Trumpland is desperately trying to orchestrate an October surprise

[View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter]( October 29, 2020 A few months ago, hunkered down in the middle of the pandemic, I spent several days paging through old newspaper stories about a new group of immigrants from Central America who were showing up at the US border and asking for political asylum. They were fleeing civil wars and right-wing death squads, but when they got to the United States they were almost always turned away. "Economic migrants," the Reagan administration called them, equal parts derisive and dismissive. There's long been [cruelty, xenophobia, and racism]( built into the US immigration system. What's different about the Trump administration is its [total embrace]( of these horrible legacies—and the damage it's willing to do to people from all walks of life, simply because they aren't US citizens. This week, Mother Jones is producing a series of stories detailing the ways in which Donald Trump and his obsessed senior adviser Stephen Miller have gone about weaponizing our already-broken immigration system. My colleagues [Fernanda Echavarri]( and [Noah Lanard]( have busted their asses over the past several years detailing the daily and cumulative damage wrought by the administration, and the past few days have been no different. Today, we published their collection of [enraging, heartbreaking first-person interviews]( with immigrants whose lives have been upended by Trump's crackdown, including a Salvadoran asylum seeker picking garbage in Mexico, an Indian coder afraid to unpack his boxes, and an Iraqi woman choosing between food for her baby and her husband's green card. It's truly can't-miss reading. But that's not all. Noah also wrote about a [stunning government report]( decrying family separation, the invasion of personal rights, untold illegal searches and seizures, and the "despotic powers of the administrative agency.” Sound familiar? Thing is, the report is from 1931. Meanwhile, I took some of that research from months ago and combined it with the personal narratives of two indigenous human rights activists from Guatemala to tell the story of how [asylum is dead in the United States](—and how the myth of American decency died with it. And tomorrow, we'll look to the (dystopian) future, when a second Trump term promises to be even more repressive, vindictive, and Millerian in its scope and tenor. It's such an honor to work alongside dedicated, thorough reporters like Fernanda and Noah, as well as empathetic, whip-smart editors like Aaron Wiener and Tommy Craggs, who helped shape and conceptualize this package. If you'd like to see more of this kind of deeply reported, well-crafted journalism, [please consider donating to nonprofit Mother Jones today](. —Ian Gordon [Prescott College]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [The Crazy Last Days of Rudy Giuliani and Steve Bannon]( Trumpland is desperately trying to orchestrate an October surprise—and so far failing. BY DAN FRIEDMAN AND DAVID CORN [Trending] [QAnon is supposed to be all about protecting kids. Its primary enabler appears to have hosted child porn domains.]( BY AJ VICENS AND ALI BRELAND [Is Chris Christie too embarrassed to say he's voting for Trump?]( BY INAE OH [Trump is desperate for a scary Black man to run against. Instead, he picked Sen. Cory Booker.]( BY NATHALIE BAPTISTE [California might become the first state to abolish cash bail. Why are some progressives worried?]( BY SAMANTHA MICHAELS [Prescott College]( [The Big Feature] [Special Feature]( [Is There Room for Black Conservatives in the GOP When the President Is Racist?]( “We get law and order. What we’re after is equality.” BY NATHALIE BAPTISTE [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( [Recharge] SOME GOOD NEWS, FOR ONCE [Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Turns 82 Today. Here’s an Open Letter She Wrote to a Young Women’s Rights Activist.]( Almost a year ago, before the pandemic, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf wrote a [letter]( to a law student and women’s rights activist, Mmonbeydo Nadine Joah, in the collection “Letters to Young People Who Inspire Us,” also headlined “What Prominent Leaders Want Youth Activists to Know.” The former Liberian president, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and first woman elected head of state of an African country turns 82 today. Her letter appeared in Time magazine alongside ones from Winnie Byanyima, the aeronautical engineer and executive director of the UN’s HIV/AIDS program, and several other leaders. [Read it in full](, with special attention to the letter’s echoes across moments of national reckonings. Johnson Sirleaf led reconciliation and recovery after the civil war and did what she could to build anti-corruption coalitions. [Criticism]( and [controversies]( [haven’t]( [spared her](, but her pathbreaking work, historic gains, and countless accomplishments are no less resonant in [her letter]( than in her life: Dear Mmonbeydo, I write to you not only as your former President, but as a grandmother and a fellow Liberian woman. Your passion to fight for women’s rights, your desire to stand up for others, and your determination to become a lawyer are qualities that I admire. The world may seem a dark and challenging place. Every day we hear stories from our women and women across the world of rape, abuse, discrimination. We fear the climate crisis and see its destructive reality across the globe. We see the rule of law under attack from those meant to uphold it. But there is so much to be hopeful about and young women like you give me hope. When I was your age, it was uncommon for a woman to be a lawyer let alone a President. I remember how proud I felt when Angie Brooks became the first female lawyer in Liberia in 1953 and then later the first female judge to be admitted to the Supreme Court. We need more women in the justice sector. Not only as lawyers and judges but as police officers, prison staff, and as paralegals. Justice is the thread that binds all of the Sustainable Development Goals and we will not be able to achieve our goals for gender equality, education, or health without it. We need to mentor and support girls and to listen to their voices and dreams. Our women’s movements must not only represent the interests and views of the elite. We need to make sure all women are included, especially those on the margins such as women with disabilities or women from rural areas. We need to stop working in silos and come together…I hope that young women like you can draw strength and solidarity from the spirit of that declaration and continue the fight for justice. It may seem like a time of push back for women’s rights. A time when we need to make sure the rights women won over many generations are not diluted or destroyed. But it is also a time when our collective voice is strong—just look at the #WeAreUnprotected campaign in Liberia and global movements such as #MeToo #Nopiwouma and #NiUnaMenos. It is a time when fearless young women such as Malala, Greta, and yourself speak truth to power and shame leaders for their inaction. Do not feel weak or discouraged when opposition comes. Don’t be afraid to dream boldly. To dream what seems impossible. As the feminist writer Audre Lorde reminds us, “When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” Let us know how you view her legacy, and her birthday, at recharge@motherjones.com. —Daniel King Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755