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The Most Cynical Ploy In History

Published by digby on October 5, 2024

Nobody’s ever seen anything like it…

From Heather Cox Richardson:

MAGA Republicans are now lying about the federal response to Hurricane Helene in much the same way they lied about Haitian migrants bringing chaos and disease to Springfield, Ohio. Both disinformation efforts are flat-out lies, and both are designed to demonize immigrants. Immigration was the issue Trump was so eager to run on that he demanded Republican lawmakers reject the strong border bill a bipartisan group of lawmakers had hammered out. 

The federal response to Hurricane Helene has drawn bipartisan praise, with Republican governor Henry McMaster of South Carolina thanking Biden by name for what McMaster called a “superb” response. 

But on Sunday, September 29, two days after the hurricane hit, the right-wing organization started by anti-immigrant Trump loyalist Stephen Miller posted: “Billions for Ukraine. Billions for illegal aliens. And what for the Americans? Reprogram every single dollar that FEMA has dedicated to support illegal aliens to go towards Americans who are facing unprecedented devastation!”

Yesterday, in Saginaw, Michigan, Trump echoed Miller, claiming that the Biden administration is botching the hurricane response because it has spent all the money appropriated for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on “illegal immigrants.” “They spent it all on illegal migrants.… They stole the FEMA money just like they stole it from a bank, so they could give it to their illegal immigrants that they want to have vote for them,” he said. Today, he claimed that “a billion dollars was stolen from FEMA to use it for illegal migrants, many of whom are criminals, to come into our country.” 

Early this morning, X owner Elon Musk posted to his more than 200 million followers: “Yes, they are literally using YOUR tax dollars to import voters and disenfranchise you! It is happening right in front of your eyes. And FEMA used up its budget ferrying illegals into the country instead of saving American lives. Treason.” On Wednesday, Dana Mattioli, Joe Palazzolo, and Khadeeja Safdar of the Wall Street Journal broke the story that Musk has been financing groups with ties to Miller since 2022. 

But of course, it is NOT happening in front of anyone’s eyes.

The Washington Post’s fact checker explained in detail that this is all nonsense. DHS is not doing this. But guess who did do it?

Trump has a habit of assuming other politicians act in the same way as he would. So we wondered why he would accuse Biden of raiding the FEMA disaster fund to handle undocumented migrants.

It turns out that’s because he did this. In 2019, the Trump administration, in the middle of hurricane season, told Congress that it was taking $271 million from DHS programs, including $155 million from the disaster fund, to pay for immigration detention space and temporary hearing locations for asylum seekers who had been forced to wait in Mexico. “The U.S. is facing a security and humanitarian crisis on the Southern border,” the administration said in its notice that it was redirecting the funds.

The monthly reports issued by the FEMA disaster fund show $38 million was plucked and given to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in August that year — just before the prime storm period of September and October.

I suppose it was inevitable that they’d try to turn this into Kamala’s Katrina. But they’re actively interfering with the rescue efforts and hurting their own voters in the process. Musk has been especially malevolent, reaching into Alex Jones territory.

That’s a total lie. And Valentina Gomez is one of the most disgusting Republicans on the planet, just coming off of a losing primary race in which her platform was grotesque assaults on LGBTQ people. It figures that she is on Musk’s radar.

Ron DeSantis refused to meet with Biden, no doubt trying to avoid the Chris Christie curse (the rightwingers excoriated him for meeting with Obama after Hurricane Sandy in 2012) but for the most part local Repubican officials are beside themselves over the disinformation which is making it impossible to help people. From mayors to county executives to Governors, they’re all begging people to knock it off but it’s falling on deaf ears.

Social media is awash in disinformation led by Republicans and no doubt foreign bots have joined in the action. It’s sick.

This guy is on the ground correcting the record every day:

Update: I should have mentioned local media which has been doing a fantastic job:

Reassuring

Published by digby on October 5, 2024

Tens of millions of people are planning to vote for that.

Still Catching Up

Published by Tom Sullivan on October 5, 2024

This will take weeks

I’m slowly catching up with Hurricane Helene images and stories about my neighborhood that the cellular blackout made impossible to see. (Still having signal issues this morning.) Asheville Watchdog has an explanation for why that occurred. It could happen where you live. (Where’d I put that satellite phone I don’t own?)

Seventy-two are reported dead in my county. There will be more. Someone reported friends in Swannanoa getting out of their house and up slope with the dog just before waters washed it away.

