Lurker > Humble_Novice

Democratic aides walked through a range of authoritarian possibilities, including one scenario in which Trump called out the National Guard either as a show of force or in an attempt to enforce his fictitious victory, the sources say. Another scenario involved gameplans for how to handle Trump refusing to leave the White House the day of Bidens inauguration, even if the swearing-in had already concluded.

Biden HQ and the lawyers were essentially preparing for every insane scenario that anyone could think of, so that the campaign wouldnt be stuck in neutral if the worst actually transpired, says one attorney familiar with the extensive 2020 wargaming. Even then, Im not sure everybody was predicting just how crazy it would become and what Trump would actually do.

Any attempt by Trump to try and undermine the 2024 election would likely look different than 2020, if only because he lacks the legal authority and access to federal resources he enjoyed as president.

Still, Team Biden has been planning for years sketching out what Trump could do as the leader of the GOP, and has partnered with the Democratic National Committee and a vast network of liberal attorneys and legal groups to conduct similar doomsday-style wargaming.

One swing-state Democratic election official involved with these efforts refers to it as a superstructure of various legal teams and liberal operatives who are going to fight [Team Trump and election deniers] on all fronts and let them have it from all sides, if MAGA wants to tear down our democracy.

According to two Biden campaign officials and two other sources with knowledge of the operation, draft pleadings and legal motions, for all kinds of possible Trump-related emergencies, are already written and at the ready. In critical swing states such as Georgia, Arizona, and Pennsylvania, Team Biden is regularly in contact with an array of outside counsels and local law firms that have been retained to actively monitor what is happening on the ground, including with regards to the activism of election-denying Trump allies.

Bidenworlds closely-held list of nightmare scenarios in which Democratic legal teams would have to battle it out tooth and nail with Republican counterparts before, during, or after Election Day 2024 has grown comically long, says one source with direct knowledge of the matter. Biden campaign officials and other Democrats familiar with the topic tell Rolling Stone that a key concern, for which step-by-step gameplanning has already begun, is how to robustly respond if Trump and other leading Republicans try to engineer another Jan. 6-style power grab.

In these internal wargames among Bidenworld and Democratic attorneys in key states, this kind of Jan. 6 sequel has included scripts in which House Republicans or state officials refuse to certify a Biden victory an act that prominent GOP politicians, including on Capitol Hill, have publicly dangled as an option.

A spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee tells Rolling Stone that the national party is also setting aside tens of millions of dollars in a robust voter protection program to safeguard the rights of voters to make their voices heard against relentless attacks from Donald Trump and the GOP.

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign and the RNC have invested in an army of conspiratorial, election-denying legal staff to undermine our elections and make it harder for Americans ballots to be counted, says the DNC spokesperson. We wont let Republicans get away with these baseless attacks on our democracy, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to strengthen our democracy as MAGA extremists attempt to tear it down.

Of course, if much of the current national and swing-state polling holds, Trump could defeat his successor outright in a 2024 rematch. However, that is almost irrelevant to Trump and his MAGA brain trusts goals of cementing their heads I win, tails you lose philosophy of election administration.

Trump, after all, has continued to falsely claim that the 2016 presidential race was somehow rigged in Democratic nominee Hillary Clintons favor. And that was the election he won.

For years, Donald Trump has made it abundantly clear that if he doesnt win the 2024 presidential election, he is willing to cheat and steal it. Since President Joe Bidens inaugural address, according to sources with intimate knowledge of the situation, Biden and his inner circle have been drawing up meticulous plans and creating a large legal network focused on wargaming a close election finish, in which the former president and Republican Party launch a scorched-earth, Big Liefueled crusade.

Long before Trump began leading in battleground-state polling and years before he was a declared 2024 candidate the ex-president and many of his influential allies were already busy plotting ways to tilt the election in his favor. These yearslong efforts, conducted both secretly and out in the open, have already yielded tangible results for Trump and the conservative election denier movement. These wide-ranging operations have alarmed the Democratic Party elite, who arent just worried about Bidens sagging poll numbers. Numerous Democratic lawmakers, operatives, Biden campaign advisers, and administration officials tell Rolling Stone that if the president does ultimately beat Trump this November, the election will be exceedingly close.

Over the past year, Team Biden has been conducting war games, crafting complex legal strategies, and devoting extensive resources to prepare for, as one former senior Biden administration official puts it, all-hell-breaks-loose scenarios. The preparations include planning for a contingency in which Bidens margin of victory is so razor-thin that Trump and the GOP launch a tidal wave of legal challenges and political maneuvers to rerun his 2020 election strategy: declare victory anyways, and try to will it into existence.

