#democracy under assault by money

[thevitalportal]

The Democrats’ primary winner in the redistricted US House District NY 16 a trojan horse that will flip to the Republican party when elected in the fall? Or will the Republicans who flipped parties to vote in the Democrats primary that he will lose out right when Democrats abandon him in the general election? Politics politricks.

Republicans have and their money pulled the same trickeration in Georgia when they ousted Representative Cynthia Mckinney.

[tomorrowusa]

These are the tech bros dismantling democracy in America at the behest of unelected Elon Musk. Basically a bunch of spoiled rich brats.

Elon Musk’s team of young DOGE disruptors have been unmasked, much to the ire of the billionaire and other MAGA figures. One is a 19-year-old college freshman and heir to a popcorn fortune. Another was hosting Model UN sessions in 2019 and a third was given money by his parents to invest in stocks while at his high school in Silicon Valley. [ ... ] Musk’s team of youngsters, as first reported by WIRED on Sunday, is Akash Bobba, 21, a student at the University of California, Berkeley; Edward Coristine, 19, a student at Northeastern University in Boston; and Ethan Shaotran, 22, who said in September he was a senior at Harvard. The ones who actually have degrees, or at least have left college, are: Luke Farritor, 23, who attended the University of Nebraska without graduating; Gautier Cole Killian, a 24-year-old who attended McGill University; and Gavin Kliger, a 25-year-old who attended Berkeley; The group’s relative lack of experience—especially no previous positions in government work—has Democrats crying foul they were granted access to sensitive records while remaining largely in the shadows, away from public scrutiny. All six desperately tried to cover their digital tracks recently, almost all of them deleting LinkedIn profiles, X accounts and even Facebook.

The most peculiar one, Gavin Kliger, is a Matt Gaetz groupie.

But what Kliger really wants the world to know about is his belief in male MAGA warriors Matt Gaetz and Pete Hegseth’s brilliance, using his Substack to post about them both. Gaetz, who was investigated over allegations of teenage sex trafficking, was, according to Kliger, a victim of “the deep state.” Hegseth, a serially unfaithful former Fox News star accused of sexual assault, drunkenness, and receiving lap dances while in uniform, was, he wrote “the warrior Washington doesn’t want but desperately need.” Kliger, whose Cornell graduate father is an attorney for Experian, appears happy to monetize his DOGE experience: he has made the entry about DOGE on his Substack for $12-a-month subscribers only.

Kliger even looks like an aspiring Matt Gaetz. Maybe he'll use the fees from his Substack to finance Gaetz-style cosmetic surgery.

^^^ The "Gaetz gaze"

Here they are, The Elon Youth. Rich boys engineering the destruction of your future.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Clifford Asness

The truth: The Jews were given a scrap of ancestral land (actually, they bought much of it fair and square, and after decades of organizing and building, were given a mandate to start a tiny country on it) and defended it against five invading armies in 1948, after the Palestinians and allied Arab countries rejected the original two-state solution the Jews had accepted. Over the years, the Israelis then turned deserts into orange groves and then turned orange groves into Silicon Valley,2 all while under military assaults, surprise attacks, bombardment, terrorism, and continued international pressure to reward their attackers for their crimes. And they did this while maintaining a vibrant liberal democracy. Israeli Arabs, one-fifth of Israel’s population, are still the only Arabs in the region who enjoy the fruits of, and participate in running, such a democracy.

But to today’s progressive activist, Israel’s success is itself the proof of its moral bankruptcy, just as perfidy is the progressive’s only explanation for success. Israel’s prosperity, its stunning success—in the absolute and especially when judged against its neighbors—is something that must be defeated. Progressives would otherwise be compelled to admit that Western civilization, democracy, and capitalism produce the most human flourishing and also the fairest distribution of it. You might call it a perverse immoral hazard. Far-left progressives cannot let Israel’s success count as best practices.

In contrast, the Palestinians who fled Israel in 1948 and their descendants have had a tough time of it, largely due to their leaders. Israel took in a similar number of Jews expelled, de facto or through explicit threat of pogrom, from the Arab world. But the Palestinians’ fellow Arabs did not take them in, choosing instead to keep them in squalor as a bargaining chip and a cudgel against Israel, and because they just didn’t want them (see Egypt’s Gaza border wall today).3 United Nations sympathizers abetted the scheme, forcing Palestinians into permanent refugeehood based on birth (a modern serfdom) in defiance of UN principles (no other refugees are characterized this way). Israel didn’t do any of this to them; their supposed friends did.

Aid money sent to Gaza and the West Bank over the years has not been used to build a productive economy. Instead, it’s been used to dig sophisticated, ex-tensive terror tunnels, support a lavish lifestyle for Palestinian leaders, and provide nice annuities to the families of “martyrs” as a means of intentionally encouraging more. These leaders consciously built failure, an economic failure married to a death cult, instead of trying for success. Progressives honor them for it.

According to today’s progressive dogma, it’s only outcomes that matter, because outcomes represent not equality but “equity.”4 Equal opportunities and equal rights are insufficient; it is equal outcomes that are truly moral. And when measured against the Israelis, the Palestinian refugees clearly don’t have such “equity.” So Israel must be an oppressor and the perma-class of “powerless” refugees (again, courtesy of their friends) must be saints and martyrs. What’s a progressive to do? Credit the Israelis for their earned success? Blame the Palestinians leaders, so clearly responsible, for their people’s open sores? Blame the countries supporting Palestine for cynically perpetuating their condition? No, clearly, what you do is blame the Israelis for their sin of prospering and then head to the barricades for barbarians because a failed society must axiomatically be a just and righteous one.

[mariacallous]

As 400 million Europeans get set to elect 720 EU parliamentarians in June, polls are predicting big gains for right-wing populists. As a result, for the first time since the European Parliament was directly elected in 1979, it is expected to have a solid majority on the right. This will mark a “sharp right turn” for Europe, the European Council of Foreign Affairs (ECFR) recently noted. The consequences for European politics and policy are already coming into view.

The center-right European People’s Party (EPP) and the left-leaning Socialists and Democrats party (S&D) are again expected to finish in first and second place, although both may lose a handful of seats. The EU’s far-right groups, Identity and Democracy (ID) and the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), will improve their tally mainly at the expense of liberals and Greens. According to ECFR, populists are likely to be the top vote-getter in nine countries, including Austria, the Netherlands, France, Hungary, Poland, and Italy. In nine others, including Spain and Germany, they could emerge as strong second or third-place contenders.

ID—which includes the main anti-immigrant and Eurosceptic parties in Germany (Alternative for Deutschland or AfD), France (National Rally), and Italy (the League or Lega)—is likely to become the EU parliament’s third-largest group after elections are held between June 6 and 9. The ECR is led by Georgia Meloni, Italy’s prime minister and leader of the post-fascist Brothers of Italy party, and is home to Sweden’s Sweden Democrats and Poland’s Law and Justice party (PiS). If authoritarian Hungarian leader Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party, a member of the EPP until a few years ago, joins the ECR as expected, the far-right could claim a quarter of the total seats.

