Author/historian (Duke Ellington's America, Who's In The Money?) musician/songwriter, Yankee in London, Sr Lecturer.
Mostly on here now to fight the fascists.
The effective federal corporate income tax rate:
1950: 50%
1990: 25%
2020: 13%
Stop asking "but how we will pay for it?" Restore the corporate tax rate.
That is how we will pay for it.
The statue of Jackie Robinson cut down in Wichita, Kansas last week was found burning in a trash can today. Robinson played for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues.
Whoever did this hates America. Mr Robinson was one of the very best of us.🇺🇸
David Chase, creator of "The Sopranos," says the recent golden age of "quality TV" (such "Mad Men," 'The Wire" etc) is at an end, as execs are telling him to “dumb down” his shows, & he's being warned not to make TV that “requires an audience to focus." 🤮
We lost Tommy Smothers today. He and his brother Dick were pioneers. And got even better later, after the video below. Hilarious to watch them making fun of folk music at its height in early 1960s⬇️. And Tommy played guitar and sang on John and Yoko’s “Give Peace A Chance” 👍 ☮️
Bruce Springsteen danced on stage with his late mother during a concert at London's Hyde Park in 2013.
"There ain't a note that I play on stage that can't be traced back to my mother."
This is Judge Cannon from the Florida-based Trump top secret docs case. Authorities need to follow up on this story. Judges in her position won't be able to get away with unethical behavior like SCOTUS does.
WTF?!: Saudi Arabia has been chosen as Chair of UN commission promoting gender equality and empowering women worldwide, after an unopposed bid for leadership condemned by human rights groups because of the kingdom’s “abysmal” record on women’s rights. 🤔♀️
Factual report on how Stephen Miller not only heads Trump's unconstitutional cruel efforts to abuse migrants, but doesn't even know rules of Constitution he is breaking in doing so. Great job by
@AriMelber
unmasking 1 of great American villains of our time
Maybe I've tweeted too much on today's
@RepStefanik
/
@KWelkerNBC
interview--but it brings up an existential question for 2024: will MSM allow Trump & his toadies to constantly lie about his record & anti-democracy intentions & help him get elected with a violent autocracy agenda??
When I was growing up in East L.A., a Mexican-American neighborhood, we used to call people like this “payasas.” Really, Congresswoman Jewish Space Laser, this is how you dress for the State of the Union address in the U.S. Capitol?
Yeah, if I was donating large sums of money to everyone’s favorite anti-democracy pro-insurrectionist SCOTUS whisperer, I’d want to make sure I was anonymous as well. How embarrassing to be openly associated with Ginni Thomas…
In case you have any friends or relatives who have conveniently forgotten about Trump's half-century "spree" of abuses, crimes, probable crimes, and more, Mr Garry Trudeau in his latest
@DoonesburyComic
Sunday installment, provides a colorful reminder:
Already thought for decades that Eric Clapton was boring and overrated, and now that he's a proud and conspiracy-spewing anti-fact anti-vaxxer who embraces hideous Texas
@GovAbbott
, I dislike him personally as well.
BREAKING: Why on earth would SCOTUS hear such a ridiculous anti-democracy case, already eviscerated w/facts by D.C. Court of Appeals opinion earlier this month? More bad news that could allow Trump to delay this damning court case even more: they won't hear arguments til 22 April
The always stylish Rita Moreno, at 92, arrives upon the Oscars red carpet a few minutes ago. I don't care who you are, she's kicking your ass, and you know it.
📸 Sarah Meyssonnier
Nigerian superstar
@Wizkidayo
takes another single from his huge international hit album “Made In Lagos” (one of my 2020 faves) and films a colorful video for it in Ghana, featuring his duet partner
@temsbaby
: “you don’t need no other body.” Mmmm.
I'm with
@AnandWrites
: "There’s actually very few countries in the world that are trying to build a strong multi-racial democracy…We are trying to do an extraordinary thing. I would love to hear us talk about that more, & offer it as a vision that is more thrilling” than GOP’s👏
We ought to say it more on the pro-democracy side: the genuine multi-racial democracy America is trying to become is an awe-inspiring ambition. The bigger “we” has prevailed time and again over the small-hearted faction. It can again.
Agreed. Was praising new
@Wizkidayo
LP highly 2 wks back. But I find it strange you can't buy a physical copy of it in UK, even though it's crazy popular & features big co-stars Skepta & Damien Marley. Same w/ best-selling 2019 H.E.R. LP.
