AOC: Mike Johnson paints this as though it’s some partisan witch hunt. But if you don’t want to be prosecuted for crimes, don’t do crimes.
And he’s talking about running a protection racket. And we are already seeing that this Trump administration has run what some have called one of the largest pedophile protection programs in American history.
And so when Mike Johnson tells a group of wealthy donors, I'm the only thing standing between you, and a consequence that should rattle at the conscience of every American.
What he wants to do is create—or rather, not even create, because it’s already been created—but protect a class of impunity in America that says, “You can commit whatever crime, and so long as you pay a check to us, we will protect you.”
And that is a model of extortion in American politics. And you know what? That’s their pitch.
In Russia, young men are being kidnapped and sent to the meat grinder in Ukraine.
In the coming months, these operations will become a daily occurrence. They are a precursor to the mobilization expected after Russia's September "elections."
Putin is getting desperate.
Russian military personnel supported the Russian soldier Alexander Lunin, who demanded a meeting with Putin, threatening a military coup.
The Russian military stated that they are “ready to turn their weapons against those who cause them pain.”
Lunin stated that he intends to tell Putin about mass torture and extortion of money in the Russian army.
New: The U.S. has unsealed a California grand jury indictment exposing how Russian GRU hackers targeted critical infrastructure in the U.S. They hit a regional airport in Missouri, drinking water and water storage facilities in Texas, Pennsylvania and Indiana, and a meat packing facility in California. One cyber attack caused 200,000 gallons of water to overflow in Texas. Another caused 2,000 pounds of meat to spoil. https://t.co/CoWRGYBffH
New: Alleged traffickers killed by the US military in a strike on September 2 were not heading toward the US, Adm Bradley told lawmakers yesterday, per people briefed.
Instead they were heading to link up with another vessel that was bound for Suriname. https://t.co/pOpkschgJh
We are veterans and national security professionals who love this country and swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. That oath lasts a lifetime, and we intend to keep it. No threat, intimidation, or call for violence will deter us from that sacred obligation.
What’s most telling is that the President considers it punishable by death for us to restate the law. Our servicemembers should know that we have their backs as they fulfill their oath to the Constitution and obligation to follow only lawful orders. It is not only the right thing to do, but also our duty.
But this isn’t about any one of us. This isn’t about politics. This is about who we are as Americans. Every American must unite and condemn the President’s calls for our murder and political violence. This is a time for moral clarity.
In these moments, fear is contagious, but so is courage. We will continue to lead and will not be intimidated.
Don’t Give Up the Ship!
— Joint Statement from me, Senator Slotkin, and Reps. Crow, Deluzio, Goodlander, and Houlahan
Quick updated breakdown of the Warriors report that Stephen Curry has a grade 1 hamstring injury. There are multiple factors (both on imaging and how he feels) that determine the exact RTP timeline. #DubNation
Mississippi city stuns newspaper with restraining order over editorial
A judge ordered the Clarksdale Press Register to remove an editorial criticizing its mayor and city council, alarming free-speech advocates across the country.
https://t.co/EcsIbOeaAR
STYLIST: What do you wanna do for the Golden Globes?
JEREMY STRONG: I’m thinking Hunter S. Thompson in the Beastie Boys.
STYLIST: Got it.
JEREMY STRONG: Paddington’s cousin who sells coke.
STYLIST: Okay.
JEREMY STRONG: Stanley Tucci playing Gilligan.
STYLIST: Right.
This is crucial: Orban is realizing that he may lose the next election even when he fiddles with the election rules - so the solution is to change the form of government so that he doesn't have to leave office. Erdogan pioneered this move - and he's still in office.
Donald, this is not the Soviet Union. You can’t change the truth and you cannot silence us. Remember all your lies about the voting machines, the election workers, your countless allegations of fraud that never happened? Many of your lawyers have been sanctioned, disciplined or disbarred, the courts ruled against you, and dozens of your own White House, administration, and campaign aides testified against you. Remember how you sent a mob to our Capitol and then watched the violence on television and refused for hours to instruct the mob to leave? Remember how your former Vice President prevented you from overturning our Republic? We remember. And now, as you take office again, the American people need to reject your latest malicious falsehoods and stand as the guardrails of our Constitutional Republic — to protect the America we love from you.
The ability of demagogues & autocrats to surprise, to create a new scandal every day, is their superpower. It diminishes attention to the previous day's transgressions & normalizes them. It slowly numbs the senses, including outrage. Values are the only defense. Hold them dear.