The Squad

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merri ok

2 taKEN out by aipac?

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HUFFPO 5 26 MAGA Attack Ad Uses AI To Show Thomas Massie 'Cheating With The Squad' | HuffPost Latest News

A new campaign advertisement uses video generated by artificial intelligence to depict Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) in a romantic liaison with progressive Democratic women in the so-called Squad.

In the ad, made by a group aligned with President Donald Trump, a narrator accuses Massie of going against the president on key votes in Congress — while showing Massie going on a dinner date and then holding hands in a hotel lobby with Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

“Thomas Massie, caught in a throuple in Washington,” the ad’s narrator says. “He’s cheating with The Squad on the America First movement.”

It’s actually “worse than adultery,” the narrator says. “It’s a complete and total betrayal of president Trump and Kentucky conservatives.”

Massie is facing a Trump-backed challenger named Ed Gallrein in a Republican primary election this month. Limited polling suggests Massie holds a slim lead despite an onslaught of spending by Trump-aligned groups.

Omar called the ad despicable and said it should be taken down.

“Campaign attack ads are generally misleading, but AI-generated ads like this cross a line and should never have been allowed in the first place,” Omar said in a statement to HuffPost. “This ad must be taken down immediately.”

A spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a social media response, Massie called the ad disgusting and defamatory. “It reeks of desperation, but they’re hoping the older generation won’t realize it’s an AI generated lie,” Massie wrote.

The libertarian-leaning Republican has voted against several pieces of legislation that have been top Trump priorities, including a massive tax cut bill last year, because of his longstanding opposition to federal budget deficits. Democrats and members of The Squad have voted against the bills for different reasons. Massie also went against Trump by pushing for the release of the government’s files on sex predator Jeffrey Epstein.

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said the ad violates a law Congress passed last year intended to criminalize nonconsensual porn. The Take It Down Act outlawed the publication of intimate visual depictions or “digital forgeries” of identifiable people in an effort to cause them reputational harm.

“Thomas Massie NEVER dined, held hands with, or intimately engaged with AOC and Ilhan Omar,” Greene wrote on X. “Thomas Massie has voted with Trump 91% of the time EXCEPT when he’s pushing war, protecting Epstein pedophiles, violating your freedoms with warrantless spying FISA 702, or overspending your money into further ruinous debt!!!

Gallrein’s campaign and its allies have repeatedly suggested Massie is more at home with The Squad — the younger, highly visible progressive Democrats who happen to be women and minorities — than with his fellow Republicans.

Massie told HuffPost in an interview last month his closest friends in Congress are members of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus. He scoffed at the idea he’s actually intimate with Ocasio-Cortez and Omar.

“I don’t make enemies with anybody, because on any given day, you’re going to need their votes,” Massie said. “We don’t go out to dinner or have secret handshakes or anything like that.”

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prompted by no kings fail? mamdami?

mma

10/23/2025

Peter Montgomery

President Donald Trump has launched a new “Anti Communist Club,” a fundraising gimmick that doubles as a smear campaign against his political opponents, who he calls communists and the “radical left.”

The message sent to Trump supporters makes a mockery of MAGA leaders’ recent disingenuous warnings about the dangers of divisive rhetoric:

After careful consideration, I want to present you with the ANTI-COMMUNIST CLUB Membership! It’s the highest honor I can bestow upon such an important supporter who DESPISES the radical left!

This membership is not just for anyone; YOU qualified because your profile showed you HEAVILY DESPISE known Communists like Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and AOC!

Trump’s message says that would-be members must “PROVE you’re a TOP MAGA PATRIOT, and not a slimeball communist” by answering a few questions. The questions in Trump’s quiz lay the groundwork for justifying attacks on freedom of speech and academic freedom in pursuit of his “anti communist” mission. In addition to a couple questions about China, the quiz includes these:

Do you AGREE that Communism has NO PLACE in the United States of America?

YES – It’s evil and un-American

NO – I side with the Radical Left (disqualifies membership)

Do you SUPPORT President Trump’s plan to BAN Marxist indoctrination in schools and universities?

YES – Save our children

NO – Let the Left brainwash them

Should anyone caught BURNING the American flag be PUNISHED?

YES – 100%

NO – Free speech for Communists

Do you AGREE that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris pushed a SOFT COMMUNIST AGENDA on our country?

Absolutely

Not sure

No – I trusted them (disqualifies membership)

Would you SUPPORT President Trump declaring a National Anti-Communist Day to honor those who fought tyranny?

YES

NO

Which slogan BEST represents YOU?

GOD, GUNS, FREEDOM

COMMUNISM, CHAOS, CONTROL

Donations sent by MAGA supporters who want to join Trump’s new “club” go to Never Surrender Inc., Trump’s leadership PAC, which reported nearly $40 million cash on hand at the end of June.

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an 11 24

Democrats suffered their share of disappointments in the 2024 election when President-elect Donald Trump narrowly defeated Vice President Kamala Harris and Republicans flipped the U.S. Senate while holding their small majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Yet the Democratic Party's progressive wing was happy to see members of The Squad reelected, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York), Ayanna Pressley (D-Massachusetts), Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota).

