Monday, September 30, 2024
JD Vance appears at event hosted by Lance Wallnau, Christian nationalist - The Washington Post
MAGA ideology is woven throughout the movement, with prophets and apostles sharing pro-Trump visions and declaring "spiritual warfare" against his opponents — sometimes invoking biblical language that extremism researchers say masks violent or racist messaging. Video footage documents the movement's presence among the crowds that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
"It's a conquest narrative. That, combined with the election denialism, is concerning," said Karrie Gaspard-Hogewood, a sociologist at Tulane University who studies Christian nationalism...
Florida university to host extremist after DeSantis-led lurch to right
Sailer, 65, of Los Angeles, California, has no known academic qualifications in biology or any other scientific field. He has publicly claimed a BA, an MBA and a period of corporate employment that ended in 2000.
But he has been instrumental in the revival of eugenic thinking under the euphemism "human biodiversity" (HBD), has drawn on the ideas of self-described eugenicists and scientific racists, and has appeared on conference stages alongside prominent white nationalists and antisemites.
His work in turn is cited by white supremacists: the Guardian found dozens of favorable references to Sailer on the neo-Nazi forum Stormfront.
His central claims include the idea that social racial categories – Black, white or Hispanic – have a biological basis, and that this is revealed in differences in intelligence and other attributes.
Scientists say this is wrong...
Larry Hogan confirms he won’t vote for Trump, despite the former president’s endorsement - POLITICO
The former Maryland governor, locked in a tight Senate race, is determined to show his independence.
Hospital gets $421m ‘landmark’ verdict after insurer found to underpay claims
The St Charles hospital sought only to be made whole for unpaid claims. Its doctors had refused to pass the uncovered costs of the procedures on to patients, and they plan to pay off patients' balances with the jury's award...
Mike Lindell's Latest Pillow Price Is Being Interpreted As A Nazi Dog Whistle | HuffPost Latest News
The conspiracy theorist's MyPillow company marked down some of its products to $14.88, a figure seen as symbolic for white supremacists.
Texas Ignored Medicaid Enrollment Guidance and Warnings, Records Show — ProPublica
The decision to buck federal government guidelines was one of many that led to serious repercussions for Texas residents who rely on Medicaid. Among them were children forced to forgo or postpone lifesaving operations, doctors say.
Ukrainian Drones Destroy Russian Ammo Stockpile | HuffPost UK Politics
UK intelligence says the strike will deprive Moscow of "critical" supplies.
They are rigging the US election, and we're letting them get away with it
The question is not whether Russia, China and Iran are going to try to disrupt the 2024 elections, but rather, whether our government is going to let them. It certainly did in 2016 and 2020. I'm not sure why we think 2024 will be any different…
Weekly Roundup: Protecting Women or Policing Bodies? Trump’s Latest and the Fallout (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
In this week’s roundup, we take on Donald Trump’s latest claim of being the “protector of women” and the outrage it sparked.
We dive into the growing threats to women’s rights and healthcare in America, with abortion bans and reproductive health restrictions leading to shocking maternal and infant mortality rates.
We also discuss how political rhetoric turns into real-world consequences, and they expose recent voter suppression efforts in Oklahoma and Texas.
There’s a look ahead to Trump’s 2024 campaign strategy and a hopeful note on local support for Kamala Harris.
Interview:
Jamelle Bouie – Columnist for the New York Times (Al Franken podcast)
With so much happening on the campaign trail, we turn to Jamelle Bouie for his first visit to the podcast.
We discuss Donald Trump and JD Vance’s attacks on the truth with their harmful comments on Haitian immigrants and their lies about abortion.
We look at different Senate races around the country and what they could mean for the next President.
And we get into Project 2025 and examine just how far Republicans are willing to let Trump go should he become President again.
Spoiler alert: it would be terrifying!
Interview:
Leave to File (Andrew McCabe and Allison Gill; Jack: A Special Counsel podcast, Episode #96)
This week, 
- Judge Chutkan approves Jack Smith’s request to exceed the page limit with his immunity brief over Trump’s objection;
- Trump’s earlier win on what doesn’t have to be filed under seal may come back to bite him.
- Plus, listener questions.
Interview:
DeSantis deploys government resources to fight Florida abortion amendment - POLITICO
The Florida state health care regulator has campaigned against it, which DeSantis defends as informing the public.