A friend downriver in Marshall lives in a second floor apartment downtown. She called yesterday to say she and her neighbors watched water rise to three steps below their floor before subsiding. The picturesque town was a location for “The Peripheral.”

Video here.

The Washington Post has an explainer on how “what fueled Helene and caused so much devastation in the Appalachian Mountains.” I can read the text but not load the images on my laptop. I can on the phone.

So it goes.

People Of The (Stupid MAGA) Lie

Published by Tom Sullivan on October 5, 2024

Where gullibility is a virtue

A couple of the government resources that have been flying over my house for days, despite what you read on FKA Twitter and RW social media.

[Signal weak this a.m., making it a slog to load web pages, but here goes.]

Back in the hippie-dippy days of the Jesus Freak movement of the early 1970s, Moses David (David Berg) and his Children of God used, um, “alternative” methods for sucking in members to their religious cult that included (IIRC) seductions and “lying for Jesus” about the nature of group and its founder.

Evangelicals around these parts thought this behavior a lie of the Devil, no matter the Jesusy pretensions and trappings. So like the adoption over the last decades of propaganda techniques conservatives decried in the 1960s as tools of the “commies,” the vacant-eyed embrace by nald Trump’s MAGA minions of stupidly obvious lies is just as confounding. WTF Real American™ values do they think they stand for?

Case in point No. Gajillion:

An image depicting former president Donald Trump wading through floodwaters alongside a fellow disaster responder went viral on social media this week.

But there’s one tiny problem: the image is an AI-generated fake, as multiple publications have confirmed.

The image, which shows Trump wearing a lifejacket and blue jeans as he marches through thigh-high waters, first picked up steam on Facebook last weekend.

And it doesn’t hold up to virtually any degree of scrutiny. Trump’s right hand is distorted, and the lettering pictured on either man’s clothing is completely illegible.

The former president has visited some areas impacted by the storm, but there are no credible reports of the candidate physically going into floodwaters in blue jeans, making it only the latest instance of highly politicized AI slop ahead of the presidential elections next month.

Like the conspiracy fantasies about Hurricane Helene recovery efforts I’ve heard this week, removal of faked photos by social media sites is itself treated as a dark conspiracy against free speech by, you know, THEM.

As of publishing this article, the image has garnered over ten thousand likes on Facebook.

“I don’t think FB wants this picture on FB,” the poster wrote in a caption, implying the social media giant may have been removing the post for political reasons. “They have been deleting it.”

Despite alleged censorship, the image was shared roughly 160,000 times in just two days, according to a fact check from USA Today. (The photo is still live on Facebook, though has been flagged with an “altered photo” warning and a link to an independent, third-party fact check.)

The image quickly spread to other corners of social media, where users captioned the synthetic image with notes about how “they don’t want you to see this side of Trump” and messages to leaders to “not tell me how much you care about Americans… show me though [sic] your actions.”

The fake image of Trump is one of many AI-generated fake photos to circulate in the wake of the deadly storm, which wrought extensive damage throughout parts of Appalachia.

It’s not as if there aren’t people on the left willing to suspend disbelief outside a movie theater. That is, lefties who fantasize access to secret knowledge concealed either by the Deep State or the Illuminati. But those people were never numerous enough to elect a Jill Stein or an RFK Jr. Or to suspend the Constitution and install a wannabe dictator bent on revenge where the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave once stood.

Former Mesa County, Colo. Clerk Sue Peters is headed to nine years in jail for her embrace of stupid MAGA lies. They have consequences. They won’t if Trump wins reelection this November.

Other AI-generated images of alleged hurricane devastation have depicted scenes like flooded homes, abandoned, sad-looking dogs on roofs, and men in knee-high water barbequing.

Most notably, a widely-shared AI image showing a crying young girl clutching a puppy while evacuating in a canoe has made its rounds on X-formerly-Twitter, where it’s been repeatedly shared by right-wing influencers and close Trump allies.

As far as the health of our information world goes, the apparent believability of these images is troubling. The fact that so many netizens are taking clearly AI-generated images at face value is a damning indictment of the extent of media illiteracy plaguing the US today.

But this is more than media illiteracy. Willingness to repeat Trump’s Big Lie is a requirement of membership in the Trump cult. It’s male infant circumcision of the rational brain, accepted willingly by those seeking the phony embrace of the world’s greatest con man, the edjudicated-rapist protector of women, etc. The Republican Party is gone. In its place, a conspiracy of dunces. Dangerous ones at that.

