“My client is worth hundreds and hundreds of millions,” said one of Mr. Trump’s lawyers, Alina Habba, during closing arguments at the trial, adding, “let alone the brand, which is worth billions.”
But up and down the spine of Manhattan, condominiums in high-rise buildings emblazoned with Mr. Trump’s name have underperformed, according to sales data from two real estate tracking firms, and an analysis of the data by the Columbia University economist Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh.
The line in the sand is the year 2016, when Mr. Trump was elected president.
In 2016, condominiums in Trump’s buildings in New York began to decline, underperforming compared to the Manhattan condominium market.
In a one-year window, condos in buildings that had the Trump logo went from selling at a 1 percent premium compared with similar units, to selling for 4 percent less, meaning that Trump condos became a “bargain” among the city’s luxury units, said Mr. Van Nieuwerburgh, a professor of real estate.
Even the Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, one of the crowning achievements of the Trump brand, whose 80-foot cascade flowing down a wall of peach marble was reportedly built with slabs handpicked at a quarry in Italy by Mr. Trump’s ex-wife, saw the average price per square foot of its condominiums tumble 49 percent since 2013, according to Ondel Hylton, the senior director of content and research at CityRealty. The building’s age, growing competition from the ultra-luxurious condos on nearby Billionaires’ Row and regular protests have all dampened interest, Mr. Hylton said.
By contrast, condominiums in four buildings where the Trump logo was removed at the behest of residents — sometimes after a legal battle — have seen their value shoot back up.
“This analysis cleanly identifies that it is the Trump brand that is responsible for the value deterioration,” Mr. Van Nieuwerburgh said. “Removing the Trump name from the building removes the loss associated with the name.”
His brand is pretty much destroyed with more than half the country. Now a smart business move. But then, that’s Trump.
The group of more than a dozen masked individuals marched wearing red shirts and black pants, waving flags with swastikas on them. It is not clear at this time who the group is or affiliated with, though many of the shirts said “Blood Tribe.”
Just left an event honoring a Black sorority and spoke of the need to unite against the rising tide of white supremacy, only to be confronted by Nazis marching through downtown Nashville.
This is exactly what my Republican colleagues hate speech is fostering and inviting. pic.twitter.com/ZaK5kUQDYP
Way too many people in Nashville, TN were perfectly fine watching Nazis march in the streets but one guy clearly wasn’t having it. pic.twitter.com/b7hvoOshS2
Okay, neither of these eligible voters are salvageable. They’re too far gone. But there are others “on the fence” surely embarrassed by these displays of lunacy.
Paul Rosenberg interviewed Rachel Bitecofer about her new book, “Hit ‘Em Where It Hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at Their Own Game.” Bitecofer seems to be covering ground seeded in the past by George Lakoff, Drew Westen, and Anat Shenker-Osorio about appealing more to emotion than intellect. Republicans now campaign on negative partisanship, she says, while many Democrats cannot let go of their “old strategy” of campaigning on policy: “find things people like, tell them you’re going to give them that — and then appeal on your character, your biography, your qualifications for office.”
Republicans dumped that approach long ago. Democrats, she says:
… have been unable or unwilling “to accept that the American voter is, at best, rough clay,” and to work with it accordingly.
Or as Shenker-Osorio put it, “Democrats rely on polling to take the temperature; Republicans use polling to change it.” Republicans work at moving the needle while Democrats chase it.
Bitecofer:
I don’t have to know a damn thing about a voter — I don’t know if it’s a man, it’s a woman, I don’t know if they live in the South, the North, is old or young, is college-educated or not, doesn’t matter. The only thing I need to know, to be right nine out of 10 times about who they’re going to vote for, is do they have a party preference? And that includes leaners. We see that election after election. The voters walking into the ballot box, they don’t need to know anything else about the candidate other than that party heuristic, that D or that R on the ballot.
Sell the brand, she insists, and offers ways to do that more effectively that you can read at Salon.
Rosenberg observes about the typical non-political geek:
People don’t follow politics because they don’t care, and I show you guys in survey data: Not only do they not care, they’re kind of proud about not caring. We have to meet the clay, the rough clay, where it is. If we’re dealing with an electorate that knows nothing, then we have to make sure it at least learns one thing: The modern Republican Party is a fascist cult that’s coming to steal your health, your wealth, your freedom and your safety.
I’m all for punching. Americans love a fighter with heart and grit. What’s missing here is, as Shenker-Osorio advises, “we must be for a thing.” We cannot only sell what’s wrong about the other guys. “Paint the beautiful tomorrow.” Say what you’re for. Help people see it. Messaging is not only about punching. It’s about changing the temperature.