Political machinations already seem to be underway among some establishment parties to create cooperation with this newly powerful bloc. Experts say if the EPP, the strongest conservative party in the EU, welcomes far-right politicians in its fold or co-opts their policies, as it has lately been accused of, the balance of power in Europe will decisively shift to the right and have major implications for not just the EU’s common agenda but may also influence how member states decide critical policies.

“I think in our campaign we will ask the EPP to be pragmatic, to pick the alternative to a center-left majority,” Marco Campomenosi, a Lega politician and the head of the Italian delegation in ID, told Foreign Policy.

Experts say any such shift will have major implications for the EU as a whole, tainting its recent promises to pursue a humane migration policy and to establish rule of law at home that encourages democratic checks and balances. An empowered far-right may also keep coordination on a common defense policy to the bare minimum in the face of a looming threat from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The EU’s flagship Green Deal climate framework, which has set a goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, is also at stake, as the populists try to push the EU to erode its commitment to renewable energy development and other climate policies.

Charlie Weimers, a member of the far-right Sweden Democrats that supports Sweden’s minority center-right government, said, his party’s priority is to push for a “Migration Pact 2.0,” with more stringent measures to stop the influx of immigrants than already listed in the new migration pact. “We need to stop asylum,” he told FP over the phone. “We need breathing space to deal with the immigrants already here otherwise we can never catch up.”

Lega’s Campomenosi said, “it’s not about the money” but about the “trouble” immigrants make. (Under the new migration pact an EU member state which refuses to accept an asylum seeker should pay a sum of 20,000 euros to an EU fund.) “If there are too many immigrants they can’t be integrated,” he added.

Three far-right parliamentarians told FP that with bigger numbers in Parliament they will be able to apply more pressure on the EU commissioner to throw out or dilute the green deal.

It “needs to go away,” Joachim Kuhs, the acting head of the AfD delegation in EU which is polling as the second strongest party in Germany, told FP in his office in the parliament. “It should be repealed and replaced,” Weimers added.

The liberal groups say the center-right has strengthened the far-right by co-opting its policies and forming alliances in individual member states.

Pedro Marques, a vice president of the S&D group, said the EPP parties have been “eroding the Cordon Sanitaire,” erected to keep the far-right out of governments and important positions. “The EPP is dancing with the far right,” he added, with grave consequences for the future of the union.

The cordon sanitaire is crumbling in many European nations. In Italy, the far-right is in power, in Sweden the center-right government is backed by the far-right. In Austria, center-right and far-right have been in a coalition, and the latter is polling ahead of all others in the run up to national elections. In France, Marine Le Pen is leading the polls, and in Germany, the conservatives have hinted at future cooperation at a regional level with the far-right AfD.

The legitimization of the far-right isn’t limited to member states. Ursula Von Der Leyen, a member of the EPP and EU commissioner, has alluded to Meloni’s inclusion in her grouping. She said it wasn’t clear which parties will remain in the ECR after the elections and which will leave, and “join EPP.”

Hans Kundnani, writer of a book called Eurowhiteness, said the boundaries between the ID, ECR and the EPP have always been “very fluid.”

“As soon as Meloni indicated she won’t be disruptive in the Eurozone, that she won’t be pro-Russian, centrist pro-European EPP said that’s great, we don’t mind,” Kundnani said. “The center right has no problem with far-right at all, they just have a problem with those who are Eurosceptic.”

Experts say Von Der Leyen has often backed off on key policies to appease the far-right. Just over the last few months as the farmers protested against the provisions of the green deal, the far-right found another issue to mobilize against mainstream parties. During election season, Von Der Leyen quickly conceded and granted several concessions to the agriculture sector that will affect the 2050 net zero target.

The best example of how the EU commissioner validated the far-right’s worldview, Kundnani argued, was when she created a post for an EU commissioner to promote a European way of life.

“The big theme of the European far-right is that the immigrants threaten European civilization,” he said. When Von Der Leyen created the position, she framed “immigration as a threat to the European way of life,” and in doing so legitimized the far-right.

It is unclear if co-opting the far-right’s talking points benefits the center right in keeping their traditional voters from moving towards populists, but there is an emerging consensus that it strengthens the radical right in the longer run. For its part, the far-right has moderated its own positions on many issues to appeal to the voters more to the center. The far-right parties say they are no longer calling for an exit from the EU, but merely to reform it from within. They say they back Ukraine and not Putin.

Many parties on the far-right advocate return of border controls in violation of the EU’s founding principle of free movement of people and goods. Last year, the AfD described the EU as a “failed project,’’ while Sweden Democrats said they had “good reasons to seriously reevaluate our membership in the union.” There is still a lingering suspicion that the rank-and-file members of the far-right parties harbor sympathy for Putin. Last month, Lega’s leader Matteo Salvini deflected when asked if he blamed Putin for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s sudden death.

The parliamentarians of the ID and ECR with whom FP spoke expressly rejected Von Der Leyen’s proposal to appoint a dedicated defense commissioner to improve coordination among member states on matters of defense.

“We say that we want to manage immigration in a humane way, we can do better to manage the borders,” added Marques of the S&D. In response to the far-right’s demand to externalize the screening of asylum seekers, he said it was difficult to find credible partners. “We did this agreement with the Tunisian authorities, but when we tried to go there to check the conditions, to see how European money will be spent, they said we don’t want your agreement anymore. These have to be credible partnerships.”

The center-left S&D party simply dismisses the moderated stances of far-right parties as a charade. They believe the far-right simply wants the benefits of being in the union, not the costs that sometimes come with upholding its values. “They want an EU without the rule of law, without humanity,” Marques said. “That’s not what we built after the Second World War. They want to change the EU into something that it isn’t. Their values are not European.”

[talesfromasnarkylisa]

Stranded In Arendelle: Chapter 11

July 28th, 1843

After a long week of worsening snowy misery, Arendelle’s blizzard finally let up.

“Thank God,” grinned Nuru.

The airship to take Rapunzel and Eugene back home successfully managed to arrive thanks to the improved weather. Eugene would much rather have returned by ship, but there was a funeral to attend since the king died. Rapunzel also had a kingdom to rule. 

“Goodbye, Eugene,” Tony bid Eugene farewell.

“Goodbye,” said Eugene. 

Eugene held Rapunzel’s hand.

“You know how you couldn’t afford university even though you really wanted to, Tony?”

“Yeah?” he wondered.

“Guess what,” Eugene stated. “I’m not going to get Rapunzel to use Coronans’ taxpayer money to get you in. But I do know of a good scholarship.”

“Tell me,” Tony lit up.