Tlaib and Omar are both Muslims, and Randy Fine — a far-right MAGA Republican who is running in a special election in Florida's 6th U.S. Congressional District — singled them out in a threatening November 26 post on X, formerly Twitter.

Fine posted, "The 'Hebrew Hammer' is coming. @RashidaTlaib and @IlhanMN might consider leaving before I get there. #BombsAway."

The New Republic's Robert McCoy notes that attacking Muslims is nothing new for Fine.

McCoy explains, "Tlaib and Omar are two of just three Muslim members of Congress, and the only two Muslim women. Fine has a history of using demeaning rhetoric against Muslims and Palestinians and trafficking in Islamophobic tropes. In the past, he has said that 'we have a Muslim problem in America' and that 'while many Muslims are not terrorists, they are the radicals, not the mainstream.'"

The New Republic reporter adds, "In August 2021, when Fine was a representative in Florida's state House, the Council on American-Islamic Relations filed a complaint against him with the House Public Integrity and Ethics Committee, alleging that Fine 'violated his duty as an elected official' by 'encouraging his constituents to run over people at Palestinian advocacy protests,' 'call(ing) for the annihilation of the Palestinian people,' and direct-messaging a Floridian to 'blow yourself up,' among other instances of 'egregious conduct.'"

Fine is running for the U.S. House seat being vacated by Michael Waltz, who Trump has nominated for national security adviser.

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aoc wants open border to get hot guys says fox?

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AOC accused of hysterical overreaction to 1/5 she relates sex assault survivor; on floor of house? ~ MTG male dem leader steny hoyer shownd mtg poster squad B&W worst nightmare ar15 aviators // seal team action hero

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But another “AI” is already a threat to the 2024 elections, which will deepen during the current primary election season. The lobby organization, AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and its affiliated political groups are expected to spend $100 million this election cycle opposing candidates they feel insufficiently support Israel, which has intensified since the start of the war in Gaza. AIPAC’s related groups include AIPAC PAC; the United Democracy Project, its Super PAC; the Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI); and others.

AIPAC-related groups comprise the bulk of “Pro-Israel” organizations that have contributed this election cycle to leading Democrats and Republicans in Congress, as well presidential candidates. It’s not a surprise that recipients have been roaringly silent about Israeli atrocities in Gaza.

AIPAC entities threaten our elections and the limited degree of democracy that exists in this country in multiple ways.

The AIPAC entities have already begun spending money supporting conservative Democratic challengers running against incumbent progressive Congresspersons in the primaries, especially candidates of color, who tend to be the most progressive on economic, social and environmental issues and, relatively speaking, closest to their communities.

Particularly targeted are members of “The Squad” who are supportive of “democracy” issues such as voting rights, anti-gerrymandering, and campaign finance reform. It should be noted that progressive Democrats in the House of Representatives are among the strongest co-sponsors of the We the People Amendment, HJR54.

AIPAC-entity donors who are funding Democratic primaries include super rich Republicans, some of whom are billionaires. One is hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer, who bankrolled a free luxury vacation trip for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and later had cases before the High Court. Many donors are also Trump boosters.

AIPAC’s clear goal is to defeat every progressive Democrat it can this year. AIPAC also supports many Republican Congressional candidates, including many who voted against certifying the 2020 election. How exactly does all this further democracy?

Of course not all AIPAC funders are known. DMFI is a “dark money” group that’s not legally required to disclose their donors. It's spent millions in the last couple of election cycles against progressives and are spending six figures to air ads against Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian American member of Congress and vocal critic of Israel’s war in Gaza.

The enormous sum of expected AIPAC spending, especially in the primaries, may be too much to overcome, even for many progressive incumbents who are not flush with campaign cash. J Street, a progressive pro-Israel group that defended candidates against AIPAC in the 2022 primaries, can’t compete with AIPAC and will sit out the primaries. Curiously AIPAC in 2022 didn’t mention Israel in their targeted ads, but rather attacked incumbents on personal issues or on their progressive voting record.

Since constitutionally “money equals speech,” the AIPAC voice in their attack ads will drown out the political voices of all others. Hardly an element of a robust democracy.

It’s not just AIPAC. Money raised and spent in political elections continues to rise every election cycle with the majority of political investments coming from super wealthy individuals, PACs, Super PACs, and dark money groups. That’s every single election cycle with no end in sight.

Simply talking, emailing, Facebooking, Twittering/“X”ing, Instagramming or Tic Toking about it won’t change it. Nor is simply passing laws calling for greater financial disclosure or campaign finance “reform” that ignore the constitutional doctrines permitting corporate entities to spend money in elections and equating political money spent in elections as free speech.

Enacting the We the People Amendment will abolish the constitutional doctrines that “money equals speech” and “a corporation is a person.” The latter is not only applicable in elections, but across the board as corporate entities have hijacked multiple constitutional amendments permitted them to preempt democratic efforts to protect people. communities and the natural world.

Until HJR54 is enacted, our “democratic” political system will continue to be “deepfake,” something that looks, sounds and maybe feels real, but at its core is controlled by the super rich and corporate entities.

There will only be system change when we change it.

