204 Comments

Trump is a bully and, like all bullies, a coward.

He knows that Chris Christie will eviscerate him in the republican debate, so the coward will try for friendlier environs, which I think (as you suggest) will backfire.

2024 is a long way off in politics and anything can happen between now and the general election.

I'm hoping Trump's long-overdue political demise is one such occurrence.

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I understand that Christie himself is a bully. It seems to me that Mr Trump has met his match with Mr Christie. At the very least more independents will be exposed to the truth (on Trump) and not MAGA propaganda. Tucker Carlsons Trump show will be some of the nastiest most disgussting racist sycophantic and insurrectionist nonesense. Whoever watches that crap is beyond savining anyway.

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Bill,

Your assessment of “Christy”is full on. He is not unlike Bill Barr.... slimy opportunist. He too is a very scary person. Not one Republican should be watched for entertainment but for serious evaluation as to character.....

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Margaret Hoover, whom I find to be a riddle wrapped in an enigma, just interviewed Christie, without even asking him about his aide and associates tying up traffic on the George Washington Bridge in alleged political retribution for a political slight. Although Christie was not charged, it was later revealed that he monitored in real time (remind you of anything?) Others were indicted, and at least one served time. We should have paid more attention when the Supreme Court threw out the convictions.

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Just because he was not charged does not make him innocent in my view. (apropro bridgegate)

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Exactly, and the Supremes threw out the other convictions because the defendants didn't receive any tangible reward. I'll be watching for that argument in Georgia.

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Remember when Christie closed the NJ public beaches right before Labor Day weekend (or was it 4th of July weekend?) then got photographed sunbathing at the beach by some reporters in a helicopter? I think this happened a year or two before COVID lockdown.

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I forgot about that!

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I havent forgetten bridgegate nor his many get in your face (bullying) moments from his time as governor. Nor his time supporting Mr Trump. You are right. I keep my ears wide open for what he says about Mr Trump but also the Republican/MAGA talking points that he uses that still havent changed.

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Don’t forget about the bridge closure that of course, he knew nothing about.

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Bill Reitz : It'll be the same old boring repetition of grievance. Tfg will portray the martyr who repeats " I alone can fix it!". You sure tried. You sorry loser. FOOL!

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The trouble with Trump is he has already said everything there is to say on any topic that means anything and he still doesn't make any sense. He flaps his lips and no matter what he tries to say comes out sounding stupid. The world is after him and he can't figure out why. Perhaps the fact that he's a crook has something to do with it.

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I've been saying since I first heard him campaigning, and to use your words here: he flaps his lips but never says anything. Meaning after he's done talking you're left just scratching your head. Like, huh?

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Stephen--You must have listened to the same speeches I caught pieces of. Its sad that only ignorant people can make any sense out of the crap he says.

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It's a one-size-fits-all speech. You can make it mean whatever you are presently angry about...and savor the veiled threats in it.

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Personally? I call it his "top anus," as it not only spews verbal diarrhea nonstop, but it LOOKS LIKE AN ANUS!:(

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"Huh?" is exactly the response he wants. It's taken him far.

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I've been saying this for a while,why do SO many people have SO much to say about what he does?

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Red--Because we must never forget what an oaf the man is.

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POS garbage,more folks are sick of his threatening,lying ways than we know.How about govt. for by and of the people,the way it's supposed to be.

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I remember an ex CEO John Legere saying the same "Only I can fix it" line in referencing that he would fix Elon Musks twitter. I also remember when Legere was asked by the government if staying at the Trump Post Office hotel in Washington DC had anything to do with currying favor with Trump during the Sprint/T-Mobile merger (when Legere was CEO of T-Mobile and Trump was president). In retrospect of the Saudis booking how many? rooms at the Post Office Hotel to curry favor I guess we know the real answer to the governments question. Anyone who says "only I can fix" it is a full on Narcissist. The reason why I mention Legere is because he was CEO of a "progressive" company. A Narcissit can claim to be progressive or conservative or whatever. In the end its them first and the politics is only useful as a vessel for their own advancement. Perhaps that is the real reason for Christies current "honesty".

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Why is Bill R’s comment blocking the following comment?

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PRAY ! , For those POOR, ,,,,, souls ! ( Thanks, ...Bill ! )

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These folks have to see the light on their own. Praying for them is one of the few ways they can be helped.