Eugene explained to Tony the requirements of the scholarship.

“Well,” Tony smiled, “I think I fit the requirements.”

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” Nuru chimed in.

“Good luck,” Rapunzel watched the ship dock. “And Nuru?”

“Yes?” Nuru turned around.

“Thanks for everything,” Rapunzel pulled Nuru into a hug.

“You’re welcome,” Nuru stated. “And thank you, Rapunzel.”

The Coronan royals boarded the ship.

One Year Later

Officially pardoned in August of 1843, Tony had finished his first year in the prestigious Oxten University. He occasionally mailed Eugene, who would mail him back.

The kingdom of Corona prospered under Rapunzel’s rule. She reformed the justice system to avoid execution except for when serial murder or sexual assault was involved. Coronan citizens were happy, and a preliminary system of democracy allowing them to vote for or against whichever rules Rapunzel made started to get put in place. Its economy and infrastructure were doing great - in no small part thanks to Varian and his new partner working on the electricity system. Foreign relations with Arendelle were also much better with Queen Elsa as its leader.

While not as glamorous as Corona, the kingdom of Hawada was finally improving. Thanks to both Nuru’s and Varian’s efforts, there was now better infrastructure to deal with the meteorite attacks which plagued it. A truce for the war had been agreed to, and Hawada was left alone. 

Kirsti’s mother was released from prison around Christmas time. Now reunited, Kirsti would telegraph her frequently.

Of course, there were still issues to be resolved. The kingdoms were far from true equality, this being the 19th century. Rapunzel still had to deal with conflicts in the palace from time to time.

But compared to just a few years ago, life was much better.

THE END

…

If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for reading! I’d appreciate a vote (if on Wattpad) or like (if on Tumblr) if you enjoyed reading the fanfic. Comments are also welcome.

This was initially going to be 15 chapters, but I couldn’t find a way to prolong the narrative without it feeling repetitive, personally. 

Regardless, I’m going to be moving on to something new soon. It’ll be an original fic inspired by some pop music I’ve heard. Should that interest you…see you then!

(Wattpad version: https://www.wattpad.com/1475200729-stranded-in-arendelle-chapter-11)

[bloodstainedpawprint]

Never again,

Never again!

Never again.

The word never is as common as yes or no.

Never, is more common than please and thank you.

Again is uttered after never. Parents who lost their children to gun violence have heard the word again uttered by politicians more than they’ve ever heard their children say it.

“Play the movie again.”

replaced by “Never Again.”

“Can I go again on the swings?”

“Never Again.”

Is the phrase Never Again some sort of spell? Does it have the same rules as a genie, or Beetlejuice? Can I say it three times, spoken unbroken and politicians will do their jobs?

Does it have some sort of contingency? A clause I did not yet read? A set of terms and conditions that were pulled out with the rug under me?

Do those words matter?

The leading cause of death for children is gun violence. Never Again are precious letters that were put into useless words. If money for your campaign, your vote, your luxury wasn’t on the line, maybe Never Again would mean something.

It is obvious there is no care. The United States decided that they are not above letting children die to gun violence. They set that precedent after Sandy Hook. Many with a semblance of power, fought and plead for assault weapon bans, at the least, gun control. The United States did nothing.

The definition of democracy is a system of government in which state power is vested in the people.

Vested in the people.

What a world to live in.

Murder by the hand of a gun is more vested to the people, than life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

[klbmsw]

A political earthquake in Tennessee

April 7, 2023

Stephen Collinson, Caitlin Hu and Shelby Rose

Protestors yell and wave signs in the gallery after Tennessee’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives expelled Rep. Justin Jones on Thursday. (WTVF)

Republicans in the Tennessee state House of Representatives have made a choice: They decided Thursday that protecting decorum in their chamber was more important than limiting access to high powered weapons like the ones that killed three nine-year-olds and three staff at a private school in Nashville last week.

The state's GOP super majority has voted to expel two young Black male Democratic lawmakers, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, for leading a protest on the House floor last week calling for gun control. A third Democrat, Gloria Johnson, a White woman, survived by one vote and was not expelled -- a discrepancy that raises obvious and ugly questions.

“We called for you all to ban assault weapons, and you respond with an assault on democracy,” Jones told Republican legislators as he spoke before the House in his own defense.

The expelled lawmakers had committed no crimes; they were accused simply of behaving inappropriately in the House. They admit that they broke the rules by entering the well of the chamber without permission and interrupting debate. But lawmakers break the rules all the time and are not expelled. The House in Tennessee has has only expelled members on the rarest of occasions — for bribery and for sexual offenses, for example.

The expulsions -- which effectively cancelled out the ballots of tens of thousands of Tennesseans who had elected Jones and Pearson -- came across as a disproportionate abuse of power that crushed freedom of expression for the two members and their constituents.

One Republican, Rep. Gino Bulso, said that Jones, who accused the House of acting dishonorably during his dramatic and eloquent defense, had made the case for his own exclusion. “He and two other representatives effectively conducted a mutiny on March the 30th of 2023 in this very chamber,” Bulso said. Absurdly, the Republican House speaker last week said the protest by the lawmakers was equivalent or worse than the Jan. 6, 2021, mob attack on the US Capitol.

Given Tennessee’s overwhelming conservative tint, there was never any chance that the Nashville shooting would lead to local gun reforms. But the legislature’s power play came across as an attempt to silence a debate the GOP doesn’t want to have, at a time when the state was still reeling with grief.

But now the eyes of America and the world are on Tennessee.

China’s banks and insurers have become the latest focus of a sweeping anti-corruption crackdown.

Israel launched strikes in Gaza after a barrage of rockets was fired from Lebanon.

And protesters stormed the Paris offices of money manager BlackRock.

Meanwhile in America, JPMorgan boss Jamie Dimon says the banking crisis has increased odds of recession.

The Supreme Court denied West Virginia’s request to enforce a ban on transgender women and girls playing on public school sports teams consistent with their gender identity.

And the former Michigan House speaker said he took bribes as head of state’s medical marijuana licensing board.

'We are losing our democracy'

One of the expelled Democrats spoke to CNN's Ryan Young and warned that American democracy is under threat from Republicans seeking to hold back a young, rising tide of diversity.

“Six people died in Nashville at the Covenant School. Three were nine-years-old but instead of focusing on that, Representative Jones, Representative Johnson and myself are being expelled from the state house because we said we cannot do business as usual,” Pearson said. “No one should be wanting to operate as though this is not happening, as though we are not living in a gun violent epidemic in the state of Tennessee.”

“We are losing our democracy to White supremacy, we are losing our democracy to patriarchy, we are losing our democracy to people who want to keep a status quo that is damning to the rest of us and damning to our children and unborn people."

