Latest news with #2020election
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Education Secretary Linda McMahon refuses to say if teaching kids that Trump lost in 2020 is ‘illegal DEI'
Donald Trump 's education secretary has refused to say if she believes school curricula that correctly state Joe Biden won the 2020 election amount to ' illegal DEI. ' Secretary Linda McMahon instead repeatedly told House lawmakers on Wednesday that social studies 'should all be taught accurately' and that 'we should hear all sides.' During a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing, Democratic Rep. Summer Lee, of Pennsylvania, repeatedly asked McMahon whether she believes certain lesson plans constitute 'illegal DEI' — referring to the Trump administration's threat to withhold federal funding to schools it believes are engaged in ' illegal DEI practices.' In a heated back and forth, Lee pressed McMahon to say whether curriculum on the 2020 election and African-American history lessons on the Tulsa race massacre and civil rights activist Ruby Bridges are considered 'illegal' diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. McMahon said she would 'look into' them. Asked whether she even knows who and what those people and events are, McMahon fumbled for answers. 'Do you know what the Tulsa race massacre is?' asked Lee, referencing a white mob's bloody destruction of a bustling Black town in Oklahoma in 1921. 'I'd like to look into it more,' McMahon said. 'How about the book Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges?' Lee asked. McMahon said she hasn't read it. 'Have you learned about Ruby Bridges?' said Lee, referring to the first Black child to enter an all-white school in the South during desegregation efforts in 1960. 'If you have specific examples—,' McMahon replied. 'That was an incredibly specific example,' Lee fired back. The congresswoman then asked whether social studies standards that teach that Biden won the 2020 presidential election would also be considered 'illegal DEI.' McMahon said social studies 'should all be taught accurately.' Lee demanded a 'yes or no' answer. McMahon repeated her reply. 'I think I have said we should teach accurately,' she said. 'We should hear all sides.' Lee's questions follow newly established curriculum standards in Oklahoma, where the state's controversial schools superintendent ushered through sweeping changes that introduce 2020 election conspiracy theories into school curriculums. Students will be required to ' identify discrepancies ' in the 2020 presidential election, appearing to amplify Trump's baseless narrative that the election was fraudulent. Students will also learn about 'the security risks of mail-in balloting, sudden batch dumps' and 'an unforeseen record number of voters,' appearing to repeat unsupported claims that bolster conspiracy theories surrounding election results. McMahon is appearing before members of Congress this week to present a budget for a department that the president wants to eliminate entirely. The White House wants to reduce the department's budget by 15 percent in 2026, targeting a range of programs supporting K-12 students and higher education. Advocacy groups fear the cuts will be particularly devastating to students from lower-income families and in rural areas, and 'ultimately harm schools and the students they serve,' according to the School Superintendents Association.
CNN
3 days ago
- Business
- CNN
A key figure in Trump's conspiracy coalition goes on trial
Whenever President Trump sees his ally Mike Lindell, Trump pours on the praise. A 'patriot.' A 'brave guy.' The 'single greatest advertiser in history.' Right now, though, Lindell is something else: A defendant. The CEO of MyPillow, who built his business through incessant commercials and devotion to Trump, is on trial in Colorado over his tirades about the 2020 election. Opening statements happened Tuesday morning in a case brought by Eric Coomer, a former Dominion Voting Systems executive who sued Lindell for defamation in 2022. Coomer told CNN he was forced into hiding when bogus conspiracy theories about Dominion rigging the 2020 election against Trump led to a deluge of death threats. He later charged in the lawsuit that Lindell and MyPillow were 'among the most prolific vectors' of the lies and said the rhetorical campaign had 'devastating' real-world consequences. Dominion famously prevailed in a similar defamation lawsuit against Fox News in 2023 when Fox agreed to pay the company $787.5 million. Dominion has numerous other lawsuits still pending. Coomer also settled one of his other suits, this one against the far-right network One