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Permission Structures and Polling Puzzles

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emptywheel
Trump has 7% of his campaign left, and he's spending much of his time outside of swing states, attempting to create stunts to shift he media narrative. Harris has 44% of her campaign left, and she's spending it, partly, out of the limelight, trying to win over voters in the swing states that will decide the election.
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Useful Idiot Networks, Now Featuring Elon Musk and Don Jr.

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emptywheel
The thing about online networks of right wing influencers like Tim Pool or Don Jr is they offer a cascade effect. You pay off or persuade one or six key useful idiots and the entire network becomes your useful idiot.

JD Vance Makes Light of Actual Foreign Interference in His State

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emptywheel
JD Vance called the bomb threats launched from a presumably hostile foreign country that are having serious consequences to Springfield, Ohio disinformation, downplaying an attack from a foreign country in favor of continuing to lie about legal immigrants to Ohio.
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The Injustice Of Our Rights Regime

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Ed Walker
Kids going to a school with a bat colony? Maybe that's bad but what can SCOTUS do?

The Concerning Paragraph in the Ryan Routh Complaint

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emptywheel
Probably, Ryan Routh, the man suspected of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump, is just a mentally imbalanced man searching for meaning. But it's too soon to rule out that someone, including Iran, recruited him.

How Kamala Harris Dodged the Two Truths Problem

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emptywheel
Rather than directly contesting Donald Trump's false claims at the debate, a contest that would persuade none of his followers, Kamala Harris instead demonstrated that the "truth" he offers them is built on a foundation of weakness.

Ball of Thread: The Mueller Investigation

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emptywheel
In our Mueller investigation podcast, I explain to LOLGOP my belief that Volume II of the report was an impeachment referral designed to permit further investigation that Trump couldn't destroy with pardons. It didn't work out that way.
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The Laura Loomer Problem Is the Same as the Vladimir Putin Problem

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emptywheel
Trump's anonymous aides, complaining about Laura Loomer's access to the former President, are making the very same argument that Tim Walz warned about. Trump's narcissism and his ego make him vulnerable to any person willing to use flattery to win their objectives. 

Using Social Media For Good Or At Least Fun

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Ed Walker
The creepy right wingers are everywhere on social media. We need to be there too.
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Useful Idiots: DOJ Moves from Name-and-Shame to Name-and-Disrupt

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emptywheel
The RT indictment rolled out last week serves as an object lesson in how Russia has been using RT as part of its intelligence recruiting.
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Kamala Harris Is Not Goading Journalists to Publish Emails Iran Stole from Roger Stone

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emptywheel
Probably the biggest reason why outlets that received documents Iran stole from Roger Stone haven't published is that Kamala Harris has no reason to goad outlets to publish them. She has a story to tell and has no time for such distractions.

The Midway Point of Kamala Harris' Campaign

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emptywheel
As of today, Kamala Harris is more than halfway through her race. At the halfway mark, this race is still neck-and-neck. Donald Trump is making it more clear what a vote for him would mean. But there are still far too many American voters who want the con he's selling. 

Trump's Handlers Attempt to Retcon His Fascist Attack on Haitian Migrants

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emptywheel
Because Kamala Harris rattled Trump, he delivered a planned racist attack without smoothing its ugly edges. Trump's screech revealed who he and his team really are. When people show you who they really are, believe them. 

Kamala Harris, Protagonist

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emptywheel
For most of the campaign -- indeed, for the last nine years -- the press has convinced themselves that Donald Trump is the protagonist of the story of US politics. Last night, for at least two hours, Kamala Harris disabused them of that outdated notion.

2024 Presidential Election: Second Presidential Debate (for Trump)

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Rayne
ABC News network hosts a presidential debate this evening beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET. It's the first time Kamala Harris meets Donald Trump but it's Trump's second presidential debate. Will he do any more than Gish gallop like he did against Joe Biden?

Whatever Happens with the Debate, Kamala Harris' Campaign Is Not Yet Half Done

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emptywheel
As you watch the torrent of news obsessing about the debate tonight, remember this stat: Trump's campaign is 92% done (665 of 721 days). Kamala Harris' campaign is not quite half done (48%, or 51 of 107 days). Lots can and likely will still happen in this race, but Trump is almost done and the Vice President is only halfway there.
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Discerning Russian Trolls Appreciate Truth Social's Treatment of Fake Accounts

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emptywheel
Deep in the Doppelganger dossier, it described that the social media company of Candidate A -- Trump -- doesn't require Russian trolls to use perishable accounts to evade moderation.
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In One Week, Trump Suggests He'll Eliminate Sanctions on Iran and Lies about Iran Hack to Supporters

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emptywheel
At the same time as Trump is saying bizarrely conciliatory comments about Iran, he hid the hack of his campaign last week from his supporters, lying about DOJ's pursuit of hackers who targeted Trump's own rat-fucker and campaign manager.
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Doppelgänger Debunking: Monitoring Social Media Does Not Equate to Recruitment

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emptywheel
Commentators are misrepresenting a reference to Russia's tracking of 2,800 pro- and 1,900 anti-Russian influencers included in last week's Doppelgänger affidavit.
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