Geez that's nuts.. I don't expect that from a US Senator.
That was awesome. That Union Boss nearly peed his pants when the Senator stood up. The Union boss actually called out the Senator and got his bluff called and he needed Bernie to save his bacon. We need more politicians to stand up for their themselves and their people. This Union boss was threatening people and then he found someone that would not be threatened.
What is really funny is the Senator has MMA experience and holds a black belt. I think the thug union boss would have got thumped!
What we need is fewer idiots in congress. That senator should be removed for wanting to start a fight in the halls of congress.. Typical MAGA ass hat.
There was a time that duels were used to settle disputes in congress. Why should a thug union boss get away with trying to intimidate and not get called to the rug like this Senator did.
There was also a time where we used a horse a buggy to get around. Things change and they should..If you wanna return to those dark days, be my guest.
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
Geez that's nuts.. I don't expect that from a US Senator.
That was awesome. That Union Boss nearly peed his pants when the Senator stood up. The Union boss actually called out the Senator and got his bluff called and he needed Bernie to save his bacon. We need more politicians to stand up for their themselves and their people. This Union boss was threatening people and then he found someone that would not be threatened.
What is really funny is the Senator has MMA experience and holds a black belt. I think the thug union boss would have got thumped!
What we need is fewer idiots in congress. That senator should be removed for wanting to start a fight in the halls of congress.. Typical MAGA ass hat.
There was a time that duels were used to settle disputes in congress. Why should a thug union boss get away with trying to intimidate and not get called to the rug like this Senator did.
There was also a time where we used a horse a buggy to get around. Things change and they should..If you wanna return to those dark days, be my guest.
I think that ship has already sailed.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Thomas Jefferson.
How many republicans voted for Pelosi to be speaker? So you think democrats should bail out the republican dysfunction and if not they are the problem? Typical.
And yes, the squad makes a lot of noise. But show me an example where they've tried to pull something like this?
Exactly. Republican voters would riot if republicans voted for Pelosi in a situation like this.
In many ways, Republicans have adopted an 'anti-Dem' platform to fill the vacuum of not having a coherent platform. A significant slice of the Republican party has built an identity of simply working against the other major party. Bipartisan anything is simply not feasible.
Anti Dem is the ONLY platform they have.
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
Trump allies resurrect Jan. 6 conspiracies after release of Capitol footage
House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) decision to release 44,000 hours of security footage from Jan. 6 has triggered a new wave of conspiracy theories from pro-Trump actors seeking to rewrite the history of the Capitol riot.
Why it matters: Ahead of the 2022 midterms, many Republicans accused the now-defunct House Jan. 6 committee of exploiting the insurrection for political purpose — arguing that the country should move forward, not look back.
Now, it's former President Trump and his allies — including members of Congress — who are intent on re-litigating the deadly assault on the Capitol, including by "investigating the investigators." For Democrats whose 2024 messaging relies on painting their Republican opponents as "MAGA extremists," the revisionist history around Jan. 6 may as well be an in-kind campaign contribution.
Driving the news: Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) are among the GOP lawmakers who have called for an investigation into the Jan. 6 committee, citing footage of Trump supporters walking peacefully past Capitol police officers.
Lee and Greene promoted a baseless conspiracy theory on X suggesting that one Jan. 6 participant was an undercover federal agent caught on camera flashing a badge. In reality, the "badge" was a vape — and the "agent" was Jan. 6 defendant Kevin Lyons, who stole a photo from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) office and has been sentenced to four years in prison. "Criminal referrals must be written and prosecutions MUST happen under a Trump DOJ. I've said it all along, MAGA did not do this," Greene wrote in a post later edited to remove an image and reference to Lyons.
Reality check: In response to an online frenzy over the peaceful excerpts, former Jan. 6 committee vice chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) tweeted out a compilation of pro-Trump rioters violently assaulting Capitol police officers.
More than 1,200 defendants in all 50 states and D.C. have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, according to the Justice Department.
Approximately 140 police officers were assaulted that day. Five officers died in the days and weeks after the riot.
The big picture: Trump has needed no help from his congressional allies in making Jan. 6 and election denialism the centerpiece of his presidential campaign.
At a rally this month, the Republican front-runner referred to Jan. 6 defendants as "hostages" and stood saluting during a song recorded by the J6 Prison Choir. A state judge ruled Friday that Trump could stay on the ballot in Colorado, but formally determined the former president "engaged in insurrection" on Jan. 6. As his lawyers argued against a gag order in his federal election interference case Monday, Trump reposted a former aide's claim that "everything you've been told about January 6th is [censored]" — and that the people who "framed Trump ... will pay."
Not exactly if you read the the clause in the 14th amendment. Nowhere in it does it say the president himself.
Quote
Fourteenth Amendment, Section 3:
"No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability."
