Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib accuses the New York Times of spreading 'transphobic hate'



Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan is accusing the New York Times of disseminating "transphobic hate."

"The @nytimes has been providing a platform for transphobic hate & propaganda, with horrifying consequences," Tlaib declared in a tweet. "During escalating assaults on trans people & trans rights nationwide, the New York Times is featuring writers debating whether trans people should even exist and scapegoating this already-marginalized community," she declared in another tweet.

\u201cDuring escalating assaults on trans people & trans rights nationwide, the New York Times is featuring writers debating whether trans people should even exist and scapegoating this already-marginalized community. One way to act in solidarity is to sign now: https://t.co/xIeaBGIhlj\u201d
— Rashida Tlaib (@Rashida Tlaib) 1657566213

The lawmaker linked to a web page that invites people to, "Sign now to tell the New York Times to stop providing a dangerous platform for transphobic hate, and instead amplify trans voices."

"By featuring non-trans writers who scapegoat trans people and debate whether trans people even have a right to exist, the New York Times is normalizing hate and further targeting vulnerable communities. Because their platform is so powerful—not only widely read but also seen widely as legitimate—this is incredibly dangerous," part of the message on the web page declares.

"To trans & non-binary people: I'm with you. I’m going to keep fighting for your right to exist, to be safe as your full authentic selves, & to thrive. Our safety & liberation is intertwined," Tlaib tweeted. "The fights for trans rights and reproductive justice are wrapped up together. Our right to bodily autonomy—our ability to make decisions about our own bodies—is under threat. This affects ALL of us. We must be in solidarity to defeat the growing fascist movement to control us," she added.

\u201cThe fights for trans rights and reproductive justice are wrapped up together. Our right to bodily autonomy\u2014our ability to make decisions about our own bodies\u2014is under threat. This affects ALL of us. We must be in solidarity to defeat the growing fascist movement to control us.\u201d
— Rashida Tlaib (@Rashida Tlaib) 1657566213

Tlaib, who entered office in 2019 and then won re-election in 2020, is a far-left member of the nation's legislature — she is one of the many Democratic lawmakers who are original cosponsors for a "Trans Bill of Rights" resolution.

Radical leftist gender ideology remains an issue of raging cultural debate in the U.S., but as the left seeks to push the dogmas, many Americans have remained steadfast in opposing the reality-defying ideology.

Bill Maher calls out Rashida Tlaib for planned rebuttal of Biden's State of the Union Address, says it's like 'sacking your own quarterback'



Bill Maher, the host of HBO’s late-night talk show “Real Time,” condemned Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D–Mich.) for her scheduled leftwing rebuttal of President Joe Biden’s upcoming State of the Union Address.

Rep. Tlaib, a far-left progressive who is known for her membership in the “Squad,” is expected to criticize Biden’s address from the left on behalf of the Working Families Party (WFP), Fox News reported.

WFP is a minor third party that advocates for the government to “shift resources away from policing, jails, and detention centers” and calls for an annual federal investment of $1 trillion to subsidize public works jobs.

Typically, whichever political party does not occupy the White House provides a rebuttal to the President’s speech, so it comes as a surprise that a member of Biden’s own party would seek to oppose him.

Bill Maher said, “Now, I’ve always seen the opposition party give a rebuttal. This is from the same party. This is like sacking your own quarterback.”

Suggesting that Rep. Tlaib’s response to Biden could cause more problems for the Democrats, Maher recalled a 2019 confrontation between himself and the congresswoman.

“I remember she’s very us versus them. I remember because she’s one of the Squad members. And I remember we talked about on this show on night BDS, which is the boycott that some people want to do against Isreal because Israel somehow got to be the Nazis … And I said no – that BDS is a bunch of bulls**t.”

“And then Rashida Tlaib called for me to be boycotted,” Maher continued, “So was saying we shouldn't boycott and then her answer was, 'We're gonna boycott you … So, when people say, 'You know, 'why are you so hard on the left these days? Bulls**t like that is why. We have a different opinion about this issue called BDS and you want to just boycott me.”

