#us nationals 2021

[figureskatingcostumes]

Ilia Malinin skating to music by Autograf and Woodkid for his free program at the 2022 Junior Worlds, 2022 US Nationals and 2022 Worlds.

(Sources: 1, 2, 3 and 4)

[rabbitcruiser]

The Kingdom of Spain ceded the territory of Florida to the United States on July 17, 1821.

[rabidline]

ALL JAPAN FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS (2014 - 2022) 全日本フィギュアスケート選手権 SHOMA UNO // 宇野昌磨 5-TIME SENIOR NATIONAL CHAMPION CONSECUTIVE SENIOR NATIONAL MEDALIST FOR 9 YEARS

[themyscirah]

Okay so basically the United States MINT of all people is going to be working with DC to make a line of coins! These coins sadly won't be in circulation (the things I would do to live in a world where I could get Batman coins from the supermarket) as they're collectors coins, but will be releasing over the course of the next 3 years, 2025-2027.

Designs haven't been released yet (the same is true for all 2025 designs) but we know there will be 9 coins in total (3 each year) with the first year featuring (of course!!!) Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.

Although we know the first three heroes to be featured, the remaining six have yet to be decided, and it turns out the Mint is putting out a survey on their site to gauge which of a group of culturally significant heroes people want to see most! (link to the form is mentioned in the article above)

The considered group includes: Supergirl, the Flash, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Captain Marvel, John Stewart GL, Aquaman, Hawkman, Jamie Reyes BB, Robin (Damian?), Cyborg, and Batgirl, of which 6 will be selected.

As someone who does a bit of coin collecting myself (mainly circulation coins like the quarters sets, but I also have a couple proof and collectors coins) I think this is a really cool and interesting idea that showcases the history of the comics medium and these characters and their influence on American culture. Really excited to wait and see what the designs look like for the coins already announced!

[cant-get-no-worse]

Funny how after the most boring, eventless, dragging international game you can think of I’ll still find a way to praise the losers from my club like yeah, visca your country or whomever. that one pass you did? would put Messi and De Bruyne to retirement. you warmed that bench like no other bitch. my magnificent boys, jewells of my club, pride of my eyes, you best think imma spam those pics of you and your international europa league or whatever. anyway come home xoxoxo

[serenfire]

ever read a book that you can’t underline that you’re desperate to underline & highlight & mark up? for me: giovanni’s room

[boreal-sea]

Look.

I have made you a chart. A very simple chart.

People say "You have to draw the line somewhere, and Biden has crossed it-" and my response is "Trump has crossed way more lines than Biden".

These categories are based off of actual policy enacted by both of these men while they were in office.

If the ONLY LINE YOU CARE ABOUT is line 12, you have an incredible amount of privilege, AND YOU DO NOT CARE ABOUT PALESTINIANS. You obviously have nothing to fear from a Trump presidency, and you do not give a fuck if a ceasefire actually occurs. You are obviously fine if your queer, disabled, and marginalized loved ones are hurt. You clearly don't care about the status of American democracy, which Trump has openly stated he plans to destroy on day 1 he is in office.

EDIT:

Ok fine, I spent 3 hours compiling sources for all of these, you can find that below the cut.

I'll give at least one link per subject area. There are of course many more sources to be read on these subject areas and no post could possibly give someone a full education on these subjects.

Biden and trans rights: https://www.hrc.org/resources/president-bidens-pro-lgbtq-timeline

Trump and trans rights: https://www.aclu.org/news/lgbtq-rights/trump-on-lgbtq-rights-rolling-back-protections-and-criminalizing-gender-nonconformity

The two sources above show how Biden has done a lot of work to promote trans rights, and how Trump did a lot of work to hurt trans rights.

Biden on abortion access: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/08/politics/what-is-in-biden-abortion-executive-order/index.html

Trump on abortion access: https://apnews.com/article/abortion-trump-republican-presidential-election-2024-585faf025a1416d13d2fbc23da8d8637

Biden openly supports access to abortion and has taken steps to protect those rights at a federal level even after Roe v Wade was overturned. Trump, on the other hand, was the man who appointed the judges who helped overturn Roe v Wade and he openly brags about how proud he is of that decision. He also states that he believes individual states should have the final say in whether or not abortion is legal, and that he trusts them to "do the right thing", meaning he supports stronger abortion bans.

