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McCarthy Bluntly Dispels Right-Wing Chatter About Biden 'Dementia'

By Sarah K. Burris

"He's got dementia," claims radio host Joe Rogan about President Joe Biden.

Donald Trump joined in the attacks, crafting a whole new conspiracy theory: "Joe Biden's second bout of Covid, sometimes referred to as the China Virus, was sadly misdiagnosed by his doctors. He instead has Dementia, but is happily recovering well," Trump wrote. "Joe is thinking of moving, part time, to one of those beautiful Wisconsin Nursing Homes, where almost 100% of the residents miraculously, and for the first time in history, had the strength and energy to vote — even if those votes were cast illegally."

For years, Trump called Biden "sleepy Joe."

Trump aide Stephen Miller said Biden should be in “assisted living” and “is not cognitively present.”

But it seems Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) isn't on message.

Asked about Biden, McCarthy said: "I thought his team was very professional, very smart, very tough, at the same time, so...." The fact that McCarthy said "team" threw reporters off. They asked again, specifically about Biden. "What I was referring to was the president. I was talking about President Biden, yes."

Listening to a few Biden speeches, namely his big Warsaw speech in February 2023, Desert News columnist Jacob Hess, said that there's evidence of Biden's stutter and some slurred words. Folks are forgetting Biden's decades of gaffes. It became an ongoing joke during Barack Obama's administration, where Biden would tell a crowd "The problem isn't I mean what I say, it's that sometimes I say what I mean." It's a joke about politicians holding back their thoughts or being calculated. Biden, Hess explained, could never be that guy.

"Often catches himself and turns it into a joke, like when he said'saloon' instead of salon, or offered $100K for citizens to get vaccinated. You might have also missed how the president handled hecklers with notable grace and patience at the recent State of the Union," Hess said.

See the McCarthy comments in the video below or at the link here.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Whistleblower Urges Probe Of Law Firms' Huge Payments To Chief Justice's Wife

By Gideon Rubin

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts’ wife earned $10.3 million in commissions for her work for elite law firms, one of which argued a case before her husband, Business Insider reports.

Jane Sullivan Roberts stepped away from her career as a prominent lawyer two years after her husband’s confirmation to the Supreme Court to become a legal recruiter, matching job-seeking lawyers with employers in what turned out to be a lucrative career change.

She made $10.3 million in commissions from 2007 to 2014, according to a whistleblower complaint, which cites internal records that were obtained from her employer by a disgruntled former colleague of Jane Roberts.

Kendal B. Price, the whistleblower who worked with Roberts at the firm Major, Lindsey & Africa, said as the chief justice’s wife, income Jane Roberts earns from law firms who try cases before the court should be subject to scrutiny.

"When I found out that the spouse of the chief justice was soliciting business from law firms, I knew immediately that it was wrong,” Price told Business Insider.

"During the time I was there, I was discouraged from ever raising the issue. And I realized that even the law firms who were Jane's clients had nowhere to go. They were being asked by the spouse of the chief justice for business worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and there was no one to complain to. Most of these firms were likely appearing or seeking to appear before the Supreme Court. It's natural that they'd do anything they felt was necessary to be competitive."

Price in an affidavit that accompanied the complaint alleged that Jane Roberts benefited from her proximity to the chief justice.

"She restructured her career to benefit from his [John Roberts'] position," Price wrote.

"I believe that at least some of her remarkable success as a recruiter has come because of her spouse's position."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Trump Troll Mackey Convicted In 2016 Election Rigging Plot

A social media influencer was convicted Friday in connection with a plot to undermine Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, the Justice Department said.

Douglass Mackey, also known as “Ricky Vaughn,” was convicted of conspiracy against rights for a “scheme to deprive individuals of their constitutional right to vote,” the agency said.

Mackey faces up to 10 years in prison.

“Mackey has been found guilty by a jury of his peers of attempting to deprive individuals from exercising their sacred right to vote for the candidate of their choice in the 2016 Presidential Election,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace of the Eastern District of New York said in a news release.

