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Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife, Ginny Thomas, are accused of hiding a slate of luxury trips gifted to them by a wealthy GOP donor according to a new report. These trips took place several times over the past two decades but were never reported on tax filings.
Pro Publica published an in-depth report regarding the trips that Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife took on behalf of real estate magnate, Harlan Crow, who is from Dallas, Texas. Crow is a known GOP donor with deep pockets, having delivered millions in donations to several Republican Party and conservative campaigns.
In the aforementioned report, the publication reveals that the Thomases traveled to faraway destinations such as Indonesia on Crow’s dime, which included island-hopping on a superyacht. Pro Publica said of one 2019 trip the couple took, the costs would’ve gone just north of $500,000.
It appears that Thomas has taken annual trips with Crow but failed to disclose details according to the investigative report. Along with the yacht trips, Thomas has flown on Crow’s Bombardier Global 5000, an aircraft that costs range between $26 to as high as $50 million. Thomas has also traveled to the all-male exclusive retreat, the Bohemian Grove alongside Crow and spent time at Crow’s East Texas ranch. Further, Thomas takes an annual week-long summer trip to Crow’s private resort in the Adirondacks.
The failure to disclose the gifts might be a violation of a law passed after the Watergate scandal in the 1970s which requires justices, judges, federal officials, and members of Congress to disclose large financial gifts and expensive trips under the guise of gifts.
Pro Publica obtained a statement from Crow explaining the nature of the gifts. A portion of it can be read below:
On a number of occasions, we have made contributions to projects celebrating the life and legacy of Justice Thomas, just as we have done with other great leaders and historically significant figures. He and Ginni never asked us to do any of this. We did so because we believe Justice Thomas to be one of the greatest Americans of our time, and we believe it is important to make sure as many people as possible learn about him, remember him, and understand the ideals for which he stands. We will continue to support projects that advance this goal.
This report comes as Thomas’ wife, Ginny, is under heavy scrutiny due to her ties to conservative groups and her position as an activist among her political contemporaries. Crow has also donated to an organization helmed by Mrs. Thomas.
Justice Clarence Thomas did not respond to the publication’s questions.
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Photo: Drew Angerer / Getty
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You just knew Van Jones couldn’t let a historic moment like a former President being indicted just go by without putting his tap dance shoe in his mouth. The known Op is getting cooked on Twitter after he caped for Donald Trump having to sit and listen to the judge during his arraignment.
By now you should know that Trump was charged with 34 felonies, and pled not guilty. Which is his right.
But Van Jones went out of his way to show sympathy for the racist and bigoted former POTUS known for tax evasion and acting like a whole donkey on social media—the receipts are out there.
“He looks sad, he looks like the weight of it is hitting him,” said Van Jones on CNN prior to the revealing of the charges. “Just as a human being, I don’t take joy…I don’t like the prison system…I don’t like this process … doesn’t mean that accountability is not owed, we don’t know what he is going to be charged wit…but at that moment that is not a conqueror, that is a granddad having a very bad day.”
Sounds like Jones wants to give Trump a hug. Trump is also the same guy who came for the presiding judge in the case’s daughter and wife. Does he feel bad about Alvin Bragg and his family being put in harm’s way? Also, it’s a safe bet Cheeto wouldn’t spit on Jones if he was on fire.
The audacity of Jones expressing the sads about the start of Donald Trump actually being held accountable for just some of his illegal activity quickly led to another slander session from Twitter. Jones should be used to this—like when it was revealed he worked on Trump’s police reform plan on the quiet.
Peep some of the best slander in the gallery.
8. Relevant
The image of a grim-faced Donald Trump at the defendants’ table on Tuesday (April 4) during the former president’s arraignment on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records to cover up hush payments to a porn actress made history for a number of reasons.
But amidst the avalanche of coverage of the first former commander in chief to be criminally arraigned — Trump pleaded not guilty to all the charges — one thing you may have missed was an Instagram Story from Meek Mill about another bizarre wrinkle to the tale.
“Trump graduated from the streets… sharing criminal lawyers [with us]… Joe Tactical,” Meek wrote below the now-iconic image of a glum Trump seated in a Manhattan court room flanked by his lawyers, according to Complex. Meek was moved to weigh in because the man to Trump’s left was none other than lawyer Joe Tacopina, who was part of Mill’s legal team during the rapper’s successful bid to overturn his sentence for violating probation form a decade-old gun and drug case.