Dark Trump: Former president calls Harris “mentally disabled”
The Harris campaign, highlighting Trump's comment that he was giving a "dark speech," said he "gave a gloomy review of his angry, rambling diatribe."...
Mitch McConnell denounces Republicans for fawning over Hungary‘s Viktor Orbán
In a speech from the Senate floor, the Kentucky Republican bashed fellow members of his party for creating a "cult of personality" around the Hungarian authoritarian...
Former GOP Arizona senator endorses Harris
“I want to support a presidential candidate who seeks to unite our country, rather than one who divides us,” Flake said in the video. “One who represents the ideals of new generation of leadership, not based on grievances of the past but hope for the future.”
In the video, and later in an interview with Martha Raddatz on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday morning, Flake pointed to Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results as a reason he cannot support him — and that he wants a candidate who “respects the will of the voters.”...
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/29/jeff-flake-endorses-harris-00181566
In the video, and later in an interview with Martha Raddatz on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday morning, Flake pointed to Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results as a reason he cannot support him — and that he wants a candidate who “respects the will of the voters.”...
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/29/jeff-flake-endorses-harris-00181566
The Spirit of Justice: A Bonus Episode with Jemar Tisby (Warren Throckmorton; Telling Jefferson Lies podcast)
On September 3, 2024, author and historian Jemar Tisby's new book The Spirit of Justice: True Stories of Faith, Race, and Resistance officially drops everywhere. Today, I am posting most of the interview I conducted with Jemar for use in my podcast series Telling Jefferson Lies.
In this episode, I recreate my questions because of a recording glitch in the original. The recording on Jemar's end was excellent with brilliant content to match, so this is a quality and thought provoking episode. We cover much of the podcast material (e.g., Thomas Jefferson as an enslaver, David Barton's faux history, the need for accuracy in history), but he also ventures into some discussion of why racism still persists in the present-day and the definition of evangelical and the need to see that category in political terms as much as or more so than religious terms. Add in the smooth tunes, and these 26 minutes are well worth your time.
Tisby, who is also Professor of History at the Simmons College of Kentucky appears in episodes 5, 6, 9, 11, and 13 of Telling Jefferson Lies.
The opening music is "That Guy" provided by Dustin Blatnik and Robo Surgeon Fish, and the closer is also Dustin Blatnik and Lo-Fi Hymnal with "Ain't No Grave."
Interview:
In this episode, I recreate my questions because of a recording glitch in the original. The recording on Jemar's end was excellent with brilliant content to match, so this is a quality and thought provoking episode. We cover much of the podcast material (e.g., Thomas Jefferson as an enslaver, David Barton's faux history, the need for accuracy in history), but he also ventures into some discussion of why racism still persists in the present-day and the definition of evangelical and the need to see that category in political terms as much as or more so than religious terms. Add in the smooth tunes, and these 26 minutes are well worth your time.
Tisby, who is also Professor of History at the Simmons College of Kentucky appears in episodes 5, 6, 9, 11, and 13 of Telling Jefferson Lies.
The opening music is "That Guy" provided by Dustin Blatnik and Robo Surgeon Fish, and the closer is also Dustin Blatnik and Lo-Fi Hymnal with "Ain't No Grave."
Interview:
Sunday, September 29, 2024
Pot policy report calls for federal leadership to protect public : Shots - Health News : NPR
More Americans now use pot on a daily basis than alcohol. A sweeping new report says the federal government needs to better understand the risks to the public and get involved…
“Loud Singing” (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast; It's in the Code Episode #114)
This week we continue working our down the eight-part list one church suggests people will encounter when they visit. The focus is the third item on the list, “loud singing.”
What does this item tell us about the church?
What does it tell us about how they understand worship?
And why does it follow the first two items on the list (“smiling wives” and “obedient children”)? What does that mean?
Dan explores these issues in this week's episode.
Interview:
ExxonMobil Accused of “Deceptively” Promoting Chemical Recycling as a Solution for the Plastics Crisis (ProPublica)
The California attorney general’s lawsuit, which cites ProPublica reporting, alleges that products made with Exxon’s process contain only a small fraction of the recycled plastic that they claim to have.
