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Report: DOJ Tracked Moms for Liberty as Hate Group
By Sandy Fitzgerald | Wednesday, 29 May 2024 03:16 PM EDT
The conservative education policy group Moms for Liberty was tracked by the Department of Justice's unit tasked with responding to "hate crimes" through alerts triggered by signals such as the Confederate flag, a noose, or a swastika, according to internal emails.
The documents show the group being tracked by the DOJ's Community Research Service (CRS) in a manner only used to track two other groups (the Ku Klux Klan and the Oath Keepers) reported The Daily Wire, which obtained the emails through a Freedom of Information Act filed by America First Legal on its behalf.
Targets like Moms for Liberty were tracked through alerts from Google or LexisNexis based on certain keywords.
The DOJ has not commented on why it was tracking the Florida-based group, which advocates against school curricula mentioning LGBTQ rights, critical race theory, and discrimination.
Emails were obtained from DOJ-CRS Conciliation Specialist Hannah Levine suggesting that she tracked "hate" through setting up keyword searches.
For example, a July 20, 2023 alert set for the terms "'moms for liberty' virginia" brought up an article saying that the Virginia Department of Education had released new policies for transgender students.
Levine then wrote to board members in Roanoke County, was to "offer our services in conflict resolution," the emails show.
"I'd like to connect to see if we might be able to offer support and services as you work to manage conflict within the community related to this," she said in an email.
The DOJ until used other words, tracking the phrase "moms for liberty" along with searches that included "bias," "bigot," "confederate flag," and more.
However, there was no evidence that the Moms for Liberty group or Roanoke officials had committed hate crimes, but the DOJ appeared to be operating under the premise that Virginia's government was operating under a "hate agenda" or that activists were creating "tensions," opening the door for intervention, The Daily Wire reported.
The emails also show that CRS was pressuring local officials, through emails with doj.gov accounts, to accept arbitration services.
The findings represent a "new low" for the DOJ, said Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice.
"We reject the notion that advocating for parental rights and the well-being of children is an act of hate and we call on the Department of Justice to clarify its position on this matter," she said. "The actions of the federal government should never infringe upon the rights of parents to engage in the democratic process."
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/doj-crs-moms-for-liberty/2024/05/29/id/1166674/?ns_mail_uid=110c4f27-b39e-4490-8c9e-becd156886f8&ns_mail_job=DM628275_05292024&s=acs&dkt_nbr=010504e2v5q8
Financial Surveillance? PayPal Plots Ad Network Built off Your Purchase History and Shopping Habits
Didi Rankovic
PayPal has announced that it is creating an ad platform “powered” by the data the payment service giant has from millions of both customers and merchants – specifically, from their transaction information.
The data harvesting here will be on by default, but PayPal users (Venmo is included in the scheme) will be able to opt out of what some critics refer to as yet another example of “financial surveillance.” The company’s massive business in the first quarter of this year alone amounted to 6.5 transactions processed for 427 million customers.
Sellers are promised that they will, thanks to the new platform, achieve better sales of products and services, while customers are told to expect the ads targeting them to show more “relevant” products.
A press release revealed that to bolster this side of its business, PayPal has appointed two executives – Mark Grether, formerly Uber Advertising VP and general manager, and John Anderson, who was previously head of product and payments at the fintech firm Plaid.
In this way, PayPal is joining others who are turning to using customer data to monetize targeted advertising. In the company’s industry, Visa and JPMorgan Chase have been making similar moves, while big retailers “share” this type of data with Big Tech.
The PayPal scheme is based on shopping habits and purchase information that allows advertisers to pinpoint their campaigns, and Grether explained that the company “knows” who is making purchases on the internet and where and that this data can be “leveraged.”
He also told the Wall Street Journal that customers who use PayPal cards in physical stores will become sources of the same type of data.
Other than this, however, not many other details are known at this time as to the exact type of data that will be “fed” into the new ad platform.
A spokesperson has offered vague responses to this query, stating that there are no “definitive answers” to that at this “early stage” of the platform’s creation.
