RSN: Norman Solomon | MoveOn's Phony New Campaign for 'Protecting Whistleblowers'

30 September 19

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RSN: Norman Solomon | MoveOn's Phony New Campaign for 'Protecting Whistleblowers'

Norman Solomon, Reader Supported News
Solomon writes: "After many years of carefully refusing to launch a single campaign in support of brave whistleblowers who faced vicious prosecution during the Obama administration - including Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning, NSA whistleblowers Thomas Drake and Edward Snowden, and CIA whistleblowers John Kiriakou and Jeffrey Sterling - MoveOn.org has just cherrypicked a whistleblowing hero it can support."
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Sen. Bernie Sanders. (photo: Mary Schwalm/AP)

New Bernie Sanders Plan Takes Aim at CEO Pay
Morgan Baskin, Vice
Baskin writes: "Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has promised voters he can get the wealthy to 'pay their fair share' - and today, he rolled out another way to get there."
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Adam Schiff. (photo: Getty Images)

ALSO SEE: Trump Questions Whether Schiff Should Be Arrested for 'Treason'

Donald Trump's 'Treason' Attack on Adam Schiff Is Completely Misleading
Chris Cillizza, CNN
Cillizza writes: "The President always needs a villain to focus his ire on. Schiff looks like that guy for now."

EXCERPT:

Here's what Schiff said at a hearing last week in describing the recently released transcript of a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky:

"In not so many words, this is the essence of what the President communicates.

'We have been very good to your country, very good. No other country has done as much as we have. But you know what? I don't see much reciprocity here. I hear what you want. I have a favor I want from you though. I'm going to say this only seven times so you better listen good. I want you to make up dirt on my political opponent. Lots of it. ... I'm going to put you in touch with people, not just any people, I am going to put you in touch with the attorney general, my Attorney General Bill Barr. He has the whole weight of the American law enforcement behind him. I'm going to put you in touch with Rudy. You are going to love him. Trust me. You know what I'm asking. So I'm only going to say this a few more times. In a few more ways. By the way, don't call me again. I will call you when you have done what I asked.'

"This is in sum and character what the President was trying to communicate with the president of Ukraine. It would be funny if it wasn't such a graphic betrayal of the President's oath of office."

First off, it's clear that Schiff is not attempting to portray his summary of Trump's call as a some sort of verbatim retelling. Schiff literally says before he starts, "in not so many words, this is the essence of what the President communicates." Unless you are being willfully obtuse, you have now been signaled to understand that what comes next from Schiff is his interpretation of the call. He is not saying: "here's exactly what President Trump said to President Zelensky."

Then there's the Schiff summary itself. Trump says it bore "no relationship" to what he said on the call with Zelensky. Lucky for us, we have the transcript of that call! Here are a few side-by-side comparisons:

1) What Trump said: "I will say that we do a lot for Ukraine. We spend a lot of effort and a lot of time. Much more than the European countries are doing and they should be helping you more than they are."

What Schiff said: "We have been very good to your country, very good. No other country has done as much as we have."

2) What Trump said: "I wouldn't say that it's reciprocal necessarily because things are happening that are not good but the United States has been very, very good to Ukraine."

What Schiff said: "But you know what? I don't see much reciprocity here."

3) What Trump said: "I would like you to do us a favor though because our country has been through a lot and Ukraine knows a lot about it."

What Schiff said: "I have a favor I want from you though."

4) What Trump said: "There's a lot of talk about Biden's son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the attorney general would be great."

What Schiff said: "I want you to make up dirt on my political opponent. Lots of it. ... I'm going to put you in touch with people, not just any people, I am going to put you in touch with the attorney general, my attorney general Bill Barr."

5) What Trump said: "I will have Mr. Giuliani give you a call, and I am also going to have Attorney General Barr call and we will get to the bottom of it."

What Schiff said: "I'm going to put you in touch with Rudy. You are going to love him. Trust me. You know what I'm asking. So I'm only going to say this a few more times. In a few more ways."

It's not all that different, right? Yes, Schiff embellishes in places -- "lots" of dirt on Biden, "you are going to love" Rudy Giuliani -- but, in the main, what Schiff said Trump said is, in fact, what Trump said. Not word for word, but certainly in its sentiments.