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
I guess the Judge can hide behind…No conviction… but that doesn’t seem to be an issue with the majority of the Goper’s anyway.trump is their choice regardless.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Thomas Jefferson.
I think the ruling made the point that the insurrection clause does not include the president in its description of people who can not hold office. And factually that is correct. I don't like it but it's true. I don't envy the judge who had to decide this case. They have to follow the law even if they themselves don't like it. At least most of them do.... most of the time.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
I think “or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States,” covers the POTUS as well. Oh well anyone can interpret anything into what they want these days.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Thomas Jefferson.
Iowa official’s wife convicted of 52 counts of voter fraud in ballot-stuffing scheme
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — The wife of a northwestern Iowa county supervisor was convicted Tuesday of a scheme to stuff the ballot box in her husband’s unsuccessful race for a Republican nomination to run for Congress in 2020.
The Sioux City Journal reports that jurors deliberated six hours before finding Kim Taylor guilty of 26 counts of providing false information in registering and voting, three counts of fraudulent registration and 23 counts of fraudulent voting.
Prosecutors said Taylor, a Vietnam native, approached numerous voters of Vietnamese heritage with limited English comprehension and filled out and signed election forms and ballots on behalf of them and their English-speaking children.
They said the scheme was designed to help her husband, Jeremy Taylor, a former Iowa House member, who finished a distant third in the race for the Republican nomination to run for Iowa’s 4th District congressional seat. Despite that loss, he ultimately won election to the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors that fall.
No one testified to seeing Kim Taylor personally sign any of the documents, but her presence in each voter’s home when the forms were filled out was the common thread through the case.
Jeremy Taylor, who met his wife while teaching in Vietnam, has not been charged, but has been named as an unindicted co-conspirator. The case remains under investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Timmons, one of three prosecutors who presented the federal government’s case, said he couldn’t comment on any potential future indictments.
Kim Taylor, who remains free pending sentencing, faces up to five years in prison on each charge.
“Now is a time for empathy for a family that is suffering,” said her attorney, F. Montgomery Brown, adding his focus is to get the best outcome at sentencing.
Brown didn’t immediately respond to an email message from The Associated Press about the case or the couple’s reaction.
Woodbury County election officials became aware of possible voter fraud in September 2020, when two Iowa State University students from Sioux City requested absentee ballots, only to learn ballots had already been cast in their name.
They were allowed to withdraw those ballots and cast their own, but Woodbury County Auditor Pat Gill, who also is election commissioner, kept the fraudulent ballots. When processing absentee ballots on election night, election workers notified Gill that the handwriting on a number of them appeared to be similar.
Most voter fraud cases involve one voter casting a single ballot in another person’s name, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Evans, who helped prosecute Taylor’s case.
“Despite what’s in the media, voter fraud is extremely rare,” Evans said. “To have someone vote dozens of times for several people, that is rare.”
Trump wishes "psycho" judge and "racist" DA a happy Thanksgiving
Former President Trump took to Truth Social at 2:03am ET on Thanksgiving to attack people involved in the fraud case that threatens his real estate empire, along with his political opponents.
Why it matters: The early-morning diatribe is hardly a traditional Thanksgiving message, but it is classic Trump — and it comes as court officials argue that a gag order restricting just these sorts of posts relating to the $250 million New York civil fraud trial should be reinstated.
What he's saying: In a post beginning "Happy Thanksgiving to ALL," Trump called:
District Attorney Letitia James, who brought the civil fraud charges against Trump and other Trump Organization executives, "racist and incompetent;"
Judge Arthur Engoron, who is overseeing the trial, a "Psycho" who had purposely undervalued his assets, and; Engoron's legal clerk, whom Trump has repeatedly attacked during the trial, "Politically Biased and Corrupt."
Trump also went after "Crooked Joe Biden," the "Radical Left," "RINOS" and more, before vowing to win the 2024 election.
Driving the news: A New York appeals court last week paused a gag order Engoron had imposed on Trump after the former president began posting attacks against the law clerk.
Trump was fined twice under the order for a combined $15,000.
Once able to comment freely, Trump quickly resumed knocking the clerk and the proceedings more generally.
The appeals process around the gag order is ongoing. N.Y. court officials argued in favor of reinstating the order on Wednesday, citing threats against Engoron and the clerk after Trump's posts.
Zoom out: Trump is also fighting a gag order in his federal election interference case.
The latest: Trump posted a video later on Thanksgiving morning with a more traditional message, thanking troops serving overseas and first responders at home.
Scoop: Jewish Democrats rebuke GOP bill to expel Palestinians
A pair of Jewish House Democrats is introducing a resolution on Tuesday condemning a Republican bill to expel Palestinians from the U.S., Axios has learned.
