GOOD LUCK: Democratic Leaders Call On Rupert Murdoch to Stop Fox News From Spreading Lies

This week America learned that Fox News executives and hosts knowingly deceived their viewers about election fraud in support of Donald Trump and his “Big Lie” that the 2020 presidential election was “rigged and stolen” from him. The revelations came with the release of depositions from the defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News.

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Donald Trump, Rupert Murdoch

The testimony in those depositions affirmed that Fox News CEO Rupert Murdoch, as well as hosts Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, etc., knew very well that there was no truth to their “reporting” of fraud in the 2020 presidential election. While they were lying to their viewers, they were discussing privately among themselves about the “crazy” and “idiotic” assertions that Trump had actually won.

RELATED: Hannity Admits in Fox News Lawsuit that ‘I Did Not Believe [Trump’s Big Lie] for One Second’

Most rational media observers already knew that Fox News has never been a news network. They were created as a right-wing propaganda organ by Murdoch and Roger Ailes. However, this may be the first time that we have principles at Fox admitting that they are lying propagandists, and we have it in their own words. Not surprisingly, Trump is very upset by these developments…

UH-OH: Trump Blasts Rupert Murdoch for ‘Throwing His Anchors Under the Table’ in Election Fraud Lawsuit

In the wake of these scandalous disclosures, Democratic leaders in Congress are going on record with their objections to the confirmation of Fox’s purposeful dishonesty. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries made their positions clear in a letter to Murdoch, demanding that the network “stop spreading false election narratives and admit on the air that they were wrong to engage in such negligent behavior.” The letter pressed Murdoch saying that

“As noted in your deposition released yesterday Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and other Fox News personalities knowingly, repeatedly, and dangerously endorsed and promoted the Big Lie that Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election [and that] network hosts continue to promote, spew, and perpetuate election conspiracy theories to this day.”

The letter noted that Fox’s hosts continue “to peddle election denialism to the American people.” This is the sort of pernicious pulp fiction employed by Trump that incited the January 6th insurrection in Washington, D.C., as well as numerous other subsequent acts domestic terrorism by the radical right. Schumer and Jeffries recognized the impending threat saying that…

“This sets a dangerous precedent that ignores basic journalistic fact-checking principles and public accountability. This is even more alarming after Speaker McCarthy is reportedly allowing Tucker Carlson to review highly sensitive security camera footage of the events surrounding the violent January 6 insurrection.

“We demand that you direct Tucker Carlson and other hosts on your network to stop spreading false election narratives and admit on the air that they were wrong to engage in such negligent behavior.”

The letter goes on to warn that the dishonesty of Fox News “weakens faith in our democracy and hurts our country in countless other ways.” And it closes by insisting that Murdoch take action to repair the damage he and his network have caused…

“Fox News executives and all other hosts on your network have a clear choice. You can continue a pattern of lying to your viewers and risking democracy or move beyond this damaging chapter in your company’s history by siding with the truth and reporting the facts. We ask that you make sure Fox News ceases disseminating the Big Lie and other election conspiracy theories on your network.”

Schumer and Jeffries are saying all the right things. Unfortunately, it would be naïve to expect Murdoch, or anyone else at Fox News, to cooperate or to concede wrongdoing. They have established that they are more interested in disseminating conservative propaganda and profiting off of deceiving their audience, than in telling the truth or acting in the best interests of the country. That would require some sense of ethics. Plus, they are terrified of Donald Trump and his glassy-eyed cult followers.

In fact, they are so frightened that that they have forbidden the matter of the Dominion lawsuit to even be mentioned on the air. Which is just another way that they can keep their viewers ignorant and riled up by phony trivialities.

SEE THIS: BANNED ON FOX NEWS: The Network Prohibits Any Reporting on the $1.6 Billion Dominion Lawsuit

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The Taliban Bureau of Fox News Condemns Democrats for the Mortal Sin of Dancing

Twenty years ago a group of religious extremists committed a terrorist act that brought down the World Center towers in New York City. Ever since then the right-wing Republican Party has regarded all Muslims as responsible. And one of the consequences was an overtly bigoted crusade of fear mongering over a manufactured threat of Sharia law taking over the in United States.

Fox News, Taliban

Of course, that was just a deliberate attempt by the GOP to inflame an irrational hatred of Muslims in order to stir up division for political purposes. However, it’s an ironic tactic considering the devotion that Republicans have for imposing their radical, evangelical, Christianist beliefs on all Americans by passing laws with a religious focus on matters concerning abortion, school prayer, medical research, the teaching of evolution and climate change, and more.

