Why far-right groups are increasingly targeting the LGBTQ community

There have been several recent incidents where far-right, white supremacist groups have targeted LGBTQ people, including last weekend at a pride event in Idaho and a during a drag story hour at a library in California. J.M. Berger, a writer and researcher who focuses on extremist ideologies and has written four books on the topic, joins William Brangham to discuss.
— (PBS) (June 14)   (Pocket)

How Online Censorship Harms Sex Workers and LGBTQ Communities | News & Commentary - ACLU

In 2018, Congress passed a law that aimed to address sex trafficking on online platforms. That’s a laudable goal, but the way Congress went about it has led to dangerous and disproportionate online censorship — particularly of the communities the law was trying to protect.
— (ACLU) (June 27)   (Pocket)

Politicians rolling back protections for the LGBTQ+ community have made this year’s Pride Month one to remember—for all the wrong reasons - Fortune

Politicians rolling back protections for the LGBTQ+ community have made this year’s Pride Month one to remember—for all the wrong reasonsFortune
— (Fortune) (June 21)   (Pocket)

During Pride Month, LGBTQ community vows to say gay, stay strong, register to vote

LGBTQ mural was unveiled on June 1 at the Stephen P. Clark Center in Miami during the LGBTQ Advisory Board Pride Month event.
— (Miami Herald) (June 14)   (Pocket)

Here's why the new Nancy Reagan stamp prompted backlash from the LGBTQ+ community - NPR

First lady Jill Biden (right) speaks onstage with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and Anne Peterson, former first lady Nancy Reagan's niece, at the unveiling of the Nancy Reagan stamp at the White House on Monday. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images hide caption
— (NPR) (June 9)   (Pocket)

@AnnaHorford: At this point, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, & women all need to stop standing for the national anthem. This country does not care about us or our rights. If this country doesn’t stand for us, why should we stand for it?

The “Gap” in the Constitution That Led to January 6th

Last week, the House select committee investigating January 6th heard extensive testimony about the degree to which then President Donald Trump and his aides pushed state officials to disregard the vote tallies in the 2020 election and empower phony slates of electors. Trump loyalists such as Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman tried to gin up alternate slates in pursuit of a plan that would culminate in then Vice-President Mike Pence declaring Trump the winner of the election. (Seven states that Trump lost—Georgia, Wisconsin, Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and Michigan—ended up submitting bogus slates.) The pressured state officials’ stories raised questions about whether people in Trump’s orbit violated the law. More broadly, the testimony spotlighted the byzantine nature of America’s Presidential elections, which leaves them open to abuse.
— (The New Yorker) (June 27)   (Pocket)

Pence draws contrast with Trump over how to embrace abortion decision

For months leading up to the Supreme Court's ruling, Mike Pence's unequivocal public and private embrace of the impending Roe decision contrasted with Donald Trump's private concerns about the political risks to Republicans if abortion rights were overturned in a midterm election year.Why this matters: Pence is preparing to challenge Trump for the Republican nomination in 2024. Abortion is one of the key policy issues on which the former vice president has sought to define himself as more unabashedly conservative than the former president.Driving the news: On Friday, as soon as the Supreme Court announced its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Pence's team was ready to be first out of the gate with an instant reaction.His organization instantly released a video celebrating the decision and Pence's role in making it happen. The video recalled Pence's history fighting against abortion, long before he became vice president. Nowhere in the video is Trump mentioned by name.Pence also immediately issued a statement to Breitbart News: "Today, Life Won. By overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court of the United States has given the American people a new beginning for life, and I commend t...
— (Axios) (June 25)   (Pocket)

Kazerounian: To support Iran’s people, engage with the Iranian Resistance

In his recent trip to Albania, former Vice President Mike Pence showed world leaders and politicians how they can play a leading role in supporting the people of Iran in their struggle for freedom and democracy.
— (Boston Herald) (June 25)   (Pocket)

Ron Johnson confronted at airport by liberal activist about alternate electors - Washington Examiner

