Audio we obtained of Gov. Snyder's right-hand man allegedly paying off sick Flint residents and lying about when Snyder first learned of Flint's "toxic" water. Also nothing from @BernieSanders@AOC@RoKhanna@SenStabenow
Rampant corruption exists in U.S. for many reasons--one is that corporate media is complicit and incentivized through who signs journalists' paychecks not to rock the boat too far/don't risk access. But there's ZERO excuse elected MI leaders & progressive champions are silent.
We broke:
1) Snyder was warned of hazards of Flint River a year BEFORE water switch
2) Snyder first learned of deadly Legionella 16 months earlier than he told Congress
3) Snyder top adviser allegedly paying of sick Flint residents
4) Same adviser threatening whistleblower
5) Ex-Flint Mayor @karenaboutflint on record that Snyder asked her to get late Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings to "back off" from investigating him (3 sources backing up Weaver shared this when it happened)
6) Unknown details of a shady financial deal that led to water switch
7) Current MI Governor @GovWhitmer telling ex-Flint Mayor @karenaboutflint she couldn't provide additional funding for Flint water relief because the state legislature has "Flint Fatigue" (according to Weaver, no response from Whitmer)
8) Further details of Snyder sending hundreds of millions meant for Flint water relief to banks, law firms, real estate companies, and other corporate benefactors instead of Flint water relief.
🧵BEYOND HORSE RACE: As media does post-debate narrative—Kamala strong (yet substance-less) vs Trump unhinged, here's the ACTUAL CRISES' ignored at debate:
🚨64% live paycheck to paycheck
🚨37% can’t afford $400 emergency
🚨Homelessness⬆️12%
🚨Top 1% own over 1/3 of U.S wealth
🚨Water poisoned across U.S.
🚨Growing list of environmental sacrifice zones (Flint, East Palestine, Kalamazoo, etc)
🚨U.S. life expectancy down while other countries up
🚨Record level of corporate $ purchasing politicians/elections
🚨As U.S. labor sees a resurgence, mass corporate union-busting goes unpunished
🚨Big oil continues ramming dangerous pipelines through poor indigenous/Black/brown communities
🚨 Private and public colleges grossly gouging tuition costs creating generation of youth debt slaves
🧵Hate to be Debbie downer on Labor Day (shout out to all organized labor doing the hard work to revive labor), but I see the left making the same mistakes of 2020 in 2024...
Right now leftists who've decided to hold their nose to stop Trump have ZERO PLAN to push Harris left...
I don't actually believe Harris—nor any corporate Dem—can be pushed left in a SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL WAY w/ out major OUTSIDE economic force (like economic boycotts). But right now, most leftists are essentially saying...
"We'll worry about that later, let's stop Trump..."
Which is the exact same message from 2020 (only then it was let's remove/elect Biden). But the "push Biden left" didn't come (he quickly abandoned $15 min wage, public option, banning drilling on public lands, $2K checks and only moved left in incremental/short-term ways)...
🧵It’s horrific an assassination attempt was made on Trump. Also true of Trump:
2016: Gins up rally crowd against protester: “I’d like to punch him in the face.”
2017: Told police “Please don't be too nice” when tossing suspects into paddy wagon.
…
2018: Praised Montana Gov for body slamming reporter. “He is my type”
2020: Tweets to Virginians protesting stay at home orders that their second amendment is “under siege.” Separately tweets: “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!; LIBERATE MINNESOTA!; LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!"
…
2020: In response to George Floyd protests, Trump says “when the looting starts, the shooting starts." Defense Secretary wrote in book Trump asked “Can't you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something?"
2020: Threatened to dispatch military to deal with Black Lives Matter protesters
🧵I know there's a lot going on right now, but I hope you will take a few minutes today to to mark the DECADE Anniversary—DAY 3,653—of the ONGOING poisoning of Flint. In my 8 years reporting in Flint, this moment below still gives me nightmares...
6 years ago, we were knocking on doors for @StatusCoup investigating ex-MI Governor Rick Snyder's administration falsifying/manipulating water testing & data to report low water lead levels & declare the water crisis over. As I walked up to Jasmine Lee's front porch, I saw her...
1-year-old daughter on her lap...ravaged by white sores/rashes. B4 they moved into their Flint home weeks earlier, Jasmine's daughter's skin was clear. But after bathing in Flint's water, she broke out in rashes. AT THE SAME TIME, Gov. Snyder declared Flint's water "restored"...
🧵For the libs and journalists melting down that Katie Porter called her election “rigged.” She is absolutely right. You have just normalized the buying of elections by billionaires and Super Pacs as the normal democratic process…
When groups like AIPAC give $5 million to Adam Schiff, along with all the other big money he got, & he then spends it on ads to BOOST the Republican over Porter—that is not a Democratic process. It’s a rigged process skewed toward oligarchs & plutocrats. When special interests…
And their money carpet bomb TV in an EXPENSIVE media market to flood voters with positive Adam Schiff and Steve Garvey ads-that DOES rig the process. Not only against Katie Porter, but a deserving candidate like Barbara Lee…who can not compete as they are not corrupt enough…
-After firing the original Flint special prosecutor who was building momentum in the case— Nessel appointed "amateur" prosecutors she knew and had donated to her AG campaign.
“It was a shit show,” a source with knowledge of what transpired internally in Nessel’s office’s Flint investigation tells Metro Times. “They weren’t prepared for what was coming. If you place amateurs in there to play in the big leagues, they’re probably gonna get their asses kicked.”
-Nessel's office also misled Flint residents about the justification for Nessel firing most of the original Flint water investigative team--including special prosecutor Todd Flood, chief investigator Andy Arena—who helped bring down the Gambino crime family—and others...