Crash Course: Former Obama lawyer Ian Bassin: The coming indictment of Donald Trump will break his power

Former associate White House counsel says Garland, DOJ are going "by the book" and have a "rock solid" case. Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvOXZsNjd4bHhtay8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). [Donald Trump and Merrick Garland] Former Obama lawyer Ian Bassin: The coming indictment of Donald Trump will break his power In an effort to assess America's ongoing democracy crisis and the country's emotional life more broadly, Salon's Chauncey DeVega spoke with Ian Bassin, co-founder and executive director of Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization working to stop American democracy from declining into authoritarianism. Bassin previously served as associate White House counsel in the Obama administration. The crisis of democracy that Donald Trump represents, he cautions, is part of a much larger global phenomenon that will not end anytime soon. The midterm elections, he agrees, offered a strong sign of hope for American democracy — but Trump, the Republican fascists and their larger movement represent a base of many millions of voters, and they're not going away. Donald Trump's prosecution and trial, Bassin suggests, may actually break Trump's base of support and help bring an end to his reign as one of the most dangerous people in recent history. [Read Chauncey DeVega's full interview with Ian Bassin.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbGZlbWMwZWJnbi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images) FBI and DHS failing to address threat of domestic terrorism, according to new Senate report A new investigation by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee into the rise of domestic terrorism has found that the federal government is failing to adequately address domestic terror attacks, which are predominantly perpetrated by white supremacists and anti-government extremists. Although the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have identified domestic terrorism, specifically white supremacist violence, as "the most persistent and lethal terrorist threat," the federal government has continued to allocate resources to focus on international terrorist threats instead, [according to the report](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvaWl2cmVoZ3NwNS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). The report also identifies the role social media companies have played in amplifying extremist content, and says that both DHS and the FBI still fail to track and report data on domestic terrorism, despite a provision in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act that requires them to do so. [Read more from Areeba Shah.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvejZ4NG56MW85Zy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Photo via Ralf-Finn Hestoft/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images) - “Taking us all for fools”: [GOP leaders called out for silence](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvc2k4eXp0bjR5cy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo)on Trump’s dinner with Nick Fuentes - “They are going to slam this judge”: Experts say [appeals court will shut down Trump judge’s “circus”](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvenAxbTR6d2Njcy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - MTG and Jim Jordan see huge [influx of Twitter followers after Musk takeover](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMva3JncG1zaG5hZS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) as Dem numbers plummet - "Andor" reflects our ugly ambivalence, trafficking in [antisemitic tropes while calling out fascism](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvY2l5Z3lpNmljMS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - The [evolution of lighthouse keepers](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvY254dXF1aXpqbi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), the isolating yet romantic profession - [Will wild coffee go extinct](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvb2RkOW5meThjZy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) from climate change? Botanists say we can still save this crop - Being a caregiver for the elderly [aged me prematurely](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvNzNqNXNsNnYyZC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - [Gifts from "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special”](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdWVnYWNqZHRzZi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) we want year-round - [Turkey bolognese](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdm1rZXN3ZmNmaC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) is the most flavorful post-Thanksgiving comfort food - [Push the (hot chocolate) envelope](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvejRlemFjeDdoai8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) this year with these delicious customizations If you found yourself here without subscribing, sign up for [Crash Course](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZTlwYzc0cDgwOS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), so you don't miss anything! Trump, Kanye and Nick Fuentes: Can we stop pretending that Republicans even care? Trump's dinner with Ye and Nick Fuentes set off yet another of those Trump brouhahas in which decent people are appalled, the press calls every Republican on their contact list to get comment (which usually fails) and Trump puts out a series of absurd statements both defending himself and attempting to distance himself from the controversy. Everyone wonders WTBTSTBTCB — Will this be the straw that breaks the camel's back? — and it never is. Trump's racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, misogyny, etc., have been on display for decades and continued unabated during his presidency and beyond. In that light, I honestly don't see how [the ritual demands for Republicans to disavow him](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvNmVxMnU4cmZiei8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) are worth bothering with. Sure, a few will timidly peek their heads up over the wall and say that Trump shouldn't have done whatever abominable thing he just did. The press will chase down some others who will say they hadn't heard about it, and it will all pass over until the next time we go through the same cycle all over again. [Read more from Heather Digby Parton.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvOXFqY2R5ZjF2OS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Photo via Joe Raedle/Getty Images) - "Water boil order issued for more than 2 million in Houston," [The Associated Press](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvMTBpZTQ1aW83Mi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Kanye West Used Porn, Bullying, ‘Mind Games’ to Control Staff," [Rolling Stone](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvMHY0ZWViOTZvMi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "'The Nightmare Materializes': Far-Right Extremist Itamar Ben-Gvir to Be Israel's National Security Minister," [Common Dreams](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvd3EyZ3N4YWNjaC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Less attractive, less picky: How mating is changing in a hotter world," [The Washington Post](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvY2d6b25tbnV0cS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Robot Landlords Are Buying Up Houses," [Vice](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvemtzNGJ3dmhsbC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Inside the Billionaire-Backed ‘Hub for Election Denial,'" [The Daily Beast](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvc3VlODA0ZGk0YS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) Trump demands election loser Kari Lake be "installed" as governor in late-night Truth Social rant Former President Donald Trump called for Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake to be installed as governor after falsely claiming that the elections in Arizona were a "criminal voting operation." "Massive numbers of 'BROKEN' voting machines in Republican Districts on Election Day. Mechanics sent in to 'FIX' them made them worse. Kari had to be taken to a Democrat area, which was working perfectly, to vote. Her opponent ran the Election. This is yet another criminal voting operation - SO OBVIOUS. Kari Lake should be installed Governor of Arizona. This is almost as bad as the 2020 Presidential Election, which the Unselect Committee refuses to touch because they know it was Fraudulent!" Trump wrote on [Truth Social](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcTJweTA0cDI2Yi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). Journalist Jeremy Duda noted that virtually everything Trump claimed is "inaccurate". "Lake didn't have to switch voting centers because there were no printer issues at PV Town Hall. Her opponent didn't run the election. Technicians didn't make the printer problems worse. No 'voting machines' were broken," [Duda tweeted](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbXJmOXNoeXA4ei8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). [Read more from Areeba Shah.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcGVqcWRpejd2ci8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWVxZGhsbmFueGdXA3NwY0IKY4FR9IVjUzYZqVIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) [Unsubscribe from this list](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL3Vuc3Vic2NyaWJlP2lkPUAzNTQzOTUyVwNzcGNCCmOBUfSFY1M2GalSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Copyright © 2022 Crash Course, All rights reserved. 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200, Wilmington, DE 19801 [Made with Letterhead [Letterhead logo]](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlaHlRP0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbmVwbm83czh5c1cDc3BjQgpjgVH0hWNTNhmpUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~)