In 2019, Rep. Tlaib suggested that people should boycott Maher’s show and implied that his criticism of BDS was similar to the rhetoric of South African apartheid apologists.

Maybe folks should boycott his show. \n\nI am tired of folks discrediting a form of speech that is centered on equality and freedom. This is exactly how they tried to discredit & stop the boycott to stand up against the apartheid in S. Africa. It didn't work then and it won't now.https://twitter.com/mehdirhasan/status/1162767093730881537\u00a0\u2026
— Rashida Tlaib (@Rashida Tlaib) 1566081801

The Governor of Iowa, Kim Reynolds, will deliver the Republican Party’s official response to Biden’s State of the Union Address.

Gov. Reynolds was selected because of her effective opposition to COVID-19 mandates and oversaw an effective economic recovery as the pandemic wanned.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said, “She handled Covid by choosing freedom over lockdowns and personal responsibility over mandates – leading to real economic recovery from the pandemic. She kept kids in school and critical race theory out.”

Progressive Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib to give Working Family Party's response to President Biden's State of the Union address



Progressive Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan will deliver the Working Family Party response after President Joe Biden's State of the Union address on Tuesday, but unlike the Republican response which will lambaste the Biden administration, Tlaib plans to speak in support of the president's Build Back Better agenda.

"Despite some sensational coverage, it’s simple: I’m giving a speech about supporting President Biden and his Build Back Better agenda for the people. Look past the headlines & hear progressives’ vision for working with the President & Congress to deliver for our residents," Tlaib tweeted.

You will hear about India, a mother, in my district who benefited from the child tax credit expansion.\n\nAbout the urgency to breathe clean air and drink clean water.\n\nThe hope for a future where access to housing isn't this hard.\n\nThis is about the people who are hurting w/o BBB.
— Rashida Tlaib (@Rashida Tlaib) 1645631562

"It should not be this hard to deliver on healthcare, climate, housing, child care, safety, voting rights, clean water and so much more. Democrats are in the majority and must set a new course that moves with a sense of urgency. Our communities deserve for us to act now," Tlaib said, according to the Working Families Party.

The president's "agenda is incomplete," Working Families Party national director Maurice Mitchell said, according to Politico. "We’re going to be clear about who and why the agenda is incomplete. There are particular political actors — of course Republicans, but then a very niche, small group of obstructionist Democrats. And we’re going to name names."

The outlet reported that according to a synopsis of Tlaib's speech, the congresswoman will call for the president to employ executive authority to nix student loan debt and alter how poverty gets calculated in an effort to expand benefits to additional people.

Last year, Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York delivered the Working Family Party response to Biden's speech before a joint session of Congress.

Biden is heading into his State of the Union address while underwater on job approval polls.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds will deliver the GOP response to Biden's upcoming State of the Union address.

"Governor Reynolds is the perfect leader to give the Republican response to Joe Biden," Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement. "Biden's unconstitutional mandates, skyrocketing prices, surging crime, and open border are leaving Americans behind. Meanwhile, Governor Reynolds and GOP governors are showing how Republican policies work for all Americans."

Obama wants Americans to 'reimagine policing' as Democrats demand abolition of police departments



Former President Barack Obama wants Americans to "reimagine policing" after two new incidents propelled the issue of police tactics and officer-involved fatal shootings back into national headlines.

What is the background?

Over the weekend, news broke that an Army officer had filed a lawsuit against police officers in Windsor, Virginia, after they "drew their guns, pointed them at him and used a slang term to suggest he was facing execution before pepper-spraying him and knocking him to the ground" during a traffic stop in December, the Associated Press reported.

One of those police officers, Joe Gutierrez, was fired Monday.

Meanwhile, 20-year-old Daunte Wright was shot and killed by police on Sunday in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. Law enforcement said the officer who killed Wright did so accidentally, discharging her firearm when she meant to draw her Taser.

That officer has since resigned.

What did Obama say?

