…No surprise, yet another of the Trump clan has covid-19
Asymptomatic but in quarantine, one more of the anti-mask Trump crew has been added to the list of those that have tested positive for the Covid 19 virus. It’s unknown whether the public would have been informed by either Trump Jr. or the White House without the story from Bloomberg broken.
“Don tested positive at the start of the week and has been quarantining out at his cabin since the result, He’s been completely asymptomatic so far and is following all medically recommended COVID-19 guidelines.”
Spokesperson for Donald Trump Jr.
Recent news that pentagon officials and other have tested positive after several other members of the Trump family including Kimberly Guilfoyle, Trump Jr.’s girlfriend, were infected with the virus earlier this year. Trump Sr. was positive in October, first lady Melania Trump, and their son Barron had also tested positive for the disease and Guilfoyle was infected in August .
Also On Friday, a White House aide who is also Rudy Giuliani’s son Andrew Giuliani, put out a tweet that was also positive. In addition, an aide to aides toVP Mike Pence, including, Hannah McInnis, was also positive surrounding to the Bloomberg article. Other aides of the VP were previously infected, such as his press secretary and chief of staff. Pence himself has not yet announced any positive diagnosis.
It’s unknown whether the public would have been informed by either Trump Jr. or the White House without the story from Bloomberg broken. This is a developing story and will be updated as news breaks.
As follows, a list of various other Republican establishment figures that have tested positive as well;
Melania Trump (First Lady)
Ronna McDaniel (Republican National Committee chairwoman)
Hope Hicks (White House communications aide)
Kellyanne Conway (Former White House counselor)
Bill Stepien (Trump campaign manager)
John Jenkins (University of Notre Dame president)
Chris Christie (Former New Jersey Gov.)
Nick Luna (Director of Oval Office operations)
Karoline Leavitt (White house assistant press secretary)
Chad Gilmartin (White House press office staffer)
Kayleigh McEnany (White House press secretary)
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah)
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.)
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)
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The former POTUS gave a scathing, hilarious interview on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
In Barack Obama’s latest book “A Promised Land” he writes how the Navy Seal team was charged the take-down of Osama Bin Laden. On the late night show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!”. During an appearance to promote his book, the former President laughed with the host as to what steps might be needed to get Trump out of the White House come January.
Jimmy Kimmel asked the former POTUS if there was “a place somebody could hide in the White House if they knew they were going to be removed” — and Obama jokingly responded, “Well, I think we can send some navy seals in to dig him out,”.
Jimmy also noted that Obama’s new book is 701 pages long, and asked if he had purposely made the book so long so Trump wouldn’t pick up it. Obama made reports that he planned, at least initially to write a 500 page memoir within a years time, then, he instead wrote a whopping 700 pages. It will now be the first of an anticipated two set volume, as the book ends with the Bin Laden episode in May of 2011. Watch the video clip above to hear Barak’s response that hilariously roasted the soon-to-be-booted current resident of 1400 Pennsylvania Ave.
Obama’s book went on sale on Nov. 17, 2020; the memoir sold 890,000 copies in the U.S. and Canada in the first 24 hours of release, setting a record for publisher Crown, an imprint of Penguin Random House. “A Promised Land” continues to hold steady at #1 on Amazon and as one of the top leading non-fiction bestsellers since its release.
My memoir, A Promised Land, is out today. I hope you’ll read it. My goal was to give you some insight into the events and people that shaped me during the early years of my presidency. Most of all, I hope it inspires you to see yourself playing a role in shaping a better world. pic.twitter.com/hdZysCpCN9
In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency–a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil.
Obama takes readers on a compelling journey from his earliest political aspirations to the pivotal Iowa caucus victory that demonstrated the power of grassroots activism to the watershed night of November 4, 2008, when he was elected 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the nation’s highest office.
Reflecting on the presidency, he offers a unique and thoughtful exploration of both the awesome reach and the limits of presidential power, as well as singular insights into the dynamics of U.S. partisan politics and international diplomacy. Obama brings readers inside the Oval Office and the White House Situation Room, and to Moscow, Cairo, Beijing, and points beyond.
We are privy to his thoughts as he assembles his cabinet, wrestles with a global financial crisis, takes the measure of Vladimir Putin, overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds to secure passage of the Affordable Care Act, clashes with generals about U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, tackles Wall Street reform, responds to the devastating Deepwater Horizon blowout, and authorizes Operation Neptune’s Spear, which leads to the death of Osama bin Laden.
This beautifully written and powerful book captures Barack Obama’s conviction that democracy is not a gift from on high but something founded on empathy and common understanding and built together, day by day.
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Nothing in the memoir can compare to the chaos and carnage of the lame-duck-disaster of today
The 44th President, Barak Obama’s memoir, “A Promised Land” comes out today, November 17th. And what better time than now as 45 (aka Trump) is nearing the end of his term, than to reflect on the better days, when the nation had an intelligent, articulate, drama-free leader in the White House. Includes and updated preface – looking forward to the future, when President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in.
This will mark Obama’s third autobiography. His first book, “Dreams from My Father” published back in 1995 and The Audacity of Hope in 2006. In Promised Land, he focuses on his children, political life starting out in Chicago, his rise to the nation’s top elected office and events leading up to the killing of Osama bin Laden. Readers will get an insider account of Obama’s thinking during this political journey, as well as a look inside his personal life.
Obama made reports that he planned, at least initially to write a 500 page memoir within a years time, he instead wrote a whopping 700 pages. It will now be the first of an anticipated two set volume, as the book ends with bin Laden in May of 2011.
My memoir, A Promised Land, is out today. I hope you’ll read it. My goal was to give you some insight into the events and people that shaped me during the early years of my presidency. Most of all, I hope it inspires you to see yourself playing a role in shaping a better world. pic.twitter.com/hdZysCpCN9
To read more information Barak Obama’s book, please see publisher details below. His book is available for purchase as of November 17, 2020. Click here and help independent bookstores, also available on Amazon and Walmart.
A Promised Land
A riveting, deeply personal account of history in the making–from the president who inspired us to believe in the power of democracy
In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency–a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil.
Click here to See “Shade“ in Paperback and Hardcover versions and help Independent Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon.
Obama takes readers on a compelling journey from his earliest political aspirations to the pivotal Iowa caucus victory that demonstrated the power of grassroots activism to the watershed night of November 4, 2008, when he was elected 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the nation’s highest office.
Reflecting on the presidency, he offers a unique and thoughtful exploration of both the awesome reach and the limits of presidential power, as well as singular insights into the dynamics of U.S. partisan politics and international diplomacy. Obama brings readers inside the Oval Office and the White House Situation Room, and to Moscow, Cairo, Beijing, and points beyond. We are privy to his thoughts as he assembles his cabinet, wrestles with a global financial crisis, takes the measure of Vladimir Putin, overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds to secure passage of the Affordable Care Act, clashes with generals about U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, tackles Wall Street reform, responds to the devastating Deepwater Horizon blowout, and authorizes Operation Neptune’s Spear, which leads to the death of Osama bin Laden.
A Promised Land is extraordinarily intimate and introspective–the story of one man’s bet with history, the faith of a community organizer tested on the world stage. Obama is candid about the balancing act of running for office as a Black American, bearing the expectations of a generation buoyed by messages of “hope and change,” and meeting the moral challenges of high-stakes decision-making. He is frank about the forces that opposed him at home and abroad, open about how living in the White House affected his wife and daughters, and unafraid to reveal self-doubt and disappointment. Yet he never wavers from his belief that inside the great, ongoing American experiment, progress is always possible.
