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Mike Johnson

'No Better Than McCarthy': Would House Democrats Rescue GOP Speaker Again?

On Saturday, December 21, a federal government shutdown was avoided when outgoing President Joe Biden signed into law a last-minute funding plan.

A shutdown appeared likely after some bills that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) supported failed in the U.S. House of Representatives. But a last-minute bill passed in the House with a 366-34 vote and passed 85-11 when it went to the U.S. Senate.The bill enjoyed bipartisan support in the House, where Republicans held their small majority in the 2024 election.

According to Axios' Andrew Solender, however, House Democrats are "sending an early warning signal" to Johnson that he " shouldn't count on them to rescue him again."

In an article published on December 23, Solender reports, "Johnson will have the barest of majorities next year — and he's staring down growing unrest within the Republican conference. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has said he will vote against Johnson's reelection as speaker on January 3, with several other Republicans saying they are undecided. With a majority as narrow as 219-215, Johnson may only be able to afford to lose one vote."

Far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has repeatedly called for Johnson to be ousted as speaker. But for all their differences with Johnson, House Democrats — including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) — overwhelmingly rejected Greene's "motion to vacate" in a May 2024 vote.

But on Friday, December 20, Jeffries, according to Solender, "signaled to his members that relations with Johnson had entered a new, significantly worsened phase."A House Democrat, interviewed on condition of anonymity, told Axios, "I have thought multiple times that I would help Johnson in a tough speaker vote because he was true to his word even in hard times. That has absolutely changed now. Trust is all we have in these negotiations. I thought Johnson was truly different. He's no better than (former House Speaker Kevin) McCarthy. He's getting no help from me, and I know many of my colleagues feel the same."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

January 6 riot

New Inspector General's Report Debunks January 6 Conspiracy Theories

The U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Inspector General's Office has released a report detailing the "handling of its confidential human sources and intelligence collection efforts in the "lead-up" to January 6, 2021.

The report's release has inspired a variety of responses. Some MAGA Republicans view the report as proof that FBI agents, on January 6, 2021, ventured to the U.S. Capitol Building that day in the hope of making MAGA Republicans and Donald Trump supporters look bad.

But according to HuffPost reporter Michael Delaney, the report "debunks" claims the FBI engaged in illegal behavior.

In a December 12 tweet, Trump supporter Greg Price wrote, "BREAKING: The FBI had 26 confidential human sources at the Capitol on January 6, including four who entered the Capitol building and 13 who entered the 'restricted area' around the Capitol, according to a just released DOJ Inspector General report."

Vice-president-elect JD Vance, responding to Price's tweet, wrote, "For those keeping score at home, this was labeled a dangerous conspiracy theory months ago."

But Delaney tweeted that the report is a "debunking" of a conspiracy theory — not proof that it has any merit.

Delaney posted, " The underlying report here says there were no undercover FBI agents at the Capitol and that the informants had not been asked by the FBI to get involved, break laws, or incite the crowd. The report is a thorough debunking of the conspiracy theory Vance is describing."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Elon Musk

Musk's 'DOGE' Cuts Will Hit Red States (And Trump Voters) Hard

Billionaire Tesla/SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was a major donor to Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, and now that Trump is president-elect, he has picked Musk and MAGA businessman Vivek Ramaswamy to head a proposed new agency called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Its goals, according to Trump and his transition team, include finding ways to cut federal spending and reducing the United States' federal deficit.

In an article published on December 11, Reuters reporters Andy Sullivan and Ally J. Levine examine possible areas in which Musk and Ramaswamy could recommend "deep cuts." And those cuts, they stress, could be the most painful in red states where Trump enjoyed the strongest support.

"Roughly two out of every three dollars is spent on pension, health care and other programs that provide tangible benefits to U.S. residents, meaning that any cutbacks could cause an outcry," Sullivan and Levine explain. "Consider the Affordable Care Act, the healthcare expansion that was the signature accomplishment of Democratic President Barack Obama. Republicans vowed to roll back 'Obamacare' when Trump was first elected in 2016, but they failed to do so. The program has dramatically grown since then."