Obama said Wright's untimely death is the impetus for Americans to "reimagine policing and public safety."

Our hearts are heavy over yet another shooting of a Black man, Daunte Wright, at the hands of police. The fact that this could happen even as the city of Minneapolis is going through the trial of Derek Chauvin and reliving the heart-wrenching murder of George Floyd indicates not just how important it is to conduct a full and transparent investigation, but also just how badly we need to reimagine policing and public safety in this country.

Michelle and I grieve alongside the Wright family for their loss. We empathize with the pain that Black mothers, fathers, and children are feeling after yet another senseless tragedy. And we will continue to work with all fair-minded Americans to confront historical inequities and bring about nationwide changes that are so long overdue.
Our hearts are heavy over yet another shooting of a Black man, Daunte Wright, at the hands of police. It’s importan… https://t.co/Ou8gpf1Rhy
— Barack Obama (@Barack Obama)1618324383.0

What are other Democrats saying?

Far-left Democrats agree with Obama.

Recycling the "defund the police" narrative that gained momentum after George Floyd's death last year — only to fizzle out when violent crime skyrocketed in major U.S. cities — Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), among others, are calling for radical policing reforms.

"Daunte Wright's killing was not a random, disconnected 'accident' — it was the repeated outcome of an indefensible system that grants impunity for state violence, rewards it w/ endlessly growing budgets at the cost of community investment, & targets those who question that order," Ocasio-Cortez said. "Cameras, chokehold bans, 'retraining' funds, and similar reform measures do not ultimately solve what is a systemic problem. That system will find a way — killings happen on camera, people are killed in other ways, retraining grows $ while often substituting for deeper measures."

Cameras, chokehold bans, “retraining” funds, and similar reform measures do not ultimately solve what is a systemic… https://t.co/NkUbY5ghtO
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez)1618355880.0

"It wasn't an accident. Policing in our country is inherently & intentionally racist. Daunte Wright was met with aggression & violence," Tlaib said. "I am done with those who condone government funded murder. No more policing, incarceration, and militarization. It can't be reformed."

It wasn't an accident. Policing in our country is inherently & intentionally racist. Daunte Wright was met with a… https://t.co/dw14UGo1f4
— Rashida Tlaib (@Rashida Tlaib)1618268726.0

Moderate Democrats, however, disagree with their colleagues.

Reps. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) and Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) specifically attributed anti-police rhetoric for significant losses that Democrats saw in 2020, which almost caused them to lose their majority in the House.

Peters predicted in February that Democrats will lose badly in 2022 if they employ similar campaign messages, and Spanberger, in a post-2020 election conference call, agreed.

"If we run this race again we will get f***ing torn apart again in 2022," Spanberger predicted last November.

Biden backs away from Rashida Tlaib's call to end all policing



The White House refused to endorse Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) in her call to end all policing in the wake of the officer-involved death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright during a traffic stop Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked on Tuesday whether President Joe Biden would endorse the radical policy espoused the far-left congresswoman.

"Look, what I can state from here, is that, um, that's not the president's view," Psaki responded.

"The president's view is that there are necessary outdated reforms that should be put in place," she continued, "that there is accountability that needs to happen, that the loss of life is far too high, that these families are suffering around the country, and that the Black community is exhausted from the ongoing threats they feel."

Tlaib tweeted out her sentiment on Monday evening as rioting broke out in Minneapolis.

"It wasn't an accident. Policing in our country is inherently & intentionally racist," Tlaib said.

It wasn't an accident. Policing in our country is inherently & intentionally racist. Daunte Wright was met with a… https://t.co/dw14UGo1f4
— Rashida Tlaib (@Rashida Tlaib)1618268726.0

"Daunte Wright was met with aggression & violence. I am done with those who condone government funded murder. No more policing, incarceration, and militarization. It can't be reformed," she added.

Tlaib was likely responding to a statement from the Brooklyn Center Police Department on Monday that said the police officer who shot Wright had done so accidentally after believing she had unholstered her Taser instead.