“Today’s verdict proves that the defendant’s fraudulent actions crossed a line into criminality and flatly rejects his cynical attempt to use the constitutional right of free speech as a shield for his scheme to subvert the ballot box and suppress the vote.”

Mackey amassed some 58,000 Twitter followers and was ranked as the 107th most important influencer ahead of the presidential election in February, 2016, by the MIT Media Lab.

Prosecutors alleged that Mackey in the months leading up to the 2016 election conspired with other influential Twitter users, among others, to spread disinformation encouraging Clinton supporters to cast invalid votes via text message or social media, the DOJ said.

In the days leading up to the election, Mackey sent tweets suggesting the importance of limiting “black turnout,” tweeting an image depicting an African American woman standing in front of an “African Americans for Hillary” sign.

The ad stated: “Avoid the Line. Vote from Home,” “Text ‘Hillary’ to 59925,” and “Vote for Hillary and be a part of history.”

The fine print at the bottom of the deceptive image stated: “Must be 18 or older to vote. One vote per person. Must be a legal citizen of the United States. Voting by text not available in Guam, Puerto Rico, Alaska or Hawaii. Paid for by Hillary For President 2016.”

The tweet included the “#ImWithHer” hashtag.

At least 4,900 unique telephone numbers texted “Hillary” or some variant of the 59925 text number, which had been used in multiple deceptive campaign images tweeted by Mackey and his co-conspirators.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

WATCH: Leaked Footage Reveals Trump Allies Planning To Harvest Ballots

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

Leaked footage from a right-wing organization reportedly shows multiple allies of President Donald Trump advocating for ballot harvesting despite the president constantly accusing Democratic voters of doing so.

With less than 25 days to Election Day, Republican activist Charlie Kirk spoke during a closed-door gathering of conservatives hosted by the Council for National Policy (CNP) where he appeared to praise the impact coronavirus will have on the election. According to Kirk, COVID may prohibit many liberal college students from voting in the upcoming election.

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USPS Special Agents Find Massive Amount Of Undelivered Mail At QAnon Postal Worker's Home

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

United States Postal Service (USPS) special agents reportedly discovered large amounts of undelivered mail after raiding the home of a mail carrier who aligns with the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon.

A total of eight large garbage bags—believed to be filled with undelivered mail—were confiscated from the home of USPS mail carrier, Sean J. Troesch, according to KDKA. Following the raid, the USPS Office of Inspector General confirmed agents had retrieved "several classes of mail," some of which were first class mail pieces.

"Special Agents recovered several different classes of mail, including business mail, flats, and small amount of first class mail. We expect to perform a piece count of the mail tomorrow, and make arrangements to have the mail delivered to customers as soon as feasible," the statement said.

Troesch's neighbors also revealed this was not the first time they had seen a large number of garbage bags in front of the home. Screenshots have also surfaced from a Facebook page belonging to someone who identifies as Sean J. Troesch. Many of the Facebook posts shared on that page highlighted far-right conspiracy theories, per the Pittsburgh City Paper.

Allegheny County voter registration records also indicate that a Sean J. Troesch resides at the residence that was raided by USPS special agents. The Inspector General office's findings are now being turned over to the Justice Department for a criminal investigation.

"Once USPS OIG special agents conclude their investigation, the case will be presented for federal prosecution to the U.S. Attorney's Office," Special Agent Scott Balfour told CNN.

No criminal charges have been filed against Troesch yet.

Trump’s Wacky Babble Will Make You Forget Biden’s ‘Gaffes’

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

President Donald Trump's antics have gotten progressively worse over the last week, and his interviews have been littered with epic blunders that have raised more questions about his mental capacity amid his battle with COVID-19.

1. The Nonexistent 'Second Debate' Victory

When Trump appeared on Fox News Thursday morning, he claimed to have beaten Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in the first and second debates. However, there is one glaring problem with Trump's remarks: the second debate has not occurred yet and likely will not because the president refuses to commit to participating virtually despite being COVID-positive.

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Hashtag ’Superspreader’ Pinned To Trump’s Reckless Supreme Court Nominee

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

As more White House staffers and Republican lawmakers test positive for COVID-19, there is speculation that several people may have contracted coronavirus while attending President Donald Trump's Rose Garden event last Saturday announcing the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett.