Like Musk and Ramaswamy, Russell Vought — Trump's choice for White House budget director and a major architect of Project 2025 — has, according to Sullivan and Levine, "called for tightening veterans programs." And this, the Reuters reporters note, "could have an outsize effect in Trump country."

A chart published with the article shows that 63 percent of the United States' "total spending on veterans' benefits" is in states that Trump won in the 2024 election — while only 37 percent is in states that went to Vice President Kamala Harris.

"Trump has ruled out benefit cuts to the two biggest safety-net programs, Social Security and Medicare," Sullivan and Levine report. "The two programs, which provide pension and health benefits to seniors, play a bigger role in the states that backed his presidential bid. Other benefit programs aimed at low-income people may be easier for a Republican president like Trump to tackle."

The journalists continue, "Both the Medicaid health plan for the poor and the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, which helps pay for groceries, tend to play a bigger role in Democratic-leaning states. But cutbacks in these areas also would hit hard in poor, conservative states like Louisiana."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Mike Davis

MAGA Lawyer Threatens Private Investigations Of Senators Who Oppose Hegseth

During a late November interview with The Bulwark's Sarah Longwell, attorney and Never Trump conservative George Conway predicted that many GOP senators, in 2025, will be too "spineless" to reject Donald Trump's most "appalling" nominees. Conway, however, noted that Republicans will have only a small U.S. Senate majority next year, and that Trump's nominees could "go down" if a handful of GOP senators have enough of a "spine" to reject them.

Trump's MAGA allies, according to Conway and other Trump critics, won't hesitate to threaten and bully Senate Republicans who refuse to confirm his more controversial nominees.

MAGA Republicans often threaten members of their party with primary challenges if they stand up to the president-elect. And far-right MAGA attorney Mike Davis, during an interview for Politico's Playbook column, threatened non-compliant Senate Republicans withanother tactic: hiring private investigators to probe their backgrounds.

Politico's Adam Wren, in a Playbook column published on December 8, reports that Davis is "mobilizing his Article III Project to become the tip of the spear in building pressure from the base on Republican senators to confirm" former Fox News host Pete Hegseth (Trump's pick for defense secretary).

Davis told Politico, "The Article III Project is very excited about this new standard that drinking and womanizing is disqualifying for public office. I'm very happy to hire investigators for senators and use that standard."

Davis has never shied away from violent or inflammatory rhetoric.

In a November 6 post on X, formerly Twitter, the attorney said of Democrats, "Here's my current mood: I want to drag their dead political bodies through the streets, burn them, and throw them off the wall. (Legally, politically, and financially, of course.")

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Retailers Estimate Consumer Cost Of Trump Tariffs In Tens Of Billions

Retailers Estimate Consumer Cost Of Trump Tariffs In Tens Of Billions

During her 2024 presidential campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris repeatedly warned that if Donald Trump won the election and followed through on his proposals for new tariffs, it would amount to a major "sales tax on the American people."

Having narrowly defeated Harris, President-elect Trump is following through on his tariffs proposal.

On Monday, November 25, Trump promised to enact new tariffs as soon as his second term begins. Trump is calling for new 25 percent tariffs on all goods imported into the United States from Mexico and Canada. And for Chinese goods, Trump favors tariffs of up to 60 percent.

The Hill's Sylvan Lane reports, "Trump's threat comes days after he announced he would nominate investor Scott Bessent as his Treasury secretary. His selection makes Bessent a key player in implementing Trump trade's agenda and attempting to keep markets calm amid the expected disruption. The former president rattled financial markets and key U.S. trading partners throughout his first term with his tariff agenda."

Pymnts.com analyzes the likely results of these new tariffs in an article published in late November, predicting that prices on consumer goods are going to soar in the U.S.

Drawing on data from the National Retail Federation (NRF), Pymnts warns that "Americans could lose between $46 billion and $78 billion in spending power every year if the proposed levies on imports to the U.S. go into effect."

According to NRF expert Jonathan Gold, "Retailers rely heavily on imported products and manufacturing components so that they can offer their customers a variety of products at affordable prices. A tariff is a tax paid by the U.S. importer, not a foreign country or the exporter. This tax ultimately comes out of consumers' pockets through higher prices."

Pymnts notes specific goods that are likely to soar in price.