Lauren Windsor, executive producer of the liberal web-based program The Undercurrent who was on the same flight, asked Johnson about text messages disclosed in a Jan. 6 committee hearing this week that showed the senator's chief of staff, Sean Riley, asking a staffer for then-Vice President Mike Pence about delivering a slate of "alternate" electors. On a radio show Thursday, Johnson said his team believed the papers came from the office of Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA). Kelly has denied involvement.
— (Washington Examiner) (June 25)   (Pocket)

Iran speech offers glimpse at a Pence foreign policy - Washington Times

Former Vice President Mike Pence sharply criticized what he called the Biden’s administration’s “weakness” on foreign policy Thursday, slamming the administration’s “disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan” and arguing that White House “appeasement” of Iran is backfiring.
— (Washington Times) (June 23)   (Pocket)

Did Pence Say Biden ‘Commits’ More Falsehoods Than Any Other President?

Former Vice President Mike Pence took aim at U.S. President Joe Biden in an interview with Fox Business when he affirmed that he had “never in [his] lifetime” seen a president commit so many falsehoods as Biden. Pence worked under former U.S. President Donald Trump.
— (Snopes) (June 23)   (Pocket)

What the January 6th Committee Uncovered This Week

Two hearings this week laid out the stark implications of President Trump’s efforts to stay in office. On Tuesday, members of the House select committee on January 6th heard testimony about attempts to deliver fake slates of electors to Congress. State election officials and poll workers spoke, in powerful terms, about the intense vitriol and harassment they were subjected to by Trump supporters, simply for doing their jobs. On Thursday, the committee explored President Trump’s pressure campaign at the Justice Department to get top officials to go along with false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election. As Evan Osnos wrote for The New Yorker, “Trump’s political formula has rested on a dark genius at leveraging the powerful against the vulnerable, a tribe against a dissenter, the mob against the foe—and he nearly succeeded in using that recipe to overturn the election that he lost.” In the third installment of a special series for the Politics and More podcast, three members of The New Yorker’s Washington bureau—Osnos, Susan B. Glasser, and Jane Mayer—take us through the big developments at the hearings this week.
— (The New Yorker) (June 24)   (Pocket)

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp subpoenaed to testify in Fulton County Trump investigation

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) will submit a sworn recorded statement to the Fulton County district attorney's office next month for an investigation into former President Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Why it matters: Kemp is the highest profile Georgia official to be subpoenaed to testify before the district attorney's special grand jury focused on the case. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr have already appeared. Driving the news: Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade wrote that the office has agreed to accept recorded testimony on July 25 "to accommodate the Governor and his schedule," per a document obtained by Axios and first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday.The office is requesting access to a long list of documentation, including call logs, emails and correspondence with the former president or his allies, as well as any information that "explains what former President Trump was thinking or doing or those working on his behalf." Catch up quick: Atlanta District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating possible criminal charges to Trump and his allies over allegations that he tried to ...
— (Axios) (June 24)   (Pocket)

House Jan. 6 committee shows evidence of Trump's 'pressure campaign' to overturn 2020 election

In the weeks following the 2020 election, then-President Donald Trump exhausted all avenues to stop swing states from certifying President Biden's wins, including a "pressure campaign" on the Justice Department to back election fraud claims, witnesses said Thursday at House Jan. 6 committee hearing.
— (Washington Times) (June 23)   (Pocket)

Feds Search Trump-Era Official’s Home, Subpoena GOP Leaders

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal agents searched the home of a former top Justice Department official and seized records from key Republicans across the country linked to Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, in an apparent escalation of investigations into associates of the former president.
— (Snopes) (June 23)   (Pocket)

Explainer: What charges could Trump face over efforts to overturn the 2020 election? - Reuters.com

NEW YORK, June 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. congressional committee probing the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol has sought in hearings this month to build a case that then-President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 electoral defeat amounted to illegal conduct.
— (Reuters) (June 23)   (Pocket)