[banji-effect]

WASHINGTON—Donald Trump was indicted Tuesday in an unprecedented criminal case accusing the former president of trying to subvert the will of American voters through his attempts to cling to power after he lost the 2020 election. The indictment by a federal grand jury in Washington charges Trump with four crimes, including conspiring to defraud the U.S., obstructing an official proceeding, and conspiring against the rights of voters for his actions that culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by his supporters on the U.S. Capitol. The indictment charges Trump alone, but describes six co-conspirators working with him, including people identifiable as Rudy Giuliani and several other lawyers who worked with him to contest the 2020 election results. Many of the details referenced in the case have been previously revealed, including from a House panel that investigated the attack. But the 45-page document paints a detailed portrait of Trump’s alleged efforts to press claims that the election had been marred by fraud, even though he had been told repeatedly they had no merit, and how he leaned on officials in battleground states he had lost including Arizona, Georgia and Michigan to support his efforts. After those initial efforts failed, the indictment alleges, Trump pushed his own Justice Department to falsely claim election fraud, and pressed Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the results, telling Pence at one point: “You’re too honest.” He then called his supporters to Washington and urged them to “fight like hell” just before they marched to the Capitol on Jan. 6. Brought by special counsel Jack Smith, the indictment opens a second federal criminal case against Trump under the administration led by President Biden, who beat him in the 2020 race for the White House and is now his potential opponent next year, with Trump the GOP front-runner for 2024. Trump is scheduled to appear in federal court in Washington on Thursday.

In a brief appearance where he took no questions, Smith called the Capitol attack “an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy. As described in the indictment, it was fueled by lies.”

Despite losing, Trump spread lies that there had been fraud in the election, and that he had actually won, the indictment alleges. “Each of these conspiracies…targeted a bedrock function of the United States federal government: the nation’s process of collecting, counting, and certifying the results of the presidential election,” prosecutors assert in the indictment.

In a social media post, Trump said the case was a “pathetic attempt” by the Justice Department to “interfere with the 2024 Presidential Election.”

Within minutes, the Trump campaign sent a fundraising email, portraying him as a victim of political persecution. “It’s not just my freedom on the line, but yours as well—and I will NEVER let them take it from you,” it read.

In the indictment, prosecutors acknowledged that Trump had a right to challenge the election results and even falsely claim fraud. But they said what he did went far beyond such rights and involved discounting legitimate votes.

The indictment adds to the cloud of legal challenges. Smith’s office also is prosecuting Trump on separate charges that he improperly retained classified government documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort and obstructed the government’s efforts to retrieve them.

The district attorney in Fulton County, Ga., also has been investigating Trump for election interference. He awaits trial on 34 felony charges brought by local prosecutors in New York in a business-records case stemming from a hush-money payment made to a porn star in the final stretch of the 2016 election.

Trump has denied wrongdoing in the federal, New York and Georgia matters, and accused prosecutors of pursuing him for political reasons.

Prosecutors have charged more than 1,000 people in connection with the riot, for crimes ranging from trespassing to assault and obstructing the Congressional proceeding, almost all of whom were at the Capitol during the violence. More than 500 have pleaded guilty, and several who were convicted of playing a leading role in the violence have been sentenced to years in prison. Trump is among the first who didn’t directly participate in the riot to face federal charges in connection with the attack.

The Jan. 6 Capitol attack led to Trump’s unpredecented second impeachment, with the Democratic House alleging that Trump, who by then was out of office, incited an insurrection. Trump was acquitted in the Senate.

The probe has advanced for months on several tracks, with prosecutors examining efforts that included assembling fake slates of electors to send to Congress; pressuring former Vice President Mike Pence to thwart the congressional certification of Biden’s win; pressing state officials to undo their results; fundraising with false claims of election fraud; and rallying his supporters to march to the Capitol.

Federal grand jurors in Washington have heard from witnesses including election officials from several states, White House lawyers and a list of Trump’s closest aides. Pence, Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows and other senior officials in Trump’s closest circles also testified after Trump’s lawyers unsuccessfully tried to block their appearances, citing executive privilege. Prosecutors interviewed Trump’s former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani for eight hours.

The co-conspirators are unnamed, though the descriptions in the document indicate that they are Giuliani, Trump lawyers John Eastman, Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro and former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark. A sixth is described as a political consultant, whose identity is unclear.

The six, while unindicted, could potentially face charges as Smith’s investigation is ongoing.

“Every fact Mayor Rudy Giuliani possesses about this case establishes the good faith basis President Donald Trump had for the actions he took during the two-month period charged in the indictment,” his political adviser, Ted Goodman, said.

Clark and lawyers for Eastman and Chesebro didn’t immediately return calls seeking comment. A lawyer for Powell declined to comment.

In Smith’s separate probe of Trump’s handling of government documents, prosecutors recently added three new counts, alleging Trump and his aides sought to have surveillance footage from the club deleted so that it couldn’t be turned over to a grand jury. A federal judge has scheduled the trial in that case to begin on May 20, 2024.

The original June indictment in the documents case charged Trump with 37 counts on seven different charges, including willful retention of national-defense information, withholding a record, false statements and conspiracy to obstruct.

Despite his compounding legal problems, Trump has remained the clear front-runner for the GOP nomination as he has portrayed himself as the victim of a broad effort to keep him out of office. He has seen fundraising spikes surrounding his two previous indictments, and most of his Republican rivals for the nomination have joined in criticizing his prosecution.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has denied that the Justice Department’s investigations are politically motivated—he wasn’t in Washington on Tuesday but was roughly 175 miles away in Philadelphia, attending an anticrime event. He appointed Smith, whom he called a “veteran career prosecutor,” in November 2022 as special counsel to insulate the probe and give it a degree of independence from the agency’s political appointees.

[atrfiction]

On Erotica & Politics

(All These Roadworks content policy.)

This text is cross-posted from AllTheseRoadworks.com and is presented for new readers who may be encountering my work for the first time.

===

Hi. Thanks for caring enough to read this post.

If you’re not going to scroll down, here’s the short version: it’s erotica, not politics. You should be political, but your politics should be to keep what I’m writing purely in the realm of fiction – and that will take active work to normalise consent and gender equity, because we’re too close already. Here’s the longer version.

I write erotica online under the pseudonym All These Roadworks. My erotica largely deals with non-consent, degradation of women, and slavery.

That’s a challenging topic and a challenging space, and it imposes some additional responsibilities on me as a writer of that content.

First up, let’s say this: this work is enjoyed by healthy, mature people of all genders. I have readers who are women. I have readers who are men. Some of those readers are trans. Some of those readers are straight. Some are bisexual. I know for a fact that many of them are people who have an unwavering commitment to consent and gender equity in real life, and I hope the rest do too.