Why it matters: While lawmakers often condemn or censure each other for controversial rhetoric, it's rare for legislation to spark a formal rebuke.
Driving the news: The two-page resolution, a copy of which was first shared with Axios, is being introduced by Reps. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) and Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), both of whom are Jewish and steadfastly pro-Israel.
The GOP bill, introduced earlier this month by Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) with 10 Republican co-sponsors, would ban or revoke visas, refugee status and asylum for Palestinian Authority passport holders dating back to Oct 1, shortly before the Hamas attack on Israel. The resolution says the GOP bill “dangerously conflates Palestinians with Hamas” and “is un-American, bigoted, and is designed to inflame tensions which could result in violence.”
What they’re saying: "They're trying to expel an entire community of people from the United States," Landsman said in a statement. "We need these folks to pull back on this dangerous rhetoric and to stop adding fuel to this fire."
Landsman said the proposal "is not helping the Israelis, it's certainly not helping the Palestinians, it's absolutely undercutting our role in pursuing peace and stability in the region and here at home." "Calls to expel Palestinians from the United States are racist, xenophobic and have no place in the government of the United States," Goldman said.
The other side: Zinke told Axios in a statement that the bill is "about the fact that The Biden Administration is completely incapable of vetting anyone coming in to our country."
"Democrats are so desperate to distract from Biden's foreign policy failures that they're trying to start identity and culture wars while Biden's weak leadership has the world in full scale ground wars on multiple fronts."
Not surprised.....BUT, I never thought a Republican President could out Clinton on complete BS- oral sex isn't really sex....or depends on what definition of is/ is? What the hell? Ok, to my point, NOW- our MAGA giant, ex- President has his men/ women lawyers in Colorado saying- he never took an oath to "support" the Constitution!!!! WOW, an ex-President claiming he never took an oath to support the Constitution- I've seen and read it all.....unbelievable.
"You've never lived till you've almost died, life has a flavor the protected will never know" A vet or cop
Which is either proof that god doesn’t exist, God left this planet a while ago, or God doesn’t care about the day to day events of mortal beings.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Students for Trump founder arrested, accused of assaulting girlfriend
A co-founder of the Students for Trump supporter group was arrested last week on domestic violence charges in North Carolina, according to court documents.
Ryan Fournier, who co-founded the organization as a Campbell University student in 2016 and now leads conservative activist group Radical Alert, was charged with assault of a woman and assault with a deadly weapon after an incident last Tuesday.
According to court records, Fournier grabbed his girlfriend by the arm and hit her in the head with a handgun.
He was released on a $2,500 bond that day. His next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 18.
Radical Alert describes itself as an organization that “exposes” political “radicals” on college campuses. Its social media posts include conspiracy theories tying celebrities and members of Congress to terrorist groups
Fellow Students for Trump co-founder John Lambert was arrested and sentenced to 13 months in prison in May 2021 for posing as a lawyer in a fraud scheme providing bunk legal advice.
Boebert tussles with Social Security official over claims backlog
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) argued with a Social Security official over claims of backlogs in a Wednesday hearing about post-pandemic teleworking policies.
Boebert asked Oren “Hank” McKnelly, an executive counselor for the Social Security Administration, if the administration monitored its employees’ output and hours if workers are logging on from home.
McKnelly assured Boebert social security employees are “subjected to the same performance management processes” whether they are teleworking or working from the office.
“We have systems in place that our managers use to schedule, assign and track workloads,” McKnelly said, adding that if employees work virtually, they must be responsive to various forms of communication.
Boebert continued, asking the official why the backlog of social security applicants has increased from 41,000 to 107,000.
“We’ve been historically underfunded for a number of years now,” McKnelly fired back, to which the congresswoman disagreed.
McKnelly said in the past 10 years, the administration has seen an increase of more than 8 million beneficiaries and experienced the lowest staffing levels ever at the end of fiscal 2022.
“That’s a math problem,” he said. “If you have those workloads increasing and you don’t have the staff to take care of those workloads, you’re going to have the backlogs that you’re talking about, representative.”
This explains why Boebert is having trouble comprehending what the actual cause if this is. It's a math problem.
It takes 220 days for social security claims to be decided, on average, which is 100 days longer than it did in 2019, said Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.), the chair of the House Ways and Means Social Security subcommittee, in a hearing in October.
Trump unleashes grievances, warnings in wild 24 hours on Truth Social
Former President Trump has spent the last 24 hours on Truth Social unleashing a torrent of grievances, vengeful promises and links to online conspiracy theories about his political rivals.
Why it matters: Trump's online rhetoric has frequently dipped into violent extremism since he left office, escalating as his legal troubles have mounted. Public fatigue and the pro-Trump echo chamber created by Truth Social have at times softened the shock value of the GOP front-runner's daily musings.