Another slide in the Story printed up the receipts tying Meek to twice-impeached Trump, depicting the MC standing next to Tacopina after a hearing. The two worked together when Tacopina — a tough-talking attorney known for representing rapper YG on suspicion of robbery, Sopranos actor Lillo Brancato on murder/weapons charges and actress Taryn Manning on assault charges — helped get Meek sprung from jail after serving five months on the probation violation.
Trump has denied the claims that he personally wrote checks to reimburse his former fixer, Michael Cohen, to pay for the silence of two women the former Apprentice star allegedly had affairs with during the 2016 presidential election. Trump, who is running for president for a third time, is due back in court in December.
If you thought there was any way Randy Rainbow was not burning the midnight oil coming up with a parody song tackling former president Donald Trump’s historic indictment in a New York last week, well, you just don’t know Randy.
The parody king who mines beloved Broadway tunes and pop hits to make pointed social and political ditties was back at it on Monday (April 3), twisting up Don Raye and Hughie Prince’s WWII jump blues “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” into a hilariously scathing takedown of the twice-impeached former commander in chief.
The 1941 song, popularized by the Andrews Sisters, is flipped on its head to reflect the potential legal pitfalls facing the former reality show host who is slated to be arraigned and fingerprinted in his former New York hometown on Tuesday (April 4). The bit opens with Randy doing a fake interview with Trump, in which The Donald asks if the singer would endorse his third bid for the presidency.
“I’d rather go skiing with Gwyneth Paltrow,” Randy responds in the music video bearing the proudly “fake news” headline “Donald Trump Indicted AF.” Telling DT, “girl, you need to update your act” after Trump trots out the usual “fake news” tropes, Rainbow offers up a fresh campaign slogan for the one-term leader who is facing multiple criminal indictments from New York to Atlanta and Florida.
“Something catchy, you know, like your chlamydia, but that really also reminds people what you’re all about,” says Rainbow, slipping on pink cat-eye glasses and asking Trump for some pitches. After the usual litany of gripes, Randy informs Trump that he’s afraid this time he’s going down. And then, of course, Randy breaks into song.
“He was a sleazy showbiz phony born in NYC/ Who somehow won the White House over Hillary/ Then after one term got the sack/ When Biden pummeled his ass, but now he wants to come back,” a trio of Randy’s sings over the swinging jazzy arrangement.
“He’s been indicted though/ And so he’s making scenes/ He’s the grumpy Trumpy felon from Jamaica in Queens,” Rainbow sings on the retrofitted chorus. The singer then digs right into the heart of the matter facing Trump: his alleged hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels during Trump’s 2016 presidential run to reportedly cover up an extramarital affair.
“He met a lovely lady who performed on screen/ She started yappin’ in two thousand and sixteen/ And so he signed a bunch of checks/ Cuz he’s disgusting and so he had to pay her for sex/ Looks like a butternut squash and his hair is bleached/ He’s the bloated orange lunatic who’s twice been impeached,” Rainbow sings.
Randy then makes it personal, repeatedly calling Trump a “loser” and a cheat, who “makes Melania puke,” as well as a “Cheeto-lookin’, coochie snatchin’ treasonous crook.” You get the picture.
Watch Randy Rainbow’s “Grumpy Trumpy Felon From Jamaica Queens” video below.
Shady singer extraordinaire Randy Rainbow is well-known for his politically charged parody videos.
Although they started off as mock interviews with politicians and celebrities, Randy eventually showed off his singing abilities in parody music videos based on Broadway tunes and pop hits. In these videos, Randy has taken a particular interest in President Trump and his administration.
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Not only does he have incredibly versatile vocals, Randy is also a hilariously talented lyricist. His sharp wit and tongue are the perfect tools that allow him to create the most scathing videos, guaranteed to make you laugh.
Here are 43 times Randy Rainbow has read Trump for filth since the start of his 2016 presidential campaign.
“Ya Got Trump Trouble”
“Ya Got Trump Trouble” was Randy Rainbow’s first-ever political satire song about Trump. Randy made this video in response to Trump’s official GOP nomination in 2016, and it got more than 4 million views on Facebook. In this song, Randy warns the American people of the impending chaos that Trump will unleash should he win the 2016 election, all to the tune of “Ya Got Trouble” from Music Man.
Watch here.
“Grab ‘Em by the P—y!”
In this video, Randy plays the role of Trump’s conscience and offers him some advice about one of his earlier scandals in 2016. The parody was made in response to Trump’s infamous discussion about condoning the sexual assault of women in a 2005 recording.
Watch here.