Me, I was a consulting engineer. I fixed mechanical problems. Where I agree with Bitecofer is that in this time of high partisanship people vote their party. Independents don’t have one, at least on paper. Democrats have built a Death-Star database that Darth Vader would caution they not be too proud of. It’s good at turning out Democrats, but gets fuzzy where it comes to independents. Increasingly, nominal independents control the direction of elections, but Democrats aren’t as good as turning out the left-leaners. I do keep trying to get them to reevaluate their targeting tactics, but it belongs to that “old strategy” they are reluctant to change.
He's one step from selling counterfeit CDs from a card table on 2d Avenue. https://t.co/JtBXL9Zin3
“They” say that your taste in music is imprinted in your high school years. Why do you suppose this is? Is it biological? Is it hormonal? Or Is it purely nostalgia? According to a 2021 study, it may have something to do with “arousal, valence, and depth”. Say what?
Have you wondered why you love a particular song or genre of music? The answer may lie in your personality, although other factors also play a role, researchers say.
Many people tend to form their musical identity in adolescence, around the same time that they explore their social identity. Preferences may change over time, but research shows that people tend to be especially fond of music from their adolescent years and recall music from a specific age period — 10 to 30 years with a peak at 14 — more easily.
Musical taste is often identified by preferred genres, but a more accurate way of understanding preferences is by musical attributes, researchers say. One model outlines three dimensions of musical attributes: arousal, valence and depth.
“Arousal is linked to the amount of energy and intensity in the music,” says David M. Greenberg, a researcher at Bar-Ilan University and the University of Cambridge. Punk and heavy metal songs such as “White Knuckles” by Five Finger Death Punch were high on arousal, a study conducted by Greenberg and other researchers found.
“Valence is a spectrum,” from negative to positive emotions, he says. Lively rock and pop songs such as “Razzle Dazzle” by Bill Haley & His Comets were high on valence.
Depth indicates “both a level of emotional and intellectual complexity,” Greenberg says. “We found that rapper Pitbull’s music would be low on depth, [and] classical and jazz music could be high on depth.”
Also, musical attributes have interesting relationships with one another. “High depth is often correlated with lower valence, so sadness in music is also evoking a depth in it,” he says.
“They” may be right…I graduated in 1974, and the lion’s share of my CD collection/media player library is comprised of (wait for it) albums and/or songs originally released between 1967-1982.
The music of 1974 in particular looms large in my memory; not only because that is the year I graduated, but that was also the year I landed my first steady radio gig, hosting the midnight-6am shift on KFAR-AM in Fairbanks (it’s one of the oldest stations in Alaska).
At the time, KFAR’s format was Top 40. When I came on board in July of 1974, I was spinning then-current hits like “Rock Your Baby” by George McRae, “Annie’s Song” by John Denver, “Rock the Boat” by The Hues Corporation, “Billy, Don’t Be a Hero” by Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods, “Sundown” by Gordon Lightfoot, “On and On” by Gladys Knight & the Pips, “Rock and Roll Heaven” by The Righteous Brothers, “The Air That I Breathe” by The Hollies, and so on.
While mid-70s Top 40 fare was nothing if not eclectic, there was a demarcation between music I was being paid to play (and feign enthusiasm for), and what I preferred listening to during off-hours.
Off-hours, 1974.
That said, on occasion the twain would meet; after a few months on the job I began to sneak in a deep cut here and there from my personal LP collection. That was all hi-ho pip and dandy until the night the PD happened to be monitoring at 3am when I played “Heroin” by The Velvet Underground. I wasn’t fired, but he made it quite clear that I was never to play that cut again (several years later at another Fairbanks AM station I worked at, the music director admonished me for playing “Marakesh Express” by Crosby, Stills, & Nash; he cited “…blowing through the smoke rings of my mind”…oy.)
Arousal, valance, and depth…oh my!
Anyway, here are my top 10 LPs of 1974 (note “the next 10” below).
Autobahn – Kraftwerk
HAL 9000’s cruisin’ jams. While they already had three albums under their gürtels, Autobahn marked the debut of Kraftwerk’s now-signature “sound” (i.e. drum machines, synths, and robotic vocalizing). The album’s centerpiece is the hypnotic title cut, which eats up Side 1. Profoundly influential on a broad spectrum of artists, from Bowie (it informed his “Berlin period”) to seminal hip-hop acts.
