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Trump's 'disturbing' pardon of Kushner ally accused of stalking could put people in danger: columnist
January 23, 2021
On Saturday, writing for The Daily Beast, Elizabeth Spiers zeroed in on what she considers to be one of the most "disturbing" 11th-hour pardons by former President Donald Trump: former New York Observer editor-in-chief Ken Kurson, a family friend of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
"Kurson, a longtime close friend of Jared Kushner's, had been arrested in October on charges of cyberstalking three people and harassing two in an elaborate revenge scheme to punish people he perceived as being responsible for the breakup of his marriage," reported Spiers, who held Kurson's job from 2011-2012. "Kurson, who has forcefully denied the allegations and had yet to go to trial, was one of the 74 people Donald Trump pardoned in the final hours of his presidency."
<p>Kurson was <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/press-release/file/1330511/download" target="_blank">accused</a> of making false allegations of child molestation and infidelity against the victims under a number of pseudonyms like "Jayden Wagner" and "Eddie Train"; breaking into their social media accounts with a keystroke monitor, and taking pictures of the lobby of Mount Sinai Hospital, where one victim worked as a doctor, and making hangup calls from an internal phone system that would have required him to be inside a victims' building.</p><p>"When I first read about the charges, I was floored by the sheer amount of effort Kurson allegedly made to plot against and then pursue his victims on multiple fronts," wrote Spiers. "Then again, a lot of stalkers do this in part because it's easy to do. Anyone with an internet connection can conduct a campaign like this, and most people can do it without getting caught. Even if the perpetrators are caught, victims have very little recourse because cops and prosecutors are often ill-equipped to deal with activity of this nature, and sometimes dismissive when it's directed toward women."</p><p>A big problem with the Kurson pardon, noted Spiers, is that it gives him a green light to actively resume his behavior and put more people in danger.</p><p>Spiers continued, "On Wednesday, I spoke to Deborah Copaken" — who alleges sexual harassment by Kurson while he edited the Observer. "She ... spent inauguration day talking to two lawyers and a security expert wanting to know if she should be afraid, and asking for advice about what to do. She was waiting to hear back after emailing the FBI agent she had spoken with when Kurson was being investigated."</p><p>"Copaken hopes that being public about what she says Kurson did in the past might offer some protection if he acted the same way now," wrote Spiers. "That at least people would be more inclined to believe her. She says she's spoken since Kurson's pardon was announced to other women who allege that he harassed him, and that they have similar concerns."</p><p>You can read more <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/is-accused-stalker-and-kushner-family-friend-ken-kurson-donald-trumps-most-disturbing-pardon" target="_blank">here</a> (requires subscription).</p>
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Don Jr. picks up where his dad left off: Trump's son continues tradition of Twitter lies
January 23, 2021
With his father now permanently barred from Twitter, President Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., has taken it upon himself to continue the family legacy of attacking Joe Biden with lie-laden accusations on Twitter.
This article first appeared in Salon.
<p>Don Trump Jr., who has both steadfastly defended and participated in his father's many improprieties, has positioned himself as one of the biggest right-wing provocateurs of the Trump era. A self-styled cultural critic and political analyst, Don Jr. has already "written" <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Donald-Trump-Jr/e/B07VX5GZ9R/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>two books</u></a> on "leftist hate", "liberal privilege," and "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/06/books/donald-trump-jr-liberal-privilege.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>Biden's half century of being a swamp monster</u></a>." </p><p>On Thursday, Twitter witnessed just one of Don Jr.'s latest provocations, when he shared a New York Times<em> </em>story about Portland, Oregon protestors getting tear-gassed by federal agents for destroying property and burning an American flag. "Joe Biden uses tear gas...," <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1352267781908082690" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>said</u></a> Don Jr, confused, "That's how this is supposed to work right?"</p><p>While many users kindly reminded Don Jr. of his decreasing relevance to American politics, he nevertheless continued on with his tirade, indicting the media as a key contributor to Biden's "illegitimate" win. </p><p>"Imagine how much easier it is to run as a Democrat when you have a multi billion dollar main stream media complex willing to lie and run cover for you at all times!" <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1352269140002803713" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>Don Jr. tweeted</u></a>, "Our media is broken." Sowing distrust in the "liberal" media is, of course, his father's calling card, which Don Jr. has inevitably inherited. </p><p>To make his case on media bias, Don Jr. exhibited two headlines: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/10/07/trump-campaign-promotes-false-claim-that-biden-would-end-fracking/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>one</u></a> from The Washington Post which read, "Trump campaign promotes false claim that Biden would end fracking" and <a href="https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2021/01/20/biden-administration-yes-we-are-following-through-with-a-fracking-ban-n2583476" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>the other</u></a>, from right-wing news site Townhall: "Biden Administration: Yes, We Are Following Through With a Fracking Ban."