US Politics

‘A white nationalist pyramid scheme’: how Patriot Front recruits young members The rightwing group’s workings resemble a media production company more than a classic neo-Nazi group, researchers sayIn June, police in Idaho arrested 31 members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front packed into the back of a U-Haul near a Coeur d’Alene Pride event. The group had planned to riot during the LGBTQ+ celebrations, authorities said, and carried riot gear, a smoke grenade, shin guards and shields.Trump sought to mount ‘armed revolution’, militia ex-spokesman saysRead moreThe mass arrest not only revealed the names of members of an extremist group that had long worked to keep those hidden, it provided extremist experts with new insight into how the group is meticulously planning, financing, organizing and publicizing armed demonstrations at public events that celebrate diversity.Patriot Front’s fundraising and mobilizing efforts, those experts say, reveal a corporate-style organization that more resembles a media production company with satellite offices than a classic neo-Nazi group.“No other white supremacist group operating in the US today is able to match Patriot Front’s ability to produce media, ability to mobilize across the country, and ability to finance,” says Morgan Moon, investigative researcher with the ADL Center on Extremism. “That’s what makes them a particular concern.”When white nationalism meets media productionPatriot Front was founded after the 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville by Thomas Rousseau, a former member of the small, neo-Nazi group Vanguard America.Disaffected members of Vanguard America left to join Rousseau’s organization, and for two years, primarily stickered college campuses and dropped banners with slogans like “Reclaim America” over highway overpasses.In the 18 months after the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, many anti-government extremist groups, like the Proud Boys, Oathkeepers and Three Percenters, have lain low. But Patriot Front has geared up. The group has made unpermitted demonstrations its “bread and butter”, says Moon, making sure each event is heavily publicized on social media.Since last December, the group has organized five such flash demonstrations. Two of them – the event in Idaho and a contentious march along Boston’s Freedom Trail on the Fourth of July holiday – resulted in national media attention.At the rallies, Rousseau typically addresses the crowd, urging onlookers to rise up physically and “reclaim your country”.To capture different angles of a rally, several camera operators circulate and shoot video while members wear body-worn cameras, according to Jeff Tischauser, senior research analyst at the Southern Poverty Law Center. Then, the media team edits the footage and circulates a video package on alt-tech platforms like Gab, Odyssey and Telegram.Afterward, Patriot Front’s social media team monitors the group’s mentions, shares news coverage on private servers, and tells members which social media accounts to harass, Tischauser says.The video packages are specifically designed toward attracting a younger audience, says Stephen Piggott, program analyst with Western States Center, a Portland-based non-profit that promotes inclusive democracy. And while other far-right and white nationalist groups are engaging in meme culture and recruiting people online, the group has been effective at attracting young radicals and getting them off their laptops and into the streets, he adds.Throughout its propaganda, the group is careful to craft an image that will appeal to younger users, promoting the “idea of a young warrior” and becoming the “warrior elite”, says Moon, the ADL researcher. The group emphasizes fitness, diet and training and often holds paramilitary drills before demonstrations.Also attractive to young recruits is the premium the group puts on anonymity. Banner drops and mural defacing typically happen after dark, and members keep their faces covered. Internal chats show members using code names. At protests, Rousseau is typically the only person whose face is shown.‘A white nationalist pyramid scheme’Undergirding Patriot Front’s activities is a rigid, top-down hierarchy, researchers say.Rousseau is at the head. Lieutenants run departments of the group, including media production, recruitment and online security. Fifteen regional network directors organize local and national activities, and supervise members.Once recruits become members, they are required to attend monthly roundups, hit a weekly activism quota, and show up to demonstrations, according to Moon. If they don’t, Rousseau expels them from Patriot Front.Internal chats obtained by extremist experts show members complaining about the ongoing expenses they incur paying for stickers, stencils and other mandatory propaganda materials, which Rousseau charges them for.Rousseau charges members a premium for Patriot Front propaganda material, Tischauser said, adding that network directors are expected to push members to purchase flyers to go on several flyering runs a month. “In this sense, Patriot Front is close to a white nationalist pyramid scheme,” Tischauser notes.The tightly organized structure enables Patriot Front to be responsible for up to 14 hate incidents a day, according to the ADL. Under the direction of network directors, Patriot Front members defaced 29 murals honoring Black history, LGBTQ+ pride, migrant history and police shooting victims, said Tischauser.Patriot Front did not respond to a request for comment.‘It lifted the veil a bit’Recent events have somewhat disrupted the group’s carefully constructed image. Earlier this year, the leftwing non-profit Unicorn Riot leaked the group’s internal audio and chats, which helped investigators discover the identity of the national team, regional directors and many other members. And following the arrest in Coeur d’Alene, all 31 names of arrested members were broadcasted and published in local media outlets, along with their mugshots.“They got kind of the opposite of what they wanted: they weren’t able to disrupt the LGBTQ Pride events, and they got a whole lot of mainstream media attention,” Piggott said.The Idaho arrests also exposed that their members flew into the state from different parts of the country, Piggott added. “It lifted the veil a bit. They may not have the numbers they say they have.”Still, civil rights groups are increasingly concerned about violence breaking out at flash demonstrations. During Patriot Front’s unpermitted rally in Boston this July, for example, members of the group allegedly assaulted a Black artist and activist, Charles Murrell.Murrell did not respond to an interview request.The ADL, the Western States Center and other civil rights groups have urged the Department of Justice to launch a comprehensive investigation into the group, arguing that some of its activities could violate federal legislation.“More must be done to hold the group accountable and ensure they do not continue to intimidate historically marginalized communities,” the organizations wrote in a letter to the US attorney general, Merrick Garland.“This is particularly true at a time when Patriot Front is becoming increasingly emboldened and coordinating its activity at a national level, targeting specific locations across the country,” they added. “The Department of Justice may indeed be the only entity able to address these concerns effectively.”TopicsUS newsUS Capitol attackUS politicsThe far rightIdahofeaturesReuse this content More