Or are physical copies of albums passe?
The fourth album from Afrobeats star
@wizkidayo
is his best yet, combining his global vision with a focus on Yoruba, Afro-Latin and Afrobeats percussion that, as the name Made In Lagos asserts, makes the record feel like a real homecoming.
BREAKING: Embarrassing stupid defeat for
@SpeakerJohnson
5 mins ago. The House vote to impeach Homeland Secretary Mayorkas--without evidence of high crimes & misdemeanors, with no evidence, period--failed 216-214.
@SpeakerPelosi
woulda never held a vote without knowing she'd win.
.
@JudgeLuttig
also just said on
@MSNBC
that SCOTUS' move on this issue probably means that at least one SCOTUS justice buys the Trump lawyers' autocratic arguments on total presidential immunity. Aren't they all supposed to be constitutional experts and fans of democracy?! 🤬🤬🤬
Conservative law expert
@JudgeLuttig
⬇️, who has dealt with SCOTUS extensively through his half-century-plus legal career, says the new extensive delay SCOTUS has put on the (ridiculous) Trump immunity decision will almost certainly make Trump's 1/6 trial last beyond the election.
As
@AWeissmann_
just remarked, Judge Engoron's judgment proclaims Trump can't run his own long-time business for 3 yrs, can't even sign a check for the company he created, that has his name on it--yet, he's heading a campaign to run USA. Decades of fraud have come home to roost.
The Bossman🎸makes an apt observation I hadn't thought of before. But now I realize it's one of the reasons I've liked
@JoeBiden
so much in the 21st-century too. 🇺🇸
VERY interesting report just now on
@TheBeatWithAri
on Jack Smith’s legal career, as a prosecutor at DOJ and the Hague in the last 15 yrs, which shows him going after both Republicans and Democrats, and being rather zealous and thorough in his pursuit of justice. Look out Donnie.
Seconds ago, Biden signed the Respect For Marriage Act and gave
@VP
Harris the pen he used⬇️, a great honor.
“It’s been a long road. But we got it done.” --
@POTUS
The election and democracy legal advocate
@MarcEElias
, asks: “when did it become acceptable to oppose democracy?,” especially for
@GOP
, providing many examples of this happening now, esp. on making voting more difficult for Democrats & people of color.
If future generations ever wonder WTF the big deal was about
@Springsteen
and the E Estreet Band, show them this recently released 90-minute documentary film: It’s a miracle that we now finally have this.
Reporter: President Biden just announced he is canceling nearly $5 billion in student loan debt for 74,000 borrowers. These are public servants including teachers, firefighters, and nurses. Biden is using all the tools he can, making good on his promise
I see the controversy about
@MaggieNYT
saving some important info for months for her book, & not reporting it in real time. But I'd never seen her talk before her book came out recently, & on
@ColbertLateShow
& w/
@NicolleDWallace
, I've never seen anyone more insightful about DJT.
So, the traitor who before and after the 2020 election plotted and acted to overturn the country and American democracy wants his trial for those crimes to be postponed so he can get reelected and finish what he tried to do before?!
.
@MatthewJDodd
just now on
@DeadlineWH
, looking toward 2022 elections, makes the point that
@TheDemocrats
in their campaigns usually focus way too much on policy points, not enough on values like
@GOP
does. Values are CENTRAL to issues of guns, climate, health, voting rights ETC!
The mentally addled, vengeance-seeking
@GOP
presidential nominee, last night: “You know what’s interesting? Biden won against Barack Hussein Obama. Has anyone ever heard of him? Every swing state, Biden beat Obama but in every other state, he got killed.”
The only reason Obama issued so many executive orders (which presidents have long done) is that the
@GOP
Congress & Mitch McConnell decided on Week 1 of Obama’s presidency that their goal was to ensure Obama got nothing passed, even if it was good for the USA. Like today, RIGHT?
"I've got lesbians, gays, drag queens, drug addicts, alcoholics, transgenders, everybody in my group of employees and family. I try to find the God light in everybody. Who am I to judge? Believe you me, I have enough trouble with my own life."
--
@DollyParton
, 2023
@MOJOmagazine
"Reading classics hardly held
@BorisJohnson
back, and nor did his fiancee Carrie Symonds’s degree in art history and theatre studies stop her enjoying a successful career in PR."
But Boris' gov't is fine closing off such opportunities for future students.
