Are Americans Strong Enough To Resist The Siren Call Of Fascism Trump Has Unleashed?

Trump's fascist goon squad unconstitutionally occupying Portland tear-gassed the city's mayor yesterday, something Trump seems to have particularly enjoyed and taken great pride in. Robert Kuttner termed what's happening in Portland Full-On Fascism. With their silence and in some cases with their cheers, Members of Congress from his own party have given Trump the green light. "Trump," wrote Kuttner, "has run out of other strategies, so he is pursuing a long-standing fantasy of having a personal secret police force that is beyond legal control. Last week, unidentified storm troopers dispatched from Border Patrol units descended on Portland over the objections of state and local officials. They made random arrests without any regard for due process, and jailed and brutalized citizens. If Trump gets his way, Chicago, New York, and other liberal bastions that he doesn’t like will be next. The gambit, worthy of Putin’s anonymous armed green men and Hitler’s SA, is sinister and brilliant. It brings America close to civil war, pitting illicit federal power against lawful state and local authority. It divides progressive mayors from fascistic police forces that reject civil authority. In Chicago, where Mayor Lori Lightfoot asked Trump to keep his shock troops out, the head of the police union has urged them to come."

Trump’s grand design is to use his secret police to provoke physical clashes, which then become the pretext for sending in more storm troopers. America is seen as falling into civil disorder, and Trump (having provoked the disorder) poses as the law-and-order president.

What might stop this? Two things. One would be large numbers of Republicans objecting to this illicit use of paramilitary power. So far, libertarian Rand Paul has been very lonely.

Republicans in principle are against arbitrary executive power, but opportunism trumps principle. They shame themselves, like the German conservatives who enabled Hitler.

The other firebreak is the courts. After the unlawful invasion of Portland, Oregon’s attorney general, Ellen Rosenblum, asked the U.S. district court to enjoin Trump’s illegal action. The ACLU has filed its own suit.

If these actions persist, we can expect expedited review by the Supreme Court. Once again, as will occur when Trump tries to steal the November election, the fate of America’s democracy could well come down to one man.

He’s preferable to Trump, but I sure wish John Roberts were a more reliable defender of constitutional government.

Pennsylvania state Senator Daylin Leach (D) noted that the predictable result of Trump's attack on Portland "is to inflame the situation, and obviously there is nothing about this which is compatible with democracy. They did a lot of this sort of thing in Chile and Argentina in the 70s and in Russia now. In Russia, many of the people seized go on to have truly unfortunate falling-off-balcony accidents, sometimes several on the same day. A lot of clutzes there. In America, we are not supposed to use the federal government’s military assets for domestic policing. That’s why they don’t send the nuclear submarine Ticonderoga to your house to search for weed. We also don’t arrest people at all unless there is either an arrest warrant or the appropriate police witness a crime being committed. And if we detain you, we tell you who is doing the arresting and why. We read you your Miranda rights. Hell, we are even supposed to give you one phone call."

Aside from all the democracy-schmemocracy problems with this, it is extremely dangerous. You have to comply when the police arrest you. You are under no obligation to comply if a bunch of anonymous dudes with guns try to grab you off the street and cram you into the back of a Land Rover. Some people might legitimately be frightened and resist, and then, well…what could go wrong?

Trump, and his Twap Wigit Bill Barr have now promised to invade a number of other cities that don’t want them. It seems that they want to normalize this as they’ve normalized so many other gashes to the heart of our democracy. But is this really creeping “fascism”?. Well, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in DC has put out a list of 12 signs that a country is heading towards fascism. Look at this list and tell me which ones we are not currently experiencing.

• Powerful and continuing nationalism
• Disdain for human rights
• Identification of enemies as a unifying cause
• Rampant sexism
• Controlled mass media
• Obsession with national security
• Religion and government intertwined
• Corporate power protected
• Labor power suppressed
• Disdain for intellectuals and the arts
• Obsession with crime and punishment
• Rampant cronyism and corruption

There is a famous “Doomsday Clock” that tracks how close we are to nuclear war. During tense times we’ve gotten as close as three minutes to midnight. I am unaware of a “Fascism Clock”, but don’t be surprised if someday you see me with a version on Shark Tank. But I can only imagine if such a clock did exist, we would already be hearing the chimes. If we don’t stop this now, when will we?

Bernie warned his followers yesterday that "We are in a very dangerous moment in American history. Last month, as you'll recall, Trump had peaceful protestors outside of the White House in Washington, D.C. viciously attacked by federal agents who wore no identification. As we speak, in Portland, Oregon, federal agents in combat gear and unmarked vehicles are pulling protesters off the streets and jailing them without charges, despite opposition from local and state officials."

He is sounding the alarm that "What Trump and his allies are now doing is 'normalizing' the use of federal troops to patrol and make arrests of American citizens in communities throughout the country. Today it is Portland, Oregon. Tomorrow, Trump is suggesting it could be New York City, Chicago or Philadelphia. Next, your hometown. This is what a police state is all about."

Make no mistake about it: Donald Trump does not believe in democracy, our Constitution or the rule of law.

He is working aggressively to suppress the vote and, in the midst of this terrible pandemic, is vigorously opposing the right of citizens to vote by mail. He has ignored decisions of Congress, which is why he was impeached. He has contempt for a free press and has called the media 'an enemy of the people.' He has used his office for blatant personal and political gain, running the most corrupt administration in modern American history. He has ruptured our relationships with long-time democratic allies around the world while he embraces right-wing authoritarian leaders in Russia, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, the Philippines and elsewhere.

Yes. We must all come together to defeat Trump in November, but we must also act right NOW to stop the movement toward authoritarianism and a police state.

That is why I am introducing legislation with Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon which would greatly curtail the activities of federal military forces in our communities. This bill would limit their ability to conduct crowd control to properties immediately surrounding federal buildings without the invitation of the Governor and Mayor, require federal agents to wear visible IDs, and ban them from making arrests or detentions in unmarked vehicles.