On Sunday Fox News joined the crusade for “Christria” law in an article on their website with the alarming headline “Schumer, Pelosi panned for dancing with Stephen Colbert, Napa fundraiser with Biden’s presidency under siege.” Apparently it is now verboten to dance according to right-wing doctrine, just as it is under the most conservative sects of Islam.

First of all, the headline needs to be corrected. It falsely accuses of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of participating in the sinful act of gyrating to the devil’s music. It was only Sen. Chuck Schumer who was “spotted dancing backstage with late-night comedian Stephen Colbert during the “We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert” in Central Park.”

More to the point, the article insinuates that there was something sinister about politicians enjoying themselves while backstage at a music festival. In the view of Fox News there can be no such expressions of celebration while there is any strife anywhere else in the world. And in this case the strife is bizarrely described as “Biden’s presidency under siege,” which is only true to someone who exclusively watches Fox News. Curiously, Fox News wasn’t bothered at all about Donald Trump dancing at his cult rally in Alabama the same day.

What’s more, the headline asserts that the partying pols were “panned.” But the only evidence it provided were predictable criticisms from partisan Republicans, including Sen. Ted Cruz who is best known for jetting off to Cancun, Mexico, during a deadly winter storm in his state of Texas. “Cancun” Cruz, who abandoned his constituents when they were in dire need, tweeted a video of Schumer at a concert held to show appreciation for the citizens, businesses, and first responders of New York City, who persevered through a difficult year. Cruz affirmed his reputation for being a nasty S.O.B. by adding the comment “Celebrating the demise of the Republic…”

The article went on to make preposterous comparisons between the New York concert and the recent motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota:

“There were reportedly thousands of people at the ‘Homecoming Concert,’ but Democrats and the media made no mention about it being a possible superspreader, as they did with an outdoor event attended by thousands of people in South Dakota just days ago.”

What Fox News left out was that the attendees of the Manhattan concert had to show proof of COVID vaccination to get in, while the Sturgis event not only didn’t require vaccinations or masks, they were openly hostile to them, regarding such common sense, life-saving measures as impositions on their freedom.

So while the right-wing American Taliban is adamant that their “god-given liberties” not be abridged, they continue to clamp down on the liberties of others with oppressive laws and intimidation. And god forbid anyone dares to dance at a music festival celebrating Americans who are emerging from the hardships of pandemic. Because now they must also face the wrath of Fox News.

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How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Wait, What? Did Trump Just Concede that Reports of ‘No Evidence of Voter Fraud’ is a Fact?

Donald Trump continues to be fixated on his “Big Lie” that incited the January 6th insurrection in Washington, D.C. His obsession with these dangerously inflammatory allegations that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him remains the focus of his public commentaries. It’s the same insanity he’s been dispensing for months. And the madness that he’s spreading is almost certainly going to lead to further violence.

Donald Trump, Insane, Straight Jacket

On Saturday Trump issued another of his ego-soaked press releases. And his spokeswoman, Liz Harrington, obediently posted it on Twitter, a violation of Twitter’s terms of service for which she should be suspended. The message was a tedious reprise of the very same tantrums Trump has been throwing for months but which, for some reason, his glassy-eyed cult followers never seem to tire of.

However, this statement began with an awkwardly phrased assertion that serves as an inadvertent admission. Trump wrote that it’s…

“Very interesting, funny, yet sad, that every time I read or hear a story in the Lamestream Media about the 2020 Presidential Election Scam, it always is preceded by the fact that, “while no evidence of voter fraud is available,” or statements to that effect, this could not be more incorrect or “fake.” Massive evidence has been accumulated which shows voter fraud at a level that is virtually beyond comprehension.”

So Trump is now conceding that all of these stories about alleged election fraud are “preceded by the fact” that, “no evidence of voter fraud is available”? That’s good to know.

Of course, Trump isn’t really acknowledging reality. Just like he stubbornly fails to accept the reality of his humiliating election loss to Joe Biden. He’s just incapable of forming a coherent thought. And that is evident in the rest of this press release that purports to show that “Massive evidence has been accumulated which shows voter fraud at a level that is virtually beyond comprehension.” He must be keeping all of that “massive evidence” locked up at his Mar-All-Ego resort on Florida. And what is “beyond comprehension” is that anyone would believe his ravings.