Nothing against Alicia, Ali or Michael, but in the last few weeks, have to admit I've been checking every Monday to see if
@NicolleDWallace
has returned from maternity leave and is back on
@DeadlineWH
. At last, she is back in her old chair in 45 mins, connecting the dots again...
“I mean, because you have technique, you don’t have to use it. You use it when you feel like it. It’s called good taste. I play whatever comes into my black head, man.”
--Miles Davis🎺💜, 1973
.
@MatthewJDowd
points out below that USA is mostly NOT divided. About 80% want gun reforms, 70% saw the sense of vaccines/masks, 75% support Roe. The problem is our political system allows unfair minority rule &
@GOP
"refuses to do what the public wants.”
Just now on
@DeadlineWH
,
@MatthewJDowd
notes Trump’s negative ratings are 2X that of Biden’s & that if Biden keeps bringing the fight to DJT all year, not just in yesterday’s speech, repeated bully pulpit denunciation of lies/corrupton can greatly help Democrats in 2022 midterms.
A warning: scary billionaire forces are working to help Trump win reelection to ensure they can keep & increase their massive wealth, as well as keep polluting & not pay taxes.
@RBReich
names names of those trying 2 dump democracy for their selfish benefit
Personally, I'd rather hear the whole ugly story of how Fox News did their best to lie to its millions of viewers & help Orange Mussolini steal a legit election, and then see Dominion pick up the whole $1.6 billion from Murdoch that they're seeking in damages.
(
@WashingtonPost
)
Essential viewing if you live in the UK⬇️. The main reason the teachers called a strike is that they'd lost 30%+ of their salary in the previous 13 yrs & the heartless Tory gov't wouldn't even negotiate. The Tories want to cement their cruelty & disrespect into UK society forever
🚨Sunak’s Government just confirmed it will rush ahead with its plan to rob teachers & millions of workers of their right to strike, force them to work against their will & sack them if they refuse
THIS IS THE MOMENT! WORKERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY MUST STAND TOGETHER! ✊
@The_TUC
Nobody lately has made a stronger case for banning assault weapons than Biden just now, combining the stats on the guns' power, what they do to humans, how they have nothing to do w/hunting or 2nd amendment, how when his 1994 assault weapons ban ended, mass shootings went up 3X.
A bullet-torn math notebook that belonged to 10-year-old Uziyah Garcia, one of 19 children killed in the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas last year.
📷 Tamir Kalifa /
@nytimes
In their reading of the new DOJ indictment,
@AWeissmann_
@AriMelber
say it indicates that the formerly mum White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows contributed significant testimony to the DOJ, as did Pence. Can't get more intimate in Trump White House; VERY bad news for Trump.
.
@DavidFrum
article reports that a new disturbing facet of Trump’s
@GOP
is that they don’t believe in negotiation to solve national problems; GOP are promoting allowing one man (Trump) to make all decisions and brooking NO compromises after that. Fascism.
When
@SenKamalaHarris
just now finished her 1st speech for her campaign w/
@JoeBiden
, & Curtis Mayfield's immortal 1970 "Move On Up" played on the sound system, have to admit I got a bit of a tear in my eye. The 3 of them together hit the perfect note, hope they can sustain it...
Far as I've seen, this is the only 73 seconds that mattered in the Hur hearing today⬇️.
@RepAdamSchiff
correctly calls him out on his over-the-top political stunting.
Schiff: What is in the rules is you don't gratuitously do things to prejudice the subject of an investigation when you are declining to prosecute. You don't gratuitously add language you know will be useful in a political campaign. You understood exactly what you were doing.
Historians like me, and others, compare Trump with fascists Mussolini and Hitler. If you're wondering why people say this,
@MehdiRHasan
gives many examples from history and from today in 5 mins in the report below.
What a shame for MSM, USA & democracy this is Mehdi's last show.
Donald Trump is doubling down on his dictatorial desires.
@MehdiRHasan
compares the ex-president to the original fascist, Benito Mussolini, and warns a second Trump term could lead to the end of American democracy. WATCH:
I was afraid this was coming, once
@MSNBC
(foolishly) took away his show.
@MehdiRHasan
is too skilled 2B an occasional substitute for others, more skilled than some of those he would have replaced. Unfortunately, he's right to seek out new challenges and posts that he has earned.