...Too many Americans fought and died to defend American democracy to let President Trump move us even further in an authoritarian direction... Trump's strategy of hateful rhetoric and using a crisis to seize more power is nothing new. It has been used by authoritarian leaders throughout history. Our job NOW is to stand together, fight back, and stop the movement toward authoritarianism and a police state.

Blue America is a citizen's organization co-sponsor of Jeff Merkley's petition to let Trump know Authoritarianism has no place in America. "Trump," wrote Merkley "would rather be a tinpot dictator than the president of a democratic republic. His Department of Homeland Security is using unmarked paramilitary forces to patrol the streets of Portland, Oregon. In recent days, those federal agents have attacked protestors and grabbed people off the streets into unmarked vans. This is unacceptable and it must change." His petition outlines 4 demands:

• We must require federal agents and the agency they work for to be clearly identifiable.
• We must prohibit the federal misuse of unmarked vehicles.
• We must prohibit federal agents from patrolling city streets, outside of federal property, unless invited to do so by local authorities.
• We must require agencies to disclose how many personnel have been deployed and for what mission when they’re sent into our cities.

Congress must prohibit these police state tactics. The American people must speak out. You can make your voice heard-- in a manner of speaking-- by signing here.

The next fascist might not be as incompetent

Jamie Raskin offered a piece of legislation that would prevent any president of pardoning himself for criminal activities. "We've never had a president attempt to pardon himself," said Raskin, Maryland's best member of Congress and a constitutional law expert, "and no president has ever come close to that point, but with Donald Trump all things are possible, and we want to make it completely clear that our understanding of the Constitution is that it does not include the possibility of the President pardoning himself."

Guest Post From Oregon By Senator Jeff Merkley

I was on David Feldman's radio show the other day and he was very distraught because of the sudden death of his close friend Michael Brooks. Feldman seemed ready to, alternatively, explode with rage and break down sobbing. We're all a little stressed out-- between the pandemic and Trump. Anyway, he and I got to talking about Trump's recent lurch towards fascism and his threat to democracy itself. Feldman challenged me to name a Democratic senator who would stand up and look the Republicans in the eye and put it all on the line. I don't think I hesitated for a nano-second: "Jeff Merkley," I said. There are others-- Elizabeth Warren, Bernie, Brian Schatz, Mazie Hirono, Tammy Baldwin... But Merkley's name was the first that came to mind. He's a working class guy who never forgot whose interests he represents.

Blue America is joining forces with Senator Merkley and others to demand that Trump stop sending secret police forces to patrol our cities. And we're calling on Congress to prohibit these secret police tactics. Will you join us?


We face a grave threat to our democracy
-by Jeff Merkley

Sen. Jeff Merkley here from Oregon. Over the last several nights, the people of Portland have watched unmarked paramilitary forces invade our streets, attack protesters, and grab people off the streets into unmarked vans.

This is a grave threat to our democracy.

Trump’s Department of Homeland Security is using secret police to patrol the streets of my hometown and now he’s threatening to do it in other cities across America.

Congress must prohibit these police state tactics. They are a direct threat to our Constitution and our Democratic Republic. I have introduced legislation-- including an amendment to the defense authorization bill-- to stop these secret police tactics. No president should be sending secret police to patrol streets in America, especially when local authorities have asked them to stand down.

I will stand up and make sure that my colleagues in Congress know what’s at stake and how many Americans are standing with us. This is the stuff of anti-democratic nightmares. We must fight back. I hope you’ll join me.

---------------


I asked some of the candidates who have been endorsed by Blue America to take a look at the petition and sign it if they liked what Merkley is trying to accomplish. They did and they do.

Few candidates running for Congress anywhere know about abuse of the judicial system as thoroughly and as up close as Nashville's Keeda Haynes, who was unjustly imprisoned for 6 years right out of college. Now she's a public defender and after signing Merkley's petition, told me that "What is happening in Oregon is an obscene abuse of power. Protestors exercising their constitutional rights are being kidnapped by unidentifiable agents sent by unchecked members of Trump’s administration. This is just another stepping stone to fascism and something must be done about it."

Eva Putzova, the former Flagstaff city council member and progressive candidate for Congress in Arizona stated flatly that "Every American, especially members of Congress, should support Senator Merkley's petition demanding that unidentified, unaccountable  federal agents cease from operating in American cities without being invited by local authorities. Trump's fascist legions have no place under our constitution and the rule of law.”

Kathy Ellis is in a long shot bid to replace Trump enabler Jason Smith in southeast Missouri. She also signed Merkley's petition and told me that "The totalitarian regime of Donald Trump is moving into full force. By sending his ‘federal’ defense force into Portland and threatening to move others into other cities, he is preparing for complete control. Tell your Senators and Representatives To stand up to this threat and to demand the removal of Trump’s personal militia."

Julie Oliver is running for a congressional seat held by Roger Williams, one of the pig who accosted AOC on the steps of Congress Tuesday. After signing Merkley's petition, she told me that "In Texas, we're all too familiar with how unaccountable DHS has become. We need dismantle ICE, re-assign ICE's interior enforcement operations to other departments, and conduct a thorough investigation of ICE, CBP & DHS in the role not just into the disappearing of peaceful protesters in American cities, but also into the role they have played in the disastrous and harmful family separation policies carried out by the Trump administration in Texas. The result of Congress' abdication in its duty to oppose unconstitutional, suspicionless surveillance programs that violate Americans' privacy and re-enforce discrimination without keeping us safe is a CBP and DHS that abuses its authority with no accountability. We have to hold DHS accountable.

Cathy Kunkel, another candidate who embraced the petition, is running in West Virginia for a House seat held by Trump handmaiden Alex Mooney. "Unidentified federal officers snatching people off the street into unmarked vans," she said, "sounds more like a military dictatorship than American democracy. We should all be alarmed by this threat to our civil liberties and right to peaceful protest."

Liam O'Mara is a history professor and a congressional candidate in Riverside County, California. "This is a call to action for all Americans," he said... "or it should be. That so many people are justifying gestapo tactics simply due to political difference infuriates me. The First Amendment does not apply only to people with whom you agree. And there are severe Constitutional issues here, with unidentified federal agents snatching people off the street without the go-ahead from state and local authorities. The agency used for this action should have had no authority to do it, but technical arguments get us no-where. We need instead to push back hard, because bad precedent is how we got to this imperial presidency in the first place. If we tolerate this action, one more piece of our democracy dies, permanently. If they can round people up in Portland, they can do it anywhere, and to anyone. And that's not the America for which our Founders fought and died.