Biden on environmental reform: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/10/07/fact-sheet-president-biden-restores-protections-for-three-national-monuments-and-renews-american-leadership-to-steward-lands-waters-and-cultural-resources/

Trump on environmental reform: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/climate/trump-environment-rollbacks-list.html

Biden has made major steps forward for environmental reform. He has restored protections that Trump rolled back. He has enacted many executive orders and more to promote environmental protections, including rejoining the Paris Accords, which Trump withdrew the USA from. Trump is also well known for spreading conspiracy theories and lies about global climate change, calling it a "Chinese hoax".

Biden on healthcare and prescription reform: https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/06/09/biden-administration-announces-savings-43-prescription-drugs-part-cost-saving-measures-president-bidens-inflation-reduction-act.html

Trump on healthcare reform: https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/07/politics/obamacare-health-insurance-ending-trump/index.html

I'm rolling healthcare and prescriptions and vaccines and public health all into one category here since they are related. Biden has lowered drug costs, expanded access to medicaid, and ACA enrollment has risen during his presidency. He has also made it so medical debt no longer applies to a person's credit score. He signed many executive orders during his first few weeks in office in order to get a handle on Trump's grievous mishandling of the COVID pandemic. Trump also wants to end the ACA. Trump is well known for refusing to wear a mask during the pandemic, encouraging the use of hydroxylchloroquine to "treat" COVID, and being openly anti-vaxx.

Biden on student loan forgiveness: https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-announces-additional-77-billion-approved-student-debt-relief-160000-borrowers

Trump on student loan forgiveness: https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamminsky/2024/06/20/trump-knocks-bidens-vile-student-loan-forgiveness-plans-suggests-reversal/

Trump wants to reverse the student loan forgiveness plans Biden has enacted. Biden has already forgiven billions of dollars in loans and continues to work towards forgiving more.

Infrastructure funding:

I'm putting these links next together because they are all about infrastructure.

In general, Trump's "achievements" for infrastructure were to destroy environmental protections to speed up projects. Many of his plans were ineffective due to the fact that he did not clearly outline where the money was going to come from, and he was unwilling to raise taxes to pay for the projects. He was unable (and unwilling) to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill during his 4 years in office. He did sign a few disaster relief bills. He did not enthusiastically promote renewable energy infrastructure. He created "Infrastructure Weeks" that the federal government then failed to fund. Trump did not do nothing for infrastructure, but his no-tax stance and his dislike for renewable energy means the contributions he made to American infrastructure were not as much as he claimed they were, nor as much as they could have been. Basically, he made a lot of promises, and delivered on very few of them. He is not "against" infrastructure, but he's certainly against funding it.

Biden was able to pass that bipartisan bill after taking office. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan that Trump tried to prevent from passing during Biden's term contains concrete funding sources and step by step plans to rebuild America's infrastructure. If you want to read the plan, you can find it here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/build/guidebook/. Biden has done far more for American infrastructure than Trump did, most notably by actually getting the bipartisan bill through congress.

Biden on Racial Equity: https://www.npr.org/sections/president-biden-takes-office/2021/01/26/960725707/biden-aims-to-advance-racial-equity-with-executive-actions

Trump on Racial Equity: https://www.axios.com/2024/04/01/trump-reverse-racism-civil-rights https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-37230916

Trump's racist policies are loud and clear for everyone to hear. We all heard him call Mexicans "Drug dealers, criminals, rapists". We all watched as he enacted travel bans on people from majority-Muslim nations. Biden, on the other hand, has done quite a lot during his term to attempt to reconcile racism in this country, including reversing Trump's "Muslim ban" the first day he was in office.

Biden on DEI: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/06/25/executive-order-on-diversity-equity-inclusion-and-accessibility-in-the-federal-workforce/

Trump on DEI: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-tried-to-crush-the-dei-revolution-heres-how-he-might-finish-the-job/ar-BB1jg3gz

Biden supports DEI and has signed executive orders and passed laws that support DEI on the federal level. Trump absolutely hates DEI and wants to eradicate it.

