The good:
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith was spotted sporting a Bruce
Springsteen "No Kings" shirt at the "Power to the People Fest" on
Saturday in Maryland.
Springsteen was one of the many acts at the festival.
He performed his anti-ICE protest song, "Streets of Minneapolis."
Several social media users posted selfies posing with Smith at the festival wearing the "No Kings" shirt, which Springsteen sells on his website.
The shirt is from his recent "Land of Hope and Dreams" American tour.
This marked the first public sighting of Smith since his Senate hearing on Tuesday.
"Foo Fighters" lead singer Dave Grohl reportedly dedicated a song
from his set to his favorite Jack, which was apparently a reference to
Smith.
The event was held in Maryland near Washington, DC to
demonstrate the “power everyday human beings have when they come
together — through music, art, community and action — to shape our
country and our planet on, and beyond, Election Day.”
Guitarist Tom Morello from "Rage Against the Machine" organized the festival.
“Hopefully you’ve been energized, radicalized, revolutionized, democratized and wound the f–k up," Morello said when closing out the festival.
Here's the pic (via @MissusLakey on X):
Kudos to Mr. Smith for his timing and his taste in t-shirts and music! We hope he's living a good life, despite the best efforts of the Malignant Fascist and his inept Republican Schmittheads to spoil it.
The bad:
The Trump administration’s ongoing discussions with Russia to end the
Ukraine war now include a multibillion-dollar oil deal that would
benefit Middle Eastern business executives tied to the lead U.S.
negotiators, according to new reporting from The New York Times.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have been engaged in monthslong negotiations to end this four-year-long war. In September, the two men traveled to both Ukraine and Russia to reopen peace talks.
Several people with knowledge of these negotiations told the Times that Russian President Vladimir Putin introduced
a substantial deal for one of Russia’s largest energy companies,
Lukoil, to acquire oil fields, refineries and gas stations around the
world during his Sept. 5 meeting with the U.S. negotiators.
The group behind this deal includes two Middle Eastern groups that
have done business with Witkoff and Kushner, as well as American
investor and Trump donor Todd Boehly.
It is not apparent whether or not Witkoff and Kushner would profit
from this deal, but the association has raised concerns about a
potential conflict of interest in these ongoing talks.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.
A senior administration official told the Times in a statement that
Kushner and Witkoff are helping negotiate the financial terms of this
deal, which includes gas stations in New Jersey, to ensure “a
substantial upfront payment and profits for the United States.”
Trump has repeatedly expressed hope that the U.S. and Russia can resume trade if a peace settlement is struck in the Ukraine war.
Surprise! Mr. Ivanka Trump and his real estate / "diplomat" pal Witkoff entertaining war criminal Putin's plan offering financial inducements to "business associates" of the avaricious, incompetent, and easily manipulated American duo. American foreign policy is for sale, folks. One can only imagine how many shady, profit making deals involving American security interests are being made by this most corrupt and venal of all American regimes.
The ugly:
Thomas Robb,
a 79-year-old Arkansan and national director of the Knights of the Ku
Klux Klan (KKK), celebrated his organization’s “growing” support ahead
of the midterms in a new interview published Sunday with Al Jazeera’s Phil Lavelle.
“Support for us is growing, there’s no question about that!” Robb,
who ultimately succeeded David Duke as leader of the Knights of the Ku
Klux Klan in 1989, told Lavelle.
Robb is also the leader of the Christian Revival Center in Boone County in northern Arkansas, where the KKK leader said Black people weren’t welcome. The church’s website
openly urges attendees to “Honor Your Birthright,” specifically naming
“Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, Celtic, Scandinavian, and related peoples of
Europe.” The church’s website also includes a warning against those who
have “cursed Israel.”
“We wanted to see how much, if any, influence this group or its
message has ahead of the midterms,” Lavelle said in a narration over his
interview with Robb. “The Klan is trying to publicly rebrand around
family and faith, though [Robb] tells us the robes are still used at
times, and race is still at the top, determining who, in its leaders’
eyes, belong in America.”
In the interview, Lavelle asked Robb his
thoughts on non-white political figures such as New York City Mayor
Zohran Mamdani and Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed.
“Well, first of all, they’re not Americans,” Robb said.
Lavelle pushed back, noting that El-Sayed was born in Michigan. While
not born in the United States, Mamdani is a naturalized U.S. citizen.
“I
don’t care where he’s born, he’s not American,” Robb said, going on to
argue that only “white” people could be considered Americans.
Robb also spoke out against criticism of President Donald Trump over rising costs amid his deeply unpopular war against Iran.
“They’re not looking at the things that Trump did to really restore
America. Build the wall… I mean, theoretically, I could say I don’t care
if gas prices are $20 a gallon!”
Well, of course the racist old wet fart is a Trump supporter. The KKK has been in the Malignant Fascist's corner since he came down that escalator in Trump Tower to announce his candidacy and claim that Mexico was sending rapists and criminals to America. We also vividly remember his "good people on both sides" comment on the Nazi rally in Charlottesville, VA, in 2017, which was gratefully received by former KKK leader David Duke. The MF's lifelong racism is well documented and explains his appeal to the inbred KKK members who are embedded in his fascist movement. Again, surprise!