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1 24 kpfa going after squad plus 4 jamaal bowman in primary gop megadonors

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https://www.fox9.com/news/project-veritas-alleges-election-fraud-evidence-scant

kmsp minneapolis? local fox

Project Veritas alleges election fraud, evidence scant

By Tom Lyden Published September 28, 2020 Updated September 29, 2020PoliticsFOX 9

(FOX 9) - “This is the scene of the crime, in downtown Minneapolis,” said the guy in the leather jacket against a backdrop of the city’s skyline.

James O’Keefe, of the conservative propaganda operation Project Veritas, was back in the public spotlight and once again making an incendiary allegation: There was major election fraud in Minneapolis.

[pix?]

Project Veritas alleges election fraud, evidence scant

A Project Veritas video alleges election fraud involving Rep. Ilhan Omar, yet the evidence is scant.

One problem: The hard evidence of cash in exchange for votes was lacking, and some of the other conduct of collecting ballots might be perfectly legal.

The meat of the Project Veritas report, posted on YouTube Sunday night, was a Snapchat video from the brother of newly elected City Councilman Jamal Hassan. In the video, Liban Mohamed, is seen driving his car and bragging about money in politics with what appears to be dozens of mailed in ballots.

“Money is everything. Money is the king of this world. If you don’t have money you should not be here. Period,” said Liban Mohamed in the video. Attempts to reach Liban Mohamed through his social media accounts were not successful.

For O’Keefe the implication was clear: Money was being exchanged for votes, and those ballots were being "harvested."

But the full context of the video is unclear. Were the ballots sealed? Had they already been filled out? Where did the ballots come from?

And the timing of that video may be critical. The practice of turning in ballots that are not your own – or, "harvesting" – was in flux this summer with three separate court decisions.

Historically in Minnesota, there has been a three-person limit for bringing in other people’s ballots. But in July a district court ruling invalidated that limitation. The Minnesota Supreme Court reversed the ruling in September, but that was after the primary on August 11.

The court rulings created a window where the three-person limit was not enforced from July 28 through August 11. Project Veritas claims Liban Mohamed’s Snapchat video was posted outside that window on July 2.

The video was buttressed by an interview with a controversial community activist, Omar Jamal. Jamal speculated, without evidence, that the campaign of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was behind the ballot harvesting.

In surreptitiously recorded video, other anonymous figures echo those sentiments in the story.

On Monday, Jamal had set-up a fundraising page as the “Project Veritas Insider,” raising $14,000.

President Donald Trump, who has been suggesting that voter fraud is rampant, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, tweeted about the Project Veritas story: “This is totally illegal. Hope that the U.S. Attorney in Minnesota has this, and other of her (Ilhan Omar) misdeeds, under serious review???”

GOP leaders in Minnesota called for the Minnesota Secretary of State to investigate the allegations.

A spokesperson for Secretary of State Steve Simon, who was recognizing Yom Kippur, said, “Our office does not make determinations of legality, nor do we have investigative authority.”

The spokesperson suggested anyone with evidence of election fraud go to the appropriate county attorney.

But the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said it “… has received no information of cases involving so-called ballot harvesting in any elections.” The office suggested those who do have information go to Minneapolis Police.

A Minneapolis Police spokesperson said, “We are in the process of looking into the validity of those statements,” in the Project Veritas report.

Congresswoman Omar, who won her primary in a landslide by 35,000 votes, said in a statement, “the amount of truth to this story is equal to the amount Donald Trump paid in taxes in 10 out of the last 15 years: zero.”

The timing of the report is certainly curious. The Project Veritas story was posted Sunday night, around the same time the New York Times rolled with its story about Trump’s history of avoiding federal income tax.

O’Keefe has a long resume of disinformation, entrapment, and working in concert with Republican operatives. In fact, O’Keefe recently met with the Chairman of Trump’s Minnesota campaign.

On Monday night Project Veritas released a second part of their investigation that purports to show a ‘ballot harvester’ allegedly connected to Congresswoman Omar giving an unidentified man $200 in exchange for a vote. But the exact circumstances and nature of the light-hearted, joking exchange is unclear.

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an 7 22

pro-Israel lobby groups have spent “shocking” amounts of money to change the course of multiple Democratic congressional primariesover the past year alone, reports our guest Peter Beinart. The latest is in Maryland, where former Congressmember Donna Edwards is being outspent sevenfold by corporate attorney Glenn Ivey in her bid to win back her old seat in the state’s 4th Congressional District. Beinart, the editor-at-large of Jewish Currents, says the AIPAC-led PACs disguise their attack ads with local issues but in reality are designed to oust candidates who take stances in support of Palestinian rights and working people.

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.

Today is Primary Day in Maryland. In one closely watched race, former Congressmember Donna Edwards is seeking to win back her old seat in Maryland’s 4th Congressional District, outside Washington, D.C. She is facing the corporate attorney Glenn Ivey, who has raised seven times as much money. The New York Times reports a new super PAC run by AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, has spent nearly $6 million on the primary race in an attempt to defeat Edwards, who served in Congress for four terms ending in 2017. In 2008, Donna Edwards made history becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress from Maryland. Another group with ties to AIPAC, the Democratic Majority for Israel, has spent over $425,000 to help defeat Edwards. The two groups also poured money into efforts to defeat other progressive Democrats, including Nina Turner in Ohio and Jessica Cisneros in Texas.

