“A Riverside [white nationalist] rally that was to feature two controversial members of Congress was canceled late Friday, July 16 — about 24 hours before it was set to begin. The abrupt cancellation capped a day filled with outrage and demands to cancel the event as well as plans to protest the planned appearance of Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene in an “America First” rally at the Riverside Convention Center,” reports Press-Enterprise.com.

Boston Globe: “If ever there was a political bloc that could be counted on to hold a candle for Donald Trump, it would seem to be white evangelical Christians, who maintained a near-uniform front for the Republican throughout his presidency and beyond. Yet, as some 1,200 evangelicals gathered here for the Family Leadership Summit, widely seen as the first political event on the long road to the 2024 Republican primary, there was a feeling among some that it was time to move on. ‘I agree with pretty much everything Trump did on policy as president, but I don’t think it would be good for him or good for the country if he ran again,’ said Ken Hayes, a retired nonprofit worker from rural Fort Dodge, who said he prayed for Trump every day the man was in office. Held in the Des Moines convention center, the daylong event is considered a key preview of how would-be candidates resonate among social conservatives, who dominate the Republican caucuses here. It featured appearances from former vice president Mike Pence, former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.”

“To be sure, there was plenty of praise for Trump, and more than a few attendees said they have his back as he continues to make baseless claims about the 2020 election. But in interviews with 15 people at the conference, all of whom voted for Trump, none said they hoped the former president would run again. ‘I am interested in who comes next,’ said 58-year-old Cheryl Prall… Mary Bloom, a 55-year-old homeschooling parent who attended Friday’s event and believes some of Trump’s claims about the 2020 election, ‘It is what it is and we all need to move on to the next election.'”

BrightLineWatch.org and YouGov conducted an expansive poll of partisans by region, following up on a January-February poll which asked similar questions. One of the most startling findings was:

“Rather than support for secession diminishing over the past six months, as we expected, it rose in every region and among nearly every partisan group. The jump is most dramatic where support was already highest (and has the greatest historical precedent) – among Republicans in the South, where secession support leapt from 50% in January/February to 66% in June. Support among Republicans in the Mountain region increased as well, by 7 points, from 36% to 43%. Among Democrats in the West, a near-majority of 47% (up 6 points) supports a schism, as do 39% (up 5 points) in Northeast. Support jumped 9 points among independents in the Heartland as well, reaching 43%. Even subordinate partisan groups appear to find secession more appealing now than they did last winter, though only increases for Democrats in the South, Heartland, and Mountain regions are statistically discernible at the 0.05 significance level. The broad and increasing willingness of respondents to embrace these alternatives is a cause for concern.”

Another troubling finding in the toplines was: “Exposure to information about the official audit in Maricopa County, Arizona more than doubled confidence in the vote count in Republicans, suggesting that information about standard processes intended to verify the results of elections can be reassuring to skeptical members of the public. Surprisingly, exposure to news about the partisan ‘audit’ there also increased confidence among Republicans somewhat, though this effect seems unlikely to persist when the supposed results of that process are announced.”

Senator Ted Cruz (GQP – Texas) decided to start off his weekend with some good old fashioned Texas race-baiting when he tried to blame spiking Covid19 rates in Texas on migrants.

Of course, there’s zero evidence to back up any of Cruz’s claims that the spike is due to migrants, and Covid19 infection rates are rising all over the country, with areas that have the lowest vaccination rates seeing the fastest spikes, but as Republicans always say “Why suggest white people should take responsibility for their actions when you can blame it on a brown people?”

“Fox News and other media outlets incorrectly side with the outdated and terrible Maricopa County Election Board to report no fraud found in the Presidential Election. They spew the gross misinformation purposefully put out by the county and the Associated Press, and IGNORE the very important Arizona Senate’s hearing yesterday, which showed 168,000 fraudulent ballots printed on illegal paper (unofficial ballots), 74,000 mail in ballots received that were never mailed (magically appearing ballots), 11,000 voters were added to the voter rolls AFTER the election and still voted, all the access logs to the machines were wiped, and the election server was hacked during the election. They sided with the County and not the brave Arizona Senate who is fighting for the people of Arizona. The same anchor at the desk the night Fox called Arizona for Joe Biden now wants you to believe there was no fraud. The anchor was Bret Baier.”