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AnalysisFive key takeaways from Biden’s speech on the threat to democracyMaanvi SinghIn a rare primetime address, Biden pitched the midterms as a battle for the nation’s soul and directly called out Trump A more aggressive tone on Trump and “Maga” RepublicansJoe Biden – who usually makes couched references to “the former guy” and his “predecessor” – explicitly named and called out Donald Trump during his speech. The president warned that Trump and the “Maga (Make America great again)” Republicans “represent an extremism that threatens the very foundation of our republic”.With the stipulation that “not every Republican” is an extremist, he went on to directly address the grip his predecessor still holds over the party, saying: “There’s no question that the Republican party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump.” He even made reference to the commotion surrounding the Justice Department’s discovery that Trump was holding on to classified documents at Mar-a-Lago – something he’s largely avoided discussing. Biden’s directness tonight was a culmination of a new, aggressive approach he’s taken recently in aiming to marginalize and Trump’s agenda.An appeal to America’s better natureBiden planned to evoke a battle for “the soul of the nation”, and throughout his address he aligned himself with the founding ideals of the country – casting Trump and extremist Republicans as an existential threat to the nation.Speaking in front of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall – where the Declaration of Independence and the US constitution were signed – Biden began his speech with the words: “I speak to you tonight from sacred ground.” Backlit in red, white and blue, and welcomed on and off stage by a Marine band playing anthems from the 1800s, it was a night that leaned heavily on patriotism. “America is an idea,” he said at one point, flanked by Marines at parade rest. “The most powerful idea in the history of the world.”“I know your hearts. And I know our history,” he said, addressing the “American people”. “This is a nation that honors our constitution,” he said.02:58A campaign pitch to the American peopleThe speech tonight was billed as an official address, but it also had the feel of a campaign appeal. Biden touted his and Democrats’ policy goals – urging Americans to “vote, vote, vote”.During a rare optimistic segment in what an otherwise dark speech, Biden touted his administration’s progress on healthcare, combatting climate change and addressing the Covid-19 pandemic. “I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s future,” he said. “We’re going to end cancer as we know it. We’re going to create millions of new jobs in the clean energy economy. We’re going to think big, we’re going to make 21st century another American century.”Threat of election deniers looms largeThe president issued stern warnings that the integrity of American elections was vulnerable. Condemning Trump and other Republicans who have denied the legitimacy of the 2020 elections – and have threatened to do so in the midterms – Biden asked Americans to join him in resisting election misinformation and the rollback of voting rights.“We can’t let the integrity of our elections be undermined,” he said. “We can’t allow violence to be normalized in this country,” he added, referencing the January 6 insurrection.A missed opportunity?Biden may have missed a chance to highlight the public’s outrage over the supreme court’s decision to revoke the constitutional right to abortion. The issue energized Democrats ahead of the midterm, and abortion rights advocates have expressed frustration at Biden and other Democrats for not speaking more directly and forcefully about it.Biden did mention that “Maga Republicans” want to take the country “backwards to an America where there is no right to choose. No right to privacy. No right to contraception.” But he lost a chance to directly play the issue up as an urgent example of rights at stake.TopicsJoe BidenUS politicsDemocratsRepublicansBiden administrationnewsReuse this content More

AnalysisBiden’s stern warning on extremism shows the rose-colored glasses are offDavid Smith in WashingtonThe president’s primetime speech named Trump and ‘Maga Republicans’ as a threat facing American democracy Joe Biden’s journey from idealist to realist continues. But it is not quite complete.After 36 years in the Senate, he stepped into the US presidency in 2021 as an apostle of bipartisanship, convinced that his authoritarian-minded predecessor Donald Trump would fade away and the Republican party would rediscover its bearings.By the start of this year he had come to understand that Trump’s malign influence still runs deep. “We must be absolutely clear about what is true and what is a lie,” Biden said on 6 January, the first anniversary of the attack on the US Capitol, stopping short of using Trump’s name.Biden warns US democracy imperiled by Trump and Maga extremistsRead moreThen, a month ago, a group of historians reportedly gathered in the White House map room for two hours to give the president a dire warning about the threats facing American democracy. They included Jon Meacham, author of The Soul of America.Polls show a country still unravelling. More than two-fifths of Americans believe civil war is at least somewhat likely in the next decade, a share that increases to more than half among self-identified “strong Republicans”, according to research by YouGov and the Economist.Given that context, Biden used a primetime “soul of the nation” speech on Thursday night to deliver the starkest warning of his long career about the danger of Trump – whom he did name this time, – extremist “Maga” (Make America great again) Republicans and political violence.