Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Trick or Treason"
The plan involves creating “shadow” government offices that would create flimsy legal justifications to override objections from military leaders and carry out executive orders, including sending in soldiers against protesters and other perceived enemies, according to a stunning new report from ProPublica.
“We’re trying to build almost a shadow Office of Management and Budget. We’re trying to build a shadow Office of Legal Counsel,” said Russell Vought, who oversaw Trump’s OMB in 2019 and 2020, in a video from 2023.
Throughout his latest presidential campaign, Trump has repeatedly described Democratic lawmakers as “the enemy within” and mused about using the military against his fellow Americans.
Republican pundits have tried to dismiss the comments as all talk, but Vought is expected to be given another high-level government role in a second Trump administration—perhaps even as White House chief of staff, according to ProPublica. He declined the news site’s requests for comment.
During Trump’s first term, lawyers often shot down illegal policy proposals, Vought says in one of the leaked videos. The goal of the “shadow” government is to avoid a repeat of that scenario, he explains.
The plan would basically amount to stacking the Office of Legal Counsel—which has traditionally operated with a degree of independence and objectivity—with Trump loyalists ready to rubber stamp the White House’s executive orders, ProPublica reports.
In one of Vought’s examples, the White House could classify protesters as insurrectionists and then invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows the president to deploy troops within the U.S.
"Iraq snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):
Tuesday, October 29, 2024. The hate rally in Madison Square Garden promoted a range of reactions -- and we note some of them including one sour grapes gal whose been overlooked.
Let's start with a new ad from Kamala Harris' presidential campaign.
Yesterday in Philadelphia, Kamala spoke with reporters:
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hi. Good morning, everyone. Good morning.
Well, it is good to be back in Philadelphia, and we’re going to have a
— an active day of speaking with folks in various neighborhoods around
town and really highlighting something you hear me say often, which is: I
truly believe it’s a lived experience to know the vast majority of us
have so much more in common than what separates us.
And so,
we’ll be visiting with folks in different parts of town, talking with
them about what we all have in common and — and a collective desire to
bring the country together and to set a tone that really is about
unifying our country around common desires and challenges, whether it be
bringing down the prices of everyday necessities or what we can do to
invest in our small businesses and lift up our families.
And
this obviously will be in stark contrast to Donald Trump, who
increasingly is using dark and divisive language, even more than he — he
has done in the past.
He talks about America being the garbage
can of the world and just continuously, I think, demeans the character
and nature of who we are as America and who the American people are.
And clearly, it is intended to keep fanning the flames of — of hate and
division; referring to beautiful American, historic American cities like
Detroit and Philadelphia in such disparaging words. And as we said,
even just this morning, I think people are ready to turn the page. And —
and that is about all I have.
AIDE: Julia —
(Cross-talk.)
AIDE: Hold on. Julia.
Q Oh, thank you.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hi.
Q
Madam Vice President, Pennsylvania has been such a focus of this
election for both campaigns. What do you make of some of the activity
that Elon Musk is involved in in this state? Do you — do you worry
about, you know, any little difference, including (inaudible) —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I haven’t really been paying attention. I’m focused on our work. (Laughs.) But thank you for asking.
(Cross-talk.)
Q Madam Vice President, you’ve talked about new homebuyers and $25,000 for them.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yes.
Q What about people who are currently in their homes as neighborhoods gentrify and prices go up? What would you do for them?
THE
VICE PRESIDENT: So, for cor- — current homeowners, there are — still
facing the challenges, whether it be what we need to do around an issue
I’ve addressed over the last four years, dealing with fair appraisal
values and making sure that the appraisal system is fair, especially for
people living in minority- and Black-owned communities — in terms of
housing and home- — high levels of homeownership, we’ve seen bias
there.
But also just bringing down the price of everyday living,
whether it be groceries and what I’m going to do to address things like
price gouging, or what we need to do to expand the Child Tax Credit to
help people have more resources at the fundamental phases of their
child’s development; the work that we are doing that is about small
businesses.
A lot of neighborhoods, as we know here in
Philadelphia and around the country — those homeowners often are also
small-business owners and need more support. So, a lot of my plan is
about giving them tax cuts, but also cutting a lot of the red tape so
that they can continue to grow and prosper.
So, there are a
multiple — multitude of issues that affect homeowners, including,
obviously, the challenges for homeownership itself.
AIDE: Joey.