This beautifully written and powerful book captures Barack Obama’s conviction that democracy is not a gift from on high but something founded on empathy and common understanding and built together, day by day. Click here and help independent bookstores, also available on Amazon and Walmart.
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Accepting defeat is obviously creating cognitive dissonance is this aberrant individual
For the second time in as many days, Trump spat-out a wannabe concession – first in a speech, correcting himself mid-sentence, and then in a tweet – or two tweets to be exact… This penchant for involuntary honesty is beginning to look like a symptom of pending mental collapse, indeed, many have called for activation of the 25th amendment to remove him from office due to mental incapacity.
Though in each case he “corrected” himself: on twitter, after first conceding by tweeting “He won”, clearly referring to President-elect Joe Biden and then deleting that tweet and adding “because the election was rigged”.
As Proud Boys throw a Stand Back & Stand By Pity Party in Washington, Trump drives through the procession on the way to golf & then tweets out the weakest concession in American History.
While in his speech he implied that there would soon be a new administration in town, then proceeded with the usual rants about voter fraud and tampering and so on. This behavior is, as has been the case throughout the past four years, either calculated or insane or some combination of both.
The speculation of his possible calculations would be amusing if not, once again, regarding a deadly serious subject and situation. He seems to be milking this bizarre refusal to concede by collecting donations, which are also being diverted to cover his campaign debts (with a disclaimer shown to donors indicating that anything under $8000 is fair game for him to divert) and also, as is his typical modus operandi, hanging ever-so-desperately onto the spotlight and dominating the news cycle.
Crazy like a fox or just an A**hole?
Beyond this he appears to be consolidating the bizarre 70 million plus “fans” for his next run (from prison?) in 2024, when he will be 78, approximately the age of President-elect Biden currently. And, as if that were not enough, he appears to be auditioning for the much-speculated future media empire – Fox-news-on-steroids that he has been rumored to be wanting to launch from exile.
All of that is, at least partially, true and yet there is very little sense to any of us paying attention, apart from the whole “he has the nuclear football thing”.
His niece Mary Trump warned us that he would act out to an extreme degree based on his inability to mentally process any kind of failure or loss (even though he has failed and lost almost continuously throughout his life, just maintained a state of denial during the process), ad yet it is hard to believe that it has gone on and come so far already.
Unless the idea of removing him using the 25th amendment is successful it appears that this will continue all the way to January 20th and will just get more and more insane along the way. Naturally anyone who is not equally delusional – potentially upwards of 100 million Biden voters and those that abstained from voting, is dreading this, the uncertainty and the disgusting show of contempt for our democracy and system of government.
In the end we will all be glad to survive his egomaniacal melt-down intact and begin the process of moving on from the four years that are worse than wasted by this sick, sad, malignant clown of an individual. Survive and begin to repair the damage they wrought.
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What does it take to expose the tactics of online hate mongers?
Talia Lavin, describes herself as a “schlubby, bisexual Jew living in Brooklyn” and as an unapologetic anti-racist. She has contributed her writing on right-wing activities to major publication outlets including The Washington Post, The New Yorker, New Republic and more. As a result, Lavin describes having been a frequent target for extremists. For her latest book, “Culture Warlords”, she created fictitious online characters and identity in order to infiltrate and better understand how and why this radical subculture (i.e. white nationalism) is started and expose it.
Click to see “Culture Warlords” and help independent bookstores. Also available on Amazon.
In an article for the Daily Beast, she told the reporter: “There is no economic class, education level, or geographical region that is not part of the organized racist movement,” and continued “These people are from every walk of life. There are a lot of reasons for anger, and the people I have reported on take natural feelings of loneliness and turn them on vulnerable and marginalized people. And that’s what makes me angrier. They are human people making human choices to do evil.”
Her success in being accepted into the community, and with key members, was based on using one of her created characters, a sexy, blond, alter ego to gain trust and pry honest statements from her targets. The shockingly racist and extreme admissions of hate and even criminal “dreams” they expressed seemed to more than make up for the unorthodox catfish-like charade she used to gain their trust.
Needless to say with her real identity now known, and her first hand descriptions in the book out in the public sphere, she has all the more reason to fear backlash or acts of revenge. Her courage in taking on this dangerous task, and then speaking and writing about it, is heroic, to say the least.
Her wish for readers to take away from her book is this is an important issue and something that can and should be fought for, as Americans, it is our responsibility to speak out. She ends her interview saying, “we need a lot more anti-fascists out there.”
To read more information about Talia Lavin’s book, please see publisher details below. Her book is available for purchase as of October 6, 2020. Click to see and help independent bookstores, also available on Amazon.
Culture Warlords: My Journey Into the Dark Web of White Supremacy
Culture Warlordsis the story of how Lavin, a frequent target of extremist trolls (including those at Fox News), dove into a byzantine online culture of hate and learned the intricacies of how white supremacy proliferates online. Within these pages, she reveals the extremists hiding in plain sight online: Incels. White nationalists. White supremacists. National Socialists. Proud Boys. Christian extremists.
In order to showcase them in their natural habitat, Talia assumes a range of identities, going undercover as a blonde Nazi babe, a forlorn incel, and a violent Aryan femme fatale. Along the way, she discovers a whites-only dating site geared toward racists looking for love, a disturbing extremist YouTube channel run by a fourteen-year-old girl with over 800,000 followers, the everyday heroes of the antifascist movement, and much more.
By combining compelling stories chock-full of catfishing and gate-crashing with her own in-depth, gut-wrenching research, she also turns the lens of anti-Semitism, racism, and white power back on itself in an attempt to dismantle and decimate the online hate movement from within. Shocking, humorous, and merciless in equal measure, Culture Warlordsexplores some of the vilest subcultures on the Web-and shows us how we can fight back.
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Melania Trump has been an unconventional and controversial first lady. Melania, 50, born in Slovenia is the first foreign-born FLOTUS in nearly 200 years, also the first for whom English was not her first language, and the first to be a president’s third wife.
Since her husband lost the election, social media, and Twitter in particular, has been abuzz with speculation and thoughts on her possible divorce and future, almost certainly, sans DJT. There were even tweets showing a moving van parked in Front of the White House with captions alluding to her wanting to leave the premises asap.
I’m taking this live shot of the White House, with a moving truck outside, as a good omen. pic.twitter.com/Uz4SuoU94N
With her stoic facial expressions and sometimes questionable fashion choices (the infamous “I Really Don’t Care Do U” jacket), the first lady has largely been out of view and is known for being aloof, preferring to avoid being in the public eye.
Click to See “Melania and Me” and help Lynxotic and Independent Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon.
Previously unknown personal information has recently been revealed about the soon to be ex-FLOTUS, with the September 2020 release of the tell-all book Melania and Me by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. The former senior advisor to the first lady gave readers a first hand account of personal and quoted phone, email and text conversations between the two.
There was said to be audio recordings, dubbed Melania Tapes that the author kept to ensure she could back up all details in her book 100%. The book included salacious and juicy details about her relationship (often tumultuous) with Trump’s daughter, detailing the “Operation Block Ivanka” plan to keep cameras out of frame from Ivanka during the inauguration.
Wolkoff even alleges that the Trumps had separate bedrooms within the White House and was a “transactional marriage”. Another former White House official, Omarosa Manigault told Daily Mail “Melania is counting every minute until he is out of office and she can divorce,” she continued “If Melania were to try to pull the ultimate humiliation and leave while he’s in office, he would find a way to punish her.”