Federal Authorities Search Home of Jeffrey Clark, Trump Justice Dept. Official

Investigators went to the suburban Washington home of Jeffrey Clark in connection with the sprawling inquiry into the Jan. 6 attack and the effort to overturn the 2020 election.
— (New York Times) (June 23)   (Pocket)

Subpoenas issued to directors of SPAC taking Trump's social network public

A federal grand jury in New York has issued subpoenas to each board director of the blank check company that has agreed to take Donald Trump's social media startup, Truth Social, public. Why it matters: This is in addition to previously disclosed investigations into the blank-check company by both the SEC and Justice Department, thus intensifying questions about Truth Social's financial future.Details: Digital World Acquisition Corp. on Monday disclosed the subpoenas, adding that some of the information requested were about communications with a Miami-based investment firm called Rocket One Capital. It also said the Bruce Garelick, chief strategy officer at Rocket One, is resigning from Digital World Acquisition's board of directors.By the numbers: Trump currently has 3.37 million followers on Truth Social, a far cry from the 88.7 million followers he had on Twitter before being banned in early 2021. It's worth noting, however, that Truth Social remains unavailable for Android users.What they're saying: Trump Media Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, this morning issued the following statement: "TMTG is focused on reclaiming the American people's right to free exp...
— (Axios) (June 27)   (Pocket)

Justices’ Home Addresses Blasted on Social Media With Zero Consequences

Will social media sites begin to take action against posts pushing for illegal actions by pro-abortion activists? Pictured: Protesters gather in the wake of the decision overturning Roe v. Wade outside the Supreme Court on June 25 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
— (Daily Signal) (June 27)   (Pocket)

Americans celebrate Juneteenth as the push for social justice persists

Monday marked just the second time in U.S. history that the federal government has recognized Juneteenth. The holiday celebrates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought word of slavery's end to Galveston, Texas, freeing the last enslaved people after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Peniel Joseph, founder of The Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, joins Amna Nawaz to discuss.
— (PBS) (June 20)   (Pocket)

Why Are Twitter Employees So Afraid Of Free Speech? It's About Market Saturation

Why Are Twitter Employees So Afraid Of Free Speech? It's About Market Saturation When a franchise sets out to compete with other companies that have a superior market or branding presence, they will sometimes exploit a strategy called "market saturation" in order to undermine their opponent's visibility. An example of this is Starbucks, which sought to co-opt and then destroy the concept of the neighborhood hipster coffee shop by flooding every city and town with their own stores. After several years, there was at least four Starbucks within a mile of every other Starbucks store and often these franchises would sit right across the road from each other. Every coffee house was now a Starbucks coffee house. You might ask - What the hell does this have to do with Twitter? Well, remember this analogy for later because it's important, but it has a lot to do with the manner in which the political left operates and how social justice warriors and trans activists take control of the narrative. And guess who has been running Twitter until recently? That's right, extreme leftists based out of the social justice Mecca - San Francisco. Twitter is supposedly one of the largest social med...
— (ZeroHedge Opinion) (June 19)   (Pocket)

Cancel Culture is “Beneficial for Social and Racial Justice”, Says Training Course for Academics at 100 U.K. Universities

Cancel culturehas “benefits” and white people "have a responsibility to solve the problem of racism”, academics at almost 100 UK universities have been told as part of an anti-racism course. The post Cancel Culture is “Beneficial for Social and Racial Justice”, Says Training Course for Academics at 100 U.K. Universities appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
— (Daily Sceptic) (June 12)   (Pocket)

Uvalde school police chief on leave amid criticism of school shooting response

The Uvalde school district's police chief was put on leave Wednesday following allegations that he erred in his response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School that left 19 students and two teachers dead.
— (PBS) (June 23)   (Pocket)

Uvalde funeral: Last victim buried month after school shooting - USA TODAY

It's been one month since a gunman stormed into the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde and opened fire, killing 19 children and two teachers. More than a dozen others were wounded, as was the psyche of the quiet town that burst sadly into the national spotlight.
— (USA Today) (June 25)   (Pocket)