We’re joined now by Peter Beinart, editor-at-large with Jewish Currents. He recently wrote an article headlined “The Israel Lobby’s New Campaign Playbook.” Peter Beinart is a professor at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at City University of New York.

Thanks so much for joining us, Peter. Can you talk about what Donna Edwards is confronting right now in Maryland, the level of money that’s being poured in to defeat her?

PETER BEINART: It’s really extraordinary for a House race to see one organization, one super PAC, spending almost $6 million. What we’re seeing across the country is that AIPAC’s super PAC is often spending as much as the campaigns themselves are spending. Partly this is the result of Citizens United,the Supreme Court decision in 2010 that created super PACs, which are these entities that can accept unlimited amounts of money and spend unlimited money as long as they are theoretically not coordinated with the campaign. And it’s also the result of the fact that AIPAC and allied establishment pro-Israel organizations saw a threat starting in 2019, when people like Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were elected to Congress, and have decided to spend virtually unlimited amounts of money to ensure that their brand of politics, which is more pro-Palestinian rights, but which is also more progressive on economic issues, does not become the future of the Democratic Party.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Peter, could you talk about what you discovered in terms of connections or ties between groups like Mainstream Democrats and other pro-Israel lobbyists, like the Democratic Majority for Israel?

PETER BEINART: Yes. One of the things that I found is that very often when these establishment pro-Israel organizations target a progressive candidate, those candidates are also targeted by groups that are not focused on Israel-Palestine but simply want to defeat that person because that person may be to progressive on questions of healthcare, or they may support the Green New Deal.

So, there’s a group called Mainstream Democrats. If you look at their website, it says nothing about Israel-Palestine whatsoever. It just says it doesn’t want the Democratic Party to be taken over by far-left groups. But Mainstream Democrats is actually run by Democratic Majority for Israel. So what you see is this very, very close alliance. They work out of the same offices with the same staff, so, essentially, this extremely close relationship between groups that want to defeat progressives because they support Palestinian rights, and groups that just want to defeat progressives because they essentially want the Democratic Party to be dominated by people like Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, who will do the bidding of the fossil fuel industry, the healthcare industry, the financial services industry.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And how successful have these efforts been in the past? Amy mentioned the races of Nina Turner in Ohio and Jessica Cisneros in Texas, both of whom were targeted by AIPAC and both of whom lost their races. What’s been the track record of these efforts?

PETER BEINART: These efforts, sadly, have been very successful. There have been a couple of races — one in Pennsylvania, one in Illinois — where the progressive candidates were able to win. But in most cases, the candidates targeted have lost. And even when the targeted candidates don’t lose, it has a chilling effect. Politicians out there see this and think, “I do not want millions and millions of dollars dumped into a House race against me,” and so what it tends to do is lead candidates who might be more inclined to take progressive positions on Palestinian rights or on other issues to instead keep their heads down and not take those positions in order to try to avoid the kind of attacks that other progressives have faced.

AMY GOODMAN: So, let me ask you, back on Donna Edwards’ race, Peter — you have the speaker of the House, right, Nancy Pelosi, who actually comes from Maryland, though she represents San Francisco, coming out in full support of Donna Edwards. Now, while most of the big money spent in the race has come from AIPAC-aligned super PAC, the ads funded by the so-called United Democracy Project don’t mention the Middle East. And I wanted then to talk about Nancy Pelosi, who really came out and attacked the kind of money, the attack ads by the AIPAC-aligned groups, like United Democracy Project, prompting this response in June from House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi. This is what she said.

SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI: When Donna Edwards first represented Maryland’s 4th Congressional District — and that was for nearly a decade — she was one of the most effective members in Congress. Donna fought hard for Prince George’s County, for jobs and investments in her community, to help constituents in need and to deliver results. As speaker and then as leader, I knew I could always count on Donna Edwards as a valued member of our leadership team.

AMY GOODMAN: So, that’s Nancy Pelosi endorsing Donna Edwards. Now, the ads often, and the candidates who are supported by these massive — I mean, the massive amount of money, millions, in the case of this campaign, going to her opponent — they’re not raising the issue of Israel and Palestine, right? And also, let’s be clear: There are other pro-Israel groups, like J Street, more progressive, that supports Donna Edwards.

PETER BEINART: Yes, but J Street doesn’t have — only has a small fraction of the amount of money that AIPAC and Democratic Majority for Israel have on the other side. But you’re exactly right. In almost none of these races do the attack ads actually have anything to do with the actual agenda of the organizations that are paying for them. And that’s because AIPAC and DMFI know that not very many voters in these districts actually really care that much about Israel-Palestine. They care about local issues.

So, what AIPAC does is it — and DMFI do, they do poll testing. And they attack people on these kind of — whatever they think may gain traction. So, in Ohio, in the Nina Turner race, because Nina Turner was a Bernie Sanders supporter who had been critical of Joe Biden, they painted her as not a loyal Democrat. In the case of Donna Edwards, they’re claiming that she didn’t provide good constituent service when she was the congresswoman early on — as if AIPAC or DMFI could care less about the level of constituent service that Donna Edwards provided to her constituents when she was a congresswoman. I mean, it’s transparent nonsense, right? It’s just that this is their vehicle for trying to defeat her, because Donna Edwards in the past has shown some minimal — right? She’s hardly radical on this subject — but just some modest concern for Palestinian human rights. For that reason, they want to defeat her.

AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about the role of Bakari Sellers in these campaigns?

PETER BEINART: Yes. So, Bakari Sellers is a former South Carolina politician with close ties to AIPAC who has been — now heads another super PAC that is devoted primarily at this point to defeating Rashida Tlaib in Michigan. And its claim is that it’s an organization that wants to elect Black Democrats. And Rashida Tlaibhas a Black opponent, but, again, this is also transparent nonsense — as if AIPAC and its donors are really concerned about increasing Black representation.

They’re going after Rashida Tlaib for one reason only: because she’s a Palestinian member of Congress who is a passionate and eloquent defender of the humanity of Palestinians, and she brings that issue to the fore in Congress like no one else does. But again, because that agenda itself, if laid out nakedly, would not be very popular, you have these transparent claims that it’s really about something else — in this way, about the claim that somehow because she’s not Black, she can’t represent a district in Michigan, even though, in fact, she has strong Black support and has been a very, very tireless defender of the people in her district of all races.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Peter, interestingly, there is also a governor’s race in Maryland, and both competitive primaries in both the Democratic and the Republican parties to elect a successor to the Republican Governor Hogan. But has AIPAC been involved in those races at all, or is it only concentrating on these congressional races?

PETER BEINART: AIPAC’s focus has overwhelmingly been not just in congressional races, but in Democratic primaries in congressional races. AIPAC’s assessment has been that because of partisan polarization, there are fewer swing districts, which means that more often than in the past the member of Congress is chosen in the primary. They also have noticed that there are an unusually large number of open House seats this year because of redistrict and retirement. And they like to do open House races, because once an incumbent has been elected in our system, they can be difficult to dislodge. So what this play is really about is trying to create a whole new generation of younger Democrats in Congress who will toe the AIPAC line on Israel-Palestine, also in many, many cases, also take a kind of more pro-corporate position, and therefore blunt the trend that we were seeing towards the Democratic Party moving in a more progressive direction.

AMY GOODMAN: We just have 30 seconds, but this is new, right, AIPAC having this kind of super PAC?

PETER BEINART: Yes. AIPAC, despite its name, never had a political action committee,but it saw, essentially, that it needed to roll out the big guns in response to the trends that we saw with the election of the Squad members. And it has extraordinary financial resources at its disposal. Several people, for instance, have given a million — written million-dollar checks already, and the money is still being tabulated.

AMY GOODMAN: Peter Beinart, editor-at-large of Jewish Currents. We’ll link to your new piece, “Israel Lobby’s New Campaign Playbook: Israel advocacy groups have developed strategies to raise huge sums for their candidates by appealing to corporate interests.”

Coming up, we turn to the pioneering legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, who has launched a counteroffensive against right-wing attacks targeting critical race theory. It is Freedom Summer this week around the country. That’s right, a summer school for CRT. Stay with us.

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funny, i think it was harvard fascist guy or something on alt rt milita portland kenosha suggested next phase is round up dem leaders // Qanon:

https://www.alternet.org/2020/09/gop-candidate-and-qanon-supporter-posts-threatening-picture-targeting-democratic-lawmakers/

no pix twt

one of the summer’s biggest political shockers came when QAnon extremist Marjorie Taylor Greene won a GOP congressional primary in Georgia. Considering how overwhelmingly Republican her district is, she is likely to win the general election and be sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives in January — and Greene, who has a history of racist, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic remarks, now appears to be directing threatening congresswomen of color she is likely to be colleagues with next year.

On her Facebook page, Greene posted an image of herself holding a gun alongside images of three Democratic progressives — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York City, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota — and wrote: “We need strong conservative Christians to go on the offense against these socialists who want to rip our country apart.”

Facebook removed Greene’s post, describing it as a terms of service violation. And Omar is speaking out about the post, accusing her of inciting violence.

Omar tweeted, “Posting a photo with an assault rifle next to the faces of three women of color is not advertising. It’s incitement. There are already death threats in response to this post. Facebook should remove this violent provocation.”

In a different Facebook post attacking those congresswomen, Greene wrote, “Hate America leftists want to take this country down. Politicians have failed this country. I’m tired of seeing weak, establishment Republicans play defense. Our country is on the line. America needs fighters who speak the truth.”

Given Greene’s willingness to promote the unhinged QAnon conspiracy cult, Omar is right to be concerned. QAnon believes that an international ring of pedophiles and Satanists has infiltrated the United States’ federal government and that President Donald Trump was chosen to combat the ring. The “Q” is a reference to an anonymous figure who supporters of the cult believe is giving them updates on Trump’s battle. And the FBI has linked QAnon to acts of violence.”

Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib and Omar, along with Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, comprise the four congresswomen of color who are known as The Squad in the House. All of them were elected during the huge blue wave in the 2018 midterms that gave Democrats control of the House.

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an 6 22

some establishment Republicans, when asked about the far-right extremism of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia or Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, will engage in “whataboutism” — saying, “What about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Ilhan Omar?” It’s a weak, totally disingenuous attempt to downplay the radicalization of the GOP; AOC and Omar can be combative debaters, but they haven’t threatened anyone — and they obviously want to have a conversationwith those they disagree with, not intimidate them into silence.