Now, Twitter users are highlighting Trump and Barrett's recklessness under the hashtag, "SuperSpreader," which appears to describe the nature of the event. In addition to Trump being blamed for his own battle with COVID-19, photos from the Rose Garden event are now being used to argue that Barrett's alleged irresponsibility proves she is not fit to serve on the Supreme Court.

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Portland Sheriff: Hell No, l Don’t Support Trump

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese of Portland, OR. quickly shut down President Donald Trump's claim that he endorsed him for the upcoming presidential election.

During the first presidential debate on Tuesday night, Reese took to Twitter with his reaction to Trump's remarks as he confirmed he has never supported Trump. In addition, he also made it clear he has no intent on supporting the president going forward.

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’Sick Of Him’: Trump Losing Key Voter Bloc In Florida

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

Florida senior residents have been reliable Republican voters for decades, but it looks like their political impact could shift in the upcoming 2020 election.

As Election Day approaches, Florida is becoming a major focal point. President Donald Trump is facing more of an uphill battle with maintaining the support of senior voters due to his handling of critical issues over the last several months. Several seniors, including some who voted for Trump in 2016, have explained why he will not receive their support in the November election.

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Early Voting Is Already Shattering Past Election Records

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

The American public is showing a heightened interest in early voting practices ahead of the November election.

Over 28 million Americans have already requested ballots and an additional 43 million are automatically scheduled to be mailed to registered voters, according to a survey of election offices conducted by CNN. The states surveyed include a total of 42 states in addition to Washington D.C.

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Sanders Says ‘Plans Will Be Made’ To Remove Trump If Necessary

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) made it clear that plans will be made to remove President Donald Trump from the White House if he loses the election and refuses to leave office.

Sanders spoke with HBO host Bill Maher, where he discussed the importance of the upcoming election as he urged liberal voters to cast their ballot for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

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Mary Trump’s New Lawsuit Claims Fraud By President And His Siblings

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

President Donald Trump is facing a new legal battle with his niece Mary Trump who insists she was duped into forfeiting her inheritance following the death of her grandfather, Fred Trump, Sr., and her father, Fred Trump, Jr.

In the New York State Supreme Court lawsuit, filed in Manhattan on Thursday morning, Mary Trump named the president, her aunt, Maryanne Barry Trump, and her late uncle, Robert Trump — who passed away in August of this year. She outlined claims of fraudulent representation, fraudulent inducement, negligent representation, civil conspiracy, and fraudulent misrepresentation and concealment dating back to the "beginning of the 1980s."

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Poll: Huge Majorities Reject Trump’s Medicare And Medicaid Cuts

New national polling from Public Policy Polling conducted for the organization Protect Our Care shows overwhelming voter rejection of the cuts to Medicare and Medicaid in the budget the Trump administration released this week, once more elevating health care to a key issue for the 2020 campaign, and creating a major headache for Republicans.

The survey found that 60 percent of voters are opposed to Trump’s proposed Medicaid cuts; 72 percent say they oppose the proposed Medicare cuts; and 50 percent say they’re less likely to vote for him because of these proposed cuts. That includes 54 percent who consider themselves independents. When the question about Trump’s proposed budget cuts was prefaced by the statement “President Trump is proposing these cuts to Medicare and Medicaid after his tax plan gave hundreds of billions of dollars in new tax breaks for big corporations, including health insurance companies and drug companies,” the number that say they are less likely to support him jumps to 54 percent. That includes 57 percent of voters over age 65 and 51 percent of independents.

The proposed budget would cut $780 billion from Medicaid over the next 10 years and reduce the growth of the program by $1.4 trillion. It would cut $846 billion from Medicare. The administration argues it’s just cutting waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare (it doesn’t bother to justify destroying Medicaid), ignoring the fact that cuts that deep to providers in Medicare will rebound onto patients.

White House budgets are never binding, but they’re a reflection of the values and priorities of the president. Boy, is this budget a reflection of Trump—one that Democrats are going to hang around the neck of every Republican between now and November 3, 2020.