Moving on, while hubby stares down potential prosecutions?
With Joe Biden declared President-elect on Saturday, November 7th, Donald Trump, as he promised he would do, is not accepting that he lost the election and refuses to concede. He continues to toss-out allegations of “illegal votes” (even though there have been no indications or evidence of voter irregularities or fraud).
Trump has begun his attempt to fight his election loss through legal battles and more than likely will drag out any and all legal actions until he will be forced to leave the White House at the end of his term. A coup, though unlikely, is also being discussed in the media.
Soon, Melania will also have to start the process of vacating the White House and look to what her future will be after January 20th, 2021. Whether she continues alongside Donald Trump or not, the American People (at least 2/3 of them) are more than ready to say… Bye Bye!
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Almost exactly four years ago to the day, on November 8th, 2016, Trump shocked America and the world by defeating Hillary Clinton. There was already a sense of foreboding among many, based on having witnessed Trump’s behavior during the campaign and throughout his public life before entering the political arena as a candidate.
The full extent of the danger and menace he would come to embody and represent was something that unfolded, nonstop, during the years he clutched onto power like a rabid dog.
Click here to see “The Truths We Hold” and help Independent Bookstores. Also available on Amazon.
Like traumatic witnesses to a heinous crime, many of us who have wished for the day he would be defeated are experiencing a mixture of relief, elation and post-traumatic-stress on the news that his (first) day of reckoning has finally arrived.
On the announcement that Joe Biden had won Pennsylvania and its 20 electoral votes, and would be the 46th President of the United States, jubilant celebrations broke out across the country.
Starting around noon on Saturday, November 7th, the various news outlets began to confirm that the threshold of 270 electoral votes required for victory had been surpassed by the Biden-Harris ticket.
Unbridled joy almost instantly swept across the land, at least among the nearly 75 million that voted blue, and likely among many of those some 70+ million that did not take the time, or were unable, to mark a ballot.
Unlike other political victory celebrations, this was not a “lesser of two evils” situation for any of those mentioned in the previous paragraph. Some of the internet memes, like the brilliant “America Endgame” video mash-up that mythologizes the election as an Avengers inspired clash between ultimate good and almost unspeakableevil.
The clip, for many, was an emotional and inspirational confirmation of what they had been feeling for fourteen-hundred and fifty-nine days as a dark shadow of racist ignorance and hate cast a shadow across our lives.
Looking ahead: days to reflect, heal and rebuild
Next we must all begin to take the sudden feelings of empowerment and democratic vindication and apply that energy toward reclaiming and rebuilding all that the would-be tyrant had spend 4 years undermining and trying to destroy.
No small task, no easy road, but, nevertheless, a chance to learn from this close encounter with a near-collapse of our system and what it has meant throughout the best moments of our history.
The damage wrought by the 1,459 days of terror-tweets, and more dangerously, the behind-the-scenes dismantling of the skeleton that holds our system upright, can finally begin to be reconstructed and reclaimed.
Symbolically, the ending of our participation in the Paris Climate Accords, which ended, literally, hours before Trump’s loss was announced, marks the end of an era of destruction, and the beginning of one pointing firmly toward a possible future of survival and repair. Biden has pledged to re-join the accords as his first act as President.
And now for the 70 million + souls that, who, out of a susceptibility to propaganda and the spell of a fascist cult of personality, voted for Trump, the avalanche of lies will go silent (other than from the sycophants that remain in positions of power). Next, the country and media can, hopefully, allow real facts and information (remember those?) to flow again and reclaim at least some minds where possible.
Sadly after more than 4 years of hard-line indoctrination, only individuals under a certain age or who were only partially damaged, will be receptive to any kind of a return to a more civil national discourse.
These are all thoughts for a later date, but for now a well deserved moment of relief and celebration, and thank our stars for the 75 million of us that rose up and made it possible for the chance of a better future to emerge.
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Trump’s attempt to enlist entertainers for taxpayer funded propaganda program fails spectacularly
Lately, the Trump Administration has been looking for a celebrity to be the face of its new COVID-19 PSA campaign. Well, kind of. While the $265 million taxpayer-funded ad campaign is supposed to raise coronavirus awareness, the White House has unsubtly been twisting it into an explicit Trump promotion.
According to U.S. Heath and Human Services Secretary Michael Caputo, the theoretically non-partisan campaign’s message is “Helping The President Will Help The Country.” Interestingly, this whole fiasco arrives just days before the 2020 Presidential Election, where Trump is behind in the polls.
Regardless of the hidden meaning behind the campaign—or perhaps directly because of it—the Administration has had trouble finding a suitable face for the ads. According to documents that Democratic lawmakers revealed to the Washington Post, the Administration went down a list of 247 celebs considered for the PSAs, but hardly any of them fit the bill.
Notes from the documents suggest a strict pro-Republican criteria for the job. Behavior that disqualified celebrities included if they had ever been critical of Trump, if they ever expressed support for Barak Obama, and if they ever supported gay marriage or LBGTQ+ rights. Unsurprisingly, these stipulations left options rather thin.
Names on the list included comedians Judd Apatow and George Lopez (both disqualified for expressing anti-Trump sentiments); singers Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and Justin Timberlake (all ruled out for endorsing Obama and championing gay rights); actress Jennifer Lopez (eliminated for her so-called radical Super Bowl halftime show); and actors Johnny Depp and Jack Black (both excluded for simply aligning with the American left).
The name on the list that met the most scathing response was probably singer/songwriter Billie Eilish. Notes on the eighteen-year old celebrity recount that she “Made a political statement on gun control in 2019; will be a first time voter in 2020; not a Trump supporter, stated he ‘is destroying our country and everything we care about.'”
Of the 247 names initially listed, only ten survived the President’s elimination process— Dennis Quaid, Marc Anthony, Enrique Iglesias, Billy Ray Cyrus, Miranda Lambert, Garth Brooks, Dwyane Wade, Dr. Mehmet Oz, CeCe Winans, and Shulem Lemmer.
There are also a number of celebrities listed as “pending” or “declined.” Among the latter are Dwayne Johnson, Selena Gomez, and Sandra Oh.
Trump Train about to Derail or will Celebs like Lil Wayne & Kanye come to the Rescue
These slim pickings show that Trump does not garner the strongest support (or any) from American entertainers. In addition to all of the listed names considered and rejected for this campaign, there are many more celebrities who have publically denounced the POTUS, several of whom were formerly apolitical or even republicans (Clint Eastwood and Arnold Schwarzenegger) before the current term.
Not all celebrities are steadfastly anti-Trump, though. The President has actually found support in some unlikely places. Because of Trump’s recent Platinum Plan to assist black Americans, he has created seemingly positive relations with rappers such as Lil Wayne, Ice Cube, 50 Cent, and Lil Pump. It’s unclear if any of these recognizable names actually endorse Trump, but they’ve all shown degrees of support via social media.
Trump doesn’t have all rappers on board, though. Kanye West retracted his longstanding support for the President when he decided to run for the office himself this year. Meanwhile, when rapper Lil John was solicited to support Trump on Twitter, he responded bluntly:
Evidently, while there are some exceptions, few recognizable entertainers fully support the President. Ironically, Donald Trump himself has a strong background in entertainment— perhaps boasting the most show business-savvy resume of any President since Reagan.
However, while Reagan was an accomplished actor and later President of the Screen Actor’s Guild, Trump was more of a crude businessman slapped before the camera for a reality TV paycheck.
