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Last week, the Senates judiciary committee released its staff report on Donald Trumps efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and bend the justice department to his will. Subverting Justice: How the Former President and his Allies Pressured DOJ to Overturn the 2020 Election lays out in grim detail the ex-reality show hosts concerted effort to weaponize the governments legal machinery in his desperate bid to cling to power.

One conclusion reads: President Trump repeatedly asked DOJ leadership to endorse his false claims that the election was stolen and to assist his efforts to overturn the election results. Another informs us that Trump allies with links to the Stop the Steal movement and the January 6 insurrection participated in the pressure campaign against DOJ.

As if we didnt already know. Dont expect the report to change hearts or minds.

On a Saturday night visit to Iowa, Trump told the crowd that he had not conceded defeat. Indeed, one day later, Steve Scalise, the No 2 Republican in the House of Representatives, refused to say that the election wasnt stolen. Trump has the Republicans in a hammerlock. The impact of the Senate report is likely to be negligible.

Since Trumps backers pillaged Congress back in January, the Republican party has selectively forgiven and forgotten. By the numbers, 57% of Republicans now believe too much attention has been paid to the 6 January riot. Only roughly a third of Republicans concede that storming the Capitol was about overturning the election. Too many Republicans still blame it on antifa.

The new normal is neither particularly normal nor new. As Americas cold civil war continues, hyper-partisanship is the rule, not the exception. And among Republicans, fealty to Trump is the acid test.

Look at Mike Pence, Trumps hapless vice-president and an aspiring 2024 presidential nominee. Even after having been kicked to the curb by his former boss and targeted for hanging by Capitol rioters, Pence continues to play political lapdog.

He is all too aware that Trump remains the Republican partys boss and that his future rests in Trumps hands. I know the media wants to distract from the Biden administrations failed agenda by focusing on one day in January, Pence told Fox News.

One day in January really?

Apparently, signs that screamed Hang Mike Pence were an illusion, as were the gallows near the Capitol. Then again, Pences brother Greg, a congressman from Indiana, voted against certifying the election despite his having seen first-hand what his sibling had endured.

Although the report will not change the political landscape, it is likely to have real consequences for Jeffrey Clark, a former assistant attorney general and the most senior justice department official to plot with Trump. The report recommends that the DC bars disciplinary counsel evaluate Clarks conduct to determine whether disciplinary action is warranted.

In plain English, the Senates Democrats are inviting the DC bar to strip Clark of his law license. Working for Trump frequently comes with a downside.

Tellingly, the committees Republicans do not offer a particularly full-throated defense of Clark. Instead, Senator Charles Grassley, the committees ranking Republican, intimated that Clark had failed to receive sufficient due process. Committee Democrats opted to release their report having not yet received requested government documents and having not yet heard from Jeffrey Clark, Grassley said.

Substantively, the Republican party appears ready to sacrifice Clark to spare Trump. The president listened to all data points, they wrote in a competing report, and the path advocated by Clark would be rejected. In all fairness, he wouldnt be the first person to thrown in a front of the proverbial bus for the sake of a sitting president.

Not surprisingly, where theres a raging dumpster fire, Rudy Giuliani is close by.

According to the committee, Mark Meadows, Trumps chief of staff, asked the justice department to investigate a theory pushed by Giuliani known as Italygate, which held that the Central Intelligence Agency and an Italian IT contractor used military satellites to manipulate voting machines and change Trump votes to Biden votes.

Let that sink in.

As the Senate report recedes from the voters consciousness, expect the Houses investigation to emerge as a focal point for all things Trump, with the ex-president seeking to block the cooperation and testimony of his former aides, including Meadows, all in the run-up to the midterms.

Beyond that, Trump is also invoking executive privilege to keep Steve Bannon, his 2016 campaign chairman, from testifying. To be sure, Bannon was not a member of the administration when 2021 rolled around. He had left the White House in the summer of 2017.

Instead, Bannon was goading Trump, telling him, according to Peril, the latest Bob Woodward book, co-authored with Bob Costa: People are going to go, What the fuck is going on here? Were going to bury Biden on January 6th, fucking bury him Were going to kill it in the crib, kill the Biden presidency in the crib.

For the record, Bannon had previously suggested that Anthony Faucis head be severed from its body. Whether Bannon is found to be in criminal contempt for refusing to testify before Liz Cheney and others is a live question.

The bottom line remains that Trump was never going quietly into the political night. Short of his own re-election, he viewed the process as rigged and corrupt.

How the House and the courts handle all this remains to be seen. Right now, the broader public is far from riveted, and the Republicans are either on board with Trump or simply cowed.

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The Senates findings on the last days of Trumps presidency are grim. Will it matter? - The Guardian

The Coalition to Protect American Workers, led by GOP strategists including Mark Short, who served as former Vice President Mike PenceMichael (Mike) Richard PencePompeo to headline fundraiser for Youngkin Pence-linked group steps up pressure on Congress in tax campaign Mellman: Your rights and my nose MOREs chief of staff, iswarning members of Congress against reversing President TrumpDonald TrumpStudy finds more than 9,000 anti-Asian attacks took place since March 2020 Biden marks fourth anniversary of Charlottesville Trump, House committee to appeal judge's order to hand over some tax records MOREs landmark 2017 tax reform law.