Right off the bat Trump claims that there was something amiss with 35,000 votes in Georgia. But while says to “check out the recent story,” he doesn’t bother to provide a link or even cite the publisher. That may be because it comes from a single – and utterly disreputable – source, the ultra-rightist Federalist. And then Trump says to “watch what is happening in Arizona, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania,” where there is nothing notable happening at all, other than some Kool-Aid drinking Trumpists trying unsuccessfully to manufacture “proof” of election fraud.

Following that, Trump whined about “Republicans in name only (RINOS)” who he believes are deliberately covering up the “corruption” of Democrats, for which he is still unable to offer even a sliver of evidence. Nevertheless, he babbles about the “fake” “Mainstream Media” and insists that “People and facts are coming out at a level which can only be called ‘fast and furious.'” But the only actions coming out “fast and furious” are investigations into criminal election interference by Trump and his anti-democracy minions. Those probes are currently ongoing in Arizona, Michigan, and Georgia, so far.

In addition to Saturday’s press release, Trump also called in to Fox News for his regular tongue-bathing by Maria Bartiromo. The shamelessly sycophantic Bartiromo let Trump ramble on about the shooting of violent insurrectionist Ashli Babbitt. Naturally, Trump suggests that the shooting was a Democratic assassination plot of an “innocent, wonderful, incredible woman.” that originated in the office of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer:

When the subject came up about the House Select Committee that is being assembled to investigate his January insurrection, Bartiromo approached it tenderly, leaving out any remnant of context or facts:

Bartiromo: It may very well be that Kevin McCarthy is called to testify under oath. Do you want to tell us what took place on that phone call?
Trump: No, I don’t have to because Kevin will speak and I’m sure Kevin will be very good from that standpoint. But I will tell you this: If they’re gonna do this very partisan investigation because they couldn’t get support to do a straight investigation, a big part of that investigation is the reason people went to Washington, and that’s because of the fraudulent presidential election of 2020. And that has to be a part of it.

And everybody that got there, I think, those people want to talk about the reason they were there. Because to me, that’s the biggest crime of all. We had a corrupt election. We had a rigged election. We had a stolen election. And that’s why you had over a million people march to Washington.

Notice that Trump, who ordinarily won’t shut up for two seconds, doesn’t want to talk about what happened in his phone call with McCarthy. That was McCarthy’s call for help during the Capitol siege that Trump refused saying that, “I guess these people are more upset about the election then you are.” And McCarthy wasn’t particularly interested in talking about it either when asked by Chris Wallace of Fox News.

What’s more, Trump correctly observed that the Select Committee was only established “because they couldn’t get support to do a straight investigation.” To be clear, it was Republicans who refused to support the bipartisan commission, despite the fact that Democrats agreed to all of their requests.

Finally, Trump goes into his all-fiction song and dance about the “rigged, corrupt, stolen” election. And to add some new spice, Trump is now applying his infamously deficient math skills to claim that “over a million people” participated on Insurrection Day. Which is another inadvertent admission that the rioters were his supporters, not Antifa or Black Lives Matter, as Trump and his Fox News apologists have been trying so desperately to spin.

All of this contributes to the “massive evidence” that Trump and Fox News are depraved and unrepentant liars. Although on Trump’s part there may also be some measure of metal illness producing his hysterical delusions and paranoia. And their brazen dishonesty is creating an environment of peril for democracy and America. Not that they care. They have already killed more than 600,000 American with their purposeful lies about the COVID pandemic. So what’s a little nation destroying after that?

NOTE: Twitter suspended the News Corpse account after 11 years without giving a reason. So if anyone wants to tweet articles from my website, please feel free to do so often and repeatedly. Also, Be sure to visit and follow News Corpse on Instagram. Thanks for your support.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Trump Orders Justice Dept to Persecute His Critics and Pamper His Accomplices

There really is no bottom. Now Wannabe Dictator Donald Trump is bringing fascism to America. He is directing his corrupt Justice Department to investigate and prosecute (persecute) his critics. Meanwhile, he lobbies for light sentences and dangles pardons for his bootlicking sycophantic criminal accomplices. This is not normal. And it demonstrates that Republicans who thought Trump might learn from his impeachment were frighteningly mistaken and/or deluded.