Texas shooting: Uvalde school district puts police chief on 'administrative leave'

President Joe Biden pays his respects to victims of Uvalde mass shooting Photograph:( PTI )
— (WION) (June 22)   (Pocket)

Uvalde school police chief put on leave after mass shooting

The Uvalde school district's police chief was put on leave Wednesday following allegations that he erred in his response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School that left 19 students and two teachers dead.
— (Washington Times) (June 22)   (Pocket)

Police Response to Uvalde Shooting Was ‘Abject Failure,’ Says Steven McCraw

The director of the Department of Public Safety said that police officers wasted time looking for a classroom door key that was “never needed.”
— (New York Times) (June 21)   (Pocket)

First Pictures Of Uvalde Shooting Emerge As City Hires Lawyers To Block Evidence

First Pictures Of Uvalde Shooting Emerge As City Hires Lawyers To Block Evidence The first images from inside the Uvalde school shooting have emerged, revealing that police were heavily armed with rifles and a ballistic shield, yet still waited another 58 minutes while gunman Salvador Ramos continued his rampage - leaving 19 students and two teachers dead. The photo, obtained by the Austin American Statesman and KVUE on Monday, casts an even more damning shadow on the Uvalde police department's response to the May 24 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School. Despite entering the school just nine minutes after Ramos, officers waited nearly an hour to advance despite their superior firepower and training. Eventually, at 12:50 p.m. a Border Patrol BORTAC agent ignored police orders and burst into the classroom, shooting and killing Ramos. "There were 19 officers in there," said Col. Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, at a media briefing days after the shooting (per the NY Post), "In fact, there were plenty of officers to do whatever needed to be done, with one exception — the incident commander inside believed they needed more equipment and more officer...
— (ZeroHedge Opinion) (June 21)   (Pocket)

@kylegriffin1: Reuters: TEXAS DPS DIRECTOR SAYS CLASSROOM DOOR IN UVALDE SCHOOL SHOOTING WAS NOT LOCKED, EVEN AS POLICE WAITED FOR KEY

@catherine_lucey: AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas public safety chief says classroom door in Uvalde school shooting was not locked, even as police waited for key.

Low morale takes hold of Ukrainian, Russian troops

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Four months of war in Ukraine appear to be straining the morale of troops on both sides, prompting desertions and rebellion against officers’ orders, British defense officials said Sunday. NATO’s chief warned the fighting could drag on for “years.”
— (PBS) (June 19)   (Pocket)

Russia-Ukraine War: Ukrainian troops to withdraw from Sievierdonetsk - Gov.

Ukrainian troops will have to withdraw from the largely-Russian controlled city of Sievierdonetsk in the Luhansk Oblast (province), Governor Serhiy Gaidai said in a TV interview Friday as the Russian invasion of Ukraine stretches into its 121st day."Remaining in positions smashed to pieces over many months just for the sake of staying there does not make sense," Gaidai said."Remaining in positions smashed to pieces over many months just for the sake of staying there does not make sense."Serhiy GaidaiThe city is one of the last major remaining Ukrainian-controlled holdouts in Luhansk, in the Donbas region, and Russia has made considerable, albeit slow, advances there over the past several weeks.
— (Jerusalem Post) (June 24)   (Pocket)

Putin’s troops ‘forced to undertake dangerous river crossings’ as Ukrainian forces blow up bridges, says UK

Vladimir Putin’s offensive in Ukraine is being slowed by Ukrainian forces blowing up bridges as they withdraw forcing his troops to undertake dangerous river crossing, British defence chiefs said on Monday.
— (Weekly Standard) (June 13)   (Pocket)

@JackDetsch: NEW: U.S. is hosting remote military training courses for Ukrainian troops in Europe on HIMARs, Howitzers, precision-guided Excalibur ammo, and maintenance: senior U.S. defense official