September 2020 – Page 8 – GETAWAYTHEBERKSHIRES

Who Leaked—And Why—the Dozens of Questions Mueller Wants to Ask Trump?

September 20, 2020 | News | No Comments

Did Trump’s own legal team leak the questions that the president is so upset about on Tuesday morning?

While it appeared that perhaps nobody ever told President Donald Trump the old adage of the cover up being worse than the crime, the president on Tuesday morning announced, “It would seem very hard to obstruct justice for a crime that never happened!”

Capping the early-morning tweet off with his favorite new word—”Witchhunt!”—the statement follows reporting by the New York Times on Monday evening which revealed “more than four dozen questions” Special Counsel Robert Mueller had told Trump’s legal team it would like to ask Trump.

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Read the full list of questions here.

As the Times reports:

According to the Times‘ Matt Appuzzo and Michael S. Schmidt, the list of questions “show the special counsel’s focus on obstruction of justice and touch on some surprising other areas.”

Appearing on the Rachel Maddow Show late Monday, Schmidt offered some of the background on the questions and how they materialized:

While the actual substance of the questions appeared to surprise few people who’ve followed the case closely, notable about the emergence of the questions, was the source of the leak. In an earlier tweet by Trump on Tuesday morning, the president called it “disgraceful” they had been leaked to the press.

But so far, all indications suggest that it was likely not Mueller’s office, but a member of Trump’s own legal team, or an associate, that disclosed the questions to the Times.

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“It appears the leak did not come from Mueller’s office,” the Washington Post reported on Tuesday morning.

While Mueller’s investigation has team has so far proven adept at preventing leaks, this set of questions was reportedly generated by Mueller’s investigative team in conjunction with Trump’s lawyers during a process between the two camps. That fact, in turn, has prompted obvious questions about who exactly leaked them to the Times—and, more importantly why.

As Margaret Hartmann, staff reporter for New York Magazine, writes:

But why?

According to Hartmann and other observers, the target of the leak could be both Trump himself—who has been in a relatively public battle with his lawyers over whether or not to sit for an “under oath” interview with Mueller’s team—or the public at large, who may be susceptible to the argument that Mueller’s questions go beyond the scope of his mandate.

Of course, writes Hartmann, “maybe it’s possible Mueller’s questions were leaked to accomplish multiple goals.”

And, she concludes, “Maybe the plan was to make [Fox News personality Sean Hannity] even angrier than usual, and let him convince Trump, his House allies, and other Fox News viewers that Mueller can’t be allowed to ask the president to explain himself.”

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As Civilian Deaths in Yemen Mount, Trump Moves to Sell Saudi Arabia Billions More in Bombs

September 20, 2020 | News | No Comments

Further demonstrating the willingness of the U.S. to reward and perpetuate the war crimes of its allies, the Trump administration is reportedly moving ahead with a multi-billion-dollar sale of so-called “smart bombs” to Saudi Arabia just weeks after the U.S.-backed Saudi-led coalition bombed a wedding in Yemen, killing more than 20 people.

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First reported by The Intercept‘s Alex Emmons on Friday, the precise details of the deal—which also includes weapons sales to the United Arab Emirates—are not entirely unclear as it is in the preliminary stages, “but it is said to include tens of thousands of precision-guided munitions from Raytheon,” the company that helped produce weaponry used in the deadly wedding airstrike last month.

“The sale in question is a direct commercial transaction between Raytheon and the Gulf countries, which does not require the government to publicly announce the sale at the time of congressional notification,” Emmons reported. “That means it will be up to senators to decide how many of the details to make public.”

The reported weapons deal—which could be sent to Congress as early as next week—comes as some American lawmakers are increasingly calling attention to U.S. complicity in Saudi Arabia’s vicious, years-long assault on Yemen.

In March, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Mike Lee (R-Utah) led a failed legislative effort to bring an end to U.S. military assistance to Saudi Arabia.

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“The Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, with U.S. support, has been a humanitarian disaster,” Sanders said after his resolution was voted down with the help of 10 Democrats.

