Notices by Carl Graham (carlg@esq.social)

A wife whose husband demands to know how she voted is exactly whom this ad is aimed at. She might be stuck in a coercive (or worse, violent) relationship she can't escape from, but lying about her vote to avoid triggering the husband is no game - it's self-preservation.

Protection from an asshole who tries to control his spouse wasn't the original reason for secret ballots, but today's MAGA is proving the wisdom of that secrecy.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4964265-kamala-harris-ad-julia-roberts/

@w7voa OK, that's a wildly uncharacteristic gesture for Trump - showing empathy is something we expect from Harris, not him.

I'm curious about the whole video - did one of Trump's handlers point her out and basically tell him he needs to do that, or did he think of that all by himself?

RFK Jr & Trump combining forces - the political version of the Sears-Kmart merger.

Two bankrupt failures coming together rarely works out.

@Wileymiller @GreenFire @dougiec3 @BruceMirken

Other than Palin, does Trump even have the support of any prior GOP presidential or VP candidates?

I don't think so. It should be major news that most of Trump's cabinet secretaries (i.e. those who have actually worked with him in government) and virtually all former GOP standard-bearers (i.e. those who represent the party traditions) don't support him.

@GreenFire @dougiec3 @Wileymiller @BruceMirken Trump's lack of support among his own cabinet has been in the news, but why isn't he asked directly about that in interviews? Or about his own VP rejecting him?

(The question is rhetorical - Trump overwhelmingly appears only on friendly networks, and at press conferences, the reporters who work for the billionaire media are afraid of losing access if they ask tough questions).

The immunity and innocence that goes with youth have been lost.

Now that Barron Trump is participating in political events, he is "fair game" to be on the receiving end of scrutiny and political attacks himself.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4763811-barron-trump-campaign-debut/

Corruption on the Colorado Springs city council?

A la Justice Thomas, the council sees nothing wrong with members receiving thousands in campaign contributions from a property developer, then voting on a project pushed by that very same developer.

And when a colleague dares to question whether that is a conflict of interest, they schedule an emergency meeting to censure and remove him from committees. Democracy shouldn't be for sale.

#Colorado
#ColoradoSprings

https://www.kktv.com/2024/06/29/colorado-springs-city-councilman-facing-possible-censure-after-comments-made-meeting/

Book bans were never about "protecting the kids," but censoring what the right disagrees with. And they've shown their true colors by banning, without apparent irony, a book about book bans.

No sex, no homosexuality, not even an attempt to sneak in a lesson about slavery, just censoring a book that illuminates their censorship efforts.

Christian nationalists are headed towards China-level oppression.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/article/2024/jun/11/florida-book-bans-book-banned

Texas and MAGA: screw EVs, we're going to ban them and promote gasoline.

Also TX: pollution is critically high, so please don't drive your internal combustion engine vehicle.

https://www.newsweek.com/texas-asks-people-avoid-using-their-cars-1909517

Even by the standards of the corrupt Roberts Court, the extent of Thomas's corruption is jaw-dropping.

Current estimates are that Thomas received $6 million in "gifts" over the past 20 years, which averages a whopping $300,000 per year!

If the guy doesn't want the already-generous SCOTUS salary and cushy work schedule, he should step aside for someone who does rather than leading us to the reasonable conclusion that he's for sale with such graft.

@GottaLaff @irisnieborg @Deus @MsMissy Most voters rejected Trump in 2016 and 2020 (by a convincing 7m votes).

Now that he's been convicted of 34 felonies and facing 54 more, which voters who rejected him twice previously are going to think he's a more attractive candidate now?

Once this really sinks in, I have a real hard time conceiving of independents voting for a criminal. And shame on any Republicans willing to vote for him.

Alito is an ethical hot mess, part 16.

In addition to saying "Not True" during Obama's 2010 State of the Union, flying pro-insurrectionist flags at two different residences, consider that after attending Trump's inauguration in 2017, Alito joined Trump in skipping Biden's inauguration in 2021.

Impartial, my ass. But Alito claims (and has) the sole power to decide whether he has a conflict of interest, without anyone being allowed to second-guess him.

#SCOTUS

@jeffjarvis I am almost glad the Alitos were flying those flags because it helps to out them.

I would rather Alito or Thomas's insurrectionist views be known to the American public than have them hidden and maintain the pretense that SCOTUS is anything more than another body dominated by political hacks.

Let us pay back the Roberts Court for the scorn they have for democracy by treating them with the contempt they deserve. They will not earn our respect until they clean house.

On what planet are families shopping legitimate military targets?

Russia bombing this Ukrainian supermarket is far from their first war crime, but serves as another reminder why it is imperative that Ukraine wins. And imperative we provide Ukraine with all military and economic support necessary to defeat what can only be described as an evil and aggressive regime.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/25/people-killed-in-russian-missile-attacks-on-kharkiv

Sending an AI into space to talk to alien civilizations would greatly enhance the chances of pissing off a more advanced species and ending up on the losing side of an interstellar war.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/05/ai-in-space-karpathy-suggests-ai-chatbots-as-interstellar-messengers-to-alien-civilizations/

@GottaLaff Trump lost the argument as to whether reposting info constitutes a violation of the gag order, and is now testing whether one step back from that, linking to such material, is a violation. I think this is a closer call, but if I were the judge I would modify the order to clarify this.

Trump is generally a moron, but is diabolically clever at trying to find ways to commit malfeasance in plain view.

@HistoPol @philip_cardella I don't know about unconstitutional, but giving those in power immunity (Trump) or special treatment and privileges (police) certainly isn't *required* by the Constitution.

And it's eerily similar to the double standards enjoyed by the apparatchiks back in the Soviet Union.

@HistoPol @philip_cardella It's ironic that even as police officers oppose increased accountability for the average citizen they investigate, they demand special treatment and greater protections for themselves.

And it's sad that politicians indulge them, creating barriers to holding bad apples accountable for their crimes, enabling lawlessness while claiming to be pro- law and order.

@GottaLaff

I understand that all three appeals have gone to different judges, so this is the third different appellate judge to reject Trump's arguments.

Trump only has 2 days left to file appeals, so will run out of time before NY runs out of appellate judges to deny his motions.

At this stage, his attorneys should focus on preparing to litigate the case, not futile gestures.

Because absent medical emergency or Trump going on the lam, his first criminal case starts on Monday.

@GreenFire Naah. If the tiny showings from outside courthouses for Trump's various indictments are anything to go by, there will be no organized mass protests/riots which threaten public order, just the occasional whack job.

And our criminal justice system is well-equipped to handle them.

I am far more concerned that the fear of pro-Trump riots may result in Trump somehow escaping accountability for his crimes.