“Trump-Pence, Trump-Pence”
“Trump-Pence, Trump-Pence” was Randy’s final warning to the American public that voting for the duo on Election Day would be a very bad idea. Sadly, not even this solid rendition of “Feed the Birds” from Mary Poppins would be enough to prevent the election outcome.
Watch here.
“Donald Trump, Grow Up!”
After Mike Pence was booed during a showing of Hamilton, Trump took to Twitter to defend the vice president. In response to his stance, Randy crafted this Hamilton-inspired track that completely roasts Trump.
Watch here.
“Tweets, Tweets & Nothing But Tweets”
In “Tweets, Tweets & Nothing But Tweets,” Randy rants about Trump’s incessant tweeting to the tune of “Greens Greens” from Into the Woods. Not only is Randy completely over Trump’s never-ending stream of tweets, but he also hilariously points out all of the spelling errors Trump has made in several of his ridiculous tirades.
Watch here.
“You’re Making Things Up Again Donald!”
Randy holds nothing back in this parody of “Making Things Up Again” from Book of Mormon. In the song, Randy opens up with Donald spewing made-up facts about other countries and calls Trump out on spreading false claims.
Watch here.
“Putin and the Ritz”
Randy grills Jeff Sessions in a mock interview at the beginning about Trump’s involvement with Vladimir Putin and Russia. After breaking into a parody version of “Puttin’ on the Ritz” by Irving Berlin, Randy comes for Trump’s relationship with Putin and also drags Trump’s entire staff for failing to keep it a secret.
Watch here.
“Unpopular”
Randy’s response to Trump’s dwindling support during his first 100 days in office came in the form of this parody of “Popular” from Wicked. In the song, Randy lists all of Trump’s controversies and failures that have surrounded him since his inauguration at the beginning of 2017.
Watch here.
“The Russian Connection”
Randy takes on Trump in an interview about James Comey and his ties to Russia in “The Russian Connection.” Randy sings about Trump’s failed attempts to sway the FBI from investigating his connection to the foreign country, as well as Trump’s accomplices who also tried to cover it up.
Watch here.
“Donald Trump’s Mango Tour”
Randy channels Evita in another parody video digging at Trump’s inability to properly form decent relationships with other countries. Instead of the “Rainbow Tour,” Randy fittingly named the song “Donald Trump’s Mango Tour” to match the president’s appearance.
Watch here.
“Covfefe: The Broadway Medley”
One of Randy’s most ambitious parodies comes in the form of “Covfefe: The Broadway Medley,” which incorporates a handful of big hits from Broadway. While all of these songs come from different musicals, they all explore the same issue: How does one exactly pronounce “covfefe”?
Watch here.
“Before He Tweets”
Randy breaks from his usual Broadway shtick and takes on Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats.” In this parody, Randy drags Trump for being a complete and utter troll on Twitter.
Watch here.
DACA Shame
Randy opens up this parody video by interviewing Kellyanne Conway about the Trump administration’s decision to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). In Randy Rainbow fashion, he bursts into song and touches on the racist undertones that Trump’s decision carries.
Watch here.
“Desperate Cheeto”
“Despacito” also received the Randy Rainbow political-satire treatment. In “Desperate Cheeto,” Randy decimates Trump and lists every single controversy and issue that has risen since he took office.
Watch here.
“Buttons”
Randy starts this video as a journalist grilling Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders about Trump and Kim Jong-un’s nuclear attack threats. When he breaks into song, he compares the two world leaders and warns viewers that if Trump continues to poke at Kim Jong-un, we might find ourselves in a nuclear war.
Watch here.
“All About His Base”
Randy criticizes Trump’s fans and supporters and the president himself about their lack of awareness to the problems that he has caused in the parody of Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass.” Scarily enough, Randy explains that as long as Trump has his “base,” there’s no talking sense to him.
Watch here.
“You Can’t Stop His Tweets”
Randy Rainbow tackles Hairspray and Trump’s horrible tweeting in this “You Can’t Stop the Beat” parody. Much like Randy’s other parody videos surrounding Trump’s tweets, Randy goes in on Trump’s incessant habit of posting the most absurd things on Twitter.
Watch here.
“Commander of Cheese”
This parody song was inspired by Kellyanne Conway’s slip-up during an interview with CNN when she called the commander in chief, the “Commander of Cheese.” Leave it to Randy Rainbow to take this hilarious case of word vomit and make an entire song comparing Trump to moldy cheese.
Watch here.
“A Very Stable Genius”
Randy certainly has an ear for the best songs that make for the perfect foundation to make fun of Trump’s massive ego. In “A Very Stable Genius,” Randy parodies “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” from The Pirates of Penzance and points out Trump’s habit of making himself seem grander than he actually is.