Biden on criminal justice reform: https://time.com/6155084/biden-criminal-justice-reform/

Trump on criminal justice reform: https://www.vox.com/2020-presidential-election/21418911/donald-trump-crime-criminal-justice-policy-record https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/05/trumps-extreme-plans-crime/678502/

From pardons for non-violent marijuana convictions to reducing the federal government's reliance on private prisons, Biden has done a lot in four years to reform our criminal justice system on the federal level. Meanwhile, Trump has described himself as "tough on crime". He advocates for more policing, including "stop and frisk" activities. Ironically it's actually quite difficult to find sources about what Trump thinks about crime, because almost all of the search results are about his own crimes.

Biden on military support for Israel: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/biden-obama-divide-closely-support-israel-rcna127107

Trump on military support for Israel: https://www.vox.com/politics/353037/trump-gaza-israel-protests-biden-election-2024

Biden supports Israel financially and militarily and promotes holding Israel close. So did Trump. Trump was also very pro-Israel during his time in office and even moved the embassy to Jerusalem and declared Jerusalem the capitol of Israel, a move that inflamed attitudes in the region.

Biden on a ceasefire: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2024/06/05/gaza-israel-hamas-cease-fire-plan-biden/73967659007/

Trump on a ceasefire: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-israel-gaza-finish-problem-rcna141905

Trump has tried to be quiet on the issue but recently said he wants Israel to "finish the problem". He of course claims he could have prevented the whole problem. Trump also openly stated after Oct 7th that he would bar immigrants who support Hamas from the country and send in officers to American protests to arrest anyone supporting Hamas.

Biden meanwhile has been quietly urging Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire deal for months, including the most recent announcement earlier in June, though it seems as though that deal has finally fallen through as well.

[ivygorgon]

I'm a patriot, not a nationalist! 🇺🇲🏴‍☠️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

[carolinemillerbooks]

New Post has been published on Books by Caroline Miller

New Post has been published on https://www.booksbycarolinemiller.com/musings/harry-potter-v-doctrine-of-discovery/

Harry Potter v. Doctrine of Discovery

I threw a DVD  of “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” into my player last night.  I needed a touch of innocence to block out the television news.  Hard to accept but the real world had grown more fantastical, dark, and insane, than makebelieve. In the episode I selected, Neville Longbottom proves to be a hero. Knowing his friends Harry, Hermione, and Ron intend to break curfew and dishonor Gryffindor, he blocks their escape. “I’ll fight you,” he says shakily, his small fists rolled into balls to prove he means what he says. In the real world, Nikki Halley could have used Longbottom’s courage.  She accused Donald Trump of being unhinged, but like the rest of her peers in the Republican Party, she endorsed him. Fear rather than admiration was the reason. Each of them preferred to suffer the reign of an avowed tyrant and his band of Christian Nationalists rather than risk their careers.    To take a stand against allies and friends is difficult as studies show.  In turbulent times, only the brave are willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.  Of the 7 Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump, for example, only 2 survived the next election.  The rest faded away though the nation owes them a debt.    Though they may not know it, Trump and his band of White Christian Nationalists can trace their sense of a right to govern to the Doctrine of Discovery. Written in 1493, this Papal Bull was an answer to a question that troubled Christopher Columbus.  After returning from the New World with a plan to set out again, he wondered how he should treat the inhabitants of these faraway lands. The Holy See’s answer was unequivocal. Columbus owed heathens nothing except to convert them to the faith.   Chief Justice John Marshall answered the same question concerning American Indian rights in Johnson v. McIntosh  (1823)  When white Christian farmers settled on lands belonging to the Oneida Nation, the Indians sued. Marshall relied on the Doctrine of Discover in his response.  He defined the Indians as “occupiers” of the land, but assigned ownership to the white Christians. It may surprise some to learn this prejudice persisted in American law as late as 2005. That was the year Ruth Bader Ginsberg decided a case on the same Papal grounds even though Pope Francis had rescinded the Bull in 2003.  PPRI,  a nonprofit research group that focuses on the intersection of religion, culture, and politics, published a poll regarding the Doctrine of Discovery in 2022.  The question they asked was, “Do you agree or disagree that America was designed by God to be a promised land for European Christians?” Thirty percent of those who answered agreed with the statement. Republicans form the nucleus of Christianity in this country so a number of those who replied were probably Christian conservatives. In any case, this nostalgia for injustices of the past comes at a time of demographic change in the United States.  “Self-identified Republicans today are 70 percent white and Christian in a country that is only 42% white and Christian.” (“Finding the Hidden Roots of White Supremacy,” by Robert P. Jones, FFRF, May 2024, pg. 13.) Understandably, in 2020, when a defeated Trump claimed the election was rigged, the Christian right believed him and their response grew to a full-throated rage that culminated in an assault upon our nation’s Capitol. The rebellion was quelled but the fury remained, erupting sporadically in violence or threats of violence. During this period of turbulence, the Supreme Court seems to be administering law and order with an uneven hand.  Many who participated in the Capito riot have gone to jail.  On the other hand, the High Court has made it increasingly difficult to prosecute verbal assault. In Counterman v. Colorado, for example, the Supreme Court ruled that violent speech has First Amendment protection and is prosecutable only if the perpetrator has “some subjective understanding of the threatening nature of his statements.”    Political threats come from all sides of the philosophical spectrum, of course, but they are increasing in number and the range of those targeted is widening. In 2021, the National League of Cities published a poll that shows public servants have come under heavy assault.  The political climate has become so toxic that a former head of the Republican Party told 60 Minutes he went along with a scheme to overturn the 2020 election because he was “scared to death.” Likewise, former Georgia Governor, Roy Barnes  admitted he refused to assist district attorney Farni Willis in her prosecution of Donald Trump because  “I wasn’t going to live with bodyguards for the rest of my life.” History informs us that defending our democracy takes courage.  In a speech given at Harvard University, Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor reminded us of this fact when she praised the jurists who ended segregation in our public schools. (Brown v. Board of Education)  “They were brave men who believed in the power of law to form that more perfect union, and I believe it,” she said.  We all need to believe it for we have stumbled upon a time when the assault upon our democracy is coming not only from external enemies but from our fellow citizens.  I refer to those who defend the idea that some of us are occupiers and others are owners. In an earlier blog, I predicted a blue wave was coming. The prediction wasn’t magical thinking.  That wave will arrive come November. In a free land, ordinary people like Neville Longbottom will always rise to defend their country in a time of crisis.    

