Evening Roundup, February 9th
Pablo Torre on Bad Bunny's Radical Joy; the failure to support survivors; the Atlantic shame gap; unchallenged systemic racism; the resilience of the Latino community; & a special Live "Talking Feds"
Bad Bunny Shows us What Radical Joy Looks Like
Yesterday, the Seattle Seahawks faced off against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. The game itself was a complete blowout, resulting in a victory for the Seahawks. Even more exciting than the gameplay was the halftime show by Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny despite the MAGA-led culture war against it. As it turns out, cultivating a community …
The Epstein Files Release is a Failure. Survivors Deserve Better.
By Rachel Foster
Is the U.S. Justice Department afraid to pursue powerful men?
The Atlantic Shame Gap
Buckingham Palace has a reflex older than the tabloids and sharper than the courtiers who pretend to manage the royals. When a story threatens the Crown’s standing, the first response is not contrition. It is containment.
The Sad Truth Behind the Reaction to Trump’s Sick Meme
By Shalise Manza Young
Even Republicans will condemn overt bigotry. But systemic racism remains mostly unchallenged by those on the right.
Live from Princeton: A Contrarian Quartet
Contrarian stalwarts Norm Eisen, Asha Rangappa, and Jen Rubin join Harry for a special episode filmed in front of a live audience at Princeton University. They begin with the cataclysmic fall of the Washington Post and what it shows about Trump's power to demolish even the most powerful civic institutions.
The Contrarian Covers the Democracy Movement
Every weekday, we update this space with protests, signs, and other public demonstrations. Keep checking to see how those all across the country are protecting and defending democracy.
Monday: Students walked out of class last week to protest ICE all over the country, including in Texas, Tennessee, Washington, and Nebraska.
TRUMP & MAXWELL: CAN THEY RESCUE EACH OTHER?
The AP has reported that Maxwell was sent to Florida to a cozy low-security prison camp in Texas last summer after she participated in two-days of interviews by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. It does not appear that at any time during those 2 days that she invoked her 5th Amendment rights.
We all recall that Todd Blanche was Donald Trump’s former personal unsuccessful attorney in Trump’s New York trial after which the jury convicted him of multiple felonies. Blanche is now Trump's Deputy Attorney General and obviously still representing Trump regardless of whatever hat Trump may be wearing at the time. Let's remember that Attorney General Bondi refused to disclose the conversations she had with Trump about Epstein because Trump is her client and that her conversations with him are protected by the attorney/client privilege.
Well, Trump is also the client of her Deputy Attorney General, Todd Blanche who is now supposedly interviewing Maxwell for 2 days on behalf of his client the President of the United States about his other client Donald J. Trump. Such a gross and blatant conflict of interest would offend the morals of every law student in the country.
Returning to Blanche's interview of Maxwell last summer for 2 full days, she obviously did not invoke her 5th Amendment rights, and Blanche was eager to release the transcript of Maxwell's statement to him that “I actually never saw the President in any type of massage setting. I never witnessed the President in any inappropriate setting in any way. The President was never inappropriate with anybody. In the times that I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects.”
It probably took days to legally craft the statement that she "never actually saw" or "witnessed" Blanche's clients, Donald J. Trump as the President of the United States and Donald J. Trump as his personal client, rape, molest, fondle, abuse or engage in sexual activity or other such conduct, as if Trump would have invited her to a be a spectator in the front row.
Blanche's conflict of interest in this and similar matters in which he was simultaneously acting on behalf of Trump personally and as the President to the detriment of the American people would clearly warrant the referrals of these conflicts to his bar associations for disbarment proceedings.
Which brings us up to date. Why is Maxwell now invoking her 5th Amendment rights and claiming that she is only willing to waive these rights if Trump grants her a pardon?
First of all, it may be argued that she did in fact already waive her 5th Amendment rights by spending 2 full days supposedly answering Blanche's questions last summer without invoking her 5th Amendment rights. If so, she could be held in Contempt of Congress by refusing to answer their questions if she has already waived her 5th Amendment rights.
If Trump does in fact grant her a pardon, I believe that the country would be outraged by allowing her to go free after the destruction of so many lives of young women committed by Epstein and Maxwell as his pimp.
If an association with Jeffrey Epstein means someone enabled a pedophile even though they didn’t directly participate in the salacious activities of that dirt bag then they should fall as far into the abyss at every single turn. Anyone in a high place or a lofty position should completely crash and burn. This includes every politician and every business person because your foundation is built on a house of cards.
The Eliza Orlins video from last week was absolutely sickening. What was done to that child is beyond my comprehension. Fighting back nausea and tears .😭