Crash Course: Eric Holder: Democracy is worth saving — and justice is coming for Donald Trump

Obama's first attorney general on the lessons of history, the fight for racial justice and the payback for Jan. 6. Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0QWaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tL1cDc3BjQgpihkEMjmKYRGvBUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). [Eric-Holder] Lester Cohen/Getty Images for City of Hope Eric Holder: Democracy is worth saving — and justice is coming for Donald Trump Salon's Chauncey DeVega interviews former Attorney General Eric Holder about his deep worries about American democracy in this moment of crisis. Holder also discusses the events of Jan. 6, 2021, which were a white supremacist attack on multiracial democracy -- as well as on Obama's legacy and the very idea of Black and brown people being in positions of leadership in American society. Holder also discusses what we can learn from the Black Freedom Struggle for this moment of democracy crisis, and why the American people must organize and remain optimistic in the face of what will be a very long fight. Toward the end of this conversation, Holder explains why he believes that Donald Trump and other high-ranking members of his administration will ultimately be prosecuted by the Department of Justice for their crimes related to Jan. 6. We should have faith, he says, in the judgment and legal ethics of attorney general Merrick Garland, who now holds the job Holder had seven years ago. [Read Chauncey DeVega's full interview with Eric Holder.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDUvMjQvZXJpYy1ob2xkZXItb24tZGVtb2NyYWN5LWJ1ZmZhbG8vVwNzcGNCCmKGQQyOYphEa8FSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) [Glenn-Greenwald,-Tucker-Carlson] Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images Why is Glenn Greenwald defending Tucker Carlson and the "great replacement"? There's no plausible way to dispute that Fox News host Tucker Carlson is spreading racist conspiracy theories, but Glenn Greenwald has been trying anyway. Since Greenwald — a former [Salon columnist](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0QsaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tL3dyaXRlci9nbGVubl9ncmVlbndhbGRXA3NwY0IKYoZBDI5imERrwVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), and after that a [Pulitzer-winning reporter](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0RfaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGF3Lm55dS5lZHUvbmV3cy93b3JrLWJ5LWdsZW5uLWdyZWVud2FsZC05NC1iYXJ0b24tZ2VsbG1hbi13aW5zLTIwMTQtcHVsaXR6ZXItcHJpemVXA3NwY0IKYoZBDI5imERrwVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) for the Guardian — [departed from the Intercept](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0SCaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL2xpZmVzdHlsZS9tZWRpYS9ncmVlbndhbGQtaW50ZXJjZXB0LWZldWQvMjAyMS8wNS8yMC8zNDczMmM5Mi1iNzI3LTExZWItYTVmZS1iYjQ5ZGM4OWEyNDhfc3RvcnkuaHRtbFcDc3BjQgpihkEMjmKYRGvBUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) in September 2020, he's become a stalwart defender of Fox News, and Carlson in particular. As Carlson has gained in viewership and impact — he's the most widely watched cable news host in the U.S. — his commentary and political positions have come under increased scrutiny. With that attention has come intense criticism. But he has Greenwald in his corner, who has let forth a flood of pro-Carlson arguments, primarily delivered on Twitter, his medium of choice. While Greenwald formerly defended Carlson while distancing himself from the more extreme interpretations of the Fox host's views, today he is increasingly deploying his Twitter platform in service of spreading the white nationalist message. These vehement defenses of the most influential media purveyor of the racist "replacement" theory are destructive efforts to launder hate by a once-admirable journalist. [Read more from Eoin Higgins.