Entertainers carry a lot of influence. Unfortunately, Trump has struggled to win the hearts of such influencers. In fact, many of them are now using that very influence against him.
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Made in secrecy during the past 6 months with interviews from administration insiders
The election is exactly three days away. The United States, in the past week, has recorded 500,000 new covid cases, which is the worst week ever. Therefore, this would seem the perfect time to watch, for free, the documentary “Totally Under Control”, which details the failures of Trump and his administration to handle the crisis.
Currently streaming on Hulu, for those that have a subscription, it is also available in case you don’t have a Hulu subscription, for free until November 3rd. Click here to watch for free.
Just when it seemed like 2020 could not get any stranger, President Donald Trump announced via Twitter on October 2nd that he and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19. In what some would see as a ‘karmic’ coincidence, within twenty-four hours of this breaking news, Neon media dropped a trailer for the new documentary “Totally Under Control,” which focuses on the President and his administration’s unsuccessful response to the coronavirus.
“Totally Under Control” is the second Trump-focused project from documentarian Alex Gibney. Earlier this year, the director released “Agents Of Chaos,” an HBO mini-series centered on Russian involvement in the 2016 election. Gibney is also responsible for the 2010 Oscar nominated doc, “Client 9: The Rise And Fall Of Eliot Spitzer” and the 2007 Oscar winner, “Taxi To The Dark Side.” Most of his films take on timely topics through an investigative lens. “Totally Under Control” will be no different.
Unsurprisingly, Gibney latest movie condemns the Trump administration, as it chronicles how the President handled the coronavirus across the first half of 2020. Its synopsis states:
“On January 20th, 2020 the US and South Korea both discovered their first cases of COVID-19. However, nine months later, the novel Coronavirus has claimed the lives of over 200,000 Americans and caused staggering economic damage, while in South Korea, there were no significant lockdowns and, in an urbanized population of 51 million, only 344 lives have been lost. Where did we go wrong?”
The film aims to answer this question and shed light on America’s complicated, corrupted, and fruitless reaction to the global pandemic. To do this, Gibney uses news footage from the past ten months— much of it showing Trump’s early, woefully dismissive thoughts on the coronavirus before it hit the United States.
He also interviews experts from doctors, to scientists, to government officials, all of whom agree that the current administration’s reaction to COVID was absolutely abhorrent from the start.
The trailer plays out like that of a disaster movie, beginning with former Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority leader, Rick Bright explaining, “The scientists knew what to do for the pandemic response. The plan was in front of us, but leadership would not do it.” Bright goes on to recall how he tired bringing this vital information to the public, but was consequentially fired from his federal position.
As the trailer unfolds, the music gets more and more intense. The interviewees retell the all-too-familiar 2020 story of how COVID got worse by the day and the United States government did nothing to combat it. Meanwhile, quasi-apocalyptic images of ubiquitous ambulances, omnipresent sirens, medial personnel in hazmat suits, restless political rallies, and so on flash across the screen.
All the while, Trump’s voice comes in and out with infamous phrases such as “It will disappear,” “It will be wonderful,” and most egregiously, “I don’t take responsibility at all.”
Art imitates life as covid disbeliever enters hospital after contracting virus that affects ‘almost nobody’
Today, these statements are more ironic than ever before, as Trump himself has been checked into the Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland for COVID. The diagnosis occurred just two days after the first presidential debate, where Trump continued to downplay the coronavirus in favor of reopening the country.
“Totally Under Control” will be available On-Demand starting October 13th and will stream on Hulu starting October 20th. Although the film focuses on current (and ongoing) events, it is not the first piece of media to tackle the coronavirus, and it surely won’t be the last.
official trailer – “Totally under control” / youtube
Longtime former Trump aide pens tell-all about his repugnant behavior
In 1980, Barbara Res became the first woman to spearhead a major construction project in New York City. The project was Trump Tower, and thus began a tumultuous partnership with Donald Trump, a professional relationship that Res relentlessly unfolds in her new book, “Tower Of Lies.”
For two decades, Res worked as an executive for Trump’s real estate company. In that time, she had nearly unparalleled access to the man’s business practices and (un)professional conduct. While working on Trump Tower—perhaps the President’s most famous endeavor before entering politics—she quickly learned who he really was.
Click here to see ” Tower of Lies“ and help Independent Bookstores. Also available on Amazon.
As the book makes clear, the President has always presented himself as an image of luxury, class, and business prowess. However, this image persistently strays far from his true nature.
Res explains, “He was able to control others, through lies and exaggeration, with promises of money or jobs, through threats of lawsuits or exposure. He surrounded himself with yes-men, blamed others for his own failures, never took responsibility, and always stole credit.”
Perhaps most distressingly, Res recounts instances where the President demonstrated unambiguous racism and misogyny. Reportedly, Trump did not want black people working on his Tower and even resisted letting them inside upon completion. He similarly made disparaging comments against his Jewish employees and constantly objectified the women around him.
Although hiring Res to oversee Trump Tower may have seemed like a progressive feminist action at first glance, the author shares how Trump constantly belittled his female employees by obsessing over their bodies and stressing the importance of looks.
The long list of Character Defining “bad acts” is virtually endless
Unsurprisingly, then, Res also exposes how Trump preferred to distance himself from the “common man”— the very constituents that he now claims to stand for in Washington. Apparently, he surrounds himself with powerful people to boost his ego, viewing average workers as inferior and those who disagree with him as blasphemous. Res further writes that Trump’s “regard for himself had increased exponentially” as he gained more power, and today, “these tactics are still at work, just deployed at the highest levels of the U.S. government, with all the corruption and chaos that necessarily ensue.”
Res is far from the first Trump insider to come out against the President. Just this year, Michael Cohen, John Bolton, Bob Woodward, and even the President’s niece Mary Trump, have all revealed hidden details about the POTUS’s seedy past. Most recently, even White House Biomedical Research and Development leader Rick Bright exposed the President’s shortcomings in handling the COVID-19 pandemic in the documentary “Totally Under Control.”
Naturally, the Trump administration has renounced all these claims against the president, playing the victim and calling the facts erroneous. Res’ new book will surely meet no different of a fate. In previous instances where Res has spoken out against Trump—such as when she endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016—the President has lashed out against her, claiming that she should be grateful for the opportunities he gave her so long ago.
Of course, Trump Tower did indeed do a lot for Res’ career. Nevertheless, that same project also made her realize that the man in the White House is a con artist who continues living in his own one-track, uninformed, egotistical world. The only difference is that he now holds more power than ever before.
The electronic version of “Tower of Lies” goes on sale starting October 20th, just two weeks before Election Day, with the hardcover edition available November 30, 2020.
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Snowden may indeed receive a pardon and shortly after a bunk-mate in the form of the same soon-to-be ex-President
Trump says so many crazy things on any given day, it is easy to let any one particular thing just float on by and get ready for whatever the next outrageous or just wacko thing that comes out of his mouth.
Ascribing some kind of motivation is often a fools errand of second convolution logic that leads to a parlor game of either elevating this mental-midget to a “very stable genius” or trying to follow clues as to his source for the “idea” (like what was aired on Fox News in the 12 hours prior to his tweet or crazy proclamation).
The idea he came up with of leaving the country, after he loses to “the worst candidate in the history of politics”, is not one of those run-of-the-mill , dime-a-dozen utterances. No. It is a very real concern that appears to be weighing heavily on his mind, and that he feels the need to discuss with thousands of his closest friends (the audiences at his super-spreader rallies).