Bob Lynch isn't running for Congress; he's running for the state legislature in Miami-Date County, for a seat held be a knee-jerk Trumpist. Bob signed and told me that "Many of the people in my district fled their Home countries because of unmarked paramilitary death squads kidnapping their family members off of the streets.  While it may often feel like a third world country down here in Miami because of the brazen corruption and sheer incompetence of our Republican government, this is still the United States of America.  A federal judge, who was investigating child sex trafficking by the President’s friends, who he just wished well on public tv, just had her son and husband shot. If they wanted to shoot her too, they would have. But they didn’t, because they wanted to send a message that wasn’t received. So we will send one back. The Republican Party has already chosen to abdicate all sense of patriotism to sell out our country to the lowest foreign bidders. This is no longer a joke or a game.  Luckily myself, Nikki Fried, Janelle Christensen, Dr Ferguson Reid Junior, Matt Rogers, Margie Stein, Peter Hoffman, and over 40 fearless candidates we helped recruit and fund to run here in Florida know exactly what the stakes are and we will conduct ourselves accordingly. Everyone else should too."

Trump Continues To Roil Congressional Republicans-- One Gets Ready For Prison, While Another Announces Retirement

Trump with his favorite House Republican, Chris Collins

It was always just a matter of time. Chris Collins really had no viable defense. He was caught in multiple violations of insider trading statutes. The only reason it took so long (around 14 months since he was arrested) for him to resign is that he was using his seat as a bargaining chip with federal prosectors for lighter charges and a lighter sentence. Yesterday it all came together, beginning with a resignation from Congress, triggering a special election.

As the progressive Democrat who nearly beat him last cycle, Nate McMurray, said this morning, "The real victims of Collins' crimes are the people of his district that he repeatedly lied to about his guilt. Collins and Republican party insiders robbed his constituents of the representation they need on important issues like the rising cost of healthcare, the opioid epidemic, and the fight for good paying jobs. They all failed us, so I’m going to keep talking about the critical issues Western New Yorkers face every day, because that’s what public service should be about, working to make other people’s lives just a little bit better."

Jerry Zremski, the Buffalo News Collins beat reporter, wrote about the choreography early yesterday. Collins resigned yesterday and will plead guilty at 3pm today. "A new court filing in the case," wrote Zremski, "filed in federal court in Manhattan, shows that U.S. District Court Judge Vernon S. Broderick scheduled a court hearing where Collins-- who had pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him-- will change his plea. Moments after that docket entry was filed, a second appeared, indicating that Collins' co-defendants-- his son Cameron Collins and Cameron Collins' prospective father-in-law, Stephen Zarsky-- plan to change their not-guilty pleas as well. A hearing in their case is set for Thursday."

Normally the way crooked congressmen are handled is that the prosecutor makes a deal to let the relatives off easy in return for a resignation from Congress, which, if the judges agree-- which they almost always do-- also results in a much lighter sentence, particularly for white crooked members of Congress.

Collins, his son and Zarsky are charged with securities and wire fraud, conspiracy and lying to the FBI. They were arrested in August 2018 in connection with an alleged insider trading scheme involving Innate Immunotherapeutics, an Australian biotech.

Collins, a Clarence Republican, served on Innate's board for years. Prosecutors said that while at a White House picnic in June 2017, he got inside information that the company's only product, an experimental drug for multiple sclerosis, had failed in clinical trials.

Prosecutors say Collins then called his son, who started dumping his shares of Innate stock the next day. The indictment charges Cameron Collins with then sharing that inside information with Zarsky.

Collins also told several other Republican members of Congress the news and the insider trading was part of why former Georgia Congressman Tom Price, Trump's Health and Human Services Secretary, resigned in return for not being prosecuted for that and several other instances of criminal behavior. Never charged for insider trading with 4 other crooked Republicans in the House-- Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Billy Long (R-MO), Mike Conaway (R-TX) and John Culberson (R-TX)-- defeated for reelection soon after-- all of whom bought shares in Innate Immuno at Collins' suggestion.

Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced the Ban Conflicted Trading Act in response to the Collins scandal but it was unpopular among crooks on both sides of the aisle and never went anywhere. Imagine prohibiting members of Congress from abusing their public positions for personal financial gain! No, no, no... certainly not with Moscow Mitch running the Senate. The Ban Conflicted Trading Act would prohibit members of Congress and senior congressional staff from buying or selling individual stocks and other investments while in office and force new members to sell individual holdings within six months of being elected. Alternatively, members of Congress would be allowed to choose to hold existing investments while in office-- with no option for trading until they leave office--  or transfer them to a blind trust. Members of Congress would still be allowed to hold widely-held investments, such as diversified mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. In addition, the legislation would prohibit members of Congress from serving on any corporate boards while in office.

AOC & Nate McMurray both want to clean up corruption in DC-- for real

I'd like to recommend helping Nate McMurray take on whomever the GOP throws up against him. So far all the likely candidates appear as bad as Collins. Just click this 2020 congressional thermometer on the right and then hit the link on the right that says: "Click here to allocate amounts differently or view all recipients." Remember, Collins was the first member of Congress to endorse Trump. Makes sense, right? Criminal thugs are attracted to each other. The third member of that three-some is Duncan Hunter (R-CA), who was nabbed around the same time as Collins was and is also trying to get a good deal for a plea and refuses to give up his House seat until he gets good terms. He sometimes argues that it was he, not Collins, who actually endorsed Trump first!

In more congressional news, the Texodus continues.Yesterday Mac Thornberry, ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee, announced that he won't be running for reelection. TX-13 though is one of the reddest districts in the country. Hillary couldn't even squeeze 20% of the votes out this place, which includes all or part of 40 counties, each which Thornberry won. Not even one county was close. Last cycle he won with 81.5% The PVI is R+33, but one of the counties, King performed as an R+94! The district is very rural and the two locations that pass for cities are Amarillo and Wichita Falls. If an anti-red tidal wave were to sweep over Texas in 2020, TX-13 would still remain in Republican hands. The local Democratic Party needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.