Watch here.
“If You Ever Got Impeached”
Randy lists all the countless possibilities if Trump were to ever get impeached for his shady actions in this parody of “If I Only Had a Brain” from The Wizard of Oz.
Watch here.
“Voting”
The singer makes a few digs at Trump, all while encouraging American citizens to vote during the midterm elections.
Watch here.
“Trump’s Favorite Things”
The iconic “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music was also parodied by Randy Rainbow. In the spirit of the original track, Randy lists a handful of things that Trump is very fond of, such as climate change deniers, $5 spray tans and traitors.
Watch here.
“There Is Nothin’ Like a Wall”
In this South Pacific-inspired video, Randy focuses on the government shutdown and Trump’s obsession with building a border wall.
Watch here.
“The Donald Trump Cell Block Tango”
Randy Rainbow’s video, “The Donald Trump Cell Block Tango,” is a parody of the original “Cell Block Tango” track from Chicago. With a couple of nods to Trump’s indicted associates, Randy warns that Trump and Sarah Huckabee Sanders “have it coming” next.
Watch here.
“Border Lies”
“Border Lies” is a parody of Trump’s declaration of a national emergency regarding his campaign’s promised border wall. Rainbow, acting as a CNN reporter at Trump’s most recent press event, then begins his spoof by telling the president, “Some say that you’re full of shit and others, well agree/ That you’re just fomenting fear with your hyperbole.”
Watch here.
“Suckers”
With a song as ubiquitous and catchy as the Jonas Brothers’ “Sucker,” it was almost guaranteed that Rainbow would parody it. Following the president’s tweets calling for four democratic Congresswomen to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came,” Rainbow took aim at Trump’s supporters not only for their continued support, but also for echoing his rhetoric. “‘Cause they’re suckers for all of the criminal/ Shame-worthy things that you do,” he sings.
Watch here.
“Cheeto Christ Stupid-Czar”
When Trump tweeted that he was the “King of Israel” and looked to the sky during a press conference and said “I am the chosen one” in August 2019, Randy Rainbow had a field day with the president, crafting a full medley of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Jesus Christ Superstar. Mashing together songs like “King Herod’s Song,” “Everything’s Alright” and the titular track, Rainbow skillfully burned the president for appearing to claim that he was in any way holy.
Watch here.
“He’s Just a Gurl Who’ll Quid Pro Quo”
As the impeachment inquiry took place in the House of Representatives throughout November 2019, the president’s team began claiming that nowhere in Trump’s phone call with Ukranian leader Volodymyr Zelensky did the president offer a “quid pro quo” of foreign aid in exchange for dirt on Joe Biden. Rainbow, naturally, disagreed with his hilarious take on Oklahoma‘s “I Cain’t Say No.”
Watch here.
“That Don!”
As the impeachment inquiry turned into an impeachment trial before the Senate, Trump was facing criticism for everything from the Ukraine scandal to his decision to assassinate Iranian leader Qassem Soleimani. So Rainbow stepped in to offer him some campaign advice (mainly, advice that he should drop out) with a hilarious rendition of “Gaston” from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
Watch here.
“No Rules For Donald”
Once the impeachment trial in the senate wrapped up, with Trump being acquitted for both articles of impeachment brought against him, Rainbow decided to give Dua Lipa’s “New Rules” a makeover. Crafting a parody where he lays out that the President’s acquittal led to more bad behavior, he confidently declares “there are no rules for Donald, he can do anything at all.”
Watch here.
“The Coronavirus Lament”
When the coronavirus pandemic took hold of the world in March 2020, Trump was roundly criticized for his lack of response to the fast-spreading virus. So, Rainbow offered his own critical take, hilariously roasting the President to the tune of “Adelaide’s Lament” from Guys & Dolls, singing “From a lack of intelligent leadership/ And a headline that’s getting real old/ A person can develop a bad, bad cold.”
Watch here.
“A Spoonful of Clorox”
After Trump made a comment in a White House press briefing about how ingesting disinfectant could potentially kill the coronavirus in the body, Randy Rainbow joined the medical community in shutting down the idea. Parodying “A Spoonful of Sugar” from Mary Poppins, the singer listed off a few harmful ways of “treating” COVID-19, before declaring that “a spoonful of Clorox makes your temperature go down/ In the most destructive ways.”
Watch here.