America News, in 2023. But Coomer's case against Lindell has reached a jury, and he is expected to take the stand as soon as Tuesday afternoon. For plaintiffs like Coomer, one of the hopes is that legal victories could cause partisan talking heads to think twice before sowing doubt about future elections. Lindell, forever a showman, has repositioned himself as a free speech warrior amid widespread condemnation of his lies about the 2020 election. The pillow businessman recently claimed that 'I'm in ruins' as a result of the numerous lawsuits stemming from his election-related claims. Both Dominion and another voting tech company, Smartmatic, are actively suing Lindell for defamation. Smartmatic alleges that Lindell 'generated profits for his company by skillfully incorporating product promotions to his defamation campaign.' In March, a federal judge in Minnesota found that Lindell was in contempt of court because Lindell had failed to turn over required documents in the Smartmatic case. Lindell has attempted to turn the current Colorado trial into both a media circus and a fundraising opportunity. His obscure online video network, appropriately named LindellTV, has portrayed him as a martyr and promoted his pillows simultaneously. Host Emerald Robinson — a well-known conspiracy theorist like her boss — has called the case 'the most important trial in the history of American elections.' Lindell's running online commentary has doubled as a potential preview of his legal defense. 'I didn't know the guy,' Lindell said Monday, apparently referring to Coomer, claiming 'he came after me' and 'this is very, very organized.' Lindell also recast the defamation trial as a crusade for 'secure elections' and repeated some of his discredited talking points about electronic voting machines. But what he says on the courthouse steps is one thing; what is said in court is another. Notably, Lindell's attorneys said Tuesday that they won't try to prove his election lies during the trial. 'All Mike Lindell did was talk,' Lindell's lawyer, Chris Kachouroff, reportedly told the jury. 'Mike believed that he was telling the truth,' the lawyer added. 'It doesn't have to be true.' Lindell has received support from some high-profile MAGA media figures, including Steve Bannon, who interviewed Lindell on the 'War Room' podcast Tuesday morning. Bannon gave Lindell time to 'sell us a pillow and some sheets,' and the veteran salesman obliged, telling viewers that MyPillow sales revenues are underwriting his defense. Lindell's number one supporter remains the president. When both men spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, Trump lamented the 'FBI thugs' who seized Lindell's phone during an investigation in 2022. 'I want to thank you on behalf of everybody, Mike, you put up with a tremendous amount,' Trump said. 'He never changed his mind. He said that election of 2020 was rigged and he's more of a believer today than he was even four years ago. But now it's OK to say it, Mike! Now it's fine.' Lindell is a key member of Trump's conspiracy coalition — a group of MAGA media personalities and their legions of followers who embrace and promote various politically charged theories that bear little if any connection to reality. A wild new example emerged last weekend: Trump's amplification of a Truth Social post imagining that former president Joe Biden was actually a robot clone when he was in office between 2021 and 2024. On CNN's 'NewsNight,' anchor Abby Phillip pointed out that 'for two months, all the attention's been on the mental acuity of the previous president,' meaning Biden. 'And while the scrutiny is justified, what about the current president? After all, he's pushing a batshit conspiracy theory that Joe Biden was executed in 2020 and replaced with a clone robot.' The Bulwark editor-at-large Bill Kristol reacted by saying, 'Trump doesn't believe it,' but he knows many of his supporters 'love conspiracy theories,' and 'the conspiracists are a big part of the Trump administration.' In other words, Trump's repost was appealing to that conspiracy coalition — a group that is both entertained and motivated by his theories. While Trump-promoting outlets like Fox News laughed off the Trump repost, some media critics said it should be taken seriously. It is evidence of 'Trump's disordered mental state,' Stephen Robinson wrote for Public Notice on Tuesday morning. Avery Lotz wrote for Axios that Trump mixes 'wild conspiracies with market-moving policies' in his feed on Truth Social. Lotz concluded, 'With no fact-checks or consequences for falsehoods, Trump can be, as he's shared multiple posts saying, 'right about everything.''