[figureskatingcostumes]

Nathan Chen's Rocket Man costume at the 2022 US Championships.

(Sources: 1, 2 and 3)

[rabbitcruiser]

The Colorado National Monument was established on May 24, 1911.

[phosphorusab]

A grown ass man lured a 14 year old girl out to a park at night, abused her, killed her, dismembered her and scattered her remains in public parks and rivers. Now if that girl was a cisgender girl, the general public would rightfully put the blame on the perpetrator for taking advantage of and murdering a minor.

But because Pauly Likens Jr was a transgender girl, the general public is going full trans panic defense, even though the perpetrator said they met on Grindr, if that was even true. Grindr doesn’t verify the age of its users and legally doesn’t have to due to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which means half of sexually active queer adolescents will use this app and fall into the hands of predators.

https://www.wgbh.org/news/national/2021-07-12/unseen-part-3-popular-gay-dating-app-grindr-poses-exploitation-risk-to-minors

Grindr has been known to have a sexual exploitation of minors issue, and I just know that people are going to see that Pauly Likens Jr and her killer may have used this app to blame Pauly for her own demise.

It’s just like they did with Gwen Araujo in 2002 (a 17 year old trans girl killed by 4 grown ass men), Mercedes Williamson in 2015 (a 17 year old trans girl killed by a grown ass man) and Nikki Kuhnhausen in 2019 (a 17 year old trans girl killed by a grown ass man). You stop being an innocent kid who is capable of being victimized when you’re trans. You’re a threat to other kids your age or younger, and you’re a precocious sexual provocateur towards adults. This applies especially to transgender girls - complete dehumanization and transmisogyny.

This pattern of transgender teenage girls being taken advantage of by adults and killed is completely unacceptable, and society should start acting like it.

[sachyriel]

‘Most bizarre order I’ve ever seen’: Lawyers were absolutely astonished by Mar-a-Lago judge’s latest move, and some are urging Jack Smith to seek ‘extraordinary remedy’

Lawyers were left scratching their heads over the Mar-a-Lago trial judge’s Monday order asking the prosecution and defense to propose jury instructions under the assumption that the Presidential Records Act (PRA) allowed former Donald Trump to unilaterally decide that classified documents were personal.

"This is my emotional support nuclear secret, you can't take it from me. I told them, I told them I told them if they took my emotional support secret I'd sue them so hard they'd end up underground. Next to my ex-wife Ivanka. I mean Ivana."