Responding to reports of the “smart bomb” sale on Friday, Win Without War policy director Kate Kizer called on Congress to intervene and prevent the sale from going through:

According to the United Nations, “April was the deadliest month for civilians in Yemen so far this year, with a sharp increase in casualties.”

“At least 236 civilians were killed and 238 injured in Yemen in April—a total of 474 civilian casualties, well over double the 180 civilian casualties documented in March this year,” the office of the the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights noted in a press briefing on Friday. “Between 26 March 2015 and 10 May 2018, our office has documented a total of 16,432 civilian casualties—6,385 dead and 10,047 injured. The vast majority of these—10,185 civilian casualties—were as a result of airstrikes carried out by the Saudi-led Coalition.”

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'John Bolton Must Be Stoked': Experts Put Blame for Canceled North Korea Talks Squarely on Trump's Top Warmonger

September 20, 2020 | News | No Comments

As the world scrambles to make sense of U.S. President Donald Trump’s bizarre and potentially disastrous letter announcing the cancellation of his planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday, lawmakers and anti-war advocates argued that the Trump White House’s repeated regime change threats and national security adviser John Bolton’s belligerent rhetoric are to blame for the summit’s collapse.

“Bolton must have known his rhetoric would go over badly with Kim Jong-un. One needn’t be too cynical to ask whether his goal was to imperil the summit.” —Kevin Martin, Peace Action

“We can’t forget that many in Trump’s administration, including his national security adviser and secretary of state, are thirsty for war,” Win Without War said in a statement on Thursday. “The American public and Congress must prevent the Trump administration from using this self-inflicted setback to justify a catastrophic U.S. war of choice on the Korean peninsula.”

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In a Twitter thread responding to the president’s letter, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) wrote simply: “John Bolton must be stoked…This is what happens when amateurs are combined with warmongers.”

While Trump insisted that “open hostility” from Pyongyang in recent days was what ultimately led him to call off the summit, Korea experts were quick to point out that White House officials’ repeated references to the so-called “Libya model” provoked angry responses from North Korean officials, who have warned constantly over the past several weeks that it views such comments as explicit regime change threats.

“Congratulations to John Bolton and Mike Pence on their success making the deaths of millions more likely.”
—Jon Schwartz, The Intercept

Bolton, who Trump hired as national security adviser in March, was the first administration official to invoke America’s approach to the Libyan nuclear program as a possible guide to negotiations with North Korea. Vice President Mike Pence also invoked the “Libya model” in a recent Fox News interview.

In 2011, the U.S. and NATO invaded Libya, overthrew and killed then-leader Muammar Gaddafi, and transformed the country into a “terrorist haven.”

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“Trump and his war cabinet, with no record of achievement in international peace and diplomacy, couldn’t resist provoking North Korea with talk of a ‘Libyan model’ of denuclearization and muscular military exercises at a time when the U.S. should be doing all it can to build trust ahead of the planned summit,” Kevin Martin, president of Peace Action, said in a statement.

“In particular, national security adviser John Bolton, who helped scuttle an earlier deal with North Korea while in the George W. Bush regime, must have known his inflammatory rhetoric would go over badly with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un,” Martin added. “One needn’t be too cynical to ask whether his goal was to imperil the summit.”

As foreign policy analysts across the globe sought to interpret Trump’s letter—in which he once again bragged about America’s “massive and powerful” nuclear arsenal—South Korean officials appeared to be particularly blindsided by Trump’s announcement, which came just days after South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited the White House in an effort to build on diplomatic progress he has spearheaded over the past several months.

“We are attempting to make sense of what, precisely, President Trump means,” Kim Eui-kyeom, a spokesperson for Moon, said after Trump’s letter was released.

During a meeting with top security officials following Trump’s announcement, Moon said, “I am very perplexed and it is very regrettable that the North Korea-U.S. summit will not be held on June 12 when it was scheduled to be held.”