Pymnts reports, "For example…. a $40 toaster oven could cost up to $12 more after the tariffs. A $50 pair of athletic shoes would climb to $59-$64 and a $2000 mattress and box spring set would wind up costing $2128-$2190."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Mike Johnson

Speaker Johnson Fears GOP Majority Will Drop To A Single Vote

Democrats suffered three major disappointments in the 2024 election: (1) Vice President Kamala Harris narrowly lost to President-elect Donald Trump, (2) Republicans flipped the U.S. Senate, and (3) Republicans held their small majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Republicans are calling this a "trifecta." To make matters worse, Democratic strategists and organizers are lamenting, Republicans still have a 6-3 supermajority on the U.S. Supreme Court — and Trump may have a chance to move the Court even further to the right if any seats become available during his forthcoming second term.

But in an article published on November 27, ABC News reporters Benjamin Siegel and Tal Axelrod stress that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) is still overseeing a small House majority. And Johnson won't have a lot of wiggle room when Trump returns to the White House in January 2025.

"President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office in January with a razor-thin GOP majority in the House of Representatives that offers Republicans barely any margin of error," Siegel and Axelrod report. "Overnight Wednesday, one of two outstanding races in California tipped toward Democrats, giving Adam Gray a roughly 182-vote lead over GOP Rep. John Duarte in the inland 13th Congressional District in the San Joaquin Valley. In California's 45th Congressional District, anchored in Orange and Los Angeles Counties, Democrat Derek Tran has a roughly 600-vote lead over Republican Rep. Michelle Steel."

The reporters add, "In Iowa, GOP Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks is up by 800 votes in Iowa's 2nd Congressional District, though a recount is unlikely to change the result in the competitive district. Miller-Meeks first won her seat in 2020 by six votes. If these results hold, the House will start with a 220-215 GOP majority — even thinner than the current Congress' margin."

But Siegel and Axelrod point out that the number of House Republicans will "drop to 219 with former Rep. Matt Gaetz's resignation" and "could fall further to 217 depending on the timing of the resignations of Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Mike Waltz, (R-FL) who are set to join the Trump Administration as U.S. ambassador to United Nations and national security adviser, respectively."

Johnson, according to the ABC News reporters, "has pleaded with Trump to avoid taking any more House members for his administration."

During a recent Fox News appearance, the speaker said, "We have an embarrassment of riches in the House Republican Congress — lots of talented people who are very attuned to the America First agenda — and they can serve the country well in other capacities. But I've told President Trump: Enough already, give me some relief."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Senators Worried By Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against Trump Nominees

Senators Worried By Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against Trump Nominees

In Congress, critics of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) breathed a sigh of relief when he withdrew from consideration for U.S. attorney general. President-elect Donald Trump, following Gaetz's withdrawal, promptly nominated someone else: former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Among GOP members of Congress, Gaetz is controversial not only because of the role he played in former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) being ousted as House speaker, but also, because of the sex trafficking allegations he has faced.

Gaetz vehemently denied those allegations, and he was never charged with anything. But he was the subject of two separate investigations: one by the Department of Justice (DOJ), the other by the House Ethics Committee.

Gaetz, however, isn't the only Trump ally who has faced sex-related allegations. Fox News star Pete Hegseth, Trump's nominee for secretary of defense, has faced a sexual assault allegation — which he has forcefully denied.

The Hill's Alexander Bolton, in an article published on November 25, reports that GOP senators are becoming increasingly uneasy over the sexual misconduct allegations against nominees for Trump's incoming administration.

"Republican senators are squirming over the rash of sexual misconduct allegations against President-elect Trump’s Cabinet picks, which they fear will become a focal point of Senate confirmation hearings next year," Bolton explains. "Senate Republicans expressed relief Thursday when former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration to serve as attorney general amid allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use."

Bolton continues, "But GOP lawmakers are already warning that Trump's other controversial nominees, including Pete Hegseth, who has been tapped to head the Defense Department; Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is slated to head the Department of Health and Human Services; and Linda McMahon, who would lead the Department of Education, will also face tough questions related to allegations of sexual misconduct or enabling sexual abuse."