Guest Post By Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)-- Dump Trump, Ditch Mitch, Save America!

We first met Jeff when he was still Speaker of the Oregon House, a progressive through and through and a staunch champion for working families. We've supported him in his successful election and reelection efforts for the U.S. Senate and this cycle is no different. Jeff is spending much of his energy on campaigning to win the Senate back from the Republicans and turning McConnell out at the same time Trump is turned out. Below is a guest post he penned for Blue America. Please give it a read and consider contributing to Jeff on the ActBlue 2020 Senate campaign below. -HK

One more thing before we get to Jeff's guest post. Betsy Sweet is the progressive running for the U.S. Senate seat in Maine held by Susan Collins (R). She's a big admirer of the way Senator Merkley goes about his job. "The thing about Jeff," she told me today, "is that he's absolutely fearless. Whether facing corporate polluters' destruction of our planet, the NRA's attacks on our communities, Mitch McConnell's desecration of the Senate, or Donald Trump's abuse of migrant children, he stands his ground-- our ground, really-- in defense of progressive principles. I'm looking forward to fighting alongside him in the Senate."


Gun safety reforms. Election security. Net Neutrality. Voting rights. The House has passed all sorts of bills that the American people overwhelmingly support, yet they’re dead on arrival when they get to the Senate. As awful as Donald Trump is, he’s not solely responsible for our terrible state of politics today, and getting rid of him won’t alone fix what ails America. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has broken the Senate and he’s breaking America. He needs to be fired.

I grew up in a blue collar family. My dad was a union mechanic and I was the first in my family to go to college. According to family lore, my grandmother lived for a time in a boxcar. One generation later, my parents were homeowners on my dad’s income. The next generation, I’m a U.S. Senator. Here’s the thing: I still live in that same working class neighborhood, but my neighbors don’t have those kinds of opportunities to get ahead that my family and I had. It’s not because they’ve changed. It’s because America has changed.

The great vision of this country-- one we certainly have never fully lived up to, but that has been our motivating goal-- is providing opportunity for everyone, no matter which side of the railroad tracks they live on, where they come from, or what they look like. But with the help of people like Mitch McConnell, the super-rich have systematically rigged our economy and our democracy so that the huge corporations and the people who run them do very well, and everyone else struggles.

Instead of giving working people a chance, McConnell’s government gives giant tax cuts to the wealthiest, tries to take away working Americans’ health care and reproductive rights, and aims to cut Social Security, Medicare, housing, and education. Instead of addressing big problems that face our kids like climate chaos, the polluters get free rein. Then McConnell’s party systematically blocks African Americans and others from voting with restrictions we left behind with Jim Crow, and he practically invites Russia to hack our democracy again, because he knows Republicans’ best chance at winning elections is making sure they’re not fair. McConnell has time and again shredded our institutions to rig the system, going so far as to steal a Supreme Court seat.

We must fight back. We know the way to fix this country is a blue wave, a grassroots tsunami to overwhelm the special interests’ money and manipulation. When we come together across race and religion and geography to stand up for our values, the American people have accomplished great things and we can do it again. We have to elect a new president, hold the House, win a bunch of statehouses, and we must take back the Senate in 2020 and fire Mitch McConnell as majority leader. We have to be all in and we have to fight like hell. To put it bluntly, we are in a battle for the soul of our nation and we have to win.

Will you join me in this fight?

Pelosi's Drug Pricing Plan Is Weak And Likely To Get Weaker Before It Ever Passes... If It Ever Passes

Pelosi's long-awaited drug-pricing plan was finally made public yesterday. Key non-policy top-lines:

• Republicans immediately started calling it "socialist" before reading it
• Progressives have noted that it's quite a bit less than what was promised
• Moscow Mitch butt-boy John Thune (R-ND) said it will be dead on arrival if it passes the House this fall.

The fairly weak plan-- albeit just as hated by the GOP and Big Pharma as a real plan would be-- gives Medicare the job of negotiating prices on 25 (instead of 250) commonly used drugs. By targeting only the most commonly used drugs, Pelosi-- who should be fired by San Francisco voters in 2020-- is purposely leaving people who take less common drugs, out to dry, especially since those are the drugs that are usually prohibitively expensive. (McConnell said if Pelosi's plan passes the House he will refuse to allow a vote on it in the Senate. "Socialist price controls," he lisped, "will do a lot of left-wing damage to the healthcare system. And of course we’re not going to be calling up a bill like that.")

The corrupt conservative New Dems, who are in part financed by the pharmaceutical companies, are siding with Trump to water down all proposals as much as possible. That would have been a good reason to strat the process with a really strong proposal, like Lloyd Doggett's, rather than a sad little puny plan like Pelosi's. If if Republicans and their New Dem allies watered down Doggett's plan, it would probably still be better than the pablum Pelosi came up with. Pelosi put herself in a position where any compromises at all will result in a completely meaningless bill that does virtually nothing, the goal of the Republicans and Big PhRMA.

The main thrust of the plan will allow Medicare to negotiate lower prices on as many as 250 of the most expensive drugs, including insulin, per year and apply those discounts to private health plans across the U.S, according to a legislative summary distributed to lawmakers.

The plan will also establish an international pricing index that is supposed to bring drug prices in line with what other nations pay and penalize pharmaceuticals companies that refuse to negotiate with the government or fail to reach any drug pricing agreement. The penalty will start at 65% of the gross sales of the drug in question and increase by 10% each quarter the manufacturer doesn’t reach an agreement, according to the summary.

Pelosi’s proposal also will:

• penalize pharmaceutical companies that raise the price of their drugs faster than inflation
• create an out-of-pocket maximum of $2,000 for Medicare beneficiaries
• and reinvest savings from negotiated prices on finding new treatments at NIH.

