The initial reports on the contents of the new book by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Robert Costa came trickling in this afternoon. Continue reading “The 5 Biggest Bombshells In The Woodward-Costa Book”
Did Milley Think Trump Would Go Berserk?
We’ve got another Bob Woodward book that has exclusives that read as a bit too good to check. This has always been the thing with Woodward. Since his access has always been purported to be unlike anyone else’s he can have scoops that really no one else can confirm. And … well, that’s okay, apparently. This new book is – interestingly – coauthored by Bob Costa, also of The Washington Post.
The big revelations, at least in the early accounts, are tied to the action of Joint Chiefs Chair, Mark Milley. Milley was apparently afraid China and the US might stumble into a war around the 2020 election, with exercises around Taiwan and increasingly belligerent statements from then-President Trump. To defuse tensions, Milley allegedly twice called his Chinese counterpart to assure him the US was not planning and would not attack China. He did this once just ahead of the election and then again just after the January 6th.
Fifth Conservative Anti-Vax Radio Host Dies Of COVID Within Six Weeks
Bob Enyart, a conservative Colorado radio host who called for a boycott of COVID-19 vaccines, has died from COVID-19 amid a grim pattern of anti-vaccine radio personalities ultimately succumbing to the virus.
Continue reading “Fifth Conservative Anti-Vax Radio Host Dies Of COVID Within Six Weeks”
Are We Going to Have a Vax Mandate Uprising?
I went a few rounds with TPM Reader EG over the last couple days over whether President Biden’s vaccine and test mandate will be the precipitating event leading to the breakdown of civil order in the US which now seems perpetually just around the bend. That’s not at all what I see coming. I’m all for the mandate. If anything I think Biden should be more aggressive. But I was curious that EG did see it unfolding this way.
In his view, the reports of an upstate New York hospital having to shutter its maternity ward because a group of health care workers had quit their jobs rather than be vaccinated is the leading edge of a coming wave. He sees hospitals having to reduce capacity just as COVID is filling ICUs in the fall. Then there are police, one of the least vaccinated of professions. He sees waves of police quitting their jobs, putting more pressure on efforts to tamp down on COVID-era crime surges and creating a pool of out of work LEOs ready to provide the muscle for future insurrections.
Continue reading “Are We Going to Have a Vax Mandate Uprising?”
Biden Warns Californians They’ll Get A ‘Trump Clone’ If Newsom Loses Recall: ‘It’s Not A Joke’
President Joe Biden had a stark warning for overwhelmingly blue California on the eve of the state’s gubernatorial recall election.
Larry Elder Campaign Touts Website Already Saying Newsom Won Via Voter Fraud
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things.
Jumping The Gun Just A Tad
The campaign of Larry Elder, the hard-right radio host who’s been leading the pack of Republicans working to unseat California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in today’s recall election, is promoting a website that curiously already states the results of the election even though it, uh, hasn’t started yet!
- The campaign’s website has a “Stop Fraud” link leading to “StopCAfraud.com,” which has a petition that demands the California state legislature “investigate and ameliorate” the “twisted results” of the election.
- The linked website claims that unspecified “statistical analysis used to detect fraud in elections held in 3rd-world nations” have detected fraud “resulting in Governor Gavin Newsom being reinstated as governor.”
- On the linked website site is a disclaimer that it was paid for by the “Larry Elder Ballot Measure Committee Recall Newsom,” and indicates that group received major funding from … wait for it … the Elder campaign.
- What’s incredible is that the site is still up even after the Elder campaign was asked about it by news outlets. Elder spokesperson Ying Ma acknowledged in a statement that the campaign has “provided a link to an outside website that is providing an avenue for voters to document irregularities they encounter in this election” but “we believe that Larry will win.”
- Elder refused to commit to accepting today’s election results yesterday, saying instead that “we all need to be looking at election integrity”:
“The leading Republican candidate would not commit to accepting the results of the election” pic.twitter.com/qyMGyqoKD8
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 13, 2021
- Trump also put out a rant baselessly claiming (again) that the recall election is “rigged” and that the mail-in ballots “will make this just another giant Election Scam.”
- Biden warned Californians that Elder was “the closest thing to a Trump clone that I have ever seen” during his stump speech for Newsom yesterday in Long Beach, California.