A GOP senator, interviewed on condition of anonymity, stressed that senators must be given a chance to thoroughly vet Trump's nominees.

The senator told The Hill, "That's why the Constitution matters. It gives us the chance to advise and consent. We just need to make sure we do our jobs. A president should have some level of deference to who he or she wants in positions that surround them but that doesn't mean it's a free card. It doesn't mean there's nothing we’re supposed to do."

Another GOP senator, also quoted anonymously, told The Hill, "There are clear signals from my colleagues that there's more trouble than just with Gaetz…. It would be awful for the Senate, and I don't think it's good for the country."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Bannon Goes To War Over 'The Heart Of The Republican Party'

Bannon Goes To War Over 'The Heart Of The Republican Party'

After he was released from prison and returned to his "War Room" podcast, Steve Bannon had a decidedly vengeful tone. The former White House chief strategist made it clear that for the MAGA movement, taking revenge against those who had crossed President-elect Donald Trump would be a top priority.

Bannon makes no secret of his total disdain for liberals, progressives and Democrats. But Slate's Molly Olmstead, in an article published on November 25, emphasizes that establishment Republicans and non-MAGA conservatives are also a major target of the "War Room" host.

Olmstead notes that she has been following Bannon's podcast closely since his release from prison. And his threats against those he considers enemies have been plentiful on "War Room."

"As the man who constructed the intellectual framework of the MAGA movement," Olmstead explains, "Bannon had, for years, preached the importance of building a populist message with broad appeal across many demographics. His ideal GOP would keep its focus on battling the 'elites' rather than get distracted by culture-war squabbles; scorn squeamish centrists too afraid of violating democratic norms to shake up or burn down the governing institutions; and reject the old ways of conservatism in favor of extreme isolationism."

TheSlate reporter adds, "This, he prophesied, would lead to an unbreakable coalition that could fundamentally reshape the nation’s politics for the next half-century."

Bannon, Olmstead notes, has been demanding "investigations into the 'deep state' for its crimes against Trump."

"On 'War Room,'" Olmstead observes, "the battle for the heart of the Republican Party is just as urgent as the battle against the Democrats, if not more so…. During the vote over the Senate majority leader, Bannon was incensed that Sen. Rick Scott, the MAGA pick, lost out to John Thune, whom Bannon called a '[Mitch] McConnell puppet…. Bannon's great victory on election night was over not the Harris campaign but the idea that Republicans needed to moderate their stances on immigration and far-right isolationism."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet


'Morning Joe' Ratings Fell After Hosts Met With Trump At Mar-a-Lago

'Morning Joe' Ratings Fell After Hosts Met With Trump At Mar-a-Lago

Conservative former Rep. Joe Scarbrough (R-FL) and liberal Mika Brzezinski, the married hosts of MSNBC's Morning Joe, have been scathing critics of President-elect Donald Trump. Scarborough has often bashed Trump from the right — arguing that he has been terrible for the conservative movement — while Brzezinski has attacked him countless times from a liberal perspective.

But after Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, Scarborough and Brzezinski met with the president-elect at Mar-a-Lago — a move that, they said, wasn't an endorsement from a policy standpoint but was merely designed to reopen communications with him.

Nonetheless, the Morning Joe hosts have drawn a lot of criticism from Trump foes for the Mar-a-Lago visit. CNN reported that according to sources, the meeting was driven by fears of retribution from the president-elect and his incoming administration.

According to the Daily Beast, the show's ratings have taken a hit.

The Daily Beast's William Vaillancourt reports, "After the co-anchors of MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' announced Monday [November 18] that they had met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago the previous Friday as part of what they dubbed a 'new approach' for covering him, many viewers of the program turned their focus elsewhere, according to Nielsen data. The numbers, obtained by Mediaite, show that after Joe Scarborough and Mike Brzezinski broke the news shortly after 6 a.m., 38 percent of those in the 25-54 demographic had stopped watching by the next hour."

Vaillancourt adds, "Given the show’s early morning time slot, viewership typically rises from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. President Joe Biden has been known to tune in regularly."

However, a source described by Vaillancourt as someone "close to the show" defended the Mar-a-Lago visit, telling the Daily Beast that it was "f****** worth it" because it may discourage Trump from frequently expressing major animosity for the press.