Bernie's platform is what Congress should be looking at, rather than Pelosi's pre-compromised plan. Bernie:

The giant pharmaceutical and health insurance lobbies have spent billions of dollars over the past decades to ensure that their profits come before the health of the American people. We must defeat them, together. That means:

• Joining every other major country on Earth and guaranteeing health care to all people as a right, not a privilege, through a Medicare-for-all, single-payer program.

And to lower the prices of prescription drugs now, we need to:

• Allow Medicare to negotiate with the big drug companies to lower prescription drug prices with the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Act.
• Allow patients, pharmacists, and wholesalers to buy low-cost prescription drugs from Canada and other industrialized countries with the Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act.
• Cut prescription drug prices in half, with the Prescription Drug Price Relief Act, by pegging prices to the median drug price in five major countries: Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan.

Why should Democrats in Congress compromise with the pharmaceutical industry, the way Pelosi is doing? On Wednesday, Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley made a case for giving them some rough treatment. "Purdue Pharma had a big plan," he wrote. Hook people on opioids like OxyContin. Lean on groups like the World Health Organization to look the other way. And then turn their backs on the victims when people became addicted and started dying. That's the opioid crisis in America and it's a signal that health care in our country is in grave danger." It's a multi-pronged assault:

• Companies like Purdue get people hooked on their drugs, then try to weasel out of responsibility for a crisis they helped cause.
• Other drug companies develop life-saving medications, but then jack up the prices and hold patients hostage to their profits.
• They bankroll Republican campaigns, funding people who promise to cut regulations on health care and protect Big Pharma.
• Industry executives, lobbyists, and insiders are appointed to major positions of power, who spend their days undermining our health care system.

"Americans can't afford for Big Pharma to call the shots anymore. I've proposed solutions like barring them from gouging Americans with prices far higher than they charge in other countries, and making them pay for an opioid treatment surge."

He then called on Americans to "help hold Big Pharma accountable for what they've done" and suggests electing Democrats in 2020 is how we do that. I understand where he's coming from, but electing Democrats who kowtow to Big Pharma and Wall Street doesn't sound like a very good idea to me. In his own state, one of the worst corporate whores in Congress, Blue Dog Kurt Schrader, is being challenged by Milwaukie mayor Mark Gamba. "The Pharmaceutical industry in America has been allowed prey on Americans for decades now," Gamba told us this morning. "This latest revelation regarding opioids, and the industry’s active participation in addicting Americans in their moment of suffering is in keeping with their long standing attitude of wringing as much profit out of people during their time of illness as possible. They do so, often, regardless of the actual efficacy or detrimental side effects involved. They also have no qualms about jacking up prices to bankruptcy inducing levels for critical life saving drugs. As Americans we pay dramatically higher prices for the same drug that people in other countries are using. Just google 'insulin price comparisons worldwide' if you want hard numbers. This means that often Americans go without their life saving drugs, and they die. When I’m elected, one of my top priorities will be to pass H.R. 1384 the House version of the Medicare for All act so that prescription drug prices are negotiated, just like they are in most of the rest of the world. It is high time that our entire medical system be focused on providing the best care possible, for all the people, at a reduced cost."

The thermometer above is for 2020 congressional candidates-- like Mark Gamba-- who are running Medicare-For-All-powered election campaigns, campaigns that aren't just passively in support of single payer but are actively talking with voters about it. Please click on it and give what you can.

Blue America Has Endorsed Just One Senate Candidate So Far This Cycle: Jeff Merkley Of Oregon

Digby, John and I first met Jeff Merkley when he was Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives. We worked hard to help him win his first Senate race and he's never disappointed us since. A few days ago I was speaking to him about a privacy bill he's working on regarding airlines spying on passengers and I was so inspired by some of the unrelated things he told me that I asked him to write a guest post, which you can read below.

Jeff is one of the few members of the Senate who puts his constituents and the American people first-- even before his own career. That has a lot to do with why we have endorsed him for re-election and why we feel good asking Blue America members to chip in for his re-election campaign. He's also working hard to help elect more senators who will be part of the team that defeats Mitch McConnell's decision to take on the role of the Grim Reaper and turn the Senate into a graveyard for the progressive ideas, the ideas that have always motivated Jeff's political career. Please read Jeff's guest post and, if you can, please consider contributing to his campaign by clicking on the Blue America Senate thermometer on the right. And, rest assured, we have every intention of finding and helping more Senate candidates this cycle. 


Climate Crisis, Opportunity Crisis, Democracy Crisis
-by Jeff Merkley

My story is the story of the American dream. I was the first in my family to go to college. My dad was a union machinist and on his modest income, we had enough money to buy a home and go on summer camping trips. I still live in the same blue collar neighborhood, but today, many families just like mine don't have the opportunities that I had growing up. It's not because they're different. It's because America is different.

Instead of a country that gives everyone a chance-- or aspires to that ideal anyway-- the privileged and powerful have rigged our political system and our economy. Instead of pulling together to meet big challenges and build a better future for those who follow us, a new generation of robber barons is looting our nation's wealth and mortgaging the future. And they've left us facing three great crises that threaten America.

We have a climate crisis. From longer wildfire seasons in the West to extreme flooding in the heartland, to killer hurricanes in the east, climate chaos threatens our very way of life. We must take bold action that matches the threat we face. I'm 100 percent dedicated to this fight. I was the first Senator to introduce a plan to end all burning of fossil fuels and have led the movement to Keep it in the Ground. We need a Green New Deal to rise to this challenge and save our planet and our way of life.

We have an opportunity crisis. I bet you've noticed how the costs of the most expensive and important things to any family-- housing, education, and health care-- keep spiraling up. But wages don't. The fact is, our economy has been designed by the wealthy and powerful to make them wealthier and more powerful. But those foundations for working families to thrive-- affordable health care and housing, a good education, and a living wage job-- slide a little further out of reach for most people. Instead of giving giant tax breaks to the corporations and wealthy, we need a major reinvestment in the things that matter and make a positive difference in most people's lives.