President Biden has been worried, for a while now, that Donald Trump is going to try to steal the election, if its very close on Election Day, says a source familiar with Bidens thinking. If that ends up being the case, we are also expecting the Republican Party to go into overdrive to help him steal it. We are continuing to build out the infrastructure to ensure that doesnt happen again if President Biden wins and Trump and MAGA Republicans try to confuse [everyone] and sow chaos.

After the 2020 race was called for Biden, Trump and much of the GOP embarked on a sprawling campaign a blitz of lawsuits, rabid conspiracy theories, attempts to block certification, and slates of fake electors to nullify Bidens clear win. This culminated in the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, which Trump instigated, and led to years of criminal investigations and various indictments, as well as the mainstreaming of the MAGA election-denial movement. The efforts to overturn the election were unsuccessful, largely because Biden had won too many battleground states unlike when the 2000 presidential race came down to the single state of Florida, and the Republican Party was able to successfully halt the recount of an extremely close vote.

This time around, the race could be much closer, and Trumps efforts appear significantly more organized. He also has more of the partys elite behind him and his anti-democratic election lies than he had during the last presidential election. If the 2024 election margins end up being wafer-thin, that level of institutional backing could, of course, redound to Trumps benefit.

Top officials in both the Trump and Biden camps are expecting an uncomfortably tight election outcome in November, sources in both campaigns have told Rolling Stone on numerous occasions over the past year. Advisers to both candidates say they expect the race will turn on a margin of just tens of thousands of votes in a handful of key battleground states, if not a single state. One Trump adviser says that they had privately told the ex-president and presumptive 2024 GOP nominee to anticipate an electoral knife fight to the death on, and likely in the wake of, Election Day.

Team Bidens in-house counsels and network of outside lawyers are currently preparing legal strategies for scenarios involving recounts that would make, in the words of one Biden official, make Florida in 2000 look like childs play.

Sources in and around the presidents legal and political operations say the Biden campaigns current wargaming is informed by questions aides asked themselves in the wake of the 2020 election: What if theres a rematch in four years with Donald Trump? What do we do if Joe Biden wins and Trump tries to steal the election again?

Bidenworld spent a lot of time pondering such a scenario even before the 2020 election.

In the months leading up to November 2020, Trump offered repeated, public signals that he would try to delegitimize any outcome in which he lost the election. As the threats mounted, Bidens campaign brass began preemptively working through different nightmare scenarios.

That prep work accelerated in the final weeks of the campaign as an armada of lawyers, numbering in the hundreds, sketched out various unconventional scenarios in which the then-president tried to cling to power in the face of defeat, according to current and former senior Biden campaign officials.

So May 1st is when all the cases get dropped at the latest because SCROTUS will grant trump, and only trump, total immunity for anything that happened while he was president.

That being said, who the fuck cares? She got fired (to my knowledge). At the end of the day, she was one of the many consultants at SBI and is a small game dev. She's not gonna somehow bring about the genocide of white people. She's racist and should be forgotten, but this is, ultimately, a nothing burger.

She's obviously a bigot and it's right to call her out on it. Saying that she shouldn't be calling other people slurs or generalizing White people isn't the same as getting mad at the existence of Black characters or Black content creators.

I do want to bring up an interesting point that she makes though. Crazy people often speak truths that normal people are too polite to bring up. She's right when she says that studios shouldn't be able to tote around cartoon and video game characters for Black History Month if they're not voiced by Black actors.

I'm all for casting the right VA over having ethnicity-specific casting. But you shouldn't be able to celebrate a Black character as a Black character if a White guy is voicing them and collecting their paycheck for them.

Conversely, I think it would be absolutely fair to celebrate Black actors behind characters who are not canonically Black. James Avery as the Shredder, James Earl Jones as Darth Vader, or Roscoe Lee Browne from 90s Spider-Man. I'm sure there are more modern examples. They're just some of the ones that I grew up with and know by heart.

RICHMOND, Va. A former Virginia lawmaker was arrested over the weekend on felony gun and drug charges and a misdemeanor charge of violating a protective order, according to a sheriffs office official and jail records.

Matt Fariss, who had served in the House of Delegates as a Republican since 2012 before running unsuccessfully last year as an independent, was booked at a Blue Ridge Regional Jail facility early Sunday, online jail records show.

He faces charges of possession of a Schedule I or II drug, a felony, possession of a Schedule I or II drug while possessing a firearm, also a felony, and misdemeanor violation of a protective order, Lt. Jarrett Rea of the Campbell County Sheriffs Office said by phone.

Rea said that apart from confirming the charges, which were also listed in jail records, he had no other details to share about the allegations against Fariss or what led to his arrest. He said more information would likely be available Monday.

It was not immediately clear if Fariss had an attorney who could comment on his behalf. None was listed in court or jail records, and Rea could not say whether Fariss had obtained one. Jail records indicated Fariss remained in custody Sunday afternoon.