Unsurprisingly, the reaction to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s order was swift and unequivocal, with some pointing out that likelihood of acquittal has gone up. Conservative lawyer George Conway called the order the “most bizarre” he’s ever seen a federal judge docket, leapfrogging two other orders Cannon has already issued in the case.

George Conway, famous forbeing married to Kellyanne Conway. They've since divorced, but now that she's on the market Bil Maher isn't interested anymore. I could have done this in the Trump voice, like complaining about Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. Too much Trump voice, gotta use it sparingly.

“In the decades that I have been a lawyer, this is the most bizarre order I’ve ever seen issued by a federal judge,” Conway said. “What makes that all the more amazing is that the second and third most bizarre orders I’ve ever seen in federal court were also issued by Judge Cannon in this case.” Conway’s criticism was in response to a post by former Obama administration “Ethics Czar” Norm Eisen, who wrote that the order was “clumsy & amateurish” and ignored the “different body of law” that governs classified documents, “including EO 13526.”

If it's stupid and works it's not stupid. For Cannon's purposes of getting Trump off the hook for his illegal actions she has to thread the needle of making it look plausible his defence found a way to argue their way out of trouble. The problem is we can see her signalling them what she wants them to do. If it's stupid and doesn't work then you can reduce it like a fraction where the denominator is one.

Since a motion hearing last week, Cannon has rejected Trump’s motion to dismiss on grounds of Espionage Act “unconstitutional vagueness” — without prejudice, meaning the defense can raise it again later and “as appropriate in connection with jury-instruction briefing and/or other appropriate motions.” But the judge has not yet ruled on the other argued motion to dismiss, under the Presidential Records Act (PRA).

"Only Trump is allowed to be unconstitutionally vague" rules Judge Cannon. On one hand yeah I'd also want the laws I'm being prosecuted under to not be vague, but on the other Trump's being constitutionally vague when he tries to argue that the President is not an officer of the USA.

When special counsel Jack Smith submitted his arguments, he, like Eisen, emphasized that executive order 13526 — “in force throughout Trump’s Presidency and through the allegations in the Superseding Indictment” — states that classified materials “can be accessed only by a person who an appropriate United States official determines is eligible for such access; who has signed an approved non-disclosure agreement; and who has a ‘need to know’ the classified information.” “Under the provisions of EO 13526, the Superseding Indictment alleges, once Trump left office, he no longer had authorization to possess classified information, he never received a waiver entitling him, as a former President, to possess it, and he stored documents at a location that was not an authorized location for the storage, possession, review, display, or discussion of classified documents,” the special counsel said, rejecting the notion that the PRA allowed Trump to declare, by fiat, that national defense information documents were merely personal belongings.

Donald Trump's Mind Powers Under The Microscope: Does this look funny to you? (I almost went with "do they pass the sniff test?" but what kind of microscope is that?).

Now, Cannon has ordered the defense and the prosecution to file, by April 2, “proposed jury instructions limited to the essential elements” of the 32 willful retention of national defense information counts Trump faces — but in light of the PRA. She ordered the two sides to “engage with” two “competing scenarios and offer alternative draft text that assumes each scenario to be a correct formulation of the law to be issued to the jury [.]” The latter scenario would plainly pave a path for acquittal:

I mean every hates that she's making Jack Smith dig the grave for his own case, but on the other people are in favour of making Trump dig his own grave. Trump has to pay his lawyers to seriously consider scenario (a), Judge Cannon probably-maybe won't sign off on sloppy work. But if Jack Smith submits his first, they may copy his homework. If they ask for (and likely recieve) an extension, he will have filed and they get like an extra week to cheat off him.

The attorney reactions only amped up from here, with some suggesting that Smith may have enough to seek the “extraordinary remedy” of a writ of mandamus from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, a court that has had to overturn Cannon’s decision-making before.

That's just confirming your Pryors.

Former special counsel Robert Mueller’s ex-top lieutenant Andrew Weissmann said that mandamus should be on the table for Jack Smith after Cannon’s latest bit of “legal inanity.” “This is the kind of legal inanity that could lead Jack Smith to seek to mandamus Judge Cannon- ie to get the 11th Circuit appeals court to hear this and reverse her for the third time- which could also be the proverbial three strikes and you’re out,” Weissmann said.

