February 26, 2021 10:50AM (UTC)Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses supporters during a political rally at the Phoenix Convention Center on July 11, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. Trump spoke about illegal immigration and other topics in front of an estimated crowd of 4,200.--The version of conservatism that Trump and his voters and followers have embraced is "conservative" politics as destruction. Its goal is to return the United States to a mythic (and largely imaginary) past of complete white — and male and "Christian" — dominance over every area of American life.Such a...…February 26, 2021 10:50AM (UTC)Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses supporters during a political rally at the Phoenix Convention Center on July 11, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. Trump spoke about illegal immigration and other topics in front of an estimated crowd of 4,200.--The version of conservatism that Trump and his voters and followers have embraced is "conservative" politics as destruction. Its goal is to return the United States to a mythic (and largely imaginary) past of complete white — and male and "Christian" — dominance over every area of American life.Such a...WW…

February 26, 2021 3:03PM (UTC)Mitch McConnell and Nancy Pelosi | Stimulus Checks--I can't remember the last time a major piece of legislation was embraced by three-quarters of the American people but we have one now. According to a new  76% of Americans including 60% of Republicans are in favor of the Biden administration's Covid relief package. "Hurrah," you might say, "the logjam has finally broken and a large majority of the country has come together to support vital legislation!" It's a nice thought but the sad fact is that while 60% of Republicans out in the country support the bill,...…February 26, 2021 3:03PM (UTC)Mitch McConnell and Nancy Pelosi | Stimulus Checks--I can't remember the last time a major piece of legislation was embraced by three-quarters of the American people but we have one now. According to a new  76% of Americans including 60% of Republicans are in favor of the Biden administration's Covid relief package. "Hurrah," you might say, "the logjam has finally broken and a large majority of the country has come together to support vital legislation!" It's a nice thought but the sad fact is that while 60% of Republicans out in the country support the bill,...WW…

February 26, 2021 9:00AM (UTC)White House Senior Policy Advisor Stephen Miller--This article originally appeared on .Although former President Donald Trump is no longer in the White House, his allies are trying to undermine President Joe Biden's agenda. One such ally, according to liberal Washington Post opinion columnist , is 35-year-old Stephen Miller — who, Sargent writes, is operating a "shadow war" against Biden's administration and trying to turn public opinion against the new president's immigration policy."When the administration reopened a warehouse-like facility for migrant...…February 26, 2021 9:00AM (UTC)White House Senior Policy Advisor Stephen Miller--This article originally appeared on .Although former President Donald Trump is no longer in the White House, his allies are trying to undermine President Joe Biden's agenda. One such ally, according to liberal Washington Post opinion columnist , is 35-year-old Stephen Miller — who, Sargent writes, is operating a "shadow war" against Biden's administration and trying to turn public opinion against the new president's immigration policy."When the administration reopened a warehouse-like facility for migrant...WW…

February 26, 2021 10:30AM (UTC)U.S. President Donald Trump gestures to supporters following a campaign rally on October 28, 2020 in Bullhead City, Arizona. With less than a week until Election Day, Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden are campaigning across the country.--Alan D. Blotcky, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist in Birmingham, Alabama.MORE FROM…February 26, 2021 10:30AM (UTC)U.S. President Donald Trump gestures to supporters following a campaign rally on October 28, 2020 in Bullhead City, Arizona. With less than a week until Election Day, Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden are campaigning across the country.--Alan D. Blotcky, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist in Birmingham, Alabama.MORE FROMWW…

February 25, 2021 12:00AM (UTC)Alien microbes in space above Mars, conceptual illustration.--Now that the NASA rover Perseverance has on the red planet, the rover is due to set about its primary mission of trying to search for signs of life on Mars. Indeed, from its landing site to its specialized tool kit, the plucky car-sized rover is purposefully designed to look for life signs. Specifically, Perseverance contains complex machinery for testing the atmosphere and scooping up soil samples so they can be returned to Earth.If Perseverance's exploration yields signs of life, that would...…February 25, 2021 12:00AM (UTC)Alien microbes in space above Mars, conceptual illustration.--Now that the NASA rover Perseverance has on the red planet, the rover is due to set about its primary mission of trying to search for signs of life on Mars. Indeed, from its landing site to its specialized tool kit, the plucky car-sized rover is purposefully designed to look for life signs. Specifically, Perseverance contains complex machinery for testing the atmosphere and scooping up soil samples so they can be returned to Earth.If Perseverance's exploration yields signs of life, that would...WW…