“Thankfully, Arizona has strong State Senators willing to fight for the truth. Senator Wendy Rogers says ‘I have heard enough. It’s time to decertify this election.’ Senator Kelly Townsend said the fraud was so bad ‘I want to see indictments.’ Senator Sonny Borrelli says ‘I’ve seen enough evidence to challenge the validity of the certification of the Maricopa County Election results.’ Arizona shows Fraud and Voting Irregularities many times more than would be needed to change the outcome of the Election” – Friday night statement from the Fat Orange Bastard.

A year ago we lost a national hero, and I lost a friend and parishioner. John Lewis spent his life fighting to ensure our country lived up to its founding creed, and I’m so honored for the opportunity to carry on his legacy. pic.twitter.com/fkM6ACh4Na

— Reverend Raphael Warnock (@ReverendWarnock) July 17, 2021

“Six months into the Biden administration, Senate Democrats are expressing a cautious optimism that the party can keep control of the chamber in the 2022 midterm elections, enjoying large fund-raising hauls in marquee races as they plot to exploit Republican retirements in key battlegrounds and a divisive series of unsettled G.O.P. primaries. Swing-state Democratic incumbents, like Senators Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Mark Kelly of Arizona, restocked their war chests with multimillion-dollar sums ($7.2 million and $6 million, respectively), according to new financial filings this week. That gives them an early financial head start in two key states where Republicans’ disagreements over former President Donald J. Trump’s refusal to accept his loss in 2020 are threatening to distract and fracture the party. But Democratic officials are all too aware of the foreboding political history they confront: that in a president’s first midterms, the party occupying the White House typically loses seats – often in bunches. For now, Democrats hold power by only the narrowest of margins in a 50-50 split Senate, with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tiebreaker to push the expansive agenda on the economy, the pandemic and infrastructure.”

“The midterms are still more than 15 months away, but the ability to enact new policy throughout Mr. Biden’s first term hinges heavily on his party’s ability to hold the Senate and House. Four Senate Democratic incumbents are up for re-election in swing states next year – making them prime targets for Republican gains. But in none of those four states – New Hampshire, Nevada, Arizona and Georgia – has a dominant Republican candidate emerged to consolidate support from the party’s divergent wings. Out of office and banished from social media, Mr. Trump continues to insist on putting his imprint on the party with rallies and regular missives imposing an agenda of rewarding loyalists and exacting retribution against perceived enemies. That does not align with Senate Republican strategists who are focused singularly on retaking the majority and honing messages against the Democrats who now fully control Washington” – New York Times.

AP: “Rescue workers labored to clear up damage laid bare by receding water Saturday as the death toll from disastrous flooding in Western Europe rose above 150 and thoughts turned to the lengthy job of rebuilding communities devastated in minutes. Police said that more than 90 people are now known to have died in western Germany’s Ahrweiler county, one of the worst-hit areas, and more casualties are feared. Another 43 people were confirmed dead in neighboring North Rhine-Westphalia state. Belgium’s national crisis center put the country’s confirmed death toll at 24 and said it expects the number to rise. Days of heavy rain turned streets into raging rivers this week and caused the disastrous flooding that swept away cars, destroyed homes and trapped residents.”

“By Saturday, most of those missing had been accounted for, but receding floodwaters were receding across much of the affected regions, revealing the extent of the damage. ‘A lot of people have lost everything they spent their lives building up – their possessions, their home, the roof over their heads,’ German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after meeting rescue workers and others in the town of Erftstadt. ‘It may only be possible to clear up in weeks how much damage needs to be compensated,’ he said. Steinmeier said that people in the affected areas are counting on continuing support. ‘Many people here in these regions have nothing left but their hope, and we must not disappoint this hope,’ he said.”

