This is not normal.🧵
A candidate for president is explaining how a worm ate part of his brain while a rival who’s an ex-president is “cursing audibly” in court while listening to a porn star describe lousy sex with him while a key supporter who wants to be the ex-president’s …
(Not normal, cont.🧵)
… running mate is bragging about shooting her dog in the head in a gravel pit and saying the current president ought to execute his own dog. Meanwhile, a Supreme Court justice whose wife plotted to overthrow the government is ruling on cases involving …
(Not normal, cont.🧵)
… the coup and whether the guy who led the coup had the right of “immunity” to order Seal Team 6 to assassinate his rivals if he felt like it. And while the court is considering that, it’s also deciding whether pregnant women in Idaho must wait in a …
(Not normal, cont.🧵)
… hospital parking lot until they get sick enough to convince emergency room doctors that they’ll definitely 100% die if they don’t get an abortion. Meanwhile, the ex-president’s party is accusing college presidents of antisemitism but not accusing the …
(Not normal, cont.🧵)
… ex-president himself even though he dined at his Florida resort with a Holocaust denier who jokingly compared the murder of Jews to cookies being baked in an oven. And the ex-president is selling Bibles while his supporters in Congress wear pins …
(Not normal, cont.🧵)
… in the shape of a rifle often used in school massacres, and his backers include a lawmaker who felt up her date in a theater while they were surrounded by children, and another lawmaker who showed photos of the president's son’s private parts …
(Not normal, cont.🧵)
… during a congressional hearing, and another supporter who said the president should deny baby formula to migrant infants at the border, and another supporter who said the deadly assault on the Capitol was a “normal tourist visit.” And this same …
(Not normal, cont.🧵)
… Bible-selling ex-president is a “law and order” guy even though he’s charged with 88 felonies, joked about a home invader using a hammer to fracture the skull of the House speaker's husband, and wants to pardon thugs who beat up 100+ cops at the Capitol.
Whew. I’m out of breath. For more about how media normalizes these absurdities, check out my free Stop the Presses newsletter. stopthepresses.news
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The New York Times has made it clear in recent public comments that it doesn't think the defense of democracy is part of its job. This failure to meet the moment is a shameful surrender. 🧵 1/10
In a new interview, NYT Executive Editor Joe Kahn downplayed the preservation of democracy as an issue this year. He thinks immigration is No. 1, based on unnamed polls. But that’s not even true. Many polls say the economy. 2/10
Isn’t it NYT’s job as a news organization to determine what’s important to the well-being of Americans, based on its reporting? Why is it boosting immigration to the top? Is Fox News setting its agenda? 3/10 semafor.com/article/05/05/…
The New York Times keeps putting vague headlines on stories about MAGA fascism. It happens so often that I don’t think it’s accidental. A proper, direct headline for this story would be:
“Trump’s Rhetoric Gets More Radical and Divisive.”
That’s what the story says.
Here’s a gift link for the NYT story by @chashomans. It’s generally an accurate and alarming story about the Trump threat to end democracy. nytimes.com/2024/04/27/mag…
@chashomans One part of the story is weak sauce, however. NYT seems to give Trump credit for not attempting a 2nd coup after the 1st one failed, as if that proves he’s not a full-fledged fascist. Which is ridiculous. I think it means he wanted to stay out of prison and try again later.
🧵
Ginni Thomas is still getting away with her J6 coup plotting.
Clarence Thomas is still ruling on cases involving his insurrectionist wife.
Steve Bannon is still out of jail and doing a podcast.
🧵
Gen. Michael Flynn, who was pardoned for his treachery, is still promoting his anti-government message, is still collecting his military pension, and is promoting a new movie.
Fox News is still lying after paying a $787M settlement for its past lies.
🧵
NBC’s news execs are still employed despite trying to hire fascist liar Ronna McDaniel for a $300K job.
Rep. Ralph Norman is still in Congress and seeking re-election despite revelations that he secretly urged Trump to declare martial law to stay in office in January 2021.
Today’s Trump trial testimony reminds us of how mainstream media – including the New York Times, Washington Post and Politico – were badly played by Trump in 2016. An example: The National Enquirer’s Trump-inspired hoax linking Ted Cruz’s dad to the JFK assassination.🧵1/7
The Enquirer’s David Pecker testified that the tabloid faked a photo of Ted Cruz’s dad with Lee Harvey Oswald to help Trump’s campaign in 2016. He said the tabloid “mashed” 2 photos together. “That’s how that story was prepared — created, I would say.” 2/7 nbcnews.com/politics/donal…
Look at how the New York Times wrote it up in May 2016:
“Donald Trump Accuses Ted Cruz’s Father of Associating With Kennedy Assassin”
Cruz’s denial was left out of the headline, and wasn’t mentioned until *the 7th paragraph* of the story! 3/7 archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.co…
A few days before Biden’s inauguration in 2021, Rep. Ralph Norman secretly urged the White House to declare martial law to keep Trump in office.
In the last 15 months, the New York Times has mentioned Norman in 44 stories without recalling that fact.
That’s coup amnesia.🧵1/6
The latest New York Times mention of the traitorous Ralph Norman was published today — with nothing about his text suggesting that Trump enlist the military in a coup in 2021. To the Times, Norman is just a GOP congressman doing GOP congressman things. 2/6 nytimes.com/2024/04/18/us/…
Ralph Norman’s martial law text was revealed in late 2022 by @TPM. Being a not-bright person, Norman spelled martial law as “Marshall law” in his text. But it’s not funny: Norman was pushing for a Trump-directed military takeover of the government. 3/6 talkingpointsmemo.com/feature/mark-m…
Republican politicians keep spewing violent rhetoric. Not all voters are aware of this, so we must keep warning them. And we mustn’t normalize it. The GOP’s gun-waving craziness endangers our country. This thread includes some shocking examples. 1/13
This week, Sen. Tom Cotton called for people to “take matters into their own hands” if protesters block roads. Cotton wants protesters thrown off bridges. He said if protesters glue their hands to cars, they should have “their skin ripped off.” 2/13
Also this week, Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake called on supporters to “strap on a Glock” to be ready for an “intense” election season. 3/13 nbcnews.com/politics/2024-…