February 25, 2021 3:46PM (UTC)GOP State Rep. Diane Grendell--Ohio Capitol Journal reporter Tyler Buchanan noted on Twitter that Grendell's remarks came as part of a debate to allow the state legislature to overrule public health orders from medical experts:Jon Skolnik is a staff writer at Salon. His work has appeared in Current Affairs, The Baffler, AlterNet, and The New York Daily News.MORE FROM•FOLLOW…February 25, 2021 3:46PM (UTC)GOP State Rep. Diane Grendell--Ohio Capitol Journal reporter Tyler Buchanan noted on Twitter that Grendell's remarks came as part of a debate to allow the state legislature to overrule public health orders from medical experts:Jon Skolnik is a staff writer at Salon. His work has appeared in Current Affairs, The Baffler, AlterNet, and The New York Daily News.MORE FROM•FOLLOWWW…

February 25, 2021 10:11PM (UTC)Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis--. "I would point out, people say, 'Oh, well these other states have all these plans of when they're going to do it.' A lot of those plans haven't worked out," the governor said. "I mean, they've had to change their criteria from the beginning. They had plans in December, had to shift, most of them have shifted to doing what Florida is doing and so we're gonna continue with seniors first."While Florida is one of only two states to have first prioritized all persons over the age of 65, regardless of health or occupational concerns, it...…February 25, 2021 10:11PM (UTC)Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis--. "I would point out, people say, 'Oh, well these other states have all these plans of when they're going to do it.' A lot of those plans haven't worked out," the governor said. "I mean, they've had to change their criteria from the beginning. They had plans in December, had to shift, most of them have shifted to doing what Florida is doing and so we're gonna continue with seniors first."While Florida is one of only two states to have first prioritized all persons over the age of 65, regardless of health or occupational concerns, it...WW…

February 25, 2021 11:01AM (UTC)Ted Cruz holds his Texas mask over his face--When Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, bailed out for the balmy climes of Cancún while the worst winter storm in recent memory stranded millions of his constituents without power, he hired a security guard to watch his home and care for his poodle, Snowflake. But the way the senator chose to pay for that help may attract the attention of the Federal Election Commission, which has not sanctioned the use of campaign funds for personal security.Cruz appears to have tapped into both campaign funds and his taxpayer-backed Senate...…February 25, 2021 11:01AM (UTC)Ted Cruz holds his Texas mask over his face--When Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, bailed out for the balmy climes of Cancún while the worst winter storm in recent memory stranded millions of his constituents without power, he hired a security guard to watch his home and care for his poodle, Snowflake. But the way the senator chose to pay for that help may attract the attention of the Federal Election Commission, which has not sanctioned the use of campaign funds for personal security.Cruz appears to have tapped into both campaign funds and his taxpayer-backed Senate...WW…

February 24, 2021 2:30PM (UTC)Tucker Carlson leaned into ant-vaxx rhetoric on his Fox News Tuesday night, saying that powerful people are “for certain” trying to deceive you about the COVID-19 vaccine.--One of the great challenges for public health officials during the COVID pandemic has been establishing trust among the public, particularly racial minorities who have a long history of both exploitation and neglect by the medical establishment and the government. In recent months there has been a lot of discussion about how to get past vaccine hesitancy in this population with efforts at...…February 24, 2021 2:30PM (UTC)Tucker Carlson leaned into ant-vaxx rhetoric on his Fox News Tuesday night, saying that powerful people are “for certain” trying to deceive you about the COVID-19 vaccine.--One of the great challenges for public health officials during the COVID pandemic has been establishing trust among the public, particularly racial minorities who have a long history of both exploitation and neglect by the medical establishment and the government. In recent months there has been a lot of discussion about how to get past vaccine hesitancy in this population with efforts at...WW…