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You Know ! , Deborah, It SEEMS, "Far Off ," BUT True MANKIND, Should NOT ! , SLACKEN uP ! In THIS spirit/ flesh WarFare, That is IN OUR FACES !! , Now, . And for EVERY DAY ! , OUR GOOD LORD ! ,,,,,, GRANTs US ! " FAITH !! "

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Nailed it!

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Chris is a force to be respected. I'd love to see him bellowing Trump into submission. BTW: 2024 will be here before we know it. I'm contributing/volunteering to get out the vote. Vote Forward is just my speed. They are sending letters to Virginia voters for the upcoming elections. Check it out.

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I would like to express that I was in awe of the Fani Willis presentation of the indictment against Donald John Trump and his alleged co-conspirators. The calm forcefulness, the slow deliberate reading aloud of the indicteds' full names, the gravitas of the moment -- all calculated to impress upon the American people the historic nature of these legal proceedings -- proceedings necessary to uphold the principles upon which our democracy is founded.

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I might watch at least part of the debate because Chris Christie will be entertaining, and some policy proposals might be discussed. If Trump were participating, it would just be a boring rehash of his grievances. Likewise his interview with Tucker Carlson.

Just a thought: In 2020 Trump refused to participate in one of scheduled debates with Biden, so they ended up having dueling town halls. More people watched Biden's town hall.

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I am definitely watching for the Christie, Trump roasting. Seeing him tell the truth about Mr Trump is worth suffering through the lies he says about Biden. I know weird paradox there.

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You can write letters for Vote Forward while you watch so it won't be a total waste of time.

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Yes, I will be interested in how far Christie is willing to go and was hoping Donald would be their to face Christie's music and, of course, Donald bowed out.

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I have to agree with you about Chris Christie being entertaining. He was our governor for 8 years and I didn't care for him or his politics but when he went off, his message was cutting edge to the point of rudeness.

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Bright as the ex-governor undeniably is, Christie has never said anything as entertaining as that aerial shot of him in a beach chair down the shore after he had warned everyone else to stay away. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/n-jersey-gov-chris-christie-kicks-sand-after-being-spotted-n779256

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I remember that, rofl

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You aint kidding. I also remembered that one and forgot to say something. Definitely is appropriate to keep all this nonesense in perspective. Is the enemy of the enemy my enemy or is the enemy of my enemy my friend. I can definitely say that this enemy is currently fighting our enemy and once our enemy is defeated he's going to go both barrels against us.

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What a physique!

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Yet another example of why local media are indispensible. The photographer's account in the Star-Ledger link from the NBC piece is a good read. No tip—he was just enterprising, and got a photo for the ages.

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Yeah there has got to be some way to being that type of journalism back.

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Ok on that. Mr Trump was fat shaming Chris Christie. I looked up Mr Trumps weight and he clocks in as Obese on the BMI scale (Heck Im almost at Obese myself). Point being those who live in glass houses (Trump) shouldnt throw stones.

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"FAKE NEWS!!! I had 130,000 Americans watching ME!!! >where do I know that number from?<"

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" The continuing tragedy on Maui, and why young people are leading the way in the fight against climate change." Robert Reich.

My observation is that, sadly, the number of young people who take climate change seriously isn't significantly higher than the population in general. The real solution to the climate crisis would involve many more people following the example of Greta Thunberg, yet I see almost no one, young or old, doing that. I am doing it, but I am old and retired and can afford to do it.

We live in the industrial age. With it comes an industrial economy. If everyone by some miracle decides to follow Greta's example that economy would crash.

-A lot of the measures being taken by big business amount to greenwashing.

-Many people who are concerned but who lack scientific knowledge are being tricked by "miracle cures" presented on social media that are often perpetual motion scams.

-I have seen proposals to collect solar power with large orbiting arrays of panels and beaming it to earth with microwaves. This is possible and I will leave it to you to figure out why it's a bad idea.

If the vast majority does not start educating themselves on what we must do I fear humanity is doomed to extinction.

As for the debates; I realized in the 90's that they are never more than a bunch of people saying what they think their target audience wants to hear and are not a basis for deciding. Some people find trump entertaining. I don't.

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I saw a Quinniac poll where voters ranked climate change 8th or 9th in issue priority. A radical shift in the public's attitudes about climate change will surprise me. Looks like a very slow awakening.

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...Too slow an awakening for the planet's sake.

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Oh sure not to mince words it means mass death and suffering.