Zoom in: Below is a sampling of Trump's online rhetoric over the last 24 hours:
Nov. 28, 11:13 pm: Called on the government to "come down hard" on MSNBC and "make them pay" for its critical coverage of Republicans, after previously vowing to investigate parent company Comcast if elected.
Nov. 29, 12:36 am: Doubled down on his pledge to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, saying "Obamacare Sucks!!!"
Nov. 29, 12:55 am: Accused writer E. Jean Carroll of fabricating sexual assault allegations against him, despite twice being found liable for defamation for similar comments.
Nov. 29, 8:26 am: Warned that his indictments have opened up a "very big and dangerous Pandora's Box," building on recent suggestions that he will use the Justice Department to prosecute his enemies if elected.
Nov. 29, 10:33 am: Called GOP rival Nikki Haley "a very weak and ineffective Birdbrain" after she was endorsed by the Koch political network.
Nov. 29, 12:50 pm: Posted a link to a report by anti-Muslim conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer with a photoshopped picture of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wearing Hamas insignia.
Nov. 29, 1:11 pm: Claimed that he has "done more for Black people than any other President," potentially including Abraham Lincoln.
Nov. 29, 3:58 pm, 3:59 pm, 4:00pm, 4:01pm, 4:02pm: Targeted the wife of New York Judge Arthur Engoron — who is presiding over his civil fraud trail — in five separate posts for allegedly criticizing the Trump family and other Republicans on social media. Engoron's wife has denied making the posts, saying she doesn't have an X account.
Florida’s GOP chairman is a subject in a rape investigation
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The chairman of Florida’s Republican Party is the subject of a rape investigation, though no charges have been filed and his lawyer said he will be exonerated.
Still, the investigation into Christian Ziegler comes at a critical time for the Republican Party of Florida: Two Florida Republicans — former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis — are running for president and the state GOP is working to reelect U.S. Sen. Rick Scott. Florida was also key to Republicans winning a slim majority in the U.S. House in 2022 and the party will be defending the newly won seats.
The Florida Center for Government Accountability was first to publicly report about the investigation into Ziegler, who is married to Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler. The Associated Press asked the Sarasota Police Department for documents related to an investigation into Christian Ziegler. It provided a heavily redacted incident report. It has several mentions of rape and sexual assault, but any mention of Ziegler is redacted.
“Mr. Ziegler has been fully cooperative with every request made by the Sarasota Police Department,” his lawyer, Derek Byrd, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, public figures are often accused of acts that they did not commit whether it be for political purposes or financial gain. I would caution anyone to rush to judgment until the investigation is concluded.”
The police report was filed Oct. 4 about an incident two days earlier in a private home.
Democrats were quick to make a political issue of the investigation.
“I applaud the accuser’s bravery in coming forward against a political figure as powerful as Christian Ziegler,” state Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried said in a statement. “Ziegler can’t possibly continue to lead the Florida GOP under these conditions.”
Ziegler took over the party in February, three months after DeSantis won a landslide re-election in an election where Florida was one of the few bright spots for Republicans nationally.
Ziegler and his wife are a Republican power couple. Bridget Ziegler is on the Sarasota County School Board and has received national attention for her work with Moms for Liberty, a group that promotes a conservative agenda for public schools on issues like civil and LGBTQ rights and teaching about the experience of marginalized communities.
Ron DeSantis appointed Bridget Ziegler to a state-created board to oversee development on Disney World property. DeSantis stripped Disney of its ability to self-governor and created the board amid a feud that began when the entertainment company opposed his effort to ban instruction on LGBTQ topics in public schools.
"Nov. 29, 12:36 am: Doubled down on his pledge to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, saying "Obamacare Sucks!!!"
It's kinda funny, but if he wants to repeal and replace Obamacare with something better, I'm all for it. Except, they never have shown anything better.
you've got roughly 24 million Americans depending on the ACA, you'd think that they would not be happy about him wanting to repeal it..
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
Speaker Johnson wrote foreword for book filled with conspiracy theories and homophobic insults
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson wrote the foreword and publicly promoted a 2022 book that spread baseless and discredited conspiracy theories and used derogatory homophobic insults.
Written by Scott McKay, a local Louisiana politics blogger, the book, “The Revivalist Manifesto,” gives credence to unfounded conspiracy theories often embraced by the far-right – including the “Pizzagate” hoax, which falsely claimed top Democratic officials were involved in a pedophile ring, among other conspiracies.
The book also propagates baseless and inaccurate claims, implying that Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts was subjected to blackmail and connected to the disgraced underage sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Other sections of the book defend podcaster Joe Rogan from racism charges after it was revealed he used the N-word, which Rogan later apologized for. The book also disparages poor voters as “unsophisticated and susceptible to government dependency” and easy to manipulate with “Black Lives Matter ‘defund the police’ pandering.”