Nonetheless, bogus “whataboutist” comparisons of the AOC/Omar/Rashida Tlaib wing of the Democratic Party and the Greene/Gosar/Lauren Boebert wing of the GOP are common among establishment Republicans. But in an op-ed written by the New York Times’ Thomas B. Edsall and published on June 8, a GOP staffer offered a very different — and more honest and accurate — take on the Democratic Party’s left versus the “MAGA Caucus.”

The Republican staffer, described by Edsall as “high-ranking” and interviewed on condition of anonymity, told the journalist, “They are different in that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and The ‘Squad’ seem to me to be more ‘idealist.’ They actually do want to legislate/accomplish the very far-left social ideas they propose. They are willing to cause Pelosi headaches, but they have shown they are not going to go so far as to jeopardize the government (operations) and safety net that so many families depend on from a working government.”

The staffer went on to tell Edsall, “The ‘MAGA Caucus’ members operate more like bullies — legislative bullies. If they have the opportunity, they will gladly hold bills/government funding hostage for the sake of populism and social media. They would take pride in ‘shooting the hostage’ as that would be very popular with their tribal base and their social media.”

The Squad refers to a left/populist alliance of four Bernie Sanders allies, all Democrats, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives: AOC, Omar, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts. The name “MAGA Caucus” is typically used to describe Greene, Boebert, Gosar, Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina (who recently lost a GOP primary) and other MAGA extremists in the House.

Referring to The Squad as “far left” is misleading; their idea of “socialism” is the social democracy of Sweden, Norway and Denmark, not communism as it is practiced in Cuba or North Korea. Nonetheless, the GOP staffer generally made a good-faith argument — the type that is usually absent when Republicans appear on Fox News or Fox Business.

“The Squad and the MAGA Caucus are best known for their most visible members, Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia,” Edsall explains. “Both factions have caused major headaches for their respective party leaders.”

Edsall continues, “Centrist Democrats contend — citing poll data from USA Today Ipsos, Pew Research, a FiveThirtyEight polling summary and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst Survey — that support from members of The Squad and their allies for defunding the police has undermined the reelection chances of moderate House Democrats running in purple districts. The participation of members of the MAGA Caucus in events linked to White supremacists have increased the vulnerability of the Republican Party to charges of racism, alienating moderate suburban voters.”

Edsall, adds, however, that there are “major dissimilarities” between The Squad’s methods and the Maga Caucus’ methods.

John Lawrence, former chief of staff to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, told Edsall, “The MAGA people seem far more focused on personal celebrity and staking out extremist stances, whereas The Squad — while pushing the policy envelope to some extent — remain reliable party members.”

Norman Ornstein and Thomas Mann, authors of the book “It’s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism,” also offered Edsall a Squad/MAGA Caucus comparison — and saw enormous differences between the two.

Mann told Edsall, “The MAGA Caucus is anti-democratic, authoritarian and completely divorced from reality and truth. The Squad embraces left views well within the democratic spectrum. What’s striking about the MAGA Caucus is that they are closer to the Republican mainstream these days, given the reticence of Republican officeholders to challenge Trump. We worry about the future of American democracy because the entire Republican Party has gone AWOL. The crazy extremists have taken over one of our two major parties.”

Ornstein told Edsall, “The true believers…. think Trump won, that there is rampant voter fraud, the country needs a caudillo, we have to crack down on trans people, critical race theory is an evil sweeping the country and more. The Squad is certainly on the left end of the party, but they do not have authoritarian tendencies and views.”

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https://www.alternet.org/2019/10/house-dems-take-aim-at-trust-fund-babies-with-estate-tax-designed-to-combat-obscene-wealth-inequality/

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House Dems take aim at ‘trust fund babies’ with estate tax designed to combat obscene wealth inequality

Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump addresses the G20 Women’s Empowerment Event in Osaka, Japan, Saturday, June 29 2019. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

Written by Common Dreams October 26, 2019

California Congressman Jimmy Gomez on Friday introduced legislation in the Democrat-controlled U.S. House that aims to address “our country’s rapidly increasing wealth inequality by strengthening the estate tax and ensuring the wealthiest among us pay their fair share.”

“Trust fund babies who have done nothing to earn their wealth besides being born into the right family have no right to pay a lower tax rate on their millions than hard-working Americans do on the income that they work for.”

—Charlie Simmons, Patriotic Millionaires

The For the 99.8% Act would impose a progressive tax on the estates of the richest Americans. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, introduced the companion bill in the Republican-controlled Senate in January.

Under the bill, “the families of all 588 billionaires in America would owe up to $2.2 trillion in estate taxes, amounting to revenue that can be used to address critical needs for working families and the most vulnerable among us,” according to Gomez’s office.

“The ever-widening gap between the ultra-rich and the rest of us has reached alarming proportions and demands a strong legislative response,” Gomez, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, said in a statement. “No longer can we allow this structural power imbalance—one where the billionaire-class hoards the very wealth working families helped to create—define our nation’s values and priorities.”

Gomez also thanked Sanders “for joining me in our shared mission to level the economic playing field for the working-class and transform our economy into one that works for every American.”

“No longer can we allow this structural power imbalance… define our nation’s values and priorities.”

