More unattainable camel standards.

Thursday, December 9, 2021
BY SARAH LAZARUS & CROOKED MEDIA


** -Tucker Carlson ([link removed]) , on the true cost of catching COVID-19 (the way Donald Trump did)
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New York prosecutors have cranked up the difficulty on the high-stakes game of Subpoena Whack-A-Mole that defines Donald Trump’s post-presidency, as House investigators do their best to confiscate his giant mallet.

* New York Attorney General Letitia James will seek to depose Donald Trump ([link removed]) as part of her civil tax-fraud investigation of the Trump Organization, which could ultimately lead to a lawsuit against the company. James has requested that Trump stop by on January 7 to answer questions under oath about his company’s suspicious property valuations.

* In what may or may not be a sign that James has something juicy, she abruptly suspended her campaign for governor ([link removed]) on Thursday, and will instead seek another term in her current office. “I have come to the conclusion that I must continue my work as attorney general,” James said in a statement. “There are a number of important investigations and cases that are underway, and I intend to finish the job.” (It’s also true that James never quite launched a full campaign ([link removed]) , which makes slamming on the brakes a little less dramatic.)

* Trump’s lawyer said on Thursday that he will ask a judge to block the subpoena ([link removed]) , likely on the grounds that his testimony could be used against him in Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance’s parallel criminal investigation (in which James’s office is also participating). If a judge declines, he could still plead the Fifth and refuse to answer questions, but that might strengthen the civil case against him.

On the January 6 side of the Whack-A-Mole board, the courts continue to deem Donald Trump’s executive-privilege claim ludicrous, while generously helping him waste a bunch of time with it anyway.

* A three-judge panel on the DC Circuit voted unanimously to reject Trump’s request ([link removed]) to block the January 6 committee from accessing his archived White House records, writing, “former President Trump has provided no basis for this court to override President Biden’s judgment and the agreement and accommodations worked out between the Political Branches over these documents.” Instead of denying Trump administrative relief, which would have freed the documents up right away, though, the court gave Trump 14 days to run to the Supreme Court for help, where he unfortunately might find a more sympathetic, can-kicking audience.

* The full House will vote Tuesday ([link removed]) on holding former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in contempt for violating his subpoena, as the January 6 panel seeks to find out what he has that could possibly be more damning than the utterly bonkers shit ([link removed]) he’s already turned over. Meanwhile, the committee met with former Pentagon official Kash Patel ([link removed]) and Stop The Steal organizer Ali Alexander on Thursday. While former Vice President Mike Pence’s top aide has agreed to cooperate, Pence has declined to commit to cooperating ([link removed]) with the investigation himself.



The investigations into Donald Trump’s corporate tax fraud and attempted overthrow of the government are both escalating despite his best efforts, but it’s up to the courts to enforce the principle that Trump and his allies aren’t above the law. We’re about to find out whether the Supreme Court’s right-wing majority feels like it.

Still looking for last minute holiday gifts? Check out all of our Holiday merch like our My Ho Ho Home is Melting ornament, Hysteria and Keep It! desk calendars, Friend of the Pod sweatsuits, and more at the Crooked store. Make sure to place your orders by December 11th to ensure holiday delivery. Shop all the new festive arrivals now at crooked.com/store ([link removed]) .
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The White House’s first-ever virtual Summit for Democracy kicked off on Thursday ([link removed]) , with President Biden calling on more than 100 world leaders to help end the “backward slide” of democracy around the globe. Biden acknowledged that the U.S. is one of the biggest backsliders in the game—“Here in the United States we know as well as anyone that renewing our democracy and strengthening our democratic institutions requires constant effort,”—and announced an initiative to spend up to $424 million on programs around the world to support independent media, target corruption networks, and more. Chinese and Russian officials, who were not invited, have put out a flood of propaganda attacking the summit ([link removed]) and describing their own countries’ systems as democratic.
* The CDC gave final approval to Pfizer booster shots for 16- and 17-year-olds on Thursday ([link removed]) , hours after the FDA authorized them.