In bodycam video footage released by police, the officer yells, "Taser! Taser! Taser!" to warn other officers before shooting Wright, who had broken away from another officer and was trying to escape in his vehicle. Wright, a black man, had been pulled over for driving with expired tags, but officers discovered that he had an arrest warrant during the traffic stop.

In response to the public outrage over the death of Wright, the mayor of Brooklyn Center assumed control of the police department after the city council fired the city manager. Also, Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon and Officer Kimberly Potter, a 26-year veteran on the force, both resigned Tuesday.

Here's the response from Jen Psaki:

Biden doesn't agree with Tlaib's call to end policing, Psaki sayswww.youtube.com

Rashida Tlaib demands end of 'policing, incarceration' after Daunte Wright is killed by police



Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) called Monday for the end of policing and incarceration, claiming law enforcement systems are so broken they "can't be reformed."

Tlaib's comments came one day after Daunte Wright, a black man from Minnesota, was shot and killed during an encounter with police officers, triggering immediate protests in Brooklyn Center, a small town not far from Minneapolis.

Law enforcement claimed the officer who killed Wright did so accidentally, mistakenly discharging her firearm when she meant draw her Taser.

A vigil for Daunte Wright. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

In response, Tlaib declared Wright's death was no accident — but the outcome of a corrupt and racist law enforcement system.

"It wasn't an accident," Tlaib said. "Policing in our country is inherently & intentionally racist. Daunte Wright was met with aggression & violence."

"I am done with those who condone government funded murder. No more policing, incarceration, and militarization. It can't be reformed," she added.

It wasn't an accident. Policing in our country is inherently & intentionally racist. Daunte Wright was met with a… https://t.co/dw14UGo1f4
— Rashida Tlaib (@Rashida Tlaib)1618268726.0

Tlaib also "retweeted" Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), who declared policing a "public health crisis."

"Policing is a public health crisis. Mass incarceration is a public health crisis. Housing injustice is a public health crisis. Medical apartheid is a public health crisis. Racism is a public health crisis," Pressley said.

What is the background?

After the death of George Floyd last May, activists began loudly demanding that police departments be defunded, while others called for the abolition of police departments altogether.

However, those efforts ultimately failed.

The Minneapolis City Council, for example, promised to replace the police department with an alternative, community-based law enforcement system. But when violent crime rose there — as it did in 63 of the 66 largest police jurisdictions in the U.S. last year — city leaders were forced to beef up their policing systems.

In fact, the Minneapolis City Council approved in February $6.4 million in additional funding for the city's police department to hire dozens of new police officers.

Meanwhile, moderate Democrats believe rhetoric like Tlaib's not only caused Democrats to nearly lose their majority in the House in 2020, but believe such rhetoric spells electoral disaster in future elections.

"We have to commit to not saying the words 'defund the police' ever again," Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) said after the election. "If we run this race again we will get f***ing torn apart again in 2022."

Republicans and Democrats slam Robinhood, call for congressional hearings on GameStop trade freeze



Democratic lawmakers are calling for hearings into Robinhood and other financial service companies' decision to prohibit customers from buying or even searching for certain stocks, and some Republicans are signaling support for the effort.

Popular stockbroker services were accused of manipulating the market by angry social media users Thursday after Robinhood, a company that lets customers trade stocks for free from their mobile phones, announced that shares in GameStop, AMC Entertainment, Nokia, and other "volatile" stocks would be restricted to position-closing only. The decision came in response to an internet campaign by retail traders — non-professional individual investors who day trade to make money on the side or for fun — to attempt to raise the stock price of GameStop after hedge funds signaled their intent to short the stock.

Motherboard reported Thursday that more than half of the users on Robinhood owned at least some GameStop stock and were now blocked from buying more. Needless to say, the outcry from Robinhood customers and other GameStop traders was near instantaneous and furious, but now lawmakers are weighing in.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) called the move by Robinhood and others "absurd," demanding a hearing in Congress on the issue.

