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🇺🇸 Trump's Threat

🇺🇸 Trump's Threat

Plus, a stay in Shrek's swamp.

October 02, 2023

Good morning, and happy Monday. A newly-fledged pilot for Southwest Airlines, Ruben Flowers III, got to ride shotgun on his father’s final flight before retiring, which they memorialized by taking a photo in the same position as one nearly 30 years earlier.

Plus, Airbnb is offering a free weekend stay at "Shrek's Swamp," a Scotland home designed after the fictional ogre's tree stump abode from the Shrek movies.

Also, we’ll take a safety shot to today’s partner…

QUICK CLICKS

DC Drama, Student Loan Payments Due, The Sphere

US: House GOP members seek to expel Gaetz amid renewed threat to vacate House Speaker McCarthy (Fox News) + Gaetz Says He Will Move to Oust McCarthy for Working With Democrats (New York Times)

US: Ukraine aid dropped from bill to avert government shutdown (CBS)

US: Federal student loan payments are due for the first time since 2020—what you need to know (CNBC)

US: U2 Launch New Era of Live Music at Stunning Sphere Opening Concert in Las Vegas (Rolling Stone)

US: Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle reportedly floated as potential replacements for Dianne Feinstein (Fox News)

US: Nikki Haley draws insults from Trump in sign she is gaining ground in Republican presidential race (New York Daily News)

US: Who's in the Army now? A pitch switch aims to get more military recruits (NPR)

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MILITARY

Trump’s Threat

On Friday September 22, in a post on Truth Social, former President Donald Trump accused General Mark Milley of “dealing with China to give them a heads up on the thinking of the President of the United States. This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!”

Reporting from the Left: Gen. Milley says he has "appropriate" safety measures after Trump social media threat (CBS News)

Reporting from the Right: Trump openly vows payback, with harsh attacks on the media and Milley (FOX News)

From The Flag: As General Milley steps down from his position as chairman of the Joint Chiefs, his contentious relationship with Trump is resurfacing in headlines. Here’s what both sides have to say about Trump’s comments and their strained relationship.

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Such Comments and Threats are Dangerous

“The former president is inciting violence against the nation’s top general. America’s response is distracted and numb.”
Trump is making it clear to his enemies that he will rule and maintain his will by inciting his followers to carry out his threats.”
In response to Trump’s comments, Milley has stated that he has taken “appropriate measures” to protect himself and his family and also mentioned the comments were disrespectful to the US military.

Trump Floats the Idea of Executing Joint Chiefs Chairman Milley Brian Klaas, The Atlantic: “Political violence is notoriously difficult to forecast with precision, but would anyone really be surprised if Trump’s violent rhetoric led to real-world attacks in the run-up to the 2024 election—or in its aftermath, if he loses? For all of these reasons, Trump’s recent unhinged rant about Milley should be a wake-up call. But in today’s political climate, the incident barely registers. Trump scandals have become predictably banal. And American journalists have become golden retrievers watching a tennis-ball launcher. Every time they start to chase one ball, a fresh one immediately explodes into view, prompting a new chase. Eventually, chasing tennis balls gets old. We become more alive to virtually any distraction: The media fixate on John Fetterman’s hoodie instead of on stories about the relentless but predictable risk of Trump-inspired political violence. Bombarded by a constant stream of deranged authoritarian extremism from a man who might soon return to the presidency, we’ve lost all sense of scale and perspective.”

Trump Wants His Enemies to Fear for Their Lives Eric Levitz, New York Magazine: “Of course, it’s not remarkable for Trump to issue a baseless (yet incendiary) allegation against one of his critics. What is noteworthy — or at least, should be — is a leading presidential candidate deliberately trying to intimidate his perceived enemies through tacit threats of violence. And it seems fair to conclude that this is precisely what Trump is up to. The ex-president’s remarks about Milley came amid a surge of violent threats against federal law enforcement, threats that his own rhetoric appears to have inspired. On August 4, shortly after he was charged for seeking to overturn the 2020 election, Trump posted on Truth Social, ‘IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING FOR YOU!’ One day later, one of the president’s supporters called that case’s presiding judge and told her that if Trump does not win reelection next year, ‘we are coming to kill you.’