If there is a genius to Trump, it is his ability to go so far beyond the pale that even those that know his predilection for bizarre suggestions and actions have not followed his twisted logic quite as far as he is about to take it.
Floating the idea of a Pardon for Snowden was Clue #1
The backward inverted idea of a pardon initiated by Trump for someone he once called a “traitor” is pure, simple Trump-ian thought at it’s most absurd. All Snowden needed to do to become Trump’s new friend was to hang out for a while with Trump’s other friend; Putin. So, as is so often the case with the most obtuse and simultaneously transparent maniac, one only has to connect the dots to reach a simple rock-solid conclusion: Trump is shopping for a post-election-loss safe-haven and joining Snowden in Moscow is his very first choice.
Now, never mind that Snowden is not a Trump supporter or sycophant, his proximity alone, to Putin, in Trump’s bent mind, makes him an ally of sorts. And if pushed, I am certain Trump would somehow use this thought process to link Wikileaks, which he “loves” when they leak Democratic dirt, and Assange, though strange bedfellows don’t begin to cover that trio of compatriots.
The phrase: “Banana republic” comes to mind
This prediction, written on this very parchment at 21:21 on October 21, 2020, is herby put forth – however, in fairness, it is actually at least 3 predictions.
First, that Trump will lose Bigly on or around November 3rd. Second, that he will opt for plan c, after his wannabe civil warriors fail to show up for any dubious would-be battles, and leave the USA forthwith. Third that he is already entertaining offers but has Moscow very high on his list, since the shit-hole countries, that he bad-mouthed on the way up the ladder of infamy, do not have an interest in harboring him.
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A potent commentary on the Presidency — and our country
After a CNN documentary aired last Friday – centered on the official White House photographer during the Obama Presidency, Pete Souza; a funny thing happened on the bestseller charts.
Pete Souza’s #1 NYT bestselling coffee table book of photographs shot during his time in the White House, “Obama: An Intimate Portrait”, re-entered the charts at #3 and was followed by, not one but 2 other books at #1 and #22 respectively: the Hardcover (#1) and Paperback (#22) editions of “Shade”.
“Shade“, unlike “Obama: An Intimate Portrait” is a chronicle, not merely of the Obama years of yore, but a diary of sorts detailing the unfolding disgrace of the Trump years we’ve all endured since.
Having spent so many intimate moments with the Obamas, indeed years of close interaction and friendship, he is in a unique position to contrast the differences, not only of the personalities but also of the actions and acts of these two historical figures, and the vast differences between the two.
The virtually immediate and resounding success of the more recent, and more outspoken, tomes is a testament to how many of us share his frustration and outrage at what was, hopefully only temporarily, lost when Obama handed over the “keys” to the White House to its current resident. For a short time longer, perhaps?
Click here to See “Shade“ in Paperback and Hardcover versions and help Independent Bookstores. Also Available on Amazon.
From Pete Souza, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Obama: An Intimate Portrait.
As Chief Official White House Photographer, Pete Souza spent more time alongside President Barack Obama than almost anyone else. His years photographing the President gave him an intimate behind-the-scenes view of the unique gravity of the Office of the Presidency — and the tremendous responsibility that comes with it.
Now, as a concerned citizen observing the Trump administration, he is standing up and speaking out. Shade is a portrait in Presidential contrasts, telling the tale of the Obama and Trump administrations through a series of visual juxtapositions. Here, more than one hundred of Souza’s unforgettable images of President Obama deliver new power and meaning when framed by the tweets, news headlines, and quotes that defined the first 500 days of the Trump White House.
What began with Souza’s Instagram posts soon after President Trump’s inauguration in January 2017 has become a potent commentary on the state of the Presidency, and our country. Some call this “throwing shade.” Souza calls it telling the truth.
In Shade, Souza’s photographs are more than a rejoinder to the chaos, abuses of power, and destructive policies that now define our nation’s highest office. They are a reminder of a President we could believe in, and a courageous defense of American values.
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Robust Laughter will arise from these Verses for the Despotic Age of Trump
Last year, Tony Award winning actor John Lithgow released a playful book of satirical poems titled “Dumpty: The Age Of Trump In Verse.” The collection poked scathing fun at President Donald Trump as well as many of his supporters in Washington, all alongside illustrations from the author.
Like Lithgow’s first book, “Trumpty Dumpty” explores the chaos that is the current presidency through poetry. Only now, there are even more characters and topics to delve into, and Lithgow does so with humorous and timely poignancy.
Lithgow’s images take on the same style as those in the first book as well. The author noted in an interview that he grew up wanting to be a visual artist before falling into acting. Clearly, he’s never lost touch with his original passion. For this book, the pictures appropriately look like something out of an old-time newspaper; the author cites political cartoonist Thomas Nast as a primary inspiration.
More than a book of illustrations – prose and rhymes delight as well
As for the writing itself, Lithgow has always held a longstanding passion for stories and verse. The Harvard grad mentions that his father— actor/director Arthur Washington Lithgow—held immense skill in creating rhymes on the fly. Evidently, it must be hereditary, as John never misses an opportunity for cleverness in this cheeky collection.
Gearing up for tonight’s #TrumptyDumpty launch event! While you wait, here’s another limerick:
“Colonel Vindman, the POTUS’s nemesis, Bears a fearlessness right out of Genesis. Since he showed deeper fealty Than our titan of realty, Dumpty had him removed from the premises.” pic.twitter.com/3GcpTcmclc
The author finished writing the book in May, and he read some of the original pieces on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert several months back. However, the accompanying drawings took a bit longer to finish, and the publication process went right up to the bell.
Click here to see “Dumpty” and help Independent Bookstores. Also available on Amazon.
Now that the book is out, though, many others are getting in on the fun. In an amusing promotional endeavor, Lithgow organized some dramatic readings from his celebrity friends. Fellow actors Meryl Streep, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Samuel L. Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Glenn Close all showed up, as well as a few figures on the political scene.
With the help of producers B. Swibel, Adam Westbrook, Adam Bankhead, and Tim Van Patten, the team created a series of videos with these notable faces reciting Lithgow’s zany words, the backgrounds all cartoonish facades in the spirit of Lithgow’s art.
Lithgow says that he had the time to write the book during quarantine, as Broadway theaters shut their doors and film/television productions took a pause due to the pandemic. Poetry kept him busy as the acting business went on hiatus. Only now are productions starting to pick up again. While Lithgow makes a stellar poet and a great humorist, he now looks forward to returning to the thespian world.
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Rules that favor the sane are clearly unpopular with the chief of interruptions and accusations
The final Presidential debate, currently scheduled for Thursday October 22 will have 90 minutes divided into six fifteen-minute segments. Each segment will have 2 minutes of time for each candidate to speak, guaranteed without interruption, before the topic is “discussed” in open debate format.
Trump, whining to reporters last night disagreed with virtually everything about the debate: “I will participate but it’s very unfair that they changed the topics and it’s very unfair that again we have an anchor who’s totally biased.”
During an hour long interview with “Fox & Friends” he went further:
‘This was supposed to be a foreign policy debate, and new all of a sudden we’re talking about things that are not foreign policy. And, frankly, it was a change that they made that was far bigger than the mute button, I mean, frankly. But they made a change, and it shouldn’t have happened. It shouldn’t have happened”
During Barack Obama’s two terms, Pete Souza was with the President during more crucial moments than anyone else — and he photographed them all. Souza captured nearly two million photographs of President Obama, in moments highly classified and disarmingly candid. Obama: An Intimate Portrait reproduces more than 300 of Souza’s most iconic photographs with fine-art print quality in an oversize collectible format.