"They're blocking the ability to trade to protect Wall St. hedge funds, stealing millions of dollars from their users to protect people who've used the stock market as a casino for decades," Tlaib tweeted.

This is beyond absurd. @FSCDems need to have a hearing on Robinhood's market manipulation. They're blocking the abi… https://t.co/RIfngcIg1P
— Rashida Tlaib (@Rashida Tlaib)1611846204.0

She was joined by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), another member of the progressive "Squad" in Congress and a member of the House Financial Services Committee.

"This is unacceptable," Ocasio-Cortez said. "We now need to know more about @RobinhoodApp's decision to block retail investors from purchasing stock while hedge funds are freely able to trade the stock as they see fit.

"As a member of the Financial Services Cmte, I'd support a hearing if necessary."

She added in a follow-up tweet that any congressional inquiry "should not be limited solely to Robinhood."

"This is a serious matter. Committee investigators should examine any retail services freezing stock purchases in the course of potential investigations - especially those allowing sales, but freezing purchases."

At least one Republican wants to make an effort to investigate the trade freezes bipartisan. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) tweeted his support for Ocasio-Cortez's demand for an inquiry.

Fully agree. 👇 https://t.co/rW38zfLYGh
— Ted Cruz (@Ted Cruz)1611852477.0

But Ocasio-Cortez is adamantly opposed to working with Cruz, who she's repeatedly accused of "trying to get me killed" because of his objection to the congressional certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, which Democrats say incited the violence at the Capitol that day.

I am happy to work with Republicans on this issue where there’s common ground, but you almost had me murdered 3 wee… https://t.co/R0WLAMg723
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez)1611855970.0

Another Republican senator, Tenessee's Marsha Blackburn, called on Robinhood to "free the traders."

Free the traders on @RobinhoodApp.
— Marsha Blackburn (@Marsha Blackburn)1611854441.0

"Once again Wall Street is crushing the little person on Main Street," Blackburn tweeted. "Wall Street bet on America's decline and got caught. Now, they want to stop hard working Americans from betting on America's rise."

FBI says Whitmer kidnap plotter also wanted to hang Trump and Republicans, dismantling Democrats' narrative



A man charged in an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan's governor also reportedly wanted to harm President Donald Trump, according to the FBI. The allegations would seem to disprove the accusations made by several Democrats that the plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.) was inspired by President Trump's rhetoric.

Barry Croft, a Delaware resident, is one of six men charged in federal court with conspiracy to kidnap. The men are reportedly members of an extremist paramilitary group that was allegedly planning to kidnap Whitmer because of her restrictive lockdown orders in Michigan.

According to posts on social media, Croft threatened to hurt and hang Democrats, as well as Republicans. Croft made threats against present and former elected leaders in private Facebook posts, special agent Kristopher Long said. Croft posted a hit list on Facebook, which included Trump and former presidents, according to the Detroit News.

"I say we hang everything currently governing us, they're all guilty!!!" Croft wrote in May on his Facebook page. There was also an image of President Trump with the caption: "Wanna hang this mf'er too..."

In late June, Croft shared a photo of a noose on Facebook that listed people he wanted to see "hang," including former President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), as well as "Democrats, liberals, Muslims" and "all anti-Americans."

According to the FBI, Croft wrote on the post, "The entire sitting government, is initiating the self destruct sequence. This is an outrage and will be answered!!!%. [sic]"

Another post reportedly said, "I say we hang everything currently governing us, they're all guilty!!% And what a deterrent, Rope!!!%"

Another social media post read, "Which Governor is going to end up dragged off, and hung for treason first?"

"There is not one ------------ serving in this bull---- government that I don't want to take, stick to a ------------- tree, and dangle...," Croft said in a Facebook video on May 28, the Detroit News reported.

"I'm for hanging Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians," Croft reportedly posted on Facebook on or about June 24.

Croft, 44, allegedly wanted to "go to war against the government of North Carolina."

According to the affidavit, Croft had a conversation with an unidentified person where "potential acts of violence" in South Carolina were discussed. On May 4, Croft made a veiled threat against South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, who is a Republican.