“The Bunker Boy”
The White House confirmed that during the Black Lives Matter protests outside of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave on June 1, the president was moved to an underground bunker. The news led the hashtag #BunkerBoy to trend on Twitter, and inspired Rainbow’s June 7 video. “The Bunker Boy” is sung to “The Jitterbug,” a tune performed by star Judy Garland that was cut from The Wizard of Oz. In the video, Rainbow teases the president by wondering where he is and pointing out that he’s in hiding. The singer also pokes fun at Trump by depicting him as an orange munchkin speaking behind a heavy-duty door, and dressing as The Cowardly Lion.
Watch here.
“Cover Your Freakin’ Face!”
Rainbow had more material to work with after Trump told attendees at his June campaign rally that he had instructed his team to “slow the testing down” as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the United States. In addition, the president has continued to refuse to wear a mask, though health experts have advised the facial covers help reduce the spread of the coronavirus. In response, the comedian dropped his latest video on June 29, rewriting the lyrics to “Put on a Happy Face” to “Cover Your Freakin’ Face!” He sings to the jazzy tune: “Maybe if we can’t see your mouth, you won’t say stupid s–t/ Don’t spread droplets all over the place/ And cover your freakin’ face.”
Watch here.
“Poor Deplorable Troll”
When President Trump’s approval ratings began plummeting alongside his polling numbers against presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, fans could practically hear Rainbow cracking his knuckles. With his The Little Mermaid parody “Poor Deplorable Troll” released on July 6, the singer gleefully took on the villainous role to mock and humiliate the president as much as he possibly could. Rainbow also made it clear that with this song, he wouldn’t be holding anything back, as is evident with searing lyrics like “I couldn’t help but notice all your rallies and events are like your sex life; no one comes.”
Watch here.
“Gee, Anthony Fauci”
Rainbow, like many people in the country, are looking for scientific expertise to help lead the U.S. out of the coronavirus pandemic, so he implored Dr. Anthony Fauci to come to our rescue. In the July 22 parody, the comedian took on West Side Story‘s “Gee, Officer Krupke” to poke fun at Trump and his staff. “Please, Anthony Fauci, we’re all at a loss/ We can’t rely on Barbie or Cruella DeVos,” Rainbow sings. “He’s winding ’em up and they’re playing his tunes/ They’re all unethical buffoons!”
Watch here.
“If Donald Got Fired”
Rainbow teamed up with Patti Lapone to parody Gypsy’s “If Mama Was Married” to dream about what the world would be like without Trump as commander in chief. Sings Rainbow: “We could go back to life as we once knew it; miserable and unfair, but at least without the daily threat of complete authoritarianism and apocalyptic destruction!”
Watch here.
“How Will You Vote?”
The satirist went over the qualities of presidential candidates Trump and Biden in a parody set at the final debate, weeks before the election to help viewers decide who to cast their ballots for. Not surprisingly, the president’s weren’t too positive. Sings Rainbow about the business mogul: “Well, does he give a flying f— about whether you live or die? / Cover up his crimes and wish them all away? Does he lock children in cages? / Act like Nazis are okay? / That’s how you know, that’s how you know that he’s the one.”
Watch here.
“Not Re-Elected Today!”
While Trump continued to refuse to concede that he lost to Joe Biden nearly two weeks after the election, Rainbow was busy putting together a parody to poke fun at the president’s inability to come to terms with his defeat. Dressed as White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany — complete with blonde wig — the satirist parodied Company‘s “(Not) Getting Married Today,” singing: “He’s embarrassed so he isn’t coming out because he lost / I mean he didn’t lose, he won / And that’s exactly what I said / And so he’s sending out his staff to make preposterous pronouncements / While he binges Egg McMuffins ’til reality sets in.”
Watch here.
“Sedition!”
Rainbow once again drew inspiration from Fiddler on the Roof‘s “Tradition,” this time to point the finger of blame at Trump for the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by the president’s supporters who want President-elect Joe Biden’s victory overturned.
Watch here.
“Seasons of Trump”
On Jan. 19, 45’s final full day in office, the comedian released a farewell video. Parodying Rent‘s “Seasons of Love,” Rainbow recalled all “2,102,400 minutes” of Trump’s presidency, from covfefes to various lies and more. “How do you measure four years of this s–t/ In scandals, impeachments, in porn stars, in Scaramuccis/ In rallies, in insurrections, in flies,” sings Rainbow while dressed in various costumes.
Watch here.
“Lock Him Up Yesterday!”