“Scott McKay presents a valuable and timely contribution with The Revivalist Manifesto because he has managed here to articulate well what millions of conscientious, freedom-loving Americans are sensing,” Johnson writes in his 300-word foreword.
Johnson’s endorsement of the book extends beyond the foreword: In 2022, he actively promoted the book on his public social media platforms and even dedicated an episode of his podcast he co-hosts with his wife to hosting McKay.
During the podcast episode, Johnson expressed his belief in the book, stating, “I obviously believe in the product, or I wouldn’t have written the foreword. So I endorse the work.” He also referred to McKay as a “dear friend” and highlighted that the book “really could make some waves.” Over the years, Johnson had written opinion pieces for McKay’s blog, the Hayride, and engaged with the author on public platforms like Facebook.
Since he was elevated to the speakership in October, Johnson’s views from his time as a socially conservative attorney, state lawmaker and Louisiana congressman have come under increased scrutiny – particularly his views on homosexuality which he has called an “inherently unnatural” and “dangerous” lifestyle and even blamed it, in part, for the fall of the Roman Empire.
Following publication of this story, a spokesman for Johnson told CNN he did not read passages of McKay’s book highlighted by CNN and said he strongly disagreed with them.
“The Speaker had never read the passages highlighted in the CNN story which he strongly disagrees with. He wrote the foreword as a favor to a friend, supportive of the general theme of the book but not as an endorsement of all the opinions expressed.”
CNN reached out to McKay, who called the story a “hit piece” on social media.
Reviving Pizzagate
In his book, McKay insinuates that hacked emails from Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign chairman John Podesta contained coded references hinting involvement in “child sex trafficking” because of “unexplained references” to “hot dogs and pizza,” resembling alleged code words used by pedophiles.
“The Pizzagate scandal was born, and though some of the most outlandish allegations made in it were clearly disproven, other elements were not; the whole thing just seemed to be dismissed as debunked, and no explanation was ever given,” he writes.
While McKay remains ambiguous in his book regarding the elements he asserts weren’t disproven, he explicitly writes on his public Facebook page that the conspiracy related to code words was not debunked and goes as far as labeling Podesta as a pedophile.
Despite framing conspiracy theories as inquiries in his book, McKay often openly endorses these claims on his public social media platforms.
Jared Holt, an expert on right wing conspiracy theories at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a think-tank that studies disinformation, told CNN that Johnson’s promotion of the book raised questions about the new House speaker’s judgment.
The book contains “the lurid daydreams of certain online far-right sentiments,” said Holt. “His leadership may open the door for those unpopular fringes to weld disproportionate political power.”
Homophobic slurs and disparaging poor voters
The book repeatedly disparages Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, calling the former mayor a “queer choice” for the Cabinet position and saying he had “queer sanctimony” and was “openly, and obnoxiously, gay.” At one point, the book labels him “Gay Mayor Pete Buttigieg.”
Another section takes aim at poor voters, who the author calls, “unsophisticated and susceptible to government dependency” and says they are easily manipulated with “bowdlerizing old monuments, or midnight basketball, or Black Lives Matter ‘defund the police’ pandering.”
While McKay’s reference was to poor voters nationwide, Louisiana often ranks among the poorest states in the United States when measured by the share of citizens living below the poverty line.
Midnight basketball refers to late-night basketball leagues designed to steer young people away from potential involvement in crime by offering engagement during peak crime hours.
McKay’s book also shares other unfounded conspiracy theories, including the debunked claim that the Democratic National Committee’s emails in 2016 were not hacked but leaked by a staffer named Seth Rich. In 2020, Rich’s parents settled a lawsuit with Fox News, stemming from the network’s publication of a retracted story connecting their son’s murder to right-wing conspiracy theories. The book denies that carbon dioxide is linked to climate change and frequently mocks the climate crisis as “hysteria.”
The book also spreads a conspiracy theory that the Biden administration deliberately allowed undocumented immigrants into the country to turn them into voters.
The book targets and taunts prominent Democratic officials, including calling Interior Secretary Deb Haaland “half oppressed” because her mother is Native American and father is of Norwegian descent and writes that former President Barack Obama’s “chief selling point was that he was black.”
McKay also adds that the late Arizona Sen. John McCain, a frequent foe of Donald Trump, used his time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam “as a political get-out-of-jail-free card.”
The internet is having a lot of fun with Trump's "war on Democracy" speech fumble in Iowa Kelly McClure
During a signature revved up speech delivered at the Whiskey River bar in Ankeny, Iowa on Saturday, Donald Trump said the quiet part out loud — as the expression goes — during a key moment of the campaign event, declaring, "We've been waging an all-out war on American democracy," and the internet is having a field day with it.