February 24, 2021 10:50AM (UTC)Donald Trump and Darrell Scott | Turkish Flag--The FBI has opened an investigation into the activities of a pro-Trump group that appears to have engaged in an off-the-books foreign influence campaign and violated IRS rules regulating the political activity of nonprofit organizations, Salon has learned.The probe's scope includes two officials affiliated with the Urban Revitalization Coalition, a now-defunct organization which made headlines last year with and subsequently , a person familiar with the investigation told Salon. The two men — Kareem Lanier and...…February 24, 2021 10:50AM (UTC)Donald Trump and Darrell Scott | Turkish Flag--The FBI has opened an investigation into the activities of a pro-Trump group that appears to have engaged in an off-the-books foreign influence campaign and violated IRS rules regulating the political activity of nonprofit organizations, Salon has learned.The probe's scope includes two officials affiliated with the Urban Revitalization Coalition, a now-defunct organization which made headlines last year with and subsequently , a person familiar with the investigation told Salon. The two men — Kareem Lanier and...WW…

February 23, 2021 12:16AM (UTC)US Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) questions Pete Buttigieg, nominee for US Transportation Secretary, during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee in Washington, DC, on January 21, 2021.--One day before the Georgia Senate runoff elections — and two days before the Capitol insurrection — a leadership PAC attached to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to a mystery company that had previously bought copies of Cruz's book, according to recent filings with the Federal Election Commission. The...…February 23, 2021 12:16AM (UTC)US Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) questions Pete Buttigieg, nominee for US Transportation Secretary, during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee in Washington, DC, on January 21, 2021.--One day before the Georgia Senate runoff elections — and two days before the Capitol insurrection — a leadership PAC attached to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to a mystery company that had previously bought copies of Cruz's book, according to recent filings with the Federal Election Commission. The...WW…

February 23, 2021 11:00AM (UTC)Cleta Mitchell, Esq., of Foley & Lardner, LLP, poses in the firm's law library on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007.--Last month, veteran political attorney Cleta Mitchell was forced to resign as a partner at the prominent Washington-based firm Foley & Lardner after it became clear she had secretly aided former President Trump's efforts to overturn the election results, in violation of the firm's policy.It's been a rough few months for Mitchell: The firebrand conservative activist and political lawyer was  as an officer on a nonprofit run by former Trump strategist...…February 23, 2021 11:00AM (UTC)Cleta Mitchell, Esq., of Foley & Lardner, LLP, poses in the firm's law library on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007.--Last month, veteran political attorney Cleta Mitchell was forced to resign as a partner at the prominent Washington-based firm Foley & Lardner after it became clear she had secretly aided former President Trump's efforts to overturn the election results, in violation of the firm's policy.It's been a rough few months for Mitchell: The firebrand conservative activist and political lawyer was  as an officer on a nonprofit run by former Trump strategist...WW…

February 21, 2021 9:29PM (UTC)Committee chairman U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)--This article originally appeared onIn a profile of  in the Washington Post, close associates of the GOP lawmaker state that he is going "all in" to continue to support former President Donald Trump and set himself up as the leader of the Trump wing of the party and that has some of them wondering what has happened to him.While Trump's influence with the GOP appears to be dissipating — with a battle with  for control of the party about to take center stage according to Politico — Graham is throwing in with the...…February 21, 2021 9:29PM (UTC)Committee chairman U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)--This article originally appeared onIn a profile of  in the Washington Post, close associates of the GOP lawmaker state that he is going "all in" to continue to support former President Donald Trump and set himself up as the leader of the Trump wing of the party and that has some of them wondering what has happened to him.While Trump's influence with the GOP appears to be dissipating — with a battle with  for control of the party about to take center stage according to Politico — Graham is throwing in with the...WW…

February 21, 2021 12:30AM (UTC)Supporters of US President Donald Trump hold a rally outside the US Capitol as they protest the upcoming electoral college certification of Joe Biden as US President in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021.--The Greyhound bus was quiet. The day was dreary. And I was madly uncomfortable. "What time is it?" I asked a guy sitting across the aisle. "It's 2 p.m.," he said. After nearly four years, I had finally been released from Mississippi State Prison at Parchman. The Greyhound bounced over bumps, wrapped its body around slick curves, and slid past flatlands of the...…February 21, 2021 12:30AM (UTC)Supporters of US President Donald Trump hold a rally outside the US Capitol as they protest the upcoming electoral college certification of Joe Biden as US President in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021.--The Greyhound bus was quiet. The day was dreary. And I was madly uncomfortable. "What time is it?" I asked a guy sitting across the aisle. "It's 2 p.m.," he said. After nearly four years, I had finally been released from Mississippi State Prison at Parchman. The Greyhound bounced over bumps, wrapped its body around slick curves, and slid past flatlands of the...WW…