• Remember the whole NSA was spying on Tucker Carlson scandal from last week?  Apparently, neither does Tucker Carlson.  He’s barely mentioned it this week.
• The federal government should tie the aid sent to states getting hit by the newest wave of the coronavirus virus to the amount of money they spent on vaccination promotion before.  If a state like Texas and Mississippi didn’t spend a cent, they shouldn’t get a cent.  And any future aid should be indexed to the percentage of the population vaccinated in the next four weeks.  Hell, tie it to hurricane relief:  if you’re not vaccinated, you don’t get FEMA rebuilding money.  
• There is no way to have a rational conversation with someone who believes a vaccine makes you magnetic or tags you with a Bill Gates microchip.  
  Read More ▶ “Random thoughts Friday, Volume XXVIII”

Rapper Biz Markie, born Marcel Theo Hall but fondly referred to as “the Clown Prince of Hip Hop,” died Friday in Baltimore at the age of 57.  A cause of death was not disclosed, but he had fought a years-long battle against Type-2 diabetes, Rolling Stone reports.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce, this evening, with his wife Tara by his side, hip hop pioneer Biz Markie peacefully passed away,” his rep Jenni Izumi said in a statement.  “We are grateful for the many calls and prayers of support that we have received during this difficult time. Biz created a legacy of artistry that will forever be celebrated by his industry peers and his beloved fans whose lives he was able to touch through music, spanning over 35 years. He leaves behind a wife, many family members and close friends who will miss his vibrant personality, constant jokes and frequent banter. We respectfully request privacy for his family as they mourn their loved one.”

Biz Markie is best known for the song “Just a Friend,” which will cause you to immediately sing out-of-tune, “Yooouuuu, you got what I neeeeed…”

Motion to dismiss from batshit insane Capitol rioter Pauline Bauer, representing herself in court on a single felony charge of obstructing an official proceeding (the rap most of the rioters who haven’t been connected to an act of violence, vandalism, or theft within the Capitol on January 6th were hit with), and three local DC misdemeanors. NBC 4 Washington’s Scott MacFarlane reports Bauer has been assigned a “standby counsel” by the court, a provision reserved to defendants “both unversed in courtroom etiquette and uneducated in the law” whose defense could suffer from a “disorderly and unfair trial”, per Villanova Law Professor Anne Bowen Poulin. More simply: Standby counsels can take over for crazy assholes like Bauer. This one probably will in short order.

* On a side note we’d like to apologize for misidentifying Scott MacFarlane’s employer as NBC News when it’s actually local NBC affiliate WRC-TV (aka NBC 4 Washington) in pretty much every time he’s been sourced here previously on National Zero. The distinction is a little less important given that WRC-TV is wholly owned and operated by NBC Universal (in contrast to, for example, WTWC in Tallahasee, Florida, an NBC affiliate owned by Sinclair), but it’s a distinction nonetheless. It also raises an important question: Why the fuck is this guy stuck at a local affiliate when he should be working at the national NBC News organization? His work tracking all the criminal cases related to the Capitol riot has been an incredible resource for so many. Somebody at NBC headquarters needs to get their head out of their ass and promote this guy already.

The four-date tour featuring Donald Trump and Bill O’Reilly seems to be experiencing underwhelming ticket sales, as the screenshots of available tickets from Ticketmaster show.  Three of the four sites for the so-called “History Tour,” scheduled from December 11th to December 19th, show lots of empty seats.

Bill O’Reilly is so upset about the reports of his and Trump’s failure to sell tickets, as reported in Politico, that he’s threatened to sue the website, reports Salon. 

A federal judge in Texas has ruled that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals plan enacted by the Obama Administration is illegal and blocked all new applicants for it starting immediately, CNN reports.

The ruling by Judge Andrew Hanen, a George W. Bush appointee to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, does not direct any action against those under protection from the program so they can remain in the country without being targeted for removal.

Hanen’s ruling is based on the idea that the 2012 executive order– signed by Barack Obama and giving temporary amnesty to those covered by DACA:  people brought into the country as children under the age of 16 before June 15, 2007–overrides Congress’s legislative authority and that Congress did not give the Department of Homeland Security to create DACA. 

