Tucker Carlson Under Fire for Fawning over Authoritarian Leader, Touting Hungary as Model for US

May 24, 2022 • The most influential conservative gathering on the right, CPAC, was recently held in Budapest, Hungary. Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who has fawned over Hungary’s authoritarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in past interviews, addressed the gathering, telling attendees the country’s ethno-nationalist regime offers a “better way” for America. MSNBC’s Ari Melber reports on the GOP’s embrace of “foreign exceptionalism” and the party’s decision to abandon policy.

Steve Schmidt Sounds the Alarm!

May 22, 2022 • The former GOP Operative & Lincoln Project founder warns of coming fascism

Former White House Insider Says US Democracy Is Under Threat | 60 Minutes Australia

Miles Taylor, former chief of staff for the Department of Homeland Security under the Trump administration, tells 60 Minutes why he believes so many Americans have been swept up in the former president's election lies.

How US Right-wing Views Putin amid Russian War on Ukraine

AL JAZEERA: Russian president has enjoyed support among US conservatives, but Ukraine attack now prompts criticism.

As Russia’s deadly invasion of Ukraine continues, a number of prominent American conservatives who had previously been complimentary of Vladimir Putin have been forced to confront past comments praising the Russian president. For years, Putin has enjoyed support from an unlikely coalition of elected Republican officials, conservative Christian leaders and right-wing television hosts, whose praise has ranged from admiration of his intelligence to his hardline position against progressive cultural ideas.

“The question of the American right’s support for Putin and Russia is a complex, many-layered issue,” Devin Burghart, president of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, told Al Jazeera.

“There is an attraction to Putin’s hardline authoritarian stance and his aggressive foreign policy. Others are attracted to the brand of traditionalist Christianity Putin has expressed. Some like Putin’s attacks on the Russian LGBTQ community.”

In many ways, the American right’s Putin problem starts at the top.

Former President Donald Trump, who has voiced admiration for Putin for years, appeared to praise the Russian leader’s advances days before the invasion on February 24, calling the moves “smart” and “savvy”. “Putin is smart,” Trump also told a gathering in Mar-a-lago, Florida, on the eve of Russian forces’ all-out attack on Ukraine, which has killed hundreds of civilians and forced more than a million people to flee. “He’s taken over a country for two dollars worth of sanctions. I’d say that’s pretty smart.” » | Chris Moody | Friday, March 4, 2022

Let Me Save Civilisation, Donald Trump Urges Republicans

Donald Trump aired past complaints at Cpac and was warmly received. Polling, however, shows that his grip on the Republican Party is beginning to weaken | JOE RAEDLE/GETTY IMAGES
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Donald Trump confirmed his grip on the Republican Party with a speech to conservatives insisting that he alone could save “our civilisation”, but a straw poll taken after his address suggests that his rivals may be closing the gap.

The former president, 75, who addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac) in Florida at the weekend, emerged as clear leader in a straw poll of delegates, with 59 per cent of the vote. In second place was Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, on 28 per cent. » | Alistair Dawber, Orlando | Sunday, February 27, 2022

New subscribers to The Times / The Sunday Times: The Flash Office.

FFS! Leave us alone! Leave the world alone! Stop 'molesting' us! You belong in klink, not in the White House! My advice to you is this: Go back to Mar-a-Lago and enjoy the trappings of your ill-gotten gains whilst you still can. The authorities are coming after you – soon. And as for "saving civilisation", you can't save even yourself, still less civilisation! So give us a break! Please! – © Mark

Times Have Never Been Better for Billionaires.

Feb 16, 2022 • These are very difficult times for working families. But for billionaires and the CEOs of large corporations, times have never been better. I’m on the Senate floor to explain why.

Ocasio-Cortez Asked If US Will Be a Democracy in 10 Years. Hear Her Answer

Feb 15, 2022 • In an interview with David Remnick of "The New Yorker," Rep. Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez (D-NY) says there's a "very real risk" the United States will not still be a democracy in a decade.

Ted Cruz’s Teen Daughter Comes Out as Bisexual

LGBTQNATION: She described herself as bi on TikTok and said she "basically disagrees" with the far-right Senator on everything - from politics to her clothes.

Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz | Photo: Shutterstock
Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) daughter, Caroline, has reportedly come out on social media as bisexual while castigating her father’s far-right political views.

In a video posted to TikTok, she also accuses her parents of digitally altering a photo for the family Christmas card to make her clothing look more conservative.

“A lot of people judge me based upon him at first glance,” she said. “But I really disagree with most of his views.” » | Bil Browning | Monday, January 10, 2022

Garland: Justice Department Will Hold All Jan. 6 Rioters 'Accountable under Law'

Jan 5, 2022 • Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the Justice Department has arrested and charged more than 725 defendants in connection with the Jan. 6th insurrection.

"If Donald Trump Is Not Dead or in Jail, He Will Run for President" | Lincoln Project's Rick Wilson

Dec 30, 2021 • 'The threat of violence is a powerful political tool.' Ines Pohl, DW's Washington bureau chief, spoke with Rick Wilson, co-founder of the Lincoln Project, about the political future of the United States, the consequences of the Capital riot a year ago, and the dangers of the fractionalized country.

Veteran Republican Leader Bob Dole Dies

GETTY IMAGES
BBC: Bob Dole, a World War Two veteran who went on to be a long-time Republican senator and US presidential candidate, has died aged 98.

His death was announced in a statement from the Elizabeth Dole Foundation: "It is with heavy hearts we announce that Senator Robert Joseph Dole died early this morning in his sleep. At his death, at age 98, he had served the United States of America faithfully for 79 years."

Earlier this year Dole had said that he was receiving treatment for lung cancer.

His political career was marked by a decade-long stint as the top Republican in the US Senate, and running unsuccessfully for the White House against Bill Clinton in 1996.

But decades before his bid for the presidency, on 14 April 1945, Bob Dole was lying on a World War Two battlefield in northern Italy, left for dead. » | BBC | Sunday, December 5, 2021

Bob Dole, Old Soldier and Stalwart of the Senate, Dies at 98: Mr. Dole, a son of the Kansas prairie who was left for dead on a World War II battlefield, became one of the longest-serving Republican leaders. »

L'ex-sénateur Bob Dole, figure de la politique américaine, est mort à 98 ans : L'ancien sénateur avait été le candidat malheureux du Parti républicain face au président démocrate sortant Bill Clinton en 1996. »

Einstiger US-Präsidentschaftskandidat gestorben: Der Republikaner war ein Gegenspieler von Bill Clinton – unterlag ihm aber bei der amerikanischen Präsidentschaftswahl 1996. Nun ist Bob Dole im Alter von 98 Jahren gestorben. »

Bob Dole: ehemaliger amerikanischer Senator und Präsidentschaftskandidat im Alter von 98 Jahren gestorben: Der Weltkriegsveteran hat als einflussreicher Senator Jahrzehnte der amerikanischen Politik geprägt. Um den Chefsessel im Weissen Haus bemühte sich Bob Dole mehrfach vergeblich. »

‘A Core Threat to Our Democracy’: Threat of Political Violence Growing across US

THE GUARDIAN: Republicans’ muted response to Paul Gosar’s behavior has intensified fears about where incendiary rhetoric may lead

The Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blasted Republican house minority leader Kevin McCarthy for failing to condemn Paul Gosar’s tweet. Photograph: Reuters
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stood on the House floor and implored her colleagues to hold Paul Gosar accountable for sharing an altered anime video showing him killing her and attacking Joe Biden.

“Our work here matters. Our example matters. There is meaning in our service,” Ocasio-Cortez said in her speech last week. “And as leaders in this country, when we incite violence with depictions against our colleagues, that trickles down into violence in this country.”

House Republicans heard Ocasio-Cortez’s impassioned plea and responded with a collective shrug. All but three Republican members voted against censuring Gosar and stripping him of his committee assignments, while every House Democrat supported the resolution.

The Gosar incident served as the latest data point in an alarming trend in American politics. In a year that began with a deadly insurrection at the US Capitol, lawmakers have seen a sharp rise in the number of threats against them. Republicans’ muted response to Gosar’s behavior has intensified fears about the possibility of more political violence in America in the months to come. » | Joan E Greve in Washington | Saturday, November 27, 2021

Reeling from Surprise Losses, Democrats Sound the Alarm for 2022

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Party officials say the White House and Congress must do more to address the electorate’s deep malaise or risk watching voters lurch back toward the G.O.P. by default.