In 1976, a friend and I caught the L.A. Express at The Troubadour. I remember being disappointed to learn that the group’s founder, legendary sax player Tom Scott, was no longer with them (ditto ace guitarist Robben Ford). Not that the musicians who replaced them were slouches (David Luell and Peter Maunu, respectively). Still, it was a tight set (all the members were top echelon session players).
Near the end of the evening, Luell took the mic and said, “Hey-we’d like to invite a couple friends up to sit in on a number or two.” I nearly had a heart attack when Robben Ford and (wait for it) Joni Mitchell casually sauntered onto the stage. I was so in thrall that I can’t even remember what songs they did (I’m not a New Age kinda cat, but believe me when I tell you Joni Mitchell had an aura. Wow).
Singling out the “best” Joni Mitchell album is a fool’s errand, but her 1974 release Court and Spark (backed by most of the original L.A. Express personnel) is damn near a perfect “10” in my book.
Choice cuts: “Court and Spark”, “Help Me”, “Free Man in Paris”, “People’s Parties”, “Car on a Hill”, “Just Like This Train”.
Feel – George Duke
Like many other rock fans, I was introduced to jazz player/vocalist George Duke via his affiliation with Frank Zappa from the early to mid-70s. But when I heard this album (his fourth), I realized he was no mere side player; Duke was a tremendously gifted artist in his own right. A strong set of funk, hard fusion and smooth jazz, fueled by Duke’s distinctive keys and bass synthesizer. Duke enlists some heavyweights: Brazilian musicians Flora Purim (vocals) and Airto Moreira (percussionist), and a guitarist credited as “Obdewl’l X”- aka Frank Zappa (“Love” features one of his best-ever solos).
Like fellow German electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk (see above), 1974 was the year that Tangerine Dream found their “voice”. The magic number for them was album #5, Phaedra. The (figurative and literal) key was sequencers; a then-emergent technology Pink Floyd had flirted with on Dark Side of the Moon (and not really popularized until Donna Summer’s sequencer-heavy 1977 hit “I Feel Love” ). Tangerine Dream opted for a more ambient, textural approach than Kraftwerk. With its mesmerizing, cinematic soundscapes Phaedra has held up well as a “headphone album”.
Choice cuts: “Phaedra”, “Mysterious Semblance At The Strand Of Nightmares”, “Movements of a Visionary”.
Pretzel Logic – Steely Dan
I still marvel at how Donald Fagen and Walter Becker were able to find such massive commercial and critical success without compromising their willfully enigmatic and ever-droll worldview. While the duo were famously fastidious and nit-picky from the get-go, this was (to my ears) their last album with an organic “band” feel; successive efforts, while all top-shelf product, had a more clinical vibe (as the saying goes on my favorite coffee mug: “The race for quality has no finish line, so technically it’s more like a death march.”)
Choice cuts: “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”, “Night by Night”, “Any Major Dude Will Tell You”, “Pretzel Logic”, “With a Gun”, “Charlie Freak”.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal – Lou Reed
Lou Reed’s “stadium rock” album. Sporting only 5 cuts (4 Velvet Underground classics and one cut from Berlin), its a pure slab of heavy metal thunder, largely propelled by the dynamic guitar duo of Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner (the arrangement of “Sweet Jane” approaches prog). Lou sounds like he’s having…fun? Regrettably, I never caught Reed in concert, but I did see Hunter and Wagner in 1975, backing Alice Cooper on his Welcome to My Nightmare tour.
It was a bit of a tough choice here, considering that Queen released not just one, but two fine albums in 1974 (the other was Queen II). What I like about Sheer Heart Attack is how it strikes the perfect balance between the band’s hard rock foundation and its harmony-driven pop sensibilities (the latter of which would dominate in subsequent releases, and not always for the best, I’m afraid).
Choice cuts: “Brighton Rock”, “Killer Queen”, “Now I’m Here”, “Stone Cold Crazy”, “Misfire”, “She Makes Me (Stormtrooper in Stilettoes)”.
Sweet Fanny Adams– The Sweet
Dismissed by many at the time as a novelty bubblegum act (not completely unfounded, considering early U.K. hits like “Funny Funny”, “Co-co”, “Poppa Joe”, “Little Willy”, and “Wig Wam Bam”), this 1974 U.K. release (featuring some tracks that would appear later that year on the U.S. version of Desolation Boulevard) proved that lurking beneath all the glitz, glamour, and shag haircuts was a ballsy, hard-rocking quartet of superb musicians. Years later, bands like Def Leppard would cite this fine album as a major influence.