And we have a democracy crisis. There has been a systematic attack on democracy in America, not just by Russia, but by the super-wealthy and special interests, who have systematically undermined the "We the People" vision of our Constitution with gerrymandering, huge infusions of dark money, and rampant voter suppression. We need to pass the For the People Act that has passed the House and that Senator Tom Udall and I introduced in the Senate, a comprehensive campaign finance and ethics reform package that would help end the stranglehold special interests have on our government. But we should go further and do away with the electoral college and give full voting rights to DC, Puerto Rico and the territories.

If we're going to tackle the three big crises before us, we need the right person in the White House for sure, but that's not enough. We also need a Senate ready to be a full partner. That's why I decided not to run for president and instead run for reelection to the Senate. If we're going to rise to the occasion and meet the crises at our doorstep, we need to be ready to govern in 2021. That means winning the Senate, and fixing the Senate so Mitch McConnell can't do to the next president what he did to Barack Obama.

We've got big battles ahead. The other side has tons of money and has rigged the rules. But if there's one thing I've learned from a lifetime of improbable victories, it's that you can't win if you don't get on the battlefield. Our strength is in our numbers, our passion, and those first three words of the Constitution, so important that they were written in oversize print: We the People. I know that, to paraphrase Bobby Kennedy, our movement can create a blue wave so mighty that it will sweep away the walls of oppression and exploitation. But only if we join together to make it happen. So thank you to Blue America, not just for the endorsement, which I'm honored to receive, but for making your voices heard about the critical issues facing us. Together, we have the power and we have the votes. Let's take back the Senate. Let's take back the White House. Let's restore our "We the People" democracy and bring back basic human decency to the Oval Office.

How Long Before All TVs Come With Embedded Cameras So Big Bro Can Watch Us-- For Our Own Safety, Of Course?

At one point, a couple decades ago, some of the high-end airlines introduced a privacy feature for first class travelers: enclosed cabins. A flight attendant could stand oh his or her toes and took over the wall, but otherwise you could do whatever you wanted in privacy. Apparently, too many people did and they seem to have abolished them. Now it looks like they're introducing the opposite: tiny cameras that can watch you during the flight. Do you think that's a little intrusive? You're watching a move and "someone" is watching you-- an airline employee? a government entity?

Last month, CNN reported that Singapore admits they have embedded cameras in their newer inflight entertainment systems but claim they're deactivated. "Deactivated?" Why are they there then-- in order to be activated next week or the week after?

The fact that some aircraft seats have built-in cameras is not new knowledge.

Singapore Airlines' inflight entertainment system is manufactured by Panasonic Avionics, a US-based company that supplies IFE for many of the major airlines and French company Thales. Panasonic announced a while back that it's added cameras onto seat backs.

And in 2017, Panasonic Avionics announced a partnership with Tascent-- a biometrics and identity innovation company.

"The companies will combine Tascent's biometric identity devices, software and services with Panasonic Avionic Corporation's in-flight entertainment and communications systems to provide streamlined, easy-to-use identity recognition before departure, during flight and upon arrival," read the corresponding press release.

The idea was seat-back cameras could facilitate onboard immigration, skipping lines when you land. It was also suggested that a seat-back camera could aid payment processing for onboard shopping.

At the 2017 Dubai Airshow, Panasonic Avionics announced the latest incarnation of Emirates' IFE in First Class and Economy-- specifying it featured a camera, plus a microphone and speaker.

In the age of the smartphone, everyone holds a tiny cinema in their hand, so there's certainly an expectation that airlines will have exciting entertainment options-- a screen simply showing movies won't cut it anymore.

But has Emirates ever done anything with its on-board cameras?

"Some of our 777 aircraft have cameras that came pre-installed with the inflight entertainment hardware that we had purchased from the manufacturer (Panasonic)," a spokeperson for the Dubai-based airline told CNN Travel. "It was originally meant for seat-to-seat video calls, however Emirates has never activated it."

This echoes Singapore Airlines' comment on the issue.

"These cameras have been intended by the manufacturers for future developments," the airline says. "These cameras are permanently disabled on our aircraft and cannot be activated on board. We have no plans to enable or develop any features using the cameras."

Meanwhile, American Airlines told CNN Travel that cameras are "a standard feature," but are not activated and the carrier has no plans to use them.

A spokesperson for Aussie carrier Qantas also told CNN Travel that IFE manufacturers include inbuilt cameras as standard-- and said the airline couldn't activate the cameras, even if they wanted to.

"The feature would require software in order to be activated, which Qantas doesn't have and doesn't plan to install."

Air New Zealand and British Airways told CNN Travel there were no cameras on board any of their aircraft.

Two images obtained by CNN Travel of an IFE system on a British Airways airplane depict what looks like a lens of some kind. BA describes it as an infrared environmental sensor rather than a camera.

But are airplane seat cameras a bad idea? Some aviation experts think they could improve the onboard, inflight experience.

Joe Leader, CEO of aviation trade body Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) think there's several handy usages for these cameras.

As well as facilitating video chat between passengers, the cameras could look out for passengers becoming unwell or monitor cabins for suspicious behavior.

The cameras could also be used to spot human trafficking or assault-- acting as an extension of the air steward's eyes.

As for the privacy concern, APEX points out the ubiquity of cameras in 21st century society.

"Today, airline passengers are typically tracked outside the aircraft dozens of times on a typical journey through stores, security, roadways, and airports by cameras without any permission," APEX says in a statement.

"In contrast, airlines only want to use cameras in the future with permission when technology has advanced to offer personalized service improvements that passengers desire."

Hacking fears, suggests APEX, are "misplaced."

"The greatest risk to airline passenger privacy breaches come from their own smartphones, tablets, cameras, computers, and smart devices used in private settings, " says APEX.

The concern for some fliers is that even if the existence of these seat-back cameras aren't a secret-- and even if they could facilitate some cool features-- it feels disingenuous that their presence isn't advertised.

When contacted by CNN Travel, Panasonic Avionics stressed that it was committed to the privacy of passengers.

"Panasonic Avionics will never activate any feature or functionality within an IFE system without explicit direction from an airline customer," the company said in a statement to CNN.