Poll: Nearly Half Of Gen Z Voters Say They Lied About Their Politics

Poll: Nearly Half Of Gen Z Voters Say They Lied About Their Politics

Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign was hoping that Generation Z would play an important role in a victory over Donald Trump. But President-Elect Trump prevailed, picking up at least 277 electoral votes and winning key swing states like Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina.

Moreover, Republicans flipped the U.S. Senate, ousting Sen. Jon Tester in Montana and Sherrod Brown in Ohio.

But Democrats, as of Wednesday morning, November 6, were still hoping that they regained control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

According to an Axios Vibes/Harris Poll survey, 48 percent of Gen-Z members acknowledged that they had "lied to" pollsters, friends, family members and others about who they were planning to vote for.

"Among the Gen-Z voters in the survey," The Hill's Tara Suter explains, "48 percent said they had previously 'lied to' those with whom they are close about which candidates received their votes, more than double the 23 percent of registered voters across all age groups that said they had previously done the same."

In the survey, Suter notes, "22 percent of the registered voters said they might lie 'to someone close' about the candidates they cast their ballot for in the 2024 election, while 78 percent said they wouldn't."

Suter reports, "The intense polarization this election cycle might result in some staying quiet or lying on the topic of their political beliefs when around friends and family…. The Axios Vibes survey featured 1858 registered voters and a 2.6 percentage point margin of error."

Reprinted with permission from AlterNet

Voting By Women

'Best News For Democrats': Surge In Early Voting By Women

On Election Night 2024, decision desks will be paying especially close attention to the vote count in Pennsylvania — a crucial swing state that has 19 electoral votes and will help decide the outcome of the presidential race.

National and battleground state polls have been showing a very close race in the Keystone State, where Republican Donald Trump and Democratic Kamala Harris are tied in CBS News and CNN polls released in late October. A Quinnipiac University poll released on October 30 showed Trump with a two percent lead in Pennsylvania. A Marist poll released on November 1 showed Harris two points head there.

Early voting is underway in Pennsylvania. And according to Politico reporters Megan Messerly and Jessica Piper, Democrats view a heavy turnout among female voters as a very good sign for Harris.

"Across battlegrounds, there is a 10-point gender gap in early voting so far," Messerly and Piper explain in an article published on October 29. "Women account for roughly 55 percent of the early vote, while men are around 45 percent, according to a Politico analysis of early vote data in several key states. The implications for next week's election results are unclear; among registered Republicans, women are voting early more than men, too. But the high female turnout is encouraging to Democratic strategists, who expected that a surge in Republican turnout would result in more gender parity among early voters."

Messerly and Piper add, "It's impossible to know who these women are voting for, including whether Democrats are winning over unaffiliated or moderate Republican women disillusioned with former President Donald Trump. But the gender gap has been one of the defining features of the 2024 campaign, and Harris allies see the lack of a surge of male voters as an encouraging sign."

Tangle News' Issac Saul tweeted that Politico's "analysis of early voting data in Pennsylvania found that women registered as Democrats made up nearly a third of early votes this year from people who did not vote in the state in 2020." And this, Saul added, is the "best news for Dems in weeks."

Democratic strategist Tom Bonier told Politico, "In some states, women are actually exceeding their vote share from 2020, which is, at this point, shocking to me. I never would have bet on that.”

Messerly and Piper report, "According to TargetSmart’s analysis, Black and Latino women under the age of 30 are not only showing up at higher rates than their male peers — but by even a larger margin than they did in 2020."

The Politico reporters add, "That finding is echoed by internal data shared with Politico by the progressive, women-focused organization Supermajority, which is targeting many of these women: More than a third of the 3.6 million low-propensity women the organization is focused on turning out have already voted, which Democrats see as a good sign given that infrequent voters tend to vote later or on Election Day."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

MAGA Extremists Aim To Crash US Economy And Then 'Rebuild Society'

MAGA Extremists Aim To Crash US Economy And Then 'Rebuild Society'

"War Room" host Steve Bannon has often described himself as a "Leninist" — not because he actually embraces communist ideology, but because he applies one of Vladimir Lenin's principles to the MAGA movement.