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0RraHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDUvMjQvd2h5LWlzLWdsZW5uLWdyZWVud2FsZC1kZWZlbmRpbmctdHVja2VyLWNhcmxzb24tYW5kLXRoZS1ncmVhdC1yZXBsYWNlbWVudC9XA3NwY0IKYoZBDI5imERrwVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) Promotion from Ross-Simons [Learn more](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdXh6ZGszdWh2eFcDc3BjQgpihkEMjmKYRGvBUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) Shine bright always [Learn more](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdXh6ZGszdWh2eFcDc3BjQgpihkEMjmKYRGvBUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - At least 15 dead in Texas school shooting: ["They f**king failed our kids"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0RgaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDUvMjQvYXQtbGVhc3QtMTUtaW4tdGV4YXMtc2Nob29sLXRoZXktZmtpbmctZmFpbGVkLW91ci1raWRzX3BhcnRuZXIvVwNzcGNCCmKGQQyOYphEa8FSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - "Why are we here?": [Chris Murphy literally begs GOP](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0RyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDUvMjQvd2h5LWFyZS13ZS1oZXJlLWNocmlzLW11cnBoeS1saXRlcmFsbHktYmVncy10by1jb21wcm9taXNlLW9uLWFmdGVyLXRleGFzX3BhcnRuZXIvVwNzcGNCCmKGQQyOYphEa8FSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) to compromise on guns after Texas shooting - Leading Michigan GOP candidate may be disqualified from ballot amid [unprecedented fraud scandal](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0R9aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDUvMjQvbGVhZGluZy1taWNoaWdhbi1jYW5kaWRhdGUtbWF5LWJlLWRpc3F1YWxpZmllZC1mcm9tLWJhbGxvdC1hbWlkLXVucHJlY2VkZW50ZWQtZnJhdWQtc2NhbmRhbC9XA3NwY0IKYoZBDI5imERrwVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - ["Conversations with Friends"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0RUaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDUvMjQvY29udmVyc2F0aW9ucy13aXRoLWZyaWVuZHMtd29tYW4tcGFpbi1tZW5zdHJ1YXRpb24vVwNzcGNCCmKGQQyOYphEa8FSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) challenges us to rethink the desirability of the woman in pain - [Worried about coming off as fake?](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0Q0aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDUvMjQvYXV0aGVudGljaXR5LXN0dWR5L1cDc3BjQgpihkEMjmKYRGvBUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) Relax: New study says humans are terrible at gauging authenticity - [Walmart pulls Juneteenth ice cream](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0R4aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDUvMjQvd2FsbWFydC1wdWxscy1qdW5ldGVlbnRoLWljZS1jcmVhbS1mbGF2b3ItZm9sbG93aW5nLWFjY3VzYXRpb25zLW9mLXByb2ZpdGluZy1mcm9tLXBhaW4vVwNzcGNCCmKGQQyOYphEa8FSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) flavor following accusations of "profiting from pain" - Perdue closes Georgia race by telling Stacey Abrams to ["go back where she came from"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0R0aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDUvMjQvcGVyZHVlLWNsb3Nlcy1nZW9yZ2lhLXJhY2UtYnktdGVsbGluZy1zdGFjZXktYWJyYW1zLXRvLWdvLWJhY2std2hlcmUtc2hlLWNhbWUtZnJvbS9XA3NwY0IKYoZBDI5imERrwVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - On ["Better Call Saul,"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0RYaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDUvMjMvYmV0dGVyLWNhbGwtc2F1bC1wbGFuLWFuZC1leGVjdXRpb24tc2Vhc29uLTYtZXBpc29kZS03L1cDc3BjQgpihkEMjmKYRGvBUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) two devils come knocking, but only one leaves - Ricky [Gervais goes on a TERF-y tirade](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0RQaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDUvMjQvcmlja3ktZ2VydmFpcy10cmFuc3Bob2JpYy1qb2tlcy1uZXRmbGl4LWNvbWVkeS9XA3NwY0IKYoZBDI5imERrwVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) in new Netflix special, continuing his transphobic brand - A cynic tries [plant-based bacon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0RBaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDUvMjQvYS1jeW5pYy10cmllcy1wbGFudC1iYXNlZC1iYWNvbi9XA3NwY0IKYoZBDI5imERrwVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) Not a subscriber yet? [Sign