But, Taylor Watson was sure to offer boilerplate assurances of transparency and privacy protections:
“Alongside the advertising business, PayPal will build transparent, easy-to-use privacy controls,” said this spokesperson.
https://reclaimthenet.org/paypal-plots-ad-network-built-off-your-purchase-history-and-shopping-habits
Alternative Media Giants Sue The Censorship Industrial Complex
Dan Frieth
In a new lawsuit, Webseed and Brighteon Media have accused multiple US government agencies and prominent tech companies of orchestrating a vast censorship operation aimed at suppressing dissenting viewpoints, particularly concerning COVID-19. The plaintiffs, Webseed and Brighteon Media, manage websites like NaturalNews.com and Brighteon.com, which have been at the center of controversy for their alternative health information and criticism of government policies.
We obtained a copy of the lawsuit for you here.
https://docs.reclaimthenet.org/Brighteon-complaint-5-27-24.pdf
The defendants include the Department of State, the Global Engagement Center (GEC), the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and tech giants such as Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook), Google, and X. Additionally, organizations like NewsGuard Technologies, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), and the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) are implicated for their roles in creating and using tools to label and suppress what they consider misinformation.
Allegations of Censorship and Anti-Competitive Practices:
The lawsuit claims that these government entities and tech companies conspired to develop and promote censorship tools to suppress the speech of Webseed and Brighteon Media, among others. “The Government was the primary source of misinformation during the pandemic, and the Government censored dissidents and critics to hide that fact,” states Stanford University Professor J. Bhattacharya in support of the plaintiffs’ claims.
The plaintiffs argue that the government’s efforts were part of a broader strategy to silence voices that did not align with official narratives on COVID-19 and other issues. They assert that these actions were driven by an “anti-competitive animus” aimed at eliminating alternative viewpoints from the digital public square.
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs have suffered substantial economic harm, estimating losses between $25 million and $50 million due to reduced visibility and ad revenue from their platforms. They also claim significant reputational damage as a result of being labeled as purveyors of misinformation.
The complaint details how the GEC and other agencies allegedly funded and promoted tools developed by NewsGuard, ISD, and GDI to blacklist and demonetize websites like NaturalNews.com. These tools, which include blacklists and so-called “nutrition labels,” were then utilized by tech companies to censor content on their platforms. The plaintiffs argue that this collaboration between government agencies and private tech companies constitutes an unconstitutional suppression of free speech.
A Broader Pattern of Censorship:
The lawsuit references other high-profile cases, such as Missouri v. Biden, to illustrate a pattern of government overreach into the digital information space. It highlights how these efforts have extended beyond foreign disinformation to target domestic voices that challenge prevailing government narratives.
Webseed and Brighteon Media are seeking both monetary damages and injunctive relief to prevent further censorship. They contend that the government’s actions violate the First Amendment and call for an end to the use of these censorship tools.
As the case progresses, it promises to shine a light on the complex interplay between government agencies, tech companies, and the tools used to control the flow of information in the digital age. The outcome could have significant implications for the future of free speech and the regulation of online content.
https://reclaimthenet.org/alternative-media-giants-sue-the-censorship-industrial-complex
Forecast Model: Trump, GOP Lead in Election Races
By Charlie McCarthy | Wednesday, 29 May 2024 11:10 AM EDT
Former President Donald Trump is favored to return to the White House, according to a forecast model released more than five months before November's election.
The Decision Desk HQ/The Hill model also shows Republicans being favored to win control of the House and the Senate.
"This is like taking a test that doesn't count, like getting a grade in school that doesn't count," Decision Desk HQ Director for Data Science Scott Tranter said of the early forecast, The Hill reported.
"No one's voting today, no one's picking a president or picking a senator. If they did pick them today, this is probably how I'd hand it out."
The Decision Desk HQ/The Hill model gives Trump a 58% chance of winning the presidency and President Joe Biden a 42% chance of winning reelection.
The model also shows Trump with slight leads in most of the key swing states expected to determine the election outcome.
Another poll, from Civiqs, this week showed Biden's national approval rating is underwater by an average of 22 percentage points, but his rating in the swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania is even lower.
The Decision Desk HQ/The Hill model currently projects Trump winning 282 electoral votes and Biden 256. A total of at least 270 is needed to win the presidency.
The GOP holds an 80% chance of winning the U.S. Senate and a 64% chance of holding its House majority, according to the model.
The Decision Desk HQ/The Hill model found that Democrat Senate candidates have a higher chance to prevail in all but one of the Senate battlegrounds.