Some are already speculating that Trump will scream and yell and wave his arms during the time that his mic is muted. Alternatively, he could choose to cancel, which appears to be unlikely at this late juncture. Apparently, while the last debate was all about talking over, interrupting and generally trying to disrupt the proceedings, this time it will be about complaining outside the actual performance itself. I guess we’ll all have to tune in to see.
“We realize, after discussions with both campaigns, that neither campaign may be totally satisfied with the measures announced today. We are comfortable that these actions strike the right balance and that they are in the interest of the American people, for whom these debates are held.”
– The Commission on Presidential Debates
In addition to the 2 minutes of time each is given to speak without interruption there will be an attempt made to calculate the time one candidate loses due to an interruption by the other candidate will be credited back to the candidate that was interrupted.
Since Trump interrupted three times as often as Biden in the first debate; 71 times vs. 22 by the former Vice President, it was always unlikely that these rules would be welcomed by the Trump campaign. The bizarre strategy of “winning by interruption” will have far less potential in the new format.
The groundwork has been laid to choose to blame and mock the commission and the moderator or simply refuse to attend
On Monday a complaint in advance was already sent to the commission by Bill Stepien, Trump’s campaign manager:
“It is completely unacceptable for anyone to wield such power, and a decision to proceed with that change amounts to turning further editorial control of the debate over to the Commission which has already demonstrated its partiality to Biden,” said Stepien.
Additionally, the Trump campaign appears to be unhappy with the topics that were announced by the debate commission and in the same letter quoted above attempted to steer the debate topics away from the Covid-19 pandemic and into “foreign policy” and other issues.
All the grousing could be a set-up for a last minute cancelation by the Trump camp, as has been speculated.
That would likely only benefit Biden, and speed-up the need for Trump to find a country that would host him in exile.
However, as of last night this quote from Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien still stands: Trump “is committed to debating Joe Biden regardless of last minute rule changes from the biased commission in their latest attempt to provide advantage to their favored candidate.”
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Undercover FBI agent gathered detailed audio evidence on elaborate and deadly plot
The FBI released an affidavit on Thursday, October 8th, charging six members of a right-winged private militia for plotting to overthrow the government and kidnap Democrat Governor Gretchin Whitmer.
These six men were part of a group called “Wolverine Watchmen,” a private coalition that endorses (and often times enacts) violent actions to liberate itself from what they perceive to be a tyrannical government. Members typically hold libertarian views, rallying against tax hikes, gun control, and occasions where they think the government impedes on personal freedoms.
Their plot to kidnap Gretchin Whitmer comes after several months of strict rules regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor has exercised immense emergency powers in Michigan, rigorously enforcing certain restrictions in the name of health and safety. In April, many members of “Wolverine Watchmen” stormed the state capitol when Whitmer announced a stay-at-home order.
According to the FBI investigation, the six charged members are named Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Ty Garbin, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris, and Brandon Caserta. They have been planning to kidnap Whitmer for months with recorded phone calls and rehearsal meetings to prove it. The evidence heavily suggests that they intended to execute the kidnapping at Whitmer’s vacation home in Michigan’s Western District. References to moving the captive governor to Wisconsin or even killing her also emerge in the recordings.
Following the report’s release, The Daily Beast performed thorough research on the militia’s vast members, using their social media and public records to reveal that many people tied to the “Wolverine Watchmen” also show support of alt-right, white supremacy groups.
Tellingly, all of this comes less than two weeks after the first presidential debate, when President Donald Trump struggled (and ultimately failed) to condemn white supremacists. Rebuking this Presidential statement was at the heart of Whitmer’s response to the situation.
Michigan has a long history as a hot bed for militia activity
In a news conference, Whitmer explained that white supremacists and private militias took the President’s fumbling response during the debate as a call-to-action, and blames the POTUS for reinvigorating such violent hate groups when he had a clear avenue for creating peace.
Whitmer naturally expressed shock and disgust at the situation, but she also had strong words of hope. Despite everything she’s been through, she addressed Michiganders with poise, praising those who have shown bravery throughout this troubling year and promising to continue protecting the state against the virus.
At last, she mentioned that unity is crucial for getting through this pandemic, and that becoming each other’s enemy will only tear this country apart further. She called for kindness, empathy, and grace, for protecting our neighbors and following the guidelines that will keep everyone safe.As of right now, the legal reprehensions for Fox, Croft, Garbin, Franks, Harris, and Caserta remain to-be-determined.
They are being charged in federal court while seven other members of the “Wolverine Watchmen” are going to state court for targeting police officers and the capitol in Michigan. Given the evidence against them—as well as the fact that the Second Amendment only allows militias when called upon by the government— it seems as if the law is not on their side.
The Wannabe Emperor’s Clothes are on Full Display and growing more revolting by the day
Trump’s penchant for propaganda has taken a steroid filled-turbo-charged turn for the worst. In the build-up phase to his now obvious plans to contest any election result other than a Trump win, initially during protests in Portland and Washington DC (The violent state initiated street clearing [bible-holding stunt]), we began to point out the incredible comparisons with [Mussolini and Hitler]. These comparisons are now fully accepted by the [main-stream media].
That an imaginary “organization” that has as it’s creed to fight fascism (which is what America fought against in WWII) could be painted as the ultimate enemy (I guess Mexican rapists are out of style) is even more bizarre. Meanwhile, Trump continues to paint himself as some kind of Fascist-Hero, at the same time hugging American flags at every opportunity.
Worth mentioning that these are a collection of shots from Triumph of the Will. Meaning, the @WhiteHouse's film is playing out in real-time. But the shots on the right are scattered throughout the first ten minutes of the two-hour-long propoganda film.
Disinformation, Propaganda and Possible lead up to “False-flag-Op”
Even more disturbing is the success his massive, foreign backed, disinformation campaign has had, most of all in rural areas, in convincing actual Americans that he and his “Reality-TV-Fascist” approach is actually some kind of twisted patriotism. One that they should adopt, cheer-on and defend with assault rifles, if it does not succeed in taking over our democratic system completely by November 3rd.
We have already moved on from “awaiting the outcome of the election” to planning and / or fearing the outbreak of insane right-wing fascist violence when he loses. The big question is, who will there be to fight?
There is no “antifa” to speak of. There’s no need to protest (except by Trump fans) if he loses. And the police, FBI and Government in general have no right or reason to treat angry Trump supporters who protest any differently than BLM protestors, angry over the murder of innocent black people.
One retired, raving-mad-reality-TV-star can’t topple our Democratic system, even with foreign assistance, right?
If they incite or commit violence against anyone, unprovoked, they will be arrested. Since there will not be millions of people insane enough to follow their “leader” into certain defeat and likely incarceration, the crowds, if there are any, will dwindle and fade. There will be, no “enemy” to fight against.
They can continue to hate Biden and Democrats, even hate democracy, but that hate, just as was the case during eight years of Obama in the White House, will amount to little more than racist grumbling and sad idiotic hate for hate’s sake.
Naturally, if Trump takes his Nazi-Fascist campaign to the level of treasonous criminality (assuming he hasn’t already) and follows the 1930s script further to setting fire to the equivalent of the 1933 [German Reichstag fire] – then blaming it on “antifa” so he can declare a state of emergency – this will be an overly obvious coup attempt, conveniently happening just before an election he is certain to lose, and would be dealt with accordingly.
In the case of this madman-on-steroids nothing can be ruled out, but day-by-day, even the most extreme escape-routes seem to be disappearing for our Orange Maniac “leader”.
huge colorful and visual reminder of Trump’s years of lying…
A 50 foot wide by 10 foot tall wall mural went up Saturday, October 3, 2020 in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York and was dubbed as the “Wall of Lies.” Tom Tenney, an executive director for a non-profit internet radio station called Radio Free Brooklyn, and Phil Buehler, a photographer, are responsible for the creation.
The outdoor wall has more than 20,000 false, misleading claims or lies that Trump has made during his first four year term in office. All of the lies on displayed were sourced from, and recorded on, the ‘Fact Checker’ database by The Washington Post. The WP Fact Checker has an ongoing database of false claims made by Trump, to date. For example, in 1,267 days Trump has made 20,055 false or misleading claims (the data was last updated July 9, 2020), and this number is sure to keep rising all the way up until the November 3rd election.
“We came up with this idea of finding an empty space big enough in Bushwick to actually display them. Even in 16-point type, it’s a lot of real estate that it takes up. Visually, you really get a sense of being able to step back and take in the enormity.”
Tom Tenney / Creator of “The Wall of Lies”
Glenn Kessler, the editor and chief writer for The Washington Post’s Fact Checker, noted on his social media page that the database that helped to inspire the wall was also used for the primary source material for the book by the Post titled, “Donald Trump and His Assault on Truth”.
In Brooklyn this weekend, @radiofreebk erected a 50-foot-long mural featuring every claim listed in our database of Trump's false or misleading claims, color-coded by subject. The database is also the source of our best-selling book, "Donald Trump and His Assault on Truth" pic.twitter.com/ey70JZ3Feh
During his term Trump has averaged 12 lies per day
The display of claims are arranged in chronological order as well assorting various colors. The different colors on the wall are coded based on category: yellow is for Russia, pink for the environment, green for coronavirus, etc). Very helpful.
Below are a few example of some of the misleading claims Trump said that are highlighted on the “Wall of Lies” display in Bushwick:
“The reason that Mexico is so good — because they do have very, very tough immigration. They don’t have the kind of things and the kind of stupidity that we have. I mean, where somebody touches one foot on our sand and we now have to bring them into a court. We then have to register them. We then have to catch and release them.”
“Blue-color workers are doing fantastic. They’re the biggest beneficiary of the tax cuts, the blue collar. Blue collar.”
“Many, many of the great auto companies are coming back into Michigan. They’re coming back into Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina.
“African American…unemployment have reached their lowest levels ever in the history of our country.”
“We’re taking in billion and billions of dollars in tariff. I’m giving billions of dollars back to the farmers because they pinpointed the farmers.”
Democrats will not stop fighting for Americans’ health care and rights.
I stopped by Bushwick to talk with everyday New Yorkers about what's at stake in this Supreme Court fight.
The wall, understandably, has garnered a lot of attention. Due to this massive popularity the creators decided to keep the wall up all the way until the election, instead of sticking to the original plan to remove on that next day. Senate Democratic Leader, Chuck Schumer stopped to take a look at the wall.
It is truly stunning to view this physical representation of something that will likely never be matched: A torrent of Presidential lies so huge that it fills a wall. A permanent memorial should be erected to warn future generations of the cost of electing a “reality TV con-man and huckster” to the highest office in the land…
Writing and singing parody send-ups, this 17 year old is adding joy where depression reigns
Looking back on 2020 from a safe future distance, mostly it will still look like the dumpster-fire insanity that it feels like in real-time. But one strange thing might actually be a reason to wax nostalgic. Anti-Trump inspired creativity.
Tik Tok, YouTube, and even Twitter have given outlet and opportunities to vent and for the more creative among us to express frustration and outrage in a way that creates a kind of beauty, or at least entertainment.
A young YouTube creator fits this description and has already built a following for her parody songs that showcase her lyrics and vocals. While the election itself looms and the news and rhetoric builds to an apocalyptic climax, something that has a quality of soothing truth could easily get lost in the dim and chaos.
Therefore, we are embedding a few of her videos and a bit of biographical info that can introduce you to a break from the storm of insanity, while still staying on topic. After all this is the most important election of our lives…
We reached out to 17 year old student, musician and actor, who joined YouTube in August 2020 after coming across one of her videos. She goes by the name “SongBird” and started what she described as “a fun and creative project”, while at home to quell the boredom that can come while being on lockdown during the pandemic.
In the short time she’s been online she has gotten over 320k views and 5.7k subscribers. Her videos are thoughtfully produced and her attention to details in her lyrics, vocals and overall performance serve as both inspiring and entertaining.
She sings simple truths on Trump and his administration without channelling any hate or unnecessary divisiveness. She is a talent and an obvious rising star. Below is the interview:
When did you begin singing and writing songs?
I have been singing all of my life, and it is one of my favorite things to do. I have been lucky enough to be in quite a few musicals and shows, and I love to perform. I began writing parodies in earnest very recently, but I have been sketching out parodies for a long time, and I love to play with rewriting songs I know well.
What led to you deciding to do parody songs related to the 2020 election?
I am really inspired by the work of Randy Rainbow, and I thought I would try my hand at this art form. He has helped me pay more attention to the news and politics and shown me a creative way to raise awareness while having fun at the same time.
I am very passionate about the environment and very upset at all the things this administration has done, from withdrawing from the Paris Accord to gutting the Migratory Bird Act.
Trump’s treatment of women and his handling of the pandemic have also been infuriating. Although I am not old enough to vote in this election, I want to encourage everyone who can to vote in November since our democracy depends on it.
How do you put together the songs – is each one written then performed weekly?
I usually hear about some dumb thing or crazy lie that Trump has said recently, and I mentally scroll through the songs I know and look for a song that might fit. When the right song clicks, it is so exciting.
I often start with the refrain, and then my mother has to endure me walking around the house all week, singing bits of my parody. I also sometimes stay up very late writing. I am a full-time high school student without a lot of extra time during the week, so I tend to polish and film these videos on weekends.
For the visuals, I do not have any video editing skills or applications, but I wanted a way to use pictures, so I decided: why not use a totally easy low-tech approach: large printed photos of political figures on sticks. Over the weeks, I have improved the design of the pictures on sticks, making double-sided ones that I can spin around, which has been a lot of fun.
The fact that I can’t edit the videos forces me to do it in one take, which sometimes means 30 takes to get it right (this was true for He Will Hurt God). Sometimes, as in the case of Vlad Guy, it clicks more quickly, like about 10 takes.
Anything else you want to add?
I mostly made these recordings as a fun assignment for myself to keep me happy during quarantine, and I never thought the videos would leave my circle of friends.
My mind is blown by all of the views, subscribers, and encouraging comments from viewers around the world. Randy Rainbow has brought me so much joy, and it makes me so happy to think that, through these parodies, I am able to bring laughter to people in a similar way in this difficult time.
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Top aid is the next on a growing list of those infected from Trump’s inner circle
Due to the outbreak of positive test result in many who work in the White House, Miller was already self-isolating, working remotely for the last five days. He was tested daily during that time and said that he had tested negative for the virus every day through Monday. His wife tested positive for COVID-19 in May. She just happens to be Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary Katie Miller.
As we reported in previous articles, this, it can be loosely surmised, is an ongoing extension of the numerous cases that appear to have an origin in the SCOTUS super-spreader event held at the White House Rose Garden. That event has been responsible for at least 14 known cases and has been dubbed the “Rose Garden Massacre”.