What Musk's Twitter takeover could tell us about a possible government appointment (Terry Gross; Fresh Air podcast)
Former President Donald Trump has said that if reelected, he will appoint Elon Musk to head up a new efficiency commission with the mission of conducting an audit of the entire federal government and making recommendations for drastic reforms.
But New York Times tech reporter Ryan Mac points out that the appointment would raise a host of potential conflicts of interest: "I mean, [Musk] is a man who runs multiple companies who are under investigation from various government agencies," Mac says.
Musk's SpaceX, for instance, is facing off with the National Labor Relations Board over allegations of sexual harassment. And the Department of Justice is investigating Tesla for comments Musk has made about the company's self-driving technology.
In their new book, Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter, Mac and fellow reporter Kate Conger take a closer look at Musk's takeover of the social media platform now known as X. Since buying the platform in 2022, Musk has laid off or fired about 75% of the staff; eliminated rules banning hate speech and disinformation; alienated many advertisers and users and lost money.
"There's almost no part of the company that was left untouched," Conger says the Twitter takeover. "We saw Musk make serious cuts to management, to engineering teams, to teams that worked on content moderation, advertising salespeople, security, janitorial services. Every part of the company was reduced in some way."
Mac says the cuts were so deep that some employees in the New York office were left without toilet paper — they had to bring their own from home. At one point, Conger says, Musk got so frustrated that Twitter was not saving more money that he called the staff into weekend conference call. During the course of the hours-long call, he went through the company's budget, line item by line item, asking employees to explain why they were spending money.
"It's a scene that I keep coming back to, thinking about this efficiency platform," Conger says. "And if [Musk] will try to hold a conference call with all of the Office of Management and Budget and run through the government spending with them or how that's going to work."
But New York Times tech reporter Ryan Mac points out that the appointment would raise a host of potential conflicts of interest: "I mean, [Musk] is a man who runs multiple companies who are under investigation from various government agencies," Mac says.
Musk's SpaceX, for instance, is facing off with the National Labor Relations Board over allegations of sexual harassment. And the Department of Justice is investigating Tesla for comments Musk has made about the company's self-driving technology.
In their new book, Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter, Mac and fellow reporter Kate Conger take a closer look at Musk's takeover of the social media platform now known as X. Since buying the platform in 2022, Musk has laid off or fired about 75% of the staff; eliminated rules banning hate speech and disinformation; alienated many advertisers and users and lost money.
"There's almost no part of the company that was left untouched," Conger says the Twitter takeover. "We saw Musk make serious cuts to management, to engineering teams, to teams that worked on content moderation, advertising salespeople, security, janitorial services. Every part of the company was reduced in some way."
Mac says the cuts were so deep that some employees in the New York office were left without toilet paper — they had to bring their own from home. At one point, Conger says, Musk got so frustrated that Twitter was not saving more money that he called the staff into weekend conference call. During the course of the hours-long call, he went through the company's budget, line item by line item, asking employees to explain why they were spending money.
"It's a scene that I keep coming back to, thinking about this efficiency platform," Conger says. "And if [Musk] will try to hold a conference call with all of the Office of Management and Budget and run through the government spending with them or how that's going to work."
Interview:
Saturday, September 28, 2024
The News Roundup – Domestic and International (The 1A) 2024-09-27
Domestic
New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted Thursday on at several federal criminal charges. Investigators have spent months looking into allegations of campaign finance violations and foreign influence in Adams’ election.A new Senate report released this week revealed troubling details about the Secret Service’s handling of security at the Pennsylvania rally where former President Donald Trump was shot. The document details “foreseeable, preventable” problems that have yet to be addressed.
Democrats are discussing how to go about protecting abortion access at the federal level. Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris has again proposed eliminating the filibuster to pass legislation in the Senate. But West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin says this is a deal breaker and won’t support the move.
Despite prosecutors and the victim’s family asking he be spared, Marcellus Williams was executed by the state of Missouri for the killing of Felicia Gayle, a former newspaper reporter who was stabbed to death in her home in 1998.
International
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Congress that he and his agency had not concluded that Israel had deliberately blocked humanitarian aid from entering Gaza during its attacks in the area. However, new reporting from ProPublica indicates that two other government agencies concluded that Israel had indeed blocked aid, and had informed Blinken of that fact.
In a surprise expansion of its nuclear policy, Russia now says that it might be forced to target nonnuclear countries supported by nuclear powers with nuclear weapons if they participate in an attack against Russian areas or forces.