In Montana, Republican Tim Sheehy has a 78% chance of defeating incumbent Democrat Sen. Jon Tester, who has a 22% chance of prevailing.
The model is based on the framework used for past elections in 2020 and 2022, but with some changes.
Decision HQ used roughly 200 different data points — including voter registration numbers for each party, demographics, past election results, fundraising totals, and polling averages — to reach the probabilities.
Democrats, though, remember that a widely predicted red wave in the 2022 midterms did not occur.
"The worst thing you can do is peak too soon in politics," Democrat strategist Antjuan Seawright said, The Hill reported.
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/donald-trump-gop-lead/2024/05/29/id/1166626/?ns_mail_uid=110c4f27-b39e-4490-8c9e-becd156886f8&ns_mail_job=DM628394_05292024&s=acs&dkt_nbr=0105023yancp
Morning Glory: Trump Derangement Syndrome and the Trump jury
TDS, plus the 'lure of significance' could make the jury room in the Trump trial a most unpleasant place.
Hugh Hewitt
Published May 30, 2024 5:00am EDT
The jury has the case and I’ve got a deadline.
Not everyone who thinks former President Donald Trump should be convicted in the Manhattan trial brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has "Trump Derangement Syndrome" ("TDS.). But everyone with "TDS" thinks Trump should be convicted.
Robert DeNiro admitted to TDS in his very weird meltdown outside the courthouse Tuesday when the actor proclaimed he knows Trump is guilty. DeNiro is not alone in voicing their limitless hatred of Trump. More people on X than can be counted have TDS. Many folks commenting on this or any other column about Trump have TDS.
But the marker of TDS is not an opinion on the guilt or innocence of Trump in this proceeding. Thinking Trump guilty isn’t an insane position and can be in many cases put down to simple ignorance of the law.
A lot of observers haven’t been following Andrew C. McCarthy or Jonathan Turley as they have both patiently explained, again and again, why the trial is hard to stomach for people committed to the rule of law. Lots of people catch just a few minutes of coverage or this and that and come to some erroneous conclusion such as "NDAs are illegal" or are wholly ignorant of the fact that Bragg has no jurisdiction over the enforcement of federal election law.
They will just have heard or watched or read enough to conclude that paying off Stormy Daniels was illegal and Trump got caught doing that. They are neither joyful nor disappointed by the verdict, whatever it will be. These citizens are not the problem for politics in this country. The problem for the country is that too many people are emotionally invested in "put Trump in cuffs" regardless of the facts or the law.
Folks with TDS, in contrast to those who have simply been misled or who are ignorant of things like "reasonable doubt," will actually know this case should never have been brought though they will be loath to admit that out loud. They know it’s a bizarre proceeding from start to finish and that the trial Judge Juan Merchan didn’t just put a finger on the scale to benefit the prosecution but that he slammed his fist down on it again and again and again on the side of Bragg and his team.
Merchan will never regain whatever reputation he had for fairness, though he will often hear going forward from the TDS-afflicted how glad they were that he bent the rule of law to try and injure Trump.
Such praise will be the equivalent of cheering for a bonfire that got out of control when offered by the pyromaniacs who happened to pass by such an accidental blaze. According to Psychology Today, pyromaniacs "do not set fires for monetary gain, for ideological reasons, to cover up criminal activity, to express anger or revenge, or as a result of a delusion, a hallucination, or impaired judgment." Why do they start fires? This gets us close to understanding the TDS-afflicted.
"Some research has likened pyromania and other impulse-control disorders to behavioral addictions," was the explanation provided. The TDS-afflicted seem to me to be simply addicted to hating Trump. The origin of their animus is beside the point.
Maybe Trump disintermediated them from power, influence or money. Maybe they got the short end of a deal somewhere along the line, and they are transferring their anger over that perceived injustice on to Trump. A generalization about the origins of a psychological condition does not seem fair or even possibly accurate.
The deep hatred of Trump among those with TDS is really quite startling to observe or hear, especially for the first time from someone you may like or respect. A mention of Trump sets a TDSer off of course, sends them into a rant or over a rhetorical cliff and sometimes they manifest their addiction by raising their voice, clenching fists, resorting to profanity or vulgarity or using ALL CAPS! They obsess about Trump and turn every topic to him. He’s not, for them, a political opponent in the great game of American politics, but a Putin-Assad-Xi-Sinwar-level embodiment of evil.