“This is a nation that rejects violence as a political tool,” he said. “We are still, at our core, a democracy. Yet history tells us that blind loyalty to a single leader and the willingness to engage in political violence is fatal in a democracy.”It was pugnacious talk that many progressives, worried that Biden is trapped in a rose-tinted past, have been urging for a long time. It was also sure to enrage Trump and his allies although Biden, who recently called the Maga philosophy “semi-fascism”, did not repeat that f-word.But the speech also, perhaps understandably, tried to err on the side of optimism by drawing a distinction between Maga Republicans and mainstream Republicans. Biden cast the former as a weird rebel sect that opposes the rule of law, seeks to overturn elections and revels in violence. Maga has, he implied, imposed minority rule on a party of otherwise reasonable people.“Donald Trump and the Maga Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic. Now, I want to be very clear up front: not every Republican, not even a majority of Republicans, are Maga Republicans. Not every Republican embraces their extreme ideology. I know, because I’ve been able to work with these mainstream Republicans.”He continued: “But there’s no question that the Republican party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump and the Maga Republicans and that is a threat to this country.”Perhaps. The point is at least debatable after the past seven years. Numerous mainstream Republicans have retired or been purged, most recently congresswoman Liz Cheney. Polls show a majority of Republicans believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Trump and Florida governor Ron DeSantis, both extremists, are the two leading contenders for the party nomination in 2024. There is no moderate alternative with any reasonable chance.In what may be a triumph of hope over experience, Biden still wants to believe that Maga is being enforced from the top down. But there is a case to be made that it comes from the bottom up, with millions of grassroots Republicans willing to buy into false conspiracy theories and vote for extremist midterm candidates. As Trump may discover to his cost, the base has taken on a life of its own.If Biden, with elaborate stagecraft at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where the nation’s founding documents were written, was striving to isolate Maga and bring Democrats and democrats together to reject it, he may have more work to do. The right was bound to compare his critique to Hillary Clinton’s infamous 2016 “basket of deplorables” comment anyway.Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News network did not show the full speech and, when it did, questioned why Biden spoke against a dramatically lit “blood red” backdrop. Far-right host Tucker Carlson, the most watched prime time figure on cable news, sneered and deployed chyrons such as: “This is by far Biden’s most shameful moment.”The network’s 9pm bulletin added, “Biden vilifies millions of Americans”, “Biden uses primetime address to fuel more division” and “Clueless Biden spews hate in dark, dismal speech”.Biden has evolved a long way from the man who suggested that he could turn back the clock to a golden age of Democrats and Republicans debating together, dining together and respectfully agreeing to disagree. But in November’s midterm elections, or in 2024’s presidential poll, his harshest lesson may yet be to come.TopicsJoe BidenBiden administrationDemocratsRepublicansUS politicsanalysisReuse this content More

That’s all from us tonight.Joe Biden spoke for just over 20 minutes tonight, offering a rare primetime address that forecasted the midterm elections as a battle for the nation’s soul. In what very much came across as a campaign speech, the president stuck a dark, stern tone – building on a new, more direct approach he’s recently taken in attacking Donald Trump and his allies.Here are some key takeaways:
Speaking in front of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall – where the Declaration of Independence and the US constitution were signed – back lit in red, white and blue, and played on and off by the Marine band playing anthems from the 1800s – the night really played up patriotism. “America is an idea,” he said at one point, flanked by Marines at parade rest. “The most powerful idea in the history of the world.” Throughout his address, Biden evoked the founding ideals of the country, and aligned himself with them – casting Trump and extremist Republicans as an existential threat to the nation. “I know your hearts. And I know our history,” he said, addressing the “American people”. “This is a nation that honors our constitution,” he said.
The president issued stern warnings that the integrity of American elections was vulnerable. Condemning Trump and other Republicans who have denied the legitimacy of the 2020 elections – and have threatened to do so in the midterms, Biden asked Americans to join him in resisting election misinformation and the rollback of voting rights. “We can’t let the integrity of our elections be undermined,” he said. “We can’t allow violence to be normalized in this country,” he added, referencing the January 6 insurrection.
Biden – who usually makes couched references to “the former guy” and his “predecessor” – explicitly named and called out Donald Trump tonight. Trump and the “Maga (Make America great again)” Republicans “represent an extremism that threatens the very foundation of our republic”, Biden said. Hedging that “not every Republican” is an extremist, he added: “There’s no question that the Republican party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump.” The president even made reference to the commotion surrounding the Justice Department’s discovery that Trump was holding on to classified documents – something he’s largely avoided discussing. Biden’s directness tonight was a culmination of a new, aggressive approach he’s taken recently in aiming to marginalize Trump’s agenda.
Biden also touted his and Democrats’ policy goals, urging Americans to “vote, vote, vote”. The speech tonight was presented as an official address – but it also very much came off as a campaign appeal. During a jarringly optimistic segment in an otherwise dark speech, Biden touted reforming healthcare, combatting climate change and addressing the Covid-19 pandemic. “I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s future,” he said. “We’re going to end cancer as we know it. We’re going to create millions of new jobs in the clean energy economy. We’re going to think big, we’re going to make the 21st century another American century.”
Biden may have missed an opportunity to highlight outrage over the supreme court’s decision to revoke the constitutional right to abortion. The issue energized Democrats ahead of the midterm, and abortion rights advocates have expressed frustration at Biden and other Democrats for not speaking more directly and forcefully about it. Biden did mention that “Maga Republicans” want to take the country “backwards to an America where there is no right to choose. No right to privacy. No right to contraception.” But he lost a chance to play the issue up as an urgent example of rights at stake.