Inside Trump’s Manic And Incompetent Obsession With The ‘Wall’

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

The Wall Street Journal posted a behind-the-scenes deep dive into President Trump’s signature issue, a wall along the United States’ southern border, on Friday. In the story, written by Michael Bender, Trump emerges as an angry and unprepared figure, often yelling at staffers who failed, in the President’s estimation.

“Who the f— put that in my request?” Mr. Trump shouted in one testy 2017 exchange related to funding for the wall, according to Bender’s story.

The angry comment was directed at Marc Short, then Trump’s legislative affairs director, while John Kelly, Trump’s former chief of staff, was silent in the room, per Bender. The long read further pointed out that the various failures in getting the wall started the past few years may be the fault of Trump himself, who failed to appoint a dedicated point person, despite the barrier being his signature policy initiative.

“Yet in the two years since Mr. Trump took office, there had been no single official appointed within his administration to champion the wall,” Bender writes. “A revolving cast handled negotiations with Congress over paying for it. And the picture of what, exactly, the wall should be kept shifting.”

Trump did not blame himself for the wall not being built, however. He assigned blame to Democrats and some Republicans.

According to the Journal:

During the shutdown last month, Mr. Trump complained to conservative allies that Paul Ryan should have pushed harder for wall funds. Last weekend, the president complained about it again during a meeting with a Republican member of the committee that negotiated the latest deal.

Report: Kushner Whistleblower Seeks Federal Protection

NBC News is reporting White House security specialist Tricia Newbold is now seeking official whistleblower protection from the federal government after raising concerns about “unwarranted security clearances” for Jared Kushner.

According to NBC, the specialist filed the whistleblower complaint less than two weeks after she was suspended without pay for defying her supervisor, Carl Kline.

In the complaint, Newbold says she “raised concerns” with Kline about a security clearance for an unnamed individual as early as July 2017.

The complaint does not explicitly identify the person, but sources familiar with the situation told NBC News that it was Kushner. Additionally, Newbold alleges Kline “repeatedly mishandled security files and has approved unwarranted security clearances.”

Read the full report from NBC here.

Bannon Joins Right-Wing Cabal Pushing ‘Privatized’ Border Wall

Reprinted with permission from AlterNet.

What brings together the likes of the president’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon; voter disenfranchiser Kris Kobach; notorious Blackwater founder Erik Prince; controversial former sheriff David Clarke; immigration hardliner and former Congressman Tom Tancredo; and offensive meme spewer and former baseball great Curt Schilling?

A move to supplement President Donald Trump’s proposed “wall” on the southern border with a privatized wall.

According to new reporting by Politico, the right-wing crew got together—though Prince just phoned in—for the first time last week at the border town of McAllen, Texas for “a kind of #MAGA field trip.”

The New York Times reported on the privatized wall effort late last month, but Politico is the first to report on Bannon’s involvement.

“Do we have a billion dollars right now? No. But can we raise one- or two-hundred million dollars? No doubt about it,” Bannon told the news outlet. As of this writing, the new GoFundMe page has raised a little over $20 million of its $1 billion goal.

Trump has given the effort his “blessing,” Kobach asserted to the Times.

The project reportedly got its start in Iraq war veteran Brian Kolfage’s GoFundMe page for wall funding. That evolved into a new fundraising effort and the formation of the nonprofit “We Build the Wall.”

A FAQ page for new group asserts that it is “presently working with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol experts and other U.S. border security service professionals” to target areas for a wall, which would rely on consenting landowners. “The company will build the wall mile-by-mile in strategic locations based on a variety of factors. We will build as much wall as we can based on feasibility, land use, and funding,” it continues.

That company is reportedly the Israel-based Magal Security Systems, which is behind apartheid barriers that besiege Palestinians.

The crew is getting ready to tout their project as soon as Friday at a town hall in Tucson, Arizona and later this month at the upcoming Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

Kolfage, who’s listed as a key part of the We Build the Wall team, told Politico, “we’re going to give it our all.”

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See the McCarthy comments in the video below or at the link here.

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