up](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0RVaHR0cHM6Ly9zYWxvbi51czgubGlzdC1tYW5hZ2UuY29tL3N1YnNjcmliZT91PTcxY2IzZThhNmU5NjM5YzgxMDIzY2Q0MjcmaWQ9NWRlZGEyYWFhN1cDc3BjQgpihkEMjmKYRGvBUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) to receive Crash Course. [Johnny-Depp] BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Amber Heard on trial: Johnny Depp's defamation case is radicalizing young men Under a deluge of both right-wing media and online vitriol, the preposterous notion that Depp is in the right has taken root. It's not due to any evidence, [as was already shown in a British court](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0QkaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvbS9uZXdzL3VrLTU0Nzc5NDMwVwNzcGNCCmKGQQyOYphEa8FSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~). No, it's just because Depp's toxic supporters, through sheer belligerence, have willed their false narrative into the public understanding of the case. The social media toxicity has largely been dismissed by the press [not as a backlash to #MeToo](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0RFaHR0cDovL3d3dy5zYWxvbi5jb20vMjAyMS8wNy8wMS9tZXRvby1jb3NieS1mcmFuY28tc3Vydml2b3JzLWp1c3RpY2UvVwNzcGNCCmKGQQyOYphEa8FSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~), but as celebrity worship run amok. But this story is also being driven by right-wing media figures who don't give a single hoot about ["Pirates of the Carribean](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0QraHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMDMvMDcvMDkvcGlyYXRlc182L1cDc3BjQgpihkEMjmKYRGvBUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~)." [Melanie McFarland noted at Salon last month](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0RsaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDQvMjkvd2h5LWZveC1uZXdzLWlzLW9ic2Vzc2VkLXdpdGgtam9obm55LWRlcHAtaXRzLW1hbmxpbmVzcy11bmRlci1zaWVnZS1tYXNjb3QvVwNzcGNCCmKGQQyOYphEa8FSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~), Depp has become "the celebrity poster model" for the Fox News hysteria over an entirely fictional "war on masculinity." Last week it was revealed that the Daily Wire, which is shaping up to be a real competitor against Fox News, [has also been spending thousands of dollars in social media ads bashing Heard](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0RHaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDUvMjAvYW1iZXItaGVhcmQtZGFpbHktd2lyZS1jYW5kYW5jZS1vd2Vucy9XA3NwY0IKYoZBDI5imERrwVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). Right-wing media is smart to invest this much in the false narratives defending Depp because misogyny is the perfect gateway to lead young white men towards a more expansive constellation of reactionary politics. [Read more from Amanda Marcotte.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDUvMjQvYW1iZXItaGVhcmQtb24tdHJpYWwtam9obm55LWRlcHBzLWRlZmFtYXRpb24tY2FzZS1pcy1yYWRpY2FsaXppbmcteW91bmctbWVuL1cDc3BjQgpihkEMjmKYRGvBUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - "The Supreme Court just condemned a man to die despite strong evidence he’s innocent," [Vox](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0ROaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudm94LmNvbS8yMDIyLzUvMjMvMjMxMzgxMDAvc3VwcmVtZS1jb3VydC1iYXJyeS1qb25lcy1zaGlubi1yYW1pcmV6VwNzcGNCCmKGQQyOYphEa8FSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - "'They were shooting directly at the journalists': New evidence suggests Shireen Abu Akleh was killed in targeted attack by Israeli forces," [CNN](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0RraHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY25uLmNvbS8yMDIyLzA1LzI0L21pZGRsZWVhc3Qvc2hpcmVlbi1hYnUtYWtsZWgtamVuaW4ta2lsbGluZy1pbnZlc3RpZ2F0aW9uLWNtZC1pbnRsL2luZGV4Lmh0bWxXA3NwY0IKYoZBDI5imERrwVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Democrats Quietly Search for an Alternative to Biden in 2024," [New York Magazine](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0RYaHR0cHM6Ly9ueW1hZy5jb20vaW50ZWxsaWdlbmNlci8yMDIyLzA1L2JpZGVuLTIwMjQtZGVtb2NyYXRzLXNlYXJjaC1mb3ItYWx0ZXJuYXRpdmUuaHRtbFcDc3BjQgpihkEMjmKYRGvBUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - "Someone Stole