The slip-up took place as he was, per usual, railing against the 2020 election results, singing his own praises as "an outsider" who was elected to "stand up to those liars, looters, losers, crooks," faulting Democrats for not putting America first, which he feels that he did for the four years he was in office.
"That's why it was one of the great presidencies, they say," he speaks of himself. "Even the opponents sometimes say he did very well, I have to say. 'Take it back,' they scream. his people say 'Take it back.' From that day on, our opponents, a lot of opponents, but we've been waging an all-out war on American democracy."
After his comment, the internet flooded with memes echoing various deliveries of the sentiment "he really said that," such as one from @LocolopezNYC showing an illustration of Trump placing dynamite at the base of a statue with the word "Democracy" and the caption "No s**t."
Florida's Republican chair has denied a woman's rape allegation in a case roiling state politics
Gov. DeSantis called for his resignation, roiling state's conservative politics.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The head of the Florida Republican Party, whose wife is a founder of one of the nation’s most prominent conservative groups, has been accused of rape, leading Gov. Ron DeSantis to call for his resignation, roiling the state's conservative politics and creating accusations of hypocrisy from Democrats and LBGTQ+ activists.
Police search warrant affidavits obtained by Florida news organizations show that a woman who had been friends with Christian Ziegler for 20 years has accused him of raping her in her apartment two months ago. Ziegler, a longtime party activist who took over the state Republican Party in February, denied the allegations in an interview with police, saying the sex was consensual.
No criminal charges have been filed against Ziegler, 40, but the Sarasota Police investigation remains open. The accuser’s name has not been released, and The Associated Press doesn't identify the possible victims of sexual assault without their permission.
“We are confident that once the police investigation is concluded that no charges will be filed and Mr. Ziegler will be completely exonerated,” his attorney, Derek Byrd, said in a statement.
His wife, Bridget Ziegler, told detectives that the three had engaged in sex once more than a year ago. She is a co-founder of Moms for Liberty, a group that along with the Florida GOP and DeSantis has pushed against LBGTQ+ causes and their supporters.
Bridget Ziegler is also an elected member of the Sarasota County school board and was appointed by DeSantis to the board that now oversees Walt Disney World’s land development. DeSantis pushed through legislation last year disbanding a Disney-controlled board after the company opposed his bill that limits sex education in schools.
DeSantis said on Thursday that Christian Ziegler should resign, noting that while he is innocent until proven guilty, his presence would be a distraction and that “the mission (of electing Republicans) is more important.” DeSantis is seeking the party’s presidential nomination, but trails former President Donald Trump in the polls.
Moms for Liberty posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday that it supports Bridget Ziegler and “every other badass woman fighting for kids & America.” Ziegler was one of the group’s three founders in early 2021.
Originally started in Florida, the group has since expanded nationwide and has had some success running social conservatives for school board seats.
Nikki Fried, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, said in a statement that Christian Ziegler should resign and then took a shot at both Christian and Bridget Ziegler, saying “the level of hypocrisy in this situation is stunning.”
“What happens behind closed doors is Christian and Bridget’s personal business. That being said, I do find it interesting that two people who are so obsessed with banning books about gay penguins might be engaged in a non-traditional sexual relationship,” Fried said.
She was referring to the children’s book “And Tango Makes Three” about two male penguins who raise a chick together. Based on a true story, the book is often a target of Moms for Liberty members and other conservatives who don’t think it should be included in elementary school libraries. The AP could not confirm that the Zieglers have personally opposed the book.
Christian Ziegler did not immediately respond to a phone message left Saturday seeking comment. No telephone number for Bridget Ziegler was available, and an email sent Saturday seeking comment through Moms for Liberty wasn't immediately returned.
The search warrant affidavits were obtained by the Florida Center for Government Accountability, an investigative news organization. It shared them with several other news outlets that have posted them online. The AP has not been able to obtain its own copies. The warrants allowed police to seize Christian Ziegler’s cellphone and obtain his online communications.
In the affidavits filed last month, Sarasota Police Detective Angela Cox said investigators were seeking emails, photos, videos, contacts and other information from Christian Ziegler’s cellphone and Google account as part of their investigation into the woman’s accusation.
The woman told detectives that she and Christian Ziegler have known each other for more than 20 years. She said that on Oct. 2, she agreed to have sex with Ziegler and his wife but backed out after Christian Ziegler told her that his wife “couldn’t make it.”
The woman said that a while later, she left her apartment to walk her dog only to find Ziegler standing in the hallway. She says he pushed her inside and raped her, according to the affidavits. Investigators say the apartment complex’s security video shows Ziegler entering the building and leaving.
The woman’s sister told Cox that the woman called her and told her she was raped. The woman reported the rape two days later.
