Stephan: This appointment by Trump settles the question of where he stands on climate change. One by one Trump is corrupting ever science agency in the government. So let me state this as emphatically as I can. If you vote for Trump there will be no preparation at the federal level about climate change and you are condemning your children and their children to a lifetime of misery. Can I be any clearer than that?
MIAMI, FL – AUGUST 29: The logo of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is seen at the Nation Hurricane Center on August 29, 2019 in Miami, Florida. Hurricane Dorian is expected to become a Category 4 as it approaches Florida in the upcoming days. Credit: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty
David Legates, a University of Delaware professor of climatology who has spent much of his career questioning basic tenets of climate science, has been hired for a top position at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Legates confirmed to NPR that he was recently hired as NOAA’s deputy assistant secretary of commerce for observation and prediction. The position suggests that he reports directly to Neil Jacobs, the acting head of the agency that is in charge of the federal government’s sprawling weather and climate prediction work.
Neither Legates nor NOAA representatives responded to questions about Legates’ specific responsibilities or why he was hired. The White House also declined to comment.
Legates has a long history of using his position as an academic scientist to publicly cast doubt on climate science. His appointment to […]
Stephan: Trump's fascism becomes more clear as every day passes. This is a man who loathes democracy and seeks to be an autocrat. Listen to what he says. Anyone who votes for him votes against democracy. The 2020 election is not just a choice between two men, it is a choice between two systems of governance.
Well, that escalated quickly. Only a couple of weeks ago, Donald Trump and his allies were using the term “self-defense” to condone the behavior of armed right-wingers who showed up at Black Lives Matter protests to intimidate demonstrators — and also to justify the alleged murder of two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, by 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse.
Trump Credit: AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Now Trump has expanded the universe of excuses for such lethal violence, suggesting that it’s acceptable in the name of “retribution.”
In this case, the lethal violence was inflicted on Michael Reinoehl, a self-identified supporter of antifa, which isn’t an organized movement so much as a loose association of left-wing activists who use confrontational tactics to fight perceived fascists. Most people who identify as antifa aren’t violent, but some have become enamored of seeking violent confrontations with far-right or white supremacist groups. Reinoehl appears to have been such a person: He seemingly confessed on camera to killing a right-wing activist named Aaron Danielson during an Aug. 29 skirmish in Portland, Oregon.
U.S. marshals shot and killed Reinoehl near Olympia, Washington, on Sept. 3, and justified the shooting by claiming he […]
Stephan: You can be sure that Roger Stone, a card carrying Trumpian orc, is speaking out in support of his master, with his master's authorization. Get very clear in your mind. These people do not like democracy, and they are going to do whatever they can to stay in power. The only way to get rid of them is to have Biden win by an overwhelming majority
Trumpian Orc Roger Stone
Long-time Donald Trump confidant, and convicted felon,Roger Stone said that the president should declare “martial law” to seize power if he loses what Stone characterized as an already corrupt election.
The results will only be legitimate if the “real winner” — Trump — takes office, regardless of what the votes say, Stone declared. A loss would apparently be justification for Trump to use force to take over the nation.
Stone, who worked as an adviser in the last Trump campaign, made the astonishing statements Thursday on the InfoWars program of far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Both men talked of an ongoing “coup” against Trump, and Stone inexplicably claimed that he predicted “almost three decades ago that this moment would come.”
Stone appeared resigned to a Trump loss — but blamed it on the baseless claim that early voting has already been “corrupted.”
To safeguard Trump’s position, Stone called for federal authorities to seize ballots in Nevada, for FBI agents to physically block certain […]
Stephan: Over 200 of you wrote to tell me of your concern and to say that you were holding me in healing intention. Both Ronlyn and I were deeply moved by this. Thank you. As it turned out I wasn't actually getting sick, I was experiencing a very powerful negative reaction to a new medication, which one of my doctors had just prescribed for me. Ronlyn read up on the drug, and I have every negative reaction listed. I have quit taking it, of course, but it will take a few days, I assume, to clear my system and for me to get back to balance. A very unpleasant experience.
Let me return the sentiments you expressed to me. I hope all of you, and your families stay safe and well in these parlous times.
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Lydia DePillis, Justin Elliott and Paul Kiel, - ProPublica
Stephan: Because the pandemic has so stressed the American system, it has become ever more clear that our economy has been structured in such a way that at every choice point it is skewed to favor the rich to the detriment of the middle class and the poor. Here is a good exegetic essay based on facts that describes this situation. Even if Biden is elected I think it is going to take years to get sorted out. If Trump wins another term by the end of it we will be a kleptocratic fascist state, and that social violence is sure to follow.
Restaurants in the food court at the Galleria mall in downtown Cleveland vaporized when the city shut down. Credit: ProPublica
On a recent Thursday evening in downtown Chagrin Falls, a Cleveland suburb named for a picturesque cascade in a nearby river, little was amiss: Diners in loafers and sundresses dropped off their BMWs and Alfa Romeos with valets before positioning themselves on patios at prudently spaced tables. Teens ranged around manicured parks taking selfies, while well-groomed women dipped in and out of The Artful Yarn, A Bit of Skirt, and other boho boutiques, cryo spas and vintage home goods stores.
Main Street leads north up a steep hill, past wooded estates, a polo field, and a baroque music venue, until it arrives at a turnoff with a sign on a stone gatehouse with a slate roof: “Marcourt Farm Private Property.”
Down the drive is the 25-acre, nine-bathroom, private lake-fronting, indoor pool-equipped residence of Nicholas Howley, the chairman of an aerospace company called the TransDigm Group, which he founded in 1993 as a merger of several small airline […]
