As you can see in our feature, we are monitoring an unfolding situation at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, where the FBI has moved in to end the stand off. Details and updates here.
A few quotes.
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-SC): “He had big momentum out of Iowa, and it wasn’t maintained. It’s funny how people can peak and never recover.”
Steve Schmidt, GOP strategist: “A fifth place finish in New Hampshire means effectively he’s bleeding out.”
John McCain, crusty old guy: “He himself said, ‘Nobody but me. I take responsibility for it.’ I agree with him.”
Ted Cruz is starting to draw heat for his alliance with and endorsement from a far-right Christianist leader named Mike Bickle, who says God sent Hitler to hunt Jews, that a new era of concentration camps awaits Jews before they find Jesus. Jesus will also soon kill the head of the United Nations at some point in the near future among other things Bickle says Jesus is working on. In other words, he’s an awesome guy. And he’s out there raising support Cruz among evangelicals. But among other things Bickle runs something called the International House of Prayer (yes, IHOP!) in Grandview, Missouri. And a year ago, Sarah Posner wrote a lengthy expose on the mix of fanaticism, abusive practices toward young volunteers and even criminality that seems rife in the place. You can read it right here. It’s an amazing piece (sub req).
Now wingnut Patriarch Cliven Bundy has a mugshot and here it is.
He was heading up to Oregon to get in on the fun. But the FBI was there at the airport to arrest him on conspiracy charges tied to the original stand off back in 2014.
This got lost a bit in the rush of debates and results out of New Hampshire. But this is really critical information. It turns out that Voter ID laws – now in force in most US states – are even more effective than we thought at reducing minority turnout. A lot more effective.
Final four militants fail to surrender at appointed time, now demanding right-wing Nevada legislator and Franklin Graham come to escort them out.
We can by no means take this as a disinterested claim. And no specific names are mentioned. But a high-ranking Iranian government official, who is an appointee of reformist President Hassan Rouhani, says that Republicans asked the Iranians to delay last months prisoner exchange deal until after the Presidential election.
One of the Oregon occupiers is resisting surrendering to authorities and could be heard on a live audio feed saying, “I am actually feeling suicidal right now.” We profiled him here.