Q
Yeah, Madam Vice President, are you getting the turnout that you need
right here in Philadelphia to win Pennsylvania, particularly among Black
voters? Are you concerned that you’re going to get the level that you
need to to win this state?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I’m very excited
about the reports that we’re getting about enthusiasm here in
Philadelphia. And to your point, Philadelphia is a very important part
of our path to victory, and it is the reason I’m spending time here,
have been spending time here. But I’m feeling very optimistic about the
enthusiasm that is here and the commitment that folks of every
background have to vote and to — to really invest in the future of our
country.
I think people are exhausted with things as they’ve been, and they’re prepared to act on their feelings about that.
AIDE: Akayla.
Q
Madam Vice President, the former president has said he’s spoken to
Prime Minister Netanyahu multiple times this month. Are you concerned
that those conversations are undermining what the administration is
trying to do in the Middle East?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: No. And I
do believe that it is critically important that we, as the United States
of America, be an active participant in encouraging, one, that this war
ends, that we get the hostages out, but also that there is a real
commitment among nations to a two-state solution and the day after, and
we have to fulfill that responsibility.
AIDE: O.J.
Q Yes, Vice President Harris, as you
go out in the community today, what is it that you can do or do you have
a strategy to dispel all the informa- — all the mi- — misinformation in
the political ads and what —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yeah.
Q — your opponent is spewing?
THE
VICE PRESIDENT: Well, to your point, there is a lot of misinformation,
and he’s putting tens of millions of dollars into various TV markets
around the country. And what I’m heartened by is that folks in the
community, when I am there, they are aware of it and, frankly, don’t
want to be played. They are aware of fact.
And what I am seeing
is that not only are they aware of the misinformation, but they are
also aware, if not eager, to know and hear more details about my plan
for them, whether it be, again, on the issue of homeownership; bringing
down costs; investing in small businesses; investing in families,
including families with children. And — and folks are very receptive to
that.
I think people really do want to know and see and feel
that their leaders and that their president is prepared to do the hard
work of thinking about them, not themselves, unlike Donald Trump, and
has a plan that will be implemented on day one. And I’ve been very
clear about that as well.
Look, just imagine the Oval Office on
January 20th. It’s going to be one of two people. It’s going to be
either Donald Trump or me.
If it’s Donald Trump, you can see
what’s going — what that day is going to be. It will be him sitting at
that desk, stewing over his enemies list. He is full of grievance. He
is full of — of dark language that is about retribution and revenge.
And
so, the American people have a choice. It’s either going to be that or
it’ll be me there, focused on my to-do list, focused on the American
people and getting through that list of — of goals and plans to improve
the lives of the American people.
AIDE: Last one. Jeff.
Q
Madam Vice President, can you give us a sense of your internal polling
at the campaign and how that is making or influencing your decisions on
what to do over the next nine days?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: So, to
be very frank with you, my internal polling is my instinct. (Laughs.) I
let the campaign people deal with the poll- — all that other stuff.
And I am responding to what I’m seeing.
I mean, just two nights
ago, we had 30,000 people show up — I think it was actually more than
30,000 people — with an incredible amount of enthusiasm. If you see the
people showing up last night, every event that we do — and the feeling
is one of energy and excitement.
What I love about the folks who are showing up is it’s every walk of who we are as a country and as Americans, every race, age, gender, from all different kinds of backgrounds together under one roof. It’s very exciting. The number of young people. You know, I’ve begun to really point out the first-time voters who are there, because now people are actually registered. And — and it’s — it’s very exciting. And the momentum is with us.
Q Do you need to win Pennsylvania —
AIDE: Thank you.
Q — to win this election (inaudible)?
AIDE: Thank you.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Pennsylvania will be key, no doubt. No doubt.
Olivia Rosane (COMMON DREAMS) reports:
Bishop and Poor People's Campaign co-chair Rev. William Barber II joined more than 1,000 religious leaders on Sunday in endorsing U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris for president over former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Other prominent faith leaders who have signed on to the endorsement include Rev. Kevin R. Johnson of New York City's Abyssinian Baptist Church; Rev. Teresa L. Smallwood, vice president and dean of academic affairs at North Carolina's United Lutheran Seminary; and the Rev. Andrea C. White, who teaches theology and culture at New York City's Union Theological Seminary. Barber and the other leaders offered their endorsement in their personal capacities and not on behalf of any congregation or institution they are affiliated with.