Rainbow took aim at his most frequent target in light of the Jan. 6 committee’s hearings. Starting out the video posing as a faux-Representative on the House Committee, Rainbow cuts to video footage of Trump fumbling his speech denouncing the attacks on the Capitol and struggling with the word “yesterday.” This, naturally, leads to a parody set to the tune of The Beatles‘ 1965 hit “Yesterday.” Mocking Trump’s seeming inability to pronounce the word, Rainbow uses his opportunity to also spoof the high-profile FBI raid of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla. “Does it really take the FBI/ To verify he tends to lie?” he sings.
Watch here.
“Grumpy Trumpy Felon From Jamaica in Queens!”
The comedian went back to the former president’s roots — he was born in Queens, NYC — for his April 3, 2023, jab. The parody dropped one day before Trump’s expected arraignment in New York after being indicted by a grand jury after an investigation into an alleged hush money payment scheme to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
The video kicks off with a fake interview between Rainbow and the real estate mogul, during which the comedian urges Trump to come up with a new campaign slogan for his “comeback/indictment tour.” After a few failed suggestions, Rainbow launches into “Grumpy Trumpy Felon From Jamaica in Queens!” — a take on The Andrew Sisters’ “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” In the spoof, he roasts Trump as “the bloated orange lunatic who’s been twice impeached,” and compared him to “a butternut squash” with bleached hair.
Watch here.
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In news that everyone expected, but that no one quite knew of the exact timing—on Thursday, March 30, a Manhattan Grand Jury voted to indict former POTUS Donald Trump. The indictment remains under seal, for now, but they do reference a felony.
Previously, Trump claimed that he would be indicted on Tuesday, March 21, which the moments he shared on social media was clearly something he pulled out of his ass. A grand jury works in secret, with only people who may have participated leading to the press knowing what transpired. Nevertheless, mainstream media ran with the date as if it was fact.
However, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg did not waiver, going about his business and ever curving pressure and potential interference from Congress. But the hammer has finally dropped, more like “initially,” on Individual One. The charged will be tied to the hush money he paid sex worker Stormy Daniels while he was campaigning to be come President.
Reports the New York Times:
A Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Donald J. Trump on Thursday for his role in paying hush money to a porn star, according to five people with knowledge of the matter, a historic development that will shake up the 2024 presidential race and forever mark him as the nation’s first former president to face criminal charges.
In the coming days, prosecutors working for the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, will likely ask Mr. Trump to surrender and to face arraignment. The specific charges will be announced when he is arraigned.
Read: Donald Trump is going to be getting mugshot, just like any other citizen who gets indicted.
It goes without saying that Twitter is having a field day, and celebrating. Of course the MAGA wing of Twitter is having a fit, but that’s every day for that team.
2. FOX News gonna FOX News.
As legislative attacks against the LGBTQ community sharply increase around the United States, indie supergroup Boygenius is offering a fat middle finger to the lawmakers responsible.
In a new interview with Them, the group — Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus — spoke about the rising tide of anti-LGBTQ legislation, and how they’ve seen it affecting their day-to-day lives. The group acknowledged their own privilege as successful musicians, with Dacus poetically saying that they “get to navigate this with an ease that was afforded us by so much pain.”
But Bridgers added that they still feel the impact of these attacks. “The government being actually actively trying to kill the coolest people is something I think about every day,” she said. “It’s so overwhelming how different the world would be if the AIDS epidemic had never happened. It’s so overwhelming to me, to my exact world, everything that I value.”
Speaking about queer rights activists of the ’80s and ’90s, the trio said that the pain and suffering being caused by these new laws directly insults the legacy of those who worked tirelessly to make the world better. “If all of the David Wojnarowiczes and Leslie Feinbergs of the world did all of that suffering for me not to live in a world where I can be so f–king gay on a big stage and have a whole bunch of other gay people here for me and it’d be joy, then it was in vain,” Bridgers said. Baker agreed, adding, “The joy is the living amends that you do for your community as a performer.”
In discussing the future for the LGBTQ community, Dacus said that she wanted to see queer people get to a place of mundanity, like everyone else. “I want every gay and trans person to have the opportunity to be inarticulate, stupid and unexceptional,” she said. “I want to see more cool art by trans people and non-white people, and also poor people”
The trio’s new album, The Record, comes out Friday (March 31).
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Political allies of former President Donald Trump have begun attacking New York prosecutor Alvin Bragg by making false claims about his ties to political donor George Soros.
As the former president is facing an indictment from a grand jury convened by the Manhattan District Attorney, Republican politicians have initiated a stream of attacks following his lead against Bragg on social media. In a post on his TruthSocial network on Monday (March 20th), he wrote: “Alvin Bragg received in EXCESS OF ONE MILLION DOLLARS from the Radical Left Enemy of ‘TRUMP,’ George Soros.”