The scenes from tonight’s speechOne quick note just for my UK readers …You may have been confused as to why God Save the Queen was playing as Biden walked off the stage. Some of my British colleagues certainly were.What you actually heard was the American patriotic song My Country, Tis of Thee. It was written by Samuel Francis Smith in 1831 – and is sung to the same melody as God Save the Queen.As an American editor said, “Guess we’re united in more ways than one!’One thing that was conspicuously missing from the speech tonight: the issue of abortion.In recent weeks, public backlash against the supreme court’s decision to revoke the constitutional right to abortion has energized Democrats ahead of the midterm. Biden did mention that “Maga Republicans” want to take the country “backwards to an America where there is no right to choose. No right to privacy. No right to contraception.” He also mentioned that the right to marriage equality was under threat.(In concurring opinion in the case that resulted in the right to abortion being overturned, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the rights to same-sex marriage and the right for couples to use contraception should be reconsidered.)But abortion rights advocates have expressed frustration at Biden and other Democrats for not speaking about abortion more directly and forcefully, given that the majority of Americans support the right – and the issue has proved to be energizing in the primaries so far.This sort of prime time address from the president is rare. But it’s unclear what its impact will be.Several major networks did not cary the broadcast. NBC showed Law and Order, CBS aired Young Sheldon, and ABC had Press Your Luck on.And then there was Fox News, which seemed to jump the gun a bit:it … hasn’t happened yet? pic.twitter.com/zCPIQ1X30w— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 2, 2022
Biden’s speech has concluded.Stay tuned for more analysis and reflections from me and the Guardian politics team.Thee second half of the speech struck an entirely different tone, evoking Democrats’ successes and goals in reforming healthcare, combatting climate change and addressing the Covid-19 pandemic:.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s future… We’re going to end cancer as we know it. We’re going to create millions of new jobs in the clean energy economy. We’re going to think big we’re going to make 21st century another American Century.Protesters outside Independence Hall were shouting “Let’s go, Brandon,” which Biden was able to brush off.Biden addressed them, saying: “They’re entitled to be outrageous. This is a democracy.”And followed with a quip that such protestors have never suffered from “good manners”.And there it is: “I ran for president because I believe we’re in a battle for the soul of this nation. I still believe that to be true,” Biden said, in a speech that is seeming very much like a campaign speech.“America is defined by the sacred proposition that all are created equal in the image of God, that all are entitled to be treated with decency, dignity and respect that all deserve justice in a shot at lives are a consequence,” he said. “Democracy makes all these things possible.”“No matter what the white supremacists and extremists say,” Biden continued, “I made a bet on you, the American people, and that bet is paying off.”The president also evoked the “darkness” of the Charlottesville white nationalist rally that he has said upset him so much, it compelled him to run for president.Raising his voice, Biden warns that “we can’t let the integrity of our elections be undermined” – adding that doing so leads down a “path to chaos”.“Democracy endures only if we the people respect the guardrails of the Republic,” he says.The tone has so far been stern, and dark. “Throughout our history, Americans often made the greatest progress coming out of some of our darkest moments,” Biden said – transitioning. Invoking his “soul of the nation” theme from his presidential campaign, Biden says that Maga forces “are determined to take this country backwards. Backwards to an America where there is no right to choose. No right to privacy. No right to contraception, no right to marry.”These forces “promote authoritarian leaders and they fan the flames of political violence” are a threat “to our personal rights, to the pursuit of justice, to the rule of law, to the very soul of this country”, he continues.“As I stand here tonight, equality and democracy are under assault,” Biden dives in. “We do ourselves no favor to pretend otherwise. So tonight, I’ve come to this place where it all began to speak as plainly as I can to the nation, about the threats we face, about the power we have in our own hands to meet these threats, and about the incredible future that lies in front of us.”Hedging that “not every Republican” is an extremist, he singles out “Donald Trump and Maga Republicans”.The president has historically avoided calling out Trump by name – often couching references to his “predecessor”. But in recent appearances, he has struck a more aggressive tone, and willingness to more directly attack Trump and Republicans.Trump and his supporters represents an “extremism that threatens the foundations of our Republic”, he said. Biden has begun his address from outside Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed.Walking out to the tune of Hail to the Chief, Biden began: “I speak to you tonight from sacred ground in America.”And just in: the January 6 committee is requesting testimony from Newt Gingrich, a Trump ally and former House speaker.In a letter sent today, the committee said it is interested in emails between Gingrich and former Trump senior advisers, including Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, that the committee said provided input on advertisements repeating election lies.“These advertising efforts were not designed to encourage voting for a particular candidate. Instead, these efforts attempted to cast doubt on the outcome of the election after voting had already taken place,” committee chairman Bennie Thompson,wrote.“They encouraged members of the public to contact their state officials and pressure them to challenge and overturn the results of the election. To that end, these advertisements were intentionally aired in the days leading up to December 14, 2020, the day electors from each state met to cast their votes for president and vice-president.”Biden’s speech on threats to democracy comes as investigations into Donald Trump and the January 6 insurrection intensify.Two former Trump White House lawyers – Pat Cipollone and Patrick Philbin, will be testifying this week before a grand just investigating the insurrection. The House January 6 select committee is continuing its digging, interviewing senior Trump officials. Once its investigation concludes, the decision over whether to file criminal charges against Trump will be made by the US Department of Justice.Meanwhile the South Carolina Republican senator Lindsey Graham will also have to testify before the special grand jury in Georgia in a criminal case related to allegations that Trump illegally attempted to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election results.Moreover, my colleague Sam Levine reported earlier today:.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}Trump said he would pardon and apologize to those who participated in the deadly attack on the US Capitol on January 6 if he were elected to the White House again.
“I mean full pardons with an apology to many,” he told Wendy Bell, a conservative radio host on Thursday. “I will be looking very, very strongly about pardons, full pardons.”