One more opinion piece from the Left: Milley says Trump disrespected US military with execution comment Karl de Vries, CNN

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Mixed: Trump Is the Problem vs. Milley Is the Problem

Trump is revealing exactly who he is via social media and how he will govern should he become the Republican nominee.
The Atlantic’s coverage of Milley is just a “legacy-saving” piece that seeks to help the embattled general save face before leaving his post.
The left’s coverage, specifically The Atlantic, of Milley is brazen propaganda that attempts to venerate him while debasing Trump.

The Real Donald Trump Live on Truth Social Editorial Board, The Wall Street Journal: “Donald Trump suggested the other day that Gen. Mark Milley, the nation’s highest military officer, deserves execution—as in death. He said NBC should be investigated for treason and that the FBI should raid the homes of Senate Democrats. Then he accused President Biden of being manipulated by ‘the Fascists in the White House.’ If Republicans missed these remarks, they must not be following Mr. Trump’s feed on Truth Social, his media site. But reading him there is the way to get a direct mind-meld with Mr. Trump’s true social and political self. … We realize no one is supposed to take Mr. Trump’s words seriously, but what if some crank does and decides to shoot Gen. Milley in his retirement? Mr. Trump also uses Truth Social to amplify unhinged posts from others, including one recently calling the 2021 Capitol riot a ‘Fedsurrection,’ involving Antifa leftists in MAGA disguise, and ‘the Deep State coordinated their actions through proxies.’”

No, Gen. Mark Milley Didn’t ‘Protect’ The Constitution From Donald Trump David Harsanyi, The Federalist: “It’s remarkable how often protecting ‘democracy” from the clutches of Donald Trump means engaging in anti-democratic activities. ‘The Patriot: How General Mark Milley protected the Constitution from Donald Trump’ is Jeffrey Goldberg’s 6,500-word ode in The Atlantic to the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Although the article also suffers from cloying revisionism, its biggest flaw is failing to provide a single instance proving its proposition—quite the contrary. Yet not even The Atlantic’s retelling of Milley’s heroic tale offers any evidence that Trump attempted to escalate tensions with any ‘nuclear-armed adversaries,’ or anyone else, to provoke an “eruption of wars” or any conflict before or after the election chaos of 2020. Or even that Milley dissuaded him from trying. Say what you want about Trump, but his alleged capitulation to a nuclear-armed adversary in Russia was one of the top reasons we were told he was unfit to be president.”

One more opinion piece from the Right: The Atlantic’s Gen. Milley Propaganda, Jeffrey Lord, The American Spectator:

FLAG THIS

Americans Oppose Political Violence… Mostly

While a clear majority of Americans oppose political violence, views shift somewhat if the violence is in response to certain scenarios or is directed at political leaders and not everyday people.

A study conducted in June by YouGov with States United Action found that 78% of Americans saw politically motivated violence as a problem.

However, 30% said political violence was “always” or “frequently” acceptable if “leaders from the party in power disobey the laws while prosecuting their political opponents who disobey the same laws.” That percentage rose to 49 when including those who said violence was “occasionally” acceptable under such circumstances (Washington Post).

Do you find Trump's comments about Milley concerning?

FLAG FINDS

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WATERCOOLER

Wilson’s Stroke, Get to Know Someone Better, Chocodilla

On This Day in 1919: President Woodrow Wilson, who had just cut short a tour of the country to promote the formation of the League of Nations, suffered a stroke.

Prevention: 100 Best Questions to Ask to Get to Know Someone Better, According to Experts

The Walrus: How ChatGPT Is Putting College Ghostwriters Out of Work

Smithsonian Magazine: Are Wild Animals Really Just Like Us?

Today I learned that in 2017, Taco Bell test marketed the "Kit Kat Chocoladilla" in select Wisconsin locations. The food item consisted of melted Kit Kat pieces in a grilled and folded tortilla.

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