That's too optimistic, I want the threat of the appeal to keep Judge Cannon on the straight and narrow so we can get this done. If the threat of the appeal means she has to follow the actual law I think it's better than starting over from square one and delaying it longer.

Weissmann repeated this on MSNBC. “There’s a reason you’ve never seen anything like it,” Weissmann said, before dropping two M-words: the first was “meshuggenah,” describing the order, and the second was mandamus. noun

a person who acts foolishly

offensive

a person who has a mental illness

Collins English Dictionary.

“Please draft a jury instruction assuming that the earth is flat. And the second one is please draft a jury instruction that the earth is square,” Weissmann characterized the order. “And so, the second M-word is mandamus. Mandamus is the ability — it’s not an appeal. It’s for extraordinary actions by a district court that so clearly violate the law that you can appeal it right then and there.” “What she did today is so nutty,” he added.

Scenario (a) allows Trump to argue that it's still a personal document, scenario (b) says it is because he says it is. One is giving him a chance to earn it, the other is handing it to him. That's why the Earth is Flat not a Square.

National security lawyer Bradley Moss, also appearing on MSNBC alongside Weissmann, cautioned against seeking mandamus right away. “So, Jack Smith, if he doesn’t take Andrew up on his idea of seeking mandamus, and I actually don’t think they’re going to do that yet, I think they’re going to try to fashion a response to this to basically say ‘Alright, judge, I’m not sure where you were going with that, but um, no, that’s not how this works. If you think that’s the state of the law is what you put in that second line item, that’s fine. Issue a ruling, grant Trump’s motion to dismiss, as he outlined it under the Presidential Records Act, and will take it to the 11th Circuit,'” Moss said. “But that’s an issue of law for the judge, that’s not an issue for the jury.” “There’s nothing for the jury to do with that instruction. If that is what they went to trial with, I was Trump’s lawyers I’d sit there and take a nap through trial, play Candy Crush, and then the moment the government rested, ‘I move for a directed verdict for acquittal’ because you can’t lose,” he continued. “Because the jury instruction automatically grants you a win.”

"If you think that’s the state of the law is what you put in that second line item" is where I think it hinges, IANAL. Scenario (b) hands it to him but even considering scenario (b) is innapropriate because it's instructions to the Jury. Cannon should just decide on it herself, the fact she doesn't is her trying to look impartial when she's in the bag.

Skipping tweets

Smith has already threatened to appeal if Cannon separately refuses to reconsider a “clear error” that could out government witnesses through discovery, but the judge has not made a ruling on that issue either.

If Trump gets to have his emotional support nuclear secret he's going to want to show it to the witnesses personally.

The special counsel made waves once before by seeking a rarely granted writ of certiorari before judgment from the U.S. Supreme Court on Trump’s claims of “absolute immunity” from prosecution in his Jan. 6 case, so perhaps the Special Counsel’s Office wouldn’t shy away from pursuing similarly extraordinary relief.

Let me know what you think.

[deadpresidents]

"What emerged in two interviews with Trump, and conversations with more than a dozen of his closest advisers and confidants, were the outlines of an imperial presidency that would reshape America and its role in the world. To carry out a deportation operation designed to remove more than 11 millions people from the country, Trump told me, he would be willing to build migrant detention camps and deploy the U.S. military, both at the border and inland. He would let red states monitor women's pregnancies and prosecute those who violate abortion bans. He would, at his personal discretion, withhold funds appropriated by Congress, according to top advisers. He would be willing to fire a U.S. Attorney who doesn't carry out his order to prosecute someone, breaking with a tradition of independent law enforcement that dates from America's founding. He is weighing pardons for every one of his supporters accused of attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, more than 800 of whom have pleaded guilty or been convicted by a jury. He might not come to the aid of an attacked ally in Europe or Asia if he felt that country wasn't paying enough for its own defense. He would gut the U.S. civil service, deploy the National Guard to American cities as he sees fit, close the White House pandemic-preparedness office, and staff his Administration with acolytes who back his false assertion that the 2020 election was stolen."

-- "How Far Would He Go", TIME Magazine's interviews with Donald Trump, April 30, 2024.