Interview:
Republican sparks outrage for racist post attacking Haitian immigrants
Louisiana's Clay Higgins called Haitians 'thugs' in now-deleted X post after Ohio group filed charges against Trump…
Harris decries Trump’s ‘proposals of surrender’ as Zelenskyy visits White House
"These proposals are the same as those of Putin, and let us be clear, they are not proposals for peace," she said. "Instead, they are proposals for surrender, which is dangerous and unacceptable."…
The US government-funded ‘private social network’ attacking pesticide critics
v-Fluence had new prospects with the US government in the 2020s.
In 2020 the USDA contracted with a "strategic communications firm" called White House Writers Group (WHWG) for up to $4.9m. It was part of a USDA strategy to undermine Europe's Farm to Fork, an environmental policy which aimed to reduce pesticide use by 50% by 2030...
Biden signs three-month funding bill to avert US government shutdown
Stopgap bill, passed by House and Senate with bipartisan majorities, extends funding until December…
‘Stop killing children’: protests as Netanyahu arrives for UN address
Protesters gather outside UN headquarters in New York to oppose Israeli PM's visit and to call for end to Gaza war…
Denver Churches Battle Free Pre-K Program (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podast #550)
— Denver churches, prioritizing bigotry, continue lawsuit over free pre-K program. (1:15)
— Iowa taxpayers challenged a pastor’s unfair tax exemptions. A new law got in their way. (18:45)
— After Satanic event at Iowa courthouse, local leaders want to change the rules (again). (37:03)
— Christian pastor, a former reality TV contestant, found guilty of child cruelty. (50:32)
Interview:
— Iowa taxpayers challenged a pastor’s unfair tax exemptions. A new law got in their way. (18:45)
— After Satanic event at Iowa courthouse, local leaders want to change the rules (again). (37:03)
— Christian pastor, a former reality TV contestant, found guilty of child cruelty. (50:32)
Interview:
Charismatic Violence (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio podcast)
Annie Laurie reports on religiously motivated abortion referenda in seven states around the country, as well as the repressive 19th-century Comstock Act that is still invoked today to limit women’s rights as it did with Margaret Sanger.
We hear Dan Barker’s tribute song to Margaret Sanger called “No Gods, No Masters.”
Then we speak with scholar Matthew D. Taylor about his new book about the January 6 insurrection, The Violent Take it By Force: The Christian Movement that is Threatening Our Democracy.
Interview:
Why Do Atheists Want Separation Of Church And State?
This is a good discussion of the First Amendment by a knowledable lawyer, with a good explanation of how to respond when people say "Separation of church and state" is not in the Constitution.
Musk’s X blocks Vance dossier, drawing parallels to Hunter Biden controversy - The Washington Post
The platform blocked a journalist from sharing a purported research document on the candidate, mirroring its past controversy...
There Were No Adults (Allison Gill and Pete Strzok; Cleanup on Aisle 45 podcast episode #192 )
This week: 
- the latest FBI report on violent crime for 2023;
- Mark Meadows has lost his bid to remove his Arizona state case to federal court;
- more resignations in New York City mayor Eric Adams’ administration;
- plus a Russian asset John Solomon’s lawsuit to recover the Crossfire Hurricane binder failed.
Interview:
Friday, September 27, 2024
As School Threats Proliferate, More Than 700 Students Are Arrested - The New York Times
In the three weeks since two teachers and two students were killed at Apalachee High School in the deadliest school shooting in Georgia's history, more than 700 children and teenagers, including at least one fourth grader, have been arrested and accused of making violent threats against schools in at least 45 states, according to a New York Times review of news reports, law enforcement statements and court records. Almost 10 percent were 12 or younger...
Opinion | An ‘Utterly Bonkers’ Miscarriage of Justice in Texas - The New York Times
In a very real sense, Wilson's prosecutor functioned as both prosecutor and as part of the judge's team, helping the judge decide the case that he tried. While moonlighting for local judges, he sometimes even "helped write the judges' orders on his own cases."
