Our team pulled together a snapshot of our World with thoughts courtesy of Crooked Media, Brennan Center, along with thoughts by the Economist of London and France 24 as we look forward to the continued privilege to serve:
BY MATT BERG & CROOKED MEDIA |
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| You know a conversation’s gone off the rails when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), one of the most batshit MAGA bomb-throwers in Congress, starts sounding like the adult in the room. In this case, Greene went after 31-year-old far-right political agitator Laura Loomer for saying that if Vice President Kamala Harris wins, “the White House will smell like curry.” Greene, who has her own long history of making deeply offensive comments, blasted Loomer’s “appalling and extremely racist” remarks. Loomer fired back, accusing Greene of sleeping with a “Zangief cosplayer,” among other things that we would feel gross even reprinting. And pretty soon, the conflagration grew, drawing in others around Trump, who are now fighting hammer-and-tongs to push Loomer out of the MAGA God-King’s inner circle. - Trump’s embrace of Loomer has sparked this uproar. That’s because Loomer, a twice-failed congressional candidate, brings a truly astonishing amount of racist, crazy-pants baggage with her — even by Trump standards. Loomer has described herself as a “proud islamophobe” who is “pro-white nationalism.” She has called Harris “a drug using prostitute,” and claimed the veep hasn’t had biological children because “she’s had so many abortions that she damaged her uterus.” Loomer was paid last week to eat dog food on camera (“It actually tastes good, I’m not gonna lie!”), and has, of course, enthusiastically pushed the phony conspiracy theory about Haitian migrants eating pets in Ohio. (Side note: Irony is fucking dead.)
- The Loomer controversy exploded after she joined Trump at a 9/11 commemoration on Thursday, causing her past claims that the attack was an “inside job” to resurface. Lawmakers were furious, describing her presence as disrespectful to first-responders and those who lost loved ones on that day. Loomer is one of the few people that everyone in politics seems to hate. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), another MAGA loyalist, characterized her history as “really toxic,” and her comments on Harris “abhorrent,” telling HuffPost: “I don’t know how this all happened, but, no, I don’t think it’s helpful. I don’t think it’s helpful at all.”
- People like Loomer, who Trump keeps surrounding himself with, “demonize and dehumanize decent people,” Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL), who defeated Loomer in a House race in 2020, told What A Day in a statement, calling her comments “dangerous, irresponsible, and hurtful.” Trump, meanwhile, brushed aside questions from reporters about Loomer on Friday, calling her “a free spirit” who “speaks very positively of the campaign.” Later, he said he disagrees with her comments.
Donald Trump’s embrace of a far-right provocateur has sparked a civil war among MAGAland loyalists, in a dramatic finale to his very bad week. |  |
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While some struggle to push Loomer out of Trump’s orbit, others seem afraid to speak out for fear of antagonizing Trump. - “We’re staying out of this,” a Trump campaign adviser told The Bulwark. A former senior Trump official told NBC News that “the people that have the authority to stop it are hanging on to their jobs … So are you going to pick that fight with him?”
- Loomer doesn’t seem to have an official job within the Trump campaign, aside from being his cheerleader from hell. He rewards unwavering loyalty with political presents, and has plans to restock a second administration with people who won’t criticize or cross him. Those in the MAGA world are aware of this. But even for some of them, bringing Loomer on board is a step too far. “Regardless of any guardrails the Trump campaign has put on her, I don’t think it’s working,” a person close to the Trump campaign told Semafor.
The Loomer fiasco comes at the end of an otherwise dismal week for Trump, including a rambling debate performance, blowback from racist remarks about Haitian migrants “eating cats” and polls showing Harris with a narrow lead. How — and we cannot stress this enough — is this race still so close??? |
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The bogus, racist conspiracy theory that Republicans are pushing about migrants supposedly eating people’s pets continues to have a real-life impact on Haitians and the community of Springfield, Ohio. Two elementary schools in Springfield were closed on Friday due to a threat sent via email, following a bomb threat at the city hall the previous day. The city has been the center of MAGA vitriol after Trump and Vance promoted baseless claims about Haitian migrants eating pets there, which has been denounced by state and town officials alike, and which Springfield’s mayor said he believes are directly connected to the threats. Even the source of the rumor admitted to having no first-hand knowledge of the claim. Harassment against migrants in the community has gotten so bad that Haitian families are now keeping their kids home from school and reporting that their cars have been vandalized, according to a report in the Haitian Times, a online newspaper based in Brooknlyn serving the Haitian diaspora. “I’m going to have to move because this area is no longer good for me,” one woman told the outlet. “I can’t even leave my house to go to Walmart. I’m anxious and scared.”