I know we're saturated in coverage of Trump and it's easy (and probably better for our mental health) to usually ignore most of the articles when we see them, especially since he's so full of shit and infuriating. But it's also important to recognize that he is going to be the Republican nominee for President and he could absolutely be elected in November, and if you thought his first term was scary and dangerous, you need to understand that in a second term he's going to have people around him that are better prepared and VERY willing to do the crazy shit that he wants to do to this country. They aren't even hiding the fact that they are seeking vengeance against political opponents whom they feel have wronged them, and are ready to fundamentally dismantle the democratic foundations that are barely holding this country together after nearly 250 years.

Just look at what Trump says about the people who he incited to attack the United States Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election and halt the peaceful transfer of power that has happened every four years since 1789:

"Trump has sought to recast an insurrectionist riot as an act of patriotism. 'I call them the J-6 patriots,' he say. When I ask whether he would consider pardoning every one of them, he says, 'Yes, absolutely.' As Trump faces dozens of felony charges, including for election interference, conspiracy to defraud the United States, willful retention of national-security secrets, and falsifying business records to conceal hush-money payments, he has tried to turn legal peril into a badge of honor."

Oh, and please note that Trump -- a former President of the United States and possible future President of the United States -- said on the record in these interviews with TIME: "There is a definite antiwhite feeling in the country and that can't be allowed either." We are at a point where political leaders are outright saying that in this country again, and it's because of Donald Trump.

So, take the time to recognize that Trump is straight-up telling us the country we're going to be living in if he wins again in November. And understand that your vote matters -- and WHO you vote for matters -- because, as I've been saying for years now, ELECTIONS HAVE FUCKING CONSEQUENCES.

[procrastiel]

Our babes have been going hard for a long time. For the love of all that is holy in this world: let them be happy. I beg of you.

Hi! I really dig your body language posts; I’ve gone from having 0 opinion on Michael and David’s relationship to constant giggling over how painfully obvious it is at bare minimum Michael has a massive crush

Do you have any favorite/specific moments between them body language wise where they’re just so blatantly in love? Tbh right now I still see them as friends but there’s just soooo much that’s super flirty. Especially non-show related stuff since Staged they’re technically acting. I’m super reluctant to rpf because of past experiences with toxic fandoms but their dynamic fascinates me and I want to see what I’m missing. Thank youu ⭐️

Anon #1: Aww, thank you so much for such kind and lovely words, re: my body language posts. I really do appreciate it! Including Anon #2 because of the relevance to my answer.

I completely feel you on having past experiences with toxic fandoms/not wanting to do RPF as a result. That was exactly the place I was in when I found GO in 2019, and subsequently began shipping Michael and David. So much has transpired since then, and pretty much all of it has strengthened my feeling that there is more than friendship going on between them.

In terms of specific favorite moments, body language-wise...oof. Well, one thing to keep in mind is that there are fewer of these moments than you would imagine, but I think that is because of the pandemic breaking out in 2020, which relegated almost all of Michael and David's interactions to virtual for a long time.

This does, however, make it even sweeter when we consider the moment that I would choose to answer your question, which is what Anon #2 is referencing. Michael and David at the NTAs in September of 2021, when Michael presented David with an award. There was a LOT going on that night, so I'll try to show the highlights in chronological order. First, this was how David was looking at Michael as he approached the stage:

Not only that, but David ran up the stage with his arms wide open to embrace Michael, well before he'd even gotten close to him:

Then there was The Hug itself, which sent such reverberations around the fandom and (as Anon #2) mentioned, the press itself. This hug that started with Michael looking at David so adoringly it seemed as if his heart was about to burst, and then the hug itself lingered for such a long time. This hug that was so much more than your average "bro" hug, with how Michael and David's bodies fully touched without an inch of space between them:

Then you had the moment after David gave his acceptance speech, where he and Michael walked off stage with their arms around each other. Specifically, David's hand is on Michael's neck--which is an incredibly intimate place to touch someone, and I'm also fairly certain Michael would break most people's hands before he'd let them touch his neck--and Michael's arm is around David's waist:

What starts as Michael's hand slowly moving down to David's waist during The Hug becomes Michael's arm more deliberately around David as they leave the stage, and then ultimately culminates in this moment in the press room:

For me, it's the very distinct combination of two things here that set off "blatantly in love" bells: The way Michael is protectively holding David with one hand perfectly nestled in the crook of his lower back--so instinctive, so sexy--and then the way David shifts his weight and leans closer to Michael. David--who had tended to be more reserved and less overtly demonstrative than Michael--showed so much emotion on this night without even saying a word, and it just left me breathless.