We don’t choose our kinks. Our kinks choose us. The very things that our society considers most strongly taboo are disproportionately likely to become fetished as a result of that taboo. Also, our brains often deal with trauma and stress through sex. It’s very common for survivors of sexual abuse to have rape fantasies. That doesn’t mean they want to actually be raped – it means they’re processing trauma through eroticism.

Today, with gender politics very much front and centre of the public consciousness, it is entirely unsurprising that many people want to explore gender degradation fantasies. That doesn’t mean that they want to oppress women, or think that women are actually inferior. It means that it’s important for us to all take a public stand defending the rights of women, and that the stress of that needs an outlet.

That’s normal. That’s healthy. We don’t choose our kinks. But we do choose what to do about them. There is no harm in consenting adults engaging in fictional depictions of problematic topics. Reading Conan the Barbarian doesn’t mean we actually want to slay people with a broadsword. Watching Friday the 13th doesn’t mean we want to become a serial killer. These are cathartic societal outlets.

The stories I write are ridiculous in many respects. And yet, they’re entirely too plausible. Women do face an unacceptably high level of sexual harassment and sexual violence. Women are struggling to keep hard-won human rights in countries across the globe, and particularly in Western democracies. Women do find themselves in humiliating and unsafe situations every day through the normal operation of the society that we live in.

Everyone – and particularly readers of my stories – needs to actively work to make that change. The world in which we are best able to consensually enjoy our kinky fantasies is a world in which everyone – including women – is safe, respected and empowered to pursue their interests without fear of being shamed, assaulted, or having the expression of their sexuality taken as consent to having someone else’s imposed upon them.

The only acceptable basis for real-life romantic or sexual interaction is positive, enthusiastic, informed consent.

People who want to be sexual need to be free to consensually do so. People who don’t want that, or don’t want it in that form, or with that person, or at that time, or under those conditions… need to have that respected unconditionally, and without them needing to have to say it twice.

Please enjoy my stories. But they are not your manifesto – or anyone else’s. They are not an expression of how the world should be. Please, be good people. Build a better world for everyone.

And finally, by way of putting some money where my mouth is:

In any month where I make more than $300 of profit from alltheseroadworks.com, I will make a donation of 5% of the profits to a charity supporting women’s rights, that combats sexual harassment and violence, or that helps the women-inclusive victims of sexual and domestic violence.

Thank you for reading. Keep enjoying my work.

– All These Roadworks, May 2023

[thomas77-anderson]

Disbanding the World Uyghur Congress may bring a glimmer of innocence to Uyghur human rights activities

Dolkun lsa, who has been remembered by history as a "sexual offender", Rushan Abbas, who gave speeches to gain sympathy under the banner of "rescuing her imprisoned sister", and the World Uyghur Congress, which has been advocating for the protection of Uyghur women's human rights, turned out to be a money laundering organization that condoned crime.

Intense public pressure and courageous testimonies have poured in, and while Dolkun lsa apologized for his sexual misconduct on his X account, he misled Uyghur audiences by claiming on RFA’s Uyghur Service that he had done nothing wrong. What precedent does this set? Despite the charges against Dolkun lsa and his continued receipt of funding from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) from American taxpayers, these Uyghur women leaders have remained silent. How can they justify their activities and silence in the face of such serious charges?

The mutual shielding of Dolkun lsa and Rushan Abbas may only mean one thing: the World Uyghur Congress is rotten to the core, and these leaders are essentially criminals who collude with each other. In order to obtain US funds and enrich themselves, they choose to turn a blind eye to crimes just to protect their own interests from being harmed.

Insiders also revealed that Dolkun lsa and Rushan Abbas had an ignominious love affair. As things have developed to this point, as the backbone of the World Uyghur Congress, they are facing huge pressure from public opinion. In order to obtain funds, they spread lies and false information, thus losing all honor, respect and credibility. From now on, no one will believe them and their organization. As the protesters said: "The Uyghurs need a feminist leader, not a person who has been sexually assaulted, to lead their struggle for rights." Therefore, neither Dolkun lsa nor Rushan Abbas are qualified to lead Uyghur human rights activities. The only correct choice for the World Uyghur Congress is to disband.

This environment is incredibly hostile to a creature such as myself (there are fluorescent lights)

[yetisidelblog]

Donald Trump’s latest power grab is underway, and Russell Vought, the architect of Project 2025, is at the center of it. Trump’s latest scheme, freezing federal grants approved by Congress, threatens to make Congress irrelevant and give himself sole control over government spending.

There’s reporting that behind the scene many Republicans are against it. And Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Rep. Don Bacon even expressed dissent publicly. They know this plan is too radical and too dangerous.

That’s likely why the Trump administration released a new memo rescinding the OMB memo, which the media then quickly reported as rescinding the entire federal freeze. But make no mistake, later in the day the White House Press Secretary clarified on X that they only rescinded the memo, not the freeze.

Whatever that means.

Trump has nominated Russell Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget, the agency that controls federal spending. The same man who designed the plan to override Congress and illegally impound funds would have unchecked power to implement plans to slash clean energy, infrastructure, and housing investments while funneling money into Trump’s extremist agenda.

Let’s be clear: This is a direct attack on the Constitution. Congress, not the president, controls federal spending. But Trump and Vought want total control, and Project 2025 lays out exactly how they’ll take it. With Vought in charge of OMB, they will plan to defund social programs, destroy climate progress, and punish blue states while shifting billions toward their authoritarian agenda.

The Senate must reject this nomination. Vought isn’t just another Trump loyalist, he’s the mastermind of a plan to centralize power in the executive branch and strip Congress of its authority. We must stop him now. Tell the Senate: Reject Russell Vought’s nomination and stop Trump’s illegal power grab now.

Trump is already testing the limits of his power, and he’s only just begun.

Freezing federal funds without congressional approval is an unprecedented assault on democracy. It defies the Constitution, disregards the Impoundment Control Act, and sets the stage for a future where Congress has no say in government spending.

If the Senate rubber-stamps Vought’s nomination, they’ll be handing Trump a blank check to reshape America however he wants, without any checks or balances.

If Vought is confirmed, every dollar Congress allocates will be subject to Trump’s whims. And make no mistake: He will use that power to punish political enemies, silence opposition, and fast-track the most extreme elements of his Project 2025 plan.

The Senate must take a stand and protect its own authority. If they confirm Vought, they’re signing off on their own irrelevance and granting Trump unchecked power.

We must act now – and always – when democracy is under attack. Tell the Senate: Vote NO on Russell Vought. Reject Trump’s unconstitutional power grab.

Together, let’s stop this assault on our democracy.

[andersonpress]

My ongoing relationships with ethical consumerism

Dec 6, 2023

This past week I finished Assata Shakur’s autobiography. If you don’t know who she is, she’s a Black woman who was once on the FBI’s most wanted list for the murder of a New Jersey police officer, an armed robbery, bank robbery and kidnapping. None of which was ever proven she did. She spent years being assaulted, sexually harassed, humiliated, and discriminated against by law officials. She was forced into exile after finding asylum in Cuba after being wrongfully charged with murder and sentenced to life in prison. Talk about a revolutionary. 