If any elected member of Congress tries to jeopardize the next American recovery in the name of higher spending, expansive social welfare programs, the green new deal and higher taxes, we will ensure that you are held accountable, the group wrote in a letter tolawmakers.

The group has a budget of between $25 million to $50 million to spend to oppose President BidenJoe BidenBiden urges Californians to vote against effort to recall Newsom Taliban's advance picks up speed, intensifying Afghanistan crisis Overnight Defense: Troopshead back to Afghanistan to aid diplomatic evacuation MOREs plan to increase the corporate tax rate to 28 percent and increase taxes on individuals earning more than $400,000 a year.

It is circulating its letter as Senate Democrats are preparing to put together a $3.5 trillion spending package that could raise taxes by the same amount, depending on whether moderates such as Sen. Joe ManchinJoe ManchinFamily of John Lewis joins rally pressing Biden to help end Senate filibuster Pence-linked group steps up pressure on Congress in tax campaign The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by AT&T - Pelosi refuses to budge on bipartisan infrastructure bill MORE (D-W.Va.) insist that it be entirely paid for so as not to add to the deficit.

The group warned that the Senates passage of a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill earlier this week begins a process to unwind [the] 2017 tax cuts and take away opportunities from families across the country.

Democrats in Congress have repeatedly expressed their intention to tie this bill to over $3 trillion in tax increases through a partisan reconciliation process, it wrote.

While we are disappointed to see that Congress has linked infrastructure to tax increases, the Coalition to Protect American Workers will continue undaunted in our mission to preserve the benefits of the 2017 tax cuts, it added.

The group is touting the economic benefits of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, one of Trumps biggest policy accomplishments, in what is certain to become core talking points of the Republican effort to defeat or whittle down the Democrats $3.5 trillion reconciliation package.

The results of the 2017 tax cut were rapid and extraordinary. In just over two years after the time that tax cuts were signed into law the U.S. added 5.3 million new jobs. The unemployment rate fell to 3.5 percent, which was the lowest rate in 50 years, it wrote.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellTaliban's advance picks up speed, intensifying Afghanistan crisis McConnell demands Biden commit to sending more troops back to Afghanistan Pence-linked group steps up pressure on Congress in tax campaign MORE (R-Ky.) has similarly cited statistics reflecting the strength of the U.S. economy before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the nationlast year to make clear that Republicans will vote in unison to oppose any unwinding of the 2017 tax law.

More here:
Pence-linked group steps up pressure on Congress in tax campaign | TheHill - The Hill

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There are some troubling policies and practices from the Trump years that President Joe Biden has chosen to carry forward, even as hes aggressively worked to undo others. In at least one case, though, theres an unrealistic and expensive Trump-era goal that Biden is pushing forward with, even in opposition to his own experts: A 2024 human landing on the moon.

Thats according to a new piece published Friday by Marina Koren in The Atlantic. Koren convincingly argues that the proposed lunar landing in late 2024which the Trump administration saw, at least partially, as a political feather for Trumps cap, along with the creation of Space Forceis clearly behind schedule. Delays in the development in the modern redesign of the spacesuit, along with budget overruns coupled with budget shortfalls, may make the 2024 no longer a realistic target, Steve Jurcyzk, the acting NASA administrator in February, told Ars Technica. As such, Koren argues, the Biden administration could slough off the 2024 goal easily enough.

Instead, the administration is pushing forward with the 2024 goal, even if its a stretch and a challenge, according to current Administrator Bill Nelson.

Koren points out that Biden has plenty to deal withthe pandemic, infrastructure, climate changeand noted in an earlier piece that 2018 polling found the public preferred that NASAs main focus be climate research. In 2019 just 8 percent of Americans said a moon landing should be the agencys top priority, with a majority supporting climate research and national security-related missions.

Perhaps the answer has more to do with national security than national pride. On the same day that Biden met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva to discuss election meddling, human rights, and ransomware, the Chinese government was showing off its success in getting its new space station operational. Former Vice President Mike Pence said in 2019 that there was a new space race afoot akin to the 1960s, and the stakes are even higher.

Even still, NASAs internal investigator said this week that the 2024 landing is not feasible. Koren reported that a NASA spokesperson said that the budget and timeline for the mission are being evaluated and that the agency will provide an update later this year. Safety is a priority, the spokesperson said, and NASA will put humans on the moon when it is safe to do so.

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We're not going to the moon anytime soon, but Joe Biden won't kill Trump's dream - Mother Jones

A top U.S. intelligence official is reporting an "alarming uptick" in "incredibly dangerous" online chatter calling for violence associated with former president Donald Trump's false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, CNN reported Friday.

The report comes on the same day (Aug. 13, or "Reinstatement Day") when some QAnon followers believed Trump would somehow return to the White House.