Journalists "letting liars lie and then correcting them after they leave the interview doesn’t cut it. Confront the liars in real time [on TV]. Ask them why they’re lying. Don’t wait until they leave and make the truth a footnote."
@MarkJacob16
Increasingly, worldwide, we’re seeing the right-wing blaming recent rampant inflation on wage rises. This article rounds up much evidence showing that the business world and their “greedflation” are the dominant cause & their abuse of us is not letting up.
.
@AndyBeshearKY
, a Democrat who just won his Governor’s race in Kentucky, is starting a new political organization to help guide Democrats on how to win in red states, by focusing on empathy, compassion and helping average Americans. Yessir:
Just saw this for the first time:
my Grandma Pearl, probably posing in front of where she lived, in South Central Los Angeles, in September 1922 at the age of 15.
Currently having a coffee at the Chelsea Hotel. Have passed by before, but never walked in. The soundtrack is nothing but Serge Gainsbourg and Lou Reed. That's a big selling point.
Tonight on
@DeadlineWH
,
@MatthewJDowd
offers a winner of a slogan for
@TheDemocrats
' campaign for the November midterms:
“Don’t give the keys to the crazy people.”
Yessir.
When ex-Prez Orange Mussolini, who has gone through six bankruptcies, is your business founder, and Devin Nunes is your CEO, then you should know that, somehow sometime soon, your business is going to be run into the ground with incompetence, infighting and worse.
Food for thought; the Old Testament on the Antichrist:
“The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods." --Daniel 11:36 (NIV)
King of Israel
Might as well rename the
@GOP
as the Corruption & Criming Party.
"Paxton has faced allegations of wrongdoing and legal troubles for years. He was indicted on securities fraud counts in 2015, and his own staff reported him to the FBI for suspected corruption in 2020."
--
@NBCNews
Great piece by
@AriMelber
on how today's physically/rhetorically violent resistance by the hard-right against peaceful protests has a long history in USA, going back to 50s civil rights protests. I think he's right about Kaepernick's heroism in this regard
Hard-right
@GOP
political ads have now almost fully switched from TV to social media, funded by millions in dark money, assembled by people like Stephen Miller & unlike TV ads, totally unregulated, often purposely spreading lies & misinfo without penalty.
Hey whaddaya know--the disgraced Top 5 Coronavirus-infected countries all share hard-right ideological national leaders who listened more to economic experts than science/health experts, who cared more about their images and money than their people.
.
@MatthewJDowd
nails it again: “For me, Republicans use the immigration issue as a placeholder for their anger over the changing nature of America. That’s what it’s about…anger at a multi-cultural multi-diverse multi-ethnic democracy.” Same for UK Tories.
Been a Walt Whitman obsessive for decades, but never knew til today 36 seconds of his voice reading a poem exists, recorded in early 1890s⬇️. An unbelievable spiritual treat. If you need more, read his work, or David Reynolds' excellent bio "Whitman's America." Happy birthday sir
“He is our archetypal poet, our great invention in literature, our lyric voice,” wrote Guy Davenport of Walt Whitman, born
#OTD
in 1819. Hear him read several lines from his poem “America” in this 36-second wax cylinder recording:
@TheLoveBel0w
Does NFL really want to institute a Trumpian hard-right rule that'll alienate at least half their players & fans? Does NFL want to paint themselves as so un-woke? Personally, I abandoned the sport in 80s when it got too slow, violent & expensive unless one had an expense acct...
Dr Anthony Fauci, about an hour ago, on the new Biden era:
"The idea that you can get up here [at the podium] and talk about what you know, what the science is and know that’s it, let the science speak – it is something of a liberating feeling.”
Thanks for the outpouring of love and support, & thanks of course to my amazing, talented team of producers on the
@MehdiHasanShow
.
I’m humbled and so appreciative.
I’m not going anywhere and you’ll hear from me lots in 2024.
As a historian, I’ve respect for the value of what presidential debates bring to electoral process for voters (esp. with JFK & Reagan), but I’m afraid Von Drehle is correct. Trump uses them for insults & disruption, not to inform—he has ruined them for now
Over and over,
@SecretaryPete
keeps taking the serious caring common sense POV in his words & policies--part of why GOP always wants to try & trip him up. But they're incapable, & it's almost always an impossible errand. Pete is concerned about average Americans, GOP not so much.