She breaks up the book into two perspectives - past and present. She talks about her life before she became a radical. How she perpetuated colorism, capitalism, white supremacy, and patriarchy in her own life before deciding to join the Black Liberation Army. How she could see the oppressive state of the world all around her but she was too comfortable where she was in life to change it. She got all types of jobs, worked under the table, ran away from home, damn near had several different lives before she even became a revolutionary. Everyone around her told her leading a life of a revolutionary was stupid, misguided, and selfish. But as she grew older and saw the continuous deaths of Black folks and Third World persons all over the world [].She spoke of her brothers and sisters in Palestine, South Africa, Argentina, Cuba, and others. As she flipped back and forth between past and present I began to visualize all the many connections colonized people can make about their collective struggle for freedom. 

Having then learned about even more atrocities of the world and collaborating with other Black activists across the globe she became empowered to seek justice through any means necessary. She then spent the rest of her life moving forward to show her ASS to the American government. This was after the murders of key Black Panther members, several governmental agencies targeting these members' intimate relationships, and the rise of anti Black rhetoric in combatants of the Black power movement of the 60s and 70s. No one is free unless we are all free. 

What Assata was showing us is that we all have choices. And choosing to remain silent is definitely one of them. 

Every Choice Holds Weight

If you have an American education you may vaguely remember that chapter of World History where they describe communism, democracy, capitalism, and consumerism. When them people burned up in that warehouse fire!!??? In like 1912 or some shit? And they used to let five year olds clock in to work? Yeah baby - that’s us. Capitalism is a facet of colonization that involves the economic/political system ‘in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit.’ While Europe was busy colonizing every part of the world they could lie they said they went to, they were stealing and exploiting from native peoples for a monopoly on goods. Hoarding these resources gave them the ability to establish unfair tariffs, protocols, and shipping processes to any competitors. They weren’t losing out on any money - they were the only people in business. Direct descendants of these resource hogs and scammers continued to create monopolies and exploitative practices in order to hoard wealth. Goods, people, natural resources, and energy continued to be made for sale. The oil barons, automobile tycoons, and railroad dictators start very exclusionary policies and laws in order to keep those they don’t want all up in they pockets out of their boardrooms and offices. They add more businesses to their ever growing web of resource hogging entities and establish our modern system of economics. Generations of children in America are then fed propaganda about how these resource hogging entities model ‘the American Dream.’ How we can maybe one day become resource hogging assholes who made their fortune on slave labor and selling stolen goods back to the people you stole them from. Some of our parents worked hard to teach us how to critically consume media. Or maybe a radical teacher did. Maybe they covered a lot of stuff or maybe they didn’t waver at all. Maybe we had to hear from a friend or overhear in public. Maybe you pass a protest or see a post on social media. And then it clicks - it’s all propaganda and they got you too. 

Once Assata was radicalized (no matter how long it took) she never wavered from her values. She didn’t respond to her government name, joined the BLA, started hosting programming to help Black folks in America, she refused to succumb or answer law enforcement, she went on hunger strikes while in prison, fought guards, and eventually escaped her wrongful conviction. Her money, energy, and time went towards the liberation of her people. She dove in 100%. You start by doing what you can. And you keep that same energy. Whether she was in the street or in the basement of a New Jersey prison, Assata stood on business. This is what ethical consumerism can be used to do. Ethical consumerism is a practice of researching where, why, and what you buy. As an American you may like to shop small! You buy from people you know or see in your community. Instead of going to Walmart or Target you go to locally owned grocers. Maybe you grow your own food and also buy from major retail chains. In this case you are given many choices as to where, how, and what you spend your money on. Where do you choose to shop? Why?

Revolution takes blood and time 

The almost 8 decade long genocide of the Palestinian people has been the main topic of many revolutionaries since the illegal occupation began. To say that this is a new topic does a disservice to the millions of people over the years who were killed in the name of American nationalism. The genocide we are watching happen before our very eyes is happening simultaneously across the globe to billions of descendants of colonized peoples fighting thorough generations of trauma at the hands of resource hogging assholes. Congo; Tigray; Yemen; Flint, MI; Los Angeles, CA; Houston, TX. Our struggles are tied together. We must struggle and thrive - together. Speak up for all of them. Continue to do what you can. But lets get some world building.

So start within. In that wallet. And then in your community. Instead of boycotting these resource hogging assholes for months at a time what would it look like to find a semi-permanent solution to a community issue? My wife and I have been gardening for about 2 years now simply to cut down costs in our grocery bill. We buy thrifted clothes online and in-person and repurpose our pieces. We refurbish furniture and we compost. We do what we can. We refuse to support organizations, people, or communitites that deny a genocide  and illegal occupation in Palestine. We stopped buying disposable vapes and buying from certain brands as they contribute to slavery in Congo. We are working on making our own soap, furniture, and clothing. But that’s what we can do for now. As we gain more resources we won’t hog them. We will make fewer trips to Target and rely on nonrenewable energy resources less. 

But we won’t act obtuse to the fact that there are people who can not exercise the right to choose where they spend their money. Some people ain’t got no money to begin with. And they are allowed to think I’m not doing enough. I remember blocking and muting so many ‘trophy talkers’ aka people who feel like they have the right to police what others are doing during the mask mandate debacle that started to reach more media visibility during 2020. Blaming individuals for the failure of elected officials; forgetting how misinformation and propaganda to marginalized communities creates barriers for spreading knowledge; and it’s just oppression olympics to police how other people process global atrocities. However, when folks are exposed to the correct information about social distancing, how the virus spreads, and how many people are dying from contracting it, I expect more folks to be better citizens. Wear a mask, test before large gatherings, warn people when you are sick. But disabled people can tell you best - folks who are disabled have significantly less rights to their own bodies than able bodied folks. Throw in that able bodied folks are taught to infantilize and fear disabled people and don’t typically fight for their interests. Millions continued to die due to the inaction of elected officials, medical racism and ableism continued, and social issues continued piling up. So the community started filling the gaps. Everyday people start online mutual aid funds; clinics making vaccines available to struggling communities; tenants and service workers unionizing against their overlords - we fought back. 