Friday Night Soother

Published by digby on October 4, 2024

It’s not soothing but it is necessary:

This shelter saved 100 animals:

A race to evacuate over 100 animals from Asheville, North Carolina’s main animal shelter ahead of Hurricane Helene’s torrential rains and devastating flooding likely saved all of their lives. But now comes the struggle to find more permanent housing, as the shelter would later become destroyed in the historic flood.

“It’s been a really, really hard week for everyone,” said Leah Craig Chumbley of Brother Wolf Animal Rescue. “We’re working around the clock.”

The shelter cares for mostly dogs and cats, but also such pets as rabbits and guinea pigs.

“We know that when the river rises, we get some water in our building. And we really thought worst-case scenario, 6 to 12 inches,” she said. 

But this storm was going way beyond those levels. 

“So we knew that we needed to get our animals out,” she said. “The day before this storm, we sent out a social plea and email to our supporters, our fosters, our volunteers and said, you know, can you help us?”

And the community rallied to save the animals.

“We got 100 animals out of that building in two hours (and) we already had 50 animals in foster care,” she said. “So, since the storm hit, you know, we woke up, I actually went to the shelter the very next day. And you still just didn’t know what to expect because we were cut off from the rest of the world immediately. And, you know, you’re seeing water in your neighborhoods, and you’re hearing stories from people. But these are the very early hours of realizing the catastrophe that happened.”

Then she reached the shelter building to find it in ruins.

“When I went there, and I saw everything underwater, it was just devastating,” she said. “And also, my gosh, thank God we got them out … If we hadn’t done that, all of them would have perished in that building.”

She said their buildings had saved the lives of over 100,000 animals in its history “and (the buildings are) gone. Everything we have is gone.”

“The support that we bring to this community is so vital because we work throughout all of western North Carolina,” Chumbley said. “So all of these communities that have been impacted are ones that we serve. We know these communities. They don’t look anything like the ones that we knew. But we are going to be here to help them and to get back on our feet after this.”

And now comes the process of making sure the evacuated animals are well cared for as they begin the long rebuilding process.

Support has been pouring in across the country, but more will be needed.

“We need so much support, and we’re just so glad for everyone who is caring and sending love our way,” she said. “Asheville is amazing. I mean, Asheville is love. Asheville is community, and Asheville is Dog Town USA … This is what Brother Wolf has seen for years from this community. We are supported only by this community. It is the heart and soul of this community that makes up Brother Wolf. And we need this community. We need the whole country right now to look at us and help us rebuild.”

I’ve seen so much footage of people rescuing animals from the floods. It’s just heartwrenching to see these innocent creatures trapped. And then I think about all the wild animals that must have perished. It’s so sad.

The people doing this are unsung heroes. They deserve support.

Monster

Published by digby on October 4, 2024

From Brave New Films:

E. Jean Carroll V. Donald Trump is a powerful documentary that brings to life the brave testimony of writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused former President Donald Trump of sexual abuse. In a landmark legal case, Trump was held liable for sexual abuse and defamation, with a court ordering him to pay $83.3 million in damages.

Directed by Robert Greenwald, this Brave New Films production features powerful performances from prominent actors, including Kathryn Hahn, Ellen Burstyn, Lexi Underwood, and Regina Taylor. Through their voices, the film vividly portrays Carroll’s courageous fight for justice.

As Election Day nears, E. Jean Carroll V. Donald Trump is a must-watch for anyone concerned about justice, accountability, and the future of American democracy. Watch now and share with friends, especially those in battleground states, as we fight to make sure the truth is heard. A big thank you to Kathryn Hahn, Ellen Burstyn, Lexi Underwood, and Regina Taylor for their incredible performances. And of course, a major thank you to E. Jean Carroll for standing up to Donald Trump.

This is well worth watching. Grab a cocktail and spent the 20 minutes with this to remember just how evil he really is.

Disaster Averted

Published by digby on October 4, 2024

It would have been terrible timing:

The union representing the striking U.S. dockworkers, the International Longshoremen’s Association, reached a deal Thursday to suspend the strike until Jan. 15 to provide time to negotiate a new contract.

Workers had begun walking picket lines early Tuesday near ports all along the East and Gulf coasts.

A shutdown lasting more than a few weeks could have led to higher prices and shortages of goods throughout the country as the holiday shopping season — along with a tight presidential election — approaches.