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'Hothouse Earth' Co-Author Says 'People Will Look Back on 2018 as the Year When Climate Reality Hit'

September 20, 2020 | News | No Comments

Amid a flurry of “breathless headlines” about warnings in a new study that outlines a possible “Hothouse Earth” scenario, one co-author optimistically expressed his belief that “people will look back on 2018 as the year when climate reality hit.”

In an interview with the Guardian on Friday, Stockholm Resilience Center executive director Johan Rockström declared, “This is the moment when people start to realize that global warming is not a problem for future generations, but for us now.” Rockström’s study has received an “unprecedented” amount of global attention in the past week—270,000 downloads and counting.

“Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the new study, while not conclusive in its findings, warns that humanity may be just 1°C away from creating a series of dynamic feedback loops that could push the world into a climate scenario not seen since the dawn of the Helocene Period, nearly 12,000 years ago,” Common Dreams reported last week.

“This is the moment when people start to realize that global warming is not a problem for future generations, but for us now.”
—Johan Rockström, Stockholm Resilience Center

This domino effect of feedbacks loops, the report explains, would pose “severe risks for health, economies, political stability, and ultimately, the habitability of the planet for humans.” Though such warnings are chilling, the report authors and climate experts pointed out a major takeaway from the study that much reporting on it failed to highlight: that there is still time for humanity to act.

“Yes, the prospect of runaway climate change is terrifying. But this dead world is not our destiny. It’s entirely avoidable,” meteorologist Eric Holthaus wrote for Grist this week. “As the authors of the paper have argued in response to the coverage, implying otherwise is the same as giving up just as the fight gets tough.”

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Investigative journalist Antonia Juhasz, known for her deep dives on the oil industry, spoke with another co-author of the report, University of Arizona professor Diana Liverman, about actions the international community can take right now to address the climate crisis.

“Collective human action is required to steer the Earth System away from a potential threshold and stabilize it in a habitable interglacial-like state,” the report’s abstract declares. “Such action entails stewardship of the entire Earth System—biosphere, climate, and societies—and could include decarbonization of the global economy, enhancement of biosphere carbon sinks, behavioral changes, technological innovations, new governance arrangements, and transformed social values.”

“Majorities of Americans overall say most scientists think global warming is occurring (66 percent), it is caused by human activities (64 percent), and its effects have begun (60 percent).”
—Gallup

Rockström told the Guardian that he is concerned about the growing gap between scientists warnings’ and most politicians’ docile statements and actions, noting that “politicians prefer small problems that they can solve and get credit for. They don’t like big problems that, even if they succeed, leave the rewards for their successors.”

However, Rockström added, “once you pile up public pressure, politicians find it hard to avoid taking responsibility.” As the Guardian acknowledged, “even in the U.S., which President Donald Trump has vowed to pull out of the Paris accord, public opinion surveys have shown a growing acceptance of climate science,” likely helped along by recent extreme weather across the globe, which experts have linked to the climate crisis.

Gallup polling found earlier this year that although there’s a notable partisan divide—only 35 percent of Republicans believe human activity is causing the crisis, compared with 89 percent of Democrats and 62 percent of Independents—”majorities of Americans overall say most scientists think global warming is occurring (66 percent), it is caused by human activities (64 percent), and its effects have begun (60 percent).”

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‘Creative’ Leclerc inspired by Hamilton’s fashion passions

September 20, 2020 | News | No Comments

Charles Leclerc could soon take a leaf out of Lewis Hamilton’s book of fashion, the Ferrari driver admitting to having a passion for clothes and design.

Leclerc’s success with the Scuderia last year in Formula 1 – validated by the Monegasque’s first two wins in the sport – coupled with his trending popularity incited fashion powerhouse Giogio Armani to sign up the 22-year-old as one of its leading brand ambassadors.

Leclerc admits that clothes and design aren’t too far behind F1 when it comes to his devoted passions.

“I really like clothes design. It’s definitely the creative element that inspires me,” he told Formula1.com.

“I can draw but whether I would sketch my own collection, I don’t think I have that level. I have got very clear ideas of what I like but not at the point I can design my own.”