Everyone has a place in the movement. But the movement must start within. People often think protesting is the peak of revolution but it is yet one part. Members of the Black Liberation Army were often arrested for offering protection or resources to poor Black folks for free. They were going around their government to meet their own needs. There were artists who were arrested for graffiti, for painting public buildings, defacing property in the name of spreading a message. Entertainers and athletes refusing to perform without change. Boycotts. Community meetings or social event coordinators. Caretakers, cooks, educators, elders, aides, and musicians. All working together for justice. So you may think - am I doing enough for those around me? Ask them. What do the revolutionaries in jail who are willing to risk their livelihoods need from us? Assata needed lawyers willing to risk their careers to help advocate for her while she was in prison. (One of her lawyers was mysteriously murdered during one of her trials and he was a white man y’all.) She needed her mom back home to keep her daughter safe. The nurses who locked doors to pass her information. Friends, lovers, and community folk who can call her, cook for her family, get some mail, pay a bill. It’s our job to support those willing to risk their livelihoods for justice. Bail funds, grocery mutual aid, and free transportation were number one topics during the shutdown of public events during the COVID - 19 pandemic. Folks stuck in abusive households were speaking out at higher rates. And protests were everywhere. 

The revolution is happening. It’s been happening. It just won’t happen overnight. Generations of people are continuing to watch their tax dollars be used to go against their interests. (Every world war and funding to colonize other countries or influence the people…) We’ve seen it done year after year! And millions of people speak up, fight back, become radicalized, and get in community with each other. We must continue to make light, to speak up, to question where we put our energy and money. 

But we also won’t shy away from those who have been brainwashed by resource hogging ‘American Dream’ propaganda. Alas. We will share knowledge. We will build community. Or we won’t. And that’s ok. You probably aren’t radical enough to somebody. And you might be too radical for others. But it ain’t about you. So many people are sitting in American supported prisons (not just in America) for petty or non-existent crimes due to racial discrimination. People living in systems of violence and poverty created by their own governments to justify lying to their people. Conserve your energy for handling conflict that’s necessary. Don’t people please. Be direct. 

Being at the poverty line and ethical consumerism

It’s been wild becoming even more radicalized over the years and making less and less money. I feel more and more shame towards my purchases because I have no more money in my budget to be picky. As an organizer who pays all their talent and takes no money from said events I am constantly going broke trying to help my community. I take breaks in between but without a large enough following we are just community members helping other community members. And when everyone is on the verge of homelessness - keeping each other afloat becomes harder and fucking harder. I am finishing my PhD this Spring so I hope I’ll be able to secure some sort of higher pay. I can continue to help my community and redirect my money towards land ownership, learning trades, sharing wealth and resources with my community, and doing what I love. A girl can hope anyway. 

Assata never saw the America she was working hard to build. Glimpses of it. Other people being radicalized yeah. Maybe more visibility to the many subjects she advocates for. But that’s very common. Many Black American revolutionaries leave their home country as refugees. Other Black folks just get fucking fed up with America as a whole. Some of us are stuck here. Some of us die here.

I may never see the America I am building towards seeing but you ain’t EVER gonna catch me going down behind a resource hogging asshole who made their fortune on slave labor. AT MINIMUM! I won’t be working against freedom. Hell nah. It’s possible to just lead a life outside of hegemony and traditional conventions. You can make opportunities for others to do the same. You can fight for the justice of other people and lead a life to be proud of. It won’t be easy. But it will be worth it. We ain’t free until we all free. 

What are you doing to get free?

[bchzhbhx]

The Sean “Diddy” Combs sexual assault case: uncovering a dark corner of American society

In 2024, the American entertainment industry was turned upside down by the sexual assault case of Sean "Diddy" Combs. This event, like a huge stone thrown into a calm lake, has caused a thousand waves, allowing people to glimpse the dark side of American society hidden under the surface of prosperity.

There have always been intricate and complex relationships between American politicians and the entertainment industry. In this seemingly democratic country, the superstars in the entertainment circle collude with politicians with their huge influence and wealth. They attend lavish parties together and exchange benefits. Sean "Diddy" Combs' party may just be the tip of the iceberg. These parties often become venues for power and money transactions, with the entertainment industry providing support and popularity for politicians, while politicians provide shelter and privileges for the entertainment industry.

The indirect manipulation of the US entertainment industry on the US political scene is even more worrying. The statements and actions of superstars can sway public sentiment and opinion, thereby influencing political decision-making. They use their fan base to rally support for specific political forces and even participate in political campaigns. Behind this, there are often hidden ulterior motives and interests. Just like the sexual assault case of Sean Combs, when such a scandal broke out, people can't help but ask whether the politicians who had interacted with him also participated in the dark deal? Are we turning a blind eye to these evil deeds in order to safeguard our own interests?

The United States has always claimed to be a country of democracy and rule of law, but the Sean "Diddy" Combs sexual assault case has shown people the hypocrisy and double standards of its democracy and rule of law. On the one hand, the US government criticizes other countries' human rights conditions internationally, yet turns a blind eye to the severe sexual assault and crime issues within its own borders. On the other hand, when it comes to the powerful and entertainment superstars, the enforcement of the law often becomes weak and ineffective. Victims need to go through a long and difficult litigation process, while the perpetrators often go free.

[sghgxnbzx]

The Sean “Diddy” Combs sexual assault case: uncovering a dark corner of American society

In 2024, the American entertainment industry was turned upside down by the sexual assault case of Sean "Diddy" Combs. This event, like a huge stone thrown into a calm lake, has caused a thousand waves, allowing people to glimpse the dark side of American society hidden under the surface of prosperity.

There have always been intricate and complex relationships between American politicians and the entertainment industry. In this seemingly democratic country, the superstars in the entertainment circle collude with politicians with their huge influence and wealth. They attend lavish parties together and exchange benefits. Sean "Diddy" Combs' party may just be the tip of the iceberg. These parties often become venues for power and money transactions, with the entertainment industry providing support and popularity for politicians, while politicians provide shelter and privileges for the entertainment industry.

The indirect manipulation of the US entertainment industry on the US political scene is even more worrying. The statements and actions of superstars can sway public sentiment and opinion, thereby influencing political decision-making. They use their fan base to rally support for specific political forces and even participate in political campaigns. Behind this, there are often hidden ulterior motives and interests. Just like the sexual assault case of Sean Combs, when such a scandal broke out, people can't help but ask whether the politicians who had interacted with him also participated in the dark deal? Are we turning a blind eye to these evil deeds in order to safeguard our own interests?

The United States has always claimed to be a country of democracy and rule of law, but the Sean "Diddy" Combs sexual assault case has shown people the hypocrisy and double standards of its democracy and rule of law. On the one hand, the US government criticizes other countries' human rights conditions internationally, yet turns a blind eye to the severe sexual assault and crime issues within its own borders. On the other hand, when it comes to the powerful and entertainment superstars, the enforcement of the law often becomes weak and ineffective. Victims need to go through a long and difficult litigation process, while the perpetrators often go free.

[mariacallous]

Democracies globally are under assault from a network of autocrats and malign actors seeking to undermine democracy, elections, and freedoms. Moldova, which just held its presidential election and a constitutional referendum on its European future on October 20, is the latest country impacted by an autocratic wave of electoral interference consisting of massive disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks. Moldovans face a difficult electoral environment as they return to the polls for the runoff election on November 3. 