Five people died in connection with the attack and more than 140 law enforcement officers were injured. More than 875 people have been charged with crimes related to January 6, according to an NPR tracker. 370 people have pleaded guilty to crimes so far.
Trump also said he was offering financial support to some of those involved in the attack. “I am financially supporting people that are incredible and they were in my office actually two days ago, so they’re very much in my mind,” Trump said. “It’s a disgrace what they’ve done to them. What they’ve done to these people is disgraceful.”
It was not immediately clear what the extent of Trump’s financial assistance was.The former president has indicated he plans to run again in 2024.Biden will be delivering his speech from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – where American democracy was born.Thursday’s primetime speech is the second of three visits by the president in less than a week to battleground Pennsylvania, home to several consequential races this election season.In the US Senate race, Mehmet Oz, the Trump-backed heart surgeon turned celebrity doctor, is squaring off against the state’s lieutenant governor, Democrat John Fetterman, in a contest that could determine which party controls the chamber, evenly divided at present.Meanwhile, Democrats have warned about the risks of Doug Mastriano, the far-right Republican nominee for governor, a leading figure in Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Pennsylvania who helped shuttle people on 6 January to Trump’s Washington DC rally that preceded the attack on the US capitol.In Pennsylvania, the governor appoints the secretary of state, giving the next governor enormous sway over how the 2024 presidential election is conducted in the state. Mastriano faces Democrat Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s attorney general.In a speech not far from Biden’s birthplace of Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, the US president lashed out at “Maga Republicans in Congress” over their attacks on the FBI after agents seized boxes of classified documents from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate last month. The remarks were designed to counter Republican attacks on Democrats as “soft on crime”, with Biden casting his opponents’ rhetoric as a threat to law enforcement and the rule of law.“The idea you turn on a television and see senior senators and congressmen saying, ‘If such and such happens there’ll be blood on the street’?” he said in Wilkes-Barre. “Where the hell are we?”Good evening, and welcome to the Guardian’s US politics liveblog, primetime edition.We’ll be bringing you live updates and analysis tonight, as Joe Biden addresses the country. The president is expected to speak about threats to American democracy, and “the power we have in our own hands to meet those threats”, according to excerpts of his speech that the White House has shared with the media.In recent weeks, Biden has unleashed an uncharacteristically energetic, aggressive line of attack against Republicans allied with Donald Trump, and the party’s willingness to erode democratic rights and personal freedoms.As my colleague Lauren Gambino reports, Biden is expected to evoke a battle for the “soul of the nation”, reviving a theme from his presidential campaign, and build on public backlash against the supreme court’s decision to end the constitutional right to abortion.Here’s our main report on the night ahead:Biden to warn ‘extremist’ Republicans loyal to Trump threaten US democracy Read more More

Biden to warn ‘extremist’ Republicans loyal to Trump threaten US democracy President is expected to cast midterms as high-stakes battle for the ‘soul of the nation’ in primetime address from PhiladelphiaJoe Biden will warn on Thursday that an “extremist” faction of the Republican party loyal to former president Donald Trump presents a direct threat to American democracy.In a primetime address from Philadelphia, the city where American democracy was born, Biden is expected to cast the November midterm elections as a high-stakes battle for the “soul of the nation”, reprising a theme that animated his campaign for the White House in 2020.The speech is part of a newly aggressive line of attack Biden has unleashed on Republicans ahead of the midterm elections, as his party enjoys a brightening political outlook helped by a string of significant legislative wins and building public backlash to the supreme court’s decision to end the constitutional right to abortion.At a recent political rally in a well-heeled Washington suburb, Biden accused the Republican party of embracing “semi-fascism”.Previewing Biden’s remarks, the press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, told reporters on Wednesday that the president believes “Maga Republicans” present “an extreme threat to our democracy, to our freedom, to our rights”.Thursday’s primetime speech is the second of three visits by the president in less than a week to battleground Pennsylvania, home to several consequential races this election season.In the US Senate race, Mehmet Oz, the Trump-backed heart surgeon turned celebrity doctor, is squaring off against the state’s lieutenant governor, Democrat John Fetterman, in a contest that could determine which party controls the chamber, evenly divided at present.Meanwhile, Democrats have warned about the risks of Doug Mastriano, the far-right Republican nominee for governor, a leading figure in Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Pennsylvania who helped shuttle people to Trump’s rally in Washington on 6 January that preceded the attack on the US Capitol.In Pennsylvania, the governor appoints the secretary of state, giving the next governor enormous sway over how the 2024 presidential election is conducted in the state. Mastriano faces Democrat Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s attorney general.In a speech not far from Biden’s birthplace of Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, the president lashed “Maga Republicans in Congress” over their attacks on the FBI after agents seized boxes of classified documents from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate last month. The remarks were designed to counter Republican attacks on Democrats as “soft on crime”, with Biden casting his opponents’ rhetoric as a threat to law enforcement and the rule of law.“The idea you turn on a television and see senior senators and congressmen saying, ‘If such and such happens there’ll be blood on the street’?” he said in Wilkes-Barre. “Where the hell are we?”TopicsJoe BidenUS midterm elections 2022US politicsDonald TrumpnewsReuse this content More

The Florida hearing in which Donald Trump’s legal team asked for a “special master” to look at the classified evidence the FBI seized from the former president’s home appears to be over.There’s no immediate ruling. We’ll have more details coming up.The hearing here in Florida has wrapped. Judge Cannon is not ruling on Trump’s request for a special master from the bench, she will enter a written order at some point. No indication on timeline.— Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) September 1, 2022
Judge Cannon has called a recess after 1 hr 40 minutes. no ruling yet. Focus on special master issue.— Harry Litman (@harrylitman) September 1, 2022
Another very eventful day in US political news. We are closing this blog now but Guardian US will have a special live blog firing up in just a short while, ready for Joe Biden’s prime-time speech on, so it’s flagged: “The battle for the soul of the nation.”The fresh live blog will begin at 7pm ET for the run-up to the US president’s speech, which is due at 8pm ET, in Philadelphia, and we’ll have a live stream.The regular US politics blog will be back tomorrow morning.Here’s where things stand:
Donald Trump reportedly said on a radio show today that he’ll pardon some of the rioters who took part in the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, after being urged by him to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. Trump is dangling this prospect if he stands and is elected president again. He has also admitted to financially helping some of them.