It was what also transpired following the awards that I would include as part of this being my favorite moment, which was what Anon #2 mentioned: Michael engaging on Twitter in no other way that night except to retweet this...

I have been following Michael on Twitter since 2019, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that he had never tweeted/RTed anything like this before, and he has not tweeted/RTed anything like this since then. This RT felt like the exclamation point on an already exhilarating night. It became clear that something had shifted, that we could see how Michael and David had become closer over the duration of lockdown. They were also about to start filming GO 2 together the following month, about to spend far more time together in person over the course of the shoot than they had for the entire year and a half previously due to Covid, and it's hard not to think that the anticipatory emotion of that was also part of what we saw at the NTAs that night.

Finally, Anon #1, I would say that there have been so many recent instances of "in love" body language, with the new interviews we've seen for GO 2. From my own posts, I'd say this, this, and this are some of the best examples (the third one being them walking arm-in-arm onto the show like they're walking down freaking the aisle and I really don't know much more overt you can get...).

I hope this is helpful to you. Thank you both for writing in! xx

[redgoldsparks]

My very last comic for The Nib! End of an era! Transcription below the cut. instagram / patreon / portfolio / etsy / my book / redbubble

The first event I went to with GENDER QUEER was in NYC in 2019 at the Javits Center.

So many of the people who came to my signing were librarians, and so many of them said the same thing: "I know exactly who I want to give this to!" Maia: "Thank you for helping readers find my book!" While working on the book, I was genuinely unsure if anyone outside of my family and close friends would read it. But the early support of librarians and two American Library Association awards helped sell two print runs in first year.

Since then, GENDER QUEER been published in 8 languages, with more on the way: Spanish, Czech, Polish, French, Italian, Norwegian, Portugese and Dutch.

It has also been the most banned book in the United States for the past two years. The American Library Association has tracked an astronomical increase in book challenges over the past few years. Most of these challenges are to books with diverse characters and LGBTQ themes. These challenges are coming unevenly across the US, in a pattern that mirrors the legislative attacks on LGBTQ people. The Brooklyn Public Library offered free eCards to anyone in the US aged 13-21, in an effort to make banned books more available to young readers. A teacher in Norman, Oklahoma gave her students the QR code for the free eCard and lost her job. Summer Boismeir is now working for the Brooklyn Public Library. Hoopla and Libby/Overdrive, apps used to access digital library books, are now banned in Mississippi to anyone under 18. Some libraries won’t allow anyone under 18 to get any kind of library card without parental permission. When librarians in Jamestown, Michigan refused to remove GENDER QUEER and several other books, the citizens of the town voted down the library’s funding in the fall 2022 election. Without funding, the library is due to close in mid-2024. My first event since covid hit was the American Library Association conference in June 2022 in Washington, DC. Once again, the librarians in my signing line all had similar stories for me: “Your book was challenged in our district" "It was returned to the shelf!" "It was removed from the shelf..." "It was moved to the adult section."

Over and over I said: "Thank you. Thank you for working so hard to keep my book in your library. I’m sorry you had to defend it, but thank you for trying, even if it didn't work." We are at a crossroads of freedom of speech and censorship. The future of libraries, both publicly funded and in schools, are at stake. This is massively impacting the daily lives of librarians, teachers, students, booksellers, and authors around the country. In May 2023, I read an article from the Washington Post analyzing nearly 1000 of the book challenges from the 2021-2022 school year. I was literally on route to a festival to talk about book bans when I read a startling statistic. 60% of the 1000 book challenges were submitted by just 11 people. One man alone was responsible for 92 challenges. These 11 people seem to have made submitting copy-cat book challenges their full-time hobby and their opinions are having an outsized ripple effect across the nation. WE NEED TO MAKE THE VOICES SUPPORTING DIVERSE BOOKS AND OPPOSING BOOK BANS EVEN LOUDER. If you are able too, show up for your library and school board meetings when book challenges are debated. Send supportive comments and emails about the Pride book display and Drag Queen story hours. If you see a display you like– for Banned Book Week, AAPI Month, Black History Month, Disability Awareness Month, Jewish holidays, Trans Day of Remembrance– compliment a librarian! Make sure they feel the love stronger than the hate <3

Maia Kobabe, 2023

The Nib