Choice cuts: “Set Me Free”, “Heartbreak Today”, “No You Don’t”, “Rebel Rouser”, “Sweet F.A.”, “Restless”, “Into the Night”.
In a post I did back in 2020 regarding that year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees, I made my case for Todd Rundgren’s induction:
It’s shocking to me that the Hall waited until last year to nominate Todd; he had my vote (it didn’t take…they never listen to me). After all, he’s been in the biz for over 50 years, and is still going strong. He is a true rock and roll polymath; a ridiculously gifted singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer extraordinaire. He is also a music video and multimedia pioneer.
Granted, his mouth gets him into trouble on occasion (he is from Philly you know), and he does have a rep for insufferable perfectionism in the studio-but the end product is consistently top shelf (including acclaimed albums by Badfinger, The New York Dolls, Meatloaf, The Tubes, Psychedelic Furs, and XTC). Whether he’s performing pop, psych, metal, prog, R&B, power-pop, electronica or lounge, he does it with flair. A wizard and a true star.
Todd finally did get inducted in 2021; but true to form, he crankily refused to accept it in person (he is a long time critic of the Hall). This 2-LP set is one of the highlights of his substantial catalog.
Choice cuts: “I Think You Know”, “A Dream Goes on Forever”, “The Last Ride”, “Useless Begging”, “Heavy Metal Kids”, “Don’t You Ever Learn?”.
Veedon Fleece – Van Morrison
Speaking of cranky geniuses, 1974 saw the release of two of the finest albums of Van Morrison’s career: the superb live album Too Late to Stop Now, and this equally superb studio effort (another coin toss decision). While I have to hold my nose regarding his anti-vaxxer shenanigans of recent years, I still get lost in this beautiful, soulful and pastoral set of songs. The muse was strong here.
Choice cuts: “Fair Play”, “Linden Arden Stole the Highlights”, “Streets of Arklow”, “You Don’t Pull No Punches, but You Don’t Push the River”, “Cul de Sac”.
Bonus Tracks!
Here are 10 more gems from 1974 worth a spin:
Bad Co – Bad Company Crime of the Century – Supertramp Fullfillingness’ First Finale – Stevie Wonder Here Come the Warm Jets – Brian Eno The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway-Genesis Mysterious Traveller– Weather Report Odds ‘n’ Sods – The Who On the Beach– Neil Young This is Augustus Pablo – Augustus Pablo
People need to understand why Trump’s massive fraud matters to them. Dan Pfeiffer has some ideas about how to talk about this in his substack today:
Yesterday’s trial verdict was civil, not criminal. So technically, Trump has not been convicted of a crime, but that’s a distinction without a difference for most voters. He has been declared a fraud by the state of New York and can no longer conduct business there. We should also assume most voters won’t hear a single word about the fine, unless we tell them. Judge Engoron rendered his verdict the Friday before a holiday weekend. Back when I worked in political communications, this was the sort of timing I would suggest to dump bad news so the fewest people would notice. Therefore, the onus to spread the word is on us.
I view this verdict as a way to do three things:
Be Clear About What Trump Did: Ultimately, Trump was found guilty of lying to banks and insurance companies to line his own pockets with hundreds of millions of dollars.
Connect it to the Kind of President Trump Will Be: I would like to believe that electing someone found guilty of fraud (and sexual assault) would be a non-starter, but I fear we will have to make the case that his past transgressions tell a story about the kind of president Trump will be. Here’s one way to make the case:Can we really trust someone guilty of massive financial fraud and banned from doing business in New York to protect consumers from corporations that price-gouge, Wall Street banks playing fast and loose with the rules, and Big Tech companies hoarding our data and exploiting our children? Trump cares more about lining his own pockets than helping you make ends meet.
Make it Part of a Larger Narrative: Trump’s legal troubles should be disqualifying, but to make them stick, we must connect them to a larger narrative about Trump. Here is one suggested way to do it based on polling from Navigator Research.These investigations were conducted by law enforcement professionals. The decision to bring the indictments were made by career prosecutors and approved by a jury of Donald Trump’s peers. No politician is above the law, not even a President or a former President. A jury will render a judgment in each case, but Donald Trump cannot and should not return to the White House. The record is clear: he is more focused on protecting himself, helping his rich, politically connected friends and punishing his enemies than lowering costs, raising wages or protecting your family.