Donald Trump

Trump’s Attorney Genuflect, Bill Barr, announced that he will be revising the sentencing recommendations for convicted felon Roger Stone. The prosecutors who tried the case recommended seven to nine years based on established legal guidelines. But Barr’s intervention is based on nothing more than Trump’s angry tweets. And if that’s not bad enough, Barr is assuming control of virtually everything that comes into the Justice Department that involves Trump. And Trump is obviously pleased…

The spectacle of seeing a president congratulate his toady AG for letting a convicted criminal off the hook should send shivers up the spines of the American people. Stone was found guilty of five counts of lying to Congress, and one count each of witness intimidation and obstruction. But his friend in the White House is pulling strings so that he doesn’t have to pay the price for his crimes. As a result of Barr’s interference, all four of the federal prosecutors who tried the case have quit.

What’s more, Trump’s tweet also makes a dangerously reckless and baseless accusation that former special counsel Robert Mueller “lied to Congress.” Trump doesn’t bother to cite any alleged falsehood, probably because he just made it up to slander Mueller. In a subsequent tweet Trump asserted, also without any foundation, that the career DOJ lawyers who tried Stone are “Rogue prosecutors.”

Trump has frequently weighed in on the criminal prosecutions of his associates. Just the fact that he has so many associates who have been prosecuted and found guilty is horrifying. But his reaction has been to lobby for lighter sentences or to issue pardons himself. Some of this confederacy of felons include his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, his campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, his deputy campaign manager, Rick Gates, his National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, and more.

On the other side of that legal coin, Trump has accused many of his political adversaries of crimes without any evidence whatsoever. In addition to Robert Mueller, Trump charged that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff “is a corrupt politician and a criminal;” that “Nancy [Pelosi] is every bit as guilty;” that “Hillary Clinton lied to the FBI;” and that “The Biden family was PAID OFF.” None of these allegations have an iota of evidence for support. They are purely driven by the animosity and vengeance of a wrathful president.

It has been widely known for years (decades?) that Trump is a vile and vindictive person who relishes punishing his perceived enemies. And he perceives enemies virtually everywhere, as he himself recently confessed. But the fact that he has an administration full of glassy-eyed cult followers who will obediently serve his will makes him all the more dangerous. And the Department of Justice is at the top of that list.

What this means is that there is nothing left to separate America from the totalitarian regimes and their tyrants that Trump so admires. This was articulated well by Sen. Chuck Schumer Wednesday on the floor of the Senate. It cannot be overstated how unusual it is for a speech like this to take place. but his words should be taken seriously if this country is to restore justice and preserve democracy:

“The President is claiming that rigging the rules is perfectly legitimate. He claims an absolute right to order the Justice Department to do anything he wants. And the President has as his Attorney General an enabler. And that’s a kind word. Does anyone think it’s out of the question that Pres. Trump might order the FBI to investigate Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden or anybody else without any evidence that supports such an arbitrary violation of individual rights?

“Oh, I know. Some far-right conspiratorial writer, who has no credibility and who just makes things up, writes it, Fox News puts it on, Sean Hannity or someone talks about it, and then the president says ‘Investigate.’ That is third world behavior – not American behavior.”

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

GOOD CALL: Political Pundit Trump Predicts America is Getting More Anti-Trump

The daily schedule of alleged president Donald Trump is typically a short list of non-presidential activities such as as golfing, tweeting, watching Fox News, and headlining cult rallies filled with lies and hatred for his perceived political foes. And as of late Trump has taken a keen new interest in election punditry with his unique analyses littering his Twitter feed.

Donald Trump

In recent weeks Trump has posted repeated commentaries on the progress of the Democratic primary season. He is mostly expressing a bizarre and obviously disingenuous concern that Bernie Sanders is being treated poorly by a party that is rigging the primaries against him. In addition to that Trump frequently opines on how his recent tribulations with impeachment have actually benefited him and his Republican cohorts. But on Monday morning, Trump contributed what may be his most accurate prediction for the Democratic campaign yet:

To be clear, the accuracy of this tweet is not that either Sen. Chuck Schumer or Rep. Jerrold Nadler are at risk for being defeated. They are both expected to have overwhelming victories in both their primaries and in the general election. And every poll indicates that Nancy Pelosi will retain her position as House Speaker, and even pick up additional seats. The smart money is betting on Democrats assuming the majority in the Senate as well. So Schumer is well positioned to topple Mitch McConnell as Majority Leader.

However, what Trump may not have noticed about his prediction is that he is asserting that the nation is becoming even more progressive and, therefore, more anti-Trump. That’s the only plausible conclusion from his assertion that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez could take Schumer’s Senate seat and win statewide. Likewise, Trump’s opinion that a candidate to Nadler’s left would enjoy a victory in New York’s 10th district suggests that being farther to the left is an asset. So Trump is essentially saying that the farther a candidate is from Trump, the better their prospects for victory. I can’t say that I disagree with that.