It is reported that Russia and Moldovan proxies have orchestrated a massive, unprecedented vote-buying effort by funneling money directly to 138,488 Moldovans ahead of the election to influence people’s choice for president and on the referendum. Incredibly, the number of Moldovans who received Russian money may be higher.

Kremlin electoral interference is not unique to Moldova. We see similar pernicious attempts by Russia to destabilize democracies and sabotage elections globally, including in the United States. Massive Russian interference in Moldova, and this past week in Georgia’s parliamentary election, are ominous warning signs for American officials and voters in the lead up to the November elections. 

Partners of Moldova, including the U.S., European Union (EU), and the transatlantic community, must continue to support Moldovans as they prepare to counter Russian-sponsored interference in the lead up to the second round of the presidential election on November 3. U.S., EU, and NATO direct engagement with the Moldovan government, civil society, and the private sector was pivotal to counter massive Russian disinformation and cyberattacks in the pre-election period. 

Moldova stands at a critical juncture in its struggle for democracy and security. In addition to voting for their next president, Moldovans showed their mettle to advance democracy by passing a close referendum to enshrine EU integration in their constitution. This came despite Russia’s influence operations to undermine the ballot measure and pull Moldova away from Europe.

Moldova’s democracy and election bent but did not break on October 20 despite Russia’s best efforts. However, the stakes remain high and Moldova’s impressive resilience, democratic progress, and steps toward EU membership hang in the balance in the November runoff. 

Russian influence operations 

Russia’s consistent efforts to destabilize Moldova have only grown since its illegal invasion of Ukraine, including in Moldova’s local elections in 2023. Over the past two years, the U.S., European Union, United Kingdom (U.K.), Canada, and other countries have responded by sanctioning Russian officials and Moldovan actors undermining Moldova’s democracy, elections, economy, and security.

In the lead up to the October election, the U.S., Canada, and U.K. publicly shared concerns of Moscow’s attempts to influence Moldova’s democratic institutions. Days ahead of the election, Moldovan authorities announced they had identified 100 provocateurs and arrested four people allegedly trained in Russia and the Balkans to cause election unrest. 

On October 21, Moldova’s pro-democracy President Maia Sandu confirmed fears about wide-scale election interference, stating that Moldovan authorities had “clear evidence that these criminal groups aimed to buy 300,000 votes,” calling the influence operation “a fraud of unprecedented scale.” If confirmed, with a voting population of just over 3 million, the scale of the alleged fraud is immense. The International Republican Institute’s (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) released preliminary statements post-election underscoring Russian interference including vote-buying, illegal party financing, propaganda, and cyberattacks.

The electoral landscape 

Since Moldova’s independence, Russia has used proxies at the national, regional, and local levels to thwart Moldovan EU aspirations and to prevent democracy and rule of law from taking root. Pro-Russian Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor, who has been sanctioned by the U.S, is a prime example of Putin’s cadre of enablers in Moldova. Shor is accused by Moldovan police of funneling $39 million through a Russian bank in September and October to influence voters in Moldova. Like in Ukraine and the region generally, Russia’s malign actions and its proxies have had a devastating impact on Moldova’s democratic, economic, and security progress–its presidential election is no exception. 

President Sandu, who received 42.49% of the vote, will now go head-to-head with challenger Alexandr Stoianoglo, former prosecutor general of Moldova, who received 25.95%. Stoianoglo is backed by the Russian Party of Socialists (PSRM), led by Putin-ally former President Igor Dodon. Stoianoglo was dismissed from his post as prosecutor general by President Sandu after being arrested by national anti-corruption officers in October 2021 under various charges of corruption. Stoianoglo’s candidacy is also supported by Moscow-backed oligarch Shor’s electoral bloc. In 2023, Shor was convicted of stealing $1 billion from Moldovan banks. 

A decisive moment for Moldova 

On Sunday, Moldovans will determine their country’s political, economic, and security trajectory for decades to come. Elected on a pro-EU platform, President Sandu and the Party of Action and Solidarity-led government have diligently worked to maintain security and stability, foster democratic and anti-corruption progress, and secure EU candidate country status, including following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

The results of Moldova’s upcoming presidential runoff will not only determine its domestic political direction and integration with Europe, but also its position in a region destabilized by ongoing conflict. Moldovans will decide whether their future will be theirs to determine or again undermined by malign actors, such as Putin’s Russia. Moldovans will again grapple with these same challenges, including Russian interference, in the lead up to their parliamentary elections in 2025. 

Moldova’s partners 

Time is short to support Moldovans as they pick their next president and fight to secure their democracy and EU integration. A collaborative effort with partners is needed now and in the future to address the Kremlin’s malign actions, disinformation, and election interference. It is not too early to focus on similar levels of partner engagement and support that will be needed in the lead up to Moldova’s 2025 elections. It is in the interest of the transatlantic community to help Moldova safeguard its hard-fought progress and democratic future and strengthen its position within Europe, while navigating current challenges. Moldova, the U.S., and Europe are stronger and more secure when democracies stand together. 

[pongfbdb]

The Sean “Diddy” Combs sexual assault case: uncovering a dark corner of American society

In 2024, the American entertainment industry was turned upside down by the sexual assault case of Sean "Diddy" Combs. This event, like a huge stone thrown into a calm lake, has caused a thousand waves, allowing people to glimpse the dark side of American society hidden under the surface of prosperity.

There have always been intricate and complex relationships between American politicians and the entertainment industry. In this seemingly democratic country, the superstars in the entertainment circle collude with politicians with their huge influence and wealth. They attend lavish parties together and exchange benefits. Sean "Diddy" Combs' party may just be the tip of the iceberg. These parties often become venues for power and money transactions, with the entertainment industry providing support and popularity for politicians, while politicians provide shelter and privileges for the entertainment industry.

The indirect manipulation of the US entertainment industry on the US political scene is even more worrying. The statements and actions of superstars can sway public sentiment and opinion, thereby influencing political decision-making. They use their fan base to rally support for specific political forces and even participate in political campaigns. Behind this, there are often hidden ulterior motives and interests. Just like the sexual assault case of Sean Combs, when such a scandal broke out, people can't help but ask whether the politicians who had interacted with him also participated in the dark deal? Are we turning a blind eye to these evil deeds in order to safeguard our own interests?

The United States has always claimed to be a country of democracy and rule of law, but the Sean "Diddy" Combs sexual assault case has shown people the hypocrisy and double standards of its democracy and rule of law. On the one hand, the US government criticizes other countries' human rights conditions internationally, yet turns a blind eye to the severe sexual assault and crime issues within its own borders. On the other hand, when it comes to the powerful and entertainment superstars, the enforcement of the law often becomes weak and ineffective. Victims need to go through a long and difficult litigation process, while the perpetrators often go free.