Lenin famously argued that before a revolutionary movement can make serious progress, it first needs to tear down existing political structures. And Bannon believes the U.S. must be purged of Democrats and non-MAGA Republicans before a total MAGA revolution can come about.

In an October 29 post on X, formerly Twitter, Politix.fm's Brian Beutler argued that some MAGA Republicans are seriously talking about tanking the U.S. economy on purpose in order to give the country a full-fledged MAGA makeover.

Beutler highlights a tweet posted by far-right Trump supporter @FischerKing64, who acknowledged that some of the things Trump is proposing — including "mass deportations" and "firing" government employees in big numbers — could, in fact, create an economic crisis.

@FischerKing64 tweeted, "Markets will tumble. But when the storm passes and everyone realizes we are on a sounder footing, there will be a rapid recovery to a healthier, sustainable economy."

Beutler, in response, warned that @FischerKing64 is making an argument for crashing the economy on purpose.

Beutler posted, "An important story here for the campaign press corps. Trump's top backer, whom Trump has promised to hand this very remit, acknowledges the plan is to crash the economy and markets so they can rebuild society in MAGA's image. I don't think most Trump voters were in on that plan!"

Beutler, in a separate tweet, noted that @FischerKing64 was using "false premises" to push a "bad plan."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

'Spreading Like Wildfire': Trump's Racist Rally May Turn Top Swing State

'Spreading Like Wildfire': Trump's Racist Rally May Turn Top Swing State

The Trump campaign has been trying to distance itself from remarks that comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made during a rally at New York City's Madison Square Garden on Sunday, October 27, where Hinchcliffe described Puerto Rico as a "floating island of garbage."

The backlash against Hinchcliffe's racist joke has been swift. Three well-known Puerto Ricans — Jennifer López, Ricky Martin and reggaetón star Bad Bunny — responded by endorsing Kamala Harris for president.

In an article published by Politico on October 28, reporters Meredith Lee Hill, Mia McCarthy and Holly Otterbein examine the possible fallout in a state that Trump can't afford to lose: Pennsylvania.

The Keystone State has a lot of Puerto Rican residents, from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh to Allentown. And the reporters emphasize that the Hinchcliffe controversy may improve Harris' chances of winning the state.

"Donald Trump has a serious Puerto Rico problem — in Pennsylvania," Hill, McCarthy and the Philly-based Otterbein explain. "Many Puerto Rican voters in the state are furious about racist and demeaning comments delivered at a Trump rally. Some say their dismay is giving Kamala Harris a new opening to win over the state's Latino voters, particularly nearly half a million Pennsylvanians of Puerto Rican descent."

The reporters add, "Evidence of the backlash was immediate on Monday: A nonpartisan Puerto Rican group drafted a letter urging its members to oppose Trump on Election Day. Other Puerto Rican voters were lighting up WhatsApp chats with reactions to the vulgar display and raising it in morning conversations at their bodegas. Some are planning to protest Trump's rally Tuesday, (October 29) in Allentown, a majority-Latino city with one of the largest Puerto Rican populations in the state."

Norberto Dominguez, a Democratic precinct captain in Allentown, told Politico that Puerto Ricans in his area are not taking Hinchcliffe's racist attack on Puerto Rico lightly.

Dominguez observed, "It's spreading like wildfire through the community. It's not the smartest thing to do, to insult people — a large group of voters here in a swing state — and then go to their home asking for votes."

Allentown resident Victor Martínez, who owns the Spanish-language radio station La Mega, told Politico that for Harris' campaign, Hinchcliffe's "floating island of garbage" comment "was just like a gift from the gods."

"If we weren't engaged before," Martínez noted, "we're all paying attention now."

Reprinted with permission from AlterNet


Trump's Pardoned Felons Form A MAGA Movement In Exile

Trump's Pardoned Felons Form A MAGA Movement In Exile

By the time Donald Trump left the White House on January 20, 2021, he had issued a long list of presidential pardons.

The many Trump allies who were granted pardons included, among others, former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, ex-Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, "War Room" host Steve Bannon, and veteran GOP operatives Roger Stone and Paul Manafort.