"In
a moment like this, I am compelled to be clear that every voter must
make a choice, and my choice is to oppose the dangerous politics that
Trump and the MAGA movement have unleashed by supporting the ticket that
can defeat this potential for American fascism," Barber wrote in a statement explaining his endorsement on social media.
"I'm endorsing Harris and Walz because we are in the midst of a crisis of civilization and democracy."
Barber gave several reasons for his opposition to Trump, including the former president's frequent lies, embrace of guns, inflammatory anti-immigrant statements, and economic agenda that favors the wealthy over the poor and marginalized. In particular, he blamed Trump for undermining the strong economy he inherited from former President Barack Obama by giving massive tax cuts to the wealthy while refusing to raise the minimum wage
"I must oppose Donald Trump and his policies of catering to the greedy, attacking healthcare, and working against living wages," Barber wrote.
He also alluded to Trump's violent rhetoric, such as his recent threat to deploy the National Guard against his political enemies if elected.
"I must prophetically oppose Trump's candidacy because he is threatening to use the office of the president for retaliation and destruction and refers to himself as the only answer to the troubles of America, which is a form of idolatry," Barber said.
In contrast, Barber said he was endorsing Harris and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz because they "are seeking to speak truthfully about the issues of our nation, and, at the same time, to lead us toward a way of working together on issues that matter."
In particular, Barber praised their economic agenda, such as their commitment to increasing wages and expanding healthcare access. He also said they would offer equal protection to all U.S. residents and tackle the climate crisis.
"I'm endorsing Harris and Walz because we are in the midst of a crisis of civilization and democracy," Barber said. "We don't need more despotism. We must work together for a Third Reconstruction."
Endorsements continue to be made. Except by two large newspapers. There's THE LOS ANGELES TIMES which was already unimportant. It was only for their two US senators's sake that they were available in DC -- and that dates back to when the two senators were Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. It's an unimportant little paper that bleeds readers both online and offline. The other is THE WASHINGTON POST. In both cases, their money bags owners decided not to endorse. And did so after the paper's editorial boards had completed the endorsements.
Jeff Bezos and no name (he is a no name, the owner of THE LOS ANGELS TIMES, and let's keep him that way) insist that they are doing journalism and so they're just going to provide information and not tell people how to vote.
Maybe the first clue that the wrong person owns a paper is when they say something like that. Editorials are journalism. They're not reporting, no. But they are journalism -- as is any opinion column.
More to the point, Bezos and no name both bought papers in order to have influence. Which, please note, means they're not killing off editorials. They're just killing off endorsements in the presidential campaign.
This has resulted in a lot of commentary -- some might say too much.
For example, bitter, failed journalist Glenn Greenwald. As Sam Seder has explained in his podcast, Glenn's been attacking Rachel Maddow and others for years just because she stopped inviting him as a guest on her program. All those 'critiques' he offered? Just the sour grapes of a loser turned away. He better that soon to be released prisoner in the US is lying or at least can prove the relationship the prisoner says he and Glenn had online is true. That will really put the nail into Glenn's coffin with the public.
If the prisoner is telling the truth and you recoil because the prisoner is even uglier than Glenneth, just remember that Glenneth was feeling lonely because his husband was in the hospital. Oh wait. That excuse only make GG more disgusting, doesn't it?
Glenneth knows all about press freedom. You may remember he quit THE INTERCEPT. As he told it, they would not publish his column on the Hunter Biden laptop. He told them to publish it as is and they wouldn't. We defended Glenn and I would so on that for anyone. But we also noted how dumb Glenn was. If he had a contract -- and this half-wit faux lawyer said he did -- that required THE INTERCEPT to publish what he wrote, then why quit?
Why walk out on money you're owed and a place you created. All you have to do is file and appear before a judge. Most likely, THE INTERCEPT would have published the column the minute they learned Glenny had filed a lawsuit.
Contract law is not vague. Contract law is very specific. I made millions for doing nothing but filing against someone I had a contract with when they refused to honor it. I was iffy on endorsing anyway but I did like the product -- a shampoo -- and when they failed to honor their end of the written contract -- at the very start -- I filed and in the end got the money and didn't even have to record one commercial.
Glenn's the biggest idiot on the block. I've always noted -- as far back as the '00s -- two things about the wretched Glenneth Greenwald: He promoted the war on Iraq and he didn't know a damn thing about the law.
So maybe it's his bitterness that makes him attack various columnists for THE WASHINGTON POST right now?
Or maybe it's just his well known stupidity.