Jail records list a court date for Fariss on Monday though no date was immediately reflected in the states online court system.

The development came just weeks after Fariss was acquitted of felony hit-and-run and malicious wounding charges after being accused last year of striking his ex-girlfriend with his SUV after they had argued. Fariss of Campbell County, just outside of Lynchburg was convicted of a less serious charge of improper driving and ordered to pay a $500 fine.

Chuck Felmlee, the defense attorney who represented Fariss in that case, did not immediately respond to inquiries left at his office Sunday.

News of Fariss arrest was reported earlier by Cardinal News.

Nah. Its worse, as the only way to meet that quota is to plagiarize guides like that that have already been written.

No I understand that but why do they need one specifically for gay seniors?

I don't believe calling out white privilege and racism is itself racist, no. Though being against interracial relationships is pretty bad if true.

For what it's worth, she doesn't actually work for SBI, at least not anymore.

Holy crap, Jeffries has a chance.

The veteran Alaska Republican, one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial amid the aftermath of January 6, 2021, is done with the former president and said she absolutely would not vote for him.

I wish that as Republicans, we had a nominee that I could get behind, Murkowski told CNN. I certainly cant get behind Donald Trump.

The partys shift toward Trump has caused Murkowski to consider her future within the GOP. In the interview, she would not say if she would remain a Republican.

Asked if she would become an independent, Murkowski said: Oh, I think Im very independent minded. And she added: I just regret that our party is seemingly becoming a party of Donald Trump.

Pressed on if that meant she might become an independent, Murkowski said: I am navigating my way through some very interesting political times. Lets just leave it at that.

Eh... Kind of? Lalonders clearly dislikes white people because of the way they've treated her. That kind of hate definitely swings into "racist" territory, but I can kind of understand why some people get like that.

My late grandfather hated white people because he grew up in the South during segregation. And as a black man, he got blamed and attacked by white men, for something he didn't do. So he never learned to trust white people after that, although his anger mellowed as he got older.

I didn't think it was right for him to hate all white people, because of the actions of a few, but I didn't go through what he did, so I wasn't about to argue with him on it.

I think something like that could have been solved with therapy though. Maybe that's what this lady needs? Work out her issues with a professional instead of carrying that hatred with her for her entire life.

Seems to be both, and like OP is getting paid to promote it.

I will always require a Mt. Everest tall amount of evidence whenever right wing nutjobs/white supremacists claim such-and-such person is racist against white people.

Remember when they maliciously pushed an edited video of Shirley Sherrod and got her fired? It was the same narrative. And that's far from the only time they've told such lies to encourage harassment or try to bring innocent people financial hardship. These people lie every time they open their mouths and are not deserving of trust.

I am absolutely not reading all of that

You have to come up with a better way to present this than just posting a dozen images of tweets

She's filled with so much obvious, obsessive hate that seeing any defence of her at all is incredibly strange

I dont care what she said. I went with the first option simply because the people whinging about her are even more cringe than the woke crowd they keep complaining about.

Beck said his classroom is close to restrooms, so kids come back with an average of two to three minutes left. He hasnt seen anyone miss the time, but he heard that the app could revoke the bathroom privilege or not allow the student to apply for bathroom trips for a certain duration of time. Overall, he sees the app as positive because it teaches students to be punctual and responsible.

A large part of the schools job is to prepare students for work, we want you to be in class on time because if you show up late all the time to work, theyre not going to hire you, Beck said.

Beck added that his only doubt is whether the app can be customized on a case-by-case basis. For various reasons, some students might need longer in the bathroom.

Cirene Cruz, a junior at Fresno High, said the policy is inflexible.

Today, you know, its girls menstrual cycles, I went to the bathroom and I came back two minutes late, she said. Some teachers are more strict. For example, my math teacher, if we go past a certain amount of time then we just cant go for the rest of the month.

She added that teachers have different policies and may have a final say on approving bathroom requests, while the app serves as a tool to record the data.

Buchanan, the Fresno High sophomore, said the school gave a one-week notice to enforce the new hall passes rule with the app. He said his parents didnt receive any notifications and he told them about it. According to Fresno Highs bell schedule, the first period starts at 8:30 a.m. on a regular school day. Each class lasts for 53 minutes with six-minute breaks for students to get to their next class. Students usually have six periods a day. Lunch is 35 minutes, and students are dismissed from school at 3:20 p.m.

When Fresno High demonstrated the app and announced the new rule earlier this month, said Buchanan, he and his peers raised questions about the rationale behind allowing only two seven-minute bathroom trips, but the school didnt respond, he said. Students felt they were left without answers, Buchanan said.

Everybody was against it, he said. When we ask questions, that teacher said I dont run the school, I cant answer your questions, Im not in charge.