In an article published on October 28, Slate's Molly Olmstead emphasizes that Trump allies who were granted pardons have continued to be prominent figures in the MAGA movement.

Some of these figures have now been hired by the Trump campaign," Olmstead explains. "Others have carved out careers as voices of the MAGA movement in exile, pushing the former president's lies about the 2020 election and grievances about the Biden Administration…. If Trump wins in November, this is a cohort that stands ready to return to power, and once again fall in line with Trump’s orders."

Olmstead points out that Flynn has made millions of dollars from his MAGA-related activities.

"For some years now," Olmstead observes, "he has held a touring conspiracy-theory spectacle called 'ReAwaken America,' in which he pushes QAnon-friendly ideas — often about 'globalists' scheming to stop Trump's work against the deep state — alongside other far-right celebrities and influencers. Flynn was pardoned for lying to the FBI about conversations he had had with the Russian ambassador while he was part of the Trump transition team in 2016; Trump's pre-pardon pressure campaign to protect Flynn was at the center of FBI Director James Comey's firing and Trump's obstruction-of-justice efforts detailed in the Mueller investigation."

Omstead adds, "Flynn's attempts to turn himself into a right-wing hero have paid off: According to the New York Times, Flynn and his family members have made at least $2.2 million off his various self-promotion ventures, including payments from a crowdsourced legal fund. He sells branded merchandise, including a series of 'FlynnLock' rifles. "

According to Olmstead, Bannon "stands out among the list of Trump's pardon recipients for his long-term planning."

"Trump's 2016 campaign chair and a senior strategist during his presidency, Bannon is perhaps singular among MAGA World pardon recipients in that he doesn't cling to the former president for political relevance," Olmstead writes. "Rather, Bannon, through his own media empire, pulls different strains of the far right together, teasing out and connecting their similar passions and paranoias."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet


Maricopa County recorder Stephen Richer

Arson Eyed As Arizona Mailbox Fire Damages Ballots In Democratic District

Arizona was once a deep-red state where Sen. Barry Goldwater and his successor, Sen. John McCain, were regarded by fellow Republicans as the gold standard for conservatism. But Arizona has since evolved into a swing state.

Arizona Democrats are winning a lot more statewide races than they were 30 or 40 years ago, and far-right MAGA Republicans like Kari Lake have been openly disdainful of the Goldwater and McCain conservatives who once dominated the state.

Arizona is among the battleground states where former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have been especially aggressive in their campaigning. And a contentious U.S. Senate race that puts Lake against Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona) will be closely watched on Election Night.

According to Phoenix's ABC 15 News, fire and police officials are investigating a fire in a U.S. Postal Service mailbox that included some mail-in ballots. Arson is suspected.

The Phoenix Fire Department, in an official statement, said, "Approximately 20 electoral ballots were damaged, along with additional miscellaneous mail.

"What led to the fire is not yet known," ABC 15 News reports, "but Phoenix Police Department says Phoenix Fire Department's Arson Investigation Taskforce is performing a criminal investigation with postal inspectors and police. ABC 15 reached out to election officials for information impacting those whose ballots may have been damaged."

Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer said his office is "waiting for details from law enforcement."

Richer told ABC 15 News, "We encourage all voters who used that mail box in the last 36 hours to check the status of their ballots at https://BeBallotReady.Vote. Successful delivery is usually reflected on that website within 72 hours. Voters should be aware that tomorrow, October 25, is the last day to request a replacement ballot."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

James Carville

'I Am Certain': James Carville Predicts Harris Will Defeat Trump

With the United States' 2024 presidential election less than two weeks away, many polls continue to show a very close race. Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris has small single-digit leads in some national and battleground state polls, while her GOP rival, former President Donald Trump, is slightly ahead in others.

The Hill's Amie Parnes', in an article published on October 23, takes a look at Democratic insiders who privately fear that the campaign is "slipping further away" from Harris. But in a New York Times guest op-ed/essay published the same day, veteran Democratic strategist/consultant James Carville lays out three reasons why he is "certain" Harris will win.

A different Democratic strategist, presumably interviewed on condition of anonymity, told The Hill, "Everyone keeps saying, 'It's close.' Yes, it's close, but are things trending our way? No. And no one wants to openly admit that. Could we still win? Maybe. Should anyone be even slightly optimistic right now? No."