* The Senate advanced a deal to suspend the filibuster for a vote on the debt ceiling ([link removed]) , with the help of 14 Republicans who wouldn’t simply vote to raise the debt ceiling. It will hopefully mark the beginning of the filibuster’s end: A group of Senate Democrats have been quietly hammering out potential permanent reforms ([link removed]) .

* The Supreme Court unexpectedly announced that it will issue at least one decision on Friday ([link removed]) , potentially in the Texas anti-abortion vigilante case.

* Then-President Donald Trump directed Mark Meadows to “bust some heads and make some arrests” ([link removed]) before law enforcement violently cleared protesters out of Lafayette Park, according to Meadow’s Big Book Of For-Profit Belated Disclosures.

* The North Carolina Supreme Court has ordered a delay in the state’s primaries ([link removed]) to allow more time to address lawsuits over GOP gerrymandering.

* A House aide was arrested after bringing a handgun into the Capitol on Thursday ([link removed]) . The staffer told authorities he’d forgotten the gun was in his bag.

* The FBI may shut down its National Use-of-Force Data Collection program ([link removed]) because law-enforcement agencies don’t seem to want to contribute data to it, for some reason.

* Amtrak expects to temporarily reduce its service ([link removed]) as it loses six (6) percent of its workforce over federal vaccination requirements.
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* An insurrectionist whom Tucker Carlson called an “agent provocateur” on Monday is not only not a government agent dressed up as a Trump supporter, but happens to be a huge Tucker Carlson fan ([link removed]) .

* Saudi authorities have disqualified more than 40 Botox-enhanced camels from an annual camel beauty pageant ([link removed]) , in yet another sad reflection of today's unattainable camel standards.

* Birds aren’t real; kids are alright ([link removed]) .

University of Florida researchers felt pressured to destroy COVID-19 data and avoid criticizing Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) ([link removed]) , according to a new report by a faculty senate committee. The six-person panel was convened three weeks ago after the university barred three professors from testifying in a lawsuit to overturn the state’s new voter-suppression law, but it received a flood of input about other allegations. University researchers who were working on a COVID-19 study for a state entity felt “external pressure to destroy” data and “barriers to accessing and analyzing” data in a timely manner. The report stated that university employees were told “not to criticize the Governor of Florida or UF policies related to COVID-19 in media interactions.” Faculty also said that they were required to change websites and course syllabi, and ensure that the words “critical” and “race” didn’t appear in the same sentence or docu
ment. Just some chill authoritarian demands from the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination, if Trump doesn’t run.
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Tell the Biden Administration to Cancel Student Debt

The cost of higher education has grown exponentially in our country, placing it out of reach for most students and families unless they agree to take on huge amounts of debt. Over 44 million Americans carry more than $1.7 trillion of student debt. This crushing burden is preventing millions from buying homes, starting businesses, saving for retirement, or even starting families: And that reality falls heaviest on communities of color – particularly Black people and especially Black women – as a direct result of systemic racism.

That's why we’re urging the Biden Administration to cancel up to $50,000 in student debt per borrower by the end of 2021 – and we need as many people with us as possible. Add your name to our petition to join us in action today. ([link removed])

Centuries of structural inequities and racism have created large barriers in access to education for Black communities. For instance, Black families have far less generational wealth to draw on to pay for college than white families – and as a result, are more likely to take on student loans and struggle with repayment, which is exacerbated by job discrimination and pay disparities. Two decades after taking out student loans, the median Black borrower still owes 95 percent of debt, whereas the median white borrower has paid off 94 percent of debt.

But canceling student debt can help close the racial wealth gap by over 20 percent – securing financial stability and economic mobility for Black, Latinx, and other people of color who are disproportionately burdened by loans, while addressing the debt crisis for millions.

It’s a common-sense solution and there is no reason to wait: Sign our petition telling the Biden administration to cancel $50,000 of student loan debt per eligible borrower now. ([link removed])

Thanks for taking action,
The ACLU Team

Weekly unemployment claims hit a new 52-year low ([link removed]) last week.

A Buffalo, NY, Starbucks ([link removed]) has voted to become the first unionized Starbucks location in the country.

New York City ([link removed]) has approved a measure to allow noncitizens to vote in local elections.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art ([link removed]) has rid its walls of the Sackler family name.
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