CNN
3 days ago
- Business
- CNN
A key figure in Trump's conspiracy coalition goes on trial
Whenever President Trump sees his ally Mike Lindell, Trump pours on the praise. A 'patriot.' A 'brave guy.' The 'single greatest advertiser in history.' Right now, though, Lindell is something else: A defendant. The CEO of MyPillow, who built his business through incessant commercials and devotion to Trump, is on trial in Colorado over his tirades about the 2020 election. Opening statements happened Tuesday morning in a case brought by Eric Coomer, a former Dominion Voting Systems executive who sued Lindell for defamation in 2022. Coomer told CNN he was forced into hiding when bogus conspiracy theories about Dominion rigging the 2020 election against Trump led to a deluge of death threats. He later charged in the lawsuit that Lindell and MyPillow were 'among the most prolific vectors' of the lies and said the rhetorical campaign had 'devastating' real-world consequences. Dominion famously prevailed in a similar defamation lawsuit against Fox News in 2023 when Fox agreed to pay the company $787.5 million. Dominion has numerous other lawsuits still pending. Coomer also settled one of his other suits, this one against the far-right network One America News, in 2023. But Coomer's case against Lindell has reached a jury, and he is expected to take the stand as soon as Tuesday afternoon. For plaintiffs like Coomer, one of the hopes is that legal victories could cause partisan talking heads to think twice before sowing doubt about future elections. Lindell, forever a showman, has repositioned himself as a free speech warrior amid widespread condemnation of his lies about the 2020 election. The pillow businessman recently claimed that 'I'm in ruins' as a result of the numerous lawsuits stemming from his election-related claims. Both Dominion and another voting tech company, Smartmatic, are actively suing Lindell for defamation. Smartmatic alleges that Lindell 'generated profits for his company by skillfully incorporating product promotions to his defamation campaign.' In March, a federal judge in Minnesota found that Lindell was in contempt of court because Lindell had failed to turn over required documents in the Smartmatic case. Lindell has attempted to turn the current Colorado trial into both a media circus and a fundraising opportunity. His obscure online video network, appropriately named LindellTV, has portrayed him as a martyr and promoted his pillows simultaneously. Host Emerald Robinson — a well-known conspiracy theorist like her boss — has called the case 'the most important trial in the history of American elections.' Lindell's running online commentary has doubled as a potential preview of his legal defense. 'I didn't know the guy,' Lindell said Monday, apparently referring to Coomer, claiming 'he came after me' and 'this is very, very organized.' Lindell also recast the defamation trial as a crusade for 'secure elections' and repeated some of his discredited talking points about electronic voting machines. But what he says on the courthouse steps is one thing; what is said in court is another. Notably, Lindell's attorneys said Tuesday that they won't try to prove his election lies during the trial. 'All Mike Lindell did was talk,' Lindell's lawyer, Chris Kachouroff, reportedly told the jury. 'Mike believed that he was telling the truth,' the lawyer added. 'It doesn't have to be true.' Lindell has received support from some high-profile MAGA media figures, including Steve Bannon, who interviewed Lindell on the 'War Room' podcast Tuesday morning. Bannon gave Lindell time to 'sell us a pillow and some sheets,' and the veteran salesman obliged, telling viewers that MyPillow sales revenues are underwriting his defense. Lindell's number one supporter remains the president. When both men spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, Trump lamented the 'FBI thugs' who seized Lindell's phone during an investigation in 2022. 'I want to thank you on behalf of everybody, Mike, you put up with a tremendous amount,' Trump said. 'He never changed his mind. He said that election of 2020 was rigged and he's more of a believer today than he was even four years ago. But now it's OK to say it, Mike! Now it's fine.' Lindell is a key member of Trump's conspiracy coalition — a group of MAGA media personalities and their legions of followers who embrace and promote various politically charged theories that bear little if any connection to reality. A wild new example emerged last weekend: Trump's amplification of a Truth Social post imagining that former president Joe Biden was actually a robot clone when he was in office between 2021 and 2024. On CNN's 'NewsNight,' anchor Abby Phillip pointed out that 'for two months, all the attention's been on the mental acuity of the previous president,' meaning Biden. 'And while the scrutiny is justified, what about the current president? After all, he's pushing a batshit conspiracy theory that Joe Biden was executed in 2020 and replaced with a clone robot.' The Bulwark editor-at-large Bill Kristol reacted by saying, 'Trump doesn't believe it,' but he knows many of his supporters 'love conspiracy theories,' and 'the conspiracists are a big part of the Trump administration.' In other words, Trump's repost was appealing to that conspiracy coalition — a group that is both entertained and motivated by his theories. While Trump-promoting outlets like Fox News laughed off the Trump repost, some media critics said it should be taken seriously. It is evidence of 'Trump's disordered mental state,' Stephen Robinson wrote for Public Notice on Tuesday morning. Avery Lotz wrote for Axios that Trump mixes 'wild conspiracies with market-moving policies' in his feed on Truth Social. Lotz concluded, 'With no fact-checks or consequences for falsehoods, Trump can be, as he's shared multiple posts saying, 'right about everything.''