Trump, of course, is only doubling down. During a press conference on Friday, he vowed to “have the largest deportation in the history of our country … and we're going to start with Springfield and Aurora.” He dismissed a question about the threats the city has faced since he shouted the false claim during Tuesday’s debate. |
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Thousands of Boeing workers began striking on Friday after rejecting a contract offer from the company, with 96 percent of the union voting in favor of the move — well above the two-thirds threshold needed. It could be a costly rebellion for the company, which is trying to ramp up airplane production after a safety crisis. Union strong! Just try screwing on those fuselage panels without ’em! Elon Musk threw hundreds of thousands of dollars into a local Texas political campaign in an unsuccessful attempt to oust a George Soros-backed prosecutor, the Wall Street Journal reports. Musk used a group called Saving Austin, a group primarily funded by him, to push out more than $650,000 worth of ads attacking the Democratic candidate. About two-thirds of Americans support putting term limits on Supreme Court justices, according to a new poll. At the same time, only about 30 percent of Americans say the court should be expanded, a proposal by some Democratic lawmakers and activists to dilute the conservative majority’s power. And everyone agrees, I presume, that Clarence Thomas has been there for too damn long. Colleges around the country are taking administrative steps to prevent a repeat of Gaza-related protests that roiled the nation last spring, banning “expressive activity” gatherings over a certain size and requiring people wearing masks to be willing to provide identification. And… do you hear that? It’s silence from right-wingers, who only care about free speech on campus when it affects a movement they care about! The Boar’s Head deli meat plant in Virginia, linked to a deadly listeria outbreak earlier this year, will indefinitely shut down, the company announced on Friday. Liverwurst processing was identified as the source of contamination, and the product won’t be sold anymore. Pop star Justin Timberlake pleaded guilty on Friday to a noncriminal traffic violation following his arrest for drunk driving in the Hamptons two months ago. You could say he was in sync with the judge (I’m really, really sorry again.) |
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 | Saul Loeb/Getty |
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In Tuesday’s presidential debate, former President Trump reiterated the Big Lie that the 2020 election was stolen, a claim rejected by more than 60 courts. He also repeated falsehoods about a “migrant crime wave” and noncitizen voting — myths thoroughly debunked by a comprehensive collection of research the Brennan Center has compiled in recent months. With such rumors seemingly aimed at undercutting the credibility of the upcoming election, we remain committed to fighting fear with facts as the campaign progresses. |
| Election officials have endured relentless attacks since 2020 from election deniers intent on eroding trust in American democracy. Now, a new challenge looms: the radical conservative policy agenda produced by the Heritage Foundation. Project 2025 threatens to escalate these assaults by cutting federal support and weaponizing federal agencies against election officials. As these essential workers confront mounting antidemocratic threats from bad actors at home and abroad, they need more backing than ever to ensure the integrity of our elections. |
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| The Heritage Foundation’s efforts to undermine election integrity extend beyond Project 2025. After years of spreading election disinformation, the group has now resorted to fabricating bogus proof of voter fraud. In a series of secretly recorded videos, Heritage falsely portrays deceptive interactions with suspected noncitizens as evidence of illegal voting. The lie that noncitizens vote in U.S. elections — which has been repeatedly disproven — only serves to stoke unwarranted fears and harm our democracy. |
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| Larry Householder, the former Ohio House speaker, is challenging his bribery conviction by arguing that accepting bribes is constitutionally protected as free speech. This claim, made in an attempt to overturn his conviction for taking more than $60 million to push a corporate bailout through the Ohio legislature, is unlikely to succeed. Despite the Supreme Court’s past rulings eroding campaign finance laws, courts should stand by the principle that clear-cut quid pro quo corruption has never been protected by the First Amendment. |
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| Ohio’s contentious 2020 redistricting process left voters with unfair district maps and few options to remedy them. Frustrated with this outcome, many Ohioans are rallying behind a November ballot initiative that would put citizens rather than politicians in charge of drawing district lines. If approved, the amendment would put an end to the state’s long legacy of gerrymandering. |
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| Tech and cryptocurrency money have driven up political spending and amplified the influence of wealthy donors on elections. Prominent figures like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel are using their financial clout to back candidates who align with their special interests, which often run counter to the public good. The Freedom to Vote Act proposes reforms that would loosen big money’s grip on elections and help ensure that ordinary Americans are fairly represented in the policymaking process. |
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| Part of why megadonors hold such sway over policymaking is because the pressure to fundraise persists even after candidates are elected to Congress. A Brennan Center analysis shows that senators and representatives must raise substantial amounts of money to gain and maintain political power on Capitol Hill. This money-dominated system incentivizes lawmakers to prioritize fundraising over their legislative duties, doing a disservice to elected officials and the American public they are supposed to serve.
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