Lewis Hamilton has slowly but surely followed up on his F1 success by becoming a full-fledged style icon off the track, thanks in part to his partnership with Tommy Hilfiger.

And Leclerc is impressed by his rival’s endeavor into the world of fashion.

“I have spoken to Lewis very briefly [about fashion], congratulated him for his new collection,” he said.

“He’s doing a great job with the brand, and I quite like what he’s doing. It’s definitely something I’d like to do further down the road.”

Kimi takes hilarious jab at Hamilton on Instagram

The Ferrari charger says he often uses his spare time on long flights to draft a few design ideas of his iPad.

“It frees my mind,” he said. “At least I think of something else than only racing, which I think is very good.

“This was also my problem in the past, not being able to disconnect from racing. Fashion and music helps. I’m very creative, all of these things help me think of something else.”

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Crowley surprise tops huge night for left

September 19, 2020 | News | No Comments

Veteran Rep. Joseph Crowley’s (D-N.Y.) stunning defeat on Tuesday night rocked the political world, as progressive candidates stormed to victory in primaries held across the country.

Crowley, the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus who was seen as a potential future Speaker, lost in a massive upset to progressive challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old organizer for Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: Milley apologizes for church photo-op Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness MORE’s (I-Vt.) presidential campaign.

Other liberal candidates won primary challenges in top House and gubernatorial races. Former NAACP President Ben Jealous, who was endorsed by Sanders, won the Democratic primary in Maryland’s governor race. And activist Dana Balter won her House primary in upstate New York.

Those victories illustrate that voters have an appetite to buck the political establishment as progressives seek to move the Democratic Party farther to the left.

Meanwhile, President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE solidified his political clout, with wins from two incumbent lawmakers he backed: Rep. Dan Donovan (R-N.Y.) and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R).

Here are the most significant takeaways from Tuesday’s primary contests.

With Crowley, Dems have their Cantor moment

Crowley’s surprise loss on Tuesday is the biggest prize the reform-minded Democrats who backed Sanders have claimed so far.

Crowley’s loss is as stunning as then-House Majority Leader Eric CantorEric Ivan CantorTrump taps pollster to push back on surveys showing Biden with double-digit lead Bottom Line The Democrats’ strategy conundrum: a ‘movement’ or a coalition? MORE’s (R-Va.) primary defeat in 2014 — maybe more so, because while Cantor spent his fateful primary hobnobbing in Washington, Crowley had taken his challenge more seriously, actively campaigning for his own seat in a borough where he still runs the Democratic machine.

But the result was the same: A member of Congress once poised for the Speakership is now out of a job.

Scheduling primary elections for federal contests separately from those for statewide office was supposed to mean a low-turnout affair that party bosses could control. It turned into a perfect opportunity for Sanders backers to score their biggest goal of the year — so far.

Crowley, 56, faced his first primary challenge in 14 years. He was seen as a potential successor to House Minority Leader Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiTrump on collision course with Congress over bases with Confederate names Black lawmakers unveil bill to remove Confederate statues from Capitol Pelosi: Georgia primary ‘disgrace’ could preview an election debacle in November MORE (D-Calif.). And he had longtime roots in his deep-blue New York City district that include parts of Queens and the Bronx. He’s also chairman of the Queens County Democratic Party.

But Ocasio-Cortez’s victory shows that voters were itching for change in one of the most diverse districts in the country. Hispanics make up half of the 14th District’s population.

Ocasio-Cortez ran on the need for new representation, criticizing Crowley for living outside the district and for taking corporate donations.

The 28-year-old challenger gained some last-minute traction, especially after a viral campaign video in which she said the race was about “people versus money.” She garnered a number of progressive endorsements, including from Our Revolution, MoveOn.org and Justice Democrats.

Progressive Rep. Ro KhannaRohit (Ro) KhannaProgressive Caucus co-chair endorses Kennedy in Massachusetts Senate primary Biden’s right, we need policing reform now – the House should quickly take up his call to action The Hill’s Coronavirus Report: Association of American Railroads Ian Jefferies says no place for hate, racism or bigotry in rail industry or society; Trump declares victory in response to promising jobs report MORE (D-Calif.), who won his own primary challenge against an incumbent in 2016, issued a dual endorsement. He initially backed only Crowley, but walked it back after pressure from progressive circles on social media.