To validate that point, Quinnipiac University released a new poll that has decidedly terrible news for Trump. They report that his “favorability rating is underwater, as 42 percent of registered voters have a favorable opinion of him, while 55 percent have an unfavorable view of him.” This doesn’t exactly affirm his delusional belief that being impeached increased his popularity or his chances of being reelected. On the latter point, Trump is shown in this poll to be trailing every one of his top Democratic opponents. According to Quinnipiac:

  • Bloomberg tops Trump 51 – 42 percent;
  • Sanders defeats Trump 51 – 43 percent;
  • Biden beats Trump 50 – 43 percent;
  • Klobuchar defeats Trump 49 – 43 percent;
  • Warren wins narrowly over Trump 48 – 44 percent;
  • Buttigieg is also slightly ahead of Trump 47 – 43 percent.

In addition to his electoral woes, America is convinced that Trump is a criminal who got away with his crimes with the help of his Republican accomplices in the Senate. The poll shows that “Despite the acquittal, voters say 55 – 40 percent that the Senate voting to acquit President Trump does not clear him of any wrongdoing in the Ukraine matter.” What’s more, “Voters say 59 – 35 percent that the Senate impeachment trial was conducted unfairly.”

If this is what Trump means when he says that “My poll numbers look great,” he is as mentally unstable as ever. Perhaps more so. He recently exhibited a severe case of paranoia by lashing out at enemies that he sees everywhere, saying that “I View Everybody as a Threat.” And he has embarked on a totalitarian style purge of his administration, including his own appointees. So it isn’t just America that is more anti-Trump. In his diseased mind, it’s even his own White House.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Does Trump Have Impeachment Dementia Or Are His Lies Just Getting More Bizarre?

There is something grossly disturbing about how extreme Donald Trump has become in his frantic outbursts decrying the fact that he has been impeached. It’s like watching a paranoid schizophrenic sinking deeper into the delusional hallucinations that drive his deviant behavior. Except this one has access to nuclear weapons.

Donald Trump Red Face

On Monday morning, Trump was suffering from an especially severe case of the whines. This was manifested on his Twitter feed where he posted a string of typically narcissistic messages exalting himself, interspersed with vitriolic attacks on his foes. The trigger for this episode may have been the release of his impeachment trial briefing by his Fox News legal team. The document is 110 pages of expanded Twitter rants that fail to even address the substance of the charges against him. Trump’s lawyers are focused solely on their ludicrous theory that whatever Trump did was okay and that he should not be convicted and removed from office even if every allegation is proved true.

Meanwhile, Trump himself is focused on an imaginary universe wherein everything morphs into whatever he wishes it would be at whatever moment he wishes it. That’s the only explanation for a couple of his morning tweets that bear no resemblance to reality. For instance…

Anyone who has paid even peripheral attention to the impeachment proceedings knows that the House wanted John Bolton’s testimony very much. The problem was that Trump invoked the fake privilege of “absolute immunity” in order to prohibit Bolton, and many other White House staffers, from testifying. There is no way that Trump could not know this. So he is either deliberately lying or mentally unhinged. Which would also explain this other tweet…

The House proceedings were always conducted fairly. Every Republican member of the relevant committees was give equal time to question witnesses and provide defensive arguments. Both Democrats and Republicans had counsel who were also afforded equal time to press their case in the hearings. The only diversion from equality was the absence of testimony from Trump’s White House. But again, they were only absent due to Trump’s refusal to allow them to participate. This is another situation that Trump has to be fully aware of, unless he is certifiably insane or flagrantly dishonest.

So it was Trump who was responsible for the absence of witnesses he is complaining about. And it was Trump whose refusal to cooperate produced the unfairness he is whining about. And it was actually people like Rep. Adam Schiff, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Sen. Chuck Schumer, who were advocating for fairness all along. Trump was, and still is, the obstacle. That was articulated concisely in the Democratic response to Trump’s brief:

“Only if the Senate sees and hears all relevant evidence — only if it insists upon the whole truth — can it render impartial justice. That means the Senate should require the President to turn over the documents he is hiding. It should hear from witnesses, as it has done in every impeachment trial in American history; it especially should hear from witnesses the President blocked from testifying in the House. President Trump cannot have it both ways. His Answer directly disputes key facts. He must either surrender all evidence relevant to the facts he has disputed or concede the facts as charged. Otherwise, this impeachment trial will fall far short of the American system of justice.”