"I'll be in Columbia, SC on Friday," Croft reportedly wrote. "They say they want their Governor in custody. ... I want to grab them all, and hold trial."

"Yup. I'm going. With Sword," Croft allegedly said online.

Croft also purportedly said, "I'll die in defense of the constitution."

In April, Facebook was said to have shut down Croft's account for violating the company's "policy prohibiting certain speech or actions." However, Croft started a new Facebook account and continued to post anti-government rantings, according to the affidavit.

One of the other suspects charged in the alleged kidnapping plot is Brandon Caserta. The 32-year-old is known as "Debased Tyrant," and was seen on video calling President Trump a "tyrant" and "enemy." Footage shows an anarchist flag in the background of the room.

Wow! This is big. Brandon Caserta, one of the ringleaders of the group of men arrested for a plot where the group p… https://t.co/hweUPZ9Oqz
— Robby Starbuck (@Robby Starbuck)1602194844.0

Numerous Democrats blamed President Trump for the extremists' scheme to kidnap Gov. Whitmer. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden hinted that Trump was at fault for encouraging domestic terrorists.

"It's the sort of behavior you might expect from ISIS and it should shock the conscience of every American. Every American," Biden said on Oct. 16. "And the failure to condemn these folks is stunning from the outset."

"When the president tweeted, 'liberate Michigan,' 'liberate Michigan,' that's the call that was heard. That was the dog whistle," Biden said.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) also blamed Trump by referencing his April tweet regarding Whitmer's coronavirus lockdown of Michigan that read: "LIBERATE MICHIGAN!"

I wonder where they got their motivation from. https://t.co/Sqw8k80SNY https://t.co/mhdSMElz5F
— Rashida Tlaib (@Rashida Tlaib)1602181207.0

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, also a Democrat, suggested that President Trump inspires harassment of his foes.

"There's not a day that goes by that I don't get some kind of harassment," Lightfoot said during a news conference on Oct. 8. "There is a real cause and effect when the President names me in a disparaging way, which is usually what he does, and people feeling like they have license to make what I regard as real threats."

Whitmer has blamed Trump on multiple occasions of inciting the kidnapping plot against her.

"Hate groups heard the president's words not as a rebuke, but as a rallying cry," Whitmer said earlier this month. "When our leaders speak, their words matter. They carry weight. When our leaders meet, encourage or fraternize with domestic terrorists, they legitimize their actions and they are complicit. When they stoke and contribute to hate speech, they are complicit."

President Trump fired back at Whitmer, and once again called for the governor to re-open Michigan.

"Governor Whitmer of Michigan has done a terrible job. She locked down her state for everyone, except her husband's boating activities. The Federal Government provided tremendous help to the Great People of Michigan," the president retorted.

"My Justice Department and Federal Law Enforcement announced today that they foiled a dangerous plot against the Governor of Michigan. Rather than say thank you, she calls me a White Supremacist—while Biden and Democrats refuse to condemn Antifa, Anarchists, Looters and Mobs that burn down Democrat run cities," Trump tweeted.

"I do not tolerate ANY extreme violence. Defending ALL Americans, even those who oppose and attack me, is what I will always do as your President!" Trump concluded. "Governor Whitmer—open up your state, open up your schools, and open up your churches!"

On Oct. 16, a federal judge in Grand Rapids, Michigan, ruled during a preliminary hearing that there was enough evidence against Croft and five other suspects in the alleged kidnapping plot to send the case to a grand jury for possible indictments.

Defense lawyers have portrayed their clients as "big talkers" exercising their First Amendment rights, who never intended to carry out any violence. However, investigators note that some of the suspects surveilled Whitmer's vacation home in northern Michigan and agreed to purchase explosives and tactical gear.

"You're crossing a pretty serious line when you go in the middle of the night in multiple cars and stage up at a gas station and … you go to the house of the sitting governor of the state to go surveil their house at night," Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler said.