"Prior to the use of any camera on a Panasonic Avionics' system that would affect passenger privacy, Panasonic Avionics would work closely with its airline customer to educate passengers about how the system works and to certify compliance with all appropriate privacy laws and regulations, such as [The EU's data privacy regulation] GDPR."

But although Panasonic Avionics and the airlines say the cameras are currently deactivated-- they're not physically covered up and passengers remain worried about hacking.

These systems are expensive and they're not just there so they could be not used. The airlines should stop bullshitting their customers for a change. One consumer advocacy group pointed out that "Air travel is already fraught with ineffective and invasive breaches of our personal privacy. But now the airlines themselves have gone even further with cameras and microphones pointed at passengers as they watch movies, eat snacks, or just sleep. And the implications of in-flight cameras are even bigger than the discomfort of the airline watching you sleep on a red-eye. It’s still unknown to what extent the federal government could be able to acquire that data, without a warrant or probable cause, or process the camera footage through faulty facial recognition programs that misidentify women and people of color."

I'm old enough to remember when flying was a treat. That was a long, long, long time ago. Are you thinking I'm being too alarmist here? If so, take a look at this. "German Chancellor Angela Merkel has introduced a bill that would allow German spy agencies to hack into nearly any computer and conduct espionage on a wide swath of citizens and foreigners. Drawn up by Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, the bill greatly expands the espionage powers of Germany’s intelligence service, the bnd. Although Seehofer has been notorious for opposing the chancellor on many occasions, he seems to have persuaded her to support this latest bill. This time, opposition is coming from Merkel’s coalition ally, the Social Democratic Party (spd). The spd justice minister has expressed outrage at one clause in particular, which would allow spies to collect information on children under 14 years old. The justification for this clause rests on the 2016 case of a 12-year-old who was involved in a plot to bomb a Christmas market.

Many Germans are critical of the bill. “This amounts to a massive extension of intrusive surveillance,” said Sven Herpig, a researcher from the New Responsibility Foundation. Germany’s Left Party also condemned the bill, calling it a “catalogue of Orwellian fantasies.”

In the recent past, however, many similar “fantasies” have become reality.

In 2017, Germany proposed an “unprecedented spate of new surveillance and security laws.” Most of these were passed and are in force today, yet they are rarely discussed.

The biggest concern is currently the government’s State Trojan spyware law. This allows government spyware to be covertly installed on a target’s mobile phone. The spyware can lie dormant for a set period of time, remaining undetected for years, before being activated to collect data on the user’s calls, chats and Internet activity. And this isn’t limited to phones; the spyware can also be used to spy on people through smart devices, like speakers or fridges that can connect to the Internet, greatly infringing upon privacy rights.

Before the State Trojan law was passed, only the federal Criminal Office had the power to employ this method of espionage. Now this power is in the hands of the state itself.

The new law also grants permission for the bnd to use this spyware against foreigners. Both the Criminal Office and bnd have expressed a desire to “cooperate more effectively against ‘transnational’ threats, such as terrorism and organized crime.”

Airlines in Germany are bound to collect and retain the contact details of their passengers, means of booking, payment, and even seat choice, for up to five years. Although presented as an EU requirement, critics have said that this law goes well beyond what is required by Brussels.

Other laws passed in 2017 regulate increased video surveillance of public areas and more detailed research into the background of migrants, both of which came in the aftermath of the 2016 Christmas market terrorist attacks.

Last month, Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and John Kennedy (R-LA) sent a joint letter to Delta, Southwest, Frontier, United, Spirit, American, JetBlue, and Alaska, noting their concern about a possible "serious breach of privacy."

While Americans have an expectation that they are monitored in airports as a necessary security measure, the notion that in-flight cameras may monitor passengers while they sleep, eat, or have private conversations is troubling. Further, in light of data breaches that have impacted many major airlines, we have misgivings that cameras or sensors may not employ the necessary security measures to prevent them from being targeted by cybercriminals

For these reasons, we respectfully request that the following information be provided regarding the cameras on in-flight entertainment systems:

1- Does your airline currently use, or has ever used, cameras or sensors to monitor passengers;

2- If yes, what purpose do the cameras serve and in what circumstances may the cameras be activated;

3- If you have or currently do utilize cameras or sensors to monitor passengers, please provide details on how passengers are informed of this practice;

4- Please provide comprehensive data on the number of cameras and sensors used by your fleet, and the type of information that is collected or recorded, how it is stored, and who within your airline is responsible for the review and safekeeping of this information;

5- Further to the above, please confirm what security measures you have in place to prevent data breaches of this information, or hacking of the cameras themselves; and

6- Are the cameras used in any biometric identity capacity, and if so, under what authority?

We look forward to learning more about these practices and request a response within 30 days.

Xenophobia May Be Hard To Spell, But It's Easy To See-- Especially When Jeff Merkley Put Out A Secret Trump Regime Document

Pew released a new poll yesterday. One of the findings was that most voters say they don't believe what Trump says and that they're not confident officials in his administration are ethical. Just 39% are-- far fewer than for Reagan's (67%), George H.W. Bush's (59%), Clinton's (45%), George W. Bush's (44%) or Obama's (49%). "Views of the ethical standards of top Trump administration officials remain at record lows compared with previous administrations dating back to the 1980s. Overall, 39% rate the ethical standards of top Trump administration officials as either excellent (7%) or good (32%). A much greater share describes them as either not good (20%) or poor (39%). These ratings are about the same as they were in May 2018." They're probably going to go even lower.

In a press release yesterday, Jeff Merkley formally requested that FBI Director Christopher Wray open a perjury investigation into Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, after new documents show that Nielsen lied in sworn testimony to Congress about the administration’s family separation policy. A previously-undisclosed administration memo, which Merkley released publicly yesterday, shows explicitly that high-level administration officials worked to create a new policy to "separate family units." Yet in sworn testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Nielsen stated explicitly that the administration did not have a family separation policy. From Merkley's letter to Wray:

The FBI has previously indicated that the Department of Justice requires a formal criminal referral from Congress to initiate an investigation concerning Congressional testimony. I write today to execute such a criminal referral. Compelling new evidence has emerged revealing that high-level Department of Homeland Security officials were secretly and actively developing a new policy and legal framework for separating families as far back as December 2017.