The tweets above show that Trump is either suffering from a massively psychotic departure from reality, or that he is shamelessly distorting the truth that everyone else can see as plain as day. That in itself would suggest that Trump is a few fries short of a Happy Meal. But then, what else is one to conclude about someone who has been documented to have told more than 16,000 lies in three years; or who cozies up to murderous dictators; or who compliments himself as “A Very Stable Genius.” It is simply no longer possible to ignore that America’s “president” is out of his friggin’ mind! Which means the same must be true for the cult followers who continue to support him in Congress, the press, and the wingnutty contingent of the public.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Trump’s Press ‘Slackretary’ Runs to Fox News to Slander Democrats as Terrorist Supporters

Stephanie Grisham was appointed as Donald Trump’s third press secretary in as many years on July 1, 2019. In those six months she has not held a single press briefing. However, the slacker press shill has appeared repeatedly on Fox News and a couple of other Trump-fluffing media outlets like Sinclair. So Grisham is pocketing $179,000 a year to disseminate propaganda on shamelessly biased TV networks.

Stephanie Grisham, Fox News

On Monday morning Grisham made another stop at Fox News to polish the lies of her boss. The entire segment was typically repugnant and riddled with lies (video below), but this time she managed to advance some of the most nauseating attacks on the vast majority of Americans, and specifically those who are members of the nation’s largest political party, the Democrats. Grisham responded to a question from Fox’s Harris Faulkner about Trump’s retweeting of a blatantly bigoted meme that was intended to portray House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer as terrorist enemies of the state:

Faulkner: Why would the President even take the time to retweet something like this?
Grisham: I think the president is making clear that Democrats are parroting Iranian talking points and almost taking the side of terrorists and those who were out to kill Americans. I think the President was making the point that the Democrats seem to hate him so much that they’re willing to be on the side of countries, and leadership of countries, that want to kill Americans.

This is the sort of toxic rhetoric that has become the hallmark of Trump’s debasing of the presidency. If challenged, Grisham would not be able to cite a single instance of any Democrat, much less Pelosi and Schumer, “parroting Iranian talking points” or being “on the side of countries…that want to kill Americans.” But Grisham was not challenged by Faulkner. Her despicable words were in line with the mission of Fox News to exalt Trump and disparage his critics.

Grisham has not been alone in hurling these sort of grotesque obscenities. Many other Republican cretins have gone down this same path of division and hatred. And naturally, Trump is the leader of this parade of the pathetically putrid. He retweeted five other expressions of a similarly vile nature, asserting that Democrats were supporters of terrorists. That’s a bizarre accusation coming from Trump, and not just because it’s so grossly untrue. But Trump is the one who has cuddled up to murderous tyrants like Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Mohammed bin Salman, and he famously fell in love with Kim Jong Um. And not to be outdone by the Twitter brigades he retweeted, Trump composed his own tweet that accused Democrats of having an affinity for Iranian General Qasem Soleimani:

This march toward an ever more loathsome and hateful brand of politics has been in the making since Trump announced his candidacy. He believes that behaving like a severely disturbed child who’s been possessed by demons is an appropriate way to conduct government business. It’s why he continually maligns anyone who isn’t sufficiently worshipful. And, as is evident in his press secretary and his sycophants in Congress and the press, his sociopathy has infected all those around him. It’s a downward spiral that is observable in all those who still seek his favor by emulating the disgusting lack of morality that is his trademark.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Smoking Gun? Trump Ordered Pentagon to Delay Ukraine Aid Shortly After Zelensky Phone Call

The fact that Donald Trump has now been impeached (despite what the loons on Fox News say), hasn’t slowed the discovery of new evidence of his guilt. This is one of the reasons that it’s so important to ensure a comprehensive consideration of the Articles of Impeachment when they get transmitted to the Senate. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi knows this, and so do the vast majority of Americans who favor a full and fair hearing, including witnesses and document production.

Donald Trump

The impeachment controversy has sparked as epic battle between Pelosi and the Senate’s GOP majority leader, Mitch McConnell, who has already announced that he has no intention of conducting a fair hearing and will be “taking his cues” from White House lawyers. In the meantime, new evidence has already emerged that appears to be profoundly damaging to Trump:

That’s right. Less than two hours after Trump got off the phone with President Zelensky of Ukraine, he ordered the Defense Department to withhold military aid to a country that was being invaded at the time by Russia. The order included a directive to keep it quiet due to it’s “sensitive nature.”