Progressives have a big night — not just in New York

Progressives — and Sanders allies — are taking victory laps in several other high-profile races in Tuesday’s multi-state primaries.

In Maryland’s Democratic primary for governor, Jealous — a first-time candidate — defeated Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker for the right to take on Gov. Larry Hogan (R) in November.

Jealous touted his endorsements from national figures in the progressive movement, like Sanders and Sen. Kamala HarrisKamala Devi HarrisRand Paul introduces bill to end no-knock warrants The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook McEnany says Juneteenth is a very ‘meaningful’ day to Trump MORE (D-Calif.). Meanwhile, Baker had solidified support from local Democratic leaders like Sen. Chris Van HollenChristopher (Chris) Van HollenDemocrats introduce bill to rein in Trump’s power under Insurrection Act Democratic senators kneel during moment of silence for George Floyd Hillicon Valley: Twitter flags Trump tweet for ‘glorifying violence’ | Cruz calls for criminal investigation into Twitter over alleged sanctions violations | Senators urge FTC to investigate TikTok child privacy issues MORE, House Minority Whip Steny HoyerSteny Hamilton HoyerOvernight Health Care: US showing signs of retreat in battle against COVID-19 | Regeneron begins clinical trials of potential coronavirus antibody treatment | CMS warns nursing homes against seizing residents’ stimulus checks Hoyer: House will vote soon on bill to improve ObamaCare Hoyer: Infrastructure package to hit floor this month MORE and former Gov. Martin O’Malley.

Sanders, who’s made few endorsements and campaign appearances this cycle, stumped alongside Jealous prior to the primary. Jealous backs many of Sanders’s core issues including “Medicare for all” legislation and a $15 minimum wage.

“Ben showed that running a progressive, issue-oriented campaign can bring all working people together in the fight for justice,” Sanders said in a Tuesday night statement.

But Jealous will face a tough general election race against Hogan, who’s highly popular and has strong job approval ratings.

In New York’s 24th District, Balter cruised to victory in a race where local and national Democrats clashed over their preferred candidates to take on GOP Rep. John KatkoJohn Michael KatkoBipartisan group demands House prioritize communities of color in coronavirus relief bill Expanding tax credit for businesses retaining workers gains bipartisan support States plead for cybersecurity funds as hacking threat surges MORE in a top swing seat.

Balter, a professor at Syracuse University and progressive activist, consolidated support from four local Democratic county committees. Balter was also backed by Our Revolution.

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But weeks out from the filing deadline, national Democrats made a last-minute recruitment that irked local activists. They encourage former U.S. Navy officer and prosecutor Juanita Perez Williams to jump into the race.

National Democrats have waded into a number of high-profile primaries where they worked to get a candidate through that they believe would be stronger in the general election.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) added Perez Williams to its program that provides financial and organizational support to candidates.

While Balter and Perez Williams didn’t differ on many issues, local Democratic leaders accused the DCCC of meddling in its primary.

But national Democrats did get their preferred pick through a primary in a top race in Colorado. Army veteran Jason Crow defeated Levi Tillemann, who worked in the Department of Energy during the Obama administration.

LGBT candidates continue to shine

In 2004, the first governor in American history to tell his constituents he was gay did so in a speech announcing his resignation, using carefully poll-tested language.

A decade and a half later, LGBT candidates have made enormous strides. On Tuesday, Rep. Jared PolisJared Schutz PolisState leaders urge protesters to get tested for coronavirus amid fears of new outbreaks The Hill’s Morning Report – Protesters’ defiance met with calls to listen Overnight Health Care: White House shifts focus from coronavirus | House Democrats seek information on coronavirus vaccine contracts | Governors detail frustrations with Trump over COVID-19 supplies MORE (D) won the Democratic nomination for governor of Colorado, becoming the third member of the LGBT community to win a gubernatorial nomination so far this year.