Despite this fact, while testifying under oath before the House Committee on the Judiciary, Secretary Nielsen stated unequivocally "I'm not a liar, we've never had a policy for family separation," In light of these conflicting facts, the FBI should immediately investigate whether Secretary Nielsen’s statements violate 18 U.S. Code § 1621, 18 U.S.C § 1001, or any other relevant federal statutes that prohibit perjury and false statements to Congress.

If you didn't watch the Chris Hayes interview with Jeff Merkley Thursday (up top), please do now. Although here's how evening news reports handled it Friday. This is from radio station KOIN, the CBS affiliate in Portland, Oregon:



The NBC News report by Julia Ainsley pointed out that "Trump administration officials weighed speeding up the deportation of migrant children by denying them their legal right to asylum hearings after separating them from their parents, according to comments on a late 2017 draft of what became the administration's family separation policy obtained by NBC News. The draft also shows officials wanted to specifically target parents in migrant families for increased prosecutions, contradicting the administration's previous statements. In June, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said the administration did "not have a policy of separating families at the border" but was simply enforcing existing law."

The draft plan was provided to NBC News by the office of Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) which says it was leaked by a government whistleblower.

In the draft memo, called "Policy Options to Respond to Border Surge of Illegal Immigration" and dated Dec. 16, 2017, officials from the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security lay out a blueprint of options, some of which were later implemented and others that have not yet been put into effect.

At the time, the number of undocumented immigrants seeking to cross the southern border was near historic monthly lows: 40,519 in December 2017, compared to 58,379 the same month the year prior.

The document was circulated between high level officials at DHS and the Justice Department, at least one of whom was instrumental in writing the first iteration of the administration's travel ban.

The plan, and the comments written in the margins, provide a window into the policy discussion thinking at the time, how far officials were willing to go to deter families seeking asylum and what they may still be considering.

In one comment, the Justice Department official suggests that Customs and Border Protection could see that children who have been separated from their parents would be denied an asylum hearing before an immigration judge, which is typically awarded to children who arrive at the border alone.

Instead, the entire family would be given an order of "expedited removal" and then separated, placing the child in the care of HHS in U.S. Marshall's custody while both await deportation.

"If CBP issues an ER [expedited removal] for the entire family unit, places the parents in the custody of the U.S. Marshal, and then places the minors with HHS, it would seem that DHS could work with HHS to actually repatriate [deport] the minors then," the official wrote.

"It would take coordination with the home countries, of course, but that doesn't seem like too much of a cost to pay compared to the status quo."

It is unclear from the official's comment whether the government planned on reunifying children with their parents before they were deported.

"It appears that they wanted to have it both ways-- to separate children from their parents but deny them the full protections generally awarded to unaccompanied children," said Lee Gelernt, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union who led the class action suit on behalf of migrant parents who had been separated from their children.

A DHS official told NBC News on the condition of anonymity because the department does not comment on pre-decisional documents that the draft's authors' intent was to enable agencies to reunify families after they were separated for prosecution.

But the draft and comments do not mention plans to reunify.

The Inspector General for Health and Human Services released a report on Thursday that said "thousands" of children were separated under the Trump administration during an influx in separations that began in the summer of 2017, before the zero tolerance policy. Whether those children were reunited with their parents is unknown, the report said.

...When the administration began separating immigrant families under the "zero tolerance" policy in May 2018, it held children in the custody of HHS until they could be placed with a sponsor to await an asylum hearing. Zero tolerance never placed children in expedited removal or included systematically deporting them without their parents. Trump reversed the policy in an executive order on June 20, 2018.

One policy that was discussed but not implemented from the draft memo included limiting protections for migrant children who were victims of abuse or neglect.

The draft's authors suggested targeting "potential abuses" in the Special Immigrant Juveniles program, which provides green cards for immigrant children who have been abused, abandoned or neglected by a parent. The Justice Department official notes in a comment that children who have been abused by one parent are often living with the other parent when they qualify and that DHS Secretary Nielsen could refuse to award green cards in such cases.

It is not clear whether the administration rejected the idea of targeting children in the Special Immigrant Juveniles Program or whether the idea is still under consideration.

Other policies discussed in the draft, however, did materialize. For example, HHS adopted a policy that would require anyone in a household who agreed to sponsor an unaccompanied migrant child to undergo an extensive background check. Publicly, DHS and HHS said that this was to ensure the safety of children. But the draft shows administrators knew the potential for creating a backlog of children in migrant detention, which later became reality and led to the creation of the Tornillo tent city last year.

"There would be a short term impact on HHS where sponsors may not take custody of their children in HHS facilities, requiring HHS to keep the UACs [unaccompanied children] in custody longer," the draft said.

The official commenting in the margins of the draft noted, "I would suggest referring sponsors for criminal prosecution under 1324 if information indicates the sponsor facilitated the travel of the minor into the United States."

The Justice Department has increased its criminal prosecutions of child smugglers under the Trump administration, but it does not prosecute every parent who has paid for their child to be brought to the United States.

Also, the draft outlined the administration's plan to keep asylum seekers in Mexico. Officials from the administration are currently in negotiations with Mexico to finalize such a deal, forcing all asylum seekers to wait in Mexico until a judge could adjudicate their claims, which could take months or even years due to a backlog in the courts.

"There are litigation risks associated with this proposal, as it would implicate refugee treaties and international law," the draft said. In public testimony, Nielsen has told Congress that the policy is legal.

The officials also weighed "mandatory detention" of asylum seekers "for the duration of the adjudication of their asylum claims."

Releasing immigrants on bond while they wait months or years to see an asylum judge is an issue that has plagued both the Obama and Trump administrations. However, under the 1997 Flores court agreement, ICE is prohibited from holding children in detention for longer than 20 days. In September 2018, the administration announced that it was seeking to overturn the Flores agreement, but the policy has yet to go into effect. ICE is also limited in space to hold all immigrants awaiting asylum hearings.

Will this be enough to change the way Republican senators would vote? Ask yourself a different question: will this be enough to change the minds of their Republican base?