February 21, 2021 5:14PM (UTC)Antifa members--Andrew O'Hehir is executive editor of Salon.MORE FROM•FOLLOW•LIKE…February 21, 2021 5:14PM (UTC)Antifa members--Andrew O'Hehir is executive editor of Salon.MORE FROM•FOLLOW•LIKEWW…

December 12, 2020 4:20AM (UTC)Matt Smith attends Miu Miu Women's Tales Dinner during Venice Film Festival--This article originally appeared on ."" prequel "" has found more Targaryens.The  series has added three more key players to its cast: , Emma D'Arcy and .Read more from Variety:Cooke, known from Amazon's "Sound of Metal," is set to star as Alicent Hightower, the daughter of Hand of the King Otto Hightower who was raised in the Red Keep, close to the king and his inner circle. Described as "the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms," Hightower has both "courtly grace and a keen...…December 12, 2020 4:20AM (UTC)Matt Smith attends Miu Miu Women's Tales Dinner during Venice Film Festival--This article originally appeared on ."" prequel "" has found more Targaryens.The  series has added three more key players to its cast: , Emma D'Arcy and .Read more from Variety:Cooke, known from Amazon's "Sound of Metal," is set to star as Alicent Hightower, the daughter of Hand of the King Otto Hightower who was raised in the Red Keep, close to the king and his inner circle. Described as "the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms," Hightower has both "courtly grace and a keen...WW…

February 17, 2021 6:13PM (UTC)Greg Abbott, Donald Trump and the snowstorm in Texas--Donald Trump may be gone, having left behind a pandemic that has killed nearly 500,000 Americans, due to his malicious incompetence. Still, his spirit lives on in the Republican Party and its propaganda apparatus, Fox News. It's the spirit of governing the people like you hate them and want them to die. Just take a look at the GOP response to the crisis in Texas, which has been buried under blizzards so bad that "unseasonable" is a comical understatement. The ice and snow has caused the power grid in the...…February 17, 2021 6:13PM (UTC)Greg Abbott, Donald Trump and the snowstorm in Texas--Donald Trump may be gone, having left behind a pandemic that has killed nearly 500,000 Americans, due to his malicious incompetence. Still, his spirit lives on in the Republican Party and its propaganda apparatus, Fox News. It's the spirit of governing the people like you hate them and want them to die. Just take a look at the GOP response to the crisis in Texas, which has been buried under blizzards so bad that "unseasonable" is a comical understatement. The ice and snow has caused the power grid in the...WW…

February 20, 2021 12:59AM (UTC)Neera Tanden and Joe Manchin--Joe Manchin, the West Virginia senator who voted to confirm some of Donald Trump's most controversial Cabinet and Supreme Court picks, announced on Friday that he would become the first Democrat to vote against one of Joe Biden's nominees.Manchin told CNN that he informed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, of his decision not to support Neera Tanden as the head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Tanden, who previously ran the progressive think tank Center for American Progress and served as an adviser to...…February 20, 2021 12:59AM (UTC)Neera Tanden and Joe Manchin--Joe Manchin, the West Virginia senator who voted to confirm some of Donald Trump's most controversial Cabinet and Supreme Court picks, announced on Friday that he would become the first Democrat to vote against one of Joe Biden's nominees.Manchin told CNN that he informed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, of his decision not to support Neera Tanden as the head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Tanden, who previously ran the progressive think tank Center for American Progress and served as an adviser to...WW…

February 19, 2021 11:30AM (UTC)Roger Stone, former advisor to President Donald Trump, speaks in front of the Supreme Court on January 05, 2021 in Washington, DC.--A political nonprofit with ties to longtime Trump associate Roger Stone, which was supposedly created to challenge the 2020 election results, has missed two federal deadlines to disclose how much money it spent and received before and after the election. Furthermore, the law firm that employed the group's registered agent told Salon that she no longer works there, and her LinkedIn page appears deactivated."Committee to Stop the...…February 19, 2021 11:30AM (UTC)Roger Stone, former advisor to President Donald Trump, speaks in front of the Supreme Court on January 05, 2021 in Washington, DC.--A political nonprofit with ties to longtime Trump associate Roger Stone, which was supposedly created to challenge the 2020 election results, has missed two federal deadlines to disclose how much money it spent and received before and after the election. Furthermore, the law firm that employed the group's registered agent told Salon that she no longer works there, and her LinkedIn page appears deactivated."Committee to Stop the...WW…