This verdict is a reminder that Trump is more politically vulnerable than the prevailing narrative suggests and that it is imperative to frame this election as a choice between a decent, experienced man who cares about you and a chaotic criminal who only cares about himself. We must take the opportunity to make that case every time it arises.
I think Democrats and others should also work to counter his “I’m your Jesus” nonsense in which he claims that he’s being persecuted for his followers. People need to be reminded that if they were caught lying on mortgage applications or insurance applications they could go to jail. In fact, they should be specifically reminded of this, which many people who may not follow politics are surely familiar with:
Two of the stars of the Bravo TV television show “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” today admitted committing a string of crimes as part of a long-running financial fraud conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Teresa Giudice, 41, and Giuseppe “Joe” Giudice, 43, both of Towaco, N.J., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in Newark federal court to several counts of the superseding indictment returned against them in July 2013. The Giudices each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, one count of bankruptcy fraud by concealment of assets, one count of bankruptcy fraud by false oaths, and one count of bankruptcy fraud by false declarations. Giuseppe Giudice also pleaded guilty to one count of failure to file a tax return.
“Teresa and Giuseppe Giudice used deception and fraud to cheat banks, bankruptcy court and the IRS,” said U.S. Attorney Fishman. “With their guilty pleas, they admitted the schemes with which they were charged. Having now confessed their wrongdoing, the Giudices face the real cost of their criminal conduct.”
“The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is pleased to join our law enforcement colleagues in announcing these guilty pleas today,” A. Derek Evans, Special Agent in Charge of FDIC-OIG, New York Region, said. “We are committed to combating bank fraud and bringing to justice those who engage in criminal conduct that undermines the integrity of our nation’s financial institutions.”
“Tax violations have been erroneously referred to as victimless crimes, which is a far cry from reality,” Acting Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Newark Field office, said. “Every time someone in America cheats on their taxes there are over 300 million victims. Tax fraud and bankruptcy fraud are real crimes with serious consequences as evidenced today by the guilty pleas of Giuseppe and Teresa Giudice.”
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From September 2001 through September 2008, Giuseppe and Teresa Giudice engaged in a mail and wire fraud conspiracy in which they submitted fraudulent applications and supporting documents to lenders in order to obtain mortgages and other loans. The Giudices falsely represented on loan applications and supporting documents that they were employed and/or receiving substantial salaries when they were either not employed or not receiving such salaries.
In September 2001 Teresa Giudice applied for a $121,500 mortgage loan for which she submitted a loan application falsely claiming she was employed as an executive assistant. She also submitted fake W-2 forms and fake pay stubs purportedly issued by her employer. For a $361,250 mortgage loan that Teresa Giudice obtained in July 2005, she and Giuseppe Giudice prepared a loan application which falsely stated she was employed as a realtor and that she made a monthly salary of $15,000. In reality, Teresa Giudice was not employed at the time.
[…]
The conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud count to which the Giudices each pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Each of the bankruptcy fraud counts carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Teresa Giudice’s plea agreement requires her to pay $200,000 to the government at the time of sentencing, which is scheduled for July 8, 2014.
Joe Giudice did almost four years in federal prison. Teresa did 15 months and Joe, who came to America as a baby, was deported when he came out of jail.
Donald Trump was found liable for lying about his net worth to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars to obtain loans at favorable interest rates. He’s not going to jail but he’s being asked to pay hundreds of millions in fines and penalties for what he did.
Trump says the aid to Ukraine should be a loan. Adds that’s what he does with athletes. He then gets distracted from Ukraine by golf and an unflattering picture of himself pic.twitter.com/W3XtWyNPnV
I have a sneaking suspicion those flattering photos aren’t exactly on the up and up.
🚨⛳️🇺🇸 #DART — Former President Donald Trump played a round at Trump National Palm Beach with LIV golfer Caleb Surratt today and fired a dart on 17: “Oh thats going to be close… oh that was good!”
Considering the grotesque comments he makes about other people, he deserves to be criticized for his looks. Personally, I don’t think his weight is a big deal. But the near-blackface and the full Flock of Seagulls hairdo is worth mentioning. Doesn’t anyone notice how fucking weird that is?
Trump is going to restrict abortion even more if he becomes president. We’ve heard he is thinking about endorsing a 16 week abortion ban to keep his evangelicals happy. (He likes the 16 week as opposed to the 15 week ban because it’s an even number. I kid you not…)
Anyway the following isn’t really news since it’s been out there for a while. I’ve written about it as have others. But the NY Times publishing it can make it real for a lot of people:
Behind the scenes, specific anti-abortion plans being proposed by Mr. Trump’s allies are sweeping and legally sophisticated. Some of their proposals would rely on enforcing the Comstock Act, a long-dormant law from 1873, to criminalize the shipping of any materials used in an abortion — including abortion pills, which account for the majority of abortions in America.