—Rep. Jimmy Gomez

“We are facing levels of inequality not seen since the Gilded Age of the robber barons, where the top one-tenth of one percent owns about as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent,” Sanders said Friday. “The richest 400 billionaires pay lower taxes than everyone else. In my view, this obscene inequality in wealth and political power is not compatible with a democratic society.”

The White House hopeful added that “I am proud that Rep. Gomez is leading three dozen members of the House in introducing the For The 99.8% Act to tax today’s dynasty trusts and curb their power, while raising trillions of dollars for the essential programs we need as a country.”

The House bill’s 37 original co-sponsors include Democratic Reps. Pramila Jayapal (Wash.) and Mark Pocan (Wis.) as well as the four freshmen congresswomen collectively known as “the Squad,” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.).

The bill is also backed by 80 national organizations that sent a letter of support to Congress Friday. The letter highlighted various provisions of the bill and pointed out that “the public overwhelmingly favors raising taxes on the wealthy—typically by a margin of 2 to 1.”

“In my view, this obscene inequality in wealth and political power is not compatible with a democratic society.”

—Sen. Bernie Sanders

Americans for Tax Fairness executive director Frank Clemente, whose group signed on to the letter, called the legislation “a critical step” toward creating “an economy that works for all of us, not just the wealthy few.”

“It will raise well over $300 billion,” Clemente noted, “that can be used to help people afford healthcare, improve our schools, and rebuild crumbling infrastructure across the country.”

Patriotic Millionaires also signed the support letter. Retired tech executive Charlie Simmons, a member of the group, said in a statement that “as a millionaire who will end up paying the estate tax, I say that we should expand it.”

“Tax my estate,” said Simmons. “Trust fund babies who have done nothing to earn their wealth besides being born into the right family have no right to pay a lower tax rate on their millions than hard-working Americans do on the income that they work for.”

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### Fox Business guest Zuhdi Jasser suggests that Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib want all Israelis dead

08/16/19

### Fox contributor Marc Thiessen: Reps. Omar and Tlaib are comparable to the Nazis who marched in Charlottesville

https://www.alternet.org/2019/08/a-shameful-unprecedented-move-politicians-foreign-policy-experts-react-to-israels-decision-to-ban-omar-and-tlaib-after-trump-push/

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‘A shameful, unprecedented move’: Politicians, foreign policy experts react to Israel’s decision to ban Omar and Tlaib after Trump push

Written by Alex Henderson August 15, 2019

Earlier this week, Axios reported that Israeli authorities had seemingly given the green light to a visit by Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. But President Donald Trump urged Israeli authorities to bar the Democratic congresswomen from visiting the country, and the Israeli government won’t be letting them visit after all. This has sparked some angry reactions, with critics asserting that Trump seriously crossed the line by urging Israel to not let two U.S. lawmakers visit.

Ilan Goldenberg of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) has been a vehement critic of the decision and the role Trump played it in, devoting an entire Twitter thread to the subject.

“Trump’s support for banning Tlaib and Omar opens up a can of worms for members of Congress traveling all over the world,” Goldenberg warned. And according to Goldenberg, Israeli leader Bibi Netanyahu should think twice about the decision because “many governments may now find it much easier to deny far-right-wing members of Bibi’s government entry.”

Ilan Goldenberg

1. The decision by Israel to ban Tlaib & Omar is unprecedented and a massive slap in the face of the US Congress.Bibi, Trump & their allies seem determined to end the bipartisan nature of the US-Israel relationship for their own short-term political benefit.

Rep. Justin Amash (a Michigan conservative and frequent Trump critic) tweeted that Israel’s government “should stand up to President Trump and allow our colleagues to visit.” Amash added that although “nobody has to agree with” Tlaib and Omar’s views, “it will inevitably harm U.S.-Israel relations if members of Congress are banned from the country.”

Condemnation of Israel’s decision has come from both the left and the right. On the left, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont condemned Israel’s decision in no uncertain terms, denouncing it on Twitter as “a sign of enormous disrespect to these elected leaders, to the United States Congress, and to the principles of democracy.” And Sen. Elizabeth Warren denounced it as “a shameful, unprecedented move.”

Rep. Jerry Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, was equally forceful in his comments, officially stating, “I strongly condemn this decision by the Israeli government, which undermines the ability for our two allied countries to have the frank, open and, at times, difficult discussions.” And Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro denounced Israel’s decision as “appalling.”

@justinamash

Israel should stand up to President Trump and allow our colleagues to visit. Nobody has to agree with their opinions, but it will inevitably harm U.S.-Israel relations if members of Congress are banned from the country. We must find ways to come together; there’s enough division.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) criticized Omar and Tlaib’s views but nonetheless disagreed with barring them from entering Israel, tweeting that “every member of Congress should be able to visit and experience our democratic ally Israel firsthand.” And El Paso-based activist Bobby Sands essentially agreed with AIPAC’s post but wanted them to “speak LOUDER.”

Bernie Sanders

Banning Congresswomen Omar and Tlaib from entering Israel and Palestine is a sign of enormous disrespect to these elected leaders, to the United States Congress, and to the principles of democracy. The Israeli government should reverse this decision and allow them in. https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1162010358275629061 …

Reuters Top News

@Reuters

Israel has decided to bar a visit by U.S. congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar

Embedded video

Elizabeth Warren

Israel doesn't advance its case as a tolerant democracy or unwavering US ally by barring elected members of Congress from visiting because of their political views. This would be a shameful, unprecedented move. I urge Israel’s government to allow @IlhanMN and @RashidaTlaib entry.