Another Democratic strategist, also quoted anonymously, told The Hill, "If this is a vibe election, the current vibes ain't great."

But the 79-year-old Carville doesn't see it that way at all.

In his New York Times op-ed/essay, Carville argues, "There is a palpable anxiety wailing on the winds of American life right now. More than in any other election in my lifetime, I've been consistently asked by people of all stripes and creeds: 'Can Kamala Harris win this thing? Are we going to be OK?' This sentiment is heard over and over from sweaty Democratic operatives who all too often love to run to the press with their woes."

Carville continues, "While I am not one to take part in the political prediction industry — recently ballooned by mysterious crypto investments gambling on a Donald Trump victory — today I am pulling my stool up to the political poker table to throw my chips all in: America, it will all be OK. Ms. Harris will be elected the next president of the United States. Of this, I am certain."

According to Carville, Harris is headed for victory because: (1) "Mr. Trump is a repeat electoral loser. This time will be no different," (2) "Money matters, and Ms. Harris has it in droves," and (3) "It's just a feeling."

Carville acknowledges that #3 is "100 percent emotional" but points out that Harris has a very broad range of support — from Republican former Vice President Dick Cheney and his equally conservative daughter, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), to self-described "democratic socialist" Rep. Alexandria-Occasion Cortez (D-NY).

"If the Cheneys and AOC get that the Constitution and our democracy are on the ballot," Carville writes, "every true conservative and every true progressive should get it too. A vast majority of Americans are rational, reasonable people of good will…. For the past decade, Mr. Trump has infected American life with a malignant political sickness, one that would have wiped out many other global democracies."

Carville adds, "On January 6, 2021, our democracy itself nearly succumbed to it. But Mr. Trump has stated clearly that this will be the last time he runs for president. That is exactly why we should be exhilarated by what comes next: Mr. Trump is a loser. He is going to lose again."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Liz Cheney Smacks Down Speaker Johnson's Excuses For Trump

Liz Cheney Smacks Down Speaker Johnson's Excuses For Trump

Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, are among the many right-wing conservatives who are supporting Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the United States' 2024 presidential election — a group that also includes former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), former Mike Pence national security aide Olivia Troye, and former Trump White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, among others. Liz Cheney has even spoken at some of Harris' campaign rallies.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), once a Liz Cheney ally, remains a staunch Donald Trump supporter. Johnson has said that he and Liz Cheney have "agreed to disagree" over whether or not Trump is a threat to democracy. But according to Axios reporter Juliegrace Brufke, Johnson and the former congresswoman recently "engaged in a tense text exchange."

Brufke, in an article published on October 21, explained, "Cheney disputed Johnson's characterization of the exchange, telling Axios that she and the speaker 'used to be friends, but we did not 'agree to disagree.' Zoom in: Johnson said he had not spoken to Cheney in a 'very long time,' but decided to text her after 'she said some very uncharitable things.'"


Former Rep. Cheney, during an NBC News appearance on October 13, warned, "I do not have faith that Mike Johnson will fulfill his constitutional obligation."

Unlike many other far-right MAGA Republicans, Johnson is not known for inflammatory rhetoric and has a reputation for being polite to political opponents — at least publicly. And he has sometimes been described as soft-spoken.

Johnson told Axioshe was "disappointed" that Liz Cheney chose to "make things personal, because I've not done that."

The House Speaker added, "We had a little debate in conversation, on text message, back and forth and agreed to disagree."

But the arch-conservative Liz Cheney told Axios, "Had Mike been acting as a lawyer representing Trump, he would have been sanctioned, disbarred or indicted for taking those positions — just as several Trump lawyers were. The courts, including several conservative judges appointed by Trump, rejected each legal argument Mike makes. Mike does not have constitutional authority to overrule the courts. Ignoring those rulings is tyranny Trump's own White House lawyers testified against him."

The former Wyoming congresswoman continued, "Trump's campaign lawyers testified against him. Trump's Justice Department officials testified against him. So did his VP. If Trump is somehow elected, neither Mike nor anyone else will be able to control him."

Read Axios' full article at this link.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.