Opinion | Donald Trump According to Those Who Know Him - The New York Times
In any election, it's hard to know whose word to trust. And in a polarized country, many Americans distrust any information that comes from the other side of the political divide. That's why the criticism of Donald Trump by those who served with him in the White House and by members of his own party is so striking. Dozens of people who know him well, including the 91 listed here, have raised alarms about his character and fitness for office — his family and friends, world leaders and business associates, his fellow conservatives and his political appointees — even though they had nothing to gain from doing so. Some have even spoken out at the expense of their own careers or political interests...
Pope Punishes 10 Members of Catholic Movement in Peru - The New York Times
An investigation commissioned by Sodalitium in 2016 concluded that Mr. Figari "used his leadership status to have authoritarian direction and control of most Sodalits," as the members are known, and enabled him to "abuse some young members and aspirants" of the group.
The abuse, the investigation found, was psychological, verbal, physical and sexual. Mr. Figari appeared "to enjoy observing the younger aspirants and brothers experience pain, discomfort and fear," the investigation report said. Mr. Figari denied the allegations against him.
Revealed: how the fossil fuel industry helps spread anti-protest laws across the US
Lobbyists and lawmakers have coordinated to enact new laws that increase criminal penalties for peaceful protests…
Muslim group endorses Harris despite opposition to her Gaza policy
Emgage Action, which works to turn out Muslim voters, said Muslim voters need to stop Trump first and then push a potential Kamala Harris administration afterward…
Confessions of a (Former) Christian Nationalist – Mother Jones
Because it is immoral, I believe Christian nationalism is inevitably doomed. But in the meantime, the pain, suffering, and injury it will inflict will be enormous—just consider women facing difficult pregnancies, trans children seeking care, librarians attacked for certain books. "We want to fill our culture again with the Christian spirit. We want to burn out all the recent immoral developments in literature, in the theater, and in the press—in short, we want to burn out the poison of immorality, which has entered into our whole life and culture as a result of liberal excess." This may sound familiar—maybe some overheated Republican talking points. In fact, it's what Adolf Hitler promised the German people in 1933…
Elon Musk has gained a concerning level of power over US national security
"Apart from the drugs, when was the last time the US government gave access to sensitive national security information to someone who posted a potential death threat against the president and vice-president?
Underlying this is a broader question: when in history has one unelected individual held such sway over US national security?…"
Vice President Harris leads Trump in Michigan, Pennsylvania polls
In Michigan, the poll found Harris leading Trump 48 percent to 43 percent overall, though the former president had the edge with independents, winning 36 percent support compared to Harris's 29 percent...
Thursday, September 26, 2024
US Senate votes unanimously to hold hospital CEO in criminal contempt
Investigations by the Boston Globe revealed that as more than a dozen Steward Health Care patients died in recent years after being unable to receive adequate treatment, De la Torre embarked on various jet travels and private yacht excursions across the Caribbean and French Riviera.
The Boston Globe also revealed that De la Torre frequently used the hospital chain's bank account as his own, including to make purchases to renovate an €8m ($8.9m) apartment in Madrid and to make donations of millions of dollars to his children's private school...
Pro-Life PAC launches ad against Democrats in Georgia
"Georgia's law, like pro-life laws in every other state, allows emergency care, miscarriage care and treatment for ectopic pregnancy. The laws do not penalize women who have abortions and they use plain, commonly accepted legal language. There would be no confusion if abortion advocates were not spreading confusion," SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement.
But doctors in states with abortion bans across the country have said the exceptions to such bans are often unclear and contradictory. They've expressed fear that even treatments that are not abortions, like the routine procedure Thurman needed, could still be used against them…
Congress Passes Short-Term Spending Bill to Avert a Shutdown - The New York Times
In a pair of votes in quick succession, the House and Senate moved to keep federal funding flowing through Dec. 20. But they punted a bigger spending fight to the end of the year...
America is increasingly dependent on foreign doctors − but their path to immigration is getting harder
This immigrant workforce is key to offsetting a dire physician shortage. The need for more doctors is due, in part, to America's growing and aging population; U.S.-born doctors' unwillingness to move to poorer and more rural areas; and U.S.-born doctors' lack of interest in going into primary care, which can be less lucrative and prestigious than other areas of medicine...
LIVE: Glenn Kirschner testifies for Congress, spars with Jim Jordan
Content starts about 10 minutes in…
Kamala Harris widens lead over Donald Trump in new national survey
The Reuters/Ipsos survey was conducted Sept. 11-12 among 1,029 adults and had a margin of error of about 4 percentage points...
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