Trump is fond of telling everyone to “read the transcript” of his phone call with Zelensky. He’s tweeted that demand 29 times in the past few weeks. Most recently, yesterday. He is referring to reading the notes made in a memo that describes his conversation with Zelensky. And he is apparently too oblivious to recognize that the memo actually confirms that he conditioned military aid on Zelensky’s promise to help him smear Joe Biden. What Trump said, in response to Zelensky’s inquiry about the aid, was…

“I would like you to do us a favor though because our country has been through a lot and Ukraine knows a lot about it.”

That’s a textbook quid pro quo. Trump then talks about getting some information related to a debunked conspiracy theory about a computer server that belonged to the Democratic National Committee. But he quickly segues from that to explicit requests for dirt on Joe Biden:

“There’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with [Rudy Giuliani and] the Attorney General [William Barr] would be great … so if you can look into it.”

This new memo was acquired through a Freedom of Information Act request by the Center for Public Integrity. It is among the documents that the White House had previously refused to surrender to congressional investigators. There are many more that Trump continues to withhold. And he is still refusing to allow his staff to give testimony.

But if there’s one thing this memo proves, it’s that there is a real need to continue probing this criminal president and the accomplices in his administration. And when the Senate takes up the impeachment, they must permit the introduction of new evidence and testimony from relevant witnesses. The truth will likely come out eventually, anyway. But if Republicans in Congress allow Trump to deny access to it at this stage, they will be held accountable by both the courts and the voters.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

NOTE TO MEDIA: Stop Airing These Psychotic Trump Lie-Fests Without Fact-Checking

This is really getting tiresome. During the 2016 campaign, all of the cable news networks would air Trump’s stump speeches live and uninterrupted. They wouldn’t do the same for any other candidate. And after the election CNN and MSNBC admitted that it was a mistake. There were too many falsehoods being spread without proper journalistic scrutiny.

Donald Trump

Fox News, of course, has continued to faithfully air everything Leader Trump does as it happens and rarely provides any context or corrections, even after Trump is done. That’s something we can expect from Fox News as it is their corporate mission to advance the Trump Cult. But CNN and MSNBC had been behaving more responsibly in the months following the election.

However, if Monday is any indication, CNN and MSNBC are backsliding. They both aired Monday morning’s complete Trump Cabinet meeting that was rife with lies and myths and Trumpian insults. It is a disservice to the American people to shove this dishonest blather down the throats of news consumers and it’s long past time for these networks to put an end to it. Here is just a taste of the preposterous ramblings of Trump this morning:

  • Trump said that he has great respect for ambassadors that he also said he’s never heard of.
  • Referring to ISIS, Trump said that “I’m the one that did the capturing.”
  • Trump mangled the Constitution, complaining about what he called the “phony Emoluments Clause.”
  • Trump said that he gives away his presidential salary that is close to $450,000. It’s exactly $400,000.
  • Trump accused President Obama of violating the emoluments clause by striking book and movie deals. Which he didn’t do until after he left office.

Along with the nonsense above, Trump crammed several ludicrous remarks into a concise segment of his rant (video below). He began by praising himself for allegedly losing 2-5 billion dollars due to his having to suffer through being president. But not to worry because he went on to say that “I don’t care. If you’re rich it doesn’t matter. I’m doing this for the country, I’m doing it for the people.” Really? Then why does actually helping the country by paying a few dollars more in taxes matter? If it really didn’t matter, Trump wouldn’t have pushed through tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy. and he wouldn’t be funneling money to his own real estate properties every time he stays at one of his resorts. And he certainly wouldn’t have tried to book the 2020 G7 summit at his Doral golf club in Miami – a scam that blew up in his face.

Trump went on to brag about what he said are “my best poll numbers.” Nevermind that he is at or near the lows of his presidency with the average of polls at about 42 percent approval. Even the wildly biased Rasmussen, has Trump dropping to 45 percent, within a point of his low for the year by his favorite pollster. Then he launched into a rabid dog rant aimed at his congressional foes:

“I have my best polls now. I think it’s because people think it’s terrible what they’re doing. Pelosi, Shifty Schiff, Schumer, these people are trying to destroy the country. It’s a very bad thing what they’re doing. The President of the United States should be allowed to run the country, not have to focus on this kind of crap.

Trump has been accusing Pelosi, Schiff, and Schumer of treason for months simply because they are pursuing remedies for Trump’s political poison that are written into the Constitution, a document he has either never read, or can’t understand. And proof of that is his assertion that he “should be allowed to run the country” as if he were an unimpeded dictator.