The Florida hearing in which Donald Trump’s legal team asked for a “special master” to look at the classified evidence the FBI seized from the former president’s home is over and the judge has not issued a decision on the spot.
South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham will have to testify before the special grand jury sitting in Georgia in the criminal case hearing evidence related to allegations that Donald Trump illegally attempted to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election result, in which Trump lost to Biden.
US federal agents have reportedly raided two New York properties belonging to a Russian oligarch and close ally of the country’s president, Vladimir Putin.
Kellye SoRelle, general counsel for the extremist right-wing Oath Keepers group, has been indicted and arrested for alleged involvement in the 6 January 2021, Capitol attack.
New York Democrat Carolyn Maloney, chair of the House committee on oversight and reform stated that at least some of Donald Trump’s key financial papers will be available to a House panel investigating the former president’s “unprecedented conflicts of interest, self-dealing and foreign financial ties”.
A lawyer for Donald Trump is arguing that there is “no cause for alarm” over the fact that the former president stashed top secret government documents at his club resort and residence Mar-a-Lago after leaving office.
Meanwhile in other news … Trump promises pardons for January 6 insurrectionistsThe consummate troll Donald Trump – perhaps with half a mind on Joe Biden’s speech tonight warning of the Republican threat to US democracy – has weighed in with the idea that he will pardon January 6 rioters if he is elected president again. He has also admitted to financially helping some of them.The Washington Post reports: “Former president Donald Trump said he would issue full pardons and a government apology to rioters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, and violently attacked law enforcement to stop the democratic transfer of power.“I mean full pardons with an apology to many,” he told conservative radio host Wendy Bell on Thursday morning. Such a move would be contingent on Trump running and winning the 2024 presidential election.”It adds: “Trump, during his conversation with Bell on Thursday morning, also said he met with some January 6 defendants in his office this week and that he is helping some financially.“I am financially supporting people that are incredible and they were in my office actually two days ago, so they’re very much in my mind,” Trump said. “It’s a disgrace what they’ve done to them. What they’ve done to these people is disgraceful.””“What is the harm?” judge says of special master requestThe judge in the hearing issued no ruling from the bench on whether or not to appoint a special master, instead deferring the decision for a written filing at some future date.But a hint of judge Aileen Cannon’s thinking came during the court session when she asked: “What is the harm?”Per AP: There was no immediate ruling, but the judge had indicated last week that she was inclined to grant the request and asked Thursday, “What is the harm?” in such an appointment.Lawyers for Trump say the appointment of a special master is necessary to ensure an independent inspection of the documents. This kind of review, they say, would allow for “highly personal information” such as diaries or journals to be separated from the investigation and returned to Trump, along with any other documents that may be protected by claims of attorney-client privilege or executive privilege.Trump lawyers claim “overdue library book” defenseTo most of the world the retention of a trove of top secret national security documents at Mar-a-Lago would appear pretty serious. But perhaps not to the Trump legal team, who said during today’s hearing it was a bit like forgetting to return a library book on time.From NBC: While the government characterized the case in grave terms related to national security and classified documents, Trump lawyer Jim Trusty compared it to something more mundane.“We’ve characterized it at times as an overdue-library-book scenario where there’s a dispute – not even a dispute – but ongoing negotiations with [the National Archives] that has suddenly been transformed into a criminal investigation,” he said, sidestepping that the justice department had issued a subpoena for the documents earlier this year.Judge Aileen Cannon also said she would make public a more detailed list of the items the FBI took in the 8 August search, some of which was revealed in the justice department’s legal filing on Tuesday in response to Trump’s “special master” request.A photograph accompanying the filing showed the covers of a number of top secret and classified folders that were seized. Today’s ruling opens the prospect of a far detailed picture emerging of what documents might be among the classified/secret materials.The FBI has already finished a review of the seized materials by agents not involved in the investigation surrounding Trump’s retention of government secrets, and say they identified a number of files that may be privileged and set aside from the evidence cache.It is not yet known when the detailed inventory authorized by Cannon will be available.And Trump’s attorneys are staying tight-lipped, it seems, as they await Judge Cannon’s written ruling:New: Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran declined to answer any questions as he walked out of the courthouse in West Palm Beach, Florida, just now — including one about whether he had retained his own defense counsel.— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) September 1, 2022
Donald Trump’s lawyer Jim Trusty appears to have suggested during the hearing that it was no big deal that numerous “top secret” and “highly classified” documents found at Trump’s Florida resort were not returned to the National Archives, according to Katherine Faulders of ABC News:During the hearing, Trump lawyer Jim Trusty equated his refusal to return documents to NARA as an “overdue library book,” adding that the ongoing dispute with the National Archives “has been transformed into a criminal investigation.”— Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) September 1, 2022