That’s objectively not true, of course, but they will argue that "Yes, Trump is!" or that at least that he’s close. Even if obliged to give up the ground that Trump hasn’t committed genocide or mass murder of innocents, they will append some qualifier to that admission and mutter something about "lack of opportunity."
How to tell if somebody has TDS? Listen for the venom-saturated commentary, the startling level of hatred they express. It just isn’t normal, not even for brass-knuckled politicos. Trump breaks people. Most stay broken.
Not liking Trump, or even really, really disliking him — disliking him to a level you have never felt about a politician — is not TDS. Indeed, even what appears to be an obsession with Trump is, for some, simply an economic choice.
MSNBC producers know a good slice of their relatively small audience must be fed daily some extravagant venting about Trump. They know they can’t put on the other point of view much less a hardcore MAGA Trump supporter. Too many in their audience are repulsed by any praise of Trump or his record. That’s not TDS. That’s monetizing the TDS in the population at large, even though it’s a small percentage of Americans.
As I wrote this column, the jury was deliberating. I’ve been telling my broadcast audience for two months that a conviction was coming because the trial judge tipped his hand very early and has done everything in his power to "get Trump." I am also convinced the conviction will be reversed on appeal for many reasons, but that the appeal will take much longer than the election season. Even then, it won’t undo the damage done to this election cycle by the fanatics who threw in with Bragg.
The idea that President Joe Biden sent his official campaign to the courthouse to cheer on a conviction via DeNiro’s ranting should stun people. The president of the United States should want justice done, not a political opponent convicted because the incumbent’s campaign seems to be collapsing. Neither the president nor DeNiro can possibly have an informed opinion about the trial because they haven’t been in the courtroom and show no evidence of following the serious and objective analysis. They just want Trump in cuffs.
Why? Well Joe Biden wants to be reelected and who knows what drives a very old actor for whom the sun is setting. There are dozens of different origin stories for TDS but my view is that, for most with the condition, the exercise of the rage against Trump releases some sort of endorphin for the folks trapped in it.
Some sort of psychological return on investment must be garnered by, for example, obsessively replying to posts on X or columns in various platforms that point out the many biased rulings by Merchan. Nobody reads those threads except other TDS-afflicted people. Nobody’s opinion changes. But the compulsion to comment and rage endures.
The only figures from the modern era remotely close to Trump in the ability to trigger sustained rage among his or her political opponents are Richard Nixon and Hillary Clinton. It’s a small group of people in American politics who see in an individual elected in the United States a "super villain." Our republic functions well. We don’t let super villains rule.
Realize, though, there is no arguing with those with TDS, no persuading them of their condition. I have tentatively approached some folks who voted for President Biden in 2020 with the question whether they will consider voting for Trump in 2024. It’s an obvious question to pose to folks who like to talk politics.
A surprising number of them have said yes, but that it’s far from a sure thing. They don’t like Trump at all, for any of a number of reasons. Most in this group of fence-sitters cite unsurprising reasons for their tentative change of heart: Biden’s manifest physical infirmity, or their conclusion that Vice President Harris will end up president if Biden wins in the fall, or because the national security staff around Biden is so utterly averse to conflict and thus have left America weak and unable to deter out energies.
They would gladly vote for another Democrat like Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro or Colorado Governor Jared Polis. But when pushed to face the real choice — Biden or Trump — they are either undecided or already in the "Trump is better than 'old Joe.’"
The key: None of these people have TDS. They are puzzling though the inevitable binary choice.
TDS is not widespread. Most Americans just don’t care enough to hate Trump 24/7/365. And they shouldn’t. Trump isn’t a "threat to democracy," and isn’t, as DeNiro asserted repeatedly, "never going to leave!" if returned to the White House. Of course, he will leave.
The two-term limit is in the Constitution and the Constitution is very strong. It’s just crazy talk to make such a wild assertion to the contrary. But that’s the point: TDS is crazy talk that never ends in the inner dialogue of the minds of the TDS-afflicted.
This is why I fear conviction in a case that is, manifestly, an abuse of the criminal justice system — a political prosecution. I am assuming that some of the jurors have TDS. I’m also assuming that there will be no reasoning with them and that they will descend to berating anyone who sees the reality of this absurd set of charges and assumptions on top of assumptions. If there is more than one TDSer, it’s going to be a rough time for any juror who thinks Trump is getting railroaded and that the prosecution didn’t come close to carrying their burden of proof.