Polis joins Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D), the first bisexual person to serve as governor, and former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez (D), who faces an uphill battle against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in November.

Their wins do not mean LGBT members are equally represented in government by any means — only seven members of Congress are gay, lesbian or bisexual, and only one transgender woman has ever won election to a state legislature.

But it is a sign that — especially in a state like Colorado, where progressive Democrats compete with libertarian-minded Republicans — being gay is no longer a deal-breaker for voters.

In fact Polis’s biggest hurdle come November won’t be the fact that he is gay — it will be convincing voters to back his unabashedly progressive agenda. Polis supports “Medicare for all,” universal pre-K and slowly transitioning Colorado — a state with plenty of oil and gas business — to all-renewable energy.

But Polis will have plenty of opportunity to pitch himself to voters: Before his public service career, he built a massive fortune by running several internet startups. He has already spent $10 million of that fortune on his race for governor.

Trump flexes his muscles in primaries

Progressives weren’t the only ones who had a banner night. Trump also won big by helping to shepherd McMaster and Donovan through their respective primaries.

In one of the most bitter primary battles of the cycle, Donovan trounced former GOP Rep. Michael Grimm in the Staten Island primary. Grimm was looking to make a political comeback after serving an eight-month prison sentence for tax fraud.

Trump took center stage in New York’s 11th District primary, where the two Republicans battled over their loyalty to the president. Grimm sought to fashion himself as a fierce ally of the president, arguing that Donovan doesn’t support Trump since he voted against the GOP’s tax overhaul.

But Donovan earned a critical endorsement from Trump, who warned that backing Grimm could lead to another Alabama, where Republicans last year ceded a winnable race to Democrats. And in the final days of the race, Donovan got reinforcements from the White House, including Donald Trump Jr.Don John TrumpTrump Jr. calls elderly supporter who was assaulted Trump Jr. hits Howard Stern for going ‘establishment,’ ‘acting like Hillary’ Trump Jr., GOP senator lash out at Facebook for taking down protest pages on stay-at-home orders MORE and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R), who’s now Trump’s personal lawyer.

Meanwhile, in South Carolina, McMaster also won his GOP primary runoff against businessman John Warren. McMaster faced three well-funded challengers in a primary earlier this month but failed to avert a runoff, which triggered Tuesday’s race.

Trump made a last-minute swing through South Carolina on the eve of Tuesday’s primary on behalf of McMaster, who was the first statewide official to back Trump in the 2016 GOP presidential primary.

Trump has had mixed results when it comes to endorsements this year.

The president has been able to take down Republicans who don’t show unequivocal loyalty. He railed against Rep. Mark SanfordMark SanfordThe Memo: Can the Never Trumpers succeed? Libertarians view Amash as potential 2020 game changer for party Trump becomes presumptive GOP nominee after sweeping primaries MORE (R-S.C.), an outspoken critic of the president who lost in a primary earlier this month.

And several lawmakers who have voiced opposition to Trump — Sens. Jeff FlakeJeffrey (Jeff) Lane FlakeGOP lawmakers stick to Trump amid new criticism Kelly holds double-digit lead over McSally in Arizona: poll Trump asserts his power over Republicans MORE (R-Ariz.) and Bob CorkerRobert (Bob) Phillips CorkerGOP lawmakers stick to Trump amid new criticism Trump asserts his power over Republicans Romney is only GOP senator not on new White House coronavirus task force MORE (R-Tenn.) — have decided to retire.

But some candidates who earned Trump’s backing still couldn’t convince his voters to get behind them.

In Alabama, Trump got behind Sen. Luther StrangeLuther Johnson StrangeThe biggest political upsets of the decade State ‘certificate of need’ laws need to go GOP frets over nightmare scenario for Senate primaries MORE (R), who lost a primary runoff to former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy MooreRoy Stewart MooreSessions goes after Tuberville’s coaching record in challenging him to debate The 10 Senate seats most likely to flip Sessions fires back at Trump over recusal: ‘I did my duty & you’re damn fortunate I did” MORE. The president went on to endorse Moore in the general election, but Moore fell short to now-Sen. Doug Jones in a big political upset for Democrats.