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Latorre gave birth to her daughter in the recreation room of a Colorado church. (image: Daily Beast/Getty Image)

An Immigrant-Rights Advocate Gave Birth to Her Baby in a Church to Avoid ICE
Scott Bixby, The Daily Beast
Bixby writes: "Two weeks ago, Ingrid Encalada Latorre gave birth to her daughter in the recreation room of a Colorado church where she has claimed sanctuary since December 2017 - the safest place to do so, she said, when stepping off of church property could mean being permanently separated from her children."
READ MORE

Bonnie Sparks, 47, walks on the treadmill at Planet Fitness in Wayne, Mich., on Sept. 4, 2019. (photo: Brittany Greeson/WP)

With the Affordable Care Act's Future in Doubt, Evidence Grows That It Has Saved Lives
Amy Goldstein, The Washington Post
Goldstein writes: "With about 20 million Americans now covered through private health plans under the ACA's insurance marketplaces or Medicaid expansions, researchers have been focusing on a question that was not an explicit goal of the law: whether anyone is healthier as a result."
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Demonstration demanding the resignation of Haitian President Jovenel Moise in Port-au-Prince. (photo: Reuters)

Haiti: Massive Protests Continue Calling for President's Removal
teleSUR
Excerpt: "Haiti experienced Friday one of the most massive protests ever it the country's recent history as people took to the streets, called by the opposition, in the main cities to demand the immediate resignation of United-States backed President Jovenel Moise."
READ MORE

Nylon tea bags are not as innocent as they seem. (photo: S-Attila/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Those Fancy Tea Bags? Microplastics in Them Are Macro Offenders
Adrienne Matei, Guardian UK
Matei writes: "The amount of plastic found in these tea bags is more than we ingest from just about anything else."
READ MORE

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The Daily 202: Republican judges warn of ‘tyranny’ as they block Trump on ‘sanctuary cities’

The Daily 202: Republican judges warn of ‘tyranny’ as they block Trump on ‘sanctuary cities’

Employees at the scandal-plagued blood testing company Theranos have developed a video game allowing players to attack the journalist who unearthed the company's fraud. The “Space Invaders”-style game involves shooting the Wall Street Journal reporter who first revealed Theranos misled investors about its technology. (Business Insider)

DRAINING THE SWAMP? :

-- GOP donor Elliott Broidy pushed for a golf date between Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who controlled a lucrative contract with Broidy’s defense company, according to newly obtained documents. The New York Times’s David D. Kirkpatrick and Mark Mazzetti report: “In addition to providing new details about Mr. Broidy’s attempts to exploit his White House connections for personal gain, the documents also raise questions about whether Trump administration officials were aware of his efforts.”

-- The real estate company of Jared Kushner's family has been subpoenaed for records related to its rent-regulated tenants. The Wall Street Journal’s Erica Orden reports: “The subpoena, part of an investigation by prosecutors in the Brooklyn U.S. attorney’s office, came shortly after an Associated Press article about the company having filed documents that said it had zero rent-regulated tenants, when in fact it had hundreds, an omission that relieved it of certain rules governing developers. … A spokeswoman for the company said Thursday that ‘Kushner Companies has nothing to hide and is cooperating fully with all legitimate requests for information, including this subpoena.’”

-- The EPA’s inspector general announced plans to probe Scott Pruitt’s use of his security detail while on personal trips. From Brady Dennis: “The latest inquiry follows a March 20 request from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who told officials that he had obtained work schedules and other documents detailing how Pruitt’s 24/7 protective detail accompanied him on personal trips. The arrangement resulted in taxpayers footing the bill for travel and lodging for agents, even when Pruitt wasn’t on officials business.”

-- Pruitt spent $45,000 to fly five employees to Australia in preparation for a trip that was later canceled. Reuters’s Jeff Mason reports: “Two of his aides and three security agents flew to Australia last August on business-class tickets costing roughly $9,000 each to set up meetings for the EPA administrator. … Pruitt was scheduled to participate in environment-related meetings with Australian officials on a visit to Sydney and Canberra. EPA spokesman Jahan Wilcox said Pruitt’s trip was canceled because of Hurricane Harvey[.]”

-- Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski quietly facilitated a “highly lucrative” deal between Poland’s top military contractors and one of Washington’s top lobbying firms. The Daily Beast’s Lachlan Markay and Asawin Suebsaeng report: “In the process, Lewandowski managed to spurn socialite Jill Kelley ... a central figure in the 2012 sex scandal that brought down retired general David Petraeus. The story … is a strange chapter in the former Trump campaign manager’s career ... including some who work out of his Washington, D.C. home. It’s also a cartoonishly Washington tale, involving backstabbing in the city’s notorious influence industry, a glamorous socialite … and political operatives who arrived in D.C. pledging to drain the swamp, only to end up pocketing large sums in exchange for brokering multi-billion-dollar weapons deals.”

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MASSterList: Donor Gods | Weed whacked | Lord of the Mammoths

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By Jay Fitzgerald and Keith Regan 04/04/2017 Donor Gods | Weed whacked | Lord of the Mammoths

Happening Today

Immigration enforcement Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy holds a forum exploring state and federal tensions in immigration enforcement, with a keynote from former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, Boston College Law School, East Wing 1210, 885 Centre St., Newton, 8:30 a.m.

SJC hearings Supreme Judicial Court hears Commonwealth v. Sreynoun Lunn, which could touch upon the issue of whether the state can arrest and hold someone on an ICE detainer request, John Adams Courthouse, Courtroom One, Second Floor, Pemberton Square, 9 a.m.

Geofencing Attorney General Maura Healey and Facebook host a panel discussion on the benefits and boundaries of geofencing, One Broadway, Cambridge, 10 a.m.

Boston Educators Collaborative Boston Mayor Martin Walsh joins representatives from Boston's district, charter and Catholic schools to announce an initiative called the Boston Educators Collaborative, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Mission Grammar School, 94 St. Alphonsus St., Boston, 10:30 a.m.

Agriculture Day Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton, and Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner John Lebeaux gather for Massachusetts Agriculture Day at the State House, Great Hall, 10:45 a.m.

Bump to testify Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight meets with Auditor Suzanne Bump slated to testify on behalf of two bills she filed, Room A-2, 11 a.m.

Teaching World War I The Pioneer Institute has helped organize a seminar on educating students about how America’s entry into World War I elevated the nation’s role on the world stage, with David Kennedy, a Stanford University professor and Pulitzer Prize winner, among those expected to speak, Edward M. Kennedy Institute, 210 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, 12:30 p.m.

Labor and Workforce Development Committee The Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development begins hearing testimony on bills including the so-called Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Hearing Room A-1, 1 p.m.

Equal Pay Day Treasurer Deborah Goldberg and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito are scheduled to speak at the Women's Caucus Equal Pay Day event, State House Library, Room 341, 1 p.m.

Prevention of Cruelty to Children dinner Gov. Baker, First Lady Lauren Baker and Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders attend the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children's annual dinner, Fairmont Copley Plaza, 138 St. James Ave., Boston, 7 p.m.

Today's News

Report: Goldberg to get weed whacked by lawmakers It’s not over till it’s over. But it sure looks like Treasurer Deb Goldberg is going to get shoved aside when it comes to overseeing the state’s new legalized marijuana industry, reports the Globe’s Joshua Miller, who notes lawmakers are looking at establishing an independent commission to handle all things marijuana. An interesting tidbit: Rep. Mark J. Cusack, House chair of the joint marijuana committee, has written a letter to the Baker administration asking that it hold off distributing money to Goldberg’s office to oversee marijuana regulation – and the administration appears to be complying. Fyi: Gov. Baker today meets with Goldberg for their regular monthly meeting. To be a fly on the wall during that powwow.  Boston Globe

State agriculture commissioner: I need money to regulate pot pesticides Speaking of pot: Everywhere you turn, it seems someone needs money or new legislation to deal with legalized marijuana. The latest example: Agriculture Commissioner John Lebeaux, who says he needs money to regulate the use of pesticides by those growing pot, reports Shira Schoenberg at MassLive. "I think my folks would need some help to adequately manage this process," Lebeaux told the Legislature's Joint Committee on Marijuana Policy. "I can't in good conscience say we could just absorb it and continue to do all the things we do."   Meanwhile, Secretary of State William Galvin's office says lawmakers need to make the process for cities and towns to opt out of hosting marijuana businesses easier to follow, reports SHNS’s Colin Young at the Recorder. MassLive

Amherst College embraces its inner Mammoth It took more than a year, but Amherst College has chosen its first official sports mascot: The Mammoths. Alban Murtishi of MassLive reports the nickname was chosen through an online vote and a multi-step process that began with the school distancing itself from its namesake and unofficial mascot—Lord Jeffery Amherst—after students protested his involvement with settlers’ efforts to use smallpox against American Indian tribes. Why mammoths? The liberal arts college has displayed a full mammoth skeleton on campus since the 1920s.  MassLive