John Cohen, the chief of intelligence at the Department of Homeland Security, said the chatter is "strikingly similar to what was out there before the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol," according to CNN anchor Pamela Brown.

Alex Marquardt, CNN's senior national security corespondent, called the report "really disturbing news."

"What he's saying is that some of this online chatter, so on social media and in different online platforms, they include phrases like, 'The system is broken.' They call on people to take action into their own hands and to 'bring out the gallows,'" Marquardt said. "It is hard to underestimate how significant these comments can be because as you know, on Jan. 6, we heard calls by the Capitol insurrectionists to hang Mike Pence. There were actually makeshift gallows on the national mall."

According to Marquardt, Cohen said the concern is not only that the chatter is similar to before Jan. 6 it's that there has been an "uptick in these calls for violence."

Cohen also said while the chatter is associated with "a number of conspiracy theories," they all revolve around Trump's false claim of widespread election fraud, known as the "big lie."

"And that lie simply won't die, because people continue to talk about it," Marquardt said. "We still see the former president going around the country saying that the election was stolen from him. People like Mike Lindell, a big supporter of the former president, saying he has proof that the election was illegitimate which of course has been widely debunked."

Marquardt noted that the DHS has repeatedly warned in recent months about the threat of violence associated with Trump's false claim.

"There is no specific threat, they say, but they have said it could lead to deadly violence, and now you have the head of intelligence at DHS pointing to these comments and saying they are incredibly dangerous and they are growing," he said.

Read more here, and watch below.

CNN on DHS intelligence chief's warningwww.youtube.com

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'Bring out the gallows': Intelligence official warns of 'alarming uptick' in calls for violence on 'Trump Reinstatement Day' - Raw Story

A group linked to the Republican Party has released a report, seemingly indicating that Rep Ilhan Omar married her own brother to get around the US immigration laws. The report does not identify either Omar or her former husband Ahmed Elmi, but simply as 'Sibling 1' and Sibling 2'. The report indicates there is 99.999998% that the two individuals are siblings, and it is believed that they are Omar and Elmi.

The rumor that Omar and Elmi were siblings gained traction in 2020 after a Somali man made the claim. In March 2020, the man claimed he "feared for his life" after Omar's friends made threats. Those claims surfaced after Omar divorced her first husband Ahmed Hirsi for the second time in 2019. That messy second divorce came after Hirsi reportedly found Omar cheating on him with her chief strategist.

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The outspoken far-left Congresswoman's personal life has been as controversial as her politics, and neither seems to be dying down any time soon. Omar is still a frequent target for the GOP and conservatives since she is a member of the "Squad". Now it appears as if her personal life too is being attacked. The report believed to be linking Omar and Elmi was published by GOP strategist Anton Lazzaro, who was recently arrested on federal sex trafficking charges.

As we have said before, the report does not name the two individuals listed. The test was conducted by Endeavor DNA, based in El Paso, Texas. It was uploaded by Lazzaro's group Big Tent Republicans PAC, on Wednesday, August 11. It says sibling 1's DNA sample was collected from a cigarette butt, and sibling 2's from a drinking straw. The Daily Mail reported that sibling 1 was identified as Omar, and 2 as Elmi.

The report should be taken with a pinch of salt for a few reasons. For one, Omar is not a known to be a smoker, while her third husband Tim Mynett is. For another thing, the report was released by a group with known times to the GOP. As we have previously reported, Lazzaro has funneled more than $22,000 to political committees in California, Minnesota, Michigan, and New Mexico through Big Tent. He is a strong GOP supporter and has even met with Donald Trump and Mike Pence. Thirdly, The Mail has claimed the test links Omar and Elmi but does not provide any proof to back up the claim.

According to The Daily Mail, which broke the story, Lazzaro uploaded the test and an undated photo of Omar smoking on a website. We could not find this website, it doesn't appear to be linked on Lazzaro's Twitter or Instagram account. There is also no link available on the Big Tent PAC's website. It is unclear if it has since been taken down. "DailyMail.com understands that a shadowy Republican group was planning to release details of a DNA report in the next day or two," the publication wrote. Ever since the claims first emerged, Omar has been frequently targeted over the immigration "scam". Many believe she married her own brother so he could come to the US and study, bypassing the need to apply for a separate visa. The Lazzaro website reportedly says, "this is purely a crime of convenience, by an individual with extremely poor ethics now representing hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans in Congress."

It is important to note that Lazzaro was arrested, just over 12 hours after the report was published. He was arrested for trafficking five minors and has been slapped with five counts of sex trafficking of a minor, one count of attempting to do so, and three counts of obstruction of justice. It is not clear if Big Tent will release any further information on this matter, or provide conclusive proof. Omar is one of the several Dems in Congress the GOP are trying to unseat in 2022, in a bid to take back the House and Senate. So far, the biggest name to take on Omar is Danielle Stella, who had her Twitter account banned in 2019 for "violent rhetoric".

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Did Ilhan Omar REALLY marry her brother? DNA 'proof' lifts the lid on alleged immigration scam - MEAWW