And in Pennsylvania’s high-profile special election in March, Republican Rick Saccone lost in a district that Trump won by 20 points in 2016, despite the president holding a rally.

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Indictment: Russians tried to hack Clinton around when Trump publicly asked them to

September 19, 2020 | News | No Comments

Russian hackers apparently made their first attempt to breach 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonWhite House accuses Biden of pushing ‘conspiracy theories’ with Trump election claim Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness Trayvon Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton qualifies to run for county commissioner in Florida MORE’s private emails around the same time that then-candidate Donald TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE publicly called on Russia to recover the missing emails from her private server

A new indictment released Friday as part of special counsel Robert MuellerRobert (Bob) MuellerCNN’s Toobin warns McCabe is in ‘perilous condition’ with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill’s 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE’s investigation into Moscow’s election meddling details the attempts by Russian officials to infiltrate Clinton’s personal emails, her campaign’s emails and other private information belonging to Democratic campaign officials.

One portion of the indictment notes that “on or about July 27, 2016, the Conspirators attempted after hours to spearphish for the first time email accounts at a domain hosted by a third-party provider and used by Clinton’s personal office. At or around the same time, they also targeted seventy-six email addresses at the domain for the Clinton Campaign.”

That same day, while Democrats were having their party’s official convention in Philadelphia, Trump gave a press conference at his Miami-area hotel where he made an explicit appeal to Russia to search for Clinton’s emails. Republicans had been furiously criticizing Clinton for deleting 30,000 emails she deemed personal from the private server she used as secretary of State before turning it over to the government.

“They probably have her 33,000 emails that she lost and deleted. You’d see some beauties, so we’ll see,” Trump said.

“Russia, if you are listening,” he said, “I hope you are able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by the press.”

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Friday’s indictment shows that the Russian operation targeted Clinton earlier that year — in April, they tried to convince Clinton staffers to open an attachment that would have led the staffers to a Russian website.

And it’s unclear whether Trump’s call predated the attempts to hack Clinton’s personal email, as the indictment is vague about the exact timing of those attempts.

The revelation prompted outcry from Democrats blasting the president for what they see as encouraging the hacks.

There is no chance this was a coincidence. None. https://t.co/kVnAp9rHH1

— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) July 13, 2018

A grand jury indicted 12 Russian military officials in the indictment, accusing them of being behind the hacks that roiled the 2016 presidential race. But while the indictment lays out the alleged scheme in serious detail, Deputy Attorney General Rod RosensteinRod RosensteinRepublicans release newly declassified intelligence document on FBI source Steele GOP’s Obama-era probes fuel Senate angst Graham postpones Russia probe subpoena vote as tensions boil over MORE noted that the indictment does not claim the scheme changed any votes or point to any lawbreaking from Americans.

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As Bayer Ditches Monsanto's Toxic Name in Merger, Green Groups Say There's No Erasing Its "Toxic Legacy"

September 19, 2020 | News | No Comments

Monsanto may soon be dead in name, but its “toxic legacy” lives on.

That’s how Friends of the Earth responded to the German pharmaceutical giant Bayer’s announcement on Monday that it will ditch the name “Monsanto” after its merger with the globally reviled agrochemical giant is finalized later this week.

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“Bayer will become Monsanto in all but name unless it takes drastic measures to distance itself from the U.S. chemical giant’s controversial past,” Adrian Bebb, a food and farming campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe, said in a statement responding to Bayer’s decision. “If it continues to peddle dangerous pesticides and unwanted GMOs then it will quickly find itself dealing with the same global resistance that Monsanto did.”

Food safety groups and environmentalists have argued Bayer and Monsanto’s “merger from hell”—which won approval from President Donald Trump’s Justice Department last week—will tighten the stranglehold a few powerful corporations have on the global agriculture market, endangering people and the planet.