CNN
3 days ago
- Business
- CNN
A key figure in Trump's conspiracy coalition goes on trial
Whenever President Trump sees his ally Mike Lindell, Trump pours on the praise. A 'patriot.' A 'brave guy.' The 'single greatest advertiser in history.' Right now, though, Lindell is something else: A defendant. The CEO of MyPillow, who built his business through incessant commercials and devotion to Trump, is on trial in Colorado over his tirades about the 2020 election. Opening statements happened Tuesday morning in a case brought by Eric Coomer, a former Dominion Voting Systems executive who sued Lindell for defamation in 2022. Coomer told CNN he was forced into hiding when bogus conspiracy theories about Dominion rigging the 2020 election against Trump led to a deluge of death threats. He later charged in the lawsuit that Lindell and MyPillow were 'among the most prolific vectors' of the lies and said the rhetorical campaign had 'devastating' real-world consequences. Dominion famously prevailed in a similar defamation lawsuit against Fox News in 2023 when Fox agreed to pay the company $787.5 million. Dominion has numerous other lawsuits still pending. Coomer also settled one of his other suits, this one against the far-right network One America News, in 2023. But Coomer's case against Lindell has reached a jury, and he is expected to take the stand as soon as Tuesday afternoon. For plaintiffs like Coomer, one of the hopes is that legal victories could cause partisan talking heads to think twice before sowing doubt about future elections. Lindell, forever a showman, has repositioned himself as a free speech warrior amid widespread condemnation of his lies about the 2020 election. The pillow businessman recently claimed that 'I'm in ruins' as a result of the numerous lawsuits stemming from his election-related claims. Both Dominion and another voting tech company, Smartmatic, are actively suing Lindell for defamation. Smartmatic alleges that Lindell 'generated profits for his company by skillfully incorporating product promotions to his defamation campaign.' In March, a federal judge in Minnesota found that Lindell was in contempt of court because Lindell had failed to turn over required documents in the Smartmatic case. Lindell has attempted to turn the current Colorado trial into both a media circus and a fundraising opportunity. His obscure online video network, appropriately named LindellTV, has portrayed him as a martyr and promoted his pillows simultaneously. Host Emerald Robinson — a well-known conspiracy theorist like her boss — has called the case 'the most important trial in the history of American elections.' Lindell's running online commentary has doubled as a potential preview of his legal defense. 'I didn't know the guy,' Lindell said Monday, apparently referring to Coomer, claiming 'he came after me' and 'this is very, very organized.' Lindell also recast the defamation trial as a crusade for 'secure elections' and repeated some of his discredited talking points about electronic voting machines. But what he says on the courthouse steps is one thing; what is said in court is another. Notably, Lindell's attorneys said Tuesday that they won't try to prove his election lies during the trial. 'All Mike Lindell did was talk,' Lindell's lawyer, Chris Kachouroff, reportedly told the jury. 'Mike believed that he was telling the truth,' the lawyer added. 'It doesn't have to be true.' Lindell has received support from some high-profile MAGA media figures, including Steve Bannon, who interviewed Lindell on the 'War Room' podcast Tuesday morning. Bannon gave Lindell time to 'sell us a pillow and some sheets,' and the veteran salesman obliged, telling viewers that MyPillow sales revenues are underwriting his defense. Lindell's number one supporter remains the president. When both men spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, Trump lamented the 'FBI thugs' who seized Lindell's phone during an investigation in 2022. 'I want to thank you on behalf of everybody, Mike, you put up with a tremendous amount,' Trump said. 'He never changed his mind. He said that election of 2020 was rigged and he's more of a believer today than he was even four years ago. But now it's OK to say it, Mike! Now it's fine.' Lindell is a key member of Trump's conspiracy coalition — a group of MAGA media personalities and their legions of followers who embrace and promote various politically charged theories that bear little if any connection to reality. A wild new example emerged last weekend: Trump's amplification of a Truth Social post imagining that former president Joe Biden was actually a robot clone when he was in office between 2021 and 2024. On CNN's 'NewsNight,' anchor Abby Phillip pointed out that 'for two months, all the attention's been on the mental acuity of the previous president,' meaning Biden. 'And while the scrutiny is justified, what about the current president? After all, he's pushing a batshit conspiracy theory that Joe Biden was executed in 2020 and replaced with a clone robot.' The Bulwark editor-at-large Bill Kristol reacted by saying, 'Trump doesn't believe it,' but he knows many of his supporters 'love conspiracy theories,' and 'the conspiracists are a big part of the Trump administration.' In other words, Trump's repost was appealing to that conspiracy coalition — a group that is both entertained and motivated by his theories. While Trump-promoting outlets like Fox News laughed off the Trump repost, some media critics said it should be taken seriously. It is evidence of 'Trump's disordered mental state,' Stephen Robinson wrote for Public Notice on Tuesday morning. Avery Lotz wrote for Axios that Trump mixes 'wild conspiracies with market-moving policies' in his feed on Truth Social. Lotz concluded, 'With no fact-checks or consequences for falsehoods, Trump can be, as he's shared multiple posts saying, 'right about everything.''