NBC 12 Phoenix’s Braham Resnik reports the Arizona Expo arena has agreed with Arizona State Senate President Karen Fann to continue the Cyber Ninjas clusterfuck until the end of this month.

In a forthcoming book I Alone Can Fix It, Donald Trump told the authors that he would have had victorious, reelection fight if he were facing a modern day ticket of a Founding Father and arguably the greatest president of all time, the Guardian reports.

“I think it would be hard if George Washington came back from the dead and he chose Abraham Lincoln as his vice-president, I think it would have been very hard for them to beat me,” Trump said in an interview with Washington Post writers Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker. The interview, which happened at Mar-a-Lago after Biden’s inauguration, shows that Trump thought the only thing that took down his campaign was the coronavirus pandemic, something he continues to claim–besides election fraud.  Reportedly, Trump sat down with the book authors for a two-and-a-half hour interview because he felt the pairs’ first book on him, A Very Stable Genius, was unfair to him and he wanted to have some input into the follow-up.

Of course, Trump lost reelection to Democrat Joe Biden, a former Senator and Vice President who beat Trump by nearly eight million votes and a landslide in the Electoral College.

Forensic News: “A media company connected to Rudy Giuliani set up to produce a documentary in 2020 about alleged corruption by Joe and Hunter Biden in Ukraine conducted much more work than publicly known, including a previously unreported engagement with disgraced ex-Ukrainian prosecutor, Kostiantyn Kulyk. This comes as Forensic News has learned that New York prosecutors investigating Giuliani’s dealings with Kremlin-allied Ukrainians in the 2020 election have identified Kulyk as a key figure in their inquiry and are attempting to flip him against Giuliani.”

Arizona county election officials have identified just 182 potential cases of voter fraud out of the three million votes cast in Maricopa County during the November 2020 presidential election, the Associated Press reports, undercutting claims by Donald Trump that there was massive voter fraud in the state.

Prosecutor have only pursued charges in four of the cases, and no one has been convicted of any wrongdoing although Republicans in Arizona and around the country have claimed that there were millions of fake ballots, some containing bamboo from China.

“The fact of the matter is that election officials across the state are highly invested in helping to ensure the integrity of our elections and the public’s confidence in them,” said Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat. “And part of that entails taking potential voter fraud seriously.”

“Restrictions allowing only people vaccinated against coronavirus to be served at indoor restaurants, bars and cafes went into effect in Greece on Friday, with diners broadly in favour of the measure as the country grapples with a surge in infections. Customers at indoor restaurants, bars and cafes have to prove they have been vaccinated. It is the latest in a series of curbs aimed at saving the summer tourist season and includes foreign tourists. It does not apply at outdoor venues. People who have been vaccinated say the restriction is the price those refusing to get inoculated will have to pay. ‘I agree that the vaccinated (people) should have some privileges,’ said Yiannis Kamalakis, a customer seated at an indoor cafe in Athens. ‘Whoever does not want to get vaccinated, it is their choice, but they will have to live with certain restrictions'” Reuters reports.

This is fucking communist bullshit. Clearly the Greek government hates individual freedoms by forcing people to be vaccinated if they want to eat at McDonald’s or Pizza Hut. They know nothing about Democracy at all. Conservatives need to mobilize immediately and take this all the way to the Supreme Court to force the Greeks to repeal this unconstitutional and un-American law.

A federal judge struck down a $6.1 million contract between the Department of Justice and a private contractor to have the contractor create a database for the extensive testimony and evidence being presented in grand jury hearings relating to the prosecutions of January 6th Capitol insurrectionists.

Politico reports that US District Judge for Washington, DC Beryl Howell determined that the contractor, Deloitte Financial Advisory Services, was not eligible to review confidential grand jury testimony.  The work that Deloitte was scheduled to do will now have to be done by government workers who will pass along the information to defense attorneys on an individual case basis.

The Justice Department had designated Deloitte employees working on the database as “government employees” due to their status as contractors, an argument Howell found unpersuasive.