Capitol Police Prep For Potential Violence At The Insurrectionist Cheerleading Rally
The U.S Capitol Police is “aware” of “concerning online chatter” about the upcoming rally in support of the Jan. 6 insurrectionists this Saturday, the agency said yesterday.
- Fencing will be reinstalled around the Capitol building ahead of the “Justice for J6” rally, according to the USCP’s press release.
- USCP Chief Tom Manger warned that his department “will enforce the law and not tolerate violence.” “I urge anyone who is thinking about causing trouble to stay home,” he said.
- The USCP has been holding “planning meetings” for the rally throughout the last month, the department said.
In Case You Missed It
The House Jan. 6 select committee included ex-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in its record preservation request to telecommunications companies, according to the Guardian.
Senate Democrats Come To An Agreement On Voting Rights
Democratic senators involved in crafting voting rights reform, including Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), have settled on a deal on the legislation, Senate Rules Committee chair Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) announced.
- Of course, that hardly matters unless Democrats can get 10 Republicans on board with it (unlikely) or conservative Democrats like Manchin agree to get rid of or at least reform the filibuster to pass the legislation.
An Eyebrow-Raising Pattern Lurking Behind The Critical Race Theory Hysteria
Many of the school districts dealing with outrage over what conservatives have claimed to be “critical race theory” have seen major increases in diversity in recent years, an NBC News analysis found.
A Congressional Hearing Gets Spicy And Sort Of Weird
During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing with Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday, Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-VA) swiped at Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) – aka the infamous “you lie!” heckler at Obama’s 2009 State of the Union address – after the Republican falsely claimed Biden was allowing “identified terrorists” to enter the country at the southern border.
- A chilly Connolly told Wilson after the GOP lawmaker yielded the floor: “If I were the member of Congress who committed one of the most grievous acts in a State of the Union address, when the President of the United States, Mr. Obama, was our guest, to shout out ‘you lie,’ I might take more care about enumerating other alleged lies in a hearing with the Secretary of State.”
Connelly responds to Wilson by bringing up his “you lie” outburst from Obama’s SOTU address pic.twitter.com/0mNa74ROOz
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 13, 2021
Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ) somberly asked Blinken about Taliban rule in Afghanistan while sitting inside a bedroom closet:
Tucker Carlson Discusses Nicki Minaj’s Cousin’s Friend’s Large Testicles
Fox News host Tucker Carlson flagged rapper Nicki Minaj’s, uh, “warning” against taking the COVID-19 vaccine that claimed her cousin’s friend’s “testicles became swollen” after getting the shot and had to call off his wedding as a result.
- “Big reaction to this,” Carlson said solemnly. “We’ll report on that tomorrow.”
Bet you thought I was kidding, didn’t you?
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Where Things Stand: DeSantis Again Threatens Fines For Those Who Dare Defy His Deadly COVID Rules
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is re-upping his main and, seemingly, only defense against those in his state who dare to buck his rules against COVID-19 mitigation measures: He’s threatening more of the little guys with fines again.
Where Republicans Are Set To Gain The Most In The Great GOP Gerrymander Of 2021
After dedicating years to winning on the state level, Republicans are poised to deepen and lock in their structural advantages in a redistricting bonanza.
Continue reading “Where Republicans Are Set To Gain The Most In The Great GOP Gerrymander Of 2021”
Bannon, Guo-Linked Media Company Part Of $539 Million Settlement In SEC Probe
A firm linked to former Trump campaign chairman Stephen K. Bannon was part of a $539 million deal to settle charges emanating from an alleged illegal stock offering scheme, the SEC said on Monday. Continue reading “Bannon, Guo-Linked Media Company Part Of $539 Million Settlement In SEC Probe”
Texas Vigilante Abortion Law Resurrects Jim Crow-Era Tactic That Gives States Legal Cover
This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. It first appeared at The Conversation.
The new Texas law that bans most abortions uses a method employed by Texas and other states to enforce racist Jim Crow laws in the 19th and 20th centuries that aimed to disenfranchise African Americans. Continue reading “Texas Vigilante Abortion Law Resurrects Jim Crow-Era Tactic That Gives States Legal Cover”