“We don’t need a federal ban when we have Comstock on the books,” said Jonathan F. Mitchell, the legal force behind a 2021 Texas law that found a way to effectively ban abortion in the state before Roe v. Wade was overturned. “There’s a smorgasbord of options.”
Mr. Mitchell, who represented Mr. Trump in arguments before the Supreme Court over whether the former president could appear on the ballot in Colorado, indicated that anti-abortion strategists had purposefully been quiet about their more advanced plans, given the political liability the issue has become for Republicans.
“I hope he doesn’t know about the existence of Comstock, because I just don’t want him to shoot off his mouth,” Mr. Mitchell said of Mr. Trump. “I think the pro-life groups should keep their mouths shut as much as possible until the election.”
[…]
Policies under consideration include banning the use of fetal stem cells in medical research for diseases like cancer, rescinding approval of abortion pills at the F.D.A. and stopping hundreds of millions in federal fundingfor Planned Parenthood. Such an action against Planned Parenthood would cripple the nation’s largest provider of women’s health care, which is already struggling to provide abortions in the post-Roe era.
The organizations and advocates crafting these proposals are not simply outside groups expressing wish lists of what they hope Mr. Trump would do in a second administration. They are people who have spent much of their professional careers fighting abortion rights, including some who were in powerful positions during Mr. Trump’s administration.
In his first term, Mr. Trump largely outsourced abortion policy to socially conservative lawyers and aides. Since he left office, some of those people have remained in Mr. Trump’s orbit, defending him in court, suggesting policy plans well beyond issues like abortion and attending events at Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Florida.
These zealots are woven so tightly into MAGA world that it is impossible to separate them from the political opportunists and the grifters at this point. They will get what they want.
Worth the reminder today, on the day Putin had his political rival killed, that only weeks ago, Donald Trump endorsed the idea that he should have complete immunity to have his own political rivals assassinated.pic.twitter.com/pGhzcvUCBU
Tucker Carlson, when asked about Alexei Navalny, opposition leaders and journalists in Russia: “Every leader kills people. Some kill more than others. Leadership requires killing people.”pic.twitter.com/pE4SIKdaIO
Tucker Carlson has turned on Vladimir Putin in the wake of the shocking death of Alexei Navalny, just days after releasing a softball interview with the Russian president and a series of ‘tourism board style’ videos about the country’s clean train stations and cheap groceries.
In an exclusive statement to DailyMail.com, Carlson said: ‘It’s horrifying what happened to Navalny. The whole thing is barbaric and awful. No decent person would defend it.’
The former Fox News host told DailyMail.com that he was on a plane traveling from Dubai when Navalny’s death was announced.
‘I didn’t even know it happened till I saw the Daily Mail story,’ Carlson explained.
The conservative pundit has faced backlash over his bizarre sit-down with Putin last week after critics say he failed to challenge the Russian president.
When quizzed about the limitations of his interview at the World Government Summit on Monday, days before Navalny’s tragic death, Carlson made the comment: ‘every leader kills people, leadership requires killing people.’
He told DailyMail.com Friday: ‘It had zero to do with Navalny. I wasn’t referring to him, which is obvious in context, and I certainly wasn’t making excuses for killing people. I’m totally opposed to killing as I said.’
Of course he was. How ridiculous. He didn’t say he was opposed to it. He said “Leadership requires killing people, that’s why I don’t want to be a leader” clearly indicating that he thinks it’s a necessary thing but he just doesn’t want to be the one doing it. And he said it in the context of a question in which Navalny was specifically mentioned. Please.
Meanwhile, Ivanka’s husband is still defending the murderous MBS:
Kushner then goes on to say: "I have not seen the DNI report" but he believes MBS is "a visionary leader. I think what he's done in that region is transformational." Here's that DNI report about the murder of my colleague, available to the public: https://t.co/1ZaVMOiWqv
That’s nothing of course. Trump himself loves Kim Jong Un, murderous dictator, Xi Jinping, murderous dictator, Rodrigo Duterte, former murderous dictator etc. And we know how he feels about Vlad.
This is who they are:
Here’s the social and political model Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump want to bring to the United States of America. https://t.co/QncKflaLvK