@sethmoulton

Donald Trump says that two sitting U.S. Congresswomen hate all Jews but he says that literal Nazis can be very fine people.

You tell me who’s the disgrace. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1162000480681287683 …

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump

It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep.Tlaib to visit. They hate Israel & all Jewish people, & there is nothing that can be said or done to change their minds. Minnesota and Michigan will have a hard time putting them back in office. They are a disgrace!

ABC News

@ABC

Replying to @ABC

MORE: Several reports indicate the Israeli government was considering to block them on the grounds that they had backed the "boycott, sanctions and divestment" movement against Israel. https://abcn.ws/2yZvpL5

Reps. Omar and Tlaib will not be allowed to enter Israel

Israel announced it plans to block U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.

abcnews.go.com

ABC News

@ABC

NEW: Rep. Jerry Nadler:

"I strongly condemn this decision by the Israeli government, which undermines the ability for our two allied countries to have the frank, open and, at times, difficult discussions." http://abcn.ws/2yZvpL5

Yaakov Katz, editor of the Jerusalem Post, reacted angrily to a Trump tweet urging Israel to not let Tlaib and Omar visit. Katz tweeted that Trump’s tweet “causes Israel immense damage” and went on to say that “for decades, Israel has strived and worked hard to enjoy U.S. bipartisan support. Trump, b/c of politics, wants to stop that.”

Business reporter Christiaan Hetzner, based in Frankfurt, Germany, tweeted, “Trump is radioactive, and everyone who gets in bed with this administration becomes contaminated. No one has been quicker to bask in its cold glow than Netanyahu.”

Yaakov Katz

@yaakovkatz

This tweet causes Israel immense damage. For decades Israel has strived and worked hard to enjoy US bipartisan support. Trump, b/c of politics, wants to stop that. Netanyahu has an obligation as @IsraeliPM to try & prevent Israel from turning into a one-party partisan issue. https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1162000480681287683 …

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump

It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep.Tlaib to visit. They hate Israel & all Jewish people, & there is nothing that can be said or done to change their minds. Minnesota and Michigan will have a hard time putting them back in office. They are a disgrace!

Christiaan Hetzner

@christiaanhtznr

Trump is radioactive and everyone who gets in bed with this administration becomes contaminated. No one has been quicker to bask in its cold glow than Netanyahu.

Yet Israel’s lurch towards the far-right, as it doubles down on the occupation, also poses a major risk to US ties.

@yaakovkatz

ilhan and AOC death threat

twitter fight?

‘Full-on Klan’: Internet stomps Lindsey Graham for backing Trump’s racism and calling Democratic congresswomen ‘anti-America’

Tom Boggioni / Raw StoryJuly 15, 2019

Sen. Lindsey Graham tried to have it both ways while Trump’s racist comments about four Democratic lawmakers who the president thinks should go back where they came from.

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Using their “public whatever,” Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Pressley, and Tlaib pushed back against Pelosi’s comments, bringing themselves to the forefront of the news cycle.

Tucker Carlson was waiting for them. The Fox News host devoted time on his first two shows of the week to making clear that he feels the lawmakers are speaking out of turn. Considering Carlson’s history of attacking immigrants and people of color, it isn’t difficult to figure out why.

On Tuesday night, Carlson took aim at Omar, an immigrant from Somalia who last November became (along with Tlaib) the first Muslim woman elected to Congress. Like her colleagues who voted against the bill, Omar has been a vocal critic of the conditions of federal facilities housing migrants at the border.

“Omar isn’t disappointed by America, she’s enraged by it,” Carlson said. “This is an immoral country, she says. She has undisguised contempt for the United States and its people. This should worry you, and not just because Omar is now a sitting member of Congress. Ilhan Omar is living proof that the way we practice immigration has become dangerous to this country. A system designed to strengthen America is instead undermining it. Some of the very people we try hardest to help have come to hate us passionately."

Feigning confusion, Carlson then wondered if maybe America should be asking more of its immigrants, or if the nation should stop “importing” people nations whose “values are antithetical” to those of the United States. “No country can import large numbers of people who hate it and expect to survive,” he said, going on to call Omar a “fire alarm” signaling what could happen if America doesn’t change its immigration system — presumably to keep out anyone who won’t swear a blood oath to defend the Trump administration’s treatment of migrants at the border.

Omar was quick to respond to the segment. “Not gonna lie, it’s kinda fun watching a racist fool like this weeping about my presence in Congress,” she tweeted. “No lies will stamp out my love for this country or my resolve to make our union more perfect. They will just have to get used to calling me Congresswoman!”

A night earlier, Carlson attacked Reps. Tlaib and Ocasio-Cortez, calling their suggestion that more women of color should be represented in Congress “repugnant.”

“Give us power because of our skin color,” he said. “By definition, it is a racist pitch. It’s every bit as repugnant as a white candidate making the same appeal. Many Democrats did make that appeal, that racial appeal, under Jim Crow: Vote for me because of my race. It’s disgusting.”