“This merger will create the world’s biggest and most powerful agribusiness corporation, which will try to force its genetically modified seeds and toxic pesticides into our food and countryside,” Bebb told the Guardian on Monday. “The coming together of these two is a marriage made in hell—bad for farmers, bad for consumers and bad for our countryside.”

After Bayer’s $62.5 billion purchase of Monsanto is complete, the company will be named simply “Bayer.”

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As ATT-Time Warner Close Deal, Floodgates 'Wide Open' for Corporate Mega-Mergers

September 19, 2020 | News | No Comments

Thanks to a federal judge’s decision this week to approve AT&T and Time Warner’s $85 billion merger—which, if allowed to stand by the Trump Justice Department, will spawn a “massive media-telecom behemoth”—anti-monopoly advocates are ominously warning that a flood of major corporate acquisitions once considered “unthinkable” due to their potentially disastrous effects on consumers could be coming in the very near future.

“When big companies become so large they threaten to swallow government, the entire system is corrupted.”
—Zephyr Teachout, New York attorney general candidate

“The gates are wide open for more deals [and] for the closure of these existing deals,” billionaire investor and hedge fund manager Jamie Dinan acknowledged in an interview shortly before the AT&T-Time Warner deal officially closed on Thursday.

Confirming the fears of corporate critics, Dinan went on to cite just two examples of the kinds of deals Americans can expect to see finalized in the coming months following AT&T’s successful acquisition of Time Warner, including CVS’s proposed purchase of health insurance giant Aetna and Cigna’s attempt to swallow the pharma company Express Scripts.

Comcast also moved to get in on the merger-fest this week, offering $65 billion in cash to purchase the television and film assets of 21st Century Fox just a day after the AT&T-Time Warner merger was approved.

As New York attorney general candidate Zephyr Teachout noted in an op-ed for the Guardian this week, these recently proposed mega-mergers are part of a broader trend of corporate consolidation that is “especially disturbing” in the aftermath of the FCC’s net neutrality repeal, which gives telecom giants the power to discriminate against online content and raise costs on consumers.

“America is getting crushed by big, unresponsive, powerful corporate monopolies, the modern version of the trusts of the gilded age,” Teachout wrote. “This isn’t happening organically, but through mergers…These mergers hurt everyone except for the CEOs and the investors who make money off of monopolistic prices.”

And the dangers posed by mega-mergers reach far beyond higher prices for particular goods and services.

Because of the FCC’s net neutrality repeal—which officially went into effect on Monday—Free Press policy director Matt Wood warned in a statement that the AT&T-Time Warner merger will create a supercharged telecom giant capable of “surveil[ing] its customers across the entire internet.”

The Trump Justice Department’s failure to make a successful case against the $85 billion merger “will now set off a wave of communications and media consolidation that was unthinkable even a few years ago,” Wood concluded. “All of us, regardless of our broadband carrier and no matter what we watch, are about to see higher bills, fewer choices, worse quality for competing options, and a further erosion of our privacy rights.”

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All the President's Men—and No Women With Wombs—Going to Bat for Anti-Choice Brett Kavanaugh

September 19, 2020 | News | No Comments

Scanning an official list of White House-vetted endorsements and congratulatory statements issued in the wake of President Donald Trump’s nomination of right-wing and anti-choice jurist Brett Kavanaugh for the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday night, observers noticed an interesting pattern: all the people quoted have penises, but not a single one has a vagina or womb.

As ThinkProgress‘ Addy Baird pointed out, while confirmation of Kavanaugh could be the decisive factor in overturning the 1973 landmark decision Roe v. Wade, the Trump administration thought it not pertinent or necessary to find even one prominent women or female lawmaker voicing support for the president’s choice.

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“It was a glaring oversight,” Baird wrote, “considering the president’s campaign pledge to appoint justices to the Supreme Court who might overturn rulings affecting both women’s health and the health of anyone seeking an abortion or reproductive care.”

To illustrate the point, Baird’s colleague Judd Legum tweeted:

Meanwhile, millions of women—who have vaginas and voices—have declared their profound opposition to Kavanaugh’s nomination and declared they will do everything in their power to oppose his confirmation.

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