WASHINGTON — Reeling from a barrage of unexpected losses, an array of Democrats on Wednesday pleaded with President Biden and his party’s lawmakers to address the quality-of-life issues that plagued their candidates in elections on Tuesday from heavily Hispanic San Antonio to the suburbs of Virginia, New Jersey and New York.

Although they had braced for a close race for Virginia governor, Democrats were caught off guard by the intensity of the backlash against their party in major off-year elections. Republicans claimed all three statewide offices in Virginia, will likely take control of the state’s House of Delegates and came close to upsetting Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey, whose re-election had been presumed safe by officials in both parties.

Just as jarring for Democrats were some of the less prominent contests: The powerful New Jersey State Senate president, Steve Sweeney, was trailing a truck driver who ran a shoestring campaign; a Latino Republican flipped a Democratic seat in South San Antonio; and Democrats were thrashed in local races across Long Island.

The scope of the party’s setbacks illustrated that voters were fatigued from the demands of the still-continuing coronavirus pandemic and angry about the soaring prices and scarcity of goods they were confronting every day. While Democrats’ strength in cities and some large suburbs saved them from even deeper losses, their electoral coalition showed signs of fraying as voters vented their unhappiness with the party in power. » | Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns | Published: Wednesday, November 3, 2021; Updated: Thursday, November 4, 2021

Warnsignal an Biden: Der Sieg Glenn Youngkins in Virginia zeigt, dass Bidens Erneuerungsagenda nicht zieht. Aber auch für die Republikaner bleibt eine wichtige Frage offen. »

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis Marries Husband in Historic First for Nation

Polis wed his longtime partner Wednesday.
ADVOCATE: On Wednesday, Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis married his longtime partner Marlon Reis in a small ceremony. The event is the first same-sex wedding of a sitting United States governor.

"The greatest lesson we have learned over the past 18 months is that life as we know it can change in an instant," Polis wrote to his Governor of Jared Polis Twitter account. The 18 months is likely a reference to the ongoing global pandemic. "We are thankful for the opportunity to celebrate our life together as a married couple. » | Mikelle Street | Thursday, September 16, 2021

First openly gay person elected governor in US history marries partner in beautiful ceremony »

Biden Faces a Tragedy He Pledged to Avoid

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The president said the evacuation of U.S. citizens and allies from Afghanistan would continue, even after an attack that killed at least 13 American troops and dozens of civilians.

President Biden spoke from the East Room of the White House after the Pentagon confirmed the deaths of the American service members in what officials said were suicide bomber attacks. Credit: Doug Mills/The New York Times
WASHINGTON — It was exactly what President Biden feared most.

His decision to end America’s longest war was driven, he had said repeatedly, by his determination not to sacrifice even one more member of the military on behalf of an effort he had long believed was no longer in the interests of the United States.

But on Thursday morning, the withdrawal he set in motion claimed the lives of 13 U.S. troops, along with scores of Afghan civilians — the first American casualties in Afghanistan in 18 months and the deadliest day there for the U.S. military since 2011.

In searing remarks from the East Room of the White House Thursday evening, Mr. Biden pledged to “hunt down” the terrorists who claimed credit for the bombings at the Kabul airport but said the frantic, dangerous evacuation of U.S. citizens and allies from Afghanistan would continue for several more days.

“To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive,” Mr. Biden said, using language that had grim echoes of warnings President George W. Bush made after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. “We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.”

America’s tumultuous exit from Afghanistan has dragged down Mr. Biden’s approval ratings, and the bombings on Thursday surely will open him up to political criticism. But it was unclear what the damage would be to his presidency in the long term, as he exits a war that most Americans want out of as well. » | Michael D. Shear | Published: Thursday, August 26, 2021; Updated: Friday, August 27, 2021

Lindsey Graham Calls for Biden Impeachment »

UK evacuation from Kabul to end in ‘a matter of hours’ »

Hundreds of Britons offer to host Afghan refugees after fall of Kabul: Many have signed up with charities that connect refugees and asylum seekers with hosts around UK »

A Right-Wing Shock Jock Could Become California’s Governor

Larry Elder in 2019. Photo: Mark Peterson/Redux
OPINION
THE NEW YORK TIMES: PALO ALTO, Calif. — In ordinary times it would be fairly ridiculous to fret about Larry Elder becoming California’s next governor.