It is episodes of derangement like these that make it necessary for the media to refrain from blasting out Trump’s hysterical bluster. It creates needless anxiety along with the misinformation that Trump intends to spread. It harms both the public and the press. It serves no purpose other than the propaganda mission of the White House and the Republican Nationalist Party. And it must end if we are ever to get this nation back on an even keel.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

A Paranoid Portrait of an ‘Innocent’ Man, Tweetstorm in 10 Panicked Parts By Donald Trump

Sometimes it is only possible to convey the insanity of a man by presenting his own words verbatim. That’s the case with Donald Trump’s latest tirade on Twitter where he lashed out at what he repeatedly, and falsely, calls a “Witch Hunt.” The tone of this extended harangue is one that only makes Trump appear more guilty, and demented, than ever.

Donald Trump Zombie

Innocent people don’t behave this way. They don’t exhibit such a deranged mentality that is gushing with the consciousness of guilt. Trump is quite obviously scared, paranoid, and desperate to persuade his Deplorables that he hasn’t committed all the crimes that evidence shows he committed. And that psychotic condition led to this frighteningly deranged outburst (footnotes below):

Everything the Democrats are asking me for is based on an illegally started investigation that failed for them, especially when the Mueller Report came back with a NO COLLUSION finding (1). Now they say Impeach President Trump, even though he did nothin wrong, while they “fish!”

After two years of an expensive and comprehensive Witch Hunt, the Democrats don’t like the result and they want a DO OVER (2). In other words, the Witch Hunt continues!

The Democrats are getting ZERO work done in Congress (3). All they are focused on is trying to prove the Mueller Report wrong, the Witch Hunt!

PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT! (4)

Without the ILLEGAL Witch Hunt, my poll numbers, especially because of our historically “great” economy, would be at 65%. (5) Too bad! The greatest Hoax in American History.

Everybody, including me, thought that when the 40 Million Dollar Mueller Report was released with No Collusion and No Obstruction (of a crime caused by others), that was the end. (6) But no, the Democrats want to keep it going in an effort to help them in 2020. Bad for the Country!

“The Democrats are in danger of becoming irrelevant (7) because of their decision to keep taking the country on wild goose chases. They ought to start governing. You know, for a change.” Michael Goodwin @newyorkpost

“He (Jerry Nadler) wants a show. He wants to use Mr. McGahn as a prop to spend three hours claiming that Mr. Trump tried to obstruct the Mueller investigation. YET MR. MUELLER WASN’T OBSTRUCTED IN ANY WAY, HIS COPIOUS REPORT WAS RELEASED FOR ALL TO SEE (8), & THERE WAS NO COLLUSION..

..BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN. Mr. McGahn can be forgiven for declining the honor (9) of appearing in Mr. Nadler’s pseudo-impeachment drama.” Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, Today – May 21, 2019

As I have long been saying, and has now been proven out, this is a Witch Hunt against the Republican Party and myself, and it was the other side that caused the problem, not us! (10)

Following this bizarre spectacle, Trump took the wholly unprecedented step of blackmailing Congress to force them to stop doing their constitutionally mandated job of oversight. He told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer that he would not consider the pending infrastructure bill, or any legislation, until they ended their investigations of him.

That’s not going to happen. So Trump is putting himself and his personal issues above the welfare of the nation. AGAIN! This abdication of his responsibilities is just another reason that he must not be permitted to continue to occupy the White House. It adds to his recent refusals to obey the laws regarding the provision of public documents and his attempts to prohibit public servants from giving testimony. And it is why more and more members of Congress – and American citizens – believe it it imperative that we impeach Trump.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

FOOTNOTES (with links to tweet):
1) The Mueller report did NOT find no collusion. But it did find ten instances of obstruction od justice.
2) Democrats do NOT want a do-over. They want all of the facts to be disclosed.
3) Democrats in the House have passed dozens of bills that are being held up by Republicans in the Senate.
4) PRESIDENTIAL WHINING!
5) Trump’s approval rating has NEVER exceeded the forties.
6) Mueller left the conclusions up to Congress. His report was a beginning, not an end.
7) If Trump really believed that Democrats are becoming irrelevant, he wouldn’t be throwing these tantrums.
8) Trump is unlawfully prohibiting McGahn from testifying. And the Mueller report has NOT been released for all to see.
9) A subpoena is NOT an optional invitation to appear. It is lawful and mandatory, and declining is a crime.
10) There has never been any evidence of crimes by “the other side.”