The attack was echoed by other right-wingers such as J.D. Vance, the freshman senator from Ohio who has been an ardent Trump supporter over the past year despite prior misgivings. Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio has expressed a desire to have Bragg testify before a House committee about the investigation.
There is a link between the district attorney and Soros, who has been attacked for years by right-wing politicians and conspiracy theorists for his donations to Democratic candidates with many noting these attacks based on antisemitism as the Hungarian-born billionaire is Jewish. But an examination of campaign records shows no impropriety.
The connection dates back to when Bragg first campaigned to be district attorney. He was endorsed by the progressive criminal justice group Color of Change in 2021. The group intended to spend $1 million on voter turnout efforts for him and did not directly contribute to his campaign. Soros would donate that amount to Color of Change in May of that year, one of a number of donations that he made personally and through his Democracy PAC political action committee. Color of Change would ultimately spend $500,000 in contributions backing Bragg’s campaign, 11 percent of its $4.6 million spent during that campaign year.
“George Soros and Alvin Bragg have never met in person or spoken by telephone, email, Zoom, etc.,” Mr. Vachon said. “There has been no contact between the two.” It is noted that his son, Jonathan, and his wife did donate $20,000 to Bragg’s campaign directly before Bragg won the Democratic primary for the D.A.’s office in 2021.
Despite those facts, GOP politicians aren’t letting up in their attacks on Bragg. Color of Change President Rashad Robinson highlighted the racism and anti-semitism behind those smears in a thread on his Twitter account. “Make no mistake, over the next couple of days as more news about potential consequences for Trump circulates, we will see a flood of anti-Black and anti-Semitic attacks from the former President and his supporters and enablers,” he wrote last weekend.
Lizzo is once again using her platform to speak out about important issues. This time, she’s reminding followers not to lose focus when it comes to the numerous political shifts happening all at once in the United States, from the government’s plan to potentially ban TikTok to the resurgence of outdated anti-LGBTQ and Jim Crow era laws.
“Hi!” the 34-year-old musician wrote on her social media platforms Thursday (March 23), going on to list out three concerning developments that are playing out “as we speak.”
“The ceo of tiktok is being interrogated by congress with intent to ban TikTok in America,” she continued. “Anti lgbtqia legislation is being passed banning gender affirming health care & drag shows.”
And finally, “Jim Crow era laws are being reinstated in Mississippi,” referring to a bill passed earlier this month by the state’s House proposing that judges in Hinds County Circuit Court in Jackson be appointed by the Mississippi Supreme Court chief justice — a conservative white man — rather than the city’s predominantly Black population, who for years have chosen the judges themselves through elections.
The “About Damn Time” singer’s latest tweet came the same day members of Congress grilled TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew for hours about ByteDance, the social media platform’s parent company, and its alleged ties to the Chinese government, which both Democrats and Republicans worry pose a threat to user privacy and national security. The Biden administration has even put forward pending legislation that would give the president the power to ban TikTok nationwide if ByteDance doesn’t divest its stake in the app.
Chew and other spokespeople for the platform, however, have been adamant that ByteDance has never shared, or been asked to share, user data with the Chinese government.
Meanwhile, anti-LGBTQ — specifically, anti-trans and anti-drag — laws have been cropping up across the U.S., most notably in Tennessee. The state’s governor, Bill Lee, recently signed controversial laws banning minors from receiving gender-affirming care and preventing drag queens from performing in certain public spaces, which numerous musicians have publicly denounced.
Lizzo herself spoke about transphobia in a tweet earlier this month, writing, “I’ve never heard a reason why someone is transphobic.. I think if we knew ‘why’ these people felt this way there would way less support for these ideals.” “The ‘why’ is more insidious than we realize,” she’d added.
See Lizzo’s tweet about the TikTok hearing and anti-LGBTQ legislation and the resurgence of Jim Crow laws below:
Hi! As we speak:– the ceo of tiktok is being interrogated by congress with intent to ban TikTok in America – anti lgbtqia legislation is being passed banning gender affirming health care & drag shows– Jim Crow era laws are being reinstated in Mississippi— FOLLOW @YITTY (@lizzo) March 23, 2023
The CEO of TikTok faced a grilling Thursday from a U.S. congressional committee in a rare public appearance where made his own case for why the hugely popular video-sharing app shouldn’t be banned.
Shou Zi Chew’s testimony came at a crucial time for the company, which has acquired 150 million American users but is under increasing pressure from U.S. officials. TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have been swept up in a wider geopolitical battle between Beijing and Washington over trade and technology.