Elder is a longtime conservative talk radio host from Los Angeles, a fixture of right-wing punditry in the mold of Rush Limbaugh. His schtick is offense and outrage, and over nearly three decades in the business he has minted an oppo-research gold mine of misogynistic and racially inflammatory sound bites that would seem to doom his prospects in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly two to one.

But California sometimes feels as prone to political earthquakes as geological ones; every once in a while voters here throw a tantrum and the seemingly unthinkable becomes sudden reality. This state’s voters have passed Proposition 13, a revolt against property taxes; Proposition 187, which denied public services to undocumented immigrants; Proposition 209, which prohibited affirmative action in the public sector; and Proposition 8, the 2008 ban on gay marriage whose reversal by the Supreme Court paved the way for marriage equality in the land.

You can also thank us for the Reagan era. And the last time we recalled a not particularly likable Democratic governor we ended up with the Terminator as our chief executive.

So when I received my mail ballot this month asking whether our current governor, Gavin Newsom, should be booted from office, my heart sank. For weeks the Newsom recall has felt like a meaningless political circus. The effort was prompted by a right-wing group that has criticized Newsom’s positions on immigration and taxes. The petition for Newsom’s recall went viral last November, after he was photographed dining at the French Laundry in violation of his own Covid-19 guidelines. » | Farhad Manjoo, Opinion Columnist | Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Taliban Advances in Afghanistan Could Bring Political Peril for Biden

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The president had hoped to win credit for ending one of America’s “forever wars.” But new risks are coming into view.

Displaced Afghans at a makeshift camp on Tuesday in Kabul, the capital. The threat of a Taliban conquest and new risks to U.S. personnel and allies in the country could cause Americans to reconsider their views. Credit...Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
When President Biden announced his plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, the politics seemed relatively simple: Many polls showed that Americans supported ending the country’s nearly 20-year involvement in a war whose goals had become obscure.

But four months later, with the Taliban storming across the country much faster and more ruthlessly than expected, new political risks are coming into view for Mr. Biden, who had hoped to win credit for ending what he has called one of America’s “forever wars.”

Now U.S. officials are racing to evacuate Afghans who assisted the American military and may be targets of Taliban reprisals, and are contemplating the prospect of hastily evacuating the 4,000 Americans at the U.S. Embassy in the capital city of Kabul.

The threat of a Taliban conquest and new risks to U.S. personnel and allies in the country could cause Americans who had been paying little attention to Afghanistan for the past several years to reconsider their views, particularly if Republicans amplify a message of American failure and capitulation. » | Michael Crowley | Published: Wednesday, August 11, 2021; Updated: Thursday, August 12, 2021

Donald Rumsfeld, Architect of Iraq War, Has Died

Jul 1, 2021 • Donald Rumsfeld, the former U.S. defense secretary who was the main architect of the 2003 Iraq war, died at age 88.

Jared Kushner Agrees Book Deal for ‘Definitive’ Account of Trump Presidency

THE GUARDIAN: The untitled memoir by the president’s son-in-law will be published in 2022

Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former president Donald Trump and a senior adviser in his administration, has secured a book deal to recount Trump’s presidency.

Broadside Books, a conservative imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced that Kushner’s book will come out in early 2022. Kushner has begun working on the memoir, currently untitled, and is expected to write about everything from the Middle East to criminal justice reform to the pandemic. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The signing of the Kushner deal comes amid a debate in the book industry over which Trump officials, notably Trump himself, can be taken on without starting a revolt at the publishing house. Thousands of Simon & Schuster employees and authors signed an open letter this spring condemning the publisher’s decision to sign up former vice-president Mike Pence. » | Associated Press | Wednesday, June 16, 2021

USA: Conspiracy Theories Pose a Real Threat

Mehdi explains the nonsense and dangerous conspiracy theories Trump's allies and former White House officials have been pushing. Then, Rep. Adam Smith joins to discuss just how dangerous they could be to the future of the republic.