In late October, after Ziegler tried to contact the woman, police had her exchange monitored phone and text message conversations with him. According to the affidavits, he insisted that they are friends and at one point suggested that they meet in person.
“Hell no, not after what you did to me. Do you understand I am terrified of you?” she wrote to him.
He replied that he had to go.
In a phone call, the woman told Ziegler that he had sexually assaulted her.
“Those are big words, please don’t, no I didn’t,” he replied. “You invited me in.”
He offered her “financial help” before becoming suspicious that their calls were being recorded.
In a Nov. 2 interview with detectives with his attorney present, Ziegler said the sex was consensual and that he had recorded it. He said he then deleted the video, but after the accusation he recovered it and uploaded it to Google.
Detectives seized Christian Ziegler’s phone on Nov. 2 and accessed his Google account two weeks ago, the affidavits say.
None of what they have found has been made public.
So much for supporting "traditional marriage. Unless of course they have redefined it into including threesomes. It seems as though those living in glass houses have been throwing stones.... again.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
You know the funny thing is that I can actually get behind some of the stuff he talks about in what he would theoretically bring to the House floor. I wouldn't necessarily criminalize lobbying, but I think he was getting at the donations/campaign contributions.
I think that's about as far as I can level with what he said.
He actually sounds fairly intelligent and can speak well in terms of articulating thought processes, which is good evidence that conspiracy theories and irrational rage and fervor can pollute all kinds of minds.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
OMG! The new Speaker, Mike Johnson, said he will release the J6 tapes after they BLUR THE FACES of rioters to protect them from prosecution and retribution. America needs to put Murica down.
I hope these actions help him catch his own indictment for aiding and abetting those POS insurrectionists!
Here’s the short version with only what Johnson said.
Thanks for posting that. I think what she said regarding Johnson's flip-flopping and advocacy for things he does not believe in, in order to gain approval, is 100% at the heart of what is wrong with Congressional Republicans - and Republicans at large right now. As I'm typing this, Liz just hinted to the same.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
Nevada grand jury indicts six Republicans who falsely certified that Trump won the state in 2020
RENO, Nev. (AP) — A Nevada grand jury on Wednesday indicted six Republicans who submitted certificates to Congress falsely declaring Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 presidential election in their state, making Nevada the third to seek charges against so-called “fake electors.”
“We cannot allow attacks on democracy to go unchallenged,” Nevada’s Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford said in a statement Wednesday. “Today’s indictments are the product of a long and thorough investigation, and as we pursue this prosecution, I am confident that our judicial system will see justice done.”
The fake electors — involved in the state GOP or Clark County GOP — have been charged with offering a false instrument for filing and uttering a forged instrument. Those two categories of felonies have penalties that range from one year up to either four or five years in prison.
The indictments in Nevada are just the latest to come out of investigations in several states into the activities of Republican electors.
Michigan’s Attorney General filed felony charges in July against 16 Republican fake electors, who would face eight criminal charges including forgery and conspiracy to commit election forgery, though one had charges dropped after reaching a cooperation deal. The top charge carried a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.
In Wisconsin, 10 Republicans who posed as electors settled a civil lawsuit Wednesday, admitting their actions were part of an effort to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory. Sixteen fake electors also have been charged in Georgia, three of which were also charged in August alongside Trump in a sweeping indictment accusing them of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to illegally overturn the results of the presidential election. They have pleaded not guilty.
Democratic attorneys general in New Mexico and Arizona also are investigating the role of fake electors in their states.
Ford began investigating fake electors in Nevada last month. That announcement marked a shift for the state’s first-term attorney general, who previously was quiet on whether he would investigate the fake electors before saying that state law did not directly address whether he could pursue charges.
In December 2020, six Republicans signed certificates falsely stating that Trump won Nevada and sent them to Congress and the National Archives, where they were ultimately ignored. The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol looked into the role these fake electors in key battleground states took in Trump’s attempt to cling to power after his 2020 defeat.
Among the fake electors is Nevada GOP chairman Michael McDonald, who has pushed to bypass the state-run presidential primary to nominate a Republican presidential nominee, instead opting for a party-run caucus, which would require voter ID and paper ballots.
He has remained a staunch ally of Trump, opening for the former president at a rally in Las Vegas by saying, “You give us a fair election, I’ll give you the next president of the United States — Donald J. Trump.” Trump and his attorneys also had a direct hand in the planning and execution of the fake elector scheme, including a conference call with McDonald, transcripts released last year show.
McDonald said in a brief phone interview that he had spent much of the day checking on people close to him who had been at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, when a person opened fire on campus hours earlier. He referred all questions about the indictment to a lawyer who he said represented those indicted. The lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday afternoon.
