Monday Reading

As always, please go to the links for the full articles/ op eds.

Charles Blow reacts to white nationalist dimbulb Donald "Rump" Trump's racist tweetstorm on Sunday:

... There can be no more discussion or debate about whether or not Trump is a racist. He is. There can be no more rhetorical juggling about not knowing what’s in his heart. We see what flows out of it.

White people and whiteness are the center of the Trump presidency. His primary concern is to defend, protect and promote it. All that threatens it must be attacked and assaulted. Trump is bringing the force of the American presidency to the rescue of white supremacy. And, self-identified Republicans absolutely love him for it.

We are watching a very dark chapter in this nation’s history unfold in real time. We are watching as a president returns naked racism to the White House. And we are watching as fellow citizens — possibly a third of them — reveal to us their open animus for us through their continued support of him.  (our emphasis)

Goldie Taylor says it plain and simple:

Trump is not a fine person. His words Sunday were not racially “charged,” “fueled,” or “tinged.” They were unapologetically racist.

And, if you support him, so are you.

The rotted out Republican Party has also once again revealed itself, through its silence, as the Trump Party of white nationalism.  (Hell, even UK Prime Minister Theresa May called him out.)

If there ever was a timely reminder who and what Democrats are fighting against, this is it.

Kyle Pope discusses how Trump manipulates the media, the latest example being the ICE show raids, to distract from unpleasant headlines or failures -- and how the media should respond:

Unfortunately, for a press corps engineered to serve up heart-pulling melodramas, all of this will likely prove too juicy to ignore. We’ll watch the horror show, and then we will be subject to panel discussions about the latest partisan “controversy,” with Trump strolling out jut-jawed to declare his toughness on the border, while Democrats and human rights activists loudly protest the raids as immoral and unjustified. Who’s in the right?, the media will ask. Who knows? [snip]

What makes this all so difficult for reporters is that Trump’s actions can not be dismissed as media gambits; the drama unfolding merits urgent attention. Odds are that there will be even more pain as a result of Sunday’s raids. Journalism’s job must be to frame the immigration crackdown as a campaign event—not a policy response—that claims lives as collateral damage. Trump’s manipulation of a crisis is the point. That is the heartbreaking story that needs to be told.  (our emphasis)

Speaking of unpleasant headlines, today is the day sex predator and trafficker Jeffrey Epstein has his bail hearing. Stretching credulity, his lawyers want him released on bail and restricted to his Upper East Side $77 million mansion wearing a GPS monitor.  But,

Prosecutors are not buying those arguments.

They said in court filings that Epstein's wealth makes him a major flight risk, as he owns a private jet as well as six homes, including a private island in the US Virgin Islands. The plan proposed by Epstein's attorneys is "little more than a barely-secured bond masquerading as a 14-point plan," prosecutors said.

They argued that his proposal to use the home as collateral is pointless because the government is seeking to seize the property if he is convicted. They also dismissed his offer to agree to extradition in any country as "unenforceable," and they said electronic monitoring would do little but "merely give the defendant less of a head start in fleeing," according to the court filing.

Further, prosecutors said Epstein could use his wealth to tamper with the investigation -- and has a history of doing just that.

Meanwhile, the case of Trump rape victim E. Jean Carroll may not be over:

“I hadn’t thought about pressing charges, but now people are convincing me that it's smart,” she told The Daily Beast. “If I get a really smart attorney, we might be able to get around [the statute]. I’ll be exploring it.”

The attorney would have to find a way around New York state law, which lifted the statute of limitations on rape years after Trump's assault occurred.

If there was justice in the world, Epstein's sex predator partying pal Trump would be in an adjoining cell right now.

We close, as always, with our strong recommendation to go over to Infidel 753's link round- up, which seems to offer even more great links week upon week.