Others from the White House inner circle that have been previously announced as having tested positive include:
Melania Trump (First Lady)
Ronna McDaniel (Republican National Committee chairwoman)
Hope Hicks (White House communications aide)
Kellyanne Conway (Former White House counselor)
Bill Stepien (Trump campaign manager)
John Jenkins (University of Notre Dame president)
Chris Christie (Former New Jersey Gov.)
Nick Luna (Director of Oval Office operations)
Karoline Leavitt (White house assistant press secretary)
“Covita” shoots campaign ad on the White House Balcony jacked on steroids and behaving like a cartoon
The reactions to the latest and most bizarre, and many would say, disgusting, campaign photo-op continue to pour in. The Lincoln Project, a well known Republican super-pac, founded by George Conway, who’s wife Kellyanne and possibly daughter have both tested positive for covid-19 (see video at end of article), put together several ads and Twitter videos pointing out the extreme, irresponsible and tasteless implications of Trump claiming to have “learned so much about coronavirus”.
In a second clip, which has since gone viral, playing video recovered during the video shoot for his misguided campaign ad, Trump can be heard and seen gasping for air, since steroids only mask the underlying medical issues but do nothing to cure or improve them. This is a creepy and disconcerting view of what is really going on here.
While the world gasps at his “insane” behavior, Trump gasps, literally for air, in full view of cameras while pretending to be superman and trying, yet again, to downplay the virus that has killed nearly 210,000 in the US alone. Will he have a relapse before the next debate, which he swears he is planning to attend?
While it may be from the added delusions, brought on by steroid side-effects, it’s clear that Trump wants to spin his own infection into some kind of massive political victory that will propel him, miraculously, into four more years of power. Sadly, and just plain sad, it is more likely to propel him into a pine box.
Who would have thought that the ultimate October Surprise would be one that Trump is, ultimately, unleashing on himself. Any shred of believability that he might have had, after his constant 4 year long history of lying about everything, is now gone for good particularly regarding anything related to Covid.
The breaking news that the top US general, Mark Milley, who is Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman is now quarantining, due to exposure to a top Coast Guard official, who tested positive for covid-19, is not helping matters. Several members of the Pentagon’s senior leadership are quarantining leading to the press continuing to speculate about how this looks to foreign adversaries.
Mounting positive test results among Republican elite is leading to possible dark news ahead
Take it from Herman Cain, who died of coronavirus after attending Trump rallies where masks and social distancing were scarce to none. When asked if he thought Cain, at that point already deceased, caught it at his rally, Trump replied “No, I don’t think he did”.
A humbling Herman Cain/coronavirus timeline:
6/24: Attends Trump rally, maskless 7/2: Tests positive for Covid-19 7/10: Says he’s improving 7/15: Says his doctors seem happy 7/27: Says he’s really getting better 7/30: Dies
As additional new cases appear daily, the event will go down in infamy
Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, is the latest Republican official to test positive for Covid-19, which was revealed Monday, October 5, 2020 on her Twitter page. Two of her deputies, Karolina Keavitt, assistant press secretary and Chad Gilmartin, principal assistant press secretary also tested positive.
The positive tests are mounting; to date, eleven people tied to Trump have contracted the virus, as well as three Republican Senators, for a total of fourteen cases.
The three US senators that have been diagnosed with coronavirus potentially threatens the plan for a desperately accelerated confirmation of Supreme Court justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett tentatively scheduled for approximately 14 days from now.
Celebrate too soon and hubris will announce your demise(?)
Ironically, it was clear to all who have seen the video of the recent celebration for Barrett, held at the Rose Garden of the White House, that arrogant people with no-masks, tightly packed together and kissing is a recipe for infection.
So, now it appears that that very event, gleefully celebrating the opportunity to shove through the right leaning jurist, might just jeopardize the nomination itself, at least until after the election. Of course, many on the list are older and the irresponsible behavior reeking of hubris may lead to a more grave outcome than the simple delay of a questionable nomination.
Senate Majority leader (Moscow) Mitch McConnell announced on Saturday, that the Senate would halt any floor action for the next two weeks, which presumably means that no votes will happen this week or next week. While any floor action will be suspended, the Senate Judiciary Committee is set to meet the week of October 12 for Barrett’s confirmation hearings, unless more are infected or the cases become more serious.
Melania Trump (First Lady)
Ronna McDaniel (Republican National Committee chairwoman)
Hope Hicks (White House communications aide)
Kellyanne Conway (Former White House counselor)
Bill Stepien (Trump campaign manager)
John Jenkins (University of Notre Dame president)
Chris Christie (Former New Jersey Gov.)
Nick Luna (Director of Oval Office operations)
Karoline Leavitt (White house assistant press secretary)
A word with no direct English translation trends as ‘joy at the misfortune of another’ follows Trump’s coronavirus infection
Twitter and social media have been ablaze with ‘schadenfreude’ since approximately 1am EDT on Friday when both POTUS & FLOTUS tweeted that they had contracted covid-19. Dictionary and google searches for the german term for this base human feeling is going off the charts.
While the initial reaction could be said to go far beyond “joy” into the level a bloodlust for this reviled figure to suffer, it is, at the same time an inevitable outcome as a reaction to his own crude, cruel and pro-violence tendencies. Not to mention the blame he is, for the most part rightly, receiving for the more than 200,000 deaths so far from the coronavirus pandemic.
While it is dangerous, and in many ways disappointing, to see the so-called left who are virulently opposed to Trump, failing the test of being above base human instincts. By the same token, many argue that the things that Trump has done, or often refused to do, such as implementing a serious nationwide plan to minimize the spread of covid-19, are far worse than mere schadenfreude or happydancing to his misfortunes.
Yet, with his staunch support and refusal to denounce the right-wing extremist hate group The Proud Boys only days ago at the Presidential debates, and his refusal to commit to accepting independently certified election results at that same venue, it is easy to understand why so many millions on social media would be proclaiming a lack of sympathy for his misfortunes.
While The Trump spreads digital disinformation the public wants to vent and protest, without restrictions
The venting of strong options on social media is a paradox of sorts, Twitter threatened to ban all accounts that tweet a wish or hope that Trump would lose his battle with the coronavirus and die. However, after a backlash from public figures, such as AOC and the so called “squad”, who have received almost constant death-threat tweets from Trumps supporters while Twitter did nothing, Twitter backed off and announced that they would shutter some accounts but take a look at the data and behavior on a case by case basis.
The other side of the paradox is that social media venting may be preferable to violence in the streets. Unless, of course, the constant tweeting of schadenfreude and worse actually does lead to increased physical actions from either the far right or left.
The contentious explosion of Social Media political free speech across all platforms
In some ways Tik-Tok is turning into a more entertaining version of twitter’s political war zone. With prepackaged music backgrounds available to spice up your post – including anti-Trump anthems such as ‘f$ck Donald Trump’ (2 versions) it’s easy to create meaningful yet highly entertaining protest posts and share them with over 1 billion members.
No wonder Trump wants to ban the service. And the right wing have their own ‘hell on earth’ Parler to put up endless posts congratulating themselves on all the wonderful accomplishments of the wannabe fascists and super-spreaders.
And to add to the confusion, the potential that Trump will be inactive for a period of time has put the Tik Tok deadlines for a US merger in doubt. From casual observation Tik Tok becoming more political, once known as a site for amateur dance-offs and silly challenges, older and more like a short-clip educational and DIY destination.
Indeed by recent count 38% of US users are above 30 years of age, and with a set of advanced software tools to craft short clips, a maturation of the content appears to be happening at a very rapid pace.