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Ive stated the same on substack. I know this seems stupid. I've read a lot of science fiction. What is occuring now has been predicted by multiple authors, its almost like a trope. We are going need to get immigration straightened out as havihg next to no plan like we do doesnt work. Climate migration is going to destroy central america and many island nations. We have to take them in. Its going to be bad. When they migrate here they are going to find a midwest pummeled by huge tornadoes and crops are going to need to be beneath domes to prevent their destruction. Coastal flooding wjll necessistate walled cities or evacuation. Hurricanes will be constant. it will be warm winters and sometimes wacky cold snaps becausw of radical wind patterns pushing artuc winds to places it would never normally go. Unlike what most people think humanity wont die outright. There will still be mass extingtiona, including billions of pwoplw. The world will be so much different than what we know we will really regret not acting on climate change when we could.

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REVELATIONS 16 VERSES --- 21 ----- !!!!!

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ST.dj , d -- Just WAIT , ! , The * LARGER HAILSTONES ,! * ,,,,,, ARE ! ,,,, . GOING ! To " APPEAR " ! THEN ! MANKIND , Will , WAKE UP !! . GLORY !!

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I agree Dave, but too many people prefer to "feel" than to think or research.

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My appreciation again for the coffee klatch. In the middle of all the disrupting news on every level of life for every person alive, I think it’s really so great to have created the Saturday coffee klatch. Alexia.

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I will watch it, and I think other non-GOPers should too. I'm surprised that wasn't an option on the poll; why not try to understand the choices?

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Seeing many of the loony tunes Trump kissing (MAGA clones) and Christies response to that will be priceless. Supposedly one of clones is going to try to copy Christie's anti Truml message. That also should be fun to watch. What did Biden say don't compare me to the almighty, compare me to the alternative. A very apt statement. At this rate Trumps not going to be on the primary ballot in enough states to get the nomination.

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Yes. As far as I am concerned, Bunkerboy is fully unelectable now.

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I certainly hope Trump is fully unelectable now.

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At the very least, he has only 40% of 25% of those in America! (Yes, registered Trumplicans make up only 25% of our electorate!)

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Bill Reitz : with most of them polling at 3%, it's hard to imagine. What a farce! Tfg is so phony, he can't even have an honest debate with 'his' "party"! Instead of calling him their leader,, it should be "The anointed hindmost"!

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RIGHT ,,,,, ON !! , Laurie, !! AMEN !

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I think the TV series Doom Patrol had a character that was a butt with 2 legs that would open up to reveal a bunch of teeth. Remove the teeth and replace the teeth with gas and I can see a fair proximation of Mr Trump.

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WOW , ! , Bill !, THAT ! . Was GREAT !

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I will give it a try but I swear the mouthings of most of those candidates make me physically ill anymore. Too many years of it.

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I guess that's what the "other" response is for. I might watch a bit of it just to "know thine enemy." That way when I talk to people and they parrot Rethuglikin' talking points or use certain buzz words, I immediately know who I'm dealing with.

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Me, too! I want to see how they all present their cases, especially the non-pol Indian choice. Not that I'd ever vote for any of them.

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President Biden just achieved a new alignment and strengthened alliance with Japan and South Korea. But we’re back to all Trump, all the time as tfg’s dumpster fire sucks all the oxygen out of the room.

Let’s refocus please to how to revive an American vision for our future as one of many advanced nations that helps solve inequality and the climate crisis and offers the emerging youth vote a way forward.

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First, I have to say thank you, Prof. Reich, for making me laugh. The survey choices on today's poll did it! A good laugh these days goes a long way to untying, or at least loosening some of the knots I carry in this big political macrame we are tied in. I first sought out your guidance on day one on Youtube, that dark day in November of 2016 to help me understand it all, know that I am not alone, and reposition myself to do something proactive about it. Then these blogs were and continue to be always stimulating and thought provoking. I appreciate your wisdom, your delightful delivery, and your fostering this community of caring and thoughtful folks. Most recently, I have begun to watch the Wealth and Poverty classes. It is a pleasure to be able to avail myself of them at my convenience, and to vicariously enjoy what your lucky students had in person. My understanding of how the system works is becoming clearer. The ideas you present inform how I process new information, and a greater appreciation for the balance and lack thereof. As for the republican candidates' debate, I will watch whatever coverage I can find online to get an index on how they present the issues and their priorities until I can't stand it another second and search on Youtube for a video of birds singing or children laughing or something that reminds me why we are doing it all.

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Our Professor is GREAT!!!