Well known and otherwise, we're seeing a lot of stupidity as six days remain in this US presidential election. A lot of stupidity from people who should know better and should grasp how important it is that we elect Kamala Harris. But she's a woman. And she's Black. And she's this and she's that and they just can't seem to get behind her.
Really? Brandy Zadrozny (NBC NEWS) reports:
In a Joint Intelligence Bulletin that was not distributed publicly but was reviewed by NBC News, agents from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security warn state and local law enforcement agencies that domestic violent extremists seeking to terrorize and disrupt the vote are a threat to the election and throughout Inauguration Day.
The report identified the potential targets as candidates, elected officials, election workers, members of the media and judges involved in election cases. The potential threats include physical attacks and violence at polling places, ballot drop boxes, voter registration locations and rallies and campaign events.
“The United States remains in a heightened, dynamic threat environment and we continue to share information with our law enforcement partners about the threats posed by domestic violent extremists in the context of the 2024 election,” DHS spokesperson Mayra Rodriguez said in a statement. “Violence has no place in our politics, and DHS continues to work with our partners to evaluate and mitigate emerging threats that may arise from domestic or foreign actors.”
Still, the reports “are not typical election threat intelligence,” said Ryan Shapiro, executive director of Property of the People. “The documents are unmistakably a product of a radically heightened threat environment.”
Former President Donald Trump has claimed elections have been rigged against him since 2016, when he won the Electoral College but lost the popular vote. In 2020, he and his allies ramped up false claims of cheating — lies the courts quickly struck down — but the claims became fuel for a violent attack at the Capitol, which aimed to overturn the election.
Add to that Sunday when Convicted Felon Donald Trump held his hate rally in Madison Square Garden -- see yesterday's snapshot. Here's AOC on CNN addressing that hate rally.
And Greg Evans (DEADLINE) reports:
Comic and podcaster Marc Maron is calling out his peers who use their positions to drive what he terms “the new fascism” just a day after right-wing comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made racist and sexist jokes at Donald Trump‘s Madison Square Garden rally.
Other comics also slammed Hinchcliffe who, among other things, called Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage.”
Tweeted Michael Ian Black, “I think America just found its next Jim Breuer!”
Maron’s statement, posted in full on his WTF With Marc Maron website and shared in part on social media, did not specifically name Hinchcliffe, but the message seems clear.
We noted reactions yesterday and there are some more. A lot of reactions have been noted. There's one though that everyone keeps missing.
Drivel.
I wasn't aware of Donald's hate rally and how awful it was on most of Sunday. I was speaking to one group after another about the importance of voting for Kamala and making her our next president. It was after 10:00 pm when we finally got done speaking. At which point, Ava and I wrote "Media: The double standard." I then wrote the Sunday night piece here. I was pulling from things that had happened that day -- and that's when I learned of the rally. And I came across garbage.
I left a comment noting that it was drivel.
I need you to picture Sunday and the hate rally. Think about how offended you were.
Because apparently not everyone was. Marianne Williamson elected to make Sunday night about how there is good on both sides and we need to love each other and we need to know that we will come together and blah blah blah.
Drivel.
In the face of threats of violence from the far right and following what took place in Madison Square Garden hour before she posted, Marianne taped a garbage video.
What is the point? You'll note that she can't endorse Kamala but she can do videos making excuses and apologies for those taking part in a hate rally.
Sour grapes? Maybe so. She wanted the nomination. She thought she had it sewn up. She got all these YOUTUBERS to get on board with her in 2023 and she just knew they were going to take her to the nomination. That didn't happen. In fact, some of the YOUTUBERS pimping her pimped way too hard thereby ensuring that she wouldn't get the nomination.
Then with no traction at all, she dropped out. This was followed by a re-merence when some people were trying to get Joe Biden not to run and voting "uncommitted." So she relaunched her failed campagn and we saw her faila gain and drop out again.
Then, after dropping out twice, when Joe finally stepped aside, she announced she wanted the nomination. No one gave a damn about what she wanted. And as she realized that, she refused to rally behind Kamala which was bad enough for a Democrat. But she also began excusing away things that cannot be excuse. Sunday the hate rally took place at Madison Square Garden and, before teh day concluded, Marianne had another one of her grifting videos up saying we're all wonderful and we're all going for the same thing.
No, dear, that's a lie.
Some of us are going for freedom and equality and smoe of us are going for hate and violence.
Only in your airhead dot hose goals seem similar.
Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "From Big Nose's Harlem Mansion" went up last night. The following sites updated:
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