Here’s the Associated Press account of what just went down in the West Palm Beach courthouse:A federal judge said she would issue a written ruling “at some point” after hearing arguments Thursday on whether to appoint an outside legal expert to review government records seized by the FBI last month in a search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home.Lawyers for Trump claimed the appointment of a “special master” was necessary to ensure an independent inspection of the documents. Such a review, they said, would allow for “highly personal information” such as diaries or journals to be separated from the investigation and returned to Trump, along with any other documents that may be protected by claims of attorney-client privilege or executive privilege.The justice department argued an appointment is unwarranted because investigators have completed their review of potentially privileged records and identified “a limited set of materials that potentially contain attorney-client privileged information”.The government says Trump lacks legal grounds to demand the return of presidential documents because they do not belong to him. The department has also expressed concerns that the appointment could delay the investigation, in part because a special master probably would need to obtain a security clearance to review the records and special authorization from intelligence agencies.District court judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee who has previously indicated she was inclined to agree to the request, said she would issue a written ruling later at an unspecified future time.The Florida hearing in which Donald Trump’s legal team asked for a “special master” to look at the classified evidence the FBI seized from the former president’s home appears to be over.There’s no immediate ruling. We’ll have more details coming up.The hearing here in Florida has wrapped. Judge Cannon is not ruling on Trump’s request for a special master from the bench, she will enter a written order at some point. No indication on timeline.— Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) September 1, 2022
Judge Cannon has called a recess after 1 hr 40 minutes. no ruling yet. Focus on special master issue.— Harry Litman (@harrylitman) September 1, 2022
A snippet of news from the Trump hearing in West Palm Beach. Looks like the Trump legal team reversed itself, and now wants a detailed inventory of what was taken in the FBI raid kept secret.BREAKING: Trump team in court now opposes this more detailed inventory becoming public! Tells you everything, as govt said it was okay unsealing this. Why doesn’t Trump team want this detailed MAL search inventory made public– because it would be inculpatory, not exculpatory. https://t.co/jwNhjCjMhN— Andrew Weissmann 🌻 (@AWeissmann_) September 1, 2022
Judge Aileen Cannon agrees to the request.Judge decides to keep the more detailed inventory list under seal.— Harry Litman (@harrylitman) September 1, 2022
The wife of supreme court justice Clarence Thomas contacted at least two Wisconsin state lawmakers, including the chair of the senate elections committee, urging them to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 election win, emails obtained Thursday by The Associated Press show.Virginia ‘“Ginni” Thomas, a conservative activist, also had sent messages to more than two dozen lawmakers in Arizona, the news agency says.In her communications with lawmakers in both states, Thomas urged Republicans to choose their own slate of electors after the election, arguing that results giving Biden a victory in the states were marred by fraud. Despite numerous reviews, lawsuits and recounts, no widespread fraud calling into question the results has been discovered in either state.The House January 6 committee investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn Biden’s win is seeking an interview with Thomas.“We think it’s time that we, at some point, invite her to come talk to the committee,” Bennie Thompson, the Mississippi Democrat who chairs the panel, said in June.Time for a quick look at where we stand:
Lawyers for the Donald Trump are in court in West Palm Beach, Florida, arguing why a judge should appoint an independent “special master” to review highly classified papers seized in an FBI raid on the former president’s home. The justice department opposes the move. The court has cut off wifi access for the media, so developments are not immediately forthcoming.
A judge has ruled South Carolina Republican senator Lindsey Graham will have to testify to Georgia grand jury hearing evidence related to allegations that Trump illegally attempted to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election result and prevent Joe Biden from taking office.
Federal agents raided two New York properties belonging Viktor Vekselberg, a Russian oligarch and close ally of the country’s president, Vladimir Putin. Vekselberg, billionaire founder of a Russian energy conglomerate, has been under sanctions by the US for four years.
At least some of Trump’s key financial papers will be available to a House panel investigating the former president. New York Democrat Carolyn Maloney, chair of the House committee on oversight and reform, said subpoenas to Trump’s accounting firm, Mazars USA, yielded “critical” documents, and halted his legal action to protect them.
A special election for Alaska’s only seat in the US House was won by Democrat Mary Peltola, delivering a blow to the former vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s hopes of a political comeback.
Kellye SoRelle, general counsel for the extremist Oath Keepers group, has been indicted and arrested for alleged involvement in the January 6 Capitol riot, at which a mob of Trump’s supporters attempted to halt Biden’s certification as president.