The Fresno Bee contacted Fresno Highs principal Amy Smith asking for an interview about the app and student concerns. The districts chief communications officer Nikki Henry replied to the Bee reporter that staff are not authorized to speak to media without authorization.

Henry denied access to Fresno High, saying that the app rollout was still new and she arranged instead for The Bee to talk to the principal of Hoover High, which has been using the app to its full extent, including rewarding points to students who engage actively in class and participate in activities.

The districts safety and security team funded the tool this year and will again next year, said A.J. Kato, general manager of the districts communications team. Each school determines the specifics and the rules based on their needs.

Sites like Tioga and Gaston were finding it extremely useful in tracking student engagements with activities and clubs, as well as the hall pass element, which reduced the number of students roaming hallways or congregating in bathrooms during instructional time, said an email reply from the districts communications team. Each site may use it differently, but one way it helps reduce these concerns is by limiting how many students on campus can be out of class at a time for bathroom breaks.

Oliver Buchanan, a 10th grader at Fresno High, is using his first bathroom privilege for the day. He inputs his student ID number into an app and if the system detects fewer than 25 students campus-wide are on bathroom trips, the screen turns green and the countdown begins. He now has seven minutes for the bathroom trip.

He goes down the stairs Fresno High only allows students to use the two bathrooms on the ground floor located on the south and north sides of the campus. He might find some kids smoking in the bathroom. He might find some doors locked due to maintenance or the school might be investigating a bathroom incident. He might need to wait for the line.

But hed better come back to the classroom soon and put in the code again to stop the timer. If it goes over time, he would lose his bathroom privileges.

If you have the tendency to take eight minutes in the bathroom, instead of the seven that youre getting, Were gonna take away your bathroom, Buchanan said. Teachers are starting to get strict with it, because the app also helps the school realize what teachers are letting students go out longer.

Fresno High is the latest school in the district to roll out the 5 Star Students app to regulate student trips outside classrooms during instructional periods. Students are limited to two seven-minute bathroom breaks during the day, and the app keeps track of the time they spend outside of classrooms.

The app was piloted in several middle schools in earlier years and has now been adopted by Fresno Unified School Districts safety and security department to impose on all middle and high schools this year. It aims to promote campus safety and learning engagement. Some teachers find it effective, while students generally dislike it.

I gotta admit, I was a little skeptical, but there are not as many students out there wandering around, theres not as much socializing going on (outside of class), said Peter Beck, Fresno Highs social studies teacher. I think partially thats because theyve kind of worried about what happens if a campus assistant notices and goes looking for them.

There are objections to managing bathroom breaks via an app, because it might involve emergencies or medical reasons. Some also argue against the technologys downside of data collection and privacy invasion. But those who support it say the app is nothing more than a timer and they point out that its not an actual location tracker.

The app acts like a digital ID and every student in each participating school has a profile that includes a headshot. Fresno High mandates that students with smartphones download the free app. Its also used to timestamp student attendance, in general, in addition to monitoring time spent on bathroom breaks. The app registers when a student enters the campus in the morning, as well as when and for how long a student might leave the classroom. Fresno High students said they can download the app on their phones or tablets, but its handy on the phones because they can scan the digital ID instead of manually filling out the information to record a tardy for school in the morning.

During instructional periods, students apply their bathroom passes through the app. If the student sees the screen turn green and the countdown starts, the student is allowed out of the classroom and can pass through patrolling campus assistants, who closely monitor all students timers and check students hall passes. When returning to the classroom, students reenter their ID codes so the app can record the time they spent outside of the classroom.

Yes. Their argument was that if it's not a real picture, even if it's based on a real person, it can't be "child porn" and thus you should not call the person who made it a pedophile.

It was obviously very ridiculous.

A third-grade teacher at a Christian school in Florida was arrested on Tuesday for alleged possession of child pornography, some of which he said was AI-generated using the yearbook photos of past students, according to WFLA. The Pasco County Sheriffs office said it began investigating 67 year-old Steven Houser, a science teacher at Beacon Christian Academy, after receiving a tip about him.

According to a press release from the sheriffs office, investigators discovered that he possessed two photos and three videos of child porn, in addition to some AI-generated erotica depicting children. Houser told police that hed made the erotica using the yearbook photos of three of his past students. Beacon Christian Academy is a part of Beacon Community Church in New Port Richey, Florida.

As the technology becomes more accessible, incidents involving AI-generated erotica of minors is on the rise. Earlier this month, five eighth-grade students in a Beverly Hills middle school were expelled for spreading AI-generated nude images of their classmates.

Bluesky is considered the closest to Twitter's design. I only have it as a backup for accounts that folks I followed on Twitter put there for the same purpose.

Republicans, especially the voters, are even more hypocritical than the people they want to represent them factually proven over and over again.

They have to wait until it effects them before they think maybe I should not vote for this....