</p><p>What Don Jr. failed to include, however, was any context for either. Because although the two headlines appear contradictory, both authors admit the same premise: that Biden vowed to ban fracking on federal land. </p><p>Don Jr. also bandied Senator Ted Cruz's absurd notion that "By [entering back into the Paris Climate Agreement], President Biden indicated that he's more interested in the views of the citizens of Paris than in the jobs of the citizens of Pittsburgh." Senator Cruz's sudden concern for the people of Pittsburgh runs in direct contrast to his failed effort to overturn the election, which would disenfranchise Pennsylvania voters. In fact, most of Allegheny County, where Pittsburgh is situated, <a href="https://earther.gizmodo.com/ted-cruz-suddenly-pretends-to-care-about-pittsburgh-1846099757" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>voted overwhelmingly</u></a> for Biden. </p><p>Don Jr. capped off his firestorm on Twitter with brevity. "Congratulations China," <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1352302404767784962" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>he tweeted</u></a>, eliding any context. One might imagine that such vague embitterment stems from his father's distaste for the country, despite the family having <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/10/donald-trump-chinese-bank-account" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>strong financial ties</u></a> to it. Don Jr.'s quip also confounds in the face of Biden's <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/international/535210-biden-admin-condemns-unproductive-and-cynical-chinese-sanctions-against" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>recent condemnation</u></a> of China's sanctions on former Trump staffers.</p><p>Some have speculated that Don Jr. might pursue a political career of his own after four years of situating himself in the right circles. Indeed, The Post argued that his book <em>Triggered </em>read like a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/01/03/donald-trump-jrs-triggered-reads-like-campaign-book/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>campaign book</u></a>. It's unclear what will come of Don Jr. now that he is <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/14/politics/dc-attorney-general-donald-trump-jr-inaugural-funds-abuse/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>steeped in litigation</u></a>. Hopefully, lawyers and federal officials will drain him of the necessary and "<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/08/politics/donald-trump-exercise-health-physical/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>finite</u></a>" energy to ever make a bid for public office. </p> <br/> <h3>Jon Skolnik</h3> <p>Jon Skolnik is a News Fellow at Salon. His work has appeared in Current Affairs, The Baffler, Alternet, and The New York Daily News. </p>
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Two top Brazilian indigenous leaders have asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate President Jair Bolsonaro for "crimes against humanity", accusing him of unprecedented environmental damage, killings and persecution.
Chief Raoni Metuktire, the leader of the Kayapo people, and Chief Almir Narayamoga Surui, leader of the Paiter Surui tribe, filed the claim at The Hague-based body on Friday.
<p>Since Bolsonaro became president in January 2019, "the destruction of the Amazonian forest has accelerated without measure," said the complaint to the ICC, reported by France's Le Monde newspaper on Saturday.</p><p>It said deforestation had rocketed "by 34.5 percent in a year, the assassination of indigenous leaders is at an 11-year high and environmental agencies have collapsed or faced threats."</p><p>The two leaders said killings, the forced transfers of local peoples and persecution constituted "crimes against humanity."</p><p>Bolsonaro's government has proposed legislation that would relax restrictions within Amazon regions on commercial mining, oil and gas extraction, and large-scale agriculture.</p><p>Activists are pushing for ecocide to be added to the crimes prosecuted by the ICC, alongside genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.</p><p>The issue was raised by the Maldives and Vanuatu at the ICC general assembly in December 2019.</p><p>"This situation, the most dramatic in the last 10 years, is a direct result of the policies of Jair Bolsonaro", who wants to "lift all the barriers to plunder the wealth of the Amazon," the suit said, also singling out mining firms.</p><p>It said the "destruction of the Amazon forest... was a direct danger not only for Brazilians but for all humanity."</p><p>In July last year, health workers in Brazil had also urged the ICC to probe Bolsonaro for crimes against humanity over his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.</p><p>A month earlier Chief Raoni had told AFP in an interview that Bolsonaro was trying to use the pandemic to eliminate indigenous people.</p><p>Brazil's immunisation programme has been widely criticised for being late and chaotic, not least given Bolsonaro's opposition.</p><p>© 2021 AFP</p>
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