One of many surprising things "Caste" is teaching me: had no idea that, in mid-30s, Nazi Germany's top leaders, in order to help them decide how to legally turn Jews into 2nd class citizens or worse, diligently researched laws behind USA's cruel discrimination of black Americans.
Gov
@GavinNewsom
is correct again: been a fan of Rep Barbara Lee for decades, but am also a big fan of her 2024 U.S. Senate competitors Katie Porter and Adam Schiff. He shouldn’t be showing any favoritism in that race. Damn, my home state has some impressive political talent, eh?
Last night, Mr
@AriMelber
did a public service, clearly explaining what “high crimes & misdemeanors” means in terms of necessitating impeachment, using examples from Founding Fathers’ Federalist papers, & other historic sources. Brilliant essential work.
Why is it that 70-80%+ of Americans favor: common sense gun control, higher min wage, legal pot, banning 3rd trimester abortions, free college, stricter campaign $$ rules, paid parental leave--but it never gets passed by Congress?
@Yascha_Mounk
has answers.
“As a young attorney, SCOTUS Chief Justice Roberts wrote memo complaining Voting Rights Act’s antidiscrimination provisions were too strong, then gutted them in 2013 opinion as chief justice without ever describing what part of Constitution they violated.”
In denying witnesses and evidence in the impeachment trial,
@senatemajldr
&
@GOP
Senators "have not only denied themselves the ability to make an informed decision, they denied the voters the chance to make an informed decision." --
@MayaWiley
BREAKING: Am feeling quite emotional. This is *finally* happening🇺🇦. The first salvo in
@SpeakerJohnson
and
@GOP
House finally governing for the good of their country and democracy in general? The beginning of Republicans privileging reality over ideology?
“MAGA
@GOP
@RepStefanik
recently declared “violent crime is skyrocketing across America”…Yet, last week, the
@FBI
reported murder and non-negligent manslaughter dropped 6.1% from 2021 to 2022. Aggravated assault was down 1.1%, robbery fell 1.3%.”
--
@MarkJacob16
Thanks to lies on FoxNews, etc, Americans “feel crime is getting worse, even when it’s not. Despite dramatic long-term trend toward lower crime in 1993-2020, 20 of 24 Gallup surveys conducted in that time found at least 60% of adults said crime was up.”
Sad day for me tomorrow. My fave newsstand in London, The Paper Shop, closes because of a rent rise. They've been there 24 yrs, run by an Indian family. When I was a new UK immigrant, they were the people that made me feel most welcome & also got me the hard-copy Sunday
@nytimes
.
New report shows high corporate profits are a main driver of ongoing inflation, w/companies keeping prices high even as their costs drop🤬. It says corp profits accounted for ~53% of inflation during 2023’s 2nd & 3rd quarters. Know who your real enemy is.
So proud of my Congressman
@RepRaskin
, fighting back and calling truth against documented, likely unconstitutional
@GOP
political and media intimidation by authoritarian wanna-be Gym Jordan / Rep
@Jim_Jordan
:
Raskin: If we’re going to confront this problem of people using their public office to intimidate then let’s do it. Over the weekend, you appeared on Newsmax and you boasted that you told AT&T that they needed to restore Newsmax or face the consequences
Glad to see
@MatthewJDowd
taking a view I've backed for months; why is MSM concentrating on 2024 election at this fraught moment?
"Concentrate on what's in front of you. The house is on fire."
If
@TheDemocrats
lose Nov midterms, U.S. democracy likely may not survive til 2024.
"Putting a mic & 3 cameras on Trump as if he were just another candidate, not an instigator of the violent disruption of American democracy & leader of a conspiracy to overthrow results of a national election is the height of journalistic irresponsibility"
BREAKING: Why couldn't Pence just long ago voluntarily patriotically let Americans know what occurred when his ex-boss tried to stage a coup & have him killed in cold blood? Why does the DOJ now have to rope him in like a criminal? We all know Mike's presidential bid is hopeless.
Pertinent essay from historian
@HC_Richardson
on
@GOP
Sen Margaret Chase Smith, who, in early 50s, bravely spoke out against dangerous nation-damaging lies & totalitarianism being pushed in her party by Sen Joe McCarthy. Bet
@RepLizCheney
knows her story.
.
@DJRothkopf
covers facts that MSM prefers to ignore repeatedly: “Biden has signed 300 pieces of bipartisan legislation in 2 ½ years. He has overseen the creation of more jobs in 2 ½ years than any president has done in 4 yrs.” Credit where credit is due: