I have more questions than answers
A proper journalist makes phone calls, conducts interviews, follows leads and does research in other ways. I don’t have the time for a lot of that anymore, though I still follow leads and conduct research to verify as much as I can.
In recent days, the news has come in at such a fast clip that I’m left just wondering what the hell is going on. This is my stream of crunchiness from the past 3 days….
Elon Musk, a pampered, privileged guy whose father got rich off South African gold mines in apartheid days when many a Black miner was exploited on top of their lack of other basic human rights, continues to demonstrate what a colossal asshole he is.
He was gonna buy Twitter to end the censorship it imposed on VIPs lying about covid because the lies kept endangering more lives. He thinks wealthy VIPs having access to that platform is more important than millions of lives, apparently.
Then he backed out of the agreement, so Twitter sued. He apparently concluded his cheapest way out was to go ahead with the deal. And made it absolutely clear he was going to invite Trump and the antisemitic Ye West (formerly known as Kanye) back to Twitter. Presumably Trump is looking forward to this because he’s failed to achieve much with other platforms, including the one he had built for himself, Truth Social.
Elon’s also been voicing opinions about major world events. Last week, after speaking with Vladimir Putin, he encouraged Ukrainians to let Russia have parts of Ukraine, then go beg Putin to make peace. He was thoroughly scorched for that in multiple social media venues. Yesterday, he announced that his Starlink service which has been providing critical critical satellite services in Ukraine, was no longer going to provide it unless the Pentagon paid for it. Musk’s estimated worth is $198 billion. It’s gotta make people wonder, whose side is Musk on, the defenders or the aggressors?
What kind of chutzpah does it take to threaten to end the service to a country under attack by a violent dictator? Does he need more money?
And in an interview last Friday, “he recommended Taiwan become absorbed into China as a special administrative zone that is "reasonably palatable." The tech tycoon then speculated that while it "won't make everyone happy," the terms of Beijing's rule over Taiwan could be "more lenient than Hong Kong."
It clearly made China happy. Three days after the interview was published Two Tesla models were handed tax exemptions by Beijing.
He’ll sell out the freedom and property of millions of people in his race to become a trillionaire.
Today’s Whinority Report
Roger Stone has threatened to sue the Danish filmmaker doing a documentary on Trump’s re-election campaign for $25 million. In addition to following members of the Trump family around, Christoffer Guldbrandsen followed and filmed Stone.
The January 6th committee subpoenaed the film and presented clips that showed Stone talking before the election what he expected from the election: “I suspect it will still be up in the air. When that happens the key thing to do is claim victory. Possession is nine-tenths of the law. We won. Fuck you. Sorry. Over. We won. You're wrong. Fuck you.”
That was followed by: "I say fuck the voting, let's get right to the violence."
After the committee recessed, additional footage was released to the public that shows Stone being chauffered while ranting at someone on his phone. AFTER the January 6th insurrection, Stone was seeking a second pardon from Trump and was denied. I’m not certain whether he was speaking to Trump directly or to an intermediary. The filmmaker was unsure who he was talking to but was certain his insults were about Jared Kushner and Ivanka.
The insults and threats were shocking enough but if Trump was on the other end of that call, then it’s far more shocking.
Here’s Stone threatening the lawsuit against the filmmaker.
Guldbrandsen told The Daily Beast that the tense scene was from inauguration day on Jan. 20, 2021, and recorded in Fort Lauderdale.
“Roger Stone has been holding out for a pardon till the very last minute, he had first written up a memo, earlier on, after January 6th, with a plan about encouraging Trump to pardon the lawmakers who had voted against certifying, and Roger Stone, and some of his clients,” Guldbrandsen said.
But he says towards the end of the road, Stone — who was “increasingly frustrated” — pushed for just a pardon for himself and longtime pal Bernard Kerik, the filmmaker said.
The video’s short but the filmmaker says Stone’s phone ranting lasted almost half an hour. Watch it at the Daily Beast link above but be aware it’s not safe for work at all. It’s understandable why the January 6 Committee decided not to air it.
But I can’t imagine anyone in the Trump family being pleased with Stone at all.
(The filmmaker can be followed on Twitter here.)
Whinority Report bits
- It appears Flynn and Gingrich were in on the Art of the Attempted Steal.
- In Pennsylvania, the Lizard of Mehmet Oz is still loose. He put out an ad showing him comforting a woman whose relatives were murdered by a mass shooter. Which wasn’t close to true.
And for today’s video, a hat tip to Stephen Colbert.
I wonder what the abortionist bitch and her bitch have to say about the Flynnstones.