From what little we’re able to glean, progress appears slow in the West Palm Beach courtroom where Donald Trump’s lawyers are arguing for an independent review of evidence seized in the FBI raid on his Florida home.This from Harry Litman of the Los Angeles Times:report from MSNBC reporter who was in courtroom. not much seems to have occurred in 45 minutes. Trump’s attorney, Chris Kise (former Fla SG), stressing it’s unprecedented and we need to lower temperatures, and insinuating he has right to docs as former Pres.— Harry Litman (@harrylitman) September 1, 2022
Obstacle to swift reporting and transparency at the hearing in federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida.Lawyers for Donald Trump and the Department of Justice have been going head to head today in front of federal judge Aileen Cannon as they fight over whether to appoint a “special master” to review the documents seized by the FBI at the-then president’s home at nearby Mar-a-Lago earlier this month.It’s the latest stage in the dispute that erupted after Trump’s resort and residence was searched on 8 August.The FBI action, conducted in an active criminal investigation about the alleged harboring of secret documents at Trump’s premises, was the first time a former president has been subject to such an indignity in US history.The hearing is being covered by the Guardian and many other members of the media, but here’s a disturbing development in the logistics, reported by Reuters.Bad news friends. Florida court is turning wi-fi off to block the media from reporting the Trump hearing in real-time. This truly sucks and I don’t understand it. We do this in DC District Court all the time. It makes courts accessible to the public. I am beyond annoyed.— Sarah N. Lynch (@SarahNLynch) September 1, 2022
South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham will have to testify before the special grand jury sitting in Georgia in a criminal case.The panel is hearing evidence related to allegations that Donald Trump illegally attempted to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election result and prevent Joe Biden from taking power.Former Trump lawyer John Eastman appeared before the panel yesterday, pleading the fifth throughout, and followed hot on the heels of Rudy Giuliani in making an appearance in that case.Now a judge has denied Graham’s efforts to avoid testifying, despite putting some limits on what he can be asked.The prosecutor in the case is Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis in Atlanta.Here’s Norm Eisen, Brookings fellow and former White House chief ethics lawyer in the Obama administration, on Twitter.Breaking: Lindsey Graham loses again on his battle not to testify before DA Willisi’ll have more analysis to follow but Willis is on a winning streak. Like the Rolling Stones said, “if you try sometime, you just might find you get what you need.” pic.twitter.com/EOhIO8cxeJ— Norm Eisen (@NormEisen) September 1, 2022
This case is about that call when Trump asked Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to overturn Joe Biden’s crucial victory in the state in the 2020 election, and a whole lot more, including many of the then-president’s men.“Graham may be questioned about any alleged efforts to encourage Raffensperger or others to throw out ballots or alter Georgia’s election practices. Likewise, the grand jury may inquire into Graham’s alleged communications and coordination with the Trump Campaign & public stmts.” https://t.co/bZZ7yDaEXh— Norm Eisen (@NormEisen) September 1, 2022
Lindsey Graham ran against Trump for the GOP nomination in 2016 and dismissed his opponent as, among other things, a jackass, a “kook, and a race-baiting bigot, but later became an adoring and some would say potentially dangerous loyalist. He’s now in legal danger himself. More

Ginni Thomas lobbied Wisconsin lawmakers to overturn 2020 election The wife of supreme court justice Clarence Thomas urged a Wisconsin state senator and representative to do their ‘duty’ Ginni Thomas, the wife of the US supreme court justice Clarence Thomas, lobbied lawmakers in Wisconsin as well as Arizona in November 2020, seeking to overturn Joe Biden’s victories over Donald Trump in both swing states.Thomas emailed lawmakers in support of Trump’s lie that Biden won thanks to electoral fraud.Cheney and Kinzinger tee up possible January 6 subpoena for Ginni ThomasRead moreThe Washington Post reported Thomas’s efforts in Arizona earlier this summer. On Thursday it detailed her efforts in Wisconsin, citing emails obtained under public-records law.Thomas emailed a Wisconsin state senator and a state representative, both Republican, on 9 November, two days after the election was called for Biden.The messages used the same text as those sent to Arizona officials and were also sent using a form-emailing platform.The subject line read: “Please do your constitutional duty!”The text said: “Please stand strong in the face of media and political pressure. Please reflect on the awesome authority granted to you by our constitution. And then please take action to ensure that a clean slate of electors is chosen for our state.”Ginni Thomas did not comment to the Post. Nor did a supreme court spokesperson.Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog group, said: “Ginni Thomas tried to overthrow the government. Clarence Thomas gets to rule on that attempt to overthrow the government. See the problem?”After the deadly attack on the Capitol on 6 January 2021 by supporters Trump told to “fight like hell” to overturn his defeat, Clarence Thomas was the only justice to say Trump should not have to give White House records to the investigating House committee.Ginni Thomas is now known to have been in touch with Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, and John Eastman, a law professor who claimed the vice-president, Mike Pence, could stop certification on January 6, about attempts to overturn the election.The House January 6 committee asked Thomas to voluntarily sit for an interview and provide documentation. Her lawyer, the Post said, told the committee she was willing but he did not think she had to.In July, Liz Cheney, the committee vice-chair, told CNN: “The committee is engaged with counsel. We certainly hope that [Thomas] will agree to come in voluntarily but the committee is fully prepared to contemplate a subpoena if she does not.”No subpoena has been issued.Cheney is a stringent conservative but last month she lost her Republican primary in Wyoming, over her opposition to Trump.She has become popular with some on the left but others have grown frustrated, particularly over the lack of an attempt to compel Ginni Thomas to testify.On Thursday, Elie Mystal, justice correspondent for the Nation, tweeted: “Answer the question ‘Why wasn’t Ginni Thomas subpoenaed by the January 6 committee?’ before you ask me to roll with Liz Cheney.”One of the Wisconsin lawmakers who Thomas contacted, the state senator Kathy Bernier, spoke to the Washington Post.She said: “As we went through the process and the legal challenges were made and discounted by the judicial system, there was nothing proven as far as actual voter fraud.”Bernier also said she did not link Ginni Thomas’s actions to her husband’s position.“I was married for 20 years,” she said. “I took on some identity of my husband, but I had my own mind. Just because you’re married to someone doesn’t mean that you’re a clone.”TopicsUS newsUS Capitol attackDonald TrumpClarence ThomasUS politicsRepublicansArizonanewsReuse this content More