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Trump ally Mike Lindell reveals who really rigged the voting machines for Biden in 2020
MyPillow mogul and longtime Donald Trump ally Mike Lindell believes that Satan was part of an effort to rig the 2020 election for Joe Biden. Lindell had a closed-door meeting at the White House with Trump as recently as last month, pleading with the president to bring up the enforcement of an obscure tax provision that touched small businesses, including his own, during the pandemic. The CEO has been touring the country for years trying to convince people that voter fraud tipped the scales in favor of Joe Biden four years ago. He spoke outside a courtroom in Denver as he faces defamation charges from Dominion Voting Systems, a company based in the city whom he says help throw the 2020 contest to Biden. While he blamed many of the usual targets for the result that sent Biden to the White House - including the Deep State, globalists and the Chinese Communist Party - he took things to a different level Monday. 'We're in a battle of biblical proportions, of evil and good. This isn't a party thing. This is a thing for our country and our world,' Lindell claimed. 'And when you say who's behind it all? Satan, there's one. You know, this is a nation that turned its back on God.' Despite this, he did warn that whatever happens next is 'up to God' and 'much bigger than all of us,' suggesting a sinister 'computer algorithm' overseeing elections. However, he made it clear that he does not necessarily blame Biden's party for the election. 'When people ask me that, you've never heard me over the last four years bashing the Democrats,' Lindell said. 'The people that did this to our country, I believe it's four: it's the uniparty, the Deep State, Globalists, and the CCP.' Lindell is currently standing in a defamation lawsuit filed in federal court in Colorado by Eric Coomer, former director of product strategy and security for Denver-based Dominion. Jury selection took place Monday, with opening statements set to be delivered on Tuesday. Fox News in 2023 paid $787 million to settle a defamation suit with Dominion Voting Systems after airing claims about the firm's electronic voting machine systems. Lindell says his legal battles have wrecked his finances. 'I'm in ruins,' he told federal District Court Judge Carl Nichols in a hearing last month relating to the Smartmatic defamation suit against him. And he continues to face his own situation with the IRS, although he says it is on a matter he brought to the agency's attention. At issue here is the $10 million Lindell invested in a substance he said was a 'cure' for the coronavirus that he purchased in the spring of 2020. It is now expired and sitting in a warehouse, and Lindell says he wants to take a write-off on the lost value. 'It was Mike Lindell, it's me. I bought the stuff out of my personal money. I put $10 million up to save the country and instead .. was attacked,' he said. He says he tried to send it to Israel, the Philippines, and Brazil, and that the IRS came to view the stockpile. 'So I've been dealing with the IRS on that deduction,' he said, referring to the substance derived from Oleander as both a 'cure' and a 'supplement,' although the FDA rejected it. The Washington Post reported in April that a political appointee at the the Treasury Department contacted the IRS on Lindell's behalf after he got his second audit letter in two years, intervening on behalf of a 'high profile friend of the president.' Lindell denied being under a second audit, calling it a 'big lie,' and saying 'I'm the one that reached out to them.' 'They went there, took pictures of all of my warehouses that had all this stuff in there that never, never got used,' he said of the IRS. 'That became an audit and that's still going on,' he said. 'It's just arguing over that deduction.' He got both issues in front of Trump by asking when he was at the White House for the National Day of Prayer.