The idea that President Joe Biden sent his official campaign to the courthouse to cheer on a conviction via DeNiro’s ranting should stun people. The president of the United States should want justice done, not a political opponent convicted because the incumbent’s campaign seems to be collapsing. Neither the president nor DeNiro can possibly have an informed opinion about the trial because they haven’t been in the courtroom and show no evidence of following the serious and objective analysts. They just want Trump in cuffs.
I’ve only sat as a member of one criminal jury. (Lawyers on juries is not routine, but it’s also not as rare as some commentators have suggested.) The dynamics in that particular room, which went on for two weeks and ended in a hung jury of 11-1 in favor of conviction, were quite unlike anything you’ve ever seen in a movie or on any platform. I tell my law students on the basis of that experience that they can never underestimate the stupidity, the unmovable bias or pure irrationality of the most ignorant person on the jury.
If any of the Trump jurors has TDS, and especially if more than one does, but there is also a principled individual who sees through the smoke, this could go a very long time. If you know anyone with TDS, you also know that the last thing you want is to be trapped next to them on an airplane or, God forbid, in a jury room.
One more consideration causes concern for this jury. To this manic desire among TDSers to "stop Trump," add in the dangerous lure of "the call of significance" which Commentary Magazine Executive Editor Abe Greenwald articulated in that magazine’s Wednesday podcast.
"I just don’t see," Greenwald explained, "how a New York jury can resist the opportunity — in their eyes a world historic opportunity — to convict Donald Trump and, in their mind, shape the course of the upcoming presidential election and American history." TDS is the obvious threat to a fair deliberation. The less obvious but also real temptation is to indulge the desire to be in on the first ever conviction of a former president — to "make history."
TDS, plus the powerful attraction of being a footnote in history, is almost certainly going to bend this jury. I hope for our collective sake, including those with TDS, that there’s a "Juror #8" — Henry Fonda in "12 Angry Men" — in the room. If there is, he or she will be celebrated down the years. But if you recall the movie, you’ll also recall it takes incredible courage to play that part. We shall see.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/morning-glory-trump-derangement-syndrome-trump-jury
The End Is Near: Biden's Terrorist Aid Pier Is Sinking
Katie Pavlich
| May 28, 2024 3:45 PM
After spending nearly $400 million to construct a "humanitarian pier" in the Gaza Strip, which President Joe Biden announced during his State of the Union address in March, the formerly floating nightmare is sinking into the sea and operations have been suspended.
BREAKING: Pentagon acknowledges Joe Biden's $320 million Gaza pier is sinking, aid deliveries suspended pic.twitter.com/eLRvrY3QD4
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 28, 2024
Last week the pier broke apart and washed up on the beach in Israel. Republican Congressman Michael Waltz called it "FUBAR."
In the military, this is called FUBAR.
Also, Biden can virtue signal to his progressive base for selfish political reasons.
And the mainstream media lets him get away with it. https://t.co/L1MqSh1tB8
— Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) May 25, 2024
Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman is also weighing in.
I don’t relish being right. I had hoped it would bring some relief to Gaza. But as I said on Day 1, this pier was a massive waste of money that had no value other than virtue signaling to Biden’s base. https://t.co/JGIvfRxWSt
— David M Friedman (@DavidM_Friedman) May 28, 2024
Shortly after the pier broke apart the Pentagon admitted all of the aid distributed from the floating location, which has repeatedly come under attack by Hamas, was stolen by the terrorist organization. The White House has not officially weighed in on the disaster.
Pentagon Does 'Not Believe' Aid to Temporary Pier Is Reaching Residents of Gaza
https://t.co/SLmYoBMpM2
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 21, 2024
The 12-day life of Biden’s $320 million pier:
May 17: “Aid flows into Gaza over massive U.S. pier”
May 21: “None of the aid from U.S. pier has been delivered”
May 25: Pier damaged but “still functional”
TODAY: “Pier operations suspended after piece breaks off” pic.twitter.com/LIROYAxZOy
— John Hasson (@SonofHas) May 28, 2024
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2024/05/28/the-end-is-near-bidens-terrorist-aid-pier-is-sinking-n2639633