Diehl awaits sign from donor heaven before challenging Warren State Rep. Geoff Diehl, a conservative Republican and big Donald Trump fan, is setting up a federal fundraising account as a way to gauge how much support he might receive if he ultimately decides to challenge U.S Sen. Elizabeth Warren next year, reports the Herald’s Matt Stout. Diehl want to make clear: It’s merely an “exploratory” move, not a definitive move, toward an official candidacy. Boston Herald

Warren to give commencement address at UMass-Amherst Speaking of Elizabeth Warren, the state’s senior senator will give the keynote address at the undergraduate commencement ceremony at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Friday, May 12 at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. The ceremony begins at 4:30 p.m., UMass-Amherst announced yesterday. UMass-Amherst

Baker to honor Cellucci with new leadership award From the Globe’s Frank Phillips: “Governor Charlie Baker, who looked to Paul Cellucci as a mentor, will now honor the late former governor by creating a state public service award in his name." Boston Globe

Is Walsh beefing up for higher office? Mayor Marty Walsh is bringing in all sorts of former Clinton and Obama campaign officials to help win re-election this year. But is it a case of overkill against a not-so-mighty mayoral foe (i.e. Tito Jackson) or is Walsh actually setting his sights on post-election higher offices? The Globe’s Meghan Irons explores all the who, why and when possibilities. Of course, all politics is local, no matter how many big-shot staffers you have on your campaign committee, so Walsh is going to have to take quite seriously the mother of a shot child who’s accusing Walsh of being a "liar," as the Herald is reporting today. Boston Globe

Cambridge’s vote heard round the world Whether you consider it serious, symbolic or silly, it’s still amazing how much attention the Cambridge City Council’s Trump-impeachment vote is getting, from Washington’s The Hill to the UK’s Independent. Of course, there’s loads of local attention too at WCVB and NECN and elsewhere.

Amid sanctuary uproar, SJC to hear ICE case As some Bay State cities dig in to do battle with federal agencies over immigration policies, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court will hear arguments today in a case that could decide whether local authorities can detain someone at the request of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, Milton Valencia reports in the Globe.

Cage match: Hodgson, Curtatone to square off over immigration Speaking of sanctuary-city uproars: Sure, Barney Frank and other notables will be there. But the real attraction at a UMass Law School symposium on Thursday will be Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson, in one corner, and Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone, in another corner, and they’ll be discussing immigration. Hodgson has called for Curtatone’s arrest over his handling of sanctuary-city matters, while Curtatone has called Hodgson a "jack-booted thug,” as reported by SHNS’s Katie Lannan at the Herald News. It should be an intellectually stimulating symposium. Herald News

Supporters fear Motley is taking the fall for others From the Globe’s Laura Krantz: “At UMass Boston, where officials are grappling with overdue construction projects, declining enrollment, and a looming $30 million deficit, there is frustration — particularly among black faculty — that chancellor J. Keith Motley is receiving too much blame for the campus’s problems.”  Motley obviously deserves some, if not most, of the blame. He was in charge. Period. But as Joan Vennochi has asked: “What did Marty Meehan know about the fiscal crisis at UMass Boston, when did he know it and — as president of the entire University of Massachusetts system — what did he do about it?” In other words, the overseers were supposed to oversee. Period. Boston Globe

Arroyo: I shall return Suspended Suffolk County Register of Probate Felix Arroyo, still maintaining that his court office is stuffed with racist saboteurs, is vowing to return to his job and knock heads, the Herald’s Jack Encarnacao reports. “I have a message to those who have participated in these acts of racism, sexism and sabotage,” Arroyo said. “Everyone must be held accountable for their actions, and when I return I will do all in my power to ensure you are held accountable for yours.” Boston Herald

Bump finds $193M in ‘improper or questionable’ MassHealth payments From the BBJ’s Jessica Bartlett: “The state has been double-paying for behavioral health services for MassHealth members, resulting in $193 million in improper or questionable payments to providers throughout the state. The findings come from Auditor Suzanne Bump’s office, which issued a report on Monday calling for the state medical insurance program to change its billings and claims process to prevent any future improper payments and recoup money improperly given out.” MassHealth officials are vehemently disputing Bump's conclusions, according to published reports. BBJ

