At least four people killed, eight injured in Louisville shooting
Axios | Erin Doherty | 04/10/23

At least four people are dead and eight others have been transported to the University of Louisville hospital after a shooting at a bank Monday in Louisville.

Driving the news: Police exchanged gunshots with the suspected shooter, who died at the scene, authorities said Monday.

At least two officers were shot during the exchange, including one who is currently in surgery and in critical condition.

The big picture: The shooting in Louisville comes just two weeks after a mass shooting at a school in Nashville killed six people, including three children. ... Read more

Progressives get energy boost after Chicago and Wisconsin elections
Axios | Erin Doherty | 04/06/23

Big progressive wins in Wisconsin and Chicago elections this week show the staying power of left-wing positions on abortion and crime as issues heading into 2024.

Why it matters: After Democrats became the surprise winners of the 2022 midterms, the twin Midwest results Tuesday in widely watched mayoral and state Supreme Court races showed how the party could energize its base.

"Everybody needs to understand this, everybody advising candidates, everybody running, everybody looking at putting ballot initiatives forward: Abortion rights are a winning issue," Democratic strategist Jess McIntosh told Axios. ... Read more

The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War Hardcover by Jeff Sharlet (03/21/23)

One of America's finest reporters and essayists explores the powerful currents beneath the roiled waters of a nation coming apart.

An unmatched guide to the religious dimensions of American politics, Jeff Sharlet journeys into corners of our national psyche where others fear to tread. The Undertow is both inquiry and meditation, an attempt to understand how, over the last decade, reaction has morphed into delusion, social division into distrust, distrust into paranoia, and hatred into fantasies-sometimes realities-of violence.

Across the country, men "of God" glorify materialism, a gluttony of the soul, while citing Scripture and preparing for civil war-a firestorm they long for as an absolution and exaltation. Lies, greed, and glorification of war boom through microphones at hipster megachurches that once upon a time might have preached peace and understanding. Political rallies are as aflame with need and giddy expectation as religious revivals. At a conference for incels, lonely single men come together to rage against women. On the Far Right, everything is heightened?love into adulation, fear into vengeance, anger into white-hot rage. Here, in the undertow, our forty-fifth president, a vessel of conspiratorial fears and fantasies, continues to rise to sainthood, and the insurrectionist Ashli Babbitt, killed on January 6 at the Capitol, is beatified as a martyr of white womanhood.

Framing this dangerous vision, Sharlet remembers and celebrates the courage of those who sing a different song of community, and of an America long dreamt of and yet to be fully born, dedicated to justice and freedom for all.

Exploring a geography of grief and uncertainty in the midst of plague and rising fascism, The Undertow is a necessary reckoning with our precarious present that brings to light a decade of American failures as well as a vision for American possibility.

Trump pleads not guilty to 34 counts in hush-money case
Axios | Erin Doherty | 04/04/23

Former President Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree in a Manhattan criminal court related to 2016 hush money payments.

Why it matters: Trump, who is campaigning for the 2024 election, is the first U.S. president (current or former) to have ever faced criminal charges.

Driving the news: Prosecutors allege that Trump conducted a "catch and kill" scheme including the $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Prosecutors say the National Enquirer paid $30,000 to a former Trump Tower doorman who was said to have a story about a child Trump had out of wedlock, per the indictment's statement of facts.

The tabloid also paid $150,000 to another woman, who is believed to be former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who alleged that she had a sexual relationship with Trump, per the court document. ... Read more

Trump had always been above the law, until it turned on him
TheGuardian | Rebecca Solnit | 04/05/23

f you actually believe the ringing words of the founding document of this country, that all men are created equal, then we must all be equal before the law, neither above it nor below it - neither immune to prosecution nor without the law’s protections.

And yet, some have always been below the law since the Declaration of Independence was written. That document speaks of men in ways that exclude women, who in that era were largely controlled by fathers and husbands, and the Black people who were enslaved for another 87 years, and the Native Americans who faced genocide and dispossession into the 20th and, arguably, the 21st centuries.

And of course some have been above it, whether by buying their way out of jail with expensive lawyers, by manipulating those who should enforce the law, by actually being those who are supposed to enforce it, or by being granted, as police and various governmental figures have been, various versions of immunity from the law. ... Read more

Trump's bigger legal danger
Axios | Zachary Basu | 04/04/23

Democrats, Trump insiders and legal experts all agree: The investigation into former President Trump's handling of classified documents poses a far more dangerous threat to his freedom than the indictment in New York.

Why it matters: A year from now, Trump may look back with envy at the sordid hush money case that brought him to Tuesday's historic arraignment — the first for a former president, but potentially not the last.

Driving the news: The intensifying classified documents probe, led by special counsel Jack Smith, has uncovered significant new evidence that Trump may have obstructed justice as the government attempted to retrieve top-secret records from Mar-a-Lago, the Washington Post reports.

Investigators suspect that Trump personally examined some of the boxes containing classified material — apparently out of a desire to keep certain documents — after receiving a grand jury subpoena demanding they be returned.

Trump's valet testified that the former president then ordered him to move the boxes — an account corroborated by surveillance footage. ... Read more

Time to Choose with Charles Ferguson | 2016 | 1:37:00

A Dire Warning About the End of Human Civilization | theAnalysis-news | 2022 | 55:56

Six degrees could change the world | NatGeo | 2015 | 1:14:32

Earth currently experiencing a sixth mass extinction, according to scientists | 60 Minutes | 04/04/23 | 13:16

What we know about how climate change affects tornado outbreaks
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 04/03/23

More than 50 people are dead after severe thunderstorms and tornadoes tore through the U.S. South, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic in the past two weeks - and another potentially significant outbreak is projected for Tuesday.

The big picture: At least 32 deaths have been confirmed from the latest powerful storm system, which brought over 50 preliminary tornado reports including in Alabama, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Tennessee, New Jersey and Arkansas - where President Biden expedited "a major disaster declaration" to provide federal assistance to the Natural State.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center (SPC) warns there's an "enhanced risk" that severe thunderstorms will develop on Tuesday from Illinois southward to Arkansas. ... Read more

CBS faces backlash over 60 Minutes interview with Marjorie Taylor Greene
TheGuardian | Martin Pengelly | 04/03/23

CBS has come under rhetorical fire after devoting an interview on its flagship current affairs show, 60 Minutes, to Marjorie Taylor Greene, the far-right pro-Trump congresswoman from Georgia who has espoused conspiracy theories and faced censure for threatening behaviour towards Democrats.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York progressive congresswoman among those threatened by Greene, told Semafor: "These kinds of extreme and really just unprecedented and dangerous notions are getting platforms, without much pushback or real kind of critical analysis." ... Read more

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