February 19, 2021 11:00AM (UTC)Marjorie Taylor-Greene, Kevin McCarthy, Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley--Another narrative holds that "history is watching" and that impeaching Trump a second time set an important precedent. But Republicans and Trump supporters do not care about the "truth" or the abstract judgment of history. Their commandments are victory and power by any means. Today's American right wing understands that history is a malleable thing, which in many ways is written by the victors.As with other fascists and authoritarians, today's Republican Party lives in a type of eternal...…February 19, 2021 11:00AM (UTC)Marjorie Taylor-Greene, Kevin McCarthy, Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley--Another narrative holds that "history is watching" and that impeaching Trump a second time set an important precedent. But Republicans and Trump supporters do not care about the "truth" or the abstract judgment of history. Their commandments are victory and power by any means. Today's American right wing understands that history is a malleable thing, which in many ways is written by the victors.As with other fascists and authoritarians, today's Republican Party lives in a type of eternal...WW…

February 19, 2021 10:55AM (UTC)Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts--Republican control over redistricting in key Southern states, along with Supreme Court decisions that gutted protections for voters of color, could result in historically unfair congressional maps after the next round of gerrymandering, according to a  from the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School.The  resulted in "some of the most gerrymandered and racially discriminatory maps" in history but the next cycle of redistricting could be even more fraught with abuse in Southern states, according to...…February 19, 2021 10:55AM (UTC)Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts--Republican control over redistricting in key Southern states, along with Supreme Court decisions that gutted protections for voters of color, could result in historically unfair congressional maps after the next round of gerrymandering, according to a  from the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School.The  resulted in "some of the most gerrymandered and racially discriminatory maps" in history but the next cycle of redistricting could be even more fraught with abuse in Southern states, according to...WW…

February 18, 2021 6:09PM (UTC)Rush Limbaugh, Kurt Cobain and Chrissie Hynde--To explain the rise of Rush Limbaugh, who died on Wednesday at age 70, in the early 90s, it helps to understand that, in large parts of America at least, he read as a not your grandfather's buttoned-up Republicanism. He wasn't cool, exactly, but he appealed to middle-aged Boomers who were still coasting on their image as the generation of Woodstock and "Animal House." His bumper music was a song by the Pretenders, a bona fide punk band. He often did comedy skits and spoke in the mellifluous tones of an FM radio DJ....…February 18, 2021 6:09PM (UTC)Rush Limbaugh, Kurt Cobain and Chrissie Hynde--To explain the rise of Rush Limbaugh, who died on Wednesday at age 70, in the early 90s, it helps to understand that, in large parts of America at least, he read as a not your grandfather's buttoned-up Republicanism. He wasn't cool, exactly, but he appealed to middle-aged Boomers who were still coasting on their image as the generation of Woodstock and "Animal House." His bumper music was a song by the Pretenders, a bona fide punk band. He often did comedy skits and spoke in the mellifluous tones of an FM radio DJ....WW…

February 17, 2021 10:02PM (UTC)In this photo illustration, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) logo is seen displayed on a smartphone.--Jon Skolnik is a staff writer at Salon. His work has appeared in Current Affairs, The Baffler, AlterNet, and The New York Daily News.MORE FROM•FOLLOW…February 17, 2021 10:02PM (UTC)In this photo illustration, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) logo is seen displayed on a smartphone.--Jon Skolnik is a staff writer at Salon. His work has appeared in Current Affairs, The Baffler, AlterNet, and The New York Daily News.MORE FROM•FOLLOWWW…

February 16, 2021 11:00AM (UTC)Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, Josh Hawley and Donald Trump--Trump's 2016 presidential victory and fake right-wing "populist" movement was fueled by white supremacy, nativism, and other forms of bigotry and hate. That is violence.Chauncey DeVega is a politics staff writer for Salon. His essays can also be found at . He also hosts a weekly podcast, . Chauncey can be followed on  and .MORE FROM•FOLLOW•LIKE…February 16, 2021 11:00AM (UTC)Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, Josh Hawley and Donald Trump--Trump's 2016 presidential victory and fake right-wing "populist" movement was fueled by white supremacy, nativism, and other forms of bigotry and hate. That is violence.Chauncey DeVega is a politics staff writer for Salon. His essays can also be found at . He also hosts a weekly podcast, . Chauncey can be followed on  and .MORE FROM•FOLLOW•LIKEWW…