Seth Green's Bored Ape, Which Was Supposed To Star In His New Show," [BuzzFeed News](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0RVaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnV6emZlZWRuZXdzLmNvbS9hcnRpY2xlL3NhcmFoZW1lcnNvbi9zZXRoLWdyZWVuLWJvcmVkLWFwZS1zdG9sZW4tdHYtc2hvd1cDc3BjQgpihkEMjmKYRGvBUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - "I Went to a Socialist Escape Room to Break Free from Capitalism," [Vice](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0Q8aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudmljZS5jb20vZW4vYXJ0aWNsZS84OGd6ajMvc29jaWFsaXN0LWVzY2FwZS1yb29tVwNzcGNCCmKGQQyOYphEa8FSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - "The election system shuddered in 2020. Now, there are fears of an attack within," [NPR](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0RyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy8yMDIyLzA1LzI0LzEwOTk1OTExNzQvZWxlY3Rpb24tcmVzdWx0cy1taWR0ZXJtcy10cnVtcC1iaWRlbi1mcmF1ZC1wb2xsLXdvcmtlcnMtbWljaGlnYW4tZGVuaWFsVwNzcGNCCmKGQQyOYphEa8FSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) [Eyeball] Yuichiro Chino/Getty Images High-tech surveillance in post-Roe America: Chilling new report outlines possible future Imagine, several months from now, a pregnant woman in Texas traveling to New York to obtain an abortion. When she's about to fly back, a friend phones to warn her there's an arrest warrant waiting for her, because police in her home state used a "keyword warrant" to monitor everyone in their area who'd searched a particular term online — say, "abortion clinics in New York" — and then obtained a "geofence warrant" to track her to a Planned Parenthood facility in Manhattan. The woman becomes part of a population the U.S. hasn't seen in recent history: an internally-displaced person, unable to travel home under threat of arrest and prosecution. Or imagine a woman in the Deep South, who in her last weeks of pregnancy, delivers a stillborn fetus at home, and, when she's taken to the hospital, encounters a nurse who suspects she'd tried to end the pregnancy herself and calls the police. When prosecutors take on the case, they obtain not just her medical records — evidence of the outcome — but her online search history as well: what they cast as evidence of "intent." Thanks to information handed over by internet providers — that the woman once searched for information about abortion medication and miscarriages — she is charged with second-degree murder, and faces 20 years to life in prison if convicted. That latter scenario [already happened](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZmFzdGNvbXBhbnkuY29tLzkwNDY4MDMwL2hvdy1hbi1vbmxpbmUtc2VhcmNoLWZvci1hYm9ydGlvbi1waWxscy1sYW5kZWQtdGhpcy13b21hbi1pbi1qYWlsVwNzcGNCCmKGQQyOYphEa8FSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~), several years ago in Mississippi. The former, says civil rights attorney Albert Fox Cahn, is not just a potential threat but an imminent reality if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade in the coming weeks, as forecast in Justice Samuel Alito's leaked draft majority opinion earlier this month. [Read more from Kathryn Joyce.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0R5aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDUvMjQvaGlnaC10ZWNoLXN1cnZlaWxsYW5jZS1pbi1wb3N0LXJvZS1hbWVyaWNhLWNoaWxsaW5nLW5ldy1yZXBvcnQtb3V0bGluZXMtcG9zc2libGUtZnV0dXJlL1cDc3BjQgpihkEMjmKYRGvBUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) Have a tip for Salon? Feedback on this newsletter? [Let us know](mailto:brett.bachman@salon.com). Our mailing address: 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200 Wilmington, DE 19801 [Unsubscribe from this list](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL3Vuc3Vic2NyaWJlP2lkPUAzNTQzOTUyVwNzcGNCCmKGQQyOYphEa8FSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Copyright © 2022 Crash Course, All rights reserved. [Made with Letterhead [Letterhead logo]](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkcJFAP0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbmVwbm83czh5c1cDc3BjQgpihkEMjmKYRGvBUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~)