With the strike being suspended, consumers probably won’t notice any significant shortages or price hikes. Had the stoppage persisted for more than a month, it would have been a different story, depending on what you were shopping for. Most holiday retail goods have already arrived from overseas, so there is a buffer. Prices on everything from fruits and vegetables to cars could have headed higher, at least temporarily, if it had dragged on.

I honestly thought that was the intention in doing this in October. The head of that Union is a super Trump supporter and it looked like he was pulling a fast one by calling for the strike just before the election.

Here’s how it went down:

At 5:30 a.m. Thursday, before the sun had risen above his Washington home, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients was on a Zoom call with two Cabinet secretaries and the executives of the shipping companies negotiating with workers who had gone on strike at critical docks along the East and Gulf coasts, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.

With the nation’s economy — and much of the president’s legacy — hanging in the balance just weeks before the election, White House chief economist Lael Brainard told management that they needed to come up with a new offer to the striking longshoremen. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stressed that Hurricane Helene magnified the importance of a deal. Labor Secretary Julie Su expressed optimism that the union would agree to a temporary extension if raises were included.

Then in a surprising move, as the call was wrapping up, Zients told the board members of the U.S. Maritime Alliance that he was going to tell Biden in about an hour that they had agreed to propose a new offer to the union. By that point, the shipping executives had agreed to do no such thing. Zients was saying they would.

“I need the offer today — not tomorrow. Today,” Zients said on the call. “I’m going to brief the president in an hour that you believe you can get this done today.”

Less than 12 hours later, White House officials were celebrating a deal to reopen the ports until January — postponing the issue until after this November’s election. The agreement provides collective if temporary relief to skittish Democrats from the White House to Capitol Hill, while buoying Vice President Kamala Harris, along with Friday’s strong jobs report.

Not that all the unions are grateful for the support of the administration. The national Teamsters refused to endorse, even after the Biden administration fought to fix their pension system. And yesterday the Firefighters did the same.

As Dave Weigel pointed out this morning, there’s no doubt going to be a discussion in Democratic circles about this:

I’m sure the Democrats are not going to withdraw their support for unions. It’s philosophically fundamental to their coalition. And after all, the UAW is going all out to help the Democrats so this isn’t a problem across the board. But Weigel is right. Deliverism holds that you must provide material benefits to people in order to receive their political support. Biden did that in a dozen different ways and not just for unions. And the race is still too close to call. Go figure.

Maybe economic determinism doesn’t actually tell the whole story after all, especially in a rich country like America? Just asking.

For now, the good news is that this potentially crippling strike has been averted before the election. Whew.

QOTD: Tim Miller

Published by digby on October 4, 2024

Like Cheney and Harris, I may not agree with Tim Miller on everything but I agree with this:

As long as I live I will never fully comprehend it. There should have been a line of honest and wise men a mile long standing behind Cheney on Thursday. But their cowardice, their venality, their shameful abdication of responsibility only served to make this moment in Ripon more powerful.

Because instead of that mile long line of men, there stood two women with vanishingly little in common. There they were, in the place where an honest, abolitionist Republican party formed, in political unity, bound by a mutual love of country and a commitment to its best ideals. 

Two women standing in the breach to protect the country from the men trying to tear it apart. 

Two women alone, standing together for all of us. 

I didn’t mention it in my Salon column about their campaign stop yesterday but I was impressed by something they did that I think is important. When Cheney introduced Harris she walked back and waited for her to come out and I expected them embrace there on the stage. But they didn’t. They shook hands and then walked back together to the front of the stage.

This one wasn’t about “joy.” It was a serious moment with both of them playing distinct roles as the leaders of different political factions coming together in one coalition to stop the march toward fascism. They acted like leaders.

I appreciated it. Two women alone, standing together for all of us. Hell yeah.

A Potpourri Of Good Economic News

Published by digby on October 4, 2024

Check out this pattern. They drive it up and Democrats bring it down.

And they’ll do it again, all while braying about government spending and paying off their rich friends:

Women know:

The economy is never perfect. There are always problems, mostly borne by the poor and working classes. But as economies go, this one is as strong as we’ve seen in many years. If it weren’t for the right wing propaganda machine and the reluctance of the media to admit this, people would have realized it sooner.

It’s morning in America, people! Wake the hell up!

She’s Still A QAnon Princess

Published by digby on October 4, 2024

Marjorie Taylor Greene made her MAGA bones as a conspiracy theorist on Facebook just six years ago so this isn’t surprising.

Does it seem to you that these people are getting nuttier by the day? The question is if it’s because they think they’re losing — or winning? I fear it’s the latter.