“Mr. Chew, you are here because the American people need the truth about the threat TikTok poses to our national and personal security,” Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican, said in her opening statement. “TikTok has repeatedly chosen a path for more control, more surveillance and more manipulation.”
Chew, a 40-year-old Singapore native, told the House Committee on Energy and Commerce that TikTok prioritizes the safety of its young users and denied allegations that the app is a national security risk. He reiterated the company’s plan to protect U.S. user data by storing all such information on servers maintained and owned by the server giant Oracle.
“Let me state this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country,” Chew said.
On Wednesday, the company sent dozens of popular TikTokers to Capitol Hill to lobby lawmakers to preserve the platform. It has also been putting up ads all over Washington that tout promises of securing users’ data and privacy and creating a safe platform for its young users.
TikTok has been dogged by claims that its Chinese ownership means user data could end up in the hands of the Chinese government or that it could be used to promote narratives favorable to the country’s Communist leaders.
In a rare, bipartisan effort to reign in the power and influence of a major social media platform, Republican and Democratic lawmakers pressed Chew on a host of topics, ranging from TikTok’s content moderation practices, how the company plans to secure American data from Beijing, and that it admits spying on journalists.
Watch the Hearing Below:
In 2019, the Guardian had reported TikTok was instructing its moderators to censor videos that mention Tiananmen Square and other images unfavorable to the Chinese government. The platform says it has since changed its moderation practices.
ByteDance admitted in December that it fired four employees last summer who accessed data on two journalists, as well as other people connected to them, while attempting to track down the source of a leaked report about the company.
For its part, TikTok has been trying to distance itself from its Chinese origins, saying that 60% percent of its parent company ByteDance is owned by global institutional investors such as Carlyle Group. ByteDance was founded by Chinese entrepreneurs in Beijing in 2012. Responding to a Wall Street Journal report, China said it would oppose any U.S. attempts to force ByteDance to sell the app.
But Chew pushed back against the idea that TikTok’s ownership was an issue in itself.
“Trust is about actions we take. We have to earn that trust with decisions we make for our company and our products and potential security, privacy content, manipulation concerns raised about TikTok are really not unique to us” Chew said. “Ownership is not at the core of addressing these concerns.”
A U.S. ban on an app would be unprecedented and it’s unclear how the government would enforce it.
Experts say officials could try to force Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores, preventing new users from downloading it as well as preventing existing users from updating it, ultimately rendering it useless.
The U.S. could also block access to TikTok’s infrastructure and data, seize its domain names or force internet service providers like Comcast and Verizon to filter TikTok data traffic, said Ahmed Ghappour, a criminal law and computer security expert who teachers at Boston University School of Law.
But a tech savvy user could still get around restrictions by using a virtual private network to make it appear the user is in another country where it’s not blocked, he said.
To avoid a ban, TikTok has been trying to sell officials on a $1.5 billion plan called Project Texas, which routes all U.S. user data to domestic servers owned and maintained by software giant Oracle. Under the project, access to U.S. data is managed by U.S. employees through a separate entity called TikTok U.S. Data Security, which employs 1,500 people, is run independently of ByteDance and would be monitored by outside observers.
As of October, all new U.S. user data was being stored inside the country. The company started deleting all historic U.S. user data from non-Oracle servers this month, in a process expected to be completed later this year, Chew said.
Generally, researchers have said TikTok behaves like other social media companies when it comes to data collection. In an analysis released in 2021, the University of Toronto’s nonprofit Citizen Lab found TikTok and Facebook collect similar amounts of user data valuable for advertisers.
To block such tracking, Congress, the White House, U.S. armed forces and more than half of U.S. states have banned the use of the app from official devices.
But wiping away all the data tracking associated with the platform might prove to be difficult. In a report released this month, the Cybersecurity company Feroot said so-called tracking pixels from ByteDance, which collect user information, were found on 30 U.S state websites, including some where the app has been banned for official use.
Other countries including Denmark, Canada, Great Britain and New Zealand, along with the European Union, have already banned TikTok from devices issued to government employees.
David Kennedy, a former government intelligence officer who runs the cybersecurity company TrustedSec, agrees with restricting TikTok access on government-issued phones because they might contain sensitive information. A nationwide ban, however, might be too extreme, he said. He also wondered where it might lead.
“We have Tesla in China, we have Microsoft in China, we have Apple in China. Are they going to start banning us now?” Kennedy said. “It could escalate very quickly.”