Hate to break it to you, Massachusetts, but the Kennedys are not that popular Taking note of all the younger-generation Kennedys making moves for elected (or higher) offices around the country, the Globe’s Joan Vennochi says that the Kennedy political brand is “more local than locals want to believe” and that the younger Kennedys still have to prove themselves. Boston Globe

Massachusetts inches closer to meeting 2020 greenhouse-gas goals From SHNS’s Michael Norton at Wicked Local: “Greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts decreased from 2013 to 2014, continuing a decade-long trend, according to the latest state data. State law requires emissions by 2020 that are 25 percent lower than 1990 levels, and emissions in 2014 were 21 percent below 1990 levels, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.” Wicked Local

Gonzalez: Baker is no Trump Nemesis in Chief Democrats obviously plan to tie Republican Gov. Charlie Baker as much as possible to Donald Trump during next year’s gubernatorial race. But Dem hopeful Jay Gonzalez is taking it a step further, almost defining the job as being opposed to Trump. "Particularly now, with Donald Trump as our president, who's threatening our values and threatening to take us backwards and threatening people generally, it's really important that we've got a governor who's setting the right tone on those issues," said Gonzalez, reports Dan Glaun at MassLive. "(Baker) is not a leader on these issues and in my view not advocating forcefully enough." MassLive

The Ride may swerve around T’s budget axe Following an outcry from elderly and disabled users of the The Ride, the MBTA looks to be poised to spare the service from cuts meant to help balance the agency’s budget, Bruce Mohl of CommonWealth Magazine reports. Instead, the T is likely to look at cheaper alternatives to providing the same para-transit services, including using private transportation offerings such as Uber or Lyft.  CommonWealth

Chinese take a bow and thank T for $815M in contracts Chinese officials were in town yesterday showing off their new subway cars for the T and, it should be added, expressing gratitude for the $815 million in contracts the MBTA is paying their company to build the cars, as CommonWealth’s Bruce Mohl reports. If they run as good as they look, the cars should provide a huge boost to T service. CommonWealth

Supreme ruling sparks hope for tribe’s Taunton casino The U.S. Supreme Court delivered some good news to the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe’s stalled First Light casino when it declined to take up a lower court’s ruling that affirmed the federal government’s power to place land into trust on behalf of Native American tribes, Rebecca Hyman of the Taunton Gazette reports. The tribe said the decision “blazes a trail forward” for the Taunton project, though significant legal hurdles remain.  Taunton Gazette

Baker orders flags to half-staff to honor late Sen. Donnelly In honor of the late state Sen. Ken Donnelly, who died over the weekend after a long battle with a brain tumor, Gov. Baker has ordered the US and state flags on all state buildings to fly at half-staff until the day of Donnelly’s internment, reports MassLive. MassLive

‘America and warfare were never the same’ This week marks the 100th anniversary of America’s entry into World War I. The Washington Post this morning has a good story about what it all meant to the country, the world, and one American soldier and a nurse who both served in France and later married.  And don’t forget the Pioneer Institute’s ‘Teaching the Frist World War in Schools’ forum today at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, at 12:30 p.m., featuring David Kennedy, professor emeritus at Stanford University and Pulitzer Prize winner, and other noted scholars. Washington Post

Today's Headlines Metro

Northeastern opens new $225 million engineering complex in Boston - Boston Business Journal

Yet another potential candidate emerges for Roxbury council seat - Universal Hub

Another hit for cabbies: City says no to payment app - Boston Globe

Walsh ramps up operation for re-election campaign - Boston Globe

 Massachusetts

Protesters gather at Brockton City Hall to support immigrants, DuBois - Brockton Enterprise

UMass Lowell adjuncts hold forum to push pay equity - Lowell Sun

Trash hauler charged with defrauding Mass. landfill - MassLive

State mentoring award named for Cellucci - Telegram & Gazette

Natick selectmen approve Wegmans’ liquor license - MetroWest Daily News

Stockbridge looks to be next town to ban plastic bags - Berkshire Eagle

Amherst College announces Mammoths as the school’s first mascot - MassLive

 Nation

Blackwater founder held secret meeting to establish Trump-Putin back channel - Washington Post

Justice Department to review accords with troubled police agencies - New York Times

Former VP Biden to visit N.H. later this month, stirring 2020 talk - NH1