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Michael Luttig did the rounds a few days ago and on PBS I believe he said something about being hopeful although calling for those in power to hold Trumpf to account. In this case, once again, he is getting special treatment. Why oh why does the GOP still cower to him and that goes to the mainstream media. Deal with the facts, call out the lies, and no special treatment. As a side note, I will not be watching as I don’t want to give them my energy. I believe they will largely try to “out-Trumpf” each other and the whole debacle will be an ongoing race to the bottom.

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We just finished watching "The Wizard of Lies," Robert De Niro as Bernie Madoff. Madoff accepting the full force of the public's outrage at his crimes seems to be on another planet from Trump. But then Madoff didn't have a cult baying for the blood of his accusers. Trump's base is fully complicit with Trump in every way: they thrill to his cruel, relentless criminality. He is their "maxi-me," the embodiment of all their murderous instincts.

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Why? Cowardice? The fact that GOP pols who cross the defendant lose their seats and media that fail to kiss his ring lose their audience? Not to mention the doxxing, constant harassment, menacing, and occasional murder visited upon doubters? I believe the salient question is why do those cultists feel that way.

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Chris NS ; I don't expect it to be at all uplifting either.

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All the Trump fans will be tuned in as they continue the path towards authoritarian rule…forgetting what it took, the lives lost in the struggle to maintain democracy!

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There are more GOPers, even MAGAs, that are ready to vote for an alternative to Trump than I believe is generally known. I say this based on thin anectotal evidence, so ...There is more Trump fatique out there than the media recognizes is my hypothesis.

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The small rally sizes and the lack of mass protests at the indictments shows the same.

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DeStinko from Florida isn't that.He's as scary and disgusting as Scumpf is.

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What an interviewer needs to do is ask these folks if they's like to live in a Cuba,China,or Russia type place.Try North Korea or Iran! That might wake them up.

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Martha MacCallum (@marthamaccallum)

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I'll be watching. The debate will be "no Trump." There's a bidding system in bridge that uses a weak "no trump" as the foundation: the Toronto method. Trump will spend the time with Tucker Carlson -- to try to command market share.

Even if he's not there, I submitted the following question to Fox: Ask all candidates on Trump's behalf, "What did you do to stop the steal?"

Binary math. If they answer, they implicate themselves. If they don't, they tick off Trump.

I wanna hear them discuss the odds of Trump prevailing. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/06/14/fewer-than-1-of-defendants-in-federal-criminal-cases-were-acquitted-in-2022/?fbclid=IwAR0CoB2vdlsA1F-iivuQDalmnow8fHgaIWlN7QY_LX23Fp0Gm2fZ9DfxQEI

I wanna hear stuff like Trump acolyte Ramaswamy proposing to strip voting rights from under-25s (women next? non-church attenders?)!!!

I wanna hear whether they support sunsetting SS, Medicare, VA benefits, Obamacare, food subsidies, etc.

That ought to turn off a lot of MAGATs.

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Yea Daniel,that was thorough and GREAT!

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Daniel I got a great laugh from you binary math comment; thank you.

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How about the defendant does both—the interview and the debate? Wapo reports he has already taped the interview.

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Make that last one first. Should sober things up quickly, although I'm sure they'd deny it.

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The press will watch.

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Jack White: Our adversaries (and allies), will too!! So sad, I forgot to laugh! A disheartening curiosity!

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I still think that trump may not be the GOP candidate ( raised all the money he can and needs it for lawyers, health reason such as the bone spur acting up). These people are running in case he drops out. That is why so few attack him. They want his base when he leaves. Christie needs to attack all the other candidates for their support of trump.

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I disagree. I think most of those, with the exception of christy, are running for vice president.

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We will watch just out of curiosity.Most we don’t know, nor really care. For Joe 100%.

If Joe must bow out, then Gov. Gretchen Whitmer + Pete

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Listen to the other candidates tell us what a great and glorious president Trump was and tell us Trump’s corruption was and is fine and acceptable? No. Not happening.

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Martha MacCallum (@marthamaccallum)

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Thanks for another uplifting klatch. 2 points. 1st there are so many indictments and charges that even Alan Dershowitz won't be able to defend him against all of the charges. Mr Trump is definitely going to jail. 2nd point, fighting Trump and the Koch bros and the anti climate change corporations is all the same thing. I see Mr Trumps impending prison term as progress for climate change and accountability for these bloated and powerful persons and corporations. While Mr Trump dithers Biden is continuing to deal with the climate problem. (Miedas Touches Trump tweet/Biden tweet segment completely illustrates the divide between the status quo and the status foe). As bad as things are there is a lot of hope left.

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