Clark County GOP Chair Jesse Law was also indicted hours after he announced his candidacy for the Nevada state Assembly, along with Nevada GOP Vice Chair and Storey County clerk Jim Hindle, who runs elections in the rural county. Neither returned voice messages left Wednesday requesting comment.
Ford had testified in support of a bill that would have criminalized future fake electors. That passed Nevada’s Democratic-controlled Legislature but was vetoed by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, who said there should be “strict punishments” for those trying to undermine elections but that the proposed punishment between four and 10 years in prison was too harsh.
Fred Lokken, a longtime political science professor at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, said Wednesday the indictment isn’t necessarily a surprise. He said he doubts it will dissuade any backers of Trump but expects it will have an impact on undecided and independent voters.
“This is a grand jury. There’s an indictment. Prosecutors don’t get that unless there is evidence,” Lokken said. “It’s a validation that what was going on was illegal and now there can be consequences.”
Florida school board recommends ouster of Moms for Liberty co-founder over Republican sex scandal
SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida school board voted on Tuesday to recommend the resignation of one of its members because she is embroiled in the fallout of a sexual assault investigation into her husband, the Republican Party state chairman.
The Sarasota County School Board cannot directly remove Bridget Ziegler from the panel but voted 4-1 Tuesday for a resolution requesting that she step down. The resolution was authored by board Chair Karen Rose, who said in an email that she is “shocked and deeply saddened” by the rape allegations involving Ziegler’s husband, Christian Ziegler, and the couple’s admissions about having a three-way sexual encounter previously with the accuser.
“I personally care about Bridget and her family and deeply regret the necessity for this course of action, but given the intense media scrutiny locally and nationally, her continued presence on the Board would cause irreparably harmful distractions to our critical mission,” Rose wrote.
Bridget Ziegler is co-founder of the conservative Moms for Liberty group. She has served on the board since 2014, when she was appointed by then-Gov. Rick Scott, and has previously been its chair. She voted against the resolution, saying she was “disappointed” but gave no indication she would step down. She remained on the board’s dais after the vote.
Prior to the meeting, several dozen people marched outside carrying signs and chanting, “Hey hey, ho ho, Bridget Ziegler has got to go.” Among the signs’ slogans were “Ban Bridget, not books” and “Real women aren’t homophobes.”
“Bridget Ziegler must apologize and resign,” said Carol Lerner of Support Our Schools, a nonprofit group that supports public education. “The Zieglers are through and through grifters.”
Board member Tim Enos said it’s up to Bridget Ziegler to decide whether to quit. Only Florida’s governor can remove a school board member, and only under certain conditions, such as a criminal charge.
“If she continues and doesn’t resign and stays, we have an obligation that we all need to be focused on education,” Enos said. “The politics have to get outside the boardroom. It should be only about the kids.”
The Sarasota Police Department is investigating a woman’s accusation that Christian Ziegler raped her at her apartment in October. Police documents say the Zieglers and the woman had planned a sexual threesome that day, but Bridget Ziegler was unable to make it. The accuser says Christian Ziegler arrived anyway and assaulted her, according to the documents.
Christian Ziegler has not been charged with any crime and maintains his innocence, contending the encounter was consensual. Scott, now a U.S. senator, Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Florida Republicans have called on him to step down as GOP chair, but he has refused to do so.
In a recent message to Florida Republicans, Christian Ziegler said he would remain as chair “because we have a country to save and I am not going to let false allegations of a crime put that mission on the bench as I wait for this process to wrap up.”
Christian Ziegler’s lawyer, Derek Byrd, said in an email Monday that he is “hoping (the) investigation is closed soon.” A Sarasota Police Department spokesperson said there is no timetable for the probe to conclude.
Bridget Ziegler has long been active in conservative politics. She was a champion of the DeSantis-backed law known by critics as “Don’t Say Gay,” which restricts teaching of sexual and gender material in early school grades. Moms for Liberty, which she co-founded in 2021, aims to inject more conservative viewpoints into schools, restrict transgender rights, battle pandemic mask mandates and remove books the group objects to from school classrooms and libraries.
In addition, DeSantis appointed Bridget Ziegler to the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District that oversees Walt Disney World’s operations. That panel — which replaced one controlled by Disney — was created by the Legislature at DeSantis’ request after Disney objected to the “Don’t Say Gay” law. The board currently is the subject of state and federal lawsuits over control of the huge theme park outside Orlando.
Democrats and other critics say the Zieglers are hypocritical because the alleged sexual activities are completely at odds with the conservative views they push on others, particularly LGBTQ people.
“The Zieglers have made a habit out of attacking anything they perceive as going against ‘family values,’ be it reproductive rights or the existence of LGBTQ+ Floridians,” state Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said in a statement. “The level of hypocrisy in this situation is stunning.”
The state GOP has called a meeting for Sunday in Orlando to discuss Christian Ziegler’s future as party chair.
